Adam Sobsey ·
4 Jul 2009, 10:21 AM ·
4 Comments
SCROLL DOWN FOR AN UPDATE.
When Dave Myers said after last night’s game that a move would be made in order to free up roster space for newly-arrived reliever John Meloan, I figured it would involve another pitcher. But that was just narrow, apples-and-apples thinking on my part. Instead, corner infielder Chris Nowak (pictured) was sent down to Montgomery, which makes some sense: with first baseman Rhyne Hughes hammering Triple-A pitching since his callup from Double-A, Nowak was essentially reduced to platooning at third base with Ray Olmedo. Those two have freakishly similar hitting numbers, but Olmedo can also play the middle infield and even the outfield in a pinch; so even though he has a team-high 11 errors, I guess the thinking was that you need a guy who can make them all over the diamond—a futility infielder (sorry).
It’s also possible that Nowak’s demotion is part of a Rubik’s Cube-style move that will eventually yield the return of Elliot Johnson, who has been rehabbing his broken thumb down in the Class-A Gulf Coast League. It should be said, though, that Johnson has barely played any third base. As for Nowak, he stands to see more at-bats in Montgomery with Hughes gone, and he may very well be back in Durham later in the season.
In any case, as it stands now Olmedo, who is a shortstop by trade, is really the only player on the roster with any legitimate experience at the hot corner—and the difficult, clutch fielding play he made there last night probably makes the Bulls feel good about leaving him there. I usually regret guessing about this stuff, because I nearly always turn out to be wrong, but at the moment I can’t think of how anyone but Olmedo will play third base for the Bulls until further notice, unless backup catcher Craig Albernaz can fill in. (He played second base in an emergency earlier this season, so why not third, too?)
Or maybe Evan Longoria just really, really misses Durham. We can always dream, right?
*** UPDATE, 4:45 PM ***
Dang, I was sorta right: a wedge was indeed being formed for Elliot Johnson to rush through, but it required a pair of blockers. While Chris Nowak boards the Montgomery Express, reliever Calvin Medlock heads the opposite direction (at least geographically, maybe—well, just keep reading) to the short-season Hudson Valley Renegades.
Some may raise eyebrows at this (by “raise eyebrows” I mean “scream, ‘OMFG, Jorge Julio is STAYING??’”), as Medlock was one of the Bulls’ better bullpen options during his nearly month-long tour of duty. But keep two things in mind: 1) Medlock really was a stopgap while other holes were drilled and then filled, which is a standing orthodontic appointment for the Bulls’ relief staff, and he almost certainly wasn’t expected to stay all that long; 2) as we’ve seen with Alex Jamieson, “assigned to Hudson Valley” can be a euphemism for “staying right here with the Bulls and waiting for an injury/callup/alien abduction to necessitate his immediate services again.” Given the innumerable bullpen moves we’ve already seen this year, another one may come anytime; if that happens, Medlock could be at the ready to take off the uniform-covering sweatshirt and start getting loose at a moment’s notice.
So all in all, it’s Elliot Johnson for Chris Nowak, and John Meloan for Calvin Medlock. Turns out it was an apple for an apple and a durian for a durian, after all. I mean, let’s face it: if it smells like a durian, it’s a durian.
Baseball, Durham Bulls Bulls on the Move, Calvin Medlock, Chris Nowak, Durian, Elliot johnson, Ray Olmedo, Rhyne Hughes
Adam Sobsey ·
4 Jul 2009, 5:00 AM ·
3 Comments
The Brussels Chamber Orchestra played "The Star Spangled Banner" at the DBAP.
DBAP/ DURHAM—Last night at the DBAP, the
Brussels Chamber Orchestra played the National Anthem—from sheet music, no less—before the Bulls’
3-2 victory, their season-high seventh straight. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the BCO’s elegant, classically European performance of the anthem brought down the packed house of 10,652. I had never seen that happen at a baseball game. The heartfelt, sustained ovation was deserved: the BCO’s rendition was the ballpark’s best of the season so far. It took an international, Europe-based collective to do the American tune full justice—and it was superbly miked, I might add. I can’t think of any reason not to tell you to go catch one of their
upcoming concerts in the area. The BCO’s performance set the tone for the evening, and the game that followed matched it: streamlined, clean, with discrete segments and tones. It was something close to Continental baseball.
Continue reading »
Baseball, Durham Bulls Brussels Chamber Orchestra, Charlotte Knights, Dale Thayer, Dave Myers, Jason Childers, Jason Cromer, Joe Bateman, Reid Brignac
Mike Potter ·
4 Jul 2009, 12:27 AM ·
Comment
Travis Wood (pictured) kept up his string of stellar starts for the Carolina Mudcats on Friday night, but after the Chattanooga Lookouts got to the Mudcats’ bullpen they found enough offense to win.
The Lookouts got to Ruben Medina (1-4) for two runs in the seventh, holding on for a 4-3 victory at sold-out AT&T Field to take the current series 4 games to 2.
Wood, who has eight victories and four no-decisions in his last 12 starts, pitched six innings and gave up one earned run with another unearned.
The Mudcats scored two early runs as Todd Frazier scored from third on a balk to tie the score in the second and Jose Castro smacked an RBI triple to knot it at 2-2 in the third.
Chattanooga scratched out two in the seventh off Medina, with a hit batsman and a run-scoring passed ball during the rally. Ramon Nivar’s infield hit to third put the Lookouts up 4-2.
In the ninth, Frazier reached on a bunt single and scored on Carson Kainer’s one-out single to left before Matthew Sartor ended the game by striking out the final two Mudcats batters.
Carolina had four transactions on Friday. Outfielder Michael Griffin was promoted to Louisville, while right-hander Matthew Klinker has come back from Sarasota and utility man Steven Chapman has been promoted from Sarasota. Right-hander Jordan Smith has been placed on the seven-day DL with a strained right elbow.
Carolina returns home tonight at 7:15 for the opener of a four-game series against the Tennessee Smokies, with southpaw Camilo Vazquez (2-1, 5.91) on the hill. A full house is expected for the game, which will followed by a big fireworks show.
Baseball, Carolina Mudcats AT&T Field, Carson Kainer, Chattanooga Lookouts, Cincinnati Reds, Jose Castro, Los Angeles Dodgers, Louisville Bats, Matthew Klinker, Matthew Sartor, Michael Griffin, Ruben Medina, Sarasota Reds, Steven Chapman, Tennessee Smokies, Todd Frazier, Travis Wood
Mike Potter ·
3 Jul 2009, 10:28 PM ·
Comment
COLEMAN FIELD/CARY It’s Game 3 of what has so far been a very lopsided series between the USA National Team and Guatemala.
In Game 1 on Wednesday night in Kannapolis the USA pitching staff combined for 24 strikeouts and then on Thursday night on this field the staff combined for the first official no-hitter in team history.
The crowd is a little bigger on a very pleasantly warm evening at the National Training Complex, perhaps drawn in by the post-game fireworks. And maybe there will be some during the game, too.
The USA is in camo uniforms tonight to celebrate the Independence Day weekend.
To review, this Guatemalan team has a massively wide age range. Infielder Jorge Gutierrez, who came into the game with the Quetzals’ only two hits of the series and isn’t in the starting lineup, is 42 while center fielder Manuel Hernandez is 16.
And once again, I’m the only one in the house representing local media - or in fact any general-circulation publication not specializing in baseball. Baseball America is also on site.
The Americans are batting in the top of the first inning, and it quickly becomes obvious this is like the movie “Groundhog Day” for the overmatched Guatemalans, who are on the way to an 18-0 loss that’s stopped after seven innings. UCLA’s Trevor Bauer (pictured) gets the win. Continue reading »
Baseball, Durham Bulls, USA Baseball Al Yevoli, Baseball America, Bryce Brentz, Cal State-Fullerton, Cary, Christian Colon, Groundhog Day, High Point Panthers, Jorge Gutierrez, Kannapolis, Manuel Hernandez, Mario Cruz, Marlon Claveria, Michael Choice, Middle Tennessee, Rick Jones, San Diego Padres, Sonny Gray, Texas-Arlington, Trevor Bauer, Tulane, UCLA, Vanderbilt
Adam Sobsey ·
3 Jul 2009, 5:30 AM ·
1 Comment
Earl Weaver: "I'll tell you what you can do with your small ball!"
DBAP/ DURHAM—Adepts of that scrappy, hustley, one-base-at-a-time stratagem called Small Ball are able to make a case for it because it looks sportier: Guys stealing bases, laying down sacrifice bunts, putting on the hit-and-run, dirtying their uniforms, and so on. There are certainly occasional moments when Small Ball is a good idea, but the vast majority of the time it isn’t. You can read endless articles about the war between the Small Ballers and the Big Ballers (I’d better stop before this starts to sound vaguely lascivious), so I won’t belabor the schism here; but the empirical evidence—i.e. history—supports the latter, whose philosophy was best summed up by the legendary Baltimore manager Earl Weaver way back in the days that seem comparatively Small Ballish compared to ours: “Pitching, defense and the three-run homer.” But what about bunting? “I have nothing against the bunt—in its place. But most of the time that place is in the bottom of a long-forgotten closet.”
Cue the Durham Bulls. They’ve now hit 20 round-trippers in their last nine games, including three in last night’s 8-6 win over Charlotte. The Bulls have won seven of those nine games, and six straight; it’s the first half-dozen-in-a-row for them since the first six games of the season. They remain unbeaten in the Age of Dave Myers, the hitting coach sitting in for Charlie Montoyo while Montoyo’s son recovers from surgery. If you want to know why the Bulls are winning right now, those homers provide a large portion of the answer; they are the grains, along with doubles, in the food pyramid of offensive nutrition. Or the meat of the Atkins Diet. Either way.
Coupled with Gwinnett’s win over Norfolk, the win extended Durham’s division lead to two games. That’s as far ahead as the Bulls have been since something like late April (please don’t make me try to find the actual date; I’m really begging you). For Gwinnett, which now stands just 2 1/2 games back, it was the second improbable late-inning comeback win in a row. Even more improbable, though, was that their starter was the 37-year-old John Halama, who seemed to be just coming into his prime with the Seattle Mariners during the second Clinton administration.
Anyway, guess what was the biggest play of last night’s Bulls game? If you said a three-run homer, you win a Jon Weber Grill! And last night the Bulls followed most of the rest of the Earl Weaver Formula as well:they got perfect defense, and enough good pitching from Andy Sonnanstine, making his first start for Durham since his relegation to the minors from Tampa. Sonnanstine last pitched at the DBAP in 2007, when he was on his way up rather than down.
Continue reading »
Baseball, Durham Bulls, Tampa Bay Rays Andy Sonnanstine, Charlotte Knights, Chris Richard, Dale Thayer, Dave Myers, Dewon Day, Earl Weaver, John Halama, John Meloan, Jon Weber, Jorge Julio, Justin Ruggiano, Luck, Matt Joyce, Small Ball, Winston Abreu
Mike Potter ·
3 Jul 2009, 1:11 AM ·
Comment
The Carolina Mudcats showed the kind of fight that almost won them the first-half championship Thursday night.
Zack Cozart’s two-run homer in the sixth pulled the Mudcats out of the doldrums, finishing the scoring in a 4-3 victory over the host Chattanooga Lookouts at AT&T Field.
If they can win the finale tonight at 6:15, when ace southpaw Travis Wood (8-3, 1.36) goes against Chattanooga’s J.D. Durbin (0-2, 1.93), they will earn a split of the six-game series.
The Lookouts got to eventual winner Jordan Smith (5-3) for three runs in the first inning.
Todd Frazier then got Carolina on the board in the fourth with his eighth homer of the season.
And in the sixth, Sean Henry tripled and scored on a grounder from Jose Castro before Cozart’s blast - his ninth of the season - put the Mudcats ahead to stay.
The Mudcats, who improved to 3-8 in the second half, return home for their big July 4 celebration game Friday night at 7:15 against the Tennessee Smokies.
Carolina Mudcats Chattanooga Lookouts, Cincinnati Reds, J.D. Durbin, Jordan Smith, Jose Castro, Los Angeles Dodgers, Sean Henry, Southern League, Tennessee Smokies, Todd Frazier, Travis Wood, Zack Cozart
Mike Potter ·
2 Jul 2009, 11:14 PM ·
Comment
COLEMAN FIELD/CARY It’s Game 2 of the USA National Team series against Guatemala, and the main suspense is to see whether or not the visitors can get closer than Wednesday night’s 15-1 loss in Kannapolis.
It’s partly cloudy and warm - temperatures in the high ’80s - and the crowd for this one is pretty sparse.
There are no food freebies for the media tonight. Bummer. At least I’ve called ahead to find out and had a good meal at home with the family.
Already today I’ve been at Durham Bulls Athletic Park to do an interview with a player for a “Top 50 prospects” project for a baseball website.
The Bulls weren’t home on Wednesday either and neither were the Carolina Mudcats, making it one of those rare days since March on which there wasn’t at least one high quality baseball game in the Triangle.
That off-day gave me some time for some serious exploration of Facebook, which I had never bothered to join until last weekend. I’m going to start posting my Indy posts to my page every day, as well as putting them all on Twitter, where I am “mikepotterrdu.”
Guatemala has about the widest age range I have ever seen on a baseball team that plays together regularly. Infilelder Jorge Gutierrez, who got the only two hits on Wednesday, is 42, while center fielder Manuel Hernandez is 16.
And apparently on what turns out to be an historic night, I am the only journalist covering the game for local media (Baseball America is also in the house) as the USA wins 10-0 on the first regular-season no-hitter in team history. UCLA’s Gerrit Cole (pictured), The Citadel’s Asher Wojciechowski, Tulane’s Nick Pepitone and Texas Tech’s Chad Bettis team up for the feat. (The 9-0 win against Canada in 2004 at DBAP was during the team’s “trials” phase.) Continue reading »
Baseball, Carolina Mudcats, Durham Bulls, USA Baseball Andy Wilkins, Arkansas Razorbacks, Asher Wojciechowski, Baseball America, Blake Forsythe, Bryce Brentz, Cal State-Fullerton, Canada, Casey McGrew, Chad Bettis, Christian Colon, Facebook, Follow us on Twitter!, Gerrit Cole, Guatemala, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Jorge Gutierrez, Manuel Hernandez, Middle Tennessee, Nick Pepitone, Rick Jones, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Tech, The Citadel, Trevor Bauer, Tulane, UCLA, Wright State
Kate Shefte ·
2 Jul 2009, 9:07 PM ·
Comment
After weeks of speculation and a surprising amount of media coverage, both of Carolina’s reluctant free agents are back for 2009-2010 and beyond.
I mused that it was JR that was shying away from longer contracts, but perhaps, instead, it’s the players that want a shot at a bigger payday in a few years when the economy warms up. Chad LaRose was reportedly offered a three-year deal last night that he and his agent talked over but ultimately did not accept. After exploring the market, LaRose and the ‘Canes decided on a two-year deal.
LaRose settled for the exact same contract Jussi Jokinen received three days ago - $1.5 million next season and $1.9 the year after that. It was a significant raise for LaRose and a slight pay cut for Jokinen, which makes me wonder how both feel about how this whole thing shook out.
The 5’9, undrafted LaRose wasn’t expected to crack the NHL, but he surpassed all expectations with a 19-goal season in 2008-2009. Things haven’t been smooth for Larose contract-wise – he filed for arbitration last year – but a rabid fan base that adores you and teammates and staff that compliment you at every chance go a long way.
Still no new blood on the ‘Canes’ roster, but we’ll keep you posted.
Carolina Hurricanes, Hockey 1.5 million, Chad LaRose, contract, free agency, free agent, July 1, raise, re-sign, trade deadline
Adam Sobsey ·
2 Jul 2009, 2:07 PM ·
1 Comment
The 23-year-old Bulls’ shortstop (pictured, right) is batting .294/.352/.451/.803, with 18 doubles and four home runs. He also has an excellent 19/27 BB/K ratio in 229 plate appearances. He has good range at shortstop, especially to his right, and a very strong arm. To my eyes, his 10 fielding errors are partially the result of inexperience.
Brignac was the only Durham Bull elected/selected to the International League All-Star team. The only other legitimate candidate, relief pitcher Winston Abreu, was called up to Tampa. I don’t know if that makes him ineligible—I suspect it does—but the relievers who made the team all had strong cases, too.
Brignac’s only competition for the starting slot was Toledo’s Brent Dlugach. Dlugach had somewhat similar numbers, but Brignac has more doubles and five fewer homers in 22 fewer games (don’t forget, Brignac was up in Tampa for about three weeks), and Dlugach has three times as many strikeouts than Brignac but only four more walks. Overall, Brignac was the right choice.
The AAA All-Star game, which pits the International League against the Pacific Coast League, will be played July 15th in Portland, Oregon. The game airs on ESPN2 at 4:05 p.m. EDT.
The complete roster is below. Every player I voted for except one (not counting those since promoted to the majors) made the team; on reflection, the player selected over mine was a better choice. The manager is Louisville’s Rick Sweet.
* * PLAYERS ELECTED * *
C WYATT TOREGAS COLUMBUS
1B BARBARO CANIZARES, Gwinnett
2B SETH BYNUM, Syracuse
SS REID BRIGNAC, Durham
3B ANDY MARTE, Columbus
OF SHELLEY DUNCAN, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
OF AUSTIN JACKSON, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
OF DREW STUBBS, Louisville
DH MIKE CERVENAK, Lehigh Valley
SP CLAY BUCHHOLZ, Pawtucket
SP CHRIS TILLMAN, Norfolk
RP FERNANDO CABRERA, Pawtucket
RP JIM MILLER, Norfolk
* * PLAYERS SELECTED * *
C ERIK KRATZ, Indianapolis
INF CHRIS STEWART, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
INF BROOKS CONRAD, Gwinnett
INF BRENT DLUGACH, Toledo
INF ANDY TRACY, Lehigh Valley
OF JORDAN BROWN, Columbus
OF JORGE PADILLA, Syracuse
P CHRIS BOOTCHECK, Indianapolis
P ANDREW CARPENTER, Lehigh Valley
P NELSON FIGUEROA, Buffalo
P JUSTIN LEHR, Louisville
P J.D. MARTIN, Syracuse
P ANTHONY SWARZAK, Rochester
P CARLOS TORRES, Charlotte
P LUIS VALDEZ, Gwinnett
Baseball, Durham Bulls all star, Reid Brignac
Mike Potter ·
2 Jul 2009, 12:08 AM ·
Comment
Guatemala provided no more competition for the USA National Team than the high schoolers from Canada had - at least in Wednesday night’s series opener.
Ole Miss’ Drew Pomeranz (pictured) broke the National Team strikeout record with 17 in just six innings, leading the Red, White and Blue to a 15-1 victory at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis. The old record was 14.
Pomeranz allowed a run on two hits without a walk in team’s 30th straight win including the six in international friendlies this season.
Louisville’s Tony Zych and T.J. Walz of Kansas came on in relief, tying a USA team-record 24 strikeouts in the contest.
Cal State-Fullerton’s Christian Colon led the winners with three hits and four RBI, while Rice’s Rick Hague added three hits and one RBI.
Jorge Gutierrez doubled and scored for the visitors in the fourth inning to cut the lead to 8-1.
The teams will square off in the second of their scheduled four games tonight at 7 at Cary’s Coleman Field, with UCLA’s Gerrit Cole on the hill for the USA.
Baseball, USA Baseball Cal State-Fullerton, Cary, Christian Colon, Coleman Field, Drew Pomeranz, Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium, Gerrit Cole, Guatemala, Jorge Gutierrez, Kannapolis Intimidators, Kansas Jayhawks, Louisville Cardinals, Ole Miss, Rice Owls, Rick Hague, T.J. Walz, Tony Zych, UCLA
