Link Report for Mon 8/20 - Lots of Late Tuesday Afternoon Updates

[Mass Haas]

Did the Manatees really lose to Pedro Martinez Monday? GM Buck Rogers answers fan email:

 

How bad was that call last night in the first inning?

A few Manatees season ticket holders were on hand and this happens to be the #1 question of the day and last night. At the risk of bring fined...it was bad. There, I said it. For those that missed the game in St Lucie last night (against Pedro Martinez), the Mets has a couple baserunners on and with two outs fouled off a ball past first base and into the Manatees bullpen. Everybody in the stadium, and I mean everybody, watched the ball go foul...everybody except the home plate ump who also made the call. Even the Mets GM, Paul Taglieri, told me we got hosed. The players were walking back to their positions and their bases because it was fouled off, the ump yelled, "Fair" and the runners did a 180 and raced home scoring two runs, which incidentally, was enough to ruin Rafael Lluberes' ERA, give the Mets what turned out to be the winning runs in a 4-3 game and also almost provided Manager John Tamargo a massive stroke. Raffy pitched a heckuva game against his MLB counterpart.

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's

http://www.starsboxscore.com/

 

NOT ROTTEN, JUST RIGGED

HOME RUNS CONTINUE TO PLAGUE STARS' STAFF

 

The biggest hit in this game is the one that didn't happen.

 

Adam Heether hit a sharp grounder off starter James Russ down the left field line for a double to lead off the 2nd inning, but Russ retired Steve Sollmann, Michael Brantley, and Brendan Katin without a ball getting ouf of the infield, striking out Brantley in the process...... The Stars went on to lose 3-2 in a game that saw relatively few balls on either side get out of the infield (21-of-47, 12 by the Stars), but it was a home run to right and a sacrifice fly that put the Stars in the loss column.

 

The loss is the Stars' 6th in their last nine games with the Tennessee Smokies (winners of eight of their last nine) now one game back with 14 games left in the regular season after beating Mobile, tonight, 9-3 at Hank Aaron Stadium.

 

Sollmann, who last homered against Carolina on May 12 in a 16-7 win marked by a record 13-run inning, launched a two-run HR on a 1-1 pitch from Russ, despite a futile leaping effort from former Star, Johnny Raburn...... That gave the Stars a 2-0 lead going into the 5th inning, with Corey Thurman holding the Mudcats hitless....... This was Corey's strongest start to date. Since his first start on June 4, he had never gotten as far as the 6th inning until meeting the Braves August 3, holding them to one run on four hits. But Thurman, who has run out of gas in the middle innings many times this year (a 12.06 ERA in the 4th and 5th innings), lost his no-hitter in the 5th when former Montgomery Biscuit Frank Moore outran a bunt in front of the plate for a single, moving leadoff hitter Grant Psomas to 2nd. A double play saved Thurman, but in the 6th, Raburn lined a single hard on one hop to Brantley and Eric Riggs, who nearly began the season in the independent leagues, hit a high fly ball on Thurman's 2-1 pitch, deep to right, carrying over the wall....... Brendan Katin tore the vinyl advertising banner down in a desperate leap for the ball, which fell far out of his reach........ That tied the game....... A long fly ball by Jai Miller knocked in the winning run in the 7th after Grant Psomas doubled off the wall in left-center, then was sacrificed to third.

 

After Sollmann's HR, a succession of Mudcat relievers, the worst in minor league baseball at saving games (30 blown saves to date), held the Stars to just two hits over the next 5 1/3 innings....... Michael Brantley lined a single to left in front of Raburn, and stole his first base since July 29 on a strike to Katin, but Katin struck out for the 148th time this year, extending his new strikeout record, which was broken last Friday at Pringles Park. The old record of 147 was Brad Nelson for only three years, after Rob Nelson (A's organization) had held it since the Stars' inaugural season......... Then in the 9th, Hernan Iribarren, August's hottest hitter in the Southern League with a .472 average, lined a single off the glove of reliever Brandon Villafuerte, deflecting in front of 2nd baseman Riggs, who had to run in to make the play. But Adam Heether popped out to Riggs on the outfield grass, and Sollmann flied out to left, ending the game........ Villafuerte, a 31-year old veteran who last pitched in the league for the Suns in 1999 when they had Mike Maroth (now with the Tigers) and Adam Pettyjohn in their rotation, picked up the rare save for the Mudcats. They are last in the league with 23.

 

In the peculiar quirks of minor league scheduling, what few fans there were tonight got their first look at the Mudcats this season, despite the fact this is the last homestand of the season........ The team hadn't seen them since May 12-16 at Five County Stadium, when they pulverized them in the first three games by a total score of 31-13....... Tuesday, Chris Seddon will face Derek Miller (5-1, 4.01), who has not been spectacular in his last three starts (2-1, 5.30). ...... Seddon, who started the year with Montgomery, was 3-4, 4.94 in 12 starts with the Biscuits, and 2-5, 4.93 with the Mudcats........ The Stars have not faced him since he was in a Biscuit uniform, but in two starts, he gave up 10 runs on 13 hits in 10 innings, losing to the Stars, 12-3, on May 28........ Lindsay Gulin will try again for his 12th victory on Wednesdsay against right-hander Gaby Hernandez. Both pitchers are among the SL's top 10 ERA leaders. Gulin is 4th (3.31) and Hernandez, the Marlins' 3rd-ranked prospect, is 10th (3.62)

 

Lou Palmisano, who banged up his shoulder in Saturday's game at Pringles Park, should be back in the lineup sometime during this series....... Hernan Iribarren's triple on Saturday against West Tenn was his 12th, the most for any Huntsville Star since Demond Smith hit 14 in 1996....... The Stars have hit a league-leading 43 triples this year. Iribarren's triple broke the record of 42 the Stars set in 1989....... The Stars are also two away from tying the club record for sacrifice hits (86), also set in 1989........ The Stars have now doubled in 13 straight games, the longest streak this season. They are last in the league in that category with 192....... Speaking of streaks, Iribarren stretched his hitting streak to 12 games tonight, three away from the longest this season -- 15 by Adam Heether from May 18-June 1........

 

The Stars' pitching staff has allowed 12 home runs over their last six games. The longest consecutive span this season is seven games (June 1-7), but they allowed 10 in that span. The Stars have allowed 106 HRs this year, tying them for 2nd in the SL with Jacksonville....... Corey Thurman passed up Steve Hammond tonight by giving up HR #17, placing him 2nd to the Smokies' Paul Schappert, who has given up 19. Schappert was sent down to Class A-Daytona in late June....... From June 26-August 14, Stars opponents had hit just three triples -- all of them coming in a single game by Chattanooga on July 28. Then the Diamond Jaxx hit five during the most recent series at Pringles Park, stretched over three straight games........

 

Alec Zumwalt and his wife have a new baby boy, named Brooks. Zumwalt, now in the A's organization, saved eight games for the Stars over the 2005-06 seasons. He's with Sacramento now, where he is 0-3 with a 6.96 ERA in 20 appearances........ The first 2,000 fans through the gate will receive a poster of the 2007 Stars and a 2008 schedule this Saturday before the Stars' game against the Diamond Jaxx. Sunday will be the final card strip giveaway of the season....... Sunday, the Stars booster club will hand out their annual "Rocky" and "Eagle" awards at their final banquet given for the players. Last year's winners were Callix Crabbe ("Rocky") and Corey Thurman ("Eagle). These awards have been given out since 1992. Click on to Johnny Phillips' web site for more information.

 

And visit Johnny Phillips' amazing unofficial web site of the Stars featuring his message board

The Stars have won only three of their last nine games....... They scored big in those three games (11, 13, and 8 runs), but scored no more than five times in their six losses. They've hit .301 in those nine games, but the pitching staff has given up 15 HRs....... The Stars have also hit into 13 DPs...... This losing streak followed an eight-game win streak.

 

The Chattanooga Lookouts, Monday night, got two minor leaguers from the Mets' system when the Reds traded outfielder and former Southern League Jeff Conine....... Going to the Lookouts are shortstop Jose Castro and outfielder Sean Henry...... Castro is 2nd among Florida State League hitters with a .318 average and Henry is tied for the FSL lead in hits with 132...... Conine, a 17-year major league veteran, hit .320 for the Memphis Chicks in 1990.