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Pitchers of the Week

For the week ending May 11
May 12, 2014

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

International League
Charlie Leesman, Charlotte
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 9 K)
Leesman established season highs with eight innings pitched and nine strikeouts Friday in a 5-3 win over Buffalo -- his first victory of the 2014 campaign -- but what's more impressive is the history he's made thanks to the gem. The 27-year-old left-hander's career ERA in Charlotte stands at 2.83, which is tied for the lowest in franchise history with John Salles. Leesman, who struggled in a spot start with the White Sox in late April (2 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER), stands fourth in the IL with a 1.70 ERA in six starts this season.

Pacific Coast League
Chris Rusin, Iowa
(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, 2 BB, 3 K)<
Rusin had this sewed up by the time the ball had fallen into the webbing of Matt Szczur's outstretched glove last Wednesday. With that final out, the 27-year-old left-hander had completed the PCL's first no-hitter since 2009. (You can read our recap of the historic event here.) This is his second career Minor League Pitcher of the Week award with his previous honor coming in May 2012 with the I-Cubs. Rusin is 2-4 with a 3.58 ERA in six Triple-A starts this season.
Highlights, images from the no-hitter

Eastern League
Greg Peavey, Binghamton
(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, 6 K)
Sometimes all you need is a little help from your family. Peavey tossed the first shutout of his four-year Minor League career in the B-Mets' 6-0 win over New Hampshire on Wednesday. In a cool twist to the story, the 25-year-old right-hander had been joined by his wife and infant son before his previous start. He is 2-0 and has allowed only one earned run in two starts (15 innings) with his family in attendance. Through five starts, Peavey owns a 3.16 ERA and ranks second in the EL with a 0.89 WHIP.

Southern League
Tyler Cravy, Huntsville
(2-0, 0.69 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 1 BB, 14 K)
When the Huntsville Stars need a win, they turn to Cravy. The 24-year-old right-hander has now earned the win in five straight starts and is the Southern League leader with six wins. After starting the season in the bullpen, Cravy reached season highs with seven innings pitched and nine strikeouts at Chattanooga on Saturday. His 1.93 ERA and 0.80 WHIP rank seventh and second, respectively, in the Southern League.

Texas League
Kyle Hald, Springfield
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 7 K)
After struggling through his worst Minor League season (5-8, 4.42 ERA in 24 starts) at Class A Advanced Palm Beach in 2013, Hald bounced back nicely in his return to the FSL, going 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in two starts there. He moved up to Double-A ball in late April and has been even better there, capped by his performance Tuesday against Tulsa. The 24-year-old left-hander is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA, 19 strikeouts and a .195 batting average-against in four starts (22 1/3 innings) with Springfield.

California League
Matt Buschmann, Stockton
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 7 K)
It's not often that a rehabbing veteran earns one of these spots, but Buschmann's second start with Stockton was too difficult to ignore. After signing with the A's in the offseason, the 30-year-old right-hander made only two starts with Triple-A Sacramento before an elbow strain put him on the DL. He moved to the Cal League to rehab and flirted with history in his second start with the Ports on Friday. It's the third California League Pitcher of the Week award for Buschmann, who also won it twice with Lake Elsinore back in 2007. He has since returned to the Sacramento roster.

Carolina League
Lay Batista, Lynchburg
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 7 K)
Batista signed with the Braves as a free agent last offseason and struggled out of the gate, allowing seven runs on eight hits and seven walks in 7 2/3 innings for Double-A Mississippi. He was sent to Lynchburg to find his footing, and it appears that's exactly what's he's done. Following his six-inning gem against Wilmington on Thursday, the right-hander has allowed just one run on five hits and two walks while fanning eight in two starts (nine innings).

Florida State League
Jed Bradley, Brevard County
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 7 K)
In case it wasn't evident yet, it is now: Jed Bradley seems to have this Florida State League thing figured out. Now in his third season with Brevard County, the 6-foot-4 left-hander is collecting his second Pitcher of the Week award of both the season and his career following a 6 2/3-inning scoreless performance against Daytona. He ranks second in the FSL with 42 strikeouts in 39 innings and ranks fourth with a 1.00 WHIP, thanks to only seven walks in that span.

Midwest League
Adam Plutko, Lake County
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 13 K)
Plutko put together with an outing made for Ashley Marshall's weekly Game Scores series on our PROSPECTive blog. (Find out where it ranks among the best starts of the season later this week.) The former UCLA right-hander reached a career high with 13 strikeouts, trumping the 10 spot he put up in 4 2/3 innings April 23, and his eight frames were three more than his previous high, set in consecutive starts on April 28 and May 3. He sits atop the Midwest League leaderboard with 49 strikeouts this season and has shown impressive control with only 10 walks in 35 1/3 innings.

South Atlantic League
Frank Lopez, Hickory
(0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 9 K)
Lopez is back in Hickory for the second consecutive season, and the return trip has gone decidedly better. The 20-year-old left-hander set a career high with nine strikeouts Saturday night against Augusta in his third scoreless start of the 2014 season. He ranks in the South Atlantic League top 10 in ERA (1.38, fifth), strikeouts (36, sixth), BB/9 (1.65, ninth) and K/BB (6.00, sixth).

Sam Dykstra is a contributor to MiLB.com.