White, Braves combine on one-hit shutout

Alex White's comeback from Tommy John surgery hasn't gone as planned, but the North Carolina native, back home in the south, is finally feeling a little more like his old self.

White allowed one hit over seven innings in his third start for the Braves and Jose Peraza lined a go-ahead RBI double in the ninth as Triple-A Gwinnett blanked Pawtucket, 1-0, on Friday night at McCoy Stadium.

"It felt great," White said. "[Catcher Jose] Yepez was unbelievable behind the plate. I shook him off twice tonight and both times were bad pitches. After that, I committed to following him."

White took a no-hitter into the fifth, when veteran catcher Matt Spring blooped a one-out single to left field. He worked around four walks, striking out three, in his fourth outing since signing a Minor League deal with the Braves on June 10.

Peraza, the Braves' top prospect, extended his hitting streak to four games in the ninth. Daniel Castro lined a leadoff single and came home on Peraza's bloop double that fell in among three fielders in right.

Peter Moylan (2-0) relieved White and struck out one in a perfect eighth to pick up his second win and David Carpenter fired a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Carlos Peguero to finish off the one-hitter.

For White, the opportunity he's received from Atlanta comes after a year of struggling to find his old form in the Astros system. A first-round pick of the Indians in 2009, he was considered an elite prospect before Cleveland shipped him to Colorado in 2011 as part of the deal that landed Ubaldo Jimenez at the Trade Deadline. White was dealt to Houston in 2012, then underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2013. He returned to the mound last May with Triple-A Oklahoma City before going 3-6 with a 6.50 ERA in 25 outings.

White was 1-4 with a 5.56 ERA in nine games this year at Triple-A Fresno when the Astros released him on June 8.

"I feel fortunate with my experience with Houston. I appreciate everything they did with me," he said. "But it's really nice to be back on the East Coast with the Braves."

The University of North Carolina product signed with Atlanta on June 10 and made his Gwinnett debut three days later, throwing a scoreless inning at Indianapolis before going five shutout frames on June 15 at Louisville. He was tagged for five runs by Pawtucket on Sunday in his home debut.

That shaky outing prompted the 26-year-old right-hander to sit down with Yepez and work on being a little more consistent around the strike zone Friday.

"We walked a few guys last start and I got into some trouble. I walked a few more tonight, but we talked about getting ahead, getting the first guy of each inning, throwing first-pitch strikes and taking it from there," he said. "I had a really good breaking ball tonight and used it very successfully, and we were lucky. We played them well and they hit the ball where we were at."

Pawtucket starter Steven Wright (2-2) matched White before running into trouble in the ninth. The 30-year-old knuckleballer, who's made 11 big league appearances this season, threw his first complete game of the season, allowing a run on four hits without issuing a walk. He fanned five, throwing 70 of 87 pitches for strikes.

"Steve is a good pitcher, I actually played with him in 2010, so I'm glad to see he's doing well," White said. "He threw the ball well, he's able to fill up the strike zone with the knuckleball, especially when he has it dancing like he did tonight. We were fortunate to scratch across one run, and the bullpen to hold them down like they did was a great thing for us."

White threw 62 of 104 pitches for strikes, facing four batters over the minimum. He worked around consecutive walks in the second and picked off Peguero to end the fourth after issuing his third free pass. Rehabbing Red Sox catcher Ryan Hanigan was the last Pawtucket batter to reach base when he drew a two-out walk in the sixth.

White said his surgically repaired arm feels good, but he's dealt with a loss of velocity since the procedure.

"I feel great, the elbow feels incredible, the shoulder is good, but the ball's not coming out of my hand like it did before," he said. "I threw a lot harder. Now it's about being patient and working hard, making sure I'm doing everything I can to be the pitcher I was before Tommy John. That's what we're looking for every time I go out, building arm strength and going deep into games."

Bottom line, he's happy for a second chance with the Braves.

"It's been really good. Coming back from Tommy John, it hasn't gone as well as I would have liked, but I'm trying to be patient and hope it comes back like it was before," White said. "I'm fortunate the Braves took a chance to find me, so now it's about patience and having some games and some time and innings to let me prove I can come back."