Rays down on the farm May 26: Montgomery dominates Columbus

Below Durham, the results weren't quite as good Sunday.

Triple-A Durham Bulls (30-21)

Mike Montgomery's strong outing was backed by one big hit in Durham's 5-1 win over Columbus.  In the third inning, Mikie Mahtook made the Clippers pay for a defensive miscue with a three run home run against Danny Salazar to give the Bulls all the runs they needed.  Meanwhile, Montgomery did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and went on to have his best start since his no-hitter one month ago.  He finished with seven scoreless innings, only allowing two hits and one walk while striking out 10.  The only runner to reach scoring position against him was on the fifth inning double that broke up the no-hitter.

In the seventh, Durham took advantage of two more Columbus errors to extend their lead.  With two outs, one error allowed the Bulls to extend the inning, and then an error by center fielder Elliott Johnson on a Mahtook double allowed him to take an extra base and then score on a Jerry Sands single.  Mahtook had three hits and was a triple shy of the cycle.  Jake Thompson allowed the lone Clipper run in the ninth, but Jeff Beliveau came in and struck out the two batters he faced to end the threat and get credited with a save.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (26-23)

Montgomery's offense couldn't get anything going in their 6-1 loss to Huntsville.  Their only run came in the fourth inning on a Jeremy Moore solo home run, but they did have plenty of opportunities early in the game, particularly early in the game.  After Willie Argo and Ryan Brett led off with singles, three straight batters made outs, and neither baserunner was able to advance.  The Biscuits were 0/9 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.  Argo was the only Biscuit to reach base more than once.

Because of the lack of offense, starter Mike Colla had almost no margin for error, and he ended up allowing all the runs the Stars would need in the first two innings.  After allowing a solo home run in the first inning, Colla was charged with a run in the second that wouldn't have scored if not for two Montgomery errors.  Colla would finish with four runs (three earned) allowed on six hits and a walk in five innings with four strikeouts.  Matt Lollis allowed two runs in two innings, and Santiago Garrido struck out four in two scoreless innings.

Class-A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (25-24)

Charlotte couldn't hold a late three run lead in their 6-5 loss to Bradenton.  After the Stone Crabs extended their lead to 5-2 in the eighth, Parker Markel promptly gave a run back with a leadoff solo home run.  An inning later, Jose Alberto Molina would end up getting charged with three runs, but defensive mistakes meant only one of those runs was earned.  Errors by Jonathan Quinonez and Patrick Leonard allowed two runs to score, and Jeff Roy hit a walkoff single to lift the Marauders.

The Stone Crabs had actually made a late comeback of their own to get back in the game.  After being shut out through the first five innings, they went on to score all five of their runs in the sixth through eighth innings.  Two of those runs were unearned due to three Bradenton errors, but Charlotte did put pressure on the entire game with six extra base hits, including an RBI double from Patrick Leonard.  Leonard and Quinonez each had two hits, and starter Bruedlin Suero pitched well, allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks in six innings with five strikeouts.

Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods (22-27)

An early 2-0 lead wasn't able to hold up in Bowling Green's 3-2 loss to West Michigan.  After seven strong innings from Chris Kirsch, Jorge Rodriguez came in and promptly loss the 2-0 lead.  A walk and a double put two runners into scoring position, and after a groundout, both came home on a single by Javier Betancourt.  Betancourt advanced to second on a Johnny Field error, and he came home to score the eventual winning run on a Rodriguez wild pitch.

The late collapse wasted Kirsch's longest start of the season.  In seven scoreless innings, only allowing three hits and a walk while striking out three.  Over his last two starts, Kirsch only allowed one earned run in 13 innings.  The Hot Rods only had five hits, and both of their runs scored in the fifth inning on a Granden Goetzman double.  Hot Rod hitters combined to strike out 11 times.

CLICK HERE FOR ALL BOX SCORES

Star of the day- After a rough stretch, Montgomery has been pretty good again lately.

Goat of the day- Defense across the organization cost the affiliates some key runs.

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

Durham @ Toledo 6 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Alex Colome v. Drew VerHagen* (2-4, 3.86)

Montgomery @ Jacksonville 4:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Grayson Garvin (0-1, 2.89) v. Jose Urena (5-2, 4.56)

Charlotte is off

Bowling Green v. West Michigan 1:05 PM (Radio stream)
Ryne Stanek (0-2, 4.11) v. Jonathan Maciel (2-1, 3.12)

*Listed as TBA on milb.com

Scouting the opposition

Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit)
23-27 (3rd in IL West)
Offense: 212 R (6th) .701 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 3.89 ERA (8th) 1.38 WHIP (8th)
Top 30 Prospects: LHP Robbie Ray (5), SS Eugenio Suarez (7), 2B Hernan Perez (9), C James McCann (11), RHP Drew VerHagen (12), RHP Jose Ortega (13), RHP Melvin Mercedes (16), LHP Casey Crosby (17), 1B Jordan Lennerton (19), OF Tyler Collins (20), OF Daniel Fields (22), LHP Kyle Lobstein (23)

Jacksonville Suns (Miami)
24-25 (4th in SL South)
Offense: 208 R (5th) .688 OPS (9th)
Pitching: 4.01 ERA (6th) 1.34 WHIP (5th)
Top 30 Prospects: LHP Justin Nicolino (4), RHP Jose Urena (7), C J.T. Realmuto (10), RHP Angel Sanchez (16), RHP Nick Wittgren (18), OF Brent Keys (19), LHP Edgar Olmos (23), RHP Tyler Higgins (25)

West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit)
28-22 (3rd in MWL East)
Offense: 177 R (16th) .632 OPS (16th)
Pitching: 2.91 ERA (1st) 1.22 WHIP (1st)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Jonathan Crawford (5), LHP Kevin Ziomek (10), SS Javier Betancourt (16), RHP Jeff Thompson (24), RHP Zac Reininger (25), SS Willy Adames (30)