Enright tosses shutout for Salt Lake
After leaving the only organization he had ever known, the right-hander is looking for a fresh start while building a new fan base. Tuesday's outing could go a long way to achieving both goals.
Sporting his trademark ginger hair and beard, Enright (9-6) scattered three hits over nine innings in his first career nine-inning shutout as Salt Lake beat Las Vegas, 8-0.
It was just the 24th complete-game shutout in the team's 19-year history and the first since Bear Bay allowed six hits in a 4-0 win against Fresno on June 12 last year.
"It was bittersweet just because I had known them all for so long," Enright said of leaving the Arizona organization. "I was actually in Las Vegas. It was our last day here because it was a travel day the next day. They brought me into the office and told me I had been traded to the Angels.
"But it's a fresh start for me and I think I needed that. I had a great time in Arizona. The fans supported me through my ups and downs and I can't thank them enough. It was hard to leave, but everybody here has made me feel welcome."
On Tuesday, Enright allowed four Las Vegas hitters to reach base as he faced just two above the minimum. Nobody reached third against the big league veteran.
Joel Galarraga singled to right field with two outs in the third inning, but Mike McCoy grounded out to end the frame.
In the fourth, Jonathan Diaz led off with a single to center. Ricardo Nanita doubled to right to start the fifth and Diaz was hit by a pitch to lead off the seventh. All three players were erased on double-play balls.
The only other batter to reach against Enright was Galarraga, who drew a one-out walk in the ninth but was stranded at first base.
"Things were good from the beginning," said Enright, who threw 61 of 106 pitches for strikes. "I'd worked with catcher John Hester from his time with the Diamondbacks. He kept me on track tonight and the defense did a great job behind me.
"I threw my two-seam [fastball] and changeup down in the zone, and even when I let a few leadoff batters on base, the middle infielders turned some double plays."
Enright, who was 7-11 with a 4.87 ERA in 24 starts across two seasons in Arizona, hopes his new surroundings will invigorate his season. He was 8-6 with a 5.87 ERA in 21 starts in Reno this year before the trade.
"I was able to get off to a good start for the first month, but I had been struggling before the trade. Pitching in this league, you'll have some tough games. I hadn't been myself, it was more mental than physical.
"It was like I needed a gut check. I talked to some people in my close support system like my college coach and my agent and they got me back on track."
Steve Rodriguez, Enright's head coach at Pepperdine University where he posted a 35-8 career record, gave the 26-year-old some of the best advice.
"He told me it was the first time he had heard me making excuses," said Enright, who was selected by Arizona in the second round of the 2007 Draft. "He said I had always stepped up to challenges ,and he said I had not been the competitor he had always known me to be. He's always been like a father figure to me and I enjoyed talking to him.
"It's great to have a fresh start."
While some of the faces are familiar -- Enright knows pitcher Matt Meyer from summer ball and left fielder Ryan Langerhans from the playoff run in Reno 12 months ago -- he will continue using social media to interact with new people.
Enright -- who goes by the handle BarryEnright54 -- had more than 20,000 followers Tuesday on Twitter, and he didn't plan to stop there.
"I've always enjoyed it. The fans have embraced me and I love asking them their likes and dislikes," he said. "I like hearing their favorite stadiums and their favorite ballpark foods.
"It's always fun to go back and forth with them and connect on a different level and show them my personal side off the baseball field."
Second baseman Matt Long was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, and shortstop Ed Lucas was 3-for-5 in the victory. He slugged his eighth homer of the year and missed hitting for the cycle by a triple.
Las Vegas starter Bill Murphy (5-5) allowed six runs -- five earned -- on 10 hits and four walks while striking out four batters over 5 1/3 innings in the losing cause.
Ashley Marshall is a contributor to MLB.com.