Rays down on the farm August 6: Toribio key in Princeton win

Cristian Toribio did not make my mid-season top 30 prospect list yesterday, but I really wanted to get him on.  He's capable of sticking at shortstop, and so far with Princeton this year, the 19 year old has gotten it done at the plate too.  He started the season in a 2/23 slump, but in his seventh game, he started a six game hitting streak.  Since the beginning of that streak, he has a .990 OPS.

Maybe more importantly, he did his damage batting left-handed.  He's a switch hitter with absurd splits: a .622 OPS against righties, and a 1.397 OPS against lefties.  He's definitely a player to keep an eye on moving forward, even if he is years away from impacting the Rays, if he ever does.

Triple-A Durham Bulls (61-55)

Mike Montgomery struggled again, but Durham added enough runs late in their 8-5 win over Lehigh Valley.  He only allowed three runs, but it was on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts.  He needed 99 pitches (59 strikes) to get through 4.1 innings.  C.J. Riefenhauser and Josh Lueke combined to throw the final 4.2 innings, but neither pitched well.  Fortunately, the IronPigs were 1/12 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base.

With 14 hits and seven walks, the Bulls put pressure on the entire game.  Vince Belnome's two run single in the second gave them a 2-1 lead, and a half inning after Lehigh Valley went up 3-2, Belnome singled home the second of two runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead for good.  In the eighth, a two out rally culminated in a three run single by Jeremy Moore that was aided by a Russ Canzler error.  Wilson Betemit and Justin Christian each reached base four times, and Christian hit a pair of doubles.

Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (22-23)

Montgomery was off.

Class-A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs (21-21)

Charlotte was off.

Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods (19-25)

Willy Adames led off the game with a home run in Bowling Green's 2-1 win over South Bend.  That was his first home run with the Hot Rods, and it would be the only run of the game in the first seven and a half innings.  In the bottom of the eighth, they added what proved to be a valuable insurance run.  Julian Ridings led off with a triple, and Elias Torres brought him home with a sac fly.

Chris Kirsch was sharp again, and he now has nine consecutive starts allowing one or fewer earned runs.  This time, he would throw five scoreless innings, only allowing two hits and striking out four with no walks.  Willie Gabay and Brad Schreiber got the game to the ninth with a 2-0 lead, but newcomer and 2014 draft pick Brian Miller would allow a Silver Hawks run that ended the shutout.

Short-Season Hudson Valley Renegades (36-15)

Hudson Valley was off.

Rookie Princeton Rays (23-20)

Princeton only needed one big inning in their 5-4 win over Danville.  Down 4-0 in the eighth, the Rays finally got their offense going, aided by some Braves mistakes.  Riley Unroe reached on an error to lead off the inning, and after advancing to second on a wild pitch, he came home to score on Patrick Grady's single.  Nick Ciuffo later started a two out rally to keep the inning alive, and Cristian Toribio's two run triple made it a one run game.  Taylor Hawkins drove him in to tie the game, and Hawkins scored on an Enmanuel Paulino single.  Toribio reached base three times.

Starter Trevor Lubking did not last long, and he allowed all four Danville runs.  They scored an unearned run in the first on an error by Lubking himself, and a two run homer the next inning extended their lead.  Lubking exited after four innings, having allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts and no walks.  Three Princeton relievers combined to strike out five in five scoreless innings.

Rookie Gulf Coast League Rays (24-15)

The GCL Rays were rained out.

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Star of the day- Kirsch continues to get it done.

Goat of the day- None today with no losses.

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

Durham is off

Montgomery v. Chattanooga 8:05 PM (MiLB.TV, radio stream)
Mike Colla (7-10, 4.46) v. Andres Santiago (3-7, 4.86)

Charlotte @ Palm Beach 6:35 PM (Radio stream)
Jared Mortensen (0-0, 2.57) v. TBA

Bowling Green v. South Bend 8:05 PM (Radio stream)
German Marquez (3-5, 3.80) v. Sean Furney (7-6, 4.32)

Hudson Valley v. Williamsport 7:05 PM (Radio stream)
Chris Pike (1-1, 4.30) v. Angel Arteaga (1-5, 4.71)

Princeton is off

GCL Rays @ GCL Red Sox 11 AM DOUBLEHEADER
TBA v. TBA
TBA v. TBA

Both games will be seven innings

*Listed as TBA on milb.com

Scouting the opposition

Chattanooga Lookouts (Los Angeles)
18-25 (5th in SL North)
Offense: 476 R (9th) .715 OPS (4th)
Pitching: 4.36 ERA (9th) 1.50 WHIP (10th)
Top 30 Prospects: SS Corey Seager (2), LHP Chris Reed (8), OF Scott Schebler (17), IF Darnell Sweeney (25)

Palm Beach Cardinals
27-17 (2nd in FSL South)
Offense: 532 R (2nd) .716 OPS (3rd)
Pitching: 3.44 ERA (5th) 1.29 WHIP (5th)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Tyrell Jenkins (17)

South Bend Silver Hawks (Arizona)
25-19 (2nd in MWL East)
Offense: 575 R (1st) .724 OPS (2nd)
Pitching: 3.64 ERA (7th) 1.28 WHIP (7th)
Top 30 Prospects: RHP Jose Martinez (6), OF Stryker Trahan (8), 1B Daniel Palka (17), C Michael Perez (20), RHP Geordy Parra (22), SS Joe Munoz (26), 2B Jamie Westbrook (27), 2B Andrew Velasquez (28)

Williamsport Crosscutters (Philadelphia)
24-27 (2nd in Pinckney)
Offense: 204 R (11th) .663 OPS (9th)
Pitching: 3.44 ERA (6th) 1.27 WHIP (5th)
Top 30 Prospects: C Deivi Grullon (14), OF Cord Sandberg (21), RHP Mitch Gueller (24), OF Aaron Brown

GCL Red Sox
23-16 (2nd in GCL South)
Offense: 194 R (3rd) .655 OPS (11th)
Pitching: 2.59 ERA (2nd) 1.16 WHIP (1st)
Top 30 Prospects: 3B Rafael Devers (20), SS Javier Guerra (27), RHP Michael Kopech, RHP Jake Cosart