Down On The Farm: Durham Takes Lead In Wild Card Hunt

Durham 4, Charlotte 3. The Bulls now lead the wild card race by a game and pulled within 1.5 games of division leading Rochester with 20 games remaining. JK Ryu allowed only 2 hits and 1 run in 5 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 1. Jason Pridie was 2-5 and hit a solo home run in the Bulls’ 3-run 7th inning. Justin Ruggiano was 3-5 with a double and Evan Longoria was 1-3 with his 4th double, a walk and a strikeout. Ruggiano stole his 25th base. Jay Witasick only allowed one base runner to reach (via error) in his one inning rehab stint. Chad Orvella pitched a perfect 9th for his 18th save.

Jacksonville 7, Montgomery 2. Wade Davis dropped to 4-3 in 11 AA starts after allowing 5 runs (4 earned) in 4.1 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 3. John Jaso drove in both runs with a 2-run home run, his 10th.

Columbus 11, Hickory 5. Ryan Royster did not homer, but did go 2-4 with a walk and his 88th RBI. Nevin Ashley did hit 2 home runs and drove in 4, while going 4-5. He now has 9 home runs and is hitting .282. Quinn Steward was 3-3 and hit his 21st home run.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Vero Beach was postponed due to rain while Hudson Valley and Princeton had the night off.
• The Hudson Valley Renegades hosted the New York-Penn league all-star game last night. Maiko Loyola, Emeel Salem, and Mike McCormick started for the AL squad. Loyola and Salem both went 1-2, and McCormick was 0-1. Jason Ragan pitched 1 inning of relief and gave up 1 hit. [MiLB]
• Mike McCormick finished second in the home run derby. [MiLB]

Down On The Farm: Four Renegades Named To All-Star Team

Durham 4, Columbus 3. Jason Pridie drove in 3 of the Bulls’ 4 runs, with a 2-run first inning home run and a solo home run in the 5th. He also added a double and now has 5 home runs and is hitting .315 (.907 OPS) in 38 games since being promoted from AA. Justin Ruggiano was 2-4 and Evan Longoria was 1-3 with a double and a RBI. Mitch Talbot struck out 6 in 6 innings to pick up his 10th win. Shawn Camp struck out 4 in 1.2 innings for his 2nd save.

Chattanooga 9, Montgomery 8. In their first game without closer Dale Thayer, the Biscuits blew a 7th inning 8-5 lead, with the final two runs being scored on a home run in the 9th inning with 2 outs and 2 strikes, off of Nick DeBarr. Wade Davis allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in only 2.1 innings. 5 of the 7 outs recorded by Davis came via the strikeout.

Clearwater 12, Vero Beach 5. Jay Witasick pitched one inning in his first rehab appearance, allowing 1 hit. Jackson Brennan was 4-5 with his 18th double and 2 runs scored. Garret Groce was 2-5 and drove in 2.

Greensboro 12, Columbus 6. Wade Townsend continues his up-and-down season. After a strong effort his last time out, Townsend was touched for 7 runs (6 earned ) in 3.1 innings. He walked 5 and gave up 4 hits. He fell to 6-10 with a 5.08 ERA. The Catfish hit 4 home runs, including two by John Matulia, who doubled his season total. Cesar Suarez hit his 10th and now has 73 RBI, good for 8th in the SAL. Ryan Royster hit his 20th home run which is tied for 3rd and he has 75 RBI, tied for 5th in the league.

Hudson Valley 8, Batavia 4. Maiko Loyola was 2-5 and stole his 18th and 19th bases for the Renegades.

Burlington 3, Princeton 2 (12 innings).

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Four members of the Hudson Valley Renegades were named to the New York-Penn League All-Star team. The players are Emeel Salem, a 6th round pick this season, Maiko Loyola, Mike McCormick, a 5th round pick in 2005 and Jason Ragan. The game will be hosted by the Renegades next week. [Hudson Valley Renegades]
  
• Jay Witasick made a rehab appearance last night for Vero Beach and will likely make another on Saturday. [TCPalm]
• Tim Corcoran has been optioned to AA Montgomery and Dale Thayer has been promoted to AAA Durham. Thayer, who set the Southern League record for saves in 2006, leads the SL this season with 21. Corcoran is likely to be designated for assignment when/if the Rays sign David Price before the August 15 deadline. [OurSports Central]
• Tim Corcoran will have to shave his beard, as Devil Rays minor leaguers are not allowed to wear facial hair. [Stacy Long’s Riverwalk Talk]