Pitchers of the Week

Here's a look at the top pitching performers in each league for the week ending Aug. 11:

International League
Pat Dean, Rochester
(1-0, 1.23 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 2/3 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 3 BB, 10 K)
A third-round pick out of Boston College in 2010, Dean arrived in Triple-A last week and made the most of his first two International League opportunities. In his debut at Durham on Monday, the left-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished with seven scoreless frames. Dean was nearly as good at Norfolk on Saturday, allowing two runs on six hits over 7 2/3 innings. After posting a 6-11 record and 4.68 ERA in 22 starts for Double-A New Britain, the 24-year-old is off to a flying start with the Red Wings.

Pacific Coast League
Mike Kickham, Fresno
(2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 7 K)
On July 31, Kickham took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Round Rock for his first win since May 23. The 24-year-old left-hander kept rolling last week, holding Albuquerque to four hits over six scoreless frames Monday, then limiting host Iowa to two hits over eight scoreless innings Sunday. Kickham improved to 6-7 with a 4.41 ERA in 19 PCL starts with the two victories.

Eastern League
Mark Cohoon, Binghamton
(2-0, 0.69 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 1 CG, 13 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 2 HBP, 2 BB, 6 K)
Something about the second week of August brings out the best in Cohoon, a 25-year-old left-hander. He was named EL Pitcher of the Week 364 days ago and earned it again last week with a pair of victories for the B-Mets. Though Cohoon's EL stats were actually better last year -- he had a 3.62 ERA with a .268 average against in 2012; those numbers are 4.07 and .306 this season -- the Texas native has won four straight starts for first-place Binghamton and has not lost since June 5.

Southern League
Eric Jokisch, Tennessee
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 4 BB, 8 K)
Jokisch came into Tuesday's game at first-place Jacksonville -- winners of 11 straight games -- having lost his last three starts while allowing 14 earned runs over 16 innings. Naturally, the 24-year-old Northwestern product went on to toss Tennessee's first no-hitter since 2007. Jokisch fanned eight and walked four in the gem, which was both his first nine-inning complete game and first shutout in 69 career starts. Jokisch had just come off the disabled list after suffering shoulder spasms, but the injury may have been a blessing in disguise -- it prompted him to abandon his curveball in favor of a hybrid slider/cutter that was evidently very effective.

Texas League
Tim Cooney, Springfield
(0-0, 1.13 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 10 K)
Like Jokisch, Cooney had struggled in recent outings, allowing 14 runs -- 10 earned on 15 hits over 6 1/3 innings in his previous two starts. Though the Wake Forest product didn't match Jokisch's no-hitter, he rebounded with eight strong frames against visiting Frisco on Thursday, fanning a season-high 10 batters while allowing one run. Though he did not get a victory, the 22-year-old southpaw leads the Cardinals system with nine wins and 121 strikeouts on the season.

California League
Tanner Peters, Stockton
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 14 K)
On Aug. 3, the Modesto Nuts scored four runs on seven hits off Peters in six innings. Six days later they barely got a knick off the 23-year-old right-hander, who retired the first 25 batters he faced before yielding a one-out double in the ninth. Peters struck out a career-high 14 batters to give him 132 on the season -- second-most in the A's organization and third-most in the Cal League. He has won his last four decisions to improve to 11-5.

Carolina League
Alec Asher, Myrtle Beach
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 6 K)
Another strikeout fiend -- his 117 are second-most in the Carolina League and rank third in the Rangers system -- Asher fanned 10 on Aug. 4 but gave up four runs over six frames in a loss to Frederick. A week later the 21-year-old right-hander only fanned six Keys but earned a win after tossing eight scoreless innings. Asher had surrendered five home runs over his previous five starts but held the Keys to just three singles in Sunday's 6-0 win.

Florida State League
Zack Dodson, Bradenton
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 3 BB, 5 K)
Things got a little weird after he departed -- the Marauders nearly blew a 5-0 lead only to win on a triple play -- but Dodson was the real story behind Bradenton's 5-3 victory. The 23-year-old left-hander pitched seven no-hit innings, fanning five and walking three to win for the fourth time in five starts. After going 1-5 with a 5.32 ERA in the first half of the season, Dodson is 4-3 with a 4.11 mark in the second half.

Midwest League
Jose Berrios, Cedar Rapids
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 7 K)
A first-round pick (32nd overall) in 2012, Berrios is in his first full season with the Kernels after turning 19 in late May. On Saturday night the right-hander -- Minnesota's No. 6 prospect -- went a career-high 7 1/3 frames while holding host Kane County to a pair of hits in a 6-0 whitewash. Berrios struck out seven and walked just one after issuing six free passes in his previous start. He is 5-1 with a 2.98 ERA in nine road outings.

South Atlantic League
Seth Lugo, Savannah
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 11 K)
Lugo missed all of the 2012 season after undergoing lumbar fusion surgery and got off to a slow start with Brooklyn earlier this summer, going 2-4 with a 4.19 ERA in seven starts. The Mets prospect has flourished since his promotion to full-season Savannah, however, fanning 10 in his first game on Aug. 4 and whiffing 11 Hickory Crawdads over seven scoreless innings Saturday. Including the nine strikeouts Lugo rang up in his final Brooklyn start, the 34th-round pick in 2011 has 30 in his last three outings.

New York-Penn League
Daniel McGrath, Lowell
(2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 1 GS, 7 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 10 K)
Just 19 years old and some 10,000 miles from home, it wouldn't be surprising if McGrath needed some time to adjust to baseball in the States. The Australian-born (extra-)southpaw has needed very little, retiring all 22 batters he faced last week -- 10 by strikeout. McGrath came on in relief for the Spinners at Mahoning Valley on Tuesday to set down seven straight Scrappers, then started his Sunday game at Staten Island by fanning five in a row and cruising through five perfect frames. In 17 innings with Lowell, McGrath has struck out 19 and walked one.

Northwest League
Abel De Los Santos, Spokane
(2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 3 K)
After serving primarily as a starter over the last three seasons, De Los Santos has exclusively relieved for Spokane this season. The 20-year-old right-hander is still getting his share of strikeouts, though, with 40 (while walking seven) over 32 innings. In a pair of appearances out of the bullpen last week, De Los Santos earned two victories while allowing one hit. He's holding Northwest League hitters to a .183 average.

Appalachian League
Hein Robb, Elizabethton
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 9 K)
Like McGrath, Robb is a young left-hander thriving a long way from home. The 21-year-old South Africa native, now in his second season with the E-Twins, suffered some bad luck losses earlier this summer to fall to 0-4. There was no bad luck against Johnson City on Wednesday as Robb tossed a two-hit nine-inning shutout. Robb notched a career-high nine strikeouts -- all swinging -- and did not walk a batter for the second consecutive start.

Pioneer League
Jake Sanchez, Great Falls
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 6 K)
An undrafted free agent signed out of the independent Frontier League, Sanchez has put up good numbers in his first taste of affiliated baseball. The right-hander, who turns 24 next week, leads the Pioneer League in both strikeouts (56) and WHIP (1.00). Sanchez held visiting Billings to four hits over seven scoreless frames on Wednesday to even his record at 2-2, fanning six and walking one.