Del Rosario dazzles in debut with Miracle

Eduardo Del Rosario earned a promotion after posting a 1.89 ERA in three July starts for Class A Cedar Rapids.
He quickly proved that the Twins made a wise decision.
Del Rosario allowed an unearned run on one hit and matched a season high by going eight innings as Class A Advanced Fort Myers beat Lakeland, 9-2, on Thursday at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. The 22-year-old right hander hit two batters and walked one.

"My changeup was very good and I used my fastball well," Del Rosario said. "The changeup was working better than the fastball, so I stuck with the changeup."
Box score
Del Rosario got off to an inauspicious start in the first inning, allowing a leadoff double to Tigers No. 27 prospectJake Robson and hitting Dustin Frailey. After Will Maddox flew out to left, Robson stole third and scored on a throwing error by catcher Mitchell Kranson. But Del Rosario got Blaise Salter to ground out to third and Josh Lester to fly out to right to escape further damage.
"When he hit the double I thought, 'That's OK,' and then I hit the batter in the back of the head," Del Rosario said. "From there, I settled down and found my control."
After issuing a leadoff walk to Will Allen in the second, the 6-foot, 145-pound righty retired nine consecutive hitters before hitting Arvicent Perez with a pitch to lead off the fifth. Lakeland's catcher was quickly erased when Luis Valdes grounded into a double play. Del Rosario then set down the final 10 batters he faced, striking out the side in the seventh.
"I don't like hitting guys, but it's part of the game and I settled down and took care of the rest after that," the native of the Dominican Republic said. "Keeping my body in check and thinking about my body during the game allowed me to have control."
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Having thrown 85 pitches, the opportunity was there for the 2012 international signee to record his first career complete game, especially considering he had topped 95 pitches in five of 18 starts with the Kernels. It also had been 10 days since Del Rosario last pitched, so Fort Myers manager Doug Mientkiewicz decided it was best not to push the young starter in a 6-1 game.
"I wanted to throw the ninth inning, but the coaching staff told me I was good after the eighth," Del Rosario said. "My plan was to throw more bullpens to build up my arm and pitch count. I was disappointed, but I understand the coaching decision."

Twins No. 25 prospectJermaine Palacios went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs for the Miracle. The 6-foot, 145-pound shortstop hit a solo homer to left in the fifth to cap a three-run frame and added a two-RBI single to left in the sixth. A third run scored on Joey Pankake's fielding error in left that allowed Palacios to reach third.
The 21-year-old's big night lifted his average in 31 games in the Florida State League to .323, topping the .320 mark he posted at Cedar Rapids before his promotion on June 23. The long ball was his second with the Miracle after he belted 11 in 62 games in the Midwest League.
Zander Wiel collected three singles and scored a run, while Minnesota's No. 14 prospect Brent Rooker and Tanner English blasted two-run homers for Fort Myers.
Endrys Briceno (1-2) surrendered two runs on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings for Lakeland.