Returned Smith in control for Wahoos

Josh Smith's first crack at the Major Leagues didn't go exactly the way he wanted, but he knows it will make him a better pitcher in the long run.

"You always want to go up there and be successful, and after being there, you realize what it takes to be successful in the big leagues," the Cincinnati right-hander said. "Getting ahead early -- that's something I wasn't really doing in the big leagues, and something I wanted to work on here so I can get back up there."

It certainly worked for him in his return to the Minors. Smith scattered three hits and struck out 10 while permitting one walk over eight shutout innings Thursday in Double-A Pensacola's 3-2 win over Montgomery.

The 10 punchouts were the most the 27-year-old has recorded since a May 21, 2011 start for Class A Dayton in which he fanned 13 during his first full pro season. 

"The biggest thing for me is just getting ahead. The 10 strikeouts are nice, but getting ahead -- that's what I'm happy about," he said. "I'm going to have success when I get ahead. Strikeouts are nice, and when I get ahead, I'm going to get a fair share of them."

Smith is now 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA over 33 Southern League innings. After splitting the beginning of the year between the Blue Wahoos and the Triple-A Louisville Bats (and making a one-inning start for the Class A Dayton Dragons), the Lipscomb University product made three starts for the Reds. He totaled 12 1/3 innings and went 0-2 with a 7.30 ERA. 

"That's what really got to me in Cincy -- I wasn't throwing a lot of strikes early in the count," he said. "Tonight, I attacked the zone and wanted to try to get through innings in 12 pitches or less."

The approach was so effective he held the Biscuits hitless into the fifth inning, when No. 22 Rays prospect Jake Bauers drove a 1-1 offering into right field for a one-out double.

"It was the pitch I wanted. I just left it over the middle a bit, and he put a good swing on it," Smith said. "I try not to pay attention to it, but obviously you know if you have [given up a hit] or not. But I didn't realize that it was that late into the game."

The next inning, he stranded a runner in scoring position once more. Joey Rickard and Dayron Varona both singled, but Smith ended the frame by striking out 25th-ranked Tampa Bay prospect Patrick Leonard.

"It's always nice to go out there and leave guys on base," said the native of Margate, Florida. "The competitor in you never wants to give up runs." 

Although by the end of the eighth, Smith had thrown 104 pitches -- 74 of them for strikes -- he put up a fight to get the ball in the ninth.

"I battled [manager Pat Kelly and pitching coach Jeff Fassero] on it for sure," he said. "I didn't want to come out, but he's the manager and he knows how to do what's best."

After Kyle McMyne and Patrick Schuster got into trouble in the ninth, Zack Weiss logged his eighth Southern League save by closing out the last two-thirds of the frame.

Juan Duran tripled, doubled, knocked in a run and crossed the plate once for the Blue Wahoos.

The Biscuits' Jacob Faria (1-1) took the hill for the first time since he struck out 14 on July 4. He gave up three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six over five innings.