Showing posts tagged “Durham Bulls”
Rob Rowe ·
13 Mar 2010, 9:27 PM ·
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Duke third baseman Eric Brady swings and misses in the second ACC contest of the year for the Blue Devils. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC PARK/DURHAM If you saw the box score from last night’s game, you’d be in disbelief - #11 UNC beat Duke 21-9.
Fast-forward eighteen hours, and its Duke with an eight-run inning in front of the largest crowd in Duke coach Sean McNally’s tenure, and possibly in Duke Baseball history - the attendance is at 2,572. The crowd cheers on the Blue Devils to win this one, 15-11.
Eric Pfisterer (2-1, 5.28 ERA coming into today) is on the mound for Duke at the start. Tar Heel starting pitcher Patrick Johnson (2-1, 1.42 ERA coming into today) starts the first three innings and allows UNC to take a 2-1 lead.
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ACC, Baseball, Duke, Durham Bulls, UNC-Chapel Hill Ben Bunting, Brian Goodwin, Chris Munnelly, Christopher Manno, Durham Bulls, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Eric Pfisterer, Jake Lemmerman, Jeremy Gould, Levi Michael, Marcus Stroman, Michael Morin, Patrick Johnson, R.C. Orlan, Sean McNally, Snorting Bull, Tommy Coyle, Will Piwnica-Worms
Mike Potter ·
3 Sep 2009, 11:32 PM ·
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FIVE COUNTY STADIUM/ZEBULON It’s the opener of the Carolina Mudcats’ final series of the season, a five-game set against the Mississippi Braves that will conclude with an afternoon game on Labor Day.
Frankly it doesn’t mean much except for individual statistics. The Mudcats are in last place in the Southern League’s North Division - although only a game and a half behind the fourth-place Huntsville Stars, who are playoff-bound after edging out Carolina by a single game to win the first half.
Mississippi will finish with a winning half unless the Mudcats really do some butt-kicking over the next five days, but the Braves are solidly in third place in the South and most of them will be headed back to their hometowns after a long bus ride following Monday’s contest.
But both teams have been playing out the string very well, as each comes in with a three-game winning streak.
With the Southern League’s wildly-unbalanced schedule, it’s Mississippi’s only visit to North Carolina this season - only the Tennessee Smokies, Jacksonville Suns and Huntsville visited Zebulon for more than a single five-game series.
That’s too bad for one particular reason, because colorful Mississippi manager Phillip Wellman, who played for the Durham Bulls in the late ’80s and coached there in the early ’90s, is in town just once.
Both rosters are pretty depleted as the Cincinnati Reds try to bolster Louisville and the Atlanta Braves do the same for Gwinnett in an attempt to win the International League’s Governors’ Cup.
The Mudcats will have a quality pitcher on the mound tonight in southpaw Matt Maloney (pictured), who was sent directly down from Cincinnati apparently for just this one outing to keep him fresh.
Fortunately it’s a beautiful night for, well, anything. And the Mudcats end up winning 6-5 with a bottom-of-the-ninth rally.
Let’s grab an Italian sausage - I’m going to be missing those things all winter but it’s not as if I need them - and play ball. Continue reading »
Baseball, Carolina Mudcats Atlanta Braves, Brandon Hicks, Cincinnati Reds, Cody Johnson, David Bell, Durham Bulls, Eric Eymann, Gwinnett Braves, Huntsville Stars, International League, Jacksonville Suns, Jason Bour, Jason Heyward, Jose Camarena, Jose Castro, Josh Beal, Kody Kirkland, Kris Negron, Kyle Cofield, Logan Parker, Louisville Bats, Luis Montano, Matt Maloney, Mississippi Braves, Phillip Wellman, Sean Henry, Southern League, Tennessee Smokies, Tim Gustafson, Zach Ward, Zack Cozart
Mike Potter ·
7 Jul 2009, 4:14 PM ·
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FIVE COUNTY STADIUM/ZEBULON Back for the finale of the Carolina Mudcats’ short four-game homestand against the Tennessee Smokies, and the home team finally has a bit of momentum following Monday night’s 8-1 whipping of the boys from Sevierville.
They’re still in last place in the Southern League’s North Division, but less than 20 percent of the second half has been played.
It’s getaway day for Tennessee, and although it’s going to be a hot one neither team is going to squeal about a noon start. The Smokies are home Wednesday against Montgomery, while Carolina will have the day off and leave for Thursday’s contest at Jacksonville.
In an aside it’s going to be a long day for me, as I’ll be covering the Durham Bulls’ home game with Gwinnett seven hours and five minutes after the start of this one. The trip is right at 50 miles.
Smokies manager Ryne Sandberg is in Game 2 of a three-game Southern League suspension for altercations with umpires.
And a particularly fun thing going on in the press areas is a “broadcaster camp” being conducted by Mudcats play-by-play guy Patrick Kinas, who also does play-by-play for N.C. State women’s basketball among other duties (I too, now have several jobs.)
The campers are rotating some play-by-play stints on the internet broadcast, and some of them off-air are doing simulations in another box. That, of course, has the potential of ending up like the scene in “The Naked Gun” when Dick Vitale, Dick Enberg, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Dr. Joyce Brothers and the late Messrs. Curt Gowdy and Mel Allen all start commentating at once.
But about the game … well, Carolina wins 6-0.
The Mudcats get to Jay Jackson for a run in the first, as Carson Kainer hits a one-out single to right, advances on Juan Francisco’s infield single to second and later scores on a two-out balk. Continue reading »
Baseball, Carolina Mudcats Alex Maestri, Carson Kainer, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Curt Gowdy, David Bell, Dick Enberg, Dick Vitale, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Durham Bulls, Eric Eymann, Gwinnett Braves, Jacksonville Suns, Jay Jackson, Jeremy Hellickson, Jim Palmer, Juan Francisco, Korey Feiney, Logan Parker, Marcos Mateo, Mel Allen, Montgomery Biscuits, Patrick Kinas, Ryne Sandberg, Southern League, Tennessee Smokies, The Naked Gun, Tim McCarver, Travis Wood, Zack Cozart
Mike Potter ·
6 Jul 2009, 11:48 PM ·
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FIVE COUNTY STADIUM/ZEBULON It’s Game 3 of the Carolina Mudcats’ short four-game homestand all against the Tennessee Smokies, and the home boys are desperately in need of getting this thing headed in the right direction.
To review, the Mudcats are in last place in the Southern League’s North Division, have lost three straight games overall and six of the last seven to Ryne Sandberg’s Smokies coming in. Sandberg isn’t in the third-base coaches’ box because he’s serving a three-game league suspension for some trouble with the umpires.
It’s very cloudy but fortunately isn’t going to rain, and the crowd is small for the first home game since June with no post-game fireworks scheduled.
Tonight it’s back to the chicken tenders.
Play ball.
The Mudcats are taking care of business early against Chen Hung-Wen, en route to a very badly needed 8-1 win behind an outstanding outing from Matt Klinker (pictured). Continue reading »
ACC, Baseball, Carolina Mudcats, N.C. State Brian Peterson, Brian Schlitter, Carson Kainer, Chen Hung-Wen, Chicago Cubs, Chris Kelly, Cincinnati Reds, David Bell, Durham Bulls, Florida State League, GCL Reds, Gulf Coast League, International League, Jacksonville Dolphins, Jake Muyco, Jay Jackson, Joe Ayrault, Jose Castro, Juan Francisco, Lee Tabor, Logan Parker, Matt Klinker, Pat Kelly, Ryan Jackson, Ryne Sandberg, Sarasota Reds, Shaun Cumberland, Southern League, Tennessee Smokies, Tyler Colvin, Zack Cozart
Mike Potter ·
14 Jun 2009, 8:45 PM ·
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FIVE COUNTY STADIUM/ZEBULON It’s Game 4 of this crucial five-game series late in the first half, and the Carolina Mudcats are going to need to win two straight afternoon games to avoid losing a home series to last-place West Tenn.
And it’s hot, hot, hot.
(Spoiler alert: Mudcats win 4-3. That’s defensive hero Todd Frazier in the picture.) Here’s the grid.
My daily drive from Brier Creek (the Townhouses, OK?) is becoming routine after four trips. It’s basically get on I-540 East, follow instructions at the end of it when you have no other choice, look for the official brown sign that says “Five County Stadium,” and then turn right when you see the big baseball on top of the water tower.
As soon as I come through the gate I remember it’s “Family Fun Day,” since there’s a guy a bit older than me having a catch with a guy who’s probably his son. About 75 people are playing catch, and after the game the kids will run the bases.
It’s also “Pink in the Park” day, with the hosts wearing whites with pink trim, staff members sporting pink ribbons and all manner of pink Mudcats souvenirs for sale. Broadcaster Patrick Kinas, apparently the only other local media type at the game, is wearing a pink N.C. State shirt in memory of basketball coach Kay Yow who died of breast cancer in January after fighting it for 22 years. Kinas is also the veteran radio voice of the Wolfpack Women.
I complete my culinary circuit of the park with a cheeseburger and natural cut fries. The burger is a keeper (but really, how can you mess one up unless you have some old meat or knock it off the grill?), so now the rotation is Italian sausage to chicken tenders to cheeseburgers.
Let’s play ball.
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Baseball, Carolina Mudcats Chris Heisey, David Bell, Duke, Durham Bulls, Florida State, Kay Yow, Logan Parker, Marshall Hubbard, Matt Mangini, N.C. State, Patrick Kinas, Ryan Jackson, Sean Henry, Southern League, Todd Frazier, UNC, West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, William & Mary
Ryan Campbell ·
23 Apr 2009, 2:00 PM ·
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The Durham Bulls opened the season 6-0 and now sit atop the standings with a 10-3 record, so it’s not shocking that the Bulls offensive woes have gone unnoticed. However, the truth is that some excellent Bulls pitching has been hiding slumbering bats.
Using the four basic hitting metrics (Avg, OBP, SLG, OPS) the Bulls’ hitting woes can be analyzed more thoroughly. Continue reading »
Baseball, Durham Bulls Chris Richard, Durham Bulls, John Jaso, Justin Ruggiano, Reid Brignac
Ryan Campbell ·
15 Apr 2009, 12:11 AM ·
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Jason Cromer
DBAP/ DURHAM—On a cold, wet night, the Bulls pieced together a second consecutive shutout against the Gwinnett Braves. Faced with the tall order of facing the Atlanta Braves’ number one prospect, the Bulls proved equal to the task despite relying on their fifth starter.
The Bulls’ starting pitcher, Jason Cromer, scattered three Braves hits over five scoreless innings of work. Once Cromer left the game after the fifth the bullpen continued its stellar work in the young season, tossing five strikeouts in four innings of work and keeping the Braves off the scoreboard.
The Gwinnett Braves sent Tommy Hanson, their system’s pitching phenom, to the hill in his second start of the year. Continue reading »
Baseball, Durham Bulls Durham Bulls, Gwinnett Braves, Jason Cromer, John Weber, Reid Brignac, Tommy Hanson, Winston Abreu
Adam Sobsey ·
23 Feb 2009, 1:38 PM ·
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Even with UNC’s unsightly stumble at Maryland on Saturday (the Heels squandered an easy win via one of the worst endgames I’ve seen a supposedly elite team play), the ACC regular season title is still theirs to win. They can even lose another game as long as it isn’t at home on Senior Day against Duke, and will still finish first via tiebreakers. Barring a total Tar Heel meltdown over the next couple of weeks, at this point we’re reduced to watching the rabble play musical chairs with slots 2-6 (more or less) and waiting it out until sweaty-palmed tournament season arrives.
Which is to say: It’s a great time for Durham Bulls notes!
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Baseball, Durham Bulls Baseball, David Price, Durham Bulls, Jason Hammel, Jason Isringhausen, Jeff Niemann, Tampa Bay Rays
Adam Sobsey ·
20 Oct 2008, 1:44 AM ·
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Last night’s deciding Game Seven of the ALCS Championship Series had the crisp, taut feel of classic October baseball. Both teams’ starters pitched well, especially the Rays’ Matt Garza. (Garza was acquired in the trade that sent former Bulls’ malcontent Delmon Young to Minnesota.) In the eighth inning, Tampa manager Joe Maddon started playing the bullpen-matchup game, and I was telling a friend of mine that one of the few holes in the Rays’ roster was at the spot where an intimidating late-inning reliever should be — someone who could come in and throw flaming daggers. Since veteran closer Troy Percival went down with a season-ending inury, the Tampa relief corps has comprised crafty soft-tossers, reliable LOOGys, and other late-model hatchbacks. In the post-season, though, you need a dominant, bat-missing power pitcher. A Mustang. A Ferrari.
The thought flitted across my mind that Tampa did indeed have such a pitcher: David Price.
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Baseball, Durham Bulls, Tampa Bay Rays David Price, Durham Bulls, Tampa Bay Rays
