EL notes: Jays' Boyd gets back to basics

When Matt Boyd first arrived in New Hampshire after early-season success with Class A Advanced Dunedin last year, he figured he needed to change things up due to the higher level of play and competition.

He got away from what got him there in the first place, faltered and subsequently bounced between Dunedin and New Hampshire two more times before the season was finished.

After doing some soul searching in the offseason, the Blue Jays' No. 19 prospect knew he had to get back to basics, trust in pitching off of his fastball and believe in the preparation process. The results have been jarring -- in a good way -- as Boyd has dominated through his first nine starts of the season, going 4-1 with a league-best 1.05 ERA.

"I thought I could kind of re-create myself as a pitcher instead of just trusting my abilities and trusting in the preparation," Boyd said of his time with the Fisher Cats last season. "I have the talent to pitch here, but I didn't have the confidence to pitch here. I didn't trust my stuff. It's a brutally honest way to look at it.

"This year, along with being healthy, [confidence] has been a big difference. I'm just very grateful, very blessed for the opportunity. It's always the goal to go out there, put your best foot forward and trust the preparation you put in in the offseason. You always want to be the best when you're preparing for a season."

Part of last year's struggles came when Boyd was not challenging the hitters in Double-A as he had in Dunedin, when he struck out 103 batters over 90 2/3 innings.

This year he has gotten back to attacking hitters with a fastball that ticks into the low 90s, and he has been able to successfully work his secondary pitches around the plate to baffle hitters.

"He was trying to miss bats, not challenge people," said Fisher Cats pitching coach Bob Stanley. "This year he came with the attitude, 'All right, I'm going to challenge these guys,' and that's what he's been doing. Opening Day he struck out nine guys, all on fastballs. If he can get the fastball down a little more, he'll be even better."

Boyd gives credit to a few factors for the turnaround at the Double-A level, starting with a minor procedure he had last September to remove bone chips in his left elbow.

He also, for the first time, worked with a weighted ball program in the offseason and has gleaned as much as he can from the seasoned veterans around him and the entire organization, which has done admirably in developing top young pitching talent over the last decade.

"Steamer's at the helm of the pitching staff," Boyd said of Stanley, a veteran of 13 seasons in the Majors. "He's been awesome, and having two experienced catchers in [Pierce] Rankin and [Jack] Murphy -- they really help you. Everyone's on board."

All of that has allowed Boyd comfort in simply going out and putting his team in a position to win.

In six of his nine starts, he did not allow an earned run and has struck out 56 over 51 1/3 innings while holding opponents to a .167 batting average, allowing just 30 hits and 13 walks.

"At the end of the day, if that scoreboard says we're ahead, I feel I've done my job," said Boyd. "I want to be a guy that went out there and when I toed it up, I gave my team a chance to win."

In brief

Ready to take flight: Orioles' top prospect Dylan Bundy tossed a season-high four scoreless innings versus Trenton last Thursday. The No. 4 overall pick of the 2011 Draft tied season highs with five strikeouts and 65 pitches while also getting 10 swings and misses. Dylan, who is still cautiously working back from a lat strain that cut short his return from Tommy John surgery last year, has struck out 25 while walking only five over 22 innings for Bowie this season.

Stringing the hits: Binghamton outfielder Jayce Boyd's 11-game hitting streak is his longest since he carried an 18-game streak from Savannah to St. Lucie in June 2013. His four doubles during this current streak has sent him to the league lead with 15 through 38 games. In 119 games with the B-Mets last season, Boyd had 22 doubles, which tied him for 13th in the EL.

Duck 'pen dynamo: While the Akron RubberDucks have three starters (Cody Anderson, 1.69 ERA; Mike Clevinger, 2.84; and Shawn Morimando, 2.90) in the top 12 of the league's ERA leaders, it may be reliever Josh Martin that is having the most eye-opening season for a staff that leads the league with a 3.11 team ERA. In 14 appearances the right-hander is 5-0 with a 0.66 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 30 K's over 27 1/3 innings. Martin has allowed just 14 hits, only five of which were for extra bases, and has yielded only two earned runs.