A Starting Pitcher! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Cesar Ramos

Season: 52-60; Road Trip: 4-4; Bulls v. Tides: 7-7; Standings
Box, Wrap

The offensive side was routine and sounded like real baseball: Rich Thompson gets a single, steals second base, gets sent home on a Chris Gimenez single. Well, not really routine, but certainly an exemplar of the kind of baseball the Bulls can play this year.

The unexpected was to have a starting pitcher who pitches shutout baseball for 5 ⅔ innings. Wow! And Cesar Ramos has been hanging around all year, just not as a starting pitcher until last week down in Gwinnett. We can hope. We can hope.

Meanwhile Frank De Los Santos is zipping in 96 mph fast balls, hitting two batters (stand back!), striking out 2, and getting his first save since coming up. We can hope. We can hope.

Outside the game —

• Josh Lueke was off to Oakland where he apparently got to sit on the bench while James Shields got a complete game shutout and saw his trade value go through the roof.
• Thrown off the Rays bus was infielder Brooks Conrad. Since they can’t bring him back for 10 days, speculation is that Reid Brignac or Will Rhymes will get called up. Conrad stats here and here.
• Speaking of starting pitchers, a fellow named Alex Colome is lurking down in Montgomery. Will we see him this month?