There wasn't much doubt in Matt Heidenreich's abilities as a pitcher during his two full seasons in the Houston Astros organization. His 6-foot-5 frame and overall mechanics projected well for him to advance through the Astros' system and eventually find his way to the parent club.

But something just didn't click for Heidenreich with the Astros after he was acquired at the 2012 Trade Deadline in the deal that sent Brett Myers to the Chicago White Sox. He could not quite find his footing within the Astros' piggyback pitching system and the numbers reflected it.

Heidenreich was released by the Astros following the 2014 season and had a few teams call about his services. However, the one call he received from the White Sox was probably the only one he needed.

Thanks to a return to familiar surroundings, he's shined back with the White Sox organization. He was inserted into the starting rotation with the Class A Advanced Winston-Salem Dash and his numbers reflect his 2012 season when he was the Carolina League All-Star Game starter.

Heidenreich leads the Carolina League in victories this season with seven and his 2.67 ERA is fifth-best in the eight-team league.

"I think that coming back over here was a really good thing for me," Heidenreich said. "I felt very comfortable coming back here and working with the team that drafted me and essentially raised me in their organization. Coming back was definitely a huge thing for me."

Heidenreich started the 2012 Carolina League All-Star Game at BB&T Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and posted an 8-2 record and 3.57 ERA before being promoted to Double-A Birmingham. He was with the Barons for two weeks before being included in the trade with the Astros. But he never experienced the same success with the Astros that he enjoyed with the White Sox, going 8-9 in his two full seasons.

"I think he tried to always prove himself over there and things didn't work out. I don't know if it's anyone's fault or anything; just things sometimes don't work out," Dash pitching coach J.R. Perdew said. "When he came back, I think he felt relaxed and he got back to kind of doing some things that he had been doing. He's a mature guy, he works hard, he kind of has his own gameplan and he knows what he needs to do to be successful."

Heidenreich said the piggyback system, which the Astros use through the farm system until the Triple-A level, was not ideal for him. Instead of being in a five-man rotation, he needed to be ready to start and then come in relief four days later.

While he didn't necessarily have the numbers to back up his two seasons, he worked with Astros pitching coach Brent Strom during the Arizona Fall League in 2013 to develop a curveball. The implementation of the curveball, to go along with a four-seam fastball, changeup and sinker, have allowed Heidenreich to be able to throw any pitch in any count and regain the confidence he had in 2012.

"I'd say never allowing a lefty or a righty or a hitter in general to be able to eliminate a pitch in any count is what's helped me throughout the season," Heidenreich said. "Adding the curveball is a much better strikeout pitch; it's a much better pitch than the slider I had previously."

The confidence Heidenreich has this season has been a pleasant surprise after the previous two seasons with the Astros had not produced the results he had been accustomed to in the organization that drafted him out of California's Temescal Canyon High School in the fourth round of the 2009 Draft.

"I could tell in Spring Training he was very happy," Perdew said. "I think he's taking this as a second lease on life and trying to really take advantage of it, no doubt."

In brief

Hot-hitting Travis: Salem first baseman Sam Travis did not have an ideal start to the season. The former Indiana University standout was hitting .173 with five RBIs in his first 14 games, but has since found a groove at the plate. In his last 39 contests, the Red Sox No. 15 prospect has rattled off a Carolina League-high 51 hits and has driven in 25 runs. The near month-and-a-half stretch has positioned Travis third among current Carolina League players in batting average (.303). Travis also owns a .355 batting average at home.

Poised Peter: Winston-Salem second baseman Jake Peter became the second Dash batter this season to reach a hitting streak of at least 10 games with a 2-for-5 performance in Sunday's 9-7 loss at Lynchburg. The Chicago White Sox No. 23 prospect and former Creighton standout has hit .368 with nine runs and seven RBIs during his hitting streak. He could overtake Chris Jacobs for the longest hitting streak of the season on the team after Jacobs' 10-game streak ended May 9.

Rain, rain go away: Over the weekend against the Carolina Mudcats, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans donned jerseys in tribute to Hall of Fame shortstop and Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks that read "Let's Play Two" across the front in conjunction with a doubleheader against the Mudcats. Turns out, the entire Carolina League has been playing two quite often. After a trio of rainouts Monday, Tuesday's schedule was littered with doubleheaders. The Pelicans played their eighth doubleheader Tuesday, and the Lynchburg Hillcats played their seventh of the season and third in less than a week.