Link Report for Wed. 4/30 - Historic Night of Mashing in Montgomery

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Wednesday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: RHP Dave Bush at home vs. Colorado Springs (Rockies), 10:15 AM pre-game; 10:30 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: LHP Steve Hammond at Montgomery (Rays), 6:55 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 Mike McClendon at Jupiter (Marlins), 6:05 PM gametime; Manatees will face Jeff Allison, the first round pick who has battled serious drug issues...

 

Audio link, Jupiter's broadcast (game will also archive at this link):

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

 

West Virginia: RHP Rob Bryson at Hagerstown (Nationals), 11:50 AM pre-game, 12:05 PM 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 Wednesday'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_30_cspaaa_nasaaa_1

Huntsville:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_30_hunaax_monaax_1

Brevard County:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_30_breafa_jupafa_1

West Virginia:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_30_wvaafx_hagafx_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 14 9 .609 - 9-5 5-4 W1 Iowa 11 13 .458 3.5 6-8 5-5 L3 Memphis 11 15 .423 4.5 3-7 8-8 L1 Nashville 6 18 .250 8.5 3-6 3-12 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 17 8 .680 - 13-2 4-6 W6 Carolina 17 9 .654 0.5 9-2 8-7 W1 West Tenn 16 10 .615 1.5 8-2 8-8 L2 Chattanooga 15 10 .600 2.0 10-5 5-5 W3 Tennessee 10 15 .400 7.0 6-9 4-6 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 17 8 .680 - 11-3 6-5 W1 Brevard County 15 10 .600 2.0 9-5 6-5 W1 Daytona 14 11 .560 3.0 6-5 8-6 L2 Jupiter 14 11 .560 3.0 9-2 5-9 W2 Vero Beach 11 14 .440 6.0 7-4 4-10 L1 St. Lucie 4 21 .160 13.0 4-10 0-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 16 8 .667 - 6-3 10-5 W1 Hickory 14 12 .538 3.0 6-5 8-7 W2 Delmarva 13 12 .520 3.5 7-6 6-6 W1 Greensboro 12 12 .500 4.0 5-8 7-4 L6 Hagerstown 12 12 .500 4.0 4-5 8-7 W4 Lakewood 12 13 .480 4.5 6-7 6-6 W1 West Virginia 9 16 .360 7.5 5-9 4-7 L1 Lexington 8 17 .320 8.5 3-11 5-6 L1 

[JohnBriggs12]

Interesting that Bush is facing his former teammate Josh Towers and that combined they have 79 major league wins.

[Mass Haas]

Thank you, Sounds site, normally we link to your photos, but how odd does this appear?

 

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/images/news/bush.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details on the Sounds win shortly...

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 4, Colorado Springs (Rockies) 3

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

Sounds Score Two Late Runs To Beat Sox, 4-3

 

NASHVILLE - The Nashville Sounds plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to score a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on Wednesday morning at Greer Stadium.

 

The majority of the near-capacity crowd on hand were area schoolchildren in attendance on field trips as a reward for reaching their reading goals in the Nashville Sounds Reading Club program.

 

With the victory, Nashville (7-18) recorded wins in back-to-back contests for the first time this season and improved to 5-3 in day games.

 

Sky Sox left fielder Seth Smith gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a two-out solo homer to right off Dave Bush, his second longball of the season.

 

Sounds catcher Vinny Rottino (2-for-3) knotted the contest in the second with a one-out solo homer to left off Sky Sox starter Josh Towers. The roundtripper, his fifth of the year, gave the backstop hits in 11 of his last 12 games, including an extra-base hit in nine of those dozen tilts.

 

Laynce Nix put the Sounds in front by a 2-1 count in the third with a two-out, opposite-field RBI single to right that plated Bush, who had doubled.

 

Colorado Springs jumped back in front in the sixth when a two-out throwing error by Sounds third baseman Eric Munson allowed a pair of unearned runs to score against Bush, giving the visitors a 3-2 lead. Both runners came plateward after drawing walks earlier in the frame.

 

Munson - who played his first game since April 10 after missing nearly three weeks with a hip flexor injury - made up for his error in the bottom of the seventh when he ripped a game-tying RBI double to chase Towers and make it a 3-3 game. Rottino, who opened the inning with a double, scored on the two-bagger, which snapped a 17 at-bat hitless stretch for Munson.

 

Pinch-hitter Mel Stocker, also in his first game back from the disabled list, put Nashville ahead, 4-3, later in the seventh with a sacrifice fly to center.

 

Bush took a no-decision in his initial Sounds start. The right-hander allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out seven batters over six innings of action.

 

Reliever Ben Howard (1-0) earned his first victory of the year after working a scoreless seventh inning, striking out two. Jason Shiell retired the Sky Sox in order in the eighth before Luis Pena worked around a one-out double in the ninth to earn his first save of the year in his first opportunity.

 

AUDIO: Final Out Of The Game

 

Towers (2-2) took the loss for the Sky Sox after he allowed four runs on five hits over six-plus frames.

 

The teams will wrap up the series with 7 p.m. finale on Thursday. Right-hander Jeff Weaver will make his 2008 season debut when he takes the hill for the Sounds in the contest. Colorado Springs will counter with right-hander Sean Smith (0-0, 15.00).

 

Nashville Box Score

Amazingly, this was Luis Pena's first save opportunity this season...

 

Nashville Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 9, Hagerstown (Nationals) 5

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

POWER USE SIX RUN FIFTH TO BEAT SUNS

 

The West Virginia Power sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of the fifth inning of Wednesday afternoon's game against the Suns and scored six runs on six hits to snap Hagerstown's four game winning streak with a 9-5 victory.

 

Curt Rindal put the Power on the board with a solo homer in the top of the second, his fourth of the season. The Power used the long ball in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead on Caleb Gindl's two-run shot, his third of the year. Hagerstown plated a pair of runs with two-outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Stephen Souza singled in Aaron Seuss and scored later in the inning on a wild pitch.

 

Lee Haydel began the six-run rally in the fifth with a bunt single. Haydel scored on Brent Brewer's double to left and Brewer touched home plate on Zelous Wheeler's base-hit. Rindal singled in Gindl before the Power took advantage of two Hagerstown errors which produced three more runs. Steffan Wilson scored after Souza dropped a pop up on the infield and Dan Lyons's errant throw allowed Rindal and Uly Snijders to score.

 

Amaury Rivas (2-1) allowed three runs on three hits in three innings of relief to get the victory. Brad Peacock was tagged with the loss after surrendering five runs on seven hits over four and a third. Rob Bryson struck out six batters over four innings while Wes Etheridge and Dan Merklinger each tossed a scoreless inning of relief.

 

The Power improved to 10-16 with the win and the Suns fell to 12-13 with the loss. Five Power players had multi-hit games for the Power, including Rindal, Gindl and Wheeler who paced the Power with three hits a piece.

 

The Power will continue their four game series with the Hagerstown Suns at Municipal Stadium on Thursday night. Right-hander Roque Mercedes (0-1, 8.06) will get the start for the Power and the Suns will counter with right hander Hassan Pena (1-1, 3.00). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM (5:35 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score

Zelous Wheeler is sporting a sweet .902 OPS; it's nice to see them pitching well, but is it surprising that fairly high 2007 "college" draft picks Dan Merklinger (6th round) and Wes Etheridge (12th) are reduced to short relief roles for now, realizing that Merklinger has had some injury issues...

 

West Virginia Game Log

[Mass Haas]

The Brevard box score lists RHP John Axford, not Mike McClendon, as the starting pitcher. That's odd, since Axford piggy-backed Mike Jones start three days ago with a four-inning stint. These boxes have been incorrect before and adjusted later..

 

EDIT: McClendon entered the game after two scoreless innings from Axford.

 

Also, a second full day off for Taylor Green, unless he's a substitute player later tonight -- something's going on there, hopefully just a day-to-day situation.

[Ando Calrissian]

It's nice to see that being out of the lineup a couple games didn't dampen LaPorta's enthusiasm for hitting home runs.

[battlekow]

Gamel already has five triples, wow.

[chowyo123]

Gillespie having a great time at the plate tonight. 4-4 with 3 doubles and a HR. Keeping track of the minors has been so much fun this year, especially the Stars. I was mostly paying attention to 3-4 guys, but now it's probably up to 10.

[battlekow]

Gillespie jumped his SLG from .431 to .539 so far tonight.

[battlekow]

Gillespie finally makes an out, but Gamel adds to the fun by homering.

[pogokat]

what the hell is going on in the southern league?

 

Mat Gamel and Laportaa are on their way to slugging Prince Fielder's OPS there a few years ago...

 

Even if it is just an aberration, the numbers from that lineup are absolutely sick...people just don't do that there...

 

as mentioned many times before, Corey Hart won the MVP of that league with an .807 OPS...

 

for comparison's sake, Miguel Cabrera's .365/.429/.609 in 260 ab's is about what Mat gamel's on pace for right now (though Miggy was 20)

 

I have no idea how to compute these numbers...Huntsville is a suck place to hit...i don't want that to get lost on people less familiar with this...Mark McGwire posted a .960 OPS there in the 80's...Ryan Braun a .956 OPS...

 

craziness...

[battlekow]

Gamel just hit another homer.

[twobrewers]

Huntsville's lineup (minus pitching) is better than a few MLB clubs.

 

Two more home runs for Gamel. One more for LaPorta. Gillespie has 3 doubles and a home run.

[And That]

Huntsville scored 14 runs on 15 hits... 12 of the 15 hits were for extra bases. WOW.

[homer]

That whole lineup from top to bottom is pretty darn good. That team should put up some ridiculous numbers this year.

[battlekow]

LaPorta is now slugging .644 and Gamel is slugging .680.

[battlekow]

It should be noted that the Stars knocked around Jacob McGee, a really good pitcher, pretty damn well.

[battlekow]

Lost in the carnage: Escobar went 0-6. Ouch.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 14, Montgomery (Rays) 6

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Record Setting Night for League's Hottest Hitting Team

By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars

Matt LaPorta's three-run home run in the fifth inning snapped an early tie, as Huntsville pounded out a league record tying 13 extra base hits in a convincing 14-6 victory over Montgomery Wednesday night in the opener of a five-game set at Riverwalk Stadium. The Stars won a season-high seventh straight game to push their record to 18-8 and maintain a game and a half lead on Carolina and West Tenn in the North Division, while the Biscuits dropped a fourth in a row to fall to 9-17. The Stars collected a triple, banged out a season-best five home runs and doubled seven times to match the 13 extra base hits totaled by Charlotte against Asheville in April, 1971 and Memphis in August, 1985.

 

Mike Bell's two-out, two-run home run in the second inning staked the visitors to the lead but it didn't last very long. Gabriel Martinez was hit by a Steve Hammond pitch leading off in the home half of the inning, advanced to third base on two ground ball outs and scored on an Angel Salome passed ball. Pat Cottrell then walked and scored when Ronnie Merrill belted a two-run home run to left field to give the Biscuits a 3-2 edge.

 

Bell's two-out run-scoring hit scored Cole Gillespie to tie the game in the fourth and was the Stars' first single of the night. Ryan Crew led off the fifth against Jake McGee with a double and stayed there as the next two hitters grounded out before Mat Gamel walked and LaPorta launched a 3-2 offering over the wall in left field for the decisive blow and his league-high seventh long ball. Chris Errecart then laced a double on the next pitch, moved to third base on a passed ball and scored on Gillespie's third double of the game that knocked McGee out of the contest. The left-hander suffered the loss to fall to 2-2 after allowing seven runs on eight hits, walking one and fanning six.

 

The visitors broke the game open with four more in the seventh highlighted by a LaPorta run-scoring double and a Gillespie two-run home run. Gamel belted a leadoff long ball in the eighth and another solo shot in the ninth off the batters eye in dead center field, at least 425 away from home plate. Gamel extended his hitting streak to 15 with his sixth straight multi-hit game, while Gillespie scored three times, knocked in three and had his first four-hit game of the season.

 

Hammond lasted seven innings to grab his third win of the season, allowing four runs, three earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out six to push his league-leading total to 39.

 

The series continues Thursday morning with southpaw Derek Miller making the start for Huntsville against Biscuits' right-hander Wade Davis. Coverage of the game begins at 10:20 am central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com.

[Mass Haas]

Be sure to click on the audio link on this linked page -- it's a tour-de-force for Voice of the Stars Brett Pollock as the Stars and MiLB.com have pit together audio of the 13 extra-base hits, very cool...

 

Stars go for record number of bases

By Steve Conley / Special to MLB.com

As the old saying goes, records were meant to be broken. But the Huntsville Stars had to settle for a tie on Wednesday.

The Stars matched a 37-year-old Southern League record by rapping out 13 extra-base hits en route to their seventh straight win, a 14-6 trouncing of the Montgomery Biscuits at Riverwalk Stadium.

After the first five Stars hitters were retired by Montgomery left-hander Jacob McGee, Cole Gillespie lined a double to left field and Mike Bell followed with his second homer to left field to begin the onslaught in the second. Gillespie went 4-for-5 with three of Huntsville's seven doubles and smacked a two-run homer in the seventh.

The Stars (18-8) scored four more times in the fifth on four extra-base hits. Ryan Crew doubled to center and Mat Gamel drew a two-out walk before Matt LaPorta hit a three-run homer to left, his league-leading seventh of the year. Chris Errecart and Gillespie then ripped back-to-back doubles to left and center respectively to cap the frame.

In the seventh, Gamel tripled to center and scored on LaPorta's double ahead of Gillespie's two-run blast to left. Gamel accounted for the final two extra-base hits with solo home runs in the eighth (to left field) and ninth (to center). The 22-year-old third baseman extended his hitting streak to 15 games, during which he is hitting .453 (29-for-64) with five home runs, 16 RBIs and six straight multi-hit games. The Florida native hit in 36 consecutive games for the Brevard County Manatees a year ago.

Bell hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs for the Stars, who rank first in the Southern League in average (.297), runs (164) and on-base percentage (.373). Their 26 home runs are tied for tops in the league with Chattanooga.

The Charlotte Hornets first set the record for extra-base hits on April 24, 1971, and the mark was equaled by the Charlotte O's on Aug. 20, 1985.

Huntsville starter Steve Hammond (3-1) allowed four runs -- three earned -- on three hits and a walk while striking out six to win his second straight decision.

McGee (2-2) gave up seven runs on eight hits and a walk while fanning six over 4 2/3 frames.

Ronnie Merrill hit a two-run homer for the Biscuits (9-17), who lost their seventh straight home game.

 

Huntsville Box Score

You can say the middle of the order carried the night...

 

Huntsville Game Log