Zimmermann goes distance for Baysox

Bruce Zimmermann pitched a "Maddux" on Tuesday night.
The Orioles prospect fired a four-hitter on 96 pitches, striking out nine without issuing a walk, in Double-A Bowie's 2-0 blanking of Hartford at Dunkin' Donuts Park.
Named after four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux, a "Maddux" is a complete game requiring fewer than 100 pitches.

Zimmermann (2-1) allowed four singles, none after the fourth inning, and retired the final 17 Yard Goats.
It was raining all day in Hartford, but because the game had Eastern League playoff implications, every effort was made to get the game in.
"Their away bullpen is uncovered. It was raining a steady drizzle the entire time we were out there throwing," Zimmermann said. "I probably did half my throwing routine and probably hit the mitt four times in my bullpen because it was so wet and I couldn't get a grip on the ball. The ball was popping out of my hand, I was throwing it in the water. It was tough."
After struggling through his pregame routine, he said he had to focus on control the factors he could.
"Don't walk guys," Zimmermann said. "Don't give them an opportunity to cause havoc on the basepaths, because if there's a ground ball, you don't know what's going to happen. The game plan was to minimize mistakes as much as I could and try to get on and off the field as quickly as possible."
The 24-year-old gave up a leadoff single in the first to Manuel Melendez and consecutive base hits to Brian Serven and Ryan Metzler to begin the third before getting Melendez to bounce into a double play. Zimmermann credited his defense, especially first baseman Carlos Pèrez. With a one-out knock in the fourth Alan Trejo turned out to be Hartford's last baserunner.
Once Zimmermann got through the fourth, an inning that had given him trouble this season, he knew he was rolling.
"Luckily, this team is a very aggressive team at the plate, and especially with guys on base," he said. "So I was able to get a lot of balls hit right at guys early in counts, which obviously contributes to going deeper into ballgames."
Gameday box score 
Zimmermann's goal was to pitch into the seventh, something he'd yet to do this season. After a seven-pitch seventh and an eight-pitch eighth, he just wanted to make the most of his opportunity.
"My manager, Buck [Britton], was like, 'How are you feelin', do you want it?' And I was like, '[Heck] yes, send me back out,'" the southpaw said. "If I had allowed a baserunner, I probably would've been pulled because we had a pitch count of 100."
Zimmermann threw 73 pitches for strikes, fanning Rockies No. 6 prospect Tyler Nevin and second-ranked Colton Welker to wrap up his second career complete game -- both of which have come in Hartford. He was credited with a rain-shortened five-inning complete game last Aug. 12 in his Eastern League debut.  
A Baltimore native, Zimmermann lowered his ERA to 2.49 through 12 starts. He's tied for sixth on the circuit with 70 strikeouts against 22 walks over 68 2/3 innings, and opponents are hitting .214 against him. 
Zimmermann was taken by the Braves in the fifth round of the 2017 Draft and traded with three other players last July 31 in the deal that sent Kevin Gausman and Darren O'Day to Atlanta. He went 11-7 with a 3.25 ERA in 25 starts for Class A Rome, Double-A Mississippi and Bowie last year.

After he posted a 5.06 ERA in 21 1/3 innings to close out the 2018 season with Bowie, Zimmermann said he made some offseason adjustments. He added velocity, started developing his curveball to add a legitimate fourth pitch and changed how he'd attack right-handed hitters while throwing more four-seam fastballs to be ratchet up his aggressiveness in the strike zone.
"I was a two-seam/sinker guy last season and I ran into some barrels," Zimmermann said. "Tonight, I had feel for all my pitches, so that makes it easy to mix and switch through the game."
Ademar Rifaela provided the game's offense with a two-run shot in the first that scored Orioles No. 30 prospectMason McCoy. It was his eighth homer of the season.