Jim Goulart

The Kitten Lives!

C'mon Salomon, you can get five outs this inning!

Notice that Haudricourt got no quotes from Ned Yost in his game story last night. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com is taking the Washington series off, so a local MLB.com "stand-in" is covering there. In other words, if Ned chooses to "punish" Tom H., then we as Brewer fans are cheated of any Yost reaction or analysis (yeah, for what that's worth), because no other Milwaukee-based outlet covers the team on the road. This possibility was discussed a bit during Haudricourt's audio appearance with the "D-List" Friday AM.

RHP John Axford is starting for the Manatees tonight -- he sports a 2.97 ERA in 36.1 IP, but has walked 27. Starting lineups tonight include Brad Nelson at third base, night off for Russell Branyan -- or is he packing for Washington http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif? Nashville: Crabbe LF Sollmann 2B Nix CF Nelson 3B Munson 1B Rottino C Katin RF Heether SS Narron P Brevard County: Ford CF Cain RF Green 3B Holmberg 2B Chapman 1B Caufield DH Fermaint LF Maldonado C Perez, Y SS West Virginia: Farris 2B Wheeler 3B Lucroy C Wilson DH Gindl RF Fryer LF Brewer SS Rindal 1B Haydel CF

Final: Huntsville 11, Birmingham (White Sox) 6 Huntsville Press Release: Stars Subdue Barons to End Skid SEASON 19 HITS BACK STRONG PERFORMANCE BY WRIGHT Brae Wright tossed seven strong innings and five players collected three hits apiece to lead a 19-hit attack in Huntsville's 11-6 win over Birmingham Saturday afternoon in the fourth of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars stopped a five-game losing streak to improve to 31-18 and temporarily move a half game in front of West Tenn in the North Division, while the Barons slipped to 28-21 and saw their six-game win streak brought to an end. Trailing 11-3 entering the ninth, the Barons scored on an Eric Hollis fielder's choice grounder, an infield single by Ricardo Nanita and a bases loaded walk to David Cook that cut the lead to five and chased E.J. Shanks from the game. David Johnson came on with the sacks full and two down and struck out Javier Castillo to end the game to earn his second save of the year. The Stars, who had dropped seven of the first eight on the home stand, jumped on Ryan O'Malley for four runs in the first inning on RBI hits by Mat Gamel, Matt LaPorta and Angel Salome and a steal of home by Gamel. The home side added three more in the second on run-scoring hits by Alcides Escobar and Cole Gillespie and a scoring fly ball by LaPorta, who increased his league-leading RBI total to 45. Mike Bell's run-scoring hit in the third made it 8-1 Huntsville. O'Malley was lifted after yielding eight runs on 11 hits over three innings of work to suffer his first loss in four outings with the Barons. Huntsville tacked on two more runs in the fourth against Shaun Babula before Robert Valido's lead off home run in the fifth made it 10-2 Huntsville. Chris Errecart's home run to open the sixth inning finished the scoring for the Stars, who had their lead off man reach base in each of the first seven innings and score five times. Gamel, Escobar, Errecart, who finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, and Salome all had three hits, as did Bell, who had his first three-hit game of the season. Wright retired nine of the last ten batters he faced to finish off his performance and earn his first win since his first start of the season on April 6. He struck out four, walked one and recorded 14 ground ball outs, including three in the second and fifth innings. The series finishes Sunday afternoon with right-hander Mike Jones taking the mound for the Stars against Barons' right-hander Carlos Torres. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 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 If he had enough AB's to qualify, Angel Salome would be 6th in the Southern League in OPS -- Mat Gamel is 2nd to 27-year-old Mississippi Braves OF Jason Perry, Matt LaPorta is 5th, Chris Errecart 8th, and Cole Gillespie 13th; Gillespie has six steals without being caught -- he was 16-for-24 at Brevard last season... Huntsville Game Log

The Reds sold the contract of pitcher Justin Lehr to the Doosan Bears of the Korean Professional League. The Indians designated LH reliever Craig Breslow for assignment.

STARS GUARANTEE A WIN After dropping their fifth straight game last night, the Huntsville Stars have decided to guarantee a win Saturday against the Birmingham Barons. If the Stars do not win today, all fans in attendance can return with their ticket stubs Sunday and receive a free general admission ticket. "My staff and I can't guarantee a win every night," said Stars' GM Buck Rogers, "but we can promise this much; if you buy a ticket for today's game you will get a win." If the Stars do not win today or tomorrow, then the guaranteed win promotion will roll over to the next Stars' home stand. If a fan buys a ticket for today's game, that ticket will be good for every Stars' home game until they win. Today is also Meatloaf Day as the Stars will host a Meatloaf cook-off during the game. The best meatloaf will win a prize package that includes a pair of 2009 Stars season tickets and, of course, a blue ribbon. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 PM as Mike Jones will take the hill for the Stars, opposite Birmingham's Ryan O'Malley. (We'll have to see shortly if it's Brae Wright or Mike Jones today...)

Let's not forget that Dillard was the Organization's Pitcher of the Year after his '05 season..

Link while active, text follows: Power ready to make a move? Four-game holiday weekend stand begins tonight vs. Lakewood By Tommy R. Atkinson Charleston Gazette Staff writer Charleston baseball fans were spoiled last year. The West Virginia Power rolled to the South Atlantic League first-half Northern Division title last season, setting a record for half-season wins and earning a Charleston minor-league team's first appearance in the league playoffs since 1992. Fans have had to be a little more patient this season as a younger crop of prospects has made Charleston its home for the spring and summer. Most of this year's players came from Helena (Mont.) of the rookie Pioneer League. The step up to the longer and more advanced Class A South Atlantic League has meant an adjustment period for the youngsters as evidenced by the Power's slow start in the standings. "There's been a lot of adjustments this year,'' said first-year Power manager Jeff Isom, who managed Helena to the league title in the first half of last season. "We're seeing better pitchers. We started very slow the first month of the season [and] now we're starting to see guys having some very good plate appearances. "I'm seeing a lot more quality at-bats recently. I think the adjustment period is about over. We're ready to get going. It's about winning now, and guys are doing what they can to produce for the team. It's just getting our rhythm and timing, and guys have done that. I feel we're going to have a good stretch of baseball.'' The Power returns to Appalachian Power Park at 7:05 tonight (6:05 Central) to begin a four-game homestand with the Lakewood (N.J.) BlueClaws over Memorial Day weekend. West Virginia finished a grueling nine-game, eight-day road trip Friday night at Lake County (Ohio) with a 2-1 win. The Power (19-28) entered Friday's game in seventh place in the eight-team Northern Division but had a 5-4 mark on the trip. "We've been doing all right,'' Isom said. "We've seen some pretty good pitching the last eight games. We've been in almost every one of these games. We've had a chance to win all of them.'' The Power sits 11th in the 16-team Sally League in batting average (.247), although that number has been on the rise. After the first 15 games, the Power was hitting a paltry .194. The Power also ranks near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage (12th) and runs (199). Last year's edition of the Power led the league in hitting and scoring. "We're starting to see a different club,'' said Isom. "One thing we've always done is play good defense. Now we're starting to see results, offensive production and pretty good pitching.'' Returning to familiar surroundings should continue the Power's revitalization. "It's going to be nice to be home [and] sleep in our beds and see our own fans,'' Isom said. "We've been a better team of late.'' Isom said fans should expect better results as the season progresses. "I think the majority of the guys will be with us [after the first half],'' he said. "If we could keep this group of guys together, we feel like we can challenge. We could be battling for that second-half title.'' Power points Despite prospect Eric Farris' slow start - a .143 batting average and a .178 on-base percentage - Isom said having him on the team has been a plus. Farris, who hit .346 last year at Helena after getting selected in the fourth round of the June draft, joined the Power on May 11 after a leg injury sidelined him in spring training. "The way he plays during the game and his focus kind of carries over to the team,'' said the manager. "He brings a very good glove with him. He's still in spring training. We're starting to see more quality at-bats with him now.'' Isom said the Milwaukee Brewers, the Power's major league parent club, have six picks in the first two rounds in next month's amateur draft and wouldn't be surprised to see an addition to the roster here. "You never know what you're going to get,'' he said. "If you have a college prospect with experience, they may want to challenge them [at this level].'' Power shortstop Brent Brewer, a holdover from last year's roster, has struck out 50 times in 164 at-bats. ... Mike Ramlow has put up some impressive numbers after a rough first season with the Power. The 6-foot-6, 185-pound left-hander has 31 strikeouts against only two walks in 31 innings this year with a 2-1 record, a 2.90 earned run average and two saves. ... Power reliever Wes Etheridge has a miniscule 0.84 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched). An average below 1.00 is considered exceptional. Etheridge has a 3.10 ERA and leads the team with four saves.

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

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Memphis 26 23 .531 - 10-11 16-12 W4 Iowa 23 24 .489 2.0 14-9 9-15 W1 Omaha 22 24 .478 2.5 13-13 9-11 W3 Nashville 19 28 .404 6.0 11-12 8-16 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 30 18 .625 - 18-10 12-8 L5 West Tenn 30 18 .625 - 17-6 13-12 L1 Carolina 28 20 .583 2.0 13-10 15-10 W1 Chattanooga 25 23 .521 5.0 14-11 11-12 W1 Tennessee 17 32 .347 13.5 7-17 10-15 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 29 19 .604 - 17-8 12-11 L1 Brevard County 25 23 .521 4.0 16-10 9-13 L2 Vero Beach 23 24 .489 5.5 15-7 8-17 W2 Daytona 23 25 .479 6.0 9-13 14-12 L4 Jupiter 22 26 .458 7.0 13-10 9-16 L4 St. Lucie 10 38 .208 19.0 5-20 5-18 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 30 18 .625 - 14-12 16-6 L2 Delmarva 26 21 .553 3.5 18-11 8-10 W2 Hagerstown 25 22 .532 4.5 12-12 13-10 W2 Hickory 26 23 .531 4.5 10-13 16-10 W2 Greensboro 25 23 .521 5.0 10-12 15-11 L3 Lakewood 24 24 .500 6.0 15-13 9-11 W3 West Virginia 19 28 .404 10.5 7-13 12-15 W2 Lexington 14 33 .298 15.5 5-16 9-17 L2

Follow Saturday'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_24_nasaaa_mrbaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_24_biraax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_24_breafa_dunafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_24_lwdafx_wvaafx_1

Saturday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at Memphis (Cardinals), 5:50 PM pre-game; 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Brae Wright at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 1:50 PM pre-game; 2:05 gametime Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: TBD at Dunedin (Blue Jays), 6:00 PM gametime Sorry, no audio for this series... West Virginia: RHP Roque Mercedes at home vs. Lakewood (Phillies), 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): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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

Link while active, text follows: Stars' night not a complete loss Salome proposes to girlfriend after 5-4 setback By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times At least the Huntsville Stars had something to celebrate after the game. Surrounded by his unsuspecting teammates and their families around home plate, Stars catcher Angel Salome hit one knee and proposed to his longtime George Washington High School (NY) girlfriend Johanica Coronado in Spanish, then in English, following his team's 5-4 loss to Birmingham. He'd handed over 1-year-old daughter Kai-Angeli to Coronado so he could hit the ground and - thankfully - she said yes as 3,138 fans at Joe Davis Stadium cheered. "I just said, 'Would you like to marry me?' " a smiling Salome said. "Thank God she said yes. "I'm a little sad because my team lost, and when they lose, I lose. But I feel happy at the same time because my girl said yes." At this point, Huntsville is looking for anybody to make a commitment to being an answer to its mounting bullpen questions. Stars closer Juan Sandoval added the bullpen's barrage of blunders over the past nine days by blowing a one-run lead in the top of the ninth. Victor Mercedes led off the inning with a single, and Cole Armstrong doubled him home to tie the game with no outs. After Robert Hudson's bunt single, Huntsville (30-18) drew in the infield for Robert Valido. Valido dribbled a ground ball just to the right of Matt LaPorta, who was playing his first game at first base all season. He couldn't come up with the ball, and Armstrong scored on the error to give Birmingham (28-20) its third consecutive win over Huntsville. "I haven't played a lot of first base in the last year, and I didn't realize how close I was to (second baseman) Guilder (Rodriguez)," LaPorta said. "I went over into his area. It was my mistake." Despite the error, the situation Sandoval had painted for himself was anything but desirable. During the Stars' streak of seven losses in eight games, the relievers now have five of those losses. Even Patrick Ryan - who entered the game with an 0.42 earned run average - gave up a run in three innings of work. "That's the way it's going," Stars manager Don Money said. "Somebody in the bullpen has got to step up and take the bull by the horns. We're looking. Somebody has got to step up." Nobody is coming through in clutch situations offensively, either. During the slump, the games have seemed to go by the same blueprint: Get behind early, roar back to take the lead, blow the lead, fail in clutch situations late in the game. It's been a recipe for disaster. Friday, the Stars left 10 runners on base. Alcides Escobar led off the ninth with a walk and was on second with two outs, but Cole Gillespie struck out swinging to end the game. Situations like that overshadow big hits like LaPorta's two-run homer in fourth that tied the game at 2-2 or Mat Gamel's go-ahead RBI double in the seventh. "It's not just the ninth inning that loses a ballgame," LaPorta said. "(The bullpen) has helped us out a lot this year and held a lot of leads for us. But a lot of people, including myself, are not doing what we normally do lately." Huntsville reliever Jason Shiell was promoted to Triple-A Nashville on Friday, and 22-year-old pitcher Donovan Hand of Town Creek was called up to replace him.

RHP Mark James, the Brewers 14th round pick out of the Toronto area in 2005, was only 17 years old when he signed with Milwaukee. Despite that, patience was thin, and he was released after two summers in Maryvale. He just signed with Quebec of the independent Can-Am League. By the way, you've gotta love trades like this (non Brewer-related), but good stuff -- Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League: Traded RHP John Odom to the Laredo Broncos of the United League for 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, double-dipped black 34 inch C243 style. And finally, OF Alex Sanchez has landed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, a popular franchise for former big leaguers to re-appear.

Huntsville Press Release: Stars Lose Heartbreaker in Ninth BARONS PULL OUT ANOTHER COME FROM BEHIND WIN Stefan Gartrell scored the winning run on an error in the ninth inning in Birmingham's 5-4 comeback win over Huntsville Friday night in the middle of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Barons won their sixth straight to improve to 28-20 and open up a six-game lead over Jacksonville in the South, while the Stars lost a season-high fifth consecutive game to fall to 30-18 but remain in a first place tie with West Tenn in the North Division. Huntsville has dropped seven of eight on the current home stand, with six of the defeats coming by either one or two runs. Juan Sandoval took over on the hill for the Stars in the ninth in his first save situation in 10 days and blew it with two pitches. Victor Mercedes singled on the first pitch and was replaced by pinch-runner Micah Schnurstein, who scored to tie the game when Cole Armstrong doubled on the next pitch. Gartrell, who scored the winning run in the series opener, ran for Armstrong and moved to third on a bunt single by Robert Hudson, who advanced to second base on defensive indifference on a steal attempt. Robert Valido then hit a ground ball against a drawn-in infield that couldn't be handled by Matt LaPorta, who was making his first start of the year at first base. The misplay allowed Gartrell to cross the plate with the go-ahead run. Sandoval retired Miguel Negron on a pop up before Hudson was thrown out trying to score on a Ricardo Nanita ground ball for the second out. Sandoval walked David Cook to load the bases but got out of the inning by retiring Javier Castillo on a fly ball. Alcides Escobar drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning against Johnny Lujan, who then retired the next three batters to earn his second save of the series and season. The Stars lost for just a second time in 27 games when taking a lead into the ninth inning. Mercedes' two-out, two-run double in the first staked the visitors to the lead and marked the seventh straight game that the Stars' opponent had scored first. Justin Cassel held the Stars hitless through three innings before Mat Gamel singled and Matt LaPorta followed with his 12th home run of the season to tie the game. Ryan Crew's run-scoring ground out later in the frame gave Huntsville its' first lead of the night. Stars' starter David Welch retired 11 of the last 12 hitters he faced and was taken out after five innings and replaced by Patrick Ryan, who gave up a bases loaded single to Mercedes that tied the game. However, he worked out of further trouble in the sixth by getting Hudson to ground into an inning-ending double play. Ryan matched a season-high with three innings of work during which he gave up a season-high four hits, walked two and struck out one. Cassel departed after six frames, allowing three runs on six hits, while walking two and striking out three. Gamel's run-scoring double in the seventh off Joe Torres drove in Escobar to put the Stars back on top, 4-3. Fernando Hernandez threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn his third win of the year. The series continues Saturday night with southpaw Brae Wright taking the mound for the Stars against Barons' left-hander Ryan O'Malley. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 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 You wonder if Mike Bell would have made a difference tonight in such a tight game -- the second baseman got the night off, and his replacement, Guilder Rodriguez, went 0-for-5 in the leadoff spot normally occupied by a sidelined Michael Brantley; Alcides Escobar reached three times; Chris Errecart had two hits including a double, but is limited to DH duty with his sore back -- with Brantley out, that's why Matt LaPorta was playing first base, and his error was the difference in the 9th, as the go-ahead run was unearned... Huntsville Game Log

Josh hasn't posted much in terms of Brewer updates, but his most recent post is interesting enough to remind folks that if they want to follow him more regularly, to add his blog to your favorites list. Busy time for him obviously, both as pre-draft "advisor" and agent to current players, and no, I'm not aware of the player who was recently suspended that he mentions. The most recent name was a high-profile name, Braves top prospect Jordan Schafer, who I don't believe is a DDSM client.

Final: Memphis (Cardinals) 5, Nashville 4 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Richie Gardner photo, text follows -- Sounds Drop Fourth Straight Game To Redbirds MEMPHIS - The Nashville Sounds lost their fourth consecutive game to the division-leading Memphis Redbirds on Friday evening at AutoZone Park, falling 5-4 in the opener of a four-game series. Nashville (19-28) dropped to 3-8 in one-run contests, including an 0-5 mark on the road, in suffering its first four-game skid since mid-April. The Sounds didn't help their own cause, grounding into a season-high four double plays on the evening and stranding five baserunners in the final two frames. The Redbirds took a 1-0 lead against Sounds starter Richie Gardner in the bottom of the first inning. Brian Barden (single) and Jarrett Hoffpauir (double) ripped two of the right-hander's first three offerings of the contest for knocks to put runners on second and third. Memphis cleanup hitter Josh Phelps put the home team on the board with a one-out RBI single through the left side of the infield. Nashville jumped in front with four runs against Redbirds starter Mitchell Boggs in the top of the second. The Sounds loaded the bases on a singles by Russell Branyan and Vinny Rottino along with an Adam Heether walk before Mel Stocker knotted the contest with an RBI single up the middle. Gardner followed with a grounder to third baseman David Freese, who fired wildly to the plate to allow a pair of runs to score. Stocker scored from third with the inning's fourth run on Hernan Iribarren's fielder's choice groundout. Phelps pulled the Redbirds within a run at 4-3 in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer to left off Gardner, his seventh roundtripper of the year. Hoffpauir, who drew an inning-opening walk, also scored on the blast. Neither team scored again until Memphis tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth on a bases-loaded Barden sacrifice fly. The Redbirds took a 5-4 lead in the following frame as they scored a rare run against Sounds reliever Erasmo Ramirez. The veteran southpaw had only been scored upon once in his initial 15 outings, including 11 consecutive scoreless outings (13.0 IP) entering Friday evening. Freese put the home team in front with a two-out, opposite-field double off the right field wall that plated Phelps, who had doubled. The Sounds threatened in the eighth, putting runners on first and second for Branyan before Ron Flores struck him out to end the frame. Nashville again put the tying run in scoring position in the ninth. Heether doubled with one out and moved to third on a Stocker single to put runners on the corners for pinch-hitter Laynce Nix, who was intentionally walked after Stocker stole second to load the bags for Hernan Iribarren. Memphis reliever Kelvin Jimenez struck out Iribarren swinging then induced a game-ending flyout from Callix Crabbe to preserve the win and notch his first save of the year. Former Sound John Wasdin (4-4) picked up the victory after working two scoreless innings of relief for Memphis. Ramirez (1-1) took the loss after surrendering the game-deciding run during his two frames of action. Neither starter factored in the decision. Gardner matched his season high with six innings of work, allowing four runs on nine hits, while Boggs gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits in his five frames of action. The teams continue the series with a 6:05 p.m. contest on Saturday. Left-hander Sam Narron (1-0, 3.00), who defeated Memphis in his Nashville debut on Monday, will man the bump for the Sounds to face Redbirds southpaw Jaime Garcia (1-1, 3.00). Nashville Box Score Brad Nelson two singles; Mel Stocker, in a rare start, 3-for-4, all singles... Nashville Game Log

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Starting Pitcher Sam Narron

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 5, Huntsville 4 Ugh -- details from the Stars site in a bit -- Juan Sandoval couldn't hold a 4-3 lead after Mat Gamel had doubled in the lead run in the 7th; we'd love to see Manatee closer Omar Aguilar in Huntsville, but the organization won't make that move until the first-half races are decided; Stars have lost seven of eight on this homestand and five in a row. On a brighter note, Angel Salome proposed to his girlfriend immediately after the game and she said yes, to fireworks (which yes, were scheduled to shoot off anyway, but a nice touch); too bad about the loss putting a damper on things...

Final: Dunedin (Blue Jays) 9, Brevard County 3 Brevard County Box Score Blue Jays have smoked the Manatees 19-5 in the two games thus far; Stephen Chapman hit his 7th home run -- 21 of his 39 hits have gone for extra bases, problem's been not enough hits (.224 in 170 AB's); Darren Ford walked twice (OBP .318) and stole his 24th base in 31 attempts; Josh Butler never gave the boys a chance tonight -- his first really ugly outing in his six Brewer organization starts thus far... Brevard County Game Log

Welcome back to the Link Report, where any distraction from the big league club, win or lose, is a blessing. Well, I'm actually listening to a Huntsville 9th inning collapse, so maybe not... Final: West Virginia 2, Lake County (Indians) 1 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER CLIP CAPTAINS The West Virginia Power fell behind early on Friday night at Classic Park but rallied late to score twice in the final four innings and defeated the Lake County Captains 2-1 to take the rubber match in the series. Mark Thompson began the third inning with a double. Adam White bunted his way to first base and moved Thompson over to third putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Lucas Montero then hit a ground ball to second base which allowed Mark Thompson to score. Eric Fryer tied the game in the top of the sixth inning with his third home run of the season and his second in as many games. Gary Campfield hit Curt Rindal with the first pitch in the top of the ninth inning. David Fonseca pinch ran for Rindal and moved to second on Lee Haydel's sacrifice bunt before he scored on Eric Farris's go-ahead single to right. Corey Frerichs (3-4) tossed three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and he fanned three to get the victory. Mike Ramlow (3) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to get the save and Gary Campfield (2-2) was tagged with the loss after surrendering a run on two hits over an inning and a third. The Power improved to 19-28 with the win and the Captains fell to 30-17 with the loss. Fryer paced the Power with a pair of hits, going 2-for-4, giving him four hits in his last eight at-bats. The West Virginia bullpen has now tossed nine consecutive scoreless innings. The Power will begin a four game series against the Lakewood BlueClaws at Appalachian Power Park on Saturday night. Right hander Roque Mercedes (1-3, 7.22) will get the start for the Power and the BlueClaws will counter with left hander Jacob Diekman (0-3, 4.96). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score As noted above, nice pitching from all, including starter Amaury Rivas (as usaul for Amaury); Brent Brewer singled, walked, and stole three bases in four attempts (now 15-for-19 on the bases); Eric Fryer had a .612 OPS at Helena last year -- this year's start has been a pleasant surprise; Zelous Wheeler was caught stealing once, picked off first once, and struck out with the bases loaded to end the 4th -- tough night in an otherwise fine season; the Power is starting Roque Mercedes to begin the next homestand -- yikes, Power fans may revolt, Brewer brass sure keeps feeding him chances... West Virginia Game Log

What if Gwynn walked there and Kendall represented they tying run? Would we have seen Mike Rivera or Joe Dillon? We'll never know... Russell Branyan and his .362 / .451 / .700 line (1.151 OPS) has already reached base twice tonight in Memphis. But we wouldn't want to at least try to ride a hot bat or anything, because we believe in Billy Hall.

Did they just turn up the radar gun a few notches? Dillard at 95? Nice clean debut kid, welcome aboard. Now go fetch that candy bag -- DiFelice has got you beat by a week.