For a third straight start, Chris Paddack was unhittable.
On Saturday, Paddack, the Marlins' No. 17 prospect, fired five no-hit frames for Class A Greensboro in a 3-1 loss in 10 innings against Hickory. The right-hander fanned nine of the 16 hitters he faced and did not issue a walk, throwing 42 of his 60 pitches for strikes. The only blemishes in his performance were a pair of hit batsmen, though he erased one of them with a double play.
• Complete Marlins prospects coverage at MLBPipeline.com/marlins
Paddack, 20, has tossed 15 straight hitless innings for the Grasshoppers during which he's piled up 28 strikeouts against just one walk.
"My teammates and my family support me 100 percent," Paddack told MiLB.com. "The guys give me a hard time, for sure. They'll mess around and say stuff like, 'Hey, Paddack, when [are] you going to give up a hit?' But they're right there with me. I FaceTime with my brother, Michael, before every start, and that helps me get in game mood and gets me going.
"I had a few no-hitters in high school, but I don't think I've ever had this many consecutive hitless innings, so it's definitely getting to me a little bit, but I'm just trying to stay humble about it and go out there every day and having a game plan."
Paddack's streak began on June 12, when he set a career high with 11 strikeouts over five innings in a win against Rome. He improved upon that performance in his subsequent turn on June 18, also against Rome, by hurling five perfect frames with eight punchouts.
"While I'm on the mound I never doubt myself or think any negative thoughts," Paddack said. "I think staying positive has been a big part of this. I've been able to maintain my focus and execute my game plan. When I'm starting, I don't think about the streak; once you think about that stuff mistakes will start happening."
With his outing on Saturday, Paddack, the Marlins' eighth-round pick in the 2015 Draft, lowered his season ERA and WHIP to 0.95 and 0.39, respectively. He's posted a remarkable 48-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 28 1/3 innings (six starts), during which opposing hitters have hit just .098 against him.
In his 2015 professional debut, Paddack posted a 2.18 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP and a 39-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 45 1/3 innings in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.