Link Report for Games of Tuesday, April 29th

[bork]

Huntsville 6, Greenville (Braves) 3

 

Looks like the Stars bats came alive at the end. Derek Lee with the win, is he back in the bullpen or did he start instead of Diggins? I couldn't get the audio to work, so I couldn't listen.

[DHonks]

Huntsville Box Score:

Nice to see Diggins do well again, although the walks might indicate that he didn't have his best stuff. Lee with more outstanding relief work. And perhaps more impressive is that with Guerrero getting a PH hit, the pitcher's spot went 3-4. Also with that is that Guerrero has been relatively hot lately.

 GAME DATE: 4/29/03 GREENVILLE 2 AT HUNTSVILLE 6 YTD YTD GREENVILLE AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG P.Orr 3B 5 0 0 0 .333 C.Cosbey RF 5 0 0 0 .290 R.Langerhans CF 4 0 2 1 .308 D.Krynzel CF 4 0 1 0 .274 A.LaRoche 1B 4 0 2 1 .286 R.Knox LF 3 1 0 0 .250 B.McCarthy LF 3 0 0 0 .234 B.Gemoll 1B 4 2 2 0 .250 C.Aldridge RF 4 0 0 0 .256 R.Gripp 3B 3 2 2 3 .196 K.Takeoka PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Paz 2B 3 1 2 2 .271 K.Johnson SS 4 0 0 0 .250 J.Alvarado CAT 4 0 2 1 .167 R.Lewis 2B 2 1 2 0 .239 C.Barnwell SS 4 0 0 0 .190 S.McConnell PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Diggins PIT 1 0 1 0 .500 J.Fitzgerald RF 1 1 1 0 .250 C.Guerrero PH 1 0 1 0 .221 B.Terveen CAT 4 0 3 0 .219 D.Lee PIT 2 0 1 0 .500 B.Evert PIT 2 0 0 0 .375 M.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.De Renne 2B 2 0 0 0 .128 TOTALS 35 2 10 2 TOTALS 34 6 12 6 GREENVILLE 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1- 2 10 1 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 X- 6 12 0 E--R.Langerhans. DP--GREENVILLE 1, HUNTSVILLE 1. LOB--GREENVILLE 10, HUNTSVILLE 7. 2B--R.Paz (3), C.Guerrero (4). HR--R.Gripp (1). CS-- R.Langerhans, R.Lewis, J.Alvarado. HBP--R.Knox, R.Gripp. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA GREENVILLE B.Evert (L,1-3) 5.0 7 3 3 0 4 1 4.03 S.McConnell 2.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 K.Takeoka 1.0 5 3 3 0 0 0 9.00 HUNTSVILLE B.Diggins 5.0 6 1 1 3 4 0 2.02 D.Lee (W,3-0) 3.0 1 0 0 1 5 0 2.14 M.Childers 1.0 3 1 1 0 2 0 1.40 HB--B.Evert 2. PB--J.Alvarado. SO--P.Orr 2, R.Langerhans, A.LaRoche, C.Aldridge, K.Johnson 2, B.Terveen, B.Evert, K.De Renne 2, D.Krynzel, R.Gripp, J.Alvarado, C.Barnwell. BB--R.Langerhans, A.LaRoche, B.McCarthy, R.Lewis, R.Paz. T--2:51. A--1590

[MassBrew]

Thanks for kicking off the Link Report, guys.

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...?newsid=50

[MassBrew]

Updated items from the Indianapolis Media Notes:

 

TONIGHT: The Indians welcome the Louisville Bats to Victory Field for the first time in 2003. The teams met last week in Louisville with the Bats winning two of three. The Tribe's season highs in runs (9) and hits (14) came against the Bats in that series.

 

The Bats are managed by Dave Miley. Miley skippered the Indians from 1996-1999 going 314-261 (.546). He has the sixth-most wins in Indians history.

 

Last season, the Indians were 7-9 against Louisville. The teams split the eight games played at Victory Field.

 

The Indians face a left-handed starter for the second of three straight games. The Indians are 0-6 when a southpaw starts against them although they hit better against lefties than against righties (.233 vs. .215). Joe Lawrence (.357), Mark Smith (.350), Scott Seabol (.308), Wilton Veras (.286) and Bill Hall (.273) are the Tribe's top batters against lefthanders.

 

ON THE MOUND: Righthander Pascual Coco makes his fifth start tonight. He faced Louisville in his most recent start on April 22 and took the loss allowing four runs in 4.2 innings. Coco pitched three-hit, shutout ball through the first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth.

 

HANGING IT UP: Infielder Lee Stevens will retire after Wednesday's game. Stevens, who hit the first home run at Victory Field on July 11, 1996, will be honored in a brief pre-game ceremony.

 

LEAGUE LEADER: Ruben Quevedo's five shutout innings Sunday improved his ERA to 2.10. He ranks ninth in the IL.

 

UPCOMING PROBABLES:

Wednesday vs. Louisville - LHP Jimmy Anderson (0-0, 9.00) vs. RHP Mark Guerra (0-2, 5.03)

Thursday at Richmond - RHP Francisco Campos (1-2, 7.48) vs. RHP Chris Fussell (2-1, 2.13)

Friday at Richmond - RHP Ruben Quevedo (2-1, 2.10) vs. TBA

Saturday at Richmond - RHP David Manning (0-0, 3.27) vs. TBA

[MassBrew]

J.J. Hardy resting his hip again today, but SportsTicker managed to still chime in on the Huntsville shortstop:

 

HARDY HITTIN' 'EM HARD

Milwaukee Brewers Class AA shortstop J.J. Hardy began the season with a 10-game hitting streak and is hitting .333 through his first 20 games. Hitting for average isn't surprising for the 20-year-old Hardy, who batted .293 in the Class A California League last year before being promoted to the Southern League. Hitting for power, on the other hand, is.

 

Hardy, who worked tirelessly during the offseason on building up his strength, has seen his efforts pay off thus far. Through April 24, he was second in the Southern League with 12 extra-base hits.

 

After managing only seven home runs in 580 at-bats between the two levels last season, Hardy has already homered four times, including his first career two-homer game on April 18 against the Birmingham Barons, in 2003. Hardy, the Brewers' second-round pick in 2001, was also fourth in the league in on-base percentage (.438), drawing 15 walks while striking out only nine times. Hitting the ball hard to all fields, exhibiting good speed despite not having a stolen base and playing well at shortstop, Hardy is emerging as Milwaukee's best middle infield prospect.

 

SportsTicker also noted that at the end of last week, High Desert OF Daryl Clark led all of minor league baseball in hits and HR's, and Huntsville RHP Ben Diggins was tied for the most innings pitched (five more today) among all minor league pitchers.

[MassBrew]

Louisville (Reds) 7, Indianapolis 2

Maybe if Cecil Cooper were allowed to hit...

 

Indy Site Game Summary:

Wouldn't be too happy to be an Indy season ticket holder right about now; bad and boring is not a good combination...

 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Brandon Larson belted two solo home runs, and Corky Miller added a two-run shot as the Louisville Bats defeated the Indianapolis Indians 7-2 at Victory Field Tuesday night.

 

The Bats, who league the International League with 29 errors, committed four miscues but the Tribe capitalized with just one unearned run.

 

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second, Indianapolis' Lee Stevens and Scott Seabol reached on errors on back-to-back plays. Two batters later, Cody McKay's grounder scored Stevens to tie the game.

 

Larson's first home run at Triple-A this season put Louisville (14-9) in the lead for good in the fourth inning.

 

The Bats then extended the lead to 5-1 with three runs in the seventh. Miller's homer capped the inning and chased Tribe starter Pascual Coco (1-4) who had allowed just two runs on five hits over the first six frames.

 

Larson's second homer of the game made it 6-1 in the top of the seventh.

 

The Tribe's final run came in the bottom of the inning when Jason Conti greeted reliever Jose Acevedo's first pitch with a home run over the right field wall. It was Conti's second long ball of the season.

 

Lance Davis (2-2) allowed just one unearned run on two hits and two walks over seven innings to earn the win.

 

The Indians (8-15) wrap up the homestand against Louisville on Wednesday afternoon at 12:30. Mark Guerra (0-2) takes on Louisville's Jimmy Anderson (0-0).

 

Indianapolis Boxscore:

 GAME DATE: 4/29/03 LOUISVILLE 7 AT INDIANAPOLIS 2 YTD YTD LOUISVILLE AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG W.Guerrero 2B 4 0 0 0 .268 J.Lawrence CAT 1 0 0 0 .217 W.Guerrero LF 1 0 0 0 .268 J.Lawrence LF 3 0 0 0 .217 J.Maxwell 2B 0 0 0 0 .338 J.Conti CF 4 1 1 1 .203 J.Maxwell SS 4 0 0 0 .338 M.Smith RF 4 0 1 0 .328 R.Branyan LF 4 0 0 0 .364 L.Stevens 1B 4 1 1 0 .300 J.Acevedo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Seabol 3B 4 0 1 0 .231 B.Larson 3B 4 2 3 2 .348 K.Luuloa 2B 2 0 0 0 .148 J.Cruz RF 3 1 1 0 .368 C.McKay CAT 3 0 0 1 .138 F.Crespo 1B 3 1 3 0 .310 M.Buddie PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Brown CF 4 1 2 2 .250 P.Zoccolillo PH 1 0 0 0 .264 C.Miller CAT 3 2 1 2 .224 B.Hall SS 3 0 0 0 .156 L.Davis PIT 3 0 0 0 .000 P.Coco PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 K.Dransfeldt SS 1 0 1 1 .294 M.Budzinski LF 2 0 0 0 .333 TOTALS 34 7 11 7 TOTALS 33 2 4 2 LOUISVILLE 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 1- 7 11 4 INDIANAPOLIS 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0- 2 4 0 E--J.Maxwell, B.Larson, F.Crespo, C.Miller. DP--LOUISVILLE 1, INDIANAPOLIS 1. LOB--LOUISVILLE 3, INDIANAPOLIS 7. 2B--J.Cruz (4), E.Brown (5), K.Dransfeldt (4). HR--B.Larson 2 (2), C.Miller (2), J.Conti (2). SB--E.Brown (3), K.Luuloa (1). CS--F.Crespo. SH--F.Crespo. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA LOUISVILLE L.Davis (W,2-2) 7.0 2 1 0 2 3 0 2.86 J.Acevedo 2.0 2 1 1 1 2 1 3.52 INDIANAPOLIS P.Coco (L,1-4) 6.1 8 5 5 1 3 2 5.76 M.Buddie 2.2 3 2 1 1 3 1 3.78 PB--J.Lawrence. SO--W.Guerrero, R.Branyan 2, B.Larson, E.Brown, L.Davis, J.Lawrence, C.McKay, P.Zoccolillo, B.Hall, P.Coco. BB-- J.Cruz, C.Miller, K.Luuloa 2, B.Hall. T--2:29. A--4769

[MassBrew]

Beloit 1, Quad City (Twins) 0, 12 innings

Yes! We need some good vibes around here after another tough Brewer loss...

 

Game Summary from the River Bandits' site:

 

The Quad City River Bandtis held the Beloit Snappers scoreless for 11 innings on Tuesday night before allowing a run in the 12th as they well 1-0 at Pohlman Field. It was the first extra-inning loss in four tries for the River Bandits, who defeated Beloit 5-4 in 11 innings on Monday.

 

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the 12th, Erik Lohse surrendered a one-out single to Jeff Eure. John Vanden Berg follwed with an infield single to the hole on the left side. But Lohse came up strong, coaxing a lineout to right from Travis Hinton for the second out of the inning. But, with two outs, Mario Mendez hit a line drive towards Quad City leftfielder Kaulana Kuhaulua. Kuhaulua, playing left for the fifth time of his career, came charging on, only to see the ball sail over his head to bring home Eure and send the Snappers to a dramatic win.

 

T.J. Prunty contributed another outstanding performance for Quad City. He pitched a River Bandits season-high seven innings, allowing just two singles and striking out four. Only once did Beloit get a runner into scoring position. After a leadoff single in the seventh inning, Chas Terni wound up at third base with two outs. But Prunty struck out Eure on a nasty breaking ball, closing out a seven-inning shutout performance.

 

Beloit?s Jeff Housman, in as a spot starter for the injured Calvin Carpenter, lasting six scoreless innings in his first start for the Snappers. Housman struck out five and walked two.

 

The River Bandits? best chance in regulation came in the eighth inning. Scott Whitrock led off with a bunt single down the first base line, and took second on a Trent Oeltjen bunt. But Craig Breslow struck out Felix Molina and Seth Davidson to end the threat and keep the game scoreless.

 

Peter Tautor was similarly dominant in relief of Prunty. In his third professional appearance, the Australian righty struck out three in two scoreless inning. He did not allow a base hit.

 

The Bandits threatened in the top of the tenth, when Danny Matienzo walked to lead off the frame. Pinch runner swiped second base, and took third as the throw trickled into center field. After Omar Burgos struck out, a River Bandits squeeze attempt failed, and the Bandits went down scoreless.

 

Lohse pitched out of a major jam in the bottom of the 11th. With one away, Nic Carter singled into right field. Carter swiped second base, and then Kennard Bibbs came up with an infield single to the right side. But Lohse struck out Terni and coaxed a soft groundball to short from Callix Crabbe to keep Beloit off the board.

 

UP NEXT: The River Bandits take on the Snappers in the final game of the three-game series Wednesday night. Eric Fischer (0-3, 6.63) starts against lefty Manny Parra (1-0, 3.57). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30.

 

OK, more Link Report chatter:

 

Can't wait to get a box score for the pitching lines on this one and read tomorrow afternoon's Beloit Daily News report.

 

What I like most about this Beloit squad to date is the fact that every single pitcher who has taken the mound for the Snappers thus far has contributed. We're seeing some fantastic performances from the least heralded pitchers - names like Baker, Gabriel, Housman, Mendoza, Trytten; really, you can go up and down the staff and not find a weak link.

 

Now you can add Craig Breslow to a suddenly formidable group of southpaws -- Gabriel, Housman, Mendoza, and of course, Parra.

 

This team is taking on the personality of last year's Ogden club, which is not surprising, since so many of the Raptor kids made the jump to Pohlman Field.

 

Still waiting to hear from you locals with first-hand accounts -- it's warming up, you know!

[DHonks]

hey massbrew, this is off the topic, but how do you cut and paste entire boxscores in? Whenever I try the formatting looks terrible.

[DHonks]

Here's the Beloit boxscore with its tremendous pitching lines

 

 QUAD CITY 0 AT BELOIT 1 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD QUAD CITY AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG S.Davidson SS 5 0 0 0 .279 K.Bibbs CF 5 0 1 0 .234 K.Kuhaulua LF 5 0 0 0 .226 C.Terni SS 4 0 1 0 .208 B.Kennedy CAT 5 0 0 0 .284 C.Crabbe 2B 4 0 0 0 .256 D.Gomon 1B 5 0 0 0 .159 P.Fielder 1B 5 0 0 0 .345 D.MATIENZO DH 3 0 1 0 .214 J.Eure 3B 5 1 1 0 .214 R.Perodin PR 0 0 0 0 .261 J.VandenBrg CAT 5 0 2 0 .284 O.Burgos 3B 3 0 0 0 .200 T.Hinton DH 5 0 0 0 .163 S.Whitrock RF 4 0 2 0 .284 M.Mendez RF 4 0 2 1 .310 T.Oeltjen CF 3 0 0 0 .224 N.Carter LF 4 0 1 0 .153 F.Molina 2B 3 0 0 0 .226 J.Housman PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Prunty PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Breslow PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Tautor PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Lohse PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 36 0 3 0 TOTALS 41 1 8 1 QUAD CITY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 3 0 BELOIT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 8 2 E--C.Terni 2. DP--QUAD CITY 0, BELOIT 2. LOB--QUAD CITY 4, BELOIT 8. SB--R.Perodin (4), N.Carter (5). CS--R.Perodin, M.Mendez. SH--T.Oeltjen, C.Crabbe. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA QUAD CITY T.Prunty 7.0 2 0 0 1 4 0 2.88 P.Tautor 2.0 0 0 0 1 3 0 1.69 E.Lohse (L,1-3) 2.2 6 1 1 0 4 0 8.22 BELOIT J.Housman 6.0 2 0 0 2 5 0 1.06 C.Breslow 3.0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0.00 B.Hall (W,1-1) 3.0 0 0 0 1 5 0 1.84 SO--S.Davidson, K.Kuhaulua 2, B.Kennedy 3, D.Gomon 3, D.MATIENZO, O.Burgos, S.Whitrock 2, F.Molina, K.Bibbs, C.Terni 2, P.Fielder, J.Eure 2, J.VandenBrg 2, T.Hinton 2, N.Carter. BB--D.MATIENZO, O.Burgos, F.Molina, C.Terni, M.Mendez. T--2:58. A--345 

[950opsLHcatcher]

No extra base hits in a 12 inning game? Yowsa. And how about that Jeff Housman, coming to Beloit and lighting it up after a horrendous 2002 Ogden campaign? And why isn't Bo Hall starting, for the love of baseball? In 14.2 IP, he has allowed 11 baserunners and struck out 17. It's not a stamina issue, so I'm not sure what the issue is.

[DHonks]

Lancaster (Diamondbacks) 5, High Desert 4

Here's the Mavericks' boxscore. Kade Johnson w/another homer....so what's his hitting streak at now, 5 in a row and all but two games this year? Also, good to see Morris is stealing lots of bases again and Clark did draw two walks.

 

 HIGH DESERT 4 AT LANCASTER 5 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG LANCASTER AB R H BI AVG J.Raburn SS 5 0 2 1 .323 M.Williams CF 5 1 1 0 .286 C.Morris CF 5 0 1 0 .233 J.Jones LF 5 1 3 0 .307 K.Johnson DH 4 1 1 1 .352 J.Kroeger RF 3 2 2 5 .364 D.Clark LF 2 0 0 0 .386 C.Snyder CAT 4 0 0 0 .268 M.Ernster 3B 4 1 1 0 .387 J.Stanek 1B 3 0 0 0 .232 B.Foster CAT 3 1 0 0 .259 K.Nichols DH 2 0 1 0 .274 D.Boyd RF 3 1 2 0 .250 D.Uggla 2B 4 0 1 0 .284 S.Candelaria 1B 4 0 1 1 .246 M.Santana 3B 4 0 0 0 .274 T.West 2B 3 0 0 1 .229 D.Richar SS 4 1 3 0 .329 D.Kolb PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Slaten PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Schaub PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Cramblitt PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Backsmeyer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Wells PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Sikaras PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 4 8 4 TOTALS 34 5 11 5 HIGH DESERT 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1- 4 8 0 LANCASTER 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 X- 5 11 1 E--D.Slaten. DP--HIGH DESERT 1, LANCASTER 1. LOB--HIGH DESERT 8, LANCASTER 11. 2B--M.Ernster (4), D.Richar 2 (3). HR--K.Johnson (8) , J.Kroeger 2 (3). SB--C.Morris (16), J.Jones (2), J.Kroeger (3). CS--J.Raburn. HBP--K.Johnson. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT D.Kolb (L,0-2) 4.0 7 5 5 3 3 2 8.71 G.Schaub 2.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 2.08 J.Backsmeyer 2.0 3 0 0 2 1 0 1.23 LANCASTER D.Slaten (W,3-1) 6.0 6 3 3 3 4 1 3.73 J.Cramblitt 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.54 C.Wells 0.1 2 1 1 2 1 0 1.59 P.Sikaras (S,2) 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.40 HB--D.Slaten. WP--D.Kolb. PB--C.Snyder. SO--J.Raburn, C.Morris 2, D.Clark, M.Ernster, B.Foster 2, M.Williams, J.Kroeger, J.Stanek, K.Nichols, M.Santana 2. BB--D.Clark 2, B.Foster, D.Boyd, T.West, J.Kroeger 2, C.Snyder, J.Stanek, K.Nichols 2. T--2:50. A--1139 

[950opsLHcatcher]

It would be even more impressive if Morris could draw an OBP of over .300. Heck, even with a .350 OBP, he might be closing in on 20 SB already. Anyone else rememeber (or, no longer remember) Esix Snead?

[squarepusher]

hey massbrew, this is off the topic, but how do you cut and paste entire boxscores in? Whenever I try the formatting looks terrible.

 

Put the box score in "code" quotes.... the "code" option is available on the left side of the message entry box (under "center")

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Star Game Story:

Cecil Cooper's thoughts...

 

www.indystar.com/print/ar...9-036.html

[MassBrew]

David Weiser's back at it down in Huntsville...

 

TO THE CRITICS...

Not a bad crowd on a warm summerish day at the Joe....... A few sunbathers took advantage of the Party Deck to lay out with their shades for a tan....... We've had better, but the in the last four years that Milwaukee has become an affiliate, the Stars have averaged 239,487 a season, compared to 260,453 a year in the last four seasons as an Oakland affiliate.

 

This is not the reason, this is an excuse....... Yes, city-owned Joe Davis Stadium has an extravagant $4 parking fee, which is consistent with parking downtown at the VBC, but there are ways to get around it........ Add on top of the complaints are rising concession prices, indifference and ridicule toward the Milwaukee Brewers, and the fact that going to a professional baseball game in Huntsville is simply no longer a novelty......... They should think and realize that April is not the peak month by any means for baseball attendance here. The weather is sometimes intolerable, the kids are still in school, the Youth Leagues start up, and the front office saves their biggest promotions for the summer months of June and July........ I get so tired of hearing complaints that the Stars would draw better with the Braves........ Well, we're not going to get the Braves or the Cardinals for that matter (that was a matter of bad timing. We were locked in when the Cardinals expressed interest about a year-and-a-half ago)....... It's still baseball and we're winning. So shut up and stop your whining and show some support.

 

With Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy out of the lineup, the Stars found another power source in the presence of stockily-built Ryan Gripp, who had pretty good power in the low rungs of the Cub organization...... Taking the most of his opportunity, Gripp slammed a go-ahead 3-run HR in the 6th inning, while Derek Lee took care of the rest........

 

The Stars get a day off, Wednesday, so Gripp will probably see himself back on the bench against the Lookouts, but he shook off the rust, getting his first multi-hit game since April 15 and his first hit since April 19....... With Greenville starter Brett Evert running on low, he plunked Ryan Knox with a pitch, then gave up a single to Brandon Gemoll........ Gripp got a hold of Evert's first pitch and launched it to left........Lee, in his finest relief call of the season, held the G'Braves to just a hit and picked up his 34th win as a Huntsville Stars. He keeps adding on to that record.

 

The Stars put it away in the 8th against Kazuhiro Takeoka....... With one out, Gemoll singled and Gripp followed with his 2nd base hit....... Richard Paz lashed a double to right-center, scoring both. It was his 2nd double of the series........ Joel Alvarado made it 6-1 with an RBI single. Alvarado now has 5 hits in his last 10 ABs with 3 RBIs........ I'm still feeling a little weak from some kind of bug I must have picked up in Saturday's chilly contest, otherwise I would have spent the day at the Joe, but I was even too exhausted to listen in, and right now, I'm anxious to finish this summary.

 

Fortunately, I have a day to recover before the lowly Lookouts come to town to take their medicine........ Their plight is not as bad when you look at the lame-duck Orlando Rays, who have lost 12 straight....... It's surprising they're not in last place in average attendance, but they're not far from it, and they've had the fewest home dates in the league thus far......... Luis Martinez (3-1, 0.31), who goes down in Stars history as the most successful starter in the first month of the season will face Chattanooga righty Josh Hall (1-3, 3.41)......... This is Hall's 2nd season with this club....... Lee's appearance today means only one thing --- Ben Hendrickson is ready to take his turn in the rotation. No word on whether J.J. is ready to come back.

 

Matt Parker has given up 7 earned runs in his last 7 innings, after giving up just 3 in his last 44 1/3 going back to last July......... Chris Cosbey's 0-for-5 shrinks his average to .290, knocking him from the list of the Top 10 hitters in Stars history. Since peaking at .409, he's gone 0-for-9.......... Cristian Guerrero is on the rise. He's finished the month of April by going 8-for-19 at the plate, striking out only twice....... For those who missed the news, Brian Moon has signed a contract with the Fort Worth Cats of the independent Central League and Lance Burkhart, who hit .224 with 21 HRs over the course of three seasons with the Stars, signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers.

[MassBrew]

High Desert Site Game Summary:

Sample size is small, but the Brewers may have found a "keeper" among their recent castoff pickups in RHP Justin Backsmeyer (Texas system), only 23 years old.

 

LANCASTER, CA ? The close losses are the ones that sting the most.

 

One night after being beaten soundly by the Lancaster JetHawks, the Mavs put forth an outstanding effort, but still fell short. The Lancaster JetHawks held off a nailbiting ninth inning Maverick rally, as they beat the Mavs for the second straight night, winning 5-4 on Tuesday night in Lancaster.

 

With the JetHawks holding on to a 5-3 ninth inning lead, the Mavs started to rally against Lancaster reliever Carlton Wells. The first three Maverick hitters reached safely before Johnny Raburn's second hit of the night knocked in Dan Boyd to make it 5-4. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Chris Morris took a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner for a called third strike.

 

Wells would then be lifted for right-hander Pete Sikaras. With the bases still loaded and one out, Kade Johnson grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that ended the game, giving Sikaras his second save of the year.

 

Manager Tim Blackwell came out to argue after the game ended, as second baseman Dan Uggla appeared that he may have been off the second base bag when he received the ball from third baseman Mayobanex Santana.

 

The loss is the Mavs seventh straight overall, and tenth straight on the road. Dating back to last season, the Mavs have now dropped 27 of their last 28 games away from Friendly Mavericks Stadium.

 

Lancaster's offense came from just one source. Josh Kroeger hit two home runs in the first two innings, and accounted for all five RBIs. His two-run shot in the first gave the JetHawks a 2-0 lead. He added a three-run blast to right field off Mavs starter Danny Kolb (0-2) in the second for a 5-0 lead. Kolb settled down, but only lasted four innings. The Maverick pen, Greg Schaub and Justin Backsmeyer, pitched four scoreless innings on the night to give the offense a chance to rally.

 

The Mavs pecked away at the lead, scoring twice in the fourth, as Scott Candelaria and Todd West knocked in runs with RBI groundouts. Kade Johnson hit his eighth home run of the year, a solo shot to left-center field in the fifth, off Lancaster starter Doug Slaten (3-1), to make it a 5-3 game.

 

Johnson has now hit in five straight games, after having his career-best 18-game hitting streak come to an end last week. Mark Ernster had a double and scored a run, giving him a hit in all eight games he has played in as a Maverick.

 

The Mavs will go with J.M. Gold on Wednesday night, as he makes his first start of the year for High Desert. The JetHawks will counter with Scott Barber. Game time is at 7:15 (9:15 Central) from Lancaster.

[MassBrew]

Daily Press High Desert Game Story:

More on the disputed game-ending call...

 

www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...894,73279,

[brewmann04]

will these guys get a chance to be moved up.

 

They seems to be playing good ball

[MassBrew]

when will rayburn and Johnson move up

 

Less than a month into the season, you're not seeing a lot of players moved based on performance quite yet, and that's true all across baseball. Most roster moves are predicated by injury issues at this time. Look for more shuffling after first-half playoff races are wrapped up; each level but AAA declares first- and second-half division winners.

[MassBrew]

Today's Menu includes a daytime appetizer, an early evening "Mann-wich" and a late night meal served with "Gold-plated" dinnerware...

 

All times Central, pitchers subject to change; tonight's Beloit audio available at riverbandits.com...

 

INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Mark Guerra at home vs. Louisville (Reds), 12:30 PM

 

HUNTSVILLE: Idle

 

HIGH DESERT: RHP J.M. Gold at Lancaster (Diamondbacks), 9:15 PM

 

BELOIT: LHP Manny Parra at home vs. Quad City (Twins), 6:30 PM

[brewmann04]

thanks for the info Mass

[MassBrew]

Beloit Daily News Game Story:

As detailed and complimentary as we had hoped for...

 

www.beloitdailynews.com/403/snap30.htm

[MassBrew]

Huntsville Times Game Story:

Nice job here with the Ryan Gripp story...

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...171521.xml