Link Report for Games of Thursday, June 1st

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Thursday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: RHP Justin Lehr at home vs. Iowa (Cubs), 6:40 PM pre-game, 7:00 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: LHP Jeff Housman at home vs. West Tenn (Cubs), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

Brevard County: LHP Steve Hammond at home vs. Lakeland (Tigers), 6:00 PM; sorry, no web audio for this series

 

West Virginia: LHP Dave Welch at Lake County (Indians), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

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

[Mass Haas]

Follow Thursday's action as it happens:

Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Activate the Nashville Gameday. For the other links, 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. It's sweet!

 

Nashville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lcoafx_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 Wednesday's Games:

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 29 24 .547 - 17-9 12-15 W1[/b] Iowa 23 28 .451 5.0 12-13 11-15 L1 Omaha 22 32 .407 7.5 15-15 7-17 L1 Memphis 20 32 .385 8.5 11-13 9-19 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 33 21 .611 - 20-9 13-12 L3 West Tenn 32 22 .593 1.0 12-13 20-9 W4 Carolina 26 28 .481 7.0 15-10 11-18 L2 Tennessee 26 28 .481 7.0 17-12 9-16 W2 [b]Huntsville 20 33 .377 12.5 9-19 11-14 L13[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 29 22 .569 - 14-13 15-9 L1 [b]Brevard County 27 24 .529 2.0 13-11 14-13 W1[/b] Daytona 26 26 .500 3.5 15-10 11-16 L1 Palm Beach 25 26 .490 4.0 11-13 14-13 L1 Jupiter 22 29 .431 7.0 11-16 11-13 W1 Vero Beach 20 32 .385 9.5 12-15 8-17 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 31 19 .620 - 16-9 15-10 W1 Lexington 31 20 .608 0.5 19-10 12-10 L1 Greensboro 28 23 .549 3.5 20-9 8-14 W1 [b]West Virginia 27 23 .540 4.0 16-11 11-12 W3[/b] Lakewood 26 25 .510 5.5 14-9 12-16 L3 Lake County 24 28 .462 8.0 12-13 12-15 L1 Hickory 22 27 .449 8.5 12-11 10-16 W4 Hagerstown 18 33 .353 13.5 9-11 9-22 L8

[Mass Haas]

The Power broadcast is going to be delayed or not on at all -- sounds like high school baseball playoffs on via the Sportsjuice at this time.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Outfielder Nelson Cruz:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%206-1.wma

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 6, Iowa (Cubs) 5

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for new Tony Gwynn photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1982

 

Late Rally Nets Sounds 6-5 Win Against Iowa

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Nashville Sounds scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to record a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over the division-rival Iowa Cubs on Thursday night in front of 5,054 fans at Greer Stadium.

 

The game was the sixth consecutive one-run contest between Iowa and Nashville (30-24). Ten of the teams? 15 meetings this season have been one-run decisions.

 

Trailing 5-3 entering the decisive eighth, the Sounds produced their game-winning rally against Iowa reliever Kerry Ligtenberg. Graham Koonce walked and Jermaine Clark reached on a dropped fly ball by Cubs left fielder Luis Montanez before Chris Barnwell plated both baserunners with a triple to left-center to tie the contest at 5-5.

 

AUDIO: Barnwell Game-Tying Triple --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%206-1.wma

 

After pinch-hitter Vinny Rottino was retired on a pop-up for the second out of the inning, Tony Gwynn gave the Sounds the lead with a run-scoring double into the right field corner.

 

Gwynn went 2-for-5 with two doubles for the second consecutive night for Nashville to extend his hitting streak to seven games and increase his average to .333, its highest point of the season.

 

The Cubs didn?t go down without a fight in what turned out to be an interesting top of the ninth. After Ryan Theriot opened the frame with a single off Jason Kershner, Iowa second baseman Buck Coats was called out on strikes, prompting four Cubs ejections. Kershner was ejected later in the frame as he exited the mound after being replaced by Alec Zumwalt, who retired Casey McGehee (3-for-5) on a lineout to end the game with Iowa runners standing on first and third.

 

Mike Meyers (2-3) was the beneficiary of the late Nashville comeback and picked up the win after allowing one run in his two innings of work. Ligtenberg (1-1) took his first loss of the year after suffering a blown save. Zumwalt recorded the final two outs for the Sounds to record his second save of the year.

 

The seesaw contest included four lead changes as well as two Iowa rallies that tied the score. The win was Nashville?s 15th come-from-behind win of the year and the sixth time the Sounds have scored the game-winning run in their final turn at the plate.

 

Nashville took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Zach Sorensen, who had singled, scored when Coats, the Iowa second baseman, threw a ball into the stands while attempting to throw out Brent Abernathy at first.

 

The Cubs tied it in the second when center fielder Felix Pie ripped an RBI single to center to plate McGehee. The knock was the prospect?s first ever at Greer Stadium after going hitless in his first 18 at-bats in Music City.

 

Abernathy gave the home club a 3-1 lead with a two-strike, two-out, two-run single up the middle off Iowa starter Les Walrond in the bottom of the second. Clark, who stole two bases in the frame to pull back into the PCL lead with 18 thefts on the year, and pitcher Justin Lehr scored on Abernathy?s knock. Both players had reached on walks.

 

Iowa tied the contest again at 3-3 in the fifth on Micah Hoffpauir?s two-run triple to left. Abernathy, the Sounds? left fielder, slammed into the wall on the play and left the game.

 

The Sounds missed an opportunity to retake the lead in the bottom of the frame after placing runners on second and third with no outs. Nelson Cruz led off with a single and moved to third on Koonce?s double, the first baseman?s first hit as a member of the Sounds, before being thrown out at home while trying to score on Mike Rivera?s grounder to shortstop Ryan Theriot. Clark followed with an inning-ending double play groundout.

 

Pie, who finished 3-for-4 on the evening, continued his strong night in the sixth when staked the visitors to a 4-3 lead with an RBI single to right. The hit scored McGehee, who had opened the inning with a triple off Lehr.

 

The Cubs tacked on an insurance run against Meyers with a two-out rally in the eighth that made the score 5-3. With two down, Pie doubled into the right field corner and scored a batter later on Geovany Soto?s RBI single.

 

The teams wrap up the four-game series with a 7 p.m. meeting on Friday evening. Knuckleballer Jared Fernandez (1-1, 3.45) mans the bump for Nashville to face Iowa right-hander Jae-Kuk Ryu (2-3, 3.16).

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=50197

 

Sounds keep cool, down Cubs

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

The Iowa Cubs came unglued in the ninth inning of their game against Nashville at Greer Stadium, as four team members were ejected in the Sounds? 6-5 victory over their Pacific Coast League North Division rivals.

 

The two teams have played seven straight games and the last five have each been decided by a solitary run. That explains the tension which led to a surreal scene in the ninth. The ejections were highlighted by manager Mike Quade, who let loose a spectacular tirade in which he had to be physically restrained.

 

Iowa was angry following a called third strike on Buck Coats in the top of the ninth. Coats was the first ejected, followed by starting pitcher Les Walrond and reliever Kerry Ligtenberg who argued from the dugout. Because the PCL is using replacement umps still, the name of the home plate umpire was not released. Then, Quade took center stage.

 

?The fans enjoyed it,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said of the Cubs? outburst. ?I don?t want those guys to think I?m saying anything about them, because I?m not. I think when [Quade] gets ejected, he?s going to get his money?s worth from what I?ve seen.?

 

Iowa lost its collective cool after first-place Nashville (30-24) had taken the lead the inning before. Chris Barnwell hit a two-run triple, then Tony Gwynn followed with a two-out game-winning RBI double to cap a three-run rally. Gwynn, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles, extended his hitting streak to seven games.

 

?It?s a fun game to win and a miserable one to lose,? Sounds second baseman Zach Sorenson said.

 

Nashville had to overcome a pair of bad-luck plays in the outfield, which cost the team three runs, in order to collect the victory.

 

The first play came in the fifth inning. That?s when Brent Abernathy had to exit the game after he crashed back-first into the wall in left field trying to make a play on Micah Hoffpauir?s game-tying two-run triple.

 

?He?s OK,? Kremblas said of Abernathy. ?He has a little headache, and he may miss our game [tonight].?

 

The second mishap came an inning later when Gwynn misread a ball off the bat of Casey McGehee. Gwynn started in on the play and fell when he tried to make up ground, as the ball sailed over his head. McGehee?s ball was scored a triple and it gave Iowa a one-run lead.

 

Those two plays tarnished the line on Sounds starter Justin Lehr, who went six innings and gave up four runs on eight hits.

 

?I thought he threw the ball well,? Kremblas said. ?The first play, if [Abernathy] turns the right way, he probably catches it. And Gwynn misread his ball, obviously.?

 

Nashville Box Score:

Why has Dave Krynzel's playing time been so limited as of late?

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Update:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=859

 

Rain Gets Stars, Again

 

The Stars game with West Tenn Thursday night has been suspended by rain after two innings of play. The game will be played to its' nine inning conclusion when the Diamond Jaxx return to Joe Davis Stadium between June 13-17. The likely make up date will be Wednesday, June 14 or Thursday, June 15.

 

The Stars franchise-record 13-game losing streak will also be suspended until the completion of Thursday's game in two weeks. The result of the suspended game, which will go into the books as the June 1st game, will determine whether the streak will end or continue.

 

West Tenn starter Randy Wells issued back-to-back two-out walks to Lou Palmisano and Ozzie Chavez before starting pitcher Jeff Housman singled off the glove of a diving first baseman Brandon Sing to deliver Palmisano with the first run of the game. Travis Ezi reached base on a fielding error by second sacker Eric Patterson to load the bases but Callix Crabbe lined out to center field to end the inning. The teams were then taken off the field before the top of the third inning started.

 

The Stars begin a five-game series in Birmingham Friday night with right-hander Corey Thurman taking the hill against Barons' southpaw and former Brewer draft pick (unsigned) Ray Liotta. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. and can be heard locally on ESPN 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[Mass Haas]

Pretty confusing, as the Stars could win each game between now and the suspended game make-up date (no snickering), yet the streak could continue by one as of that game. The home losing streak will be easier to track as Huntsville hits the road now.

 

And if the Stars lose the next ten games on the road, seemingly extending the streak to 23, they can actually snap the streak much earlier by winning the suspended game in a time warp kind of way.

 

Regardless, they just need to win one soon...

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 7, Lakeland (Tigers) 0

 

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

 

Hammond, Manatees rout Tigers

 

LHP Steven Hammond allowed five hits over 8 1/3 innings as Brevard County routed visiting Lakeland, 7-0, on Thursday.

 

Hammond (5-3) struck out eight and walked one for the Manatees (28-24). He lowered his ERA to 2.70 and has fanned 54 in 66 2/3 innings over 11 starts.

 

Jeremy Lewis got Clete Thomas to ground into a double play to finish off the Tigers (28-25) in the ninth.

 

Charlie Fermaint stole home and Alcides Escobar scored on a throwing error by third baseman Wilkin Ramirez in the third inning to put the Manatees up, 2-0.

 

Brandon Katin hit an RBI groundout in the fifth and a two-run homer in the seventh. Steven Sollmann and C.J. Medlin both had run-scoring singles in the seventh.

 

Kevin Ardoin (4-3) gave up three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits over six innings for the Tigers (28-25). He struck out six and walked one. Reliever Jeff Hahn provided little relief giving up all four runs in the seventh.

 

Lakeland manager Mike Rojas was ejected by the home plate umpire in the fifth inning. -- Max Lance/MLB.com

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Nice to see Alcides Escobar with his first big game after his finger fracture, on base four times; Manatees 5-for-5 on the basepaths; Steve Hammond has flown under the radar with so much attention paid to the rest of the Brevard rotation this season...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 5, Lake County (Indians) 1

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

POWER WINNING STREAK REACHES FOUR

 

Power starting pitcher Dave Welch provided six strong innings and Darren Ford ripped a two-run homer for the West Virginia Power on Thursday night as they went on to beat the Lake County Captains 5-1 at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio for their fourth win in a row.

 

The Power hit four of their 12 hits in the top of the first inning. Mat Gamel knocked in Lorenzo Cain on a sacrifice fly to give the Power a 1-0 advantage. Ford hit his third home run of the season, a two-run shot in the top of the second, to put West Virginia on top 3-0. The Captains scored their only run of the game on a solo home run from Omar Casillas in the bottom of the third inning. In the fourth Michael Brantley ripped an RBI single and Ford brought in Ned Yost on an RBI groundout.

 

The four game winning streak is the longest of the year for the Power and they are now five games over .500 for the first time this season as well. Matt Kretzschmar and Joe Thatcher followed Welch, providing three scoreless and hitless innings out of the bullpen to hold the lead.

 

Welch (2-3) allowed a run on two hits and struck out a pair to earn the win, and Albert Vargas (4-6) obtained the loss. The Power are 28-23 after the win and the Captains fell to 24-29 with the loss.

 

The Power will continue the four game series against Lake County Captains on Friday night. Lake County will start left hander Tom Cowley (0-1, 1.23) and the Power will counter with left hander Steve Garrison (0-0, 12.27). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Power now just three games out of first place; Ned Yost on base three times -- with no defined first baseman in Brevard (Josh Murray, Carlos de la Cruz), Yost may see high-A before the season's out;

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lcoafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lcoafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Stars' slide suspended by rain

Huntsville now forced to snap long skid on road

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com

 

The longest losing streak in Southern League history ended on a June 1, some 35 years ago.

 

The Huntsville Stars had a one-run head start toward ending the franchise's longest losing streak on this most recent June 1, only to have Thursday's game against West Tenn suspended after two innings.

 

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader at some point during a June 13-17 homestand when West Tenn returns.

 

June 13 is the Stars' next home game and will also mark the return of the league's regular umpires, who have been on strike since the beginning of the season.

 

Don Money's Stars open a five-game series in Birmingham tonight, with Corey Thurman (1-4, 2.22) facing the Barons' Ray Liotta (1-5, 3.52). Liotta's lone win this season was an 8-0 shutout against Huntsville on April 11. After the series in Birmingham, the Stars travel to Jacksonville for five more games.

 

Huntsville's losing streak sits at 13, surpassing the previous team mark of nine consecutive losses, which has happened three different times.

 

The Southern League record for futility was set by the 1971 Columbus Astros, who lost 15 in a row. That streak began on May 17, 1971; the Stars last won on May 17, 2006.

 

The '71 Astros went on to finish with a 51-91 record, 41 games out of first place, but had only the second-worst record in the league.

 

For all their struggles, the team had two pitchers - Pat Darcy and Dan Evans - throw no-hitters that season.

 

On Thursday, it was a Huntsville pitcher providing the offense. Starter Jeff Housman, with two aboard and two out in the second, lined a sharp single off the glove of first baseman Brandon Sing, driving home Lou Palmisano for the 1-0 lead.

 

The Stars will have that 1-0 lead, and the game will start with the top of the third, when the game is resumed.

[Rob]

Nice start by Hammond. Any chances that some of these low ball guys get an emergency start if things don't pick up in Milwaukee. I was thinking maybe Gallardo for a game.

[Mass Haas]

No way on anybody below AA.

 

The worst part wouldn't be the pressure or expectations, but adding a player to the 40-man roster way before they needed to be.

[PrimetimeHater]

Sheesh, when are they promoting Hammond to Huntsville?