The Durham Bulls certainly aren’t making it easy on themselves, but the International League’s South Division title did get one step closer Thursday night.
Jordan Danks’ two-run double in the eighth inning provided all of the game’s scoring as the host Charlotte Knights beat the Bulls 2-0 to sweep their two-game series.
But with the Gwinnett Braves’ loss at Norfolk the Bulls’ “magic number” to clinch the division title fell to one, the same number it remains against the idle Lehigh Valley IronPigs to clinch a playoff spot.
So the Bulls will miss the Governors' Cup Playoffs if and only if the following things happen: (1) The Norfolk Tides sweep the Bulls in a four-game series starting tonight. (2) Gwinnett sweeps its four-game, two-city series beginning tonight at Charlotte, and (3) the IronPigs sweep both their two-game home series with Buffalo and their two-game road series with Syracuse.
In other words, all 12 games have to go the wrong way for the Bulls to be denied a playoff spot.
Clayton’s Chris Archer threw seven shutout innings in his second Triple-A start, but the Bulls just didn’t add any offense to the effort. Archer scattered eight hits, striking out six against one walk.
Mike Ekstrom (6-4) was the losing pitcher while Jhonny Nunez (4-4) was the winner.
Danks finished with the homer, a double and a single.
Tonight at 7:15, southpaw Matt Moore (3-0, 1.35) will go for the Bulls against the Tides’ Chris Tillman (3-5, 3.05).
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