Righty Erik Davis was demoted from Portland to Lake Elsinore after making one Triple-A spot start. The outing went well (7 K, 2 ER in 5 IP), but it wasn’t enough for Davis to get more chances.

Lefty Mark Hardy was sent from Lake Elsinore back to the AZL after making one spot start in place of Davis. He threw four shutout innings but ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing three runs.

Lefty Josh Spence was promoted to Eugene from the AZL to take Matt Lollis’ (who was promoted earlier in the week) rotation spot. He threw three solid innings in his first start.

Outfielder Rico Noel, who had been on the DL in Fort Wayne, was activated and demoted to Eugene, where he could get more playing time. Noel had hit just .136 in 12 games in Fort Wayne.

So…that’s that. Nothing particularly unexpected or major, just some things to be aware of, I suppose.

Hardy, a 22-year-old lefthander out of the University of British Columbia, was very impressive in the Arizona Rookie League, posting a 3.29 ERA in 27 1/3 innings. He struck out 27 and walked just four, an excellent ratio.

Hardy also showed a great tendency to get grounders, inducing worm-burners on almost 60% of balls in play. He’s certainly taken well to pro ball despite unexceptional college numbers.

Hardy’s been jumped straight from the AZL to the Cal League, following in the footsteps of reliever Gary Poynter in that transition. It’s likely he’ll take over Erik Davis‘ rotation spot as long as Davis is in Portland, and it could well be just a one-start cameo for both pitchers at their new levels.

However permanent the promotion is, it’s clear that Hardy isn’t just a run-of-the-mill 43rd-round pick. He’s miles from the majors, and still faces long odds, but he’s shown good command, the ability to get grounders, and decent strikeout ability as well. That, combined with his big frame and left-handedness, should at least give him a few years in the minors.

The Beavers currently have a rotation of Cesar Carrillo (who’s been passable this year), Josh Geer (who has a 6.00 ERA), Cory Luebke (who has made two solid starts since coming up from Double-A), and Cesar Ramos (who has been okay as a swingman). Will Inman, the team’s most effective starter, is on the disabled list, as is Steve Garrison, who didn’t pitch well anyway. Triple-A relievers Scott Munter, Radhames Liz, and Luis Perdomo have all gotten starts, as have Double-A pitchers Matt Buschmann and Nate Culp and High-A starter Anthony Bass. None have stuck.

So now, the 23-year-old Davis will try to break that string, but he had a 4.02 ERA in High-A, so it doesn’t look too likely that he’ll have sustained success. The Stanford alum has a solid 85/33 K/BB in 94 innings, and he gets a solid amount of ground balls, but he isn’t the sort of world-beater who can skip a level and find success. Double-A? Sure. Portland? I doubt it.

I still maintain that it’s ridiculous Corey Kluber hasn’t gotten a shot in the Portland rotation. Kluber, 24, has 121 strikeouts in 109 2/3 innings in San Antonio, and has a lower ERA there (3.53) than Davis does a level below.