Minor League Discussion & Boxes 7-2-2008

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Bobby Scales with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 15th and Iowa wins 6-5.

 

Boise down 11-0. Pawelek with his best outing of the season (more Ks than BBs!): 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K/1 BB/.

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All boxes posted!

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Daytona News-Journal[/url]"]The 21-year-old right-hander from Culiacan, Mexico, had the pitching performance of the season for the Cubs, facing only 25 batters in eight innings and allowing just two hits in a 5-0 shutout of the St. Lucie Mets.

 

"This is the best outing I've had since I've been in the Cubs organization," Carrillo said after improving his record to 5-5. "I felt strong and relaxed. I was throwing my curveball and slider for strikes."

 

Carrillo threw just 77 pitches. He struck out four batters and didn't issue a walk. Jayson Ruhlman came in to finish off the three-hit shutout.

 

"It was just an outstanding job," Daytona manager Jody Davis said of Carrillo's outing. "It was good to see. It really picked our bullpen up after that 20-inning game (Sunday) night and 10 innings last night. He's really pitching now. There were times earlier this season when he was trying to keep up with (Esmailin) Caridad and (Jose) Ceda (on the radar gun)."

 

...

 

"I threw everything he called," Carrillo said. "He knows about hitters. He has very good command of the game. He's a good catcher."

 

What made Chirinos' effort stand out even more is it was his first time behind the dish in a regular-season minor-league game. He had been working on catching in the Cubs' extended spring training program in Mesa, Ariz., until joining Daytona last weekend.

 

"Pretty good for his first time back there out of extended (spring training)," Davis said. "That's pretty good calling a shutout. Overall he really looked good back there. He had a couple of dropped balls, but really he caught the ball well and called a great game."

 

Peoria has won 9 in a row.

[Elrhino]

But, I got Blass disease. Started to get too tricky, and try to do more with the ball, whether that be side-spins in the wind, or backspins, or more arch than I could really handle. Then, somewhat suddenly, I lost it. Trying to get back to original consistently good delivery, I started thinking and analyzing, from which ensued a downward spiral of compensate/correction attempts, which never succeeded. Once I started thinking too much, I couldn't just relax and let the ball go. The arm stroke lost any consistency, and I'm always trying to get it back, to compensate for what I'm doing wrong. Even when I have some good ones, the second I throw two bad balls back-to-back, the thought comes back "Are you losing it again? What are you doing wrong now, what were you doing right the first three innings that you're not doing this inning?" Obviously I'm no professional athlete like Blass or Hill. But I imagine that confidence stuff, and the thinking about control instead of just throwing the ball over the plate (or underhand lobbing the ball as was my case) just drives you nuts.

 

Sounds like I've been suffering through chronic Blass Disease with my golf swing for the better part of 18 years.