Feliz unfurls five no-hit innings for Bandits

Quad Cities pitching Coach Dave Borkowski was hardly surprised with the effect Michael Feliz's pitches had on opposing batters on Thursday.

"It was unhittable stuff," Borkowski said. 

Sure enough, the ninth-ranked Astros prospect turned in five no-hit innings, piling up a season-high eight strikeouts and walking one in the Class A River Bandits' 2-1 win over the visiting Beloit Snappers.

"It was a hard, heavy, live fastball and he didn't miss once above the knees," said Borkowski. "He pitched to both sides of the plate, working in and out without any problems."

Feliz went without a decision and is 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA in his first full season. Houston has the 20-year-old righty working in a tandem rotation, which has limited him to 30 2/3 innings over seven starts and three relief appearances.

Thursday's outing, Feliz's longest this year, comes on the heels of 4 1/3 scoreless frames May 23.

Borkowski believes something has clicked for the native of Azua, Dominican Republic.

"He had a little setback early in the season, but he's tidying up really well," said Borkowski, a veteran of seven big league seasons. "He's come back to form, and he may really start to take off for us."

Feliz struck out the first two batters he faced, worked a perfect second and struck out the side in order in the third.

"He came right out and located from pitch one. He was under control and calm," Borkowski said. "I knew he had his best stuff and he really showed it."

The fastball is Feliz's biggest weapon, and that pitch was on display throughout his start.

"It topped out at 98 today. He generally works at 95 and he locates it. That's the best part," said Borkowski. "He has an idea of what he wants to do. He is not gripping and ripping. That's a devastating combo, when you can throw that hard and locate the way he can locate."

The young hurler surrendered a one-out walk to Tyler Marincov in the fifth, which he knew would be his last inning. Marincov moved into scoring position with a stolen base.

"I think he was disappointed in that. It had nothing to do with the game as much as he got away from what he was trying to do and that disappointed him," Feliz's pitching coach said. "Of course, it was still a nothing-nothing game at that point, and then he got right back in it and left the runner out there on second."

Although Feliz exited the inning with his no-hitter intact, he did not plea with the coaching staff for a shot at going longer.

"I know he would have liked to go longer, but he understands the rules and knows we have to follow them," said Borkowski. "He understands that he's in a piggyback situation for now. He knows five [innings] is all he's been given, and that's all he's going to be allowed.

"He'll have opportunities through the rotation to start on his own, and when he gets his own game, he'll have the chance to throw all nine if he pounds the zone and pitches to contact and gets a lot of early outs the way he did tonight."

Ronnie Mitchell plated both of the River Bandits' runs with a homer, and he's gone yard in three straight games.

Twelfth-ranked Athletics prospect B.J. Boyd scored the lone run for Beloit.