El Paso's Pimentel dominates in 10th win

Carlos Pimentel showed Tuesday exactly why he was recognized as the best pitcher in the Pacific Coast League last season.

The San Diego right-hander tossed six one-hit innings as Triple-A El Paso beat host Tacoma, 6-0, on Tuesday.

Pimentel struck out four while issuing a pair of walks. The 26-year-old gave up a one-out single to No. 5 Mariners prospect D.J. Peterson in the second inning and ended his night by retiring eight of the last nine batters to face him, with Zach Shank reaching on a two-out fielding error in the sixth by shortstop Nick Noonan.

"He had a heckuva ballgame," Chihuahuas pitching coach Bronswell Patrick said. "He was able to throw his off-speed behind in the count. He worked ahead. He kept them off balance. There was only one soft contact and that was the one to Peterson, but other than that he located his pitches pretty well. He did a great job. He gave us six quality innings."

The outing represented a nice rebound for the Dominican Republic native, as he struggled in his last start on July 20. Pimentel allowed five earned runs on eight hits and three walks over four innings against Memphis, a loss which ended his four-game winning streak.

"He got ahead in the count," Patrick said of Tuesday's appearance. "He used his fastball a little bit more tonight and that's been the difference. The start before he was behind in the count and he couldn't get his off-speed in the strike zone his last outing. Tonight it was a much different story, he was able to get ahead in the count with all his pitches."

Pimentel (10-5) became the third pitcher to reach double-digits in victories this season in the Pacific Coast League, joining Fresno's Ty Blach and Nashville's Dillon Overton. Now in his fourth season in the league but his first with the Padres organization, the 6-foot-3 pitcher knows what he needs to do in order to have success at this level.

"He goes out and competes," Patrick said. "He's a veteran guy, he's been around. He was the PCL Pitcher of the Year last year, so he has an idea. The main thing I've seen from him is he goes out and competes. I know he struggled early on, but I feel very comfortable when he's out there on the mound. He's gonna give us a chance to win some ballgames."

Pimentel is tied for second in the league in wins and sports a 5.68 ERA in 20 starts for El Paso.

Michael Dimock gave up one hit and struck out three over the final three innings to earn his third save.

Diego Goris slugged a two-run homer and Hector Sanchez plated a pair of runs to lead the Chihuahuas offense.