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IL1 International League

2011 International League Season Heads Towards Finish Line

August 12, 2011 - International League (IL1) News Release


With just over three weeks remaining in the 2011 International League regular season, the defending Governors' Cup Champion Columbus Clippers are closing in on the IL West Division title with a League-best 74-45 record (=+11.5 G over Indianapolis). Meanwhile the other three playoff berths remain seemingly up for grabs between seven contenders still determined to keep Columbus from repeating. If the Clippers win the West they'll square off in the first round with the champions of the IL South Division, where Durham currently leads Gwinnett by 2.0 games. The Bulls are hot on the trail of a fifth consecutive division flag, a feat only one International League club has ever accomplished - the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, who are attempting to extend their record streak to six straight division titles in 2011. Unfortunately for the Yankees they are currently looking up in the standings at 2nd place Lehigh Valley and current division leader Pawtucket. One division title run does seem certain to end this season. Louisville has won the West three years running, including 2010 when the Bats passed Columbus on the final day of the season to take the division by a half-game. Now 13.5 games back in the division, the only shot for Louisville to return to the playoffs would appear to be as the Wild Card. The Bats trail current Wild Card leader Lehigh Valley by 6.0 games, with Gwinnett (0.5 GB), Indianapolis (4.0 GB), and Scranton/WB (4.5 GB) also in the mix.

First Round Schedule (Best of Five):

September 7,8 West Division Winner at South Division Winner, North Division Winner at Wild Card Winner

September 9,10*,11

* South Division Winner at West Division Winner, Wild Card Winner at North Division Winner

Governors' Cup Finals Schedule (Best of Five):

September 13,14 North/Wild Card Series Winner at South/West Division Series Winner

September 15,16*,17

* South/West Division Series Winner at North/Wild Card Series Winner

* If Necessary

Young Arms Lead the Way for Several Contenders

In late July, heralded 22-year-old pitching prospect Matt Moore joined Durham and made an immediate impact, picking up his first Triple-A victory against Gwinnett in a game in which he struck out 13 Braves in 8.0 innings of work. Moore is one of several highly-touted young hurlers who find themselves in the thick of the Governors' Cup chase this August.

Jeanmar Gomez, Columbus (23) 10-5, 2.45 ERA in 19 starts this season

Matt Moore, Durham (22) 3-0, 1.09 ERA, 39 SO in 24.2 IP since July 22 promotion

Rudy Owens, Indianapolis (23) Triple-A rookie is 3-1 since the All-Star break (disabled 8/8)

Julio Teheran, Gwinnett (20) Leads International League with 12 wins, 2.16 ERA

Alex Torres, Durham (23) 2nd in League with 123 SO, 6th with 3.16 ERA Durham's Matt Moore

Adam Warren, Scranton/WB (23) All-Star is among IL top ten in ERA (3.39)

2011 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview

August 12, 2011

Page Two

Columbus Clippers Franchise No Stranger to Repeat Glory

Can the Clippers make it back-to-back Governors' Cup championships in 2010 and 2011' Just twelve times in the Cup's 78-year history has a team managed to successfully defend the prized trophy, but this wouldn't be the first time Columbus has done it.

In fact, the franchise boasts the League's only three-year Governors' Cup reign (1979-1981), as well as a two-year run in 1991 and 1992. Both of those streaks came during the club's affiliation with the Yankees.

In the past decade both Durham and Toledo achieved repeat championships, and it's nearly happened again a couple of times since. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre made it back to the finals in 2009 after winning in 2008, but lost to Durham. Last year the Bulls advanced to the finals again but came up short against Columbus.

League's Newest Franchises Search for First Governors' Cup

For the first time since baseball returned to Lehigh Valley in 2008, the IronPigs find themselves in the thick of the playoff hunt this August. When the 'Pigs won their opening day tilt against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, it gave the franchise its first-ever winning record. Under first-year skipper Ryne Sandberg, Lehigh Valley has spent the entire 2011 season at or near the top of the IL North standings.

Fans in Gwinnett have also never experienced a Governors' Cup championship, though they did see playoff baseball during the Braves' first season there in 2009. Atlanta's Triple-A affiliate won the Cup as recently as 2007, during the first season under the guidance of current manager Dave Brundage in Richmond.

In recent years the League has seen two other new franchises put their name on the Governors' Cup in a relatively quick amount of time. The Charlotte Knights won the Cup in their debut season of 1993, while the Durham Bulls got their first Cup in 2002 during the club's fifth season in the International League. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise, however, didn't capture its first Governors' Cup until 2008 after several close calls throughout a history dating back to 1989.

No Telling Which Division Will Send Two Teams to Postseason

Teams from all three divisions are currently alive in the Wild Card hunt, and history gives no strong indication which division is most likely to send a second club to the playoffs. Since 1998 when the current three-division format began, the six-team North has produced the Wild Card a League-high seven times, more than the South and West combined. Over the last six seasons however, the Wild Card has rotated evenly between the three divisions, suggesting the race is wide open in 2011.

Year Wild Card Division Playoff Results Year Wild Card Division Playoff Results

2010 Columbus West Won Governors' Cup 2003 Ottawa North Lost in first round

2009 Gwinnett South Lost in first round 2002 Buffalo North Lost in finals

2008 Pawtucket North Lost in first round 2001 Scranton/WB North Lost in finals

2007 Richmond South Won Governors' Cup 2000 Scranton/WB North Lost in finals

2006 Rochester North Lost in finals 1999 Charlotte South Won Governors' Cup

2005 Indianapolis West Lost in finals 1998 Syracuse North Lost in first round

2004 Durham South Lost in first round

2011 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview

August 12, 2011

Page Three

Playoff Races Enter Final Weeks;

Much Still to be Decided as Teams Battle for a Playoff Berth

NORTH DIVISION REPORT: In the North, two teams are threatening to end a five-year stranglehold on the division. The 1st place Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston Red Sox) and 2nd place Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Philadelphia Phillies) are making a strong bid to dethrone the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York Yankees), who currently sit in 3rd place 5.5 games behind Pawtucket. Lehigh Valley pulled out in front of the three-team race on May 17 and did not relinquish 1st place until their loss this past Sunday. The IronPigs and PawSox played a competitive pair of series in late July, the last regular season meetings for the clubs. In front of a combined 71,665 fans during the eight games in Pawtucket and Lehigh Valley, the Red Sox took five of the contests to pull closer to the 'Pigs. The Yankees have stayed in the race despite a League-high 28 different players spending time on the DL.

** Fact of the Week ** - Lehigh Valley is in the hunt despite an IL-worst .251 team batting average. The 2nd lowest average is Pawtucket (.253).

WEST DIVISION REPORT: The Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) are primed to win the franchise's first West Division title since 2004. Last season the Clippers let a 10.5-game lead in late July slip away down the stretch, but it doesn't appear Columbus will need the Wild Card to return to the postseason this time. The three-time defending West champion Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds) haven't produced the August-run of a year ago, instead going just 3-7 so far this month. Now 13.5 games out, the Bats are left to fight for the Wild Card along with division-rival Indianapolis (Pittsburgh Pirates), who sits 11.5 games behind Columbus. The Clippers have been alone atop the West since April 25. Their biggest lead was the 13.5-game cushion enjoyed earlier this week.

** Fact of the Week ** - The Clippers have been dominant at Huntington Park, owning a League-best 42-19 record on their home field.

SOUTH DIVISION REPORT: It's been a two-team race in the South for most of 2011. The Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays) lead the Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta Braves) by 2.0 games, but with just two games remaining between the teams (Aug. 29-30 at Durham) there will be a lot of scoreboard watching down the stretch. Head-to-head, the Bulls have a slight edge in the season series having taken 10 of 19 games, but this race may well be decided by the team who plays better against the rest of the South. Beginning

August 20, the Bulls and Braves play exclusively within the South the rest of the way, though they have just the two games with each other. Each club is 28-19 against South opponents this year, meaning this race could be neck-and-neck all the way to the finish.

** Fact of the Week ** - At 12-17 (.414), the Braves have the third-worst winning percentage in the League in one-run games. Durham is 20-18.

2011 International League Governors' Cup Playoff Preview

August 12, 2011

Page Four

WILD CARD REPORT: The Wild Card race remains wide open with five non-division leaders within 6.0 games of the playoff berth. If the playoffs began today, Lehigh Valley would be the Wild Card. Gwinnett trails Lehigh Valley by just a half-game, and the Braves have one more game left to play than do the IronPigs. Clearly both clubs still have their sights set on division titles, but without a clear Wild Card leader there will be several teams fighting desperately for every victory. The IronPigs are just 5-6 in August, but the Braves have managed to gain only one game in the Wild Card standings despite owning the League's best ERA (2.85) during the stretch. The only other Wild Card contender with a winning mark in August is Indianapolis. The Indians are 6-4 over their last ten games and 15-9 over their last 24.

** Fact of the Week ** - Indianapolis closer Tim Wood leads the International League with 9 saves since the All-Star break.

SERIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

August 12-19: Indianapolis @ Louisville / Louisville @ Indianapolis

Starting tonight, the Indians and Bats will be on the field together for eight straight days, with the first four coming at Louisville Slugger Field. The two teams are separated by 114 miles on the road, but by just 2.0 games in the standings as they battle for a playoff berth.

August 16-19: Durham @ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

These two teams won Governors' Cup on each other's home fields in 2008 and 2009. This season the Yankees and Bulls meet in an important August series, pitting the South-leaders against the 3rd-place team in the North. Durham took three of four from SWB when the two teams met in Durham in late June.

August 16-19: Columbus @ Pawtucket

A preview of the Governors' Cup finals' Division leaders collide when Pawtucket hosts Columbus at McCoy Stadium next week. Back in May, the Clippers and PawSox split a four-game series in Columbus.

Triple-A National Championship Game Awaits Governors' Cup Champion

The IL postseason contenders will also be keeping an eye on the Pacific Coast League playoff picture as the season wraps up. The club that wins the Governors' Cup will advance to the one-game Triple-A Baseball National Championship in Albuquerque on Tuesday, September 20. Who will be crowned the champion of Triple-A Baseball live on Versus' Here's a look at the current division races in the PCL:

American North American South

Omaha 65-53 -- Round Rock 69-50 -- Memphis 60-58 5.0 Albuquerque 60-59 9.0

Nashville 60-59 5.5 New Orleans 57-62 12.0

Iowa 54-65 11.5 Okl. City 53-66 16.0

Pacific North Pacific South

Reno 66-52 -- Sacramento 70-49 -- Tacoma 60-59 6.5 Las Vegas 60-59 10.0

Salt Lake 55-64 11.5 Tucson 54-64 15.5

Col. Spr. 54-65 12.5 Fresno 53-66 17.0

WILD CARD LEADERS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Lehigh Valley 67-53 .558 -- 24

Gwinnett 66-53 .555 0.5 25

Indianapolis 63-57 .525 4.0 24

Scranton/WB 62-57 .521 4.5 25

Louisville 61-59 .508 6.0 24

IMPACTING THE RACE

1B Jorge Vazquez

Scranton/WB

.299, 6 HR, 21 RBI

(Since July 25)

Repeat Governors' Cup Champions

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Newark 1937-38

Syracuse 1942-43

Montreal 1948-49

Rochester 1955-56

Toronto 1965-66

Syracuse 1969-70

Columbus 1979-81*

Tidewater 1982-83

Columbus 1991-92

Durham 2002-03

Toledo 2005-06

* - only three-time consecutive Gov. Cup champion

IL NORTH DIVISION STANDINGS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Pawtucket 67-51 .568 -- 24

Lehigh Valley 67-53 .558 1.0 24

Scranton/WB 62-57 .521 5.5 25

Syracuse 52-65 .444 14.5 25

Buffalo 49-69 .415 18.0 25

Rochester 46-72 .390 21.0 26

IMPACTING THE RACE

C Ryan Lavarnway

Pawtucket

.328, 15 HR, 46 RBI

(Since June 13 promotion)

IL WEST DIVISION STANDINGS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Columbus 74-45 .622 -- 25

Indianapolis 63-57 .525 11.5 24

Louisville 61-59 .508 13.5 24

Toledo 57-63 .475 17.5 24

IMPACTING THE RACE

OF Jerad Head

Columbus

Team-best 7 HR

(Since All-Star Break)

IL SOUTH DIVISION STANDINGS

W-L Pct. GB Gm Rem

Durham 67-50 .573 -- 25

Gwinnett 66-53 .555 2.0 25

Charlotte 56-63 .471 12.0 25

Norfolk 44-74 .373 23.5 25

IMPACTING THE RACE

3B Russ Canzler

Durham

.556, 3 HR, 10 RBI

(Since August 1)

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