Link Report for Sun. 5/21 -- Nelson Cruz Leads PCL in RBI

[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 Dennis Sarfate at home vs. Tacoma (Mariners), 1:40 PM pre-game, 2:00 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: LHP Jeff Housman at Chattanooga (Reds), 1:00 PM pre-game, 1:15 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

Brevard County: LHP Steve Hammond at home vs. Sarasota (Reds), 3:00 PM; sorry, no audio for this series

 

West Virginia: RHP Will Inman at home vs. Greenville (Red Sox), 12:55 PM pre-game, 1:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

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

[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". 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_cngaax_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

 

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 24 18 .571 - 13-6 11-12 W2[/b] Omaha 18 23 .439 5.5 11-11 7-12 W1 Iowa 17 23 .425 6.0 9-12 8-11 L1 Memphis 13 27 .325 10.0 9-10 4-17 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 28 16 .636 - 18-6 10-10 W3 West Tenn 26 18 .591 2.0 10-9 16-9 W1 Carolina 21 23 .477 7.0 14-10 7-13 L1 Tennessee 21 23 .477 7.0 12-8 9-15 W1 [b]Huntsville 20 23 .465 7.5 9-10 11-13 L3[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 25 16 .610 - 11-10 14-6 L1 Daytona 22 20 .524 3.5 14-9 8-11 W8 [b]Brevard County 21 20 .512 4.0 8-10 13-10 W3[/b] Palm Beach 21 20 .512 4.0 9-11 12-9 L2 Jupiter 18 24 .429 7.5 8-14 10-10 L3 Vero Beach 15 27 .357 10.5 9-14 6-13 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 25 16 .610 - 16-7 9-9 W3 Delmarva 23 17 .575 1.5 12-9 11-8 W2 [b]West Virginia 22 18 .550 2.5 12-9 10-9 W3[/b] Greensboro 22 19 .537 3.0 16-7 6-12 W3 Lakewood 21 20 .512 4.0 13-8 8-12 W1 Lake County 21 21 .500 4.5 11-10 10-11 L2 Hagerstown 17 24 .415 8.0 9-9 8-15 L1 Hickory 16 23 .410 8.0 7-10 9-13 L1

[DHonks]

oh my, Inman's ERA over 1!

[NastyTwig]

I'm pretty sure that the only runs that Inman has given up this year are on sacrafice flies (or atleast in the last month).

 

Edit: Well a few grounders got through the infield. Inman gives up 4 runs.

[DHonks]

so is this Inman's way of reaching his quota: one bad outing each year?

[DHonks]

so how did Abernathy get picked off first with the bases loaded? Its listed as both a CS and PO, but he obviously wasn't stealing

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Covering the bases (through Friday's action)

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

Last in homers, last in hitting - and still somehow hanging around the .500 mark. The punchless Huntsville Stars have a team average of .226 (through Friday night) and have only 17 homers. Their 151 runs scored is fewer than anyone in the Southern League except Mississippi.

 

Credit better defense than a year ago and relatively solid pitching. If Milwaukee doesn't poach too much more from the pitching staff, don't be stunned if the young hitters make sufficient adjustment at the plate to produce a second-half pennant run, especially because the league talent level seems to be down somewhat from last year. ...

 

Ah, another one that got away. While Huntsville's outfield is batting a combined .249, former Stars outfielder Noochie Varner is making things miserable on his old team. Going into Saturday's game, Varner had driven in five runs in three games against Huntsville, including two RBIs in Friday's win. He is batting .300 on the season. ... Shortstop Ozzie Chavez was batting a team-high .272 after Friday. Eighteen players in the league have higher averages. ...

 

Ex-Star Corey Hart was promoted back to Milwaukee on Wednesday. His place in Nashville was filled by Kennard Bibbs, and Travis Ezi was promoted from Brevard County to Huntsville. Hart hit .320 and had 11 stolen bases in 25 games at Nashville. He's taking the place of J.J. Hardy, out as long as six weeks with a severe ankle sprain. ... Bill Hall, still another former Huntsville player, moves to short full-time. Chris Barnwell is the Triple-A shortstop and the Brewers have considered him little more than a utility player; a week ago, they traded Enrique Cruz to Texas. ...

 

An update on Bucky Jacobsen, one of the most popular Stars ever. After a meteoric month in the majors with Seattle late in 2004, he is playing for the Long Island Ducks in the indepedent Atlantic League, batting .259 with two homers and nine RBIs in 16 games. Andy High, Lance Burkhart, Jose Ortiz and Ryan Costello are among other former Huntsville players in that league.

 

Around the league

 

The Jacksonville Suns, who drew 9,122 on Thursday and 10,640 Friday, were expected to shatter their four-game attendance record this week. The previous mark was 35,881. In comparison, the Stars have drawn 40,481 this season in 17 dates. ... With West Tenn averaging only 1,632, there has to be continuing concern about the future of pro baseball in Jackson, Tenn. ... Fernando Valenzuela Jr. was released last week by San Diego. He was batting only .169 with seven RBIs and only two extra bases hits in 28 games for Mobile. ... West Tenn's Luis Montanez (.533, five doubles, 10 RBIs for the week) and Birmingham's Lance Broadway (1-0, no earned runs in two starts) are the most recent BC Powder Southern League pitcher and player of the week.

 

Brewings

 

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (23-18 before Saturday's play, first place in Pacific Coast League American Division): SS Chris Barnwell .338, with a streak of reaching base in 29 consecutive games having ended Monday.

 

Single-A Brevard County Manatees (20-20, third in Florida State East Division): 3B Ryan Braun 5 HR, 24 RBIs, .299.

 

Single-A West Virginia Power (21-18 third in South Atlantic League Northern Division): P Dane Renkert 4-1, 1.61 ERA, 2 saves in 13 relief appearances.

 

On deck

 

The Stars end their series at Chattanooga today at 1:15, then are off Monday. Jacksonville and West Tenn, the 2005 Southern League championship finalists, visit Huntsville over the next 10 days in a pair of five-game series. Wednesday is another 12:05 p.m. Business Persons Special.

 

Watch for

 

Jacksonville third baseman Andy LaRoche, the Dodgers' No. 2-ranked prospect and the younger brother of Braves' first baseman Adam LaRoche.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Greenville (Red Sox) 12, West Virginia 1

Well, it's been a while, this was overdue -- it happens...

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Five more errors; Patrick Ryan did Robbie Wooley's ERA no favors in terms of inherited runners; Mike Bell's HR accounts for the lone run...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[wibadgers23]

Gwynn and Cruz a combined 6 for 7 with 2 hr's and 7 rbi's. Not too shabby.

[plowjockey]

Quote:

---

so how did Abernathy get picked off first with the bases loaded? Its listed as both a CS and PO, but he obviously wasn't stealing

---

Would it be scored that way if he got picked off, got caught in a run down and was tagged out by the 2nd baseman or ss? Sounds pretty bone headed no matter the circumstance.

[plowjockey]

Wow - Hammond 8 complete, 2 hits, no earned runs. Braun with a forgetable day. 0 for 5 with an error.

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

Power winning streak snapped at three

 

After tying their season long winning streak with a 13-4 win on Saturday night, the Power fell hard to the Greenville Drive by the final of 12-1 at Appalachian Power Park on Sunday afternoon.

 

In the top of the first Dustin Kelly ripped a one-out double, got to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly from Yahmed Yema. The Power tied the game in the bottom of the second on Mike Bell?s solo home run.

 

Greenville scored three times in the third inning on a two-run single from Jeff Natale and an RBI base hit from Mark Wagner.

 

The Drive pulled away in the sixth inning, scoring seven runs on four hits. Christian Lara knocked in the first run on an RBI single, Bubba Bell plated the second run on an RBI groundout, Natale knocked in two more on a single and Wagner cleared the bases with a three-run homer to finish the scoring in the seven run frame. Greenville added another run in the seventh inning on an RBI double by Kelly.

 

Mike Rozier (3-1) earned the victory, and Will Inman (3-1) obtained the loss. The Power are 22-19 after the loss and the Drive improved to 22-21 with the win. Attendance for the game was 3,166.

 

The Power will finish the four game series against Greenville on Monday morning. Greenville will start right hander Mike Bowden (2-1, 4.50) and West Virginia will counter with right hander Matt Kretzschmar (0-1, 7.94). The first pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AM (9:35 AM Central).

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Pitcher Jared Fernandez:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-21.wma

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 10, Tacoma (Rainiers) 1

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1962

 

Sounds Take Third Straight From Tacoma, 10-1

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Sounds pounded out 12 hits, including six for extra bases, to win the finale of their four-game series against the Tacoma Rainiers by a 10-1 count on Sunday afternoon in front of 6,475 fans at Greer Stadium.

 

Nelson Cruz led the way with a 3-for-4 afternoon that included his 10th home run of the season and a season-best five RBIs, which matched an April 30th Corey Hart effort for most runs driven by a Sounds in a single game this year and moved him into the PCL lead with 35 RBIs on the season. Cruz finished a triple short of the cycle.

 

Everything was going right for the Sounds and nothing was going right for the Rainiers, it seemed. The Sounds had three players ? Cruz, Tony Gwynn, and Vinny Rottino ? with multiple hits on the day and the Sounds pitching staff was able to hold the Rainiers to one run on five hits. The Rainiers committed four errors, which resulted in three unearned runs for the Sounds.

 

The Sounds took a first-inning lead courtesy of another home run off the bat of Cruz. The first three batters of the inning reached base safely against Tacoma starter Cesar Jimenez, setting up the bases-clearing Cruz home run. Cruz was credited with only a three-run homer because Brent Abernathy was called out at home after he passed Dave Krynzel on the basepaths. Cruz?s home run was his second in two days and moved him into a three-way tie for second-most roundtrippers in the PCL.

 

Nashville struck again in the second, putting two more runs on the board. Kennard Bibbs started the inning off with an infield single and scored later in the frame when Cruz hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track. Gwynn scored during the next at-bat on a throwing error by Rainiers first baseman Todd Sears, who had three errors on the day.

 

The Rainiers had their only offensive showing of the day in the top half of the third. Adam Jones scored on a Gregg Dobbs RBI single against Nashville starter Dennis Sarfate. The Rainiers were held to five hits on the day courtesy of four players.

 

The Sounds offense never let up as they recorded runs in every inning except the 3rd and 5th inning. Gwynn (3-for-3 with two walks) added a run in sixth with a solo home run, which marked his second of the year, and an RBI single in the seventh.

 

AUDIO: Tony Gwynn's 2nd HR Of Year --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-21.wma

 

Abernathy, who joined Gwynn in reaching base in each of his five plate appearances, closed out the Nashville scoring in the eighth with a leadoff solo homer off Mike Nannini, his second longball of the year.

 

Sarfate (2-1) threw five innings and allowed one run on four hits en route to picking up his second win of the season. The Sounds used four different pitchers to close out the game. Mike Adams, Alec Zumwalt, Mitch Stetter, and Brett Evert, each of whom threw a scoreless frame. Adams was the only one of the four to allow a hit.

 

Jimenez (0-4) took the loss and remained winless on the season after going 2 1/3 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits.

 

Rottino finished 2-for-5 to extend his season-best hitting streak to six games, which is the longest active streak among Sounds players.

 

The Sounds continue their homestand on Monday evening when they start a four-game series against the Portland Beavers. The Sounds will give the ball to right-hander Mike Meyers (1-2, 4.15) in the 6 p.m. series opener and the Beavers will counter with right-hander Seth Etherton (1-2, 4.53). The four-game series is the only time during the regular season the two teams will face each other.

 

Nashville Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Chattanooga (Reds) 4, Huntsville 1

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

Varner Vexes Stars, Again

 

Travis Chick worked six strong innings and received offensive and defensive support from Noochie Varner in pitching Chattanooga past Huntsville 4-1 Sunday afternoon at BellSouth Park. The Lookouts won the last four games of the series to improve to 29-16 overall and lengthened their lead to three games over West Tenn, who fell to Mobile, while the Stars suffered a fourth consecutive defeat for a second time this month and slipped to 20-24. The Stars finished their 10-game road trip with three wins and seven losses and lost their third straight series away from home after winning their first two.

 

Stars? starter Jeff Housman yielded second inning singles to Rick Asadoorian with one out and to Chick with two outs and walked Luis Bolivar to load the bases before hitting Javier Colina on a 3-2 pitch to force in the game?s first run. He struck out Joey Votto to end the inning. The Stars tied the game in the fourth when Drew Anderson doubled to lead off, moved to third on an Adam Heether ground out and came plateward on a two-out single by Ron Acuna.

 

Housman was lifted after four innings in his first start since April 24 and departed having yielded a single run on four hits and a pair of walks. He struck out five and was followed on the hill by Matt Smith, making his second relief outing of the series. Joey Votto doubled with one out in the fifth, advanced to third on an opposite field double to right by Aaron Herr and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Varner, who went hitless in two official at-bats and lost an eight-game hit streak.

 

Chick matched his longest outing of the year and won for the first time since April 22 after allowing a run on five hits. He struck out three and walked two in his seventh start against the Stars in the last two seasons. Chattanooga tacked on two runs against Smith in the seventh on a run-scoring double by Votto, who drove in five in the series, and another sacrifice fly by Varner, who knocked in nine in the five-game set.

 

Carlos Guevera walked Callix Crabbe to lead off the eighth inning and Drew Anderson with two outs before a Heether grounder could not be fielded by Herr at third base, allowing the visitors to load the bases. Lou Palmisano then sent a charge into a 2-1 pitch and Varner went back and to his right to track down the fly ball with a running catch for the final out of the inning. David Shafer retired the side in order in the ninth to earn his league-best 13th save in 13 opportunities.

 

The Stars will be off Monday and open a five-game set at home Tuesday night against the Jacksonville Suns. The Stars send right-hander Carlos Villanueva to the mound against Suns? right-hander Justin Orenduff. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450 AM locally and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Same old story -- getting pretty old, and it's only May...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_cngaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

Unusual force out of Steve Moss in the top of the 1st;

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_cngaax_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 9, Sarasota (Reds) 4

 

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

 

Hammond clips Sarasota

 

Steven Hammond hurled eight strong innings to lead the Manatees over the visiting Reds, 9-4, on Sunday.

Hammond (4-2) gave up three unearned runs on two hits, striking out seven and without issuing a walk. Josh Alliston pitched the ninth, giving up a double and a run.

 

Brevard County (22-20) scored in the final four frames. Brendan Katin slugged four hits, including two doubles, and drove in two runs. C.J. Medlin, Freddy Parejo, Hernan Iribarren, Charlie Fermaint, and Steven Sollmann each had two hits. Sollmann had two RBIs.

 

Brandon Roberts went 2-for-4 with a double and scored twice for Sarasota (18-25). Paul Janish added two runs.

 

Starter James Avery (2-2) lasted 5 1/3 innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits, while striking out five and walking one. -- Jeannine Rippa/MLB.com

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Brendan Katin now with 19 doubles, on his way to an All-Star season...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

[PrimetimeHater]

"Cruz was credited with only a three-run homer because Brent Abernathy was called out at home after he passed Dave Krynzel on the basepaths."

 

What?? This happens outside of little league?

[bork]

The box scores seem to always have a PO and a CS together. Must be an oddity in the minor league box scores.

 

19 doubles for Katin already? Does he project to turn a lot of these doubles into homers?

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=49960

 

Confusing play highlights Sounds? win

By Nate Rau, Sports Correspondent

 

In the bottom of the first inning of Sunday afternoon?s game between Nashville and Tacoma, Sounds slugger Nelson Cruz launched a bases-loaded home run, which by the rules of baseball results in a grand slam.

 

However, the second base umpire initially ruled Cruz?s blast a double and bedlam ensued. Running from first base, Brent Abernathy caught up to Dave Krynzel between third base and home plate. The Rainiers continued playing the ball as if it were a double and threw home, which confused Krynzel, who stopped running. Abernathy then passed Krynzel on the basepath and was subsequently ruled out. In the end, Cruz?s homer was ruled a three-run shot and the Sounds were cost a run because of the call. It didn?t matter as Nashville went on to route the Rainiers 10-1 for its third-straight victory.

 

Abernathy said the Sounds were fortunate the missed call didn?t hurt the team in the end. It bears mentioning, the outfield wall above and below the home run line is strewn with advertising signs. The spot where Cruz?s ball hit is occupied with a white sign and it was somewhat difficult to see the ball against the white backdrop.

 

?It was a very odd play and thank goodness it didn?t hurt us today,? said Abernathy, who hit a homer and scored two runs for the Sounds. ?I really couldn?t tell you exactly how it happened. It was very strange.?

 

The play underscores a theme around Triple A baseball, since Pacific Coast League umpires are on strike because of a labor dispute. In their place, the PCL is using local college and high school umpires who have performed to mixed reviews.

 

Earlier in the homestand, the Sounds had a problem with a home plate umpire?s strike zone.

 

?I know there are a lot of ballparks with signs on the outfield wall and there are times where it?s hard to make that call,? Abernathy said. ?I?m not going to say, ?They should have gotten it right.??

 

Besides Abernathy, a number of other Sounds had excellent performances offensively. Tony Gwynn reached base every time he came to the plate ? finishing 3-for-3 with four runs and a homer. Cruz went 3-for-4 with a homer and five RBIs.

 

Hendrickson coming back: Milwaukee optioned pitcher Ben Hendrickson back to Nashville and recalled reliever Chris Mabeus to take his place. Hendrickson struggled with the Brewers, compiling an 0-2 record and a ERA over 12.

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

CHATTANOOCHIE DOES IT AGAIN

The Stars end their long 3-7 road trip with the same dark tale of terror to tell at the plate. If the Stars had committed a crime, here would be the rap sheet: 2.7 runs per game, a .234 batting average, 16 doubles among the 76 hits and not one home run or triple. In five of the seven losses, the Stars scored only one run and in one of them, they didn't score any....... They lost four of five in a series for the first time this season......

 

There was a 6-4 win against Tennessee and an 8-3 win against Chattanooga in the opening game of that series, but take away those two games, and the Stars have a .207 average and 1.87 runs per game........ The 3-7 trip was the last only since August of last year against Birmingham, Chattanooga, and Tennessee......... Now the Stars return home after a day off, and being ballplayers, they will not brood about the losses, and will only try to dig themselves out of last place. I don't think contention for a first half title is in the cards after this.

 

Callix Crabbe, after hitting .270 in April, is 8-for-62 in May (.129)....... Jeff Eure is hitting .159 this month with added playing time because of Greg Sain's shoulder bruise, incurred in a 2nd inning collision with Ryan Hanigan to score the Stars' only run last Friday.

 

On the positive side, I expect better hitting and run production in the 2nd half. If they get that, and if the excellent pitching we've seen holds up, the Stars can be a contender........ Drew Anderson hit .371 on the trip and Ozzie Chavez, .328. They've been the leading hitters on this 3-10 skid since May 8....... Ron Acuna hit .323 on the trip, mostly in the cleanup position. Don Money stuck Lou Palmisano in there Sunday and the results weren't good. He left two runners on base in scoring position......... Adam Heether hit .289 on the trip, but drove in only two runs and has left nine on base in scoring position with two out.

 

Jeff Housman (limited to 65 pitches) and the Stars faced a familiar opponent in Travis Chick, a # 4 prospect with the Padres a year ago, a # 10 prospect now with the Reds who has, like Clint Goocher of the Smokies, proven to be beatable........ In six games against the Stars last year, Chick was 2-2 with a 7.34 ERA........ He pitched a sparkling game last July 20, holding the Stars to two hits over seven innings in a game Mobile won in 19 innings. That was after being bombed for nine hits and nine runs in 2 1/3 nearly a month before that in a 14-3 rout for the Stars......... He was on today, but I think the Stars could lose to some lower A-ball opponents as it stands right now.

 

Housman was one out away from finishing the 2nd inning with Rick Asadoorian on first after a single and Chick at bat when he lined a 1-1 pitch for a single to left. It marked only the 5th time all year that Housman has given up more than one hit in an inning....... Housman then walked Luis Bolivar to load the bases and then hit Javier Colina on a 3-2 pitch to score Asadoorian with the Lookouts' first run....... The box score doesn't reflect it, so there may have been a later scoring change, but the home plate umpire did say Colina was hit with the pitch, which would have been ball four.

 

In the 4th, Drew Anderson led off with an opposite-field double, his 4th of the road trip, adding to his leading team total of 11........ The doubles hadn't helped much in the past. The Stars had only been 2-7 when he did, but the Stars cashed in this time........ A ground out to the right side by Heether moved him to 3rd, and Anderson scored with two out on a single by Acuna on a 1-1 pitch back through the middle, his 2nd RBI in seven games to tie the game at 1-1.

 

Chattanooga scored the go-ahead run in the 5th after Matt Smith had come in to relieve Housman....... After getting Javier Colina out on a tremendous diving stop by Heether and throw to first, Smith gave up a long double to the warning track by Joey Votto, his 11th of the year. Aaron Herr followed on a one-strike pitch with a fly ball that carried to bounce off the wall in right. Votto only advanced to third because it was not certain if Acuna would catch what had looked to be a fairly routine fly ball. Noochie Varner then connected on a 2-2 pitch to right-center, deep enough to score Votto to give the Lookouts a 2-1 lead........ Varner added another sac fly, his 3rd of the series, in the 7th inning for the Lookouts' final run......... An incredible series for the former Star....... Altogether, nine RBI on only four hits (a .250 average), one of them a double, and one walk.

 

With that sort of production or luck as I see it, the Lookouts were able to win 4-of-5, despite committing seven errors in the series........ David Shafer, fresh off the disabled list, picked up the save, his league-leading 13th of the season.

 

The Stars come to Joe Davis Stadium Tuesday, with Carlos Villanueva facing the Jacksonville Suns' right-hander Justin Orenduff.........Orenduff (2-2, 3.62) has not lost a start since April 28 and pitched six innings of no-hit ball against Mississippi in his last start.

 

Just like a lot of things I suppose, the Huntsville Stars are just a microcosm of life itself....... Players and personnel from so many places coming in and out, bringing their personalities, for good or for bad, their triumphs and tragedies. Last year, we had Jeff Winchester, whose family was upturned by a succession of Gulf Coast hurricanes. Brain cancer ended the life of pitcher Mark Stancel in 1993, pitcher Dave Shotkoski was shot to death outside his hotel in 1995, and just last year, outfielder Mario Encarnacion, playing for the Macoto Cobras of the Chinese Professional League in Taiwan, was found dead in his dormitory room......... One of my favorite exercises is trying to find out where former players have gone after leaving the Stars. Some of the results have turned out to be interesting, but playing around with Google, I ran across another tragedy, of which I had only cursory knowledge of before.

 

Fabio Gomez, who hit .259 as a 2nd baseman-3rd baseman for the Stars in 1993, is sitting on death row in Arizona after being convicted of murdering a female neighbor on December 2, 1999 in Chandler, Arizona, and disposing the body in a dumpster....... He was convicted March 22, 2001 and sentenced to death a little more than two years after that, after appeals and listening to the statements of character witnesses, among who included Southern League president Don Mincher, major leaguers Quinton McCracken and Craig Counsell, and one Booster club member I know of....... The whole sordid story of the crime can be found with a Google search. It's the top item. Perhaps you believe this is tabloid material, but it's my site and there are tragedies going on in Iraq that are far worse than this........ I teased this story with the wrong name previously and I must apologize. Let it be known that the subject of this story was not Fausto Cruz, who was a teammate of Fabio's, but Fabio himself.