Jim Goulart

Nashville Site: Link for Hernan Iribarren photo, text follows -- Homestand Opener Suspended Due To Rain NASHVILLE - The homestand opener between the Nashville Sounds and Albuquerque Isotopes was suspended due to rain with two outs in the top of the fourth inning with Albuquerque holding a 2-1 lead on Saturday evening at historic Greer Stadium. The game, which began following a 84-minute rain delay, was halted due to heavy rains at 8:24 p.m. and suspended at 8:46 p.m. It will be completed to its nine-inning finish on Sunday evening beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday's regularly scheduled contest between the clubs will be a seven-inning contest that will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the completion of the suspended game. Nashville took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Cole Gillespie led off with a single against Isotopes starter Charlie Haeger and later scored on Hernan Iribarren's two-out RBI triple to right-center. Albuquerque rallied to take a 2-1 lead against Sounds starter Tim Dillard. Jamie Hoffmann drew an inning-opening walk and moved to third on a single by ex-Sound J.D. Closser. Luis Maza tied the contest with a sacrifice fly to left before third baseman Juan Gonzalez put the visitors in front with a single to center. In Sunday's second contest, left-hander Chris Cody (2-3, 3.73) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Albuquerque southpaw Scott Elbert (1-1, 4.91).

David Weiser's starsboxscore.com Backfire Stars get shell shocked in first July 4 loss in four years What looked to my eyes was a full house at Joe Davis Stadium for the nation's holiday was just officially 7,819 -- the lowest attendance figure for a July 4 game at the Joe since 1986 -- and that was a July 3 game. (The Stars went on the road the next day to play Memphis.)....... The big attraction, of course, was the fireworks, which is what everyone gets psyched for on this day, and it was an excellent show. After the fireworks, hundreds of ladies lined up on the field in back of the plate for the diamond dig (poker chips were hidden about 1/2 deep on the warning track between the 405 marker and the foul line in right field. At the word "GO", it looked like the Oklahoma Land Rush. The first five to get the chip, run back in and touch first base, won an envelope with the prize -- the grand prize being a $2,500 diamond ring....... Me -- give me the season ticket. Unfortunately, the Stars allowed the Diamond Jaxx to take over the Northern Division lead with this 10-2 loss........ Mike Jones fresh off the disabled list and making his first start since June 12, was greeted rather odiously with back-to-back HRs by Greg Halman (the league HR leader) and Thomas Hubbard, the #2 and #3 hitters, in the 1st inning --- that after a five-pitch walk to Enrique Carrera. The Stars came back to make it a 3-2 game after two innings on a bases-loaded sac fly by Vinny Rottino and another sacrifice-turned double play by Adam Stern in the 3rd........ The Diamond Jaxx broke it open in the 7th inning thanks to a two-out fielding error by Chuckie Caufield, leading to four unearned runs off Zach Braddock........ The Stars, by the way, lead Southern League pitchers in unearned runs allowed with 71. West Tennessee comes closest after that with 62....... While he had a bad day in the field, Caufield did extend his hit streak to 10 games -- two short of Kevin Melillo's season-best 12 games. Caufield is 12-for-36 during his streak with two extra-base hits (both doubles) and just two RBIs. The Stars are hitting just .248 since they captured the first half title...... Shane Justis has seen his average go from a peak of .321 on June 15 to below .300 for the first time since May 18....... The Stars finished June with a 14-15 record. They have not had a winning June since 2003....... Omar Aguilar threw the Huntsville Stars' 30,000th inning on June 13 vs. Jacksonville...... When they hit into five double plays vs. Tennessee on July 1, it tied a club record which was set in the 2nd year of existence -- 1986 -- against Knoxville....... That same night, Jonathan Lucroy drew four walks in a game, the most since Steve Sollmann drew five in a game on April 16, 2007....... Donovan Hand (6-1, 2.39) faces former Huntsville Star Luis Pena (of the 100+ mph fast ball and the infamous HR to Sergio Pedroza in the 2007 Championship Series) Sunday. The pride of Hatton High School is 2nd among SL ERA leaders. Lorenzo Cain is off the disabled list and has been moved from the Arizona League to Class A-Wisconsin..... Josh Butler, who threw just 25 pitches in his start on Thursday, has been placed on the disabled list. The Southern League North Division's tentative starting lineup for the 2009 Southern League All-Star Game scheduled for July 13 at Regions Park is as follows: 1- Ezequiel Carrera (CF) West Tenn 2-Adam Stern (RF) Huntsville 3-Todd Frazier (LF) Carolina 4-Josh Bell (3B) Chattanooga 5-Marshall Hubbard (DH) West Tenn 6-Shane Justis (2B) Huntsville 7-Blake Lalli (1B) Tennessee 8-Jonathan Lucroy © Huntsville 9-Zack Cozart (SS) Carolina SP-Travis Wood (P) Carolina The North All-Stars will be managed by Diamond Jaxx manager Phil Plantier...... The Stars had seven players named to the 2009 All-Star team. In addition to Stern, Justis and Lucroy, pitchers Casey Baron, Robert Hinton and Hand, and outfielder Drew Anderson were also selected. Anderson has been promoted to the Milwaukee Brewers AAA team in Nashville.

Final: West Tenn (Mariners) 10, Huntsville 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary Jaxx Down Stars Behind Power Onslaught West Tenn Takes Over Top Spot in Division By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Greg Halman belted two of West Tenn's season-high five home runs in a 10-2 triumph over Huntsville Saturday night in front of the biggest crowd of the season, in the opener of a four-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Diamond Jaxx improved to 8-5 in the second half and moved into sole possession of first place in the North Division, one game in front of the Stars, who fell to 7-6 in the second half and 45-37 overall. West Tenn downed Huntsville for just a third time in 16 meetings this season. Ezequiel Carerra walked to begin the game and scored when Halman followed with his 17th home run of the season. Marshall Hubbard then belted a long ball to give the visitors a 3-0 lead three batters into the game. The Stars answered with a Vinny Rottino sacrifice fly in the first inning and an Adam Stern scoring fly ball in the second inning to cut the Jaxx' lead to 3-2. Halman's second homer of the night, an opposite field poke to right field with two out in the fifth gave the Jaxx a 4-2 lead and gave him the league lead. Stars' starter Mike Jones was lifted after five frames and suffered the loss to fall to 1-3 after allowing four hits, walking two and fanning four. Jones has been beaten by the Diamond Jaxx two times this year. West Tenn starter Luis Munoz was lifted after consecutive walks with one out in the fifth and replaced by Ricky Orta, who got Shane Justis to ground into a double play to end the inning. Orta threw 2 1/3 shutout frames, allowing one hit, to earn his second win of the year. Josh Fields retired all six hitters he faced to close out the game, as he and Orta set down the last nine Huntsville hitters and 13 of the 14 they faced. Chuck Caufield misplayed a fly ball that allowed two runs to score with two outs in the seventh before Mike Wilson smashed his first home run of the season, a two-run clout that made it 8-2. Former Brewer farmhand Jimmy Mojica added a two-run shot in the eighth off of Robert Hinton, who had a streak of 11 straight outings without giving up an earned run brought to an end. The series continues Sunday afternoon with right-hander Donovan Hand taking the hill against West Tenn right-hander and former Huntsville Star Luis Pena. 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 Over 7,800 at Joe Davis for fireworks, that's it for the positives... Huntsville Game Log

Final: Daytona (Cubs) 4, Brevard County 1 Game Summary from the Daytona Site: VIERA - A streak of four consecutive losses was put to rest by the Daytona Cubs (5-5, 39-38) with a 4-1 win over the rival Brevard County Manatees (5-4, 45-28) on the Independence Day holiday. The Cubs and Manatees have split the 2009 series through ten meetings. Daytona was the one to score first on this night. The Cubs pushed one across with center fielder Tony Campana coming in on a line-drive single into right field by Brandon Guyer. The Cubs made it 2-0 in the top of the third inning. Designated hitter Jake Opitz opened the inning with a double down the right field line. He moved to third on a deep fly out to right field by Robinson Chirinos and came home on a wild pitch. Brevard County answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the third inning. Third baseman Brent Brewer lined a single into right field with one out before he moved to second with a stolen base. Logan Schafer drew a walk to put runners at first and second. Left fielder Lee Haydel took advantage with a single up the middle to score Brewer and cut the Cubs lead to 2-1. Daytona took advantage of a number of Manatees miscues in the top of the fifth inning. Campana led off the frame with a drag bunt to the left side of the infield. Starlin Castro laid down a sacrifice bunt, but the back end of the play was botched by first baseman Steffan Wilson to put runners at second and third. Campana would come in on a wild pitch by reliever Rafael Lluberes, while Castro followed him to third. Brevard County's second error came on a mishandled ground ball by Brewer that allowed Opitz to reach. With runners at the corners, Brandon Guyer grounded into a double play that scored Castro to make it a 4-1 ball game. Cubs starter Dan McDaniel delivered a second straight solid start, as he scattered four hits and a run over five innings. The righty also struck out seven batters, his second highest total of the season. Cubs pitchers combined to strike out ten Manatees. Brevard County Box ScoreAs mentioned above, let's give LHP Lucas Luetge a nod for his four innings of shutout relief; looks like we won't be able to get truly excited about a Mark Rogers start until 2010 -- hitters often don't get to see him more than once per game, make adjustments, etc.; Brent Brewer singled twice, stole three bases (now 16-for-20), but committed error # 19 as he adjusts to third base for now; Lee Haydel 3-for-4, but the .311 OBP is barely more than the .283 average -- Haydel has 10 walks in 286 AB's, even 30 walks would be on the low end of the desired one-for-every-ten-AB threshold; Caleb Gindl singled twice, as all eight Manatee hits went for just one base... Brevard County Game Log Chances wasted in the 5th and 6th; another big home fireworks crowd (over 4,000)...

Final: Wisconsin 2, Burlington (Royals) 1 Wisconsin Site Game Summary Watten and Wisconsin edge Burlington By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers BURLINGTON, IA -- Trey Watten got just enough offensive support. The Timber Rattler right-handed starting pitcher made five starts in June and had an ERA of 1.65, but his record was just 1-0. Against the Burlington Bees Saturday night at Community Field, Watten allowed one unearned run over eight innings and got his fourth win of the season as the Rattlers beat the Bees 2-1. Peter Fatse singled with one out in the Rattlers half of the first inning. Lorenzo Cain sent him around to third with a single to right. Fatse scored from third on a passed ball charged to catcher Sean McCauley. Wisconsin (40-39 overall, 6-3 second half) tacked on another run in the top of the sixth inning. The Rattlers loaded the bases against Burlington starting pitcher Mike Montgomery with a two-out single by Fatse and back-to-back walks to Cain and Brett Lawrie. Eric Basurto relieved Montgomery to face Corey Kemp. Kemp drew a four-pitch walk to force in Fatse for a 2-0 Wisconsin lead. Wisconsin would need that run. Watten, who had only allowed two hits through the first six innings, gave up a leadoff double to Eric Hosmer in the bottom of the seventh. The Rattlers starter would get the next two batters. But David Wood's line drive to left was misjudged by Juan Sanchez and instead of the final out of the inning, the ball sailed past Sanchez for an error and Hosmer scored to get Burlington (33-46, 4-5) on the board. Watten would get the final out of the seventh inning and retire the side in order in the eighth inning to protect that 2-1 lead. He finished the night with no walks allowed and six strikeouts. Daniel Meadows came on to close the game and he retired the side in order in the ninth -- with a pair of strikeouts to pick up his first professional save. Game two of the series is Sunday afternoon. Cody Adams (1-5, 5.59) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Sam Runion (3-4, 6.08) is set to start for the Bees. Game time is 2:00 PM. Wisconsin Box Score Way to go, 22-year-old Trey Watten, one of the organizational pitching lines of the year; 14 ground ball outs for Trey; Brett Lawrie walked all four plate appearances -- I'll revise a recent comment, the kid's having a better than nice season; Peter Fatse (in right field tonight) and Lorenzo Cain each reached three times; the Timber Rattlers didn't hit, didn't hit in the clutch, didn't field well, didn't run well, but won -- thank you, pitching... Wisconsin Game Log

Final: Great Falls (White Sox) 6, Helena 5, ten innings From the Helena Independent Record: Helena's Ben Jeffers struggled from the mound in the bottom of the 10th in Great Falls Saturday, and fielding errors behind him helped the Voyagers push two winning runs across the plate. Great Falls beat the Brewers 6-5 in a close, extra-inning affair that didn't see many fireworks on the Fourth of July until things got interesting late in the game. The victory gave the Voyagers sole possession of first place in the Pioneer League's North Division. It was Helena's first game against Great Falls this season. Before the two-game series kicked off Saturday, the two squads boasted 7-4 records and shared the league lead. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when the Voyagers scored a run thanks to a fielding error by Helena second baseman Cutter Dykstra. Helena's Scott Krieger hit a two-run double off Voyagers reliever Ryan Buch to finish off the Brewers' four-run eighth inning. The Voyagers would answer with three runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth to tie it. Jake Odorizzi had a solid start for the Brewers, but Helena was unable to hold on in the end. Helena Box Score Just a fantastic line for Jake Odorizzi; big (6'6", 230 lb.) RHP Robert Currie stranded two runners for Eric Arnett and has been very sharp in four outings; Josh Prince is going to find that catchers at higher levels will fare better against him (17-of-22 on the basepaths is good, but not outstanding); hopefully we won't be looking back at Jack Z. drafts and wondering what could have been with 2nd round middle infielders -- Cutter Dykstra providing shades of Brent Brewer, oh wait, J.J. Hardy was a 2nd round middle infielder; let's give Joey Paciorek credit for his 8th inning sacrifice bunt, which set up the four-run rally, but let's also note Paciorek's error at first base in the 10th didn't help matters... Helena Game Log Over 4,600 on hand, the largest crowd most of these kids have ever played before...

It's over and out after two appearances for Helena RHP Ivan Herrera-Rusova, the 22-year-old Cuban native and former Pirate farmhand, given his release by the Brewers this weekend.

In Gord Ash's pre-game interview with Cory Provus this weekend, Ash mentioned that RHP Josh Butler could be out a month with an intercostal sprain.

Final: Arizona Indians 8, Arizona Brewers 1 Arizona Box Score As noted above, what can you make of 13 base hits and an HBP (no walks) for rehabbing (knee) R.J. Seidel as he faced 22 batters? Only four lonely singles as Brewer batters K'd 13 times while drawing two walks and an HBP; undrafted free agent middle infielder Connor Lind had two hits; 18-year-old OF Jose Garcia had been off to a strong start, but was 0-for-3 with three K's here; 25th round OF Demetrius McKelvie drew a walk in the game -- it was his professional debut... Arizona Game Log

Final: DSL Royals 4, DSL Brewers / Orioles 0 DSL Brewers / Orioles Box Score LHP Jose Ramos pitched the final two innings, allowing three runs, one earned; SS Andres Martinez saw his average fall to .214 with an 0-for-3 (sacrifice) and committed his 8th error; Jhonatan Javier (DH) and Juan Barrini each singled in the shutout loss... DSL Brewers / Orioles Game Log

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 46 36 .561 - 25-17 21-19 W1 Iowa 42 39 .519 3.5 25-17 17-22 W2 Memphis 37 43 .463 8.0 22-16 15-27 L3 Omaha 32 48 .400 13.0 15-23 17-25 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 7 5 .583 - 4-2 3-3 L1 West Tenn 7 5 .583 - 4-2 3-3 W2 Chattanooga 6 6 .500 1.0 4-2 2-4 W1 Tennessee 6 6 .500 1.0 3-3 3-3 W1 Carolina 3 9 .250 4.0 1-5 2-4 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tampa 6 1 .857 - 3-1 3-0 W5 Clearwater 7 2 .778 - 0-1 7-1 L2 Dunedin 5 2 .714 1.0 4-2 1-0 W2 Brevard County 5 3 .625 1.5 3-2 2-1 W1 Daytona 4 5 .444 3.0 1-3 3-2 L4 Lakeland 2 6 .250 4.5 0-3 2-3 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 7 4 .636 - 4-1 3-3 W1 Helena 7 4 .636 - 3-2 4-2 W3 Missoula 6 5 .545 1.0 4-2 2-3 L1 Billings 2 9 .182 5.0 1-5 1-4 L3

Midwest League Standings Arizona League Standings Dominican Summer League Standings

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.

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. 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_07_04_albaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2009_07_04_wtdaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2009_07_04_dbcafa_breafa_1 Wisconsin: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_07_04_wisafx_burafx_1&did=t572&sid=t572 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_07_04_helrok_grfrok_1&did=t433&sid=t433 Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2009_07_04_brrrok_clerok_1 Dominican Summer League Brewers / Orioles: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&gid=2009_07_04_dryrok_dobrok_1&cid=3130&t=g_box

Saturday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Tim Dillard at home vs. Albuquerque (Dodgers), 5:35 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: RHP Mike Jones at home vs. West Tenn (Cubs), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: RHP Mark Rogers at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 6:05 PM gametime Live (Opponent's) Audio Link Wisconsin: RHP Trey Watten at Burlington (Royals), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime Live Audio Link Helena: TBD at Great Falls (White Sox), 7:45 PM pre-game; 8:00 gametime Live Audio Link Arizona Summer League: at the Indians' complex in Goodyear; no more day games -- all games begin at 7:00 local time in the desert; no audio, naturally... Dominican Summer League Brewers / Orioles: at home vs. the DSL Royals (see this thread for some roster background) -- all games are 10:30 local time in the Dominican, and no need to ask about web audio; we usually won't see updated box scores until the overnight...

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Offseason work, inseason reward Workout regimen, new pitchwes help turn Hand into an all-star By Gregg Dewalt TimesDaily.com (AL) Sports Editor Upon reflection, Donovan Hand admits he might have gotten a little complacent last season after being called up from Single A to the Double A Huntsville Stars at midseason. An all-star in the Florida State League, Hand couldn't keep up the pace with the Stars, where he finished with a 3-4 record and a 5.09 ERA. "I didn't do what I needed to do to carry over the success I had," the former Hatton and Jacksonville State standout said earlier this week after being selected to pitch in the Southern League All-Star Game. "I think I was just happy to be (in Huntsville.)" In the offseason, Hand dedicated himself to getting in better shape in an effort to return to the form that helped him climb the ladder quickly to Double A. He joined a gym, shed some weight and started working on some pitches he is confident will help him continue his climb to the major leagues. The efforts have paid off. Hand is 6-1 with a sparkling 2.39 ERA for the Stars. "I got out of shape last year," he said. "It's a long season and I realized what I have to do to keep myself fresh. I worked hard in the offseason. I lost about 10 or 12 pounds, saw a nutrionist and started eating right. I got my body fat down. It was a good offseason, and it's paying off." Hand said the transition from high school and college baseball to the minor leagues is a tough adjustment. "You go from playing 30 and 60 games with plenty of days off to playing 140 games in 160 days," he said. "It's a big shock to your body. I didn't realize it last year. You have to put your work in early because you are going to get tired." Hand also spent the offseason and spring training tinkering with his pitches and his mechanics. "I'm trying to learn to control a 12-to-6 breaking ball, and I've been throwing a cut fastball that's kind of like a mini slider," he said. "It's a constant thing - trying new grips to see what works and what doesn't." Hand said the Stars, which are affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers, don't have their pitchers on strict innings counts like many organizations. Hand will pitch for the North team in the Southern League All-Star Game on july 13 at Regions Park in Hoover. Donovan Hand credits an offseason workout regimen for helping produce an all-star first half of the season in Huntsville. Huntsville Times photo http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=FT&Date=20090704&Category=ARTICLES&ArtNo=907045028&Ref=AR&Profile=1142

A bit of Nick Green video here from Friday's game.

Interestingly in the DSL game, closer Edwin Linares was forced to bat twice as the designated hitter was lost when Jhonatan Javier moved behind the plate mid-game.

Final: DSL Brewers / Orioles 9, DSL Angels 8, 12 innings DSL Brewers / Orioles Box Score 19-year-old RHP Edwin Linares (again with a heavy day-to-day workload, something you'd never see in Maryvale with these pitchers) blew the save but earned the win while working three innings; tall (but not big) 6'7", 170-lb. lefty Eliezer Montano a decent relief effort; three of the Brewers' kids were HBP -- a frequent event in this league; bring catcher Jhonatan Javier state-side already -- on base all five times up, plus a sacrifice fly, now with a .970 OPS... DSL Brewers / Orioles Game Log

Final: Helena 6, Billings 5 Link while active, text follows: Helena leaves Billings with sweep of Mustangs GREG RACHAC Of The Billings Gazette Staff As soon as the ball got past Helena catcher Shawn Zarraga, Alex Oliveras saw a golden opportunity to give his team the lift it desperately needed. Per the Billings Mustangs' current trend, however, what looked like a sure thing was their downfall in a 6-5 loss to the Brewers Friday night at Dehler Park. Representing the tying run at third base in the bottom of the ninth inning, Oliveras was thrown out trying to score on a Michael Fiers pitch that eluded Zarraga and went to the backstop. As Oliveras bolted for home, Zarraga got to the ball and flipped it to Fiers covering at the plate, where he tagged Oliveras for the second out of the inning. And following a Yen-Wen Kuo strikeout a few pitches later, the Mustangs went home on the short end yet again. "Talking to Delino, he said, 'Are you going to go if the ball gets through?'" Oliveras said. "I thought the ball was going to go a little bit farther." The Delino in this equation was Mustangs' third base coach Delino DeShields. No matter what advice the veteran of 13 major league seasons could provide Oliveras, the Mustangs' center fielder made what he considered to be the right move as a base runner. "It's just part of the game," Oliveras said. "You're just thinking about winning. We've had a rough couple days, just ups and downs." Indeed, the Mustangs have struggled mightily to open the season. The loss served as their third in a row - all at home to Helena - and sent their plummeting record to 2-9 at the bottom of the Pioneer League's North Division. A night after a ninth-inning marred by errors and poor pitching derailed their chance to find the win column, the Mustangs looked ready to turn the tables on Helena. Oliveras got a break leading off the ninth when second baseman Cutter Dykstra dropped his pop fly in shallow right field. With Oliveras on second base, designated hitter Mark Fleury laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and Billings was in business. "It's a good play by Oliveras," said Mustangs manager Julio Garcia. "As soon as he saw that ball get through he took off. It was a good reaction by the catcher and obviously a good play by the pitcher holding on to the ball." Fleury, making his professional debut after the Cincinnati Reds made him a fourth-round selection in the MLB draft in June, had a single and an RBI. Fleury, out of the University of North Carolina, should figure into the Mustangs' catching rotation with Chris McMurray and Trey Manz still sidelined with injuries. Humberto Sosa has been Billings' regular catcher thus far, and he continued to swing a torrid bat. Sosa went 2-for-4 with a single and a double and drove in a run. He is 11-for-23 in his last six games. Starter Leonardo Astorga gave up eight hits and four earned runs in three innings and did not figure into the decision. Helena starter Nick Bucci earned his second victory while Fiers locked down his second save. NOTES: Helena DH Joey Paciorek was ejected in the seventh inning by home plate umpire Derrick Brooks for arguing balls and strikes. Helena's Edgar Trejo was ejected a night earlier. Helena Box Score Brewers made the most of seven walks, two HBP's, two sacrifice flies; Scott Krieger and Shawn Zarraga each reached thrice... Helena Game Log Eventful 5th inning defensively for Krieger, with a throwing error and an outfield assist... All photos by PAUL RUHTER/Billings Gazette Staff Josh Garton of Billings slides back to first base as Helena's Hitaniel Arias misses a wild throw during play Friday, July 3, 2009 at Dehler Park. Garton was thrown out at third when he attempted to advance to bases on the play. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/2/94/16a/29416aaa-6860-11de-9933-001cc4c002e0.image.jpg?_dc=1246687309 Helena Brewers pitcher Nick Bucci stretches out to make a catch at first base for an out on Josh Garton of Billings during the fourth inning of play. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/billingsgazette.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/a/06/19c/a0619c40-6860-11de-8bf7-001cc4c002e0.image.jpg?_dc=1246687508

Final: Clinton (Mariners) 9, Wisconsin 7 Wisconsin Site Game Summary Wisconsin comeback falls short By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI -- The Clinton LumberKings scored nine times in the first two innings. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scratched and clawed their way back to within three runs in the bottom of the ninth and had the tying run at the plate with no outs. But, Clinton held on for the 9-7 win Friday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Steve Moss had a three-run homer to put the L-Kings up nine in the top of the second inning and that proved to be too much for Wisconsin. Clinton (44-34 overall, 4-4 second half) jumped on Wisconsin starting pitcher Efrain Nieves right away. A bunt single on the first pitch of the game, a walk, and another single loaded the bases with no outs. Nieves would get the first out, but Jake Shaffer lined a double to right that cleared the bases for a 3-0 Clinton lead. Later in the inning, Nate Tenbrink singled in the final run for a 4-0 advantage. The Rattlers (39-39, 5-3) went down in order in the bottom of the first inning and the LumberKings went to right back to work in the top of the second inning. Daniel Carroll tripled with one out in the top of the second inning and would score when the throw into the infield got away. Denny Almonte's RBI fielder choice with the bases loaded drove in a run. Then, Moss lifted his three-run homer to left and the LumberKings were up 9-0. Wisconsin rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. John Delaney doubled in the first run and an RBI single by Michael Vass made the score 9-2. The Rattlers chipped away again in the bottom of the fourth inning. Michael Marseco tripled in a run with one out and would score on a Juan Sanchez RBI grounder to make the score 9-4. Marseco delivered again in the fifth inning. His two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fifth cut the Clinton lead to three runs. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Lorenzo Cain drew a leadoff walk against LumberKing closer Ruben Flores. Brett Lawrie followed with a double to put runners at second and third with no outs and the Rattlers down 9-6. Corey Kemp knocked in Cain with a grounder to short and Lawrie took third on the play that made it 9-7. But, Flores struck out the next two batters to preserve the win, get his sixteenth save of the season, and give the LumberKings a split of the four game series. Wisconsin starts a four game series with the Burlington Bees at Community Field on Saturday night. Trey Watten (3-6, 3.91) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Mike Montgomery (1-1, 1.93) is set to start for the Bees. Game time in Burlington, Iowa is 6:30 PM. The Rattlers return home for a six-game homestand against a pair of Eastern Division teams July 8-13. The West Michigan Whitecaps and South Bend Silver Hawks are in for three games each. Wisconsin Box Score There will be little chance for a respectable 2009 ERA for Efrain Nieves now -- others fared better after his departure; despite a very big game, Michael Marseco's OPS still below .500... Wisconsin Game Log

Josh, what can you tell us about Brent Brewer playing third base as of late? Are they just developing some flexibility? Is he excited about it? You had been adamant that Brewer was going to stick at short in prior comments here with us. Offensively, I imagine Brent is a bit disappointed and is working hard to turn it around. For everyone's reference, Brewer's line is .218 / .278 / .299 (.577 OPS), with 69 K's in 211 AB's.

Final: Brevard County 4, Daytona (Cubs) 2 Brevard County Site Game Summary Errecart Blast Boosts Manatees over Cubs Manatees Win Fourth Straight over Rival Daytona By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees (Viera, FL) Chris Errecart got Brevard County started early with a first-inning homer, and the Manatees were able to hold off the Daytona Cubs for a 4-2 victory. After Manatees' starter Alex Periard battled out of a bases-loaded jam in the top half of the inning, Lee Haydel and Steffan Wilson reached base on consecutive singles. Errecart followed with a rocket over the left field fence to give Brevard County the early 3-0 lead. Daytona got on the board in the third inning on Jake Opitz's RBI single. One pitch into the bottom of the fourth inning, the rain began falling in buckets, forcing the teams off the field for a one hour, eighteen minute rain delay. The Manatees added another run in the fifth inning when Haydel scored on a wild pitch by the Cubs' Henry Williamson. Jim Henderson (1-0) took over for Periard after the delay, allowing just one run on one hit in three innings to earn his first win as a Manatee. Roque Mercedes worked out of an eighth-inning jam, then struck out the last three batters of the ninth inning to get the save, his fourth of the season. Daytona starter James Leverton took the loss, falling to 5-8. Brevard County has re-taken the lead in the I-95 Battle for the Roadside Trophy series, 5-4. The teams meet again Saturday, with Mark Rogers (0-1, 1.37) of the Manatees taking on Daytona's Dan McDaniel (4-5, 4.45). There will be an even larger fireworks show following the game Saturday night, brought to you by MetroPCS. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). Brevard County Box Score Alex Periard danced around four walks in four innings (one run); no suspension at all (at least not yet) for Carlos Corporan following Thursday's ejection; Brent Brewer now a third baseman, apparently; over 4,500 in Space Coast for fireworks... Brevard County Game Log Chris Errecart launches a three-run homer in the first inning of Friday's win. (MiLB.com photo by Dennis Greenblatt) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2009/07/03/krZmWJ7B.jpg

Final: Tennessee (Cubs) 5, Huntsville 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary Tennessee Makes It Through Shaky Last Frame Stars and Smokies Split Six-Game Set By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Marcos Mateo worked six solid innings and Tennessee survived a wild ninth inning to get past Huntsville 5-3 Friday night in the last of a six-game set at in front of 7,655, the largest crowd ever at Smokies Park. The Smokies evened their second half record at 6-6 and moved to within a game of the North Division leading Stars, who slipped to 7-5 in the second half and 45-36 overall. The Stars claimed 10 of the 14 games in Sevierville and 10 out of 16 in the season series. Tyler Colvin reached on a fielder's choice grounder in the first inning, stole second and came into score the game's first run when Marquez Smith singled into center field. The Stars got the game tied in the bottom of the inning when Kevin Melillo drew a leadoff walk, moved to second base on a Mateo balk, advanced to third base on a Vinny Rottino single and scored on a J.R. Hopf base hit. Tennessee regained the lead in the fourth inning when Smith doubled with one out and scored on a single by Blake Lalli, who was awarded third base on an errant throw back to the infield by Stars' center fielder Freddy Parejo. The next pitch from Nick Green was a wild one, going back to the screen behind the plate and allowing Lalli to score to make it a 3-1 game. Mateo retired the last 11 batters he faced and departed having allowed a run on three hits, while walking one and fanning five. He held the Stars to two runs over 11 innings in his two starts in the series and won for the first time since beating Mississippi on May 9. Marco Carillo tossed two scoreless frames and has blanked the Stars over 6 1/3 innings in his three outings against them. Green lasted 6 2/3 innings in his first start with the Stars, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits, while walking one and striking out four. He had started the season at triple-A Nashville and made nine turns before suffering an injury that necessitated him going to the Arizona Rookie League before joining the Stars. Josh Wahpepah allowed a two-run pinch-hit single by Russ Canzler in the eighth inning that accounted for the Smokies' final runs of the game. Brian Schlitter walked two batters and then walked Hopf to load the bases with two out in the ninth before he put pinch-hitter Jonathan Lucroy on board with a base on balls to force in a run to make it 5-2 and force his exit from the game. Jayson Ruhlman took over and walked Johnny Raburn to force in Rottino before Adam Stern grounded out on a very close play at first base to end the game. Ruhlman recorded his first save of the season. The Stars return home Saturday to begin a four-game series with West Tenn with right-hander Mike Jones starting for the Stars against Diamond Jaxx' right-hander Luis Munoz. 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 The Cubs' starter, Marcos Mateo, is the only AA player on their 40-man roster; Smokies' manager Ryne Sandberg ejected for the second time in the series, and will likely draw a suspension for bumping the umpire; Stars box scores are bland without Jonathan Lucroy, Taylor Green, and Lorenzo Cain in the starting lineup -- Michael Garciaparra hit 3rd, yikes... Huntsville Game Log Double-switch positional fun -- Tennessee Bottom 7th Welington Castillo grounds out, second baseman Shane Justis to first baseman J. R. Hopf. Jonathan Mota strikes out on foul tip. Nate Samson reaches on fielding error by second baseman Shane Justis. Defensive switch from right field to center field for Adam Stern. Defensive switch from third base to first base for Kevin Melillo. Defensive switch from catcher to right field for Vinny Rottino. Defensive switch from first base to catcher for J. R. Hopf. Pitcher Change: Joshua Wahpepah replaces Nick Green, batting 8th. Defensive Substitution: John Raburn replaces pitcher Nick Green, batting 9th, playing third base. Tyler Colvin walks. Nate Samson to 2nd. Marquez Smith strikes out swinging.