"In a race with only one viable candidate, Marlins ace Josh Johnson was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for April on Tuesday.

Johnson was 3-0 with an 0.88 ERA in six starts. He set a record for least hits allowed in April (minimum 40 innings pitched).

Johnson does not pay attention to his numbers, but he did admit some pleasure when hearing who he had beaten out in that category.

Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan had allowed 19 hits in 1978.

"I was like, 'Whoa, that's pretty cool,' " Johnson said. "It's always one of those things you look back on later on in life and be like, 'that was pretty sweet, a pretty good time.' "

"The kind of month that he put up, everyone respects that," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said. "All his teammates are happy, but you know J.J., he doesn't want to talk about it.""