Your 2011 Brevard County Manatees -- Latest: OF Scott Krieger hometown article

[battlekow]

Atlanta's Thornburg mades rapid ascent to Futures Game

Carroll Rogers/Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When 50 of the top players in minor league baseball meet in Phoenix for Sunday’s Futures All-Star game at 6 p.m. on ESPN2, Braves fans will recognize at least a few names.

Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino, two of the Braves’ top pitching prospects, will pitch for the “World” team. Bryce Harper, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick by the National League East-rival Washington Nationals and an outfielder for the “U.S.” team, probably rings a bell, too.

But there’s another name to take note of who has Atlanta ties and an upper 90s fastball — Tyler Thornburg, a prospect for the Milwaukee Brewers chosen from the high-A Florida State League.

Sunday will mark the first time Thornburg has played on television since he was a 12-year-old outfielder for the Sandy Springs All-Stars in the southeast regional final for the Little League World Series.

He has spent much of his baseball development in relative obscurity, from Sandy Springs Little League to Riverwood High School and on to Charleston Southern for college baseball.

But he was drafted by the Brewers in the third round a year ago and has been on a speedy ascent ever since.

Thornburg is 9-1 in 15 starts this season between the Brewers’ low-A affiliate in Wisconsin and three starts for high-A Brevard County. He was named Florida State League pitcher of the week his first week in the league. After being promoted June 24, he went 2-0 with an 0.82 ERA in his first two starts for the Manatees.

So what makes Thornburg so special? Well, there’s his fastball that sits at 92-94 mph and touches as high as 97, 98 mph. And the fact that he’s only 5-foot-11, 185 pounds.

Because of his size, his velocity and his over-the-top delivery, Thornburg has drawn comparisons to San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum. Thornburg chuckles at the thought of being compared to someone who has won two Cy Youngs and a World Series title in his first four years in the majors, but he was a little curious, too.

“I looked at some of his stuff and tried to throw similar to his [delivery] in [bullpen sessions] to see if it works,” Thornburg said. “Stuff he does is definitely unreal. ... With his stride and leg lift, his balance is pretty close to being perfect. You have to be so flexible to do that kind of stuff.”

As a scout told his father at one of Thornburg’s games last year, it’s because of pitchers such as Lincecum that teams are willing to take a chance on a pitcher Thornburg’s size in an era when other top pitching prospects tower over him.

Thornburg was only 160 pounds coming out of high school, and he played both outfield and pitcher in college.

“Sometimes when those kind of guys can just focus on doing one thing, they can really take off,” Brewers minor league pitching coordinator Lee Tunnell said. “I think that’s what’s happened with Tyler.”

Tunnell doesn’t buy into the Lincecum comparisons whole-heartedly.

“He has a little bit of that in there,” Tunnell said. “I think he has a little bit of Roy Oswalt in there. They’re all three similar-sized guys. He has some uniqueness also. He’s got some deception in his delivery. I don’t think hitters see the ball real well off of him.”

They certainly haven’t so far. Thornburg didn’t lose a start in his first 20 in the Brewers organization, including his 1-0 record in nine games (six starts) last year in rookie ball in Helena, Mont.

“It’s me going out there and just refusing to lose,” Thornburg said.

He didn’t take his first professional loss until Wednesday night, allowing four runs in five innings of an 11-4 loss against Clearwater.

The closest he had come before that was midway through his stint with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He had allowed only one unearned run, but trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. His teammate Mike Walker hit a two-run walk-off homer to get him the win.

It has been that kind of ride for Thornburg, who never thought he would play in the Futures Game in his first full season in the minor leagues.

“One of my friends mentioned it at the beginning of this season,” Thornburg said. “We were just joking around about it. I was like, ‘Maybe in a couple years.’”

[Mass Haas]

Ross right on schedule

by Jason Pugh, Shreveport (LA) Times

Like many people in the Shreveport-Bossier City area, Austin Ross wanted to be in Florida some time in the month of June. Unlike many beach bums, the former Captain Shreve and LSU standout had no plans to vacation along the beaches in the state's panhandle. Instead, Ross' eyes were fixed on Viera, Fla., the home of the Brevard County Manatees — the Milwaukee Brewers' High Class A affiliate.

Ross made it to his destination, arriving there June 23 when he was promoted after an All-Star first half at Low Class A Wisconsin.

"My goal, going into the spring, was to have a good first half and, hopefully, something would happen during the break," Ross said. "I kind of expected it after my last start before the (Midwest League) All-Star Game. They told me nothing's set in stone, but there's talks about making moves."

That move delivered Ross to Florida after a first half in which he went 6-3 with a 3.25 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts) with Wisconsin. As is his custom, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-hander filled up the strike zone with the Timber Rattlers, posting a better than 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Ross' first start in Florida resulted in a loss, but he remained impressive.

"He was just short of a quality outing," Brewers director of player development Reid Nichols said. "He did a good job. He threw strikes. He did what he's been doing all season."

Ross has oozed pitching savvy since he starred at Captain Shreve. It was at LSU, however, where he honed the mental part of his game.

"There's no better place to play in the country than LSU," Ross said. "You're under so much scrutiny every day. There's a tremendous amount of pressure on you every time you pitch. There aren't that many places with as much media coverage and pressure put on you every day. It definitely helped me."

When the Brewers drafted Ross in the eighth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, the Milwaukee scouts talked about his ability to throw four pitches for strikes.

Finding pitchers like that should make Nichols' job easier as the Brewers organization has been tasked with building a rotation from within.

"We've been given that assignment, get some starting pitchers to Miller Park," Nichols said. "Anyone that can throw four pitches for strikes, we're going to start them until they can't start anymore. Our goal is for (Ross) to be a starter at Miller Park."

Ross should fit in with the Brewers' current organizational philosophy.

After building an everyday core of Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks toward the end of the last decade, Milwaukee has focused on doing the same with its pitching staff. Prior to the 2011 season, seven of the Brewers' top 10 prospects as rated by Baseball America magazine were pitchers.

That feeling has permeated the Brewers' minor league ranks.

"It's definitely a comforting feeling," Ross said. "For the future, we're going to have to develop from within and rely on guys drafted by the Brewers who have progressed through the system."

The cerebral Ross said he understands there is no true timetable for his — or any other pitcher's — climb through the minor leagues.

"Obviously, you want to be there as soon as possible," Ross said. "There's no telling what can happen. All I can control is what I do every day, how hard I work. I'll go out and throw every fifth day. It's hard to put time lijmits on it. You never know what can happen. Sometimes you have to have some breaks. So many things go into what gets you there. You take care of the day-to-day stuff and control what you can control."

[battlekow]

The Futures Game, featuring Tyler Thornburg, is tonight at 5 PM Central on ESPN2 and MLB.tv. Here's an overview of the game and some of its more prominent players.

[Mass Haas]

Discussion of Thornburg's outing archived in this Link Report.

[Mass Haas]

Tom H. of the J-S was at the Futures' Game in Phoenix and filed this feature story on Tyler Thornburg.

[Mass Haas]

More on Thornburg from MiLB.com

[battlekow]

Bus League Baseball has an interview with D'Vontrey Richardson.

[Mass Haas]

Ou own Toby with an impassioned Khris Davis plea.

[CheezWizHed]

Ou own Toby with an impassioned Khris Davis plea.

Hear, Hear!

[Mass Haas]

Tyler Thornburg turns heads at pro baseball level

Former Riverwood star pitches at Futures Game

By David Rutz, Neighbor Newspapers (Atlanta)

Riverwood baseball coach Mike Santoro guessed he’s watched Tyler Thornburg’s inning of work in the All-Star Futures Game July 10 at least a dozen times on his DVR.

 

Forgive him for being excited. Even Thornburg, a star with the Raiders who graduated in 2007, admitted he was a little anxious.

 

“I felt a little bit of butterflies when I was running in from the bullpen, thinking about 40,000 fans there, and then once I started pitching I wasn’t really that nervous,” Thornburg said.

 

In the 13th annual installment of the game that kicked off All-Star festivities in Phoenix, he allowed one hit in a scoreless fifth inning of work in a 6-4 win for the U.S. team over the World team.

 

For the Milwaukee Brewers’ prospect, it was another step in a series of great performances in 2011 that has attracted national attention.

 

In low-A and now high-A ball with the Brevard County Manatees in Florida, Thornburg has gone a combined 9-1 with a 1.81 ERA as of last week's All-Star break.

 

Because of his smaller size (5 feet, 11 inches, 190 pounds) and easy, fluid delivery, he’s drawn comparisons to slender major league stars Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt, parallels he shrugged off.

 

“You haven’t won a single game in the majors, so you can’t really be compared to a Cy Young Award winner,” Thornburg said.

 

It was that smaller size that led major college programs to pass him over in the recruiting process in 2007, when he put together a spectacular senior season for Riverwood. The dynamic two-way player posted a 7-2 record and 1.89 ERA on the mound and also hit .551 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs, but he weighed only 160 pounds.

 

Thornburgfinished his junior season at Charleston Southern in 2010, which included throwing a whopping 158 pitches for the Buccaneers in a 6-3 upset win over No. 6-ranked Florida according to the CSU website. The Brewers then took him in the third round of the amateur draft last spring.

 

Santoro ran into Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan last summer and Thornburg’s name came up in conversation.

 

“Coach O’Sullivan said, ‘How did they miss him when he was in high school?’” Santoro said. “People were turned off by his size. They didn’t think a guy throwing 91, 93 [mph], weighing 160 pounds was going to hold up.”

 

Since high school, he’s made a concerted effort to gain lean muscle and has put on roughly 30 pounds.

 

“He’ll be the first to tell you that’s helped tremendously with his velocity and his conditioning as it’s helped him throw more pitchers over a longer period of time,” Santoro said.

 

While he could rely on his fastball in high school to retire hitters, facing opposition that could catch up to that kind of heat made the right-hander add some new weapons.

 

Thornburg said that developing a change-up, along with his increase in size, has been the most significant evolution he’s undergone as a pitcher.

 

“I started throwing one in college, and it was very inconsistent,” Thornburg said. “Good at times, didn’t do anything at other times. As I got in the minors, I made sure I tried to refine my change-up. They made me throw it a lot more and it’s gotten a lot better.”

 

It’s shown with his strong control numbers. In 84? innings of work in 2011, he’s struck out 96 batters but walked only 32, and hitters are batting a scant .198 against him.

 

Riverwood graduate Tyler Thornburg delivers a pitch for the Brevard County Manatees, a minor league affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

http://neighbornewspapers.com/uploads/inline/1311012311_38ba.jpg

[ramssuperbowl99]

Tyler Thornburg is one of 3 Brewers to make the BA Hot Sheet this week in a great week for the farm!

The Scoop: Thornburg has had little trouble handling the Florida State League after a late-June promotion from the Midwest League. He stumbled in a July 6 start against Clearwater (four runs in five innings), but he rebounded with two solid efforts this past week after strutting his stuff at the Futures Game. Thornburg has been hard to hit, surrendering just 15 base knocks in 27 innings with the Manatees, though he's been putting runners on for free a little too often (4.3 walks per nine innings).

[battlekow]

Anyone who fancies themself a scout will enjoy these videos of Nick Bucci, Kentrail Davis, and Scooter Gennett?from the 19th, courtesy of Baseball Instinct:

[battlekow]

Well, the Kentrail video was in the post when I hit submit, but Yuku apparently ate it.

[Tedaldtada]

Man, Kentrail kind of hitches a bit at the start, but I like everything else I see there. I think his numbers really undersell his abilities. Super quick bat, very nice trigger, and a swing that creates fantastic drive. Get him out of Florida. Remember, he hit at an elite level in WI. .330 with a ton of extra base hits (iirc).

[battlekow]

More videos from Baseball Instinct (D'Vontrey Richardson, Hunter Morris, and Khris Davis):

[battlekow]

Ugh. Khris Davis:

[CheezWizHed]

It would be correct to call me an amature scout, but only as it describes my scouting ability, not whom I scout. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

Bucci looks like he was having problems locating his FB. Few pitches way inside or way outside. And a few where the catcher was on the outside, but the pitch came inside. Looked like his FB and curve both came from the same release spot, however.

 

Ugh. Khris Davis:

 

Care to elaborate? I saw a lot of rocking and waggling going on. If that is his trigger mechanism, I can see a pitcher changing his speeds giving him problems. Didn't Bill Hall do the same when he first came up (later quieting his swing)?

I'm starting to come around on Ke Davis. I like how is bat is so still, even as his body starts to step in. I'm pretty sure one of those hits was on a curveball that he could still hit after his front foot hit the ground.

 

Morris was probably the quietest swing of them all.

 

Scooter seems to need a bat waggle to trigger his swing.

 

Hey thanks for linking those! That fits in well with recent potential/production discussions. This board has to be one of the best sports forums, as its not just idle chatter.

[battlekow]

Ugh. Khris Davis:

 

Care to elaborate??

Ha, that "ugh" was directed at Yuku for once again eating the third video, not Khris Davis. Sorry for the confusion.

One final video, of Josh Prince:

?

[Mass Haas]

Confidence, defense give Manatees second-half lift

by Mark DeCotis, Florida Today

The Brevard County Manatees played their 100th baseball game of the 2011 season on Tuesday -- an 8-6 win in Port Charlotte -- and found themselves a game out of first place in the Florida State League's North Division.

That follows a first half that saw the Manatees finish last with a league-worst 27-43 record.

But heading into Wednesday night's game, they are 16-14 in the second half of the Class A-Advanced FSL season and have won five straight games and eight of their past 11. Tampa leads the North Division with an 18-14 record.

What's the difference? Manatees Manager Jeff Isom cited improved defense and playing with confidence as two of the major factors in the turnaround.

"They're playing hard right now and they're playing together as a club," Isom said. "Now it's become a situation where, early on in the season we were finding ways to lose games. Now it's kind of flip-flopped, it's like 'OK, what can we do now to win this game?' We're making the plays on defense, we're doing the right things, we're advancing runners, we're getting runners in."

And that's important because pitching-wise, the Manatees rank last with a 4.60 earned run average and have surrendered a league-worst 73 home runs and 502 runs, the second most in the league.

They are compensating offensively, ranking seventh out of 12 teams in batting average (.262) and second in stolen bases with 122. On the flip side, they lead the league in caught stealing with 53. That's part of the aggressiveness Isom has preached since day one.

But they also are tied for the league lead in home runs with 82.

The one thing that can't be quantified, expect perhaps in the won-loss record, has been vital and that's their approach.

"I'm proud of the guys, they've kind of changed their attitude a little bit," Isom said. "They're expecting to go out there now every game and win the game instead of going out there and competing and possibly losing. It's a different mindset."

Isom also cited the performance of two players who have come into their own as the season progressed.

"At the beginning of the second half I said 'we're going to have success if there's two guys in our lineup who will play how they're capable of playing, that was (outfielder D'Vontrey) Richardson and (infielder Shea) Vucinich,' " Isom said.

"Richardson's just hitting the cover off the baseball (batting .287 and ranking fifth team wise with 70 hits). He's moved up in the lineup. He's in the three hole right now and getting his two-three hits a game. Vucinich is putting together some pretty competitive at bats. His batting average is rising slowly. He's playing very solid defense and getting himself in pretty good hitting counts. He's laying off pitches, he's taking a lot of walks (third team wise with 32).

"Those two guys have been, I think a catalyst in the second half for us."

Vucinich, who is hitting .240 with 69 hits, an increase from his low point of about .200 in the first half, attributed his improvement to being more familiar with the league.

"I think it's just reps, mainly," he said. "Coming up from rookie ball last year, I think just seeing these guys on a daily basis over and over again. After 200-250 at bats you just kind of catch on. You start getting comfortable in the box."

As for his defense, that's something Vucinich has already prided himself on, believing it's something he can control.

And as for the team as a whole, Vucinich attributed it to putting everything together.

"We're putting together each piece of the puzzle every night so far," he said. "But there's a lot of the season left. We've got to keep going up hill."

Forty games remain for the Manatees. And should they persevere and finish atop the division they will have landed a spot in the postseason, going from worst to first. Not bad for a team that struggled so mightily in the first half.

 

Brevard Conuty Manatees manager Jeff Isom congratulates Scooter Gennett after he hit a home run in a recent game in Viera. / Craig Rubadoux, FLORIDA TODAY file

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[Tedaldtada]

My $0.02 on the last four videos posted.

 

I can definitly see what they saw in Josh Prince. I liked his swing. Very simple and he is not a slap hitter. He has drive in that quicker-than-I-expected swing. Match that with his speed and you are certainly allowed to be optimistic. Results have not matched, but I have more hope then 30 minutes ago.

 

Hunter Morris uses a huge bat. His swing could really speed up if he scaled down. As is, it is not slow, more average. That is why he keeps a decent batting average. The guy swings at everything though. Hunter is a monster, who if he learns to take his time in the box, certainly has everything else you need to become successful.

 

Khris Davis really seemed unorthodox to me. He has a quick bat and plenty of drive, I just hate the set-up.

 

D'Vontrey Richardson is built like a ballplayer but he is very raw #Duh. He has a toe tap that I do not care for, but everything else is better than I expected. His back leg drive and very good bat speed make-up for his lack of baseball skill. They seem to be asking him to bunt a lot.

[Mass Haas]

Manatees' Gennett big hit so far

by Mark DeCotis, Florida Today

VIERA — Scooter Gennett is on a roll and that could be continuing bad news for Florida State League pitchers.

Heading into Friday night's home game against the Bradenton Marauders, the Brevard County Manatees' diminutive (5-foot, 9-inch) second baseman was leading the league in hits with 119 and at-bats, 410, had the second-best batting average among current Manatees at .290 and was tied for second on the team in runs scored with 54.

The Sarasota High graduate and midseason league All-Star also was tied for the team lead in games played with 98, a total he shares with outfielder Kentrail Davis.

The grind of the long season -- FSL teams play 140 games -- hasn't seemed to wear down Gennett. He has been given three days off and he asked for one, feeling tightness before an early season doubleheader.

But that's it. He wants to play.

"I feel good," he said. "If I take a day off, I feel weird the next day. I feel uncomfortable. It takes a little while to bring that back."

He has gotten into the rhythm of pro baseball, taking care to not take too many pre-game swings in order to conserve his energy for when it matters.

And it is mattering now for the Manatees. After finishing the first half with the league's worst record -- 27-43 -- they headed into Friday night in the thick of the North Division race, sitting only second, three games behind first-place Tampa.

Part of the resurgence can be tied to Gennett.

After all, heading into Friday's game, he is hitting .370 with nine runs, a home run and five runs batted in during the past 10 games.

"I haven't changed my approach," he said of his hot streak. "I'm trying to stay consistent on the thing that is making me have success."

He is also trying to let the hits happen, not putting pressure on himself.

It's all part of the science of hitting and Manatees hitting coach Dwayne Hosey is taking notice.

"He's a very consistent player when it comes to swinging the bat," Hosey said. "He's here bright and early. He's a guy who loves to hit.

"It's not a surprise to me. He puts a lot of effort into it, a lot of work into it. He's passionate about it. I think that has a lot to do with his success right now."

That hard work has allowed Gennett to rebound from a sub par May when he hit around.212. And because of that start, he gave himself a C for his effort so far this season.

"I've got a lot of improving to do," Gennett said. "If I gave myself an A I wouldn't be getting any better."

For his part, Hosey was more generous on the grading curve.

"I think he's weathered the storm and now's his time to shine a little bit," Hosey said. "I think still the best is yet to come.

"I would probably give him higher than a C. The attitude is right. You always have room for improvement to get better and I think he answered that one pretty well."

 

Photo by Michael R. Brown, Florida Today

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[Mass Haas]

The rare very worthwhile Bleacher Report submission -- an Austin Ross interview

[Mass Haas]

FSL notes: Gennett gets groove back

Manatees second baseman on a tear following hard-luck skid

By Guy Curtright / Special to MLB.com

 

The Milwaukee Brewers don't have to worry about how Scooter Gennett would handle a long drought at the plate. He's already gone through one.

 

Gennett, ranked as the Brewers' No. 4 prospect by MLB.com, was hitting .314 in mid-May when he suddenly couldn't buy a hit. He finished the month in a 3-for-40 swoon as the Brevard County second baseman's averaging fell to .259.

 

"I only struck out three times, but everything I hit somebody caught," Gennett said. "It got to be funny. I couldn't get mad, because I know that doesn't help. So I just had to laugh. I knew that I would come out of it."

 

Gennett, 21, did just that and, after a long climb, had his average back up to .310 thanks to a .429 average over his first 13 games of August.

 

"I try to take the positive out of everything, and I consider it a good experience," Gennett said of his slump. "I knew it was just a hiccup, that I was hitting in bad luck. I stayed focused. I showed myself and the team that I could handle a little adversity."

 

Gennett, listed at 5-foot-9, fell to the 16th round of the 2009 Draft after committing to a scholarship at Florida State. But the Brewers got him to sign just before the deadline with a bonus of $260,000, and he appears to have been a bargain.

 

The left-handed hitter batted .309 with Wisconsin last season in his Minor League debut and made the mid-season and postseason Midwest League All-Star Teams. He also was selected for the Florida State League All-Star Game this year, despite his May skid.

 

Gennett has surprising pop for his size, accumulating 52 extra-base hits, including 39 doubles, a year ago. This season, he has 14 doubles, five triples and nine homers for the Manatees, drawing 21 walks and striking out 54 times.

 

With Gennett, his defense is more a work in progress than his offense. He committed 22 errors last season while converting from shortstop to second base and has 21 errors this year for the Manatees.

 

With his lack of height, Gennett draws comparisons to other smallish second baseman, including Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox. Maybe size doesn't really matter.

 

"He's shown you don't have to be a big guy," Gennett said of Pedroia. "But just because he's made it, it doesn't mean I will. You have to put in the work, just like he did."

 

Gennett, whose first name is Ryan, already has a Major League nickname. But he didn't get it from his hustle on the baseball field. It comes from his love of Muppet Babies as a child, and his quick thinking.

 

"It's a funny story," Gennett said. "I was 4 or 5 and I kept unclicking my car seat. My mom was determined to teach me a lesson, and she told me she was taking me to the police station if I didn't stop. I didn't, so she did. I was scared. I thought I'd better come up with an alias, so when the policeman asked me my name, I said 'Scooter.' I guess it paid off, because I didn't get arrested. After that, I wouldn't answer to Ryan anymore. I was just Scooter."

 

Now Gennett is trying to scoot to Milwaukee as fast as he can. He's already managed to stay on course despite an early curve in the road.

[Mass Haas]

Morris one homer away from tying record

Record already tied this season by Kjeldgaard

By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees

VIERA, Fla. -- Brevard County Manatees first baseman Hunter Morris is one home run away from tying the franchise's single-season home run mark of 18 home runs. Morris hit his 17th homer of the season this past Friday against the Tampa Yankees.

 

Brock Kjeldgaard tied the record earlier this season, but he was promoted to Double-A Huntsville, before he could break it. Jose Santos also hit 18 homers for the Manatees back in 2001.

 

Morris has played in 112 games for Brevard County this season and is currently fourth in the Florida State League with 48 extra base hits, fourth in total bases with 210 and tied for fifth in the league with his 17 home runs.

 

In late May, Morris was called up to Double-A Huntsville for four games and hit .353 (6-for-17).

 

A native of Huntsville, Ala., Morris was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft out of Auburn University.

 

The Manatees are currently on a seven-game road trip and will return home on Tuesday, August 30. Of Morris's 17 home runs this season, eight have come on the road and nine have been at Space Coast Stadium.

 

Manatees first baseman Hunter Morris is one home run away from tying the single-season franchise record of 18. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography)

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2011/08/23/M45gUElU.jpg

[Mass Haas]

In the team photo for this week's Baseball America Hot Sheet:

Saddled with two losses this week, high Class A Brevard County RHP Tyler Thornburg nevertheless pitched effectively. The 22-year-old allowed five runs (four earned) in 14 innings for a 2.57 ERA, but he also struck out 19 batters while allowing 10 baserunners, including just two walks. The Brewers 2010 third-rounder is finishing his full-season debut on a high note. Thornburg sports a 35-to-9 strikeout-to-walk over 26 innings in August. He's allowed just 14 hits.