Canning leads Mobile to second no-hitter

For a second time this season, Griffin Canning was the driving force in a combined no-hitter.
Canning, the Angels' No. 7 prospect, set the tone with 4 1/3 hitless frames before turning the ball over to a trio of relievers to secure Double-A Mobile's second combined no-hitter in three weeks with a 9-0 win over Birmingham on Monday. He issued two walks and recorded eight of his 13 outs via the strikeout, throwing 49 of his 81 pitches for strikes.
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Canning previously paced the BayBears to a combined no-hitter on April 28, when he and a pair of relievers combined to no-hit Montgomery. Including that performance, the 22-year-old right-hander has allowed just one earned run in his past 19 2/3 innings (four starts), with six hits allowed and 22 strikeouts in that span.
Altogether, the Angels' second-round pick from a year ago has pitched to a 1.95 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings (six starts) in his first taste of the Double-A level after logging a pair of scoreless starts with Class A Advanced Inland Empire to open the season.
Left-hander Greg Mahle replaced Canning in the fifth inning and furthered Mobile's no-hit bid with 1 2/3 perfect frames. He fanned three of the five batters he faced in the relief outing and, in the process, recorded his third win (3-0).
Adrian Almeida, a 23-year-old right-hander handled the next 1 2/3 innings, albeit while pitching around three walks, before Ryan Clark worked the final 1 1/3 frames to seal Mobile's third no-no in franchise history.
The four BayBears hurlers received plenty of run support in the victory, too, as first baseman Matt Thaiss and designated hitter Taylor Ward combined for six hits, four RBIs and four runs scored.
Thaiss (Angels' No. 9) matched his season high with four hits, going 4-for-5 with a triple, two runs scored and a walk. The 23-year-old is hitting .289/.353/.489 on the season, with 15 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs in 34 games.
Ward (No. 13), meanwhile, went 2-for-4 at the plate and paced the BayBears' offense with a season-high four RBIs. He plated three with an eighth-inning home run, his sixth of the season and second in his past four games. As with Thaiss, the 24-year-old Ward has swung a hot bat in the early going, slashing .362/.458/.551 over 36 games.