7 years agoPittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova threw well enough to earn a win on Friday night, allowing one run and striking out three in six innings, but was saddled with a no-decision against the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the third straight promising outing for the right-hander, who hasn't walked a batter since April 4. During that stretch, Nova has given up only six runs in 19 2/3 innings (2.75 ERA) and fanned 18. When his control is this pinpoint, he makes for a worthy fantasy arm even without the strikeout upside. Although Nova is always prone to blowup games here and there, he's steadily washing away the taste of a rough second half in 2017 and a shaky start to this season. His next time up will come against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.--Matt Wilkes
Source: MLB.com