Jenkins spins six hitless frames for Palm Beach
Prospect allows just two walks in first start since shoulder surgery last August
Right-hander Tyrell Jenkins, the Cardinals' No. 15 prospect, threw six hitless innings on Tuesday as Class A Advanced Palm Beach defeated Jupiter, 9-0.
Jenkins struck out three batters and walked two in six innings. He faced just two batters over the minimum.
Right-hander Samuel Tuivailala relieved Jenkins and kept the no-hitter going with two hitless innings of his own. Right-hander Corey Baker followed and retired the first two batters in the ninth inning. But third baseman Colin Moran, the Marlins' No. 2 prospect, ended the combined no-hit bid with single to center field.
Despite the two-out hit, the Palm Beach trio combined to shut out a Jupiter lineup that not only included Moran, ranked No. 43 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, but also Marlins catcher Jarod Saltalamacchia, who is on a rehab assignment.
Jenkins was making his first start since undergoing surgery last August to repair the latissimus muscle in his right shoulder. He missed the first half of the season as he recovered, but did his best to make up for the lost time in his first game back.
Jenkins made 13 starts between Class A Peoria and Palm Beach last season. He went 4-4 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 59 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals selected Tuivailala in the third round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, 56 picks after they took Jenkins in the first round. Tuivailala was drafted as a shortstop and the Cardinals kept him a position player for two years before moving him to the mound in 2012.
After Tuesday's outing, Tuivailala has made 24 relief appearances this season. He has a 2.97 ERA and has struck out 50 batters and walked 16 in 30 1/3 innings.