Bulls Week in Review: 4/24 to 4/30

The Durham Bulls completed the week in possession of the best record in the league at 15-8 despite going 2-5 on the week. The Bulls are powered by the best offense in the league, leading in most of the offensive categories and not far from first in the others. It didn’t take long for Aneury Rodriguez to find his home in AAA, jumping out to a great start and earning the International League Pitcher of the Week. The award was the second week in a row that a Bulls pitcher won the award.

Hitting Leaders:
Average: Jose Lobaton (.400)
Slugging: Dan Johnson (.707, first in INT)
On Base Pct: Jose Lobaton (.538)
Hits: Justin Ruggiano (29, tied first in INT)
Doubles: Justin Ruggiano, Joe Dillon, Chris Richard and Ryan Shealy (6)
Triples: Elliot Johnson, Fernando Perez and Angel Chavez (1)
Home Runs: Dan Johnson (8, first in INT)
RBI’s: Dan Johnson (23, second in INT)
Stolen Bases: Fernando Perez (10, second in INT)

Pitching Leaders:
ERA Starters: Aneury Rodriguez (2.08)
ERA Overall: Winston Abreu and Mike Ekstrom (0.00)
Wins: Jeremy Hellickson (4, first in INT)
Saves: Dale Thayer (3, tied eighth in INT)
Strikeouts: Jeremy Hellickson (27, tied sixth in INT)

Team Hitting Stats (league rank):
Average: .291 (1 of 14)
Slugging: .465 (1 of 14)
On Base Pct: .367 (1 of 14)
Hits: 238 (1 of 14)
Doubles: 49 (2 of 14)
Triples: 5 (7 of 14)
Home Runs: 29 (1 of 14)
Runs Scored: 143 (1 of 14)
Stolen Bases: 36 (1 of 14)

Team Pitching Stats (rank):
ERA: 3.71 (6 of 14)
Runs Allowed: 96 (8 of 14)
Strikeouts: 148 (8 of 14)
Walks: 68 (2 of 14)

RP Top Prospect Watch:
Jeremy Hellickson: 4-0, 2.57 ERA, 28.0 IP, 27 K’s, 7 BB’s, 1.21 WHIP
Desmond Jennings: .235 AVG, .294 SLG, .409 OBP, 1 double, 2 RBI’s, 5 stolen bases
Aneury Rodriguez: 3-1, 2.30 ERA, 27.1 IP, 20 K’s, 7 BB’s, 0.99 WHIP*
* Rodriguez stats are combined from Durham and Montgomery.

Transactions: Richard De Los Santos added to roster from Montgomery (4/24/10). Virgil Vasquez placed on 7-Day Disabled List (4/25/10). Chris Nowak transferred to Montgomery (4/25/10). Rashad Eldridge activated from disabled list (4/27/10). Mike Ekstrom added to roster from Tampa Bay (4/27/10). Jose Lobaton promoted to Tampa Bay (4/27/10). Joaquin Benoit promoted to Tampa Bay (4/29/10). Jose Lobaton added to roster from Tampa Bay (4/29/10).

Disabled List: RJ Swindle, Jason Cromer, Virgil Vasquez and JJ Furmaniak.

The Week Ahead: 5/1/10-5/4/10: at Rochester Red Wings (9-13). 5/5/10: Day Off. 5/6/10-5/7/10: vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (13-8).