Overton gives Bisons’ pitching a lift in spot start
TRENTON >> Once it became known that the Bisons were going to need a starting pitcher on Sunday afternoon, Connor Overton suggested — half jokingly — to pitching coach Jeff Ware that he was the man for the job.
Sure, Overton wasn’t going to bring the electric stuff that top prospect Nate Pearson would have, but it’s not like he hadn’t ever started before.
The right-hander had made nine starts for the independent Atlantic League’s Lancaster Barnstormers in the back half of 2019, so he felt like he could eat up a few innings for the Triple-A Jays.
Overton made the most of the opportunity with four innings of scoreless ball that helped the Bisons take four of the six games from Worcester with a 4-1 victory in the series finale.
“I kind of had a routine set and they asked me if I wanted to go about it like a normal bullpen day and I told them I wanted to go at it like a starter,” Overton said. “It was more so on a pitch count (today). They wanted two or three innings and I wanted to go four or five. I probably could have kept going, but it’s early in the year so it was a smart move.”
Overton started the game by striking out No. 3 Red Sox prospect Jarren Duran and was rarely troubled over his four innings of work. He danced around a one-out single and stolen base by No. 2 prospect Jeter Downs in the first by fanning Yairo Munoz to strand the runner at third.
In total, Overton struck out six, walked none (he hit a batter) and allowed just the one hit. He pumped 35 of his 55 pitches in for strikes.
“It was kind of gauging my effort level because normally when I come out of the (bullpen), it’s like a max effort, everything I got on every pitch,” Overton said. “Today I was kind of pacing myself, while still trying to throw as hard as I could, especially on the offspeed stuff and with location just trying
to slow the game down a little bit.”
Sunday’s finale was originally supposed to be the second Triple-A start for Pearson, the organization’s toprated prospect, but he was called up by the Blue Jays on Saturday and started their game in Houston on Sunday.
Overton, 27, has mostly been a reliever during his career in affiliated ball. This was just his third career start, with the last one coming during the 2018 season when he was with Double-A Richmond in the Giants’
organization.
“It just seems like the best choice at a point where we were a little thin,” manager Casey Candaele said. “We needed somebody to step up, and he definitely stepped up huge for us. It was big for us and the bullpen. To get four innings out of him was tremendous.”
“It didn’t kind of hit me until afterwards,” Overton said. “I was just doing my thing: locate the fastball, playing the change-up off of it and just pitching to my strengths instead of the hitters’ weakness.”
Four relievers — Jeremy Beasley, Jackson Rees, Jackson McClelland and Kirby Snead — combined to work five innings of one-run ball to secure the series victory. Bisons pitchers struck out 79 WooSox hitters in the six games for an average of 13.1 per game.
“A lot of guys attacking the zone and going after hitters and then using stuff to put them away,” Candaele said. “Our catchers have a done a good job calling games and using the pitchers’ stuff to the best of their abilities.”
Breyvic Valera, who was played five different positions in his five appearances, delivered the game’s biggest hit with a two-out, two-run single in the fourth to give the Bisons a 4-0 lead. Valera also knocked in the Bisons’ first run on a ground out in the first after Josh Palacios led off with a double and went to third on an interference call.
Tyler White led off the fourth with a double and scored the second run on a error when second baseman Connor Wong booted a sharp grounder by Christian Colon.
Palacios left the game after he was hit by a pitch on the right hand in the fourth inning.
The 25-year-old outfielder, ranked as the Blue Jays’ No. 27 prospect, initially remained in the game and ran the bases that inning. He was replaced in right field by Forrest Wall.
Candaele said called it a contusion on the top of his hand and said he’ll be checked out during the team’s off day on Monday.
Palacios broke spring camp with the Blue Jays and was 7-for-28 at the plate in 10 games for the big club.
Rees, a right-handed pitcher, also exited with an injury after he felt pain in his arm during the sixth inning. He, too, will be evaluated on Monday.
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After an off day on Monday, the Bisons open a sixgame set against Rochester (Nationals) in Trenton.