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Former Miami pitcher a rookie sensation

John Ely has delivered ‘quality starts’ in 6 of 8 games for Dodgers.

Former Miami pitcher creating a buzz with L.A. Dodgers

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 12:50 AM Sunday, June 13, 2010

OXFORD — In this 2010 Major League Baseball season, the year of the rookie pitching sensation, former Miami University standout John Ely has been holding his own and then some.

The latest first-year flash has been Stephen Strasburg, signed by the Washington Nationals out of San Diego State for $15 million. Strasburg took the mound for the first time last week and was dazzling, striking out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates and walking none.

Others include Mike Leake of the Cincinnati Reds, who owns a 5-0 record with a 2.68 ERA, and Jaime Garcia, 5-2 with a 1.47 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals.

But on the West Coast, Elymania rules.

It isn’t that Ely has been blowing batters away with a blistering fastball like Strasburg. Ely doesn’t have a blistering fastball.

“I can’t throw the ball by anybody,” Ely said during a phone interview. “Changing speeds and moving the ball around, up and down, in and out, have been the key to my success.”

Its sounds boring, but the effect of Ely’s careful, thoughtful approach to pitching has been electrifying.

He has thrown what is termed a “quality start” in six of his eight games for the Dodgers, pitching six or more innings and allowing three or fewer runs. Over the second, third and fourth starts of his big-league career he totaled 21 strikeouts and no walks.

“A few decent starts” is how Ely put it.

“It helps not to be afraid to throw certain pitches in any situation,” said Ely, who lists his repertoire as a fastball, cut fastball, change and curve.

Dodgers catcher Russell Martin talked to Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com about Ely’s ability to frustrate opposing batters.

“Even when he misses, he misses off the plate, not over the heart of the plate,” Russell said. “He doesn’t give the other team a whole lot to work with. After a while, they kind of got out of their game plan and expanded their strike zone and swung at pitches they couldn’t hit.”

Dodgers manager Joe Torre, who has seen his team win six of Ely’s eight starts, is a believer.

“He is like bubbles out there, very effervescent on the mound,” Torre said in an interview with Jackson. “He gets it and throws it, gets it and throws it... He will throw any pitch any time. I can tell you as a former player myself, that is really tough to try to hit against because he has all those weapons.”

Miami RedHawks fans have seen those weapons up close.

In three seasons in Oxford, Ely compiled a  26-7 career record. His 284 strikeouts rank second on the school’s all-time list.

He was part of a blockbuster pitching staff that included four other pitchers who are on the rosters of Triple-A and Double-A minor-league teams.

• Talawanda High School’s Keith Weiser is 4-4 with the Tulsa Drillers (Colorado Rockies).

• Matt Long is 4-4 with the Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox).

• Connor Graham is 2-2 with the Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians).

• Graham Taylor is on the disabled list with the Jacksonville Suns (Florida Marlins).

In 2005 those five pitchers, including Ely as a sophomore, helped lead Miami to an NCAA tournament berth.

“Those were some of the best years you could ever ask for,” Ely said of his career at Miami. “I’d go back for another three years if I could. I had great friends and I was on just a great team.”

Ely was selected in the third round of the 2007 MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox. It seemed to be the ideal situation because Ely and his family, who lived in Harvey, Ill., were die-hard White Sox fans.

But after rising steadily through the White Sox farm system and posting a 14-2 record with Double-A Birmingham last year, Ely and reliever Jon Link were traded to the Dodgers for veteran center fielder Juan Pierre.

You might think Ely would have been disappointed by the trade. He said he wasn’t.

“I had no idea I was on the potential-to-be-traded list,” Ely conceded. “But my overall goal has been to make it to the big leagues. Now I’m with a storied franchise.”

After just three starts with Triple-A Albuquerque this spring, Ely was called up by the Dodgers. He was roughed up for four runs in the second inning of his debut against the New York Mets on April 28 but retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced.

In his second start against the Milwaukee Brewers he allowed just one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings and during one stretch retired 16 straight batters.

After making perhaps the most outstanding start of any Dodgers pitcher up to that point of the season, Ely was sent packing. Back to the minors.

The Dodgers wanted to bring Jeff Weaver off the disabled list. He had to take somebody’s place on the roster.

Ely said he wasn’t surprised that it was his spot.

“I knew it was something that might happen,” he said. “I came up because of an injury, and I knew even if I did well what was going to happen.”

Just three days later, however, the Dodgers recalled Ely. He promptly won his next three starts.

Ely said the last several months “have been great. Obviously being traded was a little bit of a shock to me, but the opportunity it has given me is a dream come true.

“It’s been surreal,” he added. “I try not to think about it too much. Just being up here is more than I could ask for.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

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