7 years agoPittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams fired seven shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and notched his fifth win of the season. Staked with an early 6-0 lead, the right-hander cruised to the victory, striking out six and walking zero for the first time in a game this season. There are plenty of signs Williams will come crashing down to earth, but he keeps performing anyway. His 2.72 ERA leads the Pittsburgh pitching staff and ranks 11th in the National League. With little strikeout upside and an uninspiring walk rate, his success is coming from limiting hard contact. Among all pitchers with 100 or more batted balls allowed coming into Tuesday, his average exit velocity was 10th-lowest at 85.5 mph. Williams will have a chance to keep rolling in his next start against the lowly San Diego Padres on Sunday.--Matt Wilkes
Source: MLB.com