Link Report for Games of Saturday, July 12th

[MassBrew]

Saturday's Daily Menu :

 

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

 

INDIANAPOLIS: RHP David Manning at Louisville (Reds), 5:15 PM

 

Audio link:

www.newstalk1430.com/

 

HUNTSVILE: RHP Ben Hendrickson at Tennessee (Cardinals), 6:15 PM

 

Audio link:

espn1450.com/

 

HIGH DESERT: RHP Dan Hall at home vs. Rancho Cucamonga (Angels), 9:05 PM; starters Hall and Chris Saenz each have 6-7 records on a 29-61 team, so despite rough overall numbers, that's worth something, we think

 

Audio link:

www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm

 

BELOIT: The Snappers host Burlington (Royals) at 7:00 PM -- It's summertime, Saturday night, and LHP Manny Parra is on the mound, c'mon, you know what you want to say -- "Honey, we're heading to Beloit tonight!"

 

Audio link (opponent's):

www.gobees.com/audio.html

 

HELENA: LHP Carlos Ramirez, he of the 4-0 record, at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 8:05 PM -- yes, visitor's audio available...

 

Audio link (opponent's):

www.1340kylt.com/Happenin...0A8052A72}

 

ARIZONA: Idle

[MassBrew]

Daily Press Notes on Tony Stavros, the Angels' Casey Kotchman (see colbyjack, we told you -- he's fragile), and Brad Nelson, with not just one, but two versions of Bobblehead about to be available...

 

Stavros explains Thursday's fall

By MICHAEL ROTHSTEIN/Staff Writer

 

ADELANTO ? When Tony Stavros crumpled to the ground in the bottom of the eighth inning of Thursday's 7-6 victory over Inland Empire, he wasn't sure exactly what happened.

 

The relief pitcher never injured his knee before, so he was unsure of what he should feel and should not feel.

 

"I was getting ready to plant with my left foot and catch the ball before I stepped on the ball with my right foot," Stavros said. "I don't know what it felt like. It felt like I hyper-extended it.

 

"It kind of twisted and I might of twisted it. I'm not sure yet."

 

Stavros has yet to see a doctor. Instead, the right-hander is going to work on the left knee with trainer Matt Toth for a few days before deciding whether or not a doctor's visit is necessary.

 

Before Friday's game, Stavros' knee was about the size of a grapefruit.

 

Where's Casey?

 

Casey Kotchman disappeared from the Rancho Cucamonga lineup in May with what appeared to be a pulled hamstring.

 

Yet now in the middle of July, Kotchman is now in the Anaheim Angels' Arizona complex and according to Rancho Cucamonga Manager Bobby Meacham, has not played in a game.

 

He is, however, running in a pool. Other than that, Meacham said he has no idea when Kotchman will return.

 

Bobble-bobble

 

The first 1,000 fans for today's game against Rancho Cucamonga will receive Brad Nelson bobblehead dolls. Nelson will have two bobbleheads of his likeness this season, as low Class A Beloit (Wis.) also crafted a bobbling Brad for Aug. 3.

[MassBrew]

The Daily Press ran four Maverick stories online Saturday morning, an all-time record for any affiliate. We here at Brewerfan can't stress enough the quality of the coverage available from Huntsville, Beloit, and the Desert. Helena's off to a nice start, too. Thank you all!

 

Daily Press Gord Ash Visit Article:

At least Ash appears to be more diplomatic about things in Adelanto this year than Reid Nichols was...

 

www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...716,14764,

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Media Notes for Saturday:

 

THIS WEEKEND: The Indians hit the road for the final two games before the three-day All-Star Break. The Indians travel to Louisville where they are 1-2 this season. Overall against the Bats, the Indians are 2-7. The Tribe has been outscored 48-28 in the nine games. The Indians have batted .222 against Louisville while the Bats have hit at a .273 clip. Tribe hurlers have a 4.68 ERA in the head-to-head contests.

 

Since 1993, the Indians are 120-88 against Louisville in regular-season play.

 

After going 19-10 in June, the Indians are off to a 3-8 start in July. The team is hitting .275, but the pitching staff has a 5.40 ERA.

 

ON THE MOUND: Righthander David Manning will start on Saturday. It will be his 19th overall appearance, and his 13th start since moving into the starting rotation on April 23. Manning went 3-1 with a 1.53 ERA in his first six starts, and he was named the Indians Player of the Month for May after going 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA. After his start on June 7, Manning missed nearly three weeks with a sore elbow. He came back on June 25 and tossed five shutout innings at Scranton. Manning's last start came against Louisville in the first game of a doubleheader on July 6. Manning allowed six hits and six walks in 5.0 innings, but allowed only two runs to score as he earned the win.

 

Righthander Wes Obermueller will take the hill for the second time as an Indian on Sunday. Obermueller was acquired from Omaha (Kansas City) on July 2 as part of the deal that sent RHP Curtis Leskanic to the Royals. Obermueller led the PCL with 10 wins (10-5) and had a 4.40 ERA in 17 starts. Obermueller's Tribe debut was interrupted by rain. He allowed one run in the top of the first inning on July 8 against Norfolk before a 1hr. 49 min. rain delay stopped play. Obermueller stayed loose in the indoor batting cage, and came back for one more inning after the delay (2.0 IP - 2 H - 1 R - 1 ER - 2 BB - 1 K).

[squarepusher]

Louisville (Reds) 8, Indianapolis 5

 

indyindians.com game summary:

 

LOUISVILLE, KY -- The visiting Indianapolis Indians dropped the first of a two-game series from Louisville's Slugger Field 8-4 to the Louisville Bats on Saturday evening. Louisville batted around in the bottom of the sixth inning, sending ten batters to the plate while scoring six runs in the inning as the Bats improved their record to 8-2 against the Tribe this year.

 

The Indians jumped on the board first, as Bill Hall opened the game with a double down the left field line and later scored on Jim Rushford's RBI single two batters later.

 

The Bats struck back in their half of the first inning as third baseman Brandon Larson launched a two-out, two run homer in the bottom of the inning off Indians starter David Manning that put Louisville on top 2-1. Manning (5-5) flirted with disaster throughout his five-plus innings of work, as he allowed the leadoff batter to reach base safely in five out of the six innings he started.

 

The Indians took the lead in the top of the fifth inning by sending eight batters to the plate in scoring three runs. With two outs and no one on base, Hall started the rally with a walk and then scored on Jason Conti's single to center when an errant relay throw allowed Hall to tie the score at 2-2. With Conti at second, Rushford lined an RBI single to give the Indians a 3-2 lead, then scored on Mark Smith's RBI single.

 

Louisville stormed back in the bottom of the sixth, as Manning was unable to record an out before leaving with the bases loaded and no outs for reliever John Foster. Manning allowed three straight singles to start the inning before issuing a walk to pinch hitter Jason Jennings bringing home Jason Maxwell from third. Felipe Lopez then greeted Foster with a two-RBI double to right field to give the Bats the lead for good at 5-4. Louisville then scored three more runs in the inning on a two-RBI double by Ruben Mateo and a single by Larson that scored Mateo with the bats sixth run of the inning.

 

Scott Randall picked up the win pitching six innings for Louisville, improving his record to 7-1 on the year. Ryan Wagner, the Cincinnati Reds' top pick in this past June's draft, pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Louisville.

 

The Indians (41-53) and Bats (58-38) will conclude the two-game series on Sunday evening when Wes Obermueller (0-0, 4.50) pitches for Indianapolis against Louisville's Lance Davis (5-7, 4.30) at 5:15 p.m. The Indians will then have three days off for the All-Star break before heading off to Rochester for a four-game series on Wednesday.

 

Billy Hall with another multi-hit game... Does Royce feel the heat yet?

 

Indianapolis Box Score:

 GAME DATE: 7/12/03 INDIANAPOLIS 5 AT LOUISVILLE 8 YTD YTD INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG LOUISVILLE AB R H BI AVG B.Hall 2B 4 2 2 1 .279 F.Lopez SS 5 2 2 2 .276 J.Conti CF 5 1 1 0 .223 W.Guerrero LF 4 0 1 0 .290 J.Rushford 1B 4 1 2 2 .337 J.Hamilton PIT 0 0 0 0 .083 M.Smith LF 4 0 1 1 .295 R.Mateo RF 5 1 2 2 .324 P.Zoccolillo RF 3 0 2 0 .284 B.Larson 3B 4 1 2 3 .325 W.Veras 3B 3 0 0 0 .231 F.Crespo 1B 3 0 1 0 .260 C.McKay CAT 4 1 1 0 .241 M.Watson PIT 0 0 0 0 .333 S.Scarboroug SS 4 0 1 0 .213 R.Wagner PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Manning PIT 3 0 0 0 .083 M.Stefanski PH 1 0 1 0 .191 J.Foster PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Stefanski 1B 0 0 0 0 .191 D.Jennings PH 1 0 0 0 .224 J.Maxwell 2B 3 1 1 0 .279 C.Miller CAT 4 1 1 0 .251 M.Budzinski CF 3 1 2 0 .295 S.Randall PIT 0 0 0 0 .357 R.Jennings PH 0 1 0 1 .223 R.Jennings 1B 1 0 0 0 .223 R.Jennings LF 0 0 0 0 .223 TOTALS 35 5 10 4 TOTALS 33 8 13 8 INDIANAPOLIS 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1- 5 10 1 LOUISVILLE 2 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 X- 8 13 1 E--S.Scarboroug, M.Budzinski. DP--INDIANAPOLIS 2, LOUISVILLE 2. LOB--INDIANAPOLIS 6, LOUISVILLE 9. 2B--B.Hall (24), F.Lopez (10), R.Mateo 2 (15). HR--B.Larson (16). SB--B.Hall (10), F.Lopez (2), F.Crespo (9). HBP--F.Crespo. SH--S.Randall 2. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA INDIANAPOLIS D.Manning (L,5-5) 5.0 8 6 6 4 3 1 4.32 J.Foster 3.0 5 2 2 1 0 0 2.55 LOUISVILLE S.Randall (W,7-1) 6.0 7 4 4 3 4 0 3.95 M.Watson 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.76 R.Wagner 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6.00 J.Hamilton 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 3.11 HB--D.Manning. WP--D.Manning, S.Randall. SO--J.Conti 3, C.McKay, S.Scarboroug, F.Lopez, B.Larson, F.Crespo. BB--B.Hall, P.Zoccolillo, W.Veras, W.Guerrero, B.Larson, J.Maxwell, M.Budzinski, R.Jennings. T--2:38. A--13131

[squarepusher]

Huntsville 4, Tennessee (Cardinals) 3

Huntsville hangs on for the win, and Ben Hendrickson shines again.

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Ben Hendrickson's smiling face accompanies the story...

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=205

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Daryl Clark with a .406 OBP in 128 Huntsville AB's (30 walks), impressive...

 GAME DATE: 7/12/03 HUNTSVILLE 4 AT TENNESSEE 3 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG TENNESSEE AB R H BI AVG A.Machado 2B 4 1 1 0 .250 S.Schumaker CF 5 0 0 0 .251 C.Barnwell SS 3 0 0 0 .244 J.Nelson SS 5 0 1 0 .245 R.Paz RF 3 0 0 0 .256 C.Cosme 2B 4 0 1 0 .302 C.Hart 3B 4 0 1 1 .287 B.Jacobsen 1B 3 0 1 0 .301 B.Gemoll 1B 4 0 1 0 .243 K.Burns RF 4 0 2 0 .331 N.Varner CF 4 1 1 0 .308 C.Erickson 3B 3 1 0 0 .220 D.Clark LF 3 1 2 1 .258 J.Kinney PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Johnson CAT 4 0 0 0 .174 Y.Molina CAT 4 0 1 0 .246 B.Hendrckson PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 C.Weekly 3B 0 1 0 0 .271 R.Gripp PH 1 1 1 2 .274 C.Weekly LF 3 0 0 0 .271 B.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Villalon PIT 2 0 0 0 .100 M.Parker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Axelson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Benjamin PH 1 0 1 1 .176 K.Sprague PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Bolivar LF 1 1 1 2 .268 TOTALS 32 4 7 4 TOTALS 35 3 8 3 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0- 4 7 2 TENNESSEE 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2- 3 8 0 E--D.Clark, B.Adams. DP--HUNTSVILLE 0, TENNESSEE 2. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 4, TENNESSEE 8. 2B--A.Machado (1), J.Nelson (12), B.Jacobsen (18), A.Benjamin (3). 3B--N.Varner (1). HR--R.Gripp (4), P.Bolivar (3). CS--C.Hart. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE B.Hendrckson (W,4-1) 6.0 4 0 0 1 4 0 2.25 B.Adams 1.2 3 1 0 1 1 0 4.06 M.Parker (S,5) 1.1 1 2 2 1 0 1 2.70 TENNESSEE J.Villalon (L,3-1) 6.0 5 3 3 3 11 0 2.41 J.Axelson 1.0 1 1 1 0 2 1 2.84 K.Sprague 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4.08 J.Kinney 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 SO--A.Machado, R.Paz 3, C.Hart 2, B.Gemoll 2, N.Varner 3, D.Clark, K.Johnson 3, B.Hendrckson, B.Jacobsen, C.Erickson, Y.Molina, C.Weekly 2. BB--C.Barnwell, R.Paz, D.Clark, B.Jacobsen, C.Erickson, C.Weekly. T--2:52. A--5535

[squarepusher]

Beloit 12, Burlington (Royals) 6

Prince Fielder hits #20... Manny Parra with 6 scoreless innings, improving to 9-2.

 

snappersbaseball.com game summary:

www.snappersbaseball.com/...me_id=1145

 

Beloit Box Score:

97 K's vs. 14 BB's -- Mr. Parra, you are a pitcher!

 GAME DATE: 7/12/03 BURLINGTON 6 AT BELOIT 12 YTD YTD BURLINGTON AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG M.Stocker CF 5 0 1 2 .264 K.Bibbs LF 4 2 1 1 .292 E.Lonnquist DH 4 0 1 0 .213 C.Crabbe 2B 4 3 3 2 .260 D.Espino 3B 5 0 0 0 .292 T.Gwynn CF 2 1 1 1 .379 K.Kaaihue 1B 4 1 0 0 .222 P.Fielder 1B 4 2 2 4 .303 D.Murphy 2B 4 0 0 0 .274 T.Hinton DH 3 1 1 0 .197 M.Tupman CAT 4 1 2 1 .221 J.Eure 3B 4 1 1 0 .257 A.Sanchez SS 4 1 1 0 .261 P.Esparragz CAT 5 1 2 1 .253 T.Frend LF 4 2 3 2 .267 M.Mendez RF 5 1 2 3 .255 B.Stephens RF 4 1 1 0 .211 C.Terni SS 4 0 0 0 .221 J.Bayliss PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Parra PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Colton PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Huizinga PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Delacruz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Trytten PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 38 6 9 5 TOTALS 35 12 13 12 BURLINGTON 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0- 6 9 2 BELOIT 0 4 1 2 1 1 0 3 X-12 13 5 E--T.Frend, J.Bayliss, C.Terni 4, J.Huizinga. DP--BURLINGTON 0, BELOIT 1. LOB--BURLINGTON 7, BELOIT 8. 2B--M.Tupman (11), C.Crabbe 2 (18), T.Gwynn (6), P.Fielder (16), P.Esparragz (7). 3B--M.Stocker (8), M.Mendez (3). HR--T.Frend (5), P.Fielder (20). SB--A.Sanchez (7). CS--D.Murphy, C.Crabbe. HBP--J.Eure. SF--P.Fielder. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BURLINGTON J.Bayliss (L,6-9) 4.2 10 8 7 3 5 1 3.39 K.Colton 2.2 2 4 4 4 0 0 13.50 A.Delacruz 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.00 BELOIT M.Parra (W,9-2) 6.0 5 0 0 0 5 0 2.88 J.Huizinga 1.2 4 6 1 1 4 1 4.24 R.Trytten (S,1) 1.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 7.10 HB--J.Bayliss. WP--K.Colton, J.Huizinga. SO--M.Stocker, E.Lonnquist, D.Espino 2, K.Kaaihue 2, M.Tupman 2, A.Sanchez, K.Bibbs, P.Fielder, T.Hinton, J.Eure, M.Mendez. BB--E.Lonnquist, K.Kaaihue, K.Bibbs, C.Crabbe, T.Gwynn 3, T.Hinton 2. T--2:51. A--1257

[NastyTwig]

Looks like Carlos Ramirez has won yet again tonight, improving his record to 5-0. Could he get a call up to Beloit before the year is done?

[docduany]

The Snappers brought out the lumber for the W tonight. They also appeared to forget to bring the leather and cost Manny a chance at going the distance despite the lopsided score.

 

Manny didn't appear to have his "best" stuff tonight, which sounds crazy considering that he pitched 6 score less innings. His line is 6IP 5K 0BB 5H 0ER. He really seemed to be working on his off speed pitches this evening, especially the first time through the order. Several other times I've seen him he's been striking everyone out, not the case tonight. Don't get the wrong idea, he still looked great. Just not as lights out as he can be. It didn't help that he had three errors to work with behind him.

 

All three errors were courtesy of Chas Terni, he did have one more to bring his total to 4 for the game-- not the best night for the shortstop. One was a throwing error, Prince didn't come close to digging out the low throw-- thought he could've given a little better effort on it. Prince's sub par defense reared it's ugly head again when he couldn't grab Jon Huizinga's hot throw late in the game. Prince's effort on defense seem to have gone into a mid season swoon.

 

But Prince's stick certainly hasn't felt any ill effects of late. He went 2-4 with 4 RBI( a double, a HR and a sac fly). His homerun in the 3rd was a no doubter off the bat. He was brushed back, then deposited then next pitch to the left of the 380 sign in center.

 

Tony Gwyn had a solid overall game. He went 1 for 2 (RBI double) with 3 walks. He looks a lot like his dad at the plate. He just goes with the ball and serves it where ever it was pitched. And as evidenced by his walks, if you don't throw strikes you won't get him to bite. His defense looks to be ready for prime time. He reads the ball off the bat very well, and his speed allows him to cover all kinds of ground.

 

Callix Crabbe had a nice night at the plate going 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and scoring 3 runs. Mario Mendez also had a nice night with the bat. He ran a triple all the way to the wall while going 2 for 5 with 3 RBI on the night. Pedro Esparragoza had a little to much giddy up on his throws to second. He did nap one of two would be thieves, thanks to a great tag by Callix Crabbe. Both throws were very high, his second ended up in center field.

[nikip43]

Thats awsome news about Gwynn Jr.

 

Hes probably low and behold my favorite prospect

 

Im really hoping for big things from him

 

Great summary of the kid

[Al the Thinking Man]

Only 64 AB's, so it is a verty small sample, but Gwynn is off to a .375 /444/.500 start to his pro career. Another good sign is his 5 doubles and 1 HR out of his 24 hits...if 25% of his safties go for extra bases, he isn't nearly the "slap" hitter we were led to believe he was.

[MassBrew]

Helena 7, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 1

 

These stat lines for the Ramirez boys requires their own space (no, they're not brothers):

 

In 16 games, just turned 21-year-old 1B Manny Ramirez is 20-for-44 with 14 extra base hits and nine walks, and has a batting line of .455 / .564 / 1.023, that's an OPS of 1.587! I think my calculator just exploded. His presence in Beloit would ease the pain of a Prince Fielder to High Desert promotion, don't you think?

 

In five starts, 18-year-old (18!), 19 in August, LHP Carlos Ramirez is 5-0 with a 1.21 ERA; 17 hits and six BB's allowed in 29.2 IP with 18 K; we like to call him "Mini-Manny" in honor of Mr. Parra in Beloit, although at 6'3", we're not so sure about that moniker...

 

Helena Independent Record Game Story:

 

www.helenair.com/articles...303_03.txt

 

Helena Box Score:

Lou - Lou - Lou! A 1.120 OPS for the 2003 3rd round catcher in his first 74 pro AB's. Lou - Lou - Lou!

 GAME DATE: 7/12/03 MISSOULA 1 AT HELENA 7 YTD YTD MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG HELENA AB R H BI AVG J.Kaplan CF 4 0 0 0 .286 G.Rodriguez 2B 3 0 0 0 .230 C.Gonzalez RF 4 0 0 0 .258 T.Trofholz CF 4 0 1 0 .311 A.Murillo 2B 4 1 1 1 .276 L.Palmisano CAT 4 2 2 0 .405 J.Acosta DH 3 0 0 0 .216 R.Deevers RF 4 1 0 0 .357 A.Mottram 1B 4 0 2 0 .278 V.Rottino 1B 4 2 2 0 .321 M.Montero CAT 3 0 1 0 .260 M.Ramirez DH 4 2 3 6 .455 A.McCreery 3B 3 0 0 0 .317 J.Barnes 3B 3 0 1 1 .274 C.Melendez LF 3 0 1 0 .391 A.Gomez SS 2 0 0 0 .196 J.Santiago PH 1 0 0 0 .083 A.Septimo PH 1 0 0 0 .250 J.Olivares SS 4 0 1 0 .255 A.Septimo SS 1 0 0 0 .250 T.Yamaguchi PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Carter LF 3 0 1 0 .281 D.Julio PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Ramirez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Guerrero PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Slack PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 1 6 1 TOTALS 33 7 10 7 MISSOULA 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 1 HELENA 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 X- 7 10 0 E--A.McCreery. DP--MISSOULA 0, HELENA 0. LOB--MISSOULA 8, HELENA 4. 2B--C.Melendez (1), J.Barnes (5). 3B--M.Ramirez (1). HR--A.Murillo (3), M.Ramirez (5). SB--G.Rodriguez (10), L.Palmisano (6), N.Carter (2). CS--T.Trofholz. HBP--J.Acosta, M.Montero. SF--J.Barnes. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA MISSOULA T.Yamaguchi (L,3-2) 5.0 6 3 3 1 4 0 3.56 D.Julio 2.1 4 4 3 0 2 1 3.60 H.Guerrero 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 6.00 HELENA C.Ramirez (W,5-0) 6.2 6 1 1 0 2 1 1.21 N.Slack (S,4) 2.1 0 0 0 1 2 0 2.16 HB--C.Ramirez, N.Slack. WP--T.Yamaguchi. SO--C.Gonzalez 2, A.Murillo, A.Mottram, T.Trofholz 2, R.Deevers 2, M.Ramirez, A.Septimo, N.Carter. BB--A.McCreery, G.Rodriguez. T--2:19. A--1194

[MassBrew]

Rancho Cucamonga (Angels) 8, High Desert 3

There is no truth to the rumor that the Cal League has petitioned the Mavericks to change their name to Low Desert -- ugh, sorry guys...

 

High Desert Site Game Summary:

 

Mozingo Gives Quakes Complete Game Win

ADELANTO, CA ? Dan Mozingo pitched his third complete game of his career, holding the Mavs offense to just three hits, as the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes defeated the High Desert Mavericks by a final score of 8-3 at Mavericks Stadium on Saturday night.

 

High Desert drops their fifth straight home game with the loss, as their season-long record moves to 29-62, and just 4-17 in the second half.

 

Dallas McPherson?s solo home run in the fourth broke a 1-1 tie, giving the Quakes a 2-1 lead. Azarias Corbeil?s bases loaded, three-run double gave the Quakes the cushion that they would need later in the inning, giving them a 5-1 lead against Mavs starter Dan Hall (6-8).

 

Brian Foster?s team-best 12th homer of the year, a two-run shot, pulled the Mavs to within two at 5-3 in the fourth. The Quakes added two in the seventh against Mavs reliever Justin Gordon to take a 7-3 lead. They added another in the ninth to round out the scoring, as Tommy Murphy collected his third hit and second RBI of the night, driving home Corbeil.

 

Mozingo (6-7) walked just one man, while striking out five, in giving the Quakes their second straight win overall.

 

The Mavs will send Danny Kolb (3-7) to the hill on Sunday as they wrap up their three-game series against the Quakes. Rancho Cucamonga will counter with Cliff Smith (2-2). Game time on Sunday is 5:05 (7:05 PM Central).

 

High Desert Box Score:

Between his Huntsville and High Desert not-so-small sample of 154 AB's, catcher Joel Alvarado has 20 hits for a .130 average -- with only 26 K's, is he just unlucky? Nah, probably not...

 GAME DATE: 7/12/03 RANCHO CUCAMONGA 8 AT HIGH DESERT 3 YTD YTD RANCHO CUCAMONGA AB R H BI AVG HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG T.Murphy SS 5 1 3 2 .290 J.Raburn RF 3 1 1 0 .269 J.Aspito RF 5 1 2 1 .279 F.Villanueva 3B 4 0 0 0 .292 M.Eylward 1B 5 0 1 1 .295 B.Nelson 1B 4 0 1 0 .311 D.McPherson 3B 5 1 1 1 .278 S.Candelaria LF 4 0 0 0 .295 N.Gorneault LF 4 1 1 0 .318 C.Morris CF 4 1 0 0 .257 J.Turner 2B 4 1 1 0 .227 B.Foster DH 3 1 1 2 .181 D.Gates DH 4 1 1 0 .239 R.Santana 2B 3 0 0 0 .272 A.Corbeil CAT 4 1 2 3 .275 J.Alvarado CAT 3 0 0 0 .122 N.Kimpton CF 4 1 2 0 .237 T.West SS 3 0 0 0 .261 D.Mozingo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gordon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 40 8 14 8 TOTALS 31 3 3 2 RANCHO CUCAMONGA 1 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 1- 8 14 1 HIGH DESERT 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0- 3 3 2 E--D.McPherson, F.Villanueva, R.Santana. DP--RANCHO CUCAMONGA 1, HIGH DESERT 1. LOB--RANCHO CUCAMONGA 5, HIGH DESERT 2. 2B--T.Murphy (17), J.Aspito (22), M.Eylward (16), A.Corbeil 2 (8). 3B--T.Murphy (3). HR--D.McPherson (10), B.Foster (12). SB--J.Raburn (21). CS--N.Gorneault. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA RANCHO CUCAMONGA D.Mozingo (W,6-7) 9.0 3 3 3 1 5 1 6.04 HIGH DESERT D.Hall (L,6-8) 6.0 8 5 5 0 3 1 6.85 J.Gordon 3.0 6 3 3 0 3 0 5.74 WP--D.Mozingo 2. SO--M.Eylward 2, D.McPherson 2, N.Gorneault, D.Gates, F.Villanueva, C.Morris, B.Foster 2, T.West. BB--J.Raburn. T--2:18. A--2535

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Times Weekly Stars Notes Column:

Daydreaming about today's Futures Game, and wondering out loud about roster management -- let's see, Reid Nichols -- that'd be Indy on Line 1, Huntsville on Line 2, and High Desert on Line 3...

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...362221.xml

 

While the comment above is partly in jest, if Mike Jones is indeed still smarting too much to pitch, that's a fine little nine-man staff in Huntsville. And what is perhaps the most precious commodity in the system right now -- Huntsville pitching, right? So does Liriano or Adams or Hendrickson or Martinez pitch longer than they might otherwise if the bullpen is beat up in the next week or so? C'mon, let's get some roster movement going here!

[igor67]

Well Jim I do believe that as painful as it is to admit all of the best candidates to fill in at Huntsville are pitching in Beloit. I for one would like to see the little promotion score cards they have on each player to see how there doing and what more they are expected to do. Some how I expect that right now their thinking about Huntsville in the playoffs no matter what, so while a season sweep ould be nice they can afford to risk not winning the second half by a game or two. Beloit has a shot at the playoffs in the second half (what a difference a second hitter in the line-up has made) and I'm sure they'd love that and Helena following them.

[Al the Thinking Man]

While Huntsville is in the playoffs, all you have to worry about are kids not going over their pitch counts. I can't believe that will be a problem, so as Rev, Jackson would say, The question is moot.

 

All teams have the same roster limits and have all-stars participating, so it's a problem all over. Until you see a reliever pitching 3 innings one day, then 2 the next, things are fine.

 

Odds are, you won't see Mike jones or Pero Liriano pushed at all...though the last man on the staff may see extra action.

[MassBrew]

Daily Press High Desert Game Story:

Refreshingly candid analysis from Scott Candelaria...

 

www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...714,97701,

[MassBrew]

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

 

ONE FOR THE GRIPPER

Ryan Gripp has been the most frequently used, but by no means, the most successful pinch-hitter used by manager Frank Kremblas this season. The since-departed Chris Cosbey hit .300 in 10 at-bats as the 2nd most called on. Then you have Ryan Knox (2-for-6). Even Brandon Gemoll's 1-for-6 was better than Gripp's........ After an 0-for-13 start as a pinch-hitter, Gripper came up for the 22nd time off the bench tonight and delivered the game-winner in this contest.

 

This one started late --- an hour late because of a rain delay....... Facing the Stars for the first time, Julio Villalon, not even on the Cardinals' top 30 radar, struck out 9 of the first 11 batters he faced tonight.,,,,, A season-high 16 Stars would go down tonight........ Even Richard Paz was a victim three times tonight, something he had never done this season. In fact, only four times this season had he struck out twice in a game.......

 

But Ben Hendrickson, without all the Ks, was just as tough........ The only threat Ben faced was in the 2nd inning when with runners on 1st and 3rd and one out, he struck out Chris Weekly and retired Villalon on a grounder back to the box.......

 

The Stars were bottled up until the 6th. Up till then, they hadn't even had a man in scoring position, but Alejandro Machado doubled over the bag at third to start the inning off Villalon. Chris Barnwell then walked........ With one out, Corey Hart got a 1-1 count and lifted it in no-man's land in shallow right field. It dropped in and Machado scored, breaking the ice for both teams........ Barnwell scooted to third. The question now was to send the runners with one out. Corey, successful in 15 of 19 stolen base attempts got the green light. On a 3-2 breaking ball, Corey broke for 2nd and it looked like the ol' double steal again, executed to perfection so many times when Dave Krynzel and/or J.J. Hardy were on base....... The Smokies caught a break. Gemoll struck out on the pitch and the throw down was close. Corey caught the bag on the right field side and it looked like he was safe, as he popped up out of his slide before the tag was applied, but the ump threw him out and it became a strike 'em out-throw 'em out double play, instead.

 

The Stars carried their 1-0 lead into the 7th........ Leadoff hitter Noochie Varner got ahead of Villalon 2-and-1, when he sliced a pitch past Kevan Burns down the line and to the wall. Not content with two, Nooch chugged into third standing-up........ Daryl Clark battled Villalon to a 2-2 count, then singled on the ground through the drawn-in infield. Varner trotted in to make it 2-0........ With one out, up stepped Gripper, with a pair of pinch-hits and an RBI in his last four trips off the bench........ Just the night before, he parked one out to left for a solo HR for a 2-0 victory....... This time, on a 2-2 pitch, Gripper took reliever Josh Axelson's pitch to deep centerfield for a 2-run homer, giving the Stars a 4-0 lead. It's the first time since Barnwell did it in early May that anyone has hit home runs in consecutive games for the Stars........ Gripper is now 13-for-37 (.351) with 9 RBI in his last 19 games.

 

The Stars would find themselves in trouble with just one out in the 9th and Matt Parker pitching for the second straight night....... After a walk issued to Chris Weekly, Papo Bolivar homered deep to left field, bringing the Smokies within one. Parker, however, got speedy Skip Schumaker to fly out to left and John Nelson to left-center to end the game.......

 

The Stars have won 7 of their last 11 games and two straight without Krynzel and Hardy, who we can see on ESPN2 tomorrow as the U.S.A. takes on the World, which is the way battles should be fought --- on the baseball diamond. The Futures Game, as it is called, starts at 4:30 CDT. Unfortunately, the first pitch for the Stars and Smokies tomorrow is 3:45, so you have a real problem if you don't have a VCR......... Of course, you could tape the game from the radio if that's an option. It's your call.......... Mike Adams (3-4, 3.53) will make his 2nd professional start tomorrow against spot-starter Juan Pena (3-3, 3.47).

 

Richard Paz made his first appearance in the outfield since 1999, when he was a member of the Class A-Frederick Keys (Car.), an Orioles affiliate....... Here's Ben Hendrickson with a clean elbow: 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA in 19 IP........ Look past Daryl Clark's .258 batting average and you'll see an excellent .406 on-base percentage. That's even better than J.J.'s or Krinkles and second only to Richard Paz, who has walked 57 times this season. Only three Stars, however, have ever walked 100+ times in a season, and no one has done it since 1989 --- Stan Javier did it in 1985, Dave Wilder in 1986, and Gary Jones, who managed the Stars' 1994 Championship team, did it twice. He stands alone, like Everest, with 128 free passes in 1986.

 

Between High Desert and Huntsville, catcher Joel Alvarado is hitting .130 with only 20 hits....... Joel was sent down to High Desert on May 10........ Maybe there's a better future for Joel as a waiter........ High Desert isn't giving us a whole lot to look forward to next year, as the primary source for next year's Stars team. They are 29-62 overall in the California League...... Outfielder Jason Belcher (.320) and 1st baseman Brad Nelson (.311) give us something to look forward to, but their best pitcher, Justin Backsmeyer, has an ERA of 4.02, and he's been throwing from the bullpen. Of the starters, Dan Kolb has a good-looking 5.74 ERA and a 3-7 record........ Keep in mind, Stars fans, park conditions inflate those ERAs quite a bit. You'd need Bill James to get more scientific than that.......

 

There are several spots open on the Brewers' 40-man roster, as reported in brewerfan.net. This is important because if you're not on the list, then you become eligible to be plucked by another team in November's Rule 5 draft...... At the moment, those eligible include Kade Johnson, Brandon Gemoll, Corey Hart, Chris Barnwell, hell basically everybody except J.J........ Before the draft, however, that 40-man will fatten up and a lot of decisions will be made on who will be protected by inclusion....... I'd expect Corey, Ben, and Krinkles are sure bets. Past that, it's worth watching the newspapers to see what will happen........ Prince Fielder, the Brewers' #1 draft pick last year, hit his 20th HR for Beloit, Saturday night. I'll guarantee you he'd be on that list, but he won't need to be protected as he's only in his second pro season.