Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Dominic Picone, Springfield

The Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Dominic Picone
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Dominic Picone did not change the final score Saturday night.

He did change the tone.

Picone is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Pitcher of the Day after throwing 2.2 perfect innings in Springfield’s 6-2 loss to the Amarillo Sod Poodles at Route 66 Stadium.

The Cardinals were already in a difficult spot when Picone entered the game. Amarillo had built an early lead, Springfield’s offense had not been able to string enough together, and the game was starting to drift away.

Picone stopped the drift.

The right-hander worked a season-high 2.2 innings, did not allow a base runner, and struck out five. No hits. No walks. No traffic. No free chances.

That is how a reliever gets noticed, even in a loss.

Springfield needed someone to settle the game down, and Picone gave the Cardinals exactly that. He attacked the zone, missed bats, and kept Amarillo from adding to the damage. On a night when the Sod Poodles had already done enough to win, Picone made sure they did not keep piling on.

That matters in player development.

Relief pitching is not always about the save situation or the clean ninth inning. Sometimes it is about entering a game that is leaning the wrong direction and putting a stop to it. Picone did that Saturday.

The final score says Springfield lost.

The pitching line says Picone did his job.

There were other strong relief efforts across the Cardinals’ full-season system. Memphis got four hitless innings from its bullpen, with Jared Shuster, Max Rajcic and Scott Blewett combining to keep Norfolk quiet after Brandt Thompson’s start. Peoria’s bullpen also stabilized the game after South Bend scored five runs in the first inning.

But Picone had the cleanest individual pitching line of the night.

Season-high 2.2 innings.

No base runners.

Five strikeouts.

That gets the honor.

For a pitcher trying to build trust and carve out a larger role, outings like this are the ones that matter. They show reliability. They show swing-and-miss ability. They show a pitcher capable of entering a game and changing the feel of it, even when the scoreboard is not working in his club’s favor.

Picone gave Springfield that kind of appearance Saturday night.

Old School Take

There are nights when the best pitching performance comes in a loss.

That was Saturday.

Dominic Picone came out of the bullpen and gave Springfield 2.2 perfect innings with five strikeouts. No drama. No traffic. No damage.

A reliever cannot erase what happened before he got the ball.

But he can make sure it stops there.

Picone did that.

That is why Dominic Picone is The Cardinal Chronicle Minor League Pitcher of the Day.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit - Saint Joseph University Athletics