Link Report for Tue. 9/11 -- Manatees Done, Power In Trouble

[Mass Haas]

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

 

 

[Mass Haas]

Tuesday's Daily Menu:

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: Season complete

 

Huntsville: Idle; the Southern League Championship Series begins Wednesday in Montgomery, AL

 

Brevard County: LHP Brae Wright at Clearwater (Phillies), 5:45 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime; Game Four of a Best-of-Five for the Florida State League Championship, Threshers lead, 2-1

 

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

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

 

West Virginia: RHP Shawn Ferguson at home vs. Columbus (Devil Rays), 5:50 PM pre-game; 6:05 gametime; Game Two of a Best-of-Five for the South Atlantic League Championship, Catfish lead, 1-0

 

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

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

 

Helena: Season complete

Arizona: Season complete

[Mass Haas]

Follow Tuesday's action as it happens:

Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". 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.

 

Brevard County:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2007_09_11_breafa_clrafa_1

 

West Virginia:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_09_11_clmafx_wvaafx_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Clearwater (Phillies) 5, Brevard County 2

Congrats to the Threshers, Florida State League Champs...

 

Brevard County Box Score:

Lorenzo Cain reached twice, but his GIDP to end the 7th was a huge rally-killer that effectively ended the game; this squad had a season of both highlight reel and frustrating stretches, but it was certainly interesting to follow -- nice to have Manatee audio in 2007 as well. Continued success to the Brevard kids as they continue their Brewer careers...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2007_09_11_breafa_clrafa_1

 

Brevard County Game Log:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_log&gid=2007_09_11_breafa_clrafa_1

[Mass Haas]

Final: Columbus (Devil Rays) 5, West Virginia 2

The Power find themselves in the same very tough situation the Manatees were in -- go on the road and win three in a row...

 

West Virginia Box Score:

Bullpen kept it close, Lefty Bobby Bramhall particularly nasty....

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_09_11_clmafx_wvaafx_1

 

West Virginia Game Log:

Failures in the 6th and 7th proved ultra-costly...

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_09_11_clmafx_wvaafx_1

[pogokat]

crap...thursday is my wife's bday and i have a softball double header...im not going to be able t go...the power are just going to have to suck it up and win a game for me to get to see them on friday

[wvpowerblkwel]

Bramhall was definitely nasty in his inning on the good side! 3 up 3 K's....everybody off balance....lot of speed change and movement...fun to watch on an otherwise uneventful night! GOOD LUCK in Columbus guys!

[Mass Haas]

West Virginia Site Game Summary:

CATFISH ONE WIN AWAY FROM SALLY LEAGUE TITLE

 

The Columbus Catfish pitched their way out of trouble to take the first game of the South Atlantic League Championship 5-2 on Monday night at Appalachian Power Park, and repeated that feat on Tuesday night to take game two, and are now just a win away from capturing the title.

 

Maiko Loyola hit a leadoff home run to give the Catfish the lead and they never looked back. Two batters later, Cesar Suarez singled in John Matulia to make it a 2-0 lead. Taylor Green ripped an RBI single in the bottom of the first to cut the Catfish lead in half.

 

Quinn Stewart, who hit safely three times on Monday, drove in three runs for Columbus on Tuesday. He drove in his first two on a clutch two-out single in the fourth. The Power scored their final run on John Alonso's solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Quinn knocked in his third run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

 

Jeremy Hall (1-0) gave up a run on three hits through four and a third innings of relief to get the win. Ryan Reid pitched two-thirds of the ninth to get the save and Shawn Ferguson (0-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on six hits over five innings. Patrick Lawler, Mike Ramlow, Chris Toneguzzi and Bobby Bramhall combined to toss four scoreless innings of relief.

 

West Virginia's bullpen has yet to allow a run in the series. The pen has tossed seven scoreless innings of relief. Alonso and Chuckie Caufield were the only two Power players with multi-hit games. The franchise has now lost eight straight Championship games.

 

The Power will continue the best of five South Atlantic League Championship Series against the Columbus Catfish on Thursday night at Golden Park. Right hander Donovan Hand (1-2, 2.16) will start for the Power and Columbus will counter with right hander Jeremy Hellickson (13-3, 2.67). First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (6:00 Central).

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/200709121

 

Power on the brink

Team facing elimination after loss to Columbus

By Nick Scala

Charleston Gazette Staff writer

 

In a season full of rallies and comebacks, the West Virginia Power is in desperate need of some final heroics.

 

For the second night in a row Tuesday, the Columbus Catfish handed the Power a 5-2 setback at Appalachian Power Park to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five South Atlantic League championship series.

 

To bring the title back to Charleston for the first time since 1990, the Power faces a daunting task - win three straight on the road against a team that has been dominant against West Virginia this season. Including the playoffs, the Catfish have handled the Power in five of six meetings between the teams.

 

"The only way we can win is to go out and battle and win three games in Columbus [Ga.]," said Power manager Mike Guerrero. "We have the ability to come back, we've proven that all year. Now we just have to go out and do it.

 

"[The Catfish] haven't seen the best out of our team. They haven't seen us play baseball as good as we're capable of playing."

 

After a travel day today, Game 3 is set for Thursday night. Games 4 and 5, if necessary, are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

 

A crowd of 2,231 was on hand for the last game of the season at Appalachian Power Park, and it started off poorly for the Power. The first batter, Maiko Loyola, drilled Power starter Shawn Ferguson's second pitch for a home run, then John Matulia followed with a double to left and scored when Cesar Suarez delivered an RBI single.

 

The Power got one of those runs back in the bottom of the first when Chuckie Caufield singled and scored on Taylor Green's one-out single.

 

Ferguson settled down from the shaky start, retiring 10 in a row before running into two-out trouble in the fourth. Quinn Stewart's single up the middle plated two runs, giving Columbus a 4-1 lead.

 

John Alonso led off the Power fourth inning with a home run, but that was the last West Virginia run of the night. Columbus tacked on an insurance run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Stewart, who finished the night with three RBIs.

 

"Our team all year, it hasn't been one guy or two guys carrying the team," said Columbus manager Jim Morrison. "Everybody's had a contribution. We've had good pitching, and outstanding pitching is gonna take care of good hitting teams most of the time."

 

Jeremy Hall pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief of Columbus starter Will Kline to pick up the win, while Ryan Reid got the final two outs to record the save.

 

Ferguson was handed the loss after allowing five earned runs in five-plus innings. He walked three, struck out one and allowed six hits.

 

Donovan Hand, who started and won the Power's Northern Division playoff series clincher Saturday night, will get the starting nod Thursday night.

 

Hand, 1-2 with a 2.16 ERA during the regular season, has pitched 31 innings since joining the Power and has yet to give up a base on balls.

Morrison said right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (13-3, 2.67) will start Thursday for the Catfish.

 

POWER POINTS: Andrew Lefave, who led the league with a .345 batting average, was placed on the disabled list by the Power Tuesday. Lefave missed the final five games of the regular season and all playoff games to date with a wrist injury. ... Lefave's spot on the roster was taken by Caleb Gindl, who was promoted from the Helena Brewers. Gindl, a 19-year-old left-handed swinger who led the Pioneer League with a .372 batting average, appeared as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning Tuesday and was retired on a grounder to second. ... Since winning the 1990 title, Charleston's entry in the SAL is winless in its last eight games in the championship series. The Charleston Wheelers were swept in the league finals in 1990 and '91. ... Tuesday's attendance set the final season tally at 255,838, a franchise record. ... Power relievers pitched four innings, allowing just two hits and no runs while recording eight strikeouts. Mike Ramlow struck out the first four batters he faced and Bobby Bramhall whiffed all three Columbus hitters he faced in the ninth. ... The Power hurt itself on the bases. Taylor Green was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single in the first inning and Caufield was thrown out trying to steal with runners at the corners and one out in the seventh.

 

Charleston Gazette Photographer: Chris Dorst

Power second baseman Kenny Holmberg moves to collect the relay throw from outfielder Matt LaPorta during Tuesday's game. Columbus' John Matulia was safe on the play with a double.

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

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com's coverage of the Manatee loss:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070911&content_id=302272&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

[colbyjack]

That double-play by Cain was tough, although he responded fairly well by being in the leadoff spot, of course in a small sample, but 10 walks in 23 plate appearances (13 AB), along with 5 hits, is rather impressive. He did seem to try to do too much however, getting thrown out 4 times in those 5 games, but if he does get bumped up to Huntsville next year and separated from Ford I do wonder if he'll get a chance to play CF (as opposed to Gillespie like I guessed).

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.dailymail.com/story/Sports/2007091252/Power-faces-near-insurmountable-odds/

 

Power faces near insurmountable odds

Christopher Wade

For the Charleston Daily Mail

 

There will be no more slices of burnt toast thrown into the stands or slices of heckling thrown into opposing dugouts by Rod "Toastman" Blackstone for the next seven months at Appalachian Power Park.

 

Nor will there be any "Rowdies" in the stands or Two-for-Tuesday beer seekers.

 

Unfortunately for Power fans, there won't be any more baseball, either.

 

The Power played its final home game of the season Tuesday evening, dropping a 5-2 decision to the Columbus Catfish in the second game of the South Atlantic League Championship Series.

 

The win gives the Catfish a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. After a travel day today, the series resumes in Columbus, Ga., on Thursday evening.

 

The Power will have to win three consecutive road games against the Catfish to capture their first SAL championship since 1990.

 

"It's going to be difficult, especially since they took three out of the four games against us earlier in the season in Columbus," said John Alonso, who had two hits including a solo home run for the Power Tuesday.

 

"But we have just got to play our game because we have the team to do it."

 

The Power self-destructed several times during the loss Tuesday, due to shoddy fielding that allowed two extra Columbus runs to score. The first gift run came in the first inning, giving the Catfish a 2-0 lead.

 

The second charitable run occurred in the fourth inning, handing the Power a 4-1 deficit.

 

West Virginia also committed two huge base-running blunders that cost them two runs, as well.

 

"We had two errors, but it could have been four or five," said Power Manager Mike Guerrero. "We also got into situations on the base paths where we didn't execute, either.

 

"With so much on the line, you have to play your best and we haven't done that."

 

Despite the uphill battle the Power faces, it has been a magical season with the team breaking its attendance record and having its best season on the field since 1992.

 

"This season has been absolutely remarkable and is the best season for baseball in Charleston in a long, long time," said Blackstone, who earlier this season was inducted into the Charleston baseball Wall of Fame for his contributions to the franchise.

 

Blackstone, who by day is the Assistant Mayor and by night, is well known around the league for heckling opponents from his front-row seat behind home plate, as well as for his chants and throwing of burnt toast into the stands when a visiting player strikes out.

 

"This has been one of the most enjoyable seasons I've had," said Blackstone, "because I've got to cheer on a great home team that wins much more than they lose and heckle bad guys who are losing much more than winning."

 

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at Appalachian Power Park and the city of Charleston will be missed greatly by the Power players during the upcoming off-season.

 

"The atmosphere here is something you don't see any other place," said Power first baseman Andrew LeFave, who won the SAL batting crown with a .345 average.

 

"If I was playing against the Power, the Toastman and the Rowdy's would get into my head, too.

 

"Charleston is definitely a great city and we've thoroughly enjoyed our time here and had a ball. Plus, it's a great ballpark and a great hitter's park.

 

"It's been awesome and we will miss it."

 

NOTES: LeFave, who missed the final five regular-season games and hasn't played in the post-season, finally was placed on the disabled list ending his stellar season. The Power called up outfielder Caleb Gindl. Gindl, like LeFave, won the batting title by exactly .12 points for Helena in the Pioneer League.

[Mass Haas]

Here's that same link, which includes an end-of-home-season Power photo gallery:

 

http://www.dailymail.com/story/Sports/2007091252/Power-faces-near-insurmountable-odds/