Rays down on the farm August 24: Mujica returns in GCL Rays win

The Rays are getting a bit of a late season boost from some returning players.  Andrew Toles wasn't hurt, but he's back in game action and will probably head to instructs after the season.  Tim Beckham is another position player back after a long absence, and he's off to a nice start with Durham after rehab stops in the GCL and FSL.

That's true on the pitching side too.  Taylor Guerrieri seems to have disappeared after making a few rehab appearances, but the GCL added Jose Mujica and Jose Castillo for the end of the season.  The amount of innings they'll finish with is pretty inconsequential, but it's nice to see that they're back on the field.

Triple-A Durham Bulls (69-65)

Mike Montgomery still couldn't get it together in Durham's 10 inning 7-4 loss to Gwinnett.  Given a 4-0 lead, the first run he was charged with was unearned because of a Cole Figueroa error on a pickoff attempt.  He was charged with another unearned run an inning later, but it was on a three run home run that tied the game.  He finished with four runs (two earned) allowed on four hits and four walks in 5.2 innings with three strikeouts.  Cory Burns allowed three runs in the 10th.

All four Bulls runs were scored in the third inning.  After back to back walks to start the inning, Mikie Mahtook's single made it a 1-0 game.  One batter later, Vince Belnome hit a three run home run, his 10th of the year.  Durham only had seven batters reach base the remainder of the game.  Belnome had two of Durham's nine hits.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (28-34)

Ninth inning insurance runs proved to be valuable in Montgomery's 8-6 win over Pensacola.  Up 4-3 in the ninth, Hector Guevara singled home one run, and Willie Argo's two run double scored what proved to be the winning run.  Kes Carter singled home the fourth run.  Five Biscuits had two hit games including Carter and Ryan Brett who both reached base three times.

Dylan Floro was pretty close to standard Dylan Floro.  He allowed runs in three separate innings and finished with the bare minimum quality start, allowing three runs on nine hits and a walk in six innings with two strikeouts.  Braulio Lara was charged with three runs while only recording one out to allow the Blue Wahoos back in the game.

Class-A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (30-28)

A pair of three run innings helped lead Charlotte to a 7-3 win over Fort Myers.  Down 2-0 in the fourth, the Stone Crabs tied the game and then went ahead on a David DeJesus RBI single.  An inning later, they scored three runs again on back to back run scoring doubles by Ariel Soriano and Tommy Coyle.  DeJesus had one hit and walked twice with a stolen base, and Ryan Hanigan was 0/4 with a strikeout as Charlotte's DH.  Coyle and Jonathan Quinonez had three hits each, and two of Quinonez's were doubles.

Jaime Schultz wasn't at his best, and he came up one out short of the bare minimum quality start.  After having already allowed two runs, he exited with two outs in the sixth, and Jordan Harrison allowed one of two inherited runners to score.  Schultz's final line was three runs allowed on six hits and two walks in 5.2 innings with two strikeouts.  Harrison struck out two in 1.1 innings.

Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods (27-33)

Bowling Green was suspended.

Short-Season Hudson Valley Renegades (44-23)

Hudson Valley scored four first inning runs on their way to a 6-2 win over Connecticut.  Hunter Lockwood singled home the first run, and after Grant Kay tripled home two more, Jace Conrad hit a groundout that scored Kay.  After the Renegades scored their fifth run in the third, only four batters would reach base the remainder of the game.  Key and Leopoldo Correa had two hit games.

Nolan Gannon wasn't at his best, but he pitched well enough to get credit for the win.  He allowed both Tiger runs in the second on a two out double, but he was able to limit the damage other than that.  He finished with the two runs allowed on four hits and two walks in five innings with three strikeouts.  Kyle McKenzie finished the game with three strikeouts in two scoreless innings.

Rookie Princeton Rays (34-26)

After game one resumed, Princeton scored six two run innings to top Greeneville 7-2.  The Rays hit three doubles in that inning, including one by Cristian Toribio that scored two runs.  Toribio's solo home run an inning later extended the lead.  Starter Hyrum Formo only pitched one inning before the suspension Friday, and Brent Honeywell stepped in and dominated, striking out four and walking none in five three hit scoreless innings.

A three run fifth inning helped Greeneville beat Princeton 5-2 in game two.  The Rays held two separate one run leads, but they obviously couldn't hold either.  After Mario Fernandez allowed a run in three innings in his spot start, Rafael Cordova allowed four runs in two innings.  Patrick Grady was the only Princeton batter to reach base more than once.

Rookie Gulf Coast League Rays (29-27)

The GCL Rays kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 win over the GCL Orioles.  The Rays were outhit 7-3, but they made those three count.  Andrew Toles created the first run by himself.  He led off the second with a single, stole a pair of bases and scored on a wild pitch.  In the ninth, he did the same thing.  He led off with a single again, stole second and scored on a wild pitch and throwing error.  He reached base three times.

An unexpected (to me, anyway) pitcher started for the Rays: Jose Mujica.  He allowed two hits, but he threw a scoreless inning and struck out a batter.  Angel Yepez replaced him and provided nice long relief, striking out four and allowing the first Oriole run on three hits and a walk in five innings.

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Star of the day- Toles helped the GCL Rays temporarily stay alive.

Goat of the day- Is Montgomery going to turn it around again in 2014?

Today's games (probables courtesy of milb.com)

Durham v. Gwinnett 5:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Enny Romero (5-11, 4.82) v. Kanekoa Texeira (3-4, 5.22)

Montgomery @ Pensacola 7:30 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Albert Suarez* (3-4, 3.57) v. Ben Lively (2-6, 3.63)

Charlotte v. Fort Myers 5 PM (Radio stream)
Jared Mortensen (1-1, 3.74) v. D.J. Baxendale (4-2, 5.92)

Bowling Green @ Fort Wayne 6:05 PM (Radio stream)
Chris Kirsch (9-6, 2.61) v. Cody Hebner (1-4, 3.19)

Hudson Valley @ Connecticut 4:05 PM (Radio stream)
TBA v. Spencer Turnbull (0-2, 4.43)

Princeton v. Danville 6:05 PM DOUBLEHEADER
Greg Maisto (2-3, 4.95) v. TBA
TBA v. TBA

First game will be the resumption of a suspended game, and the second game will be seven innings

GCL Rays are off

*Listed as TBA on milb.com

Scouting the opposition

Gwinnett Braves
60-74 (3rd in IL South)
Offense: 567 R (10th) .717 OPS (10th)
Pitching: 4.44 ERA (10th) 1.50 WHIP (12th)
Top 30 Prospects: C Christian Bethancourt (2), RHP Cody Martin (11), 3B Edward Salcedo (12), OF Joey Terdoslavich (15), RHP Shae Simmons (16), OF Todd Cunningham (23), RHP Aaron Northcraft (25), RHP Juan Jaime (27), RHP James Hoyt (30)

Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Cincinnati)
24-38 (5th in SL South)
Offense: 536 R (9th) .698 OPS (9th)
Pitching: 4.03 ERA (7th) 1.39 WHIP (8th)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Robert Stephenson (1), OF Jesse Winker (4), OF Yorman Rodriguez (5), RHP Michael Lorenzen (6), RHP Ben Lively (9), RHP Daniel Corcino (13), 3B Seth Mejias-Brean (21)

Fort Myers Miracle (Minnesota)
37-25 (T-1st in FSL South)
Offense: 673 R (1st) .723 OPS (2nd)
Pitching: 3.34 ERA (4th) 1.31 WHIP (6th)
Top 30 Prospects: OF Max Kepler (11), OF Adam Brett Walker (17), SS Niko Goodrum (26), RHP Tyler Jones (27), RHP Zack Jones (28), C Stuart Turner (30)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego)
26-35 (T-7th in MWL East)
Offense: 637 R (2nd) .713 OPS (2nd)
Pitching: 4.65 ERA (16th) 1.50 WHIP (16th)
Top 30 Prospects: LHP Max Fried (3), RHP Ronald Herrera (17), Dustin Peterson (22), SS Trea Turner

Connecticut Tigers
35-32 (2nd in Stedler)
Offense: 300 R (3rd) .675 OPS (6th)
Pitching: 3.09 ERA (3rd) 1.21 WHIP (3rd)
Top 30 Prospects: 3B Steven Fuentes (28), OF Derek Hill, 3B Joey Pankake

Danville Braves
34-27 (2nd in APP East)
Offense: 293 R (4th) .707 OPS (2nd)
Pitching: 3.34 ERA (3rd) 1.21 WHIP (3rd)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Carlos Salazar (17), C Tanner Murphy (21)