Groome tosses six one-hit innings for Drive

Before being selected with the 12th overall pick in last year's Draft, Jay Groome needed only a fastball and curveball to stomp through the high school ranks. Now, in his first full season of professional ball, the second-ranked Red Sox prospect has found success after discovering a better feel for a third offering.
"I usually just go to battle with my curveball and my fastball, but I think when I have my changeup in my back pocket it just makes me that much more of a better pitcher," Groome said.

Gameday box score
The left-hander allowed one hit and one walk over six innings Wednesday as Class A Greenville edged Asheville, 1-0, at Fluor Field. Groome (2-4) set a career high with eight strikeouts in the longest outing of his brief professional career.
"I was really trying to just get ahead and just let all my pitches work from there," MLB.com's No. 48 overall prospect said. "My changeup really played a big part today -- just getting ahead with that just set really everything up. I know when I get ahead I just get that much more confident in all my pitches.
Greenville pitching coach Walter Miranda said Groome has practiced relentlessly to develop his changeup and that the pitch has improved to the point where the 18-year-old trusts it enough to work it into his repertoire regularly. 

"This is probably the best my changeup has ever been in my life," Groome said. "It's still a work-in-progress, but the only way it can get better is if I keep throwing it, and that's what I did today a lot more than I usually do in every start."
In seven starts this season, Groome has a 7.90 ERA and 35 strikeouts against 15 walks over 27 1/3 innings. After a lat injury limited him to four starts over the first three months, the New Jersey native got hot at the end of June with consecutive five-inning, scoreless performances. In the four outings since, Groome had been tagged for 15 runs in a 15-inning span.
"His demeanor was different tonight," Miranda said. "He was very aggressive in the strike zone. He did a good job pitching inside. He had a good feel for his secondary pitches. He had the whole package working today, plus the location."

Both Tourists who reached against Groome did so in the same inning. After getting though a perfect first with three groundouts, the southpaw walked Vince Fernandez leading off the second before punching out Bobby Wernes. Fernandez stole second and Max George followed with a line drive single to left field and swiped second to put two runners in scoring position for Jacob Bosiokovic.
"I just wanted to get out of it," Groome said. "I just wanted to use more of my pitches and just really execute every pitch because you never know what pitch you're going to get beat on."  
Bosiokovic went down looking and Groome induced a groundout from Joel Diaz to end the threat before crusiing through his final four innings without allowing a baserunner. He recorded four consecutive punchouts, striking out the side in the third and starting the fourth by fanning No. 18 Rockies prospectTyler Nevin.
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The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder ended up throwing 60 of 91 pitches for strikes.
"I just have to throw with confidence, and that's what I did today," Groome said. "That was my plan: just try and work ahead and try and get outs when I need them."
No. 14 Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec hit a solo homer in the fifth to give the Drive a 1-0 lead that held up, thanks to 2 1/3 scoreless innings from southpaw Robby Sexton before Juan Florentino secured the final two outs to record his first South Atlantic League save.