NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



International League

International League News & Notes

April 29, 2010 - International League (IL1) News Release


BUFFALO BISONS www.Bisons.com

R.A. IS A OKAY: Bisons' RHP R.A. Dickey is redefining quality innings. Despite it still being only April, the knuckleballer has already worked eight or more innings in three of his four starts. He has one of the International League's two complete games as he worked nine solid innings on April 14 against Pawtucket. Since then, Dickey has thrown eight innings in a hard-luck loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 19 (8.0 IP, 2 ER). Five days later, the righty allowed just two runs in eight innings to defeat the Red Sox in Pawtucket. Dickey starts for the Bisons again tonight against Durham needing just one inning of work to take over the League-lead for innings pitched. On the season, Dickey is 2-1 with a 3.03 ERA.

MVP RETURN: OF Jesus Feliciano was named the Bisons 2009 Most Valuable Player after leading the League with 154 hits a season ago. The outfielder has found his groove at the plate once again. After having just 13 at-bats in the team's first 11 games, Feliciano is getting regular playing time and producing. He's averaged .432 (16-37) over his last 10 games with three doubles, a home run and five BRI. The stretch has included a four-run game on April 22 in Rochester and a four-hit game on April 25 in Pawtucket. On the season, Feliciano is 3rd in the International League with a .380 batting average.

HOT TEJADA: He may just be a shade over 20 years old, but INF Ruben Tejada is proving he belongs at the Triple-A level. Tejada debuted with the Bisons on April 10 as the youngest player on the club in more than 15 years (20 years, 165 days old). Since then, he has posted the best fielding percentage (.986) among all International League shortstops. Tejada has made just one error in 72 total chances and is a major reason why the Herd also leads the IL in team fielding percentage (.989). Tejada has also recently heated up with the bat. He has hit in seven of his last nine games, averaging .343 (11-32) during the stretch with seven runs scored.

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS www.CharlotteKnights.com

CASTRO ON ASSIGNMENT: White Sox catcher Ramon Castro joined the Knights Tuesday on a major league rehab assignment.  Castro was placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to March 29) with a bruised right heel.  The White Sox purchased the contract of C Donny Lucy from Charlotte to take Castro's spot on the big league club.  Castro went 2-3 with a home run and two RBI in his first game of the rehab assignment on 4/27 at Columbus.

FROM THE TRAINERS ROOM: The Knights currently have two players on the team's disabled list and are rehabbing White Sox catcher Ramon Castro.  LHP Erick Threets was placed on the disabled list on 4/20 after leaving a game on 4/19 vs. Durham after only two pitches.  RHP Clevelan Santeliz was placed on the disabled list on 4/26.  Castro is on the third day of his ML rehab assignment.

LONGHORN NATION: The Knights roster features three players who played their college ball at the University of Texas.  OF Jordan Danks, INF Rob Hudson and

RHP Kyle McCulloch all played for the respected college program.  Hudson and McCulloch played on the 2005 College World Series Championship team.  Danks and McCulloch were All-Americans during their time in Austin.

KROEGER SWINGING IT: Knights OF/1B Josh Kroeger has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games going 16-59 (.271) with two home runs and 12 RBI.  Kroeger enters tonight's game with 17 hits through his first 20 games.

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS www.ClippersBaseball.com

MORE KNIGHTS AND INDIANS, PLEASE: In eight games against Indianapolis (6) and Charlotte (2), Columbus has hit .330 (93-282) with 16 HR and 67 runs (8.4 per game).  In Columbus' other 13 games (seven against Toledo and six against Louisville) the Clippers are hitting .256 (107-418) with 5 HR and 49 runs (3.8 per game).

COMEBACK KIDS: The Clippers overcame their largest deficit of the season to win Tuesday night's game, scoring 12 unanswered runs after Charlotte took a 4-0 lead.  They followed up with another comeback win yesterday and have now won eight games in which they have trailed at some point in the game (seven one-run comebacks).

DOWNTOWN LAUNCHING PAD: Through 12 games at Huntington Park this year, balls have been flying out of the park at a rate of 2.6 per game (31 total, 15 for the Clippers).  That's 13 more home runs than were hit through the same amount of games in Huntington Park's inaugural season of 2009.  Overall, Huntington Park ranks first in the IL in homers hit, but comes in second to Knights Stadium (2.8) in homers per game.

DURHAM BULLS www.DurhamBulls.com

GOING DEEP: Durham now has hit a League-high 28 homers after belting three yesterday in a 9-2 win at Buffalo.  Chris Richard yesterday homered for the second consecutive game.  He's the third Bull to do so in 2010.  Justin Ruggiano and Dan Johnson had already accomplished the feat.  Johnson and Ruggiano each have homered in three straight games this season.

SCORING SPREE: Durham now has scored five or more runs in 12 of the last 13 games. Durham has scored 136 runs this year, or 6.48 runs per game.  Durham's parent team, Tampa Bay, leads the American league in runs scored with more than six per contest.

RUN LIKE THE BULLS: Durham did not attempt a stolen base last night, but still leads the IL with 34.  Fernando Perez is first in the IL with 10 steals.  Durham is

34-of-38, or successful on 89 percent of all attempts.

SOME KIND OF STREAK: Justin Ruggiano (25-61, .410) has Durham's best hit streak of the season at 14 games and the longest this year in the International League.  Hank Blalock (23-57 .404) has hit in all 13 games he's played for Durham.  Ruggiano had three hits and three runs scored yesterday, while Blalock was 2-for-4 with

three RBI.

GWINNETT BRAVES www.GwinnettBraves.com

WELCOME BACK: The G-Braves return home from a season-long, 12-game road trip to face a Norfolk squad they posted their only 2010 series win to date against. Gwinnett took three of four contests at the Tides ballpark from 4/19-4/22. The G-Braves began that series just one game after snapping a franchise record seven-game losing streak in which they scored just 12 runs overall. During the Norfolk series, the G-Braves scored 17 runs total and posted eight runs in a game for the first time since Opening Day.

IF ANYBODY CAN, BOSCAN: Catcher J.C. Boscan, who was hitless in his first 22 at-bats to open the season, is 5 for his last 13 during a four-game span from 4/22-4/27. He's also driven home 3 runs during that spell, which surpasses his Gwinnett total from all of 2009 (2 RBI in 13 G/44 AB).

GETTING IN GEAR: Reliever Cory Gearrin pitched one inning of scoreless ball to finish out Tuesday night's win over Norfolk, extending his scoreless innings streak to 8.2. The streak, which is the longest by a G-Braves reliever this season, ranges from the last out of his appearance on 4/11 up to Tuesday's two strikeout performance in the 9th.

FREE THE BEAST: Freddie Freeman broke out in a big way in the last game of the Norfolk series, and has kept on a tear since. He finished 4-for-4 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored in the team's 4/22 rout of Norfolk - all single-game G-Braves highs for the 2010 season. During his last six games, Freeman is 10-for-24 with 4 HR, 10 RBI and even legged out the team's first triple of the season on 4/24.

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS www.IndyIndians.com

CRAZY CONTEST: On Monday, the Indians and Louisville Bats played a 15-inning, four hour and 57 minute marathon that saw the Tribe come away with a 7-6 victory after OF Jose Tabata blasted a solo home run in the top of the 15th. This contest between the Indians and Bats was the second longest game (time wise) that the Indians have played during the Victory Field era with the longest game taking place in the first game of a doubleheader on August 15, 2003 in a 4-3 loss on the road to Charlotte (which lasted 18 innings took an amazing six hours and 20 minutes to complete). The record-setting contest on April 26 saw the Indians and Bats compile 104 at-bats, 13 walks, three hit-by-pitches, 24 strikeouts and featured a combined 13 pitchers, who threw a combined 505 pitches.

THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: The 15-inning affair on April 26 also saw a few firsts for Indians' players in their professional baseball careers. C Erik Kratz, who had made two appearances as a pitcher in his professional baseball career coming into the contest (a 1.0 inning, three run outing on June 18, 2006 and a 1.0 inning, zero run outing on June 26, 2008), earned his first career save with a hitless bottom of the 15th inning in the Tribe's 7-6 win. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since saves became an official statistic in 1969, there has never been a case in the Major Leagues in which the starting catcher in a game came in to pitch and earn a save. Also according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time a player started at catcher in the majors and then later came in to pitch in the same game was May 15, 2003 when Wiki Gonzalez of the Padres did so in a game against the Braves (Atlanta won 15-6). Gonzalez pitched the final inning, faced four batters, allowed zero hits and walked one. Statistics for a starting catcher coming on to pitch in a Minor League game have not been recorded. While Kratz made the move from the backstop to the mound, RHP Jeremy Powell warmed up for his start on April 27 by playing right field for the first time in his professional baseball career after making 225 appearances as a pitcher without playing a game in the field. Powell also had an at-bat in the contest and was hit by a pitch, marking the first time in his career that he had been plunked.

FANTASTIC FOUR: LHP Justin Thomas' four-inning save on April 27 against Pawtucket was the first save of more than three innings for an Indians pitcher since RHP Marino Salas went 3.1 innings and allowed two hits and one run to record the save on August 10, 2008, a 6-4 Indians' victory. The last save for an Indians' pitcher of four or more innings came on July 16, 2006, when RHP Matt Ginter tossed 4.0 innings and allowed a run on a solo home run to earn the save in the Indians' 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Bisons. Thomas, however, was not the only Tribe reliever to work four spectacular innings out of the bullpen this season as just a day before (April 26), fellow southpaw Corey Hamman tossed four scoreless innings in the Tribe's 15 inning marathon win against Louisville. It was just the third time that Hamman had worked four frames of relief during his career, with Hamman having worked 4.1 innings of relief on August 5, 2004 with High-A Lakeland and 4.1 innings with the Indians on September 4 last season.

SPEEDSTERS: Following the Indians four steal attack against the Pawtucket Red Sox on Tuesday April 27, the Tribe now has 30 stolen bases on the season, which is second to Durham for the best total in the International League. Indianapolis also leads the IL with 10 different individuals having stolen at least one base, one player ahead of Pawtucket, which has had nine different individuals steal at least one bag and two players ahead of Durham and Gwinnett, who have each seen eight individual players collect at least one steal. The Tribe led the IL in steals for four consecutive seasons from 2005 - 2008 (163 in '05, 180 in '06, 163 in '07 and 198 in '08) before finishing tied for eighth (98) last season.

LEHIGH VALLEY IRONPIGS www.IronPigsBaseball.com

THE NUMBERS STILL DON'T ADD UP: Lehigh Valley is now 8-11 despite being 3rd in AVG (.277); 4th in R (95) and 4th in ERA (3.67) and...

- LHV has outscored their opponents this season, 99-78

- LHV is batting .298 with Runners in Scoring Position (opponents are at .247)

- LHV has scored first in 14 of the 19 games (73.6%)... going just 8-6 in those games

- LHV has lost 11 games by a total of 19 R (7, 1-run G; 1, 2-run G; 2, 3-run G; 1, 4-run G)... LHV just 2-7 in 1-run G

WHO'S HOT: OF Chris Duffy has hit in 13 of 17 G and is an amazing 8-16 (.500) with RISP... INF Melvin Dorta has hit safely in all 7 of his games (10-23, .435-0-3, 5 R, 2 BB)... C Dane Sardinha has a hit in all 6 games he has started (10-25, .400-1-5, 6 R)... RHP Brian Gordon has made 5 appearances -- all at least 2.0-IP stints -- and has only allowed just 3 R in 12 IP (0-0, 2.25)... RHP Ehren Wassermann is unscored upon in his last 6.2 IP... RHP Scott Mathieson started this season with 7.0 scoreless innings in 4 G (1-0, SV, 0.00)... and has allowed just 1 R in his first 7 G (9.2 IP).

BACON BITS:

- Blowin' in the Wind: LHV has blown leads in 8 of their 11 losses

- Win One, Lose One: LHV has neither won nor lost two straight in their last 9 G -- the 'Pigs have alternated results.

- ...Last Laugh??!!: With Thursday's win, LHV's now a perfect 4-0 in series finales to start '10 (1 game suspended).

- The Win 'ZONE: Saturday, LHP Brian Mazone moved ahead of Drew Carpenter as LHV's all-time wins leader (13).

- Hit Parade: LHV's 18 hits Thursday tied a franchise record (4x, last: 4/24/09 vs. PAW). The 12 R tied a season high.

- Among Giants: Three current 'Pigs were taken by SF in the '98 Draft -- all in Top 10 rounds -- Bump (1), Vogelsong (5), Ransom (9).

LOUISVILLE BATS www.BatsBaseball.com

SIX GAMES UNDER: With last night's loss, the Bats now sit at a season-worst six games under .500 (7-13). In their 2009 IL West Championship campaign they never fell below five games under .500, which was reached on May 30 at 22-27. From that point they went on to win nine out of 10 games and never again submerged below .500. Louisville is now six games under .500 for the first time since 6/7/06 when they were 26-32. They haven't been 7 games under since 6/6/06 at 25-32. In 2006 they reached a season-low 11 games under .500 on 5/15 at 13-24. They finished the 2006 season at 75-68, third in the IL West.

SECOND IN ERA: While the Bats currently sit last in the International League in hitting (.214), their pitching stands second in the League. They enter tonight's contest with a 3.19 ERA, which is .19 behind first-place Toledo (3.00 ERA). Ironically enough, the Bats scored 21 runs against the Mud Hens' League-leading pitching staff in the opening series of the season, averaging 5.25 runs-per-game. In 16 games since, they have scored just 46 runs, or 2.88 per game.

LEHR COMPARISON: Through his first three starts this season, RHP Justin Lehr has allowed 13 earned runs and is 0-3. Last season, when Lehr was named IL Most Valuable Pitcher, he lost just three games at the Triple-A level (LHV 5-2, LOU 8-1) all season and did not allow his 13th earned run until his sixth start with Lehigh Valley. After being traded to Cincinnati in mid-May, it took him nine appearances with the Bats, eight starts, to give up 13 earned runs.

VALAIKA GETTING COMFORTABLE: Through 20 games this season, INF Chris Valaika is batting a team-leading .328 and is the only Louisville player batting over the .300-mark. In his last nine games he is batting .371 (13-35) with three doubles, a triple and three runs batted in. He also had a stretch from 4/19 to 4/26 where he had multi-hit games in five of seven games. During that stretch he batted .414 (12-29). Last season, his first at the Triple-A level, he struggled early, batting just .161 (15-93) in April and May. He ended the season with a .232 average and had 22 multi-hit games.

NORFOLK TIDES www.NorfolkTides.com

TILLMAN MAKES HISTORY: Last night's historic no-hitter by Chris Tillman was the first nine-inning no-hitter for a Tides pitcher since Dave Telgheder turned the trick in a 1-0 victory vs. Pawtucket on May 15, 1992. Tillman faced just one batter over the minimum in the gem, striking out six and walking one while throwing 63 of his 105 pitches for strikes. There had previously been four seven-inning no-hitters by Tides pitchers in the International League, the most recent of which came on a rehab start by Steve Trachsel in a win vs. Ottawa on May 29, 2001. Tillman's gem was the first no-hitter in Minor League Baseball this season, and was the first in the International League since Jeremy Cummings threw a nine-inning no-no for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a 5-0 win vs. Rochester on September 3, 2006.

TILLMAN TIDBITS: Chris Tillman set a career-high in innings pitched last night, going nine innings for the first time in his career. His outing came just one start after he set his previous career-high of eight innings, set in a win on April 23 at Charlotte. The 22-year-old also registered his first career complete game and shutout in last night's victory.

MAKING HIS PITCH: Tonight's starter Jake Arrieta will look to continue his tremendous start to the 2010 campaign, as the 24-year-old right-hander has allowed just one earned run in 25.0 innings pitched. Arrieta's 0.34 ERA leads the International League, and he leads all IL starters with a .157 opponents batting average (13-for-83). The 24-year-old, who entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the #4 prospect in the Orioles system, also ranks among IL leaders in winning % (T-1st, 1.000), WHIP (4th, 0.92) and fewest baserunners allowed per 9.0-IP (4th, 8.28).

PAWTUCKET RED SOX www.PawSox.com

BARGAIN MATINEES: The Pawtucket Red Sox have played a day game 12 times in their first 20 games of the season and the afternoon affairs have not been kind to the PawSox who are just 3-9 in day games compared to 5-3 at night. Last year the PawSox enjoyed success in day games going 22-16 in afternoon games but 39-66 in night games.

APRIL SHOWERS: Pawtucket is 8-12 in April and with just two more April games remaining they will suffer their third straight losing (full month) dating back to last July (7-19) and August (9-23) which represented the second and third worst months in franchise-history. Prior to last July, the PawSox had not suffered a losing month of any sorts since August of 2007 as they had been on a club-record run of eight consecutive winning (full) months dating back to April of the 2008 season through June of 2009..

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY: The PawSox have scored a total of just 6 runs from the 7th-inning on in their first 20 games this season. The first 3 of those runs came in a 6-5 loss in Rochester on April 17 when the Sox scored 2 runs in the 7th-inning and another in the 8th. The other 3 came on April 22 in Lehigh Valley when the Sox scored 2 in the 7th and another in the 9th in a 12-3 defeat. Besides that, they have not scored in any other game after the 6th-inning as 81 of their 87 runs have come during innings one through six of a game.

A SHORT TRIP NORTH: The Boston Red Sox recalled LHP Fabio Castro from Pawtucket on Tuesday and flew him to Toronto that afternoon as Castro was in the Red Sox bullpen for their game vs. the Blue Jays that night. He was not needed in Boston's 2-1 win and the next morning flew back to Pawtucket and was in the PawSox bullpen for their afternoon game vs. Indianapolis at McCoy Stadium on Wednesday. Taking his place on the Red Sox roster was veteran PawSox lefty reliever Alan Embree. Embree, 40, thus begins his 17th season as he rejoins the Red Sox - a team he helped win the World Series in 2004. Alan signed with the Red Sox at the tail end of spring training and pitched well for the PawSox (0-0, 3.68 in 8 RA). Embree certainly hopes his latest stay with the Red Sox is longer than that of his former PawSox mate Castro.

ROCHESTER RED WINGS www.RedWingsBaseball.com

DOUBLE, DOUBLE, DOUBLE, DOUBLE, DOUBLE, DOUBLE PLAAAY: The Red Wings have turned at least one double play in six consecutive games.  In those games the Wings have turned 11 double plays.

START YOUR ENGINES: The Red Wings have struggled at the beginning of games this season, being outscored 50-29 in the first four innings.  Rochester's opponents have scored first in 14 of their first 20 games, with Rochester coming back to win five of them (5-9 record).

YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF NORTH DIVISION BUSINESS: The Red Wings enter tonight's game with an 8-12 record against North division rivals so far this season.  Since the IL went to three divisions in 1998, Rochester has had only four winning divisional records (43-37 in 2008, 45-33 in 2007, 41-38 in 2006 and 43-37 in 2003).

HOT WING: Third baseman Danny Valencia has a five-game hitting streak batting .417 (10-for-24) with four doubles and four RBI.  Valencia has three-multi hit games and a four-hit game vs. Syracuse on Monday during this five-game hitting streak.  Valencia has seen his average climb from .152 to .243 during this streak.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE YANKEES www.SWBYankees.com

FLIRTING WITH HISTORY: Jason Hirsh lost his no-hit bid with two outs in the eighth inning on Tuesday night when Corky  Miller hit a line drive HR over the wall in left to spoil the no-hit bid and the Yanks attempt at the team's third shutout of the season.  It was the closest a Yankees pitcher has gotten to a no-no since the affiliate came to Northeast Pennsylvania in 2007.  The first threat in SWB Yankees history came when Ian Kennedy took a no hitter into the top of the seventh inning against Richmond and with two out in the inning a Chris Basick error extended the inning and game and on the next pitch Scott Thorman doubled to right to break up the no-hitter scoring the tying run to make it a 1-1 game costing Kennedy the no hitter and win.

HISTORY PART II: In the history of the franchise, only one Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitcher has a nine inning no hitter. Jeremy Cummings tossed a no-hit, no-run game in the final season of the Red Barons on September 3, 2006 at Rochester. Cummings struck out nine and walked four in facing two over the minimum.  Ben Rivera (7/25/92 vs. PAW), Tyler Green (7/4/93 vs. OTT) and Robert Ellis (6/6/04 vs. LOU) all pitched seven inning no hitters for the Red Barons.

CURTIS ON THE SHELF: Colin Curtis picked up a first inning single off Aroldis Chapman to extend his hit streak to seven games, matching the season high for the Yankees this season.  Jesus Montero and David Winfree also have hit in seven straight games.  It will be the last hit for Curtis for at least the next week as following the AB he rolled an ankle sliding into second base on a 1-3-6 caught stealing and was lifted from the game heading to the top of the third.  Curtis was placed on the seven day DL and has been replaced on the active roster by Matt Cusick.

NEW LOOK YANKEES: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's current roster features 11 new players to the team (13 if you don't count the pair who joined SWB for the playoffs in 2009).  Nine of the 11 newcomers joined the Yankees from different minor league organizations giving the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre fans the largest roster turnover since the affiliation change to New York following the 2006 season.  Greg Golson (Rangers), Robby Hammock (Rockies), Chad Huffman (Padres), Dustin Moseley (Angels), Royce Ring (Cardinals), Zack Segovia (Nationals), Jon Weber (Rays), John Van Benschoten (White Sox) and David Winfree (Twins) are new to the Yankees organization as well as to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.

SYRACUSE CHIEFS www.SyracuseChiefs.com

BEST OF THE BUNCH: Chiefs closer Joel Peralta saved his fourth game of the season last night as Syracuse beat Toledo. Peralta stands tied for the lead in the Nationals organization in saves with last year's 10th overall pick, Drew Storen. Peralta now owns 104 saves in his career including a pair in the Major Leagues for Kansas City in '06 and '07.

THREE'S COMPANY: Syracuse staved off a three-game losing streak with yesterday's defeat of Toledo. The Chiefs are one of five teams (Buffalo, SWB, Durham, Toledo) in the International League not to lose three in a row. Syracuse has outscored its opponents 13-4 in games coming off of a pair of losses.

LEFT OUT: The Chiefs, entering Thursday's game with Toledo, have compiled a 6-0 record against left-handed starters this season. Syracuse has hit 20 points better as a group from the left side than against the right side this season (.279 to .259). The Chiefs are slugging at a .429 clip against lefties as opposed to a .396 mark against right-handers. Switch-hitter Chase Lambin has put together a .440 average against left-handed pitching.

TOLEDO MUD HENS www.MudHens.com

THROWING STRIKES: Through the first 21 games of the season, the Toledo Mud Hens pitching staff has been phenomenal. The Hens lead the League in ERA (3.00), shutouts (2) and saves (9). Three Toledo starters have a sub-3.00 ERA. RHP Alfredo Figaro is 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA. RHP Armando Galarraga is 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA with 20 K/4 BB. Former Pawtucket starter RHP Enrique Gonzalez is 1-2 with a 2.61 ERA.

SCRAM!: In four games with Toledo since being promoted from Double-A Erie, OF Deik Scram has made quite the impression. The 18th round selection (2006) has a .385 average with two doubles and two RBI. He has also been superb patrolling right field. In the game prior to his promotion, Scram hit a game-winning home run in the ninth inning for the Erie SeaWolves.

HATCHIN' SOME HEN FACTS: The Mud Hens are a perfect 11-0 when leading after seven innings this season...... They are a combined 6-0 on Mondays and Tuesdays (3-0 each day)...... Toledo scored only one run in the first inning this season in their first 20 games (they plated 3 last night in the 1st frame)...... The Hens have hit back-to-back home runs twice this season, both coming against Louisville. Ryan Strieby and Jeff Larish teamed up on Opening Day, while Casper Wells and Jeff Frazier accomplished the feat on April 20...... Larry Parrish will be managing his 1,000th Toledo game on Friday, April 30.

Check out the International League Statistics

• Discuss this story on the International League message board...

International League Stories from April 29, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central