[Update: 3:40pm] Now it looks like the Cubs and Padres have figured out how to move Peavy without a third team. Of course, the Rays could still try to work with the Padres on a deal for Giles, but this seems less likely now.

[9:56am]In case you missed it late last night, there is a rumor going around the winter meetings that the Rays may be getting involved in the Jake Peavy talks as a third team, with their eyes set on Brian Giles. There was talk last August that the Rays tried to land Giles but were blocked when the Red Sox put in a claim on the outfielder.

There is no mention of what the Padres would want from the Rays, but the holdup in a potential Cubs deal (for Peavy) is the lack of Cubs prospects that are close to the majors. The Padres were also looking for a major league shortstop from the Braves.

So we have to believe the Padres will be asking for something like Andy Sonnanstine. The Rays would probably rather a package include Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. Would Edwin Jackson get the deal done?

It seems unlikely that the Rays would be willing to part with a top pitcher for Giles (136 OPS+ in '08) if the Rays could potentially land a free agent like Bobby Abreu (120 OPS+, 3 years younger) for the same price and without having to give up any prospects. The Padres could make it more enticing by eating some of the $9 million salary [Ed. note: As per the comments, Giles' salary goes to $11 million in '09 if he is traded]. Giles is in the last year of his deal.

Of course, all this means nothing if Giles is unwilling to be traded. Giles has full veto power as a 10-and-5 player (10 year veteran, 5 years with current team) and vetoed two deals (Red Sox and A's) late last season.

Rays Rumored Third Team In Peavy Deal; Possibly Targeting Giles Again [Rays Index]

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Jayson Stark says the Jeremy Hermida is exactly the type of player the Rays are looking for and wonders if a deal can be had for Jason Bartlett and either Andy Sonnanstine or Edwin Jackson...Considering what else is out there, this seems like too steep a price. [ESPN]
• Ryan Fagan of The Sporting News says Rocco Baldelli's best option is to stick with the Rays...This is something we have long said. With the Rays, Rocco has a team that has been loyal when most would not and with the Rays, Rocco has a team that is very familiar with his condition and how best to utilize his talents at this point of his career. This is why the Rays will slow-play this hand, waiting out the market and Rocco. [The Sporting News]
  
• Dayn Perry says the Rays have "fewer needs to address [this offseason] than any other team in baseball." We are not sure what attendance has to do with the Rays offseason plans but Perry brings it up out of leftfield at the end of the piece noting that teams usually show an attendance spike the year after a successful playoff run. [Fox Sports]
• Marc Lancaster reports that the Andrew Friedman is getting calls from players that would not normally be interested in signing with the Rays, noting that these players want to play with the Rays and are willing to accomodate the Rays (ie. switching positions) to make it happen. [Tampa Tribune]
  
• Marc Lancaster says the Rays greatest asset right now is their pitching depth and if a trade is made at the winter meetings it will probably involve a starting pitcher. [Tampa Tribune]
• Mets Fever says the Mets will have a hard time landing Edwin Jackson, noting the Metropolitans don't have outfield depth. [Mets Fever]
  
• Rays Digest takes a look at pitching prospect Nick Barnese, who was #22 on our most recent Trade Value Index. RD compares Barnese's makeup to Matt Garza and analyzes his pitch repertoire. If you are not into reading the usual rhetoric about the depth of pitching in the organization and just want to read about Barnese, skip to the 9th paragraph. [Rays Digest]
  
• MLB.com has their list of the top 50 prospects. The list is topped by David Price and includes four Rays farmhands in total. Tim Beckham (22), Wade Davis (31) and Jeremy Hellickson (39) are also on the list. [MLB]
• Rays Prospects is profiling the top hitting prospects in the organization. #13 is... [Rays Prospects]
  
• David Chalk continues to crank out his list of the top Devil Rays of all time. #18 is... [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Bud Selig and Major League Baseball make too much money and are too concerned about the image of the sport to ever put a team in Las Vegas. Still, it is a bit disheartening to hear the mayor of Las Vegas salivating over the Rays. [St. Pete Times]
• Montgomery Biscuits GM Greg Rauch is at the winter meetings in Vegas to find a radio broadcaster. [Montgomery Advertiser]
  

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Yesterday, the Rays added Wade Davis, Jake McGee and Dale Thayer to the 40-man roster. The moves give the Rays 39 players on the 40-man roster.This is significant because with an open slot on the 40-man roster, the Rays will be able to make a selection in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Given the Rays need for help in the bullpen and the current nature of the payroll (it's high) it would not surprise us to see the Rays select a player with a real shot at being on the roster all season. The Rule 5 draft will be held December 11. [Rays Index]
  
• The Rays released the schedule of games for their first Spring Training at Charlotte Sports Park. The first game will be a home game on February 25 versus the Reds at 1:05. [The Heater]
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks continues his latest "Ain't S#!t" series comparing other nominees to Joe Maddon for Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year" award. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• David Chalk of Bugs and Cranks points out there is precedent for a coach to win Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year" award. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• The various Rays prospects in the Arizona Fall League have concluded their season. Biscuit Crumbs has the final stats. [Biscuit Crumbs]
  

Joe Smith of the St. Pete Times is reporting that the Rays have added Wade Davis, Jake McGee and Dale Thayer to the 40-man roster.

Thayer is a bit of a surprise as the Rays left him unprotected last season and he went undrafted in the Rule 5 draft. However, a look at Rays Prospects' recent analysis of relief pitching in the Rays organization showed that Thayer had a very strong season with Durham.

Davis is considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. McGee was on a similar level to Davis, however, he will miss most of the 2008 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Rays add McGee, Davis and Thayer to 40-man roster [The Heater]
A Look at Relief Pitching [Rays Prospects]

Click on above images to be taken to full standings, boxscores or schedule...

THE GOOD: Speed. The Rays have it and the White Sox don't. Game 2 marked the first time ever that Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Fernando Perez started together in the outfield. Add Rocco Baldelli at DH and all the speed came in handy. Upton hit a triple to left-center that not many people would have turned into a triple. Perez caught a ball in the right field bullpen that not many would have even considered running after. CC stole a base in the 8th without even a throw and would later score on a single. And Rocco would score all the way from first on a pop up just behind the second baseman. On the flip side, the White Sox had 6 hits in the game with a runner on base. Not once did a runner advance more than one base on any of those hits...Dr. Jekyll. Scott Kazmir after the first inning. Kid K managed to fight through his early struggles and keep the Sox and his pitch count in check, making it into the 6th inning. Kazmir needed only 55 pitches in innings 2-5...Aki Iwamura. He doesn't hit a lot of home runs, but it seems like all of them give the Rays the lead.

THE BAD: Mr Hyde. Scott Kazmir in the first inning. It was Kazmir at his absolute worst. 37 pitches in the first inning...The Rays and Bucs start at the same time on Sunday. Not sure this has ever happened before, but the Bucs are going to be relegated to the Picture-In-Picture.

THE TELLING: WIth the second pitch of the game, Scott Kazmir hit Orlando Cabrera. After the fireworks between Cabrera and Grant Balfour the day before, it sure looked intentional. It hit Cabrera in the lower leg. Dioner Navarro had set up outside. Harold Reynolds was absolutely convinced that it was intentional and it looked intentional. BUT. We hope. We really, really hope Kazmir is not that dumb. Even if you think a message needs to be sent, you can't send that message in the first inning of a playoff game with no outs when Cabrera has about an 80% chance of scoring and putting your team in a hole. So we are going to give Kaz the benefit of the doubt and assume that it was just the most errant of wild pitches in the first inning.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Here is video of Joe Maddon's post-game press conference. [ESPN]
• Here is video of Rocco Baldelli and JP Howell after the game. [ESPN]
  
• The cameras at the USF game spotted Evan Longoria in the stands with some female companionship and referred to her as "an 0-4 day tomorrow" as in that is how Dirtbag would perform in game 2 after spending the night with her (Longoria went 1-4, so she must not have been that great). [Deadspin]
  
• Ozzie Guillen called game 2 "White Sox baseball" with "12 hits, we got two runs and those two runs were in the first inning. We got Kazmir on the ropes and we let him go. And we left [12] people on base. You're not going to win many games like that." [Chicago Tribune]
  
• More surprising than Akinori Iwamura's go ahead home run? How about the Aki mohawk. Yes. Yes he did. [Bugs and Cranks]
  
• Stuart Sternberg appeared on 670 The Score, a Chicago radio station. Here is a link to the audio...There is not another single principal owner in baseball that is this accessible. Not even George Steinbrenner would do this in his hay day, and we love it. [670 The Score]
  
• Before the series we predicted that JP Howell would be put into a situation that could decide the fate of the series. Brittany Ghiroli breaks down this very scenario from game 2.
  
• The Twins writer over at Bugs and Cranks had to eat some crow after the Twinker Bells didn't even show up for the ALDS. [Bugs and Cranks]
• October is when bullpens reign supreme...and Yes, the Rays' bullpen is what sets the Rays apart. [Fox Sports]
  
• Baseball America has updated their list of the top 20 prospects of the International League. Three Rays make the list including Wade Davis (#3), Reid Brignac (#4) and Jeff Niemann (#16). [Baseball America]
• The Arena ranks which potential world series matchups would be the most attractive. Of the 16 potential matchups, the Rays come in 3, 7, 9 and 10. [The Arena]
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says that losing the first 2 games is just par for the course for the White Sox. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Mark Buerhle says the Rays remind him of the '05 White Sox. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Jason Beck says it will not be easy for the Rays to eliminate the White Sox in Chicago. [MLB]
  

Scranton/WB 8, Durham 7 (Scranton leads 1-0). Scott Dohmann blew a 1-run lead in the bottom of the 9th, allowing the winning run on a 2-out single...David Price worked 6 innings, but left trailing 4-2. He gave up 3 runs in the first inning, with the big blow being a 2-run home run. Price cruised through the middle innings before giving up one more run in the 6th. He was pulled after 6, striking out 9 and walking just 1...Elliot Johnson drove in 2 with a double in the 3rd...The Bulls rallied to take the lead with 5 in the 7th. Rashad Eldridge who was added just prior to the game, drove home 2 in the inning with a double.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• In case you missed it late last night, David Price was named USA Today's Minor League Player of the Year...And with his season complete, if Price is going to be called up, it could happen as early as tonight. [Rays Index]
  
• If you missed it yesterday, Michel Hernandez and Dan Johnson were promoted to the Rays. Rashad Eldridge and Craig Albernaz were promoted from Montgomery to fill the roster spots. [Rays Index]
• Gaby Martinez will also join the Bulls but will not be activated unless needed. [Biscuits' Batter]
• Whomever wrote the press release for the above moves may have been a tad upset at the Rays. According to Stacy Long, the release original seemed to take a slight shot at the Rays for taking key members of the Bulls just prior to the Championship series. The press release was subsequently changed and now includes less vitriolic language. [Biscuits' Batter]

The Original Release: Hours before the first pitch of Game One of the Governors' Cup Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Rays have taken three of Durham's key position players.

• The Bulls have set their rotation for the Governor's Cup Finals. Mitch Talbot will go in game 2 and will be followed by Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis. Of an interesting note is the Yankees game 5 starter...Victor Zambrano. Great googly moogly. [Durham Bulls]
  

Charlotte 6, Durham 1. Ben Hendrickson struck out 8 and walked none, but gave up 3 runs in 6 innings for the loss...The Bulls managed only 6 hits, with the only run coming off a first inning, solo home run from Chris Richard...The Bulls finished the regular season 74-70, 8.5 games up in the IL South division. They will face Louisville in the first round of the Governor's Cup playoffs.

Jacksonville 7, Montgomery 6 (10). Mike Prochaska gave up 5 runs in 6.2 innings...Rhyne Hughes and Matt Spring homered for the Biscuits in the season finale...The Biscuits finished the second half 35-34, 8 games back, tied for second place in the Southern League's South division. Anybody else find it strange that the Southern League has a South Division and a North Division? No. Ok, nevermind.

Columbus 5, Rome 2. Jason Ragan picked up his 8th win in the Catfish' season finale. He gave up 2 runs in 5 innings on 5 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6...Henry Wrigley had a 3-run home run.

Staten Island 6, Hudson Valley 3. Tim Beckham was 0-2 with 2 walks and a strike out.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• The Governor's Cup playoffs begin on Wednesday with David Price going in game 1 for the Bulls against the Red's triple-A affiliate, in Louisville. Price will be followed by Mitch Talbot on Thursday, Jeff Niemann at home on Friday and Wade Davis on Saturday in Durham. The Red's top prospect, Homer Bailey, will throw game 2. [Our Sports Central]
• Mike Prochaska mixed in some knuckleballs in the final start of his career. He is expected to retire following the season. [Biscuits' Batter]
  

THE GOOD: The future of the Rays remains intact. Despite reports that the Rays were offering the Pirates both Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac, that now appears to be false. And if that is the case, it is pretty clear that the Rays had little or no intention of tinkering with what has become the foundation of the organization, the farm system. Depth in the farm system is a beautiful thing and it does serve a more important purpose than just being able to trade the pieces away. And with the recent loss of Jake McGee to Tommy John surgery, that depth had already taken a huge hit. Add to that the slowed development of a few prospects (ie. Heath Rollins, Glenn Gibson) and we see how important it is to have depth in the system...Winning the division just got a little easier. RAYSHEADS have to be ecstatic that Manny Ramirez is out of the division and out of the AL. Jason Bay is a decent replacement, but he is no Manny and David Ortiz is suddenly going to start seeing much fewer good pitches. Teams were afraid to pitch to Manny. That won't be the case with Bay.

THE BAD: We have to admit, that for about 20 minutes yesterday (as this site turned into a Live Blog-A-Baloo for the trade deadline), when we heard that the deal to send Jason Bay to the Rays was going to happen, we got a little excited. The package seemed fair, and maybe even a bit of a steal, and we started envisioning a lineup in which Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria are forced to hit 5th and 6th in the order. We were down-right giddy...The future of Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. Both could have gone to the Pirates and had a chance to be regulars on that ballclub. Now they are still stuck in triple-A.

THE TELLING: Several outlets are already declaring the Rays "losers" at the trade deadline. On the one hand we understand the perception that the Rays missed an opportunity to improve the club. Of course, these are the same people that still feel the Rays are behind the Sox and Yankees in the standings. We could understand saying the Rays were "losers" if they had turned down an offer. But seeing the package the Pirates received for Jason Bay, it is clear that the Rays would have never been able to match that deal. And remember the Rays are still going to be adding pieces to the mix. It is just those pieces will come from the farm system.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• We missed this in the minor league feature earlier today, but a source with the Princeton Rays tells us the reason Tim Beckham missed 3 straight games this week, was due to a death in his family.
• Marc Lancaster is reporting that it is believed that the Pirates and Rays never discussed a deal that included both Jeff Niemann and Reid Brignac. And apparently the Pirates coveted Jeremy Hellickson and not Wade Davis as several media outlets were reporting yesterday. [Tampa Tribune]
• Andrew Friedman said there is very little chance of the Rays making any deals in August in which players must first clear waivers. [St. Pete Times]
  
• The Trop comes in tied for #10 in PETA's annual list of the "Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks". [PETA]
  
• We are not sure we agree with Bugs and Cranks who still has the Rays on top of their power rankings. We gotta go with the Angels, especially after trading for Mark Teixeira. [Bugs and Cranks]
• And the latest installment of Bugs and Cranks comparison of wins #63 from each of the Rays' first ten seasons. [Bugs and Cranks]
  

Louisville 5, Durham 3. John Jaso was 3-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI. This was his 3rd 3-hit game since being promoted to triple-A a week ago.

Montgomery 8, Tennessee 1. Rocco Baldelli played 5 innings in the outfield. He committed an error on his only fielding chance. At the plate, he went 2-3 with 3 RBI including a 2-run home run in the first inning...Chris Nowak homered twice and finished 3-5. He is hitting .303 with 12 home runs.

Daytona 7, Vero Beach 4.

Greenville 15, Columbus 9.

Hudson Valley 4, Aberdeen 0.

Pulaski 14, Princeton 6. Tim Beckham went 1-5 with a single, his 2nd stolen base. He also committed his 6th error on a throw.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• It is a fantasy baseball report, but one blogger is not convinced that Jeremy Hellickson deserves recognition as a top prospect. [Baseball Handyman]
• Mike DiFelice talks about Wade Davis...audio link. [Durham Bulls]
• The Rays traded for a minor league pitcher. [Biscuits' Batter]
  

THE GOOD: Akinori Iwamura's defense. We can't stop praising how seamlessly he has moved to his new position. If he does not win the gold glove, it would be a bigger injustice than Evan Longoria not winning the rookie of the year. Last night, the Rays turned 2 double-plays in the first two innings. Most teams would have only been able to get the lead out. Not with Aki. Aki's turns at second base are as quick as anybody we have ever seen and he always has zip on his throws to first. Those double-plays probably saved Matt Garza at least 1, and maybe more, runs. It also got Garza out of the first two innings with 14 pitches total.

THE BAD: Matt Garza. The Garza Complex, who seemed to have turned his season around, walked 4 and did not strike a batter out. A pitcher with Garza's stuff, should be able to strike out at least 3 batters in 5 innings based on chance alone. His 4 walks matched his season-high and was the first time he had more than 2 since May 23.

THE TELLING: Can we stop with the "struggles versus lefties" nonsense. This team is in an offensive funk, no matter who is on the mound...Jason Bartlett returned to the lineup and went 3-3.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Jayson Stark says the Rays are telling other teams that David Price, Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson are not available at any price...He also says that their first choice is to use David Price or Rocco Baldelli, rather than trade for a rental. [ESPN]
• Joe Maddon continues to bat BJ Upton in the 2-hole to break-up the lefties in the lineup and offer them a bit of protection against left-handed relievers. [MLB]
  
• Joe Maddon was very hesitant but did acknowledge that Rocco Baldelli could be the right-handed bat the Rays need. [St. Pete Times]

"You don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves," Maddon said. "It's possible, but I don't know when. He's still going through this process. I don't want to say we're going to hang our hat on that quite yet. But it's possible."...Maddon said it was important that Baldelli felt good the day after, but also that he felt good about it in a conversation with head trainer Ron Porterfield..."He spoke really well, he spoke in a very encouraging, positive way," Maddon said. "It was the kind of script we haven't heard, so it's good."

• Just curious...does anybody find "The Sports Comedian" at Fox Sports funny? Anybody? [Fox Sports]
  
• The Rays are back on top of Bugs and Cranks "Top 30". [Bugs and Cranks]
• First he brought us an interview with Reid Brignac, now we have one with Dan Wheeler. This guy at the New York Daily News will interview anybody. [New York Daily News]
  

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]
  

THE GOOD: Carlos Pena's solo home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game. Could this be the moment that gets El Gato back on track? Prior to that at bat, Pena had left 2 runners on in the 1st inning, 3 in the 2nd, 1 runner in the 4th and 2 more in the 6th.

THE BAD: Evan Longoria and Dan Wheeler in the 10th inning. You absolutely cannot lose that game. You are at home, going for a sweep against an inferior ball club and Carlos Pena had just bailed you out in the bottom of the 9th. You have to shut the Royals down in the 10th and give your team a shot to win. Longoria put Wheeler in a jam right off the bat with a throwing error that left the leadoff runner on 2nd and Wheeler gave up a 3-run home run to a guy who only had 3 coming into the game. This is one of those games that if the Rays miss the playoffs by a game or 2, we will look back and cringe.

THE TELLING: In order to give BJ Upton a day off, Joe Maddon penciled Carl Crawford into center field and CC was not happy about it...Reid Brignac did not play and is 0-4 with a walk and 3 strikeouts in his brief major league career...Remember that "reasonable goal" of a .500 season (81 wins)? The Rays need to go 27-47 over the remainder of the season in order to surpass that mark...Even though Boston has a 1.5 game lead in the Wild Card, the Rays magic number over the second place Twins is also 69 (for a playoff spot) as both the Twinkies and Red Sox have the same number of losses.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• We are back, if ever so briefly. On Thursday Mrs. Prof (no longer just figuratively) and I will be on our way to the Islands for a week. There will be updates while we are gone, although we are still working on the exact details. More to come in the next day or two.
• The Rays have a 77.8% chance of making the playoffs this season. [The Heater]
  
• Al Reyes threw a simluated game and says he is ready to come off the DL. [Herald-Tribune]
  
• Dioner Navarro and Scott Kazmir were named to the AL All-Star squad and Dan Shanoff says the Rays got screwed by politics. [The Sporting News]
• Evan Longoria still has a shot to be named to the final spot on the AL roster, and is currently leading the voting. [The Heater]
  
• John Romano says that Joe Maddon should have been named an all-star coach. [St. Pete Times]
• Marc Lancaster says the Rays are more likely to make a small move before the trade deadline, rather than go after some of the big names that are being tossed around right now...We agree. As we have stated before, our prediction is Eric Hinske for a utility infielder that is an upgrade over Ben Zobrist and possibly a relief pitcher to add to the bullpen depth. [Tampa Tribune]
• The Rays appear to have interest in Brian Fuentes. Of course the Rockies want Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson. That doesn't mean they will get one of those top pitching prospects. [The Heater]
  
• Bill Madden says that with the Rays on top of the AL East, the Yankees and Red Sox lack the "spark" from years past. [NY Daily News]
• The New York Daily News says the Rays are the new "beasts of the AL East." [NY Daily News]
• Richard Justice says that the Rays could be even better in the second half...While there is definitely room for improvement, it will be difficult to keep up this torrid pace of wins especially with more games on the road in the second half. [Yahoo! Sports]
  
• Now that the Rays are on the lips of media outlets everywhere some are offended that the Rays are often referred to as the "Tampa Rays". [St. Pete Times]
• The Rays surpassed 1 million in attendance in their 48th game this season. That is second fastest in franchise history, out-paced only by the inaugural season. [Tampa Tribune]
• A writer for the Aspen Times says the Rays are "not yet" this year's Rockies (upstart World Series participant)...He is right. While the Rays may not make it to the World Series, this Rays squad is much better than the Rockies squad that got hot late and ran through a weak NL playoff field. [Aspen Times]
• Marc Topkin lays out 5 keys to the Rays playoff hopes. [St. Pete Times]
• Former Rays prospect Wes Bankston hit his first major league home run for the A's. [MLB]
• Former Rays GM Chuck LaMar would like to take credit for the Rays success. We don't have the energy to give this it's proper beatdown. [The Heater]
  

Charlotte 7, Durham 3.

Mississippi 7, Montgomery 5.

Palm Beach @ Vero Beach (ppd)

Columbus 10, Hickory 4.

Batavia 5, Hudson Valley 2.

Bluefield 6, Princeton 2.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Three of the Biscuits named to the All-Star team will be starters including John Jaso, Wade Davis and Rashad Eldridge. [Biscuits' Batter]
  

Durham 7, Charlotte 1. Jeff Niemann may have used the motivation of Mitch Talbot's promotion to fuel his best start of the year, a complete game effort in which he allowed 1 run while striking out 12 and walking only 1 batter. Niemann threw 107 pitches, 74 for strikes...Justin Ruggiano was 3-4 with 2 solo home runs, his 6th and 7th...Dan Johnson added his 12th home run...Reid Brignac was 2-4 and struck out twice.

Mississippi 6, Montgomery 4. Jeremy Hellickson's second double-A start went much better than his first, giving up 2 runs in 4 innings. He struck out 3 without walking a batter and gave up 5 hits including a home run...Chris Nowak drove in 2 with 2 doubles in 4 at bats.

Palm Beach 11, Vero Beach 2 (gm 1). Ryan Morse gave up 9 runs (5 earned) in 3 innings. He gave up 7 hits and 4 walks...Wade Townsend came off the DL and pitched 1 perfect inning in relief...The D-Rays made 5 errors in the 7 inning contest and managed only 3 hits including a solo home run from Ryan Royster his 5th.

Vero Beach 4, Palm Beach 3 (gm 2). Chuck Tiffany made his second straight start working 4 innings and allowing 3 unearned runs. He struck out 4 and walked 2.

Hickory 3, Columbus 2. Jason Ragan pitched 5 scoreless innings for Columbus...Chase Fontaine finished 2-5 with his 1st home run, a solo shot...Maiko Loyola was 2-4 with a triple and 2 stolen bases. He now has 33 steals on the season, which is 3rd most in the SALy.

Batavia 12, Hudson Valley 0.

Princeton 9, Bluefield 5.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• The Durham Bulls had 4 players named to the IL Al-Star team including Reid Brignac, Chris Richard, Jeremy Cummings and Dale Thayer. [Durham Bulls]
  
• 6 members of the Montgomery Biscuits were named to the SL South All-Star squad. The players include Wade Davis, Jakes McGee, James Houser, Gaby Martinez, Rashad Eldridge and John Jaso. Jaso will be making his second straight appearance on the team, something we assume doesn't happen very often. McGee will obviously not be able to participate due to his injury. Also, Gaby Martinez will not make the game due to a personal matter. [Biscuits' Batter]
  

Lehigh Valley 4, Durham 3. Ben Hendrickson gave up a single unearned run in 7 innings...Elliot Johnson hit his 4th home run and drove in 2.

Mobile 6, Montgomery 4. James Houser gave up 6 runs in 4 innings...Chris Nowak drove in 3 of the runs on 1-3 hitting.

Vero Beach 5, Clearwater 2. With the recent roster changes Chuck Tiffany got the spot-start and threw 3 shutout innings, on 4 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 2...Rocco Baldelli doubled, walked and drove in 2 in 5 plate appearances...Desmon Jennings was 3-5 with a double and a triple.

Columbus 6, Charleston 1. Jeremy Hall stuck out 8 and walked 1 in 8 shutout innings...Reid Frink finished 2-4 with his 8th home run. He drove in 3.

Hudson Valley 1, Brooklyn 0 (12). A John Mollicone single in the 12 won it for the 'Gades...Nick Barnese struck out 9 and walked none in 7 shutout innings. He gave up 3 hits.

Danville 7, Princeton 1.

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• David Price will make his double-A debut today and Tim Beckham will make his professional debut today. [Biscuits' Batter]
  
• Joel Guzman has been placed on the Temporary Inactive List so that he could return home to tend to a death in his family.
  
• ArmchairGM includes Jeremy Hellickson and Reid Brignac in their latest look at the top prospects in the minors. [ArmchairGM]
• Fangraphs wonders what has happened to Wade Davis in '08. [FanGraphs]
  
• Dexter Sports profiles Jake McGee. [Dexter Sports]
  

Durham 6, Norfolk 0. Jeff Niemann did not give up a run in 5 innings, allowing only 2 hits. But he did struggle with his control walking 5 batters and throwing a wild pitch. Of his 92 pitches, only 52 were strikes...Ben Zobrist and Reid Brignac each hit 2-run home runs for the Bulls. For Bignac, it was his 7th and he drove in 3, finishing 2-3. He is hitting .272. Fernando Perez stole his 23rd base.

Mississippi 6, Montgomery 2. Jake McGee gave up 2 runs in 2 innings on a hit and 3 walks. He was pulled with soreness in his forearm...Chris Nowak was 2-4 with a double and Sergio Pedroza hit a solo home run, his 4th.

Vero Beach 2, Clearwater 0. Jeremy Hellickson pitched a gem in his 14th and final start for Vero Beach. He worked 7 shutout innings, allowing only a 2nd inning double and retiring the final 17 batters he faced. He struck out 4 and walked none. He improved to 7-1 with a 2.00 ERA and an 83-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio...Mike Wlodarczyk pitched a perfect 8th and 9th for his first save...Ryan Royster was 2-4 and drove in both runs...Rocco Baldelli was 1-4 with a strike out and, wait for it...wait for it...Rocco stole a base?!?!? The guy can't play the field because of his legs and he is stealing bases?

Columbus v Charleston (ppd).

Staten Island 3, Hudson Valley 0.

Bluefield 10, Princeton 9 (11).

NOTES FROM DOWN ON THE FARM...

• Jeremy Hellickson will join his former Vero Beach teammate David Price in the Montgomery rotation after being promoted yesterday. Price and Hellickson will join Wade Davis and Jake McGee to form probably the best rotation in the minors, at least based on prospect status. [MiLB]
• Jake McGee will miss a couple of starts with forearm soreness. [Biscuits' Batter]
  

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]
  

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]
  

DRG here again to get you through the weekend. I can be reached here..

The Good: The call by the White Sox announcers on Cliff Floyd's walk-off home run to lead off the 9th inning. "That ball hit way back...DeWayne Wise at the fence...jumps...AND MAKES THE CATCH...no...that ball is outta here and this ball game is over." For the record, Wise missed that ball by about 8 feet. I mean he was in the neighborhood, but anybody with a pulse knew he didn't catch it. Hawk Harrelson is such a homer, that he wishes the ball into White Sox gloves.

The Bad: Rays got the first 2 batters on in the 1st inning. What are the chances of BJ Upton grounding into a double-play with Carl Crawford on first? If they play together for the next 10 years, I would be surprised if it happens 5 more times...Hawk Harrelson's grandson proposed to his girlfriend at the game. Hawk knew it was going to happen and made sure the camera's were focused on his grandson so all the friends and family could watch back home. Why do guys think this is OK? For those of you that are yet to propose...TRUST ME...they want a private moment. Just the two of you. She doesn't want to share this with your grandfather or thousands of people on the big screen or the little screen at home.

The Telling: How fast is Carl Crawford? In the 9th inning somebody hit a line drive down the left field line that was 15 feet foul and with CC playing pulled over to left-center. There shoudn't have even been a play, but Crawford actually dove for the ball. He missed it. But he and NOBODY else would have even been close to the ball.

DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...

• Tyler Hissey from Rays Digest will be on 1220 AM talk radio today at 3:40 to discuss the Rays. [Rays Digest]
• Marc Lancaster takes a none too subtle shot at Rays fans and their lack of support for the Rays. Tonight's game is a near-sellout and Lancaster attributes it all to the post-game concert, and the the apparent eager anticipation of people that will go to the game just to get their free trucker hat. According to Lancaster, 10,000 people will be there for baseball and 20,000 people will be there for a few country songs and a free trucker hat. [Rays Report]
• I wasn't the only one that thought Hawk Harrelson's call on Cliff Floyd's home run was atrocious. UmpBump has a link to the video with the call. [UmpBump]
• UmpBump also has a post comparing Dioner Navarro to Tony Gwynn and shows why this season might not be a fluke. [UmpBump]
  
• Could David Price still be in the plans for the Rays this season? As a Joba Chamberlain-type?...Interesting idea, but I have to think that there is a better chance of Wade Davis or Jake McGee being called up as a dominant 8th inning guy. [Outs Per Swing]
  
• Mayor Rick Baker and the city of St. Pete have recommended to the city council that they vote for the new stadium on June 5. This is just the first step in the process to put the new stadium on the ballot in November. [Ballpark Frankness]
  

THE GOOD: With McScrappy on third base and two outs in the first, Jason Hammel got Vernon Wells to strike out to end the inning and avoid early trouble...Lots 'o goodies in Rays Rally in 6th inning with the Rays down 3-0. Opposite field lead-off double by Dioner Navarro, followed by another slap-hit to the right side by Jason Bartlett with Navi on second base. Carl Crawford had an RBI single one out later. BJ Upton walks on 4 pitches to load the bases. After a Carlos Pena strikeout, Evan Longoria goes opposite field with a great swing to tie game at 3. Pitch was in on his hands. Dirtbag kept his hands in and ahead of the barrel of the bat. Not easy. Eric Hinske followed with a one-handed wrister and just flipped the ball into right field for a 4-3 lead...Nice 5-4-3 to end the 7th with a great scoop by Carlos Pena...The bullpen was fantastic once again. 2 scoreless innings from Dan Wheeler and 3 scoreless overall...We guess we should file under "good" keeping Roy Halladay in the game in the 8th inning, down 4-3. He only had 96 pitches entering the inning, but had thrown 34 in the 6th inning alone. A Carl Crawford triple followed by a BJ Upton sac fly and the Rays had a huge bonus run to make it 5-3.

THE BAD: Jason Hammel versus Roy Halladay. Turned out OK last night, but that does not mean we will be too excited to see the same matchup in the future...Asshole Jays' TV announcer: "Jason Hammel has worked 20 innings this year and allowed only 1 home run." About 0.4 seconds later a ball off the bat of Matt Stairs is flying over the right field wall. In the bottom half of the same inning: "Well [Evan] Longoria has some pop in his bat. He showed it last night." About 0.2 seconds later Dirtbag grounds into a 5-4-3 double play...Jason Hammel walked 2 batters in the second with only one out. He got out of it...Joe Inglett stole second and third in 5th. Counts against Dioner Navarro in the stat sheet, but that is all Jason Hammel's fault. Anytime a runner steals third, it is almost always on the pitcher...Joe Maddon got lucky in the 8th inning. We wondered if maybe Trever Miller would get the 8th inning with Dan Wheeler coming on in the 7th inning. Seemed smart with Matt Stairs due up in 8th and already with 2 home runs. Instead, Papa Joe stuck with Wheeler in the 8th inning and Stairs just missed a home run to the opposite field that would have tied the game...The Jays broadcast network runs these idiotic 10 second commercials smack dad in the middle of innings. So fucking annoying. Your first reaction is, "What the hell happened? That was only the first out!" We cannot emphasize enough how annoying this is. It completely interrupts the flow of the game for the viewer.

THE TELLING: Dan Wheeler worked 2 innings last night and is probably not available to work tonight...Troy Percival might not be available either. He has worked the last two nights and his fastball was clearly not sharp last night touching only 88 on the gun after hitting 92-94 the night before. Joe Maddon may have to be careful how often he uses Percy on back-to-back nights in the future. We have no idea who Maddon would use in the 9th inning tonight. Trever Miller? Maybe Papa Joe is counting on another complete game from Andy Sonnanstine...Joe Maddon got caught with his pants down in the 7th inning. Not anticipating the Rays to take the lead in the bottom of the 6th, Dan Wheeler was not ready to go at the start of the 7th. Jason Hammel had to go out to the mound and pretend to be staying in the game while Wheeler got in a few more warmup pitches...Carlos Pena was back at first base...Only two teams in baseball are batting better than .300 with runners in scoring position and two outs, the Los Angeles Angels and the Tampa Bay Rays...Noticed on Carl Crawford's triple that he is running the bases batter this year. Crawford has mentioned in previous seasons that he hates "rounding" bases. He prefers to run straight to a base and make very sharp turns. He always felt that rounding bases was a waste of steps. Last night, CC took rounded approaches at first and second base. Looks like Dave Martinez finally got into CC's head when others could not...The Rays are now in 4th place and have won 2 in a row for the third time this season. They are yet to win 3 in a row.

DEVIL RAYS WEBTOPIA...

• Wow. We predicted that Dan Johnson's stay in a Rays uniform would be short, but we didn't think it would be this short. To make room for the newly acquired Gabe Gross, the Rays DFA'd Johnson. To recap: Johnson's career with the Rays included one game, zero plate appearances. [The Heater]
• Joe Maddon has finally come to the realization that back-to-back-to-back lefties in the lineup is not necessarily a good thing and has recently altered the lineup accordingly. [MLB]
• Sorry, this one missed the "Down on the Farm" feature, but for our Y-Chromosome deficient readers, you might be happy to know that Wade Davis has made the list of hottest prospects at Ladies... [Ladies...]
  
• Rays Digest wonders if the Rays are stretching too far by reaching out to potential fans in Orlando. Their biggest piece of evidence is the empty seats from Tuesday night's game...It should be noted that the Rays were going head-to-head with an Orlando Magic playoff game. It is difficult to gauge exactly how much the impact is, but they probably should have waited to see how attendance was in game 2, which was up about 700 over game 1. While there were still empty seats last night, this is a town that is mad for the Magic right now. [Rays Digest]
• No surprise here...there appears to be a disagreement over how much parking would be available for Rays games at the proposed waterfront stadium. The Rays say plenty. The city of St. Pete says "don't count your parking spaces before they hatch" or something like that. [St. Pete Times]
  
• Apparently a Canadian likes to stereotype people from Orlando and calls the Rays stupid for trying to expand their fanbase. [The Heater]
• Shawn Riggans and JP Howell read to some Orlando-area school kids. A truly noble effort, but let's hope it went better than the Shawn Camp-Ruddy Lugo incident last year. [MLB]