Bulls Below the Border

For some guys baseball is a year-round profession. After a few weeks off at the end of the season they are off to the Winter Leagues. I’ve scrolled through the rosters and found some current and former Bulls who are playing ball as we speak, including a couple we haven’t seen in a long, long time. If I've missed someone important to you, let me know.

Robbie Knopf over at Rays Colored Glasses is tracking and writing about the Winter Leagues in more detail. Worth keeping an eye on that blog.

• Pitcher Winston Abreu, a WDBB favorite from several years ago (2009 and 2010), has had a couple of innings with the Toros de Este of the Dominican Winter League. 
• Catcher Mayo Acosta is also playing for the Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League. Not doing all that well in 10 games so far. 2014 Bulls season profiled here.
• Infielder Wilson Betemit is playing for the Giganantes de Cibao, also in the Dominican Winter League. Doing OK over 16 games. 2014 Bulls profile here. Think, but don't know for sure, that he's now a free agent.
• Pitcher Merrill Kelly has been in a starting role for the Leones del Escogidos in the Dominican Winter League. Not doing all that well, yet. A key player in the 2014 Bulls crew.
• Pitcher Josh Lueke is pitching in relief for the Toros de Este of the Dominican Winter League. 2014 Bulls stats here. Lueke also a free agent now.
• Infielder Ray Olmedo is playing for the Aguilas del Zulia in the Venezuela Winter League.
• Reliever Jim Patterson, who had just 10 innings with the Bulls in 2014, is pitching for the Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico’s Roberto Clemente League.
• Pitcher Enny Romero, not a favorite of WDBB last year, is pitching in relief for the Leones de Escogido of the Dominican Winter League.
• Catcher Roman Ali Solis is with the Tomoteros de Culiacan in Mexico’s Pacific League and playing a lot of baseball. 
• Pitcher Jake Thompson has started three games for the Tiburones de la Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League. A help last year.
• Outfielder Jon Weber, another WDBB favorite from history (2007-2009), has 6 doubles, a triple, and 6 home runs for the Mayos de Naojoa of the Mexican Pacific League. Nice to see Jon still in baseball. 

The Durham Bulls in 2014 — The Hitters — Part 2

In Part 1 we put up a table of all the position players who came to bat in 2014 ordered by the numbers of games they played. Then we discussed four of those players. In this post we'll sort the table by wOBA (less two rehabbers who were left out of the sort) and continue our discussion.

Bulls Player Stats Sorted by wOBA

Name	Age	G	PA	AVG	OPS	wOBA	wRAA
Jerry Sands*	26	54	219	.268	.825	.369	6.8
Kevin Kiermaier*	24	34	143	.305	.823	.369	4.5
Jeremy Moore	27	55	218	.262	.827	.368	6.7
Mikie Mahtook	24	132	550	.292	.820	.366	16.1
Justin Christian	34	127	520	.271	.778	.350	8.8
Cole Figueroa*	27	71	312	.282	.761	.350	5
Vince Belnome*	26	118	492	.245	.740	.341	4.8
Jayson Nix	31	55	216	.272	.748	.339	1.6
Mike Fontenot	34	113	454	.276	.714	.328	-0.3
Curt Casali*	25	46	183	.237	.694	.322	-1
Wilson Betemit	32	111	453	.217	.694	.311	-6.5
Robby Price	26	70	249	.216	.604	.285	-8.6
Nick Franklin	23	27	113	.210	.578	.273	-5
Hak-Ju Lee*	23	93	357	.203	.563	.268	-17.2
Ray Olmedo	33	104	404	.224	.551	.259	-22.3
Tim Beckham*	24	15	65	.258	.572	.256	-3.7
Ali Solis	26	73	266	.203	.514	.234	-19.9
Mayo Acosta	26	32	94	.133	.408	.198	-9.6
Eddy Rodriguez	28	13	49	.152	.443	.198	-5.1
Wil Myers	23	7	31	.250	.961	.409	2
Brandon Guyer	28	5	26	.400	1.238	.533	4.2

   * on the Rays 40-man roster.

Wilson Betemit (111 games) was the rare power hitter in the Bulls lineup this year. But once you crunch all the numbers together he simply did not make that much of a contribution. He played mostly first base and DH and his glove appeared above average. Without drilling too deep into the numbers, our impression is that he was not improving as the year went on. Not likely to be back next year. Stats.

Ray Olmedo (104 games) is an all-time WDBB favorite player. He brings a tremendous amount of energy to the game and the sheer quickness of his hands from catch to release is a great pleasure to watch. This year he extended his repertoire of fielding positions by 20 appearances in the outfield and even had a brief moment at first base (wonder who he borrowed a glove from?). In Ray’s case I’d say the hell with the numbers and bring him back. I just like watching him play. Stats.

Hak-Ju Lee* (93 games) messed up his knee early in the 2013 season and did not return to the Durham Bulls until 23 April of this year. For a long time he has been near the top of various prospect lists, but he was one of the least productive Durham Bulls this year. Was he ready to return? Is his knee up to the job? No fan in the stands is going to be able to tell about that. We don’t think that the Rays are going to give up on the 23 year-old, but here’s hoping that in the off-season they find a way for him to work on his hitting. Stats.

Ali Solis (73 games) is the first of a cluster of four catchers we saw this year. To be perfectly honest, none of them showed Triple A caliber stuff. I hate to say that because I love watching players at that position. Catcher is a tough job at any level, but at Triple A you’ve got pitchers who are (or who think they are) right on the edge of becoming big leaguers. For the last couple of years the Rays system does not seem to be either growing or hiring good catchers. In fact, they seem to be trading some of the good guys away. But that’s for another article. Ali Solis certainly seemed to handle the pitching crew quite well, had a decent arm, and was only charged with seven passed balls. At 26 he’s still young, but his bat needs a lot of work. He did get a callup to the Rays this year and appeared in 8 games. Stats.

Cole Figueroa* (71 games) is another WDBB favorite who had a decent year, mostly at third base. His low number of game appearances with the Bulls is the consequence of his two callups to the Rays in mid-May and six weeks in July and August. He appeared in 23 Rays games after his debut on 16 May.  [Note to self: let’s not rant about the Rays pulling good players up to sit on the bench]. For reasons that are a mystery to us, he does not seem to be part of fanblog discussions over with the Rays. He should be. Otherwise, we would be more than happy to see him back with the Bulls next year. Stats.

Robby Price (70 games) was, by far, the most jerked around player on the Bulls roster this year. It seems every year they Bulls have a player who is kind of a “ghost” player. He’s on the roster for a few days then in a paper transaction is taken off for a few days and then he comes back. Robby Price (and to a lesser extent Mayo Acosta) was that guy this year, he figured in 9 different transactions. The 26 year-old’s numbers aren’t all that great, but without any consistent playing time, how can we judge? The Bulls need a guy like Price on the roster. He even pitched in three games for 2⅓ innings. I’d assume he will be a free agent next year. Here’s hoping he gets a shot with a team that will give him some playing time. Stats. [Update: Price was released by the Rays in late October.]

Jayson Nix (55 games) was apparently brought on board as a deep backup to the Rays infield. The 31 year-old was reasonably productive during his time from mid-May to 1 August. On the other hand we worried about the other infielders available (Price, Fontenot, Olmedo, Lee) who might have lost playing time while he was with the team. Nevertheless, his stats show that he was helpful. He apparently had an opt-out contract. He will likely have some place in baseball trivia questions for his trek from the Phillies to the Bulls to the Pirates to the Kansas City Royals. Not a snowball’s chance he’ll be back with the Bulls next year. Stats.

Jeremy Moore (55 games ) was our joy of the last part of the season. We’d actually forgotten about him being on the non-roster invitee list last spring training, so when he showed up from Montgomery on 25 June we didn’t know quite what to expect. Very exciting guy to watch. Reminded us a lot of Leslie Anderson, not in style, but in the excitement he brought to the game. He started off extremely hot, cooled off a bit, but the Bulls finally had a power hitting outfielder to pair with Mikie Mahtook. With 12 homers in 55 games he was on a league-leading pace. Here’s hoping that the Rays do whatever it takes to bring him back next year. He sure seems like a guy who could do the Bulls (and the Rays) some good. Stats.

Jerry Sands* (54 games) started the season with the Bulls and was doing an extraordinary job. In fact, his stats are among best of any Bull this season. He was called to the Rays at the 1st of June to fill in for an injury down there. On 22 Jun, however, he had a season-ending injury himself. We like what we saw while he was here and we’d love to see him back. We’ve seen very little about his injury status, however. Stats.

Curt Casali* (46 games) was one of the four catchers with the Bulls this year. The 25 year-old came up from the Montgomery Biscuits in early May and was called up to the Rays in mid-July. While with the Bulls he put together some decent numbers, by far the best of any of the catchers this year. His trip to St. Petersburg was not expected to last, but in fact he stayed there for the rest of the year, appearing in 30 games. However, he left Rays’ game on 25 September with a season-ending concussion. Assuming he recovers OK, he is very likely to start next year either with the Rays or the Bulls. Stats.

Kevin Kiermaier* (34 games) was with the Bulls at the beginning of the year and we could not have been more excited. We thought that with Jerry Sands and Mikie Mahtook we were going to see one of the finest outfields in Bulls history. Unfortunately, the Rays could not keep themselves healthy and once Mr. Kiermaier got to the Rays he did everything he could to make sure he would not come back, and he didn’t. He had a terrific year with the Rays, but I sure wish he’d stuck around here a bit longer. Stats.

Mayo Acosta (32 games) started the season with the Bulls and was in the dugout all year. But, as with Robby Price, the young catcher spent much of the year in paper purgatory. We cannot fault a player with such an erratic schedule for never get his timing right. So we are not sure his numbers are actually worth anything at all. Perhaps a better measure of him as a player is to note that he was the guy that got the best relief crew in International League baseball ready to pitch. And then there were the two games where he pitched for 3 innings and got 2 K’s. Stats.

Nick Franklin* (27 games) came to the Bulls as part of the big David Price trade on 1 August. Young Mr. Franklin has a solid reputation. We’ll see. So far we aren’t impressed at all. But apparently the Rays are. He got a lot of September playing time even if he wasn’t hitting. That would imply that he’s on the short list to stay with them next year. Stats.

Tim Beckham* (15 games) returned to the Bulls after surgery and a long rehab on 12 August. We’ve seen a lot of Mr. Beckham over the last few years and we like him. His bat seemed to have a bit more pop than we recall and his speed is still up there. We look forward to seeing him at second or shortstop next year, at least at the start of the season. Next year could be his year. Stats.

Eddy Rodriguez (13 games), the fourth catcher in a Bulls uniform this year, was released in early May when Curt Casali was called up from Montgomery. To be honest, we are a bit surprised he did not catch on somewhere else, but we haven’t found him, so we guess that he’s retired from the game. Update: Thanks to Doug (see comments), we now know he caught on with the Red Sox in a coaching job. Good for him.  Stats.

Wil Myers played in 7 games and Brandon Guyer played in 5 games on rehab assignments. Both did reasonably well and both seemed to be playing hard. Not always the case with rehabbing major leaguers.

Game 2 to the Bulls

Columbus Clippers catcher Dusty Brown (27) can’t hold onto the ball as he tries to tag Durham Bulls third baseman [sic] Ray Olmedo (13) at home plate in the 9th inning. 
Kyle Robertson, Columbus Dispatch

Playoffs (Best of 5): 1-1
Wrap, Box, Columbus Dispatch

We are going to get to see at least two more home games this year. Good news for Bulls fans. Wonder if we are going to do any better in attendance than Pawtucket (2,560) or Columbus (5,158) did last night? At least there will be fireworks after the game, and maybe in the game.

Note that Saturday is a 1:00 pm day game — that’s 1300 for my former colleagues.

About last night ...

A thriller all around. I watched the game on MiLB TV, but listened to the stream of Patrick Kinas, which was 5-20 seconds behind. Created the illusion that I was going to know something before Patrick did. I knew Ray Olmedo (pinch-running for Vince Belnome) missed his grab for the plate, but the Clippers Dusty Brown could not handle the ball and Olmedo was able to dance back to the plate and score the tying run in the 9th.

That comeback was atypical of the 2014 Bulls, but could not have been more welcome. What was typical was the absolute shutdown of the Clippers by the Bulls relief corps. Merrill Kelly, Josh Lueke, and Adam Liberatore combined for 5 solid innings allowing just one hit as the Bulls chipped away with a run in the 7th, 9th, and the winning run in the 10th.

Cole Figueroa led off the 10th with a triple and it looked like at least one run was in the bag. But the Bulls needed a gift from the Clippers’ second baseman who let Mikie Mahtook on base. With just one out, Tim Beckham launched a fly ball to center field that let Figueroa score the winning. Adam Liberatore shut down the Clippers to finish the game.

Both teams took overnight busses to Durham. They should be in town by now. The field looks magnificent even after last night’s deluge.

Over in Pawtucket, the Red Sox defeated the Chiefs 8-2 (who were stripped of talent in the September call-ups). Could we be looking for another Red Sox/Bulls playoff?

Outside the game —

• Terrific bit of analysis out of The Atlantic that attributes the falloff in major league hitting to better umpiring! The article contends that the little boxes we see on the screen showing the strike zone has had the effect of significantly increasing called strikes, especially in the bottom of the zone (thus more swinging strikes, ground balls, etc.) Makes a lot of sense to us. The data are pretty persuasive. And another reason that the transition from the minors to the majors is more difficult for hitters than for pitchers.

Season Wraps Up With Win; 5 Hits, 5 Runs

Season: 75-69
Wrap, Box

Justin Christian must not have gotten the memo about it being the last game of the season. Instead of relaxing and being careful, he hit a home run and a double off the wall, stole third base, scored two of the Bulls five runs, and made a couple of nice plays in center field.

He was just part of a very pleasant (a bit warm) afternoon at the DBAP. We saw some good baseball, including four double plays by the Bulls infield. I doubt that’s a record, but still very welcome on a day when your opponents are getting on base. We were reminded what a smooth, competent infielder Ray Olmedo is as he started two, and was the pivot man in the third double play. Pitcher Doug Mathis started the other one, a 1-6-3.

Speaking of pitchers, this was a bullpen day as Charlie Montoyo apparently wanted to set his rotation to begin on Wednesday in Columbus. They did a remarkable job. Doug Mathis had not pitched since August 15, but got through his three innings only giving up a bases-empty home run. Similarly, Jake Thompson last pitched on August 13, but he got the win and pitched three scoreless. Lastly, newcomer Cory Burns made his 6th and longest appearance as a Bull, also going three scoreless innings.

Oddity of the game? Every Bull who got on base scored, all by hits. Nobody was going to wait for a walk, it seemed. That is, in my experience, unique: 5 hits (two doubles, a homer, and three singles), 5 runs.

A very good year that we’ll be writing about a bit as we start closing things out. But this was just a nice baseball game all by itself. Thanks, guys. It was fun.

Last Stand in the North Successful

Season: 65-61; Trip: 2-3
Wrap, Box, Democrat & Chronicle

For their last game in the North in the regular season, the Bulls had some fine pitching and a hit fest — 16, including two doubles and two home runs. Merrill Kelly, who wakes up each morning wondering whether he’s going to be a starter or a reliever, started and led the shutout allowing just two hits.

Hak-Ju Lee, who is having a generally awful season (including two E’s last night) hit a home run in his first at bat to lead things off for the Bulls. That helped as the Bulls had trouble pushing runs across until the 8th. Still, they were seeing the ball well and putting a lot of guys on base.

Mike Fontenot’s last several days have been terrific. Last night he went 4 for 6, as did Mikie Mahtook. Ray Olmedo only went 3 for 4, but drew two walks and scored three runs. Tim Beckham’s return remains strong. He was 1 for 5 last night.

Outside the game —

• Justin Christian’s punishment of a three-game suspension for threatening the pitcher that hit him seems a bit harsh . (He made a few steps toward the pitcher with the bat still in his hand. I saw it. He was carrying the bat in the middle, at the balance point. Not in a striking pose. What was he supposed to do? Throw the bat away and then come after the guy who’d just hit him? No doubt, however, that he was really upset. As was Charlie Montoyo.) The punishment extends to the entire team. The Bulls are not allowed to replace him, so they will be a position player short for the next two games. Expect to see infielders in the outfield. At least the Bulls will be at home with the short left field wall. Christian’s right hand bat will be missed, though.
• I missed any update there might have been regarding Wil Myers. If he’s still with the team, that will help fill the gap.
• Meanwhile, that was the last out-of-division game of the year for the Bulls. And they will not be back in the North unless they 1) win the South Division and 2) win the first round of the playoffs against the West champion.
• If I’ve counted right, the Bulls have 12 home games and 5 road games left, all against South Division teams.
• Ice Bucket Challenge. I don’t know if this is a local or national challenge, but all sorts of local leaders and celebrities are participating in an “ice bucket challenge”, which amounts to standing in front of a camera and dumping a bucket of ice water over your head — all in a good cause — ALS treatment and research. All the local mayors seem to have joined in. Not to be outdone, Wool E. Bull, General Manager Mike Birling, and a cast of ... a lot ... have joined in.
• Note for twitteristas: See the hashtag #keepthecup that is out there. Good idea.
• Over at Rays Colored Glasses Robbie Knopf speculates on where Tim Beckham might fit in the Rays situation next year.

Standings

The Bulls come home well ahead of anyone else in the South Division, but stuck just a few games above .500.

Click on chart for larger view

Oops Leads to Catastrophe

Season: 60-55; Trip: 2-5
Wrap, Box, The Morning Call

The Bulls are playing this morning up in Allentown, so this will be short.

Alex Colome and Ray Olmedo botched a play at third base in the third inning and things went down hill from there. It probably shouldn’t have made a difference and certainly should not have carried over into the next inning (4 runs), but it seemed to. By that time I’d stopped listening so I’m not sure.

Outside the game —

• Dealing with roster turmoil is part of the game at AAA level, as noticed in this Morning Call article. By the way, The Morning Call is just about the best of the bunch in home town International League coverage of any paper we’ve seen.

A Win, Some Rain, a New Infielder

Season: 59-51; Trip: 1-1

Wrap, Box, Charlotte Observer

Alex Colome looked good after 10 days rest. Belnome, Lee, Nix, and Mahtook had 2-hit games.

Box, Charlotte Observer

They will resume the postponed game as beginning of a double header (7-inning) at 6:05 today. Mike Montgomery had given up a 2-run homer in the 2nd, but rain was coming down much of the game as the teams spent two hours mostly sitting in dugouts.

David Price and Nick Franklin

The big news yesterday was the trade of former Bull David Price to the Detroit Tigers. For a look at the deal from the Rays point of view here are a couple of links. Over at Rays Index, Cork Gaines seems to think the deal makes sense. The Process Report weighs in here. And Robbie Knopf at Rays Colored Glasses has his thoughts.

We here at WDBB don’t much care about either the Smyly or Adames piece of the trade. What we want to know is how the deal will affect the Durham Bulls’ chances for at least a South Division title if not another Governors’ Cup. Since it looks like a one-for-one for starting pitchers down in St. Petersburg, the key Durham Bulls consideration is the young middle infielder from the Mariners organization Nick Franklin. 

The 23 year-old, switch-hitting Franklin had a lot of time with the Mariners last year (102 games), but only 17  this year. He has impressive numbers in his 75 games with the Tacoma Rainiers, .294/.392/.455. He has split his time between 2B and SS. So there’s no question that his bat will bring a lot to the Bulls. His OPS ranks near the very top of the Bulls, in the statistical company of Mikie Mahtook and Jeremy Moore. [stats]

However, a lot depends on the Rays assessment of where he stands on his development path. Don’t forget that Cole Figueroa is still sitting on the Rays’ bench and Franklin certainly seems like a bat the Rays could use. Franklin could go to the Rays sooner rather than later. Is he going to take up a 40-man slot? Don’t know. [Update, 10:30: Yes.]

But let’s assume he comes to the Bulls. Who will leave? And where? And what serves the Bulls' best interests? Obviously, the weakest link in the Bulls infield is Hak-Ju Lee. The question with Lee would be what would help him the most, seeing more Triple-A pitching, or spending some time in AA? I’d bet on sticking with the Bulls. That leaves Jayson Nix, Mike Fontenot, Ray Olmedo, and Robby Price (but don’t forget Figueroa and someday, someday, Tim Beckham will be back). Faced with similar choices this year, it has always been Robby Price who's been pushed off the bus.

I think we’ll know pretty soon and you can be sure that the decision will have nothing to do with the Bulls Governors’ Cup prospects. There’s a reason the Rays wanted Franklin. We just don’t know exactly what that is yet.

Trade Deadline Bothers Bulls

Ray Olmedo slides into third, safe, 29 July 2014.
Photo by Robert Lahser, Charlotte Observer

Season: 58-51; Trip: 0-1

Wrap, Box, Charlotte Observer

We missed the broadcast intro last night. But it sure looks like the Tampa Bay Rays’ indecision/secretiveness as they approach the trading deadline cost the Bulls a game last night. How was that? Well, Merrill Kelly started the game and, while we think the world of Mr. Kelly, it hardly seems fair to put him up against the best hitting team in the IL in a hitter-friendly park when he has not started game since 28 June. Since then he’s has only thrown 90 pitches over 4⅓ innings in five relief appearances. 

Nevertheless, Kelly did just fine if it weren’t for the two home runs. He was followed by his colleague Doug Mathis who did not let another run in, although he did provide some thrills with his 3 Ks.

The larger question is why the Bulls, who are already short a reliever in the bullpen (Jeff Beliveau was never replaced) had to use one of them to start a game? A plausible answer is that the Rays may be about to do some trading and want maximum flexibility. So who’s up tonight? 

Yes, the Bulls did have their chances, but the Rays made it tough on them.

Outside the game —

• WDBB got 15 seconds of fame the other day when one of our charts got posted on the Rays Index. Big deal in the blogging world.
• The Process Report, another Rays blog, has taken a look at WDBB favorites Kirby Yates and Jeff Beliveau, who are now with the Rays. 
• Isn’t that a nice shot of Ray Olmedo?

More from Moore

Season: 45-37; Home Stand: 2-5
Wrap, Box

As we mentioned yesterday, the stats on the new Durham Bull Jeremy Moore weren’t all that promising, but it seems that he was injured at the end of spring training. Looking back, some of the bloggers were putting him in contention to stick with the Rays at the end of spring. He’s certainly making his mark. An RBI double in the 2nd inning and a beautiful grand slam in the 5th accounted for five of the Bulls’ runs in the game. So let’s welcome him to the team. And let’s not forget catcher Curt Casali, who had two RBIs, or Ray Olmedo, who had the other one. A good night for Bulls hitters.

As regular readers will know, we like Matt Andriese a lot and we were very pleased to see him come back from his absolutely awful start of a few days ago. Six strong innings, followed by some of Brandon Gomes’ best work since he re-joined the Bulls

And then there was Steve Geltz. We like him. We liked his work as a pitcher last year. After 50 games away from the team on a drug suspension we didn’t expect much, but he simply blew three batters away. His return creates a roster problem once Alex Colome is on his way back from the Rays after tonight’s game in Baltimore. Geltz sure made his statement that he belongs with the Bulls.

Cannot pass up the chance to point out the game's quirk. Bottom of the 7th, two outs, Ali Solis batting as DH. Solis hits a "towering" pop up over shortstop Robert Andino's head. Solis does what he's supposed to do, he runs it out. In fact, he keeps on going until he's halfway to second base. That tells you a bit about how "towering" the pop up was. And, you know where's this is going, Andino dropped the ball, picked it up, and began a run down of Solis, who was eventually tagged out. What coach has ever said, "Run it out, but wait on first base just in case he drops the ball?"

Not Quite

Season: 20-13; Trip: 0-2
Wrap, Box, Syracuse.com

Nate Karns had two extra days off from pitching and it seemed to help. He left the game with a 2-1 lead at the end of the 6th. But Juan Sandoval, who had just gotten his first save of the year on Sunday, got his first blown save of the year last night.

As on Monday night, they were playing before an empty house of just 1,623 paid.

The Chiefs manager must have decided to test young Curt Casali even more than on Monday. But Casali is hanging in there. They did get two stolen bases off of him. On the other hand, Casali threw out two baserunners trying to steal, and picked off a third one. So, looks like he’s holding his own.

Wilson Betemit’s home run got the Bulls ahead in the game and Justin Christian pushed Ray Olmedo across with a go-ahead run. But they just could not hang on.

Former Bull Wil Rhymes got the game-winning RBI.

Outside the game —

• Just noticed that former Bull and WDBB favorite Joe Dillon is the Chiefs’ hitting coach. Some of 2009 and all of 2010 and featured in one of my favorite photos of that year.
• Rays Index has two items of interest to Bulls fans. He notes that Alex Colome, although on suspension, is pitching for the Charlotte Stone Crabs. And he has some thoughts on the drug issues highlighted by Steve Geltz’s suspension.
• Tim Beckham gets a mention here. Not clear when he may be showing up. 

End of Game Thrills and Injury Updates

Season: 17-9; Home Stand: 3-1

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

A tip of my Durham Bulls hat to Harold Gutmann for his reporting in today’s Herald-Sun. It appears that the Bulls/Rays don’t feel any obligation to report injury information to the fans … unless queried by the media. Well, here’s what the Herald-Sun is reporting:

Mikie Mahtook, who got hit in the face with a fastball Monday night:

Outfielder Mikie Mahtook was headed to Florida Tuesday to see a specialist after he was hit by a pitch in the face on Monday. The doctor will determine if he could play with a protective helmet of if he will be out for up to four weeks. 

C.J. Riefenhauser, who was placed on the disabled list Monday:

… C.J. Riefenhauser went on the DL with an oblique sprain.

Kevin Kiermaier, who has not played since April 23 and whose absence is the reason for infielders playing outfield:

Outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (hamstring) is hoping to return Thursday after missing the past four games.

Again, thanks Harold. Nice to have someone looking out for the fan’s interests.

This was a really interesting game. If you weren’t able to make it there, too bad. Yes, the weather was ugly and the kids were loud, really loud, but the baseball was thrilling.

Infielders Robby Price, playing in the outfield for the first time in many years and Ray Olmedo, playing 2B had some key hits, Olmedo’s triple in the 2nd inning got the scoring started and his beautiful safety squeeze bunt in the 8th scored a critical game-winning run in the 8th. Price’s single in the 8th set it up.

And then there was Mike Fontenot in the unusual role of designated hitter to simply would not let Rail Rider pitching off the hook. He had two singles and an RBI double on the night.

What may have been the key to winning the game, however, were the two hitters who started off the 8th inning. Rail Rider Chase Whitney had been on the mound since the 4th inning.  Justin Christian took him to a full count before striking out and then Vince Belnome chipped his way through a 10+ pitch at bat before hitting a double to right field. That opened the door for the Bulls. Jerry Sands got a walk. Mike Fontenot doubled, scoring a run. Robby Price’s single brought in the go ahead run. Olmedo’s bunt brought in the insurance run the Bulls would need.

Kirby Yates (ERA 0.00, 8 saves) came on to close in a 6-4 game. I packed up my stuff and bragged about Yates to the fans around me. Never a good idea. The first batter tripled then came home on an infield ground out. The next batter struck out, but it took 9 pitches to close the deal. After two strikes on the next batter, Yates threw eight straight balls, putting runners on first and second. Time for a mound visit by Neil Allen. Ball, strike, ball, strike, strike, game over. But it was a bit more thrilling that I wished. Yates’ ERA ballooned up to 0.69.

The Rail Riders are a better team than their record shows. If their pitching comes around they could be contenders.

Today is the first day off for the Bulls this season. Take a break guys.

Pretty Sunday

Season: 17-8; Home Stand:2-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, SWB RailRiders

An interesting game, but let’s lead off with the quirky stuff (with thanks to broadcaster Kinas for mentioning it).

Last Sunday, April 20th, reliever C.J. Riefenhauser was wearing a Tampa Bay Rays uniform. In the 12th inning of a game against the New York Yankees he was called in for just his second appearance as a major leaguer with a runner on first and no outs. A little bit later there are runners on first and third with two outs and he was instructed to walk the batter (Jacoby Ellsbury) in order to get to left-handed, weak hitting shortstop Dean Anna. Riefenhauser walked Anna on a disputed call at 3-2 and the run that came in turned to be the winning run. Rays manager Joe Maddon had lots to say about the call(s).

Fast forward to last night, top of the 8th inning, the Bulls have just gone ahead 5-4. Mr. Riefenhauser, now wearing a Durham Bulls uniform, is on the mound and the leadoff batter is … shortstop Dean Anna, now wearing a RailRiders uniform. Anna pops up to 3B Cole Figueroa, the next two batters line out to left field, the Bulls score an insurance run in the bottom of the inning, Kirby Yates does his thing, and C.J. Riefenhauser has his first win of the year. Gotta love Triple A baseball.

Now, what about the rest of the game?

Merrill Kelly gave up two home runs and Bulls pitchers hit a season high number of opposing batters (3), and yet Jerry Sands and company kept the runs coming across until Sands’ last hit, a single in the 8th created an insurmountable lead.

If that’s a clue regarding how much we are coming to admire Mr. Sands, it should be. He is having a career year with the Bulls. The fact that he is a local lad (Clayton) and out of Catawba College in Salisbury just adds to his stature. His swing has been a beauty to watch, but last night what was most impressive was his bat handling. Of course there was the home run in the 2nd inning. But what about the two opposite field RBIs: A sacrifice fly in the 5th and a single in the 8th? Now that was professional hitting.

Last night was the first time I’ve been able to watch Hak-Ju Lee on the field since his return. He made several nice plays, including participating in a twisting 1-6-3 double play. At bat he has a long way to go, but he did draw a couple of walks.

Yet another oddity of last night was seeing Ray Olmedo out in left field. It’s not that he doesn’t have any experience there. But it’s been a while, 2 games in 2012 and another few games in 2010 (this is a guy who has 1425 professional minor league games under his belt). Kevin Kiermaier is reportedly day-to-day with a hamstring concern and I’m guessing it was Mikie Mahtook’s time to have a day off.

Outside the game —

• Check out the new item at the Bulls history link.
• Mike Montgomery was named International League Pitcher of the Week

Kelly Resets the Bulls

Season: 11-4; Home Stand: 1-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Merrill Kelly was a big deal for the Durham Bulls last year. He’s back in town and keeping the Bulls on track this year. He’s only had four appearances, two in relief and two starts. But he nevertheless has the most innings (18), most wins (3), and a very nice 1.50 ERA.

Last night he got only slightly off track in the second inning when a walk, single, and a double put two runs across. Otherwise, he was untouched for the rest of the game. Those two hits were the only hits of the game for the Tides.

And then there’s the rehabbing major leaguer, Juan Carlos Oviedo, who got in his inning last night. Oviedo is on his way back from surgery and a stellar career as a closer. Mostly, we here at WDBB are not big fans of the Bulls' role as a place for rehabbing ball players to work on their ouchies. More often than not their constraints mean that the Bulls have to work around them and they don’t really help the team win ball games. Oviedo seems to be an exception. Apparently he’s on a “one-and-done” rule. He’s made six appearances in relief, each for one inning. His very first time out he got touched up for 3 hits and two runs and threw 14 pitches. Those were the last runs scored on him and he’s only given up 1 hit in the last 5 games. His WHIP is a stellar 0.67 and his “efficiency”/pitches per out is an equally stellar 4.28. He doesn’t count against the Bulls 25 man limit, so in his case, it’s a win-win for everyone.

Lastly, Kirby Yates had a two-inning save. He did let two guys get on base — a rarity. But his 5 saves and ERA of 0.00 are the best in the International League. You just know he’s going to get some time with the Rays this year.

Sometimes we’ve participated in that great debate regarding shortstops — do you want a strong arm or a quick release? Last night Ray Olmedo made his case for the quick release faction. My notes show three very smooth plays where the ball seemed to barely touch his glove before it was on its way to 1B. You don’t see a clothesline throw from Mr. Olmedo and he often throws sidearm. But it does not seem to matter. He is so often positioned just where he needs to be and the transfer is so smooth that he gets the out anyhow. Fun to watch the veteran at work.

Lastly, kudos to Jerry Sands for his 1st inning 2 RBI shot to right field and to Mike Fontenot for his very hard hit grounder that just ate up Norfolk’s 2B and brought the winning run home.

Outside the game —

• Chris Gimenez, a catcher we liked to watch last year, appears to have found a home with the Round Rock Express, the AAA, Pacific Coast League, team of the Texas Rangers. There was a moment when he might have come back into the Rays system. Guess not.
• The Bulls have four games in Norfolk then drive past Durham to go to Charlotte for four games. One of the IL schedule quirks for this year.

Triples

Season: 6-3; Trip: 1-0
Wrap, Box, Gwinnett Daily Post

A triple is an unusual hit in baseball. Three in a game is very unusual.

Last night’s first, by Mikie Mahtook, drove in Jerry Sands. The second, by catcher Roman Ali Solis, put him on 3B and he came home on a Ray Olmedo single. The third, by Justin Christian, drove in two runs and blew the game open. Christian came home on a sacrifice fly of Wilson Betemit.

Meanwhile Mike Montgomery continues to look very good in a 5-inning, 5K, 1ER performance. Jeff Beliveau came back from Tampa Bay and put in a solid two innings. C.J. Riefenhauser and Kirby Yates closed it out.

Outside the game —

• Kevin Kiermaier is in the starting lineup for todays game in Cincinatti.
• Merrill Kelly is tonight’s starting pitcher (He did that 14 times last year. He was, in fact, the 5th man in last year’s rotation.)
• As to why, well reports have Durham Bull Erik Bedard being called up even though Cesar Ramos is listed at Tampa Bay’s starter and no corresponding roster move has been announced.
• Charlotte's new park opened last night. Background story here.

Great Start; Kiermaier to Rays

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

I wasn’t able to get out to Tuesday’s game. The wrap and the Herald-Sun pretty much tell the tale. Good post-game interview with pitcher Enny Romero.

Season: 5-3; Home Stand: 5-3
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

You have to credit the Bulls marketing crew for the crowd that was there for today’s game. Reportedly they sold 7,500 tickets to the kids for an Education Day, get-away day game that was over by 2 pm.

Some decent baseball as well. The Knights came out swinging. To their regret, I’d say. Bulls pitchers got 16 Ks (they are 97 on the year for an average of over 12 per game). When I asked a Bulls player at yesterday’s First Pitch luncheon who had the best arm amongst the youngsters, he mentioned Matt Andriese. Andriese collected 8 K’s and looked mostly quite good.

Ray Olmedo had his first start in the leadoff spot and did his job. He got on base 3 out of 4 times, including an RBI double.

Overall, a solid opening home stand. The Bulls leave town in good health and seem to be shaking out. This road trip is shorter than usual. They will be back for two days next week

Outside the game —

• Jeff Beliveau got in a perfect inning with the Rays on Wednesday night and then was optioned back to Durham. Rays Manager Joe Maddon said that they would be looking for a left-handed hitter to fill the Matt Moore hole because the Rays are beginning a interleague game with the Cincinnati Reds. Kevin Kiermaier, who sat out today’s game was called up immediately the game and is on his way to Cincinnati.
• Spectacular video from opening day at the Bulls blog. Must See!

Sunny Day

Season: 2-2; Home Stand: 2-2
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

A lot to like in Sunday’s game, but let me just pick out a few items.

Wilson Betemit. I have to admit that I was worried about having a 32-year old veteran with so much big league experience on the team (over 8 years with eight different clubs). He was out with an injury essentially all of last year while on the Baltimore roster. But so far, so good. The switch-hitter has started all four games (3-DH, 1-1B) and has brought a real power threat to the plate: 2 HR, 4 RBI, while drawing 5 BBs for an OPS of 1.221. Yesterday he opened the action with a 2-run homer that established a lead that held for the rest of the game. He is not on the Rays 40-man, so we can expect to see him around much of the year.

Vince Belnome, last year’s star, had been quiet since his scramble down and back from St. Petersburg. Until yesterday. 2 for 4 and a RBI. Things looking up for him.

I’m worried about Ray Olmedo, but probably not as much as he is. 8 Ks out of 11 AB is simply not like him at all. Surely he will come around, but I’m worried.

Not so much with Mike Montgomery if he keeps this up. We were fairly critical of Montgomery’s year last season, but, according to the Herald-Sun, he’s got a new pitch he’s comfortable with. He certainly did just fine yesterday.

Outside the game —

• Given what's going on outside right now, time to point out the “Coping With Rain” link over on the sidebar. I’ve done a modest update. That post describes my personal strategy for dealing with a rainy day and has a nifty video about a rainy day a couple of years ago. My strategy doesn’t always work. But worth thinking about today.

Matchup

The Charlotte Knights, a White Sox affiliate, started their season over in Norfolk. They are doing well. They have four games at the DBAP before they finally have a home opener in their shiny new downtown stadium.

These numbers won’t be particularly useful this early in the year, but I needed to remember how to chase them down. So here they are.

Great Start

Season: 1-0; Home Stand: 1-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, N&O, Indy Week, WRAL

First game and the baseball was just fine (once the Bulls bullpen went to work).

Neither Chris D nor I were particularly accurate in our lineup predictions. Vince Belnome got called to St. Pete, sat on the bench for about half the game and is on his way back. So we both missed that one. Justin Christian started in left field. We had him as DH, so we both missed that one, too. But we both had Kevin Kiermaier in centerfield (but then we both had him early in the order. Montoyo had him batting #6). We both had Jerry Sands in RF, he started at 1B. I had Ray Olmedo on the list, but in the wrong place. He started at 3B. Chris D correctly picked Cole Figueroa to start at SS and he did a fine job there. We both liked Mike Fontenot at 2B and we were right. Mikie Mahtook started in RF, so we had the right guy, but in the wrong place. Wilson Betemit started in DH slot and did very well. We were both right about the catcher, Roman Ali Solis.

Not bad.

And I could find nothing to fault about the Bulls position players. A lot to like there. A good spread of youth and age. Some power (3 homers last night), some speed (3 stolen bases), decent hands (a double play on the only real opportunity), and a nice running catch by Christian to break the Braves’ back in the 8th.

Mr. Nate Karns was very shaky in his first Triple-A start. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. Merrill Kelly, Adam Liberatore, new guy Brad Boxberger, and Kirby Yates started the season much like they finished last season. That is, they looked great. 6⅓ innings of scoreless ball.

How about the park? Very impressive. The crew obviously has been working very, very, very hard to get things in place. More than one commented that they were getting by on only a few hours rest in the last week or so. Give me a couple of more days before detailed comments.

Check out the links above for more stories. Particularly cool is Vince Belnome taking batting practice wearing Google Glasses at the WRAL link.

Playing Time and the Bulls Roster

Playing time, and when you come in the game, are great indicators of who’s going to end up where at the end of spring training. At least that’s what Cork Gaines over at Rays Index thinks. I agree. So first you should take a look at the chart he’s developed and his conclusions he's drawn regarding the Rays 25-man roster.

Based on Cork's table we can make some educated guesses about the Bulls’ starting lineup.

For example, just looking at three infielders we see that the playing time of three players  — Cole Figueroa, Ray Olmedo, and Jerry Sands — have mostly come in the later innings. Looking back at our last post, we see that Vince Belnome and Hak Ju-Lee have already been sent down so it looks like the Bulls have an infield (and a pretty darn good one at that). Two loose ends, from a Rays perspective, are Wilson Betemit and Jayson Nix.

At catcher, Ali Solis is the only one getting any early playing time. Curt Casali has already been sent down. Still some room for guesswork here.

Based on this list we’d have to guess at Justin Christian and Jeremy Moore being added to outfielder/DH slots, but a lot will depend on whether or not the Rays think Mikie Mahtook is ready for Triple-A.

Meanwhile, of course, with four (count ‘em, four!) Triangle teams in the NCAA tournament, we’re going to be hard-pressed to pay attention to baseball for a while.

Is Ray Olmedo Coming Back?

Ray Olmedo Hoisting the 2009 Governors' Cup for the Bulls

The Rays signed four players to minor league contracts and one of them is well-known to Bulls fans — Ray Olmedo. He was most recently mentioned in this blog when he started a triple play in a Rochester/Norfolk playoff game last year. We’ve written a lot about Ray over the years (he was a Bull in 2009 and 2011). He was first mentioned back on April 12, 2009. Interesting game, apparently. Obscure pitcher named Price was the starter. Ray got one of his rare home runs. He had 6 in 2009, but only 25 in his 11 years in Triple-A. He's always been an asset, particularly at 2B and 3B. And he always looks like he's having fun.

Are we sure he will be coming back? Well, no. What actually happened is that the Rays signed four ballplayers to minor league contracts with an “invitation to spring training.” If past is any prologue, almost all of the minor league free agents who get contracts worded like that are 1) released at or near the end of spring training, 2) assigned to the Durham Bulls, or 3) (rare) assigned to the Montgomery Biscuits. We’ll be writing more about this when spring training starts.

How about the other three players signed?

They are hitter James Darnell, catcher Ali Solis, and a young right-handed reliever named Santiago Garrido. You could not do better than to check out the profiles of these players by Robbie Knopf over at Rays Colored Glasses.

Sunday in the Park

USPS

Season: 73-43; Home Games Remaining: 13

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, G’Braves

The Braves’ Yohan Flande found his groove last night, and the Bulls never came close to figuring him out. He pitched eight very solid innings and if his pitch count had not gotten up to 109, he likely would have gone the distance. The Bulls didn’t even get on base until the 4th inning when Tim Beckham hit a double. Beckham eventually scored, but that was to be the Bulls’ only run of the game.

On the other hand, what a great evening for baseball. A nice breeze, not too warm, a couple of quirky plays, the Bulls and Braves in Negro League uniforms. Fun day at the park.

This was Negro League day and both teams wore the uniforms of the era (to the confusion of the PA announcer who kept getting numbers wrong all night). I wish that somehow baseball could find an even more impressive way to honor and tell the story of that era. I appreciate the conflict — how do you show respect for something that never should have happened in the first place? That’s hard to ignore. And yet these gentlemen (several of whom were at the park last night generously signing autographs) were superb athletes who surely loved the game. And if the game should have given them more, well, I just don’t know how to fix that except by shaking their hands and hoping that they at least had some fun playing baseball.

Matchup: Red Wings vs. Bulls

The Rochester Red Wings are the Minnesota Twins' Triple-A team and they have recently climbed into first place in the North Division. They are at the start of an eleven day road trip (we thought the Bulls have some long treks!). What is much more important, however, is that one of our all-time favorite Durham Bulls will be back in the DBAP — Ray Olmedo. Olmedo has probably put in more time on International League diamonds than any other active player. In addition to his two seasons as a Durham Bull (2009 and 2011) he has time in four seasons with the Louisville Bats, and single seasons with the Syracuse Chiefs, the Columbus Clippers, and the Charlotte Knights. Then there was his year with the Nashville Sounds, who are in the Pacific Coast League. That’s 11 seasons in Triple A baseball! He’s having a pretty good year. He’s hit two home runs (that’s about average, maybe a little above). He’s batting .228 over 87 games. He’s divided his time at 2B, SS, and 3B almost in equal portions. He has not been on the pitchers' mound since his one, and only, appearance for 2 innings with the Durham Bulls in 2009. He got the win. He may have the best winning percentage of any player in Durham Bulls history.

Meanwhile Nuke keeps on finding creative ways to lose in his races against Crash and Annie. Last night he was well ahead of them both when an irate groundskeeper tackled him and Crash piled on. Annie blithely skipped by to win.