Olson bounces back in second Double-A start

Tyler Olson had far fewer nerves to deal with Friday night than he did earlier this week in his Double-A debut.

That was a good thing for his new team, the Jackson Generals, and a not-so-good thing for their opponent, the Huntsville Stars.

Olson tied a career high with 10 strikeouts -- including five in his first two frames -- while allowing a run on a pair of hits over seven innings. The Mariners prospect was long gone by the time Jason Rogers hit a two-out walk-off single in the 13th inning to give Huntsville a 2-1 victory.

"My last outing, I was obviously a little nervous," said Olson, who issued just one walk on Friday. "I wasn't getting ahead with the way I was throwing, [leaving] fastballs kind of up that got hit around a little bit. I kind of went off of that, learned and pounded the zone and was down in the zone, so I had a lot more success tonight.

"I definitely knew kind of more what to expect as far as going out there and getting ready and facing batters. I was definitely a lot more calm tonight."

The 24-year-old left-hander began the year at Class A Advanced High Desert, where he went 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA in five starts. After being promoted on May 1, Olson made his Double-A debut on May 4 and lasted just four innings against Pensacola, which tagged him for six runs and 10 hits.

His line Friday was decidedly different, although he did hit two batters and uncork a wild pitch. The southpaw in his first full professional season threw 58 of 88 pitches for strikes.

"It's a great feeling," Olson said. "Being able to give up the home run and still come back and throw strikes and get outs, I mean, that's a big plus for me."

The Gonzaga product's only hits came in the form of a two-out double by Mitch Haniger in the second inning and a solo home run by Kentrail Davis in the fifth.

"It was just a bad pitch," Olson said of the homer. "Changeup to a lefty that was up in the zone. I was actually trying to bury the pitch, just to kind of get a ground ball from him. And I just left it up -- home run."

Olson got the better of his next exchange with Davis, finishing off his outing with a 10th strikeout.

Though impressive, the start probably wasn't the best for the 2013 seventh-round pick. He recorded 10 strikeouts with Short-Season Everett last July 10, when he tossed a complete-game one-hit shutout.

"It definitely kind of brings back memories," Olson said. "I remember that same outing, I was just pounding the zone, not trying to do too much. Obviously, I had 10 strikeouts, but I wasn't trying to do too much. I just attacked hitters like I normally do and hope they put it in play and have some quick innings."

Richard Vargas and Stephen Shackleford followed Olson with two scoreless innings apiece, but Stephen Kohlscheen (1-1) allowed a run on three hits over 1 2/3 frames.

Five Huntsville relievers combined on eight shutout innings, with Eric Marzec (1-2) working the 13th for the win.