Game Time: 7:07 p.m. (Eastern) Venue:
Coca-Cola Park (10,000), Allentown, PA
History of the game: The 2010 Triple-A All-Star Game is the 23rd
annual Triple-A Midsummer Classic. For the first ten years of the game, National
League clubs were matched up against American League clubs and the NL squads won
six of the ten games. Starting in 1998, the game became a matchup between the
Pacific Coast League and International League squads. The current format has
been a series of streaks; the PCL won four straight from 1999-2002 and the IL
has won in five of the last seven games, to tie the series at six games each.
The game has been held in 20 different minor league cities, with only
Albuquerque and Louisville hosting multiple Triple-A All-Star games. This
season, Coca-Cola Park - home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs - becomes the
youngest venue (this is CCP's third season) to ever host the event.
Festivities so far: Weather has played a role in All-Star week.
Pigapalooza, a fan festival featuring former major league stars, local
celebrities, games and other baseball related activities, was supposed to take
place on Saturday July 11, but was postponed due to rain and will be held on
August 29. Monday night's home run derby endured a 90-minute delay because of
the rain and was eventually won by Durham's Dan Johnson, who beat Lehigh
Valley's Andy Tracy 11-10 in the final round. Tuesday's workout - which was open
to the public - was moved indoors because of more rain, but players did spend a
couple of hours signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans on the
concourse, rather than working out.
Tonight's Forecast: The forecast calls for showers and thunderstorms
in the early part of the day, with cloudy skies and a slight chance of a passing
thunderstorm tonight. Temperatures are expected to be around 90, dipping to
about 87 at game time. Odds are that the game will be played, but a delay either
at the outset or during the game is possible.
The home boys: Lehigh Valley fans helped to get four of their hometown
players into the 2010 All-Star Game, the most of any team. Andy Tracy will be
playing in the game for the second consecutive season and will be making his
third All-Star Game appearance overall. Scott Mathieson has come back from two
Tommy John surgeries to become Lehigh Valley's closer and is having a
spectacular season. Nate Bump has anchored the IronPigs rotation all season and
has the third best ERA (2.48) in the International League. Cody Ransom was also
named to the team, but was recently promoted to Philadelphia and will not play.
Looking ahead: Next year's game moves to a PCL venue in Salt Lake City
and the 2012 game will be playec in Buffalo, NY, the site of the first Triple-A
All-Star Game in 1988.
See the game. Hear the game: The game will be broadcast live on the
MLB Network with Tom McCarthy and Mitch Williams calling the action. On radio,
the game is being carried by Westwood One and will be picked up by select
stations across the country. Matt Provence, Tim Grubbs and Jon Schaeffer will
handle the radio duties.
Starting Pitchers
International League
Carlos Torres - The 27 year-old right-hander is a member of the Chicago White Sox 40-man roster and was drafted by the White Sox in the 15th round of the 2004
Draft out of Kansas State University. In his last ten starts, Torres is 5-0 with
a 2.45 ERA and has pitched 58 2/3 innings over the stretch. It's a big turn
around from his slow start that saw him go 2-5 with a 4.39 ERA in his first nine
starts of the season.
Carlos Torres' season stats
| Year |
Team |
W |
L |
ERA |
G |
GS |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
HR |
BB |
SO |
| 2010 |
Charlotte |
7 |
5 |
3.38 |
19 |
17 |
112.0 |
87 |
46 |
42 |
10 |
48 |
105 |
Pacific Coast League
Thomas Diamond - Another 27 year-old right-hander, Diamond was
claimed off waivers by the Cubs from the Texas Rangers on September 4, 2009
after being designated for assignment. The University of New Orleans product was
originally drafted by Texas with the tenth overall pick in the 2004 Draft.
Unlike Torres, Diamond got off to a strong start, but has come down to Earth a
little recently. In his first six starts, Diamond was 1-0 with a 1.67 ERA, but
has gone 0-1, 4.74 in his last four starts this season.
Thomas Diamond's season stats
| Year |
Team |
W |
L |
ERA |
G |
GS |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
HR |
BB |
SO |
| 2010 |
Iowa |
5 |
3 |
2.86 |
18 |
18 |
94.1 |
73 |
32 |
30 |
8 |
36 |
92 |
Probable starting lineups
Standings at the break
|
PCL American North |
W-L |
PCT |
GB |
IL North |
W-L |
PCT |
GB |
| Iowa (Cubs) |
49-41 |
.544 |
0.0 |
Scranton/WB (Yankees) |
53-38 |
.582 |
0.0 |
| Omaha (Royals) |
48-41 |
.539 |
0.5 |
Syracuse (Nationals) |
51-40 |
.560 |
2.0 |
| Memphis (Cardinals) |
49-42 |
.538 |
0.5 |
Buffalo (Mets) |
46-44 |
.511 |
6.5 |
| Nashville (Brewers) |
48-42 |
.533 |
1.0 |
Pawtucket
(Red Sox) |
41-49 |
.456 |
11.6 |
| |
|
|
|
Lehigh Valley (Phillies) |
37-54 |
.407 |
16.0 |
| |
|
|
|
Rochester (Twins) |
33-59 |
.359 |
20.5 |
| PCL
American South |
W-L |
PCT |
GB |
IL
South |
W-L |
PCT |
GB |
| Oklahoma City (Rangers) |
49-39 |
.557 |
0.0 |
Durham (Rays) |
55-35 |
.611 |
0.0 |
| Albuquerque (Dodgers) |
54-44 |
.506 |
4.5 |
Charlotte (White
Sox) |
47-45 |
.511 |
9.0 |
| New Orleans (Marlins) |
42-46 |
.477 |
7.0 |
Gwinnett (Braves) |
42-49 |
.462 |
13.5 |
| Round Rock (Astros) |
38-53 |
.418 |
12.5 |
Norfolk (Orioles) |
42-50 |
.457 |
14.0 |
| PCL Pacific
North |
W-L |
PCT |
GB |
IL West |
W-L |
PCT |
GB |
| Tacoma (Mariners) |
51-39 |
.567 |
0.0 |
Columbus (Indians) |
55-36 |
.604 |
0.0 |
| Salt Lake (Angels) |
43-47 |
.478 |
8.0 |
Indianapolis (Pirates) |
48-44 |
.522 |
7.5 |
| Colorado Springs (Rockies) |
42-48 |
.467 |
9.0 |
Toledo (Tigers) |
44-47 |
.484 |
11.0 |
| Portland (Padres) |
34-56 |
.378 |
17.0 |
Louisville (Reds) |
44-48 |
.478 |
11.5 |
| PCL Pacific
South |
W-L |
PCT |
GB |
| Fresno (Giants) |
53-38 |
.582 |
0.0 |
| Sacramento (A's) |
50-41 |
.549 |
3.0 |
| Las Vegas (Blue Jays) |
43-48 |
.473 |
10.0 |
| Reno (Diamondbacks) |
36-55 |
.396 |
17.0 |