Link Report for Games of Monday, May 17th

[MassBrew]

Monday's Daily Menu: Sorry, office fans, no matinee, and with the parent Brewers off, you've got a three-way choice for evening audio, all with the same start time...

 

I'll continue to list an alternate feed for Indianapolis games until someone can tell me that the WXNT Indy feed is working consistently. It looks like the High Desert feed has stabilized, so I'll forego the alternate feed for the Mavs for now.

 

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

 

INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Travis Phelps at home vs. Columbus (Yankees), 7:00 PM

 

Audio link:

www.newstalk1430.com/

 

Alternate audio link (Clippers' feed):

www.wsmz.com/

 

HUNTSVILLE: RHP Dennis Sarfate at home vs. Greenville (Braves), 7:05 PM

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

HIGH DESERT: Idle

 

BELOIT: RHP Luis Pena at Burlington (Royals), 7:00 PM

 

Audio link (Bees' feed):

www.gobees.com/audio.html

[1TrueFan]

taking the time to provide links to the broadcasts of the minor league games. As a parent of a Brewer minor leaguer I really appreciate it! (so do his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc........)

[homer]

I usualy wait until the end of the year to give my thanks, but heck, I'm in such a good mood after Sheets performance yesterday, I need to spread some love. Thanks, Mass Brew!!

[MassBrew]

No problem, guys. You're welcome.

 

It'll be interesting to see who Frank Kremblas turns to as the Stars' closer with Roberto Giron now in Indianapolis.

 

That may be Tim Bausher's eventual role, but the organization seems very interested in stretching him out to alow him to refine his overall repertoire.

 

Brian Adams? Fernando Rijo? John Novinsky? Reggie Rivard? Paul Stewart's been valuable in the swing role. My guess is Ryan Miller, but first he needs to make his expected return from the DL. Otherwise, ninth innings could be interesting for a while...

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Game Notes (Preview):

 

www.indyindians.com/pdf/gamenotes.pdf

[MassBrew]

Final: Indianapolis 12, Columbus (Yankees) 4

15 hits, five walks -- way to break out an offensive slump, for one game at least...

 

Indianapolis Game Summary:

 

Ryan Knox knocked in three runs and Jeff Liefer scored four times to lead the Indianapolis Indians past the Columbus Clippers, 12-4 in the International League. Indianapolis (20-15) stretched its lead over Columbus (18-17) in the West Division by a full two games with tonight's win.

 

Knox finished the night 2-for-4 with a run scored and a double. Liefer hit his seventh home run of the season and went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Matt Erickson and Chris Magruder knocked in two runs apiece for the Indians.

 

Travis Phelps improved his record to 3-1 with the win. Phelps allowed three runs on six hits, two walks, and struck out three in five plus innings of work.

 

Columbus' Andy Beal fell to 2-1 with the loss. Beal surrendered six runs, three earned, on eight hits, two walks, and seven strike outs in 4 1/3rd innings.

 

Andy Phillips (4), Michael Vento (5), and Darren Bragg (3) all homered for the Clippers.

 

The teams will continue their battle for first place tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 AM Central.

 

Indianapolis Box Score:

 GAME DATE: 5/17/04 COL at IND COLUMBUS 4 AT INDIANAPOLIS 12 YTD YTD COLUMBUS AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG B.Crosby CF 4 1 2 0 .385 R.Knox CF 4 1 2 3 .286 C.Cosme 2B 3 0 0 0 .295 M.Erickson 2B 5 1 2 2 .225 J.Rodriguez 2B 1 0 0 0 .250 C.Hart RF 5 0 1 0 .274 A.Phillips DH 5 1 1 1 .358 J.Liefer 1B 4 4 2 2 .292 M.Vento RF 4 1 2 2 .286 J.Nunnally DH 4 1 3 0 .258 D.Bragg LF 4 1 2 1 .284 C.Magruder LF 5 2 2 2 .281 J.Deardorff 3B 4 0 0 0 .266 A.Delgado CAT 4 1 2 1 .111 F.Escalona SS 4 0 1 0 .298 L.Figueroa 3B 5 1 1 1 .270 B.Myrow 1B 2 0 0 0 .258 S.Scarbrough SS 3 1 0 0 .253 S.Fasano CAT 2 0 1 0 .245 T.Phelps PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Parrish CAT 1 0 0 0 .227 D.Reichert PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Beal PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Erdos PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Bean PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Mann PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.NRodriguez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 4 9 4 TOTALS 39 12 15 11 COLUMBUS 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0- 4 9 3 INDIANAPOLIS 2 0 0 3 1 0 6 0 X-12 15 1 E--C.Cosme, F.Escalona, C.Bean, R.Knox. DP--COLUMBUS 1, INDIANAPOLIS 1. LOB--COLUMBUS 8, INDIANAPOLIS 8. 2B--B.Crosby (1), M.Vento (8), S.Fasano (4), R.Knox (4), M.Erickson 2 (6), C.Magruder 2 (7), A.Delgado (1). HR--A.Phillips (4), M.Vento (5), D.Bragg (3), J.Liefer (7). CS-- C.Hart. SH--C.Cosme. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA COLUMBUS A.Beal (L,2-1) 4.1 8 6 3 2 7 1 5.34 C.Bean 1.2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0.42 J.Mann 0.1 5 6 6 2 0 0 5.14 N.NRodriguez 1.2 1 0 0 0 1 0 7.76 INDIANAPOLIS T.Phelps (W,3-1) 5.0 6 3 3 2 3 2 5.67 D.Reichert 2.0 1 0 0 2 2 0 0.89 T.Erdos 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 1 7.71 J.Childers 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.59 BALKS--T.Phelps. SO--C.Cosme, J.Rodriguez, M.Vento, J.Deardorff 3, B.Myrow, R.Knox, M.Erickson 2, C.Hart 2, J.Liefer, C.Magruder 2, S.Scarbrough. BB--B.Crosby, B.Myrow 2, S.Fasano, R.Knox, J.Liefer, J.Nunnally, A.Delgado, S.Scarbrough. T--2:50. A--5870

Indianapolis Game Log:

RHP Dan Reichert continues to deal, although he pitched himself out of his own trouble in the sixth...

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...meID=14114

[huntsvillefan]

We lost 5-4 in a game that was only close because they were nearly as bad as we were.

He turned to Pete Zamora as a closer, don't know when he arrived. It looked like Novinsky was being warmed up in case we tied the game - so he might be being considered for closer duties too.

Tony Gwynn jnr had a big night (3-4 I think) with a couple of really nice defensive plays.

Sarfate was lucky to get out as lightly as he did. They insisted on trying to run when all they had to do was stand and wait - giving us a few extra outs. He badly needs another pitch.

[MassBrew]

Final: Greenville (Braves) 5, Huntsville 4

One big offensive inning not enough...

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Dennis Sarfate's outstanding "stuff" isn't translating to ERA, now 5.82; Rickie Weeks moved to the leadoff spot, and Tony Gwynn, Jr. responds by getting on base four times out of the two-spot...

 GAME DATE: 5/17/04 GRV at HVL GREENVILLE 5 AT HUNTSVILLE 4 YTD YTD GREENVILLE AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG C.Aldridge LF 5 1 1 0 .252 R.Weeks 2B 5 0 1 0 .283 N.Calzado 1B 4 0 2 0 .291 A.Gwynn CF 4 1 3 0 .238 B.Butler 2B 2 0 0 1 .297 P.Fielder 1B 4 0 0 0 .279 B.McCarthy RF 5 1 1 0 .325 B.Nelson LF 3 1 1 0 .280 A.Marte 3B 3 1 1 2 .237 J.Belcher RF 4 1 1 1 .309 K.Johnson CF 4 1 1 0 .261 C.Barnwell 3B 4 1 2 2 .220 J.Emiliano PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Johnson CAT 4 0 0 0 .232 T.Pena SS 4 0 3 1 .308 E.Cruz SS 4 0 2 0 .176 J.Boscan CAT 4 0 1 0 .194 P.Zamora PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Curtis PIT 2 1 1 0 .222 D.Sarfate PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 A.Zumwalt PIT 0 0 0 0 .333 P.Stewart PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 D.Elder PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Raburn SS 1 0 0 0 .230 A.Stern PH 0 0 0 0 .315 A.Stern CF 0 0 0 0 .315 TOTALS 33 5 11 4 TOTALS 36 4 10 3 GREENVILLE 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0- 5 11 2 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 10 1 E--B.Butler, T.Pena, E.Cruz. DP--GREENVILLE 2, HUNTSVILLE 0. LOB-- GREENVILLE 8, HUNTSVILLE 8. 2B--K.Johnson (9), T.Pena (7), J.Boscan (4), C.Barnwell (5), E.Cruz (2). 3B--C.Barnwell (2). HR--A.Marte (7). SB--A.Gwynn (11). SF--B.Butler. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA GREENVILLE D.Curtis (W,1-0) 5.0 9 4 4 2 6 0 3.62 A.Zumwalt 2.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.88 D.Elder 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3.86 J.Emiliano (S,2) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.49 HUNTSVILLE D.Sarfate (L,1-4) 5.0 8 5 5 3 4 1 5.82 P.Stewart 3.0 3 0 0 1 4 0 2.70 P.Zamora 1.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0.00 WP--D.Sarfate, P.Zamora. SO--C.Aldridge 3, B.Butler, B.McCarthy 2, A.Marte 2, R.Weeks 3, B.Nelson, J.Belcher, C.Barnwell 2, K.Johnson, E.Cruz. BB--N.Calzado, B.Butler 2, A.Marte, D.Curtis, A.Stern, A.Gwynn, P.Fielder, B.Nelson. T--2:55. A--1185

Huntsville Game Log:

This just in -- Kade Johnson won't be repeating as Organization Player of the Month...

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=11977

[MassBrew]

Final: Beloit 7, Burlington (Royals) 3

Snappers continue to roll against last-place Bees...

 

Beloit Box Score:

Welcome back, Steve Moss, with three extra-base hits -- we've missed you; RHP Luis Pena is on his way to the Midwest League All-Star game, it seems...

 GAME DATE: 5/17/04 BLT at BUR BELOIT 7 AT BURLINGTON 3 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG BURLINGTON AB R H BI AVG G.Rodriguez 2B 5 1 1 0 .293 C.Lubanski CF 4 0 0 0 .223 S.Moss CF 5 1 3 1 .143 A.Sanchez SS 5 0 2 1 .273 D.Anderson LF 3 2 2 1 .258 M.Maier 3B 4 0 1 0 .303 L.Palmisano CAT 5 1 2 2 .328 K.Springer LF 5 0 0 0 .200 V.Rottino DH 5 1 1 1 .333 B.Powell 2B 3 1 2 0 .250 A.Heether 3B 5 1 3 1 .250 B.Graham DH 4 0 0 0 .207 R.Deevers RF 5 0 0 0 .230 A.Donachie CAT 2 2 0 0 .168 C.Corporan 1B 4 0 1 0 .246 K.Kaaihue 1B 2 0 0 0 .217 G.Acosta SS 4 0 0 0 .186 B.McFall RF 3 0 2 2 .170 L.Pena PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Barry PH 0 0 0 0 .219 D.McKenna PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.McClellan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Grybash PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gragg PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Stetter PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Stiles PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Mullis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 41 7 13 6 TOTALS 32 3 7 3 BELOIT 1 0 0 4 1 0 1 0 0- 7 13 0 BURLINGTON 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1- 3 7 2 E--M.Maier 2. DP--BELOIT 1, BURLINGTON 0. LOB--BELOIT 9, BURLINGTON 10. 2B--S.Moss 2 (2), D.Anderson (6), L.Palmisano (8), A.Heether (11), A.Sanchez (8), M.Maier (10), B.McFall (6). 3B--V.Rottino (5). HR-- S.Moss (1). HBP--B.McFall. SF--D.Anderson. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT L.Pena (W,4-0) 6.2 4 1 1 2 3 0 3.16 D.McKenna 0.0 1 1 1 2 0 0 21.60 D.Grybash 1.2 2 1 1 3 2 0 4.56 M.Stetter (S,1) 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.91 BURLINGTON R.McClellan (L,1-1) 4.0 7 6 5 0 1 1 2.87 J.Gragg 3.0 5 1 1 0 4 0 2.02 B.Stiles 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3.00 J.Mullis 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5.70 HB--D.Grybash. WP--D.McKenna 2, D.Grybash. SO--G.Rodriguez, D.Anderson, L.Palmisano, A.Heether, R.Deevers 3, C.Lubanski 2, M.Maier, K.Springer, B.Graham 2. BB--D.Anderson, C.Lubanski, M.Maier, B.Powell, A.Donachie 2, K.Kaaihue 2. T--2:54. A--882

Beloit Game Log:

LHP Mitch Stetter comes in with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth and gets the job done perfectly; 3B Adam Heether's three hits shouldn't go unmentioned...

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...meID=12552

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

In a see-saw affair on Monday night, Greenville blew a 3-0 lead but rallied for a 5-4 win over Huntsville at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars (20-18) dropped two straight to split the series with the G-Braves (12-26). Huntsville remained 1 ½ games out of first in the Southern League West with West Tenn?s loss to Montgomery.

 

Andy Marte?s two-run homer, his only hit of the series, and Tony Pena, Jr.?s run-scoring double put Greenville up, 3-0, in the second. Jason Belcher singled home the Stars? first run in the third. Then with runners at first and third and two outs, Chris Barnwell tripled to left-center to score Brad Nelson and Belcher, and Barnwell sprinted home when the shortstop Pena dropped the throw in from the outfield.

 

Trailing 4-3 in the fifth, pitcher Daniel Curtis led off with a single and took second on Adam Stern?s infield-single. After Napoleon Calzado walked to load the bases, Brent Butler lifted a sacrifice fly deep to center, plating Curtis with the tying run and sending runners to second and third. Cory Aldridge scored on a wild pitch to give Greenville a 5-4 lead.

 

The combination of three G-Braves relievers, Alec Zumwalt, Dave Elder and Jaime Emiliano, shut out Huntsville over the final four innings. Daniel Curtis (1-0) picked up his first win, surrendering four runs, three earned, on nine hits and two walks with six strikeouts in five innings. Dennis Sarfate (1-4) suffered his fourth straight loss, permitting five earned runs on eight hits and three walks with four strikeouts over five frames.

 

Huntsville travels to Birmingham to open a four-game series Tuesday night at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Lefty Jeff Housman (0-2, 3.31) takes the mound for Huntsville. Game time is 7 p.m.

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Post-Game Notes:

 

Jeff Liefer jump started the Indianapolis Indians Monday night with a first inning two-run homer, leading the Tribe to a 12-4 win over IL West Division rival Columbus. Liefer scored four runs in the contest, a team high for the season and knocked in three runs. Jon Nunnally added three hits to the Tribe hit total which peaked at 15.

 

Indianapolis is now 20-15, Columbus falls to 18-17, two games behind the first place Tribe. Travis Phelps (3-1) pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walked two and struck out three.

 

The Clippers hit three homers in the contest, including back-back shots in the sixth inning by Andy Phillips and Michael Vento.

 

QUOTES:

 

Indians starting pitcher Travis Phelps: "In the first inning, I walked a batter and was a little unsettled," said Phelps. "I settled into the game well with the help of Alex Delgado. Alex called a great game. I did a good job after the first inning and we?ve been battling every day. They?ve been playing very well and we?d like to continue our success."

 

Jeff Liefer on his offensive production: "It?s really a lot of luck," said Liefer. "The credit for my success has to go to the guys hitting behind me, Nunnally and Chris Magruder. We didn?t play too well on the road trip. It?s good to beat them."

 

Jon Nunnally on tonight?s win: "We didn?t want to give Columbus a push,"said Nunnally. "When you play a team like Columbus, you want to get ahead early in the game. We swung the bat really well tonight. Liefer?s first inning home run was very important. He got a curve ball and hit it well."

 

NOTES:

 

Liefer has been named the Windsor Jewelers Indians Player

of the Month for April and will be recognized at Wednesday?s 2 p.m. game with the Clippers at Victory Field.

 

Tribe designated hitters coming into Monday night?s game were hitting .152 (12-79, three homers and 13 RBI). Nunnally went three for four with a run scored.

 

The Columbus Clippers bullpen had not allowed an earned run in over 10 innings pitched prior to tonight.

 

The Clippers have hit back-to-back homers four times this season.

 

Tribe reliever Dan Reichert now has a league-leading .089 ERA after tonight?s two inning performance.

 

Tuesday?s probables are Indianapolis RHP Ben Hendrickson (3-1, 2.37) vs. Columbus RHP Eric Schmitt (1-0, 1.80) on Baseball In Education Day. Opening pitch is set for 11 a.m. and more than 8,000 students are expected to visit the ballpark Tuesday.

[MassBrew]

Beloit Game Summary (from the Burlington site):

 

The Burlington Bees (13?25) have equaled their longest losing streak of the season with their fifth straight loss, 7?3 tonight to the Beloit Snappers (20?18) at Community Field. The Bees also lost five straight earlier this month from May 2?6.

 

The Snappers scored all of their runs before the Bees got on the board. Steve Moss got it started with a solo home run as the second batter of the ballgame against Bees right?hander Robbie McClellan (1?1) who was making his first start of the year. The Snappers broke it open against McClellan in the fourth. With one out, Drew Anderson singled and scored on a double by Lou Palmisano to make it 2?0. Vinny Rottino followed with a triple to left?center field to make it 3?0 and Adam Heether made it 4?0 with a double to right?center. The final run came as Heether scored after a throwing error by Mitch Maier at third base. McClellan got out of the inning, but was chased after a single and a double put runners on second and third with nobody out to start the fifth. John Gragg took over and allowed one runner to score on a sacrifice fly by Anderson before closing out the inning. The Snappers got their final run against Gragg in the seventh as Anderson doubled and scored on a single by Palmisano. Brad Stiles and Jake Mullis finished the game with a scoreless inning apiece.

 

Snappers' starter Luis Pena (4?0) allowed just four hits in 6.2 innings while walking two and striking out three. He left the game with a runner at first and two outs in the seventh. Dan McKenna came in and threw two wild pitches and walked two batters to load the bases before giving up a double to Brian McFall down the left field line to bring in two and get the Bees on the board. McKenna left without retiring a batter and turned it over to Dan Grybash who got Chris Lubanski to pop out to end the inning. Angel Sanchez doubled to lead off the eighth, but was stranded and the Bees made one last attempt in the ninth. Grybash walked Adam Donachie and Kila Kaaihue to start the inning and hit McFall with a pitch on the left wrist to load the bases. McFall had to leave the game and will get x?rays. Jeff Barry pinch?ran. Lubanski struck out, but Sanchez singled to center to drive in a run and make it 7?3. The Snappers then turned to Mitch Stetter who struck out Mitch Maier and got Kenard Springer to pop out to end the game for his first save.

 

The Bees and Snappers conclude this series tomorrow morning at 11:30AM on D.A.R.E. Day at Community Field sponsored by the Great River Medical Center. RH Greg Atencio (2?3, 5.21) will start for the Bees against RH Brian Montalbo (2?2, 5.15) for Beloit.

[MassBrew]

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 20 15 .571[/b] COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 18 17 .514 2.0 TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 18 20 .474 3.5 LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 17 20 .459 4.0

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 21 16 .568 BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 20 17 .541 1.0 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 20 18 .526 1.5[/b] MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 19 19 .500 2.5 MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 14 24 .368 7.5

 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 24 14 .632 LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 21 15 .583 2.0 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 20 16 .556 3.0 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 18 18 .500 5.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 14 24 .368 10.0[/b]

 WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 23 15 .605 CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 22 16 .579 1.0 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 22 16 .579 1.0 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 21 17 .553 2.0 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 20 18 .526 3.0[/b] QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 18 19 .486 4.5 WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 16 22 .421 7.0 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 13 25 .342 10.0

[igor67]

Niceto se those Line scores for Gwynn and Moss. As vocal a critic as I was yesterday of Gwynn I will point out that after a bad start he has been getting on base much mroe recently, and I can't imagine that if that trend continues Huntsville won't start to score more runs. And of course seeing Moss get on track would be great.

[lend d money]

Hopefully, this game gives Mossy the confidence he needs to get back on the right track. I talked to him after Sunday's Kane County games and he sounded like a young kid who lost his beloved pet. He was very down on the world despite missing a double by a few feet. It appeared to me he was sorely in need of something positive for his frame of mind. He has the talent.

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Times Game Story:

 

Stars finish series 2-2 against Braves following 5-4 loss

By PAUL GATTIS

Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com

 

The disclaimer came from each end of the clubhouse, from third baseman Chris Barnwell to manager Frank Kremblas.

 

This is what each said following the Huntsville Stars' 5-4 loss to Greenville on Monday night:

 

"We're not playing poorly," Barnwell said.

 

"We're not playing bad," Kremblas said.

 

Still, each realized that the Stars had just split a four-game series with the Braves - who have the worst record in the Southern League.

 

And while the Stars scored all four of their runs in the third inning, it also meant that they've not scored in 17 of their last 18 innings, going back to Sunday's 6-0 loss.

 

"It's not disappointing," Kremblas said of the series split with the Braves. "I'm concerned with everything that's going on in why we lose. We had a chance to drive guys in and we didn't do it. We made bad base-running decisions."

 

Indeed, more of Monday's game before 1,185 at Joe Davis Stadium was about what the Stars didn't do rather than what they did do.

 

The Stars had two runners on with one out in both the first and second innings and didn't score. Then in the fourth, Prince Fielder lined to second baseman Brent Butler, who doubled off Tony Gwynn Jr. after he broke for second.

 

With those opportunities missed, the Stars had only three base runners over the final five innings.

 

Of course, it's not as if the Stars' season is spiraling to a crash. With a 20-18 record, they're in third place in the Western Division - 1 1/2 games behind front-running West Tenn with a little more than a month left in the first half.

 

And for all the frustrations of Monday's loss, the Stars still rallied from a 3-0 deficit - highlighted for Greenville in the second inning with a two-run homer by third baseman Andy Marte, the top prospect in the Braves' organization - to seize a 4-3 lead in the third inning.

 

Gwynn Jr. and Brad Nelson singled to put runners at first and third. Jason Belcher singled with two outs to score Gwynn Jr.

 

Then Barnwell lined a triple to center that scored Nelson and Belcher and came around to score himself on the play when Braves shortstop Tony Pena mishandled the throw to the infield.

 

That rally meant something even though the Braves scored two in the fifth for the 5-4 lead off losing pitcher Dennis Sarfate (1-4).

 

"Sure, it does," Barnwell said. "They got up and we came back. Unfortunately, they kept scoring more runs."