Link Report for Games of Thursday, June 30th

[Mass Haas]

Who is this Hammond guy twirling for Helena? 9 Ks in 3 innings?!?! Holy schneikies is that a typo?

 

At one point, 6th round lefty Steve Hammond (Long Beach State) struck out nine of ten, and eight in a row -- the Billings announcer referred to him as Helena's Sandy Koufax; in 11 IP, Hammond has zero walks and 18 K's and an ERA of 0.00 (three unearned runs)...

 

In progress: Helena 5, Billings (Reds) 4, after eight innings

Angel Salome with the go-ahead HR; more on this one later -- a good listen...

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Tenn (Cubs) 9, Huntsville 6

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Brad Nelson back in a comfort zone? On base in all five plate appearances, three extra-base hits and a triple shy of the cycle; Vinny Rottino up over .300 and slugging is fine, even with three singles tonight -- only 18 walks thus far, though; the leadoff spot hasn't agreed with Tony Gwynn, as Huntsville stats guru David Wesier has pointed out; Manny Parra found way too much of the plate tonight -- performance-wise, Dana Eveland is starting to separate himself a bit from his fellow lefty...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

Two-out bases-loaded threats in the first, but Enrique Cruz was retired; only one run scored in the Huntsville 3rd, when the club stranded three again...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

RICHARDSON'S 6TH HOMER NOT ENOUGH IN POWER LOSS

Salisbury, MD ? On Thursday night Grant Richardson became the team leader in home runs when he hit his sixth home run of the season in the top of the first inning, but it was not enough to top the Delmarva Shorebirds who went on to beat the Power by the final score of 5-4.

 

Richardson?s sixth home run of the season was a two-run shot, which gave the Power a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the first, Arturo Rivas delivered a two-out, two-run base hit to tie the game. Later in the inning Juan Gutierrez drove in Rivas on an RBI single to give the Shorebirds a 3-2 lead. Gutierrez delivered again in the bottom of the third with his second RBI single of the game putting the Shorebirds on top 4-2.

 

Tony Festa brought the Power within a run in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI single to make it a 4-3 ballgame. In the top of the fifth Hernan Iribarren tied the game at 4-4 on an RBI single. The Shorebirds regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on a Jason Fransz RBI double.

 

Kevin Hart (4-6) earned the victory, Trent Baysinger (2) earned the save and Brian Montalbo (1-4) obtained the loss. The Power fall to 3-4 in the second half with the loss and the Shorebirds improve to 4-3 with the win.

 

The Power will continue the series against the Delmarva Shorebirds at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on Friday night. The Power will throw RHP Mark Rogers (0-5, 4.67) and the Shorebirds will counter with LHP Carlos Perez (5-5, 3.64). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

[colbyjack]

Thanks for the Helena Brewers for providing a very fun game to listen to this evening, as Mass already talked about. Hammond was dealing, and EDR's boy Fermaint just added a 3-run blast to widen the gap. It won't take long until people start talking about Hammond like they do Taubenheim & Villanueva, even if it is at the rookie league level.

 

Wooley got knocked around in the 2nd. There probably aren't too many, if any, pitchers in the system not named Eveland that I root for more, so here's to him getting his game back together shortly.

 

The pitching in our minor leagues has been extremely fun to follow this season. Hopefully Hammond's early success is legitimate so we can another sleeper name to the top prospect list.

 

***Oh yeah, while Nelson Cruz' promotion was deserved, here's to Brad Nelson getting his confidence and swing back at the AA level. Maybe that demotion was just the spark he needed to get back on track.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Helena 9, Billings (Reds) 4

It's too bad many of the H-Crew's games won't be online audio-wise -- these guys have guaranteed entertainment value...

 

Helena Box Score:

Brewer pitchers strike out 16, walk only two; draft-and-follow from 2004 Josh Louis has now made two very strong relief appearances and is shaping up as a defacto closer, although others will obviously get their turn based on workload; Charlie Fermaint iced it with his second HR on the season, a three-run shot in the 9th; Darren Ford as advertised, and may be the most exciting player in the system at the moment in terms of sheer "wow" appeal -- on base four more times tonight, and beat out a grounder for a base hit based purely on his "80" ranking speed factor...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

 

Helena Game Log:

Kind of a nightmarish second inning for Robbie Wooley, although he wasn't hit hard necessarily; after the second inning, only two Mustangs reached base...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

[Katuluu]

Patrick, Brad went 4-4 with 2 doubles, a HR, and a walk. I kinda think he got his swing back. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

Nelson's Dazzling Debut Overshadowed

Adam Greenberg tripled twice to drive in three runs to pace a 15-hit attack in West Tenn?s 9-6 win over Huntsville Thursday night in the first of a four-game set at Pringles Park. The Stars suffered their second straight loss to fall to 5-4 in the second half of the season and into a three-way for first place in the North Division with the 5-4 Diamond Jaxx and 4-3 Carolina Mudcats, who were rained out in Jacksonville. The Diamond Jaxx have taken five of the seven games played between the two teams and improved to 26-13 at home.

 

The home side jumped on Manny Parra for five runs in the second inning to open up an early 5-0 lead. Brandon Sing doubled in a run, Jose Reyes singled in a pair and Greenberg capped the rally with a two-run triple off the top of the wall in right field. The five runs were the most allowed by Parra in an inning this season and the second time the Stars have allowed five in a frame in the second half.

 

The Stars got a run back in the third when Vinny Rottino walked and scored on a double by Brad Nelson, playing in his first game with the Stars after being optioned from Nashville. Brandon Gemoll and Enrique Cruz walked to load the bases and West Tenn starter Carlos Marmol was lifted due to an upset stomach and replaced by Ryan O?Malley. The southpaw retired John Vanden Berg on a shallow fly ball to left field and Callix Crabbe on a fly out to right field to end the inning.

 

West Tenn extended its lead to 7-2 in the fifth and knocked Parra out of the game in the process. Sing knocked in a run with a bases-loaded single and another run scored when Jose Reyes grounded into a double play. Parra suffered the loss and saw his three-game win streak come to an end after allowing a season-high seven runs on a season-high 11 hits and a pair of walks. The southpaw dropped to 5-6 on the season after his first start against the first half North Division winners.

 

Nelson clubbed a two-run home run in the seventh and Ben Van Iderstine knocked in a run with a ground ball out to trim the lead to 7-5 before Gemoll?s two-out, run-scoring single in the eighth trimmed the home team?s lead to 7-6. Dwaine Bacon drew a one-out, pinch-hit walk off of Mike Meyers in the bottom of the eighth, stole second and third base and scored on a single by Ryan Theriot to make it 8-6 Diamond Jaxx. Greenberg would then triple inside the bag at first base to chase home Theriot to push the lead to 9-6. David Aardsma retired all three hitters he faced on ground ball outs in the ninth to earn his second save of the season.

 

Nelson would reach base in each of his five at-bats with a single, two doubles and a walk along with the long ball. Rottino singled and scored three times and now has seven multi-hit games in the nine games played in the second half.

 

Both Huntsville second basemen, Callix Crabbe and Guilder Rodriguez, made incredible diving catches to their right and then recovered to throw out Diamond Jaxx batters.

 

The series continues Friday night with right-hander David Bradley taking the hill for the Stars against Diamond Jaxx left-hander Renyel Pinto. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[colbyjack]

Yeah, I saw what he did. I have to tailor my comments to avoid the "small sample" warnings http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

 

Let's hope he keeps it up. I still believe in him. He started the season hot, and everyone loved him.

[molitor fan]

short article on Hammond that I have not seen before:

 

From the Contra Costa Times:

Ex-Bulldog launches pro career

 

By Chace Bryson

 

STAFF WRITER

 

It's been a long, adversity-filled road, and the next stop for Steve Hammond is Helena, Montana.

 

Hammond, a 2000 graduate of Alhambra High School who just completed his senior season at Long Beach State, saw his goal of playing professional baseball realized when the Milwaukee Brewers selected the left-handed pitcher in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft on June 7.

 

"(Playing professionally) was the plan all along," Hammond said in a phone interview on Friday. "I just had deal with a lot of adversity along the way."

 

After his first season of pitching for Sacramento City College in 2001, Hammond was forced to have surgery on his pitching elbow to remove bone spurs.

 

"After I came back from that surgery the following season, I started pitching again and continued to have problems with (the elbow)," Hammond said. "(At that point) I almost quit."

 

Thanks to the constant support of friends and family, Hammond didn't give in. He improved his arm strength and had a solid 2004 season out of the bullpen for Sacramento. The southpaw then followed that up with a summer league season in the Central Illinois League where he posted a 2.30 ERA and struck out 46 in 45 innings of work as a starter.

 

Hammond attended Long Beach in the fall and returned to the bullpen where he ranked third on the team with 25 relief appearances. He pitched 24-1/3 innings for the 49ers, compiling a 1-3 record with a 4.07 ERA. Hammond finished the season with 28 strikeouts against only nine walks and caught the eye of several pro scouts.

 

"I had talked to several people, so I knew I was going to be selected," Hammond said. "I was pretty surprised it was (as early as) the sixth round, though."

 

Hammond signed a contract and was sent to Helena where he arrived on June 12.

 

"It's kind of tough to get used to," Hammond said of his Montana surroundings. "I like the (Brewers) organization, and I like all the coaches I've met. Everything has been pretty good so far."

 

The Helena Brewers are part of the rookie-level Pioneer League and began their season on Tuesday.

 

Though he was used as a reliever for Long Beach, Hammond may be asked to start at Helena.

 

"I didn't throw that many innings this (college) season, and a lot of these guys did, so I may be a starter for a little while," Hammond said. "I've done both, and I like it either way."

[H0FFY]

I would love to see Nelson (the Brad one, not the Cruz one) absolutely destroy the AA pitchers. Considering he is 22 and Nelson of the Cruz type is 25, if Nelson of the Brad type can get anywhere near that, then we should be more happy about Brad than Nelson.

 

Who's on first?

 

Huntsvillefan, you need to refesh us on Brad's D. Could Brad be the Carlos Lee replacement in three years?

 

Isn't it great to be able to NOT RUSH these prospect finally. Poor Billy Hall, but Billy survived. But now we can stop pushing a little bit.

 

To be honest, I like our MLB roster (well most of it), I like our minors, I think we have a future.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Ponies' streak stifled

By MIKE SCHERTING

Of The Billings Gazette Staff

 

The first two innings Thursday night gave no indication of what the Billings Mustangs were in for.

 

After a four-run second, which answered two runs put up by the Helena Brewers in the top of the inning, it appeared the Mustangs had a good shot at winning their eighth straight game.

 

But three Helena relievers - in particular lefty Steve Hammond - not only shut the door, they slammed it shut as the Brewers rallied for a 9-4 win at Cobb Field.

 

One game after losing their own seven-game winning streak, the Brewers (8-1) bounced back with a 16-strikeout performance from their four pitchers to move back into first place in the Pioneer League's North Division. The Mustangs (7-2) collected seven hits, but just three over the final seven innings.

 

Hammond, the third of the four Helena pitchers, was dominating, so much so that Mustangs manager Rick Burleson called the performance from the sixth-round draft pick out of Long Beach State "awesome."

 

All Hammond did was retire 12 of the 13 batters he faced, including the last 11 in a row. Brandon Roberts laced a one-out triple in the fourth, but Hammond responded by striking out the next two hitters to end the inning. It also started a stretch where Hammond struck out eight in a row. In all, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder struck out nine, walked none and picked up the victory as the Brewers put up single runs in the six, seventh and eight innings to take a 5-4 lead.

 

"I knew they weren't very aggressive, they don't really swing at a lot of first pitches, so my plan all along was to get ahead and throw a lot of strikes," said Hammond, who has struck out 18 and walked zero in 11 innings for far for the Brewers. "So that's what I did."

 

Josh Louis gave up a single to James Langham to lead off the eighth, but then set down the next six in a row to earn his second save.

 

Angel Salome, who leads the league with 17 RBIs, hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth off Billings reliever Jason Vecchio (0-1). The Brewers then took advantage of three walks and a wild pitch to score another run in the ninth before Charlie Fermaint pretty much sealed the Mustangs' fate with a three-run homer off Bo Lanier to complete the scoring.

 

"You're not going to win many ball games striking out 16 times," Burleson said. "It was a good ball game basically up until the ninth inning. We just couldn't generate any offense. All our left-handed hitters, off their lefties, we didn't do some of the things that we've been successful with and that's dropping a bunt once in a while, putting pressure on them, that type of thing.

 

"We've got four speed guys in a row (in the lineup), and we tried one bunt and fouled it off. They've got to use that part of their game, and they've got to battle a little bit better with two strikes."

 

The Mustangs seemed to have all the momentum after the second inning when they scored four times on four hits, two walks and a Helena error. They also stole five bases in the inning.

 

But Dane Renkert, in relief of starter Robert Wooley, finally ended the inning by striking out Langham and from there it was all Helena.

 

"It didn't work out tonight," Burleson said. "Tomorrow's a new day and we'll try to bounce back from it. We've got to learn from it."

 

The team's conclude their three-game series tonight at 7 p.m. (8:00 Central). David Wilson is scheduled to start for Billings against Helena's Rafael Lluberes.

 

The ball gets away from Mustangs second baseman Michael DeJesus as Helena baserunner Darren Ford slides safely into second with a stolen base during their game at Cobb Field Thursday night.

Photo by STEPHEN BRASHEAR/Billings Gazette Staff

 

http://www.billingsgazette.com/rednews/2005/07/01/build//sports/images/25-mustangs.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Power fails in clutch, falls to Delmarva

Charleston Gazette

 

SALISBURY, Md. ? The West Virginia Power had the tying run on base the seventh and eighth innings but couldn?t come up with a clutch hit in dropping a 5-4 decision to the Delmarva Shorebirds Thursday night.

 

After Delmarva took a 5-4 lead in the fifth on Jason Fransz?s double, the Power?s Tony Festa opened the seventh with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and reached third on a ground out but was stranded.

 

In the eighth, Will Lewis drew a one-out walk and was eliminated on Grant Richardson?s ground out. Richardson reached second after Hasan Rasheed walked, but both were left on base. The Power was retired in order in the sixth and ninth.

 

Richardson staked the Power to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with a two-run home run, his team-high sixth of the year. Hernan Iribarren, who tied the game in the fifth at 4-all with a run-scoring single, and Festa each had two hits and drove in a run for the Power. Freddy Parejo went 2-for-3.

 

Power starter Yovani Gallardo lasted just three innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits. The Power will play at Delmarva at 7:05 (6:05 Central) tonight in the second of the three-game series.

 

Second-half trend to aid Power?

Charleston Gazette

 

In recent years, Charleston?s minor league baseball clubs have shared one trait ? each has finished stronger than it started.

 

Going back to 2000, the then-Alley Cats improved on their first-half records during the second half of each season. Some gains were small ? last year?s club was a mere two games better in the won-lost column. Others were more decisive ? the 2002 Cats improved by 12 games during the second half.

 

In the five-year span of 2000-04, Charleston?s teams averaged nearly six wins better in each second half. During that same stretch, only last year?s club managed a .500 record for the entire season, finishing 84-56.

 

While it?s not uncommon for a minor-league team to improve as the season progresses ? conventional wisdom says that young players should get better with experience ? it does give the West Virginia Power some hope as the second half kicks into high gear. The Power roster includes 13 players under the age of 22, including all-stars Hernan Iribarren and Alcides Escobar.

 

The Power concluded the first half of its inaugural South Atlantic League season at 25-45. Toss out a dismal start ? the Power was 4-18 in April ? and that record doesn?t look nearly as bad. In fact, the 25 first-half wins are the third-most for a Charleston club since 2000.

 

HEADING FOR HOME: After a four-game set at Delmarva, the Power returns to Appalachian Power Park to celebrate Fourth of July with a three-game series against rival Lexington.

 

The Power has just one extended homestand in July ? a seven-game, seven-day layover against Hagerstown and Lakewood July 18-24.

 

ALL-STAR FUTURE: Charleston?s new stadium will have to wait a little longer to play host to its first South Atlantic League All-Star game.

 

This week, the league awarded the 2008 game to Greensboro, N.C. The Bats? new home, First Horizon Park, opened April 3 to rave reviews. The park features the minors? second-largest video scoreboard.

 

The game will be played at Lake County (Ohio) in 2006 and at Rome (Ga.) in 2007.

 

Charleston last played host to a Sally League All-Star game in 1989 at Watt Powell Park.

[Mass Haas]

Sounds down rival Redbirds

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

Nelson Cruz rolled into Music City Thursday and made himself right at home at Greer Stadium. A day after being promoted from Double-A Huntsville, Cruz paced the Sounds to a 6-3 win over Memphis, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, in front of 7,496 fans.

 

Cruz?s debut was highlighted by a two-run home run blast in the seventh, which gave the Sounds the lead for good. Cruz also had an RBI double in the fifth inning.

 

?It was awesome,? Cruz said. ?You don?t expect you?re going to have a good game, the first game you get called up.?

 

The Sounds and Redbirds met for the first this season, as the rivals settle in for a battle for first place in the Pacific Coast League American Northern division. It was the first of 16 grudge matches between the two teams this year. The win increased Nashville?s lead over Memphis (40-40) to 3.5 games.

 

Reliever Jose Capellan saved the day for Nashville (44-37) in the eighth inning. With the bases loaded and the Sounds leading by a run, Capella struck out Chris Duncan. Capellan then got John Nelson to ground to first base to end the scoring threat and leave the bases loaded.

 

Capellan celebrated the big out by spiking the ball into the turf. He then pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his fourth save.

 

?[Capellan] came in and got the job done,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. ?He made the pitches he had to. Also, he made a nice play on a weird ground ball [to end the inning].?

 

Memphis got a jump on its cross-state rival in the first inning when leadoff man Skip Schumaker floated the second pitch of the game over the left field wall for a homer off Sounds starter Gary Glover.

 

The Redbirds added a run in both the fourth and fifth innings to build a 3-0 lead. Catcher Cody McKay, hitting below .200 on the season, belted a homer in the fifth.

 

In the bottom of the inning, the Sounds answered when newcomers Russ Branyan and Cruz hit back-to-back doubles. Branyan, on loan from Milwaukee on a rehab assignment, scored on Cruz?s sharply-hit grounder down the third base line. It was Cruz?s first hit as a Sound. Branyan, who typically plays the infield but was in right to protect his injured finger, was removed after the fifth inning. Kremblas said a short outing is ?normal? for rehabbing players.

 

Nashville got so-so pitching from Glover, who had been throwing well since being demoted by Milwaukee. Heading into Thursday, Glover was 1-0 with a 0.50 ERA. He allowed six hits over six innings of work, surrendering three runs, two earned.

 

?It seemed worse than it was,? Kremblas said of Glover?s outing.

 

Memphis starter Bill Pulsipher (2-3) was on cruise control before running into trouble in the seventh. That?s when he gave up the lead, allowing three runs, including Cruz?s homer.

 

Nashville distanced its lead in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run RBI single by Corey Hart. For the game, Hart went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.

 

Newcomer Corey Hart joined the Sounds June 24, after having his contract purchased from Bridgeport of the independent Atlantic League. The addition gives the Sounds two players named Corey Hart.

 

The original Corey Hart on the roster is the Sounds? representative in the Triple-A All-Star game, hitting .307 with seven home runs before Thursday?s game. Heading into the game, he had yet to play first base, playing exclusively in the outfield. The new Corey Hart is listed on the roster as an infielder, so when ?Corey Hart? was announced in Thursday?s lineup, it was assumed to be the new addition.

 

In reality, it was the all-star making his first start of the season at first.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Cruz returns to AAA to lead Sounds

Drives in winning run to open series with Redbirds

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Nelson Cruz returned to Class AAA in fine fashion last night, driving in three runs with a double and a home run as the Nashville Sounds defeated visiting Memphis 6-3 to open a four-game series.

 

Cruz played four games with Sacramento last year before he was traded during the offseason by Oakland to Milwaukee. He was called up Wednesday from Double-A Huntsville, where he had been among the Southern League's offensive leaders.

 

"I'd been having a pretty good season," said Cruz (.306, 16 home runs, 54 RBIs). "You try to be ready (for a promotion), but you never know when they're going to do it.

 

"It doesn't take a lot of adjustments. You just play the same."

 

Cruz broke Nashville's scoring drought in the fifth inning, following Russell Branyan's leadoff double with a two-bagger to make it a 3-1 game against Memphis starter Bill Pulsipher.

 

In the seventh, after Chris Barnwell doubled to score Corey Hart, Cruz hit a two-run shot to the opposite field to give the Sounds a 4-3 lead.

 

"I was surprised that ball went out to right-center," Manager Frank Kremblas said. "The wind was blowing in a little, and that usually kills anything going out that way. He has a little power."

 

That was all the runs the Sounds would need to pick up their 12th victory when trailing in the seventh inning or later.

 

Branyan, seeing his first defensive action since joining the team on a rehabilitation assignment earlier this week, went 1-for-2 with a run. He started in right field but came out of the game following the sixth inning.

 

"Being his first time in the field, they didn't want him to play all game," Kremblas said of Branyan, who is recovering from a broken middle finger on his left hand. "It still hurts when he swings and misses."

 

Road warriors: The Sounds are one of three Pacific Coast League teams to boast winning records on the road (21-19) as well as at home (23-18).

 

The others are Salt Lake (26-16 home, 18-17 road) and Tacoma (23-12 home, 22-21 road).

 

No June swoon: Nashville's pitching staff posted a 4.03 ERA for the month of June, the second-best mark in the PCL behind Tacoma's 4.02.

 

On the other end, Sounds hitters have put up 10 or more hits in 17 of the team's 28 games this month and are hitting .293.

 

Stable roster: With the addition of Cruz and the reassignment of outfielder Brad Nelson to Huntsville, the Sounds' transaction count is up to 27 for the season. That's still 33 less than last year's team had at this time.

 

Two of the players added, infielders Warren Morris and Tony Zuniga, have each hit better than .300 since taking the places of highly touted prospects Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder. Morris has hit .322 and Zuniga .333.

 

Game at a glance

 

? Winning pitcher: Clint Weibl (1-2).

 

? Big stick: Cruz, 2-for-4, RBI double, two-run home run.

 

? How they won: Sounds rallied from a 3-0 deficit in fifth, picking up run in the fifth on Cruz's double and taking one-run lead in seventh when Barnwell doubled home a run and scored on Cruz's HR. Hart added a two-run hit in the eighth. Weibl and Jose Capellan combined for three scoreless innings of relief, Capellan getting his fourth save.

 

? What they said: "Clint did a pretty good job; Jose came in and got the job done with the bases loaded, made pitches when he had to." ? Kremblas.

 

? Tonight's pitchers: Sounds ? RHP Ben Hendrickson (4-6, 4.17 ERA). Redbirds ? RHP Chris Gissell (6-5, 2.90).

 

Maurice Patton covers the Nashville Sounds for The Tennessean. He can be reached at mopatton@tennessean.com.

[jhpc]

I was at the game last night and came away a lttle disheatened.Not because of the game, but more so because of the absence of Brad Nelson. He had sort of became one of the fan favorites.

 

I still believe that Corey could be one of the best defesive 1st basemen in minor league or the majors for that matter, but that will never happen because of Prince. Corey just seems to

make all the infielders better. I watched him play some 1st (before the 3rd base experiment) in Huntsville and he turned alot of errorant throws into outs. I'm sure if you ask any infielder that threw across to him they would say the same.

 

Again, I say that thats not likely to happen, so we move on.

 

At the game last night, Nelson Cruz seemed a little more comfortable in left than right. I know it was his first game, but he just appeared a half step slower in right. With that said the guy as an absolute cannon for an arm. And his swing is pure. when the ball finds the bat it explodes. His swing is a high strike out kind of swing, but if you put 2-hit games with extra base hits spewing everywhere, I guess the K's are something we will have to live with.

 

I heard at the park that the outfield time will be split, right field/left field, pretty evenly between Corey & Nelson. Which will give them both plenty of opportunities to make it to Milwaukee.

 

An outfield of Cruz, Dave, & Corey would be sweet for years to come, so we will enjoy it in Nashville while we can.

[Brian the Automator]

[ At the game last night, Nelson Cruz seemed a little more comfortable in left than right. I know it was his first game, but he just appeared a half step slower in right. With that said the guy as an absolute cannon for an arm. And his swing is pure. when the ball finds the bat it explodes. His swing is a high strike out kind of swing, but if you put 2-hit games with extra base hits spewing everywhere, I guess the K's are something we will have to live with. ]

 

I hate to say this and I don't want to believe this is true, but:

Old Geoff Jenkins, meet the new Geoff Jenkins.

 

But I suppose Jenkins when-he-was-hitting-well production for minimum wage is pretty desirable.

[deeswan]

I hate to say this and I don't want to believe this is true, but:

Old Geoff Jenkins, meet the new Geoff Jenkins.

 

C'mon, there is no comparison. One is young, one is aging. One is lefty, one is righty. One is hitting, one is not. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif