Link Report for Friday, July 29th - Nice David Bradley Story

[H0FFY]

I really feel bad for Hendrickson

 

100% right NIGHTWING; it is crimnal to mess with a prospect like that. There are 1000s of guys wanting a chance... just one chance; and we surely could have done the reliever thing

 

As Al would say, we set the team up for failure... and they failed.

 

Maybe I will make a prediction. Ben will be cut or lost after this year or next, then a year later will show up to be a decent number 4 starter for some other team.

[jvrocksaz]

Barnwell with 3 shutout innings??? Wow!!!

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200507302

 

Braun HR lifts Power

1st-round pick?s ninth-inning blast earns 6-4 victory

By Doug Smock

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

Ryan Braun continues to pound South Atlantic League pitching, and is getting more dramatic about it.

 

Friday night, Braun launched a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the West Virginia Power a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over the Hickory Crawdads.

 

On a fireworks night, he gave an early jolt to the paid crowd of 4,057 at Appalachian Power Park with his shot to the old Watt Powell Park seats in left.

 

?It was a first-pitch fastball and I was looking for something I could hit hard,? Braun said. ?Fortunately, I was able to do that.?

 

Braun, the Milwaukee Brewers? first-round draft pick this summer, hit the Power?s third game-ending homer of the season. All three have come in the friendly confines of ?The App,? with Carlos Corporan and Hasan Rasheed hitting the others.

 

Since arriving in Charleston from an ever-so-brief stint at rookie-level Helena, Mont., the Californian went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, raising his average to .329 with four homers and 14 RBIs in just 20 games. In the last 11 games, he is hitting .452.

 

The Power (17-17 second half) rallied from a 4-1 deficit, product of another hard-luck outing by 2004 first-rounder Mark Rogers and the mastery of Hickory starter Yoann Torrealba.

 

West Virginia struggled against the right-hander from Venezuela, managing just three hits in six innings. The Power didn?t get a runner to second base until the sixth inning, when Braun?s RBI triple to the right-field wall cut the Crawdads? lead to 3-1.

 

The Power entered the seventh-inning stretch down three runs again, but Braun had awakened the troops.

 

?That was huge,? Braun said of the sixth-inning triple. ?We had been struggling a little bit. We hit a few balls hard at people. We obviously hadn?t scored any runs, their pitcher was throwing very effectively and I think that was huge to get some momentum back on our side.?

 

Then, more good news for the camouflage-clad home team: Torrealba was done for the night. Derek Drage came in for the Pirates affiliate, and he got dragged around for three runs in the seventh.

 

Corporan led off with a double, went to third on a 1-5-3 grounder off the pitcher and scored on a Josh Brady single. Josh Murray was hit by a pitch and Drage almost hit Adam Mannon, but the ball hit the knob of Mannon?s bat.

 

Mannon eventually struck out, but Alcides Escobar and Hernan Iribarren hit RBI singles to tie the game at 4.

 

Murray scored the tying run when Hickory catcher Neil Walker dropped the throw from right fielder Antonio Sucre. The home-plate umpire was poised to call Murray out, a questionable decision that would have brought derision from Rod Blackstone?s ?toast section.?

 

The rally took Rogers, the Brewers? first-round pick in 2004, off the hook. He gave up just six hits in seven innings, but was on the way to falling to 1-8. Rogers? only win came July 12, a 3-2 win over Lakewood.

 

Rogers is typically plagued by a stinker inning and offensive non-support. This time, a three-run third inning put him in trouble.

 

Brian Bixler started the third with a single. Neil Walker?s sharp hit to right moved Bixler to third and Rogers walked Anthony Bocchino to load the bases with none out.

 

After pitching coach John Curtis visited the mound, Mike Carlin scored two runs with a hit to center. Second baseman Iribarren then threw wild attempting to start a 4-6-3 double play, loading the bases again.

 

Mike Cockrell made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to deep center. Iribarren finally doused the uprising, handling the front end of a double play by himself.

 

Dan Schwartzbauer, the Crawdads? No. 9 hitter, smacked a solo homer behind the right-field bleachers for a 4-1 lead in the top of the seventh. Still, manager Ramon Aviles thought Rogers had a good outing.

 

?Mark, he was more aggressive with the fastball tonight,? Aviles said. ?He had one bad inning, but then he got right. He continued to pitch and battle out there and I was very happy when we bailed him out.?

 

Dave Johnson (4-2), who pitched the final two innings, escaped a first-and-third jam in the eighth the get the win. Dustin Craig (4-5) took the loss.

 

Notes: The win extended the Power?s winning streak on Fridays to four games. The season record on that day is 6-10 . . . At 21-13 in the second half, Hickory has almost equaled its win total of a 22-44 first half. The Crawdads are in second place in the Sally?s North Division, 2 1/2 games behind Delmarva . . . Former prisoner of war Jessica Lynch tossed her cane aside and threw out the first pitch, a wide grounder . . . Reid Nichols, the Brewers? farm director, attended along with assistant Mark Mueller.

 

Power shortstop Alcides Escobar relays the ball to first base to complete a double play in the second inning. Escobar started the play by taking Dan Schwartzbauer?s grounder and forcing a sliding Antonio Sucre at second.

Charleston Gazette photo by M.K. McFarland

 

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

[Mass Haas]

Final: Arizona Giants 8, Arizona Brewers 2

 

Weather: 101 degrees, clear.

Wind: 1 mph, Varies.

T: 2:40.

Att: 28 -- that might be a Maryvale record.

 

Arizona Box Score:

RHP Craig Langille has only struck out 10 in 25 innings -- that's a bit troubling; RHP Jose Beltre has been hit harder, but has 30 K's in 21.2 IP; Harold Mejia's OBP still matches his average after 106 AB's -- zero walks; errors still an issue, as it almost always is at this level...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

 

Arizona Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Fresno (Giants) 9, Nashville 5

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

 

Link for Julio Mosquera photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1717

 

NASHVILLE ? The Nashville Sounds dropped their third straight game to the Fresno Grizzlies on Friday evening at Greer Stadium, falling 9-5 in front of a season-high 11,302 fans in the finale of a four-game series.

 

Despite the loss, Nashville (59-48) maintained its six-game lead over the Memphis Redbirds in the PCL American Conference Northern Division.

 

The visitors took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning when Angel Chavez scored on Doug Clark?s two-out RBI single.

 

PCL home run leader Todd Linden belted his 27th roundtripper of the season for the Grizzlies, touching Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson for a solo shot to extend the lead to 2-0 in the top of the fourth. After Mike Cervanek and Adam Shabala singled, Angel Chavez belted a two-out, three-run homer down the left field line to up the Fresno advantage to 5-0.

 

The Grizzlies tacked on four more in the fifth. Cervanek delivered an RBI double to center to plate Mickey Lopez then scored later in the frame on a passed ball charged to Sounds catcher Julio Mosquera. Chavez continued his solid evening when he followed with an RBI single to right off Sounds reliever Brett Evert, who made his Nashville debut in the contest only hours after joining the club from Double-A Huntsville. Fresno starter Matt Kinney got into the act by adding an RBI single of his own to run the lead to 9-0.

 

Nashville shortstop Steve Scarborough broke up Kinney?s no-hit bid with an infield single to open the bottom of the sixth then scored the Sounds? first run later in the frame on outfielder Corey Hart?s sacrifice fly.

 

Third baseman Chris Barnwell made his professional pitching debut when he moved to the mound for Nashville in the seventh inning and promptly tossed a 1-2-3 frame.

 

The Sounds plated four runs in the bottom of the eighth to make the score a respectable 9-5. Dave Krynzel led off with a double and scored on Warren Morris? single. After Hart singled, Prince Fielder hit into a fielder?s choice that erased Morris at third and Barnwell walked to load the bags for Mosquera, who unloaded them with a three-run double into the right field corner.

 

AUDIO: Julio Mosquera's 3-Run Double

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-29.mp3

 

Coincidentally, the pre-game audio was also with Julio Mosquera:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-29.mp3

 

Kinney (4-6) fanned nine batters and allowed one run on three hits over seven frames to earn the victory. Hendrickson (5-8), who was ejected by home plate umpire Jack Samuels for hitting Shabala with a pitch following Cervanek?s fifth-inning double, took the loss after allowing a season-high eight runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

 

The Sounds continue their homestand on Saturday evening when they welcome the two-time defending PCL champion Sacramento River Cats (AAA-A?s) for a four-game series. Right-hander Gary Glover (3-1, 2.16), who threw three scoreless innings in Wednesday?s suspended game, takes the hill on two days? rest for the Sounds. Sacramento will counter with right-hander Ryan Glynn (1-1, 1.52).

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Sounds lose third game in a row

Third baseman pitches three scoreless innings

By JEFF LOCKRIDGE

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Chris Barnwell's debut as a relief pitcher was flawless.

 

That feat becomes more impressive when you consider he's an infielder.

 

With the Nashville Sounds short on arms and shorter in the scoring column, Manager Frank Kremblas called on Barnwell to make his first professional appearance on the mound during a 9-5 loss to Fresno last night at Greer Stadium.

 

"It was fun, especially since I didn't let up any runs," Barnwell said. "Frank came up to me before the inning and asked if I was ready to throw. I just went with my fastball the first two innings. The last inning I threw a couple of sliders."

 

Barnwell's three scoreless frames before a season-high crowd of 11,302 did nothing to alter the outcome, which gave the Grizzlies the series by taking the last three of a four-game set. Fresno scored 24 runs in its three wins.

 

Memphis's 12-1 loss to Sacramento last night allowed the Sounds to maintain a six-game divisional lead. Sacramento is in Nashville for the first of four games at 6 tonight.

 

"We'll be much better (tonight)," Kremblas said. "What hurt was having the rainout (Wednesday) and losing Gary Glover after three innings. The other thing was Clint Weibl getting hurt by the line drive (Thursday)."

 

Glover will start tonight on two days rest after his abbreviated outing.

 

The Sounds have also been handcuffed by the recent promotion of starters Justin Lehr and Rick Helling to Milwaukee. Injuries to Jeff Bennett and Mike Adams have landed them on the disabled list.

 

Last night Ben Hendrickson started on three days rest and was roughed up. Fresno took the lead in the third inning on Doug Clark's RBI-single, and then scored four runs in the fourth and fifth innings for a 9-0 cushion.

 

Home plate umpire Jack Samuels ejected Hendrickson when the right-hander plunked Adam Shabala with a 3-1 count in the fifth. The score was 6-0 at the time.

 

"We were trying to work inside," Sounds catcher Julio Mosquera said. "Ben was pitching on short rest and we were trying to get him through the inning. We didn't even get a fair warning."

 

Kremblas was less surprised by the ejection after seeing Shabala swing at the 3-0 offering with his team comfortably ahead.

 

Fresno's Matt Kinney silenced the Sounds' bats through five innings. Steve Scarborough legged out an infield single to lead off the sixth and breakup the no-hit bid. He later scored on Corey Hart's sacrifice fly ? the lone run Kinney allowed in seven innings.

 

Nashville got its offense going late behind Mosquera's bases-clearing double to right field, the highlight of a four-run eighth. The Sounds put two aboard in the ninth before Prince Fielder grounded out to end the game.

 

Todd Linden hit his PCL-leading 27th home run of the season and Angel Chavez added a two-run shot for Fresno.

 

New Sound: Right-hander Brett Evert arrived from Double-A Huntsville a couple of hours before game time and saw immediate action, pitching 1-2/3 innings in relief of Hendrickson. He allowed one run on three hits and walked two.

 

Bible mania: Purity Faith Nights continues tonight with John the Baptist bobblehead dolls being handed out to the first 2,000 fans. Gates open at 4 p.m.

 

Streak ends: The Sounds' season-long streak of 13 consecutive games with at least one home run ran out last night thanks to Kinney. Nashville had 25 homers during its stretch.

 

What they said: "Our pitching has been so good all year. I just hate to see our guys go out there not fully rested." ? Barnwell.

 

Nashville Box Score:

Sounds draw six walks; Prince Fielder with ten errors at first base, but many of those were early-season, if memory serves...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 4, Montgomery (Devil Rays) 2

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

Link for David Bradley photo, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=682

 

Bradley Finishes Off Biscuits

Brad Nelson knocked in three runs to back the complete game pitching effort of David Bradley in Huntsville?s 4-2 win over Montgomery Friday night in the opener of a three-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars stopped an overall four-game slide and five-game home losing streak to improve to 15-19 in the second half, while the Biscuits dropped their second in a row to fall to 15-19 in the second half. The Stars have won three of the four games played between the teams this season.

 

The Stars scored in the home first when Nelson Castro reached on a fielder?s choice, moved to third base on a Brandon Gemoll double and scored on a Nelson ground out. The home team tacked on three in the third inning when Guilder Rodriguez scored on a throwing error and Nelson delivered a two-run single to plate Castro, who had singled, and Gemoll, who had singled. Nelson drove in three runs in a game for the fourth time since rejoining the Stars after having knocked in only two runs in the previous ten games.

 

Montgomery scored in the fourth when former Stars utility player Johnny Raburn led off with a single, moved to third on an errant Bradley pickoff attempt and crossed the plate on an Elijiah Dukes groundout.

 

The Biscuits trimmed the lead to 4-2 in the sixth when Rico Washington?s one-out double chased home Dukes, who had reached on a fielder?s choice. Bradley then issued his only walk of the night when he put Wes Bankston on but got out of the inning by inducing Shawn Riggans to ground into a double play. The right-hander set down the next eight hitters in a row before Riggans singled with two outs in the ninth. Scott Neuberger bounced into a force out at second on the next pitch for the final out of the game, as Bradley wrapped up the longest performance by a Stars pitcher this season.

 

Huntsville?s only other complete game of the season happened on April 8, the second night of the campaign, when Dennis Sarfate threw 4 1/3 innings in a rain-shortened loss at Carolina. Bradley allowed eight hits, struck out six and improved to 5-2.

 

The series continues Saturday night with the right-hander Sarfate taking the hill for the Stars against Biscuits? right-hander Jamie Shields. 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.

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Oh baby, was Bradley sharp

Pitcher with child on the way beats Biscuits to stop Stars' losing streak

By MARK McCARTER

Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com

 

David Bradley delivered 105 pitches Friday night on the way to an impressive complete game victory for the Stars.

 

The next delivery he makes will be even more important.

 

Bradley stopped a four-game Huntsville losing streak by pitching the Stars past Montgomery 4-2 in front of an announced crowd of 7,424.

 

He now takes temporary leave of the team to return to his home near Parkersburg, W. Va. - to be there for the delivery of his second child.

 

Bradley's wife Julia is pregnant - the Bradleys already know it's a boy - and doctors plan to induce labor this week. They already have a 3 1/2-year-old daughter, Isabelle.

 

Add the growing family to a season in which he has gone 5-2, moving into the starting rotation from a nondescript bullpen role, and earned an invitation to the Southern League All-Star Game. It makes for a special summer for a man who this time a year ago was pitching for the Washington (Pa.) Wild Things of the independent Frontier League.

 

Asked what he'd have said had someone told him in the spring he'd be a starter and pitching a complete game in July, Bradley laughed.

 

"I'd have told them they were crazy,'' he said.

 

"God has just blessed me big-time this year. I give him all the credit for it. I'm just using what he gave me. And it's really been a blessing. And tonight was just another one.''

 

The Stars, who continue this homestand against Montgomery tonight at 7:05, announced a roster change before Friday's game.

 

Pitcher Brett Evert (0-0, 2.97 in 16 relief appearances) was promoted to Triple-A Nashville.

 

Brandon Gemoll doubled in a run in the first for a 1-0 Stars lead, then had one of three consecutive singles that provided a three-run third. Guilder Rodriguez had led off with a double and scored on a throwing error after Nelson Castro's infield hit. Gemoll singled Castro around to third, then Brad Nelson drove both of them home.

 

Ex-Star Johnny Raburn scored in the fourth after singling, taking third on an errant pickoff attempt by Bradley and scoring on a grounder by Elijah Dukes. Rico Washington doubled home Dukes in the sixth.

 

Bradley, who has fallen into trouble occasionally by throwing too many pitches, fell into old habits in the ninth, going 3-2 on the first two batters before retiring them. After Biscuit catcher Shawn Riggins singled sharply to right with two out, Stars pitching coach Rich Sauveur jogged to the mound.

 

"Do you want this?'' Sauveur challenged him.

 

He did. Bradley got Scott Neuberger on a grounder, ending the game.

 

"He was in control all night,'' manager Don Money said. "You've got to give him credit.''

 

Give him credit? Hey, give the man a cigar.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 12, Helena 1

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

Osprey take advantage of Brewers

By TOM COTTON - IR Sports Editor

 

The Helena Brewers suffered a post-championship hangover Friday night as they dropped a 12-1 decision to the Missoula Osprey in a Pioneer League contest at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

The Brewers won the first-half Northern Division title Thursday night, but were not sharp Friday giving up 17 hits to the worst offensive club in the league.

 

The Osprey jumped on Brewer pitching early, as the first three batters of the game rapped singles. Travis Tully, who was 4-for-5 on the night, started things off and later came around to score on a single by Rusty Ryal.

 

That run was a portent of things to come, as Missoula tacked on two runs in the second and another in the fourth.

 

However, the big inning was the sixth, where Missoula pushed across eight runs, four fewer than their franchise record.

 

Helena pitcher Luis Bernal tried to keep Missoula off balance with a knuckleball, but he didn't fool Osprey hitters who led off the inning with three singles. Bernal was replaced by Wilfredo Laureano, who didn't have any more success in the inning. Laureano issued two walks before giving up an RBI single to Jake Elder and a two RBI single to Pedro Ciriaco.

 

In all, Missoula sent 12 men to the plate in the inning and six got hits. All of the six hits were singles. Missoula didn't have an extra-base hit on the night.

 

While the Osprey had offensive success, the same could not be said of the Brewers, who saw their three top offensive players, Charlie Fermaint, Angel Salome and Brendan Katin called to Class A West Virginia Thursday night.

 

Missoula pitcher Anthony Cupps, a seventh round draft pick from the University of Mississippi, pitched seven strong innings striking out five.

 

That was a far cry from his last start Sunday against Ogden when he gave up seven earned runs in five innings. He worked with Missoula pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, Jr. Tuesday and he said that helped him get back on track. Cupps faced the minimum 15 batters through the first five innings and he upped his record on the season to 2-3.

 

"I was locating my fast ball in and out and I didn't go deep into too many counts," Cupps said.

 

Missoula pitching was also helped by solid defense. The Osprey turned four double plays on the night.

 

"It picked me up," Cupps said. "When a man got on and then to get a ground ball in the infield and pick up the double play, helped a lot."

 

The Brewers lone run came off of Osprey reliever Vince Bongiovanni. Carlos Gallardo launched a solo shot that cleared the right-field wall in the seventh inning.

 

Agustin Septimo and Matt Gamel each had two hits for Helena on the night.

 

Elder had three hits in the game for Missoula.

 

The two teams will meet again tonight to open the second half of the season. Mark Romanczuk is scheduled to start for Missoula. Helena's starter will be announced.

 

Notes: Missoula catcher Gerardo Bustamante was at the stadium for the game, one night after being taken to St. Peters Hospital after collapsing Thursday night.

 

Bustamante was hit in the head with a ball before the second game of a double-header while warming up the pitcher.

 

Bustamante appeared to be just fine after the incident.

 

Friday's win by Missoula was only the second this season by the Osprey over the Brewers.

 

Ogden wrapped up the Southern Division title Friday night with an 11-7 win over Orem.

 

www.helenair.com/articles...005_04.txt

 

Helena Box Score:

H-Crew hit into four double plays; 2003 5th round catcher Bryan Opdyke's going to get a chance to see what he can do now; why start Robbie Wooley on three days' rest after his most recent efforts have probably been a confidence boost? Is RHP Simon Beresford hurt? He hasn't pitched in ages -- we'll work to find out...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

 

Helena Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

[Two Fisted Slobber]

That's pretty awesome. Can anyone think of a reason this (all five game series) isn't a good idea?

 

A minor league manager once told me in the middle of an eight game home-and-home series (i.e. a four games at home followed by four on the road, same two teams playing each other) that he hated playing more than three games against the same team. He said after three games the players really start to get sick of each other and the odds of a brawl or beanball war are much higher. Sure enough, we had a big brawl before the home-and-home series was over.

[Basebalfanatic]

Hoffy, don't you think they created their own mess? The piggyback they used early in the season made these guys into 4 inning pitchers. If you look at it he is not running and hiding they are finally stretching him out to be a starter.