Link Report for Tuesday, August 16th -- Sarfate Update

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site:

 

The Huntsville Stars and Chattanooga Lookouts were rained out Tuesday night in the opening game of a three-game series at BellSouth Park. The game will be resumed with one out in the bottom of the third inning and played to its conclusion in nine innings before a seven inning contest is played in the nightcap.

 

The Stars were leading 3-1 and D?Angelo Jimenez had just walked to load the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the third inning when the teams were taken off the field with the threat of rain and lightning all around the ballpark. Heavy rain started to fall shortly thereafter and continued for an hour and twenty minutes before the game was finally suspended.

 

Brad Nelson singled in a run with two outs in the first inning to give the Stars the early lead before Jimenez singled home Junior Ruiz, who had tripled with one out, to tie the game in the home first. Huntsville starting pitcher Glenn Woolard singled home Brandon Gemoll with two outs in the second inning to put the visitors back on top and Gemoll chased home Kennard Bibbs with a sacrifice fly in the third inning to push the Huntsville lead to two.

 

Brian Wolfe will take over on the mound for Woolard in the completion of the suspended game and David Bradley will make his assigned start in the second game.

 

Coverage of the twin bill gets underway at 4:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[Mass Haas]

Someone said they don't know the status of Palmisano.

 

Absent from the box scores for several days, and Clay Blevins called up to join Nestor Corredor with the Manatees...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.jsonline.com/sports/b...348933.asp

 

By DREW OLSON

dolson@journalsentinel.com

 

Fall planning: One by one, Brewers manager Ned Yost summoned a string of rookies into his office Tuesday afternoon. He spoke with J.J. Hardy, Dana Eveland and Corey Hart, and it wasn't to warn them about getting their clothes stolen and replaced by Hooters waitress costumes.

 

He was talking about fall baseball.

 

The Brewers are in the process of finalizing their roster for the Arizona Fall League, a finishing school for top prospects that begins Oct. 4.

 

Hardy and Class AAA Nashville first baseman Prince Fielder have been selected as the Brewers' "priority" players, which means they are guaranteed roster spots with the Peoria Javelinas, a cooperative team comprised of players from Milwaukee, Baltimore, Seattle, San Diego and Colorado. Gary Pettis, the hitting coach at Class AAA Nashville, will serve as the Javelinas manager.

 

The final four Brewers players will be determined by need, but the Brewers are hoping that Hart and Eveland will be allowed to participate. Hart, who was called up on Sunday, would get playing time in all three outfield spots as well as first and third base. "It will just increase his versatility," Yost said. "What I told him is, 'Look at Billy Hall. Billy comes in every day not knowing where he'll play, but he starts every day somewhere.' "

 

The Brewers also would like to place some players with winter ball clubs.

[Mass Haas]

Corey Hart is among the Jim Powell pre-game interviews archived here:

 

www.brewersradionetwork.c.../index.asp

[lovehate]

Nice outing from former big prospect Brett Evert, am I wrong or has he put together some nice showings lately ?

[Mass Haas]

Final: Lakewood (Phillies) 12, West Virginia 4

It's probably for reasons hinted at above, limiting Josh Wahpepah's innings at this juncture of the season, that we're enduring all these Greg Kloosterman starts -- make them end, please!

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

Richardson's streak snapped in Power loss

Charleston, WV ? Grant Richardson had reached base safely in every game dating back to July 9th, totaling 32 consecutive ball games. On Tuesday night at Appalachian Power Park, that streak came to an end as Richardson went 0 for 4 and the Power fell to the Lakewood BlueClaws 12-4.

 

Mike Dzurilla hit a two-run homer in the top of the first inning to provide Lakewood with an early 2-0 lead. It was a 3-0 game after Sean Gamble ripped an RBI single in the top of the second. Hasan Rasheed brought the Power within two runs in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly.

 

In the top of the fourth inning Greg Golson smacked an RBI single and he scored later in the inning on a wild pitch. Ryan Braun delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning to pull the Power a little closer. Charlie Fermaint knocked in the next run for the Power with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning.

 

In the top of the sixth, Gamble hit a solo homer and Brad Harman smacked an RBI double to give Lakewood a 7-3 lead. The BlueClaws were not done. In the top of the ninth inning they scored five times. Harman hit a solo home run to begin the inning. Sam Orr walked with the bases loaded to bring in the second run, Gamble ripped a two-run double and Golson knocked in the final run of the inning on an RBI single. The Power plated the final run of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning on Will Lewis?s RBI groundout.

 

Maximo De La Cruz (8-10) earned the victory, and Greg Kloosterman (4-17) obtained the loss. The Power are 26-23 in the second half after the loss and the BlueClaws move to 24-26 with the win.

 

The Power will continue the series with Lakewood on Wednesday night at Appalachian Power Park. The Power will throw LHP Derek Miller (1-0, 0.73) and Lakewood will counter with LHP Derek Griffith (7-10, 3.74). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Justin Barnes can't bail out Wahpepah -- three inherited runners score; more fielding woes for Alcides Escobar and Ryan Braun...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 7, Round Rock (Astros) 5

Way to bounce back from 3-0 and 5-3 deficits...

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

 

Link for new Prince Fielder photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1751

 

NASHVILLE ? The Nashville Sounds snapped a three-game slide with a 7-5 victory over the Round Rock Express on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series and eight-game homestand.

 

With the win, Nashville (69-55) maintained its 6 ½ game lead over second-place Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. The victory was the Sounds? 14th in their last 15 series openers.

 

Ex-Sound Carlos Rivera blasted Nashville hurler Mike Meyers? first pitch of the second inning bounding onto Chestnut Street for a 1-0 Round Rock lead. The tater was the first baseman?s 14th of the season. The Express doubled the advantage to 2-0 with an unearned run on Brooks Conrad?s two-out, bases-loaded RBI single.

 

Luke Scott smashed Meyers? first pitch of the third inning over the wall in left-center to up the Express lead to 3-0. The solo shot was the outfielder?s 24th blast of the season.

 

Nashville third baseman Tony Zuniga, who was playing in his 1,000th career professional game, continued his hot hitting at the plate with a one-out, two-run double off Round Rock starter Fernando Nieve in the bottom of the frame. Nelson Cruz and Prince Fielder, who were hit by a pitch and walked respectively, scored on the two-bagger. Warren Morris followed with an RBI single to knot the score at 3-3.

 

Rivera delivered again against his former club in the fifth, belting a two-run homer to right to push Round Rock back into the lead at 5-3. The roundtripper gave him his first multi-homer effort of the season.

 

The longball parade continued in the bottom of the inning. Cruz and Fielder smacked back-to-back home runs off Nieve to open the frame and tie the game once again at 5-5. Cruz?s tally was his seventh as a Sound and 23rd overall in 2005, while Fielder moved into sole possession of 8th place on Nashville?s single-season longball list with 27 on the year.

 

Audio Link for Fielder's "Tape-measure" Blast:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-16.mp3

 

The Sounds grabbed their first lead of the night at 6-5 in the sixth when Trent Durrington extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a leadoff double then scored on a Cruz RBI single.

 

Durrington plated an insurance run in the seventh with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to score Morris.

 

Brett Evert (1-1) earned his first Triple-A victory of the season after fanning three batters over two hitless innings of relief. Driskill (9-5) took the loss for the Express after giving up two runs in his two frames. Alec Zumwalt earned his first career Triple-A save by recording the final five outs for the Sounds.

 

Left-hander Tommy Phelps started and threw one scoreless inning for Nashville, his first appearance with the club despite spending the previous 30 days on the active roster.

 

The teams continue the series with a noon matinee on Wednesday afternoon. Right-hander Ben Hendrickson (6-9, 4.56) will make the start for the Sounds and face Round Rock right-hander Brian Tollberg (3-1, 3.60).

 

Nashville Box Score:

Prince walks twice as well -- honestly, isn't it easy to be as excited about his presence on the horizon now more so than ever? Finish hot, Lyle, to net us more in return...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Helena 6, Idaho Falls (Royals) 5

Freddy Parejo with a walk-off two-run single capping a three-run ninth!

 

Helena Box Score:

Nice to see Simon Beresford back on track after injury struggles early this season; Agustin Septimo and Ryan Crew reach four times each at the top of the order; who is this Freddy Parejo, and where was he in West Virginia? Stephen Chapman a big pinch-hit RBI triple...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

 

Helena Game Log:

Mat Gamel (2005, 4th round) joining Ryan Braun with defensive struggles at the hot corner -- plenty of time to fix that...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Making sure everyone saw this Dana Eveland feature over at MLB.com from a few days ago:

 

brewers.mlb.com/NASApp/ml...p;c_id=mil

[Mass Haas]

Additional tidbits on the AFL and winter ball updates from Adam McCalvy of MLB.com:

 

milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...p;c_id=mil

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.helenair.com/articles...705_05.txt

 

Ninth-inning rally lifts Brewers

By KEVIN SHIVELY - IR Sports Writer

 

The Brewers have a talent for late game theatrics.

 

Helena allowed the Idaho Falls Chukars to pull ahead by two in the top of the ninth, but everything they tried in the bottom half of the inning worked as the Brewers won 6-5.

 

"Tonight we just executed when we needed to," said Helena skipper Ed Sedar. "We missed some chances to put runs on the board early in the game, but later on our bunts were perfect and we had some big hits."

 

Left fielder Agustin Septimo led the inning off with a frozen rope to left center, and then Ryan Crew walked.

 

Kenny Holmberg followed with a textbook bunt, and was safe at first on an error from closer Matt Kniginyzky.

 

With the bases loaded and no outs, Mat Gamel singled to drive in Septimo and bring the Brewers within one.

 

Freddy Parejo finished things off by finding a gap in left, allowing Crew and Holmberg to score.

 

As soon as the pair crossed the plate, they were tackled by the entire Brewer's staff.

 

Parejo was 2-for-4 in the game, and Crew led the team, hitting 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles.

 

The Brewers wouldn't have needed the ninth inning spree, but in the eighth, Stephen Chapman tripled, and Scotty McKnight knocked one to center that looked sure to score Chapman, but center fielder Ethian Santana made an all out headlong diving catch to steal the RBI and get the Chukars out of the inning.

 

For the second night in a row, the Helena pitching staff came through.

 

"Once again, the pitching allowed us time to put up some runs," said Sedar. "They've really been coming through."

 

Simon Beresford started for the crew and pitched five innings, striking out five and allowing only three hits and one run.

 

Beresford didn't get the win because of a blown save by David Welch.

 

Joe Thatcher, who came in to get the last out of the ninth and struck out his only batter, was awarded the win. It was his second of the season.

 

The win ended the series with the Brewers winning 3-of-4. The Brewers (37-17, 13-3) will take today off as a travel day, and then head to Idaho Falls (24-31, 7-10) for three more games.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200508171

 

Fatigued Power falls to Lakewood

By Mike Whiteford

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

August is an especially demanding month in the South Atlantic League.

 

Most of the league?s players are experiencing their first five-month professional season and, as the final weeks unfold, they invariably feel a harsh blend of physical and mental fatigue they?ve probably never felt before.

 

In the case of the Power players, the prospect of a playoff spot may help offset some of the fatigue, but nothing seemed to work Tuesday night at Appalachian Power Park.

 

The Lakewood BlueClaws hit three home runs, including a mammoth blast off the scoreboard, and scored five runs in the ninth for a 12-4 victory. On a night of threatening skies, a paid crowd of 2,205 attended.

 

After taking three of four at Greensboro last week, the Power is 2-3 on the current seven-game homestand and slipped to five games behind first-place Delmarva in the Northern Division. The Power has 20 games remaining, including four at home against the Shorebirds later this month.

 

The season has been particularly long for Power third baseman Ryan Braun, who on Feb. 1 played his opening game of the year as a member of the Miami Hurricanes. He played 60 games with the ?Canes and visited the usual ACC haunts ? Tallahassee, Clemson, Chapel Hill, Durham and Winston-Salem.

 

After being selected in the first round by the Brewers in the June draft, he traveled to Milwaukee to sign a contract and then opened his professional career at Helena of the Pioneer (Rookie) League, where he played 10 games.

 

From there, he was assigned to Charleston and has played 34 games with the Power and is hitting .353 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs. He was 1-for-4 with an RBI and a warning-track out Tuesday.

 

The long season and extensive travel have taken their toll, of course.

 

?My body?s broken down. I?ve lost a lot of weight,?? Braun said after Tuesday?s game. ?But fatigue is something you have to deal with as a major-league baseball player. It?s just something I need to overcome.??

 

He knows that this season, his first as a professional, will benefit him down the road.

 

?It?s a great experience,?? he added. ?I?ve really enjoyed myself. I?ve really learned a lot from my experience so far.??

 

The BlueClaws, who trail the Power by just 1 1/2 games, jumped on Power starter Greg Kloosterman for two runs in the first, another in the second and two in the fourth. Kloosterman, who fell to 4-17, yielded four hits, four earned runs and four walks in four innings. He struck out six.

 

His teammates committed three errors and collected just five hits, though they delivered two sacrifice flies to account for half their runs.

 

It was a performance, said manager Ramon Aviles, that has been typical of the Power this season following off-days.

 

?I?m very glad that [Monday] was our last day off of the season,?? he said. ?I?m glad because we don?t show up on days after days off. That?s typical of this team. We don?t play good baseball after a day off. We keep telling them: This is the time of year that separates the men from the boys. This is their livelihood.??

 

The Power and BlueClaws will complete the homestand with 7:05 games (6:05 Central) Wednesday and Thursday.

 

Power third baseman Ryan Braun tracks down a fly ball Tuesday night.

Charleston Gazette Photographer: Chris Dorst

 

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

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=43698

 

Sounds continue push toward playoffs

By Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com

 

The cast of characters has changed, but the Nashville Sounds remain legitimate contenders for the Pacific Coast League crown. The team proved that again Tuesday night in front of 5,058 fans at a damp Greer Stadium, where the Sounds downed visiting Round Rock 7-5.

 

Over the weekend, the Sounds had All-Star outfielder Corey Hart and two of their top relievers in Kane Davis and Jose Capellan promoted by Milwaukee. One of the players called on to replace Hart is Trent Durrington, who was optioned down to Nashville. Durrington doubled and scored the winning run in the sixth.

 

The Sounds trailed 5-3, but came behind to earn the win.

 

?We say this every night,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. ?Another nice come-from-behind win for us.?

 

Even with Davis and Capellan gone, the Sounds bullpen turned in a solid effort. Newcomer Alec Zumwalt pitched 1.1 shutout innings and earned his first save as a Sound.

 

Round Rock got on the board in the second inning with a pair of runs off Mike Meyers. Former Sound Carlos Rivera hit a solo home run onto Chestnut Street and Brooks Conrad plated Alex Eckelman with an RBI single later in the inning.

 

In the third, the Express played long ball off Meyers again when Luke Scott went yard.

 

The Sounds (69-55) struck back in the bottom of the inning when third baseman Tony Zuniga doubled to score Nelson Cruz and Prince Fielder. Warren Morris then notched an RBI single to score Zuniga.

 

The Express lead ballooned to 5-3 on another Rivera homer in the fifth.

 

Nashville answered in the bottom of the inning. That?s when Cruz and Fielder belted back-to-back solo home runs to tie the game at five. Fielder?s homer was No. 27 on the season for the hard-hitting first baseman.

 

?I?m seeing the ball pretty good right now and when a good pitch comes, I?m not missing it too often,? Fielder said.

 

After being unused since July 17 when he was optioned down by Milwaukee, reliever Tommy Phelps finally got some action Tuesday. Phelps started the game and threw a scoreless inning for the Sounds before being spelled by Meyers.

 

Kremblas said Phelps showed some rustiness, but pitched well considering the time off. Phelps was out with weakness in his shoulder and a sore knee.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Pitcher Phelps has quick Sounds debut

Receives no-decision in team's 7-5 victory

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Late arrivals to Greer Stadium last night probably missed the first Nashville Sounds appearance by Tommy Phelps.

 

Phelps, who was assigned to the Sounds by Milwaukee on July 17, had not pitched since a relief outing on July 7 at Florida ? a span of nearly six weeks.

 

Although he made the start, Phelps didn't figure into the decision as Nashville outslugged visiting Round Rock 7-5 and snapped a three-game losing streak.

 

In a gametime decision, Phelps got the start but worked only one inning before giving way to originally scheduled starter Mike Meyers. Phelps, the 11th starting pitcher the Sounds have used this season, allowed a one-out triple to Brooks Conrad but retired the final two hitters.

 

"He had some rustiness with his command, but he threw some good breaking balls, some good curveballs," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said of Phelps, who has had knee and shoulder problems since joining the team. "He struck a lefty out (Luke Scott), which was good."

 

Perhaps Phelps should have stayed longer. Meyers allowed three home runs over four innings ? one to Scott and two to former Sounds first baseman Carlos Rivera.

 

However, the Nashville offense overcame deficits of 3-0 and 5-3, the second on back-to-back fifth-inning homers by Nelson Cruz and Prince Fielder en route to a 5-5 deadlock.

 

"When he threw his breaking balls, he did alright," Kremblas said of Meyers, who has given up nine homers in his last four outings. "I thought he threw too many fastballs to their middle-of-the-order guys. He was better when he mixed it up."

 

Trent Durrington doubled and scored on Cruz's base hit for a 6-5 lead in the sixth, and the Sounds added an insurance run in the seventh as reliever Brett Evert earned the victory.

 

"This past couple of days, we've been playing good baseball, but we couldn't find a way to win," Fielder said after his 27th homer. "But I think we play better when we're behind. We don't like to lose, and (Kremblas) has programmed us to hate losing. We play harder. We don't want to give up."

 

Magic number: With the win, and an 8-3 Memphis win over Oklahoma, the Sounds' magic number for clinching the Pacific Coast League American North division title stands at 14.

 

Still streaking: Durrington, optioned off the Brewers roster over the weekend to make room for Corey Hart, started in left field last night with a 16-game hitting streak ? the longest since Adam Hyzdu ran off 26 consecutive during the 2001 season ? still on the line.

 

Durrington extended the streak, which was ongoing when he was called up on June 25, to 17 games with a sixth-inning leadoff double.

 

With the Brewers, he was 3-for-10 in 23 games with a double, a pair of RBIs and five stolen bases.

 

Generation III: Veteran major league umpire Brian Runge will work the final three games of the Sounds' series with Round Rock on a rehab assignment. Runge, who worked during the postseason last year, is the son of Paul Runge and the grandson of Ed Runge, both former major league umpires.

 

Short stops: With last night's start, Sounds third baseman Tony Zuniga has appeared in 1,000 professional games ? all at the minor league level.

 

Dave Krynzel batted second last night, the first time in 95 Sounds starts this season that he has not hit in the leadoff position.

[Mass Haas]

Two newspapers in Charleston, so some duplicate coverage -- a few new nuggets here (and the photo):

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...005081712/

 

Sixth-inning home run dooms Power in defeat

J.T. Simms

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

Tuesday's late afternoon showers broke up the steamy blanket of heat that had been covering the Kanawha Valley, while stopping just in time for the West Virginia Power to play.

 

That was a stroke of good fortune for Two-for-Tuesday drinkers at Appalachian Power Park, but turned out to be bad baseball luck for the Power.

 

A one-out, two-run, home run in the top of the first staked the visiting Lakewood BlueClaws to an early lead, and the Power could never draw closer than those two runs in a disheartening 12-4 South Atlantic League defeat in front of 2,205 fans.

 

"I told the players I was happy (Monday) was our last day off of the season," Power Manager Ramon Aviles said after an extended postgame closed-door clubhouse meeting.

 

"We don't seem to show up after an off day," he said. "We certainly didn't show up tonight. We were out-played, out-hit, and out-pitched."

 

For a brief time, it looked like the hosts were about to climb back into the game.

 

The Power (26-23 second half) scored single runs in three straight innings. The first came on a sacrifice fly from Hasan Rasheed in the third, an RBI single to right by Ryan Braun in the fourth followed, and Charlie Fermaint added another sacrifice fly in the fifth.

 

That ignited a spark of hope, but just as the showers passed quickly, so did that opportunity.

 

Designated hitter Sean Gamble led off the top of the sixth with a no-doubt home run to right. Two of the next three BlueClaw hitters doubled to push the lead to 7-3 and seemingly demoralize the Power.

 

"That was big," Aviles said. "We had just made a game of it and that took the momentum away from us."

 

Lakewood scored five more runs in the top of the ninth, all off of reliever Josh Wahpepah, before the Power could record an out.

 

An RBI groundout by Will Lewis in the bottom of the last inning accounted for the final run.

 

Maximo De La Cruz (8-10) picked up the win for Lakewood (24-26).

 

The Power lost only a half-game to South Atlantic League North Division leader Delmarva as the Shorebirds' game at South Division leader Kannapolis was rained out. That contest was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader today.

 

Lexington did go from a half-game behind the Power in fourth place to a half-game ahead and into a second place tie with Hickory, winning 12-3 over Greensboro Tuesday. Hickory fell 1-0 to Hagerstown.

 

The Power trails Delmarva by five games, with 20 games to play.

 

The importance of every game in the tight race only added to Aviles' aggravation with his young squad.

 

"They understand that we are battling for a playoff spot," Aviles said, "but players are just different now. When I played this time of year separated the men from the boys. Nowadays, I don't think that is the mentality of the players."

 

He again pointed to how players handled their day off Monday.

 

After off days, the Power is 3-7 this season and went on a four-game losing streak after the three-day All-Star break.

 

"The guys that take it really serious and eat right and get their rest are the ones that will go on," Aviles said.

 

Power plugs -- Starting pitcher Greg Kloosterman fell to 4-17 on the season by taking the loss. That ties the South Atlantic League record for losses in season by a pitcher ... First baseman Grant Richardson's streak of reaching base safely in 32 straight games came to an end Tuesday night. He went 0-for-4 ... Left-hander Derek Miller (1-0, 0.73 ERA) is scheduled to start tonight for the Power while the BlueClaws will counter with a southpaw of their own in Derek Griffith (7-10, 3.74) ... Second baseman Hernan Iribarren continued his hot August hitting with a fourth inning single Tuesday. He is hitting .366 this month.

 

West Virginia Power second baseman Hernan Iribarren waits for the ball as Lakewood?s Timi Moni slides in safely to second base during their game Tuesday at Appalachian Power Park.

Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Tom Hindman

 

http://www.dailymail.com/images/Safe0817.jpg