Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Report - July 5th

*** Tampa Bay Devil Rays Minor League Report - July 5th *** From The Sports Network

DURHAM BULLS - With wins in four of their last seven contests, the Bulls were able to keep pace with Richmond for first place in the International League's South Division. Matt Diaz simply tore the cover off the ball this past week, going 12-for-31 with nine runs scored, three home runs and nine RBI. He is now batting a solid .330 this season with 12 home runs and 50 RBI. B.J. Upton was also sensational this past week with a .435 batting average, 10 runs scored and two home runs over six games. He also swiped three bags, giving him 13 stolen bases for the year. Jim Magrane was sensational in his only start this past week, allowing just one earned run in eight strong innings of a 10-3 triumph over Charlotte on July 4th. He is now 5-2 on the season with 3.69 ERA. MONTGOMERY BISCUITS - The Biscuits dropped five of six contests played this past week and are now in last place in the Southern League's West Division standings. Brian Martin was just awful for the Biscuits this past week, going 1-for-17 with nine strikeouts. He is now batting just .240 this season with 53 strikeouts in 192 at-bats. Jace Brewer batted just .292 for the week, but he scored four runs, belted a pair of home runs and tallied five RBI. Chris Seddon was solid in two starts this past week, despite walking away with just a 1-1 mark. He tossed a combined 14 innings, allowing five earned runs while striking out 11. He is now 5-4 on the year with a 3.56 ERA in 10 starts. BAKERSFIELD BLAZE - The Blaze split four games this past week, but still remain 4 1/2 games back of Modesto for first place in the California League's North Division. Gabriel Martinez led the squad this past week by going 6- for-14 with four doubles and two RBI. He is now batting .320 this season with 34 RBI. Luis DePaula was also solid this past week with a .333 batting average, four runs scored and three stolen bases. He now has a team-best 17 stolen bases in 25 attempts this season. Scott Autrey was sensational in his lone start this past week, despite not factoring in the decision. He allowed just two earned runs over seven strong innings of an eventual 6-3 triumph over Stockton on July 1st. Chris Flinn posted his first save of the year this past week. CHARLESTON RIVERDOGS (SC) - The RiverDogs went a perfect 4-0 this past week and remain in sole possession of first place in the South Atlantic League's Southern Division standings at 8-2. Elliot Johnson led the offensive charge, going 7-for-15 with eight runs scored and five RBI. He is now batting .279 this season with a club-best 63 runs scored. As a team, the RiverDogs batted a solid .307 with 29 runs scored over four games this past week. Josh Kranawetter was outstanding in his first start of the year for the RiverDogs this past week. He allowed just five hits over seven scoreless innings of a 2-0 triumph over Savannah on July 3rd. Scott Vandermeer recorded two saves this past week, giving him a team-high 13 for the season. HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES - With wins in four of their seven outings this past week, the Renegades were able to remain within one game of Brooklyn and Aberdeen for first place in the New York-Penn League's Mcnamara Division. Chad Cooper was simply on fire this past week, going 11-for-24 with seven runs scored and five RBI. Francisco Leandro provided a nice complement to Cooper this past week, with a .423 batting average, four doubles and four RBI over seven contests. Andrew Sonnanstine earned victories in both his appearances this past week, tossing a combined 9 1/3 scoreless innings. He is now 2-1 with a 0.68 ERA in four appearances this season. Eduardo Delacruz, however, struggled in his two starts this past week, allowing 10 earned runs over a combined 6 1/3 innings of work. PRINCETON DEVIL RAYS - The Devil Rays went an even 3-3 this past week, but still remain in the basement of the Appalachian League's East Division at 4-9. Joseph Touchstone did a little of everything for the Devil Rays this past week, going 8-for-21 with five RBI and three stolen bases. Princeton really hurt itself with poor defense this past week, committing a whopping 15 errors over six contests. Christian Lopez was outstanding in his lone start, tossing six scoreless innings in a 7-0 triumph over Bluefield on July 1st. No Devil Ray pitcher has yet to win more than one game this season.