Link Report for Wed. 4/26 - Power Breakfast, Dinner in Fla.

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Wednesday's Daily Menu: Triple-header of Power, Brewers, and Manatees today, so the menu's not as light as it appears; Mike Jones has the audio spotlight all to himself Wednesday night...

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: Idle

 

Huntsville: Idle

 

Brevard County: RHP Mike Jones at Vero Beach (Dodgers), 6:00 PM

 

Audio link (opponent's):

www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

 

West Virginia: LHP Dave Welch at home vs. Greensboro (Marlins), 9:35 AM

 

Audio link:

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

[Mass Haas]

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens:

Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". 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!

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_vbdafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Standings through Tuesday's action:

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 12 7 .632 - 7-1 5-6 W1[/b] Omaha 11 8 .579 1.0 7-4 4-4 W1 Iowa 7 12 .368 5.0 5-6 2-6 L7 Memphis 5 14 .263 7.0 4-4 1-10 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 13 7 .650 - 7-3 6-4 W1 [b]Huntsville 12 8 .600 1.0 6-4 6-4 W4[/b] West Tenn 12 8 .600 1.0 3-2 9-6 L1 Tennessee 9 11 .450 4.0 6-4 3-7 W3 Carolina 7 13 .350 6.0 2-3 5-10 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Brevard County 13 6 .684 - 5-4 8-2 L3[/b] St. Lucie 12 6 .667 0.5 4-3 8-3 W3 Palm Beach 11 7 .611 1.5 4-4 7-3 L2 Daytona 8 10 .444 4.5 6-7 2-3 W3 Vero Beach 6 12 .333 6.5 4-3 2-9 W2 Jupiter 5 14 .263 8.0 3-8 2-6 L7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 12 6 .667 - 8-3 4-3 W2 Lake County 11 8 .579 1.5 4-4 7-4 L1 Delmarva 9 7 .563 2.0 4-5 5-2 L2 Greensboro 10 8 .556 2.0 8-3 2-5 W3 Hagerstown 8 10 .444 4.0 6-4 2-6 W1 Lakewood 7 10 .412 4.5 5-2 2-8 W2 [b]West Virginia 7 10 .412 4.5 2-5 5-5 L2[/b] Hickory 6 11 .353 5.5 2-5 4-6 L3

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section...2006042528

 

Power feels agony of close defeats

By Nick Scala

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

The ledger shows the West Virginia Power with a 2-4 record on its recent road trip, but manager Mike Guerrero knows it could have been a much more pleasant journey.

 

?We actually should?ve been 5-1,? the Power manager said before Tuesday night?s game with Greensboro was rained out. ?It?s a matter of not closing the games.?

 

Three of the four losses on the trip came after the Power let a ninth-inning lead slip away.

 

Last Tuesday at Hagerstown, the Power squandered a 3-1 lead in the ninth as the Suns capitalized on two West Virginia errors and won 4-3.

 

Against Hagerstown Thursday, a two-run Suns home run in the bottom of the ninth turned a 5-4 Power lead into a 6-5 loss.

 

Monday night at Lexington, the Power led 3-0 in the eighth and 3-2 in the ninth before losing 4-3, with an error contributing to the winning run.

 

?We?re not executing,? Guerrero said. ?We?re not getting the pitching and defense when it counts, late in the games. We need to put it together for 27 outs.?

 

Although the Power is giving up a lot of late runs ? including three in the ninth inning last Wednesday, a 5-4 win at Hagerstown ? it doesn?t seem to be the bullpen?s fault.

 

Guerrero has settled on right-hander Dane Renkert and lefty Joe Thatcher as his bullpen closers, and both are registering decent numbers. Renkert (1-2, 1.17 ERA) has let up just one earned run in five appearances, while Thatcher (0-2, 2.08) has allowed just one earned run in four games.

 

But Renkert?s appearances have yielded four unearned runs, while Thatcher has allowed three. That?s seven unearned runs in 12 innings among the closers.

 

In contrast, the rest of the staff has thrown 138 1/3 innings and been victimized with just 10 unearned runs.

 

?We can?t make mistakes and give them four, five outs in an inning, especially late in the game,? Guerrero said. ?An error here, an error there, they add up. We?re giving opportunities to the other teams.?

 

***

You can?t blow a ninth-inning lead without scoring some runs and getting a lead, and the Power has been doing that. Lorenzo Cain hit .370 (10-for-27) on the road trip, hiking his average on the season to .333, tied with Kenny Holmberg for second-best on the team behind Angel Salome?s .348 mark.

 

Holmberg leads the Power with three home runs, and he?s also tops on the team in on-base percentage (.431), slugging percentage (.593) and walks (nine).

 

?He?s a contact guy,? Guerrero said of Holmberg, a 22nd-round draft pick in 2005 out of Embry-Riddle University. ?The ball jumps off his bat and he hits well to all fields.?

 

***

The Brevard County Manatees, with a roster made up largely of players who spent last summer with the Power, are tearing up the high Class A Florida State League, although they've lost their last three contests.

 

Brevard County has the league?s best record at 13-6, led by some familiar names.

 

Through Monday, Hernan Iribarren, the Power?s all-star second baseman a year ago, is hitting a robust .368 for the Manatees. Catcher Carlos Corporan is hitting .357, shortstop Alcides Escobar is at .333, outfielder Freddy Parejo is hitting .315 and third baseman Ryan Braun is at .296 with a team-high 14 RBIs.

 

Among last year?s Power pitchers, Ben Stanczyk (3-1, 2.45) and Dave Johnson (3-1, 3.29), both working out of the Brevard County bullpen, share the team lead in wins. Reliever Robert Hinton (2-0, 0.00) hasn?t allowed an earned run in 11 innings, and Yovani Gallardo (1-2, 2.18) and Josh Wahpepah (0-0, 1.13) have looked sharp in the starting rotation.

 

On the other hand, Mark Rogers, the Brewers? first-round draft pick in 2004, is still struggling. In four starts, the right-hander from Maine is 0-1 with a 9.88 ERA, allowing 23 hits and 12 walks in 13 2/3 innings.

 

***

BRIEFLY: Left-hander Dave Welch (0-1, 1.38), West Virginia?s scheduled starter Tuesday, will get the call for today?s ?Grand Slam School Day.? He?ll face Greensboro right-hander Dan Barone (2-0, 0.49). ... The Power?s starters for Thursday?s doubleheader with the Grasshoppers are Robbie Wooley (0-1, 5.00) and Kevin Roberts (2-1, 3.72).

[gregmag]

Dave Welch has completely eluded my (admittedly fuzzy) radar until now, but I see that he pitched well last year and has done well in his first couple of starts this year. Do people see him as a nonprospect for some reason? He's 22 in A-ball, but that's fine with me for a pitcher; it just means he's more likely to arrive in Milwaukee in one piece. O minor league gurus: What does he throw? Do you like him?

 

Greg.

[Mass Haas]

The fact David Welch earned a starting rotation spot to start the year is worth something in terms of what the Brewers may think of him. Until we get first-hand accounts of him (not sure if Welch pitched at Greensboro when pogokat was there), we won't know too much. Of course, you could have listened to Andy Barch's call this morning, right? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

What we learned on Draft Day 2005:

 

Round 20: David Welch - LHP

6'4", 200 lbs - Texarkana CC - Texas

 

- He is from Sydney, Australia.

 

- He had committed to attend Texas Tech University.

 

- He was a 38th round pick of the Yankees in 2003.

 

From colbyjack's Draft Recap:

 

4-1, 2.77 ERA in 12 appearances, 26 IP, 21 H, 29 K, 12 BB with Helena

Welch, a native of Australia, is a well-built pitcher at 6'4", 215 pounds, with a live arm and a sturdy frame. He had committed to play for Texas Tech for his junior year of eligibility, but the Brewers were able to sign him away from that commitment to play professionally, and he responded well with the Helena Brewers. Welch earned a few starts later in the season after being used predominantly out of the bullpen, and he may find himself as a piggy-back starter for West Virginia in 2006. Like Patrick Ryan, Welch could be a sleeper to watch next season.

[DKM4Boston]

Wow. West Virginia scores 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th for the 7-6 victory. Darren Ford with the GWRBI single.

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 7, Greensboro (Marlins) 6

Power sends home all the elementary school kids happy...

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.wvpower.com/news/deta...?newsID=66

 

Power Plate Five In Ninth To Win

 

The West Virginia Power entered the ninth inning of Wednesday morning?s ball game at Appalachian Power Park trailing the Greensboro Grasshoppers 6-2. The Power scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and defeated Greensboro 7-6.

 

Kenny Holmberg blasted his fourth home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning, a solo shot to start the scoring for the Power. The Grasshoppers tied the game at 1-1 on former Brewer farmhand Agustin Septimo?s RBI single in the top of the third inning. In the top of the fourth the Grasshoppers took the lead on an RBI double from Andy Jenkins.

 

Ryan Crew tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-out RBI base hit. Septimo struck again in the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run, his fifth of the year. Greensboro scored three times in the top of the seventh inning. Greg Burns drove in the first two runs on a triple and he scored later in the inning on Trent D?Antonio?s groundout.

 

Newcomer Michael Bell began the five-run rally in the ninth inning with a pinch hit single. Crew knocked Bell in with an RBI single after Holmberg walked and Mat Gamel drove in Holmberg and Crew on a double to left field. Two batters later, Nate Yoho delivered a game-tying pinch-hit RBI single. Yoho then stole second base, and scored the game-winning run on Darren Ford?s single to center field.

 

Dane Renkert (2-2) earned the victory and Blake Jones (1-1) obtained the loss. The Power are 8-10 after the victory and the Grasshoppers fell to 10-9 with the loss.

 

The Power will play a pair of seven-inning games against the Grasshoppers at Appalachian Power Park on Thursday night. Right-hander Kevin Roberts (2-1, 3.72) will throw for the Power in game one and the Grasshoppers will counter with right-hander Todd Doolittle (0-0, 0.00). In game two right-hander Robbie Wooley (0-1, 5.00) gets the start for West Virginia and Greensboro will start right hander Chris Volstad (3-0, 2.84). The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 6:05 PM (5:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Much needed rally for this squad...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[dixieflatline]

Wow Salome with his 6th error and Gamel with his 8th on the season. Both of these guys are young so this isn't the end of the world but they will certainly have to work on their defense to make it to the show. Salome especially as he really only projects as a catcher.

[DHonks]

does anyone else have a huge smile on their faces when they see Mike Jones' name in the boxscores, and having a good line?

 

Also good to see big games for the usuals in BC--the Hurricane (category 4), Braun, Katin

[Athens Badger]

Yeah, talk about major damage control for Mike Jones tonight. Six hits and a walk in 3 innings and he only allows 1 run.

[NastyTwig]

Braun heating up? The Hebrew Hammer, anyone?

[DHonks]

The Hebrew Hammer, anyone?

 

is he Jewish?

 

Boy, this A+ offense has some nice numbers for a pitchers' park in a pitchers' league, as someone else mentioned the other day.

 

and I guess that would qualify as a rough inning for Luis Pena

[bork]

Holmberg is really mashing. Can't either he or Iribarren play SS so he can move up?

[pogokat]

A friend of His dad's tpld me he was a shortstop until last year...

[homer]

50th Edition of Jewish Sports Review Names Jewish All America Baseball Team

 

New York, July 12, 2005 - The team is headed by former Miami third baseman Ryan Braun (hometown Granada Hills, CA), who was selected in the first round, #5 overall in the MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Braun hit .388 and led the ACC with 18 homers, 76 RBIs, and a .726 slugging percentage. (He was the ACC Player of the Year). Along with Justin Wayne (#5 overall in 2000), he was the highest Jewish draft pick since the Phillies selected Mike Lieberthal as #3 overall in 1990.

 

 

hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/071205aab.html

[Mass Haas]

Final: Vero Beach (Dodgers) 9, Brevard County 5

 

Brevard County Site Game Notes:

 

Denker delivers for Dodgers

 

Travis Denker hit a three-run double during a six-run seventh inning as the Vero Beach Dodgers beat visiting Brevard County, 9-5, on Wednesday.

 

Blake Dewitt, Ryan Carter and veteran Pat Borders hit consecutive singles off Manatees reliever Luis Pena (1-1) to start the seventh. Denker followed with a drive to left field to clear the bases and give Vero Beach (7-12) a 6-5 lead.

 

Cole Bruce lined a double to left to score Denker and Jason Mooneyham delivered an RBI single to chase Pena and give the Dodgers an 8-5 advantage. Jimmy Rohan's RBI double off Dave Johnson accounted for Vero Beach's final run.

 

Rohan went 3-for-5, raising his average to a team-leading .350, and six other batters had two hits apiece for Vero Beach.

 

Brevard County (13-7) took a 3-0 lead in the third on an RBI single by Ryan Braun and a two-run single by Brendan Katin. Braun went 2-for-5 to lead the Manatees.

 

Adam Thomas (1-1) picked up the win after allowing two hits, walking one and striking out two over 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Brian Akin recorded the last four outs, striking out three, to earn his first save.

 

Brevard County starter Mike Jones allowed one run on six hits over three innings, walking one and fanning two. It was the first blown save for Pena, who was reached for eight runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout in one inning.

 

The three-game set continues at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday in Vero Beach. -- Max Lance/MLB.com

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Fine, except for RHP Luis Pena's ugly outing...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_vbdafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_vbdafa_1

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section...2006042649

 

Ninth-inning rally lifts Power

By Mitch Vingle

Charleston Gazette Sports Editor

 

Perhaps it was appropriate the West Virginia Power held Grand Slam School Day on Wednesday.

 

Because the team was saved by the Bell.

 

As well as the Yoho. And the Ford.

 

The Power rallied for five runs in the bottom of the ninth, culminating in Darren Ford?s RBI single to center, en route to a thrilling 7-6 matinee victory over Greensboro before 3,484 fans at Appalachian Power Park.

 

The comeback before school kids wasn?t elementary. Nor was it easy. But the storyline was 1-2-3.

 

First, Michael Bell, who was just called up to the Power roster, provided a spark batting in place of cleanup hitter Tony Festa.

 

Bell was in extended spring training for the Milwaukee Brewers before landing a roster spot when ex-Power utility infielder Scotty McKnight was promoted to Brevard County. The 15th-round pick of the 2005 draft hit Charleston Tuesday night.

 

?My plane ride was something,?? Bell said. ?Turbulance on a tiny little plane. Then I stayed in the hotel [Tuesday] night and got up at 6:45 a.m. for [the 10:35 a.m.] game. But I felt like I got a good night?s sleep.??

 

Bell was clear-headed enough to single, move to second on a wild pitch and steal third.

 

?The [Greensboro] lefty [Alexis Sosa] came in and the DH we had hitting [Festa] was a left-handed hitter,?? said Bell, explaining manager Mike Guerrero?s decision to replace the Power?s cleanup man.

 

That started the rally. West Virginia second baseman Kenny Holmberg took first base when he was hit by a pitch. Shortstop Ryan Crew plated Bell with an RBI single to right field.

 

Left-handed hitter Mat Gamel, a fourth-round Brewers selection in 2005, then went down the leftfield line to push across two more runs.

 

Suddenly, a 6-2 Grasshoppers? lead was trimmed to 6-5 with no outs.

 

After a Ned Yost sacrifice bunt moved Gamel to third, Nate Yoho provided the second part of the storyline for the Power. Going against Greensboro righty Blake Jones, batting in place of No. 9 hitter Michael Brantley, Yoho reached out and poked a pitch back through the middle, scoring Gamel.

 

?He threw me a changeup low and away,?? Yoho said of Jones. ?I got just enough of it to get it through the middle.??

 

And to tie the game. But the rally wasn?t complete.

 

With Ford at bat and the count 3-1, Yoho stole second base. Ford was swinging at the pitch.

 

?It was a straight steal,?? Yoho said.

 

Ford then completed the storyline by chalking up his first game-winning hit in the minor leagues.

 

?I just went up there thinking of the situation,?? said the Power centerfielder and leadoff hitter. ?I had to hit the ball hard somewhere and try to drive in [Yoho].??

 

He nailed a fastball that was low and outside.

 

?I just tried to look for something middle and away,?? said Ford, an 18th-round 2004 pick. ?I knew that?s where they?d pitch me. I knew they wouldn?t come in. I tried to drive the ball.??

 

The hit completed a five-run rally that took but one out and drove West Virginia to its eighth win in 18 games. The Power had not won since its 4-3 victory over Lexington on Sunday.

 

?It means a lot because we?ve had a lot of tough losses like this,?? Ford said. ?It?s another step for us. Another one on the ladder. It shows we can win any game that we put our minds to.??

 

On the Power?s most recent road trip the team went 2-4. Four of the six games were decided by one run.

 

?This is huge,?? Yoho said. ?We should be up there with certain teams. Maybe this will help get us there.??

 

West Virginia (8-10) again plays host to South Atlantic Northern Division rival Greensboro (10-9) again tonight at 7:05 (6:05 Central).

[gregmag]

I'm worried "the Hebrew Hammer" may be inappropriate, which is too bad, because it really is catchy. It would be easier if he was ultra-Orthodox, because then we could call him "the Hasidic Hammer" or "the Satmar Slugger" or something.

 

Years ago one of the specialist stathead mags -- Elysian Fields, maybe -- did a cover story on Jewish ballplayers. I was kind of surprised at how few there had been (and admittedly even more surprised that Rod Carew was one of them).

 

Greg.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006042736/

 

Power rallies for win

Jacob Messer

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

Sitting in his office Tuesday evening, West Virginia Power Manager Mike Guerrero talked about the string of tough losses his baseball team had suffered.

 

The Power entered its current homestand against the Greensboro Grasshoppers with 10 losses, including six in which its opponents scored the winning runs in the ninth inning.

 

Sooner or later, Guerrero said, his players would learn how to protect leads and win games, particularly close ones.

 

Two points he planned to emphasize, he noted, are the final two innings and the last at-bat.

 

"Those," Guerrero said, "are what count."

 

Perhaps his players are quick learners.

 

That seemed to be the case Wednesday afternoon when the Power scored five runs in its final at-bat to collect a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over the Grasshoppers at Appalachian Power Park, where a Grand Slam School Day crowd of 3,484 fans -- most of them students and teachers playing hooky -- watched a thrilling finish between the South Atlantic League teams.

 

West Virginia improved to 8-10. Greensboro dropped to 10-9. The Power is 4-1 against the Grasshoppers this season.

 

"That's why you never give up," said Guerrero, whose team won for the first time in six tries when trailing after eight innings. "It only takes one inning to win a game."

 

Making his debut with the Power, right-handed pinch hitter Michael Bell started the ninth-inning rally with a first-pitch single off left-handed reliever Alexis Sosa.

 

"I love to hit off lefties," said Bell, whom the Milwaukee Brewers promoted from extended spring training Tuesday, the same day they shipped Scotty McKnight from West Virginia to Brevard County of the Florida State League to replace injured infielder Alcides Escobar there.

 

"I was just trying to help out the guys. We all played together last year (with Helena of the Pioneer League). I finally got up here with them. It was nice to help them win."

 

Sosa walked Kenny Holmberg before Grasshoppers Manager Brandon Hyde replaced him with closer Blake Jones.

 

But Jones fared no better than Sosa.

 

Ryan Crew drove in Bell with a single, cutting the Grasshoppers' lead to 6-3, and Mat Gamel brought Holmberg and Crew home with a double, cutting it to 6-5.

 

A well-placed sacrifice bunt by Ned Yost moved Gamel to third base, putting the tying run 90 feet from home plate. Pinch hitter Nate Yoho followed with a first-pitch single, allowing Gamel to jog down the line, across the plate and into the dugout.

 

Jones threw "a changeup low and away," Yoho said, "and I got just enough of it to get it through the middle."

 

Yoho then stole second base on a 3-1 pitch to Darren Ford, who took it for a strike after Guerrero gave both of them the straight steal sign.

 

With the students sitting behind home plate screaming his first name again and again, Ford smacked the full-count delivery -- a fastball low and away -- up the middle.

 

"I was sitting on it," said Ford, who hit .421 (8-for-19) in his past five games -- tops among his teammates -- to raise his batting average to .274 (20-for-73) this season. "I knew I had to drive the ball somewhere."

 

Centerfielder Greg Burns scooped the ball and fired it to catcher Trent D'Antonio. Burns' throw was ahead of the runner but was left of the plate, forcing D'Antonio to backhand the ball and twist his body to make the tag on Yoho, who didn't slide.

 

"I got him with both hands on the thigh or around the knee," D'Antonio said. "It wasn't like I just clipped him. I gave him a little bump to make sure I got him. If he didn't feel it, there is something wrong with him."

 

It indeed appeared D'Antonio touched Yoho in time. But the umpire called Yoho safe, prompting a celebration by the Power and an eruption by D'Antonio. The catcher spiked the ball and charged the umpire, vehemently arguing the call. Hyde did the same, but to no avail.

 

"That was just me going crazy," D'Antonio said, "because I knew I got him and he knew I got him."

 

That doesn't matter to the Power. The team won't give back its much-needed and well-earned win.

 

"This is huge," Yoho said. "Maybe this win will get us over the top. I'm hoping so."

 

"It just feels good to be on the other side of the coin," Guerrero added.