Chad Kuhl owns an ERA of 0.91, but the right-hander is quick to give credit for that number to the eight men he keeps busy every start.

"It's really nice, but it's great when you have the defense that I have behind me," the Pirates' No. 16 prospect said. "They've taken an immense amount of pressure off me because I know I can go after guys. I don't have to shy away from contact because I know what I have behind me."

Kuhl (3-0) continued to excel by pitching to contact Monday, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out six over a season-high seven innings as Triple-A Indianapolis blanked Columbus, 2-0, at Victory Field.

Five days after using a newly developed changeup to spin six scoreless frames against Syracuse, the 23-year-old turned to the other two pitches in his arsenal to dominate the Clippers.

"They had right-handed hitters one through nine, so it was really important to have that breaking ball," Kuhl said. "If you're getting on top of the hitters and being aggressive early in the count with your fastball, it gives you the opportunity to go for the strikeout. Some of these guys, especially all right-handed hitters, you can go to that slider early to induce a ground ball or look for the strikeout late."

Using an approach that has become his calling card this season, the 6-foot-3 right-hander induced 11 groundouts and plenty of harmless contact from the Columbus lineup.

"That's just the way I pitch really," he said. "Aggressive in the zone, trying to get that weak contact with my sinker and just going after guys. Keeping it down in the zone, using my off-speed stuff and throwing those in certain counts, looking for some weak contact early."

Kuhl -- who leads the International League in ERA -- surrendered fewer than two runs for the sixth straight start and has held opponents to four or fewer hits in each of those outings. The Delaware native kept his stretch of dominant play in perspective.

"I'm trying to stay level-headed about having the good results and just trying to stay even-keeled and keep working on the things I want to work on," he said. "It's encouraging to see the good numbers and to know that whatever I am doing is working at a high level."

Sharing his success with an Indians staff that boasts the circuit's lowest combined ERA (2.79) has made Kuhl's opening two months that much more enjoyable.

"It's been awesome," the 2013 ninth-round pick said. "All of us root for each other. It's really fun to have all that support from guys that you're competing with. It's been a fun ride so far."

Jason Rogers plated a run for Indianapolis. Right-hander Rob Scahill struck out two in recording the last three outs to notch his second save.

Columbus' Felipe Paulino (1-1) surrendered two runs on two hits and a walk over two innings in relief of starter Jarrett Grube.