South Bend Cubs RHP Dylan Cease was named the Midwest League pitcher of the week after throwing six hitless innings Wednesday. (Photo by Rikk Carlson)

South Bend Cubs RHP Dylan Cease and Cedar Rapids Kernels shortstop Jermaine Palacios respectively were named the Midwest League pitcher and offensive player of the week for the period of April 17-23.

Cease earned the honor by pitching six no-hit innings against the Great Lakes Loons on Wednesday. He walked three and struck out seven.

Cease has made three starts so far this season. He has a 0.60 ERA and 22 strikeouts, and has walked only eight batters, in 15 innings. He is scheduled to pitch against the Lansing Lugnuts tonight, which should be a true test of his talent against one of the best offenses in the Midwest League.

Cease was one of several Midwest League pitchers who threw four-to-six innings of no-hit ball in the past few days. Kane County Cougars RHP Jon Duplantier (5.1 no-hit innings against the Beloit Snappers on Wednesday), Fort Wayne TinCaps LHP Logan Allen (five no-hit innings against the Loons on Thursday), Snappers RHP Brendan Butler (four no-hit innings versus the Burlington Bees on Thursday) and Snappers LHP Dalton Sawyer (five perfect innings vs. the Bees on Sunday) were the others.

Palacios has been on a tear, batting .516 (16-for-31) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and seven RBI in his last seven games. In 15 games this season, he is batting .406 with three doubles, two triples, one homer and eight RBI. The Venezuelan infielder is on his second go-around with the Kernels; he batted .222 with 1 HR and 28 RBI in 71 Midwest League games last season, his age-19 year.

MLB Pipeline honors two T-Rats

Two Wisconsin Timber Rattlers outfielders were named to MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week for the period of April 17-23.

Wisconsin’s Monte Harrison and Demi Orimoloye were named to the team, along with Triple-A outfielder Lewis Brinson, giving the squad an outfield of three Milwaukee Brewers prospects — the first time one MLB team filled all three outfield spots on the Prospect Team of the Week.

Harrison batted .423 with three homers, two doubles, 11 runs batted in, and five runs scored in his last seven games. In 16 games this season, he is batting .339 with 5 homers, three doubles, 14 runs batted in, and nine runs scored.

Orimoloye batted .417 with three homers, three doubles, 11 runs scored, six runs batted in, and two stolen bases in six games last week. In 15 games this season, he is batting .291 with five homers, four doubles, 15 runs scored, 10 runs batted in, and three stolen bases.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers outfielder Demi Orimoloye (Photo by Craig Wieczorkiewicz/The Midwest League Traveler)

In case you’re wondering, the shortstop who beat out Palacios for the Prospect Team of the Week is San Antonio Missions infielder Luis Urias, a former Fort Wayne TinCap. The San Diego Padres prospect batted .545 with four doubles, two triples, three runs batted in, and seven runs scored in five games last week. He played 51 games with the 2015 TinCaps, batting .290 with 16 RBI and five stolen bases.