The Undercards: Ryan Brett Laces 5 Hits in Montgomery Biscuits Loss

There is no worse feeling than when you do everything you can to help your team and your teammates give you nothing. That was not entirely true for Ryan Brett and the Montgomery Biscuits on Monday, but it is also not so far off.

Triple-A International League: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders (NYY) 10, Durham Bulls 8 (13 innings)

Wilson Betemit drilled a 2-run homer in the 9th to send this game into extra innings, but honestly it’s amazing that the Bulls made it that far. Nate Karns started and struggled again, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings. He entered the start with an 8.10 ERA and managed to raise it. The Rays need him to get on track, and that is not happening right now. Doug Mathis then allowed 2 runs in just a third of an inning and before the end of the game, Juan Sandoval had allowed a run in a 2-inning stint and Steve Geltz had given up 2 runs in 1.2 innings to lose the Bulls the game.

To begin the positives, lefties Jeff Beliveau and Adam Liberatore combined for 3.1 innings allowing just 2 hits and a walk while striking out 7. Then at the plate, every Bull had a hit but only three had more than one. Justin Christian went 3 for 7 with a stolen base and 3 runs scored, Cole Figueroa went 3 for 5 with a triple, 3 RBI, and a run scored, and Mikie Mahtook went 2 for 3 with a triple, a walk, and an RBI. Jerry Sands went just 1 for 6, but he stole his first base of the year and also delivered two outfield assists. Figueroa, Mahtook, and Sands give Durham three batters hitting above .315, and Figueroa has his average up to .355 after a trio of multi-hit games.

Double-A Southern League: Jacksonville Suns (MIA) 4, Montgomery Biscuits 3

The Biscuits actually drilled 13 hits in this game. But in an almost unbelievable turn of events, 8 of those came from just 2 players and 10 of them from just three. Ryan Brett went 5 for 5 with a triple, a double, an RBI, and a run scored to shoulder the bulk of the load. He has a .439 average in his last 10 games to raise his average to .348 overall. That’s one way to follow up a breakout season. Joey Rickard scored both of the runs that Brett drove in, going 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Cameron Seitzer went 2 for 3 with the third RBI. And that was basically it. You won’t find a more polarized offensive game than this–Brett, Rickard, and Seitzer went 10 for 12, every else went 3 for 25.

On the mound, Matt Neil struck out 5 while walking none in 4 innings but allowed 3 runs on 4 hits. He’s off to an interesting start in the organization, managing a 13-1 strikeout to walk ratio in his first 11.1 IP but just a 4.76 ERA. Jim Patterson followed with 2 shutout innings, striking out 4, but Bryce Stowell allowed a run in the 8th that proved to be the difference.

High-A Florida State League: St. Lucie Mets 7, Charlotte Stone Crabs 3

Hard to find too many highlights for Charlotte in this game, which was most notable because Patrick Leonard‘s 11-game hit streak was snapped. Jeff Ames started and was decent in an abbreviated outing, allowing 1 run on 4 hits in 3 innings. Bruedlin Suero was not decent in the second half of the start, allowing 5 runs in 3 innings of work. At the plate, Maxx Tissenbaum and Leonardo Reginatto had nice games at the plate, both going 2 for 4. Tissenbaum had a triple and a run scored while Reginatto had an RBI. Tissenbaum has hit .286 while getting work at catcher for the first time in his career. The Rays have other catchers, but Tissenbaum might be the super-utility player the Rays have been waiting for: one that can multiple positions and even be a backup catcher.