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Pitchers of the Week

For the week ending June 27
June 28, 2010
International League
Carlos Torres, Charlotte
2-0, 1.29 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 12 K
Carlos Torres, who was an International League All-Star last year and Pitcher of the Week for opening week this season, continued to cruise in his latest two starts. Pitching in Syracuse on Monday, the White Sox prospect gave up two consecutive singles to lead off the second inning and then shut the Chiefs down until he issued a two-out walk in the seventh. Torres struck out seven over the course of the evening. He was slightly less tough on Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits and a pair of walks over seven innings, but he was still good enough to beat Buffalo and record his sixth win of the season.

Pacific Coast League
Kyle Middleton, Sacramento
2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 IP, 11 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 12 SO
Right-handed Oakland prospect Kyle Middleton will find himself in the Majors during the second part of the season if he stays this strong. Middleton scattered five hits over eight scoreless innings against the Salt Lake Bees on Monday, striking out six and collecting the win. In the fourth inning of Saturday's game, when Tacoma's Greg Halman hit a two-run homer off of Middleton following a fielding error by the River Cats, the two unearned runs broke up what had been a shutout month; Middleton had not allowed an opposing hitter to score since May 29. If it bothered him, it didn't show. Middleton got the next batter and pitched a scoreless fifth and a scoreless sixth.

Eastern League
Zach Britton, Bowie
1-0, 1.13 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO
Zach Britton came through for second-place Bowie in the opener of a three-game set against Western Division leader Altoona on Friday night. The Orioles prospect got over consecutive Curve doubles in the fourth to limit Altoona to one run on four hits and a walk over eight innings, picking up the win and collecting nine strikeouts along the way. Britton, working in his first season at the Double-A level, is fourth in the Eastern League with a 2.48 ERA, and only three pitchers have more than his seven wins.

Southern League
Matt Klinker, Carolina
1-0, 1.38 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO
Reds prospect Matt Klinker wouldn't mind facing the Tennessee Smokies more often. On April 19, in his third start of the year, Klinker limited the Smokies to a run over seven innings, and they only got to him for two runs -- one earned -- over six innings when he took the hill against them on May 10. It was more of the same out of Klinker this week. Facing the Smokies in Tennessee twice, he was rock solid. On Tuesday, he gave up one run on four hits over six innings. On Sunday, having no decisions to show for his four impressive games against this opponent, Klinker got even tougher. He whiffed seven over seven innings, giving up two runs -- one of which was earned -- on four hits and two walks, finally picking up a win.

Texas League
Louis Coleman, Northwest Arkansas
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 SV, 6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO
Louis Coleman, Kansas City's fifth-round selection from last year's Draft, shut the door for the Naturals in two close games this week. He entered Monday's game against Tulsa with two outs and a runner on third in the sixth inning of a 7-6 game. After getting out of the inning, he worked a 1-2-3 seventh, danced into and out of trouble in the eighth and recorded a perfect ninth to secure Northwest Arkansas' win, with a final score of 8-6. Once again entering with a narrow lead and a runner in scoring position with two outs on Friday, Coleman notched his second save of the week and sixth of the season by tossing 3 1/3 perfect innings against the Akransas Travelers.

California League
Matt Shoemaker, Rancho Cucamonga
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
Angels prospect Matt Shoemaker walked the first batter he faced against the Lake Elsinore Storm on Friday night, but that was one of his few mistakes in the game. He didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning, when an unearned run scored after a fielding error, and after a leadoff single in the sixth, he induced a groundout and struck out the final two batters he faced. His seven K's throughout the game put him at 96 punchouts on the season, which leads the Cal League by 11.

Carolina League
John Lamb, Wilmington
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
Southpaw John Lamb, a Royals prospect who pitched his way out of the Midwest League after eight starts there this season, has successfully brought his act with him to the Class A Advanced level. He picked up strikeout after strikeout against the Salem Red Sox on Thursday, totaling nine over 6 2/3 shutout innings. He permitted four hits and a pair of walks in the outing, earning his third Carolina League win in seven starts. Since coming to Wilmington, his ERA sits at an impressive 1.94.

Florida State League
Dellin Betances, Tampa
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 11 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 14 K
Dellin Betances, the Yankees' 2006 eighth-round choice who underwent elbow surgery last season, started his comeback in style. He's given up just one run since his June 10 return, and he dominated in his two starts this week. In the first game of a Tuesday doubleheader against Dunedin, Betances followed a leadoff walk and stolen base with three straight strikeouts. He didn't surrender a hit until allowing a one-out single in the fifth, and that was all the Jays managed off Tampa pitching in that seven-inning game. Betances fanned eight in his six innings. He struck out six and allowed just two hits and a walk over five shutout frames against the Lakeland Tigers on Sunday, ending up without a decision in that 14-inning, 6-5 Tampa victory.

Midwest League
Stephen Locke, Cedar Rapids
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Angels 2009 late-rounder Stephen Locke was the key to beating Peoria on Saturday. He allowed a lone single in the second, the fourth and the seventh but was otherwise perfect over eight innings, fanning six along the way. The win was Locke's third in his last four starts, and he's given up just 12 runs -- 10 earned -- in his six appearances this year.

South Atlantic League
Robert Erlin, Hickory
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Left-handed Rangers prospect Robert Erlin tossed a 1-2-3 inning for the North in the Sally League All-Star Game on Tuesday night, but his performance on Sunday against the Hagerstown Suns really sparkled. He struck out the side in the fourth and the fifth and kept a perfect game into the sixth inning, when he hit the leadoff man. He got the next three in order, though, before handing the game over to the Crawdads bullpen.

Short-season stats are for all games played through June 27.

New York-Penn League
Chase Whitley, Staten Island
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 G, 3 S, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Chase Whitley, whom the Yankees selected in the 15th round of this year's Draft, has yet to allow a runner to reach base in his four pro appearances. He recorded three saves in his first three times out of the 'pen, and he picked up his first pro win with a perfect eighth and ninth against Hudson Valley on Sunday. His dynamite start to the season leaves just one question: how long before New York fans start calling him "Lil' Mo?"

Northwest League
Matthew Lollis, Eugene
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
San Diego has to be satisfied with the way righty prospect Matthew Lollis has started the season. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning during his 2010 debut on June 19 against Vancouver, finishing the day having allowed one hit and one walk with four strikeouts over six shutout innings. On Thursday, Lollis earned his first Northwest League win, limiting Tri-City to a walk and a hit -- both coming in the third inning -- over seven more shutout innings, this time striking out six.

Appalachian League
Adrian Salcedo, Elizabethton
2-0, 0.64 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 13 K
Twins prospect Adrian Salcedo, who was roughed up over six starts in the Florida State League this year, is getting back on track with Elizabethton. He gave up a run on six hits and two walks and struck out four to beat the Bristol White Sox on Tuesday. Facing the Kingsport Mets on Sunday, Salcedo scattered three hits and a walk while collecting nine strikeouts over seven scoreless innings.

Pioneer League
Daniel Taylor, Missoula
0-1, 1.13 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K
Daniel Taylor, who was a ninth-rounder in the 2009 Draft and took home Cal League Pitcher of the Week honors last week, showed his poise in an eight-inning outing for the Osprey on Thursday. He took the loss despite limiting Helena to one run on four hits and striking out 11. The complete game marks the first of Taylor's pro career.

Josh Jackson is a contributor to MLB.com.