Weeks 8 & 9: Durham Bulls Have a Great Home Stand

 

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The Durham Bulls went 5-1 against the Charlotte Knights and 4-2 against the Nashville Sounds (a much better team). During the home stand they went from a game below .500 to 4 games above .500, and from a tie for 5th place up to 4th place in the International League East.

We have interesting clusters developing the IL East. The Rochester Red Wings (the Nationals affiliate) have been having a terrific year. Unfortunately for the illusion of competitiveness, the 6-game series approach to scheduling has meant that the Bulls will not play Rochester this year. Nearby is a six-team cluster of Buffalo, Lehigh Valley, Jacksonville, Worcester, Norfolk, and Durham. The Bulls play all of those teams although there won't be a rematch with  Buffalo (the Bulls went 4-2 against them in early May). Lastly is a cluster of three teams, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Charlotte, and Syracuse, who appear to be slipping away. 

This home stand was characterized by much-improved hitting. The Team OPS went from .741 to .779, up to 3rd place in the IL East. The team ERA of 4.45 is nothing to shout about, but improved from earlier in the year. They rank 3rd in the IL East.

The Bulls go up against the Memphis Redbirds (St Louis) tonight in Memphis. They are on an even better run than the Bulls, 8-2 over their last 10 games. Overall, it looks like a decent matchup.