Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tuesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 1, Norfolk 0
Cesar Ramos
, Ryan Reid and Frank De Los Santos combined on a three-hitter. Chris Gimenez doubled, singled and walked. Rich Thompson singled, stole and scored on Gimenez's single in the third.

Tampa 6, Stone Crabs 4 (11)
Luke Bailey
doubled, singled and had two RBIs. Riccio Torrez hit a two-run home run. Phil Wunderlich scored twice. T.J. Geith gave up two runs, ending a 20 1/3-inning scoreless streak.

Hot Rods 5, Great Lakes 0
Parker Markel
and Charlie Cononie combined on a four-hitter. Markel had no walks and eight strikeouts in seven innings. Ryan Brett stole three bases, singled and scored twice. Kes Carter singled, walked and scored twice.

P-Rays 1, Burlington 0
Kevin Brandt
, Jake Faria and Zach Butler combined on a seven-hitter. Willie Argo hit three singles. Ariel Soriano doubled, singled, stole and scored on Reid Redman's double in the fifth.

GCL Twins 6, Rays 1
Bralin Edwards
singled, doubled and erred. Armando Araujo singled twice and scored. Carlos Cedeno threw two perfect innings.

Tuesday: Braves 10, Biscuits 4

The Biscuits gave up a season-high five unearned runs and tied a season high with three errors in Tuesday's 10-4 loss to the Mississippi Braves.

Joe Terdoslavich and Evan Gattis each had three RBIs and scored twice for Mississippi. Gattis and Jaime Pedroza homered.

Biscuits starter Jake Thompson gave up eight runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings, but only three runs were earned. Hak-Ju Lee errors in the third and fourth led to unearned runs. A Derek Dietrich error in the error in the sixth led to three.

Montgomery, entering Tuesday, ranked second in the Southern League in defense.

Tuesday's lineups

BISCUITS
Hak-Ju Lee ss (left)
Ty Morrison cf (left)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Mike Sheridan 1b (left)
Omar Luna 3b
Derek Dietrich 2b (left)
Mayo Acosta c
Brett Nommensen dh (left)
Brad Coon lf (left)
Jake Thompson rhp

BRAVES
Todd Cunningham cf (switch)
Keenan Wiley rf (left)
Joe Terdoslavich 1b (switch)
Evan Gattis lf
Joe Leonard 3b
Phil Gosselin dh
Jaime Pedroza 2b (switch)
Matt Kennelly c
Jason Christian ss (left)
J.R. Graham rhp

Bethancourt among 4 Braves suspended for brawl

Four Mississippi Braves have been suspended for three games for their parts in Saturday's brawl with the Mobile BayBears.

Prized catcher Christian Bethancourt and relief pitcher Cory Rasmus will serve their suspensions for the final three games of their current series with the Biscuits.

Pitcher Mike Tarsi and infielder Alden Carrithers will serve theirs the first three games of Mississippi's upcoming series at Chattanooga.

UPDATE: Mobile had two players draw three-game suspensions: Rossmel Perez, one of the primary combatants, and Alfredo Marte.

Ranking the Rays ... Carpenter, Harris

For Monday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Ryan Carpenter, BWG: 8-plus innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 1 walk, 4 Ks
2. Mike Sheridan, MGM: 2-run HR, walk, 2 runs
3. Juniel Querecuto, BWG: 2b, 1b, RBI
4. Ty Morrison, MGM: 2b, 1b, walk, 2 RBIs
5. Todd Glaesmann, CHA: 3b, walk, run
SHORT SEASON
1. James Harris, PRI: 3b, 2b, 2 RBIs, run
2. Geoff Rowan, HV: 2b, 1b, 3 RBIs
3. Joey Rickard, HV: 2 2b's, 2 runs

Today ...
DUR (Cesar Ramos 3-3, 2.56) at Norfolk (Dana Eveland 3-3, 3.38), 6:15
MGM (Jake Thompson 7-8, 5.23) vs. Mississippi (J.R. Graham 0-0, 1.80), 7:05
CHA (Victor Mateo 5-3, 4.50) vs. Tampa (Caleb Cothan 2-4, 4.74), 5:30
BWG (Parker Markel 6-5, 4.68) vs. Great Lakes (Duke von Schamann 2-1, 2.06), 7:05
HV off
PRI (Kevin Brandt 2-1, 3.71) at Burlington (Christian Binford 0-0, 1.80), 10 a.m.
GCL vs. Twins, 11 a.m.

Morning reading

Biscuits infielder Shawn O'Malley has added outfielder to his skill set. He's started two straight games in left for Montgomery, which lost 14-5 to the Mississippi Braves on Monday.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Monday: Braves 14, Biscuits 5

Joe Leonard scored four times and Joe Terdoslavich had four RBIs to lead the Mississippi Braves in a 14-5 win over the Biscuits on Monday.

Phil Gosselin hit a three-run home run to highlight a seven-run eighth inning. He also singled three times and finished with three runs scored.

Leonard homered in the second inning before walking and scoring in the seventh, eighth and ninth. The Braves scored 12 runs in the final three innings.

Mike Sheridan, who hit a two-run homer, and Derek Dietrich each scored twice for the Biscuits. Sheridan's homer in the sixth inning gave Montgomery a 4-2 lead.

Monday's Rays roundup

Norfolk 7, Bulls 6 (12)
Cole Figueroa
doubled, singled twice and scored. Chris Gimenez singled twice, walked and scored.

Tampa 6, Stone Crabs 2
Riccio Torrez
had two singles, a steal and an RBI. Todd Glaesmann tripled, walked and scored.

Hot Rods 3, West Michigan 0
Ryan Carpenter
surrendered one run on four hits in eight-plus innings for his 10th win. Juniel Querecuto doubled, singled and RBI'd. Josh Sale hit a solo homer.

Renegades 7, Williamsport 4
Geoff Rowan
doubled, singled and had three RBIs. Joey Rickard doubled twice and scored twice. Richie Shaffer left with hamstring issues, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. Matt Spann gave up three unearned runs in six innings.

P-Rays 8, Burlington 2
Brandon Martin
hit a solo home run and had two RBIs. James Harris doubled, tripled, had two RBIs and scored.

GCL Twins 3, Rays 1
Leopoldo Correa
doubled twice, singled and scored.

Monday's lineups

BISCUITS
Hak-Ju Lee ss (left)
Ty Morrison cf (left)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Greg Sexton 3b
Kyeong Kang dh (left)
Derek Dietrich 2b (left)
Mike Sheridan 1b (left)
Mark Thomas c
Shawn O'Malley lf (switch)
Kyle Lobstein lhp

BRAVES
Todd Cunningham cf (switch)
Christian Bethancourt c
Joe Terdoslavich 1b (switch)
Evan Gattis lf
Joe Leonard 3b
Tim Smith dh (left)
Phil Gosselin 2b
Keenan Wiley rf (left)
Jaime Pedroza ss (switch)
David Hale rhp

Colome nets league award for week

Biscuits right-hander Alex Colome won the Southern League pitcher of the week award, the third time the team has won it this year.

Colome won both of his starts for the week, starting with seven shutout innings Tuesday at Jackson and finishing with Sunday's six-hitter against Mississippi. Colome is 8-3 with a 3.48 ERA and a five-start winning streak.

Biscuits Matt Buschmann and Kyle Lobstein won weekly pitching awards in May. Outfielder Kyeong Kang was the hitter of the week in early May.

Huntsville outfielder Khris Davis won this week's hitting award. He was 12-for-22 with four home runs, nine RBIs and six runs scored for the week ending Sunday. Davis has a 13-game hitting streak in which he has a .490 average. He's scored at least once in seven straight games and knocked in at least one run in eight straight.

Colome 5th with multiple Biscuit complete games

Alex Colome is just the fifth Biscuits pitcher to record multiple complete games. Andy Sonnanstine had four in a seven-start stretch of 2006, while Jason Cromer, Jason Hammel and Mike Prochaska each threw three.

2012 (1, so far)
July 29: Alex Colome, 6-hitter vs. Mississippi, 2 runs, no walks, 6 Ks

2011 (2)
June 16: Matt Moore, no-hitter at Mobile, 2 walks, 11 Ks
Aug. 9: Colome, 7-inning 1-hit shutout vs. Mobile, 2 walks, 2 Ks

2009 (1)
July 29: Aneury Rodriguez, 7-inning 4-hit shutout vs. Huntsville, 2 walks, 1 K

2008 (2)
July 12: David Price, 7-inning 6-hitter vs. Mobile, 1 run, 3 walks, 4 Ks
Aug. 19: Rayner Oliveros, 6-inning 9-hitter at Birmingham, 3 runs, 1 walk, 4 Ks, loss

2007 (3)
June 22: Mike Prochaska, 6-hit shutout vs. Mobile, 1 walk, 6 Ks
June 24: Chris Mason, 3-hit shutout at Mississippi, 1 walk, 6 Ks
Aug. 23: Prochaska, 4-hitter at Birmingham, 1 run, no walks, 5 Ks

2006 (4)
June 13: Andy Sonnanstine, 3-hit shutout vs. Mobile, no walks, 4 Ks
June 26: Sonnanstine, 7-inning, 2-hit shutout vs. Mobile, 1 walk, 3 Ks
July 6: Sonnanstine, 3-hit shutout at Tennessee, 1 walk, 9 Ks
July 19: Sonnanstine, 2-hit shutout at West Tenn, 1 walk, 5 Ks

2005 (6)
June 1: Jason Hammel, 7-inning 5-hitter at Birmingham, 1 run, 1 walk, 5 Ks
June 3: Scott Autrey, 7-inning 4-hit shutout at Birmingham, 2 walks, 3 Ks
June 12: Hammel, 7-inning 4-hitter vs. Tennessee, 2 runs, 2 walks, 8 Ks, loss
July 4: Hammel, 8-hitter vs. Mississippi, 2 unearned runs, 1 walk, 6 Ks
Aug. 20: Jason Cromer, 6-inning 5-hitter at West Tenn, 3 runs, 3 walks, 2 Ks, loss
Sept. 5: Brian Stokes, 8-inning 3-hitter at Tennessee, 1 run, 2 walks, 3 Ks, loss

2004 (6)
May 7: Jim Magrane, 6-inning 7-hitter at West Tenn, 6 runs, 2 walks, 3 Ks, loss
May 8: Jarod Matthews, 6-inning 3-hitter at West Tenn, 1 run, 1 walk, 8 Ks, loss
June 14: Prochaska, 8-inning 8-hitter vs. Greenville, 2 runs, 1 walk, 2 Ks, loss
June 19: Cromer, 5 1/3-inning, 1-hit shutout at Mobile, no walks, 8 Ks
July 1: Cromer, 6-inning 9-hitter at West Tenn, 2 runs, no walks, 3 Ks, loss
Aug. 3: Chris Seddon, 6-inning 5-hitter at Carolina, 1 run, 1 walk, 4 Ks, loss

Ranking the Rays ... Colome, Vettleson, Echarry

For Sunday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Alex Colome, MGM: complete-game 6-hitter, no walks, 6 Ks, 10 GBO
2. Drew Vettleson, BWG: 2-run HR, 1b, 2 runs, outfield assist
3. Trevor Shull, BWG: 5 innings, 2 runs (1 earned), 5 hits, 3 walks, 3 Ks, 11 GBO
4. Rich Thompson, DUR: 3b, 2 1b's, walk, steal, RBI, run
5. Mikie Mahtook, MGM: 2 2b's, 2 RBIs, 2 runs
SHORT SEASON
1. Eli Echarry, PRI: 5 shutout innings of relief, 3 hits, no walks, 3 Ks
2. Eduar Quinonez, HV: 4 shutout innings of relief, 3 hits, no walks, 4 Ks
3. Justin O'Conner, HV: 3-run HR, 1b, 2 runs

Today ...
DUR (Lance Pendleton 6-4, 4.63) at Norfolk (Brian Matusz 2-1, 3.00), 6:15
MGM (Kyle Lobstein 6-5, 3.93) vs. Mississippi (David Hale 6-4, 4.39), 7:05
CHA (Enny Romero 4-5, 4.06) vs. Tampa (Shane Greene 4-2, 4.02), 5:30
BWG (Ryan Carpenter 9-4, 3.93) vs. West Michigan (Tommy Collier (9-6, 2.39), 7:05
HV (Matt Spann 1-3, 4.64) vs. Williamsport (Josh Warner 2-3, 3.20), 6:05
PRI (Alex Keudell 1-2, 1.42) at Burlington (Colin Rodgers 3-0, 0.73), 6
GCL at Twins, 11 a.m.

Morning reading

Besides Alex Colome's starring role in the Biscuits' 5-2 win Sunday over the Mississippi Braves, Mark Thomas hit his first home run and Mikie Mahtook shined in his Riverwalk Stadium debut.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Sunday's Rays roundup

Norfolk 8, Bulls 7
Rich Thompson
tripled, singled twice, walked, stole, RBI'd and scored. Reid Brignac had three singles and two runs scored. Will Rhymes singled twice, walked, had two RBIs and scored. Alex Torres recorded just two outs on 48 pitches, giving up six runs.

Dunedin 8, Stone Crabs 2
Steve Tinoco
singled twice and scored. Kevin Kiermaier singled and walked.

Hot Rods 5, West Michigan 4
Drew Vettleson
hit a two-run homer, singled, scored twice and (of course) threw out a runner at home. He's up to 18 outfield assists. Matt Rice singled twice and had two RBIs.

Renegades 9, Williamsport 2
Justin O'Conner
hit a three-run homer, singled and scored twice. Ryan Dunn sdoubled, singled, walked had two RBIs and scored. Eduar Quinonez threw four shutout innings of relief.

Burlington 5, P-Rays 4
Willie Argo
doubled, walked and scored twice. Ariel Soriano doubled, singled and had two RBIs. Eli Echarry tossed five shutout innings of relief.

Sunday: Biscuits 5, Braves 2

Alex Colome threw a six-hitter to win his fifth straight start with the Biscuits' 5-2 victory over the Mississippi Braves on Sunday.

Colome (8-3) recorded his first career nine-inning complete game.

He retired 13 straight hitters at one point and allowed just two hits between the second and eighth innings. Colome walked none and struck out five.

Montgomery outfielder Mikie Mahtook doubled twice, had two RBIs and scored twice in his Riverwalk Stadium debut. Mark Thomas hit his first home run to lead off the fifth inning.

Garko has setback; Cruz "on right track"

Biscuits first baseman Ryan Garko, on the disabled list with an oblique injury, suffered a setback Saturday, while pitcher Joe Cruz, out with a forearm strain, felt "great" after a throwing session today.

Garko hasn't played since July 20 at Birmingham.

"All I can do is let it heal," Garko said. "I feel like the bus ride back and forth to Birmingham did me in. That's frustrating, too. I felt the travel kind of contributed to it, but what can you do? It's part of the minor leagues."

Cruz, who last pitched July 14 when he collapsed on the mound against Mobile, threw for 60 feet last week and from 75 feet Sunday. He's still likely a couple of weeks from returning.

"It was a good step forward," Cruz said. "It felt nice and easy, no pain. We're on the right track."

Sunday's lineups: Dietrich, Mahtook make debuts

Derek Dietrich makes his Double-A debut, Mikie Mahtook makes his Riverwalk Stadium debut and Shawn O'Malley heads to left field for the Biscuits' series opener against the Mississippi Braves.

O'Malley had 28 at-bats as an outfielder this season at Triple-A Durham. In his previous six professional seasons, he'd never left second base or shortstop.

BISCUITS
Hak-Ju Lee ss (left)
Ty Morrison cf (left)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Greg Sexton 3b
Omar Luna dh
Derek Dietrich 2b (left)
Mike Sheridan 1b (left)
Mark Thomas c
Shawn O'Malley lf
Alex Colome rhp

BRAVES
Todd Cunningham cf (switch)
Christian Bethancourt c
Joe Terdoslavich 1b (switch)
Evan Gattis dh
Joe Leonard 3b
Tim Smith lf (left)
Phil Gosselin 2b
Kennan Wiley rf (left)
Jason Christian ss (left)
Brent Leach lhp

Video of Mississippi-Mobile fracas

Video of Saturday's brawl between the Mississippi Braves and Mobile BayBears ...

Ranking the Rays ... Archer, Gantt, Argo

For Saturday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Chris Archer, DUR: 4 shutout innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 Ks
2. Robby Price, CHA: 2b, 3b, 4 RBIs, 2 runs
3. Todd Glaesmann, CHA: 3b, 1b, 3 RBIs, run
4. Rich Thompson, DUR: 2b, 3 1b's, 2 RBIs, run
5. Steve Tinoco, CHA: 3 1b's, RBI, run
SHORT SEASON
1. Marty Gantt, HV: 2b, 1b, 2 walks, steal, RBI, run
2. Willie Argo, PRI: 3 1b's, RBI, 3 runs
3. Jiminson Natera, GCL: 2b, 1b, 2 RBIs, 2 runs

Today ...
DUR (Matt Torra 8-6, 4.37) at Norfolk (Jason Berken 2-4, 3.33), 5:15
MGM (Alex Colome 7-3, 3.68) vs. Mississippi (Brent Leach 0-2, 1.50), 6:05
CHA (Albert Suarez 5-6, 3.81) at Dunedin, 4
BWG (Trevor Shull 2-6, 5.68) vs. West Michigan (Wilsen Palacios 11-6, 3.48), 5:05
HV (Sean Bierman 3-1, 2.86) vs. Williamsport, 4:05
PRI (Jon Weaver 0-3, 4.60) at Burlington (Jake Junis 1-2, 4.55), 5
GCL off

Morning reading: Pre-start habits vary

Biscuits starting pitchers have varied ways of preparing for their starts, from a step-by-step pre-planned process to freestyle approach, as you can read here to prep for today's home series opener with Mississippi.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Saturday's Rays roundup

Bulls 8, Norfolk 0
Chris Archer
and four relievers combined on a four-hitter. Rich Thompson doubled, singled thrice, had two RBIs and scored. (The Bulls, after playing Friday night at Gwinnett, arrived in the wee hours to find that their hotel rooms were unavailable. They slept in the lobby for at least three hours until they were.)

Stone Crabs 13, Dunedin 6
Robby Price
doubled, tripled, had four RBIs and scored twice. Todd Glaesmann tripled, singled, knocked in three runs and scored.

Hot Rods 4, West Michigan 2
Juniel Querecuto
singled twice, walked, stole twice and scored. Alejandro Segovia doubled, singled and had two RBIs. Jeff Malm homered.

Renegades 5, Williamsport 3
Marty Gantt
doubled, singled, walked twice, stole, RBI'd and scored. Jeff Ames, with five innings and three runs allowed, improved to 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA.

P-Rays 8, Bluefield 2
Willie Argo
had three singles, an RBI and three runs scored. Ariel Soriano doubled, singled and knocked in two runs. Bruedlin Suero's third straight quality start measured six innings and two runs.

GCL Rays 10, Orioles 3
Ben Kline
hit three singles with two steals, two errors, an RBI and two runs scored. Bralin Edwards scored three times. Jiminson Natera had two RBIs and scored twice.

M-Braves in fighting mood before Biscuits series

The Mississippi Braves, before starting a series at the Biscuits, had an ejection-filled ninth inning with Mobile on Saturday.

Native Alabamian Cory Rasmus was ejected after hitting Rossmel Perez with a pitch with two outs. Michael Tarsi hit the next batter, David Nick, with an 0-2 pitch, but he was not ejected.

The benches cleared for unknown reasons after Tarsi walked Ryan Strieby and Perez scored on a wild pitch. Perez took out Tarsi at home to spark the fracas. Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt, third baseman Alden Carrithers, Perez and BayBears manager Turner Ward were ejected.

An infield popup ended Mississippi's 7-3 victory and a five-game series sweep.

Saturday: Biscuits 3, Generals 2 (10)

Shawn O'Malley scampered home on a Mikie Mahtook flyout with the go-ahead run in the Biscuits' 3-2, 10-inning win over the Jackson Generals on Saturday.

O'Malley led off the winning with a single and Hak-Ju Lee laid down a sacrifice bunt. Lee beat the play at first, leaving Montgomery with two runners on and none out.

Both advanced on a Ty Morrison bunt before the Generals intentionally walked Omar Luna. Mahtook flied to right to knock in O'Malley.

Lee finished with two hits and a walk to extend his on-base streak to 40 games.

System check

Stats through Friday.

TRIPLE-A, DURHAM BULLS
International League South

(50-58, third place, 11 GB)
SS Tim Beckham is 10-for-20 with seven runs scored in his last five games. He's hitting .261.
OF Leslie Anderson ranks third in the International League with a .313 average.
LHP Alex Torres is 3-5 with a 7.27 ERA.

HIGH-CLASS A, CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS
Florida State League South

(14-20, sixth place, 4 GB)
LHP T.J. Geith has a 20-inning scoreless streak and a 2.36 ERA.
RF Todd Glaesmann homered in his first two games after being promoted from Bowling Green.

LOW-CLASS A, BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS
Midwest League Eastern

(20-13, tied for first place)
RHP Parker Markel is 4-0 with a 3.18 ERA in five July starts.
RHP Stayton Thomas has given up five hits during a 10.1-inning scoreless streak.
SS Jake Hager has 17 RBIs in his last 11 games. He's hitting .283.

SHORT-SEASON A, HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES
New York-Penn League McNamara

(24-15, first place, 1 GA)
OF Joey Rickard has a .431 on-base percentage and 11 runs in 16 games.
LHP Sean Bierman has won three straight starts, giving up one run in those 16 innings.

ROOKIE, PRINCETON RAYS
Appalachian League East

(18-18, third place, 8 GB)
2B Reid Redman, with five runs and six RBIs in his last four games, has a .292 average, 26 runs and 17 RBIs in 30 games.
RHP Nick Sawyer, in 32 batters faced, has allowed one hit with five walks and 15 strikeouts.

ROOKIE, GCL RAYS
Gulf Coast League South

(9-13, fourth place, 4.5 GB)
RHP Jorge Rodriguez has made two straight appearances of five shutout innings, giving him a 2.67 ERA.
RHP Isaac Gil has a 2.08 ERA and 13 hits allowed in 17.1 innings.

WAYWARD BISCUITS
Those who strayed from the Rays

OF Justin Ruggiano is hitting .355 with a .417 on-base percentage for the Miami Marlins.
LF Delmon Young has a .270 average and 11 home runs for the Detroit Tigers.
RHP Matt Gorgen has given up one earned run in six games/7.2 innings for Triple-A Reno (Diamondbacks).
OF Jason Pridie has four hits and four RBIs in three games since being demoted back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley from the Philadelphia Phillies.
RHP Aneury Rodriguez has a 6.67 ERA at Triple-A Oklahoma (Astros).
OF Joey Gathright has re-signed with independent Bridgeport, the team he was with before playing at Triple-A Louisville (Reds).
1B Sergio Pedroza is hitting .132 in 12 games for independent Southern Maryland.
RHP Jim Magrane is 8-6 with a 4.00 ERA with the Brother Elephants in Taiwan.
RHP Mitch Talbot has a 3.55 ERA in 88.2 innings for the Samsung Lions in Korea.

Dietrich also makes jump to Biscuits

Shortstop Derek Dietrich has been promoted from high-Class A Charlotte to the Biscuits.

Dietrich, who was hitting .282 with 10 home runs, 58 RBIs and 49 runs scored in 98 games for the Stone Crabs, will join the Biscuits in time for Sunday's home game with Mississippi.

The 23-year-old is the third player promoted from Charlotte to Montgomery the last week, joining closer Chris Rearick and outfielder Mikie Mahtook.

Dietrich, a second-round draft pick in 2010 from Georgia Tech, was Bowling Green's most valuable player last season. He led Tampa Bay minor leaguers last year with 22 home runs and was fifth with 81 RBIs for the Hot Rods.

Ranking the Rays ... Floethe, Martin, Araujo

For a weak Friday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Jake Floethe, BWG: 6 innings, 3 runs (1 earned), 5 hits, no walks, 7 Ks
2. Todd Glaesmann, CHA: 2 outfield assists
3. Tim Beckham, DUR: 2 1b's, walk, run
4. Brett Nommensen, MGM: 1b, 2 walks, run
5. Jake Hager, BWG: 2 1b's, walk, steal, gidp
SHORT SEASON
1. Brandon Martin, PRI: 3b, 1b, steal, 3 RBIs, 2 runs
2. Yoel Araujo, GCL: 3-run HR, 2 1b's, 2 runs
3. Leopoldo Correa, GCL: 3 walks, error, run

Today ...
DUR (Chris Archer 5-8, 4.64) at Norfolk (Steve Johnson 4-6, 2.82), 6:15
MGM (Nick Barnese 1-0, 5.06) at Jackson (Anthony Fernandez 4-1, 2.95), 6:05
CHA (Braulio Lara 5-8, 6.19) at Dunedin (Casey Lawrence 6-5, 3.28), 5:30
BWG (Roberto Gomez 8-2, 2.73) vs. West Michigan (Jeff Ferrell 3-3, 4.08), 7:05
HV (Jeff Ames 2-0, 1.64) vs. Williamsport (Luis Gonzalez 0-2, 4.35), 6:05
PRI (Bruedlin Suero 2-3, 5.86) vs. Bluefield (Deivy Estrada 2-2, 4.23), 6:05
GCL vs. Orioles, 11 a.m.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Friday's Rays roundup

Gwinnett 13, Bulls 1
Tim Beckham
singled twice, walked and scored. Cole Figueroa and Chris Gimenez each singled and walked. Jim Paduch was shelled for nine runs in six innings.

Dunedin 7, Stone Crabs 0
Kevin Kiermaier
doubled, singled and erred. Todd Glaesmann threw out two runners at second.

Lansing 4, Hot Rods 0
Jake Hager
singled twice, walked, stole and GIDP'd. Alejandro Segovia singled and walked twice. Jake Floethe gave up three runs (one earned) in six innings.

Tri-City 4, Renegades 2 (Game 1)
Taylor Guerrieri
surrendered a career-high two runs in four innings. Tommy Coyle singled, walked and RBI'd. Joey Rickard and Leonardo Reginatto each singled twice.

Tri-City 7, Renegades 0 (Game 2)
Joey Rickard
singled to lead off the seventh (and final) inning to spoil a perfect game.

P-Rays 9, Bluefield 7
Brandon Martin
tripled, singled, stole, had three RBIs and scored twice. Andrew Toles and Ariel Soriano each homered.

GCL Rays 7, Orioles 2
Yoel Araujo
hit a three-run homer, singled twice and scored twice. Leopoldo Correa drew three walks, erred and scored. Nolan Gannon gave up an unearned run on one hit in three innings.

Friday: Generals 5, Biscuits 3

James Paxton picked up his first win in four starts against the Biscuits, pitching six strong innings in the Jackson Generals' 5-3 victory Friday.

Paxton gave up one run on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts. The former University of Kentucky star was 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in three previous games against Montgomery.

Biscuits shortstop Hak-Ju Lee extended his on-base streak to 39 games with a seventh-inning home run.

Lee hit a two-run, two-out blast to pull Montgomery within two. It was his third home run of the season and first since he homered on consecutive days June 4-5. He had gone 188 at-bats without a homer.

Montgomery starter Matt Buschmann allowed five runs in seven innings. He's worked at least six innings in his last five starts.

Trainer Tomashoff on Arizona Fall League list

Athletic trainer Chris Tomashoff, in his 17th season with the Rays, will represent the team in the Arizona Fall League.

Tomashoff is in his second season with the Gulf Coast League Rays after spending two with the high-Class A Charlotte Stone Crabs. He won the Florida State League's award for trainers in 2010. Tomashoff was Tampa Bay's assistant athletic training coordinator from 2006-08.

The Rays will be paired with the A's, Braves, Brewers and Marlins with the Phoenix Desert Dogs.

Lee's streak still 12 off Profar's season standard

Biscuits shortstop Hak-Ju Lee's 38-game on-base streak is the longest active streak with a U.S.-based affiliated league. It's also the longest this year in the Southern League.

There have been five longer streaks this season in all of baseball (majors and minors). Since Minor League Baseball started listing streaks with its league statistics in 2009, Lee is tied for the longest in the Southern League.

Longest 2012 on-base streaks
50 games: Jurickson Profar, Frisco, April 7-June 2
46: Jake Elmore, Reno, May 3-June 24
41: Adam Eaton, Reno, May 14-June 27
41: William Swanner, Asheville, April 15-June 26
39: Robbie Widlansky, Bowie, May 31-July 16
38: Hak-Ju Lee, Montgomery, June 13-present

Longest Southern League streaks by year
2011 -- 32: Scott Van Slyke, Chattanooga, April 16-May 20
2010 -- 36: Dave Sappelt, Carolina, June 29-promotion to Triple-A
2009 -- 38: Willie Cabrera, Mississippi, June 3-July 28

Ranking the Rays ... Geith, Markel, Hernandez

For Thursday ...
FULL SEASON
1. T.J. Geith, CHA: 3 shutout innings, 2 hits, 4 Ks, 6 GBO*, 20-inning scoreless streak
2. Parker Markel, BWG: 6 1/3 shutout innings, 2 hits, 3 walks, 4 Ks
3. Victor Mateo, CHA: 5 innings, unearned run, 2 hits, 2 walks, 6 Ks, 6 GBO
4. Kes Carter, BWG: 2-run HR, 2 walks, 2 runs
5. Matt Rice, BWG: 2b, 3 walks, passed ball, RBI, 2 runs
SHORT SEASON
1. Oscar Hernandez, PRI: 1b, 2 walks, run
2. Jake Faria, PRI: 3 innings, run, 1 hit, 4 Ks
3. Adderly Rosa, GCL: 1b, walk, RBI, run

Today ...
DUR (Jim Paduch 5-8, 5.27) at Gwinnett (Yohan Flande 4-7, 4.44), 6:05
MGM (Matt Buschmann 4-5, 3.99) at Jackson (James Paxton 4-3, 3.51), 7:05
CHA (C.J. Riefenhauser 7-6, 4.66) at Dunedin (Scott Copeland 0-0, 0.00), 5:30
BWG (Jake Floethe 9-1, 3.56) at Lansing (Anthony DeSclafani 8-3, 3.24), 6:05
HV (Taylor Guerrieri 0-1, 0.90/tba) vs. Tri-City (Aaron West 4-0/tba), 4:05
PRI (Blake Snell 3-1, 0.84) vs. Bluefield (Jeremy Gabryszwski 1-0, 1.50), 6:05
GCL at Orioles, 11 a.m.

*--Geith recorded 9 outs, but he was credited with 4 Ks and 6 groundball outs because of a fielding error. He gets credit for a groundball out, despite the error, similar to an infielder receiving an assist if his accurate throw is dropped.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

HR first hit for Bortnick at Triple-A Reno

Former Biscuits second baseman Tyler Bortnick, traded Tuesday to the Arizona Diamondbacks, homered tonight for his first hit with the Triple-A Reno Aces. His two-run blast gave the Aces a 10-4 sixth-inning lead over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

UPDATE: The Aces blew the lead, giving up three runs in the seventh and three in the ninth, but they won 11-10 in 11 innings. Matt Gorgen threw two shutout innings for his first Triple-A victory.

Thursday's Rays roundup

Gwinnett 8, Bulls 1
Henry Wrigley
homered in the fourth. Chris Gimenez singled twice, while Reid Brignac singled and walked. Rehabbing Evan Longoria walked. Catcher Craig Albernaz pitched the final two innings.

Stone Crabs 3, Dunedin 1
Todd Glaesmann
homered and walked. Phil Wunderlich doubled, walked and scored. Robby Price singled twice. Victor Mateo gave up an unearned run in five innings, T.J. Geith threw three shutout innings, and Lenny Linsky finished the four-hitter.

Hot Rods 6, Lansing 3
Kes Carter
hit a two-run homer, walked twice and scored twice. Matt Rice doubled, walked thrice, RBI'd and scored twice. Parker Markel tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings, giving up two hits.

Tri-City at Renegades
Rained out. DH Friday.

Bluefield 9, P-Rays 2
Oscar Hernandez
singled, walked twice and scored.

GCL Twins 7, Rays 2
Adderly Rosa
singled, walked, RBI'd and scored. Jiminson Natera singled, stole and threw out a runner at home.

Thursday: Generals 5, Biscuits 2

Hak-Ju Lee set a Biscuits record by reaching base in his 38th straight game Thursday in Montgomery's 5-2 loss to the Jackson Generals.

Lee doubled in the sixth inning to extend his streak and snap the record first set in 2007 by Evan Longoria.

Nate Tenbrink and Brad Miller homered and Taijuan Walker threw six shutout innings for the Generals. Walker (7-5) gave up two hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.

Mike Sheridan hit a two-run homer in the seventh for the Biscuits.

Ranking the Rays ... Sale, Henning, Finneran

For Wednesday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Josh Sale, BWG: 3b, 3 walks, 3 RBIs, 3 runs
2. Rich Thompson, DUR: HR to lead off game, 2b, 2 1b's, steal, 4 runs
3. Kyle Lobstein, MGM: 7 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, walk, 6 Ks, 10 GBO
4. Ryan Brett, BWG: 2-run 2b in 13th, 1b, 2 walks, 2 runs
5. Taylor Motter, BWG: 1b, 2 walks, 2 steals, 2 RBIs, run
SHORT SEASON
1. Clayton Henning, GCL: outfield assist in ninth inning of one-run game
2. Rob Finneran, HV: 3 shutout innings, 1 hit, 2 Ks, 4 GBO
3. Marty Gantt, HV: 3 1b's, including go-ahead in 12th, walk, RBI, 2 runs

Today ...
DUR (Cesar Ramos 3-2, 2.36) at Gwinnett (Randall Delgado 0-1, 10.80), 6:05
MGM (Jake Thompson 7-7, 5.02) at Jackson (Taijuan Walker 6-5, 4.39), 7:05
CHA (Victor Mateo 4-3, 4.79) at Dunedin (Jesse Hernandez 1-1, 5.97), 5:30
BWG (Parker Markel 5-5, 5.09) at Lansing (Noah Syndergaard 7-2, 2.72), 6:05
HV (Taylor Guerrieri 0-1, 0.90) vs. Tri-City (Aaron West 4-0, 0.88), 6:05
PRI (Kevin James 1-1, 3.92) vs. Bluefield (Kevin Comer 2-1, 4.88), 6:05
GCL at Twins, 11 a.m.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Wednesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 16, Gwinnett 8
Rich Thompson
homered, doubled, singled twice and scored four times. Reid Brignac hit a grand slam, singled and walked. Henry Wrigley doubled, singled, walked twice, scored and had four RBIs.

Fort Myers 12, Stone Crabs 4
Derek Dietrich
tripled, singled twice and scored. Todd Glaesmann hit a two-run homer in his debut. Luke Bailey also homered. Kevin Kiermaier walked twice.

Hot Rods 15, Lansing 13 (13)
Ryan Brett
hit a two-run double in the 13th. He also singled, walked twice and scored twice. Josh Sale tripled, singled, walked three times, had three RBIs and scored three times. Jake Hager hit a two-run homer in the first, singled, walked and had four RBIs. Another runner expired at home at the hands (and arm) of Drew Vettleson.

Renegades 10, Tri-City 9 (12)
Marty Gantt
singled home Leonardo Reginatto with the winning run. Gantt singled thrice, walked, RBI'd and scored twice. Tommy Coyle doubled, singled, walked, stole, scored and had two RBIs. Rob Finneran faced the minimum for three innings, giving up a hit.

GCL Rays 2, Twins 1
Clayton Henning
threw out a runner at home in the ninth. Leopoldo Correa hit three singles, walked and scored. Luis Cabrera gave up a run over six innings. Isaac Gil finished with three innings of three-hit ball.

On-base faceoff: Longoria v. Lee v. Jaso

To compare the top on-base streaks in Biscuits history ...

Evan Longoria, 37-gamer (April 11-May 20, 2007)
.425 on-base percentage
hit .300 with 29 runs scored, nine homers and 30 RBIs, slugged .554
walked 24 times (two intentional) with 26 strikeouts, five HBPs
nary a steal attempt

Hak-Ju Lee, 37-gamer (June 13-present)
.388 on-base percentage
has hit .315 with 30 runs scored, nary a homer and 15 RBIs, slugged .414
walked 19 times (one intentional) with 32 strikeouts, one HBP
20-of-21 on steals

John Jaso, 31-gamer (April 20-May 28, 2007)
.457 on-base percentage
hit .369 with 19 runs scored, five homers and 28 RBIs, slugged .604
walked 17 times (one intentional) with 15 strikeouts, one HBP
0-for-1 on steals

Wednesday: Biscuits 4, Generals 3

Ty Morrison's two-run single in the third inning started the scoring in the Biscuits' 4-3 win over the Jackson Generals on Wednesday.

Montgomery led 4-0 in the fifth after a run-scoring wild pitch and an Omar Luna RBI single. Kyle Lobstein gave up two runs in seven innings.

Hak-Ju Lee, with a double and two walks, reached base in his 37th straight game to tie the Biscuits record set in 2007 by Evan Longoria. Lee also stole two bases, giving him 36 this year, one shy of the 2009 team record of Desmond Jennings.

Matsui dropped by Rays

The Rays have designated Hideki Matsui for assignment so they can add newly acquired Ryan Roberts to their 40-man roster.

Matsui debuted with Tampa Bay on May 29 and had a .147 average in 34 games. He signed with the Rays on April 30 and hit .170 in 13 games with Triple-A Durham.

Ranking the Rays ... Colome, Bierman, Carlson

For Tuesday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Alex Colome, MGM: 7 shutout innings, 4 hits, 3 walks, 6 Ks, 10 GBO
2. Frank De Los Santos, DUR: 3 shutout innings, 1 hit, 2 Ks, 4 GBO
3. Tim Beckham, DUR: 2b, 2 1b's, walk, steal, 3 runs
4. Cole Figueroa, DUR: 3 1b's, 3 RBIs, run
5. Robby Price, CHA: 1b, 2 walks, 2 RBIs
SHORT SEASON
1. Sean Bierman, HV: 6 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, no walks, 2 Ks, 13 GBO
2. Kris Carlson, HV: 4 batters faced, 4 retired
3. Geisel De La Cruz, GCL: 5 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, walk, 5 Ks

Today ...
DUR (Lance Pendleton 5-4, 4.10) at Gwinnett (Jose Lugo 2-6, 6.03), 6:05
MGM (Kyle Lobstein 5-5, 4.02) at Jackson (Forrest Snow 1-4, 4.46), 12:05
CHA (Enny Romero 4-4, 3.51) vs. Fort Myers (Matt Hauser 3-2, 3.18), 5:30
BWG (Ryan Carpenter 9-4, 3.42) at Lansing (Aaron Sanchez 8-2, 1.75), 11:05 a.m.
HV (Taylor Guerrieri 0-1, 0.90) vs. Tri-City, 6:05
PRI off
GCL vs. Twins, 11 a.m.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tuesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 10, Gwinnett 8
Tim Beckham
doubled, singled twice, walked, stole and scored three times. Cole Figueroa had three singles, three RBIs and a run scored. Will Rhymes also knocked in three runs. Frank De Los Santos threw three shutout innings and gave up just a hit.

Stone Crabs 6, Fort Myers 5 (11)
Luke Bailey
doubled in Cody Rogers with the winning run. Robby Price singled, walked twice and had two RBIs. Rogers singled, walked and scored twice. Bailey doubled twice.

Renegades 4, Staten Island 3
Sean Bierman
gave up a run on three hits in six innings. Richie Shaffer had two RBIs, Marty Gantt hit two singles with an RBI and Leonardo Reginatto singled, walked and scored. Kris Carlson retired all four batters he faced, including with the bases loaded to end the seventh.

Johnson City at P-Rays
Rained out. DH on Aug. 17 at Johnson City.

GCL Rays 2, Red Sox 1
Armando Araiza
hit a two-run double in the first inning and added a double and single. Clayton Henning singled twice and walked. Geisel De La Cruz's five innings included a run on four hits.

Bortnick traded to Diamondbacks

Biscuits second baseman Tyler Bortnick has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for major league infielder Ryan Roberts.

Bortnick will be assigned to Triple-A Reno.

Bortnick was hitting .253 in 95 games for the Biscuits. The 25-year-old was a 16-round draft pick in 2009. He was an All-Star last season for high-Class A Charlotte and was the most valuable player for low-Class A Bowling Green in 2010.

Roberts, 31, is primarily a third baseman who had a .250 average with the Diamondbacks this year. He has spent parts of seven seasons in the majors, the last four with Arizona.

Tuesday: Biscuits 2, Generals 0

Alex Colome won his fourth straight start Tuesday, firing seven innings in the Biscuits' 2-0 victory over the Jackson Generals.

Colome gave up four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. In his last four starts, the right-hander has a 1.04 ERA with 15 hits allowed, 15 walks and 27 strikeouts in 26 innings.

The Biscuits scored in the eighth when Shawn O'Malley drew a two-out walk and scored on a balk and in the ninth on Brett Nommensen's third home run.

Marquis Fleming and Chris Rearick each threw a hitless inning, giving Montgomery its sixth shutout this season.

Mikie Mahtook made his Biscuits debut with a ninth-inning, pinch-hit strikeout.

Ranking the Rays ... Lueke, Geith, Partridge

For Monday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Josh Lueke, DUR: 3 shutout innings, 1 hit, no walks, 4 Ks, 4 GBO
2. T.J. Geith, CHA: 2 shutout innings, 1 hit, 4 GBO, scoreless streak now 17 innings
3. Jake Partridge, BWG: 6 innings, 2 runs, 6 hits, 3 walks, 7 Ks
4. Hector Guevara, CHA: solo HR, 3 1b's
5. Nevin Ashley, DUR: 2-run HR, walk
SHORT SEASON
1. Jorge Rodriguez, GCL: 5 shutout innings, 1 hit, no walks, 3 Ks
2. Luke Maile, HV: 5-for-5, 2b, RBI, run
3. Deshun Dixon, HV: 1b, 3 walks, RBI, run

Today ...
DUR (Alex Torres 3-5, 6.79) at Gwinnett (Julio Teheran 6-5, 4.93), 6:05
MGM (Alex Colome 6-3, 4.12) at Jackson (Brandon Maurer 7-2, 3.74), 7:05
CHA (Albert Suarez 5-6, 3.67) vs. Fort Myers (Matt Summers 0-1, 5.40), 5:30
BWG off
HV (Sean Bierman 2-1, 3.22) at Staten Island (Andrew Benak 1-2, 4.15), 6
PRI (Chris Kirsch 1-0, 0.00) vs. Johnson City (Victor De Leon 1-0, 0.83), 10 a.m.
GCL at Red Sox, 6

Monday, July 23, 2012

Mahtook promoted from Crabs to Biscuits

Outfielder Mikie Mahtook has been promoted from high-Class A Charlotte to the Biscuits.

Mahtook, a first-round draft pick in 2011 out of LSU, was hitting .290 for the Stone Crabs.

Mahtook was the 31st overall pick last year and signed just before the mid-August deadline. The Rays thought enough of him to send him to the Arizona Fall League, where he was impressive. Mahtook hit .338 with three home runs 14 RBIs and five stolen bases in 18 games.

The 22-year-old was the No. 10 prospect in the Tampa Bay organization before the season. As a freshman at LSU in 2009, he became a starter halfway through the season and helped lead the Tigers to a national championship.

Mahtook, who was a midseason All-Star in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, had five home runs, 19 steals, 37 RBIs and 44 runs scored. He had a .358 on-base percentage and was slugging .419.

Glaesmann jumps from Hot Rods to Stone Crabs

Bowling Green outfielder Todd Glaesmann, hitting .281 and leading the Hot Rods with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs, has been promoted to high-Class A Charlotte, the Bowling Green Daily News reports.

The Stone Crabs have a full 25-man roster, including pitcher Matt Nevarez, who was activated to fill the spot vacated by now-Biscuits reliever Chris Rearick.

The Biscuits, with Ryan Garko going on the DL today, have an open roster spot.

Monday's Rays roundup

Bulls 4, Rochester 0
Henry Wrigley
singled, walked twice and scored. Nevin Ashley hit a two-run home run and walked in his first game since an April broken hand/wrist injury. "Johnny Wholestaff" tossed a six-hit shutout -- Ryan Reid started (two innings); Josh Lueke (three, win), Adam Liberatore (two) and Dane De La Rosa (two) finished.

Fort Myers 5, Stone Crabs 4
Hector Guevara
hit a solo home run and three singles. Kevin Kiermaier doubled, singled and had two RBIs. The winning run scored in the ninth on a Luke Bailey passed ball.

Clinton 6, Hot Rods 2
Juniel Querecuto
singled twice, walked and scored. Alejandro Segovia singled twice, erred and RBI'd. Ryan Brett left after a groundout and a fielding error (??). Jake Partridge gave up two runs in six innings in a spot start. Manager Brady Williams was ejected.

Renegades 9, Staten Island 8
Marty Gantt
tripled in the tying run and Joey Rickard singled in the winning run in the ninth. Rickard also doubled, walked and scored. Gantt also singled and finished with two RBIs and two runs. Deshun Dixon singled, walked thrice, RBI'd and scored. Manager Jared Sandberg was ejected.

Johnson City 9, P-Rays 8 (11)
Andrew Toles
doubled twice, singled, was caught stealing and had two RBIs. Reid Redman had two singles, two RBIs, a steal and two runs. John Alexander hit a three-run homer.

GCL Red Sox 3, Rays 0
Jorge Rodriguez
allowed one hit with no walks over five shutout relief innings. Kes Carter singled, was plunked, was caught stealing and had an outfield assist. Johnny Eierman singled and was caught stealing. The Rays mustered four singles and didn't have a runner reach scoring position.

Garko lands on disabled list

Ryan Garko, the former major leaguer who has been a regular in the middle of the Biscuits' lineup, has gone on the disabled list with an oblique injury.

Garko is hitting .305 in 56 games and ranks second on the team with seven home runs, though he joined the Biscuits only in mid-May. He's hit cleanup 49 times and third seven times.

Mobile native, former Vols star tops SL week

Huntsville right fielder Kentrail Davis and Jacksonville left-hander Graham Taylor won the Southern League's weekly awards.

Davis was 9-for-20 with six runs scored and three RBIs for the week and is hitting .272 this year. The 24-year-old is from Mobile and played at the University of Tennessee.

Taylor gave up one run over 13 innings/two starts for the Suns and is 5-8 with a 4.23 ERA this season.

Ranking the Rays ... Toles, Redman, Maile

For Sunday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Drew Vettleson, BWG: 2-run HR, 2 1b's, steal, 4 RBIs, 2 runs
2. Cameron Seitzer, BWG: 3b, 2b, 1b, RBI, 3 runs
3. Kyeong Kang, MGM: solo HR, 2 walks, 2 runs
4. Ty Morrison, MGM: 2 1b's, walk, RBI, run
5. Stephen Vogt, HR, 2b, walk in DH
SHORT SEASON
1. Andrew Toles, PRI: grand slam, 2b, 1b, steal, 2 runs
2. Reid Redman, PRI: 2 2b's, 1b, 3 RBIs, 2 runs
3. Luke Maile, HV: 2b, 1b, 3 RBIs, run

Today ...
DUR (Matt Torra (8-6, 4.37) vs. Rochester (Liam Hendricks, 7-0, 1.74), 6:05
MGM off
CHA (C.J. Riefenhauser 7-5, 4.26) at Fort Myers (Pat Dean 6-6, 3.89), 6:05
BWG (Jake Partridge 5-0, 2.74) vs. Clinton (Trevor Miller 6-6, 3.42), 7:05
HV (Matt Spann 1-3, 3.60) vs. Staten Island, 6:05
PRI (Eli Echarry 0-1, 8.59) vs. Johnson City (Juan Bautista 1-3, 5.63), 6:05
GCL vs. Red Sox, 6

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Sunday's Rays roundup

Rochester 5, Bulls 1 (Game 1)
Stephen Vogt
homered and doubled. Jim Paduch threw an eight-hit complete game.

Bulls 4, Rochester 3 (Game 2)
Henry Wrigley
singled in Rich Thompson with the winning run in the seventh. Leslie Anderson hit a three-run home run and walked.

Clearwater at Stone Crabs
Rained out. Canceled.

Clinton 10, Hot Rods 9
Drew Vettleson
hit a two-run homer in the ninth, singled twice, stole, had four RBIs and scored twice. Cameron Seitzer tripled, doubled, singled, RBI'd and scored three times. Jake Hager tripled, singled, walked twice and caught stealing.

Renegades 8, Aberdeen 2
Luke Maile
doubled, singled, scored and had three RBIs. Justin O'Conner walked twice and scored twice. Joey Rickard singled twice and scored twice. Ryan Dunn hit a three-run homer in the first.

P-Rays 13, Johnson City 3
Andrew Toles
hit a grand slam, doubled, singled, stole and scored twice. Reid Redman doubled twice, singled, had three RBIs and scored twice.

Sunday: Biscuits 5, Barons 4 (10)

Brad Coon, after giving the Biscuits an eighth-inning lead Sunday, hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to lift Montgomery to a 5-4 win over the Birmingham Barons.

The Biscuits used a two-run eighth inning to take a 4-3 lead, but the Barons rallied in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.

In the eighth, Ty Morrison scored on a throwing error and Coon drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Omar Luna with the go-ahead run. Birmingham's ninth-inning run came against Biscuits closer Kirby Yates.

Biscuits shortstop Hak-Ju Lee, with a walk in the fifth inning, has reached base in 35 straight games, two shy of the team record set by Evan Longoria in 2007. Lee was 0-for-4.

Healing hand: Ashley back with Bulls

Catcher Nevin Ashley, on Durham's disabled list since breaking a hand in April, was activated by the Bulls today. In 15 rehab games with the GCL Rays, Ashley hit .333 with seven walks, five RBIs and six runs scored.

Rearick to join Biscuits today

New Biscuits reliever Chris Rearick is scheduled to be in uniform today at Birmingham, while infielder Shawn O'Malley will join the team for its upcoming series at Jackson.

Rearick had a 1.79 ERA and was 20-of-22 on saves with the Stone Crabs. A Florida State League All-Star, the 24-year-old Georgian has given up just one run and six hits in his last 14 1/3 innings. He's a left-hander.

O'Malley was hitting .245 in 67 games with Durham this year, but he had a .190 average in just eight July games. The 24-year-old was with Montgomery the last two seasons. Hurt for much of 2010, he hit .276 last year.

Adam Liberatore, who made an appearance for Durham in April, had a 2.94 ERA in 52 innings for the Biscuits. The left-hander struggled mightily at home (3.90 ERA, 2-of-8 on saves) but was good on the road (1.64, 6-of-7).

Rearick, O'Malley in; Liberatore up

Relief pitcher Chris Rearick has been promoted from high-Class A Charlotte to the Biscuits, while infielder Shawn O'Malley has been demoted from Triple-A Durham.

Biscuits reliever Adam Liberatore has been promoted to the Bulls.

Ranking the Rays ... Gomez, Rivero, Snell

For Saturday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Roberto Gomez, BWG: 3 no-hit innings, walk, 5 Ks, 3 GBO
2. Felipe Rivero, BWG: 3 no-hit innings, walk, 5 Ks, 2 GBO
3. Alejandro Segovia, BWG: solo HR, 1b, HBP, 2 runs
4. Matt Buschmann, MGM: 6 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 3 walks, 6 Ks
5. Hector Guevara, CHA: 2b, 1b, walk, error, run
SHORT SEASON
1. Blake Snell, PRI: 5 shutout innings, 3 walks, no walks, 6 Ks, 5 GBO
2. Bruedlin Suero, PRI: 5 innings, unearned run, 2 hits, 2 walks, 5 Ks, 5 GBO
3. Willie Argo, PRI: solo HR, 1b, 3 RBIs

Today ...
DUR (Chris Archer 5-8, 4.68/Jim Paduch 5-7, 5.28) vs. Rochester (Luke French 1-5, 6.61/Jeff Manship 5-1, 2.37), DH, 4:05
MGM (Nick Barnese 1-0, 4.98) at Birmingham (Nestor Molina 4-7, 4.50), 4
CHA (Braulio Lara 5-8, 6.13) vs. Clearwater (Adam Morgan 3-8, 3.23), 4:30
BWG (Trevor Shull 2-5, 5.53) vs. Clinton (Jordan Shipers 4-4, 3.81), 5:05
HV (Jesse Hahn 0-2, 4.96) at Aberdeen (Cameron Coffey 1-4, 7.40), 4:35
PRI (Alex Keudell 1-2, 2.08) vs. Johnson City (Cory Jones 0-1, 3.31), 2
GCL off

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Saturday's Rays roundup

Rochester at Bulls
Rained out. DH Sunday.

Clearwater 9, Stone Crabs 2
Steve Tinoco
hit three singles. Hector Guevara doubled, singled, walked, erred and scored. David Wendt had two hits and an RBI.

Hot Rods 5, Clinton 4 (11)
Tyler Goeddel
drew a game-ending walk. Alejandro Segovia hit a solo homer, singled, was plunked and scored twice. Felipe Rivero and Roberto Gomez each threw three no-hit innings with a walk.

Renegades 4, Aberdeen 3
Deshun Dixon
hit a two-run double and scored on a Marty Gantt single in a three-run ninth inning. Tommy Coyle tripled, singled twice and RBI'd. Justin O'Conner walked twice.

Bluefield 2, P-Rays 0 (Game 1)
Blake Snell
threw five shutout innings, giving up three hits with no walks and six strikeouts. The entire offense: Andrew Toles singled and John Alexander walked.

P-Rays 4, Bluefield 2 (Game 2)
Willie Argo
hit a solo home run, singled and had three RBIs. Brandon Martin also homered. Bruedlin Suero allowed just an unearned run in five innings with two hits, two walks and five strikeouts.

GCL Rays 5, Orioles 3
Spencer Edwards
doubled, singled and had two RBIs. Cesar Perez hit two singles, RBI'd and scored twice. Adderly Rosa doubled, walked and RBI'd. Rehabbing Nevin Ashley singled, walked twice, was plunked, scored and (gulp) stole another base. Nolan Gannon tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings.

Saturday: Biscuits 5, Barons 1

Hak-Ju Lee's three-run triple capped a four-run seventh inning that lifted the Biscuits to a 5-1 win over the Birmingham Barons on Saturday.

Brett Nommensen's one-out single brought in Tyler Bortnick with the go-ahead run. With two outs, Mark Thomas drew a walk to load the bases and cause a Birmingham pitching change.

Lee greeted reliever Ryan Kussmaul with a triple to right-center field. All five runs were charged to starter Spencer Arroyo.

The rally rewarded Biscuits starter Matt Buschmann's nice effort with a victory. Buschmann (4-5) gave up one run on three hits over six innings.

System check

TRIPLE-A, DURHAM BULLS
International League South

(46-55, tied for third, 11 GB)
1B Henry Wrigley has a .435 average with 11 extra-base hits in 15 July games. He's hitting .343 in 57 games.
LHP Frank De Los Santos has a 2.38 ERA in 11 games.
RHP Josh Lueke has given up one run in his last 10.1 innings.

HIGH-CLASS A, CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS
Florida State League South

(12-16, fifth place, 4 GB)
SS Derek Dietrich has 11 hits and eight RBIs in his last seven games. He's hitting .280.
LHP T.J. Geith has a 15-inning scoreless streak and a 2.76 ERA.
OF Mikie Mahtook is hitting .291.

LOW-CLASS A, BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS
Midwest League Eastern

(17-10, first place, 1 GA)
SS Jake Hager, with has knocked in nine runs in his last five games, has a .283 average and 49 RBIs.
OF Josh Sale is hitting .273 with 33 walks in 46 games.
RHP Jake Floethe, with five shutout innings Wednesday, is 9-1 with a 3.56 ERA.

SHORT-SEASON A, HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES
New York-Penn League McNamara

(19-13, second place, 1 GB)
LHP Sean Bierman has thrown five shutout innings in each of his last two starts. The wins left him 2-1 with a 3.22 ERA.
RHP Taylor Guerrieri has an 0.90 ERA, 12 hits allowed and 19 strikeouts in 20 innings.

ROOKIE, PRINCETON RAYS
Appalachian League East

(15-15, third place, 5.5 GB)
RHP Dan Bream has a 1.86 ERA in 19.1 innings.
CF Andrew Toles is hitting .357 after 15 games.

ROOKIE, GCL RAYS
Gulf Coast League South

(9-13, fourth place, 4.5 GB)
LHP Oscar Armenta, in 21.1 innings, hasn't allowed an earned run. He's walked two and struck out 21.
Rehabbing C Nevin Ashley has a .326 average in 14 games.

WAYWARD BISCUITS
Those who strayed from the Rays

RHP Dale Thayer has a 4.34 ERA for the San Diego Padres.
LHP Chris Seddon is 9-5 with a 3.47 ERA for Triple-A Columbus (Indians).
1B Wes Bankston has a .279 average and 17 home runs for Campeche of the Mexican League.
1B Matt Fields is hitting .276 with 15 RBIs and 15 runs scored in 26 games at high-Class A Wilmington (Royals).
LHP Darin Downs has a 2.45 ERA in five games with the Detroit Tigers.
1B Rhyne Hughes is hitting .284 at Double-A Bowie (Orioles).
C Jake Jefferies has a .237 average with Double-A Jacksonville (Marlins).
C Matt Spring is hitting .212 at Double-A Portland (Red Sox).
RHP Eduardo Morlan has a 2.00 ERA in 32 games for independent Southern Maryland.

Ranking the Rays ... Dietrich, Brandt, Carter

For Friday ...
FULL SEASON
1. Derek Dietrich, CHA: 2-run HR, 3b, 2 1b's, 3 runs, 5 RBIs
2. Robi Estrada, CHA: 2 2b's, 1b, 3 runs
3. Parker Markel, BWG: 5 innings, 1 run, 5 hits, walk, 5 Ks, 2 balks
4. Stayton Thomas, BWG: 2 perfect innings, K, 3 GBO
5. Mikie Mahtook, CHA: 2-run HR, HBP, 2 RBIs, 2 runs
SHORT SEASON
1. Kevin Brandt, PRI: 4 shutout innings, 3 hits, 2 walks, 9 Ks
2. Kes Carter, GCL: 3b, 2 1b's, run, 2 RBIs
3. Jordan Harrison, GCL: 4 shutout innings, 4 hits, no walks, 4 Ks

Today ...
DUR (Chris Archer 5-8, 4.68) vs. Rochester (Luke French 1-5, 6.61), 6:05
MGM (Matt Buschmann 3-5, 4.17) at Birmingham (Spencer Arroyo 4-0, 2.42), 5:30
CHA (C.J. Riefenhauser 7-5, 4.26) vs. Clearwater (Jesse Biddle 5-4, 3.39), 5:30
BWG (?) vs. Clinton, 7:05
HV (Jeff Ames 2-0, 0.96) at Aberdeen (Juan Guzman 1-0, 1.38), 6:05
PRI (Bruedlin Suero 1-3/?) at Bluefield (Tucker Jensen 1-1, 4.58/Deivy Estrada 2-1, 3.80), DH, 4
GCL at Orioles, 11 a.m.

Signed by Rays, indy pitcher going to Crabs

The Rays are adding a pitcher from an independent league and sending him to high-Class A Charlotte.

Right-hander Matt Nevarez, with the Wichita Wingnuts of the American Association, has had his contract purchased by Tampa Bay.

Nevarez had 45 strikeouts and a 3.08 ERA in 26 1/3 innings. He was 3-2 with seven saves in 25 games. The 25-year-old was with Double-A Corpus Christi in the Houston organization the last two years.

The Crabs currently have a full roster, so they'll need a corresponding move.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Friday's Rays roundup

Bulls 7, Rochester 4
Will Rhymes
hit a solo home run, singled and had two RBIs. Stephen Vogt hit a two-run homer and singled. Henry Wrigley singled, doubled and scored twice. Lance Pendleton worked five innings, giving up a run on seven hits.

Stone Crabs 10, Clearwater 4
Derek Dietrich
tripled, homered, singled twice, scored thrice and knocked in five runs. Robi Estrada doubled twice, singled and scored thrice. Victor Mateo had a book-rule quality start.

Hot Rods 8, Kane County 5 (continuation of Thursday)
Todd Glaesmann
singled twice, doubled, stole, RBI'd and scored twice. Tyler Goeddel singled, doubled, erred, had two RBIs and scored. Ryan Carpenter pitched just two innings before the rain Thursday.

Hot Rods 4, Kane County 1 (7)
Jake Hager
hit a three-run homer in the fourth and erred. Ryan Brett stole twice, RBI'd and scored. Parker Markel gave up a run on five hits in five innings. Stayton Thomas threw two perfect frames.

Renegades 3, Aberdeen 2
Taylor Guerrieri
gave up a run (yikes!) over four innings on three hits and no walks. Reinaldo Lopez tossed three shutout innings. Tommy Coyle walked twice and scored.

Bluefield 2, P-Rays 0
Kevin Brandt
struck out nine over four shutout innings. Starter Jake Faria worked just one inning.

GCL Rays 4, Orioles 1
Kes Carter
singled twice, tripled, had two RBIs and scored. Rehabbing Nevin Ashley hit three singled with an RBI, a run scored and (oh, my) a stolen base. Jordan Harrison threw four shutout innings. Isaac Gil's three scoreless frames included just one hit.