Jim Goulart

Final: Montgomery (Rays) 8, Huntsville 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary Big Inning Pushes Biscuits to Victory Montgomery's Morse a Winner For First Time in Three Months By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Ryan Morse worked six solid innings and a six-run sixth inning outburst carried Montgomery to an 8-3 victory over Huntsville Sunday afternoon in the second of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Biscuits have taken the first two contests to improve to 27-29 in the second half and 60-66 overall, while the Stars lost a third straight game to fall to 21-35 in the second half and 59-66 overall. The Biscuits have won six straight over the Stars after dropping the first game in the season series. Brett Lawrie tucked a looping fly ball just inside the right field and legged it into a triple to lead off the home first inning and came in to score on a single by Shane Justis, who drove in his first run since August 2. Stars' starter Nick Green had blanked the visitors on three hits through five frames before they strung together five singles to produce three runs and knock the right-hander out of the game after 5 1/3 innings of work. Chris Nowak tied the game with a base hit before Cody Cipriano's single put the Biscuits ahead to stay at 2-1. Cody Strait's run-scoring hit pushed the lead to 3-1 and sent Green from the game after he had allowed eight hits, while issuing one walk and fanning one. He was followed by Bobby Bramhall, who gave up a sacrifice fly to Matt Spring and a two-run double to Brandon Chaves that finished the rally. Green took the loss to fall to 0-5 in five starts and once again received small run support, as the Stars have totaled four runs while he has been on the mound. Nowak doubled in a run in the seventh to push the lead to 7-1 and hand the bullpen a six-run cushion after Morse allowed a run on five hits to earn his third win of the season and his first since May 4. The right-hander walked one and fanned two and was followed by Matt Gorgen, who retired the side in order in the seventh and then yielded a two-out, solo home run to Drew Anderson in the eighth that cut the visitors' lead to 7-2. Freddy Parejo singled in a run in the bottom of the ninth to make it an 8-3 score and the Stars loaded the bases with one out before Mike Wlodarczyk struck out Justis and got Anderson to line out to end the game. The Stars are hitless in eight bases loaded at-bats in the series, with five strikeouts. Jonathan Lucroy went hitless in three at-bats with a walk and lost a 22-game hitting streak that matched the longest in franchise history set by Mickey Lopez from August 2-25, 2000. The series continues Monday night with Stars' right-hander Josh Butler making the start against Biscuits' right-hander Rayner Oliveros. Coverage of the game begins at 6:45 PM central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score Brett Lawrie, as noted above, the offensive highlight in the lineup... Huntsville Game Log

Link while active, text follows: Stars' offense not aiding Green Despite winless start to Huntsville career, pitcher keeps working By Brad Shepard For The Huntsville Times For Stars starting pitcher Nick Green, his five starts in a Huntsville uniform have been like pitching while walking a tight rope: He has to be nearly perfect for any payoff. Though he didn't help himself much Sunday with a shaky sixth inning, allowing five runs and getting pulled in that six-run frame that led Montgomery to an 8-3 win, he still received little help from his teammates. Since being demoted from Triple-A Nashville, Green has gotten four runs of support while on the mound. Sunday's loss dropped his record to 0-5. "It's one of those things," Green said. "These guys are obviously capable of putting up runs and winning ballgames. It's just a phase we're in. "It's in the back of my mind, sure, but whether it's 1-0 or 10-0, you have to go out there trying to win every inning." Green hasn't been perfect, but he has deserved better than a winless record. His teammates know he's pitched better than that, despite struggling Sunday. "For whatever reason, we're just not putting up runs when he's out there," Stars outfielder Drew Anderson said last week. "Since coming down from Nashville, he's pitched well. If he keeps pitching like this in the playoffs, he could lead us to a championship." Green's first five innings were dazzling Sunday, as he shut out the Biscuits and breezed after his teammates gave him a single run of support in the first. However, from there the Stars wouldn't score again, and Green eventually ran into an inning he couldn't escape, raising his ERA from 2.95 to 4.64 in the process. After coming over from the Los Angeles Angels' organization prior to this season, the lanky, 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander made it all the way to Nashville, but he had a difficult time getting outs there. As a Sound, he went 2-4 with a 6.68 earned run average before being demoted. "I was in the bullpen up there, and I gave up some runs, and it was getting into my head a little bit," the 24-year-old said. "I think I was giving hitters too much credit and doubting myself. I'd give up a hit and think in the back of my mind, 'Here we go again.' "They sent me down here to start and get more innings, and the mental part is coming back. I have to know there's a reason I was in Triple-A at such a young age. I'm starting to regain the confidence I once had."

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with outfielder Tike Redman Final: Nashville 6, Albuquerque (Dodgers) 5 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Erick Almonte photo, text follows -- Almonte Powers Sounds To 6-5 Win ALBUQUERQUE - The Nashville Sounds beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 6-5 on Sunday evening at Isotopes Park after belting three home runs on the evening.The win ends a seven-game losing skid for Nashville (66-63), and keeps the Sounds 2.5 games behind Memphis in American Northern Division after a Redbirds win on Sunday. First baseman Erick Almonte went 2-for-5 with a double and season-high four RBIs, including his first home run of the season. Sounds starting pitcher Chase Wright (8-7) earned the win after throwing his seventh quality start this season, surrendering three runs on six hits over seven innings for Nashville. The Isotopes took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning by a two-run homer to left field by third baseman Hector Luna, his 15th of the season. Sounds third baseman Adam Heether answered with his 14th home run in the next frame that brought the Sounds within one run. Nashville tied the game at two in the top of the third when outfielder Corey Patterson scored on a groundout by Almonte. Almonte delivered another run in the top of the fifth inning when he doubled home Adam Stern that gave Nashville a quick 3-2 lead. The Isotopes tied the game in the next frame on a sacrifice fly by Chin-lung Hu. The Sounds went back ahead when Almonte belted a two-run home run in the seventh inning off Albuquerque right-hander Hyang-Nam Choi (9-2), his first of the season for Nashville. AUDIO: Erick Almonte's First Home Run Pinch hitting for Wright in the eighth inning, Joe Koshansky added his 21st homer on the year, a solo shot that extended the Nashville lead to 6-3. Luna brought Albuquerque within one run at 6-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-run single that scored Sergio Garcia and Chin-lung Hu. The Isotopes threatened to take the lead later in the inning, but Sounds closer Chris Smith threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief to pick up his 15th save of the season. The Sounds and Isotopes play the third game of a four-game series at 7:35 PM CT on Monday night at Isotopes Park. Left-hander Chris Cody (6-7, 4.69) takes the mound for Nashville against Isotopes righty Tim Corcoran (0-0, 7.27). Nashville Box Score J.J. Hardy singled three times, 3-for-5 day; Corey Patterson doubled, singled, and walked -- .933 OPS in 75 Nashville AB's; Don Money had Erick Almonte hitting cleanup despite the zero home runs coming in, he must have had a premonition; Adam Heether has reached base seven times the last two games -- what a season; LHP Chase Wright proving to be a servicable AAA starter, but look at the K/BB ratio -- 51 K's and 49 walks in 123.2 innings, that's not missing many bats... Nashville Game Log

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Memphis 67 60 .528 - 40-27 27-33 W1 Nashville 65 63 .508 2.5 36-31 29-32 L7 Iowa 64 63 .504 3.0 36-23 28-40 L2 Omaha 54 72 .429 12.5 25-34 29-38 W3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Tenn 30 26 .536 - 15-11 15-15 W2 Tennessee 29 27 .518 1.0 14-16 15-11 W1 Chattanooga 28 28 .500 2.0 16-11 12-17 L1 Huntsville 21 34 .382 8.5 10-15 11-19 L2 Carolina 20 36 .357 10.0 9-17 11-19 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tampa 38 14 .731 - 15-9 23-5 W3 Brevard County 31 18 .633 5.5 19-11 12-7 L1 Clearwater 29 26 .527 10.5 17-14 12-12 L1 Dunedin 26 28 .481 13.0 14-11 12-17 W1 Lakeland 22 29 .431 15.5 9-10 13-19 L2 Daytona 23 31 .426 16.0 11-17 12-14 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Missoula 8 11 .421 - 4-6 4-5 L1 Great Falls 7 12 .368 1.0 1-8 6-4 L3 Billings 6 12 .333 1.5 6-5 0-7 L1 Helena 5 13 .278 2.5 2-5 3-8 L1

Midwest League Standings Arizona League Standings Dominican Summer League Standings

Follow Sunday'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. MiLB.com now has Gameday available for AA as well as AAA this season. Nashville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2009_08_23_nasaaa_albaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_08_23_monaax_hunaax_1&did=t559&sid=t559 Brevard County: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&gid=2009_08_23_dbcafa_breafa_1&cid=503&t=g_box Wisconsin: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_08_23_cedafx_wisafx_1&did=t572&sid=t572 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_08_23_helrok_orerok_1&did=t433&sid=t433 Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2009_08_23_brrrok_cubrok_1

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated a few hours prior to gametime. Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): *** We're going to include the link to Kraig McNutt's Nashville blog in the same post as the Nashville media notes link going forward. *** "Voice of the Rattlers" Chris Mehring's informative and entertaining Rattlers Radio Blog includes game notes an hour or two before gametime.

Sunday's Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Chase Wright at Albuquerque (Dodgers), 6:40 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: RHP Nick Green at home vs. Montgomery (Rays), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: RHP Alex Periard at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 12:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link -- Daytona Feed Wisconsin: RHP Wily Peralta at home vs. Cedar Rapids (Angels), 12:50 PM pre-game; 1:05 gametime; LHP Evan Frederickson will pitch in relief Live Audio Link Helena: RHP Jake Odorizzi at Orem (Angels), 4:50 PM pre-game; 5:05 gametime Live Audio Link Arizona Summer League: at the Cubbies' complex in Mesa; no more day games -- all games begin at 7:00 local time in the desert; no audio, naturally... Dominican Summer League Brewers / Orioles: Season complete -- the squad finished 27-43, 11th place in the 12-team division, 24.5 games behind the first-place DSL Giants. If it makes you smile, the DSL Cubs #2 squad finished last at 15-52, and lost their final 19 games of the season.

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Link for photo while active, text follows: Nashville Sounds owner makes quiet inroads New stadium is still tops on his private agenda The Tennessean Frank Ward, a New York real estate developer and one of three partners who own the Pacific Coast League Nashville Sounds, will wrap up his first full season of ownership in Triple A baseball next month. Meanwhile, quiet talks continue with city officials about the possibility of a new baseball stadium downtown to take the place of aging, antiquated Greer Stadium as home of Ward's unique small business, which makes its living off bats, balls, hot dogs and beer sales. Ward is everything the team's previous owner, out-of-towner Al Gordon, wasn't. He's approachable, visible around town, and he has a stake in the community with a daughter attending Vanderbilt University. He discussed the Sounds with Tennessean Business Editor Randy McClain. How did you get interested in becoming a baseball owner? Had you ever been involved with a sports franchise on any level before this? It was really my partner who pursued it. We ended up finally in September of last year reaching an agreement to buy the team (from Al Gordon). It took until the end of February to get Major League Baseball and minor league baseball's approval. I was the one who volunteered … to come to Nashville for the season. I've been in real estate for 35 years. I spent the summer learning this business. My wife and I leased a house in Green Hills. How profitable has it typically been to invest in a minor league team? Most people make a profit when they sell a franchise - because it's a limited commodity and there's always a demand. There are 30 major league teams, so there are 30 Double A and 30 Triple A clubs in the minors. The value of a franchise has historically gone up double digits for the last 10 to 15 years. There's always someone who wants to own a team. And the minors are an affordable way to come into sports ownership. You get to the major leagues and it's hundreds of millions of dollars, certain clubs $1 billion. With the minor leagues you're not going to hit a grand slam in profits. I don't believe this business lends itself to taking $10 million, let's say, and turning it into $100 million in three years. You might turn it into $15 million or $16 million, and hopefully have a good time doing it and get to watch some baseball. It's not a bad way to spend the summer. What's the range of franchise values in the minors today? Triple A today can run from a low of $20 million for a team to a high of $75 million for the best. Double A is probably $12 million to $15 million. Single A is mom-and-pop; I don't have a feel for it. As you get into Double A and Triple A leagues, it's a real business. You have staff, salesmen, et cetera. The closer you get to the big leagues, the more complicated it becomes. What impact can a new stadium have on franchise values? Clearly, a new stadium increases the value of the franchise. It increases the cash flow; everyone wants to be in a new stadium. You'd get better attendance, more people at the games. And naturally that translates to more spending - you sell more hot dogs, soda and beer. How much did you spend on repairs at Greer Stadium before this season? We spent $2.5 million. When we did our renovations, I brought in someone who had worked with me in real estate for 25 years on all our office buildings. He was very accurate; we had a fixed idea of what we wanted to do, and we were able to accomplish it in 65 days. My real estate background helped with that a good deal. How important are customer service - and a visible owner - in building loyalty among fans, so they come to more than one game a season? I'm not a big back slapping-type. But I go out and say hello to the fans. They know me; I know them. And I think they're appreciative that ownership is here compared with the past five or 10 years. Give us an update on the chances for a new stadium here. Is the probable location still downtown? When we first met with senior management in the Milwaukee Brewers' organization (the Sounds' major league parent club), the first thing they said besides congratulations ... was, "You need a new stadium." The Pacific Coast League says the same thing. Greer is not a long-term solution for viable baseball in Nashville. We made a deal with Mayor (Karl Dean) that we would start holding discussions and we'd do it in private, not in the press. I will keep my word on that. I believe Nashville needs a new stadium. There are drawbacks to Greer that you can never fix. I believe (a new stadium) should be downtown. All the other sports complexes are there. It helps the local businesses, brings traffic to the restaurants and bars. It would be the best thing for the city. How big should a new stadium be, how many seats? You can't build a 10,000 fixed-seat stadium anymore. I think a new stadium is probably best with 8,500 seats and ... a nice grass berm and picnic areas where families can go with a blanket and watch the game at an affordable price. Memphis, I think, made a very big mistake when they built their stadium. They have 14,500 fixed seats. You have to bring in an awful lot of people; you get 5,000 fans in that place and it looks like it's empty. Your lease calls for the Sounds to play baseball in Davidson County through 2013. Where do you want to be in four years? That's a question not only for us to answer. In other words, does Nashville want professional baseball? Greer is not the long-term solution. The money we put into Greer was a band-aid. It doesn't make economic sense to put another $3 million or $4 million into Greer (on further improvements). The people of Nashville and city have to decide whether they want professional baseball. And, if the answer is yes, then we have to figure out a way to build a new stadium. Is there a fun factor to owning a minor league team? Or is it all sales, leases and headaches? I have found in any business you're in, if you're not happy in your job, you need to get out. Am I happy doing this? Yes. I've had a long career in real estate and done all that. I'm at an age in life when I can afford to do this. My 34-year-old son flew down for the weekend to watch games with me. My daughters (one who'll be a senior at Vanderbilt and the other about to start Ohio State) are here to watch games with my wife and me. Those are the pluses to this. It's fun. But it's work, too. You don't realize how hard it is to get fans in the seats. We all have this idea, "Build it, and they will come." But really it's, "Build it, work your butt off and then maybe they will come." Your career has been in real estate development. Have you done any other commercial real estate projects in Nashville? We've looked at a lot, but we haven't done anything here so far. The economy is so bad nationally … there's no money out there to finance real estate projects today. The realities of the buyer and the seller are in different spectrums right now. We always looked at the Sounds baseball investment as part of a bigger real estate development project, and I think we still do. We may wind up getting a (new) stadium earlier than you can really do a real estate project. I'm not sure you can build an office building today almost anywhere in the country. What are among your biggest operating costs with the Sounds? Your major league parent club pays players' salaries, right? You normally have 30 to 40 full-time people on staff year round in most organizations. Game day or seasonal staff, add another 40 employees. You have a decent-size small business for all 12 months of the year. We also pay team travel, we pay for the hotels, pay for the bats, the balls. The Milwaukee Brewers, as you say, pay the uniformed employees. Other than that, it's ours. We're in the entertainment business. What was your most successful promotion this season? Ryan Braun Bobblehead Night (Milwaukee Brewers outfielder, batting .313, with 26 home runs this season). We also had Bat Night, Hat Night and Back-to-School Backpack Night (among others). Have you had a longtime love affair with baseball? Yes, I'm a baseball fan, although I don't have a specific team I root for now. I'm an avid baseball card collector. The team I rooted for was the New York Giants (they moved to San Francisco in the late 1950s). I grew up with them … my brother was a New York Yankees fan, and I was a Giants fan. I've never liked the Yankees since then. The Mets are fine, but it's not the same. I played Rotisserie Baseball for 25 years; this is the first year I have not participated in it. I'm not sure I've even had time to look at a major league baseball box score most of the year … other than Milwaukee to check on one of our players who may have left (Nashville) to move up to the big leagues. I turned the Rotisserie team over to my son. He's doing a better job with it, anyway.

Final: Albuquerque (Dodgers) 8, Nashville 4 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Adam Heether photo, text follows -- Sounds Drop Series Opener In Albuquerque, 8-4 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The Nashville Sounds suffered their seventh consecutive loss on Saturday evening at Isotopes Park, falling 8-4 to Albuquerque in the opener of a four-game series. The loss, combined with a Memphis win, dropped Nashville to 2 1/2 games out of the lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. Albuquerque stormed out to an early 6-0 lead against Sounds starter Tim Dillard, plating two runs in the first frame and adding four in the third, two on a Dee Brown double. Outfielder Adam Stern put the Sounds on the board in the fifth when he mashed his first Triple-A roundtripper of the season, a two-run shot to right. The Sounds completed their scoring in the eighth when Adam Heether (3-for-3) and Erick Almonte ripped back-to-back two-out RBI doubles. Dillard (10-7) took the loss for Nashville after allowing seven runs on 12 hits over five innings of work. The teams continue their series with a 7:05 PM CT matchup on Sunday. Left-hander Chase Wright (7-7, 4.24) will make the start for the Sounds to face Albuquerque left-hander Scott Elbert (1-1, 4.74). Nashville Box Score Tim Dillard has given up triple-digit hits thre times in his last seven starts. Free agency about to be delayed another season? J.J. Hardy 0-for-5 and is now 5-for-34 (.547 OPS) at AAA -- he looks thrilled in his Nashville cap; Angel Salome started and was lifted as part of a double-switch; Adam Heether and his .898 OPS on base all four times up... Nashville Game Log

Final: Orem (Angels) 2, Helena 0 Helena Independent Record: Brewers two-hit in Orem Helena Brewers pitcher Nick Bucci hurled six shutout innings before giving up a run, but the anemic Helena offense couldn't give the 19-year-old ace any run support. The Brewers fell to the Orem Owlz, 2-0, in the road game Saturday. Orem already started working at another win streak a day after Helena snapped the Owlz' franchise record 15 straight victories. After four Helena players went long in Friday's doubleheader, nobody in the Brewers lineup could muster an extra-base hit. Helena managed just two hits the entire contest off Orem starter Tyler Kehrer, who struck out six in six innings of work. Jeremy Berg pitched in relief of Kehrer and picked up his third win of the season. The right-hander fanned four, walked one and didn't allow any hits in the next two innings. Bucci was handed his second straight loss after beginning the season at 6-0. Bucci gave up five of Orem's six hits, walked two and allowed the only runs of the game. Helena shortstop Mike Marseco and designated hitter Mike Roberts had the Brewers' only hits. Roberts had a two-out single on a line drive to left field in the third to give the Brewers their first hit of the game. Chad Stang couldn't advance the runner, striking out swinging. Orem broke the scoreless tie in the seventh. Casey Haerther singled on a ground ball to right, then Jon Karcich reached on a fielding error by center fielder Stang. Haerther advanced to third, Karcich to second. Justin Bass' sacrifice fly to center brought Haerther in to put Orem on the board. The Owlz would score again in the following inning, on another sacrifice fly to center. Dillon Baird scored Kevin Ramos, who was walked by Brewers reliever Robert Currie to lead off the eighth inning. Orem third baseman Haerther paced the Owlz offense, going 2-for-4 at the plate, with one run scored. DIAMOND NOTES: Helena's pair of hits came from the batters with the best and worst averages in the Brewers' lineup. Roberts is batting just .198 and Marseco has a .315 average. Marseco is the only player in the Helena lineup with an above-300 batting average. Six players on the Owlz roster are batting better than that. Helena Box Score Yay, Nick Bucci... Helena Game Log

Rattlers single season attendance record will fall Sunday -- Chris with the details for a lucky fan

Final: Cedar Rapids (Angels) 11, Wisconsin 2 Wisconsin Site Game Summary Correa just misses no-hitter By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - Cedar Rapids Kernels starting pitcher Manaurys Correa took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Saturday night at Time Warner Cable Field. A one-out single spoiled Correa's run at the first no-hitter by a Kernel since 1997, but Cedar Rapids picked up an 11-2 win with a little help from Jon Townsend's two homer, seven RBI night. Townsend put the Kernels (70-59 overall, 30-25 second half) up 2-0 early. His two-run homer to left in the third inning off Daniel Meadows was his fourth of the year. Wisconsin (56-68, 22-32) scored a run in the bottom of the second without a hit. Jose Duran walked, stole second, and went to third on an error. An RBI grounder by Sean McCraw sent Duran home and cut the deficit to a single run. That's as close as they would get on the night. Cedar Rapids got a pair of two-out hits to knock in runs in the top of the fourth. Darwin Perez was first and his single knocked in one run. Then, Townsend struck again with a two-run single. Roberto Lopez continued to tack on runs with a two-out solo homer in the top of the fifth and the Kernels had a 6-1 lead. Perez and Townsend teamed up again in a four-run sixth inning for the Kernels. Perez stepped up with runners at second and third and no outs. His grounder to first was booted for an error and he picked up an RBI on the play as well. Then, Townsend blasted a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall to give him seven RBI on the night and the Kernels a 10-1 lead. Wisconsin only had two balls hit that might have been hits before the ninth. In the sixth, Josh Prince sent a high fly to left that sent Matt Crawford to the wall, but the left fielder made the catch. In the seventh, Pete Fatse hit a line drive to left that sliced right to a charging Crawford. Crawford added an RBI single in the top of the eighth inning. Then, the focus turned back to Correa in the bottom of the eighth. He hit Kyle Dhanani to start the inning. Duran was next and he reached on a fielder's choice with Dhanani being forced a second. McCraw grounded out to second for out number two. Pinch hitter Michael Vass flew out to left field and Correa still had his no-hitter intact. In the ninth, Correa got the first out and had a full count on Mike Brownstein. The Rattlers second baseman broke up Correa's bid for history with a clean single to center. According to the Midwest League Media Guide, the last no-hitter by a Kernels pitcher was on August 7, 1997 when Ramon Ortiz threw one against the Quad City River Bandits. Later in the ninth inning, Erik Komatsu singled to send Brownstein home with Wisconsin's second run of the game. After Correa walked Fatse, he was removed from the game to a respectful ovation from some of the Timber Rattlers faithful. Christian Scholl relieved and got the final out of the game. Correa pitched 8-2/3 innings, allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out four for his seventh win of the season. That was a lot different from the line he had against Wisconsin at Perfect Game Field back on August 12. In that game versus the Rattlers, he gave up seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits over four innings. The Timber Rattlers and Kernels wrap up their four-game series on Sunday afternoon. Wily Peralta (4-3, 3.33) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Cedar Rapids sends Ryan Chaffee (8-6, 3.57) to the mound. There is catch on the field before the game and an autograph session with the team after the game for fans. Also, Sunday is the final Brewers Sunday of the season. The Timber Rattlers players and coaches will wear their Brewers-themed jerseys. During the game, there will be a silent auction for the jerseys and fans may pick them up after the game. MiLB.com' coverage of the game, including quotes from the Kernels' perspective Wisconsin Box Score Reliever Liam Ohlmann struggled following a sub-par Daniel Meadows outing, but Pedro Lambertus stranded three runners for bullpen mate Rigoberto Almonte; 23-year-old former Illini football star Derrick McPhearson has been overmatched this season in his pro debut, unfortunately, at least in Wisconsin, where he's posting a .403 OPS in 85 AB's... Wisconsin Game Log

David Weiser's starsboxscore.com Lucroy and Lopez share record Doubles in final at-bat to stretch hit streak to 22 games The Stars, now 7-13 in August and 12-23 since the Southern League All-Star Break, cling to 4th with a 21-34 record....... They won the first half title on the strength of phenomenal clutch hitting (.337 w/RISP in May, .283 in June) and sensational middle relief (2.18 ERA in May) which held together the 12 of 17 one-run decisions they won the first two months of the season....... That pillar has collapsed...... As they fell into last or near-last place in the standings, trading that fate with Carolina, they've scored 22 runs in their last 10 games, hit a mere .242 with runners in scoring position in July and .206 this month. (Tonight, they were 0-for-16 w/RISP and 0-for-24 over two games.)...... They've fallen to last among SL teams in ERA, were 6-8 in one-run games in June and July (5-3, this month, however), and the patchwork staff is lugging a 6.45 ERA as the season heads down the stretch. The team is hitting .224 in their last 11 games and .154 in their last three. Shane Justis, a .300 hitter May, June, and July (.365 in May), is mired in a deep 4-for-46 slump....... Kevin Melillo, who was placed on the disabled list, Friday, is batting .143 in August in 49 at-bats........ Michael Garciaparra has hit .191 since June...... Taylor Green: .189 since August 3, although he's shown signs of breaking out (8-for-20 in his last seven games)........ Freddy Parejo: .176 in August....... Even Drew Anderson, the league's 5th leading hitter (.308) is in a 2-for-18 spin. But somebody has been hitting the ball...... With an uncanny flair for the dramatic, Jonathan Lucroy tonight tied a club record held by Mickey Lopez since 2000, by hitting safely in his 22nd straight game, waiting until the 8th inning to smash a 1-1 pitch off the wall in left-center for a double -- his 10th in 11 games...... Lucroy kept that streak alive in his last at-bat last Monday and in the 4th inning of the 1st game of Friday's double-header.... He's 26-for-63 (.413) in August and 31-for-76 (.408) during the streak with 12 doubles, all hit this month....... While it sounds spectacular in itself, Cole Gillespie hit 12 doubles in the month of June last year. Brad Nelson hit 13 in May of 2004. Lucroy will have a chance to break the record against Montgomery southpaw Ryan Morse (2-6, 5.65). The Stars will counter with Nick Green, who is still looking for his first win despite a 3.86 ERA....... Green has had four runs of support in his four starts. Corey Kemp made his debut tonight with the Stars. Pinch-hitting for Taylor Green in the 8th, he grounded out to short. He stayed in the game and struck out with the bases loaded to end the game. Called up from Class A-Wisconsin (Midwest League), he was hitting .282 with 31 doubles....... Brandon Kintzler was also recalled from Helena in a paper move and David Welch was placed on the disabled list, another paper move I suspect. Adam Stern homered and Adam Heether went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, but Nashville lost at Albuquerque, 8-4, Saturday night...... Mark Rogers, the Brewers #1 draft pick in 2004, started and pitched four scoreless innings against Daytona, allowing just two hits, but the Manatees lost to Daytona, 5-2. Rogers, who will undoubtedly pitch for Huntsville next year, lowered his ERA to 1.72...... The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers spoiled a no-hit bid by Cedar Rapids in the 9th inning, losing in the end, 11-2. A poster at Brewerfan.net reports that the Stars' 2007 bullpen ace Luis Pena was released by the Seattle Mariners. Pena made three starting appearances for the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx this year, the last being July 10. His only win came against the Stars, July 5.

Link while active, text follows: Still not in full swing Wrist woes have slowed down progress of prospect Taylor Green By Brad Shepard For The Huntsville Times The excuse is out there for Taylor Green to take, but that's not his style. After breaking his wrist last August when he was hit by a pitch and missing the first part of the season while recovering from a January surgery, the Huntsville Stars third baseman hasn't been himself lately. Though he started hot, finishing the first half hitting .316, he has struggled terribly since with just 22 hits in 120 at-bats entering Saturday night's game - a .183 average. "The second half I've had a tough, tough go of it," Green said. "I won't make any excuses, though, about the wrist. I've noticed my grip strength is weaker on my left side, but it feels fine. "I'm really looking forward to next year and having full-strength back, though. I hope the Brewers look at that stuff. I'm sure they do." As the 23-year-old No. 8 prospect in the organization according to Baseball America has nothing to worry about yet. The past two seasons cemented his prospect status as he hit .327 with 14 homers and 86 RBIs for then Single-A West Virginia in 2007 and .289 with 15 homers and 73 RBIs for Single-A Brevard County last year. Recently, he seems to be finding his comfort level again. Roving hitting instructor Mike Lum noticed that Green had an issue with his swing, trying to make up for the strength he has been lacking while recovering. He got Green to sink down and put more weight in his legs in his stance, and he has hit .281 in the past 10 games. Green's recovery process will continue after the season, too. He will play in his second-straight Arizona Fall League after the Stars finish the playoffs, and he is even learning a new position to improve his versatility. With Kevin Melillo's injury, Green has started two of the past three games at first base. Manager Bob Miscik said hat experiment was in the plans, anyway. "He's a third baseman, but he's going to play some first in the Arizona Fall League, so we're getting him a head start," Miscik said. "He's been working out there about a week. With the injury to Melillo, it frees up a spot to do that, but he was getting ready before that." With Mat Gamel ahead of Green and seemingly poised to be the third baseman of the future in Milwaukee, Green is for anything to improve his path to the big leagues. "I want to be able to play every position on the field," Green said. "I'm going to work on my agility to play a couple more positions this offseason. We'll see how it goes. *** After breaking his wrist last August when he was hit by a pitch and missing the first part of the season while recovering from a January surgery, the Huntsville Stars third baseman hasn't been himself lately. That was one of the most frustrating moments of the off-season -- if Taylor Green doesn't go to Fan-Fest and get checked out again there, is surgery delayed even more?

Huntsville Times: Bush happy Dave Bush worked 3 1/3 innings Saturday, allowing one hit and two earned runs while walking three and striking out two in his second rehab start for the Stars. Most importantly, he was happy with his work on a limited pitch count. "I definitely felt good and was pleased with the things I was trying to focus on, getting my mechanics in sync," he said. "I was a little rusty, but it was OK for the most part." Bush - who said he didn't experience any discomfort - doesn't know what's next but said he plans to meet the Brewers in Washington today and take it from there.

Final: Montgomery (Rays) 11, Huntsville 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary Biscuits Down Stars in Series Opener Rodriguez Continues Winning Ways for Montgomery By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Rashad Eldridge knocked in five runs to power Montgomery past Huntsville 11-3 Saturday night in the opener of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Biscuits improved to 26-29 in the second half and 59-66 overall, while the Stars dipped to 21-34 in the second half and 59-65 overall. The Biscuits have won five straight over the Stars after dropping the first game in the season series. Eldridge opened the game with a walk against Dave Bush, making his second rehab start with the Stars this season, stole second base, moved to third on a groundout and scored the game's first run on a single by Chris Nowak. Bush was removed after a one-out walk to Cody Cipriano in the fourth, having allowed only hit. He walked three and fanned two and was charged with two runs after a two-out run-scoring hit by Cody Strait in the fourth off of Brandon Kintzler. The Biscuits loaded the bases with two outs later in the frame for Eldridge, who cleared them with his second triple of the season to make it a 5-0 game. Huntsville got two runs back in the fifth on a bases loaded walk to Michael Garciaparra and a Lorenzo Cain fielder's choice grounder. Biscuits' starter Aneury Rodriguez found his way out of further trouble by striking out Shane Justis and getting Drew Anderson to line out to end the inning and leave the bases loaded. Rodriguez went six innings, giving up four hits, walking two, hitting two and fanning three. He beat the Stars for a second time in as many starts to improve to 8-10 with his fourth straight winning decision. Montgomery broke the game open with five runs in the seventh inning, highlighted by a Cipriano run-scoring double, a two-run double by Jason Bowers and a run-scoring groundout by Eldridge. The visitors' 12-hit attack was paced by Bowers, who collected three of them, along with Strait, Nowak, Eldridge and Cipriano, who each chipped in with a pair. Jonathan Lucroy doubled in the eighth inning in his final at-bat to extend his hitting streak to 22 games, matching the longest in team history set by Mickey Lopez from August 2-25, 2000. The Stars have been held to four runs on a dozen hits in the last three games and have dipped to 24-31 at home. The series continues Sunday afternoon with Stars' right-hander Nick Green making the start against Biscuits' southpaw Ryan Morse. Coverage of the game begins at 12:45 PM central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score Congratulations, Jonathan Lucroy; Corey Kemp grounded out as a pinch-hitter in his AA debut, then struck out later, remaining in the game at first base; it looks like Drew Anderson and Taylor Green were removed late to get bench guys AB's late in the blowout; Lorenzo Cain 0-for-5; Michael Garciaparra singled and walked three times; pitching-wise after Dave Bush, at least Rob Wooten had a 1-2-3 9th, striking out two in the obvious non-save situation... Huntsville Game Log

Final: Daytona (Cubs) 5, Brevard County 2 Games Summary from the Daytona Site: Vitters, Searle Power D-Cubs to Win DAYTONA - A monstrous home run and great pitching proved enough for the Daytona Cubs (23-31, 57-64) to earn a 5-2 win over the Brevard County Manatees (31-18, 71-42). Starter Ryan Searle (7-10) took the win and combined with reliever Oswaldo Martinez to retire 16 straight batters from the third inning into the eighth. The Manatees opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, speedy Lee Haydel reached on an infield single and then stole second base. The next batter, Zelous Wheeler, took advantage with a double to right field to give Brevard County a 1-0 lead. They tacked on one more in the bottom of the third inning. Centerfielder Logan Schafer reached on a bunt single. Eric Farris moved him over with a sacrifice bunt and right fielder Caleb Gindl brought him in with a single to left field. Daytona tied the game at two in the fifth inning thanks to a couple of Brevard County errors. Shortstop Marwin Gonzalez reached on the first miscue by Chris Errecart at first base. Left fielder Jonathan Wyatt followed with a walk before Mark Reed rolled one to the shortstop. The ground ball was bobbled by Juan Sanchez and everyone was safe. Designated hitter Jericho Jones was able to come through for Daytona with a single to right-center that brought in two and tied the ball game. Cubs top prospect Josh Vitters provided the deciding power in the seventh. Tony Campana reached first on an infield single and Nathan Samson followed with a walk. Vitters then drove a Michael Fiers offering well beyond left field wall to score three and give Daytona a 5-2 advantage. The Cubs third baseman is now tied for the team lead in homers with two. The Cubs and Manatees return to action tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 PM (12:05 Central) from Space Coast Stadium. Daytona trails Brevard County by a game in the battle for the I-95 trophy. Catch all the action on the home of Daytona Cubs baseball, AM 1340 WROD, as well as online at www.daytonacubs.com. Brevard County Box Score OK, Mark Rogers -- can't wait to see how you fare in the AFL... Brevard County Game Log

News from Wisconsin: C Corey Kemp has been transferred from Wisconsin to Huntsville. C Derrick Alfonso has been transferred from Brevard County to Wisconsin. News from Huntsville: The Brewers and Stars announced that LHP David Welch has been placed on the 7-Day DL, RHP Brandon Kintzler has been promoted from Helena (paper move for Kintzler, no word on any health issue on Welch). *** Now the speculation part -- is Angel Salome going to the DL soon with his finger issue, prompting a Jonathan Lucroy push to AAA? How quickly will Carlos Corporan clear waivers and be eligible in Nashville again? Kemp can also play first base, so that helps out Huntsville while Kevin Melillo is out. Fun time of year in terms of transactions and rewarding fans in the local towns with postseason runs where developmental impact on the big league club isn't affected.

A nice five-pack of photos from Scott on one of the more talked-about farmhands, Manatee second baseman Eric Farris. Nice work.

To view the season-end DSL stats for the Brewer kids, go to this thread and scroll to the bottom of the two links available. Catcher Jhonatan Javier your hitting star, OF Ronny Puello was doing well until sidelined early on for an undisclosed reason. RH Closer Edwin Linares and 6'7" lefty Eliezer Montano head up the pitching side.

RHP Eric Arnett was Steve Wendt's guest on Friday's pre-game show. Arnett said that the shoulder pain that kept him out for a couple weeks wasn't too bad and actually only bothered him when he lifted weights and things like that, not so much throwing. They just decided to be cautious.

From Friday: Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Pitching Coach Jim Rooney (Chris Bosio's replacement) Makes it clear he's pretty much just a caretaker at this late point in the season -- some interesting comments on John Axford, also some Mike Jones discussion...

Link while active, text follows: Ball back to Bush Brewers pitcher will make second rehab start for Huntsville By Brad Shepard For The Huntsville Times For rehabbing Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Dave Bush's sake, he hopes the second time in a Stars uniform is much more rewarding than the first. Back on July 15, Bush attempted a rehab start with Huntsville against Mississippi in which he allowed five earned runs in three innings. More importantly, he suffered some discomfort in his injured elbow, setting back his return to the major leagues at least another month. Now, he'll try to continue his comeback tonight on the mound for the Stars against Montgomery at 6:00 PM. "I'm pretty much back to the same place I was last time I was here," Bush said prior to Friday's doubleheader against West Tenn. "I'll try to go as long as I can and see if I can take another step after that. "I don't want to do anything too foolish at this point, but I do want to focus on things that will get me back with the Brewers as soon as possible." Bush suffered the injury against the Florida Marlins on June 4 when Hanley Ramirez ripped a line drive off of his elbow, making a small tear in the triceps tendon. Bush stayed in the game and pitched six innings and made his next three starts - going 0-3 with a 10.38 earned run average - before an MRI revealed the tear but no structural damage. At that point, Bush was forced to be placed on the disabled list. It was the first time in his professional career that he'd ever missed a start - major leagues or minor leagues. "It's been difficult for me," he said. "I've never been hurt or missed any time from college (at Wake Forest) on. It's difficult for me to have to take time off. "It's definitely hurt the Brewers, too. Jeff Suppan has been on the DL a little while, and we've maybe not had the depth to cover losing two of five starters." He has spent the past 2 1/2 months trying to get back from the injury. The last time, he had a successful start in Single-A Wisconsin only to experience discomfort in Huntsville. This time, he pitched a spotless outing for the TimberRattlers earlier this week and hopes Step 2 is more positive this time. Stars pitching coach John Curtis said he will be keeping a close eye on Bush's mechanics tonight to see if he's overcompensating for anything. Also, they'll discuss his arm strength and comfort. "He's going to be on a comfort pitch count," Curtis said. "He has an upper limit, but generally speaking, we're talking about three or four innings. He's kind of in the final stages of a return. "When he was in Mississippi, his arm didn't feel right, and when your arm doesn't feel right, you tend to do things to compensate for that. I'll just be looking for delivery flaws, things like that." Bush said he expects to pitch for the Brewers again this year, and he hopes to return to the form that helped him go 33-31 for Milwaukee over the past three seasons. "I don't know specifically when a timetable is," said Bush, who shrugged off any psychological effects from being hit by the line drive. "The goal is just to get back as soon as I can. This start is just another step. I just need to feel like I can get major league hitters out before I go back."