The Durham Bulls in 2011 — The Hitters: Part I

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

The Top 14 (40+ Games)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next: New guys, rehabbers and visitors.

Lopez Gone

Interesting move that tells you how quickly things can change. A while back no team was interested enough to claim Felipe Lopez off waivers (twice). Now he's been traded to the Brewers. |MLB.com|

Lopez has been an important bat in recent weeks for the Bulls. Here's hoping someone picks up for him.

Misty Loss

Game 102, July 25, DBAP
Toledo Mud Hens 6, Durham Bulls 2
Season: 58-44; Last 10: 8-2; Home Stand: 3-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Both the Herald-Sun and the Indy Week stories quote Charlie Montoyo commenting on Brian Baker's problems invoking the dread term "dead arm". That's scary, and we heard something like that near the end of the season last year. Certainly Baker did not look good last night. His fastball wasn't very fast. His change up wasn't fooling many batters. In our pursuit of the odd and probably irrelevant we have to point out something else about last night — almost all the damage was done by left-handed batters.

After a one hour rain delay (it stayed misty all night) the game finally got going. Until the 3rd inning Baker may not have looked all that good, but he was getting by. Then left-handed batting Toledo catcher Jeff Kunkel hit a home run. The next three batters, all lefties, got two singles and a double and a total of two runs were scored in the inning. The 5th inning started out with two lefties and they both got singles. They both subsequently scored. Later in the inning a lefty hit a single to score a third run. Of the Mud Hen's 12 hits, 10 were made by players batting left-handed.

Does this little statistical anomaly really matter all that much? Maybe not, but you can bet that the next time Baker's on the mound (possibly Charlotte on Saturday), the opposing team will be loading the lineup with lefties, if they can.

Offensively, the Bulls were pretty quiet. J.J. Furmaniak's homer got them on the board, but mostly quiet after that. Need to note that Ryan Reid really did well. Much better than his earlier efforts as a starter.

What Have You Done For the Bulls Lately?

Here's a look at just the last ten games. I chose OPS for the comparison for a couple of reasons, 1) the numbers were readily available and 2) I was too lazy to compute the wOBA, which may be a better stat. However, I was just looking for something that is a reasonable answer to the question in the headline. What jumps out are the two extremes, Felipe Lopez and Ray Olmedo. I had not noticed that Ray was doing so poorly, or that Felipe so well. We can hope that Dan Johnson's numbers stay up there and the Brandon Guyer gets back on track.

Bulls Hitting — OPS for last 10 Games

Today is very likely to see yet more roster turmoil for the Bulls. Rays relief pitcher Alan Russell has passed through waivers and should be available tonight. Infielder Reid Brignac is also expected to be available tonight. The way I read the roster, neither arrival requires a corresponding roster move by the Bulls, but I've been wrong before. Certainly the locker room chatter being reported in the papers doesn't sound promising as it regards Brian Baker. Still, it looks like the Bulls are currently at 12 pitchers and 12 position players. Much of this year they've been at 13 and 11, but it isn't clear if it has been a preference or a necessity.

Finally, Brandon Guyer came out of the game last night with some sort of muscle pull. That's worrisome.

This four-game series with the Braves is a big deal. We should be seeing some great baseball if the heat doesn't get to us. Air and smoke look OK, and current heat index prediction is only 94 and falling during the game.

Bulls in the Fifth for Five in a Row

Game 101, July 24, DBAP
Durham Bulls 2, Toledo Mud Hens 1
Season: 58-43, Home Stand: 3-0; Streak: 5-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

The two guys you might think to be the most unhappy about being in Durham were the two guys who made the biggest difference last night — Andy Sonnanstine and Felipe Lopez. From a distance you'd think that neither could be happy about being in Triple-A and yet there they were, out there winning ball games. Part of what makes watching the Durham Bulls so much fun.

Mr. Sonnanstine went a solid seven innings, assisted by two double plays. Most write-ups noted his efficiency at just 83 pitches. Our little pitching efficiency metric, pitches per out, would agree. In his 17 innings so far he's at 4.08. The Bulls most efficient pitcher this year has been Alex Cobb who in his 65 innings with the Bulls was at 5.10. Cobb, by the way, won a game for Tampa Bay yesterday. He might not be coming back any time soon.

Felipe Lopez, at DH last night, hit the winning home run in the fifth, picked up his 37th RBI, had an additional double and single, and snuck past Brandon Guyer in batting average (.309 to .306).

It was good that the pitching was so effective last night, otherwise the story would have been leaving runners in scoring position. The Bulls were great at getting runners to third, but only once got the runner in (Furmaniak's single in the 4th). Speaking of J. J., is he coming out of his season-long troubles? We can hope so. Very likely that Reid Brignac's arrival will complicate the scheduling of infield duties, but the J.J.'s glove and now his bat are needed assets. Maybe some outfield time with the other infield/outfield players Anderson and Canzler.

Interesting interview with new guy John Matulia. |Durham Bulls Podcast|

Last night's win put the Bulls at 15 games over .500, the best this year. The five game winning streak ties the best for the year. The Gwinnett Braves lost both games of a double header to the Norfolk Tides and dropped to 2 1/2 games behind the Bulls in the IL South Division.

Bulls Bash 'Em; Bateman Back

Joe Bateman in 2010

Game 97, July 20, Frontier Field, Rochester, New York
Durham Bulls 7, Rochester Red Wings 6 (10 innings)
Season: 54-43; This Trip: 6-3
Wrap, Box, Rochester D&C

Three timely home runs, an extra inning win, and Joe Bateman back in a Bulls uniform, what could be better than that?

To hear the Rochester newspaper tell it, last night was something of a meat market for rehabbing Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey. The stands were reportedly full of scouts checking him out. The Bulls came to win a ball game. In the fifth inning Felipe Lopez hit a grand slam and Leslie Anderson hit a solo homer and the Bulls were ahead 5-1. Bulls pitcher Matt Torra was cruising along just fine until giving up a home run in the 6th. The ball was handed to new guy Marquis Fleming with a runner on first. Things got really ugly, really quickly with a wild pitch, error, two triples and the Red Wings were ahead 6-5 before Joe Bateman came in to close out the inning.

Bateman and Rob Delaney kept the Red Wings in check while the Bulls tied it in the 8th on a Leslie Anderson single that scored pinch-runner John Matulia and then won it in the 10th on a Russ Canzler home run.

For the first time this year I was glad to have MiLBTV because I got to see Joe Bateman rejoin the Bulls. One of my all-time favorites, he did a great job for the team in 2009 and especially in 2010. Last year he pitched 76 innings in relief with a spectacular 1.66 ERA. If Brian Baker's interview yesterday is any indication, he brings a lot to the clubhouse as well. Not sure what happened out there on the left coast with the Oakland system. Maybe we'll get an interview and find out. More stats. Welcome back!

Oh, the Braves lost. The Bulls are in first place in the South!

Early game today. New guy Jim Paduch is starting at 11:05.

All Hail the Bullpen

The Rochester Red Wing Photo courtesy Baseball Stadium Reviews

Game 95, July 18, Frontier Field, Rochester, New York
Durham Bulls (Rays) 4, Rochester Red Wings (Twins) 1
Season: 53-42; This Trip: 5-2
Wrap, Box, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Let's stop obsessing about the roster changes and talk about baseball. How about the Bulls bullpen crew?

Going into the game the fact that the Bulls only had 9 pitchers on the roster hinted that the Bulls best strategy would be to take advantage of the storm clouds out over Lake Ontario. That is, score some runs and pray for rain. Turned out that an even better strategy was to just let the bullpen pitch. Ryan Reid and Lance Cormier combined for six innings. Jay Buente, Rob Delaney, and Dane De La Rosa did one each. Only one run scored. Great job.

New guy catcher Nevin Ashley went 0-4, but his ground out RBI in the 4th started Durham's scoring. In the next inning Brandon Guyer got a rare triple (his second, only the Bulls 11th this year) and then came home on Felipe Lopez's single. The icing on the cake was Dan Johnson's homer in the 8th that brought home Felipe Lopez.

The win guarantees a successful road trip and put the Bulls 11 games above .500, the best level this year. Gwinnett, however, kept on with their winning ways are are still a half-game ahead in the South.

I know it's just listening to the radio, but this game had a team-like feel to it. I like that. Andy Sonnastine starts today. Lets see if he can keep it up.

Elsewhere:

• Here's a bit more on the Lobaton injury. |St. Pete Times|
• Fernando Perez is back in professional baseball with the New York Mets. Makes sense. Fernando is something of a New York lad. He has a minor league contract and will be with Buffalo Bisons. The Bulls play the Bisons next month in Buffalo. |Bisons.com|
• Stacy Long over at Biscuit Crumbs keeps track of several players who've gone through the Rays system (scroll down). Note familiar Bulls names such as Jason Cromer, Chris Mason, and others. |Biscuit Crumbs|

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.

Some Fireworks; Back in First

Happy 4th of July!

(Our Heaven Born Banner, 1861, based on Frederic Church’s Banner in the Sky, more info)

Game 83, July 3, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Durham Bulls 7, Gwinnett Braves 4
Season: 45-38; Last 10: 4-6
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

The Bulls and Braves are back in a tie for first place and will be continuing the series tonight down in Lawrenceville, Georgia. That trek down I-85 has got to be getting old.

Brian Baker seemed to benefit from the extra days off. He hadn't pitched since June 24 and, but for a walk, escaped what was becoming a signature rough 1st inning. I'm guessing that Charlie Montoyo and pitching coach Neil Allen may have decided to keep Baker on a low pitch count since they pulled him after five innings even though he appeared to be doing OK.

The Bulls "batted" around in the 2nd inning although in addition to Canzler's homer, Johnson's double, and singles by Chirinos and Olmedo, you have to give the Braves' pitcher, Erik Cordier some credit. He walked in two of the four runs all on his own.

The risks of carrying only eleven position players almost jumped up and bit the Bulls last night. The Bulls have only two players on the bench most nights. So when a player does something really stupid, as Felipe Lopez did last night, they do not have much depth. When one of them is a catcher, as is often the case, they have even less. When Lopez came to bat in the top of the 3rd inning, he decided to get in umpire Art Thigpen's face about something. He was ejected, of course, and Charlie Montoyo had to find a batter and a second baseman. Inexcusable. After watching him dog running out a dropped third strike on Saturday night, I've got to wonder about Mr. Lopez. In the normal course of affairs, Montoyo sits a player the game after he gets ejected. We'll see.

Fortunately, J.J. Furmaniak was one of the players getting a day off and he was able to step in for Lopez.

At the risk of tempting the gods of baseball, we have to point out that in his last 16 appearances, R.J. Swindle has not allowed a single hit run, only three hits, and has struck out 16 batters. Now it's also true that he has only pitched 12 1/3 innings, and mostly against left-handed batters, but he is making a huge contribution to the Bulls this year. Unlike his difficulties early in the season, he seems to have his slow curve back under control. How beautiful it is to watch that pitch tie up opposing batters. Last night it was turncoat Chris Carter who was the victim. Swindle unleashed the slow curve on a 1-2 count. It drifted across the plate at 53 mph and Carter just barely chipped it over the third base dugout to keep it at 1-2. Carter then stood there and watched Swindle's "fastball" blaze across the plate at 82 mph for a called third strike. That's a 30 mph difference from one pitch to the next! Is it major league stuff? Not sure. Carter thinks he's a major league batter, so maybe so.

New pitcher Matt Torra was in the dugout last night, so have to think he's ready to go. His last start was June 24, so he probably needs to get into the rotation pretty quickly.

[Update: A careful reader has pointed out an error in the Swindle stats. Fixed.]

Walking Before Running

Game 76, June 26, DBAP
Durham Bulls 11, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 3
Season: 42-34; Home Stand: 4-3
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Before we get to the various oddities and quirks of last night’s game, I want to highlight the stellar performance of catcher Jose Lobaton. We pointed out over a month ago that he was having a good year, but that was mostly about his hitting. Last night he showed us how well he can play catcher with two very pretty plays in the 5th inning.

Lance Cormier started off the 5th (the score was 3-3 at the time) by walking Scranton outfielder Austin Krum, but when Krum attempted to steal second, Lobaton threw him out. I should note that Krum has 18 stolen bases this year (14 in AA). This was the first time he’d been caught stealing.

The next batter grounded out, but Mike Lamb doubled and Cormier walked Jesus Montero. Mike Ekstrom came on in relief of Cormier. In what I think was the key play of the game, a perfect Lobaton throw picked off Lamb on second. It helped that veteran Olmedo positioned himself perfectly to block the bag, but it was a superb play.

Should I mention that Mr. Lobaton also had 2 doubles, a walk and 3 RBI on the night? Bringing his numbers up to .313/.412/.547, team high OBP and slugging? Of course I should. Much as I’d hate to lose him, time for him to see what he can do for the Rays. Commentary over on Rays Prospects would seem to agree.

How about home plate umpire Mark Lollo? His eye last night was something like a wine taster’s palate, very careful, very judgmental. In other words, picky, picky, picky. He turned his head aside to spit out the bad stuff 64 times as he called 16 bases on balls (10 against the Yankees, 6 against the Bulls). Of the nine strikeouts recorded, only one was a strikeout looking (the Bulls’ Canzler in the 7th). That, my friends, is a very discerning eye. We may never see its like again.

Which leads me to a stat that’s gotta be killing the Yankees: They outhit the Bulls 10 to 8, but lost 11-3. Those walks (and a couple of hit batsmen), at the wrong time, are just killers. And then there’s the fact that the hits the Bulls did get were big ones: six doubles and a home run, only 1 single.

Felipe Lopez’ 2-run homer in the 2nd, followed by a walk and an RBI double by Lobaton put the Bulls ahead early, but the Yankees tied it up in the next two innings. It wasn’t until the 7th when the Yankee’s bullpen of Brackman and Schmidt completely unraveled after the first out (Anderson, who was also the last out of the inning, tough night for Leslie). BB, BB, HBP, double (2 runs scored), BB, double (2 runs score), K, double (2 runs score).

Two more runs in the 8th for the good guys.

I can’t say that Lance Cormier actually looked very good last night in his second try as a starter this year. Even if we want to continue blaming the ump for the walks called (5) he didn’t do a very good job keeping runners off the bases. Unless and until the Rays give the Bulls some help in the starting pitcher department, however, looks like Lance is our man.

Alex Cobb supposed to start today in the last game of this home stand. Then we start more of the 2011 schedule weirdness: Four away games (Charlotte), two home games (Gwinnett), two away games (Gwinnett), three home games (Norfolk), two away games (Norfolk), and then the All-Star break.

- - - - - 

Yesterday an interesting thread got started about noise at the DBAP. Adam Sobsey gave us a link to this June 7th New York Times story about the noise at professional sports games, especially in the NBA (however, if a ‘Canes game is any example, the NHL is right in line). Most fans quoted seemed to love the noise and, in spite of the risks, the owners apparently are deliberately designing the noise in (possibly to drive the really fat cats into their quieter skyboxes). Here’s a thought, though. NBA seats are notoriously empty these last few years. Is there a connection?

Lastly, just to get you ready for today’s game, here’s some interesting speculation about our favorite ex-Bulls shortstop (or should that be former Bull, ex-shortstop) B.J. Upton, Desmond Jennings, and Brandon Guyer.

Bulls Win in White

Game 73, June 23, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Durham Bulls 4, Buffalo Bisons 1
Season: 41-32; Home Stand: 3-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, MiLB.com

Last night Alex Torres showed why he is so high on the prospect list and on the Rays 40-man roster. He earned all sorts of superlatives for his evening: most innings (7), most strikeouts (12), only 3 walks (trust me, with Mr. Torres, 3 walks definitely deserves an “only”). All that on 102 pitches, against 27 batters.

Brandon Gomes showed that he was human when he gave up his first home run of the year, which ran his ERA all the way up to 1.35. After the homer, he struck out the side.

The 8th/9th inning pairing of Gomes and Jake McGee again worked very well. McGee got his 8th save (albeit with a little help from his friends on the field).

Here’s two names that don’t often make it into the write-up: Leslie Anderson and Felipe Lopez. They picked up 2 RBIs each to account for all of the Bulls’ runs. If the pitching and defense had not been so terrific, however, the likely story of the day would be all the Bulls left on base. They left 11 of them stranded out there during the course of the game.

The Bulls were in their white jerseys last night and were rewarded by the biggest Thursday crowd in my memory, a near-capacity 9,291. On the other hand, maybe the persistently down economy is increasing the attractiveness of $1 hotdog night.

For those who may have missed my update yesterday, I’ve learned that the blue jerseys are much preferred by the Bulls players because of the material they are made from. With the heat we’ve had over much of this week, you’ve got to go with the players’ preference. That does not, of course, let the Bulls management off the hook to improve the legibility of the numbers or to add names (an effort I’m told is in progress).

Alex Cobb is not feeling well, so his scheduled start has been pushed back a day and Brian Baker will be on tonight against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. The current rotation consists of Baker, Bootcheck, Cormier, Hayhurst, and Torres. So once Cobb slips in someone will drop out, most likely Cormier.

If I heard Neil Solondz correctly, something like 20 New York and Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees are currently on their respective Disabled Lists [SWB, NYY]! What that might mean tonight is hard to tell, but that is surely a terrible run of bad luck (or simply only fair, depending on your attitude towards the Yankees). Nevertheless, these will be on the only four regular season games against the Yankee franchise in Durham this year, so it's now or never for Yankee fans.

Note that the four day visit is much shorter than that of the previous batch of Yankees who spent a couple of years in our fair state.

"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 ...

Bulls Drop Out of First

Game 66, June 17, Coolray Field, Lawrenceville, GA
Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta) 10; Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay) 2
Wrap, Box, Gwinnett Daily Post

In a before-the-game interview Charlie Montoyo talked a lot about the importance of starting pitching.

The Bulls were five pitches into the game when his point was made. It only took those five pitches for Jay Buente to issue his first walk of the night. That runner got to second on a balk and to third on a ground out. Singles, a double and homer, two errors at third (one re-judged a hit later on), and the Bulls were down 6-0 in the 1st inning.

I’ve commented on Mr. Buente before. It looks as if a lot of time off is not helping. He last pitched on June 9. Maybe go on a shorter rotation (for another team)?

If Jay Buente wasn’t any help, what about returning third baseman, Felipe Lopez? Nope, he mishandled two grounders in that same 1st inning and was 0-2 at bat.

Is there any light? Well, sort of, if not for Bulls fans. The starting Braves pitcher, rehabbing Atlanta Brave Brandon Beachy had this to say:

“It was a lot fun.”

Elsewhere it looks like that in addition to Mr. Buente, the vaunted Rays management may be about to get bitten back back more directly. Remember Cory Wade who was a Bull a couple of days ago? I was, no surprise, wrong, or at least didn't keep track. He’s not pitching for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He just got his first win in his second appearance as a full-fledged New York Yankee.

Is there any good news? Well, yes there is. As Chris D pointed out a couple of minutes ago, Matt Moore, a rising young Rays prospect over with the Montgomery Biscuits (AA), pitched a complete game no-hitter yesterday. Stacy Long has the story here, here, and here. We’ll probably see Mr. Moore before the end of the season. Hope so.

In the meantime, the Bulls are out of first place in the South Division for the first time since April 15.

Chris Carter Released

I guess we should have seen this coming. When Cory Wade was released, reportedly in advance of exercising his opt-out, we could have gone through the roster and done some guessing. Very likely the official press knew who had opt-out contracts, but, to maintain their access to the players, declined to mention it. And in any case Chris Carter’s departure could simply be a matter of making room for Felipe Lopez. But that isn’t what the note from the Bulls reads like. This reads like Carter exercised an opt-out clause.

All I have seen so far is this email from the Bulls:

6/16: Chris Carter granted his release, Felipe Lopez outrighted to Durham

As the table from a couple of days ago shows, Mr. Carter had an above-average bat. Furthermore, his 46 RBI were a substantial fraction of all the runs scored by the Bulls this year (309, 15%). He was second in RBIs in the International League and had 8 more than his nearest teammate, Russ Canzler. He also led the Bulls in home runs with 10.

Have to say that I’m worried for several reasons:

• As with Cory Wade, we could see him in the uniform of a competitor in a couple of days.
• Unless Dan Johnson gets his groove back, the Bulls don’t have a single hitter the opposition needs to be afraid of.
• Doesn’t seem a fair trade for Lopez.

That said, it certainly is not Chris Carter’s fault that he and the Rays could not come to terms. We wish him well and hope that he catches on with either a major league team or with an organization whose AAA team is in the Pacific Coast League. Thanks for the runs and a couple of thrills. Good luck!

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.

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.

It's Saturday, Must Be Durham

Game 62, June 11, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Norfolk Tides (Orioles) 5, Durham Bulls (Rays) 4
Season: 33-29; Last 10: 3-7; Home Stand: 0-1
Wrap, Box, Indy Week

Ride all night on the bus. Get off. Suit up in ill-fitting, but very cool, old-fashioned uniforms. Watch the rain for three hours. Step on the field some time after 10:00 pm.

Do we really have any confidence in the fellow on the mound? In the last seven starts he’s got three losses (counting last night/this morning) and four no-decisions. Still, his numbers are only slightly less awful (ERA 4.24) than the awful starting pitcher numbers (ERA 4.32). The Rays, indeed all of baseball, are much more tolerant of potential left-handed talent. So we can only hope that time, coaching, experience, maturity, etc. lends a hand. Alex Torres is ours for the year.

The goat of the game, however, was Brandon Guyer, who misjudged/lost in the lights a Ryan Hughes fly ball in the 5th. That double kept the Tides ahead of the Bulls and (from my bleary-eyed seat in front of my television) made a big difference.

For the first time in my memory (notoriously flaky, I should point out) a Bulls pitcher has appeared three games in a row. R.J. Swindle has pitched 1/3 of an inning (4 batters) in each of the last three games.

DRR mentioned in the comments last night, and several sources are reporting, that with the return of Elliot Johnson to the roster the Rays have designated for assignment Felipe Lopez. If no team claims him (and none did last time), and he accepts the assignment, he could be coming back to Durham.

How are the hitters doing? The last time we looked was May 26. Again, the table is sorted by wOBA. As can be seen, over the two weeks for almost all our hitters, the numbers are down. The only hitter who’s significantly up is Robinson Chirinos, but he had quite a ways to go.

Sources: Statcorner and Baseball Reference

Summer Comes Early

Game 50, May 30, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Durham Bulls (Rays) 7, Columbus Clippers (Indians) 4
Season: 28-22; Last 10: 4-6; Home Stand: 1-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

The weirdness of this year's weather continues. Following the deluge we have stifling heat. You've got to admire ballplayers who played until late Sunday night in very cool upper Ohio, fly into RDU about noon yesterday and greet the sauna, and then play ball at five o'clock.

For the first five innings Columbus pitcher Scott Barnes seemed to have the Bulls in hand, holding them to just the one solo home run by Chris Carter. But from the 6th inning on the Bulls owned the Clippers relievers scoring six runs. Most impressive was Russ Canzler's three-run shot in the 7th.

You have to think that the coaches have been preaching to Alex Torres to throw strikes, let batters hit if he has to, just don't walk them. Torres is notorious for his walk rate, having given up 31 of them in his first nine games this year. Last night Torres let them hit (no walks at all!) and, with one ghastly exception, the defense stepped up including pulling off three double plays. 

The exception was in the third inning when the Clippers led off with two singles. The third batter grounded to second and Omar Luna would have been a hero if he'd successfully tagged the runner as he went by and thrown to first for a double play. Instead, Luna did neither, booting the ball and letting a run score from second. Torres then wild pitched in a second run. Wonder if he was standing on the mound muttering to himself, "First my second baseman and then my catcher." Getting out of that inning, he gave up his only dangerous hit, a home run, in the fourth. Still, if he could have managed one more out in the 7th he would have had the win. 

Overall, even with the no-decision, this may have been his best game. Instead of a pile of strikeouts and a bundle of walks, we got nearly seven innings of solid pitching backed up by decent defense. That'll win it for you almost every time.

* * * * * 

In exchange for Alex Cobb, Tampa Bay is sending back Brandon Gomes. [St. Pete Times] Just roster shuffling on their part, since Gomes has been doing a pretty good job in St. Pete. The same article reports that former Bull Jeff Niemann might be coming through Durham as part of a rehabilitation routine. That could really help the Bulls and it would be fun to see Niemann pitch again. Hope it happens before the Bulls go back on the road.

Speaking of Tampa Bay, they put their second stringers in the game yesterday (Ruggiano in left and Lopez at first). Together they went 3 for 8 with a walk, a home run (Ruggiano), 2 runs scored, and 3 RBI. Not bad for a couple of bench-riders even if in a losing cause.

After the Rain, Two Quick Games

Game 48 (7 Innings), May 29, Toledo, Ohio
Durham Bulls 7, Toledo Mud Hens 4

Game 49 (7 Innings)
Toledo Mud Hens 2, Durham Bulls 1
Season: 27-22; Last 10: 4-6; Trip: 3-5
Wrap, Box (1), Box (2), Toledo Blade

This was not the Bulls best road trip of the year. Nevertheless, after the tough four losses to Columbus, they did very well in Toledo. With a little more luck, they could have tied up the second game last night in the top of the 7th and who knows what might have happened after that? They come home still in first place.

Today's five o'clock game comes after a double-header last night and is against the best team in the league. A real test of the teams' stamina.

This home stand is the only opportunity for local fans of the Cleveland Indians (I think I've met at least one) and Boston Red Sox (two or three) to see their future stars. I'd think that's particularly true of the Indians who seem to have invested a lot of effort into their farm system over the last several years.

Meanwhile, the Bulls team that takes the field today is very different from the one that left town, with more changes coming. Recent roster changes include:

• Outfielder Justin Ruggiano called up to the Rays where he has been working very diligently his dugout sitting skills.
• Infielder Felix Lopez went back up to the Rays where he has similarly spent time on the bench (one game appearance).
• Reliever Rob Delaney came back from the Rays.
• Catcher Craig Albernaz was sent to Hudson Valley.
• Pitcher Jeremy Hall was sent to Hudson Valley
• Infielder Dan Johnson came down from Tampa Bay
• Pitcher Alex Cobb was called up to Tampa Bay
• Pitcher Jay Buente was claimed from the Marlins and sent to the Bulls. He pitched in last night's game and did pretty well.

Have I missed any? There will be more. The Rays have to make at least one move to make room for Cobb and they've got a couple of players with dings and bruises.

The Montgomery Advertiser is reporting that Bulls pitcher Richard De Los Santos had shoulder surgery Friday and is out for the season. We wish him well. Maybe next year.

Swept! On to Toledo

Game 41, 20 May 2011, Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Durham Bulls 8; Lousville Bats 9
Wrap, Box

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
Wrap, Box

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.

A Look At the Hitters ... and More

How are the Bulls hitters doing this year?

One answer is, good enough to win most of their games. But to take a little closer look here's a chart with numbers for the current roster.

click on chart for a larger image

The players are sorted by their wOBA, Weighted On-Base Average, a sort of pumped up on-base average that provides a better picture of a player’s performance than just batting average. Also displayed is the traditional batting average number, which, mostly, tracks wOBA.

The players marked with asterisks “*” are on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster. The numbers in parentheses are the plate appearances for each batter. The sources for the data are Stat Corner and Baseball Reference.

A couple of things jump out.

The infield isn’t doing very well at bat. Russ Canzler is the only infielder (other than Lobaton) hitting above the team average. Four players are below the Mendoza Line. The sample size is way too small to jump to any conclusions regarding Felipe Lopez, but he has not done too well since his arrival.

Should we start worrying about J.J. Furmaniak and Robinson Chirinos? In a word, yes, even though they are very different players. J.J. is a veteran who can be expected to climb back up into the middle to high .200’s BA. Chirinos is a bit different because expectations were set so high coming out of spring training and because he’s on the 40-man. Nevertheless, Chirinos is more likely to be judged on his defensive skills than his hitting.

I worry more about Leslie Anderson than any of the others. His play at first base seems to be improving, but he simply is not getting on base enough. That said, his hitting has been very timely. His 14 RBIs count for something.

Webworld

• The News & Observer (the News & Observer? I know. I am as shocked as you all) did an interesting piece on Justin Ruggiano.
• Triangle Offense has a good interview with visiting reliever J.P. Howell.