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IL1 International League

Heated Chase for Postseason Continues

August 17, 2007 - International League (IL1) News Release


18 days remain in the 2007 International League regular season, and the circuit's top teams continue to battle for a place in the Governors' Cup playoffs. The last seven days did little to separate the contenders from the pretenders, as seven teams still have a legitimate chance to win one of the four postseason berths. The only race to get significantly closer in the last few days was in the IL South, where the Richmond Braves saw their lead shrink to 0.5 games Wednesday night. The Braves and Mud Hens were rained out last night (the game will not be made up), leaving a golden opportunity for 2nd-place Durham, but the Bulls fell 9-1 to Indianapolis and sit 1.0 game back heading into the weekend. Luckily for the Bulls, Rochester lost 5-4 to Buffalo, meaning the Bulls maintain their 1.0 game advantage over the Red Wings in the Wild Card hunt. The Bisons and Indians are also still alive in the Wild Card picture. Buffalo (3.5 GB) has taken two of the first three games against Rochester at Dunn Tire Park, while Indianapolis (4.5 GB) has won four out of five to stay alive in the playoff chase. Meanwhile, the leaders of the North and West divisions are setting their sights on clinching. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees hope to repeat as IL North Champions, currently enjoying a 4.0 game lead over Rochester. The Yankees' magic number is now 14. Toledo, bidding for its third straight Governors' Cup title, has a magic number of 12 to clinch the IL West, which they currently lead by 7.5 games over Indianapolis.

The International League Playoffs will begin on September 5 in the home ballparks of the South Division Champion and the Wild Card club. In the IL's predetermined format, the Wild Card club will face the North Division Winner while the South Champion will face the West Division Champion in a best-of-five first round series. Following a pair of games hosted by the Wild Card club and South Division winning clubs, the series will shift to the opponents' stadiums for the final three games as necessary.

The survivors of the two first round battles will advance to the best-of-five Governors' Cup Championship Series to begin on September 11 in the city of either the South or West Division Champion. After two games, the series will resume at the home of either the North Division Champion or the Wild Card club on September 13 for the final three games as necessary.

Best Regular Season Record - More Than Just Bragging Rights?

While getting into the playoffs is the most important goal of every IL club, it is a nice feather in the cap of any team to finish with the League's best regular season record. Toledo and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, both 72-53, lead the pack as the 2007 campaign winds down.

Recent history indicates that the team finishing with the League's best regular season record is no lock to win the Governors' Cup Playoffs, a trend which has developed over the last eight years. From 1990-98, there was just one instance in which the top regular season club failed to win the postseason championship (1995 - Norfolk was upset in the Finals by Ottawa). Since 1999, things have been quite different.

The 2004 Buffalo Bisons and the 2005 Toledo Mud Hens have been the only teams during that period who went on to win the Governors' Cup after posting the League's best regular season record. Last year, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons finished 84-58, 4.5 games better than the next-best team during the regular season, but they managed to win just one game in the playoffs, falling to Rochester in the first round.

A "Wild" Chase for the IL's Final Postseason Berth

As a result of Triple-A expansion and realignment in 1998, the International League adopted its current format of three divisions, with one Wild Card team advancing to the postseason. That leaves just one playoff slot available for the eleven non-division winning clubs, a formula that has created many exciting races throughout the years. The 2007 Wild Card chase appears to be headed towards a photo-finish, with only 4.5 games separating Durham, Rochester, Buffalo, and Indianapolis.

The tight race this year could produce the first 80-game Wild Card winner in the League since 2002, when Buffalo posted an incredible 87-57 mark (having lost the division race to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by 4.0 games). Four of the first five Wild Cards under the current format won at least 80 games, but the last four have not needed to reach that plateau to make the playoffs.

While the Wild Card chase can produce an exciting conclusion to the regular season, the euphoria of winning it quickly fades as clubs are faced with the task of defeating two division champions to win the Governors' Cup. Just once in the last nine years has a Wild Card club accomplished that feat.

The 1999 Charlotte Knights finished 1.5 games back of Durham in the IL South, but earned a chance for revenge when they defeated Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the first round to advance to the Finals against the Bulls. IL Manager-of-the-Year Tom Spencer guided his club to a 3-games-to-1 victory over Durham to secure the Governors' Cup Championship.

Injuries Threaten to Derail Championship Dreams

Each of this year's Governors' Cup contenders are battling through injuries to key players, though some teams have been plagued worse than others. Indianapolis has seven players on the DL, a number that has actually dropped following the recent activation of Chris Aguila and Mark Corey. Buffalo has five players sidelined with injuries, including Triple-A All-Star Luis Rivas and top pitching prospect Adam Miller. Durham's Jeff Niemann, tied for the IL lead with 11 wins, was disabled August 2.

The following chart lists the players currently lost to injury among contending clubs, including the date of their placement on the Disabled List and the type of injury.

BUFFALO RICHMOND

RHP Adam Miller July 25 Right Elbow Inflammation RHP Jonathan Johnson June 1 Right Shoulder Strain

2B Luis Rivas August 1 Hamstring Strain

RHP Brian Slocum May 9 Right Elbow Inflammation ROCHESTER

OF Brad Snyder July 28 Fractured Thumb LHP Ricky Barrett July 4 Strained Back

OF Jon Van Every August 11 Knee Strain 1B Ken Harvey July 15 Right Knee Surgery

C Chris Heintz August 4 Fractured Wrist

DURHAM

RHP Jeff Niemann August 2 Right Shoulder Tendonitis SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE

OF Chris Richard July 28 Hamstring Strain OF Justin Christian August 7 Sprained Thumb

INDIANAPOLIS TOLEDO

LHP Sean Burnett July 4 Left Elbow Tendonitis INF Kevin Hooper July 22 Fractured Finger

C Humberto Cota July 26 Shoulder Stain INF Chris Maples August 13 Sore Groin

C Einar Diaz July 1 Leg Sprain RHP Preston Larrison August 7 Right Shoulder Strain

RHP Kevin Gryboski June 26 Knee Surgery

3B Russ Johnson August 10 Ankle Contusion

OF Nyjer Morgan May 15 Thumb Surgery

RHP John Wasdin July 26 Right Wrist Sprain

Exciting Finishes Await IL Fans Down the Stretch;

All Three Divisions Have 1st Place vs. 2nd Place Showdowns Ahead

NORTH DIVISION: One week ago, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York Yankees) led the IL North by 4.0 games. Seven days later, they enjoy exactly the same advantage in the division race, a fortunate turn of events after a rough weekend August 10-12. The Yankees lost three straight games, including a two-game sweep at the hands of the 2nd-place Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota Twins) at Frontier Field. The third loss on Sunday came on the road against the 3rd-place Buffalo Bisons (Cleveland Indians), but on Monday Scranton/WB pulled out a 5-4 victory in 11 innings to turn things around. That win was the first of four straight for the Yankees, who have now seen their lead return to a season-best 4.0 games. While Scranton/WB has been beating up on 5th-place Syracuse during the last three days, the Red Wings and Bisons have been busy fighting each other. So far, the upper hand has gone to Buffalo, winners of two of the first three at home versus Rochester. The four-game set concludes tonight, with the Herd's Jeremy Sowers (2-5) set to square off against Brian Duensing (10-3). This series is vital not only in the IL North race, but also in the hunt for the Wild Card. Rochester currently trails Durham by just 1.0 game, despite the fact the Bulls have won five of their last six games. Buffalo is also within striking distance, 3.5 games back of Durham and just 2.5 games behind their division-rivals from Rochester. A win tonight would be huge for the Bisons, who will finish the regular season with a four-game set in Rochester. Meanwhile in Moosic, Pennsylvania, the division-leading Yankees will keep their attention focused on clinching their second consecutive IL North crown. Scranton/WB will welcome the Red Wings to PNC Field for a four-game set beginning tomorrow night. Rochester, which also has two games remaining at home against the Yankees August 23-24, still has an opportunity to catch them if they can continue their head-to-head success against Scranton/WB. The Red Wings have won eight of the first ten games between the two clubs this season, which follows their 3 games to 1 victory over Scranton/WB in the 2006 Governors' Cup playoffs. The Yankees currently have a magic number of 14 to clinch the division, and any wins over the Red Wings down the stretch will decrease that number by two.

WEST DIVISION: The IL West-leading Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) enjoy the largest lead of any team in the playoff chase, but that has not stopped the 2nd-place Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates) from trying to mount an all-out assault on the division leaders down the stretch. Toledo's lead currently sits at 7.5 games over the Indians. The two teams met at Indianapolis' Victory Field last weekend, where the Tribe could manage only a split. Starting this Monday, the two teams will face each other for seven straight days, with the first four coming in Toledo. Heading into their most crucial week of the season, Indianapolis is bringing in a trio of viable reinforcements from Double-A Altoona. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen and infielder Neil Walker (rated by Baseball America as the organization's top two prospects) are expected to join the club today, along with left-handed reliever Dave Davidson. This comes less than three weeks after the promotion of Steven Pearce, the overall Minor League leader with 111 RBI this season. Pearce drove in six runs last night alone as the Indians defeated Durham 9-1. The new arrivals in Indianapolis may be showing up a little too late to swing the IL West race in the Tribe's favor. The Mud Hens have a magic number of just 12 to clinch the division, and they begin a seven-game homestand tonight with three games against the last-place Columbus Clippers. While the Indians are receiving help from the Double-A level, the Mud Hens' pitching staff has been bolstered by two rehabbing Major Leaguers during the past week. Righty Joel Zumaya, coming back from surgery to his right ring finger, has been effective in two relief appearances, allowing just one hit and no runs. Lefty Andrew Miller made a rehab start Wednesday night in Richmond, and was roughed up by Toledo's potential first round playoff opponent. Miller surrendered five runs on five hits in three innings, but the Mud Hens offense picked him up with a six-run, two-out rally in the top of the 2nd inning to spark the club to an 8-7 victory. The key blow was a three-run blast by third baseman Mike Hessman, who now leads the International League with

28 home runs and 90 RBI. Hessman is also tied for the League-lead with 52 extra-base hits. The Mud Hens will need Hessman's bat as they try to bring home the IL West title and clinch a third consecutive trip to the postseason. The 29-year-old has driven in 11 runs in 9 games against Indianapolis so far this season, one of several Mud Hens who have come up huge against their closest competitors in the division race.

1B Chris Shelton has hit .313 with a homer and 4 RBI and SS Ramon Santiago has hit .333 with a homer in the nine games against the Tribe, but no one on either side of the season series has done more damage than Indianapolis outfielder Michael Ryan. The Indians' Player of the Month for July is hitting .423 (11-26) with four doubles, two triples, and 7 RBI against Toledo this season.

SOUTH DIVISION: The IL South was won by 14.0 games in 2005 and 15.5 games in 2006, and earlier this season it appeared there would again be little competition in this division. The Richmond Braves (Atlanta Braves) led by 10.0 games on May 19, but since that time they have played .500 baseball (42-42) while the 2nd-place Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) have pulled to within 1.0 game of the leaders. Durham won five straight against last-place Charlotte this week while the Braves, who have lost four of six, fight to hang on to the advantage they've enjoyed since April 10. With six games remaining between the clubs, the division is still up for grabs. Richmond heads to Durham for a four-game set beginning Tuesday, hoping to improve upon their 6-4 record against the Bulls this season. Durham is scheduled to visit The Diamond for two games August 29-30. The schedule coming down the stretch may favor the Braves, who get eight of their last ten games at home. The Bulls on the other hand are on the road for eight of their last ten. Following their series against Richmond next week, the Bulls host only two more games (against Charlotte August 31-September 1) the rest of the way. When the Braves and Bulls get together over the next two weeks to decide the division, fans should see plenty of great hitting and pitching. Richmond is the IL's top hitting club (.272), and is 2nd with 127 stolen bases, while Durham is the League's most powerful team, slugging 128 home runs so far this season. These are also the top two pitching clubs in the IL. Richmond has the circuit's best team ERA (3.58), with the Bulls a close 2nd (3.60). They are also 1-2 in shutouts (Richmond 13, Durham 12).

WILD CARD STANDINGS: W L PCT. GB

Durham 69 56 .552 --

Rochester 69 58 .543 1.0

Buffalo 65 59 .524 3.5

Indianapolis 64 60 .516 4.5

SERIES TO WATCH THIS WEEK:

August 18-21: Rochester @ Scranton/WB - The Red Wings begin a stretch of six games in seven days against the IL North leaders with four games at PNC Field.

August 20-23: Indianapolis @ Toledo - The Indians, who have lost six of nine to the Mud Hens this year, head to Fifth Third Field for a four-game set in Toledo.

August 21-24: Richmond @ Durham - A showdown between the IL South contenders takes place at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, where the Braves took three of four back in May.

August 23-24: Scranton/WB @ Rochester - The last two games of the regular season between the top two teams in the North. The Red Wings swept a two-game set at Frontier Field August 10-11.

Governors' Cup Champion Will Advance to Bricktown Showdown

The International League 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 IL's Governors' Cup trophy will advance to the one-game Triple-A Baseball Championship in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, September 18 - the Bricktown Showdown, live on ESPN2. The winner of the Bricktown Showdown will be crowned the champion of Triple-A Baseball for 2007. So who will the Governors' Cup Champion face in Oklahoma City? Here's a quick look at the current division leaders in the PCL:

American North Division - Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers)

American South Division - New Orleans Zephyrs (New York Mets)

Pacific North Division - Salt Lake Bees (Los Angeles Angels)

Pacific South Division - Sacramento River Cats (Oakland A's)

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International League Stories from August 17, 2007


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