Link Report 5/14 -- Weiser updates us on Ford, Jones

[MassBrew]

Friday's Daily Menu:

 

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

 

INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Pedro Liriano at Rochester (Twins), 6:05 PM

 

Audio link:

www.newstalk1430.com/

 

Alternate audio link (Red Wings' feed):

www.redwingsbaseball.com/...bcast.html

 

HUNTSVILLE: RHP Chris Saenz at home vs. Greenville (Braves), 7:05 PM; it still pains me that Victor Santos is pitching at Miller Park tonight, and not Chris, but I'm doing my best to understand the "big picture"...

 

Audio link:

www.espn1450.com/

 

HIGH DESERT: TBD (perhaps RHP Glenn Woolard) at home vs. Lake Elsinore (Padres), 9:05 PM

 

Audio link:

www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm

 

Alternate audio link (Storm's feed):

www.sportsjuice.com/provi...me=lestorm

 

BELOIT: TBD (perhaps RHP Carlos Villanueva) at home vs. Cedar Rapids (Angels), 6:30 PM

 

Audio link (Kernels' feed):

www.kernels.com/radio.html

[hardytheman]

hey mass,

 

what happened to Matt Ford. I dont remember reading anything about him being out.

[MassBrew]

Braves show signs of life for visit here

By MARK McCARTER

Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com

 

Here's the glass, with water in it. You figure if it's half-full or half-empty.

 

The Huntsville Stars return home tonight to open a four-game series with Greenville, part of a stretch of 12 home games in 16 days. Greenville, the Braves' Double-A affiliate, has the worst record in the Southern League.

 

Or, the half-empty side, the G-Braves are the second-hottest team in the league, winning four in a row.

 

"I don't pay attention to their record,'' Stars manager Frank Kremblas said Thursday afternoon, a few hours before his club would post a scintillating 6-5 win at Mobile. "You have to go out and execute and get things done. You have to limit your mistakes and capitalize on theirs.''

 

Tonight's game, the opener of the Braves' only visit of the season to Huntsville, will feature an appearance by Birdzerk, and postgame fireworks.

 

The Braves were 6-24 before a four-game sweep of Jacksonville.

 

The Stars (18-16) have not had consistent success. When they won back-to-back games at Mobile, it was the first time in more than two weeks.

 

"I think most of the reason we haven't put a streak together is offensively we're not consistent enough,'' Kremblas said. "We haven't really matched up a good pitching game with a good offensive game. If we don't get good pitching, we score a lot of runs. Then we get good enough pitching to win and not hit. That's just part of the game.''

[MassBrew]

What happened to Matt Ford.

 

David Weiser hopes to get us an update for Saturday morning.

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Game Notes for Friday Night:

 

www.indyindians.com/pdf/gamenotes.pdf

[brewcrewkid14]

Final: Indianapolis 8, Rochester (Twins) 5

 

Indianapolis Game Summary:

 

Indianapolis defeats Rochester Friday night, 8-5, erupting for three runs each in the sixth and seventh innings. The Tribe is now 19-13, while Rochester falls to 18-16.

 

Rochester scored four runs off Tribe starter Pedro Liriano to take an early 4-1 lead. Brian Bowles (1-0), who relieved Liriano, saw his first action since April 24 (tendonitis), and held the Red Wings in check during his short stint. Jason Childers added his league-leading 10th save to preserve the victory.

 

Indians catcher Mark Johnson entered the game with four RBI. He finished the contest with a season-high four RBI and Luis Figueroa contributed four hits. The Tribe totaled 15 hits, its best hit production of the year since May 6, when the club had 20 hits against Charlotte at Victory Field.

 

The Indians are now 12-7 when the opponent scores first. The Tribe evens its current road trip to 3-3 and are 11-6 on the road this year.

 

Indianapolis Box Score

15 hits for the Indians...

 GAME DATE: 5/14/04 IND at ROC INDIANAPOLIS 8 AT ROCHESTER 5 YTD YTD INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG ROCHESTER AB R H BI AVG R.Knox DH 6 0 1 2 .270 L.Rodriguez 2B 5 1 2 0 .254 M.Erickson 2B 5 0 0 0 .226 A.Ojeda SS 5 1 2 1 .190 J.Nunnally CF 5 0 2 0 .244 J.Morneau 1B 5 0 1 1 .357 C.Hart RF 3 1 1 0 .280 M.Restovich RF 5 0 1 1 .270 J.Liefer 1B 5 2 2 0 .284 T.Tiffee DH 4 0 1 0 .194 C.Magruder LF 4 2 1 0 .278 J.Rabe LF 4 0 0 0 .252 L.Figueroa 3B 5 3 4 1 .276 M.Scanlon 3B 3 0 0 0 .231 M.Johnson CAT 5 0 3 4 .246 B.Marsters CAT 4 1 2 0 .193 S.Scarbrough SS 4 0 1 1 .284 B.Simmons CF 4 2 3 1 .210 P.Liriano PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Munro PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Bowles PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Beimel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Johnson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Hodge PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 42 8 15 8 TOTALS 39 5 12 4 INDIANAPOLIS 0 1 0 0 0 3 3 0 1- 8 15 0 ROCHESTER 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0- 5 12 1 E--M.Scanlon. DP--INDIANAPOLIS 0, ROCHESTER 1. LOB--INDIANAPOLIS 11, ROCHESTER 8. 2B--J.Nunnally (7), C.Hart (7), M.Johnson (6), M.Restovich (9), B.Marsters (4). SB--B.Simmons 2 (3). CS--C.Hart. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA INDIANAPOLIS P.Liriano 5.1 8 4 4 0 1 0 5.09 B.Bowles (W,1-0) 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.25 M.Childers 1.0 3 1 1 0 1 0 6.26 J.Childers (S,10) 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1.69 ROCHESTER P.Munro 5.1 9 4 4 3 2 0 3.50 J.Beimel (L,0-2) 1.0 3 3 3 0 1 0 12.27 A.Johnson 1.2 1 0 0 1 2 0 3.32 K.Hodge 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 2.61 WP--P.Munro. BALKS--P.Liriano. SO--R.Knox 2, M.Erickson, J.Nunnally 2, A.Ojeda, J.Morneau, M.Restovich, M.Scanlon. BB--C.Hart 2, C.Magruder, S.Scarbrough, M.Scanlon. T--2:46. A--7438

Indianapolis Game Log

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=13052

[MassBrew]

Final: Beloit 5, Cedar Rapids (Angels) 4

 

Beloit Site Game Summary and Player of the Game Info:

 

www.snappersbaseball.com/...d00c8867e9

 

Beloit Box Score:

How can the summary say Ty Taubenheim "slammed the door"? He barely held on is what happened...

 GAME DATE: 5/14/04 CR at BLT CEDAR RAPIDS 4 AT BELOIT 5 YTD YTD CEDAR RAPIDS AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG H.Kendrick 2B 5 0 0 0 .321 G.Rodriguez 2B 3 0 1 1 .288 N.Kimpton CF 4 1 1 0 .259 T.Trofholz RF 4 0 1 0 .281 M.Pali 1B 4 0 3 1 .347 D.Anderson DH 4 0 0 0 .241 B.Wilson CAT 4 0 1 0 .311 L.Palmisano CAT 4 1 1 0 .313 B.Wood SS 4 1 2 0 .269 V.Rottino LF 4 1 2 0 .339 M.Brown 3B 4 1 2 0 .273 A.Heether 3B 3 0 0 0 .243 S.Rodriguez LF 4 1 1 1 .253 S.Moss CF 1 1 0 0 .091 M.Abram DH 4 0 0 1 .174 C.Corporan 1B 2 1 1 2 .226 A.Peel RF 4 0 2 0 .229 G.Acosta SS 2 1 1 2 .198 M.Simard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Moreira PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Buckley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Dillard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Taubenheim PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 4 12 3 TOTALS 27 5 7 5 CEDAR RAPIDS 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3- 4 12 2 BELOIT 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 X- 5 7 1 E--N.Kimpton, M.Brown, S.Moss. DP--CEDAR RAPIDS 1, BELOIT 1. LOB-- CEDAR RAPIDS 6, BELOIT 4. 2B--S.Rodriguez (3), V.Rottino (9). 3B-- L.Palmisano (2). SB--M.Pali (5), S.Rodriguez (7). CS--A.Peel, T.Trofholz. SF--C.Corporan. SH--G.Rodriguez. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA CEDAR RAPIDS M.Simard (L,3-2) 5.1 6 5 5 3 4 0 3.60 A.Buckley 2.2 1 0 0 1 2 0 5.50 BELOIT G.Moreira (W,3-0) 7.0 9 1 0 0 4 0 3.94 T.Dillard 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.68 T.Taubenheim 1.0 3 3 3 0 1 0 4.41 SO--H.Kendrick, M.Pali, M.Brown, M.Abram 2, A.Peel, T.Trofholz, D.Anderson, L.Palmisano, V.Rottino, A.Heether, C.Corporan. BB-- A.Heether, S.Moss 2, G.Acosta. T--2:14. A--667

Beloit Game Log:

Carlos Corporan's base hit in the second was a huge two-out knock that kept what proved to be a big inning going...

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=12479

[batman]

How can the summary say Ty Taubenheim "slammed the door"? He barely held on is what happened...

 

C'mon, MassBrew... give the kid a break.

 

1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER

 

That looks like a door slamming to me...

 

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

 

~Bill

[950opsLHcatcher]

He slammed the door... the door was just on a very big hinge.

[MassBrew]

Final: Huntsville 5, Greenville (Braves) 4

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Rickie Weeks on base four times; Chris Saenz can hit, too -- now 4-for-11; Brad Nelson is 3-for-6 in SB attempts...

 GAME DATE: 5/14/04 GRV at HVL GREENVILLE 4 AT HUNTSVILLE 5 YTD YTD GREENVILLE AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG A.Stern CF 4 1 1 0 .308 R.Weeks 2B 4 2 3 1 .294 N.Calzado 1B 4 1 2 2 .286 A.Gwynn CF 4 0 1 0 .229 B.Butler SS 4 1 2 1 .370 P.Fielder 1B 4 0 0 1 .300 B.McCarthy RF 3 0 1 1 .337 B.Nelson RF 4 1 2 2 .270 A.Marte 3B 4 0 0 0 .248 B.Gemoll LF 4 0 0 0 .242 C.Aldridge LF 4 0 0 0 .245 C.Barnwell 3B 3 1 0 0 .213 B.Pena CAT 4 0 0 0 .229 J.Alvarado CAT 4 0 0 0 .226 J.Velazquez 2B 3 0 0 0 .213 E.Cruz SS 3 0 0 0 .157 M.McBride PIT 3 1 2 0 .273 C.Saenz PIT 2 0 2 0 .364 M.Coenen PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 P.Stewart PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 D.Elder PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Belcher PH 1 1 1 1 .328 TOTALS 33 4 8 4 TOTALS 34 5 9 5 GREENVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0- 4 8 0 HUNTSVILLE 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2- 5 9 1 E--B.Nelson. DP--GREENVILLE 0, HUNTSVILLE 1. LOB--GREENVILLE 3, HUNTSVILLE 6. 2B--M.McBride 2 (2), R.Weeks (7), C.Saenz (1), J.Belcher (5). HR--B.Nelson (7). SB--A.Stern (8), B.Nelson (3). CS--N.Calzado. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA GREENVILLE M.McBride 7.0 5 2 2 2 9 1 5.93 M.Coenen 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 6.00 D.Elder (L,0-1) 0.2 2 2 2 1 1 0 4.50 HUNTSVILLE C.Saenz 6.0 6 4 4 1 5 0 4.02 P.Stewart (W,3-0) 3.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 2.94 WP--C.Saenz. SO--A.Stern, N.Calzado, A.Marte 2, C.Aldridge, J.Velazquez, R.Weeks, A.Gwynn, B.Nelson 2, B.Gemoll 2, C.Barnwell 2, J.Alvarado, E.Cruz, P.Stewart. BB--B.McCarthy, R.Weeks, C.Barnwell, E.Cruz. T--2:30. A--3019

Huntsville Game Log:

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=11970

[MassBrew]

In progress: Lake Elsinore (Padres) 4, High Desert 2, bottom of the 5th at Friendly Mavericks Stadium

 

The Maverick feed is up, but is loaded with static. The alternate feed is available...

 

UPDATE: It was 6-4 heading into the 9th, Mavs down, but a silly blunder on the basepaths halted an 8th inning threat that could have gotten the Mavs closer.

 

In the ninth, the Mavs have been forced to pitch outfielder Mario Mendez for the lack of available arms. Of course, this happened in a close game and not in any of the recent blowout losses. Mendez didn't "Raburn" the Storm, allowing two runs as the Mavs head to the bottom of the ninth down 8-4 and trying to avoid their seventh straight loss, as High Desert fans all begin to relive 2002 and 2003 over again.

[MassBrew]

We'll ask the Snappers one more favor (getting greedy http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ).

 

As part of the home game summaries, if you can include the projected starter for the following game, that will assist in Daily Menu research quite a bit. Thanks!

[MassBrew]

Final: Lake Elsinore (Padres) 8, High Desert 5

Mavericks did attempt a rally in the ninth, but it fell short with the tying run at the plate; Khalid Ballouli was your starter tonight and took the loss, but at least he's back on the mound after suffering some pectoral muscle discomfort; Callix Crabbe also returned to the line-up tonight (wrist injury), as did Chris Morris (jammed thumb), although Morris pinch-ran only...

 

High Desert Box Score:

Newcomer OF Pete Rasmusen now 2-for-37 on the season...

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=17902

 

High Desert Game Log:

 

www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...meID=17902

[huntsvillefan]

I hadn't been entirely convinced by Weeks - until tonight!

He really did look something very very special!

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

In the immortal words of Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, it was "de ja vu all over again." For a second straight night, the Stars trailed by two entering the eighth. Again, they scored one in the eighth to foreshadow ninth-inning heroics. Ultimately, pinch-hitter Jason Belcher tied the game with his two-out double, and Rickie Weeks delivered Belcher with a deciding single in Huntsville's walk-off 5-4 win over Greenville (10-25) on Friday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars (19-16) remained 1 1/2 games out of first in the Southern League West.

 

Brad Nelson's two-run, first-inning homer gave Huntsville a 2-0 lead that lasted until the sixth. With five consecutive hits off Stars starter Chris Saenz, Greenville seized the lead with a four-run outburst. Napoleon Calzado singled home two and Brent Butler and Bill McCarthy drove in one run apiece.

 

In the Stars' eighth, Weeks led off with a double, took third on a groundout and scored on Prince Fielder's ground ball to first. Down one in the ninth, Huntsville's Chris Barnwell drew a leadoff walk. Two outs later, Barnwell broke for second on a 3-1 pitch to Belcher, who laced a double down the leftfield line, scoring Barnwell from first with the tying run. Weeks promptly singled up the middle to plate Belcher for the 5-4 victory.

 

Reliever Paul Stewart (3-0) picked up the win, throwing three scoreless innings, fanning one and allowing two hits. Dave Elder (0-1) suffered the loss and the G-Braves' first blown save this season, permitting two runs on two hits and one walk while fanning one in two-thirds of an inning.

 

Game two of the series is Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium, with Stars lefty Ryan Costello (1-0, 4.50) meeting Braves lefty Matt Merricks (1-2, 4.63). Game time is 7:05 p.m.

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Times Game Story:

 

Belcher will do in a pinch

Outfielder delivers key double, then scores winning run in 5-4 victory

By PAUL GATTIS

Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com

 

For almost 2 1/2 hours, Jason Belcher waited.

 

And then he celebrated.

 

Belcher was the pinch-hitting star for the Huntsville Stars on Friday night, doubling in the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and then scoring the winning run himself when Rickie Weeks followed with a single.

 

That's how the Stars rallied to edge the Greenville Braves 5-4 before an announced crowd of 3,019 at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

"That's pretty much it," Belcher said. "I thought I was going to get my opportunity in the sixth or seventh inning. But fortunately, at the end of the game, I got my chance."

 

Belcher was ready to pinch hit in the seventh inning, but Stars manager Frank Kremblas instead let relief pitcher Paul Stewart (3-0) bat for himself with two outs.

 

But by game's end, Kremblas looked like a genius to still have Belcher available in the ninth when Stewart's spot in the order came up again.

 

"It was only the seventh inning," Kremblas said. "We still had the eighth and ninth."

 

And that's when the Stars rallied from a 4-2 deficit.

 

In the eighth, the Stars scored "the ugliest run ever," Kremblas said. Weeks doubled, Tony Gwynn Jr. moved him to third with a groundout to second and Prince Fielder knocked him in with a weak grounder to first.

 

Then in the ninth, Chris Barnwell worked a walk off losing pitcher Dave Elder (0-1) and scored on Belcher's two-out double to left. Then Weeks followed with a single to center that easily scored Belcher and ignited a mob of high-fives along the first base line.

 

"It's a great feeling," said Weeks, who was 3-for-4 with two runs scored along with his game-winning RBI.

 

"It felt great to win in our last at-bat. This will propel us to another level."

 

Indeed, for five innings, the Stars seemingly couldn't play much better. Starting pitcher Chris Saenz had allowed only one hit and owned a 2-0 lead after Brad Nelson's first-inning home run.

 

But in the bottom of the fifth, Saenz singled and appeared to score on a single by Gwynn Jr. Before Saenz crossed the plate, however, Weeks was thrown out at third to end the inning.

 

Then Saenz was torched for four runs on five hits in the top of the sixth.

 

"Saenz was good," Kremblas said. "But the play when he did not score, he was tired and winded (from running the bases). I don't think he gave himself enough time to rest (between innings)."

 

Of course, Saenz's teammates didn't help much either defensively.

 

"We looked like a bunch of Little Leaguers," Kremblas said of the series of wild throws in the inning. That was followed by a pair of uninspired innings at the plate.

 

In the end, though, the Stars pulled out the win.

 

"This shows the guys are getting more mature," Kremblas said. "They're able to get out of it."

 

Congratulations to our friend Mark McCarter of the Times!

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...125131.xml

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Star:

 

Mark Johnson drove in four runs to help the Indianapolis Indians post an 8-5 victory over the Rochester Red Wings in the International League on Friday night.

 

The Indians scored on Johnson's groundouts in the second and sixth innings. He then singled to drive in one of three runs in the seventh and doubled home the final run in the ninth.

 

Indianapolis (19-13) broke a 4-4 tie with three runs in the seventh, courtesy of Luis Figueroa, Steve Scarborough and Johnson, who singled against losing pitcher Joe Beimel (0-2).

 

"I have been working very hard every day taking batting practice in the cages," Figueroa said in a news release provided by the team. "I feel like I have been seeing the pitches well. Thank God for my hits tonight."

 

Figueroa was 4-for-5. Johnson went 3-for-5.

 

Rochester (18-16) scored two runs in the first inning on a single by Justin Morneau and a double by Michael Restovich.

 

The Red Wings regained a two-run lead at 3-1 when Pedro Liriano balked home Brian Simmons in the bottom of the second.

 

A single by Simmons gave Rochester a 4-1 advantage in the fourth. After Johnson's run-scoring groundout in the sixth, a two-run single by Ryan Knox tied the score.

 

Winning pitcher Brian Bowles (1-0) retired the two batters he faced in the sixth. Jason Childers pitched the final two innings for his 10th save, tying him with Richmond's Matt Whiteside for the league lead.

 

Etc.

 

Corey Hart's double was his first extra-base hit since May 6. . . . Scarborough extended his hitting streak to eight games. . . . Hitting coach Bobby Randall was not available for Friday night's game. He was attending his daughter's high school graduation in Lawrence, Kan. . . . RHP Adrian Hernandez was optioned to Indianapolis and will join the team Monday when the Tribe returns to Victory Field to start an eight-game homestand against Columbus and Durham.

[MassBrew]

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 19 13 .594[/b] COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 16 16 .500 3.0 TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 16 18 .471 4.0 LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 15 18 .455 4.5

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 20 14 .588 BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 19 15 .559 1.0 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 19 16 .543 1.5[/b] MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 17 18 .486 3.5 MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 12 23 .343 8.5

 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 23 13 .639 LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 20 14 .588 2.0 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 19 15 .559 3.0 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 17 17 .500 5.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 13 23 .361 10.0[/b]

 WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 20 15 .571 CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 20 15 .571 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 20 15 .571 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 19 16 .543 1.0 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 17 17 .500 2.5 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 17 18 .486 3.0[/b] WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 15 20 .429 5.0 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 13 22 .371 7.0

[MassBrew]

Daily Press High Desert Game Story:

 

www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...025,36103,

[MassBrew]

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

 

HABIT FORMING

Tendencies were reversed, as can happen in this crazy game........ The Stars thought they might have a pre-game fireworks display tonight, considering they were facing an 0-5 pitcher with a 6.62 ERA........ Possibly, they will sometime in this series. G'Braves starters were 3-9 with a 5.63 ERA in April and came in with a 4.63 ERA this month........ But there was one tendency that held true. Macay McBride can strikeout out some people........ After fanning 10 in his last start, May 18 vs. Carolina, he registered nine before he left it to a bullpen that's logged a 3.09 ERA this month, but it was the bullpen the Stars easily reached, instead of McBride, who would have seemed the easier candidate.

 

For the 2nd night in a row, after never having done this all season, the Stars came back in the 9th inning to win........ Down 4-2, Rickie Weeks led off the 8th with a double that hopped once then hit the left field wall. Weeks made the circuit on a couple of ground outs, scoring on Fielder's rap to the right side....... The inning ended rather quietly, but the Stars were down by just one, and poised to do again what they did in Mobile.

 

Chris Barnwell drew a walk on a 3-1 pitch from Dave Elder to lead off the 9th...... Elder joined the G'Braves, April 30, from extended spring training where he had been rehabbing from shoulder surgery. He's the guy who gave up Rafael Palmeiro's 500th home run while with Cleveland last year....... It looked like Elder would register a save after getting Joel Alvarado on a foul pop, and weak-hitting Enrique Cruz on a strikeout....... But coming on to pinch-hit for Paul Stewart comes Jason Belcher, the hottest hitter right now on the team...... Belch, who was hitting .211 after May 1, came in 5-for-10 in his last three games and 8-for 15 in his last four......... How do you stop this madman? You don't........ Belcher, sitting on his pitch, took the count to 3-and-1, then drove the ball into the opposite field, the left field corner....... The spirity Barnwell crossed the plate and tied the game and the home crowd who came out for fireworks and Birdzerk, despite threats all week from the weatherman that it would pour (it did not, of course), were pumped up and in the mood to see the Stars continue the rally.

 

Rickie Weeks had one of his best nights as a Huntsville Star tonight....... He walked and scored in the 1st, singled to center in the 5th, doubled as I mentioned in the 8th, and scored....... On an 0-1 pitch from Elder, Weeks sent a ball back up the middle over the 2nd base bag to center, driving in Belcher with the winning run........ Weeks raised his average to .294 and has now hit safely in seven of his last eight games for a .367 average.

 

Brad Nelson's two-out home run put the Stars up 2-0 in the 1st inning...... Rather than muscle it over, Nelson's homer was a wrist flick, a testament to his raw power, that cleared all three levels of advertising in right field....... The G'Braves have now been outscored, 47-17 in the 1st inning this season....... The Stars, in winning four of their last five games, have outscored their opponents, 10-3, in those five games.

 

Matt Ford shares a similar problem with Mike Jones....... Both say they're healthy enough to pitch, but neither are being given clearance by the organization to return, naturally causing some frustration for both........ In Ford's case, he has some muscle soreness under his scar where he had bone chips removed in the off season. When asked when Ford would return, manager Frank Kremblas just shrugged his shoulders....... Jonesy's case is pretty well known. He's still pain-free and throwing off the mound, but optimistically, he's two weeks away from coming back from a history of elbow problems.........

 

Talk about a grind. The Stars have only two days off the whole month of May and the bullpen, halfway through the month, has thrown 52 1/3 innings. That's a lot of innings, folks......... Saturday, Ryan Costello (1-0, 4.50) will be called on to pitch against Matt Merricks (1-2, 4.36).

 

Stars fans are two weeks away from seeing a new scoreboard, according to the target G.M. Bryan Dingo has announced......... A full-scale production studio, manned by seven people (opposed to the two the old scoreboard required), is being prepared and assembled for the May 28 debut, when Mobile is in........ For two or three days, Stars fans will put up with an old-style manual scoreboard in left. The existing scoreboard is being taken down on May 24.......

 

In addition, the city of Huntsville is committing over $200,000 to replace the upper level seats, many of which are cracked and broken, all of which have faded. The head of maintenance facilities for the city, Jeff Easter, says work should begin within several weeks and will take 84 days, according to the contract........ That's 1,952 seats, one section at a time.......

 

The city, no matter who is elected mayor in November, is committed to keeping the Stars in Huntsville. Even though Huntsville was ranked 8th in the nation as the best city for a young business/tech person to live in by Fortune magazine, the city has had a hard time keeping that demographic in town, in fact that population has been declining. The most often heard complaint: There's nothing to do in this town.......

 

Huntsville city leaders are cognizant of that and recently brought in consultants who have been making their suggestions and the city has been proactive in addressing the problem lately, working on the downtown area specifically. It's too long and involved to go into, but the point is, the city can't afford to lose an entertainment vehicle for young professionals, many who come from other states via their NASA or Arsenal jobs....... I know I've gone on too long over something not even involved with baseball, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

 

The Huntsville Stars have set the dates for three annual events season ticket holders can take advantage of this season....... On May 22, all season ticket holders, Stargazer members, advertisers, and sponsors are invited to the stadium to take part in batting practice. Actually get down on the field and take your best shot. That starts at 10 am....... May 17th will be the annual season ticket holder picnic from 6-7 pm. And August 2nd will be the annual Stargazer pizza party from 6-7 pm........ 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.