daily fog: another gem

Bryce Stowell pitched for Hyannis last summer, and man did he have some bad luck. Despite a solid 3.72 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 38.2 innings, Stowell went 1-5.

This summer, he’s making his own luck.

Stowell turned in his third consecutive dominant start last night to lead Bourne past Wareham 2-0 in the second New Bedford game of the year. The redshirt sophomore from UC Irvine struck out eight, didn’t walk anybody and scattered seven hits in 8.1 shutout innings. His UC Irvine teammate Eric Pettis closed out the game to give Stowell his second win of the season.

Stowell has made now made five appearances, with the last three coming as starts. In those three starts (22.1 IP), he has allowed one run on seven hits. He has struck out 27 and walked only three.

That’s about as good a stretch as any starting pitcher has had this summer, and it’s not a huge surprise that Stowell is doing it. This spring at UC Irvine, he went 8-3 with a 3.26 ERA. He struck out 101 and walked 36 in 88.1 ininngs. Since he used a redshirt year earlier in his career, he was eligible for the draft this June and was picked in the 22nd round by the Indians.

This is what the scouting report from MLB says:

With a strong, athletic frame, Stowell looks the part of a pro pitcher. Stuff wise, he shows glimpses of pitching the part, too, with an average fastball, a slider that could improve with a better arm slot and a changeup that appears to be improving. A terrific competitor, the one thing Stowell lacks is the mechanics and arm action to repeat his pitches. That, plus the fact he’s sophomore-eligible with some leverage make it a little difficult to place where he might go.

So it sounds like Stowell could have gone higher, and that’s probably why he wasn’t on any Cape League rosters to begin with. But with the summer he’s having, he will really help himself.

Since he wasn’t on a roster at the start, he was a little under the radar from me, but he’s not anymore. Based on the last three starts, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he emerges as the league’s top pitcher. He now leads the league with a .36 ERA and he’s fourth in strikeouts.

Elsewhere

• After a one-day detour, the Orleans express kept on rolling. The Cardinals, who lost 1-0 Thursday to end a five-game winning streak, bounced right back Friday with a 10-5 victory over Harwich. Nate Freiman (Duke) went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI to lead the Cardinals. Once upon a time, I predicted Freiman would win the MVP this year. He got off to a slow start but last night’s performance is a good sign. He’s now hitting .253 and is heating up with the rest of his teammates.

• It was an all-around good night in Chatham as the A’s beat Brewster 7-2. Adam Warren (North Carolina) was dynamite in his second start, allowing one run on two hits in six innings. The A’s offense roughed up Brewster star Tim Clubb (Missouri State) for three home runs, one each by Evan Ocheltree (Wake Forest), Grant Green (USC) and Victor Sanchez (San Diego). Cory Olson (UC Irvine) had two hits and finally reached the minimum number of plate appearances to qualify for the league lead in batting average, which he now holds. He’s hitting .434, and he dropped teammate Green to second place at .407.

• Hyannis kept pace with Bourne thanks to a 5-1 victory over Y-D. Marcus Jones (NC State) hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to break a 1-1 tie. Colin Bates (North Carolina) struck out eight and allowed two hits in seven shutout innings for the Mets. Craig Fritsch (Baylor) was nearly as good for Y-D, allowing a run on two hits in seven innings.

• Falmouth, which uses more pitchers than any team in the league, sent five to the hill last night and they emerged with a 3-2 victory over Cotuit. Nate Striz (North Carolina) picked up the win.

What to Watch For Tonight

• A lot of guys who have been used mostly out of the bullpen are getting starts tonight. The list includes Matt Thomson for Orleans, Chris Gloor for Falmouth, Kevin Landry for Bourne and Kevin Couture for Chatham.

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