Link Report for Games of Sunday, May 7th

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Sunday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: LHP Justin Thompson at home vs. New Orleans (Nationals), 1:40 PM pre-game, 2:00 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: RHP Carlos Villanueva at home vs. Montgomery (Devil Rays), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime; given the Southern League's all five-game series format, an unusual event in that the series begins on a Sunday -- also a rare designated-hitter series for the Stars...

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

Brevard County: RHP Josh Wahpepah at Tampa (Yankees), 12:00 PM; sorry, no audio for this series

 

West Virginia: RHP Ronny Malave at home vs. Lexington (Astros) 12:55 PM pre-game, 1:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

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

[Mass Haas]

Follow Sunday'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_tbyafa_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 20 9 .690 - 11-3 9-6 W1[/b] Omaha 14 14 .500 5.5 8-6 6-8 L3 Iowa 11 16 .407 8.0 6-7 5-9 W2 Memphis 9 18 .333 10.0 7-7 2-11 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 20 10 .667 - 11-4 9-6 W1 West Tenn 17 13 .567 3.0 8-7 9-6 L1 [b]Huntsville 16 14 .533 4.0 8-7 8-7 W1[/b] Carolina 13 17 .433 7.0 8-7 5-10 W2 Tennessee 13 17 .433 7.0 6-4 7-13 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 18 10 .643 - 7-7 11-3 L1 Palm Beach 17 11 .607 1.0 7-7 10-4 W1 [b]Brevard County 15 14 .517 3.5 5-7 10-7 L6[/b] Daytona 12 17 .414 6.5 8-9 4-8 L3 Jupiter 11 18 .379 7.5 4-11 7-7 L1 Vero Beach 11 18 .379 7.5 7-7 4-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 15 12 .556 - 6-7 9-5 W1 Greensboro 16 13 .552 - 11-6 5-7 W3 Lake County 16 13 .552 - 7-8 9-5 L2 Lexington 16 13 .552 - 10-5 6-8 W1 [b]West Virginia 14 14 .500 1.5 7-8 7-6 L1[/b] Hagerstown 12 15 .444 3.0 7-6 5-9 L1 Lakewood 12 15 .444 3.0 8-5 4-10 W3 Hickory 11 17 .393 4.5 4-7 7-10 L3

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Covering the bases

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

Delmon Young, whose former Montgomery team arrives today in Huntsville, should serve as a cautionary tale for top prospects. One of the most incredibly talented -- and arrogant and immature -- players to ever hit the Southern League, Young's refusal to grow up and control his actions may sidetrack a promising major league career.

 

Young, a Durham outfielder, has been suspended indefinitely by the Triple-A International League for throwing a bat and striking an umpire in the chest. See the video, and you think "indefinitely" should translate to "sometime around July 2007."

 

While in Montgomery last season, he was equally petulant, bumping an umpire and receiving a three-game suspension and once throwing a bat at a pitcher. He also reportedly requested payment for local TV interviews.

 

The ESPN show "Outside The Lines" aired an episode on Young's actions, and made comparisons between him and Barry Bonds, partly for their sense of entitlement. To compare Young to Bonds now almost begs for an apology to Bonds. ...

 

There's a "whew!" moment to all the Young business, as Tom Haudricourt of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes. The Devils Rays had the No. 1 draft pick in 2003 and the Brewers had No. 2. Had Tampa Bay selected college player of the year Rickie Weeks instead of Young with the No. 1, Milwaukee would have taken Young. So while Young is under suspension, Weeks, a quiet kid and class act, is starring for the Brewers. ...

 

Weeks' running buddy, former Star Prince Fielder was named the National League's Rookie of the Month for April, batting .344 with five homers. ... Ben Hendrickson is back in the majors with Milwaukee and started Saturday night's game at Los Angeles. ...

 

Stars reliever Joe Winkelsas was called up to Triple-A Nashville Saturday, with the Sounds' bullpen depleted by an 18-inning game Friday that was suspended as a 4-4 tie. Mid-day Saturday, the Stars were scrambling for transportation for Winkelsas to go from Jackson, Tenn., to Nashville. ... Stars manager Don Money was thrown out of Thursday's game, his first ejection of the year and second in two seasons, arguing over a foul-fair call but already angered by an inconsistent strike zone.

 

Around the league

 

Last week, a 350-pound mannequin was swiped from BellSouth Park in Chattanooga. "Bob," who perched on a bank billboard 24 feet above the ground, was discovered missing and investigators discovered a forklift parked nearby in which keys had been left overnight. However, he was discovered the next day several miles from the park. ... Scott Boras has a reputation as one of baseball's more reptilian agents, something he is enhancing now. A complaint has been filed against him by the agent of Mississippi catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, claiming a Boras associate is "stalking" the Braves' highly regarded prospect. ... Jacksonville's Matt Kemp had a hit streak end at 16 games on Wednesday.

 

Brewings (through Friday's games)

 

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (19-8, before Saturday's play, first place in Pacific Coast League American Division): Friday's game with New Orleans was suspended after 18 innings - and 6:23 of playing time - with 4-4 tie. P Dana Eveland 3-0, 0.87 ERA in five starts.

 

Single-A Brevard County Manatees (15-13, third in Florida State East Division): 3-10 record over the past two weeks; P Manny Parra four hits, four walks, four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings in first start off disabled list

 

Single-A West Virginia Power (14-13, fifth in South Atlantic League Northern Division this half): On Thursday, the Power hit six homers in a 12-run first - two by Mat Gamel - in a 17-2 win over Lexington that was mercifully called by rain after five innings.

 

On deck

 

Montgomery arrives for a five-game series, the only visit of the season by the Biscuits, who are in an opposite division. Today's game is at 6:05, with 7:05 starts Monday and Tuesday, 12:05 on Wednesday and 10:05 a.m. Thursday.

 

On Tuesday, the Stars will be looking for "Huntsville's Nuttiest Fan," in a promotion sponsored by Hershey's Really Nuts! snacks. The winner receives a trip for two to the Texas League All-Star Game. Seems a little nutty it's not the Southern League All-Star Game, but, oh well ...

 

Watch for

 

Montgomery first baseman Wes Bankston, the No. 7 prospect in the Devil Rays' chain.

[Mass Haas]

Manatees facing rehabbing Yankee Carl Pavano today...

[Minigoon]

Mother Nature won out today in West Virginia.

 

Power and Legends rained out.

 

Sunday afternoon?s game between the West Virginia Power and Lexington Legends was cancelled due to rain. The game will not be made up later in the season.

 

The game ended after the completion of the top of the second inning with the Power on top 3-0. The game did not last long enough to qualify for an official game, and because the two teams do not meet again in the first half of the season, the stats for the game will not count and the game will not be made up.

 

The Power will begin a two game series against the Hickory Crawdads at L.P. Frans Stadium on Monday night. Hickory will start right hander Kyle Pearson (2-0, 2.14) and West Virginia will counter with right hander Kevin Roberts (2-3, 4.30). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 4, Tampa (Yankees) 2

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Ryan Braun the lone Manatee to reach twice, now 9-for-11 in SB attempts; typical nice Josh Wahpepah line...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_tbyafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_tbyafa_1

[Mass Haas]

For those who enjoy two-inning box scores that don't count -- see who loses out on a nice early start today in West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[DHonks]

just what Nashville needed, 2 innings from a starter.

 

I would think Thurman, Zumwalt, or Housman might be heading to AAA soon.

[huntsvillefan]

Nice win for Huntsville tonight, despite Don Money smallball gifting outs to a pitcher who couldn't buy a strike. I really am starting to like Earl Weaver more and more.

I heard at the game that they had settled on 60 days for Young, don't know if it is true or not, but if it is he got off lightly IMO.

[Mass Haas]

Final: New Orleans (Nationals) 10, Nashville 7

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

Sounds Drop Afternoon Matinee To Zephyrs, 10-7

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn.? The New Orleans Zephyrs pounded out 16 hits, including seven for extra bases, and scored in six of the nine innings to hang a 10-7 defeat on the Nashville Sounds on Sunday afternoon at Greer Stadium in the third contest of a four-game series.

 

With the loss, Nashville (20-10) fell to 4-3 on its current homestand. Three Sounds batters accounted for the club?s five hits on the day, including two-hit efforts by Vinny Rottino and Chris Barnwell.

 

The Zephyrs? offense got off to a quick start, recording a run or more in the first five innings. New Orleans started the game off with three straight hits, one of which was a three-run home run by second baseman Brendan Harris. Third baseman Brandon Larson also homered in the opening frame, a solo shot that was his fourth of the year.

 

Sounds starter Justin Thompson (2-1) lasted only two innings and surrendered six runs on eight hits (six for extra bases) before right-hander Brett Evert was brought in from the bullpen. Thompson?s two innings pitched marks only the second time this season he has gone three or less innings as the southpaw drew his first loss of the year.

 

Zephyrs starter Justin Echols (1-0) recorded the win in his first career Triple-A appearance after holding the Sounds to three runs on four hits over five frames. Micah Bowie worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to earn his first save of the year for New Orleans.

 

Trailing 6-0, the Sounds got on the board in the bottom of the second on an RBI double by Barnwell, which extended the infielder?s hitting streak to a team active best 10 games and pushed his on-base streak to 23 contests (2nd-longest in PCL this season). Jermaine Clark scored on the next play, a Brad Nelson groundout, to cut the lead to 6-2.

 

In the top of the third, New Orleans leftfielder Tyrell Godwin greeted Evert by sending a pitch over the center field wall to increase the visitors? lead to 7-2. His second homer in as many days and third on the year also gave the Z?s three home runs for the day, the most allowed by Nashville pitchers all season.

 

The Sounds struck right back in the bottom of the frame with Rottino?s third longball of the season, a solo shot to left off Echols that made the score 6-3.

 

AUDIO: Vinny Rottino Solo HR --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%205-7.wma

 

New Orleans added single runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh frames to extend its advantage to 10-3 before the Sounds took advantage of a pair of Zephyrs errors in the bottom of the inning to plate four unearned runs and make a game of it at 10-7.

 

With two outs and the bases loaded in the frame, the Sounds cleared the bases on a fielder?s choice and two errors. Rottino hit a ground ball to shortstop Josh Labandeira, who had the easy throw to second but sailed the ball into the outfield allowing two runs to score. As the play continued, there was a mix up on the base paths as both Rottino and Corey Hart were caught at third base. As catcher Wiki Gonzalez ran towards third, Rottino ran back to second and Hart strayed slightly off third base waiting for the catcher to make a decision. Gonzalez threw the ball into left field while attempting to catch Hart in a rundown. Hart scored on the error and Rottino advanced to third. Rottino scored shortly after on a passed ball by Gonzalez.

 

Hart went 0-for-3 for Nashville on the afternoon to snap his season-best hitting streak at 11 games.

 

As a result of a long weekend of baseball, Sounds manager Frank Kremblas elected to send second baseman Jermaine Clark to the hill for the final two innings of the game to rest his tired bullpen. In his professional pitching debut, Clark threw two innings and went six up, six down.

 

At the end of the game, both teams had played 40 innings of baseball in a little under 48 hours.

 

The two teams will play the finale of the four-game series in a special 10:30 a.m. contest on Monday morning. The game, a Reading Club date, will feature a packed house of area schoolchildren as they attend the game as a reward for reaching their goals in the Nashville Sounds Reading Club program.

 

Left-hander Zach Jackson (0-1, 3.81) will take the hill for the Sounds and face off against Zephyrs southpaw Billy Traber (0-1, 5.06).

 

Nashville Box Score:

Only 58 AB's for Enrique Cruz thus far...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Vinny Rottino in the camo uniform:

 

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/images/news/rottino_camo.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with New Sounds Reliever Joe Winkelsas:

Good stuff, listen in...

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%205-7.wma

 

Nashville Announcer Chuck Valenches' latest blog update includes "Where are they now?" news on Steve Scarborough and Julio Mosquera:

 

nashvillesounds.blogspot....byers.html

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=49672

 

Sounds end record-breaking weekend with loss

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

The Nashville Sounds aren?t baseball players, they?re decathletes.

 

After Sunday?s 10-7 loss to New Orleans at Greer Stadium, the team played a jaw-dropping 40 innings in 47 hours over the weekend, highlighted by a record-breaking 24-inning game which began Friday and ended Saturday.

 

The Sounds (20-10) fell to the Zephyrs on Sunday after starting pitcher Justin Thompson gave up six runs in two innings before exiting the game. New Orleans never relinquished its lead after that. The ten runs allowed are the most by the Sounds? pitchers this season.

 

?That?s a credit to our pitching and our defense [that we?ve been in every game],? Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. ?The season is still early.?

 

The Sounds said fatigue didn?t play a role in their most recent loss, even though the epic Friday-Saturday game broke countless records for duration. In total, the game lasted eight hours.

 

?We?re not so tired because we?re a young team,? Sounds second baseman Jermaine Clark, who threw two innings on Sunday to alleviate Nashville?s worn-out bullpen, said.

 

New Orleans (13-17) hit three homers, which is also the most allowed by Nashville pitchers this season. Thompson was responsible for two of those.

 

?I don?t want to blame fatigue,? Clark said. ?When you get down early, it?s easy to say you looked fatigued.?

 

The Sounds were bested by a New Orleans pitcher, Justin Echols, making his first-ever Triple A start. But Sounds batters maintained it was not the side-effects of the record-breaking game which was responsible for their quiet day offensively.

 

Although the team scored seven runs, three of those came on a bases-loaded play in the seventh, in which New Orleans batters committed two errors.

 

?I don?t think [we?re worn out],? Sounds outfielder Tony Gwynn said. ?Maybe the pitchers, I haven?t talked to them yet.?

 

After the game, players said even though it ended up falling short in Saturday?s 24-inning affair, it was still going to be a memory they would hold on to.

 

?We?re a part of history,? said Sounds first baseman Brad Nelson, who set one record no one wants ? most strikeouts in a game with seven. ?It?s something you?ll never forget.?

 

There were some bright spots for the Sounds offense. Shortstop Chris Barnwell extended his on-base streak to 23 games. The streak includes two ten-game hit streaks.

 

Tempers flared in the eighth inning when Clark, who hasn?t pitched since college, was on the mound. Tyrell Godwin tried a bunt, which Clark said breaks one of baseball?s unwritten rules.

 

?If I were up in a three-run game with a position player on the mound, I wouldn?t try a bunt,? Clark said. ?But that?s just me. I see their side, it was only a three-run game, but they need to respect our side. It was one of those things where we shouted like men for five or six seconds then cooler heads prevailed.?

 

Vinny Rottino hit his third homer of the season for the Sounds. Barnwell and Nelson both notched RBI base hits for Nashville as well.

[Mass Haas]

Link for another Vinny Rottino photo, text follows:

 

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

 

Zephyrs roll past Sounds

Nashville veteran Thompson tagged for eight hits in loss

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Justin Thompson followed his best pitching performance of the season with one that was a little less than that.

 

Thompson (2-1), who worked six innings and allowed one run on three hits in a May 2 win over Iowa, lasted just two innings Sunday.

 

New Orleans roughed up the veteran left-hander for six runs on eight hits ? five for extra bases ? and went on to beat the Nashville Sounds 10-7.

 

"That was just one of those steps back," said Thompson, a 1997 AL All-Star who's had four shoulder surgeries since 1999 and has just two major league appearances in that time. "You've just got to get tough, go out the next time and battle."

 

Thompson's two-inning stint was one-third of an inning longer than his shortest appearance of the season ? 1 2/3 innings on April 10 at Iowa.

 

"I just didn't have it," he said. "The ball wasn't coming out of my hand very well. I was trying to make pitches in and out, and I was leaving them in the middle. In the second inning, I made pitches, but they were pretty comfortable in the box by then."

 

Nashville trailed 10-3, but managed four unearned runs in the seventh.

 

"Sometimes you don't get hits," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "They made pitches when they had to, and they hit the ball early in the game. We tried to come back into it. But when that happens, they're going to have to help you. You're usually not going to hit your way back from a seven-run deficit."

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Barnwell has another streak going

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Nashville Sounds infielder Chris Barnwell has accomplished on two occasions this season what players on the other 15 PCL teams have managed to do just 10 times.

 

Barnwell's second-inning RBI single gave him his second 10-game hitting streak of the season. With Mike Rivera (16 games), Tony Gwynn (12 games) and Corey Hart (11 games), the Sounds have posted five of the PCL's 15 double-digit streaks this year.

 

Barnwell's base hit extended his string of games in which he has reached base via a hit or walk to 23 games, which includes both his 10-game hitting streaks.

 

Hart went 0-for-3 to stop his streak.

 

Coming-out party: With the Sounds bullpen so overworked during the current series, veteran infielder Jermaine Clark made his first professional appearance as a pitcher when he took the mound to open the eighth inning Sunday. Clark retired the Zephyrs in order in both the eighth and ninth.

 

It marked the second consecutive day that a defensive player has taken the mound for Nashville. Barnwell recorded the final two outs of the 24-inning game that concluded Saturday.

 

Double-digit decisions: Nashville, which has scored 10 or more runs on four occasions, allowed a season high in runs Sunday. Previously, the Sounds had allowed seven runs on four different occasions ? and had won two of those games.

 

Rare series: A loss in today's final game of the series would give the Sounds their first series loss since dropping three of four at Omaha to open the season. Since then, Nashville has won five consecutive series after splitting a four-game set at Iowa.

 

Ahead of the pace: With 20 wins through their first 30 games, the Sounds are playing at a better clip than last year's Pacific Coast League championship squad. Nashville's 20th win last season didn't come until Game No. 36, a May 13 victory over Tucson.

 

What they said: "20-10 every 30 games wouldn't be bad." ? Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas, whose first-place team has a 20-10 record to begin the season.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 4, Montgomery (Devil Rays) 1

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

Timely Hitting, Villanueva and Bullpen Carry Stars Past Biscuits

 

Drew Anderson?s two-run triple highlighted a four-run fourth inning rally and the bullpen continued its? fine work in preserving Huntsville?s 4-1 win over Montgomery Sunday night in the first of a five-game series at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars won their second in a row to improve to 17-14 but could not gain any ground on victorious first-place Chattanooga in the North Division, while the Biscuits fell to 18-13 but remained a game in front of second place Jacksonville in the South Division.

 

Biscuits? starter Andrew Sonnenstine retired the first nine hitters he faced before Kennard Bibbs tripled to open the home fourth and scored on a base hit by Ozzie Chavez, who has hit safely in eight of the last nine games, to break up a scoreless game. Greg Sain was hit by a pitch one out later and Anderson followed with his second three-base hit of the year into the right field corner to score both runners to push the home team?s lead to 3-0. Adam Heether then capped the rally with a base hit to plate Anderson and drive in just his second run in the last 13 games. Sonnenstine was charged with all four runs in seven innings and suffered his second loss of the season, both to the Stars, in his longest start of the year.

 

Carlos Villanueva kept the visitors off the scoreboard until the seventh inning when Chairon Isenia singled with one out, moved to second base on a Ryan Christianson single and scored on a double by Fransisco Leandro. With two hurlers warming behind him in the bullpen, Villanueva struck out Jeremy Owens on three pitches for the second out. He then walked Elliot Johnson to load the bases and was taken out of the game. Gerrit Simpson came on and got Matthew Maniscalco to ground into a force out at second base to end the threat and the inning.

 

Villanueva went 6 2/3 innings in his longest outing of the year and earned his first win at home by allowing one run on six hits. He struck out five and walked a season-high three and beat the Biscuits for the second time in as many starts. The right-hander had given up 15 earned runs on 21 hits in 14 innings in his first three home starts. Andy Pratt recorded two outs in the eighth and Alec Zumwalt got the last four to earn his fifth save of the season.

 

The series continues Monday night with right-hander Tim Dillard taking the mound against Montgomery right-hander Tony Peguero. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on ESPN Radio 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

STARS DO IT AGAIN IN THE 4th

The sun did a short how-dee-doo before the game, but chose not to welcome the Stars back home after salvaging a five-game series vs. the Diamond Jaxx with a 5-4 victory on a drizzly Saturday in Jackson, Tennessee. Khalid Ballouli and Kennard Bibbs came through in the 4th with back-to-back two-run RBI hits....... The Stars did it again tonight in the 4th before the usual apathetic crowd of distant faces, spaced out over the ol' ballpark....... It's been the Stars' favorite inning this year. They've scored 27 runs in the 4th. Second-most has been the 3rd inning with 18 runs. A little arithmetic and I see that 34% of the Stars offensive output has been in those two innings. 17% have come in the first two and 17% in the last two.

 

Bibbs, once again, was a big part of that 4th inning, leading off with a triple on a 2-1 pitch, lined sharply inside the line in right and bouncing into the corner. Kennard now has five hits in his last nine at-bats, raising his average to .271. He is 8-for-40 this month after finishing April with a .204 average........ Bibbs' hit was followed on an 0-1 pitch by Ozzie Chavez on an excuse-me swing away from the plate that bounced on a couple of hops to the right of 2nd base. It was punched on the ground slow enough that an out-of-position Elliot Johnson could have no chance in pivoting around and throwing anybody out, but he made a valiant effort. First baseman Michael Coleman had to leap to bring it down, but it would have been a hit no matter how you slice it. After Steve Moss struck out swinging in a long at-bat, Greg Sain was nicked inside with a 2-2 pitch, but the umpire's call was so late, and the impact so slight that Chavez broke on the pitch which had everyone thinking he had a stolen base........ Drew Anderson, 6-for his last-38 at-bats (.158) then connected on the second triple of the inning. Don't know the last time that's happened and I'm afraid I don't have time to find out. Anderson lined it hard to right, near the warning track, easily enabling Chavez and Sain to score to give the Stars a 3-0 edge........ Adam Heether, 3-for his last-21, then blooped a 2-1 pitch to shallow centerfield to drive in Anderson for the Stars' final run off the Biscuits' Andy Sonnanstine.

 

Sonnanstine, who retired the first nine Stars in order, gave up more than three earned runs in a game for only the 2nd time in seven starts. His two losses have both been to the Stars, the first I was witness to at Riverwalk Stadium on the 16th of April. He has a really good slider and can move it a lot around the plate, but it hung up for him a couple of times in the 4th, and the Stars cashed in on it.

 

The big question before the game, of course, was which Carlos Villanueva was going to show up........ On the road, Villanueva is 2-0 with a 0.51 ERA, but he had not won at home, and in fact, given up 21 hits in 14 innings and carried a 9.64 ERA in three games at the Joe....... But tonight, Carlos got it all together, getting 14 of his 20 outs on strikeouts or ground outs. He allowed Frank Maniscalco to reach 2nd on a stolen base in the 1st inning, but retired eight of the next nine batters to face him, erasing Ryan Christianson on a double play in the 2nd. Christanson reached third however in the 5th after a walk and a lined-single to left-center by Francisco Leandro, who was promoted from Class A-Visalia (Cal.), April 28, to replace Ryan Knox, who was promoted to Durham........ Villanueva's night was finally over one out shy of finishing the 7th, after Chiaron Isenia scored on Leandro's double to right, and after walking Elliot Johnson to load the bases....... Gerrit Simpson (0-1, 3.26) came in, came back from going 2-and-0 on Maniscalco to even the count, and got him to force Johnson at 2nd on a convenient hard-hit ball to Callix Crabbe....... Villanueva threw 26 pitches in the 1st, 12 in the 2nd, 7 in the 3rd, and 9 in the 4th, finishing with 103 pitches, 64 (62%) for strikes.

 

The Stars are now 17-14, four games in back of the Diamond Jaxx, who beat Mississippi tonight, and five games in back of Chattanooga, who the Stars see for the first and only time during the next road trip....... Monday, Tim Dillard (2-2, 5.74) will try and regain that form we saw in the 2nd game of the season when he held the Braves to one run in 6 1/3 innings. Since then he is 1-2 with a 7.08 ERA. Opposing Dillard will be Tony Peguero (3-2, 1.88), who leads the SL in ERA and innings.

 

The Stars are a player short on the roster after Joe Winkelsas (1-1, 2.13) was promoted to Nashville following Friday's game........ The Stars are expecting to get Wink back....... Nashville had used nine pitchers in a PCL record-tying 24-inning marathon against New Orleans that was spread over two nights, Friday night's game going 18 innings until it was suspended at 1 am....... It was the longest in both teams' histories and matched the existing PCL mark originally set on June 8, 1909 in a game between San Francisco and Oakland, then matched on September 10, 1911 in a game between Sacramento and Portland. Chris Barnwell, in his 2nd pitching appearance of the season for Nashville, pitched 2/3 of the 24th inning. .......... Needing a fresh arm, Winkelsas pitched five innings in relief, Saturday night in a seven-inning game, giving up just one run on three hits and striking out six. Like I said, the design is for Wink to return to the Stars soon.

 

Brandon Gemoll, who was released before the season got underway, has signed to play for the Coastal Bend Aviators of the independent American Association, which gets underway, Thursday........ Former Stars Ryan Gripp and Matt Hammons are also playing in that circuit this season........ Click on "STUFF" and you'll now get a look at how most of our former Stars, are doing in the minors and the independent circuit.

 

www.starsboxscore.com/stuff.htm

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

A winning inning

Stars ride four-run fourth to 4-1 victory over Biscuits

By BRAD SHEPARD

For the Huntsville Times

 

Montgomery Biscuits right fielder Jeremy Owens normally gets his nightly workout on the base paths, where he leads his team with eight stolen bases.

 

On Sunday night, he got most of his exercise sprinting into the right-field corner.

 

The Huntsville Stars peppered the foul line with a pair of fourth-inning triples off Biscuits starter Andy Sonnanstine and added two singles in a four-run frame that gave them a 4-1 win to open a five-game homestand.

 

"It was odd for me to see a ball go where somebody wasn't," said Drew Anderson, whose two-run triple came several batters after Kennard Bibbs led off the fourth with one of his own.

 

"It seems like every time I've hit a ball hard lately, it's been right at someone. It happened those were two real well-placed balls, which are really conducive to triples."

 

They were, in turn, conducive to a big inning off Sonnanstine. Prior to the fourth inning, Montgomery's starter was as sharp as his statistics over the past couple of seasons would indicate. He shut down Huntsville (17-14) in order in each of its first three at-bats.

 

But Bibbs smacked the fourth pitch he saw in the fourth inning toward the corner to ignite the offense, much to the delight of the 1,061 fans at Joe Davis Stadium. Ozzie Chavez followed with an RBI infield single, and later in the inning, Anderson duplicated Bibbs' feat before Adam Heether knocked him in.

 

The outburst was plenty for Carlos Villanueva, who reverted to early season form with a solid 6 2/3-inning performance. The 22-year-old located his fastball well all night and had one of his most effective breaking balls of the year.

 

He ran into some seventh-inning trouble, however, before giving way to Gerrit Simpson. Simpson inherited a bases-loaded, two-out jam but got Matthew Maniscalco to ground out to end the threat.

 

"The last time out, I had a good game, too, and it just carried over," Villanueva said. "The difference was just my mechanics.

 

"Our bullpen is short-handed right now, but they just keep doing a good job.

 

Whenever we need an important out, they're right there."

 

Following Simpson's clutch 1/3 of an inning, Andy Pratt put a runner on who made it to third in the eighth, but Alec Zumwalt eluded trouble and went on for his fifth save.

 

With Joe Winkelsas recently called up to Triple-A Nashville, Huntsville's bullpen already is stretched thin without an off-day until May 22. But the relievers came through again Sunday.

 

Along with Villanueva's outing and the big fourth inning, they helped overcome Sonnanstine, who had been pitching like a star prospect recently.

 

Over the past two seasons, Sonnanstine boasted a 15-6 record with 2.49 earned run average. Most eye-popping was his 211-23 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.

 

None of that mattered to the Stars, who roughed him up for one inning to start the homestand in style.

 

"We only got seven hits," Huntsville manager Don Money said, "but we bunched four together in that fourth inning.

 

"Right now (the bullpen) is doing OK working around things."

 

The Stars are scheduled to run out Tim Dillard (2-2, 5.74) to the mound tonight at 7:05 to face Tony Peguero (3-2, 1.88) and the Biscuits.