Link Report for Games of Friday, April 15th

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Friday's Daily Menu -- we miss California League late-night snacks to flip over to after the Milwaukee games -- notice the unusual start time (4:00 Central) for Manatee audio today...

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change:

 

Nashville: RHP Rick Helling at New Orleans (Nationals), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: LHP Manny Parra in the Stars' home opener vs. Carolina (Marlins), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

Brevard County: TBD at home vs. Jupiter (Marlins), 4:00 PM

 

Audio link (opponent's feed):

www.live365.com/cgi-bin/m...2747300015

 

West Virginia: RHP Forrest Martin at home vs. Hagerstown (Mets), 6:05 PM

 

Audio link (opponent's feed):

streaming0.ctinetworks.co...uns-wa.pls

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...119761.xml

 

From Jackson to Jacksonville

From West Tennessee to North Florida, changes in league just starting

By PAUL GATTIS

Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com

 

Just call it a new galaxy for the Stars.

 

No longer will Huntsville play Birmingham so often that it seems like a summer-long box office hit at the movies.

 

No longer will the Stars be in the same Southern League division with the state's other three Double-A teams.

 

No longer will teams like Jacksonville, Fla., and Carolina be rarely seen opponents on the schedule.

 

That's why the Mudcats will be at Joe Davis Stadium tonight for the Stars' home opener instead of more familiar opponents like the Barons or the Mobile BayBears.

 

East and West in the Southern League is now North and South, the realigned divisions made necessary when Greenville, S.C., relocated to Pearl, Miss., near Jackson.

 

"It put the whole thing in another perspective," Southern League president Don Mincher said. "You start looking at the alignment and the travel expenses. Now that gas is $2.25 a gallon, everybody looks at how to travel."

 

Geography is the key to this new-look. And even though Mincher said he labored in trying to keep Huntsville and Birmingham - a long-running rivalry - in the same division, it wasn't feasible.

 

But when Greenville moves to Pearl, what's a league president to do?

 

"When you look at the alignment and the map, it only makes sense to go North and South," Mincher said.

 

This is what the Southern League used to look like:

 

East: Chattanooga, Greenville, Carolina, Jacksonville, Fla., and Tennessee (in Knoxville).

 

West: Huntsville, West Tenn (in Jackson), Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile.

 

This is what the Southern League looks like now:

 

North: Huntsville, West Tenn, Carolina, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

South: Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, Pearl, Jacksonville.

 

"I guess there's good parts and bad parts," said Stars infielder Chris Barnwell as he begins his second year in Huntsville. "The bad will be the travel. The good is that we mix it up a little bit. We don't play Birmingham 800 times this year."

 

In fact, the Stars and the Barons don't play until July 4 at Joe Davis Stadium. But, by then, the Stars will have played the Chattanooga Lookouts 11 times.

 

But that's an easy trip - barely long enough to squeeze in a nap on the bus.

 

The dark side of that arrangement is two trips to Zebulon, N.C., to play the Mudcats - a 591-mile trek one way. And the 191-mile trip to Montgomery will be replaced with the 211-mile trip to Tennessee.

 

"The traveling is bad," Stars veteran Tony Gwynn Jr. said, "but you get used to it after a while."

 

For all the splitting hairs on traveling to Knoxville or Montgomery, the biggest difference will be the lacking constant presence of the Barons on the Stars' schedule.

 

The rivalry had a lot of fuel between the winning history of both teams, the proximity and the back-and-forth gamesmanship between former Stars manager Frank Kremblas and Barons manager Razor Shines.

 

"It was never dull, that's for sure," Barnwell said.

 

"We played so much, it just created tension between us. Even if we got along with the other team, you just get sick of looking at the same people."

 

Ask Gwynn if he'll miss playing the Barons seemingly every other day and he'll laugh.

 

"Definitely not," he said. "They throw a lot of lefties at you and Razor is in your ear the whole game. I'm not going to miss them at all."

 

Of course, the single worst part about this new galaxy for the Stars? So far, they've lost six of their first seven games.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200504156

 

Power notebook

On the surface, much better

By Mike Whiteford

Charleston Gazette Staff Writer

 

On April 5, the Power players arrived in Charleston to inspect their new home, look for apartments, meet the media and work out.

 

But because of construction activities at Appalachian Power Park, they moved the workout across town to Watt Powell Park.

 

There, they saw first-hand the stark contrast between a professional-grade playing surface and one infamous for its bad hops and lunar-like landscape.

 

How big of a difference was it?

 

?It was like from here to the moon,?? Power manager Ramon Aviles said with a smile after his team?s 8-3 home-opening victory over the Hagerstown Suns Thursday night.

 

Power first baseman Grant Richardson, who contributed a first-inning single and scored a run Thursday night, took part in that Watt Powell workout and now sympathizes with the Charleston players who preceded him.

 

?I feel sorry for the team last year,?? said Richardson. ?I wish they could experience what we?re experiencing now, but I?m glad we moved here and got a chance to play in this great town and great ballpark.??

 

The early consensus is that the ball carries well to right field but not so well to left and that the playing surface is soft, especially around third base, although it is likely to change as the season wears on.

 

?The field is a little soft right now,?? said Power shortstop Alcides Escobar, ?but it?s going to help us win a lot of games. We play half our games here, and we?ll get used to it.??

 

POWER POINTS: Friday's game against the Suns will start at about 7:10 PM (6:10 Central) and is already sold out. The Power and Suns will play single games at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) Saturday and 2 PM (1 PM Central) Sunday. Those two games are expected to draw about 4,000 fans each, said Power general manager Andy Milovich. ... For Thursday?s opener, the city placed portable bleachers around the concourse areas, including the outfield. If the bleachers prove popular, Milovich said the ballclub would consider adding permanent ones. ...

 

Sixteen people, all of whom played a role in the new ballpark?s creation, participated in a simultaneous opening pitch. ... In addition to the 5,345 fans inside Appalachian Power Park, a handful of folks watched from atop Contemporary Galleries and Kyle Furniture on Smith Street. A ?Go Power?? sign was posted in a Contemporary Galleries window. ... Charleston starter Derek DeCarlo picked up the victory, allowing just two runs in five innings. ... The loss was Hagerstown?s first after seven victories. The Suns are a Mets team this year. ... Power pitchers entered the game with a 5.63 earned run average, which ranked 15th in the 16-team South Atlantic League.

[DuluthBrew]

Something I heard yesterday.

 

Ben Hendrickson's Dad was on KFAN (Twin Cities sports talk radio station) yesterday and said that his son was only headed to Nashville for a couple weeks and that he would pitch the first time Milwaukee needed a true fifth starter which would be April 19 against the Dodgers. He was on the Common Man program for those of you familiar with KFAN.

[Mass Haas]

Just in case you hear about this "toast guy" in Charleston:

 

Throughout the evening, fans waited in lines for beers and burgers. Families and friends packed the picnic areas while others crowded into the luxury suites.

 

It appeared everyone was having fun but the Hagerstown players, who had to walk past a heckling Rod Blackstone to the dugout. Blackstone, the mayor's assistant, also is known for his presence at ball games, where he tosses toast to fans each time the opposing team strikes out.

 

This might be the oddest news blurb we've ever linked to...

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/News/2005041536/

 

With new toaster, popular heckler at his post

Jake Stump

Charleston Daily Mail Staff

 

Ballpark developers made sure they had one crucial task completed before the grand opening of Appalachian Power Park.

 

"One of the first things we figured out was where to put an electrical outlet for the toaster," said David Molgaard, Charleston city manager. "It's a must-have. There is no way the park could've opened without it."

 

Folks who have attended minor league baseball games in Charleston in the last 15 years know what the toaster is for, and it isn't to accompany bacon and eggs.

 

It's for the Toastman, and he was at the West Virginia Power's home opener Thursday night with a new four-slice appliance.

 

"It's a brand new toaster for a new era of baseball," said Rod Blackstone, a sort of unofficial mascot with multiple identities. By day, he's the polished, business-minded assistant to Mayor Danny Jones. He's even worked for Gov. Bob Wise in the past.

 

But after working hours, Blackstone can be seen hurling burned toast into crowds at baseball games, dancing foolishly to tunes blaring over the loudspeaker and taunting players on the away team with cornball jabs.

 

Every time an opposing player strikes out or makes an error, Blackstone slings toast into the crowd and chants, "You are toast!"

 

That's not the only thing he says at games.

 

"Where is Jeff landing?" Blackstone yelled at the Hagerstown Suns pitcher in the third inning of Thursday's Power-Suns game.

 

The pitcher was Jeff Landing, and Blackstone was playing off his name to criticize his pitches.

 

Blackstone asked again, "Where is Jeff landing?" before Landing struck out a Power player.

 

"That was the wrong answer," Blackstone said aloud.

 

Blackstone also makes up cheers for each of the Power players and brings his homemade signs to get the fans to chant with him.

 

"I say, ?Rising Star,' and you say, ?Escobar,'" Blackstone shouted to fans in Section 107, referring to infielder Alcides Escobar.

 

City and team officials even put an image of a toaster on the sign identifying Section 107, the prime toasting area between the visitors' dugout and home plate. A net separates the seating area from the field, and that is good for Blackstone in case a player gets mad.

 

"He's classic," Molgaard said. "He makes it fun and was a driving force in development of the park. If not for Rod, it would've been easy to throw our hands up in the air and quit."

 

While the Power gave 18 people the honor of the throwing simultaneous first pitches Thursday, Blackstone had his first toast toss reserved for one person.

 

J.R. House, record-setting former Nitro High quarterback and recent Pittsburgh Pirates catcher, slung out the first slices. Suns' right fielder Ambiorix Concepcion was the victim.

 

Blackstone usually stocks up on loaves of bread from Flowers Baking Co. in Kanawha City, where he purchases four loaves for $3.

 

"A really good night is a three-loaf night," he said. "I try to make it as dark as possible to prevent people from eating it. You're not supposed to eat the toast. You don't know where it's been. Sometimes I have leftover toast that's been in my trunk for a day or two."

 

The mayor even joined in on the fun Thursday by holding a sign that read, "Don't Eat the Toast."

 

Blackstone's boisterous behavior at Charleston games dates back to 1990 with the Charleston Wheelers.

 

"I started thinking it'd be nice to get more fans into it," he said. "I recognized that when people know what to say, they'll cheer with you. So I made signs for the players when they came up to bat."

 

In 1992, Dennis Bastien, the Wheelers owner at the time, allowed Blackstone to make toast at Watt Powell Park.

 

"Most players take it the right way," said Blackstone, a Pirates fan who grew up near Pittsburgh. "I'll see former opponents and a lot of them smile and wave or talk to me."

 

Some have even gotten their picture taken with him, he said.

 

"You shouldn't acknowledge a heckler," Blackstone said. "That means you're getting to them."

 

Sometimes the message doesn't even reach the other team, especially during the first games of the season when Blackstone's voice is still green like a rookie's.

 

"It's the third inning already and my voice is toast."

 

Decked out in a tuxedo, baseball lover Rod Blackstone urges the opening night crowd to feel the power of the Power.

Photo: Bob Wojcieszak

 

http://www.dailymail.com/images/OPEN170417.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...005041527/

 

Nichols 'perplexed' but not overly concerned with Power's slow start

Michael Dailey

Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter

 

Reid Nichols spent 13 seasons as a professional baseball player, including 540 games with the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Montreal Expos.

 

So, he knows that a 0-7 start is just a drop in the bucket in a 140-game season.

 

Still, Nichols, now a special assistant to the general manager and the player development director for the Milwaukee Brewers, was a little perplexed with the West Virginia Power?s season-opening road trip, from which they returned as one of two winless teams in minor league baseball and the only winless team in Class A.

 

?I?m not overly concerned, but I have lost a little sleep over the 0-7 start trying to figure out what?s going on,? said Nichols. ?But if you give them a little time and let them get their feet on the ground, I think they?ll start to come together and play a lot better.

 

?What I?m getting from the staff is that they are pressing. They?re trying to do too much. Every player is trying to win the game instead of just doing what they do.

 

?They just need to tell themselves that it can?t get any worse,? continued Nichols. ?They just need to relax, have some fun and do what they can do. Once they realize that and get to that point, and I think they may already be there, they?ll start playing like we think they can.

 

?It?s got to be a lot more fun to come home and play in front of the home crowd and to open a new ballpark. I?m sure the players are excited right now and it might end up being enough of a distraction that they?ll be able to go out and have some fun.?

 

That?s exactly what the Power did in the inaugural game at newly constructed Appalachian Power Park.

 

After falling behind in the top of the first inning, the Power rallied for four runs in the home half of the inning en route to an 8-3 win over the Hagerstown Suns in front of an overflow crowd of 5,354.

 

Charleston improved to 1-7 on the season, while Hagerstown dropped to 7-1.

 

?On the road, we were only out of two games,? said Power Manager Ramon Aviles. ?We lost one game 9-1 and another 8-0, but in the rest of the games, we were in the game. We had chances to win, but the breaks didn?t come our way and we didn?t get the key hits like we did tonight.

 

?They were trying too hard. And when you try too hard nothing seems to work. This will definitely help them relax and quit pressing.?

 

Power second baseman Hernan Iribarren agreed with Aviles.

 

?We feel a lot better because we won that first game,? said Iribarren, who had three hits in the win.

 

?Now, we just have to keep going. That?s what we needed. One victory and now we need to keep going.?

 

One thing that could help the Power surge is the continued turning of the stadium?s turnstiles.

 

?I wouldn?t say we were pressing, but we were kind of confused,? said Power left fielder Will Lewis, a native of Texarkana, Ark. ?We played well this spring and, then, we came out with a loss and we didn?t know what was going on.

 

?We were confused about what it takes to get a win. We were playing hard, but things just weren?t going our way.

 

?But this atmosphere was great,? said Lewis of the opening night crowd. ?The fans were very supportive. It?s good to go out and hear cheering. It makes you want to go out there and do something positive for your team.

 

?I hope they keep coming because they?re a big influence on us.?

[homer]

That toast guy is just.........bizarre.

[squarepusher]

[ That toast guy is just.........bizarre. ]

 

Just be glad that we don't have to deal with Myron Noodleman. Those who know what i'm talking about will agree with me.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Media Notes for Friday (PDF format):

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

[Mass Haas]

Use these links to follow along the updating box scores and game logs for tonight's minor league action. You should be able to check out the live gamecast at the Nashville site come gametime as well...

 

Nashville Home Page for GameCast:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/

 

Nashville (milb.com):

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

In progress: Jupiter (Marlins) 6, Brevard County 0, bottom of the fifth at Space Coast

RHP Kenny Durost was your starter for the 'Tees -- unfortunately he struggled, as has the offense so far...

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 5, New Orleans (Nationals) 3, ten innings

 

Nashville Site Game Summary -- link for Prince Fielder photo, text follows:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1509

 

The Nashville Sounds continued to demonstrate their resolve on Friday evening, overcoming a pair of deficits to defeat New Orleans, 5-3 in 10 innings, and ruin the Zephyrs? home opener.

 

With the victory, the Sounds (6-3) extended their lead in the American Conference Northern division to 1 ½ games over Memphis.

 

With the Sounds facing extra innings for the first time this season, Rickie Weeks opened the tenth by drawing a walk on a 3-2 pitch from Roy Corcoran. Prince Fielder followed with a double into the right field corner to snap a personal 0-for-9 skid. Pinch-hitter Matt Erickson followed with an opposite-field, pinch-hit RBI single through the left side to plate Weeks and give Nashville a 4-3 lead. Corey Hart, who finished 3-for-5 in the contest after opening the year 2-for-27, followed with an RBI single to right and a 5-3 lead.

 

The Sounds wasted no time getting the offense going, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. With one out, Weeks was hit by a pitch by rehabbing Zephyrs starter Tony Armas, Jr., then stole second. Two batters later, Brad Nelson drove him in with an opposite-field RBI single to left.

 

New Orleans took a 2-1 lead with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the third inning. Armas recorded the first hit of the game for New Orleans with a leadoff triple down the right field line that eluded Hart, the Sounds? rightfielder. Z?s leadoff hitter Tyrell Godwin followed with a routine comebacker to the mound but Sounds starter Rick Helling misfired into the New Orleans bullpen, allowing Armas to score and tie the game at 1-1 on Nashville?s second straight two-base error. After Godwin stole third, Rick Short delivered a sacrifice fly to left to put the home team ahead by a run.

 

Nashville quickly tied things up at 2-2 in the top of the fourth. Nelson drew a one-out walk and moved to third one batter later on a single to left by Kevin Orie (2-for-4). Catcher Pat Borders knotted the contest with an RBI chopper to third.

 

The Zephyrs jumped back ahead with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Brendan Harris led off the frame with a single to left then moved to third on a single to right by Larry Broadway. Jason Bowers followed with an RBI dribbler to second, plating Harris to give New Orleans a 3-2 advantage.

 

The Sounds tied the contest again in the top of the eighth with back-to-back two out hits from Hart (double) and Orie (RBI single) against Zephyrs reliever Gary Majewski.

 

One down note for Nashville in the contest was an 0-for-4 effort from leadoff hitter Dave Krynzel, snapping the outfielder?s season-opening hitting streak at eight games.

 

Sounds reliever Justin Lehr (1-1) picked up the victory after tossing two scoreless innings, while Corcoran (1-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up the game-deciding runs in the tenth. Jeff Bennett earned his second save of the season with a scoreless bottom of the tenth and kept his season ERA at 0.00 through five appearances (5.1 IP).

 

The teams continue their series with a 6:05 p.m. matchup on Saturday evening at Zephyr Field. Left-hander Andy Pratt (0-0, 11.25) makes his second start for Nashville. He?ll face rehabbing New Orleans right-hander Claudio Vargas, who will make his first appearance of the 2005 campaign.

 

Nashville Box Score:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1

 

Audio link -- key Kevin Orie RBI base hit:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-15.mp3

[Mass Haas]

Final: Carolina (Marlins) 4, Huntsville 3

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary -- link, then text:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=563

 

Jeremy Hermida homered and drove in three runs to push Carolina past the Stars 4-3 Friday night in their home opener before a crowd of 5,350 at Joe W. Davis in Huntsville. The Mudcats improved to 6-1 with five of the wins against the Stars, who dropped to 1-7 overall and 1-5 in one-run games.

 

Eric Reed opened the game with a bunt base hit and advanced to second base on a ground ball out before Hermida singled to center field to chase home the speedy center fielder with the game?s first run.

 

The Stars tied the game in the home second against Scott Olsen, who had blanked them over five innings in a rain-shortened victory seven days ago. Vinny Rottino reached on a throwing error by third baseman Chris Bass with one out, advanced to second base on a passed ball and stayed there when Tony Zuniga walked. Brandon Gemoll then singled into right field and Rottino was held at third before Hermida?s throw to the infield sailed over the head of the catcher Chris Ashby, allowing Rottino to score and the other runners to advance a base. However, Enrique Cruz struck out and pitcher Manny Parra grounded out to end the inning with the game tied at one.

 

Hermida then smoked a line drive two-run home run to right-center field off of Parra in the sixth to put the visitors up 3-1. The 11th overall selection in the 2002 draft has hit both of his home runs and knocked in all six of his runs against Stars pitching this season. Reed?s two-out double in the seventh scored Drew Niles to make it 4-1 and chase Parra from the game after the longest outing of the season by a Huntsville starting pitcher. The southpaw suffered his first loss of the sesaon after fanning five and issuing one walk in his second start.

 

Scott Olsen lasted five innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits to earn his second win in as many starts against the Stars. The home team trimmed the lead to 4-3 in the eighth on a two-run pinch hit double by John Vanden Berg, his first hit of the year, but left him stranded at third.

 

Chris Resop took over on the hill for Carolina in the bottom of the ninth and yielded a one-out single to Zuniga before first baseman Todd Sears made a diving stop on a Gemoll grounder that looked like it was ticketed for a base hit to right field. Sears threw to Resop for the out at first as Zuniga advanced to second base before Enrique Cruz struck out to end the game. Resop has four saves in four appearances this season, all against the Stars.

 

The series continues Saturday night with right-hander Glenn Woolard taking the hill for Huntsville against Carolina right-hander Nic Ungs. 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:

Nelson Cruz 0-for-4, four K's...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Jupiter (Marlins) 11, Brevard County 3

 

Brevard County Site Game Summary:

Link, then text -- going forward, if Manatees management could note the next game's starting pitcher, that'd be great...

 

www.manateesbaseball.com/...e4150.html

 

VIERA, FL -- The Manatees' pitching, which had been on a roll all season, was ineffective most of the night as the Hammerheads rolled past Brevard 11-3 Friday night at Space Coast Stadium.

 

Starter Ken Durost lasted just four innings, allowing four runs on five hits walking five and giving up a three run homer in the first. The first two hitters Durost faced singled before right fielder Angel Molina, who homered last night, hit a three run shot onto the left field berm to put Jupiter up 3-0.

 

It was all the offense the Hammerheads would need as their pitching held the Manatees to just three runs on 10 hits.

 

Brevard?s first run came on a solo home run by center fielder Steve Moss. Drew Anderson picked up two hits while Ozzie Chavez had a triple and run. Anderson had an RBI single and a run for the Manatees to start a minor comeback in the eighth as his single scored Chavez who was on third with his triple. Jeff Eure followed with a single to put Lou Palmisano up with two on and two outs. Palmisano hit a single to score Anderson and advanced to second on an error by the right fielder.

 

But it was all for naught as the Hammerheads would stop the bleeding and end the inning with no further damage.

 

Jupiter?s fourth run came on a mammoth home run by shortstop Todd Brock to center field which cleared the batter?s eye. It was estimated the home run went well over 450 feet.

 

The Manatees fall to 3-5 and will conclude their three game home stand versus the Hammerheads tomorrow at 7:00 PM (6:00 PM Central).

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Looks like we'll have cut-and-paste box scores available at the lower levels...

 YTD YTD JUPITER AB R H BI AVG BREVARD COUNTY AB R H BI AVG A.De Aza LF 6 1 1 0 .280 O.Chavez SS 5 1 2 0 .179 F.Moore 2B 3 2 2 0 .333 S.Sollmann 2B 4 0 1 0 .207 J.Campusano SS 1 0 0 0 .105 D.Anderson LF 4 1 3 1 .333 A.Molina RF 4 2 2 3 .300 J.Eure 3B 4 0 1 0 .250 L.Mitchell 3B 4 2 2 2 .313 L.Palmisano CAT 4 0 2 1 .304 R.Bear 1B 4 2 2 1 .344 S.Moss CF 3 1 1 1 .143 R.Abercrombi CF 3 1 0 0 .111 W.Campana DH 4 0 0 0 .429 P.Arlis CAT 5 0 2 3 .235 R.Deevers RF 4 0 0 0 .111 A.Rohleder DH 3 0 1 0 .200 C.De La Cruz 1B 4 0 0 0 .000 M.Brock SS 0 0 0 0 .231 K.Durost PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Brock 2B 5 1 1 2 .231 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Mildren PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Rival PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Baker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Diggins PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Martinez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Lewis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Olivera PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 38 11 13 11 TOTALS 36 3 10 3 JUPITER 3 1 0 0 3 4 0 0 0-11 13 1 BREVARD COUNTY 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0- 3 10 3 E--A.De Aza, S.Sollmann, J.Eure 2. DP--JUPITER 0, BREVARD COUNTY 1. LOB--JUPITER 10, BREVARD COUNTY 7. 2B--F.Moore (3), P.Arlis (1), S.Sollmann (1). 3B--R.Bear (1), O.Chavez (2). HR--A.Molina (2), L.Mitchell (2), M.Brock (2), S.Moss (1). SB--A.De Aza (5). CS-- F.Moore, A.Molina. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA JUPITER P.Mildren (W,1-0) 5.0 4 1 1 0 7 1 1.00 R.Baker 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1.80 C.Martinez 1.0 4 2 2 1 0 0 18.00 M.Olivera 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 BREVARD COUNTY K.Durost (L,0-2) 4.0 6 4 4 5 3 2 8.59 B.Hall 1.0 2 3 2 2 1 1 6.35 K.Rival 1.0 4 4 4 1 2 0 9.00 B.Diggins 2.0 1 0 0 2 2 0 2.45 J.Lewis 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.45 SO--A.De Aza, F.Moore, A.Molina 2, L.Mitchell, R.Abercrombi 2, P.Arlis, M.Brock 2, O.Chavez 2, D.Anderson, J.Eure 2, L.Palmisano, R.Deevers 2, C.De La Cruz. BB--F.Moore 2, A.Molina 2, L.Mitchell, R.Bear, R.Abercrombi 2, A.Rohleder 2, S.Moss. T--3:00.

Brevard County Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Hagerstown (Mets) 4, West Virginia 1

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary -- link is to their home page only, it doesn't appear as though game summaries archive, so we'll also text them below, as we would normally anyway:

 

www.wvpower.com/

 

The Hagerstown Suns pitching staff shined in Friday night?s game at Appalachian Power Park, as they held the Power to two hits in their 4-1 victory at the brand new ballpark.

 

Mike Carp and Grant Psomas hit back to back homeruns in the top of the second inning to give the Suns an early 2-0 lead. Carlos Gomez began the scoring in the top of the third with a solo shot to make it 3-0 Suns and Hagerstown added another run in the inning on a Psomas RBI double to take a 4-0 lead.

 

Carlos Corporan provided the only piece of offensive excitement for the Power when he hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot in the top of the fourth inning and made it a 4-1 game. No runs were scored from that point forward.

 

Jose Sanchez (2-0) earned the victory for the Suns, Forrest Martin (0-2) obtained the loss for the Power and Carlos Muniz earned his 2nd save of the season. With the victory the Suns improve to 8-1 on the season and the Power drop to 1-8 with the loss.

 

The Power will continue the four game series against the Suns on Friday night at Appalachian Power Park. Righthander Robbie Wooley (0-0, 10.80) will throw for the Power and the Suns will counter with righthander Matt Durkin (0-0, 0.00). The First Pitch will be delivered at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

RHP's Brian Montalbo and Simon Beresford end the game cleanly on their end; the Jason Tuttle watch continues -- 0-for-24 -- sorry, kid...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

Two-out opportunity for Dallas Bates in the 2nd; otherwise, absolutely nothing...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...292751.xml

 

Stars still in the dark

Huntsville keeps it close but loses fifth one-run game

By PAUL GATTIS

Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com

 

Well, at least the Huntsville Stars aren't boring.

 

Maybe the won-lost record is tilting too far to the wrong side. Maybe the offense has scored the fewest runs in the Southern League over the first eight games.

 

But boring? No, not boring.

 

The Stars fell 4-3 to Carolina on Friday night before an energetic Joe Davis Stadium crowd announced as 5,350.

 

But it wasn't boring with the tying run in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings before the threats ended with strikeouts.

 

And it hasn't been boring with the Stars having played one-run games in six of their first eight games of the season.

 

The part about all this excitement that really nags Huntsville manager Don Money, though, is that the Stars have lost five of those one-run games.

 

"I don't want to lose one-run or 10-run games," Money said. "It's like I was just explaining to the team. It's one play here, one play there and you're on the other side."

 

The Stars' slumbering lumber awoke in the eighth inning, sparked by a one-out double from Chris Barnwell. Tony Gwynn followed with a walk and pinch-hitter John Vanden Berg ripped a two-run double to right-center field, slicing the Mudcats' lead to 4-3.

 

Vanden Berg then moved to third when Ben Van Iderstine grounded to second for the second out.

 

But with that tying run 90 feet from home, right fielder Nelson Cruz - who leads the Stars with two home runs - struck out against Carolina reliever Mike Flannery.

 

The rerun came in the ninth inning. Third baseman Tony Zuniga singled with one out and advanced to second when first baseman Brandon Gemoll was retired on a diving stop by Carolina first baseman Todd Sears. But Enrique Cruz struck out to end the game.

 

"We did not get any hits tonight when it counted except for Vanden Berg's double in the eighth," Money said. "But then we've got our three and four hitters (in the lineup) up and we've got a chance to tie it up, but we don't."

 

The lost opportunity that most irritated Money came in the second. With runners at second and third and one out, Enrique Cruz struck out and starting pitcher Manny Parra grounded out to end the inning.

 

"We don't go up 2-1," Money said, "and it comes back to haunt you."

 

After Carolina scored a run in the first on a run-scoring single by Jeremy Herida, the Stars tied it in the second when Gemoll singled and Vinny Rottino moved to third. Rottino scored when the throw to home eluded Mudcats catcher Chris Ashby.

 

Herida struck again in the sixth, blasting a two-run homer to right-center for a 3-1 Carolina lead. And the lead increased to 4-1 when Drew Niles doubled and scored on another double by Eric Reed off Parra (0-1).

 

Heredia was 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs. Scott Olsen got the win, allowing an unearned run in five innings while striking out six. He got help from four relievers and Chris Resop eluded trouble in the ninth for his fourth save.

 

Parra went 6 2/3 innings - the longest outing for a Stars starter this season. He allowed eight hits and four runs while striking out five.

 

"The starting pitching, for the most part, has been good all year," Money said. "We gave up four runs tonight, but four runs, you should win the game. Win 5-4."

 

Another one-run game?

 

"I wouldn't mind being on the other side," Money said.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...292750.xml

 

Thankfully, ballpark's fun in a loss

Stars may fall and stadium age, but mood young

Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com

Huntsville Times

 

There is so much wrong at Joe W. Davis Stadium. First and foremost, what shows up on the scoreboard and standings.

 

The Huntsville Stars are struggling. That is grave understatement. They are, with the tough-luck 4-3 loss to Carolina, a woeful 1-7 this season.

 

The $300,000 scoreboard never seemed to work perfectly Friday. It hasn't since it was installed last season. It's been like buying a Ferrari and using it only to drive to the supermarket.

 

Come off the stadium elevator, which makes a noise like four kangaroos jumping up and down on a mattress and box springs, and you're greeted by a gash in the wall, covered with fresh spackle. The third-floor toilet is on the blink.

 

A late-arriving crowd was lined up 50 feet outside the ticket windows, even as the first pitch was delivered.

 

The Stars drew an announced 5,350 for this opening night. From here, seems like bad math. Somewhere there had to be 2,000 noses they didn't count. On April 15, they needed an audit.

 

The team owner, Miles Prentice, wasn't there to be counted. A business conflict, he said. He hasn't found time to work out a fresh lease with the city of Huntsville in nearly two years. The franchise has more problems than McDonald's has fries.

 

Then, you go for a stroll.

 

You open your eyes wider.

 

You stop picking at nits.

 

You realize Miles Prentice and his cohorts may have their names on the ownership papers.

 

But you are struck with this:

 

The people of Huntsville really, still, own this team in so many ways. Theirs is an emotional equity, something without a price tag.

 

These owners - many more than 5,350 - showed up to watch their team.

 

You see, there is so much good at Joe W. Davis Stadium.

 

And the best of the good is so much younger than the stadium.

 

There, a child in his mom's arms. He is digging into a blue plastic helmet, full of luscious chocolate ice cream.

 

Over there, a boy forks over hard-earned allowance money - OK, we can dream; you know he bummed it off his dad - to buy a red souvenir bat.

 

A dozen people are lined up at a booth to buy tennis balls, to fling onto the field at game's end. Kids all but hang from their fathers' shirttails, like commuters on subway straps. "Let me hold them,'' begs a little girl as her mom walks away with a plastic bag full of the balls.

 

Two kids ravage a platter full of funnel cake like hungry wolves.

 

On the concourse, a hopeful boy is poised, glove in hand, for a foul ball.

 

Above him, a child hides a shy yawn behind a red foam "We're No. 1!'' finger.

 

Going to a baseball game, you are reminded, isn't always about the game. It's the noise and the food and the foul balls - please, please, PLEASE, let me catch one! - and fireworks and maybe even that stomachache you'll have at 2 in the morning because, well, mom was right and you didn't need that cotton candy on top of three hot dogs.

 

It's for the kids. It's for your kids. It's for the kid in you. It's for the memories that somebody helped create for you when you were a kid at a baseball game 10 or 20 or 50 years ago.

 

On Friday night, as they opened the 21st season of Huntsville Stars baseball, the old ballpark became a grand old lady who put on her finest silks and lace, who put the makeup on just so and hit the hair-do just right.

 

She did magnificently what a baseball stadium's first priority should be, what this stadium, through better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and health, has done for two decades:

 

Long after the final score would be forgotten, it had created memories.

 

So, to you, Joe Davis Stadium, we now raise our plastic helmet full of chocolate ice cream in toast.

 

Cheers!

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section.../200504168

 

Suns blast 3 homers, shut down Power 4-1

By Nick Scala

Charleston Gazette Staff Writer

 

On Tax Day, the hitter-friendly nature of Appalachian Power Park paid dividends ? for the Hagerstown Suns, at least.

 

For the West Virginia Power, it was the standard deduction ? one more game back in the loss column.

 

Four home runs sailed out of the new East End ballyard Friday night, three of them came off the bats of the Suns, who defeated the Power 4-1.

 

A night after opening the $23 million stadium in rousing style with an 8-3 win, the Power bats fell silent. Three Hagerstown pitchers limited the Power to two hits ? none after the fourth inning.

 

Winning pitcher Jose Sanchez (2-0) allowed both West Virginia hits ? a second-inning double by Freddy Parejo and a solo home run by Carlos Corporan leading off the fourth. Sanchez and suns relievers Matt Miramontes and Carlos Muniz held West Virginia hitless the rest of the way.

 

?We couldn?t get anything going offensively,? said Power manager Ramon Aviles. [sanchez] did a pretty good job of mixing up his pitches. He was showing the fastball a little bit out of the zone, but then he was throwing the breaking ball for strikes. At this level, any time you can throw that breaking ball over for strikes, you?re gonna do some damage.?

 

Hagerstown?s Mike Carp, Grant Psomas and Carlos Gomez touched Power starter Forrest Martin (0-2) for home runs as the Suns squared the inaugural series at APP at a game apiece.

 

Carp led off the top of the second with his fourth home run of the season, a shot that landed on Morris Street beyond the right-field stands. The next batter, former West Virginia University standout Psomas, went deep the other way, drilling a fastball onto Smith Street for his third round-tripper of the season.

 

Hagerstown?s Carlos Gomez made it 3-0 in the third inning with yet another solo shot, his first of the season. Carp was hit by the next pitch, and Psomas cashed in with a two-out RBI double to make it 4-0.

 

The Power, which snapped a season-opening seven-game losing streak with the win in the home opener Thursday, fell to 1-8. Hagerstown is 8-1.

 

After the loss, Aviles and his players convened for 45 minutes, talking about changes that need to be made in their offensive approach.

 

?We have to come back and make some adjustments because they?ll come back with the same game plan until we show them some adjustments,? Aviles said.

 

Martin allowed nine hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked none.

 

?He pitched good, he just left those three pitches up in the zone,? Aviles said. ?They were the right pitches to make, the location just wasn?t there.?

 

Brian Montalbo pitched three shutout innings in relief of Martin and Simon Beresford finished with a scoreless ninth.

 

The four-game series resumes tonight at 6:05 and concludes with a 1:05 p.m. game Sunday (Central times).

 

POWER POINTS: The teams each attempted two stolen bases, and were thrown out each time. ... There were four hit-batsmen, with West Virginia?s William Lewis, Josh Murray and Parejo each on the receiving end of plunkings. ... Murray turned in the defensive gem of the night. Playing third base, he backhanded a hot shot down the line off the bat of Hagerstown?s Ambiorex Concepcion and fired a one-bounce throw to first baseman Grant Richardson, who made a nice pickup for the putout. ... Suns leadoff hitter Dante Brinkley went 3-for-4. ... Power center fielder Jason Tuttle is still without a hit on the season. Tuttle went 0-for-3 Friday and is 0-for-24 on the campaign. ... Wheeler Bob said the $940 in program sales Thursday set an all-time Charleston record, surpassing the previous high of $652. In both cases, he said, programs sold for $2 each.

 

Photos by Charleston Gazette Photographer: Kenny Kemp

Power third baseman Josh Murray shows the ball to the umpire, who ruled the Suns? Grant Psomas out. Psomas is a former West Virginia standout.

 

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/POWS1.jpg

 

Power manager Ramon Aviles greets Carlos Corporan, who rounds third in the fourth inning after slugging the team?s first homer at its new park.

 

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/HOMERUN1.jpg

[bork]

What's up with Brad Nelson, the BB machine? Did he get a new pair of glasses this season or what? Keep it up!

[hsvstarsfan]

At least there was some success

All the ingredients were right........ It was Friday. The sky was nearly cloudless and even the day was warmer than forecasters had predicted. At gametime, it was 71° at Joe Davis Stadium. And there would be fireworks....... A poor crowd would truly tell what kind of year it would be at the gate, as if the Stars' record 1-6 start at gametime wasn't bad enough........ But they did come....... The 2005 home opener, coming on the latest date in Stars history in six years, saw the largest crowd since 2001 when 5,763 came out to see the April 13 opener against West Tennessee.

Maybe it's too early, and maybe there wasn't enough time for newly-hired personnel to get ready, but there were plenty of blank spaces on the advertising wall in the outfield, and the pitch-speed meter that was supposed to be a big, new feature of the scoreboard -- STILL WASN'T READY. (I heard a new radar gun was being ordered and wouldn't come for at least a week.)...... There were other opening night glitches. The inning-by-inning display decided to quit on the fans in the 2nd inning, and didn't return until the 6th........ Even in the broadcast booth, for those listening in on the headphones, the audio mix was simply horrible. The crowd mike overwhelmed Brett Pollock's voice, which has a tendency to trail off a lot of times, so that he was unintelligible or simply couldn't be heard far too many times, and there was still that tinny quality in his own mike, a noticeable lack of bass that was a problem on the road gamecasts.

The crowd, though, had a good time. The familiar between-innings promotions to make the fan the part of the game was back....... Homer ran around the bases and lost to the little kid again, and everyone got to guess the attendance, which is another point to bring up........ I've been to enough games to know there were a lot more than 5,300 tonight. I thought at first -- 7,000 or more -- and was satisfied to hear later from Mark McCarter and Jim Gattis, the Huntsville Times beat reporters for the Stars, that they had believed the same. They suspected, as I had, that the count was really off for some reason.

Unfortunately, the success at the gate did not match the Stars' tonight, who fall to 1-7, tying the club record for the worst start since the 1987 season....... It was also another one-run loss, and after eight games, they are 1-5 in those matters........ They're not far away already from the all-time worst record for games decided by a run --- they were 1-7 in May of 1993.

Manny Parra's control was excellent tonight....... He walked only one batter (Todd Sears in the 6th on a 3-0 pitch) and went to three balls on nobody else!....... In the end, he threw by my count, 88 pitches, 60 for strikes (an incredible 68.1%)....... But it takes just one fatal pitch to get you in the loss column, and he threw it to Jeremy Hermida in the 6th inning after Robert Andino had led off the inning with a sharply hit ball up the middle --- a high 0-1 fastball that was jacked to right field, falling over the middle tier of advertising to make the score 3-1....... Then after getting two out in the 7th --- a grounder to Tony Zuniga and a ball Enrique Cruz had to go a long way on the outfield grass for --- Drew Niles, a defensive substitution, lined a 1-0 pitch off the University Furniture sign in the right field corner for a double........ On a 1-0 pitch, Eric Reed sent a pitch over the head of Ben Van Iderstine, who was in and not expecting Reed to go the opposite way. He did and the ball went over his head and to the wall for an RBI double, sending in the go-ahead run.

That ability to drive in runners with two out is the mark of a contending team. That description hasn't fit the Stars at all this year....... They left runners on the corners with one out in the 2nd, Callix Crabbe tried to stretch a double in the 3rd and was met by a ball in the outstretched glove of Chris Bass, and John Vanden Berg was left on second base after doubling in two runs in the 8th.

Parra's counterpart, Scott Olsen, was not as sharp as Parra. He went full on quite a few batters, and his slider hung a few times, but he used it to get Nelson Cruz in the 2nd, who struck out four times tonight (the first Stars hitter since Kade Johnson on May 11 of last year to do that)....... After Cruz struck out, Vinny Rottino hit a high hop to Bass, who did a fine job in coming down with it, but threw it away after he did....... Rottino then moved to second on a passed ball, then followed a walk to Tony Zuniga, and a line single to right by Brandon Gemoll. Zuniga's was given the sign to hold up by manager Don Money, but Hermida's throw in sailed too high, and Gemoll was able to take second. Meanwhile, Money waved Zuniga in. Chris Bass, who took the ball in the infield, sailed the ball over the head of catcher Chris Ashby. It went to the screen and the desperation toss to the plate was to late to get Zuniga.

In the bottom of the 8th with Joe Rodriguez in relief of Jerrod Fuell, Chris Barnwell lofted a double down the left field line with one out, followed by a walk to Tony Gwynn, Jr. ....... Under-utilized Jeff Vanden Berg hit a 2-1 pitch in the gap in right-center against the wall, scoring both, ending a string by the Carollina bullpen of 20 consecutive scoreless innings.

A couple of unusual moments in the game..... Van Iderstine's line drive single in the 3rd went straight up the middle and nearly took Olsen's head off, causing him to dive to the ground in defense of himself........ And in the 4th, the 1-1 pitch to James Shanks went about 35 feet when Parra lost his balance on the mound (that was a sight) and the ball left his hand and fell to the grass to the right side of the infield in front of him. Parra was bemused and took it in good stride. I'm sure there were some jokes about it long after the game, cause there is nothing initially funny about their record right now.

The play-of-the-game was made by opposing 1st baseman Todd Sears..... He took a sure hit away from Gemoll in the 9th with one out and Tony Zuniga on first, when he speared a sure hit by diving to his right in the hole on the dirt portion of the infield to get to the ball, then getting up and making the throw in time to pitcher Chris Resop for the out......... Zuniga was left stranded on second when Enrique Cruz, who backed out of the box on a 2-1 pitch, thinking that the umpire would grant him time called, thought wrong. Ump Brandon Bushee has no obligation to grant anyone "time" whether Cruz thought so or not, especially with new rules in effect saying that the batter must stay inside the box to cut down wasted minutes in the game........ With a 2-2 count, Cruz struck out swinging for the final out of the game.

Saturday, Nic Ungs, who was supposed to start for Carolina, Friday, but did not because of the cancellation of the Birmingham-Carolina game on Wednesday, will get the call against Glenn Woolard....... Woolard, many of you fans remember, set a club record last year by throwing 29 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings in August......... The Stars are hoping for a crowd of 3,000+ after the opening night success.