TWitM: The Naturals toss a no-no

The Naturals and River Bandits are tossing up some goose eggs.

This Week in the Minors is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less-heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: “Who had a good week?”

Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers (10-9, 2 games back)

The Storm Chasers took 3 of 5 from Norfolk, with the series finale cancelled due to rain. Nick Loftin had a four-hit game to start the series, and hit 7-for-15 (.467) for the week with nine walks. He is second in all of minor league baseball in walks with 24 for the year and is hitting .323/.511/.435. Harold Castro went 6-for-17 (.353) with a triple and a steal this week, and is hitting .302 for the year. Brian O’Keefe hit his first two home runs of the year, hitting them in back-to-back games.

Nick Gordon went 6-for-18 (.333) with a steal and is hitting .281/.361/.344 in 10 games since joining the Storm Chasers. After a slow start, Nick Pratto is starting to get going, hitting 5-for-10 (.500) and he even pitched a scoreless inning in a blowout 15-6 loss.

It was a bit of a rough week for Omaha starting pitchers. Jacob Wallace gave the Storm Chasers five scoreless innings of relief in two outings with three strikeouts. Junior Fernandez picked up his first two saves of the season this week and has a 3.72 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 9 ²⁄₃ innings. Austin Cox struck out six in three innings, giving up one run in his two relief outings. Ryan Brady was promoted up from Double-A and tossed two scoreless innings in his debut.

The only thing that can cool Cam Devanney down is injury - he landed on the Injured List with hamstring soreness with Dustin Dickerson called up to replace him. Pitcher Tyson Guerrero was moved to the developmental list, but that may just be a procedural move.

Double-A Northwest Arkansas (8-7, 3 games back)

The Naturals split their six-game series with San Antonio but the highlight was on Tuesday when Ryan Ramsey, Chazz Martinez, Ryan Brady, and Brandon Johnson combined for a no-hitter, the fourth in club history and the first since 2013. Ramsey struck out six in 5 ²⁄₃ innings, and Naturals pitchers allowed just two walks all night.

Ramsey would give up a hit in his next start, but allowed just two runs in five innings with six strikeouts to improve to 2-0 on the year. The Naturals would toss another shutout on Saturday, when Henry Williams, Anderson Paulino, Ben Sears, Nataniel Garabios, and Martinez combined for 12 shutout innings with 16 strikeouts as the Naturals put up six runs in the twelfth to win. Ben Kudrna had a solid start on Friday, giving up three runs (two earned) in five innings with four strikeouts. Brandon Johnson retired 10 of 11 hitters he faced this week, allowing just a walk while striking out four, lowering his ERA to 2.16.

Peyton Wilson was named Texas League Player of the Week after hitting 11-for-26 (.423) with three doubles, two triples, a home run, and a steal. He’s hitting .444/.546/.815 and leads the Texas League with a 1.360 OPS with a strikeout rate of just 13.6 percent. Infielder Jordan Groshans hit 7-for-19 (.368) with two doubles and 5 RBI. Jac Caglianone snapped a 1-for-24 slump with a three-hit day on Saturday with his fourth home run of the year, then two more hits on Sunday.

Pitcher Stephen Zobac landed on the Injured List with right knee patella tendinitis.

High-A Quad Cities River Bandits (10-4, first place)

The River Bandits took four of five from Beloit, and were up 3-0 when their game Sunday was suspended due to rain, to be made up in May. They shut out the Sky Carp on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with Felix Arronde (5 shutout innings), Drew Beam (6 shutout innings with six strikeouts), and Hunter Patteson (6 shutout innings) keeping runs off the board. Arronde (0.79) and Patteson (0.54) are both in the top four of the league for lowest ERA. Frank Mozzicato gave up just one unearned run and one hit in five innings, lowering his ERA to 1.72. Logan Martin struck out eight in five innings, allowing just one run to pick up his first win on Friday. The River Bandits have the lowest team ERA in the league at 2.46.

Outfielder Erick Torres is off to a sensational start, extending his hitting streak to eight games including a three-hit day on Saturday. He hit 6-for-13 (.462) with 3 RBI for the week and is hitting .441/.513/.529 for the year. Shortstop Daniel Vazquez got his bat going after a slow start, hitting 7-for-18 (.389) with a double, triple, and two steals. Carter Frederick went 7-for-22 (.318) with two doubles, a triple, and a steal, although he struck out 10 times. 2024 draft pick Sam Kulasingam continues to show he belongs, hitting 5-for-18 (.278) with two doubles, a triple, and three steals.

Low-A Columbia Fireflies (9-6, first place)

The Fireflies took four of six from Kannapolis, tying a season-high in runs scored on Wednesday in a 12-6 romp. Asbel Gonzalez was on fire, hitting 9-for-21 (.429) with seven steals and five walks. He leads all of the minors with 20 steals in 25 attempts. Catcher Ramon Ramirez smacked two home runs this week, swiping two bases as well, and hitting 7-for-21 (.333). Infielder Colton Becker hit his first home run of the year, going 4-for-18 (.222) with five walks and three steals. Brennon McNair hit his first home run of the year, going 5-for-20 (.250) with three steals.

Tanner Jones earned his first win of the year on Friday, giving up two runs in five innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Yunior Marte gave three runs - two earned - in four innings with five strikeouts in his start on Wednesday. Mason Miller tossed four scoreless innings of relief with seven strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 1.69. Henson Leal gave up one earned run in 4 1/3 innings of relief to lower his ERA to 0.90.

Catcher Hyungchan Um landed on the Injured List, and catcher Gabriel Silva was brought up from the Arizona Complex League to replace him. The team also released pitcher Jonatan Bernal.