Link Report for Games of Sunday, July 18th

[colbyjack]

We don't really have a clue, though, and for that reason I'll defer to the organization's analysis.

 

That's exactly why I'm saying that it's hard for us to project anyone not playing SS right now to be able to play SS. If the club had any inkling that Sollmann or Lewis could play SS I'm sure they would already be there. Both Counsell & Loretta played SS in the minors, so it's not as great of a stretch thinking about them playing there in the majors. At the lower levels of the chain, if Sollmann & Lewis are not playing there now that is a huge sign to me that they are not as versatile as we would like them to be.

[950opsLHcatcher]

If the club had any inkling that Sollmann or Lewis could play SS I'm sure they would already be there.

 

Well, maybe, maybe not. I don't know much about what the organization thinks about Escobar, but it doesn't surprise me that they want Murray to start more or less always at shortstop, so that could be a reason why Lewis hasn't played there this year. I also wouldn't put it past the Brewers to not be paying attention as closely as they should be.

 

The thing to me with Sollmann is that he was a pretty high draft pick for a run-of-the-mill college player, so he must have something that the Brewers like about physical ability, and he reportedly plays second base very well. He's also quick, so unless he gets really bad reads on balls off of the bat, it seems he should have the athleticism to play shortstop with some minimal level of competence. I guess I just want someone to tell me what it is about Sollmann that makes him totally unable to play shortstop.

[MassBrew]

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 51 42 .548 TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 52 44 .542 .5 LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 46 49 .484 6.0 [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 42 51 .452 9.0[/b]

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 14 8 .636[/b] BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 13 9 .591 1.0 WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 11 10 .524 2.5 *MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 8 14 .364 6.0 MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 7 15 .318 7.0

 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB *LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 14 7 .667 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 14 9 .609 1.0 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 13 10 .565 2.0 INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 10 13 .435 5.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 8 15 .348 7.0[/b]

 WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB *KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 15 8 .652 CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 15 8 .652 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 13 10 .565 2.0 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 12 11 .522 3.0 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 11 12 .478 4.0 WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 10 13 .435 5.0 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 10 13 .435 5.0 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 10 13 .435 5.0[/b]

 NORTH DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]HELENA BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 16 12 .571[/b] BILLINGS MUSTANGS (CINCINNATI) 15 13 .536 1.0 GREAT FALLS WHITE SOX (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 13 15 .464 3.0 MISSOULA OSPREY (ARIZONA) 12 16 .429 4.0

 W L PCT GB RANGERS (TEXAS) 14 8 .636 GIANTS (SAN FRANCISCO) 14 8 .636 MARINERS (SEATTLE) 13 9 .591 1.0 ROYALS (KANSAS CITY) 12 9 .571 1.5 [b]BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 11 10 .524 2.5[/b] PADRES (SAN DIEGO) 10 11 .476 3.5 ATHLETICS (OAKLAND) 10 11 .476 3.5 CUBS (CHICAGO CUBS) 9 13 .409 5.0 ANGELS (ANAHEIM) 4 18 .182 10.0

[MassBrew]

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville update:

 

DON'T BLINK

The starting rotation has been a patchwork of various bodies all season with injuries to Mike Jones, Matt Ford, Chris Saenz, and even Jason Shelley, who was a starter last year, and Greg Bruso, Manny Parra, and Ben Diggins, who started the season on the disabled list...... Eleven different pitchers had gotten the starting call this year, still far from the record of 18 set in 1999, but of the original rotation the Stars went with at the start of the season, only Jeff Housman and Dennis Sarfate are still there ....... Plugging holes throughout the season had an adverse effect as the Stars fell from among the best three teams in ERA early in the season to 6th best now, and only the fine job the bullpen has done kept from getting any worse......... Most of the mid-season pick-ups wound up in the bullpen, leaving Tim Bausher, who won only one start before becoming a semi-permanent part of the mix, then was waived, Glenn Woolard, a late-May pick-up who only this month has earned a role, and Ryan Costello, called up from High Desert where he had an ERA over 9.00.

 

He threw five scoreless innings over the Diamond Jaxx at the Joe, getting the win in his debut, May 2, and held the G'Braves scoreless over six innings in a 3-0 shutout victory, May 15....... There was also a start against Montgomery at the Joe on June 1, when he took a 1-hitter into the 7th, and his longest appearance also at home on June 30, when he gave up just one run over seven innings against Mobile........ But month-to-month results revealed his inconsistency. A 4.63 ERA in May, 4.09 in June, and 8.68 alongside two losses in his two starts this month........Costello, as you can see, turned out to be a much better pitcher at home (3-2, 3.50) than he was on the road (1-1, 7.77). So it was expected of him to do well tonight. He was due. And he paid off grandly.

 

Ryan Costello pitched the masterpiece of the season........ While you generally reserve this praise for no-hitters, Costello had one going for four innings....... Eric Reece, the first batter in the 4th, broke it up with a single past the glove of Ozzie Chavez near the bag, so there was no future issue about the hit........ In the end, he gets a three-hit complete game shutout, striking out 11, a season-high, throwing 99 pitches, 68 for strikes......

 

One reason this game went by so fast is that Costello and Montgomery starter John Webb were really moving this game along....... Webb had a no-hitter going himself until Tony Gwynn, Jr. singled up the middle with one out in the 4th inning........ Until then, not one ball hit by the Stars left the infield and he Webb went to a three-ball count only once........ Costello went to a three-ball count four times......An hour and 20 minutes after the start of the game, it was already in the top of the 7th........ In fact, this ended as the 2nd quickest game in Stars history at 1:52, losing by just one minute to a 3-1 victory over Orlando on May 1, 1986........ It was the first nine-inning game since June 25, 2000 to go under two hours.

 

Prince Fielder followed Gwynn's 4th inning hit by unloading an 0-2 pitch over the top wall in right-center for his 15th home run of the year....... The Stars are now 11-3 in games where Prince connects........ In the 5th, Ryan Knox turned a single to right-center into a one-out double while I was coming out of the concession line. Pretty gutsy, but that's his stryle. Knox is still nursing a strained groin, but tested himself before the game and told manager Frank Kremblas he was convinced he could play...... Chavez moved Knox to third on a single over the infield that dropped into short center. His single in the 8th was nearly a carbon copy....... Kade Johnson then drove a ball to left that would have gone out, but a strong breeze was blowing in tonight and Brian Martin caught it in front of the track. It was more than enough to score Knox with the Stars' 3rd run....... The Stars singled two more times after that. Just as many attempts to move the runner on the hit-and-run, failed. Chiaron Isenia made perfect throws to Jace Brewer to throw out Chris Barnwell and Ozzie Chavez. Chiaron's first throw was so on the money that Barnwell slid into Brewer's glove.

 

The Stars go on the road happy campers. They are alone in first place after taking their first four-game sweep since August 9-11 (double-header), 2002........ It will be 12 games against division rivals Mobile, Birmingham, and West Tennessee, returning home on the 31st for four against the Barons before going to Five County Stadium to play Carolina, one of only two Eastern Division teams they play this half......... Birmingham lost to Jacksonville, 4-2, Sunday night.

 

Mike Jones and Chris Saenz head to Arizona after MRIs came back with some bad news....... Jones has a torn labrum and he will probably opt for surgery....... Saenz has a partial tear in his elbow, according to Robert Portnoy's broadcast report. He can go on rehab or also opt for surgery, but Saenz is going for treatment, hoping that will solve the problem. If rehab goes well, he will pitch in the fall league. If not, he will go under the knife.

 

The weather, by the way, was beautiful tonight. Not a cloud in the sky. 81°. And that breeze blowing in may have deprived Kade of that homer in the 5th, but it was the breeze poets and songwriters write about....... Between innings, Myron Noodleman entertained the Sunday crowd, sparse as usual on church night........ Noodleman dresses like Jerry Lewis, but no one can act like the original. Still, he makes the most of his total geek act --- dark jacket, dark pants cut for the great flood revealing white socks, and painted on eyebrows like Groucho....... He made the infield sweep with the grounds crew, leading them around to the music of "Stayin' Alive", keeping the beat and interrupting the job for some John Travolta dance moves.

 

Bucky Jacobsen hit his 2nd homer in this third major league game, Sunday --- a solo shot off Scott Elarton. Bucky also singled and walked and after three games, is carrying a .625 average (.769 OBP, 1.375 SLG, and a 2.144 OPS).

[MassBrew]

Daily Press High Desert Game Story:

 

Mavericks even up roadtrip record

From staff reports

 

STOCKTON ? After routinely getting outstanding pitching performances from their starters, the High Desert Mavericks finally have a victory to show for it.

 

Khalid Ballouli and Nick Slack combined to allow the fewest hits of the season. But the game was still scoreless until the ninth.

 

That's when Enrique Cruz hit a two-run double to not only give the Mavericks the lead but also the victory, 3-0 on Sunday night at Billy Hebert Field.

 

The shutout is the second this season for High Desert.

 

Slack picked up the win to improve to 2-4 as he pitched two scoreless innings. Ben Kozlowski took the loss. He gave up all three runs in the top of the ninth.

 

Kozlowski was in his third inning of relief when High Desert (8-15) finally got on the scoreboard.

 

Troy Farnsworth led off the inning with a single to left. Mario Mendez, attempting to bunt him to second, ending up reaching first when Kozlowski had no play.

 

After Pete Rasmusen forced Mendez at second, Cruz delivered the game-winning hit. He drove a Kozlowski pitch to the left-field wall. Farnsworth scored easily while Rasmusen barreled into home plate for the second run.

 

Cruz went to third on the throw home. Kennard Bibbs followed with an RBI single giving the Mavs a 3-0 advantage.

 

The victory was the second on the road trip that the Mavericks went into the ninth scoreless with an opponent. On Wednesday, Manny Parra had thrown eight shutout innings before High Desert scored three runs in the ninth to beat Bakersfield.

 

Ballouli went one inning shorter than Parra but was just as effective. He threw seven innings, scattering three hits while striking out three.

 

The Mavericks finished 3-3 on the Northern Division road trip and return home today for a four-game series with South Division-leading Lancaster.

[MassBrew]

From the Stockton Record:

 

Stockton left fielder Cameron Coughlan said Khalid Ballouli had too much in his arsenal for the Ports to get a read on him.

 

"He was throwing four pitches for strikes -- a fastball with sink, a changeup, a slow curve and a slider," Coughlan said. "Plus he was getting the ball down and hitting his spots."

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Times Game Story:

 

Stars pack up some Biscuits for the road

Huntsville completes sweep before leaving on 12-game trip

By DANNY PARKER

For The Times

 

It's on almost everyone's agenda to get out of town for some vacation time during the summer.

 

You know the feeling. You have your trip planned and your bags are packed. You just can't wait to get out on the highway and beat that traffic.

 

The Stars faced a similar dilemma on Sunday at Joe Davis Stadium. They had to catch a bus out of town late in the night to take them on their latest summer journey. Only their road trip is going to be work and not vacation - 12 games in 12 days.

 

"It's going to be a long one," Stars manager Frank Kremblas said.

 

Before the Stars could leave town, they had some unfinished business with the Montgomery Biscuits. Starter Ryan Costello did his part, tossing a three-hitter as Huntsville won 3-0 in a little less than two hours in front of an announced crowd of 1,201.

 

The win completed a four-game sweep of the Biscuits.

 

The Stars now have a one-game lead over Birmingham as they improved to 14-8 in the second half and 46-46 overall.

 

"(Costello) threw outstanding," Kremblas said. "They didn't have too many good swings. He got a lot of ground ball outs, which tells you he is keeping the ball down with a little movement late. And he mixed in some off-speed (pitches) when he needed to."

 

Montgomery shortstop Jace Brewer's double with one out in the ninth marked the first time in the game Montgomery had a player in scoring position. Fernando Cortez then grounded out to short to move Brewer over to third and put the shutout in jeopardy.

 

"I wanted to keep (Brewer) at third," Costello said. "I did not want to think about the runner at third base. I just wanted to keep my mind on the task at hand, which (was) keeping my mind on the glove. Once my thoughts start wondering in my mind is when things start going awry. I was able to keep my mind pretty focused tonight."

 

Chairon Isenia, who will catch for The Netherlands in the Olympics, conveniently rolled into the ninth ground ball out of the game as Costello earned the first Huntsville complete game of 2004.

 

The 6-foot-6 lefty struck out a season-high 11 to improve to 5-3. Costello went to a three-ball count four times while throwing 100 pitches and allowing two walks.

 

Biscuits starter John Webb held the Stars hitless until the fourth inning. After four straight Stars grounded out to shortstop, Tony Gwynn Jr. singled up the middle with one out in the fourth inning. Prince Fielder followed with a two-run homer to right for his 15th home run of the season.

 

Ryan Knox doubled with one out in the fifth inning. Ozzie Chavez singled to move Knox to third. Kade Johnson followed with a sacrifice fly to score Knox with the final run.

 

The Stars' Dennis Sarfate (4-8) takes the mound tonight at 7:05 in Mobile against Mike Thompson (5-0) to kick off the road trip.

[MassBrew]

Beloit Daily News Game Story:

 

Lugnuts tighten defense

Beloit falls, 3-1

By Ryan Frey

Daily News correspondent

 

The fans arriving early to Pohlman Field at least received part of what they wanted Sunday afternoon - a Rickie Weeks bobble-head doll.

 

The rest of the crowd of 3,135 walked away completely empty handed.

 

On a warm and sunny July afternoon, Lansing pitcher Ronald Bay made the 80 degree temperature feel a whole lot warmer for the Snappers as he held them to one run in a 3-1 victory.

 

Beloit starter Dana Eveland (6-5) kept his team close. Only two of three runs charged to him in six innings were earned and he allowed just five hits.

 

The 3,135 fans in attendance saw the Snappers actually out-hit the Lugnuts, 6-5, but they couldn't come through in the clutch.

 

Lansing went up 1-0 in the first inning as Tony McQuade reached on an infield single, stoke second and scored on a base hit by Francisco Salas.

 

Eveland regrouped and struck out the side and appeared to have brought his ``A'' game to the ballpark.

 

Beloit tied it up in the third inning against Bay. Terry Trofholz singled to right and stole second - his 36th of the season. Moments later, Drew Anderson drove Trofholz home with his second hit of the afternoon.

 

The Lugnuts quickly broke the tie, scoring in the top of the fourth inning. With two outs, Uriak Marquez singled and scored on a double by Alan Rick.

 

The Snappers managed only two more hits over the final six innings against the Lugnuts' Bay and Clay Rapada. Beloit hitting coach Tony Diggs said the Snappers needed to be more aggressive.

 

``Bay hit his spots and threw his fastball, breaking ball, and changeup all for strikes,'' Diggs said. ``Whenever you're doing that, you keep hitters off balance. We took some decent swings, but nothing very aggressive. They had two extra-base hits, and we only could get one. We just ran into a good pitcher today.''

 

Lansing added its final run in the sixth inning. Marquez doubled and scored an unearned run when Rick reached on an error by the Beloit first baseman Manuel Ramirez. The inning could have been worse for Beloit. Second baseman Guilder Rodriguez made a stellar diving play for the second out of the inning.

 

``That was a great play for us,'' manager Don Money said. ``It was do or die and he dove to his left to make a nice play. It basically prevented at least one more run from scoring.''

 

Still, the one run gave the Lugnuts pitchers added breathing room heading into the final four innings.

 

After striking out nine in six innings, Eveland was replaced by Simon Beresford to start the seventh inning. He held the Lugnuts hitless and scoreless the rest of the way.

 

``I just wanted to keep us in the game by putting some zeros on the board,'' Beresford said. ``We just came up short.''

 

``He kept us in the ballgame and gave us a chance,'' Money said. ``We just couldn't get the runs we needed today.''

 

NOTES: The Snappers were able to pull off a 9-5 victory over the Lugnuts on Saturday night, despite being outhit 14-7. Beloit took advantage of six bases on balls and a pair of errors. A five-run fourth inning put Beloit on top to stay, 7-1. Will Lewis led the Snappers, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, three runs scored and two RBIs. Anderson was also 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Robby Deevers belted his third home run. Reliever Mitch Stetter (3-0) picked up the win with 3 2/3 scoreless innings.