Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: Stars falter in 11th West Tenn homer spoils strong effort by pen in 4-3 loss By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times For something that started so promising for the Huntsville Stars' bullpen Thursday night, it certainly didn't have a storybook ending. After Josh Wehpapah, Juan Sandoval and Robert Hinton had thrown five scoreless innings, Hinton gave up a long home run to Greg Halman to lead off the 11th inning that propelled West Tenn to a 4-3 win over Huntsville in front of 3,047 fans at Joe Davis Stadium. Halman was playing in his first Double-A game of the season for the Diamond Jaxx, and after looking pretty average in his first few at-bats, he connected on a no-doubt homer that sent the Stars to their second loss in three games to West Tenn to start the second half of the season. The final blast erased two brilliant defensive plays that Huntsville made during the comeback and subsequent late innings. First of all, trailing 3-2 in the sixth, Huntsville's Wehpapah loaded the bases with one out before getting a strikeout. Then, Jeffrey Dominguez rolled a slow grounder to shortstop. Alcides Escobar charged and threw quickly to get the speedy Dominguez. That's when regular right fielder Matt LaPorta made a great lunging play to his right, going to the ground to catch a short-hopper, saving two runs. On that play, it was obvious that LaPorta's sore back, which he injured Wednesday night running into the wall to make a great catch, was OK. An inning later, the Stars tied up the game when Michael Brantley's single moved Freddy Parejo to third, and Escobar's bloop single knocked him in to tie the game at 3-3. Then, Escobar made his own highlight-reel play in the ninth. After Hinton put a runner on with one out, Jon Nelson hit a slow roller between short and third that looked like it was going through. Instead, Escobar gloved it and briskly threw to second to start a double play. It was to no avail. Huntsville's bats could not get going late as the Stars couldn't muster any offense during the late innings, and Halman's home run proved the difference. Huntsville (1-2) got going in the second when catcher Angel Salome led off the inning with a home run. The 1-0 lead held to the third when West Tenn (2-1) put two on the board, and the Jaxx added another run in the fourth when catcher Adam Moore belted a solo home run. The Stars fought back with single runs in the fifth and seventh, but that was all. Shawn Kelly, Mumba Rivera and Marwin Vega shut down Huntsville the rest of the way to let West Tenn get the big hit in the 10th. The two teams meet at 7:00 PM today in the fourth game of a six-game set.

Final: West Tenn (Mariners) 4, Huntsville 3, 11 innings Huntsville Site Game Summary: Diamond Jaxx Take 8-5 Lead in Season Series By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Greg Halman's home run in the 11th inning carried West Tenn to a 4-3 win over Huntsville Thursday night in the third game of a six-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Diamond Jaxx have won two of the first three to improve to 43-30 overall, while the Stars dropped to 42-31 overall. Huntsville fell to 1-4 in extra innings games, while the Jaxx have won all six of theirs. Robert Hinton threw a scoreless tenth inning for the Stars and was aided by a spectacular start to an inning-ending double play by shortstop Alcides Escobar. However, Halman belted a 3-1 pitch high over the wall in left-center field for his first double-A hit to lead off the 11th and put the visitors ahead. Marwin Vega then retired the Stars in turn in the home half of the inning to protect the win and earn his second save. Hinton has been scored on in eight of his last 11 outings and suffered the loss after pitching in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Escobar tied the game at three with a looping single to right field with two outs in the seventh. Shawn Kelly then set down the next four hitters before Mumba Rivera struck out the side in the ninth and fanned Angel Salome to end the tenth after a two-out single by Mat Gamel. Rivera earned his fifth win of the season and second over the Stars. Salome's leadoff home run in the second inning off Craig James, making his first career start after 182 relief outings after scheduled starter Justin Thomas was injured shortly before the start of the game, staked the Stars to a 1-0 lead. West Tenn tallied twice in the third against David Welch on a run-scoring ground out by Mark Kiger and a two-out RBI hit by Mike Wilson, who has knocked in a run in all three games in the series. Adam Moore's leadoff long ball in the fourth pushed the visitors lead to 3-1. Welch lasted five frames, giving up three runs on four hits, while walking three and striking out five. Mike Bell scored on a Michael Brantley groundout in the fifth to trim the lead to 3-2 and James was lifted after five frames, giving up two runs on six hits. Roman Martinez retired the side in order in the sixth and was taken out with a runner at first and two down in the sixth. He was charged with the tying run when Freddy Parejo scored on the Escobar hit. The series continues Thursday night with Hunsville left-hander Brae Wright taking the hill against West Tenn right-hander Travis Chick. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 PM central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com. Huntsville Box Score As the Huntsville Times has noted a few times as of late, despite all the gaudy numbers, this team is somehow managing to underachieve in terms of wins and losses; Don Money could have easily slid Matt LaPorta to DH, so the fact that he played first base may be more telling that DH Chris Errecart is in even more need of a break with his own back issues; Alcides Escobar three hits, including a double; Mat Gamel error # 19 (fielding), Angel Salome passed ball # 7... Huntsville Game Log

He's still not on the roster, but this article confirms he's on the team: But that's a different Austin Adams, an outfielder from TCU.

23rd round OF, Canadian Marcus Knecht, is mentioned (mentioned he had two hits) in this game story. There's a strong commitment to Oklahoma State, but the Brewers will use any summer action several of their picks take part in, to evaluate and perhaps use the summer as a brief "draft-and-follow" period to weigh their offers.

The white Sox released RHP Joe Winkelsas. 1B Jeff Liefer, just mentioned in an earlier post in this thread, retired (White Sox). Cleveland signed RHP Dan Reichert to a minor league deal. the Marlins did the same with LHP Chris Michalak. Crossing my fingers for a completely updated major and minor league alumni list within a week -- thanks for your patience.

Steve Garrison pitched very well for San Antonio on Monday Will Inman threw 85 pitches in his five innings Wednesday, took the loss

Matt's latest MiLB.com journal -- send him an email via the link, I'm sure you folks must have questions to help him (and us) out!

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 42 31 .575 - 24-13 18-18 W1 Memphis 38 36 .514 4.5 17-17 21-19 W3 Omaha 33 38 .465 8.0 15-19 18-19 L5 Nashville 28 45 .384 14.0 15-18 13-27 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 2 0 1.000 - 0-0 2-0 W2 Huntsville 1 1 .500 1.0 1-1 0-0 W1 Tennessee 1 1 .500 1.0 1-1 0-0 L1 West Tenn 1 1 .500 1.0 0-0 1-1 L1 Chattanooga 0 2 .000 2.0 0-2 0-0 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Daytona 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Jupiter 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Palm Beach 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - St. Lucie 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Vero Beach 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Greensboro 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Hagerstown 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Hickory 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Lake County 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Lakewood 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - Lexington 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - West Virginia 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 2 0 1.000 - 0-0 2-0 W2 Great Falls 2 0 1.000 - 0-0 2-0 W2 Helena 0 2 .000 2.0 0-2 0-0 L2 Missoula 0 2 .000 2.0 0-2 0-0 L2

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 Thursday'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_19_orhaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_19_wtdaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_19_breafa_dbcafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_19_wvaafx_kanafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_06_19_grfrok_helrok_1

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Derrick Turnbow at home vs. Oklahoma (Rangers), 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: LHP David Welch at home vs. West Tenn (Mariners), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link via WUMP, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: LHP Zach Braddock at Daytona (Cubs), 6:05 gametime Audio link, via Daytona's broadcast, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 West Virginia: RHP Evan Anundsen at Kannapolis (White Sox), 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: Just-turned 21-year-old 2008 9th round RHP Michael Bowman at home vs. Great Falls (White Sox), 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: Season begins Monday, June 23rd

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

Kremblas, Paxson Named To All-Star Staff

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com indicated that LHP Randy Choate's injury rehab has been moved from Brevard County to Nashville.

Brew-ing Stardom SHANNON McCARTHY , Alligator Staff Writer When the Milwaukee Brewers took former UF slugger Matt LaPorta with the seventh overall pick of last year's draft, the move was described as "shocking" and "stunning" by many draft analysts. One year later, LaPorta is making Jack Zduriencik, Milwaukee's director of scouting, look like a genius. The Port Charlotte native has moved rapidly through the minor-league ranks and is rated the organization's top prospect by Baseball America. He is currently playing for Double-A Huntsville in the Southern League, where he has been named the player of the week twice so far this season, and he leads the league with 19 home runs and is second to teammate Mat Gamel in RBIs with 58. LaPorta returned to Florida for the first time since his playing days with the Orange and Blue last week when his Huntsville Stars visited the Jacksonville Suns at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville for a five-game series. It was a homestand for the Suns, but you wouldn't have known it every time LaPorta and Gamel, a Jacksonville native and Bishop Kenny High alum, came to the plate or made a play in the field. The LaPorta supporters were vocal and made themselves known. "It's been a great feeling," LaPorta said. "To see all of my friends and family come into town, just to know that I have that kind of support, it's nice to know." Friends and family weren't the only ones who made the trip to see the former Gators star. UF fans flocked to the games as well, serenading LaPorta with the same chant of his last name that used to ring out through McKethan Stadium, as well as a few Gator cheers. "I heard them (Saturday) night," LaPorta said with a grin. "It was good to hear that again." When he came to the plate in the ninth inning on Saturday and belted a two-run shot into the right-field bleachers, he heard the cheers again, echoing those from the past. REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS The records, awards and achievements read like a veritable laundry list. Two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year (and the only UF player to ever receive the honor). Two-time First-Team All-American. Two-time First-Team All-SEC selection. Brooks Wallace National Player of the Year Award finalist. Dick Howser Trophy finalist. USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalist. And the list goes on. He left UF as the school's career home run leader with 74, third in SEC history and ninth in NCAA history. He also has the school record for single-season homers (26) and rates in the top ten in nearly every offensive category. LaPorta was also the first UF player to be drafted in the first round since the Montreal Expos took Brad Wilkerson with the 33rd pick in 1998. It took three tries for him to get there, though. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs, his favorite childhood team, in the 14th round out of high school, LaPorta opted to become a Gator and put his major-league dreams on hold. He broke out with a sensational sophomore season and led the 2005 squad to the College World Series, where he ended his season as the nation's home run leader. Big things were expected of LaPorta and the rest of the Gators in 2006, but injuries cut those expectations short. The slugger missed most of his junior season after straining his oblique, and his numbers suffered once he returned to the lineup. As a result, he plummeted to the Boston Red Sox in the 14th round - as many expected him to be a first-rounder - of the 2006 draft. When Boston could not meet his bonus demands, he returned to UF for one more season. As LaPorta put it, "The third time, I guess, was a charm." A GOOD GOODBYE Returning to school and proving that his sophomore year was no fluke paid off tremendously. LaPorta enjoyed a remarkable senior campaign, belting 20 home runs, driving in 52 runs and finishing the year with a .402 batting average, only the ninth player in UF history to finish over the .400 mark. The former UF standout did all of this while battling ankle and quadriceps injuries, and he was intentionally walked an astounding 30 times. He also served as the leader for a young team filled with freshmen. "It was a good goodbye, I think," LaPorta said. "I just know that I went back to school, and I accomplished the things that I wanted to accomplish." After signing with the Brewers and rehabbing his right quadriceps, LaPorta was sent to Milwaukee's rookie club in Helena for a brief stop before moving on to low Class-A West Virginia. The hot hitting carried over from the end of his college career to the start of his minor-league career, and he finished the season batting .304 with 12 home runs and 31 RBIs in his 115-at-bat debut. That earned LaPorta a trip to the Arizona Fall League, a league where teams send their best prospects to get some extra work in after the minor-league season. LaPorta was then invited to big-league camp for spring training. "That was a great learning experience," he said. "I got to meet a lot of the guys in the big-league club and just interact with them. They taught me a lot. It was a great time. It's kind of like a big family up there." OUT IN RIGHT FIELD The main reason some scratched their heads when Milwaukee took LaPorta last year was because of his defensive position. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound slugger came in as a catcher at UF but manned first base for the majority of his career. The only problem? One Prince Fielder, who currently holds that position for Milwaukee. So the Brewers drafted LaPorta as an outfielder, which drew skepticism from scouts and analysts, who regarded his defense as suspect and even something of a liability. While that perception is puzzling to many coaches and players who watched LaPorta for four years at UF, he doesn't mind hearing the criticism. "Everybody's got their own opinion," he said. "It doesn't bother me, it just makes me want to work harder and prove to people that I'm not just a hitter, I'm also a good defender, and I can play the game of baseball." He paused, then slowly grinned. "Anyway, I enjoy hearing negative things about myself." If the negative comments only serve as motivation for their star prospect, the Brewers might want to keep telling LaPorta that his outfield defense needs some major improvement. While the organization first had him playing left field, he has now been shifted to right field after Ryan Braun took over the opposite-corner outfield position for the major-league club this season. Though he knows he still has much to learn, LaPorta is having fun with his new role. "I'm pretty athletic," he said, "and I think I'm turning into a pretty good outfielder." He certainly looked the part on Friday night against the Suns when he made a spectacular diving catch to save an extra-base hit. Though he didn't have many chances throughout the series, LaPorta played like he belonged in right field. "There's still a lot of things I need to work on to get better, because it's fairly new to me," he said. "But I know with time and the way the Brewers' organization works, they're going to help me and show me how to do the right things." CURRENT AND FUTURE STAR A lot can happen in one year, and the past 12 months for LaPorta have been about as eventful as they could be. "It's been kind of a whirlwind since I got drafted," he said. "There are a lot of new things in my life which are very exciting." One of those exciting new things is a fiancee. LaPorta and Dara Altman, a former pole vaulter on the UF track and field team, were engaged in April and will be married in December. LaPorta has taken another new role as a blog writer for Baseball Digest Daily and MiLB.com (Minor League baseball's official Web site) and said he loves giving insight into the life of a professional baseball player. As for what lies ahead in LaPorta's baseball future, there is much speculation that he will almost certainly be called up to Milwaukee in September for a taste of the big leagues, but LaPorta is taking all of the talk with a grain of salt. "There's nothing ever for sure in this game," he said. "If that happens, it's great, but if it doesn't, I'm not really concerned about it." Nor is he concerned about when he will make the jump to Triple A. "It's whatever the organization feels is best for me," LaPorta said. "I just have to go out there every day and get better and produce every game, do my job, and things are going to happen." If he continues producing the way he has, it's only a matter of time before LaPorta just happens to be in Milwaukee's lineup for good.

Link while active, text follows: No Bull: Barch like the Power players -- he wants to move up by Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter West Virginia Power radio broadcaster Andy Barch isn't much different than the minor league baseball players whose games he calls. Well, there is his self-described lack of athleticism. "I have two brothers -- one older and one younger -- and both of them are super athletes," Barch said recently before one of his broadcasts from the Appalachian Power Park press box. "The athletic genes in my family skipped over me. "That's the reason I talk about this and don't play this." Barch grew up listening to WKNR (850 AM) in his hometown of Cleveland. "When I was 5 years old," he said, "I figured out this is what I wanted to do." Barch and West Virginia will begin the second half of the South Atlantic League season tonight with the first of a five-game series against Kannapolis (N.C.) at FieldCrest Cannon Stadium. Barch and the Power players share a common goal: They all want to make it to the Major Leagues. "In baseball, you want to be able to climb that ladder," said Barch, a Bowling Green State University graduate who got his first on-air experience at 17. "The higher you go in this game, the nicer the hotels are, the more money you get, the bigger the stars and all of that good stuff. You get more luxuries as you climb that ladder. That's not to say I don't have luxuries here because I do. "You're trying to reach the pinnacle of your profession." His situation, however, isn't as pressure-packed as theirs. "A lot of these guys go at-bat to at-bat," said Barch, whose nickname is "Bull" because of his resemblance to Richard Moll's tall, bald character of the same name from "Night Court," a popular television comedy that aired from 1984-92. "I have 54 at-bats a game. If I screw up, I have 30 seconds to redeem myself. I can't sit here and say I understand the pressure these guys are going through because mine pales in comparison to theirs." The 27-year-old Barch has a strong rapport with the players because his relatively young age helps him relate to them. "I do a good job of meshing with these guys," said Barch, who also handles media relations for the Power. "Now, my time is running out. I'm not going to be able to relate to them forever." This is his sixth season in minor league baseball, including his fifth with Charleston's Class A club. Barch was the radio broadcaster and media relations director for the Jamestown (N.Y.) Jammers of the New York Penn League in 2003. "They were looking for a radio announcer and I was looking for an internship," said Barch, who had an inside connection - he is friends with the general manager's brother. "It was a perfect match. "The GM there knew (Palisades Baseball Executive Vice President Andy) Milovich. When the job opened up here in 2004, I called Andy and the rest is history." Barch doesn't know when he will leave the Power. "I don't have a crystal ball," said Barch, who eventually wants to return to Cleveland or the surrounding area to be closer to his friends and relatives. "So, I can't answer that question. "It has become tougher and tougher to move up in baseball. A lot of the guys who get Double-A and Triple-A jobs don't move. They are waiting for their call-up to the Big Leagues. "I'm comfortable here because I'm close enough to go back there when I want to or need to. And it's a good situation here. I have been here a while and developed a reputation. It has worked out well for me. "When you're working at this level of baseball, it's still baseball. You're still calling the same sport. As far as that goes, I don't mind doing what I do here." Barch prefers football over baseball. He and some buddies run www.pigskinpodcast.com. "I can talk about football all day long," said Barch, whose favorite NFL team surprisingly is the Green Bay Packers instead of the Cleveland Browns. "That's probably my favorite thing to do as far as broadcasting. "But baseball is different. Baseball is a lot of fun because baseball personalities are a lot of fun to be around. You're around these guys every day. When you get to know them on a personal level, it's a lot more fun to follow them as they climb that professional ladder. "In some ways, baseball kind of is a talk show. You have to be a good storyteller. When you're describing the action, as long as you don't get too far away from the field, you can still carry on a discussion and make the broadcast somewhat conversational." Barch is striving for longevity more than anything else. "Right now, baseball is a lot of fun," said Barch, whose broadcasts can be heard live on the Internet at www.milb.com. "If I don't ever get the call to the big leagues, well, there are a lot of guys who don't get the call to the big leagues. "If I can stay in the business in some way, shape or form, whether it's doing a talk show or sports update or something like that, then that's what I'm going for. Being a success in radio ... that's the ultimate goal. "Whether it's as a Marty Brennaman or a Jim Rome, you're trying to get to a point where everybody is listening to you."

You'll notice in the upper right corner of this link a video section that includes Opening Night Helena game action.

Link while active, text follows: Brewers lose in extra innings By TOM STUBER - Helena Independent Record The Helena Brewers took their foot off the gas and by the time they got it back on it was too late. Great Falls came back for a 7-5 win in 11 innings in front of 1,143 fans at Kindrick Legion Field to keep the Brewers (0-2) winless. The game was the professional debut for Brewers' first-round draft pick Evan Frederickson, who mirrored his team's effort with a hot start before slowing down. Frederickson had an impressive string of four straight called strikeouts, including the side in the second. The big southpaw would walk the first two batters of the third before allowing a run, then gave up a leadoff single in his fourth, and last, inning of work. Johny Celis drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th with a double one out after Eduardo Escobar led off with a double. Nick Mahin gave the Voyagers (2-0) an insurance run with a single before Ronnie Morales retired Helena in order in the bottom of the inning. Helena built 3-0 and 4-1 leads before the Voyagers rebounded. Edgar Trejo capped off a three-run second with a two-run homer to left. After the Voyagers scored a run in the third, Helena's Chris Dennis counter-measured it with a solo blast. Both Helena homers were halfway up the safety screen above the outfield wall. Great Falls eventually found itself up 5-4 in the eighth as Helena was unable to score despite getting runners on base from the fourth through the seventh innings. Cutter Dykstra was nailed trying to stretch a single into a double in the fifth with one out only to see Mike Vass follow with a single. The Brewers had the leadoff batter on in the sixth and had runners on first and third in the seventh to no avail. They loaded the bases in the eighth and No. 9 hitter Michael Marseco walked to drive in the tying run. After a scoreless ninth and 10th, the Voyagers rallied in the 11th. Morales pitched 3 1/3 innings of hitless, scoreless relief. He struck out five and walked none in his stint. Trejo had two hits and two RBI to pace the Brewers, while Escobar had two hits, two runs and two RBI for the Voyagers. Helena will likely turn to righty Michael Bowman to snap into the win column tonight when the two teams play for the final time of the three-game stand. Great Falls is expected to put Nevin Griffith on the mound. Helena will host Missoula for three games beginning on Friday night. Lisa Kunkel Helena IR Staff Photographer - Evan Frederickson winds up for the pitch during the Helena Brewers' Pioneer League baseball game with the Great Falls Voyagers Wednesday night at Kindrick Legion Field. Frederickson is one the Milwaukee organization's first-round draft picks. He struck out seven batters over four innings. http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2008/06/19/sports/top/50spl_080619_brewers.jpg Lisa Kunkel Helena IR Staff Photographer - Helena Brewers' John Delaney makes the out at second and attempts the double play as Great Falls' Nick Mahin slides during Wednesday night's game at Kindrick Legion Field. http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2008/06/19/sports/top/50spl_080619_brewers-2.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Doubleheaders exhaust Sounds pitchers By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Back-to-back doubleheaders continued to take their toll on the Sounds pitching staff Wednesday, as Steve Bray became the team's seventh different starter in as many games. Richie Gardner started Saturday's game at Iowa, followed by Sam Narron and Derrick Turnbow in Sunday's twinbill. Lindsay Gulin started Monday's opening game, with reliever Zach Jackson pressed into duty for the second game. David Riske, on a rehab assignment from Milwaukee, started Tuesday's series opener against visiting Oklahoma, with Bray coming out of the bullpen for Wednesday's start. Turnbow is slated to be the first repeat starter in nearly a week, as he gets the nod for today's game against the RedHawks. Bray, who made three starts last season for the Sounds, allowed nine earned runs - matching the most by a Nashville starter this season - in three innings. All nine of the runs scored on four Oklahoma home runs, and five of the runs were scored with two outs. "They didn't miss a mistake," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said. "And they didn't hit them for singles." The list of starters will likely get longer on Sunday when Steve Hammond is expected to make his first Sounds start. Hammond should be added to the Nashville roster prior to today's game, filling the spot vacated when outfielder Lorenzo Cain was reassigned to Single-A Brevard County. Rehab cut short: Riske, who was originally expected to make a second one-inning start today as he continues to come back from a shoulder injury, was impressive enough in his Tuesday outing to skip today's start. He struck out all three batters he faced on a total of 12 pitches. Last-minute move: Tony Gwynn, originally set to start in center field and bat second for the Sounds on Wednesday, was a late scratch from the lineup. Gwynn was bothered by a stiff left wrist hurt in a slide during Tuesday's game. He was replaced by right fielder Brendan Katin, with Laynce Nix shifting to center. Katin batted in the No. 7 spot, with shortstop Chris Woodward moving up to second. Doubling up: With home runs in his first two at-bats Wednesday, Oklahoma first baseman Chris Davis became the fifth player to post multi-homer games against the Sounds this season. New Orleans' Fernando Tatis hit a pair of homers during an April 4 game, and former Middle Tennessee State standout Brett Carroll did the same for Albuquerque on April 19. Salt Lake's Kendry Morales hit two on May 5, and Dallas McPherson also hit two for Albuquerque on May 30.

Link while active, text follows: Another loss keeps Sounds firmly in PCL basement By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Avoiding another shutout was about all the Sounds accomplished Wednesday, as they lost 13-9 to Oklahoma at Greer Stadium. The defeat, following Tuesday's 6-0 loss, was the 10th in as many games this season against the RedHawks, and the 11th in Nashville's past 12 games. Nashville, which has spent every day this season at the bottom of the Pacific Coast League American Northern Division standings, fell 17 games under .500 (28-45) with the loss. The Sounds were within seven games of the break-even mark following their June 7 win against Albuquerque. "It's been tough mentally because we've played so many games in a short period of time," Sounds pitcher Chris Narveson (2-8) said. "It's tough to stay sharp, inning in and inning out." Narveson relieved starter Steve Bray, who allowed nine runs - on four home runs - in three innings. Narveson avoided giving up a home run in his four innings, but Nelson Cruz's soft grounder through the right side of the infield drove in two runs and snapped a 9-9 tie. The Sounds had overcome two early Oklahoma homers to take a 5-4 second-inning lead on Brendan Katin's two-run double. Laynce Nix's three-run homer in the third and Vinny Rottino's RBI double in the fourth helped to overcome a 9-5 deficit. "We finally got the hits that start rallies, got those hits to fall," said Sounds designated hitter Brad Nelson, who scored twice. "But everything we did, they counter-acted." The Sounds had a season-high six doubles. What they said: "It was one of those days the wind was blowing out, and there were a lot of home runs; unfortunately, they had most of them." - Nelson.

Another Nashville photo gallery from the Tennessean The photos are good, even if the brand of baseball isn't...

Link while active, text follows: Focus is on future Win allows Stars to begin getting over the first half By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times With every at-bat Wednesday night, Huntsville Stars catcher Angel Salome put his team's first-half collapse further and further behind him. By the end of the game, he proved it was already way back in the rearview. It appeared that way for the rest of the Stars, too. Salome went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored as Huntsville beat the Diamond Jaxx 7-5 in front of 1,588 fans at Joe Davis Stadium. "That's over," Salome said of the first half. "We just didn't win it. Tonight, we didn't go up there with that pressure like we've got to be Superman every at-bat. "We're probably going to clinch the second half, but we're not thinking about the second half. We're thinking game to game." The damage was done without one of Huntsville's top run producers as well. Right fielder Matt LaPorta made a running catch going to his left to end the first inning, slamming hard into the wall. The Milwaukee Brewers' top prospect stayed on the ground, writhing in pain for more than five minutes as trainer Dave Yeager and manager Don Money rushed out to the warning track to check on him. LaPorta walked in under his own power but left the game with what Money said was a "bruised back" that would make him day-to-day. When asked if he was going to have it examined further, a sore LaPorta said: "Don't know yet. We'll see after tonight and tomorrow how I feel." Though Stars starting pitcher Derek Miller (6-2) gave up two long home runs, he was the beneficiary of a pair of comebacks to take the win. He went six innings, giving up eight hits and four runs. Relievers Patrick Ryan, Robert Hinton and Omar Aguilar closed out the game with three solid innings (one earned run) to get the second half started right, too. Aguilar put on the first two runners in the ninth before getting three outs, including two strikeouts, for his third save. "He got out of it," Money said. "That's the way we win games. It doesn't matter. Just stay around long enough, and we'll make it interesting." Huntsville (1-1) trailed 2-0 early but tied it up in the bottom of the fourth when Michael Bell ripped a two-out, two-run single off Doug Fister. Miller gave it right back, though, allowing a long two-run homer to Jon Nelson in the top of the fifth to make it 4-2 Jaxx. For Nelson - who'd shown considerable pop during his long minor league career - it was his second homer of the night and his first two home runs in 143 at-bats. "The first one was a good change-up, and the second one was a 3-2 pitch when I didn't want to give in to him," Miller said. "That's one I'd like to have back." After that, the Stars put their recent clutch-hitting woes in the past, at least for a night. Starting the bottom of the fifth, Alcides Escobar, Mat Gamel and Salome ripped consecutive singles to pull within one. Fister was taken out after that, and Freddy Parejo reached on a bunt single that West Tenn third baseman Matt Mangini threw errantly to first on after the pitcher ran into him, giving Huntsville a 5-4 advantage. Salome continued his torrid night with an opposite-field RBI double to drive in Gamel, who led off the inning with a walk. Then, Cole Gillespie added another RBI double to make it 7-4.

Final: Great Falls (White Sox) 7, Helena 5, 11 innings We'll let the Helena press crew provide most of the details in the AM... Helena Box Score Chris Dennis and Edgar Trejo with home runs; converted catcher Nestor Corredor made his pro mound debut; H-Crew led 4-1 after three innings... Helena Game Log

Final: Huntsville 7, West Tenn (Mariners) 5 Salome Sends Stars Past Jaxx Huntsville Press Release: Stars Bounce Back to Down Jaxx OFFENSE BACK ON TRACK WITH 13 HITS IN WIN Angel Salome collected three hits, scored three times and knocked in a pair to lead Huntsville to a 7-5 come-from-behind win over West Tenn Wednesday night in the second of a six-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars squared their second half mark at 1-1 and improved to 42-30 overall, while the Diamond Jaxx dipped to 1-1 and 42-30 overall. The Stars have won five of the 12 games between the teams this season. Mike Wilson's run-scoring double in the first inning staked the visitors to the early lead, as he knocked in a run in the first frame for a second straight night. Jon Nelson's first home run of the season off Derek Miller gave the visitors a 2-0 in the third. It was the first long ball allowed by Miller since May 6 at home against Mobile. The Stars got the game tied in the home fourth when Salome led off with a single and moved to second when Freddy Parejo drew a walk, just his third of the year in 147 at-bats. Cole Gillespie struck out and the runners pulled off a double steal as Chris Errecart fanned for the second out. Mike Bell then delivered a single to right to plate both runners and end a 20 at-bat hitless drought. Nelson's two-run home run in the fifth put the Diamond Jaxx back on top but the lead did not last very long. Alcides Escobar started the home half of the frame with a hit, moved to third on a Mat Gamel base hit and scored on a Salome single to make it 4-3 and knock starter Doug Fister out of the game. Brodie Downs took over and Parejo dropped down a sacrifice bunt try that was fielded by third baseman Matt Mangini, who was run into by Downs as he was throwing to first base. The throw sailed past Johan Limonta into right field, allowing Gamel to score to tie the game, Salome to move to third and Parejo to second. Gillespie then knocked in Salome with a groundout to give the Stars the lead. Fister was charged with all five runs, four earned, on eight hits, and suffered the loss to fall to 5-6. He is winless since May 21 and 1-2 in three starts against the Stars. Miller went six innings for a fourth time this season and improved to 6-2 with the win. He allowed four runs on eight hits, walked four and fanned three. Salome and Gillespie doubled in runs in the seventh to push the lead to 7-4 before a Luis Valbuena long ball in the eighth cut the lead to 7-5. Omar Aguilar opened on the hill for the Stars in the ninth and hit leadoff man Jeffrey Dominguez and gave up an infield hit to Nelson before striking out Wilson, getting Limonta to bounce into a force at second and fanning Greg Halman to end the game. Aguilar earned his third save with Huntsville. The series continues Thursday night with Hunsville left-hander David Welch taking the hill against West Tenn southpaw Justin Thomas. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 PM central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com. Huntsville Box Score Alcides Escobar three hits, including a double; Freddy Parejo reached all three times up after entering the game for Matt LaPorta (see prior post); Michael Garciaparra got his first start, at third base, as Mat Gamel was the DH; Cole Gillespie is third in the Southern League in doubles with 21, two behind Mat Gamel and the Marlins' Gaby Sanchez; Derek Miller with the win, but allowed 12 baserunners in his six innings as his ERA stands at 4.86... Huntsville Game Log

As of 10:45 Central if you wish to tune in -- Bottom of the 9th in Helena, tied at 5-5