Archive for the 'Durham Athletic Park' Category

Oct 01

[HAPPY HOUR] Percival Likely Off Roster For ALDS

Andy Sonnanstine, Durham Athletic Park, Edwin Jackson Cork Gaines 18 Comments »

[Update: 7:05pm] The White Sox have set their rotation. After game 1 starter Javier Vazquez, the Sox will go with Mark Buehrle in game 2, John Danks in game 3 and Gavin Floyd in game 4, if necessary. Also, Carlos Quentin has been left off the White Sox roster.

[Update: 5:47pm] Marc Topkin has the Rays roster for the ALDS. No surprises. With no Percival and only 10 pitchers, both Fernando Perez and Eric Hinske are in, as is David Price.


DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA…
  • Troy Percival is telling the press that he thinks he is not on the roster for the ALDS…This likely means that David Price is in and that both Fernando Perez and Eric Hinske will be on the bench. [Rays Report]
  • Joe Maddon is just about set with the game 1 lineup. The only question is whether Carl Crawford will bat 5th or 6th. [MLB]
  • The New York Roadkill’s writer over at Bugs and Cranks would rather see the Red Sox win the World Series than the Rays…Based on how well things are going for the Yankees these days, that should be enough to guarantee a world championship for the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]

I absolutely can’t stomach the thought of a Rays World Series title. To some that sounds like a nice story — perennial floormat turned champion. Not me. The thought of having to put up with the pompous gloating of the Rays and their 12 fans if they do happen to win makes me ill. So, they top this list.

  • We all know that a batter can win a free steak if they hit the Bull at Burham Bulls Athletic Park (or a salad if they hit the grass), but did you know that a player won $25 if they hit the bull back in 1910 and that the original bull was a tobacco advertisement? [UNIWATCH]
  • Buster Olney lists Edwin Jackson as one of several young pitchers that could be available this off-season…Last month we mentioned that the Rays will almost certainly trade either Andy Sonnanstine or Jackson this winter. [ESPN]
  • The Brewers “Ain’t S#!t” compared to the Rays. [Bugs and Cranks]
  • Walkoff Walk has up a Tampa Bay Rays playoff preview. [Walkoff Walk]
  • 19 ESPN “experts”, and only 1 picked the Rays to win the World Series. [ESPN]
Aug 06

Down On The Farm: Austin Hinkle Playing Above His Draft Position

Durham Athletic Park, Evan Longoria, Jim Caple, Reid Brignac Cork Gaines No Comments »

Charlotte 6, Durham 4. JP Howell struck out 8 and walked only 1 and allowed 3 runs in 7 innings. Justin Ruggiano was 2-4 and hit his 15th home run. He is hitting .290. Evan Longoria was the Bulls’ DH and went 1-4 with a strike out. He is now 4-13 (.308) with 3 RBI since being promoted to AAA. He has 3 strikeouts and 3 walks.

Montgomery 11, Tennessee 8. Jon Jaso was 3-3 and was on base 5 times. He scored 4 runs, hit his 9th home run and drove in 2. He is now hitting .308. Fernando Perez was 3-5 with his 7th home run and Ptrick Breen hit his 5th.

Clearwater 12, Vero Beach 4. Sergio Pedroza was 3-4 with 2 doubles and his 18th home run, his second in 2 days. He drove in 4 and now has 7 RBI in the past 2 games.

Columbus 9, Lexington 2. Heath Rollins picked up his 13th win, allowing 2 runs in 7 innings. He struck out 4 without walking a batter. Ryan Royster was 1-3 with 3 RBI and his 18th home run (his 2nd of the weekend). He also stole his 13th base and is hitting .314.

Staten Island 13, Hudson Valley 8.

Bluefield 3, Princeton 1 (game 1).
Princeton 4, Bluefield 0 (game 2). Austin Hinkle a 41st round draft pick this year struck out 8 in 5 shutout innings. He allowed 2 hits and 1 walk. He has given up 6 hits and is yet to allow a run in 13.2 professional innings covering 2 starts and 3 relief appearances.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

  • Reid Brignac was named the top shortstop prospect in the minors by Baseball America. [Stacy Long's Riverwalk Talk]
  • Evan Longoria’s most recent promotion to AAA puts him in a position that the Devil Rays did not expect when they drafted him just over one year ago. A strong finish to the season in Durham and Longoria could be a regular in the Majors in 2008. [TBO]

With that leap made, it’s only a matter of time before Longoria takes the final step. Don’t expect to see him in Tampa Bay this season unless injuries come into play, but he certainly has positioned himself for a serious look in major-league camp next spring.

If he shows he can hit Triple-A pitching over the final month of Durham’s season and can hold his own in a planned stint in the Arizona Fall League, there’s a decent possibility Longoria will be on the Rays’ Opening Day roster next April.

“I would say that we’re going to go into spring training next year with an open mind, and he’ll have every chance to compete for a job on the major-league team,” Friedman said.

  • Jim Caple features the Bulls old Durham Athletic Park in his column “Lost Ballparks and Old Landmarks”. [ESPN]
  • On Friday Jake McGee struck out 10, while walking only 1 in 7 shutout innings. He allowed only 2 hits but failed to pick up the win as the Rays lost 3-2 in 15 innings. McGee is 5-4 with a 2.93 ERA and leads the FSL with 145 strikeouts in only 116.2 innings. He has 28 more strikeouts than the next highest total. [MiLB]
  • On Saturday, Jeremy Hellickson improved to 10-2 with 5 strong innings. He allowed 1 run on 4 hits and a walk, while striking out 5. [MiLB]
  • On Friday, Rhyne Hughes hit his first home run since being promoted to Montgomery. [MiLB]
  • On Saturday, Chris Mason picked up his league leading 13th win with 6 shutout innings. [MiLB]