As we enter the final week of the Triple-A regular season, Lehigh Valley (42-27) is coming off a 4-2 week that left it two games behind Durham for the second-half title and a postseason spot.

The Pigs’ final six games will be at home against Worcester (38-30), while first-place Durham (44-25) will play at Gwinnett (35-32).

While there are other teams still with a mathematical shot at being second-half champions, their odds aren’t great, and they would need both Lehigh Valley and Durham to stumble badly over the final six games.

Should the Bulls and Pigs finish the season tied, Durham would get the tiebreaker by virtue of having beaten Lehigh Valley in five of the six games they played this season. If three or more teams finish tied, the math teachers would have to figure out who will play at Norfolk to determine the International League champion.

So, what can you look forward to in the final six games? First, there are some new faces.

The rest of the minor leagues are in the postseason, and Double-A Reading finished well out of the playoff race, so its season is over. With that in mind, the Phillies are sending a few new faces to Lehigh Valley. When the list was released, there was some hope that the organization’s top pitching prospect, Mick Abel (5-5, 4.14) would get to discover the fun of traveling on Route 222, but no such luck.

Three right-handers - Erich Uelmen, Orion Kerkering, and McKinley Moore - are heading to Lehigh Valley.

Uelmen and Moore have both been with Lehigh Valley this season and also had short-lived opportunities in Philadelphia. Between Philly, Lehigh Valley, Reading, and Clearwater, Moore is 2-1, 1.40 in 19 relief appearances, to go with his 18.90 ERA with the Phillies. Uelmen pitched just one ill-fated inning in Philadelphia, allowing four earned runs. Uelmen made the same stops as Moore and pitched in 15 games with a record of 2-2, 3.78 between the three minor league stops.

Kerkering has moved steadily up the ladder in the organization this season and winds up with his first opportunity to pitch at the Triple-A level in his career. With a mark of 3-1, 1.54 ERA, Kerkering has quietly had a good season and made 48 relief appearances. In 52 2/3 innings, he struck out 78 batters, while walking just 12 and has converted 14 of the 15 save opportunities he’s had.

And finally, Mr. Roboto has been tweaked. Call it on the job learning. The robo-umps - officially the Automated Ball Strike System or ABS System - had somewhat of a one-size-fits-all strike zone for guys who are the same height.

While that may make sense, it doesn’t take into consideration that batting stances are different, as are body structures. The system is linked to computer software that has the height of the batter, and which side of the plate they bat from.

For instance, the profile for Weston Wilson has him at 6-3. He was getting the same strike zone as all hitters who are 6-3, and it didn’t consider whether he had a severe crouch or stood straight up at the plate.

Now, Mr. Roboto’s bosses have given our favorite future MLB employee the tools to determine whether the guy is crouching like Pete Rose or standing straight up like Garry Maddox, in addition to being able to determine their difference in height. The ABS will now change a batter’s strike zone based on that particular player, and how he has stood over the last 20 pitches he’s seen.

If he adjusts his stance, the system explodes. Actually, it just starts a new profile, but having it explode might be more fun.

Just in case you’re curious, the Official MLB Rules book says the strike zone is the midpoint between the batter’s shoulders and the top of his pants to determine the upper level, and goes down to just below the kneecap when he is in his batting stance and ready to hit. Mr. Roboto has been told the strike zone is two baseballs above the midpoint of the player’s hips. Slight differences, but differences nonetheless.