Tanner Scott talks about his major league debut

Orioles lefty pitching prospect Tanner Scott got a quick introduction to the big leagues in his major league debut last night. Pitching in the eighth inning against Boston, he faced first baseman Sam Travis to start his inning.

Scott threw a 99 mph fastball for ball one. He threw another at 99 mph and Travis tried to check his swing. But bat met ball and it looped into right field for a base hit.

Welcome to the show, kid.

"I mean, right when Sam Travis hit that I was like, 'Wow, that is how the first hit is going to go?' I played against him in the fall league and knew who he was. Oh, well," Scott said about allowing his first hit.

Scott allowed two hits, two walks and two runs when Dustin Pedroia doubled off another 99 mph fastball with the bases loaded. It was a mixed bag for Scott in his debut. His fastball touched 100 mph, as advertised, and he averaged 98 mph on the pitch. His much-improved slider got four swings and misses in 11 pitches.

Today, Scott expressed relief that the first nerve-filled outing as an Oriole has come and gone.

"I was filled with a lot of adrenaline and it was a little nerve-wracking, but first one is out of the way and that's a good thing," he said. "Felt good and ready to get back out there. When I was coming into the game, I was thinking this is a little bigger than Bowie. But the first one is over, so ready to get back out there."

So the nerves were pumping pretty good?

"Oh, yeah, just a little bit. If someone can handle that during their debut, good for them," he said. "It's a little hard. But over time, it will get better."

Scott was used as a starter this year at Double-A Bowie, but limited mostly to three innings. It gave him time to work on all his pitches, improve his command and have time for more work during between-starts bullpen sessions. For the Baysox, he went 0-2 with a 2.22 ERA and 46 walks and 87 strikeouts over 69 innings. Left-handers hit .171 against him and right-handers hit .195.

Scott was asked if he noticed a big difference between pitching here and in Double-A.

"Yeah, the strike zone is smaller and the hitters are better," he said.

But that slider, which will be a big pitch for him moving forward, looked real good at times. Throwing it past big league hitters was a validation of sorts that the pitch made strides this year.

"Definitely my slider has come a long way so to get my first strikeout on a slider is really good," Scott said. "Now I can throw it whenever I want. It is going to help me a lot."

Despite his call-up to the Orioles, Scott is still going to pitch in the Arizona Fall League in October. He may even be used in a starting role there similar to how he was used in Bowie, although he said today he was not sure yet if that was the plan.

The Orioles have debated whether Scott could be used as a starter in the future. For that to happen, Scott knows he would need to made big improvement in throwing his changeup. It's a pitch he has not used much this year.

"I haven't throw it since Bowie. I definitely need three pitches," Scott said about his potential as a future starter.