Fun Fourth

Season: 55-33

Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

The Durham Bulls' All-Stars had an all-star night in front of an all-star crowd, the largest ever to see a Bulls game (11,754). J.D. Martin got his 10th win, Kirby Yates got his 10th save, and Vince Belnome was 1 for 2 with two BBs, an RBI, and scored a run. Plus it seemed like every inning started with a play at first base. 

Martin looked particularly strong, giving up his usual solo home run, but mostly the bases were clear. There was one stretch of 12 hitters who didn’t make it to base. 

Nobody was giving up freebies last night. Bulls pitching did not award a single base on balls and didn’t hit a batter. That’s exactly the kind of pitching we like to see. Crowd was thrilled to see Kirby Yates close it all out with a K. Great night at the park.

Outside the game —

• Even with Evan Frey added to the roster, the Bulls still had absolutely no depth on the bench last night. Leslie Anderson is day-to-day after getting hit in the knee by a pitch in Charlotte Wednesday night. Ryan Roberts is here (but without his gear which was misplaced by the airline). Jason Bougeois is at 65% (according to Kinas). That’s all there is folks.
• Very well-done profile of Durham Bulls star Vince Belnome in today’s News & Observer. Worth a look.
• Last year the Bulls were also in town playing the Tides. A big crowd (11,117) watched the Bulls beat these Norfolk Tides 8-2, but Bulls were 4 games below .500 (they are 22 games above .500 today). Leslie Anderson, Tim Beckham, and Chris Gimenez are the only players from this year’s team who were in the game.