SHAPPI TURNS IT AROUND FOR THE JETHAWKS PITCHER 7-1 IN 13 STARTS.Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Special to the Daily News LANCASTER -- JetHawks pitcher A.J. Shappi is a prized pitching prospect who last season was tied for the composite minor league lead for victories with 16, and was projected to start the season at Double-A Tennessee. Shappi, who is ranked 18th among the parent Arizona Diamondbacks This article is about the baseball team. For other uses, see Diamondback. The Arizona Diamondbacks (also referred to as the D-backs) are a Major League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They play in the West Division of the National League. organizational prospects according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Baseball America  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . , was assigned to Lancaster because the organization had a pitching backlog. Seven starts into his third stint with the JetHawks he appeared to be regressing, going 0-5 with a 9.84 ERA. He has since turned his season around. In his last 13 starts, he is 7-1 with a 4.34 ERA. ``The first month and a half I was pretty down in the dumps as far as the way things were going on the field,'' Shappi said. ``I just kept telling myself, you're better than this. I had to just basically tell myself, I belong here.'' Shappi (7-6) was particularly sharp on Sunday in a 6-4 JetHawks victory over the Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a minor league baseball team in Lake Elsinore, California, USA. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, and are a farm team of the San Diego Padres. . ``It's starting to come together. I'm starting to string better pitches together and I'm staying away from the middle of the plate.'' The 23-year-old right-handed control specialist said a key factor in his turnaround is being able to harness a sharp slider A block of material that holds the read/write head of a magnetic disk. See flying head. that didn't have nearly as much bite earlier in the season. ``It hasn't really been there from start to start,'' Shappi said. ``The big thing is being able to maintain it and have it be an out-pitch.'' Familiar face: Right-handed pitcher Noun 1. right-handed pitcher - (baseball) a pitcher who throws with the right hand right-hander baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played Jesus Silva was assigned to Lancaster for his fourth stint with the JetHawks on Sunday in what is essentially a rehab assignment. Silva, a 23-year-old right-handed flame thrower who's been clocked as high as 99 mph, hasn't pitched since being struck in the face by a line drive while playing winter ball in his native Venezuela during the offseason. JetHawks manager Brett Butler said Silva will pitch out of the bullpen until further notice. Silva was sharp in his first appearance Monday, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over Inland Empire. Christmas in July: The JetHawks partnered with the Grace Resource Center for a Christmas in July celebration Sunday. The center is an Antelope Valley-based charity that provides food and vocational training to the poor and homeless. The event featured a pre-game tailgate A conversion layer that lets IDE devices connect to the IEEE 1394 Firewire interface. barbecue and a fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to show after the game. ``We think it's an important part of being involved in the community and it helps a cause that does a lot for the community,'' JetHawks general manager Brad Seymour said. ``It comes at a time (of the year) when charities really aren't on most people's minds.'' Hot hitter: JetHawks second baseman Emilio Bonifacio came within a homer of hitting for the cycle In baseball, a player hits for the cycle when he hits a single, a double, a triple and a home run in the same game, though not necessarily in that order. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a natural cycle. in Monday's game, going 3 for 4 to extend his home-game hitting streak to 28 games. The hot-hitting Bonifacio has hit safely in seven consecutive games overall and is 12 for 19 in four consecutive multi-hit games. gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com 818-713-3607 |
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