Janas gets back on track with M-Braves

A slight mechanical tweak seems to have returned Stephen Janas to his early season form.

The Braves' No. 29 prospect tossed six one-hit innings to help Double-A Mississippi beat Biloxi, 3-0, on Monday.

After Janas allowed seven runs and nine hits in a loss to Birmingham on Aug. 21, M-Braves pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn noticed a slight flaw in the right-hander's delivery.

"I was just yanking a little bit," Janas said. "He reminded me about keeping my head still, taking it to the plate. It's very simple, but it helps me stay on top of the baseball and be more consistent."

The 2013 sixth-round pick has given up just one earned run over his two starts since then. He is 2-7 with a 4.23 ERA in 12 starts for Mississippi.

Janas started slow against a Biloxi lineup that features four of the Brewers' top 25 prospects -- No. 1 Orlando Arcia, No. 5 Tyrone Taylor, No. 19 Yadiel Rivera and No. 22 Victor Roache. He walked Taylor and Arcia, although Taylor was caught stealing.

"The second inning, I battled again," the Marietta, Georgia native said. "It was three up, three down, but they kept fouling off pitches. So my pitch count was high. I settled in after that."

Janas induced 11 ground-ball outs and struck out three.

"[Shortstop Eric] Garcia and [second baseman Emerson] Landoni played real well up the middle," he said. "I tried to let them hit it and trusted my defense to make plays.""

The Kennesaw State product, who grew up 20 minutes from Turner Field and was thrilled to get drafted by his favorite team, got a lot of assistance Monday from his catcher.

"Nelly [Matt Kennelly] called a hell of a game. We were on the same page," Janas said. "It was easy to get in a groove. Whatever he threw down, I had confidence in. He's a smart catcher and has played against these guys most of year. It's easier to put my faith in his brain instead of mine."

The 23-year-old added a cutter this season, which he said helps when he falls behind in the count. He used his changeup sparingly to keep hitters off balance. Janas also throws a fastball and slider.

Janas, who was one of the players injured in the Class A Advanced Carolina Mudcats' bus crash earlier this season, is ready to finish the season strong after the recent fix to his delivery.

"I felt a lot better as each inning went on," he said. "I was mixing my pitches. I'm just trying to be more consistent."

Mississippi scored all its runs in the third. Janas helped his own cause with a one-out single and scored on Mycal Jones' two-RBI double. KD Kang followed with a run-scoring single.

No. 15 Brewers prospect Josh Hader (1-3) took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight over seven innings.