EL notes: Surkamp solid after surgery

Eric Surkamp made 17 starts last year for San Jose before he dislocated his hip while making a play on a ground ball in mid-July. Soon after, he had hip surgery in Colorado performed by Dr. Marc Philippon, who had performed hip surgery on Alex Rodriguez in 2009.

"He did a great job," Surkamp said of Philippon. And that's exactly what Richmond players and coaches have been saying about Surkamp after nearly every start this season.

Surkamp, drafted in the sixth round by the Giants out of North Carolina State in 2008, has not allowed a run in three of his first seven starts this season with Richmond. He's fanned 10 batters in four of those first seven starts, including three games in a row. Pitching at home against Harrisburg in his most recent outing, he came away a with no-decision as he went 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits.

He is now 2-2 with an ERA of 1.88 in 38 1/3 innings, allowing 31 hits and 17 walks with 56 strikeouts. Those 56 whiffs place Surkamp among the Minor League leaders in strikeouts this season.

"He has strikeout stuff with a nice, smooth, easy delivery, as good as any lefty you will see in this league," said Richmond manager Dave Machemer. "He's an even-keeled guy who does not get excited on the mound. He's shown he has the potential to be a big league pitcher."

So is there anything he needs to work on?

"He needs to command the fastball a little bit better," Machemer said.

Along with a fastball that tops out at about 91 mph, Surkamp said he throws a curve and changeup.

"I'm not going to overpower anybody," he said. "I like to mix it up."

Surkamp, who turns 24 in July, has benefited from working with Richmond pitching coach Ross Grimsley.

"He's been great," Surkamp said of Grimsley, a fellow left-hander who pitched in the Major Leagues for 11 seasons and is a long-time instructor in the Giants system. "He is always feeding us information."

Last year Surkamp was 4-2 with a 3.11 ERA in 17 starts for San Jose. His breakthrough season came in 2009 when he went 11-5 with a 3.30 ERA in 23 starts with Augusta in the South Atlantic League.

"It has been fun up here. The competition is definitely better," said Surkamp of his Double-A experience.

He began this season as the No. 9 prospect in the Giants' system, according to Baseball America. Surkamp played at Moeller High, the Cincinnati school that has produced Buddy Bell, Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin.

Tom Holliday, the associate head coach at North Carolina State, said Surkamp was impressive during his time with the Wolfpack.

"He is big and strong and left-handed. There are a lot of things that can't go wrong there," Holliday said. "You want to say this guy will pitch in the big leagues. That can be dangerous. That is subtle pressure."

But Holliday feels Surkamp is well on his way.

"If he keeps maturing and gets better, he will pitch in the big leagues," said Holliday, who said he could see the maturity in Surkamp when he came back to work out at the school after the 2009 Minor League season. "He is a good kid. He is an absolute student of the game."

The Reading mashers: While teammate Cody Overbeck leads the league in homers, Reading's Matt Rizzotti has also been on fire. In his first 131 at-bats, the 25-year-old hit .344 with 14 doubles, six homers and 26 RBIs. Drafted out of Manhattan in 2007, Rizzotti began this season as the No. 26 prospect in the Phillies' system, according to Baseball America.

Down Under success: Right-hander Liam Hendriks, an Australian-born pitcher with the New Britain Rock Cats, is 3-1 with a 3.66 ERA in his first seven games, including six starts. He was selected to the 2010 Futures Game but did not appear.

Double the pain: Portland hit into a team-record six double plays in a 10-9 loss at New Britain on Thursday. The Sea Dogs also made five errors, but they didn't lead to any runs. "I'm trying to look at the positives," Portland manager Kevin Boles told the Portland Press Herald. "I thought we swung the bats very well tonight. There were some good signs from the offense tonight."