Diaz spins his best start with Generals

Many players can speak to the struggle of adjusting to a new level. Edwin Diaz and Jordy Lara are finally getting over that hurdle.

The Mariners' sixth-ranked prospect spun six one-hit frames while striking out seven and the club's No. 13 prospect collected his third straight multi-hit game as Double-A Jackson edged Mississippi, 2-1, on Monday at Trustmark Park.

Diaz (3-6) allowed a single to leadoff hitter Sean Godfrey in the first inning, but didn't allow a hit over the next 18 outs. The 21-year-old right-hander issued a walk to Godrey in the third and allowed Braeden Schlehuber to reach on an errant throw in the fifth in an otherwise perfect outing.

"He started a little slow, he was feeling a little bit with his fastball. Each inning, he got stronger and stronger," Generals manager Roy Howell said. "He stayed ahead of the hitters, kept the ball down, threw his slider for strikes and he mixed in the changeup, so definitely kept them off guard. His mechanics were real nice tonight, nice and smooth and the ball was just jumping out of his hand."

After posting a 1.70 ERA in seven starts with Class A Advanced Bakersfield, Diaz got the call to Double-A. The Puerto Rico native has consistently lowered his ERA in 10 appearances since his promotion, and with his first scoreless outing for the Generals, Diaz is at 4.69.

"When he stays where he's supposed to be in his windup and from the stretch, if he stays behind the rubber, stays balanced, he's electrifying. And he's got the slider that can put you away and then he throws the changeup," the skipper said. "He's one of those guys who we used to see. He's very loose and the ball just jumps out of his hand and he's hard to see.

"He's starting to really grasp what it is to pitch rather than just throw. You just can't dominate people, you have to make your pitches and he just keeps moving forward right now."

Before Diaz exited, Lara crossed the plate to put his starter in line for the win. The third baseman led off the sixth with his third hit of the game -- a ground-rule double to left-center -- and came around to score on an RBI double by Daniel Paolini.

Lara earned an in-season promotion last year, but ran into trouble adjusting to the Southern League in the final 33 games of the campaign. Now things are starting to click for the right-handed hitter.

With an improved stance that helps him reach inside pitches better, Lara is 8-for-12 with four extra-base hits and six RBIs in his last three games. The native of the Dominican Republic has struck out just four times in his last 10 games to raise his average to .260.

"He's been making little adjustments the last couple months. I think he's found the right combination where he can see the baseball well and he can get the bat head where he wants to go in the zone," Howell said. "The last few nights, and he's really done a nice job with it, he's had very quick hands, strong. He can put a charge in a baseball."

Diaz and Lara will represent their respective regions this month when the pitcher joins the World Team in the All-Star Futures Game while the infielder heads for the Pan Am Games.

"They're hard working and nice young men and they represent their country and their side of it very, very well," the manager said. "I'm just glad Jordy's got the opportunity to do that and Edwin will be in the Futures Game. He's going to represent very well and so will Jordy. They're just both good young men and I'm proud of both of them."

Tony Zych worked around two leadoff singles for a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save.