FireFrogs' Caicedo nearly makes history
The last out, as Oriel L Caicedo learned Saturday night, can be the hardest one to get.Nursing a 1-0 lead and one out from pitching the first no-hitter in Class A Advanced Florida's brief history, the left-hander allowed a single to right by Mason Davis for Jupiter's first hit. Colby
The last out, as
Nursing a 1-0 lead and one out from pitching the first no-hitter in Class A Advanced Florida's brief history, the left-hander allowed a single to right by
Caicedo was charged with an unearned run on two hits with no walks with a season-high six strikeouts. The Braves prospect had three three-ball counts and completed the first nine-inning effort of his career, throwing 72 of 98 pitches for strikes.
With some help from pitching coach Dennis Lewallyn, a minor switch on the mound appears to have done the trick for the 23-year-old.
Gameday box score
"He was really good his last start, too. He didn't allow any runs [last Sunday against Bradenton] but he struggled a bit before that," the former big league hurler said. "He asked for any kind of suggestion and I mentioned throwing off the first-base side of the rubber instead of the third-base side. It gave him a different angle and a different look to the hitters. He tried it during his bullpen session and liked it.
"He's getting his fastball to the glove side and it's been easier for him to get it down and away to right-handers. He's getting the fastball in on left-handers and is creating a better angle with his breaking ball. I don't know if it will make him a Hall of Famer, but it's really given him a lot of confidence."
Caicedo hit Davis with his third pitch of the game, but he was the last Hammerheads baserunner until
"I saw the same pitcher even after he gave up the hit," Lewallyn said. "It was one of the few mistakes he made all night. He just left a breaking ball up to [Davis] and he lined it past first. But he went right after the next two guys and executed. It was fun to watch.
"He was using his fastball on both sides of the plate and his breaking stuff was on point to lefties and righties. He worked ahead of virtually every hitter. It was just a really solid performance."
Caicedo began the year with Class A Rome and posted a 5-2 record with a 3.20 ERA in 13 appearances, including three starts. He was promoted to the Florida State League on June 23 and had a 5.40 ERA in his first eight outings. The southpaw has not allowed a run in three of his last five starts and hasn't given up an earned run in 16 straight innings.
"He's always been aggressive on the mound, but he's getting more swings and misses with his off-speed stuff now," the pitching coach said. "He's executing better with his fastball and I think that's been the biggest thing for him. Now that he's moved over on the rubber, it's given him confidence and added to his aggressiveness. It wasn't a major change, but in his mind, it's made him more effective and that's what matters."
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Rondon's two-out single to right drove in the winning run for Jupiter, which received seven innings of relief from
Braves No. 25 prospect
Michael Avallone is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @MavalloneMiLB