Faedo returns to form for SeaWolves
After a string of three lackluster starts, Alex Faedo and Double-A Erie pitching coach Willie Blair decided to make a minor mechanical adjustment for the right-hander -- to improve his posture.Blair stressed the importance of standing tall on the mound and staying tall through the delivery in order to achieve
After a string of three lackluster starts, Alex Faedo and Double-A Erie pitching coach Willie Blair decided to make a minor mechanical adjustment for the right-hander -- to improve his posture.
Blair stressed the importance of standing tall on the mound and staying tall through the delivery in order to achieve the desired extension.
Judging from his results, Faedo must have looked like a giant to Bowie on Friday night.
The No. 4 Tigers prospect was dominant, fanning a career-best 10 while scattering three hits and allowing a run over seven innings in the SeaWolves' 10-2 romp over the Baysox at Prince George's Stadium.
"He's really been working on making that minor tweak and it was good to see that performance," Blair said. "He really executed better today than he has in his last few games, and I think that success is a direct result of all the hard work he's been putting in."
Faedo was especially satisfied to see the work pay off against Bowie.
"This is my fourth time seeing this team, and I know they've got a ton of power, 1-9. It's probably the most power guys I've seen in my career playing baseball," he said. "So I know when they manufacture runs it's usually off homers or doubles in the gap, so my game plan was to keep the ball down and try to compete and make pitches, and I was able execute that plan tonight."
The 22-year-old right-hander turned in his first seven-inning performance since July 16 -- a span of seven starts -- and his fourth seven-inning effort of the season, second with Erie. Over his previous three outings, he surrendered 14 earned runs on 21 hits and five walks in 13 1/3 frames, striking out 11. Friday marked his first victory in eight tries.
"He put the pressure on the hitters all night," Blair said. "He was constantly ahead in the count and, because of that, he was always one pitch ahead of the hitters. And if he did miss with location, it was in a good spot. Nothing really over the plate. And he kept them off-balance all night."
Faedo (2-6) retired the first nine hitters he faced on 33 pitches. After yielding a leadoff single to 22nd-ranked Orioles prospectRylan Bannon in the fourth, MLB.com's No. 67 overall prospect came back to strike out the side in order.
Top-ranked Baltimore prospect Yusniel Díaz led off the fifth with a booming double to center on Faedo's 3-2 pitch, and after No. 4 prospect Austin Hays lifted a fly ball to Danny Woodrow in center for the first out, 13th-ranked Ryan McKenna squared up a line drive single into center to put Bowie on the board.
Gameday box score
"I tried to throw a 3-2 breaking ball for a strike to Diaz, and I left it right down the middle," Faedo said. "Then the Hays popout moved Diaz to third and McKenna hit a single to score the run and that was it. It didn't really bother me. That's just baseball."
The 18th overall pick of the 2017 Draft coasted from there. He struck out the next two hitters on seven pitches and finished his outing by setting down eight of the last nine batters he faced. The only baserunner over that stretch was Corban Joseph, who reached on an error by left fielder Cam Gibson with one out in the sixth.
"I felt like he had all three of his pitches going for him: fastball, slider and changeup," Blair said. "And at different points, he would go to different pitches. He used his fastball to get ahead, and then he relied on his changeup early to get outs. Then in the middle of the game it was more of his slider, but towards the end he went back to his changeup again. Everything was working, and he was aggressive, so he was able to do what he did.
"I know he felt pretty good about the way he pitched, but he's pretty steady. His demeanor remains the same no matter what happens, and that's a good trait to have. Obviously, after a game like that you feel a little better about yourself, but he's just not one to get too high or too low."
Faedo threw 66 of 97 pitches for strikes, and his fastball was clocked at 93 mph in his final frame.
"I knew my pitch count was getting up there, so I just wanted to finish strong and put up another goose egg and get the guys back to hitting, because they were swinging it well and made my job way easier," he said. "I just wanted to get them back in the dugout and let them keep banging.
"It definitely feels good right now, but when I go back to the field tomorrow, I know I just have to keep working. You cannot get complacent. Just keep doing everything you can to get ready for the next start and, hopefully, ride out a good stretch to end the season."
Fellow righty Nick Tepesch finished up for the SeaWolves and allowed a run on three hits with a walk while notching a strikeout.
Erie went yard three times, getting two homers from Josh Lester, who went back-to-back with No. 10 Tigers prospect Willi Castro in the third inning off 12th-ranked O's prospect Keegan Akin (14-7). Lester finished with three RBIs, and Castro and Woodrow chipped in a pair apiece.
Rob Terranova is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobTnova24.
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