Matchup, More on No-Hitter, Update on Bulls Hitters

If it seems like the Bulls just played the Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals), well, they did just play the Chiefs. That was last week and the Bulls did pretty well, winning three out of four games. The Chiefs have been having a bit of trouble in recent days, losing 8 of their last 10 games. The Bulls are 6-4 over the same stretch.

More on the no-hitter —

• The Pawtucket Times takes the local angle on the game and does a nice job of it. Also has some Montoyo quotes.
• Rays Colored Glasses has a solid description.
• DRaysBay is downright snarky about it, emphasizing the BBs.
• The News & Observer has a nice story, but it’s only in the print edition.

Update on Bulls hitters —

Source: Fangraphs. Formulas and Definitions: wRAA, wOBA

No-Hitter!

Season 20-10; Road Trip: 5-3

Box, Wrap, PawSox Wrap, Play-By-Play

Jake Odorizzi and three of his colleagues no-hit the Pawtucket Red Sox up at McCoy Stadium today.

At the end of 7 innings Odorizzi was at 95 pitches and both the 6th and 7th innings had been a bit scary with Odorizzi walking a couple of guys in each. When Frank de los Santos came in for the 8th, things didn’t look a lot better, since he gave up two walks and left the game with two outs and runners on second and third. Kirby Yates killed that threat and took the game into the 9th. The he got BB-itis as well. Two walks and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with just one out. A run scored when Rich Thompson chased down a deep fly ball for a sacrifice fly. Rhode Island native Jeff Beliveau came in and got a K for the final out.

No need to second-guess Charlie Montoyo on this one. At 95 pitches, two innings to go and shaky control, it was time for Mr. Odorizzi to rest on his well-earned laurels.

Trivia: The 8 walks granted by the Bulls was tied for the most in a game this season.

Oddity: None of the Bulls two runs were earned, but the Bulls allowed an earned run. Without mistakes by the Red Sox (wild pitches, passed balls, and errors) the Bulls could have had a no-hitter and lost the game.

More trivia: The Bulls left 9 runners in scoring position. 

Even more trivia: Thanks to Stacy Long over at Biscuit Crumb, Rays' system no-hitters.

In the “some teams never learn” category: the Red Sox tried to steal on Craig Albernaz again, and got thrown out, again. Also, I wonder if this was Albernaz’ first time catching a no-hitter? Here’s hoping someone asks him that question soon. 

Update: It was Albernaz' first no-hitter as a pro.

Outside the game —

• Terrific catch by former Durham Bull Justin Ruggiano today.

Update — 

And now watch the video of the last pitch:

Albie!

Craig Albernaz and Bo, 2009

Season: 19-10; Road Trip: 4-3

Wrap, Box

Let’s jump to just a couple of important highlights for Bulls fans — Kinas and Albernaz.

I only got to listen to bits and pieces of the game as I roamed around Wake County yesterday afternoon. That croaking voice coming out of the radio was Patrick Kinas’ after all. We talk about players fighting through the pain, but this was a broadcaster staying on the air. Not a lot of depth on that bench (Bench? What bench? We ain’t got no stinkin’ benches.)

Down on the field, Craig Albernaz started at catcher for the Bulls and another team’s scouting report failed them. PawSox shortstop Jose Iglesias attempted a steal; Albernaz threw him out. Even better, in the 9th Albernaz reached first on a walk and stole second! He reached third on a Rich Thompson ground out and came home on a Jason Bourgois single. Great day for one of our favorite players.

Meanwhile, J.D. Martin who was to begin the year as a reliever, has established himself as a terrific starting pitcher. He let one bases-empty home run out of the park, and otherwise kept a lid on the PawSox after the Bulls jumped on the PawSox starter for three runs in the first inning.

Outside the game —

• Former Durham Bull and WDBB favorite Fernando Perez is back in professional baseball playing for the Sugar Land Skeeters over in Texas. Playing for former Durham Bulls hitting coach Gary Gaetti. He hit his first home run of the year yesterday. In fact, it was his first home run since May 8, 2011 when he was playing for the Iowa Cubs. Great to see him in baseball again!
• The Norfolk Tides lost,  putting the Bulls back into a tie for first place in the South Division.

Bulls Lose, But Other Interesting Goings On

Season: 18-10; Road Trip: 3-3

Wrap, Box, Pawtucket Times, PawSox Heavy

I wasn’t going to comment today because I was unable to listen to the game and, to be honest, the Bulls lost, so how could that be interesting? But a couple of things happened worth mentioning in and outside the game.

In the game we saw Mike Fontenot back at shortstop after what seems like a long absence. And then Brandon Guyer got hit by a pitch, got around to score the only Bulls run of the game, but then left. Did anyone hear an update?

Outside the game — 

• Norfolk won at Syracuse, so the Tides are now in first place.
• Shelley Duncan, a player we’ve seen a lot of over the years, but not in a Bulls uniform, is on his way to Durham. He stayed with the Rays out of spring training after Luke Scott pulled a muscle. Could add some home run power, but will require the Bulls to make a roster move.
• Former Bull Steven Vogt got some love from his local paper. Nice story.
• Another former Bull, Reid Brignac, seems to be doing OK in Denver.
• A bunch of money is going to be pumped into the DBAP over the winter. Sounds like the Bulls are getting a pretty good deal from the City of Durham.
• Chris Archer has had a couple of thoughtful pieces written about him recently, here and here.
• Lastly, a poignant blog entry over at Nicole Johnson’s blog.

Trouble On the Island

Season: 18-9; Road Trip: 3-2
Wrap, Box, Pawtucket Times

Is it time to start worrying about Jim Paduch? He is not having a very good year at all. And his pitching schedule is erratic. His best day was his first day back on April 7 when he went 3⅓ innings and only gave up two hits. He had one more pretty good appearance, then the next four have been trouble, including a gap from April 13 to April 21 another gap from April 25 to May 2. My guess is that there’s something wrong, but that is obviously guesswork. What isn’t guesswork is that the last four games he’s appeared in the Bulls have lost. That implies that (1) his luck is really awful or (2) he’s going into games that the management thinks are marginal.

Last year Mr. Paduch played a vital role as a starter and general go-to guy in a year that saw plenty of struggles among the starting pitchers. This is the first year that he’s been exclusively out of the pen and it really doesn’t seem to be going all that well.

To answer my lead question: Yes, it is.

Meanwhile, Alex Torres had an ugly 3rd inning and the Bulls had their most lop-sided loss of the year. Today’s a new day, a new game, shake it off.

South Division Standings

While we weren’t watching, the Norfolk Tides won seven games in a row and are now tied with the Bulls for first place in the South Division. Note that Charlotte’s been having tough time of it lately.

click chart for larger image

Matchup: Bulls vs. Red Sox

The Pawtucket Red Sox are the Triple-A team of the Boston Red Sox and the reigning International League Champions. A modest oddity in the matchup is that both team’s Pythagorean Expectation exactly matches their actual won-loss record. I find it a bit creepy with an obscure mathematical formula generates a number that exactly matches reality (Bulls PE = 18-8; Red Sox PE = 15-11).

These two teams seem to be very well matched. The Bulls have an edge in hitting and pitching, but will it be enough to offset home field advantage?

Outside the game —

• The Rays have designated for assignment first baseman/DH Shelley Duncan. I am poor at guessing the outcome of these sorts of things, but I have to point out that so far this year every player the Rays have DFA’d has ended up with another team. 

Guest Blogger: PawSox Heavy Profiles the Team

We have very, very few fan blogs about minor league teams and PawSox Heavy is one of those stalwart few. PawSox Heavy is focused on the Boston Red Sox AAA team, the Pawtucket Red Sox. The Bulls only 2013 visit to Pawtucket will will be over the next four days and the PawSox don’t show up in Durham until after the mid-July All-Star game. Given the nature of AAA baseball, by that time the Red Sox (and the Bulls) are likely to be very different teams.

We recently emailed Jenks and asked if we could get a profile of the this year’s team and Jenks very kindly sent up this interesting look at her team:

This season’s Pawtucket Red Sox sees a return of developing players, along with the usual mix of career minor leaguers, former major leaguers, players looking to repair their career, and of course, Jackie Bradley Jr. So far, many of these players seem capable of helping out Boston in case of emergency. 

What stands out most about the 2013 team is the offense. In recent years, Pawtucket has seen decent pitching with a deficit of run support. Currently, though, Pawtucket is third in its league in runs scored per game, behind only the Durham Bulls and the relentless Buffalo Bisons. 

One offensive standout is top-ten prospect Bryce Brentz. Brentz, a right-handed corner outfielder, immediately displayed his ability to hit for power and drive in runs. Other bats considered to be organizational depth include former Cardinals stock Mark Hamilton, first baseman Brandon Snyder, and  outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker. And catcher Ryan Lavarnway is back in Pawtucket, still working on his defense behind the plate.  

Two pitchers to watch out for this season are Allen Webster and Rubby De la Rosa, both acquired from the Dodgers in 2012’s blockbuster trade. Young prospect Webster is a groundball pitcher with potential to start in the majors. De la Rosa has had a few rough early starts, but should level out as the season progresses and he works on controlling his fastball. 

Of course, the two players that generate the most excitement are talented outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr, fresh off a stint with Boston, and shortstop Jose Iglesias. Iglesias, who’s known for his dazzling defense, has shown improvement at the plate and is generating more contact. Bradley has only just begun to play at the Triple-A level, but it will be exciting to see how much he accomplished at that level. 

The PawSox won the Governors’ Cup in 2012, the first time in 28 years. Perhaps the team, led by new manager Gary DiSarcina, will have a shot at repeating the accomplishment. 

You will note the mention of the Governors’ Cup in the last paragraph. That tells you the writer is an International League Triple -A fan — who else cares about the Governors’ Cup?

Thank You Jenks! If you ever make it to the DBAP stop by Section 207, Row L. Good luck to your Sox for the rest of the season — that would be after the Bulls leave on Sunday.