Link Report for Wed. 5/21 -- Jeffress K's 10, Nine Swinging (99 MPH)

[TuesdaysWithRillo]

My biggest problem with Brantley is now that he's not hitting in the middle .300's, he is only slugging .364 and he's only (well, "only") walked 20 times over 176 ABs so his OPS is dropping precipitously as his BA drops.

As long as he keeps his OBP around .370 I'm not worried. Power always comes later. It will develop.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 5, Sarasota (Reds) 0

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

Jeffress Shuts Down Reds

By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees

(Viera, FL) Jeremy Jeffress was dominant in his second start of the season, striking out 10 hitters in just five innings of work, leading the Manatees to a 5-0 win to complete their four-game sweep of the Sarasota Reds. The game was never in doubt, as Taylor Green blasted a two-run homer in the first inning, giving the Manatees pitching staff all the support it would need on this night. The Manatees went on to string together four hits in the third inning to add three more runs to their lead.

Jeffress (1-1) showed many signs of why he was chosen in the first round of the 2006 draft during this dazzling performance. He regularly hit the high-90s with his fastball, topping out at 99 mph, while displaying a nasty breaking ball as well. Bobby Bramhall and John Axford came in and continued the dominance with four hitless innings of relief. The Reds were held to just four hits total for the game. Jordan Smith (7-2) was hit hard by the Manatees, who tagged him for five runs in five innings to equal the highest total he has allowed this season.

The Manatees (25-21) finished their homestand at 6-2, and have won five straight games for the second time this season. Alexandre Periard (3-3, 5.75) will look to keep things rolling as the Manatees hit the road, facing off against Kyle Ginley (3-0, 1.59) and the Dunedin Blue Jays.

Brevard County Box Score

Stephen Chapman an RBI triple and a walk; Bobby Bramhall just one run allowed in five outings over 11.2 innings...

 

Brevard County Game Log

 

Jeremy Jeffress blew away the Sarasota Reds, fanning 10 in the 5-0 victory. (MiLB.com Photo by Dennis Greenblatt)

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2008/05/21/mAj3FVeq.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 6, Huntsville 5, ten innings

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

North Division Race Tightens Further

Stars Fall in Extra Innings

By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars

Stefan Gartrell scored the winning run on an error in the tenth inning to push Birmingham past Huntsville 6-5 Wednesday night in the opener of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Barons improved to 26-20 and increased their lead to five games over Jacksonville in the South, while the Stars dropped a season-high third straight game to fall to 30-16 and saw their lead over West Tenn in the North trimmed to a single game.

 

Gartrell doubled with one out in the tenth and scored the decisive run when Mike Bell couldn't cleanly field a sharply hit ball by Cole Armstrong at second base. The ball caromed off him into foul territory allowing Gartrell to score easily and hand Jason Shiell his first loss since joining the Stars. Chris Errecart and Freddy Parejo singled with two outs in the bottom of the inning against Johnny Lujan, who got Angel Salome to bounce into a force out at second base to end the game and record his first save of the season.

 

John Link, who had converted 11 of 12 save chances, opened the ninth on the hill for the Barons and retired the first two hitters before Michael Brantley singled, stole second base and scored on a base hit by Alcides Escobar that tied the game. Fernando Hernandez began the eighth inning on the mound for Birmingham and gave up two hits and a walk to load the bases before walking Mat Gamel on four pitches to force in a run that cut the Barons' lead to 5-3. Hernandez was removed from the game and replaced by Derek Rodriguez, who hit Matt LaPorta with his first pitch to score Brantley to make it 5-4. However, the right-hander bounced back to strike out Cole Gillespie and Errecart and ended the inning by getting Parejo to ground out to preserve the lead.

 

Run-scoring hits by Victor Mercedes and Cole Armstrong staked Birmingham to a 2-0 lead after four and David Cook's two-run home run, his ninth of the year and eighth in May, extended the advantage to 4-0 in the fifth. Huntsville got back into the game in the home half of the fifth against Clayton Richard on a run-scoring ground out by Salome and a two-out RBI double by Bell, who had his ninth two-hit game in his last 19 starts.

 

Stars' starter Steve Hammond went six innings, giving up four runs, the most he has yielded in any of his six home starts, on nine hits, while walking two and fanning three. Richard lasted a season-high seven frames, allowing two runs on four hits, while issuing one walk and matching a season-high with six strikeouts.

 

The series continues Thursday night with southpaw Derek Miller taking the mound for the Stars against Barons' right-hander Kyle McCulloch . Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 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

Angel Salome gunned down three of four runners trying to steal -- nice!; Mike Bell is one heck of a # 9 hitter; Chris Errecart with three hits (including two doubles) in his first start in nine days (sore back); heart of the order Mat Gamel, Matt LaPorta and Cole Gillespie 0-for-12 with two walks, five K's, and one HBP (LaPorta, who gets plunked often); Michael Brantley nailed a runner at the plate from center field in the 4th...

 

Huntsville Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Another set of photos from the Tennessean from the Sounds game

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Sounds can't control Redbirds in seventh

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

A four-run seventh inning was costly Wednesday for the Sounds, as they dropped a 7-6 decision to visiting Memphis for their second straight loss.

 

The defeat marked their first back-to-back Greer Stadium losses since their season-opening homestand.

 

Nashville rallied from a 2-0 first-inning deficit to take a 4-3 lead on Brad Nelson's sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, but couldn't avoid the damaging seventh. The Redbirds sent 10 batters to the plate against three Sounds pitchers and took advantage of three walks in the game-turning rally.

 

"Other than that one inning, we were on top of things," Nelson said after a 2-for-3, two-RBI effort. "That big inning hurt."

 

Trailing by three in the ninth, the Sounds put the winning run on base. Mel Stocker's pinch-hit leadoff double sparked the hopes, and base hits by Hernan Iribarren, Callix Crabbe and Nelson kept them alive. But Russell Branyan fouled out to third base and Vinny Rottino struck out to end the game.

 

"Playing for (Nashville Manager) Frank Kremblas, we don't quit," said Crabbe, a 2007 member of the Sounds who recently rejoined the team after opening the season with San Diego. "He doesn't let us give away at-bats. That makes a difference in tight games. We still felt like we had a chance."

 

Jeff Weaver, who pitched into the seventh, was charged with two of that inning's runs and took the loss. However, reliever Steve Bray allowed a pair of run-scoring base hits that contributed to the rally.

 

"We had a chance to make plays and get out of the inning, and we didn't," Kremblas said. "That was the difference. Bray did a good job. He gave up a 'bleeder', and one off his glove, then they hit one up the middle and we had a play at the plate that I don't know what happened."

 

Nashville, which hasn't lost a home series since losing back-to-back mid-April sets to both Iowa and Omaha, can prevent doing so again with a win in today's series finale.

 

"Things have definitely been going uphill, but we feel like we have everything in place," Crabbe said. "We've got a lot of good guys in this clubhouse, guys that have been successful."

 

What they said: "We had to come a long way back. We came back; we were just short. But everybody really did their job." - Nelson.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Sounds stumble on bases

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

A couple of base-running blunders might have played into the Sounds' 7-6 loss Wednesday to Memphis.

 

In the opening inning, Callix Crabbe slid head-first into second base on Laynce Nix's sacrifice fly to right field, then got up and took a couple of steps toward third before being doubled off first base.

 

"I didn't peek," Crabbe said. "I've got to do a better job of peeking in that situation. It could have been the difference (in the game), but that's baseball.

 

"I know better than that as a base runner."

 

The double play limited the Sounds to just one run, as the next two batters reached base before an inning-ending ground ball.

 

In the sixth inning, Eric Munson was caught off third base when Hernan Iribarren attempted a two-out steal of second base. The ensuing rundown resulted in a caught-stealing for Munson - the first for the Sounds in their last 23 tries.

 

"In that third-and-first situation, you're taking a chance," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "If they don't throw through (to second), you're going to look like that."

 

Prior to Munson's out, Nix's steal in the fifth inning was Nashville's 22nd consecutive successful attempt and gave the team a Pacific Coast League-high 52 stolen bases.

 

Heads up: Nashville third baseman Russell Branyan had a scary moment in the sixth inning.

 

Memphis' Josh Phelps broke his bat while hitting a ground ball. Both the ball and the barrel of the bat went in Branyan's direction, but the veteran fielded the ball cleanly to start an inning-ending double play.

 

The barrel, meanwhile, helicoptered past Branyan and stuck in the dirt, broken-end first.

 

"I saw (the bat) when it broke, but I didn't see it at the end," Branyan said.

 

"I knew it was close. I tried to duck, but I wanted to throw the ball."

 

The incident was similar to a May 2005 incident when Sounds pitcher Rick Helling's forearm was impaled by a bat shard during a game.

 

"He (Branyan) was aware of it coming, but he tried to make sure he made a good throw. That's a heck of a double play," Kremblas said.

 

Carpool?: Following today's series finale, the Sounds and Redbirds will play four games in Memphis beginning Friday.

 

It's one of two back-to-back home-and-home sets the Sounds are scheduled to play this season.

 

After playing four games at Round Rock, Texas, on Aug. 16-19, Nashville and the Express will come to Greer Stadium for five games Aug. 20-24.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Pre-Game Audio Interview with RHP Mike Jones

Make sure you are on the WUMP archive of May 21st, then go to the 09:00 minute mark; interesting and well-spoken, definitely worth a listen...

[igor67]

Escobar's walk numbers are still weak, but his battinga average has sure been rocketing upwards the last week or so. His slugging at .394 as well so his stick is getting closer to a level that would make me feel he can be more than just a Craig Counsell good defense and very questionable stick.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Late show ruined

Huntsville's rally in 9th topped by Birmingham's game winner in 10th

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

In the midst of their longest home-stand of the season's first half, the last place the Huntsville Stars expected to be was in a slump.

 

But after dropping a 6-5 game in 10 innings against Southern League South leader Birmingham on Wednesday in front of 1,559 fans at Joe Davis Stadium, that's where the North-leading Stars are.

 

They're now 1-5 since coming home and have four more games against their neighbor to the south. More importantly, the Stars' lead shrunk to one game with West Tenn's win over Chattanooga.

 

"I think we're just sort of having a hard time scoring runs," first baseman Chris Errecart said. "We're getting the base hits, but we're just not scoring."

 

After Birmingham struck for the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, the Stars (30-16) got two-out singles by Errecart and Freddy Parejo in the bottom half, before Angel Salome grounded into a force play to end the game.

 

Huntsville rallied from a 5-2 deficit with two runs in the eighth and a clutch two-out, two-strike single by Alcides Escobar in the ninth to tie the game. He drove in Michael Brantley, who ripped a two-out single to left and stole second.

 

But in the 10th, Birmingham's Stefan Gartrell hit a double off Jason Shiell, and catcher Cole Armstrong sent a grounder between first and second that Mike Bell couldn't corral. The ball caromed into foul ground, and the error scored Gartrell.

 

"That kind of stuff happens," said a visibly frustrated Bell. "I tried to smother it. The ground was real hard out there, and I knew it would take some sort of hop. It just bounced up and hit me. I just didn't get my glove there in time.

 

"Got to make that play. Can't blame it on the field."

 

The Stars blew a prime opportunity to tie or take the lead in the eighth. Trailing 5-2, Huntsville loaded the bases with nobody out off Fernando Hernandez before the reliever walked Mat Gamel to force in a run. After a pitching change brought Derek Rodriguez in, he hit Matt LaPorta in the arm to make it 5-4 with the bases still loaded and still nobody out.

 

Then, things tumbled downhill. Cole Gillespie and Errecart struck out swinging back-to-back, and Parejo grounded out to end the threat.

 

"That's the perfect example of how we've been playing the last six games," Errecart said.

 

Huntsville starter Steve Hammond had his second game in a row in which he didn't feature his best stuff. He allowed four runs and nine hits in six innings Wednesday.

 

He had two wild pitches and a throwing error on a pickoff that led to two runs, and he also allowed a long two-run homer by David Cook - the Barons' center fielder, not the American Idol winner.

 

"The way things are going, and we still had a chance to win the game," Stars manager Don Money said. "One base hit in the eighth, and we probably win the game."

[wvpowerblkwel]

Think about the potential future...You've got Jeffress at 98-99, Braddock that records double digit K's but whose fastball tops out much slower and from the lefthand side of the plate. Bryson who can touch the mid 90's, and Anundsen with his sinker and a 3.4 GO/AO ratio...and all of them closed out with Aguilar and his ability to hit the high 90's and even touch triple digits! Now for the fun part...ages Jeffress 20, Braddock 20, Bryson 20, Anundsen 19, Aguilar 23....Let's not trade these guys away for the likes of Scott Linebrink!!! Please!

[And That]

Chris Errecart has the quietest 924 OPS in the history of the Southern League.

[twobrewers]

I noticed that yesterday about Errecart. (I think he was around .899 OPS before yesterdays game)

We would all be talking him up quite a bit if not for all the other players mashing at Huntsville.

The problem is, we don't exactly have an opening at 1B.

[berniebrewer4life]

Please let jeffress finally be taking his career seriously. I would hate for him to waste it away in the minors.

[TheCrew07]

Part of me wants to believe that Errecart is the true beneficiary of all of the other bats around him... but I don't want to take anything away from him. If he continues to hit for power and can improve his numbers slightly he's got a legit shot. I'm just unsure how he'd fit in Milwaukee, we already have too many 1B/Corner OF prospects.

[Cracked Bat Collector]

I was at the Brevard County game last night with Jeffress pitching.? He can really bring it, that's all I can say. Located the fastball very well most of the time and the off speed stuff wasn't bad either. According to the gun under the scoreboard he was continually pumping in 96 mph and making some of those guys look flat out silly.? He was making college hitters such as Stubbs and Frazier look bad at times even. A lot of guys in the lineup for Sarasota early were so far behind they were barely fouling pitches off even. It was a lot of fun to watch him pitch. Bramhall looked amazing too coming in for the final 4 innings. Taylor Green's homer was an oppo shot if it wasn't noted and you knew it was gone immediately. I took a few video clips from the games I was at there this week.? Here's one of Omar Aguilar from Tuesday below. I have short clips of Braddock and Jeffress too that I'll try to get uploaded as well.

 

 

[Cracked Bat Collector]

Zach Braddock video clip:

 

[TheCrew07]

Thanks for the videos! I'm really jealous of you guys that get to watch the minor league players... my hope is someday the Foxes are a Milwaukee affiliate... that's about my only chance to see our kids play live.

[BrewCrewForever]

Great news on Jeffress wow!

[Gopher74]

....Let's not trade these guys away for the likes of Scott Linebrink!!! Please!

You know how you said those guys throw in the mid 90's? The guys we traded did not. The guys we traded are 11th man on a staff type.

 

[TooLiveBrew]

Inman is projected by most to be a #4/#5 SP.