Barry Enright had a career-high eight strikeouts in a career-high eight innings
Tuesday night, limiting the New York Mets to one run while driving in one for the first winning streak of interim manager Kirk Gibson's regime, two games. Justin Upton homered and Juan Gutierrez picked up his third save in the D-backs' shortest home game of the season, two hours and 23 minutes.
Enright used only 96 pitches while striking out a career-high eight to get his second career victory. After loading the bases with one out in the first, Enright retired 14 straight and faced the minimum 20 batters - two singles, two double plays - until giving up a leadoff home run in the eighth.
"He had control of the game, no doubt," manager Kirk Gibson said. "He moved it around; he had all his pitches going."
Enright throws four pitches - a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup -
and when all four are working, he can be effective the third time through
the lineup. Enright has been dominant in the first three innings of
each of his starts, as opponents are hitting just .159 with one extra-base
hit and 14 strikeouts in 44 at-bats. In innings 4-6, however, they are
hitting .314 off him with six extra-base hit and six strikeouts in 35
at-bats.
When Enright has his offspeed pitches working along with his usually steady
fastball and slider, he can be a middle-of-the-rotation mainstay. But
even if he can't, he has already proven that he can be one of the better #5
pitchers in the league.
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