EL notes: Pearson undaunted in Double-A

Nate Pearson attacks his routine between starts with the mindset that he's going seven-plus innings his next time out, despite knowing that won't be the case.
In the wake of limited innings over his college career and a season-ending injury during his debut start last season, the Blue Jays are choosing to bring their top pitching prospect along slowly, alternating between five-inning and two-inning starts for the 6-foot-6 flame thrower.

"They're going to limit me in the first half, and in the second half I'm pretty sure they're going to let me go so I can get deep into games," said an eager Pearson.
The formula seems to be working just fine as Toronto's No. 3 prospect earned an early May callup to New Hampshire after going 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in Dunedin. Despite being in his home state, he was happy to get away after a full year of rehabbing there last season.
"It's definitely nice to move up, change of scenery, get out of Dunedin," said the Oldsmar, Florida native. "I'd been there quite a while. I spent all of last year there, a little of this year, so it's good to get up here with a new staff and get to work."
In four starts with the Fisher Cats, the right-hander has had just one blip, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and two walks versus Hartford. His other three combined outings since reaching Double-A would be something he'd love to put forth in just one start down the line -- 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11Ks.

Credit due to Pearson being a quick study and hard worker, but also adding to his comfort in jumping up is having battery mate Riley Adams alongside him.
"It's definitely made the transition a lot more smooth," Pearson said of having been called up to New Hampshire with Adams. "We both are new to the area up here -- we're rooming together. It's nice to have someone to go through it with and climb the ladder with. He's a great dude, great catcher."
"We were both the same Draft class and were both in short-season Vancouver together -- that's where I started catching him," said Adams, the Blue Jays' No. 28 prospect. "Unfortunately, his season was cut short last year, and I caught his one game. Then this year we both started in Dunedin and I caught him pretty much every single start there. … We've gotten used to each other."
It's that added luxury that allows Pearson to better attack those between-start routines and target what is most important to his progression as he builds toward bigger innings.
"Just focusing on command and not getting carried away with the velo," said Pearson, whose fastball can reach and at times exceed 100 mph. "I need to be able to command it in the zone and be able to throw it wherever I want. That's what I'm trying to do this season. I'm off to a pretty good start, but it's only one-third of the way through the season. I'm just trying to be consistent and stay healthy."

In brief

Kay's May: After opening the season with three starts under five innings, Binghamton's Anthony Kay has put together seven straight outings over five, going 6-1 in the process. In May the seventh-ranked prospect in the Mets system went 5-0 with a 0.84 ERA, holding opponents to a .138 average over five starts. In the middle of that came three straight seven-inning outings in which he allowed only one earned run in total. The left-hander current leads the league with a 1.28 ERA, is tied for the most wins with six and is third with a 0.85 WHIP.
Breaking through: Portland's Bobby Dalbec collected hits in just eight of 20 games in April, but he kicked things up a notch in May, hitting safely in 17 of 26. The No. 3 Red Sox prospect is hitting .276 in May with six homers and 17 RBIs, compared to a .197 April with two homers and nine RBIs. The slugger, whose eight home runs are tied for fourth most in the league, also became the first Red Sox-affiliated Sea Dogs player to hit three home runs in a game, doing so on May 11 versus Trenton. Alex Gonzalez (1997) and Randy Rigsby (2002) also accomplished the feat for Portland when the team was a Marlins affiliate.
Tying up bats: Hartford reliever Ben Bowden leads the league with 21 appearances, and for good reason. The 6-foot-4 left-hander has been nearly untouchable. Of those appearances, the Rockies' No. 16 prospect has been scored upon in just one game -- on April 10 when Harrisburg hooked him for three earned runs. Since that time, Bowden has picked up 15 saves while allowing just five hits and two runs and striking out 30 in 18 innings. His 16 saves are six more than the closest competition, and his 0.53 WHIP is the best of any pitcher in the league with 20 or more innings.