Link Report for Games of Thursday, June 9th

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

Eveland Continues Excellent Mound Work

Dana Eveland put together another solid seven inning effort and Tony Zuniga knocked in a pair of runs in Huntsville?s 4-3 win over Chattanooga Thursday night at BellSouth Park. The Stars ended a five-game road losing streak and beat the Lookouts for the first time this year in five tries to improve to 24-37. Huntsville has won three times in the last 14 games since May 27 and all three have come in the last three games started by Eveland. The Lookouts dropped to 10-23 on home soil and to 24-37 overall and were stalled in their attempt to win a third straight home game for the second time this season.

 

The Stars snapped a scoreless tie in the fifth inning when Ben Van Iderstine led off with a single, stole second base and scored on a double by Zuniga, his first of two on the night. John Vanden Berg dropped down a sacrifice bunt and Enrique Cruz followed with a base hit to plate Zuniga to push the lead to 2-0. Kennard Bibbs, Vinny Rottino and Nelson Cruz singled to load the bases with nobody out in the sixth before Van Iderstine bounced into a force out at the plate. Zuniga then lofted a sacrifice fly to left field to chase home Rottino and Cruz tagged at second and headed for third. Stephen Smitherman?s throw to the infield rolled past third baseman Jeff Bannon back to the screen behind home plate and allowed Cruz to score to make it 4-0 Huntsville.

 

Lance Caraccioli, making a spot start, was charged with the loss after allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits over six innings. The southpaw struck out five and suffered his first defeat since May 2 against Tennessee. Caraccioli has not won since May 15, a span of four relief appearances and two starts.

 

Eveland tossed five shutout frames before allowing a three-run home run to Bannon with two outs in the sixth that trimmed the lead to 4-3. The long ball was the first extra base hit allowed by Eveland since a Michael Tucker double in the sixth inning on May 25 and the first earned runs he had allowed since the seventh inning of that same game, a stretch of 18 2/3 innings. Kevin Howard and Bryan Anderson singled with one out in the seventh and pulled off a double steal before Eveland fanned pinch-hitter Josh Renick for the second out of the inning. Norris Hopper was intentionally walked to load the bases and bring up left-handed hitting Junior Ruiz, who flied to Bibbs in center field for the final out of the inning.

 

Mitch Stetter worked two scoreless frames to record his fourth save of the year and first since April 29 against Tennessee. Eveland became the first Stars pitcher to win six games and the first to win three consecutive decisions. He matched a season-high with his seven innings of work, the eighth time a Stars starter has gone seven innings in a game. Eveland has lasted at least six innings in nine of his last 11 starts and is second in the league with 77 1/3 innings pitched.

 

The two teams open a two-game set at Joe Davis Stadium Friday night, as the Stars will send right-hander Dennis Sarfate to the hill against Chattanooga right-hander Josh Hall. 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.

[edod]

Perhaps is was a swap of closers.

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

The box score confirms the number, but since when does the new ballpark seat this many and what was so special about this Thursday night game?

 

Patton out-duels Kloosterman in front of 10,000 fans at Appalachian Power Park

Charleston, WV ? Greg Kloosterman and Troy Patton treated the largest crowd in Appalachian Power Park history to an outstanding pitcher?s duel on Thursday night. 10,103 fans watched as Kloosterman gave up a pair of runs on four hits and struck out a season high eight batters through six and a third innings but Troy Patton threw six and two thirds innings before allowing his first hit of the ballgame as the Legends went on to beat the Power by the final of 6-0.

 

The Legends scored the first run of the game in the top of the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly from Ben Zobrist. Hunter Pence hit a solo homer in the top of the sixth inning to give the Legends a 2-0 lead. Troy Patton had a no-hitter going until Will Lewis smacked a two out single in the bottom of the seventh inning to break it up. Ben Zobrist struck again with another sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth inning and Mitch Einertson put the icing on the cake for Lexington with a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning.

 

Patton (4-0) earned the victory, Chad Reineke (4) earned the save and Kloosterman (3-8) obtained the loss. The Power fall to 20-40 with the loss and the Legends move to 37-24 with the win.

 

The Power will conclude the series against Lexington on Friday night at Appalachian Power Park. RHP Josh Baker (1-3, 8.51) will throw for the Power and the Legends will counter with RHP Ronnie Martinez (3-3, 5.43). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 9, Iowa (Cubs) 8, 12 innings

Gutsy, almost heroic effort by Chad Paronto in relief -- he really is ready for another major league shot with someone, and has been the Sounds' best pitcher this season...

 

Nashville Box Score:

Catcher Mike Rivera with a bizarre night -- GIDP, GIDP, RBI double, HR, GIDP, game-winning single...

 YTD YTD NASHVILLE AB R H BI AVG IOWA AB R H BI AVG T.Durrington SS 0 0 0 0 .266 T.Hubbard CF 0 0 0 0 .305 T.Durrington 3B 4 1 2 1 .266 T.Hubbard RF 6 2 2 0 .305 R.Weeks 2B 3 2 2 0 .320 M.Fontenot 2B 3 2 1 0 .285 P.Fielder 1B 5 0 0 0 .251 R.Cedeno SS 4 1 1 1 .365 J.Bennett PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Van Buren PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Paronto PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 S.McClain PH 1 0 0 0 .262 K.Orie 3B 0 0 0 0 .314 K.McGlinchy PIT 0 0 0 0 1.000 K.Orie 1B 5 1 3 4 .314 B.Grieve LF 5 1 1 0 .262 C.Hart RF 5 1 2 0 .271 D.Kelton RF 3 1 1 0 .286 B.Nelson LF 4 1 1 0 .249 R.Rohlicek PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Rivera CAT 6 2 3 3 .267 N.Frese SS 1 0 0 0 .273 R.Knox CF 6 1 3 1 .235 M.Hoffpauir 1B 4 1 2 4 .284 J.Capellan PIT 2 0 1 0 .200 G.Soto CAT 6 0 2 3 .281 C.Weibl PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Ransom 3B 5 0 1 0 .238 C.Barnwell PH 1 0 0 0 .235 R.Valdez PIT 3 0 0 0 .143 M.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Leicester PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Scarboroug PH 0 0 0 0 .247 C.Murray CF 2 0 1 0 .276 S.Scarboroug SS 2 0 0 0 .247 TOTALS 44 9 17 9 TOTALS 43 8 12 8 NASHVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 2 0 0 0 1- 9 17 1 IOWA 0 0 0 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 8 12 1 E--T.Durrington, R.Valdez. DP--NASHVILLE 1, IOWA 4. LOB--NASHVILLE 9, IOWA 12. 2B--M.Rivera (3), R.Knox (7), R.Cedeno (7), M.Hoffpauir (5). HR--K.Orie (10), M.Rivera (1). SB--R.Weeks 2 (9), K.Orie (3), T.Hubbard 3 (10), M.Fontenot (1). CS--T.Durrington. HBP--K.Orie. SF--M.Hoffpauir. SH--T.Durrington 2, C.Hart, B.Nelson, S.Scarboroug, N.Frese, C.Murray. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA NASHVILLE J.Capellan 4.0 4 7 7 4 1 0 5.16 C.Weibl 1.0 1 0 0 2 2 0 5.14 M.Adams 2.0 2 1 1 2 3 0 2.25 J.Bennett 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 4.15 C.Paronto (W,3-0) 3.0 4 0 0 2 3 0 2.23 IOWA R.Valdez 5.2 8 4 4 2 4 1 3.89 J.Leicester 1.0 3 2 2 0 2 0 5.40 R.Rohlicek 1.1 2 2 2 1 0 1 4.02 J.Van Buren 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2.28 K.McGlinchy (L,0-1) 2.0 3 1 1 0 3 0 5.32 HB--R.Valdez. WP--J.Leicester. SO--R.Weeks, P.Fielder 2, C.Paronto, K.Orie, C.Hart 2, B.Nelson, R.Knox 2, T.Hubbard 2, M.Fontenot, R.Cedeno, B.Grieve 3, D.Kelton, G.Soto 2, C.Ransom, R.Valdez. BB-- R.Weeks 3, B.Nelson, T.Hubbard, M.Fontenot 4, R.Cedeno, B.Grieve, D.Kelton, M.Hoffpauir, C.Ransom. T--4:23. A--5645

Nashville Game Log:

Sounds double-steal attempt in the 1st nails Trent Durrington at the plate...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_iowaaa_1

[Katuluu]

Don't forget him being part of a 4th DP. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

Great game.

[DHonks]

Scoop, Jose had a string of something like 8 of 9 starts with 3 or fewer runs. His stats are heavily skewed by two or 3 outings, which is something we must accept in the PCL. He's doing fine, but not dominating.

[LV Brewer Fan]

I don't know DHonks, the thing that scares me about Jose is the sharp decline in strikeouts this season. Last year he was well above 1 per inning and this year he isn't even close. Is he working on his secondary stuff more, do they have him trying to pitch to more contact, I don't know but something isn't right. It is more of the secondary stats that concern me than the slightly inflatted ERA.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site Game Summary:

 

DES MOINES ? The Nashville Sounds erased a 7-0 deficit to force extra innings and went on to snap a four-game losing streak with a 9-8, 12-inning victory over the Iowa Cubs on Thursday evening at Principal Park in the opener of four-game series.

 

With the victory, Nashville (31-30) regained first place in the PCL American Conference Northern Division, leap-frogging Memphis to take a half-game lead.

 

The win was the Sounds? 11th in their last at-bat and marked the club?s eighth victory in a contest it trailed in the seventh inning or later. The extra-inning contest -- Nashville's second-longest of the campaign at four hours and twenty-three minutes -- was the Sounds? sixth of the year and the club?s third in five road trip openers this season.

 

Corey Hart, who continued his recent hot hitting with a 2-for-5 evening, opened the twelfth with a single back up the middle off Iowa reliever Kevin McGlinchy and was sacrificed to second by Brad Nelson, the Sounds? fifth sacrifice bunt of the contest.

 

Catcher Mike Rivera followed with an RBI single to right-center to bring home Hart and give Nashville its first lead of the night at 9-8. The hit was the third of the game for Rivera, who also grounded into three double plays in a feast-or-famine evening.

 

Audio link of Rivera's Game-winner:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%206-9.mp3

 

Nashville starter Jose Capellan ? who took a no-decision in the contest despite surrendering a season-high seven runs ? allowed no hits and only one baserunner over the first three innings of action before the Iowa offense got to the right-hander for seven runs over the next two frames, logging a four-run fourth and three-run fifth to jump out to a 7-0 lead.

 

Kevin Orie, a former I-Cub, put the Sounds on the board in the sixth with a one-out two-run homer off Iowa starter Raul Valdez, scoring Rickie Weeks. The blast was the veteran?s 10th of the season. Nashville added a pair of two-out runs later in the frame against Valdez on Rivera?s RBI double followed by a Ryan Knox run-scoring single, which made it a 7-4 contest.

 

Iowa got a run back in the bottom of the frame against Sounds reliever Mike Adams. Ageless PCL veteran Trenidad Hubbard opened the inning with a single then stole second and third before scoring on another Hoffpauir run-producing hit, a two-out single, to make the score 8-4. Hart, the Nashville right fielder, prevented further damage in the inning when he threw out Mike Fontenot at the plate while trying to score on the play.

 

Orie (3-for-4) brought the Sounds within two in the seventh with a one-out, two-run single against Iowa reliever Jon Leiceister before Nashville tied the contest at 8-8 in the eighth against Russ Rohlicek.

 

Rivera led off the Sounds? eighth with a solo homer to left-center off Rohlicek, the catcher?s first roundtripper in a Nashville uniform. Knox followed by legging out a double, moved to third on pinch-hitter Steve Scarborough?s sacrifice bunt, then tied the game on a squeeze bunt by leadoff man Trent Durrington, who turned in a 2-for-3 night after recording only two hits in his previous 28 at-bats entering the contest.

 

Weeks, who finished 2-for-2 and stole a pair of bases, singled in the top of the first to snap a season-high 11 at-bat hitless stretch.

 

Chad Paronto (3-0) tossed three scoreless frames to earn his third victory of the season and extended his current streak to 17 1/3 consecutive innings without an earned run allowed. McGlinchy (0-1) took the loss in his first decision of the year for the I-Cubs after allowing the eventual game-winning run in his two frames.

 

The teams continue the series with a 7:05 p.m. on Friday evening at Principal Park. Nashville right-hander Ben Hendrickson (2-5, 4.16) will make the start against Iowa southpaw Ryan O?Malley (1-1, 6.75).

[Mass Haas]

Photos by Tim Evearitt, The Chattanoogan

Chattanooga shortstop D'Angelo Jimenez throws out Huntsville's Calix Crabbe by a step at first base. Down 4-0, Jeff Bannon hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning. The Stars held on to beat the Lookouts Thursday night, 4-3.

 

http://images.chattanoogan.com/photo_images/photo_6474_large.jpg

 

The Stars Kennard Bibbs is tagged out by Kevin Howard as he tries to steal second base in the first inning.

 

http://images.chattanoogan.com/article_images/article_68056_large.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section...2005060951

 

Record-breaking crowd sees Power get blanked 6-0

By Jim Workman

For The Charleston Gazette

 

The crowd was huge, but the West Virginia Power?s offensive numbers were puny.

 

A dominating performance from Lexington starting pitcher Troy Patton, who had a no-hitter through 6 2/3 innings, paced the Legends to a 6-0 blanking of the Power before 10,103 fans ? a record-breaking crowd at Appalachian Power Park, which opened in April.

 

Patton finished with eight strikeouts and allowed just one hit and one walk before being lifted after he surpassed his prescribed pitch count. Chad Reinke pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to record a save, allowing just one hit and striking out three.

 

?We got shut down by two pretty good pitchers,? said Power manager Ramon Aviles. ?Both of them were outstanding.?

 

Power starter Greg Kloosterman was also impressive, allowing two earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out eight but gave up eight hits before giving way to reliever Derek DeCarlo.

 

Lexington scored in the fourth inning when Ben Zobrist scored Bryan Triplett with a deep fly to left to give the Legends a 1-0 advantage.

 

Hunter Pence made it 2-0 with a homer that sailed over the right-field wall in the sixth. Pence, a second-round draft choice by the Astros in 2004, leads the South Atlantic League with 22 home runs, 50 RBI and 158 total bases.

 

The Legends plated one more in the eighth as Zobrist cashed in with yet another sacrifice fly, this one to right, scoring Jonny Ash to increase the Lexington lead to 3-0.

 

With one swing of the stick in the top of the ninth, Mitch Einertson doubled the Lexington run total by swatting a three-run dinger that flew over the left-field wall to give the Legends a 6-0 advantage.

 

The Power (20-40) had won four of its last six, but now owns a two-game losing streak.

 

West Virginia is 1-2 with Lexington (37-24) this series.

 

The Legends began Thursday?s contest one game out of first place in the Northern Division behind Hagerstown. The Power began 16 1/2 games out, in last place. The Power is 12-19 at home this year, compared to 8-21 on the road.

 

The Power wraps up a four-game home series with Lexington tonight and will open a four-game home series with Lakewood Saturday.

[brewmann04]

When do you guys think we see Promotions in the minors

[JohnBriggs12]

Hardytheman,

 

I'm fighting the Villanueva battle on the Power 50 thread. The argument I'm getting is that he's benefitting from the FSL being a pitchers league. Pitcher's league or no for a 21 year old to be allowing a .166 BA against in High A is impressive. Most of the players in that league are 22 or 23.

 

As for Capellan, there's no getting around the fact he hasn't come close to the hype he was getting in December after the trade. Yes he had a string of decent starts but he hasn't dominated once and he was supposed to be dominating.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...005061018/

 

Lexington's home run Hunter

Matt Lockhart

Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter

 

Believe or not, there's someone out there not impressed by Hunter Pence's 22 home runs.

 

Then again, dads want more, more, more.

 

"I'm never doing good enough for him," said Pence with a laugh. "But he doesn't give me too hard of a time."

 

There's not much more this Lexington Legend centerfielder could be doing. Pence's .341 average is sixth in the South Atlantic League. His 50 runs batted in top everyone. No player in professional baseball has hit more long balls.

 

His opposite field solo shot did its part in the Power's 6-0 loss to Lexington Thursday night in front of a record 10,103 fans at Appalachian Power Park. It was his sixth this year against West Virginia (20-40), which is 3-10 against the Legends.

 

And to think, there's a chance this could've been Pence's home.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers wanted him.

 

So, in 2002, the organization drafted him in the 40th round from Texarkana Community College.

 

But, as Pence explains it, the Brewers had no intention of signing him. They thought he'd return to Texarkana.

 

"It was more of a draft-and-follow type deal," Pence said.

 

Instead of Milwaukee getting to evaluate Pence for a year before trying to sign him, the Texas native had other plans.

 

He signed with hometown University of Texas-Arlington, and then was drafted in the second round two years later by Houston. The rest has been pleasant history.

 

In Baseball America's May 31 Prospect Hot List, Pence was listed No. 16. Lexington's starting pitcher Troy Patton, who threw a one-hitter in 6 2/3 innings Thursday, was No. 7 on Baseball America's list.

 

So, what's Pence doing for this success?

 

"Nothing really," the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder said. "There is kind of a small ballpark in Lexington. All I'm really doing is trying to see the ball and hit it."

 

Some even tried to pin Pence's home run stroke on something else -- trying to impress his girlfriend.

 

They might have a valid claim. In three games she attended saw in May, Pence hit five homers and drove in seven runs. He downplays it, however.

 

"It wasn't really for my girlfriend," he said." She was there for three games, but those three games I hit five home runs. It was kind of a coincidence."

 

When Pence was injured last season at UT-Arlington, Texas Christian Coach Jim Schlossnagle said, "Thank goodness the Babe Ruth of college baseball wasn't playing."

 

This many homers this early doesn't come often.

 

Former big leaguer Dean Palmer hit 22 long balls in just 60 games and 234 minor league at-bats in 1991. Pence has 22 home runs in 57 games and 223 at-bats.

 

There's a difference, though. Palmer was a 22-year-old in Class AAA. Pence is a 22-year-old in low Class A.

 

That's where the questions begin.

 

How does Pence project at the next level, and the next and the next and the next?

 

Behind the scenes, there are some qualified baseball minds who question his unorthodox swing and his ability to hit breaking pitches.

 

That's not to say they don't see Pence as a legitimate prospect with Major League potential.

 

He could have the chance to prove he can have success at higher levels soon.

 

The Astros' director of minor league operations, Ricky Bennett, and minor league field director Tom Wiedenbauer were in town Thursday.

 

Three of Lexington's stars already jumped to Salem (Va.) in the advanced Class A Carolina League in mid-May.

 

At the end of May, Bennett told Mark Maloney of the Lexington Herald-Leader: "I think it's just a matter of time before (Pence) moves to the next level. When that will be, we really haven't put a timetable on it."

 

Then again, they might choose to keep him on a winning team like Lexington (37-24), which is one game behind Hagerstown in the SAL South standings.