The Durham Bulls in 2011 — The Pitchers: Part I

Thirty-three ballplayers pitched in a Durham Bulls uniform in 2011, six more than in 2010. We'll take three of those off the list since they were position players thrown to the wolves in losing games (Craig Albernaz, Omar Luna, and J.J. Furmaniak). That leaves 30 to talk about. For those who were with the Bulls at the end of the season, we've charted their performance. Turmoil in July is mentioned several times. See the post from July 22 for more about what that was like.

Players listed in order of number of innings pitched.

Alexander Torres (23), LHP, 27 games, all starts, 146⅓ innings, 9-7, ERA-3.08, 6th year in pro ball, 1st in AAA.

• Alex Torres was the only Bulls starter who was with the team the entire year (how's that for trivia?). He had a few innings with the Bulls in last year's playoffs, but otherwise he's had two years with the Biscuits and now a year with the Bulls. He led the International League in strikeouts with 156. Unfortunately, he also lead the league in walks with 83. That pretty much tells you what kind a pitcher he is. Nevertheless, he seemed to be getting a little bit better as the season progressed. He was called up to the Rays at the end of the Bulls' season but at this writing has pitched only 1 inning in relief. Very likely to be back with the Bulls next season to be part of a very strong starting rotation.
• Stats

Brian Baker (28), RHP, 25 games, 20 starts, 104⅔ innings, 7-9, ERA-6.62, 7th year in pro ball, 2nd year in AAA.

• Brian Baker was supposed to be the Bulls' long reliever this season. Instead he ended up spending most of the year in the starting rotation. He appeared to run out of steam at the end of August and his numbers really soared in his last few games. Not sure that he is physically up to the task of pitching in AAA.
• Stats

Dane De La Rosa (28), RHP, 52 games, all in relief, 70⅓ innings, 6-5, 6 saves, ERA-3.20, 8 seasons, 1st in AAA.

• A break-through year for Mr. De La Rosa after a long time working his way up. First came to my attention with his 1-pitch appearance at the DAP in early May. He was ejected and had a four-game suspension. Before and after that event, he did a terrific job for the Bulls, a real stalwart in the bullpen in a year where starting pitching was in confusion. Had a one-inning, mid-season call-up in July and is back up for September with the Rays (three brief appearances so far). One of the good guys. Hope the Bulls get him back next year, if he doesn't stick with the Rays.
• Stats

Mike Ekstrom (27), RHP, 46 games, 1 start, 68⅓ innings, 6-4, 5 saves, ERA-4.35, 8 seasons, 3rd with AAA time.

• Mike Ekstrom did a pretty good job for the Bulls this year, if not nearly as good as last year (ERA-2.79 over 58 innings in 2010). Last year he had a lot of back-and-forth with the Rays. This year he pretty much stuck with the Bulls. At the end of the season there was some roster shuffling going on with the end result that he was off the 40-man of the Rays. He was not claimed, but hard to tell if he will be back for 2012.
• Stats

Rob Delaney (26), RHP, 51 games, all in relief, 67⅔ innings, 4-2, 13 saves, ERA-1.86, 6 seasons, 3rd in AAA (1st w/Bulls).

• A terrific ball-player that really helped the Bulls this year. He had a brief visit with the Rays, but was taken off the 40-man in September. Hard to tell if he will be back next year. I hope so. Sort of this year's Winston Abreu, and that's a compliment to Mr. Delaney.
• Stats

Alex Cobb (23), RHP, 12 games, all starts, 67⅓ innings, 5-1, ERA-1.87, 6 seasons, 1st in AAA.

• Cobb is a brilliant young pitcher. He was called up to the Rays in mid-April for one game, in late May as a substitute for the injured Jeff Niemann, and finally in July until he went on the Rays DL in early August. All reports are that surgery was successful and he will be back in form for 2012. That's good news because, unless the Rays do some trading in the off-season, he could start with the Bulls.
• Stats

Matt Torra (27), RHP, 11 games, all starts, 61⅓ innings, 5-1, ERA-3.67, 7 seasons, 3 in AAA, 1st w/Bulls.

• In some ways, Matt Torra was the complement to Alex Cobb for the second half of the season. Signed out of the Diamondbacks system, his first start was in early July. He began slow, but finished very strong with his numbers improving game by game. Not particularly flashy, he looks very competent and durable. He'd be an asset to the 2012 Bulls.
• Stats

Dirk Hayhurst (30), RHP, 11 games, all starts, 59 innings, 4-2, ERA-4.12, 8 seasons, 3 in AAA, 1 w/Bulls, missed 2010 while recovering from surgery.

• Dirk had a decent start to his season but an elbow problem cropped up in April. He was back in June for 7 starts before going back on the DL. In a bit of what sounded like contractual finagling, he was pronounced fit to play and then released at the end of August. As a fellow blogger (albeit Dirk is much more famous and certainly much better), I can only wish him the best. His new book is due out sometime "soon".
• Stats

Chris Bootcheck (32), RHP, 16 games, 7 starts, 58 innings, 3-2, 1 save, ERA-3.57. 10 pro seasons, parts of 8 seasons in AAA, 1 w/Bulls.

• It probably isn't fair to blame the players for opt-out contracts, but Bootcheck was yet another who opted out this year, at the end of June. I've heard, but haven't confirmed, that he is pitching in Korea. He was helpful while here.
• Stats.

Andy Sonnanstine (28), RHP, 10 games, 9 starts, 56 innings, 3-6, ERA-4.82. 7 pro seasons, parts of 3 seasons in AAA, all with Durham. Much of five seasons with the Rays (stats).

• It seemed odd for Sonnanstine to be sent down to the Bulls in mid-July, but that was a confusing month for everyone in Rays baseball. As a practical matter, the Rays don't seem to know what they want from Mr. Sonnanstine (ML Stats). He had a couple of good moments for the Bulls and filled in when they needed a starter. But is he a starter, long reliever, or what? Doubt that he will be sticking in the Rays system next year.
• Stats.

Ryan Reid (26), RHP, 26 games, 5 starts, 55⅓ innings, 1-1, ERA-4.55, 6 pro seasons, 1st in AAA.

• Ryan Reid did a decent job for the Bulls this year in his first AAA season. He came up from Montgomery in the beginning of May, went back for a couple of weeks in early July, and didn't pitch at all after August 15. Since the Bulls are not particularly forthcoming about their ballplayers we don't know if there was an issue or if he was just the victim of minor league roster shuffling. I'd worry some about his fitness, but he did put in 16 more innings at Montgomery. Next year? Probably. But on the disabled list at the end of the season.
• Stats

Edgar Gonzalez (28), RHP, 11 games, 11 starts, 53⅓ innings, 3-3, ERA-4.56, 8 pro seasons, parts of 7 in AAA, parts of all seasons in ML.

• Veteran Gonzalez started the season with the Bulls and did OK at first. However, he rarely went more than five innings and seemed to have persistent back problems. He was released in June and caught on with the Rockies system. He put in another 80 innings with their AAA team in Colorado Springs.
• Stats

Two More Bulls to the Rays

Dan Johnson and Alex Torres got called up to the Rays yesterday.

The Johnson call-up is a modest surprise since he wasn't quite back on track at the end of the year (but getting better) and he wasn't on the Rays 40-man. On the other hand, the Rays owe him a bunch of money and he might as well be sitting on the bench in Boston (where he's had some notable successes) as at home in Minnesota. I'm sure that's where he'd rather be as well.

As far as Alex Torres is concerned, he was the Bulls' busiest pitcher this season (see charts), but he's surely got a couple of major league innings in him. After a full year at Triple-A, the Rays are going to have to make some decisions about Mr. Torres' future this winter. Might as well take a close look at him.

Jay Buente got released to make room on the 40-man for Dan Johnson. Claimed from the Mariners Marlins, Buente was acquired at a time when the Bulls just needed an arm during the mid-season turmoil. Did not work out all that well for the Bulls. One of a couple of not-so-good-for-the-Bulls decisions this year.

Rob Delaney and Mike Ekstrom, who had been designated for assignment in earlier moves, passed through waivers. It will be up to them to decide if they want to stay with the Rays' system.

Meanwhile Matt Moore made his major league debut last night. 1⅓ innings, 27 pitches, 3 hits, 2 ER, 2Ks, 1 HR. ERA — 13.5. Welcome to the big leagues. But the observers loved him.

All this moving up is unprecedented in my watching of the Bulls and Rays. Only three four players from the Rays 40-man are left with the Bulls: pitchers Chris Archer  and Matt Bush (a inning or so in the playoffs his only AAA time) and catchers Robinson Chirinos and Nevin Ashley.

* * * * * 

When the Rays take the field in Boston tonight, one of my all-time favorite Durham Bulls will be sitting on the Red Sox bench — and I'm not talking about Darnell McDonald. Joey Gathright is there. Too bad the Rays can't reach out and put Fernando Perez on their bench so they could have a run-off.

* * * * * 

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs had their 8-game win streak broken last night. They are now tied with the Columbus Clippers 1-1 as the Governors' Cup moves to Pennsylvania. Former Bull Mitch Talbot had a complete game win.

Update: A careful reader has noted some errors/omissions in the original post. Used line in line out to mark corrections. Thanks!

Rob Delaney DFA'd

To make room on their 40-man roster for Matt Moore the Tampa Bay Rays have designated for assignment 26-year old Bulls reliever Rob Delaney.

I'm surprised. Of all the relievers on the Rays 40-man that we've seen with the Bulls this year, Delaney had by far the best numbers. To take just one, Fielding Independent Percentage, Delaney's was 2.77 (the best on the team). Others: Mike Ekstrom - 3.43 (he's been DFA'd already), Dane De La Rosa - 3.57 (called up), and Jay Buente - 3.67. So it wasn't numbers, it must have been something else.

Of course, this could just as easily be a bit of three-card Monte and at the end of the season Rob will still be in the Rays system. As a Bulls fan, however, if it had come down to a choice between Jay Buente (who, to his credit, looked pretty good by the end of the season) and Rob Delaney, it should have been Delaney who was kept and Buente DFA'd.

The Rays are famously astute at picking and keeping overlooked players, especially pitchers. But they blew it with Cory Wade this year (1.23 ERA in 21 appearances with the Bulls, 1.93 ERA in 32 appearances with the Yankees). Have they done it again with Delaney?

Moore Call-Up, More on Canzler/De La Rosa

Lefty Matt Moore has been called up by the Rays, proving yet again that I don't understand the business of baseball. But that's OK. The way things are shifting and changing for the Rays these last few days, he just might get a chance to shine. Certainly the newspapers and bloggers are looking forward to his arrival. See the St Pete Times, Rays Index, and DRaysBay for more. Likely to see his debut in relief, something he hasn't done in a long time.

Meanwhile a nice little story about how Russ Canzler got the word on his promotion in the St. Pete Times.

INF/OF Russ Canzler got word of his unexpected promotion in memorable fashion. The Triple-A Bulls got back to Durham about 8 a.m. Saturday after an eight-hour bus ride from their season-ending loss in Columbus, Ohio, and Canzler was saying his goodbyes when manager Charlie Montoyo said, “Good luck this offseason. Oh, and good luck in the big leagues, too.” Just like that, Canzler’s dream was realized. “That’ll wake you up real quick,” he said.

To make room for Canzler, Bulls reliever Mike Ekstrom has been designated for assignment. No guesses from me on how that might play out.

The Rays will have to make another roster move to officially put Moore into the mix. See post from the other day on players with the Bulls on the 40-man.

Dane De La Rosa got into the lineup quickly, finishing out yesterday's game against the Red Sox with a strikeout and a flyout to recent Bull Brandon Guyer in right field. Guyer was 1 for 5 in the Rays 9-1 win.

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!

Bulls Backing Into Playoffs

Game 138, Thursday, September 1, Knights Stadium, Fort Mill, SC
Charlotte Knights 2, Durham Bulls 0
Season: 78-60, Last 10: 4-6
Wrap, Box, Indy Week, Examiner, Wild Card

Chris Archer pitched a fine game last night up in the wilds of South Carolina, but lots and lots of Knights were getting on base (they left seven runners in scoring position during the evening). In the 8th, after Mike Ekstrom came on, two runners came across. Game lost. Adam Sobsey, who has been roaming around with the Bulls has the story at the Indy Week link above.

For the Bulls, they were shut out for the first time in over a month (July 29).

Nevertheless, the Gwinnett Braves lost, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs didn't play, and the prospects for more games at the DBAP are pretty good.

The math makes my head hurt, but Mike Potter at the Examiner link above works it out for us. Some pretty radical things have to happen for the Bulls to not get at least a wild card berth.

The Braves have two games in Charlotte and two at home. Story.

Meanwhile, up in Allentown, things have gotten a bit huffy since a catcher of theirs got suspended for what amounts to the rest of the season. Take a look here, here, and here.

Four games in Norfolk and it's wrapped up. Seems like the Bulls are owed a pitcher or two when available from Montgomery.

Waiting for Irene

Hurricane Fran comes ashore, September 6, 1996

Irene is coming and will likely come ashore in eastern North Carolina sometime tomorrow. Last night could be the last baseball we see before Sunday or even Monday. However, maybe, just maybe, we'll get a game in tonight. If so, and if you were not here back in 1996 when Hurricane Fran came through, take a moment to ask your neighbor what it was like. Trust me, you will hear a couple of terrific stories — chainsawing paths out of neighborhoods, huge neighborhood cookouts to prevent the waste of food thawing out in freezers, steamy un-airconditioned evenings, and more. They've been waiting for someone to listen to their stories.

Nearer in time, as it was back in September, 2010, what we Bulls fans really care about is what effect Irene might have on this weekend. Based on the home stand to date, how could it get worse? So it's gotta get better, right?

Game 129, August 24, DBAP
Norfolk Tides 4, Durham Bulls 3
Wrap, Box

Game 130, August 25, DBAP
Charlotte Knights (White Sox) 12, Durham Bulls (Rays) 7
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Examiner, Indy Week
Season: 74-56; Streak: 0-3; Home Games Left: 6

Brian Baker took the loss last night, but he deserved better. The performances of relievers Lance Cormier and Mike Ekstrom were just pitiful. The Bulls had an oh-so-tenuous lead when Cormier came on with two runners on base. Cormier let those two guys in, plus four more. That put the game pretty much out of reach. And it was surely so after Mike Ekstrom let four more runs across. Except for a flurry of activity in the bottom of the 9th, that was about it.

Nice to see Justin Ruggiano on the field. Noted that he was announcing his major leaguer status by wearing long trousers. Guess that's sort of cool, but maybe a bit of showing off in front of the guys he played with for a long time? If so, then he ought to collect a couple more hits.

Have I mentioned that this has been a miserable home stand so far? Guess what? Among the 60+ games so far this year, the Raleigh News & Observer decided to write up last night. Well, not actually a write-up. More a cut-and-paste from the Bulls website. My hometown paper doesn't even deserve a link from WDBB for that. Of course, they don't do any better with the Mudcats over on the other side of town.

Back to the threat from Irene. We can expect the Bulls website to do a good job regarding tonight and then tomorrow's double header. Last look implied that we are on the edge of this storm, so seems like a good chance that three games could get rained out with no chance of makeup. Since Gwinnett has been beating the teams the Bulls are getting beat by (Gwinnett has two wins over Charlotte and one over Norfolk in recent days) the season is at risk. The Monday and Tuesday games against Gwinnett are suddenly very important to those of us obsessing about the Governors' Cup.

Bye Bisons

Game 120, Monday, August 15, Coca-Cola Field
Durham Bulls 2, Buffalo Bison 1 (7 Innings)
Box

Game 121, Monday, August 15
Durham Bulls 8, Buffalo Bison 3 (8 Innings)
Season: 69-52; This Trip: 2-2
Wrap, Box, Buffalo News, Wild Card

To be honest, given the track record of the last two games, I was really worried about the bottom of the 7th in the first game yesterday (7-inning game). The Bulls had gone ahead 2-1 on a triple by young Mr. Beckham that drove in Ray Olmedo. I was putting gas in my car and had rolled down the rear window so I could hear the game. Andy Sonnanstine had gotten the first out but then gave up a single. Rob Delaney came in. A popup for the second out. Runner on first stole second. Gas pump dings. Batter grounds out to Johnson at first. Game over. Breath easier. Put nozzle back on the pump. Go on home.

At home with MiLB TV fired up for the second game, I begin to wonder if some bad karma could be out there. Former Bull Fernando Perez hit his very first home run (!) as a Bison and put Buffalo ahead 3-1. The Bulls got one back in the 4th, but then another former Bull, reliever Dale Thayer, came in for the 6th and weaseled out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation.

The planets come back into a proper alignment in the 7th, however, when Mr. Beckham hit a double, got to third on a Brandon Guyer sacrifice, and came home to tie the game on a Stephen Vogt sacrifice fly.

Mike Ekstrom kept things under control in the bottom of the 7th and Russ Canzler led off the 8th with a game winning home run, the first home run for a Bull since August 10 (Canzler and Ashley).

The icing on the cake was Tim Beckham's grand slam three batters later. Beckham hit for the cycle over the two games and accounted for five of the ten runs scored by the Bulls, not bad. See the Buffalo News link above for some comments by Beckham and Charlie Montoyo about his stellar night.

Dane De La Rosa came in to close things out and the Bulls were off to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Expect intense press coverage of the Bulls-Yankees games the next couple of nights. But not likely to have anything to do with Tim Beckham or Justin Ruggiano's bursitis of the knee.

Alex Rodriguez is scheduled for a rehab start with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and the eyes of Yankee faithful will be watching what he does. A challenge for Bulls starter Matt Torra.

The sweep of the double header puts the Bulls three games ahead of Gwinnett. With recent losses, Norfolk and Rochester have been officially eliminated from contention.

Ekstrom Back; New Outfielder

Mike Ekstrom is coming back to the Bulls. |The Heater| No word on who might get pushed of the Bulls roster to make room for him. It would appear that the only choices are Ryan Reid or Brian Baker (although I suppose that Baker could go on the DL for a while).

Outfielder Matt Carson has been acquired from the Sacramento River Cats (Oakland), the same team that Joe Bateman pitched for this year. Good stats. He has 19 HRs and 65 RBIs this year.

The reporting source also states that Brandon Guyer will be out until September. |The Heater| That's much, much longer than I had expected him to be out.

Outfielder John Shelby, who only got to play one game for the Bulls, has been sent back to Montgomery. |Biscuit Crumbs|

And the next Bull going to the Rays is ...

Mike Ekstrom. |The Heater|

Too bad. I was hoping for Joe Bateman.

Ekstrom, by the way, gets to go on the Rays' 40-man. Rays bloggers are gonna love that, just love it.

That tootling and wheetling you're hearing up above the bullpen is a calliope. It's being installed as part of the spectacular new carousel the Rays have given to Durham Bulls fans. I've always loved calliope music ...

Sunny Sunday Afternoon

Game 94, July 17, McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Durham Bulls 13, Pawtucket Red Sox 3
Season: 52-42; This Trip: 4-2
Wrap, Box, Pawtucket Times

You're never quite sure what's going to happen this year when Brian Baker gets the start. On June 24 he gave up 7 runs in 4 innings. On July 3 he only gave up 1 run in 5 innings. Then on July 8 he gave up 7 runs in 4 1/3 innings. Yesterday afternoon, before the trek illustrated above, he gave up just 3 runs in 5 innings. Then the Bulls hitters just whomped on the Red Sox after their starter went just a little too long and their relievers never got on track.

It was a great day for the only relievers the Bulls had left, Mike Ekstrom and Jay Buente. Ekstrom went for 3 innings, his longest outing of the year, and only gave up one hit as the Bulls piled on the runs. Buente had a solid ninth inning.

J.J. Furmaniak had the big hit of the day when he broke it open in the 7th with a bases-loaded double. But every Bull in the lineup got at least one hit, included new guy John Matulia, as the Bulls scored the most runs in a game this year, went to 10 games above .500, and picked up a game on Gwinnett.

We've been overlooking Felipe Lopez' performance these last few games. Shouldn't do that. He's been doing well for the Bulls. He had 5 RBIs yesterday and has pushed his average over .300.

Pretty sure that I heard Neil Solondz say that Alexander Torres is pitching tonight. But given the turmoil in the roster (noted elsewhere) no telling just how it's going to shake out.

Pain and Suffering and More Rain

Norfolk Tides 17, Durham Bulls 2
Season: 48-40; Last 10: 5-5
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

From time to time Bulls manager Charlie Montoyo will throw a pitcher(s) under the bus, let one twist in the breeze, hang one out to dry, etc. Pick your metaphor. You get the idea. I've never quite figured out the rationale behind it, except to note that they are never prospects. The pitcher, of course, has little choice but to suck it up, with the exception of a memorable moment some years ago when the pitcher got thrown out of the game for hitting a batter.

Last night we had an example. As I was getting out of my car they were pulling the tarp on to the field. After a half-hour or so they pulled the tarp off the field. We then suffered through an execrable rendition of the National Anthem before Brian Baker began to throw. He looked awkward from his first moment. Norfolk's lead off batter, center fielder Matt Angle, who has been giving the Bulls fits all through this series, got a walk, stole a base, moved to third on a ground out, and scored on a sac fly. The 2nd inning began with another walk, then a home run, and after two outs were recorded, Angle got on base on an error and stole second base again. He didn't score, however. The Tides put across two more runs in the 3rd inning. By this time 17 batters had come to the plate and Baker had given up 5 runs on 3 hits, 3 walks, and 1 error.

With JJ Furmaniak at bat in the bottom of the 3rd, a nearby lightning strike brought out the tarp. When this happens you can be sure that the delay will be the duration of the rainstorm plus 30-45 minutes to pull the tarp and prep the field. I closed up my scorebook, packed my bag to leave, and turned to say goodbye to the usuals around me. They'd already gone. Smart folks.

I was home and had the TV on before the tarp came off the field. JJ came back up to the plate and a new Norfolk pitcher was on the mound. The Bulls didn't do much.

But here's where my lead comes in, Brian Baker was still in the game. This after an crummy three innings before the rain when he's already given up five runs. By the time he finally did leave the game in the 5th, after 104 pitches to 24 batters, the Bulls were down 7-0.

Remember the adage, be careful what you wish for? That also played a part in this game. Yesterday I made a plea for Craig Albernaz to get some playing time while he had a place of the Bulls roster. I was very happy to see him behind the plate in the 6th even if Mike Ekstrom was having trouble and gave up two more runs (that's 9-0).

Rob Delaney came in and got through the 8th and the Bulls avoided the skunk by getting two runs in the bottom of the inning on two singles and a Dan Johnson double.

In another move that made little sense to me, Montoyo put Albernaz on the mound to pitch the 9th inning. Why Delaney couldn't go another inning I don't know. It did take him a bunch of pitches to get through the 8th (26 of them), but why not give him a shot? At a guess it was something of a cruel bit of humor. In the event, it was awful, awful, awful. Not helped by two errors that would have ended the inning much earlier, Albernaz gave up 8 runs (only 3 earned) on three homers and a bunch of base hits.

As if to twist the knife, here's what Montoyo had to say about Baker after the game (as reported in the Herald-Sun):

"He needs to locate better," Montoyo said. "He didn't pitch well, and he paid for it."

Talk about tough love.

Well, no baseball at the DBAP for the next thirteen days. Have I mentioned that the 2011 schedule is absurd?

Two games in Norfolk (Charlie Montoyo will be off coaching in the Futures Game). Then there's the Triple A All-Star game on July 13th. Brandon Guyer and Russ Canzler are on the team. So is Desmond Jennings, but he won't be making the trip because of his "contusion" (that's a bruise to us less formal folks) to his finger.

Whimpering About the Pitching

Game 63, June 12, DBAP
Norfolk Tides 11, Durham Bulls 5
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

The Bulls were creeping back into the game until the 9th inning, which started out with the Bulls behind by only one run, 5 to 6. But Mike Ekstrom blew up and the Tides scored five more runs. Tides Manager Gary Allenson’s egregious delay of the game [DRR: Thanks for the link] as he crawled through the fence searching for baseballs in center field just added to the pain.

Before I get to my rant about Bulls starting pitching, lets make a few guesses about what’s happening on the field. Last night saw Russ Canzler in left field for the second time in three days. Although it’s likely that this is just Charlie Montoyo finally getting back to his routine of moving players around a lot (not seen as much this year as in previous times), it’s possible that he’s anticipating the return of Felipe Lopez to the roster. Hate to admit it, but Russ does not seem any to be getting any better at third and yet he still has the hot bat. Another piece to the puzzle is that Desmond Jennings could be called up just about any day and with that could come a hole in the outfield.

Also need to mention that after botching a play on Saturday, Brandon Guyer saved a run with a nifty catch and quick release of a fly ball in the 1st inning.

Cory Wade is gone from the bullpen. Turns out he had an “opt-out” contract. That is, the contract he signed before spring training had a clause that said something along the lines of, “If X doesn’t happen by Y date, then I don’t have to play for you any more.” Too bad. In 21 appearances he had some of the best stats of any pitcher on the team (best ERA - 1.23, best WHIP - 1.09, third best FIP - 2.52). His place has been taken by Lance Cormier.

Now (sigh), let us discuss the state of Bulls starting pitching. First a bit of deep historical analysis. For that let’s go back all of 20 games, May 23. The pitcher that day (a loss to Columbus) was Alex Cobb. He’s with the Rays at the moment.

In those 20 games the Bulls won 9 and lost 11. The starting pitchers went six innings or more only seven times and were credited with a grand total of five wins (out of the nine games won). Starters were tagged for seven of the nine losses. The chart below, which is the game-by-game cumulative ERAs, shows the trend over those games. The team start point, 3.94, wasn't all that great. But then it drifts upward to 4.03 by last night, dragged there by the starting pitchers. They go from 3.87 to 4.42. It isn’t pretty.

Cobb will come back some day, but he’s joining a really shaky bunch.

Is there any help down in Montgomery? Probably not. The Biscuits have two pitchers with ERAs south of 4.00 (Matt Moore and Shane Dyer), but the Rays are famously cautious regarding pitcher development. Are the Bulls going to have to suck it up, much like having to wear those ugly blue jerseys? Looks that way. About their only option is to go trolling around the independent leagues.

Is it time for new pitching coach Neil Allen to start earning his pay? You bet.

He's Back!

Game 51, May 31, DBAP
Durham Bulls 4, Columbus Clippers 1
Season: 29-22; Last 10: 5-5; Home Stand: 2-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

What a terrific feeling it was to see Dan Johnson hit that home run last night. It was the high point of what was a very important and fun to watch ball game for Bulls fans.

Brian Baker had his best game of the year, although if you look back at the last couple of games, good things had been happening for a while (that is, if you overlook his game on May 20 against the Bats). He was never in any real trouble except for the start of the 3rd inning and a timely double play got him out of that problem.

By the top of the 6th the game was still tied 1-1 and both pitchers (Columbus' Zach McAllister is really, really good) were doing just fine. I mentioned to my seatmate, "We're just waiting for someone to make a mistake." And a moment later that's what happened. The Clippers' shortstop, Luis Valbuena, let a Desmond Jennings grounder get underneath his glove. A perfect sacrifice bunt by Ray Olmedo moved Jennings to second. Jose Lobaton drew a walk. Dan Johnson found his favorite spot in the right centerfield Diamond View seats.

But the home runs (Russ Canzler had one in the 4th inning) and the pitching weren't the only things to watch last night. Ray Olmedo made two very nice plays at shortstop: the first in the 3rd inning where he fielded a ground ball just beside second base with a runner coming from first, swept the bag, and threw to first for the double play; the second a dash to his right and jump throw with a good grab by Johnson for the out. Should I mention his leadoff double in the 8th where he got thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple? No, I didn't think so.

I can't wrap this up without mentioning the damage that Mike Ekstrom did to my cardiovascular system in the 9th. He walked the first two batters, putting the tying run at the plate. Fortunately, a grounder hit right at third baseman Russ Canzler led to a double play (the fifth over these last two games) and a flyout to Jennings in center ended the game.

A rant: Those dark blue jerseys are just terrible. It's not the color, that's OK. It's the numbers. They are illegible. Combined with no names on the backs, it's very hard to figure out who's playing where. The font may have a vague retro look, but please, fire your graphics person and bring in someone who knows about font design and readability. I stared at Lobaton's "5" for a while and wasted several minutes trying to find "8" in the program.

If the fans/bloggers watching the Rays have their way, we might be losing a catcher soon. Folks aren't very happy with the current crew, especially Kelly Shoppach. See comments here and here.

Swept! On to Toledo

Game 41, 20 May 2011, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Durham Bulls 8; Lousville Bats 9
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Game 42, 21 May, Huntington Park
Durham Bulls 8; Columbus Clippers (Indians) 11
Wrap, Box

Game 43, 22 May
Durham Bulls 6, Columbus Clippers 7 (10 innings)
Wrap, Box

Game 44, 23 May
Durham Bulls 2, Columbus Clippers 3 (8 innings)
Wrap, Box

Game 45 24 May
Durham Bulls 3, Columbus Clippers 5
Season: 24-21; Last 10: 3-7; Trip: 0-4
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I’m guessing that only North Carolina readers are going to get this story, and maybe not all of them.

I spent the last couple of the days up near Asheville/Hendersonville. I had to drive out from where I was staying to get a signal for my cellphone and iPad (no computer). Wanting to at least be able to do a little bit of web surfing I went down to the AT&T store to complain about it.

The AT&T person mutters as she’s typing in the location, “If there’s a 'Cove' in the address we sometimes don’t have good coverage.” Not a good sign. For those not from around here, “cove” is North Carolina-ese for “hollow”, or valley, or “way back yonder.” There was a cove in the address and there wasn’t coverage. No fix. 

Result wasn’t all bad because it wasn’t until today that ...

I found that the Bulls had lost four in a row up until this morning. And now they have lost five in a row and have been swept by the Columbus Clippers.

Let me jump to my first chart to show what that means. At first while the Bulls were falling of the edge of the earth, the Gwinnett Braves weren’t doing all that well either. But today they caught up with the Bulls and now the Bulls are tied for the first place lead.

click on chart for larger view

How did that happen? First of all, Columbus is one heck of a team. As the chart shows, they’ve been on a run all year and don’t look to be slowing down the least little bit.

In the Bulls defense (and this is just from the obvious, reported stuff) the turmoil on this trip has been unusually high. Two hitters, Ruggiano and Lopez, got called up to the Rays. While I was not yet a fan of Lopez, I have to admit his league-leading week before his call-up was special. A pitcher, Rob Delaney, came back and was banged around a bit at first.

Chris Bootcheck got a try-out as a starter in game 1 of the Clippers series and gave up 5 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. He took the loss, but I must point out that the next two pitchers (Delany and Hall) gave up 6 more runs (4 earned).

Edgar Gonzalez only lasted one inning in his start in game 2 of the seris. The bullpen kept a lid on (sort of) through nine, but Mike Ekstrom wild-pitched in the winning run in the 10th.

Over the last five games the Bulls have scored 27 runs, pretty good and usually good enough. Unfortunately their opponents have scored 35 runs. But only 26 were earned. What does that mean? It means there were a few mistakes (3 errors, 1 passed ball, 2 wild pitches), but that’s not terribly bad, just that the timing of the mistakes was terrible.

In terms of pure numbers, the Bulls team wOBA at the beginning of the stretch was .338 and at the end it was .339. So I guess we’ve got to blame the pitchers.

This chart pretty much says it. The team ERA and the ERA of the starters and relievers has really ramped upwards over the last several games. And the trend started even when the Bulls were winning.

The Bulls get a day off in Toledo tomorrow. The Tigers’ AAA team, the Mud Hens are 22-25 so far. Maybe Dan Johnson will show up and hit a couple of dingers for the Bulls and life will settle back down. We can hope.

Tough Fans; Hot Catcher

Game 38, 17-18 May 2001, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Durham Bulls 8; Louisville Bats 11 (10 Innings)
Wrap, Box, Indy Week

My hat's off to those 30 or 40 of you who were left at the DBAP early Wednesday morning! Tough guys!

Game 39, 18 May 2001
Durham Bulls 7, Louisville Bats 4
Season: 23-16; Last 10: 6-4; Home Stand: 1-1
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Jose Lobaton hit a grand slam and a double this afternoon, and that worries me. That worries me because Kelly Shoppach, one of the Rays’ catchers, is having a terrible year at the plate (.159/.206/.424). Now he didn’t do a whole lot better last year, but they are paying him something like $3 million, so Lobaton may start looking good sometime soon. Lobaton’s only moment in the sun in the majors was for the Padres back in 2009 (5 games, including one inning at second base!). But he’s on the 40-man and he’s certainly making a statement this year (.338/.419/.541, 10 RBI, 21 games). Of course, catchers are different from everyone else and are evaluated on much more than what they do at bat. Jason Hanselman over at DRaysBay has crunched some numbers that imply that Shoppach’s defense is above average. So maybe I don’t have to worry ... yet.

Meanwhile, Alex Cobb continues to set a high standard for the rest of the Bulls’ starting staff. R.J. Swindle, who might be in contention for a LOOGY (Left-handed One Out GuY) job down south, was left in after the first out and walked the second guy, who then came home on a home run given up by Ryan Reid. That got the game close in the top of the 8th (5-4), but the Bulls came back to pick up two runs in the bottom of the inning, and Ekstrom, looking much better than he had just a few hours earlier, closed it out.

Today’s Chart — Hitting and Pitching

This chart is an idiosyncratic way of looking at team hitting and pitching. It shows the cumulative wOBA for the entire team over the last 15 games (in green) and calls that “Hitting”. The red line is the wOBA of the Bulls’ opponents (or OwOBA) and that’s called “pitching”. Seems like a reasonable assertion to me. What these numbers show is that while hitting has been OK, aggregate pitching performance has been off the last few games.

click on chart for a larger view

Bulls End Loss Streak; Ranting at the Rays

Louisville Bat? Or blood-sucking vampire up from Tampa Bay?

Game 23: Durham Bulls 3; Louisville Bats 2

Season: 12-11

Wrap, Box, Louisville Courier-Journal

I’m glad that last night’s game was not played in Durham. Not for myself, mind you, but out of concern for some of my fellow fans. For myself, I am completely sympathetic to the Rays for sitting Alex Cobb down on a Friday night and forcing the Bulls to use up 4 relief pitchers the day after a 4-hour long (+ 1-1/2 hour rain delay) double header that also used 4 of them. The reasoning of the Rays was impeccable. On Sunday the Rays might (might? MIGHT? MIGHT?!!!?) need him.

As noted, that makes ever so much sense to me.

However, there are a few, only a few, who sit near me that refuse to see things “the Rays way”. To speculate that it would bother them to see Mike Ekstrom starting a game is probably an understatement. 

Ranting, apoplectic, vein-popping, sputtering, screaming outrage? Probably a better description. Would we have cheered every time the Angels-Rays score was posted and the Rays were reported to be losing? You bet! Even though former Bulls David Price was on the mound.

An issue, obviously, would be finding a target for our ire. Certainly not Cobb’s fault. Can’t blame Charlie Montoyo. He’s just following orders. (Where have I heard that one before?)

So, Mr. Cobb, here’s hoping that you do get your chance for a big league start. After all, I’ve already shouted myself hoarse at the radio.

Oh, by the way, the Bulls broke out of their hitting slump with 14 of them last night, including 5 doubles and a home run (Carter, his first). They had trouble getting the runners home, however, and only put three across. 

But that was enough, thanks to Brandon Gomes. Mr. Gomes is having a very impressive season with the Bulls. In 11 appearances (six of them back-to-back) he’s picked up 6 saves with an ERA of 1.35 and a WHIP of 1.13. Last night might have been the most impressive. He had gone an inning on Thursday giving up one of the two earned runs he’s let through this year and throwing 32 pitches to 7 batters. Last night he went 2 innings, threw 36 pitches to 9 batters. Am I going to have to give up wishing Winston Abreu was back? This guy is really good.

Home

Durham Bulls 4; Norfolk Tides 0
Season: 5-3; Streak: Won 3
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, News & Observer, Indy Week, WRAL

Wool E. Bull arrives by a very nicely flown helicopter; delivers a gift to manager Charlie Montoyo; and we’re off! Beautiful, beautiful day.

This team is going to be fun to watch. Maybe not the long-ball crushing crowd we’ve gotten used to over the last couple of years, but still a lot of fun.

But, for those of us who try to follow the team closely, this year is also likely to be confusing. To get some of that out of the way up front, two pitchers went on the disabled list yesterday — Richard De Los Santos and Chris Bootcheck. De Los Santos has stiffness in his shoulder. Chris Bootcheck cracked his head on a pipe in the Charlotte clubhouse and has a mild concussion. Catcher Craig Albernaz has been placed on the roster and Brian Baker will take De Los Santos’ next start.

Back to the game. Alex Cobb looked terrific. Granted that this Norfolk team is off to a rough start, but Cobb didn’t let a runner on base until the beginning of the 4th inning and it wasn’t until deep in the 5th that a runner made it to second base — a single and a hit batsman. Mike Ekstrom and Brandon Gomes closed things out nicely.

Let’s look at last night’s lineup:

• Desmond Jennings, center field: Jennings was with the Bulls all of 2010. A top prospect in the Rays system, he has had a hard time staying healthy. Off to a great start this year batting .333 in the leadoff slot. On Rays 40-man roster.
• Justin Ruggiano, left field: A leading RBI man and run scorer for last couple of years. At 29 he’s running out of time to make his mark. Prime candidate for a trade. In the meantime, could not be happier to see him with the Bulls.
• Brandon Guyer, right field: First year in AAA, first year as a Bull, tGt*. So far, so good. Hitting well. On Rays 40-man.
• Chris Carter, DH: Veteran AAA and major league ballplayer to the Bulls out of the Mets system. Spent most of last year on the Mets major league roster. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what he’s doing here. Guess we’ll find out as the season goes along. He could be a huge help.
• Jose Lobaton, catcher: Came up to the Bulls from Montgomery early last year and stayed. Starting out the season really, really hot. Solid defensive catcher. From the San Diego Padres system. On the 40-man.
• Russ Canzler, third base: Signed in the off-season as a minor league free agent. First time in AAA. Showing power with two homers in two days. Can play first base. Is this another scouting coup for the Rays? Hope so, cause with Longoria in St. Pete, we get to keep Canzler here.
• Leslie Anderson, first base: A star in Cuban baseball, he defected last year and played at A, AA, and AAA levels. As a Bull late in the season, he has just not seemed comfortable at the plate or in the field. Maybe this year, but at 29 he may be running out of time. Off to a slow start.
• Omar Luna, 2nd base: Very dependable middle infielder. Still young and developing. On the Montgomery roster at the very beginning of the season and could go back there depending on the shuffle when the Rays Evan Longoria comes off the disabled list. On eight errors at all levels (A, AA, and AAA) last year. Odd that he doesn’t make any of the prospects lists, but I’m happy to see him here.
• Ray Olmedo, Shortstop: I’ve written about Olmedo earlier. Like the guy. Off to a decent start. Keep it up.

*tGt: The Garza trade: Over the winter the Tampa Bay Rays traded pitcher Matt Garza (and Bulls outfielder Fernando Perez) for five Chicago Cubs. We have two with the Bulls now and likely to see more later. One of them, Sam Fuld has achieved early fame with the Rays.

Opening Day At Gwinnett

Photo courtesy Brian Merzbach, www.ballparkreviews.com

The Bulls open their season tonight against the Gwinnett Braves, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Coolray Field is just a taxi ride away from downtown Atlanta which may be a good thing for Atlanta, but I'd bet sort of works on the heads of the players.

The Braves get pretty good local coverage and the Gwinnett Daily Post had a very nice special issue in last Sunday's paper. An impossibly young-looking local reporter does a blog.

This is the Braves third year in Lawrenceville. They were in Richmond, Virginia for a couple of centuries before then. Coolray Field itself has had mixed reviews, such as this one and this one.

Most years the Braves are the Bulls toughest opponent in the South Division of the International League. They usually have a solid mix of veterans and hungry youngsters and it doesn't look like this year will be much different.

In the meantime, we're mostly going to have to wait until 7 o'clock to see what the starting lineup tonight's going to be. Other than the starting pitcher, Charlie pretty much dodged that question during the interviews, as he usually does.

Profile

Richard De Los Santos is slated to start tonight. He is one of my favorite Bulls pitchers. He had a terrific year in 2010, in particular a stretch in July and August when he won eight in a row with a 1.42 ERA (see his profile here). Although he does not show up on any of the hot prospect lists, his stats are getting better. He's been in the Rays system for six years, but until last year he was plagued with shoulder problems. Here's hoping he stays with us all year.

Webnotes

• Mike Ekstrom has cleared waivers and should be showing up soon, according to Rays Index.
• The News & Observer noticed the Bulls season is starting with a photo of "infielder" Justin Ruggiano. Photo gallery has a couple of good shots of players at work. Looks like some uniform changes for this year, at least the practice jerseys.
• The Herald-Sun did a start of the season story as well. Focusing on Desmond Jennings.
• I don't think I've provided this older link to a story in the Herald-Sun on Elliot Johnson. He is, after all, a hometown lad now.
• And I don't think I've put up this link from several days ago about the overall Rays minor league system. Today's a good day for that.

The Durham Bulls Roster (So Far)

First Game of the Season — Thursday!

10 days to first game at the DBAP

Several sources (but lets go with the Bulls themselves) are reporting the following roster for the Bulls:

Starting Pitchers:

• Richard de los Santos
• Dirk Hayhurst
• Alex Torres
• Alex Cobb
• Edgar Gonzalez

Relievers:

• R.J. Swindle
• Chris Bootcheck
• Rob Delaney
• Dane De La Rosa
• Brandon Gomes
• Cory Wade

Catchers:

• Robinson Chirinos
• Jose Lobaton

Infielders:

• J.J. Furmaniak
• Omar Luna
• Ray Olmedo
• Russ Canzler
• Casey Kotchman

Outfielders:

• Desmond Jennings
• Justin Ruggiano
• Leslie Anderson
• Chris Carter
• Brandon Guyer

Three names are missing from this list and others that we’ve seen. The first is infielder Felipe Lopez who was called up when Evan Longoria went on the disabled list. Room had to be made on the 40-man roster, so relief pitcher Mike Ekstrom was designated for assignment. Ekstrom may or may not show up in Durham. If he doesn’t, my bet would have been on Brian Baker, but his name has disappeared from any of the rosters I’ve seen so far. Anybody out there know what happened to Brian? Omar Luna took Lopez’s place on the Bulls’ roster.

Odds and Ends

• Interesting list of hotels/motels to stay at/avoid over at Life of the Baseball Wife. What’s a bit odd about the list is, with a few minor exceptions, they are all in places the average person is unlikely to visit (unless you’re married to a baseball player, I guess).
• Good backgrounder on catcher Nevin Ashley in the Montgomery Advertiser. We saw Ashley for a while last year. Have never seen Vogt. Good chance that we might see both near the end of the season.
• Yesterday's Rays' starting infield of Dan Johnson, Ben Zobrist, Elliot Johnson, and Sean Rodriguez looked distinctly Bullish.

Update: The Bulls roster is on their website and matches this list, with the exception of Omar Luna who does not show up yet.