Cubs pitching prospect Sean Gallagher struck out 12 Oklahoma RedHawks on Tuesday, while allowing only one run on three hits over 7 2/3 innings.

“The fact that this game came against the RedHawks made it even better, because that team is stacked with players who have spent time in the Majors,” said Gallagher. “When you face a team like that, it serves as a real test of your abilities.”

If you don’t know, now you know. Diamondbacks pitching prospect Max Scherzer hasn’t allowed a run yet this season. In his last appearance, a no-decision in the Triple-A Tuscon Sidewinders’ loss to the Sacramento River Cats yesterday, he threw 5 innings of two-hit ball with 7 Ks. In 3 starts for Tuscon, Scherzer has pitched 17 innings with 29 Ks, with a .121 BAA. That’s 15.4 k/9 for those of you scoring at home.

Rotoauthority.com compares Scherzer’s numbers to how Tim Lincecum started out (only better), also mentioning that some scouts think he’d be better as a closer than a starter (but they said that about Lincecum too). The former No. 1 draft pick has good command of 4 pitches, which should serve him well in the bigs. Be aware of a possible call up for Scherzer.

Royals pitching prospect Luke Hochevar may get called up to start Sunday after the Royals placed starter John Bale on the 15-day DL to recover from a “dead arm”.  He may be a good spot-start option for fantasy owners, as he is pitching very well at Triple-A Omaha with 12 strikeouts in 17.1 innings and a 2.60 ERA in three starts and is regarded as one of the top prospects in the minors.  If Hochevar pitches well and Bale is out for longer than expected he could be a great long term roster addition as well.

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune’s baseball blog “Hardball” reports that three White Sox pitching prospects have “gotten mixed results” in their last appearances. Aaron Poreda, the hard-throwing left-hander, struck out 5 and allowed only 1 run in 5 innings of work for Class-A Winston-Salem. Kyle McCulloch pitched 6 shutout innings for Double-A Birmingham. Lance Broadway went 8 innings, giving up only 1 earned run for Triple-A Charlotte.

Oakland left-hander Greg Smith is looking sharp after his first two big league starts, earning the win Monday against the White Sox. Smith, acquired by the A’s in the Dan Haren trade, also pitched 6 good innings against the Blue Jays last Wednesday, giving up 2 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) in a no-decision. Buster Olney likes his pickoff move too, which he used to catch Jermaine Dye in the 7th inning. Even in shallower fantasy leagues, owners would be wise to take a flier on Smith.

The Detroit Tigers’ big league club has been struggling mightily, but their Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A teams each have winning records. Lynn Henning of the Detroit News’ piece mentions Virgil Vasquez as a possible call-up to the show to help the Tigers’ struggling pitching staff. Vasquez has pitched 10 2/3 innings in 2 starts for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, putting up a 2.53 ERA with 14 Ks.

In the second huge call-up this week for the Tampa Rays, top pitching prospect Jeff Niemann was recalled from Triple-A Durham
to replace the injured Matt Garza.  He allowed 1 run on 6 hits and 1 BB in 6 innings pitched, while striking out 5 and earning his first career W.  The 6′9″ right hander, ranked 99th overall by BaseballAmerica, will more than likely be sent back down upon Garza’s return.  Regardless, with skills like this and the new and improved Rays offense, Niemann is definitely someone to watch as a fantasy sleeper this year.

Garza is scheduled for a bullpen session on Tuesday, and if all goes well he’ll go on to make a rehab tune-up in the Minors prior to rejoining the big league club.

Cubs prospect Jeff Samardzija beat out Dodgers prospect Clayton Kershaw for the win Thursday night.  Samardzija allowed four hits and a walk while striking out five in seven scoreless innings, leading his Tennessee Smokies to a 2-0 win over Kershaw’s Jacksonville Suns.  Kershaw pitched well but allowed two runs on seven hits in five innings.  He struck out a season-high eight, including Samardzija twice.

“He got me a couple times,” Samardzija laughed. “It was good to get a chance to see him throw from the batter’s box. He’s got some pop on his fastball.”

Despite the 2 earned runs, Kershaw’s eight K performance is encouraging and he definitely has a chance to make it to the Majors this year.

• Marlins pitching prospect Chris Volstad had a great start on Wednesday, giving up one run on five hits in six innings.  He is now 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in Double-A Carolina.  The 6-foot-7 right hander has a great chance at being fantasy-significant if he keeps pitching well, as the Marlins have already brought up Burke Badenhop from Double-A this year to replace the struggling Rick VandenHurk, and wouldn’t be afraid to promote another young pitcher if necessary.  According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, Volstad’s experience in Double-A last has made him slightly ahead of other pitching prospects in the Marlins organization.

• The Marlin’s center fielder of the future, Cameron Maybin, is off to a fast start in Double-A Carolina.  He’s batting .474 (9-for-19) with two homers and seven walks.  Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest says:

“It’s great. It’s good for his confidence,” Beinfest said. “Spring Training was a little rough for him. Not being on field the whole time, and then he struggled a little bit at the end. It’s good for him to get off to a good start. He just needs to work on getting the experience and getting ready.”

• Reds rookie right-hander Johnny Cueto pitched lights-out against the Brewers Tuesday, but barely walked away with a no-decision, writes Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News. It took a 2-out, 2-strike home run off Eric Gagne in the 9th inning by Corey Patterson to tie the game, but the Reds would eventually lose 3-2 after a walk-off single by Rickie Weeks. Still, Reds manager Dusty Baker had nothing but good things to say about Cueto’s outing (6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 K).

Fantasy implications: Obvious.  Get him if you can.

• Joey Votto has been struggling in his role in a platoon at first base with veteran Scott Hatteberg; in 5 games this season Votto is batting .167 (2 for 12). However, Dusty Baker isn’t keen on changing the arrangement anytime soon.

Fantasy implications: Until he gets more than every-other-day playing time, Votto’s fantasy value is effectively nil unless you are in the deepest of leagues.