batman

Friday's action in brief: W - Arizona Brewers 7, Arizona Cubs 1 L - Charlotte (White Sox) 4, Indianapolis 3 - Game One W - Huntsville 10, Chattanooga (Reds) 5 L - Wisconsin (Mariners) 11, Beloit 9 W - Helena 4, Ogden (Dodgers) 2 L - Charlotte (White Sox) 5, Indianapolis 1 - Game Two L - Bakersfield (Devil Rays) 11, High Desert 4 Overall: 3-4 Interestingly enough, all three wins came against National League affiliates (the Cubs, Reds, and Dodgers respectively) while all four losses came against American League affiliates (the White Sox, Mariners, and Devil Rays). Yes, that useless bit of trivia was brought to you by insomnia. Combined, the Brewers scored 38 runs but their opponents tallied 39. That's all from me... Jim will surely fill in all the missing pieces and fix up the Report come Saturday AM. G'night, ~Bill

Bakersfield (Devil Rays) 11, High Desert 4 Tough one for the Mavs. Box Score: BAKERSFIELD 11 AT HIGH DESERT 4 YTD YTD BAKERSFIELD AB R H BI AVG HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG B.Martin CF 5 1 1 1 .280 C.Morris CF 4 0 0 0 .264 L.De Paula 2B 5 1 4 2 .251 R.Santana RF 4 1 3 1 .284 E.Gonzalez 3B 3 1 1 1 .266 S.Candelaria 3B 4 1 2 1 .280 E.Reece 1B 4 2 2 2 .285 J.Frost 1B 4 0 1 1 .254 C.Isenia CAT 5 2 2 1 .289 J.Toner LF 3 0 0 0 .192 L.Mateo LF 4 2 3 3 .297 J.Raburn DH 3 0 0 0 .278 J.Arhart DH 5 0 1 1 .249 T.West 2B 4 0 1 0 .241 A.Bonner RF 4 1 1 0 .313 O.Chavez SS 4 0 0 0 .231 H.Kelly SS 4 1 0 0 .136 J.Alvarado CAT 4 2 1 0 .143 J.Campbell PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Ebert PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Cramer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Marx PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Pruett PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Backsmeyer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 39 11 15 11 TOTALS 34 4 8 3 BAKERSFIELD 3 0 4 0 0 3 0 0 1-11 15 2 HIGH DESERT 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0- 4 8 0 E--L.Mateo 2. DP--BAKERSFIELD 2, HIGH DESERT 1. LOB--BAKERSFIELD 7, HIGH DESERT 5. 2B--B.Martin (25), L.De Paula (16), C.Isenia (4), A.Bonner (4), J.Frost (9). HR--E.Gonzalez (4), E.Reece (15), L.Mateo 2 (10). SB--R.Santana 2 (35). CS--L.De Paula. HBP--E.Gonzalez, L.Mateo, H.Kelly. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BAKERSFIELD J.Campbell (W,3-3) 5.2 6 3 3 2 2 0 3.25 B.Cramer 2.1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0.00 J.Pruett 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.89 HIGH DESERT D.Ebert (L,2-1) 5.0 12 10 10 1 3 3 6.19 T.Marx 3.0 2 0 0 1 3 0 14.48 J.Backsmeyer 1.0 1 1 1 1 0 1 5.75 HB--D.Ebert 2, T.Marx. WP--J.Campbell, T.Marx. SO--B.Martin 2, E.Reece, J.Arhart, A.Bonner, H.Kelly, S.Candelaria, J.Toner 2. BB--E.Gonzalez, E.Reece, A.Bonner, J.Toner, J.Raburn. T--2:53. A--3808 Ralph Santana with a very nice night... Ebert, not so much. Tommy Marx failed to give up a run for the first time since... well, since forever, I think (or at least it seems that way... sorry, Tommy). ~Bill

Charlotte (White Sox) 5, Indianapolis 1 - Game Two Believe it or not, the Indians and Knights actually played game two of their scheduled doubleheader. I know its late in the season, but isn't this a little absurd? Box Score: GAME DATE: 8/15/03 INDIANAPOLIS 1 AT CHARLOTTE 5 DH GAME #2 YTD YTD INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG CHARLOTTE AB R H BI AVG R.Knox LF 4 1 1 0 .258 A.Miles 2B 3 0 2 1 .304 J.Conti CF 4 0 1 1 .230 T.Hummel SS 4 0 0 0 .284 J.Rushford 1B 3 0 1 0 .313 R.Gload 1B 3 0 0 0 .313 K.Luuloa 3B 2 0 0 0 .256 J.Borchard CF 3 1 1 0 .236 P.Zoccolillo RF 3 0 0 0 .274 M.Rivera DH 3 1 2 0 .311 D.Jennings DH 3 0 1 0 .226 R.Hankins 3B 1 1 0 0 .297 A.Delgado CAT 3 0 2 0 .343 S.Morgan RF 2 1 0 1 .274 R.Paz 2B 1 0 0 0 .273 N.Murphy LF 3 0 0 0 .222 S.Scarboroug SS 3 0 0 0 .228 J.Aceves CAT 2 1 1 2 .600 D.Manning PIT 0 0 0 0 .071 J.Rauch PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Giron PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Marquez PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 TOTALS 26 1 6 1 TOTALS 24 5 6 4 INDIANAPOLIS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 0 CHARLOTTE 0 0 0 5 0 0 X- 5 6 0 DP--INDIANAPOLIS 0, CHARLOTTE 0. LOB--INDIANAPOLIS 7, CHARLOTTE 6. 2B--J.Aceves (2). SB--R.Knox 2 (8), A.Miles (7), R.Hankins (2). CS--J.Conti. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA INDIANAPOLIS D.Manning (L,6-8) 4.0 4 5 5 4 3 0 4.91 R.Giron 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 5.23 R.Marquez 1.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 3.99 CHARLOTTE J.Rauch (W,6-1) 7.0 6 1 1 3 4 0 4.49 WP--D.Manning. PB--J.Aceves. SO--J.Conti 3, R.Paz, T.Hummel, R.Gload, S.Morgan, N.Murphy 2, J.Aceves. BB--K.Luuloa, R.Paz 2, A.Miles, R.Hankins 2, S.Morgan, J.Aceves. T--1:54. Looks like Manning's rough outings with Milwaukee carried over into his first start back at Triple-A. Think there were really 0,000 fans there? Considering the game didn't get started until after 1:00 AM Charlotte-time, that could very well be true. There's going to be some awful tired ballplayers tomorrow, that's for sure. ~Bill

Helena 4, Ogden (Dodgers) 2 Another nice win from the Captain-less Helena Crew. The opposing team again has a nice writeup that scoops Ticker: Ogden-Raptors.com Game Summary: www1.infinitydesign.net/v...s/?id=1130 Box Score: HELENA 4 AT OGDEN 2 YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG OGDEN AB R H BI AVG G.Rodriguez 2B 5 1 2 0 .228 A.De Aza CF 4 1 1 0 .270 M.Melo LF 4 0 1 0 .272 C.Hu SS 4 0 3 1 .299 T.Trofholz CF 3 0 0 1 .357 X.Paul LF 4 0 0 0 .298 M.Ramirez DH 3 1 1 0 .379 L.Castillo 3B 4 0 1 0 .291 V.Rottino 1B 3 1 1 1 .354 R.Martin CAT 3 1 1 0 .275 A.SegurCornr CAT 3 0 0 0 .324 J.Milons RF 4 0 0 0 .309 R.Deevers RF 4 1 2 2 .310 R.Carter DH 3 0 0 0 .319 J.Barnes 3B 4 0 1 0 .253 M.Ludwig 1B 4 0 1 0 .240 A.Gomez SS 4 0 0 0 .217 J.Gonzalez 2B 4 0 1 0 .240 G.Kloostrmn PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Cuen PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Taubenheim PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Bailey PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 4 8 4 TOTALS 34 2 8 1 HELENA 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0- 4 8 2 OGDEN 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 8 3 E--G.Rodriguez, A.Gomez, A.De Aza, L.Castillo, R.Martin. DP--HELENA 0, OGDEN 1. LOB--HELENA 6, OGDEN 9. 2B--V.Rottino (8) , R.Deevers (10), M.Ludwig (2). 3B--G.Rodriguez (1), A.De Aza (1), C.Hu (4). HR-- R.Deevers (2). SB--G.Rodriguez (20), T.Trofholz (24). CS--M.Melo. HBP--R.Carter. SF--T.Trofholz, C.Hu. SH--A.De Aza. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA G.Kloostrmn (W,4-0) 5.0 6 2 1 1 8 0 3.66 T.Taubenheim (S,1) 4.0 2 0 0 0 3 0 2.68 OGDEN D.Cuen (L,3-6) 5.2 6 4 4 1 0 1 6.57 C.Bailey 3.1 2 0 0 2 3 0 3.07 HB--T.Taubenheim. WP--G.Kloostrmn. PB--A.SegurCornr. SO--G.Rodriguez, M.Ramirez, A.Gomez, A.De Aza 2, X.Paul 3, L.Castillo, J.Milons, R.Carter 3, J.Gonzalez. BB--M.Ramirez, V.Rottino, A.SegurCornr, R.Martin. T--2:30. A--4259 Greg Kloosterman says "Toby, whatchou thinking about taking me off the Power 50?!?". 19th round pick Ty Taubenheim, a big right-hander from Washington that the A's picked in 2002 (so he's got to be good, right? ) goes 4 scoreless innings to pick up the save. Ramirez, Rottino, and Rodriguez continue to rake. All around good game for the guys in Helena. ~Bill

Wisconsin (Mariners) 11, Beloit 9 Looks like a close one. Here's a great game summary from the folks at TimberRattlers.com... timberrattlers.com/press/...?recid=179 WISCONSIN 11 AT BELOIT 9 YTD YTD WISCONSIN AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG C.Harrington LF 3 2 1 0 .262 K.Bibbs LF 4 1 0 0 .293 M.Garciaparr SS 5 2 4 1 .247 T.Gwynn CF 4 0 2 0 .287 T.Bohn CF 5 2 2 1 .255 R.Weeks 2B 5 2 2 1 .333 J.Nelson DH 4 0 0 1 .262 P.Fielder 1B 5 2 3 3 .314 C.Arroyo RF 4 1 2 2 .262 T.Hinton RF 5 1 2 1 .227 M.Hagen 3B 5 1 1 1 .233 C.Crabbe DH 5 1 1 0 .273 B.Metheny 1B 5 2 2 1 .211 A.Heether 3B 5 0 2 3 .213 R.Rivera CAT 5 1 4 3 .275 P.Esparragz CAT 4 2 1 0 .243 R.Cordova 2B 5 0 1 1 .273 C.Terni SS 3 0 1 0 .237 T.Watson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Henderson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Dowdy PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Huizinga PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Heaston PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Alliston PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Viane PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 41 11 17 11 TOTALS 40 9 14 8 WISCONSIN 2 0 0 2 4 2 1 0 0-11 17 1 BELOIT 1 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 2- 9 14 4 E--T.Bohn, A.Heether 3, C.Terni. DP--WISCONSIN 0, BELOIT 1. LOB-- WISCONSIN 8, BELOIT 8. 2B--R.Rivera 2 (16), T.Hinton (17), A.Heether 2 (7). 3B--C.Harrington (7). HR--P.Fielder (25), T.Hinton (9). SB--C.Arroyo (13), K.Bibbs 2 (50), T.Gwynn (12). CS--C.Harrington, A.Heether. HBP-- C.Harrington, C.Terni. SF--J.Nelson. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WISCONSIN T.Watson 3.2 6 6 5 3 1 2 4.58 J.Dowdy (W,1-2) 2.2 5 1 1 0 4 0 6.00 B.Heaston 2.1 3 2 2 0 0 0 2.74 D.Viane (S,5) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.93 BELOIT E.Henderson (L,4-1) 4.1 11 8 7 2 4 0 3.70 J.Huizinga 2.2 5 3 2 0 2 0 3.09 J.Alliston 2.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2.81 HB--T.Watson, E.Henderson. WP--E.Henderson. BALKS--E.Henderson. SO--M.Garciaparr, J.Nelson 3, M.Hagen, R.Cordova 2, P.Fielder, T.Hinton, C.Crabbe, P.Esparragz, C.Terni. BB--C.Harrington 2, C.Arroyo, K.Bibbs, T.Gwynn, P.Esparragz. T--3:10. A--3483 Almost thirty-five hundred in Beloit? Normally, that would be a huge crowd. After last night, however... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . Adam Heether gets the start and knocks in three with a pair of doubles. Travis Hinton and Prince each go deep. Lots of good offensive performances... but the pitchers let them down on this night. ~Bill

Huntsville 10, Chattanooga (Reds) 5 The Stars overcome three errors and a homer by Smitherman to top the Lookouts. Corey Hart with 4 more hits and Daryl Clark adds a pinch-hit double (way to go, Daryl!). Box Score: EDIT: Bill, you were kind not to mention David Krynzel's four strikeouts; honestly, has any other Brewer farmhand hit more poorly over the last six weeks? Anyone? -- MassBrew GAME DATE: 8/15/03 CHATTANOOGA 5 AT HUNTSVILLE 9 YTD YTD CHATTANOOGA AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG W.Caceres CF 5 0 2 0 .264 A.Machado 2B 3 2 0 0 .245 E.Encrnacion 3B 5 0 1 0 .241 D.Krynzel CF 4 1 0 0 .275 G.Senjem RF 4 2 1 0 .260 J.Hardy SS 4 2 1 1 .285 S.Smitherman LF 3 2 1 2 .317 C.Hart 3B 5 3 4 1 .303 J.Gutierrez 1B 4 1 1 1 .196 B.Gemoll 1B 3 1 2 2 .264 A.Beattie 2B 4 0 1 0 .253 N.Varner RF 4 0 0 1 .278 D.Sardinha CAT 3 0 1 2 .244 B.Nelson LF 3 0 1 1 .222 J.Bannon SS 4 0 0 0 .143 K.Johnson CAT 1 0 1 1 .191 T.Howington PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 M.Kremblas CAT 2 0 0 0 .200 T.Thompson PIT 1 0 0 0 .333 P.Liriano PIT 2 0 0 0 .056 B.Anderson PH 1 0 0 0 .215 D.Clark PH 1 0 1 0 .239 B.Salmon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Hundley PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 B.Bevel PIT 0 0 0 0 .250 J.Dellaero PH 1 0 0 0 .226 TOTALS 36 5 8 5 TOTALS 32 9 10 7 CHATTANOOGA 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 0- 5 8 2 HUNTSVILLE 3 1 0 0 2 3 0 0 X- 9 10 3 E--E.Encrnacion, D.Sardinha, J.Hardy, C.Hart, M.Kremblas. DP--CHATTANOOGA 1, HUNTSVILLE 0. LOB--CHATTANOOGA 6, HUNTSVILLE 10. 2B--W.Caceres (10), C.Hart (32), B.Gemoll (28), D.Clark (9). HR--S.Smitherman (19). SB--A.Machado (6), D.Krynzel (39). CS--D.Clark. HBP--N.Varner, K.Johnson. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA CHATTANOOGA T.Howington (L,0-2) 2.1 3 4 3 6 2 0 11.81 T.Thompson 2.2 3 2 2 0 2 0 2.35 B.Salmon 1.0 3 3 3 2 1 0 6.59 B.Bevel 2.0 1 0 0 1 4 0 0.77 HUNTSVILLE P.Liriano (W,9-11) 6.0 6 5 4 2 8 1 3.82 J.Hundley (S,2) 3.0 2 0 0 0 3 0 1.00 HB--T.Howington, B.Bevel. WP--T.Howington. SO--E.Encrnacion, G.Senjem 2, S.Smitherman 2, J.Gutierrez, J.Bannon, T.Howington, T.Thompson, B.Anderson, J.Dellaero, D.Krynzel 4, B.Gemoll, B.Nelson 2, M.Kremblas, P.Liriano. BB--S.Smitherman, D.Sardinha, A.Machado 2, D.Krynzel, J.Hardy, B.Gemoll 2, B.Nelson 2, J.Hundley. T--3:16. A--5297 And the beat goes on... ~Bill

Well, they put together a 12-13 record in June. Podsednik, Jenkins, and Sexson were/are having good years. Sheets had started to show the "ace" stuff that we've all been hoping for. There's lots of little things like that. My point, though, is that it seems like nothing good can last (I probably picked the wrong cliche). Podsednik was on fire, now he's playing well below average. Sheets was amazing and now he's getting knocked around. The team was showing some promise and now they're laughingstocks. The same thing even applies to the front office. Sanchez was jettisoned and Leskanic was traded... good sign of things to come? No, as it turned out, as Melvin wasn't able/willing to trade Young, DeJean, Clayton, Vander Wal, etc. Billy Hall was called up... and then planted next to Enrique on the bench. Nance got a chance to pitch in Milwaukee... and made an appearance about once every two weeks. It would be easier for everyone if they'd just make the boneheaded moves right away... spare us the temptation to be optimistic. ~Bill

You know what the worst part of this loss is/was? We got beat by almost exclusively former-Brewers: - Jose Hernandez: 2-for-4 with a run - Matt Stairs - 1-for-4 with a three-run homer - Nelson Figueroa: 5 innings, 2 runs allowed It's not like they got beat today by great players... Giles, Kendall, and Sanders were mostly held in check. Two steps forward, three steps back. ~Bill

I can't access the Ogden feed, either, Jim. ~Bill

It seems as Yost has some sort of personal grudge against Kinney, as I remember a quote he gave that criticized him for not being able to put it all together. Granted, Kinney does have the stuff to perform at a higher level than he is currently pitching at, but this is coming from a guy that let Rusch pitch until forever, giving him encouragement each step of the way. Blatant favoritism. He seems to have a very short leash when concerning Kinney. Great point, guy.... I get that same impression. One thing that is easy to forget is Kinney's age... he's only 26 and in his second year in the big leagues. Treating him like a young pitcher makes sense because that's' what he is. I don't think the early leash and the media callouts are exactly good for a young pitcher. Kinney seems to have confidence problems as it is... having your manager embarrass you in the media can't help much with that. Maybe Matt is a "problem" in the clubhouse.... or maybe his work ethic leaves something to be desired. I've never heard that reported, however, so I'm not inclined to believe that to be the case. For whatever reason, Ned just seems not to like him... kinda like how he doesn't like Billy Hall, apparently. ~Bill

What is Yost's deal? He again removes the pitcher with two outs in the inning and the pitcher's spot due up in the next half. Why waste Luis for a single hitter? Why not let Kinney, who had pitched well, and who had only thrown 80-something pitches, finish the inning? Do I sense an incompetence trend? ~Bill

Charlotte (White Sox) 4, Indianapolis 3 - Game One What a game. 18 long innings. Two pitchers, Luis and Derrek, got full "starts". This one hurts. GAME DATE: 8/15/03 INDIANAPOLIS 3 AT CHARLOTTE 4 DH GAME #1 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG CHARLOTTE AB R H BI AVG R.Knox LF 5 0 1 0 .259 A.Miles 2B 7 2 3 0 .302 J.Conti CF 7 1 2 0 .230 T.Hummel 3B 5 2 1 0 .287 J.Rushford 1B 8 1 1 1 .313 R.Gload LF 8 0 3 1 .315 K.Luuloa 2B 4 1 2 1 .258 J.Borchard CF 7 0 1 1 .235 R.Paz PR 0 0 0 0 .277 J.Burke CAT 8 0 5 2 .337 R.Paz 2B 3 0 2 0 .277 M.Rivera DH 4 0 0 0 .306 P.Zoccolillo RF 6 0 2 1 .277 N.Murphy PR 0 0 0 0 .229 C.McKay CAT 7 0 1 0 .224 N.Murphy DH 3 0 0 0 .229 D.Jennings DH 7 0 1 0 .223 R.Hankins 1B 7 0 0 0 .299 W.Veras 3B 7 0 1 0 .225 S.Morgan RF 7 0 2 0 .275 S.Scarboroug SS 7 0 1 0 .230 J.Nunez SS 8 0 2 0 .219 L.Martinez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Kohlmeier PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Durocher PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Sanders PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Nance PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Nickle PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Foster PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Majewski PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Ginter PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Lee PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 A.Munoz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Meyer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 61 3 14 3 TOTALS 64 4 17 4 INDIANAPOLIS 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 3 14 3 CHARLOTTE 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 4 17 0 E--J.Rushford, R.Paz 2. DP--INDIANAPOLIS 1, CHARLOTTE 3. LOB--INDIANAPOLIS 13, CHARLOTTE 19. 2B--J.Rushford (9), K.Luuloa (25), P.Zoccolillo (29), R.Gload (33), J.Nunez (7). SB--R.Knox 2 (6), A.Miles (6), T.Hummel (9). CS--R.Knox, J.Conti, P.Zoccolillo, R.Hankins. HBP--R.Knox 2, P.Zoccolillo, C.McKay. SH--A.Miles, T.Hummel 2, N.Murphy. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA INDIANAPOLIS L.Martinez 5.0 8 3 3 3 5 0 0.86 J.Durocher 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.57 S.Nance 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1.49 J.Foster 2.0 2 0 0 1 3 0 4.01 M.Childers 2.0 1 0 0 2 2 0 0.00 D.Lee (L,1-3) 5.1 4 1 0 1 7 0 4.58 CHARLOTTE R.Kohlmeier 5.1 5 3 3 0 1 0 4.38 D.Sanders 0.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.86 D.Nickle 2.1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2.79 G.Majewski 3.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 4.60 M.Ginter 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.02 A.Munoz 3.2 3 0 0 2 3 0 4.97 J.Meyer (W,1-2) 2.1 1 0 0 2 1 0 3.55 HB--R.Kohlmeier 2, D.Sanders, D.Nickle. BALKS--A.Munoz. PB--C.McKay. SO--J.Conti, P.Zoccolillo, C.McKay, D.Jennings, W.Veras 2, S.Scarboroug 2, T.Hummel 3, R.Gload 3, J.Borchard, J.Burke 2, M.Rivera 2, N.Murphy 2, R.Hankins 3, S.Morgan 3, J.Nunez. BB--R.Knox, J.Conti, R.Paz, P.Zoccolillo, D.Jennings, A.Miles, T.Hummel 2, R.Gload, J.Borchard, R.Hankins, S.Morgan. T--6:20. A--5275 Charlotte's catcher had five hits on the night. Four Indians had two hits apiece and Ryan Knox reached base four times. ~Bill

And what better way to build confidence than to give a guy a start against Nelson "Death To My Own Team" Figueroa? He's a great guy, very intelligent, but he's not a very good pitcher. And for a guy like Enrique in particular, he doesn't have the stuff to overpower him... I'm sure Enrique saw a lot of similar pitchers at Single-A last season. Opportunity wasted, for sure. ~Bill

Arizona Brewers 7, Arizona Cubs 1 No errors today... that's got a be a good thing, no? And it's always good to beat the Cubs, whether those in Chicago or their younger brothers in AZ. BREWERS 7 AT CUBS 1 YTD YTD BREWERS AB R H BI AVG CUBS AB R H BI AVG D.Bates DH 5 1 1 1 .255 J.Balcom RF 4 0 1 0 .265 G.Acosta SS 5 2 2 2 .319 J.Rios 2B 3 0 0 0 .305 F.Plasencia CF 3 1 0 0 .295 R.Harvey DH 2 0 0 0 .000 A.Mannon LF 4 1 2 2 .261 R.Fitzgerald CF 4 1 3 1 .386 T.McCormack 3B 3 0 2 1 .271 A.Garcia CAT 3 0 0 0 .321 W. Lewis 2B 5 0 0 1 .242 A.Francisco 3B 4 0 1 0 .223 F.Mejia RF 5 1 2 0 .310 J.Valdez LF 3 0 0 0 .287 R.Pijuan 1B 3 0 0 0 .220 N.Jackson 1B 3 0 0 0 .230 G.Olayemi CAT 4 1 0 0 .135 C.Rojas SS 3 0 1 0 .221 T.Hawk PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Polanco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Martinezsa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Oritz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Martin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Alvarez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Santana PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 7 9 7 TOTALS 29 1 6 1 BREWERS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6- 7 9 0 CUBS 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 2 E--J.Rios, A.Francisco. DP--BREWERS 2, CUBS 0. LOB--BREWERS 9, CUBS 6. 2B--D.Bates (8) , A.Mannon (8) , T.McCormack (6). HR--G.Acosta (1), R.Fitzgerald (4). SB--F.Plasencia (10), F.Mejia (3). CS--C.Rojas. SH--R.Pijuan, J.Rios. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BREWERS T.Hawk 4.0 3 1 1 1 1 1 2.02 A.Martinezsa 3.0 2 0 0 3 2 0 5.45 F.Martin (W,2-1) 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 2.78 CUBS A.Polanco 3.0 3 1 1 1 3 1 7.11 J.Oritz 3.0 1 0 0 1 3 0 3.00 J.Alvarez 2.0 1 0 0 2 1 0 7.17 A.Santana (L,1-5) 1.0 4 6 0 1 0 0 5.23 WP--A.Martinezsa, F.Martin, A.Polanco. BALKS--A.Polanco. SO--D.Bates, G.Acosta, A.Mannon, T.McCormack, F.Mejia, R.Pijuan, G.Olayemi, J.Balcom, R.Harvey, R.Fitzgerald, A.Francisco 2, C.Rojas. BB--F.Plasencia 2, A.Mannon, T.McCormack 2, R.Harvey 2, A.Garcia, J.Valdez. T--2:28. Gilbert-A with a two-hit performance and home run number one as a member of the AZ Brewers... it was only his third ever as a professional. Mannon and McCormack each with two hits and each with a double. Tommy Hawk (the pitcher, not the mascot) with a strong outing and Martinezsa and Martin combine for 3 innings of scoreless relief. Good job all around... too bad Jack Z. wasn't there to see this one. ~Bill

MILWAUKEE AT PITTSBURGH -- LINEUPS MILWAUKEE PITTSBURGH AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI Eric Young 2B .259 15 31 Jason Kendall C .308 4 41 Scott Podsednik CF .295 3 28 Abraham Nunez 2B .239 2 22 Geoff Jenkins LF .278 22 75 Brian Giles CF .305 15 67 Richie Sexson 1B .267 32 87 Matt Stairs RF .303 14 36 John Vander Wal RF .272 14 43 Reggie Sanders LF .273 25 62 Keith Ginter 3B .286 9 29 Randall Simon 1B .272 10 51 Eddie Perez C .280 9 40 Jose Hernandez 3B .230 12 46 Royce Clayton SS .210 11 31 Jack Wilson SS .241 6 41 Matt Kinney RHP .025 0 0 Nelson Figueroa RHP .000 0 0 (7-8, 5.03) (1-0, 3.00) ~Bill

I like Wes, and apparently so does Nedley. "I've been happy with Wes," Yost said. "He didn't get behind and he battled. He kept us in the game. He's a young kid who did a fairly good job tonight." This is getting rather sad. It's hard to have confidence in a manager that uses one word (and its various derivatives) in every single interview he ever does. I mean, really... has he ever met a cliche he didn't like? ~Bill

Arizona Giants 10, Arizona Brewers 6 Too bad the mini-Brewers couldn't put on a better show for Jack Z. ARI FINAL R H E - - - ARIZ BREWERS 6 9 3 ARIZ GIANTS 10 12 1More details later. ~Bill

Provo (Angels) 5, Helena 4, 10 innings Another tough one for the Helena club. Provo commits four errors but the Angels pick up the win. ProvoAngels.com Game Summary: In extra innings the Provo Angels defeated the Helena Brewers 5-4 at Larry H. Miller Field. With the bases loaded, Bobby Wilson got up to bat and hit a bloop single to center field to bring in the winning run for the Angels. Warner Madrigal went 2-5 with two RBIs and one run. Helena Box Score: Good night for Manny Ramirez (as always, it would seem). Manuel Melo with two hits and two steals, Barret Whitney with three hits, and Guilder Rodriguez with two hits and a steal (his 19th). GAME DATE: 8/13/03 HELENA 4 AT PROVO 5 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG PROVO AB R H BI AVG G.Rodriguez 2B 4 1 2 0 .220 R.Willits CF 4 0 2 0 .308 M.Melo RF 5 0 2 0 .266 H.Kendrick 2B 4 1 2 1 .325 M.Ramirez DH 5 1 2 0 .370 M.Pali 1B 1 1 1 0 .348 T.Trofholz PR 0 0 0 0 .358 M.Pali LF 4 1 1 0 .348 B.Whitney 1B 5 1 3 1 .314 W.Madrigal RF 5 1 2 2 .337 V.Rottino LF 4 1 1 1 .364 M.Brown 3B 3 0 1 0 .270 A.SegurCornr CAT 5 0 1 1 .338 B.Wilson CAT 4 0 2 2 .292 R.Deevers CF 5 0 0 1 .305 B.Wood SS 4 0 1 0 .256 J.Barnes 3B 5 0 0 0 .260 R.Kenning 1B 3 0 0 0 .264 A.Septimo SS 5 0 0 0 .207 A.Peel PH 1 0 0 0 .289 J.Richardson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Peel LF 0 0 0 0 .289 B.Montalbo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Collins DH 3 0 1 0 .391 G.Mendoza PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Almonte PR 0 1 0 0 .214 P.Hendrix PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Almonte DH 1 0 0 0 .214 M.Simard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Hindman PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Pullin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Morban PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 43 4 11 4 TOTALS 37 5 13 5 HELENA 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0- 4 11 1 PROVO 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1- 5 13 4 E--A.Septimo, M.Brown 2, B.Wilson, A.Pullin. DP--HELENA 1, PROVO 0. LOB--HELENA 11, PROVO 10. 2B--M.Ramirez (15), V.Rottino (7), R.Willits (12), H.Kendrick (13), W.Madrigal 2 (19), M.Collins (5). SB--G.Rodriguez (19), M.Melo 2 (8), R.Willits (13), H.Kendrick (7). CS--G.Rodriguez. SF--H.Kendrick. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA J.Richardson 3.0 5 3 3 2 1 0 5.00 B.Montalbo 5.0 6 1 1 0 2 0 4.13 G.Mendoza (L,0-1) 1.0 1 1 1 2 1 0 12.46 P.Hendrix 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 7.90 PROVO M.Simard 6.0 7 3 3 2 4 0 2.91 S.Hindman 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.00 A.Pullin 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.06 C.Morban (W,2-1) 2.0 3 1 1 0 3 0 2.60 PB--A.SegurCornr. SO--M.Ramirez, B.Whitney, V.Rottino, A.SegurCornr, R.Deevers, J.Barnes, A.Septimo 3, H.Kendrick, M.Brown, B.Wood, R.Kenning. BB--G.Rodriguez, V.Rottino, R.Willits, M.Brown 2, B.Wilson. T--3:89. A--2029

I thought it was clear... hence my answer. What did you and your buddies decide? ~Bill

Wisconsin (Mariners) 8, Beloit 0 Eek. Not pretty for the Snappers... hopefully they got all mistakes out of their system and can put on a good show tomorrow night at Miller Park. Game Summary, Player of the Game, etc. from SnappersBaseball.com: www.snappersbaseball.com/...me_id=1176 Beloit Box Score: Not much good stuff to talk about here. Rickie Weeks with a strong night playing second. Callix Crabbe DHed, Chas Terni played shortstop, and Adam Heether played third... Jeff Eure was the odd man out, at least for this night. GAME DATE: 8/13/03 WISCONSIN 8 AT BELOIT 0 YTD YTD WISCONSIN AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG C.Harrington 2B 4 1 0 0 .264 K.Bibbs LF 4 0 1 0 .292 M.Garciaparr SS 4 1 1 0 .243 T.Gwynn CF 4 0 1 0 .281 G.Harris CF 4 2 1 0 .281 R.Weeks 2B 2 0 1 0 .400 T.Aoki RF 0 0 0 0 .214 K.Bohanan 2B 1 0 0 0 .191 T.Bohn CF 0 0 0 0 .254 P.Fielder 1B 3 0 0 0 .313 T.Bohn RF 3 2 0 0 .254 T.Hinton RF 4 0 1 0 .224 J.Nelson LF 3 1 1 2 .265 C.Crabbe DH 4 0 0 0 .274 C.Arroyo DH 3 1 1 2 .259 A.Heether 3B 4 0 0 0 .205 M.Hagen 3B 4 0 1 2 .232 P.Esparragz CAT 4 0 1 0 .243 R.Rivera CAT 1 0 0 1 .269 C.Terni SS 2 0 0 0 .232 C.Phillips PH 1 0 0 0 .256 C.Carpenter PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Phillips CAT 0 0 0 0 .256 C.Breslow PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Metheny 1B 5 0 0 0 .172 J.Baker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Fulmer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Delgado PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 32 8 5 7 TOTALS 32 0 5 0 WISCONSIN 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 2 0- 8 5 1 BELOIT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 5 2 E--M.Hagen, K.Bibbs, T.Gwynn. DP--WISCONSIN 0, BELOIT 0. LOB--WISCONSIN 11, BELOIT 8. 2B--G.Harris (19), J.Nelson (34). HBP--M.Garciaparr. SF--J.Nelson. SH--G.Harris. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WISCONSIN T.Fulmer (W,9-7) 7.0 5 0 0 2 4 0 2.54 O.Delgado 2.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.38 BELOIT C.Carpenter (L,3-4) 3.0 0 2 0 6 4 0 3.02 C.Breslow 3.2 2 4 3 5 5 0 5.67 J.Baker 2.1 3 2 2 0 0 0 2.98 HB--C.Carpenter. SO--C.Harrington, T.Bohn 2, J.Nelson 2, M.Hagen 2, B.Metheny 2, T.Gwynn, C.Crabbe, A.Heether, P.Esparragz. BB--C.Harrington 2, T.Bohn 2, J.Nelson, C.Arroyo 2, M.Hagen, R.Rivera 3, R.Weeks, P.Fielder, C.Terni. T--2:43. A--1286

Huntsville 5, Chattanooga (Reds) 4 Another big win for the Stars. Ryan Miller with the save despite allowing a homer to Gutierrez in the ninth that got the Lookouts within one. Brad Nelson says "hey all you haters - I can still go yard"... it was his first longball since joining Huntsville. HuntsvilleStars.com Game Summary: Two recent additions offered their biggest contributions to date in Huntsville?s 5-4 win over Chattanooga on Wednesday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars (28-24) retained a one-half game lead over Birmingham in the Southern League West second-half race. With a worn-out bullpen after Tuesday?s 16-inning, 5-4 loss, Huntsville desperately needed starter Dave Nolasco to deliver the goods. Promoted from High Desert to Huntsville on July 24, Nolasco met the challenge, recording his second straight victory with his longest outing in the Southern League. Nolasco (2-2) navigated seven solid innings, allowing three runs on just three hits and one walk while fanning five, a personal season-high. He threw 97 pitches, 56 for strikes, and retired the final seven batters he faced. Outfielder Brad Nelson entered the game in a 5-for-31 skid, but his blow in the seventh provided a crucial insurance run. Huntsville led 4-1 until Edwin Encarnacion?s 5th-inning, two-run homer. With the Stars up 4-3 in the seventh, Nelson sent reliever Joel Barreto?s 0-1 pitch deep to left for an opposite-field solo homerun, his first since a July 24 promotion to Huntsville. Nelson also singled and finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Stars reliever Ryan Miller notched his third save in as many chances, tossing the final two frames and permitting one run, Jessie Gutierrez?s ninth-inning solo homer, on one hit and no walks with two strikeouts. Lookouts starter John Koronka (7-12) lost his league-high 12th decision and third in four starts against Huntsville. Koronka surrendered four runs, three earned, on seven hits and six walks while fanning three over six innings. The Stars and Lookouts play game three of the four-game set Thursday night at Joe Davis Stadium, with Huntsville righty Ben Hendrickson (5-4, 4.15) facing Chattanooga right-hander Steve Kelley (2-0, 2.31). Game time is 7:05 p.m. at Joe Davis Stadium. Huntsville Box Score: Good night to be a corner outfielder... Noochie and Nelson both with a pair of hits. Krynzel with a walk and a triple and another solid start from Nolasco. Ben Hendrickson goes tomorrow for the first time since being removed (in what turned out to be a precautionary measure) in the first inning of his last start. GAME DATE: 8/13/03 CHATTANOOGA 4 AT HUNTSVILLE 5 YTD YTD CHATTANOOGA AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG A.Diaz CF 3 0 0 0 .261 C.Barnwell 2B 4 1 0 0 .253 E.Encrnacion 3B 4 1 1 2 .238 D.Krynzel CF 3 0 1 1 .279 G.Senjem RF 4 0 0 0 .261 J.Hardy SS 3 0 1 0 .285 S.Smitherman LF 3 1 0 0 .314 C.Hart 3B 4 0 0 0 .297 J.Gutierrez 1B 4 1 1 1 .211 B.Gemoll 1B 3 0 1 0 .263 A.Beattie 2B 4 0 0 0 .253 N.Varner RF 4 1 2 0 .278 J.Hill CAT 4 0 1 1 .100 B.Nelson LF 4 2 2 1 .227 J.Dellaero SS 3 1 1 0 .241 M.Kremblas CAT 3 1 0 0 .202 J.Koronka PIT 2 0 0 0 .121 D.Nolasco PIT 3 0 1 1 .167 B.Anderson PH 1 0 0 0 .219 D.Clark PH 1 0 0 0 .235 J.Barreto PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Miller PIT 0 0 0 0 .231 TOTALS 32 4 4 4 TOTALS 32 5 8 3 CHATTANOOGA 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1- 4 4 4 HUNTSVILLE 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 X- 5 8 1 E--E.Encrnacion 2, A.Beattie, J.Hill, C.Hart. DP--CHATTANOOGA 1, HUNTSVILLE 0. LOB--CHATTANOOGA 3, HUNTSVILLE 10. 3B--D.Krynzel (10). HR--E.Encrnacion (3), J.Gutierrez (3), B.Nelson (1). SB--S.Smitherman (10), C.Barnwell (5), J.Hardy (2), M.Kremblas (5). HBP--A.Diaz. SF--D.Krynzel. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA CHATTANOOGA J.Koronka (L,7-13) 6.0 7 4 3 6 3 0 3.91 J.Barreto 2.0 1 1 1 0 1 1 2.16 HUNTSVILLE D.Nolasco (W,2-2) 7.0 3 3 3 1 5 1 4.30 R.Miller (S,3) 2.0 1 1 1 0 2 1 3.45 HB--D.Nolasco. BALKS--J.Koronka 2. SO--E.Encrnacion, S.Smitherman 2, J.Gutierrez, J.Dellaero, J.Koronka 2, D.Krynzel, B.Gemoll, M.Kremblas, D.Nolasco. BB--S.Smitherman, C.Barnwell, D.Krynzel, J.Hardy 2, B.Gemoll, M.Kremblas. T--2:42. A--990

Norfolk (Mets) 3, Indianapolis 2 Tough loss for the Indians tonight. Ben Ford with another quality start but the defense and bullpen let him down. IndyIndians.com Game Summary: The visiting Indianapolis Indians' offensive struggles continued on Wednesday evening as the team dropped a 3-2 contest to the Norfolk Tides at Norfolk's Harbor Park. Norfolk outfielder Kenny Kelly's solo homer in the bottom of the seventh capped off a come from behind victory for the Tides, who trailed 2-0 early in the ballgame. Mike Bacsik picked up the win for Norfolk pitching 7.0 innings to pick up his second win of the season. Bacsik (2-7) allowed single runs in the second and third innings, as the Tribe took an early 2-0 lead. In the top of the second inning, Keith Luuloa led off with a double and scored two batters later on Wilton Veras' sacrifice fly. In the third inning Richard Paz hit a two-out double to right-centerfield and was driven home by Jim Rushford, who delivered a two-out RBI single to center to give Indianapolis starting pitcher Ben Ford a 2-0 lead. That was all the offense the Indians were able to muster, however, as the team was limited to only two hits throughout the remainder of the game. The Indians offense has been slow to heat up in the month of August, as the Tribe has now scored only 32 runs in 13 August contests, an average of only 2.5 runs per game. Norfolk, meanwhile, came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the third inning when Esix Snead scored from third base on a passed ball charged to Tribe catcher Alex Delgado with two outs in the inning. The Tides (57-67) evened the score in the bottom of the sixth inning courtesy of Prentice Redman's 11th home run of the season. Redman jumped on a hanging breaking ball from Ford with one out in the inning and drove the ball over the left field wall tying the game at 2-2. After Bacsik held the Tribe scoreless in the top of the seventh inning, Robert Marquez was brought on to relieve Ford in the bottom of the seventh for Indianapolis. Ford left having allowed only five hits and one earned run in his 6.0 innings, as the righthander turned in a third straight quality start since being moved back into the Indians rotation on August 2nd. Leading off the bottom of the seventh inning for Norfolk, Kelly cranked Marquez's third pitch of the ballgame deep to left field. Kelly's blast, coming on Marquez's 1-1 offering, was only the second home run of the season for the Norfolk outfielder, but it was enough to give the Tides their first lead of the game at 3-2. Orber Moreno relieved Bacsik to open the top half of the eighth inning, and retired all six of the Indians batters he faced to record a two-inning save, his first of the season. The Indians (54-69) will travel to Charlotte on Thursday evening to open a two-game series with the Knights. The Tribe will then return home to Victory Field to open a four-game homestand with these same Norfolk Tides on Saturday evening on Larry Walker Bobblehead night. Indianapolis Box Score: GAME DATE: 8/13/03 INDIANAPOLIS 2 AT NORFOLK 3 YTD YTD INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG NORFOLK AB R H BI AVG R.Knox CF 4 0 1 0 .264 E.Snead CF 4 1 1 0 .229 R.Paz 2B 4 1 1 0 .258 D.Garcia 2B 4 0 1 0 .270 J.Rushford LF 4 0 1 1 .317 P.Redman LF 4 1 2 1 .254 K.Luuloa 1B 4 1 1 0 .255 R.Johnson 3B 4 0 1 0 .296 P.Zoccolillo RF 3 0 1 0 .276 M.Glavine 1B 3 0 0 0 .246 W.Veras 3B 3 0 1 1 .227 K.Kelly RF 3 1 1 1 .200 A.Delgado CAT 3 0 0 0 .333 J.Depastino CAT 3 0 0 0 .266 S.Scarboroug SS 2 0 0 0 .231 J.Velandia SS 2 0 0 0 .213 B.Ford PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 M.Bacsik PIT 2 0 0 0 .000 D.Jennings PH 0 0 0 0 .228 T.Shinjo PH 1 0 1 0 .325 R.Marquez PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 O.Moreno PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Lee PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 R.Giron PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 29 2 6 2 TOTALS 30 3 7 2 INDIANAPOLIS 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 6 0 NORFOLK 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 X- 3 7 0 DP--INDIANAPOLIS 1, NORFOLK 0. LOB--INDIANAPOLIS 5, NORFOLK 4. 2B--R.Paz (4), K.Luuloa (24), R.Johnson (15). 3B--P.Redman (2), T.Shinjo (2). HR--P.Redman (11), K.Kelly (2). CS--R.Knox, P.Zoccolillo. HBP--P.Zoccolillo. SF--W.Veras. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA INDIANAPOLIS B.Ford 6.0 5 2 1 1 3 1 2.70 R.Marquez (L,0-2) 0.2 2 1 1 0 0 1 4.07 D.Lee 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.34 R.Giron 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5.33 NORFOLK M.Bacsik (W,2-7) 7.0 6 2 2 3 3 0 4.57 O.Moreno (S,10) 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.60 HB--M.Bacsik. PB--A.Delgado. SO--J.Rushford, P.Zoccolillo, S.Scarboroug, B.Ford, E.Snead 2, D.Garcia, P.Redman, R.Johnson. BB--A.Delgado, S.Scarboroug, D.Jennings, J.Velandia. T--2:20. A--6224

Keith Ginter: I love you. That's all. ~Bill

Do you put on the bunt? I'll say no. The runner at second probably scores on a single regardless and Machado isn't likely to strikeout. I'd rather not give up an out in that situation. The chances of a double-play are troubling, however, because that would take the bat out of Hardy's hands. I don't think Machado or Krynzel are very likely double-play candidates, though. Interesting... but really, I think it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. If the sacrifice succeeds, the runner scores on a fly-out... so I can understand that perspective as well. ~Bill

Our Philly friend says Kolb was hitting upper nineties consistently, yet the radar gun on Foxsports indicated 90,91,92 for most part...which is it? Does Fox typically have a "slow gun?" God I hate how all radar guns arent created equal. Fox doesn't have their own dedicated gun... I believe they just have ones in place at each stadium and the broadcasts share them. I was worried about Kolb's velocity, actually. If he really was throwing 90-91-92 and not 96-97-98, that is not good... and it could very well be a sign of an injury. Daron and Bill were commenting on how he was throwing a sinker, which was very evident... it was obviously a two-seamer of some sort that was breaking down and in to right-handers quite sharply. Why he would want to throw that instead of his straight/hard fastball, I don't know. But if that was a conscious decision on his part to work on another pitch, that explains the velocity issue (he would need to take quite a bit off the two-seamer to get it to move that much). If the Veteran's gun was clocking him at 96+, the real velocity was probably somewhere near 94/95. Regardless, they should be talking with him and perhaps shutting him down for a few days to make sure this isn't a sign of an injury... he has a history of arm problems and you can never be too safe. ~Bill