IronBirds game blog: Bundy makes third start at Aberdeen tonight (Bundy with five scoreless)

ABERDEEN, Md. - Right-hander Dylan Bundy tonight will make his third, and likely last, start for short-season Single-A Aberdeen as the IronBirds host Hudson Valley here at Ripken Stadium.

Bundy will be pitching tonight on the one-year anniversary of his Tommy John surgery, which was performed by Dr. James Andrews last June 27.

In two Aberdeen starts, Bundy has pitched 10 innings, allowing seven hits and one run with one walk and 15 strikeouts. He has given up a .194 average against and opposing batters are 0-for-9 with five strikeouts when batting with runners in scoring position against him.

Tonight, Bundy will face the same team he pitched against on June 15. That night, he went five innings, allowing five hits and one run with no walks and six strikeouts.

In his second start for Aberdeen on Saturday night, Bundy pitched five scoreless innings, giving up just two hits with one walk and nine strikeouts. He threw 64 pitches, 45 for strikes, and threw 11 more pitches in the bullpen after his outing to reach his 75-pitch limit.

Tonight's Aberdeen lineup:

SS - Austin Pfeiffer
2B - Federico Castagnini
DH - Alex Murphy
LF - Jamil Moquete
3B - Hector Veloz
RF - Oswill Lartiguez
C - Jonah Heim
CF - Jay Gonzalez
1B - Cory Segui

RHP - Dylan Bundy

Two scoreless to begin his night: Bundy has begun his outing tonight with four strikeouts over two scoreless innings against Hudson Valley. He has thrown 27 pitches, 20 for strikes.

Bundy pitched a scoreless first inning on just nine pitches. He gave up a leadoff groundball single to right on his first pitch of the game, which was a fastball clocked at 90 mph on the stadium gun. But then he got a called strikeout and a double play on a strikeout where catcher Jonah Heim caught the runner attempting to steal. Bundy's fastball was sitting mostly at 92 in the first.

In the second, he got a strikeout and groundout before issuing a two-out walk. Another strikeout followed. He needed 18 pitches in the second, mixing in some curveballs and touching 93 on the radar gun.

The shutout continues: Bundy kept Hudson Valley off the scoreboard in the third and fourth innings and has now thrown 11 straight scoreless innings dating to his first start.

Bundy through four: 2 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts.

Bundy has allowed just two singles, but the Renegades do have a couple of stolen bases. His fastball has mostly been where it was his first two starts - at 91 to 93 mph - but at least one pitch I noticed touched 94 mph on the Ripken Stadium gun. His command was off a bit in the third, when he threw just 11 of 20 pitches for strikes, but he has thrown 61 pitches with 40 strikes through four.

Bundy through five: He put up another zero in the fifth even though he gave up a one-out double to left on an 0-2 curveball. Bundy stranded that runner getting a fly out and groundout to end a quick nine-pitch fifth inning. He is at 70 pitches and we'll see if he comes out to pitch anymore tonight.

Bundy through five: 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts.

Bundy now out: That line is complete as left-hander Augey Bill replaced Bundy to start the sixth. The game is still 0-0 in the sixth at Ripken Stadium.

Over three Aberdeen starts, Bundy has pitched 15 innings, allowing 10 hits and just one run. He has walked three and fanned 22. He has thrown 12 straight scoreless innings since he gave up a run in the third inning of his first start. He has an ERA of 0.60 as an IronBird.

The final: Hudson Valley beat Aberdeen 1-0 here tonight in front of 4.408 at Ripken Stadium. It has been one tough year for the IronBirds, who fall to 1-14 with nine straight losses. I'll post some Bundy quotes in another entry to come.