Pitchers of the Week

International League
Thad Weber, Toledo
2-0, 1.20 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 15 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 9 K
Before this week, Mud Hens pitcher Thad Weber had only made one Triple-A start. A week later, Weber had made two terrific starts and earned Player of the Week honors. Facing a pair of Western Division rivals heading for the playoffs, Weber had little trouble. The 25-year-old University of Nebraska product pitched eight terrific innings against Louisville last Tuesday, allowing just a single run on three hits, striking out four. On Sunday, Weber helped Louisville take a step closer to the division crown by knocking off Columbus. He went seven strong, allowing six hits and striking out five.

Pacific Coast League
Shane Loux, Round Rock
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 6 K (stats for games from Aug. 30-Sept. 6)
On Aug. 29, Shane Loux allowed 10 runs -- six earned -- in four innings of a loss to Memphis, but he followed that start with his finest in years. He went the distance against Albuquerque, allowing just five hits and no walks, striking out six. Loux allowed a single in each of the first three innings but retired 16 of 17 batters from the third inning until an eighth-inning single. The veteran righty, who has pitched in the Majors for the Tigers and Angels, finished the season with six wins.

Eastern League
Stephen Fife, Portland
2-0, 1.64 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 11 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 2 BB, 7 K (stats for games from Aug. 30-Sept. 6)
It's been an up-and-down year for Red Sox prospect Stephen Fife. He's had 25 starts in which he allowed two or fewer runs and seven others in which he allowed five or more runs. Fife's two starts last week definitely fell into the former category. Against Binghamton on Tuesday, Fife tossed six innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits and fanning five. He didn't allow a hit until there was one out in the sixth inning. On Sunday, Fife was only slightly less effective, allowing two runs in five innings of another Portland win, this one over playoff-bound New Hampshire.

Southern League
Wade Miley, Mobile
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 10 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 0 BB, 16 K (stats for games from Aug. 30-Sept. 6)
A 2008 compensation-round pick, Wade Miley has found the Southern League to his liking since his late-June promotion. The D-backs prospect was 5-2 with a 1.98 ERA for the BayBears and capped off his season with two strikeout-filled starts last week. Both lasted five innings, and both saw the lefty record eight strikeouts. Miley was unscored upon in his Tuesday start against Chattanooga and allowed just a single unearned run in Sunday's win over Huntsville. Miley did not allow a walk in either start.

Texas League
Erik Davis, San Antonio
2-0, 0.64 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 6 BB, 15 K
Erik Davis, a 6-foot-4 righty working in the Padres system, rolled through each of his last two starts of the season. Facing Midland in San Antonio on Tuesday, Davis settled down after two first-inning free passes. He went six frames, giving up a run on two hits and four total walks while striking out five. Davis worked 1-2-3 innings in the second, third and fifth, but he was even tougher his next time out. On Sunday at Corpus Christi, he took a perfect game into the fifth inning, when he lost the leadoff hitter on balls. A single in the eighth ended his no-hit bid, but Davis still ended up with a pretty good game -- he struck out 10 and allowed two walks and one hit over eight dominating innings. Since arriving in Double-A, Davis is 4-0 with a 2.75 ERA.

California League
Juan Nicasio, Modesto
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 11 K
Juan Nicasio struck out the first batter he faced against Inland Empire on Friday night, which would turn out to be an omen. The Rockies prospect fanned 11 -- including three in the fifth inning -- and walked just one over the course of seven shutout innings. He surrendered five hits and picked up his 12th win of the campaign. Nicasio's 11 whiffs were the most he's compiled in a start since he piled up 12 in the Sally League on July 3 of last year.

Carolina League
Aaron Crow, Wilmington
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 13 K
Aaron Crow, the 12th overall pick of the 2009 Draft, has had an underwhelming first year as a pro (coming into his final start of the season, he's 9-9 with a 5.45 ERA across two levels), but he reminded the Royals what he's capable of with a commanding turn Wednesday. Crow whiffed a career-high 13 over 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He struck out the side in the first, struck out three in the fifth and fanned at least one in every inning he pitched.

Florida State League
Alex Wimmers, Fort Myers
2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 10 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 15 K
The Twins' first-round choice in this year's Draft, Alex Wimmers entered the week with a perfect ERA in the Florida State League. He had no intention of changing that in his Tuesday start. The former Ohio State standout tossed five no-hit innings against Palm Beach, striking out six and allowing just one walk. His next time out, on Sunday, he fanned nine over five frames, allowing a run on four hits and a walk.

Midwest League
Daniel Calhoun, Quad Cities
3-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 G, 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 6 K
Southpaw Daniel Calhoun put together three scoreless appearances for the River Bandits this week, earning three straight wins. He beat Cedar Rapids on Monday by entering in the seventh and striking out three over two frames. The Cardinals prospect came into Thursday's game against Wisconsin in the 10th and worked around a leadoff single in that frame in pitching two more scoreless innings. On Sunday, he kept a shutout against Peoria alive by tossing two no-hit innings.

South Atlantic League
Julio Rodriguez, Lakewood
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 11 K
Philies prospect Julio Rodriguez, who's pitching in his first season above the Gulf Coast League, followed up Aug. 28's 10-strikeout performance with another jaw-dropper this week. He piled up 11 K's while walking one and giving up two hits over six shutout innings against Kannapolis on Saturday. He gave up a one-out single in the first and a leadoff triple in the second but was all business from there on out. He struck out two in each inning from the third through the six.

New York-Penn League
Wilsen Palacios, Connecticut
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 10 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 9 K
Wilsen Palacios coasted through his Stateside debut this week, pitching four scoreless innings of relief against visiting Aberdeen on Wednesday. He came in to pitch the sixth and stuck around through the ninth, retiring highly touted O's first-rounder Manny Machado in his first inning of work. Again facing the IronBirds on Sunday, the Tigers prospect remained a puzzle. He gave up one hit and refused to issue a walk while striking out six over 6 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.

Northwest League
Josh Hungerman, Tri-City
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 10 K
Josh Hungerman, a 2009 pick of the Rockies, ate right through the Spokane lineup on Friday. He took a no-hitter into the fourth and, all told, gave up two singles and a walk while picking up 10 strikeouts over eight shutout innings. He fanned the last batter of the eighth before handing the game over to the bullpen. Hungerman leads the league with a 2.18 ERA, and his 77 punchouts are second best.

Appalachian League
Kyle Farrell, Danville
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 8 K
Kyle Farrell, whom the Braves took in the ninth round of the 2008 Draft, has shown terrific control all season. He finished his season with 47 strikeouts and seven walks over 64 2/3 innings, and eight of those whiffs came in his start this week. Pitching against Burlington on Tuesday, he unfurled five solid innings, giving up four hits and allowing a walk to pick up his fifth Appy League win.

Pioneer League
Paul Burnside, Great Falls
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 0 BB, 8 K
White Sox prospect Paul Burnside put a man aboard with a missed catch in the first inning of his start against Helena on Wednesday, but he didn't let the error get to him. He allowed three hits -- two of which came in the second inning -- while bulldozing through six scoreless frames. Burnside struck out eight, including the last two he faced, and he didn't allow anybody to reach on balls.