Bulls Slide to Third Place

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Steve Wiseman in the Herald-Sun pretty much said it all in his first sentence: “The Durham Bulls had chances and chances and more chances to score and avoid extra innings on Friday night.”

Amen.

Season: 20-17; Home Stand: 0-3

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Standings

OK, I know it was Star Wars night and all, but those were quite possibly the ugliest uniforms I’ve ever seen on baseball players. And then the Durham Bulls went from first place to third place in the International League South as this even uglier home stand continues.

Dylan Floro looked pretty good through the first four innings, got hit hard in the 5th (2 doubles and a single, one run); and hit harder in the 6th, two singles and a home run. Not sure why Floro gets to stay up into the 90’s in his pitch count while other pitchers are being pulled much earlier.

New guy Preston Guilmet, last seen pitching for the Buffalo Bisons but claimed from the Toronto system the other day, had a nice inning, as did Jhan Marinez, but it was too late. The Bulls haven’t hit the ball well for the last week. In fact, last night all the offensive excitement was over after the first two batters, a single by Taylor Motter and a home run by Nick Franklin.

Rosterizing —

• Infielder Leonardo Reginatto has been sent back to Montgomery. We liked watching him play and he was doing a decent job at bat (.300/.323/.350). He’ll probably be back when/if the Rays give up on Hak-Ju Lee.
• Bryce Stowell was also sent to the Montgomery Biscuits. Too bad, because he had pretty decent numbers. I expect he will be back as well.
• As mentioned above, the Rays claimed reliever Preston Guilment from the Toronto Blue Jays. Stats. He looked just fine last night.
• Rehabbing Jake McGee is on his way back to Tampa Bay.
• Rehabbing Nick Franklin was pulled from the game after his home run last night. So he might be on his way back as well.
• José Dominguez came of the disabled list and should be in the bullpen for today’s game.
• According to The Tampa Tribune, Andrew Bellatti is coming back to the Bulls. He did a terrific job as a reliever for the Rays. We’ll have to see if he’s going to be starting or in relief as a Bull. 

Standings Chart

For a couple of days the Tides and the Knights were losing games along with the Bulls. Not yesterday, so that changes the chart to show the Bulls sliding into third place.

www.watchingdurhambullsbaseball.com

Rough Night at the DBAP

Season: 20-15; Home Stand: 0-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

On my scorecard I’d circled the bases-loaded end of the Bulls’ 1st inning and base-loaded end of 2nd inning and made a note to myself, “That doesn’t look good.” In the end, it didn’t matter. In the RailRiders’ 5th a flurry of “ground balls with eyes" pretty much ripped up my scoresheet. And then the was the 9, count ‘em, 9 walks by the relief corps (10 walks on the night, the worst performance this year). Aaaaaargh! Go home. Tomorrow’s another day.

There’s something not right about Jordan Norberto. In his last two appearances he’s gone 2.1 innings, given up 6 hits, 8 walks, 4 earned runs on a lot of pitches (89). He did escape the 5th after walking the bases loaded. But the 6th was simply awful and painful to watch (I left near the end of it): single, single, single (run scores), walk, ground out (run scores), fly out, walk, walk (run scores). Bryce Stowell comes in.
But, even Stowell, a very reliable guy, gave up four walks and a run.

Ah, but today’s another day.

Outside the game —

• Regular television broadcasts start today. For the rest of the season’s home games you will be able to watch the superb Explorer Post 50 crew’s work. Time Warner Cable 323 or 1250. Over the air 50.2. Details and schedule here.
• The Herald-Sun is reporting that Jake McGee has finished his rehab and is going back to the Rays. And that Matt Andriese is coming back to the Bulls. I find Andriese’s return a bit odd since he picked up a 4-inning save against the Yankees last night.
• In the same article rehabbing Nick Franklin states that he thinks he’s ready to go back.

Hitting

When we looked at hitting a couple of weeks ago, the hitters were on a slight upward trend. Not so at the moment. The last four games have been well below average. The quirk is that the hitters’ worst game (May 13) was a win.

This charts the team OPS (on base percentage + slugging) for each of last 15 games. The blue line is the average OPS for international league teams over the last three years. The trend line is a five-game moving average.

click chart for larger view
www.watchingdurhambulls.com

Nice Start to the Home Stand

Season: 15-11; Home Stand: 1-0
Wrap, Box

The Durham Bulls started off one of their rare May home stands with a shutout of the Buffalo Bisons. And they moved into a tie for first place in the South Division of the International League.

J.P. Arencibia and Cory Brown were the big bats for the Bulls. Arencibia had two home runs. Brown had a home run, a triple, and a double, just missing a single at the end of the game. Between them they accounted for 5 of the 7 RBI.

Rays fans (do we have any around here?) can be pleased to see rehabbing Jake McGee on the mound for an impressive inning and the 5 innings that rehabbing infielder Nick Franklin played in (1 for 3, single).

We’re wondering when we should start worrying about 1B/DH Alan Dykstra. Since coming back from the Rays he’s come to the plate 25 times and has yet to get a hit and only one BB. We can hope he comes around, but there’s obviously something not right.

Outside the Game —

• The Bulls are not in town very much in early May. This three game visit and a four game visit from 14-17 is it until May 25th when they start a 6-game stretch. Given the erratic weather we can expect in May, we suggest you jump at any opportunity to see the Bulls.
• Today is first “Bark in the Park” day. Usually fun.
• The local TV broadcasts begin on May 15. Based on my observation of other teams in the IL, the Bulls have by far the best crew in the league. And they are Explorer Scouts.
• The Bulls blog has a very nice summary of how the Bulls are doing at this point in the season.

The Durham Bulls in 2011 — The Pitchers: Part II

Matt Moore (22), LHP, 9 games, 9 starts, 52⅔ innings, 4-0, ERA-1.37, 5 pro seasons, 1st season in AAA.

• I was surprised to see how many innings Matt Moore was able to pitch since his first game with the Bulls on July 22nd. Added to his 18 games and 122 innings he had with the Montgomery Biscuits, his year was busy even before going up to finish it out with the Rays. Very, very impressive young pitcher. If we're lucky, we will be watching him a lot as a Bull in 2012.
• Stats

Lance Cormier (31), RHP, 20 games, 4 starts, 47⅓ innings, 4-3, ERA-5.51. 8 pro seasons, 7 in AAA, 1st w/Bulls, most of 2008-2010 in majors (ML stats).

• Released by the LA Dodgers, Cormier was signed by the Rays to a minor league contract in early June and spent the rest of the season with the Bulls. Nothing about his stats as a Bull is particularly impressive although he did take several for the team in spot starts as the season went along. At a guess, the Rays were buying insurance for their relief cadre and stashing him in Durham. Not likely to return next year.
• Stats

Jay Buente (27), RHP, 24 games, 4 starts, 42⅔ innings, 1-3, 1 save, ERA-5.70, 6 pro seasons, 3 in AAA, 1/Bulls.

• The Rays outsmarted themselves when they claimed Mr. Buente off waivers as the Marlins were trying to send him back to their AAA team in New Orleans this May. As a Bull he had a rough beginning losing three out of four starts. In relief from early July to the end of the season he did OK, but not good enough to avoid being released at the end of the season to make room on the 40-man of the Rays.
• Stats

Cory Wade (28), RHP, 22 games, all in relief, 36⅔ innings, 3-1, ERA-1.17, 8 pro seasons, 3 in AAA, 1 w/Bulls.

• Cory Wade did a brilliant job for the Bulls in the first two months of the season. As with others on the Bulls this year, he had an opt-out contract and he pitched his last game in early June. Unfortunately for the Rays, Mr. Wade is now pitching in relief for the New York Yankees where he has an impressive 6-1 record and 1.98 ERA (ML Stats).
• Stats

R.J. Swindle (28), LHP, 39 games, all in relief, 34⅔ innings, 2-0, 1 save, ERA-4.15, 8 pro seasons, 5 in AAA, 2 w/Bulls.

• Yet another Bull with an opt-out contract. In Swindle's case the Rays were obviously taking a look at him as a left-handed relief specialist. Eighteen of his appearances were for less than an inning, often for just one out. R.J. is famous for his unique slow curve and in 2010 he was great fun to watch. But the slow curve wasn't working this year and he really wasn't helping the Bulls. After his opt-out, no report of him catching on with another team.
• Stats

Jake McGee (25), LHP, 24 games, relief, 33⅓ innings, 4-2, 9 saves, ERA-2.70, 8 pro seasons, parts of 2 in AAA, all w/Bulls.

• Jake McGee was with the Bulls at the very end of 2010 and up until essentially the All-Star break in 2011. Then he was off to the Rays where he's doing OK, but not as well as I would have expected (ML Stats). His superb work in the bullpen was very helpful in keeping the Bulls in the South Division race for the first half of the season.
• Stats

Brandon Gomes (27), RHP, 20 games, relief, 25⅓ innings, 0-1, 7 saves, ERA-1.07, 5 pro seasons, 1 AAA w/Bulls.

• Bradon Gomes' Triple-A career was very short. He left the Bulls just before the 4th of July with his stellar 1.07 ERA and 7 saves. He appears to be doing just fine with the Rays (ML stats). We probably won't see him back. With McGee, he kept the Bulls in the race in May and June.
• Stats

Joe Bateman (31), RHP, 15 games, relief, 21 innings, 1-3, ERA-4.71, 9 pro seasons, 3 in AAA, 2 w/Bulls.

• We really like sidewinding Joe Bateman. We liked him in 2009. We liked him in 2010. And we could not have been happier to see the Rays sign him out of the Oakland system in late July. That said, he wasn't quite the same Joe we knew from the last two years. Used mainly in short relief, he wasn't as sharp, especially against righties. Charlie Montoyo apparently likes him. So do we. And he was better than a couple others the Bulls had this year. He may not make it back in 2012.
• Stats

Jeremy Hall (28), RHP, 5 games, 4 starts, 17 innings, 0-2, ERA-8.47, 5 pro seasons, 1 AAA, w/Bulls.

• Jeremy Hall started the year with the Montgomery Biscuits and came up to Durham at the end of April when Dirk Hayhurst went on the disabled list. He wasn't very successful and he decided to retire.
• Stats

Adam Russell (28), RHP, 15 games, relief, 17 innings, 0-1, 1 save, ERA-4.24, 8 seasons, 4 in AAA, 1 w/Bulls.

• Adam Russell started the season with the Rays (36 games) and did not come to the Bulls until the end of July. His numbers with the Bulls are skewed by a truly awful ⅔ of a inning when he let 4 runs score. With this small sample we really don't know much about him as a AAA ballplayer. I don't think I understand enough about his status to speculate on his future with the Bulls. He looks better that a couple of the guys we saw this year, though.
• Stats

Rehabbers

Jeff Neimann and J.P. Howell of the Tampa Bay Rays put in some time with the Bulls on rehab assignments this year. Neimann started 2 games and put in 9⅓ innings, allowed 4 earned runs, and put up a win and a loss. Nice to see Jeff again. J.P. Howell coming off a long layoff appeared in 4 games for 3⅔ innings. He didn't allow any earned runs.

Short Visits

Chris Archer (22), RHP, 2 games, 17 innings, 1-0, ERA-0.69. Chris put in an impressive two game (plus one in playoffs) appearance with the Bulls at the end of the season. We hope for him to be back for 2012. Stats.

Paul Phillips (27), RHP, 6 games, 11⅓ innings, 1-1, ERA-12.71. Paul came up from Montgomery to lend a hand when Richard De Los Santos went on the DL at the very beginning of the season. Spent the rest of the year in Montgomery. Stats.

Jim Paduch (28), RHP, 1 game, 7 innings, 1-0, ERA-3.86. Jim Paduch was signed out of the independent leagues to Montgomery in June, had a one-game call-up to the Bulls when they were on the road, then went back to Montgomery. Part of the July turmoil. Would like to see him pitch some day. Stats.

Richard De Los Santos (27), RHP, 2 games started, 6 innings, 0-1, ERA-6.00. De Los Santos was a stalwart of the 2010 Bulls. But this year he had four not very good innings in his first game, 2 innings in his second start, and was on the disabled list for the rest of the year. We like him, but have no idea when or if he will return. Stats.

Cesar Ramos (28), LHP, 4 games, relief, 4 innings, 2-0, ERA-4.50. Ramos came down from the Rays in late July (with Adam Russell), appeared in 4 games, and went back to St. Petersburg the first week of August. Was nice to have a lefty in the bullpen for a while. A left-handed specialist for the Rays (57 appearances, 41 innings pitched). Stats

Marquis Fleming (24), RHP, 2 games, relief, 2⅓ innings, 0-0, ERA-0.00. Marquis Fleming joined the Bulls from Montgomery for a couple of games while they were on the road in late July. Then he went back to Montgomery where he had a decent year (41 games, 80 innings). Stats.

McGee Also to Rays?

OK, this is getting a bit confusing. Topkin is now reporting that Jose Lobaton and Jake McGee have been called up. |St. Pete Times| Also, he's reporting that Rays catcher John Jaso has gone on the DL.

That puts three Bulls pitchers in play — McGee, Gomes, and Cobb — in play in the sense that the average fan doesn't know what uniform they will be wearing tonight or tomorrow night.

Tell you what, I'm just going to try and catch Neil Solondz's update before tonight's broadcast. I know that the Rays are playing the Red Sox, but, hey, the Bulls are playing the Red Sox, too.

All-Star Break Charts — 2

The Pitchers

Here we have four charts laying out the stats on the current Bulls pitching staff, with the exception of new guy Matt Torra. Torra has only had one appearance and it didn't seem fair to include him in this compilation.

Bulls pitching is a moving target. Brandon Gomes, who figures prominently in these charts is at the moment with the Bulls parent team, the Tampa Bay Rays. Andy Sonnanstine, a member of the Rays' relief cadre is on his way to the Bulls, but has not pitched with the Bulls and is not on the charts. A few pitchers have seen time as both starters and relievers (Cormier, Buente, Baker). We have no way to judge whether or not they will stay in their current roles.

Three of these metrics are fairly well-known: ERA — Earned Run Average; FIP — Fielding Independent Percentage; and WHIP — Walks, Hits per Inning Pitched. The fourth is one that we've been playing with here at WDBB, Pitching Efficiency. Pitching Efficiency is simply number of pitches divided by outs recorded.

Click on a chart for a larger image.

What do the numbers tell us?

Alex Cobb is the Bulls best starting pitcher. He leads all of the other starting pitchers on the team by any metric you'd like to choose. Somewhat to my surprise, Alex Torres is the runner-up starter in ERA and FIP, although (no surprise) pretty awful in WHIP and PE. Dirk Hayhurst is a good bit further back in ERA and FIP even though he has a better winning percentage and better WHIP and PE numbers.

Among the relievers, Brandon Gomes, Rob Delaney, and Jake McGee are the standouts.

At the other end of the spectrum we have to worry about starter/reliever Brian Baker. Recent appearances have not been promising. The sample sizes for Lance Cormier and Jay Buente are small, and they both would probably like to stay on the books as relievers. They have shown promise in the bullpen, so maybe their numbers will get better.

In the middle are Dane De La Rosa, Mike Ekstrom, and R.J. Swindle.

What happens after the break? Here are my guesses:

Starting rotation: Cobb, Torres, and Hayhurst, with new guys Sonnanstine and Torra filling it out.

Bullpen (Gomes stays with Rays): Delaney, McGee, Baker, Ekstrom, Swindle, Cormier, Buente and De La Rosa.

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

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.

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.

Pretty Night, Pretty Game

Wool E. Bull helps the Army celebrate its birthday

Jeff Neimann, back in town for a brief visit, warms up

Game 65, June 14, DBAP
Durham Bulls 1, Norfolk Tides 0
Season: 35-30; Home Stand: 2-2; Streak: W2
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

There was a lot to like about Tuesday night’s game. Jeff Niemann’s pitching in his rehab start was good enough, even if he did let six runners on base over the five innings he pitched. Nevertheless, no runs were scored and he left probably thinking that he was on his way back to St. Petersburg. No reason not to, I’d guess. And, to be honest, I’d rather have Alex Cobb back.

What I really liked, though, was Brandon Guyer showing off his speed again. That was mentioned yesterday and when he was given a chance in the 4th inning he put on another show. With two outs, the otherwise brilliant Tides pitcher, Mitch Atkins, hit Guyer, who became the first Bulls baserunner of the game. Guyer stole second and then his speed was enough to get him home on a Dan Johnson single (the first Bulls hit of the game) to the DBAP’s shallow left field. That was enough to win it for the Bulls.

Also very likable were the two double plays, always welcome.

Then there was Charlie Montoyo playing around with his bullpen. When Niemann hit his pitch count in the 5th, R.J. Swindle came in for two batters, one to finish the 5th, another to start the 6th. Then Dane De La Rosa saw four more to get through the 7th. Brandon Gomes came in (second night in a row) for the 8th to strike out the side. Jake McGee, also doing a two-in-a-row thing, came on in the 9th and, in a replay of Monday night, gave up two singles to put runners on first and second (on Monday the runners reached on errors). Catcher Jose Lobaton then made what had to be the key play of the game by pouncing on a bunt attempt and throwing out the runner trying to advance from second to third. Dan Johnson was playing third base last night and he did his first baseman thing by stretching for the throw. Very, very pretty. McGee then proceeded to strike out the next two batters. Game over.

The Bulls have a day off before heading to Gwinnett. That will be interesting. The Braves caught up with the Bulls for the lead of the South Division last Thursday and the two teams have been tied for first ever since.

Can’t let this series go by without mentioning how much fun it was to listen to Scott Pose work with Neil Solondz in the broadcast booth. For those who don’t know, Pose has a lot of experience as a professional ballplayer with some time in the majors and several years in AAA as an outfielder. He knows the game. More important, he can talk about it and help listeners see the game. Even more important, he is an alum of the University of Arkansas, as am I, which of course does not influence these comments in the least.

That's More Like It

Game 64, June 13, DBAP
Durham Bulls 4, Norfolk Tides 1
Season: 34-30; Home Stand: 1-2
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Chris Bootcheck showed us how starting pitchers do their jobs last night. At 32, he is the senior member of the team and even if he has not been a starting pitcher for several years, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how it’s supposed to be done. Seven innings, only three hits, no walks, a very efficient 81 pitches.

Nice job, with one exception, a home run by the Tides’ Ryan Hughes. That was a puzzle. If there’s a hitter in the International League that the Bulls should have a book on it would be Ryan Rhyne Hughes, who is both a former Bull and has been with the Tides for a couple of years. Hughes hit the first pitch he saw in the 5th inning over the right field fence. That’s what Hughes does. Not smart to give him a hittable first pitch.

We also saw Brandon Gomes in the 8th inning. That was nice. Mr. Gomes started the year with the Bulls. Tampa Bay called him up, broke him, and sent him back for repair. He had not pitched since May 30th, but he looked OK last night. Jack McGee had a thrilling 9th inning with his third baseman, Russ Canzler, putting two runners on base for him before he could get the save.

Highlights:

According to the Herald-Sun, along with his lineup card, Charlie Montoyo sent Tides’ Manager Gary Allenson a baseball, telling him that he found it out in center field. (if that makes no sense, see yesterday’s post.)

J.J. Furmaniak not only hit the bull to win a steak, with that home run and a double he got above the Mendoza Line. For the first time this year, every active Durham Bulls player is above the .200 mark. (Two players on the Rays’ roster are below .200.)

Mixed review for Russ Canzler’s night. Terrific at the plate and on base, three singles, two stolen bases, one run scored. Awful at third base, three errors.

Brandon Guyer, playing center field last night, really showed off his speed. A triple in the DBAP is a rare thing (only three by Durham Bulls this year), but he pulled it off in the 3rd inning. Then he ran out a bunt back to the pitcher for his second hit, and singled then stole second in the 8th (OK, he got caught stealing in the 6th). One RBI, one run scored. Great night.

Today is the U.S. Army’s 236th birthday and the 82d Airborne is bringing some people and stuff up from Ft. Bragg to put on a show.

A bit of historical trivia: you will note that the U.S. Army is older than the U.S. That’s because we trace our lineage back to a resolution of the Continental Congress to raise “ten companies of rifleman” on this day in 1775.

Tough Loss

Game 60, June 9, Coca-Cola Park, Allentown, PA
Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 6; Durham Bulls 5
Season: 32-28; Trip: 1-2
Wrap, Box

I’m not quite sure what Mr. Buente was supposed to bring to the table when the Rays claimed him off waivers a couple of weeks ago. The history of this 27 year-old is as a reliever, but with the Bulls he’s been a starter. He lost his first two games and then, with an extra day’s rest, he started his third last night. Not pretty. If not for the Bulls’ big 6th inning, he would have been on the hook for his third loss.

As careful readers know, I’m not the most knowledgeable guy regarding the business side of baseball, but seems a waste for Buente to be taking up space on the Rays’ 40-man and the Bulls rosters. Pretty sure if they DFA the guy then he goes back to the Marlins. OK with me.

Speaking of pitchers, does anyone remember Brandon Gomes? He appeared in 11 games for the Bulls and did a great job for the team. Then in early May he went up to the Rays and made 10 appearances there, the last on May 30 (note: there were 9 days between his last two appearances with the Rays). The transaction registry showed him coming back to the Bulls at the end of May and Neil has mentioned him a couple of times. But no Brandon, so far.

And even more about pitchers: Last night Jake McGee came on in the bottom of the 7th, bases loaded, two outs. One pitch, liner to Dan Johnson, and he’s out of the inning. In the 8th he threw 14 pitches to set the side down 1, 2, 3. But then in the 9th, score tied 5-5, Lehigh Valley’s John Mayberry got his first home run of the year on McGee’s second pitch. Odd bookends to a losing night.

I worry a lot about turmoil in the Bulls lineup, but looks like the Iron Pigs are even worse off. The Bulls have had 16 different players come to bat this year, the Iron Pigs have had 31! The pitching side is more equitable. The Bulls have had 22 different pitchers (including two position player appearances), the Iron Pigs have had 18.

Last night’s loss puts the Bulls into a tie for first place in the South Division of the International League. Gwinnett has won its last six games and caught up while the Bulls have been flailing around a bit.

Elliot Johnson was back in a Bulls uniform last night. He’s on a rehabilitation assignment (knee) and was in the designated hitter slot. 0 for 5. Would have been nice for at least one of the guys who came to bat in the 6th with runners on second and third with none out to get a hit. Elliot (along with J.J. Furmaniak and Desmond Jennings) missed his chance to be a hero.

Justin Ruggiano is reportedly happy these days. Guess it has more to do with my personal history than his, but I’d find Maddon’s patronizing comments hard to take. Glad that Justin apparently doesn’t see it that way. Hope he keeps it up. Up in our part of the stands we always thought he was a potential major leaguer, but couldn’t figure out where he fit with the Rays.

Quiet Day, Mostly

Game 34: Durham Bulls 1; Indianapolis Indians 0
Season: 21-13; Last 10: 8-2; This Home Stand: 6-1
Wrap, Box

First inning, second batter, Justin Ruggiano hits a home run, his 6th and ran up his team-leading total of RBIs to 28. There is no doubt that Ruggiano has been locked in these last couple of weeks and is setting a very high standard for the rest of the team’s hitters. By the way, that was the only, and obviously game-winning, run of the game.

Pitching ruled the rest of the game. The Bulls got a runner to second base in the 5th, but that was as close as they came. An Indians runner got to third base in the 6th (single, sacrifice, stolen base), but not close to getting across. But the pitchers were the only guys who didn’t have play 11 innings yesterday and then get up for an eleven o’clock game today.

Our guys collected the Bulls’ fourth shutout and the second of this home stand.

Alex Cobb picked up his third win and looked very comfortable through six. J.P. Howell gave up a hit in his inning, but really had no trouble at all.

For the first time since his arrival, Jake McGee looked like the pitcher we saw here last year. Two innings, 4 K’s (2 looking), a troublesome 4-pitch walk, and that was it. His velocity (when I noticed) was usually marked at 94, with a couple of 93s and at least one 95 in the mix.

As is all too often the case, Brandon Guyer’s “cup of coffee” has cost him back here with the Bulls. He’s 2 for 11 since his return. Still, can’t complain. What a thrill that home run must have been up in Baltimore.

Did anyone see the game on MLB? If so, how did it look?

Beautiful Extra-Inning Win, With Puzzles

Game 29: Durham Bulls 3; Syracuse Chiefs 1
Wrap, Box, Indy Week,Herald-Sun

Game 30: Durham Bulls 6; Syracuse Chiefs 5 (11 innings)
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun
Season: 18-12; Streak: 4-0

Justin Ruggiano had yet another amazing game Saturday night. In fact he sort of had to win it twice. In the 10th with the score tied 2-2, Ray Olmedo tried to score on Ruggiano's single to center field, but he was thrown out. So when Rugg came to bat in the 11th with the bases loaded and the score tied 5-5 [Ooops! Thanks, Chris D] Chiefs 5, Bulls 4, it was naturally assumed that he would hit in the winning runs — and he did with a single to center.

The win kept the Bulls two games in front of the Gwinnett Braves and its spectacular nature obscured a couple of oddities and issues that are worth mentioning.

What we witnessed for 6 innings was a superb scoreless pitchers' duel between the Bulls Alex Torres and the Chiefs Yuneska Maya. All of these games with the Chiefs have shown them to have a fine crowd of starting pitchers. But (who else) Justin Ruggiano broke the tie with a RBI double and Russ Canzler hit him in. That certainly looked good enough.

But then in a puzzling move, after J.P. Howell did his rehab inning, Chris Bootcheck came in, walked the Chief's #9 batter, and was pulled for Jake McGee. McGee got a ground out fielder's choice then gave up a home run that tied the game. My question is, why was Bootcheck pulled? He's just off the DL and did give up a walk, but something could have been wrong. And why McGee back-to-back? He pitched part of an inning on Friday and was back for this session.

Then there was the 11th. New guy Ryan Reid got a ground out and gave up a walk. R.J. Swindle came in to give up three runs with a homer, single, double and hit batter. Not good. In fact, this is not a good year for R.J. This was his first time on the mound since April 30th (2/3 inning). He's being hit hard. In 11 innings he has given up 5 home runs, 11 earned runs, 16 hits. His signature slow curve has disappeared. As a final peculiarity, after giving up 3 runs in the top of the 11th last night, when the Bulls came back with 4 in the bottom of the inning, Swindle got the win! Overall, I'm beginning to think that R.J. may not be long for the Bulls. That's too bad, because he was a key figure in last year's championship team.

We saw Felipe Lopez for the first time. He did a fine job at third base, where he was quite busy early in the game. On the other hand, he left Ruggiano hanging out in scoring position three different times.

Meanwhile, for Rays' futurists, the Montgomery Biscuits have been over in Zebulon and won one last night as well.

Our guys up with the Rays: Brandon Guyer did not get into the Rays' 8-2 win over Baltimore, but Brandon Gomes pitched a scoreless 9th (1 BB, 2 K's).

Hitters Hit; Pitchers Shuffle

Game 24: Durham Bulls 12; Indianapolis Indians 3
Season: 13-11; Streak: 2-0
Wrap, Box, Indianapolis Star

Yet another problem caused by this season’s screwy schedule is that fans have had no chance to get to know the players. Take, for example, one of last night’s heroes, Chris Carter. Although he has played 19 games for the Bulls with 87 plate appearances, he’s only had 8 games at the DBAP, mostly as the designated hitter (two starts in left field). Consequently, as a fan, we only have the box scores and stats to go on. Those are pretty good and last night’s 3 for 6, 4 RBI performance was exceptional. We just haven’t had a chance to see him.

The same problem holds for several other players such as Russ Canzler, Brandon Guyer, and Robinson Chirinos.

In a couple of months, things will be different. But for now, obviously, the only person commenting on the Bulls who has actually seen the Bulls is broadcaster Neil Solondz. So, it’s on you Neil. Remember, you’re the only guy who has really been watching these guys closely every day.

With those caveats, last night saw the Bulls have their best day at the plate this year. Every player (except for Robinson Chirinos) got a hit. Justin Ruggiano got 4 hits, but Carter’s performance moved him up into a tie for the RBI lead. They have 16 each. J.J. Furmaniak is inching up towards the Mendoza line, now at .192. Leslie Anderson got 3 RBI. A terrific day for the Bulls.

Pitcher Edgar Gonzalez only went 5 innings, but by that time the Bulls were ahead 7-0, so things were looking OK. The unfortunate Paul Phillips came on in the 6th and had a 1-2-3 inning. The 7th was different. He gave up a hit and a homer, then hit a batter and gave up a single. He left the game with two outs and two men on. R.J. Swindle let one of those runners score in his 1/3 of an inning.

That gave Cory Wade yet another chance to show his stuff. He gave up a leadoff single in the 8th, then struck out the side. In the 9th it was K, flyout, K. Very nice job.

Speaking of pitchers:

• Alex Cobb will make his major league debut pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays today against the LA Angels. Good luck, Alex!
• Jake McGee, the big left-hander we saw a bit of at the end of last season is coming to the Bulls (yeah!). I was impressed with McGee last year, and I was worried that the Rays might have been moving him along a bit too quick. He should be a big help to the Bulls.
• The same article says that Brandon Gomes might be going to the Rays. He’s done a terrific job for the Bulls. Is he ready for the Rays? Guess we will be finding out if the article is accurate. Note that all of the moves involving relievers circle around the question of when J.P. Howell will be getting back into the Rays bullpen.

Roster Projections, Chris Archer, Jake McGee, and More

Another good day for a bit of surfing around —

Over at Rays Index, Cork Gaines has put up his 25-man and 40-man roster projections. As is often the case, some really interesting stuff in the footnotes. Pleased to see that he's got Justin Ruggiano still in the running.

DRaysBay takes the approach of projecting prospect locations in various Rays' affiliates. There are some interesting names; however the approach of looking only at prospects doesn't tell Bulls fans much about what the full Bulls roster might look like this year.

Over at The Process Report, R.J. Anderson takes a look at Jake McGee. Our little section of the stands did a good bit of guessing about Mr. McGee last year since it seemed to us that the Rays had decided he was to be a reliever/closer. And that was the only thing he did with the Bulls and the Rays last year. But maybe not. Anderson seems to think that the decision has not yet been made. That could mean that the Bulls begin the season with three potential superstar starters. Now that would be fun to watch.

Chris Archer, former hot Cubs prospect, now in Rays system, and local (Clayton) product was at the Raleigh Hot Stove League gathering the other night. Very articulate and personable young man. Interesting interview with Neil Solondz here and one from the St. Petersburg Times here.

Lastly, a few more non-roster invitees have been announced. Very pleased the see Craig Albernaz and Brian Baker on the list. As careful readers know, WDBB likes Craig a lot even if he didn't get to spend much time with the Bulls last year. In fact, he won the 2010 Moonlight Graham Award. Great that he will be getting another look by the Rays. Brian Baker had a terrific season with the Bulls in 2010. Would be happy to see him back with the Bulls in 2011.

2010 Durham Bulls on the Rays Postseason Roster

The Tampa Bay Rays waited until the last minute to announce their postseason roster (they have to crunch down from the September 40-man limit to a 25-man limit). Just two of the August-September call ups from Durham made the cut, Dan Johnson and Desmond Jennings. At a stretch, I suppose Rocco Baldelli sort of fits that category, but he really wasn't with the Bulls for very long. Interesting choices for the Rays to make.

In addition, a couple of pitchers are reported to be "with the team" a category that does not make a whole lot of sense to us, but must to the Rays— Jeremy Hellickson and Jake McGee. Called up 2010 Bulls sent home were Mike Ekstrom and Dioner Navarro.

Looking at 2010 — 5 — Pitchers (cont)

Let's see if we can wrap this up.

Mike Ekstrom (26). RHP. Reliever. 58 Innings (3 2/3 postseason). 39 Games (1 start). 6-1. 6 holds, 1 save. ERA 2.79. On Rays 40-man.

• Ekstrom started the year in Tampa Bay and came to the Bulls in a swap for Joaquin Benoit in late April. He went back up to the Rays for a couple of weeks in early August, again in early September, came back for one round of playoffs, and went back to the Rays. Not quite sure why he was around all year given the somewhat erratic quality of the Rays bullpen, but nice to have him with the Bulls and he did a good job. Seemed to handle the back and forth better than most we’ve seen around here. He’s young. He’s only got two years of AAA under his belt. If he doesn’t stick with the Rays he might be back next year.
  
• Stats.

Winston Abreu (33). RHP. Reliever. 55 1/3 innings (3 1/3 postseason). 40 games. 0-4. 2 holds, 23 saves. ERA 2.28.

• A great deal of the Bulls’ success over the last two years can be attributed to Winston Abreu. If his number of saves seems a bit low (tied for 3rd in the IL), remember that in the early months of the season there were few save opportunities with the Bulls on a record-setting run scoring pace. Very, very important to the Bulls to know that if they had a lead going into the last inning, Abreu was there. At a guess, it’s up to Abreu whether or not he wants to put in another year with the Bulls. Certainly the team (and this fan) would love to have him back.
  
• Stats.

R.J. Swindle (26). LHP. Reliever. 55 innings (5 innings postseason). 40 games. 2-4. 12 holds. 2 saves. ERA 2.79.

• There was not a pitcher on the crew that was more fun to watch this year than R.J. Swindle. He got a late start on the season, not showing up with the Bulls until May 10. Impressive control right out of the gate. He didn’t walk a single batter until his eighth appearance. R.J. is famous for his slow curve that loops across the plate at much less than 60 mph, while his “fastball” barely approaches 80 mph. No pitcher on the Bulls staff could mix it up as well as he could. One or two inning guy, real asset to the team. Still young. He could be a real help to the Bulls in years to come if Rays want to keep him around.
  
• Stats.

Darin Downs (25). LHP. 40 1/3 innings (5 1/3 postseason). 23 games (1 start). 6-2. ERA 4.46.

• Downs joined the Bulls from the Montgomery Biscuits in late June. His numbers with the Bulls were much less impressive than his 1.67 ERA at AA level. On the other hand, this was his first visit to AAA baseball and he seems fully recovered from his injuries. Pretty sure that he’s going to be on the Rays “Let’s wait and see” list. Maybe Biscuits, probably Bulls next year.
  
• Stats.

The next several pitchers were in the 20 inning range, so let’s try to wrap this up with some one-liners.

Bobby Livingston (27). LHP. 27 2/3 innings (5 postseason). 5 games, no decisions. Livingston filled in some gaping holes in the Bulls starting lineup on August, and did a pretty good job for us. He’s been banging around AAA for the last couple of years — Indianapolis, Columbus, Norfolk, Buffalo, and Albuquerque — so have to think there’s a story there we don’t know about. Still, liked what we saw in August and September. Stats.
Heath Rollins (25). RHP. Started the season with the Bulls and appeared in 13 games (23 innings), but did not do well. Was sent down to Montgomery where he also did not do well. Stats.
Jake McGee (23). LHP. Started the season with Montgomery as a starter. Came to the Bulls in August to work as a reliever (17 innings) and did very, very well. Went to Tampa in mid-September. On 40-man. Likely to start 2011 with the Bulls. Stats.
Ramon Ortiz (37). RHP. 17 innings. 4 games. Much like Bobby Livingston, brought in at the end of the season to fill some holes in starting lineup. Less successful than Livingston. First time we’ve ever seen a pitcher tossed from a game for something he apparently said, not something he did (August 30). Did not appear in the postseason. Stats.
Brian Shouse (42). LHP. Reliever. Signed in mid-August to fill some holes and possibly back up the Rays bullpen. 10 games, 12 innings. Was of little help to Bulls. Stats.
Jeff Bennett (30). RHP. Starter. Started the year with Durham. Pitched one game, faced two batters in his second start and went on DL. Had one more start on May 11 and was released. Total of 10 2/3 innings. Stats.
Paul Phillips (26). RHP. Came up from Montgomery and got in 3 appearances (10 2/3 innings) before the end of the season and two in post season (6 1/3 innings). We like Phillips, but he’s running out of time. He could easily come out of spring training on the Bulls roster. Or just as easily disappear. Stats.
Joaquin Benoit (33). RHP. Likely to become a trivia question if he keeps up his terrific performance as a Rays setup man. He did spend a couple of weeks with the Bulls at the beginning of the year, making 8 appearances for 9 2/3 innings, 2 saves and a loss. Swapped out for Mike Ekstrom. Stats.
Jason Cromer (29). LHP. 8 innings. 4 games. A favorite of WDBB, Jason could not get his arm/elbow working right this year. He did show up for four games in late May/early June. He on the books as pitching a couple of games/innings in mid-August down in the Gulf Coast League, so we can hope. But have to say that it doesn’t look well. Jason’s running out of time. Stats.
Justin Garcia (24). RHP. Reliever. 4 2/3 innings. If you been reading this far, this is the punch line. Justin Garcia, as far as we can tell, has never been to Durham, NC. He came up from Montgomery and pitched two games in relief against Indianapolis, then went from there to the Charlotte Stone Crabs. Obvious candidate for the Moonlight Graham Award. Stats.
Alex Cobb (22). RHP. Starter. Alex did not play for the Bulls in the regular season. He did come up for the postseason and took a loss in his first appearance. Nevertheless, he is a very, very promising young pitcher, one of two on this year’s Biscuits squad on the Rays 40-man (Jake McGee being the other one). If we’re lucky, we’ll see a lot of him next year. Stats.

Bulls Lose Game 1 of G'cup Finals

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, News & Observer,Columbus Dispatch, MLB.com

How bad was it? Here's a clue — Omar Luna pitched the 9th 8th inning.

How bad was it? Another clue — Four out of five Bulls pitchers gave up home runs.

How bad was it? Final clue — For the first time this season, the Raleigh News & Observer put a Bulls game on the front page.

I'm not enough of a sadist to give any masochists out there any more pleasure. Instead, I think we will mention the three double plays, Justin Ruggiano's grand slam, and our wonderment at umpire Chris Conroy throwing Richard De Los Santos out of the game. Deliberate? Really? What game were you watching?

Meanwhile, down in St. Pete the always mysterious manager of the Rays, Joe Maddon, gave Jake McGee his introduction the the major leagues in the 5th inning with runners on first and second and two outs. Not a good start. McGee walked the bases full and walked a runner across before striking out Derek Jeter. He walked the first batter he faced in the 6th and was taken out.

McGee to Tampa Bay?

Marc Tompkin of the St. Petersburg Times is reporting this morning that Jake McGee might be called up today. Unfortunately, I have to admit that the call-up makes sense. The Rays are starting an important series against the Yankees tonight in that bandbox between the beach and the bay.

Could be a tough introduction for Mr. McGee, but from what we've seen here he's up to it. Fits with Indy Week's Adam Sobsey's speculation noted yesterday.

Is that why McGee sat back down last night? Sure thought I saw him get up just after Abreu went in. If we hear more, we'll just update this post.

Update:

For more commentary on why the Rays might want to bring McGee up, see Jason Collette at Dock of the Rays. Or Steve Slowinski at DRaysBay.

Neither mention that the Bulls are playing for the Governors' Cup!!! (sigh...)