Jim Goulart

Link Report Bonus -- A reminder from Appleton how long the Diamondbacks' Tom Gordon has been around

Adam McCalvy with a nice feature on Carlos Corporan

Nice story on former Brewer lefty Shane Nance, now coaching high schoolers, one special one in particular, down in Texas

Final: Omaha (Royals) 8, Nashville 2 Nashville Site Game Summary Link for Adam Heether photo, text follows -- Sounds Drop Series Opener To Royals, 8-2 NASHVILLE - The visiting Omaha Royals defeated the Nashville Sounds by an 8-2 count on Thursday evening at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series. Former Major Leaguer Bruce Chen (1-1) earned his first victory of the year for Omaha with seven strong innings of work, allowing two runs, both on homers, and striking out five. Omaha plated eight runs on the evening without the benefit of an extra-base hit. The bottom of the Royals order did the majority of the damage as #7 hitter Chris Lubanski went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and #8 hitter Cory Aldridge turned in a 4-for-4, four-RBI effort to pace the visitors. Omaha took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning against Sounds starter Lindsay Gulin and the southpaw was fortunate to avoid further damage after the Royals loaded the bases with only one out. Aldridge singled to center with the sacks full to bring home Kila Ka'ahuie with the contest's first run. Gulin worked out of the jam but inducing an inning-ending double play grounder from Luis Hernandez. The Royals increased the lead to 5-0 in the fifth with a four-run outburst against Gulin. All four runs came plateward on two-out singles, including a two-run knock by Aldridge. Nashville designated hitter Adam Heether put the home club on the board in the bottom of the fifth when he belted a two-out solo homer to left off Chen. It was his first roundtripper of the year. AUDIO: Adam Heether Home Run Omaha tacked on three more two-out runs in the sixth against Sounds reliever Chris Narveson. Lubanski plated two with a bases-loaded single before Aldridge delivered his third run-scoring knock of the night. The Sounds dialed up the longball again in the sixth when shortstop Alcides Escobar (2-for-4) smashed a one-out solo shot to left off Chen. The infielder's second tater of the year made it an 8-2 contest. Gulin (1-1) took his first loss of the year for the Sounds after allowing five runs on eight hits while walking seven batters in his five innings of action. Third baseman Mat Gamel extended the Sounds' longest active hitting streak to five games with a fourth-inning double, his team-leading eighth two-bagger of the year. The teams continue the series with a 7:00 PM meeting on Friday evening. Right-hander Mike Burns (2-0, 3.91) will make the start for Nashville to face Omaha left-hander Lenny DiNardo (1-0, 3.00). Nashville Box Score Even lefties are hitting Lindsay Gulin now (.529) -- 2007 and 2008 certainly looked like the best shots ever for the 32-year-old Gulin to get his "cup of coffee"; Mat Gamel doubled and walked, so his OBP rose a touch to .473 -- Mat handled two ground balls cleanly in this one... Nashville Game Log

Final: Tennessee (Cubs) 7, Huntsville 6 Huntsville Site Game Summary Late Run Leads Smokies to Win Tennessee Takes First in Five-Game Set By Brett Pollock / MiLB.com James Aducci doubled in the winning run in the sixth inning and the bullpen blanked Huntsville over the final 5 1/3 frames Thursday night in Tennessee's 7-6 in the series opener at Joe Davis Stadium. The Smokies won their second straight to improve to 11-9 and lengthen their lead to a game and a half over the Stars, who dropped a fourth straight to fall to 10-11. The Stars have now played 12 games decided by one run and all but three of their games have been decided by three runs or less. Huntsville loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth against Alex Maestri in a tie game but could not score after Chris Errecart flied out to shallow right field and Yohannis Perez grounded out. Mike McClendon, who took over for Jeremy Jeffress with the bases loaded and one out in the third and retired the first 10 batters he faced, gave up a Tony Thomas single with two outs in the sixth before Adduci followed with his second two-base hit of the year to drive in the decisive run. McClendon set down the next four hitters to close his 4 2/3 innings performance, the longest for a Stars' reliever this season. Maestri threw 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to grab his first win of the season. Marquez Smith, in his first double-A at-bat, singled in two runs with two outs in the first against Jeffress, who has been scored on in the first inning in all three starts at home. The Smokies tacked on four more in the third to push their lead to 6-0 on a Blake Lalli run-scoring hit, a passed ball, a bases loaded walk to Brandon Guyer that chased Jeffress and a Casey Lambert ground out. Jeffress was charged with six runs on five hits and five walks, while striking out four in his shortest outing of the season. Lambert retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced before Kevin Melillo's one out walk in the fourth jump started a six-run rally, the Stars' highest scoring inning of the season. Jonathan Lucroy doubled in a run and Chris Errecart's fielder's choice grounder drove in another before Perez snapped an 0-for-13 drought with a two-run double to trim the lead to 6-4. Adam Stern then delivered a two-out, two-run single to tie the game and chase Lambert after 3 2/3 innings of work during which he was charged with six runs, three earned, on six hits. Jeremy Papelbon followed Maestri with two scoreless innings and Blake Parker blanked the Stars for two innings to record his third save. The series continues Friday night with left-hander Chris Cody taking the hill for the Stars against Smokies' right-hander Marcus Mateo. 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 Just criminal that Mike McClendon is charged with the loss after Jeremy Jeffress' sub-par work; Vinny Rottino two singles and a walk, but where's the beef? Two doubles the only extra-base hits for Vinny in 66 AB's (.273 SLG); it would be nice to know if most minor league official scorers are more apt to lean toward wild pitches or passed balls on judgement calls; soon-to-be 26-year-old Jeremy Papelbon and his twin brother Josh (Red Sox minor leaguer) living in brother Jonathan's mighty big shadow... Huntsville Game Log

Final: Brevard County 7, Daytona (Cubs) 3 Game Summary from the Daytona Site -- Early Offense Prevails for Manatees DAYTONA BEACH - The Brevard County Manatees (14-6) took advantage of seven hits in the first two innings off Daytona Cubs (9-11) starter James Leverton (1-2) to stake themselves to a 5-0 lead en route to a 7-3 win at Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Thursday night. Manatees starter Amaury Rivas (2-1) picked up his second victory of the year as he shut down the Cubs through five innings of work. Brevard County plated one run in the opening frame when leadoff hitter Logan Schafer singled, stole a base and scored three batters later on a Steffan Wilson single. In the second inning, third baseman Zelous Wheeler followed another leadoff single with a homer over the foul pole in left to push the Manatees advantage to 3-0. The home run was Wheeler's second of the season. A double and two singles later, the Manatees had scored twice more and were in good shape to even the season series at four wins apiece. The Cubs had a little fight left in them as they entered the bottom of the sixth down 7-0. Second baseman Nathan Samson drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on a double play off the bat of Tyler Colvin. Daytona added two more in the seventh as Mark Reed tripled in Russ Canzler. Reed would later score on a ground out by left fielder Jonathan Wyatt. The Cubs started the ninth inning off on a promising note as right fielder Dylan Johnston doubled to the gap in left-center, but Brandon Rapoza shut down the next three batters to end the game. Brevard County Box Score That's seven scoreless relief appearances for Brandon Rapoza with only one walk; fun fact -- Dominican Amaury Rivas' middle name is "Keith", a stellar 16-4 K/BB ratio in 16 innings for Rivas... Brevard County Game Log Clear and 85 degrees at game time, plus I'm sure there aren't any attractive female fans in the stands in Daytona -- keep focused, boys, you're easily the class of the system thus far...

Final: Great Lakes (Dodgers) 9, Wisconsin 6 Wisconsin Site Game Summary Pedroza keeps the Loons 5 x 5 By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - Jaime Pedroza went 5-for-5 and drove in three runs as the Great Lakes Loons beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 9-6 Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Field. The Rattler defense didn't help matters as they committed three errors that led to five unearned runs for the Loons. Wisconsin first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard had three hits and scored four runs, but it wasn't enough for the Rattlers. Great Lakes (11-9) leadoff batter Dee Gordon reached base on the first Wisconsin error to start the game. He scored on the very next pitch, a double to center by Pedroza. One out later, Kyle Russell singled to drive in Pedroza. Tony Delmonico was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Rattler starting pitcher Michael Bowman struck out the next batter for the second out. But, Travis Vetters was next and he tripled to right to knock in both Russell and Delmonico. Vetters -- in turn -- was knocked home on a double by Matt Wallach and the Loons led 5-0. Wisconsin (8-11) took advantage of a couple of walks and an error to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning. Loons starting pitcher Justin Miller walked the first two batters of the frame. Then, with two outs, third baseman Parker Dalton fielded a grounder cleanly, only to throw it away. Two runs scored on the play and the Rattlers were within 5-2. The Rattlers chipped away with two more runs in the bottom of the third. Juan Sanchez started the inning with a double. A two-out double by Kjeldgaard knocked in Sanchez and a single by Erik Miller plated Kjeldgaard. The Loons got help on a couple of errors in the top of the fourth inning to score a run and pad their lead to 6-4. Kjeldgaard doubled to start the Rattler sixth inning. Miller grounded out to move him over to third. Edgar Trejo grounded out to drive Kjeldgaard in and cut the Great Lakes lead to 6-5. The Loons gave themselves some breathing room in the top of the eighth with a three-run rally. Dalton was hit by a pitch with one out. Gordon followed with a triple to right to make the score 7-5. Then, Pedroza homered to left for his fifth hit of the night and a 9-5 lead. Kjeldgaard answered in the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer over the batter's eye in straight away center. Wisconsin put two more runners on base with a walk and a single, but Great Lakes closer Javy Guerra entered the game and got the final two outs of the eighth. Guerra closed out the Rattlers with a perfect ninth inning for his sixth save. The final game of the three game series with the Loons is Friday night. Wisconsin plans to have Cody Scarpetta (0-1, 5.11) as their starting pitcher. Great Lakes has Nathan Eovaldi (0-2, 6.57) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 6:35 PM. Wisconsin Box Score Cutter Dykstra's OPS dips below .600; Erik Miller reached base three times; Brett Lawrie two throwing errors, four errors total on the season; not only is Edgar Trejo only 4-for-31, but he's only walked once... Wisconsin Game Log

Link while active, text follows: Sounds manager understands the Brewers' way By Maurice Patton • THE TENNESSEAN During most of his 16-year playing career, Don Money's focus was on helping the Milwaukee Brewers be competitive. More than 25 years after his last big league game, he's still trying to help the Brewers succeed. This past offseason, Money became manager of the Nashville Sounds after a four-year stint at the Brewers' Class AA affiliate in Huntsville, where he became the winningest manager in that franchise's history. He also worked seven years at Class A Beloit, Wis. "I'll go where the organization needs me," said Money, 61. "If something warrants it and I get to the big leagues as a coach or manager, that's another thing. But that's not my No. 1 priority. "My No. 1 priority is trying to make these players better to get to the big leagues." Mission accomplished. The Milwaukee team that beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday featured eight players who rose through the Brewers' system. Of those, six played under Money at some point. "I know there are coaches that have never played in the big leagues, (that) their goal is to get to the big leagues," he said. "I've been in the big leagues. I've had my time. If they'd come to me and want me to go back to A-ball, that'd be fine. "I want to do my job and get the players ready for whatever level it is. My job is to help every player get better." Money didn't play a day in the Brewers' farm system. He went to Milwaukee following the 1972 season in a trade with Philadelphia, where he had played four seasons after coming up through the Pittsburgh organization. "I was still a young guy, 25, and the (Brewers') organization was a young organization," he said, referring to the franchise's move from Seattle after the 1969 season. "My first year was their first year. We struggled the first five, six, seven years. But from the late '70s to the early-to-mid '80s, we were as good as anybody in baseball." As a third baseman, Money batted .284 with 16 home runs and 55 RBIs for the 1982 team - nicknamed "Harvey's Wallbangers" in honor of first-year manager Harvey Kuenn - that lost to St. Louis in the World Series. The year before, the Brewers lost to New York in the American League East best-of-5 "mini-series" prompted by a midseason strike. In 1978, Money was the first Brewer voted into the starting lineup for the All-Star Game. He had previously gone 88 games over the 1973 and '74 seasons without an error, and made 261 consecutive defensive plays without an error during the 1977 season. Following the 1983 season, Money went to Japan for 29 games in 1984 before calling it quits. "There's no doubt he's got a lot of history with the club," Milwaukee Director of Player Development Reid Nichols said. "He brings a lot of credibility to the players. He's seen a lot of players come through the system. He's got a knack for infield play, and (as a manager) he runs a good game. "He's loyal to the organization. It's good to have people like that in your system." Leaving the system isn't on Money's agenda at this point. "Would I leave here and go to another organization? I'd almost say 'no,'" he said. "I couldn't see myself doing it with the Colorado Rockies or whoever. "When I'm done with Milwaukee, wherever it may end - whether it's here or wherever - I'm probably done."

Nashville Media Notes: CORPORAN EARNS FIRST BIG LEAGUE CALL-UP: Catcher Carlos Corporan was promoted to the Major Leagues for the first time in his career today after Brewers catcher Mike Rivera was placed on the disabled list with a left ankle injury. Corporan, who had his contract purchased to fill the final opening on Milwaukee's 40-man roster, was hitting .333 (7-for-21) with three RBIs and seven walks in eight games with the Sounds to start the season. To fill his spot on the Nashville roster, catcher Patrick Arlis has been transferred to the Sounds from Helena. He has yet to appear in a game this season after being signed as a minor league free agent on April 17. GARCIAPARRA JOINS SOUNDS; ALMONTE PLACED ON TEMPORARY INACTIVE LIST: Infielder Michael Garciaparra has joined the Sounds after beginning the season at the Brewers' extended spring training camp in Arizona. Last season, he hit .340 (35-for-103) in 44 games for Double-A Huntsville. Garciaparra, the younger brother of Oakland A's infielder Nomar Garciaparra, fills the roster spot of infielder Erick Almonte, who has been placed on the Sounds' temporary active list while home in the Dominican Republic to join his wife for the birth of the couple's child.

Rattler Radio Blog: April 30, 2009 Game Notes (always worthwhile tidbits for the diehards) April 30, 2009 Timber Rattler Starting Pitcher (Michael Bowman) April 30, 2009 Starting Lineup (Let's get Edgar Trejo going tonight)

From Brian Massey in Huntsville: The Milwaukee Brewers and Huntsville Stars announced today INF Michael Garciaparra has been activated from the disabled list and promoted to Nashville. Garciaparra will be in uniform for Nashville's game tonight. This will backfill the open roster spot when Carlos Corporan was promoted from AAA, but expect more as the Sounds would still need a catcher to backup Angel Salome.

From Brian Massey in Huntsville: The Milwaukee Brewers and Huntsville Stars announced today INF Michael Garciaparra has been activated from the disabled list and promoted to Nashville. Garciaparra will be in uniform for Nashville's game tonight. This will backfill the open roster spot when Carlos Corporan was promoted from AAA, but expect more as the Sounds would still need a catcher to backup Angel Salome.

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):

Link Report Bonus: Huntsville Times: Sandberg climbing minors yet again I'd copy the text as well, but hey, it's the Cubs...

Midwest League Standings

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 13 7 .650 - 6-2 7-5 L1 Memphis 11 8 .579 1.5 7-4 4-4 W1 Omaha 11 8 .579 1.5 4-3 7-5 W1 Nashville 11 9 .550 2.0 5-7 6-2 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 10 9 .526 - 5-4 5-5 W1 Huntsville 10 10 .500 0.5 5-5 5-5 L3 West Tenn 9 10 .474 1.0 5-4 4-6 W2 Carolina 8 12 .400 2.5 2-3 6-9 L1 Chattanooga 6 14 .300 4.5 5-5 1-9 W3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 13 6 .684 - 7-2 6-4 W2 Clearwater 11 8 .579 2.0 5-5 6-3 W1 Daytona 9 10 .474 4.0 5-5 4-5 L2 Tampa 9 10 .474 4.0 4-4 5-6 L1 Lakeland 8 11 .421 5.0 6-5 2-6 W1 Dunedin 7 12 .368 6.0 2-7 5-5 L1

Follow Thursday'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_04_30_omaaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2009_04_30_tenaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2009_04_30_breafa_dbcafa_1 Wisconsin: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_04_30_swmafx_wisafx_1&did=t572&sid=t572

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Link here for the live audio choices - audio will no longer archive. For the Brevard County game specifically, click here for the Daytona Cubs feed. Nashville: LHP Lindsay Gulin at home vs. Omaha (Royals), 6:35 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Huntsville: RHP Jeremy Jeffress at home vs. Tennessee (Cubs), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Brevard County: RHP Amaury Rivas at Daytona (Cubs), 6:05 PM gametime Wisconsin: RHP Michael Bowman at home vs. Great Lakes (Dodgers), 6:20 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime

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

Link while active, text follows: Rattlers catcher Corey Kemp catching on fast Kemp's bat keeps him in the lineup By Mike Woods Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE - The secret to Corey Kemp's success is tuna and hot sauce. Not that it's a secret anyone would want to have necessarily. "I'm a big kid and I have to watch my diet," said the Timber Rattlers' 5-11, 220-pound catcher. "It's protein rich and it stays away from all the carbs and hot sauce is a bonus. It doesn't have any calories." Kemp came to Appleton as a member of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' disabled list. But since he has been activated, he has been throwing his weight around at the plate and his three-run first-inning homer propelled the Rattlers to a 6-3 victory Wednesday over Great Lakes in Midwest League action at Fox Cities Stadium. "He was a guy that didn't start on the roster and he ends up about a week into the season getting on the roster," said Rattlers manager Jeff Isom. "We put him in and he hit the ball a little bit and we were struggling offensively at the time. "When you're getting something out of a guy, we're going to ride him as long as he can go. As long as he continues, we're going to put him in the lineup." In 10 games, Kemp is batting .333 and he entered the game with an on-base percentage of .400. His homer was his fourth extra-base hit and he finished with four RBI Wednesday to push his season total to seven. "He made his way from the eight hole, to the six hole, to the five hole and now we have him at the four hole and he's swinging the bat very well," said Isom. "I know he had a very good college career (at East Carolina) and we're now seeing what the scouts saw in him. He just continues to put good at-bat after good at-bat together right now." Kemp's first-inning blast erased a 2-0 deficit, which was huge for a team coming off a four-game losing streak. "I was just trying to get a quality pitch to hit," said Kemp. "I was just trying to put a good swing on the ball. Jeff Isom and Matt Erickson have really been working on the ball in with me. It paid off there. I've been working diligently in batting practice and early work to try and hit that pitch well and it paid off for me there." Kemp also came up with a huge defensive play in the fifth, as he took a perfect throw from right fielder Erik Miller and blocked the plate to tag out the runner and preserve a 4-3 Rattlers' lead. "I got a great throw from Erik Miller," said Kemp. "He came up and gave me a strike and after that it was just kind of mano-a-mano. I'm a bigger kid, so I win most of those. I played football all through high school and I like a little contact every now and then.'' And he knows the key to maintaining his status is to keep making contact with the plate and not the dinner table. "I've got to stay away from the big spreads," he said. "In college, I worked with a nutritionist pretty hard because I can get pretty heavy if I don't watch it. She said, 'What kind of food do you like?' So I just tried food all day one day. I said 'Tuna is not bad, I can do that.' She said great and put me on a diet and ever since then I've loved it."

Final: Wisconsin 6, Great Lakes (Dodgers) 3 Wisconsin Site Game Summary Kemp powers Rattlers By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI -- Corey Kemp homered and drove in four runs to pace the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to a 6-3 win over the Great Lakes Loons Wednesday at Time Warner Cable Field. The win ended a four game losing streak for the Rattlers. Kyle Russell gave the Loons (10-9) an early lead with a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the first inning. Kemp had the answer for the Timber Rattlers (8-10) in the bottom of the first. The Rattler catcher homered off the scoreboard above the wall in left-center on a 2-1 pitch from Great Lakes starter Kyle Smit. The three-run blast put the Rattlers up 3-2. Wisconsin padded their lead with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Juan Sanchez drew a lead-off walk. A double by Brett Lawrie knocked in Sanchez all the way from first for the 4-2 advantage. Great Lakes pulled closer in the top of the fifth. Dee Brown reached on an error and scored on an error in the frame. Later in the inning, Kyle Russell was at second with two outs. Tony Delmonico singled to right and Russell tried to score. But a strong throw to the plate by right fielder Erik Miller cut down Russell and kept the Rattlers in front. Timber Rattler starting pitcher Cody Adams scattered 11 hits over five innings and -- thanks to the defense -- put himself in line for his first Midwest League victory. Kemp drove in his fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth. A throwing error in the sixth allowed another Rattler run to score. Wisconsin relievers Wily Peralta and Jim Henderson took over from there. Peralta allowed one hit over three scoreless innings. Henderson closed out the Loons with a 1-2-3 ninth for his fifth save. Wisconsin and Great Lakes play again on Thursday night. Michael Bowman (0-0, 4.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Justin Miller (1-1, 4.24) is set to start for the Loons. Game time is 6:35 PM. Wisconsin Box Score Great Lakes actually outhit Wisconsin, 11-8, but the Rattler hurlers threw zero walks, a welcome change -- Wisconsin batters drew six; athletic Erik Miller now 7-for-8 in stolen base attempts; Juan Sanchez and Brett Lawrie on base three times apiece (two hits each), as was Shawn Zarraga (three walks)... Wisconsin Game Log

Final: Brevard County 5, Daytona (Cubs) 2 Brevard County Site Game Summary Manatees Bash Cubs, 5-2 By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees Brevard County received another strong pitching performance on Wednesday, and turned it into another victory, beating Daytona, 5-2. A day after Evan Anundsen's no-hitter, it was Mike Jones' turn to pick apart the Cubs lineup. Jones (3-0) cruised through his first six innings, facing the minimum 18 batters and holding the Cubs scoreless. The Cubs finally got on the scoreboard in the seventh inning, when Marwin Gonzalez took Jones deep for a two-run homer. This ended a 22-inning streak in which the Manatees had held the Cubs scoreless. Jones went seven innings for the Manatees, allowing two runs on four hits. Brevard County was limited to just five hits in the game, but made enough plays to put runs on the board. The Manatees got on the board early, as Daytona starter Rafael Dolis (0-3) struggled to find the plate early in the game. He walked the first four batters he faced, allowing a run to score. The Manatees added another run on a grounder that went for a double play. Steffan Wilson extended the lead to 3-0 in the second inning with a towering home run to right-center field, his second of the season. After Gonzalez's home run cut the lead to 3-2, the Manatees picked up a couple insurance runs in the eighth inning. With runners on first and second, Brent Brewer ripped a single to center field, scoring Zelous Wheeler. Lee Haydel moved over to third when Gonzalez bobbled the ball. This was a key error, as it allowed Haydel to score on Steffan Wilson's sacrifice fly, making it a 5-2 game. That was plenty of cushion for Manatees' closer Rob Wooten, who pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save. Brevard County heads back to Daytona to wrap up the series on Thursday. Amaury Rivas (1-1, 1.64 ERA) will look to keep the Manatees' momentum going, as he takes on Daytona's James Leverton (1-1, 5.79 ERA). A Brevard County win would even the I-95 Battle for the Roadside Trophy Series at 4-4. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). Brevard County Box Score Mark Willinsky deserves a mention for his 1-2-3 8th inning with a one-run lead at the time; small samples, sure, but ten Manatee pitchers sport ERA's under 2.00... Brevard County Game Log Eric Farris tries to evade Daytona's Jovan Rosa during a double-play attempt. (MiLB.com Photo by Dennis Greenblatt) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2009/04/29/C8zQ79mW.jpg

Wow minigoon, a minute apart. But I knew about this yesterday and forgot to post http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/tongue.gif. Thanks!

Forgot to mention that in order to make room for the return of R.J. Swindle to Nashville, pitcher Wes Littleton was placed on the Helena roster, in some sort of paper move by the Brewers (scroll to last page of Nashville media notes). We'll see how that unfolds, but Littleton is not on the Nashville roster or D.L. at this time.

A Brewerfan first -- linking to a high school newspaper article (although I think much of the text is from the News & Record newspaper) but there are lots of quotes and info here in this story about Jeremy Jeffress returning to local territory (for him) when he pitched in Carolina last week -- Former Comet Standout may be headed to Majors April 23, 2009 By Dale Trent of Halifax Co High School ZEBULON, N.C. - Former Halifax County pitching standout Jeremy Jeffress appears to be on track for a possible call up to the majors by September. Jeffress (0-1, 2.45 ERA) took the loss Monday night when Double A Carolina routed Huntsville, 12-3 Monday night. But the very shaky Huntsville defense proved the culprit. Jeffress departed after four innings in the Mudcats' Southern League home opener, after allowing three hits, four unearned runs, and three walks. Jeffress fanned four, but struggled with his control at times. Nevertheless, the hard-throwing righty - Jeffress was clocked at 99 mph with his fastball - appears to be making satisfactory progress with the Milwaukee Brewers' AA franchise at Huntsville. Officially, Jeffress threw 82 pitches, with 43 strikes, against the Mudcats. He struggled at times with 3-2 counts, and escaped early trouble before the Mudcats capitalized on defensive failures during a four-run third inning. Huntsville pitching coach John Curtis noted afterwards, "It was some difficult circumstances out there. Some errors jacked up his pitch count there in the third, but overall, I thought he did pretty well. "We were hoping to get five or six (innings) out of him tonight. He was right on schedule there until the defense kind of let him down a little bit. I told him tonight that he was under pressure, trying to get six outs in an inning, that's pretty tough," said the Huntsville coach. Jeffress had a little trouble with his curveball against the Mudcats, but control issues aren't as much concern now as in the past. "He was aware that he'd gone to a few more 3-2 counts than he normally does, and we've got to work on that a little bit, needs to close 'em out a little earlier. But, overall, I thought he did well. It was a matter of his defense let him down," said Curtis. Curtis said, "I'm pleased with the progress he's making, and he's coming along. "I really hope to see him in the big leagues in September." Milwaukee, which made the National League playoffs last year, has floundered early in the National League Central. Curtis noted, asked about Jeffress' projected path, said, "We need him up there (the majors). It's just a matter of ... consistently answering the bell, and showing he can get 30 starts under his belt." There are no signs of lingering fatigue from Jeffress after he was shut down early in Arizona last fall. Jeffress showed consistent velocity from 91-95 mph. Curtis said, "we're not overly concerned about his top velocity now, it's the consistent velocity. I think he can pitch at 92-93 and he had a broad range the last time out. "But the big thing is for him, he's got great action on his two-seam fastball right now, and just shorten the counts and get the outs sooner," said Curtis. Jeffress has 14 strikeouts and 10 walks in 11 innings this season. "Fastball command is the big thing, but he's shaping up his curveball and change," said Curtis. "The big thing now is just consistency," said Curtis, who expects Jeffress to be in Huntsville all summer, before the possibility of getting a few starts in the majors once rosters are expanded. HCHS has never had a pitcher with as much raw potential as Jeffress, a former No. 1 pick for the Brewers. It's clear the former Comet, assuming he stays on the proper path and avoids injuries, could be the first HCHS player since consolidation in 1954 to reach the major leagues. Right now, there are growth steps ahead. Jeffress said his work was "pretty good." He added, "I established the plate, established the outer half of the plate. I think I did pretty well. "The defense, that's going to happen some nights, you can't be too much about that." Jeffress had a terrific outing last time out against the Mississippi Bay Bears, retiring the last ten batters he faced, seven by strikeout, including punching out the side in order in the second, according to press notes. On Monday, Jeffress got through the first two innings unscathed, but had a difficult third inning. It was part of a lousy game defensively by Huntsville, which got blown out after Jeffress' departure. The Mudcats capitalized on four Huntsville errors overall, including two throwing errors by the Stars in the third inning. With one out in the third, pitcher Dallas Buck reached on a wild throw by shortstop Yohannis Perez. Chris Heisey followed with a chopper to third with Kevin Melillo sailing a force-out throw to second base over Shane Justis' head for another error. Zach Cozart followed with a tough, bad-hop single to left to score Buck. Following a strikeout and a walk, the Mudcats' Logan Parker drilled a three-run triple on a high fastball to left to put Carolina ahead 4-1. Parker hit a high fastball, and sliced the pitch to the centerfield wall. A fleet-footed major league outfielder might have had a play on the ball, but not here. "It might have been a catchable ball, but this field, the ball flies here. You can't really judge if it's a home run or if it's going to hit off the wall. I just left it up, I thought I was going to get him up, but he just put some wood on it," said Jeffress. Jeffress took the troubles in stride afterwards, refusing to sulk about the defense. The former HCHS standout enjoyed the backing of a spirited local cheering section. His parents, Fred and Yolanda Jeffress, were on hand, along with about 15 family members. Also, HCHS head baseball coach Kelvin Davis and his two varsity assistants, Kenneth Day and Shawn Torian, also came to the Mudcats' park here. Jayvee coach Dennis Seamster also made the trip. "I thought he did a good job. He was around the plate all game," said Davis. "He's still got the velocity. "The defense definitely let him down, but I thought he looked good on the mound." Davis added, "I saw some good things in him tonight." Jeffress also batted once, laying down a decent sacrifice bunt that helped the Stars manufacture a run in the top of the third. Jeffress also surrendered a leadoff double to the Mudcats' Todd Frazier in the second, but worked out of trouble, thanks to a sparkling 5-4-3 double play. Then, the HCHS graduate got into trouble in the third. "As long as just battle, and keep doing what you're doing, there's nothing else you can do. Just do the same thing you've been doing. You get some good progress and you get some bad progress," said Jeffress. Assessing his progress, Jeffress continued, "I established my two-seamer for first pitch strikes now. I think the command on the fastball is coming along, and I just have to get one of my off-speed pitches in the zone." Jeffress elaborated, "the curveball wasn't that good tonight, it was all right on some pitches. I got a strikeout on a curveball. The changeup was awesome; I liked the changeup tonight. I think that went real well." Jeffress said he is prepared for any call up, at any time.He's going through growth issues, playing with new teammates rolling in and out of Huntsville. "It's a great team, we're all focused on one thing, and that's winning," said Jeffress, whose teammates are off to an inconsistent start. "The hitters in this league, they're more patient. You just need to establish every pitch in the strike zone and just work ahead.' "I feel pretty good about tonight ... The errors are going to come, you can't do nothing about them," said Jeffress. The overall adjustment, with more family support, seems to working well. Jeffress noted, "I feel comfortable with everything I'm doing now." As for the future, Jeffress seems energized when the possibility of his major league debut comes up. "I'm trying to knock that door down for the big leagues. I'm trying to knock it down, not just knock on the door, tell them that I'm ready, I'm trying to knock it down and get to the league. That's my main goal. "I'm saying June, right after the all-star game, I'm hoping they see that I've got a lot of progress, I've matured a lot," said Jeffress. http://www.thenewsrecord.com/images/uploads/jeffress2.jpg