Pelicans' Buckel returns with scoreless start

Last summer was one to forget for Cody Buckel. Literally.

The Rangers prospect, who saw time at Major League Spring Training a year ago, found himself looking for answers after a season of frustrating control problems and hidden practice fields. He walked away from baseball this winter -- temporarily -- to clear his head and start over.

"This offseason, I took some time away from the game, took a deep breath, forgot about baseball for a month or two, got my ping pong game up to par," Buckel said. "I returned to a clear mind in my workouts and not fearing failure."

Buckel had a chance to face the fears and anxieties of his 2013 campaign with the first batter he faced on Friday -- he walked him.

"I said, 'Whatever,' and I was able to get the next the guy," Buckel said. "And sure enough, I got my guys through four innings. It's good to know my teammates had my back."

Buckel showed flashes of the talent that made him a 10-win All-Star, tossing four scoreless frames in his first start of the season as Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach fell to Salem, 4-0.

Buckel, sent back to the Carolina League this spring, held the Red Sox to one hit while striking out two. The 21-year-old right-hander, haunted by command problems and wildly inflated walk numbers last summer, avoided trouble on Friday, despite issuing four free passes and throwing two wild pitches.

"I felt pretty good after my warmup and bullpen, I was really pleased with how I threw the ball in the 'pen," Buckel said. "I got a little extra shot of adrenaline, I had a tweak in my mechanics and really got settled in the last inning. The adrenaline wore off, I made some good pitches when I needed to.

"It's good to see if I put a couple guys on base, I was able to stay calm -- that was huge for me. I could say, 'It's OK, stay within yourself,' and sure enough, I got the next three guys."

Last year, Buckel went 0-6 with a 21.09 ERA and 35 walks in 10 2/3 innings, mostly with Double-A Frisco. That came a season after he was 10-8 with a 2.49 ERA and earned a promotion from Myrtle Beach. Texas kept the 2012 Carolina League All-Star at extended spring training for most of last year, but the club still hopes he can regain the command he showed in his first three seasons.

"We want him to get back to the old Cody. We've always liked Cody," Rangers director of player development Mike Daly told MiLB.com last month. "One year ago, he was in Major League camp, and that should tell you what we think of him. He certainly has the talent and the ability on the mound, but Cody's ceiling is up to Cody."

Buckel sidestepped a rocky first inning after walking the first two batters. He struck out Carson Blair, retired David Chester on a popup and got Matt Gedman to ground out after uncorking a wild pitch.

The California native pitched around a leadoff single, a walk and another wild pitch in the second, picked off Matty Johnson after issuing a leadoff walk in the third, then finished his night with a 1-2-3 fourth.

"Last year, I would have been there thinking, 'Oh, God, here we go again,'" Buckel admitted. "I felt great in the 'pen, I felt like my old self. I walked the first few hitters, but I said, 'Stay within yourself, take a deep breath, get ahead.'"

Buckel missed out on a chance for the win, leaving after facing 15 batters. Salem pulled ahead in the seventh when Ryan Dent walked and scored on Jason Knapp's wild pitch, then tacked on three runs in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Johnson and Carson Blair's two-run homer off Cody Ege.

But for Buckel, Friday's success was a sign of what he hopes is a rebound in his career.

"I felt like I did that [staying composed] well tonight, so it's good to see that," he said. "To get the nerves out, it's a huge plus for me. A big step in the right direction."

Buckel said he understood why he was pulled after four innings -- he entered with a pitch count around 65-70 pitches -- and said he was happy about the way he responded to hurdles.

"That's something that wasn't in my mind last year -- staying within yourself and trusting yourself," he said. "Last Spring Training, kind of near the end, I got a little too technical, I was thinking too much with pitches. And mentally, I'd never really experienced mental failure before. It's something I didn't know how to handle."

He's also happy to be back in Myrtle Beach, a picturesque coastal destination that players and fans love to visit.

"It's definitely nice coming back to a place with good memories," Buckel said. "I love the feel of this place, it's a great place to play baseball. I was excited when they sent me back here, I was sick of being in Arizona for a year and a half. I love Myrtle Beach, it's a good pitcher's park, so that's never a bad thing. I was ready to have some fun, it's a great place to have a good time."