Link Report Sat. 5/26 - The Kids All Win as Brewers Flounder

[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 Chris Oxspring at Albuquerque (Marlins), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: LHP Steve Hammond at Mobile (Diamondbacks), 6:55 pre-game; 7:05 PM gametime

 

Audio link:

www.huntsvillestars.com/

 

Brevard County: LHP Steve Garrison at home vs. Sarasota (Reds), 4:50 PM pre-game, 5:00 PM gametime

 

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

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

 

West Virginia: LHP Brae Wright at home vs. Greenville (Red Sox), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

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

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

[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:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_mobaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_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:

The Manatees actually have a larger division lead than the Power at this point. The Brewers could be looking at three clubs (AA and lower) clinching post-game berths by winning the season's first half. Keep in mind that at AAA, there is no "split-season".

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 26 21 .553 - 14-7 12-14 L1 Nashville 25 23 .521 1.5 15-8 10-15 L1 Omaha 24 24 .500 2.5 20-9 4-15 W5 Memphis 23 26 .469 4.0 15-9 8-17 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 24 22 .522 - 13-12 11-10 W1 Tennessee 24 22 .522 - 9-12 15-10 L2 West Tenn 22 26 .458 3.0 13-10 9-16 W3 Chattanooga 20 28 .417 5.0 12-13 8-15 L4 Carolina 18 31 .367 7.5 10-14 8-17 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 30 18 .625 - 17-6 13-12 W3 Palm Beach 26 22 .542 4.0 13-12 13-10 L3 Daytona 22 25 .468 7.5 13-8 9-17 W1 Vero Beach 22 26 .458 8.0 16-11 6-15 L4 Jupiter 20 28 .417 10.0 8-15 12-13 W1 St. Lucie 19 29 .396 11.0 10-15 9-14 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 30 15 .667 - 15-10 15-5 L1 Greensboro 28 20 .583 3.5 16-7 12-13 W1 Lakewood 23 22 .511 7.0 10-13 13-9 L2 Lake County 22 25 .468 9.0 12-13 10-12 W2 Lexington 22 26 .458 9.5 12-14 10-12 W3 Hagerstown 21 27 .438 10.5 11-12 10-15 W2 Delmarva 20 26 .435 10.5 11-12 9-14 L2 Hickory 19 26 .422 11.0 8-10 11-16 W3

[Mass Haas]

Hey kids, just a reminder about the wondeful "archived audio" feature -- you can listen to Angel Salome's walk-off blast and subsequent post-game interview by clicking on the May 25th Manatee archive at this link, go to the 4 hour, 30 minute mark as the bottom of the 7th and final inning begins.

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

[Boy Jeenius]

Has anyone noticed that Taylor Green has been on fire this season? Angel Salome with another good night. Brent Brewer with a couple of hits again, and Drew Anderson with 4 hits.

[DHonks]

Another player in need of a promotion ASAP is Ben Stanczyk. He's thrived in A+, and it's year 2.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 6, Sarasota (Reds) 5

 

MiLB.com Brevard County Game Notes:

 

Salome, Manatees sink Reds

 

Angel Salome went 3-for-4 and drove in a key insurance run as Brevard County edged visiting Sarasota, 6-5, on Saturday.

 

Salome's leadoff single ignited a five-run second inning. Ryan Barba smacked a two-run single during the outburst and Alcides Escobar tripled home two more runs before Lorenzo Cain's base hit capped the rally.

 

After the Reds (32-17) battled back to 5-4, Salome doubled home Michael Bell in the bottom of the fifth to cap the scoring for the Manatees (31-18). The 20-year-old catcher has driven in five runs during a four-game RBI streak.

 

Brevard County reliever Patrick Ryan (1-0) allowed one run on one hit and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Jeremy Lewis tossed three scoreless frames and Ben Stanczyk recorded the final out for his second save. Starter Steve Garrison surrendered four runs on five hits and four walks in four innings.

 

Reds starter Ramon Ramirez (3-2) gave up five runs on four hits while fanning four and walking four over four frames.

 

B.J. Szymanski smacked his third homer of the year, a solo shot in the fourth, for Sarasota. -- Alan Friedman/MLB.com

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Four Manatee eroors (including two missed catches by Ned Yost at first base) did not lead to any unearned runs; you could make the case Charlie Fermaint and his .449 OPS has been the weakest regular in the entire system in 2007 - but hey, the 'Tees won again, let's focus on the positive; 26-year-old lefty Jeremy Lewis, in his third year at Brevard, with his best outing this season...

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

[wibadgers23]

At what point do you guys see Salome getting promoted? Will he spend all year in A+ or get promoted to AA sometime this year? I know it all depends on how well he plays, but they could be taking it slow with him considering he's coming back from a major injury.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 7, Mobile (Diamondbacks) 4

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1182

 

Stocker Leads Stars' Late Surge to Victory

 

Mel Stocker?s two-run pinch-hit double highlighted a five-run eighth inning uprising that carried Huntsville to a 7-4 comeback win over Mobile Saturday night in the fourth of a five-game set at Hank Aaron Stadium. The Stars won their second straight game to improve to 25-22 and maintain their share of the lead in the North Division, while the BayBears slipped to 25-24 and fell seven games behind South Division-leading Mississippi. The Stars won for a fourth time when trailing after seven innings and improved to 12-10 on the road.

 

Drew Anderson started the decisive rally with a leadoff double and moved to third base on an errant relay throw back to the infield by left fielder Jarred Ball, who had entered the game in the seventh as part of a double switch. Steve Moss walked and Adam Heether grounded into a force out at second that scored Anderson to cut Mobile?s lead to 4-3. It was Heether?s second run batted in of the game and marked the first time this year he had driven in multiple runs in a road game. Yohannis Perez singled to right field to move Heether to second and chase Matt Elliott from the game. Dustin Glant took over on the hill and Stocker roped his game-winning hit into right field on a 1-0 pitch to score both runners to give the visitors their first lead of the night. Hernan Iribarren singled in Stocker, moved to second base on the throw home and scored after Glant issued two wild pitches to finish off the game-changing inning. Anderson finished with four hits in five trips and wound up a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.

 

Corey Thurman retired all six batters he faced in the sixth and seventh innings to earn his first win of the year and was followed on the hill by Jeff Housman, who walked the leadoff man Javier Brito in the eighth but worked out of trouble by ending the frame with a strikeout double play on which Cesar Nicolas, who reached on a fielder?s choice, was thrown out trying to steal second base. Housman walked leadoff man Carlos Gonzalez in the ninth and was replaced by Marino Salas, who got Josh Ford to bounce into a double play and set down Ronnie Merrill on a ground out to end the game. Salas earned his third save against the BayBears and his tenth in ten tries.

 

Emilio Bonifacio opened the home first with an infield single, stole second and third base and scored on a Wilkin Castillo ground out. Javier Brito then worked a one-out walk and scored on a two-out triple by Justin Upton to give the home side a 2-0 lead. Stars? starter Steve Hammond has now been scored on in the first inning in three of his five starts on the road and in six of his 10 starts on the year. Brito also became the ninth of the 12 batters he has walked this season to have scored after only two of the 25 batters he issued a free pass to last season came plateward.

 

Ronnie Merrill?s third home run of the year and second off of Hammond extended the Mobile lead to 3-0 in the fourth and Castillo?s run-scoring double in the fifth made it 4-0 and knocked Hammond out of the game. The Stars pulled to within 4-2 in the sixth on two-out, run-scoring hits by Heether and Perez against starter Matt Green.

 

The series wraps up on Sunday evening when Huntsville will send left-hander Lindsay Gulin to the hill against BayBears? southpaw Greg Smith. Coverage of the game begins at 5:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Great job, Huntsville bullpen (again), not so much Steve Hammond (again); was Ruben Mateo that important a fkyer to take if Brendan Katin is reduced to bench duty since Drew Anderson's return? Anderson seems to have re-found his stroke after the demotion...

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_mobaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

Important 6th inning two-out RBI knocks from Adam Heether and Yohannis Perez kick-started the comeback that would follow two innings later...

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_mobaax_1

[pogokat]

coming off an injury, and with little reason to be rushed, i think salome spends the whole year in Brevard

 

what the heck is up with Charlie Fermaint?

 

I've seen prospects slowly wither away, but sheesh! It's like he's completely forgotten how to play baseball...

[And That]

Man, if I lived within driving distance of Charleston, I'd buy season tickets to see the Power. What a treat it has been to follow them this year. That team is closing in on a million stolen bases.

 

What's up with Steve Bray's walks? Already has more than last year in about 1/4 of the innings.

 

Corey Thurman needs to be promoted.

[pogokat]

if you feel like playing hooky from work and flying to charlotte on tuesday, i'll run away to see jeffress' debut with you...hehe...for at least the first few innings...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/baybears/mobil...amp;coll=3

 

Stars outshine Mobile

By ARTHUR L. MACK

Mobile Press-Register Sports Correspondent

 

This time it was the Huntsville Stars' turn to have a big inning in their Southern League series with the Mobile BayBears.

 

The Stars erased a 4-2 deficit with five runs in the top of the eighth and sent the BayBears to a 7-4 defeat in front of an announced crowd of 4,322 at Hank Aaron Stadium on Saturday night.

 

Drew Anderson had the hot bat for Huntsville, going 4-for-5. Adam Heether had two RBIs. Hernan Iribarren and Yohannis Perez also had RBIs.

 

Stars starting pitcher Steve Hammond lasted four innings and allowed six hits and four earned runs, but Corey Thurman came on in the seventh and notched the win. Marino Salas picked up his 10th save.

 

"We dug ourselves a hole early, but we broke through and got some timely hits," Stars manager Don Money said. "Our relievers came on and did just fine."

 

Matt Green pitched six strong innings for Mobile and struck out seven while allowing only two runs. But his efforts went for naught as the BayBears squandered the lead. Matt Elliott -- who came on in the top of the seventh -- was tagged with the loss.

 

Emilio Bonifacio went 3-for-4 and stole three bases for Mobile (25-24). Wilkin Castillo had two RBIs and Ronnie Merrill added a solo homer.

 

"I feel bad for Green because he pitched well and we couldn't hold the lead," Mobile manager Brett Butler said. "We had our opportunities, but we let them slip away."

 

Huntsville sent eight batters to the plate in a five-run eighth inning. Anderson started it with a double and went to third on an error. He later scored on Heether's RBI to make it 4-3.

 

Pinch hitter Mel Stocker drove in two runs off reliever Dustin Glant to put the Stars on top for good. He later scored from second on a Iribarren single to make it 6-4. Iribarren scored later in the inning on a wild pitch for the final margin. Salas came on in the bottom of the ninth and retired the BayBears in order.

 

Aggressive running on the basepaths led to an early Mobile lead. Bonifacio led off with a bloop single, then stole second and third. He scored on Castillo's ground out.

 

Javier Brito singled later in the inning and scored on Justin Upton's triple -- his first of the year -- to make it 2-0. Merrill launched a solo shot into left center in the bottom of the fourth. The BayBears made it 4-0 in the fifth when Bonifacio singled and scored on Castillo's double.

 

Green kept the Stars scoreless until the sixth when Heether doubled in Anderson and scored on a Perez single to make it 4-2.

 

The final game of the series is today at 6:05 p.m. Greg Smith will pitch for Mobile.

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/baybears/mobil...amp;coll=3

 

Stars, BayBears play lights-out ball at the Hank

By ARTHUR L. MACK

Mobile Press-Register Sports Correspondent

 

There was an unexpected delay midway in the fourth inning of Saturday's game when some of the lights at Hank Aaron Stadium went out.

 

The game was delayed for approximately 18 minutes while stadium personnel searched for the cause. Eight of the lights eventually came back on and play resumed.

 

City of Mobile electricians came out to work on the remaining lights, according to BayBears team president and chief operations officer Bill Shanahan.

 

"When those eight lights came back on, the umpires and managers from both clubs felt the field was playable and allowed the game to continue," he said. "The city has electricians working on the problem, and we hope to have the problem solved in time for Sunday's game."

 

IT TAKES A THIEF: As a player in the California League in 2006, Mobile's Emilio Bonafacio stole a league-leading 61 bases.

 

Coming into Saturday night's game, Bonafacio was tied for fourth in the Southern League in stolen bases with Montgomery's Jason Pridie. Both had 11. A couple of Mississippi Braves -- Matt Esquivel and Brent Lillibridge ranked first and second with 16 and 12 stolen bases, respectively. Huntsville's Steve Sollmann also had 12.

 

Saturday night, Bonafacio tied his single-game season high in the first inning when he stole second and third. He broke it in the bottom of the third when he stole second base.

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Virginia 11, Greenville (Red Sox) 8

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

POWER USE FOUR-RUN EIGHTH TO BEAT GREENVILLE

 

The West Virginia Power scored four times in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Greenville Drive 11-8 on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park.

 

Kris Negron scored the first run of the game on Andy Bouchie?s errant throw in the first inning. Michael Brantley tied the game in the bottom of the inning with a run-scoring single.

 

Josh Reddick gave Greenville the lead again with a two-run homer in the second. The Power answered with a three-run frame in the bottom of the inning. Taylor Green brought in the first run with a base hit, Darren Ford knocked in the next run on a groundout and Brent Brewer drove in the last run on a triple.

 

Greenville took the lead again in the fourth inning. Manny Arambarris singled in the first run of the inning just before Lars Anderson?s base hit plated the other two. Brewer ripped an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to bring the Power within a run, and West Virginia regained the lead in the sixth inning on Brantley?s two-run single.

 

Greenville kept fighting and took the lead again in the eighth inning. Arambarris plated Carlos Fernandez on a groundout and Anderson doubled in Negron. In the bottom of the inning, the Power answered with four runs on three hits. Chuckie Caufield knocked in the tying run with a single and John Alonso drove in the go-ahead run on a double. Caufield scored later in the inning after a groundout and Jimmy Mojica plated the final run with a double.

 

Omar Aguilar (3-1) allowed two runs on a hit through two innings to get the win and Feliz Ventura (0-1) was tagged with the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits over one and a third.

 

The Power improved to 31-15 with the win and the Drive fell to 20-28 with the loss. Taylor Green paced the Power with three hits while Michael Brantley led the Power with three RBI.

 

The Power will continue the four game series against Greenville Sunday afternoon. The Power will start left hander Mike Ramlow (2-2, 7.83) and the Drive will counter with right hander Travis Beazley (4-4, 5.68). The first pitch is scheduled for 2:05 PM (1:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Power 7-for-7 on the basepaths, but the most impressive stat from this game -- of the nine position players, eight of them drew exactly one walk apiece; Taylor Green's OPS at 1.011, and with the way this club produces, Mike Guerrero can leave him in the nine-hole, amazing; reliever D.J. Lidyard has been a different pitcher since his D.L. stint -- he's cruising now; especially with Zach Braddock sidelined, the Power is overcoming shaky starting performances more often than not, lefty's Brae Wright and Mike Ramlow are among those who can be thankful...

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.wvgazette.com/section...2007052629

 

Power rallies for 11-8 win

By Tommy R. Atkinson

Charleston Gazette Staff Writer

 

John Alonso hasn?t been in too many game-winning situations this season and he was admittedly a little nervous in his final at-bat Saturday night.

 

The West Virginia Power first baseman shook off those nerves and, with a little luck, drove home the winning run in the eighth inning with a Baltimore chop into left field as the Power took a wild 11-8 victory over the Greenville (S.C.) Drive.

 

A paid crowd of 3,342 attended the South Atlantic League game at Appalachian Power Park.

 

The Northern Division-leading Power (31-15) entered the bottom of the eighth trailing 8-7. West Virginia?s Brent Brewer led off the inning with a walk and Michael Brantley reached on an error. The Power?s Chuckie Caufield singled in Brewer to knot the game at 8-all.

 

Alonso sent a 2-0 pitch into the ground in front of third base. The ball bounced over Greenville?s Manny Arambarris? head and into left field for a double, sending Brantley home for a 9-8 edge. West Virginia scored two more runs as Caufield came home after the Drive tried to pick off Alonso at second base and Jimmy Mojica added a two-out RBI double.

 

?I just got a little luck and made it happen,?? said Alonso. ?I was just trying to see the ball honestly. I was a little nervous. I?ve been in that situation rarely this season. just put a good swing on it and got a little bit of luck to put it over the third baseman?s head. When you get a chance to help out your teammates, it?s the best feeling in the world.??

 

Omar Aguilar (3-1) came through in the top of the ninth, setting down Greenville (20-28) in order for the win. After the Power took a 7-6 lead in the sixth on Brantley?s two-run single, Aguilar gave up two runs in the eighth to hand Greenville its final lead at 8-7.

 

Power reliever D.J. Lidyard kept the game close after starter Brae Wright left after allowing five earned runs on seven hits in four innings. Lidyard fired two-hit ball over three shutout innings.

 

The 3-hour, 28-minute marathon featured six lead changes, including three from the sixth through the eighth.

 

The teams combined for 19 runs, 22 hits and five errors.

 

The Drive used four pitchers with starter Dustin Richardson only lasting 1 2/3 innings.

 

Brantley finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Brewer had a pair of hits, including a triple, and two RBIs. The Power?s Taylor Green, hitting out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order, went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI.

 

For Greenville, Lars Anderson went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs and Arambarris knocked in a pair of runs. Josh Reddick belted a two-run homer for the Drive.

 

The Power will play host to Greenville at 2:05 p.m. today (1:05 Central) in the third game of the four-game series.

 

Charleston Gazette Photographer: Chris Dorst

The Power?s Brent Brewer rounds second base and heads to third after smacking a triple Saturday ni

 

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/triple.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Power Website:

 

Power Surpasses 5 Game Stretch Attendance Record

 

The West Virginia Power celebrated two wins Saturday Night. The first was of course the 11-8 victory over the Greenville Drive, and the second being setting a new attendance record.

 

In 2005 the West Virginia Power set a five game stretch attendance record of 24,656 during the homestand lasting June 9th through June 13th. Though 2006 brought an impressive 20,747 over the May 18th - May 22nd homestand it wasn't quite enough to break the record. But this year, fans give yourself a big round of applause, we've broken the record at 25,030! Saturday's attendance of 3,342 put us over the top for the five game stretch lasting May 22nd - May 26th!

 

Thank you for your loyal attendance!

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 6, Albuquerque (Marlins) 4

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Andy Abad photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2342

 

Sounds Even Series With 6-4 Win Over Isotopes

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? Andy Abad belted a home run during a 3-for-4 evening and Joe Dillon drove in three runs to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 6-4 victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes on Saturday evening at Isotopes Park.

 

Every Sounds position player recorded a hit in the contest, led by Abad?s three-hit evening.

 

Nashville jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Albuquerque starter Nic Ungs. After Callix Crabbe scored the game?s first run on a Dillon double-play grounder, Abad increased the advantage to two by driving in Charles Thomas with a two-out RBI single to right. The knock extended Abad?s hitting streak to seven games, the longest active streak on the club.

 

PCL veteran and former Brewer farmhand Scott Seabol (3-for-4) put the home team on the board in the bottom of the second with a one-out solo homer off Sounds starter Chris Oxspring, his tenth roundtripper of the year.

 

Abad answered that blast with one of his own a half-inning later. The Nashville first baseman touched Ungs for a two-out solo shot to left to extend the lead to 3-1. The longball was his sixth of the year.

 

The Isotopes tied the contest with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third before the Sounds plate three scores of their own in the top of the fourth to jump ahead by a 6-3 margin. With the bases loaded and two outs, Dillon, who spent portions of the 2004-05 seasons in an Isotopes uniform, hurt his old team with a bases-clearing three-run double to center off Ungs.

 

Oxspring (3-3) earned the victory for the Sounds after turning in his second quality start of the year. The Aussie allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits while walking one batter and striking out five over six innings of work. He lowered his ERA to 3.28 on the year with the outing.

 

Albuquerque didn?t go down quietly in the late inning, making things interesting in each of their final three turns at the plate.

 

Grant Balfour worked into and out of a bases-loaded jam in a scoreless seventh before Steve Bray took over on the Nashville hill in the eighth and also skillfully worked into and out of a bases-full situation unscathed.

 

Luther Hackman came on for the ninth and earned his team-leading eighth save of the year despite allowing one run during the frame. Eric Reed, who paced Albuquerque with a 4-for-5 evening, led off with a triple to right-center and scored one batter latter on a Beattie groundout. Val Pascucci followed with a single then stole second.

 

The game ended on an exciting double play turned by the Sounds. John Gall flew out to center and Laynce Nix tossed a bullet to third base to gun down Pascucci for the final out.

 

AUDIO: Game-Ending Nix Double Play --

Note -- I love the call "that stolen base takes the double play out of the mix", and then -- horrible chance taken by Pascucci -- Jim

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-26.mp3

 

Ungs (2-2) lasted only 3 2/3 innings for the Isotopes and took the loss. He allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits while walking five batters in his outing.

 

Following Ungs? departure, the Albuquerque bullpen combined for 5 1/3 scoreless frames to finish the contest.

 

The teams continue the series with a 7:05 p.m. CT meeting on Sunday evening at Isotopes Park. Right-hander Yovani Gallardo (6-1, 2.14) is scheduled to make the start for Nashville to try to pick up his Pacific Coast League-leading seventh win of the year. He will face Isotopes left-hander Chris George (3-3, 4.53).

 

Nashville Box Score:

Does anyone in the Sounds bullpen ever have a 1-2-3 inning? The Stars' pen could teach these guys a few things; 35-year-old Andy Abad is a professional hitter, you can't dispute that...

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Hitting Coach Harry Spilman:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-26.mp3

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.jacksonville.com/tu-o...0792.shtml

 

Ejections, schedule among big Southern League issues

By JEFF ELLIOTT,

The Florida Times-Union

 

As the teams approach the conclusion of the first half, Southern League president Don Mincher is happy about developments in the circuit.

 

Mincher oversees league operations from his home office in Huntsville, Ala., while the administration of the day-to-day business affairs is handled from the Marietta, Ga., league office. Mincher has been president since 2000, when he gave up ownership of the Huntsville Stars.

 

"Everything is going very smooth so far," Mincher said. "The [Mississippi] Braves are pretty strong in this [south] division. I've seen them, and they keep putting out good prospects.

 

"But never discount the artistry of [suns manager] John Shoemaker. He's an amazing person in the minor-league system, how he leads young men. I know Mississippi isn't discounting anyone, especially Jacksonville. Somehow, Shoemaker always has the Suns there at the end."

 

One of the problem areas that Mincher has dealt with in the first two months pertains to the new rule throughout professional baseball in which a player can be assessed a strike if he steps out of the batter's box without first requesting a time-out from the home-plate umpire. Rulings have caught several players by surprise, including some who have been called out on strikes when they violated the rule with two strikes in the count.

 

"A lot of times, you swing and miss, you're thinking about that, and you step out without thinking," Mincher said. "We've had six or seven incidents of that happening, including the one really bad, violent incident in Huntsville where the player (Carlos Corporan) went a little crazy after he was called out.

 

"I think it's going to take two or three years to get this rule instituted to where the players are used to it. The umpires have been told they can't warn the batter not to step out. They have to call a strike."

 

The league's schedule has come under fire this season, with South Division first-half contenders Mississippi and Jacksonville not scheduled to face each other in this half. Should the teams tie for the first-half title, the champion of will be determined the first time the teams meet in the second half on July 17 in Mississippi.

 

"It's somewhat of an injustice that those two teams don't meet in the first half," Mincher said. "But it's a long, long way between some of these cities. We've tried to cut travel expenses in the league.

 

"Is it important they play each other? Of course it is. But for minor-league owners, expenses are very important. Back when gas was $1.50 a gallon, things were OK. But now that it's maybe two dollars a gallon higher, that's a concern."

 

Also on the rise throughout the Southern League are player and manager ejections. Mincher said there is now an average of two or three ejections per day, the majority of which come from players arguing balls and strikes.

 

"Our umpires are taught to be patient," Mincher said. "But this time of year, it's getting hot, a player might be struggling at the plate, his team is losing, managers get emotional and the frustration sets in."

[LouisEly]

Corey Thurman needs to be promoted.

 

So far this year, 25.2 IP, 19H, 3BB, 31K, 0.86 WHIP, after last year's 140 IP, 129 H, 42 BB, 124K, and 1.22 WHIP as a starter. Hard to believe he is still in AA, but Yo, Z-Jack, Dillard, Oxspring, Balfour, Sarfate and Bray are higher priorities, and Dickey is the designated rotation stooge/rubber arm that saves the rotation from pitching meaningless innings (and Hackman is the closer and Thatcher and Stetter are the lefties, and that makes ten). I had been calling for Thurman to be a replacement for Dessens as the long man. I don't think he could do any worse.

 

IIRC, the Brewers 40 man is still at 37, which leaves room for Thurman to be added without having to remove anyone if indeed the need arises. That being said, I think they would add Thatcher first if they need bullpen help, perhaps Hackman or Bray second, but if they needed a long man in the pen I wouldn't be upset to see Thurman.