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.

The Yankees got to Hernandez in the second. After a double and an infield single put runners on first and second with one out, Lyle Overbay ripped a double to right, plating both runners as the Yankees took a 2-0 lead. Overbay scored one batter later, as Jayson Nix singled to center. New York threatened to blow the game open that inning, as they loaded the bases with two out, but Hernandez escaped the jam.

Hernandez got into more trouble in the fourth. With two outs, Chris Stewart singled, and Brett Gardner followed with a home run to right. After walking Robinson Cano, Hernandez got Vernon Wells to ground out to end the inning, which also signaled the end of his night. For the game, Hernandez gave up five runs on six hits and three walks. When David Price comes back, the Rays may have to consider whether or not to put Hernandez in the bullpen and keep Odorizzi, especially if he pitches well in his next couple of starts.

That five run lead seemed even bigger than it was, as Yankees starter David Phelps was moving down the Rays. Through that point, they had yet to get a baserunner, and Phelps was getting quick out after quick out. New York seemingly blew the game open in the fifth off Cesar Ramos. The Yankees loaded the bases with one out, and Ramos forced in a run by walking Nix. A base hit drove in another run, and a third came in when Cano was hit by a pitch with two outs, giving the Yankees an 8-0 lead.

But the Rays showed some fight. James Loney broke up the burgeoning perfect game with a double in the fifth, and the Rays got on the board in the next inning. With runners on first and second to start the frame, Matthew Joyce doubled, driving in the Rays first run. A groundout and a scrifice fly drove in two more, and the Rays cut the lead to 8-3.

However, the Rays were unable to get any closer, as the Yankees scored again in the top of the seventh before the Rays got that run back in the bottom of the inning. There was a bit of a frightening moment in the bottom of the eighth however, as Ben Zobrist hit a sharp line drive up the middle, striking Phelps in the arm. He left the game immediately, but did not appear to be in much pain. This was after Curtis Granderson had to leave with what was later diagnosed to be a fractured knuckle after he was hit by a pitch.

Phelps picked up the win in the Yankees 9-4 victory, giving up four runs on six hits in 7.2 innings, striking out three. For the Rays, Jamey Wright did an excellent job to preserve the bullpen, pitching three innings in relief and only allowing one run. Kelly Johnson was 2-4 with a run scored and a triple in the loss.

On Wednesday, Torres made his first appearance back at Triple-A Durham after two effective relief outings for the Rays, and it began about as horribly as anyone could have thought. After vastly improved control had keyed his rebound, Torres suddenly could not find the zone once again in the first inning, throwing just 14 of 34 pitches for strikes as he allowed 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. But from there, Torres tossed 3 shutout innings to complete his outing and renew everyone’s confidence in him. Torres’ run of nothing but success since he made the breakthrough with his control ended but Torres refused to let that faze him for more than an inning. If only Rays relievers like Fernando Rodney and Kyle Farnsworth could have pulled off the same trick.

As reliever after reliever comes apart in the Rays bullpen, Alex Torres has the ability to be one of the few that keeps himself together. His mental toughness is only part of the equation–the reason Alex Torres has the ability to be an outstanding major league reliever has a lot more to do with his stuff. Torres’ fastball touches the mid-90′s with big sink and run. Its movement was a big reason why Torres struggled so mightily to control it, but Torres has smoothed out his delivery to make the movement on his fastball consistent enough that he could throw it for strikes while still leaving hitters befuddled. But the fastball is only the beginning for Torres’ He combines it with two effective secondary pitches, his slider and his changeup. His slider features devastating late break when he’s going will and his changeup features outstanding late sink to miss more bats and force some weak contact. With that type of three-pitch arsenal, it makes sense that Torres has spent just about his entire career as a starting pitcher. But while ideally the Rays would give Torres a shot in the rotation, they don’t have room and they have to move on. Torres is behind Jake Odorizzi and Chris Archer right now for a starting spot. Are the Rays going to pedantically leave him as their 8th starting pitcher when he can make a major impact to their bullpen immediately?

Depending on how the next few years shake out for the Rays, Alex Torres could receive a chance to start. That’s completely irrelevant, though, for the Rays until that time actually comes. The Rays don’t need another starting pitcher and Torres has a chance to be an extremely effective reliever and maybe even a late-inning arm right now. The Rays’ rotation has been far from perfect, but its predicament is not nearly as dire as the bullpen and the Rays have to address that. Torres could be a central piece of the Rays’ quest to revitalize their bullpen and it’s inexcusable for the Rays to leave him starting at Triple-A when that is the reality.

Rays fans got a preview of just how good Torres can be on May 18th, when he threw 4 shutout innings of relief as the Rays came back to beat the Orioles–and that was without a good feel for his breaking ball and changeup. He struck out just 3 while walking 2 in that game but has always possessed a talent for striking batters out and in the past few months has learned to limit the walks as well. Torres’ repertoire is overbearing and the perspective his disastrous 2012 gave him will serve him invaluably the rest of his career. He has the ability to dominate major league hitters in a relief role, and that has to happen now.