Link Report for Games of Friday, July 8th

[Mass Haas]

Final: Helena 10, Billings (Reds) 8, ten innings

 

Helena Box Score:

U. Miami product Brendan Katin HR # 5; Darren Ford now 7-for-7 in SB attempts, his 4th extra-base hit tonight (19 singles); 2005 3rd round RHP Will Inman with his Helena debut, a clean inning...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

 

Helena Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Is 19-year-old Venezuelan RHP Ronny Malave (Helena) developing into something promising?

 

Consider this: for all the Brewers' efforts trotting Latin pitcher after Latin pitcher on to rookie league mounds in recent years, exactly one (40-man roster RHP Luis Pena of Brevard County) is pitching above rookie Helena at this time. That is almost mind-boggling.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio with Manager Frank Kremblas:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%207-8.mp3

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

 

Link for Rick Helling, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1678

 

Sounds Derail Express, 4-1, For 50th Win

ROUND ROCK, Tex. ? The Nashville Sounds won their first-ever meeting with the Round Rock Express on Friday evening at the Dell Diamond, posting a 4-1 victory in the opener of a three-game series.

 

With the victory, Nashville (50-39) maintained its 3 ½ game lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division.

 

Right-hander Rick Helling registered his team-leading eighth quality start and outfielder Nelson Cruz continued his hot hitting with a 3-for-3 effort to lead the Sounds to victory.

 

The Sounds offense started quickly, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. Warren Morris crushed a 2-1 pitch over the right field wall for a one-out solo homer off Express starter Brandon Duckworth. The infielder?s fourth tater of the year gave Nashville a 1-0 lead. Duckworth didn?t do himself any favors later in the frame either, issuing four consecutive walks including back-to-back bases-loaded passes to Tony Zuniga and Julio Mosquera to up the Sounds? lead to 3-0.

 

Former Sounds first baseman Carlos Rivera put Round Rock on the board in the bottom of the second, slugging a one-out solo homer to right off Helling. It was Rivera?s eighth roundtripper of the season.

 

Cruz padded the Nashville lead in the fifth with an RBI double into the left field corner to score Corey Hart and make it a 4-1 game. With his solid evening, Cruz extended his hitting streak to nine games, all of his contests since joining Nashville.

 

Audio Link of Nelson Cruz' RBI Double:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%207-8.mp3

 

Helling (7-3) pulled into a tie with Justin Lehr for the team victory lead after allowing only one run on five hits while striking out a season-best seven over seven innings. Duckworth (3-3) took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) in his six frames. Jose Capellan worked a scoreless ninth for Nashville to pick up his fifth save of the season.

 

The teams continue the series with a 7:05 p.m. meeting on Saturday night. Right-hander Justin Lehr (7-6, 4.30) takes the hill for Nashville to face a yet-to-be-named Express hurler.

[mbwcl]

Nice night down on the farm! All but rookie leaguers get a "W". Good to see after a tough one in Atlanta.

[Anders34]

I went to the game tonight. My wife and I got there a little early (around 6:15 p.m.) only to find out the Express' equipment hadn't arrived yet. The game was delayed 1 hour to 8:05 p.m. which I didn't appreciate much due to the heat (about 95 degrees).

 

As previously mentioned, most of the game was decided in the first inning as a Warren Morris HR, followed by an error and several walks gave the Sounds a 3-0 lead.

 

The next few innings were fairly uneventful as Rick Helling was pitching well. He must have been changing speeds well as his fastball was sitting 86-88 (topped at 90 once I saw).

 

I was hoping to see Prince have a nice game but he wound up with the 0'fer. He was getting ahead in the count, but just wasn't making good contact. He is probably a bit rusty from the couple weeks of only pinch hitting.

 

The player that impressed me the most was Nelson Cruz. He was 3-3 (already noted in another post) but also had an outstanding sliding catch on a pop-up just behind the infield. Nelson Cruz is just a man. I can't wait to see him get a shot in the majors. I think he will go before Corey because of his Def.

 

Corey Hart also had a good game. Almost all of his ABs ended with him hitting the ball hard (errors included) and he swiped 2 or 3 bags. Nice wheels, but the pitchers were not holding him well. He still looked "uncomfortable" in LF and I would have given him an error on a ball to LF. It was a high fly ball right along wall in foul territory. There was plenty of room to make the catch but he kind of whiffed and luckily the ball landed foul.

 

Mike Adams pitched and had a quick inning. Good to see.

 

Jose Capellan finished the game. At first I was surprised by his lack of velocity (only 88-91 for the first two batters) but he dialed it up a little later. For the last two batters he was sitting 93-96 and got Brooks Kieschnick to fly out on a 95 mph fastball to finish the game.

 

Good game. I can't go tomorrow but I am hoping to go on Sunday night.

[H0FFY]

Anders, thanks so much for the first hand report. It is so good to hear about individual plays that can give us an impression (good or bad) on guys.

 

I am most interested in your comparisons between Hart and Cruz.

[PeaveyFury]

Seems like Katin might be next in line for promotion to WV.

 

The Power must be thrilled that they're being loaded up for the second half, with more help in the wings.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.billingsgazette.com/i...stangs.inc

 

Mustangs fall to Helena in 9th

By BILL BIGHAUS

Of The Gazette Staff

 

On a sweltering Friday night at Cobb Field, the Helena Brewers had to sweat it out for 10 innings before punching out another dramatic victory.

 

No. 9 batter Agustin Septimo blasted a two-run home run to right-center with two outs in the 10th to lift the Pioneer League's top hitting team to a come-from-behind 10-8 conquest over the Billings Mustangs.

 

The first-place Brewers, who entered the game with a .335 batting average, improved their season record to 14-3 and opened up a four-game lead over Billings, 10-7, in the Northern Division standings.

 

Helena, which has won its last three games, led early, and then had to rally from an 8-6 deficit in the ninth inning to beat Billings for the third time in four meetings this season.

 

"No matter what the score, they just keep battling and battling," Helena manager Ed Sedar said of his hard-hitting Brewers. "It's not unusual to have a game like this against Billings - and it won't be the last time we go at it like this."

 

Stephen Chapman walked with one out in the top of the 10th. After Carlos Gallardo popped out to the shortstop for the second out, Septimo, hitting .438, crushed a 1-ball, no-strike pitch from Billings' reliever Jose Rojas, for the game-winning blow.

 

"I had Chapman running," said Sedar afterwards. "If it (Septimo's hit) was going to fall in I was thinking we'd get at least one (run). I actually didn't see the ball go out. I was watching Chapman."

 

There was no doubt about Septimo's blast. Helena stroked 12 hits in the 3-hour, 27-minute game - and eight of them went for extra bases. The game started in 97-degree heat and as the sizzling night rolled on, the Brewers rapped five doubles, one triple and two home runs.

 

Billings, which also amassed 12 hits, did get a runner on base in the bottom of the 10th and had Adam Rosales - who belted a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning - at the plate.

 

But Richard Breshears, the Helena reliever, struck out Rosales swinging on three straight pitches.

 

Helena led 3-0 in the first inning and 6-2 in the fourth. A six-run sixth inning - highlighted by Rosales' three-run moon shot to left-center - put Billings in charge 8-6.

 

The Brewers, however, scored two runs against Billings' relief ace Rojas, in the ninth and then won with Septimo's first home run of the season in the 10th.

 

"Helena has a very good offensive ballclub," said Billings manager Rick Burleson. "We had a nice rally ourselves with a six-run sixth and had them down and basically had the guy on the mound that we wanted to have on the mound and we just didn't get it done tonight.

 

"We left a couple pitches out over the plate and they whacked it," Burleson said. "With good ballclubs, even at this level, you can't throw the ball down the middle."

 

Ronny Malave, who pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings of relief before giving way to Breshears in the 10th, was the winning pitcher for the Brewers. He is 2-0.

 

Breshears, with two strikeouts in the 10th, collected his second save.

 

Billings' Rojas, who entered the game tied for the league lead with four saves, suffered his second loss. He pitched a total of two innings - covering portions of the eighth, ninth and 10th innings, allowing four earned runs on three hits.

 

"Unfortunately that's twice in a row that he hasn't got it done, as far as closing it," said Burleson. "But he's got one of our best young arms and he's going to get more chances."

 

In the ninth, with Helena trailing 8-6, Septimo led off and was hit by a 3-2 pitch. He quickly scored on a triple to the wall in right-center by Darren Ford.

 

Charlie Fermaint followed by singling to center field to score Ford and tie the game.

 

Helena jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning on a run-scoring double by Angel Salome and a two-run homer to left by Brendan Katin. Katin's fifth HR of the season traveled over 10th Avenue and into the front yard of a house.

 

Billings got a run back in the second on an RBI-single to left by Kenny Lewis. A double over the centerfielder's head in the third by Mayker Sandoval pulled the Mustangs to within 3-2.

 

Helena used a double by Michael Bell in the fourth to move in front 4-2. Four batters later, Ford delivered a two-run single to make it 6-2.

 

The Mustangs, in taking their first lead, scored six runs on five hits in sending 10 batters to the plate in the sixth.

 

Sandoval had a run-scoring single, and teammate Ben Blumenthal later cracked a two-run single to make it a 6-5 contest.

 

With the bases loaded and two out, Rosales, a .321 hitter, cut loose for his second home run of the season - the go-ahead, three-run shot.

 

But Helena ended up winning with a long ball of its own four innings later.

 

"We've just got to keep coming out and battling and hopefully we can get this thing turned around a little bit," said Burleson. "I think we've got a good ballclub. We just haven't put it all together. We've got to keep grinding it out."

 

The Mustangs and Brewers will wrap up their two-game set tonight with a 7:05 start (8:05 Central) at Cobb Field.

 

Photo by ADAM SINGS IN THE TIMBER/Billings Gazette Staff

The Mustangs? Mayker Sandoval runs to home plate as Helena Brewers catcher Angel Salome makes a play on the ball during their game Friday night at Cobb Field.

 

http://www.billingsgazette.com/rednews/2005/07/09/build//sports/images/40-mustangs.jpg

[Mass Haas]

By the way, Dana Eveland is the Southern League's first ten-game winner. Did I mention he's just 21?

 

Photo by Brian Albert Broom/The Jackson Clarion-Ledger

The Mississippi Braves' Wes Timmons beats Huntsville Stars catcher John Vanden Berg to the plate as he scores in the first inning of Friday night's Southern League game at Trustmark Park. The M-Braves got very little offense the rest of the way, absorbing a 3-2 loss.

 

Link to photo, while active:

 

www.clarionledger.com/app...90359/1025

[BrewCrewWS2008]

Also 2 stolen bases on Angel tonite.

 

Quote:

---

Consider this: for all the Brewers' efforts trotting Latin pitcher after Latin pitcher on to rookie league mounds in recent years, exactly one (40-man roster RHP Luis Pena of Brevard County) is pitching above rookie Helena at this time. That is almost mind-boggling.

---

 

Well things were looking great for Carlos Ramirez until something happened to him, which i still never found out what!

 

Does anyone know what is going on with him?

[Never Outhustled]

Brendan Katin must have figured something out. He now has 5 homers for Helena after hitting just 7 for the University of Miami this year. He's absolutly massive, and definately has the strength to be a masher.

 

Great to see Adam Heether with another homer, his 2nd in a week. He started slowly after he came back from his hand injury, but has now pushed his average back over 300. He's a topnotch defender, and is thought of highly by Reid Nichols. I expect him to be in AA by the end of the month.

 

Enrique Cruz is putting up some serious numbers in a tough league for hitters. I bet he could be a valuable trading chip.

[Past Member]

Nice to see Braun go 2-4 in his Power debut.

[brewcru1]

Quote:

---

Well things were looking great for Carlos Ramirez until something happened to him, which i still never found out what!

 

Does anyone know what is going on with him?

---

 

He gone.

[clancyphile]

X ellence

 

why would we want o deal a SS who could hit? I know the Crew has JJ Hardy, but why not use E. Cruz as a utility player?

[BrewCrewWS2008]

Quote:

---

He gone.

---

 

He is still on the roster, so i dont think he is gone.

[colbyjack]

Don't doubt the magic 8-ball.