Link Report for Games of Tuesday, June 14th

[Mass Haas]

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

 

Stars' offense sputters in loss to West Tenn

Theriot's 8th-inning homer helps West Tenn to 2-1 victory

By MATTHEW NASCONE

Times Staff Writer eintern@htimes.com

 

It took eight innings, but there was an extra-base hit in the Huntsville Stars game Tuesday night.

 

Unfortunately for the Stars, the extra-base hit wasn't theirs as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx claimed a 2-1 victory at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

Diamond Jaxx shortstop Ryan Theriot cranked a solo home run over the left-field wall in the top of the eighth inning. Through seven innings, all 10 hits in the game were singles. Theriot's home run off Stars reliever Brett Evert gave West Tenn a 2-0 lead.

 

"He made a good pitch, but it tailed over the plate and I just pulled my hands in and hit it," Theriot said. "In a close game things like that are going to happen."

 

The Stars did avoid a shutout with a run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Vinny Rottino reached base with a two-out single and Nelson Cruz knocked him in with a double on the next pitch.

 

The ninth inning provided a slight spark for the Stars, but Tony Zuniga struck out with the tying run on third base.

 

Ryan Costello and Renyel Pinto were locked in a duel through six innings. The only run scored on either starter was in the top half of the first when Theriot scored for the Diamondjaxx on a throwing error by Rottino.

 

Before Theriot's home run, the biggest threat to either starting pitcher was in the Stars' half of the sixth inning. Cruz walked with one out. Ben Van Iderstine followed Cruz with a single to right field.

 

However, Brandon Gemoll grounded into a double play to the third baseman to end the inning.

 

West Tenn threatened in the seventh inning. With two outs, Casey Kopitzke poked a single through the left side. Buck Coats pinch hit for the pitcher and knocked another single into right field. There was no run.

 

Costello turned in eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings with two walks and five hits allowed. Pinto struck out six Stars through six innings, while walking two and allowing five hits. Pinto (3-0) grabbed the win for the Diamond Jaxx and Costello (0-3) took the loss.

 

Talley Haines struck out three batters to record his 13th save of the season for West Tenn.

 

The Diamond Jaxx had a one-game lead in the Southern League North Division going into the game and Theriot realized how big this win was for West Tenn.

 

"This game was huge," he said. "Now is the time where it is kill or be killed and it was unfortunate we had to go up against (the Stars) because they play us hard every time.

 

"Hopefully we can scratch another one tomorrow and separate ourselves a little bit more."

 

The final game of the series is today at 12:05 p.m. at Joe Davis Stadium.

[Mass Haas]

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www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...005061515/

 

Weather doesn't cool down pitching

Michael Dailey

Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter

 

The wicked line of pregame thunderstorms that rolled through the Kanawha Valley early Tuesday evening delayed the start of the West Virginia Power's final meeting of the season's first half against the Lakewood BlueClaws.

 

But the 2,746 fans who weathered the 1 hour, 25-minute rain delay, were treated with cooler temperatures and a good old fashioned pitcher's duel.

 

West Virginia starter Greg Kloosterman battled pitch for pitch with Lakewood's James Happ for nearly six innings, but was the tough luck loser in a 1-0 loss to the BlueClaws at Appalachian Power Park.

 

West Virginia dropped to 24-42 in the South Atlantic League's first half, while Lakewood improved to 22-44 overall and 2-6 against the Power.

 

Kloosterman, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound left-hander, pitched well enough to win, but a rocky third inning was all Happ and the BlueClaws needed to salvage the final game of a five-game series.

 

Kloosterman (3-9) tossed 5 2/3 innings, allowing just four hits and one earned run, but Lakewood turned a walk, stolen base, error and a wild pitch into the game's only run.

 

Lakewood's Timi Moni drew a one-out walk in the third, stole second and reached third when catcher Carlos Corporan's throw sailed into center. A wild pitch later in the inning brought Moni home with the winning run.

 

"It came down to the first mistake and I made it," said Kloosterman. "I threw a curveball in the dirt and it bounced over my catcher. Just a little mistake like that can cost you a ballgame. That's what happened today."

 

Derek DeCarlo pitched well in relief for West Virginia, allowing just one base runner over the final 3 1/3 innings.

 

Happ (4-2), a 6-foot-6, 205-pound southpaw, was even more impressive in going seven shutout innings, while allowing just two hits, two walks and collecting seven strikeouts.

 

Relievers Joseph Bisenius and Jacob Barrack tossed the final two innings for the BlueClaws.

 

It was Happ's second consecutive impressive start, after the lefty went five scoreless innings in his last outing against the Delmarva Shorebirds.

 

Happ, who missed the first four weeks of the season with a bulged disc in his back, has tossed 12 consecutive scoreless innings in lowing his earned run average to a sterling 1.65.

 

"I'm just trying to stay down in the zone," said Happ, a 2004 fourth-round draft pick out of Northwestern University. "I let a couple get up, but I was lucky enough to get away with them tonight.

 

"I struggled in a few innings, but I was able to work out of a couple of jams."

 

Those jams came in the second and seventh innings as Happ allowed the leadoff hitter to reach base, before slamming the door on Power hitters.

 

"It was a terrific pitchers duel," said Power pitching coach John Curtis. "Of course, we're disappointed in the way we lost, because there are execution problems. They're not something the other team did to you; they're something we did to ourselves.

 

"But it was a good 1-0 game and we were in it until the end. That's all you can ask."

 

The Power will have today off, before finishing up the first half with a four-game road series against second-place Hagerstown beginning Thursday night. Hagerstown is a game behind Lexington in the league's North standings. Right-handed pitcher Josh Wahpepah (3-3, 3.53) will get the start for the Power.

 

Appalachian Power Park workers prepare to remove the tarp following a 1 hour, 25-minute rain delay Tuesday. The Power lost to the Lakewood BlueClaws, 1-0.

Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Tom Hindman

 

http://www.dailymail.com/images/Tarp0615.jpg

[Mass Haas]

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www.wvgazette.com/section.../200506155

 

Claws blank Power

Kloosterman?s outing wasted

By Tommy R. Atkinson

Charleston Gazette Staff Writer

 

Greg Kloosterman?s plan is starting to come together.

 

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound left-hander turned in another quality start, but the West Virginia Power couldn?t muster any offense in falling 1-0 to the Lakewood (N.J.) BlueClaws Tuesday night. A crowd of 2,746 attended the South Atlantic League game at Appalachian Power.

 

The Power?s season-high four-game winning streak came to an end on a night that included a 1-hour, 25-minute rain delay.

 

Despite taking the loss, Kloosterman (3-9) is beginning to show the consistency that made him a ninth-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003.

 

The Bristol, Ind., resident allowed four hits, struck out three and walked three in 5 2/3 innings. The only run of the game came around on a walk, stolen base and throwing error and a wild pitch. Kloosterman retired the first seven batters before his mistakes in the third inning.

 

?During the first half, I was kind of on and off,?? said Kloosterman. ?During the second half, [Power pitching coach John] Curtis and I talked about trying to get a little bit more consistent, eliminate the big inning and try to put something together. I really do feel like I?m coming around. Pitch aggressively instead of trying to knit-pick. Let my defense work.??

 

In his past two starts, which have both been losses, Kloosterman has surrendered just three earned runs in 12 innings with 11 punchouts and four walks.

 

?He has a better idea of what he?s doing,?? added Curtis, who spent 15 years in the Major Leagues as a pitcher. ?I think he?s a much more confident pitcher out there, and that always helps. We?re just trying to even things out and trying to get him to do the same stuff out there each time. Even though the record doesn?t show he?s winning, he?s still winning the battle out there.??

 

Lakewood left-hander James Happ (4-2), a third-round pick by the Phillies last year, was even more efficient in disposing of the Power (24-42). He gave up just a pair of singles in seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts and no walks.

 

The Power had a couple of chances in the latter innings but couldn?t come through. Grant Richardson led off the seventh with a walk, but was stranded after the next two batters couldn?t lay down bunts to move him into scoring position. In the eighth, Alcides Escobar singled with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch before being stranded.

 

Escobar, Carlos Corporan and Freddy Parejo each singled for the Power. Reliever Derek DeCarlo was also effective with 3 1/3 scoreless innings. For Lakewood (22-44), Jesus Merchan went 2-for-4 and Timi Moni also pounded out a pair of hits.

 

Power points

 

The Power is off today before embarking on a rough eight-game road trip. West Virginia will face second-place Hagerstown (Md.) beginning Thursday then take on Northern Division-leading Lexington (Ky.). ...Catcher Corporan picked off a runner at first in the second and Kloosterman did the same in the sixth. Corporan also threw out a runner attempting to steal second in the seventh.

 

Lakewood?s Jesus Merchan (left) denies a steal attempt by the Power?s Will Lewis.

Charleston Gazette Photographer: Chip Ellis

 

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

[Mass Haas]

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www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=42191

 

Hits keep coming in Sounds? win

By Mark McGee, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

The hits just kept on coming for the Nashville Sounds.

 

Tuesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 10,139 fans at Greer Stadium, the Sounds pounded out 17 hits in an 11-3 rout of the Albuquerque Isotopes. Every Sounds starter, including pitcher Gary Glover, recorded at least one hit. Five Sounds players had multiple-hit games, with three getting three hits each.

 

Kevin Orie led the way for the Sounds with a home run and three runs batted in among his three hits. Catcher Julio Mosquera, who was back with the Sounds from the parent Milwaukee Brewers after clearing waivers, had a double and one RBI among his three hits. Second baseman Warren Morris, making his first start and second appearance for the Sounds, pounded out three hits and also had one RBI.

 

Morris, signed as a free agent this week after being released by the Cleveland Indians organization, is playing without a name on the back of his jersey. He returns to Greer as a Sounds player, having also been here in 2001.

 

?I wasn?t swinging too well before I got here, but I?ve felt good the last couple of days,? Morris said. ?Hopefully, I?ll keep going. They can leave my name off of my jersey if it works for hits.?

 

For Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas, the start of the game was a mini-horror show. The Sounds made three errors in the top for the first inning, allowing Albuquerque to take a 2-0 lead on a pair of unearned runs.

 

?The first inning was gross,? Kremblas said. ?Our first inning defense was not good with two throwaways.?

 

Orie cut the lead to one run with a home run to center to lead off the second inning. But the Sounds really awakened offensively in the fourth inning, scoring six runs on seven hits, five of them infield singles. The Sounds would add one more in the seventh and three in the eighth to ice the game.

 

?Sometimes you have to get the breaks,? Kremblas said. ?It?s nice when you do. We came back and did the job. We got some lucky choppers. We got some guys on and got some big hits with runners in scoring position.?

 

Mark Little hit a solo home run for Albuquerque in the seventh.

 

Glover, making his first start with the Sounds since being sent down from Milwaukee, earned the win allowing only the two unearned runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out eight in five innings.

 

?I thought Glover threw the ball really well,? Kremblas said. ?He had thrown 102 pitches. The first inning hurt him a little with all the extra pitches."

 

The Sounds play Albuquerque again today at noon. Right-hander Ben Hendrickson (2-5, 4.30 earned run average) will start for Nashville against right-hander Frank Castillo (6-2, 3.93 ERA).

[Mass Haas]

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

 

Sounds' bats overcome errors

After rough beginning, Glover wins in debut

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Gary Glover's first impression of his new team couldn't have been a good one.

 

The Nashville Sounds committed three first-inning errors behind the former Milwaukee starter, leading to two unearned runs. But everyone settled down and the Sounds earned an 11-3 win over visiting Albuquerque last night.

 

Nashville sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run fourth inning that saw the team get seven base hits ? only two of which left the infield.

 

Glover allowed just one hit after that first inning and he wound up striking out eight over five innings.

 

"It wasn't all defense," Glover said of the rough start. "I was struggling with my command a little. But the pitches I was making were tough for them to hit. I just wasn't being aggressive.

 

"I'd rather throw less pitches and get deeper in the game than get the strikeouts. That's way too many pitches, overall. I'm just glad I had the opportunity to go back out in the fifth and try to get a win."

 

Matching a season high with 17 hits (set Thursday in Iowa), the Sounds were 8-for 19 with runners in scoring position and 4-for-6 in bases-loaded situations last night. With runners at third and less than two outs, Nashville was 6-for-8.

 

Wood to start Sunday: Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood will make the second start of his rehab assignment with the Iowa Cubs Sunday against the Sounds, as he continues to come back from a strained right shoulder.

 

To err is human: With their three errors last night, the Sounds padded their Pacific Coast League lead, extending their total to 83. Entering the game, Nashville had 14 more than No. 2 Tucson. The Sounds' 48 unearned runs prior to last night's game were the second-most allowed in the PCL behind Tucson's 50.

 

Doubling up: With yesterday's player transactions ? bringing catcher Julio Mosquera from Milwaukee and reassigning catcher Nestor Corredor to Class A West Virginia ? the Sounds have had nine moves in the past five days.

 

Before that, the Sounds had just nine moves. The 18 total transactions are still 25 fewer than Nashville accumulated through this point last season.

 

Help from above: With a sellout crowd of 10,139 on hand for American General Buyout Night, parking prior to the game presented a bit of a dilemma. However, a Metro Police helicopter was flying over the Greer Stadium area and transmitting information down to stadium parking attendants to help fans locate spots.

 

Connections: Four former Sounds are in uniform for Albuquerque. Infielder Jason Wood (2000-01) participated in the last triple play turned for Nashville on July 28, 2001, while pitchers Frank Castillo (1999) and Ariel Prieto (2003) were both in the Nashville starting rotation during their time here. Isotopes hitting coach Reggie Jefferson played parts of the 1990 and '91 season here as well.

 

Across the diamond, Sounds pitching coach Stan Kyles finished his playing career as a member of the 1988 Albuquerque Dukes, and Nashville infielder Matt Erickson recorded the first hit in the history of the Isotopes on April 3, 2003.

 

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