Joe Ryan continued his tremendous season Thursday. For the 16th time in 19 appearances, he had more strikeouts than innings pitched. He hasn’t allowed more than two runs in a game since his first two games with Charlotte — more than two months ago.
Triple-A Durham Bulls (59-45)
Brendan McKay was sharp in Durham’s 3-1 loss to Pawtucket. In his first minor league start in over a month, he struck out six in four scoreless innings, but he didn’t get a lot of support. Joe McCarthy’s sacrifice fly gave the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the sixth, but in the seventh, Anthony Banda allowed a three-run homer.