Cardinals' Gonzalez, Helsley both go distance

On Tuesday, Class A Advanced Palm Beach needed just over three hours to post a victory over Lakeland.
On Thursday, it didn't take much longer for the Cardinals to come away with two wins. 
St. Louis right-handers Derian Gonzalez and Ryan Helsley breezed through a pair of seven-inning complete games in a total of three hours and 11 minutes as Palm Beach knocked off Lakeland in a pair of 1-0 decisions at Joker Marchant Stadium.

"I've been at this for 42 years in professional baseball, and I was trying to remember if I've ever seen two 1-0 shutouts [on the same day]," Palm Beach pitching coach Randy Niemann said. "I don't remember. I've seen a lot of things, but that was pretty special."
Game 1 Gameday box score
Gonzalez (2-5) recorded the first complete game of his career in 96 minutes -- one more than Helsley's gem in the nightcap.
The 22-year-old gave up only two hits and two walks while striking out six. In the first inning, Gonzalez walked leadoff man Will Maddox who stole second. The right-hander got Dustin Frailey to hit into a double play and induced a groundout from Luis Valdes. 
"He got into a little trouble in the first inning and got out of it," Niemann said. "He made a nice adjustment with his fastball, getting it down in the zone, and really pitched a great game. He had a sharp curveball tonight and was able to really make good pitches."
The native of Venezuela faced trouble again when Maddox doubled to lead off the fourth, but stranded him at second.
"It's probably the best game he's thrown for us so far," Niemann said. "It's always that potential, but he hadn't put it all together this year so far in one outing."
That set the stage for Helsley, who also pitched his first complete game. The righty scattered four hits and struck out a season-high 11 without a walk.
Game 2 Gameday box score
"I know he didn't think this way, but it was almost like he said, 'Anything you can do, I can do better,' and went out and did it," Niemann said. "He's got plus stuff. He's got a plus fastball. He's got a plus curveball. He had them both working tonight and was able to keep everything in the strike zone."
Helsley (4-2) finished his night by striking out the side in order. He threw 61 of 88 pitches for strikes. 
"Ryan's got really special, above-average stuff, and the only thing that gets him is when he has trouble throwing it all in the strike zone," Niemann said. "Tonight was just one of those nights where his delivery was all together. He was in a good rhythm. He was able to throw all of his pitches for strikes, and when he does that, he's really tough."
The 22-year-old's strikeout total came two shy of matching his personal best, set last Sept. 2 in Class A Peoria's win over Beloit. 
"With his stuff, when he's ahead in the count like that, he's got two plus pitches he can put away hitters with," Niemann said. "One is the elevated fastball in the strike zone. He can get it up around 98 [mph], and then he's also got the knuckle-curve.

"It's really tough to decide which one it is, whether it's that 98-mile-per-hour fastball coming in or the curveball. He had them both tonight, so that made it pretty easy for him. I think he had four strikeouts on the curveball and seven on the fastball, and six of those seven were on elevated fastballs."
Casey Turgeon provided all the offense to back Gonzalez in the opener with a solo homer to right-center field in the second. Chris Chinea laced an RBI single to right to drive in the lone run of support for Helsley.
"Doubleheaders are tough," Niemann said. "It's tough to win two games in a doubleheader period, let alone to have one run both times and make it hold up. That's just a special night. It was a couple guys who went out and took the bull by the horns and delivered."