Durham Bulls 10, Indianapolis Indians (Pirates) 7

After Tony Sanchez hit a solo home run to give the Indians a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third, the Bulls took advantage of their baserunning to put some runs on the board. After an infield single to lead off the inning, Brandon Guyer stole second. After Tim Beckham reached on an error, they executed a double steal to put runners on second and third with no one out. With one out, two wild pitches by Indians starter Jeanmar Gomez allowed both runners to score, giving the Bulls a 2-1 lead. That lead would end up being short lived however, as Sanchez struck again in the top of the fourth. With the bases loaded, he hit a two run double to center, putting Indianapolis back on top. The Indians extended the lead in the next inning, using a two run triple and a two run double to take a 7-2 lead. But the Bulls would not give up. After loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, Mike Fontenot cleared the bases with a double, then scored on a base hit by Jesus Flores. Durham reloaded the bases, and tied the game on a passed ball. Beckham then drove in the go ahead runs with a two run double, before finally coming around to score the final run of the game on a base hit by Wil Myers. After the offensive explosion in the fifth, both pitching staffs settled down, and the Bulls ended up with a 10-7 victory. Mike Montgomery picked up the win in relief despite a rough outing. He gave up six runs, with only two being earned, on four hits and four walks in 3.1 innings. Beckham finished the game 2-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Jacksonville Suns (Marlins) 8, Montgomery Biscuits 2

Jacksonville jumped out to the lead in the bottom of the third inning. Following a leadoff walk, Audy Ciriaco hit a two run home run to put the first runs of the game on the board. Two singles and a sacrifice fly added another run, and the Suns had a 3-0 lead heading into the fifth. In the fifth, the Biscuits rallied. Todd Glaesmann led off the inning with a double, and scored on a two out base hit by Robbie Price. Price scored one batter later, as Mark Thomas drove him in with a double of his own to cut the lead to 3-2. Unfortunately, that was as close as the Biscuits would get. Kyle Jensen homered in the sixth to give the Suns a 4-2 lead, and they scored twice more in both the seventh and eighth to seal the 8-2 victory over Montgomery. Jacob Thompson took the loss, giving up six runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out eight in 6.2 innings. No one on the Biscuits reached base more than once, as they were held to seven hits and a walk.

Tampa Yankees 2, Charlotte Stone Crabs 1 (Game One – Seven Innings)

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Yankees came out ready, putting runners on first and third with no one out. A sacrifice fly drove in Mason Williams with the first run of the game, as Tampa took a quick lead. The Stone Crabs came back in the bottom of the inning, when Drew Vettleson singled with one out, and scored on a double by Richie Shaffer. The Yankees had a prime opportunity to take the lead again in the third, loading the bases with no outs. However, Parker Markel struck out Ben Gamel for the first out, and got an inning ending double play to work out of the jam. Both Markel and Tampa starter Sean Black settled in from that point, as the score remained tied at one until the top of the seventh. Dan Fiorito singled to lead off the inning, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Robert Refsnyder then singled to drive in Fiorito with the winning run. Markel pitched well in the no decision, giving up one run on five hits and two walks in five innings. Lenny Linksy took the loss, giving up one run on two hits in one inning of work. Jake DePew went 2-3 in the loss.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 6, Tampa Yankees 4 (Game Two – Seven Innings)

The Stone Crabs struck first in the second game of the double header, as Curt Casali homered to lead off the bottom of the second. The Yankees came back in the third, loading the bases with two outs for Ben Gamel. Gamel delivered, clearing the bases with a three run double to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead. Charlotte fought back however. Taylor Motter led off te third with a solo home run, and the Stone Crabs tied the game on by taking advantage of a spate of wildness from Tampa starter Scottie Allen. Drew Vettleson singled, then moved up to second and third on wild pitches. A third wild pitch allowed Vettleson to score, tying the game at 3-3. Vettleson made his presence felt again in the fourth. Taylor Motter doubled with two outs to bring Vettleson to the plate, and he delivered an RBI single to put the Stone Crabs in the lead. After the Yankees tied the game in the top of the inning, Jeff Malm hit a two run home run in the fifth to give Charlotte the lead once again, en route to the 6-4 victory. Felipe Rivero picked up the win in relief, allowing an unearned run on two hits and a walk in three innings. Vettleson was 2-2 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 7, Dayton Dragons (Reds) 3

The Dragons scored in the first on an interesting play. After Daniel Pigott doubled and moved to third on a base hit by Beau Amaral, Amaral attempted to steal second. As he was gunned down attempting to steal, Pigott broke from third, putting the Dragons on the board with a quick 1-0 lead. After both teams traded runs, the Dragons held a 2-1 lead heading into the top of the fifth. There, the Hot Rods tied the game once again, as Luke Maile hit a two out single to drive in Tyler Goeddel. Bowling Green broke the game open in the top of the sixth, scoring four times to take a 6-2 lead. Ryan Dunn doubled to drive in the first run of the inning, then scored on a double by Brandon Martin. With one out, the Hot Rods loaded the bases, and Tommy Coyle hit a two run single to cap the scoring. After Bowling Green tacked on an insurance run in the eighth, the Dragons got one back in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to close any further as the Hot Rods took the 7-3 victory. Dylan Floro earned the win, giving up two runs on ten hits, striking out five in six innings. Marty Gantt was 2-3 with two walks and a run scored. Coyle was 2-5 with a double and two RBIs in the victory.

Yet, it is easy to forget that Beckham is only 23 years old at this point. Although this is his sixth season in the Rays organization, he was only 18 at the time he was drafted. Beckham has been young for level virtually throughout his minor league career, and has displayed some potential. Of course, these displays have been tempered periodic struggles and situations such as his drug suspension last year.

But what exactly may be the ceiling for Beckham? The Rays had started playing him at second base this season, before he reverted back to short in the wake of Hak-Ju Lee‘s injury. This increased versatility could potentially help get him to the majors quicker, but what type of player could Beckham become?

Beckham has been relatively solid defensively at both shortstop and second base. His fielding had improved over his first four years at short, and he has shown decent range at both positions. he may never be in the argument for a Gold Glove, but he likely wouldn’t be a liability either.

The biggest concern with Beckham may be his inability to hit lefthanded pitching. In 2012, he only hit at a .209/.308/.341 clip against lefties, with six extra base hits. Yet, those numbers are better than what he has done against southpaws so far this year, as he has produced only a .182/.294/.233 batting line with two doubles. These struggles are somewhat perplexing however, as Beckham is a right handed hitter.

It is unlikely that Tim Beckham will ever be a start – his time as a top prospect has come and gone. However, he could end up being a useful piece off the bench as a utility infielder or platoon player. If that is all that Beckham ends up being, then he would be a disappointment, but it would still be a better career than former top overall picks such as Steve Chilcott or Matt Bush.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 9, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 8

The Bulls held a 3-0 lead after an inning of play in this game, but after that, everything turned in entirely the wrong direction. The Bisons scored at least one run in each inning from the 2nd to the 7th, jumping out to an 8-4 lead after the top of the 7th. But from there, Wil Myers took over. His 2-run home run in the bottom of the 7th made it 8-6, and his 2-run homer in the 9th made it 8-8 before Tim Beckham won the game for Durham with an RBI single as the Bulls won 9-8. For Myers, the game was just the latest development in his recent hot streak. Myers now has a six-game hitting streak including multiple hits in his last four, and he’s hitting .393 (11 for 28) with 5 homers, 3 doubles, and 15 RBI over that span. The Rays waited the entire season for Myers to finally break out, and now it’s really happening. And when the Rays need Myers in the major leagues, they won’t hesitate to make the call.

Mike Montgomery got the start for the Bulls and allowed 5 runs, 4 earned, on 8 hits in 5 innings, but he actually showed several positive signs, striking out 6 while walking 1 and managing an 8-2 groundout to flyout ratio. It was the opposite of his last start, where he pitched well but only struck out 2 while walking 2. Hopefully the results will be better, but Montgomery is throwing the ball well as he digs himself out of the hole he’s gotten into with seasons of struggles. Will Inman just made things worse in relief, allowing 3 runs in 2 innings, but Cory Wade was great to finish the game for Durham, going 2 innings allowing just 1 hit, striking out 1. In terms of the run support, Myers was far from the only player to contribute. Vince Belnome reached base ahead of both Myers home runs and went 3 for 4 with a double, 2 walks, and 4 runs scored, raising his average to .349 and his OBP to a ridiculous .454 in the process. Leslie Anderson and Shelley Duncan both had 3 hits including a double, with Anderson driving in 2 and scoring once. It was Duncan, though, who followed up Myers’ 9th inning homer with a single before Jason Bourgeois pinch-ran for him and stole second base to set up Beckham’s game-ending heroics. Beckham went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI in the game and he’s quietly having a solid season, hitting .276. Myers is the only prospect that every Rays cares about, but great to see so many Bulls step up to help their team to a dramatic win.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 6, Mississippi Braves 4

A late bullpen collapse made this one scary, but a great start from Matt Buschmann and a couple key tack-on runs by the Biscuits offense made sure the Montgomery won nevertheless. Buschmann lowered his ERA on the season to 2.69 as he went 7 innings allowing no runs on 4 hits, striking out 3 while walking 1. He ran into a couple of bad starts after an outstanding start to the year, but suddenly he is right back on track. Had to be nice for Buschmann to get four early runs of support, with Kyeong Kang lacing a 3-run double in the first inning before Robby Price drilled a solo homer in the 2nd, and while Buschmann didn’t need nearly that much the Biscuits as a whole certainly did after Andrew Bellatti allowed 4 runs in the 8th. Mikie Mahtook and Cameron Seitzer had RBI hits in the 7th to put the game out of reach and prevent the 4 runs in the 8th from making a difference. Kevin Kiermaier, Shawn O’Malley, and Mahtook all had multiple hits for the Biscuits in the victory.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 2, Palm Beach Cardinals 1

What a difference a year makes for Roberto Gomez. After managing an incredible 2.48 ERA at Low-A Bowling Green last season, Gomez’s ERA stood at 6.85 entering his start on Tuesday. But while Gomez’s run from last season is over, it doesn’t mean that he still can’t be an effective pitcher, and against the Cardinals he showed just how good he can be. Gomez was perfect through 3.2 IP before hitting Stephen Piscotty and still had a no-hitter through 5, allowing only a walk in the 5th. In the 6th, though, a Juan Castillo to begin the inning finally ended it, but Gomez still wasn’t done, getting a double play to get out of the inning before working a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th. There was one issue: the Stone Crabs hadn’t scored him a single run. That finally changed in the 8th as Kes Carter and Jake Hager came through with two-out RBI singles to make it 2-0 Stone Crabs. Things got tighter in the bottom of the inning after Gomez departed following a second hit batsman and Lenny Linsky allowed an RBI double to Castillo. But Linsky was able to get out of the inning and work a perfect 9th to finish off Charlotte’s 2-1 win. Gomez was unbelievable, going 7.1 innings allowing 1 run on just 1 hit, striking out 4 while walking 1. His ERA is still just 6.19, but he now has gone 7 strong innings in his last two starts and he is finally getting himself together. Linsky allowed just 1 hit in the final 1.2 innings with 1 strikeout for the save as he finished off the 2-hitter. Certainly upsetting that Linsky allowed that double, but he continued his huge bounce-back year from a shoulder injury, lowering his ERA to 2.17 with a 24-9 strikeout to walk ratio in 29 IP. On the offensive side, Carter had 3 hits and Hager and Drew Vettleson each had 2, and luckily they were able to come through with a pair of runs in the nick of time to get Gomez and the Stone Crabs the win.