Jim Goulart

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Brevard County edged by Bradenton By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees VIERA - Coming home from a series loss to Jupiter, the Manatees woes continued on Saturday night at Space Coast Stadium as Brevard County fell 4-3 to the Bradenton Marauders. Brock Kjeldgaard's two-run homer in the fifth inning - the first one for the Manatees at home all season - tied the game up for Brevard County at 3-3 in the fifth, but the Marauders would strike one more time against Fiers in the seventh. Fiers had no trouble retiring the first two batters in the seventh, but then allowed Greg Picart to reach on a two-out single. Then Eric Fryer ripped the 3-1 offering from Fiers into the alley in left center field for a double and drive in Picart all the way from first to give Bradenton a 4-3 lead. Daniel Meadows would relieve Fiers and limit any further damage by striking out Robbie Grossman on three straight pitches. Fiers went 6 2/3 innings and allowed four runs (all earned) on nine hits, while walking just one and fanning seven Bradenton hitters. Meadows and Andre Lamontagne combined to throw 2 2/3 innings of hitless ball, while striking out five. Brevard County had its chances to tie the game in both the seventh and the eighth. With two down in the seventh, Erik Komatsu singled and then stole second and reached third on a throwing error by Fryer. But Josh Prince grounded out to short to end the inning. In the eighth with one out, Angel Salome singled to center and then Sergio Miranda reached on a walk to put two on. But the Manatees would leave runners stranded again after a line out by Sean Halton and a ground out by Shawn Zarraga. Brevard County All-Stars Komatsu and Miranda had two hits each, while Kjeldgaard provided his third homer of the season. The Manatees and the Marauders will be right back at it on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 PM (12:05 Central) at Space Coast Stadium for the second game of a four-game set.

Poor defense burns Stars again By Aaron Morse, Huntsville Stars The Tennessee Smokies (34-21) scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh that turned out to be the difference as the Huntsville Stars (25-31) fell by a score of 8-5 Saturday night. The Stars got some two out lightning in the top of the first to take an early 2-0 lead against Smokies’ starter Alberto Cabrera. After Brett Lawrie grounded out and Lorenzo Cain struck-out, Caleb Gindl drilled a double to center that Tony Campana couldn’t handle cleanly. Gindl was able to advance to third due to the first of what would be three Smokies’ errors in the contest. Cabrera started struggling with his control as he issued back-to-back walks to Zelous Wheeler and Drew Anderson to load the bases. That’s when Taylor Green continued his recent RBI tear with a two-RBI single to score Gindl and Wheeler (audio). Tennessee would take the lead back against Stars’ starter Alex Periard in the bottom of the third with some two-out production of their own. Tony Thomas hit a slower roller to Wheeler at short, who threw wild to first, allowing Thomas to advance to second on the play. Two outs later Marwin Gonzalez doubled to center to drive in Thomas (audio). A Ty Wright single up the middle plated Gonzalez to the tie the game (audio). Blake Lalli kept the hit parade going with a double to give Tennessee a 3-2 lead (audio). The Stars came back quickly in the top of the fourth. Lee Haydel and Dayton Buller drew back-to-back walks. Periard bunted them over and an error on the play allowed him to reach safely. Lawrie singled home Haydel to tie the game at three (audio). That’s when Cain hit a grounder to first, Lalli tagged Lawrie then threw home, but the collision at the plate caused the ball to get away allowing two to score and Huntsville took a 5-3 lead (audio). But the Stars couldn’t hold on as the Smokies got three in the sixth and two in the seventh to take the lead for good. Periard gave up a single to Matthew Spencer to start the sixth. He got the next batter out, but was replaced by Donovan Hand. Hand got the first batter he faced, but pinch hitter Russ Canzler drilled a two-run bomb to tie the game at five (audio). Then in the seventh it all came apart. With one out new pitcher Mark Willinsky walked Lalli. After that another Stars error came back to burn them as grounder to second was booted by Lawrie. A fielder’s choice put runners at the corners and a HBP loaded them up with two away. Thomas (audio) and pinch hitter Steve Clevenger (audio) came up huge with back-to-back singles. Thomas drove in one with his base knock while Clevenger provided the insurance with two RBI on his hit. Willinksy (2-2) took the loss while reliever Ryan Buchter (3-0) picked up the win. David Cales pitched two scoreless innings to earn his third save of the year. Brett Lawrie paced the Stars with four hits while Taylor Green chalked up two RBI. But it was Lawrie’s error that opened the floodgates in the seventh. With the loss the Stars fall to 9.5 games out of first. They take on the Smokies again Sunday starting at 4:00 PM.

Link while active, text follows: Southern League Notebook: Even cheap beer, tickets do little to help Huntsville Stars boost attendance By Jeff Elliott, Jacksonville.com Last Wednesday afternoon, the Jacksonville Suns had their smallest crowd of the year — 1,559 fans — for a businessperson's special. With the small crowd, most in attendance could hear the expletive-filled tirade that Carolina manager David Bell unloaded on fill-in umpire Mario Seneca when Seneca ruled that a Mudcats runner left third base too soon on a fly out to the outfield. If a manager or player were to duplicate Bell's outburst at most an Stars game in Huntsville, Ala., chances are everyone in attendance at the game would likely hear it. While the Suns drew their smallest turnout last Wednesday, that's about an average crowd in Huntsville. Through 27 home games, the Stars have drawn a total of 45,060. The Suns drew more than that (47,228) for the just-completed 10-game homestand. Huntsville was also home for the same 10-day period, and the Stars had a total of 11,851 fans for nine games (one game was rained out and made up as part of a doubleheader the next day), an average of 1,317. Four of their nine games failed to top 800 as the Stars announced attendance figures of 651, 752, 527 and 722. One of the Stars' biggest turnouts during that homestand came last Thursday. Not only was it "Thirst-Aid Thursday," where fans could purchase 20-ounce draft beers for $2, but the Stars organization teamed with local TV station Fox 54. Any fans who flashed the pitching sign of "5-4" at the box office (five fingers and then four fingers), could receive a ticket for just 54 cents. According to a story on MLB.com, the station advertised the deal heavily in the days leading up to the promotion with the hopes of attracting a big walk-up crowd. The total turnout for beer night and a 54-cent ticket — 2,189. But the TV station seemed more than pleased with the results. "Buck Rogers [Huntsville's general manager] and the Stars couldn't be a better match, and no one else in this town is willing to do the crazy stuff that he does," Fox 54 sales assistant J.J. Vincent told MLB.com. "When people say to us, 'the Huntsville Stars, we say Buck Rogers.' For us, the association really is that strong." Jacksonville once again leads the Southern League in attendance with an average of 5,397 per game, about the same number the Stars draw for a five-game home series.

Link while active, text follows: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers profile: No. 9 D'Vontrey Richardson, outfielder Compiled by Post-Crescent staff writer Brett Christopherson D'Vontrey Richardson file - Age: 21. - Position: Center field. - Bats/throws: Right/right. - Height, weight: 6-2, 215. - Residence: Albany, Ga. - Glove: Rawlings, PRO303-6 - Bat: Old Hickory C243, 33½ inches, 31½ ounces. - Notes: Selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the 2009 June draft. ... Attended Florida State, where he also played football as a backup quarterback. ... Threw for more than 2,200 yards and 27 TDs while also rushing for 1,050 yards and 17 TDs as a high school senior. ... Rated by Baseball America as the best athlete and the 18th best prospect in the Brewers' system. Favorites - MLB player growing up: Gary Sheffield. - MLB player now: Manny Ramirez. "I like the way he hits." - Brewers player: Prince Fielder. - Sport other than baseball: Basketball. - NBA player: Kobe Bryant. "I like how clutch he is." - Food: Pork chops. - Thing about Appleton: "The fans. We really haven't been playing the best baseball, and there are still a lot of fans coming to the game. They really support us, really support the Brewers organization." - Way to relax: Video games. - Video game(s): "Call of Duty" and "MLB The Show." - TV show(s): "Smallville" and "30 Rock." Q&A Q: This is your first pro season at any level. How do you think things are going so far? A: I don't think I'm doing that well offensively. But defensively, I'm getting better with my reads and just thinking ahead in the outfield and learning more what to do in certain situations. On the bases, I'm getting a little better. I got picked off a couple of times early, but I'm getting a little comfortable, so hopefully, I can get a lot better at base stealing. That will come with reps. Offensively, I'm trying to put too much pressure on myself. But with games, hopefully, I'll just calm down a little bit. So far, I think I'm just average. Q: Has the adjustment to pro ball been tougher than you maybe first thought? A: The only thing that's tough is you've got to be mentally tough in this game. Especially when you go out there and feel good and still go 0-for-four with three K's. You've just got to know everything's fine because if you don't trust in yourself, then you're going to do the exact same thing the next day. You'll just keep going 0-fer, 0-fer. Q: You played three seasons of football and two seasons of baseball at Florida State. Why did you end up choosing baseball? A: I just felt like my time was up (in football). Once I got (to Florida State), people were telling me to choose, and I didn't want to choose. I just wanted to give it three years and see what opportunities I had. The Brewers liked me, so I had the opportunity to take it, and I took it. Now, I'm trying to take advantage of it. Q: Low grades prevented you from playing baseball your sophomore season with the Seminoles. What did you do to get back on the field? A: I just studied more. I just had to put grades first. Had to make close to a 3.0, worked hard that semester and made a 2.8. And then I took summer classes. It was hard work. I just wish I could have been smarter and got the grades early instead of starting my first semester of my sophomore year before the baseball season slacking off a little bit. But you learn from it, from the experiences. Q: Did you learn anything from playing football for Bobby Bowden? A: He's a good guy. He was teaching us football things, but he also tried to teach us about the Bible — Christian ways. We had two pastors there, so he always made sure we were doing the right thing on the field and off the field. Q: You set a Florida State record for the longest TD run by a quarterback, with a 55-yard dash against Chattanooga in 2008. That's kind of cool, huh? Especially considering you were a backup. A: Yeah, it's all right. I was mad at the time because I was supposed to get in a little bit earlier. And when it was my time to go in, I wasn't really ready because I was a little frustrated. But (then-assistant) coach (Jimbo) Fisher pulled me out to the side, started getting in my face and telling me to snap out of it. So he called a play for me, and I took off. It was fun. No offense, but I wish it had been a bigger situation for that game, a clutch situation. Q: Did you ever have any shot at being the 'Noles' starting quarterback? A: I was going to move to free safety. When I got there, I was trying to change (positions) the whole time, because it was hard trying to learn the playbook and being over at baseball most of the time. So I was trying to move the whole time, but they wouldn't let me. But by the 10th, 11th time asking, they were finally going to let me move over. Q: How fun would it have been to deliver the blows, instead of absorbing them? A: I would have played the game mad, because I really wanted to play quarterback. That's kind of why I went to Florida State. But I didn't really get a true shot. So I would have been mad playing safety. I would have tried to hit. Q: Was it challenging, playing two sports at the major college level? A: The challenge was just staying on top of my grades, which I wasn't really doing. But it wasn't tough on my body or anything. The offseason is the toughest, especially in football with all the weights and hard work. But right after the football season, I started baseball season, which was fun. Q: Finally, do you envision yourself being the Brewers' starting center fielder four or five years down the line? A: Hopefully. I think it's going to take a lot of hard work, just slowing the game down and just knowing that one game can't dictate the next day. Slumps can't be longer. When you're in a slump, it's just the mental part then. You've just got to know that everything's straight. You can't think too much. You've just got to go out there and play. And that's what I'm working on. The tool box Wisconsin Timber Rattlers manager Jeff Isom breaks down D'Vontrey Richardson's skills: - Hitting for average: I could see him being a .270 to .280 guy — maybe even a little bit more than that. It's not showing now. He's feeling his way through right now. He needs to develop confidence in his ability. He's got tremendous hand speed at the plate. - Hitting for power: He's got the frame. He's a big guy, and once he realizes what kind of hitter he's going to be and what he's capable of doing, he's going to hit some home runs. We've seen in batting practice and in spring training a couple of times where the ball will jump off his bat. Right now, he's just trying to put the ball in play instead of driving balls. But once he learns what he's capable of doing, he could be a guy that could have 20 to 30 home runs. - Running speed: He's above average. And what I like about it is, he's got a fast speed and he's got a super fast speed. For example, if he's at second base and there's a base hit to the outfield, he'll get to third base and realize it's going to be a close play at the plate and he can kick it into another gear. … He can move, and move very well. - Arm strength: He's got to work on his footwork, his transfer. But from the throwing position to the release, it's as good as any. He's got an above-average arm. - Fielding: He runs good routes. He will be an average major league guy with the ability to be above average because of the speed he has got. He does a great job of going to his left and going to his right, balls in front and behind. And he's just getting used to reading those line drives that are right at him. We're seeing improvement, daily, on those. But that's one area that he needs to work on. - Final thoughts: He's got all the tools that could be in the big leagues right now. He runs well. He's got power. He's got the hitting. The outfield play — the speed's there; the routes are there. It's a matter of getting it all put together at this point. And once he gets it, he's going to be an exciting player. You look at him, and you see a body like Bo Jackson. Just an athletic guy. Right now, the tools that he has aren't playing to what the potential can be. But the potential on this player is very high. Wisconsin center fielder D'Vontrey Richardson has an extra gear going from third to home, according to manager Jeff Isom. (Post-Crescent photo by Patrick Ferron) http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20100606&Category=APC021102&ArtNo=6060563&Ref=AR&Profile=1019&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

Huntsville Media Notes Learn why "Ironman" Brett Lawrie missed his one and only game thus far...

It's more of an FYI, but Logan Schafer was transferred from extended spring (Helena) to Brevard County. His pre-season injury didn't technically involve a DL stint, as odd as that seems. A reminder you can always click on "Transactions" in the top-page banner to see the last seven days' worth of moves as a default. You can then adjust for date, type of move, etc., as part of the sorting functionality. It's been a very busy year in that regard. Within the Player Index, when you click on a specific player, there is an option for "Career Transactions". These will cover all moves for that player while he was Brewer property.

PDF document: Nashville Media Notes *** Rattler Radio: June 5, 2010: Game Notes June 5, 2010: Tonight's Pitcher June 5, 2010: Lineup

Nashville Media Notes: KATIN RETURNS FROM D.L.; OLMEDO PLACED ON D.L.: Outfielder Brendan Katin returns to active duty for the first time in seven weeks for the Sounds today after undergoing surgery to repair torn knee cartilage on May 6th. Prior to being placed on the disabled list on April 18, Katin was leading the PCL with four home runs over his first nine contests of the year, when he batted .222 (6-for-27). Katin replaces infielder Ray Olmedo, who was placed on the D.L. after suffering an injury in last night’s game, on the roster. *** Olmedo did not come out for the 7th inning after grounding out in the 6th Friday night.

MID Western (click column headers to sort) Club W L PCT GB Home Away L 10 Streak Cedar Rapids 36 19 .655 - 18-4 18-15 9-1 W2 Quad Cities 33 22 .600 3.0 18-7 15-15 7-3 W2 Clinton 31 24 .564 5.0 17-10 14-14 6-4 L1 Peoria 29 26 .527 7.0 17-8 12-18 4-6 L2 Beloit 27 28 .491 9.0 13-13 14-15 2-8 W1 Kane County 25 31 .446 11.5 14-12 11-19 5-5 W3 Wisconsin 20 35 .364 16.0 12-17 8-18 3-7 L1 Burlington 19 36 .345 17.0 9-16 10-20 4-6 L2

DSL S.D. North (click column headers to sort) Club W L PCT GB Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Cardinals 3 1 .750 - 2-0 1-1 3-1 L1 DSL Athletics 2 2 .500 1.0 1-1 1-1 2-2 W1 DSL Brewers 2 2 .500 1.0 1-1 1-1 2-2 W1 DSL Mariners 1 3 .250 2.0 0-2 1-1 1-3 L1

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 31 23 .574 - 14-12 17-11 L2 Memphis 30 24 .556 1.0 15-9 15-15 W1 Omaha 29 24 .547 1.5 15-15 14-9 L2 Iowa 28 26 .519 3.0 12-13 16-13 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 33 21 .611 - 12-13 21-8 W4 West Tenn 30 23 .566 2.5 9-15 21-8 W6 Carolina 25 30 .455 8.5 11-14 14-16 L1 Huntsville 25 30 .455 8.5 11-19 14-11 L3 Chattanooga 22 32 .407 11.0 12-17 10-15 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dunedin 33 22 .600 - 12-14 21-8 W2 Lakeland 31 23 .574 1.5 15-10 16-13 W1 Clearwater 30 25 .545 3.0 15-14 15-11 L3 Tampa 28 25 .528 4.0 13-13 15-12 W1 Daytona 25 30 .455 8.0 10-18 15-12 L1 Brevard County 19 34 .358 13.0 11-18 8-16 L2

Follow Saturday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Tab or New Window". Choose "Recap". 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. Nashville (Gameday also available) Huntsville (Gameday also available) Brevard County Wisconsin DSL Brewers (Box score won't update until late evening / overnight)

Nashville diehards can watch the series at Round Rock via a subscription to MiLB.TV.

Saturday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Chase Wright at Round Rock (Astros), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: RHP Alex Periard at Tennessee (Cubs), 5:00 PM pre-game; 5:15 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: RHP Michael Fiers at home vs. Bradenton (Pirates), 6:05 PM gametime Sorry, no audio for this game... Wisconsin: RHP Eric Arnett at Lake County (Indians), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Live Audio Link DSL Brewers: at the DSL Mariners, 9:30 AM

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Manhattan (NY) College: RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattan College Athletic Department will highlight former Jasper baseball standouts during the summer tracking their progress within their respective minor league organizations. The series will keep fans up to date in the Jaspers quests to reach the Major League. The first installment features Chris Cody ‘06 who is playing within the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Cody’s looking to re-tilt the lever By Ronak Patel A pitcher in professional baseball goes through a constant pendulum of successes and failures. Some days, you’ll have your stuff working; you’re hitting the strike zone, befuddling hitters. But there will be starts when despite how hard you work, your stuff won’t work. It’s this part of the lever that ex-Jaspers’ great Chris Cody (2003-06) is working through right now with the Huntsville Stars, the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Cody, who was traded by the Detroit Tigers organization to the Brewers for Jose Capellan in 2007, is 2-6 with a 5.36 ERA through his first 10 starts on the season. “I haven’t gotten off to the start I would prefer,” said Cody, who’s 26 years old and was drafted by the Tigers in the eighth round of the 2006 MLB Draft. “It’s not really how you start but how you finish. That’s kind of the morale you have to go by in a long season.” The southpaw Cody, who holds Manhattan records for strikeouts (295), wins (29) and complete games (19), went 13-9 last year between stops at Huntsville and Nashville, the Brewers’ Triple AAA team. He sported a combined ERA of 3.90 and struck out 102 batters in 152.1 innings pitched. Cody went 5-1 at Huntsville while going 8-8 in Nashville. The 150-plus innings were a career-season high for Cody, who’s pitched 475 career innings in Minor League baseball. A pitcher will see his workload increase with a jump from college to the pro ranks. Thus, Cody has learned to take care of his body and arm to withstand the ailments that accompany a pitcher’s navigating his way through a long season. “It’s a grind physically and mentally,” said Cody about the rigors of a long baseball season. “This is my fourth full season, so I’ve kind of learned the ropes of how to stay fresh mentally and physically.” “You learn your body; you learn how to take care of yourself. Even though you might feel great early on, it’s important to get treatment and cure something that might be nagging you that you regularly wouldn’t think twice about. It will come back to haunt you in the long run if you ignore it.” Jaspers’ coach Kevin Leighton knew early on he had something special in Cody, who is not exactly a physical-looking menace on the mound given his 6-foot, 190-pound frame. “Nobody wanted him out of high school,” said Leighton. “He’s another guy you see off the field, he’s a quiet guy. You would never think he’s a professional baseball player. “But when you put him on the mound; all of a sudden he’s a different type of kid. He’s that quiet-type kid that just competes and he’s the type of kid who all his life he’s been told ‘he doesn’t throw hard enough, he doesn’t do this well enough’, and yet he’s getting it done year-after-year. He doesn’t get rattled easily.” Cody’s calming persona is why he’s not fretting over his early season turbulence. “I’ve been around pro ball for four seasons and you learn there are a lot of talented people out there,” said Cody, who led Manhattan to a 4-1 victory over Nebraska and current New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. “You know what it is like to be a big fish in a small pond and then you become a small fish in a big pond. “What I’ve learned is I need to stay even-keeled; not get too high when things are going well and not get too down when things are going bad. That’s the most important lesson you can learn in this game. But it’s also one of the hardest lessons to learn.” The lever on the pendulum may be tilting in a new direction for the first time in Cody’s career, but he’s tackling it head on. “I’ve had a lot of success early on in my career and recently. I’ve ran into some bumps on the road,” said Cody. “I’ve learned about myself and how to deal with failure. I think I am handling it well. It’s a grind, a long season; you’re going to have a few struggles.” And as Cody admits, it’s not the worst thing for a ballplayer to go through some pitfalls. “I’m playing pro ball for a living,” said Cody. “A bad day for me is better than most people’s good days at their job.” Back in the day -- http://www.gojaspers.com//pics31/640/HZ/HZALONQOFFMLNMC.20100604203544.jpg

More on catcher Dayton Buller from that same Sam Narron press release -- ...All this (Narron) happened just one day after Camden found out that their newly acquired catcher was heading back to affiliated baseball as well. Catcher Dayton Buller wasn’t playing with Camden more than a week when he got the call to AA Huntsville in the Milwaukee farm system. Buller arrived in Camden May 28th in time to make a road trip with the team to Bridgeport. After just six days and two series with the ‘Sharks, Buller was packing his bags for Huntsville, Alabama, to play for the Milwaukee Brewers AA affiliate, the Huntsville Stars. Originally drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2001, Buller spent his entire career in the Giants farm system leading up to 2009. He reached AAA in 2008 with the Fresno Grizzlies. The Fresno native returned to his hometown to play 20 games at the AAA level; he hit two home runs, drove in eight, and hit for a .235 average. Buller began the 2010 season in the Colorado Rockies Organization with AA Tulsa. He hit for a .227 average in 13 games before signing with the Riversharks. Career stats pre-2010 Stats broken down for 2005 - 2010

Yeah, who knows what's going on with Angel now. *** Also, with a rotation suddenly in real need with Kameron Loe and Chris Capuano in Milwaukee and Marco Estrada ailing, the Brewers turn to an old friend: Atlantic League Press Release: LHP Sam Narron’s Friday was full of big news. First he found out that he was named the Atlantic League’s Pitcher of the Month for the month of May, and just a few hours later he was signing a new contract with AAA Nashville. All Narron did to earn Pitcher of the Month honors was pitch 38.1 innings, allowing seven earned runs for a microscopic 1.64 ERA. Not to mention his last two starts were complete game shutouts. He departs from Camden having not allowed a run in 20 consecutive innings. This won’t be Narron’s first go around with AAA Nashville. He had 38 appearances with the club over the 2008 and 2009 seasons with a 10-11 record to show for his efforts. He began his career in the Texas Rangers Organization in 2002, and made his major league debut with the club in 2004.

Huntsville Press Release: Catcher Dayton Buller's contract was purchased from the independent Atlantic League. He has been assigned to Huntsville. Catchers Angel Salome and Anderson de la Rosa have been reassigned to Single-A Brevard County. In two games with Huntsville, Salome was 0-for-2. He was transferred from Nashville to Huntsville on June 1st, after being activated from the disabled list in Triple-A Nashville. De la Rosa spent one day with the Stars, going 1-for-3. These moves put the Stars active roster at 23, one below the Southern League limit. *** With catchers (or semi-catchers) Shawn Zarraga and Michael Roberts still at Brevard, I imagine we'll here about moves there shortly. We'll also fill you in on Mr. Buller shortly.

In honor of draft week --New post on our homepage -- Andrew Bailey So Close to Being A Brewer – and Other Tales from the 2005 Draft There are links in the first and last paragraphs, you may have to place your mouse over the browser to activate, but please, enjoy and wonder... Would the Brewers' player development staff have done as well as Oakland's did? Would Bailey have set up Trevor Hoffman last year and taken over the closer role this year? Would Hoffman have been invited back? Remember, it was a Brad Ziegler injury that opened the door for Bailey in 2009. Fun to think about...

Josh, do you mind listing them for us so we can follow their exploits. It's not bragging on your part since we asked for the list http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

Final: DSL Brewers 5, DSL Cardinals 4 DSL Brewers Box Score 21-year-old 6'5" LHP Manuel Ruiz with a nice start in his pro debut, 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 7 K; RHP Rigoberto Almonte allowed two inherited runners to score when he came in, in the 7th, but stuck around to get the walk-off win which was handed to the Brewer kids: DSL Brewers Play-by-Play DSL Brewers Bottom 9th Allixon Cequea walks. Jose Pena out on a sacrifice bunt, first baseman Jorge Lopez to second baseman Robelys Reyes. Allixon Cequea advances to 3rd, on throwing error by second baseman Robelys Reyes. With Hitaniel Arias batting, wild pitch by Willy Paulino, Allixon Cequea scores. Almonte is positively ancient among this group at 23 years old; to get a sense of how young and raw this group is overall, click on the "Player Index" link in the Brewerfan banner above. Then use the filter to display "DSL Brewers / Orioles" only (apologies as we know this is no longer a co-op team with Baltimore). You can then click on the age column header to sort the squad by age. Only five players are not teenagers. The Brewers drew 10 of the combined 17 walks in the game; there were 21 K's in the game, with the Brewers also coming out ahead in the comparison there, as Brewer pitchers fanned 12. As the season moves along, we simply hope for low error totals (only one here), solid baserunning ratios on offense and defense, and otherwise effective play while hoping for some statistical stars to emerge. The 3-4-5 lineup combo of Jose Pena / Hitaniel Arias / Jose Garcia will be the key, based on dollars invested, and hope for continued improvement from SS Andres Martinez. Stir pot, simmer until 2015.

Link while active, text follows: Stars featured on Minor League website By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- A writer from the Minor League Baseball official website visited Joe Davis Stadium Thursday night for the Stars' game against Mobile. It's interesting to see an outsider's perspective. The writer, Benjamin Hill sees the stadium in less than glowing terms: But Huntsville is one of the Southern League's toughest markets. While other Alabama franchises, such as Mobile and Birmingham, play in cities that are drenched in baseball history, Huntsville's citizenry does everything it can to make college football a year-round sport. And Joe W. Davis Stadium is a thoroughly nondescript facility -- while certainly adequate for the purpose, it possesses a no-frills, utilitarian nature and is thoroughly lacking in modern amenities and accoutrements. However, he's way off-base on the comparisons between Mobile and Birmingham. And there's another difference in his "wow!" look at some promotions that the more jaundiced among us believe are just hokey. (Or, in the case of last Saturday's rain-delay "burp-off" between youngsters, just in plain bad taste.) It was a flattering piece for GM Buck Rogers (though, Buck, if Buffalo Rock, the Pepsi people, are your "official" beverage, why do you pose holding up a Diet Coke can???). The feeling here is, if these promotional efforts were so good, the Stars would be at the top instead of bottom in attendance. Still, the Stars' woes start at the top, in absentee, apathetic ownership, something the writer didn't address in his story.

Link while active, text follows: Slumping Stars finish home stand 3-7 By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- The Huntsville Stars entered this just-completed homestand only 4 1/2 games out of first place in the Southern League North, still owning some legitimate hope for a first-half pennant run. They end the stand 8 1/2 back, dropping a sluggish 5-2 decision to Mobile Friday night in a game whose start was delayed 1:56 by rain and didn't end until midnight. The Stars now travel to Tennessee, which is on a four-game win streak and which leads the SL North, then on to Carolina on a 10-game road swing. The Stars went 3-7 on the homestand despite scoring an average of 5.2 runs per game, a stat skewed by an 11-run outburst Tuesday. As manager Mike Guerrero constantly preaches, "PItching and defense wins games," and that's what was lacking Friday night -- and during much of the homestand. The Stars committed six errors in a 7-4 loss on Thursday Starter Josh Butler, originally here on a major league rehab assignment but ultimately assigned to the Stars' roster, gave up seven hits and four runs, walking five. However, in a three-run fourth, shortstop Zelous Wheeler and first baseman Drew Anderson failed to make relatively routine plays with two outs; the latter was a two-run double by Evan Frey that extended the Mobile run to 4-0. Huntsville answered with a two-run Anderson double in the fourth, the only real damage off BayBears starter Pat McAnaney, who allowed just five hits and struck out eight. Though the Stars' bullpen allowed only one run after Butler's departure, it was still shaky, yieding four walks and four hits in five innings. *** Zelous Wheeler, despite several positive attributes, is not an everyday shortstop, and "veteran" outfielder Drew Anderson is now the starting AA first baseman. As an organization, you're not always going to have the depth to slot in guys at each and every level in ideal fashion, that's understandable. But the organizational gaps in everyday talent for those two specific positions has been an issue for a few years now, it's not like the current Huntsville set-up was spurred by injury (although yes, Steffan Wilson is sidelined). As the losses mount on the farm, and more importantly, the poor overall play, it's getting tougher to look to the Link Report updates for an oasis among the big league victory desert right now. -- MH