[UPDATE: 11:32] The Red Sox beat the Indians, but the Rays overcame a first inning that saw the O’s score 5 runs before an out, to get the win. With the victory, the Rays magic number to win the division is now 1. The Angels are currently losing in the 5th inning, 4-2. An Angels loss and the Rays be 1 game behind for the best record in the AL. The Rays won the season-series with the Angels 6-3.

As we get closer to the playoffs, the links are going to start coming fast and furious…On certain days we will provide a late afternoon “Happy Hour” to try and keep the pace…

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Marc Lancaster has a quote from Terry Francona that suggests the Red Sox will concede the division. [Rays Report]
• Carl Crawford is now ceding that he probably will not be ready for the first round of the playoffs…If there was any doubt, this should solidify Fernando Perez’ spot on the roster for the ALDS. [Rays Report]
• Curious as to who will throw out the first pitch in the Rays home playoff games? Well, it won’t be any former members of the organization according to Matt Silverman. “MLB asked us who it’d be. We realized nobody in the history of the franchise had done anything to be worthy of the honor.”…Ouch. The truth hurts. [Washington Post]
• Deadspin suggests Victor Zambrano. [Deadspin]
• Outs Per Swing has an exhaustive list of candidates. [Outs Per Swing]
• Bugs and Cranks offers 5 suggestions…We like the idea of Mr. T. [Bugs and Cranks]
• Jason Bartlett should hire Brittany Ghiroli as his publicist. Ghiroli breaks down exactly how valuable Bartlett has been to the Rays and she does it much better than we did. [MLB]
• MLB Trade Rumors breaks down all of playoff teams/contenders to see which teams have benefited the most from their own first-round picks. The Rays come in 4th behind the Mets, Brewers and Phillies. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• Tampa Bay Rays Prospects has compiled a nice list of the organization’s top strikeout-to-walk ratios from this past season. The top two players are from the Venezuelan and Dominican Summer Leagues which is even below rookie league, so don’t put too much weight in those numbers. The truly impressive numbers are from Jeremy Hellickson (8.1 at high-A and AA), Heath Rollins (4.2 at high-A and AA) and Mitch Talbot (4.0 at AAA). [Tampa Bay Rays Prospects]
• Joe Bucs Fan is not happy with Stu Sternberg for leaving the tarps on the upper deck for the first two rounds of the playoffs…For the record, MLB has final say in the World Series. If the Rays make it that far, MLB has already told the Rays to have the tarp removed. [Joe Bucs Fan]

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule…

THE GOOD: Even though the lead in the East is down to 1.5, the Rays are still very much in the driver’s seat. The lead in the loss column is 2 and the Rays hold the tie-breaker. In order for the Rays to lose the division, they need to lose 3 more games than the Red Sox this week and their last 3 games are at home against the Yankees. In other words, if the Rays go 4-4, the Red Sox have to go 6-1. And don’t think the Yankees won’t enjoy playing spoiler against the Sox…The odds of the Rays winning the Division according to Baseball Prospectus is now 72.3%…The Yankees Tragic number is 1.

THE BAD: We sure hope the Rays don’t lose the division by 1 game as the Rays just gave away a game yesterday. We thought the afternoon clinching game on Saturday would help a little. Let the Rays celebrate for a few hours and they could still get a decent night’s sleep prior to getaway day. After all, there is still a division to win with only a week to play. Every game is important. But apparently they went too far as the team played as if they were hungover yesterday, managing only 5 hits and committing 2 errors. And keep in mind the difference between winning the division and being the Wild Card. The Wild Card team starts on the road and likely has to beat both the Angels and the Red Sox without home field advatage in order to get to the World Series. Also, the Rays finish the season this week with 8 games in 7 days on the road. If they are the Wild Card, they will come home next Sunday and have to fly out to Anaheim the next morning…The Red Sox magic number to clinch at least a wild card is 1.

THE TELLING: The Rays finished the regular season with an attendance of 1,811,986, second only to the inaugural season in 1998 (2.5 million). Over the course of the season the Rays had 8 sellouts (including Sunday), matching the total number of sellouts from the first 10 years.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Oops. We all know the Tampa Tribune is in bed with the Yankees and barely knew the Rays existed prior to this season. But if Joe Henderson is going to write a piece on how the success of the team starts with Andrew Friedman, then they probably should make sure that the picture running with the story is actually of Friedman, and not Matt Silverman (that is Silverman on the left in the photo, not Friedman). [Update: The picture has since been removed. Here is the picture] [Tampa Tribune]
• We are going to try and get in a Live Blog-A-Baloo for David Price’s first major league start tonight. No promises as the calendar is pretty full. But by 7:00 we will probably need a drink or 10 anyhow. So be sure to check back. [Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo Of The Week]
• Et tu, Chalk? Yes! David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks goes Mohawk, with video! We love that he does this while decked out in Devil Rays gear at a Supercuts. [Bugs and Cranks]
• David Price will make his first major league start on today in Baltimore and Mitch Talbot will make his first start tomorrow in the second game of the double-header. Matt Garza will be skipped in the rotation this time through to give his arm some extra rest. He will next pitch on Saturday. [Rays Report]
• Troy Percival will not be available tonight or tomorrow after receiving another shot for his back. [St. Pete Times]
• David Price hopes tonight’s start will convince the Rays to include him on the postseason roster. [Lakeland Ledger]
• Covering All The Bases isn’t ready to sing the Rays praises just yet, saying that “enough is enough.” Then again, she might just be taking out her frustration of losing Nomah to Mia. [Covering the Bases]
• The Big Lead, after poo-pooing the Rays all season, has finally decided that they will “officially exclude [himself] from the people that continue to doubt this team.” [The Big Lead]
• Joe Torre sent Joe Maddon a fax congratulating him on “winning a tough division.” [Tampa Tribune]
• The Sports Frappe gives their “Sports Douche of the Week” award to Tampa Bay Rays fans, slamming their lack of support, saying: “Their soft fans showed their excitement for this year’s Cinderella season by attending in lackluster numbers, somewhere around 13,000 per game.”…Of course the Rays actually drew more 22,000 per game. But hey, who wants to be bothered by actual facts. The only thing Douchy about that post is the background color on the The Sports Frappe. [The Sports Frappe]

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule…

THE GOOD: Evan Longoria. There has been some recent talk that his extended stint on the DL would cost Dirtbag the Rookie of the Year award. 3 home runs last night. What about now? That’s what we thought.

THE BAD: Joe Maddon. With 1 out and men on first and second in the 9th with the score tied Maddon brought Trever Miller in to face the lefty Jason Kubel. Ron Gardenhire countered by pitch-hitting with the righty-hitting Adam Everett. Maddon has 86 pitchers in the bullpen now, so it would have been fine to go back to the bullpen and bring in a righty. Instead Papa Joe leaves Miller in to face the righty, the same pitcher that has a .642/.800 OPS split against lefties and righties. For all the good moves this season, the one move he continues to make that leaves us dumbfounded is having Miller face righties. Earlier this season there were situations, because of injuries, where it was necesaary. But with the expanded roster, it should never happen [Ed. note: Prof suffered a brain-fart this morning. A pitcher must face at least one batter when brought into a game as noted in the comments. As the commenter notes, that does not change the point that Miller should not have been brought in to the game anyway if it is just one lefty batter in a bunting situation]... Bizarro Bullpen. There is a problem when the two relievers that we have the least amount of confidence in are the two guys that the Rays depend on to close out games. If the Rays continue to go to Dan Wheeler and Troy Percival in the 8th and 9th inning, we will see more games like last night.

THE TELLING: As we suspected, Troy Percival was eased back into live action, as he was called upon to work the 8th inning last night. With his recent back and leg problems, Joe Maddon wants to make sure Percy is ready to dominate before handing him the closing duties. Percival does say that his back feels better than it has all season.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Apparently there is still a scenario under which the Rays could clinch a playoff spot tonight. According to Marc Lancaster, if the Rays win AND the White Sox, Blue Jays and Yankees all lose, the Rays clinch at least a wild card. We can only guess that this has something to do with head-to-head matchups among those teams. We will take Lancaster’s word for it, as just typing that sentence hurt our brain. [Rays Report]
• A situation we have speculated on since Spring Training could come to fruition in the next few days. We have long thought BJ Upton would make a great right fielder with his strong arm as long as Fernando Perez was in center. With Upton’s legs still not 100% we might see that exact lineup as early as Saturday or Sunday according to Joe Maddon. [MLB]
• Brittany Ghiroli reports that Carl Crawford will not be back during the regular season, as he is still a ways away from even being able to swing a bat. If he plays in the first round of the playoffs, he will be limited to pinch-running and late-inning defensive substitution roles. [MLB]
• The second starter in Tuesday’s double-header in Baltimore looks to either be Mitch Talbot or David Price. The availability of Price will depend on whether Joe Maddon needs King David out of the bullpen in the next couple of days. [Tampa Tribune]
• Shawn Riggans was officially placed on the DL and it now appears that he is done for the season…Although there is no official word, the backup catcher in the playoffs will likely be Michel Hernandez who had 5 career games under his belt prior to September. [Rays Report]
• “Little-name trade”? Seriously Scott Miller? Anybody that thinks the Matt Garza-Jason Bartlett-Delmon Young trade was a trade of “little names” is somebody that does not follow baseball. Young was a former #1 overall pick. Garza was the Twins top prospect. Bartlett’s glove was not a mystery among baseball fans. This was a blockbuster, and anything but a “little name trade”. [CBS Sportsline]
• The guys at one of our favorite new blogs, Joe Bucs Fan are worried that the Bucs will start playing second fiddle to the Rays. [Joe Bucs Fan]
• Speaking of the Bucs…We are not sure what bothers us more…the fact that Jerramy “King of Turds” Stevens has now been activated or that some day when Stevens is facing a felony charge, the press will refer to Stevens as “Former Bucs Tight End”. Seriously. Is this creep going to be the difference between being a playoff team and being home for the holidays? Is the reputation of the entire franchise worth the risk? If the Rays ever signed a nutcase like Stevens we would become a Red Sox blogger in about 0.4 seconds. [Joe Bucs Fan]
• Al Reyes was released by the Mets without making an appearance for the ballclub. [New York Post]
• Former Rays Delmon Young and Brendan Harris commented on the Rays success. [MLB]
• Jayson Stark says it was the Rays that “played as if it had been there, done this pennant-race stuff a thousand times. And it was the Red Sox who did the mumbling, the stumbling and the fumbling.” [ESPN]
• Chad Finn of the Boston Globe updates his list of “those subpar, non-descript and just plain lousy ballplayers who have tormented the Sox in recent years.” The latest incarnation of the list includes several Rays. [Boston Globe]
• DRays Bay shows one benefit of having Andy Sonnanstine in the rotation. He faced the Red Sox twice in a week and the Red Sox basically saw two different pitchers…Although one problem we have run into in the past with Sonnanstine’s Pitchf/x data, is that he throws so many different pitches from different arm angles, that it is difficult to classify exactly which pitch he is throwing sometimes. [DRays Bay]
• The Serious Tip shows that there are indeed Rays fans at the Trop and attempts to classify them. [The Serious Tip]
• Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. [San Diego Union-Tribune]

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule…

THE GOOD: The Rays still lead the Red Sox by 1 game in the loss column and the Twins by 8 games in the loss column…That translates to a 99.9% chance of making the playoffs.

THE BAD: Do people not understand that the Rays still lead the Sox by 1 in the loss column and the Twins by 8 in the loss column for the Wild Card? They must not, or we would not see headlines with the words “Collapse“, or references to the Rays’ season as “Gloomy“, or as “striking midnight“. THERE ARE ONLY 14 GAMES REMAINING! And the Twins only have 12 left. If the Twins go 12-0, the Rays still only need to finish 5-9 to force a 1-game playoff. That is because the Twins and the White Sox play each other 3 times. So even if the Twins win all three, the White Sox will have at least 69 losses (they have 60 now). 5-9 GUARANTEES AT LEAST A 1-GAME PLAYOFF.

THE TELLING: After walking the first two batters on 8 pitches Scott Kazmir gave up his first home run to a left-handed batter since 2007. Game Over.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• BJ Upton still does not know when he will be able to return noting that when he suffered the same injury last season he was out 36 days even though he thought it would only be 5. [Tampa Tribune]
• Carl Crawford still is not close to being able to swing a bat but says his surgically repaired finger is progressing well and he hopes to be back in two weeks.” [Bradenton Herald]
• Gary Shelton says Scott Kazmir sure didn’t look like an Ace last night. [St. Pete Times]
• One of our commenters from the Blog-A-Baloo last night (Scot), was quoted today in the Providence Journal. [Providence Journal]
• Her Rays tries to divert our attention from the car wreck that is the Rays, with a picture…She is cute. [Her Rays]
• Jeff Niemann and Mitch Talbot will only be used if the Rays are beset by unforeseen circumstances, such as a starter getting knocked out early due to incompetency or injury. [St. Pete Times]
• Brittany Ghiroli reports that the Rays are still maintaining a loose atmosphere despite the recent struggles. [MLB]
• Jayson Stark says the Rays played “like a team that looked exhausted” and feels that not winning the division would be a “gigantic letdown” let down for the Rays. [ESPN]
• Stuart Sternberg is confident that attendance will pick up in 2009 noting that season ticket sales will help fill the park next coming off the winning season and business partnerships will increase during the off-season. [MLB]
• Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald wonders if Rays’ payoff games should be moved to “a place where fans actually care about the product.” [Boston Herald]
• We previously heard that Cliff Floyd was contemplating retirement after the season. Now he sounds like he has already decided to come back next season. [SI.com]

Only a few months ago, Floyd was sure that he was going to retire. Now he wants to return as a Ray. “I’m going to play,” Floyd said. “I don’t think you can break this unit up.”

• Outs Per Swing breaks down how everybody has performed since the all-star break…The are some surprising numbers. [Outs Per Swing]

THE GOOD: James Shields. It had been a while since we had seen Shields paint one of his Shieldsian Masterpieces. When Shields is on his game as he was yesterday, it is like watching a young Greg Maddux. The Greg Maddux that actually threw fastballs in the low 90s and would work 8 innings. It really is a thing of beauty. 8 innings, 6 strikeouts, no walks. In only 1 inning (6th) did a runner even reach second base. We call him “James the Greater”. But maybe “Bulldog” is more appropriate.

THE BAD: In the nightcap, Ben Zobrist put the Rays in a position to win with his second career grand slam and then put the Rays in a position to lose with his 7th error of the season. Instead of an inning-ending double play, Zobrist threw an easy toss to second into right field, leading to 2 runs…The Rays had at least 2 runners on base in each of the first 3 innings and failed to score…Prior to Ben Zobrist’s grand slam, the Rays were 0-8 with runners in scoring position (if you count Fernando Perez’ “sacrifice” in the 2nd when he was trying to bunt for a basehit)…After Ben Zobrist’s grand slam with 1 out in the 4th, Yankees pitchers faced the minimum over the next 14 batters until Gabe Gross singled off of Mo Rivera to lead off the 9th…Matt Garza’s control. He only walked 3 batters in 5 innings, but of his 83 pitches only 47 were strikes (57%).

THE TELLING: In the first game of the double-header, both Ben Zobrist and Fernando Perez, switch-hitters, batted right-handed against the righty Mike Mussina. Joe Maddon told both players they could start as long as they went along with the plan. Combined, they went 2-5 with a single and a double against Moose.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…

• Our good friends at The Serious Tip, turn 2 today…Happy Birthday! [The Serious Tip]
• Because Joe Maddon switched Matt Garza and James Shields in the rotation on Friday and Saturday and because of the subsequent rainout on Friday, the Rays are without a starter for Wednesday’s game against the Red Sox. That game would have been Garza’s start and Papa Joe could still decide use Garza despite only 3 days rest. Garza only threw 83 pitches last night. Or Maddon could decide to use one of the trio of starters just called up from triple-A, David Price, Jeff Niemann or Mitch Talbot…This is where we would normally make an educated guess as to what Maddon will do. However this time we have no clue. We could make an argument for all 4. Our gut says Niemann. Thoughts? [St. Pete Times]
• Reason number 705 that we love Stuart Sternberg and why the Rays are lucky to work for him. [Tampa Tribune]

“I just want to be there with the Red Sox fans when they cheer Jeter on, and A-Rod, and their former Damon, and Giambi, and the whole crew. All the guys that they love all year long, year after year, as they sit there and root for them to get hits and strikeouts and all that good stuff. I’d love to share a bar seat with a couple of Sox fans as they root for the Yankees.”

• Rays The Stakes wants to know why Troy Percival is still the Rays closer. [Rays The Stakes]
• John Romano thinks Francisco Rodriguez is a better comparison for David Price than Joba Chamberlain. [St. Pete Times]
• We saw in the nightcap that BJ Upton was sporting a fresh mohawk. And now we read that Evan Longoria went mohawk in between yesterday’s games. Anybody have pictures? [St. Pete Times]
• Jose Molina took exception to being hit by James Shields in the 6th inning of the opener with the Rays up 7-0. Molina gave a long stare to Shields and then was called for interference when he went out of the baseline to try and kick Jason Bartlett, while sliding into second on a double play. [Rays Report]
• The Charleston Post and Courier interviewed Carl Crawford, in which he states a strong desire to have a grass ballpark for the Rays. [Charleston Post and Courier]
• If there is any doubt that a sports franchise can survive in the Bay Area, Forbes ranks the Tampa Bay Bucs as tied for the 6th most valuable team in football at $1.1 billion. [Forbes]

Last night’s contest was rained out. The Rays and Yankees will play a day-night double-header with the first going at the originally scheduled 1:05 and the night-cap will be at 7:05…Boston beat the Jays last night 7-0, and will also play a double-header today…The Twins were rained out in Baltimore so the magic number remains 10.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• DRays Bay doesn’t understand why all 29 Major League GMs, who are actually, you know, paid to make such decisions, passed on the opportunity to add a guy to their roster who had 103 strikeouts and only 19 walks in triple-A. A player that will be out of minor league options in ’09. A player that has a career minor league OBP of .311. A player, who despite all of his “power potential” has only hit 20 home runs once in 7 minor league seasons…And when we *tried* to have an intelligent discussion on the matter in their comments section, the only responses were vile attacks on our website and on us personally. Having a conversation with them is like a Martian talking to a fungo. [Drays Bay]
• In case you missed it last night in the Twitter updates in the right-hand column or this morning in the “Down on the Farm” segment, David Price, Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and Jonny Gomes will join the Rays today, now that Durham’s season is over. Despite pitching on Tuesday, Price is available to pitch during today’s double-header. Niemann last pitched on Wednesday, so we expect he will not be available today. All three, Price, Niemann and Talbot will work out of the bullpen for now. [Rays Report]
• Evan Longoria will return to the lineup in game 1 today. He will not start in game 2. BJ Upton is not expected to play today and Troy Percival is expected to be day-to-day for the rest of the season. [Tampa Tribune]
• John Romano wants to give Joe Maddon the benefit of the doubt, but if Maddon truly has the team’s best interest at heart, then Romano thinks Troy Percival should not be closing any longer. [St. Pete Times]
• Take away the historical context and the $20 million players, and we fully agree, the Trop is better than Yankee Stadium. And unlike 99% of the people that badmouth the Trop, we have actually been to games in both stadiums. I would also say that the level of comfort and enjoyment of the Trop is better than Fenway where only people 5’2″ can be comfortable and half the seats face the outfield wall, Shea Stadium which is a dump and new Commiskey, which is boring. We are sure there are others. [Bugs and Cranks]
• The Rays lost the coin-flip to decide who would host a matchup should a one-game playoff be needed to decide the AL East crown…To clarify, a one-game playoff will only be necessary if both the White Sox and Twins have better records than the Rays and the Red Sox. One-game playoffs are not used if both teams are guaranteed a playoff spot. In this case it is very likely that both the Rays and the Red Sox will be in the playoffs making this entire matter moot. [The Heater]
• The Florida Aquarium has given five new baby Rays some familiar names. [Tampa Bay's 10]

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 20, Durham 2 (Scranton/WB wins 3-1). Wade Davis gave up 8 runs (5 earned) in only 2 innings, as Scranton had innings of 5,5 and 8 runs…Phil Hughes struck out 12 Bulls in just 5 innings as the Yankees won the IL Governor’s Cup Finals…Gaby Martinez hit his first triple-A home run for Durham.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Following the game, the Rays promoted last year’s top pick David Price as well as Jeff Niemann, Mitch Talbot and Jonny Gomes. The only name that surprises us a bit is Talbot. You may recall that Talbot was acquired along with Ben Zobrist in the trade that sent Aubrey Huff to Houston. Talbot has been the Rays most consistent pitcher in triple-A all season. He has clearly earned the promotion, but we did not think Joe Maddon would have enough room in the locker room. Papa Joe has repeatedly stated that he did not want to many new bodies in the locker room at this time of year. However, with injuries the Rays have now promoted 10 players, about twice as many as expected. [Rays Report]
• This will be the final “Down on the Farm” segment of 2008. Any minor league news over the next few months will go in the daily “Hangover” posts…See you next Spring.

Scranton/WB 8, Durham 7 (Scranton leads 1-0). Scott Dohmann blew a 1-run lead in the bottom of the 9th, allowing the winning run on a 2-out single…David Price worked 6 innings, but left trailing 4-2. He gave up 3 runs in the first inning, with the big blow being a 2-run home run. Price cruised through the middle innings before giving up one more run in the 6th. He was pulled after 6, striking out 9 and walking just 1…Elliot Johnson drove in 2 with a double in the 3rd…The Bulls rallied to take the lead with 5 in the 7th. Rashad Eldridge who was added just prior to the game, drove home 2 in the inning with a double.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• In case you missed it late last night, David Price was named USA Today’s Minor League Player of the Year…And with his season complete, if Price is going to be called up, it could happen as early as tonight. [Rays Index]
• If you missed it yesterday, Michel Hernandez and Dan Johnson were promoted to the Rays. Rashad Eldridge and Craig Albernaz were promoted from Montgomery to fill the roster spots. [Rays Index]
• Gaby Martinez will also join the Bulls but will not be activated unless needed. [Biscuits' Batter]
• Whomever wrote the press release for the above moves may have been a tad upset at the Rays. According to Stacy Long, the release original seemed to take a slight shot at the Rays for taking key members of the Bulls just prior to the Championship series. The press release was subsequently changed and now includes less vitriolic language. [Biscuits' Batter]

The Original Release: Hours before the first pitch of Game One of the Governors’ Cup Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Rays have taken three of Durham’s key position players.

• The Bulls have set their rotation for the Governor’s Cup Finals. Mitch Talbot will go in game 2 and will be followed by Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis. Of an interesting note is the Yankees game 5 starter…Victor Zambrano. Great googly moogly. [Durham Bulls]

Charlotte 6, Durham 1. Ben Hendrickson struck out 8 and walked none, but gave up 3 runs in 6 innings for the loss…The Bulls managed only 6 hits, with the only run coming off a first inning, solo home run from Chris Richard…The Bulls finished the regular season 74-70, 8.5 games up in the IL South division. They will face Louisville in the first round of the Governor’s Cup playoffs.

Jacksonville 7, Montgomery 6 (10). Mike Prochaska gave up 5 runs in 6.2 innings…Rhyne Hughes and Matt Spring homered for the Biscuits in the season finale…The Biscuits finished the second half 35-34, 8 games back, tied for second place in the Southern League’s South division. Anybody else find it strange that the Southern League has a South Division and a North Division? No. Ok, nevermind.

Columbus 5, Rome 2. Jason Ragan picked up his 8th win in the Catfish’ season finale. He gave up 2 runs in 5 innings on 5 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6…Henry Wrigley had a 3-run home run.

Staten Island 6, Hudson Valley 3. Tim Beckham was 0-2 with 2 walks and a strike out.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• The Governor’s Cup playoffs begin on Wednesday with David Price going in game 1 for the Bulls against the Red’s triple-A affiliate, in Louisville. Price will be followed by Mitch Talbot on Thursday, Jeff Niemann at home on Friday and Wade Davis on Saturday in Durham. The Red’s top prospect, Homer Bailey, will throw game 2. [Our Sports Central]
• Mike Prochaska mixed in some knuckleballs in the final start of his career. He is expected to retire following the season. [Biscuits' Batter]

Durham 4, Norfolk 0. Mitch Talbot pitched 7 shutout innings, striking out 5 and walking 1. He gave up 6 hits…Mike DiFelice drove in 3 runs, 2 came off his 3rd home run…Jonny Gomes was 0-4 with a strikeout.

Montgomery 5, Jacksonville 3 (10). Erold Andrus hit a 1-out, 3-run home run in the top of the 9th to send it to extra innings. In the 10th, Gaby Martinez drove in the go-ahead run with a single…Jeremy Hellickson struck out 10 and walked none in 7 innings. He gave up 3 runs, all in the 2nd inning. After those 3 runs, he retired 14 in a row and faced the minimum over the last 5+ innings he pitched.

Jupiter 2, Vero Beach 0. It is only the Florida State League, but Carlos Hernandez is looking solid so far in his attempts to get back to the big leagues. He has already been named the FSL pitcher of the week. And last night, in just his 4th start since signing with the Rays, he pitched 4.2 shutout innings. He struck out 3 and walked none, with 3 hits allowed…Darin Downs, who the Rays just recently acquired, struck out 7 in 3.1 innings of relief.

Lake Co. 6, Columbus 4. Jason Ragan allowed 1 run in 4 innings…Chase Fontaine finished 2-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI…Mike McCormick was 0-4.

Hudson Valley 8, Jamestown 7 (11).

Princeton 2, Bristol 1 (gm 1). Tim Beckham did not play in game 1 of the double-header.

Princeton 3, Bristol 0 (gm 2). Tim Beckham was 1-3 with a strikeout.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• With the victory, Mitch Talbot now has the dubious distinction of being the second-winningest pitcher in Durham Bulls history (as a triple-A franchise). The win was his 26th in triple-A. Certainly he hopes not to catch Mickey Callaway, who won 34 games for the Bulls. [Durham Bulls]
• SportsAgentBlog breaks down draft signings so far. [SportsAgentBlog]