Durham Bulls Lose 10-2 To Gwinnett Braves

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

Poor pitching and sloppy fielding doomed the Bulls as they met the wrong side of a 10-2 drubbing at the hands of the Gwinnett Braves Tuesday night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The Bulls committed a season-high tying five errors, including four in the seventh inning, allowing Gwinnett to plate four unearned runs. The Braves offense touched Durham’s pitching staff for six earned runs off eight hits and five walks.

Starter Wade Davis (10-8) was rocked for six runs, five earned, with one walk and five strikeouts in four innings of work. Four of those runs came off an Alvin Colina two-out grandslam to left-center in the fourth.

The Bulls were able to plate two runs off Jo-Jo Reyes (4-2) in their halves of the fourth and fifth with a sacrifice fly from Desmond Jennings and a RBI-groundout from Chris Richard to cut Gwinnett’s lead to 6-2. Durham’s batters ended the day with seven hits and five walks.

Reyes picked up the win after tossing six innings in which he allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits and five walks with one strikeout.

The seventh inning was when Durham’s defense fell apart as the Braves were able to score four runs, three earned, on one hit and four errors, capping their 10-2 victory over the Bulls.

The Bulls’ loss to Gwinnett means they are no longer in sole possession of 1st place in the International League South Division. They are now tied with the Braves for first in both the Division and Wild Card Race.

Durham will hit the road Wednesday to begin a three-game series with Charlotte before returning home to close out the regular season with a three-game series verse Norfolk. Lefty Jason Cromer (6-3) will take the mound for the Bulls against righty Kelvin Jimenez (5-3) with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m.