The Undercards: Alex Colome Delivers 8 Overpowering Innings

One characteristic of the minor leagues is that pitchers come out of games much earlier. Pitchers often come out after 100 or 105 pitches no matter what- even if they’re throwing a no-hitter- and they are pulled after six innings if they are even close to that number. With that restriction in mind, a prospect has to be especially efficient with his pitches to go deep into games, and that is exactly what Alex Colome did.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 2, Pawtucket Red Sox 0

This game began in nightmarish fashion for Alex Colome as he was suspended for performance-enhancing drugs. Since then, however, he has done everything in his power to regain his regard within the organization. This outing is the best example of that. Colome went 8 incredible innings allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 7 while walking just 1. He threw 96 pitches as he kept his pitch count in check and found the perfect combination of strikeouts and weak contact. Colome still needs a lot of work building up innings, but could the Rays consider calling him up in an Alex Torres-esque bullpen role if he continues pitching like this?

In terms of the run support, the Durham offense did not do much, but RBI singles by Vince Belnome and Justin Christian were enough given Colome’s mastery. Jayson Nix also went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.