Zeros piling up for Red Wings' Gonsalves
Lessons learned in struggles often lead to success and there is no better example of that at the moment than Stephen Gonsalves.Minnesota's No. 4 prospect scattered five hits over seven innings during his first walk-free outing of the season as Triple-A Rochester blanked Indianapolis, 2-0, on Tuesday night at Victory
Lessons learned in struggles often lead to success and there is no better example of that at the moment than Stephen Gonsalves.
Minnesota's No. 4 prospect scattered five hits over seven innings during his first walk-free outing of the season as Triple-A Rochester blanked Indianapolis, 2-0, on Tuesday night at Victory Field.
Gonsalves struck out four and hasn't allowed more than one run in seven consecutive starts, but it was the absence of walks that pleased the hurler in his latest appearance.
"That was huge for me," he said. "I was able to throw a lot of strikes, and I think tonight was the first time I've had good fastball command in more than a month. I've been able to throw a lot of zeros up there, but I've been walking too many."
MLB.com's No. 72 overall prospect gave up a single to Adam Frazier in the first inning, but helped himself by picking off the second baseman, who was caught stealing second. Gonsalves (7-3) pitched through a pair of hits by seventh-ranked Pirates prospectKevin Kramer and No. 19 Jason Martin in the second, retired the side in order in the third and worked around another single by José Osuna in the fourth. But the 24-year-old saved his best pitching to escape a jam in the fifth.
Gameday box score
Martin led off the frame with a triple to right field. It was the first extra-base hit allowed by the southpaw in more than six starts spanning 153 batters. He wriggled his way out of trouble by getting Jackson Williams to bounce into a fielder's choice to third baseman Miguel Sanó, who threw out Martin attempting to score. Gonsalves then retired the last two batters of the frame to keep Indianapolis off the scoreboard. He set down the last nine he faced and threw 68 of his 98 pitches for strikes.
"I threw two bullpen sessions since my last start to work on my fastball command," Gonsalves said. "I made some good strides and tonight it showed. My off-speed stuff -- slider, curve and change -- have been working well and helping me get through five [innings], but that's not the goal. Getting as deep into the game as possible is what we all aim for, and tonight I accomplished that."
The San Diego native began the year with Double-A Chattanooga and was promoted to Rochester on April 27. He surrendered one run in his first two starts for the Red Wings before struggling to a 9.27 ERA over his next six outings, culminating in a June 11 start in which he was tagged for nine runs in four innings against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. But Gonsalves has yielded two runs across 44 1/3 frames in his last seven starts to drop his International League ERA to 3.04. Overall, he is 10-3 with a 2.77 ERA in 19 starts between the Lookouts and Red Wings.
"I don't think I've been in a stretch as good as this," the 2013 first-round Draft pick said. "I was effectively wild, and in a way, I guess guys didn't know what was coming. But it was forcing me to throw a lot of changeups in 2-0 and 3-0 counts to keep them off balance. But I'd rather be giving up hits than walks. That's a non-competitive at-bat. The last thing I want to do is let a hitter win just by keeping the bat on his shoulder."
One glaring difference between Tuesday's outing and the previous 18 starts was his control. Gonsalves came into the game averaging a career-worst 5.59 walks-per-nine innings, including five in his last start. But for the first time since last Aug. 10 -- a span of 22 outings -- he did not issue a free pass.
"My fastball has been sitting higher than normal and I haven't been finishing those pitches," he said. "During my BP sessions, we brought the catcher in front of the plate and I made it my goal to see how many times I could hit him in the knees. For the most part, my fastball has been at the eyes of the hitters, and they're not going to swing at that. Tonight, I got it down. It was a nice step forward."
D.J. Baxendale and Alan Busenitz allowed two hits and struck out two over the final two frames to complete the Red Wings' ninth shutout of the season.
Edgar Corcino and Sano contributed RBI singles for Rochester.
Indianapolis starter Brandon Waddell (4-5) allowed one run on six hits in six innings. Pittsburgh's 24th-ranked prospect walked three and struck out three.
Michael Avallone is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @MavalloneMiLB.
How clubs across Minor League Baseball are celebrating PLAY BALL Weekend
PLAY BALL Weekend is almost here, and Minor League clubs have put together an exciting calendar of events to celebrate MLB’s youth engagement initiative. Some clubs are hosting youth clinics or other events in their home ballparks while others are bringing the joy of baseball and softball into the local
Here are the weirdest plays and stats from MiLB in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Podcast features first-base promotions for Caglianone, Eldridge
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Cubs' Rojas, Mets' Tong headline May's Minor League Players of the Month
Minor League Baseball announced the Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for May in Major League Baseball’s player development system.
Minor League Baseball, Joe Torre Safe At Home partnership enters ninth year
For the ninth year, Minor League Baseball and Joe Torre Safe At Home have teamed up to raise awareness about violence and abuse and to inspire fans of all ages to join them in SAH’s critical work. This year, 63 MiLB teams will participate in an in-ballpark initiative from May
MiLB podcast discusses Anthony, Caglianone at Triple-A
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
These are the greatest Minor League promos happening in June
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
New playoff format coming to 2025 Dominican Summer League
Minor League Baseball announced the 2025 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season will begin June 2 with Opening Day festivities taking place at the Boston Red Sox Academy in Guerra. The 2025 campaign will also see the introduction of the DSL Cup, a new playoff format that will see 16 DSL
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other