Sunday, June 30, 2013

VIDEO: Biscuits outfielder Kyeong Kang

Here's video of Biscuits outfielder Kyeong Kang, who singled and scored the winning run in Sunday's 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Tennessee Smokies. Montgomery tied it on a two-strike, two-out wild pitch in the ninth. Kang also made a diving play in the top of the 10th.

Sunday's Rays roundup

Columbus at Bulls
Rained out.

Stone Crabs at Jupiter
Rained out.

Hot Rods 8, West Michigan 1
Leonardo Reginatto
tripled, singled, twice, had five RBIs and scored twice. Andrew Toles doubled, singled, walked and scored twice. Brandon Martin singled, walked twice, stole and scored twice. Jeff Ames threw four shutout innings.

Renegades 1, Brooklyn 0 (11)
Ben Griset
(five innings), Justin Choate (four) and Andrew Hanse (two) combined on a five-hitter. Julian Ridlings doubled and scored on a Tyler Young groundball in the 11th.

P-Rays 4, Johnson City 3 (12)
Darren Fischer
threw 2 2/3 no-hit innings and Isaac Gil 2 1/3 shutout innings. David Garcia hit a solo homer and doubled. Leopoldo Correa homered and walked. Bralin Jackson singled in Adderly Rosa with the winning run.

Sunday: Biscuits 4, Smokies 3 (10)

Hector Guevara's bases-loaded single brought in Kyeong Kang with the winning run in the Biscuits' 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Tennessee Smokies on Sunday.

Kang led off the 10th with a single before Riccio Torrez was hit by a pitch. Robby Price laid down a bunt that swerved into fair territory, loading the bases with none out.

Guevara hit a 1-1 pitch from Kevin Rhoderick past diving second baseman Ronald Torreyes to end the game.

The Biscuits were down to their final strike when they tied it in the ninth.

Mikie Mahtook drew a two-out walk and went to third on a Cameron Seitzer single. Todd Glaesmann faced a 1-2 count when Rhoderick's pitch skipped to the backstop, allowing Mahtook to score.

Biscuits snap scoreless streak



The Biscuits snapped the third-longest scoreless streak in team history with a third-inning run Sunday.

Todd Glaesmann's flyout brought in Kevin Kiermaier from third for Montgomery's first run in 24 innings.

The longest scoreless streaks in team history ...

28 innings
Aug. 16-19, 2004
25 innings
Aug. 27-30, 2004

24 innings
June 27-June 30, 2013
 
23 innings
June 4-6, 2009
July 25-28, 2006
May 7-10, 2004
21 innings
Aug. 3-4, 2012
July 23-25, 2009
April 27-30, 2008
May 24-28, 2004

20 innings
Aug. 31-Sept. 1, 2009


Gardner: Lineup moves "a change of scenery"

Biscuits manager Billy Gardner said moving Mikie Mahtook to second in the order is an attempt to get the outfielder more fastballs. He called it "a change of scenery in the lineup."

Mahtook is 0-for-14 in his last four games and hitting .121 in his last 10 games.

"He's been seeing a lot of breaking balls," Gardner said. "Any time you're in the middle of the lineup, teams really bear down on you there. Having him behind (Kevin) Kiermaier and in front of (Cameron) Seitzer, hopefully he'll see more fastballs and we'll get him heated up again."

Sunday's lineups: Mahtook, Seitzer in new territory

Biscuits manager Billy Gardner has made two small but significant changes to his lineup, moving outfielder Mikie Mahtook and first baseman Cameron Seitzer up one spot in the order.

Mahtook is hitting second and Seitzer third for today's 6:05 p.m. game with the Tennessee Smokies. (For in-game updates, check Twitter @AStacyLong.)

Mahtook has hit third 75 times and Seitzer fourth 76 times this year. Four times, it was Mahtook fourth and Seitzer fifth.

BISCUITS
Kevin Kiermaier cf (left)
Mikie Mahtook rf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Todd Glaesmann dh
Kyeong Kang lf (left)
Riccio Torrez 3b
Robby Price 2b (left)
Hector Guevara ss
Mayo Acosta c
Michael Colla rhp


SMOKIES
Matt Szczur cf
Arismendy Alcantara ss (switch)
Rubi Silva rf (left)
Justin Bour 1b (left)
Christian Villanueva dh
Rafael Lopez c (left)
John Andreoli lf
Jonathan Mota 3b
Ronald Torreyes 2b
Alberto Cabrera rhp

Today's Rays pitchers

Bowling Green's Jeff Ames has thrown 15 straight scoreless innings, but he has just one win in his last six starts.

DUR (Mike Montgomery 4-1, 3.98) vs. Columbus (TBA), 4:05
MGM (Michael Colla 3-0, 2.84) vs. Tennessee (Alberto Cabrera 7-3, 3.53), 6:05
CHA (Ryan Carpenter 6-5, 4.60) at Jupiter (Josh Hodges 2-2, 3.71), 4:05
BWG (Jeff Ames 6-1, 2.24) at West Michigan (Charlie Gillies 0-3, 3.26), noon

HV (Ben Griset 0-0, 3.60) vs. Brooklyn (?), 12:05
PRI (D.J. slaton 0-0, 0.00) vs. Johnson City (Hansel De Los Santos 0-1, 18.00), 5:05
GCL off

Ranking the Rays ... Markel, Echarry, Suero

For Saturday ...

FULL SEASON
1. Parker Markel, CHA: 6 1/3 innings, unearned run, 4 hits, walk, 10 Ks, 10 GBO
2. Eliazer Suero, CHA: 2 2/3 perfect, 3 Ks
3. Reinaldo Lopez, BWG: 6 innings, run, 6 hits, 2 Ks, 9 GBO
4. Jake Odorizzi, DUR: 6 1/3 innings, run, 5 hits, walk, 7 Ks
5. Jeff Malm, CHA: solo HR, 2 1b's, 2 runs

SHORT SEASON

1. Eli Echarry, HV: 4 shutout, 4 hits, 2 Ks, 8 GBO
2. Oscar Hernandez, HV: 2 1b's, 2 steals, 2 RBIs, run
3. Riley Unroe, GCL: 3b, 1b, walk, RBI, 3 runs

Morning reading

So, the Biscuits are up to 22 scoreless innings after Saturday's 13-0 loss to the Tennessee Smokies. And, if you missed it, here's a recap of Saturday's roster moves.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Saturday's Rays roundup

Bulls 3, Columbus 1
Jake Odorizzi's
6 1/3 innings included one run on five hits. Leslie Anderson doubled, singled and had two RBIs.

Stone Crabs 4, Jupiter 1
Parker Markel
gave up an unearned run on four hits in 6 1/3 innings with one walk and 10 strikeouts. Eliazer Suero threw 2 2/3 perfect innings. Jeff Malm had a solo home run, two singles and two runs scored. Curt Casali and Alejandro Segovia also homered.

Hot Rods 3, West Michigan 1
Reinaldo Lopez
worked six innings with one run on six hits. Leonardo Reginatto had three singles and a run scored. Luke Maile singled, RBI'd and scored.

Renegades 9, Brooklyn 0
Aaron Griffin
and Eli Echarry each threw four innings. Oscar Hernandez singled twice, had two RBIs, stole twice and scored. Pat Blair doubled, walked twice, stole and scored twice.

P-Rays 6, Johnson City 2
Spencer Edwards
had three singles, two steals, an RBI and a run scored. Coty Blanchard singled twice and scored. German Marques' five innings had two runs, five hits and three walks.

GCL Orioles 10, Rays 9
Riley Unroe
tripled, singled, walked, RBI'd and scored thrice. Kean Wong singled twice, had two RBIs and scored. Alexander Simon doubled, singled, stole, RBI'd and scored. Hyrum Formo threw 2 1/3 shutout innings.

Saturday: Smokies 13, Biscuits 0

Rubi Silva set a career high with five RBIs and the Tennessee Smokies set a season high for runs in Saturday's 13-0 victory over the Biscuits.

Silva had an RBI single in Tennessee's six-run second inning and added a third-inning grand slam. The Smokies scored seven times in 1 2/3 innings off Biscuits starter Jake Thompson (6-8), who was also the starter in April when Tennessee set its previous season high with 11 runs.

Ronald Torreyes reached base and scored in each of the first three innings, while Eric Jokisch (6-7) threw 6 1/3 innings for his fifth straight quality start.

Montgomery managed just four hits, two by Cameron Seitzer, and suffered its second straight shutout loss. It was the Biscuits' worst shutout loss since August 2011 when Mississippi beat them 15-0.

Saturday's lineups

The Smokies have switched scheduled starters again for tonight's series opener against the Biscuits.

Left-hander Eric Jokisch was scheduled to start before Tennessee's doubleheader rainout Friday, so the Smokies switched the Alberto Cabrera. Now, they've switched back to Jokisch, who is 5-7 with a 3.57 ERA. Jokisch is 1-3 during a streak of four straight quality starts.

First pitch at 6:35 p.m. For sporadic in-game updates, check Twitter @AStacyLong.

BISCUITS
Kevin Kiermaier cf (left)
Hector Guevara 2b
Mikie Mahtook rf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Todd Glaesmann lf
Riccio Torrez 3b
Mark Thomas c
Steve Tinoco dh
Robi Estrada ss (switch)
Jake Thompson rhp


SMOKIES
Ronald Torreyes 2b
Arismendy Alcantara ss (switch)
Rubi Silva cf (left)
Justin Bour dh (left)
Christian Villanueva 3b
Rafael Lopez c (left)
John Andreoli rf
Jonathan Mota 1b
Anthony Giansanti lf
Eric Jokisch lhp

Sandoval back with Biscuits

Right-hander Juan Sandoval, who began the year with the Biscuits, is returning to the team.

Sandoval has been demoted from Triple-A Durham, where he was 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA in 11 appearances.

The 32-year-old had 11 saves and a 3.14 ERA in 22 games with the Biscuits at the start of the year. He and the just-promoted C.J. Riefenhauser are in a group that is tied for third in the Southern League with 11 saves.

Riefenhauser: Aggressiveness big piece of dominant year

C.J. Riefenhauser's driving strategy Saturday was almost as simple as his pitching approach this season.

"Go as far as I can before I take a break or get gas," Riefenhauser said Saturday, in the middle of the 500-mile drive from Montgomery to Triple-A Durham.

Riefenhauser, whose 0.51 ERA and .153 average against this year are easily the best of his career (so far?), has had similar focus on the mound.

"Really, it's just going after hitters and attacking," he said. "I'm trusting the defense to make the play behind me, trusting the catcher and, more importantly, trusting that I'll throw the pitch where I want it to be."

Riefenhauser learned of his promotion from Biscuits manager Billy Gardner and pitching coach R.C. Lichtenstein after Friday's loss at Chattanooga.

There was good timing involved. Riefenhauser's parents had just left him for home Friday morning.

"They're in New York now," Riefenhauser said, uncertain when they'd visit again. "Hopefully, that's another trip later on in the year. We'll see."

Riefenhauser said he'd been told to use today as a travel day and be ready to pitch Sunday for the Bulls, who start a four-game home series with the Columbus Clippers tonight.

Riefenhauser moves up to Bulls

C.J. Riefenhauser, Montgomery's most-dominant reliever this season, has been promoted to Triple-A Durham.

The left-hander is 4-0 with 11 saves and an 0.51 ERA in 34 appearances. Hitters have compiled a .153 average, 11 walks and 48 strikeouts in his 53 innings.

The Biscuits have a 25-9 record in games where Riefenhauser has appeared, including wins in 14 of his last 15 outings. He has not given up a run in his last 15 innings or an earned run in his last 30 1/3 innings.

Riefenhauser is still eligible (and expected) to be named a Southern League midseason All-Star next week, though he won't participate in the game. He's been a midseason All-Star in each of the last two years.

System check

TRIPLE-A, DURHAM BULLS
International League South

(50-32, first place, 7 GA)
2B Vince Belnome is hitting .351 in June and ranks second in the league with a .344 average this season. He has 24 doubles and a .438 on-base percentage.
IF Cole Figueroa has a .289 average.
RHP Juan Sandoval is 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA in 11 appearances.
RHP J.D. Martin is 9-4 with a 3.22 ERA and is tied for the league lead in wins.



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

(5-4, tied for first place)
RF Willie Argo has a .314 average with 18 walks in 41 games.
LHP Shay Crawford picked up his first win Monday and his first save Wednesday. He has an 0.93 ERA with 10 hits allowed in 19 1/3 innings.
RHP Nate Garcia, since May 1, has a 2.08 ERA.
2B Ryan Brett is hitting .369 with 17 runs scored in 23 games.



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

(5-4, second place, 2 GB)
RHP Dylan Floro is 4-0 with a 1.50 ERA in his last four starts. He's 7-2 with a 2.03 ERA.
2B Tommy Coyle is 15-for-30 with 10 RBIs in his current eight-game hit streak. He has a .406 on-base percentage this year.
CF Joey Rickard has eight RBIs and nine runs scored in his last nine games.
RHP Taylor Guerrieri has thrown 16 straight scoreless innings.



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

(8-4, first place, 2.5 GA)
C Oscar Hernandez has a .342 average, nine RBIs and eight runs scored.
RHP Austin Pruitt has nine shutout innings and four hits allowed in two starts.



ROOKIE, PRINCETON RAYS
Appalachian League East

(1-7, fifth place, 4.5 GB)
2B Coty Blanchard has a .421 on-base percentage.
RHP Jake Faria hasn't given up an earned run in 10 innings.



ROOKIE, GCL RAYS
Gulf Coast League South

(3-4, tied for third, 1 GB)
LHP Eric Fredrick has allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings.


WAYWARD BISCUITS
Those who strayed from the Rays

C Stephen Vogt registered his first major league hit Friday, homering for the Oakland A's. He had gone hitless in his first 32 at-bats.
RHP Dane De La Rosa is 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA for the Los Angeles Angels.
LHP Kyle Lobstein gave up two runs in five innings in his Triple-A debut Thursday with Toledo (Tigers).
RF Delmon Young has a .250 average for the Philadelphia Phillies.
2B Cesar Suarez is hitting .335 with Tabasco of the Mexican League.
IF Tyler Bortnick has a .253 average at Triple-A Reno (Diamondbacks).
RHP Scott Shuman has an 8.10 ERA and 23 walks in 13 1/3 innings at Double-A Richmond (Giants).
RHP Eduardo Morlan has a 1.54 ERA and has given up 17 hits in 23 1/3 innings with independent Southern Maryland.
OF Fernando Perez was traded to independent Lancaster after hitting .278 for Sugar Land.
RHP Justin Garcia is 4-1 with a 3.17 ERA in eight starts at independent Winnipeg.

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's Jake Odorizzi gave up two hits in eight shutout innings in his last start.

DUR (Jake Odorizzi 5-1, 3.41) vs. Columbus (Joe Martinez 2-6, 6.23), 6:05
MGM (Jake Thompson 6-7, 4.89) vs. Tennessee (Alberto Cabrera 7-3, 3.53), 6:35
CHA (Felipe Rivero 5-4, 3.70) at Jupiter (?), 5:35
BWG (Reinaldo Lopez 2-4, 3.04) at West Michigan (Jordan John 5-3, 2.87), 6


HV (Aaron Griffin 1-0, 4.66) at Brooklyn (Dario Alvarez 0-0, 2.08), 5
PRI (German Marquez 0-1, 7.71) vs. Johnson City (Dailyn Martinez 0-0, 4.91), 6:05
GCL at Orioles, 9 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Gomez, Floro, Faria

For Friday ...

FULL SEASON
1. Roberto Gomez, CHA: 6 innings, 1 earned run, 2 hits, 4 Ks
2. Dylan Floro, BWG: 6 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, walk, 8 Ks
3. Vince Belnome, DUR: 2b, 2 1b's, walk, 2 runs in DH
4. Willie Argo, CHA: 2 1b's, 2 walks, 3 runs in 20-inning DH
5. Jake Hager, CHA: 4 1b's, walk, 4 runs in 20-inning DH


SHORT SEASON
1. Jake Faria, PRI: 5 shutout, 1 hit, 1 walk, 6 Ks
2. Cory Jordan, HV: 3 perfect innings, 4 Ks
3. Jose Alonzo, GCL: 5 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 5 Ks

Morning reading

Our summer intern, Ali Jenkins, writes about Biscuits first baseman Cameron Seitzer's family help. To mention one, his dad is a former major league hitting coach.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Friday's Rays roundup

Lehigh Valley 6, Bulls 5 (Game 1)
Vince Belnome
doubled, singled, walked and scored twice. Shelley Duncan doubled, singled, RBI'd and scored.

Lehigh Valley 2, Bulls 1 (Game 2)
Mike Fontenot
singled twice and Cole Figueroa singled and walked. Cory Wade gave up one run on one hit in three innings in a spot start.

Stone Crabs 9, Bradenton 8 (Game 1)
Luke Bailey's
bases-loaded walkoff capped a four-run final-inning rally. Willie Argo singled twice, walked, stole and scored three times. Jake Hager singled thrice, walked and scored twice. Alejandro Segovia homered, singled, walked and had two RBIs.

Bradenton 3, Stone Crabs 2 (Game 2, 13)
Roberto Gomez
gave up one earned run on two hits in six innings. Nate Garcia threw three shutout innings. Andrew Bellatti gave up one run on one hit in four innings. Jeff Malm doubled, walked three times and RBI'd.

Hot Rods 4, South Bend 2
Justin O'Conner
and Brandon Martin each hit two-run homers. Dylan Floro's six innings included one run on three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.

Brooklyn 7, Renegades 4
Darryl George
doubled, singled and RBI'd. Omar Narvaez singled, walked and scored. Cory Jordan threw three perfect innings with four strikeouts.

Elizabethton 8, P-Rays 0
David Garcia
and Travis Flores each singled and Spencer Edwards and Coty Blanchard walked. That's it on offense. Jake Faria threw five shutout innings with one hit, one walk and six strikeouts.

GCL Rays 5, Orioles 2
Cristian Toribio
singled thrice, scored and was picked off twice. Erick Vasquez singled twice and RBI'd. Jose Alonzo worked five innings with one run, two hits and no walks.

Friday: Lookouts 5, Biscuits 0

Ross Stripling faced one hitter over the minimum for eight innings Friday to lead the Chattanooga Lookouts to a 5-0 victory over the Biscuits.

Montgomery center fielder Kevin Kiermaier led off the game with a single, but the Lookouts erased him with a double play. Stripling retired 16 straight Biscuits before Hector Guevara's one-out double in the sixth.

Stripling (5-1) finished with four strikeouts, recorded 12 groundball outs and won his fourth consecutive start. He's given up 14 hits in his last 25 2/3 innings with two walks and 20 strikeouts.

The 23-year-old right-hander is in his second professional season. The Los Angeles Dodgers took him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft out of Texas A&M.

After Stripling threw 62 of 95 pitches for strikes, Jharel Cotton worked an eight-pitch ninth inning and finish off the third shutout suffered by the Biscuits this year.

Patterson promoted back to Biscuits

Jimmy Patterson is returning to the Biscuits.

The left-handed pitcher, who went down with an oblique injury in April, has been promoted back to Montgomery from high-Class A Charlotte.

Patterson made just one appearance for Montgomery before going on the disabled list. he threw 2 2/3 innings April 7, giving up an unearned run on three hits.

The 24-year-old was activated last week by the Stone Crabs and has pitched in two games. He's thrown six innings with three runs on six hits.

Today's Rays pitchers

Bowling Green's Dylan Floro has a 1.50 ERA in his three-start win streak, with 18 hits allowed, three walks and 14 strikeouts in 18 innings. He's made quality starts in five of his last seven outings.

DUR (J.D. Martin 9-4, 2.97/Jake Odorizzi 5-1, 3.41) at Lehigh Valley (Tyler Cloyd 1-6, 7.69/Carlos Zambrano 1-0, 3.18), DH, 4:35
MGM (Jake Floethe 1-1, 6.16) at Chattanooga (Ross Stripling 4-1, 2.79), 6:15
CHA (Jesse Hahn 1-1, 1.10/Roberto Gomez 3-7, 6.09) vs. Bradenton (Robby Rowland 3-5, 4.54/Orlando Castro 1-0, 5.40), DH, 4
BWG (Dylan Floro 6-2, 2.08) at South Bend (Brandon Sinnery 4-3, 3.30), 6:35


HV (Chris Kirsch 1-0, 0.82) vs. Brooklyn (?), 6:05
PRI (Jake Faria 0-0, 0.00) at Elizabethton (Yorman Landa 1-0, 1.80), 6
GCL vs. Orioles, 11 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Young, Hernandez, Fernandez

For Thursday ...

FULL SEASON
Quorum not present.


SHORT SEASON
1. Tyler Young, HV: 3-run HR, 2-run HR
2. Oscar Hernandez, HV: 2b, 1b, 3 RBIs, 2 runs, error
3. Mario Fernandez, GCL: 5 shutout, 3 hits, 6 Ks

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Thursday's Rays roundup

Bulls at Lehigh Valley
Rained out.

Bradenton at Stone Crabs
Rained out.

South Bend 4, Hot Rods 2
Leonardo Reginatto
singled twice and scored. Joey Rickard hit a two-run homer. Blake Snell gave up one run on one hit in five innings with four walks.

Renegades 10, Staten Island 8 (6, rain)
Tyler Young
homered twice and had five RBIs. Oscar Hernandez doubled, singled, had three RBIs and scored twice. Julian Ridings doubled twice, walked, stole and scored twice.

Elizabethton 6, P-Rays 3
Bralin Jackson
hit a solo homer and singled. Coty Blanchard doubled, walked twice and scored.

GCL Red Sox 1, Rays 0 (completion of Wednesday)
Alexander Simon
doubled and singled. Chris Crisostomo threw four shutout innings with a hit and walk.

GCL Red Sox 1, Rays 0 (regularly scheduled game)
Hec Montes
singled and walked. Mario Fernandez threw five shutout innings with three hits allowed, no walks and six strikeouts.

Thursday: Lookouts 8, Biscuits 3

Joc Pederson homered twice and the Chattanooga Lookouts tied a season high with four home runs in an 8-3 win over the Biscuits on Thursday.

Pederson hit a two-run homer and Angelo Songo added a three-run blast in Chattanooga's five-run first inning. The Lookouts scored five runs before recording an out.

Pederson hit a solo homer and J.T. Wise a two-run shot in a three-run seventh inning. Pederson has 13 homers this year and is tied for second in the Southern League.

Biscuits starter Victor Mateo, after the five-run first, kept the Lookouts at bay until the sixth. Austin Hubbard came on in the seventh.

Mateo (2-8) has given up 10 home runs this year and is tied with Jake Thompson for the team lead. Hubbard had not served up a homer this season. The Biscuits lead the league with 69 homers allowed.

Montgomery had not allowed four homers in a game since a 12-9 home win over the Carolina Mudcats on Aug. 26, 2011.

Today's Rays pitchers

Charlotte's Jesse Hahn finally picked up a win in his last start, throwing a season-high five innings and giving up no runs on two hits. He's on a surgery-induced hard pitch count this year but has been impressive. Hitters have a .192 average, nine walks and 48 strikeouts off him.

DUR (J.D. Martin 9-4, 2.97) at Lehigh Valley (Tyler Cloyd 1-6, 7.69), 6:05
MGM (Victor Mateo 2-7, 6.13) at Chattanooga (Duke von Schamann 0-0, 2.81), 6:15
CHA (Jesse Hahn 1-1, 1.10) vs. Bradenton (Robby Rowland listed again), 5:30
BWG (Blake Snell 2-5, 3.65) at South Bend (Daniel Watts 9-3, 3.53), 6:05


HV (Jordan Harrison 2-0, 1.50) at Staten Island (Giovanny Gallegos 1-1, 1.80), 6
PRI (Nolan Gannon 0-0, 0.00) at Elizabethton (Josh Burris 0-1, 2.25), 6
GCL vs. Red Sox, completion of suspended game, 10 a.m.
GCL vs. Red Sox, regularly scheduled game

Ranking the Rays ... Coyle, Molina, Pruitt

For Wednesday ...

FULL SEASON
1. Tommy Coyle, BWG: 2-run HR, 3 1b's, 5 RBIs, 2 runs
2. Jose Molina, BWG: 4 shutout, 2 hits, 3 Ks
3. Enny Romero, MGM: 6 innings, unearned run, 6 hits, walk, 9 GBO, error
4. Tyler Goeddel, BWG: 2b, 2 1b's, walk, steal, 2 RBIs, 2 runs, error
5. Shelley Duncan, DUR: 2-run HR, 1b, 3 RBIs


SHORT SEASON
1. Austin Pruitt, HV: 5 shutout, 2 hits, 5 Ks
2. Darryl George, HV: 1b, 2 walks, RBI
3. Luis Cabrera, PRI: 3 shutout, 3 hits, walk

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Wednesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 6, Lehigh Valley 5
Shelley Duncan
hit a two-run homer, singled and had three RBIs. Brandon Guyer doubled twice, singled twice and scored. Juan Sandoval and Josh Lueke each threw two perfect innings.

Stone Crabs 3, Bradenton 2
Jake Hager
doubled, singled and scored. Ryan Brett left after one plate appearance (?). Rehabbing David Price threw five shutout innings with two hits allowed, a walk and eight strikeouts.

Hot Rods 12, South Bend 2
Tommy Coyle
hit a two-run home run, singled thrice, had five RBIs and scored twice. Tyler Goeddel doubled, singled twice, walked, stole, had two RBIs and scored twice. Joey Rickard tripled, walked, took a plunking, had an RBI and scored three times. Jose Molina threw four shutout innings after Sean Bierman gave up two runs in five innings. The Hot Rods scored 11 times in the first inning to tie a franchise record.

Staten Island 7, Renegades 3 (10)
Oscar Hernandez
singled, was plunked and scored twice. Darryl George singled, walked twice and RBI'd. Johnny Field homered. Austin Pruitt threw five shutout innings with two hits allowed and no walks.

Elizabethton 5, P-Rays 4
Douglas Duran
and Leopoldo Correa each walked twice and scored. Hunter Lockwood doubled, singled and RBI'd. Luis Cabrera threw three shutout innings.

GCL Rays at Red Sox
Suspended in fifth with scoreless tie.

Romero in line to be 9th Biscuit in Futures Game

Enny Romero, barring a sudden promotion to Triple-A Durham, will be the ninth player who was on Montgomery's active roster while playing in the MLB All-Star Futures Game.

The previous eight: Delmon Young (2005), Evan Longoria (2007), Eduardo Morlan (2008), Desmond Jennings (2009), Alex Torres (2010) and Matt Moore and Tim Beckham (2011)

Here's Tampa Bay's previous contingent -- Biscuits-era only -- in the Futures Game, with the team they were with at the time of the game ...

2004
B.J. Upton, Durham
Delmon Young, Charleston (S.C.)
2005
B.J. Upton, Durham
Delmon Young, Biscuits
2006
Juan Salas, Durham
2007
Evan Longoria, Biscuits
Jeff Niemann, Durham
2008
Eduardo Morlan, Biscuits
2009
Desmond Jennings, Biscuits
Kyeong Kang, Bowling Green
2010
Jeremy Hellickson, Durham
Desmond Jennings, Durham
Alex Torres, Biscuits
2011
Matt Moore, Biscuits
Hak-Ju Lee, Charlotte
Tim Beckham, Biscuits
2012
Felipe Rivero, Bowling Green
Enny Romero, Charlotte

Romero, Guerrieri picked for Futures Game

Biscuits pitcher Enny Romero is headed to his second straight All-Star Futures Game.

Romero and Bowling Green Hot Rods right-hander Taylor Guerrieri will represent the Tampa Bay organization in the game, which will be July 14 in New York.

Romero, who is 7-3 with a 2.92 ERA, pitched a scoreless inning in last year's game in Kansas City. Guerrieri is 5-2 with a 2.29 ERA this year, his second professional season.

There have been 14 players who either were playing with the Biscuits, had played for the Biscuits or have since played for the Biscuits to make the Futures Game.

Former Biscuit wins Texas League HR derby

Former Biscuits first baseman Matt Fields won the Texas League's All-Star home run derby Tuesday.

Fields, now with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in the Kansas City organization, blasted 24 home runs, including 11 in the final round.

The 27-year-old is hitting .238 with 18 home runs in 71 games for the Naturals. He was 0-for-2 in the All-Star Game.

Former Biscuits reliever Chris Rearick threw a scoreless seventh inning for the South Division, which won 6-0. Rearick, now with the San Antonio Missions in the San Diego system, is 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in 34 games this year.

Wednesday: Biscuits 4, Lookouts 3

Riccio Torrez hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the seventh inning and Enny Romero grabbed his team-leading seventh victory with the Biscuits' 4-3 win at Chattanooga on Wednesday.

The Biscuits led 4-1 before Chattanooga mounted a two-run rally in the ninth against Erik Hamren and had the tying run in scoring position with one out.

Brian Cavazos-Galvez's groundball brought in Miguel Rojas to make it 4-3 and the out at second led to the ejection of Lookouts manager Jody Reed. But J.T. Wise hit a groundball to third baseman Torrez, who threw to second for a game-ending forceout.

Torrez cracked a three-run home run in the seventh inning to erase a 1-0 deficit and give Montgomery its third straight win this week over the Lookouts. The Biscuits clinched just their third series victory at AT&T Field in franchise history.

It was Torrez's first homer since May 30 and his fifth of the year.

Romero (7-3) gave up an unearned run on six hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out two. The left-hander is 6-2 with a 1.37 ERA in his last nine starts. In those 52 2/3 innings, he's allowed 34 hits and 19 walks.

Today's Rays pitchers

Matt Buschmann has held hitters to a .193 average since being promoted to Durham.

DUR (Matt Buschmann 2-0, 1.59) at Lehigh Valley (Tom Cochran 3-2, 4.68), 6:05
MGM (Enny Romero 6-3, 3.14) at Chattanooga (Andres Santiago 3-5, 5.09), 10:15 a.m.
CHA (David Price rehab) vs. Bradenton (Robby Rowland 3-5, 4.54), 5:30
BWG (Sean Bierman 3-3, 1.98) at South Bend (Brad Allen 2-3, 5.61), 6:05


HV (Austin Pruitt 0-0, 0.00) vs. Staten Island (Cale Coshow 0-0, 9.00), 6:05
PRI (Jorge Rodriguez 0-1, 9.00) at Elizabethton (Felix Jorge 0-0, 0.00), 6
GCL at Red Sox, 11 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Colla, Brett, Griffin, Choate

For Tuesday ...

FULL SEASON
1. Michael Colla, MGM: 7 shutout, 4 hits, 2 walks, 4 Ks, 12 GBO
2. Ryan Brett, CHA: 4 1b's, walk, steal, 2 runs
3. Taylor Guerrieri, BWG: 5 shutout, 4 hits, walk, 2 HBPs, 4 Ks, 8 GBO
4. Ryan Roberts, DUR: 2b, 1b, walk, RBI, run
5. Merrill Kelly, DUR: 5 2/3 innings, run, 3 hits, 4 walks, 3 Ks


SHORT SEASON
1. Aaron Griffin, HV: 4 shutout, 1 hit, no walks, 2 Ks, 10 GBO
2. Justin Choate, HV: 4 shutout, 2 hits, walk, 2 Ks, 6 GBO
3. Freddy Alvarez, GCL: 3 no-hit innings, 2 walks, 4 Ks

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Tuesday's Rays roundup

Bulls 3, Lehigh Valley 1
Ryan Roberts
doubled, singled, walked, RBI'd and scored. Merrill Kelly gave up one run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings to improve to 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA. Adam Liberatore and Kirby Yates finished a four-hitter.

Jupiter 11, Stone Crabs 5
Ryan Brett
was 4-for-4 with a walk, steal and two runs scored. Drew Vettleson and Curt Casali each singled and walked with Vettleson scoring and Casali RBI'ing. Willie Argo hit a two-run homer and singled. Ryan Carpenter recorded just one out and gave up seven runs on seven hits.

Lake County 6, Hot Rods 3
Taylor Guerrieri
left after five shutout innings on four hits, a walk and two plunkings. Joey Rickard singled, walked, stole and RBI'd. Ryan Dunn walked twice, stole and scored.

Renegades 6, Brooklyn 5 (10)
James Harris
singled in Oscar Hernandez with the winning run. Aaron Griffin and Justin Choate each threw four shutout innings. Pat Blair walked twice, stole twice, scored twice and erred twice.

P-Rays 4, Burlington 0
Stone Spear
threw three innings to lead a four-pitcher three-hitter. David Garcia doubled twice, singled and had two RBIs. Spencer Edwards hit a solo homer and scored twice.

GCL Twins 6, Rays 5
Jose Paez
tripled, singled, had three RBIs and scored. Hec Montes singled twice, walked and scored twice. Freddy Alvarez threw three no-hit innings with two walks.

Tuesday: Biscuits 3, Lookouts 0

Michael Colla and two relievers combined on a five-hitter in the Biscuits' 3-0 win at Chattanooga on Tuesday.

Colla (3-0) gave up four hits over seven innings. He walked two, struck out four and recorded 12 groundball outs. Marquis Fleming and C.J. Riefenhauser worked an inning each. Riefenhauser picked up his 11th save.

It was Montgomery's seventh shutout this season and the fourth suffered by the Lookouts.

The Biscuits took the lead in the fifth inning. Cameron Seitzer drew a leadoff walk and scored on a double play.

In the eighth, Riccio Torrez hit a leadoff double and scored on Robi Estrada's two-out single. In the ninth, Hector Guevara walked and came home on a Seitzer single.

Durham Bulls retiring Chipper Jones' jersey

The Durham Bulls are retiring jersey No. 10 in honor of Chipper Jones, who played for them in 1992.

Jones will be in attendance Aug. 20 for the ceremony.

Jones, before a 19-year major league career with Atlanta, played 70 games for the Class A Bulls in 1992. He hit .277 with four home runs, 31 RBIs and 43 runs scored.

His jersey will be the fourth retired by the Bulls, joining Nos. 8, 18 and 20.

Former manager Bill Evers wore No. 20, while Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan had 18. No. 8 is for Crash Davis, who played for them in 1948 and is the basis/inspiration for the character in the movie "Bull Durham."

Atlanta is beating Durham to the punch. The Braves are retiring Jones' No. 10 on Friday.

3 Biscuits on my Southern League All-Star vote

It's that time of year again.

If I was the final vote, I've cursed three Biscuits to missing out on the Southern League All-Star break and sent them to Jacksonville, Fla., for the July 16 game. Fortunately, the league's field managers, general managers, radio broadcasters and other beat writers also get a vote.

I'll be honest: Pitcher C.J. Riefenhauser and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier were pretty quick choices for me, but outfielder Mikie Mahtook was the last name on my ballot.

Before you start counting, I have eight Birmingham Barons on my list, including Montgomery native Taylor Thompson. They won the North Division first half by nine games.

From there, in the North, it's Tennessee with five, Chattanooga with three and Jackson and Huntsville with two each. In the South, I cast my lot with six from the first-half champ Mobile BayBears. There were five from the host Suns, four from Mississippi and two from Pensacola.

Believe it or not, I don't count it up until I finish my vote.

SOUTH DIVISION
C: Christian Bethancourt, Mississippi
C: Tucker Barnhart, Pensacola
1B: Mark Canha, Jacksonville
2B: Mike Freeman, Mobile
3B: Nick Evans, Mobile
SS: Jaime Pedroza, Mississippi
OF: Jake Marisnick, Jacksonville
OF: Kyle Jensen, Jacksonville
OF: Kevin Kiermaier, Montgomery
OF: Jose Martinez, Mississippi

DH: Justin Greene, Mobile
Utility IF: Edward Salcedo, Mississippi
Utility OF: Mikie Mahtook, Montgomery

P: Jay Jackson, Jacksonville
P: Archie Bradley, Mobile
P: Kevin Munson, Mobile
Starter: David Holmberg, Mobile
Starter: Chad Rogers, Pensacola
Reliever: Collin Cargill, Jacksonville
Closer: C.J. Riefenhauser, Montgomery


NORTH DIVISION
C: Mike Blanke, Birmingham
C: Rafael Lopez, Tennessee
1B: Andy Wilkins, Birmingham
2B: Marcus Semien, Birmingham
3B: Christian Villanueva, Tennessee
SS: Arismendy Alcantara, Tennessee
OF: Trayce Thompson, Birmingham
OF: Joc Pederson, Chattanooga
OF: Kentrail Davis, Huntsville
OF: Julio Morban, Jackson

DH: Dan Black, Birmingham
Utility IF: Rafael Ynoa, Chattanooga
Utility OF: Matt Szczur, Tennessee

P: Taylor Jungmann, Huntsville
P: Nick McCully, Birmingham
P: Zach Rosscup, Tennessee
Starter: Taijuan Walker, Jackson
Starter: Erik Johnson, Birmingham
Reliever: Taylor Thompson, Birmingham
Closer: Yimi Garcia, Chattanooga

Today's Rays pitchers

Left-hander Ryan Carpenter has wins in three of his last four starts for the Stone Crabs. Hot Rods righty Taylor Guerrieri has 11 shutout innings over his last two starts.

DUR (Merrill Kelly 1-0, 2.92) at Lehigh Valley (Raul Valdes 2-2, 3.41), 6:05
MGM (Michael Colla 2-0, 3.93) at Chattanooga (Chris Reed 3-6, 3.74), 6:15
CHA (Ryan Carpenter 6-4, 3.97) vs. Jupiter (Josh Hodges 1-2, 3.23), 5:30
BWG (Taylor Guerrieri 5-2, 2.50) vs. Lake County (Dylan Baker 3-5, 4.08), 12:05


HV (Ben Griset 0-0, 0.00) vs. Brooklyn (Miller Diaz 0-1, 3.86), 6:05
PRI (D.J. Slaton) vs. Burlington (Andres Machado 0-0, 0.00), 6:05
GCL vs. Twins, 11 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Montgomery, Ames, Echarry

For Monday ...

FULL SEASON
1. Mike Montgomery, DUR: 7 innings, 1 run, 6 hits, 4 walks, 4 Ks, 11 GBO
2. Jeff Ames, BWG: 6 shutout, 1 hit, 5 walks, 2 Ks, 9 GBO
3. Willie Argo, CHA: 2b, 1b, walk, steal, RBI, 3 runs
4. Kevin Kiermaier, MGM: 2 3b's, steal, RBI, 2 runs, outfield assist
5. Brandon Guyer, DUR: 2b, 2 1b's, RBI, 2 runs


SHORT SEASON
1. Eli Echarry, HV: 5 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 3 walks, 3 Ks
2. Erick Vasquez, GCL: 2b, 2 1b's, steal, 2 RBIs, run
3. Ismel Antunez, HV: 2 1b's, walk, 2 steals

Monday, June 24, 2013

Monday's Rays roundup

Bulls 7, Buffalo 1
Brandon Guyer
doubled, singled twice, RBI'd and scored twice. Tim Beckham tripled, walked, RBI'd and scored twice. Vince Belnome doubled and walked three times. Mike Montgomery fired seven innings of one-run ball.

Stone Crabs 7, Jupiter 3
Willie Argo
doubled, singled, walked, RBI'd and scored thrice. His RBI single snapped a 3-3 tie in the eighth. Drew Vettleson hit a three-run home run in the eighth, singled, walked and stole. Shay Crawford threw 2 1/3 no-hit innings.

Lake County 1, Hot Rods 0
Jeff Ames
gave up one hit and walked five in six shutout innings. Nick Sawyer allowed one hit and a ninth-inning run over three innings. Tommy Coyle singled twice and stole.

Brooklyn 3, Renegades 2
Ryan McChesney
singled and walked twice. Ismel Antunez singled twice, walked and stole twice. Eli Echarry gave up one run in five innings.

Burlington 4, P-Rays 1
Travis Flores
singled, walked, scored and erred. Coty Blanchard doubled and singled. David Garcia singled twice. Richard Teasley tossed 2 1/3 no-hit innings.

GCL Rays 5, Twins 2
Erick Vasquez
doubled, singled twice, stole, had two RBIs and scored. Jose Paez singled, walked, RBI'd, scored twice and erred. Rehabbing Frank De Los Santos threw two no-hit innings.

Monday: Biscuits 5, Lookouts 4 (10)

Hector Guevara drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run in the Biscuits' 5-4, 10-inning victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts on Monday.

Mikie Mahtook led off the inning with a single before one-out walks to Todd Glaesmann and Kyeong Kang. Guevara walked on five pitches to bring in Mahtook.

The Biscuits rallied in the ninth inning to tie it. Kevin Kiermaier's two-out triple brought in Guevara, who made his Double-A debut in Montgomery's 14-inning home loss to Pensacola on Sunday.

The back-to-back extra-inning games were the first for the Biscuits since June 2011.

C.J. Riefenhauser (4-0) gave up one hit over two shutout innings. Starter Jake Thompson posted a quality start, giving up three runs on nine hits in six innings. He left with a 3-3 tie.

Former Biscuit Dyer lauded in California

Former Biscuits pitcher Shane Dyer took the California League's weekly award

Dyer, now with Bakersfield in the Cincinnati organization, won both of his starts for the week, giving up two runs in 14 1/3 innings. The right-hander has made just four starts for the Blaze and is 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA.

Dyer was a combined 11-14 with a 3.99 ERA the last two years for the Biscuits. He was named a midseason Southern League All-Star last year, though he had been promoted to Triple-A Durham.

With Motter out, Stone Crabs add Paulino

Infielder Enmanuel Paulino has been promoted from the GCL Rays to high-Class A Charlotte, likely a sign that Taylor Motter isn't available today.

Motter left Saturday's game after two plate appearances and didn't play Sunday. Motter has a .298 average in 53 games at six different positions. The Stone Crabs recently activated Jake Hager from an injury, too.

Paulino has played for the Dominican Summer League Rays the last two years. He was 1-for-7 in two games for the GCL Rays.

Renegades' Harrison atop N.Y.-Penn list

Hudson Valley's Jordan Harrison was this year's first New York-Penn League pitcher of the week.

Harrison threw six shutout innings in last Monday's season opener and also won Saturday, giving up two runs in six innings.

The left-hander was a 25th-round draft pick last year and a combined 1-3 with a 2.09 ERA in 38 2/3 in his debut season between the GCL Rays and Renegades.

Tick, tock: Biscuits-Blue Wahoos on the clock

Sunday's Biscuits-Blue Wahoos game stands the test of time.

The 4-hour, 56-minute game, which the Wahoos won 4-3 in 14 innings, appears to be the Southern League's second-longest of the last seven years.

Last year, the Mississippi Braves needed 5:03 to beat the Jackson Generals 4-3 in 16 innings.

There's a listing for a 2010 game that has to be in error. Huntsville's 5-4 win over Mississippi on May 20, which was decided in regulation, supposedly took 5 hours, 21 minutes. There was a 2-hour, 12-minute rain delay that likely was included. (Rain delays do not count toward time of game.) There were a combined 14 hits and seven walks.

Definitely, an August 2006 game between the Jacksonville Suns and West Tenn Diamond Jaxx took longer.

The Aug. 12 game was suspended in the fourth inning due to rain and completed Aug. 13. They needed 20 innings for the Suns to take a 5-2 win. It lasted 5:22.

The D-Jaxx won the regularly scheduled Aug. 13 game -- in 1:44 -- and drove home afterward.

UPDATE: The Mississippi Braves confirm the 2010 listing was in error. It was a 3:10 game.

Generals' Morban, BayBears' Chafin win SL awards

Jackson outfielder Julio Morban and Mobile left-hander Andrew Chafin won the Southern League's weekly awards.

Morban was 9-for-22 for the week with nine RBIs and six runs scored. On Saturday, he doubled twice, homered, had five RBIs and scored three times in a 10-5 win over Mobile.

Morban, after reaching enough plate appearances to qualify, leads the league with a .328 average. He has 30 RBIs and 23 runs in 51 games.

Chafin threw a seven-hitter with one walk and eight strikeouts Friday in a 5-1 win over Morban and the Generals. Morban had two hits. Chafin is 4-4 with a 2.56 ERA in nine starts.

The BayBears have won a weekly award six times by six different players. The Generals have three.

Today's Rays pitchers

Bowling Green's Jeff Ames hasn't given up a hit to the last 22 hitters he's faced. He threw five no-hit innings in his last start.

DUR (Mike Montgomery 3-1, 4.50) at Buffalo (Ricky Romero 0-1, 6.69), 6:05
MGM (Jake Thompson 6-7, 4.92) at Chattanooga (Zach Lee 5-5, 3.23), 6:15
CHA (Parker Markel 3-4, 6.28) vs. Jupiter (?), 5:30
BWG (Jeff Ames 6-1, 2.47) vs. Lake County (Ryan Merritt 3-7, 4.21), 7:05


HV (John Farrell 0-0, 0.00) vs. Brooklyn (Rob Gsellman 0-1, 0.00), 6:05
PRI (German Marquez) vs. Burlington (Luis Santos), 6:05
GCL at Twins, 11 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Odorizzi, Partridge, Faria

For Sunday ...

FULL SEASON
1. Jake Odorizzi, DUR: 8 shutout, 2 hits, walk, 6 Ks, 11 GBO
2. Jake Partridge, CHA: 3 no-hit innings, 2 walks, 2 Ks, 5 GBO
3. Alejandro Segovia, CHA: solo HR, 1b, 2 RBIs, 2 runs
4. Marty Gantt, BWG: 2b, 1b, steal, RBI, 2 runs
5. Marquis Fleming, MGM: 3 shutout, 1 hit, 3 Ks, 4 GBO


SHORT SEASON
1. Jake Faria, PRI: 5 innings, unearned run, 5 hits, 8 Ks
2. Chris Kirsch, HV: 5 innings, run, 6 hits, walk, 3 Ks, 7 GBO
3. Oscar Hernandez, HV: 2b, 2 1b's, walk, 2 RBIs

Morning reading

Here are some quoteless details on the Biscuits' 14-inning, nearly 5-hour loss to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Sunday.

Also, center fielder Kevin Kiermaier's foot wasn't too spry when he woke up, but he felt "great" by game time and pinch-ran in the 14th inning. Kiermaier is expected to return to the lineup today at Chattanooga. Plus, Kyeong Kang was surprised to hit leadoff in Kiermaier's place.

If you're wondering about Sunday's marathon ...
  1. 463 pitches for 276 strikes (242 for 146 by Pensacola, 221 for 130 by Montgomery)
  2. about 200 fans were left at the final pitch.
  3. 16 strikeouts by Biscuits hitters were the most since 17 in a 12-inning win over Jackson in May 2012.
  4. 98 total at-bats.
  5. 117 total batters.
  6. 26 combined runners left on base.
  7. 15 stranded by Biscuits, 1 shy of tying a team record last tied in (see No. 9).
  8. 2-for-23 combined with runners in scoring position.
  9. longest game in team history at 4 hours, 56 minutes, 6 minutes longer than a 14-inning win over Chattanooga in June 2009.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Sunday: Blue Wahoos 4, Biscuits 3 (14)

Ryan LaMarre scored on a Biscuits error in the 14th inning to give the Pensacola Blue Wahoos a 4-3 victory Sunday.

LaMarre led off the 14th with a double to left field and Luis Durango bunted toward first base. Biscuits pitcher Neil Schenk fielded the ball and spun to throw to first, but he threw wildly into right field, allowing LaMarre to score.

The game marked just the fifth time in Biscuits history that they've had a game reach the 14th inning. The most recent was a 14-inning home loss to Mobile in July 2012.

It took 4 hours, 56 minutes and was the longest game -- time-wise -- in franchise history. The previous high was a 4-hour, 50-minute game with the Chattanooga Lookouts in June 2009 that also lasted 14 innings and ended at 12:53 a.m.

On Sunday, the Biscuits rallied from a 3-0 deficit. The Wahoos scored three runs in four innings off Montgomery starter Jake Floethe. Todd Glaesmann hit a two-run single in the fifth inning, while Robby Price doubled and scored on a wild pitch in the seventh.

Sunday's Rays roundup

Buffalo 1, Bulls 0 (14)
Jake Odorizzi
tossed eight shutout innings with two hits allowed and one walk. Josh Lueke and Kirby Yates each threw two innings. Juan Sandoval gave up an unearned run in the 14th. Vince Belnome and Mike Fontenot each doubled and singled.

Stone Crabs 5, Jupiter 4
Alejandro Segovia
hit a solo home run, singled, had two RBIs and scored twice. Richie Shaffer doubled, walked and scored twice. Jake Partridge threw three no-hit innings with two walks.

Lake County 4, Hot Rods 3
Marty Gantt
doubled, singled, stole, RBI'd and scored twice. Reinaldo Lopez gave up two unearned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Brooklyn 4, Renegades 3 (13)
Chris Kirsch
allowed one run on six hits in five innings. Ariel Soriano doubled twice and scored twice. Oscar Hernandez doubled, singled twice, walked and had two RBIs.

Burlington 3, P-Rays 2
Travis Flores
hit a solo homer and walked. Jake Faria's five innings included an unearned run on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. Luis Cabrera gave up two runs in the ninth.

Sunday's lineups: Kang hitting leadoff

Kyeong Kang marks a career first today: He's batting leadoff.

With Kevin Kiermaier out of the lineup after being hit by a pitch Saturday, the Biscuits have Kang hitting first in today's series finale with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

Every player who has hit leadoff this season is hurt. Kiermaier (54 games) was hit by a pitch on the left foot. Ty Morrison (17) has long departed due to season-ending surgery. Shawn O'Malley (three) went on the disabled list Thursday.

Kiermaier said after Saturday's game that he could already feel his foot tightening up and that he dreaded waking up this morning. "I know when I wake up (today), it's going to be awful," he said.

Kang is in his sixth professional season and has just one game where he hit second in the lineup (in 2010 at high-Class A Charlotte). He's primarily been in the 6 hole with the Biscuits this season. In 34 games with him hitting sixth, Montgomery is 20-14. Kang has also batted fourth (once), fifth (four times), seventh (once) and eighth (once).

First pitch 6:05 p.m. For sporadic in-game updates, check Twitter @AStacyLong.

BISCUITS
Kyeong Kang lf (left)
Robby Price 2b (left)
Mikie Mahtook cf
Cameron Seitzer 1b (left)
Todd Glaesmann rf
Keith Castillo dh (switch)
Riccio Torrez 3b
Hector Guevara ss
Mayo Acosta c
Jake Floethe rhp


BLUE WAHOOS
Corey Wimberly dh (switch)
Devin Lohman ss
Yorman Rodriguez rf
Travis Mattair 3b
Marquez Smith 1b
Tucker Barnhart c (switch)
Ray Chang 2b
Ryan LaMarre cf
Luis Durango lf (switch)
Josh Smith rhp

Today's Rays pitchers

Durham's Jake Odorizzi, who has 60 strikeouts and has given up 48 hits in 55 1/3 innings, tries for his sixth win in his last eight starts.

DUR (Jake Odorizzi 5-1, 3.90) at Buffalo (Todd Redmond 2-1, 7.47), 12:05
MGM (Jake Floethe 1-1, 6.00) vs. Pensacola (Josh Smith 5-6, 3.66), 6:05
CHA (Roberto Gomez 3-7, 6.00) vs. Jupiter (?), 4:30
BWG (Reinaldo Lopez 2-3, 3.33) vs. Lake County (Jake Sisco 3-5, 3.25), 5:05


HV (Chris Kirsch 1-0, 1.50) at Brooklyn (?), 4
PRI (Jake Faria) vs. Burlington (Jake Newberry), 5:05
GCL off

Ranking the Rays ... Floro, Harrison, Leonard

For Saturday ...

FULL SEASON
1. Dylan Floro, BWG: 6 shutout, 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 Ks, 7 GBO
2. Patrick Leonard, BWG: 3-run HR, 2b, 2 walks, 3 runs
3. Tommy Coyle, BWG: 3-run HR, 2b, 2 walks, 2 runs
4. Victor Mateo, MGM: 5 2/3 innings, run, 5 hits, walk, 6 Ks
5. Cory Wade, DUR: 3 2/3 hitless in spot start, walk, 2 Ks


SHORT SEASON
1. Jordan Harrison, HV: 6 innings, 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 walks, 8 Ks, 7 GBO
2. Eric Fredrick, GCL: 3 1/3 hitless, walk, 5 Ks
3. Erick Vasquez, GCL: 2b, 1b, walk, 2 RBIs, run, error

Morning reading

Robby Price ran the gauntlet after his game-winning home run Saturday. The Biscuits mobbed him at home plate after the 4-3 win over Pensacola and laid it on thick once he reached the clubhouse.

Also, newest Biscuit Hector Guevara needed a few seconds to make sure he was awake when he learned he was being promoted Saturday.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

VIDEO: Robby Price after his game-ending HR

Here's a video of Robby Price in the clubhouse after his game-winning home run Saturday night.

(For those of you who reached this via Twitter, forgive me. I am curious how much these are viewed. By having you come here first rather than link the video off Twitter, I can see how much traffic it generates.)

Saturday's Rays roundup

Buffalo 6, Bulls 3
Chris Gimenez
homered and singled. Brandon Guyer doubled, singled and scored. Cory Wade threw 3 2/3 no-hit innings.

Bradenton 5, Stone Crabs 3
Richie Shaffer
doubled, walked, stole and scored twice. Jimmy Patterson gave up one run in three innings.

Hot Rods 9, Lansing 1
Tommy Coyle
hit a three-run homer, doubled, walked twice and scored twice. Patrick Leonard hit a three-run homer, doubled, walked twice and scored thrice. Dylan Floro threw six shutout innings with three hits allowed and two walks.

Renegades 4, Staten Island 2
Oscar Hernandez
hit three singles, was caught thieving and scored. Pat Blair cracked a two-run homer. Jordan Harrison's six innings included two runs on five hits. Corey MacDonald finished with three shutout frames.

P-Rays at Danville
Rained out.

GCL Orioles 9, Rays 5
Erick Vasquez
doubled, singled, walked, had two RBIs and scored. Eric Fredrick threw 3 1/3 no-hit innings with one walk and five strikeouts.

Price is 8th Biscuit to hit walk-off HR

Tonight was the first time the Biscuits have hit a lead-changing walk-off home run.

The Biscuits hit seven game-winning home runs in their first eight seasons, but all eight only snapped a tie. Robby Price's two-run shot tonight turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 victory.

June 22, 2013: Robby Price vs. Pensacola, 2-run HR, 4-3
May 23, 2012: Mike Sheridan vs. Jackson, solo HR, 2-1 (12 innings)
June 11, 2011: Daniel Mayora vs. Jacksonville, solo HR, 5-4 (10)
June 23, 2007: Gabriel Martinez vs. Mobile, solo HR, 5-4 (10)
July 11, 2007: Reid Brignac vs. Mississippi, solo HR, 8-7
Aug. 6, 2006: Justin Ruggiano vs. Mississippi, solo HR, 9-8 (10)
Sept. 9, 2006: Evan Longoria vs. Jacksonville (playoffs), 2-run HR, 2-0
April 22, 2004: Robinson Cancel vs. Mobile, 3-run HR, 6-3 (11)

Saturday: Biscuits 4, Blue Wahoos 3

Robby Price hit a two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Biscuits a 4-3 win over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

Kevin Kiermaier hit a one-out double before Price put a 1-0 pitch from Loek Van Mil over the right-field wall. It was his fourth home run of the year.

The Wahoos took a 3-2 lead with two runs in the top of the eighth.

Kyeong Kang reached base four times and starter Victor Mateo gave up one run over 5 2/3 innings for the Biscuits. Kang singled and scored on a Robi Estrada single in the fifth inning.

In the seventh, Estrada singled and came home on a Mikie Mahtook double to give Montgomery a 2-1 lead.

Saturday's lineups

It's the fourth game of a five-game series between the Biscuits and Pensacola Blue Wahoos. First pitch 6:35 p.m.

It's Rays Night at Riverwalk, so look forward to those shenanigans. (If the Wahoos wear their deep blue uniforms, they'll resemble the Rays themselves.) Tampa Bay mascot Raymond (or at least the Raymond costume) is scheduled to appear.

For sporadic in-game updates, check Twitter @AStacyLong.

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


BLUE WAHOOS
Corey Wimberly dh (switch)
Devin Lohman ss
Yorman Rodriguez rf
Travis Mattair 3b
Marquez Smith 1b
Tucker Barnhart c (switch)
Ryan LaMarre cf
Brodie Greene 2b
Theo Bowe lf (left)
Shaun Ellis rhp

Crabs activate Hager, Patterson

Pitcher Jimmy Patterson, hurt this year with the Biscuits, and shortstop Jake Hager, who has been on Charlotte's DL, have been activated by the Stone Crabs.

Paterson made one appearance for Montgomery, giving up an unearned run in 2 2/3 innings April 7, before going on the shelf with an oblique injury.

Hager has a .290 average in 56 games for Charlotte, with which he last played June 8. He played Friday with the GCL Rays.

Guevara takes leap from Stone Crabs to Biscuits

Infielder Hector Guevara has been promoted from high-Class A Charlotte to the Biscuits.

The 21-year-old was hitting .245 with six home runs and 32 RBIs in 60 games for the Stone Crabs. Montgomery was short an infielder after shortstop Shawn O'Malley went on the disabled list Thursday with an abdominal strain.

Guevara, who had a .234 average in 100 games at Charlotte last year, has primarily been a second baseman in his career. He's played shortstop 50 times in his 4 1/2-year career, including seven games this year.

Guevara's best pro season so far was his first. In 2009, he was the Venezuelan Summer League Rays' most valuable player after hitting .330 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 54 games.

Omar Luna suits up for Mississippi Braves

Omar Luna, who won the Southern League batting championsnip last year with the Biscuits, is back in the Southern League.

The infielder has signed with the Atlanta Braves, who are sending him to Mississippi.

Luna started the year with the Chattanooga Lookouts, who released him in early May after he hit .170 in 29 games. The 26-year-old joined the independent El Paso Diablos and, in 13 games, had a .360 average.

Luna hit .315 last year, started at five different positions and was the Biscuits' most valuable player.

System check

Stats through Friday.

TRIPLE-A, DURHAM BULLS
International League South
(47-28, first place, 8 GA)
RHP Matt Buschmann, after five shutout innings in a win Thursday, is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA.
RHP Merrill Kelly, with seven shutout innings Wednesday, has a 2.92 ERA.
RHP Kirby Yates hasn't given up an earned run in his last nine appearances and just one in his last 17. He has a 1.32 ERA and 19 hits allowed in 34 innings.
LF-1B Leslie Anderson has a .321 average, 10 home runs and 41 RBIs.

HIGH-CLASS A, CHARLOTTE STONE CRABS
Florida State League South
(1-1, tied for second, 1 GB)
RF Drew Vettleson has a .314 average and eight RBIs in his last 10 games.
RHP Jesse Hahn picked up his first win with five shutout innings Friday. He has a 1.10 ERA in 49 innings.
1B Jeff Malm has a .310 average in June.


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

(2-0, tied for first place)
3B Tyler Goeddel is 17-for-48 with 13 RBIs and eight runs scored in his current 10-game hitting streak.
RHP Jeff Ames, after throwing five no-hit innings in his last start, is 6-1 with a 2.47 ERA.
2B Tommy Coyle has scored 44 times in 65 games and is 24-of-26 on steals.


SHORT-SEASON A, HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES
New York-Penn League McNamara
(5-0, first place, 2.5 GA)
LHP Jordan Harrison gave up two hits in six shutout innings Monday.


ROOKIE, PRINCETON RAYS
Appalachian League East

(0-2, tied for fourth, 2 GB)
RHP Nolan Gannon gave up one hit in five shutout innings Friday.


ROOKIE, GCL RAYS
Gulf Coast League South

(1-0, tied for first place)

LHP Frank De Los Santos gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings of a rehab start Friday.

WAYWARD BISCUITS
Those who strayed from the Rays

1B Wes Bankston has a .565 average in seven games since being traded to Oaxaca of the Mexican League. He hit three home runs and doubled Tuesday.
RHP Jean Machi is 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 23 games for the San Francisco Giants.
RHP James Shields is 2-6 with a 2.72 ERA with the Kansas City Royals
C Stephen Vogt is hitting .321 at Triple-A Sacramento (A's).
RHP Shane Dyer is 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA in four starts for Class A Bakersfield (Reds).
IF Reid Brignac, after hitting .114 in 17 games, was designated for assignment by the New York Yankees on Friday.
RHP Angel Castro is 4-2 with a 3.45 ERA for Triple-A Albuquerque (Dodgers).
LHP David Newmann is 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA in seven starts at independent Laredo.
IF Daniel Mayora has a .307 average for independent Bridgeport.
LHP James Houser is 4-0 with a 3.22 ERA with independent Long Island.

Today's Rays pitchers

Bowling Green's Dylan Floro has a tough act to follow after the Hot Rods threw a combined no-hitter Friday. Floro has thrown at least five innings in all but one start this season and has won his last two outings.

DUR (Cory Wade 2-0, 2.70) at Buffalo (Chad Jenkins 0-3, 11.37), 5:05
MGM (Victor Mateo 2-7, 6.51) vs. Pensacola (Shaun Ellis 2-1, 3.38), 6:35
CHA (Felipe Rivero 5-3, 3.38) at Bradenton (Orlando Castro debut), 5:30
BWG (Dylan Floro 5-2, 2.29) vs. Lansing (Roberto Osuna 3-2, 2.43), 7:05


HV (Jordan Harrison 1-0, 0.00) at Staten Island (Giovanny Gallegos 1-0, 0.00), 6
PRI (Jake Faria) at Danville (Jorge Montenegro), 6
GCL at Orioles, 9 a.m.

Ranking the Rays ... Hahn, Paredes, Gannon

For Friday ...

FULL SEASON
1. Jesse Hahn, CHA: 5 shutout, 2 hits, no walks, 5 Ks and, dare we say it?, a win
2. Eduar Quinonez, BWG: 3 no-hit innings, walk, 3 Ks
3. J.D. Martin, DUR: 7 innings, 3 runs, 8 hits, walk, 4 Ks
4. Leonardo Reginatto, BWG: 2 2b's, 1b, 2 RBIs, 3 runs
5. Taylor Motter, CHA: 3b, 1b, walk, 2 RBIs, 2 runs in DH
SHORT SEASON
1. Ruben Paredes, GCL: 3 2/3 perfect, 5 Ks, 4 GBO
2. Nolan Gannon, PRI: 5 shutout, 1 hit, 4 Ks
3. Austin Pruitt, HV: 4 shutout, 2 hits, walk, K

Morning reading

Pensacola's Daniel Renken had some tough luck between Friday's win over the Biscuits and his previous victory, which was April 8. Also, here's a recap of Nick Ciuffo, Bowling Green's no-hitter  and David Wendt.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Friday's Rays roundup

Buffalo 3, Bulls 2
Ryan Roberts
and Mike Fontenot each singled twice and scored. J.D. Martin gave up three runs on eight hits in seven innings.

Bradenton 4, Stone Crabs 3 (Game 1)
Taylor Motter
singled, RBI'd and scored. Some David Price guy gave up an earned run in 2 1/3 innings.

Stone Crabs 4, Bradenton 0 (Game 2)
Jesse Hahn
tossed five innings of two-hit ball for his first win and Shay Crawford only walked two in two frames. Drew Vettleson tripled, walked, had two RBIs and scored.

Hot Rods 14, Lansing 1
Blake Snell
, Eduar Quinonez, Nick Sawyer and Marcus Jensen combined on a no-hitter. Snell and Quinonez worked three innings, Sawyer 1 2/3 and Jensen 1 1/3. Snell gave up an unearned run on five walks. Leonardo Reginatto doubled twice, singled, had two RBIs and scored thrice. Ryan Dunn was 4-for-4 with a walk, RBI and three runs scored.

Renegades 5, Staten Island 3
Austin Pruitt
threw four shutout innings. John Alexander singled twice, had two RBIs and scored.

Danville 3, P-Rays 2
Elias Torres
doubled twice, RBI'd and scored. Spencer Edwards walked twice. Nolan Gannon allowed one hit in five shutout innings.

GCL Rays 7, Orioles 6
Taylor Hawkins
doubled twice, RBI'd and scored. Enmanuel Paulino singled, walked and scored twice. Jose Piaz doubled, singled twice and scored. Ruben Paredes threw 3 2/3 perfect innings.

Friday: Blue Wahoos 9, Biscuits 3

Daniel Renken won for the first time since the opening series of the season in the Pensacola Blue Wahoos' 9-3 victory over the Biscuits on Friday.

Renken (2-5) recorded his seventh quality start of the season, including five in his last seven starts. He gave up three runs on five hits in six innings.

Marquez Smith knocked in three runs, while Travis Mattair and Matt Kennelly each scored twice for the Wahoos, who tied a franchise record with 15 hits. Mattair snapped a 3-3 tie with a two-out home run in the fifth inning.

Montgomery starter Enny Romero (6-3) gave up four runs in five innings.

Cameron Seitzer doubled home Robby Price in the first inning for the Biscuits, who racked up five hits, including one in the final six innings. Montgomery added two runs in the third. Kevin Kiermaier tripled in Robi Estrada and scored on a Price groundout.

Former Biscuit Wendt released by Rays

Having checked off all the names from the short-season rosters and crossed off all the names from the extended spring training list, there were a few names that stuck out. I either looked the players up or asked about them.

Raul Mondesi Jr.: right arm surgery
David Wendt: released
Reid Redman: now a pitcher at Class A Lexington (Marlins)
Alex Keudell: now at Class A Kane County (Angels)

Mondesi joined the Rays in an offseason trade from the Brewers for major league pitcher Burke Badenhop. Mondesi played in the Rookie-level Pioneer League last year.

Wendt is a former Biscuit who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in January and had to begin the season with a 50-game suspension.

Redman was a 23rd-round draft pick last year as an infielder and hit .265 at Princeton. Keudell was a 27th-rounder last year and had a 2.28 ERA in 43 1/3 innings for Princeton.

Friday's lineups

It's Game 3 of the five-game series between the Biscuits and Pensacola Blue Wahoos with first pitch at some point after 7:05 p.m. Pregame concert on Family Faith Night, too. For sporadic in-game updates, check Twitter @AStacyLong.

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
Robi Estrada ss (switch)
Enny Romero lhp


BLUE WAHOOS
Corey Wimberly lf (switch)
Devin Lohman ss
Yorman Rodriguez rf
Travis Mattair dh
Marquez Smith 1b
Ray Chang 3b
Ryan LaMarre cf
Matt Kennelly c
Brodie Greene 2b

Daniel Renken rhp