D-backs minor-league report: Shipley making strides at Mobile
Braden Shipley, the Diamondbacks' first-round draft pick in 2013, appears to be figuring things out in the second half of the season with the Mobile Bay Bears.
Shipley, pitching in relief of Zack Godley, whose late-season workload is being limited, worked six brilliant innings on Wednesday night, giving up two hits, no walks and no runs while striking out seven to help Mobile rally for a 4-3 win over Biloxi.
The victory evened Shipley's record at 9-9 and lowered his ERA to 3.29 -- down from 4.31 on July 18. In his last seven apperances, he's worked 36.2 innings and struck out 36 while giving up five earned runs, 34 hits and nine walks. Shipley has a 4-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over those seven appearances, compared with a 2.5-1 ratio over his first 19.
"I think it's not a secret that I had a rough first half; I even knew that," Shipley told milb.com. "It all comes with that fastball command. I think that I've really learned who I am as a pitcher, which has been a big key for me, and not going out there and trying to strike out everyone and try to blow a fastball by everybody.
"I've learned how to pitch, and that is the step I needed to take in order to open myself up to possibly pitching in the big leagues in the near future."
Godley, who had a brief but impressive run with the Diamondbacks, gave up three runs in his two innings of work. He's 1-1 with a 5.12 ERA for Mobile, compared with 4-0 and 1.90 for the major-league team.
RENO: Peter O'Brien clubbed a pair of home runs in the Aces' 11-5 victory over Nashville on Wednesday night, upping his season total to 24. The second home run of the night was a line-drive laser to center field.
O'Brien also hit his 30th double of the season and drove in four runs to bring his season RBI total to 93, tying Jamie Romak's total for the team lead. Romak and O'Brien are tied for second in the PCL in RBI, six behind league leader Matt Duffy.
O'Brien's free-swinging ways have caused some concern about strikeouts, but he has made some progress in that regard with 110 over 440 at-bats. His strikeout to at-bat ratio has improved from over the past three seasons, going from 1-per-3.3 at-bats in 2013 to 1-per-3.6 last year and 1-per-4.0 this season.
--Second baseman Brandon Drury had two doubles in the victory and is now hitting .336.He has 25 doubles in just 58 games for the Aces, and over his past three minor-league seasons, he's totaled an impressive 132 doubles -- an average of 44 per season.
KANE COUNTY: The Cougars, 75-51 overall, clinched a Midwest League postseason berth with a 7-1 win over Beloit on Wednesday as Brad Keller, Ryan Burr and Luis Ramirez teamed up on a two-hitter. Dawel Lugo had four hits and is now batting .366 in 11 games for Kane County since being acquired in the trade that sent Chad Pennington to Toronto.
