Meyer tinkers with delivery, ends skid

Alex Meyer had been struggling to find his way into the win column. After making some adjustments between starts, he appears to be back on course.

The Twins' No. 3 prospect recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts and gave up a run on two hits over 6 1/3 innings Saturday night as Double-A New Britain edged Bowie, 4-3.

Meyer (3-3) had trouble with just one batter -- Brandon Waring. The veteran first baseman led off the second with a single and hit a solo homer in the fourth. The 23-year-old right-hander also issued two walks -- one to Waring -- and faced three batters over the minimum.

"It was good to finally get out there and get a good one going tonight," said Meyer, the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 Draft. "It was good. I was finally able to go out there tonight and throw three pitches and keep them off-balance.

"My catcher, Josmil Pinto, we were on the same page the whole night, which made it a lot easier. It was just a good night and it was good to go out there and get a win."

The 23-year-old right-hander had lost three straight decisions since beating New Hampshire on April 25. In his last two starts, he'd given up nine runs on eight hits and seven walks over 11 2/3 frames. Meyer, who throws a fastball, knuckle-curve and circle changeup, had spent the past week tinkering with his delivery.

"I had a couple of mechanical adjustments to work on this week and trying to fix a couple of things," he said. "Something throughout my whole career I've had to work on is holding on to my front side. It's something that was addressed this week. They really want me to work on it, so I got back into doing that.

"I felt like I was more in control out there [tonight], I felt like my delivery was more clean and crisp. I felt like I was able to repeat my delivery."

Meyer (3-3) lowered his ERA to 3.69 ERA in 11 starts and ranks second in the Eastern League with 73 strikeouts in 61 innings. In a season that's featured its ups and downs, it's easy to single out Saturday's outing.

"I would say it was one of the best ones," MLB.com's No. 38 overall prospect said. "I had a good one back against the Red Sox [on April 18], where I gave up a hit in six inning, but I felt like I commanded the ball a whole lot better. I had the two walks, but they were 3-2 [counts], so I still felt in control the whole night.

"I was able to work both sides of the plate. When you're able to throw three pitches, I think it makes it a whole lot tougher on the hitter."

Blake Martin followed Meyer and was charged with two runs on two hits in one inning. A.J. Achter pitched around two hits over the final 1 2/3 frames for his third save.

Danny Santana went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases, while Daniel Ortiz scored twice for New Britain.