Durham @ Buffalo (ppd.). This game was called in the 3rd inning and will be concluded today. Joel Guzman hit his 14th home run to give the Bulls a 2-1 lead prior to the rain...Jeff Niemann had retired the first 6 batters before giving up a solo home run to lead off the third.

Montgomery (off-day)

Vero Beach 7, Brevard Co 2. David Price started for the D-Rays, working 5 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 7. The run came in the first inning when Price gave up a lead off single. That runner stole second and third, sandwhiching a pair of strikeouts, and then scored on another single. Nevin Ashley bailed out Price in the second with 2 outs and runners on first and second, following a pair of walks, Ashley picked the runner of first to end the inning. In the third, Price bailed himself out. After a leadoff triple, Price struck out the next three batters, the final one looking. Price retired 9 of the final 10 batters he faced...Rocco Baldelli made his first regular season appearance since last season as the D-Rays DH. He batted second and went 1-3 with a pair of walks. He walked in the 1st and was forced at second base. In the 2nd, he singled home 2 runs, and was again forced at second. In the 5th he grounded out to short. In the 7th he flied out to center. In the 8th, he walked with a runner on first. He was replaced by a pinch-runner.

Columbus (all-star break)

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Montgomery manager Billy Gardner says that both Jake McGee and Wade Davis need to be more consistent in the second half. [Montgomery Advertiser]

McGee, who is scheduled to start tonight, is 6-3 with a 3.86 ERA but has sometimes had control issues. He's totaled 32 walks and 62 strikeouts in 70 innings...Davis is 6-4 with a 3.47 ERA and is 8-of-14 on quality starts but also hasn't been a rock of consistency.

"Both are definitely going to have to be more consistent," Gardner said. "I think expectations can precede you and there was a lot expected from both...I think they've done better than people give them credit for. The expectations were so high, I don't think anybody could have lived up to them."

• Princeton and Hudson Valley begin their short-season schedules today.
• Emeel Salem is expected to be 100% by next Spring Training after breaking his elbow. At the time of the injury Salem was leading all of professional baseball in stolen bases. [Rays Digest]
  
• Former Devil Ray Jared Sandberg is a bench coach for the Hudson Valley Renegades. [Poughkeepsie Journal]
  

With the 2008 MLB draft tomorrow, the Tampa Bay Rays front office is busy preparing for their third rodeo. Now is a good time to take a look back and gauge the early returns from players selected in last year's draft. We all know about David Price, but what about the rest of the picks.

While analyzing each pick we took a look at the next 10 players picked and how they are performing to see if there are any gems the Rays missed. Once you get past that mark, we start looking at players that many teams missed out on, not just the Rays. One of our biggest draft analysis pet-peeves it to give too much credit to teams that get a superstar in a later round. For example, the New England Patriots are always credited for drafting Tom Brady in the 6th round. That pick should not be used to show their drafting prowess. They got lucky. If they knew how good Brady would turn out to be, they would not have risked waiting until the 6th round to select him.

Without further ado, we present you the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2007 top 10 draft picks recap...

1. David Price, LHP: It took him almost a year to make his professional debut, but so far he is everything the Rays hoped for. In 3 starts he has yet to allow a run and has been touched for only 8 hits and 2 walks in 18 innings. He has struck out 19. Some are beginning to wonder if Price could make a late-season appearance for the Rays. This will only happen if the Rays are in the pennant race and one of Troy Percival, Al Reyes or Dan Wheeler is lost for the rest of the year and there is an obvious need for a 7th or 8th inning pitcher. With his late start to the season, there will still be plenty of bullets left in his arm and the Rays will not have to worry about over-extending him...Player missed: It is hard to argue with Price, but some suggested before the draft that the Rays should take catcher Matt Wieters (4 picks later). Early on, it looks like they would have been justified in that selection also. Weiters is with the O's high-A affiliate and is hitting .324/.420/.566 with 12 home runs. Would Buster Posey even be on the radar this season if the Rays had selected Wieters?
2. Will Kline, RHP: After making 9 starts in '07 and going 0-4 with a 4.97 ERA, Kline was shutdown this spring and will miss the entire '08 season due to an arm injury...Player missed: The Rays deserve a pass on this one as there doesn't appear to be a single legit prospect in the next 10 players selected after Kline. The closest is Brian Rike (6 picks later), a lefty-swinging outfielder in the Rockies organization. In low-A Rike is hitting .274/.392/.487 with 11 home runs and 10 steals.
3. Nick Barnese, RHP: Made 8 starts for Princeton last season going 2-2 with a 3.22 ERA and 37 Ks with only 4 walks in 36.1 innings. He has yet to make his debut in '08. At 19, he will likely be on the opening day roster for Hudson Valley...Player missed: Jonathan Lucroy (6 picks later). We are glad that the Rays passed on Wieters, but Lucroy, another college catcher, might be a mistake. He dominated the rookie league in '07 with a .342/.383/.487 line and he is off to a good start this season, hitting .318/.389/.518 in the SAL with above-average defensive skills.
4. David Newmann, LHP: Newmann did make an appearance in '07 and was shut down in the spring this year with an arm injury that will sideline him all season. Two of the top 4 picks shut down for an entire year already? That's not good...Player missed: Eric Farris (6 picks later). Farris, a second baseman, had a strong rookie campaign, hitting .326/.369/.423 with 21 steals in 63 games, but he has struggled so far in his sophomore season, with a .198/.241/.259 line. Still, like catchers, the Rays have a dearth of second basemen in the system and this one could have been had in the 4th round. Instead the Rays got Bubkis.
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5. Dustin Biell, OF: Hit .218/.279/.279 and 7 of 12 steals in 49 games for Princeton last year and will likely make his '08 debut with Hudson Valley...Player missed: Jacob Arrieta (4 picks later). Arrieta is a college right-handed pitcher that is already in high-A in the O's organization. This season he is 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA with 72 Ks in 69.2 innings.
6. Emeel Salem, OF: Salem was leading all of professional baseball with 25 steals when he broke his elbow on a slide in May and will now be out for the rest of the season. He was hitting .301/.357/.366 and looks like a legit prospect...Player missed: None
7. Reid Fronk, OF: Fronk had a solid debut in '07 hitting .311/.396/.566 for Hudson Valley. He has struggled a bit early on this season for Columbus in the SAL, hitting .241/.333/.429. He does have 24 extra-base hits and 6 steals...Player missed: Bryan Augenstein (9 picks later). The big (6'5", 225) right-hander out of the University of Florida is overpowering the Midwest League with a 3-1 record and a 2.09 ERA in 11 starts. He has 61 strikeouts and only 9 walks.
8. Matt Moore, LHP: Moore, only 17 when he was drafted, made 8 appearances and 3 starts for Princeton, striking out 29 and walking 16 in 20.1 innings. He posted a 2.66 ERA. He is expected to pitch for Hudson Valley in '08...Player missed: Adrian Alaniz (5 picks later). So far Moore looks legit and he is a lefty, so no fault with this pick but if we were to suggest another player it would be Alaniz. The right-handed college pitcher is already in high-A and pitching well with 49 strikeouts in 53 innings and a 2.72 ERA. He is 7-0 in 10 starts.
9. Cody Cipriano, 2B: Cipriano is struggling in single-A Columbus hitting .194/.296/.361. He is 7-7 in steals and does have 13 walks, but strikes out too much with 26 in 29 games...Player missed: Aaron Brown (10 picks later). Brown is a tall (6'6") righty college relief pitcher that is overpowering the Northwest League. In 37 innings this season he has a 1.95 ERA and 49 strikeouts and only 15 walks.
   
10. Greg Sexton, 3B: Sexton is having a solid if unspectacular season for Columbus hitting .307/.348/.443. He has actually greatly improved his numbers over his pro debut last season in Hudson Valley which is a good sign of adjusting to the wood bats...Player missed: Joe Patterson (9 picks later). Patterson, a lefty relief pitcher, drafted out of college has already advanced to high-A in the Giants organization. He started the year in single-A and struck out 37 in 31.1 innings with a 2.30 ERA and only 13 walks.
    

Durham 6, Pawtucket 0. Jeremy Cummings struck out 11 and did not walk a batter in 7 shutout innings. He gave up 5 hits. Since being signed by the Rays and assigned to Durham, Cummings is 5-0 in 5 starts with a 0.84 ERA. He has allowed 15 hits and 7 walks in 32 innings, while striking out 29...Juan Salas pitched the final 2 innings...Elliot Johnsonwas 3-4 with a double and an RBI..Ben Zobrist batted third and played third base in place of Joel Guzman. He went 0-4 with a walk...Fernando Perez was 2-5 with 3 strikeouts...Dan Johnson went 2-3 with 2 walks and Reid Brignac was 0-3 with an RBI.

Montgomery 11, Carolina 4. Wade Davis picked up his 6th win with 6 innings of work. He did allow 2 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 4...Ryan Reid made his first appearance since being promoted to Montgomery, working 2 scoreless innings. He struck out 2 and walked 2...Sergio Pedroza hit a 3-run double and John Jaso drove in a run on 1-2 with 3 walks.

Vero Beach 3, Jupiter 1. David Price continues his domination of the FSL. In 7 shutout innings, he allowed only 3 hits and 1 walk with 6 strikeouts. The biggest threats were in the 3rd inning when he gave up back-to-back 1-out singles, and the 4th inning when he gave up a lead-off double. After the double, he retired the last 11 batters he faced. On the year now, Price has only allowed 8 hits and 2 walks with 19 strikeouts in 18 innings and he is yet to allow a run...Desmond Jennings went 2-3 in just his second game off the DL...Garrett Groce and Ryan Royster provided RBI.

Savannah 2, Columbus 1. Alex Cobb went 7 innings and only gave up 2 runs, but ropped to 6-4 on the year. He struck out 4 and did not allow a walk...The Catfish managed only 1 run on 8 hits, off a Reid Fronk solo home run...Greg Sexton added 2 hits, including his 18th double.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Emeel Salem, Maiko Loyola and Alex Cobb were all names to the ASL All-Star team. [MiLB]
  
• Minor League Ball has a mock draft up and they project Tim Beckham to be drafted by the Rays. [Minor League Ball]
• Apparently there was a minor typo in the Vero Beach boxscore that had Desmond Jennings making his 2008 debut at third base. [Baseball America]
• Rays Digest breaks down the potential picks for the Rays on Thursday. [Rays Digest]
  
• Jeremy Cummings says he is in the best stretch he has ever had as a pro. [The Herald-Sun]
  

Durham 9, Toledo 3. Mitch Talbot gave up 3 runs in his 6 innings of work and improved to 4-3. The Bulls hit 4 home runs, including 2 from Joel Guzman who was 3-4 and drove in 3.

Montgomery 5, Tennessee 1. Wade Davis did not allow a run despite walking 5 in 6 innings...

Palm Beach 3, Vero Beach 2.

Columbus 3, Augusta 1.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• David Price will make his pro debut on Thursday for Vero Beach. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Emeel Salem, who was leading all of minor league baseball in stolen bases, broke his elbow sliding head-first and will miss the remainder of the '08 season. [Biscuits Batter]
  
• Baseball America posted a mock draft for the first round of the amateur draft. They have the Rays picking Tim Beckham, the high school shortstop. [Baseball America]

Tampa Bay is keeping quiet about its intentions, and the two names that pop up the most are Posey and Beckham. Posey would help the Rays more quickly and fill a bigger need, but he's unlikely to accept a heavily backloaded deal like David Price did in 2007. Five-tool shortstops are just as rare as all-star catchers, and industry sources are starting to think that Tampa Bay will lean that way. If the Rays opt for a pitcher, Matusz has moved ahead of Crow.

• In this week's "Prospect Hot Sheet" from Baseball America there are no Rays in the Top 13, but Jeremy Hellickson is in the "just missed" section. [Baseball America]
  

Syracuse 7, Durham 2. Jeff Niemann made his first start since being demoted on April 20th. He was limited to 3 innings, and allowed only 1 hit. He struck out 4 and did not walk a batter...Juan Salas made his first appearance of 2008, giving up 5 runs in 2 innings...Justin Ruggiano was 2-4 and hit his 2nd home run...Reid Brignac was 0-3 with 2 strike outs.

Montgomery 4, Birmingham 3 (gm 1). Gabby Martinez led off the bottom of the 7th with a home run to win the game, his second of the game. He drove in 3...Richard De los Santos gave up 2 runs in 5 innings...

Birmingham 9, Montgomery 5 (gm 2). Wade Townsend made his first start of 2008 and took the loss, as his defense let him down. He gave up 4 runs in 3 innings, but only 1 was earned...John Jaso was 2-4 with his 3rd double.

Vero Beach 5, Lakeland 2. Ryan Morse gave up 2 runs, but was not around long enough to pick up the win...Garrett Groce was 3-5 and is now hitting .330...Matt Fields was 2-3 with his 7th home run.

Columbus 5, Augusta 3. Jason Ragan picked up his 5th win, on 6 innings of work. He gave up 3 runs...Emeel Salem and Maiko Loyola were each 2-5 and Loyola stole his 15th and 16th bases.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Jeremy Hellickson and Emeel Salem were the pitcher and player of the month, respectively, for the Rays minor league system. [Biscuits Batter]
  

Charlotte 11, Durham 2. Chris Mason dropped to 0-3 after allowing 5 runs in 3.2 innings...Joel Guzman hit his 4th home run and Reid Brignac was given a night off.

Jacksonville 15, Montgomery 9. Mike Wlodarczyk gave up 8 runs (6 earned) in 3.1 innings...Joh Jaso was 2-4 with a triple and his 3rd home run, he drove in 2 and scored 3 times...Ronnie Merrill was 4-5 and drove in 3.

Palm Beach 4, Vero Beach 3. Scott Kazmir struck out 4 and did not walk a batter, but was touched for 7 hits and 4 runs in 4.2 innings. The first batter he faced and the last batter he faced hit home runs. At one point he did retire 10 in a row...Garrett Groce was 3-5 with 2 doubles and scored twice while Matt Fields added 2 hits including a double.

Columbus 5, Rome 2. Jason Ragan struck out 4 in 5 innings and gave up 2 runs as he improved to 4-0...Emeel Salem was 2-4 and stole his 18th base, in 20 games. Salem leads all of professional baseball and has 4 more than the next most prolific base stealer. Only 3 other players in all of the minor leagues have more than 11.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• A 10:30 start and confusion over his pitch count left Scott Kazmir less than thrilled following his latest rehab start. [MLB]

"It was frustrating," Kazmir said following his 64-pitch effort, his second start following a left elbow strain in late February. "I wanted to work on a lot of things and stretch myself out. I felt strong. [pitching coach Jim] Hickey and I were both on the same page, but it didn't happen...They wanted me finish up in the bullpen, and it didn't really make too much sense," said Kazmir. "[My start] was originally set for 70-75 pitches, and we certainly wanted me to go five [innings]. I got done after four innings and I had thrown 54...They said, 'Finish up in the bullpen. If you had 50 pitches, we'd let you go back out there.' So I've got to have a 20-pitch cushion to go out there for another inning? That's a lot of confidence."

• Baseball America takes a closer look at the Gabe Gross trade and notes that the Rays dealt from "an area of strength". [Baseball America]
• Baseball America talks to Fernando Perez about the transition to AAA. Our favorite quote is the answer to his thoughts on OBP. [Baseball America]

"It's the only important stat for a leadoff hitter. When I'm on base a lot, everything goes well for everyone. Fastballs for all, RBI opportunities for the tall guys, runs on the board, excited fans, happy GM, et cetera."

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]
  

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]