Link Report for Games of Monday, May 30th

Mass Haas · May 30, 2005

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Mass Haas · May 30, 2005

Final: Brevard County 5, Fort Myers (Twins) 0

Game Notes from the Brevard County Site:

MANATEES AVOID SWEEP, SHUTOUT MIRACLE

FT MYERS, FL -- For the second straight series the Manatees avoided the sweep on the final game, this time defeating the Ft. Myers Miracle 5-0 Monday afternoon.

Steve Sollmann and Steve Moss each went 2-4 with Sollmann picking up a double while Moss added an RBI. C.J. Medlin hit his third home run of the season as the Manatees picked up their first shutout since May 7 against the Dunedin Blue Jays.

Tim Dillard pitched his third complete game and first shutout in picking up the win. Dillard allowed eight hits that were scattered over nine innings while striking out four and walking none.

The Manatees get a day off on Tuesday before returning to the friendly confines of Space Coast Stadium on Wednesday for a 5:00 (4:00 PM Central) doubleheader versus the Daytona Cubs.

Additional details from the Miracle's site:

The Fort Myers Miracle met their match on Monday afternoon at Hammond Stadium as Brevard County Manatee starter Tim Dillard hurled a complete game shutout, as the Miracle failed to complete the series sweep losing 5-0.

Dillard used just 81 pitches, 58 for strikes in throwing his third complete game of the season. He gave up eight hits, all singles, while striking out four. The Miracle had only one opportunity to score, which was in the third when Denard Span singled to center with Brock Peterson at second. Peterson, however, was thrown out at the plate trying to score. Peterson was the only Miracle player to reach second all game.

The Miracle went with a spot starter because they used two starters in the double header at Vero Beach on Thursday. Chris Schutt gave up two runs in his three innings of work, giving up RBI singles to Drew Anderson and Steve Moss in the first inning.

Josh Gray gave up three runs (two earned) in his two innings of work. He gave up a solo homer to C.J. Medlin and an RBI single to Ozzie Chavez in the fourth. Gray also gave up a run in the fifth, when with runners at the corners and nobody out, he got Anderson to ground into a double play.

Brevard County Box Score:

C.J. Medlin with three home runs this series -- you have to like the fact he's hitting cleanup as the DH when not catching, let's see what we have here, right? Only a complete game in 96 degree heat for Tim Dillard...

 YTD YTD BREVARD COUNTY AB R H BI AVG FORT MYERS AB R H BI AVG T.Ezi RF 4 1 1 0 .254 D.Span CF 4 0 3 0 .353 S.Sollmann 2B 4 1 2 0 .239 S.Taylor SS 4 0 0 0 .286 D.Anderson LF 4 1 1 1 .289 M.Moses 3B 4 0 0 0 .333 C.Medlin DH 4 1 1 1 .292 K.Phillips CAT 4 0 3 0 .207 S.Moss CF 4 0 2 1 .275 B.Pattee DH 4 0 1 0 .333 L.Palmisano CAT 4 1 1 0 .247 F.Molina 2B 3 0 0 0 .254 O.Chavez SS 4 0 1 1 .240 B.Peterson 1B 3 0 1 0 .225 W.Campana 3B 4 0 0 0 .255 T.Oeltjen RF 2 0 0 0 .237 C.De La Cruz 1B 3 0 0 0 .203 R.Perodin LF 3 0 0 0 .224 T.Dillard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Schutt PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Crawford PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.DePaula PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 5 9 4 TOTALS 31 0 8 0 BREVARD COUNTY 2 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0- 5 9 0 FORT MYERS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 8 1 E--B.Peterson. DP--BREVARD COUNTY 3, FORT MYERS 2. LOB--BREVARD COUNTY 3, FORT MYERS 5. 2B--T.Ezi (4), S.Sollmann (6). HR--C.Medlin (3). SB--D.Anderson (5), S.Moss (6). HBP--T.Oeltjen. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BREVARD COUNTY T.Dillard (W,2-5) 9.0 8 0 0 0 4 0 2.90 FORT MYERS C.Schutt (L,1-3) 3.0 3 2 2 0 3 0 3.70 J.Gray 2.0 4 3 2 0 1 1 3.10 T.Crawford 3.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3.60 J.DePaula 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4.10 HB--T.Dillard. SO--T.Ezi, S.Sollmann, D.Anderson, C.Medlin, S.Moss, C.De La Cruz 2, S.Taylor, M.Moses, B.Pattee, B.Peterson. T--2:00. A--765

Brevard County Game Log:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_ftmafx_1

Mass Haas · May 30, 2005

Final: Huntsville 8, Tennessee (Diamondbacks) 2

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Eveland Excels on Hill and at Plate

Dana Eveland worked seven strong innings on the mound and chipped in with a run-scoring double and two runs scored in Huntsville?s 8-2 victory over Tennessee Monday afternoon in the final game of a four-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars halted an eight-game home losing streak and a six-game slide against the Smokies to improve to 22-29, while the visitors dropped to 22-29 overall and 8-20 on the road

Enrique Cruz got the scoring started with a two-out home run off of Smokies starter Clint Goocher, who had held the Stars to a run on six hits over six frames on May 7 in an 8-1 Smokies win. It was Cruz?s sixth long ball of the season and his fourth in the last eight games. Eveland reached on a fielder?s choice bunt attempt in the third and scored on a double into the left field corner by Tony Gwynn, Jr., who was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into his first triple of the season. Jeff Winchester followed with a double to left field, his first extra base hit of the year, and scored on a base hit by Vinny Rottino, who knocked in his first run since May 19, to extend the home team?s lead to 3-0.

Tennessee scored an unearned run without a hit in the fourth to trim the Stars lead to 3-1. Jarred Ball reached on a fielding error by second baseman Guilder Rodriguez, stole second and third base and crossed the plate on a ground ball out by Jamie D?Antona.

The Stars put the game away with four runs in the fourth as Eveland and Gwynn delivered back-to-back run scoring doubles, Winchester singled home Gwynn, and then scored on a double by Nelson Cruz off the wall in center field. Rottino, who had been hit by a pitch, was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the Cruz two-bagger.

Nelson Cruz collected four hits in a game for a second time this year and is 7-for-13 in three games since coming off the disabled list prior to Saturday?s game. The Stars matched a season-high with 17 hits and also equaled a season-best with five hits in the third and fourth innings. Gwynn knocked in two runs in a game for the first time this year and Winchester and Rodriguez each had their first three-hit games of the season.

Eveland allowed only one hit, a fifth inning single by Mike DiRosa, and issued three walks in a season-high seven frames. The southpaw struck out four and picked up the win to square his record at 4-4. Mitch Stetter worked the final two innings and the tandem kept former Stars outfielder Noochie Varner hitless in four at-bats to stop a 13-game hitting streak.

The Stars open a four-game series Tuesday night in Pearl, Mississippi with right-hander Dennis Sarfate getting the start against Braves? right-hander Anthony Lerew. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

Huntsville Box Score:

Good for the kid -- Guilder Rodriguez three hits in a rare start; wow - who knew 26 of Jeff Winchester's hits were singles? Interesting lineup by Don Money proves fruitful today...

 YTD YTD TENNESSEE AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG N.Varner LF 4 0 0 0 .309 A.Gwynn CF 5 1 2 2 .299 J.Ball CF 3 1 0 0 .235 J.Winchester CAT 5 2 3 1 .273 D.Uggla 1B 3 1 1 0 .331 V.Rottino 3B 4 0 2 1 .287 J.Zeringue RF 4 0 1 0 .255 N.Cruz RF 5 0 3 1 .286 J.D'Antona 3B 4 0 1 2 .233 B.Vn Idrstne LF 5 0 0 0 .265 J.Gil SS 4 0 0 0 .259 E.Cruz SS 3 2 1 1 .287 N.Brown 2B 4 0 0 0 .262 J.Vandn Berg 1B 4 0 1 0 .247 M.DiRosa CAT 2 0 2 0 .225 G.Rodriguez 2B 4 1 3 0 .286 C.Goocher PIT 0 0 0 0 .429 D.Eveland PIT 3 2 1 1 .095 M.Williams PH 1 0 0 0 .278 B.Gemoll PH 0 0 0 1 .223 J.Wechsler PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Stetter PIT 0 0 0 0 1.000 A.Haley PH 1 0 0 0 .315 S.Lizarraga PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 2 5 2 TOTALS 38 8 16 8 TENNESSEE 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1- 2 5 1 HUNTSVILLE 0 1 2 4 0 0 1 0 X- 8 16 2 E--J.Gil, A.Gwynn, G.Rodriguez. DP--TENNESSEE 0, HUNTSVILLE 2. LOB--TENNESSEE 5, HUNTSVILLE 9. 2B--A.Gwynn 2 (9), J.Winchester (1), N.Cruz (10), D.Eveland (2). HR--E.Cruz (6). SB--J.Ball 2 (9), D.Uggla (6). HBP--V.Rottino, E.Cruz. SF--B.Gemoll. SH--C.Goocher. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA TENNESSEE C.Goocher (L,4-3) 4.0 11 7 7 0 0 1 4.89 J.Wechsler 3.0 4 1 1 0 3 0 9.70 S.Lizarraga 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6.23 HUNTSVILLE D.Eveland (W,4-4) 7.0 1 1 0 3 4 0 3.22 M.Stetter 2.0 4 1 1 0 1 0 1.76 HB--C.Goocher, J.Wechsler. WP--J.Wechsler 2. SO--N.Varner, J.Zeringue, N.Brown 3, E.Cruz, J.Vandn Berg, G.Rodriguez. BB--J.Ball, D.Uggla, M.DiRosa. T--2:26. A--1420

Huntsville Game Log:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Mass Haas · May 30, 2005

Final: Nashville 3, New Orleans (Nationals) 2

Nashville Media Notes (PDF format):

Post-game now, but always with something interesting...

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Dave Krynzel photo, text follows --

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1596

Sounds Complete Sweep With 3-2 Win Over Z's

NASHVILLE ? The Nashville Sounds completed their first series sweep in two seasons with a 3-2 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs in front of 5,313 fans on Monday afternoon at Greer Stadium in the finale of a four-game series.

With the victory, Nashville (27-25) regained a share of first place in the PCL American Conference Northern Division and completed its first series sweep in two seasons, dating back to a three-gamer against Oklahoma from July 4-6, 2003.

The Sounds scored first, jumping out to a 1-0 lead when Rickie Weeks scored on Corey Hart?s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. The single extended Hart?s season-best hitting streak to eight games. Dave Krynzel added another Nashville run, doubling the lead to 2-0, with a two-out single of his own in the second.

New Orleans right fielder Melvin Nieves knotted the contest with a two-out knock in the top of the fifth, a single against Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson that brought in Brandon Watson and Dan DeMent.

Weeks, who extended his hitting streak to seven games in the first inning, put the Sounds ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth with a one-out RBI single to score Krynzel, who had ripped his second triple of the series and third of the season earlier in the frame.

Weeks (2-for-4) and Krynzel (3-for-4) each recorded his co-team-leading 15th multiple-hit effort of the season.

Hendrickson (2-4) picked up his first victory in 10 starts this season, allowing two runs on six hits in six innings of work. The right-hander allowed two runs or less for the sixth time in his last seven outings. Chad Paronto worked the final two innings in scoreless fashion to earn his fourth save of the year.

Powell (0-4) allowed all three Nashville runs in his six frames and remains winless on the season after absorbing the loss for New Orleans.

The Sounds travel to Albuquerque on Tuesday to open a quick four-game road trip against the Isotopes (AAA-Marlins). Left-hander Jeff Housman (2-3, 5.21) will start the 8:05 p.m. CT series opener and face a former Sound, Albuquerque right-hander Ariel Prieto (2-2, 6.00).

Nashville Box Score:

Corey Hart 8-of-9 in SB attempts -- that projects nicely over a full season; Chad Paronto might have a job in a few big league bullpens right now...

 YTD YTD NEW ORLEANS AB R H BI AVG NASHVILLE AB R H BI AVG B.Watson CF 3 1 1 0 .414 D.Krynzel CF 4 1 3 1 .271 C.Kuzmic CAT 3 0 0 0 .067 R.Weeks 2B 4 1 2 1 .320 R.Corcoran PIT 0 0 0 0 1.000 P.Fielder 1B 4 0 0 0 .253 M.Nieves RF 4 0 1 2 .227 B.Nelson LF 4 0 1 0 .244 R.Short 1B 0 0 0 0 .321 C.Hart RF 4 0 2 1 .241 J.Davis LF 2 0 0 0 .258 M.Rivera CAT 4 0 0 0 .238 M.Cepicky 1B 0 0 0 0 .263 C.Barnwell 3B 3 0 0 0 .246 M.Cepicky RF 3 0 1 0 .263 S.Scarboroug SS 3 1 1 0 .241 W.Carroll 3B 4 0 0 0 .253 B.Hendrkson PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 D.DeMent 2B 4 1 2 0 .326 C.Weibl PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Bowers SS 3 0 2 0 .209 T.Durrington PH 0 0 0 0 .298 B.Powell PIT 0 0 0 0 .375 C.Paronto PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Ortiz CAT 1 0 0 0 .319 TOTALS 27 2 7 2 TOTALS 31 3 9 3 NEW ORLEANS 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0- 2 7 0 NASHVILLE 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 X- 3 9 0 DP--NEW ORLEANS 1, NASHVILLE 4. LOB--NEW ORLEANS 7, NASHVILLE 6. 2B--C.Hart (11). 3B--D.Krynzel (3). SB--J.Davis (3), C.Hart (7). HBP--T.Durrington. SH--B.Powell 3, B.Hendrkson. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA NEW ORLEANS B.Powell (L,0-4) 6.0 8 3 3 0 2 0 5.43 R.Corcoran 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 5.82 NASHVILLE B.Hendrkson (W,2-4) 6.0 6 2 2 5 3 0 4.21 C.Weibl 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.00 C.Paronto (S,4) 2.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 2.67 HB--R.Corcoran. WP--B.Powell. SO--C.Kuzmic, M.Nieves 2, J.Davis, W.Carroll, P.Fielder 2, C.Hart. BB--B.Watson, C.Kuzmic, J.Davis 2, M.Cepicky, J.Bowers. T--2:44. A--5313

Nashville Game Log:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Mass Haas · May 30, 2005

Final: Delmarva (Orioles) 9, West Virginia 6

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

POWER COMEBACK COMES UP THREE RUNS SHORT

SALISBURY, MD ? The West Virginia Power were down 6-1 at one point during Monday night?s game against Delmarva and tied the game at 6-6 in the seventh inning, but the Shorebirds pulled away scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh and beat the Power 9-6.

Alcides Escobar tripled with one out in the top of the first inning and he was knocked in during the very next at bat on Hernan Iribarren?s sacrifice fly to give the Power an early 1-0 lead.

The Shorebirds scored five runs on six hits in the bottom of the first inning. Miguel Delacruz drove in the first two runs with a triple to give the Shorebirds their first lead of the game. Quincy Ascencion knocked in Delacruz with another triple and Ascencion scored during the next at bat on Matt Houston?s double to give the Shorebirds a 4-1 lead. Jose Zapata drove in the final run of the inning for the Shorebirds with a single to make it 5-1 Shorebirds. Pete Maestrales scored the sixth run of the game for the Shorebirds when he crossed the plate on a passed ball in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Shorebirds a 6-1 advantage.

The Power began their comeback in the top of the fifth inning when Freddy Parejo crossed the plate on a passed ball to make it a 6-2 contest. In the top of the sixth inning Josh Murray contributed with an RBI single and Charlie Lozada smacked a two-run single to bring the Power within a run. Grant Richardson tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the seventh inning with an RBI single.

In the bottom of the seventh the Shorebirds took advantage of two Power errors to take the lead. Miguel Delacruz began the inning with a double and later scored on an errant throw from Justin Barnes. Quincy Ascencion scored later in the inning on an errant throw from Josh Murray and Jose Zapata drove in the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly.

Russ Petrick (2-3) earned the victory, Jim Tiller earned his first save and Barnes (1-1) obtained the loss. The Power move to 16-35 with the loss and the Shorebirds move to 23-28 with the win.

The Power will continue the four game series against Delmarva on Tuesday night at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. RHP Josh Baker (1-3, 8.70) will throw for the Power and the Shorebirds will counter with RHP Radhames Liz (0-0, 5.06). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM (5:35 Central).

West Virginia Box Score:

LHP Greg Kloosterman with three wild pitches -- he's been off a lot more than on...

 YTD YTD WEST VIRGINIA AB R H BI AVG DELMARVA AB R H BI AVG H.Rasheed CF 5 0 0 0 .227 P.Maestrales LF 5 1 1 0 .294 A.Escobar SS 5 2 3 0 .315 A.Rivas CF 4 1 2 0 .282 H.Iribarren 2B 4 1 2 1 .308 C.Smith 1B 5 1 2 0 .257 G.Richardson 1B 4 1 2 1 .250 M.De La Cruz DH 4 2 2 2 .271 J.Brady LF 4 0 1 0 .264 Q.Ascencion RF 4 2 1 1 .268 J.Murray 3B 4 1 1 1 .196 M.Houston CAT 4 2 1 2 .287 C.Lozada DH 4 0 1 2 .111 R.Diaz 3B 3 0 0 0 .152 F.Parejo RF 4 1 1 0 .246 J.Zapata 2B 3 0 2 2 .286 N.Corredor CAT 3 0 2 0 .190 F.Guerrero SS 3 0 0 0 .214 G.Klosterman PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Ramirez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Barnes PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Petrick PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Jan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Tiller PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 6 13 5 TOTALS 35 9 11 7 WEST VIRGINIA 1 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 0- 6 13 3 DELMARVA 5 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 X- 9 11 1 E--A.Escobar, J.Murray, J.Barnes, M.Houston. DP--WEST VIRGINIA 0, DELMARVA 2. LOB--WEST VIRGINIA 7, DELMARVA 6. 2B--J.Brady (7), P.Maestrales (13), A.Rivas (9), M.De La Cruz (1), M.Houston (5). 3B--A.Escobar (5), M.De La Cruz (2), Q.Ascencion (3). SB--A.Escobar (14), F.Parejo 2 (10), N.Corredor (2), J.Zapata (1). SF--H.Iribarren, J.Zapata. SH--R.Diaz, F.Guerrero. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WEST VIRGINIA G.Klosterman 5.0 8 6 6 1 4 0 5.18 J.Barnes (L,1-1) 3.0 3 3 0 0 3 0 2.84 DELMARVA L.Ramirez 5.1 8 5 4 2 4 0 2.37 R.Petrick (W,2-3) 1.2 3 1 1 0 0 0 4.50 C.Jan 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.74 J.Tiller (S,1) 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 5.84 WP--G.Klosterman 3. SO--H.Rasheed, H.Iribarren, J.Brady 2, J.Murray, C.Lozada, A.Rivas 2, C.Smith 2, M.De La Cruz 2, R.Diaz. BB--G.Richardson, N.Corredor, A.Rivas. T--2:23.

West Virginia Game Log:

Tying run at the plate in the 9th with one out -- no dice...

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_delafx_1

clancyphile · May 31, 2005

Well, his defense backed him up with four DPs.

Cyanogen5 · May 31, 2005

I just don't know what to make of Hendrickson right now. It seems that last year he had much better control...then he got called up tot he Majors and lost it. It seems he still hasn't found it. I am very encouraged by all of the groundballs he is getting, and Major league defense can only help that (well, maybe not ours, but...). However, if he is walking 5 AAA batters, how many MLB batters will he walk? I guess the good thing is that the MLB pitching staff is doing well enough that we don't have to rush him again, but what I want to know is...What happened?

Mass Haas · May 31, 2005

Link while active, text follows:

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

Not a no-hitter, but ...

Eveland shines as he holds Smokies to 1 hit in 7 innings in Stars' win

By MARK McCARTER

Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com

Halfway home, it was too early to give it much consideration. But that 0 glowing up there on the scoreboard where the Tennessee Smokies' hit total lived started looking bigger and more impressive with each passing moment.

The least-impressed person was the man behind it all, Huntsville Stars' lefthander Dana Eveland.

A no-hitter? Don't even waste a thought on it.

"I've never even been close before,'' Eveland said. "I probably wouldn't even think about it until the seventh inning.''

The no-hitter didn't live that long. Tennessee's Mike DiRosa spoiled it with one out in the fifth. It was the only hit Eveland would allow in seven innings, pitching the Stars to an 8-2 win over the Smokies Monday afternoon that snapped Huntsville's eight-game home losing streak.

"I throw a lot of pitches,'' Eveland said. "I'm effectively wild, I guess you'd say. I don't have a chance to go that deep in a game where I'd have a shot at (a no-hitter).''

"You never know,'' said Stars pitching coach Rich Sauveur, who three times in his career carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning but never had one in the pros. "He's got the stuff to do it.

"He knows how to pitch. He's got four pitches and he has pretty good command of them all and he uses them,'' Sauveur said. "His attitude to me is what really shines out to me. I love his attitude. If he gives up a home run, he doesn't let it bother him. He shakes it off and goes back to work.''

Eveland pitched in four games with the Stars in August, including a breathtaking debut in which he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a game Huntsville ultimately kicked away in extra innings.

"Last year, I was still in awe,'' said Eveland. "I was here for three weeks, and I was in awe the whole time. It was like I didn't belong yet. I was so nervous about it. But I had a long off-season and I had a lot of time to think about it and I told myself I belonged here. I'm more confident. I'm not afraid to go after hitters now. Last year, I was nervous, trying to hit corners.''

On the opposite end of the pitching spectrum, lefthander Matt Ford was released Monday. A member of the Milwaukee major league staff in 2003, Ford was 3-9 with a 4.22 ERA in his two seasons in Huntsville. He was the losing pitcher in relief Friday and Sunday.

"He wasn't making any progress,'' said Reid Nichols, the Brewers' director of player development. "We didn't see him pitching for us in the major leagues.''

The Stars embark on a four-game road trip to Mississippi, then return to Huntsville Saturday to host the Braves.

Mass Haas · May 31, 2005

Link while active, text follows:

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=41817

Defense lifts Sounds to victory

By Mark McGee, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

The Nashville Sounds were billed from the start as one of the most powerful offensive teams in the Pacific Coast League, but a team cannot live by hitting alone.

Monday afternoon, the Sounds entertained a Memorial Day crowd of 5,313 with a 3-2 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs at Greer Stadium. The win gave the Sounds their first four-game series sweep of the season, and their first as a franchise since the 2003 season when they took three games from Oklahoma July 4-6. The last four-game sweep for the Sounds at Greer Stadium was against Colorado Springs June 21-24, 2003. It was also the first time this season the Zephyrs had been swept.

Nashville manager Frank Kremblas pointed to defensive problems as the reason the Sounds took so long to sweep a team this season.

?Our defense has been poor overall, not just in making errors, but from the standpoint of making bad jumps on balls and not anticipating things that might happen in certain situations.?

The Sounds turned a season-high four double plays against the Zephyrs. The Sounds did not make an error, the second time in the series they played errorless defense. Kremblas saw defensive improvement in the previous series at Portland.

?The defense has been coming around,? Kremblas said. ?We had two games in Portland without an error. We have been working on the field, and we have been talking about it. When a batter has two strikes they need to be thinking about what he might want to try to do. You have to keep talking to them, and telling them what to do until they tell you they have got it.?

Ben Hendrickson started for the Sounds. He picked up his second win in six decisions this season. In six innings he gave up six hits, two runs, five walks and struck out three. Clint Weibl pitched a scoreless inning in relief. Chad Paronto shut down the Zephyrs on one hit in the final two innings to earn the save.

?Ben had 10 ground-ball outs,? Kremblas said. ?Having the team get three of the double plays for him helped. He wasn?t as consistent as he had been in his last four outings, but he only gave up two runs.?

The series also featured five ejections, three on Monday. New Orleans Manager Tim Foli and Doug Sisson, roving minor league instructor, were tossed in the first inning after two batters for questioning a call over whether a ball was fair or foul. In the eighth inning New Orleans right fielder Melvin Nieves was thrown out for questioning a third strike call.

Nashville?s Prince Fielder was named PCL Batter of the Week for May 23-29.

The Sounds head to Albuquerque for a four-game series starting tonight at 8:05. Nashville left-hander Jeff Housman (2-3, 5.21 earned run average) will face right-hander Ariel Prieto (2-2, 6.00).

Mass Haas · May 31, 2005

Link while active, text follows:

www.tennessean.com/apps/p...1/SPORTS04

Sounds complete sweep of Zephyrs in wild series

Hendrickson (2-4) earns his first win as a starter

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

With 15 home runs, five ejections ? and don't forget the bat shard in the pitcher's arm ? the Nashville Sounds' four-game series with visiting New Orleans would qualify as nothing less than wild.

"There was a lot of testosterone flying around," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said.

But if it was wild, it was wildly successful as well. A 3-2 victory yesterday gave Nashville its longest winning streak of the season (four games), its first four-game series sweep in nearly two years and a share of first place in the Pacific Coast League's American Northern Division for the first time in almost a month.

It was the only game of the series in which Nashville did not hit a homer. The Sounds hit 12 in the previous three contests while outscoring the Zephyrs 32-14.

"It's nice to be able to win without a home run, especially a one-run game," Kremblas said after the Sounds improved to 9-4 in such contests.

While most pitchers would have been envious of the offensive backing the Sounds had produced earlier in the series, Ben Hendrickson was fine with the three runs he got yesterday.

"For me, it's easier to pitch when it's a close game," Hendrickson said after getting his first win in a starting role and improving to 2-4 on the year. "When you're winning by a big margin, you relax and all of a sudden they put a 'five-spot' up on you. I'd rather be in a one-run game when you have to keep working and competing."

Nashville scored in each of its first two at-bats with Corey Hart and Dave Krynzel picking up RBI base hits, then snapped a 2-2 tie when Krynzel tripled and scored on Rickie Weeks' single in the fifth.

Kremblas was more impressed with the team's defense, though, following the game.

"We're coming around, hopefully," he said after the Sounds turned double plays in the first, second, fourth and ninth innings. "We've been poor, overall, in my opinion ? not so much from an error standpoint, but getting bad jumps on balls in the outfield, not anticipating things that might happen. But we've talked about all that, and the guys are getting a little better, in my opinion."

Finally: Prince Fielder became the first Sounds player to receive Pacific Coast League weekly honors this season, earning the Hitter of the Week award yesterday.

In seven games between May 23-29, Fielder hit .360 (9-for-25) with seven home runs, 16 RBIs and a 1.280 slugging percentage. He homered twice on both Monday and Sunday and hit a grand slam in a six-RBI effort Saturday.

New arrival: Reliever Mike Adams is expected to join the Sounds for the series in Albuquerque that begins today. In 13 appearances out of the Brewers' bullpen, Adams was 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA. However, he was one of three Milwaukee pitchers that still had options ? allowing them to be sent to the minors without being placed on waivers, thus being exposed to other major league teams ? making him the odd man out when starter Ben Sheets came off the disabled list Friday.

Join the band: Sounds infielder Trent Durrington became the fourth Sounds player to earn a Copley guitar after homering off the guitar-shaped scoreboard beyond the left-field fence during Sunday's win. Presented with the instrument prior to yesterday's game, Durrington joins fellow infielders Steve Scarborough, Weeks and Kevin Orie.

Game at a glance

? Winning pitcher: Ben Hendrickson (2-4).

?Big stick: Dave Krynzel, 3-for-4, triple, RBI, run.

?How they won: Krynzel's one-out triple in the fifth led to the game-winning run. Rickie Weeks followed with an RBI base hit to snap a 2-2 tie. Defensively, the Sounds turned four double plays to support Hendrickson and reliever Chad Paronto.

?What they said: "I thought if I threw a decent fastball they'd beat it into the ground and get a double play." ? Hendrickson after the Sounds turned three double plays in his six innings.

?Today's pitchers: Sounds ? LHP Jeff Housman (2-3, 5.21 ERA). Isotopes ? RHP Ariel Prieto (2-2, 6.00).

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

dadofandrew · May 31, 2005

Just wanted to throw out that despite one starting hot and starting off cold, Brad Nelson and Corey Hart are now hitting almost the idenical BA. Funny how thoase April numbers tend to work their way back to what you'd expect by the end of May.

pogokat · June 1, 2005

corey still isn't hitting for power , but i bet he hit .300 in may...i still think he will be more useful than brad in the majors

Past Member · June 4, 2005