Manning posts five zeros for Connecticut

Despite being handcuffed by factors outside of his control, Matt Manning has fit comfortably into the rotation for the Class A Short Season Tigers.
Detroit's top-ranked prospect surrendered three hits and a pair of walks while striking out two over five scoreless innings as Connecticut defeated Vermont, 7-1, at Dodd Stadium. In eight starts this season, Manning (2-1) sports a 2.22 ERA with 29 punchouts over 28 1/3 innings.

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"I think my fastball command has been a lot better," the 19-year-old told MiLB.com after his second start of the season. "I think I have confidence in all my pitches. I knew if I just go out there and throw the way I know I can throw, it's going to be positive results."
MLB.com's No. 71 prospect got his first taste of professional baseball in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League last season. It was almost another 10 months between appearances before the Tigers assigned him to the New York-Penn League. He's now getting comfortable with a schedule that finds him pitching every fifth day. 
"It was good," said Manning of getting back into a proper rhythm. "I enjoyed it. I took it in, was waiting for the moment and kind of just ran with it."

But another strange obstacle has kept his inning count lower than expected at this point in the season. The ninth overall pick in last year's Draft has had to deal with some sort of weather delay in half of his appearances, twice being limited to a one-inning outing.
On Thursday night, Kevin Merrell led off the game for Vermont with a popout to short and Ryan Gridley followed with a bloop single into center field, but was thrown out trying to swipe second by Connecticut catcher Joey Morgan. The California native then got Jordan Devencenzi to pop out to second to end the inning. 
Greg Deichmann flied out to right to start the second and Manning sandwiched a pair of walks around a groundout by Will Toffey before Payton Squier bounced to third for the final out. Manning induced three fly balls in a 1-2-3 and worked around Logan Farrar's two-out double to left in the fourth by getting Toffey to fly to center.
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Manning struck out Aaron Arruda swinging to start the fifth and Squier followed with a line-drive single up the middle. The right-hander coerced a ground-ball double play from Jesus Lage to complete his outing after 69 pitches, 42 for strikes.
The Sacramento, California high-school product finished the fifth with a 1-0 lead and the Tigers piled on six runs in the home half of the frame. Jordan Pearce doubled in a run during the frame for one of his two RBIs on the night.