The Durham Bulls struggled against Norfolk, but remain atop the Triple-A standings

You can’t win them all, even if you’re the top team in minor league baseball.

Last week, the Durham Bulls won just two of their six games against the Norfolk Tides. The team also fell in its makeup game from July 8 on Wednesday, dropping two games on that day. Despite the slight decline, the Bulls remain at the top of the league with a 51-26 record.

Durham lost its first three games last week, opening the series with two losses and losing the makeup game. The Bulls scored just one run in the first game, and were shut out in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader. The team scored three runs in the first game that day.

On Thursday, the Bulls notched their first win of the series with a stronger batting performance. Tristan Gray, Ryan Boldt and Rene Pinto homered for Durham en route to an 8-2 victory.

The team struggled again on Friday, falling 8-2. Offense once again proved to be a challenge for the Bulls after the first inning, where they scored their only two runs of the game.

Durham made it back to the win column on Saturday with an explosive 12-run performance. Dalton Kelly, the team’s home run leader, hit one out of the park to plate three in the top of the first to kick things off. The teams traded runs until the eighth inning, when Vidal Brujan singled to score Kelly and Pinto and put the Bulls up 7-6. From there, the squad managed to pull away with home runs from Kelly, Pinto and Mike Ford to win the game, 12-6.

The Bulls fell in the last game of the series on Sunday, with the Tides securing a 5-3 victory. The story of the series was struggling in the batter’s box. The team did not produce enough scoring plays overall across the six-day stretch.

Durham continues to be led by Josh Lowe on offense, who has 71 hits, 48 RBI and 44 runs this year to go along with 14 home runs. Vidal Brujan also bolsters the team offensively, adding 61 hits and 44 runs of his own. Dietrich Enns continues to lead the pitching unit, holding a 6-2 record on the season and throwing a team-high 75 strikeouts in 14 appearances.

The first-place Bulls return to their home field this week to face the Memphis Redbirds. The first game is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:35 pm.