Here is footage of Stuart Sternberg’s statement from yesterday…
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
We will have much more on Sternberg’s comments later this morning.
The Tampa Tribune has responses from local officials to Stuart Sternberg’s stadium demands…Tampa officials sound both optimistic and very cautious. [Tampa Tribune]
Carl Crawford was named the AL player of the week.
Michael Van Sickler looks at what leaving the Trop would cost the Rays. [St. Pete Times]
Tony Fabrizio writes about Dewayne Staats who will broadcast his 5,000th game tonight. [Tampa Tribune]
David Price sits atop ESPN.com’s 2010 Cy Young Predictor. Rafael Soriano is 8th. [ESPN]
Jon Heyman calls the Rays acquisition of Rafael Soriano one of the “best decisions of the past year.” [SI.com]
Keith Morelli writes about the success of the Rays postgame concerts. [Tampa Tribune]
The Rays drop to 3rd in the latest ESPN.com power rankings. What’s worse is that the two teams ahead of the Rays both reside in the AL East. [ESPN]
Matt Moore was named pitcher of the week in the FSL and Tyler Bortnick was named hitter of the week in the ML. [Biscuit Crumbs]
Former Rays prospect James Houser has been promoted to the big leagues by the Marlins.
DOWN ON THE FARM…
Check out Rays Prospects for boxscores and more detailed recaps. [Rays Prospects]
DURHAM: Brian Baker made his first start of the year and threw 5 no hit innings. He struck out 5 and walked 1…Matt Joyce hit his 3rd home run…Desmond Jennings did not play.
MONTGOMERY: (no games scheduled)
CHARLOTTE: (postponed)
BOWLING GREEN: (no game scheduled)
HUDSON VALLEY: Miguel Sierra gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk in 4 innings. He struck out 4…Burt Reynolds went 3-3 with a double and a triple. He drove in 3...Derek Dietrich went 1-4.
One of our readers pointed us to the coolest thing we have read in a while (thanks Thad). It is The Life of the Baseball Wife. The idea in and of itself is pretty cool. But what makes it even better, is that most of the authors are married to current or former Rays or Rays prospects including:
Nicole Johnson (wife of Elliot Johnson) Shelly Ruggiano (wife of Justin Ruggiano) Kelli Ridgway (wife of Jeff Ridgway) Katelyn Davis (wife of Wade Davis) Jamie Cormier (wife of Lance Cormier) Nicole Houser (wife of James Houser) Wendy Owens (wife of Jeremy Owens)
The Rays filled their bullpen vacancy by signing Jeff Bennett, who was recently released by the Braves. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rays released James Houser, who had recently been demoted to the bullpen.
The Rays have claimed righthanded reliever Jeff Bennett on waivers from the Braves and signed him to a major league contract. He replaces righty reliever Joe Nelson, who was optioned to Triple-A Durham.
Bennett, 29, went 2-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 33 games for the Braves before going on the DL June 25 with a fracture to his non-throwing hand. After a brief rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett, he was released Thursday.
Bennett asked the Braves to be released after his DL stint which came about after punching a wall with his left hand. Bennet was a 19th-round pick by the Pirates in 1998 and has pitched in the big leagues in parts of four seasons.
Norfolk 8, Durham 2. James Houser made his first start of 2009 and gave up 4 runs in 4 innings including 2 home runs in the first inning. He also hit 2 batters and threw a wild pitch…Chad Orvella pitched another shutout inning and now has given up 1 run in 10.1 innings this season with 10 strike outs and 1 walk…Reid Brignac went 0-4 with 2 Ks and Justin Ruggiano was 1-4 with one strike out…Matt Joyce was 0-2 with 2 walks.
Montgomery 4, Mobile 2. In his first start since being demoted, Jason Cromer gave up 1 run in 6 innings for the win. He struck out 4 and walked none…Jason Isringhausen pitched another shutout inning, with 1 strike out and 1 walk…Rhyne Hughes hit a go ahead 2-run home run in the 6th inning…Desmond Jennings was 1-4 with a triple and an RBI.
Charlotte 3, St. Lucie 1. Jeremy Hall pitched 5 shutout innings and now has a 1.80 ERA after 3 starts (15 ip).
Bowling Green 4, West Virginia 2.Chris Andujar allowed 1 run in 4 innings…Tim Beckham was 1-4 with a strike out and a caught stealing.
Notes from Down on the Farm…
Matt Joyce is hitting .258/.361/.419 with 1 home run. He is 3-9 with a double and 3 Ks against lefties.
Montgomery outfielder Matt Matulia is scheduled to have an MRI on his elbow. [Montgomery Advertiser]
Gwinnett 5, Durham 2. Mitch Talbot got roughed up for 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings. He struck out 3…Matt Joyce was 2-3 with a walk. This was his first multi-hit game with the Bulls…John Jaso was 1-4 with an RBI triple.
Montgomery 5, Mobile 4. Jeremy Hellickson held Mobile scoreless in the first 4 innings, but got touched for a run in the fifth and one in the sixth before being pulled. After giving up a leadoff double, Hellboy retired the next 13 batters, striking out 7…Jason Isringhausen pitched 1 inning striking out 2. The only baserunner allowed was a walk…Eddie Morlan pitched a perfect 8th inning for the win. He struck out 1…Rhyne Hughes was 4-4 with a double, a home run and 2 RBI…Desmond Jennings was 3-3 with a triple and a home run. He is 8-9 with 2 triples and a home run in the last 2 games and is hitting .413 on the year.
Charlotte (off-day).
Kannapolis 3, Bowling Green 1 (gm 1). Michael Jarmin gave up 2 unearned runs in 5 innings. He struck out 2 and walked none…Jake Jefferies was 1-3 and drove in the only run…Tim Beckham was 1-3 with a K and his second error.
Kannapolis 2, Bowling Green 0 (gm 2).Neil Schenk struck out 3 and walked none, but allowed 2 runs in 4.2 innings…Tim Beckham had a single and a double in 3 at bats. He is hitting .326.
Notes from Down on the Farm…
Jason Cromer, the Bulls fifth starter, who has thrown 10 shutout innings in 2 starts, has been demoted to double-A. James Houser, a lefty on the 40-man roster, is ready to make his 2009 debut and will be assigned to triple-A. You can see updated rosters in the sidebar with the Cork-Board. [Montgomery Advertiser]
Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser has the rosters for all four of the upper-level minor league affiliates (links below). We have updated the Cork-Board (organizational depth chart) in the sidebar accordingly.
The Cork-Board only reflects the rosters at this point. The starting pitcher rotations are accurate, but the lineups will be updated once the season begins.
The remaining players will remain in extended spring training. Most of these players will be assigned to one of the short-season teams in June. A few of the players are rehabbing injuries and will be assigned to one of the upper-level teams when they are ready.
A few of the bigger names that have yet to be assigned to a minor league affiliate include James Houser, who is on the 40-man roster, Nick Barnese, who is part of the next big wave of talented pitchers, Wade Townsend, who is out for the year, Albert Suarez (see Barnese), Glenn Gibson, who was the player the Rays received for Elijah Dukes, DJ Jones, a toolsy draftee that some are high on, and the Bandit, Burt Reynolds.
Tim Beckham is once again united with his brother at low-A Bowling Green.
Click on above images to be taken to full standings, box scores or schedule…
Just the links this morning…We have a plane to catch. But don’t worry, we have a couple of posts lined up and ready to go, including the latest from the “Pepper” series. See you guys tonight.
DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
In case you missed it yesterday afternoon, we ran a bunch of “Webtopia” links in the evening “Happy Hour” feature. [Rays Index]
We should point out that we are still updating the Cork-Board in the sidebar during the postseason. Of note, that the Rays did promote Reid Brignac, Elliot Johnson and James Houser to the major league roster prior to the ALDS. This is really just a procedural move. Now, every player on the 40-man roster is on the major league roster and eligible for the postseason should an injury necessitate a move. [Cork-Board]
In terms of cost-per-win, the Rays paid $452K per win this season, second only to the Marlins ($260K per win). At the other end of the spectrum was the Yankees at $2.3 million per win. The Red Sox were 4th highest in the AL (7th highest overall) at $1.4 million per win. [MSNBC]
Fine! OK? There would be no baseball in Tampa Bay without Vince Naimoli. Thanks Vince. [St. Pete Times]
The player drawing the most press coverage in the postseason? Aki Iwamura. [St. Pete Times]
Sox and Pinstripes debates the addition of Mike Timlin to the Red Sox ALCS roster. [Sox and Pinstripes]
John Romano says that the lingering message from the brawl in Boston is not the actual fight, but the pitch that precipitated the brawl. One way that this incarnation of the Rays differs from teams in the past is that the hitters feel protected by the pitchers. [St. Pete Times]
Durham 11, Norfolk 9. David Price picked up his first triple-A win, throwin 5 innings, striking out 5, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks…Calvin Medlock gave up 5 runs in 1.1 innings…Jonny Gomes had 4 hits in 6 at bats, driving in 3…Chris Richard drove in 3 runs and Jon Weber was 3-6 and hit his 13th home run.
Jacksonville 10, Montgomery 3. Jason Cromer pitched well, holding Jacksonville to 1 run in 6 innings, but Ryan Reid blew the lead, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) in 1 inning…Rashad Eldridge was 4-5 with a double and a triple. He drove in 2 runs and is now hitting .295…
Columbus 10, Savannah 5. Jesse Darcy struck out 7 and only walked 1 in 5 innings, but gave up 2 home runs and 3 runs total…Mike McCormick hit his 11th home run…Maiko Loyola stole his 45th base, going 1-4 with a walk and a RBI.
Karma is a bitch…James Houser who avoided the final 2 weeks of his suspension entering the ’08 season due to a loophole after the Rays added him to the 40-man roster, will miss yet another start due to injury. This time it is a left forearm strain. Houser just recently returned from minor knee surgery. [Biscuits' Batter]
He only played in 9 games for the Montgomery Biscuits, but David Price was named to the league’s post-season all-star team. [OurSports Central]
Here is a video interview of Durham Bulls hitting coach Gary Gaetti, talking mostly about his days in college. [YouTube]
Durham 6, Louisville 2. Ben Hendrickson won his 10th game, striking out 7 in 7 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk…Dan Johnson was 2-4 with 2 doubles and a walk…John Jaso finished 1-4 with a walk and an RBI…Jonny Gomes was 0-5 with a strike out.
Tennessee 1, Montgomery 0. Mike Prochaska allowed only 1 run in 8 innings on 7 hits and no walks. He struck out 3.
Daytona @ Vero Beach (gm 1; ppd rain). Daytona @ Vero Beach (gm 2; ppd rain). The D-Rays have now had their last 6 games postponed or cancelled due to rain or a wet field. Columbus 2, Charleston 0 (gm 1). Jesse Darcy pitched a 2-hit shutout improving to 7-3 with a 2.95 ERA. He did not strike out a batter and did not issue a walk…Maiko Loyola finished 2-3. Columbus @ Charleston (gm 2; ppd rain)
5 of the Rays 6 Arizona Fall League participants will be from the Montgomery roster including James Houser, Ryan Reid, Rhyne Hughes, JT Hall and Matt Spring. Houser was originally scheduled to participate last fall, but was unable due to his on-going suspension. No word yet on who the 6th member will be, although it will likely be a pitcher. [Montgomery Advertiser]
The Bulls’ magic number to clinch the South Division is now 4 with 10 games remaining on the schedule. [Durham Bulls]
The Biscuits now trail Mississippi by 3.5 games with 10 to play. [Montgomery Advertiser]
Durham 6, Indianapolis 5. Nathan Haynes singled home the tying run in the top of the 9th and then scored the go-ahead run on a sac fly by Jon Weber…Jeff Niemann struck out 6 and walked 6 in 4.2 innings, allowing 2 hits and 5 runs. He also hit a batter. The big blow was a bases loaded double in the second inning after Niemann had walked the bases loaded. Niemann has now walked 16 batters in his last 20.2 innings pitched…Chris Richard was 2-5 with a double and a home run. He drove in 3…John Jaso added his 3rd home run since being promoted from Montgomery…Fernando Perez stole his 39th base. He is 4th in the IL in steals…Dan Johnson was 2-5 and leads the IL with a .969 OPS and .422 OBP.
Jacksonville 7, Montgomery 3. James Houser made his first start in a month and was limited to 1.1 innings, walking 3 and giving up 1 hit and a run…Ryan Reid pitched 2 perfect innings of relief with 2 Ks…JT Hall hit a solo home run.
Jupiter 7, Vero Beach 5. Brandon Mann struck out 8 in 5 innings, but allowed 6 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. He gave up 3 home runs…Hector Gimenez hit a 2-run home run for the D-Rays.
Columbus 3, Hagerstown 2 (13). Jesse Darcy struck out 5 and walked none in 6 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned). He is 12th in the SAL in ERA (3.12)…Henry Wrigley was 4-5 with 2 doubles and a walk, while Maiko Loyola finished 1-5 with a double, walk and his 41st stolen base. He is now 4th in the SAL in steals.
James Houser who missed the last month with minor knee surgery has been activated. [Biscuits' Batter]
The Pirates were able to sign Pedro Alvarez to a minor league deal afterall, with a $6 million signing bonus, just short of Tim Beckham’s deal for $6.15 million. [USA Today]
Buster Posey, another player the Rays apparently considered with the top pick signed for $6.2 million. His deal was also a minor league deal…We could be wrong but the only draftee that we know of that received a major league deal was LHP Brian Matusz with the Orioles #4 pick. [San Francisco Chronicle]
One of our readers pointed us to the coolest thing we have read in a while (thanks Thad). It is 
