Link Report for Games of Tuesday, August 1st

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1

 

Stars' second rally seals win

Huntsville's Chavez delivers big hit in 9-8 win over Chattanooga

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

After some eighth-inning pyrotechnics, the Stars' bats had just enough firepower left to putter out some heroics in the ninth.

 

Shortstop Ozzie Chavez's high-hopping single up the middle past a drawn-in Chattanooga Lookouts infield gave Huntsville a thrilling 9-8 win in front of an announced crowd of 1,411 fans at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

"It was a great comeback, a great win," Stars manager Don Money said. "We've battled all year and been coming out on the short end."

 

The game had more turns than Talladega, but it was the Stars' Brad Nelson who raced in for the winning run to cap an inning of small ball and a game of lead changes.

 

Chavez also lit the fuse on an eighth-inning comeback with a two-run, bases-loaded double, but his final hit - though much softer - carried a bigger bang on the scoreboard.

 

Lookouts reliever Jon Coutlangus started the bottom of the ninth by walking Nelson and loaded the bases by hitting Ron Acuna and allowing Drew Anderson to reach on a bunt single. With one out, Chavez came to bat.

 

What came next wasn't the most dramatic finish to a game dripping with excitement, but it was pretty much all the same to the Stars, who celebrated after snapping a two-game losing streak.

 

As late as the bottom of the eighth, it appeared Chattanooga's winning streak would reach three games without a whimper from the home team.

 

Trailing 6-3, the Stars erupted for five runs off four hits and a pair of walks to emerge with a two-run lead.

 

The majority of the damage was inflicted by Chavez, who finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs, and Jeff Eure.

 

Chavez roped a Jim Abbott pitch over center fielder Chris Dickerson's head for a two-run double. Dickerson first broke in on the ball and wound up chasing it to the wall.

 

With one out and two on, Eure delivered a two-run, pinch-hit single up the middle. Chavez slid into home under the high throw from Dickerson to give Huntsville a 7-6 lead.

 

"He sure picked us up tonight," Money said of Chavez.

 

Callix Crabbe added an RBI single for much-needed insurance, because Huntsville reliever Joe Valentine allowed a two-run, game-tying home run to Chattanooga's Drew Anderson in the top of the ninth.

 

Anderson's blast immediately followed a dropped foul-tip third strike by Stars catcher Lou Palmisano.

 

Palmisano had a chance to redeem himself with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom half, but he struck out in front of Chavez's single.

 

Note: Can you ever blame a catcher for not holding a foul tip? I don't think so. -- Jim

 

The dazzling comeback by the Stars overshadowed a spectacular individual performance by Lookouts first baseman Joey Votto.

 

Entering the game in a slump worse than he'd suffered all season, Votto was hitting .182 with no home runs and two RBIs in the past 10 games.

 

So, as if on cue, the triple-crown contender ended up a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.

 

Despite the slump, Votto was still dominating the league like no other player in years.

 

He is first in the league in hits, home runs, batting average, doubles, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, extra-base hits, runs scored and second in RBIs.

 

He wasn't enough Tuesday. The Stars offense got going early, knocking around Cincinnati top pitching prospect Homer Bailey for eight hits and three runs in five innings.

[LouisEly]

According to the box score, Drew Anderson (ours) went yard off of Homer Bailey in the 2nd inning, but no mention of it in any of the recaps. Were they confusing it with the other Drew Anderson's HR, or is our Drew Anderson still not getting any love?