[THE HANGOVER] James Houser Added To 40-Man Roster Despite Ongoing Suspension

Devil Rays
Since the we embarked on our Thanksgiving shenanigans, the Rays made several changes to the 40-man roster.

Dropped from the 40-man roster

• Chris Snelling (traded to Phillies)
• Jon Switzer (DFA’d)
• Brian Stokes (DFA’d)

Added to 40-man roster

• John Jaso, C
• Jason Pridie, OF
• Fernando Perez, OF
• James Houser, SP

The only real surprise of the group is James Houser. Certainly any team would take all necessary precautions to protect a big left hander that is a major league prospect. This is especially true when a left handed pitcher is a common selection in the rule 5 draft because it is easy to hide a young inexperienced pitcher in the bullpen. However, James Houser is not any left hander.

On August 17 of this past season, Houser tested positive for a performance enhancing drug and was suspended for 50 games. Houser missed the final 17 games of the regular season for the Montgomery Biscuits. As a result, he will be forced to sit out for the first 33 games of the 2008 season.

One could argue that Houser would have been more attractive in the Rule 5 Draft since he would not take a roster spot for the first month of the season. However, once the suspension was lifted, his new team would have to make a roster spot for a young pitcher that had been out of action for nearly 9 months and with no experience above AA.

In the end Rays management decided the risk of losing a young left handed starter was too great and decided to protect Houser on the 40-man roster at the risk of losing another player that may be more likely to be taken. At the top of that list are two of Houser’s Montgomery teammates, Nick DeBarr and Dale Thayer. DeBarr was a Rule 5 selection of the Red Sox in 2007, but was returned to the Rays at the end of Spring Training. Thayer, the Biscuits closer, holds the Southern League record for saves in a season. Both players fit the ideal Rule 5 selection…A mid-level pitching prospect that has yet to live up to their potential, that a team can take a flyer on and hope for the best. If the player works out, their new team has an extra arm in the bullpen and only had to give up the drafting fee of $50,000.

Rays tweak roster to hang onto prospects [tampabay.com]
Down On The Farm: James Houser Suspended 50 Games [Rays Index]

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• With the changes that have been made to the 40-man roster, our 40-man roster and 25-man roster projections have been updated in the sidebar. One change we have not made yet is the 5th spot in the rotation. A very strong argument can be made for the team giving the spot to Jeff Niemann without any further time at AAA and moving Jason Hammel to the bullpen to be the long reliever and spot starter.
• A report came down that Carlos Pena turned down a 3 year/$30 million offer from the Rays. Pena’s response when asked was that the report was that the report was “a straight lie”. He also laughed when breaking the news to his wife, which suggests that Pena would not have turned down such an offer. In our 40-man roster projections, we have Pena listed with a 2008 salary of $5 million. This is assuming that Pena and the Rays settle on a 1-year deal to avoid arbitration. Our feeling is that the Rays would not offer more than $8 million per year on a multi-year deal. [tampabay.com]
• Rays of Light is up to #8 of their list of off-season ideas. This one is a no-brainer…”Sign Scott Kazmir to a longterm contract”. However, we disagree with the contention that the Rays should be tossing around numbers such as 6-years and more than $70 million. While $12-13 million per season might be the price for Kid K in free agency, there is no need to give him that money in his arbitration years, nor is there any reason to give him that type of money for his free agency years, three years before he reaches them. The best comparison could be Jeff Francis of the Rockies, another left hander, who signed an extension in 2007 (prior to his third season), that covered all three of his arbitration years and his first free agency season. His arbitration years were bought out at an average of $4.25 million and his first free agency year will cost the Rockies $7 million. Add a year of inflation plus consider the talent level of Kazmir and a comparable contract would fall in the range of a $6 million average for his arbitration years and $10 million for his first free agency season or a total of $28 million over 4 years. [Rays of Light]
• Another trade rumor that refuses to die: Delmon Young to the Twins for Matt Garza. For those that are not familiar, Garza was the Twinkies first round pick in 2005 (25th overall). He is a 24 year old, big (6-4, 205) righty that split time between AAA and Minneapolis in 2007 going 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA and a 67:32 strikeout to walk ratio in 83 innings. In the minors, he was consistently around 10 K’s per 9 and less than 2.5 walks per 9 innings. [TwinCities.com]
• Like every other team that needs an outfielder, the Rangers have inquired about Rocco Baldelli and his legs. [MLB]
• John Herbert has written a column critical of the Rays plan to invest $150 million in a new stadium along the St. Pete waterfront. His two biggest gripes are 1) The Rays are willing to invest $150 million in a stadium but will not invest in the product that will play in the stadium, and 2) he believes that there will not be any parking available in the new location and all fans attending the game will be subject to parking tickets from meter maids running around in modified golf carts. [Hernando Today]
• DRays Bay warns that JK Ryu’s performance with the Korean national team may cost him a spot on the Rays’ 40-man roster. We are not sure how much weight the performance will have, but we have Ryu on the roster bubble, so it can’t help. [DRays Bay]

The Hangover: Will Jim Hickey’s Arrest Open Door For Xavier Hernandez?

Devil Rays (66-96)

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• The Rays 68-94 record was only 2 wins less than their expected final record. [Baseball Musings]
• Jim Hickey. We guess being the coach of one of the worst pitching staffs ever would be reason to drink, but it is not reason to drive and it is not reason to take your frustration out on the batboy. By the looks of the mugshot, Hickey lost the argument. [Lion in Oil]
• Jim Hickey’s arrest comes only days before the team is to decide whether he and the rest of the coaching staff will be retained in 2008. Hitting coach Steve Henderson is the most likely coach to come back. Before Sunday, we would have assumed that Hickey was a lock to be given at least one more season to work with the staff. However, after his DUI, the Rays may turn to their pitching coach-in-waiting, Xavier Hernandez, who is highly regarded for the work he has done the last two seasons at Montgomery and Durham and with whom many of the Rays younger pitchers are already familiar and comfortable with. [tampabay.com]
• Its difficult to make an assessment of Akinori Iwamura’s ability to play second base, based on one game and especially one play, but when the opportunity arrived to turn his first double play from the middle infield, Mu-Rah was flawless. [TBO]
• Scott Kazmir finished as the Major League leader in strikeouts. Of course that goes a long ways to explaining whe he led the majors with 6,432,867 pitches thrown. [Bradenton Herald]
• Carlos Pena was named the AL Player of the Week for the final week. [tampabay.com]
• Carlos Pena finished with 46 home runs in less than 500 at bats, which makes him the most underrated first baseman in baseball. “If Pena was a Red Sox or Yankee’s player he would finish second in MVP voting. Instead he was underrated.” Actually, if Pena was playing for almost any other team, he probably finishes second in the MVP voting. That is the mark of being underrated. [I’m smarter than you]
• ArmchairGM makes a case for considering Carlos Pena for MVP. [ArmchairGM]
• Carlos Pena is a finalist for the “Pepsi Clutch” award that goes to the clutchiest player. We agree that he is a worthy nominee, but we disagree with the notion that “few people knew of Pena before the year”. Anybody that follows baseball even remotely, knew of Pena as one of the top prospects in baseball a few years ago. [MLB]
• We have a feeling that Delmon Young will finish second in the Rookie of the Year balloting, but it will not be because of his outburst following Saturday’s game in which Joe Maddon pulled Young from the game for not running out a ground ball. Ballots for the award were due on either Sunday or Monday, which means most writers are likely to have already made their selections prior to Saturday. [Yahoo! Sports]
• It was a disastrous season for Korean baseball players. Of course, Jae Seo, Jae Kuk Ryu and Hee Seop Choi were all member of the Devil Rays at one point, so it is kind of like the Chicken and the Egg argument. [Korean Times]
• Greg Norton will have surgery on his elbow. A case can be made that Norton should share team MVP honors with Carlos Pena. If Norton had not gotten hurt the final week of Spring Training and was hitting well to start the season, it might have taken the team a while to call up Pena. [Devil Rays]
• Some of the players believe that the team is very close to competing. [tampabay.com]

“We don’t need much,” All-Star Carl Crawford said. “Maybe another starter and probably a little more bullpen help. Just three players and we’re right there. We’re right at the tip.”

• Marc Lancaster takes a look back at the 2007 season and hands out a bunch of awards, we like to call the Marckie Marcs. Our favorite category is “Veteran of the Year” for a team that has exactly 3 players over the age of 12. And then there is the “Most Frustrating Season”. He should just rename that one the “The Rocco”. He also looks ahead to what we can expect for 2008. [TBO]
• Marc Lancaster can’t wait for next year. We would take it a step further. We would like to replay this season with the group the Rays ended with. Playoff contender? probably not, but definitely not the worst team in the league and maybe a run at .500 would be in order. [TBO]
• Bill Chastain takes a look back at the 2007 season and calls the second half lineup “one of the best lineups in team history”. He also takes a look forward to 2008. [Devil Rays]
• Hey! It’s the off-season. It is time to start reading a million and one articles about how [Insert Team Name] should acquire Carl Craw
  ford and that the Rays would probably give him up for 20 rusty nickels. The Akron Beacon Journal wasted no time. [Ohio.com]

The Hangover: Carl Crawford Saves The Day

Devil Rays 5, Blue Jays 4.
It was the type of game that can help a team salvage a little dignity in a lost season. It was the type of game that can remind team that they do know how to win a game.

Andy Sonnanstine allowed 2 runs in the first inning and immediately we assumed it was going to be just another night like most other nights in the last month and a half. The Rays cut the lead to 3-2 in the 5th inning, but Sonny was touched for a 4th run in the top of the 7th and it appeared that the Rays would play just well enough to tease us and just well enough to lose. We envisioned a final score of 7-2 with the Bullpen falling apart in yet another hapless game a the Trop.

We never harbored any hope of a win last night. We had lost our optimism weeks ago. But there were two factors we did not account for. The first was the suddenly revamped Devil Rays bullpen. Last night, five relievers, including two acquired over the weekend and a third that was called up from Durham, combined for 4.1 shutout innings.

The second factor was Superman. Carl Crawford took batting practice before last night’s game and his sore wrist needed at least one more night off. In fact, it now looks like C.C. will battle a sore wrist for the rest of the season. In the 9th inning, Crawford pinch ran for Jonny Gomes after he drew a 1-out walk. Crawford’s legs are just fine and he immediately moved into scoring position by stealing second base. He then moved to third on a fly ball to right field by Greg Norton. A Josh Wilson base hit and the game was tied.

We still assumed the bullpen would implode in extra innings. We can only expect them to hold the opposition down for so long. Al Reyes gave up a lead off double in the 10th but settle down to retire the side. In the bottom of the 10th, Crawford once again factored into the game without even making a plate appearance. With Brendan Harris on second with 2 outs, Delmon Young singled on a ground ball up the middle. With Crawford and his sore wrist on deck, Harris tried to score but was thrown out at the plate.

In the 11th, Scott Dohmann allowed the first two batters to get on base. “Here we go again,” is all we could muster. Yet somehow, Dohmann pitched his way out of trouble.

Superman is due to lead off the bottom of the 11th. Joe Maddon decides not to pinch hit for C.C. despite his sore wrist. Would he try a drag bunt? No. And on a 3-1 pitch, Crawford fouled off a ball on his first swing and winced in pain. Now we wondered aloud if we would not only lose this game, but we would lose Crawford for longer than “day-to-day”. But this is Superman. Crawford took the very next pitch to just left of center field for a walk-off home run.

In baseball, more so than football, fans often root for the players as much as the team. We try not to get too attached to any one player. If a trade is presented that will significantly improve the team, we want Andrew Friedman to make the move no matter what the Rays have to sacrifice. But Carl Crawford is the one player that we hope the Rays never trade. He is the one player in which we make sure we never miss a single pitch in which he is at bat or on the bases. He is the most exciting player in baseball. He can do it all…even with a sore wrist. Superman.

Here is hoping that Carl Crawford is a Tampa Bay Devil Ray for the next 15 years.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• Jays fans are not taking last night’s game very well. Great name for a blog, by the way. Before Tampa had a team, we spent much of our childhood in Dunedin for Spring Training and we were just as frustrated as most Jays fans every time Dave Stieb just missed a no-hitter. [THE TAO OF STIEB]
• They really aren’t taking it well. [Drunk Jays Fans]
• Entering last night’s action, the Rays had struck out in 23.7% of their at bats in July. ouch. [ESPN]
• The Rays may not be done dealing, as several teams may be interested in the Rays veteran relievers and/or Jonny Gomes. [tampabay.com]

[Andrew] Friedman said Monday night he “wouldn’t characterize anything as close or even likely to happen,” but acknowledged it could change quickly.

• Andrew Friedman could be actively trying to move Dan Wheeler who was just acquired from the Astros. MLB Trade Rumors offers some scenarios in which the Rays would move Wheeler for younger players. [MLB Trade Rumors]
• Al Reyes may be the Rays most valuable trading piece that remains. While the Rays do have an option on Reyes for 2008, we still believe that trading him is the best move. He will be 38 in 2008 and is only one year removed from his second Tommy John surgery. Now is the time to sell high. [TBO]
• Could the Mets be trying to acquire Carl Crawford? [MLB Trade Rumors]
• With Ty Wigginton gone and Ben Zobrist recalled from Durham, Brendan Harris will likely become the team’s most-days second baseman. [Devil Rays]
• JK Ryu was optioned back to Durham where he will enter the Bulls’ rotation to be a starting pitcher. [Devil Rays]
• Don’t get us wrong, we loved the way Ty Wigginton played the game, but for some reason we never really had such a strong affinity for the player, and were not all that sad to see him go. With Akinori Iwamura and Evan Longoria there was no r
  oom at third base with Iwamura likely to move to second base sooner rather than later. In addition, Carlos Pena looks like a fixture at first base for the next few years. Wiggy was a nice bat. He hit some clutch home runs and he was consistent defensively. Still, he was never going to be any better than a 20-home run, 90-RBI bat with no range defensively. The Rays pitchers have extremely high BABIP numbers and part of that is due to an infield that lets more groundballs through for base hits than would normally be expected. [TBO]

Wigginton was nothing but classy and professional during his time here but he also was soon to be a man without a position.

• Shawn Camp was surprised by his demotion…Shawn: Players have been castrated for less. [TBO]
• What if the Giants did move to Tampa-St. Pete in 1993? What if Barry Bonds was wearing a Tampa Bay uniform instead of a San Francisco uniform? [The Sporting Orange]
• Some bloggers made the trip to the Trop on Friday night and lived to write about it. [Sports Indeed]
• How many titles have the Devil Rays won? Well, since you asked, it is exactly one less than the Red Sox have won in the last 89 years. [the mighty quinn media machine]
• Red Sox fans did not take Sunday’s loss to the Devil Rays too well. [Surviving Grady]
• We are a little late on this, but congratulations to Casey Fossum and his wife on the birth of their third child. [Celebrity Baby Blog]

The Hangover: Andy Sonnantine Solidifies His Spot In The Rotation

Angels 3, Devil Rays 0.
Despite being “small” for a right-hander and despite not being blessed with a plus-fastball, Andy Sonnanstine breezed through the minors with amazing numbers. His status grew to almost legendary proportions among Devil Rays fans who had never even seen him pitch. For a team that always seems to be about 10 pitchers short of a major league pitching staff, Sonny was seen as savior to many.

We always understood the fascination with Andy Sonnanstine. We saw the numbers and we were in awe. His control was impeccable and despite not having a plus-fastball he had impressive strikeout totals. We always understood the fascination with Andy Sonnanstine but we were skeptical. A pitcher can fool minor league hitters, but that is much more difficult to do in the majors. We worried aloud that Sonnanstine would be very hittable once he was called up and that he would need to be nearly perfect just to give the Rays a chance to win.

Now that Sonny has 9 big league starts under his belt, we feel we were both right and wrong. He is never going to be a dominant major league pitcher but he will be good. In fact he is an ideal back-of-the-rotation guy. He will eat innings every time out and on most nights he will give the team a chance to win. Despite dropping to 1-5 after last night’s loss to the Angels, Sonny worked 7 strong innings and has now pitched into the 7th inning in 7 of his 9 starts.

He also will not walk many batters. Nothing kills a team more than walks. Take away his June 16th start in Colorado in which he walked 2 in 5 innings, and Sonny has walked only 5 in 58.2 innings or 0.76 walks per 9 innings. And while Sonny will always be prone to giving up home runs (11 in 9 starts) most managers will tell you that it is not the home run that kills you, it is the walk just before the home run.

Sonnanstine is 1-5 with 5.37 ERA in 9 career starts but he has proven that is capable of being a big league pitcher and is likely to be a mainstay in the Devil Rays rotation for the foreseeable future.

1. Scott Kazmir
2. James Shields
3. ?
4. ?
5. Andy Sonnanstine

The beauty of this is that there are now only two question marks in the rotation down the road. Jeff Niemann and Mitch Talbot are knocking on the door and David Price, Wade Davis and Chris Mason are close behind. The Rays now only need two or three of those five pitchers to become dominant. In the past the Rays had no room for error with their pitching prospects. When Seth McClung, Doug Waechter and Dewon Brazleton failed, the team failed. Now if Jeff Niemann or Mitch Talbot fail, there will be another option ready to fill the hole.

Now if we can just find some help for the bullpen monstrosity.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• JK Ryu and Scott Dohmann have been called up from Durham. Either Ryu or Jason Hammel will start the first game of the double-header tomorrow in New York. Dustin Mohr was designated for assignment and Jorge Cantu was demoted to Durham. [MLB]
• No surprise here, but Jorge Cantu is not happy and we have most likely seen him for the last time as a Devil Ray. [Sports Talk]
• As the trade deadline nears, the Devil Rays have no “untouchables” on their roster. That means people will ask about Carl Crawford. It would be interesting to know what the Rays would seek in return for C.C.. Kinda like walking through the car lot and looking at the price tag on a car you know you cannot afford but you are still curious how much they are asking. [New York Post]
• The Devil Rays will begin a roadtrip tonight. Is it possible that we have seen one or two members of the Devil Rays for the last time in the green and grey? [TBO]
• Of the three major sports teams in the Tampa Bay area, the Devil Rays actually have the best all-time winning percentage. Sad. Just sad. [Sticks of Fire]
• A recent Sports Illustrated poll of major league baseball players ranked Stuart Sternberg as the third worst owner in baseball with 18% of the votes. This is likely a reflection of many baseball players being unaware that there is a new owner in the last year and a half, as it is still a little early to pass that type of judgment on a new owner. [Sun-Sentinel]
• Who knows the who plays second base for the Devil Rays? Anybody? [The D-Rays Blog]
• The Devil Rays are in discussions with the Big East about the possibility of bringing a bowl game to the Trop. We are unable to confirm that the bowl would feature the 5th place team in the Big East each season. [TBO]
• We asked to be corrected and our loyal readers came through. The Devil Rays have indeed been present in Tampa since the Westshore Plaza shop closed. The kids play area in the International Plaza is co-sponsored by the Devil Rays (Thanks Matt). [DevilRays.com]

The Hangover: The Maturation Of BJ Upton

Devil Rays 7, Angels 2.
BJ Upton got off to a great start this season, hitting .365 the first month. In April and early May he was knocking the ball all over the place…but there was a catch. He was striking out at an enormous rate. While nobody expected Upton to lead the league in hitting in his first full season, many expected him to come back to earth with a loud thud. In fact many wondered if he could even stay above .300 with so many strike outs and so few walks. Then he began to struggle, and the critics said “we told you so.” But then something happened. We can point to two key dates in the maturation of BJ Upton the hitter, and why at .333, Upton is a better hitter than when he was hitting .386.

MAY 4:
On May 4th BJ Upton had played in 26 games and this was the day that his batting average peaked with his AL-leading .386 average. However, in those 26 games he had struck out 32 times with only 8 walks. He was striking out at an alarming rate of 36.4% of his at bats. At this point somebody apparently sat Upton down and convinced him to take more pitches. Whether it was hitting coach George Hendrick or manager Joe Maddon or both, it was a risky move to tinker with a kid that was hitting .386.

While Upton only had 8 walks in the first 26 games, he would walk 7 times in the next 13 games. However, he also increased his strikeout rate to 43.1% (22 Ks in 51 at bats). Over those 13 games, Upton hit .176 and his average fell to .309. He was taking more pitches and drawing more walks, but he was falling behind in counts and striking out even more.

May 20:
At this point it looked like Upton was deep in a slump and the first 5 weeks of the season appeared as though it may have been a fluke. On Sunday May 20, the Rays played the final game of a series against the Marlins. Maddon sat Upton and used him as a pinch-runner late in the game. The Devil Rays also had Monday off.

Upton has played in 22 games since those two days off. In that time Upton has a strikeout to walk ratio of 17 to 15. He has cut his strikeout rate from 36.4% prior to May 4 to 23.0% since May 20. Over that same stretch he has increased his walk rate from 5.7% to 20.2%. Those numbers have translated into a .378 average since May 20 and an improved OBP.

The most important benefit from this change in approach in the batters box will be seen down the road. If Upton can maintain his strikeout and walk rates at that current levels, he is less likely to enter any prolonged slumps. Is he a .380 hitter? Probably not. But a 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio to go along with his blistering bat speed and electric foot speed…A .330 hitter year-in and year-out is not out of the question.

Joe Maddon and George Hendrick took a chance tinkering with a young kid that was hitting .386. Baseball players hate change when things are going well. But Maddon and Hendrick were able to see that the .386 average was facade. Upton was not hitting as well as the numbers indicated, so they asked him to make a change. Upton is now a better hitter and the Devil Rays are a better team.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA…

• *hushed whisper* Scott Kazmir is looking like the pre-2006 all-star game Kid K. If he and James Shields can turn in strong and consistent second-half performances, it will go a long way to righting the ship and setting the tone for 2008. It is all about the 7th inning. If our starters can consistently pitch into the 7th inning (as both Kaz and Shields have done in the first two games of this series), the bullpen has a better chance of securing the victory. [TBO]

“It’s all starting to come together now,” Kazmir said. “It is. I’m feeling really comfortable out there. I’m not worrying about mechanics or anything. I’m just worrying about where I want to put the ball.”

• No surprise, JP Howell will be recalled to start the night-cap of Saturday’s double-header versus the Yankees. The team still has not announced the starter for the opening game. That means Jason Hammel will get the start unless Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson get run from their starts before the 5th inning. In that case, Hammel will be used in long relief and the team will call up Jae Kuk Ryu to make the start. [DevilRays.com]
• It is official! The Devil Rays have become the first team with ZERO chance of making he playoffs. The Royals and The Nationals both still have less than 0.1% chance. [Cool Standings]
• Apparently the Minnesota Twins inquired about the rehab status of Rocco Baldelli although no trade scenarios were discussed. [armchair GM]
• According to Chris Stirewalt, it is easier to be a Devil Rays fan than a Cincinnati Reds fan. The premise is that Rays fans never have an expectations knowing our team will suck, and as a result, Rays fans need only “puff your Cohiba and enjoy your cold cerveza and hot Cuban sandwich with the atmosphere of real baseball all around you.” Sorry, we are not going to feel sorry for fans of a franchise that owns 5 world championships including one as recently as 1990. [WOWK]
• In his latest diary, Akinori Iwamura discusses how his new baby has changed his life. [MLB]
• The Devil R
  ays will open a merchandise store in Downtown Tampa on August 2nd. Correct us if we are wrong, but we believe this will be the Rays first presence in Tampa since the shop in Westshore Plaze closed. [TBO]
• The Devil Rays donated $2,500 to the Devil Rays Wheelchair Softball team, who are ranked 9th in the nation. [Sticks of Fire]

Down On The Farm: Jeff Niemann And Chris Mason Pick Up League-Leading Victories

Durham 5, Buffalo 4. JK Ryu struck out 7 but allowed 4 runs in 5 innings.

Mississippi 12, Montgomery 2. Jonathon Barratt gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 3 innings. Two of the runs came as a result of bases loaded balks in the second inning. Fernando Perez was 3-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI. He is hitting .285. Reid Brignac and Evan Longoria were both 1-4 with 2 strikeouts apiece.

Ft. Myers 4, Vero Beach 3. Mike Kamrath struck out 8 in 6.1 innings, allowing 2 runs. Shortstop Aaron Sisk was 1-4 with a solo home run in the second to start the scoring. Sisk now has 6 home runs in the past 6 games and is hitting .292 with 11 home runs on the season.

Columbus 8, Rome 1. Heath Rollins moved to 4-0 in his last 5 starts and 10-3 on the season. He struck out 7 and only allowed 1 run on three hits and 1 walk. Cesar Suarez was 2-4 with a 3-run home run, his 8th. He had 6 RBI on the night. Desmond Jennings was 1-3, scored 3 runs and stole his 40th base of the year.

Hudson Valley 7, Williamsport 1.

Greenville 5, Princeton 4.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Mike Potter has a Q&A session with Jeff Niemann. [Durham Herald-Sun]
• Matt Fields was named the South Atlantic League player of the week. [The Raw Feed]
• Jae Kuk Ryu experienced a very difficult transition coming to America from Korea at the age of 18. [The News and Observer]

Ryu signed at age 18 and came to the United States straight out of high school in Korea, not speaking a word of English. One of three Koreans on Major League Baseball opening-day rosters, his experience was far different than that of Japanese players, who benefit from a well-developed major league system and often are heavily recruited by American big league clubs.

• On Friday night, Mitch Talbot struck out 8 in 5 innings and allowed only one run. Chad Orvella blew a 3-1 lead in the 9th by allowing 3 runs. The Bulls rallied with a run in the bottom of the 9th on a Ben Zobrist sac fly, but lost the game in the 11th when Jeff Ridgway relieved Seth McClung and gave up the go-ahead RBI single. [MiLB]
• On Saturday night, Jeff Niemann picked up his league-leading 10th win despite allowing 5 runs (4 earned) in 5 innings. He did strike out 8. [MiLB]
• On Friday night, Chris Mason picked up his league-leading 11th victory. Reid Brignac was 2-4 with his 12th home run. It was his 4th home run in 6 games. Evan Longoria was 2-4 with 2 RBI. [MiLB]

Down On The Farm: Rocco Baldelli To Spend Some Time In Durham

Durham 2, Indianapolis 1. Jae Kuk Ryu made his third start for the Bulls and had his second straight strong outing. While limited to 63 pitches, he worked 5 innings and struck out 7 while only allowing 3 hits, no walks and 1 run. The only runners that reached in the first 4 innings were on an error and a bunt single. Chad Orvella continues to reaffirm our belief that he is too good for AAA, but not good enough for the majors. He pitched a perfect 9th, striking out 2 for his 6th save…Joel Guzman collected 3 hits, including his 9th double and a RBI. He also stole his 6th base and he is now hitting .244.

Jacksonville 7, Montgomery 1. Jonathon Barratt dropped to 1-4 after allowing 7 runs in 3.1 innings. Reid Brignac had his second straight strong game, going 2-3 with 2 triples and a walk. With 5 hits in the last two games, The Cajun God of Baseball is up to .259. Evan Longoria had a single in 2 at bats with 2 walks. He also stole his 3rd base.

Greenville 5, Columbus 3. Woods Fines gave up 4 runs in 4 innings on 8 hits and a walk. Desmond Jennings was 2-5 with a double and 2 RBI. Ryan Royster had the only other RBI for the Catfish.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• Rocco Baldelli will join the Durham Bulls on Sunday to begin his rehab assignment.
• An early look at the Princeton Devil Rays roster.

Down On The Farm: Josh Hamilton, Right Place, Wrong Team

Durham 5, Louisville 4 (10 inn). Mitch Talbot struck out 5 in 6 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. Ben Zobrist and Wes Bankston homered for the Bulls. Bankston’s 8th home run of the season came with 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th to give Durham the walk-off victory.

Huntsville 4, Montgomery 2. Reid Brignac and Evan Longoria were each 1-4. Brignac committed his 12th error. John Jaso was 2-3 to raise his average to .336. Mike Prochaska gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in 5.1 innings.

Charleston 5, Columbus 3. For only the 4th time in 11 starts, Heath Rollins allowed an earned run. Last night he allowed 1 run in 6 innings with 3 strikeouts and 2 walks.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM…

• It took 8 years, but Josh Hamilton finally played in Durham. Hamilton is on a rehab assignment with the Louisville Bats. That sound you just heard was millions hundreds of Rays fans screaming out in pain.
  
• Jae Kuk Ryu, will join the rotation in Durham.

The Hangover: Cantu Or Gomes For Final Spot

• Two big notes from yesterday’s 3-3 tie with the Pink Sox. Edwin Jackson worked six innings and yielded only a single walk while striking out 5. Jackson has only had one start this spring in which his control betrayed him. If this keeps up, Jackson could be in for a big season. The second item is that B. J. Upton started at second and Jorge Cantu was the DH. We touched on this yesterday, but it is now looking more and more as if Upton’s role as super-utility may actually turn into a regular gig at second base, while Cantu and Jonny Gomes are now battling for the DH spot,with the loser being sent to Durham.
• The final two spots in the pen will come down to Chad Orvella, Juan Salas, Seth McClung, and Jae Kuk Ryu. McClung has given up 25 baserunners in less than 10 IP this spring so he is a long shot at this point. With Brian Stokes and Gary Glover likely to make the team, there doesn’t appear to be a need for another long reliever, so Ryu is probably out. Ryu gave up two home runs yesterday. Orvella has been lights out this spring (o.87 ERA) and seems like a lock. Salas has also been strong.
• All three of the Rays walking wounded saw action yesterday. Of the three, Rocco Baldelli, Dioner Navarro and Josh Paul, only Paul sounded confident that he would be ready for opening day.
• Not Rays related, but Kenny Rogers was placed on the DL yesterday with a tired arm. Wouldn’t it be great if this worked in real life. Boss, I need to take 2 weeks off, with pay, because I have a tired head. Thanks.
• Manny Stiles makes a long-winded case for the greatness of Delmon Young.
• We have no idea how good Carl Crawford can be, but it sure is going to be fun finding out.
• On Tuesday against the Jays, Carl Crawford forgot his jersey, so he was forced to wear #98. Apparently #98 was not as lucky as his usual #13. He went 0-3.
• Lou Piniella is not the only former Rays manager in Chi-town. Remember Larry Rothschild? Seems forever ago.

The Hangover: Another Candidate For The Job Seth McClung Does Not Have

• Moral victory last night. The Rays were losing the entire game so the ‘pen did not blow the lead.
• We never gave Brian Stokes much of a chance to win the fifth spot in the rotation and…what? We had Stokes in the rotation’s 5th spot earlier this week? Never happened. Well Papa Joe Maddon made it official yesterday and Stokes is headed to the bullpen. What we didn’t expect was that Stokes is now a candidate to be the team’s closer. There are worse options. *cough, cough* Seth McClung *cough, cough*
• The second round of pink slips were handed out yesterday. No real big surprises on the list except possibly Jason Hammel. We knew Hammel was a long shot for the 5th spot in the rotation, but we thought he would be given more of a chance. In two appearances he allowed one run on four hits in three innings. The roster now stands at 42, with 17 more cuts to come.
• In theory, the fight for the final spot is now down to four, including Edwin Jackson, J. P. Howell, Jae-Kuk Ryu and Tim Corcoran. We still think the team has Corky pegged as a reliever and spot starter, so now we are down to three.
• The Peter Gammons love-fest continues here at RI. Gammons once again he throws some affection towards the Rays in his column “Ten spring questions left to answer“. Question #8 was to wonder aloud how all of the young talented players would eventually fit together. He states that the Rays could be the most fun team to watch of all the second-tier teams in baseball…He refers to the Rays outfield and says that Elijah Dukes may be the most talented of the group. Gammons also hints that the Rays are so impressed by the slimmed-down Joel Guzman that they may be reconsidering Akinori Iwamura’s roll with the team…We understand that Guzman is a good fielder, but so is Muu-Rah, and while Iwamura is struggling at the plate, Guzman is only hitting .150. Muu-Rah will be the opening day third baseman. But at some point, if Guzman can find consistency with the bat, Iwamura may be headed to second base. 2008?
• When we first heard that Joe Maddon was considering Al Reyes for the closer position, we were worried about putting that much pressure on his arm so soon after Tommy John surgery. Then we hear that Maddon is worried about pitching him on back-to-back nights. In that case, closer might be his best option on the Rays. Think about it, how often will the Rays being leading in the ninth on consecutive nights?
• The guys over at armchairgm have their Rays preview up.