White Sox rookie Nick Nastrini had never pitched into the sixth inning, before taking the ball on Thursday.
The White Sox recalled Nastrini ahead of their series final against the Texas Rangers, after an inconsistent first two stints with the team. In six starts, the White Sox 18th ranked prospect went 0-5 while posting an 8.39 ERA with a 20.5 percent walk rate and a .322 expected slugging percentage against him.
It would have been easy for Nastrini to lose confidence. Instead, the right-hander used Thursday’s start to showcase what he had been working on in Triple-A Charlotte in the hopes of earning his first MLB victory. While the box score says he was the losing pitcher after a 2-1 loss, he certainly pitched well enough to the winner.
Nastrini returned with a vengeance, tossing six innings of one-run ball to earn his first quality start. He allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out three and generating 17 swings and misses. The first ten Rangers hitters that went to the plate were retired in order. The only blemish, Nastrini had on the afternoon was a solo home run off the bat of Corey Seager.
He told reporters after the game that he always believed that his stuff played in the MLB. His biggest issue was commanding the strike zone. After allowing five free passes to the Boston Red Sox in his last start on June 8, Nastrini showed vast improvement, throwing 62 of his 98 pitches for strikes.
“Needed to get in the zone, needed to stop walking guys. It’s nice to see all the hard work pay off and just a testament to ‘it’s not over until it’s over,’” Nastrini told MLB.com.
His battery mate Korey Lee credited him with cleaning up his mechanics and rhythm on the mound. The slider was the primary weapon of choice for Nastrini who threw it 40 times, the most of any pitch in his arsenal. However, he still managed to keep hitters off balance by mixing in 30 fastballs, 20 curveballs, and eight changeups. In his previous starts, Nastrini had used his fastball nearly 50 percent (47%) of the time but rarely used his curveball or changeup. Prior to the 30 curveballs he threw on Thursday, Nastrini had only used the pitch 56 times.
The former fourth-round pick out of UCLA posted a 4.89 ERA and 1.63 WHIP with 54 strikeouts and 35 walks for the Charlotte Knights. While those numbers don’t jump off the page, Nastrini said his time back in Charlotte was very beneficial. The 24-year-old says he spoke with fellow right-handed Dominic Leone when he was sent down for a rehab assignment along with Charlottle pitching coach R.C Litchstein and team psychologist Jeffrey Fishbein, who each helped him retain confidence and stay in the right head space.
He will now look to build off his successful return to the mound as he attempts to solidify a spot in the starting rotation next season.
