The performance at the top of the organization kind of set the tone for everyone else Sunday.
Triple-A Durham Bulls (43-35)
Jeremy Hellickson struck out seven and walked none, but he was still hit hard in Durham's 9-0 loss to Syracuse. He allowed a solo home run in the first inning, and the Chiefs added a pair of runs an inning later, one of which was unearned because of a two out error by Hak-Ju Lee. He managed two straight scoreless innings after that, but Syracuse scored three more two out runs, and Hellickson was done after five. He allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits in five innings. He hit two batters.
Merrill Kelly hardly fared any better in long relief, but it didn't matter much since the offense did nothing anyway. He allowed three runs in 2.2 innings. Wilson Betemit hit two doubles, and those accounted for half of Durham's hits.
Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (2-2)
A change of organizations did not help Angel Sanchez in his first start with Montgomery, a 12-6 loss to Mobile. After going 0-8 with a 6.88 ERA with Jacksonville, Sanchez was released by Miami and picked up by the Rays, and a 1-2-3 inning did not lead to success. He promptly allowed a solo home run to start the second after being handed a 2-0 lead, and a two out bases clearing double put the BayBears on top 4-2. He would finish with five runs allowed on six hits and a walk in four innings with two strikeouts.
Jim Patterson did not fare well in long relief, and Mobile put the game away against him with five more runs charged to his line in 1.2 innings. After Patterson allowed his first run in the fifth, a two run double by Luke Maile pulled the Biscuits within two before the second four run Mobile inning in the game. Hector Guevara hit a solo home run in the eighth inning, his second extra base hit of the game. Maile, Ryan Brett and Joey Rickard also had two hits
Class-A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (0-4)
Charlotte scored more than one run, but it was still less than they needed in their 4-3 loss to Fort Myers. They scored their first run in the second inning on a wild pitch, and Maxx Tissenbaum's second home run in as many days tied the game at two in the fourth. Needing another tying run in the eighth, Kes Carter doubled with two outs and came home to score on an Ariel Soriano single.
Jose Alberto Molina could not record the shutdown inning, and Charlotte lost the game in the ninth. Max Kepler led off with a single, advanced to second on a sac bunt and came home to score on another single. A decent Leonel Santiago start went to waste. He allowed two second inning runs, but he settled in after that, limiting them to those runs on six hits and no walks in six innings with four strikeouts. In addition to the homer, Tissenbaum doubled. Marty Gantt walked three times.
Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods (2-2)
There was no substitute for Jaime Schultz when he left early with an injury in Bowling Green's 5-4 loss to Lansing. He left after recording just five outs, and as usual, they were good. He struck out three of the five batters he faced. With the Hot Rods up 1-0 in the fourth, Brad Schreiber's control fell apart in long relief. He started off the inning with a walk and wild pitch, but he then got the next two batters out to perhaps get out of trouble. A walk, run scoring wild pitch and hit batter later, Schreiber was lifted in favor of Andrew Hanse. He allowed three hits that scored three more Lugnut runs.
Bowling Green scored two runs in the sixth to pull within one, but a Lansing insurance run in the seventh put the game away. Ty Young tripled home Oscar Hernandez to get within one again in the ninth, but three straight batters failed to bring him home. Young had four hits and drove in three of Bowling Green's runs. Juniel Querecuto was responsible for the other with a solo home run early in the game. It was his first professional home run since signing in 2009.
Short-Season Hudson Valley Renegades (6-4)
Hudson Valley lost a 3-1 lead, but they wound up on top anyway in their 11 inning 4-3 win over Staten Island. The Renegades conceded the tying run in the ninth to turn a double play, and they had a chance to win it in the bottom half of the inning when Casey Gillaspie led off with a double but could not take advantage. After two quick innings of relief, Jace Conrad led off with a double, and he would score on a walkoff single by Mac James.
D.J. Slaton was solid again, allowing just an unearned run in the second inning. He left after six innings with a 3-1 lead and finished with just the unearned run allowed on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. The Renegades got that 3-1 lead in the fifth, first tying the game on a Clayton Henning double and then scoring two more on a two out error. Edgar Gomez earned the win with three strikeouts in two scoreless innings of relief.
Rookie Princeton Rays (2-2)
Princeton's back and forth game eventually ended in a 10 inning 4-3 loss to Greeneville. Down by one in the ninth, Hec Montes hit a two out single to tie the game, and they had a chance to retake the lead in the 10th. With the bases loaded and one out, Taylor Hawkins and Manny Sanchez both struck out to end the threat. In the bottom half of the inning, a serious Hawkins error ended the game in Greeneville's favor. To record the final out of the inning, he had to throw down to first base to complete the strikeout, but instead, his throwing error allowed the Astros to score.
The Rays took a 2-1 lead in the third on a two run single by Nic Wilson, but only three batters reached base after that and before they scored their third run. Wilson had two hits, but he struck out three times. Angel Moreno had three hits. Roel Ramirez made his 2014 debut and allowed an unearned run on three hits and a walk in four innings with two strikeouts, and Rafael Cordova struck out five in 1.2 scoreless innings.
Rookie Gulf Coast League Rays (1-1)
The GCL Rays were off.
Star of the day- The relief work by Gomez for Hudson Valley was key in their extra inning win.
Goat of the day- Sanchez was acquired by Miami in the Ricky Nolasco trade. The Twins would probably like to replicate that trade around now.
Today's games (probables courtesy of milb.com)
Durham v. Syracuse 1:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Mike Montgomery (8-1, 3.38) v. Aaron Laffey (9-3, 3.08)
Montgomery v. Mobile 8:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA v. A.J. Schugel (3-1, 3.80)
Charlotte v. Fort Myers 6:30 PM (Radio stream)
Blake Snell (1-3, 4.96) v. J.O. Berrios (7-2, 2.09)
Bowling Green is off
Hudson Valley @ Brooklyn 7 PM
Hunter Wood* (0-0, 0.93) v. Alberto Baldonado* (0-0, 1.59)
Princeton @ Greeneville 7 PM (Radio stream)
Trevor Lubking (0-0, -.--) v. Agapito Barrios (0-0, -.--)
GCL Rays @ GCL Red Sox 12 PM
TBA v. TBA
*Listed as TBA on milb.com
Scouting the opposition
Syracuse Chiefs (Washington)
46-30 (1st in IL North)
Offense: 354 R (3rd) .750 OPS (1st)
Pitching: 3.36 ERA (2nd) 1.25 WHIP (1st)
Top 30 Prospects: OF Brian Goodwin (3), OF Steven Souza (10), SS Zach Walters (14), RHP Blake Treinen (23), RHP Christian Garcia (24)
Mobile BayBears (Arizona)
2-2 (T-2nd in SL South)
Offense: 357 R (1st) .744 OPS (1st)
Pitching: 3.09 ERA (1st) 1.28 WHIP (3rd)
Top 30 Prospects: 3B Jake Lamb (12), RHP Jimmie Sherfy (15), RHP A.J. Schugel (20)
Fort Myers Miracle (Minnesota)
2-2 (4th in FSL South)
Offense: 360 R (2nd) .693 OPS (4th)
Pitching: 2.94 ERA (4th) 1.26 WHIP (6th)
Top 30 Prospects: CF Byron Buxton (1), RHP J.O. Berrios (5), 2B Jorge Polanco (10), OF Max Kepler (11), OF Adam Brett Walker (17), LHP Mason Melotakis (18), 3B Travis Harrison (25), SS Niko Goodrum (26), RHP Tyler Jones (27)
Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)
8-2 (1st in McNamara)
Offense: 39 R (8th) .682 OPS (3rd)
Pitching: 1.49 ERA (1st) 1.07 WHIP (1st)
Top 30 Prospects: SS Amed Rosario (7)
Greeneville Astros
2-2 (T-3rd in APP West)
Offense: 17 R (7th) .653 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 4.38 ERA (7th) 1.57 WHIP (10th)
Top 30 Prospects: LHP Reymin Guduan (28)
GCL Red Sox
2-0 (1st in GCL South)
Offense: 11 R (5th) .695 OPS (6th)
Pitching: 4.00 ERA (13th) 1.22 WHIP (6th)
Top 30 Prospects: SS Javier Guerra (27)