8/30 Wrap Up

Yankees: 4 IronPigs: 1, 14 innings

-Juan Perez: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R
-IronPigs 2 for 15 RISP
-IronPigs 12 LOB
-IronPigs have scored 1 run in their last 28 innings

Moving On...

Moving on from last night and Domonic Brown, check out the juggling skills of the IronPigs bat boy. He's been working on it all season and has gotten pretty good...

Photo: Brown Drops The Ball

Not to keep harping on poor Domonic Brown's horrible Monday night, but I had to post these great pictures from resident B&B photographer Mitch Hyman.

Ball bounces out of Brown's glove

I got it!

I don't got it!

Oh boy...

8/29 Wrap Up - What Was That?

Domonic Brown misplays a ball in game one - photo by Mitch Hyman

Wow.

Some ugly stuff on and off the field tonight. IronPigs got swept in the doubleheader by the score of 4-0 in both games. Between the two, the Pigs committed 4 errors, got just 8 hits, went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, and overall played their most uninspired baseball this season.

Domonic Brown had one of those errors and about 3 other misplays that looked like errors. He literally could not catch or hit a baseball tonight. I think the first error really got in his head and made him terrible in the field the rest of the night. Hopefully it goes away by tomorrow (if he plays).

He went 0 for 6 with 4 strikeouts at the plate. His swing looked really bad. During the 2nd game, he was boo'd lustfully every time he came to the plate. Only time he got cheered was when he picked up a foul ball that bounced back onto the field from the PPL Patio without dropping it. There were even some "send Brown down" chants (which are completely unnecessary).

Pawtucket is now up 2 games in the division while the Braves have tied things up for the wild card. Getting swept was the worst case scenario. Tomorrow is the wall calendar giveaway and unfortunately the front cover is the "Bring Home the Bacon" logo that the Pigs have been using to market playoff tickets. That could wind up being very awkward come next week.

I'll just go ahead and name Feierabend and Carpenter as the Pigs of the Game.

8 Games Left - Path To The Postseason

There's only 8 games left in the 2011 regular season. Here's all the info on the playoff race...

Remaining Schedule

IronPigs: 2 vs. SYR, 2 vs. SWB, 2 vs. BUF, 2 at SYR

PawSox: 2 at SWB, 2 at ROC, 2 vs. SWB, 2 vs. ROC

Braves: 2 at DUR, 3 at NOR (one is completion of suspended game), 2 at CHA, 2 vs. CHA

Current Standings

IL North
1. Pawtucket 76-58, --
2. Lehigh Valley 76-60, 1.0 GB

Wild Card
1. Lehigh Valley 76-60, --
2. Gwinnett 74-61, 1.5 GB

Here's where it gets confusing...

Winning the Division

Pawtucket has that annoying .001% or so advantage in the winning percentage column should the IronPigs tie the games behind column. This is due to them having two games cancelled during the season (they'll play 142, we'll play 144).

Easiest way to understand this is by chart. Read it as "if the IronPigs go (record) than the PawSox have to go (record) or worse for the IronPigs to win the IL North."

IronPigs	Red Sox
8-0	6-2
7-1	5-3
6-2	4-4
5-3	3-5
4-4	2-6
3-5	1-7
2-6	0-8

In other words, the PawSox have to finish with two more losses than the IronPigs to compensate for the difference in total games played.

Winning the Wild Card

The IronPigs have a 1.5 lead as of this morning and they also won the season series 5-3. If the two teams would finish tied, a one game playoff would be held at Coca-Cola Park (because the Pigs won the season series) to determine who goes to the playoffs.

Since the IronPigs are in the driver's seat, read this chart as "if the Braves go (record) than the IronPigs have to go (record) or worse for the Braves to win the Wild Card."

*Remember the Braves have 9 left to play including the completion of the July 25 game*

Braves	IronPigs
9-0	6-2
8-1	5-3
7-2	4-4
6-3	3-5
5-4	2-6
4-5	1-7
3-6	0-8

It would have to be an incredibly bad week for the IronPigs to not at least grab the wild card.

Brian Bass has only had one start at home in August (Mitch Hyman photo)

Supposed to be a beautiful night at CCP. Doubleheader starts at 6:05. Not sure what they're doing with pitchers. The website has Brian Bass (7-9, 4.15) going against Brad Peacock (4-1, 3.56) in game one. Bass' last start against the Chiefs came July 14. He took the loss after allowing 2 runs over 5 innings.

Game two is officially TBA. Yesterday was supposed to be Mathieson vs. Stammen. If the IronPigs go a perfect 6-0 on the homestand, they will even out their all-time home record at 143-143!

When Intentional Walks Go Wrong

Last night the IronPigs scored the winning run in the top of the 9th via a wild pitch during an intentional walk by Louisville pitcher Nick Christiani.

While that's something you won't see everyday, it turns out it's not all that unheard of.

After reading R.D.'s comment last night, I did some research and found a few instances where intentional walks went wrong...

June 27, 2011: Marlins pitcher Steve Cishek misses catcher John Buck with his third intentional walk pitch and Dustin Ackley of the Mariners scores what proved to be the winning run in the top of the 10th.

May 12, 2011: Angles pitcher Kevin Jespen throws well over the head of catcher Hank Conger during an intentional walk to Chicago's Paul Konerko allowing Alexei Ramirez to trot home from third. The run put the White Sox up 5-4 in the 10th and they'd go on to win.

July 2007: This one is crazy. Lancaster Barnstormers pitcher Lance Odom has all kinds of trouble intentionally walking two batters. Eventually one of his wild pitches gets by the catcher and Somerset wins the game...


...June 30, 2009: Guess what? Lancaster and Somerset meet again and this time the Barnstormers win on a wild pitch during an intentional walk by Patriots pitcher Tip Fairchild.

June 22, 2006: Baltimore's Todd Williams floats what was supposed to be the first pitch of an intentional walk to Florida's Miguel Cabrera, but it goes over the outside part of the plate and Cabrera hits it into center for a go-ahead RBI single.

8/27 Wrap Up - How Do Ya Like That?

De Fratus

Here's something you probably have never seen in your life: the IronPigs won tonight because of a wild pitch on an intentional walk attempt in the top of the 9th.

With Brandon Moss at-bat and the score tied 4-4, Louisville's Nick Christiani threw the third intentional walk pitch past catcher Devin Mesoraco allowing Rich Thompson to score what would prove to be the winning run from third.

Domonic Brown led the way at the plate going 4 for 5 on the night. It's just the third time this year that an IronPig has had a 4 hit game. Justin De Fratus shut the door in the 9th with 3 strikeouts.

Box score here.


Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Domonic Brown: 4 for 5, run
2. Justin De Fratus: Save, 1 IP, 3 K

Sunday's Gametime Changed, IL Playoff Picture Update, Notes

Opponents are hitting .256 against Edell

IronPigs have moved tomorrow's series opener against Syracuse from 5:35 to 7:05. Forecast calls for 67° and sun. Check out the comments from Chiefs fans at the bottom of the article...

The International League has published an update on the playoff race.

Ryan Edell (5-5, 3.62) on the mound tonight looking to even out his August record at 3-3. He's coming off a tough loss at Indianapolis where he allowed just two runs (one earned) over six innings.

Edinson Volquez (3-2, 2.42) goes for the Bats. He was also the recipient of an undeserved "L" in his last start - giving up 3 runs over 7.2 innings against the Mud Hens. Louisville will be looking to split the season series 4-4 with a win.

Saturdays have been one of the more successful days for the IronPigs who have a 13-6 record on the first day of the weekend.

8/26 Wrap Up - Good Night, and Good Luck

Pigs lost 7-4 at Louisville tonight and are now 5-4 on the 10 game roadtrip which wraps up tomorrow at 6:05. Pawtucket pulled off a doubleheader sweep so we are down a game and a half in the division. Norfolk helped us out with Gwinnett, winning 4-1, to keep the Pigs wild card lead at 2 games.

Thompson led the team with 5 total bases (triple, run, walk)

The Pigs runs came in the first two innings and the last two innings. Frandsen brought home Thompson after he led off the game with a triple to put the Pigs up 1-0 two batters into the game. Frandsen was 1 for 5, but he's hitting .415 in his last 10 games and .462 in this series (6 for 13).

Dave Bush (1-1) helped his own cause with an RBI double in the 2nd, but he allowed 3 runs over 6 innings on 6 hits to get his first loss with the IronPigs. Erik Kratz had an RBI single in the 8th and Domonic Brown had an RBI groundout in the 9th.

In the bottom of the 8th, Phillippe Aumont hit Juan Francisco enough to "injure" him, but he stayed in the game. Louisville's Jerry Gil went out and hit Young with the first pitch of the 9th inning and was immediately tossed by the home plate umpire and the benches cleared. Nothing came of it, but it sounds like Gil wanted to start something:

B&B headquarters will likely be down during the hurricane so this could be the last update for a day or two. Seems like the forecast is getting slightly better every few hours, but it still looks bad.

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Rich Thompson: 2 for 4, run, walk, triple
2. Phillippe Aumont: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K

More Stuff On Irene & The IronPigs

More info on how Hurricane Irene will impact the IronPigs over the next few days. From The Hog Blog:

In anticipation a nightmare of flight delays and/or cancellations on Sunday in the wake of Irene's arrival, IronPigs general manager Kurt Landes said Friday the team will bus home from Louisville immediately after Saturday night's game instead of waiting to fly home Sunday.

If Sunday's game is a rainout the two teams would play a doubleheader on Monday. If that would happen, Landes said, and the IronPigs were stuck in Louisville until Monday due to flight cancellations, then the team would face a long travel day before playing a crucial doubleheader.

Full post from the Hog Blog

As for the game that will certainly be played tonight (66° & clear in Louisville), Dave Bush makes his third start against Chad Reineke (7-6, 3.51). This will be Reineke's first start at home since July 5th which is also the last time he won a game. Bush has been impressive so far allowing 2 runs in 11 innings with a .195 opponents batting average.

IronPigs enter the game tied for first with Pawtucket and up two games on Gwinnett for the wild card.

8/25 Wrap Up - Losing Forecast

Pigs lost, PawSox won, and the IL North is tied up yet again. Production came from the heart of the lineup tonight with the 3-4-5-6 hitters all picking up an RBI. The "big inning" theme continued with 4 runs in the 4th, but ultimately it wasn't enough as the Bats won 6-5.

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Tagg Bozied: 3 for 5, HR, 2 runs
2. Ryan Feierabend: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K


Just 11 games left and the big story is Hurricane Irene and it's potential impact on the playoff race. From what I can gather, Sunday is going to be the big storm day in the Lehigh Valley. Sunday is also the day the IronPigs begin their final regular season homestand against Syracuse at 5:35. That game isn't going to happen. When soccer games are getting postponed, baseball has no shot.

So it looks like a doubleheader Monday.

Hurricane Irene destroys a baseball field in 1999

Pawtucket and Scranton/WB have already moved Sunday's game to tonight as part of a doubleheader, but they will have to deal with a potential rainout on Saturday which would likely be made up as another doubleheader on Monday.

Remember that Pawtucket already will only be playing 143 games because of a cancellation earlier this season (hence the .001% difference stuff). In the end it looks like no games will actually be lost, but rather just moved around with doubleheaders aplenty. It does make tonight's finale in Louisville more important because it is guaranteed to be played.

Who knows, the Pigs might get stranded in Louisville. Let's hope not.

8/24 Wrap Up - Not The Original Recap

About 20 minutes ago tonight's recap was already written. Pigs were up 6-2, Pawtucket had already lost, and the Bats were down to their final 6 outs.

Then the Bats scored three runs in the 8th inning off Mike Zagurski to make it a 6-5 game and it looked like the biggest disaster in IronPigs history was about to happen. Zagurski was pulled with 2 outs and 2 on in favor of the oftentimes wild Juan Perez. He uncorked a wild pitch and the Bats had runners at 2nd and 3rd with a 3-2 count on Chris Valaika.

Perez got him to fly out to right, De Fratus set the Bats down in order in the 9th, and the IronPigs are back in sole possession of first place.

*Exhale*

For the second straight night, the 6th inning was the big inning for the Pigs. In fact, all 6 of their runs came in the 6th. Domonic Brown hit a sac fly after back-to-back singles by Galvis and Frandsen, Moss hit home run #23 to put the Pigs up 3-2, and Overbeck blasted a three-run home run after Young and Barfield singles to make it 6-2.

Brian Bass (7-9) went 6 and a third giving up 2 runs on 9 hits.

Former IronPig Jason Grilli pitched a perfect 2.2 innings of relief to earn the win today in Pittsburgh!

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Brandon Moss: 2 for 4, 2-run HR
2. Justin De Fratus: 1-2-3 9th inning for 5th save
3. Cody Overbeck: 3-run HR in 6th

Phantoms Announce 2011-2012 Schedule

The Phantoms invade Scranton/WB on March 23 (photo from The Post Star)

Hard to believe it's almost September. Even harder to believe that hockey starts in just over a month.

Last Friday the Phantoms announced their schedule for the upcoming season. It all starts Saturday, October 8th at home against the Connecticut Whale (Rangers) - the modern day version of the Hartford Whalers.

This season the Phantoms will be playing in the newly formed "Northeast Division" with the Albany Devils, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders), Whale, and Springfield Falcons (Blue Jackets). The AHL announced the division realignment back in July.

If you live in the Valley you've got three chances to see the Phantoms, but you'll have to wait awhile:

• January 7 @ Hershey
• March 16 @ Hershey
• March 23 @ Scranton/WB

You can view the full schedule here.

8/23 Wrap Up - Back And Forth

The IronPigs won a wild series finale 7-6 tonight in Indianapolis to move back into a "tie" with Pawtucket in the IL North (remember: technically Pawtucket is up by .001% in the winning percentage column.). The win also maintains a 2.5 game lead in the wild card race with Gwinnett winning their game against Charlotte in 13 innings.

The box score for this one is a mess. Combined the IronPigs and Indians used 21 position players, 10 pitchers, committed 5 errors, left 22 men on base, and went 8 for 27 with runners in scoring position. The game lasted 3 hours and 30 minutes including a 59 minute rain delay.

Of course in the end the only column that matters is runs and the IronPigs had the upper hand there due in large part to a 4-run 6th inning. Down 4-3 entering the inning, Delwyn Young drew a bases loaded walk, Josh Barfield drove in 2 with a single, and Cody Overbeck added another to give the Pigs a 7-4 lead.

Domonic Brown was 3 for 3 with 2 runs and 2 walks (Mitch Hyman)

Indy scored 2 in the 8th off Phillippe Aumont, but Justin De Fratus was able to close out the game in the 9th for his 4th save. Scott Mathieson started and lasted only 3 and two-thirds while walking 6 and allowing 4 runs. Joe Savery (4-0) earned the win and Drew Carpenter got a hold as they combined to shutout the Indians over 3 and a third.

I missed this but apparently Aaron Heilman signed with Pittsburgh right after being released by the Phils. He pitched in tonight's game and shut out the Pigs over 2 innings after posting an 8.00+ ERA with them. As HK used to say, "you see something new everyday in baseball."

The Pigs win clinched the IL West division for Columbus. Four game series with Louisville starts tomorrow.

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Drew Carpenter: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R
2. Josh Barfield: 2-RBI base hit in 6th inning to give Pigs lead
3. Domonic Brown: 3 for 3, 2 runs, 2 walks
4. Justin De Fratus: SV, 1 IP, 2 K

Talks Of Ryne Sandberg To Chicago Heating Up

No surprise here - the Chicago Cubs are beginning to realize they made a mistake not hiring Ryne Sandberg as their manager.

Last Friday, almost a year to the date that manager Lou Piniella retired in 2010, the Cubs fired general manager Jim Hendry. Current manager Mike Quade is probably next as the Cubs are 20 games back with a 56-72 record.

Despite being passed over at the end of last season when he was the manager of Chicago's Triple-A Iowa club, Sandberg is still open to interviewing for the position says Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune.

The Chicago Tribune also has a video interview with Sandberg.

We've been hearing rumblings about this all summer (really even since Opening Day) and it will no doubt be the biggest IronPigs topic outside of the playoffs over the next three months.

8/22 Wrap Up - Pigs Lose

Ryan Edell (photo by Mitch Hyman)

Nothing going on in Indy tonight. IronPigs lost 2-0 despite out-hitting the Indians 6-5. Pawtucket and Gwinnett are on their way to wins (each currently up by a run in the 7th). Hypothetically the PawSox will go up 1 game while the Pigs lead in the wild card will drop to 2.5.

Ryan Edell had another good outing and didn't deserve to take the loss. He pitched 6 innings, allowing 2 runs (only 1 earned), on 4 hits, while striking out 2. Ryan Feierabend made his first appearance out of the bullpen this year and pitched 2 scoreless.

Indy starter Brian Burres was great in this one with 8 shutout innings and 9 strikeouts.

Cody Overbeck continued his hot hitting going 3 for 4 on the night.

Former IronPig Brian Bocock pinch hit for Burres in the 8th and popped out to Overbeck.

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Ryan Edell: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
2. Cody Overbeck: 3 for 4

Schwimer Debut, Greetings From Lakewood, NJ

Yesterday my Mom and I watched Schwim make his debut from the Claws Cove at First Energy Park in Lakewood. Fortunately we missed the part where he gave up a HR to his first batter (The Fightins has a funny .gif of it), but he settled down - allowing just a bloop single and striking out 4 over 3 innings. At one point he retired 8 in a row.

The IronPigs lost yesterday as did Pawtucket and Gwinnett so nothing changes in the standings. The Horn and Bell has the recap.

We never actually saw a pitch thrown in Lakewood because of the heavy rains that stalled over the Jersey Shore for about 5 hours yesterday. Great stadium though, a lot like Coca-Cola Park. While the music was much much better there, the edge goes to The Coke when it comes to hot dogs.

Dave Huppert bobblehead

8/20 Wrap Up - Over And Out

Cody Overbeck's bases-clearing pinch-hit double in the 6th was the difference tonight as the IronPigs won 3-1 over the Indians. Pawtucket lost their game with the Chiefs at Fenway earlier in the night so the Pigs are back in a tie for first place. Gwinnett is losing as I type.

Overbeck is starting to show signs of life with 5 hits in his last 14 at-bats including 2 HR (one a walk-off) and 5 RBI. Not the greatest numbers, but a positive sign considering how much he has been struggling since being called up from Reading.

Nate Bump got his first win since late July (a Mitch Hyman photo)

Cody was pinch-hitting for starter Nate Bump who pitched 5 innings allowing an unearned run on 4 hits. He struck out 4 while walking none and improved his record to 4-8. Joe Savery came out of the bullpen and pitched two scoreless innings. He hasn't allowed an earned run since July 23 and now has a 2.00 ERA with the Pigs.

Justin De Fratus pitched the final two innings. Domonic Brown had 3 stolen bases.

Before the game Jack Cust (5 for 20, HR, 2 RBI) and Aaron Heilman (9 G, 9.2 IP, 8.38 ERA) were both released. Tagg Bozied was activated from the DL. Rumor has it Ryan Feierabend's turf toe is suddenly 100% healed. He can come off the DL Monday.

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Cody Overbeck: bases loaded pinch-hit 3 RBI double
2. Nate Bump: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

8/19 Wrap Up - 1 Down, 2.5 Up

Pigs lost tonight 8-5 in Rochester. Brian Bass (6-9) got tagged for 4 runs through 3 innings and was then pulled. Carpenter took over and shutout the Wings over 2 before Aaron Heilman gave up 4 more runs in 2 innings. Mike Zagurski got through the 8th without any damage.

Offensively it was a Viva La Frandsen night as Kevin went 3 for 3 with an RBI. Pete Orr also had 3 hits including his 5th HR of the season. Delwyn Young had two hits after getting just two over his previous five games.

That will do it for games against Rochester this season. The Pigs won the season series 11-5. Pawtucket won and Gwinnett lost so it's 1 back in the division, 2.5 up in the wild card.

Off to Indianapolis...

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Kevin Frandsen: 3 for 3, RBI
2. Drew Carpenter: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

SWB Yankees To Call Coca-Cola Park Home In 2012?

The SWB Yankees have played home games at CCP in the past

Baseball America is reporting (tweeted by Times-Tribune Yankees Blog) that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees will play on the road next season as PNC Field undergoes renovations.

One possible location for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate's home games? Coca-Cola Park.

From Baseball America:

One potential location is Lehigh Valley, minor league baseball's attendance leader last season that is averaging 9,207 fans a game this season. Lehigh Valley general manager Kurt Landes said he has heard Scranton is looking for a place to play next season.

"We've not been formally approached," Landes said. "It's my understanding they are looking at options."

Lehigh Valley plays in Allentown, Pa., about an hour south of Scranton. In 2009, Scranton had to move two of its home games to Lehigh Valley's Coca Cola Field because of flooding at PNC Field. Those games drew 8,252 and 6,085 fans, with no advanced marketing or major league rehab assignments, Landes said.

Tracy & Huppert: The End of an Era

Andy Tracy and Dave Huppert together for the final time. (September 6, 2010 vs. Scranton/WB).

Photo by Mitch Hyman.

8/18 Wrap Up - Boom

The offense exploded tonight.

-Erik Kratz had a HR and 3 RBI
-Brandon Moss had 3 RBI including his 22nd home run
-Kevin Frandsen had 3 RBI
-Jack Cust had a mutli-hit game including his first home run as a Pig
-Every batter in the lineup reached base safely at least once
-7 of the 9 had at least one hit
-Scott Mathieson threw 6 scoreless

Erik Kratz was 3 for 5 with a HR and 3 RBI (photo by Mitch Hyman)

Can't ask for a better start to the all-important 10 game road trip than an 11-1 win. The ten run victory matches the season-high set oddly enough on another roadtrip opener - May 30 at Gwinnett (12-2 Pigs). It was also win #72, the most ever by the IronPigs!

Moss' 22nd home run and two-RBI double raised his season total to 74 - 5th most in the IL. The Moss Hog is now tied with Andy Tracy for second most home runs in a season (Tracy hit 22 in 2008) and is four away from tying Tracy's franchise record of 26 which he hit in 2009.

Mathieson struggled to find the strike zone tonight (just 50 of his 97 pitches), but he allowed just three hits and didn't let any Red Wings cross the plate - the second straight start that he hasn't allowed a run.

Even better than the offensive explosion is that Pawtucket lost which has the IL North tied up once again! Gwinnett won so the Pigs maintain a 2.5 game lead for the Wild Card.

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Erik Kratz: 3 for 5, HR, 3 RBI, 3 runs
2. Scott Mathieson: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 K
3. Brandon Moss: 2 for 4, HR #22, 3 RBI

Phillies Still Looking For Left-Handed Bat, Haven't Ruled Out Moss

Photo by Mitch Hyman

Bob Brookover writes in today's Inquirer that the Phillies are still looking for a left-handed bat. With Jason Giambi and Jim Thome unlikely to clear waivers, he says Brandon Moss remains an option:

The baseball source said the Phillies have also discussed the possibility of calling upon Lehigh Valley's Brandon Moss as their left-handed power bat off the bench. Moss, signed as a minor-league free agent before the season, entered his game with the IronPigs Wednesday batting .266 with 20 home runs and 69 RBIs. He has big-league experience with Boston and Pittsburgh and impressive power.

-Full article here

Phear The Boa

Photo from The700Level.com

Here's Michael Schwimer walking out to the bullpen last night in Philadelphia with his Hello Kitty backpack, pink boa, and matching purse. Former IronPig Mike Stutes had been the lucky guy donning this every game until Schwim arrived. These kind of outfits are becoming quite popular across MLB with rookie pitchers.

Here's what Schwimer said about it on Twitter...

Maybe he can get a new endorsement deal...

Notice he's wearing #39 - Brett Myers' old number.

8/17 Wrap Up - All-Around Effort

The IronPigs matched the franchise record for wins in a season at 71 (2009) with a 3-1 victory over Rochester tonight. Have to be impressed with the short two game sweep of Rochester after the crazy Toledo series. Both games were all-around efforts and kept the Pigs in a great position to make the playoffs. Pawtucket and Gwinnett both won tonight so the standings heading into the 10 game roadtrip look like this:

IL North
1. Pawtucket 71-53, --
2. Lehigh Valley 71-55, 0.5 GB

Wild Card
1. Lehigh Valley 71-55, --
2. Gwinnett 68-57, 2.5 GB

As for tonight, Ryan Edell led the way with 7 strong innings to earn his 5th win of the season. He struck out 6 and allowed just a run on 5 hits. At the plate it was who else but Brandon Moss driving in two with a 1st inning home run to right-center, his 21st of the year. The Pigs got another run in the 4th on a Rich Thompson base hit.

Aaron Heilman gave up a hit and walked a batter with 1 out in the 8th before Joe Savery came on and got Dustin Martin to ground into a double play. Savery then pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his first save of the season. He looked very impressive tonight.

Before the game, Erik Kratz (team-high average of .291, 14 HR, 46 RBI) was named the IronPigs batter of the year and recently promoted Michael Schwimer (9-1, 1.88 ERA) was named IronPigs pitcher of the year. Hard to argue with either choice, though personally I'd pick Moss as batter of the year. It's nice that we're good enough to have a debate about it this season!

Ten game roadtrip starts tomorrow. First stop is Rochester for two, then it's on to Indianapolis for four, and Louisville for four. The Indians and Bats are both 6 games out of the Wild Card and have an elimination number of 5. Assuming they will still somewhat be in the race, they will be determined teams. This is a big road trip for the IronPigs.

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Ryan Edell: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6K
2. Brandon Moss: 2 for 4, HR, 2 RBI

Breaking News: Schwimer Called Up

Just reported by Jeff Schuler, Mike Schwimer has finally gotten the call up (or down technically) to Philadelphia! After posting a 9-1 record, 1.88 ERA, and 86 K in 67 IP, it's a well deserved and long overdue call. He takes Placido Polanco's spot on the roster. He's back on the DL.

Photo by Mitch Hyman.

8/16 Wrap Up - 70

The new guy and the season-long offensive leader stole the show tonight.

Dave Bush made quite the debut pitching six shutout innings as the IronPigs won 5-2 over Rochester. Having not pitched since August 7, Bush allowed just three hits, walked none, and struck out five for the win.

The Pigs got on the board first with a Rich Thompson RBI groundout in the bottom of the 3rd. Erik Kratz scored on the play and went 2 for 4 with two solidly hit singles on the night. Another groundout gave the IronPigs a run in the 6th when Domonic Brown grounded into a fielder's choice.

Rochester's lone run came in the top half of the next inning as Luke Hughes welcomed Drew Carpenter to the game with a solo home run to left. Carpenter struggled in this one allowing four hits, but just that one run. The Red Wings best chance came in the 8th when they got two men on with no outs. Carpenter got the next two batters to fly out before Mike Zagurski was brought in.

The first batter he faced, Chase Lambin, singled to right, but Brandon Moss threw out Ray Chang by a mile at home plate to end the inning. It was Moss' team-leading 13th outfield assist.

Moss then came up to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th and delivered a two-run single to make it 4-1. Pete Orr followed that with an RBI groundout to make it 5. 

Rene Rivera hit a bomb to left with 2 outs in the 9th, but Mike Zagurski still earned his team-leading 11th save.

With the win, the IronPigs are the 12th team in minor league baseball to reach the 70 win mark. A win tomorrow and they will match the franchise record for wins in a season with 71 (2009).

Pawtucket and Gwinnett are both losing badly. If things hold up, the IronPigs will be down one in the division and up 2.5 in the wild card.

Pig of the Game Candidates
1. Dave Bush: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
2. Brandon Moss: 2 for 4, 2 RBI, outfield assist

9 Game Winner Feierabend "Injured," Bush Activated

Tonight Dave Bush will make his first start in an IronPigs uniform. To make room for him, nine game winner Ryan Feierabend has been placed on the DL with turf toe. Should Feierabend have started and won, he would've been just the third ten game winner in the International League.

We'll see what happens tonight. To say things are getting frustrating would be an understatement.

Here's some pictures from last night.

Dave Bush Signed, Starting Tonight?

Paul Hagen just tweeted that the signing of RHP Dave Bush is now official. He will join the IronPigs although no corresponding move has been made as of yet. Bush is 31 and opted out of his contract with the Cubs last Thursday. He's a lifetime 56-69 pitcher in the majors where he's played for the Blue Jays, Brewers, and Rangers. With the Iowa Cubs he was 1-2 with a 6.14 ERA in 5 starts before opting out.

Now some speculation: is he on the mound at 6:05 when last night's suspended game resumes? Here's a tweet from Michael LoRe last night:

Sandberg's had a pattern of starting the new guys right away and he couldn't say it was Bush since he hadn't officially signed yet. Of course he could also be waiting for the roster move to clear space for Bush.

Either way, the Pigs will take the field tonight as the "Lehigh Valley Gobblers." If you haven't heard about this yet, the "Gobblers" was one of the finalists for the team name back in 2007. The Pigs Gobblers are calling this "What if Night?" and the team will be wearing Gobblers jerseys and hats.

When we resume, Argenis Diaz will be at-bat for Toledo with a 0-0 count, 0 outs, and a man on first in the top of the 3rd. Weather Channel says 100% chance of rain at 5:00, 90% at 6:00, 60% at 7:00, and then 40% for the rest of the night. Then again they had 100% all last night and it didn't rain until the 9th.