Top prospect Stephenson throws six scoreless

The Reds' No. 1 prospect Robert Stephenson threw six scoreless innings Monday, and Double-A Pensacola defeated Mobile, 4-0.

Stephenson, ranked No. 16 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, struck out six batters, walked three and allowed five hits. He threw 95 pitches.

Stephenson worked out of trouble throughout his start. At least one batter reached base in each inning, but he successfully kept the BayBears off the scoreboard. It was his third scoreless outing of the season and first since May 11, when he shut out Birmingham for six innings.

Outfielder Jesse Winker, the Reds' No. 3 prospect, went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead the Blue Wahoos offense. He is hitting .232/.333/.391 in 18 games since he was promoted from Class A Advanced Bakersfield.

With the victory, Stephenson improved to 4-6 with a 3.97 ERA in 93 innings this season. He ranks second in the Southern League with 93 strikeouts, trailing only Dodgers' No. 6 prospect Chris Reed.