Link Report Thu. 4/19 -- Latest: Mike Carlin's Debut

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Brad Nelson photo, text follows --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2272

 

Nelson Homers Again, Sounds Edge 'Hawks 3-1

 

OKLAHOMA CITY ? Brad Nelson homered for the second straight day and Yovani Gallardo fanned seven batters during a quality start in leading the Nashville Sounds to a 3-1 victory over the Oklahoma RedHawks on Thursday evening at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark.

 

The win was the seventh in the last nine contests for Nashville (8-6), which remains in a tie for first place in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. All four Sounds hits in the contest went for extra bases.

 

The Sounds grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Jose Macias opened the game by reaching on a fielding error then scored unearned three batters later on a J.D. Closser sacrifice fly.

 

Nelson (2-for-4) doubled the advantage an inning later when he belted his second home run in as many games, a solo shot to right that came on a 3-2 pitch from Oklahoma starter Alfredo Simon. It was the slugger?s second longball of the year and extended Nelson?s hitting streak to seven games, the longest by a Nashville player this season.

 

AUDIO: Brad Nelson Belts A Home Run --

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-19.mp3

 

The Sounds added another run in the second after Chris Barnwell reached base the hard way, taking a Simon fastball off his helmet, and scored on a Macias two-out RBI triple into the right field corner, making it a 3-0 contest.

 

The RedHawks got a run back against Sounds starter Yovani Gallardo in the bottom of the second when Marlon Byrd tripled off the wall in right-center and scored a batter later on a Desi Relaford groundout.

 

Gallardo (2-1) allowed one run on three hits while striking out seven batters and walking one over his six innings of work. The 21-year-old lowered his ERA to 2.65 through three starts for Nashville.

 

Simon (1-2) was nearly as effective but took the loss after surrendering three runs (two earned) on three hits in seven frames. He walked two batters and fanned five.

 

Luther Hackman worked two scoreless frames behind Gallardo before allowing a leadoff single to Freddy Guzman in the ninth. Mitch Stetter was summoned from the bullpen and walked the only batter he faced, Ramon Vazquez, to put the potential tying run on base.

 

Dennis Sarfate took over on the hill for Nashville and fanned the first two batters he faced before inducing a game-ending groundout from Byrd to secure the win and notch his team-leading third save in three opportunities.

 

The teams wrap up the four-game series with another 7:05 p.m. meeting on Friday evening. Left-hander Zach Jackson (2-1, 2.35) will man the bump for Nashville to face Oklahoma right-hander Josh Rupe (0-1, 3.00).

 

Nashville Box Score:

Ozzie Chavez looking overmatched this spring...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_orhaaa_1

 

Nashville Game Log:

Ryan Braun never touched the ball on defense in this one...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_orhaaa_1

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Site Game Summary:

Link, text follows --

 

www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1116

 

Suns Slug Their Way to Second Win in Series

 

Anthony Raglani and Luke Allen belted long home runs and Jacksonville?s bullpen tossed five scoreless innings in a 10-4 win over Huntsville Thursday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Suns evened the series at two games apiece and their season record at 7-7, while the Stars dropped to 6-6 and were denied their first three-game win streak of the season.

 

The visitors jumped on Huntsville starter Steve Hammond for four runs in the first inning on a run-scoring double by Marshall McDougal, who has knocked in at least one run in all four games in the series, and Raglani?s three-run long ball, his fourth of the year, which matches him with teammate John Lindsey for the league lead. It was also the seventh time in nine home games that the Stars have been scored on in the first inning and third time they have allowed at least four runs in the first frame.

 

The Stars received four walks in the first inning and scored on a Mike Carlin sacrifice fly but left the bases loaded with one out. They wasted a leadoff triple by Yohannis Perez in the second inning and clawed to within 5-3 in the third on a Carlin home run and throwing error by Chin-Lung Hu that allowed Steve Sollmann to score.

 

Lou Palmisano drove in a run with a fourth inning double to trim the Suns? lead to 5-4 but was left stranded at second base with one out. The visitors would add two runs in the fifth and chase Hammond from the game with back-to-back run-scoring hits by Wilkin Ruan and Cory Dunlap. The southpaw suffered his second loss, both at home, after allowing seven runs, six earned, on eight hits with six strikeouts. The seven runs were the most Hammond has yielded in any of his 16 starts since joining the Stars last season.

 

Jacksonville put the game away with three runs in the eighth on a two-run home run by Allen and a run-scoring double by Hu, who has seven hits in the last two games after going hitless in 10 tries in the first two games. B.J. LaMura picked up the win with three scoreless, hitless innings and Matt Riley closed things out with two shutout innings. The trio of Alvis Ojeda and the two relievers issued 15 walks but stranded 15 runners. The Suns have handed out 15 free passes in two games in the series and won both of them, while the bullpen has worked 23 2/3 innings and allowed only one run.

 

The series wraps up Friday night with Huntsville right-hander Mike Jones taking the hill against Suns? left-hander Mike Megrew. 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.

 

Huntsville Box Score:

Leadoff man Mel Stocker with four of the 15 walks; Steve Sollmann's OBP still well over .500; need to get Steve Hammond back on track...

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

 

Huntsville Game Log:

 

www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

[bork]

Two straight outings for Sarfate without a walk. Hopefully, it's a sign that he has found the strike zone.

 

3 more walks for Sollman for 13 on the season. That Huntsville team is drawing a crazy number of walks so far.

 

And good to see Captain Lou back on track. OPS over 1.000.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

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

 

Good impression

Carlin does well in his Stars debut, but Suns claim 10-4 victory

By MARK McCARTER

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com

 

His debut was a little late. But Mike Carlin quickly made up for lost time.

 

Alas, the rest of the Huntsville Stars couldn't keep up with Carlin, who began the season on the disabled list and made his first start Thursday night, as the Jacksonville Suns pounded Huntsville 10-4 to even the series at two games apiece.

 

The Suns were again generous with walks (15) but Huntsville managed just five hits, none a single.

 

The Stars and Suns end this series tonight at 7:05. There will be a postgame fireworks display.

 

There was wonderful fireworks late Thursday when pitching coach Rich Sauveur was thrown out in the eighth by plate ump Brett Cavins. The two gentlemen had an apparent disagreement over the precise geographic location and definition of the strike zone.

 

Carlin, a 25-year-old outfielder who replaces Ulyses Davenport on the active roster, drove in Huntsville's first run with a sacrifice fly to right in the first inning. Two innings later, he drilled a homer to left through a fierce wind. Then, on his third at-bat, he was thoroughly robbed by a diving catch by right fielder Luke Allen.

 

"A little combination of nerves and excitement," Carlin described his debut. "It's exciting to have a chance to come in and give the team a boost and hopefully fit in in a positive way."

 

However, it was unequivocally a negative game for Huntsville.

 

"It was nice for personal confidence," he said, "but if we don't win, what's it for?"

 

Carlin was a minor league phase Rule 5 draft selection by the Brewers last winter, scooped up from the Pirates' organization, in which he played five seasons.

 

He showed some pop for the Pirates, with 16 homers in '05, 15 last year. He is now tied for the Stars' home run lead, with one.

 

Huntsville has three homers as a team; Brendan Katin and Steve Sollmann have the others. Five players in the league have as many homers as the Stars.

 

One of those is Jacksonville's Anthony Ragliani, who ripped a three-run shot in the first off Huntsville starter Steve Hammond.

 

Jacksonville starter Alvis Ojeda walked four men in the first, but allowed only one run, on Carlin's sacrifice and the bases were left loaded.

 

Carlin homered in the third. "I got a hitter's count and he gave me a pitch I was looking for," he said.

 

Then Sollmann walked - he has eight walks in the past three games - and later scored when Yohannis Perez reached on a throwing error by Chin-Lung Hu.

 

Lou Palmisano's RBI double in the fourth cut the lead to 5-4.

 

However, Hu led off the Suns' fifth with a double, scored on a single by Wilkin Ruan, and Cory Dunlap doubled home Ruan to make it 7-4.

 

Another Moss K with bases loaded, this time in the sixth, ended Huntsville's last good opportunity to rally. Luke Allen's two-run homer in the eighth prevented further drama.

[TheCrew07]

I'll get excited about Lou when I get down on Cain...