Jim Goulart

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Link while active, text follows: Dazzling Double-A debut only drives LaPorta to produce over full season By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times When Huntsville hitting coach Sandy Guerrero watches right fielder Matt LaPorta at the plate, he doesn't see the second coming of Ryan Braun. It's when he examines LaPorta's handprints all over the best lineup in the Southern League that he notices similarities. "He has a tremendous impact on the team, just like Brauny did," Guerrero said. "LaPorta's a guy who you have to be careful with at any time. His impact is not just seen in the numbers. The impact he has on the lineup is tremendous." Though he isn't the best pure hitter on the roster - that distinction belongs to third baseman Mat Gamel - the run-producing impact of LaPorta is greater than what Braun generated during his Huntsville stint in 2006. LaPorta's numbers through his first 35 games at Double-A were better than those of Braun, the University of Miami product who zoomed through the farm system and became the 2007 National League Rookie of the Year. Braun hit .309 during his first 35 games with Huntsville, with seven home runs, 11 doubles, 17 RBIs and 25 runs. LaPorta batted .333 with 10 homers, 12 doubles, 38 RBIs and 28 runs scored - attention-grabbing stats even if they are bolstered by a better supporting cast than Braun enjoyed. "It's hard to put numbers to numbers because you have two different kinds of clubs," Stars manager Don Money said. "They hit at different spots in the order, and with this team, you've got (Michael) Brantley and Gamel hitting very well, so you know there are going to be runners on base. "I don't look at numbers like that because of the way the guys in front of him are hitting. But you can't take anything away from LaPorta, either. He's knocking them in." In 2006, Huntsville owned the league's worst first-half record, but following the promotion of Braun and pitcher Yovani Gallardo in June, the Stars made a run that finished in the playoffs. Huntsville averaged 4.5 runs per game that year - 5 runs after Braun came aboard. This year's Stars average 6.2 runs and are hitting 41 percentage points higher as a team than the '06 squad. Plus, LaPorta bats cleanup with more RBI chances than Braun, who was used primarily in the No. 3 hole. Money said Braun was the more polished hitter during his Double-A stint, noting that Braun arrived in Huntsville with 305 more minor-league at-bats than LaPorta, a first-round draft pick out of the University of Florida who's in his first full professional season. "You've got to give anybody time," Money said. That's exactly what the Milwaukee front office is trying to do. LaPorta is just 23, so the Brewers don't want to get caught up in his 35-game onslaught. "I think we have to have some patience with him and not rush him at this point," said Dan O'Brien, Milwaukee's assistant to the general manager/baseball operations, who was in town to watch the Stars last week. "When he's ready to be promoted, his performance will dictate that." While coaches like LaPorta's knowledge of the strike zone - he has 18 walks and only 21 strikeouts - they said he has not learned to use the entire field. Guerrero said LaPorta is more of a power-alleys hitter, while Braun took more shots at the opposite field. Also, there are holes in LaPorta's defense. In his first season playing right field, he has struggled with angles on fly balls. Braun's defensive inefficiencies at third base - 26 errors in Milwaukee last year - landed him in left field this season. LaPorta said he is just trying to work on the day-to-day things to improve, realizing he's a long way from being major-league ready defensively. He also said he's cognizant that a month-long slump can undo the grand numbers posted so far. "It's fantastic that the organization thinks highly of me, but I've only played (35) games, and it's a 142-game season," he said. "I try not to compare myself to anybody because that's when you get in trouble. There are not many players in this game able to hit the ball like (Braun) can. I'm just trying to be me." Though some fans have ticketed LaPorta for fast promotion to Triple-A Nashville and even the majors, Guerrero cautioned patience. "Braun's already shown he can hit in the big leagues," Guerrero said. "LaPorta has just shown signs of being capable of hitting in the big leagues."

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Another Veal Meal Blustery winds blowing in from the north at 30 mph kept the crowd down at Smokies Park, customarily cool given its geographical nature, but definitely blew in the Stars' favor this cool 63° afternoon...... By the time the game ended, the temperature had plunged to an unseasonable 52° What more can you ask for?........ Coming into the game, the Stars had won 14 of their last 17 games and here they are facing Donnie Veal again........ On July 19 of last year, Veal became the 7th pitcher to lose four times to the Stars in a season -- five when you include a Game Four 6-0 loss on Lindsay Gulin's three-hitter....... Of the four-game losers during the regular season, Veal had he worst ERA (10.38). Add the playoffs and this loss and you have this line for Veal in six straight losses against the Stars: [align=center] IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA 21 2/3 32 21 20 21 21 3 8.31 [/align] By the 3rd inning, Veal had already thrown 40 pitches........ Derek Miller, a 47th round draft pick in 2003, is now 10-3 with a 2.95 ERA in 19 starts since joining the Stars last year...... He gave up all five hits to the Smokies, before Patrick Ryan came in in the 6th and extended his string of scoreless innings since the start of the season to 18 1/3 innings. That's the longest for a Stars reliever since Joe Klink started the 1988 season with 16 scoreless innings. That's still short of the club record of 23 (without allowing an earned run) by Luis Martinez. Luis was unscored upon in his first four starts of the 2003 season, going 21 2/3 innings without having a run scored against him at all until a fielding error in his 5th start by Corey Hart on a double-steal by Birmingham broke the string...... Melqui Torres and Robert Hinton followed with scoreless innings to close the game. Chris Errecart gave the Stars a 2-0 jump in the 2nd inning with a wind-assisted home run onto the grassy berm area in right field with Cole Gillespie aboard. Gillespie had reached on a leadoff single....... Then it was Gillespie's turn in the 3rd inning, sending another wind-blown fly ball over the centerfield wall out of the park on a 3-1 pitch for a three-run HR for a 5-0 lead...... All five runs came with two outs. The win makes Don Money two wins shy of tying him with Brad Fischer as the winningest manager in Stars history. See the standings link for details. Monday, the Stars send lefty David Welch (4-1, 4.12) to the mound against Mark Holliman, who was sent down from Iowa (PCL) last Tuesday...... Holliman pitched a seven-inning no-hitter last year (June 21) against the Stars, then lost his next two starts against the Stars, giving up a combined nine runs in 13 innings before winning Game 1 of the Northern Division playoffs, 6-3. The Stars have won 14 of their last 17 games -- a team ERA of 3.79 that ranks 6th and a team batting average that has 2nd place West Tennessee beat by almost a quarter-point........ Huntsville's defense is the weakest in four years, but they're still 4th with a .976 percentage. Mat Gamel leads in errors (10), but it's still fewer than what he had at the end of April 2007 at Brevard County (11). Alcides Escobar leads Southern League shortstops in assists (107) and is tied for 2nd in double plays with Mark Kiger of the Diamond Jaxx. Sam Narron leads SL pitchers in fielding with Birmingham's Clayton Richard. Mike Bell is 13-for-28 (.464) while working on an eight-game hitting streak after starting the month 2-for-12. He's already hit more doubles in 10 games this month than all of April.......Cole Gillespie is on a nine-game hitting streak (13-for-36), raising his average from .235 to .273. He's scored 10 times during the streak and driven in eight...... Michael Brantley is hitting .289 for May after finished April at .348...... Alcides Escobar put an end to a 2-for-18 slump with his first four-hit game of the season. It's his first four-hit game since going 5-for-5 last year (August 16) vs. West Tennessee....... Matt LaPorta is hitting .390 this month after finishing April at .299...... Chris Errecart is hitting .447 in May, while walking just once this month in 40 plate appearances....... Angel Salome has brushed off the inactivity of a suspension and has gone on a six-game tear, going 14-for-20 (.700), raising his average from .288 to .403. Five of his six games have been multi-hit.

Final: Huntsville 7, Tennessee (Cubs) 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Stars Score Early, Bullpen Does the Rest HOMERS HELP CARRY HUNTSVILLE TO ANOTHER WIN By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Chris Errecart and Cole Gillespie hit home runs early on and the bullpen threw four scoreless frames to preserve Huntsville's 7-2 win over Tennessee in windy, rainy and cold conditions Sunday evening in the second of a five-game set at Smokies' Park. The Stars improved to 26-11 overall and climbed over the break even mark, at 9-8, for the first time this season on the road to move three games in front of West Tenn in the North Division, while the Smokies fell to 15-22. Huntsville has totaled 15 hits in each of the first two games of the series and has now gathered at least ten hits in a game 20 times. Errecart hit a wind-aided home run to right field in the second inning to give the Stars a 2-0 lead. It was his fourth of the season and hit into winds ranging anywhere from 25 to 45 miles per hour. Gillespie's three-run home run with two outs in the third pushed the visitors' advantage to 5-0. It was his sixth of the season and second in the last three games. Stars' starter Derek Miller stranded runners at the corners with one out in the second before Tennessee rallied for a pair of runs in the home half of third. Jake Fox and Ryan Harvey delivered back-to-back run-scoring hits with two outs to trim the lead to 5-2. The Stars loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth on singles by Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel and a walk to Matt LaPorta but starter Donnie Veal battled back to fan Gillespie and Errecart and was then taken out of the game. Tanner Watson came on to get Mike Bell to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning. Veal was charged with the loss after allowing five runs, two earned, on eight hits and two walks. The highly-touted left-hander has lost all five of his starts against Huntsville dating back to last season and has allowed 21 runs, 17 earned, over 17 2/3 innings. Michael Brantley and Escobar added run-producing hits in the sixth against Watson to close the scoring. Miller was removed after five innings and earned his fourth win of the season after giving up two runs on five hits, while walking three and striking out five. Patrick Ryan tossed two shutout frames to extend his scoreless innings streak to 18 2/3 and was followed to the hill by Melqui Torres and Robert Hinton, who each threw a scoreless frame. The game time temperature dropped from the upper 60's to 52 degrees by the time the game ended. The series continues Monday night with left-hander David Welch taking the mound against Smokies' right-hander Mark Holliman. Coverage of the game begins at 6:00 pm central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com and www.730ump.com. Huntsville Box Score Alcides Escobar was 2-for-22 prior to his four-hit game here; if Angel Salome is doing his best Geovany Soto impression in two years, we'll all be quite pleased; batters are hitting .102 against Patrick Ryan, and he's getting 3.5 ground ball outs for every out in the air -- LH batters are 1-for-29 against the righty; Derek Miller never dominant, just always very solid... Huntsville Game Log

Final: Nashville 7, Las Vegas (Dodgers) 5, 13 innings Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Brad Nelson photo, text follows -- Sounds Rally From Five Down, Beat 51s In 13 LAS VEGAS - The Nashville Sounds scored a pair of runs in the top of the 13th inning to score a dramatic 7-5 victory over the Las Vegas 51s on Sunday afternoon at Cashman Field in the club's longest game of the season. Mel Stocker led off the thirteenth with a single against 51s reliever Mike Koplove, who had allowed only two runs in 20 1/3 innings on the year before Sunday's game. After a Tim Dillard sacrifice bunt, Steve Sollmann drew a walk before Stocker stole third base, his fifth swipe of the year. Laynce Nix followed with a fielder's choice RBI groundout that plated Stocker with the go-ahead run. Brad Nelson provided the Sounds with some breathing room when he stepped into the box and delivered an RBI double to center that brought home Nix from first. It was the first baseman's second big hit of the day after tying the contest with a ninth-inning triple. Nashville (14-22) rallied from a five-run deficit in the game, including scoring a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning to send the contest to extra frames. The win was the Sounds' first in their last 77 games in which they trailed entering the ninth inning, dating back to a victory on July 25, 2006 against Colorado Springs. Sounds relievers were outstanding in the game as four hurlers combined for 8 1/3 scoreless innings behind starter Jeff Weaver, including a solid 3 1/3 inning outing by lefty Zach Jackson. Dillard (2-0) picked up the win following three scoreless frames and Erasmo Ramirez retired the 51s in order in the bottom of the 13th to notch his first save in his first opportunity of the year. The 51s took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning without the benefit of a hit. Weaver walked the first three batters of the frame to load the bases. The veteran limited the damage sustained, however, allowing only a John-Ford Griffin sacrifice fly before striking out catcher Kelly Gulledge and pitcher Jason Johnson to escape the jam with only one run crossing home. Las Vegas increased its advantage to 5-0 in the fifth with four two-out runs off Weaver. After Johnson and Luis Maza each singled, Terry Tiffee drove in both runners with his 20th double of the season, which extended his hitting streak to 18 games. 51s third baseman Andy LaRoche followed by chasing Weaver with his second home run in two games against Sounds pitching, a two-run shot to left that was his fourth roundtripper of the year. Russell Branyan put the Sounds on the board in the top of the sixth inning with a two-run homer to right off Johnson, the veteran's team-leading eighth longball of the year. Nix, who drew an inning-opening walk, scored on the blast, which chased Johnson from the contest. Brendan Katin pulled the visitors within 5-3 later in the inning when he slugged a two-out solo homer to left-center off 51s reliever Dwayne Pollok, the outfielder's sixth tater of the season. The Sounds rallied to tie the score in the top of the ninth with a pair of two-out runs against Las Vegas closer Brian Falkenborg, who suffered his third blown save of the year. Pinch-hitter Abraham Nunez led off with a single and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches before scoring on a Sollmann sacrifice fly. Nix followed with a single to right to extend his hitting streak to a season-best six games, then moved into scoring position on Falkenborg's third wild pitch of the inning. Nelson made it a 5-5 game when he ripped a 3-1 offering to center for an RBI triple, his first three-bagger of the year. AUDIO: Brad Nelson Game-Tying Triple Sounds reliever Luis Pena worked into and out of trouble in the bottom of the frame to push the contest to extras. After walking Gulledge to open the inning, catcher Eric Munson committed a pair of passed balls to move the potential winning run to third with two down before Pena fanned Xavier Paul for the final out. Nashville missed a chance to take its first lead of the afternoon in the tenth when they placed runners on second and third with two outs via Adam Heether and Hernan Iribarren walks and stolen bases before 51s reliever Greg Jones induced an inning-ending grounder from Sollmann. Dillard kept the Sounds in it in the bottom of the tenth, working out of a one-out bases loaded jam unscathed. After Tiffee led off with his second double of the contest, intentional walks to LaRoche and Jason Repko sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt filled the bags. Dillard induced a shallow flyout to center from Griffin before punching out Gulledge on a 2-2 offering to escape the jam. Weaver took a no-decision in his third start for Nashville after surrendering five runs on four hits while walking four and striking out six batters in 4 2/3 innings of action. He left on the short end of a 5-0 deficit before the Sounds rallied to tie the contest in the ninth. The teams continue the series with a 9:05 p.m. CT matinee on Monday evening. Left-hander Chris Narveson (2-4, 4.50), a winner in each of his last two starts, will man the bump for the Sounds to face right-hander Jon Meloan (2-3, 4.11). Nashville Box Score Tim Dillard continues to impress and is a real option for the Brewers' now mixed-up middle/long relief situation; coming into the game, Russell Branyan was 6th in the PCL in OPS with his 1.069 mark, Brad Nelson was 23rd at .925 -- love the PCL, huh? Brad probably moved up a few notches after this one; 51's catcher Kelly Gulledge was briefly Brewer property in the spring of 2005 but never played in a game for the organization -- he's toiled in the independent ranks the past three years; if you like lots of lines in your box score, then this one's for you... Nashville Game Log

The Padres have optioned Joe Thatcher to AAA... This article from last week discussed Joe's troubles.

Check out the batting averages between the two teams in the pre-game lineups just posted in the Huntsville - Tennessee box score -- but, you still have to play the game, we'll see... Russell Branyan goes deep again in Vegas -- so tempting...

West Virginia Press Release: Today's game between the Power and Hagerstown Suns has been cancelled because of rain. The game will not be made up because the two teams do not meet again in the first half of the season. West Virginia is in action against the Lake County Captains at Appalachian Power Park on Monday night. Right-hander Rob Bryson (0-1, 5.40) will be on the mound for the Power and the Captains will counter with left-hander Ryan Miller (5-0, 1.09). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). If the game had been played, it was Eric Farris at 2B, Zelous Wheeler at 3B, and Steffan Wilson at DH today.

Potentially very promising second base prospect Eric Farris has been activated off the disabled list at West Virginia, and is in the starting lineup for Sunday's game (start delayed by rain). EDIT: Game rained out Soon-to-be 20-year-old Dominican RHP Pedro Lambertus was sent to extended spring training to make room for Farris.

Thanks for that last post, Ebba. First-hand accounts are always so valuable to us. On Saturday night, Will Inman lowered his ERA to 1.85 as he pitched 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing only two hits and walking three. He struck out seven. Box Score Reeling Missions shut out Midland Inman's pitching, offensive resurgence fuel much-needed win By Matt Muench Special to the San Antonio Express-News Will Inman was just what the Missions needed. The crafty right-hander helped pick up a reeling Missions squad by pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings Friday night at Wolff Stadium, leading the way to a 5-0 victory over Midland in front of 5,011 fans. "We definitely had to have this," manager Bill Masse said. "Anytime a team throws a shutout it makes the manager look real smart. "Inman did a nice job. He really competes." Inman was on cruise control all night before he was pulled with one out in the sixth after reaching his pitch limit. His curveball was moving, and his fastball was zipping as he scattered two hits while striking out seven against a Midland lineup that scored 20 runs the two previous nights. "He is the type of pitcher every catcher wants to catch," Missions catcher Jose Lobaton said. "He throws strikes, and he is not afraid to throw any of his pitches no matter the count." The Missions' offense came through, too. Kyle Blanks, Mike Baxter, Drew Macias and Lobaton each had two hits to lead an offense that pounded 11 hits after struggling the past 10 days. "This is a great, great win," said Macias, who reached base four times. "It is funny how things turn out when the pitchers pitch well and the hitters hit." Lobaton got the offense rolling in the second with a solo homer to right field, his first of the season. "I hit it pretty hard didn't I?" he said. Then one inning later the Missions (16-19) extended the lead by taking advantage of Midland starter Henry Rodriquez's control problems. Rodriguez (1-3) walked the first three batters, and when he found the strike zone, Missions hitters didn't miss. It led to three consecutive singles by Blanks, Baxter and Seth Johnston to put the Missions ahead 4-0. Lobaton added an RBI single in the fifth. "See what happens when you get ahead early," Masse said. "It makes things a lot easier, especially with Inman on the mound." The lead was all Inman needed, and Greg Burke provided solid relief to help shut the door on Midland (20-16) with four strikeouts. Neil Jameson pitched a perfect ninth to finish the job.

According to the Nashville media notes, catcher J.R. Hopf has been transferred to the Helena roster, which is a way of saying he's been sent back to extended spring training. This was done because Laynce Nix returned to the club after bereavement (Temporary Inactive) leave.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Omaha 17 16 .515 - 11-7 6-9 W1 Iowa 16 18 .471 1.5 9-9 7-9 W3 Memphis 17 20 .459 2.0 6-10 11-10 W1 Nashville 13 22 .371 5.0 7-8 6-14 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 25 11 .694 - 17-3 8-8 W2 West Tenn 23 13 .639 2.0 11-4 12-9 L1 Carolina 20 16 .556 5.0 9-7 11-9 L1 Chattanooga 19 17 .528 6.0 11-9 8-8 W1 Tennessee 15 21 .417 10.0 6-10 9-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 22 14 .611 - 15-7 7-7 W1 Brevard County 18 18 .500 4.0 10-8 8-10 W1 Jupiter 18 18 .500 4.0 11-3 7-15 W2 Daytona 17 19 .472 5.0 6-8 11-11 L1 Vero Beach 16 20 .444 6.0 11-7 5-13 L1 St. Lucie 8 27 .229 13.5 5-16 3-11 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 22 13 .629 - 9-8 13-5 W5 Delmarva 20 15 .571 2.0 12-8 8-7 L1 Greensboro 18 17 .514 4.0 5-12 13-5 L3 Lakewood 18 17 .514 4.0 10-10 8-7 W2 Hagerstown 16 19 .457 6.0 6-10 10-9 L1 Hickory 16 21 .432 7.0 7-12 9-9 L2 West Virginia 14 21 .400 8.0 7-10 7-11 W1 Lexington 11 24 .314 11.0 4-13 7-11 W1

Southern League Attendance Figures Changing the Climate in Huntsville On a separate note, here's the latest from David Weiser at www.starsboxscore.com Gamel and LaPorta vs. Steinbach-McGwire The Huntsville Stars added another game lead over the Diamond Jaxx in very convincing fashion....... West Tennessee, after losing 3 of their last 4 (Saturday night to Birmingham), falls now two games in back of the Stars........ Steve Hammond won his 5th game, tying him with teammate Sam Narron for the league lead in wins and struck out 10....... Hammond had struck out nine a number of times since coming to the Stars in 2006, but never hopped over that double-figure wall until tonight........ Hammond also leads the Southern League in strikeouts with 55 in 45 2/3 innings....... Combined with a 2.96 ERA, he has regrouped with a vengeance after last year. After eight appearances, he was 3-5 with a 6.28 ERA and 33 Ks in 38 innings. In 2006, he was 3-4 after eight starts with a sparkling 2.23 ERA and 37 Ks in 48 2/3 innings........ He's 27th among the Brewers top 30 prospects and 25th (up seven spots) on Brewerfan.net's Power 50. This is a juggernaut of a team that if they can manage to stay on this wild pace, fans will remember this team as one of the greatest, perhaps THE greatest Stars team in history. We shall see. Their success is only as good as the final game of the Southern League Championship........ As for me, I'm starting to draw comparisons away from the legendary 1997 team with its murderer's row lineup that consisted of Mike Neill, Ben Grieve, D.J. Cromer, and the late Mike Coolbaugh in the middle, and toward the 1986 team. Perhaps because they lost the championship to Columbus that year, or came in the shadow of the first team which starred Jose Canseco, and eventually won the championship in storybook fashion, no one really gives them their due. But this team was hitting .310 as late as May 17 -- 40 games into the season........ The current incarnation, after 36 games, is hitting .302. Still, after 36 games, the Stars play back seat to the 1985 and 1986 Stars in a handful of the most important categories -- except for the all-important W-L record. [align=center] AFTER 36 GAMES Avg. Hits ERA* HR W-L 1985 .276 318 3.02 47 22-14 1986 .308 328 4.39 26 22-14 1997 .270 323 4.76 43 20-16 2008 .303 287 3.53 35 25-11 * after 30 games [/align] One big reason for the Stars' success is the impact Mat Gamel and Matt LaPorta have made in the lineup...... Gamel, on his present course, is a shoo-in for league MVP. He has now taken over the batting leadership with a .375 average, leads in hits, and is 2nd in home runs and RBIs. He has 17 multi-hit games of the 36 he's played and is hitting .366 this month after hitting .379 in April with a club-record 39 hits including a record five triples...... Ironically, he was taken out of the game by manager Don Money to give Ryan Crew some playing time. He was a triple short of hitting for the cycle...... LaPorta, the most often used #4 hitter in the lineup, leads the league in HRs (10), RBIs (38), and slugging (.688), and is 6th among batting leaders....... Together, they are an explosive force in the lineup and together they have been the #3 and #4 hitter in 29 games, hitting a combined .357 with 16 HRs and 60 RBIs...... The most often used 3-4 combination on the 1986 team -- Terry Steinbach and Mark McGwire -- hit .337 in their first 35 games, hitting seven HRs and driving in 56. Another case for calling this team the greatest in club history, but again, we shall see what develops. The Stars were on another rampage tonight, scoring 12 runs on 12 hits in the first four innings off Jeff Samardzija and Matt Avery...... That's the 9th time this season they have scored 10 or more runs in a game. The 1986 team, at the same point during the season, had 10 such games........ Samardzija, who signed with the Cubs for a $10 million bonus, walked Michael Brantley to lead off the first, none of the pitches coming close to the strike zone.... After Alcides Escobar, now with two hits in his last 22 at-bats, lined out, Gamel drove a ball off the wall in right field for a double, scoring Brantley...... Just four batters into the game, the Stars were off to a 2-0 start after Jake Fox tried to make a sliding catch on a liner by Matt LaPorta held up with a single, but it scored Gamel, who leads the SL in runs scored. In the 2nd inning, Michael Bell walked on four pitches to lead off the inning. Angel Salome followed after falling behind 1-and-2....... Hammond failed to move up the runners, but a passed ball moved the runners into scoring position........ Michael Brantley sliced a double to center, scoring both hitters, making the score 4-0........ Skipping to the 3rd inning...... For the 3rd straight inning, Samardzija walked the leadoff hitter, this time Cole Gillespie, who stole 2nd with a count of 1-0 on Michael Bell...... Bell on a full count, then hammered a fly ball over the head of Tyler Colvin off the base of the center field wall, scoring Gillespie to make it 6-0...... Angel Salome cracked a single to left scoring Bell to make it 7-0, and you knew it was a cakewalk...... Samardzija was taken out after 69 pitches. His previous shortest outing was 3 innings in a loss to the Diamond Jaxx on April 25.

Final: Las Vegas (Dodgers) 7, Nashville 2 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Laynce Nix photo while active, text follows -- 51s Defeat Sounds In Series Opener, 7-2 LAS VEGAS - The Las Vegas 51s scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to hang a 7-2 defeat on the Nashville Sounds on Saturday evening at Cashman Field in the opener of a four-game series. The Sounds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Hernan Iribarren (3-for-4) opened the contest with a second, moved to second on a Miguel Pinango wild pitch, and scored on Laynce Nix's RBI single. Nashville doubled its lead in the third on a two-out Russell Branyan RBI double that plated Abraham Nunez. The two-bagger was the veteran's team-leading 11th of the year. AUDIO: Russell Branyan RBI Double The 51s tied the contest at 2-2 in the bottom of the third when a pair of runs scored on Terry Tiffee's bases-loaded fielder's choice grounder off Lindsay Gulin. Neither team scored again until the home half of the seventh, when Las Vegas plated five runs against Sounds reliever Ben Howard to take a 7-2 lead. Three of the runs came on an Andy LaRoche home run to left-center, the third baseman's third longball of the season. Pinango (2-2) picked up the victory with a quality start for the 51s. The right-hander allowed two runs on seven hits over seven innings of work. Howard (1-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs in his 1 1/3 frames. Sounds first baseman Brad Nelson went 0-for-4 on the evening, bringing an end to his season-best nine-game hitting streak. The teams continue the series with a 2:05 p.m. CT matinee on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Jeff Weaver (1-1, 3.75) makes his third start for Nashville. Las Vegas will counter with right-hander Jason Johnson (4-2, 5.45). Nashville Box Score With Laynce Nix back after bereavement leave, a roster move had to be made, and it appears, according to the MiLB.com roster page, that catcher J.R. Hopf may be the odd man out -- we'll learn more this afternoon and will update the transaction thread as needed; Hernan Iribarren is 11-for-his-last-22... Nashville Game Log

Reliever Ben Howard just turned a 2-2 Nashville game into a 6-2 deficit in the 7th -- details on the final in the AM...

Follow Sunday'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_11_nasaaa_lvgaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_11_hunaax_tenaax_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_11_hagafx_wvaafx_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

Sunday's Daily Menu: Mom, this menu's our treat... All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Jeff Weaver at Las Vegas (Dodgers), 1:50 PM pre-game; 2:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Derek Miller at Tennessee (Cubs), 3:45 PM pre-game; 4:00 gametime Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: Idle West Virginia: RHP Rob Bryson at home vs. Hagerstown (Nationals), 12:50 PM pre-game, 1:05 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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Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Manager Frank Kremblas

Final, completion of suspended game: Hagerstown (Nationals) 9, West Virginia 0 Final, regularly scheduled game: West Virginia 5, Hagerstown 4 West Virginia Site Doubleheader Summary: POWER AND SUNS SPLIT The Hagerstown Suns shut the West Virginia Power out 9-0 in the first half of Saturday night's double header at Appalachian Power Park but the Power answered with a come from behind 5-4 victory in the second contest to split the double dip. Bill Rhinehart's RBI single gave the Suns a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one. Boomer Whiting and Dan Lyons ripped back-to-back RBI singles in the second to make it a 3-0 game before Aaron Seuss hit a solo homer in the third to put the Suns up by four. Hagerstown plated five runs in the fifth to pull away. Stephen King tripled in the first run and scored later in the inning when Whiting was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Lyons singled in the next run and Rhinehart capped the five run frame with a two-run double. The Suns were able to draw first blood in the second game in the top of the first when Michael Burgess reached on a fielder's choice to score Lyons. The Power took the lead in the bottom of the inning on RBI doubles from Brent Brewer and Zelous Wheeler. It didn't take long for the Suns to respond as they plated a pair of runs in the second to regain the lead on back-to-back run scoring singles from Lyons and Rhinehart. Hagerstown took a two-run lead in the fourth when Whiting hit a solo home run. The Power began their comeback in the fourth inning on run-scoring singles from Eric Fryer and Brent Brewer. With the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Steffan Wilson crushed a 1-0 pitch off of Kyle Gunderson, sending it over the wall in left field for his sixth home run of the season to put the Power ahead for good. In game one Erik Arnesen (2-0) tossed four scoreless innings of relief to get the victory and Dan Merklinger (0-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on five hits over two innings. Mike Ramlow (2-1) earned the victory in game two, holding the Suns scoreless through three innings of relief. Gunderson (0-1) was tagged with the loss. After the split West Virginia is 14-21 and the Suns are 16-19. West Virginia had no extra base hits in the first game. Lee Haydel, Brewer and Caleb Gindl paced the Power with two hits apiece in the second game. The Power will finish their four game series with Hagerstown Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Rob Bryson (0-1, 5.40) will get the start for the Power and the Suns will counter with right-hander Colton Willems (1-1, 4.39). The first pitch is scheduled for 2:05 PM (1:05 Central). West Virginia Game One Box Score Dan Merklinger, Nick Tyson and Jose Garcia all struggled on the mound; two outfield assists for left fielder Scott Houin... West Virginia Game One Game Log West Virginia Game Two Box Score Sixth HR for Steffan Wilson a big one -- if you're wondering, he's tied for 8th in the league, leader has nine; Lee Haydel stole three bases in the two games combined, and is now 17-for-24 on the season; Brent Brewer on base three times; Caleb Gindl two hits, including a double; R.J. Seidel has allowed 45 hits and walks combined in 28.1 IP; yeah, lefty Mike Ramlow is ready for Brevard County when the call comes... West Virginia Game Two Game Log

Final: Brevard County 5, Tampa (Yankees) 1 Brevard County Site Game Summary: Manatees sacrifice their way to victory By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees Teamwork was the key for the Brevard County Manatees Saturday night, as their four sacrifice flies propelled them to a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Yankees. The win ended long streaks for both teams, as the Manatees broke their five-game losing streak, while ending Tampa's winning streak at nine. Anderson De La Rosa, Lorenzo Cain, Kenny Holmberg, and Stephen Chapman each contributed a sacrifice fly in the game, while Taylor Green drove in the other run with the second of his two doubles in the game. The Manatees were helped by a strong pitching performance, led by John Axford, who allowed just two hits in his five innings of work and an unearned run. He improved to 2-2 with the win. Casey Baron and Omar Aguilar were solid out of the bullpen, combining for four scoreless innings and allowing just three hits. Grant Duff (1-2) took the loss for the Yankees, allowing two runs in four innings of work. With the win, the Manatees climbed back to .500 at 18-18, and remain tied with Jupiter for second place in the FSL East. The loss drops Tampa to 22-14, a half-game back in the FSL West. The Manatees will have a day off tomorrow to celebrate Mother's Day, and then head to Daytona for two games beginning Monday. They return to Space Coast Stadium on Wednesday to play one game with Daytona, finishing the series, and begin their eight-game homestand. Brevard County Box ScoreMust have been sweet for former Yankee farmhand John Axford to pitch so well against his old organization; Omar Aguilar allows a one-out single, but gets three ground ball outs to end things; Taylor Green up to nine doubles now, his third multi-hit game in the last four; Casey Baron's a 23-year-old 6'2" lefty doing some nice things in middle relief... Brevard County Game Log

Huntsville Pre-Game Audio Interview with Minor League Infield Coordinator Garth Iorg Make sure you're pointing to the WUMP audio archive of May 10th, go to the 30:00 minute mark -- Discussion focuses on the left side of the infield, namely Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel, also Chris Errecart transitioning from the outfield to first base, and Iorg confirms that Michael Brantley projects best in center field -- and don't forget the love for "future coach" Guilder Rodriguez, nice interview...

It's official -- Brian may as well just change the top-of-page banners now -- we are StarFan.net (as in Huntsville). Final: Huntsville 15, Tennessee (Cubs) 1 Huntsville Press Release: Stars Subdue Smokies in Series Opener ANOTHER HUGE OFFENSIVE NIGHT FOR HUNTSVILLE Steve Hammond worked 6 1/3 strong innings and Mat Gamel drove in four runs while coming up a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in Huntsville's 15-1 win over Tennessee Saturday night in the opener of a five-game series at Smokies Park. The Stars improved to 25-11 overall and 8-8 on the road and moved two games in front of West Tenn in the North Division, while the Smokies fell to 15-21. Huntsville has now scored 10 or more runs in a game nine times and, after collecting 15 more hits, have gathered at least ten hits in a game 19 times. Michael Brantley led off the game with a walk from Jeff Samardzija and scored one out later on a double by Gamel, who then scored on a base hit by Matt LaPorta. The highly-touted Cubs right-hander walked Mike Bell and Angel Salome to open the second inning and both scored on a double by Brantley, who then scored on a two-out single by Gamel to make it 5-0. Bell singled in Cole Gillespie and then scored on a Salome double in the third to increase the lead to 7-0. Samardzija retired Hammond on a fly ball for the second out of the inning and was taken out of the game and charged with the loss after yielding six earned runs on six hits and four walks, while fanning two. It was his shortest start of the year and dropped his record to 3-3. The visitors blew the game open with five runs in the fourth against Matt Avery and tacked on three more runs in the eighth against Greg Reinhard in their highest scoring game of the season. Bell singled, doubled, walked twice, scored twice and drove in three, while Salome singled and doubled and knocked in three and Chris Errecart added two run-scoring singles and scored twice. Every Stars position player had at least one hit and scored one time. Hammond blanked the home side through six innings on only two hits before running into a bit of trouble in the seventh. He was lifted after two singles and a walk loaded the bases and was replaced by E.J. Shanks, who walked Chris Robinson on four pitches to force in the Smokies' lone run. He then induced pinch-hitter Doug Deeds to ground into an inning ending double play. Hammond gave up a run on four hits, walked three and struck out 10 to push his league-leading total to 55. The southpaw earned his fifth win of the season, something he did not do last year until July 14 at Chattanooga. Shanks finished with 2 2/3 scoreless, hitless frames, walking three and recording one strikeout. The series continues Sunday afternoon with left-hander Derek Miller taking the mound against Smokies' southpaw Donald Veal. Coverage of the game begins at 3:45 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 Mat Gamel was removed after four AB's to get Ryan crew some work; last year, Steve Hammond struck out only 109 in 142 innings -- this year he has struck out 55 in 45 2/3 innings; keep in mind Hammond is always the first to pitch in every Huntsville series with the Southern League schedule as it is, so he never gets the benefit of scouting the opponent... Huntsville Game Log

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Omaha 17 16 .515 - 11-7 6-9 W1 Iowa 16 18 .471 1.5 9-9 7-9 W3 Memphis 16 20 .444 2.5 6-10 10-10 L1 Nashville 13 21 .382 4.5 7-8 6-13 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 24 11 .686 - 17-3 7-8 W1 West Tenn 23 12 .657 1.0 11-4 12-8 W1 Carolina 20 15 .571 4.0 9-6 11-9 W1 Chattanooga 18 17 .514 6.0 11-9 7-8 L3 Tennessee 15 20 .429 9.0 6-9 9-11 W3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 21 14 .600 - 14-7 7-7 L1 Brevard County 17 18 .486 4.0 9-8 8-10 L5 Daytona 17 18 .486 4.0 6-8 11-10 W1 Jupiter 17 18 .486 4.0 11-3 6-15 W1 Vero Beach 16 19 .457 5.0 11-7 5-12 W1 St. Lucie 8 26 .235 12.5 5-15 3-11 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 21 13 .618 - 9-8 12-5 W4 Delmarva 20 14 .588 1.0 12-8 8-6 W3 Greensboro 18 16 .529 3.0 5-11 13-5 L2 Lakewood 17 17 .500 4.0 10-10 7-7 W1 Hagerstown 15 18 .455 5.5 6-10 9-8 L4 Hickory 16 20 .444 6.0 7-11 9-9 L1 West Virginia 13 20 .394 7.5 6-9 7-11 W1 Lexington 10 24 .294 11.0 3-13 7-11 L5