Gomber impresses in Springfield encore
To take his game to the next level, Austin Gomber had to learn the importance of focus and consistency. With the help of Double-A Springfield pitching coach Jason Simontacchi, he is starting to make that leap.For the second straight start, St. Louis' 15th-ranked prospect posted seven zeros for Double-A Springfield.
To take his game to the next level, Austin Gomber had to learn the importance of focus and consistency. With the help of Double-A Springfield pitching coach Jason Simontacchi, he is starting to make that leap.
For the second straight start, St. Louis' 15th-ranked prospect posted seven zeros for Double-A Springfield. In Wednesday's outing, Gomber allowed three hits and four walks while striking out five in a 2-0 win over San Antonio at Nelson Wolff Stadium.
"He wasn't pitching badly, but it was always one or two pitches that cashed him in," Simontacchi said. "So it was pretty much about being aware of the situation in the game and not looking at any pitches or at-bats too lightly because that could be the game right there."
The 23-year-old left-hander faced a critical moment in the third inning when he allowed three straight singles to start the frame.
"Something that he's been working on is being able to keep his mind and focus in the game and the task at hand," Simontacchi said. "To take it one pitch at a time and not let some of the results cause you to lose your focus. He did a good job in that inning."
Gomber (7-7) struck out Franmil Reyes and got Nick Torres to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to escape the inning unscathed.
Gameday box score
The 2014 fourth-round pick cruised from there, retiring 11 of the final 12 batters he faced, including striking out the side in the seventh.
"The key was really his fastball," Simontacchi said. "He was pounding the zone with that, but mixing in the off-speed when he needed to. That was pretty much the bottom line. He didn't really have his curveball or changeup going tonight, but he threw them enough around the zone or in the zone to get some mishits."
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The outing extended Gomber's scoreless streak to 17 innings after he shut down Northwest Arkansas on Aug. 4, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out seven.
"[Simontacchi] and I have made some adjustments. It was a little rough at first, but I knew the changes are for the future and betterment of my pitching," Gomber said after that start. "I figured there would be some bumps in the road getting comfortable, but I feel like I'm there now and back to where I was previously."
Simontacchi said the key was "smoothing out" Gomber's sometimes erratic delivery.
"He's pretty loud with his mechanics," the former Major Leaguer said. "He has a lot of movement going on, but he has worked his butt off to enable himself to make more consistent pitches.
"Keeping his line to his target has been the biggest key, and the great thing about him that he's been working on this year is the fact that he's been able to make those adjustments himself and be his own pitching coach."
Tyler Bray worked around two hits and a walk in the eighth before Rowan Wick tossed a perfect ninth for his fifth save of the season.
Anthony García provided the offense with three hits and two RBIs for Springfield.
Michael Peng is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelXPeng.
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