Link Report for Wed. April 14th -- Sounds, Stars Win; Manatee Videos

[sfl2hnq17]

i hope the babyfaced assassin is back for an encore

[wibadgers23]

Braddock with another scoreless inning. Between his strong spring training and fast start in Nashville, I have a feeling it won't be long before he gets to Milwaukee.

[battlekow]

Final: Huntsville 7, Jacksonville 1

 

Huntsville box score

The Stars keep partying like it's 2008: Lorenzo Cain and Jonathan Lucroy each had three hits, Caleb Gindl and Taylor Green had two apiece, and Brett Lawrie walked thrice to power the victory. Gindl hit his second homer, Lucroy had two doubles, Green also doubled, and Cain stole his second base. Keep stuffing the box score, guys. Pitching-wise, Amaury Rivas had a fine second start, allowing just one run in his five innings while striking out four, walking two in five innings, and allowing three hits. Rivas and Jim Henderson did well to hold the Suns' beastly Mike Stanton in check, allowing him to reach base only once.

Huntsville play-by-play

Rivas got some help from Lee Haydel to keep the damage to just one run the 4th:

 

Jacksonville Top 4th

• Osvaldo Martinez singles on a
  ground ball to left fielder Lee Haydel.
• Mike Stanton called
  out on strikes.
• Mark Saccomanno triples (1) on a fly ball to
  center fielder Lorenzo Cain. Osvaldo Martinez scores.
• Brandon
  Tripp flies into double play, left fielder Lee Haydel to catcher
  Jonathan Lucroy. Mark Saccomanno out at home on the throw.

[battlekow]

What Chris's gut is telling him after tonight's game.

[battlekow]

Manatees fall victim to another Lakeland rally

Frank Longobardo/ManateesBaseball.com

The Brevard County Manatees weren't able to win one for the kids

during Wednesday morning's Education Day game, as they fell 8-3 to the

Lakeland Flying Tigers.

 

The Flying Tigers (4-3) got to Manatees (2-5) starter Wily Peralta

early as Bryan Pounds and Billy Nowlin hit back-to-back doubles to spot

Lakeland three runs in the top of the first.

 

Peralta though would settle down as he allowed just two more hits in

his five innings of work. He also struck out four Lakeland hitters.

 

Brevard County finally rallied in the bottom of the sixth with one

out, as Brent Brewer reached on an error by Lakeland shortstop Carmelo

Jaime.

 

Juan Miranda then singled to center and then with a full count, Erik

Komatsu singled on a hit and run that scored Brewer, to make it a 3-1

game. That would chase the Flying Tigers starter Mark Sorenson after 5

1/3 innings.

 

Erik Crichton then came in with runners on the corners and was

greeted harshly by Brock Kjeldgaard as he ripped a double into the left

field corner to drive in Miranda and Komatsu and just like that the

Manatees tied the game 3-3.

 

After two scoreless innings from Nick Tyson, Brandon Ritchie took the

hill for the Manatees in the top of the eighth and allowed four runs in

the frame on three hits, two walks and an error.

 

Up 7-3, Lakeland scratch out one more run in the top of the ninth on a

RBI single from Alden Carrithers as the Flying Tigers took the win and

swept the three-game series against the Manatees.

 

Miranda had the only multi-hit game for Brevard County as he went

2-for-4 with a double.

 

The Manatees continue their homestand tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. as

they open up a three-game series with the Dunedin Blue Jays (3-3).

http://brevardcounty.manatees.milb.com/images/2010/04/14/GJWRnsxd.jpg

Sergio Miranda (L) and Erik Komatsu ® high-five after scoring on Brock

Kjeldgaard's two-RBI double in the sixth inning. The Manatees

eventually

fell 8-3 to the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Wednesday.

(Dennis

Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography)

[hsvstarsfan]

The Stars are airing all of their road games and SOME of their home games on WTKI this year. That will explain why you didn't hear the game on 1450.

[Mass Haas]

The Stars are airing all of their road games and SOME of their home games on WTKI this year. That will explain why you didn't hear the game on 1450.

 

Going forward, the Link Report will point to the MiLB.com link for audio, not the radio station's.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Stars in high gear

By Brad Shepard, for The Huntsville Times

 

They're not quite Murderer's Row, but if they keep hitting like this, the first five in the Huntsville Stars batting order may have their own catchy nickname by season's end.

 

With a combination of talent, experience, power and speed, the prospect-laden terror at the top has feasted on opposing pitchers so far this season.

 

Wednesday's 7-1 home-opening win over Jacksonville in front of 4,327 fans was no different. The quintet of Lorenzo Cain, Brett Lawrie, Caleb Gindl, Jonathan Lucroy and Taylor Green combined to go 10-for-22 and produced every run Huntsville (4-2) hung on the Joe Davis Stadium scoreboard.

 

All but Lawrie - the second-rated prospect in the Milwaukee organization according to Baseball America - are hitting over .310 for the young season.

 

"If I don't get you, Taylor Green's going to get you," said Lucroy, who was 3-for-5 with three runs scored to raise his average to .444. "If Lorenzo Cain doesn't get you, Caleb Gindl is going to get you. We've got a lot of weapons.

 

"I'll tell you this is the best hitting team I've ever played on in the regular season. One-through-nine are going to be in the big leagues."

 

The top of Mike Guerrero's lineup provided more than enough breathing room for Stars starter Amaury Rivas (1-0), who registered his first win of the year.

 

And they produced in multiple ways.

 

From infield hits to stealing bases to extra-base hits to laying down bunts to Gindl's mammoth sixth-inning home run to dead-center field, the Stars loaded the score sheet with zigs, zags and filled-in diamonds.

 

It was plenty enough to impress Brewers vice president/assistant general manager Gord Ash, who is in town for the first two games of the series.

"This is a very talented group," Ash said from his seat in Section 224. "I think they play the game with a lot of energy, and I think the fans of Huntsville will see a very entertaining brand of baseball. They make things happen, and they've done that tonight."

 

That's been the standard for the Brewers' farm system over the past several seasons, and this group combines enough savvy to make another Southern League run.

 

They got started early Wednesday.

 

Cain sent the first of his three hits up the middle off Jacksonville starter Elih Villanueva to begin the game, and Green - who finished 2-of-5 with three RBIs - set the tone of the night with a two-run double later in the opening inning.

 

What followed was a cruise-control latest in a four-game winning streak after an 0-2 season start. By the looks of this lineup, it won't be the last such streak.

 

"I think it's a pretty good ball club all-around," Guerrero said. "Yes, one-through-five produced this game, but in the last game, it was the bottom of the order.

 

"Our guys have been playing outstanding all the way around."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Smiles at Joe Davis

Visit Mark McCarter's blog at blog.al.com/mccarter

Huntsville Times

 

Pardon my optimism for a moment.

 

It's a bit uncharacteristic when it comes to the Huntsville Stars, who frequently prompt the tag-team of pessimism and skepticism.

 

Not now. Not on a night like this. Warm-and-fuzzy covered Joe Davis Stadium like the yellow film of pollen on your car hood.

 

This was a night, as the Stars made their 2010 debut with a 7-1 win in the celestial paring with the Suns of Jacksonville, for the tag team of optimism and glee.

 

How good a night was this? Just a reassurance of baseball's future here, a fourth straight win, a mid-week crowd of 4,327 and even a pitcher - Jim Henderson - called in to pinch-hit and lashing a double off the wall.

 

Other than that, what to get excited about?

 

"We always love playing in front of a lot of people," said catcher Jonathan Lucroy. "It's tough coming out sometimes and playing in front of 10. I hope every night is like this."

 

The evening began with owner Miles Prentice announcing the team had exercised its option with the city of Huntsville to extend the lease for five more years.

 

So much for the naysayers who have been writing the eulogies for professional baseball in Huntsville.

 

First, the team itself.

 

It rang up 13 hits to score seven runs against a Jacksonville team whose starter was the pennant-clinching pitcher last September. There was a home run from Caleb Gindl, 5-foot-9 but packed with more power than a spinach can. Starter Amaury Rivas, Henderson and Robert Hinton held the Suns to four hits, with an 0-for-3 day from the uber-prospect Mike Stanton.

 

Now, let's take a walk around the stadium.

 

Look at that line outside. The national anthem is being sung, and people are still in line for tickets to get into the place.

 

Bite into that Philly cheesesteak - you can have your hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jacks - and forget all the fat grams. The only numbers that matter tonight are in red lights on the scoreboard.

 

There's a kid with a pacifier in his mouth, eyes wide and posing for a picture as he pokes his face through a hole in a board where a baseball player's body is painted.

 

The Stars' souvenir store, a handsome improvement to the stadium, has a gaggle of customers. A lady holds up a T-shirt to check the size. A youngster tries on an oversized batting helmet. A man ponders the cap selection. Three people leave with shopping bags stuffed.

 

There's a kid with an airhorn and a voice to match up in the back row, taunting a whiffing Sun.

 

It's families and dates and the familiar faces who wouldn't miss a game for anything less than major surgery.

 

It's the sort of night that does give hope.

 

The stadium lease is still a story that will unfold for a long time. Without some action, it's little more than dried ink with a lot of legalese.

 

There will need to be commitment from both sides to some stadium improvements. City and civic leaders need to put some imagination to work to figure how to make that work. Team officials need to put some imagination to work to grow more consistent crowds. Team ownership needs to look at the old "gotta spend money to make money" philosophy.

 

Yes, you hope like Jonathan Lucroy that every night is like this.

 

You know it won't be.

 

But knowing there are more nights to come brings with it optimism that's been in small quantities at Joe Davis Stadium.

[Mass Haas]

Thanks to Stephen Smith -- watch two videos from Wednesday's game

Slight misprint on Wily Peralta's name, Peralta video does not include all the time in-between pitches, so things move quickly -- rough inning for Wily, but the soon-to-be 21-year-old is still a stud.

 

In the second video, Stephen pieces the Brevard rally together nicely with his editing -- Brock Kjeldgaard is a mountain of a young man.

 

 

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site:

 

Stars Take Home Opener

By Jill Cacic / Huntsville Stars

Huntsville, AL - Huntsville Stars fans packed Joe Davis Stadium for the 2010 home opener Wednesday night. The Stars put on quite a show, continuing their winning streak and moving to 4-2 on the season after a 7-1 victory over the Jacksonville Suns (2-4).

Starter Amaury Rivas (1-0) threw a solid five innings, giving up only three hits and one run all in route of his first win of the season. The offense did their job for the fourth straight night as they compiled 13 hits and seven runs over eight innings. Manager Mike Guerrero said, "We played a really good ball game. The pitching was good and the offense just took over."

 

Third baseman Taylor Green continued to be on fire at the plate, going 2-for-5 with one double and three RBIs. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain contributed to the strong offense as well, going 3-for-5 with two runs. He stole his second base of the season off of Suns' starter Elih Villanueva (0-1). Aggressive base running is going to be a trademark of the 2010 season, according to Guerrero. "We're going to take that extra base anyway we can," he said.

 

The Suns stayed pretty quite on the offense, only mustering up four hits. Starter Villanueva lasted 3.2 innings, giving up ten hits and five runs. His ERA rocketed to 7.56. He walked two batters and struck out five. Their bullpen didn't offer much relief, with Jeff Allison giving up three hits and two runs over 3.1 innings. Todd Doolittle threw one complete inning, surrendering no runs on no hits.

 

Overall, it was a night for the Stars with seven different players accounting for their 13 hits. The bullpen threw a near-perfect three innings of relief. Jim Henderson gave up one hit in three innings. Robert Hinton came in to close out the game with two strikeouts and a groundout.

 

The Joe was in full-blown Opening Night mode tonight and the Stars on the field could feel the love from their fans. Guerrero said it was outstanding to have such a large crowd out at the game. "It's always nice to have a good game in front of a good crowd. The players took notice and loved it. They really felt the fan support," said Guerrero.

 

The opening series continues Thursday, April 15 at 7:00 PM.

[Mass Haas]

You would think those updates on the Stars would be sufficient, and we apologize in advance if it seems we're a bit repetitive occasionally, but each game summary can include a tidbit or two, where you say to yourself, hey, that wasn't mentioned before. This summary is from Stars' broadcaster Chad Anderson's site, but it was written by Aaron Morse. It was the home opener, so waht the heck...

 

Opening Night a great one as the Stars win easily over Jacksonville

[pete]

I liked the description of Gindl as "packed with more power than a spinach can."

[yoshii8]

"I'll tell you this is the best hitting team I've ever played on in the regular season. One-through-nine are going to be in the big leagues."

Thats a bold statement, and makes me very excited for the future. That 1-5 is probably the most prospect loaded lineup since Fielder, Weeks, Hart and Hardy all played together.

 

 

[bretsky07]

While I love this Huntsville 1-5, Huntsville's 2008 1-6 of Brantley, Escobar, Gamel, Laporta, Gillespie, and Salome was even better. That first half was insane offensively.

[yoshii8]

Oh yeah, they were pretty good too. Huntsville has had some really good offensive teams.

[TheCrew07]

I was at a meeting last night and I'm checking the link report again this evening as I listen to the various pre games for audio interviews. I just noticed that yesterday was the first game all season the Stars didn't have an error!

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's starsboxscore.com

 

Who's on first?... Heck, who's at the plate?

Taylor Green, bases-loaded double... Gindl homers again

 

Good turnout for the Stars home opener, hours after owner Miles Prentice signed a new five-year lease with the city on Joe Davis Stadium......... Over 4,300 were ready for baseball from the reception they received tonight. The weather was a real friend this year -- one of the warmest openers (clear and 83³) I've seen in many years.

 

The Stars were ready for baseball, too. They didn't leave their awesome, albeit modest-sounding 3-2 start in Chattanooga. Coming in to play, they were 1st in the Southern League in ERA (1.88), 1st in batting (.276), and 2nd in runs scored. Combining 13 hits and four-hit pitching, the Stars won their 4th straight game, beating Jacksonville, 7-1......... The Stars have an all-time winning record against six of the nine teams in the league, but the Suns are not one of them (149-168). The Stars are 13-32 against the Suns over the last four seasons (not counting tonight.)..........

 

Only one hit came off the bullpen, working four innings in relief of Amaury Rivas, who allowed just three hits in five IP, and they managed to hold top minor league prospect Mike Stanton (#3 on Baseball America's Top 100) hitless. Rivas, in fact, held Jacksonville hitless until the 4th, when Osvaldo Martinez hit a sharp grounder under a diving Taylor Green into left for a single on a 1-1 pitch to lead off the inning. After striking out Stanton, Mark Saccomanno tripled to the gap in right-center, putting the Suns on the scoreboard.

 

But by this time, Amaury already had a 4-0 lead, anyway......... Lorenzo Cain had led things off in the 1st with a single up the middle. In six games this season, Cain has led off the 1st with a single three times.......... He then successfully took a tour of the bases. He went to second when unranked prospect Eli Villanueva walked Brett Lawrie on five pitches, then third when Jonathan Lucroy hit a broken-bat single to Matt Dominguez, who couldn't find the handle on the ball as he looked to avoid the splinters. Lucroy was generously given the single, and the bases were full for Green (now leading the team in RBIs and 2nd in average)....... Green connected on a 1-2 pitch, sending it to the base of the center field wall near the 405 mark. Cain and Lawrie scored easily and Lucroy held up at third, giving the Stars a 2-0 lead......... Chris Errecart's fly ball to right scored Lucroy to make it 3-0.

 

In the 3rd, Lucroy took Lorenzo Scott to the wall, where the ball tipped off his glove for a double. He eventually scored on Green's fly ball to right and Errecart's single through the left side. That made it 4-0........ If you came to the Joe this night looking for drama, you didn't get it, but if it was a solid Stars victory you came to see, it was stamped from the start.

 

Caleb Gindl hit the first home run of the year before a home crowd. It came in the 6th on a 2-0 pitch from reliever Jeff Allison, who took the loss in a 16-8 pounding by West Tennessee last Thursday. The ball went to deepest center field, hitting the top of the first fence just above the yellow line, and then bouncing back onto the field.......... Seeing Gindl at the plate for the first time, my friends remarked that he looked like a midget up there (he's 5'9" on paper), especially when he goes into his crouch. But I had them convinced that he could hit -- and so far, he hasn't disproved that at all. Gindl is hitting .360 (4-for-11 in the early innings), and is one of seven in the league with two HRs so far.

 

Rivas threw 50 of his 84 pitches for strikes (59.5%) and worked the count full four times -- twice facing the last two batters in the 5th. He labored that inning, throwing 29 pitches, 17 for strikes. With Rivas due to bat in the bottom of the 5th, pitcher Jim Henderson hit for him and stayed in the game. Usually that's just giving away an out, but Henderson doubled to left on an 0-1 pitch from Allison. It was a scoreless inning, but Henderson stayed in to pitch three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit........... The Stars bullpen, as I've noticed for the last three years, has gotten off to a terrific start. Adding four more scoreless inning to the record book, the Stars' pen has thrown 21 1/3 innings and given up just three earned runs -- a 1.27 ERA -- after six games.

 

There's been a proclivity to score early, too it seems. 17 of the 34 runs the Stars have scored have come in the first four innings, seven of them in the 1st.

 

The staff of the Huntsville Stars did a grand job in preparing this opener. The field was in excellent shape and the stands, grounds, and concourse were spotless. The concession stands were inviting, even if the prices did make you think twice. For the first time, you can get a shake or a malt -- if you want to part with $6.50...... Baskin-Robbins, one of the great places to get ice cream, especially if you're looking for variety, is operating for the first time, and Oscar Meyer has replaced Sabretts, which from fans I talked to, weren't too popular...... The soft drinks, the dogs, pretzels, most everything has gone up in price, but there are still specials at the park. Dogs, today, were two for a buck, as they will always be on Wednesdays, and Thirsty Thursdays will be around to the end of the season....... In all, there's more to choose from this season, if your wallet's loaded......... Unfortunately, despite all hope and promises, the scoreboard wasn't ready. It was impossible to know who on the opposing team was at the plate, because Jacksonville's numbers weren't on the roster insert. The scoreboard is still being worked on, and has not been neglected, but it's disappointing to see such an integral element of the baseball experience missing. Every park in the league has a fully-functioning scoreboard. We haven't had one in two years.......... Anyway, preparing for opening day is an awesome job and if you just think about what has to make it all work, the Stars have handled it in a most professional manner.

 

The Stars home opener marked the first of 25 straight games for the Stars. They don't have another off day until May 9 (Mother's Day). Fifteen of those 25 will be at the friendly confines.