MiLB Pitcher of the Day: Liam Doyle Strikes Out 10 With No Walks
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Pitcher of the Day: Liam Doyle Strikes Out 10 With No Walks
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Liam Doyle gave Springfield the kind of outing that deserves attention, even on a night when the final score went the other way.
Doyle is the Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day after striking out 10 over 5.2 innings in Springfield’s 6-1 loss to Wichita on Friday night at Route 66 Stadium.
His final line: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
Doyle allowed just one earned run, gave up four hits and did not walk a batter. The no-walk part may be the most encouraging piece of the whole line. For any young pitcher, but especially one with swing-and-miss stuff, filling the strike zone changes everything.
On Friday, Doyle did exactly that.
He threw 85 pitches, 59 for strikes, faced 21 batters and struck out nearly half of them. Wichita managed a run in the fourth inning, but Doyle kept the game within reach and handed the ball to the bullpen with Springfield still very much alive.
The Cardinals’ offense could not answer. Springfield was held to one run on six hits, and the club’s seven-game winning streak came to an end. But Doyle’s start should not get buried under the loss.
This was the type of outing the Cardinals want to see from one of their top arms.
The strikeout ability has never been in question. Doyle has the stuff to miss bats, and Friday showed that clearly. What made this performance stand out was the combination of strikeouts and control. Ten punchouts with zero walks is not just impressive. It is the kind of line that points in the right direction developmentally.
Springfield got singles from Rainiel Rodriguez, Won-Bin Cho, Zach Levenson and Tre Richardson III, while Deniel Ortiz doubled and scored the only run. Levenson drove him in during the ninth inning, but by then Wichita had already built the lead.
After Doyle exited, Wichita did its damage late. Darlin Saladin allowed two runs in 1.1 innings, Nolan Sparks gave up a solo homer in the eighth, and Jack Findlay allowed two more in the ninth.
Still, the pitching headline belonged to Doyle.
No walks.
Ten strikeouts.
One earned run.
That will play at any level.
For Springfield, the loss ends a strong winning streak, but the Cardinals remain in first place in the Texas League North. For Doyle, Friday night was another step forward.
Sometimes a pitcher deserves better than the final score.
This was one of those nights.
Cardinal Chronicle Pitcher of the Day:
Liam Doyle, LHP, Springfield Cardinals
Final Line: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Liam Doyle, Springfield Cardinals | Springfield Daily Citizen