Jim Goulart

You know what's ridiculous? I'm scoreboard watching, saying darn, the Astros just went ahead of the Phillies, the Cubs are cruising, etc., and you know, it really doesn't matter, does it?

Three of the runs were unearned, not all four.

Congrats to Doug Davis, looking fantastic in his return game tonight.

Well, the least we can do is to fall behind in the division by 8 1/2 games since that was last year's lead. It's only fair. I'm sure they'll be there soon enough. They've ruined my summer, and it hasn't even started yet.

And the former Brewer property Saul Rivera looks like Nolan Ryan to this dead-butt team.

Just an awful outing for Josh Butler in the Manatee game -- 2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 3 WP. Mike McClendon saved Butler an uglier line by stranding two inherited runners. Brevard trails 9-3 after eight innings.

Second graders turn two on that ground ball to J.J. Inning should have been over right there. I so can't stand this team right now.

Michael Brantley not in the starting lineup tonight, a lineup which has Matt LaPorta at first base (let's see if some blogger runs with that -- Prince will surely be traded tomorrow http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif). Caleb Gindl is in center field tonight for the Power, night off for Lee Haydel.

While not completely official, MiLB.com appears to indicate that RHP Mike McClendon has come off the Brevard County DL, which would back-fill Donovan Hand's place on the Manatee roster. EDIT: yes, McClendon's back -- official.

Will Inman's second consecutive middling-to-poor start (4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K's)

Thanks, David, I've noted this in our Transactions Thread -- I'll leave this thread open if folks want to discuss the quick ascent of the young man with the microscopic WHIP -- Donovan Hand will be pitching in his home state while toiling for the Stars...

Nashville Site: To replace Tim Dillard (now in Milwaukee, congratulations Tim, from Brewerfan) on the Nashville roster, right-hander Jason Shiell has rejoined the Sounds from Double-A Huntsville, where he went 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA (2 ER / 5.1 IP) in three relief outings. He opened the year with Nashville and posted an 0-3 record and 6.39 ERA (9 ER / 12.2 IP) in 12 relief outings before being reassigned to the Stars on May 12 when Derrick Turnbow joined the club. *** No word yet on a corresponding roster addition for Huntsville.... actually, yes, thank you Huntsville front office -- Brevard County's RHP Donovan Hand with a well-deserved promotion to AA in only his second pro season.

This week there's a Brewer at # 5, and another in the "Team Photo" honorable mention section. If you really think about it, you can probably plug in the proper guesses. This Week's Hot Sheet

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Memphis 25 23 .521 - 9-11 16-12 W3 Iowa 22 24 .478 2.0 13-9 9-15 L2 Omaha 21 24 .467 2.5 13-13 8-11 W2 Nashville 19 27 .413 5.0 11-12 8-15 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 30 17 .638 - 18-9 12-8 L4 West Tenn 30 17 .638 - 17-5 13-12 W2 Carolina 27 20 .574 3.0 12-10 15-10 L1 Chattanooga 24 23 .511 6.0 14-11 10-12 L2 Tennessee 16 32 .333 14.5 6-17 10-15 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 29 18 .617 - 17-8 12-10 W1 Brevard County 25 22 .532 4.0 16-10 9-12 L1 Daytona 23 24 .489 6.0 9-12 14-12 L3 Vero Beach 23 24 .489 6.0 15-7 8-17 W2 Jupiter 22 24 .478 6.5 13-8 9-16 L2 St. Lucie 9 38 .191 20.0 5-20 4-18 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 30 17 .638 - 14-11 16-6 L1 Delmarva 25 21 .543 4.5 17-11 8-10 W1 Greensboro 25 22 .532 5.0 10-12 15-10 L2 Hagerstown 24 22 .522 5.5 11-12 13-10 W1 Hickory 25 23 .521 5.5 9-13 16-10 W1 Lakewood 23 24 .489 7.0 14-13 9-11 W2 West Virginia 18 28 .391 11.5 7-13 11-15 W1 Lexington 14 32 .304 15.5 5-16 9-16 L1

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

Follow Friday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log" or "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_23_nasaaa_mrbaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_23_biraax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_23_breafa_dunafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_23_wvaafx_lcoafx_1

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Richie Gardner at Memphis (Cardinals), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP David Welch at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 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 Dunedin (Blue Jays), 6:00 PM gametime Sorry, no audio for this series... West Virginia: RHP Amaury Rivas at Lake County (Indians), 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

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Link while active, text follows: Struggling Stars fall again Huntsville's lead in North Division has evaporated By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times The Huntsville Stars now have company atop the Southern League's North Division. Just two weeks ago, it appeared they would run away with the first-half title. But after dropping an 8-6 game to Birmingham on Thursday while West Tenn beat Chattanooga again, the Stars and Diamond Jaxx are even. And while the Jaxx are surging, the Stars have dropped six of seven at home. "When you have a team that's used to winning every time out, and you lose three or four games, everybody's freaking out," catcher Angel Salome said. "We're not freaking out yet." Perhaps the most alarming thing for Huntsville during this stretch is its bullpen woes. During the slump, the Stars' relievers have sustained four of the six losses and sport an earned run average of 4.82. "We're not holding the other team anywhere," Stars manager Don Money said. "The bullpen comes in, throws a lot of pitches, gives up runs, walks a lot of guys. Look at the last five losses. Most of it is the bullpen." That wasn't the only culprit Thursday, though. As many plays as Salome has made lately, it was one he didn't make that loomed large. After relief pitcher Robert Hinton (2-2) gave up the lead in the seventh, Salome allowed a low-but-catchable pitch to trickle past him with the bases loaded. Victor Mercedes raced home for what proved to be the game-winning run in front of 2,309 fans at Joe Davis Stadium. "I was blocking everything the whole game," Salome said. "Then what? The easiest ball goes through." The offense didn't help matters much, either. The Stars produced six runs, but they blew prime opportunities in the seventh and eighth innings when they had a runner in scoring position and no outs. Then, they had two on and one out in the ninth but couldn't score. At this rate, the Stars must feel like they're inventing ways to lose. Huntsville (30-17) orchestrated a comeback from two runs down by scoring a single run in the fourth and busting out for five in the fifth to take what appeared to be a commanding 6-2 lead. Following Salome's opposite-field homer to start the inning, the Stars added five hits and four more runs. Unfortunately, the outburst wasn't nearly enough. Huntsville starter Derek Miller nearly gave up the lead in the sixth, allowing four hits - two that burned Stars outfielders - and three runs to cut the lead to one. Then, the bullpen blew what shaky lead Miller left it. The Southern League South Division-leading Barons started the seventh with a walk and a bunt single. Then, Robert Hinton gave up an RBI single to Javier Castillo, and Salome's mistake let the other run score. Not only did the Stars lose again, they added injury to insult. Leadoff hitter and offensive catalyst Michael Brantley hurt himself sliding into second on a steal in the sixth. He stayed in the game to run the bases but did not come back onto the field in the top of the seventh. "Sprained ankle as far as I know," Money said. "We haven't got word yet." Immediately after the trainer left the field, Alcides Escobar ripped a line drive that appeared destined for left-center field. Instead, it hit Brantley to end the inning and ruined yet another scoring chance.

Final: Dunedin (Blue Jays) 10, Brevard County 2 Brevard County Box Score It was 3-2 Blue Jays until the bottom of the 7th when RH reliever Shawn Ferguson was overwhelmed in a seven-run frame which included two walks, a triple, two home runs and a single; starter Alex Periard allowed three runs (only one earned) in his six innings; utility man Matt Cline has committed 11 errors in his 30 games; Darren Ford singled and walked twice -- he's 23-for-30 in SB attempts; Kenny Holmberg drew three free passes -- Holmberg's .302 slugging percentage still places him in the cleanup spot on this squad bereft of power... Brevard County Game Log

Michael Brantley Injury Audio Sequence If you go to the 2:00:00 (two hour mark exactly) you'll hear Brantley reach on an error, steal his base, and then dive back into 2nd base as the ball thrown by the catcher hit the pitcher and then went into the outfield -- Brett Pollock speculated it's a right leg or right foot injury (possibly a roll of the ankle). Brantley remained in the game. Brantley then was hit by a line drive off the bat of Alcides Escobar, adding insult to injury, literally. The Huntsville Times is late with their game report today -- maybe we'll learn more later. On the surface, it appears to be a day-to-day situation.

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 8, Huntsville 6 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Huntsville Struggles at Home Continue Stars Tumble into First Place Tie By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Javier Castillo had four hits and knocked in two runs and the bullpen tossed three scoreless innings in Birmingham's 8-6 comeback win over Huntsville Thursday night in the second of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Barons won their fifth straight to improve to 27-20 and maintain a five-game cushion over Jacksonville in the South, while the Stars lost a season-high fourth consecutive game to fall to 30-17 and into a first place tie with West Tenn in the North Division. Huntsville has dropped six of seven on the current home stand and has seen a five-game lead evaporate since completing a five-game sweep of Tennessee on May 14. Robert Hinton opened the seventh inning on the hill for the Stars and gave up a base hit to Castillo that plated Miguel Negron to tie the game at six. Noah Hall followed with a walk to load the bases before pinch-hitter Ricardo Nanita fanned for the second out of the inning. Catcher Angel Salome could not corral Hinton's first offering to Cole Armstrong and the passed ball allowed Victor Mercedes to score the go-ahead run. Hinton suffered his second loss of the home stand after giving up two runs on two hits with two walks. Negron singled with two outs in the eighth, stole second and scored on a base hit by Mercedes to give the Barons an 8-6 lead and snap Joe Bateman's scoreless string at 13 2/3 innings. The Stars bullpen has allowed 15 runs in 28 innings over the last seven games and suffered four of the six losses. The Stars had their leadoff man reach second base in the seventh and eighth innings but could not advance him and put two runners on in the ninth against Jon Link, who then struck out Cole Gillespie and induced Chris Errecart to bounce into a force out at second base to end the game. Link nailed down his 12th save in 14 chances and followed Derek Rodriguez who threw 2/3rds of a scoreless inning and Joe Torres, who tossed an inning and a third of scoreless relief and fanned three. Trailing 2-1 entering the home fifth, Angel Salome led off with an opposite field home run to right field, his third of the season and first allowed by Barons' starter Kyle McCulloch in 43 innings dating back to April 10. Alcides Escobar, Matt LaPorta and Gillespie added run-scoring hits to cap off the five-run rally that gave the Stars a 6-2 lead. However, the visitors answered right back with three in the sixth on a two-out, two-run double by Robert Hudson and an RBI hit by Robert Valido to draw within one. Stars' starter Derek Miller matched a season-high with six innings of work during which he allowed a season-high five runs on nine hits. McCulloch also lasted six frames and gave up six runs on nine hits and earned his first win since April 15. The series continues Friday night with southpaw David Welch taking the mound for the Stars against Barons' right-hander Justin Cassel. 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 Robert Hinton really needs to start showing more production than promise -- I get the sense that Power 50 readers are feeling the same way; Derek Miller's ERA of 3.42 is fine, but there's been nothing in the numbers otherwise to indicate a very strong 2008 campaign; Mat Gamel on base three times -- OPS still incredible at 1.078... Huntsville Game Log Odd sequence in the bottom of the 6th -- did Michael Brantley tweak something? We'll check out the audio... Huntsville Bottom 6th - Angel Salome grounds out, shortstop Robert Valido to first baseman Javier Castillo. - Mike Bell grounds out, shortstop Robert Valido to first baseman Javier Castillo. - Michael Brantley reaches on fielding error by shortstop Robert Valido. - With Alcides Escobar batting, Michael Brantley steals (15) 2nd base. - Alcides Escobar singles on a ground ball to shortstop Robert Valido. Michael Brantley out at 3rd, shortstop Robert Valido. Birmingham Top 7th - Defensive Substitution: Ryan Crew replaces center fielder Michael Brantley, batting 1st, playing left field.

Link while active, text follows: Narveson makes first start against former team in defeat By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer After three seasons with the Memphis Redbirds, Chris Narveson made his first career start against them Thursday. Starting for the Nashville Sounds, Narveson didn't get off to a great beginning against his former team. Narveson gave up a leadoff home run and committed a second-inning error that led to a run in an eventual 10-2 loss to the Redbirds. Selected in the second round of the 2000 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, Narveson spent the majority of his career in that organization - with the exception of four starts with Tulsa (Double-A Rockies) at the end of the 2004 season and 21 games with Pawtucket (Triple-A Red Sox) to start the '05 campaign. The Cardinals claimed him off waivers on Aug. 8, 2005, and assigned him to Memphis, where he went 11-8 with a 4.28 earned run average from 2005-07. Fan struck: A ball that Narveson fouled into the stands during his second-inning at-bat struck a fan in the left eye. She received medical treatment and was removed from the seating area on a stretcher, then transported to St. Thomas Hospital. Crossed ties: Three current Redbirds have Sounds ties - some looser than others. John Wasdin, who threw three scoreless innings of relief in the Redbirds' 4-1 win Tuesday, recorded the first perfect game in Sounds history on April 7, 2003. That was his only season with Nashville and he was traded later that year to the Blue Jays organization. Catcher Mark Johnson played 48 games with the Sounds in 2006. A third Redbird, infielder Rico Washington, appeared in the Sounds' media guides for 2000, '01 and '02 but never actually played for Nashville while in the Pittsburgh farm system. Timing is everything: Richie Gardner, the Sounds' scheduled starter today in Memphis, has won his last three decisions, but has posted only one quality start (six innings or more, three earned runs or less) on the season. In his last five starts, Gardner is 3-1 with one no-decision and an ERA of 5.18. Nashville has scored more than eight runs in each of Gardner's three wins. Alumni update: R.A. Dickey, who earned Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year honors with the Sounds last season, was called up Thursday by the Seattle Mariners from Triple-A Tacoma. It was the second call-up of the year for the former Montgomery Bell Academy and University of Tennessee standout. Also, former Nashville reliever Mike Adams (2005-06) was called up Thursday by San Diego from Triple-A Portland, swapping places on the Padres' roster with ex-Sounds reliever Joe Thatcher (2007). Turnbow picks up tab: The Sounds' pregame meal before was a bit of an upgrade from the usual - courtesy of reliever Derrick Turnbow, who picked up the bill for the spread from P.F. Chang's. "It's something I can do, and I like to do it," said Turnbow, who spent April with the Milwaukee Brewers before he was reassigned earlier this month. "I remember being here. "You didn't have a lot, and you'd appreciate it when guys would come down and do something nice. "I'm sure I'll do it again." The meal followed veteran pitcher Jeff Weaver's springing for Wednesday's postgame gathering for players and their families at Judge Bean's atop Greer Stadium. Also, current Brewers outfielder Mike Cameron took care of a team spread while on a rehab assignment with the Sounds.

Link while active, text follows: Turnbow's struggles continue in Sounds loss By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer It was Thirsty Thursday at Greer Stadium, but the long, dry spell continued for Nashville Sounds reliever Derrick Turnbow. Assigned to the Triple-A team by the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this month to work through some control problems, Turnbow has hardly turned things around since his May 12 arrival. After a pair of eighth-inning strikeouts, Turnbow issued four straight walks - two with the bases loaded - and heard the disapproval of 8,104 in attendance before he was relieved in an eventual 10-2 loss to Memphis. "It didn't affect me," Turnbow said of the crowd's reaction to his struggles. "I've been through a lot in Milwaukee. It wasn't a big deal. I've learned to handle it." Turnbow was charged with three runs in two-thirds of an inning, raising his ERA from 9.82 to 14.54. He's allowed 15 walks with six strikeouts since joining the team. "It looked like he started rushing a little," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said of Turnbow. "He got out of his delivery. He was trying to get the third out too quickly, probably." The Sounds were headed for their third straight loss before Turnbow took the mound. Starting pitcher Chris Narveson allowed a home run to Memphis leadoff hitter Brian Barden, and the Redbirds added a run in the second, then four in the third as a Laynce Nix error led to a pair of unearned runs. Joe Mather led off the fifth with a homer to push the margin to six runs. Nashville took advantage of a passed ball and a balk to score Adam Heether in the second inning following his one-out single. The Sounds scored again in the bottom of the fifth. Brendan Katin was hit by a pitch from Memphis starter Blake Hawksworth, advanced two bases on a Hawksworth wild pitch and crossed the plate on an Ozzie Chavez base hit. After cutting the margin to five, though, the Sounds were unable to mount much more of a charge. In an effort to limit the damage to the bullpen, Kremblas turned to third baseman Heether in the ninth. Heether, the fifth Sounds pitcher of the night, retired three of the four hitters he faced. "He asked me to go out there and throw some strikes," said Heether. "It's a totally different perspective," he said. "The plate looks a lot smaller from the mound than it does when you're in the (batter's) box." The loss marked the first time the Sounds have dropped three in a row since suffering four consecutive losses - one to Omaha and three at Albuquerque - April 17-21.

Another fine photo gallery from the Tennessean includes three photos of an embattled Derrick Turnbow