Link Report Sun 5/6 - Yo Dazzles; Mike Jones Strains Forearm

[tyguy20204]

1. Sell Vargas high.

 

2. We need some quality BP arms.

 

3. Develop Yo now, as he might go through some rough patches. Have him ready for the post season.

 

4. You can still monitor his innings in the big leagues. It's not like Vargas is throwing 7-8 innings every night out.

 

5. Yo has nothing left to prove.

[monkeyman343434]

Yo has nothing left to prove? he's only made what... 7 starts at AAA? he's only 21, let him develop, what' the point in rushing him? Small sample size, but yes, it is encouraging on how well he's doing so far

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1142

 

Bullpen's Excellence Saves the Day

 

Jeff Housman and four other relievers combined to throw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in Huntsville?s 5-2 win over Chattanooga Sunday afternoon at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars won their first series in three tries at home to improve to 14-14 and stay within a game of first place in the North Division after Tennessee downed Birmingham. The Lookouts dropped to 13-17 and fell three games behind the front-running Smokies.

 

Stars? starter Mike Jones blanked the visitors through the first three innings before Enrique Cruz led off the fourth with a single, moved to third base on a Jay Garthwaite double and scored on a Chris Dickerson ground out that also moved Garthwaite to third base, from where he scored on a Cody Strait sacrifice fly. Jones was taken out of the game after his first pitch to the next hitter Tonys Gutierrez because of a right forearm strain. Gutierrez singled against Housman, who then retired J.C. Boscan to end the inning.

 

Housman drew a walk against Lookouts? starter Luke Lockwood to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning before Steve Sollmann delivered a two-run single to tie the game and drive in his first runs in 11 games. Chattanooga second baseman Drew Anderson then mishandled a Hernan Iribarren grounder that re-loaded the bases and brought Steve Moss to the plate. Cruz made a tremendous grab of a sharply hit ground ball behind the bag at third and threw out Moss at first as Housman crossed the plate with the go-ahead run.

 

Housman was taken out after 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and replaced by Bo Hall, who also went 1 2/3 of shutout relief. Robert Hinton issued a one-out walk in the eighth and was followed by Joe Thatcher, who set down the next two hitters to end the frame. Marino Salas gave up a one-out single to Boscan in the ninth before catching a line drive off the bat of pinch-hitter Luis Bolivar and doubling up Boscan to end the game and earn his third save of the series. The Stars bullpen worked 16 1/3 scoreless innings over the last four games of the set and Salas twice got Bolivar to hit into game-ending double plays.

 

Jared Burton issued bases loaded walks to Yohannis Perez and pinch-hitter Ulyses Davenport in the seventh to push across the final two runs of the day. Burton, on a rehab assignment as a member of the Reds major league roster after being selected in the Rule 5 draft, allowed six runs on nine hits in 2 1/3 innings over two appearances in the series.

 

The Stars begin a five-game series against Mobile Monday night, as southpaw Sam Narron will take the hill against BayBears? right-hander Chris Kinsey. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 AM WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

[TrueBrew]

Horrible news about Jones. Hopefully it is minor and he will be back soon. Good luck to him.

[brewmann04]

hopefully someone will have an update on Jones and it will be good news,

he was doing so well at Huntsville.

[colbyjack]

I understand the excitement about Gallardo, and if things were differently he could very well be pitching right now for the big-league Brewers.

 

And fortunately that's the kind of position the team is in, the same with Braun. As monkeyman mentioned, it is only seven starts, one month into the season, and I just don't see a reason to make a move just for the sake of making one.

 

And if the intent is to improve the bullpen, why not move either Vargas or Bush there, or even call up Gallardo to toss out of the 'pen, which has been talked about several times on the MLB forum.

 

I just don't think now is the time to make a move.

 

But yes, another great start by Yo is extremely exciting. I can't wait to see him in Milwaukee, and it's also exciting to know that if anything does go wrong at the big-league level that needed to be corrected, the team has both an extremely talented pitcher and hitter that could actually improve the team instead of just filling a space.

[igor67]

It would be interesting if Ned were a little more unorthodox in his pen usage to call up Gallardo, and ditch Dessens. Yo could team with Villy in the longman role. I've been thinking about it quite a bit the last week or so, and Ned has a luxury in that Dessens and VIlly both can give you innings. If you put both guys into a rotation of sorts opposite one another you could use them often enough to stay fresh and still preserve your ability to have a guy come in and give you 4 innings. Essentially you pitch them an inning to keep fresh after the other guy has had enough rest so that he can come out the next night if you need him for multiple innings. Both guys are good enough you don't have to worry about costing the team games and arguably in the long run you'll be better for helping to keep your options open and help prevent overuse.

[Terok Balefire]

I've thought about it as well but I think it would be better to wait until a starter gets hurt before bringing up Yo. You can control his outings and pitch counts much better in AAA while keeping him stretched out. Villy has nowhere near the same potential Yo has and is older so I don't mind his use in the pen as much, especially in the role he is being used in right now. Plus it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt (hopefully a minor injury).

[colbyjack]

I believe the idea of replacing Dessens with Gallardo was tossed around on the MLB forum a little bit, but that is a very good call igor. There's nothing wrong with having two guys in your bullpen that can give you longer innings, and the experience while being eased into a more prominent role can't hurt as long as the organization isn't sacrificing service time.

[DHonks]

jones with an unfortunate forearm strain while throwing well lately. I assume he'll go on the 7 day dl. I wonder if Housman gets the start, or if it's the excuse we've been hoping for to get Inman to AA.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Covering the bases

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

Jeff Eure, who led the Stars in RBIs last season and was such a versatile player he worked at all nine positions in the 2006 season finale, was released Saturday by the Brewers organization. His release makes room on the roster for third baseman Adam Heether to return from the disabled list, where he was placed after suffering an oblique muscle injury. Eure was batting .181 with seven RBIs and 25 strikeouts in 72 at-bats. Heether was off to a slow start, at .132 (five-for-38) before his injury, then went 0-for-3 Saturday. ...

 

At this level of the minors, teams are often hesitant to proclaim one pitcher as the closer. Not the Stars, and their pitching coach Rich Sauveur, who notes that "we're really just one step from the big leagues" and strongly believes a pitcher needs to be settling into the same role here at which he'd be used in the majors.

 

Which brings us to Marino Salas, who is clearly Huntsville's closer and has already paid dividends with three saves this week alone and five for the season. (Let's recall the impact Joe Valentine, with 13 saves and two wins, had in last season's Stars' resurgence.) Salas will pitch virtually every time Huntsville takes a lead into the ninth inning, and Sauveur won't hesitate to use him for two innings when needed.

 

Salas has an excellent fastball, said Sauveur, but needs to perfect a secondary pitch, like a change or slider. "When he does that, he'll really be tough to hit."

 

Overall, Sauveur is thrilled with his bullpen. "They know their job and what is asked of them. They've done an outstanding job." ...

 

Miles Prentice, the majority owner of the Stars, is expected at Tuesday's game, along with some of the team partners. Prentice, a New York attorney, also attended opening night, but visits infrequently. ... Tom Van Schaack, the Stars' general manager, will undergo heart surgery this week at his home in upstate New York. ...

 

The word was catcher Lou Palmisano and outfielder Steve Moss needed to pick up their offense to match their defensive skills, and it was a crucial year for both. How about a .355 average and 15 RBIs in Palmisano's first 19 games and .295 average for Moss with 20 RBIs and three homers. ... The Brewers couldn't keep Carlos Corporan (.363, 19 RBIs in 23 games) at Single-A Brevard County, so suddenly a position that had historically been a weak link in the Brewers' system is looking stronger. ... The shallow bench of a Double-A team is evident in this stat: The Stars are 4-for-22 pinch-hitting and have yet to produce a pinch-hit RBI.

 

Around the league

 

When Mobile arrives for Monday's series opener with Huntsville, pencil that in for a Stars win. The BayBears are 0-5 in series openers this season. ... The BayBears, an Arizona farmclub after being with the Padres for nine seasons, are managed by Brett Butler, the popular former Atlanta Braves outfielder. ... The Montgomery Biscuits, with little more than three years in their new park, drew their one millionth fan Saturday. ... Tennessee's Matt Craig had six RBIs in Friday's 16-1 win over Birmingham, with the Smokies mauling Barons ace Gio Gonzalez, the league's strikeout leader. ... West Tenn is at the bottom of the SL North after being a dominant team a year ago. Pretty simple difference. The Diamond Jaxx had a league-best 2.84 ERA last year. They're at 4.34 now, next-to-worst in the league behind Montgomery. ... If Mississippi continues on its playoff-bound pace, it will assure that each of the league's 10 franchises will have reached the postseason since 2004.

 

Brewings

 

Triple-A Nashville Sounds (15-12 before Saturday's play, first place in Pacific Coast League American Division): 3B Ryan Braun .366, league-leading 8 HRs, 17 RBIs

 

Single-A Brevard County Manatees (16-12, second in Florida State East Division): P WiIl Inman 2-2, 1.51 ERA, 43 Ks in 32 2/3 innings in six starts

 

Single-A West Virginia Power (19-6, first in South Atlantic League Northern Division this half): OF Darren Ford .357, 17 SBs, 11 RBIs in 19 games

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Housman makes difference at plate

Huntsville reliever also contributes at plate in 5-2 win

By BRAD SHEPARD

For the Huntsville Times

 

His mound work can't be discounted, but Huntsville Stars reliever Jeff Housman arguably made a bigger impact at the plate during Sunday's 5-2 win over Chattanooga.

 

How many relievers get on base when hitting in important situations? Well, with his team trailing by two in the fourth inning, Housman came up with runners on first and third and one out.

 

He'd already admirably replaced starter Mike Jones, who left in the fourth with what Stars manager Don Money said was an apparent elbow strain.

 

Instead of making a quick out and turning back to the dugout, Housman drew an eight-pitch walk to load the bases and keep the inning promising. Leadoff hitter Steve Sollman followed with a two-run single, and Hernan Iribarren's sacrifice fly gave the Stars what eventually became the winning run.

 

"That was a great at-bat," Money said. "Runners on first and third, and he battles there and eventually scores a run. He kept the inning going."

 

Housman also took another big step toward a full recovery on the mound, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings during his second appearance in three days following last June's season-ending shoulder surgery.

 

He said of the shoulder afterward, "it's not there yet, but it's getting back."

 

"When Jones got hurt, I thought (Corey) Thurman was going in, so it was a little bit of a surprise," Housman said. "I knew I wouldn't be able to get real loose. I just wanted to make some pitches and get out of it."

 

Jones will be evaluated further, but Money said he thought the injury was a strain.

 

Though Housman was the lone Stars reliever to perform with a bat in his hands, he was only part of an impressive effort from the bullpen. He, Bo Hall, Robert Hinton, Joe Thatcher and Marino Salas combined for 5 1/3 shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out five.

 

"That's huge," said Sollman, who had the Stars' big hit. "They've been doing a great job all year keeping us in games. They've been giving us a chance to win."

 

Though their teammates didn't give them any breathing room until the seventh, the relievers didn't need any insurance.

 

When Chattanooga did threaten, the defense provided plenty of help.

 

Hall put on J.C. Boscan with a leadoff walk in the seventh, but when pinch hitter Ryan Hanigan softly lined a ball to center field, Steve Moss made a terrific diving catch for the first out.

 

Huntsville (14-14) got out of the inning unscathed and was the beneficiary of some shaky pitching in the bottom of the inning.

 

The Stars loaded the bases with one out against Jared Burton, who walked Yohannis Perez to force in a run. Then, he walked Ulyses Davenport to give the Stars another run.

 

Combined with the stellar pitching and a couple of sparkling plays, it was enough for a Huntsville win.

 

"The bullpen," Money said, "has been pretty solid all year."

 

Even so at the plate Sunday.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=56042

 

Gallardo guides Sounds to victory

By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent

 

Yovani Gallardo baffled Round Rock for seven slick innings to lead Nashville to a 5-2 victory over the Express in front of 7.096 fans at Greer Stadium on Sunday.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers? top prospect went seven innings and allowed just one hit en route to the win. Gallardo?s masterful outing moves his record to 4-1, with his only loss coming in his season opener, which was his Triple A debut. Gallardo allowed four runs over five innings in that start, which ended in a loss to Oklahoma.

 

Since then, he?s been close to untouchable, allowing five runs over the past 32 innings. What?s more, Gallardo became the minor league strikeouts leader with nine Ks against Round Rock. Gallardo has 51 strikeouts in 37 innings.

 

?Every outing I just try to go out there, make pitches, get hitters out and keep the ball down in the zone,? Gallardo said. ?It?s been working for me. I?ve been working out in the [bullpen on off-days], so I?m just going to keep doing the same thing.?

 

Mike Rivera took care of the offense for the Sounds when he broke a scoreless tie in the sixth with a solo home run. Rivera?s homer ricocheted off the guitar scoreboard in left field. That means Rivera will be awarded a Copley guitar like every Sounds player who hits a ball off the big blue scoreboard in left center.

 

Rivera is the second Sound to win a guitar this season ? Ryan Braun has hit two blasts off the scoreboard.

 

Nashville (17-13) padded its lead in the sixth inning. That?s when Andy Abad notched an RBI single and Rivera added a sacrifice fly that plated Vinny Rottino.

 

?It?s nice, I think he?s coming around a little bit, relaxing and getting things done,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said of Rivera?s strong day at the plate.

 

The Sounds added two more runs in the eighth thanks to a throwing error on Round Rock second baseman Brooks Conrad.

 

Braun sits for second day: Braun, the Brewers? top offensive prospect, was not in the lineup for the second day in a row. Kremblas said Braun needed time off because he has a slightly sore groin. Braun, who seemed fine in the clubhouse after the game, hadn?t missed any time this season and isn?t expected to go on the disabled list.

[Mass Haas]

Link for new Yovani Gallardo photo while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Gallardo as close to guaranteed win as it gets

By TYLER BLANK

For The Tennessean

 

Sounds starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo expanded on an impressive season Sunday, recording nine strikeouts and allowing just one hit through seven innings in a 5-2 win over Round Rock at Greer Stadium.

 

The Sounds have won eight of their past nine games at home, and Gallardo has won four of his last five starts. Gallardo's 51 strikeouts through 37 innings give him the most in all of the minor leagues. Gio Gonzalez of Double-A Birmingham is second with 47.

 

"He's done that the last four or five starts," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "He comes out, has good command of his stuff and is able to make pitches when he needs to."

 

After Gallardo's first start, in which he allowed four runs in five innings, he has been rolling. He has allowed only five runs through his previous 32 innings, and has allowed one run or less in four of his last five starts. Sunday, he did not allow a batter past first base.

 

"Every outing I just try and go out, make pitches, get the hitters out and it's been working for me, Gallardo said."

 

On Sunday, he didn't have much of a choice. He didn't get any run support until Mike Rivera gave Nashville a 1-0 lead with a fifth-inning home run.

 

"Their starter did a good job and he might have been a little tired there," Kremblas said.

 

What they said: "He comes out, has good command of his stuff and is able to make pitches when he needs to." ? Kremblas on Gallardo.

 

***

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Two Sounds extend hitting streaks in win

By TYLER BLANK

For The Tennessean

 

Sounds catcher Mike Rivera and first baseman Andy Abad extended their hitting streaks in Sunday's 5-2 victory over Round Rock.

 

Rivera doubled in the third inning and hit a solo home run in the fifth to extend his streak to five games. He has gone 6-for-14 with a .429 batting average during that stretch.

 

"I've been battling all year, trying to get my rhythm going and I feel much better," Rivera said. "I'm just trying to get results every at-bat."

 

Abad holds the Sounds' longest active hitting streak with seven games. He hit a one-out single in the sixth inning, which drove in Charles Thomas for Nashville's second run.

 

Abad has gone 10-for-22 and batted .455 during his streak. He began the season with 12 hitless at-bats.

 

The Sounds' longest hitting streak of the season ? eight games ? belongs to Brad Nelson.

 

Sweet relief: The eighth and ninth innings provided Nashville with their first real trouble of the day when Round Rock managed to score two runs off Sounds relief pitchers Jose Capellan and Luther Hackman.

 

"We've been having a little spell where our relievers have been getting into trouble," Manager Frank Kremblas said. "It's nice to see them get into a little trouble and get out of it."

 

Round Rock's comeback was not enough as Hackman and pitcher Alec Zumwalt pitched their way out of trouble, leaving Nashville in sole possession of first place in the Pacific Coast League's Northern Division.

 

PCL leaders: Nashville leads the PCL in scoring the game's first run. In 30 games this year, the Sounds have scored the first run 21 times. They are 13-8 when scoring first.

 

Nashville also leads the PCL in fielding. The Sounds have committed a league-low 16 errors this season.

 

Third baseman Ryan Braun has a PCL-leading eight home runs this season.

 

Almost there: Nashville is third in the PCL with 30 home runs, behind Albuquerque (31) and Memphis (31). Braun has eight, while Nelson and Vinny Rottino have five each.

[Mass Haas]

More on the Sounds from MiLB.com:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp

 

Sounds' Gallardo derails Express

By Ryan McConnell / Special to MLB.com

 

Tim Lincecum and Phil Hughes have gotten their opportunities to pitch at the big-league level this year. Yovani Gallardo looks ready for his turn.

 

Gallardo (4-1) gave up one hit over seven shutout innings Sunday as the Nashville Sounds defeated the Round Rock Express, 5-2.

 

The 21-year-old right-hander struck out nine, walked three and yielded only a first-inning single to Jesse Garcia. Despite the dominant outing, he took his performance in stride.

 

"I felt pretty good," Gallardo said. "My fastball wasn't as good as usual and my mechanics were a little off. But I was able to figure it out."

 

Gallardo also seems to have figured out the Pacific Coast League. After a rocky start against Oklahoma on April 9 in which he gave up four earned runs in five innings, the Texas native has yielded five runs over his last 32 innings with 44 strikeouts.

 

The former second-round draft pick has overtaken Lincecum for the Minor League strikeout lead with 51. Last season, Gallardo was 11-5 with a 1.86 ERA and 188 strikeouts in 155 innings between Class A Advanced Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville. Although he said he's staying patient, he's clearly looking forward to his opportunity to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

"That's my goal. That's where I want to be," he said. "I'd love to have that opportunity, it'd be awesome. But I try not think about it."

 

Gallardo's batterymate, Mike Rivera, snapped a scoreless tie in the fifth with a solo home run, his second of the season. He added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Sounds (17-13) a 3-0 lead.

 

Andy Abad ripped an RBI single in the sixth and Nashville added two insurance runs in the eighth on second baseman Brooks Conrad's error.

 

Eric Bruntlett ripped an RBI triple in the ninth to help the Express (14-17) avoid their second shutout loss of the season.

 

Round Rock starter Jared Gothreaux (1-1) surrendered three runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and a walk.