Jim Goulart

After September 11th all red and gray jerseys will be for sale for $150, first-come-first-served, even those that were bid upon and not claimed.

More from the Brewers via Buck Rogers in Huntsville: Brewers Minor League Leaderboard (Organizational Leaders through September 4) Batting Avg. Eric Fryer (WV) .335 (would've been Angel Salome had he not been promoted) Home Runs Jonathan Lucroy (BRE) 20 (Mat Gamel also with 20 homers) RBI Steffan Wilson (WV) 100 Stolen Bases Mel Stocker (BRE) 37 ERA Chris Cody (BRE) 1.81 (a steal from the Detroit Tigers in 2007) Wins Sam Narron (NAS) 15 Saves Juan Sandoval (HUN) 20 Strikeouts Chris Narveson (NAS) 125 Note: Batting Avg. - (minimum 2.7 PA/team game) ERA - (minimum 0.8 IP/team game)

Save some runs for Saturday night, boys!

Ken Spindler and the Brewers' media relations department have announced that the following players will be the Brewers' representatives in the Hawaiian Fall League: West Oahu CaneFires: OF Caleb Gindl OF Logan Schafer LHP Chris Cody LHP Mike Ramlow and Manager Mike Guerrero (from Brevard County). Also, an updated Arizona Fall League list looks like this: Peoria Javelinas: 3B Mat Gamel C Angel Salome C Lou Palmisano (taxi squad) RHP Omar Aguilar RHP Jeremy Jeffress RHP Alex Periard LHP David Welch and LHP Brae Wright (taxi squad). Trainer Tommy Craig (Brevard County) will also join the Peoria team. Of course, agent 39 has shipped Michael Brantley's equipment to Arizona, but that doesn't mean he'll be representing the Brewers.

Potentially the final Link Report for 2008. Hope not, although I'm ready to put Link Report season (and myself) to bed. Go Power!

Standings through Thursday's action (Arizona League standings represent entire season): Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 83 59 .585 - 48-24 35-35 L2 Memphis 75 67 .528 8.0 37-33 38-34 W1 Omaha 63 81 .438 21.0 30-42 33-39 W2 Nashville 59 81 .421 23.0 29-42 30-39 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 42 28 .600 - 23-12 19-16 W2 Tennessee 35 34 .507 6.5 15-19 20-15 L2 Huntsville 32 38 .457 10.0 17-18 15-20 L1 Chattanooga 30 39 .435 11.5 16-19 14-20 W1 West Tenn 29 39 .426 12.0 14-20 15-19 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 38 24 .613 - 24-9 14-15 L1 Jupiter 41 28 .594 0.5 21-16 20-12 W1 St. Lucie 34 31 .523 5.5 15-16 19-15 W2 Palm Beach 33 34 .493 7.5 18-15 15-19 W1 Brevard County 31 38 .449 10.5 14-19 17-19 L2 Vero Beach 20 46 .303 20.0 8-23 12-23 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 45 25 .643 - 23-12 22-13 W1 Lakewood 42 28 .600 3.0 20-15 22-13 L1 Delmarva 40 30 .571 5.0 19-16 21-14 W1 Lake County 34 36 .486 11.0 18-17 16-19 W1 Greensboro 28 40 .412 16.0 15-20 13-20 W2 Hagerstown 27 43 .386 18.0 14-21 13-22 L1 Lexington 24 45 .348 20.5 12-23 12-22 L2 Hickory 22 47 .319 22.5 9-25 13-22 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 19 16 .543 - 15-7 4-9 W1 Great Falls 20 17 .541 - 11-7 9-10 W2 Helena 14 23 .378 6.0 5-13 9-10 L1 Missoula 11 25 .306 8.5 8-7 3-18 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Angels 39 17 .696 - 21-7 18-10 W7 AZL Giants 36 20 .643 3.0 19-9 17-11 W2 AZL Rangers 34 22 .607 5.0 18-10 16-12 W4 AZL Padres 33 23 .589 6.0 18-10 15-13 L2 AZL Cubs 31 24 .564 7.5 20-8 11-16 L5 AZL Royals 23 33 .411 16.0 13-15 10-18 W1 AZL Athletics 21 35 .375 18.0 11-17 10-18 W1 AZL Mariners 21 35 .375 18.0 11-17 10-18 L2 AZL Brewers 13 42 .236 25.5 9-18 4-24 L2

Follow Friday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in 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. West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_09_05_wvaafx_lcoafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_09_05_helrok_bilrok_1

Friday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: Season complete Huntsville: Season complete Brevard County: Season complete West Virginia: RHP Evan Anundsen at Lake County (Indians), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 PM gametime; Game Two of a Best-of-Three; Power trail, 1-0 Audio link via WSWW, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t525 Helena: RHP Cody Adams at Billings (Reds), 7:55 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime; season-ender Audio link via KCAP, be sure to select the proper date (games will also archive at this link): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t433 Arizona: Season complete

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Huntsville Press Release by Buck Rogers: 1: First at-bat in AA ball and Matt LaPorta hits a grand slam. He left the Stars in early July with 20 homers. 3: The number of players from the 2008 Huntsville Stars that were called up to the Major Leagues this season (Mat Gamel, Angel Salome and Alcides Escobar). All three received an at-bat Wednesday (9/3), Escobar was the only one to get a hit. This number also reflects the ranking of the Stars overall winning percentage in the league; two teams (Mississippi & West Tenn) with lower winning percentages are in the playoffs based on a split-season format. 4: The number of pitches needed to win a baseball game. With a suspended game tied on April 27th, the Stars and Jacksonville Suns needed to finish up the next day during a daytime doubleheader. With the score tied 9-9, two outs and a 2-2 count on the Suns batter, Juan Sandoval threw one pitch to retire the side. In the bottom of the 9th Mat Gamel grounded to 1st on the first pitch and Chris Errecart, after fouling off one pitch, jacked a solo walk-off shot to end the game. You think you've seen it all...Sandoval comes in and throws one pitch, records an out and gets the win. All in a day's work, except that he spent more time warming up for the game then actually playing the game. 5: Don Mincher's number that the Huntsville Stars retired. The last player to wear that number was Mike Bell. 10: The number of new speakers installed at The Joe this season. 21: Most Stars hits in a game (vs Chattanooga). 40: Falling short of the playoffs this season, 40 is still the number of wins and losses the Stars have logged in post-season play in franchise history. 44: Overall players assigned to Huntsville this season. 47: The number of one-run games the Huntsville Stars played in this past season. The club's 17-30 one-run record came back to haunt everybody as the first half ended in a tie. Just one of those first half one-run games that would've swung our way would've landed us in the playoffs. Also the game time temperature on a night that the weather gurus called for snow back in April. 58: The game number where David Welch threw a complete game (seven innings) no hitter against Chattanooga. Welchie allowed two walks and whiffed six to up his record to 7-1 at that point of the season. Matt LaPorta homered and the Stars won, 2-0. 52: The jersey number of CC Sabathia who was acquired by the Brewers from Cleveland for Stars RF Matt LaPorta and three additional MiLB players. LaPorta went to Akron and his batting average dropped 76 points. Sabathia went to Milwaukee and is now the front-runner for the 2009 NL Cy Young Award and has the Brewers ahead of the pack in the wild card race. LaPorta was selected for the Future's Game and the USA Olympic team. You do the math and figure who go the better end of that deal. 67: Ounces in a 2-liter bottle of Diet Mountain Dew that is consumed daily by a couple staff members. 82: Player transactions that started with J.R. Hopf being transferred to Nashville and ending with Alcides Escobar being transferred to Milwaukee. 100: The number recorded on the speed pitch indicator every time the scoreboard needed to be reset. 144: The number of fans to participate in Operation Clean Sweep on March 22nd, effectively taking control of the stadium and showing that civic pride is alive and well. 179: The new franchise record for hits in a season established by Alcides Escobar eclipsing 176. 215: Days remaining before the Stars next home game. 333: The winning percentage of the Stars in extra innings (5-10). 360: The new franchise record for a batting average. Angel Salome crushed the previous record of .340. 385: The cost of a 2009 season ticket ($5.50 per game and some new perks). 800: The Stars winning percentage in shut-out games (8-2). 833: The Stars winning percentage in doubleheader games (5-1). 3,240: The number of stadium horns sold at The Joe in 2008. 05252: The winning number in our end of season drawing for a lifetime season ticket. 11,689: The number of honorary first pitches thrown by Huntsville Stars fans, staff, players, coaches, umpires and anybody else that wanted to join in on the fun. Big thanks to Cabinet NG, the official sponsor of the event. Look for something record breaking again next season out of Cabinet NG.

Journal-Sentinel: Brewers minor-league outfielder Cole Gillespie will have surgery today to repair a fractured sesamoid bone in his right big toe. Foot specialist Richard Marks will perform the surgery, and Gillespie expects to be ready for the start of next spring training. Gillespie, a third-round pick out of Oregon State in 2006, hit .281 with 14 home runs and 79 RBI in 131 games with Class AA Huntsville this season.

Helena Pre-Game Audio Interview with RH reliever Adam Arnold Click on the KCAP archive of September 4th, then browse to the 08:45 minute mark... Final: Billings (Reds) 6, Helena 5, 13 innings Link while active, text follows: Lucky 13th: Mustangs rally to beat Helena By MIKE SCHERTING Of The Billings Gazette Staff Out of the deep, dark night came a surprising Billings Mustangs victory. After committing four errors that led to three unearned runs in the top of the 13th inning, the Mustangs pieced together four runs on four consecutive hits in the bottom half of the inning and walked away with a 6-5 win over the Helena Brewers Thursday night at Dehler Park. Given the way the Mustangs looked in the field by night's end, a Billings victory appeared to be the remotest of possibilities. But singles by Tony Brown (one out after a Cody Puckett walk to start the inning), David Sappelt and Brett Bartles accounted for two runs before Matt Stiffler laced a one-out double to the left-center gap to score Sappelt from third and Bartles from first with the tying and winning runs. "I really don't know how to explain it," Mustangs manager Julio Garcia said. "I wasn't expecting that." It was the second straight 13-inning game played between the two teams. Wednesday night the Brewers won a game that took more than four hours, but the Mustangs were victorious this time in a game that was much shorter in time (3:34) but ended in a slight, drizzling rain. The Mustangs scored two runs in the first inning on a two-run triple by Tony Brown, but didn't score again until the dramatic 13th. "Once we got that first hit, everybody cheered up more and more," said Stiffler, who had one of the errors in the 13th inning that led to Helena's final run. "We were able to just keep coming and coming so by the end we were pretty happy." Justin Freeman (3-2) allowed the three unearned runs and was credited with the win in one inning of work. Combined, five Mustangs pitchers allowed just eight hits and struck out 16 (nine by starter Jamie Arneson). "This team plays hard all the time, that's what we pride ourselves in," said Bartles, who finished with two hits, as did Brown and Sappelt. "Julio prides himself in getting us to play hard. Just play hard, that's all we do. That's all we can do." Three Helena pitchers allowed just 10 hits. Daniel Meadows (2-2) took the loss. The teams wrap up the regular season tonight at 7:00 PM (8:00 Central) at Dehler Park. The Mustangs begin their best-of-three playoff series with the Great Falls Voyagers Saturday night at home. NOTES: Garcia has used 10 pitchers in the last two games, but he said he's not concerned about the status of his staff heading into the playoffs. ... Andrew Bowman (2-3) is scheduled to be the Mustangs' starter in tonight's finale against Helena's Cody Adams (4-4). ... Mustangs catcher Jordan Wideman threw out two base stealers, while Helena catcher Mike Roberts also gunned down two. Helena Box Score Efrain Nieves and Liam Ohlmann allowed only two runs through ten innings, with Ohlmann tossing four scoreless; eight Brewer hits in 13 innings, all singles, nothing to write home about; not a lot of fun this year for this bunch... Helena Game Log

Link while active, text follows: Women form Stars' supporting cast By VICTORIA CUMBOW Huntsville Times Staff Writer On most summer nights at Joe Davis Stadium, the cluster of 20-something girls sat together in the bleachers talking, giggling and cheering. In order for their baseball-playing husbands to follow their dreams, these wives and girlfriends of Huntsville Stars restructured and relocated their lives. The end of the season affords them a few months of normalcy. Kelli Welch, wife of pitcher David Welch, resides in Huntsville during the season but still considers Texas home and looks forward to seeing her family. "It's not always fun, but I knew it was part of it going in," she said. "But I do get to travel, meet new people and go new places." Kelli's son Maddox - named after Greg Maddux - gets loads of attention at Stars games as the women play pass the baby. Kelli's only rule for Maddox is no baseball attire. "He doesn't wear any baseball clothes, and there are no baseball nursery decorations," she laughed, noting that friends still brought baseball-themed gifts to the baby shower anyway. Kelli met her David - a native of Sydney, Australia - when they were attending Texarkana Community College. She brushed him off initially, but admitted his Australian accent softened to her. Throughout their courtship, she visited him wherever he pitched. On a trip to watch him play rookie-league ball in Montana, he proposed. Nowadays the left-hander does dishes, the laundry and even changes diapers in addition to his baseball duties. Kelli said it's settling to have the other girls around. Because players are called up or demoted, the women are frequently faced with relocating at an instant. "This has been his dream since he was a little boy. I could never take that away from him," said Christy Ryan, wife of Stars reliever Patrick Ryan. Christy spent the summer with her husband in Huntsville, but has returned to Plant City, Fla., to study physical therapy at the University of South Florida. "He's just like I am with him," she said. "He's there for me and my dreams and goals, and he's very supportive." The Ryans have been married two years, but Christy said her father would give his blessing on the nuptials only if Christy finished school. Ali Wright, wife of pitcher Brae Wright, met her husband when they were at Ole Miss. A semester later, Brae transferred to Oklahoma State and Ali transferred to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. "He laid it out on the line," she said. "He told me, 'If you're going to break it off, it's going to be your call, because I don't want to let you go.' " Ali lives in Atlanta and works for Vanity Fair. She said she loves her job, which enables her to support the couple while saving most of what her husband brings in from baseball and his offseason jobs. "His job is demanding, but it comes with the territory," she said. "His living his dream is the biggest blessing. We're just benefiting from experiencing the ride." Ali's husband calls her the "Weekend Warrior" because she makes it to Huntsville for most of the weekend home games. She said Brae also supports her dream of owning a boutique. When asked about the prospect of kids - which seems to be in the water at The Joe as Mat Gamel's girlfriend recently found out she's expecting in March - Ali Wright said, "I'm not ready to give up my heels yet." Gamel and his girlfriend, Julianne Marie, attended high school together in Jacksonville, Fla., where Gamel's mother was the guidance counselor. The two reconnected when they were home last Thanksgiving, though Marie had no idea Gamel still played baseball. "I knew he played in high school, but he'd never mentioned it to me," she said. At his parents' house for dinner one night, she learned he was still a ballplayer - one of the Brewers' top prospects in fact. "There were all these pictures of him playing baseball, and I looked at him like 'What the heck?' " she said. "Mat's a very humble guy." Gamel was promoted to Triple-A Nashville shortly after the couple learned of the pregnancy. Marie, who traveled back and forth to Huntsville this summer, is staying in Jacksonville for now. Once the baby is six weeks old, she plans to join Gamel wherever he's stationed. "It's hard," she said. "He only gets three days to come home (for the birth.) The baby will be born during spring training, and those games don't even count toward the season. He'll be leaving like the day I get out of the hospital." Kelli Welch and Christy Ryan have been in the same cities the past three years as their husbands progressed through the farm system. "I can't imagine not having her around," Ryan said of Welch. "They're part of my family," Ryan said of her Stars friends. "We all have a common bond. We're in the same boat, the same situation. We're just good together." Most of the ladies consider themselves baseball experts. Ryan used to photograph her husband pitching and would help him analyze his form later. But Marie admitted to not knowing much before this season. "I remember asking Welch what a grand slam was," she laughed. "That's how little I knew about baseball, but now I can rattle off any stat on any thing."

http://dailyconnect.in/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/jamster-simpsons-homer.jpgThanks, I've adjusted our thread here!

Helena Pre-Game Audio Interview from Wednesday with LHP Daniel Meadows Click on the KCAP archive of September 3rd, then browse to the 19:00 minute mark; the 20-year-old had a nice season for a 49th round pick...

Standings through Wednesday's action (Arizona League standings represent entire season): Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 83 59 .585 - 48-24 35-35 L2 Memphis 75 67 .528 8.0 37-33 38-34 W1 Omaha 63 81 .438 21.0 30-42 33-39 W2 Nashville 59 81 .421 23.0 29-42 30-39 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 42 28 .600 - 23-12 19-16 W2 Tennessee 35 34 .507 6.5 15-19 20-15 L2 Huntsville 32 38 .457 10.0 17-18 15-20 L1 Chattanooga 30 39 .435 11.5 16-19 14-20 W1 West Tenn 29 39 .426 12.0 14-20 15-19 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 38 24 .613 - 24-9 14-15 L1 Jupiter 41 28 .594 0.5 21-16 20-12 W1 St. Lucie 34 31 .523 5.5 15-16 19-15 W2 Palm Beach 33 34 .493 7.5 18-15 15-19 W1 Brevard County 31 38 .449 10.5 14-19 17-19 L2 Vero Beach 20 46 .303 20.0 8-23 12-23 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 45 25 .643 - 23-12 22-13 W1 Lakewood 42 28 .600 3.0 20-15 22-13 L1 Delmarva 40 30 .571 5.0 19-16 21-14 W1 Lake County 34 36 .486 11.0 18-17 16-19 W1 Greensboro 28 40 .412 16.0 15-20 13-20 W2 Hagerstown 27 43 .386 18.0 14-21 13-22 L1 Lexington 24 45 .348 20.5 12-23 12-22 L2 Hickory 22 47 .319 22.5 9-25 13-22 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 18 16 .529 - 14-7 4-9 L1 Great Falls 19 17 .528 - 10-7 9-10 W1 Helena 14 22 .389 5.0 5-13 9-9 W2 Missoula 11 24 .314 7.5 8-7 3-17 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Angels 39 17 .696 - 21-7 18-10 W7 AZL Giants 36 20 .643 3.0 19-9 17-11 W2 AZL Rangers 34 22 .607 5.0 18-10 16-12 W4 AZL Padres 33 23 .589 6.0 18-10 15-13 L2 AZL Cubs 31 24 .564 7.5 20-8 11-16 L5 AZL Royals 23 33 .411 16.0 13-15 10-18 W1 AZL Athletics 21 35 .375 18.0 11-17 10-18 W1 AZL Mariners 21 35 .375 18.0 11-17 10-18 L2 AZL Brewers 13 42 .236 25.5 9-18 4-24 L2

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 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. Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_09_04_helrok_bilrok_1

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: Season complete Huntsville: Season complete Brevard County: Season complete West Virginia: Game Two of a Best-of-Three is Friday night, Power trail 1-0 Helena: LHP Efrain Nieves at Billings (Reds), 7:55 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime; final game is Friday Audio link via KCAP, be sure to select the proper date (games will also archive at this link): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t433 Arizona: Season complete

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Huge two-homer game for Matt LaPorta in the Eastern League playoffs

Jim Powell never needs to fake his way through an interview with one of the just-called up kids. Here's who he's spoken with thus far: Mat Gamel Brad Nelson

Link while active, text follows: Power loses playoff opener West Virginia must win two on road to stay alive in South Atlantic League postseason by Michael Dailey Charleston Daily Mail sports writer CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Evan Anundsen has had a successful season on the mound for the West Virginia Power. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Colorado native leads all Power pitchers in wins (12), starts (28) and innings pitched (145.0). With his 12 wins, Anundsen ties former Charleston Alley Cat and current Kansas City Royal pitcher Jimmy Gobble for the second most wins in a season, behind only current Atlanta Brave hurler Buddy Carlyle's 14 wins during the 1997 season. After a disappointing 10-4 loss to the Lake County Captains in the opening game of the South Atlantic League Northern Division playoffs on Wednesday before 1,783 fans at Appalachian Power Park, another strong Anundsen outing is exactly what the Power needs as the best-of-three series moves to the Cleveland suburbs for games two and three, if necessary. Anundsen (12-8, 4.28 ERA) will take the mound at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) Friday in game two against Lake County starter Chris Archer (4-8, 4.29 ERA). For Anundsen, keeping the ball down in the strike zone and in the ballpark will be the key as the Power tries to battle back from playoff elimination. "Every playoff game is meaningful and every pitch can alter the outcome of the game," said Anundsen, a fourth-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2006 draft. "So really, when it comes down to a three-game series, it doesn't matter which game you pitch because they're all big. "I'm just going to try to do what I've been doing all year. I'm a ground ball pitcher, so I'll try to use my sinker and my other pitches to keep the ball on the ground. "As long as my fastball has a downward action on it and I can keep the ground balls within a couple feet of the infielders, we should be OK." West Virginia's downfall on Wednesday was a sluggish start that put it in a 7-0 hole after just three innings. Lake County chased Power starter R.J. Seidel (9-6) early with three runs, five hits and a pair of walks in just 1 1/3 innings. Power Reliever Reed Dickert fared no better in allowing three runs on three hits and two free passes in just 1 2/3 innings of work. The big blow off of Dickert was a three-run homer in the third off the bat of center fielder Juan Valdez. The Captains plated single runs in the fifth and seventh, and plated a pair of runs in the ninth on a two-run homer by Karexon Sanchez to help secure the win. In all, seven Power pitchers combined to allow 14 hits, 10 earned runs and nine walks on the evening. "Tonight, I just didn't recognize our guys out there," said Power pitching coach John Curtis. "It's not the way they've pitched recently. They just didn't do what we hoped they would. "We've got a young squad and it's very possible they were a little tight out there. It's a shame because the pitchers have done much better than that this year, but they just weren't able to show it tonight. "We'll just have to regroup and get them on Friday." Power Manager Jeff Isom did see one bright spot, in the fact that his team didn't quit despite the early deficit. Trailing 7-0 in the bottom of the sixth, West Virginia rallied for four runs before leaving the bases loaded to end the inning. Lee Haydel led the Power with three hits, while Steffan Wilson, Caleb Gindl and Zelous Wheeler finished with two hits apiece. "It definitely wasn't the type of outing we've been seeing from our guys," said Isom. "We've seen it before where we get behind and it's a big hill to climb for us. I don't know if we're putting too much pressure on ourselves, but I did like the way we didn't quit. "I like our chances going up to their place. We've got Anundsen on the mound and a bullpen full of arms that have had success here in the second half of the season. "It's definitely not over. Once they tell us the season is over, we'll know that we're done. But this club is not going to quit. We'll keep battling until someone tells us we're done."

Link while active, text follows: Power's parent still unknown for 2009 by Jack Bogaczyk Charleston Daily Mail Sports Editor In 2005 and 2006, Appalachian Power Park had an Angel behind home plate. However, the West Virginia Power will not have Angels in the outfield next season. Aw, shucks! The Los Angeles Angels have extended their low Class A baseball affiliation through 2010 with the Great Lakes Loons - nickname nirvana! - of the Midwest League. That's the same circuit Milwaukee plans to call home after four years of providing Charleston with plenty of quality in Baby Brewers - some of whom already are in the bigs, like catcher Angel Salome. The South Atlantic League playoffs opened Wednesday night at Power Park, and Lake County took a lead in the Northern Division series with a 10-4 bat-breaker. Unless West Virginia can find some pitching on the bus ride up I-77 to suburban Cleveland and get a sweep of the Captains in Games 2 and 3 on Friday and Saturday, the Brewers figure to be part of Charleston baseball history. What's not known is which club will sign a contract to continue Class A ball at the East End ballpark, but the prospects are dwindling. What is assured is that there will be an SAL club in West Virginia's capital city. It isn't musical chairs. Everyone in the two leagues gets a parent team. Two months ago, despite baseball-disallowed confirmation or any denials, it became apparent Milwaukee was leaving West Virginia after four seasons for Appleton, Wis., 80-some miles from Miller Park and home of the MWL's Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Those same two months ago, there were 17 possible Player Development Contract deals for the Power future. With oodles of renewals since, that number has dwindled to six - including Milwaukee's very highly unlikely return. The others available are Texas, Seattle (in Appleton now), Washington, Pittsburgh and the New York Mets. One of those clubs will provide the Power for at least 2009 and '10. Power Executive Vice President Andy Milovich is prohibited (with threat of a stuff fine) from discussing the possibilities, or whether he even has filed with Minor League Baseball as seeking an affiliation or renewal. However, Milovich is sufficiently frustrated with the Brewers - who seem to have little reason to exit other than geography - that it's likely he filed to seek a new parent club Tuesday, the first day allowable. Clubs are notified of available teams between Sept. 12-15 (like they already don't know). New deals can be worked out between Sept. 16-30. Among the available, it's obvious the Pirates would be the preferred option in a city where the Class AAA Charlies were embraced and had Charleston one step from the bigs 25 years ago. Pittsburgh hasn't re-upped with its low Class A home, Hickory of the SAL, although Crawdads Owner Don Beaver remains a Pirates' partner. That affiliation in the past was considered a lock. However, things have changed at the north end of the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Kevin McClatchy is no longer the Bucs' managing partner. The Wheeling-based Nutting family now runs the club. The past Pirates-Charlies connection and geography make sense. Area fans regularly go to picturesque PNC Park. Here's where Gov. Joe Manchin, always looking for deals that could boost the Mountain State, could lobby the Nuttings for consideration of a nice ballpark with supportive fans (3,239 paid per game this season at the APP). It also might be a plus that Milovich has a decade-long relationship with first-year Pirates GM Neal Huntington, who was a Cleveland front-office executive when the Power boss was running Indian farm Mahoning Valley (Ohio) in the short-season New York-Penn League. When Milwaukee renewed its original two-year Power deal for 2007 and '08, Texas (now at Clinton, Iowa, in the Midwest League) had shown strong interest in putting its club here. The Mets were squeezed out here and went to Savannah, Ga., in the SAL. The Metropolitans may be a good bet. Adam Wogan, the Mets' farm director, formerly worked with Milovich for Palisades Baseball with the South Bend SilverHawks. Milwaukee will be a tough act to follow. The Power has Charleston baseball in two straight SAL playoffs for the first time since a Cincinnati-affiliated run from 1990-92. Seven former Power players already have reached the Majors. The Brewers started here with a 2005 first-half season of 25-45. Once they got their act together, Milwaukee's teams have played 55 games over .500 in 3 1/2 seasons here. Milwaukee also has provided locals the chance to watch rising stars like Ryan Braun, Yovani Gallardo, Mat Gamel, Matt LaPorta, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, Will Inman and Salome. Charleston will keep Class A South Atlantic League baseball. Who provides the Power, however, remains a Texas-sized (or other club's) question.

Link while active, text follows: Playoffs pit Bryson against former team By Jonathan Mayo / MiLB.com CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The last time Rob Bryson was here at Appalachian Power Park, he was wearing West Virginia's logo across his chest. On Wednesday, he came back to the park for the first time as a Lake County Captain with a chance to help eliminate his former teammates from the South Atlantic League playoffs. "I got a little preview when they came to our place and I got to play against them for the first time since the trade," the 20-year-old right-hander said. "Being back here, obviously, I lived here for those few months and played here, it's exciting. It's a little weird seeing them on the other side of the field, that's for sure." "The trade," of course, was the July 7 deal that sent lefty CC Sabathia from Cleveland to Milwaukee. While most of the attention, in terms of the return the Indians got for their ace centered around Matt LaPorta, Bryson and his live right arm definitely could make that deal seem even sweeter for Cleveland further down the line. Now Bryson has the chance to use that arm against his old friends. The Captains knew they were in, having clinched the first-half North Division title before Bryson joined the squad. So they -- Bryson in particular -- watched with interest as the Power got hot and finished with the league's second-best second-half record. "That made the playoffs that much more exciting, knowing we were playing against them," Bryson said. "We had already clinched and those guys had to play some pretty good ball to make it. I was rooting for them so I'd get a chance to play against them. It was something I was looking forward to." Until just recently, it looked like it might be something Bryson would have to look forward to but not participate in. He hurt his shoulder in late July -- ironically, it was against West Virginia during that visit to Lake County -- and just returned to action at the very end of the regular season. He appeared in seven games in total for the Captains, all in relief, posting a 2.19 ERA over 12 1/3 innings while yielding only six hits and striking out 11. That gave the 2006 31st-round pick a 3.88 ERA between the two SAL clubs. He held opponents to a .197 average with 84 strikeouts in 67 1/3 combined innings. But even those numbers are misleading. Bryson had a 4.82 ERA over 18 2/3 innings in five starts for the Power. He claims he has no preference in terms of a pitching role, but it's clear that at least for now, he's more comfortable coming out of the 'pen. Totaling his numbers as a reliever, Bryson had a 3.51 ERA with 64 Ks in 48 2/3 innings. Some young players have trouble making the transition after a trade. He seemed to embrace it. "The trade was exciting," Bryson said. "It was a kind of spur-of-the-moment thing. I had no clue. We were going on the road that night, so I had no idea. As far as the trade, it's definitely an honor to be traded for someone like CC Sabathia. I was excited about it. It was a good thing for me." It might end up being a good thing for the Captains in this series. He hasn't closed any games for Lake County, but he's got that kind of stuff, with 13 saves and 154 srikeouts over 121 1/3 innings in his brief career. And nothing would please him more than standing on the mound in the ninth inning with the chance to end his former teammates' season while extending his new club's just a few more games. "That'd be pretty exciting," Bryson said. "That would be perfect." Rob Bryson was 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 22 games before a trade to the Indians' organization. (Photo by West Virginia Power) http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/2008/09/03/irGJpHoE.jpg

Final: Helena 10, Billings (Reds) 8, 13 innings Helena Independent Record: Erik Komatsu hit a double in the top of the 13th inning to bring in the winning run as the Helena Brewers beat the Billings Mustangs 10-8 Wednesday night. Komatsu's line drive to right field brought in Cutter Dykstra before Brock Kjeldgaard singled to center to score Komatsu for the final run. Dykstra was the most efficient at the plate, going 3-for-4 and walking three times to score twice and pick up two RBI. Kjeldgaard went 3-for-7 with four RBI for Helena (14-22), which is mathematically out of the 2008 playoff race. Steven Braun had two hits and scored twice for the Brewers. Billings got an early lead, scoring three in the first, but Helena answered with three of its own in the third. After the Mustangs scored in the fourth, Helena put up three in the fifth and one more in the top of the sixth. In the bottom half, Billings came back with four runs to go ahead, 8-7. Braun led off the eighth with a double and was driven home by Dykstra to tie the game. Tony Brown led the Mustangs with four hits, including two doubles, for two RBI and a run. The Brewers finish their season in Billings with two more games, the first of which starts tonight at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central) on the road. Helena Box Score Garrett Sherrill stranded two runners, then combined with Brandon Rapoza (check out those Helena numbers) and Adam Arnold to shut out Billings over the final 7+ innings... Helena Game Log