Friday, May 31, 2013

Friday's Rays roundup

Bulls 8, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 4
Brandon Guyer hit a two-run home run, singled and stole. Cole Figueroa tripled, singled twice and had two RBIs. Jim Paduch gave up four runs over 6 1/3 innings. Matt Buschmann, in his season debut with the Bulls, retired all eight men he faced for the save.

St. Lucie at Stone Crabs
Rained out.

South Bend 8, Hot Rods 6
Sean Bierman threw six shutout innings with four hits, a walk and four strikeouts. Three relievers gave up eight runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Patrick Leonard hit a second-inning grand slam and singled. Tyler Goeddel had three singles, an RBI and two runs scored. Marty Gantt singled twice, stole and scored twice.

Friday: Biscuits 5, Braves 3

C.J. Riefenhauser squirmed out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning to help the Biscuits secure a 5-3 win over the Mississippi Braves on Friday.

Mississippi scored to pull within just 4-3 and loaded the bases with one out when the Biscuits signaled for Riefenhauser.

The left-hander, who entered with an 0.79 ERA, got a popup from Jaime Pedroza and a strikeout from Barrett Kleinknecht. Of the 12 baserunners Riefenhauser has inherited this year, none have scored.

Montgomery snapped a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning with Mikie Mahtook's two-run single. Kevin Kiermaier, who finished 4-for-4, and Shawn O'Malley scored on the play and each finished with two runs scored.

Floethe climbs from Stone Crabs to Biscuits

Right-hander Jake Floethe jumps from the high-Class A Charlotte Stone Crabs to the Biscuits to take Matt Buschmann's roster spot.

Floethe was 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 10 appearances for the Crabs, including just one start. The right-hander has thrown at least 4 2/3 shutout innings in three relief appearances this season.

Floethe was a sixth-round draft pick in 2011 from Cal State Fullerton and was 10-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 24 starts for low-A Bowling Green last year.

Buschmann moves up to Durham Bulls

Matt Buschmann, the anchor of Montgomery's starting rotation, has been promoted to Triple-A Durham.

Buschmann was 6-3 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts for the Biscuits. Four times this season, Buschmann has thrown at least six shutout innings, including seven in a win at Mississippi on Tuesday. His six wins are tied for the Southern League lead for victories.

Buschmann, an eighth-year pro, was 7-8 with a 3.89 ERA last season for Montgomery. He had a 5.23 ERA in two late-June starts for Durham.

He's the second veteran pitcher that the Biscuits have lost to Durham this week. Closer Juan Sandoval, who led the Southern League with 11 saves, started for the Bulls on Wednesday.

The Bulls also put catcher Chris Gimenez on the disabled list.

Today's Rays pitchers

With Chris Archer moving up to the Rays, tonight's starter for Durham is a TBA. My wild guess: Jim Paduch. Paduch hasn't pitched since Sunday.

Montgomery's Enny Romero takes an 18 2/3-inning scoreless streak into his start tonight at Mississippi.

DUR (?) vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Chris Bootcheck 5-0, 2.82), 6:05
MGM (Enny Romero 3-1, 3.47) at Mississippi (Gus Schlosser 5-1, 3.00), 7
CHA (Parker Markel 2-4, 6.96) vs. St. Lucie (Domingo Tapia 2-4, 3.86), 5:30
BWG (Sean Bierman 2-2, 1.98) vs. South Bend (?), 7:05

Ranking the Rays ... Geltz, Torrez, Myers

For Thursday ...

1. Steve Geltz, DUR: 3 perfect innings, 3 Ks
2. Riccio Torrez, MGM: 2-run HR, 2b, 2 runs
3. Wil Myers, DUR: 1b, 2 walks, 2 runs
4. Merrill Kelly, MGM: 6 innings, 2 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, K
5. J.D. Martin, DUR: 6 innings, 2 runs, 9 hits, 2 walks, 4 Ks

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Thursday's Rays roundup

Bulls 7, Buffalo 2
Leslie Anderson hit a solo home run, singled and had two RBIs. Wil Myers singled, walked twice and scored twice. J.D. Martin improved to 7-2 with a six-inning, two-run start. Steve Geltz threw three perfect innings.

Lake County 6, Hot Rods 1
Andrew Toles singled, doubled and stole a base. Leonardo Reginatto singled twice, RBI'd and was caught stealing. Dylan Floro gave up five earned runs in six innings with eight hits and three wild pitches.

Thursday: Biscuits 6, Braves 2

Riccio Torrez hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning and Merrill Kelly took a no-hitter into the fifth, leading the Biscuits in a 6-2 win over the Mississippi Braves on Thursday.

Kelly (4-5) gave up two runs in the fifth inning, but recorded a third straight quality start.
Mississippi's Paul Gosselin hit a two-run double down the right-field line that tied it 2-2.

The Biscuits broke the tie with a two-out rally in the sixth. Kyeong Kang singled before Torrez hit his fourth home run of the season.

Mikie Mahtook gave the Biscuits a four-run lead with a two-run single in the ninth inning. Mahtook, who singled twice, has eight hits and two walks in his last four games. Torrez last homered May 4.

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's J.D. Martin goes for a system-high seventh win. He's won five of his last six starts with the loss coming in a seven-inning complete game.

Montgomery was to face Mississippi's Alex Wood, but Wood won't be available. He's been promoted to the major leagues and faces the Blue Jays today.

DUR (J.D. Martin 6-2, 3.65) vs. Buffalo (Josh Johnson 0-0, 0.00), 6:05
MGM (Merrill Kelly 3-5, 3.81) at Mississippi (Alex Wood 4-2, 1.26), 7
CHA (Parker Markel 2-4, 6.96) at Palm Beach (?), 9:35 a.m.
BWG (Dylan Floro 3-1, 1.54) at Lake County (Ryan Merritt 2-4, 3.31), 10 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Castillo, Carpenter, Martin

For a tough Wednesday ...

1. Keith Castillo, MGM: 2 2b's, 1b, walk, 4 RBIs, 3 runs
2. Ryan Carpenter, CHA: 6 shutout, 2 hits, 4 walks, 2 Ks, 9 GBO
3. Brandon Martin, BWG: 2 HRs, 1b, 4 RBIs in DH, debut
4. Jake Thompson, MGM: 6 1/3 shutout, 6 hits, 2 walks, 4 Ks
5. Rich Thompson, DUR: 3b, 1b, RBI, 2 runs, steal, outfield assist

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wednesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 10, Buffalo 2
Jason Bourgeois doubled, singled, had three RBIs and scored. Rich Thompson tripled, singled, stole, RBI'd, scored twice and threw out a runner at home. Leslie Anderson was 4-for-4.

Stone Crabs 3, Palm Beach 1
Richie Shaffer doubled, singled twice, RBI'd and scored. Kes Carter tripled, singled twice, had an RBI and was caught stealing. Ryan Carpenter threw six shutout innings with two hits and four walks.

Hot Rods 8, Lake County 5 (Game 1)
Brandon Martin hit a two-run homer and singled in his debut. Joey Rickard hit two solo home runs. Tyler Goeddel had three RBIs. Justin O'Conner doubled, singled and scored twice. Nick Sawyer threw 2 2/3 no-hit innings.

Lake County 6, Hot Rods 5 (Game 2)
Tyler Goeddel and Brandon Martin each hit two-run homers. Andrew Toles had three singles, three steals, a caught stealing and a run scored.

Wednesday: Biscuits 10, Braves 0

Keith Castillo shined offensively and Jake Thompson threw 6 1/3 innings to lead the Biscuits in a 10-0 win over the Mississippi Braves on Wednesday.

Castillo, playing in just his third game this season, had four RBIs and scored three times. He doubled twice, singled and walked. Castillo has been with the Biscuits all season but didn't join the active roster until May 18. He was 1-for-6 in his two previous games.

Thompson (4-5) gave up six hits with two walks and four strikeouts to win his second straight start. Thompson and Braulio Lara combined on Montgomery's fifth shutout.

Riccio Torrez also had a season-high four RBIs for Montgomery, which scored three runs in the second inning, three in the third and four in the fourth.

Montgomery had not scored in double figures in its last 30 games. The Biscuits' 14 hits were one shy of a season high.

Sale suspended again, this time by Rays

Outfielder Josh Sale, a first-round pick in 2010 who just completed a 50-game drug suspension, has been suspended again.

The Rays put him on the shelf for "conduct detrimental to the organization," the Tampa Bay Times reported. On Monday, he visited a strip club and later posted on Facebook that he "threw 50 cents at a stripper" and said she should be thankful, Deadspin reported.

Sale was at low-Class A Bowling Green last year when he was suspended by Major League Baseball and was expected to join high-Class A Charlotte soon.

Colome in line to be 58th big-league Biscuit

Alex Colome, promoted today from Triple-A Durham to the Rays, stands to be the 58th former Biscuit to play in the major leagues.

Colome would be the fourth player from the 2011 Biscuits to make the big leagues and the second from the 2012 Biscuits. He'd be the second to debut this season.

Sandoval promoted to Bulls

Juan Sandoval, who leads the Southern League with 11 saves, has been promoted from the Biscuits to the Triple-A Durham Bulls. The 32-year-old Sandoval was 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 22 appearances for Montgomery.

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's Alex Colome puts a three-straight winning streak on the line, while Montgomery's Jake Thompson threw a season-high seven innings in his last outing.

DUR (Alex Colome 4-5, 2.60) vs. Buffalo (Claudio Vargas 3-4, 5.29), 6:05
MGM (Jake Thompson 3-5, 6.22) at Mississippi (Michael Lee 3-3, 3.86), 7
CHA (Ryan Carpenter 3-3, 3.96) at Palm Beach (?), 5:35
BWG (Blake Snell 1-4, 2.97/Brandon Henderson 2-1, 2.73) at Lake County (Luis DeJesus 0-5, 6.40/?), noon

Ranking the Rays ... Belnome, Myers, Buschmann

For Tuesday ...

1. Vince Belnome, DUR: 2b, 2 1b's, 2 walks, 4 runs, error
2. Wil Myers, DUR: 2 2-run HRs
3. Matt Buschmann, MGM: 7 shutout, 4 hits, walk, 3 Ks
4. Roberto Gomez, CHA: 7 1/3 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 walk, 4 Ks
5. Leslie Anderson, DUR: 2b, 2 1b's, 2 RBIs, run

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tuesday: Biscuits 6, Braves 4

Matt Buschmann threw seven shutout innings and the Biscuits held on for a 6-4 win over the Mississippi Braves on Tuesday.

Buschmann (6-3) gave up just four hits with one walk and three strikeouts to snap a two-start losing streak. Buschmann, who saw his ERA shrivel to 2.69, has had four starts this season in which he's thrown at least six shutout innings.

Kyeong Kang hit a three-run double in the first and Robby Price homered to lead off the second for Montgomery.

Tuesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 9, Buffalo 8
Tim Beckham singled in Jason Bourgeois with the winning run in the ninth. Wil Myers hit two-run home runs in the seventh and a tying blast in the ninth. Vince Belnome doubled, singled twice, walked twice and scored four times.

Stone Crabs 2, Palm Beach 1
Roberto Gomez allowed just one hit over 7 1/3 innings with one walk and four strikeouts. Kes Carter hit three singles, RBI'd and scored.

Bowling Green at Lake County
Rained out.

Brandon Martin joins Hot Rods

Shortstop Brandon Martin, a supplemental first-round draft pick in 2011 by the Rays, has joined the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

The 19-year-old had a .209 average in 63 games for Rookie-level Princeton last year after hitting .255 in 19 games in 2011 for the GCL Rays. Martin was the 38th overall pick in 2011.

Former Biscuit best in International week

Former Biscuits pitcher Tim Corcoran, now with the Gwinnett Braves, was the International League's pitcher of the week.

Corcoran won both of his starts for the week, giving up one run over 11 1/3 innings, and is 3-3 with a 3.19 ERA this year.

The 35-year-old right-hander was with the Biscuits in 2004 and 2007, is in his 16th professional season and made 30 appearances for Tampa Bay in 2006-07. He recorded the final out in Montgomery's 2007 Southern League championship.

BayBears' Broxton, Barons' McCully snare SL awards

Mobile BayBears outfielder Keon Broxton and Birmingham Barons right-hander Nick McCully won the Southern League's weekly awards.

McCully gave up one hit over six shutout innings in a win Sunday at Jacksonville and has a 17-inning shutout streak. He's 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

Broxton was 10-for-25 for the week that ended Sunday with three home runs, eight RBIs and four runs scored. Broxton has a .233 average in 21 games.

The BayBears have had five award winners the last four weeks. McCully is Birmingham's first winner this year.

Today's Rays pitchers

Bowling Green's Blake Snell, after a rain-shortened effort in his last start, is scheduled to pitch today. Snell threw two no-hit innings last week before rain suspended the game. He's winless in his last five starts.

DUR (Mike Montgomery 1-0, 4.15) vs. Buffalo (Justin Germano 3-4, 7.16), 6:05
MGM (Matt Buschmann 5-3, 3.02) at Mississippi (Cody Martin 2-2, 2.62), 7
CHA (Roberto Gomez 2-6, 7.00) at Palm Beach (?), 5:35
BWG (Blake Snell 1-4, 2.97) at Lake County (Luis DeJesus 0-5, 6.40), 5:30

Ranking the Rays ... Myers, Toles, Guyer

For Monday ...

1. Wil Myers, DUR: 2-run HR, 3-run 2b
2. Andrew Toles, BWG: 2 1b's, hbp, 3 steals, 2 runs, outfield assist
3. Brandon Guyer, DUR: 2b, 1b, 2 walks, 2 RBIs, 2 runs
4. Kirby Yates, DUR: 2 no-hit innings, walk, 2 Ks, 1.54 ERA
5. Victor Mateo, MGM: 6 innings, 3 runs, 4 hits, 2 walks, 3 Ks, 8 GBO

Morning reading

Victor Mateo, who had a quality-start no-decision in Monday's loss to the Jackson Generals, has been consulting two veteran Biscuits and is excited over the results. Also, Austin Hubbard made his Double-A debut and wants to learn from it and quickly forget about it.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Monday's Rays roundup

Bulls 11, Buffalo 7
Wil Myers hit a two-run home run and a three-run double in Durham's nine-run first inning. Brandon Guyer doubled, singled, walked twice, had two RBIs and scored twice. Cole Figueroa singled, walked twice and scored twice. Kirby Yates threw two hitless innings.

Fort Wayne 5, Hot Rods 4
Andrew Toles had two singles, three steals, two runs scored and an outfield assist. Jeff Ames gave up four runs on 11 hits in five innings. Marcus Jensen's four innings included the go-ahead run and four hits.

Nevarez to Florida to rehab shoulder

Relief pitcher Matt Nevarez hugged his through Montgomery's clubhouse after Monday's game before heading to Florida to continue his injury rehab.

Nevarez last pitched May 20 due to a recurring shoulder issue and missed the first two weeks of the season with the same problem. He'll report to Tampa Bay's rehab program in Port Charlotte, Fla.

"I'm going to see the doctor and see what happens," Nevarez said.

Monday: Generals 9, Biscuits 3

Denny Almonte's first-pitch home run sparked a six-run eighth inning that lifted the Jackson Generals to a 9-3 win over the Biscuits on Monday afternoon.

Gabriel Noriega's two-run single capped the rally, which gave Jackson a series victory at Riverwalk Stadium. Rich Poythress homered and scored three times for the Generals.

Biscuits right-hander Victor Mateo posted a quality start, giving up two earned runs on four hits in six innings. Reliever Marquis Fleming (2-2) gave up five runs and recorded one out in the eighth.

Montgomery scored in the first when Kevin Kiermaier singled and came home on a double-play groundball. With two outs in the third, Cameron Seitzer and Todd Glaesmann hit consecutive RBI doubles.

Monday's lineups

It's the finale of a five-game series and a day game at that -- 2:05 p.m. start. Biscuits outfielder Mikie Mahtook and first baseman Cameron Seitzer are playing in their 50th straight games to begin the season.

BISCUITS
Kevin Kiermaier cf (left)
Shawn O'Malley ss (switch)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Todd Glaesmann lf
Kyeong Kang dh (left)
Steve Tinoco 3b
Robby Price 2b (left)
Mark Thomas c
Victor Mateo rhp


GENERALS
Leon Landry dh (left)
Francisco Martinez cf Denny Almonte cf
James Jones lf (left)
Vinnie Catricala 3b
Julio Morban rf (left)
Rich Poythress 1b
Leury Bonilla 2b
Carlton Tanabe c
Gabriel Noriega ss
Brett Shankin rhp

Today's Rays pitchers

Hot Rods right-hander Jeff Ames tries for his sixth win again today. Ames gave up five runs in his last start, matching the number of runs he allowed in his first seven starts combined.

Amongst Rays minor leaguers, he's behind only Durham's J.D. Martin in wins (six) and Bowling Green teammate Dylan Floro in ERA (1.54).

DUR (Alex Torres 2-2, 2.81) vs. Buffalo (Ricky Romero 0-0, 8.76), 4:05
MGM (Victor Mateo 2-5, 6.90) vs. Jackson (Brett Shankin (3-1, 3.89), 2:05
CHA off
BWG (Jeff Ames 5-0, 2.13) vs. Fort Wayne (Max Fried 2-1, 2.95), 2:05

Ranking the Rays ... Romero, Guerrieri, Hahn

For Sunday ...

1. Enny Romero, MGM: 6 shutout, 3 hits, walk, 5 Ks
2. Taylor Guerrieri, BWG: book-rule quality start, 3 hits, 5 Ks, 10 GBO
3. Jesse Hahn, CHA: 4 shutout, 3 hits, walk, 3 Ks
4. Tommy Coyle, BWG: 2 1b's, walk, 2 steals, RBI, run
5. Ryan Brett, CHA: 2b, 1b, 2 runs

Morning reading

Enny Romero was the main story from the Biscuits' 1-0 win over Jackson on Sunday. Mikie Mahtook, his home run and Jackson's Taijuan Walker and his own dominant pitching went in the notebook.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sunday's Rays roundup

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 7, Bulls 3
Vince Belmone singled twice, walked and RBI'd. Wil Myers hit three singles. Chris Archer's five innings included four runs, five hits and two Archer errors.

Stone Crabs 4, Fort Myers 2
Ryan Brett singled, doubled and scored twice. Taylor Motter homered, singled and scored twice. Jesse Hahn's four shutout innings was his third straight start without allowing an earned run. Still no win.

Fort Wayne 6, Hot Rods 5
Tommy Coyle singled twice, walked, stole twice, RBI'd and scored. Justin O'Conner hit a two-run homer and walked. Taylor Guerrieri gave up four runs on three hits in six innings.

Sunday: Biscuits 1, Generals 0

Mikie Mahtook hit a first-inning home run and Enny Romero extended his shutout streak with the Biscuits' 1-0 win over the Jackson Generals on Sunday.

Romero gave up three hits over six innings and outdueled Jackson's Taijuan Walker, the top pitching prospect in the Seattle organization.

Romero (3-1) has a streak of 18 2/3 shutout innings. He walked one and struck out five. Walker (3-5) allowed just four hits over seven innings with two walks and six strikeouts.

C.J. Riefenhauser and Juan Sandoval finished off a four-hitter. It marked Montgomery's fourth shutout this season.

Mahtook homered with two outs in the first inning, lifting a 1-2 pitch from Walker over the left-field wall. The Biscuits finished with just three hits.

Sunday's lineups

It's Game 4 of Montgomery's five-game series with the Jackson Generals.

6:05 update: Leury Bonilla replaces Jack Marder in Jackson lineup.

BISCUITS
Kevin Kiermaier cf (left)
Robby Price 2b (left)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Todd Glaesmann lf
Kyeong Kang dh (left)
Mayo Acosta c
Riccio Torrez 3b
Robi Estrada ss (switch)
Enny Romero lhp


GENERALS
Leon Landry lf (left)
Denny Almonte cf
Vinnie Catricala 3b
Rich Poythress 1b
Julio Morban rf (left)
Francisco Martinez dh
Mike Dowd c
Jack Marder 2b Leury Bonilla 2b
Gabriel Noriega ss
Taijuan Walker rhp

During batting practice, Biscuits keep tabs on Rays

The Biscuits have bypassed their usual batting-practice music in favor of other entertainment today.

 
I'm hearing that the Indianapolis 500 was on for early work and at least one request has been made to show the LSU-Vanderbilt SEC tournament championship after the Rays.

Today's Rays pitchers

Might Stone Crabs right-hander Jesse Hahn be on the cusp of a win? Hahn has thrown a season-high four innings in each of his last two starts, just one shy of qualifying for a win. Charlotte led both when he left and went on to win both.

Besides that, Durham faces a former a former Bull in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Chris Bootcheck. Bootcheck is also a former Auburn Tiger.

There's also that Guerrieri guy going for the Hot Rods. Ho-hum.

DUR (Chris Archer 5-2, 4.00) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Chris Bootcheck 4-0, 2.80), 12:05
MGM (Enny Romero 2-1, 3.95) vs. Jackson (Taijuan Walker 3-4, 2.77), 6:05
CHA (Jesse Hahn 0-0, 0.96) at Fort Myers (Tom Stuifbergen 1-2, 3.59), 3:05
BWG (Taylor Guerrieri 3-1, 1.64) vs. Fort Wayne (Joseph Ross 3-1, 1.64), 2:05

Ranking the Rays ... Gantt, Rivero, Kelly

For Saturday ...

1. Marty Gantt, BWG: 2-run HR, 3 1b's, 2 runs, 3 steals
2. Felipe Rivero, CHA: 7 innings, 2 earned runs, 7 hits, walk, 5 Ks, 11 GBO
3. Merrill Kelly, MGM: 7 innings, 3 runs, 6 hits, walk, 4 Ks
4. Cole Figueroa, DUR: 1b, 2 walks, 2 RBIs, 2 runs, error
5. Reinaldo Lopez, BWG: 4 innings, run, 3 hits, 3 Ks, 6 GBO

Morning reading

Read about Merrill Kelly's quality-start loss and Kevin Kiermaier's rare home run, by our summer intern Ali Jenkins, with Saturday's loss to the Jackson Generals. Plus, to follow up on Friday's fun, find out how the Biscuits grounds crew jumped into action when the sprinklers mounted a seventh-inning surprise.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Saturday's Rays roundup

Bulls 11, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 6
Cole Figueroa singled, walked, twice, had two RBIs, scored twice and erred. Shelley Duncan singled, walked twice, RBI'd and scored. Vince Belnome doubled, singled, had two RBIs and scored. J.D. Martin won for the sixth time in his last seven starts, allowing three runs in five innings.

Fort Myers 6, Stone Crabs 4
Richie Shaffer singled, walked and scored. Jeff Malm singled twice, walked, RBI'd and scored. Felipe Rivero gave up four runs in seven-plus innings and was in line to win. Lenny Linsky allowed an inherited runner to score and gave up two runs of his own in the eighth.

Hot Rods 5, Fort Wayne 3
Marty Gantt had three singles, a two-run homer, three stolen bases and two runs scored. Eduar Quinonez's five innings included two runs. Reinaldo Lopez's four had one run on three hits.

Saturday: Generals 3, Biscuits 1

Leon Landry hit a go-ahead home run in the third inning and the Jackson Generals held the Biscuits to five hits in a 3-1 victory Saturday night.

Chance Ruffin (2-2) held to Biscuits to one run -- a Kevin Kiermaier homer to lead off the first -- over six innings with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Biscuits starter Merrill Kelly (3-5) tied a season high with seven innings, but he gave up three runs on six hits. It was Montgomery's first quality-start loss this season.

The Biscuits have scored two runs or less 20 times this season.

Saturday's lineups

Keith Castillo makes his Riverwalk Stadium debut as Montgomery's designated hitter when the Biscuits face the Jackson Generals at 6:35 p.m. today.

BISCUITS
Kevin Kiermaier cf (left)
Shawn O'Malley ss (switch)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Kyeong Kang lf (left)
Mayo Acosta c
Robby Price 2b
Keith Castillo dh (switch)
Riccio Torrez 3b
Merrill Kelly rhp


GENERALS
Leon Landry lf (left)
Denny Almonte rf
James Jones dh (left)
Vinnie Catricala 3b
Steven Proscia 1b
Francisco Martinez cf
Mike Dowd c
Jack Marder 2b
Gabriel Noriega ss
Chance Ruffin rhp

Today's Rays pitchers

Left-hander Felipe Rivero, who has won each of his last two starts and hasn't lost in more than a month, is supposed to start for the Stone Crabs today. He has a 2.67 ERA with 22 hits allowed in his last five starts/27 innings.

DUR (J.D. Martin 5-2, 3.48) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Caleb Cotham 0-2, 9.00), 6:05
MGM (Merrill Kelly 3-4, 3.81) vs. Jackson (Chance Ruffin 1-2, 4.87), 6:35
CHA (Felipe Rivero 3-3, 3.95) at Fort Myers (?), 5:05
BWG (Eduar Quinonez 2-3, 6.15) vs. Fort Wayne (Walker Weickel 0-2, 5.46), 7:05

Ranking the Rays ... Beckham, Segovia, Thompson

For Friday ...

1. Tim Beckham, DUR: 2b, 1b, 2 walks, RBI, run, CS
2. Alejandro Segovia, CHA: 2b, 1b, 2 walks, RBI
3. Jake Thompson, MGM: 7 innings, 1 run, 5 hits, 2 walks, 4 Ks
4. Juan Apodaca, DUR: 2 1b's, walk, 2 RBIs, run
5. Patrick Leonard, BWG: 1b, 3 walks, 2 runs in DH

Morning reading

Jake Thompson is offering free dinner in gratitude for Shawn O'Malley's highlight play in the Biscuits' win Friday. O'Malley (jokingly) says he'll eat well. Also, Biscuits catcher Keith Castillo is finally on the team's active roster.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Friday's Rays roundup

Bulls 9, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 4
Brandon Guyer doubled, singled, had two RBIs and scored twice. Tim Beckham doubled, singled, walked twice, was caught stealing, RBI'd and scored. Juan Apodaca singled twice, walked, had two RBIs and scored twice. Alex Colome gave up two unearned runs over five innings. Manager Charlie Montoyo picked up his 500th win with the Bulls and the 1,147th of his career. He's 500-408 at Durham.

Fort Myers 6, Stone Crabs 5
Alejandro Segovia doubled, singled, walked twice and RBI'd. Jake Hager singled, walked twice, was plunked, was caught thieving and scored. Parker Markel's 5 1/3 innings featured three runs (one earned) on eight hits.

Great Lakes 4, Hot Rods 0 (Game 1)
Marty Gantt doubled and singled. Patrick Leonard singled and walked. Ryan Dunn walked. For the offense, that's all, folks. Sean Bierman gave up two runs in four innings. Nick Sawyer tossed three no-hit innings, but four walks and two wild pitches led to two runs.

Hot Rods 4, Great Lakes 2 (Game 2)
Tommy Coyle doubled, walked, was picked off and had two RBIs. Patrick Leonard walked twice and scored twice. Ryan Dunn walked thrice and scored once. Marcus Jensen threw 2 1/3 shutout innings.

Friday: Biscuits 2, Generals 1

Jake Thompson, after giving up a leadoff home run, threw seven strong innings to lead the Biscuits in a 2-1 win over the Jackson Generals on Friday.

Leon Landry began the game with a home run to right field off Thompson, who allowed only one other runner to safely reach second base. He gave up five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Thompson (3-5) had lost his last three starts.

Thompson's seven innings tied for the longest outing of his Double-A career. He also went seven innings, giving up an unearned run, in a win at Jackson in July 2012.

Kevin Kiermaier and Shawn O'Malley hit consecutive RBI singles in the third inning for Montgomery. Riccio Torrez and Mark Thomas started the inning with back-to-back walks before Robi Estrada's sacrifice bunt put both in scoring position.

The Generals had the potential tying run in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings. Juan Sandoval survived both for his 10th save.

The Biscuits improved to 12-2 in one-run games this season. Otherwise, they're 11-22.

Sprinklers kick on in middle of Biscuits game

The sprinklers kicked on at Riverwalk Stadium during the seventh inning Friday, causing a nine-minute delay.

Biscuits catcher Mark Thomas' flyout to left field apparently coaxed the sprinklers into action. After they finally succumbed to the off switch, the grounds staff had to apply drying agent to the mound and around home plate.

While the fans waited, there was some situation-specific musical entertainment.

Friday's lineups

The Biscuits don't have to worry about Jackson's Brad Miller tonight. Miller, who hit a towering home run in the Generals' 3-1 win Thursday, isn't with the Generals anymore. He's headed to Triple-A Tacoma. (How towering? It cleared the trees past the right-field wall.)

The Generals have added infielder Rich Poythress, a former University of Georgia star, from Tacoma and catcher Carlton Tanabe, who has played in six games this year at low-Class A Clinton.

BISCUITS
Kevin Kiermaier cf (left)
Shawn O'Malley ss (switch)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Todd Glaesmann lf
Mayo Acosta dh
Riccio Torrez 3b
Mark Thomas c
Robi Estrada 2b
Jake Thompson rhp


GENERALS
Leon Landry lf (left)
Denny Almonte dh (switch)
James Jones cf (left)
Vinnie Catricala 3b
Julio Morban rf (left)
Gabriel Noriega ss
Leury Bonilla 1b
Michael Dowd c
Jack Marder 2b
Roenis Elias lhp

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's Alex Colome puts a two-start winning streak on the line at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Colome, in his last three starts, has a 29-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 2/3 innings.

DUR (Alex Colome 3-5, 2.86) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Graham Stoneburner 2-2, 3.00), 6:05
MGM (Jake Thompson 2-5, 7.09) vs. Jackson (Roenis Elias 2-3, 2.90), 7:05
CHA (Parker Markel 2-4, 7.71) at Fort Myers (Jason Wheeler 5-0, 4.25), 6:05
BWG (Sean Bierman 2-1, 1.54/?) vs. Great Lakes (Jharel Cotton 1-3, 3.96/?), DH, 5

Ranking the Rays ... Belnome, Floro, Segovia

For Thursday ...

1. Vince Belnome, DUR: 3b, 2 walks, 2 RBIs, 2 runs
2. Dylan Floro, BWG: 6 innings, run, 4 hits, 5 Ks, 9 GBO
3. Alejandro Segovia, CHA: 2b, 2 1b's, RBI, 2 runs
4. C.J. Riefenhauser, MGM: 2 1/3 hitless, walk
5. Richie Shaffer, CHA: 1b, walk, RBI, 2 runs

Morning reading

The Biscuits, after Thursday's home loss to Jackson, are 5-12 in their last 17 games with a .210 batting average and a 5.29 ERA. Also, new reliever Austin Hubbard took center stage in a pitchers' meeting and had to recite an Auburn cheer.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Thursday's Rays roundup

Bulls 8, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 5
Vince Belmone tripled, walked twice, had two RBIs and scored twice. Wil Myers hit a three-run home run. Mike Montgomery, in his first game back with the Bulls, gave up two runs over five innings to win.


Stone Crabs 9, Clearwater 8 (11)
Jake Hager's RBI single capped a three-run 11th. Taylor Motter also hit an RBI groundout and Ryan Brett an RBI single. Alejandro Segovia doubled, singled twice, RBI'd and scored twice.

Great Lakes 4, Hot Rods 3 (continuation of Wednesday)
Blake Snell left after just two innings (Wednesday's part of the game), giving up no hits with a walk. Joey Rickard drew three walks and had an RBI.

Great Lakes 1, Hot Rods 0 (regularly scheduled game)
Tommy Coyle doubled and singled. Dylan Floro gave up one run on four hits in six innings.

Thursday: Generals 3, Biscuits 1

Brad Miller hit a two-run home run and James Jones scored twice to lead the Jackson Generals in a 3-1 win over the Biscuits on Thursday.

Anthony Fernandez, who entered with an 8.84 ERA, held the Biscuits to an unearned run on three hits over six innings. He walked two, struck out three and improved to 2-0.

Montgomery's Kevin Kiermaier led off the bottom of the first with a walk. He went to second on Mikie Mahtook's one-out single and scored on an error. Cameron Seitzer hit a sharp grounder that first baseman Steven Proscia mishandled.

Jones tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the top of the first. He began the third with a walk and scored on Miller's one-out homer. It was Miller's sixth homer of the season.

The Biscuits mustered just three hits and lost for the 12th time in their last 17 games.

Suspense over: Catcher doesn't arrive

The Jackson Generals have switched starting catchers for tonight's game.

Michael Dowd has been scratched since, well, he isn't here yet. Dowd was promoted from high-Class A High Desert today and was scheduled to arrive at Montgomery International at 6 p.m.

Jack Marder starts in his place.

UPDATE: One minute after posting that, Dowd has arrived, but Marder is still in the lineup.

Generals in suspense over catcher

Michael Dowd, scheduled to be Jackson's starting catcher tonight against the Biscuits, was promoted from high-Class A High Desert today.

Here's the rub: Dowd isn't scheduled to arrive in Montgomery until 6 p.m. If, for whatever reason, he hasn't arrived by 6:30, the Generals don't have another catcher on their active roster and supposedly infielder Jack Marder would climb behind the plate.

Marder has catching experience. He played 24 games behind the plate at High Desert over the last two years.

Thursday's lineups

Steve Tinoco makes his Riverwalk Stadium debut as Montgomery's designated hitter in tonight's series opener against the Jackson Generals.

Biscuits second baseman Robby Price has been dropped to seventh in the order. Price has been in the 2 hole 33 times and the 3 hole for four games.

Third baseman Riccio Torrez, primarily in the 7 hole this year, makes his season debut in the ninth spot.

BISCUITS
Kevin Kiermaier cf (left)
Shawn O'Malley ss (switch)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Todd Glaesmann lf
Mayo Acosta c
Robby Price 2b (left)
Steve Tinoco dh
Riccio Torrez 3b
Matt Buschmann rhp


GENERALS
James Jones lf (left)
Denny Almonte dh (switch)
Brad Miller ss (left)
Vinnie Catricala 3b
Julio Morban rf (left)
Francisco Martinez cf
Steven Proscia 1b
Michael Dowd c
Gabriel Noriega 2b
Anthony Fernandez lhp

Nevarez goes on DL; Hubbard in from Bulls

The Biscuits have put relief pitcher Matt Nevarez on the disabled list with a shoulder injury and added former Auburn pitcher Austin Hubbard from Triple-A Durham.

Nevarez pitched an inning Monday at Huntsville in his first appearance since May 14. He missed the first two weeks of the season due to shoulder tightness and has a 2.31 ERA in nine appearances.

Hubbard started the year with high-Class A Charlotte before jumping last week to the Bulls.

The 24-year-old Homewood native had a 3.00 ERA in 12 appearances for the Stone Crabs, totaling 12 hits allowed and 25 strikeouts in 18 innings. In one game for the Bulls, Hubbard gave up five runs and recorded two outs. He was a 14th-round draft pick in 2010.

Today's Rays pitchers

Right-hander Mike Montgomery returns to the Durham Bulls today. He made one start April 7 and went down with a sore arm. The Bulls do have an open roster spot, according to their MiLB roster, so they don't need further moves.

Montgomery went to high-Class A Charlotte and made two starts. He was 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA for the Stone Crabs.

For the second time in three days, weather conspired with an off day to stop a Ranking the Rays. (Remember, three of the four full-season teams have to play to warrant one.)

DUR (Mike Montgomery 0-0, 4.91) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Brett Marshall 2-2, 4.60), 5:35
MGM (Matt Buschmann 5-2, 2.96) vs. Jackson (Anthony Fernandez 1-0, 8.84), 7:05
CHA (Ryan Carpenter 3-3, 3.33) vs. Clearwater (Nick Hernandez 3-1, 3.64), 5:30
BWG (Brandon Henderson 2-0, 1.86/Dylan Floro 3-0, 1.54) vs. Great Lakes (?), resumption of suspended game, 5:30

Morning reading

College baseball postseason play has started and one Biscuit is still acutely interested in how his former team does. Outfielder Mikie Mahtook was the most valuable player of the SEC tournament as an LSU freshman in 2009.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wednesday's Rays roundup

Norfolk 4, Bulls 3
Vince Belnome
doubled, singled, walked and had two RBIs. Jason Bourgeois singled twice, walked, stole and scored. Alex Torres gave up three runs on two hits and three walks in four innings.

Clearwater 3, Stone Crabs 2
Kes Carter
doubled, singled and scored twice. Jake Hager doubled, singled twice, stole and erred. Drew Vettleson knocked in two runs and threw out a runner at home. Roberto Gomez worked seven innings with three runs allowed on six hits.

Great Lakes at Bowling Green (DH)
Rained out. Game 1 suspended in 2nd inning.

Rays' Venezuelan pitcher suspended for drugs

Angel Yepez, a right-handed pitcher for the Rays' team in the Venezuelan Summer League, has drawn a 50-game drug suspension from Major League Baseball.

Yepez tested positive for metabolites of Nandrolone, a performance-enhancing drug. Yepez, who turned 18 in late April, had made one appearance this season.

He's the third Rays minor leaguer suspended in 2013, according to Minor League Baseball. Catcher David Wendt has two weeks left on his suspension. Pitcher Jose Disla was suspended in late April.

Tampa Bay had eight players suspended in 2012.

Nommensen released by Stone Crabs

Outfielder Brett Nommensen has been released at high-Class A Charlotte, which is expected to add outfielder Josh Sale to the active roster.

Nommensen had played in just five games this season, most recently May 4, and was in his fifth professional season. He's been limited by injuries the last two seasons and played for the Biscuits in parts of both years.

Sale, who hasn't played this season due to a drug suspension, is due to return this week.

Today's Rays pitchers

Alex Torres, after a foray into the majors, is back with Durham and starts today. Torres threw 4 1/3 hitless innings in two appearances with Tampa Bay last week and picked up his second career major league win Saturday at Baltimore, the parent team of today's foe: Norfolk.

DUR (Alex Torres 2-2, 2.39) at Norfolk (Josh Stinson 2-1, 3.68), 5:35
MGM off
CHA (Roberto Gomez 2-5, 7.58) vs. Clearwater (Gabriel Arias 5-2, 2.22), 5:30
BWG (Blake Snell 1-4, 3.16/???) vs. Great Lakes (Lindsey Caughel 0-3, 2.00/???), DH, 5:30

Ranking the Rays ... Seitzer, Guevara, Archer

For Tuesday ...

1. Cameron Seitzer, MGM: 2 2b's, 1b, walk, RBI, run
2. Hector Guevara, CHA: 2b, 2 1b's, steal, 2 RBIs, 2 runs in DH
3. Chris Archer, DUR: 6 innings, run, 3 hits, walk, 6 Ks
4. Kevin Kiermaier, MGM: 1b, 2 walks, steal, 3 runs
5. Jesse Hahn, CHA: 4 shutout, 4 hits, no walks, 4 Ks, 7 GBO

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Tuesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 3, Norfolk 2
Chris Archer's six innings included one run, three hits, a walk and six strikeouts. Jason Bourgeois doubled, singled, walked, stole and scored twice. Vince Belnome doubled, singled, walked, RBI'd and was caught thieving.

Stone Crabs 4, Clearwater 2 (Game 1)
Hector Guevara doubled, singled, had two RBIs, stole and scored. Willie Argo also had two RBIs. Drew Vettleson threw out a runner. Jesse Hahn tossed four shutout innings with four hits, nary a walk and four strikeouts.

Stone Crabs 3, Clearwater 1 (Game 2)
Kes Carter hit a three-run triple in the second. Jake Floethe gave up a run on three hits in 4 2/3 innings with four walks. Chris Kirsch tossed 2 1/3 shutout innings with a hit and walk.

Tuesday: Stars 11, Biscuits 7

Jason Rogers homered twice and had five RBIs in the Huntsville Stars' 11-7 win over the Biscuits on Tuesday. Rogers hit a solo shot in the seventh and a three-run blast in the eighth.

Mobile native Kentrail Davis homered, tripled, walked, had two RBIs and scored three times for the Stars, who won four times in the five-game series.

Kevin Kiermaier reached base three times and scored three runs, while Cameron Seitzer doubled, singled twice and walked with an RBI and a run scored to lead Montgomery.

Today's Rays pitchers

Montgomery's Victor Mateo, after dominating in his last start, tries to make it two in a row today at Huntsville. Mateo threw seven shutout innings to win last week at Birmingham. It was just his second quality start.

Since only two of four teams played Monday, there is no Ranking the Rays today.

DUR (Chris Archer 4-2, 4.38) at Norfolk (Tsuyoshi Wada 0-0, 6.75), 5:35
MGM (Victor Mateo 2-4, 6.86) at Huntsville (Arcenio Leon 0-3, 5.96), 6:43
CHA (Jesse Hahn 0-0, 1.13/Roberto Gomez 2-5, 7.58) vs. Clearwater (?), 4
BWG off

Monday, May 20, 2013

Monday's Rays roundup

Clearwater at Stone CrabsRained out.

West Michigan 7, Hot Rods 6 (11)
Joey Rickard
homered to lead off the game, walked three times, stole and scored twice. Jordan Harrison, after the Rods took the lead in the top of the ninth, blew a save in the bottom of the ninth.

Monday: Stars 3, Biscuits 0

Rene Tosoni's three-run double in the eighth inning gave the Huntsville Stars a 3-0 win over the Biscuits on Monday in Huntsville.

Tosoni hit a two-out pitch from Matt Nevarez into the right-center field gap to cap a three-hit inning. Huntsville finished with just eight hits.

Biscuits starter Enny Romero gave up four hits over six shutout innings with three walks and eight strikeouts. Marquis Fleming (2-1) pitched the seventh but left after the Stars opened the eighth with a double and single.

Huntsville's Andy Moye (2-5) went eight innings with just five hits allowed before Casey Medlen worked a perfect ninth.

Bradley leads BayBear sweep of Southern awards

The Mobile BayBears sport both of this week's Southern League award winners: pitcher Archie Bradley and third baseman Nick Evans.

Uber prospect Bradley won both of his starts for the week and, after four Double-A starts, is 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA. Over the last week, the right-hander gave up one run and seven hits over 12 innings.

Bradley was the seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft and ranked third on Baseball America's preseason list of Arizona prospects.

Evans was 10-for-22 with four home runs, six runs scored and five RBIs. This year, he's hitting .303 and has seven homers, 23 runs and 19 RBIs.

Ames takes Midwest League honors

Bowling Green right-hander Jeff Ames, who is starting this morning at West Michigan, was the week's top pitcher in the Midwest League.

Ames threw six shutout innings last Monday in his only start for the week. He gave up two hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Entering today, Ames was 5-0 with a 1.22 ERA, had a 17-inning scoreless streak and had won four straight starts.

UPDATE: Ames gave up five runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings today. His scoreless streak ended at 20 innings when West Michigan posted two runs in the fourth.

Colome picked by International League

Durham right-hander Alex Colome, with two quality-start victories, won the International League's pitcher of the week award today.

Colome totaled 11 strikeouts over seven innings last Monday, giving up three hits and two runs (one earned). On Saturday, he threw six innings with seven hits, two solo home runs and eight strikeouts.

Today's Rays pitchers

Bowling Green's Jeff Ames tries to become the first Tampa Bay minor leaguer to reach six wins. He's won four straight starts and has a 17-inning scoreless streak.

DUR off
MGM (Enny Romero 2-1, 4.58) at Huntsville (Andy Moye 1-5, 5.79), 6:43
CHA (Jesse Hahn 0-0, 1.13) vs. Clearwater (Mario Hollands 2-0, 2.45), 5:30
BWG (Jeff Ames 5-0, 1.22) at West Michigan (Endrys Briceno 0-3, 6.50), 10 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Guerrieri, Kelly, Rickard

For Sunday ...

1. Taylor Guerrieri, BWG: 6 shutout, 1 hit, walk, 3 Ks, 11 GBO
2. Merrill Kelly, MGM: 6 2/3 shutout, 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 Ks
3. Joey Rickard, BWG: 2b, 1b, walk, RBI, run
4. Felipe Rivero, CHA: 5 2/3 shutout, 6 hits, 3 walks, 4 Ks
5. Leonardo Reginatto, BWG: 2b, 1b, steal, 2 runs

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Sunday's Rays roundup

Norfolk 3, Bulls 2 (7, rain)
Wil Myers singled, walked, scored and was picked off. J.D. Martin threw a nine-hitter with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Stone Crabs 2, Fort Myers 0
Felipe Rivero gave up six hits over 5 2/3 innings before Jake Partridge and Lenny Linsky finished an eight-hitter. Richie Shaffer singled twice and Willie Argo singled, stole twice and scored.

Hot Rods 8, West Michigan 0 (7)
Taylor Guerrieri gave up a hit in six innings with a walk and 11 groundball outs. He even won, too. Ryan Garton finished a two-hitter. Tyler Goeddel and Luke Maile each had two RBIs and scored.

West Michigan 5, Hot Rods 1 (continuation from May 10)
Tommy Coyle tripled in Granden Goetzman in the third. Goetzman and Patrick Leonard each singled and walked.

Get a whiff of this: Biscuits pull off rare no-K day

Biscuits hitters did not strike out in Sunday's 3-0 win at Huntsville, marking just the sixth time in team history that they didn't whiff.

June 13-14*, 2004 vs. Greenville, W, 8-2 (7)
April 15, 2007 at Chattanooga, W, 7-6
April 19, 2007 at Birmingham, W, 3-2
May 4, 2010 vs. Jacksonville, W, 6-5 (10)
July 17, 2011 vs. Huntsville, W, 4-3 (7)

May 19, 2013 at Huntsville, W, 3-0

*--Game, the finale of a doubleheader, was suspended June 13 in the top of the fifth and finished June 14.

Sunday: Biscuits 3, Stars 0

Merrill Kelly and two relievers combined on a three-hitter in the Biscuits' 3-0 win over the Huntsville Stars on Sunday in Huntsville.

Kelly (3-4) gave up all three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. C.J. Riefenhauser retired all four batters he faced. Juan Sandoval pitched a perfect ninth for his ninth save.

Montgomery scored its runs in the third inning, all with two outs. Kevin Kiermaier doubled and Robby Price walked before Mikie Mahtook hit an RBI single. Cameron Seitzer's double brought in Price before Todd Glaesmann singled home Mahtook.

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's J.D. Martin has won his last four starts and five straight decisions. He had a streak of four straight quality starts snapped in his last start.

And that Guerrieri guy goes again for Bowling Green. In his last start, he gave up one hit with a career-high 10 strikeouts in five shutout innings.

DUR (J.D. Martin 5-1, 3.63) vs. Norfolk (Zach Britton 1-1, 4.60), 4:05
MGM (Merrill Kelly 2-4, 4.40) at Huntsville (Taylor Jungmann 3-4, 5.35), 4:03
CHA (Felipe Rivero 2-3, 4.58) vs. Fort Myers (Matt Summers 1-3, 4.35), 4:30
BWG (Taylor Guerrieri 2-1, 2.00) at West Michigan (?), noon

Ranking the Rays ... Colome, Bourgeois, Acosta

For a weak, weak Saturday ...

1. Alex Colome, DUR: 6 innings, 2 runs, 7 hits, no walks, 8 Ks
2. Jason Bourgeois, DUR: 2-run HR, 2b
3. Mayo Acosta, MGM: solo HR, 1b, 2 RBIs
4. Luke Maile, BWG: 2 walks, run
5. Ryan Brett, CHA: 2 1b's


(On another day, Colome would have been a 4-5.)

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Saturday, Game 2: Stars 6, Biscuits 1

Ariel Pena gave up three hits over a season-high 6 1/3 innings in the Huntsville Stars' 6-1 win over the Biscuits and a doubleheader sweep Saturday in Huntsville.

Pena (3-3) walked two and struck out seven.

Shawn O'Malley singled and doubled, and Steve Tinoco doubled for Montgomery's hits.

The Biscuits scored in the seventh without benefit of a hit. Todd Glaesmann reached on an error, went to second on a walk to Tinoco and third on a wild pitch. A Mark Thomas groundout brought him in.

Ozzie Chavez had three RBIs, while Mobile native Kentrail Davis homered and scored twice for the Stars.

Montgomery's Matt Buschmann (5-2) gave up four runs on nine hits in five innings. He had won his last three starts and five straight decisions.

Saturday's Rays roundup

Bulls 3, Norfolk 2 (7, rain)
Alex Colome gave up two runs over six innings with seven hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. Jason Bourgeois hit a two-run home run and singled. Leslie Anderson doubled, walked and scored.

Fort Myers 9, Stone Crabs 2
Ryan Brett singled twice. Mike Montgomery allowed seven runs (six earned) in 4 2/3 innings. Catcher Ryan McChesney threw a shutout ninth.

West Michigan 8, Hot Rods 1
Marty Gantt singled, walked, was picked off and RBI'd. Luke Maile walked twice and scored.

Saturday, Game 1: Stars 7, Biscuits 5

Jason Rogers hit a solo home run, finished with three RBIs and scored twice to lead the Huntsville Stars in a 7-5 win over the Biscuits in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader in Huntsville.

Mayo Acosta homered, singled and had two RBIs to lead Montgomery. Jake Thompson (2-5) gave up six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Huntsville starter Jimmy Nelson (5-2), a former Alabama star, allowed five runs over 5 1/3 innings.

Castillo goes on Biscuits' active roster

Catcher Keith Castillo, with the Biscuits all season, has been added to the active roster for the first time.

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's Alex Colome, after shining in his last start, is scheduled to start tonight vs. Norfolk. Colome snapped a five-start losing streak Monday, giving up one earned run on three hits in a season-high seven innings. He also amassed a season-high 11 strikeouts.

DUR (Alex Colome 2-5, 2.84) vs. Norfolk (Jake Arrieta 2-1, 2.75), 6:05
MGM (Jake Thompson 2-4, 6.49/Matt Buschmann 5-1, 2.70) at Huntsville (TBA), 4:43
CHA (Mike Montgomery 0-0, 0.00) vs. Fort Myers (Jason Wheeler 4-0, 4.54), 5:30
BWG (Eduar Quinonez 2-2, 6.28) at West Michigan (Jordan John 1-3, 4.42), 6

Ranking the Rays ... Henderson, Suero, Apodaca

For Friday ...

1. Brandon Henderson, BWG: 4 shutout, 5 hits, 2 Ks, 6 GBO
2. Eliazer Suero, CHA: 4 innings, 2 hits, run, 4 Ks
3. Juan Apodaca, DUR: 2b, 2 walks, 2 RBIs, run
4. Sean Bierman, BWG: 3 1/3 shutout, 3 hits, walk, 2 Ks
5. Patrick Leonard, BWG: solo HR, 1b, 2 RBIs

Friday, May 17, 2013

Friday's Rays roundup

Rochester 11, Bulls 6
Juan Apodaca doubled, walked twice, had two RBIs and scored. Vince Belnome doubled and singled twice. Craig Albernaz made his season debut at pitcher, throwing (of course) a perfect ninth.

Fort Myers 8, Stone Crabs 0
Ryan Brett singled and walked in his season debut. Eliazer Suero gave up one run on two hits in four innings. The Crabs totaled three hits.

Hot Rods 4, West Michigan 0
Sean Bierman threw 3 1/3 innings in his return from the disabled list. Brandon Henderson (2-0) gave up five hits over four innings. Patrick Leonard hit a solo home run, singled and had two RBIs.

Biscuits-Stars rained out

The Biscuits' game tonight at Huntsville has been rained out. They'll play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 4:43 p.m.

Today's Rays pitchers

Left-hander Sean Bierman marks his return from the disabled list when he pitches for the Hot Rods tonight at West Michigan. Bierman last threw April 26 and went on the disabled list May 1 with a hip injury.

DUR (Jim Paduch 1-2, 7.48) at Rochester (Andrew Albers 0-2, 2.75), 6:05
MGM (Jake Thompson 2-4, 6.49) at Huntsville (Jimmy Nelson 4-2, 2.36), 6:43
CHA (Ryan Carpenter 3-2, 2.85) vs. Fort Myers (D.J. Baxendale 5-0, 1.25), 5:30
BWG (Sean Bierman 2-1, 1.80) at West Michigan (Charlie Gillies 0-1, 2.08), 5:35

Ranking the Rays ... Mateo, Gantt, Guevara

For Thursday ...

1. Victor Mateo, MGM: 7 shutout, 3 hits, walk, 7 Ks
2. Marty Gantt, BWG: 2b, 1b, walk, 2 RBIs, run
3. Hector Guevara, CHA: 3-run HR, 1b, 2 runs
4. Rich Thompson, DUR: 2 1b's, walk, RBI, run
5. Jordan Harrison, BWG: 3 shutout, 3 hits, 5 Ks

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Brett, Cononie should be back from suspensions

Second baseman Ryan Brett and pitcher Charlie Cononie should be eligible to return now from their 50-game drug suspensions.

Both were with low-Class A Bowling Green last year when they were suspended. They missed the final 12 games of the season and the Hot Rods played their 38th game tonight.

Outfielder Josh Sale isn't quite eligible. He unsuccessfully appealed his suspension and didn't start it until five games later.

Brett was a third-round draft pick in 2010 and had a .285 average and 77 runs scored in 100 games at Bowling Green last year.

Cononie compiled a 4.20 ERA in 34 relief appearances for the Hot Rods. He went in the 24th round in 2011.

Sale was the 17th overall pick in 2010 and hit .264 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs last year for the Hot Rods.

Crabs' Tinoco, Hubbard promoted

I'm hearing that the Charlotte Stone Crabs are losing two players to promotions.

Infielder Steve Tinoco is headed to the Biscuits, while reliever Austin Hubbard is going to Triple-A Durham.

Hubbard, who played at Auburn, had a 3.00 ERA and four saves in 12 appearances for the Stone Crabs. Tinoco was hitting .245 in 13 games.

Durham was short a pitcher after Alex Torres went to the Rays, who lost David Price to injury. The Biscuits were two short after releasing infielder Greg Sexton and pitcher Zach Quate. The Bulls do have a starter with the Stone Crabs. Mike Montgomery has been injured and threw four shutout innings in his Crabs debut Monday.

Thursday's Rays roundup

Rochester 6, Bulls 5
Jeff Beliveau gave up two runs in the ninth. Brandon Guyer hit a two-run home run and singled. Leslie Anderson doubled, singled and walked.

Stone Crabs 12, Daytona 7
Alejandro Segovia hit a solo homer, walked and scored twice. Hector Guevara hit a three-run homer, singled and scored twice. Jeff Malm doubled, walked twice, RBI'd and scored twice.

Hot Rods 7, Fort Wayne 6
Marty Gantt doubled, singled, walked, had two RBIs and scored. Tommy Coyle tripled, had two RBIs and scored twice. Jordan Harrison threw three shutout innings and Matt Ramsey retired all six batters he faced. The Hot Rods trailed 6-0 after six.

Thursday: Biscuits 1, Barons 0

Victor Mateo and C.J. Riefenhauser combined on a three-hitter in the Biscuits' 1-0 win over the Birmingham Barons on Thursday.

Mateo (2-4) gave up all three hits over seven innings with one walk, a hit batsman and seven strikeouts. Riefenhauser allowed just a walk in his two innings and recorded five groundball outs.

The Barons had just two runners reach scoring position against Mateo. Against Riefenhauser in the ninth, Birmingham had a runner on second with one out, but Andy Wilkins struck out and Michael Earley grounded out.

Montgomery scored in the second inning. Kyeong Kang knocked in Cameron Seitzer with a one-out double. Seitzer led off with an infield single.

Today's Rays pitchers

Now it's Chris Archer's turn to try to reach five wins when Durham faces Rochester this afternoon.

DUR (Chris Archer 4-2, 3.97) at Rochester (Samuel Deduno 0-0, 0.87), 2:35
MGM (Victor Mateo 1-4, 8.29) at Birmingham (Stephen McCray 4-2, 3.16), 7:05
CHA (Roberto Gomez 1-5, 6.82) at Daytona (P.J. Francescon 3-2, 4.63), 6:05
BWG (Dylan Floro 3-0, 1.16) at Fort Wayne (Justin Hancock 2-0, 1.59), 6:05

Sexton, Quate released

Biscuits infielder Greg Sexton and right-handed relief pitcher Zach Quate have been released.

Sexton was hitting .212 in 12 games, while Quate had an 18.90 ERA in eight appearances.

Sexton, 28, was in his fourth season and had a .225 overall average with the Biscuits. He made his Double-A debut in 2010 before a mid-May demotion to high-Class A Charlotte.

Sexton had Montgomery's only hit in a loss at Birmingham on May 16, 2010, just before being sent down. The Biscuits finish a series at Birmingham tonight.

Quate, 25, was in his third season with the Biscuits, though he made just one appearance last season due to shoulder and elbow injuries. Quate was 4-6 with a 4.68 ERA and 20 saves in 49 games in 2011.

Sexton was a 10th-round draft pick in 2007 from William & Mary. Quate a 14th-rounder in 2009 from Appalachian State.

Ranking the Rays ... Motter, Beckham, Floethe

For Wednesday ...

1. Taylor Motter, CHA: 2b, 1b, 2 walks, 2 steals, RBI, 2 runs
2. Tim Beckham, DUR: 2-run HR, 2b, 2 1b's, 2 runs
3. Jake Floethe, CHA: 5 shutout, 3 hits, walk, 6 Ks
4. Enny Romero, MGM: 6 2/3 shutout, 2 hits, 4 walks, 2 Ks
5. Kevin Kiermaier, MGM: 3b, 2b, 1b, RBI, 2 runs

Wednesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 10, Rochester 7
Tim Beckham hit a two-run home run, doubled, singled twice and scored twice. Chris Gimenez singled four times and scored thrice. Jason Bourgeois doubled, walked and had three RBIs. Steve Geltz retired all eight hitters he faced.

Stone Crabs 7, Daytona 1
Taylor Motter doubled, singled, walked twice, stole twice, RBI'd and scored twice. Willie Argo singled twice, walked, was plunked, stole, RBI'd and scored. Jesse Hahn gave up an unearned run and two hits in four innings. Jake Floethe tossed five shutout innings with three hits, a walk and six strikeouts.

Fort Wayne 3, Hot Rods 0
Justin O'Conner doubled and walked. Leonardo Reginatto singled twice. Blake Snell gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Wednesday: Biscuits 6, Barons 3

Enny Romero threw 6 2/3 shutout innings and the Biscuits escaped an eighth-inning jam in Wednesday's 6-3 win at the Birmingham Barons.

Romero (2-1) gave up two hits with four walks and two strikeouts, leaving with Montgomery ahead 3-0.

The Barons scored a run and loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning. Third baseman Riccio Torrez speared a line drive and left fielder Todd Glaesmann banged into the wall for an inning-ending catch.

Kevin Kiermaier and Shawn O'Malley both scored twice, while Mikie Mahtook knocked in two runs for the Biscuits. O'Malley also stole two bases.

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's Jake Odorizzi tries to become the fourth Tampa Bay minor leaguer to get to five wins when he faces Rochester tonight. (Everybody else is playing this morning.) Odorizzi hopes to join teammate J.D. Martin, Montgomery's Matt Buschmann and Bowling Green's Jeff Ames.

DUR (Jake Odorizzi 4-0, 2.97) at Rochester (Cole De Vries rehab), 6:05
MGM (Enny Romero 1-1, 5.58) at Birmingham (Scott Snodgress 5-1, 3.98), 11 a.m.
CHA (Jesse Hahn 0-0, 1.35) at Daytona (Austin Kirk 4-1, 4.50), 9:35 a.m.
BWG (Blake Snell 1-3, 2.81) at Fort Wayne (Max Fried 1-0, 2.92), 10:05 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Lopez, Kelly, Rivero

For Tuesday ...
1. Reinaldo Lopez, BWG: 5 shutout, 2 hits, no walks, 2 Ks, 9 GBO
2. Merrill Kelly, MGM: 7 innings, 3 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 4 Ks, 11 GBO
3. Felipe Rivero, CHA: 7 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, walk, 7 Ks
4. Rich Thompson, DUR: 2b, 1b, 3 RBIs, run, caught stealing
5. Jason Bourgeois, DUR: 2 1b's, walk, 2 RBIs

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tuesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 7, Rochester 4
Rich Thompson doubled, singled, was caught stealing, had three RBIs and scored. Vince Belnome doubled, singled twice, walked and scored twice. J.D. Martin won again, giving up three runs in 5 2/3 innings. Kirby Yates totaled five strikeouts over the final two innings.

Stone Crabs 4, Daytona 2
Richie Shaffer doubled, singled twice, stole, RBI'd and scored. Felipe Rivero worked seven innings with two runs, four hits, a walk and seven strikeouts. Lenny Linsky threw two perfect innings.

Hot Rods 3, Fort Wayne 2
Luke Maile doubled, singled, had two RBIs and scored. Andrew Toles singled, walked, stole twice and scored. Reinaldo Lopez threw five shutout innings.

Tuesday: Barons 5, Biscuits 2

Miguel Gonzalez's RBI single capped a four-run fourth inning in the Birmingham Barons' 5-2 win over the Biscuits on Tuesday in Birmingham.

Biscuits starter Merrill Kelly, after retiring Birmingham's first nine batters, gave up three hits, two walks and three stolen bases in the fourth.

Otherwise, Kelly faced the minimum for seven innings. Dan Black's sixth-inning walk, erased with a double play, was the only blemish outside of the fourth inning against Kelly (2-4).

The Biscuits did not record their first hit until Shawn O'Malley's single to lead off the sixth inning. Mikie Mahtook hit a two-run double in the sixth.

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's J.D. Martin puts several streaks on the line tonight. He's recorded four straight quality starts, has wins in each of his last three starts and has won four straight decisions. Walking just four in 39 innings has helped.

DUR (J.D. Martin 4-1, 3.69) at Rochester (Kyle Gibson 2-4, 3.32), 6:05
MGM (Merrill Kelly 2-3, 4.25) at Birmingham (Nick McCully 2-1, 5.50), 7:05
CHA (Felipe Rivero 1-3, 5.08) at Daytona (Ben Wells 3-2, 4.06), 6:05
BWG (Blake Snell 1-3, 2.81) at Fort Wayne (Joe Ross 3-0, 2.84), 6:05

Ranking the Rays ... Ames, Buschmann, Markel

For Monday ...

1. Jeff Ames, BWG: 6 shutout, 2 hits, walk, 5 Ks
2. Matt Buschmann, MGM: 6 shutout, 2 hits, 3 walks, 7 Ks, 9 GBO
3. Parker Markel, CHA: 5 shutout, 3 hits, 1 walk, 5 Ks, 7 GBO
4. Alex Colome, DUR: 7 innings, earned run, 3 hits, 4 walks, 11 Ks
5. Andrew Toles, BWG: 3b, 2b, 1b, 3 runs

Monday, May 13, 2013

Monday's Rays roundup

Bulls 8, Lehigh Valley 2
Alex Colome struck out 11 over seven innings with two runs allowed (one earned) on three hits and four walks. Jason Bourgeois tripled, doubled, singled, RBI'd and scored twice.

Stone Crabs 3, Daytona 0
Mike Montgomery and Parker Markel combined on a five-hitter. Montgomery gave up two hits over four innings and Markel (2-4) three over five. They combined for two walks and 11 strikeouts. Hector Guevara doubled, singled, walked and had two RBIs. Jake Hager singled, walked and scored twice.

Hot Rods 6, Lake County 1
Jeff Ames (5-0) threw six shutout innings with two hits, a walk and five strikeouts. Joey Rickard doubled, singled twice, was caught stealing, had four RBIs and scored. Andrew Toles tripled, doubled, singled and scored three times.

Monday: Biscuits 2, Barons 1

Matt Buschmann threw six-plus shutout innings to lead the Biscuits to a 2-1 victory over the Birmingham Barons on Monday.

Buschmann (5-1) won his fifth straight decision, allowing two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. He, C.J. Riefenhauser and Juan Sandoval combined on a five-hitter.

The Biscuits scored twice in the fourth inning. With two outs, Kyeong Kang and Riccio Torrez hit consecutive RBI singles.

Mike Montgomery dropped from Bulls to Crabs

Pitcher Mike Montgomery, activated from Triple-A Durham's disabled list today, has been demoted to high-Class A Charlotte, and the Bulls have added pitcher Cory Wade.

Montgomery hasn't pitched since April 7 due to a sore arm. Wade, who was with Durham two years ago, had a 7.88 ERA in 10 appearances for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs this year. The right-hander had a 1.23 ERA in 21 games for the 2011 Bulls.

Sun, BayBear land Southern League honors

Jacksonville outfielder Christian Yelich and Mobile left-hander David Holmberg won the Southern League's weekly awards.

Yelich was 10-for-22 with six RBIs and seven runs scored for the week. He had six extra-base hits, including two triples and a home run in Monday's 5-for-6 night. Yelich, the top Miami Marlins prospect still in the minor leagues, has a .329 average, 17 RBIs and 17 runs scored in 19 games.

Holmberg fired eight shutout innings in his only start for the week. He gave up five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts for his first win at Chattanooga on Thursday. Holmberg is 1-2 with a 1.98 ERA. He's given up 34 hits in 41 innings and is 5-of-7 on quality starts.

Guerrieri week's pick in Midwest League

Bowling Green right-hander Taylor Guerrieri, with Sunday's nice start, has been named the Midwest League's pitcher of the week.

Guerrieri threw five shutout innings with just one hit allowed and totaled a career-high 10 strikeouts Sunday. He even won.

Guerrieri is 2-1 with a 2.00 ERA this season. In 27 innings, he has given up 21 hits with six walks and 25 strikeouts.

Today's Rays pitchers

Hot Rods right-hander Jeff Ames has won his last three starts, while Biscuits righty Matt Buschmann has won four straight decisions. With wins today, they'd be the first Rays minor leaguers to get to five wins.

Early day for Tampa Bay farmhands, too. Three of the four teams have day games.

DUR (Alex Colome 1-5, 3.13) vs. Lehigh Valley (Zach Miner 1-2, 5.40), 12:05
MGM (Matt Buschmann 4-1, 3.10) at Birmingham (Erik Johnson 2-1, 2.52), 11:30 a.m.
CHA (Parker Markel 1-4, 8.91) at Daytona (Ben Wells 3-2, 4.06), 6:05
BWG (Jeff Ames 4-0, 1.45) vs. Lake County (Ryan Merritt 1-2, 3.19), 10:35 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Guerrieri, Toles, Goeddel

For Sunday ...

1. Taylor Guerrieri, BWG: win, 5 shutout, 1 hit, 2 walks, 10 Ks
2. Andrew Toles, BWG: 2 1b's, 3 steals, 2 RBIs, 2 runs
3. Tyler Goeddel, BWG: HR, 2b, walk, 3 RBIs
4. Jason Bourgeois, DUR: 2 2b's, 2 RBIs, run, error
5. Marcus Jensen, BWG: 2 perfect, K

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Sunday's Rays roundup

Lehigh Valley 6, Bulls 4
Jason Bourgeois doubled twice, had two RBIs, scored and erred. Alex Torres gave up six runs (four earned) in 5 2/3 innings.

Hot Rods 8, Lake County 0
Taylor Guerrieri won. He allowed one hit over five innings with two walks and 10 strikeouts. Marcus Jensen threw two perfect innings. Tyler Goeddel doubled, homered and had three RBIs. Andrew Toles singled twice, stole thrice, had two RBIs and two runs scored.

Sunday: Barons 7, Biscuits 3

Trayce Thompson's two-run single capped a five-run seventh inning that gave the Birmingham Barons a 7-3 win over the Biscuits on Sunday.

The inning featured just three hits, plus three walks and Biscuits manager Billy Gardner's first ejection of the season.

Dan Wagner singled home Andy Wilkins to tie it 2-2 before the Barons took the lead on a two-out bases-loaded walk to Andy Saladino. Wagner scored on a wild pitch before Thompson's single.

Biscuits starter Jake Thompson (2-4) threw a season-high 6 2/3 innings. Greg Sexton scored twice. Mark Thomas finished with a season-high three hits. He was mired in a 1-for-26 slump.

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's Alex Torres hasn't given up an earned run in four of his six starts. No. 7 is today against Lehigh Valley.

DUR (Alex Torres 2-1, 1.69) vs. Lehigh Valley (B.J. Rosenberg 0-3, 5.28), 4:05
MGM (Jake Thompson 2-3, 6.75) at Birmingham (Spencer Arroyo (3-1, 2.06), 3
CHA off* (Parker Markel 1-4, 8.91) at Bradenton (Zack Dodson 0-0, 5.40), 5:30
BWG (Taylor Guerrieri 1-1, 2.45) vs. Lake County (Luis DeJesus (0-2, 6.30), 2:05


*Misread the schedule.

Ranking the Rays ... Carpenter, Quinonez, Kiermaier, Gantt

For Saturday ...

1. Ryan Carpenter, CHA: 7 innings, run, 5 hits, walk, 6 Ks
2. Eduar Quinonez, BWG: 6 innings, 4 runs (1 earned), 4 hits, walk, 3 Ks
3. Kevin Kiermaier, MGM: 2 1b's, walk, RBI, run, outfield assist
4. Marty Gantt, BWG: 2 walks, run, outfield assist
5. Mike Fontenot, DUR: 2-run HR, 2b, HBP

Morning reading

The Biscuits will check out Birmingham's new $64 million Regions Field for the first time today. Also, Montgomery failed to convert two late-inning opportunities in Saturday's 11-inning loss to the Mississippi Braves.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Saturday: Braves 5, Biscuits 4 (11)

Dan Brewer scored on Phil Gosselin's 11th-inning flyout to lift the Mississippi Braves to a 5-4 win over the Biscuits on Saturday.

Tommy La Stella homered for the Braves, who led 4-1 in the middle of the fifth inning. Mikie Mahtook's RBI triple capped a tying three-run fifth for the Biscuits, who lost four of five games in their series with Mississippi. Montgomery had three hits in the final six innings Saturday.

Jose Martinez led off the 11th with an infield single and Brewer replaced him. A walk and bunt put Brewer at third with one out for Gosselin's flyout to center field.

After Biscuits starter Victor Mateo gave up four runs on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings, three relievers combined for 4 1/3 shutout innings. Matt Nevarez came on in the 11th, allowed his first run this season and took the loss.

Saturday's Rays roundup

Lehigh Valley 9 Bulls 3
Chris Archer left after just three innings, giving up a run on three hits with three walks. Mike Fontenot homered, doubled, was plunked and had two RBIs.

Stone Crabs 4, Bradenton 1
Ryan Carpenter fired seven innings of one-run ball, with five hits allowed, a walk and six strikeouts. Drew Vettleson hit a two-run homer and walked. Jeff Malm doubled, singled was caught stealing and scored. Hector Guevara hit a two-run homer, too.

Lake County 6, Hot Rods 1
Marty Gantt walked twice, scored and threw out a runner at home. The Rods had two hits: a double by Ryan Dunn and a single by Andrew Toles. Eduar Quinonez's six innings featured four runs (one earned) on four hits.

Saturday's lineups

Kevin Kiermaier is back in center field for the Biscuits' series finale with Mississippi. Montgomery has lost three of the first four games of the series.

BISCUITS
Kevin Kiermaier cf (left)
Robby Price 2b (left)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Todd Glaesmann lf
Kyeong Kang dh (left)
Riccio Torrez 3b
Mayo Acosta c
Shawn O'Malley ss (switch)
Victor Mateo rhp


BRAVES
Phil Gosselin lf
Christian Bethancourt c
Tommy La Stella 2b (left)
Christian Marrero 1b (left)
Edward Salcedo 3b
Kyle Russell dh (left)
Jose Martinez rf
Jaime Pedroza ss (switch)
Mycal Jones cf
Aaron Northcraft rhp

Today's Rays pitchers

Chris Archer, after being scratched from his last start, is scheduled to pitch today for the Durham Bulls. Archer was pulled due to a bruised calf suffered while throwing six shutout innings April 30.

DUR (Chris Archer 4-1, 4.06) vs. Lehigh Valley (Ethan Martin 2-2, 6.35), 4:05
MGM (Victor Mateo 1-4, 8.68) vs. Mississippi (Aaron Northcraft 1-2, 3.46), 7:05
CHA (Ryan Carpenter 2-2, 3.18) at Bradenton (Adrian Sampson 0-0, 6.26), 5:30
BWG (Eduar Quinonez 2-1, 7.54) vs. Lake County (Dylan Baker 0-2, 3.81), 7:05

Ranking the Rays ... Malm, Guyer, Bellatti

For Friday ...

1. Jeff Malm, CHA: 2-run HR, 2 1b's, walk, 3 RBIs, 2 runs
2. Brandon Guyer, DUR: 4 1b's, steal, RBI, 3 runs
3. Andrew Bellatti, MGM: 3 no-hit, no-walk innings, 2 Ks
4. Craig Albernaz, DUR: 2b, 2 1b's, 3 runs, picked off runner
5. Roberto Gomez, CHA: 6 innings, 2 runs, 6 hits, walk, 2 Ks

Morning reading

The Biscuits had few positives from Friday's 8-2 loss to Mississippi, but Andrew Bellatti's three no-hit, no-walk innings and Mikie Mahtook's catch at the wall were big ones. Kevin Kiermaier's treatment for his knee included a "ton" of water and, of course, fruit smoothies to stay well hydrated.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Friday's Rays roundup

Bulls 12, Lehigh Valley 6
Brandon Guyer had four singles, a steal, an RBI and three runs scored. Mike Fontenot singled thrice, had three RBIs and scored. Wil Myers hit a three-run home run and finished with four RBIs. Craig Albernaz doubled, singled twice, scored thrice and picked off a runner.

Stone Crabs 7, Bradenton 2
Jeff Malm hit a two-run home run, singled twice, had three RBIs and scored twice. Willie Argo singled, stole twice and scored. Kes Carter doubled twice. Roberto Gomez picked up his first win, allowing two runs over six innings.

West Michigan at Hot Rods
Suspended.

Friday: Braves 8, Biscuits 2

Braeden Schlehuber homered and the Mississippi Braves held the Biscuits to three hits over the final six innings of Friday's 8-2 win at Riverwalk Stadium.

Biscuits reliever Andrew Bellatti threw three no-hit innings after Mississippi took a 4-2 lead in the fourth. Mycal Jones stole home to cap a three-run fourth off starter Enny Romero (1-1).

Kevin Kiermaier tripled to start the game and scored on Robby Price's infield single, while Todd Glaesmann and Kyeong Kang hit back-to-back doubles to begin the second inning, giving Montgomery a 2-0 lead.

The Biscuits had five hits through three innings but added just three more. Two of the three came in the ninth inning.

Schlehuber's two-run homer came in the eighth inning. Christian Bethancourt added a two-run double in the ninth and finished with three RBIs.

Friday's lineups

Biscuits center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, after missing Thursday's game with right knee pain, is back in the lineup tonight when Montgomery hosts the Mississippi Braves.

Kiermaier went through some heavy running drills a few minutes ago and, apparently, is healthy enough to be the designated hitter tonight. Mikie Mahtook makes a second straight start in center field.

BISCUITS
Kevin Kiermaier dh (left)
Robby Price 2b (left)
Mikie Mahtook cf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Todd Glaesmann rf
Kyeong Kang lf (left)
Riccio Torrez 3b
Mark Thomas c
Shawn O'Malley ss (switch)
Enny Romero lhp


BRAVES
Dan Brewer lf
Christian Bethancourt dh
Tommy La Stella 2b (left)
Edward Salcedo 3b
Christian Marrero 1b (left)
Jose Martinez rf
Braeden Schlehuber c
Jaime Pedroza ss (switch)
Mycal Jones cf
Gus Schlosser rhp