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06/06/2009 10:08 PM ET
Less is Moore for Hot Rods
Rays prospect fans 12 over seven hitless innings
By Brittany Ghiroli  / Special to MLB.com
Matt Moore has a .163 opponents' batting average during his two-year career. (Samantha Craig/MiLB.com)

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For Bowling Green Hot Rods left-hander Matt Moore, just taking the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning felt like a victory.

The 11 strikeouts over six no-hit frames that preceded it were merely an afterthought.

"This was the longest time I've been on the mound," Moore said. "I was more so happy to get into the seventh inning that I didn't even realize I had a no hitter going."

It certainly on the minds of the Asheville Tourists. When Moore was done on Saturday night, he had fanned a career-high 12 batters over seven hitless innings as the Hot Rods pounded the Tourists, 10-2.

"I knew that I was getting toward the end of my pitch count," he said of his 1-2-3 seventh. "I just tried to get some fastballs early."

The heat came early and often for the Tourists as Moore threw first-pitch strikes -- usually of the fastball variety -- to 19 of the 23 batters he faced.

"I had a lot of things working and got a lot of help when I needed it," said the 19-year-old, who also mixed a few first-pitch breaking balls to keep Asheville guessing. "I trust my catcher (Jake Jefferies). He did a great job."

Moore only allowed three baserunners on a pair of walks and an error en route to his first win in six starts since May 2. He's 3-2 with a 3.30 ERA in 11 starts but hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two outings.

The Rays' eighth-round pick in the 2007 Draft, Moore led the organization in ERA and ranked sixth among all Minor Leaguers last season. He was 2-2 with a 1.66 ERA in 12 starts for Rookie-level Princeton, and would have won the Appalachian League ERA title but fell a third of an inning shy of qualifying.

Like all of the Rays young arms, Moore is on a strict pitch count that recently was extended from 75 to 90.

"I'm pretty used to it," he said of the limit, which is similar to what his father kept him on in high school. "I understand exactly where [the Rays] are coming from."

So while Moore might not be able to toe the rubber into the seventh every time out, he certainly can shoot for notching a "W" on a regular basis.

"We were struggling [before]," Moore said of the Hot Rods, who are 4-2 since the calendar flip. "We could either keep going downhill or turn it around. And we've really turned it around."

Brittany Ghiroli is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.