Garrett fans five, fires two-hit shutout

Left-hander Amir Garrett, the Reds' No. 19 prospect, threw a seven-inning shutout Wednesday, leading Class A Dayton to a 4-0 victory against Bowling Green in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

Garrett allowed three hits, fanned five and faced just two batters above the minimum. Since Minor League doubleheaders are limited to seven innings, he gets credit for his first career complete game and shutout.

Center fielder Phil Ervin, the Reds' No. 2 prospect and No. 90 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, went 2-for-3 with a double and a run.

Garrett had never before pitched into the seventh inning. He had thrown six innings three times, most recently May 30 against West Michigan. But on Wednesday, he breezed through the Bowling Green lineup, scattering three singles and never allowing a runner to reach second base.

It was the best start of Garrett's relatively short career. He was a basketball star in high school and accepted a scholarship offer from St. John's. The Reds drafted him in the 22nd round in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, and he signed a contract that allowed him to pursue both sports.

Garrett played two seasons for St. John's and spent his summers playing baseball. He transferred to Cal State Northridge after his sophomore season, and by NCAA rule, had to sit out last season. That has given him more time to play baseball and he has taken a regular turn in Dayton's rotation since Opening Day.

Better results have followed, and with the victory Wednesday, Garrett improved to 2-4 with a 4.57 ERA in 13 starts this season. He has struck out 49 batters and walked 25 in 61 innings.