Gnashing of Teeth; Being Philosophical

Game 53; June 2, DBAP
Columbus Clippers 2, Durham Bulls 1 (10 innings)
Season: 30-23; Last 10: 6-4; Home Stand: 3-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun, MiLB, Indy Week

We can be philosophical several hours after the end of a tough loss.

We won't even second guess Charlie Montoyo about the intentional walk loading the bases with one out in the top of the 10th. It looked like it was going to work out when Rob Delaney got the second out of the inning with a strikeout. But the bases-loaded walk that followed was a heart-breaker. Even J.J. Furmaniak's heroic dash into the stands to grab the third out didn't help much. The Bulls could get runners on base in the bottom of the 10th, but couldn't get them across.

Three games out of four against the team with the best record in the International League is nothing to sneeze at. Ryan Reid, who had not pitched since May 22nd, and had not started a game in several years, pitched 5 terrific innings. The R.J. Swindle of 2010 might, just might, be back and we're glad to see him.

The Clippers' pitcher, Jeanmar Gomez, was simply brilliant. He pitched a very solid 8 innings. But for a botched pickoff attempt in the 6th inning, the Bulls wouldn't have scored a run off of him.

Still, it hurts a bit.

* * * *

Dirk Hayhurst was noticed leaning against the rail. Nice to see him there, but would be nicer to see him on the mound.

Jay Buente will start tonight against the Pawtucket Red Sox. This will be our first chance to see him at work.

If you are one of those deep thinkers who worries about long range issues, the baseball draft is coming up soon. The premier site for that in the Rays world is Rays Prospects. Worth keeping an eye on that blog to keep track of what the Rays are up to.

The Bulls iPhone app was updated yesterday to add live audio streaming. I checked it out last night and it worked just fine. I have trouble getting AM 620 on the road or at home, so this will be nice. In the stands, however, hang on to your radios because there's quite a lag between what happens on the field and what comes through your phone. A modest test last night (walking through the garage behind Diamond View II, where 620 is blocked) was successful.

Chart(s) of the Day

Time to check in on the cumulative runs scored-runs allowed status. The last time we looked was back on May 14 (Game 37). The Bulls have had their ups and downs since then, but the trend is running nicely upwards.

The same cannot be said for their parent club, the second chart. Too bad, because just a couple of weeks ago things were looking just fine for the Rays.

(click on chart for larger image)