Link Report for Games of Saturday, August 18th

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

 

 

[Mass Haas]

Saturday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: RHP R.A. Dickey at Round Rock (Astros), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: LHP Sam Narron at West Tenn (Mariners), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.huntsvillestars.com/

 

Brevard County: RHP Ben Stanczyk at Vero Beach (Devil Rays), 5:15 PM pre-game, 5:30 gametime

 

Audio link (game will also archive at this link):

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?cid=503&sid=t503

 

West Virginia: RHP Jeremy Jeffress at Lake County (Indians), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

Audio link (game will also archive at this link):

www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

 

Helena: RHP Evan Anundsen at home vs. Orem (Angels), 7:45 PM pre-game, 8:00 gametime

 

Audio link (game will also archive at this link):

www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

 

Arizona: TBD at home in the Maryvale complex vs. the not-so-Giants, 7:00 PM local time in Arizona, 9:00 Central; never any audio for Arizona Rookie League games

[Mass Haas]

Follow Saturday's action as it happens:

Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often.

 

Nashville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_nasaaa_rreaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_hunaax_wtdaax_1

West Virginia:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_wvaafx_lcoafx_1

 

Brevard County:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_breafa_vbdafa_1&did=t503&sid=t503

 

Helena:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_orerok_helrok_1

 

Arizona:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_giarok_brrrok_1

[Mass Haas]

These links will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally they are updated an hour or two prior to gametime, with Nashville's usually earlier:

 

Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

 

Huntsville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

[Mass Haas]

Standings through Friday's action:

 

Arizona League 2nd Half Standings:

Arizona Rookie is 13-31 overall...

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...;period=h2

 

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 76 50 .603 - 42-20 34-30 W3 Iowa 70 57 .551 6.5 39-25 31-32 L2 Omaha 65 62 .512 11.5 41-22 24-40 W2 Memphis 50 77 .394 26.5 27-37 23-40 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 33 21 .611 - 16-9 17-12 L1 Tennessee 30 24 .556 3.0 20-10 10-14 W3 Chattanooga 29 25 .537 4.0 15-14 14-11 L3 Carolina 25 29 .463 8.0 14-15 11-14 L4 West Tenn 21 33 .389 12.0 11-18 10-15 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 28 24 .538 - 17-10 11-14 W1 St. Lucie 28 25 .528 0.5 11-13 17-12 W6 Palm Beach 25 28 .472 3.5 14-16 11-12 W1 Jupiter 22 29 .431 5.5 12-11 10-18 L4 Daytona 20 34 .370 9.0 10-19 10-15 L6 Vero Beach 15 36 .294 12.5 7-17 8-19 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hickory 33 21 .611 - 20-12 13-9 L4 Lakewood 27 25 .519 5.0 14-10 13-15 W2 Lake County 26 26 .500 6.0 11-14 15-12 W2 Delmarva 26 27 .491 6.5 10-15 16-12 W1 Greensboro 26 29 .473 7.5 17-10 9-19 L1 West Virginia 25 29 .463 8.0 16-11 9-18 L1 Lexington 23 31 .426 10.0 16-14 7-17 L1 Hagerstown 19 35 .352 14.0 10-16 9-19 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 13 5 .722 - 8-1 5-4 W1 Helena 9 9 .500 4.0 3-6 6-3 W1 Missoula 9 9 .500 4.0 6-2 3-7 W3 Billings 8 10 .444 5.0 5-5 3-5 L2 

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com:

 

Pence returns to Round Rock

Hoping to come off the 15-day disabled list as early as next week, Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence will return to the place where his 2007 campaign began when he suits up for the Triple-A Round Rock Express on Saturday.

Pence, 24, will make three consecutive appearances for the Express as they take on the Nashville Sounds at The Dell Diamond. The Arlington native went on the disabled list with a right wrist capsular sprain and a small chip fracture in late July.

After hitting .283 with 28 home runs and representing the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks in the Futures Game in 2006, Pence began 2007 with Round Rock. He picked up multiple hits in eight of his 22 games, batting .341 with a .588 slugging percentage before his April 28 call-up.

With Houston, Pence picked up hits in 17 of his first 20 major league games, ramping his batting average up to .364 by May 20. He went on to notch five three-hit games and four four-hit games.

At the time of his injury, Pence led all National Rookies with 45 RBI, 103 hits, 25 doubles, six triples, 176 total bases and 31 multi-hit games. He currently ranks 10th in the National League with a .330 batting average (min. 200 at-bats).

He will wear No. 9 for Round Rock.

[Trowekamp]

So as of 8:06 PM CDT would the Minor League Player of the night be Cole Gillepsie (3-4 2 2b, HR) or Jeremy Jeffress (5 IP 1H 0R 1W 6K)?

[Mass Haas]

Well, it's not Helena starter Evan Anundsen, ouch...

[wvpowerblkwel]

Here's my vote....add another K to the total!!http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/24e35fca9a557b05eff9cfafe67b9a9cc547fec.jpg

[Kevbo74]

and you'll notice I stopped talking about Jeffress until his night is complete.

No more Jinxing for me :-)

good to see that tonite.

final line's looking good....

6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K.

 

yay

[Mass Haas]

Final: Vero Beach (Devil Rays) 7, Brevard County 5
Manatees tumble out of first place in the second-half standings -- little at stake, an extra home post-season game, I believe...

Brevard County Box Score:
Five Manatees with multi-hit games, but Brevard strands 11; bullpen only allows one unearned run over the final five innings, as RHP Travis Wendte still hasn't given up an earned run in 14.2 IP in Florida; defense lets this club down again, as it has so often; six HBP in the game, three by each side -- Chris Errecart was plunked twice and left the game one inning after the second HBP...

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_breafa_vbdafa_1

Brevard County Game Log:
Darren Ford and Ryan Barba both failed to get runners in from 3rd with less than two out; hideous 3rd inning for Ben Stanczyk, who has otherwise been very solid...

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_18_breafa_vbdafa_1

Injury --

Vero Beach Bottom 7th

• - Pitcher Change: Rusty Tucker replaces Travis Wendte.
• - J. T Hall grounds out, pitcher Rusty Tucker to first baseman Ned Yost.
• - Brevard County Manatees LHP Rusty Tucker left the game due to an injured neck/shoulder.
• - Pitcher Change: Patrick Ryan replaces Rusty Tucker.

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 4, Lake County (Indians) 2

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

JEFFRESS DAZZLES CAPTAINS

 

Eastlake, OH - Jeremy Jeffress held the Lake County Captains to a run on three hits through six sensational innings at Classic Park on Saturday night as the West Virginia Power took the second game of the series with a 4-2 victory.

 

Jimmy Mojica began the ball game with his third home run of the season. In the fifth inning, Andrew Lefave and Matt LaPorta ripped back-to-back two-out RBI doubles to give the Power a 3-0 lead. The Captains scored their only run off Jeffress on a two-out single from Carlos Rivero in the sixth inning.

 

In the seventh, Lake County scored their final run as Nick Weglarz scored on Fernando Pacheco's base-hit. The Power added an insurance run in the eighth inning. LaPorta began the inning with a double, then moved to third base on a wild pitch before he scored on Taylor Green's sacrifice fly.

 

Jeffress (8-5) got the win, Donovan Hand (3) tossed a scoreless ninth inning to get the save and Paolo Espino (3-4) was tagged with the loss after surrendering three runs on five hits over four and two thirds.

 

The Power improved to 74-48 overall and 26-29 in the second half, while the Captains fell to 57-66 overall and 26-27 in the second half. Mojica, Lefave and LaPorta all had two hits for the Power.

 

The Power will continue the four game series against the Lake County Captains at Classic Park on Sunday afternoon. The Power will start left hander Luis Ramirez (1-2, 5.66) and the Captains will counter with right hander Jeanmar Gomez (10-7, 5.31). The first pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PM (12:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

With Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, and Will Inman no longer Link Report regulars, and with Zach Braddock sidelined, Jeremy Jeffress is the one pitcher that is an automatic box score must when he's scheduled; Charlie Fermaint 0-for-4 with four K's, his miserable season is extending into his Power tenure after the ugly Brevard County stint; over 6,200 in greater Cleveland to see this one...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_wvaafx_lcoafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_18_wvaafx_lcoafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Outfielder Drew Anderson:

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/audio/2007/Interview%208-18.mp3

[homer]

LaPorta likes extra base hits. I think of his 11 hits, 8 are for extra bases - 6 doubles and 2 home runs.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 9, Round Rock (Astros) 2
77-50, this club's 77-50, folks! Combine that with West Virginia's 74-48....

Nashville Site Game Summary:
Link for R.A. Dickey photo, text follows --

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/news/news.asp?newsId=2515

Dickey, Sounds Derail Express, 9-2

ROUND ROCK, Texas - R.A. Dickey worked a complete game and Nashville batters crushed three home runs to power the Sounds to a 9-2 victory over the Round Rock Express on Saturday evening at The Dell Diamond in the opener of a four-game series.

With their fourth consecutive victory, the Sounds (77-50) improved to a season-best 27 games over .500 and reduced their magic number to 10 to clinch their third consecutive division title.

Dickey (11-5) pulled into a tie for the Pacific Coast League lead by earning his 11th victory of the season. He went all nine frames, allowing two runs on six hits, to notch his third complete game of the year, which ties for the league lead.

In his 12 starts since rejoining the Sounds' rotation in mid-June, the knuckleballer has posted a 7-1 record and 2.01 ERA (19 ER / 85.0 IP).

Nashville grabbed an early lead with a four-run second inning against Express starter Jared Gothreaux. After Andy Abad crossed home with the game's first run on a Chris Barnwell groundout, Callix Crabbe delivered a three-run homer to right, his seventh longball of the year.

AUDIO: Callix Crabbe Three-Run HR --

The Sounds added three in the third when Laynce Nix (4-for-4) homered for his fourth straight game, belting a three-run blast to right off Gothreaux for his 19th roundtripper of the season. The red-hot outfielder is batting .517 (15-for-29) during his season-best seven-game hitting streak.

The home run parade continued for the Sounds in the fourth when Drew Anderson smacked a two-run shot to left off Express reliever Joshua Miller to extend the lead to 9-0.

Round Rock broke up Dickey's shutout bid in the sixth when Danny Ardoin scored on a Brooks Conrad sacrifice fly. The Express made it a 9-2 game in the eighth when pinch-hitter Brian Gordon delivered a two-out RBI single.

Gothreaux (5-8) took the loss after allowing seven runs on eight hits in only 2 1/3 frames of action for Round Rock.

The teams continue the series with a 6:05 p.m. CT contest on Sunday night. Left-hander Zach Jackson (9-9, 4.64) is scheduled to take the hill for the Sounds to face Round Rock southpaw Troy Patton (4-1, 3.89).

Nashville Box Score:
It's going to be so interesting to see who gets called up September 1st and how all the post-season rosters up and down the chain will be impacted with each and every club in the playoffs -- I hope you listened to the Scott Martens interview with Jim Powell we linked to a couple of nights ago when that very issue was discussed in some detail...

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_nasaaa_rreaaa_1

Nashville Game Log:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_18_nasaaa_rreaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

For those who missed it the first time, work with me folks!

 

08-16-07 Jim Powell Pregame Interview with Scott Martens

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Tenn (Mariners) 7, Huntsville 5

No reason given (actually, see the post following this one), but Lou Palmisano had to leave this game after two innings -- he doubled in his one at-bat; Huntsville site summary later on...

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Sam Narron falters for the first time in a while, and Robert Hinton couldn't pick him up, surrendering the fall-behind HR on the very first batter he faced -- Hinton is the Charlie Fermaint of the mound in the organization this year; Alcides Escobar, Hernan Iribarren, Adam Heether, and Carlos Corporan all with multi-hit games...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_hunaax_wtdaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

Mumba Rivera with the save, we need to trade one of our great "name" players for Mumba, he's had the Stars' number...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_18_hunaax_wtdaax_1

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

http://www.huntsvillestars.com/news/news.asp?newsId=1325

 

Diamond Jaxx Down Stars With Long Balls, Again

Mike Wilson's two-run home run in the seventh inning snapped a tie and carried West Tenn to a 7-5 triumph over Huntsville in the last of a five-game set at Pringles Park. The Diamond Jaxx won the series three games to two to improve to 22-33 in the second half, while the Stars slipped to 33-22 in the second half and saw their lead in the North Division over Tennessee trimmed to two games after the Smokies downed the Lookouts in Chattanooga. The Diamond Jaxx hit at least two home runs in each game in the series and belted eleven in the set.

 

Sam Narron gave up a base hit to Luis Valbuena with one out in the seventh and was replaced by Robert Hinton, who saw his first pitch slammed out of the park to left-center field by Wilson, who clubbed his third home run of the series, to give the Diamond Jaxx a 7-5 lead. Chris Jakubauskus retired Huntsville in turn in the eighth and turned things over in the ninth to Mumba Rivera, who retired the first two hitters before Mel Stocker walked and moved to third on a single by Alcides Escobar. The big right-hander then struck out Hernan Iribarren to end the game and earn just his third save in 12 chances. Narron suffered the loss and dropped to 7-7 after yielding six runs on 10 hits.

 

Huntsville strung together six straight singles to open the sixth to produce three runs to tie the game at five. Adam Heether, Steve Sollmann and Carlos Corporan each knocked in runs before Steve Moss bounced into a double play and Guilder Rodriguez grounded out to end the inning. Jaxx starter Andy Baldwin won for just a fourth time this season, and for a first time in four tries against the Stars, after giving up five runs on 11 hits over seven innings.

 

The Stars scored first for a third time in the series in the second inning when Heether singled and scored on a two-out double by Lou Palmisano, who left the game after diving safely back to second base on a bluffed pick off attempt by Baldwin. West Tenn took the lead in the home second when Jeff Frazier and Mike Saunders singled with one out, advanced a base on a ground out and scored on a single by Rene Rivera.

 

Wilson led off the home third with a single, moved to second on a balk and scored when Marshall Hubbard doubled to make it 3-1. Saunders then launched a two-out, two-run home run, his first at the double-A level, to push the home team's lead to four. Corporan, who took over for Palmisano, ended a stretch of eight straight set down by Baldwin with a one-out double in the fifth and scored on a two-out single by Rodriguez to bring the Stars to within 5-2.

 

The Stars are off Sunday and open a five-game series at home against Carolina Monday night with right-hander Corey Thurman taking the hill against Mudcats' right-hander Jimmy Serrano. Coverage begins at 6:50 pm central time and can be heard on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Orem (Angels) 10, Helena 2

Helena Box Score:

UW-Milwaukee's Mike Goetz the only multi-hit game as Manager Jeff Isom empties the bench halfway through this one; RHP Evan Anundsen is really good, just not tonight...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_orerok_helrok_1

 

Helena Game Log:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_18_orerok_helrok_1

[Mass Haas]

Evan Anundsen still has a Brandon Webb-like ground ball ratio (3.50 coming into Saturday's game) -- check out what happens when those ground balls are hit too hard or find the holes:

 

Orem Top 1st

• - Rian Kiniry singles on a ground ball to shortstop David Fonseca.
• - Andrew Romine singles on a ground ball to right fielder Caleb Gindl. Rian Kiniry to 2nd.
• - Hector Estrella singles on a ground ball to right fielder Caleb Gindl. Rian Kiniry scores. Andrew Romine to 3rd on the throw.
• - Gordon Gronkowski singles on a ground ball to left fielder Kurt Crowell. Andrew Romine scores. Hector Estrella to 2nd.
• - Jeremy Moore doubles (10) on a fly ball to center fielder Mike Goetz. Hector Estrella scores. Gordon Gronkowski to 3rd.
• - Julio Perez hit by pitch.
• - Christopher Garcia singles on a ground ball to center fielder Mike Goetz. Gordon Gronkowski scores. Jeremy Moore scores. Julio Perez out at 2nd, center fielder Mike Goetz to shortstop David Fonseca.
• - Anel De Los Santos pops out to third baseman Zelous Wheeler.
• - Ryan Kennedy called out on strikes.

Orem Top 3rd

• - Gordon Gronkowski homers (6) on a fly ball to center field.
• - Jeremy Moore reaches on fielding error by shortstop David Fonseca.
• - Julio Perez flies out to right fielder Caleb Gindl.
• - Christopher Garcia homers (2) on a fly ball to left field. Jeremy Moore scores.
• - Anel De Los Santos singles on a ground ball to left fielder Kurt Crowell.
• - Ryan Kennedy singles on a ground ball to first baseman Curt Rindal. Anel De Los Santos to 2nd.
• - Rian Kiniry singles on a ground ball to right fielder Caleb Gindl. Anel De Los Santos scores. Ryan Kennedy to 2nd.
• - Pitcher Change: Curtis Pasma replaces Evan Anundsen.

[Mass Haas]

Helena Site Game Summary:

 

Orem Takes Series Finale

HELENA - One night after Helena beat Orem handily, the Brewers failed to repeat the offensive show and lost 10-2 Saturday night at Kindrick Field. Orem scored five runs in the first inning and knocked starter Evan Anundsen out in the third inning en route to a large victory as the Brewers collected just two runs on 10 hits.

Five runs would have been enough to defeat the Brewers on the night, but the Owlz added four more runs in the third inning to take a 9-1 lead. Anundsen gave up 12 hits and 9 runs through 2.1 innings. Reliever Curtis Pasma followed and allowed one run in 2.2 innings of work.

The Brewers scored their first run of the game in the first inning when Mike Goetz started the inning with a double and Eric Farris followed with an RBI single. In the fifth inning Goetz had an RBI double to cut the deficit to 10-2.

Helena pitchers Corey Frerichs and Brock Kjeldgaard each tossed two shutout innings to end the game, but the Brewer bats could not muster any more runs. Goetz paced the Brewers offensively on the night with his 2-for-4 performance. Goetz was the only Brewer with a multi-hit game and both hits were doubles; finished with one RBI.

Helena (35-22, 9-10) will look to rebound Sunday at 4:05 PM (5:05 Central) when the Brewers play host to the Ogden Raptors in the first of a four-game series.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Arizona Brewers 5, Arizona Giants 2

 

Arizona Box Score:

17-year-old LHP Efrain Nieves leads the way with six sparkling innings in this, the A-Crew's best overall pitched game of the year, relievers included; the southpaw picks two men off first base; new independent league signee Scott Houin a home run; 18-year-old third baseman Joey Paciorek, who has put together one of the better seasons among position players in Maryvale, on base all four times and now carries a .405 OBP -- the power will come with his build...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_18_giarok_brrrok_1

 

Arizona Game Log:

Only 109 degrees at game time...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_18_giarok_brrrok_1

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com:

Devil Rays rally past Manatees

Aaron Sisk's two-run double highlighted a six-run third inning as host Vero Beach beat Brevard County, 7-5, on Saturday.

With the Devil Rays (16-36) trailing, 3-0, in the third, Patrick Cottrell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Jackson Brennan scored on a wild pitch by Manatees starter Ben Stanczyk. Sisk followed with a double, then scored on J.T. Hall's single. Hunter Vick capped the rally with an RBI single.

Sisk, Brennan and Vick each contributed two hits.

Reliever Matthew Walker (4-8) picked up the win, despite giving up two runs on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. Kevin Lynn worked a perfect ninth for his sixth save. Vero Beach starter Greg Dupas yielded three runs on seven hits and a walk while fanning four in four frames.

Cole Gillespie went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a two-run homer, his 11th. Mat Gamel was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored for the Manatees (28-25) who fell into second place in the Florida State League's East Division behind St. Lucie.

Stanczyk (7-3) allowed six runs -- three earned -- on eight hits while striking out three without a walk over three innings. -- Zack Hample/MLB.com

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.al.com/stars/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/sports/1187515413250230.xml&coll=1

 

Stars notebook

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

Covering the bases

 

Mel Stocker's five hits last Tuesday marked the first time a Huntsville hitter had done so since Kevin Barker in 2001, when he actually had six hits in a win over Birmingham. Then it took only two days for shortstop Alcides Escobar to match Stocker and join the five-hit club. ... Stocker's 32 stolen bases are only eight behind league-leader Emilio Bonifacio of Mobile, who has had 502 at-bats compared to just 243 for Stocker. Steve Sollmann has returned to the team after traveling to Chicago to be with wife Kate for the birth of their first child, May, on Aug. 9. ...

 

Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin said there is some discussion on what players might be promoted from the minors to the majors when the big-league rosters are expanded to 40 men in September, but he doesn't expect many call-ups. Nashville and Huntsville will be involved in playoffs at least through Sept. 8, and with the Brewers in a pennant race it would seem playing opportunities for untested players would be rare. ...

 

Brendan Katin, leading the league in homers and RBIs, might get some consideration for Southern League MVP, especially with the Stars headed for a possible sweep of division titles. But in terms of "valuable," a resurgent Adam Heether and the steady Sollmann have been just as key. ... Surely the Stars' Don Money must be the favorite for the Manager of the Year award. ...

 

Money missed some games early in the week when he returned to Milwaukee for a silver anniversary reunion of the 1982 Brewers, the "Harvey's Wallbangers" team that won the city's last pennant. "It was good," Money said. "The stories get longer and more outrageous, but that's the way it is." The team included Hall of Famers Don Sutton, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor.

 

Around the League

 

Montgomery pitcher James Houser has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, the parent Tampa Bay Devil Rays announced Saturday. Houser was 5-4 with a 3.65 ERA. ... Pretty dramatic finish in Birmingham on Friday. With two out in the bottom of the ninth, Victor Mercedes jacked a grand slam for a 10-6 Barons win over Mobile. Mercedes is on a 15-game hitting streak.

 

Brewings

 

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (76-50 before Saturday's play, first place in Pacific Coast League American Division): P Adam Pettyjohn (10-3) with a perfect game until one out in the seventh on Wednesday; with his four wins at Huntsville, he is tied for the minor league lead in wins

 

Single-A Brevard County Manatees (28-24, first place in second half in Florida State East Division): P Ben Stanczyk 7-2, 2.66

 

Single-A West Virginia Power (25-29, sixth in South Atlantic League Northern Division this half): 3B Taylor Green .328 (third in league) 12 HR, 78 RBIs

 

Rookie league Helena (9-9 in second half in Pioneer League North): P Roque Mercedes 7-2, 2.85

 

Rookie league Arizona Brewers (6-10): 3B Edgar Trejo .279, 22 RBIs

 

On deck

 

The Stars are off today, then host Carolina in a five-game series beginning Monday. College students presenting their IDs will receive two tickets for the price of one the remainder of the year.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/08/19/sports/b01081907_03.txt

 

Owlz blast Brewers in last game of series

By JEFF WINDMUELLER, Helena Independent Record Sports Writer

The Helena Brewers dug themselves a crater that would've taken a helicopter to fly out of as they dropped the final game of their three-game series with the Orem Owlz Saturday at Kindrick Legion Field.

The Owlz had Helena's starting pitcher Evan Anundsen's number as they racked up 12 hits in the first three innings, jumping to a 10-1 lead before the Brewers pitcher was pulled.

Anundsen was hitting the strike zone - neither team walked a batter the whole game - but the Owlz were finding holes all over the field.

"(Anundsen) threw well, I thought; he got ground ball after ground ball and just couldn't find anybody. He had opportunities to get double plays and they just sliced through the infield," said Brewers manager Jeff Isom. "Chalk that one up to bad luck.

"He's still got to be able to get a strikeout in big situations and we just didn't get that."

The Owlz started off the game with five straight hits, including a double by Jeremy Moore, before Julio Perez was hit by a pitch. Christopher Garcia followed up with a bouncing two-run single to centerfield and Orem scored five in the inning.

The Brewers answered back with a lead-off double by Mike Goetz but only managed to score one run as Zelous Wheeler batted into a double play with two runners on base.

Goetz batted in his team's final run in the fifth with his second double of the game.

The Owlz, meanwhile, got home runs by Gordie Gronkowski and Garcia in the third as they batted through the order for a four-run inning. Moore, who hit a triple in the fourth, scored their final run.

Curtis Pasma relieved Anundsen in the third and the Brewers' luck started to change. Pasma gave up two extra base hits (Moore's triple and an RBI double by Perez) but then forced out the next six batters in succession.

Helena got its biggest boost from Corey Frerichs. Coming in to start the sixth, he immediately struck out the first three batters he saw and used a double play to burn through the seventh with just three batters. Closer Brock Kjeldgaard also struck out three in a row to finish the top of the ninth. He gave up just one hit.

"I thought after the third inning we played them straight up," Isom said. "I got very good pitching. Pasma, Kjelgaard, Frerichs, they only gave up three hits from the third inning on."

Orem's Mason Tobin got the win. He gave up seven hits over five innings, allowing two runs while striking out five. Only Goetz had multiple hits and extra bases against the Owlz pitching crew. He was 2-for-4 with the doubles.

Gronkowski was 2-4 with two RBI and two runs while Garcia was 2-5 with four RBI.

The Brewers are now 9-10 after dropping two of the last three games against the Owlz (9-10). The two teams went back and forth, beating each other pretty badly over the last three days. After losing the first game 6-0, the Brewers came back to rip the Owlz 8-1.

"It's baseball. It's going to happen. You never know what's going to happen from day to day," Isom said. "It was a weird series. We got excellent pitching last night and tonight we got ground balls that weren't at guys."

The Brewers will host their next four games at home against the Ogden Raptors (8-11) beginning today at 4:05 PM (5:05 Central).