PCL1 Omaha Storm Chasers

PCL Awards Mendoza Pitcher of the Week

Published on August 22, 2011 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


OMAHA, Neb. - The Pacific Coast League has named Luis Mendoza its Pitcher of the Week for August 15-21, the league office announced Monday. The 6-foot-3 righthander went 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA over 13 innings pitched, defeating the Tacoma Rainiers Tuesday and the Nashville Sounds Sunday.

On August 16 at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, the Veracruz, Mexico native held the Rainiers to two runs on five hits over six innings, walking two while striking out five in a 3-2 Storm Chasers win. Five days later, he held the Sounds to one run (unearned) on five hits in seven innings of work, helping Omaha to a 5-3 victory. The win was his first of the season at Werner Park.

With the strong week, Mendoza improved upon an already remarkable 2011 campaign. He is 10-5 with a 2.18 ERA, including a 9-2 record with a 1.23 ERA since May 26. He was named to the PCL All-Star squad after posting a 1.05 ERA in the month of June, and has kept it going with a 1.45 ERA since the break. His 2.18 ERA is 0.90 better than any other pitcher in the league.

The 27-year-old is in his 11th professional season and second in the Kansas City system. He began his career as a 17-year-old in the Venezuelan Summer League as a member of the Boston Red Sox organization, before having a breakthrough 2007 season with Double-A Frisco in the Texas Rangers' system. That year he went 15-4 with a 3.93 ERA for the RoughRiders, earning a call-up to the majors to pitch for the Rangers. He has split time between Triple-A and the big leagues ever since, including a four-game stint in the Kansas City Royals' bullpen at the beginning of the 2010 campaign.

Mendoza becomes the second Storm Chasers hurler to win a Pitcher of the Week Award during the 2011 season, joining Danny Duffy from April 25-May 1. He is the sixth different Omaha pitcher to be honored by the league since July 19, 2010.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 22, 2011


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