Jim Goulart

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Indians can choose one of four Brewers minor leaguers to complete CC Sabathia trade The player who will complete the CC Sabathia trade is on a list of four Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguers who the Indians are scouting. It was previously reported the list contained only two players. All four players are position players. Class AA outfielder Michael Brantley and Class A third baseman Taylor Green are two of the players. The identities of the other two are not known. General Manager Mark Shapiro, who is on this trip, said the Indians would probably wait until the end of the minor-league season in August to make their choice. "There are some scenarios where we may not wait the entire time," said Shapiro. Brantley, whose father played in the big leagues with Seattle, is hitting .325 (100-for-308) with 15 doubles, four homers and 35 RBI for Class AA Huntsville, Ala. Brantley bats and throws left-handed, and has 25 steals in 31 attempts. He's a leadoff hitter with a .407 on-base percentage, .412 slugging percentage and an .819 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). Green hits left-handed and throws right-handed. He's hitting .294 (101-for-343) with 17 doubles, 11 homers and 59 RBI at Class A Brevard County in Florida. He has 49 strikeouts and 44 walks. His on-base percentage is .375, slugging percentage .440 and OPS .815. "We've got a chance to get a guy that we'd grade as an everyday major-league player," said Shapiro.

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Ungs takes Stars to the top Nic Ungs did it all tonight.........The former Mudcat scattered eight hits in seven innings, singled in a run with two out to spark a pivotal three-run 5th, sacrificed, and singled to lead off the 7th, carrying the Stars to a 4-2 victory over the Smokies....... The victory moved the Stars into a 1st place tie with Tennessee for the first time in the 2nd half with one game left in the series Sunday....... Mike Jones (0-3, 7.09) will face Mark Holliman (0-3, 5.44), who authored a seven-inning no-hitter against the Stars last year. The Stars (17-12) have now won eight of their last ten and ten of their last 14 games, dating back to July 3....... They are hitting .298 since July 3, led by Angel Salome's .426 with eight doubles and 13 RBIs and Alcides Escobar's .385 and 15 runs scored........ Michael Garciaparra has silently made a big contribution filling the gaps caused by Matt LaPorta's trade and J.R. Hopf's slump. Garciaparra has knocked in 11 runs since the streak started and hitting .344......... But the streak, with three games won by a run and two won by two runs, owes a lot to a bullpen revival........ Since July 3, the bullpen combo of Omar Aguilar, Steve Bray, Dave Johnson, Patrick Ryan, Juan Sandoval, and Jason Shiell, are 3-0 with five saves and a 3.23 ERA. The weak link is Aguilar, who in three games, has given up eight runs (four earned) on six hits and a walk in just three innings. Subtract Aguilar, and you have a bullpen ERA of 2.50 since the hot streak started. In every game of this series, the Smokies have scored first -- three of those times in the 4th inning....... After Ungs held them to just a hit in the first three innings, Doug Deeds hit a one-out double to the gap in left. With two out, Ungs' wild pitch on his first delivery to Tyler Colvin moved him to third. Colvin then hit a hard grounder through the right side of the infield into right, scoring Deeds and giving Tennessee a 1-0 lead. Donnie Veal held the Stars to just one hit -- a Mike Bell double -- over the first four innings, retiring the side in order in the 4th on just 13 pitches. But Veal, who is now 0-6 against the Stars going back to last season, also has a tendency to give up runs in bunches........ Bell started the 5th inning rally with a two-hop single to center. Before he could throw a pitch to the next hitter, Garciaparra, Veal committed a balk on a pickoff throw to first. Garciaparra then sacrificed Bell to third with a somewhat hard bunt to the left side of the infield. Then with two out, Ungs, now 5-for-9 at the plate for the Stars, rapped a hard single through the right side, scoring Bell......... That wasn't the end of it though........ Michael Brantley, just back from serving his three-day suspension for the part he played in last Saturday's melee at AT&T Park, legged out a triple into the left field gap, scoring Ungs to put the Stars ahead. A wild pitch with Lorenzo Cain at the plate brought home Brantley to give the Stars a 3-1 lead. That lead held up....... After the Smokies edged closer in the 6th with a sacrifice fly, the Stars added an insurance run in the bottom half to close the scoring on a series of blunders....... Escobar led off with a bunt single that traveled inside the first base line, almost all the way to the bag. Mat Gamel was then hit on the elbow with Veal's second pitch moving him over. Cole Gillespie then bunted on the first pitch he saw from Veal to the right side of the infield. Third baseman Kyle Reynolds, who was playing in, threw to Nate Spears covering first, but the throw went right past him, allowing Escobar to score easily....... Patrick Ryan, who in June became the first Huntsville reliever to lose four games in a month since Matt Grott in 1991, picked up his first save since June 7, striking out two in the 8th, then striking out shortstop Matt Camp to end the game...... One of his four strikeout victims was Doug Deeds, who fought off pitch after pitch, then finally swung at the 10th delivery he saw to end the 8th. All Deeds has done in this series is to go 10-for-16 with four doubles and 4 runs batted in......... Ryan has a win and a save and a 3.11 ERA in July after logging a 6.92 ERA in June in nine appearances. Angel Salome and David Welch began serving their three-day suspensions, Saturday......... Bell will follow........

You know, I had almost forgotten just how little amateur baseball Lorenzo Cain had played prior to his drafting by the Brewers, even though we discussed it regularly a couple of years ago -- one of the reasons he saw significant time in Maryvale his first pro season. His mom must have been so proud of his Hawaiian Fall League efforts in '07 in addition to his other accomplishments thus far. Nice story below... Link while active, text follows: Mother's faith helps keep Cain on track Daily messages give Stars player encouragement By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times Dear God, I pray that you keep Lorenzo safe and give him the strength to walk in your word. ... Every night, whether he gets to speak to his mother or not, Lorenzo Cain always hears her voice. That's because every day, Patricia Cain leaves a prayer like this on the Huntsville Stars outfielder's voice mail. "That's the love of my life right there," Cain said, shaking his head. "She's been through a lot with me all my life. More than anything else, she wanted to raise me to be somebody." As a 22-year-old rising prospect in the Milwaukee organization, Cain has a strong start to becoming a household name in professional baseball. Beyond that, he's already more of a man off the field than many at his age. "When you ask for volunteers to do something like going to the Huntsville Hospital cancer ward, Lo-Cain is always there," said Stars general manager Buck Rogers, who also worked with Cain at Single-A Brevard County. "He's one of the All-American guys." Considering Cain grew up without playing baseball until his sophomore year of high school, it's amazing how far he's come. Considering his father died when he was four, Cain's maturity at such a young age is perhaps more remarkable. Cain isn't surprised, though. Not with someone as strong as his mom in his corner. Lord, please help Lorenzo know everything is in your hands. Have him trust you in the good days and the bad. ... Cain remembered this prayer his mother left him recently. The words were simple but strong, and they took him back to the days of his upbringing. Growing up in rural Madison, Fla., 30 minutes south of Valdosta, Ga., Cain couldn't play organized sports. With his mother working two jobs driving to Valdosta to be a store clerk at Dillard's by day and working at a printing company by night, she barely had time to spend with him and his older brother. She definitely didn't have time to take them to practice. After getting cut in basketball tryouts, a friend of Cain's - current Angels Single-A player Jeremy Haynes - talked him into going out for baseball. "I just felt like I needed to do something," Cain said. "I got sick of going home every day after school." Saying Cain "went out" for baseball is stretching it, however, according to then-Madison County (Fla.) High School coach Barney Myers. Basically, the team had eight junior varsity players and needed one more. Two weeks after practice started, Cain burst into Myers' classroom. "Mr. Myers?" Cain started. "My name is Lorenzo Cain, and I want to try out for the baseball team." Cain told the coach he'd never played but was asked to come to the practice field that afternoon, anyway. That day, the second biggest love in Cain's life got off to a humble beginning. "He came out to the field with no glove, no uniform, no cleats, nothing," Myers said with a laugh. "We told him where he could go get a glove in our field house, and, no joke, he comes back with a left-hander's glove on his right hand. "I hit him fungo, and he goes and catches it, takes his glove off and throws it in. Then he yells, 'Coach, I can do a lot better if I have one of those other gloves.' " When Cain informed his mother he made the team, she reluctantly embraced it although he didn't have a ride. With the help of Myers and the Haynes family, somebody got Lorenzo to practice every day. "It definitely was a struggle," Patricia Cain said. "I really struggled all the time, but in my struggle, I was praying, asking God to make a better way for Lorenzo. "I had to be the mother and the father, just having to work and meet their needs." That first year on junior varsity was rocky, but Cain soaked in instructions. He played sparingly on the varsity as a junior. Then, with a chance to finally shine, he had a breakout summer between his junior and senior years. He built on that the next year, hitting around .350 as a senior, flashing his immense speed and highlight-reel defense. Though he was raw, he began drawing interest. "He became a fanatic," Myers said. "And to think, if he'd have been at 100 million other places and came out, he'd have gotten cut." When it came time for the colleges to call after that stellar senior year, nobody did at first. "I remember him saying, 'Mama, I want to go to college, but nobody's asking me,' " Patricia Cain recalled. "I told him, 'son, the day ain't over.' "That afternoon when he came home, the coach at Tallahassee Community College called and asked him how he'd like to play baseball on a full scholarship." The Brewers had been watching Cain, too, eyeing his 6.6 time in the 60-yard dash and watching him develop. Scout Doug Reynolds informed Brewers director of scouting Jack Zduriencik about Cain, and they picked him in the 17th round of the 2004 amateur draft. After a year at Tallahassee CC, he was in the Milwaukee farm system. "He was a young, athletic-looking kid, and he's come on. We're very happy with him," Zduriencik said. "He was a typical draft-and-follow kid for us." Dear God, please be with the guys and help them stay healthy and come out on top, and no matter what happens, always help them keep their heads up. ... Prayers like that one helped Cain through difficult times, such as before this season when last year's first-round pick Matt LaPorta jumped him in the system to start in right field for the Stars. Now that LaPorta has been traded, Cain - who was hitting .287 with seven homers, 41 RBIs and 19 steals at Brevard - has been called up. "With (LaPorta) being a first-rounder, I kind of expected that," Cain said. "I just knew I had to go out and perform at the level they put me at. I just had to brush it off." Manatees manager Mike Guerrero said he never saw any frustration carry over onto the field. "The good thing is he puts so much into it, and he works so hard every day," he said. "To come as far as he has in such a short period of time, he deserves this." Now Cain has to take advantage of the opportunity, working on his plate discipline and working on strength so his power will develop. The people who supported him through his early days have no doubts he will thrive even if they are stunned that he is where he is. "He's an amazing story, no question about it," Myers said. "It's really miraculous when you think about it. "But he just works so hard." It's the same thing folks say about Patricia Cain. When people who know Lorenzo look at him, they see her. When he is away from home, he hears her voice. And more than anything, he wants her daily prayers to be answered. "I just prayed and I prayed for that young man to be somebody," Patricia Cain said. "I never would have dreamed this would have happened to him. I just tell him, 'Look where you came from and look where you are now.' All I have to say is this is a blessing from God."

Link while active, text follows: Huntsville's Ungs a force in 4-2 win By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times Every time Nic Ungs had to come through Saturday night, he did. Whether on the pitcher's mound, at the plate or with a clutch pickoff, the Huntsville Stars starting pitcher made several crucial plays to help his team beat Tennessee 4-2 in front of 3,277 fans at Joe Davis Stadium. The win tied Huntsville with the Smokies at 17-12 atop the Southern League North division second-half standings. Ungs (3-0) turned in a solid game on the hill again - as he has done every game since joining Huntsville - but was trailing 1-0 when he came up to bat in the fifth with a runner on third and two outs. He laced a solid single past the second baseman to tie the game. Following the RBI single by Ungs (who batted 2-for-2), Michael Brantley tripled under the glove of left fielder Tyler Colvin, knocking Ungs home. Brantley scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1. "I went to college (at Northern Iowa) to do both, but I never got a chance to hit," Ungs said. "I was known more as a third baseman in high school." After allowing a run to cut the lead to one in the sixth, Ungs caught Doug Deeds off third base, picking him off. "That was a big momentum swing, especially with one out," Ungs said. He got out of trouble and worked seven innings, allowing eight hits and two runs. Patrick Ryan worked two scoreless innings for his sixth save. Brantley returned after a three-game suspension for his part in a benches-clearing brawl with Chattanooga, and catcher Angel Salome and pitcher David Welch began their three-game suspensions.

Des Moines Register: The Iowa Cubs suffered a wet defeat in Saturday's 4-3, rain-shortened loss to the Nashville Sounds. The game was interrupted by a lightning storm at the end of the sixth inning and called an hour later, when the downpour was still going strong and creating deep puddles on the field. Still, the delay was as entertaining as the game, as players from both teams took turns doing belly flops on the tarp, much to the delight of the remaining crowd, which was chanting "One more time!" The rain came at an inopportune time for the Cubs. They led 3-1 after five innings, but Nashville scored three times in the sixth for what turned out to be the last inning.

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Interview with Closer Luis Pena (Friday's Game) Click on the WNSR archive of Friday, July 18th, then browse to the 18:45 minute mark...

Final: Nashville 4, Iowa (Cubs) 3, six innings, rain Nashville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- Sounds Win Rain-Shortened Contest, 4-3 DES MOINES -- A sixth-inning rally helped spur the Nashville Sounds to a 4-3 victory over the Iowa Cubs in a rain-shortened, six-inning contest on Saturday night at Principal Park. Iowa starter Justin Berg only gave up three hits in 5 2/3 innings of work, but he also walked four batters and ended up allowing three runs. Sounds starter Sam Narron (6-3) once again benefited from solid run support as he picked up his sixth win for the Sounds this year and his 12th win overall after pitching five innings and giving up three runs on seven hits. Brendan Katin hit the go-ahead RBI with a pinch-hit single to cap a three-run rally in the sixth inning and give the Sounds the comeback win. In a physical demonstration of the dissimilar luck of the first-place Cubs and the last-place Sounds, Iowa scored its first run in a demoralizing fashion for Nashville. (I have to say, that's an impressive sentence -- Mass). Koyie Hill started the bottom of the third inning with a single to right field, then Andres Blanco flailed his bat at a 1-2 changeup outside the strike zone from Narron and managed to make enough contact with the ball for it to roll slowly down the third base line and give him enough time to arrive safely at first base. Blanco's bat was not even in his hands when it hit the ball. Berg then produced another unconventional hit as he showed bunt then pulled back and hit a high chopper over Chris Woodward's head at third base to score Hill and give Iowa a 1-0 lead. Narron was eventually able to get out of a bases-loaded jam and limit the damage to one run. The Cubs next run was scored on a ball that was hit much harder. Matt Craig took Narron deep to left field to notch his second longball of the year for Iowa in the bottom of the fourth inning and double the Cubs lead. Craig's home run came in just his 13th at-bat since being promoted to Iowa on July 9, where he is batting .466 (7-for-15) through his first six games. Woodward ended Iowa starter Berg's no-hit bid in the fifth inning with a leadoff single, and Callix Crabbe followed with a walk. Carlos Corporan then hit a groundball that forced Crabbe out at second base, but Cubs shortstop Blanco overthrew first base on the double-play attempt, and Woodward scored from second to plate the Sounds first run. Iowa responded with another run in the bottom half of the fifth after Andres Torres singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then stole third base. Casey McGehee then hit a single to right field to plate Torres and record his team-leading 64th RBI. The Sounds then rallied in the top of the sixth inning to take the 4-3 lead. Brad Nelson took his second walk of the night and then stole second base, his 13th steal of the year. Adam Heether brought him around to score in the next at-bat when he knocked his first triple of the year to right field. Heether now has eight RBIs in his last 12 games and is batting .389 (14-for-36) with eight extra-base hits during that stretch. Woodward hit a sacrifice fly off Iowa reliever Mike Burns to score Heether from third and even the score for the Sounds. After both Crabbe and Corporan were hit by pitches from Burns, Katin pinch hit for Narron and knocked a single to centerfield to score Crabbe from second base and give the Sounds the lead. The RBI was Katin's 14th in his last 12 games and added to his team-leading 58 RBIs. Nashville reliever Ben Howard picked up the save after pitching a scoreless sixth inning to hold off the Cubs, and Iowa's Mike Burns (7-6) picked up the loss after allowing the game-winning run in 2/3 of an inning. The division foes will play the final game of their season series with tomorrow's matinee at 1:05 p.m. at Principal Park in Iowa. Lefty Steve Hammond (0-4, 7.41) will take the mound for Nashville against right-hander and former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija (3-1, 3.45) will start for Iowa. Nashville Box Score Don't get too excited about Brad Nelson's 13 steals, he's been caught eight times, Kremblas being Kremblas, which isn't always a bad thing... Nashville Game Log

Final: Huntsville 4, Tennessee (Cubs) 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Stars Slide Back Into Top Spot Huntsville in First Place for First Time in Second Half By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Nic Ungs worked seven solid innings on the mound and had a big run-scoring single in a three-run fifth inning rally that carried Huntsville to a 4-2 win Saturday night and into a first place tie with Tennessee atop the North Division. The Stars won their third straight in the series after dropping the opener to improve to 17-12 in the second half and earn their league-high 58th win of the season. Huntsville has won 10 of the 13 games between the teams this season. For a third time in the series, the Smokies broke up a scoreless game in the fourth inning, tonight on a run-scoring hit by Tyler Colvin, who knocked in his third run of the set. Donnie Veal blanked the Stars through four frames and then ran into trouble in the fifth when the home team grabbed the lead for good. Mike Bell led off with a single, moved to second base on Veal's first balk of the season and to third on a Michael Garciaparra sacrifice bunt. Martin Maldonado grounded out for the second out before Ungs delivered a base hit to right field to plate Bell with the tying run. Michael Brantley then tripled to drive in Ungs and scored on a wild pitch. Nate Spears led off the Smokies sixth with a single, moved to third on a Doug Deeds double and scored on a Jake Fox sacrifice fly to cut the Stars' lead to 3-2. Deeds, who had moved to third on the Fox fly out, was then picked off at third by Maldonado, with Colvin at the plate, for the second out. The Stars tacked on an unearned run in the bottom of the inning when Alcides Escobar legged out a bunt base hit, moved to second base when Mat Gamel was hit by a pitch, to third base on a Cole Gillespie sacrifice bunt and then scored when Fox couldn't handle the throw at first base. Ungs improved to 3-0 in four starts after allowing eight hits, walking one and fanning two. Patrick Ryan retired the side in order in the eighth and ended the game by striking out Matt Camp with runners at the corners to earn his sixth save of the season and first since June 7. Veal suffered the loss to fall to 4-7 after yielding five hits, walking one and fanning three. He has six losses and a no-decision against the Stars since the start of last season. The series wraps up Sunday with right-hander Mike Jones making the start for the Stars against Smokies' right-hander Mark Holliman. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 pm central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com. Huntsville Box Score Nic Ungs hitting like fellow Iowan Wes Obermueller; four successful sacrifice bunts for the Stars --let the sabermetricians have at it with Don Money... Huntsville Game Log

Huntsville Pre-Game Audio Interview with reliever Steve Bray Click on the WUMP archive of July 19th, right off the top; Bray admits that Milwaukee acquiring so many major league level relievers this past offseason, effectively blocking him, did mess him up, sounds better for the experience now...

Final: Brevard County 5, Clearwater (Phillies) 4 Brevard County Site Game Summary: Perez Powers Manatees to Victory By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees (Viera, FL) Brevard County rallied late and was able to hang on to defeat Clearwater Saturday night, 5-4. The Manatees were able to build a 3-1 lead behind a Yohannis Perez RBI double and a pair of two-out RBI singles from Chuck Caufield. Brevard County starter Chris Cody exited the game after six innings, but Travis Wendte was unable to preserve the lead, allowing three runs while retiring just one Thresher batter. Mike Ramlow entered the game at that point, and worked out of the jam by picking off Michael Taylor and striking out John Urick. In the bottom of the seventh, Clearwater inserted lefty Matt Smith into the game, and the Manatees quickly took advantage. After a leadoff single by Stephen Chapman, Perez blasted his first home run of the season to give Brevard County a 5-4 lead. The Manatees ran into a jam in the ninth inning, when a botched pickoff attempt put Quintin Berry on third with just one out. Ramlow was able to induce a harmless groundout by Gary Cates, and then struck out Taylor to end the game. Ramlow (1-0) pitched 2.2 scoreless innings in the game to earn the win in his debut as a Manatee. Smith (0-1) took the loss for the Threshers. With the victory, the Manatees won the series, taking three out of four from Clearwater. Brevard County now embarks on a seven-game road trip, first heading to Tampa for four games, followed by a trip to Palm Beach for three games. They return to Space Coast Stadium on July 28, facing the St. Lucie Mets. Brevard County Box Score Chuck Caufield (I guess "Chuckie" is out now) three singles and an HBP; Yohannis Perez' first multi-hit game in a while -- he'll be 26 in October, so unfortunately, a non-factor regardless; Chris Cody in a groove -- would like to see him have some AA action before 2009; congrats Mike Ramlow, nice first high-A appearance, overdue as it was... Brevard County Game Log Catcher Jonathan Lucroy picked off a man at third base to end the 2nd and cut down an attempted steal of second in the 4th... Jimmy Mojica leaps over a sliding baserunner as he and Yohannis Perez turn a double play in the 1st inning of Saturday's victory. (MiLB.com Photo by Dennis Greenblatt) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2008/07/19/R7oozriB.jpg

Final: Columbus (Rays) 2, West Virginia 1 West Virginia Press Release: CATFISH AVOID POWER SWEEP Charleston, WV - In a game dominated by spoiled opportunities and terrific pitching performances, the Columbus Catfish scored two early runs to defeat the West Virginia Power 2-1 on Saturday night at Appalachian Power Park and avoid the sweep in the four game series. Ian Paxton singled in Quinn Stewart in the top of the second inning to bring in Columbus's first run. Reid Fronk blasted his second home run of the series, and his 12th of the season, in the top of the third to plate their final run of the game. The Power plated their only run in the bottom of the third. Logan Schafer began the inning with a triple and scored on a groundout from Uly Snijders. Both teams had opportunities to score the rest of the way. The Catfish left ten runners on base while West Virginia stranded eight runners. The Catfish left the bases loaded in the fourth inning, and in the fifth the first three batters singled but never scored. The Power left runners stranded at the corners in the fourth. In the fifth, the first two batters reached safely, but no runs were scored. In the eighth the bases were loaded with two outs when Austin Hinkle fanned Zelous Wheeler and the game ended with the tying run on second base. Jason Ragan (7-7) allowed a run on four hits over five innings and fanned two to get the victory. Hinkle (7) provided a scoreless inning and a third of relief to get the save. Dan Merklinger was touched for two runs on seven hits over four innings and got the loss. The Power fell to 53-45 on the year and 21-8 in the second half with the loss. The Catfish improved to 44-53 on the year and 17-10 in the second half with the win. Every Power player got on base at least once while Matt Cline paced the Power with a 2-for-4 performance. Steffan Wilson went 0-for-3, bringing his 12-game hitting streak to an end but he walked to extend his on base streak to 18 games. The Power will begin a four game series against the Rome Braves at Appalachian Power Park on Sunday night. Left hander Evan Frederickson (0-0, 5.40) will make the start for the Power and the Braves will counter with left hander Cole Rohrbrough (2-3, 5.65). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM (5:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score RHP Reed Dickert with four scoreless innings of long relief... West Virginia Game Log

Helena Pre-Game Audio Interview with Outfielder Erik Miller Click on the KCAP archive of July 19th, then browse to the 11:00 minute mark; Miller dealt with a hand injury that delayed him for eight weeks during extended spring training...

Final: Casper (Rockies) 11, Helena 3 http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2007/11/08/jsWKhfTH.jpg Boo! Helena Box Score Santo Manzanillo (sorry Toby, bump in the road) lit up for seven runs in 3.1 innings; more upsetting was that talented lefty Efrain Nieves was brought in to piggyback, allowed both of Manzanillo's runners to score, and then proceeded to surrender four of his own in a brief stint; Garrett Sherrill mopped up in style, retiring all nine men he faced in his best outing to date; John Delaney three singles and a walk, leadoff man extraordinaire as of late... Helena Game Log

Everything but one pitch (87) was 88-91.

Cardinals win, building up overconfidence for the big upcoming series.

Fielder's bomb now available on Gameday along with Jim Powell's call

No win for Benny? Win for the Crew? We'll see...

Brewer middle relief doesn't have a soft underbelly, it's a blubbery bouncy underbelly.

Padres load the bases with one out in the 7th -- Adrian Gonzalez K's looking against Ron Villone, then Kouzmanoff flies out. Pitiful. Still 6-5 Cards.

With the non-televised broadcast, just a reminder that Gameday does have video of all the key plays, even with the MLB.TV and MLB Mosaic blackouts. Man, the NL West is just as pitiful as can be.

Final: Arizona Rangers 3, Arizona Brewers 2 Walk-off loss on a two-out throwing error by third baseman Allixon Cequea, who ended yesterday's walk-off victory... Arizona Box Score RHP Cody Scarpetta got the start, but went just two scoreless, as the box score now shows southpaw Kristian Bueno with a wonderful four-inning follow-up; after a 1-2-3 7th, RHP Jake Odorizzi allowed two runs on three hits, including a home run, in the 8th, in his second pro appearance; Cam Robulack's two-run single had given the A-Crew the lead in the top of the 8th; Robulack's defense at first base has been a different story -- if you've been following along, you've seen those errors pile up (now at eight, that's unacceptable at that position). 17-year-old cleanup hitter? Not even 17 and one-half yet? Yes, 6'3" Dominican prospect Jose Garcia is 15-for-62 (.242, three BB's, 15 K's), with seven extra-base hits -- ultra-young power is cool; teams combined for seven errors, as the Brewers didn't "earn" theirs offensively; right fielder Hitaniel Arias, another 17-year-old, was replaced to start the 5th, no injury indication... Arizona Game Log

I'm pretty sure some of each affiliate's players is involved in the community in some form -- the Sounds held their baseball clinic for deaf kids this spring, we recently saw the Manatee baseball clinic photos, and the Stars get some nice mentions here. More probably goes on that we don't hear about as well. Link while active, text follows: Stars' players visit young heroes in St. Jude ward Benefit game raises money for Huntsville Hospital Foundation By YVONNE BETOWT Huntsville Times Staff Writer, yvonne.betowt@htimes.com Early Friday, 6-year-old Tommy Lau Jr. was tossing balls in the pockets of the pool table in the pediatric playroom at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. He was eagerly awaiting the arrival of several members of the Huntsville Stars, the Double A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. They were scheduled to visit children at the hospital's St. Jude pediatric ward in conjunction with their benefit game Friday night to raise money for the Huntsville Hospital Foundation. "There is not a family in America that hasn't in some way been touched by cancer, including mine," said Stars General Manager Buck Rogers, whose father died of cancer. "Anything we can do to make a little less suffering for the children, we want to do. We didn't have to beg anyone to come. Everyone volunteered." When the players - starting pitcher Mike Jones, center fielder Lorenzo Cain and relief pitcher David Johnson - arrived, Tommy rushed out to greet them. Then he dashed back into the "pool" room where the players, several Stars' staff members, and mascot, Homer the Polecat, joined him and his family. But Tommy was just as excited to see his friend, 7-year-old Hunter Aiton, and gave him a big bear hug. Tommy and Hunter are cancer survivors and spent months at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis. Today, they are cancer-free, but they and their families haven't forgotten the care each received in Memphis. They can now receive the same care at Huntsville Hospital, a St. Jude regional affiliate, said Beth Daniel of the clinic here. "The children usually go to Memphis first, but now they have the option of coming here or going to Memphis for follow-up work," Daniel said. Tommy goes to Huntsville Hospital every two months for blood work. He will turn 6 on Sept. 7 and will be a kindergartner at the Academy for Science and Foreign Language this fall. On his fourth birthday, Tommy's tonsils were removed after he had been sick for two weeks. The next day, his parents, Dawn and Tommy Lau Sr., learned he had a rare and aggressive form of cancer, Burkitt's lymphoma, which attacks the lymph nodes. Dawn, whose father had died five months earlier, and Tommy spent the next four months at the Target House in Memphis for cancer treatments. Her husband and daughter, Emilee, visited on weekends. Tommy Jr. arrived home Dec. 22, the day before Dawn's birthday. "It was a great birthday present," Dawn said. "The St. Jude ward didn't open here until after we were in Memphis. We are very grateful we can now come here for blood work rather than go to Memphis. The people, all the nurses and doctors, at both places are incredibly sweet and always made sure I had whatever I needed." Tommy and Hunter, their relatives and friends were busy for several weeks selling tickets to the Stars' benefit game. It was Hunter's dream to hold a fundraiser to help other children with cancer, said his father, Jean Aiton. The Huntsville police officer is grateful for the support from the Stars and the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, which helped organized the game. "Everyone involved has been pouring their hearts into it," Aiton said, "and it has been a wonderful experience." When Rogers, the Stars' general manager, asked for volunteers to visit the hospital, Jones, a Phoenix, Ariz., native, didn't hesitate. "Being in a hospital is not enjoyable, especially for children," Jones said. "If someone can bring a positive light to a child, it is priceless." Jean Aiton is thankful for a community that values its police officers and firefighters, who put their lives on the line, and athletes who give their time to help encourage those in need. Still, Hunter and Tommy are Aiton's main heroes. "They are fighting for their life every day," he said. "They are the real heroes."

Hopefully a lesson learned -- don't draft the best athete available, draft the best player available. This isn't a decathlon. Brent's confidence can't exactly be peaking right now.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 61 40 .604 - 37-17 24-23 W1 Memphis 55 44 .556 5.0 26-21 29-23 W2 Omaha 45 53 .459 14.5 20-27 25-26 L2 Nashville 39 61 .390 21.5 19-27 20-34 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 17 11 .607 - 9-6 8-5 L2 Huntsville 16 12 .571 1.0 7-6 9-6 W2 Carolina 14 14 .500 3.0 5-5 9-9 W1 Chattanooga 12 16 .429 5.0 6-9 6-7 L1 West Tenn 10 18 .357 7.0 3-10 7-8 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 14 10 .583 - 8-5 6-5 L1 Daytona 15 11 .577 - 7-4 8-7 L1 Jupiter 14 11 .560 0.5 7-3 7-8 L1 Palm Beach 14 12 .538 1.0 10-6 4-6 L3 Brevard County 10 17 .370 5.5 5-10 5-7 W2 Vero Beach 10 17 .370 5.5 4-9 6-8 L7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 21 7 .750 - 11-2 10-5 W3 Lakewood 18 10 .643 3.0 9-5 9-5 W3 Delmarva 15 13 .536 6.0 6-8 9-5 W2 Hagerstown 12 16 .429 9.0 5-10 7-6 W1 Lake County 12 16 .429 9.0 5-10 7-6 W1 Hickory 11 17 .393 10.0 3-9 8-8 L4 Greensboro 10 18 .357 11.0 4-9 6-9 W1 Lexington 6 21 .222 14.5 3-11 3-10 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 19 11 .633 - 8-1 11-10 W4 Great Falls 16 14 .533 3.0 9-6 7-8 L2 Helena 16 14 .533 3.0 9-9 7-5 W2 Missoula 6 24 .200 13.0 3-15 3-9 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 12 9 .571 3.0 8-2 4-7 W2 AZL Rangers 12 9 .571 3.0 6-5 6-4 W2 AZL Padres 11 9 .550 3.5 7-2 4-7 L3 AZL Royals 12 10 .545 3.5 8-3 4-7 L1 AZL Giants 11 11 .500 4.5 6-5 5-6 W1 AZL Athletics 9 12 .429 6.0 4-6 5-6 L2 AZL Mariners 8 14 .364 7.5 5-6 3-8 L2 AZL Brewers 5 15 .250 9.5 5-6 0-9 W2

Follow Saturday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, 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. Nashville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_19_nasaaa_iowaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_19_tenaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_19_clrafa_breafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_19_clmafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_19_helrok_casrok_1 Arizona: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_19_brrrok_rngrok_1