Triple-A International League: Syracuse Chiefs (WSN) 2, Durham Bulls 1

To begin 2013, Wil Myers hasn’t exactly blown the ball all out of the park every time, hitting just 2 home runs. There was one stat that especially stood out, though: he had reached base in all 19 of the Bulls’ games in which he had appeared. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and Myers’ streak came to an end as Chiefs pitching owned the Bulls in this one. Syracuse pitchers struck out only 3 Bulls hitters in the game, but they held him to 3 hits, 3 walks, and an unearned run in the 9th. It was a pity too because Bulls pitching was excellent on the other side. Alex Colome continued his great start to the year, going 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 6 while walking 2 and forcing a 7-3 groundout to flyout ratio. While it’s top prospects Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi that have attracted all the attention in the Bulls rotation, it’s actually the lesser-touted Colome and Alex Torres who have been Durham’s best. Lefties Jeff Beliveau and Adam Liberatore kept the Chiefs at 2 runs to end the game, but the Bulls just could not come back. Rich Thompson went 1 for 2 with 2 walks, a stolen base, and a run scored, Jason Bourgeois drove him in with a single, and Brandon Guyer went 1 for 3 in the game with the other hit.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 3, Birmingham Barons (CHW) 0

A 3-hitter is much more fun when you’re the one throwing it. Merrill Kelly got the start for the Biscuits, and not much was expected of him considering he has been become known as an organization type of pitcher who has split time between starting and relieving. In this game, though, Kelly gave Montgomery everything he had, going 7 innings allowing no runs on just 2 hits, striking out 6 while walking 2. Marquis Fleming and Matt Nevarez allowed just 1 hit to finish the game to end the shutout and the 3-hitter as the Biscuits won 3-0. Kelly’s career ERA is a rock solid 3.54, and stands out for a fastball with good life and a decent breaking ball, and whether he can striking more batters out consistently will determine whether he will ever make the major leagues. On the offensive side, Mikie Mahtook went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored, Cameron Seitzer went 1 for with 2 walks, and, in his first with the Biscuits since getting called up from High-A, Kyeong Kang had an RBI double. Great to see Kelly pitching well and the Biscuits finding their way to a dominant win.

High-A Florida State League: Fort Myers Miracle (MIN) 2, Charlotte Stone Crabs 1

This is a script that Rays fans have seen far too often when their teams isn’t going well: they get a great start, as usual, but then the bullpen blows the game, but at the end of the game everyone blames the offense for not scoring enough runs. The Stone Crabs were stuck in that scenario on Saturday, spoiling a breakthrough performance for Felipe Rivero. Rivero went 6 innings allowing just 1 hit, striking out 6 while walking 3 and managing a 6-3 groundout to flyout ratio. Rivero has allowed just 1 run in 10 innings in his last 2 starts after allowing 10 runs in 10 innings in his previous 4 starts and he has really turned himself around after a terrible start to the year. In relief of Rivero, Lenny Linsky looked really good, striking out 3 without walking a batter and forcing a 3-0 groundout to flyout ratio, but he made one big mistake, an Angel Morales double that tied the game at 1. Then in the 9th, Jacob Partridge had no control, walking 4 including the game-winning run as the Stone Crabs lost 2-1. Luke Scott looked decent in his rehab game, going 1 for 4 with the only RBI. There was some concern after Scott was hit by a pitch in the elbow on Friday, but he was fine. Kes Carter went 1 for 3 with the only run scored and Drew Vettleson and Richie Shaffer also had a hit each for Charlotte. Tough loss in this one, but Rivero coming on means that plenty more wins are ahead, and Scott looking good is great news for the Rays. He could rejoin the team on Tuesday.

Triple-A International League: Norfolk Tides (BAL) 8, Durham Bulls 4

The Bulls’ first day sans Hak-Ju Lee did not go well. Alex Colome got the start but was ineffective, going 5.2 innings allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, striking out 3 while walking 2 and managing just 5-7 groundout to flyout ratio. Colome has been great to begin the year for Durham, but was enigmatic this time out and will look to get back on track in his next outing. Colome is one of the many pitching prospects the Rays have who can be very inconsistent, but the good news with Colome is that he throws enough strikes, especially with his fastball, so that his bad starts are the ones where he strikes out few batters and allows 4 or 5 runs instead of the type where he walks 5 or 6 guys and allows his start to become a disaster. Colome was only the beginning of the Bulls’ pitching struggles, as 3 of the 5 relievers they put in allowed runs as well. Not included in that was lefty Jeff Beliveau making his Rays organization debut as he went a hitless inning striking out the side while working around a walk. He seemed like an interesting acquisition by the Rays, and we’ll have to see what he can do. Offensively, Tim Beckham went 2 for 4 with a run scored, Wil Myers went 1 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base, and Mike Fontenot went 1 for 3 with 2 RBI. Beckham, ironic as it may seem, took over Lee’s spot at shortstop, and considering the Rays seem set on making Beckham a second baseman, we may see the Rays make a move for shortstop depth in the near future without a true shortstop on the roster.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 9, Tennessee Smokies (CHC) 6 (11 innings)

Big win for the Biscuits in this one as they overcome an early 4-0 deficit to tie the game in the 8th and win it in the 11th. Matt Buschmann got the start for Montgomery and got hit hard in the 1st, but he managed to settle in and give Montgomery a halfway-decent outing, going 4.1 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned, on 6 hits, striking out 7 while walking  3. Those aren’t good numbers, but lasting as long as he did and saving the bullpen for that long was a key to the game as the Biscuits bullpen was huge in this game, allowing just 1 run in 6.2 innings. After Mayo Acosta pulled Montgomery within 5-4 with a 2-run homer in the 6th, he came up big with the Biscuits down 6-4 in the 9th, delivering an RBI double to make it 6-5, and with 2 outs and a runner on 3rd, pinch-hitter Riccio Torrez came through with a game-tying single. Then in the 11th, an error let home 2 runs before Mikie Mahtook padded the lead with an RBI triple as Montgomery won 9-6. Juan Sandoval tossed 1.1 perfect innings out of the bullpen while C.J. Riefenhauser gave the Biscuits 3 hitless frames, and on the offensive side, Acosta went 3 for 4 with a homer, a double, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored while Kevin Kiermaier went 3 for 4 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Great job by the Biscuits overcoming the tough start, with both their bullpen and offense delivering huge performances.

High-A Florida State League: St. Lucie Mets 1, Charlotte Stone Crabs 0

This is a score we seem to see a little too often in the Rays organization, but Felipe Rivero‘s performance had to cancel out any bad feelings from this game for Charlotte. Rivero’s ERA entering his start was just 8.10, and his run average (counting unearned runs) was 12.60 as he had averaged just 3.1 innings per start. In this game, though, he finally looked sharp for the first time all season, going 4 innings allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 7 while walking 2. Unfortunately, he came apart in the 5th, allowing both of his walks in the game to begin the inning, and a huge error by Hector Guevara while Bruedlin Suero was in the let what would prove to be the deciding run go across for St. Lucie. Suero and Shay Crawford allowed just 2 hits over the final 5 innings to finish of the 6-hitter, striking out 6 to give the Stone Crabs 13 for the day, but that 1 run was too much for Charlotte to overcome as Mets pitching prospect Hansel Robles dominated them for 6 shutout innings and the bullpen did the rest. Steven Tinoco‘s 2 for 4 was among the few hitting highlights for the Stone Crabs in the game.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 7, Dayton Dragons (CIN) 5

Can’t help but smile at this Hot Rods win as they fell behind 5-1 only to score 5 runs in the final 2 innings to win. Eduar Quinonez struggled in his start for Bowling Green, going 5 innings allowing 5 runs on 6 hits, striking out 7 while walking 4, but that was all the Dragons would get all game as Reinaldo Lopez and Marcus Jensen each tossed 2 shutout innings to end the game, giving the Hot Rods’ bats the opportunity to get right back in the game. The Hot Rods were gifted the tying runs in the 8th inning, scoring on a bases-loaded walk, a huge error, and a groundout, and Bowling Green wasn’t going to let the opportunity go to waste. With 2 outs and the bases loaded in the 9th, Patrick Leonard stepped up to the plate for the Hot Rods and delivered a 2-run single that proved to be the difference as Bowling Green won 7-5. The red-hot Andrew Toles was the only hitter with a dynamic game in this one, going 2 for 4 with a double, a stolen base, and 2 runs scored, but Leonard drove in 3 big runs and both Luke Maile and Ben Kline went 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored, with Maile also driving in a run. Always fun to come back in the later innings of the game, and getting Leonard the type of performance that could get him going could be huge for him moving forward.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 9, Norfolk Tides (BAL) 0

The score in this one is very misleading as the Bulls led 2-0 in what was a tight pitchers’ duel through 7 innings. It was the pitching that dominated the most for the Bulls, and that began with starter Alex Colome. Colome had an outstanding outing for the second time out in a row to begin the season, going 6 innings shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. And it wasn’t just the results that were so notable for Colome- according to Adam Sobsey, his fastball touches 95-96 MPH, breaking the Tides’ bats as he overpowered them. Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi are the two best-known pitchers in the Bulls rotation, but don’t sleep on Colome. His stuff is as good is there is in the system, and when he’s locked in he can be every bit as overbearing as he was on Thursday. It was a 9-0 game at the finish, but it was 2-0 when Josh Lueke came in and Lueke undeniably slammed the door, going 1.1 innings striking out each batter he faced. Lueke saw Brandon Gomes get an opportunity for the Rays and he’s next in line just waiting for injury or poor performance to give him a chance.

Now to the hitters. Mike Fontenot went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles, a walk, and an RBI, Chris Gimenez went 2 for 4 with a walk, an RBI, and 3 runs scored, Vince Belnome and Rich Thompson also had multi-hit games, and Leslie Anderson followed up his 2-homer day on Wednesday with a 2-run double. But impressing the most had to be Wil Myers, who went 0 for 2 but drew 3 walks without striking out a single time. Obviously it would be better if Myers could throw some hits in their too, but great to see Myers showing off his batting eyes and hopefully this is only the start as Myers breaking through with his plate discipline could be key as the Rays decide when to call him up. Between Colome and Myers, great to see a pair of top prospects really standing out, but it wasn’t just them as so many others got involved to make this a satisfying team win. This Bulls team is scary good between quite a few top prospects and a few MLB veterans stuck at Triple-A, and if the top prospects remain down long enough, the Bulls will be the International League favorites.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 7, Bradenton Marauders (PIT) 4

It had to be frustrating for Kyeong Kang to watch his professional baseball career stole and then reverse. He played pretty well at Double-A Montgomery, but he was nevertheless returned to the level and he struggled, prompting the Rays to send him back to Charlotte to begin 2013. Now Kang hopes to restore his confidence and find his way back to Montgomery before long. He went just 3 for 13 in his first four games, but on Thursday he finally got the breakout game he was waiting for, going 2 for 2 with a double, 2 walks, a stolen base, and 2 runs scored, proving himself critical in the Stone Crabs’ 7-4 win over the Marauders.

Felipe Rivero got the start for Charlotte, making his second start after a rough season debut that saw him leave after just 1.2 innings, allowing 4 runs. Rivero still has plenty more work to do, but he took a big step forward against Bradenton, going 5 innings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, striking out 5 while walking none and managing a 6-2 groundout to flyout ratio. That groundout to flyout ratio is misleading because Rivero missed too often up in the zone and got punished for it, including a Carlos Mesa home run. But for the most part, he was able to keep his fastball down and use his curveball and changeup effectively, and while still raw, he resumed being the pitcher who ranks among the Rays’ top prospects. Other than Kang and Rivero, the other Stone Crabs to impress were Hector Guevara, who went 2 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI, Alejandro Segovia, who slammed a 3-run home run, and Drew Vettleson, who went 2 for 4. The entire Charlotte team has been enigmatic so far on the young season, going 4-3, but a couple of the main culprits of that, Kang and Rivero, finally turned a corner and hopefully this team is ready to go on a run.