Archive for July 13th, 2007

Jul 13

The Hangover: BJ Upton Is Back In The Lineup Tonight

Al Reyes, BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Marc Lancaster, Sports Projections Cork Gaines 3 Comments »

Yankees 7, Devil Rays 3.
Sorry. Just Webtopia today. Feel free to throw poop at us in the comments.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

  • BJ Upton will be in the lineup tonight after missing 29 games. [TampaBay.com]
  • Marc Lancaster has what he considers the biggest story lines of the second half for the Devil Rays. To which we will add Will Joe Maddon realize that the team is not “moving in the right direction”? [tbo.com]
  • Al Reyes threw a bullpen session and it looks like he will rejoin the team on Wednesday when he is eligible to come off the DL. [tbo.com]
  • Let’s see. Should the Devil Rays trade Carl Crawford to the Angels for Ervin Santana (5-10, 5.97), Reggie Willits (.312/.408/.368) and some no-name average AA relief pitcher? We know…We know…we are laughing also. Listen people. These trades may work in fantasy baseball, but just because you want to trade away an underachieving pitcher for a superstar, doesn’t mean it is going to happen by just adding in more and more mediocre players to try and “even out the numbers”. Come back to us when you want to include Francisco Rodriguez with Santana. [Halo's Heaven]
  • Tampa Bay Sports Fanatic has a list of changes that the Rays need to make in the second half. [Tampa Bay Sports Fanatic]
  • Chris Rahill has his midseason progress report for the Devil Rays. It’s like reading an obituary. [The Sports Network]
  • Speaking of midseason progress reports, we wrote one for Sports Projections. It is a little longer than what we usually post on this site, but it is written for the typical non-Devil Rays fan. If you don’t have the time, we will sum it up in two sentences from the article…

We knew the bullpen was going to be a problem before the season began. It was like taking a perfectly good team and smearing it with feces.

  • This is just dumb, dumb, dumb, and reading the article took 2 minutes from my life that I will never get back. [TV Squad]
Jul 13

Down On The Farm: BJ Upton Makes Final Rehab Start For Vero Beach

BJ Upton, Doug Waechter, Evan Longoria, Shawn Riggans Cork Gaines No Comments »

Buffalo 3, Durham 1. JP Howell made a spot-start for Durham with Joe Maddon deciding to skip him the first time through the rotation. He struck out 5 and walked none while allowing 2 runs in 5 innings. Michel Hernandez hit a solo home run to drive in the only run for the Bulls.

Mississippi 1, Montgomery 0. James Houser struck out 9 in 6 innings. He was only touched for 2 hits, but one was a second inning solo home run that proved to be the game winner. The Biscuits only managed six hits. Reid Brignac and Evan Longoria were both 1-4. Longoria had a double, his 17th.

Dunedin 6, Vero Beach 4. Doug Waechter made his first rehab start with Vero Beach after making 2 with Hudson Valley. He gave up 9 hits an 5 runs in 4 innings including 1 home run. Rhyne Hughes was 2-4 with his 12th home run. He is now hitting .333. BJ Upton was 1-3 with a walk. He played center field and batter third. Shawn Riggans, who is also on a rehab assignment with Vero Beach was 2-4 as the Rays DH.

Charleston 3, Columbus 0. Wade Townsend dropped to 5-8 on the season, giving up 2 runs in 6 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 3. The Catfish managed only a single hit, a first inning single by Cesar Suarez. Only one other batter would reach base, in the 4th inning when Suarez was hit by a pitch.

Hudson Valley 9, Jamestown 5.

Elizabethton 5, Princeton 4.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Baseball America’s list of top 100 prospects for 2008 will not come out until March, but Evan Longoria will have a very good shot at being #1. [Tulare Advance-Register]


“I think they’ll both [Evan Longoria and Justin Upton] be in the top five,” Baseball America executive editor Jim Callis said. “When you talk about the best players [in the minor leagues], Upton, Longoria, [Detroit Tigers prospect] Cameron Maybin and [Cincinnati Reds prospect] Jay Bruce are going to be included, and you could make an argument to put those players in any order.”