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Merritt among top prospect performers Wednesday
- Updated: August 18, 2016
Everything is going right when Stephen Gonsalves takes the ball these days.
The Twins’ No. 4 prospect extended his scoreless streak to 21 innings with six near-perfect frames for Double-A Chattanooga on Wednesday.
“I felt pretty good,” Gonsalves told MiLB.com. “I felt like I lacked a little bit in control early, the fastball wasn’t where it normally is. I felt real comfortable throwing my slider. I threw it 22 times tonight, that was a pretty big pitch I relied on most of the night.”
Gonsalves, MLB Pipeline’s No. 97 overall prospect, left the game with a no-hitter intact but had also thrown a season-high 105 pitches (66 strikes) and has thrown over 100 pitches in each of his past two starts, including a complete game in his last outing.
Part of the reason for Gonsalves’ elevated pitch count is the plethora of strikeouts. The lefty fanned the first batter he faced, struck out six of seven at one point and finished the night emphatically with a pair of strikeouts.
“A lot of the strikeouts tonight were 3-2,” Gonsalves said. “I got 0-2 early and ended up throwing some strikeout pitches that were out of the zone and the hitters were able to lay off. Going out into the last inning, I walked out there with 84 pitches and the first batter [Jake DePew] was a 12-pitch at-bat which turned into an error. They had some really good at-bats.”
When it was all over, the 22-year-old had struck out nine and lowered his ERA to 1.81 in 10 Double-A starts.
The rest of the best performances from top prospects Wednesday:
• Once again Lucas Giolito (Nationals’ No. 1, No. 4 overall) showed why he’s the best pitching prospect in all of baseball. The 22-year-old twirled another gem for Triple-A Syracuse, giving up one run in seven innings. Giolito also struck out 10, his second double-digit strikeout game of the year.
• Ian Happ (Cubs’ No. 1, No. 26 overall) had a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with Double-A Tennessee. Happ, the Cubs’ first-round selection in 2015, has a modest four-game hitting streak and is batting .276 in 49 games since his promotion to Double-A.
• Dodgers’ No. 2 prospect Jose De Leon (No. 39 overall) got off to an immaculate start and finished strong for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 24-year-old struck out …
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