The Undercards: Solo Homers Not Enough

Rays affiliates got one homer each in all of their games on Monday night. But every single one was a solo shot and the result was just a 1-3 day.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 2, Louisville Bats (CIN) 1

The Bulls got impressive pitching and seized their few offensive opportunities to coem asway with a Monday night win. Shane Dyer was by no means dominant, but he battled, going 5+ innings allowing 1 run on 7 hits, striking out 4 while walking 1. He would get the win thanks to just enough run support. Leslie Anderson had a first inning RBI single on what would be the Bulls’ only opportunity with runners in scoring position the entire game, and Stephen Vogt hit a 6th inning homer. Bryan Augentstein (2 IP), Dane De La Rosa (1 IP), and Brandon Gomes (1 IP) combined to pitch 4 innings of shutout relief as the Bulls won 2-1. In a rehab game, Desmond Jennings went 1 for 4 with a run scored. He should be back in the big leagues today or tomorrow.

Double-A Southern League: Tennessee Smokies (CHC) 7, Montgomery Biscuits 4

Nothing more embarrassing then a major bullpen collapse. Matt Buschmann was fabulous, going 6 innings allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 3 while walking 1 and posting an 8-3 groundout to flyout ratio, and exited with a 2-1 lead. But unlike the Durham game, where the Bulls’ bullpen was spotless, here they were disastrous. Scott Shuman and Frank De Los Santos allowed 6 runs in the 7th inning alone and 2 runs in the 8th were not enough as the Biscuits fell 7-4. Hak-Ju Lee had a great game, going 2 for 4 with his first homer of the season and his 15th stolen base, while Tyler Bortnick went 3 for 3. But the performance of the bullpen here has to leave us shaking our heads.

High-A Florida State League: Dunedin Blue Jays 9, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2

This one got out of hand in the 5th, when the Blue Jays tallied 5 runs. C.J. Riefenhauser struggled, allowing 6 runs on just 4 hits in 4.1 innings as he struck out 7 but walked 5. The one good sign in this game was a solo homer by the rehabbing Brandon Allen.

Low-A  Midwest League: Dayton Dragons (CIN) 6, Bowling Green Hot Rods 2

This game was noteworthy in multiple ways, one positive and one negative. Unfortunately, it marked the first home series that the Hot Rods have lost all season, but the good news is that it was Parker Markel‘s first 4 inning start since April 23rd after he was shut down with arm trouble. Markel was not good, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits in his 4 innings, striking out 1 while walking none and posting a 6-5 groundout to flyout ratio, but it’s progress. The Hot Rods got just 5 hits in this game but two were by Ryan Brett, who went 2 for 3 with a solo homer, his 5th of the season in 47 games, after just 3 in 61 games in 2012. Jake Hager also went 1 for 3 with a double and the other run scored.