Flashback: International League in July

July 1 -- Indianapolis' Oliver Perez tied the single-game record for strikeouts at Fifth Third Field by fanning 13 batters in seven innings but was beaten by Toledo, 2-1. Perez had a 1-0 lead in the seventh before giving up a two-run blast to Jack Hannahan. The southpaw was 1-3 in July before being traded to the New York Mets organization.
Audio: Perez notches his 13th K

July 1 -- Delmon Young got a hit for the seventh straight at-bat and drove in four runs for the second consecutive game as Durham trounced Norfolk, 10-3. After collecting hits in his last three at-bats on June 30, Young doubled in the first and third innings and singled in the fifth and sixth. The streak ended with a groundout in the seventh.

July 2 -- Kevin Witt hit two of Durham's team record-tying six homers in a 10-5 pounding of Syracuse. Witt, who clubbed 11 of his 36 homers in July, launched two-run blasts in the third and fourth innings. Luis Rivas, Darnell McDonald, B.J. Upton and Rodney Nye also went deep for the Bulls.

July 4 -- Ben Francisco extended his hitting streak to 20 games in Buffalo's 4-1 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Francisco managed two of the Bisons' seven hits and pushed the streak to 25 games before it was snapped on July 9. Eude Brito dominated en route to winning the Pitcher of the Week Award, yielding one run over seven innings. He followed that with a five-hit shutout on July 9.

July 5 -- Jordan Tata pitched a three-hitter as Toledo blanked Louisville, 8-0, in the first game of a doubleheader. Tata allowed a double and two singles while walking two and striking out three in seven innings. Josh Phelps provided the offense by going 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs.
Audio: Tata gets the final out

July 10 -- Richmond's Michael Ryan, who turned 29 on July 6, had a good birthday week, hitting .500 with two homers and 11 RBIs from July 3-9. He also homered on his birthday and fell a double short of the cycle on July 7.

July 10 -- Andy Marte hit 15 homers in 96 games with Buffalo but nearly doubled that total to win the Triple-A Home Run Derby, clubbing 29 homers to defeat Toledo's Ryan Ludwick. He launched six homers in the final round to win the crown.

July 12 -- Durham's Kevin Witt showed why he was an All-Star, launching a mammoth two-run blast and going 3-for-3 with three RBIs as the International League blanked the Pacific Coast League, 6-0, at the Triple-A All-Star Game. Charlotte's Heath Phillips earned the win with two hitless frames.
Audio: Witt's two-run blast

July 13 -- Kason Gabbard and Jermaine Van Buren combined on a two-hitter in Pawtucket's 3-0 blanking of Charlotte. Gabbard earned his first Triple-A win by allowing a single and a double with two walks and six strikeouts in seven innings. Van Buren allowed a walk over the final two frames.

July 14 -- Brennan King had one of the Minors' best performances, hitting for the cycle and driving in eight runs as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre crushed Toledo, 14-2. King became the second Red Baron to hit for the cycle and did it in order -- singling in the second inning, doubling in the third, smacking a bases-loaded triple in the fifth and drilling a grand slam in the seventh. The eight RBIs were one short of the franchise record. King went on to claim Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Audio: King's grand slam

July 16 -- Jason Hammel pitched 8 1/3 innings and Juan Salas got the final two outs as Durham no-hit Columbus, 4-1. Hammel left with runners on the corners after throwing 125 pitches. Salas uncorked a wild pitch that ended the shutout but fanned Mitch Jones and got Terrence Long on a grounder to shortstop to cap the second no-hitter at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. It was Hammel's first win since May 8 and helped him take the Pitcher of the Week award.
Audio: Salas closes out the no-hitter

July 16 -- Ryan Roberts and Jason Phillips collected five RBIs apiece as Syracuse outslugged Richmond, 23-11. The SkyChiefs, who scored their most runs since 1961, were buoyed by a five-run first ininng, a seven-run fourth and a 10-run eighth. Roberts crushed two homers, including a three-run shot in the eighth. Phillips delivered RBI singles in the first and eighth and highlighted the fourth with a three-run blast. John Hattig and Justin Singleton each had four hits and three RBIs.
Audio: Roberts' second blast

July 18 -- Ryan Sweeney was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a triple and four RBIs as Charlotte edged Columbus, 6-5. Sweeney homered in the second and fourth innings, then added an RBI triple in the sixth and a run-scoring single in the eighth.

July 18 -- Mike Smith pitched his second straight complete game as he tossed a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts in Rochester's 6-0 blanking of Syracuse. It was the first time he went nine innings after pitching a seven-inning complete game on July 13. He threw 109 pitches and retired 15 of 16 batters at one point. On July 24, he was rewarded with the Pitcher of the Week Award.

July 19 -- Louisville's Norris Hopper went 5-for-6 with a walk-off single in the 12th inning in a 1-0 blanking of Buffalo. He collected four singles and a double.

July 20 -- Jason Dubois went 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs as Buffalo topped Louisville, 12-6. But that game only was the beginning of a dominant series for Dubois. He slugged two more homers and collected nine RBIs over a three-game span to claim Offensive Player of the Week honors.

July 23 -- Darnell McDonald's 27-game hitting streak ended when he went 0-for-3 as Durham bested Toledo, 4-3. He kept the streak alive with two eighth-inning hits in the previous three games but grounded out to third in the eighth against reliever Jason Karnuth. It was his first hitless game since June 22.
Audio: McDonald makes it 27 straight

July 24 -- Ottawa put together the biggest frame in franchise history, scoring 12 runs in the eighth en route to a 15-5 victory over Norfolk. The Lynx sent 15 men to the plate and collected 12 hits -- 11 singles -- while forcing three pitching changes. Keith Reed, Napoleon Calzado, and Tony Alvarez all collected two hits in the frame.
Audio: Ottawa's 12th run in the eighth

July 24 -- If there is such a thing as a perfect save, Boone Logan earned one in Charlotte's 6-3 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The closer struck out the side on nine pitches, fanning Dusty Wathan, Bobby Scales and Michael Bourn without wasting a single throw.
Audio: Pitches 7, 8 and 9

July 24 -- Kevin Witt posted another July highlight with a homer and five RBIs in Durham's 15-10 triumph over Toledo. He delivered a two-run double in a 10-run first inning and cranked a three-run blast in the third. It was part of a red-hot streak from July 21-31 in which Witt totaled eight homers and 20 RBIs.

July 25 -- Matt Garza, who started the season in Class A, pitched a three-hitter as Rochester edged Charlotte, 1-0. It was his second complete game in three starts after being promoted from Double-A New Britain. Garza went 3-1 with a 1.85 ERA with the Red Wings before being promoted to Minnesota in August.

July 25 -- Willie Collazo and Tim LaVigne combined on a three-hitter as Norfolk shut down Indianapolis, 2-0. Collazo allowed all three hits in seven innings while walking two and striking out five. LaVigne fanned four over the final two frames.

July 25 -- Keith Reed hammered his third grand slam of the season as Ottawa rallied for a 13-5 victory over Syracuse. His blast highlighted the Lynx's eight-run eighth inning. Reed also cranked slams on May 26 and July 9.
Audio: Reed slams the SkyChiefs

July 26 -- Buffalo's Jeremy Guthrie pitched a one-hit gem as the Bisons topped Louisville, 3-1. He was nearly perfect after Matt Kata's RBI double in the first, yielding two walks with seven strikeouts in his first of two complete games in 2006.
Audio: Guthrie gets the last out

July 26 -- Delmon Young and Kevin Witt provided the power in Durham's 16-10 slugfest over Columbus as they both had four hits, including two homers, and four RBIs. Wes Bankston and Kevin Cash also homered for the Bulls. Young's performance helped him snag Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Audio: Witt's second blast

July 27 -- The weather was the only thing that stopped Jason Johnson and Craig Breslow as they combined on a rain-shortened two-hitter in Pawtucket's 3-0 triumph over Toledo. Johnson gave up both hits over seven innings and retired 10 of his last 11 batters. Breslow fanned one in a perfect eighth before the rain came.

July 30 -- Jim Crowell and three relievers combined on a two-hitter as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre blanked Ottawa, 2-0. Crowell hurled four hitless frames and Seung Hak Lee allowed one hit over two innings. Matt White pitched a perfect seventh and Brian Sanches surrendered one hit over the final two frames.

July 31 -- Jeff Karstens continued his turnaround by winning two starts in a six-day span to capture Pitcher of the Week honors. He lost his first five decisions with Columbus, then went 6-0 for Double-A Trenton. He extended the streak to 11 wins by going 5-0 from July 15-Aug. 5 for the Clippers.