Pill rolls a lucky seven for Las Vegas

He's got a ways to go until he matches Orel Hershiser's record-setting shutout streak, but Tyler Pill has put together an impressive run of his own to start the season.
The 26-year-old right-hander allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings Sunday as Triple-A Las Vegas held on for a 2-1 win over Albuquerque at Cashman Field. It was Pill's fifth consecutive start without giving up an earned run to begin 2017, a stretch that spans 29 1/3 innings and includes two appearances for Double-A Binghamton.

"The biggest thing for me is just to keep the pitches in play throughout the whole game," Pill said. "Keep the hitters off-balance and have them put the ball in play so my defense can do the job.
"It's been a nice start, so I'm looking to riding it out as long as I can take it."
Box score
Pill (1-0) allowed five baserunners against the Isotopes, with Rockies No. 5 prospect Raimel Tapia and No. 20 prospect Jordan Patterson accounting for four of the five. Tapia doubled in the third and singled in the sixth, while Patterson reached on a wild third strike in the fifth and walked in the seventh. Pill issued his first free pass to Mike Tauchman in the opening inning.
In addition to two walks, the California native struck out three, which stays with his mantra of letting the opposition put the ball in play.
"The most important thing for me is to keep all four of my pitches in play," Pill said. "If I'm not getting one over for a strike, the hitters can write it off and focus on something else. So I try to mix and match to both sides of the plate with my fastball and go off of that. I try not to make it harder than it is. Maybe in the past I've tried to be too fine, but now I just want the batter to put the ball in the hands of my defense." 

Selected by the Mets in the fourth round of the 2011 Draft, the Cal State Fullerton product came into the season with a 4.25 ERA in 107 Minor League appearances, including 96 starts. He reached Triple-A for the first time in 2014 and has pitched for the 51s each of the last four seasons but has yet to get a call to the Majors.
"No, I really don't think about it. It's something you can't control," Pill said. "I just go out there and do my job. If it's in the cards, then it'll happen. Obviously, it's something you'd want, but I don't dwell on it." 

One night after hitting his first Triple-A homer, Mets top prospectAmed Rosario singled and scored the game's first run on Travis Taijeron's double in the fourth. MLB.com's third overall prospect extended his RBI streak to three games with a sacrifice fly an inning later.
Kevin McGowan allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless eighth and Chasen Bradford notched his fifth save, despite allowing a hit and an unearned run in the ninth. 
Albuquerque starter Zach Jemiola (2-2) surrendered two runs, five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in five innings.