Home Stand Ends Well; To Charlotte; Charts

Well, this wasn't all that great a home stand for the Bulls, but it did end well. The four-game losing streak was disturbing; however, things seemed to sort themselves out the last two games, even if yesterday was touch and go.

Sunday was the 4th "bullpen day" since April 27. The Bulls have won three of those games, which says a lot about this year's relief crew. Without Yonny Chirinos' complete game shutout on Saturday, I doubt that it would have worked yesterday, though. Statistical trivia. Don't think I've seen two blown saves in one game before.

Sunday was also the seventh extra-inning game the Bulls have played. They won 3 of those games.

The Bulls are four games ahead of Gwinnett in the South, but note that Charlotte's on a streak.

click on chart for larger image

Runs Scored Chart

Net runs scored is one of those interesting stats that we like to track. If you run it through the Pythagorean Expectation formula, it will tell you what the team's won-lost record "should" be. In the Bulls case, this year the PE formula says that the Bulls "should" be at 23-12, exactly where they are. The Knights, who are at 18-17, "should" be at 19-16. The sabermetrics guys seem to think that discrepancies tend to indicate strengths (weaknesses) in relief pitching.

What this chart shows is just how well this year's team is doing compared to previous years, the best since 2013.

Rosterizing

• RHP Yoel Espinal came back from Montgomery and did a fine job last night.
• RHP Ryan Stanek got called up to Tampa Bay and had his big league debut against the Red Sox last night. He faced two batters. One hit. One K.
• RHP Blake Snell is coming back. In my end of year comments last year I said that after Snell's callup in June he would not be back. I was wrong (imagine that!). He hasn't been having a very good year with the Rays (4-0, 8 games, 4.71 ERA, 25 BB in 42 innings). Expect him to be working on very specific tasks, which may or may not help the Bulls when he shows up.

Matchup 

Charlotte's on a roll lately. And they are hitting very well. And they are at home. This could be an interesting series.

Rain in Georgia; Off to Norfolk

The Durham Bulls won two games in Gwinnett to near-empty stadiums, but things were looking up this morning for an education day. Then the clouds opened up and the game was postponed. The Bulls headed off to Norfolk.

They Bulls are doing very well. Ryne Stanek's performance in game two last night was particularly impressive. After the Bulls had come from behind to get ahead by one run, Stanek came on for the 9th. The first two batters got hits and ended up on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Stanek struck out the next three batters. That could have been a turning point for this young man.

The Bulls are now four games ahead of Gwinnett in the IL South and have the best won-loss record in minor league baseball.

Hitting

Bulls hitters are doing a great job. Their On-Base plus Slugging Percentage (OPS) is well above the IL average and ranks 3rd in the IL.

Rosterizing

• RHP Kyle Winkler went to Extended Spring Training
• RHP Edwin Fierro went back to Montgomery
• RHP Ryan Garton came back from Tampa Bay
• RHP Yonny Chirinos came up from Montgomery and started last night (and won).

Matchup

The Norfolk Tides (Baltimore's Triple-A) are not having a good start this year. This will be the first of 11 games against the Tides, so we will get to know them well before the year is out.

Great Start!

Season: 1-0

Box, Wrap, Virginian-Pilot

Has it really been 215 days since the Bulls last played a baseball game? It has. And how different this one was as every Bulls batter except Vince Belnome got a hit — and he got two walks and an RBI sacrifice fly.

Chris Archer only gave up a couple of hits and just the one run in his five very efficient (82 pitches) innings. Kirby Yates gave up a home run for the only other Tides score.

We’ll have to go with Patrick Kinas’ call of the game to judge young Mr. Hak-Ju Lee, but it sure sounded like he’s going to have fun in AAA — 2 runs on two hits (triple and single) and a walk, and two stolen bases.

Pleased to discover that the various media seemed to be working OK (I don’t have MiLB television, though). Although signal not good, AM 620 was broadcasting. Gameday and audio streaming through internet was working. And the Bulls iPhone app was working when I tried it.

Outside the Game —

• Steven Vogt (recently designated for assignment by the Rays) was traded to Oakland and will start the season with the Sacramento River Cats,  Oakland's AAA team. We’ll miss him on the club for a lot of reasons. Does this mean we will see more of Craig Albernaz in the lineup? Maybe. 
• We haven’t seen anything on the web regarding Robinson Chirinos who was DFA’d with Vogt. Not sure exactly when the clock started for him.
• Have not heard if there’s a replacement coming for Brandon Gomes, who was called up Thursday.

Double Header Tonight! Starts at 6:05. 

Tonight’s games will not be on AM 620. If you are one of the 10 people in the Triangle with an HD radio the games will be on 99.9 HD3. Otherwise the games will be streamed or available through smartphone apps. Probably 7 inning games, but not sure about that.

Last note: Patrick Kinas is back doing play-by-play. Good. He calls a good game. I will enter here, once again, a plea for Kinas’ pre-game interviews and commentary to be made available as podcasts. Seems like that would be simple and painless to do. Hey, stick an ad in the middle and make some money!

Durham Bulls Roster Set ... Sort Of ...

Stacy Long has the Durham Bulls roster on the web, and here it is:

Pitchers
Chris Archer, Alex Colome, Frank De Los Santos, Steve Geltz, Brandon Gomes, Will Inman, Josh Lueke, J.D. Martin, Mike Montgomery, Jake Odorizzi, Jim Paduch, Alex Torres, Kirby Yates

Catchers
Craig Albernaz, Chris Gimenez

Infielders
Leslie Anderson, Tim Beckham, Vince Belnome, Cole Figueroa, Mike Fontenot, Hak-Ju Lee

Outfielders
Jason Bourgeois, Brandon Guyer, Wil Myers, Rich Thompson

But there's a problem. You will notice several differences from our previous work-ups, but let's just point out the key ones for now and wait for the dust to clear for the rest.

Shelley Duncan is with the Rays because of the Rays' Luke Scott going on the disabled list for a couple of weeks, and, because he and a pitcher named Jamey Wright were added to the 40-man roster, two guys had to be dumped (aka, "designated for assignment"). They would be Robinson Chirinos and Steven Vogt. They will have to clear waivers before they can be assigned to the Bulls. If they do make it through then we'll see more changes. Before Thursday? Don't know. In the meantime, you will see that Craig Albernaz is on the roster.

Expect the roster to be available on the Bulls website within the next few minutes.

Who’s On First? Roster Speculation

The first game for the Bulls is just a week away and after a couple of recent moves things are looking, mostly, pretty clear. For example, recently the Rays released Jack Cust, whom we’d been worried about, and sent a bunch of guys to minor league camp. Then one of those guys, Dane De La Rosa, got traded off. So here’s some speculation regarding position players. Players marked with an asterisk are on the Rays 40-man roster

Catchers

Chris Gimenez*, Robinson Chirinos*, Steven Vogt*

• We saw a good bit of Gimenez last year and like him a lot. Some reports imply that he is actually a better catcher than Jose Lobaton, the Rays #2 catcher, and that he’s only in Durham because of how the business of baseball works. We’re happy to have him here. His numbers as a Bull last year are very impressive. Also, don’t be surprised to see him playing other positions.
• Robinson Chirinos hasn’t worn a Bulls uniform since 2011. His year away from the game on the disabled list has left a bunch of question marks. At 29 he is running out of time.
• We’ve seen a lot of Steven Vogt and we like him. Catcher, outfielder, first baseman, he’s been snakebit at bat for the Rays, but not for the Bulls.
• The catcher missing from the roster is Craig Albernaz. This very durable young guy recently got his first hit after a bunch of major league spring training camps. Expect him to be sent to wherever the Rays think young pitchers need some help. Still probably the best arm and release time of any catcher in the Rays system. I hope we get a chance to see him at work here in Durham this year.
• Overall, the Bulls should be solid behind the plate this year, until problems erupt in St. Petersburg.

Infield

Cole Figueroa, Tim Beckham*, Hak-Ju Lee*, Mike Fontenot, Leslie Anderson, Shelley Duncan, Shawn O’Malley.

• This list implies that the Rays are pretty satisfied with their infield lineup, since only two players are on the 40-man. Not sure I agree with that assessment, but then this isn’t a Rays blog. Nor am I sure that O’Malley with start with the Bulls this season. Hope so, I like watching him play.
• Cole Figueroa is simply a real pro. A very important part of the 2012 Bulls and, as far as I can tell, the only experienced third baseman on the roster. That worries me that we have only one.
• We’re familiar with Tim Beckham. Looks like he may be moving over to 2B to give newcomer Hak-Ju Lee some time at shortstop. 
• Mike Fontenot is a newcomer to the Bulls. Good reputation.
• We all know Leslie Anderson. He had a great spring with the Rays, but not enough to get him onto the 40-man. Expect to see him spend time at 1B, left field, and DH this year.
• Shelley Duncan brings some serious power to the Bulls. He stuck with the Rays all spring long, but just couldn’t crack the 40-man. 1B, DH.
• Shawn O’Malley is a fast, quick-handed infielder. Terrific baserunner. Hope he can stick with the Bulls.

Outfield

Wil Myers, Brandon Guyer*, Jason Bourgeois, Rich Thompson

• Wil Myers is the up-and-coming star prospect in the Rays season. A good reason to catch a couple of games early on, because he probably won’t be with the Bulls very long.
• Brandon Guyer is coming back from injury. He had a terrific 2011 with the Bulls. He is major league quality player.
• Rich Thompson is one terrific ballplayer who can’t quite seem to stick in the majors. Great to have him back with the Bulls.
• Jason Bourgeois has a lot of major league time (222 games). Not quite sure how he fits with either the Rays or the Bulls. We’ll have to see.

Basic arithmetic says I’ve got something wrong here since the Bulls usually carry no more than 13 position players and I’ve got 14 on this list.

That won’t stop me from commenting, of course.

This looks really, really good. There’s power, gap hitting, lots of speed, good arms in the outfield, and a terrific-looking “diamond” — catcher, 2B, SS, CF. I’m modestly concerned about 3B, but otherwise the gloves look good.

Pitchers and Catchers: Chirinos and De La Rosa

With pitchers and catchers starting work, here are two in the Rays camp we should be seeing with the Bulls this year.

• Back in 2011 Robinson Chirinos played 78 games for the Bulls after coming over from the Cubs system.That same year he got in 20 games with the Rays. But then he essentially sat out a full year recovering from a concussion he received in 2012’s spring training. According to Marc Topkin’s terrific story in the Tampa Bay Times, he’s back. We can hope so. Good catchers are hard to find. At a guess, both Lobaton and Molina should be worried about a healthy Chirinos and upcoming Chris Gimenez.
• Meanwhile, as we guessed a couple of days ago, Dane De La Rosa passed through waivers and has been put on the Durham roster. Good news for Bulls fans. Along with the assignment to the Bulls, De La Rosa also got an invitation to spring training. That means he, and Chirinos, will be in the Rays locker room down in Port Charlotte, Florida today.

Two Games; 26 Runs

Box, Wrap, Gwinnett Daily Post

Season: 50-56; Road Trip: 2-0; Bulls v. Braves: 7-6; Standings

Box, Wrap, Gwinnett Daily Post

The mystery of Alex Torres continued in the first game of this series with the Gwinnett Braves (1⅓ innings, 2 hits, 6 BB, 5 Ks, 5 ER). However, Brandon Gomes, new guy Frank De Los Santos, and Bryan Augenstein sucked it up for the rest of the pitching crew. Meanwhile, Bulls bats were very active, but not too impatient (7 walks). The swings back and forth meant that the game was never quite put away for either team.

In yesterday’s game Lance Pendleton gave up 10 hits and 8 earned runs and still got a win! Which implies that, overall, this was a game of their pitchers being far worse that our pitchers. Bulls batters drew 11 walks, got 14 hits, and scored a season-high 16 runs.

They jumped out to a 7-run lead, gave it back, and then went ahead on Reid Brignac’s grand slam. 

Even a baseball professional has got to feel extended after a 4¼ hour and a 3½ hour game. That’s a lot of time keeping your focus on track and might help explain the 7 errors the two teams have accumulated over the two games.

Outside the game —

• Evan Longoria is supposed to show up in the Bulls dugout today. I have to say I have mixed feelings about this. Based on the comments here, he sounds fragile. He’s only going to help the Bulls if his bat gets hot (a possibility). 
• The Rays gave up a rising AA player, Tyler Bortnick, to get yet another infielder, this one from the Diamondbacks, Ryan Roberts. The interesting note, from a Bulls fan perspective, is that Bortnick was immediately assigned to a AAA team. Has the glut of middle infielders on the Bulls roster been holding Bortnick up?
• Former Durham Bull Hideki Matsui has been designated for assignment to make room for Roberts. Although immediately off the Rays roster, Matsui has a couple of days to make up his mind/consider offers/negotiate with the Rays before a final move has to be made.
• Interesting interview with Bulls pitching coach Neil Allen on the Bulls website. 
• Remember Robinson Chirinos? He is still rehabbing from a concussion caused when a Josh Lueke pitch got foul-tipped into his mask during spring training. Here’s an insightful look at coping with an invisible injury.

Albernaz Throws Perfect Inning

Game 8, Thursday, April 11, Coolray Field, Lawrenceville, Georgia
Gwinnett Braves 7, Durham Bulls 1
Box, Herald-Sun, play-by-play

Just to get this off on the right foot to all those who remember Pogo: Friday the 13th comes on Friday this month (that would be today)!

The 14th pitcher to take the mound for the Durham Bulls in 2012 and the fifth, and arguably the most successful, last night, was ... catcher Craig Albernaz! That’s a hint on how the night went down in Georgia.

After pitcher Bryan Augenstein came up with a sore elbow (he's now on the 7-day DL), the Bulls took a “starter by committee” approach with the first pitcher out of the box being former Brave Jhonny Nunez. He was followed by Ryan Reid, Romulo Sanchez, John Gaub, and Albernaz. Pretty ugly all around, with only Gaub and Albernaz having scoreless outings.

None of the Bulls did very well at bat and Beckham (2 errors) and Miranda (3 errors) were awful in the field.

Shake it off!

Outside the game:

• The Bulls are playing at Coolray field, a new facility not far from Atlanta. It hasn’t been treated very kindly by the folks who judge ballparks, such as Stadium Journeys and Ballpark Reviews. Brian Merzbach over at Ballpark Reviews was particularly harsh:

It is a great example of how a minor league ballpark is now more of a playground for spoiled suburban kids than it is a place to watch a baseball game. 

• Former Bull Jeremy Hellickson is reported to be OK.
• Rays catcher (and former Bull) Jose Lobaton is reported to have a hurt shoulder. That could shake up some rosters, including the Bulls. Slightly surprised that Robinson Chirinos isn’t included in the speculation.
• Former Bull Dirk Hayhurst adds in his two cents to the Guillen controversy.
• Johnny Damon signing with the Indians means that there’s one more guy in the way of former Bull Russ Canzler getting to the big leagues. Too bad.

Hemstitching: Clubhouse, Chirinos, and more ...

Clubhouse Renovations

## 15 Days! ##

• After my comments the other day, seems only fair to note that renovations/spiffing up of the DBAP are in full swing.
• Cork Gaines over at Rays Index has updated his playing time chart.
• For those of you who watch the full range of players in the Rays system, keep an eye on this post over at Rays Prospects. Looks like quite a few players are about to be released.
• Someone inside the Bulls organization has done a nice writeup on some possible roster additions.
• Robinson Chirinos is only slowly coming back from his concussion. But I'd like to comment on how I think it's a good thing that baseball (or at least the Rays) is taking head trauma seriously. Bulls fans will recall that at the very beginning of last season pitcher Chris Bootcheck managed to bang his head on a low pipe and it was a couple of weeks before he came back. I think that's a good thing. Wish that football and hockey were on board.

Six More to Minor League Camp, and more ...

## 21 Days ##

• Six more players have left the Rays’ spring training camp and hiked over to minor league camp. That’s a trek of a couple hundred yards down there in Port Charlotte. Five of the six are pitchers and there’s one infielder. Of the six, it’s my current guess that only two will end up on the Bulls roster, pitchers Matt Torra and Bryan Augenstein, but I could be wrong about Augenstein. The rest, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and pitchers Alex Colome, Wilking Rodriguez, and Albert Suarez, will probably end up in Montgomery or with the Charlotte Stone Crabs.
• A bunch of Rays are doing one of those shave-your-head-for-charity things today. You will see quite a few familiar names on the list. I note that Craig Albernaz is among them. I’d imagine that he’ll spend maybe 30 seconds in the barber’s chair.
• Doing a bit of catchup, here are some interesting profiles on Stephen Vogt, Jose Leuke and Fernando Rodney, and Chris Archer.
• The catcher we all picked to start with the Bulls, Robinson Chirinos, is out with a concussion.

Probable Durham Bulls

## 24 Days ##

As reported in Rays Index, Pitchers Alex Cobb, Alex Torres, Chris Archer, and Ricky Orta; catchers Nevin Ashley and Mark Thomas; and 1B Juan Miranda have been sent to minor league camp. My guess is that all except Mark Thomas will be on the Bulls roster come April 5.

Cork Gaines has also updated his spring playing time chart and speculates that while Chirinos and Vogt should be headed for the Bulls, Brandon Guyer has a shot at staying with the Rays.

Winter Ball

How do you measure real baseball fanaticism? Well, maybe take a look at Jim Donten’s work over at Rays Prospects He is diligently tracking down once and future Rays who are playing elsewhere this Fall and Winter. As each league opens up, he posts a list of players he's found on the rosters. Then he’s been doing daily updates. That's real dedication and we thank him for it.

Players of immediate interest to WDBB:

Arizona Fall League (Surprise Saguaros)

• SS Tim Beckham
• RHP Marquis Fleming

Venezuelan Winter League

• C Robinson Chirinos (Navegantes del Magallanes) (Note: Robinson has reportedly broken a wrist)
• C Jose Lobaton (Leones de Caracas)
• IF Daniel Mayora (Leones de Caracas)
• LHP Alex Torres (Aguilas de Zulia)
• C Stephen Vogt (Leones de Caracas)
• IF Ray Olmedo (Tiburones de la Guaira)
• RHP Rob Delaney (Bravos de Margarita)

Dominican Winter League

• RHP Richard De Los Santos (Estrellas de Oriente) (Happy to see him pitching after last year’s troubles)
• IF Omar Luna (Aguilas Cibaenas)
• C Nevin Ashley (Gigantes del Cibao)
• IF Elliot Johnson (Gigantes de Cibao) (Note: Why would he he playing winter ball? Caribbean vacation?

Keep an eye on Rays Prospects (maybe add the RSS feed) to keep up).

Another ex-Bull to keep an eye on this winter:

Jon Weber is playing for Venados dos Mazatlan, as he has for several winters. Turns out that the 33-year old Weber returned to professional baseball with the Indy League Winnepeg Goldeyes last summer and had a decent year.

Update, 18 Oct: Rob Delaney in Venezuela (Thanks, Anon!)

The Durham Bulls in 2011 — The Hitters: Part I

Twenty-five different ballplayers came to bat in a Durham Bulls uniform this year. Some quite a few times (Russ Canzler, 549). Some not so often (John Shelby, 3 ). That compares to 27 in 2010 and 25 in 2009, so 2011 was about normal. Players are listed in order of games played. The "slash line" is Batting Average/On-Base Percentage/Slugging.

The Top 14 (40+ Games)

Russ Canzler (25) was in his first season with the Bulls and had a brilliant year. He was the International League MVP.

• Played in the most games of any Durham Bull (131) and had the most plate appearances (549). He led the Bulls in batting average (.314), was second in OBP (.401) and was first in SLG and OPS (.530 and .930), and led the team in wOBA (.399). His 83 RBI were way ahead of #2, Leslie Anderson, who had 65. He also led in home runs (18), doubles (40), second in triples (5). He was the team leader in walks (67) and strikeouts (129). The all-around offensive star of the year.
• His great year was rewarded by a call-up (and placement on the Rays 40-man) as soon as the Bulls season was over in early September. As of this writing he has had one ML plate appearance where he drew a walk. Defensively, the Bulls never quite figured out where to play him, although by the end of the year you could consider him a regular corner outfielder. He had 40 starts at 3B, 17 at 1B, and 68 games in the outfield. He also had 6 games at DH. He certainly is not the Rays' future third baseman, but no reason why he couldn't spend more time at 1B and see how it goes. As we'll see, however, it looks like 1B could be crowded in 2012. Really was fun watching him play.
• Stats

Ray Olmedo (30) came back to the Bulls after a year with Nashville, the AAA team of the Brewers that plays in the PCL.

• Played in 124 games (500 PA). Ray had 95 games at SS and 29 games at 2B. For a guy who usually batted at the end of the order, he had very good numbers — .260/.303/.322, wOBA .306. 27 RBI, 22 doubles, 3 triples.
• I like watching Ray Olmedo play baseball. I especially like the way he moved over to second base when young Tim Beckham came up and how well he covered that position. Here's hoping the Rays find room for him next year.
• Stats

Leslie Anderson (29) joined the Bulls late in 2010. He had defected from Cuba earlier in the year and quickly moved up through the Rays minor league system as an outfielder and first baseman. This season was a decent, but not breakout, year.

• Played in 121 games with 494 plate appearances. He had 63 games at 1B and 42 in the outfield, mostly in LF. The rest of the games he was the designated hitter. Decent numbers of .277/.314/.413 with a wOBA of .323. His 65 RBI was second-best on the team; his 24 doubles were third-best; and his 13 home runs was third best as well.
• I'm not sure Mr. Anderson is going to make it beyond AAA. He isn't very fast. He's something of a streaky hitter and only a so-so first baseman. Plus he's beginning to age out.
• Stats

J.J. Furmaniak (31) was with the Bulls with most of 2010 and we were really pleased to see him back in 2011. He did not have a good year at the plate, but he had a bunch of timely hits and sacrifices, and was vital to keeping the infield sorted out.

• Played in 116 games (433 PA). In the field he played 2B (52 games), SS (15), 3B (43), outfield (11), dh'd a game, and pitched a shutout inning(!). Most of the year his numbers were off, but they got much better near the end. Numbers — .215/.267/.308 with a wOBA of .258. J.J. led the Bulls on successful sacrifice bunts with 15.
• I really like J.J. I think he adds a lot to the team. He did not have a good year at bat, but until the Rays start bringing up some infielders, the Bulls really need someone like J.J. on the roster — an experienced, mature, quick-handed infielder.
• Stats

Brandon Guyer (25) came to the Bulls as part of the big Tampa Bay Rays/Chicago Cubs deal over the winter. A lot to like about this young ballplayer. He would have played in more games if a back injury had not taken him out of the lineup for a couple of weeks in the middle of the year.

• Played in 107 games (443 PA). All of his games were as an outfielder, mostly in right and center field. Very good numbers — .314/.401/.530, wOBA .387. Hit 18 home runs (second on team), had 61 RBI, and led team in getting hit by pitches (12). Very fast, but needs to work on base running a bit (16 stolen bases, but caught 6 times).
• Brandon was on the 40-man all year and was called up once, before going up in the September callups. As of this writing he's been in 10 games for the Rays. Expect him back next year and looking forward to it.
• Stats

Dan Johnson (31) started the year with the Rays and came to the Bulls in late May. Something must have gone awry over the winter, since the 2010 Bulls superstar was having serious troubles in St. Petersburg. He passed through waivers and accepted an assignment to the Bulls.

• Played in 93 games (395 PA). Starting very slowly, his numbers improved as the year went on — .273/.382/.459,wOBA .375. Low extra base production (for him) of 23 doubles and 13 home runs. 52 RBI. 59 games at 1B, 15 at 3B, and 21 as DH.
• Dan was called back up to the Rays at the end of the season, but he's got to be thinking about his future as a ballplayer. I'm guessing that he will not be back with the Rays in 2012.
• Stats

Desmond Jennings (24) began his year with the Bulls and, to our surprise, stayed with the team until mid-July.

• Played in 89 games (397 PA). The big difference between this year and 2010 was that he stayed healthy and he had some big improvements in his power. Numbers — .275/.374/.456, wOBA .362. A leadoff batter is going to be a bit low in the RBI column, and he was with only 39. But he scored 68 runs and stole 17 bases. Mostly a center fielder this year, with a few starts in right field and a couple as the DH.
• He's had 52 games in the majors as of this writing, and he's tearing things up with a .292/.386/.510, 9 homers, 22 RBI, 38 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. Don't expect to see him back with the Bulls next year.
• Stats

Robinson Chirinos (27) is another of the players from the Cubs/Rays deal. He had a spectacular spring training and came to the Bulls with very high expectations. He had a good, not exceptional, year. And was able to get in 20 games with the Rays.

• Played in 78 games (319 PA). He had a terrible start, so his final numbers actually represent a big improvement on the year — .259/.343/.376, wOBA .324. Because of his terrific spring training, most thought Chirinos was going to have a real breakout year and, at 27, he needed it. Not quite, though. He got the most starts at catcher (63) of anyone on the Bulls' roster and did pretty well.
  
• His main counterpart, Jose Lobaton, had a much better year as a catcher and a hitter. When Lobaton got a call-up he was almost immediately injured and Chirinos followed him to St. Pete within a couple of days, then came back in August.
• Stats

Omar Luna (24) started the season with the Bulls and then was essentially swapped out for infielder Daniel Mayora in late June.

• Played in 56 games (182 PA). Not very good numbers — .203/.229/.227, wOBA .229. Pretty much the worst numbers of anyone who had any serious amount of time with the Bulls this year. Mostly played 2B (47), but had a game at 3B, a game at shortstop, and 3 games in the outfield. He also made two appearances as a pitcher.
• Pretty good second baseman, but Furmaniak better, with a better bat. Luna went to Port Charlotte in the Rays system where he did OK. Hard to tell if he will be coming back.
• Stats

Jose Lobaton (26) had a breakout year and he was fun to watch as long as he stayed with the Bulls.

• Played in 54 games (224 PA). Terrific numbers — .293/.410/.489, wOBA .382. His OBP was the team best. Most of his ABs were as a catcher, but 18 games as DH. Above average catching skill as a catcher.
• His third best OPS (.899) and skills behind the plate earned him a call-up in early July. Unfortunately, he was immediately injured and did not return to the Rays lineup until September. Expect him to stick with the Rays next year.
• Stats

Chris Carter (28) started the year with the Bulls.

• Played 54 games (233 PA) for the Bulls before exercising an opt-out clause in mid-June, 26 games as DH and 28 games in a corner outfield position. Pretty good, but not stellar, numbers for his time with the team — .270/.309/.460, wOBA .323. He brought some power to the team, 10 HR and 11 doubles.
• He signed with the Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta) and was having a great run (OPS of .974) for 23 games before he was injured and went out for the rest of the season.
• Stats

Daniel Mayora (25) came up to Durham from the Montgomery Biscuits in late June.

• Played in 51 games (205 PA), almost exclusively at third base. Of the six different third basemen the Bulls used this year, he was tied for the most games (40) with Russ Canzler. Numbers are OK — .262/.317/.353, wOBA .306.
• Not a standout third baseman and doesn't seem like he will get past AAA level. And yet the Bulls needed him for the second half of the season and may need him again next year.
• Stats

Felipe Lopez (31), a veteran infielder, started the season with Durham, went back and forth to the Rays a couple of times and then moved on to the Milwaukee Brewers system.

• Played in 48 games (207 PA) and had excellent numbers — .305/.357/.474, wOBA .374 with 37 RBI and 7 home runs. 25 games at 2B, 12 at 3B, and a few as DH.
• Lopez was with the Bulls primarily because the Rays' infield situation was unsettled at the time. Once that was sorted out, he left the system. I would have preferred to see more young players under development.
• Stats

Justin Ruggiano (29) has a five year history with the Durham Bulls and holds a number of hitting records. He started this year with the Bulls, but went up to Tampa in May and stayed there, with the exception of a brief rehab visit in August.

• Played in a total of 43 games (190 PA) and had excellent numbers — .304/.378/.518, wOBA .398. Almost an RBI per game (34), 7 HR and 11 doubles.
• Unlikely that we will see him in Durham next year.
• Stats

Next: New guys, rehabbers and visitors.

What's Next?

How are we going to get through the winter?

First, if you want the 2011 South Division Champions T-shirt you need to check with the DBAP store, because they only had a few printed up. Not sure how many, if any, are left.

Then we can speculate on who might get called up to the Rays. Rays Index is reporting a statement by Joe Maddon that one or two Bulls might be called up right away, mentioning, tongue in cheek I am sure, Dan Johnson and Matt Bush. The Tampa Tribune blogger Roger Mooney also mentions Matt Moore as a possible call-up.

After that, we might watch a couple of Rays games, assuming the local TV folks deign to put them on the air.

About call-ups:

Current Durham Bulls on the Tampa Bay 40-man roster are: Pitchers Chris Archer, Jay Buente, Matt Bush, Dane De La Rosa, Rob Delaney, Mike Ekstrom, and Alex Torres; Catchers Robinson Chirinos and Nevin Ashley.

Not on this list are a couple of well-regarded Bulls, notably Russ Canzler and Matt Moore (and the third Matt, Matt Torra). If the Rays want to call them up (or anyone else on the Bulls roster) then they’ve got to do a bit of roster manipulation — something they are more than capable of doing.

Here are a couple of guesses. The Rays are going to want to divide up these guys into players they want to look at right now and players they are willing to wait until spring to look at. I see a big decision coming up regarding Alex Torres and a lesser decision regarding Mike Ekstrom, so take another look at them. All but Chris Archer on this list got a “taste” this year, so maybe give him a look.

Who could actually help them? For that they might want to give Jay Buente a real test before putting him back on waivers. Robinson Chirinos has already been up and Jose Lobaton reportedly tweaked his knee again, so look for him to go up. Russ Canzler might be a good guy to give a look, because he will surely be a solid candidate for a different team if he goes back into minor league free agency.

Again, please remember that the possibility that I don’t really understand the business of baseball is very high. I could easily be very, very wrong. Notably, I don't understand the "Rule 5 Draft" rules at all and there could be someone in the system the Rays need to look at before exposing them to that process.

See also other folks' comments over here.

Last note: I loved this year's fan appreciation video until I realized it was missing something — Baseball!

Russ Goes Home

Game 124, Thursday, August 18, PNC Field, Moosic, PA

Durham Bulls 5, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 1 

Season: 72-52; Trip: 5-2; Streak: 5-0, Games Left in Regular Season: 18

Wrap, Box, Wild Card 

The 10,000+ fans who came to see Alex Rodriguez on Wednesday dwindled to 3,000+ for Thursday. Apparently most of those came to see the Bulls' Russ Canzler. He put on a show for them and got some love in the local newspaper. Deservedly so. The local lad (from nearby Hazelton) had three hits, including a big home run in the 8th. 

Every year it seems the Bulls have a non-40-man roster guy who is beating on the door of the Rays in August. This year it's Russ Canzler. We can hope that the Rays are listening — just wait for the playoffs to be over, if you don't mind. 

Meanwhile the Bulls infield continued with some simply stellar baseball. Six double plays! OK, two of them came after errors by Bulls' infielders that let runners on in the first place, but six in one game has to be some sort of season high. (Am I too lazy to go leafing through all the box score? You bet I am.) Ray Olmedo's hitting might have fallen off a cliff since coming to Pennsylvania (0-8), but he and Tim Beckham make one heck of a pair out there at short and second. Pretty to watch them. Beckham, by the way, got his second home run of his brief AAA career. His rep was not as a batsman, but 7 RBI in 8 games for a leadoff batter is quite an accomplishment.  

With that kind of defense, as long as you're not giving up home runs, a pitcher can do just fine. Alex Torres went seven innings, Jay Buente finished off the last two. 

The Bulls have won five in a row. The Yankees have lost eight in a row. Brian Baker is starting tonight. Time for the big bats to roll out, cause Baker is gonna give up a couple of runs. We like Mr. Baker a lot, but he has only pitched 3 innings since July 25. We hope he's ready to come back. 

Speaking of coming back, catcher Robinson Chirinos, last seen in a Bulls uniform in Pawtucket on July 16, is coming back. John Jaso has finished his rehab and went to St. Petersburg yesterday. With Brandon Guyer back and covering center field, outfielder John Matulia was sent to Montgomery. Hope he's ready to come back, because I'm guessing the Rays are gonna want to take a look at Guyer in September. 

Pleased to read that Alex Cobb's surgery was successful.

Chart 

What we're looking at here is the team wOBAs for each of the last 15 games. The green bars are the Bulls, the red bars are the Bulls' opponents. The Bulls won 10 of the last 15 games and the widening gap between the trend lines helps explain why — pitching and defense has been just terrific.  By the way, the Bulls are now 20 games over .500, the best they've been all year.

Lobaton Hurt; Chirinos to TB; Ashley to Bulls

Just be happy you're not the guy who has to set the type for the Durham Bulls programs this Thursday.

Jose Lobaton hurt his knee in last night's 16-inning marathon in Tampa St. Petersburg and has been put on the disabled list. |MLB.com and St. Petersburg Times| This was his first start for the Rays and he'd gotten a lot of love from manager Joe Maddon.

The same articles tell us that Robinson Chirinos has been called up to take Lobaton's place.

The Rays reached down to Montgomery where Stacy Long is reporting that Biscuits catcher Nevin Ashley is on his way to join the Bulls in Rochester. Ashley spent some time with the Bulls last year in the regular season and into the playoffs (and a couple of games with the Rays). He's on the Rays 40-man. Looks like he'll be with us for at least a couple of weeks.

Jennings Hits Bull, Wins Steak, Dings Finger

Durham Bulls 5, Norfolk Tides 4
Game 87, July 7, DBAP
Season: 48-39; Streak: W3
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Sometimes the chatter in our part of the stands is only tangentially connected to the winning-losing aspects of the game. Last night, for example, here were the top topics for comment and discussion:

• Craig Albernaz being officially on the roster,
• That odd 5-6-3 double play to end the 2nd inning,
• Norfolk third baseman Josh Bell’s amazing dodge of Robinson Chirinos’ bat shards while fielding and throwing the ball to first for an out,
  
• and how come Jennings didn’t come out for the 7th inning?

We'll get to those, but first how the game was won.

Alex Cobb gave up three runs with the first three batters, hitting the first one, walking the second, serving up a home run to the third. He never quite settled down after that, but, except for homer in the 4th, he kept the Tides in check. He did hit a couple of high (or low) points, however. He doubled his home runs allowed from 2 to 4 (in 65 innings). He doubled his hit batsmen, from 1 to 2. He has pitched exactly 1000 pitches as a Durham Bull this year.

Meanwhile, the Bulls got the three runs back in their part of the inning with a Bull shot by Desmond Jennings, and a two run shot by Russ Canzler.

About that double play. With one out, runners on first and second, a hard grounder came to third baseman Daniel Mayora. He appeared to only have a play at first, but he then saw shortstop Ray Olmedo heading for second base and they were able to pull off the 5-6-3 double play. I'm sure it happens from time to time. I just don't recall seeing one before.

It was Daniel Mayora's triple in the 7th that set up the winning run. Mr. Mayora is showing some real strength. He had two long opposite field shots (one caught) last night and a homer the night before. His release may not be as quick as some third basemen we've seen, but his strong arm makes up for it. Gonna be fun watching him for the rest of the year. J.J. Furmaniak sent him home with a short fly ball over the drawn-in infield.

Jay Buente, who has not exactly garnered accolades from WDBB, got the win in relief. My guess is that he would be the first to say that he's a better reliever than starter. Maybe he's going to work out after all.

Looks like I've covered two of the bullets at the top. I think I'll put off a more substantive discussion of Craig Albernaz for another post, which will be something along the lines of:

FREE CRAIG ALBERNAZ!

Now that he's officially on the Bulls roster, how about putting him in the game Charlie?

Then there was that terrific play by Norfolk's Josh Bell in the bottom of the 7th. Robinson Chirinos (on something of a tear, by the way) sent the ball and a big piece of his bat right at Bell. Did the bat go over Bell's head, between his legs or just past him? Did not see it that well. At any rate, he kept his concentration, fielded the ball, and made the play at first. Good baseball.

In the 7th inning the Bulls went through an atypical defensive shuffle with Jennings coming out, Lopez coming in at second, Furmaniak moving to left, Guyer to center, Anderson to right. (Confused? So were we.) Of course, the rumble in the stands was that maybe Jennings had been called up to the Rays. From the Herald-Sun report, however, he dinged a finger in a bunt attempt earlier on and will now be day-to-day.

Note: Tonight is your last chance to see the Bulls until July 22nd! Have I mentioned that this year's schedule is nuts?

[Update: 9:03, bunch of typo's fixed, awkwardnesses, and more. Sorry, folks. There's probably more.]

Rainy Night in Georgia

Game 84, July 4, Coolray Field, Lawrenceville, Georgia

Gwinnett Braves 11, Durham Bulls 3

Wrap, Box, Gwinnett Daily Post

Game 85, July 5, Coolray Field

Durham Bulls 3, Gwinnett Braves 1

Wrap, Box, Gwinnett Daily Post

Season: 46-49; Last 10: 5-5

Alex Torres was doing his usual thing of letting the leadoff hitter on base (walk, walk, walk, single for innings 2, 3, 4, and 5) and yet only one run had gotten across for Gwinnett when the skies opened up down in Georgia in the bottom of the 6th. Uncharacteristically, Torres had gotten the leadoff batter out in that inning. 

In the meantime Desmond Jennings, Robinson Chirinos, and Leslie Anderson had hit bases-empty home runs. That was enough for the Bulls to win it and for Torres to improve to 5-6 on the year. 

This Braves-Bulls rivalry looks to continue for the rest of the year. They are back in a tie for first place in the division. In another instance of this year's weird scheduling it turns out the that they have seven more games to play, all at the DBAP, four games at the end of July and two at the end of August. I'm betting that they will still be arguing over the South division title.

Interesting stuff on the web:

• Given my background, I tend to look for connections between soldiering and baseball. Here's one about a guy who's played minor league ball and is now serving in Iraq.
• What were you doing when you were 16 years old? Probably not signing a professional baseball contract as this young man just did with the Rays.

Chart of the Day — ERA

Tonight we get our first look at new guy Matt Torra, who is coming to the Bulls with a AAA ERA of 6.07 in 15 starts. Hate to say it, but that's not too promising. Obviously the Rays (or one of their scouts) saw something and we are going to get a chance to see it as well.

This chart is sorted by innings pitched, so the usual cautions about small sample size for the players at the bottom of the chart apply. Note that the caution applies both to players who are having troubles (Buente and Cormier) and those doing OK (McGee and Gomes).

The Bulls seem comfortable with a 13 pitcher/11 position player setup this year, so I'll slip Mr. Torra in the next time I update this chart.

click on chart for larger view

Out of the Smoke, Into the Sun

Game 71, June 21, DBAP
Buffalo Bisons 9, Durham Bulls 1
Wrap, Box, Herald Sun

Game 72, June 22, DBAP
Durham Bulls 9, Buffalo Bisons 3
Season: 40-32; Home Stand: 2-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Let’s start this off with something really trivial, and yet something that takes away from the fan experience this year. I think maybe I’ve mentioned this problem before, but at the end of a post. This time it goes up front.

I got to the park a bit late for the day game because the Durham Freeway was essentially a massive parking lot. But at least the smoke had cleared out some from the day prior and I could breathe. The Bulls were on the field by the time I got to my seat so I scanned the field to get a sense of where Charlie had put his team for the game. At second base, for example, he has essentially three choices: Furmaniak, Lopez, or Luna. But I can’t tell who’s on second because the jersey NUMBERS ARE UNREADABLE and HAVE NO NAMES ON THEM!

On second thought, this really isn’t a trivial issue. I find it extremely frustrating to not be able to tell who’s playing in the game or getting ready to pitch, and I recognize quite a few of the players. How much more frustrating it must be for fans who have only the program to go by with very little hope of being able to put a number against a name.

The time has come for the Bulls to accept the fact that they made a bad decision. I agree that if you’re up close, say 10 or 20 feet away, they look OK. Otherwise, they are the worst shirts in the International League. Please, please do something about them. 

If you auction them off, I’ll even bid for Albernaz’. Maybe not very much, but I will bid.

[Update, 11:00 am, Thursday: I've been informed that, because of the mesh material they are made from, the players love the jerseys. In this heat that makes all the sense in the world to me. So we have to back off. The Bulls should be wearing what works best in these very early dog days. 


The players will have to get used to the fans not knowing who's on third until a new batch is obtained with names and more legible numbers.]

Maybe I’m just grumpy because I missed Tuesday night’s game. From all accounts, however, it wasn’t much of a game and the smoke from the fires down east made things difficult.

Yesterday afternoon Dirk Hayhurst started and he had trouble closing the deal. In every inning he'd get a quick two outs and then take more than a batter or two to finish up. The temperature and humidity was brutal. If that was the reason Montoyo took him out after four innings, that made a lot of sense to me.

The oddity of the afternoon was the way the ball seemed to be carrying. A bunch of both team’s hits that didn’t seem to be much coming off the bat, sailed on out to the warning track. A couple went in for doubles and couple, after missteps by fielders, were caught. Maybe an out wind, but that's rare at the DBAP. Probably something to do with what aviators call “density altitude”. Whatever it was, that condition did not account for the three home runs. Those were authoritative shots by the Bisons’ Pascucci, and the Bulls’ Lobaton and Johnson.

Another oddity was Ray Olmedo’s triple in his first at bat. He was also the first of two Bulls that got stranded on third in the early innings. In the 3rd, however, both of the Bulls that got to third base (Desmond Jennings and Brandon Guyer) scored. After the third it seemed it was a matter of Bulls relief pitching hanging on, which they did. Speaking of relief pitching, the masterful jobs of Brandon Gomes and Jake McGee need to be mentioned. Gomes had a 1-2-3 8th and McGee, after giving up a double in the 9th, struck out the next three batters, the last two looking.

After running through three left-handed pitchers, Buffalo brought on Dale Thayer with the bases loaded, one out in the 8th. At that point the Bulls were only ahead by a score of 4-3, so there was certainly a chance for a team who recently scored 16 runs in the last third of an inning a couple of nights ago. That is, a chance if they could get two more outs. Didn’t happen. Ray Olmedo singled in a run. A Brandon Guyer ground out brought in another run and left runners on second and third. Dan Johnson’s home run brought in three more.

Chart of the Day — The Hitters

The trend over the last 10 games is not very encouraging. On the other hand, the Bulls have a 7-3 record over the period. Notable is Robinson’s Chirinos’ improvement and the very high level that Brandon Guyer has achieved. Worried about Anderson.

Looking to the future? Here’s a piece over on DRaysBay that’s an analysis of the Montgomery Biscuits hitters. A couple are looking pretty good.

"Efficient" Win

Game 70, June 20, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham, NC
Durham Bulls (Rays) 2, Buffalo Bisons (Mets) 1
Season: 39-31; Since Strickland’s Haircut: 5-1
Wrap, Box

Robinson Chirinos led off the 3rd with a double. One batter later Desmond Jennings hit a home run (his 10th). That was enough to win.

Chris Bootcheck got out of trouble twice and generally pitched a terrific seven innings. In the 1st things looked dire when the Bisons had runners on first and third with one out. But, for the first time in my memory, the old “fake to third base, throw to first base” pickoff gimmick actually worked. With a runner trapped between first and second, the runner on third broke for home and was thrown out by Dan Johnson. Just to keep our hearts pumping, the next batter got a single, so we were back to runners on first and third with two outs. Bootcheck got a K and didn’t look back until the 7th. In that inning two singles and a sacrifice put runners on second and third with one out. But Bootcheck, in what might have been the key moment in the game, struck out Bison catcher Mike Nickeas. The next batter flied out to end the inning.

Over in his blog, Durham starter Dirk Hayhurst recently offered a meditation on pitching efficiency. I’m sure that the sabermetricians have a metric for that idea, but I don’t know what it is. However, whatever a good metric might be, a simple one suffices to look at the terrific job that Mr. Bootcheck did last night. Over his seven innings he faced 27 batters and threw 89 pitches (3.29/batter). Compare that to his opponent, Dylan Owen, who in his basically very good six innings had to throw 96 pitches to 25 batters (3.84/batter). Of course, throwing fewer pitches is not necessarily a good thing if they’re crushing everything you throw. Nevertheless, safe to say that Bootcheck had an “efficient” outing.

First time I’ve seen Felipe Lopez at second base. J.J. Furmaniak made a couple of very pretty plays at third. The relief crew has now gone three games in row (9.1 innings) without allowing a run.

Dale Thayer (missing his moustache) came on for two innings for the Bisons. Have to admit he was looking better than the end of last year. Lots of pop to his fastball. That’s enough, Dale. You’ve shown us your stuff. Go back to the bullpen and stay there.

Other stuff:

Because of a couple rainouts, the Bulls are only going to play 142 regular season games this year. That means that today’s game is the exact midpoint of the season.

Remember that Elliot Johnson visited the Bulls when they were up in Allentown playing the Iron Pigs? Turns out his blog writing spouse, Nicole, was traveling with him.

Rays Index discusses Alex Cobb, Justin Ruggiano, and the return of Jeff Niemann to the Rays' lineup.

How about a totally impossible, unsubstantiated, unlikely, couldn't possibly happen speculation? Why not? We note that the modestly well-known Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter is on the disabled list and might (or might not) play a rehab game or two. We also note that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are in town later this week ...