Vizcaino delivers seven zeros for Pulaski

A little more than a month into his season, Alexander Vizcaino is still looking to settle in and establish some consistency on the mound. But after working tirelessly in side sessions with Rookie-level Pulaski pitching coach Gerardo Casadiego, he turned his best performance of the year.
The Yankees prospect gave up one hit and one walk over seven innings, striking out six, as Pulaski blanked Danville, 4-0, at Dan Daniel Memorial Park. In the longest start of his professional career, he delivered his first scoreless outing since last July 31.

Gameday box score
Vizcaino made 12 appearances, including 11 starts, for Pulaski last season but dealt with an elbow injury through the first part of this year. Back in game action, he's at full strength and starting to put things together, Casadiego said. 
"He was really good, he was really good throwing strikes," Casadiego said. "He moved the ball well to both sides of the plate. He got his confidence and he feels recovered from the injury from the first half of the year. I think he's fully recovered, he's got his fastball back -- 95-to-97 [mph] -- with a great changeup. He mixed pitches well and had a good outing." 
Through his first four outings in the Appalachian League, the right-hander had a 5.95 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 19 2/3 innings. Against Greeneville in his last turn, Vizcaino allowed four runs on six hits with nine strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. The 6-foot-2, 160-pound starter has worked with Casadiego on staying straight toward the plate and making his delivery repeatable. 
"He might have felt good, his arm might have felt good, but having a feel for his pitches in the strike zone and control of the delivery are the main things," the pitching coach said. "It's about repetition and getting more consistent with the delivery. He's in a good spot right now."
Taking the mound in Danville, the 21-year-old kept the ball down, recording 10 groundouts against three flyouts. He threw 54 of 78 pitches for strikes, his highest percentage in the zone all season. He faced two batters over the minimum and retired 11 Braves on three pitches or fewer. 
More comfortable with his delivery, Vizcaino worked in a high-90s fastball with a formidable changeup to keep the Braves guessing. Although Casadiego said Vizcaino's breaking ball has been a work in progress, the pitch was more effective Wednesday than it had been in previous starts. 
"He's got a great changeup," Casadiego said. "His changeup can be used in any count, especially to put hitters away. And with his fastball being 95-97, it was about locating with his fastball and putting away with his secondary pitches, with the changeup being a putaway pitch."
Perfect through two innings, Vizcaino (1-2) had to work from the stretch quickly in the third when Carlos Baerga smacked a leadoff double to center field. Even with a runner in scoring position, the native of the Dominican Republic stayed composed, getting Zack Soria on a comebacker, fanning Nicholas Shumpert and inducing a groundout from Justin Dean to end the inning. 
CJ Alexander Jr. reached on an error in the fourth and Dean walked in the sixth, but neither got past first base. Back for the seventh for the first time this season, Vizcaino finished with a flourish, striking out Alexander and Brett Langhorne to end the night. 
"As the game went on, he was feeling more strong. He finished really well," Casadiego said. "I see that he can go deep into games and stay strong. It's a great sign for us as an organization, and he did really well today." 

After Vizcaino lowered his ERA by more than a full run to 4.39 and trimmed his WHIP to 1.28, Ron Marinaccio fanned three over the final two frames to earn his second save of the year. As far as the next step for Vizcaino, Casadiego said it's about making sure he uses his entire repertoire and that his delivery stays strong.
"He's at level that he needs to work in everything," the pitching coach said. "He needs to make sure he's consistent on a daily basis. He can go from there. He's a kid with a great arm, he just needs to be consistent day in and day out. He'll take off from there."
Backing up the pitching staff, Nelson Gomez smacked his fifth homer of the season, a solo shot in the ninth.