Milb.com Article on Homer Bailey
Homer Bailey remains a mystery to Southern League batters.
Bailey tossed six hitless innings on Tuesday night as the Chattanooga Lookouts shut down the Huntsville Stars, 7-1, at Joe W. Davis Municipal Stadium.
Making his second start since earning a promotion from Class A Advanced Sarasota, Bailey struck out six, walked two and left with a no-hitter intact. He has yet to give up a run, allowing only five hits over 12 innings for the Lookouts.
The 20-year-old right-hander allowed four base runners. He yielded two walks in the first inning, which he attributed to not having command of his fastball.
"I could not locate it early on and I walked a couple of guys because of it, but my change-up and curve were thankfully working," Bailey said.
Huntsville's only other base runners against him reached on errors. And in between the miscues, Bailey retired 12 straight batters.
"I really didn't feel comfortable until the third inning," he explained. "I was really having trouble adjusting to the flat mound."
Bailey was on a 95-pitch count and had thrown 86 when he was removed.
"I wish I could have adjusted earlier (to the mound), I probably wouldn't have struggled as much early and had to come out," he said.
The game was scoreless until Javon Moran ripped an RBI single into left field in the fifth, giving the Lookouts a 1-0 lead.
"I didn't feel any added pressure," Bailey said of the slim cushion. "I just kept sticking with my game plan and throwing my pitches."
Bailey was not thinking about a no-hitter, saying "I was just trying to focus on my game and make my pitches. The main thing is we got the win and I just wanted to help the team get it."
Discussing his promotion from the Florida State League, the Reds' 2004 first-round pick (seventh overall) said, "I had to step it up a little, the hitters are obviously better.
"I have been able to sit down and watch and study the hitters prior to my first two starts. It helped me learn about them and I have been able to capitalize on that."
Despite lobbying for one more inning, Bailey was replaced by Carlos Alvarado, who tossed a perfect seventh.
The Lookouts (6-3) were still leading, 1-0, before exploding for six runs in the eighth. The key blow was Aaron Herr's three-run double.
Brock Till replaced Alvarado in the eighth and worked a 1-2-3 inning as the Lookouts got within three outs of their first no-hitter since 1996.
Southern League saves leader David Shafer struck out the first two batters in the ninth, but Callix Crabbe broke up the no-hitter and shutout with one swing as he blasted his third homer of the season. Shafer retired the next two batters to end the game.
Corey Thurman (2-7) was the hard-luck loser after yielding one run on three hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out eight for Huntsville (3-6).
posted by Doug Gray @ 9:59 AM
<< Home