Taking Advantage of Gifts

Season: 75-47; Home Stand: 3-5; Home Games Left: 7
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

Matt Buschmann had a terrific game. He one-hit the Knights and didn’t let a single runner get past first base in his 6 innings. Brandon Gomes was touched up for his first runs since showing up for his rehab assignment, but Kirby Yates shut things down.

All of the Bulls’ runs were the result of gifts by the Knights. The first run was scored by Jesus Flores, who reached base on an error got to first base after a dropped foul ball error was followed by a scratched out single, and the next four runners who scored reached base on walks. Have to think the Knights coaching staff were pulling their hair. Two of the most egregious errors were of the “I got it. No, you got it,” type. Could be the result of turmoil in the Knights’ roster. Still, pretty fundamental errors hurt them a lot.

I have to admit that at the beginning of the game I was worried. The Bulls loaded the bases in the 2nd inning with no outs, but didn’t score. In the 3rd inning they again loaded the bases with none out and the next two batters (Beckham and Belnome) couldn’t get a run in. Finally, Leslie Anderson rose to the task and sent a single off the glove of the Knights’ shortstop that brought in two runs. Yet another odd single by Shelley Duncan got a third run across and the Bulls never looked back.

A final oddity — all of the Bulls runs were unearned.

Outside the game —

• The North Division championship and the Wild Card competition have become intertwined. From the look of it, every game that Rochester, Buffalo, Pawtucket, Lehigh Valley, and Norfolk play in the next weeks will matter in the final standings. 
• Gwinnett’s loss to to Lehigh Valley last night officially eliminated them from South Division competition.

Update: See above correction. To be honest, I scored it as two errors, one on the dropped foul ball E-3 and another on the play to first (E-4) and missed that the official scorer call the second play a single.