Chronicle MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Jacob Odle

The Cardinal Chronicle
Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day: Jacob Odle Misses Bats in Peoria Win
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Jacob Odle gave Peoria the kind of outing that jumps off a box score.

Odle is the Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day after striking out nine over 4.2 innings in the Chiefs’ 7-2 win over West Michigan on Wednesday afternoon at Dozer Park.

His final line:

4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

That is a lot of swing-and-miss packed into a short start.

Odle did not quite get through the fifth inning, and the three walks kept the outing from being spotless, but the stuff was loud. He allowed only two hits, kept the ball in the yard, and struck out nearly half the batters he faced. He threw 80 pitches, 49 for strikes, and gave Peoria the tone-setting performance it needed.

The 6-foot-5 right-hander has been one of the more interesting developmental arms in the Cardinals’ system this season. After missing time following Tommy John surgery, Odle has worked his way back into form and continues to show the kind of raw ingredients that make him worth tracking closely.

The fastball has real life. The breaking ball can miss bats. And when he is around the zone, hitters have a hard time getting comfortable.

Wednesday was another example.

West Michigan scratched across a run in the first and another in the fifth, but Odle never let the game get away from him. He worked through traffic, leaned on his swing-and-miss stuff, and kept the Chiefs in position to take control.

Peoria’s bullpen finished the job from there. Dylan Driessen, José Davila and Patrick Galle combined for 4.1 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five. As a staff, the Chiefs struck out 14 West Michigan hitters.

That is how you close out a win.

The offense gave Odle plenty of support, too. Jalin Flores went 3-for-3 with a double, home run, RBI, two runs scored and a walk. Jack Gurevitch homered for the second straight day, his 13th of the season, and drove in two. Sammy Hernandez also homered, while Ian Petrutz stayed hot with two hits, a triple and an RBI.

But the pitching headline belongs to Odle.

Nine strikeouts in 4.2 innings tells you the stuff was working. The next step is efficiency. If he trims the walks and gets deeper into games, outings like this start turning from flashes into something more meaningful.

That is the development path.

The tools are there. The swing-and-miss is there. The arm is healthy and building.

On Wednesday, Jacob Odle reminded everyone why he remains one of the more intriguing arms on the farm.

Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day:
Jacob Odle, RHP, Peoria Chiefs
Final Line: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.

Check out The Cardinal Chronicle for more St. Louis Cardinals coverage, daily farm reports, prospect updates and old-school baseball commentary:
www.cardinalchronicle.com

Photo Credit: Jacob Odle, Peoria Chiefs | MiLB