South African right-hander Dylan Unsworth impressive at Double-A Jackson

The recent conversion of top prospect Edwin Diaz from starting pitcher to reliever took an impact arm out of the rotation at Double-A Jackson, but the Mariners affiliate is still getting good production from its starting five.

One pitcher putting up impressive numbers is South African right-hander Dylan Unsworth.

In his first taste of Double-A ball, Unsworth has gone 3-1 with a 1.18 ERA. The 23-year-old has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his eight starts.

Unsworth has done it with masterful control: He has walked just seven batters in 45 2/3 innings. He has also allowed 41 hits and struck out 33.

Using a four-pitch blend of fastballs, change-ups, curves and sliders, Unsworth keeps hitters off-balance despite not reaching 90 mph on the radar gun.

“He commands all four pitches and can throw any one at any time,” Jackson manager Daren Brown said. “He has a really good change-up, and he’s good at reading hitter’s swings.”

Growing up in Durban, South Africa, Unsworth was taught the game by his father, who enrolled him in a nearby baseball club. An opportunity to pitch at Major League Baseball’s European Baseball Academy in Italy in 2009 led to Unsworth being spotted by Mariners international scout Wayne Norton.

Should Unsworth buck the odds and reach the majors, he would be the first South African to pitch in the big leagues.

Unsworth took his first loss of the season on Friday night against Chattanooga, when he left the game in the fifth inning with a tight hamstring while trailing 1-0.

EX-RAINIERS STRUGGLE TO HIT IN ROUND ROCK

Tacoma will face two familiar faces in Round Rock, Texas, in a series that begins Monday night.

James Jones and Patrick Kivlehan — regulars in the Rainiers’ lineup last season, and for Jones further back than that — are both playing for the Express. And both are having a tough time offensively in their first experience outside the Mariners organization.

Jones is hitting .237 with a .291 on-base percentage in his first 34 games. He’s had a lot of trouble with strikeouts, fanning 53 times in 131 at-bats.

Kivlehan is also struggling, batting .191 with just one home run in 35 games and 136 at-bats.

Last year for Tacoma, Jones hit .272 with a .365 OBP, and he appeared in 28 games for the Mariners. Kivlehan belted 22 homers and drove in 76 runs while batting .256 for Tacoma.

The Mariners traded Jones, Kivlehan and reliever Tom Wilhelmsen, who also plays for Round Rock, to the Texas Rangers organization in exchange for major league outfielder Leonys Martin and pitcher Anthony Bass. Bass was subsequently sold to a team in Japan.

This story was originally published May 21, 2016 at 10:08 PM with the headline "South African right-hander Dylan Unsworth impressive at Double-A Jackson."