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04/13/2009 10:48 PM ET
Tillman unhittable in Triple-A debut
Orioles right-hander strikes out five in combined two-hitter
By Danny Wild / MLB.com
Chris Tillman went 11-4 with a 3.18 ERA for Double-A Bowie in '08. (Joy R. Absalon/MiLB.com)

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• Gameday box score
• Chris Tillman's player page
• Top 50 Prospects: Tillman no. 16
• '07 Flashback: Tillman hurls six hitless

Orioles top pitching prospect Chris Tillman struck out five over four no-hit innings in his Triple-A debut as the visiting Norfolk Tides beat the Charlotte Knights, 7-0, on Monday at Knights Stadium.

Tillman, Ross Wolf and Bob McCory kept the combined no-hitter alive through 7 1/3 innings before Gookie Dawkins lined a single to break it up. McCory allowed two hits in the eighth before Georgia Tech product Andy Mitchell pitched a perfect ninth to solidify the two-hitter.

Tillman wasn't overpowering -- he walked three and hit a batter -- but he certainly got the job done in his first taste of the International League. He labored a bit, throwing 71 pitches, and did not induce a single ground ball in the outing.

The right-hander, two days shy of his 21st birthday, threw 41 strikes and got seven pop-ups along with his five strikeouts. He struck out the first two batters he faced before walking Bryan Myrow in the first.

Ben Broussard drew a two-out walk in the fourth and stole second, but Tillman struck out Cole Armstrong to escape the threat and end his evening.

Ironically, the no-hit performance comes almost exactly a year after Tillman held the Akron Aeros hitless over five frames on April 12, 2008 in his second start of the season for Double-A Bowie. The 6-foot-5 righty also took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a game for Class A Wisconsin on June 10, 2007.

The short outing isn't anything new for Tillman -- he did not pitch past the sixth in any of his 28 starts for Double-A Bowie last season. His Double-A debut, in fact, lasted only two frames last April 7 against Reading.

Tillman, ranked No. 16 in MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects, was one of eight full-season pitchers to finish with a K/9 rate over 10 (10.22) in 2008. He was second in the Eastern League -- and among all Double-A pitchers -- in strikeouts and finished fifth in ERA. His .227 batting-average-against ranked second best in all of Double-A.

Norfolk (1-3) gave Tillman a lead in the second when Mike Costanzo knocked in Nolan Reimold with a grounder. Lou Montanez added an RBI single in the third and Jolbert Cabrera put the game out of reach with a grand slam to left off reliever Randy Williams.

Tillman's stock rose quickly last summer with Bowie after he won six consecutive decisions, including four straight starts, from April 23-May 25. He struck out 21 batters over two starts Aug. 4-9 and finished the season 11-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 135 2/3 innings.

The former Mariners prospect was an Eastern League All-Star and a Baseball America Double-A All-Star last year.

Danny Wild is an editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.