Up until first pitch, use the comments section to predict who you think will be the Sunburst Player of the Game. (be sure to use a valid email address while leaving the comment). The commenter that correctly predicts who we will name the Sunburst Player of the Game the most times prior to the all-star game, will win two tickets to a second-half game. Runners-up get their choice of a t-shirt. [Click HERE for rules]
Check Marc Topkin’s blog for the starting lineups.
Time to bring back the GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
click above image for boxscore
THE GOOD: King David. 5.2 innings, 1 runs, 11 Ks, only 2 walks. Yeah this kid might be good. And Joe Maddon let him throw 108 pitches. The fastball was more in line with where many think it should be. Most were 94-95. But he always leaves a little in the tank. 22 of his fastballs hit 96 or 97, 19 of those were on 2-strike counts. That is an amazing weapon. To be abble to consistently add an inch or two to a fastball with 2 strikes. In fact, pitch 108, his last, was 97, a swinging strike on Delmon Young…The Carlness. A month ago he was hitting .225. After 3 more hits yesterday he is now hitting .329 with a .385 OBP. He also added his second HR in 2 days…Grant Balfour. 2.2 innings is a long stint for The Mad Australian, but he looked good striking out 3. But his fastball is still only 93-94 where last year it averaged 95.6…Randy Choate was again responsible for out-27 and came through. Choate had never recorded a save in his big league career and now has 2 in 2 days…Joe Dillon. The trade gave the Rays a little value afterall. Dillon filled in at DH and homered.
THE BAD: Streak Ends. Entering the game, Carl Crawford had stolen 32 straight bases without being caught, but was picked off in the third inning ending the streak. Feels a bit rotten that it ends on a pickoff.
THE TELLING: Willy Aybar got another start at second with Ben Zobrist filling in at short. Gabe Kapler was once again in right field…The Rays remain 5.5 games behind the Yankees in 4th place, 4 games behind the Red Sox and Jays…Matt Garza will face his former team for the first time today.
SUNBURST PLAYER OF THE GAME: David Price
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Durham 10, Buffalo 2. Carlos Hernandez only needed 96 pitches (69 strikes) to work 8 innings, giving up 2 runs on 9 hits and no walks. He struck out 5. His one blemish was a 2-run home run…Ray Sadler was 3-4 and drove in 5 including a 3-run home run, his 6th…John Jaso was 0-2 with a walk and Justin Ruggiano was 1-4 driving in a run.
Carolina 9, Montgomery 3. Jason Cromer was pulled after allowing 6 runs dropped to 4-3 in his 8th double-A start…Eddie Morlan allowed 1 run on 3 hits and a walk in 1 inning of work…Desmond Jennings batted third and went 1-5 with an RBI and 2 Ks…Rhyne Hughes was 0-3 with 3 strikeouts.
Charlotte 8, Tampa 5. Jeremy Hall allowed 5 runs in 5 innings but improved to 5-3 on the year…Cody Cipriano was 2-4 and is hitting .327.
Rome 11, Bowling Green 2. Joe Cruz struck out 6 and walked none but picked up the loss having allowed 2 runs in 6 innings…Tim Beckham was 0-4 with a strikeout.
Notes from Down on the Farm…
