The Columbus Clippers (22-26) were beat by the Durham Bulls (30-21) 5-1 as Durham became the second team to 30 wins after Indianapolis earlier Sunday. Three unearned runs on four errors and a strong start from Mike Montgomery were the Clippers’ undoing Sunday evening. The loss is the sixth in a row as Durham completed a four-game sweep of Columbus.
Montgomery (6-1, 3.47 ERA) tied the International League lead in wins Sunday. He went seven innings of shutout ball and didn’t allow a hit until the fifth. He left with eight strikeouts and one walk. Danny Salazar (0-2, 7.88 ERA) pitched well in the loss. He allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits and three walks in five and one-third innings. Salazar struck out nine batters, his most since he fanned 10 White Sox in a start for the Cleveland Indians. After the potential tying run reached the on-deck circle for the Clippers with one out the Bulls called on Jeff Beliveau for his fourth save of the year.
A three-run third was all Montgomery needed. After a one-out single and error Mikie Mahtook turned around a Salazar fastball and put it over the wall in right-center field for a three-run homer.
Durham got two unearned runs in the seventh to make it a 5-0 lead. After a two-out error allowed a Bull to reach an RBI double by Mikie Mahtook and a single by Jerry Sands took the Durham lead to five.
The Clippers got no offense off of Montgomery. Their first hit came on a Tim Fedroff two-out double in the fifth. The other hit on Montgomery was a two-out single by Elliot Johnson in the sixth.
Columbus started a rally in the bottom of the ninth. A lead-off double by Jose Ramirez, a single by Johnson and Giovanny Urshela reaching on an error made it a 5-1 game. Three straight strikeouts ended the game.
Jason Kipnis had the evening off Sunday and extended his rehab assignment one day. The original plan was to have Kipnis play five innings Friday, seven Saturday and nine Sunday to rejoin Cleveland Monday. Instead Kipnis is expected to play a full game Monday and join the Indians in Chicago to play against the White Sox Tuesday.
Matt Carson was placed on the 7-day disabled list Sunday after suffering a high ankle sprain Saturday night. He tried to avoid a collision on a throw up the line at first after hitting a grounder to third, but rolled his left ankle on the bag. Carson was the International League hitter of the week for the week of May 5. He is tied with Roberto Perez for second on the team with five homers and tied with Jose Ramirez for second with 17 RBI.
The Clippers begin a series with the Charlotte Knights Monday at 7:05 p.m. at Huntington Park. Tyler Cloyd (1-3, 5.70 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Clippers against lefty Charlie Leesman (1-4, 3.68 ERA) for the Knights.
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