Milb.com's week 3 Roundup of the AFL

Lisa Winston of milb.com wrote this review of week 3 in the AFL
PHOENIX DESERT DOGS
(Reds, Tigers, Athletics, Devil Rays, Blue Jays)
Record: 10-6, first place in the East Division
Team Average: .281 (third)
Team ERA: 4.75 (third)

"USC" DOESN'T MEAN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HERE: If there is a slight "Gamecock" vibe in the Phoenix dugout, it's not surprising. Four members of the Desert Dogs roster came out of the University of South Carolina: relievers Marcus McBeth (Oakland) and Jon Coutlangus (Cincinnati), second baseman Kevin Melillo (Oakland) and catcher Landon Powell (Oakland). Adding to the coincidence -- or even irony -- is the connection between McBeth and Coutlangus. McBeth was the Gamecocks' starting center fielder until he was drafted by the Athletics in the fourth round of 2001. At that point, Coutlangus transferred to South Carolina and took McBeth's spot in center before being drafted by San Francisco in the 19th round of 2003 (he was a savvy waiver claim by the Reds this past spring). Both underwent conversions from center field to the mound in 2005 and are now top relief prospects in their organizations.

STRAIT UP: Outfielder Cody Strait of the Cincinnati Reds was the AFL Player of the Week, hitting .444 (8-for-18) with six runs scored, seven RBIs and four steals. The speedy Strait, who swiped 50 bases during the regular season, posted a .722 slugging percentage in that span. He's tied for the league lead with six steals.

WHO'S HOT: Ben Zobrist of Tampa Bay had scored 14 runs to rank third in the league, one behind second-place Cannon. He was hitting .311 with 10 RBIs. Jordan DeJong (Blue Jays) had three wins, tying him for the league lead. Closer Marcus McBeth, who earned the save in the Rising Stars Showcase, had two saves on the season. Blue Jays prospects Dustin McGowan and Kyle Yates (1.86) were both on top of the league with 13 strikeouts. Coutlangus' 1.69 ERA earned him a spot on the Rising Stars roster, as did Oakland's Mike Mitchell's identical ERA.

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