Jun 03
Durham 6, Pawtucket 0. Jeremy Cummings struck out 11 and did not walk a batter in 7 shutout innings. He gave up 5 hits. Since being signed by the Rays and assigned to Durham, Cummings is 5-0 in 5 starts with a 0.84 ERA. He has allowed 15 hits and 7 walks in 32 innings, while striking out 29…Juan Salas pitched the final 2 innings…Elliot Johnsonwas 3-4 with a double and an RBI..Ben Zobrist batted third and played third base in place of Joel Guzman. He went 0-4 with a walk…Fernando Perez was 2-5 with 3 strikeouts…Dan Johnson went 2-3 with 2 walks and Reid Brignac was 0-3 with an RBI.
Montgomery 11, Carolina 4. Wade Davis picked up his 6th win with 6 innings of work. He did allow 2 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 4…Ryan Reid made his first appearance since being promoted to Montgomery, working 2 scoreless innings. He struck out 2 and walked 2…Sergio Pedroza hit a 3-run double and John Jaso drove in a run on 1-2 with 3 walks.
Vero Beach 3, Jupiter 1. David Price continues his domination of the FSL. In 7 shutout innings, he allowed only 3 hits and 1 walk with 6 strikeouts. The biggest threats were in the 3rd inning when he gave up back-to-back 1-out singles, and the 4th inning when he gave up a lead-off double. After the double, he retired the last 11 batters he faced. On the year now, Price has only allowed 8 hits and 2 walks with 19 strikeouts in 18 innings and he is yet to allow a run…Desmond Jennings went 2-3 in just his second game off the DL…Garrett Groce and Ryan Royster provided RBI.
Savannah 2, Columbus 1. Alex Cobb went 7 innings and only gave up 2 runs, but ropped to 6-4 on the year. He struck out 4 and did not allow a walk…The Catfish managed only 1 run on 8 hits, off a Reid Fronk solo home run…Greg Sexton added 2 hits, including his 18th double.
NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…
- Emeel Salem, Maiko Loyola and Alex Cobb were all names to the ASL All-Star team. [MiLB]
- Minor League Ball has a mock draft up and they project Tim Beckham to be drafted by the Rays. [Minor League Ball]
- Apparently there was a minor typo in the Vero Beach boxscore that had Desmond Jennings making his 2008 debut at third base. [Baseball America]
- Rays Digest breaks down the potential picks for the Rays on Thursday. [Rays Digest]
- Jeremy Cummings says he is in the best stretch he has ever had as a pro. [The Herald-Sun]
Aug 15
Durham 4, Charlotte 3. The Bulls now lead the wild card race by a game and pulled within 1.5 games of division leading Rochester with 20 games remaining. JK Ryu allowed only 2 hits and 1 run in 5 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 1. Jason Pridie was 2-5 and hit a solo home run in the Bulls’ 3-run 7th inning. Justin Ruggiano was 3-5 with a double and Evan Longoria was 1-3 with his 4th double, a walk and a strikeout. Ruggiano stole his 25th base. Jay Witasick only allowed one base runner to reach (via error) in his one inning rehab stint. Chad Orvella pitched a perfect 9th for his 18th save.
Jacksonville 7, Montgomery 2. Wade Davis dropped to 4-3 in 11 AA starts after allowing 5 runs (4 earned) in 4.1 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 3. John Jaso drove in both runs with a 2-run home run, his 10th.
Columbus 11, Hickory 5. Ryan Royster did not homer, but did go 2-4 with a walk and his 88th RBI. Nevin Ashley did hit 2 home runs and drove in 4, while going 4-5. He now has 9 home runs and is hitting .282. Quinn Steward was 3-3 and hit his 21st home run.
NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…
- Vero Beach was postponed due to rain while Hudson Valley and Princeton had the night off.
- The Hudson Valley Renegades hosted the New York-Penn league all-star game last night. Maiko Loyola, Emeel Salem, and Mike McCormick started for the AL squad. Loyola and Salem both went 1-2, and McCormick was 0-1. Jason Ragan pitched 1 inning of relief and gave up 1 hit. [MiLB]
- Mike McCormick finished second in the home run derby. [MiLB]
Aug 09
Durham 4, Columbus 3. Jason Pridie drove in 3 of the Bulls’ 4 runs, with a 2-run first inning home run and a solo home run in the 5th. He also added a double and now has 5 home runs and is hitting .315 (.907 OPS) in 38 games since being promoted from AA. Justin Ruggiano was 2-4 and Evan Longoria was 1-3 with a double and a RBI. Mitch Talbot struck out 6 in 6 innings to pick up his 10th win. Shawn Camp struck out 4 in 1.2 innings for his 2nd save.
Chattanooga 9, Montgomery 8. In their first game without closer Dale Thayer, the Biscuits blew a 7th inning 8-5 lead, with the final two runs being scored on a home run in the 9th inning with 2 outs and 2 strikes, off of Nick DeBarr. Wade Davis allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in only 2.1 innings. 5 of the 7 outs recorded by Davis came via the strikeout.
Clearwater 12, Vero Beach 5. Jay Witasick pitched one inning in his first rehab appearance, allowing 1 hit. Jackson Brennan was 4-5 with his 18th double and 2 runs scored. Garret Groce was 2-5 and drove in 2.
Greensboro 12, Columbus 6. Wade Townsend continues his up-and-down season. After a strong effort his last time out, Townsend was touched for 7 runs (6 earned ) in 3.1 innings. He walked 5 and gave up 4 hits. He fell to 6-10 with a 5.08 ERA. The Catfish hit 4 home runs, including two by John Matulia, who doubled his season total. Cesar Suarez hit his 10th and now has 73 RBI, good for 8th in the SAL. Ryan Royster hit his 20th home run which is tied for 3rd and he has 75 RBI, tied for 5th in the league.
Hudson Valley 8, Batavia 4. Maiko Loyola was 2-5 and stole his 18th and 19th bases for the Renegades.
Burlington 3, Princeton 2 (12 innings).
NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…
- Four members of the Hudson Valley Renegades were named to the New York-Penn League All-Star team. The players are Emeel Salem, a 6th round pick this season, Maiko Loyola, Mike McCormick, a 5th round pick in 2005 and Jason Ragan. The game will be hosted by the Renegades next week. [Hudson Valley Renegades]
- Jay Witasick made a rehab appearance last night for Vero Beach and will likely make another on Saturday. [TCPalm]
- Tim Corcoran has been optioned to AA Montgomery and Dale Thayer has been promoted to AAA Durham. Thayer, who set the Southern League record for saves in 2006, leads the SL this season with 21. Corcoran is likely to be designated for assignment when/if the Rays sign David Price before the August 15 deadline. [OurSports Central]
- Tim Corcoran will have to shave his beard, as Devil Rays minor leaguers are not allowed to wear facial hair. [Stacy Long's Riverwalk Talk]
