The Undercards: Wil Myers Delivers Go-Ahead Hit in 9th as Bulls Beat Knights

The Rays traded for Wil Myers because they know he can be that player who you want coming to the plate with 2 outs in the 9th with your team down a run. It was a tie game in Durham on Monday night, but Rays fans got a taste of Myers being precisely that player as he led to the Bulls to victory.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 6, Charlotte Knights (CHW) 3

It was the type of game summary the Rays want to hear at the major league level later this year: Chris Archer was sharp and Wil Myers laced a go-ahead 2-run single with 2 outs in the 9th as the Bulls beat the Knights 6-3. Archer was not at his best but delivered a solid outing, going 5 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 6 while walking 3 and forcing a 7-2 groundout to flyout ratio. He departed with the Bulls ahead 3-2 after RBI singles by Leslie Anderson and Mike Fontenot and a run-scoring groundout off the bat of Jason Bourgeois, but Will Inman blew the lead in the 6th and the game was tied 3-3 entering the 9th. In the final frame, the Bulls had the bases loaded with 2 outs as Wil Myers stepped to the plate. And with Durham needing him to deliver, Myers came through with exactly what they needed, drilling a 2-run single to make it 5-3 before Anderson padded the lead with an RBI single. Josh Lueke struck out the side in the bottom of the inning working around a hit and a walk, and 6-3 would be the final as the Bulls blew a 3-0 lead but rallied in the 9th to win it. Myers had a very promising game for Durham, not only drilling the big single but also drawing 2 walks, Anderson and Fontenot both went 2 for 4 with a walk, and Tim Beckham also had an encouraging game after his rough start to the season, going 1 for 2 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Back to Myers, he’s emulated his MLB counterpart Evan Longoria by not slamming a home run yet (although Longoria finally got his first on Monday), but he has managed a .297/.417/.351 line with 2 doubles, 9 RBI, and a great 11-9 strikeout to walk ratio in 10 games as he’s done a great job working on his plate discipline so far and now looks to get his power stroke going as he makes his final adjustments before ascending to the major leagues.

Double-A Southern League: Mobile BayBears (ARI) 13, Montgomery Biscuits 10

The Biscuits were down 11-0 and 13-3 various points in this game, but their valiant comeback fell short as Mobile won 13-10. Jake Thompson had an outing to forget for Montgomery, allowing 7 runs on 11 hits in 4 innings, and the bullpen was not much better to put the Biscuits to too large a hole to dig themselves out of. Todd Glaesmann was huge to the Biscuits’ comeback efforts, going 3 for 5 with a homer, a double, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored, and Mikie Mahtook broke his tough stretch to begin the year by going 2 for 5 with a homer, a double, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored.

High-A Florida State League: St. Lucie Mets 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3

A horrific 6-run 6th ruined the day for Parker Markel and the Stone Crabs as they jumped ahead 3-0 but fell 6-3. Marker had a no-hitter through 5 innings, but that came crashing down violently in the 6th as the Mets got him for 6 runs on 5 hits capped by a Dustin Lawley 2-run home run. The disastrous 6th obviously overshadowed just how well Markel was pitching beforehand, but hopefully Markel can take the positives from his outing. Markel did strike out 5 while walking 2 in his 5.2 IP. On the offensive side, Hector Guevara slammed a first inning home run, Curt Casali went 2 for 4 with a run scored, and Taylor Motter went 1 for 2 with a double, a walk, and an RBI, but this game completely reversed course as Mets pitching held Charlotte to just one hit after the 3rd inning.