Tuesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 4, Columbus 1
Brian Baker allowed one run over seven innings on two hits, a walk, a hit batter and six strikeouts. He, Rob Delaney and Mike Ekstrom combined on a two-hitter. Dan Johnson hit a three-run home run in the sixth. Russ Canzler cracked a homer in the fourth.

Stone Crabs 7, Daytona 0
Alex Colome and two relievers combined on a three-hitter. Colome gave up all three hits in seven innings. Matt Stabelfeld and Michael Jarman followed with perfect innings. Colome walked three and struck out five. Brett Nommensen doubled and walked twice. Anthony Scelfo singled and walked twice. Greg Sexton hit an RBI double to cap a five-run fifth and added a bases-loaded walk in the seventh.

Hot Rods 4, Wisconsin 3 (10)
Steve Tinoco singled home Derek Dietrich with the winning run. Dietrich was 2-for-4 with a triple, was hit by pitch and scored twice. Tinoco had two RBIs. C.J. Riefenhauser's six innings included two runs (one earned) on five hits with five walks. He started a double play and picked off a runner.

Left wanting Moore? How's this for a May?

Matt Moore's final May numbers aren't too shabby ...
2-1, 1.05 ERA, 12 walks, 50 strikeouts, 19 hits allowed in 34 1/3 innings

Tuesday: Biscuits 6, Generals 5

Matt Moore posted a quality start and Daniel Mayora and Kyeong Kang had two RBIs each in the Biscuits' 6-5 win over the Jackson Generals on Tuesday. Moore allowed one run on five hits over six innings with two walks and six strikeouts. Kang's solo home run in the sixth left Montgomery with a 6-1 lead.

Biscuits step on FIP scale

I'm no fervent follower of the so-called advanced metrics. Honestly, the main thing I look at is runs scored and RBIs compared to games played. But I saw a reference to "fielding independent pitching" on one major league highlight show Monday and wondered how the Biscuits stacked up.

Basically, the formula gives you what the pitcher's ERA should be -- if variations in defense didn't matter. It uses only home runs allowed, walks, strikeouts and innings pitched. (Through the magic of Excel, I was able to quickly figure it, though my table-making Blogger skill is lacking.)

If you decide to swear by FIP, you'll see here that Matt Bush's ERA is more than double what it should be and that Nick Barnese and Paul Phillips are living charmed lives. These are through Monday, and I left Chad Thall in.

So, what say you?

UPDATE: I can't get this to line up to save my life. I surrender. Apologies.

			ip		er		hr		bb		so				FIP			ERA
Archer			47 2/3		31		4		27		44				4.14			5.85
Barnese			33		12		3		16		26				4.26			3.27
Bush			19		16		2		11		26				3.57			7.58
Cruz			45 1/3		42		7		17		40				4.57			8.34
DLSantos			28 2/3		21		2	6	17	3.55		6.59
Dyer			53 1/3		22		1	11	25	3.13		3.71
Fleming			36 1/3		9		2	19	47	2.90		2.23
Moore			52 2/3		17		6	14	76	2.59		2.91
Phillips			22 2/3		10		5	8	18	5.54		3.97
Quate			25 2/3		13		2	5	21	3.16		4.56
Schenk			27 2/3		10		1	15	19	3.92		3.25
Thall			15 2/3		12		1	14	11	5.31		6.89

Jeremy Hall retires

Former Biscuits pitcher Jeremy Hall, who was with Triple-A Durham but not on the active roster, has retired.

Hall had an 8.47 ERA in 17 innings for Durham this year, though he had just one appearance since May 14. He began the season with the Biscuits and posted a 5.40 ERA in 15 innings.

The 27-year-old was in his fifth professional season, led the Florida State League in wins in 2009 and was 6-9 with a 3.52 ERA for Montgomery in 2010. He set a Biscuits record with 35 straight scoreless innings and was a midseason Southern League All-Star last year.

Moore takes Southern League's pitching honors

Biscuits pitcher Matt Moore didn't factor in the decision Thursday despite a shutout start, but it landed him the Southern League's weekly pitching award Tuesday.

Moore threw six shutout innings and struck out a season-high 11 Thursday against Jacksonville. He gave up three hits and walked one.

The left-hander is 2-3 with a 2.91 ERA and a league-best 76 strikeouts this season.

Chattanooga outfielder Kyle Russell was the top hitter. He was 11-for-29 with four home runs, 10 RBIs, six doubles and eight runs scored from May 23-Sunday.

Ranking the Rays ... Estrada

Rating Monday's efforts ...

1. Robi Estrada, BWG: 3 runs, 2 hits, walk, steal, error
2. Russ Canzler, DUR: go-ahead 3-run HR, walk
3. Cody Rogers, BWG: 3-for-5, run, RBI, steal
4. Leslie Anderson, DUR: 2-for-3, walk, run, RBI
5. Nick Barnese, MGM: 4 shutout innings, 4 hits, 2 walks

Reliever Thall retires month after joining Biscuits

Left-hander Chad Thall, precisely a month after joining the Biscuits, left the team and retired after Sunday's game.

Thall was 1-2 with a 5.74 ERA in seven appearances, covering 15 2/3 innings. He had 16 hits allowed, 15 walks and 19 strikeouts. The 25-year-old was with Baltimore in spring training and had signed with the independent York Revolution before coming to Montgomery.

Monday: Generals 7, Biscuits 4

Rich Poythress' grand slam highlighted a six-run seventh inning that gave the Jackson Generals a 7-4 win over the Biscuits on Monday. All six runs came against reliever Matt Bush.

Montgomery led 4-0 after a half-inning, a rally capped by Matt Sweeney's three-run double. Biscuits starter Nick Barnese threw four shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks on 82 pitches.

The Biscuits had three hits in the first and, after a Reid Fronk leadoff single in the second, didn't notch another. Following a Kyeong Kang walk with two outs in the third, Montgomery's last 19 batters failed to reach base.

Erasmo Ramirez took the first seven innings with Taylor Stanton polishing off the last two.

Monday's Rays roundup

Bulls 7, Columbus 4
Russ Canzler hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the seventh. Brandon Guyer and Chris Carter also homered and scored twice. Leslie Anderson had two hits and a walk. Alex Torres worked a season-high 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on 11 hits and no walks.

Lansing 11, Hot Rods 7
Robi Estrada was 2-for-3 with a walk, a steal, an error and three runs scored. Cody Rogers had three hits and a steal. Alejandro Torres hit a two-run homer in the second.

Lee grad Singleton wins indy league's award

Nick Singleton, a Robert E. Lee grad, won the independent American Association's weekly pitcher's award after a two-win week for the Wichita Wingnuts. Singleton worked 14 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits with 16 strikeouts. He's 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 31 strikeouts this season. Singleton leads the league in wins and K's.

58 Alabamians on NCAA regional teams

All this according to the rosters of the 64 participating schools. They're listed by high school. Of the 58, 19 are not at Alabama or Troy.

American Chr. -- David Kindred (Alabama), Harrison Pollard (Navy)
Auburn -- Drew Hull (Troy)
Baker -- Drew Prichard (Troy)
Beauregard -- Kyle Brown (Troy), Hayden Hillyer (Troy)
Benjamin Russell -- Kendall Graveman (Miss. State)
Bob Jones -- Troy Sutherland (Alabama)
Briarwood -- Ben Bracewell (Miss. State)
Charles Henderson -- Logan Pierce (Troy), William Teal (Troy)
Clay Co. -- Chase Horn (Southern Miss)
Clay-Chalkville -- Adam Windsor (Alabama)
Cleburne Co. -- C.C. Watson (Miss. State)
Cullman -- Chris Fisher (Troy)
Daphne -- Daniel Peterson (Troy)
Fairfield -- Darryl Parks (Alcorn State)
Fairhope -- Daryl Norris (Miss. State)
G.W. Long -- Cass Abercrombie (Troy)
Gardendale -- Andrew Busby (Miss. State), Tyler Hannah (Troy)
Glenwood -- Nathan Kilcrease (Alabama)
Grissom -- Blake Martz (Troy)
Hackleburg -- Garrett McHenry (Troy)
Hartselle -- Chad Girodo (Miss. State)
Hazel Green -- Nathan Hillyer (Troy), Tory West (Navy)
Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa -- Case Nixon (Alabama), Nick Vickerson (Miss. State)
Hoover -- Sam Frost (Miss. State), Tyler Ray (Troy)
Houston Co. -- A.J. Howard (Troy)
Huntsville -- Jed Bradley (Georgia Tech), Clay Holcomb (Troy)
Jeff Davis -- Josh Sanders (Alabama)
Madison Aca. -- Corey Williams (Vanderbilt)
Montgomery Aca. -- Will Davis (Princeton)
Morgan Aca. -- Thomas Austin (Troy)
Northridge -- Brett Whitaker (Alabama)
Oak Mountain -- Cary Baxter (Alabama)
Oxford -- Trey Pilkington (Alabama)
Paul Bryant -- Jonathan Smart (Alabama)
Pelham -- Tripp Martin (Coastal Carolina)
Pleasant Home -- Josh Dozier (Troy)
Russell Co. -- Jay Shaw (Alabama)
Shades Valley -- Ivan Carter (Troy)
Spain Park -- Justin Diliberto (Southern Miss)
Spanish Fort -- Patrick McGavin (Alabama), Jay Myrick (Southern Miss)
St. Paul's -- Andrew Miller (Alabama)
Sylacauga -- Hayes Orton (Coastal Carolina), Jason Zylstra (Alabama)
Talladega -- Todd McRae (Troy)
Tuscaloosa Aca. -- James Tullidge (Alabama), Jeremiah Tullidge (Alabama)
Tuscaloosa Co. -- Brett Booth (Alabama), Hunter Gregory (Alabama)
Vestavia Hills -- Allen Dye (Alabama)

Tide, Trojans both 3 seeds in NCAA regionals

Alabama and Troy both received at-large NCAA tournament bids and both will be the third-seeded teams at regionals hosted by national powers.

The Crimson Tide (33-26) plays Central Florida (38-21) in a regional at Florida State (42-17), which is the No. 5 national seed. The Trojans (42-17) take on Oklahoma State (35-23) in a regional at Vanderbilt (47-10), the No. 6 national seed.

Seven SEC teams made the field: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. (That's right, no LSU.)

Which SEC team wins the national title this year?

Weekly awards should be a day late

FYI: Based on previous seasons, the minor leagues' weekly awards won't be named until Tuesday due to Memorial Day.

Ranking the Rays ... Lobstein

Digging into Sunday's performances ...

1. Kyle Lobstein, CHA: 7 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, 5 K's
2. Marquis Fleming, MGM: 3 no-hit innings, 2 walks, 5 K's, error
3. Russ Canzler, DUR: 2 hits, 2 walks, 3 runs, error in DH
4. Shawn O'Malley, MGM: 3-for-4, 2 steals, game-winning RBI
5. Hector Guevara, BWG: 3-for-4, 2 runs, grand slam

Sunday's Rays roundup

Bulls 7, Toledo 4 (Game 1)
Russ Canzler doubled, walked twice, scored thrice and picked up a fielding error. Jose Lobaton hit a three-run home run. Leslie Anderson was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Toledo 2, Bulls 1 (Game 2)
Jay Buente threw a six-inning, three-hitter in his Durham debut. Dan Johnson and Russ Canzler each had a hit. Jose Lobaton walked.

Tampa 5, Stone Crabs 3 (10 innings)
Mike Sheridan hit an RBI double and scored in the ninth to tie it. Kyle Lobstein allowed two runs on five hits and two walks in seven innings. Greg Sexton was 2-for-3 with a walk, double, RBI, run and fielding error. Brett Nommensen reached thrice and was caught stealing.

Hot Rods 8, Lansing 4
Hector Guevara hit a fourth-inning grand slam and finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored. He was also caught stealing home. Marcus Jensen worked 6 1/3 innings, giving up one run on four hits. He walked none and struck out seven.

Report: Cobb going back to Tampa Bay

Alex Cobb is scheduled to start the second game of a doubleheader tonight at Toledo, according to the Durham Bulls. But the St. Petersburg Times reports that Cobb has been scratched and is apparently going to start Tuesday for the Rays.

UPDATE: Misleading release by the Bulls on Saturday. Cobb was scratched. The phrasing in their rainout release made it seem that Gonzalez was supposed to start the opener.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Or it wasn't misleading. From the team's Twitter page: "gm 1 DUR lineup Jennings 8 Olmedo 6 Guyer 9 Johnson 3 Canzler 5 Lobaton DH Anderson 7 Chirinos 2 Luna 4 RHP Gonzalez (Cobb gm 2)."

YET ANOTHER: The recently acquired Jay Buente is on the hill in Game 2.

Sunday: Biscuits 4, Suns 3

Shawn O'Malley's bloop single capped a three-run ninth inning that lifted the Biscuits to a 4-3 win over the Jacksonville Suns on Sunday.

The win snapped a six-game losing streak for Montgomery.

The Biscuits, down 3-1, started the ninth with three straight singles off Suns starter Joey O'Gara. After Chris Hatcher came on in relief and recorded an out, Hatcher walked Kyeong Kang to load the bases.

John Shelby struck out for the second out and set up the final drama. Reid Fronk walked to bring in the tying run before O'Malley's single to center ended it.

Cancel back in major leagues with Astros

Catcher Robinson Cancel, one of the Original Biscuits, is returning to the major leagues with the Houston Astros. Cancel was with the Brewers in 1999 before coming to Montgomery in 2004. He also made it to the New York Mets in 2008.

3 SEC teams to host NCAA regionals

South Carolina, Florida and Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference are among the 16 regional host sites announced today by the NCAA. (Unfortunately, Jeff "the SEC's overrated" Niemann's Rice Owls are also a host.)

Records are through Saturday. (*--Team plays today.) Regionals start Friday.

Atlanta: Georgia Tech (40-19)
Austin, Texas: Texas (43-15)
Fullerton, Calif.: *Cal State Fullerton (39-15)
Chapel Hill, N.C.: North Carolina (45-14)
Charlottesville, Va.: *Virginia (48-9)
Clemson, S.C.: Clemson (41-18)
College Station, Texas: *Texas A&M (41-18)
Columbia, S.C.: South Carolina (45-14)
Corvallis, Ore.: *Oregon State (38-16)
Fort Worth, Texas: TCU (42-17)
Gainesville, Fla.: *Florida (44-16)
Houston: Rice (41-19)
Los Angeles: *UCLA (33-21)
Nashville, Tenn.: *Vanderbilt (47-9)
Tallahassee, Fla.: *Florida State (42-16)
Tempe, Ariz.: *Arizona State (38-16)

Sunday lineups

It's the finale of a five-game series with the Biscuits going for some history. They can tie a team record with their seventh straight loss. They also can be swept in a five-game series for just the fourth time in team history, including the third at home. Both of the previous home sweeps came at the hands of the Jacksonville Suns (June 13-17, 2007; April 19-23, 2008).

Lineups ...
BISCUITS
Shawn O'Malley 2b
Tim Beckham ss
Stephen Vogt dh
Daniel Mayora 3b
Nevin Ashley c
Henry Wrigley 1b
Kyeong Kang lf
John Shelby cf
Reid Fronk rf
Shane Dyer rhp

SUNS
Kevin Mattison cf
Ryan Curry 2b
Jim Negrych 3b
Ben Lasater dh
Jorge Padilla rf
Jake Smolinski lf
Kyle Skipworth c
Tim Torres 1b
Chris Gutierrez ss
Joey O'Gara rhp

Ranking the Rays ... Espinosa

From Saturday's efforts ...

1. Sergio Espinosa, CHA: 4 no-hit, no-walk innings, 3 K's, 6 groundouts
2. Steve Tinoco, BWG: 3-for-5, RBI, outfield assist
3. Tim Beckham, MGM: 3-for-4, 2 RBIs, 2b, walk, error
4. Cody Rogers, BWG: 2 runs, 2b, 3b
5. Robby Price, BWG: 2 walks, 1b, gidp

Saturday: Suns 10, Biscuits 8

The Biscuits extended their losing streak to six -- one shy of the team record -- with the Jacksonville Suns' 10-8 victory Saturday at Riverwalk Stadium.

Ben Lasater had three RBIs and scored three times for the Suns. He came within a double of the cycle. Kevin Mattison was 5-for-6 with two triples.

Tim Beckham and Stephen Vogt hit consective two-run singles in the eighth inning for Montgomery. The Biscuits lost seven in a row from July 19-27, 2009.

Saturday's Rays roundup

Durham at Toledo
Rained out.

Tampa 4, Stone Crabs 2
Sergio Espinosa threw four hitless innings with one baserunner reaching on an error. Greg Sexton had two of Charlotte's five hits. Mayo Acosta and Dustin Biell each had a hit and walk.

Lansing 3, Hot Rods 2
Cody Rogers doubled, tripled and scored twice. Steve Tinoco had three hits and Robby Price walked twice and singled. Chris Rearick threw two shutout innings with one hit and one walk.

De Los Santos has shoulder surgery

Got word that Durham pitcher Richard De Los Santos had shoulder surgery Friday and is out for the season. De Los Santos, who set a Bulls' Triple-A record with 14 wins last season, went down after two starts this year.

Matulia to DL; Wendt on active roster

The Biscuits just placed outfielder John Matulia on the disabled list after his ailing hamstring flared up again Friday. Catcher David Wendt goes on the active roster.

Matulia left Friday's game after seven innings and had missed Thursday's game with the hamstring. He'd missed 12 previous games with the same problem.

"There's something to be said for trying to play through it," manager Billy Gardner said. "But unless he can run and go full throttle, we have to get him right. How long will that take? I don't know."

Wendt has been with the Biscuits since May 9 but has not been on the active roster.

Saturday's lineups

It's the fourth game of a five-game series.

BISCUITS
Shawn O'Malley 2b
Tim Beckham ss
Stephen Vogt c
Daniel Mayora 3b
Nevin Ashley dh
Henry Wrigley lf
Matt Sweeney 1b
John Shlby cf
Reid Fronk rf
Joe Cruz rhp

SUNS
Kevin Mattison cf
Chris Gutierrez ss
Jim Negrych 2b
Luke Montz c
Alex Romero rf
Tim Torres lf
Kyle Skipworth dh
Ben Lasater 1b
Paul Gran 3b
Brad Hand lhp

Price on verge of BCS championship

With just a few days left in the monthly race, Bowling Green third baseman Robby Price is in a strong position for the May BCS championship.

(BCS: Biscuit Crumbs Star.)

While Price has 24 points and a comfortable lead, there's an intriguing race for the top pitcher.

Durham's Alex Cobb and Montgomery's Matt Moore each sit with 17 points with one scheduled start remaining. (Oh, the pressure.) Tampa Bay outfielder Justin Ruggiano has 15 points from his time at Durham and he's tied with Charlotte second baseman Tyler Bortnick. If Ruggiano remains in the major leagues, he can't accrue more points. (I'm sure he'll mourn.)

We will break ties in order to name a top pitcher and position player. Likely by decree. If it comes to that, there's a possibility I can be bought.

Lest we forget, Bowling Green's Derek Dietrich was the April winner. Enny Romero and Alex Torres tied for top pitcher, a tie I failed to break.

Obviously, this BCS -- unlike the other -- is a highly subjective system. It's based on the daily rankings, which I do only if at least three teams play. It also rewards good days rather than a solid month.

Ranking the Rays ... Canzler

Flipping through Friday's box scores ...

1. Russ Canzler, DUR: 3 runs, 2 RBIs, HR, 2b, 3 hits
2. Tyler Bortnick, CHA: 3 RBIs, run, 2 hits, walk
3. Hak-Ju Lee, CHA: 3-for-4, 2 runs, walk, 2b, steal
4. Nick Schwaner, BWG: 2-for-3, walk, 2b, 3b, RBI, run, steal
5. Jake McGee, DUR: 2 1/3 shutout innings, win

Friday's Rays roundup

Bulls 7, Toledo 3
Russ Canzler was 3-for-5 with three runs scored, a double, home run and two RBIs. Ray Olmedo scored twice and Chris Carter had two RBIs. Jake McGee (2-0) threw 2 1/3 shutout innings.

Stone Crabs 7, Tampa 3
Hak-Ju Lee was 3-for-4 with a walk, steal, double and two runs. Tyler Bortnick reached thrice with three RBIs, a double and a run. Greg Sexton had a hit, walk, plunking and two RBIs. Alex Koronis (3-1) posted a book-rule quality start on six hits.

Hot Rods 5, Lansing 4
Nick Schwaner doubled, tripled, walked, scored, stole a base and had an RBI. Cody Rogers homered among his two hits and a walk with a caught stealing. Nate Garcia walked the bases loaded in the ninth before escaping with his first save.

Friday: Suns 8, Biscuits 3

Luke Montz reached base six times and Alex Romero hit a grand slam in the Jacksonville Suns' 8-3 win over the Biscuits on Friday.

Montz homered, walked three times, singled twice and scored twice. Romero's grand slam came in the sixth inning and gave the Suns a 6-3 lead. Ben Lasater added a solo home run in the eighth.

Montgomery pitchers issued a season-high 11 walks.

Friday's lineups

It's the third game of a five-game series.

BISCUITS
Cole Figueroa 2b
Tim Beckham ss
Stephen Vogt lf
Daniel Mayora 3b
John Matulia rf
Nevin Ashley c
Henry Wrigley 1b
Matt Sweeney dh
John Shelby cf
Chris Archer rhp

SUNS
Kevin Mattison cf
Ryan Curry 2b
Jim Negrych 3b
Luke Montz dh
Alex Romero lf
Jorge Padilla rf
Kyle Skipworth c
Ben Lasater 1b
Chris Gutierrez ss
Dallas Trahern rhp

Ranking the Rays ... Guyer

How's this for Thursday's evaluations?

1. Brandon Guyer, DUR: 3-for-3, 3 walks, 4 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 steals, outfield assist
2. Matt Moore, MGM: 6 shutout innings, 3 hits, 11 K's
3. Russ Canzler, DUR: 3-for-3, 3 walks, 3 runs, 2 RBIs
4. Chris Rearick, BWG: 2 2/3 perfect innings
5. Brett Nommensen, CHA: 2-for-3, HR, 2b, steal, HBP

Thursday: Suns 3, Biscuits 0

Omar Poveda and three relievers combined on a five-hitter in the Jacksonville Suns' 3-0 win over the Biscuits on Thursday.

Poveda (2-3) had a no-hitter into the fifth inning and allowed four hits over seven innings. The Suns hit back-to-back RBI singles with two outs in the eighth and added a Jorge Padilla home run in the ninth.

The Biscuits loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Nevin Ashley and Henry Wrigley struck out to end it.

Thursday's Rays roundup

Bulls 12, Toledo 3
Brandon Guyer and Russ Canzler each reached base six times. Guyer was 3-for-3 with three walks, four runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases. He also threw out a runner at home. Canzler was 3-for-3 with three walks, three runs and two RBIs. Chris Carter homered and had four RBIs.

Tampa 12, Stone Crabs 2
Brett Nommensen was 2-for-3 with a double, solo home run, steal and hit batsman. Mike Sheridan had two hits.

West Michigan 6, Hot Rods 3 (Game 1)
Nick Schwaner tripled, walked, scored and knocked in a run. Todd Glaesmann and Kevin Kiermaier each had two hits and an RBI.

Hot Rods 3, West Michigan 2 (Game 2)
Derek Dietrich had two hits, two runs and an RBI. Cody Rogers doubled twice, walked and scored. Chris Rearick (1-1) threw 2 2/3 perfect innings and has a 1.90 ERA.

Moore polishes off shining start

Matt Moore had 11 strikeouts in six shutout innings Thursday. It's the 18th time in franchise history a pitcher has reached double-digit K's and three shy of Mitch Talbot's team record in September 2006.

Kline retires after (yet another) injury

Will Kline, after another major shoulder injury, has decided to call an end to his snakebitten career.

Kline retired after suffering a rotator cuff tear in an extended spring training game this month. The 26-year-old right-hander, Tampa Bay's second-round draft pick in 2007 from Ole Miss, had missed three full seasons with injuries.

"I gave it everything I could," Kline said. "It just didn't work out for me, but it's OK."

Kline said the latest injury hit him suddenly. He had recovered enough that the Rays had scheduled him to throw more than one inning.

Late in his first inning, he started feeling discomfort but had enough for an inning-ending strikeout. Kline went to the dugout hoping a little rest would clear things up.

It didn't. A half-inning later, a few warmup pitches were too much.

"It went from feeling good to career-ending in a matter of three or four pitches," Kline said. "I knew something was bad wrong."

The Rays put him through a full exam, MRI, Dr. James Andrews and everything. Kline said they found a 50 percent tear in one rotator cuff muscle and a 25 percent tear in another.

"I said, 'Look guys, I appreciate everything you've done, but I feel it's time to move on to something else,'" said Kline, who has finished his degree at Ole Miss. "I didn't feel like going through another long rehab process."

Thursday's lineups*

5:55 update: Tarp being pulled and radar looks OK. Game likely to start on time.


*--Weather permitting. The grounds crew and Team Stripe from the Montgomery jail are pulling the tarp at the moment, but it may not be a long-term move. There are more storms on the way.

BISCUITS
Shawn O'Malley 2b
Tim Beckham ss
Stephen Vogt lf
Daniel Mayora 3b
Nevin Ashley c
Henry Wrigley dh
Matt Sweeney 1b
John Shelby cf
Reid Fronk rf
Matt Moore lhp

SUNS
Kevin Mattison cf
Ryan Curry 2b
Jake Smolinski dh
Luke Montz c
Jorge Padilla rf
Ben Lasater 1b
Tim Torres lf
Chris Gutierrez ss
Paul Gran 3b
Omar Poveda rhp

Wednesday: Suns 7, Biscuits 6

Jake Smolinski's three-run home run in the ninth inning pushed the Jacksonville Suns to a 7-6 win over the Biscuits on Wednesday.

Smolinski singled in the eighth inning to start a two-run rally that gave Jacksonville a 4-3 lead. The Biscuits tied it before Smolinski's two-out homer cleared the left-field wall. Montgomery intentionally walked Alex Romero to bring Smolinski to the plate.

Montgomery scored twice in the ninth and had the potential tying run in scoring position with one out. A groundball and strikeout ended it. Daniel Mayora reached base five times for Montgomery, while Shawn O'Malley had four hits and scored twice.

Wednesday's Rays roundup

Dunedin 10, Stone Crabs 9
Tyler Bortnick doubled, tripled, scored and had five RBIs. He hit a three-run double in the seventh and a two-run triple in the ninth. Mark Thomas was 3-for-5 with two runs and a solo homer. Mayo Acosta had two hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI. Alex Colome surrendered eight runs on six hits in 1 2/3 innings. Sergio Espinosa followed with 2 1/3 hitless innings.

Bowling Green at West Michigan
Rained out.

Raw footage of near-brawl

Let's see if this works. After the words before the at-bat, I pulled out the flip camera. I hit record just after the collision at the plate.

Near-brawl ends third inning

The Biscuits and Suns went jaw-to-jaw at the end of the third inning after Montgomery third baseman Daniel Mayora put an elbow into catcher Kyle Skipworth's jaw on the final out.

Mayora, who was trying to score from second on a John Matulia single, and pitcher Darin Downs appeared to have words when Mayora stepped to the plate. Not sure why. Mayora singled to left and stole second where he and shortstop Tim Torres had a small conversation.

No ejections, though umpire crew chief A.J. Johnson, who is stationed at third, has warned both teams against retaliation.

Wednesday's lineups

It's the opening game of a five-game series between the Biscuits and Jacksonville Suns.

BISCUITS
Shawn O'Malley 2b
Tim Beckham ss
Stephen Vogt c
Daniel Mayora 3b
John Matulia rf
Nevin Ashley dh
Henry Wrigley 1b
John Shelby cf
Kyeong Kang rf
Nick Barnese rhp

SUNS
Kevin Mattison cf
Ryan Curry 2b
Jim Negrych 3b
Luke Montz 1b
Alex Romero rf
Jake Smolinski lf
Kyle Skipworth c
Tim Torres ss
Paul Gran dh
Darin Downs lhp

Salem hits snag on knee rehab

Outfielder Emeel Salem, who hasn't played this year due to an offseason knee injury, has had his return delayed. Salem is in Birmingham this week so that Dr. James Andrews, the noted orthopedist, can examine the knee.

"The knee has been swelling unpredictably," Salem said. "Because of that, I decided I wanted them to check it out one more time."

Salem, a midseason Southern League All-Star last year and former University of Alabama star, is scheduled to return to Tampa Bay's rehab program Friday. He said the training staff in Port Charlotte "has been great" and they're all "doing all we can do."

"It's on my body's timetable," Salem said. "It's very frustrating."

Rays snare Marlin, cut loose Delaney

The Rays have claimed Marlins pitcher Jay Buente off waivers and designated Durham's Rob Delaney for assignment, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Tampa Bay has 10 days to run Delaney through waivers, trade him or release him.

Ranking the Rays ... Bortnick

Pondering Tuesday's top performers around Tampa Bay's system ...

1. Tyler Bortnick, CHA: 2-for-5, HR, 2b, HBP, 3 RBIs, 2 runs
2. Hak-Ju Lee, CHA: 3-for-4, walk, HBP, 3 runs, steal
3. Robby Price, BWG: 2-for-4, 2 walks, 2 RBIs
4. Hector Guevara, BWG: 3-for-5, 2 runs, 2 RBIs
5. Brett Nommensen, CHA: 3 walks, HBP, run

Tuesday's Rays roundup

Columbus 5, Bulls 3
Ray Olmedo was 4-for-5, while Desmond Jennings and Brandon Guyer each homered. Alex Torres gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings. Russ Canzler walked twice.

Stone Crabs 12, Dunedin 2
Hak-Ju Lee reached five times and scored three runs. Tyler Bortnick hit a two-run home run, totaled three RBIs, scored twice, doubled and was hit by a pitch. Greg Sexton had two hits, a walk and two runs. Brett Nommensen walked thrice, was plunked and scored a run. Jake Jefferies hit an eighth-inning grand slam. Anthony Scelfo hit a two-run homer. Kyle Lobstein carried a shutout into the sixth and won his third straight start.

Hot Rods 10, West Michigan 2
Robby Price had two hits, two walks and two RBIs. Hector Guevara was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs. Kevin Kiermaier reached thrice, scored and swiped a base. Robi Estrada reached thrice, scored twice and had an RBI. Marcus Jensen fired five shutout innings, allowing seven hits and two walks.

Pensacola settles on team nickname

Pensacola has a nickname for its Southern League team that will begin play in 2012. The Carolina Mudcats will move to town and be known as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. If you read the reader comments with the story, they'll sound familiar with what you may have heard circa 2003.

Montero off Montgomery roster

Outfielder Lucas Montero, on Montgomery's disabled list all season after an offseason injury, has been activated by the Charlotte Stone Crabs.

Ranking the Rays ... Cobb

Mulling over Monday's efforts ...

1. Alex Cobb, DUR: 6 innings, 2 unearned runs, 0 walks, 5 K's
2. Robby Price, BWG: 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs
3. Adam Liberatore, CHA: 4 shutout innings, 2 hits
4. Hak-Ju Lee, CHA: 2 runs, 2 hits, 2b, steal
5. Greg Sexton, CHA: 2 hits, 2 RBIs, 2b, run, error

Monday: Stars 5, Biscuits 2

John Shelby's fifth-inning home run was Montgomery's highlight in a 5-2 loss to the Huntsville Stars on Monday. It gave the Biscuits a 2-0 lead.

The Stars scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead. Two were off starter Shane Dyer and the third off Paul Phillips (1-2).

Monday's Rays roundup

Columbus 3, Bulls 2 (8, rain)
Alex Cobb gave up two runs -- both unearned -- in six innings and has a 1.14 ERA. Leslie Anderson was 2-for-3 with a double and an outfield assist. Robinson Chirinos hit his first home run, but he also grounded into two double plays. Cory Wade gave up his first run since April 21, covering 15 1/3 innings.

Stone Crabs 6, Dunedin 0
Starter Merrill Kelly left after two hitless innings for unknown reasons. Reliever Adam Liberatore and two others finished a three-hitter. Liberatore worked four innings of two-hit ball. The four combined for 15 strikeouts. Hak-Ju Lee was 2-for-5 with a double, a steal and two runs scored. Greg Sexton, who had two hits, and Brett Nommensen each had two RBIs and a run.

Lansing 12, Hot Rods 7
Robby Price had two hits, two walks and two runs scored. Hector Guevara knocked in two runs and scored once. Omar Bencomo mopped up with two perfect innings.

Charlotte's Lobstein lands FSL honors

Stone Crabs left-hander Kyle Lobstein, after his stellar start last week, pulled in Florida State League's pitching honors Monday.

The 21-year-old threw seven shutout innings Thursday, allowing just one hit and striking out nine. The nine K's were one off his career high. Lobstein has won two straight starts, allowing one run in 13 innings, and is 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA.

Lobstein is the second Charlotte pitcher to win this year. Right-hander Alex Colome was the May 2 winner.

Smokies snare Southern League awards

The Tennessee Smokies swept the week's Southern League honors.

Former Vanderbilt star Ryan Flaherty was the top hitter after a 10-for-22, 11-RBI week. Right-hander Robert Whitenack landed the pitching award after a two-start week where gave up two runs in 12 innings. That includes seven shutout frames Tuesday at Chattanooga.

Whitenack is 4-0 with a 2.57 ERA this season Flaherty has a .322 average, 10 home runs and a league-best 46 RBIs.

Durham's Lopez wins IL weekly award

Durham infielder Felipe Lopez won the International League's hitting award for the week. He was 13-for-22 with seven runs scored and eight RBIs for the week that ended Sunday. The 31-year-old has a .347 average this season with the Bulls.

Ranking the Rays ... Bortnick

Sunday's top efforts amongst minor league Rays ...

1. Tyler Bortnick, CHA: 3 walks, hit, run
2. Sergio Espinosa, CHA: 3 shutout innings, 2 hits
3. Cody Rogers, BWG: 2-for-4, outfield assist
4. Matt Sweeney, MGM: 2-run 2b, walk, 2-for-3
5. Jose Lobaton, DUR: 2b, 2 walks, run

Fronk makes debut at second base

Biscuits outfielder Reid Fronk made his professional debut at second base Sunday at Huntsville after two ejections.

Shortstop Tim Beckham and manager Billy Gardner were ejected in the sixth inning by first-base umpire Will Little. Shawn O'Malley moved to short with Fronk taking over at second.

Fronk does have infield experience. He started two games at third base in 2008 for low-Class A Columbus -- 2 putouts, 4 assists, 0 errors. Fronk had no chances Sunday.

Sunday: Stars 8, Biscuits 3

Former Auburn star Hunter Morris, a Huntsville native, scored two runs and the Stars beat the Biscuits 8-3 on Sunday. Matt Sweeney was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs for Montgomery. Biscuits starter Joe Cruz (3-5) gave up five runs on 12 hits in three innings and had a two-start win streak snapped.

Durham's Gonzalez left with injury

Edgar Gonzalez, Durham's starter Sunday, left after one inning due to a back strain.

Sunday's Rays roundup

Columbus 7, Bulls 6 (10)
Starter Edgar Gonzalez left for unknown reasons after just one inning and nine pitches. Jose Lobaton doubled and walked twice. Omar Luna was 3-for-5. Chris Carter hit a two-run home run.

Stone Crabs 5, Dunedin 3 (11)
Jake Jefferies and Chris Murrill hit consecutive RBI doubles in the 11th. Murrill finished with two hits and a walk. Tyler Bortnick had a hit, three walks (one intentional) and a run scored. Hak-Ju Lee had a hit, two walks, a run, a steal and an error. Sergio Espinosa threw three shutout innings after Alex Koronis' quality start.

Lansing 14, Hot Rods 1
Cody Rogers was 2-for-4 and had an outfield assist. Bowling Green totaled four hits, an unearned run, one walk and 12 strikeouts.

Ranking the Rays ... Matulia

A belated sorting of Saturday's play ...

1. John Matulia, MGM: 4 RBIs, HR, outfield assist
2. Robby Price, BWG: 2 RBIs, run, 2b, 3b, walk
3. Daniel Mayora, MGM: 2 RBIs, run, reached thrice, hitting .327
4. Cody Rogers, BWG: 2 runs, HR, steal
5. Brett Nommensen, CHA: 2 hits, 2b

Saturday Rays roundup

Columbus 11, Bulls 8
Leslie Anderson and J.J. Furmaniak each scored twice and had an RBI. Ray Olmedo had two RBIs.

Clearwater 11, Stone Crabs 1
Brett Nommensen had two hits and Greg Sexton reached twice. Mike Sheridan knocked in Tyler Bortnick in the sixth.

Lansing 13, Hot Rods 9
Cody Rogers scored twice, hit a two-run homer and swiped a base. Robby Price reached thrice, doubled, tripled, knocked in a pair and scored once. The game featured 36 total hits, 20 by Lansing. Of the 18 total hitters, 15 had at least two hits.

Saturday: Biscuits 9, Stars 6

John Matulia homered and had four RBIs to lead the Biscuits in a 9-6 win over the Huntsville Stars on Saturday. Starter Chris Archer took a shutout into the seventh before giving up five runs. John Shelby, who homered, and Tim Beckham scored twice. Daniel Mayora had two RBIs.

This made me laugh, at least before the apocalypse

From today's Rays game notes ...

WEIRD NOTE OF THE DAY—No AL team has ever reached the postseason after starting 0-6, yet if the season (or the world) ended today, the Rays and Red Sox (who also started 0-6) would both make the playoffs.

Ranking the Rays ... Colome

Rehashing the top efforts from an 0-fer Friday in the Tampa Bay organization ...

1. Alex Colome, CHA: 7 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 9 K's
2. Matt Moore, MGM: 6 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks 9 K's
3. Robby Price, BWG: 3-for-4, 2 steals, RBI, error
4. Tim Beckham, MGM: HR, 3b, 3 RBIs, 2 runs
5. Ryan Reid, DUR: 3 1/3 shutout innings, 2 hits, 1 inherited runner scored

Friday's Rays roundup

Louisville 9, Bulls 8
Brandon Guyer hit a three-run double and Felipe Lopez homered in a six-run second that made it 6-0. Russ Canzler scored twice. Ryan Reid threw 3 1/3 shutout innings and R.J. Swindle had two perfect frames.

Clearwater 2, Stone Crabs 1
Alex Colome allowed a solo home run and two other hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out nine. Tyler Bortnick reached three times and knocked in Hak-Ju Lee, who tripled, walked and stole a base.

Lansing 5, Hot Rods 2
Robby Price was 3-for-4 with two steals, an RBI and an error. Steve Tinoco homered. C.J. Riefenhauser allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits in five innings. Chris Rearick's three innings included one hit (a homer), no walks and six strikeouts.

Friday: Stars 6, Biscuits 5

Brandon Jones hit a three-run home run with two outs in the ninth to push the Huntsville Stars to a 6-5 win over the Biscuits on Friday. It was the first blown save for Zach Quate (2-2).

It spoiled a quality start by Matt Moore and a three-RBI game by Tim Beckham. Moore allowed one run on four hits in six innings and tied a season high with nine strikeouts. Beckham homered, tripled and scored twice.

Montgomery led 5-1 in the middle of the seventh.

Ruggiano back in big leagues

Former Biscuits outfielder Justin Ruggiano is returning to the major leagues and the Rays.

Tampa Bay has put Ruggiano back on its 40-man roster and promoted him from Triple-A Durham.

Infielder Dan Johnson was designated for assignment.The Rays have also activated relief pitcher J.P. Howell, who last pitched in the majors in 2009, and demoted reliever Rob Delaney to Durham.

Ruggiano, 28, was hitting .308 and slugging .521 for the Bulls. He last played for the Rays in 2008, though he spent four days with the team last June without playing.

Ranking the Rays ... Lobstein

Sorting through a stellar Thursday for Tampa Bay farmhands ...

1. Kyle Lobstein, CHA: 7 shutout innings, 1 hit, 9 K's
2. Justin Ruggiano, DUR: 2 hits, 2 walks, 4 steals, 3 runs, RBI
3. Leslie Anderson, DUR: 2 HRs, 6 RBIs
4. Jimmy Patterson, BWG: 4 shutout innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 6 K's from Tuesday resumption
5. Desmond Jennings, DUR: HR, 2 2b's, 3 runs

Thursday's Rays roundup

Bulls 12, Louisville 6
Leslie Anderson homered twice and knocked in six runs. Desmond Jennings and Justin Ruggiano scored three runs each. Ruggiano was 2-for-3 with two walks and four stolen bases. Jennings was 3-for-5 with a home run and two doubles. Felipe Lopez had four RBIs.

Stone Crabs 4, Clearwater 0
Kyle Lobstein and Josh Satow combined on a one-hitter. Lobstein had nine strikeouts and three walks in seven innings, marred only by a leadoff double in the first. Jake Jefferies had two RBIs, Mike Sheridan two runs and Brett Nommensen three hits.

Hot Rods 5, West Michigan 4
Robby Price reached and scored twice and Luke Bailey homered. Eliazer Suero allowed one run in four innings.

Thursday: Biscuits 6, Stars 0

Nick Barnese and Frank De Los Santos combined on a three-hitter in the Biscuits' 6-0 win at Huntsville on Thursday.

Barnese allowed one hit in five innings. Shawn O'Malley came within a home run of the cycle and scored twice. Stephen Vogt had two RBIs.

Hot Rods make most of protest

The Bowling Green Hot Rods made the most of their second chance with Tuesday's game. Having won a protest over a play in the bottom of the fifth, the Rods held West Michigan scoreless over the final four replayed innings Thursday and won 5-4.

Jimmy Patterson came on and threw four shutout innings, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out six.

If you need to review what's happened the last three days, here's the protested play and here's where they won the protest.

Fan voting back for Triple-A All-Star Game

Fans will again get to vote for the players who will participate in the Triple-A All-Star Game.

Voting runs June 3-24 at the minor league site, both Triple-A leagues' sites and every Triple-A team's site -- including durhambulls.com. The ballot has room for fans to pick a player at each infield position, three outfielders, a designated hitter, two starting pitchers and one reliever.

The Triple-A All-Star Game is July 13 in Salt Lake City.

Ranking the Rays ... Cobb

Wednesday's top performances ...

1. Alex Cobb, DUR: 7 innings, 1 run, 7 hits, 5-0 with 1.31 ERA
2. Daniel Mayora, MGM: 3 RBIs in last 2 innings
3. Sergio Espinosa, CHA: 4 shutout innings, 1 hit, 7 K's
4. Robby Price, BWG: 2 hits, 2 walks
5. Jose Lobaton, DUR: grand slam, 5 RBIs

Hot Rods win protest; game to resume Thursday

Bowling Green manager Brady Williams and the Hot Rods won their protest of Tuesday's game.

The Hot Rods and West Michigan will resume at the point of protest -- Bowling Green will lead 5-4 going to the sixth -- and play the final four innings before Thursday's regularly scheduled game. They'll start at 5:05 p.m.

The Hot Rods had two runs mistakenly taken away on a play that ended the fifth and went on to lose 6-3. All the stats from Tuesday's sixth through ninth innings are erased.

Wednesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 7, Louisville 4
Jose Lobaton cracked a grand slam and had five RBIs. Russ Canzler was 2-for-3 with a solo homer three runs scored and a walk. Alex Cobb worked seven innings, allowing one run on seven hits and a walk. He struck out seven. Cobb (5-0) has a 1.31 ERA.

Stone Crabs 6, Clearwater 1
Tyler Bortnick and Hak-Ju Lee eached reached thrice and scored twice. Greg Sexton and Anthony Scelfo had two RBIs each. Sergio Espinosa threw four shutout innings with one hit allowed, a walk and seven strikeouts. Matt Stabelfeld , recently promoted from Bowling Green, threw a shutout inning.

West Michigan 6, Hot Rods 5
Robby Price was 3-for-3 with two walks, an RBI, a run scored and an error. Cody Rogers was hit twice and stole a base.

Biggest late-inning rally since 2007

The Biscuits, with four runs in the eighth and four in the ninth, took an 8-7 win Wednesday at Birmingham.

It's their biggest late-inning rally since a 7-5 win at Mobile on July 5, 2007. That day, the Biscuits trailed 3-0 after seven, tied it in the eighth, gave up two in the bottom of the eighth and won it with a four-run ninth.

Wednesday: Biscuits 8, Barons 7

Henry Wrigley's two-run double with two outs in the ninth pushed the Biscuits to an 8-7 win over the Birmingham Barons on Wednesday.

Montgomery trailed 5-0 after seven innings. Daniel Mayora's two-run double highlighted a four-run eighth. Mayora added an RBI single in the ninth.

The Biscuits (20-20) wrapped up a fifth straight series victory and reached .500 for the first time.

Ranking the Rays ... Vogt

Sifting through Tuesday's play ...

1. Stephen Vogt, MGM: 3 RBIs, 3 runs, 2 walks, 3b, HR
2. John Shelby, MGM: 5 RBIs, 2 2b's
3. Cole Figueroa, MGM: 3 walks, 1b, 2 runs
4. Chris Carter, DUR: 2-for-4, walk, 4 RBIs
5. Derek Dietrich, BWG: 2 2b's, 1b, RBI, error

Tuesday's Rays roundup

Louisville 11, Durham 8 (10)
Chris Carter had four RBIs and Brandon Guyer was 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored. The Bulls (gulp!) led 8-3 going into the eighth.

Lakeland 10, Stone Crabs 1
Mayo Acosta homered in the ninth and Scott Shuman mopped up with two perfect innings. Brett Nommensen reached twice.

West Michigan 6, Hot Rods 3
Derek Dietrich was 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. Cody Rogers homered, walked and scored twice. Each committed an error. Robby Price and Phil Wunderlich each had a hit and two walks.

Tuesday: Biscuits 14, Barons 5

John Shelby tied a career high with five RBIs in the Biscuits' 14-5 win over the Birmingham Barons on Tuesday. Shelby's three-run double capped a six-run first inning for Montgomery. He added a two-run double in the sixth that made it 12-3.

Stephen Vogt was 2-for-4 with two walks, three RBIs, three runs scored, a triple and a double. Vogt is 14-for-29 with eight RBIs and nine runs scored in his seven-game hit streak.

Shelby, who is in his sixth professional season, has had five RBIs four previous times. The most recent was in June 2009 when played for the Barons and did it at Huntsville.

Hot Rods should win game protest

Bowling Green had an interesting play in Tuesday's loss to West Michigan, a play that should lead to a winning protest.

The Hot Rods had the bases loaded in the fifth inning with one out and trailed 4-3. The hitter hit a line drive into the right-center gap. The runners on second and third tagged up, but the runner on first did not.

The outfielder made a diving catch (second out), though none of the runners thought he did. All of the runners take off and safely cross the plate.

West Michigan appeals to second, saying the runner left early. No, he tagged up. West Michigan appeals to first, saying the runner left early. He did -- third out.

So, how many runs score? Correct answer: two. Umpires' answer: none. From rulebook scripture 4.09 (b) ...

APPROVED RULING: One out, Jones on third, Smith on first, and Brown flies out to right field. Two outs. Jones tags up and scores after the catch. Smith attempted to return to first but the right fielder’s throw beat him to the base. Three outs. But Jones scored before the throw to catch Smith reached first base, hence Jones’ run counts. It was not a force play.

The Hot Rods protested and eventually lost 6-3.

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Hot Rods win protest.

Monday: Biscuits 6, Barons 4 (10)

John Matulia's two-run single in the 10th inning pushed the Biscuits to a 6-4 win over the Birmingham Barons on Monday.

Zach Quate (2-1) threw three perfect innings for the victory.

Stephen Vogt was 3-for-5 to push his average to .324. He scored three times, doubled twice and had an RBI. Shawn O'Malley reached three times and scored twice in his season debut.

Monday's Rays roundup

Durham at Syracuse (DH)
Rained out.

Lakeland 7, Stone Crabs 2
Chris Murrill was 3-for-4 and Hak-Ju Lee had a hit, walk and RBI.

O'Gara, Greene best in Southern League's week

Jacksonville's Joey O'Gara won the Southern League's weekly pitching award after a dominating start Thursday.

O'Gara allowed one hit and one unearned run over eight innings to beat Mobile. The hit came in the second inning and the run in a two-error third. After a sixth-inning walk, O'Gara retired the final nine batters he faced. His totals: one walk, one hit batsman, nine strikeouts.

Birmingham outfielder Justin Greene, his week capped by a two-double Sunday vs. the Biscuits, was the top hitter. He was 10-for-23 with nine RBIs and six runs scored. Greene is hitting .299 this year.

Ranking the Rays ... Kiermaier

Sorting through Sunday ...

1. Kevin Kiermaier, BWG: 2 3b's, 2 runs, 3 RBIs
2. Cody Rogers, BWG: 4 runs, 3b, 4-for-5
3. Alex Colome, CHA: 7 innings, 2 hits
4. Phil Wunderlich, BWG: 4 RBIs, HR
5. Matt Moore, MGM: 2 runs, 5 1/3 innings, 8 K's

Cipriano released; O'Malley activated

Infielder Shawn O'Malley has been activated and the Biscuits have released infielder Cody Cipriano.

O'Malley missed virtually all of last season with a shoulder injury and has been in Tampa Bay's extended spring rehab program. Cipriano, who requested his release, had missed 16 of Montgomery's last 18 games due to ankle and hamstring injuries. He was hitting .186 in 14 games. Cipriano was also limited by injuries last year and hit .275 in 71 games.

Sunday's Rays roundup

Bulls at Syracuse
Rained out.

Lakeland 6, Stone Crabs 5
Alex Colome allowed two runs over seven innings on two hits (both home runs), no walks and six strikeouts. He left with a 5-2 lead. Matt Hall scored twice. Brett Nommensen and Greg Sexton had two RBIs each.

Hot Rods 10, South Bend 3
Kevin Kiermaier was 3-for-5 with two triples, two runs and three RBIs. Cody Rogers was 4-for-5 with four runs, a triple and an RBI. Phil Wunderlich homered and had four RBIs. Jimmy Patterson threw three shutout innings.

Sunday: Barons 3, Biscuits 0

Dylan Axelrod and Dan Remenowsky combined on a four-hitter in Birmingham's 3-0 win over the Biscuits on Sunday.

Montgomery got all four hits and its only walk in Axelrod's seven innings. Axelrod (2-2) has thrown 12 shutout innings on the Biscuits this year with six hits, two walks, 14 strikeouts ... and two wins. Matt Moore threw 95 pitches in 5 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits, a walk and eight strikeouts.

Ranking the Rays ... Riefenhauser

How Saturday's efforts stacked up ...

1. C.J. Riefenhauser, BWG: 7-inning, 3-hit shutout, 10 K's, 2 were infield hits
2. Kyle Lobstein, CHA: 6 innings, 1 run, 5 hits, walk, 7 K's
3. Derek Dietrich, BWG: 3-for-6, HR, 2 2b's, 2 RBIs in DH
4. Todd Glaesmann, BWG: 2-for-6, 2B, 3-run HR in DH
5. Sergio Espinosa, CHA: 2 shutout innings, 2 hits

It's official: Biggest blown lead in team history

It took me precisely 13 minutes to check through my spreadsheets that track every Biscuits season to now make this declaration about Saturday's 10-9 loss at Birmingham.

It was the biggest blown lead in team history.

Since Montgomery led 9-0, I went back and checked every Biscuits game where they scored at least eight runs and lost. There have been 11. Of those, the biggest lead by the Biscuits was on May 8, 2009, and it was by a mere four runs, in a 14-9 home loss to Birmingham.

The biggest rally in team history was May 14, 2008, when the Biscuits trailed 10-0 after five innings at Mississippi and won 11-10 in 10 innings.

Saturday's Rays roundup

Syracuse 11, Bulls 0
The Bulls had five hits, one ahead of Michael Aubrey's four home runs. Neil Solondz, I'm positive, announced spectacularly.

Stone Crabs 4, Lakeland 3
Brett Nommensen hit a three-run home run in the first inning and singled. Kyle Lobstein allowed one run on five hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out seven. Sergio Espinosa threw two shutout innings.

Hot Rods 8, South Bend 3
Derek Dietrich homered, doubled and had two RBIs. Nick Schwaner hit a two-run home run. Luke Bailey and Cody Rogers each had two RBIs. Phil Wunderlich scored twice.

Hot Rods 6, South Bend 0
C.J. Riefenhauser threw a three-hitter, walked one and struck out 10. Todd Glaesmann jacked a three-run home run.

Saturday: Barons 10, Biscuits 9

The Biscuits blew a nine-run fourth-inning lead and lost 10-9 at Birmingham on Saturday.

Montgomery, sparked by a seven-run first inning, led 9-0 in the middle of the fourth. The Barons scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth and took the lead with a five-run sevent.

Andrew Garcia, after hitting a three-run triple to tie the game, scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball by Stephen Vogt.

Bulls serve up record-tying performance

Syracuse's Michael Aubrey tied an International League record at the expense of the Durham Bulls on Saturday, cranking four home runs in an 11-0 win. Aubrey's carnage: two-runner in the first (3-2 pitch) and solo in the third (0-1) off starter Jeremy Hall, three-runner in the fourth (first pitch) off Chris Bootcheck and solo in the seventh (first) off Ryan Reid.

Ranking the Rays ... Vogt

Ranking Friday's performances ...

1. Stephen Vogt, MGM: 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, 4-for-4
2. Chris Murrill, CHA: 4-for-5, 3 runs, steal
3. Eliazer Suero, BWG: 6 shutout innings, 7 hits, 2 walks
4. Leslie Anderson, DUR: 2 HRs, 3 RBIs
5. Tyler Bortnick, CHA: reached 4 times, 2 runs

Friday's Rays roundup

Bulls 9, Syracuse 2
Leslie Anderson homered twice and Russ Canzler was 4-for-4. Brian Baker gave up two runs over six innings.

Brevard County 8, Stone Crabs 7
Chris Murrill was 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a steal. Tyler Bortnick had two hits, two walks and two runs. Mike Sheridan doubled twice and scored twice.

South Bend 4, Hot Rods 2
Eliazer Suero threw six shutout innings and left with a 2-0 lead. Todd Glaesmann was 3-for-3 with a walk, RBI and outfield assist.

Biscuits set five-game series attendance mark

Montgomery's announced crowd of 5,534 on Friday gave the Biscuits a five-game series total of 27,619. That breaks their home series record of 26,833 set in May 2007 against Mississippi.

Friday: Biscuits 5, Lookouts 3

Stephen Vogt slugged two home runs and the Biscuits beat the Chattanooga Lookouts 5-3 on Friday.

Vogt posted his second two-homer game of the season and the third of his career. He hit a solo shot in the sixth inning and a two-run blast in the eighth. Vogt finished 4-for-4 with four RBIs.

Montgomery starter Shane Dyer, who threw six shutout innings in his last start, took a shutout into the sixth Friday. Tim Beckham scored twice.

Hellickson polishes off career-first shutout

Jeremy Hellickson just finished his first career shutout, a four-hitter in Tampa Bay's 4-0 win over Baltimore. Heck, it was just the second complete game of his professional career with the first coming in 2007 for low-Class A Columbus. On July 3, 2007, Helli threw a seven-inning five-hitter in a 6-1 win at Savannah.

Cruz sleeps well after stellar start

Biscuits pitcher Joe Cruz "slept amazing" on Thursday night after he took a shutout into the seventh inning of Montgomery's 6-2 win over Chattanooga. Cruz had struggled mightily over the season's first month before Thursday's victory.

"It was a good night all around, real relaxing," Cruz said. "I put all of my heart in it, just like I do every outing, but I did what I know how to do."

It'll be a late start at Riverwalk

With the tarp still on the field and showers still falling, the Biscuits say they're looking at an 8 p.m. start.

Chop shop: Archer compares hair to 'new start'

Biscuits pitcher Chris Archer has had his long, curly hair chopped off in favor of a closely cropped look. He joked it's a superstitious attempt to turn around his season.

"It's a new start, a clean slate," said Archer, who is 0-2 with a 5.85 ERA in seven starts. "It was time for a change."

Archer went with the "straight buzz" for his cut, which he said seriously wasn't because of how he's pitched.

"It's only a matter of time before it grows back in," he said. "No big deal."

Friday's lineups

If the rain holds off, tonight marks the final game of the five-game series between the Biscuits and Lookouts.

If the rain holds off, the Biscuits will set a five-game series attendance record. They've drawn 22,085 through the first four games and need less than 4,800 to break the mark set in May 2007 against the Mississippi Braves.

If the rain holds off, the Biscuits also will try to continue their good fortune on Friday the 13th. Montgomery is 4-2 in previous bad-fortune days.

BISCUITS
Cole Figueroa 2b
Tim Beckham ss
Stephen Vogt c
Daniel Mayora 3b
Nevin Ashley dh
Henry Wrigley 1b
Kyeong Kang lf
Reid Fronk rf
John Shelby cf
Shane Dyer rhp

LOOKOUTS
Brad Coon cf
Elian Herrera 3b
Scott Van Slyke 1b
Kyle Russell rf
Alfredo Silverio dh
Brian Cavazos-Galvez lf
Jaime Pedroza 2b
Alex Garabedian c
Ivan Ochoa ss
Chris Winthrow rhp

BISCUITS ON FRIDAY THE 13th
August 2004 -- Birmingham, W 6-4
May 2005 -- Huntsville, L 12-6
April 2007 -- at Chattanooga, W 9-2 (11)
July 2007 -- Mississippi, W 8-2
June 2008 -- Mobile, W 1-0 (13)
August 2010 -- at Mississippi, L 5-3

Biscuits try for rare series win over Lookouts

A little rain has started pelting Riverwalk Stadium and the tarp is out, so maybe the Biscuits won't get the chance for a little team history tonight against the vaunted Chattanooga Lookouts. Biscuits broadcaster Joe Davis pointed this out a few days ago -- the Biscuits have won just one series in their history with Chattanooga. Entering tonight, Montgomery has a 24-43 overall record vs. Chattanooga. The series-by-series details:

2010
road, lost 4 of 5
home, lost 4 of 5
2009
road, won 3 of 5
home, lost 3 of 5
2008
home, lost 3 of 5
road, lost 3 of 5
2007
road, lost 3 of 5
home, lost 3 of 5
2006
road, lost 4 of 5
home, lost 3 of 5
2005 (yep, just one series)
home, split 4
2004
road, lost 3 of 4
home, lost 3 of 4

Blog back up and running

Blogger, which hosts this site, apparently has fixed the issues that kept me from being able to post Thursday. We're back. Here's some of what you missed, though most of this is in Friday's paper ...

rCody Cipriano, who was in Thursday's lineup as the designated hitter, was replaced by a pinch-hitter before he even batted.
rAfter the game, manager Billy Gardner said Cipriano was pulled due to a tight hamstring.
rBiscuits starter Joe Cruz, who took a shutout into the seventh inning, entered Thursday with the third-worst ERA of any pitcher in the minor leagues who had thrown at least 13 innings. His 11.16 was only exceeded by: Class A Modesto's Nick Schnaitmann (14.51 ERA in 22 1/3 innings) and Double-A New Britain's Deolis Guerra (11.57 in 23 1/3).
rThere was the 11th known in-game marriage proposal in stadium history. It was successful.
rIt was 80s Night, so there were numerous puns that I would have made, plus links to appropriate 80s videos.
rOf course, the daily Rays roundup.
rAnd, today, of course, the popular daily Ranking the Rays.

Barnese will make next start

Biscuits pitcher Nick Barnese, after throwing a 30-pitch side session today, will make his next scheduled start, which is Saturday at Birmingham. He's missed his last two due to a back strain.

Ranking the Rays ... Kiermaier

Sifting through Wednesday's deeds ...

1. Kevin Kiermaier, BWG: 4 steals, 2-for-4, 3b, run
2. Brett Nommensen, CHA: 2 hits, 2 HBP's, 2 runs
3. Alex Cobb, DUR: 6 shutout innings, 4 hits
4. Phil Wunderlich, BWG: 3-for-5, 4 RBIs, 3-run HR in 9th
5. Jake Jefferies, CHA: 3-for-4, 2b, walk, run, 2 RBIs

Wednesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 1, Indianapolis 0
Justin Ruggiano -- who else? -- homered in the first inning. Alex Cobb and two relievers combined on a five-hitter. Cobb went six innings with four hits, a walk and five strikeouts. Rehabbing J.P. Howell threw a one-hit inning with two K's. Jake McGee threw the final two, suffering a mere walk with four whiffs.

Stone Crabs 5, Brevard County 2
Jake Jefferies was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a double, a walk and a run scored. Brett Nommensen had two hits, was hit twice and scored twice. Mayo Acosta also reached three times and knocked in two runs. Drew Leary and Sergio Espinosa each allowed one run in four innings. Josh Satow worked a perfect ninth.

Hot Rods 6, Fort Wayne 3
Phil Wunderlich hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning. He finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a double. Cody Rogers hit a tying, two-run homer in the seventh and scored twice. Kevin Kiermaier stole four bases and was 2-for-4 with a triple and run. Jimmy Patterson struck out seven over four innings. He allowed two hits and one walk.

Biscuits pay $98K in rent

The Biscuits' latest rent payment to the city was for more than $98,000. It covers the months of January, February and March, including the Alabama-Auburn game March 15.

The game turned a profit of $53,950 and 10 percent went to the city. The city also received $93,002 based on the team's other sales.

Wednesday: Lookouts 5, Biscuits 2

Nate Eovaldi and two relievers combined on a three-hitter in the Chattanooga Lookouts' 5-2 win over the Biscuits on Wednesday.

Eovaldi allowed just one hit, a Cody Cipriano home run in the second, over six innings. Joe Newby surrendered one hit, an infield Cipriano single in the eighth, over 1 1/3. Josh Lindblom gave up one, a Stephen Vogt single in the ninth, in his 1 2/3.

Brad Coon walked three times to lead Chattanooga, which scored three runs in the fourth inning to take the lead.

Wednesday's show-and-go lineups

Yawn. Third game of the series. Yawn. Etc.

BISCUITS
Cole Figueroa 2b
Tim Beckham ss
Stephen Vogt lf
Daniel Mayora dh
Nevin Ashley c
Matt Sweeney 1b
Cody Cipriano 3b
Kyeong Kang rf
John Shelby cf
Chris Archer rhp

LOOKOUTS
Brad Coon cf
Elian Herrera 3b
Scott Van Slyke 1b
Kyle Russell rf
Alfredo Silverio lf
Brian Galvez-Cavazos dh
Jaime Pedroza 2b
Matt Wallach c
Ivan Ochoa ss
Nate Eovaldi rhp

Ranking the Rays ... Jefferies

Pondering Tuesday's exertions ...

1. Jake Jefferies, CHA: reached 4 times in Crab season debut
2. Robby Price, BWG: 3-for-5, RBI, run, 2b, 3b
3. Matt Moore, MGM: 6 shutout innings, 2 hits, 4 walks, 7 K's
4. Edgar Gonzalez, DUR: 7 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 1 K
5. Cory Wade, DUR: 2 perfect innings, K, 0.82 ERA

Tuesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 2, Indianapolis 1 (11)
Justin Ruggiano -- who else? -- singled in the winning run. Ray Olmedo was 2-for-4 with a walk. Edgar Gonzalez totaled 10 groundball outs and three hits allowed and one run over seven innings. Cory Wade threw two perfect innings and has an 0.82 ERA.

Brevard County 7, Stone Crabs 0
Jake Jefferies was 2-for-2 with two walks in his debut. Tyler Bortnick reached twice. Alex Colome issued five walks in five-plus innings, allowing three runs and three hits. He had a no-hitter into the fifth.

Fort Worth 5, Hot Rods 4 (10)
Robby Price came within a home run of the cycle. Hector Guevara homered and scored twice. Enny Romero had a book-rule quality start with eight strikeouts. The Rods have lost four straight, all by one run.

Brandon pair top minor league Rays in April

Durham outfielder Brandon Guyer and right-handed pitcher Brandon Gomes won Tampa Bay's organizational awards for April. Guyer hit .375 with five home runs, 12 RBIs and a .636 slugging percentage. Gomes had a 1.35 ERA with six saves and a 22-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 appearances.

Minks voluntarily retires

Stone Crabs pitcher Shane Minks has voluntarily retired, according to Charlotte's daily game notes. Minks was 0-2 with a 6.14 ERA in nine appearances this year.

Tuesday: Biscuits 2, Lookouts 1

Tim Beckham singled in Kyeong Kang with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, helping the Biscuits claim a 2-1 victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts on Tuesday.

Kang led off the eighth with a 14-pitch at-bat that ended when he was hit by a Cole St. Clair pitch. Cole Figueroa bunted Kang to second and he scored on Beckham's sharp single to center field.

Both starters were terrific Tuesday.

Montgomery's Matt Moore worked six shutout innings, allowing two hits. He issued four walks and struck out seven. Chattanooga's Rubby De La Rosa gave up an unearned run over seven innings. He also allowed just two hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.

The Lookouts tied it in the eighth off reliever Matt Bush when Alfredo Silverio singled in Brad Coon. In the ninth, Chattanooga had runners on first and third with two outs before Bush struck out pinch-hitter Elian Herrera.

Tuesday's bright-and-early, 10:30 lineups

Yawn. Second game of the series. Etc. Yawn.

BISCUITS
Cole Figueroa 2b
Tim Beckham ss
Stephen Vogt c
Daniel Mayora 3b
Reid Fronk rf
Henry Wrigley dh
Matt Sweeney 1b
John Shelby cf
Kyeong Kang lf
Matt Moore lhp

LOOKOUTS
Brad Coon cf
Alfredo Silverio lf
Scott Van Slyke 1b
Pedro Baez 3b
Kyle Russell rf
Brian Cavazos-Galvez dh
Matt Wallach c
Jaime Pedroza 2b
Ivan Ochoa ss
Rubby De La Rosa rhp

Ranking the Rays ... Lobaton

Sorting through Monday's minor league Rays play ...

1. Jose Lobaton, DUR: 2-for-4, HR, .349 average
2. Tim Beckham, MGM: reached thrice, scored twice, picked off
3. Ryan Reid, DUR: 2 perfect innings, 2 K's
4. Kevin Kiermaier, BWG: reached thrice, stole a base
5. Austin Hubbard, BWG: 2 no-hit innings, walk, 2 K's

Matulia reaggravates hamstring

Biscuits outfielder John Matulia, who left after six innings Monday, reaggravated the hamstring injury that cost him six games last week. He definitely won't play in Tuesday morning's game, manager Billy Gardner said.

Monday: Lookouts 6, Biscuits 5

Elian Herrera scored three runs to spark the Chattanooga Lookouts to a 6-5 win over the Biscuits on Monday.

Ivan Ochoa and Herrera scored in the seventh, taking advantage of errors by two Montgomery pitchers, to break a 4-4 tie. Alfredo Silverio hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Scott Van Slyke also had two RBIs for Chattanooga.

Tim Beckham reached base three times and scored twice for Montgomery. Matt Sweeney homered with one out in the ninth to pull the Biscuits within one.

Monday's Rays roundup

Indianapolis 7, Bulls 5
Chris Carter doubled twice and had two RBIs. Jose Lobaton had two hits, including a solo home run, and is hitting .349. Ray Olmedo reached three times. Ryan Reid threw two perfect innings of relief. Dane De La Rosa, who had allowed two runs all season, gave up five in two innings.

Great Lakes 2, Hot Rods 1
Omar Bencomo and Austin Hubbard each threw two innings of shutout relief. Starter C.J. Riefenhauser worked just four innings. He allowed two runs on four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. Kevin Kiermaier reached three times and stole a base.

Wendt with Biscuits, not on active roster

Catcher David Wendt has joined the Biscuits, though he isn't on Montgomery's active roster. The 24-year-old was a 50th-round draft pick in 2009 and has a .268 average in 33 career games. With Jake Jefferies going down to high-A Charlotte, ostensibly so the former third-round pick can play more, Wendt becomes Montgomery's third catcher.

Mystery man in Montgomery uniform

There's a new player on the field for Montgomery's batting practice. Wearing No. 45 and, though he's in left field shagging flies, has a catcher's mitt.

Monday's lineups

The Biscuits open a five-game home series with the Chattanooga Lookouts tonight.

BISCUITS
Cole Figueroa 2b
Tim Beckham ss
Stephen Vogt lf
Daniel Mayora 3b
John Matulia rf
Nevin Ashley c
Henry Wrigley 1b
Matt Sweeney dh
John Shelby cf
Frank De Los Santos lhp

LOOKOUTS
Elian Herrera cf
Alfredo Silverio rf
Scott Van Slyke, 1b
Pedro Baez 3b
Kyle Russell dh
Brian Cavazos-Galvez lf
Wilberto Ortiz 2b
Alex Garabedian c
Ivan Ochoa ss
Mario Alvarez rhp

Cipriano activated; Jefferies demoted

Biscuits infielder Cody Cipriano has been activated from the disabled list and catcher Jake Jefferies has been demoted to high-Class A Charlotte. Cipriano has missed 11 games with an ankle injury suffered April 26. Jefferies was hitting .263 in six games.

Scoreboard-clearing homer sparks top week

Jacksonville's Luke Montz, whose week started with a scoreboard-clearing home run at Riverwalk Stadium, was the Southern League's hitter of the week, too.

Montz was 7-for-16 with three home runs, eight runs scored and 10 RBIs for the week ending Sunday. Last Monday, he entered a game with the Biscuits to replace an injured starter and cleared the scoreboard with a homer. On Friday at Huntsville, he hit a three-run homer and finished with five RBIs.

Mississippi right-hander Randall Delgado, on the strength of a Wednesday win at Chattanooga, was the top pitcher. Delgado threw a seven-inning two-hitter, walking two and striking out three.

Ruggiano takes International honors

Durham outfielder Justin Ruggiano won the International League's weekly hitting award. He had a .476 average with nine RBIs and six runs scored for the week ending Sunday. Ruggiano had a game-ending two-run single Saturday and a game-tying, eighth-inning home run Thursday that led to an extra-innings win.

Ranking the Rays ... Baker

Sifting through Sunday's efforts ...

1. Brian Baker, DUR: 6 shutout innings, 1 hit, 2 walks, 6 K's
2. Chris Bootcheck, DUR: 3 shutout innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 4 K's
3. Hak-Ju Lee, CHA: 3-for-4, 3b, steal, run, error
4. Kyle Lobstein, CHA: 7 innings, 3 earned runs, 6 hits
5. Kevin Kiermaier, BWG: 2-for-4, 3b, run

Participatory journalism not for me

No, I will not step into a batting cage and voluntarily take a 92 mph pitch in the back, like a Kansas City Star reporter did with the Royals.

Sunday's Rays roundup

Bulls 4, Syracuse 0
Brian Baker and Chris Bootcheck combined on a two-hitter. Baker went six innings, giving up one hit and two walks. Ray Olmedo had two RBIs and reached twice. Jose Lobaton and Russ Canzler each had a hit, a walk and a run.

Bradenton 6, Stone Crabs 2
Hak-Ju Lee was 3-for-4 with a triple, a steal, a run scored and an error. Kyle Lobstein worked seven innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks. He struck out none. Anthony Scelfo homered and walked.

Great Lakes 3, Hot Rods 2
Marcus Jensen's five innings included two runs on three hits and two walks. Kyle Holloway hit a two-run double in the seventh. Kevin Kiermaier had two hits and Todd Glaesmann reached twice.

Barnese to miss another start

Biscuits pitcher Nick Barnese won't start Monday, marking the second straight start he'll miss due to a back strain. Lefty Frank De Los Santos is scheduled to take the mound in the series opener against Chattanooga.

Ranking the Rays ... Kelly

Saturday's stellar efforts, another tough choice ...

1. Merrill Kelly, CHA: 7 innings, 0 earned runs, 4 hits
2. Alex Torres, DUR: 6 shutout innings, 8 K's
3. Shane Dyer, MGM: 6 shutout innings, 10 groundball outs
4. Matt Sweeney: reached 5 times, scored twice
5. Justin Ruggiano, DUR: 4-for-6, game-ending 2-run 1b

Saturday's Rays roundup

Bulls 6, Syracuse 5 (11)
Justin Ruggiano's two-run single capped a four-run 11th. He was 4-for-6. Chris Carter homered and Desmond Jennings drew a bases-loaded walk in the inning. Alex Torres threw six shutout innings. Jake McGee, the third of six relievers, blew a save.

Stone Crabs 6, Bradenton 4
Merrill Kelly worked seven innings, allowing an unearned run on four hits and two walks. Tyler Bortnick had two runs, two RBIs and a steal.

Great Lakes 3, Hot Rods 2
Robby Price had two of Bowling Green's six hits and an RBI. Braulio Lara allowed two hits and walked three in 5 2/3 innings. Only one of his three runs was earned. He picked off two runners.

Saturday: Biscuits 7, Mudcats 1

Shane Dyer threw six shutout innings in the Biscuits' 7-1 win at Carolina on Saturday. Matt Sweeney had two hits, walked thrice and scored twice.