• Find team by: Affiliation | Class | Geography
     
07/10/2008 11:36 PM ET
Cecil holds Sea Dogs to one hit
Former No. 1 pick pitches Fisher Cats to 10-2 victory
By Alan Friedman / Special to MLB.com
Brett Cecil is unscored upon in three of his last four starts and has one loss since April 30. (Kevin Pataky/MLB.com)

ADVERTISEMENT
• Audio: Cecil cruises through six
• Box score
• Brett Cecil's player page
• Shop for Fisher Cats gear

In his first full season as a pro, Brett Cecil is learning quickly it's not always how hard you throw, but where you throw that matters most.

The 22-year-old left-hander hurled six innings of one-hit ball Thursday as the Fisher Cats cruised to a 10-2 thumping of the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field.

"I was really hitting spots with my fastball, and I wanted to work on that," he said. "At this level, if you hit your spots, guys are going to get themselves out. But if you don't, they can really hurt you."

Selected by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Cecil (4-2) retired the first 13 Portland batters before surrendering his only hit, a one-out single to center field to Aaron Bates in the fifth.

The University of Maryland has not allowed a run in three of his last four starts. On June 25, he tossed five scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over New Britain. On June 30, he again hurled five shutout frames but did not figure in the Fisher Cats' 1-0 setback to Connecticut.

Against Portland, Cecil struck out six, walked one and lowered his ERA to 2.86, which would rank eighth in the Eastern League if he had enough innings to qualify.

"Against a team like [Portland], it means a lot to me to be able to hit my spots because they're a great fastball-hitting team," he said.

Cecil, who went 1-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) with short-season Auburn last season, said he's also learned a lot about mixing his pitches.

"In my last game and in this one, I was able to get a strikeout with my changeup," he explained. "I've never been able to do that before."

Jared Gothreaux pitched the final three innings, allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts to notch his first save for the Fisher Cats (35-57).

Cecil received plenty of offensive support. Jacob Butler belted a three-run homer and Eric Nielsen slugged a solo shot, while Andrew Pinckney went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs against his former team.

Former Major Leaguer Dave Gassner (1-5) was tagged for 10 runs on 16 hits with one strikeout over 4 1/3 innings for the Sea Dogs (50-40).

Alan Friedman is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.