Link Report for Games of Wednesday, June 23rd

[MassBrew]

Wednesday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central, unless otherwise noted; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed...

 

INDIANAPOLIS: IDLE (and licking their wounds)

 

HUNTSVILLE: RHP Chris Saenz at home vs. Tennessee (Cardinals), 7:05 PM; new life for the Stars as they begin the second half

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

HIGH DESERT: RHP Bo Hall at Rancho Cucamonga (Angels), 9:15 PM

 

Audio link:

www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm

 

BELOIT: IDLE

 

HELENA: RHP Alvaro Martinez at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 8:05 PM

 

Audio link (Ospreys' feed):

www.1340kylt.com/

 

ARIZONA: TBD at home vs. Oakland, 10:30 AM locally in Maryvale

[MassBrew]

Stars still in slump as they start over

Cleared record won't matter if pitching not better

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff

markcolumn@aol.com

 

A fresh start? Not that simple. An 0-0 record. Nice ... but there's still the matter of the 4-15 hangover from the first half.

 

The Huntsville Stars begin the second half of Southern League play tonight, hosting the first-half East Division champion Tennessee Smokies at 7:05. The Stars finished the first half at 32-38, fourth in the five-team East Division with 15 losses in the final 19 games.

 

The ever-changing Huntsville roster has a familiar name returning as the half begins. Veteran pitcher Paul Stewart is being sent down from Triple-A Indianapolis. If there is a demotion that isn't entirely painful, it is this. Stewart's wife Meredith gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Reagan, here two weeks ago.

 

To make room for Stewart, reliever Reggie Rivard has been sent to Single-A High Desert.

 

Ah, that experience could be gained as instantly throughout the roster, or by individual players, as quickly as one of these transactions.

 

The Stars may be immensely talented, at least according to the scouts and seamheads who rate prospects. However, their youth and inexperience has left them more exposed than a centerfold.

 

"The offense is going to be up and down,'' said manager Frank Kremblas. "It's always been up and down with young teams. In the second half, I think it'll be less up and down. We'll be more consistent.''

 

Kremblas has danced the fine line between (sometimes) patiently relying on the players to learn from their own mistakes and harping on them about their mistakes. Any comparison between that and raising a teenager is more than coincidental.

 

Sometimes that entails tough love. That's the way he's becoming with the Stars' pitching staff.

 

"The biggest thing that helps us is getting our butts kicked the last three weeks of the first half,'' Kremblas said. "We were getting our butts kicked by other teams just beating our pitchers up. That was important. If you don't have pitching, you're not going to win.

 

"It was good for the pitchers to get their butts kicked. They were doing well early in the year. They were getting things done, but I knew then it wasn't good enough.''

 

At the Double-A level, it's time to evolve from a thrower into a pitcher, said Kremblas, to rely as much on guile and control as 90 mph fastballs. Experienced hitters in this league recognize a pitcher's inability to, say, throw a breaking pitch for a strike. So they patiently wait for a juicy fastball and pound it.

 

"We're going to have a talk about approach to the game in the second half,'' Kremblas said. "If you're going to be a big league pitcher, you better act like one between starts, take things more seriously. I don't think they do that. I don't see any intensity. It's like they're going through the motions.''

 

As far as the every-day lineup, which has only two players with as much as a full season in Double-A ball. Kremblas sees some signs of life.

 

"I think the good part (of the first half), they got some experience. Now they kind of figured out 'I can do it here. I can handle this.'

 

"Sometimes," Kremblas continued, "they come in with expectations that aren't realistic. You have to realize the pitching is good enough, you're going to get out. They're going to make you look bad sometimes. If you're under control and pay attention and learn through experiences, you're going to be a better hitter.''

 

If the Stars are to salvage anything in this second half, the pitching will need to follow suit.

 

"It was good for the pitchers to get their butts kicked."

 

Taken in context, it makes perfect sense. Out of context, that's a signature waiting to happen -- MB.

[MassBrew]

Final: Arizona Athletics 15, Arizona Brewers 11

Looks like the young'uns forgot to pack their gloves; box score in the AM...

 FINAL R H E - - - ARIZ ATHLETICS 15 13 1 ARIZ BREWERS 11 14 6

[MassBrew]

Little Link Report Extra with a High Desert mention -- a scouting-related Baseball Prospectus article that leaves you a bit empty but is worthwhile for a gander...

 

www.baseballprospectus.co...cleid=3000

[MassBrew]

Final: Huntsville 2, Tennessee (Cardinals) 1

Still not much offense (outhit 7-4), but Chris Saenz gets the job done...

 

Huntsville Box Score:

 GAME DATE: 6/23/04 TEN at HVL TENNESSEE 1 AT HUNTSVILLE 2 YTD YTD TENNESSEE AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG S.Schumaker CF 4 0 0 0 .296 R.Weeks 2B 4 1 1 1 .240 P.Bolivar LF 4 1 2 1 .296 A.Gwynn CF 3 0 0 0 .241 D.Moylan CAT 4 0 1 0 .293 P.Fielder 1B 3 0 0 0 .257 D.Haynes RF 4 0 1 0 .261 B.Nelson LF 3 0 0 0 .279 M.Jaramillo PR 0 0 0 0 .229 C.Barnwell 3B 3 1 1 1 .252 C.Duncan 1B 4 0 1 0 .279 J.Raburn RF 3 0 2 0 .261 G.Johnson 3B 4 0 1 0 .283 K.Johnson CAT 3 0 0 0 .230 J.Colina 2B 3 0 1 0 .240 O.Chavez SS 3 0 0 0 .202 C.Erickson SS 3 0 0 0 .194 C.Saenz PIT 2 0 0 0 .360 C.Narveson PIT 2 0 0 0 .185 S.Rivera PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Hamilton PH 1 0 0 0 .249 J.Housman PH 1 0 0 0 .286 J.Axelson PIT 0 0 0 0 .211 J.Novinsky PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 1 7 1 TOTALS 28 2 4 2 TENNESSEE 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 1 7 0 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 X- 2 4 2 E--C.Barnwell, J.Novinsky. DP--TENNESSEE 1, HUNTSVILLE 0. LOB-- TENNESSEE 5, HUNTSVILLE 2. 2B--J.Raburn (6). HR--P.Bolivar (9), R.Weeks (5), C.Barnwell (4). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA TENNESSEE C.Narveson (L,2-7) 7.0 4 2 2 0 8 2 4.44 J.Axelson 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6.03 HUNTSVILLE C.Saenz (W,5-4) 7.0 6 1 1 0 7 1 4.07 S.Rivera 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 J.Novinsky (S,5) 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.55 SO--S.Schumaker, D.Haynes, C.Duncan 2, G.Johnson, J.Colina, C.Erickson 2, C.Narveson, R.Weeks 2, P.Fielder, B.Nelson, J.Raburn, K.Johnson 2, C.Saenz 2, J.Housman. T--2:08. A--1822

Huntsville Game Log:

Where's Ryan Knox tonight? Jeff Housman a pinch-hitter in the 8th? The Huntsville position player hunt continues for Reid Nichols, who apparently failed basic math...

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=12004

[brewcrewkid14]

Nice to see that Chris Saenz is still dealing down at Hunts.

[MassBrew]

In progress: High Desert 1, Rancho Cucamonga (Angels) 0, after six innings

RHP Bo Hall throwing a dandy; listen in...

[bullox]

Nice to see that Chris Saenz is still dealing down at Hunts.

 

__________

 

Also nice to see Weeks with a HR.

[MassBrew]

Arizona Rookie League Boxscore:

Obviously a lot to digest here in a high-scoring affair; rough day for 19-year-old Venezuelan catcher Franklin Tua, with three passed balls to go with an 0-for-5 collar; some good things in the box score, too, though; this will be the final year of such a heavy emphasis of Latin-born kids at this level -- not to say we won't see additional signings, we absolutely will. But the dismantling of the DSL and VSL squads has this year's team chock-full of Latin kids -- hopefully several will emerge. Stephen Chapman and Lenny LeClercq were the only two U.S.-born kids in this game for the Brewers; they'll get an opportunity to develop their language skills as well! Three wild pitches, 10 walks, and two HBP's from the Brewer pitchers.

 

All the names in the box score match those in the Brewerfan data base and Player Index. We know infielder Carlos de la Cruz has been in Helena; there's another de la Cruz infielder, Fredy, in the organization, although the first initial listed is confusing here...

 ATHLETICS 15 AT BREWERS 11 YTD YTD ATHLETICS AB R H BI AVG BREWERS AB R H BI AVG A.Piper-Jord CF 5 4 2 2 .333 H.Iribarren 2B 5 1 2 1 .400 F.Martinez SS 6 1 1 1 .222 S.Chapman CF 5 0 0 0 .000 W.Long 3B 5 2 1 0 .111 F.Parejo LF 4 2 1 0 .250 T.Best CAT 4 0 2 1 .333 C.Gallardo 1B 4 2 2 3 .500 N.Feliz 1B 3 0 2 3 .286 C.De La Cruz 3B 3 2 1 1 .333 R.Arias DH 5 0 0 0 .111 A.Ayala DH 3 0 3 2 1.000 W.Perez 2B 3 3 1 0 .167 F.Arias PR 0 1 0 0 .000 A.Valdez LF 5 3 3 0 .600 F.Arias DH 1 0 0 0 .000 C.Carela RF 5 2 1 1 .286 F.Tua CAT 5 0 0 0 .000 J.Muessig PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Vicioso SS 2 1 1 0 .500 H.Mola PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Leclercq PH 1 0 0 0 .667 S.Fairbanks PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Leclercq SS 2 1 2 0 .667 A.Delarosa RF 5 1 2 2 .400 O.Montes PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fermin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Mosquea PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Laureano PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Angulo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 41 15 13 8 TOTALS 40 11 14 9 ATHLETICS 0 0 3 3 5 4 0 0 0-15 13 1 BREWERS 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 8 0-11 14 7 E--C.Carela, H.Iribarren, S.Chapman, F.Parejo, C.Gallardo, F.Tua, O.Montes, J.Fermin. DP--ATHLETICS 1, BREWERS 1. LOB--ATHLETICS 12, BREWERS 7. 2B--A.Piper-Jord (1), W.Long (1), C.Gallardo (1), A.Ayala (1). 3B--C.Gallardo (1), O.Vicioso (1). HR--A.Piper-Jord (1). SB--F.Martinez (1), W.Perez (1), A.Valdez 2 (2), C.De La Cruz (1). HBP--C.Gallardo, C.De La Cruz. SF--N.Feliz. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA ATHLETICS J.Muessig 4.0 4 2 1 0 2 0 2.25 H.Mola 3.1 7 7 7 2 3 0 18.90 S.Fairbanks (W,1-0) 1.2 3 2 2 1 0 0 10.80 BREWERS O.Montes (L,0-1) 2.0 2 3 1 2 3 0 4.50 J.Fermin 2.0 4 5 3 4 2 0 13.50 D.Mosquea 1.1 3 6 3 3 1 1 20.25 W.Laureano 1.2 2 1 1 2 1 0 5.40 O.Angulo 2.0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 HB--J.Muessig, H.Mola. WP--H.Mola, S.Fairbanks, J.Fermin, D.Mosquea 2. PB--F.Tua 3. SO--W.Long, T.Best 2, N.Feliz, R.Arias 2, W.Perez, C.Carela, S.Chapman, F.Parejo, C.Gallardo, O.Vicioso, L.Leclercq. BB--A.Piper-Jord, W.Long, T.Best 2, N.Feliz 2, R.Arias, W.Perez 3, A.Valdez, C.Carela, F.Parejo, C.De La Cruz, A.Ayala. T--3:25.

[MassBrew]

Final: Helena 6, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 5

 

Helena Independent Record Game Story:

 

Brewers take third straight cliffhanger from Missoula

By KEVIN SHIVELY - IR Sports Writer - 06/24/04

 

The Missoula Osprey almost put an end to another Brewers' win Wednesday, but Helena held on for its third consecutive one-run win over the Missoula club.

 

Osprey first baseman Javier Brito knocked a two-run homer over the left-center wall with no outs in the top of the ninth, bringing Missoula within one, but Helena gave another errorless performance to win 6-5.

 

"At the Milwaukee front office they've established the phrase ?it's the way we play,' " said Helena skipper Johnny Narron. "This means that we play hard every second of the game. These guys have a lot of heart. They play hard and you can see it carrying through the defense. They're alert and focused out there."

 

Helena has gone errorless through the last three games.

 

"Its not just one guy doing well," said Narron. "Tonight Escobar stood out. Its one guy after another. We really stress making the routine plays. If you do that, the great plays fall into place."

 

Shortstop Alcides Escobar was a case-in-point Wednesday. He made several crucial plays in the game, including a diving catch in the seventh.

 

Escobar also ended the game, throwing out Derek Bruce at first and stranding the tying run at third.

 

Helena had a 4-0 lead going into the seventh inning, but a two-run home run from Jaen Centeno and a RBI single from Jayson Santiago pulled the Osprey within one.

 

The one-run lead wasn't close enough for the Brewers, who grabbed two more in the bottom half of the inning.

 

Hasan Rasheed singled and was walked in for the first run.

 

Nestor Corredor hit a sacrifice fly to center for the second.

 

"A lot of pro teams get behind and fall apart," said Narron. "We've been answering runs really well. Tonight, Missoula wasn't up, but they had a solid inning, and we came right back."

 

Alvaro Martinez picked up the win for the Helena club. He pitched six shutout innings, striking out four and only allowing three hits. Martinez's record for the season is 1-0.

 

Helena improved to 4-2 with the win. Missoula will have one more chance at the Brewers tonight at 7 at Kindrick Legion Field.

[MassBrew]

Noticed earlier this week that although the road team, the Missoula newspaper coverage has been incredibly detailed, so although from the opponent's point-of-view, another report:

 

Osprey battle back, but fall short

By The Missoulian

 

HELENA - Same song, Wednesday verse.

 

The Helena Brewers captured their third straight one-run victory over the Missoula Osprey on Wednesday, this time holding off the late-charging Birds for a 6-5 Pioneer League baseball decision.

 

It came on the heels of 9-8 and 8-7 Brewer wins on preceding evenings at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

The Osprey, whose only victory in their first six games was a 7-0 shutout in Great Falls on Sunday, try again at the Brewers' home park on Thursday. Derik Nippert (0-1) and Justin Barnes (1-0) will face off.

 

The same teams meet again Friday and Saturday nights in Missoula to inaugurate Missoula's Play Ball Park.

 

Missoula blew a 5-0 lead on Monday and a 5-1 edge Tuesday. This time the O's battled back from an early 4-0 deficit after starter Tim Vaillancourt (0-2) hit three batters, walked two others and gave up a two-run double by Adam Mannon in the first two innings.

 

Vaillancourt recovered and pitched well after that. But Helena starter Alvaro Martinez, a 6-foot-7, 265-pound Venezuelan who turns 19 next Tuesday, blanked the Birds on three hits in six innings.

 

Missoula made its move against the Brewers bullpen, starting with lefty Brandon Murray.

 

Left fielder Jaen Centeno, who went 3-for-4, clouted a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning off Murray. Three singles later, Jayson Santiago's bouncer off the gloves of Murray and second baseman Steven Sollman plated Manny Del Campo to make it a 4-3 game.

 

Helena retaliated with two runs in the bottom of the seventh against Missoula relievers Kosuke Yonezawa and Garrett Bauer, who were both making their professional debuts. Yonezawa, a Japanese right-hander, put the first two Brewers he faced on base via a base hit and a walk. He was charged with the only error of the game when a pickoff attempt of the Brewers' Hasan Rasheed went awry.

 

Yonezawa struck out dangerous Charlie Fermaint before Osprey manager Jim Presley waved Bauer to the mound. Bauer hit Helena's Tony Festa to load the bases, walked Mannon to force in the Brewers' fifth run, then surrendered a sacrifice fly to Nestor Corredor to make it 6-3.

 

But the O's weren't done either.

 

Centeno led off the ninth with a single against David Johnson, a 15th-round pick making his first appearance after playing for UCLA. First baseman Javier Brito, who had two hits in 22 at-bats, then launched his first home run of the season to left-center to make it 6-5.

 

Del Campo, making his second start at catcher for Missoula, promptly lined a double to left center, still with no outs. He was sacrificed to third by Juan Olivares. But the O's could advance him no further.

 

Johnson struck out Santiago on a change up, and Derek Bruce grounded out to shortstop to end the game.

 

Missoula again out-hit the Brewers, this time by a 10-7 count. Centeno, a 20-year-old from Venezuela who played last year for the Arizona Diamondbacks' Dominican Summer League team, raised his season average to .400 (6-for-15) after a 1-for-7 start. Del Campo was 2-for-4.

 

Rasheed led Helena from the leadoff spot with a pair of singles, a walk and two runs scored. Dallas Bates, who hit a two-run homer for the Brewers on Tuesday, had a single and a double in four at-bats.

 

Vaillancourt finished his six-inning stint with four runs and five hits allowed. He retired 14 of the last 16 Helena batters he faced, including 10 straight from the second through fifth innings after the Brewers took advantage of his early wildness.

 

Martinez, who struck out seven in just over three innings of his first start at Billings, fanned four Osprey in six frames this time. But the O's managed just three harmless singles off him and didn't get a runner past second base.

 

Bird songs: The Osprey have gotten seven home runs by seven different players in the first six games.

 

Helena has stolen eight bases in as many attempts in the Missoula series. The Brewers had their third straight game with no errors.

[MassBrew]

Helena Box Score:

We've mentioned the "hugeness" of Venezuelan RHP Alvaro Martinez at least twenty times over the past two summers with the Arizona Brewers -- if he's harnessed his control, watch out, he'll be scary-good. It's very rare to see a Helena starter get six innings in, this early on. And not a game goes by when someone on air or in the press isn't raving about 17-year-old SS Alcides Escobar. He's doing what 2002 2nd rounder Josh Murray was supposed to do two seasons ago...

 GAME DATE: 6/23/04 MSO at HEL MISSOULA 5 AT HELENA 6 YTD YTD MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG HELENA AB R H BI AVG J.Santiago RF 4 0 1 1 .417 H.Rasheed LF 4 2 2 0 .400 D.Bruce 2B 5 0 1 0 .250 S.Sollmann 2B 1 2 0 1 .313 D.Bruce 3B 0 0 0 0 .250 C.Fermaint CF 3 0 0 1 .286 W.Castillo DH 4 0 0 0 .300 A.Festa 3B 2 0 1 0 .188 M.Matos CF 3 0 1 0 .417 A.Mannon RF 3 0 1 3 .200 R.Sosa 3B 2 0 0 0 .263 N.Corredor CAT 3 0 0 1 .000 F.Rodriguez 2B 1 1 0 0 .214 C.Lozada 1B 4 0 0 0 .273 J.Centeno LF 4 2 3 2 .400 D.Bates DH 4 1 2 0 .391 J.Brito 1B 4 1 1 2 .150 A.Escobar SS 3 1 1 0 .333 M.Del Campo CAT 4 1 2 0 .375 A.Martinez S PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Williams CAT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Murray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Olivares SS 3 0 1 0 .158 D.Johnson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Vaillancou PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Yonezawa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Bauer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 5 10 5 TOTALS 27 6 7 6 MISSOULA 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2- 5 10 1 HELENA 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 X- 6 7 0 E--K.Yonezawa. DP--MISSOULA 0, HELENA 0. LOB--MISSOULA 6, HELENA 7. 2B--M.Del Campo (1), A.Mannon (4), D.Bates (2). HR--J.Centeno (1), J.Brito (1). SB--M.Matos (3), S.Sollmann (2), A.Escobar (2). CS-- A.Escobar. HBP--S.Sollmann, A.Festa 2, A.Escobar. SF--C.Fermaint, N.Corredor. SH--J.Olivares. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA MISSOULA T.Vaillancou (L,0-2) 6.0 5 4 4 2 1 0 6.55 K.Yonezawa 0.1 1 2 2 1 1 0 54.00 G.Bauer 1.2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 HELENA A.Martinez S (W,1-0) 6.0 3 0 0 2 4 0 1.86 B.Murray 0.2 4 3 3 1 1 1 21.60 D.Johnson (S,1) 2.1 3 2 2 0 1 1 7.71 HB--T.Vaillancou 3, G.Bauer. SO--J.Santiago 2, J.Centeno, J.Brito, M.Del Campo 2, C.Fermaint, C.Lozada. BB--J.Santiago, M.Matos, F.Rodriguez, H.Rasheed, S.Sollmann 2, A.Mannon. T--2:32. A--1161

[MassBrew]

Hopefully things will catch up eventually, but most likely not. The Baseball America stats and standings for Helena won't reflect the results of the one "missing box score" game, or at least don't, yet.

[MassBrew]

Final: High Desert 6, Rancho Cucamonga (Angels) 1

We haven't highlighted him this year, but 2002 19th round RHP Bo Hall is having a darn solid season; Roxy Bernstein, the Mavs' announcer, made a good point heading into the second half, the rotation of Manny Parra, David Bradley (3.48 ERA), newcomer Jesse Harper, Hall, and to a lesser extent although he's showing signs of bouncing back, Khalid Ballouli, gives High Desert a fighting chance nearly every night...

 

 GAME DATE: 6/23/04 HD at RC HIGH DESERT 6 AT RANCHO CUCAMONGA 1 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG RANCHO CUCAMONGA AB R H BI AVG C.Crabbe 2B 4 1 2 1 .301 R.Melgarejo CF 4 0 0 0 .250 S.Candelaria 3B 3 0 0 0 .237 R.Willits LF 4 0 1 0 .241 P.Rasmusen RF 2 0 0 0 .198 G.Porter 3B 4 0 1 0 .315 D.Boyd LF 3 1 1 2 .293 M.Napoli CAT 3 1 1 0 .321 T.Hinton 1B 5 0 1 1 .304 D.Gates DH 3 0 1 0 .292 F.Villanueva CAT 5 0 1 0 .242 J.Abruzzo 1B 4 0 0 0 .279 J.Frost RF 5 0 0 0 .259 A.Pavkovich SS 3 0 1 0 .204 J.Frost 3B 0 0 0 0 .259 B.Weed 2B 3 0 0 0 .260 M.Mendez CF 4 2 2 0 .262 R.Budde PH 1 0 0 0 .236 T.Farnsworth DH 2 1 0 0 .167 N.Kimpton RF 3 0 0 0 .115 E.Cruz SS 4 1 3 2 .203 E.Aybar PH 1 0 0 0 .342 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Saunders PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Slack PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Carroll PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Rivera PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Lugo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Wilson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 6 10 6 TOTALS 33 1 5 0 HIGH DESERT 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 1 0- 6 10 3 RANCHO CUCAMONGA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 5 3 E--D.Boyd, T.Hinton, J.Frost, M.Napoli, A.Pavkovich, B.Weed. DP-- HIGH DESERT 0, RANCHO CUCAMONGA 2. LOB--HIGH DESERT 9, RANCHO CUCAMONGA 8. 2B--T.Hinton (20), E.Cruz (5), A.Pavkovich (15). HR--E.Cruz (5). SB--M.Mendez (4). HBP--D.Boyd, T.Farnsworth. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT B.Hall (W,4-5) 7.0 3 0 0 1 3 0 5.40 N.Slack 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.40 H.Rivera 1.0 1 1 0 2 1 0 3.95 RANCHO CUCAMONGA J.Saunders (L,6-7) 5.0 4 1 1 0 3 1 3.49 J.Carroll 2.0 3 4 0 0 0 0 3.58 O.Lugo 1.0 2 1 1 2 1 0 3.00 P.Wilson 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 7.77 HB--J.Carroll 2. PB--F.Villanueva. SO--T.Hinton, J.Frost 2, T.Farnsworth, D.Gates, A.Pavkovich, R.Budde, N.Kimpton. BB--C.Crabbe, D.Boyd, T.Farnsworth, M.Napoli, D.Gates, A.Pavkovich. T--2:33. A--2943

High Desert Game Log:

Bo Hall was also able to overome the suddenly shaky Maverick defense to keep his innings scoreless...

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=19110

[MassBrew]

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 39 31 .557 TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 38 35 .521 2.5 [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 34 36 .486 5.0[/b] LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 34 38 .472 6.0

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB *MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 1 0 1.000 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 1 0 1.000[/b] BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 1 0 1.000 WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 0 1 .000 1.0 MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 0 1 .000 1.0

 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB *LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 3 0 1.000 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 2 1 .667 1.0 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 1 2 .333 2.0 INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 2 1 .667 1.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 1 2 .333 2.0[/b]

 WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 0 0 .000 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 0 0 .000 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 0 0 .000 *KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 0 0 .000 CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 0 0 .000 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 0 0 .000 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 0 0 .000 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 0 0 .000[/b]

 NORTH DIVISION W L PCT GB BILLINGS MUSTANGS (CINCINNATI) 4 2 .667 [b]HELENA BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 4 2 .667 [/b] GREAT FALLS WHITE SOX (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 3 3 .500 1.0 MISSOULA OSPREY (ARIZONA) 1 5 .167 3.0

 W L PCT GB ROYALS (KANSAS CITY) 2 0 1.000 MARINERS (SEATTLE) 2 0 1.000 GIANTS (SAN FRANCISCO) 2 0 1.000 ATHLETICS (OAKLAND) 1 1 .500 1.0 ANGELS (ANAHEIM) 1 1 .500 1.0 RANGERS (TEXAS) 0 1 .000 1.5 PADRES (SAN DIEGO) 0 1 .000 1.5 CUBS (CHICAGO CUBS) 0 1 .000 1.5 [b]BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 0 1 .000 1.5[/b]

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

With a fresh start and their top gun on the mound, the Stars were ready to put the first half behind them. Fireballer Chris Saenz shut down the Smokies' bats, Rickie Weeks and Chris Barnwell supplied all the offense, and Huntsville nipped Tennessee, 2-1, in Wednesday night's second-half opener at soggy Joe Davis Stadium.

 

Saenz (5-4) went to a three-ball count just three times over seven outstanding innings, fanning seven and walking none. Saenz scattered six hits, allowing only one run on Papo Bolivar's game-tying homer in the sixth. Bolivar was the lone runner to advance past first against Saenz, who retired 10 straight from the second through fifth.

 

The Stars (33-38, 1-0) took a 1-0 lead on Weeks' third-inning homer to dead-centerfield, his fifth of the season. After Bolivar's blast tied the game, Huntsville retook the lead in the seventh, when Chris Barnwell launched a towering drive to left for his fourth homerun this year.

 

Saul Rivera, making his Stars debut, tossed a scoreless eighth, and John Novinsky survived a ninth-inning scare to record his fifth save. With one out, Dee Haynes reached on a swinging-bunt single. Novinsky's errant pick-off attempt bounded into the bullpen and sent Haynes to third. Novinsky responded by fanning Chris Duncan and Gabe Johnson, both with nasty breaking balls, to end the game.

 

Chris Narveson (2-7) suffered a tough loss, surrendering only two runs - the Weeks and Barnwell solo homers - on four hits and no walks with eight strikeouts over seven solid innings.

 

Huntsville lefty Ryan Costello (3-1, 5.28) meets Smokies left-hander and former Star Luis Martinez (6-6, 4.48) in game two of the series on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. Roller Coasters Skate Center and WHNT-19 present a Homer Bobblehead Doll Giveaway and Mascot Mania at Joe Davis Stadium.

[MassBrew]

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

 

HANGOVER OVER?

A promotional night for Whitesburg Baptist Church made up most of this crowd, comfortably pushing the home attendance over the 100,000 mark on this overcast, drizzly 73° evening....... There was a rain delay of 33 minutes.

 

The Nashville Sounds have drawn very well with their "Faith Nights", going to the point of congregation members handing out Bibles at the turnstiles........ I think that's an unnecessary imposition, but the Sounds have some great ideas when it comes to bringing the church crazies out to the Stadium on weeknights, especially Wednesdays, which for Baptists are the 2nd most sacred night of the week for some reason........ The Sounds have tried to lure them to market by putting together special packages, like a hot dog, drink, and a seat for $10 and Bible Bobble-Head Nights (Moses, Noah, Samson among them)........ It's not a bad idea. It draws 2-3 times the normal crowd for a weeknight at Greer Stadium....... Alabama is the heart of the Bible Belt and any church would declare their city as the holiest of cities in this state, so this is really an untapped opportunity to exploit these people........ Instead of feeding the collection plate, they'd probably feel better, if their conscience lets them, if they let the Stars feed their faces instead with hot dogs, sodas, popcorn, and the big $5 Kahuna Burger (which is really good)........ Maybe someone in the Stars front office can come up with a collection plate the ushers can pass around their sections to make them feel at home.

 

A brand new start for the Stars got off on the right foot....... It's no-nonsense time, according to manager Frank Kremblas, who wants to see more run production in the second half, but what he got tonight was a mini-home run derby and one of Chris Saenz' finest starts to hold the home-run crazy Smokies, 2-1, in what turned out to be a nail-biter at the end.

 

If there's anyone more prepared to go to Indy on this team, it's Chris Saenz........ Tonight was his best game since May 30, when he shutdown Mobile on seven scoreless four-hit innings, and by coincidence, it just happened to be the last time the Stars had back-to-back victories (May 30-June 1)....... It's been that long........ Saenz gave up a couple of hits in the first couple of innings --- a 1st inning single down the right field line that Papo Bolivar tried unsuccessfully to stretch into a double, and a single up the middle by Chris Duncan in the 2nd inning. After that, Saenz retired 10 in a row........ He was throwing his slider (his favorite pitch) and breaking ball for strikes consistently tonight. Of the 19 batters he faced, he went to a three-ball count only three times, going 3-and-1 twice. Of his 94 pitches, he threw 64 (68%) for strikes. At no point did he throw more than 16 pitches in any inning......... His one mistake --- a 2-and-1 pitch (his 77th) to Papo Bolivar in the 6th inning, crushed to the opposite field for a home run.

 

Tennessee's Chris Narveson is not a hard thrower. His fastball will touch 90 occasionally. But he is one of the Cardinals top prospects (#3 in their organization)....... His best pitch is the off-speed and he's a smart pitcher who likes to play the cat-and-mouse game with the hitter. His intelligence in knowing what to throw and how to throw it gets hitters out, and he was just as effective tonight as Saenz. Like Saenz, he didn't walk anyone tonight, and went to 3-2 counts to four hitters, and fanned eight........ One of those 3-and-2 pitches, however, was lined straight over the centerfield wall in the 3rd inning by Rickie Weeks that put the Stars on top, 1-0 in the 3rd inning........ Weeks' five HRs have all been of that nature. Not one home run hit by him was skied out of the park this year. Weeks fought Narveson for his pitch, too. It was the 9th pitch to him that inning.

 

Tony Gwynn, Jr. nearly followed Weeks' shot with a hit, himself --- a well-placed hopper that managed to stay inside the 3rd base line, but Gabe Johnson ran in on the play, gloved it on the hop and submarined a difficult, but perfect throw to first to end the 3rd.

 

Chris Barnwell came up with a tie-breaking moon shot high over the Corr Wireless sign in left field in the 7th inning on a 1-0 hanging breaking ball........ That was the end of the night's home run derby.

 

Only two hitters got as far as third base tonight........ Johnny Raburn, who doubled to left-center to lead off the 5th, reached third on a one-out grounder to Corey Erickson and Milko Jaramillo made it to third with one out in the exciting climax to this game........ After closer John Novinsky got Dan Moylan (who homered off him earlier this season) to uppercut a breaking ball in the 9th to deep centerfield where Gwynn was stationed, Haynes singled to Barnwell on a slow grounder........ With the count 0-and-1 on Chris Duncan, Novinsky's throwing error up the right field line on an errant pick-off throw allowed pinch-runner Milko Jaramillo to get 90 feet from tying this game again........ Duncan hit a high foul pop to the right side short of the visiting bullpen, but Prince Fielder, with Weeks and Raburn on the chase, tried to reach out and make the catch with his back to the plate, something I've seen him successfully do only once........ Although Raburn was in a better position, Fielder took charge and could not come up with the catch......... Novinsky, however, threw Duncan, Tennessee's leading RBI man and a .304 hitter in his last 8 games, a couple of hard sliders and struck him out...... The same formula worked for the last hitter, Gabe Johnson, and the Stars had their first win of the second half.

 

Among the Stars opponents, only Birmingham has hit as many home runs (12) against us........ The Smokies, with home run hitters up and down their lineup, are third in the Southern League with 69. The Stars, at the start of the half, were second to last with 51....... The Smokies haven't gone four straight games without a home run since a seven-game power outage at the start of the season........ Away from home, the Smokies are now 15-20........

 

Southern League hitters carry just a .194 average against Saenz in the first two innings of his starts. With runners on base, though, even after tonight when Tennessee's hitters were 0-for-11, opponents are still hitting .297........ Paul Stewart arrives from Indianapolis tomorrow to replace Reggie Rivard who was sent down to High Desert, where the atmosphere should really challenge him...... Rivard's first half was a 6.75 ERA with marks over 5.00 separately in April and May and a 9.72 ERA in June. He gave up four HRs, three of them in April.

 

Ryan Knox will be out 7-10 days with a strained hip flexor, but he will be available for pinch-hit duties....... Kade Johnson is healthy after turning an ankle rounding first base during the Rickwood Classic....... Saul Rivera, making his debut for the Huntsville Stars, threw seven pitches (four for strikes) to retire the Smokies in the 8th --- Corey Erickson on a catch Gwynn made in shallow right, Jon Hamilton on a first-pitch comebacker, and Papo Bolivar on an unassisted grounder to Fielder. Skip Schumaker reached base when Chris Barnwell reached up to backhand a high hopper, but dropped the ball behind him.

 

Second baseman Jeff Pickler (Stars 1999-2001) had a 6-for-6 night for the Oklahoma Redhawks Tuesday night, and Danny Ardoin (Stars '97-'98) went 5-for-6 and scored six times as their team crushed the Albuquerque Isotopes, 24-4. The Redhawks had 31 hits and Wednesday night, they followed that with a 10-9 victory with Ardoin scoring three more times....... Oklahoma leads the PCL in batting (.309) and runs scored (459 in 73 games or 6.29 per game). Just thought I'd throw that in.

 

Thursday night is Mascot Night, so everyone coming in will get a "Homer" bobblehead........ Ryan Costello (3-1, 5.28) will face former Star Luis Martinez (6-6, 4.48), who pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Stars back on June 14. Costello gave up eight hits in four innings against Birmingham in his last start.

 

Baseball America reports that Ron Walker, a Diamond Jaxx 1st baseman-3rd baseman during the 1999 and 2000 seasons, was killed in an auto accident in Medford Twp, New Jersey on April 16. Walker, a Jersey native, finished his career with Little Falls in the independent Northern League in 2001...... Long-time Braves fans might be interested to know that former outfielder Mack Jones died of cancer, June 8, in Atlanta. Jones was the Montreal Expos' #2 pick in the 1968 expansion draft, and hit a grand-slam HR in the Expos' very first game, a 10-1 win over the Mets if memory serves me correctly. He retired after the 1971 season.

[MassBrew]

Need your help today, guys.

 

Look for and post links to game stories as follows later today:

 

High Desert here (around 9:00 AM Central):

www.vvdailypress.com/

 

Huntsville here (around 2:00 PM)

www.al.com/sports/huntsvilletimes/

 

There may be news in the sports section at Beloit as well (1:00 PM):

www.beloitdailynews.com/

 

Enjoy your Thursday -- catch you late tonight!

[ja002h]

High Desert Daily Press story:

 

Hall stops bleeding for Mavs with solid outing

High Desert picks up first second-half win

By TIM HARAN/Staff Writer

 

RANCHO CUCAMONGA ? The High Desert Mavericks, which had surrendered 18 runs in its previous two games, looked to Bo Hall for some relief.

 

The powerful right-hander responded, pitching seven superb shutout innings Wednesday to lead the Mavs to a 6-1 victory over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes at The Epicenter.

 

"One thing I was most pleased with was he moved the ball in and out," said High Desert pitching coach John Curtis, though he would have liked to have seen Hall keep the ball down more. "He was in a 1-0 struggle for seven innings and he kept them at bay. It was a gritty performance."

 

Hall (4-5) allowed just three hits while striking out four to help the Mavs pick up their first win of the second half.

 

"The defense played a great game, making the plays when we needed them to," Hall said. "They started swinging the bats toward the end. It was just a great baseball game."

 

At the plate, the offense-starved High Desert Mavericks broke out of their slump ? at least for one night ? and scored more runs in a single inning Wednesday than they had managed to produce in the previous two games against Rancho Cucamonga.

 

Mario Mendez, who extended his hit streak to nine games on a single in the first, reached on an error to lead off the seventh. The Mavs capitalized on the miscue, scoring four runs off Quakes reliever James Carroll. Following a Callix Crabbe RBI single, Dan Boyd lifted a ball to shallow right to drive in two more runs and give the Mavericks some breathing room.

 

Enrique Cruz, who was hitting just .143 in his previous 10 games, emerged from his personal slump in a big way. The shortstop smacked a solo home run in the third and drove in another run on a double off the wall in the eighth. He finished the night 3-for-4.

 

Cruz's home run was the difference heading into the seventh inning, but the tight ballgame didn't bother Hall.

 

"It keeps you into the game more," he said. "If you only have one run to deal with, you battle harder because you know you've only got one run."

 

The Mavs, which committed three errors in the series finale, recorded 10 miscues in three games against Rancho Cucamonga. One bright spot in the field, however, was Mendez. The center fielder recorded 10 putouts Wednesday.

 

The Quakes were hitting .175 as a team this season with the bases loaded and managed to score just once in the ninth after loading the bases against Mavs' reliever Homero Rivera.

 

NOTES: High Desert outfielder Chris Morris had hernia surgery on Wednesday and is expected to be out four to six weeks. The team's leading base stealer (24) was placed on the disabled list. ... Right-hand pitcher Reggie Rivard was assigned to High Desert Wednesday from Double-A Huntsville. In 22 games for the Stars he posted a 3-1 record with a 6.55 ERA. ... The Mavs, which dropped 2 of 3 to the Quakes, have yet to win a series on the road this season (0-11-2). ... Third baseman Scott Candelaria left the ballgame in the fifth inning after suffering a cut to the top of his head that High Desert manager Mel Queen said would require stitches.

[ja002h]

Huntsville article:

 

Gloom finally lifts for Stars

Second half starts well behind Novinsky's relief

By MARK McCARTER

 

 

It's been tough enough finding save situations for John Novinsky. Then, on the way to a save, he went and got himself in a tough situation.

 

Man on third, put there by his own throwing error. One out. One-run game. And with the meat of the order at bat.

 

Gulp.

 

These are the moments that will test a 36-hour deodorant. These are the moments that make everybody go white-knuckle. These are the moments that define the difference between a minor league reliever and a major league closer.

 

"Things happen,'' Novinsky would say later. "When things happen not in your favor, you can't buckle. You have to stay strong and you have to concentrate pitch-to-pitch. And I think that's what I did.''

 

And what the Stars did, in turn, was open the second half of the Southern League season with a tidy 2-1 victory over the Tennessee Smokies, the SL East first-half champs. It ended a five-game Tennessee winning streak against the Stars.

 

Novinsky earned a save, his fifth, to go along with a 5-0 mark in 21 appearances. The victory went to Chris Saenz (5-4), who scattered six hits in seven innings and struck out seven in outdueling Chris Narveson (only four hits allowed and eight Ks in seven innings).

 

All three runs came off solo homers. Rickie Weeks staked Saenz to a 1-0 lead with a third-inning shot, then Papo Bolivar tied it in the sixth. Chris Barnwell provided the game-winner in the seventh.

 

Speaking of Homers, tonight is Mascot Night, with bobblehead dolls of the Stars' skunk mascot, Homer, for the first 1,000 youngsters.

 

Ryan Costello (3-1) will pitch for Huntsville against Luis Martinez (6-6), himself a former Star before being acquired by the Cardinals' off waivers last spring.

 

It seems only appropriate turnabout, since Wednesday's hero, Novinsky, is a former Tennessee Smokies pitcher.

 

"Off the field, it's a bunch of great guys,'' Novinsky said. "I miss 'em, I love 'em, but on the field, they're the enemy.''

 

He nailed down the save with loud punctuation, striking out Chris Duncan and Gabe Johnson after an infield hit by Dee Haynes and the throwing error that put Haynes on third.

 

Johnson whiffed on a cruel curveball, Novinsky's specialty.

 

"They knew he was going to throw it,'' said Stars manager Frank Kremblas, "and they couldn't hit it, so it must have been a pretty good pitch.''

 

Novinsky came to the Milwaukee organization as part of a trade with the Cardinals last August. The 25-year-old New Yorker was a lifelong starter until suffering a nerve injury in 2002. Upon his return, he was dispatched to the bullpen. He's been there ever since.

 

He was a middle guy for Tennessee in 2003, but has been Huntsville's go-to guy this season out of the pen.

 

"It's a little bit crazy,'' Novinsky said of life as a reliever. "You have to know how to buckle down and get mean. I think I have the mentality of being a closer.''

 

Novinsky's last outing was in a win at Birmingham on June 17, allowing only a harmless homer in 12/3 innings. Since a 10-day hiatus in early May with a sore elbow, Novinsky has pitched 151/3 innings and permitted only six earned runs and 15 hits, with 22 strikeouts. He collected five saves and two wins during that time - even if few games of late were meaningful.

 

"My dad always told me when I went out there, it's zero-zero,'' he said. "Whether you're up or down, you should be concentrating the (same).''

 

This time, it was the Stars who were zero-zero, happily beginning the second half with a clean slate.

[ja002h]

Doesn't look like anything's in the Beloit paper.