Matchup: Bulls vs. RailRiders; And the Ultimate Durham Bulls Trivia Question

A small story first:

The year before last there was a Triple-A baseball team that played their games in Moosic, Pennsylvania. Moosic is sort of near Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania. The team went by the name of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and they were the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The field in Moosic had a lot of problems, so it was closed for a year. The team was renamed the Empire State Yankees and played baseball last year as essentially tenants of various parks, mostly in New York. Now the team is back in Moosic and they are to be known as the RailRiders. There is apparently some regional connection to trolley manufacturing. Although, who are Bulls fans to judge a name? Who among you is even old enough to have even seen a pouch of Bull Durham tobacco, much less rolled a cigarette using the contents?

So, there they are, the Scranton/Wilke-Barre RailRiders, henceforth to be shortened to SWB. What other baseball park has a view of a golf course and a ski run?

The RailRiders are in the middle of the pack of the North Division and the Bulls have an edge in the matchup.

May 23, 2013	W-L	RS	RA	Diff	BA	OPS	ERA
Durham	27-19	234	187	47	.273	.748	3.77
SWB	21-23	169	166	3	.244	.689	3.84

However, the really, really big deal coming up is the possibility of a repeat of the all-time Durham Bulls trivia question. Here’s the question:

What two ex-Durham Bulls faced off in the bottom of the 9th inning in the most celebrated game in recent baseball history?

Answer:

Game 162, 2011, Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees, 9th inning, two strikes, pinch hitter Dan Johnson (a 2011 Durham Bull) faced …

Cory Wade (also a 2011 Durham Bull) ...

We all know what happened.

So here we are in 2013 and guess who’s in the Bulls’ bullpen? Cory Wade.

Cory Wade

Guess who’s playing for the RailRiders? Dan Johnson.

Dan Johnson

What are the odds of them facing off sometime in the next four days? Excellent. Probably not tonight since Wade pitched last night. But it will happen. Watch this space.

Walking Down By the Bay

Game 4, May 22	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Durham Bulls (Rays)	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	9	2
Norfolk Tides (Orioles)	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	x	4	4	0

Season: 27-19; Trip: 1-1
Wrap, Box, Virginian-Pilot

Bulls pitchers walked seven batters last night, 3 of them scored, and that was essentially the story of the game.

To be fair to Alex Torres he’s been bouncing around quite a bit in the last week. So he had something of an excuse for his rough first inning. Nevertheless, he walked two batters in the first inning and they both scored. Will Inman had less of an excuse. The batter he walked in the 5th scored and he had walked two more before he was pulled in the 6th. Jeff Beliveau, also back from the Rays, came in to settle things down and kept the base runners from scoring.

Overall, the Bulls split these last four games with the Tides 2-2. Every game was decided by one run, three of them by identical 3-2 scores. The Bulls hit reasonably well over the series, but had troubles getting base runners home.

Outside the game —

• Chris Gimenez is with the Bulls. I missed exactly what Kinas said, but apparently a minor injury. I was wrong. What’s new there?
• Mike Montgomery scheduled to start today.
• Tampa Bay is starting a series against the RailRiders parent club, the Yankees, today.

Archer Looking Good

Game 45, May 21, Harbor Park	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Durham Bulls (Rays)	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	3	10	0
Norfolk Tides (Orioles)	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	2	9	1

Season: 27-18; Trip: 1-0
Wrap, Box, Virginian-Pilot

Chris Archer put on his best pitching performance of the year last night: A no-hitter through five innings (one walk in the 4th). A solo home run in the 6th broke up the no-hitter, but Archer left with the lead and only needed 81 pitches to get through 6 innings. Very impressive.

Meanwhile the Bulls put a ton of guys on base, but had trouble getting them home. Twelve Bulls were left on base, but only three got home. Nevertheless, with Archer's start and decent followup by the bullpen, a solid win.

Outside the game —

• Rays Catcher (and former Bull) Jose Lobaton has caught every game for the Rays since he came in for the Rays other catcher, Jose Molina, on May 18th. Meanwhile, Chris Gimenez hasn’t been in a Bulls game since a DH start on the 17th. Is he being held out in case the Rays need him?  Is he even in the Bulls dugout or is he with the Rays? Did he have his passport? (The Rays are in Toronto). Is that why Craig Albernaz has started the last two games? This is the first time, as far as I know, that he has ever had back-to-back starts in his long association with the Durham Bulls. He's hitting .270 and picking off runners.
• Pitcher Mike Montgomery, last seen in the Bulls uniform in the front end of a double-header on April 7th, is reportedly back with the team. He’s been working on an arm problem all year, but may be ready to go back into the rotation within a few days.
• In case you missed him, former Bull Jason Pridie has been on the Norfolk Tides disabled list for a groin injury. Can’t honestly say I regret his bat not being in the lineup.

Colome Named IL Pitcher of the Week

Alex Colome was named International League Pitcher of the Week. Good for him.

Nice write up:

Right-hander Alex Colome picked up two victories for the Durham Bulls this week and led the International League with 19 strikeouts. Last Monday against Lehigh Valley, Colome erased a personal five-game losing streak with arguably his best outing of 2013. He recorded season-highs with 7.0 innings pitched and eleven strikeouts as the Bulls coasted to an 8-2 triumph. Colome returned to the mound Saturday and defeated the 1st place Norfolk Tides behind 6.0 innings of two-run baseball. The win improved Colome's record on the season to 3-5, and he now leads the League with 59 strikeouts.

24-year-old Alex Colome is in his seventh professional season and first full year at the Triple-A level. In 2012 he was named Most Valuable Player of his Double-A Montgomery team, going 8-3 andposting a 3.48 ERA. Colome is a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. 

Rain, Ugly Rain

Game 44, May 19, DBAP	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Norfolk Tides (Orioles)	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	3	9	2
Durham Bulls (Rays)	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	4	1

Season: 26-18; Home Stand: 1-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

It says a lot about the Norfolk Tides’ pitcher, Zack Britton, that of the 24 Bulls he faced only one hit a fly ball, an out to left field. All the rest were ground balls, just four singles, two into double plays. He had a great night.

Nevertheless, before the deluge things weren’t looking too bad. Britton was not nearly as sharp as the 7th inning opened. The Bulls had scored a run and had runners on first and third with nobody out. Tim Beckham was at the plate with, I think, a 2-2 count. But it really started raining buckets.

I left. According to the Herald-Sun the umps waited 2½ hours to make the call.

Bulls pitcher, J.D. Martin, actually had a pretty good night. His only real mistake was a home run to Tides’ first baseman Travis Ishikawa. Martin throws strikes and, mostly, gets Ks and lets the defense get the rest. They usually do that this year. He got a lot of help with terrific plays by Jason Bourgeois and Craig Albernaz who punished runners for trying to stretch singles into doubles. Otherwise the 7th inning would have more than just the one unearned run by the Tides. The Bulls are a match for the them, it seems to me. We’ll have to see how this season plays out.

Outside the game —

• Shelley Duncan left a game up in Rochester on May 17 and hasn’t played since. Does anyone know what I’ve missed?
• Alex Torres is coming back. Jake Odorizzi will be starting a game against the Blue Jays. The Bulls are still short one pitcher.

UPDATE: 12:45. Missed this. Jeff Beliveau is on his way back. Wonder if he even got to put on a Rays uniform?

Rain, Beautiful Rain

Game 43, May 18, DBAP	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Norfolk Tides (Orioles)	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	2	7	3
Durham Bulls (Rays)	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	5	0

Season: 26-17; Home: 1-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

I need to be honest up front and mention that I sat out last night’s game in the dryness of my living room and watched the tarp pull from home. Still, I got to see a well-pitched game by both teams.

I worry a bit about the 40 home runs Bulls pitching has given up this year (2 more last night), but in the context of all the rest of the pitching turmoil, it isn’t a big concern. It is too bad that the Bulls have only hit 22, but that’s just the kind of team they are this year. Leslie Anderson and the surprising Vince Belnome seem to be the only real muscle on the team. But, it was Jason Bourgeois who had the big one last night. And then there was the rain, the beautiful rain, to seal off a terrific bit of pitching by WDBB’s favorite, Alex Colome.

Outside the game —

• Alex Torres put in a stellar four innings in Baltimore, got the win, and is apparently going to get kicked off the bus …
• The Rays have called up Jake Odorizzi and Jeff Beliveau. I don’t know if that means the Rays are going to exercise the one-pitcher expansion rule or they have someone else headed this way. Commentary (from Rays perspective) here and here. 
• Commentary from WDBB perspective — sigh. And that was before a Rays catcher pulled a muscle...
• Former Durham Bull Reid Brignac is in pinstripes! The Yankees grabbed him when he was designated for assignment by the Rockies. 

Durham Bulls Pitching ... and Today's Matchup

Catcher Craig Albernaz made his first 2013 appearance as a pitcher last night. I like Mr. Albernaz and I think he’s actually a decent pitcher, but his presence on the mound speaks to more than just the perception that the game was a lost cause.

Let’s try to track the changes among the Bulls pitching staff. Josh Lueke was called up when when the Rays’ Brandon Gomes went on the DL. He’s had three appearances since getting there and is doing just fine. That same day Bulls reliever Frank De Los Santos went on the disabled list.

A few days later the Rays signed reliever Cory Wade to fill one of the holes in the bullpen. He has had two appearances and looks OK, even though he coughed up one of the many, many home runs the Bulls offered up to the Rochester Red Wings.

The Bulls were still one pitcher short.

Then the Rays called up the Bulls best starting pitcher, Alex Torres, and put him in to throw five pitches to get the last out of a lost game Thursday evening. He was called up because starting pitcher David Price went on the DL. (Does a ⅓ inning relief appearance in replacement for David Price make any sense to you? No? Me, either.)

The Rays, apparently offering a AAA “cup of coffee” to Single-A reliever, Austin Hubbard, sent him from the Charlotte Stone Crabs up to Rochester to lend the Bulls a hand. Not so helpful — an awful ⅔ of an inning last night — 5 runs on 4 hits and three walks for a stunning ERA of 67.50.

A consequence of this turmoil (I haven’t mentioned Chris Archer’s troubles) is that Jim Paduch keeps getting called on to start games or come in for a long relief session — and Paduch is by far the least effective member of this year’s Bulls staff.

And the Bulls are still short a pitcher (remember, no replacement for De Los Santos was ever named). Hence Craig Albernaz on the mound.

And even if Torres only stays with the Rays for a few days, he would be out of any rotation for at least a week.

The Rays giveth, Cory Wade and Austin Hubbard; the Rays taketh away, Josh Lueke and Alex Torres; some players get broken, Frank De Los Santos, Mike Montgomery.

As this picture of ERA trends shows, this ain’t looking good at all.

Matching Up 

The Orioles farm team, the Norfolk Tides have been on quite a ride over the last couple of weeks and are now 4 games ahead of the Bulls in the South Division. Statistically, they are similar teams. Their pitching seems to be improving. Only two games, then the Bulls are out of town so that the ACC can rip up the turf of the DBAP.

May 18, 2013	W-L	RS	RA	Diff	BA	OPS	ERA
Norfolk	29-13	232	195	37	.279	.801	3.95
Durham	25-17	223	176	47	.275	.751	3.84

UPDATE: Forgot to add the rumor that Jake Odorizzi will be the actual call up for Price. That means the Bulls will be 2 pitchers in the hole while they wait for Torres to come back.