LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - The Gwinnett Stripers were handed an 8-2 loss by the Durham Bulls to kick off a season-long eight-game homestand Monday night at Coolray Field.
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - The Gwinnett Stripers were handed an 8-2 loss by the Durham Bulls to kick off a season-long eight-game homestand Monday night at Coolray Field.
Aníbal Sánchez , pitching on a rehab assignment from Atlanta, was roughed up in his first start for Gwinnett. The veteran righty allowed eight runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts over 3.2 innings.
Durham plated its first run in the first inning with a leadoff walk to Jason Coats, a single by Willy Adames and a one-out RBI double by Joe McCarthy. Sanchez was able to work out of the jam with a strikeout of Justin Williams and a Brandon Snyder fly out.
After striking out the first two batters in the second, Sanchez (L, 0-1) allowed a single to nine-hitter Andrew Velazquez and Coats followed with a two-run home run (5) to left to make it 3-0.
The Bulls got two more in the third with a Snyder two-run double, and three more in the fourth. In that inning, Adam Moore led off with a double and scored two batters later on a Coats sacrifice fly. Sanchez then walked Jake Bauers and Adames followed with a two-run homer (4) for an 8-0 lead and the end of Sanchez's night.
Gwinnett got a run back in the fifth with a Rio Ruiz single, a Phil Gosselin walk and a Chris Stewart RBI single.
Danny Santana provided another offensive spark in the sixth as he led off with a 367-foot opposite-field homer (3) to left. It was his second long ball in his last three games, cutting the deficit to 8-2.
The combination of Rex Brothers , Jason Hursh and Josh Ravin held the Bulls scoreless over the final 5.1 innings. Brothers worked 1.1 innings with one hit and three walks allowed with three strikeouts. Hursh was perfect in his 2.2 innings with two strikeouts, and Ravin likewise was perfect in his 1.1 innings with three strikeouts, keeping his season ERA at a glistening 0.00.
Four Durham pitchers combined to hold the Stripers at bay. Hunter Wood, who made a spot start for the Bulls, went 3.0 innings with one hit allowed and three strikeouts. Kyle Bird gave up one run on two hits over 2.0 innings. Andrew Kittredge (W, 2-0) allowed the homer to Santana but nothing else over 3.0 innings, and Diego Castillo got the final three outs while fanning two.
Stewart led the Stripers with a 2-for-3 night and an RBI.
For Durham, Coats was 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs, and Adames was 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.
The Stripers (16-26) and Bulls (27-15) meet again Tuesday night at Coolray Field for game two of the four-game series at 7:05 p.m. Right-hander Wes Parsons (1-1, 3.60 ERA) will start for Gwinnett, while Durham will go with lefty Vidal Nuño III (3-1, 3.57 ERA). Tony Schiavone the play-by-play call on 97.7 and 93.5 FM The Other Side of the River beginning at 6:35 p.m.
