Manning puts up seven zeros in Erie shutout

Matt Manning was in full control on Monday afternoon, demonstrating why he's one of the top hurlers in the Minors.
MLB.com's No. 29 overall prospect scattered three hits and a walk while striking out three over seven frames as Double-A Erie shut out Trenton, 7-0, at UPMC Park.

Manning (8-4) issued a two-out walk to Ben Ruta on four pitches in the first inning. Ruta stole second base to get into scoring position, but a flyout from Chris Gittens after an eight-pitch at-bat stop the threat.
Gameday box score
With two outs in the third, Hoy Jun Park singled past first base to reach but was thrown out trying to swipe second by Joey Morgan. The 6-foot-6 right-hander sat down the following seven batters before a one-out single by Rashad Crawford in the sixth. A forceout off the bat of Park and lineout from Kyle Holder ended the frame.
Ruta led off the seventh with a single to center, but was quickly erased on a double play ground ball from Gittens. Manning induced a groundout from Kellin Deglan to finish his outing.

"I think I mixed all of my pitches well," the 21-year-old said. "I used my changeup ... pounded the zone in the lower half with my fastball. Just trying to throw quality strikes. Try to not let the big inning happen and have damage minimized. I tried to locate well so they wouldn't hit a gap or hit it too hard."
Doffing a cap to his defense, Manning bragged about the eight guys on the field with him and their contribution to his successful outing.
"They made a lot of great plays for me," he said. "(They) had guys in good spots during counts so they were able to make a lot of good plays."

The second-ranked Tigers prospect lowered his ERA to 2.63 and tied his career-high with seven innings, putting him fourth in the Eastern League in that category. He is second in the league with 115 K's over 106 innings for the SeaWolves.
Surrounded by fellow pitchers such as top Detroit prospect Casey Mize and ninth-ranked Alex Faedo, the ninth overall pick in the 2016 Draft uses their presence to his advantage.
"It's a lot of fun," Manning said. "We're all here for each other. We're all rooting for each other, helping each other out. When you have guys like that, you can talk to them between outings and tweak some stuff. It's always beneficial."
Righty Nolan Blackwood earned his second save with two hitless innings of relief, issuing only a walk.
Tigers No. 30 prospect Jose Azocar led the Erie attack with two dingers and four RBIs. Fifth-ranked prospect Isaac Paredes contributed three hits with a RBI and run scored while Cam Gibson added three hits, including a solo homer.