The minor leagues worked a lot of overtime on Saturday, with a double header and three extra inning games. Here is today’s look around the action last night:

Toledo Mud Hens 7, Durham Bulls 2 (Game One)

In the resumption of last night’s suspended game, the Toledo Mud Hens were ready. Tied 1-1 with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, new pitcher Brandon Gomes walked the first batter he faced before escaping the damage. Toledo poured on the offense in the fifth inning, scoring five times, highlighted by Justin Henry‘s two run double and Jerad Head‘s two run home run. The Bulls got a run in the top of the ninth, as Cole Figueroa drove in Reid Brignac with an RBI single, but it was not enough as Durham fell 7-2. Gomes allowed 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks over 1.1 innings. Tim Beckham was 2-5 with a run scored in the loss.

Toledo Mud Hens 4, Durham Bulls 2 (Game Two, seven innings)

Durham jumped out to a quick lead in the top of the second, as Will Rhymes hit a two run home run with two outs. Immediately after the home run, Toledo starter Drew Smyly hit Nevin Ashely with a pitch, leading to Smyly and Toledo manager Phil Nevin to be ejected from the game. The Mud Hens came back in the bottom of the fourth, putting runners on first and second with two out. Danny Worth hit a ground rule double, plating a run and moving Danny Dorn to third. Dorn the scored on a wild pitch, tying the game at 2-2. Toledo took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, as Ben Guez hit a two run triple, putting the Mud Hens ahead 4-2. In the top of the seventh, Toledo had two more ejections, as Bruce Rondon and pitching coach A.J. Sager were tossed from the game. Adam Liberatore took the loss, giving up 2 earned runs on 3 hits in an inning of work.

Montgomery Biscuits 4, Jackson Generals 3

Scoreless into the bottom of the fourth inning, Montgomery put two runners on with consecutive two out walks. Mayo Acosta followed up with a two run double, putting the Biscuits ahead 2-0. The Biscuits put another run on the board with Ty Morrison‘s RBI groundout in the fifth, putting the lead to 3-0. The Generals came back in the top of the seventh, as Francisco Martinez hit a two run double, trimming the lead to 3-2. Jackson completed the comeback in the top of the eighth, as Leury Bonilla‘s sacrifice fly drove in Rich Poythress with the tying run. In the bottom of the ninth, Mikie Mahtook led off the inning with a single. Derek Dietrich walked, putting runners on first and second. After a force out, Jonathan Arias uncorked a wild pitch, moving the runners to second and third. Following an intentional walk, Brett Nommensen grounded into a force out at second, scoring Dietrich with the winning run. Chris Rearick picked up the win, giving up an unearned run on 1 hit with 1 strikeout over 2.2 innings of work.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 2, Jupiter Hammerheads 1 (13 innings)

The Hammerheads scored first, with Aaron Dudley‘s sacrifice fly driving in Mark Canha to give Jupiter an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second. The score remained 1-0 into the bottom of the sixth, when Todd Glaesmann hit a solo home run with one out to tie the game. Despite several scoring chances on both sides, the game remained tied 1-1 until the bottom of the 13th inning. Robbie Price led off the inning with a single, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Cody Rogers then had an infield hit to the mound, where pitcher Patrick Merkling had a throwing error, allowing Price to score from second. Victor Mateo had an excellent start for Charlotte, giving up 1 run on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 5 in 8 innings. Chris Andujar picked up the victory, allowing 1 hit in his inning of work. Price finished 3-5 with a run scored.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 (15 innings)

The Hot Rods scored in the top of the first inning, as Ryan Brett singled, and eventually scored on Jeff Malm‘s sacrifice fly. West Michigan tied the game in the bottom of the third, as Joshua Sale‘s throwing error following a Eugenio Suarez base hit allowed Carlos De Los Santos to score. Bowling Green looked as though they were going to take the lead back in the top of the fourth, with runners on first and third with no outs. However, a ground ball to the mound cut down Cameron Seitzer as he attempted to score from third, and two groundouts ended the threat. Although there were scoring chances for both teams, the game remained tied at one until the top of the fifteenth inning. Jake Hager reached on an error, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on a base hit by Taylor Motter, giving Bowling Green a 2-1 win. Justin Woodall picked up the victory, allowing 2 hits and 1 walk over 5 innings of relief, striking out 5 batters. Five Hot Rods players had two hits each in the marathon win.

Lowell Spinners 6, Hudson Valley Renegades 5 (13 innings)

The Spinners took advantage of three errors and a balk by the Renegades, eventually scoring a 6-5 victory in 13 innings. Lowell kicked off the scoring in the top of the first, as Mike Miller reached on an error, and came around to score on Dreily Guerrero‘s single. Lowell loaded the bases with no out in the top of the second, scoring a run on a double play. The Renegades got on the board in the bottom of the inning, as Ryan Dunn doubled on a popup to second, reached third on a throwing error, and came around to score on a groundout. Hudson Valley took the lead in the bottom of the third, as Luke Maile had an RBI single, and Dunn drove in a run with a groundout. The Renegades and the Spinners each traded runs in the sixth and seventh innings, before Lowell tied the game in the top of the eighth as Matthew Marquis scored on Miller’s RBI single. The game went into extra innings, where the Renegades loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the tenth, but Joey Rickard grounded into a double play to end the threat. Deven Marrero homered in the top of the thirteenth, giving Lowell the eventual 6-5 victory. Brandon Henderson picked up the tough loss, allowing the 1 run on 3 hits in 4 innings of relief, while striking out 5 batters. Leonardo Reginatto was 3-6 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored.

Greeneville Astros 6, Princeton Rays 5

Even though the Astros scored a run in the top of the third, the Rays came back to grab a 4-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh. Princeton scored twice in the bottom of the third, as James Harris tripled and scored on Brandon Martin‘s base hit. Martin came around to score, forced in on a bases loaded walk to Omar Navarez. The Rays put up two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, as Navarez hit a two run double. Greeneville came back in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs highlighted by a two run home run from Ricky Gringas, taking the lead 5-4. The Astros put another run on the board when Terrell Joyce and Jean Batista had back to back singles, with Joyce scoring on an error by James Harris. Princeton threatened to come back in the bottom of the ninth, with runners on second and third with no one out. However, Andrew Toles grounded into a double play, scoring a run, but effectively ending the threat as Princeton fell 6-5. Jacob Faira took the loss, giving up 4 runs on 5 hits while striking out 2 in 3.1 innings. Martin was 2-5 with 2 runs scored and an RBI in the loss.

GCL Rays 4, GCL Orioles 1 (6 innings)

The Rays jumped out to an early lead, and cruised to the 4-1 victory in a shortened game. With two out in the bottom of the second, Johnny Eierman and Leopoldo Correa executed a double steal, with Eierman scoring on an error by the Orioles’ third baseman. Correa came around to score on a single by Miguel Beltran. A double by Taylor Hawkins with two out in the bottom of the fifth drove in Douglas Duran and Beltran to give the Rays a 4-0 lead. The Orioles put runners on second and third with one out in the top of the sixth, scoring a run as Steel Russell hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Adrian Marin. Luis Cabrera picked up the victory in relief, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks over 3 innings, while striking out 3 batters. Beltran was 2-2 with a run scored and an RBI.

Several excellent pitching performances highlight today’s look around the farm system, as the Rays minor league clubs went 3-3 on Tuesday night. The Hudson Valley Renegades had the night off, as they prepare to face the State College Spikes on Wednesday.

Durham Bulls 1, Norfolk Tides 0

In only his second minor league start in the past two years, Cesar Ramos was brilliant, giving up only 2 hits and 2 walks in 5.2 innings, while striking out 3 batters. Ramos combined with Ryan Reid and Frank De Los Santos on the three hit shutout, as Durham won 1-0. The lone run scored in the second inning, as Rich Thompson singled and stole second. After advancing to third on a groundout, Chris Gimenez singled, driving in the only run of the night. Gimenez finished 2-3 with 1 double, 1 RBI, and 1 walk.

Mississippi Braves 10, Montgomery Biscuits 4

The Biscuits lost a truly sloppy game, as three errors led to 5 unearned runs in the 10-4 loss to the Braves. Hak-Ju Lee committed two errors, giving him 23 on the season, and second baseman Derek Dietrich committed his first error of the year. The errors contributed to a rough outing for Montgomery starter Jacob Thompson, who gave up 8 runs (3 earned) in 5.2 innings, allowing 10 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4 batters. Ty Morrison, Michael Sheridan, and Deitrich each had 2 hits for the Biscuits, and Lee extended his team record streak of getting on base in 43 consecutive contests in the loss. Evan Gattis went 2-4 with a triple, a home run, 3 RBIs, and a walk for the Braves.

Tampa Yankees 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4 (11 innings)

The Tampa Yankees rallied for a second consecutive night against the Charlotte bullpen, eventually winning in eleven innings. After staking Tampa to an early 2-0 lead, the Stone Crabs tied the game on a two run home run by Riccio Torrez in the bottom of the second, and grabbed the lead with a two-run bases loaded single off the bat of Lucas Bailey. The Yankees tied the game again in the top of the eighth inning, on a two run double by Kyle Higashioka. In the top of the eleventh inning, Tyler Austin and Kyle Roller each had RBI singles, completing the rally and giving the Yankees the victory.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 5, Great Lake Loons 0

Parker Markel dominated the Loons, pitching 7 shutout innings for the victory. Markel allowed only 3 hits, and struck out 8 batters. The Hod Rods scored runs in five of the first six innings, including a steal of home by Ryan Brett in the bottom of the first inning. Brett finished the night 1-3 with 2 runs scored, and 3 stolen bases as he stole second, third, and home. Juniel Querecuto went 2-3 with an RBI. The Loons turned a triple play in the bottom of the first, and Cameron Seitzer lined into a 6-4-3 triple play after Brett’s steal of home.

Princeton Rays 1, Burlington Royals 0

Kevin Brandt, Jacob Faria, and Zack Butler combined on a seven hit shutout as the Rays defeated the Burlington Royals 1-0. The lone run scored in the top of the fifth inning, as Ariel Soriano doubled with two out. Soriano stole third, and scored on a Reid Redman double. Soriano, Andrew Toles, and Darryl George each had two hits, and William Argo went 3-4 on the night. Faria picked up the victory, giving up 1 hit in 4 innings of relief, striking out 3 batters.

GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 1

The Twins exploded for five runs in the top of the third, then cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Rays. Byron Buxton had a two run triple to put the Twins ahead, and Bryan Santy added a two run double later in the tinning. Rays starter Luis Cabrera gave up the 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits over his 3 innings of work, and struck out 2 batters. Twins starter Kyle Gibson did not allow a hit in his 3 innings of work, giving up just 1 walk while striking out 7 batters. Spenser Edwards and Yoel Araujo each had two hits for the Rays in the loss.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 16, Gwinnett Braves 8

Reid Brignac has cooled of late. But as the Rays are evaluating their options with the trade deadline approaching, Brignac could not have picked a better night to break out. Lance Pendleton started for Durham and had a disaster outing, but you have to give him credit for remaining in the game so long. He went 5.2 innings allowing 8 runs on 10 hits, striking out 3 while walking 3 as well. Honestly, it was a gritty performance, and it was the difference in the game. Despite such a horrific night, Pendleton earned the win in the game, and it’s hard not to say he deserved it given the circumstances of the game. In sharp contrast, Gwinnett starter Jose Lugo lasted just two-thirds of an inning, allowing 4 runs. Following Pendleton, the Bulls bullpen of Adam Liberatore, Josh Lueke, and Dane De La Rosa tossed the final 3.1 innings scoreless. On offense, several Bulls had huge nights, beginning with Brignac, who went 2 for 5 with a grand slam and a walk. His grand slam made an 8-7 game into a 12-7 game, shifting the momentum back in the Bulls favor as this game wasn’t close by the end. Rich Thompson also went 4 for 6 with a leadoff homer in the game, a double, a stolen base 2 RBI, and 4 runs scored, Henry Wrigley went 2 for 4 with a double, 2 walks, 4 RBI, and a run scored, Leslie Anderson had a 2-run home run, and Tim Beckham went 2 for 5 with a walk, a stolen base, and 2 runs scored. It wasn’t nearly as crisp as the Rays’ blowout win on Wednesday, but the Bulls kept it together and came away victorious.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 4, Jackson Generals (SEA) 3

Kyle Lobstein had another mostly great start that makes you shake your head, Hak-Ju Lee and Ty Morrison continued their steals parade, and Mikie Mahtook was money in his Biscuits starting debut as the Biscuits held on to beat the Generals 4-3. Lobstein went 7 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 6 while walking 1. But his groundout to flyout ratio was just 4-10! His groundout to airout ratio hasn’t been above 1.00 since June 15th, 8 starts ago, even as he has pitched well! Some guys are simply flyballs pitchers, but this is getting crazy. Lee and Morrison each went 1 for 3 from the top of the lineup and ran down the Generals’ throats. Lee’s hit was a double, and he also walked twice, stole two bases to give him 36 on the year, and scored twice as well. Morrison, meanwhile, walked once, stole his 13th base at Montgomery and 24th on the year, notched 2 RBI, and scored once. And Mahtook, starting in a game for Montgomery for the first time after getting his feet wet with a pinch-hitting appearance on Tuesday, went 2 for 4 from the cleanup spot with 2 doubles.

High-A Florida State League: Ft. Myers Miracle (MIN) 12, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4

Awfully hard to be perfect two nights in a row. Rays affiliates backed the Rays’ encouraging win Tuesday with a perfect 5-0 night, but they had to settle for 5-1 on Wednesday as the Rays blew out the Orioles as the Stone Crabs had a tough night. Enny Romero had no idea where the ball was going and ended up with a scary final line, allowing 8 runs, 7 earned, in just 3 innings, striking out 4 while walking 5. Romero has walked 4 or more batters in 5 consecutive starts. He has electric stuff but has to find some measure of control. The Stone Crabs were down 11-0 before they managed 4 runs in the 8th. Todd Glaesmann slammed a 2-run homer in his Charlotte debut, Luke Bailey also homered, and Derek Dietrich went 3 for 4 with a triple and a run scored.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 15, Lansing Lugnuts (TOR) 13 (13 innings)

Wow. This game was as crazy and as captivating as you’re going to see. The two teams combined for 28 runs on 39 hits with 9 innings not enough to decide the victor and the first score in extra innings not being the winning margin. Ryan Carpenter had an awfully tough night, putting the Hot Rods in an 8-2 hole at one point as he went 4.2 innings allowing 8 runs on 13 hits, striking out 1 and walking 1 as well. But the Hot Rods battled back with 3 in the 5th, 2 in the 6th, and 1 in the 7th to tie it up at 8. Stayton Thomas relieved Carpenter with 2.1 shutout innings with 3 strikeouts and was the only pitcher to not allow a run in the game. An unearned run allowed by Jason McEachern gave the Lugnuts a 9-8 lead heading to the 9th. Then the Hot Rods ralllied for four runs in the top of the 9th to take a 12-8 lead, with Josh Sale delivering a 2-run triple. But Kevin Patterson delivered a game-tying 3-run homer for Lansing in the bottom of the inning off of Austin Hubbard as this game continued. The Hot Rods finally thought they had the game when Juniel Querecuto scored on an error in the 11th, but a Shane Opitz RBI triple off Andrew Bellatti kept the game going. Finally in the top of the 13th inning, the Hot Rods got a 2-run double from Ryan Brett, and Bellatti held the line in the bottom of the frame as the Hot Rods won 15-13. Jake Hager went 2 for 7 with a homer, a walk, a stolen base, 4 RBI, and a run scored, Josh Sale went 1 for 3 with a triple, 3 walks, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored, Querecuto went 4 for 6 with a double, a walk, and 3 runs scored, Brett went 2 for 6 with a double, 2 walks, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Alejandro Segovia and Drew Vettleson each had multiple-hit games while Taylor Motter went just 1 for 5 but stole 2 bases and drove in 2 runs.

Gantt and the Renegades somehow managed to pull off an incredible comeback again. (Credit: College of Charleston)

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Hudson Valley Renegades 10, Tri-City ValleyCats (HOU) 9 (12 innings)

This team just doesn’t give up. Two nights after overcoming an 8-0 deficit to win, the Renegades came up with another huge rally here to win their 7th straight game. Reinaldo Lopez didn’t have nearly the disaster that that some of the other starters we’ve seen in this recap had, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in 4 innings, striking out 1 while walking 4. He actually left with the game tied at 3. Ian Kendall was not so fortunate. He allowed 3 runs each in the 5th and 6th innings to put the Renegades up against an 9-3 deficit. But the Renegades didn’t lose confidence. They remained calm, and came right back. It started with Kendall, who tossed 2 shutout innings to finish his outing. And while Kendall provided some pitching stability, the offense finally came alive. Tommy Coyle laced a 2-run double in the 7th to pull the ‘Gades within 9-5. And in the bottom of the 8th, a Deshun Dixon RBI single paired with an error scored 3 runs to pull Hudson Valley within 9-8 before Joey Rickard drilled a game-tying RBI triple. Rob Finneran then matched up against Tri-City’s Blake Ford as they game went into extra innings. Finneran gave the Renegades the best relief appearance of his young career, allowing just a hit in 3 innings spanning from the 9th to the 11th, striking out 2 while walking 1 and posting a 4-0 groundout to flyout ratio. Finneran has struggled through a terrible pro debut, but maybe Wednesday will go down as the turning point for him. After Dylan Floro tossed a perfect 12th with 3 groundouts for the Renegades, they finally sealed the deal on their incredible comeback win. With 2 outs and a runner on 2nd, Marty Gantt came through with a walk-off RBI single as the Renegades won 10-9. Gantt went 3 for 5 with a walk, the clutch RBI, and 2 runs scored, Tommy Coyle went 2 for 5 with a double, a walk, his 10th steal, 2 RBI, and a run scored, Rickard went 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, and Luke Maile had a 2-run double in the first inning while Ryan Dunn and Leonardo Reginatto both had multiple hits.

Rookie Gulf Coast League: GCL Rays 2, GCL Twins 1

There had to be some pitching somewhere in the Rays organization on Wednesday night. Of course, it came in the pitcher-friendly GCL, where the GCL Rays won their second consecutive game, both by a 2-1 score. Luis Cabrera, a 21 year old converted outfielder, got the start for the GCL Rays and went 6 one-run innings allowing just 5 hits while striking out 4 and walking none. His groundout to flyout ratio was 6-5. Cabrera was an utter disaster after being signed as a 16 year old by the Rangers in 2006, but it is nice to see him reconstructing his career as a pitcher. So far in 2012, he has a 3.25 ERA with a 17-5 strikeout to walk ratio in 27.2 IP, pretty terrific for someone who started pitching full-time last year. Isaac Gil tossed the final three frames for the GCL Rays, allowing no runs on 3 hits, striking out 2 while walking 1 and posting a 5-1 groundout to flyout ratio. In terms of the precious little offense in the game, Leopoldo Correa went 3 for 3 with a walk but couldn’t factor in the scoring. Jiminson Natera‘s RBI single and Yoel Araujo‘s sac fly were the 2 GCL Rays runs. Bralin Jackson also went 1 for 4.