The Undercards: Bulls Offense Explodes for 13

An ugly win is still a win. An ugly loss drives you insane. The latter was the case for the Rays on Tuesday as they blew a 5-1 lead to the Angels and lost 6-5. In minor league action, the results were mixed, but there was one big thing in common: ugly baseball.

Triple-A International League: Durham Bulls 13, Charlotte Knights (CHW) 6

If you like offense, this game was for you. For you fans of pitching, that’s not so much the case. Matt Buschmann started and was not at his best for Durham, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits in 5 innings, striking out 3 while walking 2. Luckily, the Bulls lineup made sure his performance held up. Brandon Guyer‘s broken finger healed much faster than expected and he felt great for Durham on Tuesday, going 3 for 5 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. But despite such a big day, he was only a small part of the equation. Kevin Kiermaier went 3 for 5 with a triple, a double, an RBI, 2 stolen bases and 2 runs scored, Tim Beckham went 3 for 5 with a double, 2 RBI, 2 stolen bases, and 3 runs scored, Cole Figueroa went 3 for 4 with a double, a walk, 3 RBI, a stolen base, and 3 runs scored, and Jason Bourgeois and Chris Gimenez both had 2 hits and 2 RBI as well. Kiermaier just keeps getting better as his time with the Bulls goes on, managing a .292/.367/.487 line with 7 doubles, 6 triples, a homer, 13 RBI, and 7 of 7 stolen bases in 32 games. He’s hitting .424 in his last 10.

Double-A Southern League: Montgomery Biscuits 8, Jacksonville Suns (MIA) 6

Games don’t get much crazier than this. Juan Sandoval allowed 3 runs in the 8th to turn a 4-3 Biscuits lead into a 6-4 deficit, but key hits by Delmon Young, Curt Casali, and Cameron Seitzer led to 4 runs as the Biscuits won 8-6. Marquis Fleming had a nice start, going 5.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, striking out 8 while walking none and forcing a 6-2 groundout to flyout ratio. He allowed all 3 runs in his final 2.2 innings, but that’s not surprising given that he was a reliever his entire career until a few weeks ago. Now let’s get to the offense. Curt Casali went 3 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 RBI, and a run scored, Shawn O’Malley went 3 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored, Seitzer wetn 2 for 4 with a walk and an RBI, Young went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored, and Ryan Brett went 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 RBI, a stolen base, and 2 runs scored. Casali just refuses to slow down, not being Ted Willams anymore but still hitting .324 in his last 10 games.

High-A Florida State League: St. Lucie Mets 4, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2

Grayson Garvin didn’t get any help at all from his teammates in this one. Not only did they get him little run support, but horrific defense cost him big-time. Garvin went 3.2 innings allowing 4 runs, none earned, on 4 hits, striking out 1 while walking 1. Garvin allowed 2 unearned runs each in the 1st and 2nd innings. He did allow an RBI double to Rylan Sandoval in the 1st, so that was completely his fault even if it was unearned, but the second inning saw the Mets deliver two RBI singles, both of which never left the infield. What can Garvin do about that? At least he pitched strongly the rest of his outing, continuing to progress as he moves past Tommy John Surgery. Jared Mortensen tossed the rest of the game for Charlotte and was pretty incredible, going 4.1 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits, striking out 7 while walking 1. He still hasn’t allowed a run in his first 13.1 High-A innings, striking out 12 while walking 4. In terms of the offense, it was all Willie Argo as he slammed 2 solo home runs, doubling his season total in the process. Argo always had some power that he couldn’t tap into–is this game a curiosity or a turning point?