Link Report Sun 7/16 - Interesting Inman Notes, Photo Added

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Sunday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: RHP Justin Lehr at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 5:40 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: RHP Corey Thurman at home vs. Mississippi (Braves), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450radio.com/

 

Brevard County: TBD at Vero Beach (Dodgers), 4:00 gametime

 

Audio link (opponent's) -- this game will be archived at this link as well:

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

 

West Virginia: RHP Will Inman at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 4:55 AM pre-game, 5:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

 

Helena: RHP Mike McClendon at Orem (Angels), 3:50 PM pre-game; 4:05 gametime

 

Audio (click on "Listen Live"):

www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php

 

Arizona: TBD at home in Maryvale vs. the rookie Cubbies, 12:30 PM Central time, 10:30 AM local, never any web audio for the Arizona League

[Mass Haas]

Follow Sunday's action as it happens:

Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often.

 

Nashville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_vbdafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

Helena:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_orerok_1

 

Arizona Rookie:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

[Mass Haas]

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated an hour or two prior to gametime:

 

Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

 

Following Nashville's lead, Huntsville now makes its media notes available as well, nice:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

[Mass Haas]

Standings through Saturday's action:

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 50 42 .543 - 31-19 19-23 W3[/b] Iowa 47 45 .511 3.0 25-20 22-25 W7 Memphis 38 54 .413 12.0 20-27 18-27 L3 Omaha 36 57 .387 14.5 21-21 15-36 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 14 10 .583 - 9-5 5-5 W1 Tennessee 13 11 .542 1.0 8-6 5-5 L3 West Tenn 12 12 .500 2.0 7-3 5-9 L4 [b]Huntsville 10 14 .417 4.0 5-9 5-5 L2[/b] Carolina 9 15 .375 5.0 5-5 4-10 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 14 6 .700 - 8-5 6-1 L2 St. Lucie 13 8 .619 1.5 7-4 6-4 W3 Palm Beach 11 11 .500 4.0 5-3 6-8 W1 Jupiter 9 13 .409 6.0 5-9 4-4 L1 Vero Beach 9 13 .409 6.0 4-7 5-6 W3 [b]Brevard County 8 13 .381 6.5 4-3 4-10 L3[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 16 7 .696 - 9-2 7-5 L2 Lake County 13 9 .591 2.5 7-4 6-5 W1 Greensboro 11 11 .500 4.5 6-5 5-6 W2 Hickory 11 12 .478 5.0 5-8 6-4 W6 Lexington 10 13 .435 6.0 6-4 4-9 W1 [b]West Virginia 9 13 .409 6.5 4-4 5-9 L1[/b] Delmarva 7 15 .318 8.5 5-7 2-8 L1 Hagerstown 7 15 .318 8.5 5-12 2-3 L8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 16 7 .696 - 10-3 6-4 W2 Great Falls 12 13 .480 5.0 5-9 7-4 W2 Missoula 10 14 .417 6.5 4-6 6-8 W1 [b]Helena 10 15 .400 7.0 4-7 6-8 L3[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Giants 14 5 .737 - 6-3 8-2 W1 AZL Royals 13 6 .684 1.0 6-3 7-3 W1 AZL Padres 12 7 .632 2.0 4-4 8-3 L2 AZL Mariners 11 9 .550 3.5 6-4 5-5 W2 AZL Angels 9 10 .474 5.0 7-7 2-3 L1 AZL Athletics 8 11 .421 6.0 4-5 4-6 W2 [b]AZL Brewers 7 12 .368 7.0 2-7 5-5 L1[/b] AZL Cubs 6 13 .316 8.0 3-6 3-7 W1 AZL Rangers 6 13 .316 8.0 3-6 3-7 L5

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1

 

Covering the bases

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

Pitcher Joe Valentine, the co-owner of the Southern League record for saves in a season, was added to the Stars' roster Saturday. The 26-year-old right-hander pitched in 16 games for the Cincinnati Reds last season. He was at Birmingham in 2002, making 55 relief appearances with a 4-1 mark and the record 36 saves, to go with a 1.97 ERA. He was at Houston's Triple-A Round Rock, Texas, team earlier this season. ...

 

Brett Evert, who was 0-4 with a 2.65 ERA in 14 Huntsville relief appearances, was released to make room for Valentine. ...

 

The Stars' roster is almost too deep at this point. They are carrying 10 pitchers on the active roster, plus major leaguer Jorge De La Rosa, who has two more starts on his rehab assignment here. That means there are 13 roster players, which makes it difficult for manager Don Money to find enough playing opportunities. And there are only 10 games remaining this year in which a DH will be used. ... The Stars have three catchers, and Money wants to get some playing time when possible for Carlos Lee. He is the younger brother of Brewers' left fielder Carlos Lee -- yes, the same name -- with this one's full name Carlos Humberto Lee. The younger Lee had been in the White Sox organization earlier in the year and played two games at Birmingham. ...

 

Looking back on the Stars' miserable May and June, Money had a good explanation: The schedule. "We were playing good teams," he said. "In 40 games, we played Chattanooga 10 times and they were a first-place club. We played Jacksonville 10 times, and they were a first-place club. We played West Tenn 15 times, and they were a first- or second-place club. And if you look at the stats, they were all 1-2-3 in pitching and hitting. We got ourselves in a rut."

 

Around the league

 

The 2007 Southern League All-Star Game has been awarded to Mississippi and the '08 game will be in Carolina, it was determined at the recent league meeting prior to last Monday's All-Star Game. ... It was otherwise an uneventful meeting, according to Stars' GM Tom Van Schaack, with few pressing issues to discuss. ... League directors were polled earlier in the season for their reactions to the five-game series format, as introduced this year. The format will be used again next year. ...

 

West Tenn's franchise has a shaky future, with lease problems with the city of Jackson and ownership reportedly wanting to sell. However, in terms of the '07 schedule, West Tenn will be in the league. At this juncture, it would be difficult to sell the team and move to a suitable location anyway. ... The Montgomery Biscuits called a nice audible -- at least for a while. Stacy Long of The Montgomery Advertiser reports they cancelled the Aug. 4 Delmon Young Figurine Night, when the prima donna ex-Biscuit threw a bat at an umpire in Triple-A. It's now B.J. Upton Figurine Night. Except Upton, Tampa Bay's third baseman, was arrested in mid-June on DUI charges. ... Ex-Mobile catcher George Kottaras, a Southern League All-Star, celebrated his promotion to Triple-A Thursday with a homer and double in his first game. ... On the subject of things to celebrate in Triple-A: Huntsville native Adam Bass, a pitcher in the Arizona chain, is 5-0 with a 3.75 ERA in 10 starts at Tucson since his promotion from Tennessee.

 

Brewings

 

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (50-42, first place in Pacific Coast League American Division): Three pitchers combined for a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over in-state rival Memphis Redbirds on Saturday.

 

Carlos Villanueva (1-0) struck out six and walked three in six innings. Mike Meyers followed Villanueva with two hitless innings and Alec Zumwalt earned his eighth save of the season.

 

Nashville leads the Pacific Coast League in shutouts this season with 10.

 

Single-A Brevard County Manatees (8-12, fourth in Florida State East Division this half): OF Charlie Fermaint 20 SBs, .280, 52 RBIs.

 

Single-A West Virginia Power (9-12, fifth in South Atlantic League Northern Division this half): 1B Ned Yost .298, 6 HRs, 41 RBIs.

 

On deck

 

The Stars finish up their series with Mississippi at 6:05 tonight, then take Monday off before embarking on a five-game road trip to Carolina. They return home July 24 to host Birmingham.

[chowyo123]

edit: moving to transactions thread, didnt realize Rogers actually made it to the DL.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Arizona Brewers 12, Arizona Cubs 7

Brewers trailed 6-1 at one point; career day for 2005 draft-and-follow signee catcher Ulrich Snijders, three singles, a triple and a home run -- he had nine total bases in 25 AB's prior to today, so he more than doubled that total...

 

Arizona Brewer Box Score and Game Log Link:

Better, but walking seven and committing four errors still not exactly pretty; Canadian Craig Langille's line is fine -- three runners inherited from fellow Canuck Alexandre Periard with one out all scored on Langille's watch, but errors compunded that messy inning; converted shortstop Harold Mejia bailed Langille out of his own bases-loaded situation with two out; Andrew Lefave still hot, on base three more times, as was John Alonso; middle infielder Jovanny Felix still struggling defensively, but those numbers mean so little sometimes on those sun-baked rookie league infields...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Orem (Angels) 5, Helena 4

Too many opportunites wasted...

 

Helena Game Summary from the Owlz' Site:

 

Owlz Come from Behind, Complete Sweep

by Brandon Gaudin

 

In the bottom of the seventh, Peter Bourjos delivered a two-out, two-strike triple over the head of Helena centerfielder Cole Gillespie scoring two men to put the Owlz ahead 5-4.

 

Helena got two men on in both the eighth and ninth, but relievers Aaron Cook and Darren O'Day would hold them from scoring to complete the three game sweep.

 

The Owlz led 1-0 heading into the fourth. Trevor Bell surrendered a leadoff solo homer to Andy Bouchie to tie the game. The next Brewer hitter doubled and came around to score to give Helena a 2-1 lead.

 

Then, in the fifth, with runners on second and third, Owlz catcher Ricky Bambino threw wide of third base, trying to pick off the lead runner. The ball rolled down the left-field line and allowed both men to come home, giving Helena a three-run lead, 4-1.

 

The Owlz would close the gap to one in the sixth when Chris Pettit delivered a two-out RBI double to left-center, scoring Luis Rivera and Tyler Johnson from second and first base respectively.

 

Bourjos then delivered the eventual game-winner the very next inning to give the Owlz the lead they wouldn't relinquish.

 

P.J. Connelly earned his first win in relief, tossing a scoreless 1 1/3 innings. Aaron Cook relieved him in the eighth to strike out two men, setting the stage for O'Day's league leading sixth save in the ninth.

 

The Owlz improved to 16-10 with the sweep and maintain sole possession of first place in the Pioneer League South.

 

Helena Box Score and Game Log Link:

Poor relief work with inherited runners almost an epidemic in the organization as of late, all four scored in this game -- in both cases, only one out was needed; multiple-hit games for Cole Gillespie and Andy Bouchie; Taylor Green with a 17-game hit streak (1-for-5, .287)...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_orerok_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 12, Vero Beach (Dodgers) 6

Eight-run second inning for the 'Tees...

 

Brevard County Box Score and Game Log Link:

Every starter with at least two hits, except for catcher Kyle Phillips who had one hit; Charlie Fermaint 3-for-6, just a single shy of the cycle; Carlos Corporan on base five times; Ryan Crew (in left field today) reaches four times; Bo Hall struggled a bit in his first start this season after 26 relief appearances; Monday is Manny Parra's day to start -- will he go after pitching only two innings Wednesday? Josh Alliston does the bases-loaded inherited runners thing right in the 6th, saving Ben Stanczyk with a two-out strikeout...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_vbdafa_1

[DKM4Boston]

Another solid outing for Will Inman. I believe that he has now thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings.

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 8, Lexington (Astros) 0

We really should give Kevin Roberts his due before we gush some more over the other-worldly Will Inman...

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

POWER SHUT OUT LEXINGTON

 

Will Inman and Kevin Roberts combined for the fourth West Virginia Power shutout of the season as the Power defeated the Lexington Legends 8-0 on Sunday evening at Appalachian Power Park.

 

Angel Salome knocked in four runs on the evening, and drove in his first two on a base hit in the third inning. Ned Yost completed the four-run frame for the Power with a two-run double.

 

In the fourth inning Darren Ford doubled in Nestor Corredor to give the Power a 5-0 advantage. Lorenzo Cain?s sacrifice fly knocked in Michael Brantley in the eighth inning and Salome followed with a two-run double to complete a three-run eighth inning.

 

The four-hit shutout was the first for the Power since May 5th against Lexington.

 

Inman (5-1) pitched five scoreless innings of three-hit ball and struck out five to earn the victory, Roberts (1) pitched four scoreless innings of one-hit ball in relief to earn the save and Brian Bogusevic (0-1) obtained the loss. The Power are 49-43 overall and 10-13 in the second half after the win while the Legends fell to 54-39 overall and 10-14 in the second half after the loss.

 

The Power will continue the four-game series against the Legends at Applebee?s Park on Monday night, as the series changes venues. Right hander Brad James (3-1, 1.86) will make the start for Lexington and the Power will counter with right hander Shawn Ferguson in his West Virginia debut. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score and Game Log Link:

In addition to his off-the-chart numbers, Will Inman has surrndered exactly zero home runs in 56 innings this year -- are we all reciting our Will Inman / Yovani Gallardo novenas faithfully? Angel Salome with 28 doubles -- he deserves a prayer on our part, too...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Another No-Hitter this weekend?

 

Huntsville has zero runs, zero hits, and eight K's through five innings.

 

Certainly a year Stars' hitting coach Sandy Guerrero won't forget for a long, long time.

 

Sounds and Redbirds tied at 3-3 in the 7th -- there's your two audio choices for 7:50 Central time...

[saget]

Inman is a freak.

 

He should be in AA with Yo

[DHonks]

He should be in AA with Yo

 

It would seem logical that they are:

a) keeping him in W. Va to help them make a playoff run

b) planning on skipping him to AA next year,

c) planning on moving him up for the month of August as they've done with some in the past.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Mississippi (Braves) 8, Huntsville 4, ten innings

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=925

 

Braves Bounce Back and Win in Tenth

 

Mike Rozema?s two-run single keyed a four-run tenth inning rally that carried Mississippi past Huntsville 8-4 Sunday night in the final game of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Braves won the last three games of the series to improve to 9-16 in the second half, while the Stars dropped to 10-15 in the half and lost for a ninth time in 10 extra innings games.

 

Travis Phelps opened the tenth on the hill for Huntsville and issued walks to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, pinch-hitter Bobby Darula and Onil Joseph to load the bases with one out before Rozema lined a base hit into center field to drive in a pair to put the Braves on top 6-4. Joseph went to third base and scored on a fielder?s choice grounder by Josh Burrus, who stole second base and scored on a single by Brandon Jones to complete the winning rally. Phelps had allowed only one run over his last 17 innings and had issued only one walk over his last 21 frames before tonight.

 

Dan Smith made a fill-in start for Matt Wright, promoted to triple-A Richmond earlier in the week, and worked five hitless, scoreless innings. He struck out a season-high eight and walked two in his second start of the season. Ryan Basner took over and worked out of a runners at first and third nobody out jam in the sixth inning and went into the eighth protecting a 4-0 lead. He walked Guilder Rodriguez and pinch-hitter Jeff Eure with one out, struck out Steve Moss and gave up a single to Callix Crabbe that got the home team on the board, as Rodriguez scored to make it 4-1. The run ended a 22 inning drought that spanned back to the fourth inning of Friday night?s game. Drew Anderson followed with a three-run homer, his fifth of the season and second against the Braves, to get the game tied at four.

 

Jones? two-run home run in the first inning gave the visitors the early lead after the Stars? inability to turn a double play for a second straight night in the first inning. Burrus singled in a run in the sixth against Corey Thurman, who once again received little in the way of run support. The right-hander allowed three runs on five hits and fanned eight over six frames before being replaced by Joe Valentine, who gave up a home run to Saltalamacchia in the seventh.

 

The Stars travel to Raleigh, NC Monday to begin a five-game set against Carolina on Tuesday night with left-hander Steve Hammond starting for Huntsville against Mudcats? left-hander Paul Mildren. 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.

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

An extra inning not extra kind for Stars in 8-4 loss

Anderson keys four-run rally to tie game in eighth

By SKIP VAUGHN

For The Huntsville Times, skipv@htimes.com

 

The Huntsville Stars looked like they were on their way to another shutout loss to the Mississippi Braves on Sunday night before rallying for four runs in the eighth inning.

 

The Stars tied the score four-all on an RBI single by Callix Crabbe and a three-run homer by Drew Anderson to the delight of 1,311 fans at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

But the Braves answered with four runs in the 10th inning and beat the Stars 8-4.

 

"For the second night in a row, in the first inning we failed to turn a double play," Stars manager Don Money said. "(On Saturday night), they got one run and tonight they got two runs. We're just not doing the routine stuff."

 

After the Braves' two-run first inning off Stars starter Corey Thurman, the Stars (10-15) couldn't get started offensively until the eighth. Two walks and two hits in the inning produced their only runs of the night.

 

"And then the 10th inning just jumped up and bit us again," Money said.

 

Anderson followed Crabbe's two-out single with a towering drive over the right-field fence for his fifth homer of the season. He hit a down-and-in slider off Braves reliever Ryan Basner.

 

"It felt good because we hadn't scored in two games," Anderson said. "It really felt like we were going to come back and win the game even though it felt like we were out of it most of the time."

 

"Drew tied it up," right fielder Travis Ezi said. "And then after that things really fell apart."

 

The Braves scored four runs in the 10th off Stars reliever Travis Phelps (3-7). Three walks, one intentional, and two hits did the damage for Mississippi. Stars pitching coach Rich Sauveur was ejected by home plate umpire Tom Clark after Phelps walked Onil Joseph to load the bases with one out. Mike Rozema followed with a two-run single up the middle.

 

"I asked how much was that ball missing by," Sauveur said. "That's all I was asking him. And then I asked him why I can't ask him how much that pitch is missing by."

 

Glenn Tucker (1-2) pitched a scoreless ninth and got the win for Mississippi (9-16). Jose Ascanio followed with a scoreless 10th. Braves starter Dan Smith pitched five scoreless and hitless innings with eight strikeouts and two walks before reaching his pitch limit.

 

"That's a little hard to swallow," Braves manager Jeff Blauser said of Huntsville's four-run rally. "But we come back with the big inning and that makes it a little easier to take."

 

"(Anderson) tied it up," Stars first baseman Brad Nelson said. "And at least gave us a way better chance than what we had been doing."

 

Huntsville Box Score and Game Log Link:

Ryan Braun back in the lineup...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 6, Memphis (Cardinals) 3

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for new Nelson Cruz photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2060

 

Cruz Powers Sounds To 6-3 Win, Series Sweep

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? All-Star outfielder Nelson Cruz homered and drove in a season-high five runs to propel the Nashville Sounds to a 6-3 win and four-game series sweep of the division-rival Memphis Redbirds on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium.

 

Nashville (51-42) won for the fifth time in its last six contests overall and recorded its seventh straight win over the Redbirds dating back to early July. The sweep was the fourth of the year for the Sounds, who maintain at least a three-game lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division.

 

Cruz?s five RBIs matched his season high, which he had accomplished one other time, and the slugger provided two key hits to lead the Sounds to victory. His second, a two-run eighth-inning double, broke a 3-3 tie.

 

After not recording a hit in their previous 11 1/3 innings, the Redbirds came out swinging, plating a run off two hits in the top of the first. After Sounds starter Justin Lehr whiffed the first two Memphis batters, the Redbirds struck with back-to-back singles. Mike Rose supplied the first single and then crossed home on a John Gall RBI single that hit the base of the wall in left field. Rose?s run gave the Redbirds an early 1-0 lead.

 

The Sounds didn?t let the Redbirds enjoy their lead too long as the home team recorded three runs in the bottom of the first. Nashville started the inning off with back-to-back singles courtesy of Kennard Bibbs and Brent Abernathy.

 

With Bibbs on third and Abernathy on second following a Dave Krynzel sacrifice, Memphis starter Dennis Tankersley surrendered a three-run homer to Cruz that gave the Sounds a 3-1 lead. Cruz?s team-leading 17th home run moved him into fourth place in the PCL.

 

Lehr was able to keep the Redbirds caged up until the top of the seventh inning. With two outs in that frame, the right-hander walked Jason Conti, who was pinch-hitting for Tankersley, and Junior Spivey before manager Frank Kremblas brought in Mitch Stetter from the bullpen.

 

Stetter faced two batters, giving up a walk to load the bases and then surrendering a two-out, two-run single to Mike Rose to knot the game up at threes. Steve Bray came in and threw to one batter, getting John Gall to line out to Cruz in right to end the seventh.

 

Lehr, who did not factor in the decision following the blown save, struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 2/3 innings.

 

The Sounds reclaimed the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth, plating three runs for a 6-3 lead. With one out, Abernathy and Krynzel each singled to chase Memphis reliever Matt Perisho from the game.

 

Cruz greeted Redbirds reliever Andy Cavazos by drilling a 2-0 pitch deep into left-center that cleared the bases and gave the Sounds a two-run lead. Cruz scored from second two batters latter on a Jermaine Clark ground-rule double to right-center, brining the score to its final 6-3.

 

AUDIO: Cruz's Go-Ahead 8th-Inning Double --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-16.mp3

 

Krynzel?s eight-inning single extended his hitting streak to season-best nine games. Over those nine games, he has recorded a .344 (10-for-29) batting average.

 

Memphis didn?t help its chances, squandering several scoring opportunities as it finished 1-for-6 with men in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.

 

Chris Demaria (3-0), who entered the game in the top of the eighth, received his third win of the year after hurling one inning of no-hit baseball. Allan Simpson worked a scoreless ninth to earn his seventh save of the year.

 

Perisho (2-2) was saddled with the loss after allowing two runs in his 1 1/3 frames.

 

The Sounds begin an eight-day, 10-game road trip on Monday in Omaha, Nebraska, where they?ll take on the division-rival Royals in the teams? final series of the year.

 

Nashville right-hander Ben Hendrickson (7-3, 1.84) will man the bump in Monday?s 7:05 p.m. CT opener to face Royals right-hander Adam Bernero (2-2, 3.27).

 

Nashville Box Score and Game Log Link:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=51017

 

Sounds continue dominance of Redbirds

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

Baseball bragging rights in Tennessee belong to Music City after the Nashville Sounds scored a 6-3 victory over the Memphis Redbirds in front of 4,031 fans at Greer Stadium on Sunday. The win capped off a four-game sweep and is Nashville?s seventh-straight victory over Memphis. The Sounds own an 8-3 edge against their Northern Division rival. The two teams will meet five more times this season in Memphis.

 

?There?s a lot of vets on that team, a lot of guys that have been playing a long time,? Sounds center fielder Dave Krynzel said. ?They don?t give at-bats away and their pitchers are really good. The competitiveness whenever we play them is always up there. It definitely feels good [to have gotten the best of Memphis so far].?

 

The difference for Nashville (51-42) was its all-star right fielder Nelson Cruz, who drove in five runs on the evening. Cruz hit a game-winning two-run double in the bottom of the eighth after Memphis tied the game an inning before.

 

?He?s definitely the guy we want up in that situation,? Krynzel said.

 

Cruz and the Sounds got going right away. He launched a wind-aided three-run homer that gave the Sounds a 3-1 lead.

 

Cruz hit the homer, which looked like it would die in deep right-center field, after Kennard Bibbs and Brent Abernathy led off the inning with singles.

 

?I thought we did a good job getting on with the singles. Then Krynzel laid down a nice sacrifice bunt and [Cruz] was patient for a pitch to hit,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said.

 

Nashville had fallen behind 1-0 after Memphis first baseman John Gall notched an RBI single off Sounds starter Justin Lehr.

 

The lead held for Nashville until the seventh inning. That?s when Lehr surrendered a pair of two-out walks and Memphis took advantage when Mike Rose hit a game-tying single off reliever Mitch Stetter.

 

Lehr didn?t factor into the decision, but as has been the case for Nashville?s starters this season, he kept the Sounds in the game. Lehr went 6.2 innings and struck out a season-best eight batters, while allowing three runs.

 

The Sounds overcame six walks by their pitching staff ? three by Lehr ? to earn the victory

 

?Our command was [not good],? Kremblas said. ?Lehr didn?t throw bad. He threw some good pitches just out of the zone.?

 

No Sheets in Nashville: Milwaukee?s Ben Sheets will be making his third rehab start for the Sounds and once again it will come away from Greer. Sheets is recovering from right shoulder tendonitis and will start for the team on Wednesday at Omaha.

 

Sheets will rejoin the Brewers if everything goes well there. Also coming off the disabled list soon for Milwaukee is starter Tomo Ohka.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....002/SPORTS

 

Cruz drives in five runs for Sounds

Nashville completes four-game sweep of state rival Memphis

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Nelson Cruz drove in five Nashville runs Sunday night as the Sounds posted a 6-3 victory over visiting Memphis to complete a four-game series sweep of their in-state rival.

 

The all-star right fielder, who hit a three-run opposite-field home run to put Nashville on the scoreboard in the first inning, greeted Memphis reliever Andy Cavazos by pulling a pitch into the left-center field gap for a two-run eighth-inning double. The hit snapped a 3-3 tie, and Cruz subsequently scored on Jermaine Clark's double.

 

"I've been working a lot with (hitting coach) Gary Pettis, and it helped me," Cruz said after his second five-RBI game of the year, following a similar game by Mike Rivera and a six-RBI outing by Graham Koonce on June 15 against Omaha.

 

Nashville overcame an early 1-0 deficit with the Cruz homer, and starting pitcher Justin Lehr was in line for the victory with a season-high eight strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.

 

However, Lehr issued a pair of two-out walks before exiting the game in the seventh, and both scored as the Redbirds tied the game.

 

"Justin didn't throw badly," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said. "He threw some good pitches just out of the zone."

 

Chris Demaria held the visitors scoreless in the eighth to notch the victory, with Allan Simpson earning his seventh save of the year with a scoreless ninth.

 

"The team did really well," Cruz said. "We feel like we can step out and win whatever game. I think we're more relaxed now."

 

Brent Abernathy and Ozzie Chavez each added a pair of hits in Nashville's nine-hit attack.

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Sheets set for third rehab start this week

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Ben Sheets will make his third rehabilitation start of the season during the Nashville Sounds' four-game series at Omaha.

 

Sheets is slated to go Wednesday night as he continues to come back from right shoulder tendinitis that forced him onto the disabled list on May 10.

 

The two-time National League All-Star (2001, '04), who threw 87 pitches in a rehab start last Friday in the Arizona (Rookie) League, is 1-1 with a 3.12 earned run average with the Sounds. He won an April 11 start at Iowa and lost a July 9 start at Round Rock.

 

Wednesday's outing is expected, to be Sheets' final minor league performance before the Milwaukee Brewers activate him for their upcoming three-game series against visiting Pittsburgh.

 

No-hitter notes: Saturday's combined no-hitter by Nashville's Carlos Villanueva, Mike Meyers and Alec Zumwalt against Memphis was the first nine-inning no-hitter in the Pacific Coast League this season.

 

Three Portland pitchers ? Ryan Meaux, Aquilino Lopez and Cla Meredith ? combined on a seven-inning perfect game on June 9, in the second game of a double-header against Sacramento.

 

The contest was also the shortest nine innings of the year for the Sounds, taking just 2 hours, 11 minutes. For the visiting Redbirds, it was the first time they'd been no-hit in the nine-year history of the franchise.

 

Pounding the rock: After posting a .229 batting average ? the league's worst ? for the month of June, the Sounds have bounced back through the first 2½ weeks of July. Their .272 average prior to Sunday night's game was seventh in the PCL.

 

Centerfielder Dave Krynzel extended his season-high hitting streak to nine games with an eighth-inning single, while rightfielder Nelson Cruz stretched his streak to five games with his three-run first-inning home run. Catcher Chad Moeller, who had hits in each of his three games since joining the Sounds on Thursday, was not in the starting lineup.

 

Up the charts: Cruz's homer was his 17th of the year, tying him with Albuquerque infielder Scott Seabol for the PCL's fourth-best total. Portland's Jon Knott and Round Rock's Luke Scott each entered Sunday with 20 homers, while Tucson's Scott Hairston came in with 18.

 

I'm glovin' it: Nashville has played a season-high six straight games without committing an error. Over their last nine games - a span of 88 innings - the Sounds have just two errors.

 

Keeping 'em stocked: Tony Gwynn's weekend callup by the Brewers made him the ninth player from the Sounds opening-day roster to join the major league team.

 

Gwynn, who had a pinch-hit groundout in his first big-league at-bat, was preceded by pitchers Mike Adams, Chris Demaria, Ben Hendrickson, Dana Eveland, Zach Jackson and Allan Simpson, infielder Chris Barnwell and catcher Mike Rivera.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio No-Hitter Chat with Carlos Villanueva, Mike Meyers, & Alec Zumwalt:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-16.mp3

[Mass Haas]

The Sounds have fixed these links now. Carlos Villanueva is very well-spoken and insightful in his second language...

 

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat (from Thursday) with Starting Pitcher Carlos Villanueva:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-13.mp3

 

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Hitting Coach Gary Pettis:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-15.mp3

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...92,00.html

 

Owlz rally to sweep Brewers

By Jim Rayburn

Deseret Morning News

 

OREM ? Being down in the count meant nothing Sunday afternoon to the Orem Owlz.

 

Rather than being defensive at the plate when falling behind 1-2 and 0-2, Orem's hitters took their best rips on what are considered pitchers' counts in rallying from a 4-1 deficit to edge the Helena Brewers 5-4 and sweep the three-game series.

 

Seven of the Owlz' eight hits came on 1-2 or 0-2 counts, and all five of Orem's runs scored with two outs. Also, both of Orem's late-inning scoring rallies started with two outs and nobody on base.

 

Things looked bleak for the Owlz when they trailed by three with two outs in the sixth, and had only managed two hits to that point off Helena starter Mike McClendon. Things changed, however, when Luis Rivera singled on an 0-2 pitch to keep the inning alive. Tyler Johnson followed with a 1-2 count single to center. Brewers reliever Mike Ramlow got ahead of Chris Pettit with two quick strikes but then hung a curve that Pettit lifted to the left-field fence to score both runners and trim Helena's lead to 4-3.

 

In the seventh the Brewers were again one strike from ending the inning when the Owlz had two men reach on two-out, two-strike singles. Helena's Chris Jean was poised to end the threat when he got ahead of Orem's Peter Bourjos 0-2, but the Owlz's No. 2 hitter blistered his third pitch to deep center for a two-out, two-run triple to put Orem on top for good.

 

Once ahead, Orem's bullpen kept the Owlz there. But it took some clutch pitching in the ninth by closer Darren O'Day to seal the deal. Helena's Taylor Green hit a one-out single to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Cole Gillespie kept the threat alive with a two-out bloop single over first. But O'Day put out the fire when he struck out an anxious Andy Bouchie, who had homered earlier in the game, on three straight sliders.

 

Early on it appeared that Helena was going to steal a win ? literally. The Brewers took a 2-1 lead in the fourth by scoring a run on a double steal. Then, an inning later, they scored two more on a second double steal ? which was aided by a costly throwing error by Orem catcher Ricky Bambino. On Helena's first double-steal, Bambino threw through to second base. On the second attempt he faked a throw to second and then tried to pick off the runner at third, but his throw sailed into left field, which allowed both base runners to score.

 

The Owlz now lead the Southern Division with a Pioneer League best 16-10 record.

 

The Brewers, who are now 10-16 and last place in the North Division, return to Helena today to play Ogden at Kindrick Legion Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/200607178/

 

Power duo faces tall order

Chuck McGill

For the Charleston Daily Mail

 

A prevailing thought in professional baseball is that pitchers short in stature are less likely to succeed. Two West Virginia Power hurlers are doing their best to disprove that theory.

 

Will Inman and Kevin Roberts, the two most vertically challenged pitchers on the Power roster, combined to toss nine innings of shutout ball in an 8-0 South Atlantic League victory over Lexington on Sunday night at Appalachian Power Park before a crowd of 3,003.

 

Inman stifled Lexington's bats for five innings before turning the ball over to Roberts, who picked up his first save of the season. It was Inman's fifth win of the season for the Power, who have won only three times in their last 10 games.

 

"I feel like I mixed speeds well and kept them off-balanced," Inman said. "I got hit hard a couple of times and the defense helped me out."

 

Inman extended his scoreless-inning streak to 21. Over that span, he has struck out 26 batters, while allowing only 11 hits and issuing six walks.

 

Sunday's outing lowered Inman's microscopic earned-run average from 1.24 to 1.13, further solidifying his status as one of the Power parent Milwaukee Brewers' top prospects, regardless of height.

 

"These days, they draft a whole lot more on potential," said Inman, a third-round pick. "Being smaller, there's a whole lot more stress on the body and a greater chance for injury."

 

That fear, Inman said, likely cost him an even higher selection in the 2005 draft.

 

"Sometimes, a few inches can cost you millions of dollars," he said.

 

Front office personnel and scouts covet tall pitchers because they are less susceptible to injury, and throwing with increased velocity is less taxing on the body for taller pitchers. Smaller pitchers can overexert themselves, but Inman and Roberts continue to excel despite the odds.

 

Both pitchers (each listed at 6 feet) pointed to Major Leaguers such as Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine as short pitchers long on success in professional baseball.

 

"It would be nice to be 6-foot-4," said Roberts, who has a five-pitch repertoire. "I just try to keep the ball down in the zone with lots of sink."

 

Inman can touch 90 mph with his fastball with an effective changeup and curveball, but his deceptive arm angle that helps negate any height disadvantage.

 

Lexington's Sunday starter, Brian Bogusevic, fits the desired model to perfection. He stands 6-4, is left-handed, and possesses a fastball in the low 90's with a hard slider and changeup as complimentary pitches.

 

The 2005 first-round pick was pounded by the Power for the second time this season, allowing five earned runs in five innings.

 

Most of the damage came in fourth, when Angel Salome hit a based-loaded single to left field that scored the first two runs of the game. Ned Yost followed with a two-run double to give Inman a 4-0 cushion.

 

Darren Ford added a RBI double in the fifth, giving Roberts a 5-0 lead when he took the mound in the sixth.

 

"You always want to keep (the shutout) intact," Roberts said, "but you can't always go out there thinking like that. I just wanted to get the ball in play and get (the defense) out of the heat so they wouldn't roast."

 

Inman and Roberts allowed just four hits, two walks and one extra-base hit, while striking out eight.

 

Four Power hitters recorded multi-hit games, paced by Salome, who also had four RBI. He added a two-run double in the 8th to push his season RBI total to 68, good for second in the league.

 

* * *

The Power (10-13) will follow the Legends back to Lexington for a two-game series starting tonight, as right-hander Shawn Ferguson makes his SAL debut for West Virginia.

 

Ferguson moved up from short-season Helena on Sunday as the Power made more roster moves.

 

Left-hander Derek Miller (8-2) was promoted to high Class A Brevard County (Fla.) and lefty Kyle Pawelczyk was placed on the disabled list. Ferguson and Ryan Marion were added to the roster.

 

Miller ranked third in the SAL in strikeouts with 105. Ferguson, Milwaukee's ninth-round pick in last month's draft, was 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA at Helena. The Houston native starred at TCU.

 

Marion (0-0) was activated from the disabled list.

 

Pawelczyk, an Elkins, West Virginia native who has a back strain, is 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two appearances.

 

Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Tom Hindman

West Virginia Power starter Will Inman has a scoreless inning streak of 21.

 

http://www.dailymail.com/images/Inman0717.jpg