Deeefense!

Season: 62-72; Home Stand: 3-3; Bulls v. Tides: 9-7

Home Games Remaining: 5; Wild Card

Box, Wrap, Herald-Sun

Harold Gutman at the Herald-Sun link has the big story: five double plays, three of them started by third baseman Cole Figueroa, kept Norfolk away from home plate last night (well, a nifty play by Reid Brignac that caught a base runner trying to get home in the 1st helped as well). Meanwhile, two of the Bulls four catchers made up most of the offense. That is, Chris Gimenez hit a sac fly and Nevin Ashley hit a home run.

Decent pitching helped, but Paduch, Reid, De Los Santos, and Gomes did give up 11 hits. On the other hand, all but one of them was a single, and then there were those double plays and the caught stealing. The result was that the Bulls were outhit for the second game in a row yet won both games. Has to be frustrating for the Tides who are trying to stay in the wild card run. They are now 3½ back, so it does not look good for them.

The Bulls go against the Tides again tonight for the third game in a row, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again before wrapping up a two-game each home and away with Charlotte. We are really going to get to know the Norfolk players.

Outside the game —

• Charlie Montoyo gets a profile in, get this, the Paris Review! Holy George Plimpton! Nice piece by sometime Indy Week contributor Sam Stephenson.
• Rays Colored Glasses thinks that Reid Brignac can help the Rays in the last month of the season.
• Rays Prospects takes a look at pitching. Stats guys delight.
• Remember Darnell McDonald? If not as a Durham Bull in 2005-6, how about as a Redwing or Clipper or Bat or Red Sox or Yankee, all in the IL? Or a couple of solid stints with the Red Sox, Reds, and Toronto? At any rate, he’s now with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees and has his own thoughts on the Red Sox locker room rumblings. (Thanks to Pawtucket blogger Jenks for the hint)