IL1 International League

International League News And Notes

Published on April 26, 2007 under International League (IL1) News Release


BUFFALO BISONS NO SPEED LIMITS IN BUFFALO: The Bisons are off to a fast start in 2007...by being fast. The Herd ranks 2nd in the International League with 20 steals, while their 87.0% success rate (20-23) is tops in the IL. At this pace, Buffalo would steal 192 bases on the season or more than twice their total from a season ago (80 in 2006, 11th in the IL). It's been a total team effort with nine different players recording at least one stolen base in the first 15 games. Outfielder Ben Francisco leads the team with six steals (T-4th in the IL).

ONE'S NOT ENOUGH: Outfielder Franklin Gutierrez will head into play on Friday with a seven-game hit streak where he has hit .424 (14-33) with nine runs scored, three doubles, a home run and three RBI. The most impressive thing about the streak, however, is that Gutierrez has collected at least two hits in each of his last six games. He now has a .366 (15-41) average on the season, good for the fifth-highest mark in the International League.

CLOSE THE NIGHT OUT WITH A MUJICA: Bisons' reliever Edward Mujica has been lights out for the Herd so far in 2007. In a team-high seven games, he has allowed just three hits in eight shutout innings, striking out 10 and walking none. He is also a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities this year (T-2nd in the IL). Good starts are nothing new for Mujica. In 2006, he did not allow an earned run over his first 46.2 innings of work with Double-A Akron (12 G, 19.0 IP), Buffalo (12 G, 19.2 IP) and the Cleveland Indians (3 G, 8.0 IP).

CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS SIDEARM SUCCESS: Relief pitcher Ehren Wassermann and his sidearm pitching style have had a good deal of success this season. Wassermann, who was the closer for Double-A Birmingham last season, has performed well for the Knights in middle relief. He has appeared in eight games for the Knights and worked 11 innings. In those 11 innings Wassermann has given up only two earned runs and nine hits. Last year Wassermann saved 22 games for Birmingham.

WALK IT OFF: Josh Fields hit a walk-off home run in Tuesday's game off Toledo's Jason Karnuth in the 11th inning. The Knights followed that up the next night with Wiki Gonzalez hitting a walk-off home run in the 10th inning off Preston Larrison. It was Gonzalez's first home run of the season. Gonzalez is 2nd on the team in hitting with a .270 average. Fields is starting to come out of a slump and is now hitting .232 and has improved his on-base percentage to .342. Fields leads the Knights in walks with 13 and is 2nd on the team in RBI with 7. The Knights have struggled as a team offensively, but hopefully Fields' turnaround will get the rest of the team going as well.

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS CASTO JUMP STARTS CLIPPER OFFENSE: Since the arrival of OF Kory Casto seven games ago, the Clippers have seen a surge in their offensive production. Columbus is averaging over three more runs per game since the two-time reigning Nationals' Minor League Player of the Year joined the roster. Casto started his Triple-A career by scoring a run in his first six games and has reached base in all seven games he has played. Thus far he is hitting .308 with 2 HR and 3 RBI, including providing the only run in a Clippers 1-0 victory over Durham on Monday. Columbus is 5-2 since he took over in left field.

SHUTOUTS KEEP COMING: The Clippers added two more shutouts to their credit thanks to a pair of 1-0 wins in Durham this week. Columbus has now played in seven shutouts, going 4-3. Of those seven shutouts, six have come on the road and RHP Joel Hanrahan has started in three of them. Last year the Clippers participated in a League low 10 shutouts, splitting those games 5-5.

REDDING STEPS UP AGAINST DURHAM: With two wins in two starts against the Bulls over the past week, Tim Redding improved his career record versus Durham to 5-0. In the past two seasons (2006 with Charlotte) Redding has made six starts against Durham and has allowed only eight earned runs in 39.0 innings pitched (1.85 ERA). At Durham Bulls Athletic Park he is 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA in four starts.

DURHAM BULLS TOUGH STRETCH: The Bulls dropped their fifth straight yesterday, 1-0 to Columbus. All five games came during a five-game home stand. The Bulls now are 7-14, 4-9 at home.

SHUT OUT: Six of Durham's 21 games have been a shutout, with the Bulls winning two of them. In the last three games, twice the Bulls have lost 1-0.

SWING AND A MISS: The Bulls struck out 15 times yesterday, and now have struck out 62 times in the last four games and 217 times in 21 contests, or 10.3 times per game. The Bulls' pitchers struck out 13 hitters, and now have 191 strikeouts, or 9.1 per contest. Both are League-leading totals.

CANTU: When Tampa Bay's Aki Iwamura went down with an injury, Jorge Cantu was recalled to Tampa Bay. Cantu was batting .267 with 8 RBI.

LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT: On Sunday the Bulls tied a team Triple-A record with the longest Durham game to date. The Bulls played 16 innings against Toledo and fell 7-4. Durham also played 16 innings last year at Buffalo in the second game of a doubleheader on June 4, winning that contest 3-2. Tim Corcoran had the decision in both of those games.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: The Bulls are now are 3-9 in games decided by one run, two runs, or extra innings.

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS DOUMIT IN THE TOP 10: Indianapolis C Ryan Doumit leads the International League in batting average (.415), slugging percentage (.717) and RBI (20). The 26-year-old also ranks 2nd in on-base percentage (.493) and 4th in runs (15).

DE CASTER IS ON A ROLL: Indians INF Yurendell de Caster enters Friday night's game with an eight-game hitting streak (.438 BA, 14-32, 5 R, 3 RBI). The 27-year-old is batting .327 with one long ball and five RBI in 16 contests this season.

RUNNING IS WHAT WE DO: Tribe OF Nyjer Morgan enters Friday evening's contest with an International League-best 13 stolen bases, while OF Rajai Davis ranks 3rd with eight thefts. Indianapolis paces the League with 34 SB as a team.

THE LOCAL KID IS 3-0: Indianapolis RHP Bryan Bullington (6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO) won his third straight decision on Tuesday night against Norfolk. The former Ball State star and No. 1 overall selection is 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA through four starts this season.

SECOND IN THE LEAGUE: The Indians rank 2nd in the International League with a .289 team batting average. Ottawa (.298), Richmond (.282), Buffalo (.261) and Rochester (.258) also have team averages of at least .250.

DEFENSE WINS GAMES: Indianapolis is 2nd in the IL with a .986 fielding percentage. The Indians have committed just 10 miscues in 730 total chances through 18 contests (480 PO, 240 A, 10 E).

LOUISVILLE BATS LADIES DIG THE LONG BALL: Outfielder Dewayne Wise smacked two solo home runs Tuesday night for his first multi-homer game since July 5, 2004 while with Class-A Rome in the South Atlantic League. It was the first two-home run game by a Louisville player this season with the last one coming off Andy Abad's bat last season versus Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 8.

STARTERS ARE SHINING: The starting pitchers for the Bats have been nothing short of outstanding this season. Even though their record stands at 5-4, they've allowed just 25 earned runs in 108.1 innings for an ERA of 2.08. Of the 19 games played this season, nine have been quality starts.

VIRGINIA TECH HATS RAISE MONEY: The Louisville Bats players and front office staff wore Virginia Tech hats Friday, April 20 in honor of the 32 victims of last week's shootings. Everyone (players and staff) autographed the hats and put them up for auction to benefit the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund which was founded by Virginia Tech to remember and honor the victims. The Bats are proud to announce that the auction raised over $4,000!

NORFOLK TIDES HIT MAN: Tides outfielder Luis Montanez has a 10-game hitting streak over which he is hitting .382 (13-34) with one home run and five RBI. Montanez has hit safely in 11 of 13 games this season, including collecting a season-high three hits in yesterday's 7-6 win. Norfolk's longest hitting streak this season is 14 games, accomplished by J.R. House.

MULTI-HIT MAN: Through 17 games, Tides infielder Mike Cervenak has already registered nine multi-hit games. The 30-year-old infielder is hitting .362 with four home runs and ten RBI this season, and has collected five games with two hits and four games with three hits. Cervenak currently ranks 2nd in the IL with 25 hits and his .362 average is 6th in the League.

HARBOR PARK TO HOST TRIBUTE AND REMEMBRANCE: Harbor Park will be hosting a tribute and remembrance for the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy prior to the Norfolk Tides game on Friday, April 27. The ceremonies will take place at 6:30 p.m., with a game against the Richmond Braves to follow at 7:30 p.m. The service will include Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, representatives from the Commonwealth and Virginia Tech, and members of the local clergy. Both Norfolk and Richmond will wear Virginia Tech hats during the game, and the Tides will wear the letters "VT" on their home uniform sleeves for the rest of the season. A Hokie ribbon will also be placed on Harbor Park's outfield fence for the remainder of the year. Fans attending that night's game are encouraged to wear Virginia Tech colors to show their support for the University. The Tides will also make a donation that night to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, which has been established through the Virginia Tech Foundation to support the families of the victims and the Virginia Tech community.

OTTAWA LYNX LYNX TURNAROUND: After opening the season on a three-game losing streak and going 1-5 over the first six games, the Lynx seem to have found the consistency 2006 IL Manager of the Year John Russell was looking for. Sparked by an excellent homestand that saw the team outscore opponents 37-20 the Lynx have improved their season record to 8-6. They have lost just one game in their last eight.

THE HITS KEEP ON COMING: The Lynx lead the International League in batting with a .298 average thanks in large part to Gary Burnham who is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak. Burnham is leading the League with a .528 on-base percentage and his .390 average is 2nd on the League leaderboard for individual batters with a minimum 2.7 PA/team game. Jason Jaramillo follows him closely with a .375 mark, 3rd best in the League. Jaramillo is also 3rd in the IL in OBP (.458). Burnham, Brennan King, and Joe Thurston lead the team with 16 hits each.

A DINGER FOR KING-ER: Third-baseman Brennan King waited until the 9th inning of the Lynx 9-2 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre April 24 to hit the Lynx first home run of the 2007 season. The three-run shot ended a season long home run drought that saw 481 at-bats for the Lynx this year without a home run. The Lynx were the last team in the International League to put one out of the park.

MAKING THE PITCH: Lynx LHP J.A. Happ's 12.2 inning scoreless pitching streak was snapped when Scranton/Wilkes-Barre managed to get two runs against him in a 4-3 losing effort at Lynx Stadium April 22. Happ earned the win but fell to 6th in the IL with a 1.08 ERA. RHP Brian Sanches is currently 5th in the IL with three saves and RHP Zach Segovia is one of just three pitchers in the IL to pitch a complete game.

DEFENSE FIRST: Ottawa is the third-best team in the IL in terms of fielding percentage (.984). They have the fewest errors with eight. LHP Brian Mazone is one of three pitchers tied with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

MAJOR PERFORMANCE IN THE MINORS: Lynx catcher Jason Jaramillo was named the Phillies Minor League Player of the Week for the week ending April 22. He is first Lynx player to receive the honor. Jaramillo hit safely in all five games played during the week going 5-10 and driving in two runs.

PAWTUCKET RED SOX MORE THAN A PITCHER: The comeback story of inspirational Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester will begin a new chapter tomorrow night when the 23-year-old lefty makes his first rehab start for the PawSox following an off-season of cancer treatments. Jon is scheduled to throw 80-85 pitches on Friday at McCoy Stadium at 7:05 p.m. vs. the Buffalo Bisons. Late last August, Lester was diagnosed with a treatable form of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (a cancer that affects the lymph system). He underwent six chemotherapy treatments, the last in December, and doctors then pronounced him cancer-free. Lester's remarkable return to action began in February when he reported early to spring training with the Red Sox, but Boston limited him to facing Minor League batters. His official rehab assignment began with Class-A Greenville on April 5 and he made 3 starts for the Greenville Drive going 0-0 with a 2.08 ERA - 13 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 15 SO. Jon had his scheduled initial start for the PawSox rained-out Wednesday afternoon in Rochester. The 6'2", 190 lbs. southpaw began last season with the PawSox and was 3-4 despite a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts. Lester was promoted to Boston on June 10 and went 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 15 starts before his season was cut short in late-August with the cancer diagnosis. He earned his first win on June 16 in Atlanta and in the process became the youngest Red Sox starter to win a game this decade (22 years, 160 days of age). Jon became the first Red Sox rookie left-handed pitcher ever to win his first five decisions when he improved to 5-0 on July 18 after firing 8-innings of 1-hit ball in a 1-0 victory over Kansas City at Fenway Park. He won his final start on August 23 in Anaheim before being placed on the disabled list on August 28.

ROAD WARRIORS: The PawSox are 7-4 on the road (5-3 on their first trip to Charlotte & Durham and 2-1 on their most recent trip) compared to their 1-5 record at home. Sox pitching has been outstanding on the road going 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA (31 ER in 99.1 IP) while allowing only 78 hits (opponents batting just .217 against the PawSox during Pawtucket away games). The Sox are hitting .237 on the road (92-389) with 13 of their 14 HR on the year coming in away games. Conversely, Sox pitchers are 1-5 with a 3.56 ERA at home and Sox batters are hitting .205 in 6 games at McCoy.

WEATHER WOES: The PawSox have endured three home postponements already this season (on April 15 vs. Scranton/WB and April 17 & 18 both vs. Rochester). The PawSox suffered 7 home postponements last season - their most in ten years (since 8 home rainouts in 1996). Pawtucket also has had one road postponement (April 25 at Rochester) and one road suspended game (April 23 in Buffalo).

RICHMOND BRAVES IKER, IKER HE'S OUR MAN: The Braves are 7-0 when Iker Franco starts at catcher. Braves pitchers have a 1.60 ERA when Franco is catching. He threw out the first six runners attempting to steal on him and has thrown out seven of 11 on the season. Franco is four for his last eight at the plate.

GREAT START: The Braves opened 2007 winning 11 of their first 16 games. Richmond has had three three-game winning streaks and has not yet lost back-to-back games. The Braves are off to their best start since the 2002 club won 13 of their first 16. By contrast the 2004 squad that won the South Division title and reached the Governors' Cup Finals was 9-7 after 16 games.

VIRGINIA TECH HAT AUCTION OVER 3K: The Braves online auction of their game worn and autographed Virginia Tech hats has raised more than $3,000 in bids. The auction at www.RBraves.com runs through May 3. 100% of the funds raised will be donated to the Hokie Spirit Memorial fund to aid victims of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech.

ROCHESTER RED WINGS AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED: Going into the 2007 season the Red Wings' starting rotation was predicted to be very good, and so far they have lived up to the hype. In their first 13 starts the starting rotation has a 4-1 record with a 1.31 ERA. In 68.2 innings of work, the starters have allowed 16 runs (10 earned) on 43 hits while walking only 21 and striking out 59.

IT'S NOT HOW YOU START BUT COME ON THIS IS SPECIAL: In the Red Wings' nine wins this season, Rochester's starting pitchers have been almost untouchable, going 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA. In 47.0 innings of work during the nine victories, the starters have allowed just nine runs (five earned) on 28 hits while striking out 46. The starters haven't allowed an earned run in six of the nine wins.

OH WHAT A RELIEF!: The Red Wings' bullpen has done a great job the last four games, going 3-0 with three saves and a 2.25 ERA. In 16.0 innings of work, the relievers have allowed just nine hits while walking six and striking out 11. This comes after the bullpen struggled through the first eight games of the season, going 2-2 with a 6.67 ERA. The bullpen allowed 21 earned runs in 28.1 innings during the first eight games.

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE YANKEES REESE HONORED BY FORMER COLLEGE LEAGUE: Yankees outfielder Kevin Reese has been honored by the West Coast Conference by being named to its 40th Anniversary Baseball Team. Of the 40 players selected many have big league experience. Those include Jason Bay, Billy Beane, Tom Candiotti, Von Hayes, Tim Layana, Noah Lowry, Steve Montgomery, Mike Scott and former Red Baron Randy Wolf. Reese was a member of the University of San Diego from 1997-2000 and is listed throughout the WCC record book. He led the WCC in hits in 1998, ranks 6th all-time with 41 HR, 8th in career hits and RBI and led San Diego in batting for three straight seasons.

HOME NOTES: In eight games the Yankees are 3-5 at PNC Field......The offense is batting .239 and the pitching staff has a 5.14 ERA.....Shelley Duncan leads all hitters at home with a .318 average and 7 RBI......Shelley Duncan, Eric Duncan and Andy Phillips all have clubbed two home runs each.......Ben Kozlowski has been the most effective pitcher going 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA. In 6.1 IP he has allowed just three hits and struck out seven.

THOMPSON OPTIONED: Outfielder Kevin Thompson was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Thompson was the first Scranton/Wilkes-Barre player promoted to New York (April 9). Thompson played in seven games for the New York Yankees and went 2-8 with one run scored and two RBI. In his first game April 10 at Minnesota, he was 1-1 with two RBI.

YANKEE DOODLES: The Yankees have also optioned Colter Bean to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. With the Yankees Bean made two appearances without allowing a run (3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K).

SYRACUSE CHIEFS GIVE ME POWER : The Chiefs lead the IL in home runs with 22 on the year. Syracuse has hit a homer in each of the last five games and 13 of the 18 contests on the season, but the Chiefs are just 5-8 in games with jack. Sal Fasano and John-Ford Griffin are among the League leaders with five round-trippers, but for Fasano all five of his home runs have come with the bases empty.

TRAIN TO TORONTO: The phone lines between Syracuse and Toronto have been busy this season. In the past week two more Chiefs have made the move north of the border. LHP Brian Tallet and C Sal Fasano have been called to the Major Leagues. Tallet and Fasano join OF Adam Lind, RHP Jamie Vermilyea and INF Ryan Roberts as Chiefs who have been called this season.

BARKING UP THE BATTING AVERAGE: Coming into play a week ago, 1B Kevin Barker was batting under .200 with just one home run and three runs batted in. In the past seven days, Barker has raised his batting average 56 points to .250 and has tacked on six more runs batted in. The Chiefs first baseman is hitting .333 (8-24) over the last week. In that stretch, the Virginia Tech product hit a game tying two-run double in the 8th inning against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and drove in four runs the following night against the Yankees.

TOLEDO MUD HENS HENS' VASQUEZ NAMED IL PITCHER-OF-THE-WEEK: In his first season at the Triple-A level, Hens right-hander Virgil Vasquez is quickly becoming a force in the International League. The 24-year-old was named the IL Pitcher-of-the-Week for April 16-22 after tossing 11.0 scoreless innings and striking out 19 batters. No other IL pitcher won twice in the past week, and Vasquez's 19 strikeouts were a League-high over that period. He earned his first victory of the 2007 season April 16 in his first home outing. He held the Durham Bulls to just three hits and one walk over five innings, striking out nine. Saturday in Durham, Vasquez yielded just four hits and one walk in six scoreless innings, striking out 10 Bulls as Toledo walloped Durham, 10-2. Vasquez leads the League with 28 strikeouts through his first four starts. Vasquez made his Triple-A debut last September in Game 2 of the Governors' Cup Finals, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings of relief against Rochester. Vasquez spent all of the 2006 regular season at Double-A Erie, going 7-12 with a 3.73 ERA. Vasquez is a native of Santa Barbara, CA, and a former player for the University of California at Santa Barbara.

IT'S ALWAYS "TIMO TIME": Timo Perez was 0-1 on Wednesday night in Charlotte (as a pinch-hitter) and thus snapped his International League and Minor League Baseball best hitting streak at 18 games. Perez hit .359 through the streak. Perez fell two games shy of becoming the fifth Toledo Mud Hen in franchise history to achieve a hitting streak of 20 games or more. The others were Bevo Lebourveau (33 games in 1927), Mike Powers (32 games in 1935), Tommie Smith (24 games in 1976) and Bob Gilhooley (20 games in 1969). Perez tied Billy McMillon, a Mud Hen in 2000, for the fifth longest hitting streak in team history. Perez's overall hitting streak in Triple-A actually spanned 21 games, as he hit in the final three games he appeared in with the Memphis Redbirds of the PCL in 2006. He also came up one short of his personal best hitting streak of 19 games, with the Norfolk Tides in 2001. Perez is a veteran of parts of seven Major League seasons with the Mets, White Sox, and Cardinals.

BASEPATH BURGLERY: In the Mud Hens' 10-2 win at Durham on April 21, outfielder Ryan Raburn stole home on a double steal. The Mud Hens' last steal of home came courtesy of Nook Logan at Ottawa on May 26, 2004, also on a double steal. Raburn now has four steals on the season, and the Mud Hens have swiped 16 bags as a team, ranking them 7th in the League.

THE LONG BALL TRIFECTA: The Hens lost the final game of their recent road trip in Charlotte but they did achieve quite a feat in the 1st inning. Chris Shelton, Mike Hessman, and Ryan Raburn hit back-to-back-to-back home runs off of starter Gavin Floyd.

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International League Stories from April 26, 2007


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