Rays down on the farm May 20: Extra inning abound

If you want to catch the Stone Crabs this week, they play four games at Lakeland in their first trip up to the Tampa Bay area this season.

Triple-A Durham Bulls (26-20)

After tying the game in the bottom of the ninth, Durham allowed the eventual winning run an inning later in their 10 inning 4-3 loss to Louisville.  Their ninth inning run, scored on a two out single by Hak-Ju Lee, actually retied the game after a Bats ninth inning run gave them another lead.  In the 10th, Louisville responded quickly with a triple and double back to back, and Durham couldn't answer despite a walk by Wilson Betemit that put the tying run on base.

Betemit was a factor in Durham's offense, driving in both of their runs earlier in the game, and Mikie Mahtook hit a pair of doubles to continue his mini hot streak.  After allowing two first inning runs, Merrill Kelly settled in and put two straight poor starts behind him.  He allowed the two runs on four hits and a walk in 6.1 innings with seven strikeouts, and he was relieved by C.J. Riefenhauser, making his first appearance off the disabled list.  Unfortunately, he allowed three baserunners without recording an out, and Jeff Beliveau managed to get out of his jam without allowing a run.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (24-20)

Montgomery and Jackson traded runs in what ended up being an 11-9 win for the Biscuits.  Montgomery scored a run each in the first and second innings, and for the most part, they stayed a step ahead of the Generals as the teams traded runs.  Along the way, they received solo home runs from Joey Rickard and Richie Shaffer, but in the sixth inning, Jackson took their first lead of the game with a three run frame.  A half inning later, Montgomery tied it back up on a bases loaded walk by Ryan Brett, and Jake Hager added a pair of runs with a single.  Jackson tied it up again in the bottom half of the inning, but in the eighth, a two run double by Jeff Malm gave Montgomery the lead for good.

After two quick scoreless innings to start the game, Mike Colla started running into trouble.  A two out passed ball by Luke Maile got Jackson on the board, and they got two more runs in the fourth on an infield single and a steal of home.  The Generals continued piling on, and Colla exited after 5.1 innings, charged with seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and three walks with three strikeouts.  Matt Ramsey allowed two runs, and it took two scoreless innings from Santiago Garrido to settle the game down.  Every Biscuit starter reached base at least twice, including Brett in his first game in a week.  Maile had four hits and also walked, and Malm hit a pair of doubles.

Class-A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (22-21)

Despite blowing an early 5-0 lead, Charlotte managed to bounce back for a 12 inning 7-6 win over Clearwater.  The Stone Crabs scored two first inning runs, and in the second, Josh Sale got his great game started by tripling and coming home to score to make it 3-0.  Justin O'Conner singled home two more runs in the third, and Sale was back at it in the fourth with a solo home run to make it a 6-2 game.  After that, with the exception of an eighth inning that produced a disputed out call at the plate, the offense was silent until the 12th when Charlotte stayed patient, drawing three walks including one by Jake DePew with the bases loaded to win the game.  Sale, O'Conner and Leonardo Reginatto had three hit games, and Sale was a double shy of the cycle.

Reinaldo Lopez faced the minimum through the first three innings, but the Threshers got on the scoreboard in the fourth.  They opened the inning with three straight singles and would go on to score two runs that inning, and they got a third against Lopez in the fifth.  He finished with three runs allowed on six hits and two walks in five innings with four strikeouts.  Eli Echarry and Marcus Jensen allowed Clearwater to tie it, but Jose Alberto Molina and Ryan Garton settled the game down to secure the win.

Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods (20-23)

Bowling Green lost a 3-1 lead, but the offense woke up in extra innings to earn a 12 inning 4-3 win over Lansing.  After going scoreless for seven innings and not even generating many chances, the Hot Rods regained the lead in the 12th on a successful squeeze bunt by Kean Wong.  Although they couldn't take advantage with two more runners on base with one out, Aaron Griffin made sure the one run lead held up with an easy bottom half of the 12th.  As Bowling Green's fourth pitcher of the day, he threw three scoreless innings to finish the game.

After a two run top of the first, Chris Kirsch gave back one of the runs immediately in the bottom half.  He settled in after that and turned in his best start in over a month, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk in six innings with two strikeouts.  Oscar Hernandez led the way with three hits for the Hot Rods, and Johnny Field hit a pair of doubles.

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Star of the day- Maile's big day was a huge part of Montgomery's outburst

Goat of the day- His team got the win, but Colla has to be better.

Today's games (probables courtesy of milb.com)

Durham v. Louisville 1:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA v. TBA

Montgomery is off

Charlotte @ Lakeland 6:30 PM
Bruedlin Suero (2-2, 5.01) v. Yorfrank Lopez (1-2, 6.45)

Bowling Green @ Lansing 7:05 PM (Radio stream)
Ryne Stanek (0-1, 0.90) v. Chase De Jong (0-1, 3.73)

*Listed as TBA on milb.com

Scouting the opposition

Louisville Bats (Cincinnati)
21-23 (3rd in IL West)
Offense: 195 R (5th) .688 OPS (12th)
Pitching: 4.90 ERA (14th) 1.52 WHIP (14th)
Top 30 Prospects: LHP David Holmberg (7), RHP Chad Rogers (15), OF Donald Lutz (16), RHP Curtis Partch (28)

Lakeland Flying Tigers
27-16 (2nd in FSL North)
Offense: 181 R (7th) .668 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 3.11 ERA (4th) 1.21 WHIP (3rd)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Jake Thompson (4), RHP Calvin Drummond (29)

Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto)
21-22 (4th in MWL West)
Offense: 204 R (6th) .701 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 3.94 ERA (8th) 1.46 WHIP (14th)
Top 30 Prospects: OF D.J. Davis (3), 3B Mitch Nay (4), RHP Alberto Tirado (8), SS Dawel Lugo (9), RHP Chase De Jong (11), RHP Tom Robson (16), C Santiago Nessy (23), 1B Matt Dean (25)