Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron flirted with a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, recording his first career complete-game shutout. Cameron lost the no-hit bid in the seventh inning by a one out single from Vaughn Grissom. 

He pitched nine scoreless innings and threw 115 pitches (career-high) with one hit, one walk and punched out eight batters, while also earning a career-high 21 whiffs. 

He completed the one-hit shutout by striking out Mike Trout, leading to a 3-0 victory. It was also the first complete game shutout on the road by a Royal since Luke Hochevar achieved the feat on September 18 2009. 

He has significantly improved his ERA from 4.93 on July 24 down to 4.16 and also sports a 3.57 FIP through 23 starts this season. As well, he's provided several quality starts since the All-Star break:

• 7/24: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 Ks
• 7/30: 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 Ks
• 8/5: 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 9 Ks
• 8/16: 9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 Ks

Noah Cameron's pitching gem continues his dominant stretch for Royals

Royals broadcaster Joel Goldberg caught up with the 27-year-old southpaw following his dominant performance and he told Goldberg that "pitching is 90% confidence, 10% skill." 

Cameron has provided durability for the Royals with three starts this season where he pitched seven or more innings while allowing only one hit. In his last five starts, he has pitched 37.2 innings pitched with a 1.19 ERA with a 0.58 WHIP with 34 strikeouts.  

Cameron has been effective on the mound by increasing the usage of his slider and changeup; both have generated high whiff rates, hovering just over 33% while also producing more strikeouts. 

Since he's started calling his own pitches, he's developed more confidence and synergy with veteran catcher Salvador Perez, which has helped him remain sharp through pitch sequencing and provided him with solid control on the mound. When Perez is catching Cameron, he owns a dominant sub-2.00 ERA.