Durham Bulls Beat Columbus Clippers 6-3

[Via email from the Durham Bulls Director of Media Relations Matt DeMargel.]

Durham broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning highlighted by John Jaso’s two-run single as the Bulls knocked off the Columbus Clippers, 6-3 on Thursday night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Matt Joyce led off the bottom of the seventh and was hit by a pitch by LHP Zach Johnson (0-1). Justin Ruggiano followed with a single, then Chris Richard walked to load the bases. Following Adam Kennedy’s lineout to second, Chris Nowak hit a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Joyce and giving the Bulls a 4-3 lead. Jaso followed with his RBI-single plating Ruggiano and Richard to give the Bulls a 6-3 lead.

LHP Randy Choate (1-0) picked up the win with a perfect inning of relief. LHP Zach Johnson took the loss allowing three runs on one hit and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. RHP Winston Abreu picked up his second save of the season.

The Bulls and Clippers face each other again on Friday night at 7:05 PM at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Tickets are available at www.durhambulls.com or by phone at (919) 956-BULL.

Charlotte Stone Crabs Week in Review: 4/23-4/29

The Stone Crabs had a great week by going 6-1 on the week which included a series sweep of the St. Lucie Mets. Charlotte Sports Park was particularly good for the Stone Crabs as they were undefeated at home during the week. The Stone Crabs improved their season record to 11-8 and are now in second place of the FSL South Division and are 1 game back from first place Fort Myers.

Hitting Leaders: Gregory Sexton saw his hitting streak come to an end this week but still leads the team with a .333 batting average.

Pitching Leaders: Darin Downs improved his record to 3-0 and still leads the starters with a 2.29 ERA. Matthew Gorgen and Rayner Oliveros hold a 0.00 ERA in relief, Gorgen with 5 appearances and Oliveros with 3. David Newmann leads the club with 21 K’s and is 7th in the FSL.

Team Stats: The Stone Crabs moved into 5th place in hitting with a .260 average. They are third in the league in doubles (32), third in triples (5), second in RBI’s (82) and fourth in stolen bases (25). The Stone Crabs continue to improve their team ERA by dropping to 3.77. They are second in the FSL with 152 strikeouts.

Transactions: Mark Thomas was added to the roster from Hudson Valley 4/29/09.

Injuries: None.

The Week Ahead: 4/30/09-5/3/09 at/vs Fort Myers (12-7), 5/4/09-5/6/09 at Jupiter (9-10).

Minor Moves: Beckham, Cruz, Thomas

The Bowling Green Hot Rods have activated RHP Joseph Cruz. He will apparently get the start tonight instead of Chris Andujar. To open a roster spot for Cruz, Jeremy Beckham was assigned to the Hudson Valley Renegades from the Hot Rods.

And one I missed from yesterday, C Mark Thomas was assigned to the Charlotte Stone Crabs from the Hudson Valley Renegades. Jim wrote about Thomas' first game in the article about last night's Stone Crabs game. Four catchers on the roster?

[Update:] Joseph Cruz is the starter for Bowling Green tonight.

4/30: Today's Games

Durham Bulls vs. Columbus Clippers 7:05 p.m.
Starting for Durham: LHP James Houser 0-1, 9.00 ERA.
Notes: The Cleveland Indians new AAA affiliate makes their first trip to Durham.

Montgomery Biscuits @ Mississippi Braves 8:05 p.m.
Starting for Montgomery: RHP Jeremy Hellickson 1-1, 1.64 ERA.
Notes: This is Hellickson's fifth start of the year, he's yet to go less than 5 innings or give up more than 2 earned runs in a game, 24/7 K/BB ratio.

Charlotte Stone Crabs @ Fort Myers Miracle 7:05 p.m.
Starting for Charlotte: LHP Darin Downs 3-0, 2.29 ERA.
Notes: Downs put up a 17/2 K/BB ratio in his first three starts while never allowing more than 2 earned runs in a game.

Bowling Green Hot Rods vs. Augusta GreenJackets 7:35 p.m.
Starting for Bowling Green: RHP Chris Andujar 2-1, 2.25 ERA.
Notes: This will be Andujar's fifth appearance, third as a starter. His ERA in relief is 1.42, as a starter it's 2.79.

Charlotte Stone Crabs defeat Sarasota 8-6

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs improved to 11-8 by defeating the Sarasota Reds in a close game at Ed Smith Stadium. The Stone Crabs scored first in the second inning as Mark Thomas hits an RBI double and Matthew Hall gets a 2-RBI ground rule double to go ahead 3-0. Sarasota answers back with two runs in the bottom of the inning off RBI doubles by Devin Mesoraco and Denis Phipps.

Greg Sexton led off the third inning by hitting his first home run of the season. Sarasota followed with a run in the bottom of the third on a RBI single by Neftali Soto. Charlotte put up another big inning in the fourth by pushing across four runs. Omar Luna and Greg Sexton both drove in two runs to put the Stone Crabs ahead 8-3.

Sarasota put up a series of one run innings. Carson Kainer scored on a wild pitch in the fourth. Alex Buchholz game in to score on the fifth. Carson Kainer hit a solo home run in the sixth. But they were unable to get push across any more runs and the Stone Crabs held on for the victory 8-6.

Jeremy Hall picked up the win pitching 5 innings giving up 5 runs (4 earned) of 8 hits and striking out 3. Kevin Boggan gave 1 run on 1 hit with 2 strikeouts in 2 innings of service. Austin Hinkle picked up his third save of the game pitching 2 no hit innings. Jerry Gil was the loser for Sarasota.

What Went Right: Mark Thomas; 3-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and an RBI in his first game with the Stone Crabs. Austin Hinkle; 2 no-hit innings with 4 strikeouts lowering ERA to 0.75

What Went Wrong: Emeel Salem; 0-5 with 2 K’s

A Look Ahead: The Stone Crabs head to Fort Myers to kick off a 4 game home and home series against the Fort Myers Miracle (12-7). Darin Downs (3-0) will be on the mound for Charlotte.

Jacksonville Suns 13, Montgomery Biscuits 7

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

The Jacksonville Suns (12-8) piled up 19 hits and earned the series win with a, 13-7, victory over the Biscuits (8-12) in front of 3,213 at Riverwalk Stadium on Wednesday Night. The onslaught from the Suns started immediately as Lee Mitchell homered with Matt Craig aboard off of Biscuits' starter Jason Cromer in the top of the first inning for a 2-0 Suns lead.

Rhyne Hughes connected on his league-leading eighth home run in the bottom of the inning off of Jacksonville starter Cristhian Martinez to cut the lead to 2-1. Jacksonville then notched 11 unanswered runs on their way to a 13-1 advantage. Scott Cousins capped a two-run second inning with an RBI triple to score Ryan Klosterman and it was 4-1.

Mitchell clubbed his second home run of the night and fourth of the season off of Cromer to left field in the third inning, before Cromer conceded two more runs on an RBI single from Tim Torres and an RBI triple for Craig in the fourth. Cromer (1-1) departed the ballgame following Craig's triple and took the loss having conceded seven earned runs on 10 hits. Both totals were season-highs for a Biscuits pitcher.

Mike Wlodarczyk entered for Cromer but allowed four more runs in the fifth inning. Back-to-Back doubles from Andy Jenkins and Klosterman accounted for the first run and Brad Davis added a sacrifice fly to make it 9-1. Cousins then sent a two-run home run to center field to run the score to 11-1. Cousins would later double and had a crack at the first opponent cycle in Biscuits history before striking out in his final at-bat needing a single to accomplish the feat.

Meanwhile, Martinez (3-1) cruised into the seventh inning, settling in nicely following the Hughes' blast. He permitted a second run on an RBI single for Matt Spring, but earned the win over seven innings, striking out six.

The Biscuits plated five runs off of the bullpen in the eighth and ninth, but ultimately fell short to drop the series. The 13 runs scored by Jacksonville matched a season-high for surrendered runs by Montgomery, while the 19 hits recorded were a season-high. 10 of those hits were for extra bases, also a season-high.

Montgomery opens a five-game series against the Mississippi Braves on Thursday night at Trustman Park at 7:05 PM. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-1, 1.64) will make the start for the Biscuits against RHP Ryne Reynoso (0-1, 4.86) for Mississippi.

Around The Majors Weekly Airs Tonight At 8 p.m.

I encourage you to listen to today's edition of the Around The Majors Weekly radio show, hosted by Tyler Hissey and Jake Cohen. Tommy Rancel of DRaysBay.com will be their guest to discuss the Tampa Bay Rays' slow start. Assuming the player below works properly, you should also be able to listen to their past shows.

Durham Bulls Lose 9-1 To Charlotte Knights

[Via email from the Durham Bulls Director of Media Relations Matt DeMargel.]

Charlotte’s offense pounded the Bulls’ pitching staff for a season-high 13 hits, including four home runs, while the Durham hitters were held to a single run as the Bulls lost 9-1 Wednesday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The Knights posted all nine of their runs in the third and fourth innings with seven coming off Bulls starting pitcher Carlos Hernandez, who pitched 3.2 innings, picking up the loss and moving to 0-1 on the season. Reliever Jason Childers came in for Hernandez in the fourth and allowed the other two runs.

The nine runs given up by Durham’s pitching staff is the most so far this season giving the Bulls their largest margin of defeat this year. The four long balls given up are also a season-high for the Durham pitchers.

The Bulls’ lone score came in the second half of the fourth on an Elliot Johnson force out, scoring Justin Ruggiano from third. In all, Durham’s offense was held to six hits with four walks and eight strikeouts while leaving 12 runners stranded.

With the loss, the Bulls split their two game series with Charlotte and move to 12-7 on the year. The Columbus Clippers come to town Thursday to begin a four-game series against Durham. Left-handed pitcher James Houser takes the mound for the Bulls with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Tickets are available at www.durhambulls.com or by phone at (919) 956-BULL.

Basestealing

Here's every player with at least 1 attempted steal, sorted by level and then by SB%.
(All stats through 4/28)
Things that interest me: Bowling Green really needs to pick their spots better. And how weird is it that Mike Sheridan is 2/0 while Tim Beckham is 0/1? I'm kind of surprised Elliot Johnson hasn't tried to run more, although he hasn't really been on base all that often.

Minor League Attendance

Team, league, number of home games, average attendance, rank in league.

Team League G Avg LgRank Durham International 8 5,000 11th/14 Montgomery Southern 14 4,090 3rd/10 Charlotte Florida State 8 3,337 1st/12 Bowling Green South Atlantic 8 3,952 6th/16

Congratulations to the Stone Crabs for leading the Florida State League in attendance in their inaugural season.

4/29: Today's Games

Durham Bulls vs. Charlotte Knights 11:05 AM EDT
Starting for Durham: LHP Carlos Hernandez 0-0 2.45
Notes: After today, Durham plays three against Columbus then two more against Charlotte on this homestand.

Montgomery Biscuits vs. Jacksonville Suns 8:05 EDT
Starting for Montgomery: LHP Jason Cromer 1-0 1.50
Notes: Series finale against Jacksonville before 5 on the road in Mississippi.

Charlotte Stone Crabs @ Sarasota Reds 7:00 EDT
Starting for Charlotte: RHP Jeremy Hall 2-1 1.80
Notes:

Bowling Green Hot Rods vs. Augusta GreenJackets 12:05 EDT
Starting for Bowling Green: RHP Frank De Los Santos 1-0 2.40
Notes:

4/29: Up & Down

Durham Bulls 14, Charlotte Knights 7
Box | Recap
Notes: Durham improved to 12-6... Wade Davis allowed 3 runs in 5.1 innings. He walked 3 and struck out 3... John Jaso was 1-5 but his hit was a 2-run HR... Justin Ruggiano hit a grand slam... Reid Brignac went 2-3 and walked twice...

Montgomery Biscuits 2, Jacksonville Suns 2
Box | Recap
Notes: Montgomery improved to 8-11... Ryan Morse got his first win of the year... Eduardo Morlan pitched two scoreless innings of relief... Desmond Jennings was 3-5(all singles) and was caught stealing for the first time...

Charlotte Stone Crabs 1, Sarasota Reds 1
Box | Recap
Notes: Charlotte improved to 10-8... David Newmann struck out 9 in 5.1 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits... Nevin Ashley hit his 2nd HR of the season...

Bowling Green Hot Rods 3, Augusta GreenJackets 2 (10 innings)
Box | Recap
Notes: Bowling Green improved to 10-9... Isaias Velasquez drove in Jason Tweedy to win it in the 10th... Shane Dyer started and threw 6 shutout innings... Tim Beckham went 0-3 and was hit by a pitch...

Up
Durham Bulls - OF Justin Ruggiano: Went 2-4 with a grand slam, a walk, and three runs scored.

Montgomery Biscuits - OF Desmond Jennings: Went 3-5 and is hitting .354 on the year.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - LHP David Newmann: Here's hoping most of the rust has been shaken off and he can throw up some more lines like 5.1 3 h 1 er 2 bb 9 so.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - RHP Shane Dyer: His peripherals weren't great, but 6 shutout innings is always nice to see.

Down
Durham Bulls - RHP Wade Davis: He wasn't necessarily bad, and his season ERA is 2.95, but a 14-11 K-BB rate in 18 innings is a bit worrisome.

Montgomery Biscuits - RHP Brandon Mann: Allowed both of Jacksonville's runs in 1 inning of relief.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - N/A

Bowling Green Hot Rods - C Mike McCormick: Another 0-4 has his batting average down to .138

Charlotte Stone Crabs put up big inning to defeat Sarasota 8-1

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs evened the series against Sarasota by winning 8-1 at Ed Smith Stadium. The Stone Crabs lit up the scoreboard first in the fourth inning. Ryan Royster led off the inning with a double. Matt Fields followed by reaching on a fielders choice. Greg Sexton and Nevin Ashley both drew walks to load the bases. Omar Luna hit a ground ball to score Fields and put the Stone Crabs ahead 1-0.

Sarasota tied the game in the sixth inning. Justin Reed singled to start the inning and then advanced to second with a stolen base. Yonder Alonso hit an RBI single to right to score Reed and tie the game 1-1.

Charlotte battled back and regained the lead in the seventh off a solo homer run by Nevin Ashley, his second of the season. The Stone Crabs added more six more runs in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach for Sarasota. Greg Sexton, Omar Luna, Pedro Powell and Emeel Salem all picked up RBI’s in the big inning.

David Newmann struck out a season high 9 batters in 5 1/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits. Justin Garcia picked up the win 1 2/3 innings only allowing 1 hit and striking out 2. Matt Gorgen kept his 0.00 ERA intact by pitching 2 shutout innings to close the game striking out 3 while allowing 2 hits. Justin Freeman was charged with the loss for Sarasota.

What Went Right: Greg Sexton; 2-3 with 2 RBI’s, a run scored and drew a walk. Matt Gorgen; still has not given up a run this season in relief.

What Went Wrong: Matt Fields; 0-5 with 2 strikeouts

A Look Ahead: The Charlotte Stone Crabs wrap up the series with Sarasota at Ed Smith Stadium with Jeremy Hall (2-1) facing Jerry Gil (0-3).

This Weekend In Charlotte: Stone Crabs New Mascot, Fireworks

[Via email from the Charlotte Stone Crabs' Marketing Manager Jonathan Gantt.]

The Charlotte Stone Crabs baseball team returns home on Friday, May 1, for a two-game weekend set against the Fort Myers Miracle (Twins) at Charlotte Sports Park featuring the unveiling of their new mascot, a fireworks display and other promotions during the weekend.

The Stone Crabs begin their homestand on Friday, May 1, with gates opening at 6:00 p.m. and first pitch at 7:05 p.m. The team will unveil their new mascot to the public and host a birthday bash that includes free birthday cake at the concession stands. Fans will also have the chance to “Name the Mascot” by filling out an entry form at the ballpark. The name of the mascot and winner of the contest will then be announced during the team’s next homestand on May 7.

Also on Friday, Stone Crabs players will don pink home jerseys for “Pink in the Park” presented by Advanced Imaging to promote breast cancer awareness. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the game, and all proceeds will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. After the game, players will sign the jerseys, and the winners will be announced.

The teams continue the series on Saturday, May 2, at 7:05 p.m. with gates opening at 6:00 p.m. A fireworks display will fill the sky immediately following the game (subject to approval from the Charlotte County Fire Marshall), and Saturday also marks the first annual Stone Crabs Scout Night at the ballpark. Boy Scouts from around the area can purchase group tickets to the game and enjoy a sleepover on the field at Charlotte Sports Park on Saturday night.

Tickets are available starting at just $5 at the Charlotte Sports Park box office, on the phone at 941-206-HITS or online at ticketmaster.com.

Montgomery Biscuits Win 7-2 Over Jacksonville Suns

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

A pair of two-run home runs helped propel the Montgomery Biscuits to a 7-2 win over the Jacksonville Suns on Tuesday afternoon at Riverwalk Stadium. Rhyne Hughes and Jason Bowers each clubbed a two-run homer as the Biscuits leveled their five-game series with the Suns at two games apiece.

The Biscuits struck first in the ballgame when Drew Anderson doubled to lead off the third inning against Jacksonville starter Aaron Thompson. Desmond Jennings moved him to third before Brandon Chaves gave the Biscuits the first lead of game with an RBI single. Hughes followed with his league-leading seventh home run of the season to right field to give the Biscuits a 3-0 lead.

Cesar Suarez walked to lead off the fourth and Bowers then lifted his first home run of the season to left field to give the Biscuits a 5-0 lead. Two batters later, Jennings sparked Montgomery again with a single. After another Chaves single, he scored on a wild pitch to give the Biscuits a 6-0 lead. All six runs were charged to Thompson (1-2), who took the loss for Jacksonville.

Meanwhile, Biscuits starter Ryan Morse was cruising. Morse (1-3) earned his first win of the season after shutting out the Suns on just one hit over five innings. Morse walked three, but struck out a season-high five for the victory. Following Morse's departure, Brandon Mann entered and was greeted rudely by a leadoff Matt Craig home run. The blast put Jacksonville on the board, and they would tack on another run on an Andy Jenkins double later in the inning.

Eddie Morlan came on for the Biscuits to work two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth. He ran his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 13 when he worked out of a bases load jam with nobody out in the eighth. The Biscuits tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth on a Jennings' RBI single and Calvin Medlock slammed the door with a 1-2-3 frame in the ninth.

Jennings and Chaves each recorded three hits in the ballgame, as Montgomery kept their hopes for a series alive in the finale scheduled for Wednesday night at Riverwalk Stadium at 7:05 PM. LHP Jason Cromer (1-0, 1.50) will make the start for Montgomery in the finale against RHP Cristhian Martinez (2-1, 1.56) for Jacksonville.

Minor League Starting Pitching

Through Monday's games.

Durham Bulls: Starter ERA GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Talbot 3.38 4 21.1 26 8 0 5 15 11.0 0.0 2.1 6.3 3.0 25.5 Price 3.71 4 17.0 14 7 4 8 20 7.4 2.1 4.2 10.6 2.5 23.7 Davis 2.08 3 13.0 8 3 0 8 11 5.5 0.0 5.5 7.6 1.4 23.6 Hernandez 2.45 3 14.2 15 4 0 7 10 9.2 0.0 4.3 6.1 1.4 29.0 Houser 9.00 1 4.0 5 4 2 2 2 11.3 4.5 4.5 4.5 1.0 24.3 Cromer 0.00 2 10.0 6 0 0 3 7 5.4 0.0 2.7 6.3 2.3 28.3 Montgomery Biscuits: Starter ERA GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Hellickson 1.64 4 22.0 13 4 1 7 24 5.3 0.4 2.9 9.8 3.4 22.0 Rodriguez 8.04 4 15.2 18 14 3 12 7 10.3 1.7 6.9 4.0 0.6 21.3 Rollins 2.91 4 21.2 17 7 0 5 13 7.1 0.0 2.1 5.4 2.6 23.9 Morse 7.59 3 10.2 16 9 2 6 8 13.5 1.7 5.1 6.8 1.3 25.9 Cromer 1.50 1 6.0 5 1 0 0 4 7.5 0.0 0.0 6.0 inf 28.3 Oliveros 9.00 2 8.0 9 8 2 3 8 10.1 2.3 3.4 9.0 2.7 23.6 Charlotte Stone Crabs: Starter ERA GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Cobb 2.84 4 19.0 18 6 1 5 19 8.5 0.5 2.4 9.0 3.8 21.5 Darcy 6.05 4 19.1 28 13 3 4 11 13.0 1.4 1.9 5.1 2.8 23.8 Newmann 7.07 3 14.0 18 11 0 8 12 11.6 0.0 5.1 7.7 1.5 23.8 Hall 1.80 3 15.0 15 3 0 2 8 9.0 0.0 1.2 4.8 4.0 25.6 Downs 2.29 3 19.2 16 5 2 2 17 7.3 0.9 0.9 7.8 8.5 24.3 Bowling Green Hot Rods: Starter ERA GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Moore 4.02 4 15.2 7 7 0 16 22 4.0 0.0 9.2 12.6 1.4 19.8 Dyer 4.50 3 14.0 15 7 1 1 10 9.6 0.6 0.6 6.4 10.0 21.1 DeLosSantos 2.40 3 15.0 13 4 1 3 9 7.8 0.6 1.8 5.4 3.0 21.4 Schenk 2.35 2 7.2 7 2 0 1 6 8.2 0.0 1.2 7.0 6.0 22.8 Jarman 1.50 3 12.0 11 2 0 4 10 8.3 0.0 3.0 7.5 2.5 23.8 Andujar 2.79 2 9.2 10 3 1 1 1 9.3 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 21.7 Cruz 2.45 1 3.2 9 1 0 1 4 22.1 0.0 2.5 9.8 4.0 20.8 Starting Pitching Summary: Team IP/GS ERA H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AvAGE Durham 4.2 2.93 8.3 0.7 3.7 7.3 2.0 25.7 Montgomery 4.2 4.61 8.4 0.9 3.5 6.9 1.9 24.2 Charlotte 5.0 3.93 9.8 0.6 2.2 6.9 3.2 23.8 Bowling Green 4.1 3.01 8.3 0.3 3.1 7.2 2.3 21.6

Note: These stats only include appearances as a starting pitcher. If one of these pitchers make a relief appearance, those numbers are not included.

Minor Moves: Isringhausen

The Rays have removed RHP Jason Isringhausen from the Montgomery Biscuits roster today and sent him to the Durham Bulls. Isringhausen, on a major league rehab assignment, made four relief appearances for the Biscuits, allowing one run on two hits over four innings. He walked four while striking out three. Each of his four appearances lasted one inning.

Isringhausen did not count against the Biscuits Southern League roster allotment and his departure keeps the Biscuits with the maximum of 24 active players and one (John Matulia, elbow) on the disabled list.

4/28: Today's Games

Durham Bulls vs. Charlotte Knights 7:05 EDT
Starting for Durham: RHP Wade Davis 1-0 2.08
Notes: Durham plays two against Charlotte, then three against Columbus, then two more against Charlotte on this homestand.

Montgomery Biscuits vs. Jacksonville Suns 11:35 AM EDT
Starting for Montgomery: RHP Ryan Morse 0-3 7.59
Notes:

Charlotte Stone Crabs @ Sarasota Reds 7:00 EDT
Starting for Charlotte: LHP David Newmann 1-1 7.07
Notes:

Bowling Green Hot Rods vs. Augusta GreenJackets 7:35 EDT
Starting for Bowling Green: RHP Shane Dyer 0-1 4.50
Notes:

4/28: Up & Down

Durham Bulls OFF

Montgomery Biscuits 6, Jacksonville Suns 5
Box | Recap
Notes: Montgomery improved to 7-11... Desmond Jennings played right field for the first time in his career. He went 2-5 with a HR and 3 RBIs. He also scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th... Heath Rollins allowed 1 earned run in 6 innings... Jason Isringhausen allowed a run in his inning of work...

Sarasota Reds 8, Charlotte Stone Crabs 7
Box | Recap
Notes: Charlotte fell to 9-8... The Crabs scored 6 runs in the first 3 innings but couldn't make them stand up... Brian Flores allowed 3 runs in an inning of work... Emeel Salem, Shawn O'Malley, Matt Fields, and Cody Cipriano all had two hits...

Bowling Green Hot Rods OFF

Up
Montgomery Biscuits - OF Desmond Jennings: Hit his third homerun of the year, has an OPS over 1.000.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - Cody Cipriano: Went 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs.

Down
Montgomery Biscuits - RHP Neal Frontz: I can't figure out why he's getting the ball in a spot like that(he allowed the Suns to tie the game in the top of the 9th). Morlan and Medlock were both used on Sunday, but still. Frontz's ERA is at 9.00 on the year.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - Reid Fronk & Ryan Royster: The only two Crabs starters to not collect a hit.

Winning streak ends, Stone Crabs fall to Sarasota

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs gave up a six run lead to lose to the Sarasota Reds at Ed Smith Stadium, ending their winning streak at five games. Charlotte jumped out to an early lead in the first inning by scoring three runs. Emeel Salem scored on an error by Neftali Soto and then Cody Cipriano delivered a two RBI single to score Shawn O’Malley and Gregory Sexton and put the Stone Crabs ahead 3-0.

The Stone Crabs continued the offense by adding a run in the second off an RBI single by Gregory Sexton. Then again in the third inning as the Stone Crabs pushed across two more runs off a Nevin Ashley single to score Cody Cipriano and an RBI single by Emeel Salem. The Stone Crabs now held a commanding 6-0 lead.

But that all changed in the bottom of the third as Yonder Alonso once again proved he can hit the Stone Crab pitchers by delivering a grand slam, his fourth homer of the season and third against the Stone Crabs. The Reds got another run off an RBI triple by Denis Phipps to pull within 1 run of the Stone Crabs.

Sarasota took the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning by scoring three runs off Brian Flores courtesy of a 2-RBI double by Jason Bour and an RBI double by Justin Reed. Sarasota now leads 8-6. Charlotte added another run in the seventh as Cody Cipriano drove home Gregory Sexton. However, the Stone Crabs could not stretch across any more runs and Sarasota held on to win 8-7.

Jesse Darcy started for Charlotte and pitched 5 innings giving up 5 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and fanning 4. Brian Flores was charged with the loss giving up 3 runs on 3 hits in 1 innings work. Rayner Oliveros pitched 2 no-hit innings for the Stone Crabs. Luis Montano was the winning pitcher for Sarasota and Philippe Valiquette picked up a save.

What Went Right: Cody Cipriano; 2-4 with a double, run scored and 3 RBI’s. Rayner Oliveros; 2 no-hit innings out of the bullpen, third shutout relief appearance with the Stone Crabs.

What Went Wrong: Giving up a six run lead.

A Look Ahead: The Charlotte Stone Crabs play Sarasota in game two of the series at Ed Smith Stadium. David Newmann (1-1) will face Jeremy Horst (0-2).

Game Pictures from 4/26: Stone Crabs vs Mets

Latest Minor League Notebook Weekly Radio Show

If you're a fan of minor league baseball, I encourage you to listen to today's edition of the Minor League Notebook Weekly radio show, hosted by Tyler Hissey and Doug Gray. Assuming the player below works properly, you should also be able to listen to their past shows.

Minor Moves: Walker

Matt Eddy of BA reports that the Rays have reinstated RHP Matt Walker from the restricted list. He was suspended last July 21st for 50 games after testing positive for an amphetamine, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Walker, 22, went 4-7 with a 4.86 ERA in 66.2 innings for Vero Beach last year. He was the Rays 10th round pick in the 2004 draft. No word yet on where he'll begin this year.

Catchers And Their Caught Stealing Rates

I took a look at how John Jaso has done throwing runners out yesterday, so today, here's just about everyone else:

(All stats through April 26th)
John Jaso: 8 SB, 5 CS (38.5%)
Michel Hernandez: 2 SB, 0 CS (0%)
Alex Jamieson: 2 SB, 1 CS (33%)
Craig Albernaz: 3 SB, 4 CS (57.1%)

Matt Spring: 11 SB, 1 CS (8.3%)
Ian Paxton: 1 SB, 2 CS (66%)

Nevin Ashley: 6 SB, 8 CS (57.1%)
Stephen Vogt: 0 SB, 3 CS (100%)

Jake Jefferies: 10 SB, 4 CS (28.6%)
Mike McCormick: 7 SB, 5 CS (41.7%)

The only one who's really struggling is Matt Spring. Part of that might be that Montgomery's staff is easy to steal on, but between Paxton and Albernez(who has split time between AA and AAA), 4 runners have been thrown out in 7 attempts. So it looks like Spring's the problem there.

The Stone Crabs have done a great job killing the running game, throwing out 65% of base stealers. The report on Jake Jefferies out of college was that his catch-and-throw skills were enough to offset an average arm, but a CS% under 30 is a bit of a red flag. Of course, it's early.

Tomorrow I'll turn the tables and see how our baserunners have fared against opposing catchers.

Rhyne Hughes Named Southern League Hitter Of The Week

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

Montgomery Biscuits first basemen Rhyne Hughes has been named as the Southern League's Hitter of the Week for the week of April 20-26. During the week, Hughes connected on four home runs, while batting .375 (9-24) and driving in seven runs. He homered three times in the Biscuits five-game series against Mobile and added a four-hit game on April 20th. The 25-year old also scored five runs and added a pair of doubles.

Hughes, who has started all 17 games thus far this season for Montgomery, is currently leading the Southern League in home runs (6) and extra-base hits (20). He is also fourth in the league in RBIs, having collected 13.

The weekly award is the first for the Biscuits since LHP David Price was honored as the SL Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 28 - August 4, 2008. Hughes is the first Biscuit to be named Hitter of the Week since 1B Gaby Martinez was named for the week of August 20-27, 2007.

A native of Picayune, MS, Hughes was drafted by the Rays in the 8th round of the 2004 June draft and is currently in his fifth professional season. He made his Biscuits debut on August 1, 2007 and spent the entire 2008 season in Montgomery, posting a batting average of .268 with a career-high 14 home runs and 52 RBIs.

Are Taller Pitchers Better?

Jake Russ of Around The Majors takes a statistical look at height and pitching success in his article Does Height Matter?:

What that leaves one with is still this question of whether or not height influences pitching performance. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggests it does. Conventional wisdom would say taller guy, steeper arm action, harder to hit. The physics explanation is very attractive. And a cherry-picked-example would be the sheer dominance of some tall lefty years ago. I'm not sure if I've ever made it through an MLB broadcast without some announcer gushing about pitcher so-and-so's height advantage. From the chart I posted previously, historically, there is a persistent lack of even average-height individuals (5'9") pitching in the Major Leagues. To my knowledge we don't know a whole lot about this question, yet we seem convinced of the answer already. What gives?

See the article for his conclusions.

4/27: Today's Games

Durham Bulls - No Game.
Notes: The Bulls return home Tuesday to face the Charlotte Knights.

Montgomery Biscuits vs. Jacksonville Suns 7:05 p.m.
Starting for Montgomery: RHP Heath Rollins 1-1, 3.45 ERA
Notes: Montgomery is 6-11, Jacksonville is 11-6.

Charlotte Stone Crabs @ Sarasota Reds 7:00 p.m.
Starting for Charlotte: RHP Jesse Darcy 0-1, 6.28 ERA
Notes: First of 3 @ Sarasota 6-10.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - No Game.
Notes: The Hot Rods return home on Tuesday to face the Augusta GreenJackets.

Charlotte Stone Crabs win 3-2, sweep St. Lucie

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs swept the St. Lucie Mets and extended their winning streak to 5 games by defeating the Mets 3-2 today at Charlotte Sports Park. The Stone Crabs struck first in the bottom of the fourth when Reid Fronk hit an RBI double to score Matt Fields and break the scoreless tie.

St. Lucie answered by taking the lead in the seventh inning when Carlos Guzman struck a 2 run homerun to left field that put the St. Lucie Mets ahead 2-1. But the Stone Crabs answered in the bottom of the inning when Reid Fronk scored on a wild pitch by Nicholas Carr and tied the game at 2-2.

The 2-2 tied held to the bottom of the ninth inning. Ryan Royster led off the inning with a double to left. Emeel Salem entered the game to pinch run for Royster and was advance to third off a ground out by Matt Hall. St. Lucie then optioned to intentionally walk both Reid Fronk and Shawn Williams to load the bases for Nevin Ashley. That was a move that doomed the Mets as Ashley was then hit in the knee by a pitch and the game winning run crossed the plate.

Alex Cobb pitched 6 scoreless innings giving up 3 hits while striking out 5 and walking 1. Kevin Boggan gave up the 2 runs of the game in 1 2/3 innings pitched but collected 4 strikeouts in the outing. Austin Hinkle was the winner, pitching 1 1/3 no hit innings striking out 1 while walking 2. Emary Frederick was charged with the loss for St. Lucie.

What Went Right: Alex Cobb; another fine start going 6 scoreless innings but still can’t come away with his first win of the season. Austin Hinkle; no hit relief, lowered ERA to 0.90.

What Went Wrong: Omar Luna; 0-3 on the night and hitting .143 on the season

A Look Ahead: The Charlotte Stone Crabs will travel to Sarasota for a 3 game series against the Sarasota Reds. Jesse Darcy will get the start at Ed Smith Stadium.

Montgomery Biscuits Lose 6-4 To Jacksonville Suns

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

The Jacksonville Suns used a three-run sixth inning to overtake the Biscuits and claim game two of a five-game series, 6-4, on Sunday afternoon at Riverwalk Stadium. The Suns struck first in the ballgame, taking a 1-0 lead off of Biscuits starter Aneury Rodriguez in the second inning. Ryan Klosterman doubled to lead off the inning, and came in two batters later on a sacrifice fly to center field from Bryan Petersen.

Rodriguez settled in however, and the Biscuits responded with four runs to take the lead in the third inning. Desmond Jennings sparked the rally with a single and advanced to second as Brandon Chaves was walked by Jacksonville starter Sean West. Rhyne Hughes, Cesar Suarez, Fernando Cortez and Rashad Eldridge then followed with four singles in succession, each netting an RBI and a 4-1 Biscuits lead.

Jacksonville notched a lone off of Rodriguez in the fourth inning to cut it to a two-run game and Rodriguez departed the ballgame after five innings. Chris Mason took over in the sixth and Jacksonville plated three runs to assume a 5-4 lead. Lorenzo Scott started the trouble for Mason with a single and advanced to third on a double for Klosterman. Attempting to pick off Scott at third base, Biscuits catcher Matt Spring threw wildly, his miscue allowing Scott to score. Chris De La Cruz followed with a run-scoring triple to tie the game and the Suns grabbed the lead on an RBI-groundout from Brad Davis.

All three runs were earned against Mason (1-1) who took the loss for the Biscuits. Eddie Morlan worked two scoreless innings of relief in the seventh and eighth before Calvin Medlock entered in the ninth. Medlock conceded an insurance run to Jacksonville, increasing the Suns' lead to 6-4.

Closer Matt Peterson entered for the bottom of the ninth, and struck out Hughes and Suarez for the first two outs before walking Cortez to bring the tying run to the plate. Eldridge came to the plate, but bounced out to first base to end the game. Peterson earned his second save of the series and league-leading fifth overall.

Chris Leroux (1-0), who worked a scoreless inning of relief and earned the win for the Suns.

Game three of the series is scheduled for Monday night at 7:05 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium. RHP Heath Rollins (1-1, 3.45) will make the start for Montgomery against RHP Willie Glen (1-1, 4.24) for Jacksonville.

Game Pictures from 4/25: Stone Crabs vs Mets

John Sickels On Jeremy Hellickson

John Sickels on Jeremy Hellickson this season:

One prospect I follow closely is Tampa Bay's Jeremy Hellickson, since he went to my high school (Hoover) in Des Moines. He's off to a fast start for Double-A Montgomery, with a 1.64 ERA and a 24/7 K/BB in 22 innings, with just 13 hits allowed. About the only flaw in the numbers is a 0.46 GO/AO mark. He's allowed just one homer, but a fly ball rate that high does make me worried about his gopher ball potential at higher levels. Nevertheless, he now has 17 starts of Double-A under his belt combined with last year, with a 103/22 K/BB in 97 innings and 97 hits allowed, with a 3.43 ERA. It would be logical for Hellickson to move up to Triple-A once David Price gets promoted to the majors. This would position the right-hander for a September trial, but he's a better candidate for '10.

A Quick Note On John Jaso

I figure enough time has passed that we can take a look at how John Jaso has done throwing runners out. CS and SB numbers don't tell the whole story, but obviously you'd like him to be throwing guys out.

April 9: Justin Christian SB(Childers)
April 12: Nolan Reimold SB(Davis)
April 14: Reid Goreki CS(Cromer)
April 16: Reid Goreki SB(Choate), Gregor Blanco SB(Choate)*
April 17: Josh Kroeger SB(Davis)
April 18: Eider Torres CS(Hernandez)
April 20: Wes Timmons SB(DePaula), J.C. Holt CS(Choate)
April 24: Justin Turner SB(Houser), Justin Turner CS(Houser)
April 25: Jolbert Cabrera SB(Talbot), Carlos Rojas CS(Talbot)

*This is starred for two reasons. One, it was actually a double steal, so he really only had a chance to throw one out. But it counts in the stats as 2 SBs against him. Also, he made a throwing error on this play, his only charged error on the year.

So out of 13 attempts, Jaso has thrown out 5, which is about 38.5%. Now, that's a pretty small sample size and I'd be surprised if he keeps that up. 38% isn't outstanding, but it's definitely solid, and it would be a big improvement for Jaso, who only threw out 25.2% in 2008(although he did gun down around 35% in 2007).

Assuming the rest of his defensive skills(ie blocking balls) are at least average, if Jaso keeps his CS% above 30%, I don't see any reason he wouldn't be a passable major-league caliber catcher.

Durham Bulls: Pitching

Through Saturday's game, by ERA.

PITCHER ERA G GS IP BA OPS BAbip H/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Cromer, Jason 0.00 2 2 10.0 .182 .462 .231 5.4 2.7 6.3 2.33 Thayer, Dale 0.00 8 0 10.0 .194 .562 .233 6.3 2.7 5.4 2.00 Orvella, Chad 0.87 7 0 10.1 .211 .520 .259 7.2 0.9 9.0 10.00 Abreu, Winston 1.74 7 0 10.1 .114 .298 .200 3.6 2.7 13.5 5.00 Day, Dewon 2.00 6 0 9.0 .257 .716 .320 9.0 3.0 9.0 3.00 Davis, Wade 2.08 3 3 13.0 .178 .515 .235 5.5 5.5 7.6 1.38 TEAM AVERAGE 2.37 .227 .636 .281 7.7 3.3 7.9 2.40 Childers, Jason 2.38 7 0 11.1 .222 .604 .281 8.2 2.5 9.8 4.00 Hernandez, Carlos 2.45 3 3 14.2 .268 .709 .326 9.4 4.4 6.3 1.43 DePaula, Julio 2.53 6 0 10.2 .225 .726 .226 7.8 3.5 6.1 1.75 Price, David 2.63 3 3 13.2 .208 .653 .250 6.8 2.7 10.1 3.75 Talbot, Mitch 3.38 4 4 21.1 .310 .765 .377 11.1 2.1 6.4 3.00 INT’L LEAGUE AVG 4.01 .252 .718 .298 8.8 3.5 7.7 2.20 Choate, Randy 4.15 8 0 8.2 .194 .568 .261 6.5 7.6 8.6 1.14 Houser, James 9.00 1 1 4.0 .333 1.340 .273 11.3 4.5 4.5 1.00

Montgomery Biscuits: Pitching

Through Saturday's game, by ERA.

PITCHER ERA G GS IP BA OPS BAbip H/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Isringhausen, Jason 0.00 3 0 3.0 .000 .273 .000 0.0 9.0 9.0 1.00 Reid, Ryan 0.00 3 0 2.2 .273 .657 .333 11.6 7.7 7.7 1.00 Cromer, Jason 1.50 1 1 6.0 .250 .538 .294 7.5 0.0 6.0 inf Hellickson, Jeremy 1.64 4 4 22.0 .167 .492 .226 5.3 2.9 9.8 3.43 Medlock, Calvin 1.69 7 0 10.2 .184 .542 .273 6.1 0.0 13.9 inf Morlan, Eduardo 2.89 6 0 9.1 .188 .476 .250 6.0 3.0 8.0 2.67 Rollins, Heath 3.45 3 3 15.2 .241 .612 .275 8.2 1.8 4.1 2.33 SOUTHERN LG AVG 3.98 .249 .710 .297 8.6 4.0 7.5 1.88 TEAM AVERAGE 5.67 .275 .785 .320 9.7 4.5 7.1 1.60 Mann, Brandon 6.52 4 0 9.2 .295 .763 .342 12.5 2.9 5.8 2.00 Morse, Ryan 7.59 3 3 10.2 .348 1.054 .389 13.9 5.2 7.0 1.33 Mason, Chris 8.00 6 0 9.0 .366 .950 .389 15.0 6.0 5.0 0.83 Frontz, Neal 9.00 7 0 10.0 .326 .882 .406 12.6 9.0 9.0 1.00 Oliveros, Rayner 9.00 2 2 8.0 .281 .955 .318 10.1 3.4 9.0 2.67 Wlodarczyk, Mike 10.13 6 0 8.0 .333 1.033 .333 11.3 11.3 3.4 0.30 Rodriguez, Aneury 10.13 3 3 10.2 .350 1.146 .324 12.2 8.7 3.5 0.40 Baker, Brian 10.38 7 0 8.2 .389 1.050 .406 15.1 4.3 4.3 1.00

Charlotte Stone Crabs: Pitching

Through Saturday's game, by ERA.

PITCHER ERA G GS IP BA OPS BAbip H/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Gorgen, Matthew 0.00 4 0 7.0 .240 .536 .400 7.7 2.6 12.9 5.00 Oliveros, Rayner 0.00 2 0 5.0 .167 .417 .250 5.4 0.0 10.8 inf Hinkle, Austin 1.04 4 0 8.2 .138 .553 .158 4.3 4.3 9.7 2.25 Hall, Jeremy 1.80 3 3 15.0 .259 .720 .300 9.0 1.2 4.8 4.00 Boggan, Kevin 1.93 4 0 4.2 .278 .667 .333 10.4 0.0 6.2 inf Mejias, Jose Angel 1.93 3 0 4.2 .294 .734 .313 10.4 0.0 6.2 inf Downs, Darin 2.29 3 3 19.2 .225 .620 .264 7.4 0.9 7.9 8.50 Phillips, Paul 3.00 6 0 9.0 .270 .676 .357 10.0 3.0 9.0 3.00 FLORIDA ST LG AVG 3.57 .253 .677 .306 8.8 2.9 7.4 2.52 TEAM AVERAGE 3.89 .278 .761 .336 10.1 2.4 7.8 3.26 Cobb, Alexander 4.15 3 3 13.0 .273 .799 .350 10.4 2.8 9.7 3.50 Flores, Brian 5.40 5 0 8.1 .297 .933 .323 12.4 4.5 5.6 1.25 Darcy, Jesse 6.28 3 3 14.1 .361 .949 .377 14.1 1.3 4.5 3.50 Newmann, David 7.07 3 3 14.0 .333 .874 .419 11.6 5.1 7.7 1.50 Garcia, Justin 8.22 5 0 7.2 .324 .861 .385 13.5 2.5 8.6 3.50 James, Craig 9.82 2 0 3.2 .389 1.032 .462 18.9 5.4 10.8 2.00

Bowling Green Hot Rods: Pitching

Through Saturday's game, by ERA.

PITCHER ERA G GS IP BA OPS BAbip H/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB Bagley, Jamie 0.00 6 0 9.1 .034 .159 .042 1.0 2.0 5.0 2.50 Fleming, Marquis 1.17 5 0 7.2 .207 .499 .300 7.4 2.5 11.0 4.50 Jarman, Michael 1.50 3 3 12.0 .216 .567 .268 8.3 3.0 7.5 2.50 Andujar, Chris 2.25 4 2 16.0 .196 .602 .191 6.2 2.3 3.9 1.75 DeLosSantos, Frank 2.40 3 3 15.0 .228 .635 .255 7.8 1.8 5.4 3.00 Cruz, Joseph 2.45 1 1 3.2 .500 1.222 .600 24.3 2.7 10.8 4.00 Moore, Matthew 3.09 3 3 11.2 .135 .563 .250 4.0 9.5 13.5 1.42 SOUTH ATL LG AVG 3.45 .244 .659 .305 8.5 3.0 8.3 2.80 TEAM AVERAGE 3.55 .231 .661 .280 8.1 2.8 7.7 2.79 Schenk, Neil 3.55 4 2 12.2 .300 .721 .333 10.9 0.7 5.8 8.00 Satow, Josh 3.86 5 0 9.1 .176 .508 .286 6.0 2.0 13.0 6.50 Dyer, Shane 4.50 3 3 14.0 .273 .753 .311 9.6 0.6 6.4 10.00 Rafferty, Tommy 5.19 5 0 8.2 .250 .693 .313 10.8 4.3 8.6 2.00 Echeverria, Diego 7.59 4 0 10.2 .244 .908 .242 8.7 3.5 6.1 1.75 Hayes, Tyree 7.71 4 0 9.1 .308 .854 .393 12.0 2.0 10.0 5.00

4/26: Today's Games

Durham Bulls @ Norfolk Tides 1:15 EDT
Starting for Durham: LHP David Price 1-1 2.63
Notes: Price-Wieters, take two... Durham has Monday off and returns home Tuesday...

Montgomery Biscuits vs. Jacksonville Suns 3:05 EDT
Starting for Montgomery: RHP Anuery Rodriguez 0-3 10.13
Notes: Highly-regarded Marlins prospect Sean West starts for Jacksonville. He's a 6'8" LHP.

Charlotte Stone Crabs vs. St. Lucie Mets 6:35 EDT
Starting for Charlotte: RHP Alex Cobb 0-2 4.15
Notes: Cobb will try to rebound from a poor start last time out...

Bowling Green Hot Rods @ Lexington Legends 2:05 EDT
Starting for Bowling Green: LHP Matt Moore 1-1 3.09
Notes: Moore has walked 12 in 11 innings on the year... The game is available on milb.tv if you have a subscription...

4/26: Up & Down

Durham Bulls 4, Norfolk Tides 1
Box | Recap
Notes: Durham improved to 11-5... Mitch Talbot allowed 1 run in 6.1 innings, earning his 2nd win of the year... Winston Abreu struck out 5 in 1.2 innings before giving way to Dale Thayer for the save... Elliot Johnson was 3 for 4 with a home run... Reid Brignac went 2-4...

Jacksonville Suns 3, Montgomery Biscuits 1
Box | Recap
Notes: Montgomery fell to 6-10... The Biscuits didn't get a hit until the 7th, when Rhyne Hughes hit a solo HR... Jeremy Hellickson allowed 2 runs(coming on a 2-run HR) in 6 innings. He struck out 8... Ryan Reid pitched a scoreless 9th... Desmond Jennings was 0-4...

Charlotte Stone Crabs 4, St. Lucie Mets 2
Box | Recap
Notes: Charlotte got over .500, improving to 8-7... Darin Downs picked up his third win in as many starts... Rayner Oliveras made his first appearance after beginning the year with Montgomery. He struck out 4 in relief... The Crabs had only 3 hits...

Lexington legends 8, Bowling Green Hot Rods 1
Box | Recap
Notes: The Hot Rods fell to 8-9... Tim Beckham went 1-3 with a walk... The Hot Rods committed six errors... Diego Echeverria allowed 5 runs in relief of Michael Jarman... Marquis Fleming struck out the side in the 8th...

Up
Durham Bulls - OF Matt Joyce: After a poor start at Durham, he's now hitting .297/.409/.459. He went 3 for 4 last night.

Montgomery Biscuits - 1B Rhyne Hughes: Had 1 of the Biscuits 2 hits, a solo HR.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - Cody Cipriano: Made his one hit count, a solo HR.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - C Jake Jefferies: Hit his first HR of the year for the Hot Rods lone run.

Down
Durham Bulls - C John Jaso: Reached base on a walk but otherwise went 0-3.

Montgomery Biscuits - Just About Everyone On Offense: Only 5 baserunners the whole game.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - CF Emeel Salem: Hitting only .200 in the leadoff spot for the Crabs.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - The Defense: Errors committed by Jefferies, Tim Beckham, Jeremy Beckham(2), Henry Wrigley, and Jason Tweedy.

Darin Downs On 4/25 By Nick Hanson

Charlotte Stone Crabs win fourth game in a row

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs won their fourth game in a row and moved into second place in the FSL South division by defeating the St. Lucie Mets 4-2 at Charlotte Sports Park.

The Stone Crabs put up a three run inning in the first to take the lead. Shawn O’Malley and Gregory Sexton scored on an errant throw by St. Lucie catcher Rafael Arroyo that made it wall the way to the left field corner. Then the very next batter, Cody Cipriano, homered to right to put the Stone Crabs up 3-0.

St. Lucie scored in the top of the third as Greg Veloz hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Seth Williams. They added another run as Brahiam Maldonado hit a pinch hit home run to narrow the lead 3-2. But Charlotte closed the door in the bottom of the seventh by adding an insurance run as Reid Fronk scored on a fielding error by Greg Veloz.

Darin Downs won his third game of the season by pitching 5 2/3 innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and striking out 2. Rayner Oliveros collected 4 strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Paul Phillips earned the save giving up no runs and striking out 3 batters in 2 innings of service. Eric Niesen was the losing pitcher for St. Lucie.

What Went Right: The bullpen recorded 7 strikeouts while giving up 0 runs on 2 hits.

What Went Wrong: Matt Fields; continues to struggle at the plate, 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. Runners in Scoring Position; 0-5 tonight with RISP.

A Look Ahead: The Charlotte Stone Crabs finish out the series against the St. Lucie Mets tomorrow at Charlotte Sports Park.

Game Pictures from 4/24: Stone Crabs vs Mets

Jino Gonzalez Update

Former Montgomery Biscuits LHP Jino Gonzalez has signed with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the independent American Association.

Gonzalez was released by the Rays from minor league camp at the end of March. Here is what I wrote about his release on March 31st:

You may remember Gonzalez, the Rays 46th round pick in the 2002 draft who pitched for the Montgomery Biscuits (AA) last year, was arrested January 4th at Tampa International Airport. He was charged with one count of carrying a concealed firearm and released the same day on a $2,000 surety bond. The Court's docket indicates he has entered Florida's pretrial intervention (PTI) program, which means if he successfully completes the requirements of the program, the charge will be dismissed. There are some risks to PTI, but let's hope he is successful in both the program and his future baseball career.

Again, best of luck to Jino.

Minor Moves: Matulia, Baker

The Montgomery Biscuits have placed OF John Matulia on the disabled list (elbow). Replacing Matulia on the Biscuits roster is RHP Brian Baker, added from Hudson Valley Renegades roster.

The moves leave the Biscuits at the roster maximum of 24 active players, with one (Matulia) currently on the disabled list.

Durham Bulls: Batting

Through Friday's games, by OPS.

BATTER AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Weber, Jon 53 8 16 7 0 1 8 2 1 8 9 .302 .387 .491 .878 Kennedy, Adam 45 5 11 1 0 3 5 2 0 8 10 .244 .370 .467 .837 Jaso, John 44 6 13 3 2 0 3 0 0 4 8 .295 .354 .455 .809 Joyce, Matt 33 3 8 2 0 1 4 1 0 7 11 .242 .375 .394 .769 Olmedo, Ray 34 8 8 2 0 2 4 1 0 3 9 .235 .297 .471 .768 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE TOTALS .251 .323 .387 .711 Brignac, Reid 57 6 14 5 1 1 7 0 1 2 10 .246 .283 .421 .704 Richard, Chris 41 7 8 2 0 2 7 0 0 5 9 .195 .298 .390 .688 TEAM TOTALS .227 .305 .372 .677 Nowak, Chris 35 1 9 2 0 0 2 1 0 5 11 .257 .350 .314 .664 Sadler, Ray 45 3 9 0 0 2 5 0 2 4 11 .200 .265 .333 .599 Albernaz, Craig 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 .250 .250 .500 Johnson, Elliot 42 3 7 2 0 0 1 0 1 3 11 .167 .239 .214 .453 Ruggiano, Justin 57 2 9 2 0 1 3 3 0 3 20 .158 .200 .246 .446 Hernandez, Michel 8 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 .125 .222 .125 .347 Jamieson, Alex 8 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 .125 .125 .125 .250

Montgomery Biscuits: Batting

Through Friday's games, by OPS.

BATTER AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Jennings, Desmond 60 13 21 4 4 2 10 6 0 4 11 .350 .409 .650 1.059 Hughes, Rhyne 56 8 14 4 0 5 11 2 0 4 21 .250 .354 .589 .943 SOUTHERN LEAGUE TOTALS .253 .337 .385 .723 Chaves, Brandon 53 4 15 2 0 0 8 2 1 5 11 .283 .345 .321 .666 TEAM TOTALS .202 .280 .367 .647 Cannon, Chip 29 4 3 0 0 3 4 0 0 5 21 .103 .229 .414 .642 Hall, J.T. 39 5 8 2 0 1 2 0 1 5 11 .205 .295 .333 .629 Suarez, Cesar 52 5 9 7 0 1 6 1 0 3 6 .173 .232 .365 .598 Spring, Matt 30 5 4 2 0 1 1 0 0 4 10 .133 .235 .300 .535 Eldridge, Rashad 47 4 8 2 0 1 2 2 2 4 6 .170 .250 .277 .527 Anderson, Drew 40 4 7 2 1 0 1 0 0 3 8 .175 .233 .275 .508 Bowers, Jason 13 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 .231 .231 .231 .462 Matulia, John 37 3 3 1 0 1 2 0 0 5 12 .081 .190 .189 .380 Paxton, Ian 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .167 .167 .167 .333 Albernaz, Craig 13 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 .077 .250 .077 .327 Cortez, Fernando 15 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 .133 .133 .133 .267 Hall, Matthew 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000

Charlotte Stone Crabs: Batting

Through Friday's games, by OPS.

BATTER AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Upton, B.J. 9 1 4 0 0 0 2 4 3 4 2 .444 .643 .444 1.087 Hall, Matthew 9 2 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 3 .444 .545 .444 .990 Fields, Matthew 51 7 14 2 1 3 16 0 1 0 15 .275 .321 .529 .851 Cipriano, Cody 33 6 9 2 1 0 1 0 0 5 10 .273 .368 .394 .762 Fronk, Reid 46 7 13 3 0 0 4 2 2 7 7 .283 .400 .348 .748 Powell, Pedro 27 6 8 2 0 0 3 3 0 3 5 .296 .367 .370 .737 O’Malley, Shawn 43 10 12 2 1 0 7 1 2 5 9 .279 .347 .372 .719 Sexton, Gregory 54 6 17 2 0 0 8 0 1 3 5 .315 .333 .352 .685 FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE TOTALS .257 .322 .362 .684 TEAM TOTALS .262 .325 .353 .678 Ashley, Nevin 36 2 9 1 0 1 4 0 1 2 8 .250 .289 .361 .651 Williams, Shawn 20 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 .300 .333 .300 .633 Royster, Ryan 29 2 6 1 1 0 2 0 0 3 11 .207 .281 .310 .592 Salem, Emeel 56 6 12 3 1 0 4 2 2 2 8 .214 .250 .304 .554 Vogt, Stephen 35 0 6 2 0 0 3 0 1 2 4 .171 .216 .229 .445 Luna, Omar 22 3 4 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 4 .182 .182 .227 .409 Luis, Diogenes 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000

Bowling Green Hot Rods: Batting

Through Friday's games, by OPS.

BATTER AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Reynolds, Justin 13 2 6 1 0 1 3 0 1 1 4 .462 .500 .769 1.269 Mollicone, John 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 .333 .600 .333 .933 Beckham, Jeremy 20 2 6 1 0 0 1 2 2 4 4 .300 .481 .350 .831 Beckham, Tim 54 7 17 3 0 1 8 0 1 2 15 .315 .333 .426 .759 Sheridan, Michael 52 7 15 4 1 1 7 2 0 0 2 .288 .283 .462 .745 Scelfo, Anthony 53 8 14 5 1 0 6 2 2 4 13 .264 .322 .396 .718 Velasquez, Isaias 45 5 12 1 1 0 2 1 2 7 11 .267 .377 .333 .711 Tweedy, Jason 41 10 9 1 2 0 3 3 0 7 5 .220 .333 .341 .675 TEAM TOTALS .246 .317 .353 .670 Jefferies, Jake 53 6 14 3 0 0 11 1 0 5 6 .264 .344 .321 .665 SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE TOTALS .244 .313 .346 .659 Wrigley, Henry 54 5 11 5 0 1 3 1 1 3 10 .204 .259 .352 .610 Estrada, Robi 16 4 3 1 0 0 2 0 1 2 4 .188 .278 .250 .528 Corder, Jason 47 3 9 3 0 0 4 0 0 2 5 .191 .240 .255 .495 McCormick, Michael 50 4 6 1 0 1 4 0 0 3 14 .120 .185 .200 .385

4/25: Today's Games

Durham Bulls @ Norfolk Tides 7:15 EDT
Starting for Durham: RHP Mitch Talbot 1-1 4.20
Notes:

Montgomery Biscuits vs. Jacksonville Suns 8:05 EDT
Starting for Montgomery: RHP Jeremy Hellickson 1-0 1.13
Notes:

Charlotte Stone Crabs vs. St. Lucie Mets 7:05 EDT
Starting for Charlotte: LHP Darin Downs 2-0 1.93
Notes:

Bowling Green Hot Rods @ Lexington Legends 7:05 EDT
Starting for Bowling Green: RHP Michael Jarman 0-1 1.00
Notes:

4/25: Up & Down

Norfolk Tides 8, Durham Bulls 2
Box | Recap
Notes: Durham fell to 10-4... James Houser allowed 4 runs in the 1st inning... John Jaso collected two hits... Reid Brignac went 0-4... Matt Joyce walked twice... Matt Wieters was 0-2 with 2 walks for Norfolk...

Montgomery Biscuits 4, Mobile BayBears 2
Box | Recap
Notes: Montgomery improved to 6-9... Jason Cromer allowed 1 run in 6 innings in his first AA start after beginning with Durham... Desmond Jennings was 1-4 with an RBI triple... Jason Isringhausen threw another scoreless inning...

Charlotte Stone Crabs 3, Sarasota Reds 1
Box | Recap
Notes: Charlotte even their record at 7-7... Jeremy Hall pitched 5 scoreless innings... Justin Garcia got the save...

Bowling Green Hot Rods 4, West Virginia Power 2
Box | Recap
Notes: The Hot Rods improved to 8-8... Tim Beckham went 1-4... Chris Andujar started, Neil Schenk got the win in relief... Isaias Velasquez went 3 for 3...

Up
Durham Bulls - C John Jaso: Only Bulls player to collected multiple hits, going 2 for 4. He threw out 1 runner and allowed 1 to steal successfully.

Montgomery Biscuits - LHP Jason Cromer: He's basically only an organizational arm, but he's been terrific in three starts so far this year.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - SS Shawn O'Malley: Still has a long way to go to establish himself as a prospect, but he went 1-1 and drew two walks.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - 1B Mike Sheridan: Collected three hits in four trips up, including a double and an RBI. Sheridan's OBP(.283) is lower than his batting average(.288).

Down
Durham Bulls - LHP James Houser: Showed some rust in his first start, allowing all four his runs in the 1st inning.

Montgomery Biscuits - Fernando Cortez: Hitting only .133 since being acquired.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - OF Ryan Royster: Drew a walk, but went 0-4.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - LF Henry Wrigley: Still hitting cleanup. With a .658 OPS.

Cromer Leads Montgomery To 4-2 Win Over Mobile

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

Jason Cromer returned to Montgomery and helped lead the Biscuits to a 4-2 win over Mobile in the series finale from Riverwalk Stadium on Friday night. Cromer (1-0), added to the Biscuits roster on Friday morning, turned in six strong innings to earn his first win of the season at the Double-A level. He conceded a lone run on five hits while striking out three.

Montgomery jumped to the lead first with a run off of Mobile starter Cody Evans in the third inning. Ian Paxton singled with one out to start the rally and came home to score on Desmond Jennings' league-leading fourth triple of the season into the alley in left-center field and the Biscuits led, 1-0.

Mobile tied the game with their lone run off of Cromer in the fifth when James Skelton led off with a single and advanced to third on double from Chris Rahl. He came in to score on a sacrifice fly supplied by Pete Clifford. Rhyne Hughes gave the lead back to the Biscuits when he socked his league-leading fifth home run of the season inside the foul pole in right field off of Evans with Brandon Chaves aboard in the sixth. Hughes' two-run blast gave the Biscuits a 3-1 advantage. Evans (2-1) was saddled with the loss, surrendering three runs over six innings.

Cesar Suarez capped the Montgomery scoring with an RBI double to the left field corner in the seventh, plating J.T. Hall for a three-run lead. The Biscuits final run was charged to BayBears reliever Scott Maine. Calvin Medlock earned his third save of the season, permitting the BayBears final run in the eighth, but striking out the side in order in the ninth to nail down the victory.

The Biscuits open a five-game series against the Jacksonville Suns on Saturday night at Riverwalk Stadium. RHP Jeremy Hellickson will make the start for Montgomery against LHP Taylor Graham for Jacksonville.

Charlotte Stone Crabs extend winning streak by beating St. Lucie

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs extended their winning streak to three games tonight as they beat the St. Lucie Mets 3-1 at Charlotte Sports Park. The game started on a wild note as Matt Fields was hit by a pitch by Angel Calero and Jeremy Hall followed up by hitting Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Francisco Pena. But both teams quickly put it aside and went back to baseball.

The Stone Crabs got out to an early lead in the first inning Emeel Salem led off the inning with a double. Salem advanced to second on an sacrifice by Shawn O’Malley and was brought home on a fly ball by Gregory Sexton to put Charlotte ahead 1-0.

Both pitchers dueled with four scoreless frames before Charlotte put another run on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning when Matt Fields hit an RBI single to score Shawn O’Malley and put the Stone Crabs ahead 2-0. They added another run in the next inning as Reid Fronk scored on an RBI double by Stephen Vogt.

St. Lucie scored their only run on the night in the top of the eight inning as Kirk Nieuwenhuis singled to center and made it all the way around to score on the play thanks in part to a fielding error by Emeel Salem. But it was too little to late and Charlotte held on for the victory 3-1.

Jeremy Hall got the victory pitching 5 scoreless innings giving up 3 hits and striking out 2. Brian Flores threw 2 1/13 inning giving up 1 run on 4 hits. Justin Garcia picked up his first save of the season going 1 2/3 no-hit innings striking out 2. Angel Calero was the loser for St. Lucie.

What Went Right: Jeremy Hall; 5 scoreless innings on the mound.

What Went Wrong: Shawn Williams; 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. Ryan Royster; 0-3 with 2 strikeouts.

A Look Ahead: The Charlotte Stone Crabs and St. Lucie Mets are back at it tomorrow night for game two of the series. Darin Downs (2-0) will face Eric Niesen (0-1).

Durham Bulls Lose 8-2 To Norfolk Tides

[Via email from the Durham Bulls' broadcaster Neil Solondz.]

Elliot Johnson's RBI double in the seventh got the Durham Bulls within striking distance, but the Norfolk Tides pulled away Friday night for an 8-2 win. The win by the Tides (10-4), their ninth in a row, moved them a half-game ahead of the Bulls (10-5) in the South Division. It's the first time this season Durham has not been in first place, and also the first time the Bulls have lost two in a row.

Durham was trailing 6-0 in the seventh before rallying with two out against reliever Radhames Liz. John Jaso and Ray Olmedo delivered back-to-back singles, scoring Matt Joyce, who had walked. Johnson then doubled down the left field line, making it 6-2. With runners at second and third, Liz settled down to strike out Jon Weber and end the threat. Two batters later, Oscar Salazar put the momentum back in the home dugout with a two-run homer off Dewon Day for the final 8-2 margin.

Norfolk scored four in the first, all with two out off lefty James Houser (0-1), who was making his Triple-A debut. Salazar, who had three hits and four RBI singled in a run and Nolan Reimold and Jolbert Cabrera followed with back-to-back homers.

Chris Tillman (1-0) went six innings to earn the win, and didn't allow a base runner until the fourth inning. Durham was held to six hits, two by catcher John Jaso.

The Bulls will look to bounce back on Saturday night after dropping the first two of this four-game set. Mitch Talbot starts against David Pauley in a matchup of righties. Coverage on 99.9 the Fan ESPN Radio and www.durhambulls.com begins at 6:55 p.m., with first pitch at 7:15 p.m.

Rays Minor League Attendance

Team, league, number of home games, average attendance, rank in league.

Team League G Avg LgRk Durham International 7 5,181 9th Montgomery Southern 9 3,901 3rd Charlotte Florida State 5 3,347 1st Bowling Green South Atlantic 6 4,008 7th

Congratulations to the Stone Crabs for leading the Florida State League in attendance in their inaugural season.

Minor League Starting Pitching

Through Thursday's games.

Durham Bulls: Starter ERA GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Talbot 4.20 3 15.0 19 7 0 4 10 11.4 0.0 2.4 6.0 2.5 25.5 Price 2.63 3 13.2 10 4 2 4 15 6.6 1.3 2.6 9.9 3.8 23.6 Davis 2.08 3 13.0 8 3 0 8 11 5.5 0.0 5.5 7.6 1.4 23.6 Hernandez 2.45 3 14.2 15 4 0 7 10 9.2 0.0 4.3 6.1 1.4 29.0 Cromer 0.00 2 10.0 6 0 0 3 7 5.4 0.0 2.7 6.3 2.3 28.3 Montgomery Biscuits: Starter ERA GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Hellickson 1.13 3 16.0 8 2 0 5 16 4.5 0.0 2.8 9.0 3.2 22.0 Rodriguez 10.13 3 10.2 14 12 3 10 4 11.8 2.5 8.4 3.4 0.4 21.3 Rollins 3.45 3 15.2 14 6 0 3 7 8.0 0.0 1.7 4.0 2.3 23.8 Morse 7.59 3 10.2 16 9 2 6 8 13.5 1.7 5.1 6.8 1.3 25.9 Oliveros 9.00 2 8.0 9 8 2 3 8 10.1 2.3 3.4 9.0 2.7 23.6 Charlotte Stone Crabs: Starter ERA GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Cobb 4.15 3 13.0 15 6 1 4 14 10.4 0.7 2.8 9.7 3.5 21.5 Darcy 6.28 3 14.1 22 10 2 2 7 13.8 1.3 1.3 4.4 3.5 23.8 Newmann 7.07 3 14.0 18 11 0 8 12 11.6 0.0 5.1 7.7 1.5 23.8 Hall 2.70 2 10.0 12 3 0 1 6 10.8 0.0 0.9 5.4 6.0 25.6 Downs 1.93 2 14.0 11 3 1 0 15 7.1 0.6 0.0 9.6 inf 24.3 Bowling Green Hot Rods: Starter ERA GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Moore 3.09 3 11.2 5 4 0 12 17 3.9 0.0 9.3 13.1 1.4 19.8 Dyer 4.50 3 14.0 15 7 1 1 10 9.6 0.6 0.6 6.4 10.0 21.1 DeLosSantos 2.40 3 15.0 13 4 1 3 9 7.8 0.6 1.8 5.4 3.0 21.4 Schenk 2.35 2 7.2 7 2 0 1 6 8.2 0.0 1.2 7.0 6.0 22.8 Jarman 1.00 2 9.0 9 1 0 2 6 9.0 0.0 2.0 6.0 3.0 23.8 Andujar 3.18 1 5.2 5 2 1 1 0 7.9 1.6 1.6 0.0 0.0 21.7 Cruz 2.45 1 3.2 9 1 0 1 4 22.1 0.0 2.5 9.8 4.0 20.8 Starting Pitching Summary: Team IP/GS ERA H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AvAGE Durham 4.2 2.44 7.9 0.3 3.5 7.2 2.0 26.0 Montgomery 4.1 5.46 9.0 1.0 4.0 6.3 1.6 23.3 Charlotte 5.0 4.55 10.7 0.6 2.1 7.4 3.6 23.8 Bowling Green 4.1 2.84 8.5 0.4 2.8 7.0 2.5 21.6

Note: These stats only include appearances as a starting pitcher. If one of these pitchers make a relief appearance, those numbers are not included.

Minor Moves: Cromer, Baker

The Montgomery Biscuits have officially received LHP Jason Cromer from the Durham Bulls. Cromer will start in tonight’s series finale with Mobile. To make room for Cromer, the Biscuits placed RHP Brian Baker on the Hudson Valley Renegades roster. The Biscuits currently have 24 active players, one (Jason Isringhausen) on MLB rehab, and none on the disabled list.

4/24: Today's Games

Durham Bulls @ Norfolk Tides 7:15 EDT
Starting for Durham: LHP James Houser 0-0 0.00
Notes: Jason Cromer was sent down as Houser returns to make his first start... The bulls will be facing highly-regarded Chris Tillman... The Tides have won 8 in a row...

Montgomery Biscuits vs. Mobile BayBears 8:05 EDT
Starting for Montgomery: LHP James Cromer 1-0 0.00(stats at AAA Durham)
Notes: This is the series finale with Jacksonville coming to town next...

Charlotte Stone Crabs vs. St. Lucie Mets 7:05 EDT
Starting for Charlotte: RHP Jeremy Hall 1-1 2.70
Notes: First game of a 3-game set...

Bowling Green Hot Rods vs. West Virginia Power 8:05 EDT
Starting for Bowling Green: RHP Chris Andujar 2-1 2.25
Notes: The last game of the series before the Hod Rods play two at Lexington...

4/24: Up & Down

Norfolk Tides 4, Durham Bulls 3
Box | Recap
Notes: Durham fell to 10-3... Reid Brignac had the night off... Carlos Hernandez allowed 3 runs in the first inning but stayed in to get through the 5th... John Jaso went 0-3 but reahced base once on a walk... Matt Wieters returned to the lineup for the Tides but was held in check, going just 1-4...

Mobile BayBears 6, Montgomery Biscuits 1
Box | Recap
Notes: Montgomery fell to 5-9 and has lost 3 in a row... Ryan Mose started and got the loss, but Brandon Mann allowed 4 of the 6 runs... Jason Isringhausen pitched a scoreless inning, walking one... Desmond Jennings was 0-3 with a walk...

Charlotte Stone Crabs 2, Sarasota Reds 1
Box | Recap
Notes: Charlotte improved to 6-7... David Newmann allowed 1 run in 6 innings, striking out 5 but walking 4... Matt Gorgen pitched two scoreless innings for his third save. He has now thrown 7 scoreless innings on the year...

Bowling Green Hot Rods 5, West Virginia Power 1
Box | Recap
Notes: The Hot Rods improved to 7-8... Tim Beckham went 2-4 with a double... Jake Jefferies, Henry Wrigley, and Mike Sheridan all collected multiple hits as well... Sheridan stole two bases...

Up
Durham Bulls - OF Matt Joyce: Went 2-4 with a double and drove in all 3 of Durham's runs.

Montgomery Biscuits - RHP Eduardo Morlan: Two scoreless innings lowered his ERA to 2.89. He hasn't allowed a run since his first outing.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - RHP Matt Gorgen: 7 innings, 6 hits, no runs, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts on the year.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - RHP Frank De Los Santos: Got his first win of the year; sporting a 2.40 ERA.

Down
Durham Bulls - OF Justin Ruggiano: Took another 0-for, failing to collect a hit in four trips up. He's now hitting just .151.

Montgomery Biscuits - RHP Ryan Morse: Fell to 0-3 on the year.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - 3B Greg Sexton: 0-2 at the plate and committed an error in the field.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - C Mike McCormick: Now hitting .130.