[UPDATE: 11:32] The Red Sox beat the Indians, but the Rays overcame a first inning that saw the O's score 5 runs before an out, to get the win. With the victory, the Rays magic number to win the division is now 1. The Angels are currently losing in the 5th inning, 4-2. An Angels loss and the Rays be 1 game behind for the best record in the AL. The Rays won the season-series with the Angels 6-3.

As we get closer to the playoffs, the links are going to start coming fast and furious...On certain days we will provide a late afternoon "Happy Hour" to try and keep the pace...

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Marc Lancaster has a quote from Terry Francona that suggests the Red Sox will concede the division. [Rays Report]
• Carl Crawford is now ceding that he probably will not be ready for the first round of the playoffs...If there was any doubt, this should solidify Fernando Perez' spot on the roster for the ALDS. [Rays Report]
  
• Curious as to who will throw out the first pitch in the Rays home playoff games? Well, it won't be any former members of the organization according to Matt Silverman. "MLB asked us who it'd be. We realized nobody in the history of the franchise had done anything to be worthy of the honor."...Ouch. The truth hurts. [Washington Post]
• Deadspin suggests Victor Zambrano. [Deadspin]
• Outs Per Swing has an exhaustive list of candidates. [Outs Per Swing]
  
• Bugs and Cranks offers 5 suggestions...We like the idea of Mr. T. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Jason Bartlett should hire Brittany Ghiroli as his publicist. Ghiroli breaks down exactly how valuable Bartlett has been to the Rays and she does it much better than we did. [MLB]
  
• MLB Trade Rumors breaks down all of playoff teams/contenders to see which teams have benefited the most from their own first-round picks. The Rays come in 4th behind the Mets, Brewers and Phillies. [MLB Trade Rumors]
  
• Tampa Bay Rays Prospects has compiled a nice list of the organization's top strikeout-to-walk ratios from this past season. The top two players are from the Venezuelan and Dominican Summer Leagues which is even below rookie league, so don't put too much weight in those numbers. The truly impressive numbers are from Jeremy Hellickson (8.1 at high-A and AA), Heath Rollins (4.2 at high-A and AA) and Mitch Talbot (4.0 at AAA). [Tampa Bay Rays Prospects]
• Joe Bucs Fan is not happy with Stu Sternberg for leaving the tarps on the upper deck for the first two rounds of the playoffs...For the record, MLB has final say in the World Series. If the Rays make it that far, MLB has already told the Rays to have the tarp removed. [Joe Bucs Fan]
  

Norfolk 7, Durham 6. David Price made his triple-A debut and picked up his first professional loss. In 4 innings, he struck out 6 and walked none, but did allow 3 runs on 7 hits (6 singles and a double). For a more detailed recap of Price's performance, see the first bullett below...John Jaso drove in 4 with a pair of doubles. He also stole a base and threw out a base stealer...Joel Guzman also had 2 doubles in 4 at bats...Jonny Gomes was 0-4 with 3 strike outs and Fernando Perez was 0-5.

Jacksonville 3, Montgomery 2. Heath Rollins double-A debut was overshadowed by the triple-A debut of David Price. But Rollins did not disappoint, striking out 9 and walking none in 7 innings of 1-run ball. He gave up 4 hits. The only blemish was a first inning, solo home run. He retired the final 8 batters he faced...Eddie Morlan blew the save, giving up a 2-run home run in the 8th...Gaby Martinez provided all the offense with a 2-run home run, his 20th, in the 1st inning...Rashad Eldridge was 1-3 with 2 walks and his 21st stolen base. Eldridge is quietly posting a solid season, with a .301/.397/.402 line. Eldridge is 26, in his 9th minor league season and his 5th organization.

Jupiter 7, Vero Beach 5 (11). Jupiter scored 4 in the top of the 11th and held on for the win...Ryan Morse allowed only 2 unearned runs in 5 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 2...Ryan Royster was 2-4 with a walk and his 9th home run. He drove in 2 and scored twice.

Lake Co. 4, Columbus 1 (gm 1). Brian Flores allowed 4 runs and was pulled before the end of the 4th.

Lake Co. 5, Columbus 1 (gm 2). Jeremy Hall held Lake County to 1 run in 5 innings, but did walk 4 batters and hit a 5th. He struck out 4...Henry Wrigley was 2-3.

Hudson Valley 5, Jamestown 4.

Burlington 3, Princeton 0. Tim Beckham was 1-3 with a single, walk and a strike out.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• The Immaculate Inning was on hand last night for David Price's triple-A debut and wrote a detailed account. [The Immaculate Inning]
• Montgomery catcher Craig Albernaz has overcome all the doubters to make it 2 stops from the majors. [The Herald News]
  

Richmond 4, Durham 2. Ben Hendrickson allowed only 2 runs in 6 innings...Fernando Perez hit his 4th home run.

Montgomery (off-day)

Vero Beach 6, Brevard Co. 0. Wilton Noel allowed only 1 hit in 6 shutout innings. He struck out 5 and walked 3. Noel had a no-hitter through 6 innings, but was pulled after the leadoff hitter in the 7th singled...Ryan Royster was 2-5 and Nevin Ashley drove in a pair.

Lake Co. 11, Columbus 8. Alex Cobb struggled with his control, walking 5 and hitting another batter, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings. He struck out 4...Maiko Loyola and Greg Sexton were each 3-6. Sexton hit his 6th home run and drove in 3...Chase Fontaine was 2-3 with a double and 2 walks. He added his 2nd stolen base.

Hudson Valley 14, Lowell 10 (10).

Burlington 5, Princeton 2. Tim Beckham went 1-4 with a single and a walk. He struck out twice...We usually only comment on Beckham's performance at Princeton, but we couldn't pass up a chance to point out that Burt Reynolds committed his 26th error. That is in 44 games. Yikes. On the positive side, the third baseman is hitting .295/.355/.460.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• David Price was promoted to triple-A Durham, and is scheduled to make his first start for the Bulls on Wednesday. [Tennessean]

“I guess I’m a little anxious (about reaching the Major Leagues),” Price said Monday. “It’s like a kid getting ready for Christmas and you count down to Christmas Day. The anticipation is building up, but I’m enjoying myself...I haven’t talked to anyone from the (Rays’) front office all year,” Price said. “ ... I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing. My last start wasn’t as good as I would have liked, but the two before that I threw really well.”

• Chris Nowak and David Price were named the Rays' minor league player and pitcher of the month. [Montgomery Advertiser]
• Austin Hinkle of Columbus was named the SAL pitcher of the week. [MiLB]
  
• Despite only being 5-11, Heath Rollins and his 3.30 ERA were promoted to double-A Montgomery to take David Price's vacant spot.
  
• Jeremy Beckham recently got to play in Fenway Park and spoke to Mark Remme about being able to pave the way for his younger brother, Tim Beckham. [MiLB]

Durham 4, Buffalo 3. Ben Hendrickson improved to 5-4, holding Buffalo to 3 runs in 6.2 innings...Scott Dohmann struck out 5 in 2 perfect innings for the save...Dan Johnson was 3-4 with an RBI to improve his average to .292...Chris Richard's 3-run home run, his 11th, gave the Bulls the lead for good in the 5th inning...Reid Brignac and Joel Guzman combined to go 0-7 with 3 strike outs. Brignac walked once.

Montgomery 9, Mobile 7. James Houser cruised through the first 5 innings, allowing only 2 singles, until the defense let him down in the 6th when 3 hits and 2 errors led to 5 runs...Ryan Reid struck out 2 in the 9th for his 2nd save...Gabriel Martinez was 2-5 and hit his 10th home run...Chris Nowak was 3-4, scoring 3 times.

West 9, East 3 (FSL ALL-Star game). Four members of the Vero Beach D-Rays started for the East squad, including starting pitcher Ryan Morse, who gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 1 inning of work...Heath Rollins also pitched 1 inning, giving up 3 hits and 1 run...Cesar Suarez, a third baseman, started at short, JT Hall was the DH and Garrett Groce started in right field. The three went a combined 0-10. Suarez drove in a run with a ground out...Jeremy Hellickson likely would have started but was held out with a blister on his throwing hand.

Columbus v Rome (ppd.)

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• JT Hall won the FSL All-Star game home run derby. [TCPalm]
  

Rochester 1, Durham 0. After his first bad start with the Bulls in his last outing, Jeremy Cummings rebounded nicely, throwing 4 shutout innings, allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 4...Juan Salas gave up only his 2nd run in his last 18 innings. He worked 2 innings, striking out 2...The Bulls had only 2 hits, one from Chris Richard and one from Mike DiFelice, both singles...Fernando Perez stole his 18th base.

Montgomery 1, Mobile 0 (13). Wade Davis threw 7 shutout innings, striking out 4, giving up only 4 singles and a walk...In the 13 inning, the Biscuits took advantage of a throwing error on a sac bunt to move a runner to third. After an intentional walk, Montgomery scored the winning run when Chris Nowak grounded to the third baseman who tried to force Rashad Eldridge at home. The catcher dropped the throw to end the game...John Jaso was 2-4 with a walk.

Vero Beach (All-Star break)

Columbus 7, Rome 6. Jeremy Hall was roughed up for 5 runs in 3 innings...Glenn Gibson pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief...Reid Fronkhad 2 doubles and a 3-run home run in 4 at bats.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Biscuits manager Billy Gardner said that last night's performance by Wade Davis was his best with Montgomery. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  
• We now know where Burt Reynolds will make his Rays debut. The Princeton Rays announced their roster. [Bluefield Daily Telegraph]
  
• No Rays are on this weeks Baseball America "Prospect Hot Sheet". However, Heath Rollins is on the list of guys that just missed. [Baseball America]
• Vero Beach's JT Hall will participate in today's FSL All-Star game home run derby. [MiLB]
  

Durham 10, Norfolk 7. Jon Weber tied the game with a 2-out single in the top of the 9th, and the Dan Johnson put the Bulls ahead for good with a 3-run home run, 2 batters later. Johnson finished 3-6. Weber was 5-6 with 2 RBI...Ben Hendrickson started and gave up 6 runs in 4 innings...Justin Ruggiano was 3-5 and Reid Brignac did not play.

Chattanooga 4, Montgomery 2. James Houser struck out 5 in 5 shutout innings. He was touched for 2 hits and 3 walks...Rhyne Hughes was 3-4 while Gabby Martinez and Chris Nowak were each 1-4 with an RBI.

Vero Beach 6, St. Lucie 4. Joey Callender tied the game with a 2-run single in the 9th with no outs. Garrett Groce put the D-Rays up with a 1-out RBI single and Neil Walton would stretch the lead to 2 with a ground ball to short...Heath Rollins allowed only a single unearned run in 7 innings. He gave up 3 hits and no walks. He struck out 4, but picked up the no-decision...Ryan Reid pitched the final 5 outs allowing only 1 hit and no walks. He struck out 3 and now has 45 strikeouts to 3 walks on the season.

Greenville 7, Columbus 5 (10). Glenn Gibson started and gave up 4 runs in 5.2 innings...Shawn O'Malley had 2 of the Catfish' 3 hits. 4 of Columbus' 5 runs were unearned.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Seven members of the Vero Beach Devil Rays have been voted to the FSL All-Star game, including Jeremy Hellickson, Heath Rollins and Ryan Reid. [MiLB]
  
• With 1 week until the draft, nothing has changed as far as the Rays are concerned. According to RJ Harrison the Rays are still considering 5 players for the top pick...Let's hope this is a negotiating tactic, because there is little reason to not have narrowed their choice down to at least 2 or 3 at this point. Nobody is drafting ahead of the Rays so there is no need to play games. But certainly they have a plethora of scouting reports on all 5 kids and have in their mind 1 or 2 that are at least a head better than the rest. [Rays Report]
• MiLB interviews the GM of the Vero Beach Devil Rays in their weekly profiles on minor league clubs. [MiLB]
  

Columbus 5, Durham 4. JK Ryu gave up 3 runs in 4.2 innings...Reid Brignac was 0-3 and is hitting .205...Joel Guzman hit his 3rd home run. He also committed his 5th error...Fernando Perez was 1-5 with 3 strike outs.

Tennessee 3, Montgomery 2. Wade Davis allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 5 innings. He struck out 3, walked 1 and gave up 5 hits...The Biscuits had 11 hits, but only one for extra bases, a solo home run by Patrick Cottrell...Chris Nowak had three hits.

Vero Beach 3, Jupiter 1. Big night for Jeremy Hellickson who struck out 13 and walked none in 7 shutout innings. He allowed only 3 hits. Hellickson faced the minimum for the first 5.1 innings and only struggled in the 6th when gave up 2 singles and balked a runner to third. He got out of the mess by striking out the side...Neal Frontz also had a memorable night. He came on in the 9th inning and struck out FOUR batters in one inning. The second batter reached via wild pitch after the third strike got past the catcher.

Columbus 6, Rome 3. Glenn Gibson was a little better last night, but still gave up 3 runs in only 4 innings, having allowed single runs in each of the first 3 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 2...Emeel Salem was 2-3 with 2 RBI and his 10th stolen base...Maiko Loyola hit his 2nd home run.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• MiLB takes a closer look at Jeremy Hellickson's masterful performance from last night in which he struck out 13. [MiLB]
  

"Once I got out there, I had command of my pitches," the 21-year-old right-hander said. "I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes...The fastball felt good," he added. "I was able to throw it in or out. The curve felt really good, better than it felt in the first two games."

• Baseball America spoke to Rays pitching coordinator about several Rays pitching prospects including Jeff Niemann (The pages of history are filled with guys who caught a break and never looked back), David Price (up to 90 feet now, and he’s reported no difficulty, no discomfort) and Heath Rollins (10 pounds heavier, 10 more pounds of muscle … He’s a 92, 93 guy at times, but he can spin the ball). [Baseball America]
  
• The Rays have extended their player development agreement with the Durham Bulls through the 2010 season. This was far from a foregone conclusion after the numerous incidents involving several of the Rays top prospects in 2006, including BJ Upton, Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes as well as then manager John Tamargo. [Rays Report]
  

Durham 5, Columbus 4. Jeff Niemann retired the first 11 batters he faced before walking a batter in the 4th. in the 5th things started to fall apart for Niemann. 4 hits, a walk and an error led to 4 runs and Niemann was only saved by an inning-ending double play...Reid Brignac had a double and a triple in 4 at bats...After picking up his first 3 hits of the season 2 nights ago, Evan Longoria was unable to carry that into last night's action. He was 0-4 last night and 3-22 (.136) on the season...Justin Riggiano and Joel Guzman hit their first home runs of '08.

Jupiter 3, Vero Beach 2. Heath Rollins was masterful and is already proving that 2007 was not a fluke. Last night Rollins struck out 10 and walked none in 5 shutout innings. He gave up only 3 singles. Rollins struck out 5 of the first 6 batters he faced and retired the final 9 batters he faced...The lineup managed only 4 hits, 2 from Garrett Groce.

Columbus 14, Rome 1. Alex Cobb made his second start and was just as strong has his first outing. He threw 6 innings of 1-run ball. He allowed 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4...Six batters had at least 2 hits apiece. Emeel Salem had 3 hits including a double. Cody Cipriano had 2 doubles while Reid Fronk added a double and a triple.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Evan Longoria makes the Fox Sports "who's not" list for the minor leagues. [Fox Sports]
  

Columbus 5, West Virginia 2 (Columbus leads 1-0). Heath Rollins pitched the Catfish to a game 1 victory in the championship series of the South Atlantic League. In 6 innings, he struck out 4 and gave up 2 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks. The win was Rollins' second of the post-season to go with 17 regular season wins. Neal Frontz struck out all three batters he faced in the 9th for the save. Jahn Matulia got the scoring started with a 2-run double in the 3rd that gave the Catfish a 2-1 lead. Cesar Suarez had a home run and Quinn Stewart was 3-4 and scored 2 runs.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• D-Rays affiliates are now 9-1 in the playoffs.
• Montgomery will face the Huntsville Stars in the championship series for the second straight year. [Stacy Long's Riverwalk Talk]
• MiLB has a preview of the IL championship series. [MiLB]
  

Montgomery 12, Mississippi 5 (Montgomery wins series 3-1). John Jaso got the Biscuits off to a good start with a 3-run home run in the first inning, and Montgomery broke things open with a 7-run sixth inning, to advance to the Southern League championship series for the second straight season. Mike Prochaska was hittable, allowing 9 hits and 2 walks in 5.2 innings, but only allowed 3 runs. Erold Andrus had a 3-run home run in the 6th inning and went 3-5. Reid Brignac was 3-3 with 2 walks and he drove in 3.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• The Durham Bulls will use he same rotation for the finals that they used in the the first round of the playoffs. JP Howell will go in game 1 on Tuesday, followed by Jeff Niemann and Jae Seo. [Our Sports Central]
• Heath Rollins will start in game 1 tonight for the Columbus Catfish. Will Kline will go in game 2, followed by Jeremy Hellickson. [Ledger-Enquirer]
  

Durham 11, Toledo 8 (Bulls lead series 1-0). The Bulls got off to a fast start with Jon Weber, Jason Pridie and Justin Ruggiano hitting back-to-back-to-back home runs to start the game and giving Durham an early 3-1 lead. They stretched the lead to 6-2, including Ruggiano's second home run of the game, before the defense failed JP Howell. Three errors in the top of the 6th led to 5 unearned run giving Toledo a 7-6 lead. The Bulls immediately answered with 5 runs in the next two innings including home runs by Wes Bankston and Elliot Johnson giving the Bulls 6 on the night. Chad Orvella pitched a perfect 7th and 8th, with Shawn Camp throwing the 9th, allowing 1 run on 3 hits.

Columbus 11, Augusta 2 (Columbus leads the series 1-0). The Catfish had an 8-0 lead by the 4th innings to support the strong pitching performance by Heath Rollins. Rollins tossed 7 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks and 1 run, while striking out 3. Matt Fields, Nevin Ashley and Quinn Stewart all homered for Columbus. Maiko Loyola led off and was 3-5.

Hudson Valley 7, Vermont 4.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• There is a new blog in the Devil Rays Universe that has the potential to be very interesting. George is the batboy for the Vero Beach Rays and he has started a blog entitled "Life Inside A Minor League Baseball Team". Unfortunately the site was started after the regular season ended and the Rays will only be in Dodgertown for one more season, but we will be following along closely. [Life Inside A Minor League Baseball Team]
  
• Catcher John Jaso of Montgomery was named the Southern League's player-of-the-month for August. He hit .378 with 20 RBI for the month. [Our Sports Central]
• Heath Rollins was named the SAL pitcher-of-the-week for the 4th time. Rollins led all of minor league baseball with 17 wins. [Basil's Blog]
  

Durham 2, Charlotte 1. Mitch Talbot finished the regular season by picking up his 13th win. He went 6.2 innings, allowing 6 hits, 1 walk and 1 run. Chad Orvella picked up his 20th save. Evan Longoria was 0-3 with a walk and 3 strikeouts. He finished the regular season hitting .269-5-19 in 31 AAA games. JP Howell led the IL with 145 strikeouts, while Mitch Talbot and Jeff Niemann were tied for the second most wins (12).

Montgomery 7, Jacksonville 3 (13 innings). The Biscuits head into the playoffs having won 15 of their final 16 regular season games to finish with the top mark in the SL at 81-59. Fernando Perez went 3-7 in the finale to finish the season with a .309 batting average, a .423 OBP and .908 OPS. John Jaso was second in the SL with a .316 average. Reid Brignac finished 2nd with 81 RBI. The Biscuits had three of the top four OPS marks with Evan Longoria leading the league at .930. Chris Mason led the league with 15 wins and was 4th with 136 strikeouts.

Vero Beach concluded their regular season on Sunday. After finishing 3rd in the division for the first half, the Rays fell to last place with a 25-44 second half record. Rhyne Hughes led the FSL with a .329 average. Sergio Pedroza was 2nd in the FSL with 22 home runs and both players were tied with the second best OPS (.907).

Columbus had their final seven games rained out. They will begin their best-of-3 first round playoff series on Wednesday against Augusta. Ryan Royster finished the regular season hitting .329-30-98 and has firmly established himself as one of the top hitting prospects in the Rays system. He was 4th in the SAL in hitting, tops in home runs, 2nd in RBI and lead the league with a .982 OPS. Desmond Jennings hit .315 with 45 steals in only 99 games, good for 4th in the SAL. Heath Rollinsled the league with 17 wins and was 2nd with 149 strikeouts.

Hudson Valley 10, Aberdeen 3.

Princeton concluded their regular season at 33-35, third in the AL East division. Michael Ross led the league with 36 stolen bases.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Chris Mason was named the top pitcher in the Southern League while Evan Longoria took home the honor as the league's MVP. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  
• Winning championships at the minor league level does not mean much when the parent club loses 90+ games every season, but the winning attitude must start some place and with the Montgomery Biscuits winning the Southern League championship in 2006, they are joined by Durham and Columbus in the playoffs this season. [TBO]
• The first round of the International League playoffs will begin on Wednesday with the Bulls facing Toledo. These two teams have won the last four IL titles. JP Howell will pitch the opening game, and will be followed by Jeff Niemann and Jae Seo. [Durham Bulls]
  
• The Devil Rays have announced their fall instructional league roster and it is a who's who of the system's top prospects, including David Price, Jake McGee and Ryan Royster. [Rays Digest]
• In their final regular season game, the Durham Bulls set a single-game attendance record (11,071) and broke the team's single-season attendance mark (520,952). [OurSportsCentral]
  

Norfolk 2, Durham 1 (game 1). JP Howell struck out 6 in 5 innings, but picked up the loss. Evan Longoria was 1-3 with a double and Jason Pridie drove in the only run.

Durham 8, Norfolk 3 (game 2). Jeff Niemann struck out 6 in 5.2 innings to win his 12th game. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and no walks. Evan Longoria was 0-2, but walked twice, scored 2 runs and drove in a run. Raul Cassanova was 3-4 with 5 RBI.

Daytona 4, Vero Beach 3. Jackson Brennan was 2-3 and hit his 9th home run.

Columbus 5, Savannah 3. After 12 starts with Princeton Jeremy Hall made his first start with Columbus and pitch 6 strong innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits. He did walk 4 batters while striking out 4. Ryan Royster was 2-4 and is now hitting .325 with 28 home runs and 96 RBI.

Hudson Valley 9, Oneonta 6. Cody Cipriano was 3-5 with 2 doubles and an RBI.

Princeton 12, Elizabethton 2. Michael Ross was 0-3, but did walk twice and scored 3 runs. He also stole his 33rd and 34th bases of the season in 55 games.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• The Montgomery Biscuits game versus Carolina was postponed.
  
• Evan Longoria is trying not to let his new found fame get to his head. [The News & Observer]

"I've never been highly touted or a big prospect -- until now," said Longoria, who who went to Long Beach State and was the third overall pick in the 2006 draft. "I've always had to work to get where I am.

"I didn't really have a scholarship out of high school. I had to work to get to a Division I school. Those things humbled me and make me work harder every day and try a little harder than the next guy."

• Kevin Gengler takes a close look at the Durham Bulls and their push for the playoffs. [Tampa Bay's Tomorrow]
• He does the same with the Montgomery Biscuits. [Tampa Bay's Tomorrow]
• On Sunday, Jake McGee moved to 3-1 in four AA starts throwing 7 shutout innings, striking out 9 and walking none. [MiLB]
• On Friday, Heath Rollins became the first minor leaguer to record 16 wins. In doing so, we believe he also set a Devil Rays organizational record. [MiLB]

Montgomery 4, Birmingham 3. Wade Davis allowed only one base runner (a walk) and faced the minimum over the first 6 innings, taking a no-hitter into the 7th, before giving up a lead-off single. He struck out 5 and walked 1 in 6.2 innings to pick up his 5th win. He allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and his ERA now sits at 3.16. Reid Brignac was 1-3 with an RBI.

Palm Beach 9, Vero Beach 2 (game 1). In the first game of his most recent rehab assignment, Rocco Baldelli DH'd and went 0-2, flying out to center twice and had a walk. Derek Feldkamp allowed 2 runs in 5 innings, leaving with the score tied at 2-2.

Vero Beach 6, Palm Beach 1. Rocco Baldelli did not play in the second game. Mike Kamrath pitched a complete game, striking out 7 and allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks. He retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced. Sergio Pedroza hit 2 home runs and drove in 3. He has 3 home runs in the last 2 days and 22 on the season.

Princeton 3, Kingsport 1 (11 innings). Chris Andujar gave up 1 run in 5 innings. Omar Luna broke the 1-1 tie with an RBI double in the 11th.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• The Durham Bulls and Columbus Catfish had a scheduled night off, while Hudson Valley was postponed due to rain.
  
• The say many pitchers don't learn how to pitch until they have had their first major surgery. That may be the case for Doug Waechter as he continues on his comeback trail down in A-ball. [MiLB]

"My fastball is getting back to where it was pre-surgery and I've started throwing a cut fastball, which is not only helping me stay consistent with my delivery, but it's also allowing me to get quicker outs."

While quicker outs ultimately will lead to more favorable results, Waechter has his eyes set on a much bigger prize.

"My goal is to get back to the Major Leagues as soon as possible. If this is the year, so be it, but I'm just going to continue to go out there, show that I'm healthy and just leave the rest up to the team to decide," he said.

• Jake McGee was named the Southern League's pitcher of the week. [Stacy Long's Riverwalk Talk]
  
• Heath Rollins was named the SAL pitcher of the week for the third time this season. He is 15-4 with a 2.57 ERA. [Basil's Blog]
  

Durham 4, Charlotte 0. Mitch Talbot moved to 11-8 with 7 shutout innings. He is 5-1 in his last 6 starts and now tied with teammate Jeff Niemann for the IL lead in victories. Wes Bankston hit his 11th home run. Evan Longoria was given the night off.

Columbus 5, Hickory 2. Ryan Royster hit his 9th home run in the last 10 games. In those 10 games, he is 16-40 (.400) with 21 RBI and 15 runs scored. On the season he is 5th in the league with a .323 average and a league-leading 25 home runs. He has 87 RBI with a .951 OPS. Heath Rollins picked up his 14th win, allowing 2 unearned runs in 5 innings on 5 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 6.

Bristol 4, Princeton 1.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Montgomery, Vero Beach and Hudson Valley all had the night off.
• Devil Rays farmhands have the most wins in the International League (Jeff Niemann/Mitch Talbot, 11), the Southern League (Chris Mason, 13) and the third most in the South Atlantic League (Heath Rollins, 13).
  

Scranton 7, Durham 5. Tony Peguero made his 3rd start of the season and gave up just 2 runs in 5 innings. Peguero did struggle with his control, walking 4. Taking a cue from their major league counterparts, the bullpen blew a 5-2 lead in the 7th. Steve Andrade was unable to retire a batter and Jeff Ridgway gave up a grand slam. Rocco Baldelli was 0-5 in the second game of his rehab assignment. Baldelli did feel well enough to play center field. Joel Guzman hit his 9th home run.

[update: Rocco Baldelli may have reinjured his hamstring while batting. He is to be re-evaluated today]

Brevard County 7, Vero Beach 1. Mike Wlodarczyk struck out 7 in 5 innings. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks. Offensively, the Rays managed only 3 hits. Rhyne Hughes was 1-4 with a double. He is hitting .338.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Heath Rollins experienced an up-and-down first half, but his manager, Jim Morrison, says that with command of four different pitches , Rollins has the stuff to be good at any level.
  
• The Montgomery Biscuits were rained out on Monday and will play a double-header Today.
  

Nate Silver of Baseball Prospectus and SI.com recently released his list of the 50 Most Valuable Players in baseball. We took Mr. Silver to task for not including Carl Crawford. Let's just say we aren't buying Nate a beer anytime soon.

In light of this glaring omission, we thought it would be a good time to update our Tampa Bay Devil Rays Trade Value Index (TVI).

TRADE VALUE INDEX
The TVI ranks every player on the current 40-man roster and the top prospects in the organization. Our goal is to determine which players in the organization are the most valuable to the team. Ultimately, when looking at the rankings, the question should be, if the Rays could only keep one of two players from the organization, which player would the front office choose to keep.

The rankings consider a number factors in addition to talent and good looks, such as potential, age, contract and depth of position in organization. This last factor comes into effect if one player is stuck behind another player with more ability. For example, Fernando Perez would be a little higher due to his exceptional speed and strong OBP, but loses a little value because he has bad hair, and some more value because the team has Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, BJ Upton, Elijah Duke and Delmon Young firmly entrenched on the major league roster and either do, or are capable of playing the outfield. Another factor is team needs. A pitcher may be ranked ahead of a more "talented" fielder because the team has a stronger need for pitching at the major league level. (Please see the original TVI post for further explanation).

Feel free to tell us where we screwed up in the comments.

[Rankings follow the notes]

A couple of notes on the rankings...

• The biggest addition to the list is obviously David Price. Even though he has yet to sign a contract, we don't foresee that being a problem. When trying to determine where to include Price in the rankings we asked ourselves, "If the Rays did not have the top pick and were allowed to deal draft picks, would the Rays have traded Player X, for the top pick in the draft and a chance to select Price?" The answer was 'NO' for BJ Upton, but was a 'YES' for Evan Longoria, although we definitely debated the second one. You could probably exchange Longoria and Price and you wouldn't get much of an argument from us. There is never a sure-thing in the minors, but Longoria is as close as it comes.
• Speaking of BJ Upton...He jumps up into the top 5 for the first time. We tried to temper our excitement for his hot start, knowing that he was not going to finish the season hitting .350. His strike out totals indicated that he would fall back...a lot. However, despite the recent drop in batting average, he has actually cut down on his strikeouts, recently going 12 straight games without a K. And despite his size, he generates tremendous bat speed. Everything he hits just explodes off his bat, which will equate to more hits. Upton is the real-deal. We just need to prepare ourselves for the re-birth of "BJ Upton, major league shortstop", because it is coming. Akinori Iwamura is going to need a new home as early as next season when Evan Longoria busts down the door that is holding him back.
• Jeff Niemann's ho-hum start to his season at AAA, as well as the emergence of James Shields and the selection of David Price drops his value from #5 to #8. If he doesn't start to turn it on soon, he will drop out of the top 10.
• Looking back we were surprised that we had James Shields as highly valued as his #11 spring training ranking. Just goes to show you how scary the pitching situation was before the season began. He had a good start to his major league career, winning his first four starts, but there was no indication that he was going to be as good as he has been this year. The only thing keeping him from overtaking Scott Kazmir for the #1 spot is that Kid K is a lefty and he is two years younger than Shields.
• Rocco Baldelli takes a big hit, dropping from #4 to #9. If this was the Devil Rays Most Fragile Index, he would be the unanimous #1. Until he can show that he can stay healthy for an extended period of time, he won't be moving up this chart.
• Much has been made about the Rays drafting a big power-lefty in the form of David Price. Of course the Rays already have a power-lefty in the majors (Scott Kazmir). Well the Rays have another big power-lefty in the system. Jacob McGee makes his first appearance in the top 10. When he finally receives a (well-deserved) promotion and if he has a strong start at AA, he could jump into the top 5.
• You would think that Jacob McGee and Wade Davis have been best friends since potty-training. They are always together and mentioned together even more often. Davis obviously does not have quite the same value as McGee as right-hander. Still, #20 is a strong ranking for a single-A right-handed pitcher and a testament to what scouts think about Davis. He might drop a few spots initially, but a switch to "closer-in-training" could bump his value in the long run.
• Edwin Jackson is holding on to his #12 spot...barely...on talent alone.
• Elijah Dukes drops from #10 to #15. It would have been farther, but some teams around the league have expressed some interest in Dukes, so he is still considered a valuable commodity.
• Reid Brignac takes one of the biggest falls, dropping from #9 to #16. His batting average is down in the .250s and he is not hitting home runs. On top of that, after a solid defensive showing in 2006, he is back to his best BJ Upton impersonation at shortstop this season. Remember, Brignac's strong numbers last year came in the very hitter-friendly California League. Yet another reason to brace ourselves for BJ Upton the shortstop.
• Chris Mason has made the biggest leap in 2007, from #48 to #24. It is very difficult to gauge players at single-A. We start to get a sense of talent-levels once they hit AA. Mason has dominated at AA this season and looks to be on the fast-track.
• Josh Butler (#28), Lewis Rollins (#48) and Jeremy Hellickson (#29) are good examples at low-A Columbus. We just don't know what they are yet. They are dominating low-A, but it is too early to tell how that will translate to higher levels. Rollins is having the best season of the three, but was the lowest draft pick. That indicates to us that the other two have more natural ability. If Rollins can keep it up in Vero Beach and beyond, he will move up the chart quickly.

Durham 2, Ottawa 0 (gm 1). Joel Guzman hit a 2-run home run to break a scoreless tie in the 7th inning. It was his 8th of the season. Mitch Talbot pitched a 7 inning shutout, striking out 3 to even his record at 5-5.

Durham 4, Ottawa 3 (gm 2, 10 inn). You can't stop Justin Ruggiano you can only hope to contain him. Ruggiano broke a 3-3 tie with his 10th home run and 6th in his last 10 games. Ben Zobrist led off the game with his 4th home since being demoted. Jae Kuk Ryu made his first start since being sent down and being converted back to a starter. He lasted only 3 innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks.

Montgomery 12, Carolina 6. *Yawn* Evan Longoria went 3-4 and hit his 14th home run as well as his 13th double. We should just make that sentence part of the template. Don't be surprised to see the Dirtbag in Durham soon. John Jaso added 2 hits and drove in 3 to raise his average to .337.

Ft. Myers 3, Vero Beach 2. Wade Davis was spectacular, striking out 8 in 7 innings. He gave up only 2 hits and 1 run on a solo home run in the 4th inning.

Charleston 15, Columbus 6. Stop the Presses! Heath Rollins is human! Rollins allowed 8 runs (4 earned) in 5 innings on 9 hits. He struck out 6 and walked none. It was his first loss of the season. For comparison, Rollins had allowed only 11 runs (8 earned) in his 11 previous starts...Ryan Royster went 3-4 with his 9th home run.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• The Columbus Catfish had four players named to the SAL All-Star team, including Heath Rollins, Nevin Ashley, Ryan Royster and Desmond Jennings.
  

Durham 11, Ottawa 3. Two hits and two wild pitches led to a run in the first inning, but Jeff Niemann settled down and did not allow a run over the next 4 frames. Still, while Niemann was good, he was not dominating. He failed to record a 1-2-3 inning and allowed 5 hits and 2 walks along with the 2 wild pitches in those 5 innings. Justin Ruggiano is starting to heat up at the plate. He hit his 3rd home run in the past 4 games and 4th in the past 7. He now has 7 on the year and is hitting .290. Joel Guzman added his 7th home run. He hit 15 last year between Las Vegas and Durham.

Huntsville 19, Montgomery 4. James Houser gave up 6 runs on 9 hits and was pulled after 3 innings. As a team the Biscuits gave up 21 hits. Evan Longoria may be breaking out of his recent slump as he homered for the second straight game. He went 2-4 and is now back over .300 (.304). Jason Pridie added his 3rd home run and Reid rignac went 1-4.

Vero Beach 6, St. Lucie 4. Garrett Groce was 2-6 with 2 doubles and is now 6-15 in 4 games since his return from the DL. Jake McGee gave up 7 hits and 2 runs over 5 innings. He did not walk a batter as he struck out 5.

Columbus 8, Charleston 7. Woods Fines got knocked around for 11 hits and 7 runs in 4 innings. Nevin Ashley hit his 4th home run.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Heath Rollins was named the SAL pitcher-of-the-week. Rollins is the second member of the Columbus staff to win the award. Wade Townsend won the award in April.

Ottawa 2, Durham 0. JP Howell fell to 3-5 after giving up 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings on 4 hits and 1 walk. Ben Zobrist's bat is finally waking up. He had 2 hits in 4 at bats and has multi-hit games in 4 of the last 7 to raise his average to .246.

Montgomery 3, Huntsville 0. Chris Mason continues to dominate the AA Southern League. Last night he threw 7 shutout innings to lower his ERA to 2.39 and raise his record to 7-1. He allowed 5 hits and struck out 7 while walking none. Evan Longoria broke a 3-26 slump with 3 hits in 4 at bats and his 11th home run. He now has 40 RBI in 50 games this season. Reid Brignac was 0-3 with a walk.

St. Lucie 6, Vero Beach 5. Matt Walker gave up 3 runs in 5.2 innings. Rhyne Hughes has 3 hits and is now hitting .335.

Charleston 9, Columbus 1. Wade Townsend gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 5 innings. He allowed 5 hits and 4 walks and struck out 4. His fell to 3-4 with a 3.48 ERA.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• For the 4th time this season already a Durham Bulls pitcher has been named IL pitcher-of-the-week. This time it is Mitch Talbot. Andy Sonnanstine and Jason Hammel (twice) have also won the award. Talbot entered the week with a 2-5 record and an 8.21 ERA. During the week he went 2-0 and pitched 14 innings with 6 hits and 5 walks. He allowed 1 run and struck out 10.
  
• Kevin Gengler of Tampa Bay's Tomorrow has secured an interview with Lewis Heath Rollins (He goes by his middle name...Sorry Heath). We know we gave you these numbers yesterday, but it is worth repeating because we barely believe them ourselves...In his last 8 starts, Rollins has thrown 50 innings, with 24 hits, 10 walks and 49 strike outs. He has also only allowed 1 earned over that stretch for an ERA of 0.18.