Faedo fans career-high 12 for 'Wolves

Alex Faedo doesn't consider himself much of a "routine guy," but a 77-minute rain delay can throw any starting pitcher off in the early going. 
But it didn't do that to ninth-ranked Tigers prospect, who carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning and recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts over 6 1/3 frames, allowing two hits and two walks, as Double-A Erie blanked Reading, 3-0, on Wednesday at FirstEnergy Stadium. 

"I'm not a huge routine guy, but I have a little bit of a routine," Faedo said. "I just wanted to stay focused more than anything because you feel a little bit different, you've been waiting around, been at the field for a couple hours doing nothing really. I just tried to stay focused because I know after a couple innings, it could all turn the other just with one or two swings with the bat."

The right-hander was perfect his first time through the Fightin Phils lineup until issuing a one-out walk to Austin Listi in the fourth. Faedo (3-3) whiffed Phillies No. 9 prospectMickey Moniak and Darick Hall to power through four hitless frames, then struck out the side in the fifth around a two-out double by Josh Stephen.
In the sixth, Faedo allowed a leadoff knock up the middle to Jose Gomez, who stole second on a 3-2 pitch as Phillies No. 13 prospect Arquimedes Gamboa swung at strike three.
The University of Florida product balked Gomez to third, but Faedo got Austin Listi to fly to shallow center field and struck out Moniak on three pitches.
"I almost treated it like it was my last inning," the 2017 first-round Draft pick said. "I didn't really know what my pitch count was, at that point in the game. I know it was a little bit later. ... I kind of told myself to try to pitch more for the strikeout." 
Gameday box score
SeaWolves manager Mike Rabelo allowed Faedo to head back to the mound in the seventh, with the promise if no runners reached base. After a groundout and a walk to 25th-ranked Cornelius Randolph, Rabelo yanked his starter, who watched left-hander Trent Szkutnik wriggle out of a bases-loaded jam to preserve the shutout.
The 12 strikeouts were the most by a SeaWolves pitcher since Humberto Sanchezpunched out 13 on April 29, 2006 against Binghamton -- Rabelo was Erie's catcher that day.
"I thought we did a good job of executing with two strikes," Faedo said. "They hit a couple balls hard. If I found a way to keep the count in my favor, I think just trusting [Chace Numata] and the plan [SeaWolves pitching coach Mark Johnson] had set for us, it worked tonight." 
The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder made sure to give due credit to backstop Numata. 
"He blocked a ton of pitches," Faedo said. "We had a lot of chances for strikeouts and there were a lot of balls bouncing with guys on base. He did a great job of keeping it in front of him and guiding me. A lot of props to him." 
The 23-year-old threw 61 of a season-high 99 pitches for 61 strikes and lowered his ERA to 3.81 with 69 strikeouts -- which ranks third in the Eastern League -- over 56 2/3 frames In 2018, his first professional season, Faedo made 12 starts for Class A Advanced Lakeland before spending the second half of the year with Erie. Across 24 outings, he went 3-6 with a 4.95 ERA and gave up 15 homers in 60 innings. 
"I didn't master this league last year," the circuit's Pitcher of the Week for April 28 said. "That's what I'm looking toward this year, prove that I can handle this league. That's all I really can do."

The bus trips and how each ballpark plays is familiar to Faedo now. He's constantly formulating scouting reports on lineups he's faced several times.
Overall, the greater comfort level has led to a bounceback campaign for the Tampa native. Faedo has turned in three scoreless efforts and combined on a no-hitter with Drew Carlton on April 24 against Bowie.  
 "I still have the same mentality going out there," he said. "Just trying to win games." 
Tigers No. 4 prospect Isaac Paredes went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while 30th-ranked Jose Azocar drove in all three runs with a homer and a single.