Jim Goulart

Huntsville Pre-Game Audio Interview with catcher Carlos Corporan Click on the WUMP audio archive of June 27th, then browse to the 06:00 minute mark; discussion on LHP Brae Wright as well as Carlos' big game Thursday night...

We'll get to the Helena game in a bit, and we'll definitely check the audio archive to get an explanation, but are the H-Crew so short on position players 4th round LHP Josh Romanski had to make his pro debut as a designated hitter tonight? Bizarre...

Final: Fort Myers (Twins) 2, Brevard County 1 Game Summary from the Miracles' Site: FORT MYERS, F.L. - With wins being tough to come by so far in the second half of the Florida State League season, the Fort Myers Miracle took advantage of a couple of early runs, and held on for a 2-1 win over the Brevard County Manatees. An hour and 21 minute rain delay stopped action in the sixth with the Miracle up 2-0, before Brevard County made things interesting in the eighth. Eli Tintor was in on both bits of offensive damage on Friday night as his 2-for-2 outing paced the Miracle to the two-run win. Tintor led off with a double in the Miracle third. A wild pitch by Manatee starter Chris Cody would push Tintor to third, and allow him to score on a ground ball to third off the bat of Garrett Olson. Olson picked up the RBI for his efforts. A couple of innings later in the fifth, after a Steve Singleton lead-off walk, Tintor second double of the night, this one down the left-field line, would plate Singleton with the final Miracle run. The lone Manatee run would score in the eighth as three straight two-out singles by Jonathan Lucroy, Taylor Green and Charlie Fermaint would bring the 'Tees to within one, now with runners at second and third. Closer Anthony Slama then slammed the door with a strikeout of Stephen Chapman to end the eighth, and three fans to retire the side in the ninth. Miracle starter Cole Devries gets credit for the win blanking Brevard County across six innings of work. Devries gave up a lead-off single to Yohannis Perez in the third and a one-out single to Lucroy in the sixth. Devries walked four and struck out five, improving to 6-6 on the year. Slama notched his 15th save as well. Game three of the series will take place at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) on Saturday night with post-game fireworks. The Miracle will send RHP Jay Rainville (0-1, 3.12) to the mound against a Manatees hurler to be determined at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). Brevard County Box Score Taylor Green on base three times -- even in a slightly down (for him) month, Green is going to post an OPS near .800 -- he's for real; Jonathan Lucroy also on base three times -- yeah, he's good, too... Brevard County Game Log

West Virginia Pre-Game Audio Interview with Manager Jeff Isom Click on the WSWW audio archive of June 27th, then browse to the 39:30 minute mark...

Final: West Virginia 8, Lexington (Astros) 5 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER OFFENSE STAYS HOT AGAINST LEXINGTON The West Virginia Power offense scored in five different innings of Friday night's game against the Lexington Legends and ended their two-game skid with an 8-5 victory over the Legends at Appalachian Power Park. The Power scored twice in the second inning to take their first lead of the game. Steffan Wilson began the inning with a walk and moved to third on Eric Fryer's double. They both scored on groundouts from Curt Rindal and David Fonseca. Cat Everett and Bryan Brown touched home plate in the third inning to tie the game on a two-out single from Eric Taylor. West Virginia plated three runs to regain the lead in the fourth and never looked back. Wilson scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and Fonseca drove in the next two on his second homer of the season. Jonathan Fixler belted a two-run homer in the sixth inning to bring the Legends back within a run. Rindal began the bottom of the sixth with his sixth bomb of the season, his second in as many games. Caleb Gindl singled in Eric Farris in the eighth inning and Brian Pellegrini scored on a wild pitch in the eighth to score Lexington's last run. Gindl struck again in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out single to score Farris. Dan Merklinger (2-5) allowed four runs on four hits and fanned seven over five innings to get the victory. Curtis Pasma (1) pitched a perfect ninth inning and got the save. Anthony Bello (2-4) allowed five runs on two hits while walking four over three and two-thirds and was tagged with the loss. The Power improved to 37-41 on the year and 5-4 in the second half with the win, while the Legends fell to 23-55 on the year and 2-7 in the second half with the loss. Every Power player reached safely, while Farris and Gindl both recorded multi-hit games. Gindl paced the Power with a 3-for-5 performance. Lee Haydel went 0-for-4, bringing his 12-game hitting streak to an end while Wilson extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a base hit in the seventh. The Power will continue the four-game series against Lexington Saturday night. Right hander R.J. Seidel (4-4, 5.25) will get the start for the Power and the Legends will counter with right hander Luis Pardo (0-3, 4.05). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score Rob Bryson a strong three-inning relief stint (one run); Eric Fryer behind the plate rather than in the outfield; because he's been relegated to a utility role, one forgets that David Fonseca was a relatively high (8th round) draft pick last season; no doubt it's getting easier to find positives within the Power's offensive production as of late -- keep it up, boys... West Virginia Game Log

Final: Carolina (Marlins) 5, Huntsville 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Stars Denied A Third Straight Win Volstad Wins for First Time in Almost Two Months By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Chris Volstad worked six solid innings and five different hitters knocked in a run in Carolina's 5-2 win over Huntsville Friday night in the fourth of a six-game set at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC. The Mudcats evened the series and their second half record at 5-5, while the Stars dipped to 5-5 in the second half and 46-34 overall. The Stars had scored at least seven runs and collected at least 11 hits in each of their prior six games but were held to a season-low three hits by three Mudcats' hurlers. Matt LaPorta singled with two outs in the fourth to grab the Stars' first hit before Cole Gillespie walked and Grant Psomas could not handle a Chris Errecart ground ball that took a late, bad hop and allowed LaPorta to cross the plate with the game's first run. Andy Jenkins led off the home half of the inning with a base hit, moved to third base on a Manuel Mayerson double, his fourth of the series, and scored to tie the game on a fly ball by Brett Hayes. With fairly heavy rain falling in a sky converting from dusk to night time, Gillespie and Freddy Parejo could not locate a fly ball hit by Psomas that landed at the edge of the warning track in center field for a triple that chased home Mayerson to give the Mudcats a 2-1 lead. John Raynor then singled in Psomas with two outs to make it 3-1 before getting thrown out by Gillespie trying to stretch it into a double. Mat Gamel led off the sixth with a triple, his first since April 30, and scored to cut the lead to 3-2 when Angel Salome followed with a single, the last hit for the Stars. Volstad then retired the next three hitters to close his performance, allowing three hits, walking three and striking out two. The number-two rated prospect in the Marlins organization earned his fourth win of the season and first since April 29. Jarrett Santos retired the side in order in the seventh and eighth innings and has set down all nine hitters he has faced in the series. Raynor singled with one out in the seventh, moved to second base when Cameron Maybin walked and advanced to third base on a double steal before Chris Coghlan was intentionally passed to load the bases. Stars' starter Donovan Hand was then removed in favor of Omar Aguilar, who gave up a scoring fly ball to Alberto Concepcion and a two-out run-scoring hit to Andy Jenkins to complete the scoring. Hand suffered his second loss after allowing five runs on nine hits, walking three and striking out two. Chris Mobley worked a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 12th save of the season and fourth against Huntsville. The series continues on Saturday night with right-hander, and former Mudcat, Nic Ungs taking the hill against Carolina right-hander Brett Sinkbeil. Coverage of the game begins at 5:00 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 96 degrees at game time in the Raleigh area; night off for Mike Bell, Guilder Rodriguez 0-for-4 at second base in the leadoff spot, as Freddy Parejo patrolled center field for Michael Brantley; Cole Gillespie walked twice (.380 OBP); Matt LaPorta another HBP; Donovan Hand doing what most 22-year-olds do in AA rotations -- struggle some... Huntsville Game Log

Well, that didn't take long. I appreciate a somewhat overwhelming private message response to me to keep this thread open. It was the type of trade that Brewer fans had not seen in many years, and is worth our continued review. As I noted in my prior post, I will continue to try to avoid grandstanding on any position concerning the trade and stick to the pitching lines, something I think we've been able to do for several months. I guess over 11,000 thread views indicates an interest. For those not interested, simply avoid the thread, thanks.

In his latest start Thursday night, Steve Garrison was hit by a line drive off his pitching forearm in the second inning -- while he finished the inning, he came out of the game and is day-to-day. Dude, you really have a man crush on these guys. Let it go. They are Padres now...or San Antonio Stinkers or whatever. All I have tried to do with the 2008 portion of this thread is update folks on pitching lines. I have refrained from political comment on the deal for the most part -- sure, a few exclamation points or such when warranted, but no diatribes. I had a little fun with the latest Baseball America Hot Sheet post, because, heck, nobody else was going to bring that to everyone's attention, anyway, right? Yeah, right. So now, to make the bobskube's of the world happy, this thread will be closed. You folks know where to look up these guys should you wish.

A record-breaking number of Brewer farmhands on the Hot Sheet this week, coming in at numbers 3, 4, 11, 12, and 13. Oh wait, check that, it's only 11, 12 and 13 -- you'll see how I could have been confused.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 45 35 .563 - 25-15 20-20 L2 Memphis 42 38 .525 3.0 18-18 24-20 W4 Omaha 39 38 .506 4.5 15-19 24-19 W6 Nashville 31 49 .388 14.0 17-22 14-27 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 7 2 .778 - 4-2 3-0 W5 Huntsville 5 4 .556 2.0 3-3 2-1 W2 Carolina 4 5 .444 3.0 1-2 3-3 L2 Chattanooga 3 6 .333 4.0 3-3 0-3 L3 West Tenn 3 6 .333 4.0 0-3 3-3 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 6 1 .857 - 4-0 2-1 W4 Jupiter 4 2 .667 1.5 1-0 3-2 W1 Vero Beach 5 3 .625 1.5 1-2 4-1 W3 Daytona 3 3 .500 2.5 1-1 2-2 L1 Palm Beach 3 3 .500 2.5 3-2 0-1 W1 Brevard County 3 5 .375 3.5 1-4 2-1 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 5 3 .625 - 1-3 4-0 W4 Greensboro 5 3 .625 - 1-2 4-1 L1 Hagerstown 5 3 .625 - 2-2 3-1 L1 West Virginia 4 4 .500 1.0 0-1 4-3 L2 Lakewood 3 4 .429 1.5 2-2 1-2 L2 Hickory 3 5 .375 2.0 0-0 3-5 L2 Lake County 2 5 .286 2.5 0-3 2-2 L3 Lexington 2 6 .250 3.0 1-6 1-0 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 8 2 .800 - 4-2 4-0 W2 Billings 6 4 .600 2.0 0-0 6-4 L1 Helena 4 6 .400 4.0 3-4 1-2 W1 Missoula 2 8 .200 6.0 1-6 1-2 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Padres 3 1 .750 - 2-0 1-1 W1 AZL Rangers 3 1 .750 - 1-1 2-0 W1 AZL Angels 2 2 .500 1.0 1-1 1-1 L2 AZL Athletics 2 2 .500 1.0 1-1 1-1 L1 AZL Giants 2 2 .500 1.0 1-1 1-1 W1 AZL Mariners 2 2 .500 1.0 1-1 1-1 W2 AZL Royals 2 2 .500 1.0 2-0 0-2 W1 AZL Brewers 1 3 .250 2.0 1-1 0-2 W1 AZL Cubs 1 3 .250 2.0 1-1 0-2 L1

Follow Friday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". 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_27_nasaaa_rreaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_27_hunaax_cmcaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_27_breafa_ftmafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_27_lexafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_27_bilrok_helrok_1

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):

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Lindsay Gulin 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: RHP Donovan Hand at Carolina (Marlins), 6:00 PM pre-game; 6:15 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 Chris Cody at Fort Myers (Twins), 6:05 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: LHP Dan Merklinger at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link via WSWW, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t525 Helena: LHP Efrain Nieves at home vs. Billings (Reds), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Audio link via KCAP, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t433 Arizona: Idle

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Four West Virginia Photos in a Charleston Daily Mail Photo Gallery Link while active, text follows: Power pitching staff crashes to start long homestand Lexington takes series opener Thursday nightbehind two Pellegrini homers by Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia Power postgame meetings are held behind closed doors, off limits to anyone who isn't affiliated with the organization or its Milwaukee Brewers' parent club. One only can wonder what Manager Jeff Isom had to say to his pitchers Thursday night, when they let a lead -- and a win -- slip away in an 8-7 loss to the lowly Lexington Legends. Considering his comments immediately after the disappointing defeat, the frustrated skipper probably had an earful for his hurlers after an Appalachian Power Park crowd of 6,897 watched a South Atlantic League game that featured four lead changes and two ties. ."It was (a poor pitching performance), especially after last night," said Isom, who watched Greensboro (N.C.) turn a 7-4 deficit into an 8-7 victory with an eighth-inning grand slam on Wednesday. "We had another lead last night and lost it. "You just don't want it to become a recurring theme." West Virginia starter Amaury Rivas served up a pair of two-run home runs to Lexington's Brian Pellegrini in the first and sixth innings. Pellegrini's first clout gave the Legends a 2-0 lead; his second gave them a 4-3 lead. "Those were fastballs right down the middle," Power catcher Uly Snijders said. "(Rivas) missed it. I asked for an inside pitch, but the ball came right down the middle. "(Pellegrini) is a strong guy and a good player. You have to throw him sliders away and bust him inside with fastballs. When you make a mistake, he is going to hit the ball out." Pellegrini was 2-for-5 with two runs and four RBI for the Legends, who are 2-6 in the SAL second half and 31 games under .500 for the season. Isom replaced Rivas with Roque Mercedes, who allowed Lexington to tie the score at 6-6 with two unearned runs in the seventh. Mercedes surrendered back-to-back singles to start the inning, then committed a throwing error after he fielded a sacrifice bunt. The Legends scored one run on that play and added another run on the next play, a groundout. Pedro Lambertus took the mound for the Power in the eighth. Lambertus issued a leadoff walk to Steve Brown, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Lambertus hit Brandon Barnes and gave up a single to Cat Everett, allowing Brown to score. Matt Cusick plated Barnes with a sacrifice fly to give the Legends an 8-6 advantage. West Virginia dropped to 4-4 in the second half (36-41 this season). "We have to do a much better job with our pitching staff," said Isom, whose team lost the lead twice against the Legends. "When we get the lead, we have to hold on to it." West Virginia's Curt Rindal hit a two-run home run in the second to tie the score at 2-2. Matt Cline gave the Power a 3-2 lead in the third with a first-pitch, leadoff home run. West Virginia's Eric Fryer tied the score at 4-4 in the sixth with an RBI single that plated Steffan Wilson, who started the Power rally with a two-out double. Rindal and Snijders followed with an RBI double and single, respectively, to give West Virginia a 6-4 lead. Wilson started the home half of the eighth with a double off Lexington reliever Reid Kelly. Fryer followed with a single to move Wilson to third. Lexington Manager Gregg Langbehn took out Kelly and put in Jordan Powell, who got Rindal to hit into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Wilson. Powell then struck out Snijders to end the inning and thwart the threat. The Power had Lee Haydel on second with two outs in the ninth but couldn't get him home. Kelly (2-1) got the win. He allowed one run on four hits in 1 1/3 innings. Powell threw two scoreless innings to earn his third save. Lambertus (0-2) took the loss. He surrendered two runs on two hits and two walks in one inning. Fryer (3-for-4 with one run and one RBI) was one of five Power players with multiple hits. The others were Cline (2-for-4 with one run and one RBI), Haydel (2-for-5), Rindal (2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI) and Wilson (2-for-4 with two runs). Haydel and Wilson extended their hitting streaks to 12 and 11 games, respectively. "The whole team is swinging the bats very well right now," Isom said. "It just comes down to the pitching." The teams will play the second of their four-game series at 7:05 tonight (6:05 Central). Left-handers Dan Merklinger (1-5) for the Power and Anthony Bello (2-3) for the Legends will get the mound starts.

Link while active, text follows: Brewers outlast Mustangs By JEFF WINDMUELLER - Helena Independent Record The Helena Brewers' closer didn't miss a beat. Coming in to start the ninth with a one-run Brewers lead, Garrett Sherrill struck out three straight as the home team picked up a 5-4 win over Billings Thursday night before 1,251 fans. It was Sherrill's first save of the year. "He's capable of doing that, that's not surprising," said Brewers manager Rene Gonzales. "That's the kind of pitcher he's going to be. He's been the closer, he's pitched different spots in the games. It's awesome, three strike outs is great." The pitcher faced off with the top of the order and struck out David Sappelt, Neffali Soto and Brett Bartles each on a 1-2 pitch. Sappelt and Bartles were both caught looking while Soto went down swinging. The Brewers (4-6) never trailed in the matchup with Billings (6-4), taking a 4-0 lead after scoring three runs in the third, thanks to RBI triples by Logan Schafer and Michael Vass. Brock Kjeldgaard also brought in a run when he hit a grounder to left field. The Mustangs evened it up with two-run innings in the fourth and sixth. Tyler Stovall and Jose Gauldron both scored on Jordan Wideman's double to left field to tie it up. However, Brewers reliever Cody Adams pitched his way out of the jam, forcing Miguel Rojas out on a fly to center and Sappelt to a groundout at first. That gave Helena the chance to take the lead, and in the bottom of the inning Derrick Alfonso hit an RBI groundout to third base, scoring Chris Dennis for the gamewinner. "Even when they tied it up, I felt comfortable, I thought that we were still OK," Gonzales said. "Though, we haven't played that well with a lead to this point, I thought the game was still going to be ours. "We had some clutch hitting, and it was a clean game. It was well-played, defensively, for us." The Brewers recorded 10 hits on the evening as they put together a complete package. The defense walked away without an error and saw a few spactacular plays, including a diving catch by right fielder Erik Komatsu to put away the top of the fifth and great infield work by shortstop Michael Marseco. The Brewers were led by Jose Duran, Vass and Kjeldgaard at the plate. Duran went 2-for-3 with the RBI while Kjeldgaard finished 2-for-4, scoring two runs at the clean-up spot. Vass finished 2-for-4 with the RBI as well. Gualdron did much of the scoring for Billings, finishing the game 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs. Wideman, meanwhile, went 2-for-3 with a game-high three RBI. Adams (1-1) finished with a blown save, but also the win after giving up two earned runs on four hits over three innings. He had one strike out and one walk. Trey Watten started for the Brewers, giving up two runs on five hits over five solid innings. He also struck out two and walked two. Billings' Branden Rice (0-1) was given the loss. The Brewers play host to Billings again tonight. Left hander Efrain Nieves is expected to start on the mound for Helena while Leonardo Astorga is scheduled for Billings. The first pitch is at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). Photos by Lisa Kunkel Helena IR staff photographer - Brewers closing pitcher Garrett Sherrill throws in a pitch during the ninth inning of Thursday's game at Kindrick Legion Field. Sherrill retired the side striking out three Billings players, sealing the 5-4 win for Helena. http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2008/06/27/sports/top/50spl_080627_brewers.jpg Helena Brewers right fielder Eric Komatsu reaches for the popup during Pioneer League action Thursday night at Kindrick Legion Field. http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2008/06/27/sports/top/50spl_080627_brewers-2.jpg

Only this Power loss kept it from being a clean sweep of victories on the farm -- Link while active, text follows: Power wastes clutch hits in 8-7 loss to Lexington By Tommy R. Atkinson Charleston Gazette Staff writer The West Virginia Power displayed attributes of a team on the rise Thursday night. The Power rallied on three occasions, but as the case has been all season - at least at home - couldn't sustain the momentum as the Lexington Legends took an 8-7 South Atlantic League win. A paid crowd of 6,897 attended at Appalachian Power Park. West Virginia got three straight two-out, run-scoring hits in the bottom of the sixth to surge ahead 6-4. The Legends (2-6) knotted the game at 6-all in the top of the seventh on an error and RBI groundout, then parlayed a walk, sacrifice, hit batsman, single and sacrifice fly into two runs in the eighth to grab the lead for good at 8-6. The Power (4-4), just 13-21 at home this season, still had several opportunities in the last two innings but couldn't come up with clutch hits. Steffan Wilson (2-for-4) led off the eighth with a double and Eric Fryer (3-for-4, RBI) followed with a single to put runners at first and third base with none out. Curt Rindal hit into a double play and although Wilson scored to cut the deficit to 8-7, the window for a bigger inning had closed. The Power put the tying run on second in the bottom of the ninth when Lee Haydel (2-for-5) singled with one out and moved to second on Eric Farris' groundout to shortstop. Zelous Wheeler got behind in the count 0-2, then bounced out to short to end the game. West Virginia returned home Thursday after opening the season's second half on the road. The Power turned in a 4-3 mark on the trip and is 23-20 on the road overall this season, but hasn't been able to find the consistency at home. "You run into games like this where it's back and forth and you have a couple of tough breaks,'' said Fryer. "We just came out on the wrong end of it. "We're playing good ball right now. We've put together I don't know how many 10-hit games and the pitchers are keeping us in the game. Our approach at the plate has been a lot better. We're getting good pitches and not missing as much.'' The Power did plenty of good things Thursday. West Virginia rapped out 14 hits, including seven with two outs, and battled back several times. After West Virginia fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first, Rindal belted a two-out, two-run home run to knot the game at 2 in the second. Matt Cline's leadoff round-tripper on the first pitch in the third handed the Power a 3-2 edge. Lexington wrested the lead back in the sixth on Brian Pelligrini's second two-run homer for a 4-3 advantage. Fryer tied it at 4-all on a two-out, RBI single and Rindal and Ulrich Snijders each drove in a run with two-out hits to go-ahead 6-4 in the bottom half. Power relievers couldn't hold the lead and the Legends knotted the game at 6 on Eric Taylor's run-scoring grounder in the seventh. Lexington plated two runs in the eighth to take control. Briefly The lead changed hands five times Thursday. ...West Virginia's Haydel (12 games) and Wilson (11 games) each extended hitting streaks. ...The Power had won seven of its last 10 games entering Thursday. ...The Power will play host to the Legends at 7:05 tonight (6:05 Central) in the second game of the four-game series. West Virginia will send Dan Merklinger (1-5, 7.50 ERA) to the mound, and Lexington will counter with lefty Anthony Bello (2-3, 3.26).

Link while active, text follows: Recovering Gagne says he's ready By Rick Cantu AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF ROUND ROCK - After being away from the Milwaukee Brewers for 34 days to rehabilitate his ailing right shoulder, Eric Gagne proclaimed himself ready to rejoin his teammates. The former Cy Young Award winner was not overly concerned about giving up two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Round Rock Express on Thursday night at Dell Diamond. Gagne was upbeat, signing autographs as he approached the Nashville Sounds clubhouse in the top half of the second inning. After throwing 29 pitches - 17 for strikes - he said his arm felt fine, and that's all that really mattered. As for the game, Nashville rallied with three runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth to pull away, beating the Express 8-5 before 8,920 fans. Brewers officials are expected to recall Gagne, their 32-year-old closer, today. After making the second of two scheduled rehab starts, Gagne said he could be ready to pitch for Milwaukee as early as Saturday. Gagne has been on the disabled list since May 21 with tendonitis in his right shoulder. Gagne said he threw the baseball at about 90 percent of his usual velocity. A major-league scout holding a speed gun behind the backstop said his best fastball was 91 mph, which is down from his usual 95-96 mph. "After having three surgeries in a year and a half, it's more important just to be healthy right now," the 240-pound right-hander said. Gagne was on a 30-pitch maximum pitch count, and his control problems helped the Express gain a 2-0 edge in the bottom of the first. He allowed a sharp single to left by Express outfielder Nick Gorneault and a wind-aided bloop single to right by J.R. House, but a walk, a hit batter and a wild pitch cut his outing short. Gagne signed a one-year, $10 million deal in December with Milwaukee. In 20 appearances this season for the Brewers, he was 1-2 with a 6.98 ERA. He recorded 10 saves in 15 chances. The Express and the Sounds continue their series tonight at Dell Diamond.

Final: Helena 5, Billings (Reds) 4 Helena Site Game Summary: Brewers Down Road-Weary Mustangs The Helena Brewers defeated the Billings Mustangs Thursday night, 5-4. The Mustangs, who have been on the road for nine straight games, were unable to overcome the Brewers in a close, hard-fought battle. Helena jumped out to an early 4-0 lead thanks in part to RBI triples by both Logan Schafer and Michael Vass in the bottom of the third inning. Billings answered with two runs of their own in the fourth and sixth innings, but were unable to keep the game tied as Helena took the lead for good on an RBI groundout by Derrick Alfonso in the bottom of the sixth scoring Chris Dennis. Garrett Sherrill earned his first professional save by striking out all three hitters in the top of the ninth, two of them looking. Cody Adams picks up his first win of the season, throwing three innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits. Trey Watten had a solid start for the Brewers, going five innings and giving up just two runs. Watten scattered five hits while striking out two and walking two. Brandon Rice suffered the loss for the Mustangs, allowing one run on three hits in two innings of work. The win improves the Brewers record to 4-6 on the season and Billings drops to 6-4. The two teams will play again Friday night at Kindrick Field. Helena Box Score Billings is opening the season with a 14-game road trip while their brand new ballpark is finalized; solid game all-around; amazingly, this squad continues to carry only one extra bat (the backup catcher), no extra infielders or outfielders on the bench -- for late-round picks like John Delaney and Mike Vass, the opportunity presented to establish themselves early on is a fantastic and surprising gift... Helena Game Log

Helena Pre-Game Audio Interview with 2008 3rd Round Outfielder Logan Schafer Click on the KCAP audio archive of June 26th, then browse to the 11:30 minute mark; good job, Logan, on the field and on the mike...

Final: Nashville 8, Round Rock (Astros) 5 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Brendan Katin photo, text follows -- Sounds Open Road Trip With 8-5 Win ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Nashville Sounds began their road trip on a positive note, scoring an 8-5 victory over the Round Rock Express on Thursday evening at The Dell Diamond in the opener of a four-game series. Five Sounds players turned in multiple-hit efforts on the evening, led by Brendan Katin's 3-for-4, two-RBI effort. Round Rock took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against rehabbing Nashville starter Eric Gagne. With one out, Edwin Maysonet was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by ex-Sound J.R. House (3-for-5). Gagne followed by walking Mark Saccamanno and the Express plated the game's first run when the fourth ball eluded catcher Vinny Rottino, allowing Maysonet to score on the wild pitch. Nick Gorneault doubled the advantage with a two-out RBI single to left. Gagne worked two-thirds of an inning and allowed two runs on two hits, walking one batter and striking out two. He threw 29 pitches (17 strikes). Randy Choate followed Gagne with 2 1/3 hitless relief innings, stranding a pair of inherited runners in the process. The veteran southpaw has worked 6 1/3 scoreless frames, allowing only two hits, in his three Nashville appearances on his rehab stint. Nashville rallied to take a 3-2 lead with a trio of runs in the third against Express starter Ron Chiavacci. Brad Nelson opened the frame with a walk before being erased on a Rottino forceout. After Adam Heether and Katin walked to load the bases, shortstop Chris Woodward put the Sounds on the board with an RBI single to left. Pinch-hitter Callix Crabbe followed with a 13-pitch at-bat that included fouling off seven two-strike offerings before lifting a game-tying sacrifice fly to left to bring home Heether. Hernan Iribarren gave the visitors their first lead of the night when he delivered a double to left that plated Katin, but Gorneault combined with second baseman Jonathan Ash to throw out Woodward at the plate to end the inning as he attempted to score on the knock. Round Rock evened the game in the bottom of the frame against Sounds left-hander Sam Narron. Ray Sadler led off with a triple to right and scored one batter later on a Gorneault sacrifice fly. The back-and-forth scoring continued in the fourth when Nashville grabbed a 6-3 lead against Chiavacci after loading the bases with none out on singles by Tony Gwynn and Laynce Nix followed by a Nelson walk. Rottino broke the three-all tie with an RBI single to left before Heether plated Nix with a sacrifice fly for a 5-3 advantage. Katin stepped into the box and chased Chiavacci with a run-scoring single to center. Kyle Middleton took over on the Express hill and escaped the inning without further damage by inducing an inning-ending fly ball double play from Woodward that saw Rottino doubled off second. Round Rock got a run back in the home half of the fourth on a two-out House RBI single. The Sounds continued to pile on the runs in the seventh, sending two more men plateward against Middleton to increase their advantage to 8-4. Katin ripped a two-out double that brought home Nelson, who had opened the frame with a single. After Woodward was intentionally walked, Narron helped his own cause with an RBI single up the middle. AUDIO: Brendan Katin RBI Double New Sounds reliever Joe Bateman made his career Triple-A debut when he took over on the hill in the eighth and worked a scoreless first frame before running into trouble in the ninth. With one out in the game's final frame, Tommy Manzella ripped a double to right and moved to third when Tomas Perez singled to put runners on the corners. Pinch-hitter J.R. Towles followed with a run-scoring groundout to make it an 8-5 game before Bateman fanned House to end the contest. Narron (4-3) picked up the win after allowing two runs on five hits over four innings of work behind the two rehab pitchers. Chiavacci (1-2) took the loss after surrendering six runs on nine hits while issuing five walks in his 4 1/3 frames of action. The teams continue the series with another 7:05 p.m. meeting on Friday evening. Left-hander Lindsay Gulin (3-4, 2.99) will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face an undetermined Round Rock starter. Nashville Box Score Folks really need to take in what kind of year Brad Nelson is having -- more walks than strikeouts, a .421 OBP, a .934 OPS, yes the PCL is a bigtime hitter's league, but that's mostly in the western ballparks, where the Sounds exposure is limited; Nelson reached base five times tonight, heck he's even 11-for-17 in steals; that was a whale of an at-bat described for Callix Crabbe... Nashville Game Log

Link Report Bonus: Courtesy of the Sounds' site, another entertaining entry from Hardball Mysteries -- "Uncle Charlie" "I cannot hit curveball. Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid."

Final: Brevard County 3, Fort Myers (Twins) 1 Game Summary from the Miracles' Site: FORT MYERS, F.L. - A pair of two-out runs in the top of the sixth inning helped the Brevard County Manatees break up a scoreless ballgame and move to a 3-1 victory over the Fort Myers Miracle on Thursday night. Another Miracle rally attempt in the bottom of the ninth fell short, thanks in-part to an unassisted double play. Darren Ford's two-out single to center kept the Manatees sixth inning alive. Ford then picked up his 40th stolen base up the season, setting up Lorenzo Cain to drive him in with a double to left. Cain then scored on a Jonathan Lucroy single to left for a two-run lead. Another RBI-double, this one by Ford in the eighth, put the Manatees up three as Yohannis Perez was able to score from first on the play. The Miracle would again make things interesting in the ninth, but ended up falling short again. After a lead-off walk to Danny Lehmann, a fielder's choice and error on the same play with Yancarlos Ortiz would put runners at the corners and bring the tying run to the plate with nobody out. Steve Singleton then ripped a line drive over to first that Stephen Chapman snagged from mid-air and then stepped on the first-base bag to double off Ortiz. A throwing error later in the inning by Brent Brewer at short, would allow Lehmann to score the only Miracle run on the night. Game two of the series will take place on a "Happy Hour Friday" back at Hammond Stadium beginning at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). RHP Cole Devries (5-6, 2.99) will start for the Miracle against 'Tees LHP Chris Cody (0-2, 8.59). Brevard County Box Score How the Miracle web site managed to avoid mentioning Alex Periard's eight innings of shutout ball is anybody's guess -- seven hits, two walks, three K's; that's seven straight quality starts for the just-turned 21-year-old French-Canadian, most of them "high quality"; Mike McClendon hung on tight for the save; Darren Ford on base three times; this squad absolutely needs the top of the order to do its job each night, as there's simply not much to work with up and down the lineup offensively, and yes, that's taking the tough Florida State League environment into consideration... Brevard County Game Log

Huntsville Pre-Game Audio with outfielder Freddy Parejo Click on the WUMP link for June 26th, then browse to the 03:00 minute mark -- always give credit to the Latin kids for developing any skills at all in English, Parejo is from Venezuela Listen to the Michael Brantley Injury Call Same link as above, go the 01:15:00 hour / minute mark Other Huntsville Updates: LHP Derek Miller nursing a sore shoulder, RHP Robert Hinton a sore forearm...

Gamel selected for U.S. team in Futures Game By GENE FRENETTE The Florida Times-Union Former Bishop Kenny High School standout Mat Gamel, a third baseman for the Double-A Huntsville Stars and the Southern League's leading hitter, was chosen Thursday to play in the July 13 All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium. It also makes him a prime candidate to be selected for the U.S. Olympic team that will play in Beijing in August. Gamel's numbers with Huntsville (.373 batting average, 15 home runs, 67 RBI) could prompt a call-up to Triple-A or the Milwaukee Brewers later this season, but he cherishes the opportunity to play in historic Yankee Stadium before the facility is torn down for a new one in 2009. Gamel is projected as the starting third baseman for the 25-man U.S. team in the Futures Game. "I'm excited [about the Futures Game], though I haven't thought about it too much," Game said Thursday in a phone interview from the visitors' clubhouse of the Carolina Mudcats, whom Huntsville plays later tonight. "It hasn't sunk in yet. I'm not going to get my hopes up about the Olympics because it's too early. I can't worry about that kind of stuff." Along with Gamel, Huntsville teammate Matt LaPorta, a former University of Florida star and the SL's top home-run hitter with 19, also was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game. Among the players selected for the opposing World team was Jacksonville Suns shortstop Ivan DeJesus. Unlike past years, the Futures Game will serve as a Team USA Olympic trial, and the contest will expand from seven to nine innings. The U.S. team is managed by former big-league manager Davey Johnson, who guided the 1986 New York Mets to a World Series title.