Link Report for Games of Tuesday, August 19th

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Tuesday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central except Arizona League; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at Round Rock (Astros), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime

 

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

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t556

 

Huntsville: RHP Donovan Hand at Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime

 

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

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

Brevard County: Idle

 

West Virginia: RHP Reed Dickert at home vs. Asheville (Rockies), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

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

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t525

 

Helena: RHP Wily Peralta at home vs. Ogden (Dodgers), 7:55 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime

 

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

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t433

 

Arizona: TBD vs. the Padres' kids at home in Maryvale, 7:00 PM local Mountain Standard Time

 

Never any audio for the Maryvale Crew

[Mass Haas]

Follow Tuesday'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 "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_08_19_nasaaa_rreaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_19_hunaax_biraax_1

 

West Virginia:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_19_ashafx_wvaafx_1

 

Helena:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_19_ogdrok_helrok_1

 

Arizona:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_19_pdrrok_brrrok_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):

 

[Mass Haas]

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 77 52 .597 - 46-22 31-30 W7 Memphis 69 60 .535 8.0 33-30 36-30 W1 Omaha 54 75 .419 23.0 25-38 29-37 L2 Nashville 54 76 .415 23.5 25-38 29-38 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 35 21 .625 - 18-8 17-13 L1 Tennessee 28 28 .500 7.0 13-17 15-11 W2 Huntsville 27 29 .482 8.0 14-16 13-13 W1 West Tenn 24 31 .436 10.5 11-18 13-13 W1 Chattanooga 23 33 .411 12.0 11-15 12-18 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 31 22 .585 - 20-9 11-13 W2 Jupiter 32 23 .582 - 15-11 17-12 L2 St. Lucie 29 24 .547 2.0 12-11 17-13 W1 Palm Beach 28 27 .509 4.0 16-13 12-14 L1 Brevard County 26 30 .464 6.5 12-16 14-14 L1 Vero Beach 16 40 .286 16.5 6-22 10-18 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 39 18 .684 - 20-6 19-12 W5 Lakewood 36 21 .632 3.0 18-12 18-9 W1 Delmarva 32 24 .571 6.5 16-14 16-10 W5 Lake County 27 29 .482 11.5 12-14 15-15 L1 Greensboro 23 34 .404 16.0 10-16 13-18 L1 Hagerstown 21 36 .368 18.0 9-18 12-18 L6 Lexington 19 37 .339 19.5 9-18 10-19 L4 Hickory 17 40 .298 22.0 6-23 11-17 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 12 5 .706 - 9-3 3-2 L2 Great Falls 11 10 .524 3.0 6-4 5-6 W2 Helena 7 14 .333 7.0 2-8 5-6 W1 Missoula 5 16 .238 9.0 5-5 0-11 W1 

[Mass Haas]

Arizona League Standings

[battlekow]

Huntsville goes against Aaron Poreda today. Poreda is Evan Frederickson 2007 in a lot of regard: tall lefty from the University of San Francisco that unexpectedly starting bringing it the high 90s. Poreda doesn't (or didn't) have as good of a breaking ball, but he has better control (as if that's difficult).

[LouisEly]

from the University of San Francisco that unexpectedly starting bringing it the high 90s

 

Is BALCO still in business?

[Thwarted By the Thracians]

Does anyone know the format for the Sally League playoffs? I'm wondering what the odds of seeing West Virginia coming back down here to Augusta in the postseason.

[wildbobu]

How many outfield assists is that now for Gindl? Hopefully he can avoid the near .300 slump this time.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 8, Round Rock (Astros) 5, completed early, 6.5 innings, rain

Nashville Site Game Summary:
Link for Hernan Iribarren photo, text follows --

Sounds Win Rain-Shortened Finale In Texas, 8-5

ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Nashville Sounds wrapped up their brief road trip with a rain-shortened 8-5 victory over the Round Rock Express on Tuesday evening at The Dell Diamond in the finale of a four-game series.

The game was called due to rain after being delayed in the middle of the seventh inning.

Nashville (54-76) took three of the four contests from the Express in the series.

The Sounds jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning when four of the first five batters in the contest singled off Round Rock starter Runelvys Hernandez, including RBI knocks by Joe Dillon and Jay Gibbons (two-run single).

The Express responded in the bottom of the frame with three consecutive singles to start the frame and posted two runs in the inning to reduce the deficit to 3-2.

Round Rock grabbed a 4-3 lead in the third when Ray Sadler belted his 20th home run of the year, a two-run shot to left off Sam Narron that also plated Mark Saccomanno.

Nashville pulled back in front with a three-run sixth against Hernandez. Chris Woodward opened the inning with a single before scoring the tying run from first on Narron's RBI single to right as the Sounds hurler helped his own cause. After Tony Gwynn reached on a bunt single, Hernan Iribarren ripped a two-run double to right to stake the visitors to a 6-4 advantage.

AUDIO: Iribarren Go-Ahead Two-Run Double

The Express got a run back in the bottom of the sixth on Danny Klassen's RBI single before the Sounds tacked on two more in the seventh to extend the lead to 8-5. With one out, Adam Heether, Woodward, Carlos Corporan, and pinch-hitter Callix Crabbe put together four consecutive singles against Round Rock reliever Fernando Nieve, the last two of those knocks plating runs.

Narron (8-4) earned his team-leading eighth win for Nashville after allowing five runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings of work. Hernandez (7-7) took the loss after giving up six runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 frames.

Both teams travel to Nashville on Wednesday to begin a five-game series at Greer Stadium. Left-hander Chris Narveson (5-12, 5.13) will start Wednesday's 6 p.m. contest for the Sounds and face Round Rock right-hander (8-7, 4.80).

Nashville Box Score
Chris Woodward 10-for-his-last-18; Sam Narron now 14-5 between AA and AAA...

Nashville Game Log
Wouldn't Erasmo Ramirez earn the save, not the hold, based on the early final?

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Round Rock comes up short, loses to Sounds

By Mark Swanson

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT

 

ROUND ROCK - Right now, the Express can't beat much of anyone, be it a Pacific Coast League team or the weather.

 

Again, Round Rock was shelled in the first inning, but this time heavy rains kept it from possibly staging a late-inning rally, as Nashville won 8-5 Tuesday night in a game called in the bottom of the seventh.

 

After scoring a combined 13 first-inning runs in the first three games of the series, the Sounds touched up Express starter Runelvys Hernandez for three more first-inning runs on four hits Tuesday.

 

Tony Gwynn, Hernan Iribarren and Joe Dillon all singled before Jay Gibbons' double scored two. For the four-games series, Nashville averaged four runs and a .645 batting average in the opening frame.

 

"Well, at least it wasn't five runs, so we at least had a chance to come back," Express manager Dave Clark said. "We're going to see these guys the rest of the week, so we've seen almost everyone they've got. Hopefully we've learned something."

 

The Express led for just four innings of its four games against the Sounds.

 

Round Rock did climb back into the game Tuesday. The Express matched Nashville with three singles in the first while scoring two runs.

 

Round Rock even held a brief lead after Ray Sadler's two-run homer in the third.

 

Nashville scored the tying run in almost embarrassing fashion.

 

Nashville's soft-tossing, slow-footed starting pitcher, Sam Narron, blooped a sixth-inning single to right center that somehow fell between Sadler and Yordany Ramirez. Chris Woodward scored all the way from first on the play to tie the game at 4.

 

Iribarren doubled home two more runs later in the inning to make it 6-4. The Sounds tacked on two more in the seventh before the rains came.

 

Nashville (55-76) has the PCL's worst record this season, but the Express is just 7-10 in August and has lost five of its past seven.

 

The two teams will start a five-game series today in Nashville, Round Rock's final road trip.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Sounds' ugly year could be the worst

By STEVE SILVER

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

As the Sounds open their final homestand of the season tonight, they will not be battling for a division championship or even a wild-card spot in the playoffs.

 

This year, instead of trying to win a title, the Sounds are hoping to avoid one - the distinction of worst team in franchise history.

 

With a 54-76 (.415) record entering Tuesday's game, the Sounds have to win 10 of their last 14 games to steer clear of posting the worst season in the Nashville team's 30-year history.

 

"I certainly think we knew that the success wouldn't continue, but I'm not sure anyone envisioned it falling off as badly as it has," said Gord Ash, vice president of baseball operations for the Milwaukee Brewers, the Sounds' major-league affiliate.

 

Despite winning three consecutive Pacific Coast League American North division titles and making an appearance in the PCL championship series last year, part of the Sounds' woes this year stem from the natural cycling of talent in minor league baseball.

 

The Brewers (72-54 entering Tuesday) have successfully built their club into National League Central division title contenders through their farm system, which means they inevitably had to raid the Sounds of top prospects such as Manny Parra and Ryan Braun.

 

"Unfortunately you're going to have these types of years," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "As players move up, they leave voids. That's not an excuse, but we had a number of guys who took longer to progress at this level than we thought."

 

The most glaring deficiency this season has been their lack of offense. Through 130 games, the Sounds are batting just .259 - the second-worst average in the PCL. They have also hit a league-low 100 home runs.

 

Sounds stats are off

 

That's why the Sounds have outscored 685-594. The slugging stats are a far cry from the 159 home runs and 718 runs the Sounds notched last season.

 

"It was certainly one of the more rough seasons I've ever been a part of," said outfielder Tony Gwynn, who is batting .266 with 23 RBIs.

"We just couldn't seem to get everything going at once. The pitching and the offense never matched up."

 

Although the Sounds' pitching staff hardly shut down opponents, it did provide for some of the brighter spots of an otherwise dreary season.

 

Tim Dillard is 6-0 with a 1.83 ERA in 34 appearances and Mark DiFelice is 5-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 12 starts. Even journeyman Lindsay Gulin, who is 6-7, managed to maintain a 3.84 ERA in 124 innings.

 

"There were certainly some highlights in the pitching," Ash said. "This season should not be seen as a total loss because we have players progressing to where they can and already have helped the major league team succeed."

 

Derailed in April

 

In the standings, the 2008 season seemed doomed from the start. The Sounds dropped nine of their first 10 games and finished the opening month of April 7-18 (.389).

 

"We obviously started out rough and we went into a downslide that we have never really recovered from," Kremblas said.

 

At 25-38, the Sounds are tied for the worst home record in the PCL. They have nine more games at Greer Stadium before closing out in New Orleans.

 

"I'm really not sure why they didn't play as well at home as they have in the past," play-by-play announcer Chuck Valenches said. "I think what really happened is they got off to a bad start at home and it grew from there. It was something that just stuck in their minds all season when they prepared for home games."

 

The Sounds are averaging 5,437 fans per game, down from the average of 5,885 last season, but still good enough for the ninth highest attendance in the 16-team PCL.

 

Sounds' records since joining Pacific Coast League. Brewers affiliation started in 2005.

Year Record (Pct.) Playoffs

1998 67-76 (.469) No

1999 80-60 (.571) No

2000 63-79 (.444) No

2001 64-77 (.454) No

2002 72-71 (.503) No

2003 81-62 (.566) Yes

2004 63-79 (.444) No

2005 75-69 (.521) Yes

2006 76-68 (.528) Yes

2007 89-55 (.618) Yes

2008 60-84 (.417)* No

[Mass Haas]

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 7, Huntsville 5, 11 innings

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Walk-Off Win for Barons in Eleven
Mercedes Makes History By Hitting for Second Career Cycle
By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars

Victor Mercedes drilled the game-winning home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning to lift Birmingham to a wild 7-5 win over Huntsville Tuesday night in the second of a five-game set at Regions Park. The Barons improved to 28-28 in the second half, while the Stars fell to 27-30 in the second half and 68-59 overall. The Stars fell to 3-9 in extra innings game this season.

Brian Omogrosso retired the first five hitters he faced in relief before Mat Gamel singled with two outs in the eighth and Cole Gillespie walked. Jon Link took over and struck out Chris Errecart but a passed ball allowed him to reach to load the bases. Mike Bell then followed with a double over C.J. Lang in left field to drive in all three runners to give the Stars a 4-3 lead. Link, with a minor league leading 33 saves, blew a save chance for only a fifth time and for a second time against the Stars.

Mike Jones threw three scoreless innings in relief of starter Donovan Hand and turned the game over in the bottom of the ninth to closer Juan Sandoval, who gave up a single to the leadoff man Lee Cruz, who was bunted to second base. Cruz advanced to third on a wild pitch before Robert Hudson walked and stole second. Erick San Pedro then sent a line drive into the alley in left-center field that Lorenzo Cain got his glove on but could not hold. Cruz scored to tie the game but Hudson was thrown out at the plate for the second out. Cain then made a spectacular diving catch on a fly ball hit to right-center field by Miguel Negron to send the game into extra innings.

Ryan Rote took over on the hill for the Barons in the tenth and hit Gillespie with one out. He stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on another wild pitch that was ball four to Errecart to put the Stars back on top at 5-4. The Barons tied the game in the bottom of the inning when Mercedes led off with a triple and scored on a Lang sacrifice fly. Birmingham loaded the bases against Robert Hinton with two outs before Hudson bounced into a force at third to end the inning.

San Pedro led off the bottom of the eleventh with a walk before Mercedes lined a 1-1 offering from Hinton over the wall in right field for the decisive blow and his 11th home run of the season. Mercedes also hit for the cycle on June 10 of last season, becoming the first Barons' player to do so since Reggie Jackson in 1967. Fernando Hernandez (6-4) grabbed the win with a scoreless inning of work, while Hinton dropped to 3-4.

Hudson's two-out, two-run double in the fourth pushed the home side's lead to 3-0. Hand was lifted after five innings, giving up nine hits and recording two strikeouts. Gillespie ended an 0-for-15 drought with a run-scoring single in the sixth that got the Stars on the board. Barons' starter Aaron Poreda lasted six innings, giving up six hits, walking two and fanning six but remained winless at home in seven starts.

The series continues Wednesday night with left-hander Brae Wright taking the mound for Huntsville against Barons' right-hander Justin Cassel. Coverage begins at 6:50 pm central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at and .

Huntsville Box ScoreMichael Brantley 0-for-6 with two K's, there's a once-a-season phenomenon; six blown saves for Juan Sandoval within a Stars' bullpen that has blown untold games all season; Mat Gamel K'd three times and dropped to .333, which while fantastic, is less superhuman each day; passed ball # 13 for Angel Salome...

Huntsville Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Final: Asheville (Rockies) 10, West Virginia 6

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

POWER HIT FIRST GRAND SLAM IN LOSS TO ASHEVILLE

Steffan Wilson hit West Virginia's first grand slam of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning of Tuesday night's game against the Asheville Tourists at Appalachian Power Park, but it was not enough as the Tourists snapped West Virginia's five-game winning streak with a 10-6 victory.

Asheville scored their first two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Darin Holcomb started the inning with a double and scored on Helder Velazquez's single. Kevin Clark capped the inning with a solo shot, his 17th of the season. Asheville took a 6-0 lead with a four-run sixth inning. Velazquez delivered another RBI single, Clark knocked in the next run on a sacrifice fly and David Christensen smacked a two-run homer, his eleventh of the year.

Logan Schafer drove in West Virginia's first run on a two-out triple in the bottom of the sixth. Asheville scored four more times in the seventh to pull away. Velazquez smacked his third run-scoring single of the night and Christensen cleared the bases with a three-run double.

Caleb Gindl smacked his tenth homer of the season to plate West Virginia's lone run in the seventh, and Wilson hit the grand slam in the eighth inning.

Bruce Billings (9-10) allowed a pair of runs on six hits over seven innings and struck out six in a winning effort. Reed Dickert (2-3) allowed a pair of runs on four hits over four innings and struck out seven but was tagged with the loss.

The Power fell to 71-56 on the year and 39-19 in the second half with the loss. The Tourists improved to 78-50 on the year and 32-26 in the second half with the win. Schafer went 2-for-4, turning in the only multi-hit game for the Power. Wilson has knocked in 95 runs this season and is seven RBI away from tying the franchise record set by Jason Parsons in 1997.

The Power will continue the four-game series against Asheville Wednesday night. The Power will start left hander Dan Merklinger (7-8, 5.63) and the Tourists will counter with right hander Connor Graham (10-6, 2.39) The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

West Virginia Box Score
Two otherwise promising RH relievers, Corey Frerichs and Pedro Lambertus, both really struggled; 1-2-3 9th inning with two K's for LHP Evan Frederickson...

West Virginia Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Tourists snap Power win streak

By Mike Whiteford

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Even in a sport noted for devilish unpredictability, it seems a good bet the Power will continue its two-month trend and, beginning in two weeks, be playing in the postseason.

 

Since mid-June, the Power has set itself apart as the best hitting club in the South Atlantic League and has amassed a victory total accordingly.

 

Despite a walk-filled 10-6 loss to Asheville Tuesday night at Appalachian Power Park - a loss that ended a five-game winning streak achieved on the road - the Power holds a 2 1/2-game lead over Lakewood in the Northern Division's second half. Twelve games remain in the regular season, and the Power is 39-19 in the second half.

 

If a playoff berth is in the Power's immediate future, it will intensify each at-bat, bring greater meaning to everything that happens on the field.

And besides, dealing with playoff pressure is good for the player-development process.

 

"You'd like to think you can get just as amped up for every game for 140,'' said Power first baseman Steffan Wilson, "but it's just not the case. In the playoffs, it's a great time, and you just feel it. Those are the kinds of games you want to be playing in. It's been our singular goal.''

 

Wilson, who played at Helena in last year's Pioneer League playoffs, launched a towering grand slam onto Smith Street in the eighth inning to cut the Asheville lead to 10-6 and give the Power a glimmer of hope. It also raised his team-leading RBI total to 95.

 

In his three previous at-bats against Asheville starter Bruce Billings, Wilson struck out twice and popped to first. The grand slam came against reliever Edgmer Escalona.

 

"I was kind of glad [billings] got pulled,'' said Wilson. "He was moving the ball in and out and keeping it down. And he had some good off-speed pitches.''

 

Pitching against the league's best offensive team in a hitter-friendly park, Billings allowed just six hits and two runs in seven innings. A pitcher in Billings' situation Tuesday night knows to pay heed to good fundamentals.

 

"In a hitting ballpark,'' said Asheville manager Joe Mikulik, "you've got to keep the ball down and throw strikes and get ahead of the hitters.''

Facing a team like the Power in a park like APP, he added, has its advantages.

 

"I think it's good sometimes for pitchers to pitch in this kind of ballpark,'' he said. "It teaches you how to pitch. Sometimes you can make a good pitch and somebody will hit a popup and it'll go out, but you can't worry about it. You have to get back on the mound and throw strikes.''

 

The Power's other two runs came on Logan Schafer's RBI triple in the sixth and Caleb Gindl's homer in the seventh.

 

POWER POINTS: Former major-league pitcher Dave Stewart, who is now a player agent, attended Tuesday's game. In the early 2000s, Stewart spent time in Charleston as an executive for the Blue Jays, who were the Alley Cats' parent club in those days. ... Power pitchers yielded nine walks and a hit batsman Tuesday.

 

Link to Reed Dickert Photo

[Mass Haas]

Final: Ogden (Dodgers) 6, Helena 5, 11 innings

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

Raptors edge Brewers

By CURT SYNNESS - Helena Independent Record

 

The Helena Brewers played the Ogden Raptors even-up for over three hours Tuesday at Kindrick Legion Field, before three Raptors' doubles in the 11th inning lifted the visitors to a 6-5 victory.

 

With the score tied at 3-3 going into the top of the 11th, ripping two-baggers for Ogden were Brian Ruggiano, Anthony Delmonico and Kyle Russell. Ogden pushed across a trio of runs to take a 6-3 advantage into the bottom of the frame.

 

The home team struck back to get within one in their last at-bat, as Corey Kemp singled and Derrick Alfonso delivered a two-run homer over the left field fence. But the Raptors were able to seal the win as the tying run was stranded on second base to end the game.

 

Kindrick Field held a legendary flair to it, with the presence of names like Dykstra and Yount. No it wasn't Lenny Dykstra and Robin Yount, but rather Cutter Dykstra and Austin Yount. Although the latter are bloodlines to those stars of yesterday, as Cutter is Lenny's son, and Robin Yount is Austin's uncle.

 

The Capital City squad registered their first score in the third frame. Another player with big legaue connections, No. 9-hitter Steven Braun, led off with a triple, on a long drive to right-center which took a weird bounce and got past Raptors centerfielder Nick Buss. Braun, whose brother Ryan started out in Helena and now stars for Milwaukee then came home on a towering sacrifce fly down the right field line by John Delaney.

 

The Raptors extended their lead to 3-1 in the fourth on a solo home run by Steve Caseres. Caseres went yard twice and drove in seven runs in the first game of the series, giving him three homers in two nights.

 

Helena closed to within one in their half of the fifth frame, on back-to-back doubles by Delaney and David Fonseca. They then knotted it up in the eighth, when Fonseca singled and Dykstra walked. Next, Erik Komatsu lofted a fly ball out to right, with Fonseca tagging up and sprinting plateward.

 

The game was even after regulation and stayed that way until the 11th.

 

The starting pitcher for the visitors was Jonathan Dutton, who went six innings, giving up five hits, two runs, while striking out 13. He fanned all three Brewers in the fifth inning, and struck out two batters in the first, second and fourth frames. Luis Garcia relieved the last three innings to earn the win.

 

Wily Peralta started for Helena, going three stanzas. He was relieved by, in order, Trey Watten, Brandon Rapoza and Garrett Sherrill. Rapoza worked the 7th through 10th innings, allowing one hit and no runs. Sherrill took the loss.

 

The Brewers pulled a key double play in the eighth to help keep them in the game. With one out and a man on first, third baseman John Delaney snagged a pop fly and fired over to Brock Kjeldgaard to double up the runner.

 

The Raptors improved to 14-8 in the second half and 33-27 overall, while the Brew Crew fell to 7-15 and 27-33. The two clubs close out their three-game series tonight at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central) at Kindrick Field.

 

Helena Box Score

What wasn't mentioned above was that Trey Watten and Brandon Rapoza shined in their outings, while Garrett Sherrill did not...

 

Helena Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Photos by Lisa Kunkel IR staff photographer - Helena Brewers' Brock Kjeldgaard slides safely into second base as Ogden's Tony Delmonico loses the ball during their game Tuesday night at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2008/08/20/sports/top/50spl_080820_brewers.jpg

 

Helena Brewers' Steve Braun slides easily into third base after hitting a triple. Ogden third baseman Joseph Becker looks on during their game Tuesday night at Kindrick Legion Field.

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2008/08/20/sports/top/50spl_080820_brewers-2.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Helena Pre-Game Audio Interview with Manager Rene Gonzales

Click on the KCAP archive of August 19th, right off the top...

[Mass Haas]

Final: Arizona Padres 10, Arizona Brewers 4

 

Arizona Box Score

Joey Paciorek a home run shy of the cycle; three other Brewers with two hits; that being said, it was 10-1 going into the 9th as the A-Crew was again non-competitive...

 

Arizona Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Does anyone know the format for the Sally League playoffs? I'm wondering what the odds of seeing West Virginia coming back down here to Augusta in the postseason.

 

If both Augusta and West Virginia hold on to win their respective second-half titles, they would then face their own division's first-half victors (Lake County and Asheville), before a potential South Atlantic League Championship Series matchup.