Link Report for Games of Monday, April 24th

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Monday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: LHP Dana Eveland at Oklahoma (Rangers), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime; longtime Brewer farmhand LHP Derek Lee faces Eveland

 

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_orhaaa_1

 

Huntsville: LHP Jeff Housman at home vs. Mobile (Padres), 9:50 AM pre-game, 10:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

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

 

West Virginia: RHP Will Inman at Lexington (Astros), 6:05 PM

 

Audio link:

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

[Mass Haas]

Follow Monday'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_orhaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lexafx_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 Sunday's action:

 

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 11 7 .611 - 7-1 4-6 L1[/b] Omaha 10 8 .556 1.0 6-4 4-4 L1 Iowa 7 11 .389 4.0 5-5 2-6 L6 Memphis 5 13 .278 6.0 4-4 1-9 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 12 6 .667 - 6-2 6-4 W2 West Tenn 11 7 .611 1.0 3-2 8-5 L2 [b]Huntsville 10 8 .556 2.0 4-4 6-4 W2[/b] Carolina 7 11 .389 5.0 2-3 5-8 L1 Tennessee 7 11 .389 5.0 4-4 3-7 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Brevard County 13 4 .765 - 5-2 8-2 L1[/b] Palm Beach 11 5 .688 1.5 4-2 7-3 W5 St. Lucie 10 6 .625 2.5 4-3 6-3 W1 Daytona 6 10 .375 6.5 4-7 2-3 W1 Jupiter 5 12 .294 8.0 3-8 2-4 L5 Vero Beach 4 12 .250 8.5 4-3 0-9 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 11 6 .647 - 7-3 4-3 W1 Delmarva 9 5 .643 0.5 4-3 5-2 W1 Lake County 10 7 .588 1.0 4-4 6-3 W4 Greensboro 9 8 .529 2.0 7-3 2-5 W2 Hagerstown 7 9 .438 3.5 5-3 2-6 L2 [b]West Virginia 7 9 .438 3.5 2-5 5-4 L1[/b] Hickory 6 10 .375 4.5 2-5 4-5 L2 Lakewood 5 10 .333 5.0 5-2 0-8 L1

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville LHP Jeff Housman left today's game after only two innings, allowing one run. Should know more later this afternoon -- trying to tune in now, please update us if you had been listening earlier.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006042425/

 

Power, Marshall have park conflict

Jacob Messer

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

The West Virginia Power returns to Appalachian Power Park on Tuesday for nine of its next 12 games.

 

Fortunately for the Milwaukee Brewers' South Atlantic League club, it won't have to share its field and forfeit its routine.

 

That is what happened April 7-9 during a four-game set with the Delmarva Shorebirds.

 

Conference USA foes Marshall and Memphis played before West Virginia and Delmarva in the second, third and fourth games of that series.

 

Neither the Power nor the Shorebirds could conduct batting and fielding practice on the field on those days.

 

"We haven't been able to work at (home at) all," Manager Mike Guerrero, whose team lost all three of those games, said after that series.

 

"This game is about rhythm and momentum. The Milwaukee Brewers' organization has a set routine. We go through that everyday (to develop rhythm and momentum).

 

"When the kids come to the park and they don't know whether they can get on the field, it's tough on them. When the game comes, we still have to get the job done. That's not an excuse. The other team is in the same situation. It's equal, but it's still tough."

 

Marshall paid $15,000 for 12 dates at Appalachian Power Park, with $5,000 of that accounting for an outfield-fence billboard and $10,000 of that accounting for 2,500 tickets to be used at its discretion for those games.

 

The tickets cost Marshall $4 apiece, but athletic department officials can sell them for $7 apiece (face value) and make $17,500, which not only would reimburse the school for its $15,000 payment, but also would give it a $2,5000 profit.

 

The Herd, however, has generated crowds that at best can be called scarce. That isn't a concern to Milovich, who admits the arrangement is difficult on him and his staff because it entails double the work.

 

"We never expected huge crowds from them," Milovich said. "Whether 100, 300 or 500 fans make it worthwhile, I don't think we ever looked at it in those terms. We just wanted to make sure Marshall was taken care of."

 

Only three of the Power's remaining 63 home games will feature "preliminary" games.

 

That is good news for the Power and its opponents.

 

"Baseball players -- more than any other group of athletes, I think -- are creatures of habit," Power General Manager Andy Milovich said. "When you mess with their routine, you throw them off."

 

The Herd-Power doubleheaders will occur on May 18-20, when Marshall will face Rice in a three-game series.

 

With a home field, University Heights in Huntington, deemed unfit to host its conference games, Marshall needed a place to play C-USA foes.

 

Enter the Power, which has Huntington-based and Marshall-supporting members among its local ownership group.

 

"They asked us to help, and we did," Milovich said. "To be honest, this probably isn't a deal we would have made if it weren't for the strong ties of our local ownership. But we decided to do it because we looked at it as a good opportunity for (Marshall) and a good opportunity for (the Power)."

 

It is undecided whether the Herd and the Power will continue their relationship next season and beyond.

 

"That," Milovich said, "is something we will re-evaluate after this season."

[DKM4Boston]

Greg Sain hit his 2nd grand slam of the season earlier in the game. The Stars currently lead 8-2 going to the 8th inning.

[wibadgers23]

Eveland has been lights out so far. 3 games started with a 1.06 ERA and 17 K's/2 walks. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep it going. Also, Gwynn hitting .333 with 6 doubles and 16 rbi's in 16 games. Great start for him so far.

[brewmann04]

yes either Gwynn or Krynsel needs to step up in case Clark flops

[molitor fan]

Speaking of flops, Adam Heether has been the biggest shocker so far, as he is hitting .200 with no extra base hits so far....

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 8, Mobile (Padres) 4

Greg Sain's .212 average ultra-productive, power bat just what the Brewers asked for in the pre-season trade with the Padres -- that PTBNL could be Ben Sheets at Sain's HR pace http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=797

 

Sain Slams Stars to Victory

 

Greg Sain?s grand slam capped off a six-run fifth inning uprising, powering Huntsville to an 8-4 win over Mobile Monday morning at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars won their season-best third straight home game to improve to 11-8 overall and 5-4 on home soil, while the BayBears dropped to 7-12 overall and 3-6 on the road.

 

Mobile starter Jose Oyervidez had blanked the Stars through four innings, including stranding runners at second and third base with one out in the fourth, but ran into a host of trouble in the fifth. Lou Palmisano walked to start the inning and scored when Ozzie Chavez followed with a double. Kennard Bibbs legged out a pinch-hit bunt single and Callix Crabbe singled to left to score Chavez to tie the game. Steve Moss drew a one-out walk to load the bases and Sain followed by belting a 1-1 offering over the second tier of signage in left field for his second grand slam of the season. He has hit home runs in back-to-back games against his former team and has hit six long balls in the last 13 games. Oyervidez had given up three earned runs in his first three starts of the season and in 23 innings against the Stars in three starts last year and first four frames of today?s game. It was the Stars? highest scoring inning of the season and the most runs the BayBears had permitted in any one inning this season.

 

Moss doubled home two runs in the seventh to complete the highest scoring game for the Stars at home this season. He finished with two hits in four at-bats and pushed his hitting streak to six, matching Sain for the longest of any Stars hitter this season.

 

Mobile plated a second inning run against Stars? starter Jeff Housman, who was taken out of the game after two frames due to a strained left shoulder. Steve Bray took over in the third and gave up a run-scoring single to Steve Baker, who went three-for-three with a walk, to score George Kottaras to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. Bray went three innings in his longest outing of the year to pick up his first win, allowing a run on four hits. Gerrit Simpson followed with 2 2/3 scoreless innings and Andy Pratt allowed two unearned runs in an inning and a third of relief work.

 

The series concludes on Tuesday night when the BayBears send southpaw Sean Thompson to the mound against Stars right-hander Khalid Ballouli. 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:

Matt Yeatman could be a candidate for the rotation if Jeff Housman's out for a while -- good luck to Jeff...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

As mentioned, Adam Heether can't get on track -- pop-up in the 4th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, one out...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

[brewmann04]

Hey anyone think that Sargent Lou should be demoted to Private LOU especially if he goes below 200

[pogokat]

on the day salome passes him in the system, i think we should cermoiniusly retire Palmisano's ability to have a nickname...you don't get to be captain lou or sweet lou if you aren't good at baseball...

 

if you're crap, well, then your just Lou

[NastyTwig]

Yo strikes out his usual double digits with a walk (20 IP, 32 SO, 6 BB on the year),

 

Inman still studly.

 

I'm digging these two.

[Athens Badger]

That isn't Yo's "usual". What has been up with his K numbers over his last two starts? Looks like for now anyway that both are gonna end up Ls.

[DHonks]

NastyTwig, I'm with ya...I couldn't wait to check out those boxscores, and I'm impressed. Yo with a great outing, especially considering who he was pitching against.

 

It's possible that if this keeps up, Gallardo hits AA in July, Inman to A+.

 

Any word on Parra?

[NastyTwig]

That isn't Yo's "usual". What has been up with his K numbers over his last two starts? Looks like for now anyway that both are gonna end up Ls.

 

that's the bottom line

 

I'd rather he pitch well (which he seems to be doing) than get the "W". Minor league wins and losses aren't a big deal when you're striking out 10+ with a WHIP around 1.00.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Lexington (Astros) 4, West Virginia 3

If you were like me, and refreshed your game log for this one every couple of innings, there was a real sense of suspense, if a game log can provide such a feeling. One of the things you have to love about Will Inman is how he seemingly pitches so unfazed with runners in scoring position, something we saw going back to Helena last season. Questionable baserunning decisions by Lexington in the 2nd and 8th innings proved crucial at the time, and LF Michael Brantley's big throw saved Inman in the 5th. However, two errors in another disastrous 9th inning spell defeat for the Power -- we know that the minor leagues are all about player development, but just from an entertainment standpoint, the Brewer - Power relationship has been one of bitter disappointment from a won-loss standpoint much more often than not.

 

West Virginia Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lexafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lexafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: St. Lucie (Mets) 5, Brevard County 4

Steve Sollman's pinch-hit two-run, two-out double in the bottom of the 9th made it a 5-4 game, but red-hot Travis Ezi flied out to end it...

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Yo Gallardo wow, as others noted above...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

Review that game log, and you'll see that the Met runs in the 2nd, 4th and 5th innings were all assisted by either errors or a wild pitch...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

[gregmag]

As one who complains early and often about drafting HS pitchers -- and who isn't seeing any need to apologize any time soon for all the negative things I've said about Mark Rogers -- let me be about the fiftieth to note that Gallardo and Inman are just toying with people right now. Those K/BB ratios defy gravity. Please please please let them not get hurt.

 

Greg.

[CportBadger]

If Inman continues anywhere near this type of pace, would he skip BC next season and join Yo in Huntsville, or would they be content taking it a little slow with him?

[DHonks]

I'm not sure how they'd keep him in A+ if he had a full season in West Virginia with an ERA of around 1-2 and K:BB of 6 or so

[hsvstarsfan]

David Weiser's

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

SAIN A-GAIN

This is the kind of afternoon I wish I had when I was in school....... Busloads of school children, with a little more than a month left until they're free for the summer, got a reprieve from the institution of learning for more than 2½ hours to see some baseball, and hopefully become future fans for the experience, for they are baseball's future........ They entered into a dreamworld, they no doubt marked on their calendar, lining up strong at the concession stands, money in hand, deciding whether it would be popcorn or cotton candy, sitting in stacks on the counter, hot dogs, a Pepsi, or whatever, and brought them into their seats in the upper deck behind home plate, which I think are the best seats for baseball........ Even though they didn't fill the seats the way they did in Montgomery, they were all a happy, noisy, cheering bunch, all singing in unison to the "Sponge Bob Square Pants" song. (What do they see in it I don't know) and doing the Chicken Dance......... And they saw a grand-slam home run.

 

Greg Sain hit his second grand-slam of the season, his 6th homer of the year, in a six-run 5th in which the Stars batted around to take a 6-2 lead....... Sain, who just 12 days earlier hit the first grand-slam for the Stars since Brandon Gemoll almost two years ago, became the first Huntsville Stars slugger since Danny Ardoin (A's organization, in July of 1998) to hit two grand-slams in a month, and the first since Corey Hart to hit two in a season.

 

Things looked quite different, though, up to the 5th inning......... Jose Oyervidez, 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts last year vs. the Stars, set down the first six Stars in the ballgame, then walked Lou Palmisano on six pitches before retiring three straight to end the 3rd....... In the 4th, Oyervidez gave up singles to Drew Anderson (now 4-for-8 in his last two games) and Steve Moss (9-for-20 in his last six games), before retiring three straight once again, Brett Bonvechio making a fine running catch of a sinking liner in foul territory to get the 2nd out.

 

Jeff Housman threw 43 pitches, 23 for strikes, in going just two innings........ Manager Don Money, aware that Jeff has had some headaches and dizziness since being hit in the head with a line drive two weeks ago, showed some concern for him and in the rising heat of the day, removed him for Stephen Bray (0-1, 3.86). (Turns out it was a strained shoulder)....... I wouldn't be surprised if Housman is put on the DL when the rosters shrink by to 23, the first week of May, can't remember the exact date....... Bray was touched for Mobile's 2nd run when George Kottaras, a major league all-star paying his dues right now, tripled down the right field line, the ball landing just inside the line past the infield, and scored on Steve Baker's subsequent single to left........ Kottaras puts fear in my heart, the way Sain used to when he played for Mobile. Speaking of Sain, he's 3-for-12 now against his old club, but two of those hits have been HRs........ Kottaras is 16-for-38 (.421) at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

Then in the 5th, the Stars unlocked Oyervidez...... He walked Palmisano, then Ozzie Chavez, leading the Stars with a .288 average, doubled all the way to the wall in right-center, scoring him.......... Kennard Bibbs, pinch-hitting for Bray, snapped an 0-for-11 slump with a bunt hit to the left of the mound, putting runners at the corners.......Callix Crabbe, 2-for-18 in his last five games after a .308 start, lined a single to left, scoring Chavez....... Anderson struck out for the 1st out, but Moss walked to load the bases, and that set up Sain, and at the moment, it was so transparent that Sain wanted to give the ball a ride, and he did on a 1-1 pitch from Oyervidez, sending it high into the air and over all three levels of advertising in left field......... Arturo Lopez, after striking out the side on 12 pitches in the 6th, allowed two more Huntsville runs in the 7th to make it 8-2.

 

Fifty-eight balls were put into play in this 2:34 game, 35 of them hit into the outfield (60%), more than what I usually see, and quite a bit more than average were hit deep.

 

Tuesday, in the 20th game of the season for the Stars, left-hander Sean Thompson pitches for Mobile, opposed by Khalid Ballouli........ Thompson writes a weekly article for the Padres' minor league website, www.madfriars.com.......... Ballouli (1-1, 4.59) is coming off an eight-strikeout performance against Birmingham. He did not last five innings in four of his nine starts last year, but he has gone five in two of three this season.

 

The Stars now have eight wins in their last 11 games. They are hitting .224 this season, but barely better (.226) in this current streak....... So it's easy to see where the wins are coming from........ Pitching and defense win games, my friend......... Huntsville's starters are 6-6 with a 3.39 ERA....... The bullpen is even better --- 6-2 with a 2.67 ERA........ Offensively, there are other points to show why the Stars are 11-8 on the season........ They've struck out 114 times -- fewest in the league -- and they are 2nd in walks, trailing only 74-73 to Jacksonville. They are also 3rd in on-base percentage........ Add the power of Sain (6 HRs, 15 RBIs) and Jeff Eure, and you have a winning recipe.

 

Ryan Knox, sent down to the Montgomery Biscuits from Durham last Saturday, broke up a perfect game in the 6th inning when he was hit by a pitch from Mississippi's Ryan Basner, Monday night. The Biscuits wound up winning the game, 3-2.

 

Edited: accidental emoticon...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

A year later, game sane for Sain as Stars win

First baseman slugs grand slam against former team

By BRUCE McLELLAN

Associate Sports Editor, brucem@htimes.com

 

For the second time in 369 days, Greg Sain played at Joe Davis Stadium in a game that started before anybody's breakfast could digest as the result of a school days promotion

 

But Monday resembled April 20, 2005, in no other way for Sain.

 

He started as the Huntsville first baseman against Mobile a year after playing the same position for the BayBears against the Stars.

 

On Monday, Sain spent more than 10 minutes after the game signing his autograph.

 

Last April 20, Sain could barely remember his name after the game. He and Stars first baseman Brandon Gemoll both lay on the field dazed for about five minutes after colliding when Sain was running out a popup.

 

"That's one of the moments in my baseball career I wish I couldn't remember," Sain said. "It's a freak play. It's never happened before."

 

But instead of getting thumped, Sain did the thumping Monday. He hit a grand slam to left field to highlight a six-run fifth inning that powered Huntsville to an 8-4 win in front of an announced crowd of 2,903, mostly elementary school students.

 

They may not have fully appreciated what the trade of Sain from the San Diego Padres organization to Milwaukee has meant for the Brewers' Double-A farm team. The grand slam was Sain's second in the 15 games in which he has appeared this season.

 

"It's not very usual to have one in a season, let alone two within two weeks," Sain said with a grin. "But I'll take them if they're coming. It's a quick way to up the RBI total."

 

He leads the Stars with 15 RBIs and six home runs - almost half of the team total of 13. He's a big boost for a team that hit only 63 home runs last year - fewest for any team in the three Double-A leagues.

 

Sain, 26, was available to Milwaukee because San Diego was loaded with first basemen at Triple-A.

 

"The Padres had some new management and went out and got some other players and created a little bit of a logjam for me," Sain said. "I'm really happy about the trade and happy to be with the Brewers."

 

Ironically, Sain, whose father Tom played at Triple-A with both the Astros and Twins organizations in the 1970s, hasn't really found his rhythm at the plate. He has only five hits besides the six home runs and is batting .212.

 

"I'd like to be more consistent," he said. "I've only had one multi-hit game all year. I've struck out more times than I should have. I wouldn't say I'm at all happy with how I've been doing.

 

"Obviously, I'm not going to say I should be hitting more home runs. I don't know if I've ever had six home runs in 15 games to start a season."

 

The Stars entered the bottom of the fifth Monday trailing 2-0 and with only two hits against Mobile starter Jose Oyervidez. But Ozzie Chavez hit an RBI double and Callix Crabbe a run-scoring single to tie the game before a walk to Steve Moss left the bases loaded for Sain.

 

He wanted to make sure he hit the ball into the outfield to at least score the runner from third, but he knocked the 1-1 pitch from Oyervidez into the third row of fences in left.

 

"In that situation with the bases loaded, the pressure really is on the pitcher," Sain said. "I was trying not to do too much. I just wanted to get a pitch up that I could drive.

 

"It was a good day. There's a little extra incentive to do well against them."

 

Stephen Bray (1-1) scattered four hits and struck out three in three innings of relief to get the win. Starter Jeff Housman left with tenderness in his left shoulder after two innings and will be examined by physicians today.

 

Housman continually fell behind hitters and gave up four hits. But he allowed only one run, getting a break when left fielder Drew Anderson threw out Adam Bourassa at home when the BayBear tried to score from second on a single in the second.