Power of Pink Propels Bulls Past Clippers in Opener

The first-place Durham Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak to start their homestand, defeating the Columbus Clippers 3-1 in front of a paid crowd of 9,684 fans at the DBAP on Saturday night. The Bulls did so in pink jerseys, which were auctioned off to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation in support of breast cancer awareness. 

Bulls starter Jake Odorizzi (W, 6-1, 3.23) faced the minimum over three innings and pitched 6.1 innings, allowing 1 run and 5 hits while striking out 7.

The Durham offense got off to a slow start against last-minute Clippers starter Paolo Espino (L, 0-1, 5.81), who filled in after scheduled starter Joe Martinez was called up by the Indians. Espino retired the first 11 Bulls before Durham scored a pair with two outs in the fourth on consecutive hits by Vince Belnome, Shelley Duncan, and Leslie Anderson. Anderson had two hits on the night and extended his hitting streak to nine games.

The Bulls added a run in the fifth when Brandon Guyer singled and stole second, then scored on a Jesus Flores single. Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for his ninth save.

The Bulls and Clippers play the second game of the four-game series on Sunday at 5:05pm. LHP Mike Montgomery (4-1, 3.98) starts for the Bulls against a yet-to-be-determined starter for Columbus.