The Mitch Talbot era in St. Petersburg turned out to be a short one, as he was demoted back to Triple A Durham before even throwing a pitch as the Rays made a flurry of off-day roster moves. SS Jason Bartlett has been placed on the 15 Day DL due to a right knee sprain that he suffered in yesterday's win over Boston. Since he was the only shortstop on the roster, the Rays called up not one, but two players to take his place. Ben Zobrist begins a third tour of duty with the team, while more intriguingly, top prospect Reid Brignac gets the call.

More on this move a bit later on, but I can't possibly seeing anyone but Brignac getting the bulk of the playing time at shortstop in Bartlett's place. Lou Piniella doesn't manage this team anymore, so unlike B.J. Upton's poorly-handled debut in 2004, I imagine the Rays will set out with a plan to see Brignac get regular playing time. Zobrist is their middle infield insurance policy, and quite frankly I wouldn't be surprised to see him stick, given the tumult that an injury to Bartlett has provoked. I'm sort of disappointed to see that Talbot won't get an extended opportunity to prove himself at the major league level, but I guess the need for roster flexibility on the infield was the paramount concern.

Just a quick post like I did on Niemann/Longoria after their promotions

Some of the PECOTA comparisons include Bob Wickman, Ricky Stone, Shane Reynolds, Jason Bergman, and Jose Guzman. PECOTA has him at 100 innings with an ERA over 5.2, but that as a starter, not a reliever.

In 2005 Baseball America honored Talbot's changeup as the best in the Astros organization and in 2006 he was dealt along with Ben Zobrist to the Rays for Aubrey Huff. This season Talbot has nearly a 5:1 K:BB ratio, more than double what his ratio was last season in Durham.

Despite throwing right-handed Talbot's OPS against when facing LHB is .555 this minor league season. The 24 year old features five pitches: fastball, change, curve, slider, and cutter, early in his career there were some concerns that he was a hot head, somewhat similar to Matt Garza actually, but those seem to have been quenched since.

The popular sentiment seems to be that Talbot is being showcased, but it seems more plausible to me that Talbot could simply be Jason Hammel or Gary Glover's replacement in the coming week when Al Reyes return. Of course my idea and the real plan could be affected by my like of Talbot.

That was quite a grouse performance eh? A ripper of a performance by Garza, seven innings, five hits, three strikeouts, and no walks while throwing around 63% strikes. Garza gave way to offsiders J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour, and no knock on Howell but things got interesting when Balfour rocked up.

Balfour's mid-to-upper 90's fastball made the Sox hitters look like swagmen as the Rays became tall poppies for the third straight game, picking up his second save since going Troppo last July. Balfour's emergence becomes even larger as Troy Pecival is currently as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle.

Oh and Percival to the DL, Mitch Talbot has been called up. Welcome to the show bloke, make us proud!

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (32-33)

Ft. Myers 6, V-RAYS 2-With the scored tied at two in the bottom of the ninth, Devil Rays RHP Brian Baker gave up a grand slam home run to the Miracle's Juan Portes, resulting in a 6-2 win for Ft. Myers in the second game of the four game series. Vero Beach had taken a 2-0 lead through three innings, but the offense would manage just two hits over the remainder of the ballgame, contributing to the defeat.

V-RAYS Up Next-at Ft. Myers, 7:05 EST (LH Ryan Morse)

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AAA Durham Bulls (33-29)

BULLS 10, Richmond 2-The Bulls lineup broke out for ten runs on nine hits, while RHP Mitch Talbot and RHP Dale Thayer did not give up an earned run as Durham won their second straight to earn a four game series split with the Richmond Braves.

BULLS Up Next-vs Charlotte, 7:05 EST (RH Jeremy Cummings)

AA Montgomery Biscuits (30-32)

BISCUITS 6, Birmingham 3-LHP Jake McGee gave up a run in each of the first three innings, but settled down while Montgomery scored four in the top of the fourth inning to key a 6-3 win over the Barons. 

BISCUITS Up Next-at Birmingham, 8:05 EST (RH Wade Davis)

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (30-31)

Sarasota 12, V-RAYS 3-LHP Ryan Morse was bad, RHP Wilton Noel was worse, and not even CF Desmond Jennings' 3 for 3 day could save Vero Beach from going down in defeat 12-3 to the Sarasota Reds. 

V-RAYS Up Next-vs Sarasota, 6:00 EST (LH David Price)

A- Columbus Catfish (22-39)

CATFISH 11, Rome 1-Columbus won for the second time in three days following a 12 game losing streak, walloping the Rome Braves 11-1 behind seven strong innings from LHP Brian Flores and a 14 hit day from the lineup.

CATFISH Up Next-at Rome, 7:00 EST (RH Alex Cobb)

AAA Durham Bulls (32-29)

BULLS 3, Richmond 0-Jeff Niemann, Juan Salas, and Scott Dohmann combined on a six hit shutout of the visiting Richmond Braves, while SS Reid Brignac doubled in two of Durham's three seventh inning runs.

BULLS Up Next-vs Richmond, 7:05 EST (RH Mitch Talbot)

AA Montgomery Biscuits (29-32)

Birmingham 3, BISCUITS 1-Montgomery was able to manage just four hits off of Barons pitching, scoring their lone run in the ninth inning. PH John Jaso struck out with runners on the corners to end the game.

BISCUITS Up Next-at Birmingham, 8:05 EST (LH Jake McGee)

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (30-30)

V-RAYS 5, Sarasota 1-SP Jeremy Hellickson pitched a perfect five innings, while RF John Matulia and 1B Matt Fields had four and three hits, respectively, to lead the Vero Beach offense.

V-RAYS Up Next-vs Sarasota, 6:30 EST (LH Ryan Morse)

A- Columbus Catfish (21-39)

Savannah 5, CATFISH 0-Columbus reverted back to their losing ways a day after snapping a 12 game losing streak, getting shut out 5-0 by the Savannah Sand Gnats.

CATFISH Up Next-at Rome, 7:00 EST (LH Brian Flores)

AAA Durham Bulls (12-17)

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 9, BULLS 5-RHP Chris Mason struggled through 6.1 poor innings of work, and the Yankees swept the Bulls out of Scranton as Durham dropped its fourth straight.

BULLS Up Next-at Pawtucket, 6:15 EDT (RH Mitch Talbot)

AA Montgomery Biscuits (11-19)

Huntsville 11, BISCUITS 3-LHP Mike Wlodarczyk struggled early and put the Biscuits in a hole from which they could not recover as Montgomery was blown out in the final game of their series against the Huntsville Stars.

BISCUITS Up Next-vs Birmingham, 8:05 EDT (LH Jake McGee)

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (15-15)

V-RAYS 2, Dunedin 0-The Devil Rays got a fantastic starting effort from LHP Ryan Morse, and that's mainly why Vero Beach would need only two runs to surmount the Dunedin Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon. 

V-RAYS Up Next-vs Dunedin, 7:00 EDT (RH Matt Walker)

A- Columbus Catfish (12-18)

Greenville 5, CATFISH 0-The Greenville offense produced five runs in the middle innings, which was more than enough to overtake a Catfish lineup that was shut out on four hits. 

CATFISH Up Next-at Greenville, 7:00 EDT (LH Brian Flores)

AAA Durham Bulls (5-6)

BULLS 2, Scranton/WB 0-CF Fernando Perez doubled in the Bulls' only two runs of the ballgame in the fifth inning off of Yankees LHP Kei Igawa, but it would prove to be enough as the Bulls shut out Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to break a three game losing streak.

BULLS Up Next-at Scranton/WB, 11:05 ET (RH Mitch Talbot)

AA Montgomery Biscuits (3-7)

News-Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser reports that Biscuits LHP Jon Barratt has gone on the voluntarily retired list, ending (for now, at least) his baseball career.

"It's something that he's been thinking about," manager Billy Gardner said after today's loss at Carolina. "He said he just didn't have the passion anymore."

There could be any number of reasons behind Barratt's retirement, and as he enters private life you hate to speculate on what those reasons might be. Maybe he really did lose his passion for baseball and wanted to pursue something else, in which case I commend him and wish him the best luck in the world. Scott Autrey did something very similar several years ago. Still, Barratt was only 23 years old and a fifth round draft pick just five years ago. He most recently found success in with A+ Visalia in 2006, when he posted a 2.93 ERA in 110.2 innings for the Oaks. He regressed to a 5.46 ERA last year with Montgomery, but he fared far worse in 2005, when he posted a 6.59 ERA in Visalia. Still, if you're an ex-fifth round pick retiring from baseball at 23, it probably isn't performance-related. Here's wishing Barratt the best of luck wherever life takes him.

Carolina 9, BISCUITS 2-LHP Mike Wlodarczyk struggled in his second start of the year for Montgomery, but he was far from alone as the Biscuits dropped their third in a row at the hands of the Carolina Mudcats. 

BISCUITS Up Next-at Tennessee, 7:15 ET (LH Jake McGee)

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (3-7)

Yesterday-OFF

V-RAYS Up Next-at Daytona, 7:05 ET (RH Heath Rollins)

A- Columbus Catfish (4-7)

Savannah 11, CATFISH 7-The Columbus offense pounded out ten hits and the Catfish took a 7-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh, but the bullpen was unable to hold it as they were downed by the Sand Gnats.

CATFISH Up Next-at Savannah, 7:00 ET (LH Glenn Gibson)

AAA Durham Bulls (4-3)

BULLS 10, Columbus 4 (11)-The Bulls pounded out 15 hits on the day and scored six in the top of the 11th inning to win their fourth straight game, 10-4 over the Columbus Clippers.

BULLS Up Next-at Columbus, 12:05 ET (RH Ben Hendrickson)

AA Montgomery Biscuits (2-4)

Carolina 7, BISCUITS 1-LHP Jake McGee made a very short start, the Montgomery offense was able to muster up but five hits, and sloppy fielding led to three errors in the line score as the Carolina Mudcats steamrolled the Biscuits, 7-1 in Raleigh.

BISCUITS Up Next-at Carolina, 7:15 ET (RH Wade Davis)

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (3-4)

Jupiter 3, V-RAYS 2-RHP Jeremy Hellickson made an excellent start for the Devil Rays, but an offense that produced just four total hits on the night doomed them to their fourth straight loss after a 3-0 start, 3-2 to the Jupiter Hammerheads.

V-RAYS Up Next-at Jupiter, 7:05 ET (RH Josh Butler)

A- Columbus Catfish (2-5)

Rome 10, CATFISH 5-LHP Glenn Gibson got roughed up for a second straight outing as the Catfish continued their slow start to the year, falling 10-5 to the Braves.

CATFISH Up Next-at Rome, 7:00 ET (RH Josh Johnson)

AAA Durham Bulls (0-2)

Toledo 9, BULLS 2-The Toledo Mud Hens jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning, and the Bulls would not recover as they dropped their second in a row to start the season. CF Fernando Perez and RF Justin Ruggiano each had two hits in five at bats for the Bulls, including a double for Ruggiano. SS Reid Brignac went hitless in four at bats for the Bulls, but did draw a walk. 3B Evan Longoria went 0 for 4 and struck out, while 1B Joel Guzman doubled, his only hit in four at bats.

On the hill, RH Mitch Talbot took the loss for Durham, giving up three runs (two earned) in just four innings of work, surrendering eight hits and no walks while striking out two. He threw just 67 pitches as the Rays try to ease their starting prospects into the season. RH Ben Hendrickson gave away the farm for the Bulls; he was charged with six runs in just 2.2 innings of work. RH Nick DeBarr closed out the ballgame with a scoreless 1.1 inning stint.

BULLS Up Next-at Toledo, 7:00 ET (RH Chris Mason)

AA Montgomery Biscuits (0-1)

Chattanooga at BISCUITS, PPD-The scheduled game Friday evening between the Biscuits and Chattanooga Lookouts was postponed due to heavy rain in Montgomery, Alabama.  The game will be made up as part of a double-header on Sunday afternoon, with the first game beginning at 3:05 ET. The second game will follow, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Both games will be seven inning affairs.

BISCUITS Up Next-vs Chattanooga, 8:05 ET (RH Wade Davis)

A+ Vero Beach Devil Rays (2-0)

V-RAYS 5, St. Lucie 3-RF Garrett Groce had a solo home run among his two hits while RHP Jeremy Hellickson tossed five innings of one-run baseball as Vero Beach remained the only undefeated team in the Rays organization. SS Jairo De La Rosa had three hits for the Devil Rays and drove in two runs, while CF John Matulia had a double among his two hits. LF Ryan Royster also homered for Vero Beach.

On the mound, meanwhile, Hellickson had a superb outing to open his season. He surrendered just five hits, including a home run. The solo shot was the only run the visiting Mets would get all day off of Hellickson, as the right-hander walked none and struck out five. LH Ryan Morse followed Hellickson and gave up the final two St. Lucie runs before RHs Chris Kelly and Neal Frontz combined for four strikeouts and two shutout innings to finish off the ballgame.

V-RAYS Up Next-vs Daytona, 6:00 ET (RH Josh Butler)

A- Columbus Catfish (0-2)

Savannah 7, CATFISH 4-The visiting Sand Gnats scored six of their seven runs in the first four innings off of Columbus LHP Glenn Gibson and sat on the lead for the remaining five as the defending SALLY League champions lost their second in a row to start the season. Gibson would pitch only those four innings and was charged with four earned runs on five hits and one home run, walking one and striking out four. Three Catfish relievers would combine to limit the Sand Gnats to just one run following Gibson's departure.

Offensively, the Catfish picked it up a notch from the previous day, when they were one-hit in a shutout loss to the same team, but they still didn't produce enough to overcome the early deficit. LF Reid Fronk went three for four with two runs scored for Columbus, while stealing three bases. C Mike McCormick was the only other Columbus player to record multiple hits; he also had three, including a double, but also committed a throwing error. DH Stephen Vogt accounted for half of the Catfish's runs with a two-run shot in the sixth inning, his only hit of the night. CF Emeel Salem grounded into a double play, part of an 0 for 4 night in which he also drew a walk.

CATFISH Up Next-vs Savannah, 7:00 ET (RH Josh Johnson)