Jul 27, 2016 4 min read

Charlie Gillies had reached the point in his career where every outing was an audition.

After three years of Class A ball in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system and stints in two other independent leagues, the 25-year-old Gillies was signed in late June by the Normal CornBelters to fill the team’s No. 5 spot in their pitching rotation.

About that same time, Brennan Smith was being released by the Tigers. The right-handed pitcher had started four games at Class AA Erie this season before spending extended time on the disabled list.

Smith was having a hard time convincing teams that he was healthy until the CornBelters recently gave him an opportunity to pitch out of their bullpen.

Gillies and Smith might prove to be two signings that will get Normal into the Frontier Legaue playoffs.

Gillies and Smith bookended Normal’s 6-2 victory Wednesday night over the Wild Things at Consol Energy Park.

Gillies (3-1) struck out a career-high 10 over 6 2/3 innings and Smith, who hit 95 mph with his fastball Tuesday night, threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning in his second outing against the Wild Things.

“I had reached the point in my career where every outing was an audition,” Gillies admitted.

Gillies passed that audition in his second game with Normal when he threw a one-hitter against Gateway and has looked more like an ace of the staff instead of a No. 5 starter. Against the Wild Things, Gillies scattered five hits and four walks but got out of jams by striking out batters.

“I feel like I have a new start here,” Gillies said. “I’m more comfortable and I like the team. I feel like I don’t have to do too much. I do what I can and control what I can. Where I was pitching before (independent Can-Am League), I felt like I had to strike out everybody.”

Washington was 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position with eight strikeouts. The first five at-bats for Washington with a runner in scoring position resulted in a strikeout.

“That’s the story,” Washington manager Gregg Langbehn said. “That was our issue early in the season.”

The loss dropped the Wild Things to 2½ games behind first-place Joliet in the East Division. Normal drew to within one game of Washington, which currently holds the final wild-card playoff spot. The CornBelters are hoping that Gillies and Smith might be their wild cards.

“This thing is completely wide open,” Langbehn said. “We have to put it together. In the second half of the season we’ve given away some games. The bullpen needs to tighten up.”

The bullpen failed Washington in this game. Starter Luke Wilkins left with the score tied 2-2 after six innings. Normal then scored four runs in the seventh off relievers Sam Agnew-Wieland (2-2) and Andrew Woeck. Santiago Chirino (3-for-5) gave Normal a 3-2 lead with a run-scoring double, but the backbreaker was a two-run triple to right centerfield by Nolan Meadows that made it 6-2.

“We didn’t make good pitches late in the game,” Langbehn said. “We must locate our pitches. It’s getting exhausting having to talk about it over and over.”

Normal forged a 2-0 lead in the fifth but Washington, which was held to one hit over the first five innings, tied it in the sixth. Singles by Chris Grayson and Ricky Rodriguez, a throwing error and Kyle Pollock’s RBI single made it 2-2.

Pollock’s hit was the only one with baserunners in scoring position that netted a run all night for the Wild Things.

“It makes it a lot easier to pitch when you have a lead and some margin for error,” Langbehn said.

Washington stole five bases, including three by Grayson. … Trevor Foss (8-3, 2.34) will pitch tonight for Washington in the series finale. … Gillies was so upset with home plate umpire Ron Whiting’s small strike zone that at one point, after having an 0-2 pitch called a ball, the Normal pitcher caught the return throw from catcher Dylan Kelly with his bare hand and glared at the umpire.