BayBears' Long leads Pitchers of the Week

Grayson Long has been in the zone for the last month with Double-A Mobile, and it's not gone unnoticed. 
"He doesn't get rattled," BayBears manager Sal Fasano said. "He's able to execute his pitches with restraint and not pitch with too much emotion."

Long has been all business since joining Mobile in late April but has been especially stingy of late, turning in consecutive scoreless starts last Tuesday and Sunday to win Southern League Pitcher of the Week honors. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out 15 and scattered seven hits and allowed two walks over 12 scoreless innings en route to wins at Birmingham and Tennessee.
"Grayson had his game down and almost pitched the gameplan to a T," Fasano told MiLB.com after Long's latest effort Sunday, when he struck out six over six scoreless innings to beat the Smokies. "His fastball had good control, he didn't fall behind very many guys. When he did get a chance to finish them, he got a punchout. I thought he did a good job executing his plan."
• View the Player of the Week winners »
On July 11, he whiffed eight and held the Barons, a White Sox affiliate, to three hits and a walk over six innings.
The No. 5 prospect in the Angels system, Long joined Mobile on April 20 after starting the season with Class A Advanced Inland Empire. He dominated in his Double-A debut, yielding a hit and a walk over six scoreless frames. In 16 starts for the BayBears, he is 5-5 with a 2.76 ERA with 79 strikeouts over 84 2/3 innings. A 2015 third-round pick out of Texas A&M, Long has allowed just four earned runs in six starts since June 18.
"When this guy takes the mound, he gives you a chance to win," Fasano said. "Every game he's pitched in has been close."
Below is the complete list of Minor League Pitchers of the Week for July 10-16:

Pitchers of the Week