Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Yankees) 9, Durham Bulls 1

In his first start back since being sent down from Tampa, Jake Odorizzi struggled for the Bulls. He struck out the first two batters he faced, then gave up a solo home run to Zoilo Almonte, giving the RailRiders a quick 1-0 lead in the first. In the third, he threw away a ground ball to the mound, allowing the runner to reach second. Melky Mesa followed with a two run home run, giving the RailRiders a 3-0 lead. After a two out RBI single in the fifth, Odorizzi was pulled from the game, having given up four runs on eight hits and three walks in 4.2 innings of work. Scranton got another run in the sixth before blowing the game open in the seventh. The RailRiders loaded the bases with one out in the inning, and Addison Maruszak hit a two run double. Bobby Wilson followed with a two run single to cap off the RailRiders scoring. Durham finally got a run in the ninth on a base hit by Mike Fontenot, but it was far too little at that point, as they fell to Scranton 9-1. Chien-Ming Wang cruised through the Bulls lineup as he looks to get back to the majors, allowing only six hits and a walk in seven shutout innings.

Craig Albernaz had an interesting day. In the sixth, he made two tremendous plays to turn a double play. After a wild pitch, he threw to second in an attempt to catch the runner trying to advance. Thomas Neal tried to score from third on the throw, and bowled Albernaz over on the relay. He held onto the ball for the out, then fired to third to catch the runner for an inning ending double play. At the plate, he was 0-1 with two walks and was hit by a pitch, but he also pitched a scoreless inning, striking out Dan Johnson.

Mississippi Braves 6, Montgomery Biscuits 1

Scoreless heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Braves took advantage of a throwing error by Cameron Seitzer with one out, which allowed Barrett Kleinknecht to move to third as Seitzer attempted to complete a double play. After a walk and a stolen base put runners on second and third, Kleinknecht was thrown out at the plate on a fielder’s choice. However, that extra out came into play as Jaime Pedroza  and Dan Brewer each hit RBI singles to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. After adding another run int he fifth, the Braves took command in the seventh, loading the bases with no outs. Christian Bethancourt hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run, then the Braves took advantage of a throwing error by Kevin Kiermaier to score another run. Another throwing error, this time by Mark Thomas, allowed Philip Gosselin to advance to second. Gosselin moved to third on a balk, then scored on a base hit by Kleinknecht. The Biscuits got their run in the top of the eighth, as Seitzer drove home Mikie Mahtook with an RBI single, but Montgomery was unable to get any closer, falling 6-1. Victor Mateo took the loss, giving up three runs on three hits and four walks in five innings. Keith Castillo was 1-2 with two walks, as he was the only member of the Biscuits to reach base more than once in the loss.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 2, St. Lucie Mets 1 (Game One – seven innings)

In the makeup game from last night’s rainout, the Mets truck first, as Charley Thurber hit a solo home run in the top of the second to put the Mets on top. The Stone Crabs looked to tie the game in the bottom of the inning, putting runners on first and third with two outs. However, on a double steal, Drew Vettleson was caught trying to steal home to end the threat. Charlotte ended up tying the game in the fifth, when Ryan Brett hit his first home run of the year. The Stone Crabs took the lead in the sixth, as Richie Shaffer was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, then stole second. After an out, Shaffer came around to score on a double by Willie Argo, providing the winning run as the Stone Crabs held on for a 2-1 victory. Parker Markel had an excellent outing, allowing only the one run on four hits and a walk, striking out four. Shaffer was 0-1 with  a walk, a stolen base and a run scored. Jeff Malm was 1-2 with a walk in the victory.

Charlotte Stone Crabs v. St. Lucie Mets (Game Two – postponed)

The rains came back in to the area in time to wash out the second game of the double header. The game will be made up as part of a double header tomorrow, weather permitting, with the game starting at 3:00 pm.

South Bend Silver Hawks (Diamondbacks) 7, Bowling Green Hot Rods 0

The Silver Hawks jumped out on the Hot Rods early, with Brandon Drury hitting a two run home run in the first, and Rudy Flores following up with a two run home run of his own in the second to give South Bend a 4-0 lead after two. The Silver Hawks put the game out of reach in the fifth, scoring three more runs. Kevin Medrano singled to lead off the inning, and scored on a one out triple by Socrates Brito. Brito scored one batter later, as Drury hit an RBI double, then came around to score on a base hit by Fidel Pena. The Hot Rods were unable to generate any offense against South Bend starter Kyle Winkler. Winkler, making his first start for the Silver Hawks, pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out six. Luke Maile was 2-4, and Leonardo Reginatto went 2-3. Reinaldo Lopez took the loss, giving up seven runs on ten hits and a walk in 4.2 innings.

Durham Bulls 9, Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders (Yankees) 4

Scoreless into the third, the Bulls took the lead in the top of the third. With one out and a runner on second, Brandon Guyer doubled, giving the Bulls a 1-0 lead. Guyer came around to score on a two out double by Wil Myers. In the fourth inning, Durham took control of the game. With runners on first and third, Tim Beckham singled to drive in a run. A hit batter loaded the bases, and Jason Bourgeois walked to force in a run. Two groundouts plated runs, and the Bulls took a 6-0 lead. The RailRiders got two back in the fifth, aided by a two base error by Guyer. However, Durham extended the lead again in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs. Juan Apodaca singled up the middle, plating two as the Bulls took an 8-2 lead. They tacked on another run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly. Even though the RailRiders got two back in the bottom of the ninth, it was not enough as the Bulls held on for the 9-4 victory. Alex Colome got the win, giving up two unearned runs on five hits and two walks. Guyer, Beckham and Apodaca each had two hits in the win.

Montgomery Biscuits 2, Jackson Generals (Mariners) 1

This game did not start off well for Montgomery starter Jacob Thompson, as he gave up a leadoff home run to Leon Landry and walked the next batter. However, from that point, he settled in, and managed to hold the Generals offense in check. The Biscuits would give him all the support he needed in the third, as back to back walks to start the inning put runners on first and second. After a sacrifice bunt, Kevin Kiermaier and Shawn O’Malley had consecutive RBI singles, giving the Biscuits a 2-1 lead. Neither team mounted a serious threat the rest of the way, as the Biscuits took the win in this excellent pitcher’s duel. Thompson got the win, allowing the one run on five hits and two walks in seven innings, striking out four. Robi Estrada was 2-2 with a double, and Cameron Seitzer finished 1-3 with a double and a walk in the victory.

Fort Myers Miracle (Twins) 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 5

This loss was particularly painful for the Stone Crabs, in more ways than one. After the Miracle took a 2-0 lead, the Stone Crabs tied the game in the top of the third. With one out, Ryan Brett was picked off of first, but reached second due to an error, and scored on a sacrifice fly. Richie Shaffer doubled, then scored on a single from Alejandro Segovia to tie the game. Charlotte took the lead in the fifth. With runners on first and third, Shaffer singled to drive in a run. After a walk loaded the bases, Hector Guevara hit a sacrifice fly to put Charlotte ahead 4-2. However, the Stone Crabs had a scare in the sixth. With one out, starter Parker Markel was hit by a line drive, forcing him to leave the game. Angel Morales followed with a base hit against reliever Christopher Kirsch. An error by Willie Argo led to a run scoring, as the Miracle cut the lead to one. A two out, two run home run from Kennys Vargas gave Fort Myers the lead in the seventh, but the Stone Crabs fought back. Charlotte loaded the bases in with one out in the ninth, and Jake DePew walked to force in the tying run. Then came the bottom of the frame. The Miracle loaded the bases with one out, and Vargas hit a fly ball that Argo lost in the lights, allowing the winning run to score as the Stone Crabs lost 6-5. Eliazer Suero took the loss, giving up a run on two hits and a walk in .1 innings. Markel pitched fairly well before leaving, allowing three runs, one earned, on eight hits and two walks while striking out six in 5.1 innings. Guevara was 3-4 with an RBI in the loss.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 4, Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers) 2 (seven innings)

The Loons struck first, loading the bases with one out in the first against Bowling Green starter Jordan Harrison. Dashenko Ricardo singled to center, driving in two as the Loons took a 2-0 lead. From that point, Harrison settled in, and held Great Lakes in check. The Hot Rods got a run back in the first on a Justin O’Conner RBI single, and tied the game in the second courtesy of a base hit by Leonardo Reginatto. The Hot Rods appeared ready to take the lead, as they loaded the bases with one out. However, Andrew Toles struck out and Thomas Coyle was picked off of first to end the threat. Bowling Green did take the lead in the fourth. With runners on first and second and two outs, Coyle made up for his baserunner gaffe earlier by hitting a double to center to drive in both runners, putting the Hot Rods ahead 4-2. The Loons were unable to mount a threat from that point, as the Hot Rods took the win in this makeup game from the April 17th rainout. Marcus Jensen earned the win in relief, pitching 2.1 shutout innings, allowing only one hit and a walk while striking out three. Harrison only lasted 3.2 innings, but struck out seven Loons hitters. Coyle was 1-2 with a double, two RBIs, and a walk.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 8, Lehigh Valley Ironpigs (PHI) 2

Control and command remain ongoing concerns for Alex Colome. His four-pitch arsenal of a fastball, a curveball, a slider, and a changeup has the ability to overpower hitters, but it’s his ability to locate his pitches that will determine how far he will go. On Monday, Colome walked 4 batters, and limiting the bases on balls will be critical for him moving forward. But the 4 walks didn’t by any means indicate that he had a bad outing. Colome delivered his best outing of the season, going 7 innings allowing just 2 runs, 1 earned, on 3 hits, striking out 11 while walking 4. It shows how with just average control, Colome has the ability to be one heck of a pitcher, and if he keeps improving, the Rays might have another topflight young starting pitcher on their hands. Behind Colome, Steve Geltz worked a scoreless inning followed by the return of former Durham Bull Cory Wade, who worked around a walk to toss a hitless 9th. As we discussed yesterday, Wade has had himself a roller coaster of a journey the past few years, going from Bulls reliever to pitching great for the Yankees and now back to Durham after the Yankees (and Blue Jays and Cubs) let him go. We’ll have to see if he can catch lightning in a bottle again. On the offensive side, Jason Bourgeois had a big game, going 3 for 5 with a triple, a double, an RBI, and a run scored and Vince Belnome went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored for the only multi-hit games in the Durham lineup. But even if only Bourgeois and Belnome really impressed, the Bulls got contributions across the board, with all nine players in the lineup recording a hit, 7 of 9 driving in a run, and a different 7 of 9 scoring a run. Wil Myers went 1 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored but most encouragingly drew a walk and Brandon Guyer went 1 for 2 with a pair of hit-by-pitches, an RBI, and a run scored. Outstanding individual effort by Colome and great to see the Bulls lineup churning on all cylinders.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 2, Birmingham Barons (CHW) 1

Thanks to Matt Buschmann, the Rays could have an interesting quandary on their hands. Buschmann, at 29 years old, isn’t really a prospect and the Rays don’t need starting depth because they have way too much of that. With that being the case, do they convert him to relief to see if he can provide major league value in that role? If the Rays believe that Buschmann is a major league quality arm, the answer to that question will probably be yes. However, do you really want to take Buschmann away from his starting role considering just how well he’s pitching? Buschmann was incredible again versus Birmingham as he nailed down his fourth straight quality start, going 6 innings allowing no runs on 2 hits, striking out 7 while walking 3 and posting a 9-1 groundout to flyout ratio. In his last four starts, Buschmann has a 1.33 ERA and a 29-7 strikeout to walk ratio in 27 innings pitched, and he has a 2.70 ERA and a 48-16 strike to walk ratio in 46.2 IP on the season. Triple-A Durham’s rotation is so good that it will be hard for Buschmann to crack it and we will have to see what the Rays decide to do if Buschmann comes pitching well. Riccio Torrez went 2 for 4 with an RBI while Kyeong Kang drove in a run and Robby Price went 2 for 4 with a run scored to give Buschmann and the Biscuits the run support they needed.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 3, Daytona Cubs 0

Mike Montgomery has fallen a long way. A top prospect for years in the Royals organization, you have to go back to 2010 for the lefty Montgomery’s last good year. This season, Montgomery had one iffy start at Triple-A Durham before going on the DL with a forearm strain and now he finds himself down at High-A on a rehab assignment. Montgomery was facing hitters he was far more advanced then on Monday, but after all his struggles, it was a good step in the right direction. Montgomery went 4 innings allowing just 2 hits, striking out 6 while walking 1, dominating as he should and hopefully building some confidence. Parker Markel, Charlotte’s regularly scheduled starter, went the rest of the way and was encouraging for the second straight time out, allowing just 3 hits in 5 innings, striking out 5 while walking 1 to complete the shutout. Markel got off to a terrible start to the year (his ERA is still 7.71), but he is finding his way back and the Rays know that he has the stuff to be another quality prospect. On the offensive side, Hector Guevara went 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and 2 RBI, Drew Vettleson went 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, and Taylor Motter and Jeff Malm also had multi-hit games. Great to see the tag-team of Montgomery and Markel breezing, and the offense was able to have itself a solid day as well.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 6, Lake County Captains (CLE) 1

And to cap off the great pitching performances, there was Jeff Ames, who twirled another gem as he has done all season for Bowling Green. Ames went 6 innings allowing just 2 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1. Ames’ ERA now stands at 1.22 to go along with a 31-4 strikeout to walk ratio in 37 innings. Ames has command issues (even as he throws a lot of strikes) that might be exposed at upper levels and he will probably be in Bowling Green for at least a couple more months, but he has just been unbelievable for the Hot Rods start after start, not allowing more than 3 runs in any of his starts this season and allowing 1 or less in 6 of 7. In the 9th inning with the Hot Rods ahead 6-0, Nick Sawyer allowed a solo home run but was able to finish the game. The only reason that Sawyer’s outing is worth nothing was that he struck out 1 while walking none, marking the first time all year that he hasn’t walked a batter in 11 appearances. Sawyer has struck out an unbelievable 28 batters in 17.1 innings (14.5 per 9), but he has walked a scary 16 (8.3 BB/9) and he will have to improve that significantly. In terms of the offense, Andrew Toles had another huge game, going 3 for 4 with a triple, a double, and 3 runs scored, Joey Rickard paired with him at the top of the lineup with a 3-hit game of his own, going 3 for 4 with a double, 4 RBI, and a run scored, and Luke Maile went 2 for 3 with a walk. Absolutely incredible what Ames has done, and a nice showing by the Hot Rods lineup got him to 5-0 on the season.

In sharp contrast to all the games we have been discussing was the Opening Day game played by the VSL Rays, the Rays’ Venezuelan Summer League affiliate. Brace yourself for this score.

Foreign Rookie Venezuelan Summer League: VSL Rays 22, VSL Mariners 11

What? 22-11? The VSL Rays scored more runs than the other four Rays affiliates combined and allowed double as many as well! In case you’re wondering, there was actually one pitcher in the game who tossed shutout ball. Lefty Jose Alvarado, soon to turn 18, started for the VSL Rays and allowed just 1 hit in the first 2.2 innings, striking out 2 and walking 2 as well but forcing a 4-0 groundout to flyout ratio for what it’s worth. Every other pitcher in the game allowed at least 2 runs. In any event, let’s get to the offense. First baseman Iago Januario hit for the cycle (!) going 5 for 5 with a homer, a triple, a double, two singles, 4 RBI, and 3 runs scored. Of course Januario is old for the league at 20 years old, but that’s awfully impressive. Januario appeared for Brazil in the World Baseball Classic. A prospect who also really impressed, though, was 17 year old catcher David Rodriguez, a relatively high-profile signing by the Rays last international signing period. Rodriguez went 4 for 6 with a homer, 2 doubles, 6 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Enneider Torres, 16, also went 2 for 6 with 2 RBI, and 3 runs scored. The quality of play in the VSL is not very good (and there are only four teams as most teams have vacated their academies there and just take their Venezuelan prospects to the Dominican Republic to begin play), but it’s always nice to see some ridiculously young Rays prospects doing well, even as far away from the major leagues as you can get within affiliated ball.