Pitchers of the Week

Here's a look at the top pitching performers in each league for the week ending May 5:

International League
Jake Odorizzi, Durham
(2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 12 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 4 BB, 9 K)
The right-handed Odorizzi has a lot going for him: he's the No. 42 prospect in the Minors; he plays for an organization renowned for developing young hurlers; he possesses four pitches. To all that you can add his contribution to the Durham Bulls' second-ever Triple-A no-hitter. After tossing five scoreless frames at Syracuse on Monday, Odorizzi held host Pawtucket without a hit for seven strong innings Sunday afternoon. A trio of relievers closed out the gem in a 2-1 victory, wrapping up the Bulls' eight-game northern road trip on a very high note.
Odorizzi gets big strikeout in Durham's no-hitter

Pacific Coast League
Jeremy Bonderman, Tacoma
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 7 K)
The 30-year-old Bonderman had not pitched since the 2010 season and was coming off April 2012 Tommy John surgery before signing a Minor League deal with the Mariners this winter. Though he failed to make the big league club out of Spring Training, he added a strong outing to his resume this week with eight innings of scoreless two-hit ball against Tucson on Thursday. The right-hander struck out a season-high seven while walking one in the longest start of his comeback bid.
Tacoma's Bonderman records seventh K

Eastern League
Danny Salazar, Akron
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 12 K)
Facing one of the top prospects in baseball, Altoona's Jameson Taillon, Salazar stepped up his game Thursday, fanning a career-high 12 batters in the Aeros' 4-1 victory. The 23-year-old Salazar, Cleveland's No. 8 prospect, has now allowed six hits and four walks while striking out 30 batters over 16 innings in his last three starts. The right-hander leads the Eastern League and ranks fourth in the Minors with 43 strikeouts on the season.
Salazar gets 12th strikeout

Southern League
Gus Schlosser, Mississippi
(2-0, 0.69 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 5 BB, 12 K)
Schlosser was the winningest pitcher in the Braves organization last year, going 13-7 with a 3.38 ERA. With a pair of victories this week, he's well on his way to matching that total. The 24-year-old right-hander held host Huntsville to one run over six innings Monday before tossing seven scoreless frames against Tennessee on Saturday. In his past three starts -- all wins -- Schlosser has allowed one run on nine hits while fanning 17 over 19 frames.

Texas League
Jake Buchanan, Corpus Christi
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 1 GS, 8 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 5 K)
It's not clear if Buchanan is a starter or a reliever -- he's made five starts and three relief appearances so far -- but no matter his role, he's been highly effective for the Hooks this season. The 23-year-old North Carolina State product tossed five scoreless innings, allowing three hits, against Midland on Tuesday, then worked 3 2/3 no-hit frames at San Antonio on Saturday night. Buchanan doesn't strike out many hitters -- he has 17 in 34 1/3 innings -- but he's issued just two walks and is holding Texas League hitters to a .169 average.
Hooks' Buchanan tosses fifth scoreless frame

California League
Garrett Gould, Rancho Cucamonga
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 8 K)
A second-round pick in 2009, Gould is not off to a good start in his second season in the Cal League -- he posted a 10.53 ERA in five April appearances. His outing Saturday night went a long way toward turning things around, though, as the 21-year-old right-hander struck out eight over six shutout innings in the Quakes' 6-0 win at San Jose. Gould gave up three hits in the victory, his first of the season.
Quakes' Gould records eighth strikeout

Carolina League
A.J. Cole, Potomac
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 9 K)
Having spent 2012 in the A's organization, Cole is back with the Nationals and ranked as the No. 4 prospect in their system. Cole dominated the Midwest League with Burlington last year, but struggled mightily at the Class A Advanced level, going 0-7 with a 7.82 ERA in eight starts for Stockton in the California League. The 21-year-old righty has prospered back east this year and notched his first victory with Potomac on Friday, fanning nine over six scoreless frames. The strong outing gave Cole 34 strikeouts on the season, seventh-most in the Carolina League.
Potomac's A.J. Cole gets his seventh 'K'

Florida State League
Drew Gagnon, Brevard County
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 10 K)
After yielding 18 runs over 16 2/3 innings in his first four starts, Gagnon has turned things around with two strong outings in a row. The Brewers' No. 14 prospect held Dunedin to two hits in 5 1/3 scoreless frames on April 26, then tossed seven perfect innings, striking out 10, at Bradenton on Wednesday afternoon. Despite all the strikeouts, Gagnon needed just 84 pitches to get through the seven frames. Reliever Seth Harvey surrendered a one-out single in the eighth as the Manatees went on to edge the Marauders, 1-0, in a rain-shortened eight-inning one-hitter.

Midwest League
Tyrell Jenkins, Peoria
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 5 K)
Cardinals No. 7 prospect Tyrell Jenkins had neither reached the sixth inning nor allowed fewer than three runs in any of his first four starts. Indeed, the right-hander had never pitched past the sixth inning in his four years as a pro. That changed drastically on Sunday afternoon as the 20-year-old Texan went the distance in a nine-inning three-hit shutout of visiting Fort Wayne. Jenkins fanned five, walked one and at one point set down 16 TinCaps in a row. Though the gem was Jenkins' first win of the season, he felt it was only a precursor of what's to come, telling MiLB.com, "This is just a starting point and I'll try to throw a no-hitter next time out on Friday."

South Atlantic League
Orlando Castro, West Virginia
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 7 K)
Castro made 17 relief appearances (and one start) for the Power in 2012, posting a 4.76 ERA over 45 1/3 innings. Working exclusively as a starter this spring, the 21-year-old southpaw has been one of the most consistently impressive pitchers in the league. His strongest outing of the campaign came against Greensboro on Friday, in which he tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits while fanning a season-high seven. In 33 innings this season, Castro has struck out 29 and walked one, and he ranks second in the Sally League in WHIP (0.82) and fifth in ERA (1.36).