Link Report for Friday 4/25 -- Josh Butler Debuts with the Manatees

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF!

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: LHP Zach Jackson at Omaha (Royals), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: LHP Derek Miller at home vs. Jacksonville (Dodgers), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link):

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559

 

Brevard County: RHP Josh Butler at home vs. Jupiter (Marlins), 6:00 PM gametime

 

Sorry, no audio for this series...

 

West Virginia: RHP Roque Mercedes at home vs. Delmarva (Orioles), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

Audio link via WSWW, be sure to select the proper date (games will also archive at this link):

www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

[Mass Haas]

Follow Friday's action as it happens:

Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log" or "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often.

 

Nashville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_25_nasaaa_omaaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_25_jaxaax_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_25_jupafa_breafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_25_delafx_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated several hours prior to gametime.

 

Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

[Mass Haas]

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Omaha 12 7 .632 - 8-4 4-3 W2 Iowa 9 10 .474 3.0 4-7 5-3 W2 Memphis 9 12 .429 4.0 2-6 7-6 L1 Nashville 4 16 .200 8.5 2-5 2-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 15 6 .714 - 8-2 7-4 L1 Huntsville 13 8 .619 2.0 9-2 4-6 W2 West Tenn 13 8 .619 2.0 8-2 5-6 W3 Chattanooga 12 9 .571 3.0 7-4 5-5 W4 Tennessee 9 12 .429 6.0 5-6 4-6 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 15 6 .714 - 10-3 5-3 W6 Brevard County 12 9 .571 3.0 6-4 6-5 W1 Daytona 12 9 .571 3.0 6-5 6-4 W2 Jupiter 12 9 .571 3.0 7-1 5-8 L1 Vero Beach 10 11 .476 5.0 7-4 3-7 L2 St. Lucie 2 19 .095 13.0 2-8 0-11 L10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 14 7 .667 - 5-3 9-4 W1 Greensboro 12 9 .571 2.0 5-6 7-3 L3 Delmarva 11 10 .524 3.0 6-6 5-4 W2 Hickory 10 11 .476 4.0 5-5 5-6 L1 Lakewood 10 11 .476 4.0 5-7 5-4 W3 Hagerstown 9 12 .429 5.0 3-5 6-7 W1 West Virginia 7 14 .333 7.0 3-8 4-6 L1 Lexington 6 15 .286 8.0 1-10 5-5 L4 

[battlekow]

Nice start so far for Butler: 4 innings, 4 K, 2 H, 0 BB.

[battlekow]

Wow, interesting pitching matchups for Huntsville and BC. The Stars get Clayton Kershaw; it will be interesting to see how LaPorta does against him. The Manatees, meanwhile, get Jeff Allison. I had no idea he was still in baseball.

[And That]

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/news/news.asp?newsId=2658

 

OMAHA - Friday night's game between the Nashville Sounds and Omaha Royals, scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Rosenblatt Stadium, has been postponed due to cold and wind.

 

The two teams will make up the postponed game by playing a doubleheader when Nashville visits Omaha in July. They will meet in a pair of seven-inning games on Tuesday, July 8th, with the first pitch of the opener scheduled for 5:05 p.m.

 

The teams will continue their current series with Saturday's 7:05 p.m. meeting. Nashville left-hander Zach Jackson (1-3, 7.04) will take the hill to face Omaha right-hander Matt Wright (0-1, 5.14).

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 4, Jupiter (Marlins) 1

 

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

Manatees Shut Down Hammerheads

By Tyler Stover / MLB.com

It was a new night, but a similar result for Brevard County Friday night, as they once again came from behind to defeat Jupiter, 4-1. The Manatees have now come from behind in 9 of their 13 wins this season. Newly acquired pitcher Josh Butler was very effective in his Manatees debut, pitching four scoreless innings, but it was Rafael Lluberes who picked up the win in relief, improving to 1-2 on the season.

Jupiter took the early lead in controversial fashion in the fifth inning. With former Brewer farmhand Agustin Septimo on second base, Hammerheads left fielder Dante Brinkley faced a full count and two outs. He appeared to foul a pitch into the glove of Manatees' catcher Anderson De La Rosa for strike three, and was initially called out. However, after a conference between the two umpires, the play was ruled a foul ball, and the Manatees were called back onto the field. Brinkley took advantage of the extra opportunity, singling to right field to bring in the first run of the game.

The lead would be short-lived, as the Manatees quickly responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Stephen Chapman doubled to lead off the inning, and then came around to score on De La Rosa's sacrifice fly. The Manatees tacked on another run in the sixth frame, as Yohannis Perez opened the inning with a double. He later scored on a throwing error on a botched pickoff attempt. The Manatees came up with two insurance runs in the eighth behind a Perez double, a Darren Ford single, and a Lorenzo Cain double, providing the final margin. Shawn Ferguson pitched two scoreless innings to earn his second save of the season.

Jeff Allison (0-4) was the tough-luck loser once again for the Hammerheads. He pitched six innings, allowing just two runs on three hits and striking out six Manatee batters. Allison has lost all four decisions this season despite posting a 2.38 ERA. The Manatees scored their other two runs off Jupiter reliever Timothy Wood.

Brevard County opens a three-game set with Vero Beach Saturday. Donovan Hand (2-1, 2.59) will take the mound for the Manatees, facing the Devil Rays' Heath Rollins (0-0, 6.00). The Manatees look to keep pace with the FSL East-leading Palm Beach Cardinals, who have opened a three-game lead.

Brevard County Box ScoreWelcome to the Link Report, Josh Butler...

 

Brevard County Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Pre-Game Audio with LHP Steve Hammond

Go to the WUMP audio link of the 25th, right off the top...

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 5, Jacksonville (Dodgers) 4

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Stars Rally to Win in Bottom of the Ninth

By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars

Shane Justis' throwing error with two outs in the bottom of the ninth allowed Freddy Parejo to score the winning run in Huntsville's 5-4 comeback win over Jacksonville Friday night in the second of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars improved to 14-8 on the season and stayed within two games of front-running Carolina in the North Division, while the Suns dropped to 10-12.

 

Parejo opened the ninth as a pinch-hitter and reached on a throwing error by shortstop Ivan DeJesus, Jr. before advancing to second base on an Angel Salome sacrifice bunt and moving to third base on a ground ball out. Michael Brantley was intentionally passed to bring the right-hand swinging Alcides Escobar to the plate to face right-hand pitcher Brian Akin, who started the ninth on the hill for the Suns. Escobar cracked a sharply hit ground ball to the third baseman Justis, who knocked it down and threw wildly past the first baseman Aldolfo Gonzalez to allow Parejo to score the decisive run in the Stars' first walk-off win of the season.

 

Jacksonville carried a 4-0 lead into the home eighth before Escobar singled in a run and Mat Gamel doubled home a pair against Tanyon Sturtze to trim the lead to one. The veteran right-hander, who threw for the Stars in 1993-94, gave up a two-out single to Chris Errecart that delivered Gamel with the tying run. Sturtze, who had retired the side in order in the seventh with five pitches, made his first appearance of the season as he continues his comeback from rotator cuff surgery two years ago.

 

Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers top-rated prospect, spun six shutout innings, allowing only two singles, while walking two and fanning eight. He stranded Cole Gillespie at third in the fifth by striking out Salome and retiring pinch-hitter Ryan Crew on a come backer and left with a 2-0 lead. DeJesus doubled in two runs in the eighth to push the visitors lead to 4-0 but their failure with runners in scoring position early in the game proved costly. Jacksonville stranded 14 runners, including at least a pair in each of the first five frames.

 

Derek Miller started for the Stars and allowed one unearned run on eight hits and four walks in five innings. He has not yielded an earned run over 15 frames in his three home turns and has left the mound each time in a 1-0 game.

 

The series continues Saturday afternoon with Huntsville left-hander David Welch taking the mound against Suns' southpaw Marlon Arias. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 pm central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score

Alcides Escobar on base three times; that Kershaw kid's the real deal for the Dodgers; reliever Patrick Ryan rolls on...

 

Huntsville Game Log

You really have to review the game log to appreciate Derek Miller's five-inning Houdini act -- living dangerously...

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Pre-Game Audio Interview with LHP Zach Braddock

Go to the WSWW audio archive of April 25th, then the 55:30 minute mark...

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 5, Delmarva (Orioles) 2

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

CLUTCH HITS PROVIDE POWER VICTORY

 

West Virginia scored three of their five runs with two-outs on Friday night at Appalachian Power Park as they defeated the Delmarva Shorebirds 5-2 to take the second game of the series.

 

Kurt Crowell put West Virginia on the board in the bottom of the second inning on a clutch two-out RBI single. Delmarva tied the game in the top of the fourth inning when Joe Nowicki scored on Jonathan Lucroy's throwing error. The Shorebirds took advantage of another Power error to take the lead in the top of the sixth inning when Kieron Pope scored on David Fonseca's errant throw.

 

With two outs and a man on in the bottom of the sixth inning, Zelous Wheeler hit a two-run homer, his second of the season, to put West Virginia ahead. Lee Haydel knocked in a pair of insurance runs on a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh to score Crowell and Scott Houin.

 

Jose Garcia (1-1) offered an inning and two thirds of scoreless relief and was rewarded with the victory. Cole McCurry (0-2) allowed five runs on eight hits over six and a third and was tagged with the loss. Wes Etheridge (3) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to get the save. Roque Mercedes allowed a couple of runs on nine hits over five and a third.

 

The Power improved to 8-14 with the win and the Shorebirds fell to 11-11 with the loss. The victory snapped an eight game losing streak against the Shorebirds at Appalachian Power Park. Caleb Gindl and John Alonso paced the Power with two hits a piece. Delmarva manager Ramon Sambo was ejected in the third inning for arguing a check swing with field umpire Eric Underwood.

 

The Power will continue the four game series with Delmarva Saturday night. Right hander Evan Anundsen (2-1, 2.82) will get the start for the Power and the Shorebirds will counter with right hander John Mariotti (2-1, 1.50). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score

Caleb Gindl 8-for-14 in the last three games...

 

West Virginia Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Stars rally late to eclipse Suns

After ace Kershaw leaves, Huntsville goes on to win 5-4

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

As if pitching in historic Dodgertown and wearing the Los Angeles uniform wasn't enough for Clayton Kershaw to soak in this spring, one moment was even more surreal.

 

There was the 20-year-old left-handed prospect anointed as the Dodgers' future, pitching as franchise southpaw Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax critiqued him.

 

When you think of Dodgers' left-handed pitchers, you think Sandy Koufax," Kershaw said after his start against Huntsville on Friday. "I just tried to stay as quiet as I could and listen.

 

"He was a fastball-curveball pitcher like me, and he was really adamant on just attacking hitters."

 

Kershaw put Koufax's advice to use Friday. He struck out eight and allowed just two hits in six shutout innings, consistently getting ahead of and disposing of Stars. But true to Kershaw's tough-luck form this year, Huntsville rallied back to tie the game against Jacksonville's bullpen and won in a wild comeback, 5-4.

 

Mat Gamel had a clutch two-run double in a four-run eighth, and after Freddy Parejo reached on an error to lead off the ninth, he was driven in by Alcides Escobar to spoil Kershaw's outing.

 

"The guy knows how to pitch," Gamel said. "He's a first-round pick for a reason. But we just have a lot of guys on this team who play until the end of the game."

 

Since being selected seventh overall in the 2006 draft, Kershaw has lived up to massive expectations - regardless of record. He spent the past two springs wowing Dodgers brass and the past two seasons baffling minor leaguers.

 

Though his record is 0-3 this year, he whittled his earned run average to 1.40. He's also struck out 31 in 25 2/3 innings, prompting L.A. fans and media to call for his promotion.

 

Renowned L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke's Friday story repeated the same phrase over and over: "Bring up Clayton Kershaw."

 

"His nickname this spring was 'The Truth," Jacksonville third baseman Andy LaRoche said, "and he's done everything to back that up.

 

"The way he pitches - not by looking at his baby face - you'd think he's spent 8-10 years in the big leagues. He's the whole package." But Kershaw isn't the toast of Tinseltown just yet. Instead, he was pitching to the Stars in front of 2,517 fans that included his aunt Karon Albright, who lives in Huntsville, and his mother, Marianne, who came to town to watch.

 

"There are about 30 people in my name here tonight," Kershaw said with a laugh.