Link Report for Games of Friday, May 12th

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF!

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: LHP Justin Thompson at Tuscon (Diamondbacks), 8:10 PM pre-game, 8:30 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: RHP Matt Yeatman at Tennessee (Diamondbacks), 6:00 PM pre-game, 6:15 gametime; first time this season Carlos Villanueva doesn't open a series on the mound...

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

Brevard County: RHP Yo Gallardo at home vs. Clearwater (Phillies), 6:00 PM; sorry, no audio for this series

 

West Virginia: RHP Ronny Malave at Asheville (Rockies), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

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

[Mass Haas]

Follow Friday'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_tucaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_tenaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_ashafx_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 Thursday's action:

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 21 13 .618 - 11-5 10-8 L1[/b] Omaha 15 18 .455 5.5 9-8 6-10 L1 Iowa 13 19 .406 7.0 7-9 6-10 W1 Memphis 11 21 .344 9.0 8-8 3-13 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 24 11 .686 - 15-5 9-6 L1 West Tenn 21 14 .600 3.0 8-7 13-7 W3 [b]Huntsville 17 17 .500 6.5 9-10 8-7 L3[/b] Tennessee 16 19 .457 8.0 9-6 7-13 W1 Carolina 15 20 .429 9.0 8-7 7-13 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 21 12 .636 - 9-8 12-4 L1 Palm Beach 18 15 .545 3.0 7-7 11-8 L1 [b]Brevard County 17 16 .515 4.0 5-9 12-7 L2[/b] Daytona 14 20 .412 7.5 8-9 6-11 L3 Jupiter 14 20 .412 7.5 7-13 7-7 L2 Vero Beach 11 23 .324 10.5 7-12 4-11 L6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 19 14 .576 - 12-5 7-9 W1 Delmarva 18 14 .563 0.5 8-8 10-6 W2 Greensboro 17 15 .531 1.5 11-6 6-9 W1 Lake County 17 16 .515 2.0 8-9 9-7 L3 [b]West Virginia 16 16 .500 2.5 7-8 9-8 W1[/b] Hagerstown 15 17 .469 3.5 9-6 6-11 W3 Lakewood 15 18 .455 4.0 10-6 5-12 L2 Hickory 12 19 .387 6.0 5-8 7-11 L2

[Team Canada]

A day with Yo! is a good day.

[homer]

3IP, 4K, no BB, no Hits.

 

Yo!

[Team Canada]

Uh oh, apparently he really is human. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

5IP 5H 3R 1BB 8K.

 

edit: Final line: 6IP 6H 3R 2BB 9K. I'll take it!

 

 

Ain't no one doing any pitching in the WV game. 9-7 in the 4th...

[homer]

You know when that is your worst line of the year, you are doing something right.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Clearwater (Phillies) 3, Brevard County 1

Make that nine straight home losses for the 'Tees -- Manager Ramon Aviles can repeat yesterday's interview statement: "When we pitch, we don't hit, when we hit, we don't pitch." One hit for the Manatees tonight.

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Yo Gallardo with only two wins in his seven starts -- where's the support? Relievers Jeremy Lewis and Dave Johnson with eight K's over the final three innings -- 17 K's combine for Brevard hurlers; only one fly ball out in Gallardo's six innings; utility man Scotty McKnight 4-for-34 since his call-up...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

Ryan Braun strikes out as a pinch-hitter in the 8th representing the tying run...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Tennessee (Diamondbacks) 5, Huntsville 1

That meeting Don Money held for his batters doesn't bear fruit this evening -- one lonely run on six hits...

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Drew Anderson hit like a # 3 man tonight -- 3-for-4, two doubles; Steve Moss' average has dropped about 50 points in less than two weeks; props to rubber-armed reliever Gerrit Simpson, called on often, and almost always effective...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_tenaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

In Guilder Rodriguez's limited role, he has to get the job done on a bunt -- he hasn't lately, including in the 5th tonight; Joe Winkelsas pitched around two errors in the 7th -- nice job...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_tenaax_1

[Minigoon]

Lorenzo Cain left the game in the 4th with a hand/wrist injury per the game log.

 

West Virginia Top 4th

 

Darren Ford singles on a line drive to right fielder Cole Garner.

Lorenzo Cain hit by pitch. Darren Ford to 2nd.

West Virginia Power Lorenzo Cain left the game due to an injured hand/wrist.

Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Stephen Chapman replaces Lorenzo Cain.

[Mass Haas]

Brevard County Site Game Notes:

 

Julio De La Cruz pitched seven innings of one-hit ball to lead visiting Clearwater past Brevard County, 3-1, on Friday.

 

De La Cruz (1-2) struck out eight and did not walk a batter for the Threshers (19-16), who have won six straight and are off to the best start in franchise history.

 

Charlie Fermaint led off the first with a double off De La Cruz, moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on a groundout.

 

The right-hander did not allow another base runner until throwing a wild pitch on a third strike in the seventh. Joseph Bisenius pitched a hitless eighth and Brian Reed worked the ninth for his sixth save.

 

Tuffy Gosewisch snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-run homer in the fifth as the Threshers took the lead for good.

 

Brevard County starter Yovani Gallardo (2-3) allowed three runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out nine and walked two, raising his ERA to 2.08 in seven starts.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=826

 

Big Inning Lifts Smokies Past Stars

 

Miguel Montero collected four hits and knocked in a pair of runs to back the strong six inning stint by Micah Owings as Tennessee handed Huntsville a 5-1 loss Friday night in the opener of a five-game set at Smokies Park. The Smokies won their second straight game to improve to 17-19, while the Stars dropped a season-high fourth game in a row to fall to 17-18. The Stars have been held to four runs on 18 hits during their losing streak.

 

Phil Avlas led off the home second inning with a double, moved to third on a base hit by Alex Frazier and scored the game?s first run on a double by Alberto Gonzalez that sent Frazier to third base. Smokies? starting pitcher Micah Owings, who hit 30 home runs in two seasons at Georgia Tech, chased home Frazier with a ground ball to make it 2-0 and moved Gonzalez to third base. Jerry Gil then doubled to drive in Gonzalez and scored on a two-out single by Montero to complete the four-run rally. Huntsville starter Matt Yeatman had been scored on in only two of his first nine appearances and had allowed only three runs in 21 1/3 prior innings of work.

 

The Stars lone run came in the fourth against Owings when Drew Anderson doubled to lead off the frame and scored on a one-out single by Lou Palmisano, who knocked in his 11th run of the season. Anderson doubled twice and singled and put together his first three-hit game of the season and became the first Stars' hitter to collect two extra base hits in a game this year.

 

Owings allowed five hits, walked two and fanned a season-high 11, including at least two in five of the six frames he finished. Doug Slaten retired all six hitters he faced and Matt Wilkinson tossed a scoreless ninth inning to preserve the win.

 

Montero singled home a run with two outs in the eighth to complete the first four-hit night for a Smokies hitter since Jarred Ball did it on July 31 of last season. Avlas and Gil had three hits apiece to help pace a 14-hit attack.

 

The series continues Saturday night when the Stars will send right-hander Carlos Villanueva to the mound against Huntsville native and Smokies? right-hander Adam Bass. Coverage of the game begins at 6:00 p.m. central time and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450 AM locally and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 12, Asheville (Rockies) 10

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

Power outslug Asheville

 

The West Virginia Power scored runs in the first six innings of Friday night?s ballgame at McCormick Field in Asheville and beat the Tourists by the final tally of 12-10 in a game that saw 22 runs, 28 hits and seven errors.

 

Ryan Crew knocked in the first run of the game on an RBI groundout in the top of the first inning. Chris Nelson tied the game in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly.

 

The Power scored three times in the second to regain the lead. Ned Yost scored the first run of the inning on Brad Willcutt?s double to center field -- the ball was bobbled by Dexter Fowler and the error allowed Yost to score. Darren Ford ripped a run-scoring triple and scored later in the inning on Lorenzo Cain?s RBI single.

 

Cole Garner scored in the bottom of the second inning on Yost?s throwing error to pull the Tourists within two runs. The Power plated two runs on back-to-back RBI doubles from Yost and Mike Bell in the top of the third.

 

Down 6-2, the Tourists took their only lead of the game, scoring five times in the bottom of the third inning. Nelson knocked in the first run on a single; Garner drove in the second run, reaching on a fielder?s choice. Daniel Carte drove in his first run of the series on an RBI groundout and the scoring finished on back-to-back RBI doubles from Phillip Cuadrado and Travis Becktel.

 

The Power answered with a three-run fourth inning to regain the lead and never looked back. Crew doubled in the first run of the fourth, Bell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Willcutt walked with the bases loaded to plate the final run of the inning. The Power added to the lead in the fifth inning on Angel Salome?s RBI single. The scoring stopped for West Virginia after a two-run sixth inning. Bell belted the only home run of the game, a solo shot, which was his third of the season. Nate Yoho knocked in the final run on a base hit.

 

Asheville inched closer with a three-run seventh inning. Fowler knocked in the first run on an RBI double, Eric Young Jr. drove a run in on a single and Nelson?s second sacrifice fly of the game plated the game?s final run.

 

Brandon Parillo (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to earn the victory, Joe Thatcher (6) earned the save and Brandon Durden (1-1) obtained the loss. The Power are 17-16 after the win and the Tourists fell to 19-15 with the loss.

 

The Power will finish the four game series against the Tourists in Asheville Saturday night. Asheville will start left hander Jake Postlewait (1-3, 3.97) and West Virginia will counter with right hander Kevin Roberts (2-4, 4.88). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Much-needed outing for lefty Brandon Parillo, inducing ground balls, where he excelled last season; it'd be a shame if Lorenzo Cain were sidelined for any length of time; Ned Yost on base four times; Power turn three double plays...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_ashafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_ashafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game (Thursday) Audio Chat with Reliever Alec Zumwalt:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-11.wma

 

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Pitching Coach Stan Kyles:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-12.wma

[Mass Haas]

Final: Tuscon (Diamondbacks) 9, Nashville 8

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Jermaine Clark photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1946

 

Sounds Close Tucson Series With 9-8 Loss

 

TUCSON, Ariz. ? The Nashville Sounds? slide continued on Friday evening with a 9-8 loss to the Tucson Sidewinders at Tucson Electric Park in the finale of a four-game series.

 

Trailing 6-0 at one point, Nashville rallied with five runs over the last three innings but fell just short as the club dropped to 1-6 in one-run road contests this season.

 

The defeat, Nashville?s sixth in its last eight games, resulted in a three games to one series victory for Tucson and dropped the Sounds? record to 21-14 on the year.

 

Five of the nine Tucson runs in the contest were unearned due to three costly Nashville errors.

 

Every Sounds starter, including pitcher Justin Thompson, recorded at least one hit in the losing effort as Nashville out-hit the Sidewinders, 14-11.

 

Sidewinders left fielder Scott Hairston staked the home team to a 2-0 advantage with a two-out, two-run homer to left off Thompson. The blast, which came on a 3-2 pitch, was Hairston?s team-leading eighth longball of the season and tied him for the PCL lead.

 

Tucson doubled its lead in the second on Alberto Callaspo?s two-run single to right that scored Kenny Perez and Robby Hammock, who had walked and singled, respectively, to open the frame.

 

The Sidewinders upped the cushion to 6-0 in the third with two more runs resulting from a pair of Nashville fielding errors.

 

Chris Barnwell put Nashville on the board in the top of the fourth inning when he extended his on-base streak to a PCL-best 27 straight contests with a two-run single off Sidewinders starter Neal Musser. Enrique Cruz followed with an RBI groundout to halve the Tucson lead to 6-3. All three runs in the frame were unearned.

 

Tucson added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth with three more unearned runs resulting from a two-out fielding error by Barnwell at shortstop. The flurry extended the home team?s lead to 9-3.

 

The Sounds rallied in the late innings against the Sidewinders bullpen. After Corey Hart delivered a seventh-inning RBI double off Mike Bacsik, Nashville pulled within 9-7 an inning later against Jeff Bajeranu on a run-scoring two-bagger by Enrique Cruz, who finished 2-for-4 to match his longest hit streak of the year at four games, and a two-run single off the bat of Jermaine Clark.

 

AUDIO: Corey Hart RBI Double --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-12.wma

 

Nashville put the potential tying run on in the ninth against Randy Choate courtesy of back-to-back one-out singles by Mike Rivera and Vinny Rottino. Barnwell followed with a fielder?s choice groundout that, coupled with a throwing error by Callaspo at shortstop, allowed pinch-runner Dave Krynzel to score from second to make it a one-run game at 9-8.

 

Choate struck out Enrique Cruz for the final out of the game to quell the rally and notch his third save of the year.

 

Musser (1-3) picked up his first win of the season, allowing three unearned runs on five hits over six innings of work. Thompson (2-2) took a loss for the second straight start after giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits over four frames.

 

Sounds first baseman Brent Abernathy extended his season-best hitting streak to five games with a 2-for-5 evening.

 

The Sounds travel to Las Vegas on Saturday to complete their road trip with a four-game series against the 51s (AAA-Dodgers). Left-hander Zach Jackson (0-2, 3.00) looks for his first victory of the year when he makes the start for Nashville on his 23rd birthday in the 9:05 p.m. CT series opener at Cashman Field. Las Vegas will send left-hander Eric Stults (3-2, 4.88).

 

Nashville Box Score:

Mike Rivera 2-for-5...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_tucaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_tucaaa_1

[hsvstarsfan]

David Weiser's

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

STARS TIE 1991 RECORD FOR FUTILITY

I've seen slumps over the 22-year course of this team........ The summer of '88 by far remains the worst and is certainly hard to beat, even for this team. That year, the Stars in a stretch from July 6-29, lost 19 of 22 games, hitting .206. Then after winning four straight, they proceeded to lose 20 of their next 27 to close the season........ In the first 35 games of 1991, another offensively-anemic Stars team that carried Kurt Abbott and Todd Van Poppel as their biggest future successes, managed to scrape 10 or more hits in just three games....... No team since had matched that, until Friday night, after losing 5-1 to Tennessee.

 

Along the way, the Stars struck out 15 times at the plate. (Jacksonville pitchers did that June 28 of last year.)........ But as a whole, they're still not near as bad as the 1991 team that started 13-22. This year's team requires the least over-analysis of any team in years. Simply put, it can't hit or score runs. If they did, they would be challenging Chattanooga for 1st place in the Northern Division........ The Stars' pitching staff is 5th in ERA with a 3.35 mark, owns a 3.07-1 strikeout-walk ratio, and has issued the fewest walks in the Southern League.........

 

In the field, while the flaws have been a little more numerous in the last 15 games, it's still earned a place as having the best fielding in club history. Four errors after 10 games, eight after 20 and 18 after 30 games........ After 35 games, the Stars' staff allowed an unearned run in only nine of them. Their record is 3-6 in those games.......... Of the 70 runs allowed after 20 games, 61 were earned (87%). In the next 15 games, 60 runs were allowed, 48 of them earned (80%)........ Errors did have an impact on the Stars record, but a much improved team on the field separated a 17-18 team from a '91 team that started out 13-22....... Incidentally, the 1991 team committed a record 38 errors after just 20 games and 44 after 30.

 

But to look at the impact of how the Stars have been unable to hit and score runs, we have to look close. This little table will illustrate better than words will.

 

runs runs/gm B.A.

April 14-25 won 9 of 12 55 4.6 .239

April 27-present won 5 of 14 44 3.14 .197

May 3-11 won 2 of 8 20 2.5 .181

 

They've scored 133 runs, 8th in the league, but after Friday's game, they were hitting just .218, last (tenth) in the league. Mobile, the next worst, is hitting .232 and above them is the Smokies, hitting .236...... The Stars have drawn 135 walks, 3rd in the league, but are still 9th in runs scored and last in on-base pct. (.308) and OPS (.621)........They've struck out 235 times, 9th in the league, but their most commonly used # 4 hitter, Greg Sain, has an appalling record of driving in runs. He's hit .118 with runners in scoring position and two outs and .111 with runners on base and two out. He does have a better average (.240) with runners on base and is 2-for-4 with 10 RBIs with the bases loaded......... He's also fanned 36 times in 104 at-bats (.346). Those are balls he's failed to put into play....... Going back to April 27, when this team's dive started, Sain is hitting .105 with 20 Ks in 49 at-bats (40.8 %) and in his last 19 ABs, he's struck out 12 times, with only one hit (.053). This is our clean-up hitter.

 

For a further look at the lineup breakdown, go to the "standings" link below. I'll give you a 40-game breakdown on this when time comes.

 

www.starsboxscore.com/standing.htm

 

The team has one bright spot currently....... Drew Anderson is riding a seven-game hitting streak (10-for-27, .370) and became one of only four Stars to have a three-hit game this season (Ron Acuna, Kennard Bibbs, and Callix Crabbe being the others). He also stole a pair of bases in the 1st inning, but Lou Palmisano struck out with runners on the corners to kill that chance.......... Matt Yeatman, who came into the start of this series (the only pitcher other than Carlos Villanueva to start a series this season) allowing only three runs in 20 1/3 innings, was mauled in four innings for nine hits and four runs. Yeatman was greeted in the decisive 2nd inning by a Phil Avlas double, then a single, and another double. After starter Micah Owings grounded out, driving in a run, Jerry Gil added another double....... The inning for Tennessee ended after Miguel Montero singled in the 4th run, then was tagged out on a 9-3-6-4 rundown play........

 

In the 3rd, Bibbs was caught stealing and Crabbe was picked off. ...... In the 4th, Anderson led off with a double. Palmisano drove him in with a ground ball single to center, but Adam Heether, whose average hasn't topped .220 since April 22, struck out and Steve Moss, 1-for-24 since his 14-game hitting streak ended, flied out to kill that inning........ Chavez walked to open the 5th, but was forced out at 2nd on a sacrifice attempt by Guilder Rodriguez. GRod was stranded after Bibbs and Crabbe both struck out....... Anderson hit his 2nd double to open the 6th, but guess what? Micah Owings struck out the side, ending his day with 11 Ks........ The game ended with runners on 1st and 2nd for the Stars and Chavez popping out to catcher Montero......... And so it goes.

 

Dana Eveland will make his first major league start at Miller Park Saturday, when the Brewers play host to the Mets. If you have DirectTV, you can catch it on Channel 742. The game starts at 6:05 CT........ Eveland's 27 games for the Brewers last year were all in relief....... At Nashville this season, he was 3-1 with a 0.75 ERA. The southpaw allowed two unearned runs and was limited to 70 pitches in suffering his only loss Tuesday at Tucson.

 

Edit: accidental emoticons