Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - Wednesday, July 18 at Norfolk (Orioles)
July 18, 2012 - International League (IL1)
Rochester Red Wings News Release
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012 w HARBOR PARK
GAME #98 - ROAD GAME #48 - 7:15 P.M.
ROCHESTER RED WINGS (48-49) at NORFOLK TIDES (51-47)
RHP LIAM HENDRIKS (7-0, 1.79) vs. RHP STEVE JOHNSON (3-6, 3.11)
HIGH TIDES: The Rochester Red Wings tonight play the 3rd game of their 4-game series at Norfolk (Orioles), continuing an 8-game roadtrip that also includes a 4-game set at Durham (Rays) Friday-Monday. The Red Wings started the trip by losing the opener 11-4 and winning last night 6-2. Rochester returns to Frontier Field on Tuesday for a brief 4-game homestand against International League North Division rival Syracuse (Nationals).
a The Red Wings are 2 games into a stretch of playing 16 of 20 games on the road through August 5. Rochester will, however, play 18 of its final 29 games at Frontier Field beginning August 6.
ROSTER NEWS: The Minnesota Twins today recalled right-handed pitcher Nick Blackburn from Triple-A Rochester. He takes the 25-man roster spot of right-handed closer Matt Capps, who was placed on the 15-Day Disabled List with right rotator cuff irritation.
a Blackburn was scheduled to start tomorrow's series finale at Norfolk and he will be replaced by righthander Shairon Martis, who is being transferred from Double-A New Britain. Martis went 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in 4 games (3 starts) with New Britain after the Twins acquired him from Pittsburgh on June 27 in exchange for cash considerations.
a Also today, catcher J.R. Towles was placed on the 7-Day DL with a strained left hamstring. He will be replaced on the 25-man roster by Danny Lehmann, who was transferred from New Britain. The 26-year-old hit .165 with no homers and 6 RBI in 33 games with the Rock Cats. He entered the season rated as the Best Defensive Catcher in the Twins' organization by Baseball America . Lehmann played in a combined 68 games with Rochester in 2010 and 2011.
CAN'T LIE ABOUT JULY: The Red Wings have won 5 of their last 6 and 9 of their last 11. Rochester is 11-4 in July, a half game ahead of Norfolk for the best record in the IL during the month. The Top 5 teams in July:
Rank Team Record
1. 11-4
2. 0 10-4
3. Buffalo (Mets) 9-5
4. Indianapolis (Pirates) 9-6
5. Columbus (Indians) 8-6
Gwinnett (Braves) 8-6
THE CLIMB TO .500: At 48-49, the Red Wings are one game under .500 and looking to get to the .500 mark for the first time since posting a 9-9 record going into an April 26 doubleheader vs. Syracuse.
a Since sitting a season-worst 10 games below .500 at 20-30 on May 28, the Red Wings are 28-19.
a Rochester is 34-26 beginning May 15 after opening the season 14-23. The Wings are also 39-33 beginning May 3, playing better than .500 baseball for half the season.
ALMOST THERE: With 47 games remaining, the Red Wings are already just 5 wins shy of matching last year's win total of 53 and 6 short of eclipsing it. The Red Wings are off to their best 97-game start since the 2007 club went 51-46. Rochester was 23 games below .500 at 37-60 at this point last year and 27 games below at 35-62 at this juncture in 2010.
HELLO, MY NAME IS...: Once they appear in a game, catcher Danny Lehmann and righthander Shairon Martis will become the 49th and 50th players used by the Red Wings. That total includes 24 position players and 26 pitchers. With Lehmann and Martis, 15 players have been promoted from Double-A New Britain this season.
a Martis tomorrow will become the 15th different starting pitcher used by the Red Wings.
a Including the Curacao-born Martis, 6 different countries are being represented on the Red Wings' roster. The list: Australia (Liam Hendriks and Brendan Wise), Dominican Republic (Samuel Deduno, Pedro Florimon, Wilkin Ramirez, and Esmerling Vasquez), Japan (Tsuyoshi Nishioka), Netherlands (Martis), United States, and Venezuela (Deolis Guerra and Lester Oliveros). Not to go unnoticed, 2 Canada-born players were with the team earlier this year: Scott Diamond and Rene Tosoni.
PITCHING IN: The Red Wings lead the IL with a 3.25 ERA (47 ER/130.0 IP) in 15 games in July, slighty ahead of Buffalo's (Mets) 3.43 ERA (51 ER/134.0 IP) in 14 contests. Rochester ranks 8th in the IL with a 3.92 ERA overall.
a Jeff Manship yesterday became the first Red Wings' starter other than Nick Blackburn or Liam Hendriks to earn a win in the club's last 20 games. Manship posted 4 strikeouts in the 4th inning, becoming the first Wings' hurler with 4 punchouts in an inning since Anthony Slama turned the trick August 1, 2009 at Buffalo.
a Luis Perdomo leads the IL with 6 saves in July. The next closest pitchers have 3: Gwinnett's Jaye Chapman, Durham's Dane De La Rosa, and Indianapolis' Tim Wood.
FOUR!!: The Red Wings have scored 4 or more runs in a season-high 6 straight games, accomplishing the feat for the first time since a 7-game streak July 8-17, 2010. The Red Wings still rank last in the IL with 346 runs scored, 38 behind the next closest team Lehigh Valley, which has 384.
THIS DATE IN BASEBALL HISTORY: In 1987, Don Mattingly homers in his 8th consecutive game to tie a major league record held by Dale Long from 1956...Donnie Baseball accomplishes the feat off Rangers' righthander Jose Guzman at Arlington Stadium...his streak would end the next day.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
0 Opponent Time Probable A0 TV/Radio
Thursday, July 19 at Norfolk 12:15 p.m. RHP Shairon Martis (0-0, 7.56) vs. RHP Jason Berken (2-3, A0 WYSL 1040 AM
Friday, July 20 at Durham 7:05 p.m. RHP Esmerling Vasquez (3-4, 3.38) vs. RHP Lance Pendleton (4-4, 4.24) WHTK 1280 AM
Saturday, July 21 at Durham 7:05 p.m. LHP Luke French (1-5, 6.61) vs. WHTK 1280 AM
Sunday, July 22 at Durham 5:05 p.m. RHP Jeff Manship (5-1, 2.37) vs. RHP Jim Paduch (5-7, A0 WHTK 1280 AM
Monday, July 23 at Durham 7:05 p.m. RHP Liam Hendriks vs. RHP Matt A0 WHTK 1280 AM
International League Stories from July 18, 2012
- Rochester Tips Norfolk in 15 Innings - Norfolk Tides
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- Figueroa, Bulls Take Second Straight from IronPigs - Durham Bulls
- Chiefs Top PawSox with 5-1 Win - Pawtucket Red Sox
- Knights Comeback Again to Beat Yankees 9-3 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
- Mandel, Chiefs Snap Losing Streak in 5-1 Win - Syracuse Mets
- Gwinnett's Ninth Inning Comeback Drops Indianapolis, 6-4 - Gwinnett Stripers
- Four-Run Ninth Boosts Braves over Tribe 6-4 - Indianapolis Indians
- Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - Wednesday, July 18 at Norfolk (Orioles) - Rochester Red Wings
- Orioles Recall RHP Tommy Hunter from Triple-A Norfolk - Norfolk Tides
- IronPigs Game Notes - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Gwinnett Braves Homestand Highlights for July 20-27 - Gwinnett Stripers
- Bisons Notes - Toledo at Buffalo (7:05 P.M.) - Buffalo Bisons
- IronPigs and Phillies Renew Affiliation Thru 2016 - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Eight Empire State Yankees Home Games Remaining at Frontier Field - Rochester Red Wings
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