Missoula's Yerzy runs hit streak to 21 games

Between his debut season last year and his 2017 campaign, Andy Yerzy has played in 86 professional baseball games. He's riding a hitting streak that's spanned nearly a quarter of that total. 
Arizona's No. 24 prospect stretched his run to 21 games to tie teammate Joey Rose for the longest in the Pioneer League this year as Rookie-level Missoula upended Billings, 10-4, on Monday night at Dehler Park.

"I think it's just getting my pitch more consistently than not," Yerzy said of the key to his career-best streak. "I've been getting myself into good fastball counts, counts where I'm laying off some pretty good breaking balls. I'm getting myself into counts with pitches I know I can handle."
Gameday box score
The 19-year-old's last two games haven't been the most prolific offensive nights of his run with 1-for-5 lines in both, but they have shown off his considerable power. After belting a solo homer in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Mustangs, the Osprey backstop did the same with a leadoff blast to left field in the seventh. He has eight long balls this season after hitting one in 45 games with Missoula and in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2016.  
"I've always been able to drive the ball out during [batting practice], but it was taking that same approach and trying to not lift the ball every time but drive it, really get into the baseball in games," Yerzy said. "I'm just trying to translate my BP into games, and it's been working. I've just been trying to put the same swings on baseballs as I was in BP. Don't swing 100 percent. You can do it at almost 85 percent and just try to get the barrel to it."
Over his streak, Yerzy is hitting .345 with a .444 on-base percentage, drawing on lessons he learned during his professional bow last season.
"I think what that one year taught me was it helped me mature throughout that entire year," the 2016 second-round pick said. "I feel much more comfortable playing in this league. I was coming out of high school. I had a little bit of a layover, so I guess just being on the road so much, I had Spring Training, extended [spring training], early camp under my belt already, so I was kind of used to being away from home [this year]."

Missoula hadn't figured out any answers to Billings starter Mac Sceroler early. Through his first four innings, the right-hander allowed one hit and faced one batter over the minimum. In the fifth, the Osprey broke through, taking advantage of two errors and a wild pitch by reliever John Ghyzel while sending 12 men to the plate and putting up eight runs.
Juan Araujo got the scoring started with a two-run homer to left-center off Sceroler and things snowballed from there.
"We lucked out a little bit that one inning," said Yerzy, who popped out to second in his only at-bat of the frame. "This guy was pretty tough, but they made a couple errors that inning. We put some good swings on baseballs. We barreled up a lot of baseballs and it was good. They carved us up a little bit for the first four, but we got to him in the fifth and knocked him out of the game. From there, it was pretty set."
After the outburst, Osprey starter Cesilio Pimentel retired the side in order in the bottom half en route to a career-best seven innings. Pimentel was charged with four runs -- three earned -- on six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in his second start of the year.
"That's almost more satisfying than the entire [streak]," Yerzy said. "I always feel great leading a pitcher and getting him through a bunch of innings. It's no fun for us as a defense, if a pitcher starts to struggle, having long innings, but 'Cesi' was effective today, had a slider, changeup and a fastball working. Me and him were just on the same page for most of the game."
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The Osprey are ticketed for the Pioneer League playoffs thanks to their first-half North Division title, and despite a 7-12 record, they're still in the mix for the second-half crown, sitting three games behind Great Falls. Yerzy appreciates his streak but has his eyes set on bigger goals as the season nears its climax.
"I want to finish on a winning note," he said. "It's great that we clinched the first half, but if we don't back it up the second half, then I feel like it's a little bit of a [letdown]. If we don't finish up strong, then it's kind of going to waste winning that first half. I want to play good the entire year. I want to win both halves and hopefully win the entire thing."
Rose, who hit in 21 straight contests between July 15 and Aug. 13, had a double in four at-bats and scored a run for Missoula.