The Atlanta Braves might be turning the corner. The fans certainly had reason to be excited about a recent pitching performance. And rookie A.J. Smith-Shawver reacted to his near no-hitter in his 11th career major-league start.

Smith-Shawver took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in a 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Atlanta. The only hit he gave up in a 4-0 win was Santiago Espinal's sharp single to center field leading off the eighth inning.

Smith-Shawver said he didn’t think about the no-hit possibility early in the game, according to espn.com.

“I probably started like really kind of noticing in the fifth, and everybody really got away from me sixth and seventh,” Smith-Shawver said. “And I was like, OK, this is real. Just trying to go out there and execute pitches, just do the same thing I've been doing, but just with a little bit more adrenaline.”

Braves P A.J. Smith-Shawver moving up

The Braves have moved up along with Smith-Shawer, now standing in third place in the NL East. However, they remain under .500 at 16-18 on the season and are six games behind the front-running New York Mets (23-13).

Braves manager Brian Snitker said the fastball made a difference, according to washingtonpost.com.

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The biggest thing I told him (was), `You discovered your fastball again,' ” Snitker said. “Because it was really good. They weren't taking real good swings at it. I told him, too, that I was prepared to let him go for a little bit to try and get (the no-hitter) if it continued on.”

Smith-Shawver got high-fives all around for his performance.

“It means everything,” Smith-Shawver said. “Whenever the guys in the clubhouse are believing in you and they want you to take the ball and go win games, I feel like, as a pitcher, that's your ultimate goal. You want those guys to trust you and know what they're going to get out of you every night.”

History was at stake as the Braves haven’t had a no-hitter since Kent Mercker turned in the feat in 1994 against Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. The last one at home since 1991. Mercker threw the first six innings of that game before Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Pena finished the deal.

Braves shortstop Nick Allen offered up the traditional defensive gem in Smith-Shawver’s bid, keeping the no-hitter alive for another four innings.

“All you want as a defender is just to make plays for him, when you kind of look up at the board and you're seeing what you're seeing, no hits or something like that,” Allen said. “You want to get everything, dive for anything. Unfortunately, they got the one in the eighth. But he threw it so well today, and with conviction. And that's all you can ask for. And when he does that, I mean, look what happens.”