Rays prospects and minor leagues: Durham sweeps doubleheader with pitching, homers

Maybe Durham is adjusting to the new Triple-A offensive environment. In their first seven games, the Bulls allowed 10-plus runs three times. In their ongoing six-game winning streak, they’ve allowed just 12 runs.

Triple-A Durham Bulls (12-10)

Jake Cronenworth’s home run was the difference in Durham’s Game 1, 1-0 win over Columbus. The teams combined for just seven hits, and all of them were singles except for Cronenworth’s first homer of the season. Casey Sadler threw four scoreless innings, and Cole Sulser, Hoby Milner, and Oliver Drake combined to pitch the last three.

Game 2 featured a similar script and ended in a 2-0 Bulls win. Again, the only offense came from solo home runs — Mike Brosseau went deep in the first, and Kean Wong hit an insurance dinger in the seventh. Both came off Chih-Wei Hu. Meanwhile, Jake Faria had a strong outing, striking out six and giving up just two hits in five scoreless innings.

CF Andrew Velazquez (1): 0-for-3, 1 K
CF Andrew Velazquez (2): 1-for-3 (.919)
1B Nate Lowe (1): 0-for-2, 1 BB, 1 K
DH Nate Lowe (2): 0-for-3, 1 K (.987)
2B Nick Solak (1): 0-for-3, 1 K (.755)
2B Nick Solak (2): 0-for-2, 1 BB, 1 K (.743)
SS Jake Cronenworth (1): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI (1.001)
1B Mike Brosseau (2): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K (.992)
3B Kean Wong (2): 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI (.935)

RHP Casey Sadler (1): 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (1.84)
RHP Jake Faria (2): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (4.15)

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (14-9)

Birmingham was happy to see Brendan McKay exit after five innings in Montgomery’s 7-3 loss. The star lefty struck out six in five scoreless innings, giving up just three hits and a walk. He left with a 3-0 lead, but the game soon got out of control. In a five-run Barons seventh, the first six batters reached base, including five on walks. An inning later, the first three batters reached base as Birmingham added two insurance runs.

SS Lucius Fox: 0-for-2, 2 SB, 1 HBP (.692 — left early)
CF Josh Lowe: 0-for-4, 1 BB, 2 K (.934)
RF Jesus Sanchez: 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI (.752)
2B Miles Mastrobuoni: 3-for-4, 1 K (1.002)

LHP Brendan McKay: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (2.41)
LHP Matt Krook: 1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (10.13)
RHP Brett Sullivan: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K (0.00)

Class A-Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (11-13)

Charlotte railled for a 5-4 win over Lakeland. In the eighth, Mac Seibert’s sacrifice fly reduced the Stone Crabs’ deficit to 3-2. In the ninth, Moises Gomez put them ahead with a two-run double and scored an insurance run on Zach Rutherford’s single. Tobias Myers allowed two runs in 5 ²⁄₃ innings.

SS Vidal Brujan: 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB (.753)
RF Moises Gomez: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB (.613)
LF Garrett Whitley: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 CS (.759)
CF Thomas Milone: 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB (.919)

RHP Tobias Myers: 5 ²⁄₃ IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K (4.09)

Charlotte’s site offers this recap.

Class-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (14-10)

Wander Franco’s 11-game hitting streak came to an end, but the rest of the lineup picked him up in Bowling Green’s 5-1 win over Lansing. Already leading 1-0, the Hot Rods piled up four two-out runs in the third. Chris Betts doubled in two, another scored on an inning-extending error, and Jake Palomaki singled in the final run. Easton McGee allowed a run in six innings.

SS Wander Franco: 0-for-4, 1 K (.961)
2B Ford Proctor: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B (.687)

RHP Easton McGee: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K (2.42)

Bowling Green’s site offers this recap.

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Monday’s games (probables courtesy of milb.com)

Durham vs. Norfolk 7:05 p.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
TBA vs. Keegan Akin (0-1, 4.58)

Montgomery vs. Birmingham 11:35 a.m. ET (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Arturo Reyes (3-1, 3.13) vs. TBA

Charlotte is off.

Bowling Green is off.

*Listed as TBA on milb.com

Scouting the opposition

Norfolk Tides (Baltimore)
9-15 (4th in IL South)
Offense: 111 R (7th) .681 OPS (14th)
Pitching: 5.52 ERA (10th) 1.57 WHIP (11th)
Top-30 prospects: 3B Ryan Mountcastle (3), OF Austin Hays (4), LHP Keegan Akin (6), OF DJ Stewart (15), LHP Josh Rogers (28)

Birmingham Barons (White Sox)
10-14 (5th in SL North)
Offense: 68 R (8th) .655 OPS (8th)
Pitching: 3.60 ERA (5th) 1.37 WHIP (8th)
Top-30 prospects: OF Micker Aldofo (6), OF Blake Rutherford (8), OF Luis Gonzalez (9), 1B Gavin Sheets (14), SS Laz Rivera (16), OF Joel Booker (27), RHP Zach Thompson (28), RHP Tyler Johnson (29), LHP Kodi Medeiros (30), LHP Hunter Schryver

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