Pitchers of the Week

Here's a look at the top pitching performers in each league for the week ending Aug. 25:

International League
Blaine Hardy, Toledo
(2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 16 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 3 BB, 9 K)
Whether starting or relieving, in the Eastern League or the International League, Hardy has been overwhelming in his first season in the Tigers organization. After making 21 relief appearances for Erie and Toledo, the 26-year-old southpaw moved into the Mud Hens rotation on July 14. He's 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA in eight starts, including a pair of scoreless outings last week. Hardy one-hit visiting Gwinnett on Monday, then held host Louisville to three hits over seven scoreless frames Sunday. In all, Hardy has held opposing hitters to a .191 average this season.

Pacific Coast League
Taijuan Walker, Tacoma
(2-0, 0.82 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 11 IP, 9H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 2 HBP, 6 BB, 15 K)
Walker, who turned 21 earlier this month, came into the week having dropped three of his previous four starts. The right-hander got back into the win column Tuesday after holding visiting Colorado Springs to three hits over five scoreless frames, then earned his ninth victory of the season at Tucson on Sunday, allowing one run while fanning nine in six innings. Walker ranks fifth in the Minor Leagues with 160 strikeouts and has held Southern League and Pacific Coast League hitters to a .217 average overall.

Eastern League
Darin Gorski, Binghamton
(1-0, 1.84 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 14 2/3 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 4 BB, 10 K)
Gorski began the season with Triple-A Las Vegas, where he fared poorly before being sidelined with an injury. Back in Binghamton, where he won nine games last year, the 25-year-old left-hander has been brilliant -- he's 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA in 13 outings, with his only loss coming in a complete-game three-hitter. Last week he had a pair of sharp outings, holding Bowie to one run in seven innings Monday before limiting host Akron to three hits over 7 2/3 frames Saturday. Since returning from his injury, Gorski has held Eastern League hitters to a .179 average.

Southern League
Gary Moran, Mississippi
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 5 K)
August did not begin well for the 6-foot-8 Moran -- in outings on Aug. 3 and Aug. 8, he gave up a combined nine runs on 12 hits over 6 1/3 innings. The 28-year-old right-hander has been splendid ever since, culminating in a pair of scoreless outings last week. Moran allowed just one hit in five innings at Montgomery in a start Monday and worked three innings of shutout relief against Huntsville on Saturday.

Texas League
Matt Wisler, San Antonio
(0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 11 K)
A seventh-round pick in 2011, the 20-year-old Wisler is moving rapidly through the Padres system for good reason: in five August starts covering 25 innings, he's allowed one run on nine hits while striking out 31. The Padres have kept the right-hander on a short leash -- he's gone more than five innings just twice in his last nine starts -- but he's managed to impress even in limited action. Last week he yielded just three hits over nine scoreless frames. Wisler owns a 1.71 ERA in 12 second-half starts.

California League
Jonathan Gray, Modesto
(2-0, 0.90 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 10 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 18 K)
When Gray said that his rough pro debut for Grand Junction was a blessing in disguise, he wasn't blowing smoke. After four so-so Pioneer League outings, Gray jumped to the Cal League, where he has been utterly dominant. The 21-year-old Oklahoma product gave up 15 hits in 13 1/3 innings with Grand Junction; in 24 innings with Modesto, he's allowed just 10 hits while striking out 36. Gray earned his second Cal League Pitcher of the Week award of the month by fanning 18 batters over 10 innings last week. Gray improved to 4-0 with a 0.75 ERA and .128 average against in five Class A Advanced appearances.

Carolina League
Blake Schwartz, Potomac
(0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 4 K)
A.J. Cole and Robbie Ray, both since departed for Double-A Harrisburg, may have been bigger names on the Potomac pitching staff, but Schwartz has quietly put together perhaps the strongest campaign of the three. Schwartz improved to 13-4 last week -- and did not earn a decision after pitching nine scoreless innings against Wilmington on Saturday night. The 23-year-old right-hander does not have overwhelming strikeout stuff -- he's fanned 75 in 123 Carolina League innings -- but he leads the league with a 1.03 WHIP and has yielded only seven home runs in 21 starts for the P-Nats.

Florida State League
Scott Lyman, Jupiter
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 5 K)
After going 4-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 20 starts for Class A Greensboro, Lyman has thrived since joining the Hammerheads on July 31. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed six scoreless innings at St. Lucie on Aug. 16, then topped it with seven shutout frames at Charlotte on Friday. Though Lyman's ERA has improved in the FSL and he has yet to allow a home run, Lyman's strikeout rate has dropped dramatically: after fanning 102 in 105 innings with Greensboro, he's struck out 13 (and walked 15) in 26 1/3 Florida State League frames.

Midwest League
Zachary Bird, Great Lakes
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 6 K)
A ninth-round pick in 2012, Bird began the season with the Loons but was reassigned to Rookie-level Ogden after posting a 5.71 ERA in 15 appearances. Bird's Pioneer League ERA was no better at 5.77, but he returned -- now 19 years old -- to Great Lakes on Aug. 16. After taking a loss in his first game back, the young right-hander stifled visiting Lansing on Wednesday, allowing three hits over six scoreless frames. Bird has had issues with left-handed hitters (.308) but has held Midwest League righties to a .186 average.

South Atlantic League
Joe Kurrasch, Augusta
(2-0, 0.71 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 12 2/3 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 4 BB, 18 K)
Like Bird, Kurrasch spent time in short-season ball earlier this year. The left-hander went 2-4 with a 5.03 ERA in nine outings with Salem-Keizer, allowing 45 hits in just 34 innings. Stepping up a level to the Sally League this month, the 22-year-old Penn State product has been brilliant: he's 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA in six outings (three starts). After tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings against Savannah on Monday, Kurrasch's miracle month was capped by a career-high 12 strikeouts at Hickory on Sunday. The southpaw gave up one run on two hits over a season-high seven innings in the win.

New York-Penn League
Robert Gsellman, Brooklyn
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 13 K)
A 13th-round pick in 2011, Gsellman has bounced around this season: two starts for Class A Advanced St. Lucie, five starts for Class A Savannah and 11 more for Brooklyn. He's been solid at all three stops, but best in Coney Island, where he owns a 1.60 ERA. On Saturday he fanned a career-high 13 Vermont Lake Monsters over eight scoreless, two-hit frames to earn his sixth win of the season.

Northwest League
Ross Gerdeman, Hillsboro
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 9 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 8 K)
In the first half of the Northwest League season, Hillsboro was a league-worst 11-27. In the second half, the Hops have a league-leading 19-12 record. Mirroring the team's transformation is that of Gerdeman, who was 0-4 with a 5.30 ERA in July, then 2-1 with a 1.52 mark in August. The 23-year-old right-hander earned his first career shutout Thursday, scattering seven hits while fanning eight over nine strong frames in a 5-0 win at Eugene.

Appalachian League
Chris Flexen, Kingsport
(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, 1 BB, 11 K)
A 14th-round pick in 2012, Flexen was one of a handful of Mets prospects to return to Kingsport for a second Appy League campaign. The results have been strong. On Tuesday he won his seventh consecutive decision in a two-hit shutout of visiting Burlington. The gem, in which the 19-year-old right-hander fanned 11, was Flexen's first nine-inning shutout and second overall.

Pioneer League
Luis Santos, Idaho Falls
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 7 K)
Acquired from the Pirates last winter, Santos has been strong in his first stateside action in the Royals organization this season. After going 4-1 in seven starts for Burlington in the Appalachian League, the 22-year-old right-hander reported to Idaho Falls on Aug. 14, when he held visiting Billings to one run on three hits over seven innings. Seven days later the Chukars traveled to Billings, where Santos was even stronger: he struck out seven Mustangs while allowing one hit in seven scoreless frames.