Doran goes distance for Silver Hawks

Right-handed D-backs prospect Ryan Doran put on a clinic in efficiency Wednesday night, getting the most out of 93 pitches -- 70 of which he threw for strikes.

Doran carried a shutout into the ninth in his first professional complete game, ultimately allowing a run on three hits while striking out eight without walking a batter in Class A South Bend's 5-1 victory at West Michigan. 

The 24-year-old started the year in the short-season Northwest League, going 4-3 with a 2.56 ERA over 10 starts for Hillsboro. Doran debuted in the Midwest League with three scoreless innings of relief on Aug. 3 and gave up a run in a five-inning start Aug. 7. Wednesday's win was his first decision in full-season ball.

"He added and subtracted and went in and out to get us chasing," Whitecaps manager Andrew Graham told MLive.com. "He was very efficient and we didn't take quality at-bats against that. When you're not having quality at-bats against a guy who has an idea of pitching, you're not going to have success."

Doran zipped through the Whitecaps lineup his first time around, opening the game with three perfect innings. West Michigan leadoff man and Midwest League batting leader Wynton Bernard started the fourth with a single up the middle, but South Bend center fielder Fidel Pena threw out Bernard trying for two. 

Doran retired eight more in a row after that, but Bernard doubled to start the seventh. A sacrifice bunt by Tigers' No. 20 prospect Javier Betancourt moved the runner to third. Raph Rhymes followed with a dribbler to third baseman Joe Munoz, who fired home to catch Bernard trying to score.

The San Diego State product was perfect from that point into the ninth, when he gave up a leadoff double to Arvicent Perez. Perez advanced to third on a flyout to center by Francisco Contreras, and Bernard scored him with a sacrifice fly to right. Doran got the next batter, Betancourt, to fly out to left to end the game.

Chuck Taylor and 14th-ranked D-backs prospect Justin Williams plated two runs apiece for the Silver Hawks.

The Whitecaps' Matt Davenport allowed an unearned run over 6 2/3 innings, yielding seven hits and two walks while striking out three. He fell to 5-4, but boasts a 2.37 ERA over 76 Midwest League innings.