Link Report for Games of Sunday, August 28th

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.floridatoday.com/apps...80351/1002

 

Manatees bring baseball, fun to the Space Coast

BY TOM BREEN

FLORIDA TODAY

 

Across the state in Tampa-St. Petersburg, and down in Miami, they play Major League Baseball, a royal game where salaries and revenues defy the imagination.

 

Here in Brevard County, we have our own professional boys of summer. But it's a different game, some say more pure, where major- league riches and fame elude most of the players.

 

This is minor-league baseball, which in 2004 attracted nearly 40 million fans to ballparks around the country, an all-time record. About 100,000 of those fans watched games locally.

 

"There's a closeness between the team and the fans you'll never find in a major-league park," said Buck Rogers, the exuberant 45-year-old general manager of the Brevard County Manatees, a high Class A team playing at the 8,100-capacity Space Coast Stadium in the new town of Viera.

 

He is, by the way, no relation to Bob "Buck" Rodgers, the former major-league player and manager.

 

The Manatees, one of about 180 minor-league teams in the United States and Canada with direct ties to the major leagues, play 140 games each summer in the 12-team Florida State League. They are not the only minor-league team in town. Brevard also has a club in the 60-game rookie Gulf Coast League, which plays its home games at the five-field Carl Barger Baseball Complex near Space Coast Stadium.

 

In recent years, as attendance figures clearly illustrate, minor-league baseball has captivated the nation, most likely because of a combination of pretty good baseball, relatively inexpensive ticket prices and often-eccentric promotions.

 

"We give 'em baseball, but we give 'em a lot of fun along the way," said Rogers, a former Army paratrooper who came to Brevard two years ago after running the Daytona Cubs, another Florida State League team.

 

In addition to the baseball itself, which can be surprisingly crisp, Manatee fans participate in a range of promotions.

 

Take Saturday for example. Every fan had an opportunity to throw out a first pitch, lining up in late morning.

 

"You don't leave here without having fun," Rogers said.

 

Fun for Rogers is a successful promotion. Earlier in the season, for example, in a game against the Dunedin Blue Jays, a highlight for female fans occurred game's end during the annual "Diamond Dig."

 

That was when the grounds crew buried poker chips in the infield, just under the surface. About 300 women, with scraping sticks in hand, dug away in search of the chips. Of 24 chips buried, 10 were redeemed for a total of $10,000 in diamonds donated by Don Traver, a Brevard County jeweler.

 

After retrieving a diamond stud, fan Helen Kulp of Fort Lauderdale said, "My brothers live in Brevard, and I drive up every year for the event. It's a blast."

 

Throughout the season, Rogers, an indefatigable promoter, offered up all sorts of treats for the fans -- some lucrative (the Diamond Dig), some wonderful fun (the first-pitch event) and others silly, but enormously entertaining, like the Belly Buster, where participants stuffed their tummies with pounds of food, literally.

 

With so much emphasis on promotions, the baseball itself often seems to be secondary. But for big-league clubs attempting to develop talent, the minor leagues are vital, serving as an incubator for thousands of players, although only a lucky few actually make it to the majors.

 

From a fan perspective, though, loyalty to a minor-league team often has as much to do with personality as talent.

 

Take former Manatee outfielder Robby Deevers, for example. Although a gifted athlete in college, Oklahoma native Deevers, 25, struggled in the minors and finally announced his retirement in mid-August. Fans will miss him because of his interaction with them and for his volunteer work in Brevard. Within the team he also served as a leader in the Baseball Chapel program.

 

"What a class act," Rogers said of Deevers.

 

No millionaires "that I know of "

 

On average, Manatee players earn about $1,300 a month, sometimes less. A few of them originally signed for bonuses as high as $100,000, but most received much less, nothing at all.

 

Because of the smaller salaries, players and management identify closely with ordinary working people who show up for games during the year.

 

"There aren't any millionaires that I know of in this park, at least not in our organization," Rogers said one night, reaching into the refrigerator behind his desk and slapping a piece of ham on white bread for one of his many hurried meals. "We're all pretty ordinary."

 

Before free agency, as recently as the 1970s, the majority of the ballplayers did not earn much more than the average fan. Now, of course, the minimum major-league salary is about $400,000 annually, and many players earn several million dollars a year.

A family affair

 

On a big-league team, especially the wealthy ones, the actual production of the game has become a routine business.

 

In the minor leagues, though, where revenues are far less, simply producing the game can be a madcap endeavor because of limited budgets.

 

Most of Rogers' front-office positions, for example, either are filled by interns working for college credit or recent sports-management graduates being paid only a few hundred dollars a week. Often, they work 80- and 90-hour weeks, even when the team is on the road, and occasionally in the offseason too, preparing for spring training. Rogers' wife Babs and daughters Breann and Holly work for the team, too.

 

The devotion to hard work creates a family atmosphere, and occasional squabbles, especially just before a game when tensions start to rise.

 

Mostly, though, the love of the game, and "the beers afterward" unite people, said Jeff Weinhold, the Manatees' former public relations and ticket operations chief.

 

It clearly is on game day when everybody truly kicks into high gear.

 

A dozen hours before night games, head groundskeeper Doug Lopas drives to Space Coast Stadium from his home in Orlando. He heads a staff of six.

 

As the early morning sun beats down hard on him, Lopas strikes a solitary figure on the emerald-green grass, raking home plate and the infield, filling holes near the pitcher's mound and pounding down the earth.

 

"I want everything to be perfect on the field," Lopas says.

 

Later, as the day wears on, players arrive, cleaning crews ready the stadium and fans start drifting in. Ushers position themselves at the various entrances.

 

John Sheppard, a retired postal worker who manually handles the scoreboard, arrives at his post in the outfield. Roy Lake, the owner of Chocolate Moose, which runs the concessions and handles parking, inspects hundreds of hot dogs and hamburgers. A college student slides into his floppy Manny the Mascot outfit.

 

As a game progresses, Rogers giggles like a little boy every time one of his promotions unfolds. He especially loves the barrel roll, in which two contestants first run around in circles, dizzying themselves, and then shakily roll a barrel.

 

Later, as the stadium empties, Rogers usually lingers, looking out at the field through his office picture window and listening to the sprinklers going rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat.

 

"Look at all this, look at the field," he said. "Hey, this is baseball the way it should be.

 

"Do I have a great job or what?"

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp

 

VIERA, Fla. -- The Brevard County Manatees, the Class A Advanced Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, have set a new record for honorary first pitches thrown before a baseball game.

 

At 6:55 p.m. Saturday night, Karl Bohne threw out pitch No. 4,218 to eclipse the former record of 2,052 pitches thrown by the Madison Mallards, a college wood-bat league team that established the former record on Sunday, Aug. 14.

 

Bohne was the successful bidder in a fundraiser to benefit Nick Catechis, a Rockledge High School baseball player who was seriously injured in a car accident three months ago; the final first pitch ball netted $400 for the fundraiser.

 

Both the Palm Beach Cardinals and Brevard County Manatees players, as well as the umpires for the game, participated in the record-setting event. Manatees starting catcher "Sweet Lou" Palmisano caught the final stretch of pitches before the game began.

 

The Manatees and Imperial's Hotel and Conference Center agreed to the promotion last March in an effort to beat the record set by the 2002 Daytona Cubs of 1,160. The team ordered a sufficient amount of personalized baseballs with the date and sponsor's logo to set a new record, and then not two weeks ago the Mallards shattered the Cubs' record, forcing the Manatees to not only change the scheduled gate opening time from 2 p.m. to 10:30 a.m., but scramble to find at least another 900 baseballs.

 

******on, Wisc. native Doug Lopas, who is the team's head groundskeeper at Space Coast Stadium, threw pitch No. 1 at 10:44 a.m.

 

Manatees general manager, Buck Rogers, was the general manager with the Daytona Cubs when the previous Minor League Baseball record of 1,160 pitches was set.

 

"We planned this event last March during Spring Training and when the Mallards raised the bar two weeks ago, it caught us off-guard. I challenged our staff to put the event together and they answered the call," he said. "Even Mother Nature cooperated as Hurricane Katrina came into Florida south of us and moved away from the state before heading north, giving us an absolutely gorgeous day for the fans to set this record. Next year, we'll do it again as another team will certainly beat this mark."

 

ESPN Radio 1060 of Melbourne, Fla., provided witnesses to the action and maintained a count of all pitches thrown.

 

The Manatees are a member of the Florida State League, a 12-team Minor League Baseball League based entirely inside the state of Florida. Space Coast Stadium and Viera are located approximately 20 miles southwest of Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center on Florida's east coast.

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.floridatoday.com/apps...80355/1002

 

Manatees' future up in the air

BY TOM BREEN

FLORIDA TODAY

 

When the Florida Marlins played their spring baseball games at Space Coast Stadium in Viera up until 2002, and owned the minor-league Brevard County Manatees, the picture was clear.

 

It was a Marlins operation, simple as that.

 

The picture is far from clear now. Things have become complicated. So put down the remote and pay attention (please).

 

Here's what's going on.

 

John Henry, now one of the owners of the Boston Red Sox, owns the business side of the Manatee operations and the nearby five-field Carl Barger Baseball Complex. But the players for the Manatees, a high Class A team, are supplied by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers, though, play their spring-training games in Arizona.

 

The Washington Nationals are now Viera's spring team. The Nationals also operate a Gulf Coast Rookie League team, which plays 60 games through late August at the Barger complex, which Henry still owns. Further, the Nationals, in the spring, send players to rehabilitate in Brevard and to prepare for the short-season Class A New York-Penn League, in which the Nationals have a team in Vermont that, by the way, still is called the Expos (the Nationals' former name).

 

Oh, let's not forget: Brevard County owns Space Coast Stadium. It is not owned by Henry's Red Sox, by the Brewers nor by the Nationals.

 

"Frankly, we have trouble keeping track of all this, so I can imagine what fans must think," said Buck Rogers head of baseball operations in Viera. (Hey, don't touch that remote. You need to know how all this came about).

 

In the winter of 2002, Henry, and Jeffrey Loria, then-owner of the Montreal Expos, forged a deal that was approved by other owners and Commissioner Bud Selig.

 

Loria assumed ownership of the Marlins, and Henry, as a member of a group, bought the Boston Red Sox. As part of the arrangement, Major League Baseball's front office took over operations of the Expos.

 

The deal immediately affected the Marlins' operation in Brevard County.

 

The Marlins, since their founding in 1994, had held spring training in Viera each year and operated the Manatees in the summer. Loria's Expos, for their part, and the minor- league Jupiter Hammerheads both played at the stadium in Jupiter, south of Brevard.

 

Loria immediately transferred the Marlins to Jupiter and took over the Hammerheads.

 

That left Space Coast Stadium, in the winter of 2002, without a spring-training team and the Manatees without a parent major-league club.

 

Selig and baseball's owners moved quickly, though, sending the Expos to Brevard for spring training and taking over the Manatees and the Gulf Coast Rookie League team that plays at the Barger complex.

 

Selig, however, asked Henry to retain ownership of the business side of the Manatees and the Barger complex until a permanent owner could be found for the Viera operation.

 

That meant Henry would earn profits from ticket and concessions sales, but the players would be supplied by the Expos organization, not by Henry's Red Sox.

 

The situation remained static until late 2004 when Selig announced the Expos would move to Washington, D.C., playing in RFK Stadium.

 

So, last spring, the Nationals, still operated by Major League Baseball, played their spring games at Space Coast Stadium. It seemed natural for the Nationals to keep the Manatees and supply players for them. But the Nationals wanted a minor-league team closer to their Washington location. That temporarily left the Manatees without a parent club.

 

Fortunately for Brevard County, the Milwaukee Brewers shut down their high Class A team in California, agreeing to supply players to the Manatees and cover player salaries.

 

"We're pleased to have this working arrangement in Florida," said Scott Martens, the Brewers' assistant director for player development.

 

The arrangement, though, makes it difficult for Manatee fans to follow the ball. They root for the Nationals in the spring, but need to track the Brewers during the regular season to figure out which players will be coming here.

 

As for Rogers and his staff at Space Coast Stadium, they receive salaries from Henry's management group in Boca Raton.

 

There you have it.

 

Repeat after us (put down the remote):

 

The Boston Red Sox own the business side of the Manatees and the five-field Carl Barger complex adjacent to Space Coast Stadium.

 

The Washington Nationals play their spring-training games at Space Coast Stadium but do not supply players for the Manatees.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers do that, but play their spring games in Arizona. The Brewers, however, do not funnel players to the Gulf Coast Rookie League team that plays at the Barger complex in Viera from early summer through late August. The Nationals supply those players.

 

The Nationals also send players to rehabilitate here and prepare for the short-season Class A New York-Penn League team in Vermont.

 

One more thing: The Manatees changed the colors of their logo this year from teal (Marlin colors) to blue and red (National colors). Actually, the Manatee colors technically should be Brewer blue and gold, because the Brewers ship players to the Manatees, but anything goes in this dizzying world of baseball maneuvering.

 

OK, got all that? You will be tested on this later (especially if the Manatees are sold, as expected). And don't forget to bring your scorecard.

[Mass Haas]

Your requisite Manny the Manatee photo:

 

www.floridatoday.com/apps...80350/1002

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Covering the bases

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

Reid Nichols, the Brewers' director of player development, doesn't give many high marks to the 2005 Huntsville Stars. "A lot of players really didn't make the improvement we hoped they would," Nichols said last week, wrapping up a visit to Huntsville. "Some," he said ominously, "will have to come back to this level."

 

In the meantime, coming up behind what should be an experienced '06 Stars team with few sure-fire major leaguers, Milwaukee has some young prospects. Of special note, according to Nichols, are second baseman Hernan Iribarren (.291 with only 21 errors in 120 games) and shortstop Alcides Escobar (.275), who should climb the organizational ladder together. ... He is also high on catcher Angel Salome, the MVP of the Pioneer League, "a little Pudge (Rodriguez), a cannon for an arm." ... Likely headed to Brevard County for next season is No. 1 draft pick Ryan Braun, who has been shut down for the season with a sore arm; he was examined last week by Brewers' team physicians. ...

 

The Stars have an amazing lack of pop offensively. Going into Saturday's game, they had 61 homers in 129 games - and 29 of those homers came from players no longer with the club. Mississippi has the second-fewest at 75. "You've got a guy now who hits with some authority at third (Adam Heether). And Drew Anderson has some power. But we're going to have to fill some holes with free agents, some guys who can hit the ball," Nichols said. ...

 

Pitcher Mike Jones is "on track" in his recovery from shoulder and elbow surgery, Nichols said. The Brewers have had some better fortune with arm injuries this year. The surgery for Manny Parra was relatively minor and he should have full recovery. Ben Diggins, who breezed through Huntsville in 2002 after being acquired from the Dodgers and made it all the way to the majors for five games, has been at Brevard County this year. ...

 

Nichols has high hopes for Ty Taubenheim and Carlos Villanueva, who are now with the Stars after solid seasons in Class A, and the efficient Tim Dillard, who has averaged only 13 1/2 pitches per inning and has five complete games. ... Vinny Rottino, so versatile and valuable for the Stars this year, will go to instructional league this fall and concentrate on catching. The Brewers, thin at that position, would like to see him at least be a part-time catcher, either the No. 2 or No. 3 guy, at Triple-A. ...

 

Nichols said Milwaukee remains happy with Huntsville as a site for its Class AA club - the working agreement expires after 2006 - but echoed his sentiments from preseason that he'd like to see a better clubhouse for his players.

 

Around the league

 

Birmingham began a series at Jacksonville Saturday needing only one win to clinch a postseason berth. But with only a 2 1/2-game lead over the Suns in the SL South, the reeling Barons - losers of seven of nine heading to Florida - need to keep from being caught by the first-half champ Suns. If Jacksonville were to sweep both halves, it could host four of five games in the SL South playoffs. ...

 

The Smokies' Stephen Drew, who led off Saturday's game with a homer, is the brother of Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew. ... Jacksonville has been named "Most Talented Team in Minor League Baseball'' by Baseball America. The Suns have had top 10 Dodger prospects SS Joel Guzman, RHP Chad Billingsley, 1B James Loney, C Russell Martin, RHP Jonathan Broxton, RHP Edwin Jackson, 3B Andy LaRoche and LHP Greg Miller.

 

Brewings

 

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (70-64, first place in Pacific Coast League American Division by three games): Lost 12 of last 14 and six in a row going into Saturday night while batting .202 with runners in scoring position.

 

Single-A Brevard County Manatees (31-29, fourth in Florida State East Division this half): 1B Jeff Eure 15 HRs, 58 RBIs.

 

Single-A West Virginia Power (25-21, third in South Atlantic League Northern Division this half): P Robert Hinton 12 saves.

 

Rookie League Helena Brewers (10-2 in second half in Pioneer League): Kenny Holmberg 10 HRs, 41 RBIs, .368 average.

 

On deck

 

The Stars host Tennessee tonight at 6:05 and Monday at 7:05 to end this homestand. The first 2,000 fans tonight receive a Stars team photo. After a three-game visit to Tennessee, they return Friday and Saturday in the final home games of the season.

[Mass Haas]

Sunday's Daily Menu: Plenty of early evening audio options for you after the Milwaukee game...

 

All starts Central Time except for Arizona Rookie; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: LHP Tommy Phelps at Round Rock (Astros), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: RHP David Bradley at home vs. Tennessee (Diamondbacks), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

If that link is down for bandwidth, use:

specs.eyecentric.com/pres...opup.shtml

 

Brevard County: TBD at home vs. Palm Beach (Cardinals), 12:00 PM

 

Audio link (opponent's):

www.palmbeachcardinals.com/

 

West Virginia: RHP Yo Gallardo at Lexington (Astros), 5:05 PM

 

Audio link:

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

 

Helena: RHP Tyler Morrison at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 6:05 PM

 

Audio link (opponent's):

www.missoulaosprey.com/

 

Arizona: TBD at the Royals' complex, 7:00 PM local time; never any web audio for Arizona Rookie ball...

[Mass Haas]

Follow Sunday's action as it happens:

 

Nashville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_rreaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lexafx_1

 

Helena:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

 

Arizona:

Not updated live, but usually later during the overnight...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_royrok_1

[Mass Haas]

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 71 64 .526 - 33-35 38-29 W1[/b] Omaha 68 67 .504 3.0 32-35 36-32 W2 Memphis 65 69 .485 5.5 33-31 32-38 L2 Iowa 62 69 .473 7.0 38-29 24-40 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 34 26 .567 - 19-13 15-13 L3 West Tenn 33 27 .550 1.0 18-11 15-16 W1 [b]Huntsville 26 35 .426 8.5 11-18 15-17 W3[/b] Tennessee 26 35 .426 8.5 13-14 13-21 L4 Chattanooga 23 37 .383 11.0 15-20 8-17 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 37 25 .597 - 18-14 19-11 L1 Vero Beach 35 26 .574 1.5 19-12 16-14 L2 [b]Brevard County 32 29 .525 4.5 14-17 18-12 W1[/b] St. Lucie 32 30 .516 5.0 15-16 17-14 L2 Daytona 30 31 .492 6.5 18-13 12-18 W2 Jupiter 25 35 .417 11.0 17-13 8-22 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 39 21 .650 - 22-8 17-13 W1 Lexington 34 26 .567 5.0 20-14 14-12 L1 Lake County 31 28 .525 7.5 14-13 17-15 W2 Hickory 30 30 .500 9.0 17-13 13-17 L1 [b]West Virginia 28 31 .475 10.5 15-14 13-17 W1[/b] Lakewood 27 33 .450 12.0 16-18 11-15 L2 Greensboro 27 34 .443 12.5 10-16 17-18 L2 Hagerstown 22 36 .379 16.0 11-16 11-20 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Helena 18 8 .692 - 8-5 10-3 W1[/b] Missoula 14 12 .538 4.0 9-6 5-6 L1 Billings 13 13 .500 5.0 6-5 7-8 L1 Great Falls 11 15 .423 7.0 6-7 5-8 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Mariners 16 8 .667 - 9-4 7-4 W3 AZL Athletics 16 9 .640 0.5 10-4 6-5 L2 AZL Giants 15 9 .625 1.0 6-6 9-3 W3 AZL Rangers 13 12 .520 3.5 7-6 6-6 L1 AZL Royals 12 12 .500 4.0 7-5 5-7 L4 AZL Padres 11 14 .440 5.5 5-9 6-5 W4 [b]AZL Brewers 9 13 .409 6.0 3-8 6-5 L7[/b] AZL Angels 9 16 .360 7.5 2-5 7-11 W1 AZL Cubs 8 16 .333 8.0 4-9 4-7 L2

Stats and League Leaders, USA Today (or go to MILB.com):

 

www.usatoday.com/sports/b.../index.htm

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 9, Palm Beach (Cardinals) 1

 

Brevard County Box Score:

LHP Ryan Costello strong again -- his mid-season awful stretch is one of this season's mysteries; Steve Moss, Lou Palmisano, and Jeff Eure on base three times apiece...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Manatees Players Serve as Honor Guard:

 

Follow link for the story....

 

www.manateesbaseball.com/...s.cgi?id=1

 

http://www.manateesbaseball.com/images/news/1125270727.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Yet to Begin: West Virginia at Lexington (wet grounds)

 

Look for this one to begin around 6:40 PM Central, almost a two-hour delay to start; looking to catch some audio this evening -- listening to Yovani Gallardo take the hill for the Power isn't a bad choice...

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Media Notes for Sunday (PDF format):

Pre-Dennis Sarfate call-up...

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

[colbyjack]

Nice job as always by Mark McCarter. I always enjoy hearing/reading direct comments from Reid or any of our higher ups on our prospects.

 

Nichols has high hopes for Ty Taubenheim and Carlos Villanueva, who are now with the Stars after solid seasons in Class A, and the efficient Tim Dillard, who has averaged only 13 1/2 pitches per inning and has five complete games.

 

Have we seen this stat before? Averaging 13.5 pitches/inning sounds incredibly impressive. We all knew he worked efficiently given the amount of innings he's piled up, but it's always nice to have a stat back up a strong presumption.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 4, Tennessee (Diamondbacks) 3

I keep finding myself returning to Huntsville audio for no particular reason the past few days, and now find myself rewarded with a four-game Stars' win streak...

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Enrique Cruz only 4-of-8 on the basepaths this season -- didn't realize the speed aspect of his game had fallen by the wayside; Adam Heether and Brandon Gemoll on base three times apiece; Happy Birthday, David Bradley -- in style!

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

Much more from the Stars' web site before too long...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

[Mass Haas]

In progress: Round Rock (Astros) 4, Nashville 3, bottom of the 8th

Excitement in Round Rock as Frank Kremblas has just called upon "ace reliever" Chris Barnwell in a non mop-up situation -- sit tight...

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 7, Lexington (Astros) 1

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Yo Gallardo's walk totals way up from earlier this season, but he continues to minimize the damage, always easier to do at the lower levels; Dave Johsnon with the all-important strand of two runners with his one batter faced (K); Angel Salome picks off a runner at first base; Carlos Corporan and Will Lewis with three hits apiece, Hasan Rasheed two...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lexafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lexafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 8, Helena 5

 

Helena Box Score:

Tough outing for RHP Tyler Morrison; Stephen Chapman 2-for-4, double, HR, two RBI; catcher Bryan Opdyke only 6-for-36, but 14 walks places his OBP well over .400...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

 

Helena Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Round Rock (Astros) 4, Nashville 3

Chris Barnwell got the ground ball out he needed after issuing a walk; Omaha loses, so the Sounds magic number is down to six, as the back-in to a division title continues...

 

Nashville Box Score:

Game ended with the Sounds challenging to tie, but Jeff Cirillo grounded into a 6-3 double play; Nelson Cruz with a mammoth HR that prompted a collective "ooh-and-ah" gasp from the Express' home crowd; Mitch Stetter surrendered the eventual game-loser, a three-run eighth-inning shot against a lefty bat -- that hurts...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_rreaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_rreaaa_1

[Anders34]

Just got back from the Sounds/Express game. Unfortunately the Sounds let this one get away from them. They should have won handlily, but grounded into several double plays (two of them with bases loaded) including Cirillo's to end the game.

 

Krynzel and Cruz had nice games. The Cruz homerun was an absolute blast. It went over the 375 sign and may have left the stadium (it went over the grass berm and in between their upper deck homerun porch and a small building). Never saw a distance, but I would guess 450ft.

 

Nice pitching by Phelps tonight, but Zumwalt was skating on thin ice all night. Almost all his out were fly balls and many were hit well but Krynzel, Cruz, and Durrington tracked most of them down. Luke Scott has owned the Sounds so it was no surprise to see him go deep. I have seen Stetter pitch twice now and am not excited. Maybe I have just seen him on bad days.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

Heether's Hustle Helps Stars Win Fourth Straight

Adam Heether scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch with two outs in the eighth inning, as Huntsville came back to down Tennessee 4-3 Sunday night in the third game of a four-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars won their fourth straight game to improve to 27-35 in the second half and move into third place one game ahead of the Smokies in the North Division. The Stars have won four consecutive games for the first time since July 29 through August 2 when they swept a three-game set from Montgomery and won the first game of a three-game series at West Tenn.

 

Mike Schultz took over on the mound for the Smokies with one out in the eighth inning and gave up a double to Heether, who collected two hits in a contest for the first time at the double-A level. Heether stole third base with two outs and Enrique Cruz at the plate for his second steal of the night and a season-high fifth for the home team. Cruz struck out swinging on a 3-2 pitch from Schultz that got past catcher Mike DiRosa, allowing Heether to score and Cruz to reach first base.

 

Gerrit Simpson retired all three hitters he faced in the ninth to earn his third save and second in as many nights. Tennesee had tied the game in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Jarred Ball that scored Marland Williams.

 

Chris Carter and Jamie D?Antona doubled in two-out runs against Stars? starter David Bradley in the first inning to put the Smokies ahead for the second straight night in their first at-bat. The right-hander then retired the next 11 hitters before Williams reached base in the fifth on a Heether error. Bradley then set down the next five batters before departing after six innings during which he threw 107 pitches. The only Smokies? hit after the first inning was a single by Adam Haley after Ball?s scoring fly ball.

 

The Stars scored single runs in the first, fourth and fifth innings against Smokies? starter Dustin Nippert, who entered the game with the best earned run average in the league. The right-hander allowed two earned runs on seven hits and four walks and threw 100 pitches before being lifted after five frames.

 

The series wraps up on Monday night with Huntsville right-hander Ty Taubenheim taking the hill against Smokies? right-hander Tony Pena. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

Power split the series with Lexington

Lexington, KY ? The West Virginia Power took advantage of a four-run sixth inning on Sunday night at Applebee?s Park and they went on the beat the Lexington Legends by the final score of 7-1 in their final game against their archrival this season.

 

Will Lewis gave the Power a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on an RBI single, which was his first of three hits in the game. Lexington tied the game on a two out RBI single from J.R. Towles in the bottom of the second.

 

The Power took the lead for good in the top of the fifth inning when Hernan Iribarren stole second base and then scored on a two-base throwing error committed by catcher Chris Clark. The Power pulled away scoring four runs in the top of the sixth inning on five consecutive hits. Lewis and Agustin Septimo both hit RBI doubles in the inning, Hasan Rasheed drove in the third run of the inning on an RBI single, and Rasheed scored later in the sixth when Samuel Gervacio was called for a balk. The Power plated the final run of the game on Septimo?s sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth inning.

 

Yovani Gallardo (7-3) tossed six and two thirds solid innings to earn the victory, and Felipe Paulino (1-1) obtained the loss. The Power are 29-31 in the second half after the win and the Legends move to 34-27 with the loss.

 

The Power will begin the final home series of the season at Appalachian Power Park (four-games) with the Delmarva Shorebirds on Monday night. The Power will throw RHP Mark Rogers (1-9, 5.16) and the Shorebirds will counter with RHP Radhames Liz (1-2, 4.18). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

[Mass Haas]

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

 

Manatees Crush Cardinals; 'Tees Remain in Playoff Hunt

The Manatees rolled over the Palm Beach Cardinals 9-1 on the strength of their potent offense and Ryan Costello's stellar pitching.

 

Costello breezed through the Cardinals lineup on his way to his sixth victory. Costello shined through seven and a third innings, allowing only six hits and striking out eight. His only mistake was a ball left up for Cardinals center fielder Reed Gorecki that was deposited over the left field fence for a home run. Reliever Jeremy Lewis came on in the eighth to record his tenth save.

 

The Manatees bats started off hot in the first inning. With runners on second and third and one out, Jeff Eure laced a double down the right field foul line to score Steve Sollmann and Steve Moss. Lou Palmisano followed with an RBI single to plate Eure and give the Manatees a 3-0 lead. The Manatees struck again in the sixth for a run, and again in the eighth for five more. Eure ended the game going 3-5 with three RBI's. Palmisano had another good game, going 3-5 with two RBI's.

 

With the win, the Manatees moved to within 3.5 games of the Cardinals for first place in the FSL East Division with seven games remaining. The Manatees head to Vero Beach tomorrow to take on the second place Dodgers at 7:00 pm (6:00 Central).

 

The first place Cardinals travel to Daytona Beach to face the Cubs.

 

The season ends in a week and four teams remain mathematically qualified for the final playoff berth in the FSL's Eastern Division. Jupiter has been eliminated and Vero Beach has already clinched a post-season berth.

[Katuluu]

Nashville's collapse is almost painful. Though Krynzel heating up again is helping, and it's nice to see N Cruz finally start to pull out of his freefall. What with Brad Nelson swinging a hot bat again it might be a good time to call him back up and give Nashville a much needed bat to help make up for the loss of Fielder and Hart to Milwaukee.

[Mass Haas]

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Stars find a way to win

Huntsville wins fourth straight by scoring on wild pitch in eighth

By MATTHEW NASCONE

For The Huntsville Times

 

The Huntsville Stars won their fourth straight game on a crucial play in the eighth inning Sunday.

 

Enrique Cruz struck out on a wild pitch by Mike Schultz, scoring Adam Heether and giving the Stars a 4-3 victory over the Tennessee Smokies at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

The Stars turned a tie game into a win in the eighth inning for the second straight night against Tennessee. The Stars turned seven errors into five runs during the two games.

 

"A win is a win," said Huntsville manager Don Money. "We could have put the game out of reach early, but we just didn't get the hits when we needed them and we squeezed out a win.

 

"We have given our share of games like that away this year, so I'll take it."

 

None of the three runs the Smokies scored were earned as starter David Bradley went six innings, allowing no earned runs, striking out seven batters and walking none.

 

Bradley gave up two unearned runs on three hits in the first inning, but allowed no hits and struck out six in the following five innings.

 

"My location wasn't as good in the first inning, my command wasn't quite there, but after that I settled down and I was locating my pitches better and that was the biggest difference," Bradley said.

 

Brian Wolfe (3-1) picked up the win for the Stars, throwing two innings in relief. Gerrit Simpson recorded his third save of the season, pitching a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout.

 

The win was the Stars' fourth straight victory, a feat the team has not accomplished since July 29-Aug. 1.

 

The first earned run of the game came in the bottom of the fourth on a single by Brad Nelson. Heether scored on Nelson's single to tie the game at 2-2.

 

In the fifth inning the Stars grabbed a 3-2 lead when Brandon Gemoll scored on a fielder's choice. The Smokies tied the game two innings later on a sacrifice fly.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site Game Summary:

 

Link for Tommy Phelps photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1771

 

Late Express Homer Hands Sounds 4-3 Loss

ROUND ROCK, Tex. ? Luke Scott crushed a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to stake the Round Rock Express to a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Sunday evening in the finale of a five-game series at The Dell Diamond.

 

Despite its fourth loss of the series, Nashville (71-65) retained its three-game lead over Omaha in the PCL American Conference Northern Division, as the Royals lost to Oklahoma to reduce the Sounds? magic number to six.

 

The Express grabbed a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the bottom of the third inning when Charles Gipson ripped a two-out RBI double off Nashville starter Tommy Phelps.

 

Nelson Cruz crushed his third homer in the last two nights to tie the contest in the top of the fourth, belting a mammoth solo shot to left-center to lead off the frame against Round Rock reliever Travis Driskill. The right-hander entered the game to face Cruz after starter Carlos Hernandez was removed due to an injury.

 

AUDIO: Mammoth Nelson Cruz Homer

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-28.mp3

 

Later in the frame, Chris Barnwell delivered a one-out RBI single to plate Mike Rivera and give the Sounds a 2-1 lead.

 

Nashville increased its lead to 3-1 in the sixth on a strange play with the bases loaded and one out. Trent Durrington hit a ball to short that scored Barnwell from third but resulted in a double play when Tony Zuniga was thrown out attempting to move from first to second and Corey Hart attempted to score from second and was gunned down at the plate.

 

In the decisive eighth, pinch-hitter Alex Eckelman and Gipson led off the frame with consecutive singles against Sounds reliever Alec Zumwalt, who was replaced by left-hander Mitch Stetter. Scott greeted the southpaw with a go-ahead, three-run shot to right-center, his team-leading 31st longball of the season.

 

The Sounds put the tying run into scoring position with one out in the bottom of the ninth against Express closer Scott Strickland but Jeff Cirillo grounded into a game-ending double play.

 

Express reliever T.J. Mathews (1-1) recorded his first victory of the year, tossing a scoreless frame following Scott?s homer. Stetter (1-1) took his first career Triple-A loss after blowing the save. Strickland picked up his tenth save with a scoreless ninth.

 

Phelps turned in a solid outing in his fourth start for Nashville, allowing only one unearned run on two hits over five innings of work.

 

The Sounds continue their road trip on Monday evening at Auto Zone Park in Memphis, where they?ll engage the division-rival Redbirds in the 7:05 p.m. opener of a four-game series. Right-hander Wes Obermueller will make the start for the Sounds and face Memphis right-hander Anthony Reyes.

[Mass Haas]

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Brewers continue to struggle

By KEVIN SHIVELY - IR Sports Writer

 

The Helena Brewers struggled in their series with Billings, and they don't seem to be having an easier time with the Osprey.

 

The Missoula club beat the Helena Brewers 8-5 Sunday night, winning the first of a three game series and pulling closer to the Brewers in the standings.

 

The Osprey are in a playoff race with the Mustangs and needs some Billings losses to win the second half. Sunday's win brought Missoula within three games of the first place Brewers in the second-half standings.

 

Missoula didn't waste any time in picking up a lead in the game, scoring four runs in the first inning on back-to-back homeruns from Osvaldo Diaz and Bryan Byrne.

 

The Brewers, on the other hand, didn't score until the fifth. They collected three runs in the inning, but that only matched the three Missoula had picked up earlier in the fifth.

 

Ryan Crew and Stephen Chapman each had RBI doubles for Helena in the inning.

 

Chapman also hit a two-run homer in the seventh to bring the Brewers within two.

 

The Helena slugger was 2-for-4 in the game with four RBI.

 

In the bottom of the ninth, down by two, Helena put two runners on, bringing the tying run to the plate in Jose Jimenez.

 

Jimenez, new from the Arizona League Brewers was making his first appearance for the Helena club.

 

The Osprey turned an easy double play to get out of the game. It was their third double play in the game.

 

Cody Evans started the game on the mound for Missoula, pitching into the fifth before he was replaced by Derik Nippert, who pitched two innings for the win.

 

For Helena, Tyler Morrison got the loss. Morrison allowed five earned runs in his 4 2/3 innings on the mound, but walked none and struck out six.

 

The two teams will square off again tonight at 7 p.m. (8:00 Central).