IL1 International League

International League News & Notes

Published on July 1, 2010 under International League (IL1) News Release


BUFFALO BISONS www.Bisons.com

ALL-STAR GAME ON MISCH'S DISH: Bisons LHP Pat Misch will represent Buffalo at this year's Triple-A All-Star Game. The 28-year old has spent the entire season with the Bisons and is 7-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 15 starts. He leads all International League left-handed pitchers with seven wins (T-3rd overall) and is 5th in the IL with

96.1 innings pitched. Misch has worked six or more innings in 11 of his 15 starts this season and leads the Bisons' staff with 10 quality starts. The Bisons are 11-4 when the southpaw in on the mound, the best record on the team.

ROOKIE'S TO DUDA LIST: Bisons OF Lucas Duda has been very impressive in his first two-plus weeks with the club. Promoted from Double-A Binghamton on June 14, the outfielder has hit in 12 of 14 games with the Herd with a .308 (16-52) batting average. Duda has homered in his last three games and has four homers, nine extra-base hits and 12 RBI in his time in Buffalo. The 24-year old hit .286 (46-161) with 17 doubles, six home runs and 34 RBI in 45 games with Binghamton to begin the season.

THIS IS OUR HOUSE: With catcher Josh Thole in New York with the Mets, backstop J.R. House has taken over the majority of the catching duties in Buffalo. The 30-year old began the season with the Newark Bears of the Independent Atlantic League, but was signed on May 14. With the Bisons, House has hit .298 (25-84) with one home run and 12 RBI in 26 games. He is 11 for his last 29 (.279) at the plate for the Bisons, including a four-hit game on June 20 against Indianapolis.

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS www.CharlotteKnights.com

KNIGHTS SEND THREE TO ALL-STAR GAME: Charlotte Knights catcher Tyler Flowers, starting right handed pitcher Daniel Hudson and starting right handed pitcher Carlos Torres have been elected to the International League All-Star team.  Flowers, 24, is hitting .224 (49-219) with a team leading 15 home runs and 44 RBI.  His 15 home runs rank third in the League.  This is his first full season at the Triple-A level and his first time being named to the International League All-Star team.   Hudson, 23, has been arguably the best pitcher in the International League this season.  He is currently the League leader in wins (11) and strikeouts (102).  He has compiled an 11-3 record in 16 starts and a 3.57 ERA (35 ER/88.1 IP).  Torres, 27, has been elected to his second consecutive International League All-Star team.  The right-handed pitcher continues to have one of the most decorated careers in Charlotte Knights history.  This season Torres has compiled a 6-5 record with a 3.04 ERA (33 ER/97.2 IP).  He is near the top in the IL in strikeouts (92) and innings pitched (97.2).  Torres has been named the International League Pitcher of the Week three times this season (April 8-11,

May 31-June 6 and June 21-27).  This is the third consecutive All-Star appearance for Torres.  He was named to the 2008 Southern League All-Star Team and the 2009 International League All-Star Team. 

DON'T CALL HIS NAME, A-LE-JAN-DRO: OF Alejandro De Aza's 14 game hit streak ended Tuesday as De Aza went 0-4 with two strikeouts in the game.  The hitting streak was the longest hitting streak by a Knights player this season.  Over the course of the streak De Aza was 26-53 (.490), with two home runs and 11 RBI.  He had five hits on 6/28 vs. Buffalo.

PUT YOUR COATS ON: Knights outfielder Buck Coats went 1-3 at the plate yesterday with sacrifice fly RBI.  Coats has hit safely in 10 straight games and in 17 of his last 18 games.  Over his last 18 games he has gone 30-69 (.434) with six doubles, one triple and 10 RBI.

TORRES NAMED IL PITCHER OF THE WEEK...AGAIN...AND AGAIN: For the third time this season Charlotte Knights pitcher Carlos Torres has been named the International League's Pitcher of the Week.  This past week Torres went 2-0 in two starts and improved his season record to 6-5.  Torres combined to pitch 14.0 innings allowing two runs off eight hits in two starts.  He totaled 12 strikeouts and walked only three.  Torres has now gone seven consecutive starts without a loss and his 92 strikeouts rank near the top of the International League.  The 27-year-old right hander becomes just the 9th person to be named the International League Pitcher of the Week three times in a single season since the award's inception in 1985.  He previously won the award for the weeks of April 8-11 and May 31-June 6.

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS www.ClippersBaseball.com

ONE THROUGH NINE ON A ROLL: The Clippers notched 11 hits last night and have recorded at least 10 hits in eight of the last nine games (7-2).  Columbus is hitting .313 (102-326) in the last nine and averaging 7.3 runs per game (66 total).  On the year, the Clippers have recorded at least 10 hits in a game 38 times, going 28-10 (.737).  In 12 games with their current opponent, Indianapolis, they have had at least 10 hits six times, going 5-1.

POWER SURGE: Columbus failed to hit a homer last night, snapping a streak of eight straight games with a long (12 HR total), their longest streak of the season.  During that stretch, Jared Goedert hammered half of them (6/22 & 6/23 at Rochester; 6/25, 6/27 & 6/28 vs. Gwinnett and 6/29 vs. Indianapolis) on his way to hitting 10 HR in June (first Clipper with at least 10 HR in a month since Fernando Seguignol hit 11 HR in July of 2003).  In June, Columbus hit the most HR (36) in the IL.

DIGGING OUT: In the Clippers' last 22 home games, Columbus has allowed the opposition to plate the first run of the game 16 times (11-5, .688), including five of the six games on the recent home stand.  In the IL, the Clippers have the most wins (21) and best winning percentage (.488) when the opponents score first.

LOOK WHO'S LEADING: Carlos Santana remains at the forefront of the IL batting race (.316) and he also paces the League with a .447 OBP.  Santana, who was recalled to Cleveland on 6/11, currently has enough plate appearances to keep him qualified through the team's 91st game.

DURHAM BULLS www.DurhamBulls.com

COMEBACK KIDS: For the first 76 games, the Bulls did not have a single come-from-behind win when trailing after seven innings.  Now the Bulls have three in three days.  On Monday the Bulls scored twice in the ninth to beat Lehigh Valley 3-2 on J.J. Furmaniak's double.  On Tuesday, Durham scored four runs in the eighth to beat Louisville, 7-5.  Then yesterday the Bulls won by scoring single runs in the eighth and tenth against the Bats, taking the game 5-4 in 10 innings.

HOME SWEET HOME: With its win last night (and five of six to start an 11-game home stand) Durham is 26-12 at home.  The Bulls have won 11 of their last 13 home games.  Durham is hitting .304 at home (.254 on the road), and is scoring 6.21 runs per home game (236 in 38 contests) with 46 homers.  Durham also has a 3.03 ERA at home (3.71 on the road).

FUTURE IS NOW: Desmond Jennings pinch-ran and scored the winning run last night.  He and Jeremy Hellickson were named on June 22nd to the Futures Game.  Hellickson allowed three runs in five innings yesterday.  He has hit a win and a no-decision since receiving the honor.  Since being named, Jennings is 15-for-35 (.429) and has hit in all eight games he's started (nine starts overall).  Manager Charlie Montoyo has been named to coach for the World Team.  The game is scheduled for July 11th in Anaheim. 

DESMOND DAZZLING: Jennings isn't only hitting well this week.  In the month of June he batted .353 (36-102) with nine doubles, all four of his triples, a homer, and 15 RBI.  He's scored 28 runs in 25 games, compared to 14 in the months of April and May combined, covering 30 games.  It's a big reason why the Bulls went 19-9 in June. 

GWINNETT BRAVES www.GwinnettBraves.com

MOVING VANS: Gwinnett's roster has undergone some changes in the last few days, as various moves reshaped the club. On June 29, LHP Mike Minor, one of the top prospects in the Braves organization, was promoted to GWN from Mississippi to join the G-Braves starting pitching rotation. To make room for Minor, both INF Luis Bolivar and RHP/starter Tim Gustafson were reassigned to MISS. On June 30, RHP Jeff Lyman was activated from the DL (left hamstring strain), but was replaced on the shelf by LHP Mariano Gomez (left elbow strain). Braves OF Matt Diaz also completed his MLB rehab assignment with Gwinnett, and was activated yesterday from Atlanta's DL.

REYNOSO BACK ON TRACK: After weathering a franchise-record 6 straight losses dating back to last season for Gwinnett and then being sent down to Mississippi (Double-A) in a relief role, RHP Ryne Reynoso has truly turned his fortunes around. Reynoso returned from MISS on June 8 and has been a new pitcher in dual roles as a starter and a bullpen arm. The Idaho native has put together two straight wins (June 20, June 29), and on June 29 set a new career-high with 8 K in a game - also pushing him over the 300 strikeout mark for his pro tenure.

'POW' FOR YOUNG: Gwinnett OF/2B Matt Young won his first Player of the Week award, announced Monday by the International League. Young won the award for the week of 6/21-6/27, as he led the IL in runs scored with 10. He also tied for the IL lead in batting average (.556), hits (15) and on-base percentage (.600). In every game Young started last week, he notched a multi-hit performance - including three straight 3-hit games from 6/23-6/25. The Temple, TX, native has boosted his season AVG up to .306 - ninth-best on the IL leader board.

ALL-STARS ANNOUNCED: Relief pitcher Michael Dunn and first baseman and designated hitter Barbaro Canizares will be representing the Gwinnett Braves in the 2010 Triple-A All-Star Game, taking place on July 14. Canizares will be making his third consecutive All-Star Game appearance, something just three others have done (Roberto Petagine 1996-98, Todd Williams 1998-2000, and Ernie Young 2004-06).

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS www.IndyIndians.com

ALL-STAR EFFORT: Indians' C Erik Kratz will join Tribe manager Frank Kremblas at the 2010 All-Star Game in Lehigh Valley on July 14 at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania. As of June 30, Kratz led all Tribe batters who have recorded at least 150 at-bats with a .306 batting average, a .406 on-base percentage and a .575 slugging percentage and also topped the team in doubles with 17 on the season. The Indians' catcher also ranks second on the team with eight home runs and third with

30 RBI. The 30-year-old backstop just wrapped up a solid month of June during which time he hit .292 (19-for-65) with seven doubles, three home runs, nine RBI and

12 walks in 20 contests. Kratz also represented the Tribe in the 2009 All-Star Game where he was named the IL's Top Star after going 2-for-2 with a walk, a double and a two-run home run.

PRESLEY HAS LEFT THE BUILDING: OF Alex Presley has made quite an impression since joining the Tribe on June 25. After collecting a single and double over his first two contests, Presley exploded for five hits in six at-bats on June 27, collecting a single, double, triple and home run over his first four-at bats to record the first cycle by an Indians' player at Victory Field since it opened in 1996. The left-handed slugger continued to show off his power when he belted a two-run home run and solo shot against Columbus on June 30 to join Pedro Alvarez as the only Indians' batters to have connected on two home runs in a single contest this season, with Alvarez also accomplishing the feat against Columbus on April 9. Overall, Presley is batting .346 with five runs, two doubles, one triple, three home runs, five RBI and a .846 slugging percentage over his first six games with the Tribe and has turned in a .349 average (95-for-272) with 47 runs, nine home runs and 52 RBI over 73 games between Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona this season.

A ROLLING STONE GATHERS A LOT OF (BRANDON) MOSS: From June 23 to June 30, OF Brandon Moss led all of professional baseball, both Major Leagues and Minor Leagues, with 15 RBI. Moss' four home runs during that time span also ranked him tied for second with several other players at both the Major League and Minor League levels. Overall during his dominating week of play, Moss hit an eye-popping .433 (13-for-30) with eight runs scored, four home runs and 15 RBI. The left-handed slugger also posted excellent numbers overall in the season's third month as he scored 16 runs, equaled his home run total from both April and May with five home runs and collected nine more RBI (26) than he tallied over the season's first two months (17). Moss has also thrived when playing at Victory Field this season as he is batting .301 (40-for-133) with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 32 RBI over 36 games at home.

NO JUNE SWOON HERE: Despite dropping the final two games of the month, the Indians finished June with an impressive 18-11 record, including a jaw-dropping 13-3 mark at home. The 18-11 mark was the Tribe's best record in any month since May 2005 when they also finished 18-11 and their best record in the month of June since they posted a 19-10 mark in 2003. Overall in the season's third month, the Tribe posted the International League's second best ERA at 3.22 led by starters Hayden Penn, who posted a 4-1 record and 1.89 ERA (7 ER in 33.1 IP) and Daniel McCutchen, who posted a 2-2 mark with a 2.73 ERA (8 ER in 26.1 IP), as well as relievers Wil Ledezma, who recorded a 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 11.2 IP) with 18 strikeouts over 11 relief outings and Vinnie Chulk, who turned in a 1-0 record, 0.82 ERA (1 ER in 11.0 IP) and a 12 to 3 strikeout to walk ratio over 10 appearances. On the offensive side, INF Jim Negrych led the Tribe with a .404 average (23-for-57) over 17 games, OF Kevin Melillo scored the most runs with 17 and OF Brandon Moss collected the most home runs and RBI with five and 26.

LEHIGH VALLEY IRONPIGS www.IronPigsBaseball.com

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?: Top prospect OF Domonic Brown had the game-winning 3-R home run in the 3rd inning last night and has now homered in the last 2 G. The 22-year-old has now hit in his last 5 G (10-17, .588-2-6, 2 2B, 5 R, 1.06 SLG) and in 6 of 7 G since his first-ever promotion to the Triple-A level on 6/25. In addition, the 2010 USA Futures Team selection has combined to hit in 19 of his last 21 G overall (28-72, .389-7-20, 5 2B, 19 R).

THE MIGHTY TRACY: 2010 IL All-Star 1B Andy Tracy has hit safely in the last 6 G (8-19, .421-1-4) & in 15 of his last 18 G (24-60, .400-3-15, 6 2B, 15 R). Since his return from the DL on 5/27, Tracy is batting .370-8-30 in 35 G (40-108, 8 2B, 2 3B, 25 R, 30 BB) -- with a .507 OBA and a .704 SLG. Traditionally a slow starter, the Bowling Green native has also hit .338-9-33 in his last 45 G (49-145, 11 2B, 3 3B, 33 BB) raising his average from .198 (5/4) to a season-high .290. In the month of June in his LHV career, he has hit .364-15-63 in 83 G (100-275, 29 2B, 2 3B, 57 BB, 41 R).

'ONE' IS THE LONELIEST...: With the 3-2 loss Tuesday, LHV fell to 8-24 (.250) in one-run games -- a winning PCT which ranks 14th in the IL (LOU is 13th at .348). LHV is 1st in the IL w/ 32 one-run games (PAW has 30; 14-16). SWB has the top record the IL, going 21-7 (.750) in 28 one-run games. In '09, the team that has the worst such win% was COL at .395 (17-26). If the Pigs were just .500 (16-16) in these games, they'd be 40-40.

OVERWHELMIN' MELVIN!: INF Melvin Dorta has hit safely in 19 of last 22 G (27-79, .342-0-6, 6 2B, 11 R). From 6/9-6/22, he had a 13-G hitting streak (19-47, .404-0-4, 9 R) -- a 2010 LHV high (prev. 11, Rich Thompson). In addition, the streak tied his career-long hitting streak of 13 G (2006 w/ Harrisburg). Dorta is tied for 4th all-time for the longest LHV hitting streak -- which is 18 (Mike Cervenak, 2008). In his last 39 G, he's hit .336-1-13 (42-125, 9 2B, 3B). From 5/25-6/15, went 19 G & 61 AB without striking out.

LOUISVILLE BATS www.BatsBaseball.com

JUNE SWOON: With the 5-4 loss last night to the Durham Bulls, the Bats wrapped up the month of June with a losing record.  At 12-16, the Bats recorded their second losing month of the season (April 7-15).  After a disastrous April, the Bats turned things around in May, going 17-13 before the struggles returned this month.  In 2009, the Bats had only one losing month all year (May 12-19) and June was their best month of the season (19-9).  The 2009 team went on to finish 84-58 and were IL West Champions.  This year, the Bats currently sit at 36-43 and are 11 games back of first place Columbus.

MATTHEWS JR. GETTING COMFORTABLE: After a miserable debut Saturday night that saw him go 0-6 with five strikeouts, Gary Matthews Jr. has turned things around quickly.  Since his 0-6 performance, Matthews has hit safely in four straight games, including back-to-back three hit performances on Sunday and Monday night at Norfolk.  In his last four games, he is hitting .450 (9-20) with a home run, two doubles, a triple, and an RBI.  He also stole his first base as a Bat Tuesday night against Durham.  Overall in his first five games, Matthews is batting .346 (9-26) with three multi-hit games, including 2-5 last night.  He has started every game in center field.

BANANA 'SPLIT': With a win Monday night at Norfolk, the Bats split their sixth consecutive series. Their last non-series split came from 5/31 to 6/2 in COL, when the Clippers took three of four. In each of the Bats' previous 5 four-game series, they entered the final game with an opportunity to take the series, 3-to-1, and lost. On 6/7 vs. PAW they fell 7-2 when Aroldis Chapman lasted just two innings, allowing six hits, seven runs and six walks. On 6/11 at SYR, they trailed the entire game and scored one in the eighth and two in the ninth to make it 5-3. On 6/15, Travis Wood was a hard-luck loser, allowing just 1 run and striking out 10 in 7 innings of work. However, PAW's Michael Bowden was just a little better as the Paw Sox won, 2-0. In the finale with Durham, Wood again was a tough-luck loser as he was out dueled by Jeremy Hellickson. Last Thursday night, the Bats committed a season-high 4 errors and were one-hit by the Mud Hens in a 6-1 loss. The Bats last series win came vs. SWB (3-1) from 5/22 to 5/25 and that followed a series win on the road at LHV (3-1). Overall, the Bats are 4-6-11 in series this season.

WOOD TO THE SHOW: LHP Travis Wood will make his major league debut this afternoon at Wrigley Field when the Reds take on the Chicago Cubs.  Wood (5-6, 3.12) led the team in starts with 15 and has been lights out in his eight trips to the mound dating back to 5/18 at LHV.  Since 5/18, he has recorded quality starts in all eight outings and has an ERA of 1.62 (10 ER, 55.2 IP). He has lowered his ERA from a season high 5.10 on 5/13 to its current mark of 3.12.  In his last outing this past Friday 6/25 at Norfolk, Wood threw eight scoreless innings of five hit baseball.  He also struck out nine and walked only one in the 7-0 win.  With his outstanding numbers, Wood is climbing up the leader boards in several International League pitching categories.  He currently ranks third in strikeouts (97), second in innings pitched (98.0), fourth in WHIP (1.08), and ninth in ERA (3.12).  In his last four starts, Wood has K'd a combined 34 hitters and for the season is averaging just under 6.5 strikeouts per game.  On 5/18 at LHV, he threw 8.0 innings and struck out a career high 11 batters.

NORFOLK TIDES www.NorfolkTides.com

HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR: Yesterday the IL announced the members of its 2010 All-Star Team, and Jeff Salazar and Chris Tillman have been named to represent Norfolk and the IL in the Triple-A All-Star Game, slated for July 14 in Lehigh Valley. Salazar has hit .280 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI thus far, and he's yet to make an error in 118 chances in the outfield. Tillman, who has been named to the IL All-Star Team for the second year in a row, has gone 7-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 12 starts with the Tides this year. Last year, Tillman did not appear in the All-Star Game due to his selection in the MLB Futures Game.

TRIPLE-A DEBUT: Tonight's contest will be the first at the Triple-A level for starter Zach Britton, who was added to the Tides roster from Double-A Bowie today. Britton was 7-3 with a 2.48 ERA (24-ER, 87.0-IP), 28 walks and 68 strikeouts in 15 games for the Baysox this season, and he'd held Eastern League batters to a .231 average. Britton's 2.48 ERA ranked third in the EL, and his seven wins are tied for fourth in the EL and first among O's minor leaguers. The 22-year-old southpaw was rated as the third-best prospect in the Orioles system by Baseball America prior to the 2010 season after he went 9-6 with a 2.70 ERA and 131 strikeouts for Frederick in 2009, where he was named Carolina League Pitcher of the Year.

DOUBLE THREAT: Third baseman Josh Bell enters play today with 24 doubles, a total that ranks 2nd in the IL and is tied for 12th in all of Minor League Baseball. Bell is on pace to club 43 doubles this year, a total that would surpass Norfolk's club record of 42 doubles set by Oscar Salazar in the 2008 season.

PAWTUCKET RED SOX www.PawSox.com

A PAIR OF ALL-STARS: For the fourth straight season, the Pawtucket Red Sox will have (at least) two PawSox players participate in the Triple-A All-Star Game. PawSox reliever Robert Manuel and PawSox outfielder Bubba Bell have both been selected to the 2010 International League All-Star Team. Manuel, who will turn 27 on July 9, has been superb out of the PawSox bullpen all season posting a 4-1 record with a 1.54 ERA in 30 RA along with 8 SV in 8 opportunities. To date he still has not given up a run at home going 2-0, 0.00 with 6 SV in 16 games at McCoy Stadium - 23 IP, 8 H, 0 R - as opponents are hitting a mere .111 against him at home. Manuel was claimed by the Red Sox off waivers from Seattle last November 20. He was selected to Boston's roster this June 19 but did not appear for the Red Sox before being optioned back to Pawtucket on June 22. He does have Major League experience appearing in 3 games for Cincinnati in 2009 (0-0, 0.00). He also made 36 RA for Louisville (3-4, 2.70 with 10 SV) and 15 RA for Tacoma (1-1, 3.32 with 4 SV) last season. The Houston, TX native was a Southern League All-Star in 2008 when he went 5-3 with a 1.40 ERA and

3 SV in 47 RA for Chattanooga (Double-A Cincinnati). Bell, 27, is currently 6th in the International League in batting with a .305 average in 64 games with 4 HR & 32 RBI. He has played 62 games in the outfield (36 in RF, 24 in CF, and 2 in LF) making 3 errors with 4 assists. He hit .241 in 15 games in April but then batted .313 in 25 games in May and closed out a terrific month of June by hitting .348 in 24 games in June with team-highs in both HR (3) and RBI (11). Bell is in his 6th year in the Red Sox organization after being selected in the 39th round of the 2005 draft from Nicholls (LA) State University.The Texas native had a breakthrough season for Lancaster

(Class-A) in 2007 when he was named California League MVP even though he played in just 76 games before being promoted to Portland (Double-A), but in those 76 games he hit .370 with 27 2B, 22 HR and 83 RBI.

AN ALL-STAR HISTORY: Some other notable PawSox players who have appeared in the Triple-A All-Star Game since the event began in 1988 include: INF Tim Naehring (1990), 3B Scott Cooper & OF Phil Plantier (1991), RHP Brian Rose (1997), OF Trot Nixon (1998), RHP Tomo Ohka (2000), RHP Bronson Arroyo (2003), and OF Brandon Moss (2007). In 2008 a team-record five PawSox players were chosen including 1B Jeff Bailey, OF Chris Carter, OF Jonathan Van Every, 2B Joe Thurston, and RHP Charlie Zink (although Zink did not attend) and in 2009 the PawSox were represented by RHP Fernando Cabrera and RHP Clay Buchholz (although Buchholz did not attend as he was already slated to be promoted to Boston right after the game).

MONTHLY CHECK: The PawSox finished 12-16 in June. Top hitters in June were Bubba Bell at .348 (23-66 in 24 games) with team-highs in both HR (3) and RBI (11) along with Daniel Nava (now in Boston) at .308 and Niuman Romero at .290 in a team-leading 29 games (31-107). Leading pitchers were relievers Robert Manuel (2-1, 1.93 in 10 RA with 2 SV - 3 ER in 14 IP) and Fernando Cabrera (0-0, 2.13 in 11 RA with 4 SV - 3 ER in 12.2 IP), and starters Robert Coello (1-1, 2.25 in 4 games -

4 ER in 16 IP) and Michael Bowden (2-1, 2.35 in 5 GS - 8 ER in 30.2 IP).

ROCHESTER RED WINGS www.RedWingsBaseball.com

JUNE SWOON: The Red Wings concluded the month of June with a losing record for only the second time in their eight years as a Minnesota Twins affiliate.  Rochester finished with an 11-18 record in June which is the worst record the Red Wings have had in June since 1992 when they had an 11-19 record.  It is also only the fifth time since 1980, when month-to-month records begin that Rochester had 18 or more losses in June.

WHIPLASH: The Red Wings pitching staff has struggled to keep the opposing batters in the ballpark.  Rochester has allowed at least one home run in 22 of their last 23 games.  The Wings hurlers have allowed 42 home runs in those 23 games.  Prior to this 23-game stretch Rochester didn't allow a home run for 53 consecutive innings (6 games).  Rochester has allowed 94 home runs this season which leads the International League.

BAD STARTS: The Red Wings starting pitchers have struggled the last 22 games, going 1-12 with an 8.06 ERA.  In 101.2 innings of work, the starters allowed 93 runs (91 earned) on 161 hits while walking 38, striking out 64 and allowing 27 home runs.  Rochester's starting pitchers have an 11-39 record with a 5.94 ERA so far this season.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE YANKEES www.SWBYankees.com

THIRD LONGEST STREAK OF THE SEASON: Jorge Vazquez extended his hit streak to a season high 11 games with a 1-5 night in the Yankees 6-5 loss at Pawtucket on Wednesday night. Vazquez picked up his first and only hit of the night in the top of the second with a one out double to left. The streak is the third double digit streak of the 2010 season for a Yankees hitter joining Kevin Russo (12) and Reid Gorecki (11) as SWB Yankees who have hit safely in 10 or more games. Vazquez is hitting .319

(15-47), 7R, 5 2B, 2HR, 6RBI, 11K during his 10 game run.

HOMER HAPPY STRETCH COMES TO A CLOSE: The Yankees season high of seven straight games with at least one homer came to an end in Tuesday's 7-1 loss to Pawtucket. Gwinnett homered in its game on Tuesday night and broke a tie with the Yankees for last in the League for home runs hit. Once again, the Yankees sit at the bottom of the International League with 45 home runs in 80 games played. SWB is averaging an IL low 0.56 homers per game which makes the most recent run for the team of nine homers hit in seven consecutive games that much more impressive.

WORKING BACK TO 100%: Marcus Thames began his rehab assignment with the Yankees in the second game of the four game series with the Pawtucket Red Sox. Thames has been working out with SWB for the last week and will see action at both designated hitter and in the outfield. Thames injured his right hamstring in a game against the Houston Astros on June 12th and while the MRI came back negative, Thames has been on the DL since June 13th. In 33 games with the New York Yankees in 2010, Thames is hitting .276 (21-76) with 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 R, 4 2B, 13 BB and 23 K. After injuring a rib cage muscle in 2009, he played 12 games in Toledo hitting .245 (12-49) with 2 HR and 6 RBI. His last minor league appearance with the Yankees came in 2003 with the Columbus Clippers before he was dealt to the Texas Rangers that same season on June 6th.

THREE DAYS OFF FOR THE REST OF US: Three Yankees have been named to the International League All-Star Team and will participate in the IL vs. PCL matchup at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park on Wednesday, July 14th. Jonathan Albaladejo, Eduardo Nunez and Jesus Montero have been picked to represent the Yankees in the upcoming game. Nunez leads the IL in hits with 97 and is fourth in the League in hitting with a .309 average. Montero, ranked as the number one prospect in the Yankee system to begin the season, is hitting .250 with 18 doubles, 6 HR and 32 RBI. Albaladejo leads all Triple-A pitchers with 24 saves and has a 2-1 record with a 1.17 ERA. The next save that he records this season will tie him with Chuck Ricci for the most saves in a single season of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Baseball. Ricci set his mark with the 1995 Red Barons. Albaladejo is still on pace to catch Matt Whiteside of the '04 Richmond Braves who holds the IL record for the most saves in a single season with 38.

SYRACUSE CHIEFS www.SyracuseChiefs.com

BYNUM'S BACK: Chiefs infielder Seth Bynum is set to return from his 50-game suspension this weekend. Bynum was suspended on May 13th for testing positive for an amphetamine. Before the suspension, Bynum had been hitting .250 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 30 games with the Chiefs. In 2009, Bynum was an All-Star for Syracuse, finishing the season with a .262 average, 19 home runs and 67 RBI in 134 games.

LAMBIN HEADED TO LEHIGH VALLEY: Syracuse infielder Chase Lambin will represent the Chiefs at the 2010 Triple-A All-Star Game July 14th at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA. Lambin is hitting .297 so far this season and is leading the team in home runs (9) and RBI (38). He is tied for third in the IL with Toledo's Brent Dlugach in hits (84). Lambin's 23 doubles this season are also good for third best in the League (tied with Durham's Chris Richard).

LIFE AFTER STRASBURG: The Chiefs are 9-9 since Stephen Strasburg was called o the majors on June 8th. Strasburg is one of ten players on the Nationals current roster who played for Syracuse earlier in the year. Luis Atilano, J.D. Martin, Joel Peralta, Craig Stammen, Drew Storen, Roger Bernadina, Mike Morse, Carlos Maldonado (DL) and Scott Olsen (DL) are the others. Strasburg went 4-1 with a 1.08 ERA in six starts for the Chiefs.

TOLEDO MUD HENS www.MudHens.com

ALL-STAR MUD HENS: OF/INF Jeff Frazier and RHP Jay Sborz have been named to play in the 2010 Triple-A All-Star Game. Frazier is leading the International League with 27 doubles and is tied for fourth with 15 home runs. Sborz is tied for third in the League with 15 saves.

JUNE BUGS: The Toledo Mud Hens finished the month of June with a losing record (13-17) for the first time since 2002. In the previous seven seasons, Toledo had gone a combined 118-82, including 20-9 in 2007.

STUCK ON 540: Toledo manager Larry Parrish has been one win shy of breaking Cal Ermer's record of 540 victories as skipper of the Mud Hens for nearly a week. Since tying the record last Thursday in Louisville, the Hens have lost six straight, getting swept in Indianapolis and losing the first two at home to Gwinnett. Parrish has five more chances to accomplish the feat at home: two more games vs. Gwinnett and three vs. division rival Columbus.

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International League Stories from July 1, 2010


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