Jim Goulart

That's a really poor result for Josh Butler tonight, and I'm sure we'll hear from folks when the new Power 50 is released in a couple of days. This is unfair, because Butler should be the focus at Brevard tonight, but LHP Rafael Lluberes had one of his unfortunately typically exasperating (half dominant, half hopeless) outings in the inning following Butler's stint -- Daytona Top 5th - Pitcher Change: Rafael Lluberes replaces Joshua Butler. - Blake Lalli pops out to third baseman Taylor Green. - Yusuf Carter walks. - Jonathan Wyatt walks. Yusuf Carter to 2nd. - Josh Lansford walks. Yusuf Carter to 3rd. Jonathan Wyatt to 2nd. - Mark Reed strikes out swinging. - Darwin Barney walks. Yusuf Carter scores. Jonathan Wyatt to 3rd. Josh Lansford to 2nd. - Tony Thomas strikes out swinging. But back to Butler -- if you went by Baseball America's rankings, the Brewers traded for the Rays' # 16 on their version of the Tampa Power 50. Given the overall strength of the Rays' system, Butler's initial impressions leave us feeling a bit empty.

Thanks for the article, nice find. While I'd love to have the Brewers AA affiliate only 75 miles away from yours truly (oh, heart be still), I can't see this happening unless the Brewers can somehow break their tie to Nashville through 2010. That Nashville / Huntsville combo is just too convenient and appealing. I could definitely envision a move to an International League / Eastern League AAA/AA combo happening in tandem in 2011, even with early season weather concerns, if the facilities are up-to-snuff. Will always have a soft spot for the Huntsville connection though (since '99), hopefully things fall right for that community and its facility, as much as a long shot as that appears.

The Manatees are preparing a press release, and I'm sorry to steal their "official" thunder, but since they gave Brewerfan these names, we hope they won't mind. This is a big season for the 'Tees staff, as Space Coast Stadium hosts the Florida State League All-Star Game on Saturday, June 14th. Taylor Green and Darren Ford are set to represent the Manatees. Donovan Hand and Omar Aguilar would have, but were promoted to AA. As is often the case, the roster will be fluid, and we may see other Manatees on the roster by game time. Although if you review the team's YTD stats, it's tough to justify other appearances, as even Ford's is a bit forced.

Listening live to an Angel Salome three-run home run bomb is very cool. Nothing against the very talented Brett Pollock, but I look forward to when Jim Powell makes that home run call. Hopefully Brett's somewhere in the bigs then, too.

Early thoughts and observations -- - Angel Salome hitting cleanup in the Stars' "ultimate" lineup, with the top eight position players all in the starting nine. - Brent Brewer a line single in his first high-A at-bat. - Josh Butler has really yet to "wow" us since his acquisition, and certainly didn't in his first inning tonight. - Jonathan Lucroy is already halfway to the cycle tonight -- double and home run. This just in -- he's pretty good. - The Marlins have a corner outfielder in low-A by the name of Hunter Mense. The Astros really need to trade for that guy.

For the third consecutive start, Will Inman allowed exactly four earned runs in four innings of work. He's not getting ground balls, which has never been the case, anyway. But he's definitely in a bad stretch right now...

RHP Marino Salas (Salomon Torres trade, along with RHP Kevin Roberts) had a brief first taste of big league ball with the Pirates, optioned back to AAA, allowing seven runs and 13 hits in nine innings over seven outings.

From Wednesday, so be sure you click on the WUMP audio archive from May 28th -- Huntsville Pre-Game Audio Interview with Hitting Coach Sandy Guerrero Discussion focues on Michael Brantley, Cole Gillespie, Alcides Escobar -- interesting...

LHP Craig Breslow remains in the big leagues, claimed on waivers by the Twins after his outright by Cleveland (the Indians had done the same via the Red Sox this March). This will be the 27-year-old's 4th big league team, and fifth organization, having begun with the Brewers. The Crew will likely see him during interleague play.

At West Virginia: RHP Wes Etheridge has been placed on the disabled list and LHP Curtis Pasma has been activated after a brief stint on the disabled list to take his place on the roster. Etheridge, the 2007 12th round pick, had given up five runs in 1.2 IP on the 25th.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Memphis 28 26 .519 - 11-13 17-13 W1 Iowa 26 26 .500 1.0 17-11 9-15 L1 Omaha 25 25 .500 1.0 14-13 11-12 W2 Nashville 22 30 .423 5.0 11-12 11-18 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Tenn 33 20 .623 - 19-6 14-14 L1 Huntsville 32 21 .604 1.0 19-11 13-10 L1 Carolina 30 23 .566 3.0 14-11 16-12 W1 Chattanooga 26 27 .491 7.0 15-13 11-14 W1 Tennessee 20 33 .377 13.0 10-18 10-15 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 32 20 .615 - 19-8 13-12 W2 Brevard County 27 25 .519 5.0 17-10 10-15 W1 Vero Beach 26 26 .500 6.0 16-9 10-17 W3 Daytona 25 27 .481 7.0 11-14 14-13 L1 Jupiter 24 28 .462 8.0 15-10 9-18 L2 St. Lucie 11 41 .212 21.0 5-22 6-19 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 34 19 .642 - 15-12 19-7 W4 Delmarva 28 24 .538 5.5 18-11 10-13 W1 Greensboro 28 24 .538 5.5 13-13 15-11 W3 Lakewood 28 25 .528 6.0 15-13 13-12 L1 Hagerstown 27 25 .519 6.5 12-13 15-12 L2 Hickory 27 26 .509 7.0 11-16 16-10 L1 West Virginia 19 32 .373 14.0 7-17 12-15 L4 Lexington 15 36 .294 18.0 6-19 9-17 L3

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_05_29_nasaaa_albaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_29_hunaax_mobaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_29_dbcafa_breafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_29_wvaafx_gboafx_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): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

Thursday's Daily Menu: The big boys' matinee frees up your dining schedule for the evening... All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at Albuquerque (Marlins), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Brae Wright at Mobile (Diamondbacks), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: RHP Josh Butler at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 6:00 PM gametime Audio link via Cubs' broadcast (game will also archive at this link): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?cid=503&sid=t503 West Virginia: RHP R.J. Seidel at Greensboro (Marlins), 5:45 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Audio link via WSWW, be sure to select the proper date (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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

Mini-note from Mobile: BATS FLY AT THE HANK: Wednesday night's game was full of flying objects. Mat Gamel broke the third bat of the series for Huntsville, and BayBears third baseman Cesar Nicolas lost control of his bat and watched as it went sailing into the stands behind the Stars' dugout in the opening inning. Huntsville's Matt LaPorta let the bat get away from him twice in the top of the eighth, nearly hitting teammate Chris Errecart in the on-deck circle.

Yes, I know Omar Aguilar is a "Star" now, but this feature focuses on his work with the Manatees -- Link while active, text follows: Manatees closer gets the call to Double A BY JIM CAWLEY, FLORIDA TODAY Enjoying their first day off in more than two weeks, Brevard County Manatees' teammates and roommates Omar Aguilar and Kenny Holmberg were playing video games in their Cocoa Beach townhouse Tuesday afternoon when Holmberg's cell phone rang. On the line was Manatees manager Mike Guerrero, who needed to speak with Aguilar. "I gave the phone to Omar, and the next thing you know we had to come up here (Space Coast Stadium) and get his baseball stuff," Holmberg said. "And this morning, I took him to the airport." Aguilar, Brevard County's dominant closer, had gotten a call up to the Milwaukee Brewers' Double-A affiliate, the Huntsville Stars. "I was in a little bit of shock," Aguilar said while riding the bus with his new team to Wednesday's game at the Mobile BayBears. "I was just happy that all the hard work I put in paid off. I'm glad I'm up here to help the team out." Aguilar made an instant impact in his first season with the Manatees. The 6-foot, 220-pound right-hander recorded a Florida State League-leading 13 saves while posting a miniscule 0.35 earned-run average. He appeared in 19 games, striking out 25 and walking 10 in 25 2/3 innings. Opponents hit just .155 of the 23-year-old, who featured a 3-0 record. Aguilar allowed just one earned run all season. "First and foremost, he is aggressive. And when you have a fastball in the mid-90s and you're aggressive with it and you keep it down, you're going to have success," Manatees pitching coach Fred Dabney said. "Guys don't get to see that too often." Aguilar's arsenal also includes a slider and changeup, secondary pitches he developed this season. His ability to use those pitches effectively, field his position and bring the right attitude to the mound all factored into his promotion, according to Dabney. "Coming in late in the game -- it's not for everybody," Dabney said. "Some guys aren't big fans of taking the ball when it's crunch time. It is a pressure job. But with his personality . . . he doesn't let things bother him and goes right at 'em." While playing for Guerrero for the South Atlantic League's West Virginia Power last season, Aguilar led the team with 42 appearances and was tied for the team lead in saves with nine. "I'm happy for him," Guerrero said. "From Double-A, you can get called up to the big leagues. He's just a step away -- just a phone call away -- from getting to the big leagues." Aguilar was a 30th-round pick out of Merced Junior College (Calif.) in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. He had Tommy John elbow surgery in Nov. 2005, and appeared in just six games for the Rookie League's Arizona Brewers in 2006. A starter in college and for his first season in the Brewers' organization, Aguilar has settled in nicely as the guy who comes in to shut the door. "You know you only have one inning to get the job done," Aguilar said. "But personally, I like closing. It gets me fired up. I'm definitely comfortable being a closer." Mound moves Aguilar's promotion marks the third pitcher this month to get the call to Huntsville. Donovan Hand, FLORIDA TODAY's Manatee of the Month in April, and Mike Jones also earned a spot on the Stars' roster. "Our ultimate goal is to give guys the means of having success to get to the next level. But it's a credit to those guys," Dabney said. "I can't throw the ball for them, I can't execute the delivery for them, I can't field their position, so all the credit goes to them. You're talking about three great kids with a good work ethic who did what they needed to do to get to the next level." Hand, a 22-year-old righty, was 4-2 with a 2.31 ERA in 10 games -- including nine starts -- for the Manatees. He struck out 36 and walked 10 in 58 1/3 innings. Jones, 25, was 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in eight games at Brevard County. He made six starts with Huntsville last season before being placed on the disabled list with an elbow injury on May 7. Jones also pitched for the Manatees in 2006. "It's always nice to see guys going up," Guerrero said. "It's important to win, because that's for your pride and ego, but it's more important for players to get developed." Brewer time The Manatees' newest member -- Brent Brewer -- has the perfect name for the organization that chose him. The 20-year-old shortstop, who was called up from West Virginia on Tuesday, may one day give Bernie Brewer a run for his money. "It's the same thing everywhere I go," Brewer said smiling, just hours into his first appearance at Space Coast Stadium. "It doesn't bother me at all. I think it's a good thing."

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Reliever Luis Pena Cool, the first time we've heard the Venezuelan righty over the years...

Final: Nashville 11, Albuquerque (Marlins) 3 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Vinny Rottino photo, text follows -- Sounds Return Favor, Hammer Isotopes 11-3 ALBUQUERQUE - The Nashville Sounds cranked out 11 runs on 14 hits to hang an 11-3 loss on Albuquerque on Wednesday night at Isotopes Park, evening the series at one game apiece. The final score was reversed from Tuesday's series opener, which saw the Isotopes net an 11-3 victory. The Sounds took an early 1-0 lead when Callix Crabbe (3-for-5) led off the contest with a single to extend his hit streak to eight straight games and scored two batters later on a Laynce Nix RBI single. Albuquerque responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame against Derrick Turnbow, who got the start for the Sounds. After walking the bases loaded with one out, Turnbow surrendered a two-run double to Tagg Bozied, which gave the Isotopes a 2-1 lead. In his 1 2/3 inning stint, Turnbow allowed two runs on one hit while walking six batters and fanning one. He threw only 21 of his 52 pitches for strikes. Richie Gardner (4-1), the scheduled Nashville starter, took over following Turnbow's departure and turned in his finest outing of the year, allowing five hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out five batters to earn the win. Nashville knotted the score at 2-2 in the second when Vinny Rottino delivered a bases-loaded, one-out RBI single to plate Crabbe after Albuquerque elected to intentionally walk the red-hot Brad Nelson in front of him. The Sounds missed a chance to do further damage in the frame as Isotopes starter Dallas Trahern retired the next two batters in order. The Sounds grabbed a 5-2 lead in the fifth with a two-out rally against Trahern. Nelson (2-for-3) ripped a ground-rule double to left-center and scored the go-ahead run when Rottino followed with an RBI single to center. J.R. Hopf followed with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left, to increase the visitors' advantage to three. AUDIO: J.R. Hopf Home Run Nashville made it an 10-2 contest in the top of the eighth with yet another two-out rally, putting the game out of reach with five runs in the frame against Jesus Delgado. After the first two batters were retired, Brendan Katin and Ozzie Chavez reached on back-to-back singles before Adam Heether, hitting for Gardner, slugged the Sounds' first pinch-hit homer of the year, a three-run shot to left. The roundtripper was Heether's fifth of the campaign. The rally didn't stop there as Crabbe singled, his second hit of the night, and Tony Gwynn drew a walk before Nix cleared the bases with a two-run double to right that chased Delgado. Zach Jackson followed Gardner to the hill for Nashville and allowed one run over two innings in his first outing since being optioned back to the club from Milwaukee. Crabbe wrapped up the evening's scoring in the top of the ninth when his two-out RBI single off Marcus Gwyn plated Hopf to bring the score to its final 11-3. Trahern (0-5) remained winless on the year after he surrendered five runs on seven hits while striking out six batters in his five frames of action. The teams continue the series with another 8:05 p.m. CT meeting on Thursday. Left-hander Sam Narron (2-0, 3.46), a winner in his first two starts with the Sounds, will man the bump for Nashville to face Albuquerque right-hander Bobby Keppel (6-3, 5.58). Nashville Box Score Not only couldn't Derrick Turnbow find the plate, Vinny Rottino's defensive stats take a hit as the Isotopes were 6-for-6 in stolen bases during Turnbow's brief stint; Callix Crabbe on base four times, matching Brad Nelson; from left-to-right -- Katin, Gwynn, Nix upon Tony's arrival; Adam Heether's 9-for-29 with seven walks in his last ten games -- nice... Nashville Game Log

Brevard County Game Summary from the Cubs Site: [VIERA, FL] After a blowout win and a day off the Daytona Cubs were eager to get back to .500 and bring the Brevard County Manatees to that mark as well. However, after a fifth inning rally by the Manatees gave the lead, Daytona found itself in the "L" column with a 7-4 loss. For the second game in a row, Cubs manager Jody Davis placed Tony Thomas at the top of the lineup and once again Thomas made Davis look good. He led off the game with a double down the leftfield line against Alexandre Periard. After an infield single moved him to third, Ty Wright grounded into a fielder's choice to plate Thomas and give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. In the second the Manatees were ready to strike back… with patience. Cubs starter Jose Ceda struggled with his control loading the bases with a hit batsman and two walks. Kenny Holmberg had a chance to give Brevard County the lead, but grounded into a 5-3-2 double play to keep a run off of the board. One batter later, Ceda walked another batter to load the bases again. In the high pressure situation, Ceda bore down to strike out Yohannis Perez to end the inning and preserve the one-run lead. In the fourth the Cubs had plans to extend their lead. With one out, Blake Lalli roped a double to put a man in scoring position. Welington Castillo's strikeout to follow forced Daytona into two-out rally mode. After a walk, the Cubs got the clutch hit. Jonathan Wyatt hit a seeing -eye single through the infield to score Lalli and give Daytona a 2-0 lead after three and a half innings. Daytona continued to inch away from Brevard County in the fifth. Thomas hit his second double of the game on fly ball to right field. Chuck Caufield couldn't find the ball until it landed, allowing Thomas to get to second. After advancing to third on a groundout, Ty Wright put down a rare, two-out bunt down. The play caught the Manatees defense off guard and allowed Thomas to score on the base hit. The Cubs led 3-0 after the top of the fifth. In the fifth, Brevard County reached the scoreboard. With two strikes, Ceda hit Martin Maldonado with a pitch. Next, Perez got the first Manatees hit of the game to put runners on the corners. Leadoff man Darren Ford followed with a deep blast to centerfield. It did not leave the park, but was far enough away to bring in Maldonado. After another walk to Lorenzo Cain, Davis brought in Jeremy Papelbon from the bullpen. Taylor Green was the first to challenge Papelbon and smoked two balls down the line. The first had home run distance, but was foul down the rightfield line. The very next pitch was a rope down the leftfield line for an RBI double to put the Manatees within one. Cleanup man Chuck Caufield singled to tie the game at three. During Stephen Chapman's at bat, a Papelbon wild pitch allowed Green to score and gave Brevard County a 4-3 lead. In the sixth, the Manatees started to pull away against Papelbon. With two outs, Perez squeaked a single past Thomas for his second hit of the game. After a wild pitch moved him to third, Ford knocked single to the outfield. The hit scored Perez and gave Brevard County a two run lead. After a third consecutive single, Davis brought in Mike Phelps to finish the inning. He did after just one pitch, but Brevard County held a 5-3 lead. Stephen Chapman put immediate pressure on Phelps in the seventh with a one out triple to rightfield. After a walk, a wild pitch scored Chapman and gave Brevard County a 6-3 advantage. Charlie Fermaint moved to third on the play. Fermaint could not score as he was thrown out on a fielder's choice, but the Cubs hole was three runs after the seventh inning. In the eighth the Cubs needed runs in a hurry with just six outs to go in the game. After Castillo struckout, Yusuf Carter struck hard. He smoked a solo shot to leftfield to put the Cubs within two runs. Daytona, however, would not score again in the eighth or the ninth while the Manatees added an insurance run to win 7-4. The Daytona Cubs finish their three-game set against the Brevard County Manatees on Thursday night from Space Coast Stadium at 7:00 PM (6:00 Central).

To make room for Zach Jackson on the Sounds' roster, the Brewers placed Jeff Weaver on the Temporary Inactive List. As of now, Weaver is still scheduled to make his next start on Saturday. So we'll see what happens -- it appears the Brewers are simply buying some time on their eventual roster decision.

Continuing the series via the Nashville site -- Hardball Mysteries: Ducks On The Pond

Final: Brevard County 7, Daytona (Cubs) 4 Brevard County Box Score Alex Periard faced 30 batters in his 6 2/3 innings, in an eventful outing which, as discussed above, featured 16 ground ball outs (nine hits, three runs, three walks, two K's); Cubs reliever Jeremy Papelbon is not Jonathan's clone, fortunate for the Manatees on this night; Yohannis Perez 2-for-4 on the eve of Brent Brewer's arrival in Melbourne; Lorenzo Cain in center as Darren Ford is your DH for the night; despite the seven runs in this game, note the precipitous drops in a few of the Manatee batting averages as of late... Brevard County Game Log

Final: Mobile (Diamondbacks) 4, Huntsville 2 Huntsville Press Release: Mercado Belts BayBears Past Stars HUNTSVILLE'S STRUGGLES CONTINUE IN LATE LOSS Orlando Mercado blasted the game-winning home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, as Mobile came back to stun Huntsville 4-2 Wednesday night in the middle of a five-game set at Hank Aaron Stadium. The BayBears won for a second time in the series to improve to 22-31, while the Stars dropped to 32-21 and missed an opportunity to move into a first place tie with West Tenn in the North Division. Huntsville lost for a third time this year, and second time in the last six games, when taking a lead into the ninth inning. Omar Aguilar retired all six batters he faced in his double-A debut and was followed to the hill in the ninth by Juan Sandoval, who inherited a 2-0 lead. The Stars closer walked Yunesky Sanchez to start the inning and put Cesar Nicolas on with a free pass with one out before Cyle Hankerd flied out for the second out. Frank Curreri doubled into right field on an 0-2 pitch to deliver Sanchez and move Nicolas to third. Mercado then launched a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left for the decisive blow and his second home run of the year. Sandoval was tagged with his second loss of the season, both coming in the last six games and both in blown save situations. Mat Gamel's leadoff home run in the fourth, a titanic blast over the clubhouse building and batting cage beyond the wall in right field, staked the Stars to a 1-0 lead. The Stars have scored first in all three games in the series and have done so twice with a long ball. Alcides Escobar led off the sixth with a home run, his fifth of the season, to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. It marked the third time this season, all at home, that BayBears starter Tony Barnette had yielded a pair of long balls in a game. Barnette was lifted after seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits, walking one and fanning three. Stars' starter David Welch tossed six shutout frames, allowing three hits, while walking three and fanning two. The Stars had Michael Brantley at third base with nobody out in the eighth inning and could not push him across for an insurance run. Huntsville has dropped ten of its last 13 games, with nine of the losses coming by either one or two runs. The series continues Thursday night with southpaw Brae Wright taking the hill for Huntsville against BayBears' right-hander Hector Ambriz. 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 Outstanding efforts by David Welch and Omar Aguilar; Matt LaPorta only 9-for-his-last-46; this lineup is so much more fun when Angel Salome and Mike Bell aren't given a night off -- love to see when they have the 1-through-8 thunder scorecard... Huntsville Game Log Carlos Corporan did have a nice game behind the plate, however, gunning down two runners; Steve Hammond an odd pinch-hit choice in the 7th -- I guess it was truly a "night off" for some; Michael Brantley caught stealing home to end what turned out to be a disastrous 8th inning...

Wow, that is a brutal loss in the bottom of the 9th for Huntsville, details in a bit. Juan Sandoval, meet your new closer, Omar Aguilar. Tough night for Juan.