Link Report for Games of Monday, May 26th

[MassBrew]

Daily Menu for Memorial Day

 

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

 

INDIANAPOLIS: Decision time for the Tribe; we don't know who that fifth starter will be when Indy hosts Rochester (Twins) at 6:00 PM

 

HUNTSVILLE: RHP Mike Jones at home vs. West Tenn (Cubs), 12:05 PM

 

HIGH DESERT: RHP Jeff Robinson at Stockton (Rangers), the Cal League's best team right now, 9:05 PM

 

BELOIT: LHP Jeff Housman at Battle Creek (Yankees) -- I believe an Eastern time zone, so a 6:00 PM start Central; and audio from the Yankees' (formerly Battle Cats) site is available at www.battlecreekyankees.com.

[MassBrew]

From the Brewers' site today:

 

Speaking of Huntsville, Mark McCarter of the Huntsville Times pointed out that with Brian Adams and Corey Hart on the roster, Huntsville now leads the Southern League in '80s rockers.

 

And where did McCarter read that the moment Brewerfan mentioned the Brian Adams acquisition? Sheesh...http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[squarepusher]

Brewers sign LHP Kenny Loggins to a minor league deal, and assign him to High Desert:

 

Sports-Wired.com player profile:

www.kennyloggins.com/main.html

[hsvstarsfan]

We want him for our collection!

[DHonks]

my first thought is that today's Indy starter will be JAson Childers.

Also, just tuned into the huntsville game, and they're down 4-1 in the 11th. Apparently Jones threw well.

 

Edit...Parker goes tomorrow. Daryl Clark w/3 hits today, including one in the 11th. He's 3-5 on the day...2 singles and a double. 10-28 (.357) in his last 8 games.

With 2 outs and 2 on, Barnwell comes up as the potential tying run, Kade Johnson with a bat in the on deck circle.

 

Another update...Barnwell pops up, game over.

 

Stars stole 16 of 19 bases in the series.

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Media Notes for Monday:

LHP Travis Miller your starter; I always confuse him with Trevor Miller, a LH reliever with Toronto...

 

TONIGHT: The Indians return to Victory Field from a seven-game road trip that took them to Buffalo and Ottawa. The Tribe went 2-5 on the trip dropping all three at Buffalo before splitting a four-game set at Ottawa. The Indians won two of the last three games on the trip. The Indians scored just 13 runs and hit .178 (36-for-202) on the trip.

 

The Tribe welcomes the Rochester Red Wings to Victory Field tonight for their only visit of the season. The Red Wings are in their first season of affiliation with the Minnesota Twins. Last year's Twins' Triple-A team in Edmonton won the Pacific Coast League championship and led minor league baseball with 202 home runs.

 

The Indians were just 2-6 against Rochester last season when they were affiliated with Baltimore. The Tribe's two wins came at Victory Field. The Indians are 18-22 against the Red Wings since joining the IL in 1998 and have won the season series only once (7-1 in 1999).

 

ROSTER MOVE: LHP John Foster has been optioned to Indianapolis from Milwaukee. He is expected to join the team later this week. Foster was 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 20 games with the Brewers. In 18.0 innings he allowed 26 hits and seven walks while striking out 12.

 

YESTERDAY: The Indians split a doubleheader at Ottawa. The Lynx took game one 4-0 on the strength of a complete game shutout by Rigo Beltran. Beltran has tossed 17 straight scoreless innings. The Indians rebounded with a 6-5 win in the nightcap. Mark Smith was 2-for-3 with three RBI. His two-run homer in the sixth broke a 3-3 tie and put the Indians in the lead for good. Keith Luuloa was 2-for-3 with two RBI. He scored what proved to be the winning run after doubling in the sixth.

 

DUROCHER ON REHAB: RHP Jayson Durocher is with the Indians on a rehab assignment. Durocher underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow to remove bone spurs on March 8. Durocher has made five appearances working one inning each time. He allowed his first runs Thursday against Ottawa. Durocher pitched one inning in game one of yesterday's doubleheader. He is scheduled to pitch one inning tonight, working on back-to-back days for the first time. If all goes well, he is expected to rejoin Milwaukee tomorrow.

 

ON THE MOUND: Lefthander Travis Miller makes his second start and fourth appearance with the Indians since signing as a free agent on May 11. Miller last pitched 10 days ago when he started against Pawtucket. He allowed just one hit over the first two innings, but left with the bases loaded and two outs in the third. A grand slam by Julio Zuleta allowed all three runs to score and tarnish Miller's line. The 2.2 innings was his longest outing of the year. Miller's last starts came in the 1998 season.

 

LEAGUE LEADER: RHP David Manning ranks third in the IL with a 1.88 ERA. After starting the year with six relief appearances (0-0, 3.27), Manning has made six starts going 3-1 with a 1.53 ERA.

 

TURNING UP THE HEAT: Jim Rushford is hitting .375 (6-for-16) over the last five games while Steve Scarborough is hitting .286 (4-for-14) in that period.

 

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END: Nearly all of Mark Smith's streaks came to an end on the road trip. Smith reached base safely in 23 straight games from April 26 - May 23 which ties for the longest streak of its kind in the IL this season. He hit safely in 15 straight road games from April 19 - May 22 which also ties for the longest streak in the IL. Smith had a 14-game hitting streak from April 26 - May 12 which ranks as the fourth longest in the IL. Smith still has one active streak. He has reached base safely in 12 straight home games dating back to April 26. That ties for the 10th longest streak in the circuit and the third-longest active streak. Smith leads the Indians with a .317 average, 24 RBI and 12 multi-hit games. He was the Indians Player of the Month for April.

 

'KOLB' AS ICE: Opponents are hitting a frigid .179 against Tribe reliever Dan Kolb. Kolb has recorded a 1.16 ERA in 17 games allowing three earned runs in 23.1 innings. Kolb has struck out 20 batters in his last 14.2 innings (9 G).

 

ON THE BOARD EARLY: The Indians have scored a team-best 34 runs in the first inning. The Tribe has plated a first-inning run in 17 games this season, but is just 7-10 in those games. The ninth inning is the only inning in which the Indians have not scored in double figures (8). The Indians have scored just 32 runs over the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

 

UPCOMING PROBABLES:

Tuesday vs. Rochester - RHP Adam Johnson (1-5, 9.22) vs. LHP Nate Teut (1-2, 3.18)

Wednesday vs. Rochester - LHP Brent Hoard (2-3, 7.41) vs. RHP David Manning (3-1, 1.88)

Thursday vs. Rochester - RHP Matt Carnes (0-0, 2.89) vs. RHP Dave Burba (2-5, 3.86)

[MassBrew]

West Tenn (Cubs) 4, Huntsville 1, 11 innings

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Everyone but catcher Mike Kremblas with a base hit, and he walked -- just couldn't string anything together, it seems; Ryan Miller continues his strong relief work; David Krynzel moves closer to breaking the all-time Huntsville caught stealing record -- in the first half! Is Pat Listach available to consult?

 GAME DATE: 5/26/03 WEST TENN 4 AT HUNTSVILLE 1 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD WEST TENN AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG R.Sadler CF 5 0 1 0 .285 R.Knox RF 4 0 1 0 .259 J.Hamilton LF 5 1 1 0 .219 D.Krynzel CF 3 0 1 0 .311 B.Harris 3B 6 1 2 0 .283 R.Paz 2B 5 0 1 0 .250 J.Powers 2B 5 1 1 0 .333 C.Hart 3B 4 1 1 0 .306 J.Dubois RF 5 0 3 3 .340 B.Gemoll 1B 5 0 1 1 .236 J.Velazquez 1B 4 0 1 0 .263 D.Clark LF 5 0 3 0 .282 N.Ortiz SS 6 1 2 1 .309 M.Kremblas CAT 4 0 0 0 .122 C.Kopitzke CAT 6 0 2 0 .248 C.Barnwell SS 5 0 1 0 .241 J.Webb PIT 3 0 2 0 .316 M.Jones PIT 2 0 0 0 .118 J.Melian PH 1 0 0 0 .250 R.Miller PIT 1 0 0 0 .250 E.Brown PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Gripp PH 1 0 0 0 .239 F.Sanchez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Dzurilla PH 1 0 0 0 .283 J.Leicester PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Cash PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 47 4 15 4 TOTALS 39 1 9 1 WEST TENN 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3- 4 15 1 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 1 9 0 E--B.Harris. DP--WEST TENN 1, HUNTSVILLE 0. LOB--WEST TENN 16, HUNTSVILLE 10. 2B--R.Sadler (9), J.Dubois (13), D.Krynzel (4), R.Paz (8), D.Clark (1). 3B--B.Gemoll (2). HR--N.Ortiz (3). SB-- J.Hamilton (7), R.Knox (16), C.Hart (8). CS--R.Knox, D.Krynzel. HBP--R.Knox. SH--D.Krynzel. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WEST TENN J.Webb 7.0 6 1 1 1 4 0 4.40 E.Brown 0.2 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.43 F.Sanchez 1.1 1 0 0 0 3 0 3.86 J.Leicester (W,3-2) 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3.52 D.Cash (S,2) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.49 HUNTSVILLE M.Jones 6.0 9 1 1 3 2 1 2.61 R.Miller 3.0 1 0 0 1 4 0 2.06 B.Adams (L,0-1) 2.0 5 3 3 2 0 0 12.71 HB--J.Webb. SO--R.Sadler, J.Powers, J.Dubois, N.Ortiz, C.Kopitzke, J.Melian, R.Knox, R.Paz 2, C.Hart, B.Gemoll, D.Clark, M.Jones, R.Gripp. BB--R.Sadler, J.Hamilton, J.Powers, J.Dubois, J.Velazquez 2, D.Krynzel, C.Hart, M.Kremblas. T--3:16. A--2013

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...?newsid=77

[madjeff66]

Jones has a wacky pitching line. 9 hits, 3 walks in 6 innings and the only run comes on a solo HR. W.Tenn's RISP Ave. must have been ugly.

[MassBrew]

Rochester (Twins) 6, Indianapolis 4

Indians rallied for two in the ninth and had the winning run at the plate, but PH Jason Conti hit a fly ball to end it (sorry, I mentioned it was Steve Scarborough earlier). Indy just didn't do much of anything to please the home crowd as a new homestand began -- they made former teammate Everett Stull, who's scuffled all season, look strong as their first base hit, a Keith Luuloa HR, didn't come until the 5th. Wilton Veras and Steve Scarborough made key errors on easy ground balls. There was a critical strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out DP in the 7th. Jayson Durocher pitched scoreless ball, and is all set to be activated.

 

Not often that I commit to an Indy broadcast; Pete Zoccolillo walked three times, and we learned that his dad is the long-time college coach at Iona:

 

www.iona.edu/gaels/coache...coachid=68

 

I'll get a chance to catch a couple of Indy games at Pawtucket in late June, and while it likely won't be a traditional Brewerfan.net interview, I do hope to track down Zocco for a quick Q&A.

[MassBrew]

High Desert announcer Mike Lindskog reported tonight that Maverick hitting coach Rich Morales tendered his resignation over this past weekend, citing personal reasons. He is no longer with the club, and the Brewers have yet to name a replacement.

 

Morales was with High Desert this year and last. Say what you will about the optimum batting conditions in Adelanto, Maverick batters have enjoyed success during his tenure, including this year's crew, despite struggles over the past week or so.

[MassBrew]

Beloit 6, Battle Creek (Yankees) 0

LHP Jeff Housman already had a 1.86 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00 prior to this game. Still only 21 years old, what a bonus it would be if he emerges as a viable top prospect along with the other three starters scheduled for this series, listed below. It's amazing that this staff has four legitimate rotation stars this season despite the injuries to Calvin Carpenter and Khalid Ballouli.

 

Here's the Game Summary from the Battle Creek site:

Might be tough to get much of anything from a Beloit perspective for this road game -- we'll see what Tuesday's newspaper accounts give us...

 

The Beloit Snappers snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 6-0 victory over the Battle Creek Yankees in a Midwest League baseball game Monday night at C.O. Brown Stadium. Game 2 of the four-game series is Tuesday night.

 

The Snappers had lost 11 of their last 12 games heading into the game. But they scored one run in the first inning and never trailed.

 

Battle Creek starter Anderson Garcia (1-4) dropped his fourth straight start.

 

Juan Camacho led the Yankees with two hits. The third baseman is hitting .341 in his last 12 games, boosting his average from .207 to .243.

 

Beloit starter Jeff Housman (1-3) picked up his first win of the season.

 

BATTLE CREEK vs. BELOIT

Tue ? RHP Jose Garcia (4-3, 1.98) vs. LHP Manny Parra (3-1, 2.50)

Wed ? RHP Jeremy King (4-4, 3.41) vs. RHP Tom Wilhelmsen (4-2, 2.03)

Thu ? RHP Jose Valdez (5-2, 3.38) vs. RHP Dennis Sarfate (3-2, 2.06)

[MassBrew]

Indy Site Game Summary:

 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Behind a homecoming of sorts by starting pitcher Everett Stull, the Rochester Red Wings (21-27) defeated the Indianapolis Indians (17-31) 6-4 Monday night at Victory Field. Stull, who was 11-11 with the Indians in 2002, pitched 5.2 innings for Rochester to record his fourth win of the season.

 

Justin Morneau provided an early power source for the Red Wings courtesy of a two-run home run deep to right field off of Tribe starting pitcher Travis Miller. It was the second spot start of the season for Miller (1-1), as he lasted a season high 4.0 innings surrendering nine hits and three runs to take his first loss of the season.

 

Stull (4-6) walked Tribe leadoff hitter Mark Budzinski to open the bottom half of the first inning, but then proceeded to retire the next 12 Indians batters before Pete Zoccolillo led off the fifth by drawing one of his three walks of the ballgame. Following Zoccolillo, Keith Luuloa blasted a Stull offering down the left field line clearing the lawn area for his fourth home run on the season to bring the Indians to within 5-2.

 

The Tribe threatened in the sixth, seventh, and ninth innings, bringing the tying or go-ahead runs to the plate, but were unable to overcome the deficit.

 

In the sixth, Luuloa came to the plate representing the tying run, but was retired on strikes by Red Wings reliever Jeremy Palki to end the inning and the threat. Palki again was able to get out of trouble in the seventh after back-to-back singles by Joe Lawrence and Wilton Veras put runners on first and second with one out, but Palki struck out Budzinski and Red Wing catcher Brandon Marsters gunned down Lawrence attempting to steal third base on the play to end the inning.

 

Rochester added an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning before Todd Erdos came on for the team in the ninth. The Tribe plated two runs on Erdos with an RBI groundout by Cody McKay and an RBI single by Budzinski, but with two outs and runners on first and second, Jason Conti pinch hit for Steve Scarborough and flew out to left field to end the game.

 

The Indians and Red Wings will play the second game of a four-game series on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when lefty Nate Teut (1-2, 3.18) takes the mound for the Indians to face righthander Adam Johnson (1-5, 9.22) for Rochester.

[MassBrew]

In progress: High Desert 0, Stockton (Rangers) 0, after 3.5 innings

 

The first eleven High Desert batters went down quietly. Meanwhile, RHP Jeff Robinson has allowed four base hits and two walks, but has managed to strand two baserunners in each of the first three innings. In the Maverick fourth, all with two outs, Jason Belcher and Froilan Villanueva singled and Mark Enster walked to load the bases, but Dan Boyd grounded out to end the threat in a ballpark where the conditions are the complete opposite of Friendly Mavericks Stadium.

 

Update EDIT: High Desert 1, Stockton 1, after seven innings

 

Brian Foster an RBI double in the 7th; Justin Gordon with three scoreless innings in relief thus far on his 24th birthday...

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Box Score:

Yeah, that's Chad Green with three hits for Rochester, the failed Brewer #1 pick still hangin' on at AAA...

 GAME DATE: 5/26/03 ROCHESTER 6 AT INDIANAPOLIS 4 YTD YTD ROCHESTER AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG L.Ford LF 5 0 1 1 .325 M.Budzinski CF 4 0 1 1 .256 C.Green CF 5 1 3 0 .259 S.Scarboroug SS 4 0 0 0 .142 M.Cuddyer 1B 4 1 1 0 .377 J.Conti PH 1 0 0 0 .230 J.Morneau DH 5 2 3 3 .337 J.Rushford 1B 4 0 1 0 .233 M.Restovich RF 5 1 0 0 .260 M.Smith RF 4 0 0 0 .309 D.Lamb SS 5 0 3 2 .293 P.Zoccolillo LF 1 2 0 0 .252 L.Rodriguez 2B 5 1 1 0 .271 K.Luuloa DH 4 2 2 2 .267 K.Connacher 3B 5 0 1 0 .200 C.McKay CAT 4 0 0 1 .172 B.Marsters CAT 4 0 2 0 .301 J.Lawrence 2B 4 0 1 0 .211 E.Stull PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Veras 3B 3 0 2 0 .227 J.Palki PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Miller PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Nakamura PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Marquez PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 T.Erdos PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Durocher PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Kolb PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 43 6 15 6 TOTALS 33 4 7 4 ROCHESTER 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1- 6 15 0 INDIANAPOLIS 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2- 4 7 2 E--S.Scarboroug, W.Veras. DP--ROCHESTER 1, INDIANAPOLIS 0. LOB-- ROCHESTER 11, INDIANAPOLIS 7. 2B--M.Cuddyer (4), L.Rodriguez (12), K.Luuloa (10). HR--J.Morneau (9), K.Luuloa (4). SB--M.Budzinski (6), M.Smith (3). CS--J.Lawrence. HBP--W.Veras. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA ROCHESTER E.Stull (W,4-6) 5.2 3 2 2 3 3 1 5.97 J.Palki 1.1 2 0 0 0 3 0 5.65 M.Nakamura 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.21 T.Erdos 1.0 2 2 2 1 0 0 1.93 INDIANAPOLIS T.Miller (L,0-1) 4.0 9 3 3 0 2 1 9.64 R.Marquez 1.0 2 2 1 0 0 0 3.95 J.Durocher 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3.00 D.Kolb 3.0 4 1 1 0 2 0 1.37 HB--T.Erdos. WP--E.Stull, T.Erdos, D.Kolb. SO--L.Ford 2, J.Morneau, M.Restovich, K.Connacher, B.Marsters, M.Budzinski 2, S.Scarboroug, J.Rushford 2, K.Luuloa, C.McKay. BB--M.Cuddyer, M.Budzinski, P.Zoccolillo 3. T--2:50. A--6833

[MassBrew]

Beloit Box Score:

LHP's Jeff Housman and Craig Breslow combine on a dominant effort; Mario Mendez the hitting star; Kennard Bibbs manages to score three runs despite an 0-for-3 evening at the plate -- see what a couple of walks can do!...

 GAME DATE: 5/26/03 BELOIT 6 AT BATTLE CREEK 0 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG BATTLE CREEK AB R H BI AVG K.Bibbs LF 3 3 0 0 .259 G.Lopez 2B 4 0 1 0 .252 C.Terni SS 4 0 1 1 .267 W.Vasquez DH 2 0 0 0 .252 J.Eure 3B 4 0 0 0 .240 E.Andrus PH 1 0 0 0 .000 P.Fielder 1B 4 0 1 0 .280 J.Drobiak 1B 2 0 0 0 .287 T.Hinton DH 4 0 0 0 .192 A.Nunez 1B 2 0 0 0 .163 S.Moss CF 2 1 0 0 .244 M.Carson RF 4 0 1 0 .295 J.VandenBrg CAT 3 1 1 0 .246 E.Verbryke LF 3 0 0 0 .218 M.Mendez RF 4 1 3 1 .262 R.Guillen CF 3 0 0 0 .272 C.Crabbe 2B 3 0 0 1 .178 J.Camacho 3B 3 0 2 0 .243 J.Housman PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Rojas CAT 3 0 1 0 .214 C.Breslow PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Arias SS 3 0 0 0 .230 A.Garcia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Markray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Saldana PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Acosta PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 31 6 6 3 TOTALS 30 0 5 0 BELOIT 1 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0- 6 6 0 BATTLE CREEK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 5 2 E--J.Arias, A.Garcia. DP--BELOIT 2, BATTLE CREEK 1. LOB--BELOIT 5, BATTLE CREEK 4. SB--K.Bibbs (23), M.Mendez (2). SF--C.Crabbe. SH-- C.Terni. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT J.Housman (W,1-3) 7.0 4 0 0 1 2 0 1.58 C.Breslow 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.38 BATTLE CREEK A.Garcia (L,1-4) 3.2 5 6 5 3 4 0 3.35 T.Markray 3.1 1 0 0 1 1 0 3.47 J.Saldana 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4.74 M.Acosta 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 6.35 WP--A.Garcia. BALKS--A.Garcia. SO--C.Terni 2, J.Eure, P.Fielder, T.Hinton, S.Moss, W.Vasquez, E.Andrus, E.Verbryke, J.Camacho. BB-- K.Bibbs 2, S.Moss 2, J.VandenBrg, W.Vasquez. T--2:22. A--872

[MassBrew]

Final: Stockton (Rangers) 2, High Desert 1

 

Mavs blow ideal chances in both the eighth and ninth innings; in the bottom of the ninth, Stockton got a one-out triple (officially a triple, but more like a double played into one). Manager Tim Blackwell ordered Justin Gordon to issue two intentional passes to load the bases, and then brought in RHP Bobby Bystrowski. After going 2-0 on the next batter, catcher Brian Foster misplayed the third pitch (which was inside). Mavs lose on the passed ball, but it was going to be tough to work out of trouble on a 3-0 count regardless.

 

Very tough loss, but an interesting listen...

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Star Game Story:

At least we get a picture confirming Pete Zoccolillo's last name fits on his uniform....

 

www.indystar.com/print/ar...1-036.html

[MassBrew]

High Desert Site Game Summary:

 

STOCKTON, CA ? The High Desert Mavericks dropped their fifth straight game on Monday night, losing the opening game of a nine-game road trip to the Stockton Ports by a final score of 2-1.

 

The Ports scored the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth as Jason Bourgeios crossed home plate on what was ruled to be a passed ball by Mavs catcher Brian Foster. With the bases loaded and one out, Bobby Bystrowski was summoned out of the bullpen to face Zack Roper. Bystrowski missed with his first two pitches to Roper to make the count 2-0. Bystrowski?s next pitch was high and inside to the right-handed hitting Roper, grazing the mitt of Foster towards the Stockton dugout. By the time Foster tracked down the ball, Bourgeios had scored to end the game without a throw to the plate.

 

The Mavs missed out on two scoring opportunities in the eighth and ninth. Tied at 1-1, Johnny Raburn walked and reached third after stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error by catcher Scott Heard with one out. Jason Belcher then popped up and Froilan Villanueva grounded out to end the threat.

 

In the ninth, Mark Ernster was hit by a pitch from Richard Gilbert (4-0) to lead off the inning. Dan Boyd?s sacrifice bunt in front of home plate was misplayed by the catcher Heard, as his throw to second was off the mark, putting the first two men on with no outs. Todd West struck out for the first out of the ninth, then the Mavs pulled off the double steal to put runners at second and third with only one out. Foster then struck out and Ozzie Chavez grounded out to again end the rally.

 

In the bottom of the ninth, Justin Gordon started the inning by retiring Drew Meyer on a ground ball. Bourgeios tripled to left field with one out, which forced Gordon to issue two intentional walks to load the bases. Gordon (1-2) was saddled with the loss, despite allowing just one unearned run in 4.1 innings of relief.

 

Mavs starter Jeff Robinson allowed just one run in four innings of work. Christopher Stringfellow?s two-out RBI single put the Ports up 1-0 in the fourth.

 

The Mavs got even in the seventh when Boyd doubled with one out and scored on Foster?s two-out double off Ports reliever Jose Dominguez.

 

The Mavs were led by Belcher who had two of their five hits. The Mavs have just eight runs on 24 hits over their last four games.

 

With the loss the Mavs tie their season-worst at ten games under .500 at 21-31, but are still just 7.5 games back of Division-leading Lancaster in the South Division.

 

The Ports remain in first place in the North Division and are 9-2 in their last 11 games.

 

The Mavs send Chris Saenz (4-4) to the hill on Tuesday night as the Mavs look to end their five-game skid in Stockton. The Ports will throw Jason Andrew (5-4). Game time is at 7:05 (9:05 Central).

 

High Desert Box Score:

Belcher and Boyd continue to impress at the plate (.387 and .395 OBP, respectively); they should make up 2/3 of Huntsville's OF in 2004...

 GAME DATE: 5/26/03 HIGH DESERT 1 AT STOCKTON 2 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG STOCKTON AB R H BI AVG J.Raburn 3B 3 0 0 0 .286 D.Meyer SS 4 0 2 0 .246 C.Morris CF 4 0 0 0 .251 J.Bourgeois 2B 4 1 2 0 .331 J.Belcher RF 4 0 2 0 .337 J.Botts 1B 3 0 2 0 .320 F.Villanueva 1B 4 0 1 0 .306 G.Raymundo 3B 4 0 0 0 .335 M.Ernster DH 2 0 0 0 .286 Z.Roper DH 3 0 0 0 .287 D.Boyd LF 3 1 1 0 .322 J.Dill RF 3 0 0 0 .250 T.West 2B 4 0 0 0 .259 R.Eldridge LF 3 1 1 0 .291 B.Foster CAT 4 0 1 1 .224 S.Heard CAT 4 0 0 0 .257 O.Chavez SS 4 0 0 0 .219 C.Strngfelow CF 4 0 2 1 .292 J.Robinson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Keiter PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gordon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Rowe PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Bystrowski PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Dominguez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Gilbert PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 32 1 5 1 TOTALS 32 2 9 1 HIGH DESERT 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0- 1 5 0 STOCKTON 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1- 2 9 2 E--S.Heard 2. DP--HIGH DESERT 1, STOCKTON 0. LOB--HIGH DESERT 8, STOCKTON 13. 2B--D.Boyd (13), B.Foster (6). 3B--J.Bourgeois (2). SB--J.Raburn (15), M.Ernster (4), D.Boyd (3). CS--J.Bourgeois. HBP--M.Ernster. SH--D.Boyd. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT J.Robinson 4.0 6 1 1 3 2 0 1.29 J.Gordon (L,1-2) 4.1 3 1 0 5 3 0 6.00 B.Bystrowski 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.35 STOCKTON B.Keiter 4.0 2 0 0 1 3 0 1.46 S.Rowe 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.39 J.Dominguez 3.0 3 1 1 1 4 0 3.54 R.Gilbert (W,4-0) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4.81 HB--R.Gilbert. PB--B.Foster. SO--J.Raburn, C.Morris 2, F.Villanueva, D.Boyd, T.West 3, B.Foster 2, O.Chavez, D.Meyer, Z.Roper, J.Dill 2, R.Eldridge. BB--J.Raburn, M.Ernster, D.Meyer, J.Bourgeois, J.Botts 2, G.Raymundo, Z.Roper, J.Dill, R.Eldridge. T--2:45. A--644

[MassBrew]

David Weiser's Huntsville Update:

 

26 LOB

It seemed this just wasn't the day the key hit was going to come. Not for Jackson. Not for the Stars......... Mike Jones gave the Diamond Jaxx 9 hits and a walk to work with in 6 innings. In the first inning, they set the tone for the game by leaving the bases loaded...... They tried to tire Jonesy out. 49 pitches in 3 innings. He expended a 95-pitch limit in six innings........ Even with every advantage, the Jaxx managed just one run, that on a 2nd inning home run by Nick Ortiz. They had left 11 runners on base, six in scoring position, all with two out.........

 

I guess it says a lot about the Stars' never-say-die ability. Jonesy would come back each inning and get the out he needed......... Defensive plays by Chris Barnwell and Corey Hart, in particular, stretched this game into extra innings. In the 10th, Barnwell caught a pop-up on the outfield grass with his back behind the plate, with Ryan Knox and David Krynzel coming on, preventing Nick Ortiz from advancing from third after Casey Koptizke's one-out single........ Hart's fielding ability at third base continues to improve by bounds. He had a couple of fielding gems, one on a line drive off the bat of Brendan Harris in the 3rd. Most of Corey's mistakes, I've witnessed, comes when he tries to throw the ball to first. That's the adventure with Corey.

 

When it came to opportunites, the Stars were no better. They were just plain frustrating to watch from my top row seat behind home plate........ Had Knox stolen 2nd base successfully in the 1st inning after getting hit on the ass by John Webb's first pitch (Ryan didn't like it either. He stared down the pitcher as umpire Ria Cortesion escorted him to first), the game may have just been a regular 9-inning affair. Richard Paz would double before Hart ended the 1st by striking out.........

 

Webb was killing the Stars with a befuddling curve ball that would just drop off the table and frustrate our hitters on this cloudy, but comfortable day......... In the 4th inning, Krynzel hit a lead-off double to left and went to third on Paz's grounder, but he was stranded, as Hart and Brandon Gemoll never got the ball out of the infield......... Gemoll would drive in the Stars only run in the 6th inning on a 2-out triple that scored Hart, who had singled up the middle before him. It was Brandon's 2nd triple of the season and his 18th extra-base hit of the year, 2nd on the club to Corey Hart......... Brandon had a chance in the 8th inning to be the game's hero with Knox and Hart in scoring position after a double steal, something that is becoming very commonplace on this club, but Gemoll struck out on a 3-2 pitch, chasing a ball outside the corner.......

 

The next time the Stars would have a situation with two runners on base would be with two out in the 11th inning. Too little, too late....... Daryl Clark, who had his first extra-base hit as a Star and his first 3-hit game, singled to center to keep the game alive. Mike Kremblas, 3-for-33 now in May, hit a routine grounder to Nick Ortiz, but Ortiz dropped the ball -- the only error in the game and runners were on 1st and 2nd for Barnwell, but Barney on a 2-1 pitch, popped the ball up on the infield and Ortiz put the ball away to end the game.

 

In the end, 26 total runners left on base, 14 of them in scoring position, 7 each for each side...... Brian Adams, who threw 3 scoreless innings at Pringles Park against this team, had another disaster, pitching to 12 batters in 2 innings, constantly getting behind hitters and unable to get the first strike. The home crowd was constantly on his ass, cheering in mock praise when he got a pitch over..... In 2 2/3 innings of work in this series, Adams gave up 11 hits, 4 walks, and 10 runs (8 earned)....... The final blow was a 3-run bouncing double over the third base bag and down the left field line by Jason Dubois after Adams opened the 11th by loading the bases on singles by Jon Hamilton and Brendan Harris, and a walk on four pitches, the last pitch intentionally, to John Powers....... Dubois, the 5th leading hitter in the SL, has a .341 average against the Stars with 9 RBIs.

 

With the rainout of the Barons in Mobile, the Stars now hold a thin one game lead in the Western Division....... Still a darn sight better than where they were last year, when they were hopelessly in last place, 9½ games back with a 19-29 record....... The Stars are now 26-21 and they take that record to Hoover Met on Tuesday to start a four-game series with the Barons, where they've fared 8-13 since 2001....... Venerable, ancient right-hander Tetsu Yofu (3-1, 2.43) will take his plate of cottage cheese and serve it up against Matt Parker (2-1, 2.27), making his first start for the Stars since last July........ Don't forget Stars fans, Matt was a starter for High Desert two years ago. With the loss of Ben Diggins, who is out for the next two months, perhaps longer, and Ben Hendrickson, Parker may be a part of this rotation........ Diggins, incidentally, has opted to rehab his arm in Arizona, rather than go for surgery.

 

The Stars newest pitcher, 28-year old right-hander Ken Ray, will be wearing uniform #47. He was warming up in the pen in the 11th inning today, while the Stars were getting their last licks at the plate......

 

Dave Krynzel was thrown out attempting to steal for the 12th time this season. That's 17 times in two seasons, tying him with Toby Kominek for 13th on the Stars' all-time list, still far away from the leader Kerwin Moore with 33........ Dave did, however, extend his hitting streak to 9 games and is 16-for-36 (.444) with 7 steals in 11 attempts during the streak........ The Stars stole 16 bases in 18 attempts in this series, which could be a record. I'm going to look into this, although it'll be ancient history when I do find out........ The Stars should stay away from the park on Mondays. They are now 0-7....... Corey Hart is 16-for-37 (.432) with 8 RBIs in his last 10 games....... Daryl Clark has come alive. He is 9-for-24 (.375) in his last 6 games and 7-for-16 (.438) in his last 4 games, raising his average to a respectable .282....... Though Mike Jones had his 3rd no-decision start in his last 4 games, he owns a 1.64 ERA this month with 23 Ks and 11 BBs in 33 IP. He'll likely have one more start this month........ The Stars have scored only 9 runs in the 9th inning in 47 games this year, yielding 20 to their opponents.

 

The feedback on Montgomery's new nickname, the "Biscuits" is running 90% negative on polls and on Montgomery's forum on www.al.com.........The name was chosen by owners Tom Dickson and Sherrie Myers among more than 3,000 entries in a fan contest........ The announcement was made on the main stage of the Jubilee City Fest to mixed reaction from more than 10,000 people in attendance....... The Biscuits will be affiliated with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

[MassBrew]

Daily Menu for Tuesday:

 

For once, the Brewers go up against the High Desert broadcast. So take in an appetizer before-hand -- contributions you make to the Link Report after you've listened in are always welcome...

 

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

 

INDIANAPOLIS: LHP Nate Teut at home vs. Rochester (Twins), 7:00 PM

 

HUNTSVILLE: RHP Matt Parker at Birmingham (White Sox), 7:00 PM

 

HIGH DESERT: RHP Chris Saenz at Stockton (Rangers), 9:05 PM

 

BELOIT: LHP Manny Parra at Battle Creek (Yankees), 6:00 PM, the home team's audio available at www.battlecreekyankees.com

[MassBrew]

As promised, we track down some nice Beloit game details in the Battle Creek paper:

 

www.battlecreekenquirer.c...71132.html

[Al the Thinking Man]

Yeah, that's Chad Green with three hits for Rochester, the failed Brewer #1 pick still hangin' on at AAA...

 

And hitting .259, for that matter. He's a tremondous athlete, if he could just have an average OBP (.330ish), he'd be a cheap option as a reserve OF for a few years. However, he has had trouble even approaching that number.

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Times Game Story:

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...013180.xml

[MassBrew]

Montanabowlegs, I think this is the Beloit link you were trying to pass on, but it was failing. It's not a first-hand account, as the Beloit Daily News pretty much re-hashes the box score on road games, but if there's an extra nugget here for someone, that's fine:

 

www.beloitdailynews.com/503/snap27.htm