Archive for the 'Cody Cipriano' Category

May 17

[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Peralta’s Save, Upton’s Bomb, And Schedules From Hell

Aneury Rodriguez, Cody Cipriano, David Price, joel peralta Cork Gaines 12 Comments »

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: Joel Peralta. Don’t get excited. We’ll get to BJ and SuperSam in a moment. But the MVP last night was Peralta. The most important outs are often the ones that come immediately after taking the lead in the game. And after the Rays overcame a 5-1 hole, Joe Maddon turned to Peralta for the 7th and 8th innings. Six batters, six outs. And in the 8th inning he retired Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez…BJ Upton. Sam Fuld got the scoring in the 6th inning started with a 2-run home run that travelled just a little farther than his only other home run this season. But it was BJ Upton that capped the comeback with his 6th home run of the year…Comebacks. Overcoming a deficit is sweet. Overcoming a deficit at home against the Yankees is even better. After Curtis Granderson homered off of David Price in the 5th inning, the Win Expectancy for the Rays was 9.4%. In other words, there was less than a 10% chance of winning the game at that point.

THE BAD: Schedule From Hell. St. Pete for a night game tonight. Two games in Toronto starting tomorrow. Three games in Miami starting Friday. And then three games in Detroit starting Monday before their next off-day. That is over 4,000 miles of travelling in a 6-day stretch…David Price. He seemed a little less angry at Joe Maddon last night when he was pulled from the game with 98 pitches in just 5 innings.

THE TELLING: Joe Maddon called-off batting practice prior to the game to give the hitters a break…Every hitter in the lineup had a hit except Reid Brignac (of course)…The home run by Curtis Granderson was the first by lefty off of David Price in 320 at bats since June, 2009…Thanks to a rainout in Durham, JP Howell will not rejoin the Rays until Friday…Look for Andy Sonnanstine to start again on Friday…Bobby Valentine mentioned on “Baseball Tonight” that “nobody in the [Yankees] clubhouse likes [Rafael Soriano].”

THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…

  • David Price loves his fastball. [ESPN]
  • Prior to last night, the Rays had not scored more than 5 runs in any of their 22 home games. That was the longest such streak to start a season since 1908. [STATS]
  • Hey look. Somebody has the Rays atop Read the rest of this entry »
Aug 06

Down On The Farm: Charlotte Overcomes 6-Run Deficit

Cody Cipriano Cork Gaines No Comments »

Durham. (no games scheduled)

Montgomery 6, Mississippi 3. Rayner Oliveros pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 unearned runs on 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 2…Rashad Eldridge and Fernando Cortez each drove in 2.

Charlotte 7, Fort Myers 6 (12). The Stone Crabs won on a Drew Anderson one-out single in the bottom of the 12th. Charlotte had trailed 6-0 after the first inning…Jake McGee started but did not record an out, giving up 4 hits, including a home run, and a walk. All 5 runners would score…Darin Downs relieved McGee. He gave up a home run to the first batter he faced and then back-to-back hits to start the second. But then he settled down and allowed only 2 hits over the next 6 innings striking out 5 and walking none…Shawn O’Malley was 2-4 with 3 walks and an RBI. O’Malley is hitting .263/.384/.306 with 36 steals…Mike McCormick hit his 3rd home run.

Bowling Green @ Asheville. (ppd. rain)

Lowell 6, Hudson Valley 3.

Princeton @ Danville. (ppd. rain)

Notes from Down on the Farm…

  • Rays prospect Cody Cipriano is a “director of marketing” in the off-season. [Montgomery Advertiser]
Jul 14

Down On The Farm: Rays Prospects Pounded In SL All-Star Game

Cody Cipriano, Eduardo Morlan, Jeremy Hellickson Cork Gaines No Comments »

Durham. (no game scheduled)

Montgomery. (no game scheduled)

Charlotte 7, Sarasota 4. Darin Downs picked up his 9th win in 13 decisions after giving up 1 run in 7 innings. He struck out 7 and walked 2. His ERA is now 2.23…Shawn O’Malley went 2-4 with a walk and an RBI…Emeel Salem was 3-4 with a triple and 2 RBI…Mike McCormick hit his first home run.

Lakewood 9, Bowling Green 4. Nick Barnese allowed 8 runs (5 earned) in 5.1 innings. He had given up just 4 earned runs total in his first 7 starts. It was just the second time he had allowed more than 1 earned run…Tim Beckham was 1-5 with 2 strikeouts, an RBI single and his 7th stolen base.

Hudson Valley. (no game scheduled)

Princeton 6, Bluefield 1.

Notes from Down on the Farm…

  • Rough night for Rays prospects in the Southern League All-Star game. Jeremy Hellickson and Eddie Morlan combined to give up 6 runs in 1.1 innings. Hellboy faced 5 batters, with 4 reaching base on a walk, a double, a triple and a 2-run home run. [MiLB]
  • Cody Cipriano has been promoted to Montgomery. [Rays Prospects]
Jun 04

Down On The Farm: Wade Davis Strikes Out 13

Cody Cipriano, Desmond Jennings, Matt Joyce, Wade Davis Cork Gaines No Comments »

Toledo 5, Durham 2. It was the best of Wade Davis (13 Ks in 6 innings), it was the worst of Wade Davis (2 home runs). In total, he allowed 3 runs on 8 hits and a walk and dropped to 5-3. However, after the 3rd inning, Davis struck out 9 of the last 12 batters he faced…Justin Ruggiano was 1-3 with a walk.

Jacksonville 9, Montgomery 2 (gm 1). Heath Rollins pitched the first 4 innings the day before yesterday, prior to the suspension of the game. He allowed 5 runs. Chad Bradford, making his first rehab appearance, took over in the 5th and allowed 1 run on 2 hits and a walk. He struck out 2…Desmond Jennings was 2-3 with a walk and his 18th steal…Rhyne Hughes was 1-4 with his 44th RBI and 4th stolen base.

Montgomery, Jacksonville (8; gm 2). Aneury Rodriguez had his best start since joining the Rays organization. He struck out 5 and did walk 4, but allowed only 1 run on 2 hits in 5 innings…Eddie Morlan pitched the 8th (game was scheduled to go 7) and allowed the go-ahead run on a 1-out double…Desmond Jennings was 1-5 and stole his 19th base…Rhyne Hughes homered, his 15th, a 2-run shot.

Charlotte, Daytona. Another strong start for David Newmann who struck out 8 and walked 2 in 6 innings. He allowed 1 unearned run on 2 hits. He now has 57 Ks and 21 walks in 52.1 innings with a 3.78 ERA…Matt Fields was 0-4 with a walk and 3 Ks…Cody Cipriano was 2-4 with a walk. He is now hitting .325.

Lexington @ Bowling Green (ppd. rain).

Notes from Down on the Farm…

  • After allowing the second home run of the game, Wade Davis moved to the first base side of the rubber, something he has never done before. [Durham Herald-Sun]
  • Rays minor leaguers with a wOBA greater than .400 (min. 130 PA): Desmond Jennings (AA; .446), Matt Joyce (AAA; .415), Cody Cipriano (A+; .412).
Jun 04

[HINDSIGHT IS WHAT IT IS] The 2007 Draft: A Look Back

Cody Cipriano, David Newmann, David Price, Dustin Biell, Emeel Salem, Greg Sexton, Matt Moore, Nick Barnese, Reid Fronk, Will Kline Cork Gaines 3 Comments »

With the 2008 MLB draft tomorrow, the Tampa Bay Rays front office is busy preparing for their third rodeo. Now is a good time to take a look back and gauge the early returns from players selected in last year’s draft. We all know about David Price, but what about the rest of the picks.

While analyzing each pick we took a look at the next 10 players picked and how they are performing to see if there are any gems the Rays missed. Once you get past that mark, we start looking at players that many teams missed out on, not just the Rays. One of our biggest draft analysis pet-peeves it to give too much credit to teams that get a superstar in a later round. For example, the New England Patriots are always credited for drafting Tom Brady in the 6th round. That pick should not be used to show their drafting prowess. They got lucky. If they knew how good Brady would turn out to be, they would not have risked waiting until the 6th round to select him.

Without further ado, we present you the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2007 top 10 draft picks recap…

  1. David Price, LHP: It took him almost a year to make his professional debut, but so far he is everything the Rays hoped for. In 3 starts he has yet to allow a run and has been touched for only 8 hits and 2 walks in 18 innings. He has struck out 19. Some are beginning to wonder if Price could make a late-season appearance for the Rays. This will only happen if the Rays are in the pennant race and one of Troy Percival, Al Reyes or Dan Wheeler is lost for the rest of the year and there is an obvious need for a 7th or 8th inning pitcher. With his late start to the season, there will still be plenty of bullets left in his arm and the Rays will not have to worry about over-extending him…Player missed: It is hard to argue with Price, but some suggested before the draft that the Rays should take catcher Matt Wieters (4 picks later). Early on, it looks like they would have been justified in that selection also. Weiters is with the O’s high-A affiliate and is hitting .324/.420/.566 with 12 home runs. Would Buster Posey even be on the radar this season if the Rays had selected Wieters?
  2. Will Kline, RHP: After making 9 starts in ’07 and going 0-4 with a 4.97 ERA, Kline was shutdown this spring and will miss the entire ’08 season due to an arm injury…Player missed: The Rays deserve a pass on this one as there doesn’t appear to be a single legit prospect in the next 10 players selected after Kline. The closest is Brian Rike (6 picks later), a lefty-swinging outfielder in the Rockies organization. In low-A Rike is hitting .274/.392/.487 with 11 home runs and 10 steals.
  3. Nick Barnese, RHP: Made 8 starts for Princeton last season going 2-2 with a 3.22 ERA and 37 Ks with only 4 walks in 36.1 innings. He has yet to make his debut in ’08. At 19, he will likely be on the opening day roster for Hudson Valley…Player missed: Jonathan Lucroy (6 picks later). We are glad that the Rays passed on Wieters, but Lucroy, another college catcher, might be a mistake. He dominated the rookie league in ’07 with a .342/.383/.487 line and he is off to a good start this season, hitting .318/.389/.518 in the SAL with above-average defensive skills.
  4. David Newmann, LHP: Newmann did make an appearance in ’07 and was shut down in the spring this year with an arm injury that will sideline him all season. Two of the top 4 picks shut down for an entire year already? That’s not good…Player missed: Eric Farris (6 picks later). Farris, a second baseman, had a strong rookie campaign, hitting .326/.369/.423 with 21 steals in 63 games, but he has struggled so far in his sophomore season, with a .198/.241/.259 line. Still, like catchers, the Rays have a dearth of second basemen in the system and this one could have been had in the 4th round. Instead the Rays got Bubkis.

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  5. Dustin Biell, OF: Hit .218/.279/.279 and 7 of 12 steals in 49 games for Princeton last year and will likely make his ’08 debut with Hudson Valley…Player missed: Jacob Arrieta (4 picks later). Arrieta is a college right-handed pitcher that is already in high-A in the O’s organization. This season he is 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA with 72 Ks in 69.2 innings.
  6. Emeel Salem, OF: Salem was leading all of professional baseball with 25 steals when he broke his elbow on a slide in May and will now be out for the rest of the season. He was hitting .301/.357/.366 and looks like a legit prospect…Player missed: None
  7. Reid Fronk, OF: Fronk had a solid debut in ’07 hitting .311/.396/.566 for Hudson Valley. He has struggled a bit early on this season for Columbus in the SAL, hitting .241/.333/.429. He does have 24 extra-base hits and 6 steals…Player missed: Bryan Augenstein (9 picks later). The big (6’5″, 225) right-hander out of the University of Florida is overpowering the Midwest League with a 3-1 record and a 2.09 ERA in 11 starts. He has 61 strikeouts and only 9 walks.
  8. Matt Moore, LHP: Moore, only 17 when he was drafted, made 8 appearances and 3 starts for Princeton, striking out 29 and walking 16 in 20.1 innings. He posted a 2.66 ERA. He is expected to pitch for Hudson Valley in ’08…Player missed: Adrian Alaniz (5 picks later). So far Moore looks legit and he is a lefty, so no fault with this pick but if we were to suggest another player it would be Alaniz. The right-handed college pitcher is already in high-A and pitching well with 49 strikeouts in 53 innings and a 2.72 ERA. He is 7-0 in 10 starts.
  9. Cody Cipriano, 2B: Cipriano is struggling in single-A Columbus hitting .194/.296/.361. He is 7-7 in steals and does have 13 walks, but strikes out too much with 26 in 29 games…Player missed: Aaron Brown (10 picks later). Brown is a tall (6’6″) righty college relief pitcher that is overpowering the Northwest League. In 37 innings this season he has a 1.95 ERA and 49 strikeouts and only 15 walks.
  10. Greg Sexton, 3B: Sexton is having a solid if unspectacular season for Columbus hitting .307/.348/.443. He has actually greatly improved his numbers over his pro debut last season in Hudson Valley which is a good sign of adjusting to the wood bats…Player missed: Joe Patterson (9 picks later). Patterson, a lefty relief pitcher, drafted out of college has already advanced to high-A in the Giants organization. He started the year in single-A and struck out 37 in 31.1 innings with a 2.30 ERA and only 13 walks.