Fun in the Sun

Game 27, Wednesday, May 2, DBAP

Durham Bulls (Rays) 7, Indianapolis Indians (Reds) 5

Season: 9-18; Home Stand: 3-3; Streak: 2-0

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Jim Paduch’s first start at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park was superb. The Bats didn’t get a man on base until the 4th, and that was a hit by pitch. Over five innings only 2 hits and 5 Ks. Very, very good.

As mentioned earlier, we first heard about Jim Paduch, but did not see him, when he had a spot start up from Montgomery last year. That game was a 18-3 Bulls blowout over the Rochester Red Wings. We didn’t hear about him again until early April this year when he showed up to open a game against Gwinnett. He did OK, but went back to Montgomery. Here’s hoping he stays this time. 

When he left the game, the Bulls were up 4-0 and things were looking pretty good. However, Dane de La Rosa and John Gaub combined to give up 5 runs in the 8th and 9th to give us (and several thousand school kids) some thrills. 

Jeff Salazar kept things on track by hitting the Bulls first home run since the departed Will Rhymes hit one in Norfolk seven games ago.

Unlike the Bulls (hint, hint), the Bats have their roster accessible from their website. And they have a link to the Reds roster as well. That seems like a good idea. From that I could check out what I thought I heard on the radio. Our old friend and former Bull Dioner Navarro is playing for the Bats. Navarro spent the end of the 2010 season with the Bulls. He’s apparently not traveling with the Bats and he’s on the DL for kidney issues. 

Dioner Navarro is forever enshrined in the hallowed halls of Watching Durham Bulls Baseball for his heroics against these very same Louisville Bats on June 30, 2010. On that day Navarro stood in against Aroldis Chapman and took a 102 mph fastball in the middle of his back! I guess now he can hope to be catching Chapman some day. I’m not sure which I’d rather do. Probably neither if he’s still throwing that hard. 

Chart of the Day

Here’s the current roster’s On Base Percentage + Slugging (OPS) numbers. These aren’t very good, but they are what they are. Albernaz got his first RBI and first extra base hit of the season Wednesday. Leslie Anderson went 3 for 3. Let’s take what we can get. Vogt and Brignac will return to form eventually. Note that I kept Ashley’s and Guyer’s numbers in, but they are both on the DL. Ashley may be there for quite a while.

click on chart for larger image