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Goldeyes pitcher Lambson adjusts to starter's routine

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Left-hander Mitchell Lambson takes the mound tonight in the Goldeyes’ series-finale against the Chicago Dogs.

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The 28-year-old is 3-1 in six starts, and ranks just outside the American Association’s top-10 with a 3.07 ERA.

Lambson is coming off a complete game, six-hit shutout at Gary SouthShore last Thursday. The nine-inning effort helped the Goldeyes win the rubber match of their three-game series with the RailCats.

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In nine professional seasons, Lambson owns a 3.41 ERA, but has been starting regularly only since 2018.

“I loved pitching out of the bullpen,” said Lambson. “Getting the chance to start the last two years has been a different experience. Anytime there’s a new challenge in this game, it’s fun to take it on. I absolutely love starting.”

Lambson, who has played for three different triple-A clubs in his career, finished ninth in ERA in the American Association a year ago. However, the native Californian’s durability was perhaps even more impressive than his performance, especially when you consider that he had made only one career start prior to 2018.

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The Arizona State alumnus has pitched at least six innings in 17 of his 23 starts in a Goldeyes uniform over the past two seasons, including four nine-inning complete games.

Interestingly, Lambson found that stretching his arm out for longer outings wasn’t as challenging as the restructuring of his daily and weekly routines. The left-hander observed a noticeable difference between the spontaneity of having his number called at any time in the bullpen versus the more rigid nature of working out of the rotation.

“In the bullpen, it’s just: ‘Hey, you’re in the game,’ and all of a sudden, the adrenaline starts going, and you’re in,” Lambson said. “But as a starter, you know when you’re pitching, so learning to manage that was a little bit of a challenge at first.

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“Getting used to the (extended) pitch count wasn’t too bad, because in the bullpen guys are throwing all the time day after day,” added Lambson. “Learning how to pitch deep into games wasn’t as hard, but dealing with the routine was a little different.”

Starting pitchers usually throw at least one bullpen or ‘side session’ during the four days off between starts. Side sessions are thrown off a mound at something close to game-level intensity, and serve as an opportunity to make adjustments based on the results of the previous appearance.

Relievers work on the side as well, but have to strike a balance between honing their craft and saving their stamina for a potential game performance later that night.

“That’s definitely helped a lot with my breaking ball,” Lambson said regarding his side sessions. “In the bullpen, you don’t get a chance to develop your third or fourth pitch as much. As a starter, you have to, because you can’t just be a two-pitch pitcher facing the lineup multiple times through.”

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A key contributor on the Goldeyes’ 2017 American Association championship team, Lambson is looking forward to helping Winnipeg try to return to the postseason, and is impressed with the calibre of talent the league has maintained since he first arrived.

“All three years that I’ve been here, the talent in this league has been top-notch,” said Lambson. “It’s double-A, triple-A ball in my opinion. There are guys on every team with big-league time, and tons of guys with triple-A time. We’ve got a lot of guys (on the Goldeyes) with triple-A time. It’s really good baseball. It’s kind of a hidden gem a little bit. You don’t know about it until you’re here. Then you see it, and you’re like: ‘Wow, this is really good baseball.’ ”

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DOGS’ DAY

The Winnipeg Goldeyes lost 8-3 to the Chicago Dogs at Shaw Park on Wednesday.

Leading 2-1 in the top of the seventh inning, Tony Rosselli hit a two-out, two-run home run to extend Chicago’s lead.

The Dogs added four runs in the eighth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Kelly Dugan singled home David Olmedo-Barrera. Jordan Dean followed with a bases-loaded walk, and the Dogs made it 7-2 on a Keon Barnum double play. Victor Roache capped the inning with a two-out, RBI double.

The Goldeyes rallied against former major leaguer Carlos Zambrano in the bottom of the ninth, and scratched across a run on an Alex Perez sacrifice fly before Zambrano ultimately recorded the final out.

Willy Garcia extended his hitting streak to nine games for Winnipeg.

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CHICAGO DOGS 8, WINNIPEG GOLDEYES 3

WINNING PITCHER:
CHI: Austin Wright (1-4)
LOSING PITCHER:
WPG: Parker French (2-1)
HOME RUN
CHI: Tony Rosselli (8).

THE SKINNY:
The Dogs broke open a close game with four runs in the top of the eighth to beat the Goldeyes 8-3 at Shaw Park and even up the three-game series.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Former Philadelphia Phillies second-round pick Kelly Dugan had three hits and drove in two runs. Dugan has four RBIs over the first two games of the series.

PLAY OF THE GAME:
Dominic Ficociello made a stellar play on a David Olmedo-Barrera bunt along the third base line in the top of the third.

NEXT UP:
The Goldeyes and Dogs conclude their series tonight at 7:05 p.m. Mitchell Lambson takes on former major league left-hander DJ Snelten. The game can be heard on 93.7 FM.

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