Visalia’s Weller whiffs 11 Nuts in 7-1 Rawhide win

Blayne Weller has recorded three of the top pitching performances in minor-league baseball since last July, and – frankly – the Modesto Nuts are sick of him.

His performance Tuesday night in a 7-1 Visalia victory before 3,615 at John Thurman Field was only the latest gem.

On July 10, while pitching for the Sound Bend Silver Hawks, Weller threw a no-hitter against Dayton, striking out 12 and earning a promotion to Visalia from the parent Arizona Diamondbacks.

Three weeks later on Aug., 1, he faced Modesto for the first time and struck out 16 Nuts over eight innings, allowing two runs in what became a 6-5 Rawhide victory.

In this latest outing, Weller was staked to an early 5-0 lead and cruised over Modesto, allowing one run over six innings while striking out 11.

“It’s not Modesto, it’s just pitching,” Weller said. “I’m just out there trying to work, and whatever happens after I release the baseball is not up to me.”

Still, great numbers against the Nuts from a Santa Barbara native who is in his eighth season of floating through the minors, including a stint in independent ball, after signing with Minnesota as a 14th-round pick out of Key West (Fla.) High School in 2008.

“It’s been a journey,” said Weller, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander who went 9-6 with a 4.28 ERA between two levels last year. “You learn so much every year, so I don’t look at it as if I’ve been playing a long time. I look at it as if I’m learning. It’s fun and you meet great people. There will be slow years and there will be great years.”

So far for Modesto (5-8) the season has started slowly, with today’s final game of the initial homestand slated for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.

Modesto starter Konner Wade gave up a series of bloops and hard-hit balls and was charged with six runs over five innings.

He allowed two runs in the first on four hits and three more in the second, including a two-run line-drive homer to left by Daniel Palka. That was more than enough offense to subdue the Nuts, who finished with five hits and 16 strikeouts against three Rawhide pitchers.

Modesto managed to score off Weller in the fourth when Ryan McMahon worked a leadoff walk and scored on a two-out double to right by Wilfredo Rodriguez.

Yep, not much to cheer about for the home fans, but yet another uplifting performance for a 25-year-old pitcher trying to find his way through the minors.

“There are a lot of guys my age in this league and a lot of guys in Double A not close to my age,” Weller said. “To me, it doesn’t seem like a matter of age; it’s about where you’re performing.

“But of course, I’ve thought about how long I’ll keep at it. I’m 25 and in High A. If I were 30 and here, I’d be thinking about it a lot more. But right now, I’m going to ride this out until I can’t anymore. They’re going to make me leave, I’m not going to leave on my own.”

This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 10:20 PM with the headline "Visalia’s Weller whiffs 11 Nuts in 7-1 Rawhide win."