The Undercards: Incredible Day for Rays Continues in Minors

The Rays had an extremely gratifying day on Tuesday as Sam Fuld returned, Joe Maddon talked about Evan Longoria beginning to rehab over the next week, the Rays won with Jeremy Hellickson pitching very well, and finally the Rays acquiring infielder Ryan Roberts from the Diamondbacks. Those are the Rays headlines from Tuesday, but the Rays’ minor league affiliates had themselves a day as well, going a perfect 5-0.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 10, Gwinnett Braves 8

Little pitching to be found in this one, but the Bulls’ offense stepped up to came away with the win. Alex Torres and Braves top prospect Julio Teheran matched up in this one, but the result was runs aplenty. Torres lasted just 2.1 innings allowing 5 runs on just 2 hits (!), striking out 5 while walking 6. Teheran allowed 6 runs on 8 hits in 3.1 innings. The bullpens were a little better as the Bulls’ ‘pen allowed 5 runs in 6.2 innings versus 4 runs in 5.2 innings for the Braves.  The big lift for the Bulls was 3 shutout innings by Frank De Los Santos from the 6th to the 8th. So, how did the Bulls get all those runs? Cole Figueroa had a big day from the 9th hole, going 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and a run scored, Will Rhymes went 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, and 3 RBI, Tim Beckham went 3 for 4 with a double, a stolen base, and 3 runs scored, Rich Thompson went 3 for 6 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored, Jesus Feliciano went 2 for 5 with a double, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Leslie Anderson went 2 for 5 with a walk, an RBI, and a runs scored.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 2, Jackson Generals (SEA) 0

The Biscuits and Generals were locked in a scoreless game for 7 innings, but the Biscuits were able to put something together against the Jackson bullpen and that was enough to win. Alex Colome went 7 sharp innings, allowing no runs on 4 hits, striking out 6 while walking 3, posting a great 10-3 groundout to flyout ratio. Brandon Maurer matched him with 7 innings of 4-hit shutout ball, striking out 8 while walking 2. But the Biscuits came up with an unearned run in the 8th before Brett Nommensen slammed a solo homer in the 9th to take a 2-0 lead, and Marquis Fleming and Chris Rearick tossed a shutout inning each to nail down the victory. Nommensen went 2 for 4 in the game, while Ty Morrison and Shawn O’Malley each went 1 for 3 with a walk, with O’Malley scoring the unearned run.

High-A Florida State League: Charlotte Stone Crabs 6, Ft. Myers Miracle (MIN) 5 (11 innings)

This game was wild. The Stone Crabs first led 2-0, then fell behind 5-2, then tied it at 5 with 3 runs in the 8th and 9th, before getting the winning run in the 11th. Albert Suarez got the start for the Stone Crabs but struggled, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 3.1 innings, striking out 3 while walking 1 but posting a 1-3 groundout to flyout ratio. Matt Nevarez followed with his Charlotte debut after being signed from independent ball, walking 1 in 1.2 shutout innings. Up next was Eliazer Suero, who allowed just a walk in the 6th and 7th, but he allowed a 2-run home run by Angel Morales in the 8th to give Charlotte a 3-run deficit. But the Stone Crabs came up with Hector Guevara double followed by 2 deep flyballs to plate a run in the 8th, and with 2 on and 2 out in the 9th, Robby Price delivered a clutch game-tying 2-run single to send this game into extras. Robi Estrada finally ended it with a walk-off home run in the 11th as the Stone Crabs won 6-5. Alex Koronis tossed 2 shutout innings for the win, while Luke Bailey also had a big day for the Stone Crabs, going 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI.

Short Season-A New York-Penn League: Hudson Valley Renegades 4, Staten Island Yankees 3

Sean Bierman was great as the Renegades surged to their 6th straight win. Bierman went 6 innings allowing just 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 2 while walking none. His groundout to flyout ratio was an incredible 13-2. Bierman had his sinker working to perfection and gave the Renegades one of their best outings of the season. The bullpen made things a little sketchy at the end, although Kris Carlson did strike out 2 in 1.1 perfect innings. On offense, Richie Shaffer had a nice second pro game, going 1 for 3 with 2 RBI, and Marty Gantt went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

Rookie Gulf Coast League: GCL Rays 2, GCL Red Sox 1

As is basically the case going one way or the other in every single GCL game, the GCL Rays got dominant pitching as they hung on for a 2-1 win. Geisel De La Cruz had a good outing, allowing 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1. His strikeout to walk ratio was 4-4, his worst ratio of the season, and yet he got the win. Go figure/that tells you who how much GCL infielders need on their defense. Carlos Cedeno followed with 2 scoreless frames, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out 1, posting a 4-1 groundout to flyout ratio. Luke Goodgion closed it out with 2 shutout innings, striking out 2 while walking 1.In terms of the offense, there was not much to be found on either side, and the GCL Rays got both of their runs in the first inning. Armando Araiza had a huge game, going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI, while Clayton Henning went 2 for 3 with a walk.