Link Report for Sun. 6/10 - Stars and Manatees with Big Wins

[aintbize]

Great pitcher's dual, Ramirez picks up right where ZB left off...maybe it is the jerseys!

[TheCrew07]

I'm so glad tendonitis was really tendonitis for once.

[TheCrew07]

Dillard giving up hits at a .310 clip is a little distrubing as well, his WHIP was always a bit up and down from year to year, but I'm beginning to think that his season in BC was just an anomoly.

[fredsfan]

Off the DL and off to Rome. Here's to staying healthy.

[wvpowerblkwel]

Bradddock is Back! Great to see (since me and my family serve as his host family!) My prediction is the man will still lead all of Milb in K/9 at the end of the season!

[bork]

When can we get Thatcher in a Brewers' uniform? Almost 2 K's per inning in AAA. Tiny walk numbers and no long balls this year.

[wibadgers23]

Quote:

---

When can we get Thatcher in a Brewers' uniform? Almost 2 K's per inning in AAA. Tiny walk numbers and no long balls this year.

---

 

Balfour and Bray are also putting up nice numbers with good ball to strikeout ratios. Only one homerun given up between the two also.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1207

 

Stars Stand Alone in First!

 

Mark DiFelice worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief and Brendan Katin drove in four runs to push Huntsville past West Tenn 6-1 Sunday afternoon in the fourth of a five-game set at Pringles Park. The Stars squared the series at two games apiece to improve to 34-28 and move into sole possession of first place in the North Division after Tennessee lost in 11 innings at Carolina, while the Diamond Jaxx dropped to 28-36 after falling for an eighth time in their last 11 games. The Stars improved to 8-1 on Sundays and 16-4 in day games with their sixth win in nine games against West Tenn.

 

Sebastien Boucher opened the home first with a triple and scored when Charlton Jimerson followed with a single to left to give the Diamond Jaxx the early edge and mark the eighth time in 13 starts that Stars? starter Steve Hammond has been scored on in the first inning, including five out of seven on the road.

 

The Stars got the game tied in the third when Guilder Rodriguez led off with a double, his first extra base hit of the season, moved to third base on a Mel Stocker sacrifice bunt and scored on a ground ball out by Michael Brantley, who knocked in his first run at the double-A level. The Stars put two runners on in the fourth and did not score and left Stocker stranded at third in the fifth after his one-out triple.

 

Hammond retired the first two batters in the fifth on two pitches before he hit Prentice Redman, walked Marshall Hubbard and hit Matt Tuiasosopo to load the bases. He was taken out and replaced by DiFelice, who retired Brent Johnson on a fly ball to end the inning. The veteran right-hander retired the side in order in the sixth and watched the Stars take the lead for good in the seventh to help him earn his fourth win of the year and second on the road trip.

 

Joe Woerman tossed six innings for West Tenn, giving up a run on six hits and three walks and was replaced by Mumba Rivera, who was on for a second time in the series. Rodriguez started the decisive rally with a one-out single and advanced to third after a Stocker single and a wild pitch and stayed put after a two-out walk to Steve Sollmann, his fourth of the day, loaded the bases. Rene Rivera was charged with a passed ball on the second pitch to Brendan Katin which allowed Rodriguez to score to make it 2-1 in favor of the visitors and Katin followed with an infield single to plate Stocker to make it 3-1.

 

DiFelice set down the first hitter in the seventh before Jimerson bunted his way on with one out. DiFelice moved off the mound to try to pick up the ball with his bare hand and missed and fell to the ground clutching his left knee. He shook off the injury, stayed in the game and promptly picked off Jimerson and retired Redman on a fly ball to end the frame and gave way to Luis Pena, who worked two scoreless innings to record his first save at the double-A level. Katin delivered a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double in the ninth to extend the lead to five and wound up knocking in four runs in a game for the third time this season.

 

The series finishes Monday night, as the Stars send southpaw Lindsay Gulin to the mound against Diamond Jaxx? right-hander Travis Chick. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

212 AB's for Steve Sollmann -- 38 BB's, only 28 K's, .448 OBP; had not realized 31 of Guilder Rodriguez' 32 hits had been singles...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's

 

www.starsboxscore.com/

 

STARS TAKE OVER 1st PLACE

The Stars have kept pace with the Tennessee Smokies, tied for 1st place in the Northern Division since May 30, when the Stars pounded Montgomery, 19-4...... Finally, the deadlock is broken with five games remaining in the 1st half.

 

Carolina came from behind to beat Tennessee, 5-4, in 11 innings, Sunday. Carolina was actually up 4-3 going into the top of the 9th when a Jemel Spearman grounder with runners on 2nd and 3rd scored the tying run. The Mudcats won in the 11th after loading the bases on singles with one out. John Purdomill's sacrifice fly drove in the winning run....... So now the Stars will try, with a one game lead, to wrap this 1st half title in a five-game series at home against Birmingham, starting Wednesday......... Birmingham, Sunday, beat Mississippi, 12-3, as Victor Mercedes became the first Baron to hit for the cycle since Reggie Jackson did it in 1967....... The Smokies finish up the first half in a five-game series at Smokies Park against the Diamond Jaxx, who have played the Stars tough.......

 

Or -- have the Stars' pitching staff, particularly the bullpen, displayed the first signs of wilting....... It's been the bullpen in April and May that has taken them to this point -- a 2.67 ERA in April and 87 strikeouts in 81 innings, and a 2.62 ERA in May, with seven wins, seven saves, and 89 strikeouts in 100 innings........ But the bullpen has been battered in June, in spite of a 6-4 June start......... With a bullpen ERA of 7.18 this month, they have the worst mark in the Southern League. The 9th place team, the Carolina Mudcats, have a bullpen ERA of 5.98....... Unfortunately, the starters are no better, in fact, they're having a worse start than they did in either April or May, showing a 4-2 record and a 5.52 ERA. They just finished May with a 4.94 ERA........ They've managed, somehow, to remain on top and win six of ten this month to a .272 average, and the fact that six other bullpens in the league have ERAs over 4.00..

 

But to Sunday's game.

 

Steve Hammond came in with a notorious flair for allowing 1st inning runs, and today was no exception........ Hammond has now allowed 12 first-inning runs in his 12 starts, and has given up an earned run in seven of them........ After Michael Brantley's one-out opposite field double went wasted, the Diamond Jaxx went on top after Sebastien Boucher led off with a triple into the left field corner. Charlton Jimerson, who had hit .407 and driven in 12 runs in his last 10 games, singled him in....... Brantley made the jump from Class A-West Virginia (SAL) to the Stars prior to Saturday's game, after hitting .335 for the Power, and hitting safely in 11 of his last 12 games (a .471 average)....... He's the son of former major league outfielder Mickey Brantley, who hit .259 in a brief four-year career with the Seattle Mariners (1986-89)....... To make room on the roster, Anthony Wycklendt was sent to West Virginia three days after joining the team, without appearing in the field or getting a time at bat.

 

The Stars tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the 3rd after Guilder Rodriguez hit his first extra-base hit of the season, going the other way with a double to left....... Rodriguez, surprisingly, is the Stars' batting leader with a .333 average. he's hit .409 since May 1 --- all singles until this inning........ Mel Stocker's sacrifice, his 2nd in this series, moved G. Rod over to third and Michael Brantley's grounder to short scored the tying run.

 

Hammond got out of a 1st-and-2nd jam with nobody out in the bottom of the 3rd by striking out Marshall Hubbard and Matt Tuiasosopo swinging, then got Brent Johnson to fly out to center, and he retired the side in the 4th, but he was relieved after getting the first two hitters out in the 5th....... After hitting Prentice Redman with a pitch, he walked Hubbard, and then hit Tuiasosopo to load the bases. It was the first time going back to last year that Hammond had hit two batters in a game, let alone an inning....... Mark DiFelice, who had walked only six batters in 43 innings, came in, delivered one pitch and retired Brent Johnson on a fly to left....... DiFelice has been a rock through this tough month for the pen. Upon lowering his ERA to 1.99, he has not allowed a run since giving up a leadoff home run May 23, to Mobile's Justin Upton -- now a string of 15 innings.

 

While DiFelice was numbing WT bats, the Stars went to work in the 7th inning....... Against reliever Mumba Rivera, G. Rod singled up the middle with one out and Mel Stocker followed with a liner to center. A wild pitch on a ball in the dirt moved the runners into scoring position....... Michael Brantley lined out, but Steve Sollmann drew his 4th walk of the game to load the bases....... With Brendan Katin at the plate, Rivera's first pitch got past his eponymous batterymate for a passed ball that scored Rodriguez to give the Stars a 2-1 lead. With Stocker now on 3rd and Sollmann on 2nd, Katin hit a ball up the middle. Both middle infielders converged on the ball, and shortstop Chris Minaker got to the ball, but his double pump gave Katin all the time he needed to reach for an infield single driving in Stocker to make the score 3-1.

 

Luis Pena pitched two innings to pick up the first save for someone other than Marino Salas for the first time since Grant Balfour on April 12....... A bases-clearing double off the base of the wall by Katin in the 9th became the coup de grace while Tennessee and Carolina were both tied in the 10th.

 

This series wraps up Monday with Lindsay Gulin (4-2) facing Travis Chick. Chick, now a fringe prospect after at one time being the #4 prospect in the Padres' organization two years ago, is 3-3 lifetime against the Stars with a 5.69 ERA in 42 2/3 innings over eight starts. This is his 3rd Southern League team after Mobile and Chattanooga in 2005-06......... I may venture over to Jackson to see this game. It beats trying to listen over the internet. This road trip has been so tough to listen to because of the noise and distortion, I've had to turn it off several times.

 

Isolating the Stars' 6.31 ERA from the pen this month: Bo Hall: five runs in 5 1/3 innings over three appearances........ Jeff Housman: three runs in 1 1/3 inning in his last appearance on Saturday....... Dave Johnson: two runs in four innings in his two appearances........ Luis Pena: four runs in an inning on June 2 vs. Chattanooga....... Marino Salas has gotten himself in and out of jams and allowed three of five inherited runners to score, but has, himself, not allowed a run on his own since May 2 -- a string of 15 consecutive scoreless innings over 16 appearances.

 

Steve Sollmann, who walked four times Sunday, drew five walks back on April 16, tying a record. He's drawn 36 walks on the season, placing him in the top 5 in the league. Sollmann was 5th in on-base pct. in the Southern League going into the game......Mel Stocker raised his average to .268 with his three-hit day -- his best mark thus far. Stocker hit just .179 in April........ The Stars are now 8-1 on Sundays, 16-4 in daylight, and 25-14 when the other team scores first........ The Stars' .979 team fielding pct. is, with one other team, the best in the league -- that being West Tenn, but they are dead last in caught stealing/stolen base efficiency....... Lou Palmisano leads SL catcher in fielding (.997), but has caught only 12 of 57 (.211) trying to steal. In deference to Lou, the delay could have something to do with the time it takes for the pitcher to deliver to the plate, thus giving the runner a better jump. Pitching coach Rich Sauveur worked with pitchers on this last year. Carlos Corporan's rate is only slightly better (.231)........ Hernan Iribarren hit in the #6 hole today for the first time this year.

 

Mike Jones underwent successful Tommy John surgery, Thursday. He's gone not just for this year, but for 2008 as well. Jones is 24, so it's still not the end of the road for him. Sometimes a pitcher's velocity actually improves with that type of surgery. Jones also missed time in 2003 and 2004, did not pitch at all in 2005, and threw only 20 innings last year....... Jay Witasick, unhappy with his relief role at Oakland, was released last Thursday. He's one of the last links to the old Oakland days with the Stars. The oldest former Star still active is Jason Wood, 37, a somewhat useful bench player for the Florida Marlins. Woody, who played for the Stars in 1993, 94, and 96 is the Stars' all-time hits leader with 341........ Michael Brantley, who was promoted to the Stars Saturday, is the youngest player on the team, and is the 2nd Stars player to be born after they made their Southern League debut in 1985. Last year, Yovani Gallardo became the first....... Ruben Mateo is scheduled to come off the disabled list when the Stars return home Wednesday.

[Mass Haas]

Steve Sollmann sliding in the photo at this link:

 

www.jacksonsun.com/apps/p...006/SPORTS

[Mass Haas]

Final: Lexington (Astros) 2, West Virginia 1

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

LEGENDS AVOID POWER SWEEP

 

Jim Goethals hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday evening at Applebee?s Park as the Lexington Legends avoided the four game sweep with a 2-1 victory over the West Virginia Power, snapping their six game winning streak.

 

The Power offense, which had recorded multi-hit games in their last ten contests, were held to just a run on three hits. They scored their only run in the top of the first inning. Jimmy Mojica and Brent Brewer drew back-to-back walks and Mojica scored on Chuckie Caufield?s sacrifice fly.

 

The Legends tied the game in the sixth inning. Tim Torres began the inning with a double and moved to third on a fly ball to right field. With the infield drawn in and one out, Max Sapp singled up the middle to score Torres. In the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, Goethals, who was 0-for-12 on the season, hit the walk-off home run to win it.

 

Kyle DeYoung (2-5) pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to get the win, while Shawn Ferguson (0-1) was tagged with the loss. Ferguson had retired the first five batters he faced and struck out three in a row before allowing the home run. Zach Braddock looked great in his first start since coming off the disabled list, tossing three scoreless innings of one-hit ball and striking out seven.

 

The Power fell to 43-17 with the loss and the Legends improved to 28-35 with the win. Andrew Lefave was the only player with a multi-hit game, he accounted for two of West Virginia?s three hits.

 

The Power will begin a three game series against the Hickory Crawdads at L.P. Frans Stadium on Monday night. Lefty Brae Wright (4-3, 6.49) will make the start for the Power and Hickory will counter with right hander Mike Crotta (2-4, 5.08). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (6:00 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

LHP Luis Ramirez' fine middle relief effort should not go unmentioned; 27 K's in the game -- Power batters fanned 12 times; pitchers K'd 15...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lexafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lexafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Click on the Katie King link on the Legends site to view the walk-off -- admit it, we're all Katie King fans, it must be the Kentucky accent http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif :

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p?sid=t495

 

MiLB.com:

 

Jim Goethals--0-for-12 with 10 strikeouts coming into his ninth inning at bat, hit an improbable two-out blast to left-center field to win the game for the Legends on Sunday evening at Applebee's Park. Lexington avoided a sweep with the 2-1 victory, and snapped the Power's winning streak at six games.

 

West Virginia managed to strike early against starter David Qualben. He walked the first two batters of the game, then balked them into scoring position. He struck out Andrew Lefave for the first out, but Chuckie Caufield was able to rap a sacrifice fly to center to bring home a run. That was all the Power would get off Qualben, however. He worked six innings, striking out nine, and even made one of his patented pickoff plays to end the fifth.

 

In his first start since going to the disabled list with shoulder tendonitis, Zach Braddock delivered early on for the Power. He struck out seven in three innings, even working out of a bases-loaded jam in the third by striking out the side. He gave way to Luis Ramirez, who picked up right where Braddock left off. Ramirez struck out five in four innings of work, however, he allowed the Legends to tie the game in the sixth. Tim Torres led off the inning with a double to deep center. He advanced to third on Chris Johnson's fly ball to the right-field wall, and Max Sapp delivered the game-tying hit by grounding a single through the middle of the drawn-in infield.

 

That was where the score stayed for the next three innings. Kyle DeYoung (2-5) entered the game in relief of Qualben, striking out three and allowing only one baserunner. In fact, neither team launched much of a threat until Goethals' bases-empty dinger came on a 1-0 Shawn Ferguson fastball. He was mobbed by his teammates as he stepped on home plate with the winning run.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

kentucky.com/271/story/94332.html

 

Two-out shot in 9th lifts Legends

LITTLE-USED GOETHALS HELPS TEAM AVOID SWEEP

By Mark Maloney

MMALONEY@HERALD-LEADER.COM

 

For one night, a sixth-place team felt like a playoff champion at Applebee's Park.

 

Jim Goethals' walk-off homer with two out in the ninth gave the Lexington Legends a dramatic 2-1 win over first-half division champion West Virginia last night.

 

A game that featured 27 strikeouts -- 15 by Power pitchers, 12 by Legends -- and a combined three-hitter by two Legends was left to a backup catcher who was 0-for-the-season to play hero. He was mobbed at the plate.

 

"It couldn't have happened to a greater guy," said Manager Gregg Langbehn, whose team closed the first-half home schedule at 16-19. "That's good stuff. That's without question the highlight of the season right now. As frustrating as it's been at times, you saw the celebration. It's meaningful."

 

In his sixth game of the year, Goethals strode to the plate in the ninth 0-for-2 -- 0-for-12 overall, with 10 K's.

 

He jumped on a 1-0 pitch by Shawn Ferguson (0-1), driving the ball to left-center.

 

By the time Goethals finished his "Star of the Game" interview with Legends play-by-play man Larry Glover and arrived in the clubhouse, his teammates had cued video of the shot. They roared as he took a look.

 

"It's awesome of the guys," Goethals said. "It felt good, especially being the first hit. I just wanted to get a good pitch, and I got a pitch middle-in, in a good count and got enough of it."

 

The Legends avoided a four-game sweep, ending the Power's six-game win streak.

 

David Qualben held the league's top scoring and hitting team to one run on two hits and an uncharacteristic four walks through six innings. He struck out nine.

 

Qualben overcame early wildness -- two walks to start the game, a balk and Chuckie Caufield's sacrifice fly accounted for the Power run.

 

"The first two guys, I fell behind, and I wasn't spotting up where I wanted to," Qualben said. "But I only gave up one run. It could have been worse. ... I battled the rest of the game."

 

Kyle DeYoung (2-5) held the Power one hit over the last three innings. He walked one and fanned three.

 

DeYoung has been sharp his last few outings since pitching coach Charley Taylor got the righty to drop his arm slot to a sidearm motion.

 

"He's athletic and I thought he could make the adjustment," Taylor said. "He's got some good life to the ball and more consistency and everything."

 

Tim Torres started the sixth with a double, only the third hit for the Legends.

 

Chris Johnson's fly to right moved Torres to third.

 

Max Sapp drove him in with a single up the middle.

 

Power starter Zach Braddock, fresh off the DL, pitched three innings of one-hit, one-walk ball, striking out seven.

 

Luis Ramirez and Ferguson followed, combining for eight strikeouts.

[Mass Haas]

We still owe you more this morning, including everything on the Nashville loss -- later this morning, thanks for your patience...

[Mass Haas]

Final: Omaha (Royals) 10, Nashville 6

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Tim Dillard photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2375

 

Royals Defeat Sounds To Earn Series Split

 

OMAHA ? The Omaha Royals scored 10 unanswered runs to overcome an early deficit en route to posting a 10-6 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Sunday afternoon at Rosenblatt Stadium in the finale of a four-game series.

 

The Royals gained a series split with the win over Nashville (35-28).

 

Leftfielder Justin Huber enjoyed his second huge game of the four-game set for Omaha, contributing six RBIs after driving in five runs in Omaha?s win in Thursday?s series opener.

 

Nashville jumped out to an early lead when Chris Barnwell scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning. The Sounds extended the lead to 4-0 with a three-run fourth against Omaha starter Jason Shiell. Charles Thomas plated two of the runs with a one-out, bases-loaded double that brought home Joe Dillon and Brad Nelson, then Jose Macias followed with an RBI single to push the advantage to four.

 

The Royals responded quickly against Sounds starter Tim Dillard, squaring the contest at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth. Huber drove in three of the runs with a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double off the right-hander.

 

Huber struck again an inning later, giving Omaha its first lead of the day at 7-4 with a two-out, three-run homer to left-center off Dillard. The blast was his eighth of the year and third of the four-game series against the Sounds.

 

Royals catcher Matt Tupman increased the lead to 8-4 in the sixth with a first-pitch homer off Dillard, the backstop?s first longball of the campaign.

 

Omaha wrapped up its scoring in the seventh when Craig Brazell belted the club?s third home run of the afternoon, a two-run homer off Sounds reliever Greg Aquino, that extended the Royals? lead to 10-4. The blast was the slugger?s team-leading 15th of the year.

 

With the Sounds trailing by six in the ninth, the red-hot Dillon slugged a home run for the third straight game, ripping a two-run shot to left off Royals reliever Gabe DeHoyos to bring the score to its final 10-6. It was the veteran?s 10th roundtripper of the season.

 

Omaha reliever Thad Markray (3-1) was awarded the victory after working 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief behind Shiell. Dillard (3-4) took the loss for Nashville after surrendering a season-high eight runs on 10 hits over six innings of work.

 

The Sounds travel to Memphis tomorrow to continue their road trip with a four-game series against the division-rival Redbirds. Right-hander Chris Oxspring (5-3, 2.60) will take the hill for Nashville in Monday?s 7:10 p.m. CT series opener to face Memphis right-hander Mike Parisi (4-4, 6.05).

 

Nashville Box Score:

Plenty of runs and baserunners, Dillard and Aquino simply didn't get the job done...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_omaaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_omaaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com:

 

Bell, Manatees edge Cards

 

Michael Bell scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the top of the 10th inning as Brevard County beat Palm Beach, 7-4, on Sunday.

 

After the Cardinals tied the game in the ninth, Bell led off the final frame with an infield single and advanced on second baseman Dan Nelson's throwing error. Bell moved to third on Chris Errecart's groundout and scored on Luke Gregerson's wild pitch. Alcides Escobar extended the lead with his only hit, a two-run double later in the inning.

 

Bell ripped a two-run homer, his fifth, in the seventh, and Escobar had three RBIs. Darren Ford, who made his Florida State League debut Saturday, notched his first two hits, scored twice and collected an RBI for the Manatees (36-27).

 

Reliever E.J. Shanks (1-0) picked up the win despite blowing the save in the ninth. He yielded an unearned run, walked one and struck out one. Rafael Lluberes worked a scoreless 10th to earn his first save.

 

Starter Will Inman allowed two runs on one hit and three walks while fanning seven over five innings and saw his ERA rise from 1.59 to 1.72.

 

Gregerson (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk while retiring just one batter in the 10th. Starter Adam Ottavino was charged with four runs -- three earned -- on five hits over seven innings. He struck out four and walked one.

 

Ian Church had three RBIs for the Cardinals (33-29). -- Chip Haunss/MLB.com