Indianapolis Indians (Pirates) 6, Durham Bulls 5

The Bulls started out well, as Leslie Anderson hit a solo home run in the second to give Durham an early lead. Mike Montgomery was handling the Indians’ lineup with ease, getting groundout after groundout while working around the occasional walk. Indianapolis was just unable to make solid contact against him throughout the game. After the Bulls put up three runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by a two run home run by Shelley Duncan, it was easy to imagine that Montgomery would be picking up an easy win. However, disaster struck in the eighth. Montgomery walked the leadoff batter, and was relieved at that point, despite having a no-hitter intact. Juan Sandoval came in, and promptly gave up a double to Tony Sanchez, ending any hope of a combined no-no. After an RBI single from Brett Carroll drove in Sanchez, Sandoval appeared to settle in, getting two quick outs. He then hit the next batter with a pitch, and was relieved as Jeff Beliveau came in to face one batter, which he walked to load the bases. Kirby Yates came in, and threw a wild pitch to score a run, cutting the lead to 4-3. Yates appeared to be on the verge of getting out of the inning, as Josh Harrison hit a grounder to Mike Fontenot at short. Unfortunately, Fontenot fumbled the ball, and threw late to first, allowing two runs to score. Matt Hague then singled home Harrison, and the Indians suddenly had a 6-4 lead heading into the top of the ninth. Durham got a run back as Juan Apodaca doubled and scored on an error, but they were unable to push another run across, falling in stunning fashion to the Indians 6-5. Montgomery had an excellent outing in the no decision, giving up a run on four walks, striking out three in seven innings. Beliveau took the loss, giving up the go ahead run by walking the only batter he faced. Apodaca was 3-4 with a double and a run scored.

Montgomery Biscuits 6, Huntsville Stars (Brewers) 5

You have to give both teams credit as they both fought hard in this back and forth affair. The Stars struck first, as Mike Walker hit a solo home run with two outs, and Nick Shaw added a two run double. The Biscuits came back in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with no outs. After a pair of strikeouts, Mayo Acosta hit a two run single, with Kyeong Kang being thrown out at third to end the inning. Montgomery took the lead in the fourth, using three consecutive singles to tie the game. With runners on first and second, a fly ball to right moved Kang to third, where he scored on a wild pitch. Acosta drove in another run on a base hit, and the Biscuits had a 5-3 lead. That score held up until the ninth, as Austin Hubbard came in to close out the game. With one out, Adam Weisenburger hit a solo home run to cut the lead to 5-4. With two on and two out, Kentrail Davis tied the game with a base hit to left. However, the Biscuits refused to let that deter them from victory. Kang led off the inning with a single, and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a bunt single moved him to third, Robby Price singled to left to bring Kang home with the winning run. Despite blowing the save, Hubbard picked up the win, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk in his inning of work. Starter Jake Floethe settled in after the rough third inning, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks, striking out six in five innings. Kang was 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored, while Acosta was 2-3 with three RBIs in the victory.

Palm Beach Cardinals 12, Charlotte Stone Crabs 9 (Game One – seven innings)

The first game of the doubleheader was a make up game for the rainout on May 30th. Both teams were ready on offense, as the fireworks started almost immediately. Anthony Garcia hit a two out grand slam in the top of the first for the Cardinals, giving Palm Beach a 4-0 lead before the Stone Crabs came to bat. After the Cardinals scored another run in the top of the second, it was Charlotte’s turn to provide some fireworks in the bottom of the inning. With two runs already in and one out, Ryan Brett hit a three run home run to tie the game. Garcia hit his second home run of the game in the top of the third to give the Cardinals another lead, but Charlotte came back once again in the bottom of the inning. Jeff Malm and Lucas Bailey each hit RBI singles with two out to put the Stone Crabs on top 7-6. The Cardinals tied the game in the top of the fourth, and Charlotte took the lead back in the bottom of the fifth on Hector Guevara‘s RBI single. Then, Palm Beach put the game away in the top of the sixth, scoring five runs, highlighted by a two run double from Stephen Piscotty. The Stone Crabs got a run back in the bottom of the inning, but were unable to complete the comeback as they lost 12-9. Jacob Partridge took the loss, giving up five runs, four earned, on four hits and three walks over two innings in relief. Parker Markel had a rough start, allowing seven runs on seven hits and a walk in four innings. Brett was 3-4 with a double, a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 4, Palm Beach Cardinals 0 (Game Two – seven innings)

Following the first game of the double header, the Stone Crabs truly needed an excellent pitching performance in the second game, and Felipe Rivero delivered just that. The Cardinals had the first scoring threat of the game, putting runners on second and third with no outs. However, Rivero was able to get out of the jam, getting two infield pop ups and a groundout to keep the Cardinals off the board. Jay Voss matched Rivero pitch for pitch until the fifth, when the Stone Crabs were able to get their offense going. With the bases loaded and no outs, Willie Argo singled to center to score two runs. Center fielder Matt Williams missed the ball, allowing another run to score, and Argo came all the way around the bases on a throwing error by second baseman Ronny Gil. That would be all the support that Rivero would need, as he held the Cardinals down the rest of the way, pitching a complete game shutout, allowing six hits and a walk for the win. Hector Guevara was 2-3 with a double and a run scored.

Dayton Dragons (Reds) 12, Bowling Green Hot Rods 10 (Ten innings)

The Dragons jumped out early on the Hot Rods, plating four runs in the first. Jesse Winker and Seth Mejias-Brean each had RBI singles, and Junior Arias followed with an RBI double. The Hot Rods got two back in the third, as Thomas Coyle homered, and Joey Rickard doubled, coming around to score on consecutive wild pitches. After Bowling Green got another run back in the fourth, the Dragons scored in the top of the fifth to put the lead back at two. However, the Hot Rods tied the game in the bottom of the inning, as Andrew Toles hit an RBI single, stole second, and came around to score on consecutive groundouts. The game remained tied until the top of the eighth, when Dayton appeared to put the game away, scoring five runs. Brent Peterson had a two run triple and Zach Vincej provided a two run single as the Dragons took a 10-5 lead. Again, the Hot Rods came back, scoring twice in the bottom of the inning before tying the game on a three run home run by Justin O’Conner. The Dragons just would not be detered, as Jeff Gelalich hit a two run single in the top of the tenth to give Dayton the 12-10 victory. Nick Sawyer took the loss, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks in two innings. Joey Rickard and Leonardo Reginatto each had three hits in the loss.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 7, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 4

The star and the so-called lottery ticket in the James Shields trade had huge days as the Bulls pulled away early in their 7-4 win. Mike Montgomery delivered his first quality start at Triple-A since last June 23rd, going 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, striking out 4 while walking 1 and posting a 7-3 groundout to flyout ratio. He allowed 2 runs in a tough 5th but showed nice resiliency to escape that inning and toss the 6th. Montgomery’s ERA is just 5.03 in four Triple-A starts, but his peripherals have been encouraging as he has managed a 7.3 K/9, a 3.2 BB/9, and a 0.9 HR/9, including a 10-2 strikeout to walk ratio with only 1 home run allowed in his last two starts. He still has a long way to go, but Montgomery has pitched about as well as the Rays possibly could have hoped and could realistically end up in the major leagues by the end of the year if he just keeps making strides. In terms of Montgomery’s run support, Wil Myers had yet another huge game, going 3 for 4 with a homer, a triple, and 3 RBI (yes, he was a double short of the cycle). Myers extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and he’s hitting .409 with 6 home runs over the streak to raise his average to .280 on the season. Shelley Duncan, Cole Figueroa, and Juan Apodaca also went deep for the Bulls, with Figueroa and Apodaca both hitting their first home runs of the season. Great to see Myers surging and Montgomery progressing, and so far, so good for the returns on this James Shields trade.

Double-A Southern League: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (CIN) 11, Montgomery Biscuits 4

Keith Castillo continues hitting out of his mind, but the rest of the Biscuits were extremely lackluster as Montgomery fell 11-4 to Pensacola. Jake Floethe allowed 5 runs in 4 innings, but it was Marquis Fleming who really imploded, allowing 6 runs in the 7th that if avoided could have made this a much more interesting game. Things got bad enough that Steven Tinoco, an outfielder/first baseman, had to make his third relief appearance of the season, tossing a shutout 9th. On the offensive side, Kevin Kiermaier did go 2 for 5 with a double, but beyond him it was basically only Keith Castillo, who went 4 for 5 with a homer and a double. After demoted from High-A to Low-A in June of last year, somehow Castillo has been an impossible out of late at Double-A, hitting 11 for 25 (.440) in 7 games. This won’t keep up, but pretty amazing how well Castillo is hitting.

High-A Florida State League Game 1: Charlotte Stone Crabs 7, St. Lucie Mets 4 (7 innings)

Five runs in the final three innings made all the difference as the Stone Crabs came back to beat St. Lucie. Felipe Rivero struggled, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 3.1 innings, but Chris Kirsch and Lenny Linsky held the Mets to 1 run in the final 3.2 IP, working around 5 hits and 3 walks to do so. It was the offense who really shined, with every member of the lineup collecting a hit and just 3 runners left on base. Jeff Malm had a 2-run homer, Drew Vettleson had a 2-run double, and Ryan Brett went 2 for 4 with 3 triples, an RBI, and a run scored. Brett has been playing extremely well since returning from his suspension, managing a .277/.333/.489 line with 13 games. In sharp contrast to Josh Sale, he hasn’t really missed a beat.

Game 2: St. Lucie 5, Charlotte 3

Another tough game for the Charlotte pitching staff marred this one as the offense wasn’t nearly the same. Jacob Partridge and Eliazer Suero combined to allow 5 runs on 9 hits in the 7 innings, striking out 4 and walking 4 as well. The Stone Crabs’ entire offense was homers by Hector Guevara and Willie Argo, with Argo’s being a 2-run shot. Argo’s been playing great, managing a .357/.478/.554 line with 11 stolen bases in 20 games, but more interesting has to be Guevara. He’s hitting just .236 with a horrific .274 OBP yet has slammed 6 home runs in 177 plate appearances, as many as he hit in 657 plate appearances between 2011 and 2012. Guevara is going to have to do a better job getting on base, but it appears that he’s finally starting to tap into the raw power the Rays have always known he had and if keeps this up, good things should be ahead.

Low-A Midwest League: South Bend Silver Hawks (ARI) 8, Bowling Green Hot Rods 6

We knew it would happen eventually–Taylor Guerrieri would have a terrible start. Guerrieri went just 4 innings allowing 6 runs on 11 hits after never allowing more than 3 earned runs in any of his first 21 professional starts. He raised his ERA to (gasp) 3.14. Yes, that’s how great Guerrieri has been. Rough day for Guerrieri, but hopefully he can just get by this game without a hitch. Marcus Jensen struck out 3 while walking none as he allowed only an unearned run in 3 innings of relief for Bowling Green to keep the game close. In terms of the offense, Marty Gantt slammed a 3-run homer, Tyler Goeddel had a 2-run shot, and Patrick Leonard had an encouraging game, going 2 for 3 with a double, and walk, and a run scored. At the end of the day, this game was lost almost entirely because of Taylor Guerrieri’s struggles. Don’t think we’ll be saying that again for a long time.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 8, Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders (NYY) 5

What the Rays will end up receiving in the James Shields trade is still very much up in the air. Want some optimism? Jake Odorizzi made his MLB debut the other day and Montgomery and Myers showed signs of breaking out in this game. Mike Montgomery had one good rehab start and one bad rehab start for High-A Charlotte but pitched well in his return to Triple-A, going 5 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 2 while walking 2. He threw just 69 pitches, 42 strikes. We definitely want to see Montgomery strike out more batters moving forward, but it was definitely a step in the right direction as Montgomery hopes to finally get himself back on track after struggling mightily the past couple of years. Montgomery’s outing was good, but not so exciting. If you want something to get worked about, look no further than the Bulls offense. Wil Myers finally slammed his 5th homer of the year, a 3-run shot in the 4th inning, and although he went 1 for 5, he didn’t strike out. Myers isn’t playing particularly well right now, but he’s doing a great job putting bat on ball, not striking out a single time in his last four games while walking twice. Great to see Myers defying the propensity for striking out that has derailed him this season, and if he keeps doing that the hot streak we’ve been waiting for could finally arrive. Shelley Duncan also went 2 for 5 with a 2-run homer, Vince Belnome went 1 for 3 with a triple, 2 walks, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Brandon Guyer, Cole Figueroa, and Juan Apodaca all had multiple hits. A bullpen collapse made the score in this one a little ugly, but Montgomery looked good and the offense was churning on all cylinders as the Bulls rolled.

Double-A Southern League: Jackson Generals (SEA) 3, Montgomery Biscuits 1

Not fun to get 3-hit. The Biscuits managed a walk, a hit, and a run scored on an error but got basically nothing after that as Anthony Fernandez and the Jackson bullpen was outstanding. Matt Buschmann took the loss as he had an up-and-down outing, doing 5 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, striking out 9 while walking 4. 62 of his 108 pitches were strikes. He allowed a lot of baserunners, but a Brad Miller 2-run homer was his only real mistake. Andrew Bellatti and C.J. Riefenhauser tossed 4 shutout relief innings to finish this one off for Montgomery, but unfortunately it went for nought. Mikie Mahtook, Cameron Seitzer, and Riccio Torrez had the 3 hits for the Biscuits.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 9, Clearwater Threshers (PHI) 8 (11 innings)

Finishes in games do not get any crazier than this. In the 11th against Kevin Brandt, the Threshers came up with two runs on a 2-out double by Cameron Perkins. But in the bottom of the inning, the Stone Crabs refused to go down. They had 2 outs, a runner on 3rd, and 1 run in when Ryan Brett came up with a game-tying RBI single. Then Brett pulled off a gutsy steal of second base to set up Jake Hager‘s walk-off single as the Stone Crabs won 9-8. Wow. Ryan Carpenter got the start for Charlotte in this one and did not pitch well, going 6.1 innings allowing 6 runs on 9 hits, actually striking out 8 while walking 1 but never really settling in. Jacob Partridge allowed an inherited runner from Carpenter to score but tossed otherwise scoreless ball in his 1.2 innings before Nate Garcia continued his incredible run of late with 4 strikeouts in 2 shutout innings. Now to the offense. Brett went 2 for 6 with a double and of course his stolen base, RBI, and run scored all in the 11th, and he has really made a major impact since returning from his suspension. If he can stay clean, he’s an interesting prospect. Alejandaro Segovia went 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, Willie Argo went 2 for 4 with a double, a stolen base, 2 RBI, and a run scored, and Taylor Motter went 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 RBI. The pitching for the Stone Crabs was not really there for most of this one (although they struck out 14 in the game) but the offense came up huge in the clutch to help Charlotte find its way to a satisfying win.

Low-A Midwest League Game 1: Great Lakes Loons (TOR) 4, Bowling Green Hot Rods 3 (7 innings)

Rain cost the Hot Rods big-time in this one as Blake Snell hadn’t allowed a hit in 2 innings of work before the game was suspended yesterday, taking him out of the game, before resuming today. Brandon Henderson allowed 4 runs on 6 hits in 4 innings of work, although he did strike out 4 while walking 2. Among the highlights in this one for Bowling Green were Ryan Dunn, who went 1 for 3 with a double, a stolen base, and a run scored, and Tommy Coyle, who went 1 for 3 with a walk, two stolen bases, and a run scored.

Game 2: Loons 1, Hot Rods 0 (7 innings)

This second loss was especially tough for Bowling Green because Dylan Floro was about as good as you can possibly be and lose. Floro went 6 innings allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 5 while walking none and managing a 9-2 groundout to flyout ratio. He lowered his ERA on the season to 1.54 as he hasn’t allowed more than 2 earned runs in a start a single time all year. Have to wonder how much longer he’ll stay in Low-A as a polished college arm blowing away these inexperienced hitters. But the run support for Floro simply did not come in this one as he was charged with his first loss of the season. Coyle capped his great day by doing 2 for 3 with a double and a stolen base. Coyle has really been unbelievable this year, managing a .277/.398/.426 line with 7 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 16 RBI, a 22-29 strikeout to walk ratio and 17 of 18 stolen bases. But for the Hot Rods to start winning these games, they’re going to have to push some runs across, and they simply could not do that in this game.