Link Report for Games of Saturday, April 16th

One out away from a victory with no Suns on base, Josh Baker walked a man. Ben Stanczyk came on -- another walk and a base hit later, the game is tied. A two-run double, and the big crowd is stunned. Suns still batting -- ugh!

Mass Haas · April 16, 2005

Final: Brevard County 6, Jupiter (Marlins) 3

Brevard County Box Score:

Another big K/BB ratio night for the Manatees -- Taubenheim, Grybash and Slack strike out ten without a free pass...

 YTD YTD JUPITER AB R H BI AVG BREVARD COUNTY AB R H BI AVG A.De Aza LF 4 1 2 0 .310 O.Chavez SS 5 0 2 1 .212 F.Moore CF 4 0 1 1 .324 L.Palmisano CAT 4 1 0 0 .259 A.Molina RF 4 0 1 1 .294 D.Anderson LF 3 1 1 0 .333 L.Mitchell 3B 4 1 2 0 .333 A.Heether DH 3 1 0 0 .222 R.Bear 1B 4 0 0 0 .306 J.Eure 3B 3 1 1 2 .258 K.Randel 2B 4 0 2 1 .133 S.Moss CF 3 1 1 0 .161 A.Rohleder DH 4 0 0 0 .143 J.Brady 1B 3 0 0 0 .038 P.Arlis CAT 4 1 1 0 .238 S.Sollmann 2B 4 0 1 1 .212 M.Brock SS 3 0 0 0 .207 T.Ezi RF 3 1 1 0 .154 J.Teekel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Taubenheim PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gogal PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Grybash PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Slack PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 3 9 3 TOTALS 31 6 7 4 JUPITER 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1- 3 9 2 BREVARD COUNTY 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 X- 6 7 0 E--L.Mitchell, M.Brock. DP--JUPITER 1, BREVARD COUNTY 1. LOB--JUPITER 5, BREVARD COUNTY 7. 2B--A.De Aza (3), K.Randel (2), O.Chavez (3), D.Anderson (2), J.Eure (4), T.Ezi (1). 3B--S.Moss (1). SB--K.Randel (3). SF--J.Eure. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA JUPITER J.Teekel (L,0-1) 5.0 3 4 2 5 2 0 4.50 J.Gogal 3.0 4 2 2 0 4 0 5.68 BREVARD COUNTY T.Taubenheim (W,2-0) 6.0 6 2 2 0 5 0 1.50 D.Grybash 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 N.Slack 1.0 2 1 1 0 2 0 12.27 WP--J.Teekel, J.Gogal. SO--A.De Aza, A.Molina 2, R.Bear, A.Rohleder 3, P.Arlis 2, M.Brock, O.Chavez, D.Anderson, J.Eure 2, J.Brady, T.Ezi. BB--D.Anderson, A.Heether, S.Moss, J.Brady, T.Ezi. T--2:36. A--1527

Brevard County Game Log:

What's with Josh Brady? Hitting .038, he actually got a run in (no RBI) with a bases-loaded GIDP...

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

Mass Haas · April 16, 2005

Final: Hagerstown (Mets) 6, West Virginia 4

West Virginia Box Score:

Robbie Wooley pitched out of trouble for most of his evening...

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

West Virginia Game Log:

Power goes 1-2-3 in the 9th; ironically, Power pitchers didn't issue a walk until the dreadful 9th...

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Mass Haas · April 16, 2005

In progress: Huntsville 6, Carolina (Marlins) 1, after seven innings

The Stars bullpen has to hold this lead, right?

It's 9:05 Central; only remaining audio of the night...

Mass Haas · April 16, 2005

Final: New Orleans (Nationals) 7, Nashville 2

Nashville Box Score:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1

Nashville Game Log:

Andy Pratt has pretty much been a mess since the start of spring training...

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1

Mass Haas · April 16, 2005

Final: Huntsville 6, Carolina (Marlins) 2

Huntsville Box Score:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Huntsville Game Log:

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Mass Haas · April 16, 2005

Nashville Site Game Summary:

The New Orleans Zephyrs used a pair of big innings to defeat the Nashville Sounds by a 7-2 count on Saturday evening at Zephyr Field in the second game of a four-game series.

Despite the loss, the Sounds (6-4) retain a one-game lead in the American Conference Northern Division, pending later league action.

The Z?s jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second when they batted around against Sounds starter Andy Pratt. New Orleans loaded the bases with no outs on two walks sandwiched around a Brendan Harris infield single. Catcher Hector Ortiz followed with a two-run single to left which plated the first two runs of the contest. One out later, Tyrell Godwin reached on an infield single to re-load the bags for Jason Bowers, who singled to right to bring home the third run of the inning. Veteran Jeffrey Hammonds drove in the fourth run with a fielder?s choice grounder before Nashville leftfielder Corey Hart put an end to the inning by throwing out Bowers at the plate while attempting to score on a Rick Short single.

Audio link to Corey Hart's Throw:

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-16.mp3

The Sounds? runs both came courtesy of the longball. Kevin Orie took rehabbing Z?s starter Claudio Vargas deep to left to lead off the fourth inning, his second roundtripper of the season, and shortstop Steve Scarborough continued his early-season power surge with a seventh-inning solo blast off Josh Karp, giving him four taters in 10 games. Scarborough belted only four total homers in 110 games for Triple-A Indianapolis last season.

New Orleans completed their scoring with a three-run fifth against Pratt, highlighted by a pinch-hit, two-run double by Wes Carroll.

Orie?s home run extended the veteran infielder?s season-opening hitting streak to six games, the longest active streak on the Nashville club.

Vargas (1-0) earned the victory after striking out eight batters and allowing only one run in his five innings of work. Pratt (0-1) took the loss after surrendering all seven New Orleans runs (four earned runs) in his 4 2/3 frames.

The Nashville bullpen put together another solid outing behind Pratt. Chad Paronto and Julio Santana combined for 3 1/3 scoreless frames. Santana maintained his 0.00 ERA with his two innings, giving him 8.0 scoreless frames to open the season.

The teams participate in game three of the four-game set with a 2:05 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon at Zephyr Field. Right-hander Jose Capellan (0-0, 4.15) makes his second start for Nashville. He?ll face New Orleans southpaw Ed Yarnall (1-0, 1.80).

Mass Haas · April 16, 2005

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Saturday Night's Alright for Winning

Glenn Woolard worked a solid five innings to pitch the Stars past Carolina 6-2 Saturday night at Joe W. Davis Stadium. Huntsville earned its? first win of the year at home to improve to 2-7, while the Mudcats dropped to 6-2 but remained a half game ahead of Chattanooga in the North division standings.

The Mudcats plated a run in the first inning for a second straight night when Todd Sears singled to drive in Robert Andino, who doubled with one out. Sears, who has two career home runs and 11 RBI in the big leagues, knocked in his first run of the season.

The Stars tallied twice in the second inning to take the lead for good and got some help from some poor Carolina defense. Kennard Bibbs led off with a double and Tony Gwynn, Jr. followed with a bunt that was mishandled by third baseman Drew Niles, who then threw wildly past first base allowing Bibbs to score and Gwynn to advance to second base. Brandon Gemoll bunted for a base hit and moved Gwynn to third base before Nelson Cruz bounced into a double play to score Gwynn with the go-ahead run.

Woolard left with a 2-1 lead after permitting a lone run on four hits. The right-hander fanned four and walked two and evened his record at 1-1. John Vanden Berg pinch-hit for him in the bottom of the fifth and legged out a leadoff triple, the Stars first of the season, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bibbs, who drove in his first run of the season.

Huntsville broke the game open with three runs in the sixth with only one hit, a leadoff single by Nelson Cruz. A throwing error on a Vinny Rottino grounder by Mudcats starter put Cruz at third and Rottino at second before Tony Zuniga was intentionally passed to load the bases. Callix Crabbe and Enrique Cruz both flied out to right field and Chris Barnwell was then brought out to bat for pitcher David Bradley. Ungs uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Nelson Cruz to score prior to walking Barnwell to reload the bases and was taken out of the game. Chris Bass was inserted at third base and lefty Luke Lockwood was brought on to face Bibbs as part of a double switch. Bibbs hit the first pitch to Bass, who mishandled the ground ball and threw to first wildly enough to pull Sears off the bag, permitting Rottino and Zuniga to score to push the lead to 6-1.

Drew Niles singled in a run in the eighth inning off of Matt DeWitt, who was lifted for Matt Ford with two runners on and two outs. Ford struck out pinch-hitter Jason Hill to get out of the jam and Mitch Stetter worked a clean ninth inning to preserve the Stars first win in six games against Carolina.

The series concludes Sunday afternoon with right-hander Khalid Ballouli taking the hill for Huntsville against Carolina right-hander Logan Kensing. Coverage of the game gets underway at 1:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

Mass Haas · April 16, 2005

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

Early Jupiter miscues and timely hitting keyed a Manatees 6-2 win Saturday night at Space Coast Stadium.

Every Brevard batsmen reached base safely at least once on seven hits and two Jupiter errors. The Manatees had five extra base hits including four doubles and one triple.

Ozzie Chavez was 2-5 with a single and a double with an RBI for the Manatees. Jeff Eure continued to produce for Brevard as he was 1-3 with a single, a sac fly and two RBI. Eure now has eight RBI on the year. Steve Sollmann had the fourth RBI for the Manatees who also had two unearned runs off two errors in the third inning.

Starter Ty Taubenheim pitched six solid innings for the Manatees. He allowed just two runs and six hits while whiffing five Hammerheads. He improves his record to 2-0 in the early season.

The bullpen, which had struggled early on, was solid for the ?Tees. Dan Grybash pitched two shutout innings striking out three while Nick Slack came in the ninth and allowed just one run to seal the win.

The Manatees improve their record to 4-5 while the Hammerheads fall to 5-5.

Brevard takes a day off on Sunday before returning home on Monday to start a three game set with the St. Lucie Mets starting at 7:00 (6:00 PM Central).

Mass Haas · April 16, 2005

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

The West Virginia Power scored the first four runs of Saturday night?s game against the Hagerstown Suns, but surrendered the final six runs of the contest and fell by the final of 6-4.

Nestor Corredor knocked in the first two runs of the game with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the first inning to give the Power a 2-0 lead. Dallas Bates hit his second home run of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the second inning to give the Power a 3-0 advantage. Hernan Iribarren brought in Grant Richardson on a sac fly RBI in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 4-0 Power.

Ambiorix Concepcion put the first Hagerstown run on the board with a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning to make it 4-1 Power. Tyler Davidson hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning, to bring the Suns within a run, making it a 4-3 game. The Suns were down to their final out when Concepcion tied the game with an RBI single, and Derran Watts gave the Suns the lead in the very next at bat with a two run double making it 6-4 Hagerstown.

Matt Durkin (1-0) earned the victory for the Suns, Ben Stanczyk (0-1) obtained the loss for the Power and Marcelo Perez earned his 2nd save of the season. With the victory the Suns improve to 9-1 on the season and the Power drop to 1-9 with the loss.

The Power will conclude the four game series against the Suns on Sunday afternoon at Appalachian Power Park. Righthander Mark Rogers (0-1, 7.94) will throw for the Power and the Suns will counter with righthander Gabriel Hernandez (0-0, 4.32). The first pitch will be delivered at 2:05 PM (1:05 Central).

Mass Haas · April 17, 2005

Brad Nelson Pre-Game Audio:

Interesting chat about his new-found plate discipline...

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-16.mp3

Prior Game's Pat Borders Pre-Game Audio, now available:

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-14.mp3

Mass Haas · April 17, 2005

Link while active, text follows:

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...842020.xml

Make no mistake: Stars will take win

Mudcats' miscues lead to Huntsville's 6-2 victory

By PAUL GATTIS

Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com

When runs come about as easily these days as smooth traffic flow on Memorial Parkway, you take runs any way they arrive.

So when the Carolina Mudcats wrapped a big red ribbon around four runs Saturday night for the Huntsville Stars, the Stars happily snatched it away and celebrated just their second win of the season.

Last in the Southern League in hitting and runs scored, the Stars scored a 6-2 victory over the Mudcats before 2,216 at Joe Davis Stadium. Four of the six runs were unearned and the Stars had only one RBI in the game.

And that one RBI even came as the Stars made an out - Kennard Bibbs hitting a sacrifice fly to score pinch-hitter John Vanden Berg in the fifth inning.

But ugly or not, the Stars won at home for the first time this season and improved to 2-7 overall.

"Any way we can," manager Don Money said of finding ways to score runs.

The six runs matched the Stars' high for a game this season.

While the Stars may not be pounding the ball, they came around to score using some smart baserunning.

In the three-run sixth inning, Tony Zuniga crossed the plate only about 10 feet behind Vinny Rottino when Bibbs' grounder to third resulted in a poor throw to first base by Carolina third baseman Chris Bass.

The throw pulled first baseman Todd Sears off the base, resulting in Sears hitting the ground to make the catch.

And Zuniga kept churning around third when he saw Sears' predicament.

"That was heads-up baserunning by Zuniga," Money said. "He saw (Sears) laying on the ground at first. That's heads-up baserunning."

The Stars blew the game open with the three runs in the sixth, a rally that included one hit, two Mudcats errors and a wild pitch from losing pitcher Nic Ungs (0-1).

"That's what you do to win ballgames," Money said. "We know we've been struggling. We had the bases loaded and no outs (in the sixth) and did not drive the runs in. But we got runs."

Indeed, the sixth began with great promise, collapsed into another missed opportunity, then blossomed after the Mudcats' miscues.

Nelson Cruz led off the sixth with a single - the inning's only hit. Then Rottino reached on an error by Ungs and Zuniga walked to load the bases with no outs.

But Callix Crabbe and Enrique Cruz each flew out and pinch-hitter Chris Barnwell was facing an 0-2 count when Ungs unloaded a wild pitch that scored Cruz to make it 4-1.

Then Bibbs' grounder to third turned into an error and Rottino and Zuniga scored to make it 6-1.

The Mudcats helped out in the first inning, too. Bibbs doubled and scored on Drew Niles' error, which allowed Tony Gwynn Jr. to reach third after his single. Gwynn then scored when Nelson Cruz hit into a double play.

The Stars' only conventional run came in the fifth when Vanden Berg tripled and scored on Bibbs' sacrifice fly to center.

The benefactor of all this offense was starter Glenn Woolard (1-1), who allowed four hits and one run in five innings. A quartet of relievers finished the game, including a 1-2-3 ninth inning by Mitch Stetter.

Mass Haas · April 17, 2005

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

Role Reversal

Carolina had played well its first seven games of the season, mostly at the Stars' expense. But tonight, it was the Mudcats who made all the mistakes and the Stars who capitalized...... Three errors, a wild pitch, four unearned runs. It just wasn't their night. Even after Jeremy Hermida doubled to lead off the 8th, he was erased when Todd Sears lined into a double play........ But Carolina's uncustomary play enabled the Stars to avoid the lonesomeness of last place in the SL North tonight, 6-2..

Another beautiful day meant another beautiful night for baseball, and although there was no wind, there were wisely quite a few jackets on tonight by the middle innings....... Glenn Woolard, who set a Stars record last year by pitching 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, did not have the ridiculous control that Manny Parra had Friday night. Woolard threw 83 pitches in five innings compared to Parra's 88 in 6 2/3, but he did get his first win. But 60%, compared to Parra's 68% of his pitches went over for strikes........

Woolie did manage, however many pitches he threw, to get Carolina hitters to keep the ball on the ground. Nine of his 15 outs were ground outs, in addition to striking out five...... The Mudcats scored their only run off him in the first after Robert Andino, currently the SL's 2nd leading hitter (you'll never believe who the leading hitter is), stroked a double down the left field line. Kennard Bibbs cut the ball off in front of the warning track. Woolie struck out Hermida on a 1-2 knuckle-curve, but Todd Sears (.118) swung on a 1-0 pitch and scored Andino with a two-hop single to left. Bibbs wasn't much help with his off-line throw to Vinny Rottino, though.......

By the way, I asked Jeff Winchester why he and John Vanden Berg weren't playing more behind the plate, and he said that this was what the Brewer organization wanted....... They like Rottino, but want him to play a position. So they're trying to develop Rottino behind the plate, which explains why Don Money continues to play him there, despite the kind of (ahem!) defense he's played. Rottino added another passed ball on a 3rd strike to his resume tonight in the 3rd inning. It came the next time Andino came up, but he was erased on a slick-looking force play by Callix Crabbe and Enrique Cruz that nearly doubled up Hermida. All in seemingly one fluid motion, Crabbe backhanded the ball as it made its way up the middle, flipped the ball to Cruz who expertly timed his presence to be on the bag at the same time and slung his throw to first.

It was a tough night defensively for the Mudcats starting in the 1st........ After Bibbs looped a leadoff double into left inside the foul line, Tony Gwynn dropped down a bunt to the third base side on his first pitch from Nic Ungs, but Drew Niles coming in, failed to make the pick-up........ As the ball trickled behind him, Bibbs came around and beat Niles' wild throw home and Gwynn took 2nd on the error....... Next, Brandon Gemoll bunted on the first pitch in the same direction....... This time, Niles made the play, but Gemoll beat the throw for a base hit, putting runners on the corners........ Nelson Cruz, who wore the golden sombrero Friday, as Steve Kornya used to say, hit into a double play, but it scored Gwynn to give the Stars a 2-1 lead.

In the 5th, John Vanden Berg set up the Stars' thid run when he raced around second after sending a ball to the centerfield wall and made it in with a pinch-hit triple for Woolard....... Vandy now has a double and triple in his two plate appearances at home. They leave memorable impressions with the fans. Believe me......... Vandy scored on Bibbs' high fly ball to center.

Nelson Cruz, on an 0-1 pitch, led off with a single to center, then went to third on a very bizarre error by Ungs....... Rottino, on a 1-0 pitch, chopped the ball sharply back to Ungs. Ungs wheeled around and a sure-fire double play looked obvious, but Ungs, in a momentary loss of self-control, threw the pitch to the ground about 35 feet on the dirt part of the infield, close to where you'd normally find the shortstop, far from waiting 2nd baseman Rex (Hello, Nic, It's Me!) Rundgren....... Cruz went to third on the error and Rottino made second......... Tony Zuniga was then walked to load the bases......... It's a situation Huntsville faced on the road more than once. Load the bases, then fail to bring anyone in. It looked like it would happen now in front of the Stars' home fans after Crabbe and Enrique Cruz both flied out to shallow right. Jeremy Hermida has too much of a gun, so the runners were stuck in position......... But one strike away from retiring pinch-hitter Chris Barnwell, Nic Ungs uncorked a wild pitch scoring Nelson Cruz to make it 4-1........ Barnwell, behind 1-2, wound up drawing a walk, again loading the bases....... Luke Lockwood came in from the bullpen to pitch to Kennard Bibbs and Chris Bass was installed at 3rd base in a double-switch........ Bibbs hit Lockwood's first pitch to noneotherthan Bass, who mishandled the ball and threw wildly by Todd Sears for a two-run error, making it 6-1........

The Stars held on for the win, despite an 8th inning threat in which the Mudcats strung together three straight two-out hits off Matt DeWitt......... In 5 2/3 innings over 5 games, DeWitt has given up 10 hits and 4 walks....... Mitch Stetter was the go-to guy in the 9th, retiring the Mudcats 1-2-3, although it took 18 pitches to do so.

Sunday will be a 2 PM start at the Joe........ The weather, again, is expected to be beautiful, with a high near 80° and another cloudless sky........ Fans will get their first look at Khalid Ballouli, who pitched five one-hit innings, striking out seven last Monday against Jacksonville in that shocking 7-6 loss........ Carolina sends right-hander Logan Kensing, one of the Marlins' finest pitching prospects.

Who is the Southern League's leading hitter?........ It's Johnny Raburn, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in last winter's Rule V draft, and is playing this year for the Montgomery Biscuits. Raburn is off to a 12-for-25 (.460), ahead of Carolina's Robert Andino........ Kennard Bibbs is 6-for-18 (.333) so far, and three of those hits have been doubles....... Your sub-.200 hitters at the moment are Brandon Gemoll (.147), Vinny Rottino (.154), and Tony Zuniga (.192). Callix Crabbe is just above the Mendoza line at .208, but he was 2-for-17 before the homestand....... Tony Gwynn, Jr. is hitting a healthy .267, Enrique Cruz, .276, but with 9 strikeouts, and Ben Van Iderstine, .318.

Mass Haas · April 17, 2005

Link while active, text follows:

www.wvgazette.com/section...2005041653

Power lets 4-0 lead slip away, falls to Suns 6-4

By Tommy R. Atkinson

Charleston Gazette Staff Writer

The good news is manager Ramon Aviles still hasn?t seen the real West Virginia Power team.

The bad news is, it might take a bit longer for that team to surface.

The Hagerstown Suns scored five runs in the final two innings for a come-from-behind 6-4 victory against the Power Saturday night. A crowd of about 4,000 attended at Appalachian Power Park on Charleston?s East End.

The Power (1-9), which has dropped its last two games of the home-opening four-game series, held a 4-0 lead through five innings.

?It?s going to change,?? said the first-year manager. ?It?s going to get better. This team is a good team. Right now we?re not playing the way we did in spring training. I know they?re a good team.

?That?s what we try to tell them in the meetings we have with them. Just let that good player come out. I know we have a good team because I saw it in spring training. Right now I believe we?re trying to do a little too much. We?re trying to get them to relax.??

In the eighth, Suns first baseman Tyler Davidson stroked a two-run home run off Power reliever Josh Baker to close the gap to 4-3. In the ninth, Baker retired the first two batters before issuing a walk.

West Virginia?s Ben Stanczyk (0-1) relieved and walked the first batter he faced after working a 3-2 count. The right-hander then gave up a run-scoring single to Hagerstown center fielder Ambiorix Concepcion to knot the game a 4-all, and right fielder Derran Watts followed with a two-run double to left-center for the winning margin. Stancyzk had both hitters in the hole with two-strike counts.

Suns closer Marcelo Perez, who picked up his second save, retired the Power in order in the bottom of the ninth.

?It was a good game, we just let it get away,?? Aviles said. ?To close a game you have to do what you do when you?re up in the game: relax. We?re dealing with young guys and they?re going to put that extra pressure on themselves. I thought the pitchers battled good. We saw a better approach at the plate tonight. More patient [and] more aggressive. That?s a good sign.??

The Power jumped on the Suns from the beginning as catcher Nestor Corredor stroked a two-out, two-run infield single deep behind second base for a 2-0 lead in the first.

West Virginia center fielder Dallas Bates, who was hitting out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order, belted a two-out solo home run over the green WesBanco sign in right-center field for a 3-0 advantage in the second. Second baseman Hernan Iribarren added a sacrifice fly in the fourth for a 4-0 edge.

The Power?s Robbie Wooley, who made his first start, constantly worked out of jams but didn?t yield a run in 4 2/3 innings. He scattered six hits, struck out three and walked none. The sixth-round draft pick in 2003 has been alternating with Baker starting and relieving.

West Virginia pounded out 11 hits with shortstop Alcides Escobar, center fielder William Lewis and Corredor contributing two hits apiece.

The Power will conclude the four-game series against the Suns (9-1) at 2:05 PM (1:05 Central) today.

dadofandrew · April 17, 2005

>>>By the way, I asked Jeff Winchester why he and John Vanden Berg weren't playing more behind the plate, and he said that this was what the Brewer organization wanted....... They like Rottino, but want him to play a position. So they're trying to develop Rottino behind the plate, which explains why Don Money continues to play him there, despite the kind of (ahem!) defense he's played. Rottino added another passed ball on a 3rd strike to his resume tonight in the 3rd inning>>>

So, should we have Vinny learning on the job in the major leagues (albeit, that's assuming he hits enough at AA & AAA to earn a shot)? That's what AA is for, teaching and developing your potential big leaguers.

Ralph Wiggum · April 17, 2005

Quote:
By the way, I asked Jeff Winchester why he and John Vanden Berg weren't playing more behind the plate, and he said that this was what the Brewer organization wanted....... They like Rottino, but want him to play a position. So they're trying to develop Rottino behind the plate, which explains why Don Money continues to play him there, despite the kind of (ahem!) defense he's played. Rottino added another passed ball on a 3rd strike to his resume tonight in the 3rd inning

Somewhere in middlewestern America, Clancy weeps.

Although with Vinny's propensity to play numerous positions, plus his Wisconsinite status, I wouldn't be surprised ih he's soon touted as our catcher/3B/LF/RF of the future by the current president of the "Cory Hart at 3B" fan club.

Frisbee Slider · April 17, 2005

I've always thought that Vandenberg should be given opportunity to start and progress up the minors.

clancyphile · April 18, 2005

Yeah, I like Rottino's bat. That said, if he can get to mediocre defense, I'll take his RBI bat there. Catchers who can provide the level of offense Rottino could are pretty rare. That said, if he's still having trouble, third base beckons.

I would like to see Vanden Berg getting more at-bats, though (DH, maybe?). I think he's going to be a good catcher, too. Palimasno and Salome are getting the hype, but Vandy's just been solid offensively so far, and he seems to have learned how to draw walks.

He's got that Wisconsin connection, too.

Link Report for Games of Saturday, April 16th

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