Leo: Rollin’ down the river

As the Clippers battle on the banks of the Maumee River, in hopes of a for four-game sweep of the Mud Hens, I am taking a few moments to realize what a special year this has been so far.

The Clippers have rattled of 14 wins in the last 15 games and hold the best record in Triple-A baseball. Columbus won 13 straight from from April 20th to May 3rd, so in these two stretches the Clippers are 27-1!

There are only two minor league teams with a better record the Columbus:
1. San Jose (Giants) 50-19 (.725) – High-A, California League
2. San Antonio (Padres) 50-21 (.704) – Double-A, Texas League
3. Columbus (Indians) 50-23 (.685) – Triple-A, International League

* In the ten games prior to Wednesday, the starting rotation was 10-1 with a 1.73 ERA (16 earned runs over 83 innings).

* Closer Josh “Judge” Judy has converted on 11 straight save chances dating back to April 24th.

* Leadoff man Ezequiel Carrera leads the league with 25 stolen bases in 29 attempts and is hitting .366 over his last ten games.

* Jerad Head has climbed back to 10th in the league in batting with a .308 average.

The Clippers are set to land several players on the International League All-Star team:

* Lonnie Chisenhall leads the fans balloting at third base. He was 4-for-6 with 6 RBI in his first game back of the disabled list (concussion).

* Jason Kipnis has the best numbers of any second basemen in the league, he’s hitting .291 with 8 HR and 42 RBI. He’s also 13 for his last 39, a .333 clip.

* Luis Valbuena should get strong consideration at shortstop. He’s played in 37 games at that spot and has better offensive number than another shortstop in the league (.303, 7 HR, 42 RBI in 61 total games)

*  Ezequiel Carrera will be in the heavy competition for an outfield spot. In addition to the stolen bases, he’s carrying an on base percentage of .371 and is batting .366 in the last week and a half.

* Starting pitcher Zach McAllister should make the All Star staff. His eight wins are tied for the league lead and he’s racked up 64 strikeouts with just 19 walks in 83 innings.

* Josh Judy is tied for third with 11 saves and has finished 21 games this season. After a sluggish start, he’s come on strong for serious All Star consideration.

Don’t forget, Mike Sarbaugh is the International League skipper and it would be nice to send several of his players with him to Salt Lake City. Fans can vote for the Triple-A All Star rosters here .

Voting ends on Friday!

See you soon at the ballpark!