Charlotte Stone Crabs lose to Tampa Yankees 3-2

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs dropped a close game to the Tampa Yankees 3-2 on Sunday at George Steinbrenner Field. The Stone Crabs were on the board first with a sac fly by Shawn O’Malley that scored Ryan Royster and put the Stone Crabs ahead 1-0. But Tampa didn’t trail long, tying the game in their half of the third on a RBI single by Austin Krum to score Walter Ibarra.

The Yankees took the lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Jesus Montero to score Walter Ibarra and give the Yankees a 2-1 advantage. But Charlotte answered back in the top of the sixth as Greg Sexton scored on a wild pitch by Tampa’s Lance Pendleton, the Stone Crabs evened the game at 2 a piece.

Tampa battled out of the tie in the bottom of the eighth inning. Eric Fryer led of the inning with a single to center. Austin Romine than delivered a double to center allowing Fryer to score the go ahead run for the Yankees. Jonathan Hovis came in to close it out for the Yankees and give them the 3-2 victory.

Darin Downs pitched seven innings in the no decision allowing 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 5. Kevin Boggan suffered the loss allowing 1 run off 2 hits in an inning of work. Lance Pendleton was the winner for Tampa.

What Went Right: Darin Downs; 5 K’s and only allowed 2 runs off 7 hits. Emeel Salem; Stone Crabs only player to have multiple hits on the night going 2-4.

What Went Wrong: The Offense; did not produce a multi-base hit and struck out 7 times as a team.

A Look Ahead: The Stone Crabs and Yankees play game three of the series Monday night at Steinbrenner Field. Alex Cobb (1-2) is slated to pitch against Jeremy Bleich (3-3).

Minor Moves: Eldridge, Gaetti

The Tampa Bay Rays have promoted OF Rashad Eldridge to the Durham Bulls from the Montgomery Biscuits. The 27 year-old has hit .284/.349/.352 with 10 stolen bases in 176 AB's for Montgomery this season.

The Rays have signed free agent OF Joe Gaetti and assigned him to the Biscuits. The 27 year-old has played for two teams already in 2009, the New Britain Rock Cats (AA Eastern League) and the Frisco RoughRiders (AA Texas League). For New Britain he hit .139/.179/.278 in 36 AB's, and for Frisco he batted .158/.346/.158 in 19 AB's. The son of former Major League infielder Gary Gaetti was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 12th round of the 2003 draft. Gaetti will be issued jersey number 36.

One other Biscuits note, OF Pedro Powell has changed uniform numbers from #20 to #1.

Minor Moves: Joyce, Thayer, Day, Mason, DSL, VSL

The Tampa Bay Rays have optioned RHRP Dale Thayer to the Durham Bulls and recalled OF Matt Joyce from Durham. The 24 year-old Joyce earned the promotion by hitting .315/.408/.530 in 149 AB's for the Bulls.

Durham also placed RHP Dewon Day on the 7-day disabled list, retroactive to May 28, 2009. The 28 year-old reliever is 3-0 with a 3.80 ERA and one save in 16 games for the Bulls this season. In 21.1 innings he has struck out 16 and walked 9 with a 2.00 GO/AO.

RHP Chris Mason has been assigned to Durham from the Montgomery Biscuits. The 24 year-old reliever is 2-2 with a 7.71 ERA in 16 games for the Biscuits. In 25.2 innings he has allowed 25 runs, 22 earned, while striking out 16 and walking 12 with a 1.00 GO/AO. The move leaves the Biscuits two players shy of the Southern League maximum of 24 active players, with two players currently on the disabled list (Jeremy Hellickson and Jason Perry).

Six players have been assigned to the Dominican Summer League Rays: 2B Julian Morillo (17 years old, hit a triple and drove in 2 runs in 5 AB's in the DSL Rays first game yesterday), RHP Junior Rodriguez (20 years old, came on in relief yesterday for one inning and allowed one earned run on 2 hits with a walk and a strikeout), RHP Pedro Silvestre (19 years old, 1.1 scoreless innings in relief yesterday, allowed a hit and a walk while striking out 2), LHP Bruedlin Suero (6'4" 19 year old, 0.2 IP in relief yesterday, allowed one ER on a hit and 3 walks with one strikeout), C Hector Rodriguez (19 years old, single in 3 AB's yesterday), and SS Adderly Rosa (17 years old, 2 singles and a walk in 5 PA's yesterday with a SB and a run scored).

The Venezuelan Summer League Rays have signed free agent OF Franklin Paz. The 18 year-old appeared in his first game May 30th, coming on to pinch hit and then DH'ing, and struck out twice in two plate appearances.

Durham Bulls Beat Buffalo Bisons 10-2

[Via email from the Durham Bulls Director of Media Relations Matt DeMargel.]

RHP Carlos Hernandez had his best outing of the season and the Bulls provided plenty of offense in support as Durham knocked off the Buffalo Bisons, 10-2 on Saturday night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Hernandez pitched eight innings allowing only a pair of runs on Rene Rivera’s two-run home run in the fourth inning. He allowed nine hits and no walks while striking out five to pick up his fourth win of the season.

Rivera’s blast gave the Bisons a short-lived, 2-0 lead as the Bulls responded with 10 unanswered runs. They got a run in the fourth inning on Ray Sadler’s RBI-single scoring Jon Weber, three in the fifth inning on two, bases-loaded walks and a sacrifice fly, and six in the sixth inning with Weber and Sadler each hitting three-run homers.

RHP Brandon Knight took the loss allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits in four and two-thirds innings.

The Bulls and Bisons continue their series on Sunday afternoon at 5:05 PM at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Tickets are available at www.durhambulls.com or by phone at (919) 956-BULL.

Montgomery Biscuits Lose 9-3 To Carolina Mudcats

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

The Carolina Mudcats pounded out 19 hits en route to a 9-3 win over the Biscuits in the series finale of a five-game series on Saturday night at Five County Stadium. The Mudcats claimed four of the five games in the series as the Biscuits finish their 10-game road trip with a record of 3-7.

The Biscuits jumped on spot-starting Curtis Partch in the first inning when Pedro Powell led off the game with a single. He promptly stole both second and third base before Desmond Jennings brought him in with a ground ball to the right side of the infield for a 1-0 lead.

Staked to the lead, Biscuits' starter Jason Cromer ran into immediate trouble in the bottom of the inning. Sean Henry doubled to open the inning and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored from there as Zack Cozart singled to tie the game, 1-1. Chris Heisey followed with a single to put two aboard ahead of Todd Frazier who doubled off the wall in left-center field to score both runners. Eric Eymann and Logan Parker capped a five-run inning with RBI singles and the Mudcats led after one inning, 5-1.

Carolina tacked on a run off of Cromer in the third inning. Heisey started the inning with a single and advanced to third on a single from Frazier. He scored on a bounce-out to shortstop Jason Bowers to run the lead to 6-1.

Cromer (4-3) departed after three innings having conceded six runs -- five earned -- on eight hits. He endured his first loss of the season on the road. Neal Frontz entered in relief and the Mudcats added another run in the fourth. Jose Castro doubled with one out and scored a batter later on another single from Cozart.

Partch (1-0) certainly served his purpose, the right-hander worked five innings for his first Double-A win, limiting the Biscuits to one run on five hits while walking two and striking out two.

The Biscuits got two runs back in the sixth inning when Kyle Aselton relieved Partch. JT Hall doubled to lead off the inning and advanced to third when Cesar Suarez singled behind him. A batter later, Bowers made it 7-2 with an RBI single. Drew Anderson brought in the final run of the inning when he grounded into a fielder's choice to score Suarez.

Carolina added a run off of reliever Ryan Reid in the seventh inning. Juan Francisco singled to plate Frazier who had led off the inning with a double. Heisey then capped the scoring with a solo-home run off of Eddie Morlan in the eighth.

The Biscuits return home to Riverwalk Stadium on Sunday night to open a five-game series with the Jacksonville Suns at 6:05 PM. LHP Ryan Morse (2-4, 4.74) will make the start for Montgomery against a TBA starter for the Suns.

Charlotte Stone Crabs defeat Tampa Yankees

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs broke out of their two game losing streak by defeating the Tampa Yankees 8-5 Saturday night at Steinbrenner Field. The Tampa Yankees jumped out to an early lead by scoring three runs in the bottom of the third inning. The Yankees got back to back singles by Eric Fryer and Jesus Montero to put runners on first and second. But they wouldn’t remain on the bases long as Austin Romine cleared them with a three run homer to right giving Tampa a 3-0 lead.

The Stone Crabs did not sit quietly, putting together a five running inning in the fourth to take the lead. Reid Fronk got things started with a double. Charlotte used a wild pitch and two error’s by Tampa to aid in the rally. Nevin Ashley and Greg Sexton picked up RBI’s. Reid Fronk, Nevin Ashley, Ryan Royster, Emeel Salem and Shawn O’Malley crossed the plate to give the Stone Crabs a 5-3 lead.

The Yankees picked up a run in the fourth and another in the fifth to tie the ball game. Eric Fryer drove in Wady Rufino in the fourth. Then it was Jesus Montero with a solo homer in the fifth to tie things up at 5.

Charlotte broke the tie in the top of the sixth. Emeel Salem started off the inning by reaching on a fielding error. Shawn O’Malley singled to give the Stone Crabs runners at first and second. Greg Sexton laid down a sac bunt to advance the runners into scoring position. Matt Fields followed with a sac fly to score Salem. Cody Cipriano hit and RBI single to score O’Malley and give the Stone Crabs a 7-5 lead. The Stone Crabs got an insurance run in the seventh on an RBI single by Shawn O’Malley and they held on to win the game 8-5.

Jeremy Hall went 5 innings, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits while striking out 4 and walking 2 enroute to his fifth victory of the season. Chad Bradford appeared in his third rehab appearance, picking up his second hold going 2 no hit innings, striking out 2 batters. Matt Gorgen picked up the save pitching 2 no hit innings and recording 2 strikeouts. Craig Hayer was the loser for Tampa.

What Went Right: The Bullpen; Chad Bradford and Matt Gorgen combined for 4 no-hit innings in relief. Reid Fronk; 3-5 with a double and a run scored. Emeel Salem; 2 stolen bases and 3 runs scored.

What Went Wrong: Stranding runners; Stone Crabs left 11 runners on base.

A Look Ahead: The Stone Crabs and Yankees face off in game two of the four game series on Sunday afternoon at Steinbrenner Field. Darin Downs (5-2) will pitch against Lance Pendleton (3-3).

5/30: Today's Games

Durham Bulls vs Buffalo Bisons 7:05 EDT
Starting for Durham: LHP Carlos Hernandez 3-2 3.75
Notes: Second game of a four-game series...

Montgomery Biscuits at Carolina Mudcats 6:15 EDT
Starting for Montgomery: LHP Jason Cromer 4-2 4.23
Notes: Last game of the series. Carolina has won three of four so far... Montgomery returns home to face Jacksonville tomorrow...

Charlotte Stone Crabs at Tampa Yankees 7:00 EDT
Starting for Charlotte: RHP Jeremy Hall 4-3 3.89
Notes: Charlotte will be in Tampa for four...

Bowling Green Hot Rods vs. Rome Braves 8:05 EDT
Starting for Bowling Green: RHP Joseph Cruz 1-1 1.85
Notes:

Durham Bulls Lose 9-3 To Buffalo Bisons

[Via email from the Durham Bulls Director of Media Relations Matt DeMargel.]

Durham starting pitcher Wade Davis posted his worst outing of the year as the Bulls get pummeled 9-3 by the Buffalo Bisons Friday night at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Davis (5-2) picked up his second loss of the season after giving up a season-high 10 hits and six earned runs, including a solo bomb from Buffalo’s Alex Cora, in 5.2 innings of work.

After taking the early one-run lead in the second, the Bisons tacked on three more in the fourth off Cora’s homer, a triple from Jason Cooper, and a single from Jonathan Malo to put Buffalo ahead 4-0.

The Bulls answered back in their half of the fourth after Matt Joyce deposited Buffalo pitcher Fernando Nieve’s first pitch over the wall in right for a three-run blast, cutting Buffalo’s lead to 4-3.

That would be all the offense the Bulls bats were able to muster as they were held to just two hits for the remainder of the contest. Joyce finished 1-for-4 with three RBI.

The Bisons however were not done posting digits on the scoreboard. They chased Davis in the sixth after tacking on two more runs. Durham’s Julio DePaula came in for relief and proceeded to give up another run in the seventh, a solo shot from Mike Lamb, making the score 7-3.

Bulls reliever Chad Orvella came in to pitch in the eighth and was also knocked around, allowing two runs on two hits as Buffalo increased its lead to 9-3.

The only Bulls pitcher who came away unscathed was infielder Matt Hall, who came in to pitch in the ninth. He retired three of the four batters he faced to close out the game.

The Bulls were fortunate to have only allowed nine runs as Buffalo stranded 20 runners total for the game, the most by a Bulls opponent all season.

The Bulls look to rebound from their opening homestand loss Saturday as they take on the Bisons for Game 2 of their four game series. Lefty Carlos Hernandez takes the mound for Durham with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Montgomery Biscuits Lose 8-3 To Carolina Mudcats

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

Chris Heisey clubbed a three-run home run in the first inning and ultimately drove in four runs as the Carolina Mudcats rolled past the Biscuits, 8-3, in game four of a five-game series on Friday night at Five County Stadium.

Biscuits' starter Aneury Rodriguez hit the leadoff man for Carolina, Sean Henry, with a breaking ball to start the first inning and the frame went downhill from there for the right-hander. A flair-single to right field followed from Zack Cozart to put two aboard for Heisey. Rodriguez hung a 2-2 breaking-ball to Heisey who drilled it over the left-center field wall for a 3-0 Mudcats' advantage.

Montgomery got a run back in the second, as Carolina starter Jordan Smith walked JT Hall with one out. Hall advanced to second on a ground out and Matt Spring drove him in with the Biscuits first run with a single.

Rodriguez was chased in the fourth as the Mudcats widened the gap with a four-run inning. Rodriguez walked the leadoff man, Logan Parker, and a batter later put two aboard with a one-out walk to Eric Eymann. Jose Castro followed with an RBI single and Henry did the same for a 5-1 lead. Cozart then ripped a run-scoring double to left field to bring in the sixth run of the ballgame for Carolina and send Rodriguez to the showers after 3 1/3 innings. Brian Baker relieved him and gave up an RBI single to Heisey to extend the lead to 7-1.

Rodriguez (2-7) was tagged with his seventh loss of the season, allowing seven earned runs over 3 1/3 innings. He permitted six hits and walked four.

The Biscuits attempted to respond again in the top of the fifth. Jason Bowers opened the inning with a single off of Smith to put one aboard for Desmond Jennings. Jenning cracked his sixth home run high over the wall in left field, the two-run blast pulling the Biscuits back within four at 7-3. Smith was ejected following the home run for Jennings after arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Jordan Baker. His ejection didn't permit him to earn his fifth win.

That distinction went to LHP Camilo Vazquez (2-1), who entered under emergency conditions when Smith was ejected and retired six straight Biscuits over two innings of scoreless work.

Brian Baker relieved Rodriguez and worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, including striking out five. Mike Wlodarczyk followed Baker and worked a scorless seventh. The Mudcats did get to Wlodarczyk for one run to cap the scoring at 8-3 in the eighth.

The series finale is scheduled for Saturday night at 5:15 PM at Five County Stadium. LHP Jason Cromer (4-2, 4.23) will make the start for Montgomery against RHP Curtis Partch (0-0, ---) for Carolina.

Charlotte Stone Crabs shut out by Clearwater

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs lost 4-0 to the Clearwater Threshers on Friday night at Brighthouse Networks Field. Clearwater wasted no time getting started by putting their first run on the board in the first inning off a sac fly by Tim Kennelly to score Arlon Quiroz and put the Threshers ahead 1-0.

Clearwater added to their lead in the seventh as Joel Naughton lead off the inning with a double to right. Jesus Villegas Andino follows with an RBI to double to score Naughton and then came home on an RBI double by Arlon Quiroz. The Threshers got their final run of the night in the eighth off when Michael Durant doubles home Tim Kennelly and gave the Threshers the 4-0 lead.

David Newmann was the losing pitcher surrendering 1 run off 4 hits and picking up 5 strikeouts while walking 2 in 5 innings of work. Justin Garcia pitched 2 innings in relief allowing 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 3. Paul Phillips finished off the game going 1 inning giving up 1 run on 2 hits and striking out 1. Kyle Drabek threw a complete game shut-out to get the win for Clearwater.

What Went Right: David Newman; 4 strikeouts in 5 innings, only allowing 1 earned run on 4 hits.

What Went Wrong: The Offense; shut out with no multi base hits and struck out 7 times as a team.

A Look Ahead: The Stone Crabs head to Steinbrenner Field in Tampa to begin a four game series against the Tampa Yankees (20-25). Jeremy Hall (4-3) will take the mound for the Stone Crabs.

5/30: The Rundown

Position player pitches, Desmond Jennings rakes, Charlotte's offense sputters, Bowling Green blows it late...

Buffalo Bisons 9, Durham Bulls 3
Box | Recap
Notes: Durham fell to 30-18... Wade Davis got knocked around for 6 runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 2... Julio DePaula and Chad Orvella were responsible for the rest of the damage. Infielder Matt Hall pitched a scoreless 9th(no hits, no strikeouts, one walk)... Matt Joyce provided the only Durham offense with a 3-run homerun in the 4th inning... Former Bull Jon Switzer pitched 1.2 scoreless innings for Buffalo...

Carolina Mudcats 8, Montgomery Biscuits 3
Box | Recap
Notes: The Biscuits fell to 24-25... Aneury Rodriguez struggled again, allowing 7 runs on 6 hits in 3.1 innings. He walked four and only struck out one... Desmond Jennings had a great night, going 3-3 with a double, a homerun, and two walks. His OPS is back over 1.000... The rest of the offense combined for only three hits...

Clearwater Threshers 4, Charlotte Stone Crabs 0
Box | Recap
Notes: Charlotte fell to 22-21... David Newmann allowed 1 run in 5 innings, striking out 4 and walking two... Kyle Drabek was splendid for the Threshers, tossing the complete-game shutout. He struck out 7 and walked 1... Emeel Salem reached base three times out of four trips up... Greg Sexton committed his 10th error...

Rome Braves 5, Bowling Green Hot Rods 4
Box | Recap
Notes: Bowling Green fell to 23-24... The Hot Rods led 4-3 after 8, but Jamie Bagley allowed two runs in the 9th... Frank De Los Santos started and allowed 3 runs in the 1st inning, but rebounded to get through 5... Every Bowling Green hitter except Robi Estrada had at least one hit... Tim Beckham was 1-3 with a walk. He committed his 12th error... Kyeong Kang was 1-3 with a triple and a walk...

Up
Durham Bulls - OF Matt Joyce: He only got one hit, but made it count, a 3-run homerun. He's hitting .315/.408/.530 on the year.

Montgomery Biscuits - OF Desmond Jennings: He was in a bit of a funk, but he broke out of it by reaching base all five times up: A single, a double, a homerun, and two walks.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - OF Emeel Salem: It's been a tough season(he's hitting just .204), but Salem reached base three times last night.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - OF Kyeong Kang: 1-3 with a triple and a walk. Hitting .319/.429/.532 on the year.

Down
Durham Bulls - RHP Wade Davis: His strikeouts were down in AA last year, but they bounced back up when he was promoted. Now they're back down again(only 32 in 52 innings).

Montgomeru Biscuits - RHP Aneury Rodriguez: He had shown some signs of turning things around, but he had another clunker last night, allowing 7 earned in 3.1 innings.

Charlotte Stone Crabs - Offense: Struggled once again, picking up just 5 hits.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - C Mike McCormick: Got a hit, but he struck out 3 times and is hitting .163.

Dominican Summer League Rays Begin Play Tomorrow

The Dominican Summer League Rays play their first game tomorrow morning, hosting the DSL Mets. For a little background on the DSL, teams play a 72 game schedule ending this year on August 21st. The active roster limit is 35 and there are no age limits on players, but no player may have four or more years of prior minor league service. Draft-eligible players may not participate in the DSL, with the exception of two players from Puerto Rico on each team.

Affiliate Attendance

Team, league, number of home games, average attendance, rank in league.

Team League G Avg LgRank Durham International 23 5,402 9th/14 Montgomery Southern 24 4,049 3rd/10 Charlotte Florida State 19 3,180 1st/12 Bowling Green South Atlantic 18 3,374 7th/16

Minor Moves: Perez, Vasquez

RHRP Elvin Perez has been assigned to the Princeton Rays from the DSL Rays. The 23 year-old was 4-3 with a 2.27 ERA in 24 games last season for the DSL Rays. In 35.2 innings he struck out 32, walked 11, and allowed no homeruns.

Cristian Vasquez has been assigned to the GCL Rays from the DSL Rays. The 19 year-old shortstop hit .163/.308/.225 in 129 AB's for the DSL Rays last year. He was originally signed as a free agent on December 6, 2007, by Rays scout Eddy Toledo.

Montgomery Biscuits Lose 7-2 To Carolina Mudcats

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

A four-run sixth inning keyed a Carolina Mudcats, 7-2, victory over the Biscuits on Thursday night at Five County Stadium. The Biscuits got out quickly as Desmond Jennings doubled off Travis Wood on the first pitch of the ballgame. He scored when Rhyne Hughes singled through the right-side of the infield a batter later for a 1-0 lead.

The Mudcats drew even with a run in the third. Chris Kroski tripled to open the inning when Jennings slipped attempting to field what would have been a single. Biscuits' starter Heath Rollins retired the next two batters, but Chris Heisey laid down a bunt-single that scored Kroski, tying the game, 1-1.

Montgomery grabbed the lead right back in the fourth. Wood surrendered a single to Fernando Cortez who was forced at second by Rashad Eldridge. A batter later, Matt Spring doubled to right-center field to score Eldridge and give the Biscuits a 2-1 lead.

Things unraveled for the Biscuits in the sixth inning as Carolina plated four runs off of Rollins to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Todd Frazier opened the inning with a triple and Logan Parker followed with an RBI double. Shaun Cumberland contributed a run-scoring single and Cozart capped the rally with a two-run double. Rollins (5-3) took the loss for Montgomery, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing five earned runs on 10 hits.

Wood (4-3) got back on track for Carolina and worked through the seventh inning to earn his fourth victory of the season. He permitted two earned runs on seven hits. The Mudcats put the game away with a pair of runs off reliever Ryan Reid in the eighth inning. The first run of the inning scored on a Reid wild pitch, while Juan Francisco's sacrifice fly capped the scoring, 7-2.

Game four of the series is scheduled for 6:15 PM on Friday night at Five County Stadium. RHP Aneury Rodriguez (2-6, 5.36) will make the start for Montgomery against RHP Jordan Smith (4-0, 2.45) for Carolina.

Charlotte Stone Crabs fall to Clearwater

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs were unable to contain Clearwater’s offense as they lose to the Threshers 10-1 at Brighthouse Networks Field on Thursday. The Stone Crabs scored first on a solo home run by Greg Sexton in the second inning to give the Stone Crabs a 1-0 lead.

But it was Clearwater in command the rest of the game long, taking the lead in the bottom of the second on a two run homer by Joel Naughton and never looking back. The Threshers picked up five more runs in the sixth when Matt Rizzotti delivered a grand slam off Jesse Darcy and Cody Overbeck provided an RBI single to score Joe Naughton and give the Threshers a 7-1 lead.

The Threshers added two more runs in the seventh off a double by Tim Kennelly that scored Javis Diaz and Dominic Brown. Then Cody Overbeck hit a solo home run in the eighth to give the Clearwater the 10-1 margin of victory.

Jesse Darcy collected the loss by surrendering 6 runs off 6 hits in 5 1/3 innings of work, he struck out 1 and walked 2 on the night. Kevin Boggan pitched 1 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 2 strikeouts. Brian Flores finished out the night for Charlotte going 1 inning and allowing 1 run on 2 hits with a walk. Michael Cisco was the winning pitcher for Clearwater.

What Went Right: John Matulia; made his Stone Crab debut by going 2-3 with a triple.

What Went Wrong: Jesse Darcy; allowed 6 runs, 6 hits, 2 homer including a grand slam in 5 1/3 innings falling to 0-5 on the season with a 6.65 ERA.

A Look Ahead: The Stone Crabs finish out the series against Clearwater on Friday night at Brighthouse Networks Field. David Newmann will be on the mound for Charlotte.

Charlotte Stone Crabs Week in Review: 5/21-5/27

The Charlotte Stone Crabs were 2-4 on the week and were swept for the first time in franchise history by the division leading Fort Myers Miracle. The Stone Crabs are currently in second place in the FSL South Division with a 22-19 record and are 5 1/2 games behind first place Fort Myers. Although the 2-4 record doesn’t say much on the performance of the club for the week, the Stone Crabs kept their opponents close as all games this week were won or lost by only 1 run each. The highlight of the week was Matt Fields hitting three home runs during a double header on 5/27 with two of them in the same game, he was the first Stone Crab player in franchise history to hit multiple home runs in a game.

Hitting Leaders: Cody Cipriano continues to lead the team with a .330 batting average which is fourth best in the league and third in the league with a .528 slugging percentage. Matt Fields is second in the league with 9 home runs and now is tied for the league lead in RBI’s with 35. With Pedro Powell being promoted, Shawn O’Malley took over the team lead in stolen bases with 11 swipes this season.

Pitching Leaders: Alex Cobb continues to lead the starters with an ERA of 2.54. Darin Downs is still the win leader of the team with 5 wins and is tied for third in the league in wins. David Newmann is tied for second in the league with 45 strikeouts. Matt Gorgen is second in the league in saves with 7.

Team Stats: The team batting average fell to .238 and the Stone Crabs are now in eleventh place in the FSL. They are fourth in the league in stolen bases with 51. The Stone Crabs held at sixth place in pitching with a team ERA of 3.52. They are fourth in the league in strikeouts with 315 and lead the league with fewest walks issued with only 92.

Transactions: Chad Bradford added to the roster on an MLB rehab assignment (5/24/09). Matthew Hall was promoted to Durham (5/25/09). John Matulia added to the roster from Montgomery (5/27/09). Diogenes Luis added to the roster from Hudson Valley (5/27/09). Pedro Powell promoted to Montgomery (5/27/09).

Injuries: Stephen Vogt (shoulder)

The Week Ahead: 5/28/09-5/29/09: at Clearwater (21-20), 5/30/09-6/2/09: at Tampa (19-24), 6/3/09: vs Daytona (19-21).

Starting Pitching

Through Wednesday's games.

Durham Bulls: Starter ERA FIP GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Talbot 4.47 3.55 10 54.1 67 27 3 18 40 11.1 0.5 3.0 6.6 2.2 25.6 Price 3.93 4.71 8 34.1 28 15 5 18 35 7.3 1.3 4.7 9.2 1.9 23.8 Davis 2.66 3.73 9 47.1 34 14 1 23 30 6.5 0.2 4.4 5.7 1.3 23.7 Hernandez 3.75 4.24 9 48.0 45 20 5 15 33 8.4 0.9 2.8 6.2 2.2 29.1 Houser 4.78 5.79 7 32.0 29 17 4 20 22 8.2 1.1 5.6 6.2 1.1 24.4 Cromer 0.00 2.70 2 10.0 6 0 0 3 7 5.4 0.0 2.7 6.3 2.3 28.4 Childers 12.0010.20 1 3.0 7 4 2 1 4 21.0 6.0 3.0 12.0 4.0 34.3 Montgomery Biscuits: Starter ERA FIP GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Hellickson 2.10 2.13 6 30.0 20 7 1 8 36 6.0 0.3 2.4 10.8 4.5 22.1 Rodriguez 5.36 5.77 9 42.0 34 25 7 26 35 7.3 1.5 5.6 7.5 1.3 21.4 Rollins 3.38 3.40 9 50.2 46 19 1 14 27 8.2 0.2 2.5 4.8 1.9 24.0 Morse 4.74 5.02 9 38.0 40 20 3 23 21 9.5 0.7 5.4 5.0 0.9 26.0 Cromer 4.23 3.98 7 38.1 45 18 3 9 21 10.6 0.7 2.1 4.9 2.3 28.4 Mann 2.35 4.11 4 23.0 12 6 1 11 11 4.7 0.4 4.3 4.3 1.0 25.0 Oliveros 9.00 5.95 2 8.0 9 8 2 3 8 10.1 2.3 3.4 9.0 2.7 23.7 Baker 0.00 2.80 1 5.0 2 0 0 2 4 3.6 0.0 3.6 7.2 2.0 26.3 Charlotte Stone Crabs: Starter ERA FIP GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Cobb 2.54 3.22 9 46.0 43 13 3 8 37 8.4 0.6 1.6 7.2 4.6 21.6 Darcy 6.20 5.02 8 40.1 58 28 7 5 19 12.8 1.5 1.1 4.2 3.8 23.9 Newmann 4.57 3.25 8 41.1 36 21 2 17 45 7.8 0.4 3.7 9.8 2.6 23.9 Hall 3.89 3.00 8 39.1 42 17 1 10 30 9.6 0.2 2.3 6.9 3.0 25.7 Downs 3.19 3.37 7 42.1 43 15 4 3 30 9.1 0.9 0.6 6.4 10.0 24.4 Oliveros 0.00 1.60 1 5.0 3 0 0 0 4 5.4 0.0 0.0 7.2 inf 23.7 Bowling Green Hot Rods: Starter ERA FIP GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Moore 4.33 4.11 9 35.1 25 17 2 33 51 6.4 0.5 8.4 13.0 1.5 19.9 Dyer 3.98 3.54 8 40.2 43 18 2 8 30 9.5 0.4 1.8 6.6 3.8 21.2 DeLosSantos 3.12 3.82 8 40.1 35 14 3 13 28 7.8 0.7 2.9 6.2 2.2 21.5 Schenk 2.35 2.42 2 7.2 7 2 0 1 6 8.2 0.0 1.2 7.0 6.0 22.9 Jarman 2.50 3.78 7 36.0 28 10 3 10 24 7.0 0.8 2.5 6.0 2.4 23.9 Andujar 3.42 3.24 5 23.2 28 9 1 5 15 10.6 0.4 1.9 5.7 3.0 21.8 Cruz 1.85 1.88 6 24.1 27 5 0 8 28 10.0 0.0 3.0 10.4 3.5 20.8 Hayes 9.00 3.53 1 3.0 5 3 0 0 1 15.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 inf 20.8 Venezuelan Summer League Rays: Starter ERA FIP GS IP H ER HR BB K H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AGE Sanchez 2.45 6.47 1 3.2 3 1 1 0 2 7.4 2.5 0.0 4.9 inf 19.9 Quinonez 2.70 1.40 1 3.1 4 1 0 0 3 10.8 0.0 0.0 8.1 inf 19.8 Linares 1.13 2.08 2 8.0 7 1 0 1 6 7.9 0.0 1.1 6.8 6.0 19.1 Lopez 0.00 3.80 1 5.0 2 0 0 1 3 3.6 0.0 1.8 5.4 3.0 18.1 Cabrera 0.00 2.20 1 4.0 3 0 0 0 2 6.8 0.0 0.0 4.5 inf 19.6 Crespo 2.25 3.20 1 4.0 5 1 0 0 0 11.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 19.3 Wilches 9.00 1.20 1 2.0 3 2 0 0 2 13.5 0.0 0.0 9.0 inf 17.6 Gonzalez 0.00 0.20 1 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 4.5 0.0 0.0 13.5 inf 16.8 Starting Pitching Summary: Team IP/GS ERA FIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 K/BB AvAGE Durham 5.0 3.81 4.27 8.5 0.8 3.9 6.7 1.7 27.0 Montgomery 5.0 3.94 4.16 8.0 0.7 3.7 6.2 1.7 24.6 Charlotte 5.1 3.94 3.52 9.4 0.7 1.8 6.9 3.8 23.9 Bowling Green 4.2 3.33 3.47 8.4 0.5 3.3 7.8 2.3 21.6 VSL Rays 3.2 1.69 2.76 7.9 0.3 0.6 5.9 10.5 18.8

Note: These stats only include appearances as a starting pitcher. If one of these pitchers make a relief appearance, those numbers are not included.

And that is not a typo, Joynerd Gonzalez was born on July 22, 1992.

Durham Bulls Beat Rochester Red Wings 8-7

[Via email from the Durham Bulls' broadcaster Neil Solondz.]

Ray Sadler had two doubles, three hits and three RBI, as Durham took an early lead, and then held on to beat Rochester 8-7 Thursday to wrap up a 6-2 road trip. Durham, which had 17 hits the previous game, scored singled runs in the first four frames against starter Phillip Humber and then tacked on three in the fifth against reliever Bobby Keppel. Sadler's second double of the day drove home the final two runs of the inning. Durham scored five of its eight runs with two out.

Rochester, down 7-3, rallied for two in the seventh against Jason Childers (5-1), who was pitching his third inning in relief of Matt DeSalvo. DeSalvo went four innings, allowing three runs in his Bulls debut.

Durham benefited from a two-out error by former Bull Jason Pridie in the ninth, and scored a key insurance run for an 8-5 lead. That was critical as Rochester rallied for two ninth inning runs against closer Winston Abreu. Abreu struck out Trevor Plouffe for his seventh save with the tying run at first.

The Bulls collected 12 hits, three from Sadler, as every Bull reached. Durham is now a season-best 13 games over .500 at 30-17 and will host Buffalo on Friday night, the start of an eight-game home stand. In winning the South Division last year, the Bulls were never more than nine games over .500.

Coverage on 99.9 the Fan begins at 6:55 with first pitch at 7:05. Tickets are available for the fireworks night at www.durhambulls.com.

Minor Moves: Luis

Infielder Diogenes Luis has been assigned to the Charlotte Stone Crabs from the Hudson Valley Renegades.

The 22 year-old is 0-6 with 2 strikeouts in 4 games for the Stone Crabs this season.

Charlotte Stone Crabs take game 2 of the double header

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs split the double header with the Clearwater Threshers by winning game two 2-1 at Brighthouse Networks Field. The Stone Crabs were on the board first thanks to a solo home run by Matt Fields, his third of the double header and ninth on the season.

Clearwater tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on an sac fly by Dominic Brown that scored Javis Diaz. But the Stone Crabs wasted no time retaking the lead as Shawn Williams singled home the winning run driving in Greg Sexton to give the Stone Crabs a 2-1 win.

Rayner Oliveros pitched 5 shutout innings in his first start of the season, allowing 3 hits and striking out 4. Matt Gorgen got the win by going 2 innings allowing 1 unearned run, 1 hits, 4 strikeouts and 2 walks. Drew Naylor was the losing pitcher for Clearwater.

What Went Right: Rayner Oliveros; 5 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits, 4K’s, 1.33 ERA for the season. Greg Sexton; 2 for 3 with a run scored.

What Went Wrong: Diogenes Luis; hitless as a Stone Crab, 4 games with 0 hits.

A Look Ahead: The Stone Crabs and Threshers are back at it on Thursday with game three of the four game series at Brighthouse Networks Field. Jesse Darcy (0-4) will pitch for the Stone Crabs.

Durham Bulls Beat Rochester Red Wings 13-2

[Via email from the Durham Bulls' broadcaster Neil Solondz.]

Matt Joyce had three doubles and six RBI, as the Bulls won 13-2 on Wednesday over Rochester. After Mitch Talbot (4-4) got out of a bases-loaded none-out jam in the second inning, Durham took the lead for good in the third on Joyce’s first double, a two-run two-out double to right over David Winfree’s head.

Durham added to its lead in the fourth on a Brandon Chaves single that scored Craig Albernaz from third after Albernaz’s one-out triple.

After Rochester scored its only two runs in the bottom of the fourth against Talbot, the Bulls answered with two more on a double in the fifth by Joyce that went over the first base bag.

Leading 5-2 in the sixth, Durham blew it open with four more runs, the last three on Joyce’s final double with the bases loaded. Durham then closed the scoring with four in the eighth. The game was delayed for more than an hour by rain in the ninth with the Bulls leading 13-2 before the final frame was completed.

The Bulls collected a season-high 17 hits, including four from Chaves in his second Triple-A game. Durham now is 29-17, and 5-2 on an eight-game road trip. The finale of the trip is Thursday morning at 11:05 a.m. Coverage on 99.9 the Fan’s HD2 begins at 10:45 a.m. Matt DeSalvo will start in his Bulls debut.

Montgomery Biscuits Beat Carolina Mudcats 3-0

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

Biscuits' left-hander Brandon Mann (3-2) carried a perfect-game bid for 6 2/3 innings, ultimately working eight shutout frames, as the Biscuits blanked the Carolina Mudcats, 3-0, on Wednesday night at Five County Stadium.

Pitching dominated the early portion of the ballgame, as Mudcats' starter Zach Stewart worked four scoreless innings to start his second Double-A start. Mann was even better through three innings, working a perfect pass through the order the first time around, retiring the first nine batters he faced.

Mann kept piling up outs, working in order through the fourth and fifth inning as Stewart inexplicably called it a night after four innings.

The Biscuits finally got on the board following Stewart's departure. Reliever Kyle Aselton (0-1) worked a scoreless fifth inning, but Fernando Cortez opened the sixth with a ringing-double off the wall in right field. Rashad Eldridge then broke the scoreless-stalemate with a single to centerfield that plated Cortez for a 1-0 lead. Cesar Suarez followed with a double to score Eldridge for a 2-0 advantage. Following a pitching change that brought Sean Watson into the ballgame, Suarez stole third base. He scored the third run of the inning on a sacrifice fly from Matt Spring and the Biscuits led, 3-0. Aselton was tagged with the loss for Carolina.

Meanwhile, Mann continued his pursuit of perfection. After retiring Logan Parker, Jose Castro and Korey Feiner in order in the sixth he took his perfect-game bid into the seventh. He recorded the first two outs of the inning before Chris Heisey finally ended the bid with a triple off the wall in centerfield for the first hit for Carolina. Mann retired Juan Francisco to end the inning.

The left-hander returned to work a scoreless eighth inning, turning in the longest start of the season for Montgomery, while claiming his third win. In all, Mann allowed two hits, walked none and struck out two.

Calvin Medlock finished off the Mudcats with a perfect ninth inning, retiring the Mudcats in order to collect his league-leading 13th save of the season. Medlock finished the first shutout of the season for Montgomery.

Game three of the series is scheduled for 6:15 PM on Thursday night at Five County Stadium. RHP Heath Rollins (5-2, 3.38) will make the start for Montgomery against LHP Travis Wood (3-3, 1.38) for Carolina.

Charlotte Stone Crabs lose game 1 of the double header in extra innings

The Game: Matt Fields goes yard twice but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Clearwater Threshers as they Stone Crabs lost 8-7 in extra innings during game one of the double header. The Stone Crabs came out scoring by putting four runs on the board in the first inning. Emeel Salem led of the game with a walk and Shawn O’Malley reached on an error to put runners on first and second. Greg Sexton followed with a single to load the bases. But the bases weren’t loaded long as Matt Fields cleared them with a grand slam that put the Stone Crabs up 4-0.

Clearwater added a run in the second inning when Fidel Hernandez hit a sac fly to score Javis Diaz. They added two more in the second off a two run homer by Michael Durant to trail the Stone Crabs by one.

Matt Fields homered for the second time of the night in the fifth inning to give the Stone Crabs a 5-3 lead. But Clearwater would not sit quietly as they got back to back home runs by Cody Overbeck and Jesus Villegas Andino to tie the game at five runs a piece and force extra innings.

The Stone Crabs broke the tie in the ninth. Ryan Royster got things started with a single to center and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Shawn Williams. Emeel Salem hit an RBI single to right to score Royster and advanced to second on a fielding error. Salem then stole third and came home on an RBI single by Shawn O’Malley to give the Stone Crabs a 7-5 lead.

The Threshers tied things back up in the bottom of the ninth on a two run home run by Cody Overbeck, his second of the night. The 7-7 tie lasted until the bottom of the eleventh when Dominic Brown singled to center that scored Jesus Villegas Andino, breaking the tie and giving Clearwater the 8-7 victory.

Alex Cobb pitched 5 innings giving up 3 runs (2 earned) off 5 hits, striking out 5. Chad Bradford pitched 1 scoreless inning in his second MLB rehab appearance giving up 1 hit. Austin Hinkle gave up two home runs and picked up his first blown save of the season going 2 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits while striking out 2. Paul Phillips was charged with the loss going 2 2/3 innings giving up 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 4 and walking 1. Michael Schwimer was the winner for Clearwater.

What Went Right: Matt Fields; 2-5 with 2 HR’s and 5 RBI’s.

What Went Wrong: The bullpen; gave up the lead 3 times, 2 blown saves and allowed 3 home runs and 10 hits. Nevin Ashley; 0-5.

A Look Ahead: Game two of the double header. Rayner Oliveros (1-0) is on the mound for Charlotte.

Minor Moves: Matulia

Outfielder John Matulia has been assigned to the Charlotte Stone Crabs from the Montgomery Biscuits. He had been on Montgomery's reserved list, playing in extended spring training, since May 20th.

He was originally placed on the Biscuits 7-day disabled list April 25th with an elbow injury. In 37 AB's this season at Montgomery he has hit .081/.190/.189.

Minor Moves: Perry, Powell

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

The Tampa Bay Rays have made two moves affecting the roster of the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits prior to the Biscuits Wednesday night game at Carolina:

OF Jason Perry placed on the disabled list (wrist), OF Pedro Powell received from Charlotte (A+) [23 + 2].

Perry suffered a broken bone in his wrist when he was hit by a pitch in Montgomery’s loss to Carolina on Tuesday night. He is expected to miss 3-6 weeks due to the injury. Powell was batting .308 (24-78) with no home runs and 10 RBI prior to his promotion. He had also stolen 12 bases for the Stone Crabs. Powell will be assigned a uniform number upon his arrival in Zebulon, NC.

The Biscuits continue one player shy of the Southern League maximum of 24 active players. Two players (Jeremy Hellickson and Jason Perry) are currently on the disabled list.

MLB Draft: Bonus Slots Down 10%

Jim Callis at Baseball America has this on MLB's draft bonus recommendations:

In a development first reported by Murray Chass, MLB commissioner Bud Selig said his office will reduce its recommendations for bonus slots by 10 percent. Selig made the comments at an owners meeting last week in New York, and Baseball America has confirmed his plan with multiple sources.

MLB recommends bonuses for each pick in the first five rounds, as well as a maximum for all picks afterward. Last year’s estimated slots ranged from $4 million for the No. 1 overall pick to $155,000 for the final choice in the fifth round (No. 172), with a $150,000 threshold for subsequent picks.
...
Prepare for a slew of holdouts this year, especially in the first round. Several of the draft’s best prospects are advised by the hard-bargaining Scott Boras Corp., and two years ago clubs showed they wouldn’t walk away from their top choices over a difference of 10 percent.

"If I’m advising a first-round pick," one agent said, "I’m telling him there’s no reason to sign before Aug. 15. The longer you wait, the more money you’ll get."

5/27: Today's Games

Durham Bulls at Rochester Red Wings 7:05 EDT
Starting for Durham: RHP Mitch Talbot 3-4 4.66
Notes: Third game of a four-game series...

Montgomery Biscuits at Carolina Mudcats 7:15 EDT
Starting for Montgomery: RHP Brandon Mann 2-2 5.02
Notes: Second of a five-gamer...

Charlotte Stone Crabs doubleheader at Clearwater Threshers 5:00 EDT
Starting for Charlotte: RHP Alex Cobb 1-2 2.41 & RHP Jesse Darcy 0-4 6.20
Notes: Charlotte will be in Clearwater for four...

Bowling Green Hot Rods at Charleston RiverDogs 7:05 EDT
Starting for Bowling Green: RHP Shane Dyer 0-3 3.98
Notes:

5/27: The Rundown

Three losses and a rainout in an abbreviated version of the rundown...

Rochester Red Wings 5, Durham Bulls 2
Box | Recap
Notes: Durham fell to 28-17... The Bulls used only two pitchers: James Houser allowed 2 runs in 5 innings, and Chad Orvella allowed the other 3 in his 3 relief innings... Matt Joyce was 1-4 with a triple... Justin Ruggiano was 0-4 with three strikeouts...

Carolina Mudcats 5, Montgomery Biscuits 4
Box | Recap
Notes: The Biscuits fell to 23-23... Ryan Morse allowed 3 runs(1 earned) in 5 innings... Mike Wlodcarczyk and Chris Mason combined to allow the deciding runs in the 7th inning... Desmond Jennings(5) and Fernando Cortez(2) homered for the Biscuits... Rashad Eldridge was 3-4 with two doubles...

Charlotte Stone Crabs rained out
Notes: Charlotte will play a doubleheader today..

Charleston RiverDogs 9, Bowling Green Hot Rods 4
Box | Recap
Notes: Bowling Green fell to 23-22... The Hot Rods couldn't take advantage of a ton of early baserunners, scoring three times off Andrew Brackman despite 10 walks in 3.1 innings... Matt Moore struggled with his control too, but he "only" allowed 4 walks in 3 innings, striking out 5 and allowing 3 earned runs... Tim Beckham's hot streak ended with an 0-4 night. He did draw a walk... Mike Sheridan was 2-3 with a double and two walks...

Charlotte Stone Crabs rained out on the road

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs can’t escape the curse of the wet field as Tuesday nights game against the Clearwater Threshers was postponed. The two clubs will try it again Wednesday night. Who would have ever thought that it would be too wet for Crabs and Sharks to play…..maybe I am looking too far into it.

What Went Right: n/a

What Went Wrong: n/a

A Look Ahead: The Charlotte Stone Crabs and Clearwater Threshers will play a double header on Wednesday. Alex Cobb and Jesse Darcy are scheduled to start for Charlotte.

Minor Moves: DeSalvo, Choate, Richard, Chaves

The Durham Bulls have signed free agent RHP Matt DeSalvo. The 28 year-old was originally signed May 15, 2003, by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent out of Marietta College. At Division III Marietta he set All-Division records for wins (53) and strikeouts (603) and was named Baseball America's Small College Player of the Year in 2003. He was granted free agency from the Yankees on December 12, 2007, and signed with the Atlanta Braves on February 7, 2008. He was granted free agency from the Braves on September 4, 2008.

In 2008 for the Atlanta Braves DeSalvo appeared in 2 games in relief, putting up a 31.50 ERA in 2.0 innings. For the AAA Richmond Braves he was 2-11 with a 4.87 ERA in 34 games (8 starts). In 92.1 innings he struck out 91 and walked 55. He also appeared in the majors for the Yankees in 2007, going 1-3 with a 6.18 ERA in 7 games (6 starts).

The Tampa Bay Rays called up LHRP Randy Choate from the Durham Bulls. The 33 year-old was 3-0 with a 3.72 ERA in 21 appearances for the Bulls. Over 19.1 innings he struck out 15 and walked 9 with a 3.10 GO/AO and a .216 batting average against.

The Durham Bulls have placed 1B Chris Richard on the 7-day disabled list, retroactive to May 24, 2009. The 34 year-old has hit .273/.365/.590 in 139 AB's with 11 HR's this year for the Bulls.

SS/2B Brandon Chaves has been assigned to the Durham Bulls from the Montgomery Biscuits. The 29 year old has hit .232/.350/.297 in 138 AB's for the Biscuits this season. The Rays have not announced a corresponding move, leaving the Biscuits one shy of the Southern League maximum of 24 active players. They currently have 23 active players with one (Jeremy Hellickson) currently on the disabled list.

David Price Last Night

Jeremy Greenhouse of The Baseball Analysts had this to say about David Price's slider and fastball last night:

Price, as usual, was 95% fastball/slider. He showed his spike curveball and changeup once or twice, but they were all wasted for balls.

I’d say he found his slider. Like last year, it averaged a velocity of 86-88 miles per hour. While Price doesn't generate significant horizontal movement, he actually got the ball to dive more in yesterday's start than he did on average last year. He releases his slider a couple inches farther from his body than he releases his fastball on average. There aren't many sliders thrown at 86-88, especially from the left side. Last year, Francisco Liriano and Randy Johnson threw the hardest sliders among left-handers. Both of them had little horizontal movement, like Price, and Liriano's and Johnson's sliders actually generated less vertical movement than Price's has. Nevertheless, all of these sliders have solid reputations and they have all accounted for above-average run values, which can now be found on Fangraphs. Swinging at Price's slider simply isn’t a good idea. Out of eight swings on his sliders, there were five fouls, two misses, and one pop out. However, when batters took the slider, only two called strikes were called out of twelve pitches. If he can locate the slider down in the zone, I believe it would be nearly untouchable.

His fastball averaged 96 MPH, which, for a starter, for a lefty, and for a human whose arm must follow the laws of biomechanics, is positively exceptional. The movement on it is nothing to write home about, though, in my opinion.

5/26: Today's Games

Durham Bulls at Rochester Red Wings 7:05 EDT
Starting for Durham: LHP James houser 1-1 5.00
Notes: Kevin Mulvey will be on the mound for Rochester

Montgomery Biscuits at Carolina Mudcats 7:15 EDT
Starting for Montgomery: RHP Ryan Morse 2-4 5.18
Notes: First of a 5-game series in Carolina...

Charlotte Stone Crabs at Clearwater Threshers 7:00 EDT
Starting for Charlotte: RHP Alex Cobb 1-2 2.41
Notes: Charlotte will be in Clearwater for four...

Bowling Green Hot Rods at Charleston RiverDogs 7:05 EDT
Starting for Bowling Green: LHP Matt Moore 2-2 3.90
Notes: Andrew Brackman on the mound for Charleston...

5/26: The Rundown

A total margin of victory of 5 runs between three games...

Durham Bulls 3, Rochester Red Wings 2
Box | Recap
Notes: Durham improved to 28-16... Carlos Hernandez allowed two runs, both unearned, in 6 innings... Dewon Day got the win with the scoreless inning of relief... Winston Abreu got the save, striking out 4 in 2 innings. On the season, he has struck out 37 in 25.1 innings. His ERA is down to 1.07... Durham got RBIs from Henry Mateo and Chris Nowak... Matt Joyce was 1-4...

Montgomery Biscuits 6, Jacksonville Suns 5
Box | Recap
Notes: The Biscuits improved to 23-22... Jason Cromer improved to 4-2 thanks to 7 strong innings, allowing just a run on three hits... Eduardo Morlan had a rough inning and a third of relief, allowing 3 earned runs. Calvin Medlock came in to preserve the win... Brandon Chaves and Fernando Cortez each hit their first homerun of the year... In the throes of a slump, Desmond Jennings wasn't in the lineup. He came in to play centerfield in the 9th...

Charlotte Stone Crabs off
Notes: Charlotte returns to the field today in Clearwater...

Charleston RiverDogs 4, Bowling Green Hot Rods 1
Box | Recap
Notes: Bowling Green fell to 23-21... Mike Jarman fell to 4-4, but he has victimized by some poor defense. 3 of the 4 runs he allowed were unearned... Tim Beckham was 2-3 with a double and a walk, but he was caught stealing for the 6th time(he only has 1 stolen base)... Mike Sheridan hit his 5th homerun of the year for the Hot Rods' lone run...

Up
Durham Bulls - RHP Winston Abreu: It's a tough comparison, but doesn't Winston Abreu's start kind of remind you of what Grant Balfour did in Durham last year? He's pitched 25.1 innings, allowed 3 earned runs on 8 hits, struck out 37 and walked 8.

Montgomery Biscuits - LHP Jason Cromer: He's been a really solid starter for Durham and Montgomery, tossing 7 innings and allowing just 1 run yesterday.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - SS Tim Beckham: His 5th consecutive multi-hit game. He is now 11 for his last 20 with three walks.

Down
Durham Bulls - 1B Alex Jamieson: Only Bulls starter without a hit.

Montgomery Biscuits - 1B Rhyne Hughes: Got the hat trick, striking out three times as part of an 0-5 night.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - 3 & 4 in the order: Jake Jefferies and Kyeong Kang each went 0-4..

Durham Bulls Beat Rochester Red Wings 3-2

[Via email from the Durham Bulls' broadcaster Neil Solondz.]

Winston Abreu's terrific relief work made a late-inning single by Chris Nowak stand up, as the Bulls won their third straight Monday, 3-2 over Rochester. Abreu picked up his sixth save with a two-inning scoreless stint. After reliever Dewon Day (3-0) allowed a leadoff walk in the eighth, Abreu eventually got to a first-and-third one-out situation, and he struck out the four and five hitters, Justin Huber and David Winfree. In the ninth, Trevor Plouffe doubled inside the third base bag to start the frame, but Matt Macri and Dustin Martin fanned, and Brock Peterson popped to short to end the game.

Durham took the lead with two out in the eighth when Nowak singled to right off Juan Morillo (2-2). The RBI single scored Justin Ruggiano, who had singled, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch.

Day got the win with a scoreless seventh, but the Bulls also received a strong start from Carlos Hernandez, his fourth straight of six innings or more. Hernandez committed two throwing errors, leading to two unearned runs. He allowed only four hits and one walk while striking out one.

Offensively, eight of nine Bulls collected the team's 11 hits. Henry Mateo, Ruggiano and Jon Weber had two apiece. Durham has won 10 of 12 and is a season-best 12 over .500 (28-16) despite playing with a short-handed roster. Due to injuries in Tampa Bay, Reid Brignac, Randy Choate, David Price, and Dale Thayer were called up this week. In addition, John Jaso, Ray Olmedo and Chris Richard each missed a second straight game due to injury.

The Bulls, 4-1 on an eight-game road trip, take on Rochester on Tuesday night. LHP James Houser starts against RHP Kevin Mulvey. Coverage on 99.9 the Fan's HD2 begins at 6:45, with first pitch at 7:05.

Montgomery Biscuits Beat Jacksonville Suns 6-5

[Via email from the Montgomery Biscuits' broadcaster Jon Laaser.]

The Biscuits used home runs from Fernando Cortez and Brandon Chaves to build a 6-1 lead and then held on for a 6-5 win over the Jacksonville Suns in the finale of a five-game series on Monday afternoon at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The Biscuits jumped to the lead in the second inning, plating three runs off of Suns' starter Aaron Thompson. Thompson walked Jason Perry to open the inning and Cesar Suarez followed with a double to put two aboard. Cortez then cracked his first home run of the season to right field to give the Biscuits a 3-0 lead.

Jacksonville got a run back off of Biscuits' starter Jason Cromer in the bottom of the inning. Andy Jenkins doubled with one out and Cromer drilled Scott Cousins with the next pitch to put two aboard. He then walked Spike McDougall to load the bases before Bryan Petersen delivered a sacrifice fly to left field to put Jacksonville on the board, 3-1. Cromer (4-2) earned the win over seven innings. The lefty allowed just one earned run while limiting the Suns to three hits and striking out four. He earned his third road win of the season, and fourth overall.

The Biscuits added a pair of runs to their lead off of reliever Brad Stone in the seventh inning. Rashad Eldridge reached on an error, and scored when Chaves delivered a low-flying liner to the the bleachers in right field. His first home run of the season gave the Biscuits a 5-1 lead. Montgomery insured their lead with another run off of Stone in the eighth inning, using back-to-back singles from Cortez and Drew Anderson along with a wild pitch to take a 6-1 lead. The Suns closed to 6-2 with a lone run off of reliever Eddie Morlan in the eighth inning. An RBI single from Lorenzo Scott bringing home Smelin Perez who had doubled with two outs.

Morlan opened the ninth inning, but allowed two singles to put two aboard with one out. Montgomery called upon closer Calvin Medlock who promptly struck out Chris De La Cruz. Jacksonville called on pinch-hitter Kevin Randel, who drilled a three-run home run to right field to make it a one run game. Medlock than permitted an infield-single to Petersen before finally slamming the door and earning his 12th save by striking out Smelin Perez. Thompson (2-5) worked five innings in the ballgame, allowing five total hits and the three runs on Cortez's home run. He walked two and struck out four in taking the loss for Jacksonville.

The Biscuits will open a five-game series at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC, against the Carolina Mudcats on Tuesday night at 6:15 PM. LHP Ryan Morse (2-4, 5.18) will make the start for the Biscuits against LHP Alexander Smit (1-0, 2.81) for the Mudcats.

Minor Moves: Jarman

The Bowling Green Hot Rods have activated LHSP Michael Jarman from the 7-day disabled list. He is 3-2 with a 2.53 ERA in 6 starts for the Hot Rods this year. In 32.0 innings he has struck out 18 and walked 8 with a 1.81 GO/AO. Opposing batters have only hit for a .208 average.

Jarman was drafted by the Rays out of Oral Roberts University in the 26th round of the 2008 draft. He is scheduled to start tonight's game against the Charleston RiverDogs at 7:05 pm.

Groundball Rates

Not much of an intro, he's the GO/AO(groundouts divided by flyouts) for starters and select relievers(The higher that is, the more groundballs that pitcher is getting):

Player             GO/AO
Mitch Talbot        1.41     
David Price         1.24
Carlos Hernandez    0.89
James Houser        0.65
Wade Davis          0.61

Jason Cromer        1.62
Heath Rollins       1.45
Aneury Rodriguez    0.85
Jeremy Hellickson   0.43
David Newmann       3.35
Darin Downs         2.41
Alex Cobb           1.43
Jesse Darcy         0.88
Jeremy Hall         0.75

Shane Dyer          2.11
Michael Jarman      1.81
Joseph Cruz         1.33
Frank De Los Santos 1.17
Matt Moore          1.09

Randy Choate        3.10
Winston Abreu       0.89

Ryan Reid           1.00
Eduardo Morlan      0.63
Calvin Medlock      0.41

Matt Gorgen         1.50
Austin Hinkle       0.95
Paul Phillips       0.29

Tommy Rafferty      2.75
Chris Andujar       2.14
Marquis Fleming     2.14
Jamie Bagley        2.00

So David Newmann is generating a ton of grounders, while Paul Phillips has an almost comically high number of flyballs. Along with Davis' low strikeout rate, his low groundball rate isn't a great sign. He's still getting outs, but we'll see if he can keep going with a sub-3 ERA with the rates that low. One guy I like as a bit of a sleeper is Shane Dyer: He's showing good control, getting groundballs, and striking some guys out. Then again, David Newmann has been doing those things too, and from the left side to boot.

Minor Moves: Price, Hall

[Via email from the Durham Bulls' broadcaster Neil Solondz.]

The Tampa Bay Rays today announced LHP David Price has been recalled and will make the start today against the Cleveland Indians. Price, the top pitching prospect in the country according to Baseball America, was 1-4 with a 3.93 ERA in eight starts with Durham this season.

Price, 23, had his finest start in his final one as a Bull against Rochester on May 17th when he pitched five hitless innings while striking out nine. On the season he allowed 28 hits in 34.1 innings while striking out 35 against 18 walks.

The 2007 first overall draft pick began his professional career in 2008 posting an 11-0 record with stops at Vero Beach and Montgomery before joining the Bulls in August. He was 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in four starts with the Bulls during the regular season.

Price was the winning pitcher in Game 2 of the 2008 American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Boston Red Sox, earning a post-season victory before winning a regular season game. He recorded the final four outs in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, earning his first career save and eliminating the defending champion Boston Red Sox. Price then pitched 2⅓ innings in Game 2 of the 2008 World Series, giving up two earned runs while earning his second career save.

The Rays also announced infielder Matt Hall was assigned to Durham from Charlotte. With the signing of Henry Mateo on Sunday, the Bulls roster stands at 24.

Wade Davis International League Pitcher Of The Week

From the International League press release: The International League announced today that Columbus outfielder Jordan Brown and Durham pitcher Wade Davis have been named the League’s Batter and Pitcher of the Week for the period from May 18-24. Both Brown and Davis are the second members of their respective clubs to win an IL weekly award this season, following Columbus’ Matt LaPorta (April 20-26) and Durham’s Chris Richard (May 11-17).
...
WADE DAVIS, Durham Bulls IL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Right-hander Wade Davis did not allow an earned run in either of his two victories this week, helping his Durham Bulls stay close in the IL South Division race. Last Monday Davis took the hill against Rochester and was the star of a pitching duel that saw the Bulls win 1-0. Davis allowed just two hits and a walk in 6.2 innings while striking out three in a game that lasted less than two hours. Yesterday afternoon at Lehigh Valley, Davis came up big again, surrendering only an unearned run in 6.2 innings of work as Durham went on to win 6-2. The victory improves his record to 5-1 on the season, just one win shy of the League leader (Gwinnett’s Charlie Morton).

23-year-old Wade Davis is rated by Baseball America as the #3 prospect in the Tampa Bay farm system, while MiLB.com rates him as the #31 prospect overall. The former Rays Minor League Pitcher of the Year made his Triple-A debut during the second half of the 2008 season, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.72 ERA in nine starts for Durham. He also won the clinching game for the Bulls in the Governors’ Cup semi-finals. Davis is a native of Lake Wales, Florida.

Minor Moves: Bradford, Montilla

RHRP Chad Bradford has been assigned to the Charlotte Stone Crabs on a rehab assignment from the Tampa Bay Rays. In his first action of the season following right elbow surgery, he came on to pitch a scoreless inning of relief yesterday for the Stone Crabs. He's been on the Rays 15-day disabled list since March 27th.

RHP Ricardo Montilla, 21, has been assigned to the Venezuelan Summer League Rays.

More Stone Crabs Pictures From 5/24 By Nick Hanson

5/25: Today's Games

Durham Bulls at Rochester Red Wings 1:35 EST
Starting for Durham: LHP Carlos Hernandez 3-2 4.29
Notes: The Bulls begin a 4-game series in Rochester...

Montgomery Biscuits at Jacksonville Suns 1:05 EDT
Starting for Montgomery: LHP Jason Cromer 3-2 4.88
Notes: Last game in Jacksonville before a 5-game series in Carolina...

Charlotte Stone Crabs off
Notes: Charlotte will be in Clearwater for four beginning tomorrow...

Bowling Green Hot Rods at Charleston RiverDogs 7:05 EST
Starting for Bowling Green: RHP Michael Jarman 3-2 2.53
Notes:

Game Pictures from 5/24: Stone Crabs vs Miracle

5/25: The Rundown

Wade Davis keeps rolling, the Biscuits offense sputters, Chad Bradford returns, and Joseph Cruz shines...

Durham Bulls 6, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 2
Box | Recap
Notes: Durham improved to 27-16... Wade Davis lowered his ERA to 2.66, allowing just an unearned run in 6.2 innings of work. His strikeout-to-walk rate still isn't great, though, at 30-23 on the season... Jon Weber and Justin Ruggiano went deep for the Bulls... Matt Joyce was 1-4 with an RBI...

Jacksonville Suns 4, Montgomery Biscuits 0
Box | Recap
Notes: The Biscuits fell to 22-22... Aneury Rodriguez got his 6th loss despite a very good start, allowing 1 run on 2 hits in 5 innings. He struck out 6 and walked 1... Neal Frontz allowed 3 runs in his inning of relief... The Biscuits offense picked up only 4 hits, though they did draw 5 walks... Desmond Jennings was 0-5, and his batting average is down to .371...

Fort Myers Miracle 3, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2
Box | Recap
Notes: Charlotte fell to 21-18... Darin Downs got his second loss, allowing 3 runs in 5.1 innings... Chad Bradford made his first rehab appearance. He allowed a groundball base hit, induced a double play, and got a groundout for a scoreless inning... Matt Gorgen lowered his ERA to 0.45 with two scoreless frames. He's struck out 25 and walked 8 on the year... No one for Charlotte had multiple hits...

Bowling Green Hot Rods 3, Charleston RiverDogs 2
Box | Recap
Notes: Bowling Green improved to 23-20... Joe Cruz earned his first win of the season, allowing just a run in 5 innings of work. He struck out 6 and walked 2... Tim Beckham went 2-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts... Kyeong Kang was 2-3 with a double and a walk. He has a 1.037 OPS through his first 10 games...

Up
Durham Bulls - RHP Wade Davis: He's 5-1 with a 2.66 ERA, and pitched 6.2 very effective innings yesterday, but the lack of strikeouts has to be a little bit troubling.

Montgomery Biscuits - RHP Anuery Rodriguez: He's been better after a dreadful start. ERA still

Charlotte Stone Crabs - RHP Matt Gorgen: He's just toying with the FSL at this point, ERA down to 0.45.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - LF Kyeong Kang: He's given the Hot Rods offense a needed boost, hitting .364/.462/.576.

Down
Durham Bulls - CF Ray Sadler: 0-4 with three strikeouts.

Montgomery Biscuits - OF Desmond Jennings: Just 1 for his last 13, batting average down to .371

Charlotte Stone Crabs - C Nevin Ashley: 0-4 with two strikeouts.

Bowling Green Hot Rods - Anthony Scelfo, Henry Wrigley, Mike Sheridan, Mike McCormick, Jason Tweedy, and Isaias Velasquez combined to go 0-23.