Stars of the Game — The Grounds Crew!

They weren't dancing last night ... they were workin!
 (photo from Aug 4 by Orin Day, used with permission)

Season: 56-61; Home Stand: 4-1; Bulls v. Clippers: 1-0
Home Games Left: 14; Standings; Wild Card: -8
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

I was doing a volunteer shift at RDU and isolated from the weather, but then my shift replacement arrived shaking the water off her umbrella. A check of the webcam showed the tarp on the field. Leaving RDU I heard on the radio that the tarp’d been pulled, which meant that we were 30-45 minutes away from the game starting. I went home and watched on TV. Kudos to the fans who were still there after 9:00 pm.

I did get to see a pretty interesting game played in almost continuous rain. The tarp was pulled for another delay late in the 4th inning. Then it was rolled up and the field prepped and play resumed for a while, mostly in the rain. A small fortune in Diamond Dry was spread along the baselines and around the bases, but eventually the rain won out. At the end of the 7th the tarp was pulled for the third and final time (at 10:00 this morning it's still there). Heroic efforts were made by the grounds crew and the “all hands” effort that it takes to pull and roll up the tarp, particularly the last time when the wind kept trying to get underneath it.

Meanwhile the Bulls were facing their nemesis of 2010 and 2011 for the first time this year. Columbus has been one of the most talented and best-managed teams in the International League and is in the hunt for the wild card this year (Indianapolis is running away with the IL West division much like Charlotte is running away with the South). As with all out-of-division teams, the Bulls only play them four at home and four away each year. This year those games occur nearly back to back with this series and then a trip to Columbus to follow up next week. Also making the games interesting is the presence of 2011 Durham Bulls hero Russ Canzler who has been playing for the Clippers this year.

Take a look at Harold Gutmann’s piece in the Herald-Sun for some solid number-crunching on the two teams and last night’s game.

I’ve been lamenting the Bulls lack of power and it took new guy Brooks Conrad to change that with the key hit of the game, a two-run homer past the Bull in the 4th.

Lance Pendleton had an above average outing. In fact, if he could somehow wipe the slate of a couple of unfortunate outings during the Bulls long slide in early July, his year would be looking much better. He did a great job getting out of tough situations in the 4th and, after the delay, in the 6th. Adam Liberatore got himself into, then out of trouble (bases loaded K) in the 7th for his first save of the year.

Outside the game —

• Evan Longoria was activated off the disabled list and is back with the Rays. Will Rhymes will be returning. I wish Longoria well. 
• If you keep score at the game as I do (I like the Reisner system, but the one in the programs works almost as well), you might want to consider having a very, very elegant pen to mark your scorecard. Last week, I happened to meet the fellows who make Baltz pens in Raleigh. I like stuff that’s made by hand, especially if someone can combine skill with beauty as these guys are doing. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t take the one I bought to a game. I really wouldn’t want to lose it. But it is very, very pretty and it writes well. They have a pencil under development. May want to try that when they have it done. I might take a pencil to a game. On very, very rare occasions I make a trivial mistake that needs correcting. 

Two Games; 26 Runs

Box, Wrap, Gwinnett Daily Post

Season: 50-56; Road Trip: 2-0; Bulls v. Braves: 7-6; Standings

Box, Wrap, Gwinnett Daily Post

The mystery of Alex Torres continued in the first game of this series with the Gwinnett Braves (1⅓ innings, 2 hits, 6 BB, 5 Ks, 5 ER). However, Brandon Gomes, new guy Frank De Los Santos, and Bryan Augenstein sucked it up for the rest of the pitching crew. Meanwhile, Bulls bats were very active, but not too impatient (7 walks). The swings back and forth meant that the game was never quite put away for either team.

In yesterday’s game Lance Pendleton gave up 10 hits and 8 earned runs and still got a win! Which implies that, overall, this was a game of their pitchers being far worse that our pitchers. Bulls batters drew 11 walks, got 14 hits, and scored a season-high 16 runs.

They jumped out to a 7-run lead, gave it back, and then went ahead on Reid Brignac’s grand slam. 

Even a baseball professional has got to feel extended after a 4¼ hour and a 3½ hour game. That’s a lot of time keeping your focus on track and might help explain the 7 errors the two teams have accumulated over the two games.

Outside the game —

• Evan Longoria is supposed to show up in the Bulls dugout today. I have to say I have mixed feelings about this. Based on the comments here, he sounds fragile. He’s only going to help the Bulls if his bat gets hot (a possibility). 
• The Rays gave up a rising AA player, Tyler Bortnick, to get yet another infielder, this one from the Diamondbacks, Ryan Roberts. The interesting note, from a Bulls fan perspective, is that Bortnick was immediately assigned to a AAA team. Has the glut of middle infielders on the Bulls roster been holding Bortnick up?
• Former Durham Bull Hideki Matsui has been designated for assignment to make room for Roberts. Although immediately off the Rays roster, Matsui has a couple of days to make up his mind/consider offers/negotiate with the Rays before a final move has to be made.
• Interesting interview with Bulls pitching coach Neil Allen on the Bulls website. 
• Remember Robinson Chirinos? He is still rehabbing from a concussion caused when a Josh Lueke pitch got foul-tipped into his mask during spring training. Here’s an insightful look at coping with an invisible injury.

Time for a Break

Box, Wrap

Chris Archer left after one inning and Bryan Augenstein was pressed into service. He essentially took one for the team by going 66 pitches — he has rarely gone much over 20 per outing — but coughing up three runs in the 5th. Nevertheless, the game was essentially lost on bad luck. A long ball drifted fair instead of foul in the bottom of the 8th and that was enough.

Season: 43-49; Trip: 1-2; Bulls v. Braves: 5-6; Standings

Box, Wrap, Gwinnett Daily Post

Let’s call this a game where the Durham Bulls showed their character. This was the last game before a three-day break, the only real break in the entire season, only 3,000 folks in the stands, 91°, and your starting pitcher blew up in the first inning giving up 5 runs on 6 hits. So what you could do is take it easy, get through the afternoon, and hit the road. 

They didn’t. They scored three runs in the 2nd inning on a Reid Brignac home run. Unfortunately, Lance Pendleton’s awful day wasn’t over and he gave up three runs in the 3rd. Braves 8, Bulls 3. Now maybe time to coast, but they didn't. In the 5th the Bulls pick up four runs on home runs by Rich Thompson, Henry Wrigley and Chris Gimenez. Braves 8, Bulls 7. The Bulls are getting close and the game is dragging on when the Braves get two runs in the 6th and one in the 7th. Braves 11, Bulls 7. Time to wrap it up, you’d think. But, no. Top of the 9th the Bulls get two more runs to bring it to 11-9 and the tying run comes to the plate with two outs. He (Brignac) struck out.

But the Bulls gave the Braves’ fans a thrill and made them work for their win. If there was a bit of “what the Hell, go for it,” in their swings, why not? It almost worked.

Outside the game —

• Chris Archer’s departure after the 1st inning of Saturday’s game is reported to be cautionary resulting from a tightness in his left oblique. But he is going to get a couple of extra days off as the Bulls are going to use the All-Star break to reset the rotation.
• Stephen Vogt was name the top Ray's minor leaguer for the month of June. Congratulations!
• BurGi over at Rays Prospects has an updated analysis of pitchers in the Rays system. Terrific work. Note the discussion of Alex Torres in the comments.

Rainy Night

Season: 41-46; Trip: 3-1; Bulls v. Bisons: 7-1; Standings

Box, Wrap, Buffalo News

Sometimes the box score tells you the story. Sometimes it misleads you. Not that the Bulls were cruising in last night's uncertain weather, they weren’t. But Lance Pendleton did a decent job through six innings and Bryan Augenstein held on very nicely for two more. In the meantime the Bulls scored two in the 7th and two in the 8th and were looking good for Brandon Gomes to close it out.

What the box score does not tell you is that the bottom half of the 9th inning took a very long time to play, had only two outs, and was possibly the worst two-thirds of an inning in Shawn O’Malley’s and Brandon Gomes’ year. O’Malley came in as a pinch runner in the 8th and stayed in the game at second base. Gomes started the inning off with a walk, but seemed to recover when the next batter popped out. The next batter grounded to short and it sounded like a double play was going to end the game. But after making the out at second O’Malley threw the ball away and the batter ended up on second base with two outs. Gomes wild-pitched the runner to third base and the next batter hit a grounder to O’Malley who could not close the deal. The runner on third scored and a runner was on first. He moved to second on a single and they both moved up on another wild pitch by Gomes after he was ahead 0-2 on Bison batter Jordany Valdespin. 

Runners on second and third, scored tied, count 1-2, and the skies opened up. The umps cleared the field.

When they got back, Frank De Los Santos came in to pitch, runners were still on second and third, and the count was still 1-2. An infield single (again to O’Malley) brought in a run. Game over.

Outside the game —

• Overall, that was a great road trip. Only two home games and then the Bulls are gone till the 16th!
• Leslie Anderson got picked up for the Triple-A All-Star game! Congrats to Leslie!
• Matt Joyce, who did a terrific job for the Durham Bulls in 2009 and 2010, will be back in town for a rehab stint tonight and tomorrow.
• How is it that a city with major league hockey and professional football can give so much ink to AAA baseball while my hometown paper (the N&O) has yet to do anything more than copy and paste the Bulls press release for a game report? See the Buffalo News link above. Yes, the Herald-Sun does a good job, and I thank them for it. I’d just like to see the other Triangle paper get someone out on a baseball beat ( and remember the Mudcats!)

Important Win

Box, Wrap, Indy Week, Syracuse
Season: 38-43; Home Stand: 5-1; Bulls v. Chiefs: 2-4

This was an important win, but it certainly had its worrisome features.

With the win and Gwinnett’s loss the Bulls claim sole possession of third place in the IL South. For the first time since April 24th the Bulls aren’t in the cellar. That’s good.

The very solid pitching by Lance Pendleton, Frank De Ls Santos, and Dane De La Rosa was impressive. The breakthrough 6th inning was fun to watch.

Note that Rich Thompson had a stellar night: 3 for 4, a walk, a run scored, a RBI, and 2 stolen bases.

But then I’m worried about how the Bulls started the game. Was that the product of some sabermetric geeks in the basement of Tropicana coming up with a really freaky idea? Was there a conversation along the lines of,

“Let’s see what happens if we start a game with guys who are thought to be relievers. Let ‘em go for a couple of innings, then bring in a real starter.” 

Maybe not. For one thing I’d bet that the Tropicana doesn’t have a basement, but you’ve got to wonder. Wednesday night it was Kyle Farnsworth for one inning. Last night it was Alex Torres (who looked awful, by way. He started off the 2nd inning giving up three singles and a walk before Nunez came in) and Jhonny Nunez for two innings, Farnsworth for one, and then the scheduled starter, Lance Pendleton, came on in the 4th. By the time he came in the Bulls were behind 3-0.

Also worrisome item was watching young Tim Beckham at second base. He is a gifted athlete and I’m sure he will get the hang of it, but not yet. At least one double play was missed. You can sense Brignac coaching him out there. That will likely pay off.

Then there were the 12 runners left on base. I have to point out that if the Bulls had not won, Henry Wrigley would have been the goat. He singled in his first at bat. In his next four at bats  9 runners on the bases. Only one of them got home when the Chief's first baseman botched a Wrigley bouncer.

Still, a win under trying circumstances. Well-done!

Outside the game —

• With Jeremy Hellickson coming of the Rays’ disabled list, Chris Archer is on his way back to Durham. Unlikely he will get a start here before the Bulls hit the road. He did just fine in his first major league appearances.
• With Luke Scott back on their roster, the Rays will have to cough up someone else. Stay tuned.
• Joel Guzman, who spent most of two seasons with the Bulls, has been released from the Cincinnati Reds AA team.

Chart

Runs Scored - Runs Allowed

The last time we looked at this one, the Bulls were 11 games below .500 and had allowed almost 90 more runs than they had scored. Times are better. The Bulls are now 5 games below .500 and the the RS-RA number is a much improved -53. Going back to our Pythagorean Expectation formula the Bulls are doing better than expectation. The Bulls are 38-43, the formula says they should be even worse off at 35-46. Luck or relievers? I’ll take both or either, with some money on the Bulls relief corps. The trend line is a 10-game moving average.

Click on chart for larger image

Big Night for Brignac

Season: 34-42; Home Stand: 1-0; Bulls v. Bisons: 1-0; Standings

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

This has been a tough year for Reid Brignac. He had a great game, so let’s celebrate it.

The night didn’t start all that well for him. He came up in the 2nd with men on first and third and hit into a double play. When he came up in the 5th as the leadoff batter, the Bulls were behind 0-2. He hit a grounder through the middle, went to second base on a wild pitch, and came home on a Cole Figueroa single. In the top of the 6th, he started a very clean double play for the first two outs of a scoreless inning. By the time he came up in the bottom of the inning, runners were on first and second with one out. Brignac singled, sending the Chris Gimenez home as the tying run. Later in the inning, Cole Figueroa (again) hit a sacrifice fly to bring him across as the third run of the inning and the Bulls were ahead 4-2. In the 7th inning Brignac came to bat with runners on first and third and hit a double for his second RBI of the night. By the end of that inning, the Bulls were ahead 6-3. In the 8th there was a blemish on his night when he grounded out with the bases loaded. However, in the 9th he made a spectacular move to start a crucial double play that got Dane De La Rosa out of trouble.

Three hits, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, two double plays started. Darn good evening at the park.

In the meantime, the rest of the game was just plain fun once the rain stopped and the first couple of pretty dull innings got past us. Lance Pendleton worked really hard (99 pitches) to get his first win in a while. Frank De Los Santos, the Bulls new left-hander made his first AAA appearance and faced just three batters at the end of the 7th. With a man on first he gave up a triple, then an intentional walk,  followed by a strikeout. Not great, but OK. With a string of right-handed batters coming up, Dane De La Rosa came in for a two inning save. He did that, but it was a struggle. He was pitching with no rest from the day before, and it showed, especially in the 9th inning. 

Overall, the Bulls festival of hitting continued. They went through 6 Bison pitchers and collected 13 hits, all but one singles. In addition to Brignac, new guy Brandon Allen, Cole Figueroa, and Chris Gimenez had multi-hit games.

Then there was Shawn O’Malley essentially outrunning the Bison pitcher to beat him out covering first base for a single. That was fun. And Charley Montoyo should pat himself on the back for a 9th inning defensive move. He took Matt Mangini out of the game, moved Stephen Vogt from left field to first and Jeff Salazar came in to play left. Vogt made a spectacular play (following Brignac’s double play mentioned earlier) to end the game. 

Outside the game

• Tim Beckham is supposed to start today
• With Beckham back and Drew Sutton DFA’d and Thompson coming back, who’s out and where are they going? Stay tuned.

Series Split; Off to New York

Season: 30-41; Trip: 2-2; Bulls v. Iron Pigs: 2-2; Standings

Box, Wrap, Allentown Morning Call

Yes, the Bulls lost, but this one was an interesting, well-played game. Lance Pendleton had as good a start as could be expected. He went five full innings (95 pitches) and kept the Iron Pigs to one run. Romulo Sanchez went three scoreless innings for his longest stretch of the year. Josh Leuke kept them scoreless for the 9th and 10th, but couldn’t hang in the 11th. Running one man short among the relievers, and not expecting any help from Tampa Bay, keeping Leuke in the game made sense. But sure would have been nice if the Rays hadn’t pulled Gomes when they did, or at least sent a replacement.

Stephen Vogt, Matt Mangini and rehabbing Evan Longoria were not in the game. Would their slightly better bats have made a difference? Also hard to tell. The Bulls did not have a lot of opportunities against a pretty good Lehigh Valley pitching staff. 

The Iron Pigs second baseman Kevin Frendsen, who gave the Bulls fits all through the series, singled to start the 11th. Got to second base on a balk. And came home on a Jason Pridie single. That was enough.

Outside the game

• Brandon Gomes is coming back and a position player will be sent to join Tampa Bay in time for the Rays' Tuesday game in DC against the Nationals. That gives me an opportunity to guess wrong, again. I’m going with Rich Thompson, again.
• Wonder if the major leaguers will travel to Rochester with the Bulls or ride in greater style? Broadcaster Kinas probably said something about that but I missed it.
• The Bulls are off to Rochester to play the Red Wings, the Minnesota Twins AAA team. The last time the Bulls were in Rochester was just last month, but they were there to play the homeless Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Yankees. This time they are playing the actual residents of Frontier Field. The Red Wings are 32-37 and in fifth place in the six-team North Division of the International League.

Brignac Bangs One!

Game 66, Monday, June 11, DBAP
Durham Bulls (Rays) 6; Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers) 3
Season: 28-38; Home Stand: 2-5; Bulls v. Mud Hens: 2-1; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Reid Brignac’s grand slam is the story here. As it should be. It was, reportedly, his first professional slam, so it must have been a huge thrill for him. It sure was for us. By us, I mean anyone who was watching TV or listening to the game. Besides Wool E. Bull, the rain apparently chased all but a few die hard fans away. Congratulations to the fans who stayed and got to watch the hit in person and to Mr. Brignac for the hit.

The beginning of the game was all too familiar. After a nearly two-hour rain delay the Mud Hens got two runs in the 1st inning and another in the 2nd. But then Toledo’s Thad Weber gifted the Bulls with two walks and a hit batter (new guy Brandon Allen) to set up Brignac’s heroics. Following the big hit, Shawn O’Malley bunted his way on and then scored all the way from first base on other new guy Rich Thompson’s double.

Lance Pendleton worked awfully hard through four innings (93 pitches) and he was pulled before he was eligible for the win, which went to Ryan Reid. Once again the team of Augenstein and Gomes did a masterful job of closing out a game.

Outside the game

• New guys Brandon Allen and Rich Thompson are likely to be just the beginning of changes to the Bulls’ roster. Rays infielder Longoria and pitcher Farnsworth are getting close to returning; infielder Keppinger is looking to be playing by the end of the month; outfielder Fuld and catcher Chirinos may be getting ready; and Bulls infielder Beckham is nearing the end of his 50-game suspension. In almost every case, if a player gets activated we will see a ripple effect in Durham. Make sure you pick up a program on your way in to the next home game. No telling who will be on the team.
• After today’s game, the Bulls won’t be back in town until June 22nd. Lunch at the park today sounds good to me ... if the rain holds off.
• Ever wonder about spitballs? Former Durham Bull pitcher and, briefly, Italian League prospective star Dirk Hayhurst has some comments on his blog.

Jennings Joins Winning Effort

Box, Wrap, Bulls vs. Indians: 2-6

Season: 24-32; Trip: 4-3; Bulls vs. Bats: 4-1; Standings
Box, Wrap, Courier-Journal

First let’s explain why the Bulls were playing baseball at midnight on Thursday night. Outside their divisions, the teams in the International League play four games at home and four away. If weather rolls in for the last game of the last series, then the teams will have no opportunity for a makeup. That happened to the Bulls last year and they only (only!) played 142 games instead of 144. The teams and the umps will go to great lengths to not let that happen. Hence on Thursday night the teams sat around the park for over two hours hoping to get a game in.

That also explains why I was able to (barely) hear the game as I was driving through a storm on the Raleigh beltline at 11:30. But have to say that I didn’t find the game all that interesting. The Indianapolis Indians have figured out how to beat the Bulls this year and the best news about the trip is that the Bulls don’t play them again.

Just down the road in Louisville, however, we find the one team that the Bulls have been able to defeat this year. Not that the Bulls are alone, the Bats have the worst record in the IL. Too bad, because over the years the contests between the Bulls and the Bats have usually been just terrific to watch and the two teams were routinely among the best in the league.

The Bulls lineup was fleshed out with rehabbing Ray and former Bull Desmond Jennings. He played a few innings in left field and went 1 for 4. Along with Jennings recent returnees Stephen Vogt (RF, 2 for 4) and Chris Gimenez (C, 1 for 4) were also in the lineup and did a good job of supporting Lance Pendleton.

Pendleton has become the Bulls best starting pitcher, by a bunch. In his last three starts, for example, he has gone more than 6 innings each and allowed only one run in each game. His ERA at 2.93 is the best of the Bulls starting pitchers. In his seven starts, the Bulls have gone on to win the game six times. All this from a guy who wasn’t even in the Rays system at the start of the season - - Pendleton came to the Bulls by way of the Sugarland Skeeters just after Bryan Augenstein went on the DL back in early April.

Outside the game

• Hideki Matsui hit another home run last night (sigh).
• Craig Albernaz gets a chance to chat about his pitching prowess.
• Interesting piece on the Rays locker room feeling.
• 22 days, 5 hours, 3 minutes. That’s how long it took Diane Van Deren to run from Clingman’s Dome to Nag’s head. That was two days faster than the previous record. Blog entries are interesting, particularly the ones from her run through Tropical Storm Beryl.

Up Into 3rd

 Box, Wrap

Season: 22-29; Trip: 2-0; Bulls v. Tides: 4-4; Standings
Box, Wrap

How weird is it that in a 10-inning game on Friday one of the weakest hitters in the Bulls lineup, Reid Brignac, hits the game-winning RBI and then on Sunday in a 10-inning game he hits another game-winning RBI? Thanks, Reid, the Bulls needed that; Bulls fans needed that. Keep it up.

Three wins in a row is very unusual for the 2012 Bulls, and they haven’t been 7 games under .500 in more than a month (April 23d to be exact). That happens to be exactly the same day that the Bulls dove into last place in the South Division. Today they rose up to third place a game ahead of Norfolk. We should not be surprised that Baltimore and Tampa Bay are tied for first place in the American League East and that Norfolk’s roster has been pillaged as much as Durham’s (although that’s hard to imagine).

The pitching in these two games was exceptional. In 19 innings Norfolk only scored 2 runs. Matt Torra had a very decent 5 inning outing Saturday (although it took him a worrisome 99 pitches to get through it) and Lance Pendleton had an exceptional 6⅓ inning start today.

Broadcaster Patrick Kinas went nuts over a play by second baseman Cole Figueroa in the Norfolk half of the 3rd inning. As reported, he went far to his right to stop a ground ball and start a double play that ended the inning. Since the bases were loaded, one out, the play saved at least one run, possibly two. And those were the last Norfolk base runners until the 7th inning.

Has Brignac turned a corner? Maybe. Since coming back in the lineup for the last four games, he’s gone 5 for 15 with 2 RBI and one BB. While that might not be stellar hitting, he’s raised his average by 21 points, and that is very promising. Almost as promising is that they have all been singles. For Mr. Brignac, I like singles.

Outside the game

• The Bulls are off to Indianapolis where they were not watching baseball today.
• Runner Diane Van Deren is over 600 miles into her nearly 1000 mile trek. The GPS tracking doesn't seem to be working, but it's good news to hear that Nash County's White Oak Hill Free Will Baptist Church treated her with kindness as she passed through.

Matsui Wins a Game for the Bulls

Season: 19-27; Home Stand: 4-3; Bulls vs. Knights: 4-7; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

No doubt the stars of last night’s game were Hideki Matsui, Jesus Feliciano, and Lance Pendleton, but here’s the headline I wanted to write,

Brandon Gomes Gives Up a Run! ERA Soars to 0.69!

If Gomes hadn’t given up the run in the top of the 9th, then the Bulls wouldn’t have needed the heroics. On the other hand, an ERA of 0.00 can’t go on forever. Perhaps Gomes was being too cautious. He had Knights Hector Giminez down two strikes, but walked him on the next four pitches. On the next pitch Jordan Danks hit a double and Gimenez scored from first base. Gomes, very likely not happy with himself, struck out the next two batters.

Of course, the Bulls were only ahead by one run going into the 9th and both of those runs depended on mistakes by Charlotte that let runners advance. Otherwise, Bulls bats were very quiet.

The baseball gods were paying attention when we mentioned yesterday that Hideki Matsui had done nothing to help the Durham Bulls during his stay with them. That held true for his first four at-bats, included one that left his bat in three pieces between home plate and just in front of the second baseman. But then reliable hero Jesus Feliciano got on base in the bottom of the 10th and the gods of baseball decreed that Matsui could whack a one-out single to right field to win the game.

It was a game-winning hit. It was hit with authority. And it was the first of his admittedly few his to right field. Could I have been wrong?

Lance Pendleton has had three consecutive no-decisions. Too bad. Unlike his last outing, which was pretty shaky, last night was just fine. He’s become a reliable member of the rotation. Nice to have him with us.

Nice little crowd of 3,000+ in the DBAP. I guess it’s selfish of me, but sometimes it’s nice to pretty much have the place to ourselves without all the raucous clatter that makes for “family entertainment”. I didn’t plug my radio into my ear. I didn’t get out my scorebook. I chatted with the folks nearby. Strolled around a bit. Weather was perfect (except for that odd little mini-cloudburst at the end). And the Bulls won. Perfect.

Outside the game

• Transactions affecting the Bulls are not going to let up for a long while. To deal with yet another injury, the Rays reached out for an infielder named Drew Sutton. We saw Sutton when he was playing for the Gwinnett Braves earlier this year. 
• To make room for Sutton someone had to go off the 40-man roster and that someone was Durham Bulls reliever John Gaub. He’s been designated for assignment, which means that there’s ten days for legal/contractual mumbo-jumbo to ensue. Gaub may or may not be with the Bulls at the end of that time and it doesn't have to take ten days.
• Catcher Jose Lobaton should be with the Bulls today on a rehab assignment.
• A glance at the Rays’ 40-man roster shows six players on the 15-day DL: Catcher Lobaton, infielders Longoria and Keppinger, and outfielders Allen, Guyer, and Jennings. As they get heathy you can expect more transactions.
• The odd man out is Bulls shortstop Reid Brignac, who has missed the last several games with quad/back problems, but is not on any disabled list. He is only current Bulls position player on the Rays 40-man roster, but apparently not available to go up to fill in for this last Rays injury.

Have to pass on Stacy Long’s lead:

Promising youngster Hideki Matsui hit an RBI single to end [the Bulls game].

Pain

Season: 15-26; Home Stand: 0-2; vs. Red Sox: 0-6; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Seeing all these big name baseball stars can be fun. But only if you’re not a fan of Durham Bulls baseball. In that case, not so much. In fact, watching Durham Bulls baseball is painful.

I once had a stretch of several months when I spent an inordinate amount of time in a dentist’s chair. That’s what last night was like. I felt a bit like the Dustin Hoffman character in Marathon Man.

I know it’s masochistic of me to do this (and perhaps sadistic to inflict it on you), but let’s go over last night. In the 1st inning, after two outs, Lance Pendleton walked the next two batters. But he got away with it. In the 2nd inning he started out with two BBs. Even with a double play, one of the walks scored. In the 3rd inning after two outs, he walked a batter, but, as in the 1st, got away with it.

[Is that a mosquito in my ear? Am I having a flashback? Are the screams for Matsui or the “Yuuk! Yuuk! Yuuk!” cheers morphing into some weird auditory hallucination?]

The 4th inning’s walk came after only one out. That runner was wild-pitched into scoring position, but Pendleton escaped unharmed. The 5th inning, ahhh, the 5th inning. No walks here. Just pure baseball: single, double, home run, single, single off the team of Lance Pendleton and Romulo Sanchez.

But wait, here comes the 7th inning. Two outs. Gaub on the mound. Walk. Reid comes in. Walks his first batter. Runners on first and second. A run scores on a single to right. That play was highlighted by a really crappy throw by Jeff Salazar, although I think the run would have scored anyhow. (Red Sox ahead 5-4). 8th inning. Two outs followed by a walk, but no runs score. 9th inning. Two outs followed by a walk.

For those who might be counting (not really a mentally healthy activity under the circumstances) Bulls pitchers walked 7 batters after they had two outs last night. (11 overall, but who’s counting?)

As the Herald-Sun quoted Charley Montoyo after the game:

No excuses — tough to watch when you keep walking people. This game was the story of the whole season: Leaving people on base and walking people.

I guess I didn't mention that the Bulls left 10 runners on base. Charley has it right.

But new guy Hideki Matsui did get his first hit. It was a pretty wall-ball double that scored two runs.

Outside the game

• It becomes more clear why Kyle Hudson was shipped off to Hudson Valley yesterday. Sometime in the past few days recently called-up Brandon Guyer was injured. Showing (what’s the right word here? Contempt?) extreme lack of confidence in either Jesus Feliciano, Jeff Salazar, Leslie Anderson, Henry Wrigley, or Mr. Hudson, the Rays went off to the Phillies to get a guy who has had one major league at bat. How can that not work on the heads of the Durham Bulls outfield?
• Most recent word out of St. Pete is that Will Rhymes, who collapsed on the field after being hit by a pitch last night, is OK. Good news. The hammering we’re hearing from down that way is coming from the crews hard at work expanding the Rays’ rehab facility. Depending on how you want to count them, at least 10 Rays are on a disabled list.

Chart of the Day

Walks/Hits per Inning

WHIP is not particularly popular with the stats geeks. But it's an easy stat to compute and understand. Essentially, WHIP tells you how many guys get on base per inning. Sabermetrics guys think that 1.62 is awful. We've got a bunch of guys well above awful and only a few who make the "average" (1.32) cut line. I left Josh Lueke on the chart because I'm guessing he will be coming back in a day or so.

End With a Win

Season: 11-20; Home Stand: 5-5; Standings
Box(1), Box (2), Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

At four o’clock Sunday the Bulls picked up where they left off in the rain on Saturday night, this time with Jhonny Nunez pitching and the Bulls still behind by three runs. Nunez left the bases loaded for Alexander Torres in the 6th by walking three batters, but Torres got a dribbler for a 1-3 putout to end the inning. In the 7th inning, after two outs, Torres loaded the bases himself on three walks before getting a comebacker end that inning. He ran out of luck in the 8th when two more of his BBs came in on two hits. He stayed on in the 9th and managed a 1-2-3 inning.

I’m sure that Mr. Torres is as much a puzzle to himself as he is to everyone close to him (and those of us up in the stands). So far there isn’t any hint that being moved to the bullpen makes a difference, although he’s only made two appearances. He was left in after those very messy 7th and 8th innings. Was that to save the bullpen or Torres’ confidence?

The seven-inning second game was much less frustrating. New guy Lance Pendleton had five solid innings. A terrific right field to third base throw by Jesus Feliciano in the 7th inning saved at least one run, possibly the game, for the Bulls, because Ryan Reid was not his usual sharp self.

Have to mention Craig Albernaz’ work in this game. First of all, there should be no doubt that he’s one of the best defenders in AAA. He showed that last night with a bullet to second base that caught Xavier Avery trying to take advantage of a slight bobble (could it have been intentional?). And he just has style. Ryan Reid came in with two outs in the 6th to face Norfolk’s Jamie Hoffman. Reid got to a 3-2 count and Hoffman fouled off the next pitch. On the next pitch Albernaz jumped up and began running toward the bench before the ump even called the strike and signaled the out. That’s style. Read on to see how well he can bunt.

This year’s Bulls need small ball innings like the 3rd. In that inning Jeff Salazer singled, moved to second base on a ground out sacrifice bunt by Albernaz, got to third on a wild pitch, and came home on a sac fly by Cole Figueroa. The home run by Matt Mangini an inning later was the difference in the game, but the little stuff is what’s going to keep the Bulls in games this year.

Really nice to end the home stand on a win. Here's hoping this road trip is better than the last.

Outside the game

• As mentioned yesterday, Cesar Ramos is off to the Rays to see if he can help there. Brandon Gomes will join the Bulls sometime later this week.
• There’s a Durham Bulls connection to that 17-inning Orioles-Red Sox game yesterday. The losing pitcher for Boston, outfielder Darnell McDonald, played for the Bulls in 2005 and 2006. Too bad he was essentially the last man standing up in Fenway yesterday (not that I mind the Red Sox losing, mind you).

Chart of the Day — Standings

In the International League South Division the Bulls ended their long slide and came back a bit. This will be an important trip for the Bulls.

click on chart for larger image

Jesus the Hero!

Game 26, Tuesday, May 1, DBAP

Durham Bulls 5, Indianapolis Indians 4 (10 Innings)

Season: 8-18; Home Stand: 2-3; Streak: 2-0

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Jesus Feliciano, one of nine left-handed hitters in the game, got to be a hero, twice. The first time was in the 8th inning when he hit a double that scored Sean O’Malley and Kyle Hudson putting the Bulls ahead 4-3. But the Indians got a run back in the 9th and the 4-4 tie went into the 10th. One more time Feliciano came to bat, with O’Malley again on base (this time on third), and a single was enough to win the game.

Meanwhile Lance Pendleton got his first start since joining the Bulls and Montoyo got to  play matchups with the rest of the bullpen. Nunez, Gaub, Leuke, and Ramos all did just fine, even if Ramos did give up a home run to force Feliciano’s heroics.

Speaking of home runs, the last home run hit by a Bull was Will Rhymes’ against the Norfolk Tides six games ago (the Bulls have only hit 7 home runs this year, the fewest in the league). 

Speaking of Will Rhymes, he got called to Tampa Bay yesterday afternoon. That left the Bulls with exactly one position player on the bench, catcher Craig Albernaz, who besides being the only right-handed batter on the team, was busy warming up pitchers all night. 

That left Charlie Montoyo the job of making sure his guys were nice to the umps, otherwise he’d probably have to use a pitcher as the DH. That was a difficult task when the ump made a particularly bad call invoking a fairly obscure rule. The ump was flashy about it though. You could just see him back in ump school when he learned the rule and thinking, someday I’m going to be able to call this and somebody’s going to argue with me and I’ll get to throw him out of the game. 

The Bulls had the bases loaded and no outs in the 4th inning. Kyle Hudson hit a grounder to second. The first part of a fairly routine double-play effort was started, but a nice, hard slide by Sean O’Malley into second broke it up. Should have been one out and a run scored, but no. The ump dances into the play, calls interference and deems both O’Malley and Hudson are out, plus the runners have to come back to second and third, and there's two outs. I guess that’s the rule, but I think the ump was just showing off.

Outside the game:

• The News & Observer noticed that the Bulls exist with a page one story. Unfortunately it was about Tim Beckham.
• Even with the arrival of Cole Figueroa from Montgomery, the Bulls will still have a vacant spot on the roster. Sure wish Guyer would get well soon. Figueroa is, of course, a left-handed bat.
• Bulls games are also being broadcast on HD radio. I’m going to have to look into that. You will see at the link the AM 620 coverage. No wonder I can barely get the games at home!

Chart(s) of the Day

This is an update of the runs scored-runs allowed chart. As of last night’s game, the Bulls have scored 88 runs and allowed 146 runs. The chart shows the game-by-game path to that condition. If you run these numbers through the Pythagorean Expectation formula, it will tell you that the Bulls "should" be at 7-19 rather than the 8-18 they are. In general, differences between expectation and actual is attributed to relief pitching and luck. I’ll take the pitching.

click on chart to enlarge

Just to show new Bulls fans what we old farts are so upset about this year, this chart shows how things were going at this point in previous years. It ain’t pretty. But it’s getting better. It’s getting better. It’s getting better. We hope. We hope. We hope.

click on chart to enlarge

At Last!!!

Game 25, Monday, April 30, DBAP, Durham, North Carolina

Durham Bulls 1, Indianapolis Indians 0

Season: 7-18; Home Stand: 1-3; Streak: 1-0

Box, Wrap 

Matt Torra went eight innings allowing only 1 baserunner (a walk) in the 7th and gave up just one infield hit in the 8th. A brilliant bit of pitching. He was followed by Cesar Ramos who gave up one hit, then earned the first save of his eight years of professional baseball. Together they set the stage for breaking the Bulls’ long, long, long losing streak and won Bulls’ first shutout of the season.

To win, of course, the Bulls had to get at least one run, which they didn’t do until the 8th inning. Sean O’Malley drew a walk, scooted off to second base on a wild pitch, and then scored on a Jesus Feliciano double.

This has been a difficult road. Kyle Hudson’s single at the top of the 3rd inning was the first hit of any kind in more than 14 innings. It took a couple of brilliant plays by shortstop O’Malley and second baseman Reid Brignac to pull it off.

Second baseman Reid Brignac? There’s another mini-story. Will Rhymes was so upset being called out when he thought he beat a throw to first 6th he managed to get himself thrown out of the game. Reid Brignac was the only infielder on the bench, so he was in. I think Rhymes was the first ejection of a Bull this year.

Which brings up another mini-story. Stephen Vogt was the DH for the game and Craig Albernaz was catching. Vogt went out to warm up Ramos while Torra was pitching, then switched off with Albernaz so he could go to bat in the 8th.

About that bench. Ain't hardly anybody there. Brandon Guyer went on the DL.

Outside the game:

• According to broadcaster Patrick Kinas, big changes are coming for the pitching crew. Alexander Torres has been moved to the bullpen. Lance Pendleton makes his first start tomorrow. Jim Paduch will be here tomorrow as well and will go into the starting rotation. Torres is reportedly not upset at the change. Something clearly needed to be done.
• Over at Rays Prospects, BurGi has a spectacular analysis of all the pitchers in the Rays system. A swimming pool for stats folks to dive into.
• The Rays have done the deal with Hideki Matsui. He should be showing up in Durham in time for his 38th birthday. Setting up the trivia question: Who is the oldest player to put on a AAA Bulls uniform? 
• Jose Lobaton, who has spent a lot of time in a Bulls uniform, may be coming through on a rehab assignment. It’ll be nice to see him in the dugout again. 

Chart of the Day

Pitching Efficiency (Pitches Per Out)

This is a really simple stat with some interesting results. How many pitches are thrown per out? The fewer pitches, the more "efficient" you are. Matt Torra got through eight innings today with just 89 pitches. That's spectacular efficiency.

Click on chart for larger image

Correction: In the chart it shows Alex Cobb only pitching 2⅓ innings. It should have read 28⅓ innings. PE computation, however, is accurate.

Cloudy Days

Game 18, Monday, April 23, McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket Red Sox 2; Durham Bulls 0 (7 innings)
Box

Game 19, Monday, April 23, McCoy Stadium
Pawtucket Red Sox 7; Durham Bulls 1 (7 innings)
Season: 6-13; Trip: 1-11; Streak: 0-8
Box, Herald-Sun

Is there some good to talk about? Well, yes, a few flickering lights

• If these two games had been played last night at the DBAP it would have been really miserable for us. Those of you from around here know that last evening was particularly cold and damp. I was happy not to be at the ballpark.
• New guy Stephen Vogt got his first hits of 2012, as DH in game 2. He also caught the first game. 
• New guy Reid Brignac played in game 2, at shortstop, and got a hit.
• Because these 11 losses have come on the road, none went into extra innings, and two games were these shortened minor league style double headers, the Bulls pitching staff has thrown 15 fewer innings over this stretch. (Home team doesn’t come to bat in the bottom of the last inning if they are winning.)
• Chris Archer and Ryan Reid had decent starts. Reid is emerging as a key figure on the Bulls pitching staff.

Otherwise, bleah!

• New guy Lance Pendleton made his first appearance and picked up his first loss. 
• Over the two games Bulls got 11 hits (10 singles, 1 double) but only scored 1 run. The Red Sox scored 9 runs on 15 hits (4 doubles and a homer).

Outside the game:

• The Bulls are playing the Norfolk Tides tonight. The Tides have lost the last 6 games in a row. The Bulls have lost their last 8. Somebody’s going to have their streak broken!
• Hedeki Matsui (stats) will likely be wearing a Bulls uniform in a couple of weeks, if various reports are accurate. Will that bring some nostaligic Yankee fans to the DBAP. Why not? If you’re into trivia, Matsui has only played in 5 American minor league games in his career (rehab games while a Yankee) He is expected to go to Port Charlotte to get in shape, then show up in Durham.
• If you missed it, Tim Beckham went on the 7-day DL, making room on the roster for Brignac. Just putting the decision off?

Roadkill

Game 16, Friday, April 20, McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket Red Sox 15; Durham Bulls 10
Box, Wrap, Baseball Heavy

Game 17, Saturday, April 21 McCoy Stadium
Pawtucket Red Sox 9; Durham Bulls 5
Season: 6-11; This Trip: 1-9
Box, Wrap

The Bulls bats came alive in Friday's game with 13 hits. Craig Albernaz got his first hit of the season; Brandon Guyer got a home run; even Juan Miranda got two hits. There were moments, such as the top of the 5th inning when the Bulls scored two runs to go ahead 9-6, when things were really looking good. But that was before PawSox DH Mauro Gomez hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the 5th; the PawSox picked up another run in the 6th; Alex Hassan hit a grand slam in the 7th; and Will Middlebrooks hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 8th.

To summarize, Durham pitchers gave up five, count ‘em, five home runs.

So, let’s go on to this afternoon’s game with Alex Torres on the mound. In the first inning Mauro Gomez hit another home run and Middlebrooks hit one in the 2nd. But, hey, that’s only three runs and Alex Torres hasn’t walked anyone. Wait a minute, in the 3rd, Alex Torres’ first 13 pitches include 12 balls. That would be three walks. That is, the bases were loaded by the time before he’d thrown his second strike. Still, he got out of the inning with only one more run scored.

So let’s fast forward to the 6th when the Bulls scored 4 runs and went into the bottom of the inning behind only 4-6. Dane De La Rosa come to the mound with runners on first and second, one out. They both scored, plus one that he put on base. 4-9 by the end of the inning.

Ten days ago Bulls starters had an ERA of 2.57, not bad, the relievers a not very good 5.29, and the team was at 3.79 overall. Today the numbers are 5.94/6.03/5.98. Awful, awful, awful.

New guy Lance Pendleton [Update: Or maybe Ryan Reid] may get the start tomorrow. We know very little about him, but what have we got to lose?

Outside the game:

• McCoy Stadium is apparently one of the good places to watch a ball game. See reviews here, here, and here.
• Former Durham Bull Jon Weber has signed with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association.

New Pitcher?

Image from Atlantic League Website

This is being reported in a couple of places, but lets just go with Rays Prospect’s report since it has more details and stats.

Lance Pendleton, a veteran right handed starter and reliever has been signed by the Rays and likely to be headed to Durham. The most recent version of the Bulls roster still shows Bryan Augenstein on the 7-day DL, but a roster that shows Alex Cobb twice isn’t likely to be trusted.

The Bulls are in obvious need of a starting pitcher and it looks like Pendleton could be the guy. Pendleton’s Manager at the independent Atlantic League Sugarland Skeeters, Gary Gaetti, should be a familiar name to Bulls fans. He was the Bulls hitting coach for Charlie Montoyo prior to Dave Myers coming on board. Is there a connection there?

[Thanks for the heads up, DRR]