Moore eclipses 200-Ks

Matt Moore struck out 11 over six innings for the Charlotte Stone Crabs in a 3-2 win over Jupiter in the opening game of a doubleheader tonight.

Moore finishes the regular season with 208 strikeouts. He's the first Florida State League pitcher since 1971 to reach 200.

Recently drafted Jacob Thompson, just up from Hudson Valley, pitched five innings and got the win in the Crabs' 3-1 victory.

Baker wins again; McGee still doing OK

Shutout maker Brian Baker threw five shutout innings and Jake McGee, the Reno rabbit, followed with two in Durham's 5-2 win over Charlotte.

McGee has been acceptable sine his promotion from Montgomery. He hasn't allowed an earned run, has issued one walk and has totaled 23 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.

Desmond Jennings going to big leagues

Former Biscuits center fielder Desmond Jennings is among the throng being called up by the Rays when rosters expand Wednesday.

It's Jennings, Jeremy Hellickson, Rocco Baldelli, Dioner Navarro and Brad Hawpe, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

It will be Jennings' debut. He was the Southern League most valuable player last season. This year, he's hitting .278 with 82 runs scored in 109 games for Durham.

If you're bored, check out my new Alabama blog

Row Todd, right? They have me blogging about the mighty Crimson Tide. It make take me a while to get to my freewheeling Biscuit Crumbs best, but you can check it out. We've named it Fit to be Tide. I plan to keep the Biscuit Crumbs alive -- as much as I can -- until they tell me otherwise.

Hellickson, Montoyo land major International honors

Durham's Jeremy Hellickson was named the International League's pitcher of the year and Charlie Montoyo won the manager of the year award today. Both are former Biscuits.

Dan Johnson, now in the majors, won the most valuable player award. Johnson, who has been with the Rays since early August, still leads the IL with 30 home runs and 95 RBIs.

Hellickson was on pace for the IL Triple Crown with 12 wins, a 2.45 ERA and 123 strikeouts when he was promoted to the majors. He's now in high-Class A Charlotte to learn how to be a reliever.

Under Montoyo, the Bulls have won four straight division championships and have the league's best record.

Durham's Elliot Johnson, another former Biscuit, landed on the end-of-season All-Star team. Through Monday, Johnson has a .314 average, which ranks fourth in the league, and 30 steals, which ranks fifth.

MiLB head on Huntsville: 'We can force the club to leave'

The president of Minor League Baseball, Pat O'Conner, piles on about Huntsville's Joe Davis Stadium in the Huntsville Times, saying "they need a ballpark."

5 Crabs named to FSL end-of-season All-Star team

Left-handed pitcher Matt Moore leads a group of five Charlotte Stone Crabs named to the Florida State League's end-of-season All-Star team.

Starting pitcher Joe Cruz, reliever Zach Quate and leading hitter Stephen Vogt join Moore on the team. Jim Morrison was named the league's manager of the year.

Vogt leads the league in hitting, Cruz has a league-best 12 wins and ranks second with a 2.98 ERA, and Quate has 23 saves and has held hitters to a .191 average. Morrison has the Crabs back in the playoffs for a second straight year.

Moore leads the entire minor leagues with 197 strikeouts and is on the cusp of being the first since 1971 from the FSL to reach 200. He was also a four-time FSL pitcher of the week.

2011 Biscuits schedule

Released today by the Southern League, and the AHSAA baseball championships are cleared for a full week at Riverwalk. The Biscuits are on the road.

APRIL
7-11 Birmingham
13-17 at Tennessee
18-22 West Tenn
23-27 at Mississippi
28-30 Jacksonville

MAY
1-2 Jacksonville
3-7 at Carolina
9-13 Chattanooga
14-18 at Birmingham
19-23 at Huntsville (AHSAA baseball championships end May 21)
25-29 Jacksonville
30-31 at West Tenn

JUNE
1-3 at West Tenn
4-8 Mississippi
9-13 Jacksonville
15-19 at Mobile
end of first half (All-Star Game on June 21 at West Tenn)
23-27 West Tenn
28-30 at Mobile

JULY
1-3 at Mobile (end six-game series)
4-7 Tennessee (four-gamer)
8-11 at Jacksonville
13-18 Huntsville (six-gamer)
20-23 at West Tenn (DH on 23rd, followed by two off days)
26-30 Tennessee
31 at Jacksonville

AUGUST
1-4 at Jacksonville
5-9 Mobile
11-15 at Carolina
16-20 at Birmingham
21-25 Mississippi
26-30 Carolina

SEPTEMBER
1-5 at Chattanooga

Marbury's Dickson top hurler in PCL

Marbury native Brandon Dickson snapped an eight-start winless streak with two straight victories and earned the Pacific Coast League's weekly pitching award.

Dickson, who is with the Memphis Redbirds allowed two runs over 8 2/3 innings Tuesday to win at Omaha. On Sunday, he gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings and struck out a season-high nine to win at Round Rock.

Alex Torres week's top pitcher in Southern League

Biscuits left-hander Alex Torres has been named the Southern League's pitcher of the week.

Torres allowed one run on four hits with a season-high 10 strikeouts in seven innings Sunday. He threw six shutout innings Tuesday at Huntsville. With the two wins, Torres is 11-6 and his 3.33 ERA ranks eighth in the league.

Birmingham's Cole Armstrong won the hitter's award.

Moore wins FSL award again

Charlotte's Matt Moore has yet again won the Florida State League's weekly pitching award.

Ashley promoted after Lobaton went on DL

Durham added catcher Nevin Ashley from the Biscuits after the Bulls needed to put Jose Lobaton on the disabled list.

Ashley helps Durham set team Triple-A wins mark

Durham's 8-5 win at Charlotte today -- which included a two-run home run by Nevin Ashley in his debut -- gave the Bulls a Triple-A team-record 84th win. Durham is 84-51.

Richard De Los Santos had his seven-start win streak end. He was in position to pick up his 15th victory, but the bullpen blew a save. De Los Santos allowed one run over five innings and has a 3.36 ERA.

Durham needs five wins in its final eight games (all at home) to tie the 1962 team's record of 89 wins.

Ashley promoted to Durham

Biscuits catcher Nevin Ashley has been promoted to Triple-A Durham. Ashley, out of the lineup tonight, hit .255 in 92 games with the Biscuits. He had seven home runs and 45 RBIs.

He gives the Bulls three active catchers, which is a sign Dioner Navarro will return to the majors Wednesday when rosters expand.

Saturday: Biscuits 6, Diamond Jaxx 3

Jeremy Hall threw six shutout innings, Jose Ruiz knocked in three runs, and the Biscuits beat the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx 6-3 on Saturday.

Hall (6-8) gave up four hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out three.

Ruiz hit a two-run homer in the first inning and an RBI groundout in the four-run seventh. Matt Fields’ 12th homer led off the seventh.

The Jaxx scored three times with two outs in the ninth off reliever Sergio Espinosa. Heath Rollins recorded the final out for his second save.

Reid unsure who made $1K jersey bid

Biscuits pitcher Ryan Reid is in the dark about who bid $1,000 on his jersey. He ruled out his family. Other than that, "I have no idea," he said. Reid has asked some of the Biscuits front office people, but they didn't cough up the info.

Cobb, Schenk also on Rays' AFL list

Biscuits pitcher Alex Cobb and Charlotte reliever Neil Schenk round out the Tampa Bay contingent headed to the Arizona Fall League. Cobb confirmed his and Schenk's invitation today.

Reid leader in clubhouse in jersey auction

Online bidding has ended for the Biscuits' annual jersey auction. It will continue at Riverwalk Stadium tonight with a silent auction, but I'll guess that one jersey is safe.

Nobody exceeded the early bid of $1,000 for pitcher Ryan Reid's No. 33. The second-highest bid was a $280 pittance put forth for Jake McGee's No. 21.

Saturday lineups

It's the second game of a four-game series between the Biscuits and West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. Today is also the final Saturday home game of the year and it's Charities Night at the park. Lineups ...

BISCUITS
Emeel Salem lf
Rashad Eldridge cf
Jose Ruiz 1b
Henry Wrigley 3b
John Matulia rf
Drew Anderson ss
Matt Fields dh
Craig Albernaz c
Shawn O'Malley 2b
Jeremy Hall rhp

DIAMOND JAXX
Matt Lawson 2b
Nate Tenbrink 1b
Alex Liddi dh
Johan Limonta rf
Guillermo Quiroz c
Carlos Peguero cf
Leury Bonilla 3b
Joe Dunigan lf
Carlos Triunfel ss
Luis Munoz rhp

System check

With college football starting in earnest next week, this is the final system check of the year.

TRIPLE-A, DURHAM BULLS
International League South
(83-50, first place, 16 GA)
RHP Richard De Los Santos threw six shutout innings Tuesday and set a team Triple-A record with his 14th win. He’s won seven straight starts and is 14-5 with a 3.42 ERA.
LHP Jake McGee, in 12.2 shutout innings, has allowed four hits, walked one and struck out 20.
IF Elliot Johnson, who has 25 hits in his last 15 games, is hitting .321, which ranks fourth in the league. He’s scored 66 runs.
1B-LF Leslie Anderson has a .354 average in 20 games.

HIGH-CLASS A, CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS
Florida State League South
(31-29, third place, 2 GB)
LHP Matt Moore needs three strikeouts in his final start to become the first in the league to reach 200 for a season since 1971. He threw six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts Thursday to improve to 5-11 with a 3.50 ERA.
C Stephen Vogt’s 330 average still leads the league.
SS Tim Beckham, hitting .319 since July 1, has pushed his average to .258.
LHP Neil Schenk is 5-2 with a 2.77 ERA.

LOW-CLASS A, BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS
Midwest League Eastern
(24-36, seventh place, 17 GB)
RHP Tyree Hayes threw two perfect innings Tuesday and has a 3.25 ERA in 10 appearances.
OF Ty Morrison has a .317 average and nine RBIs in his last 10 games.
OF Burt Reynolds, promoted after hitting .224 at Hudson Valley, is 3-for-10 in four games.

SHORT-SEASON A, HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES
New York-Penn League McNamara
(33-31, second place, 10 GB)
3B Nick Schwaner, who knocked in five runs Wednesday, has 45 RBIs in 57 games.
RHP Nate Garcia, after throwing 3.1 perfect innings Monday, has a 1.71 ERA.
LHP Zach Rosscup struck out 10 over 5.2 innings Monday.

ROOKIE, PRINCETON RAYS
Appalachian League East
(29-34, fourth place, 7 GB)
LHP Matt Gilson allowed one hit in 3.1 innings Monday and has a 1.62 ERA.
LHP Enny Romero is 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 12 starts.

ROOKIE, GCL RAYS
Gulf Coast League South
(33-26, first place, 1.5 GA)
LHP Jose Molina allowed one hit in four shutout innings Friday in his first start.
RHP Pedro Silvestre is 6-0 with a 2.29 ERA.

WAYWARD BISCUITS
Those who strayed from the Rays
LF Delmon Young has a .306 average and 91 RBIs for the Minnesota Twins.
RHP Evan Meek has a 2.13 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
RHP Mitch Talbot has lost five straight decisions and is 8-11 with a 4.44 ERA for the Cleveland Indians.
RHP Jose Veras has a 3.34 ERA with the Florida Marlins.
OF Johnny Raburn is hitting .264 with Triple-A Nashville (Brewers).
RHP Willie Glen is 10-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 104 strikeouts at independent Gary SouthShore.
RHP Jim Magrane ranks third in Taiwan with 94 strikeouts. He’s 9-5 with a 2.60 ERA.
IF Vince Harrison is hitting .269 at independent Winnipeg.
RHP Chris Mason is 10-6 with a 2.31 ERA for La New in Taiwan.
OF Jeremy Owens is hitting .218 for independent Southern Maryland.
OF Joe Gaetti has a .220 average with independent Lancaster.

Hawpe signs minor deal with Rays

Outfielder Brad Hawpe, released by the Colorado Rockies on Thursday, has signed a minor-league deal with the Rays and will join Class A Charlotte. Hawpe had a .255 average in 88 games with the Rockies this year.

Crabs' Moore near nice feat

The fine folks with the Charlotte Stone Crabs just shared this.

Matt Moore, after a 10-strikeout Thursday left him with a minors-high 197 Ks this year, can become the Florida State League's first 200-K pitcher since 1971. Moore has one start left in the regular season.

Strasburg likely headed to operating table

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is likely to have Tommy John surgery, according to reports. He left a game last weekend with forearm pain. He'll miss 12 to 18 months.

Stone Crabs, Rays extend PDC

The Charlotte Stone Crabs and Tampa Bay Rays have extended their player development contract through 2012.

Cobb near mark; Joe Davis (Stadium) sets mark

Biscuits pitcher Alex Cobb had 13 strikeouts in today's 5-3 loss at Huntsville. That's one shy of the team record of 14 set by Mitch Talbot in a playoff win over Jacksonville on Sept. 9, 2006.

Huntsville fans clearly set another mark, filling Joe Davis Stadium to the tune of an announced crowd of 504 today for the smallest gathering in Biscuits history. That clipped the 595 from Monday. Those eclipsed the 630 that turned out to see Montgomery on June 20 ... at Huntsville. In Biscuits history, there have been 24 announced crowds of less than 1,000. Huntsville has a 14-10 lead over West Tenn in that category.

De Los Santos sets Durham wins record

Richard De Los Santos set Durham's Triple-A wins record in style tonight.

De Los Santos and two relievers combined on a 1-0 home win over Norfolk for Durham's ninth straight victory.

De Los Santos (14-5) gave up six hits in 6 2/3 innings. Jake McGee followed with 1 1/3, including striking out the side in the eighth. Winston Abreu worked the ninth for his 21st save.

McGee, in 10 2/3 innings since leaving the Biscuits, has 19 strikeouts and hasn't allowed an earned run.

Xavier Hernandez leaving Rays for Houston Baptist

Durham pitching coach Xavier Hernandez has been named an assistant coach at Houston Baptist and will leave the Tampa Bay organization at the end of the season.

Hernandez is in his fourth year with the Bulls after a two-season stay with the Biscuits. His last five teams, including this year's, have advanced to the playoffs. Hernandez has been with the Rays since 2002.

Hernandez lives in the Houston suburbs, so the move will allow him to spend more time with his wife and four children. He was the pitching coach at Houston Baptist from 1999-2001 and received dual degrees in psychology and sociology from the school.

The right-hander, who turned 45 last week, played in the major leagues from 1989-98.

Houston Baptist, previously an NAIA school, started the move back to NCAA Division I three years ago. The Huskies had a 6.64 team ERA this spring and finished 28-31.

Spring hits Montgomery's first grand slam since '08

Catcher Matt Spring hit a first-inning grand slam tonight in Montgomery's game at Huntsville. It's the first for the Biscuits since Gabriel Martinez hit one May 31, 2008, and the 15th in team history. Spring also hit a grand slam in his first game in a Biscuits uniform, which was May 24, 2007, at Mississippi.

Longoria shares AL player of week award

Rays third baseman Evan Longoria has been named the co-American League player of the week, along with Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees. Longoria was 11-for-28 with three home runs and 12 RBIs over the last week. Cano knocked in 13 runs and was 9-for-27 with four homers.

Get your bids in now for Biscuits jerseys

Bidding has started for the Biscuits' annual jersey auction. The minimum bid is $135. Online bidding continues through noon Saturday. On Saturday night, the highest online bid will be the beginning bid for a silent auction at Riverwalk Stadium. In other words, those at the stadium get the last shot, like the home team in the bottom of the ninth.

Durham releases 2011 schedule

The Durham Bulls are making their game at the old home an annual thing. The Bulls released their 2011 schedule today and will return to the old Durham Athletic Park to play Indianapolis on May 9. The Bulls will also host the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament May 25-29.

For any Biscuits fans looking for the easiest way to see them, the Bulls play three series at the Gwinnett Braves. Durham opens the season at Gwinnett with a four-game series April 7-10. The Bulls also are there June 16-19 and July 4-5.

Lobstein rakes in Midwest League award

Bowling Green's Kyle Lobstein, on the strength of his start Wednesday, won the Midwest League's weekly pitching award today. Lobstein threw seven shutout innings in a 6-2 win over Lake County. The left-hander allowed four hits, walked none and struck out seven to improve to 8-6 with a 4.20 ERA.

Streaking Steve Clevenger of the Tennessee Smokies and Birmingham's Deunte Heath won the Southern League's weekly honors. Clevenger has hits in nine straight at-bats, two shy of the league record. He also had nine RBIs and five extra-base hits the last two days. Heath threw five shutout innings in two relief appearances.

McGee notches first career save

Jake McGee picked up his first pro save tonight with a perfect, five-pitch ninth inning to finish Durham's 9-8 win at Norfolk.

Sunday: Biscuits 9, Lookouts 2

Nevin Ashley knocked in a career-high five runs, Paul Phillips and three relievers combined on a three-hitter, and the Biscuits downed the Chattanooga Lookouts 9-2 on Sunday.

Phillips gave up one hit -- a bunt single with one out in the fourth inning -- over five shutout innings. Matt Gorgen (one inning) and Dane De La Rosa (two) followed.

Craig Albernaz, normally a catcher, worked the ninth in his second career pitching appearance. Jerry Sands hit his 32nd home run off the scoreboard against Albernaz, who surrendered two hits and a walk. Albernaz struck out two.

Ashley has career-high five RBIs

Biscuits catcher Nevin Ashley has knocked in five runs through six innings today and the Montgomery leads 8-0. He hit a two-run homer in the third, an infield RBI single in the fourth and a two-run single in the sixth. Ashley also singled and scored in the second.

He had four RBIs in three previous career games, one for Columbus in August 2007 and two for Rookie-level Princeton in July and August 2006.

Ashley is the 16th player in Biscuits history to reach five RBIs and the second this year (Chris Nowak on May 31). Gabriel Martinez's seven RBIs on Aug. 9, 2006, is the record, followed by Elliot Johnson's six on April 26, 2006.

Ashley should get another at-bat.

UPDATE: Ashley walked in the eighth. Biscuits lead 9-1, so that should be his final at-bat.

Trainer Lee Slagle also going to AFL

Biscuits trainer Lee Slagle, a Montgomery native, will also take part in the Arizona Fall League this year.

Bortnick promoted to Stone Crabs

Second baseman Tyler Bortnick has been promoted from low-Class A Bowling Green to the high-Class A Charlotte Stone Crabs. He was hitting .303 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs. He led the team with 32 doubles, 72 runs scored and 63 walks.

(Speculation: Charlotte second baseman Anthony Scelfo did leave Saturday's game after just one at-bat, so he may be hurt.)

Mudcats re-up with Reds through 2012

The Carolina Mudcats and Cincinnati Reds have extended their player development contract through 2012. They announced it Saturday. That leaves three Southern League teams without formal arrangements for beyond this season: Montgomery, Huntsville and West Tenn.

Sunday lineup

It's the series finale between the Biscuits and Chattanooga Lookouts.

BISCUITS
Emeel Salem lf
Rashad Eldridge cf
Jose Ruiz 1b
Nevin Ashley c
John Matulia rf
Henry Wrigley 3b
Drew Anderson ss
Matt Spring dh
Shawn O'Malley 2b
Paul Phillips rhp

LOOKOUTS
Dee Gordon ss
Elian Herrera lf
Trayvon Robinson cf
Jerry Sands 1b
Corey Smith 3b
Matt Wallach dh
Kyle Russell rf
Jaime Pedroza 2b
Alex Garabedian c
Jesus Castillo rhp


2 p.m.: They're preparing to pull the tarp. Obviously, we'll have a delay.
2:20 p.m.: Announced start time 2:35.

Piniella retiring after today's game

Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who is a minority owner of the Biscuits, is retiring after today's game with Atlanta. Piniella, who is citing family reasons, had already said he was retiring at the end of the year.

Saturday: Lookouts 6, Biscuits 1

Brent Leach fired seven shutout innings, retiring the last 13 men he faced, to lead the Chattanooga Lookouts to a 6-1 win over the Biscuits on Saturday.

Matt Wallach hit a two-run home run in the second and Corey Smith’s three-run blast in the third made it 6-0. The Biscuits, who have lost a season-high five straight, scored in the eighth when Drew Anderson came home on an Emeel Salem groundout.

Leach (6-3) gave up an infield single in the first and a line single in the third. He walked one and struck out five.

Saturday: Alabama 27, Auburn 18

Alabama snapped a two-year losing streak in the Biscuits' Auburn/Alabama Night, disgracing the Tigers 27-18 on Saturday.

Your all-time scores ...
2004: Alabama 46, Auburn 24
2005: Auburn 34, Alabama 21
2006: Alabama 26, Auburn 24
2007: Alabama 31, Auburn 12
2008: Auburn 25, Alabama 18
2009: Auburn 38, Alabama 18
2010: Alabama 27, Auburn 18

Shutout maker Brian Baker strikes again

Brian Baker gave up one hit over a season-high seven innings in Durham's 1-0 win at Norfolk tonight. Baker (8-4), R.J. Swindle and Winston Abreu combined on a two-hitter. Baker, who walked four and struck out four, has a 3.34 ERA.

Riverwalk sports 11th marriage proposal

We just had the 11th successful marriage proposal -- of 11 known attempts -- at Riverwalk Stadium. The last was July 4 and it's the third one this season.

At least 4 Biscuits headed to Arizona Fall League

Third baseman Henry Wrigley, pitcher Jeremy Hall, first baseman Jose Ruiz and pitcher Sergio Espinosa confirmed today that they've been invited to play in the Arizona Fall League.

First baseman Leslie Anderson, formerly of the Biscuits and now with Triple-A Durham, is also going, they said. The Tampa Bay Rays' contingent, based on past years, should be four pitchers and three position players, so there are two pitchers still to go.

Saturday lineups

Alabama fans Emeel Salem and Matt Spring are searching for something crimson to go with their Biscuits uniforms, which feature both blue and orange.

BISCUITS
Emeel Salem lf
Rashad Eldridge cf
Nevin Ashley dh
Henry Wrigley 3b
John Matulia rf
Matt Fields 1b
Drew Anderson ss
Craig Albernaz c
Shawn O'Malley 2b
Rayner Oliveros rhp

LOOKOUTS
Dee Gordon ss
Elian Herrera 3b
Trayvon Robinson cf
Jerry Sands lf
Eddy Perez dh
Corey Smith 1b
Matt Wallach c
Kyle Russell rf
Jaime Pedroza 2b
Brent Leach lhp

Auburn/Alabama showdown scoring schedule

The winner of the on-field promotions scores six points for their team and has the opportunity for an "extra point."

Here are some of the scheduled events ...
Middle first -- spirit cam.
End of first -- fight song singoff
Middle third -- Iron Bowl triathlon
Middle fourth -- fan faceoff
End fourth -- tug of war
Middle fifth -- equipment ract
End of seventh -- sumo challenge
End of eighth -- a winner is declared, losing fans feel shame

Oh, joy. Oh, joy. It's Auburn/Alabama Night

It's that most wonderful of days when you can show those other heathens that support the other squad just how superior your team is. But get ready. I took the pictures above just outside Riverwalk Stadium of fans from the other side, and they look prepared. Gird thyself for Riverwalk's annual Armeggedon.

Feel free to count the teeth among those who support your enemy. Ask them how many buildings not related to the athletic department they can name on their team's campus. Ask them what classes they most enjoyed while attending.

Fans will not be segregated tonight. You may have to sit amongst your enemy, which shall provide a golden opportunity to proselytize.

Whether you're a Bammer or a Barner, it's your night to shine.

Hellickson finds tough crowd with Rays

Jeremy Hellickson, after his first career major league loss, has been demoted by the Rays ... to Class A Charlotte ... and told to go to the bullpen. OK, the move is mostly so he can have an impact in this year's race. He's expected back in the majors when rosters expand Sept. 1. Hellickson was the first player in the modern era to start a major league career with three straight quality starts. He won all three before losing a no-decision Friday at Oakland.

System check

TRIPLE-A, DURHAM BULLS
International League South
(79-47, first place, 17.5 GA)
IF Elliot Johnson, who was 4-for-4 with two home runs and a double Tuesday, is hitting .316. He has a .377 on-base percentage, 64 runs scored and 52 RBIs.
CF Desmond Jennings has a .338 average in August. His 32 steals are second in the league.
RHP Richard De Los Santos, with wins in six straight starts, is 13-5 with a 3.59 ERA. He’s tied the team’s Triple-A record for wins.
LHP Darin Downs is 6-1 with a 4.88 ERA.

HIGH-CLASS A, CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS
Florida State League South
(27-28, third place, 4.5 GB)
RHP Joe Cruz is 12-6 with a 3.07 ERA and leads the league in wins. He’s won his last five starts.
LHP Matt Moore gave up three runs in five innings to lose Wednesday. He’s 4-11 with a 3.66 ERA and leads the minors with 187 strikeouts.
RHP Zach Quate has a 1.42 ERA and a .197 average against.
C Stephen Vogt is hitting a league-best .334.

LOW-CLASS A, BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS
Midwest League Eastern
(22-31, seventh place, 15 GB)
LHP Kyle Lobstein allowed four hits over seven shutout innings Wednesday and improved to 8-6 with a 4.20 ERA.
RHP Alex Colome threw three no-hit innings Monday in his first appearance since July 22. He had been out with a clavicle injury.
RHP Scott Shuman is 0-3 with an 8.25 ERA in seven August appearances.

SHORT-SEASON A, HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES
New York-Penn League McNamara
(28-30, third place, 11 GB)
C Mayo Acosta is 11-for-27 with three home runs and seven runs scored in his last seven games.
1B Phillip Wunderlich has a .335 average to rank second in the league.

ROOKIE, PRINCETON RAYS
Appalachian League East
(27-29, third place, 5 GB)
LF Cesar Guillen has nine hits and eight RBIs in his last five games, giving him a .322 season average.
LHP Braulio Lara is 5-3 with a 2.62 ERA after giving up one run in six innings Monday.

ROOKIE, GCL RAYS
Gulf Coast League South
(31-22, first place, 2 GA)
RHP Eduar Quinonez threw five shutout innings Wednesday and has a 3.69 ERA.
C Luke Bailey has a .318 average and two home runs in August.

WAYWARD BISCUITS
Those who strayed from the Rays
3B Gabriel Martinez hit .316 with nine RBIs to lead Saltillo in a five-game series win over Puebla for the Mexican League championship. He had 22 RBIs in 19 playoff games.
RHP Jean Machi has allowed one earned run in his last nine appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis (Pirates).
2B Fernando Cortez is hitting .303 at Triple-A Charlotte (White Sox).
1B Chris Nowak has a .265 average and 26 RBIs in 34 games with Double-A Huntsville (Brewers).
RHP Eduardo Morlan has a 2.68 ERA in 29 games with Double-A Huntsville (Brewers).
LHP James Houser has a 3.60 ERA in 18 games for Triple-A New Orleans (Marlins).
LHP Brandon Mann has been released at Class A Inland Empire (Dodgers). He had a 4.13 ERA.
OF Sergio Pedroza has a .339 average with independent Orange County. He has 12 homers and 59 RBIs.
C Josh Arhart is hitting .341 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs for independent Victoria.
LHP Jeff Ridgway has a 3.06 ERA at independent Southern Maryland.
LHP Ryan Morse has a 4.99 ERA with independent St. Paul.

Durham clinches fourth straight division title

The Durham Bulls, with tonight's 3-1 win at Norfolk and Gwinnett's 4-3 loss to Charlotte, wrapped up a fourth straight International League division championship. Jake McGee picked up the win with 1 2/3 shutout innings of relief.

Moore loses, still leads minors in K's

Matt Moore fell to 4-11 with Charlotte's 5-0 loss at Fort Myers tonight. Moore gave up three runs (two earned) on a measly three hits and a walk in five innings. He did whiff five, sits at 187 for the season and leads the entire minor leagues.

Lobstein rolls in zeroes

Kyle Lobstein threw seven shutout innings tonight to lead Bowling Green in a 6-2 win at Lake County. Lobstein allowed four hits, walked none and struck out seven. Seven innings ties a career high. In his last five starts, Lobstein has 30 K's and four walks.

Jai Miller getting Royal treatment

Selma's Jai Miller has been promoted to the Kansas City Royals from Triple-A Omaha.

The 25-year-old was hitting .267 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs at Omaha. Miller has one day of previous major league experience. He was 0-for-1 for the Florida Marlins on June 22, 2008, in a game at Oakland.

Miller started the year in the Florida organization before being designated for assignment. He was claimed by the Oakland A's and spent less than a month in their organization before being DFA'd again and claimed by the Royals.

Biscuits shuffle O'Malley off, Garcia on DL

Shortstop Shawn O'Malley has been activated from and pitcher Justin Garcia has been put on Montgomery's disabled list. O'Malley hasn't batted since July 28 due to a shoulder injury. Garcia started Friday at Mississippi. His injury was not announced.

De Los Santos ties Durham wins mark

Richard De Los Santos tied a Durham Triple-A record with his 13th win tonight in the Bulls' 6-2 win at Charlotte. De Los Santos gave up two runs over six innings to win his sixth straight start.

Gorgen activated from DL

Biscuits stopper Matt Gorgen, who spent the last month on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis, has been activated.

Gorgen collected saves July 14 and 15 to start the Biscuits on a five-game win streak coming out of the All-Star break. After that, with Gorgen on the shelf, the Biscuits lost 17 of their next 24 and turned a 1 1/2-game division lead into a seven-game deficit.

Montgomery won the last two days and is six games out entering tonight's series finale at Mississippi.

'Scoreboard' Stanton top NL player for week

Mike Stanton, he of the strength to clear the scoreboard at Riverwalk, won the National League's player of the week award. He was 14-of-24 with five doubles, four home runs and eight RBIs for the Florida Marlins last week.

Sheridan wins FSL award

Charlotte's Mike Sheridan won the Florida State League's weekly hitter's award.

Sheridan was 9-for-24 with six RBIs and eight runs scored for the week that ended Sunday. He's hitting .254 this season.

Carolina's Kris Negron was the Southern League's top hitter and Jacksonville's Elih Villanueva the top pitcher.

Villanueva threw a five-inning no-hitter Sunday and is 13-4 with a 2.15 ERA this year. Negron was 10-for-20 and scored eight times in five games. He has a 14-game hitting streak and is 16-of-31 in his last eight games.

Crabs start selling playoff tickets Tuesday

Get in line now. The Charlotte Stone Crabs begin selling playoff tickets Tuesday. Their home semifinal round games are Sept. 8-9 with the last if necessary. If they advance, the Crabs would host the first two games of the championship series Sept. 10-11.

Suns, Marlins extend relationship

The Jacksonville Suns, pleased with last year's Southern League championship and headed back to the playoffs this year, and the Florida Marlins will be together for two more seasons.

The two agreed to extend their player development contract through 2012, the Suns announced today. The Marlins and Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs extended theirs last week.

The Mobile BayBears and Arizona Diamondbacks re-upped last week, while the Chattanooga Lookouts and Los Angeles Dodgers did it (through 2014) this month. Montgomery, Carolina, Huntsville and West Tenn are the only Southern League teams who have yet to extend their PDCs.

Salem returns to Biscuits

Outfielder Emeel Salem, after two days with the Triple-A Durham Bulls, is back with the Biscuits. He was 2-for-11 with two doubles and an RBI in three games for the Bulls.

Royster, after back rehab, goes to Crabs

Outfielder Ryan Royster, who left in the Biscuits in early May to have surgery for a herniated disk, was activated by the Charlotte Stone Crabs today. He hit .381 with five RBIs in seven rehab games with the GCL Rays.

Biscuits send Paul Phillips to Durham

Biscuits reliever Paul Phillips has been promoted to Triple-A Durham, perhaps the follow-up move with Bulls starter Heath Phillips getting hurt Friday. Durham has a "Johnny Wholestaff" game today at Gwinnett because Aneury Rodriguez, today's scheduled starter, threw five innings Friday after Heath Phillips was hurt.

System check

TRIPLE-A, DURHAM BULLS
International League South
(73-45, first place, 14 GA)
RHP Richard De Los Santos has won five straight starts and is one victory from tying the team’s Triple-A record. He’s 12-5 with a 3.61 ERA.
RHP Aneury Rodriguez has 9.1 shutout innings in his last two appearances, lowering his ERA to 3.81.
LHP Jake McGee has allowed one hit, walked none and struck out seven in 3.2 shutout innings.
LF Leslie Anderson is 12-for-30 in eight games.
OF Emeel Salem was 1-for-4 in his debut Friday.

HIGH-CLASS A, CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS
Florida State League South
(24-24, third place, 4 GB)
LHP Matt Moore has double-digit strikeouts and quality starts in five of his last six games, but no wins. He gave up an unearned run and three hits in 6.2 innings Friday, striking out 12.
RHP Joe Cruz has won three straight starts, is 6-1 in his last seven decisions and is 10-6 with a 3.25 ERA.
1B Mike Sheridan is 13-for-28 with eight RBIs in his last eight games. He’s hitting .253.
OF Kyeong Kang has a .247 average in 71 games.
3B Greg Sexton is hitting .288.

LOW-CLASS A, BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS
Midwest League Eastern
(20-27, seventh place, 13 GB)
SS Tyler Bortnick is 0-for-11 in four games since ending an 11-game hit streak. In the streak, he had a .452 average with 10 runs scored. Bortnick is hitting .307.
OF Brett Nommensen, who knocked in a career-high five runs Tuesday, has a .290 average and 57 RBIs.
LHP Kyle Lobstein is 2-3 with a 5.26 ERA and four quality starts in his last nine games.

SHORT-SEASON A, HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES
New York-Penn League McNamara
(27-26, second place, 8 GB)
RHP Wilmer Almonte threw 6.1 shutout innings Thursday and is 3-2 with a 2.56 ERA. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out eight.
1B Phillip Wunderlich is hitting .324.

ROOKIE, PRINCETON RAYS
Appalachian League East
(25-26, third place, 3.5 GB)
OF Kevin Kiermaier is hitting .436 with 14 runs scored in his last 11 games, pushing his season average to .301 with 36 runs.
LF Bryan Fogle has 12 RBIs in his last six games. He’s hitting .283 with 30 RBIs.

ROOKIE, GCL RAYS
Gulf Coast League South
(26-21, first place, 1 GA)
LHP Matt Spann threw four shutout innings in his first start Tuesday and has an 0.93 ERA in 19.1 innings.
C Luke Bailey reached base four times, doubled and homered Friday. He’s hitting .167.

WAYWARD BISCUITS
Those who strayed from the Rays
3B Gabriel Martinez has a .302 average and 16 RBIs in 15 playoff games for Saltillo of the Mexican League. Saltillo has a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 championship series.
RF Delmon Young has a .318 average, 14 home runs and 84 RBIs for the Minnesota Twins.
LF Johnny Raburn is 8-for-13 in his last four games and hitting .259 with Triple-A Nashville (Brewers).
RHP Jose Veras has a 1.37 ERA in his last 20 appearances with the Florida Marlins.
RF Rhyne Hughes is hitting .262 at Triple-A Norfolk (Orioles).
OF Jason Perry hit his Atlantic League-leading 22nd home run Wednesday for independent Lancaster. He has a .295 average and 72 RBIs.
C Robinson Cancel is hitting .298 with 54 RBIs for independent Long Island.
OF J.T. Hall has a .256 average for independent Traverse City.
SS Brandon Chaves has a .247 average at independent Bridgeport.

Moore not too shabby yet again for Crabs

Matt Moore had another decent start tonight for Charlotte.

He allowed an unearned run on three hits and struck out 12 over 6 2/3 innings. He didn't factor in the decision with the Stone Crabs' 5-2 win over Fort Myers.

Moore, who leads the entire minors with 182 strikeouts, has a 1.61 ERA and 104 K's in 67 innings/11 starts since the Florida State League's All-Star break.

Durham starter leaves with injury

The Durham Bulls may be in need of a starting pitcher after Heath Phillips left tonight's game at Gwinnett with an injury -- nature and extent of injury undisclosed.

Baldelli skipping Montgomery on return trek

Rocco Baldelli's route back to the major leagues is bypassing the Biscuits. He's been promoted from high-Class A Charlotte, where he hit .283 in 12 games with four doubles and six RBIs, straight to Triple-A Durham.

Tampa Bay minor leaguer suspended for drugs

Rays minor league catcher Marcos Torres has been suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Torres is currently with the Gulf Coast League Rays. He tested positive for Methylhexaneamine, according to MLB's announcement.

Salem promoted to Durham

Biscuits outfielder Emeel Salem has been promoted to Triple-A Durham. Pitcher Rayner Oliveros has returned to Montgomery from Class A Charlotte.

Newmann to DL; first baseman up from DSL

In a week filled with football, I'll spit out that the Biscuits made a roster move today.

Left-handed pitcher David Newmann went on the disabled list and first baseman Jose Ruiz has been promoted from the Dominican Summer League.

Ruiz is 26 years old and defected from Cuba in 2009. He signed a minor league contract June 4 with the Rays, who have a $4 million team option they have to decide on at the end of the season. In 13 games with the DSL Rays, he was hitting .447 with nine RBIs.

Newmann is on the shelf with a repeat of the hamstring injury he suffered last month.

Now, back to the football.

Moore can't find win with K mark, six shutout innings

Charlotte left-hander Matt Moore once again failed to win tonight. He only threw six shutout innings and totaled a Stone Crabs-record 13 strikeouts in Charlotte's 1-0 loss to Lakeland. Moore, who retook the minor league K lead at 170, gave up four hits, of which one left the infield. In his last 11 starts, Moore has a 1.62 ERA, a 4-3 record and 96 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings.

Raysprospects.com taking short-season All-Star vote

I know it's late in the game, but there is still time to vote on the raysprospects.com's short-season Tampa Bay All-Star team. Voting open through noon Sunday. (With football, I just now saw Wednesday's e-mail announcement.)

Newark puts Dukes on inactive list

The independent Newark Bears put former Biscuits outfielder Elijah Dukes on their inactive list Wednesday. He's no longer listed on the team's roster, which includes a section for inactive players. Hmmm.

System check

TRIPLE-A, DURHAM BULLS
International League South
(69-43, first place, 13 GA)
RHP Richard De Los Santos, with a win Friday, has won four straight starts and is 11-5 with a 3.68 ERA.
CF Desmond Jennings is 9-for-25 with seven runs scored in his last seven games. He hit his first career grand slam last weekend. Jennings has a .351 on-base percentage this year.
IF Elliot Johnson has a .377 average and 16 runs scored in his last 16 games. He’s hitting .309 for the season.
LHP Darin Downs, after picking up wins in his previous two appearances, gave up two runs in two innings Tuesday. He’s 4-1 with a 6.27 ERA.

HIGH-CLASS A, CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS
Florida State League South
(19-23, tied for third, 4 GB)
RHP Shane Dyer struck out a season-high 10 in a win Wednesday. His six innings of one-run ball made him 5-7 with a 3.36 ERA.
SS Tim Beckham, with a .370 average in his last 12 games, has pushed his season average to .247. He’s drawn 50 walks, knocked in 50 runs and scored 56 times.
LHP Matt Moore allowed two runs in four innings in a loss Monday and fell to 4-10 with a 4.07 ERA.
RHP Zach Quate gave up a run in a save Wednesday. He has 19 saves and a 1.28 ERA.
DH Stephen Vogt leads the league with a .338 average.
RHP Nick Barnese is 8-4 with a 3.02 ERA.

LOW-CLASS A, BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS
Midwest League Eastern
(19-21, tied for fourth, 11 GB)
3B Julio Cedeno has 10 RBIs in his last six games and a seven-game hitting streak. He has a .231 average.
OF Ty Morrison has reached base 18 times and scored 12 runs in his last 10 games.
RHP Tyree Hayes, with wins in each of his last four games, is 4-0 with a 2.55 ERA.

SHORT-SEASON A, HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES
New York-Penn League McNamara
(23-23, second place, 9 GB)
IF Elias Otero was 4-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored Friday. He has a .255 average.
LHP Zach Rosscup gave up one hit in six shutout innings Thursday. He walked none and struck out six.
RHP Jake Thompson threw five shutout innings Tuesday and has an 0.35 ERA in 26 innings.

ROOKIE, PRINCETON RAYS
Appalachian League East
(21-23, tied for third, 3.5 GB)
LHP Enny Romero gave up two runs in six innings of a no-decision Tuesday and is 1-1 with a 1.85 ERA in nine starts.
OF Todd Glaesmann has reached base 24 times and scored 14 runs in his last 15 games.

ROOKIE, GCL RAYS
Gulf Coast League South
(22-19, second place, 1 GB)
C Justin O’Conner has a .323 average and nine RBIs in his last nine games. He’s hitting .226 for the season.
RHP Pedro Silvestre allowed one hit over 5.1 shutout innings Friday to improve to 4-0 with a 2.84 ERA.
LHP Brandon Henderson is 3-0 and hasn’t allowed a run in six games.

WAYWARD BISCUITS
Those who strayed from the Rays
IF Fernando Cortez has a .340 average in 26 games with Triple-A Charlotte (White Sox).
LHP Chris Seddon has a 2.84 ERA in seven games with the Seattle Mariners.
RHP Jason Hammel, with a quality-start win Friday, is 8-6 with a 4.38 ERA for the Colorado Rockies.
1B Chris Nowak is hitting .256 with 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored in 21 games at Double-A Huntsville (Brewers).
LHP Brandon Mann has a 4.00 ERA at Class A Inland Empire (Dodgers).
OF Joey Gathright has signed with the independent Long Island Ducks.
OF Cody Strait has a .250 average at independent Lake County.
OF Sergio Pedroza is hitting .319 with nine homers and 44 RBIs with independent Orange County.
LHP Jino Gonzalez is 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in independent Victoria.
RHP Chris Mason is 9-5 with a 2.74 ERA for the La New Bears in Taiwan.

Auburn's Wes Long signs with Marlins

Auburn native Wes Long has been signed by the Florida Marlins and will join the low-Class A Greensboro Grasshoppers. Long was hitting .323 with the independent Winnipeg Goldeyes.

Biscuits say howdy to Dowdy

After four days of Alabama football, I can share some Biscuits info today.

rLeft-handed pitcher Justin Dowdy is joining the Biscuits from the independent Wichita Wingnuts. Dowdy had a 1.08 ERA in 27 appearances this season, his 10th as a professional. The Biscuits, who announced the signing today, are still one short of the Southern League roster limit. (Nick Singleton, a Lee High grad who has close ties to the Biscuits front office, was was a teammate of Dowdy's at Wichita.)

rJake McGee, promoted this week to Triple-A Durham, will apparently move to the bullpen with the Bulls.

rFormer Biscuits pitcher Wade Davis won the American League rookie of the month award for July. He was 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA in five July starts for the Rays.

Hellickson demoted; Dan Johnson promoted

Jeremy Hellickson, after winning his major league debut tonight, has been sent back to Triple-A Durham, Tampa Bay's beat writers report. Infielder Dan Johnson, the International League leader in home runs and RBIs, has been promoted from the Bulls.

Monday: Biscuits 4, Smokies 3 (10)

Craig Albernaz legged out an infield single in the 10th inning to score Henry Wrigley with the winning run in the Biscuits’ 4-3 victory over the Tennessee Smokies on Monday.

Albernaz hit a grounder to third baseman Russ Canzler’s backhand and beat Canzler’s throw to first. Wrigley came home from third.

Biscuits starter Jeremy Hall threw six shutout innings and left with a 2-0 lead. Reliever Heath Rollins surrendered back-to-back home runs to Brett Jackson and Canzler in the eighth.

Montgomery retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Emeel Salem singled and scored on a Wrigley flyout. Tennessee tied it again in the ninth when Matthew Spencer singled and scored on a wild pitch.

The Smokies had the potential go-ahead run at third base with none out before an unusual double play. Tony Thomas hit a grounder to shortstop Chris De La Cruz and the runner, Brandon Guyer, tried to score.

De La Cruz threw home and caught Guyer in a rundown. While Guyer avoided the Biscuits, Thomas motored around the bases and tried to make it to third. The Biscuits tagged out Thomas before tagging out Guyer at home. The scoring on the play: 6-2-5-1-6-5.

We're gonna party like it's May 23, 2009

The Biscuits, already short on healthy players, have inserted catcher Craig Albernaz at second base. Albernaz has five innings of pro experience at second base -- while he was with Durham on May 23, 2009.

Durham's win streak ends at Pawtucket

Pawtucket struck for seven runs in the first inning against Brian Baker and snapped Durham's 11-game win streak, beating the Bulls 12-0 tonight. Baker allowed 10 runs (nine earned) in three innings. His previous worst month of the season was a seven-run, 17 1/3-inning April.

Hellickson a winner in major league debut

Jeremy Hellickson had a good major league debut with the Rays tonight. He allowed two runs in seven innings and was the winning pitcher in Tampa Bay's 4-2 home victory over the Minnesota Twins. Hellickson's totals included three hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

Moore start marred by rain, runs

Charlotte's Matt Moore lasted just four innings tonight because of inclement weather, but his scoreless streak didn't survive. He gave up two runs in the second inning to snap a 17-inning shutout streak. The Stone Crabs trail Dunedin 2-0 when the game resumes Tuesday with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.

Injury update

The Biscuits currently have just 10 healthy position players and three are catchers. Of the three, Craig Albernaz does have an inning of pro experience at second base and Matt Spring has played some first base. Albernaz has been taking grounders and confidently stated he can play shortstop, too. (I'll save that statement for Tuesday's paper.) Your injuries ...

rInfielder Shawn O'Malley has missed four straight games with trouble from the same shoulder that put him on the DL back in April. He had X-rays today and expects to have an MRI on Tuesday.

rThird baseman Matt Sweeney left the Biscuits today for Tampa Bay's rehab program in Port Charlotte, Fla., with his elbow injury. His return is uncertain.

rCloser Matt Gorgen, after experiencing discomfort last week, was shut down during the Mobile series. He played catch today and said he felt good.

rSecond baseman Cody Cipriano has a slight labrum tear, an MRI last week revealed, but it's something that won't get worse, manager Billy Gardner said, and the Biscuits are hopeful he'll return soon.

Monday lineups

It's the opener of a five-game series at Riverwalk, complete with college references for the enemy Smokies, where applicable.

BISCUITS
Emeel Salem lf
Rashad Eldridge cf
Leslie Anderson 1b
Henry Wrigley 3b
Nevin Ashley c
John Matulia rf
Matt Spring dh
Chris De La Cruz ss
Drew Anderson 2b
Jeremy Hall rhp

SMOKIES
Tony Campana dh -- former U. Cincinnati
Brett Jackson cf -- UC Berkeley, Cubs' No. 2 prospect
Russ Canzler 3b -- from Hazleton, Pa., home of Rays manager Joe Maddon
Blake Lalli 1b -- Gardner-Webb's all-time hits and doubles leader
Robinson Chirinos c -- Southern League All-Star
Matt Spencer rf -- All-Pac-10 at Arizona State
Brandon Guyer lf -- U. Virginia
Tony Thomas 2b -- F-L-O-R-I-D-A S-T-A-T-E
Jonathon Mota ss -- started year at high-A Peoria
Chris Carpenter rhp -- Kent State

Biscuits pay $121K in rent to city

The Biscuits made their quarterly rent payment last week and forked over $121,341 to the city. That brings the 2010 fiscal year total to $238,631 and runs the overall rent from when the stadium opened in 2004 to almost $4.2 million.

Hot Rods: Dott, Bortnick best of Bowling Green's July

The Bowling Green Hot Rods have picked pitcher Aaron Dott and shortstop Tyler Bortnick as the team's players of the month for July. Both good choices.

Delmon Young one of majors' top players in July

Former Biscuits outfielder Delmon Young is a finalist for the major league Player of the Month award for July.

Young, now with the Minnesota Twins, led the majors with a .434 batting average in July and was second with 30 RBIs and a 1.191 on base-plus-slugging percentage.

The other nominees are San Diego's Heath Bell, Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, San Francisco's Buster Posey and the New York Yankees' Mark Teixeira.

Fans can vote on the award at pepsiclutch.mlb.com. Voting is open through 10:59 p.m. Central Thursday.

Garza shares AL Player of Week award

Tampa Bay pitcher Matt Garza, author of a no-hitter last Monday, is the co-American League Player of the Week with Toronto's Jose Bautista.

Mobile's Newby, Tennessee's Guyer win SL awards

The Biscuits helped make it a tough choice between Mobile starters, but the Southern League settled on right-hander Kyler Newby for its weekly pitching award today.

Newby threw five shutout innings Friday to beat Montgomery, which lost four of five games to the BayBears. Mobile starters were 4-0 with an 0.58 ERA in 31 innings in the series. Newby is 2-2 with a 3.73 ERA this year.

Tennessee outfielder Brandon Guyer was the top hitter. He was 11-for-21 with eight runs scored and eight RBIs over the last week. Guyer is hitting .310 with 47 runs scored and 32 RBIs this year. The Smokies start a series at Montgomery tonight.

Moore repeats Player of Week feat

Charlotte left-hander Matt Moore won the Florida State League's weekly pitching award for a second straight time today. In his one start for the week that ended Sunday, Moore threw seven shutout innings, allowed one hit, walked one and struck out 10 in a no-decision. The 21-year-old, who has thrown 16 straight scoreless innings, is scheduled to start tonight.

Stone Crabs to honor Baldelli's moustache

Rocco Baldelli's moustache, "arguably the best" in the minor leagues, according to the Charlotte Stone Crabs, will be the guest of honor Wednesday when the Crabs host Lakeland.

All ticket-buying fans with a naturally grown moustache Wednesday will receive a free team hat and a ticket to Saturday's game against Lakeland. During the game, the Crabs will play a two-minute compilation of the best audio from Tom Selleck's career along with selected tracks from Frank Zappa's collection. They're even inviting Hulk Hogan to throw out a ceremonial first pitch, "so if you see him, please let him know."

(What, no Rollie Fingers?)

Nommensen back for Hot Rods

Outfielder Brett Nommensen has returned to the Bowling Green Hot Rods after missing three days due to his sister's wedding ... in Chicago (not in New York). Pitcher Matt Stabelfield has been transferred to short-season Hudson Valley (which is in New York).

Jennings' slam helps Bulls tie streak record

Desmond Jennings hit a grand slam and Durham beat Pawtucket 9-3 today, giving the Bulls their 11th straight win to tie the team's Triple-A record. It was Jennings' first career grand slam and just his third career four-RBI game (June 22, 2007, and Aug. 23, 2006).

Moore, Dan Johnson best of July on Tampa Bay farm

Durham third baseman Dan Johnson and Charlotte left-hander Matt Moore had the best months of July among Tampa Bay minor leaguers.

Their months -- and other notables from the organization -- are listed at the bottom.

Johnson is a Triple Crown candidate in the International League, while Moore has surged after a slow start in the Florida State League.

Johnson's .303 season average is seventh in the IL, entering today. His 30 home runs are seven ahead of second place and his 95 RBIs are 21 in the lead. (He's leads the entire minors in RBIs and is tied for the overall homer lead.)

Moore, who is second in the minors with 153 strikeouts, is 4-9 with a 4.05 ERA overall. He's thrown seven shutout innings in each of his last two starts. In his last nine games, he's 4-2 with a 1.59 ERA, 79 strikeouts and 29 hits allowed in 56.2 innings.

Tampa Bay's best of July ...
HITTERS
DUR Dan Johnson .311, 12 HRs, 30 RBIs, 1.256 OPS
MGM Leslie Anderson .333, 13 RBIs, .956 OPS
CHA Tim Beckham .340, 9 RBIs, 18 runs, .870 OPS
BWG Tyler Bortnick .341, 8 RBIs, 12 runs, .468 OBP, .912 OPS
HV Phil Wunderlich .340, 19 RBIs, 18 runs, .906 OPS

PITCHERS
DUR Winston Abreu 0-1-7, 1.38 ERA, 4 hits, 23 Ks, 13 ip
MGM Dane De La Rosa 3-1-0, 0.57 ERA, 9 hits, 18 Ks, 15.2 ip
CHA Matt Moore 1-1-0, 1.72 ERA, 13 hits, 44 Ks, 31.1 ip
CHA Joe Cruz 3-1-0, 1.71 ERA, 33 hits, 26 Ks, 31.2 ip
BWG Aaron Dott 1-0-1, 0.89 ERA, 18 hits, 23 Ks, 20.1 ip
HV Jake Thompson 1-0-0, 0.43 ERA, 14 hits, 19 Ks, 21 ip
PRI Enny Romero 1-1-0, 2.05 ERA, 24 hits, 32 Ks, 30.2 ip
GCL Ryan Fleckenstein 2-0-5, 1.65 ERA, 10 hits, 19 Ks, 16.1 ip

BISCUIT CRUMBS
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