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Rock Cats Send Rainville to DL; Hughes, Guerra En Route

July 7, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
New Britain Rock Cats News Release


New Britain, CT - The New Britain Rock Cats of the Eastern League announced three roster transactions today, in which a veteran Pitcher will go onto the Disabled List, while two others - one a local fan favorite and the other a much-discussed young prospect - will be joining the Rock Cats later today. Associated details are as follows:

RHP Jay Rainville, a 23-year-old native of Providence, RI, has been placed on the Disabled List with a right shoulder strain. The 6'3"/235-pound native New Englander was selected by the Rock Cats' parent club - the Minnesota Twins - out of Bishop Hendricken HS as a 1st Round "sandwich pick" in the 2004 Draft. Now in his fifth full season of pro ball, the determined right-hander had, until recently, been a member of the Rock Cats starting rotation for portions of both the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He made 17 appearances for New Britain in the 2009 - 13 of them starts - before recently experiencing discomfort in his pitching shoulder. At the time of this action, the former Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year (2003) had posted a 3-3 record and 5.64 ERA over 67 innings of work in New Britain this year.

RHP Deolis Guerra, a 20-year-old native of San Felix, VZ, will be joining the Rock Cats today from Ft. Myers in the Single-A Florida State League. The 6'5"/200-pound hurler was a key component in the 2007 trade between the Twins and New York Mets that landed premier LHP Johan Santana in New York. The young righty joins New Britain after having compiled a 6-8 record over 16 appearances (15 starts) this season for Ft. Myers. Guerra is slated to make his first start for the Rock Cats on Wednesday (7/8) when New Britain hosts the CT Defenders in a 5:05 PM Doubleheader at New Britain Stadium.

INF Luke Hughes, the 24-year-old native of Perth, Australia, rejoins the Rock Cats after having started the 2009 Season in Triple-A Rochester in the International League. The 5'11"/205-pound Hughes was a fan favorite in his previous two stints in New

Britain (2007/2008) because - in addition to his baseball ability - of his outgoing personality and on-field competitiveness. He appeared in 37 games for Rochester this season, batting .259 with 6 HRs and 28 RBI before a June injury caused him to be removed from the Red Wings line-up. He recently concluded a rehab stint in Florida, culminating in his appearing in 4 games for the Gulf Coast Twins, in which he batted .273. A 2008 Eastern League All-Star while a member of the Rock Cats, Hughes captured the mid-Summer Classic's MVP trophy last year after belting the game-winning Home Run in Manchester, NH. A strong right-handed hitter, Hughes is expected to add both offensive balance and defensive versatility to the New Britain roster.

The New Britain Rock Cats are the Double-A, Eastern League affiliate of the American League's Minnesota Twins.

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