Ups and Downs

Dane De La Rosa and Stephen Vogt have joined Brandon Gomes, Rich Thompson, Reid Brignac, Chris Gimenez, and Cesar Ramos as September call ups.

Missing from that list is Chris Archer. Where is he? In Alabama! Yesterday afternoon he was on the bus with the Montgomery Biscuits heading for Mobile, Alabama. I guess the idea is to keep him in shape for a later in the week call up to the Rays. It isn’t entirely clear that minor league baseball will allow the move. Keep track of him by way of Stacy Long’s blog Biscuit Crumbs.

Along with Archer, Kevin Kiermaier and Robby Price, who just spent a few days with the Bulls have also joined the Biscuits.

International League Playoffs

Charlotte Knights (White Sox) at Indianapolis Indians (Pirates)
Charlotte 8, Indianapolis 1
Box, Wrap, Charlotte leads series 1-0

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees at Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket 7, Scranton/WB 4
Box, Wrap, Pawtucket leads series 1-0

Days to Go

214 days to the next Bulls home game.

UPDATE: Apparently Archer was not going to be allowed to pitch, so he's been promoted to the Rays. 

Rays Start Cleaning Out Bulls Roster

Infielder Reid Brignac, catcher Chris Gimenez, pitcher Cesar Ramos, and outfielder Rich Thompson are on their way to Toronto to join the Rays. Good for them. At a guess, they aren't the only ones who will be called up. Not quite sure why they are so anxious to pull the string on the very first day (tomorrow). Other possibilities were discussed here earlier in the month.

As Bulls fans we have seen Reid Brignac do a very good job at shortstop and second base, and get a few key hits in his time with the Bulls. However, the Rays certainly seem to have lost confidence in him. His prospects of being called up for September weren't very good until Sean Rodriguez broke his hand. 

We really like Chris Gimenez. He was hitting well and helping the Bulls. His call-up was expected and deserved. 

Cesar Ramos is a puzzle to me. He's probably a better pitcher than I think he is. He must be. He's going to the Rays.

Rich Thompson plays his heart out every day. We'll see if the Rays trust him enough to give him any real playing time. We can hope.

What does it mean for tonight and the rest of the season? Well, I'm sure the Montgomery Biscuits are hoping that the angel of call-ups passes them by. They are in line for a run at the championship — if the weather will let them play. The Southern League playoffs begin next week. My guess, and hope, is that the Rays dig down into Single-A teams and give us a look at some prospects.

Question for readers who follow those prospects — Who should get a visit to Durham tonight? And a trip to Charlotte for Labor Day weekend? Or are the Bulls just going to have to suck it up for a couple of days?

[Update: An outfielder from the Charlotte Stone Crabs has been added to the Bulls roster, left-batting, right-throwing Kevin Kiermaier. Stats are here and the RaysProspects latest data are here. The Rays obviously think a good bit of him since he's headed for the Arizona Fall League along with the Bulls' Tim Beckham and the Biscuits Hak-Ju Lee.

Thats a one for three swap. See comments from Samantha regarding previous year attentiveness the the Bulls' needs.]

Better Late Than ...

Season: 65-72; Home Stand: 6-3; Home Games Left: 2

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

A beautiful day for baseball. In what seems like a very long time the Bulls started the game in bright sunshine. So bright that it may have been what caused a slight hiccup in right field in the top of the 1st. The hiccup led to a triple, but the runner never scored. 

Cesar Ramos went on to have a terrific day. Obviously going from the bullpen to starting is much more complicated that I would have thought. Yesterday he pitched very, very well against a team that has to be wondering what happened to the 2012 Durham Bulls, the team that was lurching along near the bottom of the division. This team was the pitching, running, scrambling, hitting team of yesteryear and beat the Tides for the fifth game in a row.

Mr. Ramos was never in any real trouble until the 5th when the bases were loaded with two outs. But a popup to short ended that threat.

Josh Lueke had another shaky outing. Single, K, K, home run, K. Those two runs brought the Knights back to 4-2. Brandon Gomes came in for a two-inning save that, even though a run came in, simply felt like things were in hand.

Meanwhile visiting infielder Sean Rodriguez should be feeling pretty good. The reason he’s with the Bulls has everything to do with DH’r Luke Scott coming off the DL. Since that time, Scott has played in 4 games for the Rays, with 4 hits and 1 RBI. Rodriguez, on the other hand, has played in two games for the Bulls with two doubles, a home run, and 4 RBIs. Last night’s was off the Bull (video here). The Bulls have won all of their games, the Rays dropped their last two. Take that Tampa Bay!

As it happens, both middle infielders hit home runs last night. Tim Beckham, playing shortstop hit one to the deepest part of center field in the 5th.

Six games in a row, all at home, is a big deal in any season. Thank you, Durham Bulls! 

Outside the game

• Rich Thompson’s run at the International League batting title is getting less stealthy. He was 3 for 4 last night, raising his average to .310. He’s now tied for third place. Leslie Anderson sat out the evening and slipped into second place when Gwinnett’s Jose Constanza went  2 for 3. Thompson also stole 3 bases (at 28 he’s in third place in the IL with no chance to catch up with Gwinett’s Durango’s 43, but maybe Indianapolis’ d’Arnaud’s 31).
• When Roger Clemens stepped to the mound for his first game in a bunch of years pitching for the Sugarland Skeeters, in the batters’ box was none other than former Durham Bull Joey Gathright, now playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish. Gathright struck out.
• The wild card race between the IronPigs and the PawSox continues to be very, very close.

Three Home Runs Not Enough

Season: 59-72; Home Stand: 0-3; Bulls v. Knights: 4-12

Home Games Left: 8; Standings; Wild Card

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

I was chatting with a fan before the game last night and the conversation began with him saying, “I don’t think the Rays have done right with the Bulls this year. We don’t have the Chris Richard's, the Joe Dillon's.” To which I responded, “We don't even have the Ray Olmedo's.” (By the way, if you’re wondering why Ray isn’t on the Knight’s bench, he’s up with the White Sox for his first big league time since a few games with Toronto in 2007. You can bet he’s having fun. Good for him!)

Case in point, last night’s starting pitcher, Cesar Ramos. I know that I was in the front of the line cheering his appearance as a starting pitcher at the end of July. Shows you what I know. Since that game he’s made four starts, pitched 18 ⅔ innings, and given up 30 hits, 6 walks, 5 home runs, and 17 earned runs. That would be an ERA of 8.23. In the end Ramos has been just another of the Rays’ many makeshift “fixes” to the Bulls this year, and one of the least effective.

Yes, last night’s game had its thrills. The Bulls’ 4th inning began with two home runs, a single, and another home run. But then off to the north we heard the air horn of a train coming through downtown Durham as Reid Brignac came to bat with the bases empty and no outs. An omen? A few minutes later the Knights were out of the inning and still ahead 6-4. They hit their own homer in the 5th to stay ahead. The Bulls responded with a two-run homer in the 6th to get within one run, but then Ramos gave up a single and a home run which pushed the Knights up by three runs. So, yes, a bit of fun back and forth, but always with this uneasy sense that the game wasn’t going to end well. And it didn’t. 

Let’s let Charlie Montoyo have the last word here. As quoted in the Herald-Sun this morning:

“We have to be approaching some kind of record — 32 runs in three games. That’s just tough to watch.”

Outside the game —

Remember Gary Gaetti? He was the Bulls hitting coach some years ago and now manages the Sugar Land Skeeters in the independent Atlantic League. The Skeeters were the source of the Bulls’ current pitcher Lance Pendleton and the current home of former Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir (who visited the Bulls for a couple of rehab starts). They’ve signed a new pitcher to start his first game in a couple of day, Roger Clemens. 

If he makes his first start on Saturday, Clemens will be sharing the evening’s entertainment bill with a fellow named Ted Batchelor, a stuntman who sets himself on fire and runs the bases. What a pair! Pretty sure the Skeeters are going to sellout this Saturday. 

7 in the 8th

Season: 59-67; Trip: 2-4; Bulls v. Clippers: 4-2; Standings

Box, Wrap, Columbus Dispatch, Clippers’ Wrap

I had a meeting in downtown Raleigh last night and since 620 coverage there is basically awful (why is it that one of the most important media guys on the east coast and baseball team owner can't arrange for a radio signal that goes more than about 5 miles?), it wasn’t until late in the 6th inning that I could get the score,. The Clippers were up 6-2. Remembering that I’d heralded the arrival of Cesar Ramos as a new starting pitcher, I started a lead paragraph retracting that assertion.

Got home. Bulls now down 7-2. Parked the car. Went inside. Fired up the computer and gameday and audio stream, just in time to hear Kinas call Chris Gimenez’ second home run of his 5 RBI night with Stephen Vogt and Henry Wrigley on base. Since Wrigley had doubled in Rich Thompson earlier, it was Clippers 7, Bulls 6! Brooks Conrad walked and the Clippers brought in former Bull and former Tampa Bay Ray Dan Wheeler. Will Rhymes hit a home run, just his 4th of the year, and the Bulls go up 8-7. Rich Thompson, in his second at bat, singled in a run later, much later, to make it 9-7. Twelve Bulls came to plate in the inning and that would be enough.

This year’s Bulls have not been much of a come-from-behind team. But last night was different. I count myself lucky to have happened to listen to it. Congrats to Josh Leuke on getting credit for the win, Adam Liberatore for the hold, and Dane De La Rosa for his 15th save.

Chris Gimenez is hitting .335 with an OPS of .932. His two 2-home run games recently has surely been noticed down in St. Petersburg. He should be playing down there in September.

Outside the game —

• Guess I need to mention that the Tampa Bay Rays gave up a perfect game to Seattle’s Felix Hernandez yesterday. Only 23 perfect games have been thrown in major league history — three of them against the Rays/Devil Rays. 
• DRaysBay speculates that the Rays might wait until September to bring Jeff Niemann onto the lineup. He’ll have to be somewhere. Perhaps in Durham?
• The local Kia dealer is having a meet the team event on August 25th.

A Starting Pitcher! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Cesar Ramos

Season: 52-60; Road Trip: 4-4; Bulls v. Tides: 7-7; Standings
Box, Wrap

The offensive side was routine and sounded like real baseball: Rich Thompson gets a single, steals second base, gets sent home on a Chris Gimenez single. Well, not really routine, but certainly an exemplar of the kind of baseball the Bulls can play this year.

The unexpected was to have a starting pitcher who pitches shutout baseball for 5 ⅔ innings. Wow! And Cesar Ramos has been hanging around all year, just not as a starting pitcher until last week down in Gwinnett. We can hope. We can hope.

Meanwhile Frank De Los Santos is zipping in 96 mph fast balls, hitting two batters (stand back!), striking out 2, and getting his first save since coming up. We can hope. We can hope.

Outside the game —

• Josh Lueke was off to Oakland where he apparently got to sit on the bench while James Shields got a complete game shutout and saw his trade value go through the roof.
• Thrown off the Rays bus was infielder Brooks Conrad. Since they can’t bring him back for 10 days, speculation is that Reid Brignac or Will Rhymes will get called up. Conrad stats here and here.
• Speaking of starting pitchers, a fellow named Alex Colome is lurking down in Montgomery. Will we see him this month?

Gomes, Ramos, et al

One more update. Wish I could say I was through. Brandon Gomes has been called up to replace Cesar Ramos, who is coming back after being called up to fill a spot vacated by Luke Scott, who was placed on the DL because ...

Oh, what the heck ... bottom line, the Bulls now have two holes in their bullpen being filled by catcher Craig Albernaz as they face two games today! Good luck guys!

Sigh ...

Albernaz, Ramos

The Rays have put DH Luke Scott  on the DL. (Remember him? He came through Durham a few weeks ago.) That allows them, conveniently, bring up a reliever after a 14-inning game yesterday. Funny how that works. Cesar Ramos is on his way to St. Petersburg. To take Ramos' place on the roster catcher (and infrequent pitcher) Craig Albernaz is on the way back from Hudson Valley.

[Note: For newcomers to this blog, Hudson Valley is a real baseball team in the Rays system. However, its roster also serves as a place to stash folks that the Bulls want to keep around when their 25-man roster is full. This year the person most often fitting that need is veteran minor league catcher Craig Albernaz. During the time a player is assigned to Hudson Valley he is often seen in a Bulls uniform in the dugout and working out with the team, he just can't play in a game unless he is "recalled" form Hudson Valley. All references in this blog to Hudson Valley are typically tongue in cheek. I once had the opportunity to ask Albernaz if he had ever been to Wappinger Falls, NY, home of the Hudson Valley Renegades. He grinned and said that he had not.]

Update, 10:00 pm, 21 July: Ramos must have been called up Friday night, because when Alex Cobb was injured in 2nd inning of tonight's (Saturday's) game he came in and pitched a solid four innings in relief, 2 hits, no runs, 6 Ks. He might stay there with that kind of performance. The Rays, however, couldn't score against the Mariners and lost 2-1.


Update, 8:00 am, 22 July: Ramos has been optioned back to Durham and another pitcher will be recalled to take his place, according to reports. This is really going to screw up the Bulls bullpen. Short one pitcher when Ramos left, another being called up, facing a double-header today. And Ramos, as I understand the rules, can take several days to return.

Celebrate!

Season: 42-46; Home Stand: 1-0; Bulls v. Tides: 5-4; Standings
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy-Week

A couple of days ago Reid Brignac went 0-5 with every single ball he hit going to the opponent’s first baseman. Last night when he came up in the 2nd inning with runners on first and third and did it again, I thought he might be in for another game of the same. I was wrong. What he did after that was pop a single, an RBI double to the right field wall, and a three-run homer over the Blue Monster (and raise his average to .232). Great night for him and for a bunch of other Bulls.

A huge crowd on hand, mostly waiting for the city fireworks show. While they waited we got to see some terrific baseball. Jim Paduch came back from his horrible outing last week to give up only the homer in the 2nd inning. Otherwise, he kept the Tides guessing for five innings. Cesar Ramos is reported to be on orders to be “stretched out”. Meaning, I guess, that he throws the ball a bit more than usual. He stayed for 2 innings and got the win when Brignac doubled home Leslie Anderson in the 6th. Dane De La Rosa got through two innings on 17 pitches. That’s efficiency.

Meanwhile, Tim Beckham continues to assert himself at bat with a home run to begin the game.

Rehabber Matt Joyce started in right field, but left after three at-bats. He was caught stealing after a walk. Not quite sure why he tried. The Tides’ Berken is famous for not letting folks steal on him. He was also in his major leaguer’s batting helmet. Those guys really don’t like the helmets required everywhere else.

Henry Wrigley continues to hit very, very well — two singles and a double.

Two nice double plays, 6-4-3 and a 1-6-3 that preceded the final K to end the game added to the fun of the game.

Outside the game —

• Minor league trivia: The Bulls last played the Tides on May 27th, in Norfolk. From that game only four Bulls players and four Tides players were in last night’s starting lineup.
• Tonight is the last game at the DBAP until June 16th
• The N&O has a nice story on Chris Archer's major league debut. 

Bashing the Bisons

Box, Wrap, Buffalo News

Oddity: Only one double, the rest were singles.

Season: 41-45; Trip: 3-0; Bulls v. Bisons: 7-0; Standings

Box, Wrap, Buffalo News

For the first time in what seems a very long time, Bulls pitching was superb. Three very important guys are back from Tampa Bay. They may not be very happy with their status, but Bulls fans should be. Chris Archer had a solid five innings with 7 Ks. Cesar Ramos, in his first appearance in a Bulls uniform since May 3rd, had a clean inning, as did Brandon Gomes back from his third trip to the Rays.

Leslie Anderson was back from the disabled list to lead the Bulls in hitting, but it was timely sac flies by O’Malley, Feliciano, and Gimenez that made the difference. Along with a steal of third base by Rich Thompson that set up a run.

Outside the Game, Transaction Edition —

• Pitchers from the Rays to the Bulls: Chris Archer, Brandon Gomes, and Cesar Ramos
• Pitchers to the Montgomery Biscuits: Matt Buschmann and Shane Dyer
• Pitcher released: Jhonny Nunez
• Hitters back on the roster: Leslie Anderson, Brandon Allen, and Craig Albernaz
• Hitters on DL: Stephen Vogt (collision at the plate on Sunday)
• Hitter to Hudson Valley: Jeff Salazar

Schedule Weirdness

• The Bulls play two games at home Wednesday and Thursday, hit the road for three games, take three days off, hit the road for four games, then come home. Put another way, if you don’t get to Wednesday’s or Thursday’s game, you won’t have another chance until July 16th!

Chart 

Walks/Hits per Inning Pitched

Keep an eye on the innings. A couple of these guys really haven’t had much time with the Bulls.

click on chart for larger view

Scorched

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

I was not able to attend, or watch, or listen to the game. Probably a good thing.

Season: 38-45; Home Stand: 5-3; Bulls v. Chiefs: 2-6; Standings

Box, Indy Week

Bulls fans know that the pitching this year has been awful. The Bulls’ team ERA is the IL’s worst at 4.64. However, if you separate out the starters from the relievers you get a slightly less awful 4.25 for the relievers. That has meant that once the ball gets handed off to the bullpen, the Bulls have a chance. 

Not last night.

Starter Matt Buschmann handed off a 4-4 tie to his compatriots. They coughed up seven runs. The usually reliable Bryan Augenstein  — 2, new guy Frank De Los Santos — 2, and Shane Dyer in his first relief appearance — 3, brutally hot and not pretty at all.

See “outside the game” for some future hope in the bullpen.

On the interesting stuff side, Tim Beckham started at shortstop, had a double and a home run, reached on an error and scored three runs. So he’s looking pretty good. Reid Brignac went 0-5, every single one was a batted ball going right to the Chiefs first baseman for unassisted outs. Cole Figueroa playing third base made two very slick plays. 

Outside the game —

• Rays Index speculated on who will be coming to the Bulls in a couple of days. And they were right, Brandon Gomes and Cesar Ramos will be back in a couple of days.
• That means at least two current Bulls will need to go, possibly three. Since major leaguers coming down get a couple of days to make the trip, no telling when we will hear. 
• Jim Donten is back in business with his Charlotte Stone Crabs (Rays Single A Team) Claw Digest.

Road to .500

A while back we asserted that a .500 season would be a reasonable goal for the 2012 Durham Bulls and we started a chart that showed progress toward that goal. This looks much better than last time. The Bulls did reach the “path”, but then fell off it the last two nights. The Bulls have 61 games left to play and need to win 34 of them to reach the .500 target. That’s .558 baseball over July and August. 

click to view larger chart

Coming Home On a Win

Season: 14-24; Trip: 4-4, Standings

Box, Wrap

That was a nice way to wrap up the trip. Bulls pitching got what was only their second shutout this year and Juan Miranda got his first home run of the season to win the game.

It was a particularly solid win given the context, which is severe roster turmoil (Stephen Vogt called up just before the game) that is only going to get more confusing over the next couple of days. More about that below.

I agree with broadcaster Patrick Kinas — Bulls pitching has really settled down over this trip. (I would add: with the notable exception of Alexander Torres.) Defensively a few miscues, but nothing to be concerned about. What is still cause for concern is the lack of power. But that isn’t new and the answer is more effective small ball, i.e., get that guy home from second and third base. That needs some help, but that’s who the Bulls are this year ... so far ... wait for the next edition of the team. It changes almost daily.

Outside the game (big goings on, and likely to be more before the Bulls take the field tonight):

• Latest word from the Bulls is that Hideki Matsui will play tonight. But if not tonight, then tomorrow. Should be fun. 
• If Matsui does get added to the roster, who goes? That’s where the secrecy surrounding minor league contracts comes into play. If it’s just performance, then, in spite of his big hit last night, Juan Miranda would be the one to go. He was hired by the Rays for his bat and he is not producing. But if it’s ease of moving players around, then it will likely by Henry Wrigley back to Montgomery. Sorry, Henry, because I was really looking forward to seeing you play.
• But wait! There’s more! Jeff Niemann, a Rays starting pitcher, was hit so hard by a batted ball it broke a bone in his leg and he will be out for a long time. That means a pitcher will probably be leaving Durham. My guess is Alex Cobb. No telling who’s available to fill that hole. Seems like half of the Rays roster is on the DL. Just look at the folks here. Plus at least two of those guys (Ridriguez and Suarez) ain’t gonna get called up any time this year.
• But, the Rays could take someone from their bullpen (Wade Davis was in competition for the starting job until just a few weeks ago) into the rotation and the Rays call up a reliever from the Bulls instead of a starter. Brandon Gomes, De La Rosa, and Gaub are on the 40-man.
• If they take a pitcher from the Bulls today, then they could just leave a hole and Matsui will just slip in without a transaction.
• Does any of this pass the "So what?" test. Well, I think so. Because the senior guys in the dugout and the bullpen have to be thinking if their day is coming.
• After mentioning Cesar Ramos yesterday in this blog, nice to see him come in after Niemann’s injury and do a great job.
• For a short break from baseball, check out Diane Van Derek’s trek. She is getting near Blowing Rock on the fifth day of her run from the Tennessee border to the coast. They don’t have the GPS tracking up and running yet. Hope they do soon.

[Note regarding my predictions regarding roster moves — My record is really, really dismal. I would not bet on me, neither should you.]

Update: For a thoughtful analysis of the Rays pitching situation, see this piece by Tommy Rancel, a well-regarding Rays watcher and analyst.

Sweet Sunday

Season: 14-24; Trip: 3-4; Standings
Box, Wrap, SWBblog.

The Bulls played another fine game of baseball this afternoon. Chris Archer had a terrific start: 6 innings, 9 Ks, 4 BBs, and 1 unearned run. Ryan Reid bridged the gap to Brandon Gomes. Gomes has yet to allow a run while pitching in a Bulls uniform.

Meanwhile the Bulls kept up their very worrisome habit of leaving runners on third base. Nevertheless, runs were pushed across with hits by Stephan Vogt and Shawn O’Malley, and that was enough.

The Bulls have a chance to break even for the trip tomorrow. That would be a fine outcome.

Outside the game

• Frontier Field in Rochester is well-liked by the cognoscenti of baseball stadiums. See reviews here and here. It comes out eighth on Stadium Journey’s list.
• Cesar Ramos has pitched in one game, for one inning (May 6th) since he was called up.
• If you want to look at something really outside the game, check out ultra-marathoner Diane Van Deren’s attempt to run North Carolina’s Mountain-to-Sea Trail. She began her trek last Thursday at 4:30am from Clingman’s Dome. She’s going to see if she can beat the current record of 24 days, 3 hours and 50 minutes (930 miles). If all went well today, she should be nearing Buck Creek Gap.

Chart of the Day

Batting Averages

The Sabermetricians don't much like batting average for a lot of reasons, but we are all used to it. So here they are for the Durham Bulls. Included is Brandon Guyer since I'd guess he'll be coming back someday soon. Not included is Henry Wrigley since he has very few AAA at bats yet. As can be seen, there are three players below the Mendoza Line. That's actually an improvement over the last couple of days. Brandon Guyer, Stephen Vogt, and Reid Brignac are on the Rays' 40-man roster. Room is going to have to be made for Hideki Matsui. Oher roster changes can be expected as various Rays return to health — Longoria, Jennings, Lobaton, Allen, et al.

'Splain This to Me

Right-handed reliever Brandon Gomes is coming back to the Bulls.

I am always ready to learn something about this puzzling game. More so since I started this blog and started paying attention to some of the little stuff.

Here is what was reported on the  Rays website:

Because of the workload, Gomes was optioned to Triple-A Durham following the game. The Rays will make a corresponding move before Sunday’s contest.

Tampa Bay Times writer Marc Topkin expanded on the comment slightly here. Stacy Long over in Montgomery has this take.

What puzzles me is the “workload” comment. Gomes has pitched a grand total of 10⅔ innings all year (6 with the Bulls and 4⅔ with the Rays). This was over 10 appearances (5 with the Bulls, 5 with the Rays). He has pitched the least number of innings of any pitcher on the Rays roster. So, what "workload"? I’m guessing that something else is afoot.

In the meantime, we can speculate on who will be called up to replace him.

Note: Gomes surely won’t show up with the Bulls for a couple of days, but one of the Bulls pitchers will likely be heading for St. Pete today. It's possible that whomever has been called is already on his way to be there for today’s game.

Choices: Dane De La Rosa, Josh Lueke, Cesar Ramos, John Gaub, Alexander Torres.

Gonna be tough on the Bulls’ staff because last night's postponement is going to mess with the pitching rotation and the Bulls hit the road for Syracuse, New York after tonight's games.

* * * * *

Update: It's Cesar Ramos. Well-deserved! Good luck!

Ouch!

 ________

Game 28, Thursday, May 3, DBAP
Season: 9-19; Home Stand: 3-4
Box, Wrap, Indy Week

Shortstop Shawn O’Malley took two for the team, but the team could not get him home. That may have made all the difference. In the 3rd Kyle Hudson got on with a bunt single. O’Malley got plunked by Bat starter Sean Gallagher. They moved to second and third base when Gallagher balked. Hudson came home on a Leslie Anderson ground out. O’Malley was stranded on third when Juan Miranda grounded out.

In the 8th O’Malley was clipped by reliever Kanekoa Texeira and moved to second on a Stephen Vogt sacrifice. That’s where he was after a walk and a double play ended the inning.

Also on the plus side of a losing cause were Bulls pitchers. Chris Archer had a solid outing. Alexander Torres was shaky (and walked two) in his first appearance in relief. Ryan Reid was terrific. Cesar Ramos let a pitch and a home run get away from him in the 11th and that made the difference. But the Bulls had plenty of chances before the 11th inning to put the game away.

Also on the plus side was Reid Brignac’s home run, deserving a special mention. He also ran out a very hard hit grounder for a single in the 9th, but got stranded on second.

I’ve got to mention Leslie Anderson and Kyle Hudson teaming up to misplay of a hit off the wall in the very first inning. I’m pretty sure it was Anderson’s first time in left field this year, but he’s played it before. Daniel Dorn’s hit off the wall played properly would have been at most a double. And it’s possible that the runner on first would not have scored. DBAP fundamentals are for the center fielder to play for the carom, not the ball. As it happened the ball skittered back into the middle of the outfield with both outfielders chasing it. The runner on first scored, and Dorn easily made it to third.

New guy Cole Figueroa started at third, got a double, started a clean double play, and looks pretty good.

Brandon Guyer is reported to be coming back for tonight’s game. A welcome addition, I’d say.

Chart of the Day

This is just a bit of wishful (or is that wistful) thinking on my part. These are yesterday’s OPS numbers with 2012 numbers of three guys who played for the Bulls last year added (Johnson, Ruggiano, and Canzler). Wouldn’t it have been lovely?

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.

3-Hitter Not Good Enough

Game 22, Friday, April 27, DBAP, Durham, North Carolina
Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh) 13; Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay) 2
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Game 23, Saturday, April 28, DBAP
Indianapolis Indians 2; Durham Bulls 0
Season: 6-17; Home Stand: 0-2; Streak: 0-12
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

I went up to the top of the Blue Monster to watch the 9th inning Saturday evening. That location gives you a unique perspective on the game. I recommend it for an inning or two every now and then. From there you can look directly down on the visiting team bullpen. While Cesar Ramos was striking out the side (every batter struck out looking) I watched Indianapolis closer left-hander Doug Slaten warm up. I don’t follow Pittsburg so I can’t tell you why he’s not pitching there, but I can tell you that from the Blue Monster you have one heck of a look at what he can do. Impressive. His fastball was very close to the inside (for a left-handed batter) edge of the plate. His breaking ball started in the same place, but had a nasty away and down break. Beautiful to watch from above. Too bad he’s pitching for the Indians.

Which brings me to my point: Durham had 8 left-handed batters in the lineup last night. The Rays are famous for their platoon approach to the game, but that’s only for the Rays. No platoon down here in Durham. There are only three right handers on the roster (if you count switch hitter O’Malley as a right-hander), and only Albernaz was in the lineup last night.

Note: After Slaten went in to pitch, 6"4", 300+ lb behemoth right-hander Jose Diaz was warming up against the possibility of Albernaz coming to bat. (Doesn’t seem fair. Albie weighs maybe 190 on a good day and is hitting .143.)

Slaten had no problem at all with the three Bulls he faced and the game was quickly over.

Nevertheless, Bulls fans can take some solace even in this fifth shutout, and 12th in a row loss. For the first time in a while, the pitching was pretty solid. Archer was much improved from his last time out. If the Bulls had had what they’ve had in every season I’ve watched them, a speedy centerfielder, they might have gotten out of the 2nd inning unscathed. But we don’t have that. The Indians do. It was a treat to see their Starling Marte chase the ball down. Reminded me of Desmond Jennings or Justin Ruggiano or Fernando Perez or, heck, even John Matulia, who didn’t let many balls get past them out there.

The reality of this team is that the Bulls need great pitching, every day. Charlie Montoyo said it in response to a question about Friday’s game:

"It’s tough to come from behind,“ Montoyo said. "We don’t have that kind of team to get a three-run home run this season."

Outside the game:

• Doc Watson is back playing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"! Hooray!
• I thought the "Running of the Bull" gimmick Friday night was pretty cute.
• Video board information is much improved. Lineup. Some ingame stats. Opposing pitchers. Thanks!

Running Rampant

Game 5, Monday, April 9, DBAP
Durham Bulls 13, Charlotte Knights 8
Season: 4-1; Remaining Home Games: 2
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun, Indy Week

Wow! That was fun to watch.

Every Bull got at least one hit, except for center fielder Kyle Hudson, and he got two RBI. First baseman Juan Miranda got his first hits of the season, a double and two singles, scored three runs, and got two RBI.

The most fun sequence to watch of the night began with a top of the 4th bunt by second baseman Shawn O’Malley. He simply danced around Charlotte first baseman Hector Gimenez to get to the base. Then he went to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Kyle Hudson and to third base on an infield ground out by Jesus Feliciano. He then scored the Bulls fifth run of the game on a wild pitch. Tim Beckham was at bat and went on to single and be brought home on a very pretty Brandon Guyer home run (his second of the year).

When Matt Torra first came to the Bulls last year he had a game or two where he had some problems. Then he settled down and had a great year for the Bulls. Last night he was being hit really, really hard. Fortunately, most of them were being gloved. After two home runs in the 6th he was pulled and you have to wonder why he even went out for the inning. Here’s hoping he settles down. Cesar Ramos bailed Torra out in the 6th but came on in the 7th and threw 9 straight balls. Worrisome. But he then got a K, ground out, and fly out. Very pleased to see Romulo Sanchez on the mound for the 8th after getting hit hard by a line drive a couple of nights ago. Three quick outs. He’s going to be an asset as long he stays with the Bulls.

Outside the game:

• Time to talk about the video board. It’s pretty, but it needs a couple of tweaks to make me happy. I’d like to see two things added: in-game stats and info on relief pitchers. I took a poll of those seated near me and they both agreed. I keep a scorecard, so I can glance down and see how a player is doing in the game. But it sure would be nice to see it up on the board. As for the pitchers, I know they get announced, but it would be nice to put something up and hold it while he’s warming up so we could get a sense of who’s out there.
• The Rays got a day off yesterday after only three games. That gives me the opportunity to mention the relentless nature of AAA baseball. The Bulls have played five games so far. They have two more at home and then hit the road for 14 more games before they get their first day off! That will be 21 games in 22 days. Meanwhile their astronomically better paid colleagues will have played in 19 games (9 at home, 10 on the road) with two days off).
• Adam Sobsey has an interesting interview with Dan Johnson at the Indy Week link. Worth a look.

Thriller in the Ninth

Game 3, Saturday, April 7, DBAP
Durham Bulls 6, Gwinnett Braves 5
Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun
Season: 2-1; Games left in home stand: 4

Talk about ups and downs. The Bulls weren't exactly cruising, but at the top of the 9th we felt comfortable enough to start heading for the gate. New guy Romulo Sanchez had a good rep, so even if the Bulls were only up by one run, it seemed as if the game was in hand.

A walk, a hit batter, a sacrifice, and a single later, Mr. Sanchez was being helped off the field and the Bulls were down by one run with Braves on the corners. Cesar Ramos came in and gave up a walk, but got out of the inning on a double play. But with the score now 5-4 it sure looked like the Bulls were, at best, heading for another extra inning game.

Not so fast. Tim Beckham draws his second walk of the night to lead off the 9th. Brandon Guyer moves him to second. Matt Mangini singles Beckham in and is replaced by pinch runner Jesus Feliciano. Leslie Anderson's second double of the evening brings Feliciano around for the win.

This was the second come from behind win in the first three games.

There's nothing in Bryan Augenstein's recent history to show him to be a starting pitcher. In 2011, for example, he was in 26 AAA games, all but one as a reliever. And yet, after a tricky first inning when his own fielding error set up a run, he had a very impressive six innings. He finished out the 6th by striking out the side — 8 Ks, 0 walks, 1 ER. Of his 80 pitches, he threw 61 for strikes.

Recent arrival John Gaub didn't look all that great, but Brandon Gomes kept things on track until Sanchez' troubles in the 9th.

In the meantime, the Bulls collected their first extra base hits of the year. Brandon Guyer and Jeff Salazar hit home runs, Chris Gimenez had a double and, as mentioned, Leslie Anderson had two.

We saw Will Rhymes at third base last night and Shawn O'Malley at second base. O'Malley did just fine. Notable was a couple of heads up moments covering first base.

Anderson showed some flash with the glove and at bat. Trying to work his way back to the 40-man?

At the time of this writing, no news regarding Sanchez's injury.

The Braves Julio Teheran looked nothing like the pitcher we saw last year. The Bulls got to him by the 2nd inning, forcing the Braves once again deep into their bullpen.

Beautiful late afternoon game at the DBAP. Chris Archer tomorrow.

Outside the game:

• The DBAP comes in as #2 in AAA according to a new rating.
• The Biscuits lost to the Wahoos 4-5.
• After all the demolition, big changes underneath the stands. And changes coming on the outside.
• Josh Leuke, who sort of started the years with the Bulls, did not have an auspicious beginning as a Tampa Bay Ray reliever: 1 1/3 inning, gave up 3 runs on 3 hits with 2 walks.

First Impressions — Part 2 — Pitchers

The starting rotation for any AAA team is frequently in flux. This year won’t be any different. But it sure looks good for the opening round of games.

We saw, and wrote about, four of the five starting pitchers last year (see here and here). Of the four, Alex Cobb, Alex Torres, and Matt Torra are very solid guys. We only saw Chris Archer a couple of times so we neither agree nor disagree with the hype around him. Alex Cobb, on the other hand, is for sure the real deal and if Alex Torres ever gets a handle on his control, he is sure to see some big league time this year. Cobb, Torres, and Archer are on the Rays 40-man.

New guy Bryan Augenstein has some major league time and has bounced around a bit, most recently in the Cardinals system. His stats show him as spending almost all his time as a reliever, but it appears that the Rays want to look at him as a starter. I think he’s going to be a very interesting ballplayer to watch.

As with the starters, most of the relievers have spent some time in a Bulls uniform. Five of the seven on the roster have been with the team. (However, in Marquis Fleming’s case it was only for 2 innings last July. He was the winner of the 2011 Moonlight Graham Award.) Cesar Ramos only had 4 innings, but Ryan Reid had 55, Dane De La Rosa had 70, and Brandon Gomes had 25 before he was called to the Rays. So the only relievers who are complete strangers are Jhonny Nuñez and Romulo Sanchez. We saw Nunez in a Charlotte Knights uniform last year. Sanchez played in Japan last year and has a good bit of AAA time (and a few innings with the Pirates and Yankees). Gomes, De La Rosa, and Ramos are on the Rays 40-man roster.

That leaves reliever Josh Leuke, who comes to the Rays system from the Mariners. We assume that he’s to start the season with the Rays, but we don’t know that for sure. Nor do we know if there could be a ripple effect down through the system. He is on the 40-man, has decent stats, and obviously ready to play in the big leagues.