Suns' Nicolino tosses first career shutout

For all the accomplishments in Justin Nicolino's decorated career, the southpaw had never thrown a complete-game shutout before Saturday.

That changed with Double-A Jacksonville's 6-0 win over Birmingham, in which the Suns starter allowed five hits. And while it was work the Marlins' fourth-ranked prospect thoroughly enjoyed, it was work all the same.

"When I got done with the game, I was fine, but once I got in the locker room, I was like, 'Man, this is tiring. I'm tired,'" said Nicolino, who threw a season-high 102 pitches. "I definitely feel like I'm going to be a little bit more sore than usual. But right when we got the last out, I told [catcher Austin] Barnes, 'That was fun.' I was like, 'I owe you a steak dinner.'"

Nicolino (7-2) did not issue a walk for the third straight start and the seventh time this season. He also tied a season high with four strikeouts, a figure he's reached five times in 2014.

But for MLB.com's No. 67 overall prospect, nine was the number that mattered most.

"That's huge," Nicolino said of his first nine-inning complete game. "I've never done that in my career. That's the longest I've ever gone in any game, from high school until now. ... I'm kind of speechless a little bit, just because it doesn't seem real. It just was a fun game to be a part of."

With one out in the second, the 22-year-old yielded a triple to Kevan Smith and an infield single to Josh Richmond but escaped the jam by getting Jeremy Farrell to hit into a double play. After Rangel Ravelo hit a two-out single in the fourth, Nicolino picked him off to end the inning.

Birmingham's next hit was a ground-rule double by Richmond with one out in the fifth. From that point, Nicolino retired 11 in a row. His eighth inning was about as smooth as could be, as the Florida native needed only five pitches to get through it, setting himself up for a shot at the ninth.

"I had three great plays in that eighth inning to keep my pitch count down," the 2010 second-round pick said. "They were swinging early. They were swinging early all night, to say the least. I think that's why my pitch count was so low, because of the early contact that they were making. It was all about executing pitches in certain situations. That helped out a bunch."

Nicolino allowed a leadoff single to Martin Medina in the ninth but nothing else. In all, he faced 30 batters and induced 11 groundouts and nine flyouts.

Over 15 starts, the Southern League All-Star ranks eighth with 3.04 ERA. He's second with 91 2/3 innings pitched and third with a 1.05 WHIP. And he's undefeated since losing his first two starts of the season.

The All-Star nod marked the third time he received a midseason honor. He also has been a postseason All-Star on three occasions, with Florida State League Most Valuable Pitcher, Topps Midwest League Player of the Year and Baseball America Short-Season All-Star designations on his resume.

An impressive body of work, to be sure, but one that had been missing a complete-game shutout. Not anymore.

"They let me have the ball tonight," Nicolino said. "It was fun."