Link Report for Games of Friday, July 28th

[Cyanogen5]

Iribarren, and Gillespie need to be bumped up...they are both just raking right now. I wouldn't mind seeing Katin moved as well. It could provide some much needed offensive help for Huntsville's postseason push.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Brewers Broadcaster Jim Powell (Part 1):

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-28.mp3

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Jermaine Clark photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2083

 

Sounds Drop Series Finale To Sky Sox, 6-3

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? A three-run rally in the bottom of the eighth would not be enough as the Nashville Sounds lost to the Colorado Spring Sky Sox, 6-3, in the finale of the four-game series on Friday night in front of 6,762 fans at Greer Stadium.

 

The contest between the two teams was delayed an hour and five minutes due to scattered showers but that didn?t seem to effect the Sky Sox starter Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1). The right-hander was able to hold the Sounds to just two hits over seven scoreless innings of work, en route to picking up his first career Triple-A victory.

 

Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson (8-5) allowed a season-high six runs over his six innings as he picked up his fifth loss of the year. He was only charged with only three earned runs, however; his ERA on the season now stands at 2.26.

 

The Sky Sox broke the scoreless tie in the top half of the fourth with a four-run inning. Ryan Spilborghs started the visitors off with a single to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Hendrickson. Spilborghs scored the Sky Sox first run of the game on a slow-rolling single to right field off the bat of Jeff Baker.

 

Chris Iannetta followed Baker?s single with a double to left, putting runners at second and third. The Sox lead increased to three runs when a Josh Wilson single rolled through the legs of center fielder Dave Krynzel, allowing Iannetta to score from second on the error. Wilson advanced to second on the play and Krynzel was charged with an error.

 

With Wilson on second, catcher Mark Johnson let a Hendrickson pitch get away from him for a passed ball, allowing Wilson to advance to third. Wilson scored just a few pitches later when Hendrickson threw a ball in the dirt for his second wild pitch of the frame, increasing the Colorado Springs lead to 4-0.

 

The Sky Sox etched two more runs in the visiting half of the fifth on another untimely error by the Sounds. With one out, Kaz Matsui hit a ground ball that bounced off the tip of the glove of first baseman Graham Koonce and allowed Matsui to reach base safely. Spilborghs followed Matsui with his second single of the night, putting runners on the corners. With two outs, Baker hit a bases-clearing double into the corner in left field to give the Sky Sox a six run lead. He tried to stretch his double into a triple but was thrown out at third for the final out of the inning.

 

The Sounds posted a late-inning rally to get back into the contest, etching three runs in the home half of the eight on Jermaine Clark?s three-run homer to left off reliever Steve Colyer. The Sky Sox reliever had walked the first two batters of the inning prior to Clark?s third round tripper of the year.

 

AUDIO: Jermaine Clark Three-Run HR --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-28.mp3

 

Immediately after Clark?s blast, the game was delayed a second time, for 21 minutes due to the loss of the lights resulting from a blown transform a block away from Greer Stadium. The Sounds were unable to keep their momentum going when play resumed, however, as the next three batters all recorded outs.

 

The Sky Sox brought in David Cortes to close out the game and, with his one inning of shutout baseball, he earned his second save of the year.

 

The Sounds continue their homestand on Saturday at Greer when they welcome the Salt Lake Bees (AAA-Angels) for the 6 p.m. opener of a four-game series. Nashville will send knuckleballer Jared Fernandez (6-3, 2.41) to the bump and the Bees will counter with southpaw Jonathon Rouwenhorst (5-5, 4.57).

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS

 

Clark shakes slump, but Sounds' deficit too deep

Homer can't counter pitching and errors

By MIKE ORGAN

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Jermaine Clark snapped out of a hitting slump in a big way Friday night, knocking a three-run home run over the left-field wall in the eighth inning for the Sounds against Colorado Springs.

 

It was Clark's first hit in 30 at-bats.

 

But it was not enough to overcome the six-run cushion Colorado Springs had built when the Sky Sox bats heated up in the fourth inning. The Sky Sox held on for a 6-3 victory in the final game of the series.

 

"We got a couple of guys on and got a big hit from Clark,'' Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "Unfortunately we had a little bit bigger deficit to overcome than usual and we just didn't do much after that.''

 

The start of the game was delayed an hour and five minutes by rain and then stopped in the bottom of the eighth when nearly half the lights at Greer Stadium went out after a transformer near the stadium was blown. That's when many in the crowd of 6,762 headed for exits.

 

Power was restored 21 minutes later. The game did not end until 11:06 p.m.

 

After going hitless in the first three innings, the Sky Sox got four hits in the fourth. They added two runs in the fifth inning on a two-run double by Ryan Spilborghs.

 

With just three hits, Nashville matched its fewest in a nine-inning game this season. The Sounds had three hits at Round Rock on June 25.

 

The Sounds committed more errors (three) than hits (two) through the first seven innings. In the previous 21 games, Nashville had just seven errors.

 

It also was an uncharacteristically poor individual performance for Nashville pitcher Ben Hendrickson. He took the loss by allowing six runs - three earned - on eight hits. He struck out four on 99 pitches.

 

The six runs were a season-high allowed by Hendrickson, who had allowed more than four runs only twice in his previous 15 starts.

 

What they said: "We made three errors and they have 11 hits and we still hold them to six runs, which isn't bad. But we could have been better. If we make some plays that three-run home run makes the game a lot closer.'' ? Kremblas.

 

***

Link for Ben Hendrickson / Mark Johnson photo from Friday's game, text follows:

 

tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS

 

Brewers? trade leaves hole in Sounds? offense

Cruz had 20 homers, now in Texas outfield

By MIKE ORGAN

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

The Sounds traded Pacific Coast League All-Star outfielder Nelson Cruz on Friday as part of Milwaukee's six-player trade with the Texas Rangers.

 

Cruz, 26, played in 104 games this season and led Nashville with 20 home runs. He batted .302 (112-for-371) with 22 doubles and 73 RBIs to go along with 17 steals.

 

For Cruz and Carlos Lee the Brewers acquired pitchers Francisco Cordero and Julian Cordero, and outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix.

 

Nix is the only player involved in the trade who will join the Sounds. He is expected to be in the lineup for the first time Sunday. His brother Jayson Nix is a second baseman for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, the team Nashville played Friday night.

 

On what turned out to be his final at-bat for the Sounds, Cruz, the Brewers Minor League Player of the Year last season, hit a home run in Thursday's 2-1 loss to Colorado Springs.

 

Cruz struck out on three pitches as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning for the Rangers on Friday. Texas Manager Buck Showalter told the Associated Press that Cruz would start in right field tonight.

 

Nix has spent most of the season at Triple A Oklahoma after recovering from right shoulder surgery. He is hitting .269 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs in 77 games.

 

Nix, 25, was the starting centerfielder for the Rangers in 2005 before the shoulder injury forced him to the disabled list for the second half of the season. He hit .094 (3-for-32) in nine games with the Rangers in April.

 

"Laynce is known for his hardnosed style of play,'' Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin said. "He has good defensive skills, and although he is just 25, he already has 42 doubles and 28 homers in 231 games in the major leagues.''

 

The Sounds play Salt Lake City on Sunday and Nix will likely make his debut in that game.

[Mass Haas]

Brevard County Site Game Two Game Summary:

 

Katin, Manatees maul Blue Jays

 

Brendan Katin went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs as Brevard County pounded host Dunedin, 9-3, to split Friday's doubleheader.

 

Katin slugged two-run homers in the first and sixth, then delivered an RBI double in the seventh. It was the first multi-homer game of the season for the 22-year-old right fielder, who raised his average to .294 with 12 roundtrippers.

 

Ryan Crew collected three hits, including a leadoff homer in the fourth for the Manatees (57-49). Steven Sollmann added two hits and Adam Heether knocked in a run.

 

Brevard County starter Manny Parra gave up two runs on two hits with four strikeouts and a walk in four-plus innings. Joe Thatcher (1-1) entered in the fifth with runners on first and second and surrendered a home run to Juan Peralta. He struck out three and walked two over two innings for the win.

 

The Blue Jays (19-17) were limited to four hits and had their two-game winning streak snapped.

 

Starter Orlando Trias (10-6) took the loss after surrendering four runs on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts in three innings. -- Louice Thomas/MLB.com

[1e Corbeau]

Brent Brewer with four errors yesterday, giving him 18 in 23 games. I know it's way early and a pretty small sample, but dude looks way lost in the AZL. He's K'ing 25% of the time, too.

 

SoCal mentioned this yesterday in one of the 114 Lee/Trade/Picks/Jack Z threads, but I, too, fear Josh Murray Redux.

[molitor fan]

1987-12-19 is Brewer's birthdate....it is not a shock that he is raw. Considering the Brewers are playing him at a position they initially didn't mention him at, instead saying he was going to go to the outfield, this is obviously a learning process for Brewer. Remember too, this guy is regarded as one of the fastest players in the minors - he has the tools - not every player can be polished like Cole Gillespie.

[Mass Haas]

J.J. Hardy, another 2nd round high school shortstop -- note the great K rate in his rookie season:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...ardy.shtml

 

Josh Murray, 2nd round high school shortstop -- Murray was foolishly started in the Pioneer League when we was still 17 years old:

 

www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rray.shtml

 

There's raw "rare" and raw "uncooked" -- which is Brent Brewer as of today? And yes, goodness it's so early.

[colbyjack]

As skeptical I was of the Brewer selection, I agree, it's WAY too early to be questioning his career at this stage. He is a freak athletically, and I've seen athletic talent compensate for any perceived weakness in the long run way too many times to give up on him now.

[LouisEly]

this guy is regarded as one of the fastest players in the minors - he has the tools

 

But the thing is, baseball is perhaps the one sport where being ultra athletic and "toolsy" won't get you anywhere. The bottom line is that you have to hit the ball on offense and get people out on defense; in order to get to the majors you have to do one of those really, really well. (Where is that five-tool Guerrero kid they signed a few years back?) This isn't football or basketball where athleticism can dominate; this is baseball, where skill dominates. Just look at David Wells, John Kruk, etc.