Rochester Red Wings (Twins) 6, Durham Bulls 5

For a hitter, few things are likely better than being able to get the game winning hit, especially if it comes against a former team. The Red Wings jumped out against the Bulls in the first, as Chris Colabello continued his torrid series against the Bulls with a two run home run. Jeff Clement followed with a solo shot, giving the Red Wings a quick 3-0 lead. Rochester got another run in the fourth when the Durham starter Chris Archer walked the bases loaded with no one out, and a run came in on a double play grounder. The Bulls finally got on the board in the sixth, as Brandon Guyer hit a two run home run to cut the lead in half. The Bulls tied the game in the next inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Vince Belnome and Rich Thompson had back to back RBI singles. In the top of the eighth, Leslie Anderson led off with a walk, and moved to second on a passed ball with one out. Pinch runner Jason Bourgeois came in for Anderson, and scored on a Tim Beckham single to put the Bulls on top 5-4. Unfortunately, they were unable to hold on to the lead. With no one out, the Red Wings loaded the bases against Jeff Beliveau, bringing up former Bull Ray Olmedo. Olmedo singled to right, plating two as the Red Wings earned a 6-5 walkoff victory. Beliveau took the loss, lasting 1+ innings, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out three. Archer had a rough start, giving up four runs on six hits and four walks in five innings. Guyer was 2-5 with a home run and two RBIs.

Montgomery Biscuits 1, Birmingham Barons (White Sox) 0

The Biscuits benefited from another strong performance from their rotation, as Victor Mateo had his best start of the season last night. He dominated the Barons, pitching seven shutout innings, giving up three hits and a walk. Not a single Baron made it past second the entire night, and Birmingham never really threatened to score. Fortunately, the Biscuits managed to get one run on the board despite a solid outing by starter Stephen McCray. Cameron Seitzer led off the second with a single, and scored on a one out double from Kyeong Kang to provide the winning margin. The Biscuits twice had runners on first and second with one out, but were unable to extend the lead. However, that did not matter with the way Mateo was pitching, as they went on to the 1-0 victory. Seitzer ended the night 2-4 with the only run scored.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 12, Daytona Cubs 7

The Stone Crabs scored twice before an out was recorded last night, using three consecutive singles and an RBI double from Richie Shaffer to take a 2-0 lead right off the bat. The Cubs got a run back in the second, as Charlotte held a 2-1 lead going into the fourth inning. Then, both teams blew up offensively. The Stone Crabs scored four runs in the top of the inning, as Alejandro Segovia led off the frame with a home run, and Taylor Motter hit a two run double before coming around to score on a wild pitch. The Cubs answered with three in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a home run from Dustin Geiger and an RBI double by Chadd Krist. Charlotte put another four runs on the board in the top of the fifth, highlighted by a three run home run from Hector Guevara. Not to be outdone, Daytona once again responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning. The Cubs loaded the bases with two out, and Krist hit his second double in as many innings to clear the bases. With the score 10-7 after five innings, things settled down, with the Stone Crabs tacking on insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings for the 12-7 victory. Roberto Gomez picked up the win, lasting five innings despite giving up all seven runs on eight hits and three walks. Every Stone Crab got a hit, with Guevara leading the way, going 2-4 with two runs scored, a home run, and three RBIs.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 7, Fort Wayne TipCaps (Padres) 6

Through seven innings, it appeared as though the TinCaps were on their way to an easy victory. They jumped out in the first, with Gabriel Quintana hitting a two out RBI single, and scoring on a Jeremy Baltz single to give Fort Wayne a 2-0 lead. After the TinCaps added a run in the second, the appeared to break the game open in the third. With runners on first and second, Luis Tejeda doubled to drive in a run. After the second out of the inning was recorded, Rodney Daal tripled, plating two and giving the TinCaps a 6-0 lead. However, the Hot Rods managed to fight back. Held without a run until the seventh, their offense woke up against reliever Matthew Chabot. With runners on first and third and one out, Marty Gantt hit a two run double, and scored on a base hit by Leonardo Reginatto. Reginatto would eventually score from second on a throwing error by Daal, who was attempting to throw out Granden Goetzman at first following a strikeout that would have ended the inning. With the score 6-4, the hot Rods continued their comeback, putting the first two batters on in the top of the eighth. Thomas Coyle tied the game with a triple, and scored the game winning run on a sacrifice bunt by Patrick Leonard. Jordan Harrison picked up the win in relief, pitching three shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out five. Gantt was 2-3 with a double, two RBIs, a run scored, and a walk.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 10, Gwinnett Braves 6

It appears that Leslie Anderson finally got the memo that the only way he’s going to be a productive first baseman or corner outfielder in the major leagues is if he develops better plate discipline  and hits for more power. For one game, Anderson looked exactly like the player the Rays had thought they had signed out of Cuba, going 3 for 4 with 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored, and even a walk as fans seeing him for the first time had to think he was a prototypical first base slugger destined for big league greatness. It was Anderson’s first 2-homer game since May 19, 2011, amidst a stretch where he slammed 4 of his 13 home runs on the season in a 4-game stretch, and now we have to wonder whether this was an outlier game for Anderson or a conscious change in his approach at the plate. Only time will tell, but if Anderson has finally made that adjustment and succeeds, he could be in the major leagues by the end of the year. If Anderson has actually changed his approach, though, what took him so long?

Anderson was far from the only highlight in this game for the Bulls. Chris Archer got the start and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits in 5 innings, but that belies just how good he was. He struck out 7 while walking 1 and managed a 6-2 groundout to flyout ratio, with the hits and runs coming across only because of some bad luck. Now back to the hitting. Jason Bourgeois also had a huge game, matching Anderson’s 4 RBI as he went 3 for 3 with 3 doubles and 2 walks, and two of the Rays’ top prospects, Wil Myers and Hak-Ju Lee, both went 2 for 4. Second  day in a row that the Bulls won a wild one, but Archer was better than he appeared and it’s always nice to see several hitter come up big.

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

Matt Buschmann and the Biscuits faced a tough matchup on Wednesday, taking on Mariners top pitching prospect Taijuan Walker. But Buschmann outpitched Walker and the Biscuits got help from seven Jackson errors as they held on to win a tight one, 4-3. After a horrific performance on Opening Day for Montgomery, Buschmann looked as good as ever versus the Generals, going 6 innings allowing no runs on 7 hits, striking out 5 while walking none. C.J. Riefenhauser had a tough time in the 7th inning, allowing 2 home runs, but Juan Sandoval finished what Buschmann started in the final two innings, tossing two perfect frames with a pair of strikeouts for the save. Offensively, Ty Morrison went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI, Kevin Kiermaier went 2 for 4 with a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored, and Camerson Seitzer went 2 for 5 with a double as the Biscuits got just enough to secure the win. Great to see Buschmann going strong, and it’s always a nice feather in your cap to beat one of the top prospects in baseball.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 4, Bradenton Marauders (PIT) 3

The game was close the whole time, but the Stone Crabs just could never close the deficit. They had been down 3-2 since the second inning as Bradenton pitching had shut they down for six consecutive frames, stranding five runners on base. Their bullpen had been as good as it gets after Parker Markel‘s rocky start, but as we have seen with the Rays so many times, it wasn’t going to matter because they just couldn’t get any more offense and even the one run seems insurmountable. But then in the 9th, they finally came alive. Curt Casali began the frame with a single, and Hector Guevara pinch-ran for him and stole second. Kyeong Kang followed with a walk, and a bunt moved the runners to 2nd and 3rd. And finally, the Stone Crabs got the big hit they had been waiting for, a game-tying single by Kes Carter to knot the game at 3. Then in the 10th, singles by Richie Shaffer and Luke Bailey moved the winning run to 2nd before Kang came through with a walk-off base hit to end it as Charlotte won 4-3. Kang went 2 for 3 with a triple, two walks, and his big RBI and Taylor Motter went 2 for 5 with a double, a stolen base, and a run scored and they were the only Stone Crabs with multiple hits in the game. Bailey’s big hit came after he had entered for the pinch-runner Guevara in the 10th, and he’s actually hitting .300 on the year (3 for 10) after years of struggles. Could he finally be coming around? But we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the shutout relief work of Eliazer Suero and Andrew Bellatti. Suero went 3 innings allowing just a hit and a walk while striking out 3 and Bellatti was even better, allowing just a hit in his 3 frames, striking out 5 while walking none. The Stone Crabs put together an incredible comeback, but it would not have been possible without the efforts of Suero and Bellatti.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 10, Lansing Lugnuts (TOR) 1

Believe it or not, the Lugnut actually led this one 1-0 after the first inning. After that, though, it was all Hot Rods and Bowling Green had themselves quite a time. Blake Snell was great, going 4.2 innings allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 9 while walking 1, showing a dominant changeup that Lansing hitters couldn’t do anything with. On the offensive side, it was actually the bottom of the lineup that did most of the damage as the 7-8-9 trio of Ryan Dunn, Marty Gantt, and Ben Kline went a combined 9 for 12 with a double, 2 walks, 6 RBI, and 5 runs scored, with each of them collecting 3 hits. Gantt has been unstoppable to begin the year, managing a .526/.625/.842 line with 2 homers, 7 RBI, and 4 walks against 3 strikeouts in 22 plate appearances. Andrew Toles also went 3 for 5 with yet another triple, his third on the season already. Just one other player in the Midwest League has more than 1. It’s hard to find a team playing much better than the Hot Rods are right now, winning their last 4 games while outscoring the opposition 27-7.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 12, Gwinnett Braves 8

This game was over right in the 1st inning, when the Bulls tallied 10 runs, including 2 home runs by Brandon Guyer. Guyer finished the day 2 for 5 with the 2 homers, 5 RBI, and 3 runs scored as he has been on fire to begin the season, managing a .367/.478/.947 line with 2 doubles, 3 homers, and 8 RBI in 5 games. Wil Myers may be the better prospect, but with Guyer healthy and swinging the bat, he’s more likely to be called up first as the Rays hope to ignite their offense. Speaking of Myers, he had a nice day too, going 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and a run scored. He’s hitting a .333 in 22 plate appearances to begin the year, but he has struck out 7 times versus just 1 walk and he could certainly use more work on his plate discipline. One last big performer for Durham was Cole Figueroa, who went 3 for 4 with a triple, a double, a single, an RBI, and a run scored. He’s hitting .467 on the season and still hasn’t struck out in 17 plate appearances. Then there was the pitching for the Bulls, which actually wasn’t nearly as bad as the 8 runs they allowed. Alex Torres started and was great for Durham, tossing 5 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and a walk while striking out 3, throwing only 74 pitches. Torres was horrific last season for the Bulls, but he righted himself at the end of the season and in Winter Ball and suddenly he’s looking like a player who will see big league time at some point in 2013. Steve Geitz and Frank De Los Santos did collapse in relief of Torres to allow the 8 runs, but Will Inman and Josh Lueke restored order with 2 shutout innings to end the game. This game was a little annoying given that the Bulls had a 12-0 lead and then began giving it away as the game wore on, but when you score that many runs, the fans will cut you some slack.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 6, Bradenton Marauders (PIT) 2

It was almost the reverse of the Rays-Rangers game in this one as the Stone Crabs got great pitching and didn’t light up the sky on offense but came through big with runners in scoring position. Ryan Carpenter got the start in his season debut and his ERA is still 0.00 after he went 5 innings allowing no runs on 4 hits, striking out 7 while walking none. Carpenter has been a sleeper prospect for the Rays the past few years after a velocity loss his junior year in college dropped him to the 7th round of the 2011 Draft, but he was solid for the Hot Rods in 2012 and now has gotten himself off to a great beginning at High-A. Austin Hubbard allowed a pair of unearned runs in the 6th, but Lenny Linsky had a really encouraging outing over the last 2 innings, allowing just 1 hit while striking out 2, recording 3 of his other 4 outs on the ground. A shoulder injury has derailed Linsky’s career, but if healthy his great sinker-slider combination could get him into the Rays bullpen in a hurry. On the offensive side, Taylor Motter, Alejandro Segovia, and Curt Casali all went 2 for 3 for the Stone Crabs while Hector Guevara went 2 for 4, and while the Stone Crabs managed just 2 extra-base hits, they went 4 for 11 with runners in scoring position, getting four key RBI hits and scoring 2 more runs on errors. Great to see Carpenter looking sharp and the Charlotte offense getting contributions across the board.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 8, Lansing Lugnuts (TOR) 3

We’re still waiting for the Rays to get off to the races on the basepaths and use that to manufacture runs. The Hot Rods already have that covered. The Hot Rods equaled a franchise record with 6 stolen bases, and an even impressive display of their speed was Marty Gantt‘s inside-the-park home run in the 2nd inning. Gantt went 2 for 4 with his homer, 3 RBI, and a run scored in the game continuing his incredible start to the season (.438 average) after a rough go in his pro debut in 2012. Also impressing were Tommy Coyle, who went 3 for 4 with a double, a stolen base, 3 RBI, and a run scored, Tyler Goeddel, who finally had breakout game, going 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 stolen bases, an RBI, and a run scored, and Andrew Toles, who went 1 for 3 with a double, a walk, 2 stolen bases, and a run scored. On the pitching side, Jeff Ames had a great start himself, going 5 innings allowing just 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 3 while walking 1. The Hot Rods are clicking on all cylinders and it’s always fun to see them playing like this.