The Durham Bulls, in the middle of an eight-game homestand, face the Rochester Red Wings for the final four games of the stand beginning on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.Other games in the series are Sunday at 5:05 p.m., Monday at 7:05 p.m. and Tuesday at 1:05 p.m.
First, a look at the Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Heading into Friday's game against Louisville, Durham was 20-14, 1 1/2 games behind Norfolk in the International League's South Division.
Offensively, outfielder Matt Joyce was leading the Bulls with a .300 average, four homers and 12 RBIs. Shortstop Reid Brignac was at .285 with three homers and 12 RBIs. Outfielders Chris Richard and Justin Ruggiano were providing the power -- Richard hitting .269 with seven homers and 19 RBIs and Ruggiano at .233 with 7 homers and a team-high 21 RBIs.
Wade Davis was the top starting pitcher (3-1, 3.71 ERA). Mitch Talbot was 3-3 with a 4.10 ERA and top prospect David Price was 1-4 with a 4.60 ERA. Dale Thayer led the club in saves with five and Winston Abreu had four.
Rochester went into Friday's game at home against Indianapolis with an 18-14 record, in third place in the North Division, 4 1/2 games behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Rochester is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.
Top 20 prospects (organizational rankings by Baseball America):
No. 5 prospect, Anthony Swarzak, right-handed pitcher: A second-round pick in 2004 out of high school in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Swarzak has compiled good numbers and he has climbed steadily up the Twins' ladder. In his first five seasons, he was 41-31 with a 3.64 ERA. A fastball that can hit 95 and a hard-breaking curveball are his most effective pitches for the 6-foot-4 right-hander. This season, Swarzak is 3-3 with a 1.70 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 37 innings.
No. 8 prospect, Kevin Mulvey, right-handed pitcher: A second-round pick out of Villanova by the Mets in 2006, Mulvey came to the Twins in the Johan Santana trade. A fastball in the low 90s and a good slider work well for Mulvey. This season, he's off to a 2-1 start with a 2.67 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings.
No. 13 prospect, Trevor Plouffe, third baseman: A first-round pick in 2004 out of high school in West Hills, Calif., Plouffe is more of gap hitter than a home-run hitter. He hit 37 doubles in Double-A in 2007 and had 122 in his first five seasons compared to 39 homers. This year, he's batting .266 with five doubles and two homers in the first 30 games.
No. 16 prospect, Brian Duensing, left-handed pitcher: A third-round pick out of Nebraska in 2005, Duensing has a fastball in the low 90s, but uses several off-speed pitches. In his first five seasons, he was 29-30 with a 3.45 ERA. He went 11-5 for Rochester in 2007 after being called up from Double-A, but slipped to 5-11 in a full season with the Red Wings in 2008. This year, he is 2-2 with an elevated 6.26 ERA.
No. 17 prospect, Luke Hughes, third baseman: Signed out of Perth, Australia, in 2002, has power potential. He hit 18 homers between Double-A New Britain and Rochester last season. This year, he has started well, with a .283 average, seven doubles and six homers in 30 games.
Local ties (players from ACC schools or North Carolina colleges or high schools): None.
Notable: The Red Wings have two Aussies on the squad -- Hughes and infielder Justin Huber, who is from Melbourne, Australia.
