Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: Stranded at home Huntsville can't get big hit as Carolina takes four of five By BILL BRYANT Huntsville Times Sports Staff, bill.bryant@htimes.com Having officially hit their first valley since the second week of the season, the Huntsville Stars came out of their 7-5 loss to the Carolina Mudcats on Monday afternoon knowing two things. Stranding baserunners is one of the easiest ways to draw the ire of manager Don Money. And despite losing four of five to Carolina, they are still in first place in the Southern League North. A day after leaving 14 men on in an 8-3 loss, Huntsville left another eight stranded in front of an announced businessperson's crowd of 1,684 at Joe Davis Stadium. Trailing by two runs in the third, Matt LaPorta struck out with the bases loaded. Trailing by four in the sixth, pinch-hitter Chris Errecart struck out with runners on second and third. "We had one run on 14 hits (Sunday)," said Money, his eyes widening for effect. "We played well enough to win the first three games. We're just not getting the big hits with runners in scoring position right now." The Stars will get a day off today to reflect on their recent shortcomings, but the fact remains that they are 30-15, good enough for a 1 1/2 game lead over West Tenn. "It's much easier to teach when you're winning," Money said. "We'll get it going again." The Mudcats (26-19) wasted no time getting started against on-again, off-again Huntsville pitcher Mike Jones, the former first-round draft pick just called up from Brevard County. Of the 50 pitches Jones threw - his limit for this start - three of them left the park. Cameron Maybin, Brett Hayes and John Raynor all hit balls well over the secondary fences in left, center and right field, respectively. "(Jones) didn't have command. Two of the homers he fell behind 2-0," Money said. "You fall behind good hitters and they start salivating. They know a fastball is coming." Jones (0-1) gave up five hits and three runs in three innings. The Stars got a run back in the bottom of the third on a run-scoring single by Alcides Escobar and added another one in the fifth on Mat Gamel's 10th homer of the year. Gamel finished 2-for-4 with a couple of RBIs. But Carolina effectively put the game away with a three-run sixth off Huntsville reliever Robert Hinton. Chris Coghlan hit a solo homer and four batters later Hayes hit a ball into the right-field corner that drove in two more runs. Derrell McCall (1-0) got the win for the Mudcats, giving up two runs in five innings. Chris Mobley got the shaky save, allowing two hits and a run in the ninth.

Recently released West Virginia RHP Jared Sutton has signed with Joliet (IL) of the independent Northern League. RHP Robbie Wooley and LHP Matt Ford were recently cut by their respective independent league teams.

Final: Lakewood (Phillies) 10, West Virginia 5 West Virginia Site Game Summary: FIVE-RUN FRAME NOT ENOUGH IN POWER LOSS The West Virginia Power had a 5-1 lead after an inning and a half of Monday night's game against the BlueClaws at First Energy Park, but Lakewood scored nine unanswered runs the rest of the way and defeated the Power 10-5. Michael Taylor smacked a two-out RBI single in the first to give Lakewood an early lead. In the second, the Power sent ten batters to the plate and scored five times to take the lead. Scott Houin singled in Zelous Wheeler to tie the game and Lee Haydel reached on Mike Durant's error which allowed Caleb Gindl to score, giving the Power the lead. Eric Farris singled in a pair of runs and Haydel scored on a passed ball to finish the inning. Lakewood scored three times in the bottom of the inning to cut the deficit to one. Roque Mercedes's throwing error allowed Karl Bolt to score with two outs and Derrick Mitchell's double plated the final two runs. Lakewood took the lead in the third inning on a two-run homer from Durant and never looked back. They added three runs in the fifth inning. Bolt blasted an RBI double before Freddy Galvis ripped an RBI single and Durant scored on a wild pitch. Travis Mattair plated the final run of the contest, driving in Bolt on a groundout. Ben Pfinsgraff (1-2) provided four and two thirds scoreless innings of relief for Lakewood, allowing just a hit and struck out four to get the victory. Mercedes (1-3) allowed nine runs, six earned on seven hits over four and two thirds and was tagged with the loss. The Power fell to 16-26 with the loss and the BlueClaws improved to 21-23 with the win. Three Power players had multi-hit games including Gindl who went 3-for-4 with three singles. Eight players reached safely for West Virginia. The Power will begin a five game series against the Lake County Captains at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio on Tuesday night. Left-hander Dan Merklinger (0-3, 7.00) will get the start for the Power and the Captains will counter with left hander Kelvin De La Cruz (3-2, 1.77). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score The Brewers sure are showing patience with Roque Mercedes, but the 21-year-old's struggles continue; the Power are 16-26, and it feels like it -- no sustained success at all... West Virginia Game Log

Link while active, text follows: Sounds defeat Memphis 7-3 By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer With a 7-3 Nashville Sounds victory Monday night against visiting Memphis, Sam Narron has defeated the Redbirds in each of his last two starts against them. Never mind that the two starts were nearly four years apart. Sidelined for all of the 2005 season and the first six weeks of the '06 campaign following Tommy John surgery, the 26-year-old left-hander had not pitched at the Triple-A level since 2004. On Monday, though, it was almost as if he'd never left. Narron allowed two runs on four hits over six innings before exiting with a 5-2 lead, and the Nashville bullpen preserved the victory - his first since defeating those same Redbirds on Aug. 26, 2004. "You get hurt, you have to work your way back as best you can," said Narron, who had been 14-2 between Class AA Frisco and Class AAA Oklahoma as a member of the Texas Rangers' organization four years ago. Following the season, he was placed on waivers by the Rangers and claimed by the Brewers. Before Friday's callup, he had been 6-1 with a 2.77 earned run average at Double-A Huntsville, after going 7-9, 4.21 with the Stars last season. "I've got a chance; I'm trying to make the most of it," he said. Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said Narron may have gotten by without his best stuff in his return to Triple-A. "I don't think he was as sharp as he'd have liked, but he's a competitor," Kremblas said. "He pitched (inside) enough to be effective, even without his best stuff." Narron helped himself out, starting a double play in the first and another in the fourth, and drove in a run with a fourth-inning single. His teammates added to the 4-2 cushion as Laynce Nix hit a solo homer in the fifth and doubled home a run in a two-run seventh. "We had a good team down there, had a lot of fun," Narron said of the Stars. "Then you've got another outstanding team behind you here. It's nice to know you're going to get some runs. You're able to attack the (strike) zone." What they said: "We've been a little more consistent; that's what it takes. We're 4-1 on this homestand, but it doesn't matter; we've got a game (Tuesday)." - Kremblas, whose team has now won six of its past eight games.

Nashville Pre-Game Chat with Starting Pitcher and 40-man roster member Richie Gardner

Final: Nashville 7, Memphis (Cardinals) 3 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Laynce Nix photo, text follows -- Sounds Defeat Division-Leading Redbirds, 7-3 NASHVILLE - Every Sounds starter notched a hit as Nashville took down the division-leading Memphis Redbirds, 7-3, on Monday night at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series Sounds starter Sam Narron (1-0) got the win in his first start in Triple-A since 2004. He pitched six innings and only gave up two runs, posting his seventh straight quality start this season. He recorded six straight with Double-A Huntsville before being called up. Nashville centerfielder Laynce Nix had a home run with two RBIs to pace an offensive attack that included 11 hits and five extra-base hits. Redbirds starter Jaime Garcia (1-1) got roughed up in his third outing for Memphis this season. His ERA rose from 0.96 to 3.00 after giving up five earned runs off eight hits in only five innings of work. Garcia helped his own cause in the top of the second inning when he knocked a two-run triple to right-centerfield for Memphis to start the scoring. The three-base knock scored Gabe Johnson, who singled, and Garcia's battery mate Bryan Anderson, who walked. It was Garcia's first career triple and first career RBIs. The Sounds responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Brad Nelson led off the inning with a walk and Russell Branyan followed with a single to right field that moved Nelson to second. Steve Sollmann then continued on his recent hot streak with an RBI single that scored Nelson from second base. Sollmann is now batting .385 (5-for-13) with a home run and five runs scored in his last six games. Nelson started another rally for Nashville in the bottom of the fourth inning when he led off with a double to the gap in right-center field. Eric Munson then sent a towering home run sailing over the right field wall to give the Sounds the lead. It was his first dinger since July 29th of last year. Although Munson only has four hits in his last 29 at bats, three of the four have erased a deficit and given the Sounds the lead in three separate games. AUDIO: Eric Munson Home Run Nashville continued the rally when Adam Heether followed with a double down the left field line and scored on a single from Narron. The hit and RBI were Narron's first in his Triple-A career. The runs kept coming for the Sounds when Nix crushed a 0-1 pitch over the right field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning. The longball was Nix's sixth home run of the year and his second in three games. Nick Stavinoha belted a home run of his own for the Redbirds in the top of the seventh inning off Nashville reliever Ben Howard after Howard took over for Narron. The home run was Stavinoha's sixth of the year. The Sounds plated their final runs in the bottom of the seventh inning after Callix Crabbe scored on a Nix double to the gap in right-center field. Crabbe had walked to lead off the inning, making him the final Sounds starter to reach base in the game. After Nix's double, Nelson and Munson reached base with a walk and a hit-by-pitch respectively, then Heether followed with another walk that scored Nix from third and extended the Sounds lead to four. Howard gave up one run for Nashville in his two innings and turned it over to Mitch Stetter, who struck out two batters in the ninth inning and closed out the game for the Sounds. The division rivals will continue their series tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. at Greer Stadium. Left-hander and current PCL Pitcher of the Week honoree Lindsay Gulin (1-3, 3.26) will take the mound for the Sounds and face off against righty Anthony Reyes (0-0, 2.70) for the Redbirds. Nashville Box Score GM Doug Melvin, in attendance, saw Brad Nelson reach base four times and Russell Branyan reach twice; Hernan Iribarren is 9-for-11 in stolen base attempts after going only 18-for-34 last year... Nashville Game Log

Final: Brevard County 8, Sarasota (Reds) 3 Brevard County Site Game Summary: GM Smith Guarantees Victory, Manatees Deliver By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees (Viera, FL) After back-to-back wins over the weekend, Manatees general manager Kyle Smith was feeling so confident in his team, he decided to guarantee that the Manatees would defeat the Sarasota Reds Monday night, or he would give every fan in attendance free tickets to a future game. The Manatees rewarded their general manager by crushing the Reds, 8-3. The Brevard County bats stayed hot, with ten hits in the victory. Charlie Fermaint slammed his third home run of the year in the third inning to tie the game, 1-1. The Manatees exploded for seven runs in the fourth inning to take control of the game. The inning was highlighted by Andy Bouchie's titanic two-run shot to left field. Bouchie nearly hit his second homer of the game in the eighth inning, but was robbed at the wall on a spectacular play by Sarasota's Carson Kainer. Taylor Green added two RBI for the Manatees, and every regular except Jimmy Mojica had at least one hit in the game. Donovan Hand continued his great season by pitching seven solid innings, allowing just four hits and improving to 4-2. Sarasota's Daniel Guerrero (2-3) was rocked for seven runs, giving him the loss. Brevard County is now 23-21, remaining four games behind first place Palm Beach. Tomorrow's game will feature Zach Braddock (0-2, 4.50) taking the hill for the Manatees against Travis Wood (3-3, 2.38) of the Reds. Brevard County Box Score Lorenzo Cain on base four times -- he has had a fantastic May (.963 OPS); for the third consecutive start, economical Donovan Hand goes seven innings, and he's gone at least seven innings in five of his ten starts -- almost unheard of at the high-A level -- Brewers coaches must love this 22-year-old; Hand will be pitching in his home state when he eventually makes his way to Huntsville, which may not be long from now... Brevard County Game Log Brevard County Bottom 4th - Kenny Holmberg walks. - Stephen Chapman singles on a line drive to right fielder Chris Heisey. Kenny Holmberg to 3rd. - Chuckie Caufield out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Drew Stubbs. Kenny Holmberg scores. Stephen Chapman advances to 2nd, on throwing error by center fielder Drew Stubbs. - Jimmy Mojica grounds out, third baseman Juan Francisco to first baseman Todd Frazier. Stephen Chapman to 3rd. - Andy Bouchie homers (2) on a fly ball to left center field. Stephen Chapman scores. - Matt Cline singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Juan Francisco. - Charlie Fermaint hit by pitch. Matt Cline to 2nd. - Lorenzo Cain singles on a line drive to center fielder Drew Stubbs. Matt Cline scores. Charlie Fermaint to 3rd. - Pitcher Change: Ruben Medina replaces Daniel Guerrero. - Taylor Green doubles (10) on a line drive to right fielder Chris Heisey. Charlie Fermaint scores. Lorenzo Cain scores. - Kenny Holmberg singles on a line drive to center fielder Drew Stubbs. Taylor Green scores. - Stephen Chapman grounds out, second baseman Michael DeJesus to first baseman Todd Frazier.

Steve Garrison takes the loss Monday, allowing four runs in 5 2/3. At 21 years old in AA, Garrison is having the kind of year you might expect through eight starts -- three scoreless outings showing promise, and some struggles otherwise.

Final: Carolina (Marlins) 7, Huntsville 5 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Mudcats Slug Their Way to Another Victory North Division Race Tightening By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Carolina slugged four home runs and Brett Hayes finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in a 7-5 victory over Huntsville Monday afternoon in the last of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Mudcats improved to 26-19 and pulled to within four games of the top spot in the North Division, while the Stars fell to 30-15 and saw their lead over West Tenn diminish to two games. Carolina took four out of five, as the Stars lost a series for only the second time this season. Mike Jones, coming back from Tommy John surgery, made his first start for the Stars this season and gave up solo home runs in each of the first three innings, to Cameron Maybin, Hayes and John Raynor, that staked the visitors to a 3-0 lead. Jones had allowed only 12 long balls in his entire career in 398 innings before the game. Jones was removed after three innings, after reaching his pitch limit, and was charged with the loss after allowing five hits, walking two and recording one strikeout. Alcides Escobar's two-out, run-scoring single in the third drew the Stars to within 3-1 and a solo home run by Mat Gamel in the fifth cut the lead to 3-2. Derrell McCall was taken out after five frames in his first double-A start and grabbed the win after yielding two runs on four hits, walking two and fanning four. Chris Coghlan led off the sixth with a home run against Robert Hinton and Hayes doubled in two runs later in the frame to push the Mudcats' advantage to 6-2. Daniel Barone blanked the Stars for two innings and was followed to the hill by Matt Yourkin for the eighth. Mike Bell tripled in Angel Salome, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a leadoff double, and scored on a Freddy Parejo sacrifice fly to trim the lead to 6-4. Coghlan singled in Maybin, who had singled and stole second base, in the ninth to extend the Carolina lead to 7-4 and produce the first run allowed all season, after 20 2/3 scoreless frames, by Patrick Ryan. The Stars tallied in the ninth against Chris Mobley on an RBI hit by Gamel but the game ended when Matt LaPorta grounded into a double play. Mobley earned his second save of the series. The Stars open a five-game series at home Wednesday night against Birmingham with southpaw Steve Hammond taking the mound for the Stars against Barons' left-hander Clayton Richard. 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 Chris Errecart struck out in a pinch-hit appearance, so there won't be any back-dated DL stint; even with a perfect day at the plate (two singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly), Freddy Parejo's OPS is down to .805, mainly because that walk was only his second one in 103 AB's; does anybody really "get" what the plan is for Mike Jones this season -- after nine starts, he's still very limited in pitch count, and if he's being groomed for eventual long relief work, he's still only throwing every fifth/sixth day at best -- his odd schedule strains the bullpen as well; Jones is free to walk at the end of the season unless he extends (again) his relationship with the Brewers or is re-added to the 40-man roster... Huntsville Game Log First Stars game started by a non-southpaw all season...

Link Report Bonus: The Nashville site has posted this infamous photo as part of a new feature. We don't know why, and neither will you, but we'll help promote their site by including their new feature within the walls of the Link Report. http://www.nashvillesounds.com/images/news/hardballmysteries.jpg Link Report Bonus # 2: Brevard County Manatees Shatter World Record Throw 8,304 First Pitches Before Game

No Brewer mentions at the Hot Sheet this week, but there is a former Brewer draft pick in the top 13. Be the first to tell us who, what year and round he was drafted, what school he was at when drafted, and where he ended up playing college ball after spurning the Crew, and win nothing but bragging rights, and knowing that you've helped educate your fellow Brewer fans.

Nashville Site Press Release on Lindsay Gulin -- PCL Pitcher of the Week

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Memphis 22 22 .500 - 9-11 13-11 W1 Iowa 20 22 .476 1.0 13-9 7-13 L4 Omaha 19 22 .463 1.5 11-11 8-11 W1 Nashville 18 24 .429 3.0 10-9 8-15 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 30 14 .682 - 18-6 12-8 L1 West Tenn 27 16 .628 2.5 14-4 13-12 W4 Carolina 25 19 .568 5.0 11-9 14-10 W1 Chattanooga 23 21 .523 7.0 13-11 10-10 W1 Tennessee 16 28 .364 14.0 6-14 10-14 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 26 17 .605 - 17-8 9-9 L2 Brevard County 22 21 .512 4.0 13-10 9-11 W2 Daytona 22 21 .512 4.0 8-9 14-12 W4 Jupiter 21 22 .488 5.0 12-6 9-16 L2 Vero Beach 20 23 .465 6.0 14-7 6-16 L1 St. Lucie 8 35 .186 18.0 5-20 3-15 L11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 27 15 .643 - 11-9 16-6 W1 Greensboro 24 19 .558 3.5 10-12 14-7 W1 Delmarva 22 19 .537 4.5 14-9 8-10 L1 Hickory 22 22 .500 6.0 7-12 15-10 W6 Hagerstown 21 21 .500 6.0 8-11 13-10 W1 Lakewood 20 23 .465 7.5 11-12 9-11 W1 West Virginia 16 25 .390 10.5 7-13 9-12 L1 Lexington 13 29 .310 14.0 5-16 8-13 L1

Follow Monday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log" or "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_19_mrbaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_19_cmcaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_19_jupafa_breafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_19_wvaafx_lwdafx_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

Monday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP Mike Jones at home vs. Carolina (Marlins), 11:50 AM pre-game; 12:05 PM gametime Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: RHP Donovan Hand at home vs. Sarasota (Reds), 6:00 PM gametime Sorry, no audio for this series... West Virginia: RHP Roque Mercedes at Lakewood (Phillies), 5:20 PM pre-game, 5:35 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

Final: Lakewood (Phillies) 3, West Virginia 1 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER LOSE PITCHER'S DUEL IN LAKEWOOD The West Virginia Power and Lakewood BlueClaws combined to score just four runs on 12 hits in Sunday afternoon's game at First Energy Park but the BlueClaws used a pair of home runs to snap their six-game losing streak and came away with a 3-1 victory. Michael Taylor snapped a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run. It was his 10th of the season, second most in the South Atlantic League. West Virginia tied the game in the top of the seventh. Eric Fryer was on first base with two outs when Curt Rindal doubled off the left field wall to bring in Fryer. The BlueClaws took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth inning when Dennis Winn ripped a two-run homer with two outs and Lakewood never looked back. Sergio Escalona (1-1) allowed a run on two hits over two and a third innings of relief to get the victory and Jared Simon (4) tossed a scoreless ninth inning to get the save. Reed Dickert (0-1) allowed a pair of runs on two hits in the eighth inning and was tagged with the loss. Amaury Rivas was sensational for the Power. He allowed a run on four hits with four strikeouts over seven innings. He retired ten in a row at one point and he sat down 11 of the final 12 he faced. The Power fell to 16-25 with the loss and the BlueClaws improved to 20-23 with the win. Zelous Wheeler had the only multi-hit game for the Power, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and he reached three times in four trips. Caleb Gindl was the only other Power player to reach multiple times as he walked twice. The Power will finish their four game series against Lakewood Monday night. Right-hander Roque Mercedes (1-2, 6.55) will get the start for the Power and the BlueClaws will counter with left hander Jacob Diekman (0-3, 4.40). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM (5:35 Central). West Virginia Box Score Yee-hah for Amaury Rivas; Eric Farris (2-for-25) with an extremely slow start out of the gate; game was played in under two hours -- wow... West Virginia Game Log

Final: Brevard County 7, Sarasota (Reds) 4 Brevard County Site Game Summary: Manatees Bash Reds, 7-4 By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees Brevard County pounded the Sarasota Reds 7-4 Sunday evening, led by home runs from Lorenzo Cain and Jimmy Mojica. The Manatees struck quickly in the first inning, as Cain singled, stole a base, and scored on Taylor Green's sacrifice fly. Sarasota battled back to take a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning on Chris Heisey's two-run double to left field. The lead was short lived, as the Manatees took the lead back on Cain's two-run homer to left field. Brevard County broke the game open in the sixth inning, as Kenny Holmberg led off with a double, and then scored on an error. Later in the inning, Mojica hit a soaring three-run blast over the left field wall to put the Manatees ahead, 7-2. Josh Butler (1-4) earned his first win of the season, pitching seven strong innings while allowing just two runs on five hits. Rafael Gonzalez (2-3) was tagged for seven runs in five innings, taking the loss for the Reds. Shawn Ferguson stopped a small rally by the Reds in the ninth to earn his third save of the season. The two teams are both 22-21 after Sunday's game, and will battle again tomorrow in the second game of the four-game set. Donovan Hand (3-2, 2.10) will look to continue his solid season for the Manatees, facing Daniel Guerrero (2-2, 5.65) of the Reds. Game time is 7:00 PM (6:00 Central). Brevard County Box ScoreNice seven-inning stint for Josh Butler... Brevard County Game Log Josh Butler delivers a pitch during Brevard County's 7-4 win Sunday. (MiLB.com Photo by Dennis Greenblatt) http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2008/05/18/oqJjt22b.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Stuck in clutch Huntsville hitters leave 14 runners on base as Carolina clinches series By SKIP VAUGHN For The Huntsville Times, skip.vaughn@htimes.com The Huntsville Stars didn't have much fun on the field during Sunday's "Wet and Wild Day" promotion at Joe Davis Stadium. While staff members and youngsters enjoyed dousing each other with water guns in the stands, the Stars couldn't stay afloat against the Carolina Mudcats. The Stars lost 8-3 to Carolina before an announced crowd of 1,481, despite outhitting the Mudcats 14-13. Huntsville stranded 14 runners. "We just did not get big hits when we had the opportune time," Stars manager Don Money said. Huntsville (30-14) had to play catch-up from the outset. Carolina (25-19) scored three runs in the first inning, two in the third and two in the sixth. "We came out and were swinging the bats extremely well," Mudcats manager Matt Raleigh said. Matt LaPorta got the Stars on the board with his 11th home run in the sixth, a towering drive to left. He went 3-for-5 and scored twice. "It was a fastball inside and he left it over the plate a little too much and I got a good swing on it," LaPorta said. "They have a great pitching staff. They've been pitching great all week to me. "We just didn't get the run production we needed. We got our hits. We just didn't get them when we needed it. I mean I left guys on base. That can't happen with one out." Carolina starter Brett Sinkbeil (2-5) went 6 1/3 innings and allowed nine hits and one run with four strikeouts and no walks. He threw fastballs, a slider and a few changeups. He left with two runners on and one out in the seventh after throwing 101 pitches. "I was just able to keep the ball down in the zone," Sinkbeil said. "A lot of fastballs down, just mixed them in and out." Stars starter Brae Wright (1-5) went six innings and allowed 11 hits and seven runs, six earned. Huntsville scored two runs in the ninth off Mudcats reliever Carlos Martinez. The Stars, despite losing a series for only the second time this season, are still having a strong first half. "It's a very solid start," Money said. "Pitching for the most part has been well. Offensively we've been very good. Defensively we've been holding our own. It's all up and down the lineup - one through nine." The Stars face Carolina today at 12:05 p.m. in the series' fifth and final game. Right-hander Mike Jones will take the mound for the Stars against Mudcats right-hander Derrell McCall.

Final: Carolina (Marlins) 8, Huntsville 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Early Offense Sends Sinkbeil to Second Win Carolina Clinches Series Victory By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Brett Sinkbeil tossed 6 1/3 strong innings and Chris Coghlan missed hitting for the cycle by a triple in Carolina's 8-3 win Sunday afternoon in the fourth of a five-game set Joe Davis Stadium. The Mudcats clinched a series win with a third victory to improve to 25-19, while the Stars slipped to 30-14 and will lose a series for only the second time this season. The Mudcats moved to within five games of the North Division leaders, who saw their advantage over West Tenn trimmed to two and a half games. The visitors jumped on Stars' starter Brae Wright for three runs in the first inning on run-scoring hits by Coghlan and Gaby Sanchez and a sacrifice fly by Manuel Mayerson. The Stars put runners at second and third with two outs in the bottom of the inning but Mike Bell grounded out to end the threat. Carolina added to its lead with a pair of runs in the third on another Mayerson scoring fly ball and a Kris Harvey run-scoring hit. Cameron Maybin singled in a run and a throwing error by Guilder Rodriguez allowed another run to score in the sixth to extend the visitors' lead to 7-0. Wright was charged with seven runs, six earned, on 11 hits, while walking three and striking out three. He took the loss to fall to 1-5 and remains winless since his double-A debut on April 6. Huntsville finally got on the board in the home half of the sixth on a Matt LaPorta leadoff home run, his first long ball in 12 games and his first run batted in over the last eight games. Sinkbeil was taken out after yielding one-out singles to Michael Brantley and Alcides Escobar and replaced by Jacob Marceaux, who walked Mat Gamel on four pitches to load the bases. However, Marceaux worked out of trouble by fanning LaPorta and getting Bell to foul out. Sinkbeil allowed nine hits, struck out four and earned his first win since April 13 to improve to 2-5. Coghlan's homer, his second of the season, leading off in the ninth pushed the lead to 8-1 before the Stars scored twice in the ninth against Carlos Martinez. Huntsville totaled 14 hits and left a season-high 14 runners on base, including at least one in every inning. The series wraps up Monday afternoon with right-hander Mike Jones taking the mound for the Stars against Mudcats' right-hander Derrell McCall. Coverage of the game begins at 11:50 am 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 Guilder Rodriguez with two throwing errors from a very uncustomary left field; Angel Salome's first error of the season comes on a pickoff attempt -- it took a long time, his defense has been encouraging, at least statistically; it sure seems as though Chris Errecart's sore back was worth a seven-day DL stint, but that transaction never took place, still day-to-day... Huntsville Game Log

Sunday's Sounds Photo Gallery from the Tennessean

Link while active, text follows: Nunez watches game from different dugout By TYLER BLANK Tennessean Staff Writer Abraham Nunez had to make only a short walk to find his new team Sunday. It was just from one side of the field to the other. The Sounds released the infielder Saturday but he has signed with the Mets organization. Nunez, 32, passed his physical Sunday and will be activated by the Zephyrs today. He hit .210 with eight RBIs in 33 games for Nashville this season. Nunez was released to make room for outfielder Callix Crabbe, who was acquired from the Padres organization. Crabbe played 130 games for the Sounds last year and went 0-for-3 with two walks and two runs Sunday. Turnbow update: Former Franklin High pitcher Derrick Turnbow entered the game in the eighth inning with a 7-5 lead and worked his way into some trouble. The 2006 National League All-Star lasted just two-thirds of an inning, giving up one hit and two walks to load the bases. He also struck out one batter. "He's just had some mechanical issues he's been trying to iron out," Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said. "He was better than he has been the last couple of outings, but he was just missing some of them today." Erasmo Ramirez replaced Turnbow and got Jesus Feliciano to ground out to end the inning. Turnbow has appeared in the four games with the Sounds. He has pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and nine walks. First time for everything: Steve Sollmann hit his first career Triple-A home run Sunday in the fifth inning. "I got pretty lucky," Sollmann said. "He left it up in the zone and I got a good swing on it and it went a lot farther than most of the other balls I hit." Swinging well: Laynce Nix continued to hit well Sunday, going 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a strikeout. He has hit safely in 20 of his past 23 games. "It's just a matter of me being consistent and trying to do the same thing over and over," Nix said. "It's just consistency and concentration."

Link while active, text follows: Sounds heat up after rain Munson leads 7-run outburst following delay By TYLER BLANK Tennessean Staff Writer The Sounds didn't blame a three-run deficit on the rain. Instead, their offense just got hot. After a 36-minute rain delay in the third inning, Nashville scored seven runs over a four-inning stretch to capture an 8-5 win over New Orleans on Sunday afternoon at Greer Stadium. Eric Munson's two-out, bases loaded double in the sixth inning cleared the bases for the winning runs. "You can't say it did or didn't (help)," outfielder Laynce Nix said of the delay. "I just know we got some guys on and got some runs in." The Zephyrs' Victor Mendez hit a two-out, three run home run off Richie Gardner during a heavy rain shower just before the delay that gave New Orleans a 3-0 lead in the third inning. "It wasn't actually a bad pitch," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "It was down and the guy hit it the other way and the wind was blowing out." The game was delayed during the at-bat following Mendez's home run, Once play resumed, Gardner got Anderson Machado to ground out. Nix's bases-loaded single in the third brought in two runs but the Zephyrs countered with runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Nashville shortstop Adam Heether hit a solo home run off Willie Collazo in the fourth and second baseman Steve Sollmann hit his first Triple-A home run in the fifth to bring the Nashville within a run. "His (Collazo's) command suffered a little bit after the rain delay," Kremblas said. "He got some pitches up and we hit him pretty good." Munson's three-run hit gave the Sounds the lead for good. "We just kept pecking away. Our offense has come around and playing well right now," Nix said. Gardner allowed five runs on eight hits through five innings with four walks and four strikeouts. Tim Dillard (3-0) picked up the win with two innings of hitless ball. Nashville has won 11 of its past 16 games and took three of four from New Orleans. What they said: "We've got some guys that have been swinging the bats really well and we're just making good contact."- Sollmann

Final: Nashville 8, New Orleans (Mets) 5 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Eric Munson photo, text follows -- Sounds Take Series Finale From Zephyrs, 8-5 NASHVILLE - The Nashville Sounds wrapped up their series against New Orleans with an 8-5 victory on Sunday afternoon at Greer Stadium in the finale of a four-game series. Nashville (18-24) took three of four from the Zephyrs and stands only three games behind division-leading Memphis, which makes a visit to Music City beginning Monday. New Orleans right fielder Victor Mendez staked the visitors to a 3-0 advantage in the top of the third inning with a two-out, two-run home run to left off Sounds starter Richie Gardner. The roundtripper was his second of the season. Following a 36-minute rain delay, the Sounds rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the third against Zephyrs starter Willie Collazo. After Nashville loaded the bases on a pair of singles sandwiched around a fielding error by New Orleans third baseman Anderson Machado, Laynce Nix (2-for-5) delivered a two-run single to left to pull the Sounds within a run at 3-2. The Z's added another two-out run in the fourth to increase their cushion to 4-2. Argenis Reyes led off the inning with a walk and came around to score three batters later on a Jesus Feliciano double off the wall in right-center. Sounds shortstop Adam Heether reduced the deficit to one run in the bottom of the frame when he belted his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to left off Collazo. New Orleans catcher Gustavo Molina made it a 5-3 contest in the fifth when he blasted a 2-1 Gardner offering deep to left for a one-out solo shot, his third home run of the year. The exchange of runs continued in the bottom of the frame when Steve Sollmann blasted his first career Triple-A home run, a leadoff shot to left-center off Collazo. Eric Munson propelled the Sounds to their first lead of the afternoon in the sixth, when his two-out, three-run double greeted former Sound Nelson Figueroa and put the home team in front by a 7-5 count. Nashville had loaded the bases against Z's reliever Joselo Diaz on a Heether single and a pair of walks drawn by Crabbe and Sollmann. AUDIO: Munson Go-Ahead 3-Run Double Nashville tacked on an insurance run in unearned fashion in the eighth when Sollmann reached on a one-out walk then scored when Nix followed with a single to right that was mishandled by Mendez. Tim Dillard (3-0) worked two scoreless innings of relief for Nashville to earn the win. Luis Pena notched his sixth save by keeping New Orleans off the board in the ninth. Diaz (1-4) was saddled with the loss after being charged for three runs in his two-thirds of an inning of work. Gardner, who took a no-decision, allowed five runs on eight hits over five innings of work for Nashville. The Sounds continue their homestand by welcoming the cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds to town on Monday for the 6 p.m. opener of a four-game series. Left-hander Sam Narron (NR), who opened the year with a 6-1 record and 2.77 ERA in eight starts for Double-A Huntsville, will make his Sounds debut and face Memphis southpaw Jaime Garcia (1-0, 0.69). Nashville Box Score Steve Sollmann on base all four official trips, added a sacrifice; Callix Crabbe, your corner outfielder (both spots, but not at once, naturally -- that'd be something); Russell Branyan walks three times; Tim Dillard not stewing after being passed over for his big league call-up; Derrick Turnbow still very erratic; Luis Pena, as noted above, getting the job done... Nashville Game Log