They huddled together to talk with Jerome Gamble.

The entire infield and Richmond pitching coach Guy Hansen joined in on the conversation with Gamble, who was making his fourth start since his promotion from Double-A Mississippi, about escaping the third inning.

Gamble hit Durham's Hector Ginenez on the next pitch to load the bases. That play?

Hansen said it was his fault.

The Bulls' three-run rally in the third inning that eventually resulted in a 5-2 win over the Braves at The Diamond last night?

Hansen said point the finger at him there, too.

Hansen planned for Gamble to use his sinking fastball -- an attribute that looked promising in the bullpen -- instead of his curveball and changeups to improve his ability to pitch inside. It's an aquired skill that pitchers must have, Hansen argues, if they want to throw well against American League teams when they move to the majors.

"Looking back, it was a decent idea because he showed much promise," Hansen said.

"But he's probably not game ready to fire them out in a Triple-A ballgame against an extremely good team."

Instead, Gamble experienced a scenario he's seen already. On June 14, he gave up a grand slam in the fourth inning against Charlotte. He allowed five runs en route to a nine-run loss to Pawtucket 11 days later.

"With a team like that, you have to pitch ahead," Gamble said. "The key is to stay out of big innings. Three of my starts here, I've had big innings where I give up three or four runs. It's hurt us."

Durham's third-inning run overshadowed a more productive Richmond offense, which had nine hits. But the Braves (39-46) left eight men on base and was shut out after the first inning, where they took a 2-1 lead. The rally also overshadowed a solid bullpen effort (Matt DeSalvo and Vladimir Nunez), which allowed only one run after the third inning.

"[Gamble's] competing and trying," Richmond manager Dave Brundage said. "It's not for a lack of effort. It's a combination. It's not just Jerome. It's making plays behind him and making plays behind our [other] pitchers."

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL: Richmond right fielder Jason Perry sat out for his second straight game last night, two days after he ran into the right-field wall while trying to field a fly ball.

Brundage said he expects Perry to return to the lineup when Richmond plays Norfolk tonight. Perry said he suffered a sore neck, but only felt the effects a day later. He stayed in the game after running into the wall, an incident that resulted in a one-run triple from Charlotte right fielder David Cook in the fifth inning.

Perry has played consistently at the plate on a team that ranks 12th offensively in the International League. He has batted .355 with a home run, four RBI and three runs in the past 10 games he played. Despite that consistency, he still feels frustrated about the missed play.

"When I hit the wall, I was upset I didn't catch the ball," Perry said. "If the ball hits my glove, I want to catch it."

. . .

NEXT: Richmond begins a three-game road trip against Norfolk before both teams return to The Diamond for a two-game series Friday and Saturday. Southpaws Chuck James (Braves) and Chris Waters (Tides) will start on the mound.

DURHAM	RICHMOND
	a	r	h	bi			a	r	h	bi
Weber rf	5	2	3	1		Andrsn cf	5	0	1	0
Zobrist dh	5	0	1	0		Ldnthl lf	3	0	1	0
Ruggno rf	5	2	2	1		Thorman dh	4	1	1	1
DJohnson 1b	2	1	0	0		Canzrs 1b	3	1	1	0
Gimnz c	2	0	0	0		Hernndz 2b	4	0	2	0
Guzman 3b	3	0	0	1		Jurich rf	4	0	1	1
Brignac ss	4	0	1	1		Smmns c	4	0	0	0
EJohnson 2b	4	0	1	0		Cruz 3b	3	0	2	0
Haynes lf	4	0	2	0		Arnold ss	3	0	0	0
Totals	34	5	10	5		Totals	33	2	9	2

Durham ------------------------- 103 000 100 -- 5 10 0
Richmond ------------------------- 200 000 000 -- 2 9 1

E -- Cruz (5). DP -- Durham 2, Richmond 1. LOB -- Durham 7, Richmond 8. 2B -- EJohnson (15), Weber (15), Hernandez (13), Cruz (7). 3B -- Ruggiano (3). HR -- Weber (10), Thorman (14). SF -- Guzman, DJohnson. SB -- Weber (9). CS -- Zobrist (1), Arnold (2).

Durham	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Hendrickson W 7-4	6	8	2	2	4	1
Birkins	1	1	0	0	0	0
Thayer	1	0	0	0	0	3
Dohmann S 8	1	0	0	0	0	1
Richmond
Gamble L 0-3	3	6	4	4	2	0
DeSalvo	3.1	3	1	1	0	5
Nunez	2.2	1	0	0	0	2

HBP -- by Gamble (Gimenez).

Time -- 2:50. A -- 2,808 paid.