Week 8: Durham Bulls Dominate Gwinnett Stripers

Standings

The Durham Bulls had a very good week, taking 5 of 6 games against the Gwinnett Strippers (Atlanta Braves) and moving up into sole possession of 2nd place in the International League.  They are only ½ game back. The current standings also show just how deeply flawed this bizarre version of the International League is. Note that of the 7 teams currently in contention, Durham will have played only two of them before the end of the season (Lehigh Valley and Jacksonville). 

Highlights of the week include fine performances of new guys Ronny Simon (3 games so far), Carson Williams (4), Raimel Tapia (8), and Alex Jackson (13). Plus rehabbing catcher Francisco Mejia was in six games. None of these players, except for Mejia, of course, are on the Rays’ 40-man. All those guys help make up for Osleivis Basabe, Curtis Meade and Jonathan Aranda being up with Tampa Bay. 

As might be expected, the Bulls’ stats are running in very nice improving trends. They hit a season-high +59 in their run differential. Their team OPS of .823 was a 10-point improvement. On the downside, strikeouts continue at a very high rate and they have not gotten any better at stealing bases.

Matchup

The Bulls are playing the Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles)  this week.  They’ve played them 15 times this year (9 in Durham and 6 in Norfolk). In those games, the Bulls did not do well, winning just 4. On the other hand, Norfolk is not nearly as dominant in the 2nd half of the season (they won the first half),  but they are on a 3-game winning streak. Overall, their basic stats are as good as the Bulls, perhaps better.  Notice that their respective parent clubs are 1 and 2 in the American League East.