Jordan

Kipper

He let up just two hits and one walk and finished with five strikeouts. 59 of his 89 pitches went for strikes. The 23-year-old is starting to find his groove. He’s won four of his last five starts with a 1.82 ERA over that span. Opponents have hit .241 against Kipper with 41 strikeouts in 278 at-bats this year. Kipper threw his first no-hitter against Northwest Arkansas last month.

A ninth-round pick out of TCU in 2014, Kipper holds an underwhelming 4.02 ERA in the minor leagues, though he’s gotten off to a good start with Double-A Mobile this year with a 1.74 ERA over his first five starts. The 24-year-old will start out with Triple-A Norfolk.

Kipper registered eight strikeouts while throwing 70 of his season-high 108 pitches for strikes. The 23-year-old had been 0-2 with a dismal 9.60 ERA in his previous three starts. Kipper’s no-hitter was Arkansas’ first since 2010. The right-hander still isn’t missing many bats—he owns an underwhelming 5.22 K/9 and opponents are hitting .247 against him—but he can certainly buckle down and get outs when he needs to. He’s actually fared much better in Double-A (3-2, 3.78 ERA) than he did last year while pitching for High-A Inland Empire (6-12, 5.63 ERA).

He allowed two hits, both to Tulsa outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo. Kipper retired 17 batters in a row between the second and eighth innings, throwing 56 of his 83 pitches for strikes. The 23-year-old was highly ineffective in 26 starts for High-A Inland Empire last season (6-12, 5.63 ERA) but earned a promotion this year nonetheless. So far he’s made the most of it, going undefeated in four starts with a brilliant 1.73 ERA.