ALTOONA, Pa. — It might have taken six starts, but the wait was worth it as Altoona's Cody Bolton notched his first Double-A win Sunday night against Richmond.
Bolton was dominant at Bradenton: 6-3 with a 1.61 ERA in 12 starts over 61 2/3 innings, 69 strikeouts to 14 walks, .174 batting average against and a minuscule 0.86 WHIP. However, after his promotion to Altoona on June 26, the right-hander struggled, giving up four earned runs in each of his first three starts.
In his fourth start, Bolton went six shutout innings — with one strikeout — before the bullpen yielded the game's only run in the seventh. Following that outing, the North Carolina native scuffled again, going only three innings while giving up three runs on five hits.
Sunday's performance showed why Bolton is considered among the Pirates’ top pitching prospects and showed his capabilities against Double-A competition. Bolton went six innings allowing three hits and striking out eight.
"That feeling is really good," Bolton said following the game. "It's been five starts and I (hadn't) gotten that 'W', but tonight it was a lot of fun."
The biggest factor in Bolton's win was finding success against left-handed bats, and that was something he and his manager focused on following his previous outings.
"He did a lot better job against left-handed hitters, and that was key for him," Curve manager Michael Ryan said.
Bolton getting in the win column was due in large part to his resiliency in finally adjusting to pitching at the Double-A level, an adjustment that isn't always easy when making the jump from High-A.
"You have to trust your stuff and understand what got you to the level," Ryan said. "If you treat it as a big jump, you're going to change things and do things different. Just go back to your roots and what gave you success and you'll have success anywhere."
Bolton, now 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in six starts with the Curve, had pitched well at times in his other outings — he has 25 strikeouts in 29 innings, opponents are hitting only .217 off the 2017 sixth-round pick, and his 1.16 WHIP is up a bit from Bradenton but still respectable. However, he's issued 11 walks and he's given up four home runs compared to just one he yielded with the Marauders.
"The biggest adjustment would be the hitters," Bolton said. "The hitters are a lot more challenging. They're better, more disciplined and swing early, that's the biggest difference."
He has the tools to get them out, for sure. His fastball touches mid-90's and scouts rate it as a plus pitch. He can locate it up and down in the zone and it has good arm-side tail. He complements it a new splitter that's an out pitch, good command of a slider, and he also throws a mid-80's changeup and a low-80's curve that need refinement.
If he does refine one of the off-speed pitches, as expected, Bolton will continue his rapid ascent up the minor-league ladder. Though he just turned 21, he is already on his fourth level in the minors, and that success has elevated his prospect status. At the end of 2018, Baseball America rated Bolton #21 in the Pirates system; in their 2019 midseason rankings, he's rocketed up to #5. To meet and maintain those expectations, Ryan says it's really a simple process.
"Trust his stuff, believe in his stuff and do the same thing ... he did to get here,"
Echoing those sentiments made by his manager, Bolton also feels his track to success is rather simple moving forward.
"Stick with the confidence, trust that my team will have my back," Bolton said. "I feel with those two things, I'll have pretty good stuff."
CURVE'S TOP HITTERS
Robbie Glendinning, 3B -- Glendinning, 23, was 6 for 23 (.272) over the course of the past week with four RBIs and a home run. Glendinning is hitting .265 for Altoona this season.
Mitchell Tolman, 2B -- Tolman, 25, was 7 for 25 (.280) scoring four runs and stealing a base. Tolman is hitting .258 on the season.
CURVE'S TOP PITCHERS
Top starting performance: Beau Sulser went four innings Saturday night against Richmond, giving up one run.. Sulser, a reliever, started on a bullpen day and allowed two hits and struck out five. Sulser is 7-1 with a 2.42 ERA for Altoona this season.
Top reliever: Joel Cesar threw two shutout innings Sunday against Richmond, allowing only one hit. He's 2-3 with a 3.52 ERA and three holds on the season.
NOTABLE ROSTER MOVES/INJURIES
7/23: LHP Brandon Waddell promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis. RHP Nick Economos promoted to Altoona.
7/24: RHP Angel German placed on Suspended List.
7/27: RHP Angel German activated from Suspended List.
1B Jerrick Suiter has resumed baseball activities after being placed on the 7-day IL on July 19.
THE RESULTS/SCHEDULE
It was a rough home stand for Altoona as they went 1-6 over the past week, their first win in a week's time coming Sunday against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
The Curve were in each game as they lost by three runs or fewer in all six losses, but they struggled to overcome the narrow defecits.
Altoona will hit the road to face Trenton before heading to Reading and returning home next week for another series against the Flying Squirrels.
ALTOONA FUN THING
Catching the baseball is all about efficiency. Some people bring gloves to the game, others hats but when without those fans must improvise. And when fans improvise, there are snags like this one on Friday night.
?Ball in a cup, ball in a cup. Its a ball in a cup!? pic.twitter.com/BYpmfxGXOn
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) July 26, 2019
