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

[Mass Haas]

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www.wvgazette.com/section.../200705223

 

Too much green for Power

By Jim Workman

For The Charleston Gazette

 

The West Virginia Power has the South Atlantic League?s best hitting team while Augusta boasts the league?s top pitching staff.

 

Neither flexed its expected muscle Monday, though, as the GreenJackets claimed a 10-5 victory in a South Atlantic League game at Appalachian Power Park before 2,819 fans.

 

Augusta racked up 12 hits to keep West Virginia playing catch-up all night.

 

?They created a lot ? running the bases,? Power manager Mike Guerrero said. ?We need to hold the runners a little closer. They had a lot of chances and took advantage of it.?

 

The GreenJackets stole five bases, including three for leadoff hitter Manny Burris.

 

Augusta wasted no time getting its offense going, plating two runs in the first inning. Burris led off with a single and stole second and third base before Bobby Felmy knocked him in with a double to right field. Matt Weston hit a grounder to first to make it 2-0.

 

The GreenJackets added another run in the top of the second when James Simmons smacked an RBI single, and they increased the lead to 4-0 in the third as Brett Pill swatted a sacrifice fly to center.

 

Darren Ford got the Power back in the game in the bottom of the third, stroking a three-run home run over the right-center field wall to cut the Augusta lead to 4-3. West Virginia tied the game in the fourth when John Alonso clobbered a triple off the top of the fence in center field and scored on a wild pitch.

 

Ryan Rohringer put the GreenJackets back on top with an RBI double and Weston blasted a two-run shot over the right field wall to up the Augusta lead to 7-4 in the fifth inning.

 

The Power got a surge in the seventh as Taylor Green pounded a solo homer to right field to trim the Augusta advantage to 7-5. Green has knocked in 14 runs in the last nine games and homered three times in the past week.

 

?He is swinging the bat well,? Guerrero said of Green. ?He is a hitter who has a good idea at the plate.?

 

The GreenJackets tacked on some insurance in the ninth. Rohringer hit a RBI single to left scoring Marcus Sanders to increase the advantage to 8-5. Pill tallied two more with a double down the left-field line to make it 10-5.

 

The game pitted the Sally League?s division leaders, as Augusta holds a 31-13 mark atop the Southern Division.

 

?We look forward to matchups like this because you can see how you measure up,? said Guerrero. ?It gives you an idea of the things you need to get better at. They?re exciting games.?

 

The Power fell to 28-13, but remains in first place in the Northern Division, 3 1/2 games ahead of Greensboro.

 

The Power and GreenJackets continue their series Tuesday night, then return Wednesday with a Grand Slam School Day contest. The series concludes Thursday evening before the Power plays host to Greenville for a Memorial Day weekend series Friday through Monday.

[Mass Haas]

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www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=56288

 

Sounds come up just short at Greer

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

A lineup full of Andy Abads might have made a difference for the Nashville Sounds against Memphis at Greer Stadium on Monday.

 

Abad hit a homer, collected two RBIs and scored two runs for Nashville. Unfortunately for the Sounds, they only have the one Andy Abad and he wasn?t enough as Memphis downed Nashville 6-4 in front of 3,424 fans at Greer.

 

Abad?s teammates went a combined 4-for-29 while he was 3-for-4. To be fair, it wasn?t entirely the offense?s fault. Starting pitcher Chris Oxspring (2-3) was erratic and Sounds pitchers gave up four solo homers en route to the loss.

 

All in all Oxspring had a forgettable performance. He went five innings, allowed five earned runs and three solo homers. One of the homers was a skyscraping blast by Memphis second baseman Edgar Gonzalez. The ball smacked high off the guitar scoreboard in left-center field.

 

Nick Stavinoha and Brendan Ryan also hit solo home runs off Oxspring for the Redbirds. Memphis did most of its damage in the fifth, when it scored three runs with two outs.

 

?He had no command, obviously, [was] up in the zone and they made him pay as should have,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said of Oxspring.

 

Nashville got its first run in the second inning when Abad singled and scored on a fielder?s choice off the bat of Charles Thomas.

 

Memphis had a 5-1 lead in the seventh when Abad stroked a two-run homer off the foul pole in right field. That shot, Abad?s fifth on the year, trimmed the lead to 5-3.

 

Ryan Braun ended an 0-for-10 slump since returning from his wrist injury by singling home Chris Barnwell in the seventh. Braun?s hit trimmed the Redbird lead to one until Skip Schumaker hit the team?s fourth solo homer in the top of the ninth off Alec Zumwalt.

 

After scoring a run earlier in the ninth, the Sounds stumbled. Pinch hitter Brad Nelson struck out looking against Brian Falkenborg with the tying run on third base to end the game. Ozzie Chavez blew a chance to keep the inning going earlier when he didn?t run to first on a dropped third strike.

[Mass Haas]

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tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS

 

Memphis' solo homers enough to beat Sounds

Redbirds hit four out against in-state rivals

By BRYAN MULLEN

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

First came the national anthem singer.

 

Then the Memphis Redbirds followed with four solo acts of their own.

 

The Redbirds used three solo home runs in the early innings ? and four solo shots overall ? to propel them to a 6-5 win against the Nashville Sounds on Monday night in front of 3,424 at Greer Stadium.

 

Sounds starting pitcher Chris Oxspring (2-3), allowed five earned runs in five innings, including the first three solo homers. The last time an opponent hit three home runs against a Sounds starter came on April 16 when New Orleans took R.A. Dickey out of the park three times.

 

"(Oxspring) had no command, obviously, was up in the strike zone and the they made him pay like they should have," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said.

 

Memphis' Nick Stavinoha, Edward Gonzalez, Brendan Ryan and Skip Schumaker had the home runs, but Gonzalez's was most impressive. The second baseman's homer in the fourth hit the top of the guitar scoreboard and was estimated to travel more than 440 feet.

 

Trailing 5-1, Nashville battled and eventually trailed 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth, highlighted by a two-run home run by Andy Abad in the seventh inning. But with the tying run on third, the Sounds' Brad Nelson struck out looking on a nice pitch by Brian Falkenborg to end the game.

 

"(Falkenborg) made a pretty good pitch and fooled him with a breaking ball," Kremblas said.

 

The Sounds (23-21) and Memphis (22-23) face off again today at 6 p.m. at Greer Stadium.

 

What they said: "If you make them hit solo home runs you still have a chance, but we just couldn't get out of the fifth with two outs." ? Kremblas on Memphis scoring three runs in the fifth with two outs.

 

***

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tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS

 

Future major-league matchup is expected tonight at Greer

By BRYAN MULLEN

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

It's a safe bet tonight's game at Greer Stadium won't take very long.

 

A pitching matchup featuring two of minor league baseball's top prospects will start what is likely to be a low-scoring affair.

 

The Sounds will trot out Yovani Gallardo, who was named the Pacific Coast League's Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Gallardo (5-1, 2.22 ERA) is rated by Baseball America as the Milwaukee Brewers' No. 1 prospect and the 16th best prospect in minor league baseball.

 

Memphis will counter with Blake Hawksworth (2-5, 3.45 ERA), rated by Baseball America as the St. Louis Cardinals' No. 4 prospect.

 

Braun breaks slump: Ryan Braun was 0-for-10 after missing 12 games due to left wrist tendinitis before ripping an RBI single to center in the eighth inning on Monday. Braun, rated by Baseball America as the Brewers' No. 2 prospect, lined out hard to left field twice against the Redbirds before the single.

 

"He's fine," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "He'll give you a pretty good at-bat every time up."

 

Ankiel mingles: Former major leaguer Rick Ankiel spent 10 minutes prior to the game signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans. Ankiel, 27, was once one of baseball's brightest young pitching prospects but struggled with his control. He is now settling in as an outfielder with the Redbirds, the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

Ankiel, who had an RBI single in the fifth, was the National League Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2000. His nine home runs this season are tied for fourth in the PCL entering last night.

 

Rehab stint: Greg Aquino joined the Sounds on Monday on a minor league rehab assignment. The 29-year-old pitcher is currently on the Brewers' 15-day disabled list due to right forearm stiffness. Aquino had eight relief appearances for Milwaukee this season and was 0-0 with a 5.87 ERA.

 

For the kids: The Sounds' Callix Crabbe and Vinny Rottino will hold an instructional clinic for approximately 30 hearing impaired kids from the Nashville Sertoma Club today at Greer Stadium.

[Mass Haas]

MiLB Notebooks:

 

Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers)

 

THE WEEK THAT WAS: The Sounds were in second place in the American North Division after going 4-2.

 

WHO'S HOT/NOT: OF Laynce Nix was 9-for-21 (.429) with two home runs and five RBIs over his last five games. ... IF Jose Macias batted .393 (11-for-28) over a nine-game span. ... SS Chris Barnwell had a .150 average (6-for-40) in his last 10 games.

 

SCRAPPING FOR HITS: The Sounds are getting used to seeing RHP Yovani Gallardo shut down opponents. He won his fifth consecutive decision on Thursday, giving up just one hit in six innings and striking out 11 in a victory over Albuquerque. Gallardo leads the league with 66 strikeouts, but more impressive than his strikeout total might be his ability to limit the opponents' hit total. The 21-year-old gave up just one hit in a start for the second time this season -- he did it over seven innings against Round Rock on May 6. He also allowed only three hits over six shutout innings against New Orleans on April 14. He has allowed 27 hits in 48 2/3 innings.

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "We just haven't played with the intensity that I've seen in the past." -- Manager Frank Kremblas, to the Tennessean, on the Sounds losing six games on an eight-game road trip.

 

Huntsville Stars (Milwaukee Brewers)

 

THE WEEK THAT WAS: The Stars (21-19) took over first place in the North Division, going 4-2 for the week as part of a 7-2 streak.

 

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: RHP Joe Thatcher, who had a 0.55 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 16 1/3 relief innings, was promoted to Triple-A Nashville. . . . LHP Manny Parra improved to 5-1 with a 3.02 ERA. . . . OF Brendan Katin was 4-for-22 with nine strikeouts over six games.

 

PLAYER TO WATCH: OF Ruben Mateo hit two homers and drove in five runs in his second game with the Stars. The former Major Leaguer had been in extended spring training after signing with Milwaukee. The homers were his first since June 12, 2004 with Pittsburgh. Mateo, 29, played in the Majors with Texas, Cincinnati and Kansas City in addition to the Pirates.

 

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: LHP Sam Narron, who had been 0-3 with a 6.08 ERA, pitched eight scoreless innings for his first victory. The 25-year-old allowed four hits, no walks and struck out eight, retiring 14 consecutive batters at one point, in the 4-0 victory over West Tenn. Narron, 6-foot-7, had been allowing opponents to hit at a .333 clip.

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I tweaked something [with my stride]. Nothing big, but it felt like it made all the difference in the world," Narron told the Huntsville Times.

 

Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers)

 

THE WEEK THAT WAS: The Manatees had just one blemish last week, a 3-2 loss at Jupiter. They went 5-1 on the week and have a two-game lead over second-place Palm Beach in the Eastern Division.

 

WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT: CF Lorenzo Cain has 10 hits in his last 21 at-bats for a .476 average and is hitting .389 in his last 10 games. He's also averaging an RBI per game over the last five contests. ... SS Ryan Crew has three hits in his last 16 at-bats.

 

PLAYER TO WATCH: Crew may not get many more chances to break out of his slump the way fellow SS Alcides Escobar is hitting. The native of Venezuela is batting .435 in his last five games with three RBIs and is hitting .302 over the past 10 contests.

 

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: LF Cole Gillespie. In a 10-3 win over St. Lucie on May 19, he may have had a career game, going 3-for-3 with two homers and five RBIs. In the second inning, Gillespie stroked a two-run homer to center field; after getting hit by a pitch in the third, he ripped a three-run blast to left.

 

West Virginia Power (Milwaukee Brewers)

 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Power (27-12) were 3-3 and lead the SAL Northern by 3 1/2 games over Greensboro.

 

WHO'S HOT: RHP Mike McClendon (3-1, 2.30) put together a gem vs. Asheville Friday night, coming within two outs of a no-hitter. RHP Zach Braddock (3-1, 1.30) followed with an 11-strikeout performance to take the SAL lead with 59. IF Taylor Green got his bat going, hitting .467 (7-for-15) for the week, boosting his average 40 points to .307. RHP E.J. Shanks (3-0, 0.77) picked up a save and has allowed just two earned runs in 23 1/3 innings.

 

WHO'S NOT: LHP Brae Wright (3-3, 6.20) is 2-1, but has a 6.75 ERA in May. LHP Mike Ramlow (2-2, 8.26) has allowed 26 earned runs in 28 1/3 innings. OF Anderson De La Rosa is hitting just .208 (5-for-24) since joining the club.

 

NEWS & NOTES: McClendon came within two outs of the first no-hitter in Power history Friday night in West Virginia's 8-1 victory over the Asheville Tourists at McCormick Field. The 22-year-old retired the first 19 Tourists he faced before Hector Gomez drew a one-out walk in the seventh. Gomez then broke up the would-be-gem with a single to left with one out in the ninth. McClendon, a native of Arlington, Texas, was a 10th-round selection by the Brewers in 2006. There were 20 no-hitters in Minor League Baseball last season.

 

DID YOU KNOW?: 1B Michael Brantley, who hit .300 in 108 games with the Power last season, could be bucking for a promotion to Class A Advanced Brevard County. Having struck out just 13 times in 137 at-bats, he's proving his point in his SAL return. His problem is that 1B Chris Errecart is also off to a strong start at Brevard County.

 

West Virginia's Zach Braddock (above) followed teammate Mike McClendon's near no-no with an 11-strikeout performance last week. (Tony Farlow/MLB.com)

 

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2007/05/21/QQkZ2wtx.jpg

[filthyfrog]

And who's the ice coldest of them all? Vinny Rottino. Going 0 for his last 20 has dropped his AVG a solid 50 points. Good thing he got off to a good start.

[Mass Haas]

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GreenJackets show they also can hit

Michael Dailey

Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter

 

The Augusta GreenJackets arrived in West Virginia with what is unquestionably the South Atlantic League's best pitching staff.

 

Augusta, a San Francisco Giants' affiliate, entered a four-game series against the West Virginia Power with a league-best team ERA of 2.36, including five pitchers that boasted an ERA of 1.84 or lower.

 

On Monday evening, the GreenJackets also proved they have a pretty good offensive club, battering Power pitchers for 12 hits in a 10-5 win at Appalachian Power Park.

 

A crowd of 2,819 watched as the GreenJackets took the opener in a battle of division leaders.

 

Southern Division frontrunner Augusta improved to a league-best 31-13.

 

Northern Division leader West Virginia dropped to 28-13.

 

Augusta wasted little time in jumping on Power starter Brae Wright (3-3) by scoring a pair of runs in the first inning, followed by single runs in the second and third frames.

 

Wright allowed eight hits and seven runs in five innings.

 

The GreenJackets showed aggressiveness on the base paths, finishing with five stolen bases in six attempts.

 

"That's our style of play," Augusta Manager Roberto Kelly said of his team's aggressive offensive performance. "That's the way we've played all year.

 

"We like to run the bases and we like to first to third because it puts a lot of pressure on the defense. That's been working for us so far and that's the way we play the game."

 

Power Manager Mike Guerrero also noted the visitors' pressure-inducing aggressiveness.

 

"There were a lot of situations that they created with the way they ran the bases," Guerrero said. "We need to hold the runners a lot better than we did.

 

"If we can hold the runners better, and defense ourselves a little better, their hitting situations will be more limited.

 

"They had a lot of chances to score runs and they took advantage of it. You've got to tip your cap to them. They did what they had to do to be successful."

 

Another incentive for the GreenJackets' aggressiveness was a torrid Power offense that entered with a league best .300 batting average, having just returned from a road trip in which it scored 51 runs and collected 79 hits in just six games.

 

"We knew we were facing the league's best hitting team," said Kelly, a 14-year Major League veteran.

 

"We knew it wouldn't be easy, but the offense came around today and scored some runs early. We were able to hold them off because our pitching did the job for us."

 

While the GreenJackets' pitchers did ultimately do their jobs, it wasn't exactly easy as the Power battled back from a 4-0, third-inning deficit, to tie the game in the fourth inning.

 

West Virginia center fielder Darren Ford started the rally with a three-run homer off of Augusta starter and eventual winner Clayton Tanner (5-2).

 

The Power knotted the game an inning later when designated hitter John Alonso tripled off the wall in center and came home a batter later on a Tanner wild pitch.

 

The Power rally was short lived. Augusta answered with three runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run blast by DH Matt Weston.

 

West Virginia's Taylor Green closed the gap with a solo blast in the seventh inning, giving him 10 RBI in his last six games.

 

However, Augusta closed the door on another Power rally with another three in the ninth.

 

"We hit the ball pretty well, but our pitching just didn't hold them," Power pitching coach John Curtis said.

 

"We just did some things that made them better hitters. Two things in particular were getting balls up in the zone and pitching from behind."

 

The negative pitch count hurt Power pitchers as the GreenJackets' leadoff batters reached base safely in six innings.

 

"Those are just things you can't do if you want to win," Curtis said.

[And That]

Alcides Escobar has 5 walks in 180 (!) AB this year. That's just not acceptable, even with his lofty batting average. Since he doesn't have the power to justify a low walk total, the Brewers should keep him in Brevard until he learns how to draw some walks. He's also stealing just 2/3 of his bases. That needs to get better as well.

 

And Taylor Green... what the heck?