An interesting situation is developing in Durham, that is worth keeping an eye on...

Dan Johnson has started the last two games for the Durham Bulls at third base. Johnson, who leads the International League in OBP (.422) and OPS (.969), has only played first base and DH since being drafted in 2001 by the A's. Joel Guzman, the Bulls regular third baseman started both games at shortstop, a position he played exclusively his first three years as a pro in the Dodgers organization.

There is no official word as to why the move was made. Was the move done to make Johnson a third baseman, to return Guzman to shortstop or both? Reid Brignac is on the DL, and Guzman could be filling that vacancy. But the Bulls also have Ronnie Merrill, recently promoted from Montgomery and Elliot Johnson as two players better suited to play SS.

Johnson has shown signs he can be a decent major league hitter, with a career .344 OBP in 318 games, but many feel he does not hit well enough to be an everyday first baseman or DH, and he does not have enough positional flexibility to be a bench player in the majors.

With Evan Longoria on the DL and Willy Aybar filling in for the next few weeks at third base, adding the hot corner to Johnson's resume could make him more attractive to Joe Maddon as a bench option and spot-starter.

Also, a successful return to SS for Guzman, could give Maddon a better defensive backup at that position in the majors. Guzman has always shown strong defensive abilities, even at SS, despite being 6'6". He is hitting .248-19-68 (.277 OBP) in 111 games. Guzman has immense power, but has never developed command of the strikezone. This season he has 100 strikeouts and only 19 walks.

Complicating matters is the roster status of both players. Johnson is not on the 40-man roster. If Andrew Friedman does decide to promote Johnson, somebody would have to be removed from the roster. Of course, Friedman may also be attempting to increase the trade value of Johnson who would not have to clear waivers. As for Guzman, he will be out of minor league options in 2009. Therefore, he will either have to be on the Rays 25-man roster, traded or Designated for Assignment, effectively making him a free agent.

With only a couple of weeks remaining in the Bulls' schedule, this will be an interesting development to follow as the Rays could be setting up a future move with the major league roster.

THE GOOD: The "Good" starts and ends with Matt Garza who pitched a 2-hitter for his second shutout of the season. One night after Joe Maddon was forced to use all 7 of his relief pitchers in an extra-inning contest, it was imperative Garza work deep into the night and he did not disappoint. Garza did not allow a hit until 2 outs in the 6th, when a blooper fell between Justin Ruggiano and Aki Iwamura...We should also point out that every starter had at least 1 hit, and the Rays "weak" offense produced 4 home runs, including number 24 for the red-hot Carlos Pena, who has now homered in 3-straight games and for the 9th time in his last 20 games.

THE BAD: BJ Upton. How angry was Joe Maddon that Upton failed to run hard twice last night? Papa Joe employed the harshest punishment a manager can do to a player. He embarassed him in the middle of the game. Having already decided to remove Upton from the game in the middle of the 6th inning, Maddon let Upton take the field in the bottom-half of the inning. Before Matt Garza was able to throw a pitch, Papa Joe sent Justin Ruggiano out to the field to replace Upton, foricing Upton to make the baseball-equivalent of the "Walk of Shame" back to the dugout.

THE TELLING: Jason Bartlett was back at SS last night for the first time in 12 days...Matt Garza and James Shields each have 2 shutouts which is tied for the major league lead. The Rays' 4 complete game shutouts is tied with the Dodgers, Milwaukee and Cleveland for the most in baseball. The pitching staff now has 7 complete games and this was the 11th time the team has shutout an opponent. That is second only to the 12 shutouts by the Red Sox and the Indians...The Rays magic number for the playoffs is now 36 over the White Sox/Twins. And the Yankees lost. Again. They should be ashamed of themselves. It is not even September and they are very close to being an afterthought even for the Wild Card.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Thank you Marc Lancaster...Finally a local media member stood up and emphatically said Barry Bonds is not going to play for the Rays. Of course it took a telling report from Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports in which Bonds agent says he sent Andrew Friedman a text message asking if the Rays would be interested in Bonds and the message went unanswered. [Rays Report]
  
• BJ Upton will also be benched on Saturday. Joe Maddon would not talk to Upton on Friday after the game for fear of saying something he would regret...That is a side of Papa Joe we haven't seen before. [The Heater]
  
• Troy Percival went on the DL with an injury to the cartilage in his knee. Juan Salas was recalled from Durham. Percival will miss 2-4 weeks. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon said Grant Balfour will not be the de facto closer, instead choosing to go closer-by-comittee. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Andrew Friedman says Juan Salas has been prepped in Durham to give the Rays more than 1 inning at times. [MLB]
  
• The Rays finally signed their 2nd round pick, LHP Kyle Lobstein avoiding the possibility of losing him to the University of Arizona basketball team. Lobstein received a $1.5 million signing bonus. Of the players signed as of yesterday morning, that is the highest bonus given to any player outside of the first round, including supplemental picks between the first and second rounds. The Rays will will wait until next season for Lobstein to make his pro debut...The Rays signed 26 of their top 28 picks. [Rays Report]
• Joe Maddon, a former catcher, spoke with Peter Gammons about what makes a good catcher. [ESPN]

"A well above-average catcher for me would be Mauer," says Rays manager Joe Maddon, a former catcher and noted catching mentor. "An average catcher would have to have the mental acumen to take charge of your staff and display a caring that can be felt by all the pitchers. Next, he has to have the receiving ability and stamina to play at least five games a week. Throwing, I would like to have at least average arm strength with a quick release and accuracy. He has to block balls well and is fearless on plays at the plate. He should be the best worker on the team, and hitting, I would settle for .250 hitter with around 10 home runs or better." "We are," says Maddon, "describing the player who wears 'the tools of intelligence.'"

• One Red Sox blog feels the Rays are upsetting the natural order of things in the AL East and they are not happy about it. [RedSoxSoul]
  

Oakland 2, Tampa Bay Rays 1. (Sorry. The standings/schedule widget called in sick today. Should be back tomorrow)

THE GOOD: Scott Kazmir. We really don't want to put Kaz here, but we are trying to find something positive from last night. Anything. And Kid K has been so bad, that last night actually seemed pretty good. But SWEET FANCY MOSES! How in the H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS does a "good" starting pitcher last only 5 innings when he only gave up 2 hits and 2 walks? He actually had three 1-2-3 innings, allowing only 5 baserunners, and yet he still needed 97 pitches. That doesn't even make sense.

THE BAD: That was as pathetic a loss as we have seen all year. Did the Rays play a throwback game without telling anybody? Give those guys some green unis and we'd swear that was the '02 Devil Rays. The Rays absolutely looked and played like a little league team last night. Exhibit A: Top of the 5th, the Rays have runners on first and second with no outs, down 2-1. Ben Zobrist makes the first out on what we assume was a safety squeeze. It was difficult to tell for sure. If it was a suicide squeeze, he took off too late. If it was a safety squeeze he took off too soon. If it was neither, Akinori Iwamura is an idiot. With Jason Bartlett now on second base, he was picked off for the second out. Mercilessly killing the rally. Exhibit B: Top of the 8th, 1 out, Willy Aybar on first base. Eric Hinske hits a lazy flyball to left field. Not good, but not terrible. Ahhh, but Aybar, who is now apparently so paranoid about not running hard, took off sprinting, rounding second and on his way to third. He was easily doubled-up, forgetting the number of outs. Exhibit C: The Rays were 2-11 with runners in scoring position, with 3 Ks.

THE TELLING: Gary Sheffield and Barry Bonds. Now that Carl Crawford will likely miss the rest of the regular season, we are more luke-warm to the idea of Bonds playing for the Rays, but we still put the chances of actually happening somewhere south of 1%. The other name making the circles now is Sheffield, who was placed on waivers by the Tigers. It would be very unlikely for the Rays to put in a claim on Sheffield, even if they would like to work out a trade. The risk for the Rays is for the Tigers to not pull Sheffield back from waivers. There is a good chance the Tigers would just let the Rays take Sheffield and his '09 salary of $14MM without asking for anything in return. If we were still in July, the Rays could work a trade in which the Tigers pay a good chunk of that salary....The Red Sox traded for veteran Paul Byrd, adding to an already deep pitching staff...

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Carl Crawford has elected to have surgery on his finger and will be sidelined 6-8 weeks. There are 6.5 weeks remaining in the regular season. Andrew Friedman said if everything went well, he could play again in the regular season...It sounds like there is a good chance CC would be available should the Rays make the playoffs. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• The Rays are now hoping that Jason Bartlett, one of the weakest hitting DH's in baseball history, will be able to play SS this Friday. The Rays are also hoping that Evan Longoria, who did not have a broken wrist, but actually did, will be back in the lineup on Sept 1. [MLB]

When asked if Sept. 1 seemed like a reasonable projection for Longoria's return, Friedman answered: "Yeah, that seems reasonable. We'll re-X-ray it and go through that process again. I think it's very reasonable as we're sitting here today. But as everybody knows, bones heal at different paces, and it's too hard to say definitively at this point."

• Joe Maddon plans to use Justin Ruggiano (LF) and Rocco Baldelli (RF) against lefties while Eric Hinske and Gabe Gross will play against righties. Papa Joe also said Willy Aybar will be at 3B most days, but we can also expect to see Ben Zobrist and/or Eric Hinske at the hot corner. [St. Pete Times]
• Cliff Floyd says the biggest concern with all the injuries is the danger of the rest of the players trying to do too much. [Tampa Tribune]

"I just hope we don't all try to jump on that ship and go, 'It's me - let me be the man to take over,'" said Floyd. "No. Let's just stay within ourselves like we are and just keep it chill on the field...We all know how important those guys were. I mean, hell, you ain't going to replace them, no matter who you bring up or who you get, unless you go out and get one of the best players of the game. And you're still not replacing them because those guys are part of this team."

• Andy Sonnanstine, who grew a beard in support of Rocco Baldelli, is now clean-shaven, as is Rocco, now that Rocco has finally returned to the roster...While Rocco's "Lumberjack" look will be missed, The Duke's fuzz will not. [Bradenton Herald]
• Marc Lancaster agrees that Gary Sheffield does not seem like a good fit for the Rays. [Rays Report]
  

THE GOOD: Rally Time. The Rays are now 3-0 in games in which Troy Percival blew a save and are 27-0 in games in which he has appeared.

THE BAD: The offense for the first 6 innings. Prior to the 7th inning, the Rays only hit was an infield single by Evan Longoria in which he beat out a routine ground ball to third. Prior to BJ Upton's grond-rule double to lead off the 7th, Fernando Galarraga had retired 14 in a row...

THE TELLING: After Jason Bartlett was removed from the game and Shawn Riggans was used as a pinch-hitter and was the Rays' last player off the bench, meaning he would have stayed in the game had Rays not won the game in the bottom of the 10th. The question then becomes: What would the defense have looked like had the Rays taken the field in the top of the 11th (We were on the Detroit feed, so not sure if Dwayne and Joe discussed this) [Ed. note: See second bullet below]? Our guess is Riggans would have been in right field, with Willy Aybar coming in to play third and Evan Longoria shifting over to play short. Riggans has never played a position other than catcher in his major or minor league career...The Rays are 16-1 at the Trop this season when the crowd is more than 30,000. Bodes well for any potential playoff hopes.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Jason Bartlett will need a couple of days off after taking a pitch off the index finger of his throwing hand, but there is no break and he will not need a trip to the DL. This likely means that Evan Longoria will be the starting shortstop for the next few days, unless the Rays recall Ben Zobrist and demote Jonny Gomes...Also, Shawn Riggans has a significant bruise on his chest, but is otherwise OK, after taking a 97mph fastball to the middle of his chest. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Marc Topkin says that Shawn Riggans would have come out of the game, with Jonny Gomes moving from DH to right field had the Rays needed to play the 11th inning. That would have elimnated the DH spot forcing the pitcher to bat in Riggans' spot (#9). Therefore, whoever pitched the top of the 11th, would have been the 4th batter in the bottom of the 11th. We are not sure if this is Topkin's speculation or if this came from Joe Maddon, but we are not sure that scenario is better than Riggans playing right field. How much worse than Gomes could he be? [The Heater]
• Rocco Baldelli is back with the Rays and is set to meet with Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman today to discuss the next step in his return...That next step is likely to be activation from the DL, and we are hearing that could be as soon as today. Of course that could be altered if the Rays need to recall Ben Zobrist and demote Jonny Gomes. [MLB]
• If and when Rocco Baldelli returns, the Rays are asking that he not give 100% all the time. [St. Pete Times]
• Brant James does a Q&A with Rocco Baldelli. The biggest revelation is that Rocco does not sound optimistic that he will ever be able to be an everyday player again. [The Heater]
  

"It's a weird thing to say to an athlete. Rocco would sprint after balls 110 percent, no matter what the scoreboard (said)," Friedman said. "That's how he played the game, or plays the game. We're trying to get him to pick situations and understand situations on the scoreboard, different things to conserve his bullets, for lack of a better word."

• Trever Miller got the win, ending his record streak of 121 straight apearances without a decision. [Bradenton Herald]
• In Ted Flemming's blog, he ponders Eric Hinske and Dioner Navarro for Comeback Player of the Year...Hinske, sure. But Navi? Not sure where he came back from. [Speaking of Sports]
  
• The Rays are up to 3rd in the latest Chicago Tribune power rankings, behind only the Angels and the Cubs (of course). [Chicago Tribune]
  

THE GOOD: The future of the Rays remains intact. Despite reports that the Rays were offering the Pirates both Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac, that now appears to be false. And if that is the case, it is pretty clear that the Rays had little or no intention of tinkering with what has become the foundation of the organization, the farm system. Depth in the farm system is a beautiful thing and it does serve a more important purpose than just being able to trade the pieces away. And with the recent loss of Jake McGee to Tommy John surgery, that depth had already taken a huge hit. Add to that the slowed development of a few prospects (ie. Heath Rollins, Glenn Gibson) and we see how important it is to have depth in the system...Winning the division just got a little easier. RAYSHEADS have to be ecstatic that Manny Ramirez is out of the division and out of the AL. Jason Bay is a decent replacement, but he is no Manny and David Ortiz is suddenly going to start seeing much fewer good pitches. Teams were afraid to pitch to Manny. That won't be the case with Bay.

THE BAD: We have to admit, that for about 20 minutes yesterday (as this site turned into a Live Blog-A-Baloo for the trade deadline), when we heard that the deal to send Jason Bay to the Rays was going to happen, we got a little excited. The package seemed fair, and maybe even a bit of a steal, and we started envisioning a lineup in which Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria are forced to hit 5th and 6th in the order. We were down-right giddy...The future of Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. Both could have gone to the Pirates and had a chance to be regulars on that ballclub. Now they are still stuck in triple-A.

THE TELLING: Several outlets are already declaring the Rays "losers" at the trade deadline. On the one hand we understand the perception that the Rays missed an opportunity to improve the club. Of course, these are the same people that still feel the Rays are behind the Sox and Yankees in the standings. We could understand saying the Rays were "losers" if they had turned down an offer. But seeing the package the Pirates received for Jason Bay, it is clear that the Rays would have never been able to match that deal. And remember the Rays are still going to be adding pieces to the mix. It is just those pieces will come from the farm system.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• We missed this in the minor league feature earlier today, but a source with the Princeton Rays tells us the reason Tim Beckham missed 3 straight games this week, was due to a death in his family.
• Marc Lancaster is reporting that it is believed that the Pirates and Rays never discussed a deal that included both Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. And apparently the Pirates coveted Jeremy Hellickson and not Wade Davis as several media outlets were reporting yesterday. [Tampa Tribune]
• Andrew Friedman said there is very little chance of the Rays making any deals in August in which players must first clear waivers. [St. Pete Times]
  
• The Trop comes in tied for #10 in PETA's annual list of the "Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks". [PETA]
  
• We are not sure we agree with Bugs and Cranks who still has the Rays on top of their power rankings. We gotta go with the Angels, especially after trading for Mark Teixeira. [Bugs and Cranks]
• And the latest installment of Bugs and Cranks comparison of wins #63 from each of the Rays' first ten seasons. [Bugs and Cranks]
  

Yesterday we presented our updated Trade Value Index (TVI). With a little over a week until next Thursday's trade deadline, rather than take a look at the players the Rays may target we will take a look at the players most likely to be sent packing should Andrew Friedman and Co. decide to pull the trigger on a deal.

Gerry Hunsicker, Rays' Senior VP for baseball operations and Friedman's guru, has made two of the best deadline deals in recent memory. In 2004, Hunsicker landed Carlos Beltran and 6 years earlier he traded for Randy Johnson. While the Astros failed to reach the World Series in either year, both Beltran and Johnson were key figures in Houston's playoff runs.

On the other hand Friedman sounds more like a guy that is willing to sit on the talent in place.

Keep in mind all of the "rumors" in the media recently are 99% speculation. They have a simple formula and the Rays always fit the formula. The media looks at a player and picks the teams still in contention that would view that player as an improvement. Then they decide which teams have the stronger farm system. The Rays will almost always satisfy both criteria.

The problem is the Rays are not like most ball clubs and are in the process of redefining success for small-market clubs. We feel that the Rays are more likely to follow the blueprint of the Angels who rarely make in-season deals and prefer to hold on to their homegrown talent.

That being said, there is still a chance the Rays will swing a deal for a mid-level player such as a middle reliever to add depth to a staff that has suffered a number of injuries. There is also a need for a right-handed hitting outfielder as the Rays have struggled against lefties this season and possibly a utility infielder that is an upgrade over Ben Zobrist and can serve as a backup shortstop.

So if a trade is made, which players are most likely to be used as bait...

Jason Hammel 3:2
Any deals involving pitchers will almost certainly involve Hammel to open a spot in either the bullpen or the rotation (with either Edwin Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine moving to the bullpen). Hammel can still bring the heat with a mid-90s fastball, but do any teams still think he can be a starter?

Jeff Niemann 2:1
While other teams will certainly ask for David Price, Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson, Niemann is the piece of value that the Rays would prefer to trade. While certainly Niemann's star shines less brightly these days, he is still young, and very big and he has a lot of upside.

Jonny Gomes 3:1
Like Hammel, any deal for a right-handed hitting outfielder will almost certainly involve Gomes going in the other direction. Nobody doubts Gomes' power or his intensity, and if given regular playing time, he could be a solid DH or outfielder for another team.

Fernando Perez 7:2
Perez has loads of talent but he still struggles with strikeouts. The Rays have no room in center with BJ Upton but could Perez play right field in '09 and be the Rays leadoff hitter? Or is he expendable? Like Niemann, Perez is one player we can see the Rays using as trade-bait.

Ben Zobrist 5:1
Whether as a utility infielder or a starting shortstop, Benny Boo Boo has proven that he can be a major leaguer. He will never be an all-star, but there are plenty of teams out there with worse options plaing short or second.

Mitch Talbot 5:1
Talbot would not be the key player in a trade, but he could be the arm that puts a deal over the top. He is a bit of a tweener. He has shown flashes of brilliance, like his performance in '06 SL playoffs, but he has been very up-and-down since moving to Durham. There is some upside and there does not seem to be a future for him with the Rays.

Dale Thayer 7:1
Thayer who seemed destined to be a career minor leaguer, has blossomed this season in Durham with a 1.43 ERA and 57Ks in 50.1 innings with only 17 walks. With Jeff Niemann and Juan Salas also in Durham as bullpen insurance, Thayer is certainly expendable. He is also Rule 5 eligible this winter, so now may be a good time to move him.

Eric Hinske 7:1
Hinske is a free agent at the end of the year, and with Gabe Gross and a healthy Cliff Floyd, Hinske is certainly expendable. But he has also been one of the Rays better hitters this season. Would the Rays risk moving an offensive contributor with the offense struggling a bit?

Juan Salas 8:1
If the Rays don't trade for a relief pitcher, Salas is probably the next guy up from Durham when somebody is needed. He has pitched well for Durham, with a 2.12 ERA and 38Ks in 34 innings with only 8 walks. Might somebody be enticed by the comparisons of Salas' cutter to Mariano Rivera's?

James Houser 8:1
Like Jeff Niemann, Houser is another name that the Rays will counter with when teams ask for one of the big pitching prospects. He is a tall lefty with some upside. Could be more tempting than a Mitch Talbot.

Justin Ruggiano 8:1
Ruggiano is similar to Mitch Talbot in that he is a bit of tweener. He posts good numbers in triple-A and could be serviceable as a 4th outfielder in the major leagues, but does he have a future with the Rays? Again, would not be the key player in a trade, but he could be the bat that puts a deal over the top.

Joel Guzman 10:1
Won't be 24 until November, and while he has a ton of power and a very good glove with plenty of positional flexibility, he still strikes out way too much (88 in 355 ABs this year) and his OBP is embarassing (.271). He will also be out of options in '09, so a move now or this winter may be necessary. Might somebody else be tempted by the talent?

Shawn Riggans 10:1
To us, this is the most intriguing name on the list. Riggans can hit. He still has plenty of room for improvement behind the plate and he is not that young (even for a catcher; 28 in a few days). The Rays also have Mike DiFeLice in Durham. DiFelice will be on the team in September no matter what happens, but would Maddon prefer DiFelice on a potential playoff roster? There is also John Jaso who was recently promoted to Durham and could make Riggans even more expendable.

Reid Brignac 10:1
Have the Rays soured a bit on Brignac? We can't see Brignac being traded, especially until Tim Beckham shows that he is a major leaguer-in-waiting. And there is also that open right field slot in '09. Could the Rays give Brignac a shot at RF in spring training? Still, no matter what the plans are, teams will ask for Brignac. Will the Rays bite?

Dan Johnson 12:1
Having a huge season since being demoted to Durham. Unfortunately, he has shown little or no power in the majors and has very little positional flexibility for a guy that is better suited for a bench role. Still, he has big league experience which a NL contender might value.

Al Reyes 15:1
A free agent at the end of the year, but has been struggling with injuries which make him more valuable to the Rays than to any suitor.

Chris Mason 15:1
Would anybody want him?

Gary Glover 20:1
Ditto

Grant Balfour 50:1
Another name that is very intriguing to us. If there is any inkling in the Rays front office that this recent run by Balfour is a fluke, then now is the time to trade the power righty and sell high. But everything we have seen indicates that Balfour is the real-deal and maybe he just needed to find some confidence which he has plenty of right now.

THE GOOD: Scott Kazmir was at his best and kept his pitch count in check. After needing 18 pitches in the first, he only needed 67 over the next 5 innings and was able to work 7 full innings with 103 pitches... BJ Upton. Upton was 2-3 with 2 walks. More importantly, both hits were singles to the opposite field which should go a long ways towards helping him regain his confidence at the plate. And one thing that is not slumping is his legs and the Rays' first run was all Upton and his legs. After singling to right, Upton was picked off first, but never stopped on his way to second and slid in safely. He then moved to third on a fly ball to left-center. He would then score on a 2-out single by Evan Longoria...So much for any home run derby jinx. Evan Longoria homered for the 3rd straight game and is now only 4 off of the lead in the American League. If he could ever get his batting average above .300, the media will start jumping on the MVP bandwagon. And he is hitting .337 over the last month...Jonny Gomes. Yes he is a terrible fielder. And yes, he is not a very good hitter. But he is extremely aggressive and after singling in the 4th, he stole second with 2 outs to get into scoring position. He then scored on another 2-out basehit. This time by Akinori Iwamura...Grant Balfour is absolutely cooking right now. With 2 outs in the 8th and an 0-2 count on Kurt Suzuki, Balfour was so pumped up, he actually yelled at Dioner Navarro "FASTBALL!", rather than shake him off. That folks, is confidence.

THE BAD: The Mariners had a chance to tie the game in Seattle late last night against the Red Sox. Down 2-0 in the 7th inning, the M's got 2 runners on with only 1 out. Miguel Cairo struck out and Jose Vidro flew out. The Sox would then score 2 in the top of the 8th. Game Over.

THE TELLING: Andy Sonnanstine will start tonight for the first time in 12 days...Attendance for last night's game was only 12,428. The small crowd is not unexpected for a Monday night game against the west coast A's who don't have any name-players.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Looks like Jason Bartlett will come off the DL on Thursday. He thinks he is about 80% right now. Marc Lancaster thinks that Ben Zobrist will be sent down to make room, but wonders if something different might happen if Bartlett is not ready to start at short everyday. [Rays Report]
• Matt Silverman and Andrew Friedman handed out programs and greeted fans before last night's game. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Jim Molony says the Rays have a tough second-half schedule but that they should be one of the teams to fight through and make the playoffs. [MLB]
• TBSB feels that Jonny Gomes' personality is not enough to keep him around on the roster. [Tampa Bay Sports Blog]
  
• Dayn Perry thinks the Rays might not have enough offense to win East...Perry is one of our least favorite baseball writers and we don't have the enrgy to go through and give this it's much deserved bashing. [Fox Sports]
• One Sporting News writer has the Rays #2 in his Power Poll, behind only the Angels. [Sporting News]
  

PCL 6, IL 5 (AAA All-Star game). Chris Richard started for the IL at first base and went 0-2 with a strike out...Dale Thayer pitched the 5th inning, allowing no runs on 1 hit and Jeremy Cummings got the call in the 7th inning, also holding the PCL scoreless while striking out 2.

Durham (all-star break)

Montgomery 7, Birmingham 5. Jino Gonzalez got the start in the first game after the SL All-Star break. He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, including 2 home runs...Rashad Eldridge was 2-5 with a double, 2 RBI and 3 Ks...Rocco Baldelli batted 3rd and DH'd, going 1-3 with a single, a walk and a strike out...JT Hall was 2-3 with his 2nd home run since being promoted to double-A...David Price is expected to start today with Jeremy Hellickson taking the mound tomorrow. In his last outing, Price pitched a shortened 7 inning complete game to improve to 4-0 with Montgomery and 8-0 overall.

Dunedin 1, Vero Beach 0. Heath Rollins didn't give up a run, but did walk 4 in 6 innings. He struck out 3.

West Virginia 14, Columbus 4. Brian Flores started and Glenn Gibson relieved. Together they gave up 10 runs (7 earned) in 5.2 innings...Mike McCormick drove in 1 run with a single in 3 at bats.

Auburn 12, Hudson Valley 7.

Burlington 7, Princeton 0. Tim Beckham played short and went 1-4. He did start a double-play in his only fielding chance.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Eddie Morlan pitched one inning for the World Team in MLB's Future's Game during all-star weekend. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  
• Wade Davis and John Jaso have been promoted to triple-A Durham, with the Southern League all-star game being their final appearances in double-A. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• Wade Davis and John Jaso have to purchase some new clothes for their new team, and the two have very different tastes when it comes to shopping. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  
• David Price has moved up to #2 as Baseball America has updated their list of baseball's top 10 prospects. [Baseball America via The League]
• Rocco Baldelli began his second rehab stint last night for double-A Montgomery. Andrew Friedman said that he is optimistic that Rocco will play for the Rays at some point this season. [Biscuits' Batter]
• Nathan Rode of Baseball America made a trip to watch Tim Beckham play. Maybe he should go more often as Beckham collected his first extra-base hit as a pro. [Baseball America]
  

THE GOOD: The extra-base hits are coming more frequently for Carl Crawford. Last night CC drove in 5 with a pair of home runs. He has 5 extra-base hits in his last 7 games after only having 1 in the 10 previous games. He also has 6 multi-hit games in his last 10...Every member of the Rays batting order scored a run in the Rays' 10-run 5th inning.

THE BAD: Using headlines like "Rays' 10-run fifth fuels 15-3 win over Marlins" or "Rays ride power surge" or "Rays' 10-run 5th fuels easy win over Marlins" one day after the Rays and Marlins played a carbon-neutral game. Not to mention those headlines are just unoriginal...The Rays drew 9 walks but still struck out 10 times. The Rays are 4th in the AL with 551 Ks...With Jason Bartlett away to be with his expecting wife, Ben Zobrist made the start at short, fresh off the IL disabled list. In the first two innings he made 2 errors.

THE TELLING: This was James Shields' first win in 8 starts. Apparently he just needed a little run support...Has Ben Zobrist changed his stance since we saw him last? He is very upright, with an awkward lean that we don't recall...The Rays now have a 4 game lead in the Wild Card race over the A's. Their magic number is 82.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• The Rays Index Live Blog-A-Baloo of the Week will be this afternoon for the final game of the Citrus Series with the Marlins.
  
• We were a few days late, but we finally updated the Cork-Board in the sidebar. We now have updated rosters/lineups for Hudson Valley and Princeton. [Cork-Board]
• We realize that with so many topics in the "Pepper" feature it may be difficult to discuss just one or two in the comments. So we are now taking a selection of those topics and will start individual discussions on the RAYSHEADS Facebook page. As usual, feel free to comment on the post directly, but keep in mind that we do have the Facebook page if you want a more in depth discussion of just one of the topics. [RAYSHEADS on Facebook]
• Carlos Pena will play in a minor league game tonight for Vero Beach. [Rays Report]
  
• DRaysBay has an open letter to Joe Maddon questioning his move to leave Troy Percival in the game on Tuesday night...Of course Percy got the save even though he walked 4 batters. What is that old saying? "Hindsight is 20-2,000"?? [DRays Bay]
  
• Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com has listed Joe Maddon and Andrew Friedman as the first half's "Best performance by a general manager and manager". [ESPN]

Maddon creates a productive environment for young players by giving them the freedom to fail, provided their mistakes are aggressive. He's shown he won't back down from the Yankees or the Red Sox, no matter how daunting their mystique, and lately it seems he's had a knack for pushing the right buttons...Friedman is building an impressive body of work with assistance from consigliere Gerry Hunsicker. With the exception of Josh Hamilton's departure through the Rule 5 draft, it's hard to find a blemish on his résumé. In the past year alone, Friedman has made moves to fortify the Tampa bullpen (Troy Percival), defense (shortstop Jason Bartlett), starting rotation (Garza) and bench (Gross and Willy Aybar). In Tampa these days, nobody is lamenting the departures of Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes...Three years into his tenure with Tampa Bay, Friedman's résumé is starting to look like one giant heist fest.

• The Rays and Pirates will wear Negro League throwback unis on Saturday night. The Rays will sport the threads of the Jacksonville Redcaps. [UNIWATCH]
  
• We are not the only fans that are a miffed by BJ Upton's play in the outfield recently. Rays the Stakes says Upton is the sole inhabitant of "Lazy-Town". [Rays the Stakes]
• Bugs and Cranks calls in the experts to analyze the fuzz on Andy Sonnanstine's face. [Bugs and Cranks]
  

THE GOOD: Evan Longoria, Willy Aybar and Dioner Navarro. Not only did they hit back-to-back-to-back and belly-to-belly-to-belly home runs in the 2nd inning for the first time in franchise history, but the trio went a combined 9-13 with 3 doubles, 4 home runs and 9 RBI...The Rays managed only 2 walks, but they made starter Joe Saunders work all night. Not even able to finish the 5th inning, Saunders threw 102 pitches, or more than 4 pitches per batter he faced...The Rays scored all 5 runs in the 5th inning on 2 outs...Edwin Jackson. This is why we couldn't feel too bad after Troy Percival blew 2 of Jackson's wins earlier this year. Jackson did not have his best stuff last night, but got plenty of run support and picked up a W he didn't earn. Jackson's biggest moment was facing the Angels top of the order in the bottom of the 5th after the Rays gave him the lead. That is easiest time to let up and let a team back into the game. Jackson put them down 1-2-3 on just 8 pitches.

THE BAD: We knew it was late, when in the 9th inning, we were actually considering that Dioner Navarro needed a triple for the cycle. When the lateness was conbined with enough beer, we actually yelled at Navi to "RUN!" when he hit a ball down the right field line only to realize as he was rounding first base that he is still "The Fat Catcher".

THE TELLING: According to the Angels radar gun, Edwin Jackson was still hitting 99 in the 6th inning...BJ Upton only had to work a half-day, working as the DH with Justin Ruggiano playing center field...The Rays extended their lead over the A's in the wild card to 3.5 games, 6 over New York, Toronto and Baltimore.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Don't forget to VOTE for Carl Crawford to start the all-star game. If you haven't voted yet today, go NOW! [MLB All-Star Voting]
• There were no fines or suspensions or even reprimands given out by the Rays to Matt Garza or Dioner Navarro after their scuffle on Sunday. Joe Maddon says everything has been worked out and Navi will catch The Garza Complex in his next start on Saturday.
• Probably not a coincidence that every team Cliff Floyd joins goes from perrenial losers to winners, and often the change is overnight. We are fairly certain that Andrew Friedman and Co. were aware of this. And this is why we call him Dr. Huxtable, due to his calming influence of the younglings...Of course, a Devil's Advocate would say those teams were all on the verge and Floyd is often considered a "final piece of the puzzle" and just happens to join these squads when they are about to break out. [MetsBlog]
  
• Rocco Baldelli was 1-4 in his latest extended spring game. He is expected to participate in one more and then he will likely join Vero Beach for an extended rehab assignment. [St. Pete Times]
• The future Mrs. Evan Longoria? [armchairgm]
  

THE GOOD: The consensus seem to be that the Rays took the player with the best chance to be a superstar in the big leagues, in Tim Beckham.

THE BAD: Can somebody please explain to us why Tim Beckham was wearing an old Devil Rays' cap after he was drafted? And apparently Mr. Beckham needs to work on his telephone interview skills.

THE TELLING: While people differ on what kind of bat Tim Beckham has, most seem to agree that he is already at or near major league caliber defensively.

The question then becomes: How does this selection affect the future of Reid Brignac? There were already questions over his future with the gold clove-caliber defense of Jason Bartlett now manning the shortstop position for the Rays at the big league level. Bartlett, who will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this off-season, is still under the Rays control for the next three seasons. While Brignac certainly is better offensively, there are concerns over inserting him next season considering much of the Rays emergence is due to the improved defense and the chemistry between Bartlett and Aki Iwamura.

Beckham is expected to move quickly through the minors, even as a high school draftee. It is not out of the realm of possibilities that he will be ready for the big leagues by the end of 2010. It seems more than likely that the Rays will stick with Bartlett for the next 2+ seasons until Beckham is ready to make the jump.

So then the next question is: What happens to Reid Brignac? Brignac who is now considered an above-average defensive shortstop may have to move to a new position (right field?) if he is to make his break with the Rays. Otherwise, Brignac's future may lie with another organization.

DRAFT WEBTOPIA...

• Baseball America says that when push came to shove, the Rays drafted the player with the best ability. [Baseball America]
• Minor League Ball says that the Rays 5th round pick, Jason Christian Michael Sheriden, a college first baseman, could be a sleeper. [Minor League Ball]
  
• Andrew Friedman commented on reports that the Rays steered away from Buster Posey because of his pre-draft demands for a $12 million guaranteed contract. [Rays Report]
  

“That had zero factor in our decision,” he said. “We’re confident that whoever we would have taken, with the size of the check we were going to go to the table with that we’d be able to sign whoever we took. Look, everyone makes different demands leading up to the draft – even second-rounders, third-rounders. We trust our process and our ability to get players signed and the relationships that our area [scouts] have made with the players. It had zero factor for us.”

• The Rays hope to sign Beckham quickly. Marc Lancaster speculates it will take longer than the agreement reached with Evan Longoria but shouldn't take nearly as long as the deal with David Price which went right down to the August 15th deadline. Lancaster notes that the Rays will move more quickly with Beckham not being a pitcher as innings thrown is not a concern. Last year, the Rays did not want to add any more innings to Price's arm after his college season. [Rays Report]
• Marc Topkin has reactions from the Rays and from Tim Beckham. [St. Pete Times]
• Today the Rays drafted Tim Beckham's older brother, Jeremy Beckham, a second baseman from Georgia Southern University. [Rays Report]