Jim Goulart

Sabathia trade will cause ripple effect By Jim Molony Now that CC Sabathia has made the biggest splash of the summer trading season with his landing in Milwaukee, get ready for the ripples to hit the rest of the trade market. Make no mistake, Sabathia to the Brewers will have an impact far beyond Milwaukee, starting right down I-94 in Chicago. "I'd be very surprised if [Cubs GM] Jim [Hendry] doesn't make a move," an official from another National League team said Monday. "Remember, [starter Ryan] Dempster has been a reliever the last few years, so they've got to wonder if he can keep this up all year. [Carlos] Zambrano's had some health issues in the past. Those questions had them looking for pitching before. Now you've got a hot Milwaukee team adding the best available starter. I can't see the Cubs standing pat. Not after this." A hot Milwaukee team that in the last three weeks has shaved five games off Chicago's lead in the National League Central Division. The Brewers begin play Monday 3 1/2 games behind the Cubs and a percentage point ahead of St. Louis for the NL Wild Card lead. Without Sabathia, the Brewers have won 29 of their last 44 games, the best record in baseball during that span. With Sabathia joining All-Star right-hander Ben Sheets and talented young lefty Manny Parra, the Brewers not only are clearly going for it all this year, they suddenly have the team to pull it off. That trio and the potent Brewers offense makes Milwaukee a formidable foe in any short series from here on out. This puts the pressure squarely on the Cubs, who have 10 games remaining with Milwaukee beginning with four at Miller Park July 28-31. Getting a healthy Alfonso Soriano back in the lineup will improve Chicago's offense, but the Cubs would really like to add another starter to bolster the rotation. They have scouted, among others, Oakland's Rich Harden and Joe Blanton, San Diego's Randy Wolf and Greg Maddux, Seattle's Erik Bedard and Toronto's A.J. Burnett. Hendry keeps his cards close to the vest, but the Brewers just upped the ante and it's Chicago's move. "I'd say the Cubs have got to be more motivated [buyers because of the Sabathia deal]," the official said. How much more, only Hendry knows. None of the remaining rotation targets are as attractive as Sabathia, but several could be difference makers for the Cubs. Burnett has top of the rotation talent, but has been inconsistent -- and Toronto isn't selling at the moment. Harden is a possible No. 1 when healthy, but the A's are in a playoff chase of their own right now. Bear in mind the Cubs do not have the depth of talent in the system that Milwaukee had to secure Sabathia. Some observers feel it will be harder for Hendry to work a match for a top line starter that doesn't weaken the Cubs' 40-man roster. Another ripple of this deal will be felt this offseason, as there are doubts that Milwaukee will be able to re-sign both Sabathia and Sheets after the season, when both are due to hit free agency. Sabathia turned down a four-year, $72 million offer from the Indians in the spring. Those two could join a free agent market that might also include starters John Lackey (club option), Andy Pettitte, Jon Garland, Livan Hernandez, Pedro Martinez, Mike Mussina, Brad Penny (club option), Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez, Wolf, Burnett (player option) and Dempster. If so, the market for starting pitching should be deeper than we've seen in a few years. Teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers couldn't match Milwaukee's offer in terms of players, but the Brewers landing Sabathia enabled those teams to hold on to their prospects and still have a shot at Sabathia this winter, assuming he hits free agency. As for the present, Sabathia off the market will force other teams looking for starters, such as Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, to look elsewhere. The Rays will keep looking, but it might make them more likely to summon top prospect David Price from the Minor Leagues sooner than they would have preferred. The Phillies have had scouts out for weeks looking for pitching. With Sabathia no longer available, they will look harder at some of the Padres' options. Bedard is another. Then there's St. Louis. The overachieving Cardinals have been saying all along help would come from the disabled list. But with the Brewers passing them Sunday, the Cardinals might be more willing to make a move for another reliever. They have had eyes on Colorado's Brian Fuentes and Matt Herges recently and will have a scout watching Freddy Garcia pitch a showcase session later this month. Sabathia moving to the NL Central also increases the chances that the Wild Card will come from that division. The three best records in the NL belong to the Cubs, Brewers and Cardinals. Sabathia's arrival in Milwaukee raises the Wild Card bar for other hopefuls in the East and West -- and perhaps convinces a fence-sitter or two that it's time to sell. The demand for pitching remains strong, and with Sabathia no longer in play, the supply is that much smaller. "It makes the picture clearer in some ways, to me ... you might see more sellers before the deadline," the official said. "I also think [brewers manager] Ned Yost is in trouble if they don't win. [sabathia's move to Milwaukee] may not trigger a bunch of trades, but it's got to affect the big picture."

MiLB.com's Jonathan Mayo looks at the Brewer kids moving on here.

Yeah, that's a pretty good week -- South Atlantic League Offensive Player of the Week Eric Fryer, West Virginia .682 (15-22), 5 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 3 BB, 3 SO, 1 SB, 1.091 SLG If Fryer had left any doubt with five RBIs, three multi-hit games and 10 hits in his week's first five games, Sunday sealed the deal. That game single-handedly raised Fryer's average by 18 points, as the outfielder went 5-for-5, hitting three doubles and driving in six runs. Amazingly, none of Fryer's five hits came against left-handers, who he is hitting a healthy .457 against this season. Instead, it raised his split against right-handed pitchers from .317 to .340, and in a week, a 45-point increase in batting average leaves Fryer waiting for statistic eligibility, as he would lead the league in hitting with a few more at-bats.

Link Report Bonus: A Hardball Mysteries Mailbag via the Nashville Site, Neil Diamond included...

Taking Zach Jackson's spot in Nashville after the Sabathia trade is LHP Steve Hammond, off the disabled list after a very brief one-week stay. Nice to see that. Also, Callix Crabbe is also back off the Nashville DL after the minimum stay.

In order to fill the two spots vacated at West Virginia by Rob Bryson (Sabathia trade) and Scott Houin (transferred to Brevard), two 21-year-old's, RHP Michael Bowman (9th round, 2008) and OF Logan Schafer (3rd round, 2008) have been promoted from Helena to the Power. No word on any backfills at Helena. By the way, it wasn't in our transaction thread earlier, but the Brewers traded this fella named LaPorta...

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 55 37 .598 - 33-16 22-21 W1 Memphis 49 41 .544 5.0 23-20 26-21 W1 Omaha 42 46 .477 11.0 18-23 24-23 L1 Nashville 35 55 .389 19.0 18-24 17-31 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 12 7 .632 - 6-4 6-3 W1 Carolina 10 9 .526 2.0 5-4 5-5 L1 Chattanooga 10 9 .526 2.0 5-5 5-4 W3 Huntsville 9 10 .474 3.0 4-5 5-5 L2 West Tenn 6 13 .316 6.0 1-8 5-5 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 10 7 .588 - 8-3 2-4 W2 Daytona 9 7 .563 0.5 4-1 5-6 W2 Palm Beach 8 7 .533 1.0 7-5 1-2 W2 Vero Beach 8 8 .500 1.5 2-3 6-5 L2 Jupiter 6 8 .429 2.5 1-2 5-6 L2 Brevard County 6 10 .375 3.5 2-6 4-4 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 12 5 .706 - 8-2 4-3 W2 Lakewood 10 7 .588 2.0 4-2 6-5 W1 Hagerstown 9 8 .529 3.0 3-4 6-4 L2 Delmarva 8 9 .471 4.0 1-5 7-4 W2 Lake County 8 9 .471 4.0 2-5 6-4 W1 Greensboro 6 11 .353 6.0 2-8 4-3 L2 Hickory 6 11 .353 6.0 3-6 3-5 L1 Lexington 4 13 .235 8.0 2-9 2-4 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 13 7 .650 - 5-1 8-6 W1 Great Falls 13 7 .650 - 8-4 5-3 W3 Helena 10 10 .500 3.0 5-6 5-4 L1 Missoula 4 16 .200 9.0 1-10 3-6 L6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Angels 8 4 .667 - 3-3 5-1 W1 AZL Giants 8 4 .667 - 5-1 3-3 W3 AZL Rangers 7 5 .583 1.0 3-3 4-2 L2 AZL Royals 7 5 .583 1.0 6-0 1-5 L1 AZL Cubs 6 6 .500 2.0 6-1 0-5 W2 AZL Padres 6 6 .500 2.0 5-1 1-5 L1 AZL Athletics 5 7 .417 3.0 3-3 2-4 W1 AZL Mariners 5 7 .417 3.0 3-2 2-5 L1 AZL Brewers 2 10 .167 6.0 2-4 0-6 L1

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated several hours prior to gametime. Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):

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". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log" or "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_07_nasaaa_omaaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_07_biraax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_07_lakafa_breafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_07_wvaafx_savafx_1

Monday's Daily Menu: Back to a four-course menu for a day, we ate too much 4th of July weekend... All times Central except Arizona League; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Mark DiFelice at Omaha (Royals), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 PM gametime Audio link via WNSR, 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=t556 Huntsville: RHP Donovan Hand at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link via WUMP, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: LHP Zach Braddock at home vs. Lakeland (Tigers), 6:00 gametime; apparently the "finisher" system isn't an every-day occurance at this time... Sorry, no audio for this series... West Virginia: RHP R.J. Seidel at Savannah (Mets), 5:45 PM pre-game, 6:00 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: Idle Arizona: Idle

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The link includes a nice audio package from Andy "Bull" Barch with Eric Fryer's five base hits Sunday -- Power's Fryer cooks up six RBIs By Daren Smith / MLB.com Eric Fryer made a big adjustment earlier this season when he shifted from catcher, the position he's played most of his life, to left field. For most of the last month, South Atlantic League pitchers have been trying to adjust to Fryer. The former 10th-round draft pick went 5-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs on Sunday to lead a 14-hit attack as the West Virginia Power pounded the Hagerstown Suns, 16-1, at Appalachian Power Park. "I never had the combination," Fryer said. "I had five hits before at Ohio State and I've had [six] RBIs in the Cape Cod League, but the combination is pretty new to me." Fryer doubled in each of his first three plate appearances, clearing the bases to cap a five-run second inning and driving in two more in a six-run third. He singled home Eric Farris and scored in the fifth, then capped his perfect evening with another base hit in the seventh. "I just got a couple of hits early and it kept rolling for me," Fryer said. "A couple weren't maybe the strongest [hits], I had a little dink here and there." Dinks have been the exception for the Ohio native, who is hitting .507 (36-for-71) over his last 20 games. "I take the same approach every day, the same number of swings in batting practice," Fryer said. "When I get in the game, I'm not thinking about much, just trying to put the ball in play. I'm not a big power threat, but I've been finding holes, finding the gaps." Fryer has raised his batting average from .269 on June 12 to a South Atlantic League-leading .363. Asked if he made any changes before embarking on his current tear, he said, "Nothing in particular." "Since I've been here, I've stayed with the same approach. [before] I was a little down, nothing too spectacular. But I'm seeing the ball well and not missing pitches." Fryer's biggest adjustment came at the beginning of the season, when the Brewers organization moved him out from behind the plate to left field. "That was a transition period," he said. "As far as hitting, the transition was just staying within yourself and just doing what you can. When you do catch, the first thing you learn is whatever happens at the plate, let it go. So I just put it behind me." Eric Fryer was drafted as a catcher but moved to left field at the start of the season. (Photo Courtesy of the West Virginia Power) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2008/07/06/ncIe39qF.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Power routs Hagerstown, 16-1 by Christopher Wade For the Charleston Daily Mail CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Power offense wasn't cooking with gas Sunday evening. Instead, it barbequed the Hagerstown pitching staff with its deep "Fryer". Led by left fielder Eric Fryer, the Power pounded out 11 hits and went on to rout Hagerstown 16-1 in a laugher at Appalachian Power Park in front of a crowd of 2,682. Fryer had a career day, going 5-for-5 with three doubles. He drove in six runs to help lead the offensive explosion for the Power. "It's pretty special when you get one of these days," said Fryer, a former Ohio State Buckeye. "I don't ever remember having six RBI. "I had five once in the Cape Cod league and five once at Ohio State but the combination tonight was just one of those days where everything was going my way." Fryer went 21-for-36 in the Power's just-completed 10-game home stand as the team raised its record to 44-42 overall and 12-5 in the second half. West Virginia is in first place in the South Atlantic League's Northern Division. "I've just been seeing good pitches and I'm not letting them go by as much," Fryer said. "In the past, I was taking a lot more strikes and here when I see a pitch I like, I'm swinging and it's finding the gaps for me." Power Manager Jeff Isom couldn't be happier for Fryer, who's batting .363 on the season. "It was an awesome night for him and I couldn't be happier for him," Isom said. "Fryer's a guy who works his tail off and he's in a good position right now. "All the hard work is paying off. We had him down at the bottom of the lineup and he moved his way up slowly. We put him in the three hole to see what he can do and it's worked out great for us." Fryer collected three doubles in his first three at-bats Sunday before singling his next two trips and got the Power off to its quick start. Lee Haydel and Eric Farris drew bases-loaded walks in the second inning before Fryer's second triple cleared the bases to give the Power a 5-1 lead. The Power scored six more runs in the third inning to take an overwhelming 11-1 lead, capped off by Haydel's two-run single and Fryer's third straight double, scoring two more runs. Five more Power runs in the fifth inning capped the scoring as third baseman Zelous Wheeler did most of the damage with a three-run home run. On the day, Wheeler had three hits, three runs scored and three RBI; Haydel drove in three runs with two hits; and Steffan Wilson also had two hits for the Power. "Zelous had a great day at the plate," Isom said. "He and Fryer flip flopped in the order. Early on, Wheeler was hitting in the six-hole and had a lot of success. "He worked his way up and now Fryer has done so well of late. We figured we would flip flop the two and try to get Wheeler going again, and boy has it worked. We have no complaints at all with it." The Power went 8-2 during its home stand and took three of four from Hagerstown to open up a two-game lead on Lakewood. The Suns opened the series in first place in the Northern Division but are now three games out. "The whole second half, the idea is to try to win each series we play," Fryer said. "We didn't want to just split. That was our mindset and we accomplished that this series." The Power traveled to Savannah, Ga., after the game Sunday where it will begin a four-game series today. The team plays its next eight on the road. "It feels good to have a game like this, especially going on the road," Fryer said. "You don't have to be all tight on the bus and everybody can laugh and joke around."

Jim Callis of Baseball America: The trade also clears up the future of Mat Gamel, another gifted hitter but a liability as a third baseman. Gamel will move to the outfield, and he eventually could take over a corner with Hart shifting to center field.

Link while active, text follows: Sounds hurt by home runs twice By JOSHUA TAYLOR Tennessean Staff Writer The Sounds find themselves dead last in both home runs hit and given up. Opponents have hit 111 homers, only three shy of last year's end-of-season mark. Conversely, Nashville has managed just 70. Tony Gwynn's shot Saturday ended a five-game drought. "(Giving up home runs) comes down to bad execution," Manager Frank Kremblas said. "We're leaving a lot of pitches up in the zone and we've paid for it. As far as hitting them, it comes down to personnel. We just don't have a lot of power." Rottino's rotation: With his start at third base on Sunday, All-Star catcher Vinny Rottino played in three positions in three games over the homestand. Rottino made his first starts of the year at left field and third in the series. "I played about 80 games at third a couple years ago, so I felt pretty comfortable," Rottino said. "It's a simple game. You catch it and throw it." Worth waiting for: New Nashville catcher Carlos Corporan got his first hits as a Sound after eleven at bats, going 2-for-4 with a double and a triple. Corporan has also thrown out all three runners attempting steals. Winning ways: Starting left-hander Sam Narron (5-3, 4.08) was given a no decision for his six-inning outing, leaving him one win short of the minor league lead with 12. Six of those came while pitching for AA-Huntsville before making the move to Nashville. In his last start, Narron pitched a complete game, a 5-1 win Tuesday over Memphis. Offensive offense: Round Rock is one of only two Pacific Coast League squads with a lower batting average than the Sounds' .259 mark. The Express have hit .258 in 2008. Nashville held Round Rock to .252 (27-for-107) through this series. Like a House on fire: Express catcher and former Sound J.R. House finished off an impressive homecoming weekend in Nashville. He hit 5-for-11 with two home runs and a double. Nothing to fear but Greer itself: Nashville reversed a streak of bad luck at home, ending a five game slump at Greer Stadium. They have lost 11 of their past 15 home games to extend their season mark to 18-24.

Link while active, text follows: Sounds find some timely hitting By JOSHUA TAYLOR Tennessean Staff Writer The Sounds might have found a piece of the puzzle Sunday in their search for a combination of situational hitting and clutch pitching. After giving up two leads, the Sounds edged Round Rock 7-4 to prevent the sweep. Nashville is looking for a knockout punch to add to an arsenal that has lost considerable strength from last season's division champion squad. "We've been in a rut where we haven't been getting runners in," center fielder Tony Gwynn said. "There's nothing you can do when you're not getting the hits but keep taking good swings." While the Sounds have supplemented their anemic hitting with aggressive base running, they have struggled to drive in runners in clutch situations, averaging just .248 with runners in scoring position. They improved on that mark Sunday, going 6-for-15 with runners on second or third, also adding three steals to their league-leading total of 106. Gwynn stole two bases for his 10th and 11th of the year, becoming the fourth Sound in double-digits. "When you've got Frank Kremblas as your manager, you're going to have an aggressive base-running style. You've got to get the guys around," Gwynn said. "We tried to push it and take good chances." The victory snaps an eight-game win streak by the Express, who recently surged from last to second in the American Southern division. Franklin native Derrick Turnbow earned his second win of the season after pitching the seventh inning. Turnbow struck out two batters, giving up a hit and a walk. Brad Nelson drove in three of Nashville's seven runs, including the go-ahead double in the bottom of the seventh. "Sometimes there's nothing you can do but barrel it up and get something positive going. I was able to find some holes today," Nelson said. "It was a good win to be able to pull it off at the end." What they said: "It hasn't been a great year for Nashville, so anything in the 'W' column is a positive that we'll take. Any win is a building factor." - Nelson

Sam Narron, Adam Heether, Brad Nelson, Vinny Rottino, and Hernan Iribarren in the latest Nashville photo gallery from the Tennessean.

Link while active, text follows (article from a Billings perspective): Brewers drop nail-biter to Mustangs By GREG RACHAC - Billings Gazette BILLINGS - This time the comeback was completed. Not 24 hours after their ninth-inning rally fell short, the Billings Mustangs recovered in time Sunday afternoon to grab a 5-4 victory over the Helena Brewers in front of 3,386 fans at Dehler Park. Byron Wiley's RBI double with two outs capped a four-run eighth inning that gave the Mustangs the lead before relief pitcher Aguido Gonzalez (2-0) closed the door on Helena in the ninth. The game ended when Gonzalez picked Helena's Derrick Alfonso off of first base. A night earlier against the Brewers, the Mustangs scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth but stranded the bases loaded in a 5-4 defeat. Their comeback attempt would not be futile on this occasion. "I think (Saturday) night's rally in the ninth gave us a little confidence going into the late innings," said Mustangs designated hitter Tyler Stovall. "We all feel we can come back and score a bunch of runs in any inning." With a double in the first inning, Stovall extended his hitting streak to 11 games. But it was Wiley's eighth-inning gapper - which followed hits by Mike Konstanty, Tony Brown, Carlos Mendez and Kyle Day - that propelled Billings to victory. That double, which was only Wiley's second two-bagger of the season, plated Day for the game's final run. "We started the inning off hot," Wiley said. "Today we were able to capitalize on it." Mustangs starter Clayton Shunick, the organization's fifth-round draft choice in 2008 out of North Carolina State, put together his second consecutive quality start. Shunick surrendered just one hit in six innings. He was perfect through four innings before giving up a monstrous home run to Helena's Brock Kjeldgaard. Shunick struck out four and didn't give up a walk. "Clayton pitched great," Stovall said. "He was really mixing his pitches and spotting them well. That's great for a hitter knowing that he's going to be throwing a lot of zeroes on the board." But the Mustangs weren't exactly setting the world on fire at the plate and struggled to find timely hits. Billings stranded seven runners on base in the first five innings before finally tying the game on Brown's towering solo homer in the sixth frame. Helena pushed three runs across in the top half of the eighth inning, highlighted by Kjeldgaard's two-run double that produced a controversial call at the plate, to go ahead 4-1. Brewers starter Trey Watten threw a nice game but didn't have much to show for it. Watten pitched five innings while giving up seven hits and no runs. He struck out four and left with the lead. However, the advantage did not hold up as the Mustangs again found a dramatic flair. In their first six games at Dehler Park, the Mustangs won three games by one run and another by just two. "It's been a characteristic of this team. We've been able to come back, especially in the early part of the season," said first-year manager Julio Garcia. "Today we started off (the eighth inning) with a couple big hits, and it kind of picked up steam from that point on." After playing 20 games in 20 days to start the season, the Mustangs finally get a day off today before hitting the road for a seven games, a trip that opens Tuesday in Ogden. For the Mustangs, who are locked in a tie with Great Falls atop the Pioneer League's North division, they'll try to keep on the winning track. "We've got a lot of confident guys on this team, including myself," Wiley said. "We'll just go out playing and having fun, hopefully to win. But if not at least we know we leave it out on the field."

PAUL RUHTER/Billings Gazette Staff Helena catcher Mike Roberts tags Jose Gualdron at home plate for the final out of the second inning Sunday at Dehler Park. http://www.billingsgazette.net/content/articles/2008/07/07/sports/local/21-mustangs.jpg

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Well after today's news and more recent club developments, and the fact that this club can't seem to win more than two games in a row, the chances for a second half title get dimmer........ Today, the Brewers agreed, in principle, to deal leading HR hitter Matt LaPorta to the Cleveland Indians with two prospects, at this writing unknown until the morning, and a player-to-be-named (according to ESPN) for C.C. Sabathia, who could start as early as Tuesday for the Brewers against Colorado. So who knows if the Stars will lose another player in that deal...... According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the two other minor leaguers going to Cleveland will NOT be Mat Gamel and/or Alcides Escobar...... With LaPorta gone, my best guess is that Lorenzo Cain, Brevard County's right fielder, will come to Huntsville. (Cain is hitting .287 with 19 stolen bases, 4 HRs, .448 slugging and a .358 on-base pct.). Michael Brantley is out with a twisted ankle, incurred in last week's game against Carolina, although he did take batting practice Sunday with it taped up. Chris Errecart, his 13 HRs and .290 average, will be out of action 6-8 weeks with a broken bone at the base of his thumb, affecting movement in his wrist. Carlos Corporan, who hit .350 in June, is in Nashville. (He doubled and tripled in four at-bats vs. Round Rock, Sunday.) The Stars are hitting .223 in their last six games, and have sunk in the standings to 4th place........ A far cry from the 29-11 start to the season, they have since won 21 and lost 28. Errecart's loss that hasn't been made up for. J.R. Hopf is a short-term solution as I see it, and will probably be moved to the bench, especially if Michael Garciaparra goes on the disabled list....... Garciaparra was hit apparently on the wrist in his 6th inning at-bat Sunday, as he was following through on a 1-2 pitch. It looked as if he was hit by Aaron Poreda's pitch, but umpire Matt Abbott made no motion to first base and there was no pinch-runner coming out of the dugout. A cracking sound was heard all the way up in the highest seats at the Joe and it was improbable that he would be able to return, but he did, flying out on a 1-0 pitch in the 8th...... The Manatees are hitting just .243 as a team, so don't expect easy replacements for Errecart or LaPorta. That is just too much power to make up for. Despite good pitching performances from Mike Jones and Brae Wright, the Stars assembled only four hits each in Saturday and Sunday's losses.......The problematic bullpen gave up six runs on 12 hits in six innings in 5-0 and 3-2 losses. To give Birmingham credit where it's due, it does have the stingiest ERA in the league (3.43) -- .55 better than 2nd place Huntsville's. Mike Bell is 2-for-15 in his last five games, but his infield single to shortstop in the 5th inning broke up lefty Aaron Poreda's no-hit bid. Poreda is the White Sox' 3rd top prospect in their organization....... Escobar has just two extra-base hits in his last ten games -- both doubles, which were hit in the same game, July 1 vs. Tennessee...... Gamel has not homered since June 22 vs. West Tennessee. Since his 5-for-5 day vs. Carolina, June 29, he's 9-for-29 (.310) with four doubles...... LaPorta's average slipped under .290 for the first time last Sunday (July 1) since June 2....... Martin Maldonado picked up his first hit as a Huntsville Star in Sunday's game in the 6th inning -- a hit up the middle of the infield stopped by shortstop Robert Valido before it reached the outfield grass....... Maldonado was hitting .266 at Brevard County when he was called up. Donovan Hand, who has five no-decision starts among his seven for the Stars this season, will face nine-game winner Carlos Torres, Monday. Torres is 3-1 with a 1.38 ERA in his last four games....... The Stars have won three of Hand's five no-decision starts. The wires for the new sound system at the Joe are now in place and make quite a difference at the ballpark. I wonder why it took 23+ years.

Link while active, text follows: Brewers deal LaPorta Stars' slugger part of trade for Tribe's lefty Sabathia By JOHN FERRY Huntsville Times Sports Staff, john.ferry@htimes.com A centerpiece in weekend trade rumors, Huntsville Stars outfielder Matt LaPorta could sense something was up when he was held out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Birmingham Barons. "They didn't want me to get hurt," said LaPorta, who confirmed after the Stars' 3-2 loss that he is being dealt by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher C.C. Sabathia. Brewers general manager Gord Ash told The Times late Sunday that a news conference was planned for 11 a.m. today. He would not confirm the number of prospects involved in the deal for Sabathia, the 2007 American League Cy Young winner. LaPorta, the seventh overall pick in the 2007 draft from the University of Florida, was batting .288 for Huntsville this season with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs in 84 games. He has been selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. As he got ready to pack, the 23-year-old LaPorta was unsure where the Indians would assign him and whether any other Huntsville players were included in the trade. Published reports said Cleveland was also interested in Stars shortstop Alcides Escobar. "This is a business decision," LaPorta said. "I hope it works out for both teams. It is a great opportunity with another organization. "The Brewers are a great organization. There is a lot of young talent. They gave me the opportunity to play pro ball and took me in the first round." A first baseman in college, LaPorta shifted to the outfield in the minors with marginal success. His offensive production was stellar, however. Last season he split 30 games between Rookie League club Helena and Single-A West Virginia, hitting .304 with 12 homers and 31 RBIs. This summer he was a part of the Southern League's top offense, owning a .575 slugging percentage and a .307 average with runners in scoring position. "It was a fun team to be a part of," he said. "Everyone here can really swing it." Though Baseball America ranked LaPorta as the Brewers' top prospect, several scouts and some sources within the Milwaukee organization said he ranked no better than fourth - behind Escobar, third baseman Mat Gamel and catcher Angel Salome. LaPorta is viewed as dead-pull hitter with a penchant for strikeouts, as evidenced by his 63 this season. But LaPorta also has drawn 45 walks and his first 40 games of Double-A were statistically superior to Ryan Braun's dazzling 2007 stint with Huntsville. Sabathia, who was slated to start for Cleveland on Tuesday at Detroit, rejected a $72 million, four-year extension from the Indians during spring training and announced he wouldn't negotiate any deal until after the season. The left-hander went 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA to win the AL Cy Young last season and would give the Brewers another power pitcher to pair with Ben Sheets as Milwaukee tries to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982. The big lefty is 6-8 with a 3.83 ERA for the Indians, but has also been plagued with a lack of run support. In 11 of his 18 starts, Cleveland has scored two runs or less. Milwaukee, which hasn't been in the postseason since the days of Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, fell two games short of the division title last year. The Brewers are percentage points ahead of St. Louis for the second-best record in the NL, and both teams are chasing Chicago, 3 1/2 games ahead. Correspondent Brad Shepard and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

First quotes? Huntsville Stars outfielder Matt LaPorta verified he was part of the Milwaukee Brewers trade for Cleveland Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia finalized Sunday night. "It is a little unsettling (but) it's a business decision," said LaPorta, who said he was held out of Sunday's Double-A game against Birmingham because the Brewers didn't want to risk injury. The Brewers wouldn't confirm the deal, but LaPorta said he learned it was finalized. "I hope (the trade) works out for both teams," said the Brewers' 2007 first-round draft pick. "It's a great opportunity with another organization."

Cain to AA is already confirmed, as is now Houin to Brevard.

Latest word from here is Scott Houin is going up to Brevard which seemed strange. Don't fret about backup players moving up ahead of starters at times, they're needed at the next level as a backup as well. Lots of fluid parts in an organization, but keeping the Power kids starting nine together right now makes sense.

Helena Pre-Game Interview with former catcher, now RHP Nestor Corredor Click on the KCAP archive of July 6th, then browse to the 08:30 minute mark; you'll strain to understand portions, but he speaks well enough, good for him; interesting perspective about as a catcher, having everyone in "front of him", but just the opposite while pitching; good luck, Nestor, and kudos to the Brewers for keeping worthwhile kids in the system in creative ways...