Showing posts tagged “Joe Maddon”
Adam Sobsey ·
11 Aug 2009, 5:00 AM ·
2 Comments
Too bad the Bulls don't have this guy.
A rough loss for the Bulls after the ride down from Durham. Personally, I think that if I were a ballplayer I would rather have left Monday morning than overnight it on the team bus. Gwinnett’s only about six hours away. But as Charlie Montoyo is fond of saying: No excuses. The Bulls didn’t play especially well in
last night’s 6-3 loss to Gwinnett, especially when it came to two fundamentals: taking advantage of opportunities, and limiting same for the other team. They ran themselves into a pair of fly-ball double plays (Jon Weber committed his second S.B.G. in as many games); they had 12 hits and 17 baserunners but scored only three times, stranding 10 and going 1-8 with runners in scoring position; they failed to capitalize on a pair of fielding errors by the Braves; and they committed two errors of their own—in the same inning—after which Joe Nelson came in from the bullpen and started escorting Braves around the bases.
But as always, the never-say-die Bulls fought back. Down 6-2, Elliot Johnson (who committed one of the errors and ran into one of the double plays, but also made a couple of fine plays at third base) led off the ninth inning with a solo home run. Four batters and one pitching change later, the Bulls had the bases loaded and one out, and the lead run was stepping to the plate. But Matt Joyce and Chris Richard struck out—both on check swings, both on sliders from Braves closer Luis Valdez, who had blown a save against the Bulls at the DBAP way back in the first week of the season.
Jeremy Hellickson pitched quite well for the Bulls, working out of one tight spot and leaving having allowed only a two-run homer by Omar Infante, who is on a major-league rehab assignment. Apparently, Gwinnett Manager Dave Brundage found out only a couple of hours before the game that Infante was joining the team. Needless to say, the new acquisition paid immediate dividends. Hellickson took the loss, but he should have departed after seven innings down just 2-1. Instead, the errors and the bullpen doomed him.
Some game notes follow the jump.
Continue reading »
Baseball, Durham Bulls, Tampa Bay Rays Elliot johnson, Gwinnett Braves, Jeremy Hellickson, Joe Maddon, Joe Nelson, John Jaso, Lost Son of Havana, Luis Tiant, Roger Angell, SBG, strikeouts, walks
Adam Sobsey ·
22 May 2009, 11:55 PM ·
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Other than Chris Richard’s three-run home run, his 10th—he now has the second most in the International League—the Bulls hitters couldn’t do much tonight, and Mitch Talbot got roughed up in a 5-3 loss at Lehigh Valley. Talbot permitted thirteen baserunners in five innings, and was probably fortunate that only a third of them scored. Ten IronPigs were left stranded, and not even Eumaeus could bring them home (there, I’m a book critic).
With Reid Brignac gone to Tampa, Ray Olmedo played shortstop, and Joe Dillon took over at second base, a position he had previously played in 62 games over 12 seasons in professional ball. Close enough, I guess. It’s probable that a Biscuit will rise from Montgomery to Durham soon.
Meanwhile, in Tampa tonight, Dale Thayer got his first major-league save in his inaugural appearance. Thayer pitched three innings in relief of Andy Sonnanstine, and allowed a meaningless ninth-inning run in the Rays’ 15-2 rout of their Citrus Series rivals, the Florida Marlins. The official scorer gave Thayer a judgment-call save, which is permitted by league rules if the reliever pitches at least three innings, finishes the game, and is effective in the scorer’s eyes. Thayer even got an at-bat, grounding out to the pitcher to end the top of the ninth. He didn’t strike anyone out and gave up too many fly balls, but still, three good innings are three good innings.
Brignac came into the game at shortstop when manager Joe Maddon cleared the benches late, and went 1-2 with a single and a run scored.
Although both newly-minted Rays did well tonight, there’s every reason to think they’ll be back in Durham soon enough once everything gets sorted out in Tampa (and particularly, in Brignac’s case, when interleague play ends). Nonetheless, it was nice to see them do well immediately after their call-ups.
When will they be sent down again? The answer to that question got muddied today.
Continue reading »
Baseball, Durham Bulls, Tampa Bay Rays Andy Sonnanstine, Bulls on the Move, Chris Richard, Dale Thayer, David Price, Jason Isringhausen, Joe Dillon, Joe Maddon, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Mitch Talbot, Ray Olmedo, Reid Brignac, Scott Kazmir, Troy Percival, Wade Davis
David Fellerath ·
28 Oct 2008, 7:57 PM ·
Comment
Depressing piece from the Times’ Harvey Araton, who calls this Series a “turkey.” That’s in response to Bud Selig’s wan assurance to fans that the Series will be concluded, “even if we have to celebrate Thanksgiving.” In a gloomy assessment, Araton bemoans the obvious, that the days of baseball being America’s pastime are long gone.
Even before Monday night, the television ratings were indicating that the Fall Classic continues to drift from the nation’s consciousness.
Granted, this is an anomalous year, with the Series being played during the stretch run of what feels like a momentous presidential election.
But if the persistent rain here in Philadelphia and the numbing lateness of the games has severed a visceral connection with the national past-your-bedtime, how about a potential seventh game on Nov. 5 next season, when the season will be delayed by the World Baseball Classic?
(The World Baseball Classic is baseball’s effort to create a World Cup-like international championship.) The rest of Araton’s piece is here.
The Times reports here that the Series is on track to become the least-watched ever, topping (or bottoming) the 2006 “Fall Classic” between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals. (Do you remember who won?)
For those who still care about this year’s Series, however, the Associated Press’ Mike Fitzpatrick has a reassuring piece about Rays manager Joe Maddon and his team’s unexpected holiday in a plush Wilmington, Del. hotel.
They found a warm, comfortable hotel and enjoyed an unexpected day off with their families. Whenever the World Series finally resumes, that’ll be just fine with them.
“Quite frankly it’s one of the nicest hotels we’ve stayed in all year,” Maddon said Tuesday on a conference call. “If you’re going to have to have a postponement, you might as well stay here.”
Baseball, Tampa Bay Rays Bud Selig, Fall Classic, Joe Maddon
Lisa Sorg ·
12 Oct 2008, 9:37 AM ·
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Former Bull and Tampa Bay Ray Fernando Perez scored the winning run against the Red Sox in a burnin-the-midnight-oil Game 2 of the AL championships. The New York Times has a lively story recapping the five-plus hour game.
Perez, who was pinch running, scored in the bottom of the 11th on a sac fly by another former Bull, BJ Upton. Perez is so fast on the bases, it prompted Rays’ manager Joe Maddon to say:
“…in a straight-up race, I’ve got him over Seabiscuit.”
Baseball, Durham Bulls, Tampa Bay Rays AL championships, BJ Upton, Boston Red Sox, Fernando Perez, Joe Maddon, Seabiscuit
David Fellerath ·
2 Oct 2008, 6:25 PM ·
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The Tampa Bay Rays got off to a fast start in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, behind two record-setting home runs by rookie phenom Evan Longoria. The Rays prevailed, 6-4.
Longoria, who began this season in Durham (albeit briefly), became the first rookie to hit two home runs in his first two post-season at-bats. The only other, non-rookie, player to accomplish the feat? Minnesota’s Gary Gaetti, who is now the Bulls’ batting coach. Continue reading »
Durham Bulls, Tampa Bay Rays David Price, Evan Longoria, Fernando Perez, Gary Gaetti, Joe Maddon, Transactions
