There's an old baseball axiom that says the pitcher has the advantage when the hitter is behind in the count. Try telling that to Gwinnett's Tommy La Stella.

"He's one of the better two-strike hitters I've been around," Gwinnett manager Brian Snitker said. "He doesn't panic when he gets to two strikes. He stays with the ball a long time, has a good, short swing.

"A lot of times I think the pitcher is in trouble when the count gets to two strikes against Tommy."

The numbers prove that the Braves' everyday second baseman seems to thrive when he's behind in the count. In his first 26 games this season, La Stella hit .216 when he was ahead in the count and a robust .393 when he was behind.

"My approach with two strikes centers around putting the ball in play," La Stella said. "I'm putting the barrel on the ball and I'm ready for any pitch. Before two strikes, I'm looking for a certain pitch or a certain zone. With two strikes, I'm reacting to what I see."

La Stella fanned only eight times in his first 26 games, and his average of one strikeout every 14.13 plate appearances ranks second in the IL.

"There's something about having two strikes that makes me focus better," La Stella said. "You lay off closer pitches with two strikes or when you're behind the count."

La Stella has done more than just avoid strikeouts. He enters the week with a .316 batting average and leads all current players on the Gwinnett roster with 15 RBIs. The key to his success at the plate centers around the same factor that leads to his success when hitting from behind in the count.

"Anything you do in baseball revolves around confidence," he said. "Hitting is no exception; in fact, I think confidence is more important in hitting than anywhere else. Confidence is definitely No. 1 for me. If I am confident, I like my chances going into an at-bat."

La Stella should have some confidence at the plate based on his track record. He entered this season with a .327 Minor League batting average and last year hit .343 in 81 games for Double-A Mississippi.

La Stella said he's noticed a difference between Triple-A pitching and pitchers at baseball's lower levels.

"It's apparent the level of experience most of these pitchers have," he said. "It's big league talent. You play against them and you realize quickly most of them have played in the big leagues."

While La Stella's two-strike approach may not need work, Snitker said the 25-year-old infielder is getting closer to being Major League-ready.

"He's working on little things: His agility and footwork, his arm and [increasing] his range [defensively]," the manager said. "But those are things pretty much everybody [at this level] needs to work on.

"He's got good hands and as he plays the game and learns the hitters, there's no reason why he can't be an everyday second baseman."

But La Stella said his work at Gwinnett is not focused exclusively on defense.

"By the time you're ready for the big leagues, you want to be ready in all facets of the game," he explained. "You want to work on increasing your baseball knowledge and your baseball IQ. That comes from going out there every day and getting repetitions. And that's what I'm excited to go out there and do."

In brief

Piling up wins: Louisville RHP Josh Smith improved to 5-0 this season with a 2-1 win at Rochester on May 1. He allowed only two hits but walked four over seven innings. On the season, Smith -- who has won each of his last four appearances -- owns a 2.20 ERA and 29 strikeouts against 12 walks over 32 2/3 innings.

Ray to save the day? The Tigers announced that Toledo LHP Robbie Ray will be promoted to Detroit to make his Major League debut on May 6 against Houston. Ray, who was acquired from Washington in the Doug Fister trade, has dominated IL hitters with a 1.53 ERA in six appearances. The southpaw has allowed 28 hits and five walks in 29 1/3 innings, striking out 21 along the way. After pitching a scoreless frame on May 2 in Syracuse, Ray has a 17 1/3-inning scoreless streak.

He said it: "People joke and say something about it, it must just be you out on the mound. I can't control that. My job is to keep [my team] in the game. What can you do? Sometimes you win, 1-0, sometimes you lose, 1-0. If I can [pitch well] day in and day out, eventually it will all come around." -- Syracuse RHP Ryan Tatusko to the Syracuse Post-Standard on May 2 after allowing one run on five hits over six innings against Toledo. One of those hits was a homer, and that run cost Tatusko in a 2-1 loss. He ranks fourth among IL starters with a .175 batting average against but is 1-4, despite a 2.20 ERA. The reason? The Chiefs have scored seven runs in his six starts.

He said it, part II: "It was a 20-pitch [first] inning, and the next thing you know, [Marcus Stroman] is going out there and finishing in six. If he could have gone as far as one more inning or two ... shoot, in the big leagues he might be out there all night. It would be interesting to find out." -- Buffalo manager Gary Allenson to the Buffalo News on April 29 after Stroman pitched six hitless innings against Louisville. Stroman was 2-2 with a 1.69 ERA before he was promoted to Toronto on May 3.