Player/Pitcher of the Week

Carolina League - Kory Casto, Potomac 7 G, 27 AB, 9 R, 12 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 11 RBI, .444 AVG, .531 OBP, 1.111 SLG, 0 SB Now that Leo Daigle is gone, Kory Casto may very well be the best hitter in the Carolina League. The 23-year-old third baseman won the league's Offensive Player of the Week award for the second time in three weeks and the third time this season by cranking six home runs and driving in 11 runs for Potomac last week. Casto nearly single-handedly beat Salem on July 18, when he went 3-for-5 with a pair of homers, three runs scored and three RBIs in a 6-4 win. That outburst sparked quite a run for University of Portland product as he homered in each of his next three games and drove in 10 runs in a four-game span. Casto's home run streak ended July 22, but he was back at it in the Nationals' next game, going 2-for-4 with another homer -- his team-leading 19th of the season. On the season, he ranks second in the league in RBIs (70), hits (109), extra-base hits (48) and runs scored (64), third in homers (19) and fourth in slugging percentage (.550). Eastern League - Armando Galarraga, Harrisburg 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 0 SV After being signed by the Expos at the age of 16 and spending his first five seasons at the Rookie level, Armando Galarraga is beginning to flourish. The 23-year-old Venezuelan tossed his first career complete-game shutout on July 19, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning and limiting the Trenton Thunder to just three hits and a walk while striking out seven. He is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in four starts with Harrisburg since his promotion at the end of June and hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 16 innings. Galarraga was 3-4 with a 2.48 ERA in 14 starts at Class A Potomac, striking out 79 batters in 80 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .228 average.