Link Report Sat. 7/15 -- Nashville No-Hitter!

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Saturday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

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

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: RHP Tim Dillard at home vs. Mississippi (Braves), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450radio.com/

 

Brevard County: TBD at Vero Beach (Dodgers), 6:00 gametime

 

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

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

 

West Virginia: LHP Rafael Lluberes at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 5:55 AM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

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

 

Helena: RHP Roque Mercedes at Orem (Angels), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime

 

Audio (click on "Listen Live"):

www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php

 

Arizona: TBD at the Mariners' complex to face the rookie sailors, 12:30 PM Central time, 10:30 AM local, never any web audio for the Arizona League

[Mass Haas]

Follow Saturday'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_mrnrok_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]

Brevard, West Virginia, Helena, and Arizona all at least six games out of first, pretty bad when you consider those second-half or rookie seasons have barely begun; Iowa still hot, nipping at Nashville's heels...

 

Standings through Friday's action:

 

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 49 42 .538 - 30-19 19-23 W2[/b] Iowa 46 45 .505 3.0 25-20 21-25 W6 Memphis 38 53 .418 11.0 20-27 18-26 L2 Omaha 35 57 .380 14.5 20-21 15-36 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 13 10 .565 - 8-5 5-5 L1 Tennessee 13 10 .565 - 8-5 5-5 L2 West Tenn 12 11 .522 1.0 7-3 5-8 L3 [b]Huntsville 10 13 .435 3.0 5-8 5-5 L1[/b] Carolina 9 14 .391 4.0 5-5 4-9 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 14 5 .737 - 8-4 6-1 L1 St. Lucie 12 8 .600 2.5 7-4 5-4 W2 Palm Beach 10 11 .476 5.0 5-3 5-8 L2 Jupiter 9 12 .429 6.0 5-8 4-4 W1 [b]Brevard County 8 12 .400 6.5 4-3 4-9 L2[/b] Vero Beach 8 13 .381 7.0 3-7 5-6 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 16 6 .727 - 9-2 7-4 L1 Lake County 12 9 .571 3.5 6-4 6-5 L1 Greensboro 10 11 .476 5.5 5-5 5-6 W1 Hickory 10 12 .455 6.0 4-8 6-4 W5 [b]West Virginia 9 12 .429 6.5 4-3 5-9 W1[/b] Lexington 9 13 .409 7.0 6-4 3-9 L1 Delmarva 7 14 .333 8.5 5-7 2-7 W1 Hagerstown 7 14 .333 8.5 5-12 2-2 L7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 15 7 .682 - 9-3 6-4 W1 Great Falls 11 13 .458 5.0 4-9 7-4 W1 [b]Helena 10 14 .417 6.0 4-7 6-7 L2[/b] Missoula 9 14 .391 6.5 4-6 5-8 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Giants 13 5 .722 - 5-3 8-2 L1 AZL Padres 12 6 .667 1.0 4-4 8-2 L1 AZL Royals 12 6 .667 1.0 5-3 7-3 L1 AZL Mariners 10 9 .526 3.5 5-4 5-5 W1 AZL Angels 9 9 .500 4.0 7-7 2-2 W2 AZL Athletics 8 11 .421 5.5 4-5 4-6 W2 [b]AZL Brewers 7 11 .389 6.0 2-7 5-4 W1[/b] AZL Cubs 6 13 .316 7.5 3-6 3-7 W1 AZL Rangers 6 13 .316 7.5 3-6 3-7 L5

[Mass Haas]

In progress: Arizona Mariners 16, Arizona Brewers 0, after seven innings

Dominican bonus baby Rolando Pascual, ranked # 14 on the Power 50 prior to throwing his first professional pitch, squeezed in two base hits, three walks, two wild pitches, two HBP's, a balk and seven earned runs into his 2/3 of one inning start today; Pascual's catcher today, Jesse D'Amico, was replaced by Brett Whiteside midway through the inning and prior to Pascual's departure -- no word in if it was injury or heat-related; more details when the game goes final...

[Mass Haas]

RHP Josh Wahpepah is your Manatee starter tonight.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Arizona Mariners 18, Arizona Brewers 2

Mariners score 18 runs on 12 hits; how about undrafted outfielder Andrew Lefave -- 5-for-5 in his second pro game, 4-for-5 in his third contest; two perfect innings for 4th rounder Evan Anundsen, the Colorado high schooler; Santo Manzanillo has walked 15 in 5.1 IP; Luis Jimenez has walked 14 in four IP...

 

Arizona Brewer Box Score and Game Log Link:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_mrnrok_1

[PrimeTime955]

Wow, Pascual looks like he's worth all that money so far.

[SenatorShriv]

Isn't he like 12 years old or something? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[DKM4Boston]

Congrats to Carlos Villanueva, Mike Meyers, and Alec Zumwalt combining on the no-hitter for the Sounds tonight!

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 2, Memphis (Sounds) 0

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2055

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Three Nashville Sounds pitchers combined on the fifth no-hitter in the team?s 29-year history in a 2-0 defeat of the division-rival Memphis Redbirds on Saturday evening in front of 8,727 screaming fans at Greer Stadium.

 

Carlos Villanueva (1-0) turned in an impressive outing in first career Triple-A start, working six hitless frames before being pulled after throwing 86 pitches (51 for strikes). He struck out six and walked three batters in earning his first Sounds win.

 

Mike Meyers followed the right-hander with two hitless innings of work, striking out three batters. Alec Zumwalt came in for the ninth and fanned two of the three batters he faced, including a check-swing, game-ending strikeout of Jason Conti, to notch his team-leading eighth save of the season.

 

AUDIO: The Final Out Of The Game --

 

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

 

The no-hitter was the first by a Sounds hurler since John Wasdin tossed the franchise?s only perfect game on April 7, 2003 against the Albuquerque Isotopes at Greer Stadium. All five Nashville no-hitters have been thrown in front of the home fans.

 

The shutout was the Pacific Coast League leading tenth of the year for Nashville (50-42), which was won six straight contests against Memphis.

 

The Sounds took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against Memphis starter Chris Narveson. With two outs, Dave Krynzel singled to left to extend his season-best hitting streak to eight games then stole second, his 18th swipe of the year. Nashville RBI leader Nelson Cruz (2-for-3) followed with a run-scoring single to left to plate the game?s first run.

 

Nashville second baseman Brent Abernathy doubled the lead in the sixth with a one-out solo homer to left off Narveson. The blast was his third of the year.

 

The Sounds look for their second straight series sweep of the Redbirds when the teams wrap up the series with a 6 p.m. meeting on Sunday night. Right-hander Justin Lehr (2-3, 3.57) will man the bump for the Sounds to take on Memphis right-hander Dennis Tankersley (4-9, 3.61).

 

Nashville Box Score and Game Log Link:

Congrats to Chad Moeller for catching the no-no...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Looks like these links, from the Sounds' site, aren't live, at least as of Sunday AM -- we'll notify the Sounds if not corrected soon; we have readers from the organization, so hopefully they see our note here...

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

[Mass Haas]

Final: Lexington (Astros) 5, West Virginia 4

 

Summary from Power Site:

 

The Lexington Legends scored the first three runs and final two of Saturday night?s game against the West Virginia Power at Appalachian Power Park and defeated the Power by the final score of 5-4.

 

Mitch Einertson smacked a three run homer in the top of the first inning to put the Legends on top. West Virginia scored the next four runs of the game. In the bottom of the first Ned Yost knocked in Darren Ford on a Sacrifice Fly. In the second inning Kenny Holmberg drove in Nestor Corredor on his first of three singles. In the fifth inning Lorenzo Cain and Angel Salome hit back to back Sacrifice Fly balls to knock in Kenny Holmberg and Darren Ford, providing the Power with their only lead of the game. The 4-3 lead held until Ryan Reed ripped what proved to be the game winning two run double in the seventh inning to score Koby Clemens and Pedro Espinoza.

 

Chris Blazek (2-1) earned the victory, German Melendez (7) earned the save and Rafael Lluberes (4-5) obtained the loss. The Power are 48-43 overall and 9-13 in the second half after the loss while the Legends improved to 54-38 overall and 10-13 in the second half after the win.

 

The Power will continue the four game series against the Lexington Legends at Appalachian Power Park on Sunday evening. Left hander Brian Bogusevic (0-2, 7.48) will make the start for Lexington and the Power will counter with right hander Will Inman (4-1, 1.24). The first pitch is scheduled for 5:05 PM.

 

West Virginia Box Score and Game Log Link:

Kenny Holmberg three hits; reliever Wil Laureano nice job keeping it close...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[pogokat]

Final: Mississippi (Braves) 3 , Huntsville 0

 

Game Summary from Huntsville Website:

 

Harrison and Bullpen Handcuff Stars

 

Matt Harrison and two relievers combined on a five-hit shutout, as Mississippi took advantage of defensive breakdowns to blank Huntsville 3-0 Saturday night in the fourth game of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Braves won their second straight to improve to 8-16 in the second half, while the Stars dropped to 10-14 in the half and were shutout for a tenth time at home and 13th time on the season.

 

Josh Burrus reached first base in the first inning on a fielder?s choice when the Stars failed to turn a double play, stole second base and scored on a two-out single by Brandon Jones to give the visitors the early 1-0 lead. Jones stole second and was thrown out trying to score by Ron Acuna from right field on a base hit by Yunel Escobar.

 

Steve Moss led off the home first with a triple but could not score when Callix Crabbe grounded out against a drawn-in infield, Jeff Eure was called out on strikes and Brad Nelson grounded out. Acuna led off the home second inning with a double but was left stranded at third base. The Stars have been held to a single run on eight hits in the last two games after scoring 14 times on 23 hits in the first two games of the series.

 

Escobar reached first base on a Milko Jaramillo throwing error with one out in the sixth, moved to third base on a single by Barbaro Canizares and scored on a wild pitch by starter Tim Dillard to make it 2-0. Onil Joseph reached with one out in the seventh on a fielding error by third baseman Eure, advanced to third on a hit and run single by Mike Rozema and scored on a fielder?s choice grounder by Burrus. Dillard lasted eight innings, allowing only one earned run on eight hits but suffered the loss to fall to 6-6. The Stars committed three errors and have made five in the series.

 

Mississippi starter Matt Harrison retired 10 in a row after a Moss single in the third and allowed only one other runner, Drew Anderson in the seventh, to reach second base. He yielded five hits and fanned three to pick up his first win at the double-A level. Jose Ascanio retired all three hitters he faced in the eighth and Zach Schreiber retired the side in order in the ninth to close out the game and earn his 12th save in 12 opportunities.

 

The series wraps up Sunday evening with right-hander Corey Thurman starting for Huntsville against Braves? left-hander Dan Smith. Coverage of the game begins at 5:50 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:

No Ryan Braun...Wasted effort by Tim Dillard. I thought Lou Palmisano could hit?

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.com/.._hunaax_1

[pogokat]

Final Score: Vero Beach 8, Brevard County 5

 

Game Summary from Milb.com

 

Dunlap, Dodgers cage Manatees

 

Cory Dunlap homered twice and drove in four runs to power Vero Beach over visiting Brevard County, 8-5, on Saturday.

 

Dunlap had a solo shot in the second inning and a three-run jack in the third. He moved into second place on the team with 11 home runs. Blake Dewitt chipped in, going 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

 

Alberto Bastardo (3-5) got the win, allowing two runs -- one earned -- on four hits, while striking out a season-high 11 and walking one in six innings. Jose Diaz got the final eight outs for his second save of the season.

 

The Dodgers (9-13) have won three straight.

 

Josh Wahpepah (3-5) took the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking three in five innings.

 

Alcides Escobar smacked a three-run homer for Brevard County (8-13) which has lost five of its last six. --

 

 

Link to Box Score and Game Log:

Alcides with a big night, homers are rare for him and the league, so savor it...Josh Wahpepah seems to be fading a bit in the second half, which is eerily reminiscent of last year...the brewers may want to take into consideration innings pitched when deciding his future role

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.com/..._vbdafa_1

[Mass Haas]

Brevard County's Steve Sollman left the game in the 4th inning after being hit by a pitch.

 

Other than the Nashville gem (and yes, that's quite an exception), it's another miserable night for the organization.

 

And welcome back, pogo, and thanks, you'll notice his assistance often during various overnights.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Orem (Angels) 7, Helena 3

 

Helena Independent Record Game Summary:

 

Early deficit dooms Brewers against Orem

 

Stephen Chapman belted a two-run homer in the top of the sixth, but the Brewers couldn?t come back from an early deficit, losing 7-3 to the Orem Owlz.

 

The Owlz held a 6-0 lead before Chapman cracked his two-run homer to break the Brewers silence. Taylor Green scored on the play.

 

Chapman supplied the Brewers with its other run when he tripled on a fly ball to right field to bring in Brad Miller.

 

The Owlz didn?t score for the final three innings, but the damage had already been done.

 

They had their biggest inning in the third, when they scored three runs.

 

Luis Rivera was hit by a pitch and Tyler Johnson walked before Christopher Pettit doubled to right field to bring in the Owlz first two runs of the inning. Pettit would score on a line drive to center field before P.J. Phillips.

 

The Brewers also had trouble on defense, giving up four errors to the Owlz none.

 

Roque Mercedes had the loss on the game, allowing six runs off four hits in four innings. Kenneth Herndon had the win, allowing no runs on two hits with three strike outs.

 

Chapman went 2-for-4 in the game and is tied with Freddy De La Cruz with three homers apiece for the Brewers. He trails only Cole Gillespie on the team with a .351 batting average.

 

The Brewers have now dropped three in a row to end up 10-15 on the season, last place in the Pioneer League?s North Division.

 

The Brewers have one more game on their trip south against Orem, today at 3:05 PM (4:05 Central). They will return home to play both Orem and Ogden the rest of the week.

 

Helena Box Score and Game Log Link:

Roque Mercedes walks four batters, hits three others, and throws two wild pitches in 4+ innings; the lefty we've touted, Jose Romero, still has a 0.00 ERA, but he struggled as well, hitting two batters and throwing two wild pitches of his own; add in two passed balls, and it was a tough night behind the plate for Andy Bouchie; Mercedes, Rolando Pascual, Wily Peralta -- it'd be nice to see some return, any return, from the Latin scouting department regarding pitchers...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_orerok_1

[Mass Haas]

Saturday's Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Chat with 23-year-old RHP Travis Wendte (24th round, '06) (Select date for July 15th, skip to the 10:30 minute mark):

 

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

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section...2006071535

 

Holmberg finds stroke in Power loss

By Mike Whiteford

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

Back in April, the season seemed full of promise for Power second baseman Kenny Holmberg.

 

In 2005, he had distinguished himself as perhaps the top offensive threat in the short-season Pioneer League and had opened the South Atlantic League season as a productive hitter in Charleston.

 

?Things were going well,?? he said Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park. ?I was hitting around .300 and seeing the ball well and hitting in a good part of the lineup in between some good hitters.??

 

But while sprinting to first base in late April, he turned his ankle awkwardly and suffered a high-ankle sprain that led to Achilles tendinitis, a painful double whammy that kept him sidelined for seven weeks.

 

He?s been back in the lineup for about a month now, but he?s still feeling some ankle irritation, has not yet regained his April batting eye and has struggled to keep his batting average at a respectable level.

 

There?s still time, of course, to make the best of what otherwise has been a disappointing year. Batting in the No. 9 spot Saturday night, Holmberg collected three hits and helped the Power to an early lead, but the Lexington Legends battled back with two runs in the seventh inning for a 5-4 victory. A crowd of 3,599 attended.

 

The 23-year-old Florida native contributed an RBI single in the second and led off the fifth with an infield hit to initiate a two-run rally, giving the Power a 4-3 lead. The Legends, who won the South Atlantic League?s first-half Northern Division title, countered in the seventh with two singles and Ryan Reed?s two-run double.

 

Holmberg also singled in the sixth, and the three hits raised his average from .229 to .246. He?s played in only 42 of the Power?s 91 games.

 

?I?m not packing it in by any means,?? he said. ?I?m going to go out and play the game like I can. I like to play with some energy and fire, but it?s tough to do that with a crippled foot. It?s not the pain that I had been going through, but it?s there.?

 

And though he?s still not comfortable at the plate, he expects eventually to find his stroke.

 

?That?s going to come ? the timing and seeing pitches and getting back into a little bit of a groove,?? he said, ?but this is almost like a half an off-season that I took off. It?s tough to get it going.?

 

Last year, Holmberg hit .372 to finish second in the Pioneer League, and his .450 on-base percentage and .526 slugging percentage led the league.

 

Needless to say, he approached the 2006 season with the optimism typical of wide-eyed Class A prospect.

 

?I was looking forward to coming out and having a solid year, although I wasn?t expecting to put up those [2005] numbers and hopefully advancing next year,?? he said. ?Who knows now???

 

The loss was the seventh in nine games for the Power and dropped its second-half record to 9-13. For the season, the Power is 48-43.

 

Power points

 

The Power will face the Legends at 5:05 today (4:05 Central) and will travel to Lexington for single games Monday and Tuesday. After a day off Wednesday, the team will return to Appalachian Power Park Thursday to begin a four-game series with Lake County. ... Will Inman, the Power?s hottest pitcher, will start tonight. He?s 4-1 with a 1.24 ERA and has struck out 64 in 51 innings. He?s allowed just 39 hits. ... Koby Clemens, Roger?s son, led off the seventh with a single and later scored on Reed?s two-run double. ... Power catcher Angel Salome is second in the league in RBIs with 63 and 10th in hitting at .308. ... The Power entered the game with an average attendance of 3,946.

[Mass Haas]

It's received zero attention in the written press, but Helena second baseman Taylor Green has a 16-game hitting streak.

[Mass Haas]

Link for Carlos Villanueva photo, text follows:

 

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

 

Sounds win with no-hitter

Trio sets history with team's first combined

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Carlos Villanueva owes Ozzie Chavez a meal.

 

Making his first Nashville Sounds start, Villanueva ? aided by a stellar defensive play by his shortstop roommate ? threw six no-hit innings Saturday night en route to the franchise's first-ever combined no-hitter, a 2-0 victory over visiting Memphis.

 

"I told him at the beginning of the year in Huntsville, every time he made a great play behind me, I'd buy him dinner," said Villanueva, who gave way to Mike Meyers and Alec Zumwalt for the final three innings of the Sounds' fifth-ever no-hitter. "I guess I owe him, big time."

 

In the second inning, Chavez ranged deep into the hole between shortstop and third base to glove a John Gall groundball, then from one knee threw a two-hopper across to first baseman Graham Koonce for the second out.

 

From there, it was relatively smooth sailing for Villanueva, who opened the year at Double-A Huntsville and made six midseason appearances with the Milwaukee Brewers before joining the Sounds on July 7.

 

Meyers retired all six hitters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings, and Zumwalt closed the deal ? striking out Jason Conti on a two-ball, two-strike low-and-inside slider as Conti was ruled not to have checked his swing for the game's final out as the Greer Stadium crowd of 8,727 immediately responded.

 

"Stan (Kyles, Nashville pitching coach) came down in the fifth or sixth to let Mike know he was going in, and he told me that sink or swim, I was going in the ninth," Zumwalt said. "That's one situation you dream about. I was surprised 'Villa' came out. But our starting pitching has been unbelievable and we've got a bullpen that, day in and day out, seven guys can finish a game."

 

It was the first no-hitter for all three and catcher Chad Moeller.

 

"I'd been close a bunch of bunch of times, but that was the first time to actually get that third out," said Moeller, who said he caught three of Villanueva's six games with the Brewers. "We had a couple of lineouts, hard-hit balls that were right at people. But our pitchers did a great job, attacked the zone and kept runners off base."

 

Nashville got all the offense it needed in the opening inning as Dave Krynzel singled with two outs, stole second and scored on Nelson Cruz's base hit.

 

Brent Abernathy tacked on a sixth-inning solo homer as the Sounds defeated Memphis for the sixth straight time and seventh time in 10 tries this season.

 

Villanueva, Meyers and Zumwalt combined for 11 strikeouts ? the Sounds' 20th double-digit strikeout contest of the season ? en route to the team's 10th shutout win of the year.

 

"When I told him he was done, he said 'are you crazy? Look at the scoreboard,' " Kyles said of Villanueva, who was being limited to approximately 90 pitches.

 

Nashville no-hitters

 

No-hitters thrown by Nashville Sounds pitchers (all of which have taken place at Greer Stadium):

 

?Jim Deshaies, May 4, 1984, vs. Columbus (Ga.) (7 inn.)

 

?Bryan Kelly, July 17, 1985, vs. Oklahoma City

 

?Jack Armstrong, Aug. 7, 1988, vs. Indianapolis

 

?John Wasdin, April 7, 2003, vs. Albuquerque (perfect game)

 

?Carlos Villanueva, Mike Meyers and Alec Zumwalt, July 15, 2006, vs. Memphis

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Lefty puts down Stars

Braves' Harrison is sharp in 3-0 win over Huntsville

By BRAD SHEPARD

For the Huntsville Times

 

The Atlanta Braves' No. 1-ranked yet slumping prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia made his anticipated return from the disabled list Saturday night.

 

But it was another top-10 minor leaguer for Mississippi who stole the spotlight against the Stars.

 

Left-handed pitcher Matt Harrison - the Braves' No. 10 prospect according to Baseball America - became the second pitcher in two nights to baffle the inconsistent Huntsville offense.

 

The 6-foot-5 southpaw went seven scoreless innings for his first Double-A victory as Mississippi beat the Stars 3-0 in front of 5,308 fans at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

Harrison did his best Anthony Lerew impression a night after Lerew allowed three hits and a run in a win.

 

"I know the organization is very high on him, and for good reason," Mississippi manager Jeff Blauser said of Harrison. "He showed why tonight."

 

The Stars did plenty to help. They mustered only five hits and allowed two unearned runs with a season-high four errors.

 

The only earned run the Braves scored off Tim Dillard (6-6) shouldn't have.

 

Mississippi's Josh Burrus hit a should-be double play ball in the first inning that was broken up by Mike Rozema's hard slide into second.

 

After Burrus stole second, he scored on Brandon Jones' single.

 

Huntsville right fielder Ron Acuna rifled a perfect one-hop strike to Lou Palmisano in plenty of time to gun down Burrus at the plate, but he slid around Palmisano's tag.

 

Acuna threw Jones out at home to end the inning, but all the damage Mississippi (8-16) needed was done.

 

"We couldn't catch the ball," Stars manager Don Money said, "and that kills you."

 

They didn't hit, either. Money shook his head after the game, reached for a light switch and started flicking it on and off to illustrate his team's lack of offensive consistency.

 

The Stars (10-14) have scored just four runs in their past three games after an 11-run outburst following the all-star break.

 

A big reason for Saturday's failure was Harrison, who looked sharp in allowing just five hits and striking out three.

 

The 20-year-old made quite a splash last year in low Single-A Rome (Ga.), finishing 12-7 with a 3.23 earned run average. This year, he started solid in Myrtle Beach, where he went 8-4 with a 3.10 ERA.

 

He was pretty pleased about picking up his first victory in a new league, especially after responding to some work with pitching coach Kent Willis to speed up his delivery.

 

"It's exciting, man," Harrison said of his first Double-A win. "The first couple of games, I was out-of-sync with my mechanics. When I was too slow, I was dragging my arm and pitching up and away."

 

He didn't have that problem Saturday.

 

"Every pitcher who commands is going to have a good game, and that's what he did tonight," said catcher Saltalamacchia, who went 1-for-3 following a three-week DL stint after hitting .197 to start the year.

 

"Every pitch, he commanded. If he throws like that every day, he'll be in Atlanta in a hurry."

[clancyphile]

Is there a reason Carlos was pulled after six?

 

When a guy's cruising on a no-no, does it hurt to let it ride?

[hsvstarsfan]

RUBBER BALL

Braves even series -- Hits hard to come by

Another muggy night at Joe Davis Stadium, though not as bad as Friday with a breeze blowing in, favorable for the pitchers, but not for the fans......... Depending on whose report you'd like to believe, and MILB's web site differs, the Huntsville Stars committed four errors on the way to losing again to the Mississippi Braves, 3-0. But even though the Braves scored a pair of unearned runs late in the game, it was lost in the 1st inning.

With one out in the 1st, 3rd baseman Dave Rozema lined a single to center. He was forced out at 2nd base while breaking up a double play on a grounder by Josh Burrus, but the aggressive move (which he reduxed in the 7th) became the game-winner......... Josh Burrus, who reached on the fielder's choice, stole 2nd and scored under Lou Palmisano's tag on Brandon Jones' two-out single to right....... The game belonged to Matt Harrison, Jose Ascanio, and Zach Schreiber after that and they had little problem holding the inconsistent offense of the Stars.

Golden opportunities were again wasted........ Steve Moss belted a 1-0 fastball straight down the middle against the Gibson's BBQ sign in left-center and sprinted for a triple ahead of the throw in. But that's as far as he got......... Yunil Escobar hustled on a slow roller by Callix Crabbe, a smart move rushing in to field the ball on the grass to keep Moss from entertaining any ideas of advancing........ Jeff Eure struck out looking and Brad Nelson ended the inning grounding out to second on a 2-0 pitch.

The Stars wasted another leadoff extra-base hit in the 2nd........ Ron Acuna sent a double all the way to the warning track in left-center and went to third on a one-out grounder by Lou Palmisano, but Milko Jaramillo flied out to right to end the inning....... After that, no Huntsville Star would get as far as second base until Drew Anderson's stolen base in the 7th inning.

By the time the Stars began dropping balls in the 4th inning, the game was already decided, despite two unearned runs......... In the 6th, Escobar reached on Milko Jaramillo's throwing error, went to third on Canizares' single to right-center, and scored on a Dillard's 1-0 wild pitch to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, back after three weeks on the DL....... Saltalamacchia put an end to an 0-for-18 slump with a single in the 2nd inning....... In the 7th, Jeff Eure bobbled a grounder with one out to put Onil Joseph on. With the hit-and-run on, he moved to third on Dave Rozema's single and scored on another broken double-play attempt.

The four errors gives the Stars 83 on the season, 4th lowest in the league. The Stars are 4th in fielding (.976) in the league. In four of the last five seasons, the Stars have either finished 8th, 9th, or 10th in the league. The last two seasons, they were 10th. They are on course to become the best fielding team in Stars history. (The 1999 team finished with a .972 percentage.)

The Braves will send Dan Smith (2-5, 6.65) to face Corey Thurman (2-8, 2.62), Sunday at 6:05. ....... Matt Wright, the scheduled starter, was promoted to Richmond before Saturday's game. Wright is the SL's ERA leader, so that certainly is a big break. Thurman is 4th among ERA leaders, but he can't escape the black cats that have crossed his path this year.

According to the Huntsville Times, Jorge de la Rosa will get two more rehab starts here. His next comes on Wednesday vs. Carolina.

Ron Acuna is working a 7-game hitting streak. He's 10-for-29 (.344) since it began on July 4.......... Drew Anderson is hitting .333 in 48 ABs this month, but has driven in just 5 runs........ Ryan Braun is hitting .371 for July with 7 doubles. A mild groin sprain has kept him out the last two games, but he should be back in the lineup soon........ Callix Crabbe is 1-for-12 in this current series after hitting .417 in his previous six games........ Mississippi's pitching has held Jeff Eure to 2-for-12 at the plate after hitting .423 in his previous six games......... Steve Moss is hitting .280 this month with 4 extra-base hits and 8 RBIs........ Brad Nelson has struck out just 5 times in 32 at-bats this month, but is carrying a .188 average for July........ Guilder Rodriguez is 4-for-32 in July.

Lou Palmisano is 7-for-29 (.241) this month, bolstered by a four-hit game last Wednesday. Behind the dish, he's thrown out 24% of the runners trying to steal, but don't hold it against him. Palmisano has "all the tools" according to former Stars catcher Jimmy Jones, who praised his ability behind the plate. Pitching coach Rich Sauveur and manager Don Money points to the slow release times by our pitchers, something Sauveur has been working on with the staff. This has been allowing runners to get a quick jump and not even Brian Moon, one of the best defensive catchers we've ever had, who had one of the quickest releases Jones or anyone in the stands had ever seen, could get them out if he were behind the dish.

A day after explaining why the Stars were fine carrying three catchers instead of another arm in the bullpen, I find out the Stars have picked up relief pitcher Joe Valentine....... If the name sounds familiar, it should. He was the heavy every time we faced the Barons in 2002, making 55 relief appearances, saving a record 36 games to go with a 4-1 record and razor-sharp 1.93 ERA. Six of those saves came against the Stars....... Since then, Valentine was shuffled to Oakland, and then Cincinnati in trades, then became a free agent and was signed by the Astros. Pitching for Class AAA-Round Rock (PCL) this season, he was 1-2, 4.70 in 20 appearances, and never a terrific control artist, he struck out 17 while walking 21 in 30 2/3 innings. PCL hitters were banging the ball at a .298 clip against him........ Aside from a 0.79 ERA in 9 appearances with the Reds' top farm club in Louisville in 2003, he had just one season after 2002 in which his ERA was below 5.00, and that was after his record-breaking year with Birmingham.

To make room on the roster, the Stars released Brett Evert. Evert had a 2.45 ERA in 17 innings over 14 appearances and held hitters to a .237 average, but he also was 0-4, and gave up three leadoff HRs in June, a 10th inning HR to Darren Blakely on June 6, another 10th inning HR to Mobile's Matt Lauderdale on June 22nd, and a game-tying HR to Chattanooga's Joey Votto in the 9th on June 26th, a game the Stars lost in the 10th.

No Huntsville Stars pitcher since Tanyon Sturtze in 1993 has authored a no-hitter, but Saturday night, three former Stars combined to pitch one for Nashville as Carlos Villanueva, Mike Meyers, and Alec Zumwalt pitched one against the Memphis Redbirds in front of over 8,700 at Greer Stadium....... It was Villanueva's first start for the Sounds.

Tony Gwynn, Jr., unsurprisingly, has made it up to the big leagues and Saturday night, he became the 161st former Huntsville Star to graduate to the majors........ Gwynn got the call-up as Corey Koskie was placed on the disabled list with post-concussion syndrome........ The Milwaukee Brewers considered promoting the versatile Vinny Rottino, who would have filled the holes created by the absence of J.J. Hardy and Koskie, but favored the left-handed bat of Gwynn........Pinch-hitting for pitcher Jeremi Gonzalez, Gwynn, wearing #22, lined a 1-1 pitch sharply to first base to end the 6th with the Brewers trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks in the game, 8-0. Driving all the way to Bank One Ballpark from San Diego, his father Tony Sr. was in attendance.