55.14 Monarchs prize prospect dazzles in big league debut

[Bob Breum]

The Monarchs continue to tweak their roster as they try to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth. Last week, prior to a road series at first place Athens, London called up its top pitching prospect, 22-year-old starting pitcher Mustafa Derbil. Facing the league's best offense, Derbil earned his first big league win, 4-0 over the first place Fighting Centaurs. He threw eight innings, allowing only three hits and one earned run, while striking out six and walking none.

Mustafa Derbil
His teammate, starting pitcher Roberto Banda, said he was not surprised by Derbil's dominant outing. Banda, who only recently made his own big league debut, spent most of this season pitching alongside Derbil at AAA Victoria. Derbil was considered to be the team's stopper in their rotation, the one guy that they could always count on to stop a losing streak. Before his promotion, Mustafa logged eight consecutive quality starts, defined as pitching at least six innings and allowing no more than 3 earned runs.