Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 3, Norfolk Tides (BAL) 2 (7 innings- rain)

Add more insult to the ignominy of blowing a 6-4 lead in the 9th to the Rays for the Orioles organization as the Bulls also beat the Orioles-affiliated Tides at Triple-A. This game was much different as Alex Colome was the star, going 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 7 hits, striking out 8 while walking none. It was the first time all year that he didn’t walk a batter in a start, although he did allow 2 home runs. The Rays’ Triple-A pitching depth has come to spotlight since the Price injury, and rest assured, Colome is right in the thick of that. Jason Bourgeois went 2 for 4 with a 2-run homer to account for most of the Bulls offense but the most exciting thing may be that Wil Myers went 0 for 2 but with no strikeouts and a walk.

Double-A Southern League Game 1: Huntsville Stars (MIL) 7, Montgomery Biscuits 5 (7 innings)

We saw in the Rays game how a valiant relief effort by Alex Torres kept the Rays in the game after allowing 6 early runs. The Biscuits had a late run of their own after allowing 7 runs in the first 5 innings, but don’t try coming back from that at home, especially when you’re only playing seven innings in a minor league doubleheader. Jacob Thompson got destroyed again, going 4.2 innings allowing 7 runs, 6 earned, on 9 hits, striking out 5 while walking 3. He also managed a 6-0 groundout to flyout ratio and you want to say that he’s pitching better than the numbers, but he just keeps getting shelled, as evidenced by his 7.09 ERA on the year. Cameron Seitzer went 2 for 4 for the Biscuits while Mayo Acosta went 2 for 2 with a 2-run home run.

Game 2: Stars 6, Biscuits 1

All good things must come to an end, and that’s exactly what happened in this one for Matt Buschmann. In his last four starts entering Saturday, Buschmann had gone 3-0 with four quality starts, a 3-0 record, a 1.33 ERA, and a 29-7 strikeout to walk ratio in 27 innings pitched. This one did not go as well. Buschmann went just 5 innings allowing 4 runs, 3 earned, on 9 hits, striking out 3 while walking 2. You can certainly do worse than that, but you also definitely won’t win such a game if your offense is quiet.  The Biscuits managed just 3 hits in the game, although they were able to push a run across in the 9th. Shawn O’Malley went 2 for 3 with a double in the loss.

High-A Florida State League: Fort Myers Miracle (MIN) 9, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2

Mike Montgomery‘s first rehab start went outstanding. This one? Not so much. Montgomery went just 4.2 innings allowing 7 runs, 6 earned, on 7 hits, striking out 4 while walking 2. His groundout to flyout ratio was 5-2. It was good that Montgomery was able to extend himself a little bit and he didn’t allow a single home run, but he has to pitch better than this. This game was bad enough that backup catcher Ryan McChesney tossed the 9th and did a good job, working around 2 hits with a strikeout in a scoreless inning. On the offensive side, Ryan Brett continued his hot start since getting reinstated to the team by going 2 for 4.

Low-A Midwest League: West Michigan Whitecaps (DET) 8, Bowling Green Hot Rods 1

Sometimes the Hot Rods seem like the Baby Rays. This game, a little bit too much. They were down just 1-0 before a starting pitching collapse then a bullpen implosion put this game out of reach. Eduar Quinonez went 5 innings allowing 4 runs, 3 earned, on just 3 hits, walking 2 while striking out none. He didn’t allow a hit until the 3-run 5th (although he still managed to allow a run in the 1st). Tommy Coyle went 1 for 3 with a walk for Bowling Green while Andrew Toles stole his 21st base already this season.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 8, Lehigh Valley Ironpigs (PHI) 2

Control and command remain ongoing concerns for Alex Colome. His four-pitch arsenal of a fastball, a curveball, a slider, and a changeup has the ability to overpower hitters, but it’s his ability to locate his pitches that will determine how far he will go. On Monday, Colome walked 4 batters, and limiting the bases on balls will be critical for him moving forward. But the 4 walks didn’t by any means indicate that he had a bad outing. Colome delivered his best outing of the season, going 7 innings allowing just 2 runs, 1 earned, on 3 hits, striking out 11 while walking 4. It shows how with just average control, Colome has the ability to be one heck of a pitcher, and if he keeps improving, the Rays might have another topflight young starting pitcher on their hands. Behind Colome, Steve Geltz worked a scoreless inning followed by the return of former Durham Bull Cory Wade, who worked around a walk to toss a hitless 9th. As we discussed yesterday, Wade has had himself a roller coaster of a journey the past few years, going from Bulls reliever to pitching great for the Yankees and now back to Durham after the Yankees (and Blue Jays and Cubs) let him go. We’ll have to see if he can catch lightning in a bottle again. On the offensive side, Jason Bourgeois had a big game, going 3 for 5 with a triple, a double, an RBI, and a run scored and Vince Belnome went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored for the only multi-hit games in the Durham lineup. But even if only Bourgeois and Belnome really impressed, the Bulls got contributions across the board, with all nine players in the lineup recording a hit, 7 of 9 driving in a run, and a different 7 of 9 scoring a run. Wil Myers went 1 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored but most encouragingly drew a walk and Brandon Guyer went 1 for 2 with a pair of hit-by-pitches, an RBI, and a run scored. Outstanding individual effort by Colome and great to see the Bulls lineup churning on all cylinders.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 2, Birmingham Barons (CHW) 1

Thanks to Matt Buschmann, the Rays could have an interesting quandary on their hands. Buschmann, at 29 years old, isn’t really a prospect and the Rays don’t need starting depth because they have way too much of that. With that being the case, do they convert him to relief to see if he can provide major league value in that role? If the Rays believe that Buschmann is a major league quality arm, the answer to that question will probably be yes. However, do you really want to take Buschmann away from his starting role considering just how well he’s pitching? Buschmann was incredible again versus Birmingham as he nailed down his fourth straight quality start, going 6 innings allowing no runs on 2 hits, striking out 7 while walking 3 and posting a 9-1 groundout to flyout ratio. In his last four starts, Buschmann has a 1.33 ERA and a 29-7 strikeout to walk ratio in 27 innings pitched, and he has a 2.70 ERA and a 48-16 strike to walk ratio in 46.2 IP on the season. Triple-A Durham’s rotation is so good that it will be hard for Buschmann to crack it and we will have to see what the Rays decide to do if Buschmann comes pitching well. Riccio Torrez went 2 for 4 with an RBI while Kyeong Kang drove in a run and Robby Price went 2 for 4 with a run scored to give Buschmann and the Biscuits the run support they needed.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 3, Daytona Cubs 0

Mike Montgomery has fallen a long way. A top prospect for years in the Royals organization, you have to go back to 2010 for the lefty Montgomery’s last good year. This season, Montgomery had one iffy start at Triple-A Durham before going on the DL with a forearm strain and now he finds himself down at High-A on a rehab assignment. Montgomery was facing hitters he was far more advanced then on Monday, but after all his struggles, it was a good step in the right direction. Montgomery went 4 innings allowing just 2 hits, striking out 6 while walking 1, dominating as he should and hopefully building some confidence. Parker Markel, Charlotte’s regularly scheduled starter, went the rest of the way and was encouraging for the second straight time out, allowing just 3 hits in 5 innings, striking out 5 while walking 1 to complete the shutout. Markel got off to a terrible start to the year (his ERA is still 7.71), but he is finding his way back and the Rays know that he has the stuff to be another quality prospect. On the offensive side, Hector Guevara went 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and 2 RBI, Drew Vettleson went 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, and Taylor Motter and Jeff Malm also had multi-hit games. Great to see the tag-team of Montgomery and Markel breezing, and the offense was able to have itself a solid day as well.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 6, Lake County Captains (CLE) 1

And to cap off the great pitching performances, there was Jeff Ames, who twirled another gem as he has done all season for Bowling Green. Ames went 6 innings allowing just 2 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1. Ames’ ERA now stands at 1.22 to go along with a 31-4 strikeout to walk ratio in 37 innings. Ames has command issues (even as he throws a lot of strikes) that might be exposed at upper levels and he will probably be in Bowling Green for at least a couple more months, but he has just been unbelievable for the Hot Rods start after start, not allowing more than 3 runs in any of his starts this season and allowing 1 or less in 6 of 7. In the 9th inning with the Hot Rods ahead 6-0, Nick Sawyer allowed a solo home run but was able to finish the game. The only reason that Sawyer’s outing is worth nothing was that he struck out 1 while walking none, marking the first time all year that he hasn’t walked a batter in 11 appearances. Sawyer has struck out an unbelievable 28 batters in 17.1 innings (14.5 per 9), but he has walked a scary 16 (8.3 BB/9) and he will have to improve that significantly. In terms of the offense, Andrew Toles had another huge game, going 3 for 4 with a triple, a double, and 3 runs scored, Joey Rickard paired with him at the top of the lineup with a 3-hit game of his own, going 3 for 4 with a double, 4 RBI, and a run scored, and Luke Maile went 2 for 3 with a walk. Absolutely incredible what Ames has done, and a nice showing by the Hot Rods lineup got him to 5-0 on the season.

In sharp contrast to all the games we have been discussing was the Opening Day game played by the VSL Rays, the Rays’ Venezuelan Summer League affiliate. Brace yourself for this score.

Foreign Rookie Venezuelan Summer League: VSL Rays 22, VSL Mariners 11

What? 22-11? The VSL Rays scored more runs than the other four Rays affiliates combined and allowed double as many as well! In case you’re wondering, there was actually one pitcher in the game who tossed shutout ball. Lefty Jose Alvarado, soon to turn 18, started for the VSL Rays and allowed just 1 hit in the first 2.2 innings, striking out 2 and walking 2 as well but forcing a 4-0 groundout to flyout ratio for what it’s worth. Every other pitcher in the game allowed at least 2 runs. In any event, let’s get to the offense. First baseman Iago Januario hit for the cycle (!) going 5 for 5 with a homer, a triple, a double, two singles, 4 RBI, and 3 runs scored. Of course Januario is old for the league at 20 years old, but that’s awfully impressive. Januario appeared for Brazil in the World Baseball Classic. A prospect who also really impressed, though, was 17 year old catcher David Rodriguez, a relatively high-profile signing by the Rays last international signing period. Rodriguez went 4 for 6 with a homer, 2 doubles, 6 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Enneider Torres, 16, also went 2 for 6 with 2 RBI, and 3 runs scored. The quality of play in the VSL is not very good (and there are only four teams as most teams have vacated their academies there and just take their Venezuelan prospects to the Dominican Republic to begin play), but it’s always nice to see some ridiculously young Rays prospects doing well, even as far away from the major leagues as you can get within affiliated ball.

Triple-A International League: Syracuse Chiefs (WSN) 5, Durham Bulls 3

Quite impressive to strike out 17 batters in a nine-inning game. It’s arguably even more impressive to do that and lose, and that’s exactly what the Bulls pulled off on Wednesday. Alex Colome got the start for Durham and had an up-and-down outing, but when he was on, boy was he impressive. Colome went 5.2 innings allowing 4 runs, 3 earned, on 6 hits, striking out 10 while walking just 1. Colome rebounded nicely from allowing 3 runs between the 2nd and 3rd to toss shutout ball in the 4th and 5th, but Jeff Beliveau allowed his inherited runner to score in the 6th to end his outing on a sour note. This game was as good of a showcase as any that Colome still has a long way to go in getting his command up to major league quality, but he has the stuff to dominate when he’s right, and with plenty of starting depth in front of him, the Rays will give him as much time as he needs to find a way to do that on a more consistent basis. Beliveau allowed 3 hits in just 1.1 innings in relief of Colome, but he recorded 3 of his 4 outs via the strikeout, and Kirby Yates finished the game with 2 perfect innings striking out 4 more to give the Bulls 17 for the game. On the offensive side, the Bulls didn’t get much as Daniel Rosenbaum outdueled Colome with 7 innings allowing just 2 runs, 1 earned, on 4 hits, striking out 7 while walking 1. Chris Gimenez did go 2 for 4 with a run scored, Cole Figueroa and Leslie Anderson both went 1 for 4 with an RBI, and Wil Myers went 1 for 3 with a walk for Durham. Tough loss for the Bulls when their pitching was so overpowering, but good things are ahead if Colome continues to look as electric as this.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 8, Mississippi Braves 4

Matt Buschmann pitched well and the Biscuits had a diversified attack of five different players with multiple hits as they eased by the Braves 8-4. Buschmann allowed 3 runs but had a strong outing in every sense of the word, going 7 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, striking out 8 while walking 1 and managing a 9-3 groundout to flyout ratio. Buschmann was extremely efficient, throwing just 96 pitches, 63 strikes, and gave the Biscuits about as good of an outing as they could have hoped for. Buschmann has allowed just 4 runs on 14 hits in 20 innings over his last three starts, a 1.80 ERA, striking out 22 while walking just 4 in the process. Buschmann is trending in the exact opposite direction of his former Vanderbilt roommate, David Price, and we’ll have to see whether this is the spurt that finally gets him to Triple-A for an extended period of time after he spent almost all of last year at Double-A. With an intriguing sinker-slider combination, Buschmann has some potential in a relief role. Now to the run support. Robby Price went 2 for 4 with a double, 3 RBI, and a run scored, Cameron Seitzer went 2 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI, Shawn O’Malley went 2 for 4 with a triple, an RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Kevin Kiermaier and Riccio Torrez also registered 2 hits. The Biscuits went 5 for 10 with runners in scoring position and stranded just 5 while scoring 8 runs. 8-4 isn’t the prettiest score, but Montgomery had almost everything go right on their way to a nice win.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 7, Brevard County Manatees (MIL) 6

Wild game in this one, but the Stone Crabs rode late-inning heroics on their way to victory. Felipe Rivero got the start for the Stone Crabs and had good stuff but looked enigmatic, and the results were not too good as he went 4.1 innings allowing 4 runs on 5 hits, striking out 7 while walking 3 and allowing 2 home runs. Rivero left with the game tied at 4 after the Stone Crabs had rallied for 3 in the 5th. Then Jacob Partridge let up a run in the 7th, and suddenly the Stone Crabs were down 5-4. But the following inning, Richie Shaffer came through with a 2-run home run to make it 6-5 Charlotte. The bottom of the inning was scary as Eliazer Suero got into a bases-loaded jam and Lenny Linsky had to come in to escape it, which he did successfully but not before allowing the game-tying run. But in the top of the 9th, Jake DePew could not have picked a better time for his first home run of the season as he hit a game-winning home run to send the Stone Crabs to a 7-6 win. Shaffer has hit in 9 of his last 10 games as he slowly but surely is righting himself after a tough start to the season, while DePew went 2 for 4  with his homer and 2 runs scored as he’s now hitting .273 on the season. The homer was his first extra-base hit, but DePew has some potential as a defense-first backup. Other strong performers were Willie Argo, who continued his hot start since joining the Stone Crabs by going 2 for 4 with a triple, 2 RBI, and a run scored, and Kes Carter, who went 2 for 5 with a home run to lead off the game and a double. Amazing job by the Stone Crabs stepping up in the clutch as their pitching sputtered, and the result was a satisfying win.

Low-A Midwest League: West Michigan Whitecaps (DET) 2, Bowling Green Hot Rods 0

Blake Snell was dominant, but 2 first inning runs accounted for all the scoring in the game as the Hot Rods fell 2-0. Snell allowed a Jeff Holm 2-run home run in the first inning but that was hit only real mistake as he went 6 innings allowing just 2 runs on 3 hits, striking out 10 while walking none. Not too often do you see a pitcher deliver that good of an effort and lose. Snell has been inconsistent this year, managing a 2.81 ERA but just a 4.21 run average (counting unearned runs) as he has managed a strikeout to walk ratio of 2-to-1 or better in just two of his six starts. In both of those starts, though, Snell struck out 9 or more while walking none, so he still has flashed plenty of dominance. Now he has to work to sustain that. Jordan Harrison and Matt Ramsey allowed just 2 hits in the final 3 innings while striking out 3 to end the game, but the Hot Rods just could not push a run across. Joey Rickard went 2 for 3 with a double while Marty Gantt went 2 for 4, but the Hot Rods failed to score despite getting at least one baserunner in 7 of 9 innings and that just won’t do the job. Sad to see Snell deliver his best outing of the season yet be saddled with the lost as the Bowling Green offense got him nothing.