Link Report for Tue. 5/2: Some Background on LHP Thatcher

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Tuesday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: LHP Justin Thompson at home vs. Iowa (Cubs), 5:40 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Nashville Game Day Feature from MILB.com:

Please note that GameDay links will not become active until approximately 1-2 hours before game time

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Huntsville: RHP Carlos Villanueva is the opening starter in yet another series, at West Tenn (Cubs), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

Brevard County: Idle

 

West Virginia: RHP Robbie Wooley at home vs. Lexington (Astros) in the first of a six-game series, 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

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

[Mass Haas]

Follow Tuesday'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_wtdaax_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 Monday's action:

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 16 8 .667 - 7-2 9-6 L1[/b] Omaha 13 10 .565 2.5 8-6 5-4 W1 Iowa 9 13 .409 6.0 6-7 3-6 W2 Memphis 7 15 .318 8.0 5-4 2-11 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 16 9 .640 - 7-3 9-6 W2 [b]Huntsville 14 11 .560 2.0 8-7 6-4 W1[/b] West Tenn 14 11 .560 2.0 5-5 9-6 L1 Tennessee 12 13 .480 4.0 6-4 6-9 L1 Carolina 9 16 .360 7.0 4-6 5-10 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 16 8 .667 - 7-4 9-4 L1 St. Lucie 15 9 .625 1.0 7-6 8-3 W2 [b]Brevard County 15 10 .600 1.5 5-4 10-6 L2[/b] Daytona 10 14 .417 6.0 6-7 4-7 W1 Vero Beach 9 15 .375 7.0 7-6 2-9 W1 Jupiter 8 17 .320 8.5 4-10 4-7 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 15 10 .600 - 6-5 9-5 W1 Lexington 14 10 .583 0.5 10-5 4-5 L1 Delmarva 12 10 .545 1.5 4-5 8-5 W1 Greensboro 12 12 .500 2.5 9-5 3-7 W1 [b]West Virginia 11 12 .478 3.0 4-6 7-6 L1[/b] Hagerstown 10 13 .435 4.0 7-6 3-7 L1 Hickory 10 13 .435 4.0 4-5 6-8 W1 Lakewood 9 13 .409 4.5 7-5 2-8 L1

[Mass Haas]

Nice continued coverage from Charleston...

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006050237/

 

Power outfielder is named one of three NL sleeper prospects

Jacob Messer

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

Baseball expert John Sickels recently named West Virginia Power outfielder Michael Brantley one of his three National League sleeper prospects to watch this season.

 

Brantley, 18, is the son of former Seattle Mariners outfielder and current Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Mickey Brantley.

 

Baseball America calls the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Brantley the Milwaukee Brewers' fourth-best center field prospect.

 

He is hitting .182 (10-for-55) with one RBI and no runs in 18 games. His only extra-base hit is a double. He has stolen two bases but also has been thrown out twice. He sports a perfect fielding percentage, committing no errors in 27 chances.

 

"Michael is fast, athletic and has an interesting bat from the left side," said Sickels, whose work can be found on www.minorleagueball.com. "He runs well and has the plate discipline to make that speed meaningful in a leadoff role if he continues to develop offensively.

 

"The main question is power; he might not have much, although his father had some decent pop in his bat. Brantley is off to a slow start this year ... Given his age, his bloodlines and his debut last year, I think he's worth keeping an eye on."

 

The other prospects are the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chris Carter, who plays for the Tucson Sidewinders of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, and the Houston Astros' Justin Towles, who plays for the Lexington Legends of the Single-A South Atlantic League.

 

Kanawha Valley baseball fans will have plenty of opportunities to watch Brantley and Towles this week when their teams meet six times at Appalachian Power Park.

 

The series starts tonight at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

Right-hander Sean Walker (2-1, 3.52) will take the mound for the Legends. Right-hander Robbie Wooley (0-1, 4.15) will be on the hill for the Power.

 

West Virginia (11-12) is in fifth place in the Northern Division standings, 2 1/2 games behind co-frontrunners Lake County (14-10) and Lexington (14-10).

 

The Power is 2-4 against the Legends this season.

 

* * *

Third baseman Mat Gamel is hitting .324 (12-for-37) in his last 10 games, including .471 (8-for-17) in his last five, compared to .250 (12-for-48) in his first 13 games.

 

That has helped him raise his batting average more than 30 points to .282 (24-for-85) for the season.

 

"More or less, I just relaxed," said Gamel, whom Baseball America considers one of the best hitters in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system.

 

Look for Gamel to continue his hot streak at home, where he is hitting a team-best .400 (14-for-35) in 10 games.

 

"When you are hitting good, you have a lot of confidence," Gamel said. "It seems like you see the ball a lot better and swing the bat a lot better."

 

* * *

Second baseman Kenny Holmberg received good news Monday, three days after he injured his left ankle running to first base against Greensboro.

 

Holmberg and team officials thought he might have damaged his Achilles tendon. But X-rays revealed only a high ankle sprain, he said.

 

"That was my main concern," said Holmberg, who ranks first in homers (four), second in runs (15) and third in batting average (.308) among his teammates. "I thought I had done something more serious."

 

The Power placed Holmberg on the one-week disabled list, but he said he expects to return to the lineup Saturday.

 

"I'm looking forward to playing," Holmberg said.

 

* * *

Replacement umpires again will take the field tonight and will continue to do so until their minor league counterparts reach a strike settlement with the union.

 

Minor league umpires have been striking since the season began April 6.

 

Manager Mike Guerrero doesn't mind replacement umpires as long as they are consistent and fair.

 

"What is a strike for me is a strike for them and what is a ball for me is a ball for them," Guerrero said. "Whoever is back there, I want them to be consistent and I want them to be fair. Don't lean to one side or the other."

 

Guerrero declined to say if that had been a problem this season.

 

"I don't want to get into that," Guerrero said.

 

The umpires rejected a tentative strike settlement on Monday, and officials say there are not further negotiations expected.

 

* * *

Power pitchers allowed 181 hits (17 homers) and 95 runs (74 earned) in 199 1/3 innings in April, finishing the opening month with a .240 opponents' batting average and a 3.34 earned run average. They also recorded 180 strikeouts compared to 76 walks.

 

"I'm very pleased with how they performed in the first month," said pitching coach John Curtis, who considers April "extended spring training" and believes the hurlers still are getting their arms in tip-top shape.

 

"My expectation level hasn't been very high because they are still working themselves into shape, but they have far exceeded my expectations. Are they going to get much better? I don't know.

 

"We'll see. If they do, we won't have much trouble winning this thing. All in all, I'm awfully optimistic as where we are headed."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200605028

 

Power starts lengthy series with Legends

Charleston Gazette

 

The West Virginia Power returns to Appalachian Power Park tonight to begin an unusual series ? six consecutive home games against one opponent.

 

The Power (11-12) will play host to the Lexington Legends (14-10) at 7:05 tonight. The series continues through Sunday, including a Grand Slam Kids Day matinee Wednesday.

 

In the recent six-game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers ? three in Charleston and three in Greensboro ? the Power won four of six, and right fielder Lorenzo Cain earned a spot among the South Atlantic League leaders.

 

Despite a hitless day in Sunday?s 4-3 loss in Greensboro, the 20-year-old Florida native has gone 9-for-18 with two home runs and four RBIs in the last five games to raise his batting average to .351, fifth-best in the league.

 

Last year, Cain was the most valuable player in the Arizona League, where he batted .356 with 37 RBIs in 50 games.

 

The Power will be without hot-hitting second baseman Kenny Holmberg, who suffered an ankle sprain and has been placed on the disabled list. Holmberg is hitting .308 and leads the team with four home runs.

 

The South Atlantic League?s top two hitters play for the Legends ? first baseman Ole Sheldon and catcher Justin Towles, who are hitting .409 and .390, respectively.

[shadowuwm]

I think Corey is a little hot at the moment.. what a line again tonight.

[wibadgers23]

Villanueva with a nice outing tonight, 6 IP, 3 hits, and 8 SO. Salome with a grand slam too. And what a night for Hart.

[DHonks]

it's really interesting, because if guys keep this up, the Hurricane, Braun, Salome, etc could deserve midseason bump-ups to the next level. That's not even talking about the pitching

[And That]

Corey Hart has dominated AAA enough already. The Brewers need to find a way to get him regular ABs at the MLB level. If Hart stays in AAA for another month, he'll have a 1000 OPS. AAA no longer is helping the man. The Brewers are in an enviable position where they'd have to part with a good player to make room for Hart... as much as I like what Brady Clark has done for this club, between Hall and Hart and Gross, he's just not needed anymore. I'd let him try to get hot for another few weeks and then see what teams need a CF. I'll make a bold guess here and say that Brady Clark will never play CF in a Brewers playoff game, but his successor will.

 

Good performance by Villanueva today, but I can't get excited about him at the AA level until he strings a few of these together. He still doesn't have the stuff to get excited about him on stuff alone.

 

Luis Montanez sighting in AA. Remember when he and Gookie Dawkins were both huge SS prospects for the Reds about 3-4 years ago? Ouch.

 

Ben Hendrickson graduated off the Power 50 today. Good luck to him in all his future endeavors.

 

Maybe I've been playing OOTP a little too much recently, but I count about 8-10 guys whom the Brewers should very seriously think about promoting.

[wibadgers23]

Quote:

---

Corey Hart has dominated AAA enough already. The Brewers need to find a way to get him regular ABs at the MLB level. If Hart stays in AAA for another month, he'll have a 1000 OPS. AAA no longer is helping the man. The Brewers are in an enviable position where they'd have to part with a good player to make room for Hart... as much as I like what Brady Clark has done for this club, between Hall and Hart and Gross, he's just not needed anymore. I'd let him try to get hot for another few weeks and then see what teams need a CF. I'll make a bold guess here and say that Brady Clark will never play CF in a Brewers playoff game, but his successor will.

---

 

Agreed, Hart just has nothing left to prove in the minors. And Nelson Cruz is just about at that point as well.

[DHonks]

Cruz really isn't at that point yet. He has what, 3 months in AAA? Hart has around 11. The Brewers openly spoke of holes in his swing in spring training.

 

It's quite possible that Clark takes on a role similar to Helms a last year. Of course, I think teams would rather acquire Clark than see Milwaukee not play him.

[And That]

Cruz really isn't at that point yet. He has what, 3 months in AAA? Hart has around 11. The Brewers openly spoke of holes in his swing in spring training.

 

To be fair about Cruz, he may only have about half a season's worth of ABs in AAA, but he still has half a season's woth of 900 OPS baseball in AAA. He'll strike out a lot in the bigs for a long time, but he'll be effective in the bigs. I intentionally didn't bring up Cruz in my initial post on the subject because he'll get slammed due a bit to his stike outs and relative inexperience in AAA, but I think he deserves to play in Milwaukee right now. What I'd do if I were Doug Melvin (which I'm not, so I'm probably wrong) is I'd trade Clark for minor league talent, demote Demaria and promote Hart and Cruz. Have a super-platoon of Hall-Hart-Cruz-Gross in CF, and rotate the guys that don't start in CF on a particular day around the field. Hall and Hart can play anywhere, and I'm sure Cruz and Gross could at least play 1st every now and again. The Brewers still aren't good enough to not be able to audition young talent. They should maximize what they can get out of the young guys now, because without them, they won't win in the playoffs a year or two down the road.

 

It's quite possible that Clark takes on a role similar to Helms a last year. Of course, I think teams would rather acquire Clark than see Milwaukee not play him.

 

I totally agree. Brady Clark has helped turn the franchise around, but his usefullness is almost at an end (to the Brewers). I think he still plays another 5-6 years in the bigs, but the Brewers need to grow past him. Someone will take him, and I think he could really, really help a young team like KC, TB, or AZ. I've been a Clark supporter from the beginning, and I still think he has MLB value. Unfortunately, the Brewers have about 5 other guys I'd rather see play in CF everyday.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Manager Frank Kremblas:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%205-2.wma

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 9, Iowa (Cubs) 1

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Justin Thompson photo, text follows --

 

First-Place Sounds Take Down I-Cubs, 9-1

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Nashville Sounds got back on the winning track on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium, posting a 9-1 victory over the division-rival Iowa Cubs.

 

The victory was the sixth in the last seven games for first-place Nashville (17-8), which has won 16 of its last 20 contests overall.

 

Every starting position player in the Sounds lineup recorded a hit and each of the top six batters in the lineup scored a run in the contest.

 

Outfielder Corey Hart led the way with a 4-for-5 effort that included three doubles and extended his season-best hitting streak to seven games. He became the first Sound to record three doubles in a game since Luis Garcia accomplished the feat on May 26, 2002 at Colorado Springs. Hart?s four-hit effort matched the best by a Sounds batter this season.

 

Rightfielder Nelson Cruz spotted the Sounds a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Brent Abernathy.

 

The Cubs tied it with a run in the top of the fourth against Nashville starter Justin Thompson. Ryan Theriot drew a walk to open the inning, stole second, and scored on Geovany Soto?s two-out RBI single to right.

 

Mike Rivera (2-for-5) extended his PCL-best hitting streak to 15 games and staked the Sounds to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff homer to left off Iowa starter Raul Valdes. The blast was the catcher?s fifth longball of the season and third in his last four games. In addition to his hit streak, Rivera has scored a run in the last eight games.

 

AUDIO: Rivera HR Extends Hit Streak --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%205-2.wma

 

Nashville pulled out to a 6-1 lead with a four-run bottom of the fifth. Hart upped the lead to 3-1 in the fifth with a one-out RBI double down the left field line that scored Tony Gwynn.

 

Cruz added his second RBI of the night when he followed by plating Hart with an RBI single. Vinny Rottino (3-for-4) capped off the frame?s scoring with a two-out, two-run homer to left that flew over the foul pole. The blast was his second roundtripper of the year.

 

Hart ripped his third double of the game in the bottom of the sixth to drive in Gwynn and push the Nashville lead to 7-1 then added an RBI single off Cubs reliever Andy Shipman in the bottom of the eight to plate Jermaine Clark.

 

Rivera closed out the evening?s scoring with an eighth-inning RBI single off Shipman that plated Hart for a 9-1 Sounds advantage.

 

Nashville shortstop Chris Barnwell went 1-for-3 on the evening to extend his team-best on-base streak to 18 games. The streak is 3rd-best among all PCL players this season.

 

Thompson (2-0) earned a victory for the second straight start after tossing a season-high six innings. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out five batters in his 80-pitch outing. Valdes (1-2) took the loss for Iowa after surrendering four runs on eight hits in his 4 1/3 frames.

 

The teams continue the series with a noon matinee on Wednesday afternoon. Left-hander Zach Jackson (0-1, 3.43) will make the start for the Sounds to face Iowa right-hander Jerome Williams (0-1, 3.86).

 

Nashville Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[colbyjack]

Luis Montanez sighting in AA. Remember when he and Gookie Dawkins were both huge SS prospects for the Reds about 3-4 years ago? Ouch.

 

Just to clarify, Montanez was the third overall pick by the Cubs in 2000, a year that was supposed to have two really special prep SS candidates from the Miami area in he and David Espinosa. Neither one has panned out.

 

Good performance by Villanueva today, but I can't get excited about him at the AA level until he strings a few of these together.

 

Hasn't he done that? I really can't recall Villanueva pitching poorly, as he posted solid starts all of last year as well. I'm not sure if I'm overly excited about him given his stuff as you have noted, but you can't find anything wrong with his line scores over the past year.

 

Ben Hendrickson graduated off the Power 50 today. Good luck to him in all his future endeavors.

 

Indeed, and he looked sharp tonight. Toby, have you ever gone back and looked to see who has been on the Power 50 the longest? I'm guessing Hendrickson may be in the running for that honor.

 

I agree that Hart needs to be in the big-leagues, but I think he is now blocked more by Hall (who should be starting every day) than he is Clark. The best way for Hart to get ABs is to stay where he is, and while I was going to add "unfortunately" to the end of that comment, having that depth is definitely a good thing.

[Mass Haas]

Latest from Nashville broadcaster Chuck Valenches' blog -- please click link for full post, Sounds' related text follows:

 

nashvillesounds.blogspot....-hope.html

 

As for the Sounds they did not do much to improve the city's mood as they swept four straight from the New Orleans Zephyrs. Its hard to find a fault in the way the Sounds played. They were outstanding defensively, the pitching was superb, even Dennis Sarfate, who struggled with his command, kept the damage to a minimum, and the offense was, well...............Johnny Knoxville on a dare. The Sounds are a team built for speed and they were playing in a ballpark (Zephyr Field) rated as the best pitchers' park in all of AAA year after year. So, of course the Sounds hit eight home runs in four games, including four in the final game. Nelson Cruz hit a shot the opposite way that landed halfway to Lake Pontchartrain and Corey Hart hit a home run to left field that gave the pitcher whiplash. You know you've hit the ball hard when the leftfielder only drops his head and never moves his feet at the crack of the bat.

 

I think the most encouraging part was the bullpen. Allan Simpson, who had struggled early on, saved two games on the trip and Mike Meyers curveball is still going to make somebody cry one of these days. Knuckleballer Jared Fernandez joined the club shortly before the trip and some of his pitches were ghastly in their movement. The Oklahoma Redhawks at times looked like angry men swinging at bees.

 

The Sounds finished the trip 6-1 with one game suspended by weather and tied for the best record in the PCL and their best April record since the Sounds joined the PCL in 1998. The philosophy that manager Frank Kremblas has instilled in this club of putting pressure on the other team with aggressive baserunning and shifting defenses is paying off. I spoke with Brent Abernathy and Jermaine Clark on the way to the ballpark one day and they helped explain how Frank's philosophy is paying off. At the beinning of the year the Sounds were running all over other teams and scoring runs by forcing errors from their opponents. Now the Sounds are not as successful stealing bases because other teams are starting to spend extra time holding runners and calling for pitches that help the catcher throw out base stealers like fastballs, and fastballs away.. Of course when you spend so much time worrying about the runners, you can't spend as much time worrying about the guy at the plate. Sounds hitters are seeing more fastballs because that is what the catcher is calling for so he can get a throw off quicker to try and nab baserunners. Sounds hitters, ALL hitters, love fastballs. So instead of running all over the opposition, the Sounds are pounding fastballs over the wall and getting good counts to hit in because the other team is calling for pitch outs. Eventually the other team will make an adjustment and start throwing more pitches that concentrate on the hitters and the Sounds will start running again.

 

Thats all for now. I'll try and write more later. And a quick P.S. If anyone knows where the good fishing is around Nashville, post it here. A couple of the Sounds are trying to waste a good day in a boat.

 

As always please email your questions to

 

chuck@nashvillesounds.com[/b]] chuck@nashvillesounds.com

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Sounds' starters on a roll

Thompson goes six innings in win

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

The Nashville Sounds' battery was charged Tuesday night.

 

Pitcher Justin Thompson threw three-hit ball over six innings ? his longest outing of the season ? and catcher Mike Rivera extended the Pacific Coast League's longest hitting streak thus far to 15 games with a solo home run to pace the hosts to a 9-1 win over Iowa.

 

With the victory, the Sounds avoided back-to-back losses, as they have done since opening the season with three consecutive defeats.

 

Thompson, who continues to battle back from a series of shoulder surgeries, won his second consecutive start with help from relievers Wilton Chavez and Allan Simpson.

 

"The whole idea is to just try to build my pitch count," said Thompson, who has been stellar in each of his last four starts ? allowing five earned runs in 18 2/3 innings for a 2.41 ERA.

 

"Coming from spring training, (where I threw) an inning at a time, this is basically my spring training. Once my arm gets a little more strength, hopefully I can get to the later innings."

 

Thompson left the game with a 7-1 lead, due in large part to his catcher.

 

Rivera's solo shot in the fourth inning ? which gave Nashville a home run in each of its last eight games ? snapped a 1-1 tie, and he added a run-scoring single in the ninth.

 

"I'm just trying to make solid contact all the time," said Rivera, who has homered in three of his last four games and has scored in each of his last eight contests.

 

"I've been staying through the ball. So far, it's been working."

 

With Rivera leading the way, every Sounds starting position player managed at least one hit in the contest. Brad Nelson completed that feat in the seventh when his sinking line drive to left field fell in front of a sliding Matt Padgett.

 

Nashville plays Iowa again at noon today. Sounds left-handed pitcher Zach Jackson (0-1, 3.43 ERA) will start against the Cubs' right-hander Jerome Williams (0-1, 3.86).

 

What they said: "It's nice to get consistent contact and hit 'em where they aren't. A lot of times, you see somebody hit it hard four times and go 0-for-4." ? Hart.

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Hot Hart goes 4-for-5

MAURICE PATTON, the Tennessean

 

With three doubles in his first four at-bats Tuesday, Nashville outfielder Corey Hart stretched his hitting streak to seven games and fell one two-bagger short of the franchise record for a single game.

 

Hart, who finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs in the Sounds' 9-1 win over Iowa, raised his average to .424 (14-for-33) with three home runs, 10 RBIs and nine runs in his last seven games.

 

"This past week, I've gotten more comfortable," said Hart, who was 1-for-3 in limited action with the Brewers before joining the Sounds on April 19. "It takes a while to get comfortable. That comes from not playing, and then getting in the lineup and trying to do too much too soon."

 

The last Sounds player to hit three doubles in a game was Luis Garcia, who accomplished the feat on May 26, 2002, at Colorado Springs.

 

Tim Laker set the club record of four doubles on Aug. 30, 1998, against New Orleans.

 

Hart's effort marks the second four-hit game for the Sounds this season; Mike Rivera went 4-for-4 on April 27 at New Orleans.

 

More streaking: Chris Barnwell stayed hot as well Tuesday, drawing a walk in the second inning and singling to left field in the fourth.

 

Barnwell has reached base in each of his last 18 games, either by walk or by hit. It's the third-longest streak in the Pacific Coast League this season.

 

Finishing 1-for-3, Barnwell's string of games with a home run was stopped at three. The infielder is 8-for-16 with 11 RBIs in his last four contests. His batting average, which was .360 (10th in the PCL) heading into the game, slipped to .359.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=49574

 

Heroic day by Rottino leads Sounds

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

Nashville Sounds third baseman Vinny Rottino was a hero on and off the baseball field Tuesday.

 

On the field, Rottino went 3-for-4 and came just a triple short of hitting for the cycle, as the Sounds breezed past the Iowa Cubs 9-1 at Greer Stadium.

 

Off the field, Rottino made the most of his day, too. He woke up early in the morning to meet and play a little baseball with about 50 hearing-impaired children from the Nashville Sertoma Club.

 

?It was awesome,? Rottino said of meeting the children. ?It was raining so we took them into the cages and did a little baseball stuff. It was fun.?

 

Rottino, who used to spend his summers working at a camp for children with disabilities, said he relishes the opportunity to volunteer in the community.

 

?I like to help out whenever there?s something for players to do out in the community,? Rottino said. ?It gets your mind off the game and I just like helping out.?

 

Offensively, Rottino was one of several Sounds who had excellent games at the plate. First and foremost was catcher Mike Rivera, who hit his fifth homer and extended his Pacific Coast League-leading hitting streak to 15 games.

 

Left fielder Corey Hart had his best game of the season, going 4-for-5 with three doubles. Hart was optioned down to Nashville from Milwaukee last month, because the Brewers couldn?t get him enough at-bats. Since joining up with the Sounds, Hart is hitting .353. He had three RBIs and two runs against Iowa.

 

?I?ve been getting my timing back and been a little bit more consistent at the plate,? Hart said. ?I was the last guy on the bench [with Milwaukee]. I was just kind of sitting there. There weren?t many situations to get me in the game. They don?t want me to sit there, so I guess I can come down here and get some at-bats.

 

?Hopefully something will work out where I can get some at-bats [in the big leagues], but if not I?ll stay here and stay aggressive.?

 

Sounds starter Justin Thompson went deeper into the game than he has in any of his previous starts. Thompson (2-0) went six innings, surrendering three hits and one run.

 

?I thought he did good,? Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said of Thompson. ?He moved the ball around with his fastball and threw some good breaking balls to some lefties.?

 

Every position player in the starting lineup for the first-place Sounds (17-8) notched a hit, including Chris Barnwell. The team?s scrappy No. 8 hitter extended his on-base streak to 18 games.

 

Sounds relievers Wilton Chavez and Allan Simpson iced the game by not allowing a single Cubs run in the final three innings.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 4, West Tenn (Cubs) 3

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

Palmisano's Blast Propels Stars to Victory

 

Lou Palmisano belted a three-run home run in the ninth inning to lift Huntsville to a 4-3 come-from-behind win over West Tenn Tuesday night in the opener of a five-game series at Pringles Park. The Stars won their second straight game to improve to 15-11 but could not make up any ground on first-place Chattanooga, which defeated Tennessee 4-3, while the Diamond Jaxx lost their second in a row to fall to 14-12. Six of the last seven wins for the Stars have been of the comeback variety.

 

Clay Rapada entered the game in the ninth inning in a save situation for West Tenn and second in the league in saves with seven. Drew Anderson singled with one out and advanced to second base when third baseman Scott Moore?s throw to first base on a Ron Acuna ground ball pulled first baseman Micah Hoffpauir off the bag. Palmisano then blasted an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left field for his second home run of the season and his second game with three runs batted in to give the visitors a 4-3 lead.

 

Chris Walker singled with one out in the eight inning, stole second base and moved to third on a ground ball out before Huntsville skipper Don Money called on southpaw reliever Russ Rohlicek to face the lefty swinging Hoffpauir. With the count at 2-1, Walker made a dash for the plate and beat Rohlicek?s throw to steal home and give the Jaxx a 2-1 lead. Hoffpauir walked, moved to third base on a hit and run single and stayed there when Luis Montanez walked to load the bases. Rohlicek then hit Moore in the back of the head with a pitch to force in Hoffpauir to push the home team?s lead to 3-1. Joe Winkelsas came on to strike out Tony Richie to end the inning and retired the side in order in the ninth to nail down his first win of the season.

 

Greg Sain staked the Stars to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning with a run-scoring double but Steve Moss was thrown out trying to score from second base on the play. The Stars stranded runners at second and third base and one out in the fifth when Callix Crabbe struck out and Ozzie Chavez grounded out. West Tenn tied the game in the sixth when Eric Patterson doubled home Walker, who had singled and moved to second base on a wild pitch by Carlos Villanueva, who struck out Hoffpauir and Nic Jackson to end the inning.

 

Villanueva went six innings, giving up one run on three hits and matching a season-high with eight strikeouts. He allowed his first and only run of the year on the road after 17 scoreless frames. West Tenn starter J.R. Mathes retired the first 10 batters he faced and departed after six innings during which he gave up one run on four hits and three walks.

 

The series continues Wednesday morning, as the Stars send right-hander Tim Dillard to the mound against West Tenn right-hander Carlos Marmol. Coverage of the game begins at 10:50 a.m. central time and can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450 AM locally and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1

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Final: West Virginia 8, Lexington (Astros) 7

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

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www.wvpower.com/news/deta...?newsID=70

 

Power Use Seven Run Second To Beat Lexington

 

The Power recorded six hits, hit two home runs, sent ten batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning of Tuesday night?s game en route to an 8-7 victory over the Lexington Legends at Appalachian Power Park.

 

The big inning started with Mat Gamel?s second home run of the year. The Power increased their lead after RBI singles from Tony Festa and Michael Brantley. The scoring in the seven-run second inning ended after Angel Salome?s grand slam. It was the first Power grand slam of the season, and Salome?s second home run of the year.

 

The Legends scored their first run in the top of the third on Ryan Reed?s groundout. The Legends plated two more in the fourth inning on an RBI double from Mark Ori and a run-scoring single from Wladimir Sutil.

 

The Power plated their final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning on Nate Yoho?s RBI groundout. The Legends scored three times in the top of the eighth inning. Eli Iorg brought in the first run on an RBI double and Wladimir Sutil and Josh Flores knocked in the final two runs on back to back run scoring singles. The Legends made things interesting in the top of the ninth inning. Eli Iorg ripped another RBI double to bring the Legends within a run. With one out, and runners on second and third, Joe Thatcher struck out the final two batters of the game to seal the deal.

 

Robbie Wooley (1-1) earned the victory, Joe Thatcher earned the save (4) and Sean Walker (2-2) took the loss. The Power are 12-12 after the win and the Grasshoppers fell to 14-11 with the loss.

 

The Power continue the six game series against the Lexington Legends at Appalachian Power Park on Wednesday morning. Lexington will start right hander Tip Fairchild (1-3, 3.00) and West Virginia will counter with right hander Kevin Roberts (2-2, 4.63). The first pitch is scheduled for 10:35 AM.

 

West Virginia Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

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Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200605034

 

Power hangs on for 8-7 victory

By Mike Whiteford

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

Nearly all of the Power?s seven-run lead had disappeared, forcing reliever Joe Thatcher to deal with a testy situation that may help him down the road.

 

With one out in the ninth inning and the Power still leading by a run, the Lexington Legends advanced runners to second and third.

 

Standing on the mound, Thatcher knew he was partly responsible for the mess, and he was growing annoyed. ?I was pretty mad at myself for getting myself in that position,?? he admitted afterward, ?and the adrenaline kicked in. I just got focused or something.??

 

Helped by the adrenaline and feeling a need to redeem himself, Thatcher responded with fastballs low in the strike zone that produced back-to-back strikeouts to end the game and wrap up the Power?s 8-7 victory over the Legends Tuesday night at Appalachian Power Park. A crowd of 2,356 attended.

 

Earlier in the ninth, Thatcher had walked a batter, hit another and surrendered Eli Iorg?s long RBI double that bounced high off the wall in left center.

 

?It was definitely not a very clean inning,?? Thatcher confessed. ?I feel like I was lucky to get out of it.??

 

When the Legends posed their serious ninth-inning threat, he knew he needed to keep the ball in the infield. ?A fly ball is the worst thing that can happen,?? he said. ?I was concentrating on throwing a good fastball down in the zone and just let my defense make the plays.??

 

The win was the Power?s fifth in seven games and raised the team record to 12-12. It was also the first of an unusual six-game series of home games against Lexington.

 

In the second inning, the Power pounded out six hits en route to a seven-run uprising, highlighted by Angel Salome?s opposite-field grand slam that sailed over the right-center bleachers. The four RBIs raised Salome?s team-leading total to 17.

 

?I just see the ball and hit the ball. I saw a fastball and I reacted,?? said Salome, who went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .333.

 

The Power?s Mat Gamel led off the inning with an opposite-field homer to right, and Ryan Crew doubled and Tony Festa singled him home. Mike Bell followed with a single and Michael Brantley followed with another hit, bringing home Festa. Lorenzo Cain then walked to set up Salome?s slam.

 

But despite the 7-0 lead, Power pitchers allowed the Legends to work their way back into contention. They roughed up starter Robbie Wooley for one run in the third and two in the fourth. Reliever Ronny Malave surrendered three in the eighth and Thatcher one in the ninth.

 

The Power added an unearned run on Nate Yoho?s infield out in the fifth.

 

POWER POINTS: The Power and Legends will play a Grand Slam Kids Day game at 10:35 AM today (9:35 Central) and single games Thursday through Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Sunday?s finale will begin at 2:05 p.m. ... Iorg, Houston?s first-round draft pick last year, is the son of former Charleston Charlie Garth Iorg, who spent nine seasons with the Blue Jays. ... Thatcher, who suffered an injury in spring training and was a week late in joining the team, likes his new surroundings. ?It?s fun to go out and play in a stadium like this in front of good fans,?? he said. ... Salome agrees and has developed a good rapport with the fans. ?These are the people that support you,?? he said, ?so you have to be a nice person with them. That?s my personality. I love the fans.??

 

Angel Salome launches a second-inning grand slam for the Power.

Charleston Gazette Photographer: Chris Dorst

 

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/GRANSLAM.jpg

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www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006050310/

 

Thatcher welcome addition to bullpen

Lee France

For the Charleston Daily Mail

 

Not many people at Appalachian Power Park thought that Tuesday night's game against Lexington would have come down to the final pitch, after the Power jumped to an early 7-0 lead thanks to a seven-run second inning.

 

Certainly, most of the bullpen, including southpaw Joe Thatcher, figured to have the night off.

 

That wouldn't be the case.

 

Thatcher, a native of Indianapolis, was called on in the eighth inning to put out a late rally by the Lexington Legends. He eventually picked up his fourth save of the year after a rocky ninth inning, as the Power held on for an 8-7 South Atlantic League baseball victory.

 

Thatcher was not on the Opening Day roster, but was added to the Power six days later and made his debut with West Virginia on April 13 in Greensboro where he recorded his first save of the year.

 

Thatcher is now being relied on heavily as the Power closer, but he has had his share of being overlooked during his baseball career.

 

It started when he wasn't drafted from Indiana State University, where he still holds the record for most appearances (92), and is ranked third all-time in saves for the Sycamores with (14) -- just behind his father Phil, who played from 1977-80.

 

"My dad was a big influence on my career," Thatcher said. "We are a baseball family. I was pretty disappointed when I didn't go in the draft, so now, I feel like I have a little more motivation to prove I belong here."

 

The Milwaukee Brewers found Thatcher playing in the independent Frontier League for the River City Rascals, and signed him to a free agent contract last July 15.

 

"That was an exciting day for me," Thatcher said. "To be signed by a Major League team was a big thrill."

 

"Coming from the Frontier League makes no difference in Joe's potential," Power pitching Coach John Curtis said. "There have been plenty of guys go on to the Major League level from there."

 

Thatcher played for Helena, the Brewers' rookie league team for part of the 2005 season. He pitched in seven innings and allowed three runs, but struck out 10 hitters and was soon called up to Brevard County, Milwaukee's advanced Class A team, a level above West Virginia. There, Thatcher threw nine innings and fanned 14 batters, and did not give up an earned run.

 

As of late, West Virginia's bullpen has been pretty solid. In the recent series against Greensboro, the Power relievers gave up only three earned runs and came away with a 1.48 ERA.

 

On Tuesday, however, after starter Robbie Wooley (1-1) had given up three runs in five innings of work, the bullpen allowed four runs in the eighth and ninth innings.

 

Ronny Malave worked a scoreless sixth and seventh inning before surrendering three runs in the eighth, and giving way to Thatcher.

 

For his part, Thatcher made thing interesting in the ninth by giving up a walk, a hit-by-pitch, a double, and a run scored before fanning the final two hitters to finish off the Legends.

 

"It is never good to walk the leadoff hitter," Curtis said. "I think if the leadoff hitter gets on base, they score 70 or 80 percent of the time. Joe did a good job to get out of the inning."

 

"It was nice to get those last two guys on strikeouts," Thatcher said. "With those runners on base, I didn't want either one to get the bat on the ball."

 

Curtis said that he is impressed with Thatcher's mound presence when he enters the game.

 

"Joe has been thrown into some situations where the roof has caved in," Curtis said. "He has done a nice job of bouncing right back."

 

Thatcher has only given up two earned runs in his six appearances this season for the Power.

 

He has a 2.84 ERA and has struck out eight.

 

Leading the way on the offensive side for West Virginia was Angel Salome who went 3-for-5 with four RBI, including a grand slam homerun to cap that seven-run second inning.

 

The Power continued the six-game homestand and series with Lexington this morning in the second of three Grand Slam School Days at Appalachian Power Park.

 

Power plugs -- Mat Gamel homered Tuesday for the Power to extend his hitting streak to a season-high seven games -- the longest for any Power player this season ... Lorenzo Cain's 34 hits lead the South Atlantic League.