MilB Pitcher of the Day: Braden Davis

THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
MilB Pitcher of the Day: Braden Davis 
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Braden Davis was not easy to square up Tuesday night.

Actually, Wichita did not square him up at all.

Davis is the Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day after working four hitless, scoreless innings in Springfield’s 5-1 win over the Wichita Wind Surge at Hammons Field.

His final line: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

That line tells the story pretty clearly.

The command was not spotless. The four walks show there is still work to do. But the stuff was loud, the bats were late, and Davis gave Springfield a tone-setting start as the Cardinals won their fifth straight game.

He did not allow a hit. He struck out seven. He kept Wichita off the scoreboard.

That is a strong night, even with the walks.

Davis threw 81 pitches, 42 for strikes, and faced 16 batters. The pitch count climbed because of the free passes, but when he was in the zone, Wichita had very few answers. The left-hander missed bats, worked through traffic, and handed the game to the bullpen with Springfield in control.

The bullpen followed his lead.

Darlin Saladin threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Nolan Sparks added a scoreless frame with two strikeouts. Jack Findlay struck out all three outs in a scoreless eighth. Domenic Picone allowed a solo home run in the ninth, but by then the game was well in hand.

Altogether, Springfield pitchers held Wichita to three hits and struck out 16 batters.

That is how you win a ballgame.

The offense did enough behind them. Jesús Báez hit his 12th home run of the season and drove in two. Tre Richardson III also homered and drove in two. Rainiel Rodriguez continued swinging the bat well, going 2-for-4 with a double.

But the pitching story started with Davis.

For a young arm, outings like this are part of the development picture. You want the command to tighten. You want fewer walks. You want the pitch count to stay under control so he can work deeper into games.

But you also do not ignore four hitless innings with seven strikeouts.

The raw stuff showed up. The swing-and-miss showed up. The ability to keep runs off the board showed up.

Springfield remains alone in first place in the Texas League North second-half standings, and this latest win had the fingerprints of the pitching staff all over it.

Davis set the tone.

The bullpen finished it.

The Cardinals kept rolling.

Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day:
Braden Davis, LHP, Springfield Cardinals
Final Line: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Braden Davis, Springfield Cardinals |