Jim Goulart

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

Link while active, text follows: Stars falter in last inning West Tenn scores five runs late to claim 6-3 victory By Paul Gattis Huntsville Times Sports Staff, paul.gattis@htimes.com The Huntsville Stars have done it all season. So a little payback was perhaps way overdue. "I don't know about that," Stars left fielder Vinny Rottino said. "But that's part of the game." Sunday's part of the game kicked the Stars in the teeth when reliever Juan Sandoval couldn't hold a two-run lead in the ninth inning and West Tenn rallied for a 6-3 victory at Joe Davis Stadium. The Diamond Jaxx scored five runs in the ninth to wipe out the Stars' 3-1 lead and four-game winning streak. Of the Stars' 20 win this season, eight have come in their final at-bat - most recently a 1-0 win over West Tenn on Friday night. So the other shoe dropped Sunday on the Stars. "We've lost some tough games and we've won our share of tough games," manager Bob Miscik said. "It's baseball. They came back and got us." It fell apart quickly for the Stars, which held the Diamond Jaxx to just three hits entering the ninth inning behind the work of starter Mark Holliman and reliever Derrick Ellison. Sandoval, who got the final out in the eighth, opened the ninth allowing a single to Greg Halman - who advanced to second on Rottino's error. Marshall Hubbard followed with a walk, Matt Mangini singled home Halman, and Erick Monzon bunted Mangini to second. And Sandoval (1-1) was out of the game - allowing three runs in 2/3 of an inning. Sandoval came into the game allowing just four runs in 13 innings. "That's not as sharp as I've seen him," Miscik said. "I've seen him with more life on his fastball. The big pitch that cost him was he had Halman 1-2 and threw the slider, and Halman hit it. If he throws that pitch where he wants it and gets the lead-off hitter in the ninth, you start feeling good." But Miscik started feeling bad long before the ninth. The Stars roughed up West Tenn starter Danny Christensen for three runs in four innings - including Rottino's first home run of the season. But then Christensen found a groove and retired the final 12 Stars he faced. And the Stars never built on that early 3-0 lead. "Their lefty did a good job keeping them in the game," Miscik said. "I was thinking that about the fifth or sixth. You never know at the end of the game. The ninth inning is always hard. It could have gotten out of hand there easily there, and it didn't. And they came back on us." The Stars still lead the Southern League North division by one game over Tennessee heading into today's home finale against West Tenn. The Stars were 7-0 against the Diamond Jaxx before Sunday's loss. "The odds were we were going to give eventually, and we gave in the ninth inning," Miscik said. But an agonizing loss, Rottino said, won't undermine the confidence the Stars had built. "You're going to have games like that," Rottino said. "So what? You chalk it up to whatever. You can't dwell on it. We're playing really well. We have guys here who are grinders and going to fight every step of the way. So we're going to be fine."

Followup video of the fun the Sounds had with some deaf kids last week

Final: West Tenn (Mariners) 6, Huntsville 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary Ninth Inning Rally for Victorious Jaxx West Tenn Comes Back to Beat Stars By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Yamid Haad doubled home the go-ahead run in a five-run ninth inning rally, as West Tenn came back to stun Huntsville 6-3 Sunday afternoon in the fourth of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Diamond Jaxx won for the first time in eight tries against the Stars, who dropped to 20-19 and saw their lead over Tennessee in the North Division sliced to a game after the Smokies beat Birmingham. Juan Sandoval recorded the last out in the eighth inning and opened the ninth by giving up a single to Greg Halman, who advanced to second base on a fielding error by Vinny Rottino and moved to third base on a wild pitch. Marshall Hubbard walked and Matt Mangini followed with a single that plated Halman to cut the Stars lead to 3-2 and send Hubbard to third. Sandoval uncorked another wild pitch that allowed Hubbard to score to tie the game and Manginin advance to second base. Erick Monzon's sacrifice bunt pushed Mangini to third and nudged Sandoval out of the game, as he was replaced by Robert Hinton, who intentionally passed Johan Limonta, the first batter he faced. Haad then ripped the first pitch he saw to left for a double to drive in Mangini to put the visitors in the lead for the first time and move Limonta to third. Oswaldo Navarro then lined the first pitch he saw for a single to score Limonta and move to Haad to third from where he then scored on a Mel Stocker ground out to complete the uprising. West Tenn improved to 17-25 and won for just the second time in 20 games when trailing entering the ninth inning. Sandoval suffered his first loss and second blown save, while Hinton's 14 1/3 scoreless innings streak was brought to a halt. Freddy Parejo singled in a run in the second inning to get the scoring started for the home team against starter Danny Christensen. Rottino's lead off long ball and a Yohannis Perez scoring fly ball in the fourth pushed the Stars' lead to 3-0. From there, Christensen settled in and wound up retiring the last 12 batters he faced to close out a season-long seven inning outing during which he gave up three runs on six hits, walked two and struck out three. Anthony Varvaro took over and retired the next five batters before walking Parejo to end the string. Perez struck out to end the game, as Varvaro grabbed his second win. Stars' starter Mark Holliman allowed only one single through five scoreless innings before Hubbard's two-out double in the sixth chased home Stocker with West Tenn's first run and chased the right-hander from the game. Derrick Ellison took over and set down all six hitters he faced before giving way to Sandoval. Holliman, who remains winless in four home starts, yielded three hits, walked two and struck out five. The series concludes Monday afternoon with southpaw David Welch getting the start for Huntsville against West Tenn right-hander Justin Souza. 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 A roster move will need to be made Monday to bring David Welch back to the active roster; hmmm, would Rob Wooten have blown this save? -- the Stars should find out soon, and no, we have no knowledge of an impending transaction involving Wooten; Taylor Green a double and a walk; Jonathan Lucroy just 5-for-37 (.135) in his last ten games... Huntsville Game Log Never understood why you ask a reliever (Robert Hinton) to come into a game and then intentionally walk the first batter he faces! Throws off his rhythm from the bullpen -- couldn't Juan Sandoval have done that? That walk came around to score later, charged to Hinton, who wasn't effective regardless...

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Infielder Adam Heether Wild ride of a season thus far... Final: Nashville 8, Portland (Padres) 6 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Chase Wright photo, text follows -- Sounds Split Series With Beavers PORTLAND, Ore - The Nashville Sounds won the final game of a four-game series against Portland, 8-6, on Sunday afternoon at PGE Park, splitting the season-series against the Beavers. Nashville fell behind 4-0 in the first inning, but rallied the biggest comeback of the season, scoring seven unanswered to win this afternoon's game. Portland loaded the bases in the first inning off of starter Chase Wright. Kyle Blanks' sacrifice fly put the Beavers on top 1-0, with Chad Huffman and Eliezer Alfonzo knocking home three more in the inning to give the Beavers a 4-0 lead. All four runs scored off Wright were unearned due to two errors in the inning by the Sounds. Carlos Corporan hit a leadoff double to start the third inning for the Sounds, followed by a Chase Wright bunt single, his first hit of his career. Jason Bourgeois hit a line drive single to left field to score Corporan for a Beavers 4-1 lead. Brendan Katin continued his hot streak, belting a solo home run to left field to trim the Beavers' lead to 4-2. Katin's home run was his fifth of the year and third in the past three games. Cole Gillespie added a ground-rule double, followed by an RBI-double by Hernan Iribarren to make the score 4-3 Portland. Audio: Katin Home Run Joe Koshansky tied the game at 4-4 with an opposite-field solo home run in the top of the sixth inning. Koshansky continues to kill the ball on the road, belting eight his team-leading homers away from Greer. Iribarren tacked on another single to extend the inning, followed by a walk by pinch hitter Erick Almonte. Bourgeois then singled in Iribarren to give the Sounds their first lead of the afternoon at 5-4. The next batter Alcides Escobar knocked in Almonte and Bourgeois for a 7-4 Nashville lead. Sean Kazmar brought the Beavers back within two in the next frame, homering to left field off Matt Ginter and making the score 7-5, Sounds. After reliever David Johnson walked Huffman in the bottom of the eighth, Alfonzo singled to centerfield, with a fielding error by Bourgeois to allow Huffman to reach third base. Kazmar then grounded out to score Huffman and shrink the Sounds lead to 7-6. Chris Smith came in to relieve Johnson and got pinch hitter Will Venable to strike out swinging to end the inning. Escobar tripled and scored on an Adam Heether single to give Nashville an insurance run in the ninth inning and extend the lead to 8-6. After Brett Dowdy hit a leadoff ground-rule double in the bottom of the ninth inning, Smith was able to get the next three batters out to end the game, earning his team-leading ninth save of the season. Wright (3-4) worked five innings for the Sounds on the afternoon, surrendering all four of his unearned runs in the first inning and earning the win. Ginter added two innings for Nashville, allowing one run on two hits, striking out four in the process. Chris Britton (1-1) took the loss for the Beavers, allowing four runs on four hits in the sixth inning. The Sounds travel to Tacoma to face the Rainiers tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 PM CT at Cheney Stadium for the first game of a four-game series. Right-hander Nick Green (2-2, 4.40) faces southpaw Chris Seddon (1-3, 7.81). Nashville Box Score Four Sounds with multiple hits, including Jason Bourgeois and Alcides Escobar with three apiece at the top of the order; great job by everyone in the posts above picking up on the Hernan Iribarren at third base topic; wouldn't read much into the Angel Salome with a day off note, day game after night; not limiting the damage or picking up his teammates? Chase Wright has allowed 11 unearned runs in 47.2 innings; you have to love Chris Smith -- a 40-man roster spot is in his future, as he can walk at season's end; power-starved organizations should be calling Doug Melvin about Brendan Katin, take a shot... Nashville Game Log

Final: Beloit (Twins) 4, Wisconsin 0 Wisconsin Site Game Summary Snappers take pitchers' duel By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers BELOIT, WI - The Beloit Snappers broke a scoreless tie with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4-0 at Pohlman Field on Sunday afternoon. Joe Testa and Brad Tippett combined on the two-hit shutout and spoiled a terrific outing by Rattler starting pitcher Wily Peralta. Peralta was outstanding on the day. He allowed just three hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out a career high 10 batters over six innings. Testa was pressed into service with an emergency start and gave up one hit over three innings. Tippett, the regularly scheduled starter, showed up late to the ballpark, but he was put in the game to start the fourth and he picked up where Testa stopped. Wisconsin (19-24) had their best chance to score in the seventh inning. Jose Duran walked to start the inning and stole second with one out. He moved to third on a fly ball to right. He tried a steal of home to get the Rattlers on the board, but was the final out of the inning. Evan Frederickson relieved Peralta in the seventh and got into trouble in the eighth. The lefty got the first batter of the inning, but walked the next two. James Beresford was next and he lined a single to left off the glove of third baseman Edgar Trejo to drive in the first run of the game. An error on the play allowed the Snappers (16-26) to move runners to second and third. So, Wisconsin elected to walk Dominic De La Osa to load the bases and set up the double play. Ramon Santana spoiled the strategy with a two-run single to left that made the score 3-0. Another error on the play allowed De La Osa to take third and Santana to move to second. A sacrifice fly by Jon Waltenbury knocked in the final run of the inning. Tippett worked six innings in relief and allowed one hit while striking out five for his fourth win of the season. The final game of the three game series in Beloit is on Monday afternoon. Cody Adams (1-4, 4.37) is the scheduled starter for the Timber Rattlers. Michael Allen (0-5, 6.49) is set to start for the Snappers. Game time on Memorial Day is 2:00 PM. Wisconsin Box Score On a day when we should be focusing on Wily Peralta's remarkable work, we're reminded instead that Evan Frederickson has walked 28 in 29.1 innings; back to Peralta -- in an odd way, it's encouraging that he's already gone through Tommy John (missed all of 2007) and he's hopefully past his "injury nexus" at age just-turned 20; Brett Lawrie grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the 9th; two lonely singles, only one walk drawn, nine K's, didn't deserve the win regardless... Wisconsin Game Log Was Jose Duran's attempted steal of home necessary? Lefty Chris Dennis was at the plate vs. a RHP...

Some of the guys we highlighted in that second tier of P50 players just outside the Top 10 have had a fantastic week since our comments on them, highlighting their positives thus far...

Final: Brevard County 4, Dunedin (Blue Jays) 2 Game Summary from the Dunedin Site Manatees beat Jays 4-2 to complete sweep Jays are 0-9 against Brevard County in '09; Schafer has career day for Sea Cows By Tim Livingston / Dunedin Blue Jays It was a homestand that the Dunedin Blue Jays would love to forget. Limping to the finish line at 1-5 with two rainouts and a sweep at the hands of the Brevard County Manatees wasn't what they had in mind, but it was exactly what they got, as they lost Sunday's series finale to the Manatees, 4-2. One play summed up the day for the Blue Jays. In the sixth inning, Jesus Gonzalez struck out swinging on a ball in the dirt, and after Manatees catcher Anderson De La Rosa looked to apply the tag, home plate umpire Jonathan Bailey said that he missed him as De La Rosa hummed it to third to go around the horn. But Gonzalez, thinking the play was over, stopped running for a second as well, which gave third baseman Steffan Wilson time to throw over to first in time to get Gonzalez by a half step as Gonzalez hurried to reach first. Manatees ace Josh Butler (6-0) went the minimum of five innings, scattering three hits and striking out four while handing out three walks. Meanwhile, Blue Jays starter Vince Bongiovanni (0-2) couldn't get out of the fifth inning, getting pulled with two outs after giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits. The Manatees offense was paced by a career day by Logan Schafer. The center fielder went 5-for-5 in the contest with two doubles, three runs scored, an RBI and two stolen bases. Caleb Gindl chipped in with two hits and an RBI as well for Brevard County. Chris Emanuele was the bright spot for the Blue Jays, lining a two-run double to left center in the ninth to make it interesting, but pinch hitter John Tolisano bounced out weakly to third base to end the game and give reliever Mark Willinsky his first save of the year after he helped umpire Saturday night's game in a pinch. The stats have not been pretty for Dunedin this last run at Dunedin Stadium. The 1-5 stretch made their home record 5-17 overall, and they committed 13 errors in their five losses, including six from shortstop Justin Jackson. After striking out 14 times on Saturday, the Blue Jays struck out 10 times on Sunday, including three each from Adam Loewen and Gonzalez. They have been swept in each of their three game series this season by Brevard County. Brevard County Box Score Logan Schafer's OPS now .811 as a center fielder in the FSL -- outstanding; Josh Butler's early exit again may have had more to do with bullpen guys needing work; RHP Brandon Rapoza struck out two in his inning of work -- still unscored upon in 2009; Brent Brewer still idle -- Zelous Wheeler at short, Steffan Wilson at third base; Eric Farris finally caught stealing... Brevard County Game Log A Wilson leadoff triple in the 4th wasted...

Tom Haudricourt of the Journal-Sentinel: The more, the merrier How many second basemen does one organization need? That was the question asked by some when the Brewers sent Class A Wisconsin outfielder Cutter Dykstra, a second-round pick in 2008, to extended spring training to switch to playing second base. The Brewers' first-rounder from '08, Brett Lawrie, already is playing second base for the Timber Rattlers. But the plan is for Dykstra to go to the rookie club in Helena and play second base one level behind Lawrie. The Brewers also like Eric Farris, a fourth-round pick in 2007 who is playing second base at high Class A Brevard County. So, Farris, Lawrie and Dykstra could move up the ladder the next couple of years while playing at different levels of the system. "Our staff felt this is a good move for (Dykstra)," said farm director Reid Nichols. "It's something he wanted to do in spring training. We tried him in the outfield, but he was having trouble getting good reads and jumps on balls. "This will give him a fresh start." There was skepticism by some, including Nichols, when Lawrie announced in spring camp he wanted to play second base instead of catcher as originally planned. At 6 feet and 200 pounds, Lawrie seemed a bit thick and cumbersome for the position. But Lawrie has adapted quickly to second base and has the makings of an advanced offensive player at the position. "I'm very surprised," admitted Nichols. "I thought he would struggle making the change. He has impressed me with a lot of plays he has made. "He's still young but very athletic. He has good range and hands. He just needs experience."

The MATrix

Detailed update on Brent Weaver, 38th round pick in 2003 -- quite the story...

Another Alabama newspaper catches up with Stars GM Buck Rogers

Link Report Bonus: The TimberRattlers are on their 12-game trip as the Division III College World Series takes place in Appleton. Backing Chapman Members of Chapman University were given Wisconsin Timber Rattlers T-shirts and souvenir cups upon their arrival to the area. Why? Rattlers outfielder Michael Vass is a Chapman alum and played for the No. 9 Panthers (31-16) in last year's tournament. The 24-year-old was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 35th round of the 2008 June draft. Chapman, meanwhile, has made five straight tournament appearances. "We're super proud of Mike," Chapman coach Tom Tereschuk said following a 4-2 victory over No. 12 Farmingdale State College (30-17) in an elimination game. "It worked out great that he was able to play in the World Series and do a great job for us last year and finds himself getting drafted by the Brewers. He had a good first season with them, and now he's with the Timber Rattlers. "It's great. He knows people here. They take good care of him." Included in the Chapman gift package was a bat signed by Vass and his Rattlers teammates. "It sounds like the Timber Rattlers are pulling for Chapman to have some success," Tereschuk said. "It makes it a lot more fun."

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 24 19 .558 - 12-11 12-8 L1 Memphis 22 18 .550 0.5 13-8 9-10 L1 Iowa 22 19 .537 1.0 11-8 11-11 L1 Omaha 19 23 .452 4.5 8-11 11-12 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 20 18 .526 - 9-10 11-8 W4 Tennessee 19 21 .475 2.0 8-10 11-11 W1 Carolina 19 23 .452 3.0 9-11 10-12 W3 Chattanooga 18 24 .429 4.0 10-13 8-11 L4 West Tenn 16 25 .390 5.5 8-11 8-14 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 26 11 .703 - 11-5 15-6 W3 Clearwater 20 18 .526 6.5 8-11 12-7 L2 Daytona 19 19 .500 7.5 8-9 11-10 W2 Lakeland 17 19 .472 8.5 10-10 7-9 W2 Tampa 17 23 .425 10.5 9-13 8-10 W2 Dunedin 15 24 .385 12.0 5-15 10-9 L4

Midwest 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): *** Check in to the Rattler Radio blog a bit prior to Wisconsin's game tonight for Chris Mehring's media notes and such.

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_05_24_nasaaa_poraaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2009_05_24_wtdaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2009_05_24_breafa_dunafa_1 Wisconsin: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_05_24_wisafx_belafx_1&did=t572&sid=t572

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Link here for the live audio choices - audio will no longer archive. Sorry, no audio for this Brevard County series. Nashville: LHP Chase Wright at Portland (Padres), 3:50 PM pre-game; 4:05 gametime Huntsville: RHP Mark Holliman at home vs. West Tenn (Mariners), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:00 gametime Brevard County: RHP Josh Butler at Dunedin (Blue Jays), 12:00 PM gametime Wisconsin: RHP Wily Peralta at Beloit (Twins), 1:40 PM pre-game, 2:00 gametime

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

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Starting Pitcher Sam Narron Narron says Angel Salome has made great strides defensively and handling pitchers...

Final: Portland (Padres) 6, Nashville 4 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Brendan Katin photo, text follows -- Beavers Beat Sounds, 6-4 PORTLAND, Ore. - The Nashville Sounds lost 6-4 to the Portland Beavers on Saturday evening at PGE Park in Portland in the third game of a four-game series. Portland leadoff hitter Brett Dowdy lead the charge for the Beavers, going 3-5 with a home run and four RBIs. Portland was able to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on a Matt Antonelli single that scored pitcher Cesar Ramos. Alcides Escobar tied the game at 1 in the next frame on a single to centerfield that bounced past Beavers' centerfielder Will Venable. Escobar rounded the bases to score after the ball rolled to the wall. AUDIO: Escobar Single and Three-Base Error Dowdy put the Beavers back on top 3-1 with a two-run home run off Mike Burns in the bottom of the fifth inning, his first home run of the season. After an Adam Heether walk in the sixth, Brendan Katin tripled to center field, scoring Heether to trim the Beavers' lead to 3-2. Portland outfielder Kyle Blanks added a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth off Burns to extend the Beavers' lead to 4-2. Katin brought the Sounds within one run again with a solo shot to left field in the top of the eighth inning, his second straight game with a home run. Dowdy's third hit of the game added insurance to the Beavers' lead in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and the bases loaded. Dowdy singled off Chris Narveson that brought home Kyle Blanks and Vince Sinisi for a 6-3 lead. Pinch hitter Hernan Iribarren hit a leadoff single to begin the Sounds rally in the ninth, followed by Jason Bourgeois grounding into a fielder's choice. Next, Escobar added a single off of Portland's Scott Patterson to advance Bourgeois to third base. Eulogio De La Cruz came into the game to face Adam Heether with runners on the corners. During Heether's at-bat, Escobar stole second base and caused Jose Lobaton to make a throwing error, allowing Bourgeois to score, narrowing the Beavers lead to 6-4. After Heether drew the walk, De La Cruz struck out Katin and Angel Salome to end the game for the Beavers. Beavers starter Cesar Ramos (3-3) earned the win, allowing one earned run on four hits over six innings. De La Cruz picked up his first save of the season. Burns (6-1) earned his first loss of the season, surrendering four runs on seven hits over six innings, while striking out three. The Sounds and Beavers wrap of their four-game series tomorrow afternoon at 4:05 CT in Portland. Lefty Chase Wright (2-4, 4.85) takes the hill to face southpaw Wade LeBlanc (0-2, 5.29). Nashville Box Score Nashville Game Log

Final: Huntsville 10, West Tenn (Mariners) 7 Huntsville Site Game Summary Stars Success Against Jaxx Continues Bullpen, Timely Hitting Help Huntsville in Comeback Win By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Taylor Green drove in three runs, including the eventual game-winner in the eighth inning, to power Huntsville past West Tenn 10-7 Saturday night in the middle of a five-game set at Davis Stadium. The Stars improved to 20-18 with their fourth win in a row to maintain their two-game lead in the North Division over Tennessee, while the Diamond Jaxx fell to 16-25 and five and a half games behind in the division. The Stars have won all seven games between the teams and have scored 53 runs on 83 hits in so doing. Erick Monzon's two-run home run in the sixth inning got the game tied at seven and knocked Huntsville starter Bobby Bramhall out of the game. The left-hander went 5 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs, five earned, on seven hits, while walking two and fanning a season-high six. Mike McClendon came on to finish off the inning and worked out of a jam in the seventh by striking out Yamid Haad and getting Brent Johnson to fly out with runners at first and second. Marwin Vega opened the seventh inning on the hill for the visitors and retired the first two batters before Vinny Rottino walked and stole second base. Green then ripped a line drive past the barehanded reach of Vega into center field for a hit to deliver Rottino with the go-ahead run. The Stars tacked on two runs in the eighth against Vega, including one on a Shane Justis sacrifice fly, before Omar Aguilar came on in the ninth to slam the door. He struck out the first two hitters and got Johnson to line out to end the game and earn his second save. Greg Halman's solo home run in the third and a Johnson run-scoring infield hit later in the frame gave West Tenn a 4-1 lead before a Kevin Melillo fielding error in the fourth allowed another run to score to make it 5-1 Jaxx. Melillo atoned for the miscue by belting a two-out, two-run home run, his first of the year, in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead in half. Frank Catalanotto's two-run double in the fifth tied the game at five and chased Diamond Jaxx' starter Luis Munoz from the game after 4 1/3 frames of work, during which he was charged with six runs on seven hits. Mumba Rivera took over and hit Drew Anderson and then gave up a two-out, two-run double to Green that put the home team in the lead for the first time. Rivera threw a scoreless sixth inning and gave way to Vega, while McClendon tossed 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out four, including Halman with the bases loaded to end the eighth, to earn his third win of the year. The series continues Sunday afternoon with right-hander Mark Holliman starting for Huntsville against West Tenn southpaw Danny Christensen. 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 Mike McClendon excelling in his bullpen role; Taylor Green's return to action has been terribly exciting thus far; Adam Stern on base three times, and is now 20-for-22 in SB attempts; seems like the infamous Mumbo Rivera has been facing the Stars for a decade now... Huntsville Game Log Odd scoring play in the 1st -- Thomas Hubbard grounds out, first baseman Kevin Melillo to pitcher Bobby Bramhall. Ezequiel Carrera scores. Greg Halman to 3rd. Yamid Haad strikes out swinging, catcher J. R. Hopf to first baseman Kevin Melillo. Greg Halman scores on the throw.

Final: Wisconsin 9, Beloit (Twins) 1 Wisconsin Site Game Summary Rattlers bash Beloit By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers BELOIT, WI -- The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers knocked out 12 hits and beat the Beloit Snappers 9-1 on Saturday night at Pohlman Field. Corey Kemp had three hits, scored three runs, and drove in two runs to pace the offense. Timber Rattler starting pitcher Trey Watten snapped a personal four-game losing streak with six solid innings. Erik Miller started the game with a double to right. Juan Sanchez moved Miller to third with a grounder to the right side of the infield. Jose Duran shot a single through the drawn-in infield to knock in Miller for a 1-0 lead. Beloit (25-15) tied the game in the bottom of the second inning. Ramon Santana started the inning with a double. Angel Morales doubled to drive in Santana. Watten got out of the inning without any more damage. The Rattler bats rewarded Watten with a four-run outburst in the top of the third. Miller and Sanchez started the inning with singles. Duran followed with another single to knock in Miller for a 2-1 lead. One out later, Kemp knocked in a pair with another single. After a walk and another single loaded the bases, John Delaney drew another walk to force in a run and make the score 5-1. Wisconsin (19-23) padded their lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. Kemp and Chris Dennis had back-to-back doubles to get the first run in. Dennis would score later in the inning on a wild pitch. Watten would pitch through the sixth inning and turn that 7-1 lead over to the bullpen. Watten dodged a few issues as he walked five. But, he struck out four and did not allow a hit after the double by Morales in the second inning. The Rattlers added two more runs without the benefit of a hit in the seventh. Beloit reliever Michael Tarsi walked three in the frame. An RBI fielder's choice by Michael Marseco and a run-scoring wild pitch put the Rattlers up 9-1. Brandon Ritchie worked a scoreless seventh and Nick Tyson finished the game with two scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Game two of the three game series is Sunday afternoon. Wily Peralta (0-0, 3.90) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Brad Tippett (3-1, 3,47) is set to start for the Snappers. Game time is 2:00 PM. Wisconsin Box Score Jose Duran and Edgar Trejo each have a seven-game hit streak going; Duran has been a welcome addition to the lineup; to answer brewmann04's question above, Corey Kemp is a 23 1/2-year-old who had a fine college career, finishing up with two seasons at East Carolina -- he sure has raked from Day One with the Rattlers (OPS of .867), so we'll enjoy the ride, but he'll always have the age issue to deal with until he's skipped a level; six of Chris Dennis' 12 hits have been for extra bases -- whatever reason he was held back this spring, it hasn't hurt him here; Trejo at first base -- John Delaney's going to be a useful part of the organization for several years, but Edgar needs to see his playing time at third base; Brett Lawrie still nursing the broken nose -- it's no fun, I can vouch... Wisconsin Game Log Michael Marseco struggling -- his GIDP with the bases loaded ended the four-run third inning... Check out LHP Brandon Ritchie's eventful inning -- Beloit Bottom 7th Pitcher Change: Brandon Ritchie replaces Trey Watten. Dropped foul pop error by first baseman Edgar Trejo. Alexander Soto walks. Nathan Hanson walks. Alexander Soto to 2nd. Dominic De La Osa strikes out swinging. James Beresford strikes out swinging. Jon Waltenbury called out on strikes.

Final: Brevard County 4, Dunedin (Blue Jays) 3 Game Summary from the Dunedin Site Jays lose 4-3 as players help umpire contest Jays lose fourth straight, but Barron gets a different experience in defeat By Tim Livingston / Dunedin Blue Jays For one night only at Dunedin Stadium, baseball was presented as socialism; a game that if it was witnessed by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, he would have swelled up with pride. The Brevard County Manatees defeated the Dunedin Blue Jays, 4-3 on a Steffan Wilson 9th inning home run off Tim Collins, but the big story of the game was when two players, one from each side, took the field in place of injured home plate umpire Ross Nichel to officiate the contest. With two outs in the bottom of the 1st inning, Moises Sierra broke his bat on a pitch from Manatees starter Mark Rogers, bouncing a ball to short for the final out of the inning, but the broken bat shard actually flew back and hit Nichel across the neck and shoulder area, causing him to fall to the ground almost immediately. Trainers came out to check on Nichel and after a few minutes to check the injury, Nichel said he was okay to continue. With the score 3-0 after three innings, Blue Jays trainer Bob Tarpey came out to check on Nichel's status, but after complaining of pain in his upper back, infield umpire Jordan Ferrell was summoned to the umpire's room to change into his plate gear. The Florida State League runs two-man crews, and since the game would only be played with one umpire, Ferrell and Nichel asked both managers if they would allow a player from each side to umpire in the field in order to keep the game balanced on both sides and allow play to continue. Both managers agreed to do so, and to start the top of the 4th inning, Ferrell took his new spot behind both plate. He was joined down the third base line by Blue Jays infielder Raul Barron and down the first base line by Manatees reliever Mark Willinsky. As baseball tends to do when the silly meets the sublime, Barron was tested early, as Wilson led off the 4th with a line drive down the left field line that landed just foul. Barron showed good technique on the play, turning as the ball went over his head, straddling the line, and then pointing into foul territory, much like a veteran umpire would do. There would be close plays with both rookie rule keepers, but both sides thought that the impromptu replacements handled the situation admirably. Both players switched spots every half inning, with the player affiliated with the team at the plate umpiring the first base side. The Blue Jays had heard of something like this happening before, but never had experienced it themselves. "We heard it happened already this year in Double-A," said Blue Jays pitching coach Darold Knowles, "But this is the first time I have seen it happen in a baseball game." Nichel was diagnosed with a back contusion after being checked into a local hospital, and will most likely be out of tomorrow's series finale, which will take place at 1:00 PM (12:00 Central) at Dunedin Stadium. The game itself seemed to drag along at a slow pace, but a three-run blast off the bat of Jesus Gonzalez in the fifth inning tied the game and made an already interesting game that much more appealing. Both teams pitched splendidly throughout the contest, as the Blue Jays struck out a whopping 14 batters in the game, with every Manatees hitter striking out at least once. The Manatees pitching staff got 13 strikeouts of their own, but both Sierra and Kevin Ahrens avoided going down on strikes. The big blow of the contest came on a 2-1 fastball from Collins (2-2) to Wilson that just cleared the tall fence in right to give the Manatees the lead for good. Rob Wooten needed only six pitches in the ninth to record his FSL-leading 15th save of the season, which in turn gave reliever Zach Braddock (1-1) his first win of the season. Wooten broke the team save record that was held by Doug Petit (1994) and Tim McClaskey (2001). Wooten, a 13th-round pick in the 2008 Draft, has allowed just one earned run in 19 innings, leading to an ERA of 0.47. He has 26 strikeouts. The Blue Jays managed only five hits in the contest, but drew six walks to give themselves plenty of chances to score, but the timely hitting of the Manatees once again sent them to a win over Dunedin, making them 8-0 against the Blue Jays this year. The Manatees scored twice in the third when Zelous Wheeler grounded into a force out to second base and, coupled with a throwing error by the Jays' shortstop Justin Jackson, two runners scored. Chris Errecart had homered on a fly ball to left field in the 2nd. The loss sealed the sixth consecutive series loss for the Blue Jays, and they are now in danger of being swept for their third consecutive series against the Manatees. They will send righty Vince Bongiovanni to the hill on Sunday to try and stop their four-game losing streak. Brevard County Box Score Jeremy Jeffress will note quickly the excellent work of his Manatee counterparts and will hopeully get the message soon; Caleb Gindl has hit a rough patch (.158, 6-for-38) to see his average dip below .300; Zelous Wheeler was the starting shortstop -- remember, Brent Brewer was removed from the previous game, so something is up with Brent; home run hero Steffan Wilson turns 23 today (Sunday)... Brevard County Game Log Wilson was thrown out at home on a throw by the Blue Jay center fielder to end the 2nd inning; Martin Maldonado picked off a runner at second base to end the Dunedin 3rd... Here's Jeremy Jeffress' innings -- it's like switching between pleasure and pain every few moments -- Dunedin Bottom 4th Pitcher Change: Jeremy Jeffress replaces John Axford. John Tolisano singles on a ground ball to second baseman Eric Farris. Moises Sierra grounds into a force out, third baseman Sergio Miranda to second baseman Eric Farris. John Tolisano out at 2nd. Moises Sierra to 1st. With Manuel Rodriguez batting, passed ball by Martin Maldonado, Moises Sierra to 2nd. Manuel Rodriguez strikes out swinging. Kevin Ahrens grounds out, first baseman Steffan Wilson to pitcher Jeremy Jeffress. Dunedin Bottom 5th Justin Jackson singles on a ground ball to center fielder Logan Schafer. Chris Emanuele walks. Justin Jackson to 2nd. Jesus Gonzalez homers (4) on a fly ball to left field. Justin Jackson scores. Chris Emanuele scores. C. J. Ebarb strikes out swinging. Darin Mastroianni strikes out swinging. John Tolisano walks. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Adam Loewen replaces Moises Sierra. Adam Loewen pops out to third baseman Sergio Miranda. Dunedin Bottom 6th Manuel Rodriguez walks. Kevin Ahrens walks. Manuel Rodriguez to 2nd. Justin Jackson strikes out swinging. Chris Emanuele strikes out swinging. Jesus Gonzalez strikes out swinging.

Yesterday was just May 22nd, right? (Viera, FL) Rob Wooten etched his name into the Brevard County Manatees' history books on Friday night, picking up his 14th save of the season to tie the team's all-time record. He pitched a perfect ninth inning in Brevard County's 3-0 win over Dunedin to earn the save. Doug Pettit and Tim McClaskey also accomplished the feat in 1994 and 2001, respectively. Wooten has built a huge lead in the FSL saves race, with his nearest competitors far behind with only seven saves. This season, Wooten has allowed just one earned run in 18.0 innings for a sparkling 0.50 ERA. He has racked up 25 strikeouts and limited opposing batters to a miniscule .194 batting average. He has not been scored upon in his last 15 appearances, dating back to April 15. After picking up a loss and two no-decisions in his first three outings, Wooten has recorded a save in each of his last 14 appearances. Wooten, 23, was selected by Milwaukee with the 398th pick in the 13th round of the 2008 draft. He is a resident of Goldsboro, NC, and attended the University of North Carolina. Earlier this season, he was named the FSL Pitcher of the Week for May 4-10. Tyler L. Stover Director of Media Relations Brevard County Manatees