Manning on cruise control for SeaWolves

Double-A Erie's starting rotation is formidable. It was time again for Matt Manning to show why Sunday.
The second-ranked Tigers prospect allowed just three hits, striking out nine over seven frames as the SeaWolves took down the Baysox, 5-0, at UPMC Park.

Manning (3-1) retired the first nine batters before a single by Orioles No. 7 prospectRyan McKenna to start the fourth frame. Following a one-out single by Zach Jarrett in the fifth, MLB.com's No. 49 overall prospect sat down the final eight batters he faced.
With his fastball grooving, Manning followed through on his gameplan to keep the Baysox off balance with off-speed pitches.
"I think my curveball took a step today with how I have a feel for it and threw my change up just to get hitters off my fastball," he said.
The ninth overall pick in the 2016 has lived and breathed by the strikeout. In 35 2/3 innings this season, Manning has amassed an Eastern League-leading 50 K's while allowing 17 hits and sporting a 2.27 ERA.
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"Just being able to get a strikeout and not leaving it up to chance is important," he said. "One of the annoying parts for being a pitcher is when you get a guy with two strikes and you let them get a base hit through a hole."
Along with top-ranked Tigers prospect Casey Mize, No. 24 Anthony Castro and No. 26 Gregory Soto, Manning comprises one of the most feared rotations in the Minors.
"It kind of keeps us on line of what we expect from ourselves," he said. "We just want to go out and compete and try to match each other."

That quartet made it extremely difficult on Baysox hitters in the four-game set. Over 22 1/3 innings, the four pitchers allowed only two earned runs, both given up by Soto on Thursday.
Right-hander Mark Ecker didn't allow a hit and struck out two over the final two innings.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander spent time at Class A and Double-A last season, holding opponents to a .211 average, striking out 154 over 117 2/3 innings.