Link Report Sun. 4/9: Final Update, WV Story, Photo

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio with Nelson Cruz:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%204-9.wma

 

Link for archived Mike Rivera photo, text follows:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1893

 

Sounds Rout Royals For First Win, 11-5

 

OMAHA ? Mike Rivera and Brad Nelson each homered and Tony Gwynn drove in four runs to lead the Nashville Sounds to their first victory of the 2006 season, an 11-5 triumph over the Omaha Royals on Sunday afternoon at Rosenblatt Stadium in the finale of a four-game series.

 

The Sounds jumped all over Omaha starter Runelvys Hernandez, plating eight runs over the first three innings of play. Rivera opened the scoring with a first-inning RBI double. A Gwynn run-scoring single highlighted a four-run second inning, and Rivera (solo) and Nelson (two-run) slugged their longballs in the third.

 

AUDIO: Mike Rivera's 3rd-Inning Homer -

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%204-9.wma

 

Gwynn closed out the Nashville scoring in the fifth with a bases-loaded, three-run triple off Royals reliever Adam Bernero.

 

Justin Huber and Andres Blanco each homered for Omaha in the losing effort.

 

Reliever Jason Kershner (1-0) picked up the victory in relief of Sounds starter Dennis Sarfate, who allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over four innings before being removed due to a pitch count. Hernandez (0-1) took the loss after surrendering eight runs in three innings of work.

 

The Sounds continue their season-opening road trip on Monday at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa, where they?ll take on the division-rival Iowa Cubs in the opener of a four-game series. Left-hander Justin Thompson takes the hill for Nashville and will face I-Cubs southpaw Rich Hill. Both hurlers will make their 2006 season debut.

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

OUCH!

It's strange to see, but between the two teams, there is a real lack of lefties that enters into the strategy for both teams. Although the Braves have two in their rotation, one of whom pitched last night, and the Stars have one, neither team has a single lefty in their bullpen. Today, both teams emptied their reservoir......... It's Jeff Housman vs. Chris Waters. So, Gregor Blanco was rested for Mississippi and their only other lefty, Carl Loadenthal, was put in the leadoff spot.......... For the Stars, only one true lefty, Drew Anderson, is in the lineup in the familiar # 2 slot. There's no other choice here for Don Money........ Did it really matter? Only runs matter, and the Stars today couldn't figure out how to score them.

 

Not a cloud in the sky at Trustmark Park today. A sunny 66°...... The Stars broke out their red jerseys for the first time this year. Let's see if it changed their luck. Even though they're 2-1 to start the season, they're really struggling at the plate, hitting just .161.

 

The Stars certainly didn't lack for opportunities. They had a runner in every inning. But in the end, they scored just one run, leaving 12 men on base, seven in scoring position.

 

In the 3rd inning with two out in a scoreless ballgame, the Stars assembled three straight hits.......... Steve Moss tapped a grounder to third and legged it out for an infield hit, Ron Acuna sent a line drive one-hopper to the opposite field for another hit, and Adam Heether loaded them up with a ground ball single to right on the first pitch he saw, ending an 0-for-10 drought, but Lou Palmisano hit the first pitch he saw to right to end the inning....... Three innings, six left on base.

 

The Braves didn't waste their chances in the bottom of the inning........ Ray Serrano led off with an infield single. Heether dove for the ball, got up and fired it to first, but Serrano dove into first and was called safe by one of the substitute umps being used (the minor league umps are on strike - an issue of tenure, mostly)....... Chris Waters forced him out at second on a bunt attempt and after Carl Loadenthal flied out, Waters moved to 2nd on a single by Martin Prado....... That set the stage for shortstop Yunel Escobar........ He drove an 0-1 pitch to right over the head of Acuna, the ball bouncing on the warning track, clearing the bases. (For the second straight night, it seems Acuna has misplayed the ball. Maybe this is why after 10 seasons, he's never gotten above AA.)

 

By the 6th inning, the Stars had managed eight hits, three walks, but only one run...... The Stars got on board in the 5th after Anderson legged out a one-out triple. Up to that point he had been hitting only .167........ With the infield drawn in, Moss drew a walk from Waters, then Acuna bounced a ball slowly enough to the right side to score Anderson and advance Moss....... In the 6th, Kennard Bibbs picked up his first hit of the year, moving Palmisano, who led off with a single, to third, but Callix Crabbe, who has left four runners on base in his previous three games, flied out to center to end the inning....... In the 7th, Heether flied out to center, leaving Acuna, who walked with two out, stranded on first......... In the 8th, Ozzie Chavez legged out a two-out double on a liner that landed in right field foul territory, but pinch-hitter Guilder Rodriguez hit a grounder to second to end that frame.

 

The Braves added an insurance run to make it 3-1. It didn't matter. Acuna was called out on strikes with Crabbe on third to end the game........ The Stars stranded at least one runner in every inning but the 4th........ The last time I saw this kind of waste was a 2-1 loss to Mobile on August 22 of last year. They left 11 -- 6 in scoring position..........The Braves' bullpen in four games has thrown 19 2/3 innings, while allowing just three runs for an ERA of 1.37.

 

The five-game series wraps up Monday with Khalid Ballouli making his first start since May 24 of last year. Going for the Braves is Dan Curtis, who's marking his 5th year in Double-A with the Braves' organization.

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Power designated hitter Angel Salome (center) is congratulated after hitting a towering home run Sunday against Delmarva. Salome went 5-for-5, but the Shorebirds won 8-7.

Charleston Gazette Photographer: Kenny Kemp

 

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/HOMERUN1.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Stars miss opportunities

Huntsville leaves 12 men on base in loss at Mississippi

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com

 

PEARL, Miss. - Stars manager Don Money was counting out loud, doing the math on one of the charts stacked on his desk and scribbling in numbers. Here's the most screwy arithmetic: 9 + 5 = 1.

 

That's hits plus walks ... but adds up to only one run in Huntsville's 3-1 loss to the Mississippi Braves here on a glorious, windy Sunday afternoon.

 

"We had opportunities to get 'em in, but we couldn't,'' Money said of the 12 men left on base. As a result, the Stars are now 2-2 on this young season.

 

The final game of the Stars' visit here comes tonight at 7:05, with Khalid Ballouli pitching against Daniel Curtis, one of only two right-handed starters the Stars will face in a seven-game stretch. Huntsville's home opener is Tuesday at 7:05 against Birmingham.

 

The Stars had runners aboard in every inning and got runners in scoring position in six of them. They even loaded the bases in the third with successive two-out singles by Steve Moss, Ron Acuna and Adam Heether, but Lou Palmisano lined to right to end the inning.

 

The lone Huntsville run came after a one-out Drew Anderson triple in the fifth, with Acuna driving him in on a groundout.

 

The Stars are not being particularly selective at the plate. As Money explained, "What happens, when things don't go your way, you start expanding your (strike) zone. You have to make them throw strikes.''

 

Easier said than done, especially since the consensus is the umpires who are replacing the striking regulars have already expanded the strike zone, especially on the high side.

 

"All of a sudden, something will click and we'll start hitting,'' Anderson said. "We're swinging the bats good. It's the first time (in Double-A for several Stars), we're adjusting, everyone still has a little bit of nerves. Once we get settled in, we'll be fine. We're capable. It's just a matter of finding the comfort level.''

 

Tagged with the loss was Jeff Housman, who allowed four hits in five innings and struck out seven.

 

He was the victim of a borderline call at first base that put Ray Serrano aboard to lead off the second, then gave up a two-out single to Martin Prado and a two-run double to Yunel Escobar.

 

"It was all right,'' Housman said. "I felt like I had pretty decent control for the first time out. Control was the thing I was worried about in the spring.''

[Mass Haas]

No day games today, except for the major league Crew, so look for the start of Monday's Link Report at mid-day...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/200604108/

 

Power has ugly ending to Delmarva series

Jacob Messer

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

Consider this a case study for relief pitchers.

 

Its title: "How not to close a game."

 

With their team leading by four runs in the top of the ninth inning, West Virginia Power relievers Brandon Parillo and Dane Renkert allowed the Delmarva Shorebirds to turn a 7-3 deficit into an 8-7 victory in their final at-bat Sunday afternoon.

 

Many of the 2,931 fans who attended the South Atlantic League game already had left Appalachian Power Park before the final inning because they assumed it was merely a formality.

 

It wasn't.

 

"Parillo and Renkert just didn't get the job done," Power Pitching Coach John Curtis said. "No excuses. It's plain to everybody that when you can't throw strikes, you are doing your team and the lead we had harm. It came back to bite us."

 

Parillo and Renkert threw 35 pitches, 19 of which were called balls.

 

"It's just throwing strikes," said Power starter David Welch, who should have picked up his first win after he allowed one run on one hit -- a solo homer in the fourth -- and finished with nine strikeouts compared to three walks in five innings.

 

"I had trouble with it, too. I walked three guys, too. That's all it is.

 

"If you just throw the ball over the plate, they are going to get themselves out. If you walk guys, you are going to get in trouble."

 

Power relievers Ronny Malave (no runs on two hits in two innings) and Steve Palazzolo (two runs on three hits in one inning) followed Welch and preceded Parillo.

 

Parillo faced Kyle Dahlberg, Rafael Rodriguez, Quincy Ascencion and Lorenzo Scott in the ninth but retired none of them.

 

Parillo allowed one hit and yielded three walks, the last of which plated Dahlberg and started the Shorebirds' rally with their first run in the final inning.

 

Renkert entered and fared no better than Parillo. His first four pitches were balls, walking Stuart Musslewhite and scoring Rodriguez. Renkert (0-1) then surrendered a single to Brandon Snyder, whose hit scored Ascencion.

 

Mark Fleisher and Arturo Rivas followed Snyder with a groundout and a single, respectively, to score Scott and Musslewhite.

 

A 6-4-3 double play mercifully ended the inning for Renkert and the Power, which hurt itself by stranding nine baserunners.

 

"I told them things can't get much worse than that," Curtis said.

 

The Power threatened to return the favor in its half of the ninth, when Mat Gamel and Angel Salome started the inning with back-to-back singles.

 

Ned Yost moved Gamel and Salome into scoring position with a well-placed sacrifice bunt down the first-base line. But Ryan Crew hit into a game-ending double play in which Rodriguez caught his line drive at second base and threw to Rob Marconi at third base to pick off Gamel.

 

"It's tough to swallow when you lose one like that," said Crew, whose club dropped to 1-3.

 

The Power wasted not only a solid performance from Welch but also a spectacular one from Salome, the designated hitter who went 5-for-5 with a single, a homer and a pair of doubles.

 

"You have to shake it off," said Salome, who also scored two runs and knocked in another one. "What can you do about this game? Nothing. It's already in the past."

 

Darren Ford (3-for-5 with three RBI), Brad Willcutt (2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI) and Gamel (2-for-4 with two runs) also had multiple hits for the Power, which scored three in the second, one in the sixth and three in the eighth to build a 7-3 lead entering the ninth.

 

"We have to bounce back," Gamel said.

 

The Power won the season-opener between the teams but has lost three straight.

 

POWER NOTES: Sunday marked the season debut for Willcutt, who started at catcher in place of Salome. A run-scoring double in his first at-bat eased his nerves, helping him at the plate.

 

"Getting a hit (in your first at-bat) makes you relaxed for the rest of the game," Willcutt said. "I had a good day. I saw a bunch of pitches I could hit, and I was able to drive a couple of them."

 

Rod Blackstone, the Power's most famous fan and its loudest, spent the afternoon throwing toast -- and eating crow. Snyder and Rivas, the two players to whom Blackstone talked the most trash, both hit home runs Sunday.

 

Neither Snyder nor Rivas said anything to Blackstone when they jogged past him on the way back to the visiting dugout. The way they look at it, their actions spoke louder than their words could. "It's always good to make them quiet for a little bit," Snyder said with a smile.

 

There are no hard feelings between the players and the fan. "After the game, he came up and congratulated me," Snyder said. "He's a great guy and a great fan."

 

The Power visits the Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers tonight for the first of a four-game series. The Grasshoppers are undefeated at their new stadium, First Horizon Park, where a total of 26,519 fans watched them sweep the Hagerstown (Md.) Suns this weekend. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (6:00 Central).

 

West Virginia Power second baseman Kenny Holmberg, left, steps on second base to force out Delmarva?s Arturo Rivas (15) before throwing to first to complete the double play on the Shorebirds? Rob Marconi, foreground, to put an end to a five-run ninth inning that spelled doom for the Power in an 8-7 loss mon Sunday.

Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Craig Cunningham

 

http://www.dailymail.com/images/0410power.jpg