Tampa Bay Rays: Triangle Offense, Indy Week

Durham Bulls pound Gwinnett Braves: Not kidding

Adam Sobsey — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 07:00:00 -0400

DBAP/DURHAM—"The Bulls are not kidding around right now," a dad explained to his very young son during the top of the seventh inning of Durham's 9-1 trouncing of the Gwinnett Braves. Braves' designated hitter Barbaro Canizares had just hit a ball to rather deep right field, where Justin Ruggiano hauled it in without much trouble.…

Johnson's bat, Rodriguez' arm spark Durham Bulls in another rout

Mike Potter — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:12:29 -0400

Dan Johnson gave the Durham Bulls a jump start in the fourth inning as the International League’s hottest team routed the host Charlotte Knights for the second straight day.

Johnson’s three-run homer broke a scoreless tie, sparking the Bulls to an 11-0 victory at Knights Stadium in the second of a four-game, two-city series.…

Alonso hits one out yonder, and Mudcats come back for an emotional win

Mike Potter — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 19:00:12 -0400

FIVE COUNTY STADIUM/ZEBULON The Carolina Mudcats continue their opening homestand looking for some success against the Montgomery Biscuits, who are currently atop for Southern League’s South Division.
It’s the finale of the five-game series against the Biscuits, Double-A affiliates of the Tampa Bay Rays, who are 3-1 so far in the set.

The Mudcats are two games behind the Tennessee Smokies, who will arrive in Zebulon on Monday, in the North Division race.…

Mudcats start slow, drop third straight game

Mike Potter — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 23:38:00 -0400

John Matulia homered and doubled for four RBI, leading the Montgomery Biscuits to an 8-4 win over the Carolina Mudcats at Five County Stadium.
Montgomery had 13 hits to six for the Mudcats, who lost their second straight in their home-opening series and third straight game overall.

Drew Anderson had four hits while Greg Sexton was 3-for-4 with two doubles for Montgomery.…

Durham Bulls lose to parent-club Tampa Bay Rays at DBAP: Notes from an Exhibition

Adam Sobsey — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 09:50:46 -0400

DBAP/DURHAM—-Before we get into what happened on Saturday, hey—-baseball's back! I'll have a season preview of your International League and Triple-A National Champion Durham Bulls in the April 14 print edition of the Triangle Offense mothership, the Independent Weekly.…

Durham Bulls Beat Memphis Redbirds in extra innings, win Triple-A Championship

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:00:50 -0400

ESPN 2---And that's that: the Durham Bulls took a 4-0 lead early, squandered it in the middle, and got help at the end to beat the Memphis Redbirds, 5-4, in 11 innings and claim the Triple-A Championship. It's kind of amazing, really.…

Durham Bulls throttle Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Yankees, take 2-0 lead in Governor's Cup series

Adam Sobsey — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:00:08 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---Fans who came out to see the last home game of the Durham Bulls' 2009 season---2,480 of you, officially---got a bit of a bonus. Last night's 4-1 Durham win was basically two separate games: first, a three-inning tune-up for a pair of recuperating starting pitchers, followed by the real deal, when the two teams' tenured players faced off for six taut innings of playoff baseball.…

Louisville Bats even International League playoff series with Durham Bulls, 1-1

Adam Sobsey — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 04:00:40 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---The luck bubbles were still blowing for the Durham Bulls in the first inning of last night's 5-2 loss to the Louisville Bats. They had gotten a healthy spray of good fortune in Game One: four errors by the Bats, which helped score three Durham runs (plus, the Bulls' three errors didn't figure in any of Louisville's four runs); and some well-placed, softly struck hits.…

Bulls on the Move: Dale Thayer to Tampa; Wade Davis staying there

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:48:26 -0400

Case in point: not long after I went all Heisenberg in yesterday's playoff preview of the series between the Durham Bulls and the Louisville Bats---cautioning readers about the transitory and frankly inscrutable nature of Triple-A rosters---the Tampa Bay Rays read what I wrote and decided to have a little more fun with us and/or do something to shore up their collapsing bullpen, which wilted again and let down David Price last night. They recalled Dale Thayer (pictured, pre-mustache), and as I was already wondering aloud here the other day, what took them so long?…

Durham Bulls fall to Norfolk Tides, finish record-tying season; playoffs ahead; Chris Richard called up to big leagues

Adam Sobsey — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:00:06 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---I thought it was cute that second baseman Henry Mateo was penciled in at first base in this afternoon's season finale, a 4-3, 10-inning loss to Norfolk. Mateo had played there once before, on August 23, although he moved back to his natural position at second base when rehabbing Akinori Iwamura left the game early, as scheduled.…

Durham Bulls edge Norfolk Tides, coast toward regular-season finish line

Adam Sobsey — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:00:08 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---There's a tacit understanding among ballplayers regarding season-ending series. If the postseason is all settled, the deal is this: the pitchers throw strikes, the hitters swing at them; you avoid long at-bats; you avoid injuries, too, by staying out of collisions on the basepaths; you try to decide games quickly and painlessly---and with a bonhomie that revolves around mutual good sportsmanship.…

Durham Bulls down Norfolk Tides, win third straight division title

Adam Sobsey — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:00:15 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---Shortly before game time last night, a debate broke out in the press box about the Bulls' "magic number" for clinching the International League South Division title. The Bulls were two games ahead of Gwinnett going into the game, so it seemed initially that, with three games to play, it would take any combination of Durham wins and Gwinnett losses totaling two to seal the deal.…

Durham Bulls clobber Charlotte Knights, clinch playoff spot: Desmond Jennings goes 7-7!

Adam Sobsey — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:00:17 -0400

It has happened twice in the history of major-league baseball. Rennie Stennett of the Pittsburgh Pirates did it in 1975---with someone else's bat, no less---and Wilbert Robinson did it, too, way back in 1892, when balls were made out of the hides of woolly mammoths and bats from the tusks.…

Durham Bulls blank Charlotte Knights, retake division lead

Adam Sobsey — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:00:02 -0400

And just like that, right after a pair of ugly losses at home to their division rivals, the Bulls got healthy last night against the desperately depleted Charlotte Knights, 9-0. I didn't recognize any of the last four names in the Knights' lineup; they were all callups and patches on a roster that has been gutted by the parent club and Team USA.…

Durham Bulls lose to Gwinnett Braves, split series: together now, very minor

Adam Sobsey — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:00:33 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---First things first: the "mystery" fifth Bull promoted to Tampa was none other than last night's starter, Wade Davis, Charlie Montoyo said after the Durham Bulls' 10-2 loss to Gwinnett. You can finally get some sleep!…

Gwinnett Braves sink Durham Bulls: Meteorology

Adam Sobsey — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:00:47 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---The weather changed abruptly yesterday. At game time Sunday we were still in the sweaty languor of late summer, but the heat and sun fell out of the sky overnight.…

Jeremy Hellickson, Durham Bulls blank Gwinnett Braves, extend division lead

Adam Sobsey — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:00:06 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---Yesterday I threatened to need an infinite number of words to describe Durham's surreal, 10-9, 14-inning win over Gwinnett. Today, I could do it in two: Jeremy Hellickson.…

Durham Bulls rally for amazing, 14-inning win over Gwinnett Braves: infinite monkeys, infinite improbability

Adam Sobsey — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 06:00:51 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---You've probably heard of the Infinite Monkey Theorem, which "states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare."

If you apply the Infinite Monkey Theorem to baseball, you'll get something like the Durham Bulls' 10-9, 14-inning win over Gwinnett last night. It's unlikely that a monkey will type Hamlet, but it's also inevitable, in infinite time.…

Durham Bulls extend affiliation with Tampa Bay Rays, release 2010 schedule (with goodies!)

Adam Sobsey — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:46:02 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---Old-school friends of mine will sometimes show their age by betraying surprise at discovering that the Durham Bulls are no longer an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. I can sort of forgive them that outdated conception; after all, the Bulls-Braves partnership lasted 18 years.…

Durham Bulls mop, sweep Norfolk Tides; also, Rays cede Kazmir to Pakistanaheim

Adam Sobsey — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:00:40 -0400

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Maybe we misspelled his name when we Googled him"][/caption]There's often not too much to say about 11-2 routs like last night's. The Bulls took an early lead and then systematically enlarged it, unimpeded by a 54-minute rain delay that ended starter Wade Davis's night early.…

It ends how it began: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees pound Durham Bulls (also: Fernando's back!)

Adam Sobsey — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:00:24 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---A few days ago, Bulls right fielder Matt Joyce lost a fly ball in the lights, but finally spotted it just in time to make the catch. After the game, he talked about the helpless feeling that overcomes an outfielder when that happens, and he recalled a similar play in the majors last year, when he lost a ball hit by the Twins' Joe Mauer in the notorious Bermuda Triangle of the Minneapolis Metrodome's lights and ceiling.…

You can't spell 'bullpen' without B-U-L-L: Durham Bulls' relief staff throttles Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees

Adam Sobsey — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:00:48 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---Bulls' manager Charlie Montoyo occasionally bemoans how much he's forced to use his bullpen. It comes with the territory of managing a minor-league team, of course.…

Durham Bulls hang on against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: loose ends

Adam Sobsey — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:00:37 -0400

DBAP/ DURHAM---This was one of those games that seemed like it was over early. In the third inning, down 1-0 on Juan Miranda's second homer in as many nights (and hit to nearly the same place), five consecutive Bulls reached base against Scranton's Kei Igawa before Igawa recorded an out.…

Bulls on the Move: Brignac to Tampa, Hughes to... Baltimore?

Adam Sobsey — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:33:33 -0400

The callup of Reid Brignac to Tampa was expected. Rays' designated hitter Pat Burrell hurt his neck again, which means more time at DH for Jason Bartlett and Ben Zobrist, both of whom play a lot of middle infield.…

Durham Bulls beat Gwinnett Braves, salvage last game of series

Adam Sobsey — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:00:57 -0400

Leave it to the Bulls to get their only win of this grim series against the Braves by overcoming a two-time major-league All-Star. Rehabbing Atlanta pitcher Tim Hudson wasn't anything like the victim in last night's 9-5 Durham win, but he didn't shut the Bulls down either, permitting five hits and two runs in four innings before departing after reaching what I assume was a predetermined pitch-count limit.…