Bulls shut out Chiefs, 5-0

The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, were shut out on Monday night in a 5-0 loss to the Durham Bulls. Syracuse goes for a series split against the Bulls in the finale of the four-game set on Tuesday afternoon.

Durham (17-8) got off on the right foot with a first-inning run against Chiefs starter Chris Young. Left fielder Rich Thompson started the game with a leadoff triple off the base of the fence in right-center field. He scored on a groundout by designated hitter Jason Bourgeois, giving the Bulls the game's first run.

The South Division leaders would add a second run in the next inning. Catcher Chris Gimenez doubled to lead off the frame and advanced to third base on a fly out by Vince Belnome. Gimenez then scored when Brandon Guyer launched a sacrifice fly to left field.

The Bulls added three more in the sixth inning, knocking Young out of the game in the process. First baseman Leslie Anderson doubled and advanced to third base on a Gimenez single to start the frame, with a Belnome walk loading the bases. Young recorded the first out on a Guyer lineout, but third baseman Cole Figueroa followed up with a two-run double to deep center field, giving the Bulls a 4-0 lead. After a Tim Beckham strikeout, left-hander J.C. Romero entered the game and induced a ground ball to shortstop from Thompson. However, Zach Walters bobbled the ball for an error, allowing Belnome to score for the game's fifth run.

Syracuse (9-15), meanwhile, was held in check by right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who tossed five shutout innings in the win. Left-hander Frank de los Santos and right-hander Steve Geltz closed the game out for Durham.

First baseman Chris Marrero was the Chiefs' biggest bright spot offensively with a two-hit performance. Marrero's collected two or more hits in seven of his last eight games in which he's had a plate appearance.

The Chiefs and Bulls will close out their four-game series on Tuesday afternoon at 12:00. Syracuse right-hander Yunesky Maya and Durham right-hander Chris Archer are the scheduled starters.