Link Report for Games of Saturday, August 6th

[colbyjack]

Final: Billings (Reds) 2, Helena 4

 

Helena Box Score

As noted above, Matt Gamel with the big hit in this game, a 3-run home run in the 5th. Tyler Morrison with a very good start for the H-Brewers. Darren Ford may have not recorded a hit, but he scored both times he walked tonight.

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

 

Helena Game Log

Pogokat's new favorite unheralded sleeper prospect, Kenny Holmberg, is turning into quite the do-it-all leader on the Helena team.

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

[colbyjack]

Final: Nashville 15, Colorado Springs (Rockies) 11

 

Nashville Site Game Summary

 

Fielder, Hart Power Sounds Past Sky Sox, 15-11

COLORADO SPRINGS ? Outfielder Corey Hart and first baseman Prince Fielder each belted two home runs and tallied six RBIs apiece to power the red-hot Nashville Sounds to a 15-11 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on Saturday evening at Security Service Field.

 

The Sounds set a season high with 18 hits in the contest. Every Nashville starter, including pitcher Mike Meyers, recorded a hit by the sixth inning.

 

With the win, Nashville (63-51) picked up its third straight win and maintained its seven-game lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division over Memphis, which won in Salt Lake earlier in the evening.

 

Fielder went 5-for-5 on the night and matched career-highs for hits and RBIs in a game. Dave Krynzel extended the longest active hitting streak among Nashville batters to seven games with a 3-for-6 evening. Other streak extensions of note included Warren Morris matching his longest of the year at five games with a 2-for-4 night and Hart pushing his current streak to six games (10-for-22, .455).

 

The two-homer contests were Fielder?s fourth of the year and the second such effort for Hart. Each player racked up 11 total bases in the game, the most by a Sound since Craig Wilson tallied a dozen during his three-homer game on June 6, 2000.

 

It was the Hart and Fielder show early on for Nashville as the two prospects combined to drive in the team?s first 10 runs of the contest.

 

The first four Nashville batters of the game reached safely against Sky Sox starter Jason Young, resulting in a three-run top of the first. Hart produced a two-run triple for the second straight game, scoring Krynzel and Morris, then trotted home on a Fielder RBI single.

 

After Colorado Springs plated an unearned run in its half of the first following a fielding error by Krynzel in center field, Sky Sox outfielder Choo Freeman tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the second when he slugged a two-run homer to center off Meyers, his tenth roundtripper of the year.

 

The Hart-Fielder tag team got back to work in the third for Nashville, crushing back-to-back home runs off Young to push the Sounds ahead by a 6-3 margin. Hart?s two-run jack, which plated Morris, was his 15th of the year and Fielder?s blast was his team-leading 23rd and second in as many games against the Sky Sox.

 

Colorado Springs got a run back in the home half of the third on a Jeff Pickler RBI groundout before Fielder tacked on two more for Nashville in the fourth with a two-out, two-run single. The Sky Sox scratched across another unearned run in the bottom of the inning, capitalizing on a Tony Zuniga fielding error at third base to pull within 8-5.

 

The Sounds broke the game wide open in the sixth against Sky Sox reliever Zach McClellan, throwing a five-spot on the board to open a 13-5 advantage. Hart smashed his second tater of the night, a one-out, two-run shot, to open the scoring. Third baseman Tony Zuniga broke up the Hart/Fielder stronghold in the RBI department later in the frame with a two-run double into the right field corner to extend the Sounds? lead to 12-5. Shortstop Steve Scarborough, the final Nashville starter to post a hit on the evening, followed with an RBI single to make it 13-5.

 

Fielder came calling again in the seventh, obliterating a Ryan Speier pitch for his second homer of the evening and 24th of the year, a mammoth two-run shot to right to put the Sounds up by double digits at 15-5.

 

Sky Sox first baseman Tom Wilson responded quickly for the home team, smacking a three-run dinger to left off Sounds reliever Brett Evert in the bottom of the seventh. It was the infielder?s tenth of the year.

 

The Colorado Springs comeback continued an inning later when Jeff Baker capped off a four-hit night by touching Nashville reliever Mitch Stetter for a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth that cleared the batter?s eye in dead center to pull Colorado Springs within 15-10. The rountripper was his fourth of 2005.

 

Ryan Spilborghs drilled Jose Capellan?s first pitch of the bottom of the ninth out of the park for his third home run of the year, reducing the Sounds? lead to its final 15-11.

 

The four home runs allowed by Nashville hurlers in the contest matched the most surrendered by the club in a single game this season.

 

Meyers (5-4) earned his first victory as a starter in 2005 after allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits over five innings. Young (9-7) took the loss after being hammered for eight runs on 10 hits in only 3 1/3 frames of action.

 

Nashville looks for the sweep when the teams wrap up the series with a 2:05 p.m. CT matinee finale on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Ben Hendrickson (5-8, 4.71) returns from his PCL-imposed three-game suspension to make the start for the Sounds. Colorado Springs will counter with right-hander Mike Esposito (7-5, 5.46).

 

Audio: Prince Fielder's first of two home runs on the night:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%208-6.mp3

 

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/images/news/fielder.jpg

 

Nashville Box Score

What a crazy game. This what the PCL is all about. Prince Fielder bumps his average up to .267. Krynzel with a 3-for-6, but he also strikes out three times. Corey Hart & Warren Morris make sure the top of the Nashville order has a huge night, while Nelson Cruz' 1 for 3 night, with a walk, looks like chump change.

 

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&did=milb&t=g_box&gid=2005_08_06_nasaaa_cspaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log

The Sounds waste no time getting on the board in this one.

 

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&did=milb&t=g_log&gid=2005_08_06_nasaaa_cspaaa_1

[brettac1]

I'd sure like to see Warren Morris get a chance with the Crew, soon. At least he's semi-capable with the bat, unlike Durro, and has some pop.

[colbyjack]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Brewers continue winning streak

IR Staff - 08/07/05

 

The Helena Brewers matched their longest winning streak of the season on Saturday night with a 4-2 victory at Billings.

 

It was the Brewers' seventh straight win since the beginning of the second half of the Pioneer League season and matches the seven straight they won to open the year when they went on to win the first half title.

 

Helena (7-0 second half, 31-14 overall) rode the arms of four pitchers who combined on a five-hitter a night after the club got its first no-hitter in franchise history.

 

Helena starter Tyler Morrison improved his record to 4-0 on the year with five innings of work. He did not allow a run and gave up just two hits and a walk while walking five to lower his ERA to 5.02.

 

Joe Thatcher pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his second save of the season.

 

The Brewers broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning on a home run by Mat Gamel. It was the third baseman's fourth home run of the year and brought in Darren Ford and Agustin Septimo to give Helena a 3-0 lead.

 

Billings (3-4) cut its deficit to 3-2 with a pair of unearned runs in the seventh. JD Roberts opened the inning with a double and scored when Helena shortstop Michael Bell had trouble corralling a ground ball by Ben Blumenthal.

 

Blumenthal came around to score on a single by Mayker Sandoval but Dane Renkert struck out Brandon Roberts with two runners on base to end the inning.

 

Darren Ford drew a walk to open the ninth inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Septimo and to third on a passed ball.

 

He scored on a single by Kenny Holmberg to put Helena ahead 4-2 before Thatcher retired the Mustangs in order to end the game.

 

It was Helena's third win in three days over Billings and puts the Brewers four games ahead of the Mustangs in the North Division standings.

 

The teams have two more games in Billings before Helena returns home to face Casper on Wednesday.

[Diskono]

Quote:

---

I'd sure like to see Warren Morris get a chance with the Crew, soon. At least he's semi-capable with the bat, unlike Durro, and has some pop.

---

Not to mention that, from what I've seen, he's excellent defensively at both 3rd and 2nd.

[LouisEly]

Corey Hart with his *ninth* triple of the season. He is on the verge of eclipsing double-digits in triples, home runs, and stolen bases. I seem to recall Weeks being on the verge of that prior to his call-up. How rare of a feat is that on an upper level (AA or above)?

[homer]

Looks like that thin air in Colorado working to the Sounds' advantage.

[madbad2000]

Well just got back from my trip and I'll give some of what I saw from the Saturday game in Greensboro.

 

Derek Miller reminds me a lot of Dana Evelend. It was really weird...both are stocky lefties. He was pitching high 80's low 90's and looked pretty good.

 

Josh Wahpepah was off for sure. He has a funky delivery like pogokat said but he got huge bite on his pitches. He was complaining about the mound and his plant foot slipping. The manager Aviles and the ump inspected and had some words to say about it.

 

Justin Barnes looked very very good. Impressed me for sure as he came in and got two k's.

 

Ryan Braun's shot was a no doubter.

 

I'll post a separate thread of my trip and also of the Power game/impressions on Tuesday when I get situated.