Link Report for Sat. 5/19 -- Zach Braddock Wows Us Again

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

 

POWER SHUTOUT TOURISTS

 

39 games into the 2007 season the West Virginia Power pitched their first shutout of the season as they defeated the Asheville Tourists 11-0 on Saturday to take the third game of the series.

 

West Virginia began the game with a big seven-run first inning. John Alonso doubled in a pair of runs, and scored along with Chuckie Caufield on Steve Chapman?s base hit. Martin Maldonado and Taylor Green hit RBI doubles and Darren Ford drove in the final run on his second single of the inning.

 

The Power added four more in the seventh inning. Brent Brewer hit a two-run homer, his second of the year, and Maldonado drove in the final two on a base hit.

 

Zach Braddock, Patrick Ryan and Omar Aguilar combined to pitch the three-hit shutout. The Power have held Asheville to a run on four hits over the last two games.

 

Braddock (3-1) tossed seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball and struck out 11 batters to get the win. Andy Graham (4-3) was tagged with the loss.

 

The Power improved to 27-12 with the win and the Tourists fell to 29-12 with the loss. Eight Power players hit safely, all nine in the starting lineup reached safely, and four Power players had multi-hit games. Darren Ford paced the Power with three hits, extending his hitting streak to 10 games.

 

The Power will finish the four game series against the Asheville Tourists at McMormick Field on Sunday afternoon. The Power will start right hander Roque Mercedes (0-2, 7.64) and the Tourists will counter with left hander Keith Weiser (7-0, 2.32). The first pitch is scheduled for 2:05 PM (1:05 Central).

[Never Outhustled]

The Brewers minor leaguers win by a combined score of 37-12 tonight. Not bad.

[iluvlamp]

Antonelli went 6-8 and his average only went up to .325. lol

[colbyjack]

Manny Parra is hitting a consistent 92-94 on the gun today in the early going.

 

Thanks a ton for listening for for posting this Mass. Just a couple of days ago I commented that I would love to hear how hard Parra is throwing these days. While Braddock deserves a big jump in the P50, Parra deserves a modest bump as well given how well he has been pitching this year, particularly since the velocity is still there.

 

Love to see several 'Tees heating up.

[chowyo123]

Hopefully Braun is 100%...the brewers need him up and healthy.

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com:

 

Gillespie collects career-best five RBIs

By Alan Friedman / Special to MLB.com

 

Cole Gillespie homered twice and drove in a career-high five runs Saturday to power the Brevard County Manatees to a 10-3 victory over the St. Lucie Mets.

 

Gillespie, who went 3-for-3, belted his fourth homer of the year with a man aboard in the second inning to lift the Manatees (25-16) into a 2-2 tie. He also smacked a three-run shot in the fifth to extend Brevard County's lead to 7-3.

 

It was the third career two-homer game for the 22-year-old left fielder, who had one last year in the Pioneer League and another on April 16 at Jupiter.

 

Freddy Parejo led off the third with his third homer of the year before Angel Salome singled home Lorenzo Cain to put the Manatees ahead for good.

 

Brevard County starter Rafael Lluberes (4-2) went five innings for the win, allowing three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and four walks while striking out four.

 

St. Lucie starter Jake Ruckle (2-2) surrendered four runs on five hits over 2 2/3 frames with a walk and three strikeouts.

 

Sean Henry had a two-run single in the second for the Mets (16-25).

 

Cole Gillespie is 8-for-15 with two homers and seven RBIs in his last four games. (Jerry Hale/MLB.com)

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2007/05/19/ejdP7kIj.jpg

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com:

 

Braddock, Power ground Travelers

 

Zach Braddock struck out 11 batters over seven strong innings as visiting West Virginia crushed Asheville, 11-0, on Saturday.

 

Braddock (3-1) limited the Tourists to two hits and did not walk a batter to earn his first victory since April 25. The 19-year-old left-hander has not allowed more than two runs in any of his seven starts this season. He struck out a season-high 12 on April 20 against Greensboro.

 

On Friday, Mike McClendon took a no-hitter into the eighth and West Virginia settled for a one-hitter and an 8-1 win over Asheville.

 

The Power (27-12) staked Braddock to a 7-0 lead in the first. John Alonso drilled a two-run double before Stephen Chapman followed with a two-run single. Martin Maldonado, Taylor Green and Darren Ford followed with run-scoring hits.

 

Brent Brewer slugged a two-run homer in the seventh and Maldonado added a two-run double.

 

Hector Gomez, Daniel Mayora and Jhaysson Agustin singled for the Tourists (29-12).

 

Asheville starter Andrew Graham (4-3) gave up seven runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out nine. David Parker allowed up all four seventh-inning runs on six hits while fanning two over two frames. -- Danny Wild/MLB.com

[tigerbrew]

Really glad to see Gillespie heating up, I like him a lot.

 

Tourists, now that's a humorous team name http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Mateo at home on Stars

Newcomer hits pair of home runs to beat West Tenn

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com

 

A pair of former teammates have been reunited: Stars hitting coach Sandy Guerrero and new Stars outfielder Ruben Mateo.

 

But, laughed Mateo, "I'm not that old. It was my first year (in the Dominican Winter League) and it was his last year."

 

The reunion is already paying dividends. With Guerrero offering a few tidbits of advice, Mateo blasted a pair of homers and drove in five runs to lead the Stars past West Tenn 11-6 Saturday afternoon in front of an announced crowd of 4,019.

 

The win enabled the Stars (21-19) to maintain their hold on first place in the Southern League North. The two teams meet again today at 2:05.

 

Mateo's two homers, after an 0-for-4 debut Friday and a strikeout in his first at-bat Saturday, were part of a 15-hit barrage by Huntsville. The Stars even batted for the cycle in a devastating four-run fourth inning off reliever Juan Done, with an Adam Heether triple, a Yohannis Perez double, Mateo's second homer and a Steve Moss single.

 

Moss finished with three hits. Steve Sollmann, Lou Palmisano, Mateo and Perez had two hits apiece.

 

Starting pitcher Manny Parra (5-1) combined with reliever Mark DiFelice and Jeff Housman to hold West Tenn to five hits, striking out 10.

 

Mateo has six years of big league experience and was considered one of the Texas Rangers' top prospects. Unlike Huntsville, where it took him until his second game, he actually homered in his first game for the Rangers in 1999.

 

He spent the 2005 season in Japan, but didn't play last season. He was at home in Santo Domingo, D.R., spending time with his family, working out and hoping for a call. Said Mateo, "I'm only 28 years old. Why not keep playing baseball?"

 

Mateo played two weeks of winter ball, then Milwaukee gave him a tryout in the Dominican Republic in March, and invited him to camp in Arizona. He had been in extended spring training there before reporting to Huntsville on Friday.

 

"He's not in the shape I've seen in him before," Guerrero said, "but he's strong as a bull, I'll tell you that.

 

"He has experience, so he knows what pitchers are trying to do with him. ... He's been in baseball a few years, so he gets a plan and he sticks with it, and it produced."

 

On Saturday, that plan was based on a simple notion: They're not going to throw him a fastball. So look for a breaking pitch to hit.

 

"I had a couple of good pitches to hit and I hit it," Mateo said, sitting at his locker.

 

"I'm happy to be here, and I'm happy to be around Sandy. That guy makes people work the right way. I talked to him a lot yesterday and today and he helped me a lot. He knows a lot about hitting."

 

So does Guerrero's old teammate, it appears.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1

 

Stars notebook

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

Covering the bases

 

Outfielder Drew Anderson broke out of a season-long slump with three hits for Triple-A Nashville on Friday night. But it wasn't enough to help him avoid a demotion to Double-A.

 

Meanwhile, pitcher Luis Pena got off to a 5-0 start with six saves, and the Brewers could hardly avoid giving him a promotion from Single-A.

 

Anderson, who spent much of last season in Huntsville and had a brief stint in the majors in September, is returning to the Stars. Anderson was batting .197 in 36 games, with only five RBIs. He struck out 30 times in 122 at-bats.

 

Pena, who'll join the Stars for the first time, allowed opponents a .184 batting average, struck out 27 in 21 2/3 innings and had a 2.08 ERA at Brevard County.

 

Neither is expected to be activated for today's game in Huntsville, and it hasn't been determined what will be done to free up the two roster spots. Gord Ash, who oversees the top two tiers of Milwaukee's minor league system, is expected to be here Monday and some decisions should be made then. ...

 

Friday's announced crowd of 3,188 and Saturday's 4,019 (which seemed considerably larger) boosted the Stars above the 2,000-mark on average attendance, to 2,055 after a dreadfully slow start. Still, they are ninth in the 10-team Southern League. Jacksonville is averaging more than 6,000 and Montgomery almost 5,000 to hold the top two spots. ... Only three teams in Double-A have smaller averages; Midland, also owned by Stars owner Miles Prentice, averages 3,875 per game. ...

 

Steve Sollmann has hit safely in 22 of his last 27 games. ... Huntsville pitchers have allowed only 102 walks this year, best in the Southern League. They're fourth in strikeouts. ... Steve Hammond has two complete games this season; there have been only two others pitched in the league so far. ... Saturday's win puts the Stars at 10-4 in day games this season. ... History says it'll go to 11-4 today. The Stars are unbeaten on Sundays.

 

With the release of Ulyses Davenport on Friday, it's apparent Milwaukee is merely cutting its losses with players who don't perform at Double-A, rather than demote them. It's also an indication of another wave of prospects building at Single-A who aren't quite ready for this level. He was the third player released since May 2, with free agent catcher Max St. Pierre (May 2) and infielder Jeff Eure (May 5) also let go. ... St. Pierre was later re-signed by Milwaukee and is attempting a comeback as a pitcher at the Brewers' Arizona training camp. In a brief tryout in front of Milwaukee minor league pitching coordinator Jim Rooney in Huntsville, St. Pierre was throwing in the low-to-mid 90s.

 

Around the league

 

Justin Upton has been sensational in his first five games at Mobile after a promotion from Single-A. He is batting .389 with four homers and 11 RBIs in only 18 at-bats. He had more homers than singles going into Saturday night's play. The brother of big-leaguer B.J. Upton, he is the top-rated prospect in the Arizona organization. ... Corwin Malone, once considered among the top pitching prospects for the White Sox, was demoted to Birmingham last week. He was 0-1 with a 7.63 ERA at Triple-A, with 11 appearances. He lost his Barons debut Thursday. ... Mississippi owned a 9-0 edge over Birmingham this season until a Barons comeback win on Wednesday. ... Painfully, Montgomery's Evan Longoria on Friday extended to 35 his streak of consecutive games reaching base, only by being hit with a pitch.

 

Brewings

 

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (21-20 before Saturday's play, second place in Pacific Coast League American Division): P Yovani Gallardo (5-1) struck out 11 in a win Thursday; he's 5-0 with a 1.65 ERA over his last seven starts.

 

Single-A Brevard County Manatees (25-16, first in Florida State East Division): SS Alcides Escobar .317, 13 SBs, 16 RBIs.

 

Single-A West Virginia Power (24-8, first in South Atlantic League Northern Division this half): P Mike McClendon came within two outs of a complete-game no-hitter Friday at Asheville.

 

On deck

 

The Stars host West Tenn today at 2:05, then Monday at 7:05 and Tuesday at 12:05 before heading to Mobile.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Dickey doesn't start, earns win in relief

By MIKE ORGAN

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

R.A. Dickey may not have started, but he finished Albuquerque Saturday night.

 

The Sounds' right-hander, who was replaced Saturday in the starting rotation by Jose Capellan, entered in the third inning and pitched six shutout innings in Nashville's 5-3 win.

 

A Greer Stadium crowd of 7,917 watched the former Montgomery Bell Academy and Tennessee star allow three hits and strike out four.

 

Dickey (2-4) said he wasn't bothered by being moved out of the rotation, where he had been since joining the Sounds this season. In seven starts covering 42-1/3 innings, Dickey had a 6.17 ERA.

 

"I executed what I wanted to do and pitched my game,'' Dickey said. "I'm a rhythm pitcher and I kind of stayed in that rhythm all night. I don't think it matters if I'm a starter or a reliever. I just think it's important for me to get in that rhythm."

 

Dickey wasted no time finding a groove. He struck out the first three batters looking that he faced.

 

"(Dickey) prepared pretty much like he does for every start,'' said Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas.

 

"He knew when he was going to come in and he threw six innings of outstanding baseball."

 

The Sounds jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Andy Abad's three-run homer over the right field wall.

 

Abad helped Nashville move in front 5-2 with an RBI single to left field in the third inning.

 

Abad had rejoined the Sounds on Thursday after being placed on the inactive list for the birth of his son.

 

Dickey retired the side again in the fifth and seventh innings before being replaced by Joe Thatcher in the ninth.

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Braun back from wrist injury

By MIKE ORGAN

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Sounds slugger Ryan Braun was activated less than an hour before Saturday's game against Albuquerque.

 

Braun, the Milwaukee Brewers' No. 2, had missed the previous 12 games due to left wrist tendinitis.

 

To clear a roster spot for Braun, outfielder Drew Anderson was reassigned to Double-A Huntsville.

 

Before being injured Braun was hitting .358 over 28 games with a team-leading eight home runs. He had 17 RBIs.

 

Braun started against Albuquerque but went 0-for-3. He did walk in the third inning and scored off a single by Andy Abad to give Nashville a 5-2 lead.

 

Go Blue Raider: Former Middle Tennessee State star Brett Carroll went 2-for-3 (two singles) for Albuquerque. The Knoxville native reached third in the ninth inning off of wild pitches and scored on a single by pinch-hitter Todd Sears.

 

Streak snapped: Nashville pitcher Joe Thatcher, who had been called up earlier this week from Huntsville, had recorded 15 consecutive scoreless innings before Saturday. Thatcher replaced R.A. Dickey in the ninth inning and struck out the first batter (John Baker) before Carroll's single.

 

After two outs Thatcher was relieved by Luther Hackman, who picked up the save. It was Hackman's fifth save of the season.

 

First start: Right-hander Jose Capellan made his first start Saturday for the Sounds. Capellan, the Sounds' Opening Day pitcher in 2005, replaced R.A. Dickey.

 

Capellan had made 99 consecutive relief appearances between Nashville and Milwaukee since that first start.

 

On Saturday Capellan only threw 43 pitches and was replaced by Dickey in the third inning. Throwing so few pitches is typical for a reliever who moves into the starting rotation. Capellan will throw more pitches with each start.

 

Capellan allowed three hits, two runs and struck out three.

 

Strong staff: Nashville's pitching staff leads the Pacific Coach League with a 3.57 ERA. Fresno is second at 3.76.

[wvpowerblkwel]

While I was listening to tonites Power game, Bull stated that Omar Aguilar reached 100 on the gun tonite.....I've been watching this guy relieve in Charleston and knew he was throwing bullets, but triple digits I did not expect....maybe another arm to keep a close eye on!