Link Report for Games of Friday, May 21st

[MassBrew]

Friday's Daily Menu -- begin your weekend, office workers, with Huntsville's pre-game at 10:45 AM...

 

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

 

INDIANAPOLIS: LHP Jorge de la Rosa at home vs. Durham (Devil Rays), 7:00 PM

 

Audio link:

www.newstalk1430.com/

 

Alternate audio link (Bulls' feed):

www.sportsjuice.com/provi...ame=dbulls

 

HUNTSVILLE: RHP Tim Bausher at Birmingham (White Sox), 11:00 AM

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

HIGH DESERT: RHP Forrest Martin at Lake Elsinore (Padres), 9:05 PM

 

Audio link:

www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm

 

BELOIT: RHP Carlos Villanueva at home vs. Battle Creek (Yankees), 6:30 PM

 

Audio link (Yankees' feed):

www.battlecreekyankees.com/

[FVBrewerFan]

Turn it around JDLR! Hey....keep an eye on this Villanueva kid. I saw him pitch in ******on, man does his fastball move.

[MassBrew]

Sorry guys, obviously the Huntsville game is not early today, but 7:00 Central tonight.

 

I believe Sports Network had it incorrect last night -- someone did, I know I saw it! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif

[MassBrew]

Snappers Rained Out, Two on Saturday Night:

 

www.snappersbaseball.com/...me_id=1296

[huntsvillefan]

Birmingham had the bases loaded with no outs, bottom of the 12th in a 2-2 ball game.

But we got out of it - going into 13th now

[bullox]

Huntsville game:

 

2-2 Bottom of the 12th, Birmingham was playing for a squeeze with no outs, turned into a strike em out-tag em out (3rd base) double play. Next play was a force at 2nd, now going to the top of the 13th.

 

edit: haha, we're on the same brainwaves http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/happy.gif

[huntsvillefan]

yep http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

going into 14th - how long is it gonna take - at least the top of our order is due !

[huntsvillefan]

A Chavez solo homer in his first game , batting at 9 - can it get any weirder?

[Diskono]

Ozzie Chavez with a 14th inning dinger in his first game after getting promoted. Too bad High Desert inflated his offensive stats...

[dman]

how about that AA debut for ozzie 2-5 double and hopefully gw hr in top of 14th

[huntsvillefan]

3-2 to the good guys going into the bottom of the 14th

[dman]

is Prince really struggling right now 0-7 tonight and he's probably about 2 for his last 30. Wasn't ozzie thought of pretty highly when he was in beloit? I thought i remember his name carrying that BIG P word next to it?

[huntsvillefan]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[huntsvillefan]

Sorry the yessss was in delight at us winning 3-2 , not in answer to your Prince question! (though he is)

[DHonks]

great games for the Huntsville pitching staff, Gwynn, and Chavez. Rough nights for Weeks, Fielder, Nelson, Belcher, and--in his High Desert debut--Cruz

[MassBrew]

Final: Huntsville 3, Birmingham (White Sox) 2, 14 innings

Sounds like you guys had a blast listening to this one; sorry I took advantage of a Brewer rain out to catch up on my ZZZZ's....

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

Tie game, bases loaded, bottom of the 13th, nobody out. On a 2-2 pitch, Birmingham tries a squeeze. Chris Stewart bunts through the pitch for strike three, and Stars catcher Joel Alvarado tags out Scott Bikowski charging down the line from third. An inning later, Huntsville?s Ozzie Chavez capped his Southern League debut with a solo homerun in the Stars? 3-2 win over the Barons (22-19) on Friday night at Joe Davis Stadium. Huntsville (22-20) remained 1 ½ games out of first in the Southern League West.

 

Chavez figured prominently in every Stars rally. Arriving at the park at 3 p.m. after his call-up from class-A High Desert, Chavez doubled in his first Huntsville at-bat, sending Johnny Raburn from first to third. Rickie Weeks? single plated Raburn for a 1-0 Stars lead. With two outs in the fourth, Chavez batted with the bases loaded and drew a walk that scored Jason Belcher to put Huntsville up, 2-0.

 

The Barons rebounded in the sixth, as Josh Shaffer led off with a walk. After Ruddy Yan?s sacrifice bunt, Rob Sasser walked. Nate Murphy singled to left-center, knocking in Shaffer, and when Tony Gwynn Jr.?s errant throw to second bounced past Weeks, Sasser raced home for a 2-2 tie.

 

In the 14th, Chavez led off against Barons reliever Josh Fields. On a 1-1 pitch, Chavez hit a solo homer to right, highlighting his first appearance for the Stars. Chavez finished 2-for-5 with a homer, a double and two runs batted in.

 

Stars reliever John Novinsky (5-0) notched his fifth win, giving up one hit and no runs while fanning four over three scoreless innings. Fields (2-1) suffered the loss, allowing one run on two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in three innings.

 

The Stars resume play Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium in the opener of a four-game series against the Jacksonville Suns. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Bernie Brewer and the Famous Sausages will entertain throughout the game, presented by Corr Wireless and WHNT-19. The Stars will wear throwback Milwaukee Brewers jerseys to be auctioned off during the game.

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Box Score:

Why do I think our Huntsville friend David Weiser will rank this in his top three at season's end? And believe me, Ozzie Chavez' name has already been engraved on the Organizational Player of the Month award; Brandon Gemoll didn't depart for Indy until Saturday, so he did take part Friday night; big 0-for collar for Prince, but four hits for Tony Jr....

 GAME DATE: 5/21/04 HVL at BIR HUNTSVILLE 3 AT BIRMINGHAM 2 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI AVG R.Weeks 2B 4 0 1 1 .261 R.Yan 2B 5 0 0 0 .258 B.Gemoll LF 3 0 0 0 .205 G.Reyes SS 1 0 0 0 .286 A.Gwynn CF 7 0 4 0 .253 R.Sasser 3B 4 1 1 0 .242 P.Fielder 1B 7 0 0 0 .259 N.Murphy CF 6 0 2 1 .277 B.Nelson LF 5 0 0 0 .275 C.Maldonado DH 6 0 1 0 .239 B.Nelson RF 0 0 0 0 .275 S.Bikowski RF 6 0 2 0 .280 J.Belcher DH 5 1 0 0 .296 A.McNeal 1B 5 0 2 0 .255 C.Barnwell 3B 5 0 0 0 .208 N.Martel LF 5 0 1 0 .200 J.Raburn RF 6 1 2 0 .267 C.Stewart CAT 5 0 1 0 .250 J.Raburn 2B 0 0 0 0 .267 J.Shaffer 3B 4 1 0 0 .129 J.Alvarado CAT 5 0 0 0 .167 J.Shaffer SS 0 0 0 0 .129 O.Chavez SS 5 1 2 2 .400 D.Ulacia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Bausher PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Allen PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Zamora PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.McNichol PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Rivard PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 M.Smith PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Bajenaru PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Novinsky PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fields PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 52 3 9 3 TOTALS 47 2 10 1 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 3 9 1 BIRMINGHAM 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 10 4 E--A.Gwynn, G.Reyes, R.Sasser 3. DP--HUNTSVILLE 3, BIRMINGHAM 3. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 12, BIRMINGHAM 7. 2B--A.Gwynn (7), J.Raburn (5), O.Chavez (1), S.Bikowski (1). HR--O.Chavez (1). SB--A.Gwynn (12), J.Belcher (2), C.Barnwell (7). CS--C.Maldonado, S.Bikowski, C.Stewart. SH--R.Yan. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE T.Bausher 5.2 4 2 2 2 6 0 2.89 P.Zamora 2.1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 R.Rivard 2.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.30 B.Adams 0.2 2 0 0 1 0 0 5.27 J.Novinsky (W,5-0) 3.0 1 0 0 0 4 0 3.74 BIRMINGHAM D.Ulacia 5.0 4 2 1 2 2 0 3.60 W.Allen 1.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.62 B.McNichol 1.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.04 M.Smith 2.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1.11 J.Bajenaru 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.52 J.Fields (L,2-1) 3.0 2 1 1 1 3 1 1.50 SO--R.Weeks, B.Gemoll, P.Fielder 2, B.Nelson 2, J.Raburn 2, J.Alvarado, R.Yan, N.Murphy 3, C.Maldonado, S.Bikowski 2, A.McNeal, C.Stewart 3, J.Shaffer 2. BB--B.Nelson, J.Belcher, C.Barnwell, J.Alvarado, O.Chavez, R.Sasser, A.McNeal, J.Shaffer. T--4:27. A--6853

Huntsville Game Log:

Not sure why Rickie Weeks was lifted after striking out in the 7th;, but Johnny Raburn has been the ideal utility man; how's this for a number? Stars' relievers John Novinsky, Paul Stewart, and Reggie Rivard are a combined 12-0!

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=15642

[MassBrew]

Final: Durham (Devil Rays) 5, Indianapolis 0

No Krynzel, no Hardy, no Hart equals no fun for Tribe fans...

 

Indianapolis Game Blurb:

SS B.J. Upton plays well against Huntsville and Indy within weeks; wow, he looks to be a star...

 

Durham shortstop B.J. Upton had three hits and two RBIs, and starter Damian Moss pitched six scoreless innings to shut out the Indianapolis Indians 5-0 in International League action on Friday night at Victory Field.

 

The Bulls (23-16) broke a scoreless tie in the fourth, scoring three runs off Indians' starter Jorge De La Rosa (1-4).

 

Upton led off the inning with a double and scored on Fred McGriff's single. Three more singles and a sacrifice fly by catcher Dan Massiatte brought in two more runs.

 

"They shut us down tonight," Scott Sheldon, who had one of six hits for the Tribe, said in a news release provided by the team. "We did not have timely hitting with runners on base. They made good pitches in those situations."

 

Moss (2-1), who had four strikeouts en route to the win, got strong backing from Franklin Nunez and Jesus Colome.

 

Indianapolis Box Score:

Jorge de la Rosa with only one walk -- I can live with that...

 

 GAME DATE: 5/21/04 DUR at IND DURHAM 5 AT INDIANAPOLIS 0 YTD YTD DURHAM AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG C.Gipson LF 5 0 1 0 .327 R.Knox CF 4 0 0 0 .254 B.Upton SS 4 1 3 2 .343 M.Erickson 2B 3 0 1 0 .220 M.Diaz RF 4 0 1 0 .295 C.Magruder LF 4 0 1 0 .292 F.McGriff DH 3 1 1 1 .143 J.Liefer 1B 4 0 1 0 .307 J.Sandberg 1B 4 1 1 0 .205 J.Nunnally RF 2 0 0 0 .265 L.Ordaz 2B 4 0 1 0 .286 S.Sheldon DH 4 0 1 0 .193 J.Maxwell 3B 4 1 2 1 .240 S.Scarbrough SS 4 0 0 0 .231 D.Massiatte CAT 3 0 0 1 .091 M.Johnson CAT 3 0 1 0 .241 A.French CF 4 1 1 0 .227 L.Figueroa 3B 3 0 1 0 .269 D.Moss PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.De La Rosa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Nunez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Colome PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Michalak PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 5 11 5 TOTALS 31 0 6 0 DURHAM 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 1- 5 11 1 INDIANAPOLIS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 6 0 E--B.Upton. DP--DURHAM 2, INDIANAPOLIS 1. LOB--DURHAM 6, INDIANAPOLIS 9. 2B--B.Upton (2), C.Magruder (8), S.Sheldon (6). SB--B.Upton (2), A.French (15), J.Nunnally (4). CS--C.Gipson, C.Magruder. SF--D.Massiatte. SH--L.Figueroa. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA DURHAM D.Moss (W,2-1) 6.0 5 0 0 2 4 0 2.50 F.Nunez 2.0 0 0 0 1 4 0 2.61 J.Colome 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.59 INDIANAPOLIS J.De La Rosa (L,1-4) 5.0 6 3 3 1 5 0 6.47 M.Childers 3.0 2 1 1 1 0 0 4.94 C.Michalak 1.0 3 1 1 0 2 0 5.54 SO--C.Gipson, M.Diaz 2, J.Sandberg, D.Massiatte, A.French 2, C.Magruder, J.Liefer, J.Nunnally, S.Sheldon, S.Scarbrough, M.Johnson 2, L.Figueroa. BB--B.Upton, F.McGriff, M.Erickson, J.Nunnally 2, M.Johnson. T--2:52. A--9222

Indianapolis Game Log:

Only one Indy runner made it to third base...

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=14128

[MassBrew]

Final: Lake Elsinore (Padres) 5, High Desert 2

SS Enrique Cruz 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his Mavs' debut -- it always seems the Mavericks come up on the short end of these player swaps...

 

High Desert Box Score:

 GAME DATE: 5/21/04 HD at LKE HIGH DESERT 2 AT LAKE ELSINORE 5 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG LAKE ELSINORE AB R H BI AVG K.Bibbs CF 3 1 0 0 .312 K.Jones CF 4 0 0 0 .282 C.Crabbe 2B 4 0 1 0 .279 L.Cruz SS 4 0 1 0 .304 D.Boyd LF 3 1 1 2 .294 P.McAnulty DH 4 0 1 0 .311 T.Hinton 1B 4 0 1 0 .308 J.Carter RF 4 1 2 0 .276 T.Farnsworth 3B 4 0 0 0 .125 M.Johnson 1B 3 2 1 0 .220 J.Vanden ber CAT 2 0 0 0 .323 K.Jacobo 3B 3 2 3 4 .241 J.Frost DH 3 0 0 0 .253 M.Nettles LF 4 0 2 0 .245 M.Mendez RF 3 0 0 0 .213 A.Pagan CAT 2 0 1 1 .230 E.Cruz SS 3 0 0 0 .000 L.Carlin CAT 0 0 0 0 .393 F.Martin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Lima 2B 3 0 0 0 .225 C.Breslow PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Huber PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Beavers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Thayer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 29 2 3 2 TOTALS 31 5 11 5 HIGH DESERT 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 3 0 LAKE ELSINORE 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 X- 5 11 1 E--D.Thayer. DP--HIGH DESERT 1, LAKE ELSINORE 0. LOB--HIGH DESERT 3, LAKE ELSINORE 7. 2B--T.Hinton (12). HR--D.Boyd (5), K.Jacobo (5). SB--K.Bibbs (14), K.Jacobo (6). CS--D.Boyd, K.Jacobo, M.Nettles. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT F.Martin (L,1-4) 5.1 9 5 4 2 4 1 5.01 C.Breslow 2.2 2 0 0 3 4 0 10.48 LAKE ELSINORE J.Huber (W,4-2) 6.0 1 2 2 3 9 1 3.69 K.Beavers 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1.86 D.Thayer (S,4) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.86 WP--C.Breslow 2. PB--J.Vanden ber. SO--K.Bibbs, T.Hinton 2, T.Farnsworth 3, J.Frost, M.Mendez 2, E.Cruz 3, K.Jones, L.Cruz 2, P.McAnulty 2, J.Carter, M.Johnson 2. BB--K.Bibbs, D.Boyd, J.Vanden ber, M.Johnson, K.Jacobo, A.Pagan, L.Carlin, J.Lima. T--2:38. A--6208

High Desert Game Log:

Leadoff double in the 7th -- no runs; man on third with no outs in the 9th -- no runs, ugh!

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=18952

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Video Scoreboard News:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=410

[MassBrew]

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 22 17 .564[/b] TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 21 21 .500 2.5 COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 19 19 .500 2.5 LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 19 22 .463 4.0

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 23 18 .561 BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 22 19 .537 1.0 MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 22 20 .524 1.5 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 22 20 .524 1.5[/b] MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 17 25 .405 6.5

 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 26 16 .619 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 23 17 .575 2.0 LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 22 18 .550 3.0 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 19 21 .475 6.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 16 26 .381 10.0[/b]

 WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 25 15 .625 CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 24 17 .585 1.5 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 23 17 .575 2.0 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 22 18 .550 3.0 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 22 18 .550 3.0[/b] QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 18 21 .462 6.5 WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 18 23 .439 7.5 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 14 27 .341 11.5

[MassBrew]

MassBrew and DHonks comments from Link Report for Games of April 20th (Ozzie Chavez at .167 and showing nothing):

 

MassBrew:

 

Bo Hall pitches out of a huge Ozzie Chavez error-induced jam in the fourth.

 

You know me, very rare I single a player out on the negative side, but I've listened to a fair share of Maverick games this year and last, and am still waiting for Ozzie to produce anything but miserable results or to show any baseball instinct whatsoever.

 

I'm sure he'll have a huge rest of the game now...

 

DHonks:

 

Mass, when I saw Chavez last June, he showed absolutely terrible range and a mediocre arm. Based on what I saw, if you put him, Loretta, and Counsell together on a field (at the same age, that is), Lo and Craig would have easily looked superior, despite both slipping under the prospect radar to have productive careers. I talked with Mike Linskog (can't remember his last name exactly...my best guess) and he said that Chavez had looked terrible all year, displaying none of the skills he was known for in Beloit...

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif Well, I'm betting that Brewer management has been as pleasantly surprised as Honks and I; then again, maybe we should have remembered that Ozzie was 19 and in high-A in 2003 and is only now turning 21 this July...

 

Here's Ozzie's lengthy Power 50 history from Toby; dare I say Mr. Chavez may be re-entering the P50 with a lofty jump from "51" this week...

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...ayerId=131

[MassBrew]

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

 

OZSTANDING DEBUT

Another candidate for my Top Ten Games of the Year at the end of the season, and there were a number of reasons, but above all, for the debut of shortstop Ozzie Chavez, who left the California League with a .323 average --- tied for 9th among batting leaders, and arrived at Hoover Met after a promotion from High Desert at about 3 pm Friday........

 

Chavez figured prominently from beginning to end offensively and defensively, getting a double in his first Huntsville at-bat, then hitting the game-winning home run in the 14th inning, thereby becoming the first to homer in his debut since A's farmhand Dave Slemmer did it on June 16, 1998, coincidentally at Hoover Met........ If the Stars win the first half, this will be the one analysts like me will point to as being pivotal, or perhaps the springboard for the rest of fhe season. We'll see. Right now four teams in the West, including the Stars, are separated by a game and a half.

 

Ozzie's debut was part of an organizational tsunami, Friday, that started in Milwaukee and trickled down to Class A........ The Brewers put Wes Helms on the disabled list with a torn meniscus in his right knee, an injury that could put him out of action for six weeks. To fill the roster spot, the Brewers called Corey Hart up to the show. There were tornado warnings in the Pittsburgh area Friday, so the weather around the ballpark had to have been pretty rough. No game was played, so we'll see if Hart makes his major league debut Saturday.......

 

Brandon Gemoll was promoted to fill Hart's spot on the Indianapolis roster, despite leaving an 0-for-21 slump that lowered his average to .205...... Don't read a whole lot into that. Last year, Ryan Knox went up to Indianapolis despite a 1-for-22 slump at the time, and wound up hitting .275 for the Indians........ The Stars now are short two infielders because in addition to Gemoll, the Stars sent Enrique Cruz and his weak stick to High Desert......... Friday, Cruz struck out three times in three at-bats for the Mavs in a 5-2 loss to Lake Elsinore........ The Stars are still an infielder short, however, and something could happen tomorrow, if not real soon. Callix Crabbe is a possibility. He's hitting .279 at HD with 5 triples, 21 walks, and 14 stolen bases, obviously a strong on-base contribution for a team hitting .237 -- last in the Southern League.

 

It was a scoreless game until the third inning when Johnny Raburn stepped up to the plate. He singled on an 0-2 pitch to lead off the inning. After Joel Alvarado flied out to right, Ozzie Chavez stepped up for the first time as a Huntsville Star....... On a 2-1 pitch, Chavez sliced one down the right field line, advancing Raburn to third. Rickie Weeks then snapped an 0-for-13 slump with an infield single. Guillermo Reyes made a diving stab for it, injuring his shoulder in the effort, causing him to be removed from the game......... Weeks' single scored Raburn and the Stars were on top, 1-0.

 

It was Chavez again in the 4th inning....... Dennis Ulacia is an inconsistent pitcher who can paralyze a team one week, then get knocked in the early innings his next time. This wasn't his week......... Bases were full after a walk to Jason Belcher, and two successive errors at third by Rob Sasser, the veteran minor leaguer...... Chavez walked on five pitches, and he had his first RBI as a Huntsville Star, forcing in Belcher. Stars led, 2-0.

 

Tony Gwynn, Jr., a steady, if not flashy centerfielder, figured in the Barons' rally that tied the game in the 6th inning....... Tim Bausher, after five good innings, walked leadoff hitter Josh Shaffer on four pitches. A sac bunt moved him to second, then Rob Sasser walked........ With runners now on first and second, Nate Murphy lined a 1-1 pitch into centerfield. Shaffer came around third to score. Rickie Weeks couldn't handle Gwynn's poor throw which dribbled into the infield. Sasser alertly had broken for third and now saw the possibility of scoring as well. Prince Fielder picked up the errant throw and fired to the plate, but it was too late. Sasser had scored and the game was tied........ The go-ahead run, though, was saved that inning when with two aboard when Aaron McNeal lined reliever Pete Zamora's 0-1 pitch. Brad Nelson broke back in left, and when it looked like the ball would nearly get past him, he came in to make a diving catch on his shoetops.

 

We go to the 12th and the most exciting moment of this ballgame....... The Barons had every advantage........ Brian Adams goes 3-and-2 on Scott Bikowski, who then sends a high drive that appears to be gone for the game-winning home run. It fools our guy in the booth, Robert Portnoy, who thinks it's all over, but it hits the top of the second level of billboards and ump R.J. Thompson rules it in play....... It happened once for us here at Hoover Met, and now the bad break goes the other way........ Aaron McNeal got an intentional pass, his run being irrevelant........... John Novinsky enters the game........ The game now close to four hours in length, Normand Martel, making his debut for the Barons, singles off the leg of Novinsky to load the bases with nobody out.

 

Baron skipper Razor Shines pulls a trick from the book on Frankieball....... With two strikes no less, Chris Stewart tries to drop one down, but misses, striking out. Scott Bikowski, reading the squeeze, is coming down the line, and is a dead duck. Joel Alvarado applies the tag for the 2nd out, and the double play....... Josh Shaffer ends the frame, hitting into a force play on the first pitch he sees. We're going to the 13th, baby! The Stars have cheated death!

 

With a new breath of life, the Stars were in the mood for a rally....... They got the break they wanted when with one out, Jason Belcher reached first on another error, a throwing error by Rob Sasser, his third. Chris Barnwell, 3rd on the team in RBIs despite a .208 average, was intentionally walked....... It was time for Frankie Kremblas' wheels to turn now and with Johnny Raburn at bat, the double steal was successfully pulled, putting runners on second and third as Raburn struck out.......... Joel Alvarado, taking the count full for the 4th time in the game, struck out, however, to end the inning.

 

John Novinsky, working his 3rd inning, retired the Barons in order in the 13th....... In the top of the 14th, Ozzie Chavez, who had doubled to set up one run, walked to force in another, and made a spectacular diving backhand grab at short, got a hold of a 1-1 pitch from Josh Fields and pulled it over the wall in right field, just a few feet from the foul line, to put the Stars on top for good, 3-2........ Chavez had only one home run at High Desert over 39 games. His season high was only three....... All there was left was for Novinsky to retire the Barons on six pitches in the bottom half for his club-leading 5th victory........ But what a day for 20-year old Ozzie Chavez in his first game as a Huntsville Star!

 

Saturday, Jacksonville comes into the Joe........ Dennis Sarfate (1-4, 5.82) will go against Glenn Bott (1-2, 2.43), 8th among SL ERA leaders. A challenge for Sarfate, who seems to be too fine around the plate in the times I've seen him....... The Suns have lost nine of their last 12 games and are hanging on to a tie for first in the East, after being so dominant in April. They took three of four from the Stars earlier this month. Now it's our turn......... Bernie Brewer and the Famous Milwaukee Sausages will be the novelty attraction. Game time is 7:05 pm.

 

We're now a week away from a brand new bells and whistles scoreboard....... The installer is flying in Sunday evening and will have a crane at Joe Davis Stadium early Monday to begin dismantling old blue....... Training sessions are going on for the eight-ten employees, some new, who will handle the chore of operating the scoreboard and the roaming cameras up and down the concourse......... This is so exciting. A big, beautiful video screen that actually works will display anyone on the screen these cameras choose to point to. The screen will also be used to show the head shots of the opposing players, and I assume the basic stats........

 

Meanwhile, four tractor-trailer trucks are due to arrive sometime during the week for the installation. One from Las Vegas carrying the video board, one from Canada, the line score; one from Texas with the ad panels and one from Georgia with the tri-vision signs......... While the new scoreboard is being assembled, an old-fashioned manual scoreboard will be up in time for Monday's game and will be used until Friday......... The new scoreboard is 12' x 18' and has a high-visibility LED display screen, offering the same quality seen on screens all over Major League ballparks. It has instant-replay capability and can be used to show televised games....... Above the screen is a real analog clock with Roman numerals that will actually tell the right time!....... Going below, is the line score, also a crisper, brightly lit LED panel that will no longer identify the visiting team as "VISITOR" and below that is ------- WHAT! A PITCH SPEED DISPLAY? GET OUT!........ It all happens Friday and I'm taking the day off.

 

The Booster Club is planning a bus trip to Birmingham for the Rickwood Classic at Rickwood Field, one of baseball's oldest fields, built in 1910 and modeled after Forbes Field. Already, 30 have signed up for it with room for a few more.