Cannonballs coming: Frank Duncan throws eight shutout innings

Lots of pitching goodness today.

-- Frank Duncan (pictured) threw eight shutout innings against one of the International League's best-hitting teams as Indianapolis (60-61) beat Lehigh Valley, 6-0.  Duncan needed just 88 pitches and allowed only three hits and a walk, while fanning six.  He gave up just one hit and no walks in the first seven innings before pitching out of a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the eighth, which may be the reason he didn't get a chance to go for the complete game.  Duncan now has a 2.20 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, with a solid K/9 of 7.4; he's more than held his own on a pitching staff loaded with better known prospects.  Alen Hanson, Austin Meadows and Jose Osuna all went 2-4.  Meadows had a double.  The bottom of the order produced a pair of longballs, Jacob Stallings hitting his sixth and Gift Ngoepe his seventh.

-- Altoona (65-52) beat Reading, 5-2.  Clay Holmes scuffled a little early, which seems to be common for him, but he recovered to throw six strong innings.  He gave up a run on five hits and a walk, while striking out six.  Elvis Escobar and Erich Weiss each went 3-5.  Escobar had a triple, and Weiss his fifth HR and three RBIs.  Barrett Barnes was 2-4 with a double and his third HR.  Chris Stewart started his rehab, catching seven innings and going 1-2 with a walk.

Kevin Newman:  1-4
Eric Wood:  0-1, 3 BB
Jared Lakind:  2 IP, H, ER, 3 K

-- Bradenton (59-56) beat St. Lucie, 7-4.  J.T. Brubaker gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings.  He fanned six.  Connor Joe went 3-4 with a double and a walk.  He's now hitting 274/341/390 after a very bad start.  After drawing 13 walks and striking out 41 times in April and May, he's had 23 walks and 31 strikeouts since.  Catcher Christian Kelley went 2-5 in his debut at the level.

Cole Tucker:  1-5
Tito Polo:  1-3, BB
Kevin Kramer:  2-5
Luis Heredia:  IP, H, 2 R, ER, BB, 2 K

-- West Virginia (60-57) scored all of its runs in the first three innings and stomped Delmarva, 12-1.  Mitch Keller threw five innings, allowing four hits and a walk, and striking out seven.  He threw 84 pitches, but had to throw in the bullpen while his teammates batted in a long inning.  That probably kept him from pitching another inning in the game.  Taylor Hearn followed with three scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk, and striking out another seven.  Hearn was sitting at 96-97 and hitting 99.  Seth McGarry struck out two in the ninth, although he allowed a run, which left the Power with 16 strikeouts on the game.  Ryan Nagle went 4-5 and Mitchell Tolman 3-5 with a double.  John Bormann hit his second HR, a three-run shot.

Logan Ratledge:  2-4, BB, 3 R
Logan Hill:  0-5, 3 K

-- Morgantown (24-30) lost to Brooklyn, 14-7.  Cam Vieaux had a rough start, allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits in three and two-thirds innings.  He walked one and struck out six.  Sandy Santos went 3-4 with three doubles.

Nick King:  2-5, 3 RBI
Stephen Alemais:  2-5, 2B
Will Craig:  0-4, BB, 3 K

-- Bristol (19-29) lost to Danville in ten innings, 5-4.  Starter Nick Economos gave up three runs, one earned, on five hits in five innings.  He walked none and struck out three.  Victor Fernandez went 2-2 with a double before being replaced.

Adrian Valerio:  1-4

-- The GCL Pirates (17-24) lost to the Tigers East, 5-2.  Nick Kingham got hit around some in another rehab outing, allowing eight hits and four runs, three earned, in five innings.  He walked none and struck out four.  Kingham isn't matching Jameson Taillon's triumphant return from TJ, but then probably few pitchers ever have.  Luis Benitez went 3-5 and drove in both runs.

Edison Lantigua:  1-4, BB
Yondry Contreras:  0-5, 3 K

-- The DSL Pirates (25-34) blanked the Indians, 7-0.  Rodolfo Castro went 3-4 with a double and Gabriel Brito 2-4.  The resurgent Jeremias Portorreal, who seems to be putting things together in the second half of his third DSL season, went 2-3 with a walk.  Adonis Pichardo threw five innings, allowing three hits and two walks, and striking out three.