Jay, Gatewood among top prospect performers Wednesday

Bouncing back from a rough outing is something every pitcher has to do, but Tyler Jay may not have been used to waiting around for his chance at redemption.

Jay served as a reliever during his collegiate career at Illinois and in his first professional season and often had the chance to get back on the mound as soon as the next day.

However, the Twins moved their No. 3 prospect into the rotation this year and since Jay got hit hard on April 28 — six runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings — he has turned in his two best starts in the Minors.

As it turns out, the wait was not a problem.

“I felt awesome,” Jay told MiLB.com. “I’ve had a few things like that in college, when you’re ‘going;’ you just know you’re not afraid to throw anything. You just throw everything with confidence and conviction and just let the ball do the rest.”

The left-hander gave up just three hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings Wednesday in Class A Advanced Fort Myers’ 5-2 win against Bradenton, which followed his start on May 4 when he tossed 6 1/3 frames of scoreless ball.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve felt that as a starter,” baseball’s No. 56 overall prospect told MiLB.com. “When you’re ‘going,’ you’re ‘going.’ There’s really not a lot that’s going to slow you down.”

Jay is 3-2 with a 3.03 ERA through six starts this season. The seven frames were the most Jay has thrown in the Minors and the 93 pitches tied his career high. However, the 60 strikes he threw were the most he’s thrown in a single start.

The rest of the best prospect performances from Wednesday

• Clint Frazier continues to rack up the hits as the No. 24 prospect in all of baseball extended his hitting streak to five games with a 2-for-4 performance Wednesday afternoon in Double-A Akron’s 9-8 win in 10 innings. Frazier, the Indians’ No. 2 prospect, tripled and drove in three runs — his second …

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