Prospect Roundup: Rockies lefty Tyler Anderson extends scoreless innings streak to 23

Injuries and setbacks have plagued Colorado, and a season that started out with so much promise in the pitching category has been disappointing due to injuries and underwhelming performances. One of the recent bright spots however, has been Tyler Anderson. The left-hander has been brilliant in July, displaying a 23-inning scoreless streak while allowing batters to hit just .214 against him.

The innings streak eclipses Christian Bergman's mark of 21.2, produced while in Triple-A earlier in the season. The mark also falls behind Clayton Kershaw's benchmark of 41 consecutive innings which he achieved at the major league level this season.

On Thursday, the Oregon alum was once again dominant, twirling six scoreless innings and reaching a high-water mark of eight strikeouts. Anderson has matched eight strikeouts in consecutive appearances and has allowed just a total of nine hits in his last three starts. For the season, the Las Vegas native has a 2.10 ERA and is striking out a batter for nearly every inning pitched.

Highlights of Tyler Anderson's near no-hitter and eight strikeouts.

Chosen by the Rockies in the first round of the 2011 draft, Anderson was selected because of his high floor and what looked like the ability to move quickly through the system. Tyler has been solid throughout his time on the farm, flashing a 2.45 ERA while steadily moving up the ladder. Progress has been slowed for Anderson, as injuries have plagued the lefty, he's lost time in nearly every season due to setbacks from arm-related issues.

Anderson doesn't have the Top Gun velocity of fellow Drillers Eddie Butler and Jon Gray, but he mixes in a knee-buckling curveball with a deceptive leg kick to throw off a batter's timing.

"Anderson just knows how to pitch, not the overpowering stuff  (like Gray and Butler), but knows how to pitch to a lineup and have quality outings. " Anderson's former catcher Dustin Garneau on the intangibles of the left-handed pitcher.

Anderson leads the next wave of pitchers in the Rockies system to likely debut for the big club. There's no rush, as he's still under contract for several years and the Rockies want to make sure he's fully healthy before spending a roster spot on him. But there's a significant drop-off past the Double-A club when it comes to pitching prospects and Jon Gray hasn't developed quickly enough to risk being thrown into the fire yet.

Ryan Casteel returns from injury

Ryan Casteel has enjoyed a solid season in his first exposure to Double-A pitching, but he's been hot since returning from injury. The Tennessee native was injured back on July 11 while sliding into second base after hitting a double when a thrown ball struck him in the face. X-rays later indicated he had sustained damage to his nasal cavity, but Casteel displayed his toughness by staying in the game.

"It was painful, but I knew we were limited with our catching -- if something happened to the catcher, I would have had to [take over] -- so I had to stay in. I had no choice." Said Casteel to MiLB.com.

After the game, Casteel was sent to the hospital and was told by doctors he would miss four-to-six weeks. Ryan sought out a specialist who advised him the damage wasn't as extensive as originally thought. The doctor told Casteel that he wouldn't cause any more damage by playing and he returned to Tulsa, playing almost extensively at first base.

Since returning from an eight game layoff, Casteel is batting .388 with three home runs in his 13 games back . The right-handed batter is following a breakout season in Modesto with another solid year in Tulsa. Casteel had only six home runs total in three minor league seasons, before slugging 22 in High-A Modesto last year. This season he's on pace to eclipse that mark with 14 already in the books.

Hottest prospects in July

Team records

Pitching (sorted by ERA)

Batting (sorted by OPS)

Stats by minorleagueball.com for the month of July.

Hottest videos of the week

Now that he's out Modesto, the worst home run park in the minors, Will Swanner is once again flexing his muscles, as demonstrated in his first Double-A home run.

Antonio Senzatela displays a wicked 12-to-6 curveball in this strikeout back on June 21.

Forrest Wall hits his first home run of the season.

Rosell Herrera taking batting practice at the Futures Game during All-Star week, from Baseball Prospectus author Nick J. Faleris.