Pitching propels Cyclones into third place

With a successful road trip to Lowell, winning two out of three, and a two-game sweep of the Yankees in Staten Island, the 19-20 Brooklyn Cyclones have surged ahead into third place, just half a game behind the second place 19-19 Aberdeen Ironbirds.

As the Cyclones offense begins to get out of its malaise to provide some much-needed run support to win games, the Cyclones pitching corps continues to improve and carry the team.

One of the leaders of the pitching corps has been right-handed pitcher Miller Diaz, who was recognized for his efforts on the mound by the New York Penn League as the Pitcher of the Week. Sporting a record of 3-1 with a 2.48 ERA, Diaz has recorded three wins in a row and ranks second in the league with 47 strikeouts.

Also aiding the Cyclones’ cause has been fellow Venezuelan left-hander Dario Alvarez who pitched a breakout game during the recent road trip to Lowell.

During a mid-week matinee, Alvarez set the tone for the Cyclones 3-2 win, when he struck out five Spinners over the first two innings. From there, Alvarez went on to strike out a total of 12 Spinners before being pulled from the mound on a pitch count of 75 in the sixth inning.

Commenting on Alvarez’s performance in Lowell, Cyclones Manager Rich Donnelly said, “Did you know that during that game, two players asked me when you are going to take him out?”

Noting that Alvarez had a good command of his fastball and was using his slider effectively on left-handed batters, Donnelly stated that Alvarez has been a project for improvement since extended spring training. “He’s my number six starter and he has stuff to pitch at higher level now,” said the Cyclones skipper.

As pitching continues to carry the team, the Cyclones took a two-game home stand at Staten Island where Robert Gsellman showed why he’s one of Brooklyn’s front line pitchers this season.

Despite his 1-2 record, the young right-hander has the third lowest ERA in the league at 1.74. Showing his control, the 20-year-old right-hander pitched seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts, allowing just two hits with no walks for a 2-0 Cyclone win, which allowed the Cyclones to wrestle third place away the Staten Island Yankees this past weekend.