Link Report for Mon. 5/31 -- 2010 RBI: SS Luis Cruz 28, Prince Fielder 19

[Mass Haas]

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Stars' comeback comes up short

Green's big night not enough to propel team to victory

By Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times Sports Staff

 

For Taylor Green, it was a memorable yet bittersweet comeback.

 

For the Huntsville Stars, there were far too many unforgettable moments that prevented a comeback.

 

Green bashed an eighth-inning grand slam and a two-out, two-run ninth-inning single, both times leading Huntsville back to the brink of a lead that it could never capture.

 

Instead, it was an evening of ejection and dejection as the Stars dropped an 8-7 decision to the Mobile BayBears Monday. Huntsville manager Mike Guerrero and second baseman Brett Lawrie were both thrown out after a controversial call at home plate.

 

It could have been a storybook game for Green, the Stars' 23-year-old infielder from British Columbia. He had been placed on the disabled list May 13 with a pinched nerve in his back (don't believe we had that info previously), then reinstated Saturday. He was hitless in two at-bats since his return.

 

"Getting better every day, good enough to play" is Green's simple medical report.

 

The Stars were trailing 6-1 when he came to bat in the eighth, after starter Alex Periard gave up four runs in the first. Green walloped a Kyler Newby 3-2 pitch over the right-field fence for the grand slam.

 

"They kinda had the game in hand, and it was one of those big hits that gets the team back in the game," Green said.

 

It was 8-5 in the ninth - after a Green error put a runner aboard and Konrad Schmidt homered off reliever Nick Green - when he came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and thoughts of a grand slam "sneaks in there for sure," he said. "But you have to stick with your approach. Whatever happens, happens."

 

What happened was a two-run single, but he was left stranded when pinch-hitter Sean McCraw grounded out to end the game.

 

"It's great to have him back," Guerrero said of Green. "Especially swinging the bat like he's doing."

 

Guerrero wasn't just pleased with Green's comeback. He liked his team's comeback, too. Despite the frustration over the loss, "I'm encouraged by the approach our guys took at the plate. They never gave up," he said.

 

After Green's slam, Lawrie singled, followed by a 10-pitch at-bat from Lorenzo Cain that resulted in a single to left, Lawrie hustling all the way to third. When Cain stole second, the throw briefly eluded shortstop Jake Wald and Lawrie - who scored the game-winner on a wild pitch Sunday afternoon - sped home.

 

Though replays showed his left hand reaching home plate before the tag by catcher Konrad Schmidt, Lawrie was ruled out by plate ump Quinn Wolcott.

 

An irate Lawrie slammed his helmet to the ground - automatic grounds for ejection - and Guerrero was soon thrown out as well after pointing out the mark left by three fingers sweeping through the dirt over home plate.

 

"He missed the call," Guerrero flatly said.

 

Of course, had Periard not allowed the first six men he faced to reach base - three hits and three walks - and had the bullpen held the BayBears and the Stars not left 12 runners on base after ringing up 15 hits, it'd have been little more than a footnote, as Guerrero noted.

 

"I'm not going to blame the umpire," he said. "We needed to do our job."

[Mass Haas]

The DSL Brewers home game vs. the DSL Athletics was rained out Monday.

 

The next time they host that team is Monday the 7th; we may see two seven-inning games that day, although the DSL has been known to surprise us.

 

It is true that the Brewers' division has every Sunday off during the season, and last year MiLB.com's website fooled us just like this year, by listing the game on its own scoreboard this past Sunday.

[captkirk16]

i got a chance to watch the stars this weekend. Just so happened to see Salome in a Huntsville uniform on Sunday in the dugout, add him to Lawrie, Cain, Gindl, Gamel (even for the short time left), Wheeler, Green, Haydel and that's a potential killer lineup. Unfortuately, pitching is a little thin there. I saw Rivas pitch Saturday and although he didn't have his best stuff, he's the real deal. His slider is A+.