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Matt Wisler flirts with no-hitter in win over Diamondbacks

Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we’ll look at the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Matt Wisler couldn’t have asked for a much better return to the majors. The 23-year-old tossed a dominant start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, flirting with a no-hitter in the process.

Wisler, who was demoted to Triple-A in late July, returned to the big leagues and did not disappoint in his first start back. Over the first six innings, Wisler did not allow a hit against the Diamondbacks.

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While the start was impressive, it wasn’t historic. D-Backs first baseman put an end to that quest by leading off the seventh inning with a single. Wisler then walked the next hitter, moving Goldschmidt to second. He would come around to score on a ground out later in the frame, but Wisler was able to limit the damage otherwise.

Wisler returned for the eighth, and though he gave up another hit, he kept the D-Backs from tacking on any extra runs. All told, Wisler tossed eight innings, giving up just one run on two hits. He issued three walks and struck out four during the 3-1 victory.

Amazingly, Wisler wasn’t the only pitcher to carry a no-hitter deep into a contest Thursday. In fact, one player came within an out of accomplishing that feat. That player was …

TOP PERFORMERS

Matt Moore: San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Moore turned in the most dominant pitching performance of the night. Moore came just one out away from a no-hitter during the Giants’ 4-0 win over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. With two outs in the ninth inning, Corey Seager blooped a single to right to end Moore’s bid for history. While the lefty cruised through the game early, he piled up a big pitch count in the last few innings. As he got through the eighth, there was some uncertainty as to whether Moore would return to pitch the ninth, but manager Bruce Bochy gave him the opportunity to chase the no-no. Once he gave up the single, Moore was removed from the game. He allowed just one hit over 8 2/3 scoreless innings. Moore struck out seven and walked three during the outing. He threw 133 pitches.

Alejandro De Aza: The New York Mets were led by an unlikely hero during Thursday’s 10-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Alejandro De Aza came to play, picking up half the club’s RBIs during the contest. De Aza kicked things off in the fourth inning, singling home two runs to extend the Mets’ lead. In the fifth, he belted a three-run homer to put the Mets up 7-0. De Aza finished the contest 2-for-4, with two runs scored and five RBI.

Max Scherzer: Thursday was the night of the pitcher around Major League Baseball. It wasn’t just Wisler and Moore, though. Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer also got in on the act. Scherzer tossed eight scoreless innings against the Baltimore Orioles during the Nationals’ 4-0 win Thursday. He gave up just two hits, did not issue any walks and struck out 10 during the outing. It was the 11th time this season Scherzer notched double-digit strikeouts in a game.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

We’re just a few games into Dansby Swanson’s rookie season, but the shortstop is already finding ways to amaze us. The 22-year-old sure looked like a 10-year veteran during this excellent diving play from Thursday’s 4-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In the bottom of the second inning, Chris Owings ripped a low liner near the hole between short and third. Swanson quickly turned to his left and dove to make the stop. The ball took a hop just before reaching his glove, but Swanson was able to smoothly pick it in the air. He then somehow effortlessly glided from his slide to his feet, and fired a strike to first to nail Owings for the second out of the frame. Swanson’s great play was part of the reason starter Matt Wisler was able to take a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Without Swanson’s excellent defensive stop, that wouldn’t have been the case.

THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD

Royals 5, Marlins 2: Jarrod Dyson made history during the contest, becoming the first player to ever rob a home run at Marlins Park. It was one heck of a catch, too.

Tigers 8, Twins 5: James McCann went 4-for-5, with a home run, a double and a single. He scored two runs and drove in three during the win.

Rays 2, Red Sox 1: Jake Odorizzi gave up just one run over seven innings. Mikie Mahtook knocked in the go-ahead run for the Rays with a seventh inning double.

Angels 6, Blue Jays 3: Mike Trout went 3-for-4, driving in four runs during the win. The Angels scored four runs off J.A. Happ, handing him his first loss since June 6.

Rangers 9, Indians 0: Carlos Gomez hit a three-run shot during his first at-bat with Texas. Jason Kipnis managed to make the entire Rangers bench laugh after an interaction with Rougned Odor.

White Sox 7, Mariners 6: The White Sox scored four runs in the last three innings to complete the comeback. Todd Frazier played the hero, knocking a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.

Pirates 3, Brewers 2: Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-5, with a home run and two singles in the win. He scored one run and drove in all three of the Pirates’ RBI.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik