Mahle's perfecto highlights Pitchers of the Week

Tyler Mahle accomplished something only one other pitcher had ever done in the Southern League -- a nine-inning perfect game.
Mahle's brilliance on April 22, which followed a strong five-inning outing five days earlier, earned him the league's Pitcher of the Week award as he became the first player to complete the feat in the Double-A circuit since Montgomery's Charles Swanson in 1970.

Mahle, a 22-year-old seventh-round pick in 2013, struck out eight and threw only 88 pitches to blank Mobile, 1-0, at Hank Aaron Stadium on Saturday. The gem came 10 days after yielding one hit over seven innings at Biloxi on April 12 and a year after he tossed a nine-inning no-hitter for Class A Advanced Daytona on June 13.
"My stuff wasn't technically perfect tonight" Mahle told MiLB.com. "My slider, I threw a lot of those up some of them backed up, I threw my changeup well, I want to have a curveball. ? I mean, I have one, but I don't throw it very often, so I mean there was a lot of stuff to work on.
"It could have been better. I'm not getting greedy, but you could always get better."
Mahle, ranked as the Reds' No. 10 prospect, held Jacksonville to a run on three hits over five frames in his other start this past week on April 17. He struck out seven and walked two in that win.
• View the Player of the Week winners »
Mahle's numbers this year have him headed for more than just weekly league honors. He's 4-0 with a 0.68 ERA through his first four starts, a span in which he's struck out 27 and walked five in 26 2/3 innings. 
Mahle has claimed a Pitcher of the Week award in each of the last three seasons -- with Rookie-level Billings in 2014, Class A Dayton in 2015 and Daytona last June. He was a Midwest League All-Star two years ago and was named a Reds Organization All-Star by MiLB.com in 2015.
Mahle said Saturday he wasn't worried about not finishing his perfect game.
"I knew I felt good, even if the pitch count was high," he said. "I was still perfect, so I knew they weren't going to take me out or anything, but I wasn't worried about anything but making pitches."
Below are the rest of the Minor League Pitchers of the Week for April 17-23: