Sam Clay of Cedar Rapids Kernels being molded into starting pitcher

CEDAR RAPIDS — This decision to make Sam Clay a starting pitcher appears to be a wise one.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels left-hander continued his out-getting ways Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium, pitching into the sixth inning for a 4-1 win over the South Bend Cubs.

A fourth-round draft pick in 2014 of the Minnesota Twins out of Georgia Tech, Clay is 2-0 with a 0.79 earned run average in his first four starts of the Midwest League season. This coming from a guy who struggled last season in Cedar Rapids as primarily a reliever.

'Definitely control has been huge for me,' Clay said. 'I worked a lot in the offseason on fastball control. That was my biggest thing last year. I'd get behind hitters, and bad stuff would happen. I feel like if I get ahead, which I've been able to do recently, then good stuff will happen.'

Clay, 22, said he didn't really change anything in his delivery. He has just been able to bear down better, as far as throwing strikes.

Becoming a starter has helped, for some reason. He pitched in 12 games in 2015 for the Kernels, walked 26 in 33 1/3 innings and got shipped to extended spring training and eventually Rookie ball.

The Twins gave him an opportunity to start, and now here he is.

'I've always been a long reliever, especially in college,' he said. 'Once they sent me down from Cedar Rapids to extended spring training, they were kind of looking how I threw. They said if something happens, be prepared to go into a starting role. I think it was my second week in Elizabethton, a starter went down, and they told me I had the next start. Once I got two or three starts under my belt, I just kind of fell into form.'

Clay wasn't ultra sharp here, allowing five hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. But he made pitches and got outs when he needed them.

Kuo Hua Lo and C.K. Irby finished up, with Irby throwing shutout eighth and ninth innings for his first save. The teams are scheduled to play again Saturday afternoon at 4:05.

'Fastball command in his first three starts,' Kernels Manager Jake Mauer said. 'Tonight he wasn't quite there, but that's part of being a pitcher, too, is giving your team a chance when you don't have your best stuff. He didn't have his best stuff, but he was able to compete, which was a lot different than last year.'

The Kernels (13-9) got RBI doubles from J.J. Fernandez and A.J. Murray, who caught Clay in this game and in college at Tech. Fernandez, LaMonte Wade and Zander Wiel had two hits apiece.

South Bend (12-9) is the low-Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Its fourth and fifth hitters (Eloy Jimenez and Eddy Julio Martinez) were signed out of the Dominican Republic and Cuba, respectively, for a combined $5.8 million.

They went a combined 1-for-6 with two walks.

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