Mr. Ed
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Video of his outing here
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20160415&content_id=172558268&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb
It was his first start in nearly a year, and at almost 90 pitches, Alex Meyer's night was close to being over.
"My manager [Mike Quade] asked me if I still felt good to go and I said I did. He said, 'OK, go get 'em,'" Meyer said. "It's good to have a manager who has confidence in you to send you back out there."
Meyer hit 99 mph with his fastball and struck out eight over 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his first start in nearly a year Friday night as Triple-A Rochester held on for a 2-1 win at Buffalo.
"I was efficient, throwing strikes, getting ahead," the Twins' No. 11 prospect said. "I was feeling good, I was feeling like the ball was coming out pretty good. I had some swings and misses early, so it was one of those nights where you're lucky to have your stuff working, throwing strikes and getting ahead."
Making his first start since May 19, Meyer (1-0) held the Bisons to three hits while throwing 60 of 92 pitches for strikes. He retired the first seven batters he faced and exited in the seventh after retiring Jesus Montero. Ryan O'Rourke, Loek van Mil and J.R. Graham combined to finish off the win.
Meyer began last season in the Red Wings rotation but moved to the bullpen after his May 19 start against Durham. After going 2-3 with a 7.09 ERA in eight starts, he was considerably sharper in relief, compiling a 3.08 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 52 2/3 frames. He walked 24 batters out of the bullpen after issuing 24 free passes in 39 1/3 frames as a starter.
The Twins brought him to Minnesota last June for his Major League debut but decided this spring to stretch him back out as a starter.
"It was fun. It was fun to get back out there in the pregame routine and everything and get that stuff put back together," Meyer said. "It was fun to start a game, I felt good. From the beginning, I had three pitches going and carried in into the game."
Despite Friday's success, Meyer said he thinks his future may be back in the bullpen. With fellow prospects like Jose Berrios and Taylor Rogers emerging and a Twins rotation that includes established starters like Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson and Phil Hughes, Meyer's best route back to the Majors could be in relief.
"I was thought I was better suited for the bullpen," he said. "It's just a case where we have some starters coming up who are really good and guys in the big leagues under contract for a while, so the best thing for me is the bullpen. But they thought differently, and that's fine. I'll do whatever they want me to do. I was successful as a reliever."
The Twins want the 6-foot-9 right-hander to become more consistent with his command, especially his changeup, a pitch Meyer said he threw about nine times against the Bisons.
"We want him to work on his pitches, and that's tough to do in the 'pen," Twins general manager Terry Ryan told the Pioneer Press last month. "I'm not saying that's going to be for the life of his career or even the life of the 2016 season, but that's the way we're going to start. We'll gauge it as we go."
Meyer called his struggles as a stater early last season "a hiccup" and that he's confident things will play out the right way.
"[Last year] wasn't the best, but I'll get back and things will take care of themselves," he said. "I'm trying not to overthink things, just attack hitters, get strike one. I feel confident in myself."
Meyer said he wasn't focused on working in the change much on Friday, but when he did, he had full control.
"It was fine, I probably threw eight of the nine for strikes," he said. "If the situation calls for it, I'll throw it. It's just another pitch, it's not something I put too much thought into."
"Their big righty starter didn't give us a chance," Bisons manager Gary Allenson said. "There was a difference between night and day with him last year and this year. I don't think he walked a guy today, and he struggled with his command last year. ... The weather's been nice for us -- it got a little chilly tonight there, but it had nothing to do with it. Whether it was 30 degrees out, or 85 out there, that kid was sharp."
Meyer also worked with a lead after Twins No. 6 prospect Jorge Polanco hit a two-out homer to left in the first off Buffalo starter Wade LeBlanc. Wilfredo Tovar added an RBI single in the seventh before Buffalo scored in the eighth on Jio Mier's RBI double.
"It's always good to go out there with a lead before you even go out on the mound," Meyer said. "But it's always a good thing for this club -- you attack guys and just go straight at them. Polanco squared a ball up, it was a great start for the night. Good way to start the game."
Meyer's first outing of the season came in relief of Berrios, the Twins' top prospect, on April 10 in what Minor Leaguers refer to as "piggybacking." Berrios started and Meyer came in to finish off the game.
"I've had some good teammates with the Twins. With Berrios and Pat Dean -- my goodness, the year he had last year, it makes it fun to watch," Meyer said. "[Tyler] Duffey, Berrios, [Logan] Darnell, it's good, we have the whole package of guys who can do just about a different look every night, so it's exciting to watch."
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