Patrick Corbin's first stint in the major leagues wasn't all that exciting. In five starts, he went 2-3 with a 5.27 ERA in just over 27 innings. He had one very good start, one rough start and a pair of decent outings. It is the sort of thing you expect from a young call-up that moves in to the rotation because of injury.
He now goes back to the minor leagues (albeit to Triple-A Reno instead of Double-A Mobile, from where he was called up) with some experience under his belt and some things to work on.
For one, he needs to be more efficient. His start on Monday was a good example of that. Manager Kirk Gibson noted that "he was at 99 pitches in the fifth inning."
Corbin was absolutely dominant in the spring, but it hasn't been as easy in the majors, as one would expect. He now understands, according to Gibson, that "he's in a whole different season."
"He understands that what he needs to work on is his command," explained Gibson after the roster move. "His breaking ball was better in the spring than it was up here."
But even with the uneven performance, we can expect to see him again. Said Gibson, "He's certainly a guy that's great depth for us should we need him again."
As he joins the Aces in Reno, he will be able to pitch in an environment that is similar to Phoenix. The dry Nevada air makes for conditions that favor hitters, much like here in Phoenix. If he gets that breaking ball right there, the adjustment at the major league level will be minimal.
You can tell that Gibson is very high on him. Gibson raves about how competitive he is. He expects to see him back with the team at some point.
"All in all, he's very good at all aspects of the game, and he's got a good future ahead of him," Gibson explained. "I would think that he'll have an impact for us here in the future."
With a Diamondbacks farm system that looks loaded with young pitching talent, this is something that fans shoudl get excited about.
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