Sheffield matches career high in victory

The Lynchburg Hillcats are asking fans to help rename the team, but they may want to turn to their own clubhouse for advice.

"I would pick 'Thrillcats,'" Justus Sheffield said. "That's our motto this year."

Sheffield, the Indians' No. 5 prospect, matched a career high with 6 2/3 scoreless innings on Tuesday and Mark Mathias knocked home three runs to lead first-place Lynchburg past Wilmington, 4-0. Sheffield (7-4), who has not lost in more than a month, struck out eight and walked three while holding the Blue Rocks to four hits.

He threw 62 of his 98 pitches for strikes and allowed just one ball in the air, a line-drive leadoff single in the fourth inning.

"I just felt good, arm felt great," Sheffield said, "[Alex] Monsalve called a good game, he's a big target, so that helps. I felt good all around."

The 20-year-old Sheffield allowed the leadoff man to reach in four of the first five innings Tuesday but used two double plays to reduce the damage. He last went 6 2/3 innings on May 16 in a no-decision at Carolina, and his eight strikeouts Tuesday fell two shy of his career high, which he set in six innings on July 2.

Sheffield, currently MLB.com's No. 92 overall prospect, worked himself into and out of trouble in the first inning when he walked the bases loaded before getting Samir Duenez looking for the third out. He struck out two more in the second and used double plays in the third and fourth innings following a pair of leadoff singles. He retired eight straight betters during one stretch between the fifth and seventh innings before taking a seat just shy of his 100th pitch.

"When I first went out there. I was struggling to find the zone," he said. "Instead of going out there and getting ahead, I was trying to be too fine. After that I told myself, 'If they hit it, they hit it.' I just trusted my stuff, went out there and I was pretty pleased with the outing at the end."

Sheffield's previous appearance was cut short by rain, but in his last four starts besides that, he's totaled 33 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.

"I was trying to be around the zone and let the hitters get themselves out," he said. "Make my pitches, make quality pitches, and let the game take care of itself."

Cameon Hill and Mitch Brown combined to throw the final 2 1/3 scoreless innings to wrap up the win and send Lynchburg to 61-33 on the season.

Sheffield credited his catcher, Monsalve, with helping get him back on track early after the free passes.

"Nobody came out to talk to me besides my catcher," he said. "I was around the strikezone but I felt that the umpire was a little tight today, so I had to change the way I was going about my outing. I was around the zone all day, and if I kept doing that, I knew they'd get themselves out."

Indeed, he got Brian Bien and Wander Franco to bounce into double plays in consecutive innings.

"Those were huge, especially because I got two of them on a pitches I was trying to get them to ground out on, a changeup," he said. "I got them to roll over to shortstop. It's always a good feeling once that leadoff runner gets on and it quickly turns into a double play."

Sheffield was one of the Indians' first-round picks in 2014, selected shortly after Bradley Zimmer. He signed for $1.6 million, earned Midwest League All-Star honors last summer in his first full season in the Minors and was selected this year as a Carolina League All-Star. He ranked second last season in the Midwest with 138 strikeouts thanks to a fastball that has at times reached 96 mph.

"Last year being my first full year, there were things that were a surprise, things I didn't know what to expect," he said. "This year I came into the season a little more confident and knowing about what goes on in a full-season league and how long the season really is. When to push yourself and when to take off and feel your body and listen to your arm. I'm pretty pleased with the season so far, but there's always room for improvement. I always feel I have room to improve and keep working."

Sheffield and the "Thrillcats" are all about chemistry this season, the righty said. The close-knit group owns the best record in the Carolina League and have won six straight.

"It's fun, we won a lot of games in 2014, we won the Arizona League championship, which was great. We had a good group of guys last year, but we struggled," he said. "This year the chemistry is unreal. All the guys get along with each other, the players are always mingling with the pitchers, our locker room is great. That's why we're playing so well, the chemistry is there. Everyone is playing behind each other instead of playing individual baseball, which sometimes can get lost in the Minors. We're playing for one another."

The Hillcats took a lead in the first inning against Wilmington starter Zach Lovvorn when Bobby Bradley singled home Anthony Santander with one out. Mathias put the game out of reach in the fifth with a three-run double to center after Lovvorn hit a pair of batters.

Lovvorn (1-12), the Royals' sixth-round pick in 2012, was charged with four runs on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out six.