Every team in the International League – which by the way, no longer has any “international” teams since the Ottawa Lynx were moved to Lehigh Valley – has a two-week stretch of road games and a two-week stretch of home games on their schedule.

The IronPigs have spent the last two weeks in Norfolk (Baltimore) and Charlotte (White Sox), where they went a combined 7-5, and return home this week for the home portion of that schedule quirk.

The Worcester Red Sox are the first team to visit, and they will be followed by the Rochester Red Wings (Nationals).

The Pigs were 36-15 (.709) when they were last in town and held a five-game lead over Nashville (Brewers) for the best first-half record in the league, which determines the first-half champion.

They come back to town with a 43-20 (.683) record, holding a 4 ½ game lead over Nashville.

Winning the first half is key since that team hosts the second-half winner in a best-of-three series to determine the league champion in September. That team then goes to Vegas for a one-game showdown with the Pacific Coast League champion for the Triple-A championship.

While there is no denying that the team is playing well, keep in mind that they have faced only one team — Worcester — that has a winning record at this point in the season at 34-28. The final game of the first half is scheduled for June 22, so with 12 games remaining, Lehigh Valley has a magic number of seven to clinch the first-half title.

REVOLVING DOOR … From the start of the season, Lehigh Valley had just four players promoted to Philadelphia or optioned down from Philadelphia. Since May 13, there have been 18 transactions involving players either coming from or going to the City of Brotherly Love. Notably missing since Lehigh Valley was last in town are pitcher Mick Abel and infielder Otto Kemp.

HOT, BUT HURT … Justin Crawford left the game in Charlotte on June 5 with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t played since. Since May 18, a stretch of 14 games, Crawford has hits in 13 games and was batting .451/.525/.529 with 12 RBIs and nine stolen bases in the stretch.

COLD, BUT HEALTHY … Over the last 18 games, the Lehigh Valley offense is hitting .259 with 108 runs scored, putting it eighth in the IL in average and 16th in all of Triple-A baseball. That same period has been particularly tough for Erick Brito (.213), Garrett Stubbs (.213), Rodolfo Castro (.212), Gabriel Rincones Jr. (.186), and Rafael Lantigua (.171).

HOT ON THE MOUND … Among starting pitchers, Andrew Painter is 2-1, 3.15 in five starts with Lehigh Valley. In 15 games since being acquired from the Miami Marlins, Brett de Geuss has an 0.86 ERA, and is 3-1 with three saves as an IronPig and has a nine-inning scoreless streak going.

COLD ON THE MOUND … Nabil Crismatt, who breezed through much of the early part of the season, pitched to a 6.33 ERA in the month of May and allowed three earned runs in four innings in his first start in June. Like Crismatt, Alan Rangel struggled in May with a 6.08 ERA, but did strike out 28 hitters in 23.1 innings.

HOME, SWEET HOME … Lehigh Valley has had local players like Matt McBride and Brian Schneider in uniform during their 17 seasons. During the offseason, the Phillies signed Parkland product Gabe Mosser as a minor league free agent. Mosser opened the season at Reading and was bumped up to Lehigh Valley while the team was on the road. With the Fightins, Mosser was 2-1 with a 5.04 ERA. In his time as an IronPigs pitcher, the right-hander — who turned 29 on Sunday — has been on and off the developmental list, which is basically a roster shuffle tactic. In two starts with Lehigh Valley, Mosser is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA.

HONORS … Buddy Kennedy was named the International League Player of the Month for May, and Abel took the monthly league honor as Pitcher of the Month. Kennedy appeared in 24 games during the month, slashing .358/.426/632 and led the league with 34 hits. He was second in doubles (8), RBIs (24), and total bases (60), while finishing fourth in slugging percentage (.632) and OPS (1.058), and was fifth in home runs (6) and average (.358). The 26-year-old recorded 12 multi-hit games, including five straight from May 14-18, plus he drove in a run in 16 of 24 games, including in six straight game from May 13-18. Kennedy ran a 15-game hitting streak from April 30-May 18, and went hitless in just four games during the entire month. Abel became the first IronPigs pitcher to capture an IL monthly award since Michael Plassmeyer was honored for his performance in August 2022. Abel went 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in four starts, as he allowed three earned runs on 14 hits and 13 walks over 22.2 innings. He struck out 31, and held opponents to a .171 average and just one earned run over his last 11.2 innings in the minors before being promoted back to Philadelphia on June 4.

MORE HONORS … Reading first baseman Keaton Anthony was named the Phillies Minor League Hitter of the Month for May, batting .385 with 11 runs scored, 12 doubles, and 12 RBIs.