Pawtucket Red Sox 4, Durham Bulls 1

The PawSox jumped out quickly against the Bulls, loading the bases with no one out in the bottom of the first inning on a single, an error and a walk. Ryan Lavarnway hit a sacrifice fly to put Pawtucket on the board, but Alex Colome managed to escape without further damage. Pawtucket got another run in the second, as Jackie Bradley Jr drove in a run with a groundout. Durham got a run back in the top of the third, as Brandon Guyer was hit by a pitch, and stole second. He moved to third on a base hit, and scored on an RBI single from Jason Bourgeois. A wild pitch put runners on second and third with two out, but Allen Webster struck out Wil Myers to preserve the PawSox lead. That lead was extended in the third. After Justin Henry led off the inning with a walk, he moved to second on a passed ball, and took third courtesy of a wild pitch. Lavarnway then hit a two run home run, putting Pawtucket ahead 4-1. Meanwhile, Webster was cruising through the Bulls, as he allowed only the one run on two hits in six innings, striking out nine batters. The Bulls managed to put runners on second and third with two out in the top of the seventh, but were unable to push across a run. They never mounted a threat after, as they fell to the PawSox 4-1. Colome took the loss, giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits and three walks. Leslie Anderson was 2-4 with a stolen base in the loss.

Montgomery Biscuits 3, Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Reds) 2

Pensacola came out hitting, putting runners on first and second to start the game. Ryan LaMarre doubled in the first run of the game for the Wahoos, and was followed by an RBI single from Steve Selsky. Selsky tried to stretch the base hit into a double, but was thrown out at second, leaving a runner at third with one out. However, Merrill Kelly managed to escape further damage, holding Pensacola to the two runs. The Biscuits tied the game in the top of the third, as Sean O’Malley led off the inning by reaching on an error, and Kevin Kiermaier bunted for a base hit. After a force out, Mikie Mahtook tripled to drive in both runners and tied the game at 2-2. The game remained tied into the top of the eighth, when the Biscuits loaded the bases with no outs. After two strikeouts, Mark Thomas worked a walk, forcing home Mahtook with the go ahead run. Juan Sandoval worked the ninth to pick up his sixth save of the season. Kelly had a solid start in his no decision, giving up two runs in 6.1 innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out five. Matt Nevarez earned the win in relief, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Mahtook was 1-3 with a triple, two RBIs and two walks in the win.

Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins) 7, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4

Scoreless until the bottom of the third, the Stone Crabs put the first run on the board after Taylor Motter was hit by a pitch with one out. Jake Hager followed with a single, moving Motter to third, and he scored on a base hit by Drew Vettleson. Hager was thrown out trying to get to third on the hit, and the Stone Crabs were only able to get the one run. Jupiter took the lead in the top of the fourth, as they loaded the bases with no one out. Austin Nola followed with a two run single to put Jupiter ahead 2-1. Following an out, the Hammerheads loaded the bases again, but were unable to push another run across. The Stone Crabs tied the game in the bottom of the frame, as Curt Casili hit his first home run of the year. Jupiter loaded the bases with no outs again in the fifth, and took a 4-2 lead on a sacrifice fly and a wild pitch. The Stone Crabs loaded the bases themselves in the bottom of the inning, and tied the game on a two run, two out double by Richie Shaffer. The Hammerheads took the lead in the top of the seventh. Austin Barnes was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a walk, and advanced to third on a fly out. Nola dropped down a sacrifice bunt, scoring Barnes with the go ahead run. The Hammerheads tacked on additional runs in the eighth and ninth, as they defeated the Stone Crabs 7-4. Lenny Linsky took the loss, allowing one run on a walk in two hitless innings, striking out three batters. Hager was 3-5 with a run scored.

Kane County Cougars (Cubs) 3, Bowling Green Hot Rods 1 (Game One  – Seven Innnings)

In the makeup game of last night’s postponed game, the Cougars defeated the Hot Rods 3-1. Bowling Green scored first, as Thomas Coyle led off the game with a walk, and stole second before scoring on an error. With one out, the Hot Rods had runners on first and third, but a caught stealing and a groundout ended the threat. The Cougars tied the game in the second, as Jeimer Candelario walked, and scored on a double off the bat of Rock Shoulders (a great baseball name, incidentally). The game remained tied into the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Marco Hernandez and Oliver Zapata hit back to back singles to put runners on first and third. Zapata was caught stealing second, but Hernandez scored on an error by Ryan Dunn. Kane County tacked on another run in the sixth on Bijan Rademacher‘s RBI double. The Hot Rods attempted a comeback in the top of the seventh, as Patrick Leonard doubled to lead off the inning, but he was stranded on second as the Cougars won the first game of the doubleheader. Reinaldo Lopez took the loss, giving up two runs, one earned, in five innings. He allowed four hits and three walks, while striking out three batters. Coyle was 1-2 with a run scored, a stolen base and a walk. Andrew Toles stole two bases for the Hot Rods.

Kane County Cougars 4, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2 (Game Two – Eleven Innings)

In the nightcap, the Cougars scored first. With runners on first and third with two outs, Dylan Floro attempted to pick off the runner at first, but threw the ball away. Oliver Zapata scored, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead. They extended that lead in the fifth, as back to back walks to open the frame put runners on first and second. An error on a sacrifice bunt attempt loaded the bases, and a one out walk to Dan Vogelback forced in a run. Floro escaped further trouble by getting Rock Shoulders to ground into an inning ending double play. In the top of the sixth, back to back singles put runners on first and second to open the frame. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third. Andrew Toles singled, driving in the first run of the game for the Hot Rods, and was followed by an RBI single by Luke Maile. A two out walk loaded the bases, but the Hot Rods were unable to push another run across. The game remained tied into the bottom of the eleventh, when Shoulders hit a two out, two run walkoff home run to give the Cougars a sweep of the doubleheader. Jordan Harrison took the loss, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk in two innings of work. Floro piched five innings, allowing two unearned runs on four hits and five walks, while striking out three. Maile was 2-5 with an RBI, but he also made a costly error that helped lead to the second run for the Cougars.

Triple-A International League: Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 9, Durham Bulls 7

Durham fans attending the game as the Bulls took on Toledo got to see two of the Rays’ top prospects: Chris Archer and Wil Myers. Unfortunately, only one of them had a good game. Archer had a rough outing, going 5 innings allowing 6 runs, 5 earned, on 7 hits, striking out 6 while walking 2 but allowing 3 home runs. Myers, on the other hand, slammed his second home run of the season as part of a 2 for 4 day, also walking and driving in 2. Much has been made of the fact that Myers hasn’t hit for much power to begin the year, but why does that matter when his slash line is .338/.440/.515? Vince Belnome also slammed a 2-run home run, and Brandon Guyer went 1 for 3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Mike Fontenot went 1 for 2 with a double and 2 RBI, but he has to leave the game with hamstring tightness and you have to hope he will be OK. Durham’s offense was great in this game, and it was simply bad luck that their offense clicked right when Archer had a rare poor outing.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 11, Birmingham Barons (CHW) 3

A lot of reasons for the Biscuits to smile in this one as their entire team delivered a game to remember. Jake Thompson had been terrible his last couple times out for Montgomery, but he showed flashes in this one, going 4 innings allowing just 2 unearned runs on 5 hits, striking out 6 while walking 2. His pitch count got up to 94 in just those 4 innings so clearly there is more work to be done, but it certainly was a step in the right direction. Another pitcher who had struggled, Zachary Quate, tossed 1.1 perfect innings, while Marquis Fleming allowed just 1 hit in 1.1 innings, striking out 3. But given the 11 runs  the Biscuits put up, we have to talk about the offense. In this game, it really wasn’t a case of the Biscuits killing the ball–they scored 11 runs on just 10 hits and only 2 hits went for extra bases. The key was that they went 6 for 14 with runners in scoring position, seizing their opportunities and finding a way to pull away in the game. The two big hitters in the game for the Biscuits were Cameron Seitzer and Kevin Kiermaier, and what games they had as Seitzer went 4 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI and Kiermaier went 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 stolen bases, 2 RBI, and 4 runs scored. Shawn O’Malley also slammed a 2-run home run, his first of the season. It’s cool to see a lot of home runs and and extra-base hits, but this offensive effort by the Biscuits was made even more satisfying by all the clutch they came up with, making this win especially nice.

High-A Florida State League: Fort Myers Miracle (MIN) 5, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3

Frustrating game for the Stone Crabs overall, but there were several positives to harp on even as they lost 5-3 to the Miracle. Ryan Carpenter got the start for Charlotte and got hit hard, going 4 innings allowing 4 runs, 3 earned, on 8 hits, striking out 4 while walking 4. Eliazer Suero proceeded to allow 1 run on 3 hits in 3 innings of relief, striking out 4 while walking none as well, before Nate Garcia finished the game in perfect fashion, tossing 2 spotless frames with 3 strikeouts. Overall in the game, the Stone Crabs allowed 5 runs on 12 hits but struck out 10 while walking none. On the hitting side, the Stone Crabs actually saw 8 of the 9 players in the lineup collect at least one hit, with the only exception being a rehabbing Luke Scott. Richie Shaffer slammed a solo home run in the 8th inning, his second of the season, and the Rays hope that the home run will be what gets him going as he has hit just .200 so far this season. Kes Carter and Curt Casali both went 2 for 4 in the game, with Carter doubling and scoring a run. The Stone Crabs were a solid 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position, but it wasn’t enough as they received poor pitching and punchless hitting on their way to a 5-3 loss.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 4, Burlington Bees 2

Dylan Floro went 5 strong innings and Tommy Coyle carried the Hot Rods offense as Bowling Green emerged victorious 4-2. Floro continued his great start to the season and to his pro career as a whole, going 5 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 4 while walking none and posting a 7-2 groundout to flyout ratio. His sinker had a great life at the bottom of the zone to go along with a good changeup, and the result was another great outing. Marcus Jensen followed by allowing 1 run on 3 hits in 3 innings of work before Matthew Ramsey struck out 2 in a perfect 9th for the save. In terms of the run support, this game was the Tommy Coyle show as he went 3 for 3 with a home run, a triple, a walk, and a run scored right at the top of the lineup. Andrew Toles went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored while Leonardo Reginatto went 1 for 3 with a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored. The Hot Rods didn’t do much at the plate, but with Coyle and others stepping up, they came up with 4 runs and that made all the difference. Their pitching was great, but baseball is a game determined by who scores the most runs by the end of the game, and luckily in this one, it was the Hot Rods.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 2, Norfolk Tides (BAL) 0 (11 innings)

The Bulls faced a tough assignment in this one, facing rehabbing Orioles starter Jair Jurrjens. But while Jurrjens was dominant, allowing just 1 hitwhile striking out 7 in 6 innings, the Bulls matched him frame for frame on the pitching side before finally getting some offense in the 11th inning to come away with a 2-0 win. Alex Colome had a good season debut for the Bulls, going 5 innings allowing just a hit and 2 walks while striking out 4, and Josh Lueke (2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K) also pitched well behind him. The following 3 innings were sketchy for lefty Frank De Los Santos and Steve Geitz as they allowed 4 walks and 2 hits, but they found a way to keep Norfolk off the board. And in the 11th, Jason Bourgeois came through with a clutch 2-out, 2-run single to put Durham ahead before Geitz around a walk with 2 strikeouts in the bottom of the inning to give the Bulls the victory. The Bulls actually held the Tides to just 4 hits in 11 innings, although their 9-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio was something they would much rather forget. Wil Myers also had a great game, going 2 for 4 with a walk, although he did strike out twice, and he’s hitting .375 on the young season. Pairing Myers with great pitching sure sounds like a winning formula, and the Rays hope to use it themselves over the next few months.

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

More great pitching to be found in this one, and in this case, the two teams combined for just 7 hits. The Biscuits got their 2 runs in about the least exciting way possible- two sacrifice flies, one each in the 5th and 6th innings- but they gave the Biscuits’ strong pitching the offense they needed to come away with the win. Enny Romero threw just 45 of 80 pitches for strikes as he only went 4 innings in his season debut for Montgomery, but he did hold the Barons to one unearned run, allowing a hit and 2 walks while striking out 4. Romero looked great in spring training for the Rays, and they hope he can get past the control struggles that have plagued him the past few years and finally begin to reach his potential. Following Romero were lefty Neil Schenk and Juan Sandoval, who each went 2 innings allowing just a hit while striking out 1, with Sandoval impressively recording 4 outs on the ground and another lefty, C.J. Riefenhauser, tossed a perfect 9th with a strikeout for the save. At the plate, there wasn’t much to be found for the Biscuits, although Mikie Mahtook did triple and score a run in 4 trips and Todd Glaesmann went 1 for 2 with the sac fly that drove him in. This game was ugly in all phases for the Biscuits as their offense was sac flies, their defense made 2 errors, and Romero struggled, but pretty pitching by the bullpen made everything right as they nailed down the win.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 4, Palm Beach Cardinals 1

Back on April 2nd, the Texas Rangers’ Yu Darvish came within one out of a perfect game before it was spoiled by the Astros’ Marwin Gonzalez. Make it two recent no-hit bids ruined with 2 outs in the 9th as the Stone Crabs were carried by masterful pitching from Jesse Hahn and Jake Floethe only to see closer Lenny Linsky falter with just 1 out to go. The lack of a no-hitter, though, didn’t take all the luster off a great Stone Crabs win. The perfect game went away quickly on a first inning error, but Hahn, coming off a dominant season way down at Short Season ball, was untouchable in his High-A debut, going 3 spotless innings aside from the error, striking out 2 and recording 6 of his other 7 outs on the ground. Armed with a 98 MPH fastball, Hahn is quickly ascending up the prospect rankings and this could be the year where he emerges as the Rays’ next top pitching prospect. Jake Floethe followed and got just as good results, going 5 perfect innings of his own, striking out 2 as well. Floethe isn’t nearly as high-profile of a prospect, but the 2011 6th rounder impresses with a solid low-90′s sinker and a good curveball. However, Linsky, the 2011 second round pick who hasn’t been the case since a shoulder injury in spring training of 2012, saw his struggles resurface at the worst possible time as he retired the first two batters he faced in the 9th before allowing a walk and then a booming triple by Collin Walsh, and Charlotte had to settle for a 1-hitter in their 4-1 victory over Palm Beach.

The Stone Crabs offense actually had quite a few heroes as Jake Hager went 2 for 4, Hector Guevara went 1 for 4 with an RBI triple and a run scored, Lucas Bailey went 1 for 3 with a 2-run double, and Richie Shaffer, Hahn’s Short Season-A teammate last season, went 1 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. They came through for 2-run innings in the 1st and 4th innings and gave Hahn and Floethe a good amount of breathing room to help them pitch just as well as they did. Shaffer, the Rays’ 2012 first round pick, has not gotten off to the same rousing start that Hahn did this season as he has gone just 1 for 10, but the jump from Short Season ball to High-A is huge and it’s nice to see him finally get his first hit in this game. Always fun to see a team flirt with a no-no (except for when that team is facing the Rays, as we have seen happen far too often), and it doesn’t get much better than what Hahn and Floethe gave the Stone Crabs for the first 8 innings on Saturday.

Low-A Midwest League: South Bend Silver Hawks (ARI) 6, Bowling Green Hot Rods 5

Getting great starting pitching certainly helps you win. But you need to have a bullpen too and that didn’t happen for the Hot Rods on Saturday. Dylan Floro breezed by South Bend, going 5 innings allowing just 2 hits and a walk, striking out 5 and forcing an 8-0 groundout to flyout ratio. The Silver Hawks could only hit the ball out of the infield just once against Floro as his sinker was working to perfection. However, Marcus Jensen and Ryan Garton imploded in the 8th inning, blowing a 5-1 9th inning lead as South Bend won 6-5. Sticking to the positives, Marty Gantt went 1 for 1 with a solo home run, 2 walks, and 2 runs scored, and Tommy Coyle went 2 for 4 with a triple, 2 RBI, and a run scored, but it was sad to see it all go to waste as the bullpen fell apart. Even as the game finished the way it did, though, Floro was truly dominant, and if he pitches like that a few more times, the Rays may be bumping the Cal State Fullerton product to High-A before we know it.