Las Vegas 51s Baseball Report
Zarzour pitches complete-game, one-hit shutout
Saturday, Aug. 2, 2003
By Brian Latta
LVRJ Sports
Las Vegas left-hander Andrew Zarzour pitched in his third-straight shutout and nearly had a no-hitter to show for it Friday night at Cashman Field.
The 7-foot-2 hurler allowed just one hit -- a fourth-inning single -- in the 51s’ 2-0 win over the Albuquerque Isotopes. He allowed just two other base-runners the entire night but didn’t let either come close to home plate.
Zarzour covered up a fielding error in the top of the seventh inning by luring Keith Johnson into a double play one batter later. The 22-year-old, who struck out 15, issued his only walk of the night in the ninth inning. But he answered that with two K’s to end the game.
“We just didn’t have the offense tonight so I never felt like I could relax,” Zarzour said. “The coaches wanted to push my pitch count a bit, and I think I responded well under a lot of pressure. I‘m most happy to get us another win.”
Zarzour hasn’t allowed an earned run in the past three starts. He pitched eight shutout innings in a 1-0 Las Vegas victory over Omaha on July 23. He went all nine in a 9-0 victory over Portland. During that stretch, “Big Z” has surrendered only seven hits, with 35 strikeouts and two walks.
In 26 starts this year Zarzour has posted 15 wins while suffering 6 losses. He has pitched 208.1 innings total for the 51s, allowing 136 hits, striking out 265 and posting a 1.77 ERA.
Russ Adams, newly drafted from the University of North Carolina, had three hits and an RBI double to help Las Vegas in last night’s win over Albuquerque. Rookie BJ Upton had one hit.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: The Dodgers are humming along so well -- and so healthily -- that I’m reluctant to tinker with anything, hence why Zarzour is staying down on the farm for now. Las Vegas leads its division in the PCL, so maybe Big Z can help them win a Triple A championship before coming up in September…