Snodgress fans 10 in Dash debut
Long bus rides, different hotels and strange cities are all part of the package for a Minor Leaguer. For that reason, the White Sox's No. 14 prospect didn't feel nervous heading into his Carolina League debut.
Snodgress recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts over six innings Tuesday as the Class A Advanced Winston-Salem Dash pulled away for a 10-3 victory over the Carolina Mudcats at BB&T Ballpark.
"It's been awesome. I've fit in really well and I have a great group of teammates here," he said. "I got to know a lot of them in Spring Training, so I didn't feel uncomfortable with that.
"As Minor League and Major League players, we're constantly traveling and playing in new places, so you get used to having to adjust. It wasn't a huge deal for me."
The 22-year-old left-hander started slowly but got stronger as the game went on. He allowed baserunners in each of the first two innings -- Giovanny Urshela drew a two-out walk in the first and Tyler Cannon singled with one out in the second -- but neither advanced to second base.
An inning later, Delvi Cid hit his third homer of the year to get the Mudcats within 4-1. Tony Wolters followed with a triple but was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Bo Greenwell's fly ball to left fielder Michael Earley.
"It was a good piece of hitting," Snodgress said of Cid's blast. "It was a good pitch down on the outside corner, but I had got into a pattern where I had thrown first-pitch fastballs for the first two innings, and he was sitting on it.
"After that happened, I threw a lot more first-pitch off-speed pitches to keep them off-balance, and that added to the effectiveness of my fastball."
After escaping what could have been a long inning in the third, Snodgress settled down. He retired jos final 11 batters, striking out the side in the fifth and sixth.
"It was awesome. I felt like it was kind of a dream come true," the Stanford University product said. "I did everything I had hoped to accomplish. I'm really excited about the team I'm with.
"I had a career-high in strikeouts and I felt like I was able to locate all of my pitches for strikes. If I have any nerves, it's usually before the game. I was able to channel the nerves tonight into positive energy."
His previous for strikeouts came last Aug. 18, when he fanned nine over six perfect innings for Rookie-level Great Falls.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2011 Draft, Snodgress learned of his promotion from Class A Kannapolis manager Julio Vinas when he arrived at the ballpark for his regular workout Sunday.
Before the callup, the California native was 3-3 with a 3.64 ERA in 19 starts. He held South Atlantic League foes to a .233 average and recorded 84 strikeouts over 99 frames.
"My coach called me in and said congratulations and told me I had been promoted to Winston-Salem," said Snodgress, who throws a mid-90s fastball, curveball and changeup.
"He said I deserved it and that the team would miss me. It was a nice way of being told. I'm grateful for all the help he and pitching coach Jose Bautista gave me along the way. Their efforts are reflected in my performance."
In his first year of pro ball, Snodgress went 3-3 with a 3.34 ERA in 16 games, including 12 Pioneer League starts. He struck out 68 and walked 17 in 59 1/3 innings.
Bryan Blough followed Snodgress to the mound and allowed two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out five batters over two innings. Taylor Thompson fanned one in a perfect ninth to seal the victory.
Dan Black was 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBIs and a pair of runs scored for the Dash, while Trayce Thompson had two hits, including a solo homer. Michael Earley and Michael Blanke each plated three runs.
Winston-Salem has scored in double digits in back-to-back games for the second time this season. It has tallied at least 10 runs a league-leading 15 times.
Mudcats starter Joseph Colon (0-2) yielded nine runs on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked two and fanned four in his second Carolina League outing.
Ashley Marshall is a contributor to MLB.com.