On a mission:  Sod Poodles' Tabor twirls no-no

Two outs away from making history, Matt Tabor saw his chances sinking along with a ball that seemed destined to touch the outfield grass. Yet fate -- with the help of a sparkling catch -- stayed on his side, and one pitch later, his historic feat was complete.

With the assistance of center fielder Dominic Fletcher, the No. 22 Arizona prospect completed Double-A Amarillo's first no-hitter, blanking San Antonio, 6-0, in the seven-inning affair. Tabor's no-no was the 17th in the Minors this season but only the second solo act.

Needing three outs and leading comfortably in the bottom of the seventh inning, the 22-year-old got some defensive help from right fielder Stone Garrett, who made a sliding catch in foul territory. But it was the next out that proved crucial to preserving Tabor's no-hitter. Ben Ruta fouled off the first pitch and then lofted a sinking liner into left-center. Playing Ruta straight up, Fletcher raced over from center and made a diving grab to keep Tabor's hitless effort intact.

The right-hander's next offering to Padres No. 18 prospect Eguy Rosario was lifted into right for the final out. Tabor needed just 77 pitches to complete seven frames, which matched his season high. The 2018 third-round Draft pick walked two, struck out three and continued a string of strong starts after a rough introduction to Double-A.

After posting a 3.00 ERA in four outings (three starts) with High-A Hillsboro, Tabor was promoted to Double-A and struggled. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder sported a 10.13 ERA after four starts with Amarillo. But then he allowed a pair of unearned runs in seven innings on June 29 and followed up by yielding three unearned runs over 5 2/3 frames on July 4. Including his historic outing Sunday, Tabor has not allowed an earned run in 19 2/3 innings, lowering his ERA with the Sod Poodles to 4.09.

Overall, he's 4-5 with a 3.63 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in 57 innings. Tabor has limited opponents to a .190 average while surrendering two earned runs or fewer in seven of his 11 appearances this season.