7 years agoPittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova turned in another strong outing on Thursday afternoon, firing eight shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers. For a fourth consecutive start, the right-hander didn't issue a base on balls, and he now has a 2.6 percent walk rate in 38 innings. Nova gave up only six hits on the day and struck out five. Unfortunately, his offense didn't give him any run support and he was saddled with a no-decision. After two shaky starts to begin the year, the 31-year-old is riding high, having allowed just seven earned runs over his last 27 2/3 innings. He's not a huge strikeout contributor for fantasy owners (19.6 percent strikeout rate), but when his control is this good, he can be a valuable arm. The Pirates' rotation is currently in flux after a doubleheader on Wednesday, but Nova's next start lines up for Tuesday against the Washington Nationals.--Matt Wilkes
Source: MLB.com