[MLB] Tsao's first Triple-A start a success

[ilz10021029 ( )]

Tsao's first Triple-A start a success
Pitcher hopes to be back in the Majors soon
By Thomas Harding / MLB.com

Don't be too alarmed that right-handed pitcher Chin-hui Tsao, the Colorado
Rockies' top prospect, finished his first Triple-A start on the trainer's
table. Nothing wrong with his shoulder, which suffered stiffness before the
season began and had kept him on Colorado Springs' disabled list all season,
limiting him to four rehabilitation appearances at lower levels. Finally
getting the chance to make a Triple-A start, Tsao struck out seven in six
innings and limited Omaha to two runs on six hits in the Sky Sox's 8-3 home
victory on Monday afternoon.

His biggest problem was the postgame interview.

As is custom with many clubs, in the middle of an answer, teammates hit Tsao
in the face with a shaving cream pie. But some of it got into his eyes, so he
needed a little help from the trainers.

"My shoulder was tired after my rehab start in Tulsa. Today it felt better,"
Tsao told The Gazette in Colorado Springs before the pie-in-the-face gag that
wasn't so funny. "I threw a lot of sliders, not many change-ups. I was just
having fun."

Tsao, 23, skipped Triple-A last season and finished the season with the Rockies
(3-3, 6.02 ERA in nine games, including eight starts). Colorado Springs
manager Marv Foley, who was at Double-A Tulsa last season and saw Tsao go
11-4 with a 2.46 ERA before being summoned to the Majors, remains impressed.

"He gave the impression he's close to being a top performer anywhere," Foley
told the newspaper. "Last year, he was a polished product when he led the
Texas League in ERA, and was 3-3 after being promoted. I'm certain he'll get
better and better. Today was a very encouraging start."

Tsao battled for a spot in the Rockies' starting rotation until the end of
Spring Training before losing out to Denny Stark.

It isn't certain when or if Tsao will return to the Majors this season.

The Rockies figure that he is part of their future. But Tsao could also could
reduce a lengthy military commitment -- which is required of all Taiwanese
males below age 35 -- to 10 days if he competes in a big international
tournament. The Olympics are coming up toward the end of this season, but the
Rockies have not said whether they will free him to participate.

Sooner or later, the Rockies will need to see if Tsao can transfer his minor
league dominance to the Majors. But one obstacle could be communication.

Tsao used an interpreter at all levels last year, but didn't use one during
the spring. However, several instances in which Rockies coaches weren't sure
if he truly understood the instructions he received during meetings with his
coaches and catches had the Rockies considering returning to an interpreter.

On Monday, catcher Hector Ortiz, a minor league veteran who also has Major
League experience, told the paper that Tsao's fastball command and slider
were good but that he and Tsao often were on different wavelengths. Something
similar happened last season against Houston, when Tsao repeatedly shook off
former Astros catcher Gregg Zaun and finished with predictably bad results.

On Monday, however, there was no arguing about the results.

"Sometimes he didn't agree with the pitches I called." Ortiz said. "He had a
different idea of how he wanted to pitch. He knew what he was talking about.
He was able to throw his slider behind in the count for strikes."

"I caught him a couple of innings in Spring Training and his ball was up.
Today he was down in the zone and pitching people away."


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推 eon4:XD
推 eon4:小曹好像不太喜歡聽捕手的話..
推 madboy:下次叫隊友在休息室準備pie...
→ madboy:不聽捕手的話就拿上去...XD