• Audio: Maddox breaks up the no-hitter
• Box score • Steve Garrison's player page • See Garrison pitch in San Antonio • Visit the official Missions team shop The San Diego Padres' trade of Scott Linebrink is looking better every day. Steve Garrison pitched seven hitless innings Saturday as the San Antonio Missions shut down the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, 3-1, at Arvest Ballpark. The 21-year-old New Jersey native, who came over from the Brewers with fellow left-hander Will Inman and Joe Thatcher last July, faced just one batter over the minimum. "I want to show the Padres that they did a good thing by trading for me," Garrison said. "It's good that we are all doing well. Joe Thatcher's pitching in the Majors and Inman's Inman. I'm just trying to keep up with the other two guys." He did just that, throwing 56 of 80 pitches for strikes and overwhelming a lineup that ranked next-to-last in the Texas League with a .229 batting average. The Naturals have just one hit against left-handed pitchers. "The Naturals are really an aggressive team," Garrison said. "With an aggressive team, if you get ahead, you really get them thinking and can keep them off-balance at bit. I was fortunate enough to hit my spots. I just kept getting ahead and built from there." Garrison (1-1) was replaced by Edwin Moreno, who struck out Geraldo Valentin but gave up a bloop single to Marc Maddox that fell in front of left fielder Josh Alley. After Brian McFall walked, pinch-hitter Kila Ka'aihue gave the Missions a scare by flying out to the warning track in left field. "He was mixing speeds well, working both sides of the plate," Maddox said. "He had three pitches working tonight. You just have to tip your hat on a night when the other pitcher beats you like that." Inman, considered the centerpiece of last summer's trade, is 2-0 and has not allowed a run in 10 innings. But Garrison combined to go 10-7 for Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore and Brevard County last season. He's also helped by being around Inman, his roommate and closest friend on the team. The closest the Naturals came to a hit off Garrison came in the seventh, when second baseman Ray Chang snagged Irving Falu's grounder up the middle and threw him out. "Ray Chang made a helluva play," Garrison said. "It was late in the game, It was a hard ground up the middle. I just missed it, but he came out of nowhere and just barehanded it." Daniel Cortes tossed four shutout innings and the Naturals matched Garrison until the sixth, when Chang doubled with two outs, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Sean Kazmar's single to center field. Kazmar singled in another run in the eighth and Kyle Blanks lifted a sacrifice fly in the ninth to make it 3-0. Falu spoiled San Antonio's shutout bid with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Reliever Paul Mildren (0-2) took the loss after allowing one run on two hits and four walks in two innings. He struck out one. Eric Justic is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. |
