Sandberg Gives Away a Durham Bulls Game

Game 6, April 12, Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Gwinnett Braves: 6

Durham Bulls: 5

10 innings

Season: 4-2
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, Gwinnett Wrap

What in the world was outfielder Dayron Varona doing on the mound in the 10th inning? Especially after reliever Jhan Marinez had only thrown 14 pitches in the 9th? And at least two other relievers were available? Varona in nine years as a professional baseball player (7 in Cuba) had, according to Baseball-Reference.Com (stats), never pitched in a game. Result: Gwinnett scored a run and the Bulls did not recover in the bottom of the inning.

I’m sure there’s an explanation. Something to do with orders from Tampa Bay, or the problems with today's 11:00 am game, or something like that. Wondering why either the Herald-Sun failed to ask or Manager Jared Sandberg failed to answer the question.

The Braves got a gift from the Bulls. I’m guessing they didn’t even say thank you.

Be Still My Heart

Game 5, April 11, Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta): 5

Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay): 6

11 innings

Season: 4-1; Streak: W-3
Wrap, Box, Gwinnett Wrap, Herald-Sun

A game not for the faint-of-heart. The Braves tied the Bulls in the 6th and then loaded the bases in the 8th, 9th, and 10th innings. But they did not score a run. In the top of the 11th they went ahead by a run. In the bottom of the 11th, however, Carlos Corporan got his first hit of the season and with the help of Nick Franklin, Kyle Roller, and Dayron Varona, the Bulls had a walk-off win. The Braves had twice as many hits as the Bulls, 16 to 8.

First Look: Pitcher

LHP Adam Wilk: 4⅔ innings, 6 hits, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K’s, Game Score - 42
Wilk has time in the Detroit, Pittsburgh, and LA Angels systems. Looks like one of those pitchers that the Rays seem to find each year that can help the Bulls (and maybe the Rays) before the end of the season. Plus he’s left-handed. Stats.

Observations: Dayron Varona has one heck of an arm and he’s quick in the field. Playing right field last night he made a superb throw from the corner to 2B. Later a very powerful throw home was off-line, but still impressive. Jake Goebbert certainly has spent his time figuring out the Blue Monster in left. The Braves were tattooing the wall all night and he played each of them perfectly.

Mikie Matook’s third triple in five games pushed his OPS up to .939.

A very familiar face was playing second base for the Braves, Reid Brignac. Coming up through the Rays system he spent part or all of 2008, 2009, and 2012 with the Bulls. Beginning in 2013 he’s been with Colorado, the Yankees, Philadelphia, and Miami. He is not on the Braves 40-man this year. A left-handed batter, the Bulls had good luck with a shift last night.

Outside the game —

• Richie Shaffer received some well-deserved recognition as the International League Hitter of the Week.
• Taylor Motter was profiled over at DRaysBay.

Chart: The Game Score stat of Durham Bulls pitchers. First time through the rotation.
Yes, this has all the problems of small sample size, but, what the heck, this is a good time to just introduce this stat. Basically, Game Score is a measure of how a starting pitcher did in a game. See the formula at the link. If you agree that starting pitching is key to the game, then you want to see your starters keep their game scores above 50. However, starting pitching isn’t everything. We’ll get to that.

Promising Pitcher; Pants!

Game 4, April 10,  Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Charlotte Knights: 4

Durham Bulls: 6

Season: 3-1; Home Stand: 3-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

In his first Triple A start Austin Pruitt was spectacular — the longest and best outing of any starting pitcher this year. Kyle McPherson, who followed him, not so much.

In the top of the 4th RF Jaff Decker crashed into 2B Daniel Robertson not too long after hitting his home run in the bottom of the 3rd. Dayron Varona took his place and hit a double and a homer (3 RBI). Now that’s depth in right field.

What’s really different about the Durham Bulls this year? Trousers.

OK, it took me a while to notice, but I’m guessing youth (as in managerial youth) finally won out. Yesterday most of the Bulls were in long pants. In all previous years the only players in long pants were re-habbing major leaguers. Pitcher Austin Pruitt and 1B Richie Shaffer were holdouts in knee breeches.

First Look: Pitchers

RHP Austin Pruitt: 6 innings, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 11 K’s, Game Score - 73
For his AAA debut Pruitt had a career high number of strikeouts, a solid 6 inning start, and a win. He spent last year in Montgomery, pitching 160 innings and recording 122 K’s. He looks to be a very solid asset. Stats.
RHP Kyle McPherson: ⅔ innings, 2 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 2 K’s
McPherson was simply awful in his short outing. He has been playing pro ball for parts of 9 seasons, although the last time he put in a lot of innings was in 2011 in the Pittsburgh system. He’s coming back from surgery and spent 2015 in the Rays system. The Rays are good at spotting pitching talent, so we hope that this game is an anomaly.  Stats.

Outside the game —

• Set your recorders for PBS’s documentary on Jackie Robinson. Starts tonight on WUNC. 

Bulls hitting against Charlotte was pretty darn good. Here’s the team OPS for each game compared with a three-year International League average, and this year’s running IL average. [Update: I forgot to add that the current season OPS of .840 leads the IL]

A Little Luck and a Win

Game 3, 9 April, Durham Bulls Athletic Park

Charlotte Knights: 2

Durham Bulls: 3

Season: 2-1; Home Stand: 2-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun (paywall)

Consider Saturday night’s win a gift from the Charlotte Knight’s battery of catcher Hector Sanchez and reliever Phillipe Aumont. Hats off to broadcaster Patrick Kinas who called out the shaky teamwork of the two from the beginning of the 8th inning. A single by Richie Shaffer was followed by two wild pitches that got him to 3B (and a walk that got Kyle Roller on base). A double by Daniel Robertson tied the game. Another wild pitch scored pinch-runner Nick Franklin, and that was enough to win the game.

The Lineup

(just the players we are seeing for the first time)

DH Jake Goebbert: 0 for 3, 1 BB
Goebbert is a left-hand hitting first baseman who was very recently claimed from the Pirates system. He played all last year at AAA  El Paso (Padres) and carried a very nice .844 OPS. He could end up be a real asset to the Bulls. Stats.
RF Dayron Varona: 1 for 4
Varona has had his 15 minutes of fame this year when he accompanied the Tampa Bay Rays to Cuba to play the Cuban National Team. He was the only Cuban on the Rays and got a bit of returning hero treatment. He had a decent 2015 at A and AA last year and 40 games in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Stats.
C Carlos Corporan: 0 for 2, 2 BB
Well-traveled, 32 year-old Corporan played in the Rangers system last year, but went to spring training with the Yankees. The Rays got him from there. He adds some depth and experience to a roster that’s unusually young (average age of hitters is 25.4). Stats.

The Pitchers

RHP Jamie Schultz: 4⅓ innings, 5 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K’s, 2 HR, Game Score - 41
Schultz made his AAA debut and, with the notable exception of the two solo home runs, did just fine. He spent all of last year in Montgomery, starting 27 games and pitching 135 innings with 168 K’s. Think he’s going to be fun to watch. Stats.
RHP Eddie Gamboa: 3⅔ innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 BB, 3 K’s
For the last three years knuckleballer Gamboa bedeviled Durham Bulls hitters as a reliever for the Norfolk Tides. Very happy to see him wearing a Bulls uniform. He’s going to be fun to watch. Stats. Interesting conversation with Neil Solondz about his knuckleball and joining the Rays here.
RHP Mark Sappington: 1 inning, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 BB, 2 K’s.
Sappington came to the Rays out of the Angels system and spent last year in Montgomery. This was his AAA debut. He had a good year last year and has some interesting comments in his Solondz interview. Stats.

Close, but No Comeback; Watch Out for the Wind

Looks Breezy!

Game 2, 8 April 2016, Durham Athletic Park
Charlotte Knights (White Sox): 8
Durham Bulls (Rays): 6

Season: 1-1; Home Stand: 1-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun (paywall), DRaysBay

The Bulls had a nice lead going into the 6th, but Andriese ran into a bit of trouble and new-to-the-Bulls reliever Tyler Sturdevant let two runs score and gave up one of his own. The Bulls came back to tie it up, however 2015 stalwart Jhan Martinez couldn’t hang on.

Continuing my look at this year’s team …

The Lineup

(note: The “slash line” is: Batting Average/On Base Percentage/On Base Percentage+Slugging; “*” indicates player is on 40-man roster)

RF Mikie Mahtook*: 2 for 4, 1 BB, scored 2 runs. Season — .333/.400/.733
CF Jaff Decker: 2 for 5, scored 2 runs. Season — .500/.500/1.100
SS Taylor Motter*: 1 for 5. Season — .300/.300/.600
1B Richie Shaffer*: 3 for 5, scored 1 run. 3 RBI. Season — .625/.667/1.542
2B Nick Franklin*: 1 for 5, scored 1 run. Season — .222/.222/.444
3B Daniel Robertson: 3 for 3, scored 1 run, 1 HR, 2 RBI. Season — .500/.625/1.625
DH Kyle Roller: 0 for 3. 1 RBI (sac fly). Season — .000/.000/.000
Roller spent the last two seasons with the AAA team of the Yankees, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders. Exclusively a DH and first baseman he was signed as a minor league free agent. Solid stats. Looks like a good addition to the roster. Stats.
LF Patrick Leonard: 0 for 4. 1 RBI (bases loaded ground out). Season — .250/.250/.625
C Luke Maile: 0 for 4. Season — .250/.250/.625

The Pitchers

RHP Matt Andriese*: 5 ⅓ innings. 6 hitds, 4 ER, 0 BB, 9 K’s.
Matt Andriese is essentially with the Bulls for a month or so while the Tampa Bay Rays work with a 4 (instead of 5) man pitching rotation. He had a fine year last year in his 65 innings with the Bulls and his 65 innings with the Rays. Stats. Solondz interview.
RHP Tyler Sturdevant: ⅓ inning. 1 hit, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 inherited runners scored.
Sturdevant spent 2015 with the Cleveland affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. Decent stats.
RHP Ryan Garton: 1⅔ innings. 1 hit, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K’s
Garton is working his way up through the Rays system. He had 70 K’s in 61 innings last year with Montgomery. Stats. Solondz interview.
RHP Jhan Martinez: 1⅔ innings. 2 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K’s.
Martinez was a star of the 2015 Bulls bullpen. Have to think he will come around. Stats. Solondz interview.

Outside the game —

• Rosterification begins. Cameron Seitzer who started at 1B on Thursday is off the roster and Jake Goebbert has been assigned. Gooebert was claimed off waivers from the Pirates. We’ll profile him when/if he ever shows up at bat.
• Baseball America had some love for Blake Snell's game Thursday (Thanks to DRaysBay for the link).
• Tampa Bay has released a top prospects list. Several Bulls are on it. 

Singing in the Rain — Nice Start

Game 1
Durham Bulls (Rays) - 7
Charlotte Knights (White Sox) - 3
Season: 1-0; Home Stand: 1-0
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun (paywall), N&O, WRAL

The weather was ugly. Cold mist swept across the field as the National Anthem was sung (quite well, by the way, by a Duke a cappella group). Blake Snell kept things on track for the Bulls. Charlotte’s Scott Carroll only lasted an inning and a third. After the rain stopped, the temperature dropped like a stone, but it was baseball! And the Bulls won!

Here begins my look at this year’s team. Starting with last night’s lineup.

The Lineup

(note: “slash line” is Batting Average/On Base Percentage/On Base Percentage+Slugging;(OPS) “*” indicates player in on 40-man roster)
Also note that former Bulls broadcaster Neil Solondz has interviewed a bunch of these players. All of the interviews worth a listen. See the links below.

RF Mikie Mahtook*: 2 for 5, scored 2 runs. Season — .200/.200/.400
Mahtook spent much of last year with the Bulls playing in 98 games with .209/.304/.670. And he really looked good in his 41 games with the Rays (.295/.351/.970). So why is he back? Hard to tell. Perhaps to get playing time? The Rays really like the outfielders they have. Stats. Interview.
CF Jaff Decker: 3 for 5, stole 3B in 1st inning. Season — .600/.600/1.400
First game as a Bull. Decker signed with the Rays as a minor league free agent. Had some major league time with the Pirates last year and 69 games with the Indianapolis Indians (.214/.371/.693). Stats. Pre-season interview with Neil Solondz.
SS Taylor Motter*: 2 for 5, stole 2B. Season — .400/.400/.400
Motter was a star for the Bulls last year. He played in 127 games with a slash line of .292/.366/.837 with 26 stolen bases. He apparently impressed Rays in spring training, so there’s a good chance he will spend some time with them this year. Stats. Solondz interview.
DH Richie Shaffer*: 2 for 3, 1 BB, 3 RBI. Season — .667/.750/.1.417
Shaffer had a busy 2015 playing for the AA Montgomery Biscuits (39 games), the Durham Bulls, (69 games — .270/.355/.937), and 31 games with the Rays at the end of the season. Stats.
2B Nick Franklin*: 1 for 4. Season — .250/.250/.500.
Franklin played in 57 games for the Bulls last year (.266/.353/.853) and 44 games with the Rays. Stats. This will be his 8th year in baseball, but he’s still just 25 years old. Maybe this year?
3B Daniel Robertson: 0 for 3, 1 BB, scored 1 run. Season — .000/.250/.250
Young (22) Mr. Robertson came out of the Oakland system and played in 78 games in Montgomery last year. This was his first game at AAA. Stats. Interview. A player to watch this year.
1B Cameron Seitzer: 1 for 3, 1 BB, scored 1 run, 1 RBI. Season — .333/.500/.1.167
Seitzer came up from Montgomery at the end of 2015. He did fine in his 7 games as a Bull. Another player to watch this year. Stats.
LF Patrick Leonard: 2 for 4, scored 2 runs, 1 RBI. Season — .500/.500/1.250
Leonard (also a youngster at 22) also made his AAA debut last night. At Montgomery in 2015 he was mostly an infielder, splitting time at 3B and 1B. Last night was his first game at AAA. Seems like the Bulls have a lot of third basemen this year. Stats. Interview.
C Luke Maile*: 2 for 4, scored 1 run, 2 RBI.  Season — .500/.500/1.250
Luke Maile had 84 games with the Bulls last year (.207/.298/.594) and 15 games with the Rays. We like him a lot. Stats. Interview.

The Pitchers

LHP Blake Snell*: 5 innings, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K’s
Snell is much written-about, so I won’t add anything here except to say that he’s the Rays hottest pitching prospect and the Bulls will be lucky to keep him for a couple of months. He helped the Bulls a lot at the end of last year. Stats.
RHP Dylan Floro*: 3 innings, 1 ER, O BB, 5 K’s
Mr. Floro, on the other hand, was not our favorite Bulls pitcher last year. He’s back, this time as a reliever, and things are looking up. He certainly did a good job last night. So perhaps the 25 year-old is back on track to the majors. Stats.
RHP Andrew Bellatti*: 1 inning, 1 BB, 1 K
Bellatti probably should not be in Durham, but the Rays are pretty deep, so they can afford to leave a young (24) player here. Expect him to be rotating back and forth, much as he did last year (46 innings as a Bull, 23 innings as a Ray). Stats.

Outside the Game —

• Think I’m going to get used to the netting. Here’s some TV of the netting going up.
• Unlike most years the Bulls have a bunch of position players on the 40-man (7) and only 3 pitchers.
• Also, the Bulls don’t appear to have any left-handed relief pitchers.

Opening Day —2016

Today’s the day. The Bulls are back!

The team’s roster is here and there’s quite a few of players we’ve seen before. Most notable among the hitters are Mikie Mahtook, Richie Shaffer, Taylor Motter, Nick Franklin, and Luke Maile. Pitchers include Matt Andriese, Andrew Bellatti, Dylan Floro, Jhan Marinez, and Blake Snell. Several new guys up from AA. It’s a good looking team.

A few changes have been made at the park. Most visible is the new netting that stretches from first base to third base. I’m not sure I like it, since it will be in front of my seat. I also think folks should be paying attention to the game and not lallygagging. On the other hand, players seem to like it and I certainly have to respect their views.

And then there’s the food and other stuff as discussed in this TV spot this morning.

Today’s game starts at 6:05. That means we’re going to be on the Durham Freeway during rush hour. Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Weather forecast looks OK, especially for April.