Gerardo Salas, Peoria Chiefs

The Cardinal Chronicle
Pitcher of the Day: Gerardo Salas, Peoria Chiefs
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Gerardo Salas did not start the game Friday night for Peoria.

He simply changed it.

In the Chiefs’ 6-0 win over Great Lakes, Salas delivered the kind of relief appearance that does not always grab the first headline, but absolutely deserves it. Peoria starter Yhoiker Fajardo opened the night with the flashier prospect line, striking out a season-high seven batters over 3 2/3 innings. But when Fajardo left the game in the fourth with two runners on and two outs, the Chiefs needed someone to steady the whole thing.

Salas came in and did exactly that.

He stranded both inherited runners, protected Peoria’s slim 1-0 lead, and then went on to work 3 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win as the Chiefs completed their first shutout of the season.

That is winning baseball.

Salas did not just put up a clean line. He entered the game at the pressure point, when one swing could have turned the night in Great Lakes’ favor, and he shut the door. From there, he gave Peoria length, stability and a chance for the offense to finally break the game open late.

The Chiefs eventually added five runs in the ninth inning, turning a tight pitchers’ duel into a 6-0 final. But the game was preserved much earlier, when Salas took the ball in a dangerous spot and made sure the Loons did not cash in.

That is why he is The Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day.

There is plenty to like about Fajardo’s outing. He showed swing-and-miss stuff, set a new season high in strikeouts, and continues to remind everyone why he is regarded as one of the better pitching prospects in the Cardinals’ system. But Salas had the assignment that often separates a box-score line from a game-winning performance.

He inherited trouble.

He left it stranded.

Then he kept going.

For a Peoria club trying to find traction after a slow start to the week, that kind of bullpen performance matters. It gave the Chiefs their cleanest pitching night of the season and helped turn Friday into a development win as much as a standings win.

Honorable Mention

Yhoiker Fajardo deserves strong recognition after striking out seven over 3 2/3 scoreless innings for Peoria. Brandt Thompson also earns mention after striking out a season-high seven batters over 4 2/3 strong innings for Springfield in its loss to Northwest Arkansas.

Old School Take

There are nights when the best pitching line belongs to the starter, and there are nights when the most important arm is the one that comes in with the game hanging by a thread.

Friday night belonged to Gerardo Salas.

He came in with trouble on the bases, protected the lead, gave the Chiefs length, and handed the game to the back end of the bullpen without any damage. That is not just relief work. That is a ballplayer doing the job when the job gets hard.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports