Porcello adjusts, stymies Manatees

Rick Porcello got some long-awaited run support Tuesday and responded with his best outing of the season.

The 19-year-old right-hander hurled six innings of one-hit ball as the Lakeland Flying Tigers cruised to a 9-0 rout of the Brevard County Manatees at Space Coast Stadium.

Porcello (5-6), who was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, struck out two and walked one to lower his ERA to 2.60.

"It's the first time we've given him some run support," Lakeland manager Andy Barkett said. "Every game he's pitched has been a battle, but tonight we played a clean game behind him and he did one heck of a job."

Porcello allowed more than three earned runs just once in his previous six starts, but the Flying Tigers (9-7) averaged just over three runs in those contests.

"His two-seam fastball tonight was as good as anybody's in baseball," Barkett continued. "Coincidentally, we hadn't played well when he pitched, but tonight we did, and you realize that when you give him a lead he's something really special."

Porcello retired the first 11 Manatees before giving up his only hit, a two-out single in the fourth to former third-round pick Jonathan Lucroy. He retired the side in order four times before turning things over to the Lakeland bullpen.

The last time the former New Jersey high school standout was this stingy was Opening Day, when he limited the Tampa Yankees to allowed one hit over five scoreless frames in a 4-1 victory.

"In his last couple of games, he hadn't been as sharp as he was earlier," Barkett said. "But tonight he showed he can make adjustments. He's been working a lot with [pitching coach] Joe Coleman. He's a very coachable kid."

Robert Weinhardt struck out three over two hitless innings and Kyle Pearson worked around a hit in the ninth, fanning one and walking one, to close out the Flying Tigers' sixth shutout of the season.

Brennan Boesch supplied most of the offense for Lakeland with a pair of homers. He hit a two-run shot in the first and a solo blast in the third. Michael Bertram added a solo homer in the fifth.

Rafael Lluberes (1-3) failed to survive the first inning for the Manatees (7-1), surrendering five runs on five hits without retiring a batter.