Stripers’ Winning Streak Snapped in 8-4 Loss at Durham

Drew Lugbauer homers in Triple-A debut, but early 3-0 lead doesn’t hold vs. Bulls

Jesus Aguilar went 4-for-4 with a solo homer -- his first since July 14 -- on Tuesday night in Durham. (Bernie Connelly)

By Dave Lezotte (@davelezotte)

August 15, 2023

DURHAM, N.C. – Drew Lugbauer lifted an opposite-field two-run home run in his Triple-A debut as the Gwinnett Stripers (54-59) built a 3-0 lead, but the Durham Bulls (64-51) came roaring back for an 8-4 win on Tuesday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The loss snaps Gwinnett’s eight-game winning

DURHAM, N.C. – Drew Lugbauer lifted an opposite-field two-run home run in his Triple-A debut as the Gwinnett Stripers (54-59) built a 3-0 lead, but the Durham Bulls (64-51) came roaring back for an 8-4 win on Tuesday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The loss snaps Gwinnett’s eight-game winning streak, tied for the longest in club history.

Decisive Plays: Lugbauer took a low-and-away pitch from Cole Sulser out over the high wall in left field for a two-run homer (1) in the fourth, giving the Stripers a 2-0 lead. Braden Shewmake laced a two-out RBI single in the fifth to make it 3-0. The Bulls bounced back, however, tying the game against AJ Smith-Shawver in the fifth. In the seventh, Vidal Brujan’s towering two-run homer (8) off Dylan Lee (L, 0-1) gave Durham its first lead at 5-3. Jesus Aguilar launched a solo homer (5) to left-center to trim the deficit to 5-4 in the eighth, but the Bulls scored three more in the bottom of the eighth to go up 8-4.

Key Contributors: Lugbauer (2-for-4, homer, 2 RBIs) had a multi-hit day in his first game with the Stripers, while Aguilar was perfect at the plate (4-for-4, homer, RBI). For Durham, Brujan went 2-for-4 (double, homer, 3 RBIs). Andrew Kittredge (W, 3-1) got the win in relief, and Javy Guerra (S, 4) pitched the final 1.1 innings.

Noteworthy: The homers by Lugbauer and Aguilar raise Gwinnett’s total on the road trip to 14. Lugbauer is the ninth player to make his Triple-A debut with the Stripers this season. Gwinnett drops to 11-10 in series openers this season.

Next Game (Wednesday, August 16**):* Gwinnett at Durham,6:35p.m. ET at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. LHP *Jared Shuster** (4-4, 5.52 ERA) for the Stripers vs. RHP Taj Bradley (1-4, 9.13 ERA) for the Bulls. Broadcast: 6:20 p.m. ET on MyCountry993.com and Bally Live.