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

Durham (all-star break)

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

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

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

Auburn 12, Hudson Valley 7.

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

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

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

Lehigh Valley 10, Durham 8. Yikes. Chris Mason got pounded for 10 runs on 13 hits and a walk in 3.2 innings. The 13 hits included 3 doubles and 2 home runs...Jon Weber went 4-5 with his 9th home run...Elliot Johnson was 1-3 with a bases-clearing triple in the 5-run 5th.

Montgomery 8, Mobile 2. David Price made his double-A debut last night. He picked up the win after allowing 2 runs in 6 innings. He struck out 7 but did walk 4, gave up 4 hits (all singles) and hit a batter. After cruising through the first 2 innings without allowing a baserunner, Price struggled with multiple baserunners in the 3rd, 4th, and 6th innings...Chris Nowak was 4-5 and drove in 3, including a 2-run home run.

Vero Beach 6, Sarasota 1. Kevin Lynn started but was pulled after just 5 outs and 1 run...John Matulia was 3-5 with 2 runs driven in. He is now hitting .351 on the year...Cesar Suarez and Ryan Royster each added 3 hits.

Charleston 6, Columbus 2 (gm 1). Jason Ragan gave up 5 runs (4 earned) in only 2 innings...Glenn Gibson pitched 4 innings in the continuation of a rain-shortened game from the day before. He allowed only 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 2.

Columbus 2, Charleston 1 (gm 2). Jesse Darcy started and improved to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.01 with 1 run in 6.1 innings. He struck out 4 and walked none...Maiko Loyola had 1 of the Catfish' 3 hits and drove in 1 run. He stole his 30th base.

Hudson Valley 3, Staten Island 2.

Princeton 7, Burlington 6. Tim Beckham made his professional debut as the Princeton DH. He batted 2nd and went 1-4 with an infield single in his first at bat. He would eventually score the Rays first run.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Jake McGee is to have Tommy John surgery on his elbow. He will be lost for at least a year and will not be 100% until 2010 at the earliest...We used to say this all the time when the Rays supposedly had too many outfielders. The Rays do not have too many starting pitchers until they have too many at the major league level. Today that supposed depth has taken a major hit. [Biscuits' Batter]
  
• Let us not forget that the Rays not only got Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett for Delmon Young, but they also received Eddie Morlan. Well, Morlan has been named to the World Squad and will pitch in the Futures Game during the all-star break. [Baseball America]
  

Richmond 8, Durham 1. Chris Mason dropped to 2-6 after allowing 5 runs in 5.1 innings on 10 hits and no walks. He struck out 6...Reid Brignac had 2 of the Bulls 5 hits in 4 at bats.

Montgomery 10, Carolina 2. Richard de los Santos gave up 2 runs in 7 innings and evened his record at 5-5.

Jupiter 12, Vero Beach 1. Brandon Mann allowed 2 runs in 7 innings on 8 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 6...Wade Townsend faced 6 batters in relief and all 6 reached base on 3 hits and 3 walks. All 6 would eventually score....Matt Fields and Nevin Ashley were each 2-4.

Columbus 2, Savannah 0. Making just his 4th start of the season Jesse Darcy struck out 7 in 6 shutout innings. He allowed 3 hits and no walks. His K-to-walk ratio is now 42-to-5....Greg Sexton had 1 of the Catfish' 3 hits and 1 of the 2 RBI.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Baseball America says the Rays have narrowed their choice down to Tim Beckham and Buster Posey, with indications of a bit of disagreement within the organization on who to select. [Baseball America]

While Vandy third baseman Pedro Alvarez ranked first on BA’s draft board, he’s about third on Tampa’s board, according to industry sources. The top spot remains undecided. According to BA’s sources, the Rays’ scouting department prefers Georgia prep shortstop Tim Beckham, the kind of toolsy, middle-of-the-diamond athlete the Rays have drafted repeatedly—the kind of athletes that have put the Rays in first place in the American League East as the draft approaches. Others in the organization, such as de facto GM Andrew Friedman, are said to prefer Florida State catcher Buster Posey as the perfect complement to the organization’s impressive current stockpile of talent.

• Eduardo Morlan, who is out with a sore shoulder threw in extended spring training, but his velocity was not as expected so he will stay a little longer. [Biscuits Batter]
  

Durham 2, Richmond 0. Mitch Talbot pitched what may have been his best performance since the 2006 Southern League playoffs by tossing 8 shutout innings last night. He struck out 6 and walks 1 and gave up 5 hits. ..Dale Thayer pitched a perfect 9th for his 5th save...Fernando Perez was 0-2 but did walk twice and stole his 3rd base...Joel Guzman and Reid Brignac provided the RBI, with Brignac batting in the 7th hole. He is hitting .244/.300/.400 on the season.

Huntsville 14, Montgomery 6. Jake McGee got pounded to the tune of 7 runs and was pulled with 2 outs in the 5th...Wade Townsend pitched 1 inning of relief after the game was decided...Ronnie Merrill had a home run for the Biscuits.

Palm Beach 5, Vero Beach 2. Matt Walker was pulled after 3 innings, after he walked 5 batters. Chuck Tiffany relieved him. That was his second appearance this season in his first action since the beggining of the 2006 season. Tiffany was the "other" player acquired along with Edwin Jackson from the Dodgers for Lance Carter and Danys Baez.

Asheville 4, Columbus 2. Brian Flores made only his 2nd start of the year and went only 4 innings, but he did strike out 9 and now has 25 in 19 innings this season...Emeel Salem was 0-4 and did not steal a base.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Eduardo Morlan will take at least another week off to rest his sore shoulder before beginning to throw again...Rhyne Hughes is close to returning from a concussion. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  

Charlotte 5, Durham 2. Mith Talbot gave up 5 runs in 6 innings.

Montgomery 8, Birmingham 3. Wade Davis held Birmingham to 2 hits and no runs in 7 innings. He struck out 4, walked 1. Thanks to two double plays, he faced 1 over the minimum...Ronnie Merril had 4 hits for the 2nd time in 3 nights.

Palm Beach 6, Vero Beach 1.

Columbus 6, Charleston 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Eduardo Morlan and Rhyne Hughes went on the DL for Montgomery. Morlan's injury is significant because now all three of the players received from the Twins for Delmon Young and Brendan Harris have been hampered by injuries in the first month of the season. [Biscuits Batter]
  
• David Price threw a live bullpen session yesterday but there is still no timetable for his 2008 debut. [The Heater]
  
• After a slow start, John Jaso is starting to weild a mean stick. He is in at #10 on Baseball America's "Prospect Hot Sheet". However, they do note that his time as a catcher may have a shlef-life. So far this season, base stealers are 25-26 against Jaso...Jeremy Hellickson is also mentioned as being just outside the Top 13. [Baseball America]
• Tampa Bay's Tomorrow takes a look at Jake McGee. [Tampa Bay's Tomorrow]
• Minor League Ball is running a mock draft and the pick for the Rays is Aaron Crow, a pitcher from Missouri. [Minor League Ball]
  

Durham 7, Columbus 3.

Montgomery 8, Tennessee 5.

Vero Beach 8, St. Lucie 3. Scott Kazmir pitched 3 innings, allowed 1 hit, no walks, 1 unearned run. He struck out 3...In 4 plate appearances, Dioner Navarro walked twice, was hit by a pitch and flied out to center. He threw out the only base stealer and even stole third base himself. He was replaced by a pinch-runner in the 7th.

Columbus 6, Charleston 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• David Price is scheduled to throw a bullpen session today in extended spring training. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Everybody's favorite (except the Prof) Jeremy Hellickson comes in at #2 on Baseball America's latest "Prospect Hot Sheet". And one of the Prof's personal faves, John Jaso also makes the sheet as a "Not Hot".[Baseball America]

The Rays have moved Hellickson slowly through the minors and it certainly hasn't hindered his performance. He's fourth in the league in ERA (1.00) and tied for first with strikeouts (23). He more than doubled his strikeout total this week with a baker's dozen against Jupiter.

• Scott Kazmir's biggest problem last night was getting used to the minor league baseball. [MLB]
• The Montgomery Advertiser takes a closer look at Eduardo Morlan, the other player in the Delmon Young, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett deal, who is being groomed as the Rays closer of the future. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  

This trade was not Delmon Young-for-Matt Garza.

This trade was not a 3-for-3 deal.

Make no mistake this was a 3-for-1 deal and one could make a very strong argument that this was a 5-for-1 deal (we will get back to that in a moment).

Both Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie were expendable, leaving Young as the only piece of significance given up by the Rays. Harris proved in the first half of 2007 that he could hit a baseball. Unfortunately, Harris proved all season that he is not a major league shortstop, often playing the position as if he had his feet stuck in cement. Pridie is a talented young outfielder, but there was clearly no future for him in a Rays uniform, with the team's depth of outfield talent at all levels.

On the other hand the Rays pick up one of the top young pitchers in baseball (Garza), who is still two seasons from arbitration, a starting shortstop for 2008 and maybe beyond (Jason Bartlett), and one of the top closer prospects in baseball (Eduardo Morlan). Originally the deal was to include Juan Rincon, but concerns over his elbow lead the Rays to insist on the inclusion
of Morlan. Rincon would have added depth to the Rays 2008 bullpen, but Morlan could end up being a more valuable acquisition.

In addition to the three pieces from the Twins, the Rays also indirectly acquired a AAA all-star outfielder and long reliever/spot starter to give the bullpen added depth.

Justin Ruggiano: Moving Delmon Young opens up a spot in right field. With both Rocco Baldelli and Jonny Gomes on the roster, Ruggiano would most likely have started the season in Durham. With Young gone, the star for Team USA in the World Cup is now the leading candidate to be the fourth outfielder and the team will likely employ a rotation with Rocco, Gomes and Ruggiano sharing time in right field and DH.

Jason Hammel: Hammel was originally slotted as the fifth starter and with the acquisition of Garza, he is the odd man out. Hammel, who is out of options will now most likely be moved to the bullpen where he worked last season before entering the rotation. Hammel is an immediate upgrade over another pitcher currently in the organization that could have filled the role of long reliever/spot starter.

Most reactions to the trade, whether they be Twins, Rays or Neutral fans, suggest that Young-for-Garza is either a push or a slight edge for the Twins, citing Young's enormous upside. Those same reactions also unanimously agree that the other four players included in the deal, make the Rays the winners of the deal. Now add Ruggiano and Hammel to the deal and consider that Pridie and Harris were expendable and the 5-for-1 deal in which the Rays receive five important pieces for a 5-tool player that has never shown three of those tools (power, speed, glove) at any level and the Rays are a significantly better team this week than they were last week.

When the tree stops shaking, let's now take a look at what the 25-man roster could look like on opening day 2008. (notes on this projection can be found below)

• INFIELD: We still feel that Akinori Iwamura will be at second base, no matter what the team decides to do with Evan Longoria. If the Dirtbag is not ready, they will most likely use a stopgap such as Joel Guzman, who has proved to be more than adequate with the glove. Aki just does not have the arm to be a major league third baseman and there is no sense moving him mid-season.
• OUTFIELD: Without Delmon Young, there is now a big question mark in right field. Without any further trades (Jonny Gomes?) the Rays will most likely go with a 3-man platoon in right with Gomes, Ruggiano and Rocco with one of the odd-men out playing DH every night. With Rocco's legs and Gomes questionable glove, Ruggiano could be the most-days right fielder. The biggest problem with this scenario is that all three swing from the right side. If Gomes is moved, look for a left-handed bat to come back to the Ray in the deal.
  
• BENCH: Several question marks here. Will the team sign a veteran free agent catcher? Will they find a left-handed bat to come off the bench/is the switch-hitting Zobrist sufficient? Does that give Zobrist an edge over Josh Wilson to be the utility infielder?
• ROTATION: The Rays just went from "Kaz, Shields and pray for a power outage" to looking like they have a very formidable rotation. Before the trade, there were questions if the Rays even had a pitcher ready to fill the fifth spot. Now Jackson and Sonnanstine slide down to #4 and #5 and both look a lot better in those spots. The odd-man out on the surface is Jason Hammel, but Jeff Niemann could have been hurt the worst. Niemann could have competed in spring training with Hammel. He will have a much more difficult time trying to push aside Sonnanstine and is now more likely to begin season at AAA.
• BULLPEN: One of the worst in the history of baseball in 2007, the bullpen is suddenly looking like it could be a strength. Percival is the closer. He had a strong 2007 after coming out of retirement, but he will be 38 on opening day. The new 8th inning guy is Al Reyes and he will be 37 with a history that includes two Tommy John surgeries. If those two can stay healthy and effective, the rest of the bullpen slots very nicely, especially with the addition of Hammel. Five of the spots look to be spoken for, which leaves two open for competition in Spring Training. Birkins gets an edge being left handed. In 2006 and 2007, the Rays were not trying to compete so it was easier for Joe Maddon to leave spring training without a lefty in the pen. We can't see him doing that in 2008. Dohmann was strong in the second half of 2007 and is out of options, but so are Gary Glover and Grant Balfour.
  

ESPN.com is reporting that the deal to send Delmon Young to the Twins has been finalized. The Tampa Bay Rays will send Young, along with Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie to the Minnesota Twins for Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett and minor league pitcher Eduardo Morlan. The deal does not include relief pitcher Juan Rincon, as had previously been mentioned.

The big piece in the deal is Garza, which gives the Rays a legitimate #3 starter in the rotation. The acquisition pushes Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine down to the #4 and #5 slots. Adding a starter to the rotation should strengthen the bullpen as Jason Hammel will now most likely be the Rays long reliever and spot starter. Jeff Niemann, the Rays top pick in 2005, will now have to compete with Sonnanstine for the final spot in the rotation and is more likely to begin the season at AAA Durham.

The acquisition of Jason Bartlett gives the Rays an above average defensive shortstop and a strong upgrade defensively. Bartlett, made 26 errors in 2007, but has consistently been above the league average in range factor.

Both Harris and Pridie wee expendable pieces for the Rays. Harris would most likely have been the team's utility infielder, a position that Ben Zobrist or Josh Wilson can fill adequately. Pridie, who was recently added to the 40-man roster, spent the 2006 Spring Training with the Twins after being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Pridie posted strong numbers this past season at AA Montgomery and AAA Durham, but stood no chance of being added to the 25-man roster.

Moving Young, leaves an opening in right field for the Rays, and opens a roster spot and playing time for Justin Ruggiano. Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon are most likely hoping that some combination of Rocco Baldelli, Jonny Gomes and Ruggiano can fill the roles of right fielder and DH, with all three likely to see significant playing time.

Morlan was a third round pick by the Twins in 2004. He was being groomed as a future closer and split time this past season between A and AA, posting 18 saves and 99 strike outs in 69.2 innings with only 20 walks.

We will have more on this trade tomorrow.

Rays, Twins finish 6-player deal including Young, Garza [ESPN]