Tyler Mahle has proven to be difficult to hit during his professional career. On Monday night, however, the right-hander helped advance that reputation as he fired a nine-inning no-hitter for Class A Advanced Daytona in its 4-0 win against Jupiter.
Mahle, No. 11 on the Reds' Top 30, struck out six and also generated 11 ground-ball outs, throwing 76 of his 106 pitches for strikes. The lone baserunner he allowed came in third inning on a hit-by-pitch, but Mahle quickly erased him with a 5-4-3 double play en route to facing the minimum 27 hitters.
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"I was feeling good," Mahle told MiLB.com. "I wasn't feeling amazing, but I was confident going in that we had a pretty good idea on what these guys wanted to do. [Wendolyn] Batista threw a great game yesterday and I tried to study that. I told my catcher [Chad Tromp], you know these guys from yesterday. It was the same catcher, I'm gonna trust what you put down and trust our defense."
Mahle has impressed this season in his introduction to the Florida State League, showing the ability to both miss bats and work deep into games. With his gem on Monday, the 21-year-old has won five straight starts for the Tortugas, giving him an overall record of 8-3 in 13 starts. He's posted a 2.50 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 17 walks in 79 1/3 innings. Opposing hitters own a measly .206 average against him.
A seventh-round selection in the 2013 Draft out of Westminster (Calif.) High, Mahle spent his entire 2014 full-season debut with Class A Dayton of the Midwest League, where he posted a 2.43 ERA and a 135/25 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 152 innings over 26 starts (27 games).
"I kinda knew the whole time," Mahle told MiLB.com. "Just because we were so successful to start the game in our pitch sequence and pitch calling. Just from the start, I knew I hadn't given up a hit and it kept on going."
Reds No. 22 prospect Aristides Aquino provided Mahle with insurance runs with his two-run homer in the eighth inning, while shortstop Blake Trahan (No. 17) finished 2-for-3. Both players scored twice to account for all of Daytona's runs.