Link Report for Games of Friday, July 11th

[MassBrew]

David Weiser's

www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville Update:

 

INVIGORATED

After two rainouts as bookends for the Southern League All-Star break, the Huntsville Stars' bullpen came back invigorated enough to hurl eight scoreless innings of one-hit baseball, including a rare start for Matt Childers, his first start since May 24 of last year...... He was called on to start literally by surprise and came up huge tonight........

 

Childers was given the honor as opening day starter against Carolina last year, but after a 2-3, 5.40 record in the rotation, he found his niche in the bullpen, notching a club record 10 saves that July........ It was smooth sailing ever since, including a major league call-up, but recently, he finished June with his worst ERA ever for one month (7.15)....... If he was looking for a performance that would turn his fate around, this was it.

 

In the absence of strikeouts, most of Chilly's outs were hit on the ground....... Matt Parker came in to record the victory by pitching the 5th. Since being hammered for 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings against Carolina on June 23, Matt has thrown seven scoreless innings, all in relief......

 

The bats had trouble coming around in game two. They caught a break in the 5th when Noochie Varner walked with two out and stole second, the first runner in scoring position for the Stars, but Mike Kremblas grounded out to second to end the threat........

 

The Smokies then tried to capitalize in the bottom half of the 5th when Dan Moylan singled and reached 2nd on a hit-and-run grounder to third by former Bay Bear Al Benjamin........ With Chris Weekly at the plate, a wild pitch sent Moylan to third, but he got careless. With the infield pulled in at the corners, Chris Barnwell snuck in behind Moylan....... Mike Kremblas caught on quickly, and fired the ball to Barney and Moylan was picked off....... Weekly walked and stole second, but he was stranded after starting pitcher Rhett Parrott grounded out to Richard Paz.

 

The Stars finally got on the scoreboard in the 6th. Barnwell would get a leadoff walk and then pinch-hitter Alejandro Machado, in a bunt situation, blooped a single into right-centerfield, instead....... Paz, with runners on the corners, drove a fly ball deep into centerfield. Steve Schumaker's throw hit the mound and bounced up in the air, easily allowing Barney to score and Machado to take second......... Machado would steal third and Dave Krynzel walked to put runners on the corners once again, but J.J. Hardy hit into a 6-4-3 double play, the fifth double play the Stars would hit into this night........

 

Ryan Gripp capped the scoring in the 7th inning, batting against a club that saw him for only a week during spring training. The Cardinals, instead, decided to send him back to Milwaukee...... Gripp, looking for a fastball, got ahead a little on the pitch, but enough to show his thanks to the Smokies with a high drive to left for a solo HR......... Kenny Ray was letter perfect in the 7th, retiring six in a row on ground balls after a throwing error by Gripp allowed the Smokies' leadoff hitter to reach in the 6th.

 

Pedro Liriano was saddled with his tenth loss in the first game after a bit of indecisiveness by Corey Hart........ With two out and a runner on first, John Nelson hit a grounder to Corey's left. He hesitated, glanced at second, then threw too late to first as Nelson legged out a hit....... Caonabo Cosme drew a walk to load the bases, then former Huntsville Star Bucky Jacobsen, who won the home run derby at Jacksonville, lined Liriano's 2-2 pitch into right-center for a 2-run double and a 2-0 Tennessee lead......... Noochie Varner cut the lead in half in the 4th with a double to left, scoring Brandon Gemoll, but Skip Schumaker extended the lead with a solo HR in the 5th........

 

Liriano is now the third 10-game loser since the Stars became a Milwaukee affiliate. Derek Lee, who lost again for Indianapolis this night, lost 10 in 2001 and 2002 and Doug Johnston lost 10 in 2000........

 

Note: Johnston was later traded to the Cubs for Ray King; thus, in turn, Wes Helms and John Foster -- you get the picture -- MassBrew

 

Like Derek Lee in both 2001 and 2002, Liriano has gotten terrible run support this year, in fact I would say without thorough research on the others, that he has gotten the worst run support of any of the starters......... In Pedro's 10 losses, he has received just 9 runs, an average of 1.54 runs per 9 IP...... In his last victory, on June 14, he shut out the Diamond Jaxx, 1-0, on three hits in 5 2/3 IP........ I'm curious to know what the run support is for the rest of the staff, and I'm eager to get to work on that....... The double-header split was the 2nd for the Stars this season. They have not lost a twin-bill.

 

Contrary to Huntsville's relationship this year with Milwaukee, the Carolina Mudcats have been picked clean by the Marlins' promotions of Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to the majors and Aaron Small and Marty McLeary to Albuquerque........ Friday night, three key members of the Mudcats were traded away to the Texas Rangers in exchange for their closer, Ugueth Urbina. They were # 1 overall pick in 2000, Adrian Gonzalez, left-hander Ryan Snare, and outfielder Will Smith. Snare was 5-4 and leading the team in strikeouts and Smith was hitting .293 and Gonzalez .307........

 

Among several promotions and deals during the Southern League All-Star break: The Lookouts lost pitchers Dustin Moseley and Scott Dunn. Moseley, who lost four times to the Stars this season, was promoted to Louisville and Dunn was traded to the White Sox and assigned to Birmingham. The Barons' eccentric Japanese starter Tetsu Yofu was called up to Charlotte and the Yankees signed former Greenville Brave infielder Keoni De Renne and assigned him to Class AA-Trenton, where he was recently placed on the disabled list.

 

Former Huntsville Stars pitcher Al Hawkins was released by the independent Newark Bears of the Atlantic League. He was 2-3 with a 6.99 ERA. Someone I know who had recently talked to Al says his velocity never came back after surgery about three years ago, and he was topping only 82 mph on the gun........ John Wasdin's contract was purchased from Nashville by the Toronto Blue Jays....... Friday night, Wasdin got his first start in the majors since 2000, but the Yankees pounded him for 8 hits in 1+ inning. In the 2nd inning, after failing to retire five batters, he was taken out of the game....... In early April of this year, Wasdin fired the first perfect game in Nashville's 26-year history, a 4-0 gem over Albuquerque, striking out 15...... Wasdin headed the Huntsville Stars' sparkling 1994 rotation (A's organization), which led them to a Southern League Championship. He won two games in the post-season without a loss.

 

Despite the five-day rest, the Stars are still playing short-handed after promotions to Derek Lee and Ryan Knox. They have only 10 pitchers and 3 outfielders and it's going to get even more desperate after Dave Krynzel and J.J. Hardy leave tomorrow for Chicago to participate in the Futures Game........ It will be interesting to see what kind of creative lineup Frank Kremblas will come up with or if the Stars will get any kind of help in the near future........ Ben Hendrickson (3-1, 2.77) will get the start Saturday against Julio Villalon (3--0, 1.95).

[MassBrew]

Daily Press High Desert Game Story:

Plenty of quotes and discussion on Bystrowski's struggles, Foster's defense...

 

www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...765,20266,

[Al the Thinking Man]

Huntsville gets by with 10 pitchers, we have 13 in Milwaukee.

 

The irony is overwhelming.

[hardytheman]

SB--M.Myers 4 (http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/glasses.gif ,

 

 

Eeww,

 

I love how Palmisano hits, but can he throw anyone out?

[MassBrew]

Beloit Daily News Game Story:

Tons of Callix Crabbe stuff, and we hear from the Midwest League's RBI leader...

 

www.beloitdailynews.com/703/8spt12.htm

[MassBrew]

Success rates for stolen bases in the lower minors are darn near always very high. You've got a bunch of 19-year-old kids playing who still have their legs, many of them drafted for their "speed" tool, and you've got a glut of catchers teams are looking at until they can identify and graduate the better ones. Managers are usually notoriously aggressive at the lower levels.

 

All that being said, the Link Report archives are available to you, hardytheman, via the home page. We're always looking for volunteers to take on mini-projects -- go back and review the box scores for the games which Palmisano caught over the past three weeks and report back to us http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

[hardytheman]

no need to check the boxscores.

 

They dont fully tell how these steals came about. Gotta see them in person.

 

Your explanation actually helped though in terms of answering my question.

 

Thanks