Downs keeping the dream alive

Brodie Downs came through on a special dedication to his yet-to-be born daughter and took another important step toward realizing his dream of pitching in the Majors.

All this while celebrating his 29th birthday.

The hard-throwing right-hander fired seven one-hit innings Saturday night as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx blanked the Jacksonville Suns, 2-0, at Pringles Park.

"This was crucial for me right now," Downs said. "I've been pitching well and trying to make a push [to the Majors]. I've got a little girl on the way and I told my wife before the game that I was dedicating tonight to her."

Downs (5-0) gave up baseball after high school for a lucrative job as a land surveyor for a civil engineering company. He returned to the game in a weekend recreational league at the age of 23 but didn't seriously consider a professional career until being urged to do so by friends, family and area scouts.

"I was a late bloomer and college wasn't really the thing for me," admitted Downs, who attended one class at Modesto Junior College before joining the work force.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Californian finally re-enrolled at Modesto last year and struck out 101 batters in 98 innings, drawing enough interest from the Mariners that they selected him in the 23rd round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft.

After spending the better part of his first two pro seasons working out of the bullpen, Downs appears to be finding his niche as a starter, as evidenced by his performance against the Suns. He struck out two, issued a pair of walks and surrendered only a one-out single in the fourth to Major League veteran Mark Bellhorn during the finest outing of his Minor League career.

"I think I'm really progressing quicker than I expected in the starting role," Downs said. "My command is unbelievable right now and I'm getting more confidence in throwing my pitches to both sides of the plate."

Downs went 3-1 with a 2.49 ERA in 16 outings at three levels last season but struggled out of the gate this year, posting a 4.60 ERA in 27 relief appearances before joining the rotation.

With Saturday's dominant effort, he improved to 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in four starts.

"[Starting] kind of fell in my lap," said Downs, who pitched exclusively as a starter in high school and college. "A couple of guys got hurt and they wanted me to work on more pitches. I feel much more comfortable as a starter. It's been a great conversion and a great opportunity for me."

Now if only the big club comes calling.

Downs revealed that working on a Minor League salary is not what he or his family have become accustomed to, adding he will have a tough decision to make in the offseason if his path to the Majors doesn't clear up soon.

"My wife is great," said Downs, who already has a 2-year-old son, Dawson. "She won't let me quit, but I went from making about a hundred grand to $12,000. With a second kid coming, I have to be a father first."

Former Major Leaguer Denny Stark yielded a hit and a walk while fanning two over the final two frames to complete West Tenn's second shutout of the season.

Brent Johnson tripled leading off the third and scampered home on Gregory Halman's single to snap a scoreless deadlock. Michael Wilson's RBI single in the eighth provided insurance for the Diamond Jaxx (11-18).

Jacksonville starter Cody White (3-4) took the loss after allowing a run on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts over six innings.

Jamie Hoffmann's one-out double in the ninth was the only other hit for the Suns (12-17).