My expectations for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp weren’t super high for last week’s six-game matchup against the Durham Bulls, and for good reason: the Bulls are the best team in Triple-A Baseball and score runs at will. My expectations were indeed met, as the Shrimp only managed to win two of the six games in Durham. They remain in third place in the Triple-A East Southeast Division. But, I have no idea how long that will last. Let’s look at the full divisional standings:
The Shrimp have lost a couple of games in the standings and are now 11 back of Durham. Gwinnett and Memphis have both been playing really good ball of late, and they are getting closer and closer. Durham is running away with the division. Only a long losing streak and late charge by Nashville will deprive the Bulls of the division title.
The usual cast of Brigman, Miller, and Lewin Díaz continue to lead the change on offense. But, Díaz looked to pull an oblique on Sunday, and there’s no prognosis on how long he might be out. That’s not at all good. Home runs have been sparse so far this season for the Shrimp, and Lewin’s injury will deprive the club of its main power source.
On top of this, injuries at the Major League level to Jazz Chisholm and Garrett Cooper (and some Covid-related IL stints) mean that the Shrimp roster will be even further depleted.
On the mound, once again, the Shrimp were burned by some early runs against the Bulls. But the pitching was generally overwhelmed by the Durham juggernaut. Even the generally reliable bullpen was burned by the Bulls. Time to recover and move on.
UP NEXT
The Nashville Sounds come to Jax this week for the only match-up between the two teams this season. As noted above, the Sounds have played really good baseball so far this season and are keeping within range of first place. Game times as as follows:
The Catch will be at the game on July 21, because hey, day baseball is the best. I hope that everyone takes some time and comes out to the ballpark to support our Shrimp.
One last note: the Jacksonville area is apparently the hottest of hotspots for the newest resurgence of Covid-19. This didn’t have to happen. Please, everyone, get vaccinated. It will save your life. Wear a mask indoors and wash your hands frequently. Take these measures not just to protect yourself, but also your family and the members of your community.
Happy Baseball everyone! Let’s go Shrimp!
The Catch 
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