Hemstitching: Elliot Johnson back to the DBAP? And more

Durham Bulls Athletic Park, March 8, 2014

• 26 Days to Go!
• The sun came out today!
• Condition of the infield looks worrisome
• Former Bull and WDBB favorite Elliot Johnson is off to a hot start as a non-roster invitee to the Cleveland Indians camp. In five games his OPS is 1.308 with two triples and 1 HR. If he doesn’t break through, then we will very likely be seeing him with the Columbus Clippers this year. They come to town on May 1. 
• Vince Belnome, one of last years stars, is getting some good press down with the Rays.
• As is Kevin Kiermaier as seen here.
• Former Durham Bull, Dirk Hayhurst has just published the third installment in his ongoing saga as a baseball player, Bigger Than the Game. He has not yet reached his year with the Bulls (2011), so we don’t yet know what he thinks about Durham. Review by Adam Sobsey here. I haven’t had a chance to get a copy yet. 
• Bull City Summer got some national attention on Slate magazine.
• An interesting look at how the Rays approach the DH situation is here. Playing on artificial turf is awfully tough no matter how much they work at making it imitate real grass.

Watch List Profiles, and More

Now that we've got our watch list up.  Let's troll around and see what's being said about players on the list.

Former Bulls broadcaster Neil Solondz has been busy interviewing several on the players on the list. Fascinating backgrounder on outfielder Kevin Kiermaier here. Young outfielder Mikie Mahtook is interviewed here. Catcher Luke Maile gets some radio time here (doesn't look like he's on the short list for the Bulls, yet). Pitcher Steve Geltz has some interesting things to say about his championship year with the Bulls here.

DRaysBay has an interesting profile of catcher Curt Casali here.

Pitcher Mike Montgomery thinks he might have gotten a handle on some mechanical issues as reported here.

Veteran infielder Jayson Nix notes some differences between Yankees and Rays spring training camps here.

The Process Report profiles Rays pitcher staff possibilities here and provides thumbnails of Brad Boxberger, Josh Lueke, and Juan Carlos Oviedo.

In another blog entry, the Process Report also takes a look at the infield and gives short profiles of Wilson Betemit and Logan Forsyth.

Odds and Ends:

• Did you know that Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville, North Carolina? You can look it up. It will be 100 years ago, on March 7, and the state is putting up a sign.
• A couple of minor leaguers have filed a class action suit against major league baseball. Former Bull Dirk Hayhurst has an opinion (of course he does).

Dirk Hayhurst's "Out of My League"

To get to what's likely to interest the readers of this blog first, nothing of Hayhurst's time with the Durham Bulls is in this book. Not that it was very likely. In the very first public meeting last year he reported that he'd finished a second book (following "Bullpen Gospels") and it was  due to be published "soon". I guess "soon" meant trying to take advantage of the interest in baseball at the beginning of a season, any season.

The baseball side of this book is essentially Hayhurst's 2008 season with the Portland Beavers (AAA), his first experiences that year in the big leagues with the San Diego Padres, and his being claimed by the Blue Jays when the Padres tried to pass him through waivers at the end of the season.

But the real thrust of the book is something of a coming of age story — family strife, falling in love, planning a wedding, etc. That it takes place when the main character is 27 years old just gives the reader the insight that these guys really are in a very delayed adolescence. That's OK, but every now and then you wish that Hayhurst and his buddies would be just a little more grown up.

For Bulls fans there's a treat, though. This is the first close look at AAA ball that I've encountered. I think we've all guessed that it's different from the lower levels, but Hayhurst fills in a lot of details. He also does a terrific job of telling us what it's like to be called up.

Love story, insightful and funny baseball book, disturbing family conflict, the anguish and glory of making it to the Show — fun read.

If I were a betting man, I'd guess that we can look forward to an agonizing tale of shoulder surgery, publishing success, and a visit to Durham. Then maybe a fourth book about baseball in Italy (possibly a baseball equivalent to Grisham's "Playing for Pizza"). I look forward to it/them.

*****
Update: If you'd like to see a real book review (and it's a good one) then check out this from the New York Times. [Thanks, DRR]
*****
Update: Hayhurst is back from Italy. See comments for quotes from his twitter feed and from Italy.

Hemstitching: Ruggiano, Dan Johnson, Hayhurst, & More

New Durham Bulls Clubhouse

57 Days!

In the weaver’s world the word hemstitching is used for two purposes: to tie up loose ends (literally, because an “end” is a thread in a warp) and for decoration.

• Justin Ruggiano has signed with the Houston Astros. It’s a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The Astro’s AAA team is in Oklahoma City, so either way we’re not likely to be seeing him unless he makes the team and we’re watching a Rays-Astro game someday when the Bulls are out of town. Sounds like he has a good shot at sticking. Good luck!
• Dan Johnson has signed a similar contract with the Chicago White Sox. That is potentially very bad news for the Bulls. They could could end up facing both Dan and Ray Olmedo (also signed with the White Sox) playing for the Charlotte Knights this year.
• But we won’t be looking at Dirk Hayhurst on an opponent’s mound. He’s off to Italy. He also devoted an entire blog post to Russ Canzler. Worth a read.
• Does anyone remember Edwin Jackson on the mound for the Bulls back in 2006? Of course you do. And he’s bounced around quite a bit since then to include time with the Devil Rays, the Rays, Tigers, White Sox, Diamondbacks, Cardinals, and the White Sox (again). Now with the Nationals. Jonah Keri over at Grantland has a terrific piece about pitching prospects that uses Mr. Jackson as an example.
• Bringing it back to Durham, look at what’s been done to the Bulls locker room. Here’s hoping it’s ready by April. 

Hemstitiching: More on Mangini, Hayhurst Opines, and Dress Codes

Hubble Advent Calendar, Day 13

In the weaver’s world the word hemstitching is used for two purposes: to tie up loose ends (literally, because an “end” is a thread in a warp) and for decoration.

• As mentioned earlier, we think there’s a good chance Bulls fans will get to see Matt Mangini play for the Durham Bulls next year. Sure would be fun to see two local lads (Matt is from Holly Springs, RHP Chris Archer is from Clayton) on the field together. Certainly the Bulls front office would like to see that happen. Why is he available? That is not entirely clear. He was the Tacoma Rainiers’ (the Seattle AAA team) MVP in 2010, with very solid numbers. But looks like 2011 was a bit of a nightmare for Matt with quad injuries that must not have healed properly and then a concussion in July. As to why the Mariners released him, someone who knows the team better than I would have to guess at that. I’d speculate that they were happy with their 1B/3B situation and needed to make room on their 40-man. Played for Apex High School, NC State, and Oklahoma State before being drafted by the Mariners. Interesting mid-2010 interview here. I wish Matt well at Spring Training, but it sure would be nice for the Bulls to have a solid player at 3B for a change. For that matter, with Dan Johnson gone and (in my modest opinion) Leslie Anderson not working out, 1B would be interesting.
• Former Bull Dirk Hayhurst is providing an insider’s view of the Ryan Braun situation and the Pujols and Matt Moore deals while he waits for his new book to hit the street and obsesses about the greyhound he rescued.
• And then there’s the dress codes that have been established for baseball's sports writers. Who knew? Who cared? But it is interesting to learn that there’s not supposed to be any cheering in the press box.

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

Dull, Dull, Dull

Game 135, Monday, August 30, DBAP
Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta) 2, Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay) 1
Season: 77-58; Home Stand: 3-5; Home Games Remaining: 1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Examiner, Indy Week

This has been a dispiriting week for this Bulls fan: rain in buckets and not very good baseball. I don't think I'm alone. For example, in the links above the Bulls Wrap summarized the game in just 156 words. Mike Potter on Examiner managed 449 words, but most of them were quotes. Steve Wiseman at the Herald-Sun did a workman 583. Even Adam Sobsey at Indy Week, who usually puts together essays in the 5,000 word range, could only find 3,000 and much of that wasn't on the game.

In a sentence, the Bulls were outpitched. Their one run was scored in a bases-loaded, ball bounced past the catcher, situation. Bulls batters struck out 13 times. Not a season record (that would be 14 last May 21st), but close.

Matt Torres did not have his best day, but if the Bulls had been hitting the two runs he let in would not have mattered much.

From a fan's point of view, three nice plays helped brighten the dullness of the evening. A nifty Brandon Guyer to Ray Olmedo to Robison Chirinos at the plate saved a run in the 3rd (OK, looked to me like the runner beat the tag, but the ump was on the other side of the play). A routine, but still smart, play by first baseman (!) Stephen Vogt to go home after grabbing a bases-loaded grounder saved a run when the double play was uncertain. And left fielder Russ Canzler made a terrific running grab of a line drive in the 8th.

Well, there's my 280 or so words on the game. I can't find anything else worth saying.

* * * * *

The Bulls have been very coy about announcing who will pitch in the final home game of the year tonight. I was thinking that it meant that Dirk Hayhurst was about to return to the rotation. I was wrong. He was released yesterday. I'll let him tell his own story over at his blog.

Speaking for myself, I enjoyed watching Mr. Hayhurst pitch this year. I've worried about his elbow. I was fascinated by a couple of the interviews he's done. I'm impressed with his skill as a photographer. I look forward to reading his next book and hope that I enjoy it as much as I did The Bullpen Gospels. Good luck. Here's hoping that he finds his way back to baseball, if that's what he wants to do. If not, have a great life.

* * * * *

Speculation on September call-ups is circulating. I'll take my shot at that later today. Commentary welcome.

Sunday at the Park with the Bulls

Games 133 & 134, Sunday, August 28, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Durham Bulls 4, Charlotte Knights 3 (8 innings)
Durham Bulls 3, Charlotte Knights 0 (7 innings)
Season: 77-57; Home Stand: 3-4; Home Games Remaining: 2
Wrap, Box (133), Box (134), Herald-Sun, Indy Week

The sky was a brilliant blue. Inside the park all evidence of the storm was gone. With the win on Saturday the Bulls seemed to be themselves again. If there was a wisp of a cloud on the horizon it came in the 2nd when Matt Moore gave up a rare walk. He would end up giving up four of them during his six innings, adding to the worrisome 36 issued by Bulls pitching since this home stand began.

When Moore left after six innings, the Bulls were down 3 to 1. But a Ray Olmedo single and a Justin Ruggiano home run in the bottom of the 6th set things right. J.J. Furmaniak came in to run for Dan Johnson in the 7th, but that tactical move of Charlie Montoyo's didn't pay off ... then. The payoff came in the extra-inning 8th when the game was still tied and Brandon Guyer was on third after a triple. Justin Ruggiano drew a walk. J.J., the Bulls best bunter, came to bat with one out. Guyer was off on Furmaniak's hard bunt past the pitcher in the direction of the second baseman. He was past the Charlotte catcher and the game was won.

Interlude watching the grounds crew put things right. Diligent restoration of both sides of the batter's box. Refilling of the holes dug by pitchers out on the mound. Brushing and smoothing and redrawing the lines. After 10 minutes the eye is treated to a fresh baseball field just waiting for new teams to emerge from the dugouts.

First there was the presentation of this year's Goodmon Awards: Team Spirit — Ray Olmedo; Pitcher — Rob Delaney; Community Service/Fan Favorite — Russ Canzler. Great choices, congratulations, well-done Ray, Rob, and Russ.

The Bulls came on the field and we got to watch a superb performance by Matt Torra. Mr. Torra has quietly established himself as a key Bulls pitcher. His ERA has been steadily declining since his not very auspicious arrival in early July. He has won four out of his last five starts. By my little "efficiency" measure (pitches per out), he is the most efficient pitcher on the team. He only needed 69 pitches to get through six innings last night (Moore threw 99). You could make the argument that he should have stayed in for the 7th since Delaney made things a bit more exciting than they needed to be with a one out walk followed by a single. But he did close things down, he got a save, and the Bulls had their shutout.

Brandon Guyer led of the game with a home run over the Monster. In the 3rd Guyer singled, stole second, went to third on a Stephen Vogt fly ball, and came home on a Dan Johnson single. A Russ Canzler double was enough to bring Johnson all the way around — although I'd have to say that Charlie Montoyo's arms windmilling to send D.J. home were moving faster than Dan's feet. That was enough.

Out on the web these two curious entries from Dirk Hayhurst, last seen leaning on the dugout railing. The first complains about Durham drivers (not very good, that's a surprise?) and the second is an odd little piece reflecting on expectations of a professional athlete. He seems to think that fans will be disappointed that he doesn't play for the "love of the game." As far as I can tell, that isn't the average fan's expectation, certainly not today. Must be something about the folks he encounters out there in the bullpen.

Two Games in Moosic

Game 122, Tuesday, Aug 16, PNC Field, Moosic, PA
Durham Bulls 2, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 0
Wrap, Box, Scranton Times-Tribune

Game 123, Wednesday, Aug 17, PNC Field
Durham Bulls 3, SWB Yankees 2
Wrap, Box, Scranton Times-Tribune, IL Wild Card
Season: 71-52; Trip: 4-2; Streak: 4-0

It sounded like a good fraction of eastern Pennsylvania came to Moosic to boo Alex Rodriguez the last two nights. I guess I don't understand the hostility he generates within Yankee fandom. But they drove out to the park to watch him play and give him a hard time. He responded by giving balls away to youngsters near the third base line.

In the meantime, the Bulls won two games, making it four in a row and putting them nineteen games above .500. That's the best they've been all year. Gwinnett has split the last two games and is four games back in the South (2.5 in the Wild Card). Toledo has joined Rochester and Norfolk in falling completely out of contention.

The first game saw four batters hit by pitches (two by Yankees pitching, two by Bulls pitching), but none of them scored. No HBPs in the second game.

Matt Torra looks better each game he pitches. The Bulls are inching toward having a starting rotation! Four out of five slots (Torra, Moore, Sonnanstine, and Torres) are doing pretty well. What about the fifth slot? Not much hope there unless Hayhurst comes off the DL or the Rays decide to promote someone from Montgomery.

In the first game, Matt Carson, the new guy we haven't seen on the field in Durham yet, hit a home run and Dan Johnson knocked in John Jaso. Torra, Beunte, and Delaney combined for the Bulls first shutout in a couple of weeks.

Matt Moore had his least effective start as a Bull in the second game, but at least the pitchers quit throwing at each other's batters. And Moore got another 8 K's (in just four innings) while only allowing one run (a homer). His pitch count was way up by the end of the 4th though (84).

How about the Bulls rehabber, John Jaso? While all the attention was on Rodriguez, Jaso seems to be coming along. He DH'd on Tuesday and caught his first complete game on Wednesday. 1-8 at bat with 1 walk and 4 K's, so needs some work. Hope that it doesn't come at the Bull's expense. Don't like seeing Vogt out of the lineup when he's been so hot.

Speaking of being hot, Russ Canzler got one of the RBIs last night. This is, sort of, a hometown crowd for him. And then there's Tim Beckham with another triple and two of the runs scored last night.

I missed the last couple of lead-ins to the game broadcasts. If someone has heard the update on Leslie Anderson, please jump in. He was hit by a pitch in the second game on Monday and limped off the field. Has not played since.

A New York Night

Game 118, Friday, August 12, Coca-Cola Field, Buffalo, New York
Buffalo Bisons (Mets) 3, Durham Bulls (Rays) 2
Season: 67-51, Road Trip: 0-1, Home Games Remaining: 9
Wrap, Box, Wild Card, Buffalo News

The Bulls started off the game with three straight hits and scored one run off Bison starting pitcher Pat Misch. Misch then struck out the side (and struck out 9 more Bulls in his 8+ inning start).

The Bisons started off the bottom of the 7th with three straight hits off reliever Dane De La Rosa, scoring a run. A hit by pitch and a grounder added a second run, and a wild pitch scored a third run. That was enough to win the game.

Matt Moore had a good night with a solid six innings. De La Rosa had an awful 2/3 of an inning. To his credit, Pat Misch went 8 1/3 very well-pitched innings. I was not happy to see Dale Thayer come on for the last two outs of the 9th. For some reason the sight of Fernando Perez in a Bisons uniform doesn't bother me as much as Thayer.

Web World

• Joe Posnanski has a terrific meditation on the current state of baseball in a recent Sports Illustrated, Loving Baseball. [Thanks, John]
• Dirk Hayhurst looks at some of the cross-cultural dynamics burbling under the surface in minor league ball.

Charts

Time to take a look at the runs scored/runs allowed picture. Not bad at all. The Pythagorean Expectation for the Bulls based on these numbers is 64-54, well below the actual 67-51. The general thinking about variation with the expectation is that it's a function of luck and bullpen, i.e., the Bull's bullpen is doing a great job and they've had some luck. Makes sense to me. Our bullpen has been doing a good job ... mostly.

How about the guys who play in the bandbox by the bay? They are also on an upward trend. Their Expectation (64-54) exactly matches their actual record.

Click on charts for larger image

Swindle "Out"; Hayhurst Hurt

As has been noted before, WDBB is no friend of opt-out contracts and the secrecy that surrounds them. Turns out that R. J. Swindle had one and has opted out. As much as I enjoyed watching your slow curve, R. J., don't let the door hit you on the way out. You've done no favors to your team or Bulls fans.

Dirk Hayhurst has gone on the DL for the second time this year. Coming off surgery and a year away from baseball, that's not looking good. We like Dirk. Let's hope it's something minor.

Starting rotation for the next four days?

Possibly Torres, Sonnanstine, Reid, and Torra. How do you like them apples?

Dirk Hayhurst — “Efficient” Win?

Game 78, June 29, Charlotte Knights Stadium
Durham Bulls (Rays) 2, Charlotte Knights (White Sox) 1
Season: 43-35; Trip: 1-0
Wrap, Box, Rock Hill Herald

Although the Bulls won this game, with the rainout on Tuesday and the Gwinnett Braves on a 5-game win streak, they are only 1/2 game in front of the Braves in the South. Looks like the South Division is going to keep on being a tight race all year.

To be honest about it, I forgot that it was a day game and missed all of it. So what I know is from the wrap and the box score. Still, a look at those results is pretty interesting. Dirk Hayhurst had a six-inning, shut-out, one-hit appearance. Time to acknowledge that he is having a very good year and winning a lot of games for the Bulls. Even with his stretch on the disabled list, he is just behind Alex Cobb in a number of pitching metrics for the Bulls.

New guy Daniel Mayora played third base, drew one walk, but was hitless. That was true of almost all of the Bulls. Only three hits, but a bunch of walks (7). In fact, the winning run was walked in after Leslie Anderson walked, Brandon Guyer singled, Dan Johnson walked, and Felipe Lopez walked. Along with his home run, Lopez was the offensive star of the game. Desmond Jennings came in the game in the 8th for Anderson. I didn’t hear any commentary on his injury status.

The Bulls play a double header today with the first game starting at 6:15.

* * * * * 

The other day I mentioned a Dirk Hayhurst blog posting that mentioned, somewhat in passing, the idea of pitching efficiency being a good thing and that there didn’t seem to be a metric for that idea.

I’m certainly no sabermetrics guy, but it seemed to me that it should be fairly easy to come up with a metric that measures efficiency, fuzzy as it might be.

First, lets agree on what “pitching efficiency” means. Essentially, for this item, I’m just going to say that the fewer pitches a pitcher has to throw, the better. That is, if a pitcher can get out of an inning in three pitches (popups, grounders, etc.), he is as “efficient” as he can possibly be.

So, a metric for pitching efficiency is pitches per out. A perfectly efficient pitcher would have an efficiency rating of 1.00. We’ve got those numbers in every box score. And I already have 90% of those numbers in a spreadsheet.

Chart of the Day — Pitching Efficiency

This is a fairly simple measure. Alex Cobb, for example, has thrown 807 pitches over 53 1/3 innings this year. 807/(53 1/3*3)=5.04. As with any metric like this, sample size can be a problem. However, to look at two extremes, Alex Torres has thrown 1,326 pitches and his “efficiency” rating is pretty high (i.e., not good). Also very high is Lance Cormier, but we only have the 14 inning/259 pitch sample to look at.

Nevertheless, this is a pretty interesting measure. From this it would look as if the otherwise questionable Ryan Reid has more promise that I would have thought, whereas Brandon Gomes is not quite the star I thought he was. I’ll keep at it for the year to see if something jumps out.

To answer the question in the headline: At an efficiency rating of 4.89 for the game, you bet it was!

For you real sabermetricians out there: surely this has been looked at by you guys. What am I missing?

click on chart for larger view

Oddity of the day: A family down in Florida has put 300,000 votes into the major league all-star voting system.

Thinking About the Obvious

Game 77, June 27, DBAP
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 4, Durham Bulls 3 (10 innings)
Season: 42-35; Home Stand: 4-4
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Driving home last night I was thinking to myself that if Alex Cobb hadn’t gone in to pitch the 6th inning, or that if Jake McGee hadn’t gone in to pitch the 10th inning, things would have been different. I’m prone to that sort of BGOO (Blinding Glimpses of the Obvious). Of course, Cobb went one inning too long. Of course, McGee went one inning too long. The Bulls lost the game! The Bulls didn’t get a single hit between the 6th and 10th inning. When Brandon Guyer struck out with runners on first and second it was the first real chance the Bulls ever had to get ahead in the game.

Maybe I should stop saying nice things about Jose Lobaton. After yesterday’s love note he was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double, then struck out three times.

How did Cobb look? Pretty good. Glad to have him back in the rotation. Ten days off is tricky to deal with, and it showed in the 1st and 6th.

The oddities of the day just weren’t in the Bulls favor. Yankees shortstop Doug Bernier was walked in the 6th and scored on a Luis Nunez single. Bernier was hit by a Jake McGee pitch in the 10th and scored on a Luis Nunez double. Two freebies, two runs.

And then there was the appearance of Desmond Jennings running for Felipe Lopez after Lopez’ BB in the 10th. All the reports said it was Jennings’ right wrist that was hurt. How come he was wearing a brace on his left? Does anyone really care? Probably not, not even me.

Sigh. Let’s just sit back a listen to Dirk Hayhurst ramble on about life and baseball in his terrific interview with WUNC’s Frank Statio from a couple of days ago.

Chart of the Day — Runs Scored - Runs Allowed

After 77 games the Bulls have scored 19 more runs than their opponents. They are 42-35 on the season and are one game ahead of the Gwinnett Braves in the South Division of the International League. The Pythagorean expectation is 40-37. Differences between expectation and actual are usually attributed to two possible factors, luck and/or bullpens. Your choice. Looking better than they did in 2008 or 2009, not as good as 2010. Won the South Division all three of those years, though.

The Bulls’ “parent” club has played 79 games and has scored 29 more runs than their opponents. They are 44-35 on the year and are in third place in the American League East, two games behind Boston and 2-1/2 behind the Yankees. Their “expectation” is 43-36, so they are also doing a bit better than their expectation. In their case, they are a good bit below where they were at this time in the previous three years.

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 ...

Two Good Starts; Two Wins

Game 37, June 17, Coolray Field, Lawrenceburg, Georgia
Durham Bulls 8, Gwinnett Braves 5
Wrap, Box

Game 38, June 18
Durham Bulls 8, Gwinnett Braves 1
Season: 37-31; Last 10: 5-5; Trip: 2-1
Wrap, Box

I missed most of Friday's game, but the Dirk Hayhurst interview was instructive. Not making jokes, but instead talking about his pitching and then the early run support helping him out.

And then there was Desmond Jennings and Ray Olmedo getting on base a lot for Brandon Guyer to hit them in. The three of them pretty much kept that up into Saturday's game. Decent pitching, solid top-of-inning hitting, what more can you ask for?

On Saturday Alex Torres got his first win since May 1 (counting last night, he's had eight starts in that period — 1 win, 3 losses, 4 no-decisions). After his five innings, the relief corps of Delaney, Swindle, and De La Rosa had a perfect 4 innings. They did not let a single runner get on base. In fact, from the 3rd inning on, the Braves only had two men on base.

The oddity of the evening has to be Dan Johnson's four walks, one for a RBI. For a guy who's only hit one home run since he came back to AAA, they sure are being careful about how they pitch to him.

With the win the Bulls pull one game ahead of the Braves in the South Division and have one more game, today at 2:00, before coming home. Begins to look like we'll be back and forth with these guys all season. Much like the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (Phillies), the Gwinnett Braves seem to suffer a bit by being close to their parent club. The Braves have had 32 different position players on the roster this year (the Bulls have had 16).

Speaking of roster changes, time to speculate about the return of Alex Cobb. He pitched his last game for the Rays last night and did very, very well as reported by the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune. But now he's coming back to Durham (hooray!).

So, who gets thrown off the bus? Or at least sent back to the bullpen?

Only one of the current starting pitching crew has a recent history as a starting pitcher. In fact, only two of them (Hayhurst and Torres) began the year as a starter. So among Baker, Hayhurst, Bootcheck, Buente, and Torres who would you send back to the pen? Or off the bus entirely. Note that in the pen you've only have four who are not on the 40-man, Swindle, Delaney, Reid, and Cormier.

Let's see if the charts are any help. First a look at FIP, then at WHIP.

At this point, of course, the Rays have long since made their decision. It'll be interesting to see who, as they are packing out of their hotel this morning, gets told, "Don't worry about what time the bus leaves for Durham after the game. You're not going to be on it. Here's a ticket to [Montgomery/???]. Good luck."

Don't want to finish up without pointing out a couple of good pieces over at Rays Prospects. The first is a summary of how the Bulls did last week. The second is an analysis of the pitching prospects in the Rays system. Four current Bulls are on the list.

Day Off Odds and Ends

The Bulls had a day off yesterday, so no game to talk about. Lacking that, time to pick up a few odds and ends.

Let's start with a view of the DBAP in 1997. Check out that skyline. Just the jail pokes up and there's no Blue Monster, no Diamond View buildings, no DPAC, no north parking garage.

• Felipe Lopez passed through waivers and will be coming back. No word on who might come off the current roster (if anyone) to make room.
• For Bulls fans who think that the Hudson Valley Renegades are a myth and exist only as a place to hide Durham Bulls over-roster players, here's their roster and their website.
• Why was the weather so beautiful last Tuesday night? Because head groundskeeper Scott Strickland invoked the gods of baseball and suffered through a deeply personal loss so that we would be dry. Thanks, Scott!
• To follow up on promotional gimmicks, the Charlotte Stone Crabs may have crossed some kind of invisible line. At any rate, if you've got a really hairy back, and you want to get rid of the hair, here's your chance.
• For the sabermetricians among you, here's a DRaysBay writer's look at how the team is doing. He missed some of the roster changes, but this is a terrific bit of analysis.
• Some are thinking that Scott Kazmir, last seen in Durham in June 2009 pitching a rehab start, is about to be released from the Angels.
• Justin Ruggiano gets a look from the St. Pete Times.
• Dirk Hayhurst hints that all may not be well with some players in some locker rooms.
  "In the big leagues right now, there are pot smokers who mix pain and sleeping pills with alcohol, and no one says a word."
• Down in Gwinnett, they've also got rehabbers going back and forth. Even if it's only a taxi ride from Lawrenceville to Atlanta, it's got to be a hassle schlepping your gear around.

Six Innings, One Hit, Shutout

Game 61, June 10, Coca-Cola Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Durham Bulls 6, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 0
Season: 33-28; Trip: 2-2
Wrap, Box, The Morning Call

What a difference good pitching makes. Dirk Hayhurst’s six inning, one hit performance last night was among the best of any Bulls pitcher this year. Only a similar six inning, one hit game by Brian Baker back on April 8th is slightly better (one more K, one less BB). Sure would be great to add another reliable starter to the list.

How weird is that? Hayhurst and Baker, the premier Durham Bulls starting pitchers!

Obviously the whole pitching crew did a great job. Only four singles and four walks (plus a miscue by Hayhurst) allowed anyone on base at all. I’m a bit surprised that Cory Wade was touched for three singles in his stint, but no harm done.

What an odd series: 9-1, 0-6, 5-6, 6-0. Gwinnett stayed up with Durham winning a 14 inning marathon in Toledo, but they are on an unsustainable (I hope) seven-game win streak.

Russ Canzler started in left field last night with J.J. Furmaniak at third. That might be a good place for him. Did not help his hitting, though. He was 0-4 with a walk. The rest of the team was looking good. Most notable were Chris Carter, who got things going with a two-run homer in the 1st and a RBI in the 4th, and Desmond Jennings, who went 3 for 5 with two RBIs.

Rehabbing Elliot Johnson started at shortstop, got a couple of hits, and scored a run. He is apparently on his way back to Baltimore. I think someone has to be turned loose from the Rays’ active roster. But could be wrong. Who? Don’t know. I’m a bit surprised we’re not seeing any speculation among the Rays’ bloggers.

Also love pointing out that the Bulls pulled off four double plays last night, three of them started by Leslie Anderson (actually, Anderson got one of them all by himself by grabbing a line drive and doubling the baserunner on first). We’ve seen him make a couple of good plays at home. Has he emerged as a quality first baseman? Maybe so. He’s certainly a better all-around player than when he first came up from Montgomery last year.

Dan Johnson had a good trip. He may be getting back into his groove. He was 6 for 15 with 5 doubles and 4 BBs. His BA is up to .250 now (and his wOBA is up to .361).

Norfolk@DBAP@7pm. Alex Torres to start. Wonder which Torres will be pitching? The strikeout king or the base on balls specialist?

Thinking About Third Base

Game 54, June 3, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston) 6, Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay) 3
Season: 30-24; Last 10: 6-4; Home Stand: 3-2
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

What about Russ Canzler? At the moment he is the Bulls best hitter with a stellar wOBA of .415 and he is the Bulls worst fielder with 7 errors at third and 3 at first base. Last night his bobble of a grounder from the Pawsox's first batter got things off to a bad start, but it certainly wasn't the only problem that the Bulls had over the game. This is Canzler's first year in Triple-A. His career stats don't show him spending much time at third until last year. And last year his fielding percentage was worse than this year (.878 vs. .968).

To sit back and get some perspective, however, we Bulls fans put up with Joel Guzman at third base for over a year and B.J. Upton at shortstop for a couple of eternities. Russ Canzler is a better hitter (so far) than either, and a better third baseman than B.J. was a shortstop. OK, last night was painful, but let's cut him some slack.

In the meantime, I'm not sure about young Mr. Beunte. He's new to the Bulls, but he sure wasn't tearing it up last night. The rough start was not his fault, but let's hope for better performance over time.

Have to give Pawtucket's Andrew Miller some credit. Even though the Bulls outhit the Sox 10-7, he didn't let the Bulls put runs across.

Not only is Dirk Hayhurst back in town, he's starting tonight. Look forward to seeing him.

Fans get some modest say in choosing the Triple-A All-Star team (although, unless things have changed, we never find out how we voted). See the press release on how the voting works.

As mentioned earlier, Rays bloggers are not happy with their catching situation. Here's a recent comment from Rays Index. Why should we care? If the Rays front office agrees and doesn't find a catcher somewhere else (which is what they've done in the past), Lobaton or Chirinos could be given a tryout.

Gnashing of Teeth; Being Philosophical

Game 53; June 2, DBAP
Columbus Clippers 2, Durham Bulls 1 (10 innings)
Season: 30-23; Last 10: 6-4; Home Stand: 3-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, MiLB, Indy Week

We can be philosophical several hours after the end of a tough loss.

We won't even second guess Charlie Montoyo about the intentional walk loading the bases with one out in the top of the 10th. It looked like it was going to work out when Rob Delaney got the second out of the inning with a strikeout. But the bases-loaded walk that followed was a heart-breaker. Even J.J. Furmaniak's heroic dash into the stands to grab the third out didn't help much. The Bulls could get runners on base in the bottom of the 10th, but couldn't get them across.

Three games out of four against the team with the best record in the International League is nothing to sneeze at. Ryan Reid, who had not pitched since May 22nd, and had not started a game in several years, pitched 5 terrific innings. The R.J. Swindle of 2010 might, just might, be back and we're glad to see him.

The Clippers' pitcher, Jeanmar Gomez, was simply brilliant. He pitched a very solid 8 innings. But for a botched pickoff attempt in the 6th inning, the Bulls wouldn't have scored a run off of him.

Still, it hurts a bit.

* * * *

Dirk Hayhurst was noticed leaning against the rail. Nice to see him there, but would be nicer to see him on the mound.

Jay Buente will start tonight against the Pawtucket Red Sox. This will be our first chance to see him at work.

If you are one of those deep thinkers who worries about long range issues, the baseball draft is coming up soon. The premier site for that in the Rays world is Rays Prospects. Worth keeping an eye on that blog to keep track of what the Rays are up to.

The Bulls iPhone app was updated yesterday to add live audio streaming. I checked it out last night and it worked just fine. I have trouble getting AM 620 on the road or at home, so this will be nice. In the stands, however, hang on to your radios because there's quite a lag between what happens on the field and what comes through your phone. A modest test last night (walking through the garage behind Diamond View II, where 620 is blocked) was successful.

Chart(s) of the Day

Time to check in on the cumulative runs scored-runs allowed status. The last time we looked was back on May 14 (Game 37). The Bulls have had their ups and downs since then, but the trend is running nicely upwards.

The same cannot be said for their parent club, the second chart. Too bad, because just a couple of weeks ago things were looking just fine for the Rays.

(click on chart for larger image)