Link Report for Mon. 5/21 -- Tough Night For the Farm Teams

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Monday's Daily Menu: Your choice of appetizers for West Coast Brewer baseball!

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: RHP Chris Oxspring at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/

 

Huntsville: LHP Steve Hammond at home vs. West Tenn (Mariners), 6:55 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime

 

Audio link:

www.huntsvillestars.com/

 

Brevard County: LHP Steve Garrison at Dunedin (Blue Jays), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:00 PM gametime

 

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

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

 

West Virginia: LHP Brae Wright at home vs. Augusta (Giants), 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 Monday'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_nasaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_dunafa_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 Sunday's action:

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 24 19 .558 - 14-6 10-13 W1 Nashville 23 20 .535 1.0 13-6 10-14 W2 Memphis 21 23 .477 3.5 15-9 6-14 W2 Omaha 19 24 .442 5.0 15-9 4-15 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 22 19 .537 - 12-11 10-8 W3 Tennessee 22 20 .524 0.5 8-10 14-10 W2 Chattanooga 20 24 .455 3.5 12-12 8-12 W1 West Tenn 18 25 .419 5.0 10-10 8-15 L3 Carolina 17 27 .386 6.5 9-11 8-16 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 27 16 .628 - 15-6 12-10 W5 Palm Beach 24 19 .558 3.0 13-12 11-7 L1 Daytona 21 21 .500 5.5 13-8 8-13 L1 Vero Beach 21 22 .488 6.0 15-7 6-15 W1 Jupiter 18 25 .419 9.0 6-12 12-13 L2 St. Lucie 17 26 .395 10.0 9-13 8-13 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 28 12 .700 - 13-7 15-5 W3 Greensboro 25 18 .581 4.5 13-5 12-13 L5 Lakewood 20 20 .500 8.0 7-11 13-9 W1 Lake County 20 22 .476 9.0 12-13 8-9 L1 Hagerstown 19 24 .442 10.5 10-12 9-12 W1 Lexington 18 25 .419 11.5 8-13 10-12 L1 Delmarva 17 24 .415 11.5 8-11 9-13 L1 Hickory 16 24 .400 12.0 6-9 10-15 L1

[DHonks]

Darren Ford with his 4th jack, but the real surprise in the early going tonight is that Alcides Escobar has two extra base hits thus far

[pogokat]

Cole Gillespie's on a another planet right now...he's on his way to a .400 OBP and a .900 OPS in Brevard right now...he's going to be promoted pretty soon...i suspect alcides will be as well...one of the power player told me he'd heard they were about to promote the SS down in Florida...which makes sense...sure wish he'd take a walk though..

[Mass Haas]

Some wild early action tonight -- Brevard goes up 6-0, but Steve Garrison coughs up a 6-spot and they're tied with Dunedin.

 

The Power falls behind 4-0, fights back to tie, then Brae Wright's struggles continue as he gives it back and the Power trail 7-4.

 

Neither game half-way through yet, could be a nutty night here...

[DHonks]

Brad, if Alcides keeps hitting and fielding, he'll get to AAA fairly quickly. With JJ in Milwaukee, he'll have plenty of time to learn to draw a walk in AAA.

[pogokat]

anyone else notice that Steve Sollman

 

seems to be on the exact same route as

 

Kevin Youkilis

 

It's sort of uncanny...check out the year in the FSL, followed by the breakout season in AA...

 

Steve's not young, but this kind of season has to be impressing the heck out of reid nichols...

[wibadgers23]

I've really enjoyed keeping track of Palmisano, Cain, Escobar, Ford, and Gillespie lately. They are playing really well.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Dunedin (Blue Jays) 11, Brevard County 6

Shocking loss to those who saw the 'Tees up 6-0 early on...

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Incredible recovery by the Blue Jay starter; as a 21-year-old in '06, Charlie Fermaint posted a solid .741 OPS in a tough league, in '07, it's an ugly sub-.500 mark; Ryan Crew also hasn't been able to duplicate last year's success, which included plenty of Florida State League at-bats...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_dunafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

Five extra-base hits against Steve Garrison in the 4th was also a sudden shock to the system...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_dunafa_1

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Reliever Joe Thatcher:

Listen up...

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-21.mp3

[Mass Haas]

Final: Memphis (Cardinals) 6, Nashville 5

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Andy Abad photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2332

 

Redbirds Take Series Opener From Sounds, 6-5

 

NASHVILLE ? The Memphis Redbirds used a four home run barrage to etch a 6-5 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Monday evening at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series.

 

The four home runs were the most hit by Memphis (22-23) this season as well as the most surrendered by the Sounds (23-21) in a single game in 2007.

 

Trailing 6-4 entering the bottom of the ninth, Nashville rallied to plate a two-out run and had the potential tying run standing at third base when pinch-hitter Brad Nelson was struck out looking by Memphis closer Brian Falkenborg for the game?s final out.

 

Andy Abad paced Nashville with a 3-for-4 evening that included his fifth homer of the year. The remainder of the Sounds roster combined for only four additional knocks on the evening.

 

Memphis left fielder Nick Stavinoha gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when he belted a leadoff solo homer off the top of the left field wall against Nashville starter Chris Oxspring. The blast was his sixth of the year.

 

The Sounds knotted the score in the bottom of the frame when Charles Thomas stepped to the plate with runners at first and third and lined a ball into right field. Abad scored an unearned run on the play but Thomas only received credit for a fielder?s choice as Vinny Rottino was forced out at second by rightfielder Rick Ankiel.

 

Redbirds second baseman Edgar Gonzalez put the visitors back in front in the fourth with a mammoth home run to left-center that struck the upper portion of the guitar-shaped scoreboard. The longball, which came against Oxspring, was his second of the season.

 

Memphis pulled away with a three-run fifth against Oxspring, plating all three scores with two outs in the frame. Shortstop Brendan Ryan increased the lead to 3-1 with his first home run of the season, a two-out solo shot to left off Oxspring. After Rico Washington and Stavinoha each singled to put runners on the corners, Washington scored on an Oxspring wild pitch and Ankiel followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 5-1.

 

Oxspring (2-3) suffered his second loss in his last three starts after allowing five runs on six hits, including three homers, over five innings while walking three and striking out three. The three home runs surrendered by the right-hander matched the most allowed by a Sounds hurler this season; R.A. Dickey served up three taters on April 16 at New Orleans.

 

Abad pulled the Sounds within a pair of runs at 5-3 with a two-run home run off the right field foul pole in the bottom of the seventh. The roundtripper, which came against Memphis starter Mike Parisi and scored Joe Dillon, was the veteran?s fifth of the year.

 

AUDIO: Andy Abad's Two-Run HR --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-21.mp3

 

Nashville got another run back in the eighth against Memphis reliever Chris Lambert when pinch-hitter Chris Barnwell led off with a ground-rule double to right-center, was sacrificed to third, and scored on a Ryan Braun RBI single, the third baseman?s first hit in 11 at-bats following his return from a left wrist injury.

 

Skip Schumaker provided the visitors with a valuable insurance run in the top of the ninth, touching Alec Zumwalt for a one-out solo homer to left to make it a 6-4 contest. It was the outfielder?s first of the year.

 

In the bottom of the ninth, Nashville mounted a rally against Falkenborg to make things interesting. Abad led off with a single but was erased by a Rottino fielder?s choice. Thomas doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. Ozzie Chavez followed with a swinging strike out that was accompanied by a wild pitch, allowing Rottino to score from third to make it a one-run contest. Chavez was late running to first and was thrown out for the second out of the frame. Falkenborg followed with his game-ending strikeout of Nelson to secure his team-leading tenth save of the year.

 

Parisi (4-2) held Nashville to three runs (two earned) on three hits while walking two and striking out four batters in seven innings of work.

 

The teams continue the series with another 6 p.m. meeting on Tuesday night in a game that features an outstanding pitching matchup. Current PCL Pitcher-of-the-Week Yovani Gallardo (5-1, 2.22), the Milwaukee Brewers? top prospect, will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face Memphis right-hander Blake Hawksworth (2-5, 3.45), the 4th-best prospect of the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

Nashville Box Score:

Ryan Braun with a throwing error (his third error on the season) and his 4th SB in seven attempts; game summary seems to indicate Ozzie Chavez could have been more aware or hustling more on that wild pitch K in the 9th; the first time we've Dennis Sarfate in a game so early (the 6th) and for three innings...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Augusta (Giants) 10, West Virginia 5

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Power batters K 12 times; Taylor Green his 5th HR, Darren Ford his 4th; Power site game summary later, plus plenty of local coverage in the AM...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

 

LHP Brae Wright's eight starts prior to Monday:

He's struggling in nearly every category --

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...pid=453067

[pogokat]

Brae doesn't throw very hard, and he's had a rough time throwing strikes this year...he was a 6th round pick last year, so he'll have a longer leash than some, but it's been rough so far..

 

Taylor Green on fire...can't explain it, but it's cool...

[Mass Haas]

Brutal night on the farm, as Steve Hammond, like Steve Garrison earlier tonight, gets tagged for a 6-spot, Stars trail, 7-0, in the 8th...

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

AUGUSTA PULLS AWAY FROM POWER

 

The West Virginia Power erased an early 4-0 deficit but were outscored 6-1 in the final five innings of Monday night?s game against Augusta, as the GreenJackets took game one of the series 10-5.

 

Bobby Felmy doubled in the first of two runs in the first inning and Matt Weston?s groundout plated the second. James Simmons ripped an RBI single in the second inning and Augusta took a 4-0 lead after Brett Pill?s sacrifice fly in the third.

 

Darren Ford ripped a three-run homer, his fourth of the year, in the third inning to bring the Power within one. John Alonso led off the fourth inning with a triple and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

 

Augusta took the lead again by scoring three times in the fifth inning. Ryan Rohlinger doubled in the first run and Weston smacked a two-run homer to plate the other two. Taylor Green hit a solo bomb, his fifth of the year, to bring West Virginia within two. Augusta pulled away with a three-run ninth inning. Rohlinger struck again with an RBI single and Pill doubled in the final two runs of the game.

 

Clayton Tanner (5-2) gave up four runs on five hits to get the win and Brae Wright (2-1) was tagged with the loss after surrendering seven runs on eight hits over five innings.

 

The Power fell to 28-13 with the loss and the GreenJackets improved to 31-13 with the win. Darren Ford extended his hitting streak to 12 games and Michael Brantley reached twice to extend his on base streak to 17 games.

 

The Power will continue the four game series against Augusta at Appalachian Power Park on Tuesday night. The Power will start left hander Mike Ramlow (2-2, 8.26) and the GreenJackets will counter with right hander Henry Sosa (3-0, 0.48). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

[brettac1]

I am seriously in heart with Sollman right now. Youkilis is someone who I thought of in the past that is similar, but Sollman doesn't have the pop in his bat (15 HR or so) that Youk does.

 

I don't know how often players like him make it to the bigs, because he isn't really much of a basestealer (he has had some success this year, though). How many guys walk a lot, K a pretty decent amount, don't hit for power, and don't steal bases are playing in MLB? Craig Counsell, or something? But he can play a mean SS.

 

Gillespie is going to be really, really good. And he's going to be in Milwaukee really, really fast.

[DHonks]

didn't Sollman's brother walk a lot?

 

Hasn't he played multiple positions, too? I seem to recall him starting at SS in the allstar game

[pogokat]

i'm pretty sure steve can play all the infield spots...

[homer]

Sollman would be a perfect utility guy. Play some 2nd, play some SS, get on base, and play good D. It seems like every playoff team has a guy like him on their bench.

[pogokat]

Sollman would make a decent starting 2b for someone...his current pace gets him to the majors at 26, giving him the probability of having 3-4 decent to good years during his pre arby days...

 

eh, could be worth something...

[Mass Haas]

Final: West Tenn (Mariners) 8, Huntsville 0

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1170

 

Diamond Jaxx Dominate in Shutout Win

 

Joe Woerman and two relievers combined on a four-hit shutout and Rene Rivera?s three-run home run capped off a six-run sixth inning in West Tenn?s 8-0 blanking of Huntsville Monday night in the fourth of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Diamond Jaxx won for the first time in the series to improve to 19-25, while the Stars dropped to 22-20 and into second place, a half game behind Tennessee, which beat Mississippi to reclaim the top spot in the North Division.

 

The Stars left runners at first and second in the first inning when Ruben Mateo flied out and Steve Moss struck out and stranded runners at second and third base in the second inning when Yohannis Perez fanned on three pitches and Hernan Iribarren popped out. Steve Sollmann in the fifth inning was the only Stars? base runner to reach second base the rest of the night, as Huntsville lost a three-game win streak and a five-game home win string.

 

Stars? starter Steve Hammond retired the first 12 batters he faced before Erick Monzon led off the fifth inning with a double and scored on a two-out single by Rivera. The visitors broke the game open in the next frame on a two-out bases loaded walk to Matt Tuiasosopo, a two-run single by Charlton Jimerson and Rivera?s third long ball of the year that chased Hammond from the game. The southpaw dropped to 3-6 on the season after allowing seven runs on six hits, including his league-leading ninth home run ball. Hammond has yielded a homer in six of his nine starts and in each of his last four turns.

 

Woerman permitted only two hits in his six scoreless innings and has now gone 13 frames in his last two turns without allowing a run. He struck out a season-high eight and issued four walks before Chad Fillinger tossed two shutout innings and Kam Mickolio closed the game with a scoreless ninth inning. The trio of pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts, half of which were earned against Steve Moss and Drew Anderson. The Stars scored 23 times on 40 hits in winning the first three games of the series and were blanked for a third time this season.

 

The series concludes Tuesday afternoon with Huntsville sending southpaw Lindsay Gulin to the mound against West Tenn right-hander Doug Fister. Coverage of the game begins at 11:50 a.m. central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Lou Palmisano with a walk and an HBP; Brendan Katin walks twice; Adam Heether inching back towards .200 trying to dig himself out of a huge hole...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

Time to be concerned about Steve Hammond passed a while ago...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1

 

Stars come up empty as Jaxx pick it up in 6th

West Tenn pitcher Woerman leaves impression

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com

 

Hunkered down over his laptop computer only minutes after the game, Stars manager Don Money was filing his postgame report to Milwaukee. Among the items: "Player of Interest: Joe Woerman."

 

It's an asterisk tagged to the occasional opponent - Money has perhaps designated a half-dozen such players this year - whose name needs to be filed away by team officials and for scouts to monitor in case of trades and free agency.

 

There was little about his rsum of interest - Woerman was 1-1 and didn't earn his first win until his eighth appearance of the year - but he dominated the Stars on Monday, striking out eight and allowing only two hits in six innings as West Tenn won in a romp, 8-0.

 

"He threw the ball decent, in the 90s, and he looked like he knew how to pitch," Money said.

 

Steve Hammond (3-6) took the loss.

 

Rene Rivera, a catcher batting only .198 on the season, ripped apart a close game with a grand slam in the sixth, keying a six-run inning.

 

The loss ended a three-game Huntsville winning streak, and a stretch of prosperity of eight wins in 10 games. The Stars (22-20) fell out of first place in the Southern League North, a half-game behind Tennessee. The Stars and Diamond Jaxx end this series today at 12:05.

 

Final score notwithstanding, it began as an edge-of-the-seat pitcher's duel between Hammond and Woerman.

 

"He's one of the best we've faced," said hitting coach Sandy Guerrero. "Everything was perfect for him. We didn't have a chance."

 

On Monday, Woerman was indestructible. He wriggled out of tough situations early, with runners on first and second in the first, then on third and second in the second inning.

 

"The last four outings he's been good," said Rivera. "All his pitches were good tonight."

 

Hammond, meanwhile, retired the first 12 men he faced. Said pitching coach Rich Sauveur, "He was pitch-for-pitch with that other guy for four innings." Then, Sauveur said, "he ran out of gas."

 

Erick Monzon led off the fifth with a sharp double to left, then scored on a two-out Rivera single.

 

Then came an avalanche in the sixth. Two hits. Two walks, one with the bases loaded. An RBI single by Charlton Jimerson. Then Rivera's grand slam.

 

"I was just trying to hit the ball hard," Rivera said. He did - but he didn't know how hard. Stars center fielder Steve Moss momentarily appeared to have caught the ball at the fence, and Rivera actually cruised into second base thinking he was out, instead of the ball being out.

 

After the homer, reliever Corey Thurman got the Stars out of the mess, allowing only a Prentice Redman homer in the eighth.

 

"Tonight," said Money, "we just didn't show up."

 

And Woerman did, on the mound and in a report.