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Anundsen continues to provide first-place Power with reliability
West Virginia opens homestand with 14-4 victory over Catfish
by Michael Dailey
Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter
Evan Anundsen isn't blessed with the best pitching arm in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system.
He doesn't have best breaking ball or the biggest contract either.
However, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound, right-hander has quickly developed into a dependable, workhorse on the mound in his first two and half professional seasons.
Chosen by the Brewers in the fourth round from Columbine (Colo.) High School in the 2006 Major League Draft, Anundsen appeared in 12 games as a rookie for the Arizona Brewers.
Anundsen's arm proved stronger last season at Helena (Mont.) in the rookie Pioneer League with a team best 15 starts.
Now in his third season as a pro, Anundsen is again gobbling up starts and innings as a key member of the West Virginia Power pitching staff.
On Wednesday night, Anundsen, who leads the Power with 19 starts and 101 2/3 innings pitched, picked up his sixth consecutive win in pitching West Virginia to a 14-4 win over the Columbus (Ga.) Catfish at Appalachian Power Park.
The South Atlantic League Northern Division-leading Power improved to 19-7 with the win, while the Southern Division leading Catfish dropped to 16-8.
Anundsen (9-4) went seven innings, allowing six hits and three runs in front of a paid crowd of 2,536.
Overall, the Power has won nine straight games in which Anundsen has started.
"Along with Amaury Rivas (18 starts), Evan has been right up there with being our most reliable pitcher," Power pitching coach John Curtis said. "By that I mean he answers the bell every time and goes out there and gives us five or six quality innings."
A newly found confidence in his off speed pitches has helped Anundsen make a seemingly easy transition to the SAL.
"I've been working with JC (John Curtis) over and over and I think it just took about a half a season to get things turned around," Anundsen said of his winning streak. "Right now, things are just a little bit finer than what it was at the beginning of the season.
"The biggest thing that's changed for me personally is that my off speed stuff has gotten a lot better. I've been able to throw my change up for strikes consistently and on most counts. That's helped me out a lot.
"My breaking ball is getting a little better too, but mostly it's just a lot of consistent practice and locating my pitches."
Curtis, a 15-year Major League veteran, has also seen a great improvement in Anundsen's off-speed pitches.
"When he came here he needed a little work on his curveball and he's made great progress with that," Curtis said. "But the biggest thing for me is his ability to change speeds. He's using his change up brilliantly; he's changing speeds now with his curveball, and even with his fastball.
"He's been throwing a few in there pretty hard and then taking a little off. He's making it difficult for guys to get good swings at him."
Anundsen also gives credit to his team's offensive firepower, which has helped lead the Power to 22-8 record in the last 30 games.
"Team morale is at a high right now," Anundsen said. "Everybody is enjoying it (winning) as much as we can. Winning is always much better and it reflects in the team's attitude.
"Right now we're at a point that even we do give up a couple of runs early, we know that this team has been able to bounce back."
West Virginia's firepower was in full display against the Catfish in the first of a four-game series, as Power batters punished four pitchers for 17 hits and 11 earned runs.
Starter Brian Flores (7-5) took the loss for Columbus in allowing eight hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Steffan Wilson had four hits, including a double and three RBI for the Power, while Caleb Gindl had two doubles and two RBI en route to a four hit evening.
Power second baseman Eric Farris collected three hits, while Anderson De La Rosa had three RBI, followed by Curt Rindal and Logan Schafer with two RBI apiece.
Anundsen continues to provide first-place Power with reliability
West Virginia opens homestand with 14-4 victory over Catfish
by Michael Dailey
Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter
Evan Anundsen isn't blessed with the best pitching arm in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system.
He doesn't have best breaking ball or the biggest contract either.
However, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound, right-hander has quickly developed into a dependable, workhorse on the mound in his first two and half professional seasons.
Chosen by the Brewers in the fourth round from Columbine (Colo.) High School in the 2006 Major League Draft, Anundsen appeared in 12 games as a rookie for the Arizona Brewers.
Anundsen's arm proved stronger last season at Helena (Mont.) in the rookie Pioneer League with a team best 15 starts.
Now in his third season as a pro, Anundsen is again gobbling up starts and innings as a key member of the West Virginia Power pitching staff.
On Wednesday night, Anundsen, who leads the Power with 19 starts and 101 2/3 innings pitched, picked up his sixth consecutive win in pitching West Virginia to a 14-4 win over the Columbus (Ga.) Catfish at Appalachian Power Park.
The South Atlantic League Northern Division-leading Power improved to 19-7 with the win, while the Southern Division leading Catfish dropped to 16-8.
Anundsen (9-4) went seven innings, allowing six hits and three runs in front of a paid crowd of 2,536.
Overall, the Power has won nine straight games in which Anundsen has started.
"Along with Amaury Rivas (18 starts), Evan has been right up there with being our most reliable pitcher," Power pitching coach John Curtis said. "By that I mean he answers the bell every time and goes out there and gives us five or six quality innings."
A newly found confidence in his off speed pitches has helped Anundsen make a seemingly easy transition to the SAL.
"I've been working with JC (John Curtis) over and over and I think it just took about a half a season to get things turned around," Anundsen said of his winning streak. "Right now, things are just a little bit finer than what it was at the beginning of the season.
"The biggest thing that's changed for me personally is that my off speed stuff has gotten a lot better. I've been able to throw my change up for strikes consistently and on most counts. That's helped me out a lot.
"My breaking ball is getting a little better too, but mostly it's just a lot of consistent practice and locating my pitches."
Curtis, a 15-year Major League veteran, has also seen a great improvement in Anundsen's off-speed pitches.
"When he came here he needed a little work on his curveball and he's made great progress with that," Curtis said. "But the biggest thing for me is his ability to change speeds. He's using his change up brilliantly; he's changing speeds now with his curveball, and even with his fastball.
"He's been throwing a few in there pretty hard and then taking a little off. He's making it difficult for guys to get good swings at him."
Anundsen also gives credit to his team's offensive firepower, which has helped lead the Power to 22-8 record in the last 30 games.
"Team morale is at a high right now," Anundsen said. "Everybody is enjoying it (winning) as much as we can. Winning is always much better and it reflects in the team's attitude.
"Right now we're at a point that even we do give up a couple of runs early, we know that this team has been able to bounce back."
West Virginia's firepower was in full display against the Catfish in the first of a four-game series, as Power batters punished four pitchers for 17 hits and 11 earned runs.
Starter Brian Flores (7-5) took the loss for Columbus in allowing eight hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Steffan Wilson had four hits, including a double and three RBI for the Power, while Caleb Gindl had two doubles and two RBI en route to a four hit evening.
Power second baseman Eric Farris collected three hits, while Anderson De La Rosa had three RBI, followed by Curt Rindal and Logan Schafer with two RBI apiece.
