Jim Goulart

Final: Arizona Rangers 9, Arizona Brewers 3 Arizona Box Score First pro home run for 17-year-old right-handed hitting Dominican left fielder Jose Garcia... Arizona Game Log

Brevard catcher Martin Maldonado has been transferred from Brevard to Huntsville. No word yet on a corresponding move for the Stars, perhaps involving their catchers Angel Salome or Carlos Corporan.

Fort Myers (Twins) 3, Brevard County 2, ten innings Game Summary from the Miracles' Site: FORT MYERS, F.L.- A throwing error in the bottom of the tenth inning resulted in the Fort Myers Miracle securing a 3-2 win over the Brevard County Manatees on Sunday afternoon. With the bases loaded and one out in the tenth, a groundball to third by Danny Berg, resulted in Taylor Green hitting base runner Garrett Olson allowing him to slide in safely with the game-winning run. An infield-single to second by Olson started the Miracle tenth, followed by a bunt base hit by Yancarlos Ortiz, sacrifice bunt from Steve Singleton and intentional walk to Edward Ovalle. That set the table for Berg to score Olson with his groundball to third, sparking more controversy at the end of the matinee. Brevard County argued that Olson ran out of the baseline, resulting in Taylor hitting him, which should have been interference and no run scored. The Manatees argued to no avail with the game coming to an end. Midway through in a scoreless ball game, the Miracle crossed the plate first in the fifth as Danny Lehmann snagged an RBI with his groundout to short. The first bit of arguing from 'Tees skipper Mike Guerrero came as Yangervis Solarte was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Guerrero argued that Solarte leaned into the pitch, which should have been called a ball instead of allowing Solarte to reach first, but again, the Manatees to argued to no avail with the Miracle going on top 1-0. It didn't take long for Brevard County to respond offensively as Lorenzo Cain smashed a solo home run to left in the sixth, squaring the contest at a run apiece. After a one-out single by Stephen Chapman in the ninth and an RBI fielder's choice by Jimmy Mojica, the Manatees found themselves three outs away from a 2-1 win. Until Berg led off the home half of the ninth with a single to center, moved to second on Solarte's bunt, and later scored the game-tying run on Eli Tintor's single to center. Brevard County Box Score Yay, Jeremy Jeffress -- 6 IP; 3 H, 3 BB, 9 K's, 1 R; Lorenzo Cain on base three times; reliever Casey Baron's been solid... Brevard County Game Log

Final: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 10, Helena 8 Link while active, text follows: Missoula rallies to beat Helena By TOM STUBER - Helena Independent Record The Helena Brewers suffered a late-inning breakdown, Sunday falling to Missoula 10-8 and dropping back below .500 in the process. It was a tough loss to swallow, considering the Brewers were in control throughout the game and had a solid outing from starting pitcher Michael Bowman. "We got ahead, but they put in that lefty and we couldn't come back," said hitting coach Paco Martin, who is filling in for manager Rene Gonzalez. Keny Sosa, the southpaw pitcher, came on with Missoula trailing 5-1 and allowed just one hit and a walk in 5 1/3 innings to set the 331 in attendance on their heels. The Brewers' Bowman gave up just one earned run in his six innings, while striking out six to stay out of serious trouble. Helena reliever Rolando Pascual picked up where Bowman left off as he retired four straight batters after hitting the first man he faced. Everything went south from there as Nelson Gomez hit a solo homer in the eighth to cut the lead to 5-3. Pascual walked the next two batters and gave way to Garrett Sherrill, who walked the first batter he faced. Sherrill had a chance to get out of the bases loaded jam after striking out Tyrell Worthington, but allowed a two-run, game-tying single to leadoff batter Ollie Linton. The Brewers went down in order in their half of the frame, while Missoula continued to pile it on in the ninth. The first two Osprey batters reached safely and Gomez hammered his second long ball in two innings nn this one a three-run homer to left. Missoula scored two more runs to take a 10-5 lead. Helena didn't go quietly, however, as Michael Marseco led off by reaching on an error and John Delaney got his first hit of the game. Erik Komatsu followed with a home run to right to make the score 10-8. "That's how we are," Martin said. "We never give up and are ready to go all the time." The Brewers were looking at a bases empty, two-out situation when Corey Kemp reached on an error and Michael Vass singled, but Jose Duran grounded out to shortstop to end the game. Helena built its 5-1 lead on a pair of solo homers by Komatsu and Chris Dennis, while Duran hit a three-run shot in the third. Game notes: Evan Frederickson, Milwaukee's No. 1 draft pick, was moved up to the Class A West Virginia Power. Manager Rene Gonzales attended a family wedding and missed his second straight game. Brandon Ritchie is today's probable starting pitcher for Helena, while Mile Reagan is expected to throw for Missoula. Helena Box Score That outing will skew Garrett Sherrill's pitching line for quite a while... Helena Game Log

Nice photo of Evan Anundsen here

Final: West Virginia 3, Lexington (Astros) 2, ten innings West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER DEFEAT LEGENDS IN 10 Caleb Gindl had three hits in Sunday night's game at Appalachian Power Park between the Power and Lexington Legends. His third hit was a game-winning RBI triple in the bottom of the tenth inning in West Virginia's 3-2 victory. Gindl's first hit of the night was a leadoff double in the bottom of the second. He scored later in the inning on Curt Rindal's two-out single. It started raining hard in the top of the third with two outs and the bases clear when Matt Cusick hit a solo homer to tie the game. After the homer, the game was delayed an hour and 15 minutes. When play resumed, Brian Pellegrini hit his fourth homer of the series to give the Legends their only lead of the night. The Power trailed 2-1 until Zelous Wheeler doubled down the left field line with two outs in the fifth inning to score Eric Farris. Farris began the tenth inning with a base hit and scored the winning run on Gindl's triple down the right field line. The victory marked the second time that the Power won in their final at-bat this season. Curtis Pasma (3-2) tossed two scoreless innings to get the win while allowing just a pair of hits and struck out three. Fernando Abad (0-3) allowed a run on two hits over an inning and a third and was tagged with the loss. Roque Mercedes provided five and a third innings of relief for the Power, allowing just a run on two hits and struck out nine batters in the process. Pasma, Mercedes and Evan Anundsen combined to strikeout 15 Legends batters. The Power improved to 39-41 on the year and 7-4 in the second half with the win, while the Legends fell to 23-57 on the year and 2-9 in the second half with the loss. The first four batters for West Virginia went 8-for-20. Gindl paced the Power with his 3-for-5 performance while Rindal, Farris, Lee Haydel and Eric Fryer all chipped in with two hits apiece. The Power will begin a two game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Appalachian Power Park on Monday night. Left hander Mike Ramlow (2-3, 3.07) will get the start for the Power and the Grasshoppers will counter with right hander Brett Durand (7-3, 5.01). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). *** Link while active, text follows: Power wait out the rain for win by Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Caleb Gindl brought a long game to an abrupt end. Four hours and 18 minutes after the South Atlantic League baseball game began, Gindl delivered the game-winning RBI in the West Virginia Power's 3-2, extra-inning victory over the visiting Lexington (Ky.) Legends. Gindl's one-out double down the right field line scored Eric Farris in the bottom of the 10th inning Sunday night, sending the Appalachian Power Park crowd of 3,921 home happy. "It was a long game," said Gindl, whose clutch hit came on a 1-2 delivery from Lexington reliever Fernando Abad (0-3). "We have been out here since 6 and it's 10:30 now. "We hung with them. We knew if we kept putting the ball in play, good things would happen. With two strikes and Farris on first, I'm doing nothing but trying to put the ball in play, put a decent swing on it and see what happens. "Look what happened ... a lucky bounce over (Lexington first baseman Jonathan Fixler's) head. We'll take it all day." Gindl was 3-for-5 with two doubles. Farris and Lee Haydel were 2-for-5. Eric Fryer and Curt Rindal were 2-for-4. Gindl and Farris also accounted for West Virginia's other runs. Gindl gave the Power (39-41 overall, 7-4 in the second half) a 1-0 lead in the second. Gindl smacked a leadoff double and scored two outs later on Rindal's RBI single. West Virginia tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth. Farris delivered a two-out single and Zelous Wheeler followed with an RBI double. "We were looking for some momentum," Gindl said. "You look at the scoreboard and we got 13 hits but only three runs." The Power stranded nine runners. "We couldn't get any momentum all night," Gindl said. "It wasn't very timely hitting except at the end. It's just one of those things. You just have to stay focused and hang with it." Power starter Evan Anundsen allowed a two-out solo shot to Matt Cusick in the third, but the umpires issued a rain delay before he could throw another pitch. It was the only run allowed by Anundsen, who surrendered five hits in 2 2/3 innings. Power reliever Roque Mercedes replaced Anundsen after the 75-minute rain delay. Brian Pelligrini smashed Mercedes' second pitch off the top of the scoreboard for his fourth home run in the series and his 12th on the season. Pelligrini's clout gave the Legends (23-57, 2-9) a 2-1 lead. Mercedes settled down after that, however. He allowed only one more hit, walked one and fanned nine in 5 1/3 innings. Power reliever Curtis Pasma (3-2) pitched two scoreless innings to pick up the mound win. He gave up two hits but no runs in the eighth and ninth. West Virginia's walk-off win - its second this season - was its third victory in a row. "Guys are relaxing a little more now," said Gindl, who is hitting .383 with one home run, six doubles, eight runs and 11 RBI in the second half. "We're starting to play better as a team. Things are starting to click." West Virginia will start a two-game series against Greensboro (N.C.) at 7:05 (6:05 Central) tonight. The Power will start left-hander Mike Ramlow (2-3, 3.07). The Grasshoppers will throw right-hander Brett Durand (7-3, 5.01). After an off day Wednesday, Hagerstown will come to Charleston for a four-game series to complete West Virginia's 10-game homestand at the East End ballpark. The second-place Power trails the first-place Suns by one game in the Northern Division's second-half standings. *** West Virginia Box Score West Virginia Game Log

Final: Huntsville 6, Carolina (Marlins) 5 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Gamel Gets Offense Going Again in Win Over Carolina Stars Head to Sevierville After Series Split By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Mat Gamel collected five hits, scored twice and knocked in a run to pace a 17-hit attack in Huntsville's 6-5 win over Carolina Sunday afternoon to wrap up a six-game set at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. The Stars improved to 6-6 in the second half after gaining a series split, while the Mudcats dropped to 6-6. The Stars have won four of 11 against Carolina this season, with seven of the contests decided by either one or two runs. Gamel's double moved Mike Bell to third base with one out in the first inning but the Stars could not score against Josh Johnson, making his second rehab start with the Mudcats, who struck out Matt LaPorta and induced Cole Gillespie to fly out. Troy Cate, making his first start for the Stars, gave up a one-out single to Manuel Mayorson, who advanced to third base on a single by Chris Coghlan. Gaby Sanchez then lined out to the third baseman Gamel, who made an errant, one-hop throw to first base to try to double off Coghlan that allowed Mayorson to score the game's first run. Chris Errecart singled to lead off the second inning and Carlos Corporan singled with one out before Cate dropped down a bunt base hit, in a sacrifice situation, to load the bases. Freddy Parejo grounded out to push in Errecart to tie the game at one. Gamel led off the third with a single and advanced to third base on a single by LaPorta, who moved to second base when nobody was at the bag to take Cameron Maybin's throw back to the infield. Gillespie grounded out to score Gamel and move LaPorta to third before Errecart singled to drive in LaPorta to give the Stars a 3-1 lead. Gamel's two-out RBI hit in the fourth scored Mike Bell to give the visitors a 4-1 advantage. Carolina crept back into the game in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run single by Bryan Peterson, who was playing in his first game at the double-A level. Cate struck out the next two hitters to end the inning and worked around a leadoff hit by Maybin in the fifth and was lifted after allowing three runs on six hits, walking one and fanning six. Bell singled with two outs in the sixth and Johnson was taken out after reaching his pitch limit and replaced by Tim Corcoran, who suffered the loss in relief on Wednesday. Gamel greeted him with a single that moved Bell to third base and both scored when LaPorta followed with a double to make it 6-3. Johnson took the loss after allowing five runs on 11 hits, while Cate grabbed the win. Steve Bray threw scoreless relief for two innings before another two-run single by Peterson in the eighth cut the lead to 6-5 with his fourth hit of the day. Bray struck out Brett Hayes and was replaced by Jason Shiell, who got pinch-hitter Grant Psomas to fly out to end the inning. Juan Sandoval retired the side in order in the ninth with three ground balls to earn his second save of the series and eighth of the season. The Stars open a four-game series against Tennessee Monday night with southpaw David Welch making the start against Smokies' left-hander James Russell. Coverage of the game begins at 6:00 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 Mat Gamel at .379 / .442 / .636 (OPS 1.078); pinch-hit appearance only, but Alcides Escobar has now played in 80 of 82 games, that's fine... Huntsville Game Log It looks as though rather than waste a pinch-hitter to lead off the 6th, David Welch hit for starting pitcher Troy Cate, who was going to be removed regardless...

Final: Round Rock (Astros) 7, Nashville 2 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link while active, text follows -- Nix Hits Two More HRs But Sounds Lose 7-2 ROUND ROCK, Texas - Laynce Nix continued his recent power surge by belting two home runs for the second straight night during a 3-for-4 evening, but his efforts were not enough to help the Nashville Sounds avoid a 7-2 loss at the hands of the Round Rock Express on Sunday at The Dell Diamond. The Nashville slugger - who accounted for half of the Sounds' six hits on the evening - has belted five home runs in his last three games and is batting .440 (11-for-25) during his current six-game hitting streak. With the loss, the Sounds (32-51) settled for a series split with the Express after recording wins in the first two contests. After the second inning, only two Sounds players other than Nix reached base against Express pitching (J.R. Hopf, 7th-inning walk; Brendan Katin, 8th-inning PH double). Nix got the evening's scoring started when he crushed his team-leading 14th longball of the season in the top of the first inning, a two-out solo shot to right-center off Round Rock starter Chad Reineke. Round Rock tied the contest in the third when Yordany Ramirez led off with a single against Sounds starter Chris Narveson, was sacrificed to second, and scored on an Edwin Maysonet single. The Express grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Mark Saccomanno singled and later scored on a Ramirez sacrifice fly. Round Rock gave itself some breathing room in the fifth with a four-run rally against Narveson keyed by a pair of home runs. J.R. Towles pushed the Express lead to 3-1 when he homered for the second straight night, belting a one-out solo shot to left for his fourth roundtripper of the season. Later in the frame, a J.R. House single and Saccamanno walk put a pair of ducks on the pond for Nick Gorneault, who slugged a two-out, three-run homer to left for his ninth tater of the year. The Express longball barrage continued in the sixth as Ramirez greeted Sounds reliever Erasmo Ramirez with a solo shot to left, his third longball of the year. Nix struck again in the top of the seventh when he led off with his second home run of the night, a solo shot to right-center off Reineke that reduced the deficit to 7-2. AUDIO: Another Laynce Nix Homer "Halfway to Mexico!" Sounds centerfielder Tony Gwynn went 0-for-4 to bring an end to his season-best eight-game hitting streak. Reineke (4-8) turned in a quality start to notch the victory for the Express, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out six in his seven frames of action. Nick Regilio and Ray King each tossed a scoreless relief inning to close out the Round Rock win. Narveson (2-10) took his PCL co-leading tenth loss after surrendering six runs on eight hits over his five innings of work. The Sounds travel to Memphis on Monday to complete their road trip with a four-game stop at AutoZone Park against the cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds. Right-hander Richie Gardner (6-2, 4.26) is scheduled to start Monday's 7:05 p.m. CT series opener for the Sounds. He'll face Memphis right-hander Brad Thompson (1-1, 7.82). Nashville Box Score Chris Narveson has done nothing with his golden opportunity in 2008 outside of his fine work in spring training, a regular season nightmare for him, actually... Nashville Game Log

Thanks for your patience everyone, as I obviously focused on audio links this AM while getting my bearings after a full day away Sunday. All the game and media updates will be posted at various points of the mid-morning. Of course, box score links are available at the very top of this thread, thanks.

dadofandrew wrote: 6 minor league teams, so 5 other teams. They are all there to develop players for the bigs. The concern seems to be poor Helena, playing with only 9 or 10 position players...who cares? Stressing out over stuff like that is a complete waste of time. Al, you might also want to know that Steve Wendt also told his listeners that the sole remaining catcher, 2008 14th rounder Corey Kemp, is nursing a sore shoulder. If you think he'd be playing every single inning right now under normal circumstances, then I'm not sure what to think.

Good discussion on the Helena situation in the posts above. I urge everyone interested in clicking on Helena broadcaster Steve Wendt's audio link from the Erik Komatsu interview above, then browse to the 26:15 minute mark. Steve explains how Chris Dennis was hurt (ankle twisted lunging for the first base bag in the 4th inning Saturday night), but that Chris felt he was able to play Sunday. Steve goes on to explain that there also is no backup catcher now, which forced Corey Kemp to catch a third consecutive game Sunday and has him behind the plate until further notice. Derrick Alfonso was injured in a bullpen session, getting hit on the wrist. His short and/or long-term status is not known. So with a pitcher at DH again on Sunday (Josh Romanski, 2-for-4 on Sunday with two doubles), the Helena roster was without a single extra position player.

Audio Alley: Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Hitting Coach Harry Spilman Kind words for Brad Nelson... Huntsville Pre-Game Audio Interview with Starting Pitcher Nic Ungs Click on the WUMP archive of June 29th, then browse to the 03:00 minute mark... Helena Pre-Game Audio Interview with 8th Round Outfielder Erik Komatsu of Cal State-Fullerton Click on the KCAP archive of June 29th, then browse to the 17:00 minute mark...

This thread in our Draft Forum contains the why's and how's on Lawrie's non-signing thus far, we'll close this and direct traffic on the topic there.

Michael Brantley of the Stars is dealing with a right ankle sprain; no word on its severity, if it was one of those infamous "high" ankle sprains, he likley would have been placed on the DL by now. Speaking of injuries, hopefully I wasn't too over the top concerning the Helena roster Saturday. While no one in the Brewer organization could have foreseen five position players going down with leg-related injuries (what's in the water in Montana?), it is past time for a little help to backfill, and to give the remaining healthy players an occasional day off in their transition to Pioneer League play.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 48 36 .571 - 28-16 20-20 W1 Memphis 44 38 .537 3.0 20-18 24-20 W6 Omaha 40 39 .506 5.5 16-20 24-19 L1 Nashville 32 50 .390 15.0 17-22 15-28 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 8 3 .727 - 4-2 4-1 L1 Carolina 6 5 .545 2.0 3-2 3-3 W2 Huntsville 5 6 .455 3.0 3-3 2-3 L2 Chattanooga 4 7 .364 4.0 3-3 1-4 L1 West Tenn 4 7 .364 4.0 1-4 3-3 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 7 3 .700 - 5-2 2-1 L2 Jupiter 5 3 .625 1.0 1-0 4-3 L1 Vero Beach 6 4 .600 1.0 1-2 5-2 L1 Palm Beach 4 4 .500 2.0 4-3 0-1 W1 Daytona 4 5 .444 2.5 1-1 3-4 L1 Brevard County 3 7 .300 4.0 1-4 2-3 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hagerstown 7 3 .700 - 3-2 4-1 W2 West Virginia 6 4 .600 1.0 2-1 4-3 W2 Delmarva 5 5 .500 2.0 1-3 4-2 L2 Greensboro 5 5 .500 2.0 1-4 4-1 L3 Lake County 4 6 .400 3.0 2-4 2-2 L1 Lakewood 4 6 .400 3.0 3-2 1-4 W1 Hickory 3 7 .300 4.0 0-2 3-5 L4 Lexington 2 8 .200 5.0 1-6 1-2 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 9 3 .750 - 4-3 5-0 L1 Billings 7 5 .583 2.0 0-0 7-5 W1 Helena 6 6 .500 3.0 5-4 1-2 W3 Missoula 2 10 .167 7.0 1-7 1-3 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Angels 4 2 .667 - 2-1 2-1 W2 AZL Giants 4 2 .667 - 2-1 2-1 W3 AZL Mariners 4 2 .667 - 2-1 2-1 W4 AZL Padres 3 2 .600 0.5 2-0 1-2 L1 AZL Rangers 3 3 .500 1.0 1-2 2-1 L2 AZL Royals 3 3 .500 1.0 3-0 0-3 W1 AZL Athletics 2 4 .333 2.0 1-2 1-2 L3 AZL Cubs 2 4 .333 2.0 2-1 0-3 L1 AZL Brewers 1 4 .200 2.5 1-2 0-2 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 Sunday'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_06_29_nasaaa_rreaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_29_hunaax_cmcaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_29_breafa_ftmafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_29_lexafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_29_misrok_helrok_1 Arizona: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_29_brrrok_rngrok_1

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Chris Narveson at Round Rock (Astros), 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: LHP Troy Cate at Carolina (Marlins), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:00 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: RHP Jeremy Jeffress at Fort Myers (Twins), 12:05 gametime Audio link via the Miracles' Sportsjuice network (game will not archive, however): http://www.sportsjuice.com/broadcaster2.aspx?bid=MTQ5-g%2fzH4cwYBjA%3d West Virginia: RHP Evan Anundsen at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 4:50 PM pre-game, 5:05 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 Michael Bowman at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 4:50 PM pre-game, 5:05 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: TBD at the Rangers' camp in Surprise, 10:30 AM local Mountain Standard Time Never any audio for the Maryvale Crew...

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Link while active, text follows: Father figures heavily in life of Stars' Brantley Outfielder learns plenty from watching big-league dad By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times As a teenager, Michael Brantley sat in the stands watching his dad's minor league baseball teams play, dissecting every aspect of the game. From a botched sacrifice attempt here to a missed cutoff man there, the future Huntsville Stars center fielder recited the mistakes - one-by-one - to his "Pops" postgame. "It was amazing to me how much he knew the game then," said Mickey Brantley, a former major league player and hitting coach. "Afterward, he'd come up and tell me what the other players did wrong and where they messed up." Brantley's baseball savvy has endured - he doesn't make those same mistakes as a professional. At 21 years old, he is the most fundamental player on the Stars roster, as well as one of the best. For a team that boasts five of Milwaukee's top 10 prospects, Brantley - the Brewers' No. 24-ranked minor leaguer, according to Baseball America - receives lofty praise from his coaches. "Best player we have on the team," Stars hitting coach Sandy Guerrero said. "He's extremely fundamentally sound defensively and offensively. He's a great base runner, he bunts well, moves runners over, gets hits when he has to, always knows the situation. "With guys like him, all you have to do is maintain it." From his toddler days asking dad's Seattle Mariners teammates for candy, to shagging balls at Shea Stadium during Mickey's tenure as roving hitting coordinator for the New York Mets, Brantley has lived between the white lines. Now, he's thriving there. Entering Saturday, the Stars' leadoff hitter was in the top 10 in the Southern League in batting average, runs, hits, steals and on-base percentage. "I always have something to prove no matter what," Brantley said. "There's only one place to play, and that's the big leagues. Hopefully, you open somebody's eyes enough, and you go out there and play every day and somebody likes you." Thus far, Brantley has done nothing but impress. Until last season, he'd never hit below .300 at any of his three minor league stops. But he struggled last year after being promoted to Huntsville, hitting .251 in 59 games. This season, he's comfortable and back to the player of old. "I think I'm progressively getting better," Brantley said. "The last half of last year, I was just feeling the waters. I struggled a little bit, but that's what I needed." To overcome the first extended slump of a career, Brantley spent the offseason doing what he always has: Working in the cage with his dad. Mickey had a good stroke of his own, hitting .302 with 14 homers for Seattle in 1987 before injuries cut his career short. He served as the Toronto Blue Jays' first base and hitting coach from 2005-07. During the Stars' last homestand, Brantley called his dad, who was in Memphis working as the Chinese Taipei National team's hitting consultant. Dad drove to Huntsville to look at Michael's swing, and after one night, he helped his son iron out some mechanics. "I'm lucky enough to have that where I can call my father," Brantley said. "He's been working with me 21 years and knows my swing. He can almost fix it over the phone." From the time he was 13, Brantley knew he wanted to play baseball. When he told his dad, he got a smile and then a piece of advice. "If you want to do it, this is what we've got to do: We've got to work every day," Mickey Brantley told his son. "You've got to set some goals and play the game." After taking a job with Toronto in 2005, Mickey Brantley didn't see his son play as much as he would have liked. After being fired last season, though, he has more time to watch Michael and run his baseball academy in Florida. Mickey Brantley already has seen six games this year, five more than he did the rest of Michael's professional career. "This year was the first time I actually got to really see him play, and he surprised me," Mickey Brantley said. "For me, he's always been quick. Now, I see what they see as scouts and coaches." Brantley has been showing the improving power and speed to his teammates at every minor league stop. "I think he's underrated," Stars third baseman Mat Gamel said. "He's definitely a baby - still wet behind the ears - but he carries himself in a better manner than most other 21-year-olds I know. He acts older than he is." He's also known as a mature player. He said that's his favorite compliment. "I pride myself in that," Brantley said. "It's a dream come true to come out and play the game, and I'm making people see me in that light, so that's all you can ask for."

Final: Helena 8, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 7 Link while active, text follows: Brewers outlast Osprey By TOM STUBER - Helena Independent Record The good outweighed the bad and the ugly for the Helena Brewers, who gutted out an 8-7 win over Missoula to move to .500 for the first time this season. Helena (6-6) appeared to be in trouble early when No. 1 draft pick Evan Frederickson struggled through the first inning throwing over 30 pitches and committing a three-base throwing error. He would be done after tossing another 30 pitches in the second. The Brewers also had to endure a lower leg injury to outfielder Chris Dennis, who stayed in the game despite a serious limp. With Helena already missing two of its five outfielders in Cutter Dykstra and Logan Schafer, there was no one left to fill in for Dennis. But the Brewers, playing in front of 981 fans, had answers for all that ailed them on this night. "It came down to the bullpen," temporary manager Charlie Greene said. "(Mark) Willinsky pitched out of a jam in the seventh and we made it interesting in the ninth, but held on." Willinsky struck out five straight batters after allowing a solo home run to Jorge Corniel in the fifth that tied the game at 6-6. "It was a little shaky at first with the home run, but I stuck to what I do best, which is go after the hitters," Willinsky said. "I just left that pitch over the plate and he got it." He turned the ball over to Adam Arnold, who retired the side in order in the eighth. With a two-run lead, an error and an infield single to lead off the ninth looked like it might lead to the Brewers demise. Missoula pinch runner Tyrell Worthington was caught stealing, however, and Arnold struck out Nelson Gomez. He gave up a double to Victor Estevez to cut the lead in half, but coaxed an infield pop-up to end the game. The ominous start saw Missoula score on a passed ball in the second, but was eased by a pair of stellar plays by shortstop Michael Marseco, who ended the first with a nice throw to second across his body and then nailed Rafael Hilano at the plate with a throw from the short outfield. Helena had a two-run homer off the bat of Brock Kjeldgaard in the first and scored twice in the second to take a 5-3 lead. Corey Kemp hit a solo shot to lead off the third to put the the Brewers back ahead 6-5. Helena was led by Josh Romanski's 3-for-4 game at the plate. The Brewers collected six extra-base hits in all. Missoula's Ollie Linton got off to a great start with a single and triple in his first two at-bats, but struck out his final three trips to the plate. Helena pitchers struck out 12 Osprey. The Brewers will put right-hander Michael Bowman on the mound this afternoon against Missoula's Clayton Suss. *** More details here in the Helena site game summary: The Helena Brewers defeated the Missoula Osprey Saturday night in a back-and-forth contest, 8-7. Brock Kjeldgaard hit his second home run of the season in the first inning to put the Brewers on top 3-1. Missoula would answer back with two runs of their own in the top of the second inning, thanks in part to an RBI double by Ollie Linton. Helena would then re-gain the lead in the bottom half of the inning when Chris Dennis' fly ball was dropped after Missoula's center fielder and right fielder collided, allowing two runs to score. Missoula put up two more runs on four hits in the top of the third inning to tie the score before Helena jumped back into the lead when Corey Kemp drilled his second home run of the season. The Brewers would tack on two more runs in the sixth when Josh Romanski and Michael Marseco both doubled, putting the Brewers in the lead for good. Mark Willinsky earned his first win of the year going three innings with three hits, one run and five strikeouts. Adam Arnold picked up his second save of the year, working two innings, allowing one run and struck out two. Pedro Rodriguez takes the loss for the Osprey as he allowed two runs in four innings of work. Romanski led the Brewers, going 3-4 with two runs scored and John Delaney went 2-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Helena improves to 6-6 on the season and Missoula drops to 2-10. The two teams will play again Sunday at Kindrick Field. Helena Box Score OK, Reid Nichols -- this is all on you and is now beyond ridiculous; let's have 19-year-old power LH bat Chris Dennis limp around for a game (or more, will he play this afternoon?) because you can't properly stock a rookie league squad; Dennis is one of the Brewers' most intriguing rookie ball prospects, but it doesn't matter which farmhand is impacted in this way; now let's say Cutter Dykstra or Logan Schafer is back in the lineup Sunday -- would they have normally been held out another day to be safe? This isn't fan second-guessing, this is bizarro management... Helena Game Log Pitcher Josh Romanski bails out this shorthanded roster with his plate performance, now we only need for Romanski to hurt himself on the basepaths somehow, right? Man, oh man...

Helena Pre-Game Audio with 1B Brock Kjeldgaard Click on the KCAP archive from June 28th, then browse to the 11:30 minute mark; interesting discussion with the former hurler...

Final: Round Rock (Astros) 10, Nashville 2 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Laynce Nix photo, text follows -- Nix Homers Twice But Express Defeats Sounds ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Round Rock Express plated nine unanswered runs to hang a 10-2 defeat on the Nashville Sounds on Saturday evening at The Dell Diamond. The top of the Round Rock order did the majority of the damage as the first four Express hitters combined to go 8-for-16 with nine RBIs and eight runs scored on the evening. Outfielder Laynce Nix provided all of the Nashville offense by belting a pair of home runs in the losing effort. The blasts, which give him a team-high 13 longballs on the year, were his second and third of the series. Nix's two-homer effort marked his first of the year and the fifth overall multiple-homer contest by a Sound in 2008. Nix gave the Sounds a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when he homered for the second straight night, lifting a two-out solo blast to center off Round Rock starter Josh Muecke. After Ray Sadler tied the contest with a solo homer of his own in his second, Nix struck again in the third, touching Muecke for his second longball of the evening to stake the visitors to a 2-1 lead. AUDIO: Laynce Nix's Second Homer Sounds starter Steve Hammond ran into trouble over the next two Round Rock frames as the left-hander gave up seven combined runs as the Express jumped out to an 8-2 lead. In the bottom of the third, the Express tied the contest when Muecke led off with a single and scored on a J.R. Towles RBI double. After J.R. House drew a walk, Mark Saccamanno gave the home club its first lead of the evening with a three-run homer to left-center, his 17th roundtripper of the year. An inning later, the two J.R.'s connected for back-to-back homers off Hammond to extend the Express lead to 8-2. Towles drilled a two-run blast to left which scored Edwin Maysonet (single) before House followed with a solo shot to left-center. The longballs were the players' third and seventh of the year, respectively. Round Rock stretched its lead to 10-2 with a pair of runs against reliever Zach Jackson in the sixth. House contributed an RBI single before Towles scored his third run of the night on a Saccamanno groundout. Sounds centerfielder Tony Gwynn extended his season-best hitting streak to eight games with an eighth-inning single off former Sound Chad Paronto. Muecke (6-6) picked up the win by turning in a quality start for the Express. He allowed two runs on four hits while striking out eight batters over seven innings of work. Hammond (0-2) suffered his second loss in as many starts for the Sounds this season. He surrendered a season-high eight runs on eight hits, including four homers, over his four innings of work. The teams wrap up the series with a 7:05 p.m. finale on Sunday evening. Left-hander Chris Narveson (2-9, 5.50) will toe the rubber for Nashville to face Round Rock right-hander Jack Cassel (5-1, 2.05). Nashville Box Score Here's pretty much why the Brewers will be big-time starting pitcher buyers before the deadline -- your 6th Milwaukee starter has to be either Mark DiFelice or Carlos Villanueva -- it's not among Chris Narveson, Lindsay Gulin, Sam Narron, Steve Hammond, or Richie Gardner, the current Nashville rotation; Zach Jackson's 40-man spot will be needed this offseason... Nashville Game Log

Link Report Bonus: We appreciate Mark McCarter's work in Huntsville. Here he writes about a new book on Jose Canseco / Mark McGwire, with the key Huntsville connection to their steroid starts.

Final: Carolina (Marlins) 5, Huntsville 4 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Carolina Wins Another Close One Ungs Solid in Stars' Debut By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Kris Harvey scored the go-ahead run in the bottom half of the eighth inning in what turned into a 5-4 win for Carolina over Huntsville Saturday night in the fifth of a six-game set at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. The Mudcats won for a third time to push their second half record to 6-5, while the Stars dropped to 5-6 in the second half and to an overall mark of 46-35. The Mudcats have won seven of the 10 games between the teams, with five of the wins by either one or two runs. Kris Harvey opened the eighth with a single against Patrick Ryan and advanced to third base on a one-out double by Cameron Maybin, his fourth of the series. The first pitch to Manuel Mayorson hit off the glove of catcher Angel Salome, allowing Harvey to score to give the Mudcats a 4-3 edge and Maybin to advance to third. Mayorson delivered a scoring fly ball to bring home Maybin to make it a two-run game. Chris Mobley took over in the ninth for the Mudcats and fanned the first two hitters he faced before Cole Gillespie belted a home run, his 10th of the season and first in 105 at-bats, to trim the lead to a run. Chris Errecart then struck out to end the game, as Mobley recorded his third save of the series, fifth against the Stars and 13th of the season. Ryan suffered the loss to dip to 2-4 after allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits over an inning and a third. Chris Coghlan walked with one out in the seventh, stole second and scored to give Carolina a 3-2 lead on Gaby Sanchez's league-high 26th double of the season, as he fouled off three pitches at 1-2 before delivering the hit. Guilder Rodriguez, who entered the game in a double switch in the bottom of the seventh, led off the eighth with a bunt base hit and wound up at second after a throwing error by pitcher Jesus Delgado on the play. Freddy Parejo bunted for a base hit to move Rodriguez to third and the backup infielder scored to tie the game on an Alcides Escobar sacrifice fly caught in the Stars bullpen by Coghlan, the second baseman, with his back to the diamond. Parejo opened the game with an infield single, stole second and scored on a one-out single by Mat Gamel, who knocked in his league-high 69th run. Salome followed with a walk but Matt LaPorta bounced into a double play to end the frame. Nic Ungs, who pitched for the Mudcats from 2003-2005, walked Cameron Maybin to open the home first before Mayorson reached on an infield hit. Coghlan then reached on an infield single to second base, as Maybin rounded the bag too far at third base. Mike Bell bounced a one-hop throw to third that allowed Maybin to dash in and tie the game. Sanchez walked to load the bases but Ungs worked out of more trouble by striking out Alberto Concepcion, getting Andy Jenkins to ground into a force out at the plate and Brad Davis to bounce into a force at second. Gillespie led off the fifth with a double, moved to third on an Errecart sacrifice bunt and scored when Bell followed with a base hit that gave the Stars a 2-1 lead. Ungs, pitching for the first time since April 24, worked five frames, allowing a run on four hits, walking three and striking out four and left with a 2-1 lead. Mudcats' starter Brett Sinkbeil went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking two and fanning four. Mike Jones took over in the sixth and walked the leadoff man Concepcion and gave up a base hit to Jenkins and another to Davis, on a sacrifice bunt attempt, that loaded the bases with nobody out. Harvey lined to shortstop for the first out before pinch-hitter Grant Psomas drew a walk to force in Concepcion to tie the game. Maybin then bounced into a double play to end the inning. Jones allowed two runs on three hits and five walks over an inning and two-thirds in his fifth relief outing of the season. The series continues on Sunday afternoon with southpaw Troy Cate taking the hill against Carolina right-hander Josh Johnson. Coverage of the game begins at 12:45 pm central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com. *** It's not much of a defense for Angel Salome's struggles, but: Link to Carolina Press Coverage, relevant text below -- ZEBULON - If you hang around enough baseball clubhouses and subscribe to enough old baseball axioms, you might believe that good pitching beats good hitting. And if you hang around Carolina Mudcats manager Matt Raleigh, you might believe that good base running beats just about everything else. Raleigh will snap his fingers and clap his hands at least a couple of times each game, part of a series of signals for his players to drop their heads and sprint toward the next base. He is aggressive and, to this point during the season, his aggressiveness has worked. The Mudcats beat the Huntsville Stars, 5-4, on Saturday night at Five County Stadium, in large thanks to five more stolen bases. The Mudcats failed to convert a sixth attempt, marring an otherwise perfect game, so to speak, but right fielder Kris Harvey did score the game-winning run on a passed ball in the bottom of the eighth, another high-risk, high-reward run around the bases that paid dividends for the team. "We kind of live and die with that," Raleigh said. "We don't have a lot of power in this lineup, so we have to kind of take advantage of our speed, and I think we've been doing a good job of that." Yes, the Mudcats (6-5 second half, 44-37 overall) have run well this season, to say the least. After five steals Saturday and five more Friday night, they lead the Southern League with 121 stolen bases. The Stars (5-6, 46-35) are second in the league with 81 steals. The Mudcats started their sprints early Saturday night against Huntsville right-hander Nic Ungs, a former Mudcat who hurled a no-hitter for Carolina in 2005, though with little success. Shortstop Manuel Mayorson and second baseman Chris Coghlan executed a double steal in the first inning, though neither scored. Third baseman Gaby Sanchez nabbed a base in the third, but did not score, either. And Mayorson stole another base in the fifth but also failed to score. Finally, with one out in the seventh, Coghlan stole second, then rounded the bases and scored a run to give the Mudcats a brief 3-2 lead after Sanchez doubled to the gap in left-center field. An inning later, Harvey sprinted home on that passed ball to give the Mudcats a 4-3 lead, and the lead for good. Huntsville Box ScoreWe'll try to learn more for you on Michael Brantley's leg-related injury status; Batters are hitting .298 against Mike Jones this season, but more critical is that Jones has walked 32 in 36.1 innings, while striking out only 19 -- you can praise Jones' heart and persistence, but not his numbers, sorry; Matt LaPorta was 0-for-4 with two K's here, but his OPS by month thus far -- 1.044, .916, 1.076... Huntsville Game Log