The monkey is off the back for Bowling Green Hot Rods pitcher Michael Velasquez.

Demoted to the bullpen after starting the season in the rotation, Velasquez was nearly perfect in his return to the rotation in Bowling Green’s 6-0 win over South Bend (Ind.) on Sunday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Velasquez had the best start of his professional career, earning his first win of the season. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning and struck out a career high eight batters to earn the victory and help Bowling Green take the rubber match of the three-game series and climb back to .500.

“It was a big adjustment for me,” Velasquez said. “I went and looked at film from the last couple of starts and it was kind of rough in the beginning. I’m starting to feel comfortable. It was all between the ears. It was mental.”

Velasquez didn’t get out of the first in his last start on May 27, allowing eight runs, and was sent to the bullpen where he made two appearances – the most recent two scoreless innings against Fort Wayne (Ind.)

But Sunday was a much different story, with Velasquez retiring the first 19 batters he faced before P.J. Higgins singled to center with one out in the seventh inning. It was the only hit Velasquez allowed, as the left-hander lowered his ERA from 7.41 to 6.25.

“I’ve never faced adversity in the game of baseball and it hit me hard,” Velasquez said. “You have to keep working hard. When I was out there today, I didn’t let anything bother me. I didn’t worry about mechanics or nothing. I was just going with a fast tempo and it worked for me.”

Bowling Green manager Reinaldo Ruiz said he was happy to see Velasquez come up strong in his return to the rotation.

“It’s encouraging to see him pitch like that,” Ruiz said. “Hopefully after this outing he takes off.”

The Hot Rods staked the left-hander to a 3-0 lead in the second on a two-run single by Angel Moreno that also included an error to allow a third run to score.

Michael Russell added a two-run homer in the fourth and Moreno capped the scoring with an RBI double in the eighth.

Yoel Espinal worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, while Diego Castillo tossed a scoreless ninth to seal the victory.

Moreno, Russell, Zacrey Law and Manny Sanchez finished with two hits each.

With the win, Bowling Green’s slim playoff hopes remain as the Hot Rods are 5 1/2 games back of a playoff spot with only seven games left in the first half. The Hot Rods essentially have to win out the next week and get help with the magic number for playoff elimination down to three.

“We are trying to put all the pieces together,” Ruiz said. “Even if we don’t make (in the first half) we would like to take some momentum (going into) the second half.”

ROSTER MOVE

Prior to Sunday’s game, the Hot Rods announced that outfielder David Olmedo-Barrera has joined the team from extended spring training. The 2015 12th-round pick out of Glendale, Calif., played 44 games last season for Princeton (W.Va.) in the rookie level Appalachian League, hitting .288 with four homers and 21 RBIs.

To make room for Olmedo-Barrera, outfielder Angel Perez was optioned to short-season Low A Hudson Valley in the New York/Penn League.

“He was doing a good job in extended spring training and he earned the promotion here,” Ruiz said. “I saw him play in spring training and he did a great job. He was a little hurt, but now he’s 100 percent. Hopefully he is going to help us win some games.”

UP  NEXT

The Hot Rods begin the final home series of the first half, opening a three-game set with the Midwest League Eastern wildcard leading Lake County (Ohio) Captains at 6:35 p.m. on Monday.

The Captains are 4-3 against Bowling Green this season, including a split of a four-game series at Bowling Green Ballpark last month.

Right-hander Roel Ramirez (2-4, 5.11) is scheduled to start for the Hot Rods. Ramirez is coming off his best start of the season on June 7 against Fort Wayne (Ind.), although he did take the loss despite allowing one run and two hits in six innings. He took the loss in his only start of the season against Lake County on June 1, allowing two earned runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Lefty Sam Hentges (1-4, 6.54)  is scheduled to start for Lake County. Hentges is winless in his last nine starts, including a start at Bowling Green on June 13 when he allowed seven runs in five innings and took the loss.

— Follow Bowling Green Hot Rods reporter Micheal Compton on Twitter @mcompton428 or visit bgdailynews.com.