Triple-A International League: Gwinnett Bulls 10, Durham Bulls 5

An inning of nightmares sent Josh Lueke and the Bulls to a loss they would rather that not talk about. The loss was especially meaningful for the Bulls not just for what happened in the game, but the implications of the loss.

With the Bulls loss tonight and Charlotte’s win, Durham has been eliminated from the IL South race for the first time since 2006.

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) August 19, 2012

The Bulls’ incredible run of five straight division titles has come to an end. In this game, Jim Paduch and Josh Lueke utterly imploded to allow an 8-run 5th inning to erase a 4-1 lead. Lueke had one of the worst outings of his life, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits in just two-thirds of an inning. Lueke has been pitching extremely well up until this bump in the road and hopefully this is just a one-time deal and we’ll see him pitching well in the big leagues in September. Lefty Adam Liberatore did strike out 5 while walking none in 2.1 innings of relief, but by then it was too late. Nevin Ashley did have an outstanding game for Durham, going 2 for 2 with a double, a homer, 2 walks, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, Brooks Conrad also homered, and Henry Wrigley went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Double-A Southern League: Huntsville Stars (MIL) 6, Montgomery Biscuits 5 (10 innings)

If you want to experience just a little bit of what it’s like to be an Angels fan right now, you can think about this Biscuits game. The Biscuits had a 5-0 lead after 3 innings before letting it slip away. The Biscuits scored 5 runs in the second and third innings, with 3 of the runs being driven in by ninth-place hitter Mark Thomas, and starter Jake Thompson gave the Biscuits a strong performance, going 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 2 while walking 1 and posting a 10-4 groundout to flyout ratio. But the Stars pulled within 5-3 on a Kentrail Davis home run off of C.J. Riefenhauser and tied the game in the bottom of the 8th as Kirby Yates walked the bases loaded before allowing a Brock Kjeldgaard 2-run single. And in the 10th, Davis came through again with a walk-off single against Neil Schenk as the Biscuits had completely fallen apart to lose 6-5. The Biscuits scored 5 runs on just 6 hits, but they talled 11 walks and failed to capitalize, leaving 11 runners on base in the game. Thomas went 3 for 5 with a double, 3 RBI, and a run scored in the loss.

Great to see Torrez come back the way he did. (Credit: Flickr user BeGreen90)

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 9, St. Lucie Mets 8

No disappointment here as the Stone Crabs came up with an incredible comeback of their own. Eliazer Suero tossed 3 shutout innings but came apart in the 5th, allowing 5 runs, just 2 earned after a Riccio Torrez error. On the day he was not that bad, going 3.2 innings allowing just the 2 earned runs on 5 hits, striking out 5 while walking 2 and posting a 4-2 groundout to flyout ratio, but the Stone Crabs were down 5-1. However, they pulled within 5-4 in the 5th on a Luke Bailey RBI double an RBI single by Robby Price, and an RBI groundout by Kevin Kiermaier. In the 6th, Alonzo Harris dampened the Stone Crabs’ spirits with a 2-run home run off of Theron Geith to extend the St. Lucie lead to 7-4. The game would remain that way until the 8th. And in the 8th, Bailey came up huge, drilling a 3-run home run to tie the game at 7. But adversity still remained for Charlotte as Daniel Muno singled home a run off of Lenny Linsky to give St. Lucie an 8-7 lead going to the bottom of the 9th. However, the Stone Crabs were not going to be denied. With 2 outs and no one on, Philip Wunderlich was hit by a pitch. Then Steven Tinoco singled. Riccio Torrez, who committed the pivotal error earlier in the game, got redemption with a game-tying RBI double. And an error gave the Stone Crabs a walk-off win by a score of 9-8. Bailey had an unbelievable game, going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Bailey has notched 6 hits in his last 3 games, all for extra bases. This is the player that the Rays have been waiting for since the moment they drafted him in 2009 and maybe this could be Bailey’s coming-out party. Price went 3 for 4, Tinoco went 3 for 5, and Cody Rogers and Riccio Torrez both went 2 for 5, with Torrez lacing 2 doubles including the game-tying hit in the 9th.

Low-A Midwest League: South Bend Silver Hawks (ARI) 11, Bowling Green Hot Rods 10

This game may very well have been the craziest in the history of the Hot Rods. Unfortunately, they could not come away with a win. This game got off to an incredible start for Bowling Green as they scored twice on bases-loaded walks in the 1st before Drew Vettleson slammed a 2-run homer in the 2nd to give them a 4-0 lead. Roberto Gomez was great in his shortened 3 inning start as the Rays have been holding back his innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits, striking out 4 while walking none. Felipe Rivero struck out 2 in a perfect 4th and then used a double play to face the minimum in the 5th. But looking in the boxscore, there’s a line that nobody wants to see. “Rivero, Fe pitched to 7 batters in the 6th.” It was an inning that you never hope to see your entire career. Better it happen at Low-A than higher up. Rivero allowed 7 runs, 6 earned, on 6 hits as he failed to record an out in the 6th inning and Charlie Cononie allowed 3 more before he could escape the inning as the Hot Rods allowed 10 runs in the inning to fall behind 10-4. That type of inning is enough to demoralize any team. We saw a 7-run 5th inning take the life out of the Angels in the Rays’ game on Saturday night. But the Hot Rods somehow refused to be fazed and came right back. In the 6th, the Hot Rods tallied 2 runs on a Tyler Goeddel RBI double to go along with a Drew Vettleson RBI single. And in the 7th, the Hot Rods put together a rally to tie the game, with Juniel Querecuto drilling a 2-run double, Ryan Brett doubling home a run, and Vettleson singled up the middle to tie it at 10 as the Hot Rods had put together an incredible comeback. Cononie and Frank Santana both tossed scoreless half-innings in the 8th. But in the 9th, the Hot Rods picked the wrong time to fall apart defensively as throwing errors by the third baseman Goeddel and the first baseman Jeff Malm scored the go-ahead run as South Bend won 11-10. Vettleson had a big game, going 4 for 5 with a homer, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Goeddel went 3 for 5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, Jake Hager went 3 for 5, Taylor Motter went 2 for 4 with a walk, his 20th stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored, Malm went 2 for 3 with a double, 2 walks, and a run scored, and Ryan Brett doubled home a run and also stole a base, his 48th of the season.

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Hudson Valley Renegades 6, Lowell Spinners (BOS) 5

No comeback here, but it got awfully scary for the Renegades. Taylor Guerrieri started and pitched well, allowing 1 run on 4 hits in 3 innings, striking out 1 while walking none and posting a 6-0 groundout to flyout ratio. The ‘Gades took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning on a Joel Caminero RBI double followed by a Jake DePew RBI single, and after the Spinners tallied a run in the bottom of the inning, Ryan Dunn doubled home a run in the 3rd to make it 4-1 Hudson Valley. Jeff Ames then came in for the Renegades and tossed 3 sharp innings, allowing no runs on just 1 hit, striking out 4 while walking none. The Renegades extended their lead to 6-1 with Ames in the game on a Joey Rickard sac fly to score DePew in the 4th before DePew slammed a solo home run in the 6th. Marcus Jensen and Ryan Garton then tossed a scoreless inning each and the Renegades were on their way to a crisp win. But then Dylan Floro had an inning he would like to forget. With 1 out, Floro allowed triple, single, double, with the single and double each plating a run, and then a Luke Maile error made it a 6-4 game with just 1 out. Floro forced a groundout, but then a Roberto Reyes infield single that Richie Shaffer couldn’t handle made it 6-5. But Floro forced Matthew Gedman to ground out to end it as the Renegades won 6-5. DePew had a career day, going 4 for 4 with a double, a homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored, Ryan Dunn went 2 for 2 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored, and Tommy Coyle stole his 15th base of the season for the Renegades.

Advanced Rookie Appalachian League: Johnson City Cardinals 9, Princeton Rays 8

Oh, Rookie ball. It spawns the types of games that you never see anywhere else, like this one. Blake Snell had a rare bad start, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings, striking out 2 while walking 1, and Daniel Bream allowed a Ricardo Lizcano 2-run shot in the 4th inning to give Johnson City a 5-0 lead. But then the tide completely turned. Reid Redman doubled home a run in the 5th to make it 5-1. Oscar Hernandez slammed a 2-run homer in the 6th to pull Princeton within 5-3. And then in the 7th, the P-Rays the completely reversed their fortunes. Brandon Martin led off the inning with a homer and it was 5-4. An Omar Narvaez RBI single tied the game. A 2-run double by John Alexander make it 7-5. And Ariel Soriano singled home a run to make it 8-5 as suddenly the P-Rays had scored 8 unanswered runs to turn what looked like a sure loss into a relatively comfortable lead. But anything can and does happen in Rookie ball. Nick Sawyer, who has been next to automatic for Princeton this season, came in for his second inning of work as he tried to nail down the save. Sawyer struck out the first two batters of the inning. Saywer then walked Ricardo Lizcano, but he forced C.J. McElroy to hit a groundball to short. But Martin misplayed the ball, scoring a run and keeping the Cardinals alive. And Sawyer then fell apart, allowing a Ildemaro Vargas RBI double, a Jeremy Shaeffer RBI triple, and walk-off single by Trevor Martin as Johnson City won 9-8 with 4 unearned runs in the 9th. Hernandez and Martin both homered and Omar Narvaez, John Alexander, Reid Redman, Willie Argo, and Ariel Soriano all had multi-hit games, but the result was unfortunately a debilitating loss.

The Princeton Rays and the Pulaski Mariners played to a seventeen inning draw, highlighting a 5-1 night for the farm system.

Durham Bulls 1, Gwinnett Braves 0

Nevin Ashley walked, moved to third on a Rich Thompson single and an error, and scored on a double play in the bottom of the fifth to provide the only run in the Bulls 1-0 victory over the Braves. Durham pitchers allowed only four hits all night, with Chris Archer picking up the victory. Archer scattered three hits over six innings of work, striking out three. Yohan Flande took the tough loss, as he allowed only the unearned run on five hits and four walks over six innings, while striking out seven. Dane De La Rosa picked up his 13th save of the year, as he gave up one hit while striking out the side.

Montgomery Biscuits 8, Mississippi Braves 3

The Biscuits exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the second, quickly removing the drama from a blowout victory over the Braves. Derek Deitrich had a two-run home run, and Mikie Mahtook hit a grand slam, chasing Braves starter Zeke Spruill. Spruill had a rough night, lasting only 1.2 innings, giving up seven runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks. Montogmery tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, as the Biscuits took advantage of two Braves errors leading to six unearned runs. Nick Barnese picked up the victory, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikouts in six innings.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 4, Tampa Yankees 3

The Stone Crabs overcame several defensive lapses in the top of the third inning, coming back to defeat the Tampa Yankees 4-3 in the finale of their four game series. After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second, the Yankees led off with back to back singles in the top of the third. A dropped line drive loaded the bases, and a run scored on a force out on a tailor made double play ball. Another run scored on an error by Lucas Bailey and an RBI single off the bat of Kyle Roller. However, the Stone Crabs took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Bailey led off with a single, and scored on a Robi Estrada triple. Estrada scored on a wild pitch, with what proved to be the game winning run. Braulio Lara picked up the victory, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk, while striking out seven.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 5, Great Lakes Loons 3

Alejandro Segovia hit a first inning grand slam, and the Hot Rods cruised to a 5-3 victory over the Loons. Ryan Brett led off the inning with a double, and moved to third on Juniel Querecuto‘s sacrifice bunt. Walks to Kes Carter and Cameron Seitzer loaded the bases before Segovia hit the Raydel Sanchez offering over the left field wall. The Hot Rods would tack on another run in the bottom of the sixth en route to the victory. Brett went 3-5 with two runs scored and a double. Roberto Gomez picked up the victory in relief, allowing two hits and a walk over three innings of work, striking out three batters.

Hudson Valley Renegades 4, State College Spikes 2

The Renegades used a three run top of the eighth inning to break open a tied game en route to defeating the Spikes 4-2. With the game tied at one apiece, Joey Rickard walked to lead off the top of the frame.After an out, Tommy Coyle singled to put runners on first and third. Luke Maile followed with a single to drive in Rickard, giving the Renegades the lead. Coyle scored on a throwing error on the play, and Maile later scored on a Ryan Dunn sacrifice fly. Samuel Gonzalez homered in the bottom of the ninth to cut the lead to 4-2, but the Renegades were able to hang on for the win. Taylor Guerrieri had a no decision, allowing an unearned run over five innings on four hits, while striking out five. Leonardo Reginatto went 3-4 on the night for Hudson Valley.

Princeton Rays 8, Pulaski Mariners 8 (17 innings, suspended)

The Mariners had jumped out to a 6-3 lead through five innings last night, only to watch the Rays storm back with two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth. However, Zack Butler was unable to hold the 8-6 lead, giving up RBI singles to Jabari Henry and Phillips Castillo to tie the game. Despite chances for both sides to take the lead, the game remained knotted at 8-8 through seventeen innings, when the game was suspended. Brandon Martin, John Alexander, and Andrew Toles each had two hits for the Rays. Tyler Marlette was 3-6 for the Mariners, with a run scored and two RBIs. Princeton’s William Gabay was roughed up in his appearance, lasting 1.2 innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three batters.

GCL Red Sox 7, GCL Rays 6

Despite jumping out to an early 6-0 lead through four innings, the Rays lost to the Red Sox 7-6. The Sox scored a single run in each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, before exploding for four runs in the top of the eighth. Kyle Pelchy took the loss, allowing four earned runs on five hits and a walk. However, Pelchy did bounce back in the top of the ninth as he struck out the side. Leopoldo Correa and Benjamin Kline each had three hits, leading the way as each player in the lineup had at least one hit on the night for the Rays.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 4, Rochester Red Wings (MIN) 0

Monday’s game was a bullpen game for the Bulls as they didn’t have a starter available to pitch. That was of no matter as the four reliever stepped up to throw a combined gem. Ryan Reid got the start and threw 2 shutout innings, allowing 2 hits and a walk while striking out 2. Josh Lueke followed with another outstanding performance, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 4 while walking none and posting a 4-0 groundout to flyout ratio. Then Adam Liberatore and Dane De La Rosa closed out the game striking out 3 each in 2 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits and a walk. Overall, Bulls pitchers went 9 innings allowing no runs on 6 hits, striking out 12 while walking 2. Doesn’t get too much better than that. In his first game back with the Bulls after a long rehab stint, Nevin Ashley slammed a 2-run homer, and Tim Beckham went 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

High-A Florida State League: Ft. Myers Miracle (MIN) 5, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4

The Stone Crabs scored two in the 8th, but an unearned run in the 9th clinched the win for the Miracle. Braulio Lara got the start for Charlotte and wasn’t very good, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits in 5 innings, striking out 4 while walking 2 but posting a 3-5 groundout to flyout ratio. Theron Geith followed with 2 shutout frames before Lenny Linsky was penalized by a Luke Bailey walk-off passed ball in the 9th after a scoreless 8th. Hector Guevara went 4 for 5 with a solo home run for the Stone Crabs, while Kevin Kiermaier and Phil Wunderlich each went 2 for 4 with a double, with Kiermaier driving in 2.

Low-A Midwest League: Clinton LumberKings (SEA) 6, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2

Both teams had shoddy relief work in this one, but the Hot Rods’ was worse as they fell 6-2. Jacob Partridge had a pretty nice start, going 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, striking out 7 while walking 3 and posting a 5-5 groundout to flyout ratio. But Justin Woodall allowed 4 runs in the 8th and that would be the difference. Trevor Miller (not the ex-Ray) tossed 6 shutout innings for Clinton before the Hot Rods scored 2 in the 7th on a Tyler Goeddel RBI double and a Alejandro Segovia RBI single. Segovia, Cameron Seitzer, Taylor Motter, and Juniel Querecuto all had multi-hit games in the loss for the Hot Rods.

A comeback like that left Shaffer and everyone pumped. (Credit: John Reed-US PRESSWIRE)

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Hudson Valley Renegades 9, Staten Island Yankees 8

It was 2012 Rays first round pick Richie Shaffer’s debut, and boy did the Renegades make it memorable. Matthew Spann got the start for Hudson Valley and had a rough night, going 3 innings allowing 6 runs, 5 earned, on 6 hits, striking out 1 while walking 3. He did post a 5-1 groundout to flyout ratio. This one just got away from him. Brandon Henderson followed with 3 relief innings with 3 strikeouts, but he allowed 2 runs to put the Renegades in a 8-0 hole after 4 innings. That remained the score after 6 and a half as Ryan Garton tossed a shutout relief innings. But then, the game completely turned around. Luke Maile singled to begin the inning before Marty Gantt reached on an error. Then Deshun Dixon singled in a run before Michael Williams did the same. A Joey Rickard single loaded the bases, and then Leonardo Reginatto and Tommy Coyle each delivered an RBI single. Maile and Gantt each singled a run before the inning was through as the Renegades turned an 8-0 blowout into an 8-7 nail-biter. Garton tossed a scoreless 8th for the Renegades, and after Hudson Valley failed to score, Shay Crawford pitched a hitless 9th as the Renegades were down 1 entering the final frame with Maile and Gantt due up second and third in the inning. They had already done their damage in the game, but they weren’t done. Maile hit a 1-out single before Gantt drilled an RBI triple to tie the game at 8. And after a pair of intentional walks, Joey Rickard ended it with a walk-off single as the Renegades won 9-8 in what of the greatest comebacks you’ll see. Shaffer went 1 for 3 in his debut, and his teammates helped make sure it was an even more unforgettable night. Maile went 5 for 5, Rickard went 3 for 5, and Gantt went 2 for 5 with all three coming up with huge hits to lead the Renegades to victory.

Advanced Rookie Appalachian League: Johnson City Cardinals 9, Princeton Rays 8 (11 innings)

Always tough when your bullpen blows a game. Eli Echarry started and had a tough outing, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits in 4 innings, striking out 3 while walking 2 and posting a 6-3 groundout to flyout ratio. But he was better than Johnson City starter Juan Bautista, who allowed 7 runs, 5 earned, in 3.1 innings. The P-Rays tallied 6 runs in the 4th inning to take an 8-5 lead. But it came apart as Daniel Bream allowed a 3-run 8th to tie the game, and an unearned run was the difference as the P-Rays lost 9-8. Jon Weaver took the loss in the game, but that was completely undeserved as he delivered a ridiculous relief appearance, going 4 innings allowing just the unearned run on 3 hits, and here’s the kicker: he struck out 8, and the other 4 outs were all groundouts. 8 strikeouts in relief! On offense, John Alexander slammed a 3-run homer, Alvin Toles went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI, and Reid Redman went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Rookie Gulf Coast League: GCL Red Sox 3, GCL Rays 0

The story of this game: the GCL Rays could not get a single runner into scoring position, managing just 4 hits and no walks in the game as Matt Spalding and Ellis Jimenez dominated for the Red Sox. Sheesh. Matthew Ramsey allowed a run in his one-inning start, just his second since Tommy John Surgery, before Jorge Rodriguez allowed just 1 hit in 5 innings, striking out 3 and posting a 5-5 groundout to flyout ratio. Kyle Pelchy allowed 2 runs in 3 relief innings as the Red Sox gave themselves a cushion if they had possibly needed it. Kes Carter, Bralin Jackson, Johnny Eierman, and Leopoldo Correa had the hits for the GCL Rays.