Grey fans career-high dozen for Rawhide

Connor Grey didn't record a strikeout his last time on the mound. And he couldn't remember a start in which he failed to fan a single batter. 
"I was kind of getting worried that they were going to stop coming," the D-backs right-hander said. 

Gameday box score
Grey wasn't worrying much after his latest outing, though. 
He struck out a career-high 12 batters over seven innings in Class A Advanced Visalia's 4-0 win over Stockton at Banner Island Ballpark on Thursday. Grey issued just two walks and threw 70 of 101 pitches for strikes.
"It's the first time this season I've been able to throw all four of my pitches at once," he said. "I felt pretty comfortable out there." 
Even though Grey (3-0) only recorded one whiff over 11 1/3 innings in his first two outings, the 23-year-old picked up his third consecutive win, lowering his ERA to 0.98. 
The St. Bonaventure product's early 2018 results weren't emblematic of his pitching profile. Grey recorded 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings with Class A Kane County last season and 8.02 at Class A Short Season Hillsboro in 2017. As a senior with the Bonnies, he set a school record for strikeouts in a season with 95 over 92 innings. He recorded eight K's in a perfect game for Kane County in 2017. 
The absence of his primary out pitch -- his curveball -- prevented Grey from racking up the punchouts earlier in the season, but Thursday, it was dipping swiftly in the zone and had hitters swiping at air. 
"Tonight was really the first time (this season) I was able to put away guys with the curveball," he said. "I didn't have it my first two starts, but I just worked on it in my bullpen session this week and worked on getting it down. Tonight it worked out." 
Visalia pitching coach Jeff Bajenaru said Grey was frustrated after his strikeout-less start in postgame meetings, but his coach eventually steered him to focus on the positives of that outing, in which the righty allowed just one run in 5 1/3 innings. 
"I was like, 'Dude, if you can pitch the way you did tonight, with very subpar stuff, it tells you can straight-out pitch," Bajenaru said. "It just makes you more dangerous when you have that weapon. He's a competitor and a guy that kind of flies under the radar, but he's got four pitches that he can throw in there, mixes really well, commands everything and [he's a] smart kid." 
Grey found success up and down the Ports lineup, fanning each batter at least once. He struck out the side in the third, fourth and seventh and sealed seven of his 12 punchouts swinging, thanks to his rediscovered hook. 
The right-hander is seeking to refine his changeup in 2018 to round out his four-pitch arsenal. 
"That's the best pitch in baseball if you have a good changeup," Grey said. "To have that and play your fastball off of that and have both look similar out of my hand, that's going to be a big advantage for me."

Arizona's fifth-ranked prospectMarcus Wilson fueled Visalia's offense by finishing 3-for-5 with an RBI while catcher Dominic Miroglio collected two doubles and an RBI. 
Miroglio was on the receiving end of the gem behind the plate too. 
"He called a great game," Grey said. "He's a high-energy guy and always talking to me in between innings about what I want to do the next inning. He's very vocal in the dugout and I love it."