WASHINGTON -- Triple-A Rochester Red Wings right-hander Cory Abbott dominated with 12 strikeouts in 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the St. Paul Saints on Friday.?

Abbott had a no-hitter going through five frames. He gave up a double in the first at-bat of the sixth, and he finished the outing with one hit and three walks allowed.?

¡°He¡¯s got to pound the strike zone,¡± Nationals manager Dave Martinez said on Saturday. ¡°When he does that, you saw what he could do. He was really good yesterday.¡±

Abbott, 27, appeared in 16 games for the Nats last season, including nine starts. He was with the team in Spring Training until he was optioned to Triple-A in mid-March. Abbott went 1-3 in his first four starts with Rochester this season, and he had allowed six runs in his previous outing before locking in on Friday.

¡°Good for him,¡± Martinez said. ¡°He¡¯s been struggling. To come out and do what he did was awesome. Hopefully, he gets on track here, and he starts pitching well.¡±

The Nationals, in the middle of a seven-game homestand, likely will need to identify another starter after their series opener against the Pirates on Friday was rained out, and they played a doubleheader on Saturday. Abbott¡¯s next start lines up to be Wednesday, when the Nats are hosting the Cubs, his former club.

¡°We¡¯ll probably need somebody, but we haven¡¯t talked about that yet,¡± Martinez said.

Triple-A Rochester
Second baseman Darren Baker has connected for 11 multi-hit games this season, including a 2-for-2 performance on Saturday against St. Paul. Entering Sunday, he was tied for sixth-most hits in the Minor Leagues (32).

Double-A Harrisburg?
Righty reliever Orlando Ribalta improved to 2-1 when he earned the win on Saturday against the Somerset Patriots. In his sixth outing of the season, Ribalta threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.?

High-A Wilmington
The Nationals¡¯ No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 15 overall, outfielder James Wood, recorded three hits, one home run and three RBIs in the Blue Rocks¡¯ doubleheader against the Aberdeen IronBirds on Saturday. Wood is slashing .297/.342/.531 through in his first 18 games this season.

Single-A Fredericksburg
Outfielder Roismar Quintana, ranked as the Nationals¡¯ No. 17 prospect, belted a grand slam in the FredNats¡¯ 13-4 victory over the Lynchburg Hillcats on Thursday. Quintana¡¯s slam also was his first homer of the season.