SeaWolves' Jaye grinds out shutout win

After going nine starts without a win this season, Myles Jaye ensured that he would not be denied on Saturday.
The Tigers' No. 15 prospect gave up three hits, struck out four and walked one in a seven-inning shutout as Double-A Erie blanked Harrisburg, 1-0, in the first game of a doubleheader at UPMC Field.

Jaye (1-4) did not allow the Senators to get beyond second base. Despite tying his third-lowest strikeout total of the season, the 25-year-old forced 10 groundouts and induced six more in the air.
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"To be honest, I didn't really have my best stuff," he said. "My slider wasn't nearly as sharp as it has been the last couple outings. But I was able to locate my fastball pretty well and get a lot of ground balls, and threw my curveball a lot for first-pitch strikes."
Jaye faced two over the minimum through the first four frames before running into trouble in the fifth. After Raudy Read and Isaac Ballou grounded out, the right-hander surrendered a single to Osvaldo Abreu and hit Stephen Perez with a pitch. However, the he got ahead of Alec Keller, 0-2, before getting him to ground out to first. Jaye allowed one baserunner -- a walk to Drew Ward to lead off the seventh -- after that.
Though Ross Kivett accounted for the SeaWolves' only run with a third-inning homer, Jaye said the lack of run support never bothered him.
"I think it makes you focus in a little bit harder," the Georgia native said. "If it had been 5-0, it might have been a little easier to get complacent and go out there and go through the motions. But one was good enough today, and that's good for me."

Jaye continued his recent trend of strong outings, with two earned runs allowed and 22 strikeouts in 18 frames over his last three games. Barring a six-run blowup on May 18 against Reading, Jaye sports a 0.75 ERA since May 12.
"Especially in my last three outings, my breaking balls have been very good," the 2010 17th-round pick said. "I've been getting a lot of strikeouts. My fastball command has always been there, so being able to lean on something else other than throwing a fastball every first pitch keeps hitters off-balance and keeps them guessing."

Jaye said he would have been just as happy with Saturday's outing even if he hadn't won.
"I've told people over and over again, wins and losses are a team stat," he said with a laugh. "It can get a little skewed if you look at it just individually with pitchers. If the team wins when I pitch, then it's great."
Christin Stewart, Detroit's second-ranked prospect, Dominic Ficociello and Harold Castro each had two hits for Erie. 
Derek Eitel (1-2) surrendered a run and eight hits, struck out a season-high eight and walked three in his first career complete game for Harrisburg.