Sequera Sets the Tone for Chiefs

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

Sequera Sets the Tone for Chiefs

Leonel Sequera gave the Peoria Chiefs exactly what they needed Tuesday night.
With Memphis and Springfield both rained out and Palm Beach taking a lopsided loss, Sequera delivered the best pitching performance in the Cardinals' minor league system, working four strong innings in Peoria's 5-3 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Dozer Park.

Sequera allowed one run on three hits, walked none, and struck out a season-high eight.

That line tells the story. Eight strikeouts. No walks. That is the kind of pitching coaches love because it shows both swing-and-miss stuff and control of the strike zone.

His only mistake came in the second inning, when Josh Adamczewski hit a solo home run to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead. Sequera did not let the inning get away from him and left the Chiefs in position to come back.

Peoria did just that, tying the game on Rainiel Rodriguez's solo home run in the fourth before taking the lead later in the inning. From there, the Chiefs had enough pitching and timely hitting to finish the job.

For Sequera, this was a step in the right direction. Four innings may not look like a full night's work in the old scorebook, but the quality was clear. He attacked hitters, missed bats and did not give Wisconsin any free help.

Old School Take

A pitcher who strikes out eight and walks nobody has done his job. Sequera gave Peoria a chance, kept traffic off the bases, and set the tone for a winning night. That is good, clean pitching.

The Cardinal Chronicle
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.