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IL1 International League

International League News and Notes

June 1, 2006 - International League (IL1) News Release


BUFFALO BISONS
RALLY HERD: The Bisons showed this week they can never be counted out of a ball game. In their last three games, Buffalo scored 19 of their 23 runs from the 8th inning on. On Sunday, the Herd scored two in the 8th, one in the 9th and five in the 11th to defeat Columbus, 9-4. Then on Monday, Buffalo struck for three in the 9th and six in the 10th to beat the Clippers, 12-9. On the season, 62 of the Bisons 229 runs scored have come in the 8th inning or later (27%).

1-2 PUNCH ROLLS ON: The combination of Jeremy Sowers and Jeremy Guthrie had another solid week for the Herd. Guthrie threw six more shutout innings on Sunday in a no-decision in Columbus. He has now allowed runs in only one of the 34 innings he has pitched (2 ER) with Buffalo this year. His 0.53 ERA is 9.2 innings shy of qualifying tops in the IL. Sowers, meanwhile, finally saw his consecutive innings without an earned run streak end at 29. Sowers' no-decision on Monday puts him 2nd in the IL in ERA (1.12) and T-2nd in wins (6).

MUJICA MAGIC: Reliever Edward Mujica is quickly becoming the Herd's good luck charm. The 22-year old rookie is 3-0 in his first six Triple-A appearances. Mujica started the year by making 12 appearances at Double-A Akron without allowing an earned run (19.0 IP, 1 R, 11 H, 17 K). Since being called up to Buffalo on May 15, Mujica has extended that streak to 18 games by allowing just one unearned run in 8.0 innings with the Herd (7 H, 7 K).

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS
REMAINING ON TOP: The Charlotte Knights Baseball Club keeps adding to the wins column of their record which is helping not only the team to remain on top of the leader boards, but individual players as well. Josh Fields remains on top of the IL in slugging percentage (.593) and is also tied for the top spot with Ryan Ludwick of Toledo with 25 extra base hits. Fields is also currently in second place with a .427 on-base percentage, following close behind Wes Timmons of Richmond who has a .428 on-base percentage.

STREAKING: Taking practice swings on deck...thinking of where you need to hit the ball...how are you going to get on base? Those are things that every batter has running through their head before stepping up to the plate. Going into today's game Ryan Sweeney will be looking to continue his seven game hitting streak going 11-32 from May 24-May 30, not far behind Jason Conti of Columbus who is currently has a 10 game hitting streak. Tony Torcato and Pedro Lopez are also hoping to continue their hitting streaks (each with three games) when heading into the first match up of the season tonight against the Norfolk Tides.

LOOKING BACK AT MAY: During the month of May two players were riding closely behind one player from Durham for the top spot of home runs and RBI. Josh Fields finished out the month of May with 7 home runs while Durham's Kevin Witt tallied up 8 home runs. Casey Rogowski was able to rack up 21 RBI for the month, but once again Witt came out on top with 24 total RBI. Both Fields and Rogowski are looking to take that top spot for June beginning tonight.

MOVING RIGHT ALONG: The Charlotte Knights began their eight game road trip on Sunday, stopping first in Richmond. The Knights currently lead the all-time series against the Braves 113-104. Tonight the Knights will play the Norfolk Tides for the first time in the 2006 season. The Knights lead 62-51 at Knights Stadium while at Harbor Park the Tides lead 53-51. The Tides won the 2005 series between Knights and Tides 10-6 winning both 5-3 in Charlotte and Norfolk.

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS
CONTI CONTROLLING THE COOP: Outfielder Jason Conti recently completed his first homestand as a Clipper by getting at least one hit in all 10 games. The Pittsburgh native helped the Clippers go 6-4 on the homestand. With 15 career games under his belt in Cooper Stadium (10 as a Clipper, 5 as an opponent) he is now hitting .400 (22-55) with 3 HR, 10 RBI and 14 runs scored. Dating back to August 6, 2001, Conti has hit safely in 14 straight games at the Coop.

RASNER, THOMPSON UP TO NEW YORK: The Yankees recalled starter Darrell Rasner and outfielder Kevin Thompson. Rasner, claimed off of waivers from Washington in January, will be making his second appearance in the Majors. He is currently 9th in the IL with a 2.56 ERA and has a 4-0 record for Columbus. Last year he pitched for Double-A Harrisburg before being called up to Washington at the end of the season. With the Nationals, Rasner went 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA in five games. Thompson is headed to the show for the first time in his career. Drafted by the Yankees in 1999, Thompson split last season with Trenton and Columbus and also played in the Futures All-Star game for the U.S. Team in Detroit. He was leading the Clippers with a .288 batting average, 30 runs and seven steals.

WORKING OVERTIME: The Clippers went to extra innings in back-to-back games for the first time this year on Sunday and Monday. Columbus scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to send both games into extras. Late scoring seemed to be the theme during the weekend series against Buffalo. In the four game series, the Clippers and Bisons combined to score 31 runs from the 8th inning on.


DURHAM BULLS
BALDELLI'S BACK: This is day ten of Tampa Bay OF Rocco Baldelli's MLB rehab assignment with Durham, and so far so good. Baldelli is 8-23 with three doubles and three RBI. Tuesday was the only full game Baldelli played in which he didn't collect a hit. The 24-year-old was Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year in 2002, when he was part of the Governors' Cup Championship team that season. Baldelli missed all of last year with an ACL tear and recovery from Tommy John surgery. He currently is coming back from a hamstring injury suffered in spring training. Baldelli has a career Major League average of .285 with 27 HR and 152 RBI in two seasons with Tampa Bay. He batted .292 with 3 HR and 7 RBI in 23 games with Durham in 2002. Baldelli is expected to stay for the full 20 days he's allowed on rehab assignment.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Durham begins an eight-game road trip tonight through Buffalo and Rochester. Durham will play only 11 home games in the month of June.

LEAGUE LEADERS: The Bulls, come off an off day with the League leader in hits, homers, stolen bases and triples. Darnell McDonald has 62 hits, B.J. Upton has 22 stolen bases, Kevin Witt has 13 homers, and Elijah Dukes has collected five triples.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK TWO?: Kevin Witt, named the IL Player-of-the-Week on Monday, homered Monday night in his first at-bat after receiving the honor. Witt hit 8 HR and drove home 24 runs in the month of May while batting .354.

TAMARGO SUSPENSION NEARS AN END: Bulls manager John Tamargo will sit out game nine of a 10-game suspension tonight for his actions on May 21 against Charlotte. Tamargo was ejected after arguing a ball hit toward first by Charlotte's Jerry Owens was foul. Tamargo then bumped the umpire several times during the argument. The Bulls are 5-3 since Tamargo's suspension began.

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE: The Indians have been in first place since April 23 -- a span of 40 days. It's the longest streak since April 8-June 4, 2004, when the Tribe sat atop the International League's West Division for 58 consecutive days.

LEADING THE LEAGUE: Indianapolis RHP Brandon Duckworth notched his International League-leading eighth victory Tuesday night at Syracuse (6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO). The 30-year-old, who has not lost since April 18, has won seven straight decisions. Duckworth went 5-0 with a 3.15 ERA in six starts during the month of May.

FIRST TIME SINCE 2003: With four straight victories at Syracuse May 27-30, the Indians registered their first four-game road sweep since June 20-23, 2003 (at Pawtucket).

ROAD WARRIORS: Indianapolis owns the IL's second-best road record at 18-9 (.667). Only IL South Division-leader Charlotte (22-6, .786) boasts a better winning percentage away from home. The Indians are in the midst of an eight-game homestand and return to the road June 9.

WINNING ON THE ROAD: The Tribe has opened the season by posting four consecutive winning road trips. Indianapolis went 4-3 on its season-opening trip (2-2 at PAW, 2-1 at OTT), 4-1 on its second trip (2-0 at LOU, 1-0 at COL, 1-1 at TOL), 4-3 on its third (2-1 at DUR, 2-2 at CHR) and 6-2 on its fourth (2-2 at SWB, 4-0 at SYR).

FLASHING THE LEATHER: Indianapolis leads the International League with a .984 fielding percentage (1,379 PO, 558 A, 31 E). The Indians have collected 30 errorless games this season, going 18-12 in those contests.

LOUISVILLE BATS
DENORFIA LEADS THE LEAGUE: OF Chris Denorfia leads the IL with a .338 batting average; last year he finished the season with a combined .317 average between Double-A Chattanooga and Louisville. The last (and only) time Louisville had a player lead the League in average was 1996 when Dmitri Young led the American Association as a Redbird; he had a .333 average.

FINALLY, A SERIES WIN IN MOOSIC: For the first time since 1998, the Bats won their road series versus the Red Barons, taking three of four at Lackawanna County Stadium this week. Louisville has a total of nine wins in Moosic from 1999-2006 and a 12-31 record versus the Barons on the road; they also had a 1-2 record in Old Orchard Beach, Maine in 1988 against the Maine Guides (who that offseason moved to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre).

SNYDER HEATING UP: In his past seven games, INF Earl Snyder has raised his average from .190 to .222 by going 11-30 (.367); he has five doubles, seven runs, four home runs and 11 RBI during this time. He almost tripled his RBI output during the month of May, driving in 17; he had six RBI in April.

HORNUNG TO BE HONORED BY CITY: In tribute of his historic collegiate and professional football career, the city of Louisville will unveil a bronze statue of Louisville native Paul Hornung. The statue will be presented Friday, June 2, prior to the Bats' game with the Pawtucket Red Sox. Scheduled to attend the ceremony are Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson, NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka, former NFL teammates Max McGee, Jerry Kramer, Ron Kramer and Mike Lucci as well as the radio voice of Notre Dame football for the past 26 years, Tony Roberts.

NORFOLK TIDES
HIT MEN: Outfielder Michael Tucker and infielder Chris Basak have enjoyed a very hot stretch at the plate as of late. Tucker hit .333 (9-27) with three home runs and seven RBI over the most recent road trip, and he has hit safely in seven of his last nine games. Basak, who has hit safely in a season-high six straight games, has hit .382 (21-55) with three home runs and 12 RBI over his past 15 starts. Basak has hit safely in 13 of his past 15 starts, and has raised his batting average from a season-low .210 to .269 over that stretch.
PITCHING PROWESS: Norfolk went 15-12 in May (tied for the 4th most wins in the IL), with a big reason for the success being the strong performance of the pitching staff. Norfolk posted a 3.87 ERA during the month of May, but if the 17-3 loss to Syracuse on May 26 was removed, Norfolk's ERA in May was a sparkling 3.28, which would have been good for the 3rd-best in the League. Evan MacLane (4-0, 1.93, 32.2 IP), Royce Ring (2-0, 0.00, 9.0 IP), Heath Bell (1-1, 0.00 ERA, 8.2 IP), Jose Lima (2-0, 0.56 ERA, 16.0 IP) and Juan Perez (0-0, 1.00 ERA, 18.0 IP) all had spectacular months on the mound.

MAINE MAN: Right-handed pitcher John Maine will make a Major League rehab start for the Tides in tonight's contest vs. Charlotte. Maine was placed on the disabled list with New York on May 6 due to inflammation of his right middle finger. This will be his second rehab start, and first rehab appearance with Norfolk (Maine pitched 5.0 shutout innings on May 27 with Class-A St. Lucie in his first rehab start). Maine is the fourth Mets player to rehab with Norfolk this year, joining 2B Kaz Matsui, IF Anderson Hernandez, and RHP Brian Bannister.

OTTAWA LYNX
AIN'T LIFE GRAND (SLAM): During the Lynx last road trip, they had a stretch from May 24-27 when they hit three grand slams in four games, an unprecedented slam streak for the franchise. Brandon Marsters' grand slam on May 27 was only the 27th in the 14-year history of the Lynx franchise. Marsters' shot followed-up Keith Reed's on 26th and Eddy Garabito's blast on the 24th. This marks the first time since 1998 the Lynx have hit three grand slams in a season, with the most ever (4) coming in the inaugural season of 1993. Ottawa had hit grand slams on back-to-back days only once before, when Derrick May and Trace Coquillette accomplished the feat against these same Durham Bulls in Ottawa on June 20-21 of 1998. The Lynx have won nine straight games in which they've hit a grand slam. Prior to Garabito's shot on the 24th, Ottawa last granny came on July 1, 2005 courtesy of Alejandro Freire.

HOMER HAPPY: The suddenly long-ball prone Lynx have now hit 25 homers in their last 16 games. In the season's first 37 games, the Lynx went yard 20 times. Ottawa hit 34 homers in May, six more than any other team in the IL (Columbus is 2nd - 28). On route to the Lynx 34 homers in May, several different players have hit at least three homers - Andy Tracy (6), Eli Whiteside (4), Alejandro Freire (3), Brandon Marsters (3), Keith Reed (3), Fernando Tatis (3) and Luis Terrero (3).

HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY: Lynx RHP Julio Manon did not miss a beat with the Lynx. Manon was leading the IL in saves with eight at the time of his promotion to Baltimore on May 2. After 20 days with the big club, Manon returned to Ottawa on May 22 and has since saved three games in three changes to regain the IL lead with 11. Lynx RHP Eddy Rodriguez has been equally effective late in games, saving seven contests in Manon's absence. R odriguez has given up only one run on 10 hits in 20.1 innings this year, posting a 2-0 record with a 0.44 ERA.

PAWTUCKET RED SOX
FINAL MAY NUMBERS: The PawSox dropped their final three games in May and thus finished with a losing record during the month of May at 13-14. The Sox batted just .234 in May (195-832) with 11 HR in 27 games. Sox pitchers were 13-14 despite a 3.68 ERA in May (92 ER in 225 IP). Some individual May leaders: Batting avg. - Ron Calloway (.282), HR - Jeff Bailey (5), RBI - Bailey (18), Runs - Adam Stern (15), Wins - Jon Lester (3), SV - Jermaine Van Buren (5), Appearances - Tim Bausher & Craig Breslow (9), IP - Jimmy Serrano (31.2), Starter ERA - Lester (1.45), Relievers ERA - Van Buren (1.93).

WELCOME ABOARD: The PawSox received two of the Red Sox top prospects on May 26 as OF David Murphy and RHP Barry Hertzler were both promoted from Double-A Portland. Murphy, 24, was a bright spot for the PawSox over the long Memorial Day weekend as he hit .316 in his first 5 games at the Triple-A level (6-19) with 1 HR & 4 RBI including a solo HR in his first at-bat with Pawtucket on May 26 vs. Louisville at McCoy Stadium.
Murphy was hitting .273 in 42 games for the Portland Sea Dogs this season along with 17 2B (to lead the Eastern League), 3 HR, 25 RBI, and 4 SB. On May 21 he went 5-5 with 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, and 3 runs scored in a 12-5 victory at home vs. New Hampshire and in the process set two franchise records - RBI in one inning (5) and extra-base hits in one game (4) - and tied two franchise records - hits in a game (5) and doubles in a game (3). Murphy, who has played the bulk of his games in CF, was the 17th overall pick in the 2003 draft after an outstanding three-year career at Baylor University (where he hit .346 with 22 HR & 142 RBI in 172 games). After spending parts of 2003 and 2004 with Single-A Sarasota, David played all of 2005 with Portland batting .275 with 14 HR & 75 RBI in 135 games. He was also named Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Year after making only 4 errors in 131 games in CF.
Hertzler, 25, made his Triple-A debut on Saturday (May 27) and his story quickly made headlines as the local boy made good. Growing up just a few miles from McCoy Stadium in East Providence, RI, Barry made return home a rousing success as he fired 3 scoreless innings of relief to get credit for Pawtucket's 4-0 victory over Norfolk in front of more than 50 family and friends at McCoy. Hertzler was off to a terrific start for Portland (AA) this season going 0-0 with 4 SV and a 1.05 ERA in 16 relief appearances (3 ER in 25.2 IP). He went 10 straight appearances without allowing an earned run from April 10 - May 8. A former East Providence, RI star (1999 graduate), Hertzler was selected by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2003 June draft out of Central Connecticut State University. He made his pro debut with Lowell in 2003 (2-2, 3.77 in 12 RA) and ended the season in Augusta (Class-A) going 1-0, 0.84 in 8 RA. He began 2004 as a reliever for Augusta before returning to Lowell where he made 9 starts along with 6 relief appearances (4-3, 2.67). Last year was spent mainly at Wilmington (A) where in 33 games (1 start) he was 5-3 with a 4.21 ERA before a late-season promotion to Portland (0-0, 5.14 in 3 RA). Hertzler and his wife Sarah live in Bristol, CT.

RICHMOND BRAVES
AS THE ROSTER TURNS: The Braves have already made 57 roster moves and used 40 this season. Richmond used a club record 60 players last season. 11 R-Braves have been sent to Atlanta. Tyler Yates, recalled Tuesday, was the latest promotion. The Braves had 14 promotions to Atlanta last season.

STOCKMAN IS THE MAN: RHP Phil Stockman has worked his last 12 innings without allowing a run and permitting just two hits. He has not allowed a run over 10 innings in five appearances on the road. All three runs allowed by Stockman came in one appearance. He did not allow a run in 7.2 Double-A innings before coming to Richmond.
BARRY PILING UP ZEROS: RHP Kevin Barry continues to dominate as a starting pitcher. Barry has not allowed a run in his last four starts over 25 innings. The only earned run he has allowed in his last 35 innings came in an extended relief stint May 24.

ROCHESTER RED WINGS
ROAD WARRIORS: With Tuesday night's win the Red Wings completed an 11-game road trip with a 7-4 record. It was the first time since 1988 that Rochester has recorded seven wins on a road trip of 10 or more games. Rochester had a 7-3 record on a 10-game road trip June 8-17, 1988. Since Red Wings day-by-day records begin in 1979 Rochester has never had eight or more wins on a road trip of 10 games or more.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: The Red Wings finished the month of May with a 16-15 record. By having a winning month of May the Red Wings have a streak of seven consecutive months (May, June, July, August, September 2005 April & May 2006) with a .500 or better record. It's the first time they've accomplished this since April, May, June, July, August, September 1980 April, May 1981 when Rochester had eight consecutive months of a .500 or better record.

KING OF THE HILL: The Red Wings enter tonight's game in first place in the IL North Division. Rochester has been in first place or had a share of first place in the IL North for 34 of the first 57 days this season.

OH WHAT A RELIEF!: The Red Wings bullpen was outstanding on the just completed 11-game road trip, going 4-0 with three saves and a 1.64 ERA. In 33.0 innings of work, the bullpen allowed just six runs on 17 hits while walking 10 and striking out 31. The relievers didn't allow a run in seven of the 10 games they appeared in.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE
THROUGH 50: Through the first 50 games for the Red Barons this season, the club was off to a fine 29-21 (.580) start, good for the 4th (tie) best start in franchise history. The worst start in history was 18-32 by both the 1991 and 1995 teams. Last year the club was 22-28 after 50 games. Best starts:
2000: 31-19 2002: 30-20 1992: 30-20 2004: 29-21 2006: 29-21

PICKING UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF: He was gone for 16 days to Philadelphia but it didn't stop him from staying hot at the triple-A level. Chris Roberson extended his hitting streak to 10 games his first game back by going 2-3. The streak started May 1 and reached nine straight before his promotion May 10. It ended Tuesday night (May 30) with an 0-4 performance, but during the 10 games he hit .380 (16-42).

FLETCHER SURE TO GET BUMPED: Paul Fletcher's name on the top of the all-time Red Barons games pitched list has been there since 1995 when he tossed his 136th game. It's looking more and more like that mark will finally fall. Two current members of the staff are fast approaching the record. Dan Giese now ranks 2nd with 126 followed by Jim Crowell's 120, good for 5th place.

SYRACUSE SKYCHIEFS
MOTTOLA MOVES INTO SOLE POSSESION OF 3RD ON FRANCHISE HR LIST: SkyChiefs outfielder Chad Mottola hit his 74th career home run for Syracuse in the first inning of Tuesday night's game versus Indianapolis moving into sole possession of 3rd place on the all-time franchise HR list. Mottola who is tied with Syracuse legend Hank Sauer for 6th on the all-time Syracuse doubles list with 98 now begins another chase of Sauer, who stands 2nd on the HR list with 94.

LONG ROAD AHEAD: The SkyChiefs began a nine-game road-trip with a 3-2 win in Rochester last night after losing seven of eight games during the most recent homestand that ended Tuesday night. After beginning May with a record of 8-4, the SkyChiefs lost 13 out of 17 and finished May 12-17. Thursday night the SkyChiefs will play at Richmond, their third game in three nights in three different cities. The SkyChiefs return home for a four game series with Columbus on June 9 and then hit the road for another eight game road-trip June 13-20 in Toledo and Columbus. All in all the SkyChiefs play 17 of the next 21 games on the road. Despite hitting just .239 on the road (.260 at home) so far this season, the SkyChiefs have a road record of 12-13.

HEADING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: As the SkyChiefs offensive production has increased the pitching and defense have been on the decline. At the end of April the SkyChiefs pitching staff ranked first in the IL with a 2.78 ERA and gave up 3.3 runs per game the hitters ranked 11th with a .237 batting average and were scoring 3.6 runs per game. For May the pitchers ranked 11th in the IL with a 3.92 ERA and gave up 4.7 runs per game while the hitters were 5th in the IL with a .260 batting average and scored 4 runs per game. Defensively the SkyChiefs committed 23 errors in April leading to 17 unearned runs while in May have committed 34 errors which have led to 29 unearned runs.

TOLEDO MUD HENS
ZACH MINER, COME ON DOWN - YOU'RE THE NEXT CONTESTANT ON THE TIGERS' 40-MAN!: With the stellar start to the 2006 season that the Tigers are experiencing, it was never imagined that they would be calling on "first-time call-ups" this early in the campaign. On May 23, they purchased the contract of INF Jack Hannahan from Toledo and gave the youngster his first taste of the big leagues. On May 31, they treated another Hen to the same reward. RHP Zach Miner, who has been dazzling for Toledo in the early goings, received the call every Minor Leaguer dreams of. The Tigers purchased Zach's contract from Toledo and will give him a chance to showcase his talents. Lucky for Zach, the Tigers finish a series with the New York Yankees on Thursday night, and begin a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox on Friday, two of the League's best teams.

WE'RE HOME! GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH!: With the Hens being away from home for 11 straight days (May 12-22), they apparently wanted to get their money's worth while home from May 23-30. Toledo hosted the Buffalo Bisons and Rochester Red Wings for four games each, playing into the 10th with Buffalo on May 24, and two 11-inning games with Rochester on May 27 and 30, respectively. Toledo also squeezed in a double header, only playing three out of eight games of the nine-inning sort.

CAN WE SKIP THE 11th AND JUST PLAY THE 12th INNING?: With the two extra-inning affairs that the Hens and Red Wings played, Toledo would not have minded at all if they skipped over the 11th inning and went straight for the 12th frame. In the first game of the series, Rochester and Toledo headed into the 11th knotted at five runs apiece. The Red Wings came to life and scored four runs, closing out the contest and beating Toledo 9-5. Three games later, the Red Wings had another outstanding 11th inning, scoring five runs to beat the Hens 5-0. This season, Toledo has been outscored 10-0 in the 11th inning, but has outscored the opponent 2-1 in all other extra innings.

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