NewsScarpetta making up for lost time
Brewers prospect goes five hitless innings for first win
By Mason Kelley / Special to MLB.com
05/17/09 8:37 PM ET
Get the ball and go. That's the simplest way to explain the adjustment Cody Scarpetta made after a rough start at Quad Cities in late April.Since then, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound right-hander has seen an improvement each time he has taken the mound. Making his sixth start of the season Sunday, Scarpetta struck out six over five no-hit innings as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers blanked the Clinton LumberKings, 7-0, in the first game of a doubleheader.
But even though the 20-year-old is pleased to pick up his first win, he insists there is plenty to work on.
"I'm building off last year," Scarpetta said. "I'm improving, but I've still got a ways to go. I can see myself getting better, I've just got to have a little more time."
Time is something the 2007 11th-round pick should get, especially considering his debut season got off to a late start last year. After twice needing surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in the middle finger of his right hand, he spent most of the summer rehabbing at extended spring training.
He didn't make his first professional start until July and finished the year 2-0 with a 2.23 ERA over 12 appearances between the Rookie-level Arizona League Brewers and short-season Helena in the Pioneer League.
"Ever since then, I haven't looked back," Scarpetta said. "I can't pitch and think about what's going to happen. Every time you step on the mound, you're risking something happening. I just go out there and try to execute as many pitches as I can and see where that takes me."
Before Sunday, his best start was a six-inning, three-hit outing on April 22, but he followed that by retiring only two batters and giving up five earned runs on April 27.
That prompted some extra sessions with pitching coach Chris Hook, who encouraged him to work faster.
"I'm not thinking as much," Scarpetta said. "I just get the ball and go. That's a big key to what I've been doing here."
Against the LumberKings, he offset his fastball with a solid changeup and mixed in the occasional curve. He set the tone with back-to-back strikeouts to end the first innings, and his defense took over from there.
"I'm pretty happy with it," Scarpetta said. "I struggled a little bit with my command, but my defense played very well behind me. I thought I made some pitches when I needed them. It turned out to be all right."
The key for Scarpetta is to build on this performance.
"I'm just going to take it from start-to-start," he said. "I feel like my confidence is getting back up and I feel like I can keep building on it."
It all starts with his pace when he pitches. Get the ball and go.
Mason Kelley is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
