7/18: Fielder Melee, Adams Hurts Side, Bennett Out Weeks

[bork]

How about a Katin for Mannon swap? Has Mannon even played in the past month?

 

And has Obermueller been spotted near the Sounds recently? First, he's rumored to get sent down. Then Bennett ends up ill in the hospital and Adams hurts him arm before even facing a batter? Better watch your backs Davis and Capellan.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif

[cheezscott]

is there any news on adams???

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.tennessean.com/apps/p...328/sports

 

Fielder ejected in wild four-run seventh of win

By MAURICE PATTON

Staff Writer

 

An eventful four-run seventh inning led the Nashville Sounds to a 9-3 victory over Memphis last night to open a four-game series.

 

With Nashville ahead 5-3, Prince Fielder scored from third base on Tony Zuniga's single to right field. Anticipating a throw from Raul Gonzalez, Fielder came in hard at the plate and made contact with Memphis catcher Brad Cresse. The Redbirds dugout took exception to the contact, considering the throw didn't come to the plate.

 

Fielder, who had gone into the Nashville dugout, responded to the Redbirds by returning to the field and had to be restrained by on-deck hitter Mike Rivera. Fielder was ejected for leaving the dugout.

 

"They had some people talking; I asked 'em to come out," said the 6-foot, 260-pound son of former major league slugger Cecil Fielder. "I didn't appreciate it, especially them saying I don't know how to play the game. I was born into the game. Maybe he ought to do a little research."

 

Rivera tomahawked a Josh Kinney pitch for a three-run home run and a six-run lead. That helped extend the Sounds' lead to four games over the Redbirds.

 

"They were trying to protect their teammate," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said of the Memphis dugout. "But the thing they've got to think about is, Prince can't see the (throw from Gonzalez) get cut. If he made contact with Cresse, it was barely."

 

Jeff Housman struck out six consecutive hitters en route to his first win in his last four outings. He added a two-run homer in the fourth inning, his first pro homer.

 

"Last year at Huntsville, I struck out eight to start the game," Housman said. "Once you get a couple in a row, you get your confidence up, and I was locating well."

 

Hard-hitting pitchers: Housman's home run was the fourth by a Sounds pitcher in two years.

 

Earlier this year, Justin Lehr homered at Albuquerque. In 2004, John VanBenschoten homered at Memphis and Sean Burnett at Colorado Springs.

 

Short stint: Mike Adams relieved Housman after five innings but left before facing a batter. After one of his warmup pitches, Adams grabbed his left side. Adams threw one more pitch, then came off the field while still holding his side. He was replaced by Clint Weibl.

 

Still sidelined: Nashville reliever Jeff Bennett remains at home due to flu-like symptoms, according to the Sounds medical staff.

 

"Jeff was certainly being discussed (for a callup) before he came up with this illness," said Milwaukee assistant GM Gord Ash. "It's going to keep him out for a couple of weeks."

 

Ks for days: With double-digit strikeout totals in four of their last six games, Sounds pitchers lead the Pacific Coast League with 749. The staff is on pace for 1,123 strikeouts ? which would break the franchise record of 1,080, set during the 2002 season.

 

Runnin' wild: Nashville has converted 28 of its last 35 stolen-base attempts, pushing the team to the top of the PCL in that category with 110. Fresno is second with 90.

 

Game at a glance

 

? Winning pitcher: Housman (4-7).

 

? Big stick: Zuniga, 3-for-5, double, two RBIs, two runs.

 

? How they won: Fielder matched Zuniga's three hits, with Nelson Cruz and Rivera adding a pair of hits.

 

? What they said: "The level of testosterone is always up. So when you're getting yelled at, it's not unusual to yell back." ? Kremblas, on the seventh-inning ejection of Fielder.

 

? Tonight's pitchers: Sounds ? RHP Rick Helling (8-3, 4.27 ERA). Redbirds ? RHP Adam Wainwright (6-6, 3.71).

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=42948

 

Fielder?s fireworks steal show at Greer

By Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com

 

With 17 homers on the year, Sounds first baseman Prince Fielder already has opposing pitchers afraid of his power. Soon, Fielder will have struck fear in the heart of the opposing infielders, too.

 

On three separate trips to the base paths, Fielder came in hard to home plate twice and second base once during the Sounds? 9-3 victory over visiting Memphis.

 

The second time Fielder came barreling into home in the seventh inning, he brushed past Redbirds catcher Brad Cresse. After he scored, Fielder got an earful from the Redbirds bench, who thought he tried to take out Cresse.

 

The 21-year-old Fielder responded by storming out of the dugout and letting loose a spectacular tirade directed at the Redbirds bench. Some members of the Sounds speculated it was Memphis pitcher Adam Wainwright who yelled at Fielder.

 

?I?m playing the game hard,? said Fielder, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. ?[Cresse] is on the plate and I?m not looking at the ball because I?m tagging. If he?s on the front of the plate, it?s one thing, but I?m trying to do whatever I can to help my team.

 

?I heard them talking, so I came out to see what?s the problem and I heard them saying some things I didn?t appreciate.?

 

Fielder had to be restrained by several teammates and was ejected for leaving the dugout.

 

After Fielder?s fireworks, the Sounds blew open the game when catcher Mike Rivera jacked a two-run homer which gave Nashville its six-run lead.

 

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Sounds and gave the team a four-game lead over Memphis in the PCL American North Division.

 

Sounds starter Jeff Housman had a stellar overall game. Housman had one stretch in which he fanned six Redbirds in a row.

 

Then in the fourth inning, Housman hit his first ever homer as a professional, a two-run shot. Housman (4-7) ended up earning the victory, going five innings and allowing three earned runs.

 

The Sounds drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning. That?s when Tony Zuniga, Rivera and Chris Barnwell each hit consecutive singles.

 

The Sounds added a run in the third inning when Nelson Cruz doubled home Fielder. On the play, Fielder appeared headed for a collision at home plate with Cresse. But the relay throw came in high, and Cresse pulled a matador to get out of the way of the 260-pound Fielder.

 

In the fifth inning, Fielder struck again when he doubled and slid hard into second base where Redbirds second baseman Bo Hart was waiting for the throw.

 

Housman was removed after the fifth inning for Mike Adams. When Adams came out to the mound to warm up, he appeared to injure his side and was removed. That?s when Clint Weibl came in and threw three shutout innings out of the bullpen.

[PeaveyFury]

What kind of 'flu-like' symptoms keep a guy out for weeks? Sounds like a very odd situation.

[Mass Haas]

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

Mobile Meltdown

A sparse crowd for this one....... Even the recent All-Star game here wasn't a sell-out...... Mobile averages 9th in attendance in the Southern League, drawing less than 3,000 a game, but far better than West Tennessee, who drew a little over 800 Sunday and 972 last night in the opening game of a series vs. the Smokies, despite the fact they won the 1st half and are in contention in the 2nd half, and have some bonafide prospects to check out.

 

Brian Whitaker may have been grateful to not have to face Dana Eveland for the first time in five starts vs. the Stars this season, but David Bradley put an end to any question whether he was beatable........ Filling the shoes of Eveland in the rotation, he went a season-high seven innings, striking out another season-high of seven, giving up just two runs, one earned, without walking a batter..

 

Whitaker had gotten the jump on Bradley though, retiring at one point, nine straight hitters while holding a 2-0 lead. He helped his own cause in the bottom of the 3rd when he led things off with a single. Up to that time, he was 2-for-18 at the plate...... Leadoff hitter Kennard Jones then dropped a bunt on the first pitch from Bradley, who came off the mound and one-hopped a bad throw to Brandon Gemoll for an error....... After another bunt loaded the bases, Paul McAnulty, back in Mobile after a 10-game stint with the Padres, came up. Hitless with the bases full this season, he knocked in the first of the Bay Bears' two runs on an 0-2 single just inside the left field line in front of Brad Nelson....... Bradley finally got the next two hitters out -- Corey Smith swinging on a 1-2 pitch for a strikeout, and a force out at home plate when Steve Baker hit a 1-2 bouncer to Vinny Rottino...... The bases remained full, however, and Ronnie Merrill drove a one-strike pitch to left on a hop to send in Jesse Garcia........ Joe Gerber, the 8th man to bat in the inning, struck out swinging to end the inning. His one hit with the bases loaded this year had been a grand-slam HR vs. West Tennessee on June 26.

 

The Stars finally broke out in the 6th inning, after being held to just two singles........ Tony Gwynn, Jr. legged out a bunt in front of the plate and Kennard Bibbs singled over the head of Ronnie Merrill...... Rottino then tied the game up with a line drive that fell in the gap in left-center for his 5th triple of the year........ One out later, Gemoll, a .298 hitter with runners in scoring position, shot a single through two infielders to center field to score Rottino, putting the Stars in front. Gemoll has 25 RBIs in June and July --- 11 more than he had the first two months of the season.

 

That's the way it remained until they tacked on one more in the 8th when Enrique Cruz ripped a double down the left field line into the corner off Nate Mateo, scoring Nelson...... Luke Carlin missed the throw from left fielder McAnulty for an unearned run, but Cruz got his RBI.

 

That should have been the insurance run, but with the help of three 9th inning errors, the Stars packed on five more runs in the 9th to embarrass Mobile again. It was the 4th time this season the Stars had scored five in an inning against Mobile...... In the last series at Hank Aaron Stadium, the Stars had won two of them by identical scores of 14-3, scoring a record 12 runs in an inning in one of them........ The Stars have more big innings (6) against Mobile (4+ runs) than any other team in the league........ The Stars are now 10-3 vs. Mobile this season, their best record since 2001 and their best ever by a long shot. The Stars still have two series remaining against Mobile at home in August.

 

Tuesday night, the Stars have a chance to make Mike Thompson the 6th pitcher in Stars history to lose four games to them in a season......... Brian Whitaker, who is now 1-7 vs. the Stars going back to last year, was the last one....... Previous four-game losers were Steve Foster in 1990, Derrin Ebert, Dennis Ulacia, and Dustin Moseley........ Thompson is 0-3 vs. the Stars this year with a 3.57 ERA. He's no patsy. He's 9th among Southern League ERA leaders and he's a workhorse, 3rd in innings in the league........ Dennis Sarfate comes off the DL to go for the Stars. He's 15th in the league in ERA (3.62) and has beaten the Bay Bears three times without a loss. Last year, he was 2-3 vs. Mobile.

 

More from David Weiser's website:

 

www.starsboxscore.com/standing.html

[deeswan]

What kind of 'flu-like' symptoms keep a guy out for weeks? Sounds like a very odd situation.

 

Maybe he has Ross River Fever. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/200507194/

 

For pitchers, sometimes it is good to forget

Michael Dailey

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

Hagerstown Suns pitcher Michael Devaney has been more than impressive on the mound since being selected in the 23rd round of the 2004 amateur baseball draft.

 

As a rookie last summer, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander dominated New York-Penn League hitters in compiling a 5-0 record and 1.95 ERA with the Brooklyn Cyclones.

 

Now in his second season in the New York Mets' organization, Devaney continues to impress with a 6-1 record, including an 8-2 win over the West Virginia Power on Monday evening.

 

After allowing first-inning, back-to-back homers to first-rounder Ryan Braun and Grant Richardson, Devaney settled down and allowed just three singles in his final five innings on the mound.

 

Devaney finished with eight strikeouts and allowed just three singles after the first inning, in tossing six strong frames to move his earned run average to 3.61 in 89 2/3 innings.

 

Suns reliever Joseph Serfass tossed three shutout innings in collecting his second save.

 

The loss ended a four-game win streak for the Power and evened its record at 12-12, while Hagerstown improved to 9-15.

 

"Tonight it looked like we were going to light the place on fire in the first inning," said Power Manager Ramon Aviles of his team's quick start. "But then we didn't make any adjustments after that.

 

"After giving up two home runs, their pitcher (Devaney) started throwing more breaking balls and changeups and he kept everything away. We never adjusted to that.

 

"We tried to pull those outside pitches and it played right into his hand."

 

For Devaney, his biggest assets were a short memory and pinpoint control on the outer half of the plate.

 

"The first home run, I made a bad pitch and he hit it," said Devaney. "The second homer, I was behind in the count and had to throw a strike and he knew it.

 

"But, after giving up those two home runs, I just tried to forget about them, bear down and make adjustments in every inning."

 

The biggest adjustment Devaney made was using the outside corner to get ahead in the count and to ultimately frustrate Power hitters.

 

"For the most part, I tried to get strike one on the outer half of the plate," said Devaney. "They were looking at the inner half, so strike one was there for me.

 

"After that, I could use my curve against them because they were pretty pull happy."

 

West Virginia starter Greg Kloosterman (3-13, 4.60 ERA) took the loss in allowing six hits and three earned runs in four innings.

 

Derek DeCarlo and Robert Hinton combined to toss the final five innings.

 

At the plate, Milwaukee's top draft pick this year -- Braun -- had his best night as a member of the Power with three of his team's six hits.

 

In 10 games with the Power, Braun is batting .244 with two homers, four doubles, two stolen bases and eight runs batted in.

 

"He's doing really well," said Aviles.

 

"He's swinging the bat well and he plays a good third base. He's just starting here and trying to get experience, but he looks like a pretty good player."

[dadofandrew]

I would assume Bennett has lost a lot of weight and strength since he got sick. They probably figure it'll be a while before he's able to pitch.

[pogokat]

he could have mono or bronchitis or something that just slows you down for awhile

[homer]

I've been down for a week with the flu. If you get a nasty case you can lose a lot of strength. Two weeks isn't out of the ordinary.

[dadofandrew]

I hope someone sits Prince down and tells him to quit worrying about a bunch of has beens and never wases say about him. Tell them to shut up and score some runs, instead of whining about it.

[DHonks]

strep throat can last several weeks, too, and take several more to recover from

[jackellberry]

im lovin princes fire on the paths

[NastyTwig]

I would have loved to see Wainwright (6'7 200 lbs) talking trash and then crap himself as Prince (6'0 260 lbs) comes charging out at him with steam coming from his ears.

 

Darn restraining teammates ruining all the fun.