Link Report for Games of Sunday, June 8th

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Sunday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: RHP Richie Gardner at home vs. Albuquerque (Marlins), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:00 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: LHP Brae Wright at home vs. West Tenn (Mariners), 4:50 PM pre-game; 5:05 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. Fort Myers (Twins), 12:00 PM gametime

 

Audio link via the Miracle's SportsJuice site:

http://www.sportsjuice.com/broadcaster2.aspx?bid=MTQ5-g%2fzH4cwYBjA%3d

 

West Virginia: RHP R.J. Seidel at Lexington (Astros), 4:50 PM pre-game, 5:05 gametime

 

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

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

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia's game at Lexington is also available for subscription viewing at MiLB.TV.

[Mass Haas]

Follow Sunday'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_06_08_albaaa_nasaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_08_wtdaax_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_08_ftmafa_breafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_08_wvaafx_lexafx_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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 34 27 .557 - 19-11 15-16 W4 Memphis 31 32 .492 4.0 12-15 19-17 L2 Omaha 29 31 .483 4.5 15-18 14-13 L3 Nashville 27 34 .443 7.0 15-15 12-19 W3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 38 25 .603 - 21-12 17-13 W1 West Tenn 37 26 .587 1.0 21-9 16-17 L1 Carolina 34 28 .548 3.5 16-11 18-17 W2 Chattanooga 33 30 .524 5.0 20-15 13-15 W2 Tennessee 26 37 .413 12.0 13-20 13-17 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 39 23 .629 - 24-9 15-14 L2 Brevard County 31 31 .500 8.0 20-14 11-17 L1 Vero Beach 31 31 .500 8.0 19-12 12-19 W1 Daytona 30 32 .484 9.0 15-16 15-16 W3 Jupiter 30 32 .484 9.0 17-12 13-20 W2 St. Lucie 15 47 .242 24.0 7-24 8-23 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 36 25 .590 - 15-15 21-10 L1 Lakewood 35 26 .574 1.0 19-14 16-12 W3 Delmarva 33 27 .550 2.5 20-11 13-16 L3 Greensboro 33 29 .532 3.5 13-18 20-11 L1 Hagerstown 29 31 .483 6.5 13-18 16-13 W1 Hickory 28 35 .444 9.0 12-17 16-18 L4 West Virginia 27 34 .443 9.0 8-18 19-16 W2 Lexington 19 42 .311 17.0 9-24 10-18 L4 

[uwisfan]

Butler with a gem so far today.. shutout and 7 Ks through 5...

[twobrewers]

Butler pitches 6 shutout innings.

 

He really needed that.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 5, Fort Myers (Twins) 0

Game Summary from the Miracle's Site:

VIERA, F.L. - After coming up scoreless on Saturday night, the Brevard County Manatees decided to return the favor to the Fort Myers Miracle by blanking the West Division's best team in a 5-0 win on Sunday afternoon. The top five hitters in the Manatees lineup combined to go 8-for-18 with all five RBI in the afternoon win at Space Coast Stadium.

 

After Miracle starter Jeff Manship retired the Manatees three up, three down in the first three frames, the 'Tees were able to break through with three hits in their fourth for a 1-0 lead. Jimmy Mojica led off the inning with a base hit to center, quickly stole second, and later came around on a two-out single by Friday's hero, Charlie Fermaint, for the one-run advantage.

 

A pair of runs in the Brevard sixth catapulted the Manatees out to a three-run lead after three-straight singles by Mojica, Lorenzo Cain and Taylor Green started things off. Fermaint would pick up his second RBI of the day with a groundout to second plating Mojica, while Stephen Chapman came through with a sacrifice-fly to center putting the Manatees up by three.

 

Two in the seventh gave the Manatees their final runs of the day in another three-hit inning, this one capped off by Mojica's sac-fly to center and RBI-triple to right by Cain. All three innings in which the Manatees crossed the plate were apart of three-hit frames, with a total of 10 hits on the day.

 

Base running miscues crippled the Miracle on Sunday as a caught stealing by Yangervis Solarte, two pickoffs at first of Danny Santiestiban and double play hit into by Wilson Ramos took the Miracle out of four potential run-scoring innings in the matinee. The Miracle also struck out 44 times in the four-game series, but were still able to leave Space Coast Stadium with a 2-2 split.

 

Brevard County Box Score

Surely Brewerfan had put the pressure on Josh Butler to pony up with a big effort -- nice job in his six innings, although he did walk three and hit one batter; Jimmy Mojica productive whie giving Brent Brewer a day off; Manatees win despite failing to draw a base on balls themselves...

 

Brevard County Game Log

[battlekow]

Butler's best start as a Brewer, though Ft. Myers' lineup didn't exactly look imposing.

[Mass Haas]

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

 

Butler, Manatees Blank Miracle, 5-0

By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees

(Viera, FL) Josh Butler and the Brevard County Manatees rebounded to shutout the Fort Myers Miracle Sunday, 5-0. Butler (2-7) battled through a rough first inning, in which he surrendered three walks and one hit, but escaped without allowing a run. He found his rhythm after that inning, pitching six shutout innings for the Manatees, allowing just four hits and striking out seven. Casey Baron and Mike McClendon finished off the shutout for Brevard County. Jeff Manship (7-3) suffered the loss for the Miracle, allowing three runs in six innings.

Jimmy Mojica, Lorenzo Cain, and Stephen Chapman each had two hits and an RBI to lead the Manatees offensive attack. Charlie Fermaint continued his solid play in the series, knocking in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly. The win gave the Manatees a 2-2 split in the four-game series against the best team in the FSL.

The Manatees head west to Lakeland to begin a four-game set Monday, which will take them to the All-Star break. Bobby Bramhall (1-3, 3.15) will make his first start of the season, matching up against Jonah Nickerson (5-3, 3.99) of the Flying Tigers.

Jimmy Mojica steals second base in the 4th inning of the Manatees 5-0 win. (MiLB.com Photo by Dennis Greenblatt)

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2008/06/08/CVmPJIzV.jpg

[twobrewers]

Gamel's 53 game on base streak is in danger.

 

He probably only gets one more at bat.

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers never send their college-age draft pitchers to full-season ball at all, but this Power staff could change their minds, especially based on the sheer number of pitchers drafted and (eventually) signed. Ugly night tonight for sure.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Pitcher Ben Howard

[Mass Haas]

Final: Albuquerque (Marlins) 8, Nashville 2

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Richie Gardner photo, text follows --

 

Isotopes Spoil Sounds' Sweep Attempt In Finale

NASHVILLE - The Nashville Sounds offense had no answer for Albuquerque Isotopes starter Dallas Trahern in an 8-2 defeat on Sunday afternoon at Greer Stadium.

 

Trahern (1-5) broke a five-game losing streak and earned his first victory of the season for the Isotopes after giving up only one run on four hits in seven innings of work. Taylor Tankersley pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Marcos Carvajal gave up one run in the ninth to hold the Nashville offense to two runs on six hits for the game.

 

Richie Gardner (5-2) had a reversal of Trahern's fortune, snapping his five-game win streak to take his first loss in his last eight starts. He pitched six innings and only gave up three unearned runs to turn in his third quality start of the season but was a victim of poor run support.

 

Nashville plated its first run in the bottom of the first inning when Callix Crabbe hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Hernan Iribarren from third. Iribarren had led off with a double, which extended his hit streak to a season-high seven games.

 

After two scoreless innings to start his outing, Gardner ran into trouble when he gave up consecutive walks to Alberto Concepcion and Dante Brinkley to start the top of the third inning for the Isotopes. Dallas McPherson then moved the runners over on a sacrifice bunt, and on the next play, Jai Miller knocked a grounder to third baseman Adam Heether, who threw to home and got Concepcion stuck in a rundown. Unfortunately, Heether eventually overthrew Gardner at the plate and both Concepcion and Brinkley scored on the play.

 

Another rundown followed during the next at-bat when a failed suicide squeeze bunt by Chris Barnwell got Miller caught trying to steal home for Albuquerque. Barnwell made up for the missed bunt by belting his fifth home run of the year over the left field wall on the very next pitch. The eventful inning finally ended when Tagg Bozied flied out, but not until after three unearned runs scored for Albuquerque.

 

The Isotopes extended their lead in the top of the seventh inning after Barnwell hit an RBI single off Sounds reliever Jason Shiell to score Dante Brinkley from third. Barnwell, a former Sound who spent the last three seasons in Music City, finished the day 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

 

Shiell's struggles continued in the top of the eighth when he gave up four more runs to the Isotopes off the help of three consecutive run-scoring singles from Chase Lambin, Concepcion, and Brinkley. Over his two innings pitched, Shiell gave up five runs on six hits before Erasmo Ramirez pitched a scoreless ninth to prevent any further scoring from the Isotopes.

 

Albuquerque notched 13 hits on the day, surpassing their total of 12 over the last three games against the Sounds.

 

Crabbe knocked an RBI double to score Gwynn in the bottom of the ninth to plate the only other Sounds run. A win would have marked the first series sweep on the season for the Sounds after they handed three straight losses to the Isotopes.

 

AUDIO: Strike 'Em Out, Throw 'Em Out DP

 

After spending nine days at home, the Sounds will hit the road for an eight-day trip and start a four-game series tomorrow with the Oklahoma RedHawks at 7:05 p.m. at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. Southpaw Sam Narron (3-0, 3.62) will start for Nashville against right-hander Dustin Nippert (4-1, 4.21) for Oklahoma.

 

The Sounds will return to Greer Stadium on Tuesday, June 17, to start an eight-game homestand with series against the RedHawks and Memphis Redbirds.

 

Nashville Box Score

 

Nashville Game Log

[twobrewers]

Gamel is officially in a slump.

 

It was one hell of a streak.

[TheCrew07]

The Brewers never send their college-age draft pitchers to full-season ball at all, but this Power staff could change their minds, especially based on the sheer number of pitchers drafted and (eventually) signed. Ugly night tonight for sure.

Frankly I expected more out of Seidel and Tyson this year... Mercedes has never proven he guys out above R+, Garcia has been poor all year, after posting a relative impressive K to BB ratio last year in Helena.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Lexington (Astros) 16, West Virginia 8

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

POWER LOSE SLUGFEST IN LEXINGTON

 

The West Virginia Power and Lexington Legends each homered four times on Sunday night at Applebee's Park, but the Legends outscored the Power 11-0 in the middle three innings of the game and erased an early 6-1 deficit to take the final game of the series 16-8.

 

Lee Haydel began the game with a triple and scored on Matt Cline's sacrifice fly. Jonathan Lucroy followed with his tenth homer of the season to give the Power a 2-0 lead, extending his hitting streak to six games. Eric Farris's error allowed Collin DeLome to score in the second to cut the lead in half. Zelous Wheeler and Steffan Wilson both went deep in the third to put the Power ahead by five. Wheeler's three-run shot was his sixth of the season, extending his hitting streak to eight games and it was Wilson's first of two on the night, giving the Power a 6-1 lead.

 

The Legends scored multiple runs in the next four innings and never looked back. DeLome hit a solo blast in the fourth and Ronald Ramirez doubled in the next two. Lexington scored five times in the fifth to take the lead. DeLome singled in the first run and Max Sapp hit Lexington's first of two grand slams to put the Legends ahead for good. Matt Cusick's triple scored Craig Corrado in the sixth inning before Eric Taylor hit a two-run blast. Corrado's fifth hit of the game was a grand slam in the seventh inning to bring in Lexington's final four runs. Wilson went deep again for the Power in the eighth inning, hitting a two-run blast to score West Virginia's final runs. Wilson is now the team leader with 11 bombs on the season.

 

Jordan Powell (1-5) held the Power to just two hits over four scoreless innings of relief to get the victory. Nick Tyson (2-2) was tagged with the loss allowing four runs on three hits and failed to record an out in the fifth inning before being relieved by Roque Mercedes. Mercedes allowed three of Tyson's inherited runners to score when he surrendered the first Legend grand slam.

 

The Power fell to 27-35 with the loss and the Legends improved to 20-42 with the win. The four home runs were the most in a single game this season for West Virginia. Wilson's multi-homerun game was also a first in '08 for the Power. Eight Power players hit safely at least once. Haydel, Lucroy and Wilson paced the Power with two hits each.

 

The Power will begin a three game series with the Kannapolis Intimidators at Appalachian Power Park on Monday night. Right hander Amaury Rivas (5-1, 2.50) will get the start for the Power and the Intimidators will counter with right hander Jason Rice (1-5, 5.40). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score

Steffan Wilson's OPS now up to .808; Jonathan Lucroy pushed his to .916 today; none of R.J. Seidel's numbers for the season are worth crowing about; 21-year-old Roque Mercedes and just-turned 20-year-old Jose Garcia are being consistently overpowered...

 

West Virginia Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Tenn (Mariners) 2, Huntsville 0

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Thomas Twirls Complete Game Shutout Over Stars

Down to Six Games to Determine Division Winner

By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars

Justin Thomas tossed a complete-game five-hit shutout Sunday evening to push West Tenn to a 2-0 win and back into a first place tie with Huntsville in the North Division. The two teams are tied at 38-26 with one game left in the five-game series and six in the first half. The Stars were blanked for the first time this season.

 

Freddy Parejo tripled with one out in the third and was left stranded when Thomas got Michael Brantley to ground out to first base against a drawn-in infield and Alcides Escobar to ground out to end the frame and keep the game scoreless.

 

Escobar led off the sixth with a single and advanced on a ground ball out before he was thrown out trying to steal third base. Thomas then retired the next 11 hitters to end the game and throw the second complete game shutout of his career. He fanned a season-high ten and has now struck out 17, without issuing a walk, over 14 2/3 innings in his two outings against the Stars this season.

 

Huntsville starter Brae Wright allowed only two hits through five shutout frames before Mike Wilson launched a one-out home run, his 12th of the year, over the scoreboard in left-center field to break up the scoreless duel. Luis Valbuena singled with one out in the seventh and Wright was taken out of the game and replaced by Juan Sandoval, who gave up a hit and run single to Brent Johnson that pushed Valbuena to third. Mike Saunders then singled past a diving second baseman Mike Bell into right field to score Valbuena and advance Johnson to third, from where he tried to sneak home after the relay throw and was gunned down by Bell. Wright allowed two runs on five hits, while walking three and fanning six but suffered the loss to drop to 4-6.

 

The series wraps up Monday night with right-hander Donovan Hand getting the starting nod for Huntsville against Diamond Jaxx right-hander Denny Stark. 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

Complete game shutout aginst this lineup, walking none and striking out ten? Tip your proverbial cap -- how has 24-year-old Mariner prospect Justin Thomas posted rather pedestrian numbers all season...

 

Huntsville Game Log

[gregmag]

This is probably old news, but I just noticed that Jon Lucroy and Angel Salome were born less than a week apart. The fact that Lucroy is a legitimately exciting prospect really puts what Salome is doing at AA in some kind of perspective.

 

Greg.

[pogokat]

Lorenzo Cain has been mashing in BC for over a month now...he should definitely move up at the all-star break...he's earned his reprieve from that cesspool

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Naught a good result

Mustering zero offense, Stars suffer first shutout and fall into first-place tie

By BILL BRYANT

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, bill.bryant@htimes.com

 

For a team with as much offensive pop as the Huntsville Stars, they sure didn't give starting pitcher Brae Wright a puncher's chance Sunday night against West Tenn.

 

As a result, Huntsville has only earned a split decision through four games of a crucial five-game home set, leaving it tied with the Diamond Jaxx atop the Southern League North with six games remaining in the first half.

 

The left-handed Wright (4-6) allowed just two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. But the Stars couldn't solve fellow southpaw Justin Thomas (4-5), who won the talent show with his best Johan Santana impression - nine innings, five hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts - in a 2-0 West Tenn win before 2,216 at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

"I had everything working - the fastball, slider and changeup," said Thomas, who entered the contest with a nondescript 5.16 earned run average. "I've been in Double-A for two years, and this was by far my best performance."

 

If Huntsville manager Don Money could hand out a grade lower than "F" to his club for this game, he'd do it.

 

"For some unknown reason, we were flatter than Florida," said Money, whose team hosts the Diamond Jaxx again tonight at 7:05. "Now we're tied again.

 

"This should have been like a playoff game to them. If you can't get up for games like this ... I can't figure it out."

 

Through the first five innings, both lefties posted zeroes across the scoreboard. Then, in the top of the sixth, designated hitter Mike Wilson hit a Wright offering over the scoreboard to give West Tenn a 1-0 lead.

 

"I made one mistake," Wright said. "He hit a bomb."

 

"He's got stupid power," Thomas added.

 

The Diamond Jaxx scored another run in the top of the seventh, but Wilson's blast was all Thomas needed to subdue the Stars.

 

The two times Huntsville got something going - Freddy Parejo had a one-out triple in the third inning and Alcides Escobar reached second base with one down in the sixth - nothing materialized.

 

Parejo was left stranded by two ground-outs, and Escobar ran into trouble later when he got caught trying to steal third.

 

"We had guys running bases like they played four games today," Money said.

 

Just as puzzling was Huntsville's inability to produce against Thomas, not so much because of his bloated ERA, but because it has handled lefties so well this season. The Stars were hitting at a .330 clip against them coming into Sunday.

 

Huntsville's top three hitters - Mat Gamel, Michael Brantley and Escobar - who, incidentally, are also 1-2-3 in the league batting race, went a combined 1-for-13.

 

"We were flat all up and down the lineup, though you have to give (Thomas) credit," Money said. "Brae Wright pitched a very solid game. But their guy pitched a great game."

 

Hatton High School graduate Donovan Hand is scheduled to start on the mound for the Stars tonight.

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com

 

One Step Forward, One Step Back

 

A pre-game Christian concert outside the stadium attracted 2,216 on this sweltering 94° afternoon where you would sit in the stands and think of nothing but how refreshing a shower would be right now....... Here's an idea for Buck. Have a small jazz combo or four or five piece band perform out in the party deck. Better yet, wait until you get that new sound system you've been telling us about. Microphone problems are constantly plaguing on-the-field announcements and national anthem singers.

 

Well, one more comparison to the 1997 season has fallen by the wayside. For the first time this season, the Stars were shut out....... Justin Thomas, who faced the Stars last April 11 (5 2/3 innings of relief, 5 H, 2 R) went the distance in holding the Stars to five hits -- the lowest total for the Stars since April 12..... Mumba Rivera, with 10 saves in his last 11 opportunities, was warm and ready in the 9th. Thomas had thrown 103 pitches in eight innings. But manager Scott Steinmann let Thomas finish the game..... He retired the side on 13 pitches, striking out in the 9th, Alcides Escobar and Angel Salome, sandwiching Mat Gamel on a first-pitch fly ball to right-center. His two strikeouts gave him a season-high 10........ Wish we had the Justin Thomas that was 3-3 in May with a 6.27 ERA.

 

All that heat embedded in the Stars' bats the last two months somehow escaped into the atmosphere and the stands....... Gamel went 0-for-4 for only the 6th time this season -- the first time since May 21...... Escobar lined a one-hop hit to right in the 6th inning, extending his hitting streak to 14 games, two shy of Gamel's streak of late April-early May...... Matt LaPorta hit a hard grounder through short into left in the 2nd inning for the Stars first hit, but was left on base after Cole Gillespie and Chris Errecart struck out swinging. LaPorta has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games....... Errecart and Gillespie have struck out 57 and 53 times respectively, leading the team. Gillespie is in a bad slump. He's 5-for-30 this month and 7-for-39 (.179) in his last 11 games...... The closest the Stars came to bringing anyone home was after Freddy Parejo tripled down the right field line with one out in the 3rd inning. But Michael Brantley bounced out to first on an 0-1 pitch and Escobar grounded out to Mark Kiger moving toward the bag to end the inning.

 

Big Michael Wilson, the Diamond Jaxx HR leader, broke a scoreless tie in the 6th with a home run over -- and I mean OVER the scoreboard. It was hit so hard, none of the three outfielders did more than turn their heads to watch it go.

 

The Stars, who have not won three straight games since mid-May, will send Donovan Hand to the hill in the hopes of concluding this crucial series with a one-game lead over the Diamond Jaxx before traveling to Jacksonville, where they have lost nine of their last 10 games.

 

Mat Gamel, a shoo-in in my opinion for the league MVP, is still 2 hits shy of 100 for the season....... Only one other Huntsville Star, D.T. Cromer in 1997, has ever reached that milestone total in June, and Cromer got there on June 25.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Poor hitting keeps Sounds from longest streak of year

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Four seems to be an unlucky number for the Sounds lately.

 

By allowing four unearned runs Sunday, the Sounds lost 8-2 to Albuquerque at Greer Stadium, preventing them from extending their win streak to a season-high four games and marking the third time the team missed an opportunity to win four straight.

 

"It's hard to beat somebody four times in a row - especially when you're not hitting," said Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas, whose team was held to six hits.

 

Nashville took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Hernan Iribarren's leadoff double and Callix Crabbe's one-out sacrifice fly. But by the time Crabbe doubled home Tony Gwynn in the ninth, Albuquerque had scored eight unanswered runs.

 

"The way we started, you think it's going to be a good offensive day for us," Crabbe said. "I was thinking we were going to get more. But that's how baseball goes sometimes."

 

For Nashville starter Richie Gardner, the loss was his first in eight starts. Since losing April 28 against Colorado Springs, Gardner had been 5-0 with a pair of no-decisions.

 

The Isotopes took three of four in Albuquerque during the first month of the season, outscoring Nashville 41-37 in the four games. During the Sounds' last road trip, the two teams scored 27 runs each and split a series.

 

"All of us wanted to sweep," Gardner said. "We didn't come away with that, but that's all right. We're playing good baseball. I think we're playing well, and if we just keep doing our thing, good things are going to keep happening."

 

What they said: "We'll try to take this momentum into Oklahoma City. I think we're in good shape as a team. Three of four - it's a start. We'll take it." - Crabbe.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Hasty style of base-running bites Sounds

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Under fourth-year Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas, the team's base-running style has been aggressive.

 

That style might have been costly over the past couple of days - particularly in Sunday's 8-2 loss to Albuquerque.

 

With the Sounds trailing 3-1 with one out in the fourth inning, Brad Nelson doubled into the right-field corner and advanced to third when the throw went across the field. However, Nelson was thrown out attempting to score on the play.

 

Laynce Nix followed with an inning-ending fly out - one that had the potential to be a sacrifice fly with Nelson at third.

 

"I don't know if I helped (Nelson) at all," said Kremblas, who also coaches third base. "He was looking at the ball. I can't make that decision for him. I had no problem with it; I think the guy (third baseman Dallas McPherson) made a nice throw.

 

"I think he made up his mind he was going to go."

 

On Saturday, Adam Heether was thrown out trying to tag up and score from third a fifth-inning fly ball to shallow left field. Three innings later, Mel Stocker was gunned down as he tried to score from second base on a two-out single to right field.

 

Sitting on a streak: Sounds catcher Vinny Rottino was not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game, putting his 17-game hitting streak on hold. Rottino's streak remains the longest current streak in the Pacific Coast League and the fifth-longest in the league this season.

 

Working on a streak: Hernan Iribarren, who sat out the previous two games after extending his hitting streak to six games Thursday, picked up where he left off.

 

Leading off for the Sounds, his double raised his streak to a season-high seven games.

 

Barnwell gets to former team: Albuquerque shortstop Chris Barnwell, who spent the previous three seasons with the Sounds, went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an RBI base hit Sunday.

 

"I got in there and stopped trying to do things, and just hit," said Barnwell, who had been 1-for-10 for the series. "I felt better.

 

"Their approach pitching had been better than my approach hitting."

 

In eight previous games against the Sounds this year, he had hit .407 (11-for-27) with a home run, five doubles, seven runs scored and 13 RBIs.

 

Expiration of time match: With both the Isotopes and the three-man umpiring crew booked on a 6:45 p.m. flight to Dallas, a travel curfew was in place for Sunday's series finale. Under the terms of the curfew, no inning would have started after 3:50 p.m.

 

At 3:50, the Sounds were batting in the bottom of the ninth. Had they tied the score and forced extra innings, the game would have been suspended and picked up in the top of the 10th on the second day of a four-game series in August at Greer Stadium.