BRISTOL, Va. – Spencer Arroyo took a different route to joining the Bristol White Sox than most of his teammates.
However, he’s settled in with the BriSox and emerged as a key member of the pitching staff.
The left-hander tossed six dominant innings as Bristol posted a 3-2 Appalachian League victory over the Kingsport Mets on Friday night at DeVault Stadium.
Most of the players on Bristol’s roster are first-year professionals, who are new to the rigors of playing for pay. Arroyo has a different perspective.
He spent two seasons in the Philadelphia Phillies’ farm system after being selected in the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft. However, he hooked on with the White Sox organization after being cut loose during
spring training.
“It’s just how it happens,” Arroyo said. “I’m glad to be here. It’s a second opportunity, a second chance and I’m just making the most of it.”
Arroyo (2-1, 3.43 ERA) certainly delivered on Friday. He yielded only two hits and struck out eight over his six scoreless innings.
At one point, he retired 15 straight hitters.
“I was just throwing strikes and letting the guys behind me do the work,” Arroyo said. “I got a lot of groundball outs and they made all the plays. … A little bit of everything [was working].”
Arroyo got four groundball outs, picked off a Kingsport baserunner and shut down the Mets’ top power threat. Aderlin Rodriguez, who homered twice in Kingsport’s 8-3 victory on Thursday over the BriSox,
struck out twice against Arroyo.
“[Arroyo] struggled the first inning with his command and was leaving the ball up a little bit,” said Bristol manager Ryan Newman. “But he made a quick adjustment, kept the ball down and went right after
the hitters.”
Most impressively, Arroyo threw only 63 pitches.
“He wanted the ball to go back in the seventh inning,” Newman said. “If it wasn’t rookie ball, we could send him back out there. We just have too many guys in the bullpen that need some work.”
Second baseman Drew Lee was among those impressed by Arroyo’s commanding outing.
“Spencer is a heck of a pitcher,” Lee said. “Every time he comes out, you know you have a chance to win because he’s going to give us a chance to take the lead and keep us in the game.”
Lee has been impressive in his own right. He went 3-for-4 on Friday and is now hitting .325 on the season.
“I’ve been fortunate,” Lee said. “I’m seeing the ball pretty well and even when I’m not, sometimes my bat happens to run into the ball, which is nice.”
The switch-hitting, smooth-fielding Lee also recorded his second stolen base. The most consistent hitter in the Bristol lineup, the Kentucky native has provided a spark.
“He’s exciting,” Newman said. “He’s going to be fun to watch all year. Hopefully, I have him all year.”
NOTES: BriSox reliever Kevin Moran worked a perfect ninth for his third save. He has not allowed a run in six innings this season. … Dan Black added two hits for the Sox and is hitting .373 on the season. … Kingsport starting pitcher Gonzalez Germen (1-3, 5.95 ERA) struck out nine over five innings, but was saddled with the loss. … The start of the game was delayed 15 minutes due to rain. … Bristol (10-8) begins a three-game series at Elizabethton tonight.
thayes@bristolnews.com | Twitter: @Hayes_BHCSports | (276) 645-2570
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