Tyler Matzek, the 11th pick in the 2009 draft, finally reached the majors after a tumultuous trip through the minor leagues. His first inning went splendidly, as he induced ground balls from Jason Heyward and B.J. Upton before this ...
A night of firsts for Tyler Matzek, Justin Smoak placed on the DL
Tyler Matzek had an outstanding first career start.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Whiffing Freddie Freeman for your first career strikeout isn't a bad way to start, and he didn't stop there. Matzek cruised through seven innings, scattering five hits, striking out seven and walking none.
The walk total is remarkable because Matzek has been plagued by control issues for years, with 2014 representing his lowest walks per nine in his minor league career at 4.2. He’s finished with a 6.0 walks per nine innings three times. His refusal to issue a free pass didn’t go unnoticed
Tyler Matzek faced 26 batters tonight and walked 0, throwing 61 of 80 pitches for strikes. In 2011 he walked 96 men in 97 innings.
— keithlaw (@keithlaw) June 12, 2014 Matzek did allow two earned runs in the effort, but earned a win by pitching better than Julio Teheran, the league-leader in ERA heading into the night.
Smoak lands on the DL
The Seattle Mariners placed Justin Smoak on the 15-day DL, swapping him out for the slightly healthier Logan Morrison.
Quad soreness is the culprit for Smoak, as it’s something he had been attempting to play through. Morrison’s return to health made the decision a bit easier for the M’s, even if his .150/.227/.150 slash line (in 8 games) is difficult to look at, let alone stomach.
Wednesday scores
See More:
