Link Report for Mon. 5/22 -- Another Power Breakfast

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Monday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: RHP Mike Meyers at home vs. Portland (Padres), 5:40 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: Idle

 

Brevard County: RHP Mark Rogers at home vs. Sarasota (Reds), 6:00 PM; sorry, no audio for this series

 

West Virginia: RHP Matt Kretzschmar at home vs. Greenville (Red Sox), 9:25 AM pre-game, 9:35 gametime

 

Audio link:

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

[Mass Haas]

Follow Monday'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

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_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

[Mass Haas]

Standings through Sunday's action:

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 25 18 .581 - 14-6 11-12 W3[/b] Iowa 18 23 .439 6.0 9-12 9-11 W1 Omaha 18 24 .429 6.5 11-11 7-13 L1 Memphis 13 28 .317 11.0 9-11 4-17 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 29 16 .644 - 19-6 10-10 W4 West Tenn 26 19 .578 3.0 10-10 16-9 L1 Carolina 22 23 .489 7.0 15-10 7-13 W1 Tennessee 21 24 .467 8.0 12-8 9-16 L1 [b]Huntsville 20 24 .455 8.5 9-10 11-14 L4[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 25 17 .595 - 11-10 14-7 L2 Daytona 23 20 .535 2.5 15-9 8-11 W9 [b]Brevard County 22 20 .524 3.0 9-10 13-10 W4[/b] Palm Beach 21 21 .500 4.0 9-12 12-9 L3 Jupiter 18 25 .419 7.5 8-14 10-11 L4 Vero Beach 16 27 .372 9.5 10-14 6-13 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 25 17 .595 - 16-8 9-9 L1 Delmarva 24 17 .585 0.5 13-9 11-8 W3 Greensboro 23 19 .548 2.0 17-7 6-12 W4 [b]West Virginia 22 19 .537 2.5 12-10 10-9 L1[/b] Lakewood 22 20 .524 3.0 14-8 8-12 W2 Lake County 21 22 .488 4.5 11-10 10-12 L3 Hickory 17 23 .425 7.0 8-10 9-13 W1 Hagerstown 17 25 .405 8.0 9-9 8-16 L2

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 6, Greenville (Red Sox) 5

Nice win for the over 8,100 in attendance...

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Angel Salome HR # 5; turns out LHP Rafael Lluberes was your starter, with a wonderful six innings -- the three Latin arms (Lluberes, Wil Laureano, and Ronny Malave) all remain worthwhile to follow...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

Salome's speed nets a first-inning run; nicely manufactured run in the 7th, the eventual game-winner; tying run stranded at third base to end the game...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[NastyTwig]

I'm digging the Cain, Salome, and Gamel trio in WV.

[bork]

I'm digging the Cain, Salome, and Gamel trio in WV.

 

At least on offense, anyway.

[homer]

No kidding. Gamel's D makes Weeks look like Ryne Sandberg.

[DHonks]

Rogers with no runs in the first! Very encouraging, since hasn't he usually struggled in the first, then settled down?

 

make that two innings. Other than that one terrible outing where he went something like 2/3rds of an inning, his last 4-5 outings have been very solid

[1e Corbeau]

Quote:

---

No kidding. Gamel's D makes Weeks look like Ryne Sandberg.

---

 

yeah, but you can't teach hitting, or something like that. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif Didn't some scouting report (Colby's?) mention that Gamel could end up in a corner outfield spot and that his bat would play?

 

Gamel has to be hitting close to .450 or .500 since May 1st. In Helena, he started really slowly, too, IIRC; perhaps this is a good sign he knows how to make adjustments at the plate.

[NastyTwig]

Ugh... Too good to be true. How can someone with such "great" stuff be so hittable? Just winging it down the middle yelling out "fastball" or "curve"?

[Mass Haas]

Ugh... Too good to be true. How can someone with such "great" stuff be so hittable? Just winging it down the middle yelling out "fastball" or "curve"?

 

Rogers gets bashed enough without posting that after the third inning he just had. A ground ball single starts it off -- did you review the game log to see what happened next? The worst thing Rogers did was the walk that immediately followed the single. Otherwise, c'mon...

 

John PurdomIII singles on a ground ball to left fielder Freddy Parejo.

 

Bradley Key walks. John PurdomIII to 2nd.

 

Brandon Roberts singles on a bunt ground ball to pitcher Mark Rogers. John PurdomIII to 3rd. Bradley Key to 2nd.

 

Javon Moran grounds into a force out, first baseman Josh Murray to catcher CJ Medlin. John PurdomIII out at home. Bradley Key to 3rd. Brandon Roberts to 2nd. Javon Moran to 1st.

 

Paul Janish reaches on force attempt, missed catch error by second baseman Steven Sollmann, assist to shortstop Carlos De La Cruz. Bradley Key scores. Brandon Roberts to 3rd. Javon Moran to 2nd.

 

With Jay Garthwaite batting, passed ball by CJ Medlin, Brandon Roberts scores. Javon Moran to 3rd. Paul Janish to 2nd.

 

Jay Garthwaite walks.

 

Jeremiah Piepkorn strikes out swinging.

 

Cody Strait flies out to center fielder Charlie Fermaint.

[And That]

Rogers gets bashed enough without posting that after the third inning he just had.

 

Mark Rogers had a 7.39 ERA and a 2.18 WHIP going into the game. I think it's perfectly understandable that people won't give him the benefit of the doubt until he starts performing like a #1 pick. In fact I'd say that if the two hits and two walks allowed by Rogers in the inning are considered anything close to a good inning for Rogers, then we're in trouble.

[molitor fan]

Well, Rogers took his ERA down 1.22 points this game and still has the best k/per 9 innings ratio in the league.

[DHonks]

another good outing for Rogers tonight. I think that's something like 4 of 6. He's going deeper into games now, walking fewer, and giving up fewer hits. Now to just have a few outings with 1 or 0 runs in a row

[DHonks]

Krynzel in one of his usual funks where in a matter of 3 or 4 days, his average drops 50 points. Hopefully he gets it going again soon. At this time last year was when his slide began...went from hitting .300+ to having a poor year

[Thunnis]

Amazing the good things that can happen when they quit fixing something that was never broke, at least when he arrived. Left alone to strike a happy medium between "the tweeks" & fixes he'll most likely do what comes the most naturally for him and be successful.

[gregmag]

Krynzel in one of his usual funks where in a matter of 3 or 4 days, his average drops 50 points. Hopefully he gets it going again soon. At this time last year was when his slide began...went from hitting .300+ to having a poor year.

 

This is exactly right. Obviously the intensity of his skid is exaggerated by his limited action this year, but of course you have to say the same thing about his good start. This is a very important moment for Krynzel -- can he come back strong? The key, I think, is for him to start doing one thing per game that helps. He has a broad skill set, and that's how guys with broad skill sets succeed. A walk here, a steal there, a great catch next time, until he's all the way back on his game. That's what he has to do if he's going to get anywhere.

 

Greg.

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

CLUTCH HITTING PAYS OFF FOR THE POWER

 

The West Virginia Power scored all six of their runs in Monday morning?s game against the Greenville Drive with two outs, and held off a late Greenville run with a 6-5 win, their sixth victory in the eight-game home stand at Appalachian Power Park.

 

Mat Gamel knocked in Angel Salome on an RBI single in the first inning to give the Power an early advantage. Tony Festa knocked in a run on a double in the fourth and scored later in the inning on Kenny Holmberg?s single. Salome blasted his fifth home run of the year, a two-run shot in the fifth inning to put the Power ahead 5-0.

 

Mark Wagner drove in the Drive?s first run of the game on an RBI double in the sixth inning. The Drive scored in the seventh on Bubba Bell?s fielder?s choice RBI. The Power scored their final run of the game on Lorenzo Cain?s single in the bottom of the seventh. Greenville plated two runs in the eighth inning. Wagner led the inning off with a triple and scored later in the inning on an errant throw from Gamel. The final run scored on a fielder?s choice RBI from Christian Lara. In the ninth inning Tony Granadillo ripped a two-out RBI double to bring the Drive within a run. Joe Thatcher struck out Chris Turner with the tying run on third and the go ahead run on second to end the game.

 

Rafael Lluberes (3-2) earned the victory, Thatcher (7) earned the save and Michael Bowden (2-3) obtained the loss. The Power are 23-19 after the win and the Drive fell to 22-22 with the loss. Attendance for the game was 8,122.

 

The Power will begin a four game series against the Kannapolis Intimidators at FieldCrest Cannon Stadium in Kannapolis, North Carolina on Tuesday night. Kannapolis will start right hander Ryan Rote (0-8, 4.93) and the Power will counter with right hander Ronny Malave (3-0, 3.62). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 5, Sarasota (Reds) 4

 

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

 

Medlin, Manatees outlast Reds

 

C.J. Medlin's sacrfice fly in the bottom of the ninth lifted Brevard County over Sarasota, 5-4, on Monday.

 

Reds reliever Abe Woody hit Charlie Fermaint with a pitch to start the bottom of the ninth and Steve Sollman followed with a sacrifice bunt to move him to second. Woody intentionally walked Ryan Braun and walked Brendan Katin to load the bases.

 

Medlin hit a one-out fly ball to right to score Fermaint, as Brevard County (23-20) completed a four-game sweep and won its fifth straight.

 

Down, 4-1, in the eighth, the Manatees rallied to tie the game on a two-run double by Freddy Parejo and Hernan Iribarren's run-scoring two-base hit.

 

Braun and Parejo each had a pair of hits to lead Brevard County.

 

Manatees reliever Dave Johnson (4-3) gave up a run in the eighth, but blanked Sarasota in the ninth to get the win. He allowed two hits and struck out three with a walk. Starter Mark Rogers lasted seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits and fanning six.

 

Woody (2-2) took the loss after issuing three walks and the sacrifice fly to Medlin. Reds starter Camilo Vazquez yielded one run on five hits in six innings, striking out six and walking two. Jim Abbott surrendered three runs on three hits during the seventh and eighth.

 

John Purdom went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, including a two-out run-scoring hit in the eighth, for Sarasota (18-26). The Reds have dropped eight straight. -- Christopher Heine/MLB.com

 

Brevard County Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

 

Brevard County Game Log:

Charlie Fermaint wouldn't have reached base in the 9th if not for a dropped foul pop up...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Outfielder Kennard Bibbs:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-22.wma

 

Final: Portland (Padres) 7, Nashville 2

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1964

 

Cruz Homers Again But Sounds Fall To Beavers

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Nashville Sounds had their three-game winning streak come to a close on Monday evening at Greer Stadium as the home club fell to the Portland Beavers by a 7-2 count in the opener of a four-game series.

 

Nelson Cruz pulled into a temporary tie for the Pacific Coast League lead with his 11th home run of the year for Nashville. Albuquerque?s Scott Seabol belted his league-best 12th tater later in the evening. The roundtripper was Cruz?s third in the last three days for the Sounds.

 

The Sounds (28-16) were held to only four hits on the evening to match their lowest output in a nine-inning game this season: Cruz?s homer, a Mark Johnson single, and a 2-for-4 evening by second baseman Brent Abernathy.

 

Neither team scored in the first four innings of action before Portland broke through for four runs against Sounds starter Mike Meyers in the top of the fifth.

 

PCL veteran Manny Alexander opened the scoring with a two-run single before coming plateward on Terrmel Sledge?s RBI double. Jason Kershner relieved Meyers and was greeted by a Jack Cust RBI single that upped the Beavers? advantage to 4-0.

 

Cruz continued his recent surge at the plate when he crushed a two-out, two-run homer to chase Portland starter Seth Etherton in the bottom of the sixth inning. The blast, which cut the Beavers? lead in half to 4-2, plated Abernathy.

 

AUDIO: Nelson Cruz Homers Again --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-22.wma

 

The Beavers increased the lead to 5-2 in the seventh when Sledge scored on a Justin Leone sacrifice fly and tacked on their final runs in the ninth when Nashville reliever Mitch Stetter walked the bases loaded and gave way to Brett Evert, who proceeded to issue a run-scoring free pass to Leone. Two batters later, Evert hit former Sound Bobby Hill with a bases-loaded pitch to increase the score to its final 7-2.

 

Etherton (2-2) picked up the win after working 5 2/3 innings and allowing two runs on four hits while fanning seven. Meyers (1-3) took the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings, his shortest of three starts this season.

 

Aquilino Lopez worked the final two frames in scoreless fashion for the Beavers to notch his second save of the year.

 

The teams continue the series with a 6 p.m. meeting on Tuesday evening. Knuckleballer Jared Fernandez (1-1, 1.74) mans the bump for the Sounds to face Portland right-hander Eric Junge (4-3, 4.82).

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=49992

 

Sounds slump in loss to Portland

By Mark McGee, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

Good pitching can make up for poor hitting. And solid hitting can do wonders for a struggling pitcher.

 

But when neither part of the game is working there are going to be consequences and repercussions.

 

?I didn?t think we had a lot of energy,? said Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas. ?The dugout was dead. We had no physical injury. I have no idea why. It happens sometimes. You have to be aware of it as a player and do something about it. In my opinion, at this level, it is not up to the coaching staff to get you physically ready to play. There are some things we can do for the mental part, but physically they should be ready to play.?

 

Such was the case for the Nashville Sounds in a 7-2 loss to the Portland Beavers Monday night at Greer Stadium in the first game of a four-game series. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Sounds.

 

Tonight at 6 right-hander Jared Fernandez (1-1, 1.74 ERA) will start for Nashville against right-hander Eric Junge (4-3, 4.82).

 

Portland added one run in the seventh and two in the ninth. Those three runs were driven in by batters who did not have an official at-bat. Justin Leone hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh to score Terrmel Sledge.

 

Leone walked with the bases loaded to bring in the first run in the ninth. Bobby Hill was hit by a pitch and brought in the final run as Mitch Stetter and Brett Evert combined for three walks and one hit batter.

 

?The ninth inning was not very pretty,? Kremblas said. ?Sometimes you lose your command. It is going to happen.?

 

Nelson Cruz hit a two-run homer to left field in the sixth inning, the only inning the Sounds produced any runs. Cruz has hit a home run in three straight games. He has 11 for the season, second best in the Pacific Coast League.

 

?We didn?t do much other than that,? said Kremblas.

 

The Sounds managed only four hits in the game, with Brent Abernathy getting a single and double. Portland scattered 10 hits against five Nashville pitchers. Mike Meyers fell to 1-3 with the loss.

 

Nashville Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Link for Chris Barnwell photo, text follows:

 

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

 

Sounds waste another Cruz home run

Nashville suffers loss to Portland

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

After going five games without a home run, the Nashville Sounds can't seem to stop hitting them. More to the point, Nelson Cruz can't seem to stop hitting them.

 

The 25-year-old outfielder hit his third homer in as many games Monday night, a two-out, two-run shot in the sixth inning of Nashville's 7-2 loss to Portland.

 

"Guys with power go through that," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "They get pitches to hit and they hit them out, or they miss 'em a little and get a single or a double."

 

Cruz, who hit first-inning homers in back-to-back wins on Saturday and Sunday to move within one of the Pacific Coast League lead, hit his 11th of the season Monday night.

 

Albuquerque's Scott Seabol stayed atop the PCL in that category with his 12th homer of the year against Tucson.

 

"I feel good right now; everything's a strike," said Cruz, who hit 27 homers last year ? 16 at Double-A Huntsville before his June 29 callup and 11 in Nashville.

 

"I'm not swinging at balls. That leads to bad at-bats, swinging at balls. In my last at-bat, that's what I did."

 

With Cruz leading the way, the Sounds have hit six homers in their last 25 innings after going 45 homer-less innings. Mike Rivera followed Cruz's first-inning homer on Saturday with one in the next at-bat, and Tony Gwynn and Brent Abernathy added homers on Sunday.

 

Portland's Seth Etherton allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings and the Beaver bullpen threw 3 1/3 hitless innings.

 

"Etherton threw well," Kremblas said. "We had a chance (in the seventh inning). We had a guy at third with less than two outs. It would have been nice to get him in, but you can't always get those."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Sounds lose another call

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Another night, another debatable home run call at Greer Stadium.

 

In the fifth inning of the Nashville Sounds' matchup Monday with visiting Portland, Beavers catcher Jason Hill led off with a drive that appeared to hit above the yellow line at the top of the inside fence in left-center field. However, the ball was ruled playable by the umpiring crew and Hill was held to a double.

 

Hill eventually scored on a two-run Manny Alexander base hit as Portland scored four runs in the inning.

 

The ball struck off a white advertising banner on the second tier of the outfield fencing, in a similar manner to the ball Nelson Cruz hit in the first inning of the Sounds' game Sunday against Tacoma.

 

Cruz's ball was initially ruled playable by the umpires, creating some confusion among the Nashville baserunners that resulted in a grand slam being reduced to a three-run homer when Brent Abernathy passed Dave Krynzel.

 

House calls: Cruz is one of five Nashville players hitting better than .350 at Greer Stadium. Cruz leads the way at .382, just ahead of Vinny Rottino (.381), followed by Mike Rivera (.373), Tony Gwynn (.370) and Chris Barnwell (.355).

 

Double time: Abernathy's sixth-inning double was Nashville's Pacific Coast League-leading 96th of the season.

 

Bennie's back: Ben Hendrickson rejoined the Sounds on Monday, having been optioned by the Brewers after a rough start Saturday against Minnesota.

 

In his last two starts for Milwaukee, Hendrickson allowed

13 earned runs on 12 hits in 2+ innings.

 

Hendrickson has not been reinserted into the Nashville starting rotation as of yet. He's not expected to start before the weekend.

 

In four starts with the Sounds before his April 27 callup, Hendrickson is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA, allowing seven earned runs in 23+ innings.

 

Early cushion: On the strength of their three-game winning streak that ended Monday, the Sounds led the PCL American Northern Division by a season-high six games over second-place Iowa.

 

Through its first 43 games last year, Nashville trailed the division leader by three games. The Sounds didn't hold a six-game division lead until their July 20 win over Memphis.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006052325/

 

Clutch hitting helps Power top Drive before 8,122 fans

Jacob Messer

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

Greenville starter Mike Bowden had no problems retiring the first two batters in each of the five innings he pitched Monday against West Virginia.

 

The ones after them, however, gave him fits.

 

Bowden allowed five runs and seven hits -- all with two outs -- in the Drive's 6-5 loss to the Power.

 

"We have to tip our hats to the hitters," Power Manager Mike Guerrero said. "Two-out RBI are precious at any time."

 

A Grand Slam School Day crowd of 8,122 fans -- most of them students and teachers playing hooky on a gorgeous May morning -- watched the South Atlantic League game at Appalachian Power Park.

 

It was the second-largest crowd in stadium history. The largest is 10,103 on June 9, 2005.

 

West Virginia led 5-0 before Greenville Manager Mike DeMaine took out Bowden (2-3).

 

Angel Salome started the scoring for the Power in the first inning. Salome slapped a single into left field, stole second base, took third on catcher Mark Wagner's errant throw and scored on Mat Gamel's infield hit.

 

"Sometimes, (hitting with two outs) is hard because you have all of the pressure on you," said Salome, who accounted for three of the Power's six runs. "You want to perform very good. You just have to do your best in those situations."

 

The Power scored two in the fourth when Mike Bell and Kenny Holmberg sandwiched a pair of singles around a double by Tony Festa.

 

West Virginia added to its lead with two runs in the fifth when Salome drove in himself and Lorenzo Cain with a no-doubt-about-it blast over the right-center field fence.

 

That was the end of Bowden, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander whom the Boston Red Sox drafted with a sandwich pick last year. He finished with four strikeouts and no walks.

 

"You watch the first two batters and see what he does with them, then you have a better idea of how to work with him," Salome said. "I saw that, and I killed him."

 

The Power continued its clutch hitting in the seventh when Cain delivered a two-out single to knock in Nate Yoho, who scored the game-winning run.

 

Bell, Cain, Gamel and Salome all had two hits in four at-bats.

 

Not to be outdone by his bat-wielding teammates, West Virginia starter Rafael Lluberes (3-2) provided the Power with clutch pitching.

 

Lluberes, a 6-4, 155-pound left-hander, controlled the Drive, a team that had seven right-handers in its lineup.

 

His game plan, Lluberes said, was to throw his fastball on his first pitch to each hitter, preferably for a strike, to set up his changeup and breaking balls, which are his bread-and-butter pitches.

 

"They are going to be more effective that way," Lluberes said.

 

His plan worked. He yielded one run and four hits over six innings, marking the second time he pitched that deep into a game this season. He also fanned one batter and walked another.

 

"I feel good about that," said Lluberes, a 21-year-old prospect whom the Milwaukee Brewers signed as a non-drafted free agent four years ago. "Everything came out the way I wanted to."

 

It was an outing the Power (23-19) needed considering the club used five pitchers Sunday in a 12-1 loss to the Drive (22-22).

 

"We needed him (Monday)," said Power pitching coach John Curtis, who told Lluberes before the game that the team needed five or six innings from him. "That was an expensive game (Sunday). He helped us.

 

"He executed his game plan very well. He pitched inside. He kept the ball down. He gave us more than we expected. That is a tribute to him. He started to come up in the fifth and the sixth, but he battled his way out of some tough situations there. He did a nice job."

 

Reliever Matt Kretzschmar almost blew it for Lluberes and the Power.

 

Kretzschmar allowed one run on two hits and one walk in the seventh and two runs on one hit and two walks in the eighth before Guerrero replaced him with Dane Renkert, who entered the game with one out and the bases loaded. The Drive didn't score on Renkert, who ended the inning and thwarted the threat on a fielder's choice and a flyout.

 

"Kretzschmar had a rough day," Curtis said. "We are working on a few things with him. He has some long arm action behind him.

 

"We are trying to get him to slow down a little bit. He was firing a lot of high fastballs there. And walks don't help late in the game."

 

Closer Joe Thatcher worked the ninth, surrendering one run on two hits and one walk, to earn his seventh save this season.

 

POWER POINTS: West Virginia travels to North Carolina today to start a four-game series with Kannapolis. The Power will start right-hander Ronny Malave (3-0, 3.62). The Intimidators will counter with right-hander Ryan Rote (0-8, 4.93) ...West Virginia is four games over .500 for the second time this season.

 

...The Power leads the league in team batting average (.279) ...Cain and Salome are tied for the league lead in hits (53) ...Salome also is tied for third in doubles (14)... Darren Ford is tied for third in stolen bases (19).