This baseball season, Chapelboro.com is following the Durham Bulls and sharing recaps of each series played. Check in each week for details on how the Triple-A team fared against its opponents, either on the road or in downtown Durham!
The Durham Bulls took on the Memphis Redbirds on the road and saw an often high-scoring split series where both teams put forward some standout performances full of home runs, grand slams, and fiery fastballs. Currently coming in second in MiLB standings right behind Norfolk, the Bulls have some work to do in this week’s home series against Charlotte if they’re going to catch up to the Tides’ impressive 43-win record.
It's good to be back home
If anyone needs us we'll be here for pretty much the next fortnight pic.twitter.com/NbHNrhhTOV
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) June 13, 2023
Read the descriptions of the Bulls vs. Redbirds games from the past week below, as they were shared on the Durham Bulls website and MiLB.com.
The first game in the series saw a tight contest between Bulls and ‘Birds, and a close 4-3 loss for Durham.
Bulls second baseman Jonathan Aranda bashed three hits and shortstop Tristan Gray homered, while Redbirds catcher Ivan Herrera crushed a go-ahead two-run home run and starting pitcher Michael McGreevy allowed two runs over five-plus solid innings in Memphis’ 4-3 victory over Durham on Tuesday evening at AutoZone Park.
The Bulls got on the board first with a two-run opening frame courtesy of RF Ruben Cardenas’s sacrifice fly and LF Ben Gamel’s run-scoring base hit to center. The Redbirds would then even the contest with a pair of tallies in the fourth before Herrera went yard in the sixth to move Memphis ahead 4-2. Gray would later go deep with a solo shot in the ninth to make it a one-run contest before Aranda reached base with his third hit of the night, however the Bulls were unable to complete their comeback effort.
Game two saw another tough loss for the Bulls, with a 9-4 loss on the books, despite solid comeback efforts on the field.
Bulls shortstop Osleivis Basabe, center fielder Kameron Misner and designated hitter Ben Gamel each drove in a run and third baseman Tristan Gray homered, while 1B Taylor Motter homered and SS Masyn Winn and C Ivan Herrera each drove in two runs in Memphis’ 9-4 victory over the Durham Bulls Wednesday evening at Autozone Park.
The Bulls got their first score in the first thanks to Basabe’s RBI before Misner’s double in the following inning extended Durham’s lead. Memphis answered in the same frame with Motter’s 2-run homer to tie the score.
Redbirds’ 3B Kramer Robertson, CF Chase Pinder and Herrera each drove in a run before Gray went yard in the sixth, bringing the score to 6-4.
Winn drove in two more runs before scoring on a fielding error to solidify the 9-4 win over Durham.
The third game against Memphis presented a tough challenge for the Bulls, as a crushing 15-5 loss materialized and the Redbirds scored run after run.
Bulls first baseman Kyle Manzardo clubbed two hits, including a three-run home run, and second baseman Jonathan Aranda recorded his third consecutive three-hit effort, while Redbirds center fielder Ryan Koperniak and catcher Ivan Herrera combined for six hits, including two longballs, and drove in eight runs in Memphis’ 15-5 victory over Durham on Thursday evening at AutoZone Park.
The Redbirds jumped ahead early with a four-spot in the opening frame before Bulls RF Ruben Cardenas got Durham on the board with a solo homer to left in the fourth. Memphis would answer with two tallies in the last of the fourth before Manzardo mashed his ninth big fly of the season to make it a 6-4 contest.
The Redbirds, however, would counter with a trio of scores of their own in the last of the fifth to extend the advantage back to five before adding two more in the seventh to make it 11-4. Aranda would later drive in a run with his third hit of the evening in the top of the eighth before Memphis added four more insurance runs in the eighth.
Game four was the beginning of a Bulls comeback after three straight losses, with a 5-3 victory build on the back of a 5-0 lead bringing back some spirit.
Bulls left fielder Niko Hulsizer homered and second baseman Jonathan Aranda drove in two runs in Durham’s 5-3 victory over the Memphis Redbirds on Friday evening at Autozone Park.
Shortstop Tristan Gray put the Bulls on the board in the second with his 31st RBI, before right fielder Ruben Cardenas extended Durham’s to 2-0. Hulsizer smashed a 433ft homer out to center field, followed by Aranda’s 2-run RBI to solidify the Bulls’ 5-0 lead.
Memphis answered in the fourth when RF Moises Gomez drove in a run, and SS Taylor Motter knocked a 2-run RBI.
The fifth game in the series held no small amount of redemption for the Bulls, with a stunning 12-4 victory driving home that Durham was far from done playing baseball in Memphis!
Bulls left fielder Ruben Cardenas homered, center fielder Greg Jones drove in two and third baseman Tristan Gray knocked a grand slam in Durham’s 12-4 victory over Memphis on Saturday evening at Autozone Park.
After the Redbirds grabbed an early 1-0 advantage in the first, the Bulls scored on a walk before Cardenas homered in the fifth. Right fielder Kameron Misner, Jones and second baseman Jonathan Aranda each recorded an RBI in the same frame to extend Durham’s lead 6-1.
Gray hit a grand slam in the eighth, followed by shortstop Osleivis Basabe’s RBI double. Aranda scored on a sacrifice fly in the following inning, bringing the score to 12-3.
Game six was the third straight win for the Bulls, and tied the series up thanks to some stellar performances on the field culminating in a 7-2 win to close out the series.
Bulls shortstop Greg Jones clubbed two hits and drove in two runs, while first baseman Kyle Manzardo and catcher Blake Hunt both homered and starting pitcher Evan McKendry improved to 6-0 in Durham’s 7-2 victory over the Memphis Redbirds on Sunday afternoon at AutoZone Park.
Jones got the Bulls on the board in the second with his first RBI single of the day before 1B Jonathan Aranda mashed an run-scoring double to center to make it a two-run advantage. Manzardo and Hunt would then go deep in the third as part of a five-run frame that also included Jones’ second two-out RBI single in as many innings. The Redbirds would end Durham’s shutout hopes with a solo homer in the fourth before going deep again in the ninth.
Jones (2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI), Hunt (2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI) and Manzardo (2-3, R, HR, RBI, 2 BB) each posted multi-hit efforts, while Aranda extended his hit streak to seven games. Dating back to June 4, Aranda has hit .548 (17-31), adding six runs, five doubles and seven RBI.
Durham returns home to Durham Bulls Athletic Park tonight, Tuesday, June 13 to begin a six-game series squaring up with the Charlotte Knights!
Hey
We're back home for 12 of the next 13 days starting tomorrow
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) June 12, 2023
(featured image via Durham Bulls)
You can follow the Bulls on Twitter and Instagram for updates and news directly from the team, and tickets for all 2023 Durham Bulls home games can be purchased at DurhamBulls.com, or by calling 919.956.BULL
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