Jim Goulart

Not to be outdone by his former Brewer system buddy, Will Inman won his 8th game tonight, moved his ERA under 3.00, and oh, struck out 11 himself tonight. If you're reading this post, then you've been following this thread with interest. If Will and Steve were posting their numbers this year as teammates at Huntsville, where would you rank each on the current pre-draft version of the Power 50? Remember, Inman was positioned to be # 1 when Manny Parra graduated. Here's Garrison's own P50 history before the July '07 trade.

Tyler Stover of the Manatees staff with the update: Tonight's Dunedin-Brevard County game has been postponed due to heavy rain. The game will be played tomorrow as part of a doubleheader beginning at 5:00 PM (4:00 Central). Each game will be seven innings.

Steve Garrison was the Texas League Pitcher of the Week; while Rotoworld touted him as ready for AAA, Garrison won't be 22 until September.

Final: Arizona Athletics 4, Arizona Brewers 3 Arizona Box Score It looks to be a well-played opener on both sides on a sunny 98 degree day; just-turned 18-year-old (last Friday) RHP Luis Guerrero of the Dominican received Opening Day honors and threw a pretty five innings, allowing just one run, automatically becoming one to watch going forward -- he walked 39 in 42 innings last season, just two today; Seton Hall's Greg Miller, the 10th round RHP, was asked to get 22nd round RHP Ben Jeffers out of trouble with the bases loaded and two outs in the 7th, but allowed all three inherited runners to score, handing Jeffers the loss; 20th round RHP Liam Ohlmann retired all six men he faced in the final two innings in his pro debut... Offensively, all seven Brewer hits were singles, with 18-year-old Luis Sanchez, a 2007 Dominican signing who posted some nice numbers last season, collecting two of the base knocks; the following players made their pro debuts: C's Shawn Zarraga and Orton Rodriguez, OF's Hitaniel Arias, Jose Garcia, and Brandon Drespling (pinch-runner); Zarraga had a single and an HBP, joining Sanchez as the only Brewer to reach twice... Arizona Game Log Nice fundamental baseball in a two-run Brewer first inning; Athletics had a man on second base and none out in Guerrero's final inning, and he got out of trouble; all the difficulties came after the first two A's were out in the 7th; Brewers got a man on first in both the 8th and 9th, but were not able to advance either...

Final: West Virginia 8, Kannapolis (White Sox) 2 Nice win... West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER TAKE RUBBER MATCH IN KANNAPOLIS The West Virginia Power used a pair of four-run frames and six strong innings from R.J. Seidel to take the rubber match in the five game series against the Kannapolis Intimidators with an 8-2 victory at FieldCrest Cannon Stadium on Monday afternoon. Kannapolis took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on Mark Fleisher's two-out RBI double. West Virginia sent nine batters to the plate and scored four times in the third inning to take the lead. Zelous Wheeler doubled in the first two runs before Caleb Gindl and Steffan Wilson drove in the final two on groundouts. Wilson extended his hitting streak to eight games in the fourth inning by hitting his 13th homer of the season. Later in the inning, Anderson Delarosa, Uly Snijders and Matt Cline ripped back-to-back-to-back two out RBI doubles. Sergio Morales singled in Sergio Miranda in the bottom of the fifth to plate Kannapolis's final run of the contest. Seidel (4-4) allowed just a pair of runs on six hits in six innings of work to get the victory. Pedro Lambertus (1) allowed just a hit over three scoreless innings of relief to earn the save. Lucas Harrell (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs on four hits over two and two-thirds. The Power improved to 35-39 on the year and 3-2 in the second half with the win, while the Intimidators fell to 33-42 on the year and 2-3 in the second half with the loss. Eight Power players hit safely, and four Power players recorded multi-hit games. Eric Fryer paced the Power with a 3-for-4 performance. Steffan Wilson has hit safely in nine straight road games. The Power will begin a brief two game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, North Carolina on Tuesday night. Right hander Evan Anundsen (6-4, 3.75) will get the start for the Power and the Grasshoppers will counter with right hander Alex Sanabia (2-1, 4.02). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (6:00 Central). West Virginia Box Score R.J. Seidel allowed six hits and three walks in his six innings, but only two runs; Pedro Lambertus has been excellent since his return from extended spring, the kind of progress you like to see; Curt Rindal is hitting .323 in June; clean defense -- heck, this has to be one of the Power's best-played games of the season when you consider all three phases combined... West Virginia Game Log

By the way, Cutter Dykstra left Sunday's Helena game in the third inning with what was described as bit of a strained groin, meaning hopefully it's not all that serious (hopefully just day-to-day). One of the things about the much larger roster limits in the Pioneer and Arizona Leagues (the Brewers are well below the 35-man limit at Helena, for instance) is that when players are injured, they may not be officially placed on the seven-day DL because a roster spot may not need to be freed up. This can be frustrating when a player is out for an extended stint, but is just something to keep in mind.

Not a bad "Power" showing in the 5th for West Virginia, now up 8-1 heading to the bottom of the inning: West Virginia Top 5th - Caleb Gindl called out on strikes. - Steffan Wilson homers (13) on a fly ball to left field. - Eric Fryer doubles (8) on a line drive to left fielder Jim Gallagher. - Curt Rindal flies out to right fielder Christian Marrero. - Anderson De La Rosa doubles (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Sergio Morales. Eric Fryer scores. - Ulrich Snijders doubles (3) on a ground ball to left fielder Jim Gallagher. Anderson De La Rosa scores. - Matt Cline doubles (2) on a line drive to right fielder Christian Marrero. Ulrich Snijders scores. - Eric Farris grounds out, shortstop Sergio Miranda to first baseman Mark Fleisher.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 44 33 .571 - 25-14 19-19 W1 Memphis 39 38 .506 5.0 17-18 22-20 W1 Omaha 37 38 .493 6.0 15-19 22-19 W4 Nashville 30 47 .390 14.0 17-20 13-27 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 4 2 .667 - 4-2 0-0 W2 Carolina 3 3 .500 1.0 0-0 3-3 L3 Chattanooga 3 3 .500 1.0 3-3 0-0 W3 Huntsville 3 3 .500 1.0 3-3 0-0 W2 West Tenn 3 3 .500 1.0 0-0 3-3 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 2 1 .667 - 1-1 1-0 W2 Jupiter 2 1 .667 - 1-0 1-1 L1 St. Lucie 2 1 .667 - 0-0 2-1 L1 Vero Beach 2 2 .500 0.5 1-2 1-0 W2 Palm Beach 1 2 .333 1.0 1-1 0-1 W1 Brevard County 1 3 .250 1.5 0-2 1-1 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greensboro 3 1 .750 - 0-0 3-1 L1 Hagerstown 3 1 .750 - 0-0 3-1 W1 Lake County 2 2 .500 1.0 0-0 2-2 W2 Lakewood 2 2 .500 1.0 2-2 0-0 L2 West Virginia 2 2 .500 1.0 0-0 2-2 W1 Delmarva 1 3 .250 2.0 1-3 0-0 L1 Hickory 1 3 .250 2.0 0-0 1-3 L1 Lexington 1 3 .250 2.0 1-3 0-0 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 5 1 .833 - 2-1 3-0 W2 Billings 4 2 .667 1.0 0-0 4-2 L2 Helena 2 4 .333 3.0 2-4 0-0 W1 Missoula 1 5 .167 4.0 0-3 1-2 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Angels 1 0 1.000 - 0-0 1-0 W1 AZL Giants 1 0 1.000 - 0-0 1-0 W1 AZL Padres 1 0 1.000 - 0-0 1-0 W1 AZL Rangers 1 0 1.000 - 1-0 0-0 W1 AZL Brewers 0 0 - 0.5 0-0 0-0 - AZL Athletics 0 1 .000 1.0 0-1 0-0 L1 AZL Cubs 0 1 .000 1.0 0-1 0-0 L1 AZL Mariners 0 1 .000 1.0 0-1 0-0 L1 AZL Royals 0 1 .000 1.0 0-0 0-1 L1

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_06_23_mrbaaa_nasaaa_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_23_dunafa_breafa_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_23_helrok_grfrok_1 Arizona: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_23_athrok_brrrok_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):

The remainder of Monday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Derrick Turnbow to be followed by LHP Chris Narveson at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 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: Idle Brevard County: TBD (it's RHP Jeremy Jeffress' turn) at home vs. Dunedin (Blue Jays), 6:00 gametime Sorry, no audio for this series... Helena: LHP Evan Frederickson at Great Falls (White Sox), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:00 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 home vs. the Athletics' kids, 10:30 AM local Mountain Standard Time Keep in mind that none of the Maryvale games are available via audio at all; the youngsters usually play before crowds numbering less than 20 -- they all played before many more in their high school or legion ball games; it's a very unglorified and unforgiving atmosphere, especially until games are moved to the evening at the season's mid-way point, although it's brutally hot either time of day; game logs sometimes will update live, but often won't post until later in the day; starting pitcher information is rarely posted in advance, all the pitchers piggy-back on short stints regardless; be prepared for lots of the following -- errors, wild pitches, passed balls, balks, walks, etc., but hopefully some potential future Brewers emerge as well; in recent seasons, the prospect who clearly made his mark most vividly in Maryvale before moving up in the chain was Hernan Iribarren; most eventual Brewers don't see Maryvale at all, but begin in Helena...

Zelous Wheeler back in the Power lineup after three games off -- has been receiving treatment for an abscess on his knee. Thanks to Andy Barch for the update on his broadcast this AM...

BrewCrewBall with a wonderfully detailed and entertaining invteview with Stephen Chapman, discussing both himself and much of the Manatee roster -- I'm guessing BCB.com's "battlekow" recently freed up a lot of time (lottery winner, maybe?), because we can vouch that coordinating, conducting, and then transcribing these interviews as well as he has is a time-consuming challenge...

Full Link Report a bit later, but if you're in need of an office fix this AM -- West Virginia: RHP R.J. Seidel at Kannapolis (White Sox), 9:50 AM pre-game, 10:05 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 West Virginia Box Score / Game Log: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_23_wvaafx_kanafx_1

The Brewers have released their 9th round pick out of TCU from the 2006 draft, RHP Shawn Ferguson. Ferguson was pitching in relief at Brevard County, and although he had been a ground ball machine this year and last, he had posted a 6.31 ERA in 26 appearances in '08, allowing 49 hits and 20 walks in just 35.2 innings. Ferguson will be 26 years old in January -- you need to make that quick impression when drafted at 24. Taking Ferguson's spot at Brevard County is RHP John Axford, activated from the disabled list. Josh Wahpepah's placement in Brevard may not be official as of yet, so the other necessary roster move is on hold for now as well. We have no reason to believe, based on the earlier Huntsville update, that Wahpepah is not returning to Brevard.

Helena Pre-Game Audio Interview with LHP Evan Frederickson Be sure you are on the KCAP audio archive of June 22nd, then to the 11:30 minute mark; discussion includes his slider and his college school odyssey to the University of San Francisco...

Final: Helena 3, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 2 Link while active, text follows: Brewers rally to beat Osprey in 9th By CURT SYNNESS - Helena Independent Record With runners on second and third and his team down by one run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Helena Brewers' Erik Komatsu had to remind himself to remain calm. "I just wanted to put the ball in play and try not to do too much," said Komatsu, after the Brewers' thrilling 3-2 victory over the Missoula Osprey at Kindrick Legion Field Sunday. The Brewers trailed the Osprey 2-1 going into their last at bat. Corey Kemp led off with a walk and then Chris Dennis singled. Jose Duran's sacrifice bunt advanced both runners, putting the tying run on third and the winning run on second. Komatsu - a 20-year old left-handed hitter from Oxnard, Calif. - lined a ball to right field, plating Kemp and Dennis for an exciting come-from-behind win. "It was a fastball knee-high," said Komatsu, describing the pitch on his game-winning hit. "I felt that I got it deep enough to give us a chance to score both runs." Pinch runner Derrick Alfonso scored easily, but the play at the plate on Dennis' deciding tally was not exactly cut-and-dried. The throw from right field beat the Brewers' base runner, but was up the third base line a bit. Missoula catcher Bill Mussleman had the plate blocked, but when he spun around to make the tag as Dennis stepped around, it appeared that his elbow made contact with Dennis, instead of his glove. It was a bang-bang play and the umpire quickly signaled "safe". Missoula argued the call heatedly, contending that either Musselman made the tag first, or perhaps Dennis never touched home plate. But Brewer manager Rene Gonzales disagreed. "He (Dennis) was safe, and we win. The umpire got it right," said Gonzales. The Brew Crew had to overcome a stellar pitching and defensive performance by the visitors for the win. Missoula's infield turned a rare triple play (in the sixth inning) and three double plays (first, second and eighth innings) to kill four Helena rallies four different times. With Brewers runners on first and second, and none out in the sixth, Missoula shortstop Reynaldo Navarro speared a line drive, stepped on second for out No. 2 and fired to first to get the runner for the triple play. Osprey hurlers Brett Reynolds, Josh Blake and Pedro Rodriguez combined to allow only six hits. Helena pitchers Santo Manzanillo and Efrain Nieves were only slightly less effective, giving up a total of nine hits. Manzanillo started on the bump and went five innings, permitting five hits and one run, while fanning six batsmen. He struck out the side in the fifth. Nieves earned the win, working the final four frames, allowing one run and four hits. Blake took the defeat. "Manzanillo works everything off of his fastball, and it had quite a bit more movement on it. And Nieves kept us in the game," the Brewers' skipper said. Komatsu and Brock Kjeldgaard paced the Capital City's offense with two hits apiece, both rapping a double and a single each. The Brewers (2-4) performed some solid glove-work, twisting two double plays of their own. Catcher Corey Kemp threw out a base runner in the third stanza and centerfielder Logan Schafer made a great catch in the fourth. "We didn't have much offense today, but in a one-run game, you don't need much offense," said Gonzales, who from a distance looks like former Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela. Helena's faces Great Falls today at Centene Stadium at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). Helena Box Score We'll check out the audio in a bit to see if we can determine why Cutter Dykstra left the game in the 3rd; exciting 18-year-old lefty Efrain Nieves got six ground ball outs in his four innings... Helena Game Log

Final: West Virginia 8, Kannapolis (White Sox) 7, six innings, rain West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER WIN IN SIX The West Virginia Power played a rain-shortened, six inning contest against the Kannapolis Intimidators at FieldCrest Cannon Stadium on Sunday evening, and scored multiple runs in three different frames to defeat the Intimidators 8-7. The Power scored three times on a pair of hits in the first inning. Steffan Wilson tripled in the first two runs and he scored on Eric Fryer's groundout. Kannapolis answered with a four-run first inning. Jim Gallagher's base hit scored Sergio Miranda before the Intimidators plated the final three runs with two outs. Lee Cruz doubled in a pair to tie the game and Matt Inouye singled in a run to give Kannapolis the lead. The Power regained the lead quickly with a three-run second inning. Sergio Morales's error in center field allowed Anderson Delarosa to score before Lee Haydel doubled in David Fonseca. Eric Farris's groundout plated Matt Cline to complete the inning. Power starting pitcher Dan Merklinger walked the first two batters of the second inning before Gallagher's RBI single knocked him out of the game. Curtis Pasma relieved Merklinger and allowed a single to Mark Fleisher to load the bases. He got Logan Johnson to fly out to left field before Lee Cruz grounded into an inning ending 5-4-3 double play. Caleb Gindl doubled in two runs with two outs in the sixth inning to give the Power an 8-5 lead. Gallagher smacked his third RBI single of the game in the sixth before Fleisher's sacrifice fly plated Sergio Miranda to make it a one-run game again. It started raining in the sixth inning, but it wasn't until the top of the seventh when the teams were brought off the field. The game was delayed for 43 minutes until it was finally called. Pasma (2-2) was sensational in relief. He tossed four scoreless innings of three-hit ball and struck out three to get the victory. Corey Frerichs (4) allowed a pair of runs on two hits in the sixth inning and got the save. Charlie Shirek (2-4) allowed six runs on eight hits over five innings and was tagged with the loss. The Power improved to 34-39 on the year and 2-2 in the second half with the win, while the Intimidators fell to 33-41 on the year and 2-2 in the second half with the loss. Six Power players hit safely, including Gindl, Curt Rindal and Delarosa who all paced the Power with two hits apiece. Haydel's double in the second extended his hitting streak to nine games and Wilson's triple in the first extended his streak to eight games. The Power will finish the five game series against Kannapolis Monday morning. Right hander R.J. Seidel (3-4, 5.50) will get the start for the Power and the Intimidators will counter with right hander Santo Luis (5-3, 4.01). The first pitch is scheduled for 11:05 AM (10:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score Left-handed Caleb Gindl has similar splits vs. righty's and southpaws, which is encouraging for long-term starting value... West Virginia Game Log

Huntsville Pre-Game Audio with Manager Don Money Make sure you are on the WUMP audio archive of June 22nd, then go the 02:15 minute mark...

Final: Dunedin (Blue Jays) 4, Brevard County 1 Brevard County Box Score Story of the game was 12 stranded Manatees, which actually reads more like an environmental disaster; 9th place hitter SS Jimmy Mojica had three singles and walked, but did not score or drive in a run, no fault of his own; Chris Cody surrendered a two-run double in the 2nd, and a two-run home run in the 4th -- there was your ballgame right there... Brevard County Game Log Kenny Holmberg left the game after being hit by a pitch in the 4th...

Link while active, text follows: 'Solid' day works out for Stars 7-3 win over West Tenn in series finale a grand send-off for long road trip By SKIP VAUGHN For The Huntsville Times, skip.vaughn@htimes.com The Huntsville Stars faced nemesis West Tenn on Sunday for the 11th time in the last 17 days. The teams had split the first 10 games in Huntsville. "They're a good club. We've been battling with these guys just about all year," Stars manager Don Money said. "Whoever bats last usually wins. It's just that kind of battle." The Stars won Sunday's battle over the Diamond Jaxx 7-3 before an announced crowd of 1,782 at Joe Davis Stadium. Both teams are 3-3 in the second half, but West Tenn won the first-half title in the Southern League North Division. "We played a pretty solid game," Money said. "Against that team over there you never seem to have enough runs. They keep coming back. They probably say the same thing about us. It was a pretty solid game all the way around. We got some timely hitting and good pitching." Mat Gamel went 3-for-4 with a home run, double and two RBIs as the Stars outhit West Tenn 11-10. "I've been scuffling a little bit lately," Gamel said. "I was trying to slow everything down and see the ball better." Carlos Corporan had two hits with a two-run homer and three RBIs. "It's really a good win because now we're going to hit the road for 10 days," Corporan said. "Now we take a positive thing for the road." Stars starter Mike Jones, who was on a pitch count, went three scoreless innings and allowed one hit. Jason Shiell (1-1) got the win as Robert Hinton earned his third save, each pitching three innings in relief. Huntsville's Cole Gillespie opened the scoring in the second inning when he hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a balk and scored on Corporan's RBI single to right. Gamel put the Stars up 2-0 in the third with his 15th homer, a towering drive to right center off West Tenn starter Ryan Ketchner (6-3). They added an unearned run when Gillespie walked, advanced to second on an errant throw by Ketchner during a pickoff attempt and scored on Mike Bell's two-out hit and a throwing error by Jaxx third baseman Matt Mangini. The Diamond Jaxx scored in the fifth when Mark Kiger reached on a fielder's choice, advanced to third on Brent Johnson's single and scored on a wild pitch by Shiell. Corporan powered the lead to 5-1 with a two-run homer in the sixth, his third of the year. The Stars added two more runs on RBI singles by Alcides Escobar and Gamel. Luis Valbuena hit a two-run single for West Tenn in the seventh against Hinton. The Stars are off today before a 10-day road trip that includes six games at Carolina and four at Tennessee. They return home July 4 for four games against Birmingham. "You're in a little stretch here, it might make you or break you for this (second) half," Money said. "Ten to 14 games you're facing some pretty good teams in there." Roster move: The Milwaukee Brewers, the Stars' parent club, activated pitcher David Johnson from the disabled list. To make room for Johnson on the Huntsville roster, the Brewers sent pitcher Josh Wahpepah to Single-A Brevard County.

Final: Huntsville 7, West Tenn (Mariners) 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Gamel Gets Going Again in Stars' Win Stars Head Out on 10-Game Trip After Back-to-Back Victories By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Mat Gamel drove in two runs and finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, as Huntsville downed West Tenn 7-3 Sunday evening at Joe Davis Stadium to gain a split of their six-game series to begin the second half of the season. The Stars won for a 25th time at home to improve to 44-32 overall, while the Jaxx dropped to 44-32 overall, as well. The Stars have won seven of the 16 games between the two teams. Carlos Corporan's run-scoring hit in the second inning staked the Stars to the lead against Ryan Ketchner, who had defeated them Tuesday in the playoff game to determine the first half division winner. Gamel's solo home run, his 15th of the season, pushed the lead to 2-0 in the third before a throwing error by third baseman Matt Mangini on a Mike Bell infield single allowed Gillespie to score from third base to make it 3-0. Mike Jones started for the Stars and was aided by inning-ending double plays in the second and third innings and was taken out after reaching his pitch limit in the fourth inning having walked Luis Valbuena and hit Mike Wilson to start the frame. Jason Shiell came on and induced Adam Moore to ground into a double play and got Jon Nelson to fly out to end the inning. Mark Kiger scored on a wild pitch in the fifth to cut the lead to 3-1 before Shiell worked out of trouble in the sixth by getting Jeffrey Dominguez to fly out with two runners on to end the inning. Bell led off the home sixth with a single and scored when Corporan followed with a home run to right field to extend the Huntsville advantage to 5-1. It was his third of the season and first since May 17 and just the fifth allowed by Ketchner in 80 innings. Chris Errecart followed with a double to chase Ketchner and scored on a two-out single by Alcides Escobar to give the Stars a 6-1 cushion. Escobar would then score all the way from first on a Gamel single to deep right-center field to finish the four-run frame. Ketchner was charged with a season-high six runs, five earned, on nine hits and suffered the loss to drop to 6-3. Shiell earned his first win after allowing a run on five hits over three innings and was replaced by Robert Hinton, who gave up a two-out, two-run single to Valbuena in the seventh. The West Tenn second sacker homered twice and drove in 10 runs in the series. Hinton retired the next six hitters before a Brent Johnson single and then struck out Greg Halman, who had hit the game-winning homer off him Thursday night, to end the game. Hinton earned his first save since April 6, allowing four hits and fanning two. The Stars open a six-game series at Carolina on Tuesday night with southpaw Derek Miller taking the hill against Mudcats' right-hander Josh Johnson, who is on a rehab assignment from the big leagues. 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 Chris Errecart batting 8th in Don Money's lineup (Freddy Parejo 9th); Mat Gamel could hit blindfolded... Huntsville Game Log

Link while active, text follows: Former Sound flourishes in majors By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Franklin resident Russell Branyan has enjoyed a Major League revival since leaving the Nashville Sounds. Branyan, whose contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers on May 25, has had some of the best offensive numbers in the majors over the past month. His 10 home runs, .812 slugging percentage and 1.207 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) all lead the National League during that time. Heading into a series at Atlanta starting today, Branyan has an eight-game hitting streak, during which he's hit .360 with four homers and 10 RBIs. When he left the Sounds, Branyan had hit 12 home runs, which still leads the team. His .359 batting average was also among the top marks in the Pacific Coast League. Double debuts: The first pitch of Sunday's game featured a pair of players making their first Triple-A appearances. In addition to Nashville left-hander Steve Hammond - just called up last week from Double-A Huntsville - Memphis centerfielder Shane Robinson was promoted from Springfield (Texas League) in time to lead off the game. Back to work: Hernan Iribarren returned to Nashville in time for Sunday's game, as the Brewers optioned him down to clear a roster spot for second baseman Rickie Weeks. In his third at-bat of the evening, Iribarren singled to lead off the fifth inning, increasing a hitting streak that was at seven games before his June 10 callup. Nix sits: Sounds outfielder Laynce Nix was held out for the second straight game, a move that Manager Frank Kremblas acknowledged was related to Nix's DUI charge early Saturday morning. Effectively wild: Nashville pitcher Lindsay Gulin is listed among the PCL leaders in a couple of categories - earned run average and walks. Gulin has allowed 23 earned runs in 69 1/3 innings for a 2.99 ERA, fourth-best in the PCL entering Sunday's play. On the flip side, he has issued 44 walks to tie for the third-most in the league. Gulin (3-4) has also posted 54 strikeouts. No drama: The Sounds have won 27 of 28 games that they led after seven innings. Nashville is 1-43 in games that it trailed after seven.

Link while active, text follows: Teammates spoil Hammond's debut with Sounds Sounds score one, lose to Redbirds By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Making the first Triple-A start of his professional career, Steve Hammond did much of what he had done previously. Hammond, who led the Milwaukee Brewers organization in strikeouts when he was reassigned to the Nashville Sounds last week, added four to that total in six innings Sunday against Memphis. The only run Hammond allowed, however, was enough to cost him the loss as the Sounds sputtered offensively in an eventual 4-1 loss. "I feel good about the way I threw," said Hammond, who struck out 78 in 88 2/3 innings at Double-A Huntsville and posted a 7-4 record before his promotion last Wednesday. "I was just trying to keep us in the game. I tried to wait it out till we scored some runs, but it wasn't our night." Hammond took a shutout into the sixth while his teammates were suffering the same fate at the plate. The Redbirds finally broke through on David Freese's one-out solo homer in Hammond's final inning. "He did a good job attacking hitters," catcher Vinny Rottino said. "He was sharp. He basically pitched with two pitches. He had some life to his fastball and he threw his changeup for strikes. He threw a few sliders in there." One of the sliders was to Freese. "That was a mistake," Hammond said. "It was over the middle of the plate. He handled it pretty well. "I tried to continue what I was doing in Double-A - be aggressive and get ahead. I thought I did a pretty good job of that. I was a little nervous at the beginning of the game, but after the first inning I settled in." "It's the same game; you try to make good pitches." Nashville squandered a second-and-third, no-out situation in the second inning and left the bases loaded in the fifth, eventually stranding 12 baserunners. What they said: "It's just a matter of us executing and battling - battling for wins." - Sounds catcher Vinny Rottino.

Another Nashville Photo Gallery from the Ttennessean