Link Report for . 7/20: Final Update Includes W.V. Photo

[jvrocksaz]

Not to be outdone by Braun, Yo Gallardo has raised his average to .429!!! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[And That]

Robert Hinton is the man. That is all.

[colbyjack]

As much as I like Fermaint, do you think he's deserving of a promotion? He has good numbers, not great ones, was already challenged with playing the level he's currently at to open the year, and swings & misses way too much for any player at any level. I say let him close the year right where he is.

 

Plus, who plays CF at Huntsville, Chuck or Moss? That's the ultimate Katuluu vs. EDR faceoff.

 

I agree with Iribarren. Since he's probably never going to hit for much power, keep moving him up as long as he keeps hitting. It's not like he's working on his power stroke in BC.

 

And how about Robert Hinton? He and Iribarren could give the Stars a nice boost.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 9, Carolina (Marlins) 0

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=930

 

Gallardo Goes Six Scoreless in Stars' Win

 

Yovani Gallardo worked six scoreless innings and Ryan Braun hit for three quarters of the cycle, as Huntsville pounded out 15 hits in a 9-0 blanking of Carolina in the middle game of a five-game set at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. The Stars snapped a five-game losing streak to improve to 11-17 in the second half, while the Mudcats fell to 11-17 in the second half and saw their modest two-game win streak brought to an end. The Stars have won 12 of their 35 games this season by seven runs or more.

 

Gallardo allowed five singles and only one runner to reach third base in tossing scoreless baseball for the third time in five starts at the double-A level. The right-hander fanned nine, including seven over his last three frames of work, walked one and nailed down his first win at the double-A level. He has given up earned runs in only one of his five turns. The Stars had lost each of Gallardo?s first four starts and had scored only four runs in those games. Travis Phelps, who gave up four runs on two hits and four walks in two-thirds of an inning his last outing on Sunday, tossed two scoreless frames, allowing one hit and striking out three. Chris Mabeus completed the shutout with a scoreless ninth.

 

Braun started the scoring against Mudcats? starter Trevor Hutchinson, in his third stint with Carolina, with a solo home run to straight away center field with two outs in the first. The right-hander blanked the visitors over the next two frames before Ron Acuna led off the fourth inning with a triple and scored when Braun followed with a double. Huntsville tacked on another run in the fifth on a Steve Moss ground out that scored Guilder Rodriguez to push the advantage to 3-0.

 

Braun singled to start the sixth and stayed there until scoring on a two-out double by J.C. Boscan, who had his first three-hit game of the year and first multiple RBI game of the season. Callix Crabbe followed with a single to score Boscan, moved to second base on the throw to the plate and scored to make it 6-0 on a single by Gallardo, who knocked in his first run with the Stars and knocked Hutchinson out of the game. The Mudcats? right-hander, recovering from rotator cuff surgery, was charged with six runs, five earned, on ten hits and suffered the loss to fall to 0-2. The Stars collected ten hits or more for a 12th time in the second half of the season after doing so 12 times in 69 games in the first half.

 

Jeff Eure and Boscan singled home runs in the eighth inning and Crabbe chased home a run with a fielder?s choice grounder in the ninth. Moss and Brad Nelson were the only position players to not pick up at least one hit, while Acuna, Eure and Rodriguez each had two hits.

 

The series continues Friday night with Stars? right-hander Tim Dillard taking the hill against Mudcats? right-hander Jose Garcia. Coverage of the game begins at 6:00 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on ESPN Radio 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score and Game Log Link:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_cmcaax_1

[Mass Haas]

Wedesday's Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Chat with Minor League Pitching Coordinator Jim Rooney (Select date for July 19th, skip to the 12:00 minute mark) --

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

[And That]

As much as I like Fermaint, do you think he's deserving of a promotion?

 

I don't think he is either. He makes hard contact when he makes contact, and he has OK pitch selection, but as Colby mentioned, he already was skipped a level and without great production, why push him even more. I'd rather take a chance on him dominating A+ pitching the last third of the season than see him scuffle in AA. He'll be there next year folks, don't worry.

 

I agree with Iribarren. Since he's probably never going to hit for much power, keep moving him up as long as he keeps hitting.

 

While he doesn't have home run power, Iribarren does have more power than, say, Tony Gwynn. He has enough charge in his swing to reach the deep gaps, while Gwynn has to usually roll balls to get there. This explains Hurricane's triples outburst in rookie ball - he was able to charge the balls into the OF and then run as the poor outfield defense allowed him to get to third. Unlike Gwynn, Iribarren isn't a power liability at the plate.

 

And how about Robert Hinton? He and Iribarren could give the Stars a nice boost.

 

I'm really excited about Rob Hinton, but I don't know where he fits in yet long-term. I'm not a big fan of middle-relief prospects, but he's so good at what he does. We'll see.

 

Edit: Yo's starts don't even need mentioning anymore. I haven't been as excited as this by a starting pitcher in quite some time. Even without mid-90's stuff, he's still outsmarting batters seemingly at will, and his simple mechanics are a joy to think about. As I mentioned in the Power 50, Yo will be up by the end of next year (barring arm injury), and will be here to stay for a long time.

[PrimetimeHater]

Do any of you guys think that Gallardo will be in Nashville by the end of August? I'm asking this for purely selfish reasons as the Sounds will be in Memphis at that time.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 5, Dunedin (Blue Jays) 0

 

Brevard County Box Score and Game Log Link:

Much-needed solid stint for Josh Wahpepah, and folks have already noted Robert Hinton's work elsewhere tonight; game played in a tidy 128 minutes; Hernan Iribarren was 4th in the league in batting average heading into tonight's game -- his 3-for-4 effort won't hurt; Wahpepah gets the bases-loaded GIDP in the 2nd...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

[And That]

Do any of you guys think that Gallardo will be in Nashville by the end of August?

 

I doubt it, unless he gets called up for a playoff start. This could change if he locates his fastball better like the Huntsville staff wants and he's dominant for another few starts, but I doubt it.

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 5, Lake County (Indians) 4

Walkoff single for Mike Bell...

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

POWER COME BACK TO BEAT CAPTAINS

 

The Lake County Captains had a 4-1 lead over the West Virginia Power through six innings of Friday night?s game at Appalachian Power Park, but the Power scored the final four runs of the game, including two in the ninth inning to win in their at bat, defeating the Captains 5-4.

 

Kenny Holmberg ripped a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the second inning to give the Power an early 1-0 lead. In the top of the third inning, Chris Gimenez drove in Juan Valdes on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and on the next pitch P.J. Hiser hit his fifth home run of the season to give the Captains a 2-1 lead. Lake County added a pair in the fourth inning on a two-run homer from Juan Valdes to go up 4-1.

 

Down 4-1, the Power started their comeback in the seventh inning when Darren Ford knocked in Tony Festa on a sacrifice fly, and Festa delivered an RBI single in the eighth inning to bring the Power within one. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Mat Gamel reached on a fielder?s choice and knocked in Ford to tie the game. One batter later, Mike Bell delivered the game-winning RBI single to complete the comeback.

 

Kevin Roberts (5-9) pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the victory, and Matt Davis (1-7) got the loss. The Power are 51-44 overall and 12-14 in the second half after the win while the Captains fell to 38-52 overall and 15-11 in the second half after the loss.

 

The Power will continue the four game series against the Captains Friday night. Right hander Jeff Stevens (3-1, 5.81) will make the start for Lake County and the Power will counter with left hander Rafael Lluberes (4-5, 3.54). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score and Game Log Link:

Angel Salome and Tony Festa reach three times apiece; Wil Laureano a fine relief stint; things looked bleak after eight innings when that inning's rally fell one run short as a Captain reliever shut the door with one out and the bases jammed...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Orem (Angels) 9, Helena 2

We're just not used to seeing this little thump (and wins) out of a Brewer advanced rookie league team...

 

Helena Box Score and Game Log Link:

The Owlz were a-hackin' -- 19 hits, one walk; Taylor Green three hits, including two doubles -- only three of 29 base hits prior to tonight were for extra bases; Brewers pulled off three double plays; other than Stephen Chapman all season (and Cole Gillespie's 6-for-6 game stat-inflating stint), nobody is making us take note as a standout or breakout guy...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

 

Manatees blank Blue Jays

 

Josh Wahpepah and Robert Hinton combined on a five-hitter as host Brevard County blanked Dunedin, 5-0, on Thursday.

 

Wahpepah (5-5), who had lost his previous two starts, yielded four hits, walked one and struck out two over five innings. The 6-foot-4 right-hander loaded the bases with one out in the second, but got Chris Gutierrez to ground into a double play.

 

Hinton tossed the final four frames to earn his second save. He permitted one hit, walked one and struck out six as the Manatees (11-15) recorded their third shutout this month.

 

Charlie Fermaint hit his sixth homer with two outs in the first to stake Wahpepah to an early lead. Carlos Corporan delivered an RBI single in the second and Hernan Iribarren singled home Brendan Katin the following inning.

 

Iribarren was 3-for-4, while Steven Sollmann collected two hits and drove in two runs for Brevard County (11-15), which totaled 12 hits.

 

Blue Jays starter Billy Carnline (3-2) took the loss after allowing five runs -- four earned -- on 11 hits while striking out three over five-plus innings. Eric Nielsen hit his 10th double for Dunedin (14-14), which has lost four of its last five. -- Louice Thomas/MLB.com

[Mass Haas]

"You've got to tip your hat to [Gallardo]," said Carolina Mudcats manager Luis Dorante. He was throwing fastballs by our hitters and we couldn't catch up with it."

[Mass Haas]

Thursday's Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Chat with Outfielder, but now First Baseman Chris Errecart (Select date for July 20th, skip to the 15:45 minute mark) --

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.helenair.com/articles...106_06.txt

 

Owls pound out 19 hits against Brewers

By JEFF WINDMUELLER - Independent Record Sports Writer

 

The Helena Brewers couldn?t get a scoring streak going while every one of the Orem Owlz recorded a hit in their 9-2 win at Kindrick Legion Field Thursday.

 

The Owlz had 19 hits overall, including a two-run homer by P.J. Phillips in the seventh. Meanwhile, their pitchers allowed eight hits against, walking just two.

 

?Their pitchers always have a plan and they obviously had a plan against our hitters, we didn?t make adjustments,? said Brewers skipper Ed Sedar. ?They had their plans and they executed them well.?

 

The tough Orem hurlers kept the Brewers from scoring until the seventh inning, when Bobby Cassevah gave up both walks.

 

Zach Clem was the first to walk on and would make it home off a double down the left field line by Taylor Green. Green scored the final run for the Brewers when Cole Gillespie was able to bloop a hit into shallow right field.

 

Cassevah had entered in the top of the sixth for David Herndon, the Owlz starter who had five hits in the five innings.

 

?Your momentum everyday is as good as your starting pitcher, and our starting pitcher today had a good sinker going,? said Owlz manager Tom Kotchman.

 

While Herndon didn?t allow much on base, he had only one strike out when he caught Clem looking in the fifth. The rest of the outs were left up to the defense, who stopped a Brewers team that has recently been connecting well at the plate.

 

?Their third baseman made at least three plays that you could see on Plays of the Day,? Sedar said.

 

In fact, Owlz third baseman Phillips made four throws to first to get the runner out, including a stop in the sixth when he caught Chuckie Caufield?s slow bouncer and the throw nearly tied the runner. Sedar left his spot at the coach?s box at third to argue the play but the call was kept.

 

The Brewers, meanwhile, showed strength on defense until the Owlz began placing hits between their players.

 

Second baseman Green and catcher D.J. Neyens teamed up to pick off a potential run.

 

In the second inning, Neyens threw a sharp throw to second to try to get a stealing Scott Knazek. He wasn?t able to get there for the tag, but Green was able to rifle a throw back to catch Abel Nieves attempting to steal home.

 

The play kept Orem?s lead to 1-0 until the fourth inning when the Owlz started placing hits just beyond the reach of Helena?s defense. The Owlz scored three that inning when the bottom of their line up hit four straight balls to right field.

 

?We?ve still got guys diving, still got guys running in a great backup position, (Orem) just outplayed us in all aspects of the game,? Sedar said.

 

Orem's three-run fourth came off four straight hits to right field where they kept Helena?s Caufield busy.

 

Neives doubled, Knazek brought him in with a single and Darell Sales doubled when a low-hit fly fell just inside the right line. Sales scored Knazek and Doug Reinhart would blast a high sacrifice fly to bring Sales in for the final run.

 

Orem?s big hitting was a surprise to Kotchman. The Owlz have the lowest team batting average in the Pioneer League with a .237. Their pitchers, meanwhile, top the stats list.

 

Herndon had the win for the Owlz while Chris Jean had the loss, giving up four runs on eight hits.

 

The Brewers (12-18) are fourth in the Pioneer League?s North Division and tied for last overall, sharing it with Casper.

 

The Owlz (17-13) is second in the South Division, while Billings is the only team with more wins in the North with 18.

 

The Brewers and Owlz will meet again today at Kindrick Legion Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

[Mass Haas]

Miscellaneous pre-game notes from the Charleston media:

 

The Power played only ten home games in June and the four-game set with Lake County will bring the July number to ten. In August, West Virginia has 21 home games ... The Power is 26-17 at home, 24-27 on the road ... The Power's average home attendance is 3,914 ... Ned Yost and catcher Angel Salome have reached base in 26 consecutive home games. Salome has an active 19-game hitting streak at home ... Power left fielder Lorenzo Cain and Salome rank in the top five in the SAL in hits, with 107. The Charleston club record, since low Class A baseball arrived in 1987, is 150 by Bobby Perna in 1992.

 

Power right-hander Will Inman, who owns a 1.13 earned run average and a streak of 21 scoreless innings, is scheduled to start Saturday. Inman won BC Powder South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week honors with 10 scoreless innings in two outings, during which he yielded just six hits and struck out 11.

 

If the game had continued beyond the 16th inning Monday night in Lexington, the Power might have sent catcher Brad Wilcutt to the mound. Power pitching coach John Curtis said it was a possibility. But Lexington?s Mitch Einertson ended the discussion with a grand slam to give the Legends a 5-1 victory in 16 innings.

 

Catcher Angel Salome?s 12-game hitting streak came to an end in Monday?s game. Outfielder Michael Brantley?s nine-game streak ended Tuesday.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200607211

 

Power rallies for 5-4 win

By Nick Scala

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

Mike Bell cleared his head, forgot about the recent past and addressed the task at hand.

 

Mired in a 2-for-25 slump, the West Virginia Power shortstop hit a seeing-eye single in the bottom of the ninth inning to drive home the winning run in the Power?s 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Lake County Captains Thursday night at Appalachian Power Park.

 

The Power trailed 4-1 in the seventh but put up single runs in the seventh and eighth innings and scored two in the ninth to win it. Mat Gamel?s line drive to right scored the tying run and preceded Bell?s game-winner.

 

Bell was hitless in four previous at bats Thursday and went 0-for-3 in the Power?s previous game, a 10-5 win at Lexington Tuesday. He was 2-for-25 dating back to last Thursday.

 

This Thursday, though, he emerged as the Power hero.

 

?I like hitting in that spot with the game on the line,? Bell said. ?You?ve got to let the rest of the day go, let all the other days go and concentrate on that at bat.?

 

Home runs by P.J. Hiser and Juan Valdez, both off Power starter Steve Garrison, helped stake Lake County to a 4-1 lead. But the Power chipped away at the deficit on Darren Ford?s sacrifice fly in the seventh and Tony Festa?s RBI single in the eighth.

 

Winning pitcher Kevin Roberts (5-9) pitched a perfect ninth to keep the Power close.

 

Ford led off the decisive frame with a high chopper over Lake County third baseman Nick Petrucci?s head. As the ball squirted around in shallow left, the speedy Ford never stopped and turned the hit into a double.

 

?I was thinking either double or I?m gonna steal the bag if I had to hold at first,? said Ford. ?I know we?ve got good hitters behind me and I?m the tying run, so I needed to get into scoring position.?

 

That position was enhanced when the next hitter, Lorenzo Cain, dropped down a bunt in front of Lake County pitcher Matt Davis (1-7). Davis tried to get Ford at third, but his throw was too late, putting Power runners on the corners with no outs.

 

After Cain advanced to second on a passed ball, Angel Salome was intentionally walked to load the bases.

 

Gamel followed with a soft liner that dropped in front of right fielder Mike Conroy. Ford scored easily, but Cain, thinking the ball might be caught, held up near second base for too long and was forced out at third for the first out of the inning. Salome, getting a better read on the hit, made it safely to second. Instead of being credited with a hit, Gamel merely got an RBI fielder?s choice.

 

?That?s OK, we won the game, that?s the important thing,? Gamel said. ?I was just looking for a pitch I could handle and get it to the outfield and score Darren, which isn?t too difficult because he?s so fast.?

 

Bell then bounced his single between shortstop and third base, and Salome raced home from second to end it and improve the Power to 12-14 in the second half and 47-37 overall. Lake County, 15-11 in the second half, is 38-52 overall.

 

The second game of the four-game series at 7:05 tonight (6:05 Central) pits Power lefty Rafael Lluberes (4-5, 3.54 ERA) against Lakewood right-hander Jeff Stevens (3-1, 5.81).

 

Briefly

 

Roberts, who opened the season in the starting rotation but switched to the bullpen, matched the team high in wins also shared by Will Inman, Dane Renkert and Patrick Ryan. Roberts? nine losses are the most on the staff. ... Lake County?s Johnny Drennen, who hit a home run off Roger Clemens in the future Hall of Famer?s rehabilitation start prior to rejoining the Astros? rotation, was promoted to Cleveland?s advanced Class A team in Kinston, N.C., before Thursday?s game. ... Defensive gems turned in by the Power included a diving stop at first base by Festa in the second inning, robbing Marshall Szabo of a double, and Cain?s running catch at the wall in the right-field corner with Lake County runners at first and third with two outs in the eighth inning.

[Rob]

I thought this was great. I was checking a website that summarizes minor league performances from the previous night. Here's what it said about Yo:

 

Yovani Gallardo MIL, THE TRUTH, 6 5 0 0 0 9, 0.59

 

Maybe we have a new nickname for him.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

I'm crossing my fingers that Fermaint gets promoted along with Iribarren. That'd actually give the Stars a pretty solid lineup from top to bottom for the first time in a few seasons.

 

I think with Chuck's agressive posting to West Virginia in the first place that the Brewers are trying to keep the three latin players (Fermaint, Irribarren and Escobar) together like they tried to do with Weeks, Gwynn and Fielder.

 

It's not going to hurt any of them to stay at A+, but I think that any one of them would struggle in the Southern League right now.

[filthyfrog]

I can respect the keep-them-together philosophy, but Hurricane is 2 years older than Fermaint and 3 years older than Escobar. And his game appears to be much more polished at this point. Holding him back for the sake of Escobar and Fermaint hurts his prospect status. He still needs to field and run the bases better, but I don't see why he can't work on that in AA. He looks ready to me.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006072111/

 

Power rallies in final at-bat for win

Jack Bogaczyk

Charleston Daily Mail Sports Editor

 

Mat Gamel said the West Virginia Power just "kind of finally settled in."

 

That was about the same time an Appalachian Power Park overflow crowd of 5,331 did just the opposite -- and about the time $1 beer sales were cut off.

 

The reason for the differing reactions was the same. After yet another comeback Thursday night for a 5-4 victory over Lake County, the Power now leads South Atlantic League baseball with five wins when trailing after eight innings.

 

It wasn't so much that West Virginia rallied to win, as it was how the Power did it.

 

Call it better late and clever.

 

Trailing 4-1 at the seventh-inning stretch, the Power scored once apiece in the seventh and eighth, then erased a one-run Captain edge in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 victory. The winning run came on Mike Bell's one-out, RBI single, scoring a sliding Angel Salome.

 

"I thought the eighth was pretty much the turning point, when we scored one run and hit the ball well enough to have gotten more," Bell said. "In the ninth inning, I think we just kind of felt it was ours to win."

 

That attitude came against Captain closer Matt Davis (1-7), who leads the SAL with 22 saves. Davis came into the ninth inning with a one-run lead.

 

He was wild, but not as wild as the Power rally, considering it was only the second time in 36 games Lake County has lost when it led entering the ninth.

 

"It was different, the way we went about winning it," said Power right fielder Lorenzo Cain, who was in the middle of it.

 

Speedy Darren Ford opened the inning with a chopper over the head of third baseman Nick Petrucci. Lake County shortstop Niuman Romero got his glove on the second bounce, but the ball squirted away and Ford kept running for a double -- the only extra-base hit among West Virginia's 11 hits.

 

Cain's sacrifice bunt attempt went "too straight, when I was trying to make the third baseman field it," Cain said, but Davis' force-out throw to third was too late to get Ford.

 

Then, a Davis pitch got away from Captain catcher Chris Giminez and Cain moved to second, although Ford didn't take off for home with the tying run.

 

"I just lost the ball," the Power base-stealing leader said. "I saw the catcher go up for it, but I didn't see ball get away."

 

Davis then finished an intentional walk to Salome, loading the bases. Gamel followed with a sinking liner to right and Ford scored.

 

However, it became a fielder's choice RBI rather than a base-hit because Cain thought right fielder Mike Conroy was going to make a diving catch.

 

"So, I held," Cain said. "It was a mistake on my part. It could have been bad, but things turned out OK for us."

 

Cain was forced at third on the relay for the first out, leaving runners at first and second and the score tied.

 

Bell then ripped a single to left, scoring Salome and making erstwhile rotation leader Kevin Roberts (5-9) a winner in relief for the first time this season.

 

"You're looking for a pitch you can drive," Bell said. "You know a hit will win it and so you shorten up and just want to get the barrel on the ball. We changed our approach from early in the game.

 

"I think too many of us were up there swinging too much early. We've got good hitters on this club and we just had to use our heads."

 

Crucial for the Power (12-14) was three innings of shutout, two-hit relief by Wilfredo Laureano in front of Roberts' finish. Lake County (15-11) had built a 4-1 lead against West Virginia starter Steve Garrison.

 

Tony Festa's leadoff walk became the Power's run in the seventh on Ford's sacrifice fly and Festa's RBI single in the eighth inning cut the Captain edge to 4-3.

 

The Power left the bases loaded, but didn't go lightly, as Kenny Holmberg's deep liner to center was the final out.

 

West Virginia, 5-0 against the Captains this season, did little with Lake County starter Albert Vargas in the first six innings. Homers by B.J. Hiser and Juan Valdes had paved the way to the Cleveland farm team's lead.

 

Power points -- West Virginia sends lefty Rafael Lluberes (4-5) against Captain right-hander Jeff Stevens (3-1) in tonight's second game of the series. ... Cleveland promoted Captains outfielder Johnny Drennen to Kinston (N.C.) of the Carolina League on Thursday. Drennen gained national notoriety on June 6 when he homered off rehabbing Roger Clemens in Lexington. ... Drennen's spot on the Lake County roster was taken by Mike Butia, up from short-season Burlington. Butia went 3-for-4 in his return to the SAL, where he played the first half of last season. ... The Captains got a new catcher, who arrived during the game. Max Ramirez, who played last month in the SAL All-Star Game for the Rome Braves, moved to the Cleveland organization from Atlanta in exchange for Major League closer Bob Wickman. The 21-year-old Ramirez is hitting .285 with nine homers and 37 RBI in 80 games this season. He was the Appalachian League co-player of the year in 2005. ... The Power is 27-17 at home, 24-27 on the road.

 

Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Tom Hindman

West Virginia first baseman Tony Festa waits for the ball as Lake County runner Chris De La Cruz approaches the bag.

 

http://www.dailymail.com/images/0721wvpower.jpg

[SoCalBrewfan]

With the major league pen in such dire straits, and with an apparent consensus that the pen is Dennis' ultimate home, I'm surprised they haven't tried Sarfate in the Nashville pen before this. This is his last option year, so there's no possibility of giving him a few months in the Sounds' bullpen next year...