Link Report for Games of Friday, August 31st

[Mass Haas]

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

 

 

[Mass Haas]

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF!

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: RHP Mark DiFelice at Memphis (Cardinals), 6:55 PM pre-game; 7:10 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: RHP Corey Thurman at Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime

 

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

http://www.huntsvillestars.com/

 

Brevard County: RHP Mike McClendon at home vs. Palm Beach (Cardinals), 5:45 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime

 

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

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

 

West Virginia: RHP Alex Periard at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime

 

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

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

 

Helena: RHP Robert Bryson at home vs. Billings (Reds), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime

 

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

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

Arizona: Season complete

[Mass Haas]

Follow Friday'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_31_nasaaa_mrbaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_hunaax_biraax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_pbcafa_breafa_1&did=t503&sid=t503

 

West Virginia:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_lexafx_wvaafx_1

 

Helena:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_bilrok_helrok_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 Thursday's games:

Arizona's standings reflect the final year both halves combined...

 

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 86 54 .614 - 48-24 38-30 W1 Iowa 78 62 .557 8.0 42-26 36-36 L1 Omaha 70 70 .500 16.0 45-27 25-43 L1 Memphis 55 85 .393 31.0 29-39 26-46 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 35 30 .538 - 18-16 17-14 L3 Tennessee 35 31 .530 0.5 22-13 13-18 W1 Chattanooga 34 32 .515 1.5 16-19 18-13 W2 Carolina 30 36 .455 5.5 15-16 15-20 L6 West Tenn 29 36 .446 6.0 12-19 17-17 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 36 30 .545 - 18-15 18-15 W2 Palm Beach 34 33 .507 2.5 17-18 17-15 W3 Brevard County 32 34 .485 4.0 18-14 14-20 L2 Jupiter 30 36 .455 6.0 18-15 12-21 W1 Daytona 25 42 .373 11.5 13-22 12-20 L2 Vero Beach 23 43 .348 13.0 12-19 11-24 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hickory 39 26 .600 - 24-13 15-13 W3 Lakewood 35 30 .538 4.0 19-13 16-17 W5 Greensboro 33 33 .500 6.5 22-12 11-21 L3 Lake County 32 32 .500 6.5 17-16 15-16 L3 West Virginia 31 33 .484 7.5 18-13 13-20 L1 Delmarva 31 34 .477 8.0 14-17 17-17 W1 Lexington 27 39 .409 12.5 16-16 11-23 W1 Hagerstown 23 42 .354 16.0 11-21 12-21 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 20 9 .690 - 11-4 9-5 W1 Billings 16 14 .533 4.5 9-7 7-7 W4 Helena 14 16 .467 6.5 6-9 8-7 L4 Missoula 13 17 .433 7.5 7-7 6-10 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Mariners 37 19 .661 - 24-4 13-15 W1 AZL Angels 33 23 .589 4.0 20-8 13-15 L1 AZL Giants 33 23 .589 4.0 17-11 16-12 W9 AZL Padres 28 28 .500 9.0 17-11 11-17 W1 AZL Royals 28 28 .500 9.0 15-13 13-15 L1 AZL Cubs 27 29 .482 10.0 14-14 13-15 W3 AZL Athletics 25 31 .446 12.0 14-14 11-17 L1 AZL Rangers 22 34 .393 15.0 11-17 11-17 L3 AZL Brewers 19 37 .339 18.0 10-18 9-19 W1 

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.al.com/stars/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/sports/118855195314150.xml&coll=1

 

Right on the Money

Stars' boss named Southern League Manager of Year

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com

 

The Huntsville Stars' transformation from the league's worst team in mid-July 2006 to a team now bidding for its third consecutive Southern League North half-season division title has been well documented. After a 35-63 start last season, they had gone 104-68 through Wednesday's game.

 

Now, the transformation is being well rewarded.

 

Don Money, the Stars' third-year manager, was named Southern League Manager of the Year on Thursday. It was the first such award for Money, the 60-year-old former major league infielder.

 

Huntsville outfielder Brendan Katin, who entered Thursday's play tied for the league lead in homers with 23 and atop the RBI list with 90, was the only Stars representative on the postseason All-Star team, which featured 11 players from the four Alabama franchises.

 

Montgomery third baseman Evan Longoria was elected Most Valuable Player and Montgomery's Chris Mason was picked as Most Outstanding Pitcher in the vote of managers, radio broadcasters and newspaper reporters.

 

"It's an honor, especially since the other managers voted on it," Money said of his award. "Maybe it's recognition for us winning as a team but without a lot of the big-name prospects and with not a lot of high draft picks."

 

Money was quick to praise his staff of pitching coach Rich Sauveur, who has been alongside him for five seasons, and hitting coach Sandy Guerrero.

 

"Rich handles the pitchers and he does a fine job. And Sandy, he's a worker. He can throw batting practice all day long in the cage, on the field, then back in the cage and never get tired. He's getting better every year at what he does," Money said.

 

Money managed Milwaukee's Single-A Beloit team for six seasons, guiding the Snappers into the championship series three times. With the Stars winning the first-half title and assuring themselves a playoff spot this year, he becomes the first Huntsville manager to lead a team into postseason play in consecutive seasons since Brad Fischer did so in 1985-87, the first three years of the franchise.

 

Longoria earned the MVP award with a .301 average, 21 homers and 78 RBIs at the time of his late-July promotion to Triple-A. His final at-bat with Montgomery was a grand slam. He was joined on the All-Star team by:

 

Catcher: John Jaso, Montgomery. First base: Javier Brito, Mobile. Second base: Emilio Bonifacio, Mobile. Shortstop: Chin-Lung Hu, Jacksonville. Outfielders: Katin, Charlton Jimerson, West Tenn; Justin Upton, Mobile; Fernando Perez, Montgomery. Designated hitter: Lee Mitchell, Carolina. Utility: Wilkin Castillo, Mobile. Best hustler: Carl Loadenthal, Mississippi. Right-handed pitcher: Chris Mason, Montgomery. Left-handed pitcher: Gio Gonzalez, Birmingham. Relief pitcher: Dale Thayer, Montgomery.

 

Of Katin, Money said, "He's obviously got good power, and it's good power to all fields. But he has some things to learn. He needs to work on his approach at the plate and cut back on the strikeouts, but he's been a big hitter for us."

 

The case could be made for several other Stars on the All-Star team, especially at second base. Hernan Iribarren is batting 17 points higher than Bonifacio and has 13 more RBIs and 12 more extra base hits in 10 fewer games, and leads the league in triples. But Bonifacio will likely finish as the stolen base leader. First baseman Steve Sollmann (.285, 51 RBIs) is at a deep position; ditto third baseman Adam Heether (.300, 9 HRs 58 RBIs), behind Longorio and Carolina's Mitchell.

 

Lindsay Gulin had more wins than any lefty pitcher in the league, but Gonzalez had a slight edge over him in ERA and will lead the league in strikeouts.

 

Katin becomes Huntsville's first postseason All-Star team rep since Brad Nelson in 2004 and Money is the first manager of the year honoree since Frank Kremblas in 2003; Gary Jones (1994) and Jeff Newman (1989) previously won the award.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.dailymail.com/story/Sports/+/2007083144/Power%27s+Jeffress+suspended/

 

Power's Jeffress suspended

Charleston Daily Mail

The West Virginia Power lost a baseball game Thursday night, and a lot more.

 

With the Power headed toward the South Atlantic League playoffs next week, the club will be without pitching ace Jeremy Jeffress after the right-hander was suspended 50 games for violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

 

Major League Baseball announced the suspension, saying in a news release that Jeffress, Milwaukee's No. 1 pick in the June 2006 draft, tested positive for a "drug of abuse."

 

After getting that news, the Power went out and lost 7-5 to Lexington at Appalachian Power Park, despite an inside-the-park homer by shortstop Brent Brewer. Greg Buchanan's two-run homer in the ninth inning made Matt Kretzschmar (0-4) the loser.

 

Jeffress, of South Boston, Va., finishes his Power season with a 9-5 record and 3.13 earned run average. He made 18 starts, striking out 95 in 86 1/3 innings.

 

He would have pitched Sunday for a final time in the regular season, then worked in Game 2 of the SAL Northern Division playoffs a week from tonight at Power Park. He was at the ballpark in street clothes Thursday, but was not made available for comment.

 

Power pitching coach John Curtis said Thursday that the club had already decided to start right-hander Alex Periard (7-7) in Game 1 of the playoffs likely at Hickory, which leads the division second-half race by 3 1/2 games with four to play.

 

Jeffress had been slated for Game 2. That starting role now goes to Shawn Ferguson (4-1), with Donovan Hand (2-1) moving into Ferguson's projected slot for a Game 3 (if necessary) start on Sept. 8 at Power Park.

 

"It's an unfortunate thing," Curtis said of Jeffress. "We're very concerned about him. Whatever the suspension is for, hopefully it's getting better and he can come back and be a better human being and a better pitcher."

 

In Milwaukee, Brewer General Manager Doug Melvin issued a statement saying the club "takes these matters very seriously, and we are in the process of formulating a plan in hopes that Jeremy can redeem himself. Jeremy will be provided every opportunity to get his career back on track through the Brewers' Employee Assistance Program."

 

The Power plays the finale of a two-game set with Lexington tonight at 7:05 (6:05 Central). Greensboro visits Appalachian Power Park for a three-game series Saturday night through Monday afternoon to close the regular season.

 

Greensboro was involved in a 4-3 loss to visiting Kannapolis in which several brawls halted play for one hour on Thursday night. Umpires ejected enough players so that the game was stopped for one hour while the situation was sorted out, and SAL retiring President John Moss was called for a decision on how to continue the game.

 

Suspensions are expected from Moss today.

 

Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Craig Cunningham

 

West Virginia Power's Brent Brewer slides past third before getting up and going to home for an inside-the-park home run. Lexington's Drew Holder was injured as he dove to field the ball.

http://www.dailymail.com/images/Power083107.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows (Thursday's game):

 

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/200708315

 

Legends spoil another solid start by Hand

By Mike Whiteford

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

In a brief dugout conversation Thursday night, Power right fielder Chuckie Caufield approached pitcher Donovan Hand and offered some nice words.

 

Caufield said simply he appreciated Hand's ability to throw strikes, adding that it makes playing defense that much easier.

 

Continuing his knack for challenging hitters, Hand did not walk a batter Thursday and allowed just three hits and a run in his five-inning stint, and he seemed headed for victory at Appalachian Power Park.

 

But the Lexington Legends rallied for five unearned runs in the eighth and ninth innings to deprive Hand of the victory and defeat the Power 7-5.

 

A crowd of 2,635 attended.

 

As Hand and his counterparts know, throwing strikes is the most elementary and essential of pitching's fundamentals.

 

It keeps position players on their toes, helps establish a pitcher's rhythm and catches the approving eye of managers, pitching coaches and other people of influence.

 

"I try to make things happen early in the count,'' said Hand, a 21-year-old native of Jacksonville, Ala. "I saw an article in a magazine that said that if you throw over four or five pitches to a hitter, the defense gets back on their heels and relaxes a little bit.''

 

Since being assigned to the Power a month ago, Hand has pitched 25 innings as both a starter and reliever and has not walked a batter.

Previously, he pitched 34 innings in Helena of the rookie Pioneer League and walked just four.

 

"The Milwaukee Brewers organization preaches pitching to contact, and for that reason you can keep starters in the game longer,'' said Hand, a former Jacksonville State University pitcher.

 

"That's one thing I do. I throw it in the zone and let 'em hit it and depend on my fielders to make plays. I've always had pretty good command of all three pitches.''

 

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-hander, who was taken in the 14th round in the June draft, retired the first eight batters he faced Thursday but allowed three straight singles for a run in the third. He pitched perfectly in the fourth and fifth. He threw only 51 pitches in five innings.

 

The Power took a 5-4 lead into the ninth but, with two out and no one on base, Nick Moresi tripled into the left-field corner and scored when third baseman Taylor Green made an error on Ronald Ramirez's groundball. Greg Buchanan followed with a home run down the right-field line. Matt Kretzschmar, who pitched the ninth, took the loss.

 

POWER POINTS: The Power will face the Legends at 7:05 Friday night (6:05 Central) and will conclude the regular season with three home games against Greensboro Saturday, Sunday and Monday. ... Thursday's attendance raised the Power's season total to 237,633, leaving the team just 2,089 short of last year's count of 239,722, which was the highest in the city's history. ... The Power's Brent Brewer hit a two-run inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning, giving his team a 5-1 lead. ... In the last homestand, the team sold 18 dozen Wheeler Bob T-shirts in five-and-a-half games. The proceeds went to charity.

[Mass Haas]

Thursday's Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Outfielder Laynce Nix:

 

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/audio/2007/Interview%208-30.mp3

[Mass Haas]

Brewers could raid Sounds roster with late call-ups

BY NATE RAU, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

The Nashville Sounds have already locked up their third-consecutive trip to the Pacific Coast League playoffs, but in order to win the title like they did in 2005 it might require a completely re-tooled roster.

 

That's because the Sounds stand to lose at least one or as many as eight players when major league rosters expand Saturday and the Milwaukee Brewers make call-ups.

 

"My guess is we'll lose five or maybe six guys," Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. "Then the rest of the guys they want to take a look at will be called up after the playoffs."

 

Pitcher Carlos Villanueva is guaranteed a promotion. He was optioned to Nashville explicitly to make two starts and then return to the Brewers.

 

After that, who the Brewers bring up will depend on what exactly general manager Doug Melvin and staff deem their roster needs. Kremblas thought the team would look for situational pitchers, pinch runners, pinch hitters and defensive specialists.

 

The Brewers are entrenched in a pennant chase with St. Louis and Chicago in the National League Central.

 

"I think they'll call up guys they need, like a pitcher or maybe a guy who can pinch-run late in games," Kremblas said. "It will probably be mostly pitchers."

 

Reliever Chris Spurling and starter R.A. Dickey, fresh off being named PCL Pitcher of the Year on Wednesday, aren't on Milwaukee's 40-man roster but both could conceivably receive promotions on Saturday. Spurling has a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings for Nashville this season. Dickey is 12-6 with a 3.80 ERA in 30 games.

 

The Sounds have three pitchers (Greg Aquino, Zach Jackson and Dennis Sarfate) who are on the Brewers' 40-man roster. Of that group, Aquino (2.33 ERA, 35 games) is most likely to be called up.

 

Utility man Vinny Rottino has value for the Brewers because he can play virtually every position, including catcher. Rottino narrowly missed the Brewers' opening day roster and has played well for the Sounds, hitting .286 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs while adjusting to catching most of the time.

 

Laynce Nix has been a worldbeater of late for the Sounds, as he's hit 23 homers and driven in 70 runs while playing all three outfield spots.

Tony Gwynn tweaked his hamstring earlier in the week, which hurts his value as a pinch runner, but he too is a likely candidate to get promoted.

 

"It's tough, because I've been with this team all season and you want to be there for these guys in the playoffs," Nix said. "But obviously the goal is to play in the big leagues and I'm going to give my best no matter what they ask of me."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070830/COLUMNIST0207/708300424/1106/SPORTS

 

Sounds have seen hot streak

Commentary by JOHN GLENNON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

The Nashville Sounds have been red hot in August.

 

They've also been playing pretty good baseball.

 

It's impressive enough that the team clinched its third straight Pacific Coast League division title earlier this week.

 

But the feat becomes even more notable given the conditions the Sounds worked under this month. By the end of tonight's game, they'll have played 18 of their last 22 contests at home, where the atmosphere has been blast-furnace hot.

 

A few heated highlights from what will likely go down as the hottest month in Music City history: 15 days over 100 degrees, 24 straight days of 95 degrees or higher, and an average temperature about 9 degrees above normal.

 

If you think it all feels the same to minor-league baseball players, think again.

 

"This one has definitely taken the cake," said Sounds pitcher and Nashville native R.A. Dickey, 32. "I can't ever recall so many days in a row just being so thick and stagnant."

 

Where the wind blows

 

On an average night when he takes the mound, Dickey steals a glance at the flags flying behind the outfield in order to determine which way the wind is blowing. Needless to say, that hasn't proved much of anything recently.

 

"It looks like there's a wind that's blowing the flags straight down," Dickey said. "There's nothing.''

 

Dickey always tries to work quickly, but it becomes even more important in Hades-like temperatures, when he's trying to get his teammates off a scorching diamond and back into the dugout.

 

It's the kind of effort appreciated by players such as 6-foot-2, 220-pound catcher Mike Rivera, whose most miserable memory of the month came Aug. 15, when he donned the mask and equipment for a noon start in which the temperature hit 104 degrees.

 

Over the past few weeks, Rivera has been soaking through about four T-shirts per game. He's also taken to removing his pads whenever possible during contests, hanging them on the dugout wall or in the locker room.

 

"You try to air them out because all that sweat can make them smell bad," Rivera said. "But it doesn't really work."

 

Pungent or not, the Sounds are worth making a big stink about. After Wednesday's 3-2 loss in 15 innings to Omaha, they have gone 10-7 in their hotter-than-ever home schedule this month.

 

The Sounds even secured the division title with more than a week left in the schedule, a welcome change from the past two years when it took them until the second-to-last day of the season to clinch a playoff berth.

 

Guess they figured with all they'd already experienced in August, why sweat things out?

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows (Thursday's game):

 

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070831/SPORTS0401/708310414/1328/SPORTS

 

Sounds' home schedule ends with win vs. Omaha

By MIKE ORGAN

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Adam Pettyjohn limped to the Sounds dugout Thursday after crippling Omaha.

 

The left-handed pitcher just had been hit in the leg by a ball in the eighth inning, but not before he helped Nashville to a 6-2 victory -its fifth win in the past six games.

 

A Greer Stadium crowd of 3,983 watched the Sounds finish their regular season home schedule with 10 hits to go with Pettyjohn's impressive performance.

 

Nashville travels to Memphis today to begin a four-game series and then heads into the Pacific Coast League playoffs on the road Wednesday. The Sounds won't know until the weekend whether they will play Albuquerque, New Orleans or Oklahoma.

 

Pettyjohn was tagged by a ball hit by Derek Wathan. It bounced in front of the pitcher's mound and caught Pettyjohn on the right shin. The lefty, who improved to 12-4, was helped off the field while the crowd applauded his performance.

 

"I just couldn't get my glove down fast enough,'' Pettyjohn said. "The guy hit it pretty well, just in the perfect spot. There was no reason to chance it and try to stay out there."

 

Pettyjohn, who expected to recover fully after a couple of days of rest, recorded seven strikeouts before Steve Bray replaced him and added another strikeout. That helped the Sounds set a single-season team record of 1,118 strikeouts.

 

The previous record of 1,117 was set in 2005.

 

The win moved Pettyjohn into a tie for the Pacific Coast League lead in that category. Fellow Sound R.A. Dickey and Fresno's Matt Kinney also have 12 wins.

 

"Our two guys have done an outstanding job,'' Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said.

 

The Sounds pulled in front 3-2 with two runs on six hits in the fourth inning. Andy Abad hit an RBI double and Chris Barnwell added an RBI single with two outs.

 

Vinny Rottino hit his 12th home run of the season in the seventh inning, a three-run shot that gave the Sounds a 6-2 lead.

 

What they said: "These guys are good. They're professionals, they know what to do. They'll just continue to work hard and get ready for the playoffs." - Kremblas on keeping the focus with only four games left in the regular season.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070831/SPORTS0401/708310418/1328/SPORTS

 

Two relief pitchers put on Sounds roster

By MIKE ORGAN

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

The Sounds added a pair of relievers to their pitching staff just before the start of Thursday's game against Omaha.

 

Right-handers Alec Zumwalt and Kenny Ray were put on the roster as the Sounds leave today for their final road trip of the regular season, a four-game series at Memphis.

 

Both pitchers spent their entire seasons in the Pacific Coast League.

 

Zumwalt, 26, started the year with the Sounds before being traded to the Oakland Athletics organization in May. In 13 relief innings with the Sounds, Zumwalt went 0-2 with one save and a 4.83 ERA. He joined Sacramento and posted an 0-3 record with a 9.96 ERA in 20 games with one start in 20 games before being released July 20.

 

Ray, 32, spent most of the season with Omaha, where he went 3-4 with two saves and a 4.15 ERA in 35 relief appearances. He was released by Kansas City on Aug. 18.

 

Ray spent the entire 2006 season in the Atlanta Braves bullpen.

 

To make room for the new players on the roster, Zach Jackson and Dennis Sarfate were placed on the temporary inactive list.

 

Attendance increase: With Thursday's attendance of 3,983, the total attendance number for the Sounds' games at Greer Stadium in the regular season was 411,959. That is up from last year's total of 410,569.

 

It was 7,453 shy of the 2005 total attendance of 419,412, which was the most in 12 years.

 

The average attendance per game this year was 5,885.

 

The Sounds start the PCL playoffs with two games on the road Wednesday. They return to Greer on Sept. 7, but attendance for playoff games does not count toward the yearly total.

 

Streak extended: Sounds second baseman Ozzie Chavez extended his longest hitting streak of the year to 10 games Thursday with a single as the leadoff batter in the seventh inning.

 

Wrapping up: The Sounds have won eight of the 12 games they've played against Memphis this season.

[homer]

Wow, LaPorta with another dinger. That makes 8 in 76 ABs in West Virginia. Extrapolate that out and it's like 52 for the year. That guy has some serious power.

[wvpowerblkwel]

Power results weren't all that great, but they were dressed in style. Here's LaPorta in his Ronald McDonald House jersey that was auctioned off tonite. All the players jerseys were auctioned with proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald house...neat promotion!

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/250156937fe4cde19ff744f77450b395fb8f7d5.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Final: Lexington (Astros) 6, West Virginia 3

 

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

LEGENDS RALLY LATE AGAIN

 

One night after erasing a four-run deficit to defeat the West Virginia Power, the Lexington Legends scored five times in the seventh inning in a come from behind victory at Appalachian Power Park, defeating the Power 6-3.

 

Jimmy Van Ostrand ripped an RBI double with two outs in the top of the first inning to give the Legends a 1-0 lead. Matt LaPorta hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning to tie it. It was his eighth with the Power and his fifth in six games against Lexington.

 

The Power took their only lead of the game on Chuckie Caufield's two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Legends scored five times in the seventh to take the lead for good. Nick Moresi and Tyler Evans tied the game with back-to-back RBI singles before Ronald Ramirez smacked a two-run double to give Lexington the lead. Ramirez scored the final run of the inning on Greg Buchanan's base hit.

 

Dave Qualben (11-8) allowed three runs on four hits over six innings to get the win, Santo Luis (9) struck out all four batters he faced to get the save and Chris Toneguzzi (6-5) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on seven hits over five innings of relief. Toneguzzi had retired ten in a row at one point and 12 of 13 before allowing all five runs in the seventh.

 

The Power fell to 79-54 overall and 31-34 in the second half, while the Legends improved to 59-78 overall and 28-39 in the second half. Matt LaPorta has now hit safely in eleven straight games.

 

The Power but will begin a three game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Appalachian Power Park on Saturday night. The Power will start right hander Shawn Ferguson (4-1, 3.09) and the Legends will start right hander Kyle Winters (8-3, 3.83). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Power musters only four hits as Taylor Green and Andrew Lefave with the night off; Alex Periard only goes two innings in his start, but that appears to be planned as the Power sets up the playoff rotation; Brent Brewer walks and scores, but is otherwise 0-for-3 with two K's; rough night for Charlie Fermaint (three K's) as well; 104 pro AB's, 19 extra base hits, including ten HR's, for Matt LaPorta -- wow!

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_lexafx_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_31_lexafx_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Brevard County 11, Palm Beach (Cardinals) 2

The Manatees come through on their "Guaranteed Win Night"...

 

Brevard County Box Score:

2-2 game as they went to the bottom of the 6th; when do you see this? Palm Beach 2B Dan Nelson went 5-for-5 in a nine-run loss. Three Manatees HBP -- meanwhile, Mike McClendon's conrtrol was impeccable; Yohannis Perez his first HR, he had none in Huntsville; Cole Gillespie on base three times...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_pbcafa_breafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_31_pbcafa_breafa_1

 

Buck Rogers, Manatees GM:

It's officially over. The St Lucie Mets, by virtue of the Manatees victory over the Palm Beach Cardinals tonight, have clinched the Eastern Division's 2nd Half Championship and will host the Manatees in Game #1 of a Best-of-Three Game Series on Tuesday, September 4th, at 7:00 PM (6:00 Central) at Tradition Field in Port St Lucie.

 

Games #2, and #3, if necessary, will be played at Space Coast Stadium on Wednesday, September 5th & 6th, respectively.

 

The Manatees made tonight Guaranteed Win Night and the team delivered an 11-2 knockout punch to the Cardinals.

 

Tomorrow night (Saturday), the Manatees host the Daytona Cubs for the final regular season home game.

 

It's been a wild ride and we're on the verge of the playoffs. You can feel it in the air, and I know a lot of you are nervous because we've lost some games in the past three weeks, but I said it before and I'll say it again: We haven't seen this team running on all cylindars and when JT (Manager John Tamargo) starts shoveling coal this train can't be stopped.

[Mass Haas]

Fun Night in Charleston

Despite the score...

 

http://deadspin.com/assets/resources/2007/08/rundmc.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Returning Reliever Alec Zumwalt:

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/audio/2007/Interview%208-31.mp3

 

Alec's interviews are always a treat -- he's a well-spoken, enthusiastic young man. Don't gloss over this one -- but hey, you listen to all our links, right?

[Mass Haas]

Final: Memphis (Cardinals) 4, Nashville 3

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Mike Rivera photo, text follows --

 

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/news/news.asp?newsId=2542

 

Sounds Drop Road Trip Opener To Redbirds

 

MEMPHIS - The Nashville Sounds dropped a 4-3 decision to the cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds on Friday evening at AutoZone Park in the opener of a four-game series.

 

With the defeat, the Sounds (86-55) fell to just 13-23 in series openers this season. Ten of Nashville's last 13 losses have come by one run.

 

Catcher Mike Rivera gave the Sounds a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer to left-center off rehabbing Redbirds starter Mark Mulder in the top of the second inning. The blast was the backstop's 19th of the season.

 

AUDIO: Mike Rivera Home Run

 

Memphis rallied to tie the contest in the bottom of the fifth. Sounds starter Mark DiFelice retired the first 13 batters of the game in order before Joe Mather drew a one-out walk in the frame. Nick Stavinoha followed with a single to break up the right-hander's no-hitter. Brian Barden made it a 2-1 game when his sacrifice fly plated Mather with the Redbirds' first run of the evening.

 

After Danny Ardoin hit a ground-rule double and pinch-hitter Travis Hanson was hit by a pitch, Skip Schumaker evened the score with an RBI single to left. Sounds leftfielder Drew Anderson prevented Memphis from taking the lead when he threw out Ardoin at the plate to end the inning.

 

The Redbirds took their first lead of the night in the sixth by plating a pair of runs. Edgar Gonzalez singled with one out, stole second, and scored to give the home team a 3-2 lead on Tagg Bozied's single to left, which chased DiFelice.

 

Alec Zumwalt took over on the Nashville hill and walked Mather before giving up a Stavinoha RBI single, making it a 4-2 contest.

 

The Sounds made things interesting in the ninth against Redbirds reliever Christopher Perez. After Jose Macias drew a four-pitch walk to open the inning, Ozzie Chavez plated him with a double to center to reduce the Nashville deficit to 4-3. Chavez went 3-for-4 in the contest to extend his season-best hitting streak to 11 games.

 

After Charles Thomas sacrificed Chavez to third with only one out in the frame, Perez recovered to strike out Callix Crabbe then induced a game-ending groundout from Chris Barnwell to preserve the victory and notch his eighth save of the year.

 

Mike Maroth (1-0) earned the win for Memphis after working 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief behind Mulder. DiFelice (4-2) took the loss for the Sounds after giving up four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 frames of action.

 

Recently-added reliever Kenny Ray made his Nashville debut with a scoreless eighth inning.

 

The teams continue the series with a 6:10 p.m. meeting on Saturday evening. PCL Pitcher-of-the-Year R.A. Dickey (12-6, 3.80) will take the hill for Nashville to face Memphis right-hander Brad Thompson (0-0, 10.80).

 

Nashville Box Score:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_nasaaa_mrbaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_31_nasaaa_mrbaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 6, Birmingham (White Sox) 3, 7 1/2 innings, rain

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

http://www.huntsvillestars.com/news/news.asp?newsId=1346

 

Escobar Helps Stars to Weather-Shortened Win

Alcides Escobar singled in the go-ahead run during a three-run seventh inning rally that carried Huntsville past Birmingham 6-3 Friday night in a weather shortened affair at Regions Park in the second of a five-game series to close the regular season. The Stars improved to 36-30 in the second half and maintained their half-game lead over victorious Tennessee in the North Division, while the Barons dropped to 29-38 in the second half. The Stars won for just a fifth time in their last 16 games to take a nine to eight lead in the season series with Birmingham.

 

Escobar delivered a two-out single to plate Guilder Rodriguez to give the Stars a 4-3 lead against Barons' starter Wes Whisler, who was making his third start against Huntsville. Steve Sollmann singled to move Escobar to second base and chase Whisler, who was replaced by Carlos Torres. The right-hander uncorked a wild pitch that advanced the runners and they both scored on a looping single to right field by Adam Heether to push the visitors' advantage to 6-3. Whisler suffered his league-high 13th loss after allowing six runs, only earned, on a season-high 10 hits.

 

Sollmann led off the fourth inning with a double and scored on a base hit to center field by Heether, who gave the Stars the lead for a second straight night. However, the lead didn't last long, as Cory Aldridge blasted a three-run home run in the bottom of the inning to put the Barons on top 3-1. It was the 18th home run allowed by Stars' starter Corey Thurman, the second most of any pitcher in the league. The veteran right-hander has yielded a long ball in 11 of his 12 starts. He did not give up a hit over the rest of his performance and was taken out after walking David Cook to open the seventh. He allowed four hits, walked three and fanned three to pick up his fifth win of the season and just his second as a starter.

 

Robert Hinton took over and retired all three hitters he faced in the seventh before giving up a leadoff single to Sean Smith in the eighth inning. With lightning visibly increasing and moving closer and closer to the stadium and with the impending threat of rain, play was halted with a 1-2 count on Victor Mercedes. The skies opened up shortly thereafter and the game was eventually canceled 30 minutes after play was stopped.

 

Birmingham shortstop Victor Mercedes committed a throwing error on a Michael Brantley ground ball that could have led to a double play and instead allowed Brendan Katin to score all the way from first base to trim the home side's lead to 3-2 and for Brantley to advance to third. He scored to tie the game on a fielder's choice grounder by Escobar, who knocked in his 24th run with the Stars.

 

The series continues Saturday night with left-hander Derek Miller taking the hill for the Stars against Barons' left-hander Ryan Wing. Coverage begins at 6:50 pm central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Stars hit 16 ground ball outs against the Barons' starter vs. two fly balls -- still won, though...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_hunaax_biraax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_31_hunaax_biraax_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Helena 5, Billings (Reds) 1

 

Helena Site Game Summary:

 

Helena Ends Four Game Losing Streak

 

The Helena Brewers ended a four game winless streak Friday night, as they rode the pitching performance of Robert Bryson to a 5-1 victory over the Billings Mustangs. Bryson was nearly flawless on the night, going seven innings, giving up only one run on two hits. Billings managed to get their first run without getting a single hit, managing to score off of a wild pitch.

Caleb Gindl, who's 19th birthday was Friday, provided the hits for the Brewers, managing to crank out three hits in four at bats, with one RBI.

 

Helena got on the board early, scoring four runs in the first three innings off of Billings starter Luis Montano. The Mustangs only run came at the top half of the third inning, and beyond that, Bryson shut them down. Montano got the loss for the 'Stangs, going 5.2 innings, and giving up four runs on eight hits. Bryson got the win for the Brewers.

 

The two teams will face off again in the rubber match of this three game series at 7:05 PM Saturday night (8:05 Central) at Kindrick Field.

 

Helena Box Score:

Caleb Gindl rocks...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_bilrok_helrok_1

 

Helena Game Log:

A tidy two hours, 19 minutes...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_31_bilrok_helrok_1

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com:

 

Perez, Manatees pound Cards

Yohannis Perez homered and drove in three runs to power host Brevard County over Palm Beach, 11-2, on Friday.

Perez smacked an RBI groundout in the first inning and blasted a two-run homer, his first of the season, in the eighth. Anderson De La Rosa's two-run single snapped a 2-2 tie and sparked a four-run sixth for the Manatees (33-34). Chris Errecart, Lorenzo Cain and Cole Gillespie had an RBI apiece.

Brevard County's Mike McClendon (5-7) surrendered two runs on eight hits and struck out five in six innings to snap a personal five-game winless streak. Rusty Tucker scattered four hits and a walk while striking out five over three frames to notch his first save.

Dan Nelson went 5-for-5 with an RBI single in the first for the Cardinals (34-34), who were eliminated from postseason contention. Brandon Yarborough drove in the other run with a sacrifice fly.

Palm Beach starter Adam Ottavino (12-8 ) had his three-game winning streak snapped after allowing six runs -- two earned -- on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. -- Michael Avallone/MLB.com

[Mass Haas]

Link Report Bonus:

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.wvgazette.com/section//2007083150

 

Braun, Gallardo quickly climbed the ladder

By Mike Whiteford

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

A couple of West Virginia Power alumni have been contributing some early riches to the baseball heritage of Appalachian Power Park.

 

By reaching the big leagues so quickly and hinting of stardom, they're on the road to earning niches in local lore. One of the reasons we remember Watt Powell Park so fondly is that it produced so many big-league players.

 

Just two years ago in the inaugural season of our East End ballpark, 21-year-old third baseman Ryan Braun and 19-year-old right-hander Yovani Gallardo were delivering glimpses of impending National League success. Now, just a few months into their rookie seasons with the parent Milwaukee Brewers, long and successful careers seem in the offing.

 

In their 2005 season here, their talents were a bit overlooked amid praise for the new ballpark and the glorious surge in attendance. In addition, the Power lost 20 of its first 25 games that year, casting doubts on the possibility that exceptional big-league talent would emerge.

 

But Braun, having been promoted to the Brewers on May 24, is contributing at a pace that translates to about 50 home runs and 120 RBIs in a full season. He's been hitting in the .330s, too.

 

Gallardo, who was promoted on July 3, already has pitched himself into the Brewers' rotation and, though he's been up and down, he blanked the Diamondbacks on five hits in a six-inning stint Aug. 20.

 

In their Power playing days - Braun for 37 games late in the season and Gallardo for the full season - both demonstrated the necessary talent, work ethic and mindset. Predicting big-league talent, however, is not easy at the South Atlantic League level, where maybe 10 percent of the players ever reach the majors. And besides, reaching the big leagues from here generally requires at least three more years.

 

Braun's quick bat and strength set him apart. As a Power player, the 6-foot, 200-pound former Miami Hurricane hit eight home runs, one in particular that caught the eye of Power pitching coach John Curtis, who's in his third season with the team.

 

"The one I remember the most,'' Curtis recalled, "is the one he hit at Lakewood, where it's fairly tough to hit a home run. He hit a shot to left-center that had no arc to it. It was a line drive that bore into the hillside beyond the fence. I'd never seen anything like it [at this level].''

 

Braun hit .355 that year and split the 2006 season between the Brewers' high-Class A team in Brevard County of the Florida State League and Class AA Huntsville of the Southern League. He hit just 22 home runs in 118 games last year, a respectable total but not one that would indicate this season's production.

 

The thing Curtis remembers most about Gallardo is his knowledge of pitching, despite his youth. "This kid had an incredible intuitive grasp of pitching,'' he said. "He never showed at any time any surprise or any discomfort. In every situation that presented itself, he had a solution. You knew he was something special.''

 

Although it's commonplace for Class A pitchers to confer with their pitching coaches and ask for suggestions between innings, Gallardo apparently never felt the need.

 

"He was not the kind of guy who would come back to the dugout and say, 'What do you think with this guy? Should I curve him or keep throwing fastballs or whatever?' He knew,'' said Curtis. "He could see a hitter's swing, for example, and understand exactly how his stuff would be called upon to beat it.''

 

As a Power pitcher, he used a cut fastball that moved away from right-hand hitters at the last instant and a fastball that reached the low 90s (mph) and baffled hitters with its pinpoint location. "His ability to spot his fastball,'' said Curtis, "was unbelievable.''

 

When Curtis would point out an occasional mechanical flaw, Gallardo would listen and adjust. That's not always the case with young pitchers, especially those accustomed to success.

 

"You have know-it-alls who say, 'Don't tell me. I know what I'm doing out there,''' said the veteran pitching coach. "In Yo's case, he was open-minded enough to be curious and hear what I had to say.''

 

Another recent Power alumnus, reliever Joe Thatcher, who pitched here last year, is already in the big leagues, pitching in the Padres bullpen after a midseason trade. He has allowed just one run in five innings and, like Braun and Gallardo, is bidding for a place in local lore.

[Mass Haas]

Helena Independent Record:

Brewers muster win over Mustangs

The Helena Brewers finally got their win against the Billings Mustangs.

After dropping four straight to their cross-state foe, the Brewers started early, getting a three-run lead after the first three innings to win 5-1 Friday night at Kindrick Legion Field.

Kurt Crowell did much of the dirty work. The Brewers' left fielder scored in the second inning after hitting a triple, then hit a two-run double in the third to score Caleb Gindl and Steffan Wilson.

Gindl drove in Eric Farris with a double in the first and the Brewers leapt to a 4-1 lead after the third inning.

Billings' lone run came off a wild pitch by Helena starter Robert Bryson. Francis Meade scored the run after getting on by a walk.

It was a tough inning in an otherwise flawless game for Bryson.

He went seven innings, giving up just two hits while walking one and striking out eight.

Brewers' relievers Craig Langille and Nick Tyson went an inning apiece, neither giving up a run. Tyson had two strikeouts.

The Brewers had 11 hits. Gindl led them, going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI.

Crowell was 2-4 with the extra-base hits and had two RBI and a run.

The Brewers are now 15-16 and in third place of the Pioneer League's Northern Division standings.

They host Billings (16-15) again tonight at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).