Triple-A International League: Louisville Bats (CIN) 5, Durham Bulls 1

Alex Colome was solid, but Greg Reynolds for Louisville was better as the Bulls fell 5-1. Colome went 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 while walking 2 and managing a 7-3 groundout to flyout ratio. It certainly was not his best outing, but it was nice to see him have a solid performance after suffering a letdown in his first Triple-A start following his scintillating MLB debut. Reynolds went 8 innings allowing just 1 run for Louisville. But even as Reynolds pitched great, a few different Bulls had his number. Wil Myers just cannot be stopped right now and went 1 for 3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored in this one, Tim Beckham went 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Jesus Flores went 2 for 3. The Rays said that they wanted Myers to work on his baserunning, and that seems to be going extremely well as he has stolen 4 bases in his last 4 games. For some perspective, Myers stole 4 bases in his previous 95 games before this streak.

Double-A Southern League: Huntsville Stars (MIL) 7, Montgomery Biscuits 1

The issue with homer-robbing catches is that even the best outfielders can only make a few of them. When you’re allowing a lot of hard-hit balls, you’re in trouble. Between a tough outing from Merrill Kelly (4 IP, 6 ER) and a non-existent offense, the Biscuits got clobbered on Sunday. But boy did Mikie Mahtook look good. He had a nice day at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. And then in the 5th inning, he did this.

Wow. Mahtook’s prospect stock has declined significantly the past couple of years, but a few games like this and everything will change. He’s still an extremely athletic outfielder with power and speed, and you never know if a catch like that could start a good run for him.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 9, Lake County Captains (CLE) 1

Want some hope for Matt Moore? Look no further than Taylor Guerrieri in Low-A. Guerrieri got hit hard in a couple straight starts after dominating previously, allowing 10 runs on 14 hits in 10 innings, but on Sunday he was pretty much back to normal to help lead Bowling Green to victory. Guerrieri went 6 innings allowing no runs on 3 hits, managing just a 2-2 strikeout to walk ratio but forcing 13 groundout and just 2 flyouts. Great to see Guerrieri get right back on track and hopefully Moore can soon do the same. And looking at the score, Guerrieri did quite a bit of run support in this one. Justin O’Conner had a big game, going 1 for 3 with a homer, 2 walks, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, Tommy Coyle went 2 for 4 with a homer, a double, 2 RBI, and 3 runs scored, and Leonardo Reginatto went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Coyle has half of his season’s home run total (4) in his last 3 games, but the most impressive player right now has to be O’Conner. The Rays have been waiting for a long time for O’Conner to break through and maybe now it’s finally happening. In his last 10 games, O’Conner has a .306/.419/.528 line with 2 homers, 2 doubles, 6 RBI, and a 10-6 strikeout to walk ratio. It’s only 10 games, but in terms of contact, plate discipline, and power, everything is coming together, and maybe this streak can last.

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.

Triple-A International League: Toledo Mud Hens (DET) 9, Durham Bulls 7

Durham fans attending the game as the Bulls took on Toledo got to see two of the Rays’ top prospects: Chris Archer and Wil Myers. Unfortunately, only one of them had a good game. Archer had a rough outing, going 5 innings allowing 6 runs, 5 earned, on 7 hits, striking out 6 while walking 2 but allowing 3 home runs. Myers, on the other hand, slammed his second home run of the season as part of a 2 for 4 day, also walking and driving in 2. Much has been made of the fact that Myers hasn’t hit for much power to begin the year, but why does that matter when his slash line is .338/.440/.515? Vince Belnome also slammed a 2-run home run, and Brandon Guyer went 1 for 3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Mike Fontenot went 1 for 2 with a double and 2 RBI, but he has to leave the game with hamstring tightness and you have to hope he will be OK. Durham’s offense was great in this game, and it was simply bad luck that their offense clicked right when Archer had a rare poor outing.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 11, Birmingham Barons (CHW) 3

A lot of reasons for the Biscuits to smile in this one as their entire team delivered a game to remember. Jake Thompson had been terrible his last couple times out for Montgomery, but he showed flashes in this one, going 4 innings allowing just 2 unearned runs on 5 hits, striking out 6 while walking 2. His pitch count got up to 94 in just those 4 innings so clearly there is more work to be done, but it certainly was a step in the right direction. Another pitcher who had struggled, Zachary Quate, tossed 1.1 perfect innings, while Marquis Fleming allowed just 1 hit in 1.1 innings, striking out 3. But given the 11 runs  the Biscuits put up, we have to talk about the offense. In this game, it really wasn’t a case of the Biscuits killing the ball–they scored 11 runs on just 10 hits and only 2 hits went for extra bases. The key was that they went 6 for 14 with runners in scoring position, seizing their opportunities and finding a way to pull away in the game. The two big hitters in the game for the Biscuits were Cameron Seitzer and Kevin Kiermaier, and what games they had as Seitzer went 4 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI and Kiermaier went 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 stolen bases, 2 RBI, and 4 runs scored. Shawn O’Malley also slammed a 2-run home run, his first of the season. It’s cool to see a lot of home runs and and extra-base hits, but this offensive effort by the Biscuits was made even more satisfying by all the clutch they came up with, making this win especially nice.

High-A Florida State League: Fort Myers Miracle (MIN) 5, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3

Frustrating game for the Stone Crabs overall, but there were several positives to harp on even as they lost 5-3 to the Miracle. Ryan Carpenter got the start for Charlotte and got hit hard, going 4 innings allowing 4 runs, 3 earned, on 8 hits, striking out 4 while walking 4. Eliazer Suero proceeded to allow 1 run on 3 hits in 3 innings of relief, striking out 4 while walking none as well, before Nate Garcia finished the game in perfect fashion, tossing 2 spotless frames with 3 strikeouts. Overall in the game, the Stone Crabs allowed 5 runs on 12 hits but struck out 10 while walking none. On the hitting side, the Stone Crabs actually saw 8 of the 9 players in the lineup collect at least one hit, with the only exception being a rehabbing Luke Scott. Richie Shaffer slammed a solo home run in the 8th inning, his second of the season, and the Rays hope that the home run will be what gets him going as he has hit just .200 so far this season. Kes Carter and Curt Casali both went 2 for 4 in the game, with Carter doubling and scoring a run. The Stone Crabs were a solid 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position, but it wasn’t enough as they received poor pitching and punchless hitting on their way to a 5-3 loss.

Low-A Midwest League: Bowling Green Hot Rods 4, Burlington Bees 2

Dylan Floro went 5 strong innings and Tommy Coyle carried the Hot Rods offense as Bowling Green emerged victorious 4-2. Floro continued his great start to the season and to his pro career as a whole, going 5 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits, striking out 4 while walking none and posting a 7-2 groundout to flyout ratio. His sinker had a great life at the bottom of the zone to go along with a good changeup, and the result was another great outing. Marcus Jensen followed by allowing 1 run on 3 hits in 3 innings of work before Matthew Ramsey struck out 2 in a perfect 9th for the save. In terms of the run support, this game was the Tommy Coyle show as he went 3 for 3 with a home run, a triple, a walk, and a run scored right at the top of the lineup. Andrew Toles went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored while Leonardo Reginatto went 1 for 3 with a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored. The Hot Rods didn’t do much at the plate, but with Coyle and others stepping up, they came up with 4 runs and that made all the difference. Their pitching was great, but baseball is a game determined by who scores the most runs by the end of the game, and luckily in this one, it was the Hot Rods.