Austin Voth getting changeup to work well in second AFL start

Right-hander Austin Voth bounced back in his second start in the Arizona Fall League on Monday.

The 24-year-old went four innings, struck out seven and didn't walk anybody in a no-decision. His Glendale Desert Dogs fell 5-4 to Peoria but were tied 1-1 when he left the game.

"He pitched like he's very capable of pitching," said pitching coach Sam Narron. "He's out here to work on that changeup. He threw quite a few of them (Monday) and they were very effective."

In his first game in Arizona last week, he gave up five runs in 2 2/3 innings in taking the loss. Narron, who is the low Single-A Hagerstown pitching coach during the regular season, said that outing could be attributed to Voth just getting acclimated to facing top prospects again for the first time in 36 days.

"That's the first time he's thrown against hitters, especially of this caliber, since his season ended more than a month ago," Narron said. "It was just getting out here and getting his feet underneath him and getting moving. I'm expecting more of the same of what I saw in the second outing during the rest of the Fall League."

Narron was Voth's pitching coach in Hagerstown in 2014. He is acutely aware of what Voth need to do to get better, and it's the off-speed pitch.

So with Voth focusing on the changeup, looking to make it seem like the same release on his fastball and trying to lower the velocity by 10 mph, how did that pitch work in his second start in the AFL?

"The changeup was really good," Narron confirmed. "He threw a lot of them and they were doing what they were supposed to be doing, keeping those hitters off-balance. It was fun to watch."

Voth allowed only two hits in the outing and just one run, a solo homer. His ERA for the game was 2.25. So his ERA after two games is now 8.10.

At Triple-A Syracuse, Voth went 7-9 with 3.15 ERA, certainly a solid overall campaign. He was in the conversation this season for a spot start with the Nationals.

Voth threw in 27 games (25 starts) for the Chiefs, covering 157 innings while allowing 138 hits and 11 homers. But he struck out 133 batters and walked only 57. He is a 2013 fifth-round selection out of the University of Washington. Consistency in Arizona this fall season will give him an added boost come spring training in just a few months.