Jim Goulart

Helena Pre-Game Audio Interview with OF Michael Vass Click on the KCAP archive of July 21st, then browse to the 10:30 minute mark; quite the tour of college campuses...

Baseball America explains how Darren Ford had already netted the Brewers value in Mat Gamel

Link while active, text follows: Trade sends Vineland grad across country By MICHAEL McGARRY, Atlantic City Press Staff Writer Darren Ford moved across the country Monday. The Vineland High School graduate and Milwaukee Brewers minor league prospect had one day's notice. The Brewers traded Ford and triple-A pitcher Steve Hammond to the San Francisco Giants for major league second baseman Ray Durham on Sunday night. Ford played for the Brevard County Manatees in the high Class-A Florida State League. He spent Monday afternoon packing his bags in his Melbourne, Fla., apartment. He had a 4 p.m. flight to California. Ford will join the San Jose Giants, San Francisco's high Class A affiliate in the California League. "It's a new beginning," Ford said. Ford, 22, is noted for his speed. He has 48 stolen bases this season - second best in all of minor league baseball. Baseball America rated him as the fastest base runner and best defensive outfielder in the Brewers' system. He was a South Atlantic League All Star season. But Ford has struggled at the plate, batting .230 with 88 strikeouts this season. Ford's name first surfaced in trade talks in stories on several Internet sites Saturday. Ford didn't think anything of it when he was first pulled from the lineup just before the Manatee's Saturday game. "I thought they were just giving me a day off," he said. But other players told him there was talk of a pending trade. "I asked if my name was in it," Ford said, "and they said, 'Yes.' " After the game, Manatee manager Mike Guerrero announced in front of the team that Ford had been traded. Ford then said an emotional goodbye to his teammates. "It was hard," he said. "It got emotional. There were some tears. Teammates are like brothers. Now I'm going to meet a whole new bunch of guys. I'll see some of these guys down the road." Even though it's a big change, Ford is taking a positive approach to the move. "They (the Giants) like something about me," Ford said. "God has something in store for me. All I can do is play hard, play my role and be humble." The Brewers drafted Ford in the 18th round of the 2004 draft. The 5-foot-9, 170-pounder was a three-sport star at Vineland High School. As a senior in 2003-04, he helped the Fighting Clan football team land a berth in the state playoffs by scoring 14 touchdowns - including two via kickoff returns - and rushing for 827 yards on 106 carries. The indoor track season saw him win state Group IV and Meet of Champions titles in the 55-yard dash. A .326 batting average and 39 stolen bases in 40 attempts followed in baseball Back then sports was a game. Now it's Ford's profession. Nothing illustrates that point better than living and working in Florida one day and relocating to California the next. "It's a business," Ford said.

Link while active, text follows: Grizzlies' new guy gets victory By Bryant-Jon Anteola / The Fresno Bee "New guy" is a fluid label in the Fresno Grizzlies clubhouse this season. Through 102 games, 51 different players have played for the Grizzlies. So it was somewhat understandable that Grizzlies manager Dan Rohn donned a confused look when asked to talk about "the new guy." "Which one?" Rohn said. The latest player to join Fresno would be Steve Hammond, who was the winning pitcher in the Grizzlies' 3-2 victory against the Salt Lake Bees on Monday at Chukchansi Park. Pitching despite traveling half of the day and operating on just 30 minutes of sleep Sunday night, Hammond pitched two scoreless innings in relief and gave up just one hit and one walk in his Grizzlies debut. In the process, Hammond (1-4) picked up his first win in Triple-A. "I'm just going on adrenaline," Hammond said. "It's been a long, long day. But it's exciting to be part of a new organization and play right away." Hammond was one of two players the San Francisco Giants acquired in their trade that sent second baseman Ray Durham to the Milwaukee Brewers. Hammond began the year in Double-A with the Huntsville Stars and went 7-4 with a 3.45 ERA, then moved up to Triple-A with the Nashville Sounds and went 0-4 with a 7.41 ERA. Hammond had been scheduled to start for the Sounds on Sunday but saw his name wasn't on the scorecard. When he went into the manager's office, he asked why he wasn't starting and was told he had been traded. But there was a catch. He wasn't told which team was getting him. So he spent all of Sunday's game and part of a bus ride back to Nashville wondering where his next destination would be before finally finding out his new team was the Giants. "I was just so shocked," Hammond said. He immediately began collecting his belongings in his apartment, took a 4:30 a.m. flight to get to Fresno by 8:30 a.m. and waited in the stadium's clubhouse until the 7:05 p.m. game time arrived. "If he's going to be around, I wanted to pitch him," Rohn said. "When something like that happens to a player, they play on adrenaline and they usually do great. "I thought he looked cool, calm, and collected out there. He was good." Box Score / Game Recap

Final: West Virginia 6, Rome (Braves) 5, 11 innings West Virginia Site Game Summary: Charleston, WV - The West Virginia Power defeated the Rome Braves for the first time since the 2006 season with a 6-5 victory in 11 innings at Appalachian Power Park on Monday night. The Power took and early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on Eric Fryer's RBI single. The Braves tied it up in the top of the fourth on a two-out RBI double from Cody Johnson. Zelous Wheeler singled in Caleb Gindl in the fourth inning to give the Power their second lead of the night. Fryer singled in another run in the fifth inning and Wheeler reached on a fielder's choice to score Eric Farris, giving the Power their largest lead of the night. Jason Heyward hit a solo shot in the sixth inning, his ninth of the season and the Braves scored twice in the seventh to tie it up. Adam Coe doubled in Johnson to score the first run and Chad Lundahl grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to bring in the tying run. Lee Haydel smacked a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Power the lead, before Lundahl returned the favor with a two-out RBI double of his own to tie it in the top of the ninth. The Braves had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the top of the tenth. They had runners at the corners with nobody out before Curtis Pasma struck out Heyward, walked Freddie Freeman and Michael Fisher grounded into 1-2-3 inning ending double play. Lee Haydel began the eleventh inning with a base hit. Matt Cline laid down a bunt on the right side of the infield, which was picked up by Tommy Palica. Palica's errant throw went into right field and allowed Haydel to score the winning run. Pasma (4-2) tossed a pair of scoreless innings and allowed just a base hit to get the victory. Palica (6-5) allowed just the unearned run over two and a third on four hits and was tagged with the loss. Evan Anundsen allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings and Wes Etheridge provided two scoreless innings of relief. The Braves hit into four double plays, including three inning-enders. The Power improved to 54-46 on the year and 22-9 in the second half with the win. The Braves fell to 37-63 on the year and 15-16 in the second half with the loss. Seven Power players hit safely, and four turned in multi-hit games. Fryer paced the Power with a 3-for-5 performance. Matt Cline reached four times and extended his on base streak to 12 games. Eric Farris went 1-for-4 and has hit safely in seven straight games since his 15-game hitting streak was snapped. The victory snapped a six game losing skid against the Braves. It was West Virginia's first win against Rome since August 9th, 2006. The Power will continue the four game series against Rome Tuesday night. Right hander Roque Mercedes (4-4, 4.97) will make the start for the Power and the Braves will counter with left hander Richard Sullivan (1-1, 3.72). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score The Power steal seven bases in eight attempts, Matt Cline with three, Eric Farris two; Cline 2-for-4 with a sacrifice, he's been such a catalyst since swapping spots with Brent Brewer; Caleb Gindl on base four times -- nice; it bears repeating -- Eric Farris has hit in 22 of 23 games -- he's 21-of-27 in SB attempts, and played shortstop tonight as Manager Jeff Isom is really maximizing defensive flexibility as of late; keep catching, Eric Fryer, and you guys touched on Evan Anundsen above as the kid with yet another worm-burning effort ... West Virginia Game Log

Final: Helena 5, Casper (Rockies) 0 Helena Box Score Nick Tyson (six IP, four hits including two weak infield grounders, no walks), lefty Daniel Meadows (two IP, five K's) and Wily Peralta (blowing smoke in the 9th, looking better each outing) combine for the shutout; John Delaney knocked the second pitch of the game out for a HR; Corey Kemp 3-for-4 with a double as the DH; SS Michael Marseco, the "little engine that could", as per Steve Wendt, on base three more times and just wowing them in the field -- so easy to root for Michael... Helena Game Log Billings wins, so the H-Crew is three games out with five to play in the first half -- that's tough...

Zach Jackson pitched well in a four-inning start Monday night. Matt LaPorta was 1-for-7 with one RBI, one K, in a doubleheader for Akron. This will also be the Steve Hammond (Fresno) and Darren Ford (San Jose) thread.

Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week Lucas Luetge, Helena 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 1 GS, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO Though he's only appeared in five games this season, he's still managed to win four in a row. The 6-foot-3 southpaw struck out six batters and allowed an unearned run in a combined nine innings last week. The third reliever across minor league baseball to garner Pitcher of the Week honors maintained his spotless 0.00 ERA and has 13 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched this season.

Helena catcher Brett Whiteside, who saw some time in left field recently after coming back from a quadriceps injury, is now sporting a cast on a fractured hand (I missed which one, we'll replay the media from Steve Wendt later). Helena's position player roster remains thin. EDIT: Left non-throwing hand for Whiteside

Final: Arizona Rangers 3, Arizona Brewers 0 Arizona Box Score Tying run came to bat in the 9th -- Joey Paciorek caught looking at strike three... Arizona Game Log

That in and of itself would make a great bumper sticker http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. I wasn't aware of the Twins' take on things, I know their first round pick last year was considered a reach by many, but is doing very well. Do you have a link to anything that Aaron Gleeman or others have written on this subject? I'd be interested, thanks.

My exact post from Monday's Link Report: MiLB.com is listing a newcomer pitching for the Arizona Brewers, soon-to-be 24-year-old RHP Bobby McEwen. Apparently he pitched out of Gonzaga, his college career ended after '07, this looks like it will be his pro debut. It appears he's been focused on coaching and academy work (scroll on link). To be signed at that age, McEwen must have really impressed at a local tryout or such. Career stats at Gonzaga are amazingly non-impressive. Good luck to the "kid", there must be a nice backstory here somewhere.

MiLB.com is listing a newcomer pitching for the Arizona Brewers, soon-to-be 24-year-old RHP Bobby McEwen. Apparently he pitched out of Gonzaga, his college career ended after '07, this looks like it will be his pro debut. It appears he's been focused on coaching and academy work (scroll on link). To be signed at that age, McEwen must have really impressed at a local tryout or such. Career stats at Gonzaga are amazingly non-impressive. Good luck to the "kid", there must be a nice backstory here somewhere.

2nd round RHP Seth Lintz worked two scoreless, ending each inning with a K to strand three total runners in scoring position. Still scoreless in Maryvale in the 4th.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 62 41 .602 - 38-18 24-23 W1 Memphis 55 46 .545 6.0 26-21 29-25 L2 Omaha 46 55 .455 15.0 21-29 25-26 L2 Nashville 40 62 .392 21.5 19-27 21-35 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 18 12 .600 - 9-6 9-6 W1 Huntsville 17 13 .567 1.0 8-7 9-6 L1 Carolina 15 15 .500 3.0 5-5 10-10 L1 Chattanooga 13 17 .433 5.0 6-9 7-8 L1 West Tenn 11 19 .367 7.0 4-11 7-8 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 16 11 .593 - 8-4 8-7 W1 St. Lucie 15 12 .556 1.0 8-5 7-7 L2 Jupiter 14 13 .519 2.0 7-5 7-8 L3 Palm Beach 14 14 .500 2.5 10-6 4-8 L5 Brevard County 12 17 .414 5.0 6-10 6-7 W4 Vero Beach 11 18 .379 6.0 5-9 6-9 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 21 9 .700 - 11-4 10-5 L2 Lakewood 20 10 .667 1.0 9-5 11-5 W5 Delmarva 16 14 .533 5.0 6-8 10-6 W1 Hagerstown 14 16 .467 7.0 5-10 9-6 W3 Lake County 12 18 .400 9.0 5-10 7-8 L2 Greensboro 11 19 .367 10.0 5-10 6-9 W1 Hickory 11 19 .367 10.0 3-11 8-8 L6 Lexington 8 21 .276 12.5 5-11 3-10 W3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 20 12 .625 - 9-2 11-10 W1 Helena 17 15 .531 3.0 9-9 8-6 W1 Great Falls 16 16 .500 4.0 9-8 7-8 L4 Missoula 6 26 .188 14.0 3-15 3-11 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Angels 15 6 .714 - 7-4 8-2 L1 AZL Cubs 13 9 .591 2.5 9-2 4-7 W3 AZL Rangers 13 9 .591 2.5 7-5 6-4 W3 AZL Padres 12 10 .545 3.5 7-3 5-7 W1 AZL Royals 13 11 .542 3.5 9-3 4-8 W1 AZL Giants 12 12 .500 4.5 6-6 6-6 L1 AZL Athletics 9 13 .409 6.5 4-7 5-6 L3 AZL Mariners 9 14 .391 7.0 5-6 4-8 W1 AZL Brewers 5 17 .227 10.5 5-6 0-11 L2

Follow Monday'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. Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_21_breafa_tbyafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_21_romafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_21_helrok_casrok_1 Arizona: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_21_rngrok_brrrok_1

Monday's Daily Menu: All times Central except Arizona League; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: Idle Huntsville: Idle Brevard County: RHP Josh Wahpepah at Tampa (Yankees), 6:00 gametime; first start after 26 relief appearances this season Sorry, no audio for this series... West Virginia: RHP Evan Anundsen at home vs. Rome (Braves), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime 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 Nick Tyson at Casper (Rockies), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Audio link via KCAP, 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=t433 Arizona: RHP Seth Lintz vs. the baby Rangers in Maryvale, 10:30 AM local Mountain Standard Time Never any audio for the Maryvale Crew

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

Link while active, text follows: Power loses to Rome, 11-7 by Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter The West Virginia Power couldn't strike as often as Mother Nature or the Rome Braves. As a result, West Virginia lost 11-7 on Sunday evening in the first of its four-game South Atlantic League series against visiting Rome. The low Class A clubs played the last five innings under a pitch-black Charleston sky in which lightning repeatedly struck, but apparently not close enough for umpires Mario Seneca and Ben Roberson to send the teams to the Appalachian Power Park clubhouses early. "It's in the umpires' hands," West Virginia Manager Jeff Isom said after the game, which ended three hours and 43 minutes after it started. "That's all I'm going to comment on that. "I know it was all around us, but I guess they thought it wasn't jeopardizing anybody and it was far enough away that it wasn't going to affect any play." Power players said they weren't concerned. "The lightning was going on all around us, but I didn't see anything within a mile or two," right fielder Logan Schafer said. "So, I really wasn't too surprised that they didn't call it. "It's not anything that you think about when you're out there playing the game. You worry about the game and the task at hand. We had some work to do. We needed to get some outs, and we needed to put some hits together and push some runs across." The Power didn't do enough on offense or defense to knock off the Braves, who scored 10 runs in the first three innings to build an insurmountable lead. West Virginia starter Evan Frederickson (0-1) allowed eight runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks in two innings. Reliever Jose Garcia surrendered three runs (all earned) on five hits and one walk in three innings. "It was a big uphill battle after that," Isom said, "but I thought our guys responded well with the bats. We gave ourselves opportunities. Unfortunately, it was too big of a hole to climb out of. "Our style of baseball is to be aggressive on the bases, but when you get down by so much, you can't afford to have any baserunning mistakes or get anybody thrown out. So, it kind of put a damper on our style of baseball. "We still got 13 hits and seven runs. We threatened in a couple of innings and were just one hit away from getting a couple more runs here and there. It could have been a lot closer than four runs. After giving up 10 runs in the first three innings, if you were to say they were only going to score 11 runs, I would have been pretty pleased." Catcher Anderson De La Rosa (3-for-5) knocked in three runs and scored two more for the Power. Schafer (2-for-5) scored a pair of runs and added an RBI. Second baseman Zelous Wheeler hit a solo shot -- his ninth home run this season -- in the ninth inning to set the final score. Third baseman Matt Cline (2-for-3) and center fielder Caleb Gindl (2-for-4) also had multiple hits for West Virginia. The teams will continue their series at 7:05 tonight (6:05 Central). The Power (53-46 overall and 21-9 in the second half) will start right-hander Evan Anundsen (9-4, 3.54). The Braves (37-62, 15-15) will throw left-hander Edgar Osuna (4-4, 3.45). West Virginia has lost two in a row and four of its last seven. "I wouldn't even call this a slide," Schafer said. "It's all about winning series. We won the last series. This game was the first game of this series. We can come back and win the next three and we'll be sitting pretty. It's not a big deal."

Link while active, text follows: Sounds think sun is glaring reason for struggles Wall reflects light into batters' eyes By STEVE SILVER Tennessean Staff Writer Greer Stadium has not exactly served as friendly confines for the Sounds this season. With the Pacific Coast League's second-worst home batting average of .239 and the league's second-worst home record of 19-27, the Sounds have struggled to explain their poor performances in Nashville - until now. The latest culprit, Sounds players and their manager said, is the glare reflecting off Greer Stadium's outfield walls from the setting sun. "When the sun is out early in the game, especially at 6, when you look at that wall, it's glary and it's tough to see," Manager Frank Kremblas said. "The paint is bad out there and the batters' eye is not high enough." The batters' eye, the large, dark-colored backdrop attached to every major and minor league ballparks' center field wall, helps hitters see pitches better. The additional wall has been used in the sport since the late 1800s to provide a contrast for the white baseball. Yet Greer Stadium's green batters' eye and the deluge of bright advertisements surrounding it seem to be giving the Sounds fits. "It's by far the worst batters' eye I've ever been involved with," said outfielder Tony Gwynn, who is hitting .323 in 48 games with the Sounds. "It's the sun. You'd like to see them put signs up there that don't have any gloss like that, but you've got to pay the bills somehow I guess." Although Gwynn and several other players have complained about their impaired vision, Sounds General Manager Joe Hart said nothing has changed about Greer Stadium's advertisements or the batters' eye since last season, when the Sounds posted the PCL's best record of 89-55. In fact, Greer Stadium's batters' eye measures 24 feet high and 56 feet wide. The minimum standard established by major league baseball is 16 feet high by 40 feet wide. "We are more than happy to take off a problem if there is one," Hart said. Although the Sounds haven't found their stroke at Greer Stadium, opponents don't seem too distracted by the outfield walls. Visiting opponents are outscoring the Sounds 201-170 while hitting a .273 average in Nashville. Opponents have also blasted 51 home runs, compared with the Sounds' 21. "I don't think there's any question that no matter what environment you're in or what team you're with, when you're playing winning baseball, the minor issues disappear," said Gord Ash, the Milwaukee Brewers' vice president of baseball operations and assistant general manager. "…When you're not playing so well, minor issues become major irritants." Photo by JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN The bright glare of the sun off the outfield wall at Greer Stadium throws batters such as the Sounds' Tony Gwynn for a loop. The wall - called a batters' eye - doesn't provide much contrast. http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20080721&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=807210332&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=318&Border=0

Brewers demolish Ghosts By Helena Independent Record CASPER, Wyo. - The visiting Helena Brewers slammed the Casper Ghosts 19-11 in Pioneer League action. The Brewers, 17-15 on the year, claim sole possession of second place in the North Division with the win Sunday. Helena banged out 19 hits, led by Michael Marseco and David Fonseca, who both knocked four base raps apiece. Marseco stroked a single, a double and two triples, while driving in four runs. Fonseca ripped a pair of doubles and scored three runs. The Brewers big inning was the fourth, when they broke loose to score seven runs. Marseco and John Delaney each singled, followed by Fonseca's double. After Erik Komatsu walked, Brock Kjeldgaard and Corey Kemp each stroked a single. Next, Mike Roberts drew a base on balls, and then Marseco culminated the inning's scoring with a bases loaded triple. In the seventh frame, the Brew Crew plated four runs, provided by Kjeldgaard, Kemp, Michael Vass, Roberts and Marseco. The Capital City group led 19-6 going into the top of the ninth, before the Ghosts scored five runs in their final at-bat to get within eight. Contributing to the Brewers' offense with two hits apiece were Vass, Kamatsu, Chris Dennis and Kjeldgaard. Vass belted a triple and a homer, scoring three runs. Lucas Luetge was the winning pitcher. Luetge went four innings, and did not permit an earned run. In 14 innings pitched this year, Luetge still carries a perfect 0.00 ERA. The losing pitcher was Allen Deratt. The home team's top hitters were Wilin Rosario, Lowe and Carlos Martinez. They face the Ghosts in the third game of the four-game series in Casper today at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

Link while active, text follows: Manatee gets traded to Giants Darren Ford dealt for Durham BY JIM CAWLEY FLORIDA TODAY Now you see him, now you don't. Brevard County Manatees fans have grown accustomed to center fielder Darren Ford's short stay on first base. His 48 steals are first in the Florida State League -- and no one else is even close. However, Ford's speed will no longer be on display at Space Coast Stadium. The 22-year-old was traded on Sunday, along with former Manatee and current Nashville Sounds (Triple-A) pitcher Steve Hammond, to the San Francisco Giants organization for major-league second baseman Ray Durham. "I really thought (Ford) got better as the season went on," Manatees general manager Kyle Smith said. "He seems like he's more aggressive at the plate, and just his sheer speed is a huge asset. We win when he's on base a couple times a game -- that's just a proven fact. "We're going to miss him here." The 36-year-old Durham will report to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he is expected to compete with second baseman Rickie Weeks for playing time. He is batting .293 with three home runs and 32 RBIs this season, his 14th in the major leagues. An All-Star with the Manatees this season, Ford batted just .230, but led the team in walks with 46. In a game at Clearwater on May 5, he tied a FSL league record with five steals in a game. Ford was a South Atlantic League All-Star with the West Virginia Power a season ago. He was listed by Baseball America as the best defensive outfielder and fastest baserunner amongst Brewers prospects. A lefthander, Hammond was 0-4 with a 7.41 ERA in four stars for Nashville this season. In 15 starts with the Double-A Hunstville Stars, he was 7-4 with a 3.45 ERA. Hammond pitched for Brevard County in parts of 2005 and 2006. He was a combined 7-8 with a 2.68 ERA.

RHP Alex Periard, who only turned 21 this past June, has been bumped from Brevard County to AA Huntsville. Given his current inning status vs. last season, it'll be interesting to see how Periard is used down the stretch. Taking his place in Brevard is 22-year-old RHP Amaury Rivas, another starting pitcher who has performed very well, but now needs to be monitored some for workload. No word quite yet on a new body for West Virginia. Joe Dillon fills Steve Hammond's roster spot in Nashville.

Link while active, text follows: Stars one game back in North Smokies hand Huntsville 7-3 loss By JOHN FERRY Huntsville Times Sports Staff, john.ferry@htimes.com There are phrases for what happened to the Huntsville Stars on Sunday at Joe Davis Stadium. "Not much going for us tonight," outfielder Cole Gillespie said. "I hope all it is is a bump in the road," said manager Don Money. What happened was Tennessee built a four-run lead in the third inning, then overcame an eighth inning that saw the Stars within one swing of taking the lead. The Smokies left with a 7-3 victory and a one-game lead over Huntsville in the Southern League North Division's second-half standings. "I felt we could have won more games here," Tennessee manager Buddy Bailey said. "Huntsville has a good club with a lot of good hitters." The Stars took the series 3-2 to move to 10-4 against Tennessee for the season. Mike Jones (0-4) started the game for the Stars and had a 65-pitch limit. He used 57 of those over his three innings, allowing four runs and five hits in the third. Sam Fuld and Blake Lalli belted long two-run homers to right for Tennessee in the third. Nate Spears doubled home Fuld in the sixth and it was 5-0. Tennessee had gotten five solid innings from starter Mark Holliman, who allowed three hits and improved to 1-3. "Holliman was executing and we swung at a lot of balls outside the zone," Money said. The Stars got on the board in their sixth when Lorenzo Cain tripled off reliever Matt Avery and Alcides Escobar got the RBI with a ground out. Tennessee's advantage was 6-1 in the eighth when the Stars send eight batters up against Rocky Roquet and Jose Ceda. Gillespie and J.R. Hopf drew bases-loaded walks to close the gap, but with the lead batter at the plate and one out, Huntsville got a pop fly and a strikeout. "We couldn't throw strikes in that eighth inning," Bailey said, adding that four of the 23 pitches were in the strike zone. Jake Fox homered over the fence in center to lead off the ninth for the Smokies and end the scoring. "That homer got momentum back for us," Bailey said. "One of those nights," said Gillespie. "We can't get ten hits and score ten runs every game."

Listened to portions of the Huntsville archive, conjecture that Michael Brantley may have re-aggravated his right ankle injury, but nothing definitive that I heard...