The floodgates opened up Sunday evening in Durham, but it had nothing to do with the weather. The Durham Bulls pounded out 10 runs in the third inning of their rainy contest with the Norfolk Tides (67-68) on the way to a 12-3 victory.
Midre Cummings was the star for the Bulls (73-62). Completing a feat that had never been accomplished since the Bulls became a Triple-A affiliate in 1998, he smashed two homeruns in the lengthy third inning. Even though Cummings has 26 homers on the season, he does not think of himself as a power hitter.
“Being in the clean-up spot, you know, I have to be more of a power hitter, and I really don’t like it,” Cummings said. “I’m not a home-run hitter.”
Jason Standridge (8-4) picked up the win despite the tough pitching conditions. The powerful right hander threw seven innings, allowing seven hits and three runs, only one of which was earned.
“[Standridge] is a year older, he’s understanding a little more how to pitch,” said Bulls manager Bill Evers about the young pitcher. “[He] is learning more about himself.”
Early on, the game proved to be as sloppy as the incoming weather. Each club scored a pair of runs in the second inning, thanks to shaky defense. Both catchers were charged with passed balls, and Bulls third baseman Charles Gipson and Tides first baseman Craig Brazell recorded fielding errors.
With the game out of hand and the weather only deteriorating, Tides manager John Stearns pulled reliever Luis Pineda for starting second baseman David Bacani in the bottom of the seventh inning. He also substituted backup catcher Javier Cardona at third base.
Pineda retired the first two hitters he faced and almost finished with a perfect seventh inning, but in his unusual role Cardona struggled with his only attempt at the hot corner, allowing a routine grounder to pass in between his legs. Pineda escaped any further harm by inducing a fly out.
Tides starter Randy Keisler (6-7) allowed 10 earned runs, which all came in the third inning, along with 12 hits in two and two-thirds innings. Keisler’s earned run average ballooned from 3.24 to 3.91 following his performance. Durham put up double digits in an inning for the first time since July 27, 2002.
The win increased the Bulls’ lead in the wild card race to four games over Pawtucket and Scranton-WB and diminished the deficit between the team and the South Division leading Richmond Braves to two games. With the regular season winding down, the Bulls and Braves will battle in a three-game set over the next two days in Durham—a series that could determine the South Division champion.
“We need to come out and play our best baseball,” Evers said. “We need to be ready for them, and not give away at-bats and make mistakes.”
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