Hillcats romp Kinston

Today marks the end of the first half of a Carolina League season that, by all measures, has been mostly regrettable for the Hillcats.

But if their play the last two weeks — including Saturday night’s tidy 8-0 win against Kinston — is any indication, there could be good things brewing for the second half.

Kent Sakamoto drove in four runs, Jared Keel homered for the second straight night and Daniel Moskos threw 7 2/3 shutout innings as the Hillcats (29-40) continued their solid play of late, improving to 8-4 in the last 12 games.

They have eight wins halfway through June after getting 10 in all of May.

“There’s a completely different attitude in the clubhouse,” Moskos said. “May was an awful month. But the past is the past. And we’re trying to play better baseball.”

Moskos (6-3), the team’s first round pick in last year’s draft at No. 4 overall, has certainly looked the part in his last four starts, all of which have lasted at least five innings.

On Saturday, he went deeper into a game than any Lynchburg pitcher this year, eclipsing Jared Hughes’ seven-inning outing in Potomac last month. It was the longest start of Moskos’ professional career.

With his fastball, slider and changeup all working, Moskos scattered three hits and struck out seven. But it was the number of innings he threw that left Lynchburg manager Jeff Branson more satisfied than anything.

“What I envision of him is what he did tonight,” Branson said. “Early swings, using his slider for his out pitch, changeup down in the zone, fastball down in the zone. That’s how Daniel Moskos can be every night that he goes out there. He has those capabilities.”

Moskos didn’t face more than four batters in any inning. The only trouble he ran into was a leadoff double by Alex Castillo in the third. The left-hander responded by sandwiching a pop up around two strikeouts.

“Unbelievable,” Sakamoto said of Moskos’ night.

He retired 13 of 14 batters at one point and nearly got through the full eight. But, two pitches shy of his 85-pitch max, he threw two fastballs down the middle to No. 9 hitter Cristo Arnal, who lined a single to center. Moskos’ night was done, but he left the field to a warm ovation.

In his last four starts, Moskos is 3-0, having allowed three earned runs in 24 innings (1.13 ERA). He has 17 strikeouts to nine walks.

Moskos credits a visit by Pirates minor league pitching coordinator Troy Buckley for the improvement. Buckley arrived on the heels of two poor outings in which Moskos couldn’t get through the third inning. They had an 80-pitch bullpen session that worked wonders.

“I felt really uncomfortable on the mound and we really worked out the kinks,” Moskos said. “He made sure it had nothing to do with mechanics. It was all game-type situations — where I’ve gotten into trouble, what pitches I need to throw.”

Lynchburg supplied more than enough offense, scoring all eight runs against Kinston starter Josh Tomlin (5-2), who lasted 4 2/3 innings. Tomlin hadn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his four starts this season.

Sakamoto went 3-for-4 and matched a season-high with four RBIs batting in the cleanup spot. After going 6-for-28 (.214) with one RBI in his last 10 games, the first baseman mixed things up Friday, switching to Moskos’ spring training bat.

He matched it with a good approach Saturday. In his first at bat, Sakamoto fought back after two quick strikes, working the count full before getting enough of a changeup for a two-run double to left.

“I think it helps you to see a lot of pitches from that pitcher, not only for yourself but for the team as well,” Sakamoto said. “In that at bat, I saw all three of his pitches at least twice each. I just tried to put a solid at bat together.”

He added a two-run single in the fifth that made it 5-0.

Two batters later, Keel put the game away, hitting a towering three-run homer that landed high in the spruce tree behind the left field wall. It was Keel’s seventh home run of the season and his second in as many days.

NOTES: The loss dropped Kinston to 34-34. … Hillcats OF Jamie Romak didn’t play because of some tightness in his back. Branson said he’s fine and will be back in the lineup today. … RHP Rodolfo Aguirre struck out three of the five batters he faced, finishing out the game with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. … The shutout was Lynchburg’s third of the season.