IL1 International League

Playoff Picture Coming into Focus as Regular Season Concludes

Published on August 22, 2014 under International League (IL1) News Release


And down the stretch they come! With just eleven days remaining in the 2014 International League regular season, four teams have emerged with a clear path towards the playoffs. The West Division leaders moved closer to clinching Thursday when Columbus defeated Louisville 9-6, while Indianapolis lost 6-1 to Toledo to fall back into a 2nd-place tie with the Mud Hens. The Clippers now have a magic number of six to lock up the West.

Six is also the magic number for the Durham Bulls to clinch the South Division. Durham missed an opportunity on Thursday when the Bulls fell to Norfolk, 5-2. Tides pitcher Mike Wright was one strike away from tossing a no-hitter before a double by Mikie Mahtook, but the right-hander still earned the victory thanks to a career-high 11 strikeouts.

The IL North Division includes four of the League's five teams to reach 70 wins this season, but only two will advance to the postseason. Syracuse and Rochester had their game suspended Thursday with two outs in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Chiefs are hoping to extend their lead over the Red Wings as well as Pawtucket and Buffalo, both of whom were winners on Thursday. Syracuse has a magic number of eight to clinch a playoff position.

Pawtucket currently sits 2.5 games back of the Chiefs, but the PawSox lead the Wild Card race by a full 3.0 games over Buffalo. The PawSox have a magic number of nine over the Bisons to secure their return-trip to the Governors' Cup Playoffs after a walk-0ff victory on Thursday. Corey Brown, just back from the big leagues, drilled a solo home run in the 9th to play the role of hero for Pawtucket.

Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo witnessed another strong pitching performance by a youngster on Thursday, as Daniel Norris led the Bisons to a 5-1 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to push his personal record to 3-0 in his first three starts at the Triple-A level. Norris has 32 strikeouts in 16.2 innings of work for the Bisons. The Herd will host Wild Card-leading Pawtucket for a four-game set beginning Saturday night in Buffalo.

IL Playoff Schedule - First Round Series (Best of Five):

September 3,4

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

September 5,6*,7*

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

IL Playoff Schedule - Governors' Cup Finals (Best of Five):

September 9,10

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

September 11,12*,13* North/Wild Card Series Winner at South/West Division Series Winner

* If Necessary

Championship Contending Rosters a Blend of Young & Old

The four teams with a clear path to the 2014 Governors' Cup playoffs each have their own mix of youth and experience on the roster. Syracuse has the most veteran group of players among the four contenders, with six members of the active roster above the age of 30. The Chiefs likely first round foe, Pawtucket, will be the youngest team in the postseason.

If continuity is an important factor, it would appear to favor Durham. The Bulls have had eleven players this season accumulate 100 games played, 35 pitching appearances, or 20 games started.

Souza in Line for Batting Title for First Place Chiefs

International League batting leader Steven Souza of Syracuse was promoted to the Nationals on August 4, then disabled after crashing into the outfield wall during his second big league start. If he doesn't return to Syracuse, Souza will fall three plate appearances shy of the 389 required to qualify for the League batting championship. However, his title chances appear good due to a rule that will allow him to qualify as the batting champion as long as he would have anyway if going hitless in three additional at-bats. Souza is currently hitting .354; that average would drop to .350 with three more hypothetical at-bats added to the tally. That means if no other IL player finishes with an average higher than .350, Souza will be recognized as the 2014 batting champion. The last time the International League batting champion played for the team that went on to win the Governors' Cup was 1993 (Jim Thome, Charlotte, .332).

Finish Line in Sight for the 2014 Playoff Races; Leaders Eye Chance to Clinch Postseason Entry

NORTH DIVISION REPORT: The Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals) are 13-6 since August 1, the best record in the League this month. As the Chiefs close in on the franchise's first playoff appearance since 1998, the three contenders chasing them are forced to battle for the Wild Card. The Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston Red Sox) have won three straight to protect their advantage over the Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays) and Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota Twins). The Bisons and Red Wings played a short two-game series earlier this week in Buffalo, resulting in a split. Rochester has dropped six of its last nine games, leaving the Red Wings a full 6.0 games back in the North.

WEST DIVISION REPORT: The Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) are almost ready to wrap up the West. The Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) had a shot at the division leaders this past week, but could manage only a split of the six games played between the Ohio rivals. Toledo picked up a win Thursday over the Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates), who have continued their late-season slide. Two months ago on June 22, the Indians were fourteen games over .500 at 45-31. Since then, the Tribe has gone 21-36 to drop below the .500 mark and fall nearly out of contention in the team's quest to win a third straight West Division title.

SOUTH DIVISION REPORT: The South Division has belonged to the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays) once again in 2014, but the team's latest clinching celebration is still at least a few days away. The Bulls have alternated wins and losses over the past six days, and were nearly no-hit Thursday by the 2nd place Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles). Mike Wright's no-hit bid helped Norfolk stay alive, with Durham's magic number remaining at six. The Bulls and Tides will play six times over the final five days of the regular season, giving Durham plenty of incentive to wrap things up before arriving at Harbor Park on August 28.

WILD CARD REPORT: Pawtucket continues to lead the Wild Card race, though a showdown with Buffalo looms beginning this weekend. The PawSox are looking for their fourth straight trip to the postseason. Pawtucket won the North in 2011 and 2013, but it was in 2012 when the PawSox were the Wild Card that they went on to win the Governors' Cup. Buffalo last won the Wild Card playoff berth in 2002, and the Bisons last trip to the postseason in any form came in 2005. Rochester's most recent two playoff appearances, in 2006 as well as last season, both came as the Wild Card. The Red Wings will finish the regular season with two games at home against Buffalo followed by two games at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket. Just four times since 1998 has the Wild Card team ultimately won the Governors' Cup. It happened in 1999 (Charlotte), 2007 (Richmond), 2010 (Columbus), and in 2012 (Pawtucket).

SERIES TO WATCH NEXT WEEK:

August 23-25: Indianapolis @ Columbus The Indians make their third and final visit to Huntington Park this season, where amazingly the Tribe has won seven out of the eight games played between the two teams. Columbus will make its final trip to Victory Field for three games August 28-30.

August 23-26: Pawtucket @ Buffalo A series with huge Wild Card implications gets underway at Coca-Cola Field on Saturday. The PawSox haven't been to Buffalo since early April, when the two teams split a four-game set.

IL Champion Headed to Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game The International League Governors' Cup champion will earn the right to face the Pacific Coast League champion on Tuesday, September 16 at the 2014 Gildan Triple-A National Championship Game.

The IL squad will be the home team in Charlotte as a result of the League's victory at last month's Triple-A All-Star Game.

George Grande, former play-by-play voice of the Yankees, Cardinals, and Reds, returns to call the Triple-A National Championship Game alongside former big league All-Star Jim Kaat on the NBCSN telecast. The voice of the host Charlotte Knights, Matt Swierad, will serve as the Game's field reporter.

The first Pacific Coast League team to reach the 2014 playoffs is the Las Vegas 51's (New York Mets) after clinching the Pacific Southern Division on Thursday. Everything else in the PCL remains up for grabs. The Sacramento River Cats (Oakland A's) lead the Pacific Northern division by just 2.0 games over the Reno Aces (Arizona Diamondbacks). A heated race for the American Northern Division continues with the Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals) narrowly leading the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Houston Astros) by 1.0 game and the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs) by 3.0 games. In the American Southern Division, the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) and the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals) are tied for 1st at 72-60.

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International League Stories from August 22, 2014


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