Bulls Remain in First Place in Triple-A East Despite Dropping Two Straight

JACKSONVILLE FL – The Durham Bulls (29-15) seek their 30th victory of 2021 and remain in first place in the Triple-A East even though they have dropped two straight games to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (25-15). After taking game one, the Bulls have been routed 3-1 on Wednesday and 4-3 on Thursday. The Jumbo Shrimp have given the Bulls their fair share of troubles, handing them seven of their 15 losses this season.

They still stand on top of the division, but the Nashville Sound continues to creep up closer and closer, only being a 0.5 game back and the Jumbo Shrimp are just 3.5 games back. Over the last 10 contests, the Bulls have supported a record of 5-5, combining for a 35-35 score. The Bulls have rarely stumbled upon any struggles, but players like Wander Franco and Drew Rasmussen receiving MLB call-ups have impacted their roster’s depth.

The Bulls very well can get out of the rut with a snap of a finger but will need new faces to step up and make a name for themselves. Shane Baz and Luis Patino, who takes the mound tonight for the Bulls, have been instant upgrades to the pitching rotation. The lineup, on the other hand, will need to start to produce some firepower. The Bulls are expected to turn to Mike Brosseau, Mike Ford, and Kevin Padlo to fill that void. Ford hitting a homer in Thursday’s night’s contest is encouraging, but the fact that he leads the three with a .217 batting average is slightly concerning.

It is ironic because the Bulls still have been the most dominant team in the division, and we are focusing on just the recent struggles. However, their farm system is so overpowered compared to other clubs, and with the Rays struggling and needing reinforcements have given the Bulls a disadvantage.

The first pitch in Jacksonville is expected to be thrown at 7:05 on Friday, June 25th, as the Bulls will attempt to snap their brief losing skid and return to their winning ways.