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 in the second-half, will win some serious bragging rights (and a t-shirt from the Rays Index store).
Check Marc Topkin’s blog for the starting lineups.
Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports chimes in on the Rays efforts to both move Scott Kazmir and land Cliff Lee. This time, the third team is the Rangers. This is not particularly surprising, but Edes adds that Andy Sonnanstine may have pitched his last game with the Rays.
The Rays also almost certainly will move Andy Sonnanstine, perhaps to a team looking for bullpen help.
So far, we have felt that the most likely scenario for the Rays was trading Kazmir and promoting Sonnanstine to take his place. But “almost certainly” trading The Duke would kill that notion.
So what happens if the Rays trade Kazmir and Sonnanstine, and fail to land Lee in return? Are the Rays ready to promote Wade Davis to the rotation? Not likely. So it would seem that the only way both Kaz and Sonny are traded is if the Rays know for certain a starting pitcher is coming back in one of those deals or another.
Trade chatter intensifies [Yahoo! Sports]
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: Carl Crawford. That’s it. His solo home run was the only bright spot on the day.
THE BAD: Getaway Blues. In their last 16 road series, the Rays are now 4-12 in the final game of the series. They are 20-18 in all other road games...Pat Burrell. The Rays could only manage to get more than one runner on base in an inning twice, in the first and the sixth. The common theme in those two innings was Pat Burrell. In the first he ended the inning with a groundball back to the pitcher and the sixth he ended the inning by striking out…Offensive. In between the first and sixth innings, the Rays managed only 1 baserunner, an Evan Longoria leadoff walk in the fourth. He was quickly erased on a Ben Zobrist double-play.
THE TELLING: Carlos Pena was 6th in the lineup again…The Rays are now third in the AL in scoring after leading for most of the first-half.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
Durham 5, Norfolk 3. Jason Cromer gave up 3 runs (2 earned) in 7 innings on 11 hits and no walks…Rhyne Hughes hit his 7th home run since being promoted and was 3-4. He is hitting .310…Reid Brignac went 1-3 with a double…Matt Joyce was 2-3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI.
Montgomery. (no game scheduled)
Tampa 3, Charlotte 2. Jake McGee made his 3rd start with Charlotte, giving up 3 runs in 1.1 innings, including a 2-run home run. He struck out 1 and walked none…Shawn Riggans was 2-5 with a double and an RBI as the DH.
Lake County 8, Bowling Green 0. Tim Beckham was 1-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
Johnson City @ Princeton. (ppd. rain)
Notes from Down on the Farm…
