Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: Power notebook: Coming off the deck swinging By Mike Whiteford Charleston Gazette Staff Writer Rock bottom for the West Virginia Power came on April 17 in a game at Asheville. In losing for the seventh straight time and falling to a league-worst 3-12 on the season, the Power collected only three hits, dropping its team batting average to .194, another number that ranked firmly at the league's bottom. A day later, however, the Power demonstrated baseball's maddening unpredictability by routing the Tourists 14-3 on 16 hits and, since then, has emerged as one of the South Atlantic League's hottest teams. Entering Friday's game at Hagerstown, the Power had won eight of 12 and raised its team batting average to .249 - a 55-point jump in two weeks. "It's been nice,'' said first-year manager Jeff Isom. "Before, we were trying to get three or four hits in a game, and now we're looking at 12 to 14 hits in a game.'' The cold start, though not terribly surprising for any team at the Class A level, seemed uncharacteristic of players who previously had hit well - at least at Helena of the short-season rookie Pioneer League last year. "This is what we thought we were capable of doing,'' said Isom, who managed the Helena team last season. "We've been swinging the bats and playing defense and giving ourselves opportunities to win games. From where we started to now, it's definitely a different team, not only in what you see on the field but mentally and in the clubhouse. The guys are having fun now.'' The recent turnaround has given the Power an 11-16 record through Thursday's games, and its .249 average ranks sixth in the 16-team South Atlantic League. The Power has averaged 4.9 runs a game to rank fifth. Beginning today, the Power will play four games at Delmarva and will return to Appalachian Power Park on Thursday to open an eight-game home stand against Hagerstown and Lake County. HOT HANDS: In the final 10 games of April, the Power hit a collective .299. Leading the way were second baseman Zelous Wheeler, center fielder Lee Haydel and right fielder Caleb Gindl, who batted .378, .375 and .357, respectively, during those 10 games. In addition, the Power is distributing the team's RBIs. Gindl leads with 17 for the season, Wheeler has 15, Jonathan Lucroy 14, Brent Brewer 13, Steffan Wilson 13 and Curt Rindal 11. Haydel, the leadoff hitter, has knocked in nine. "We're starting to get more RBI opportunities,'' said Isom. "That's our big thing. We talk about it on a daily basis. [We say] put the next guy in the best possible situation to hit in. So we're looking to take extra bases, advance the runners when we have opportunities - a runner at second with no outs. Get him to third base for the next guy. And we're starting to get that.'' RAMLOW REBOUND: Isom is pleased with the two-year development of Mike Ramlow, a 22-year-old left-hander, who spent the 2007 season in Charleston and posted a 6.11 ERA, walking 35 in 104 innings. This season, his ERA is 3.68, and he's walked just two in 22 innings. "Ramlow's really emerged,'' he said. "He's pitching with confidence and running that fastball up there at 90 miles an hour from the left side, and I'm really impressed with what I've seen.'' Right-hander Amaury Rivas has bounced back from Tommy John surgery to compile a 3.33 ERA as a starter and reliever and also has caught Isom's attention. "He's really impressed me with the way he attacks the game. He's really aggressive,'' he said. "He doesn't waste any time. He gets the ball and goes. He's really going to help us down the road here.'' Overall, however, the Power ranks 13th in the league with a 4.28 earned run average. Five pitchers sport ERAs that range from the high fives to the high sevens. "We've got some young pitchers that are making a few mistakes, and they're paying for their mistakes,'' said the Power manager. "It's a process that takes some time. Some guys are getting it quicker than others. It's just a matter of them feeling comfortable with what they're doing and executing their pitches.'' HELP ON THE WAY? Eventually, second baseman Eric Farris is expected to join the Power. Farris, a fourth-round draft selection last year, batted .326 at Helena but is rehabilitating a leg injury suffered in spring training. Once he joins the team, the 22-year-old Farris is likely to make an all-around contribution. "He's going to bat somewhere near the top of our lineup,'' said Isom, "and he plays great defense. Defensively, he's one of the better second basemen I've seen. And I like what he brings to a clubhouse, leadership-wise. He can help us out quite a bit. It will be a different type of team when he gets here.'' Wheeler, the current second baseman, leads the team in hitting with a .315 average and can play anywhere in the infield.

Final: Hagerstown (Nationals) 12, West Virginia 3 West Virginia Site Game Summary: SUNS BURN POWER The Hagerstown Suns hit three home runs at Municipal Stadium and scored multiple runs in four innings of Friday night's game to defeat the West Virginia Power 12-3. Bill Rhinehart's two-run shot in the bottom of the first inning gave the Suns an early lead. In the third, Aaron Seuss doubled in a pair of runs and scored on Michael Burgess's single. The Suns took a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning after Dan Lyons tripled in and former Brewer farmhand Francisco Plascencia singled and scored later in the inning on Rhinehart's sacrifice fly. The Power plated their first run in the sixth inning when Jonathan Lucroy scored on a wild pitch. Seuss smashed a grand slam in the sixth inning to put the Suns ahead 11-1 and Stephen Englund hit a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Suns a dozen runs. The Power scored their final two runs in the top of the eighth inning. Zelous Wheeler doubled in the first run and Caleb Gindl's groundout plated Uly Snijders. Jeff Mandel (2-1) held the Power to just a run on four hits over six innings and earned the victory. Evan Anundsen (2-3) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on five hits over three innings and Edulin Abreu earned his first save of the season after allowing a pair of runs on four hits over three innings of relief. The Power fell to 11-17 with the loss and the Suns improved to 13-14 with the win. The 12 runs allowed are the most the Power have surrendered in a game this season. Brent Brewer got on base three times in four plate appearances and Jonathan Lucroy reached two times in three trips to the plate. The Power will begin a four game series with the Delmarva Shorebirds at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on Saturday night. Left-Hander Dan Merklinger (0-0, 0.00) will get the start for the Power and the Shorebirds will counter with left hander Zach Britton (1-2, 3.20). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score Dan Merklinger to move into the rotation, something we recently indicated we'd like to see; rocky outing for Evan Anundsen, and still 19-year-old Pedro Lambertus with a very rough night -- obviously time is still on Lambertus' side, but the Brewers just haven't developed their myriad of Latin pitchers in many years, with unsteady LHP Rafael Lluberes the furthest along right now at Brevard -- the last to make it to the bigs was LHP Luis Martinez... West Virginia Game Log Jonathan Lucroy was replaced behind the plate to start the 7th -- the score was 11-1 at that point, so most likely just a chance to give him a rest...

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com April was a record-setting month for the Huntsville Stars. Here's just what they've done: • Most wins:.18 (beating the previous record of 16 in 2003, the year of J.J., Corey, and a centerfielder named Dave Krynzel) • Most 10-hit games: 13 (easily eclipsing the previous record of 10, which was accomplished six times, the last time in 2003) • Highest batting average: .295 (Beat that one by 20 points!) • Highest batting average by an individual: Freddy Parejo, .421 (went a modest 4-for-16 in his last 5 games, nevertheless eclipsed Marcos Armas' .415 mark of 1992. • Hits: Mat Gamel, 39 (crushes the 32 set by Ernie Young in 1994 and Ramon Hernandez in 1998.) • Triples: Mat Gamel, 5 (No one had hit more than 3. Gamel was insane in April. He also became the 8th Star to hit two triples in a game, something that happened only four times during the Stars' Oakland era.) • Pitching victories: Sam Narron, 4 (Not done since Derek Lee in 2003. Last year, Narron was 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in four appearances. He allowed two 1st inning runs in four starts this year after allowing 14 in four starts last year.) • Strikeouts: 39, Steve Hammond (In 33 1/3 innings. He didn't let up after last year's strong 9K performance in Game 5 vs. Montgomery. He fanned nine in his first start and eight in two others. He tops Luis Martinez' record of 38 in 2003. These records were tied: • Triples in a game: 3, on April 27 vs. Jacksonville • Most at-bats by a hitter: Mat Gamel, 103 (tying David Francisco's 1995 mark) • Errors by a 3rd baseman in a game: 3, Mat Gamel, April 28 (the only negative record. Hadn't happened since Corey Hart on August 27, 2002. Also, the Stars turned the 3rd triple play in their history on April 26. It speaks for itself...... Any other season, the Stars would be running away with the lead in the North, but Carolina and lately West Tenn have been playing like gangsters as well, but lately it seems we have more to worry about from the Diamond Jaxx before the Mudcats come to the Joe for a five-gamer in the middle of this month........ The D'Jaxx have won three straight, dropping Carolina to 2½ back and 3rd place. With this loss to the Biscuits, the Stars hold just a half-game lead on West Tennessee. I thought it would be interesting to compare the three teams here: The league rank is in parentheses: [align=center] Runs Hits 2b 3b HR SB Btg. Slug. OBP ERA Stars 174 267 56 14 28 20 .289 (1) .471 (1) .366 (1) 3.52 (5) Mudcats 127 223 46 7 19 36 .239 (7) .364 (7) .338 (7) 2.85 (1) D'Jaxx 148 241 56 8 24 17 .262 (6) .419 (3) .354 (3) 2.99 (2) [/align] Except for the ERA, which bears watching, the Diamond Jaxx look like overachievers. Ben Stanczyk has been released. He's the third pitcher following Rusty Tucker and Thomas Atlee, who will go down in Stars history as another ghost, to be released by the Stars........ Stanczyk did not allow a run in his last three appearances covering four innings, his last appearance for the Stars being last Sunday. But he got off to a bad start, giving up 11 runs in 5 2/3 innings in his first three appearances...... He was 7-4 with a 3.55 ERA for Brevard County last year. It's a cruel business sometimes, but he'll catch on with someone else........ To fill his spot on the roster, the Stars got Melqui Torres from Nashville. Melqui is the brother of Brewers reliever Salomon Torres.

Matt writes about his workout routine in his latest Baseball Digest journal entry

Huntsville Pre-Game Audio Interview with Matt LaPorta Make sure you're pointing to the WUMP audio archive of May 2nd, then go to the 03:00 minute mark...

Final: Montgomery (Rays) 7, Huntsville 6, ten innings Huntsville Site Game Summary: Biscuits End Long Win Drought at Home By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Erold Andrus scored the game-winning run on a throwing error in the bottom of the tenth, as Montgomery snapped a franchise-worst eight-game home losing streak with a 7-6 decision over Huntsville Friday night in the middle of a five-game set at Riverwalk Stadium. The Biscuits improved to 10-18 on the season, while the Stars slipped to 19-9 and saw their eight-game win streak brought to a close and their lead over West Tenn in the North Division trimmed to a half-game. David Johnson opened the home tenth on the hill for Huntsville and gave up a leadoff single to Andrus before Sergio Pedroza drew his third walk of the night. Andrus advanced on a wild pitch, while Pedroza remained at first. Josh Asanovich then struck out as Pedroza stole second base to force the Stars to walk former Brewer farmhand Johnny Raburn to load the bases. Rashad Eldridge hit a bouncing ball against a drawn-in infield to second baseman Guilder Rodriguez, who bounced his throw to the plate allowing Andrus to score to give the Biscuits their first win in six games. Steve Andrade, who stranded runners at the corners in the ninth and struck out the side in the tenth, earned his first win, while Johnson was tagged with his first loss in the Stars first extra innings game of the season. Matt LaPorta's one-out double in the eighth against Brock Till scored Alcides Escobar to tie the game at five. Huntsville took its first lead of the night when Asanovich made an errant throw on a potential double play ball that allowed LaPorta to score from second, as he went in to the plate standing up and swerved around catcher John Jaso to avoid the tag. Biscuits' starter James Houser was thrown out of the game after hitting LaPorta with his first pitch in the second inning. Jeremy Flanagan took over and worked out of trouble, as LaPorta was thrown out trying to advance from second to third on a ground ball to shortstop and Cole Gillespie was picked off at first base with a runner on in front of him for the final out of the frame. Raburn's two-out single in the home second gave the Biscuits their first lead of the series before the Stars tied the game in the third on a run-scoring single by Escobar. Stars' starter David Welch walked the first two hitters in the home third but got Chris Nowak to line into a double play, the third turned behind him in his last two turns. Gabriel Martinez then blasted a two-run home run, his second of the year, to give the Biscuits a 3-1 edge. Raburn's sacrifice fly in the fourth extended the lead to 4-1, making it three times in his last four outings that Welch has given up four runs. The southpaw was lifted after four frames, allowing three hits, walking a season-high five and fanning a pair. Flanagan went four frames, allowing a run on three hits in his best outing of the season. Melqui Torres took over for Welch and gave up a two-out single to Martinez that plated Ronnie Merrill to push the Biscuits' advantage to 5-1. The Stars cut the lead to 5-4 in the top of the sixth against Jino Gonzalez on a run-scoring double byLaPorta and RBI groundouts by Chris Errecart and Gillespie. The series continues Saturday night with southpaw Brae Wright taking the hill for Huntsville against Biscuits' right-hander Richard De Los Santos. 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 Two more extra-base hits, two more RBI for Matt LaPorta, slugging an insane .737; Freddy Parejo cooling off, 1-for-his-last-15... Huntsville Game Log Won't see this often -- Huntsville Top 10th - Matt LaPorta strikes out swinging. - Chris Errecart strikes out swinging. - Cole Gillespie strikes out swinging.

Final: Jupiter (Marlins) 5, Brevard County 4 Game Summary from the Hammerheads' Site: Hammerheads Take Two of Three From Manatees JUPITER, FL- The Jupiter Hammerheads took two out of three games from the Brevard County Manatees in a wild game this evening. The Hammerheads beat the Manatees by a score of 5-4. Jupiter starter Kyle Winters, who has been one of Jupiter's most consistent pitchers this season, cruised through the first four innings, but fell into trouble in the 5th. Winters could not pitch himself out of the 5th inning jam and only lasted 4 1/3 innings. Winters allowed four earned runs on five hits and five walks. Reliever Marc Lamacchia pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the 5th, getting a strikeout and a fly out. Jay Buente pitched a scoreless 7th inning and struck out the side. Buente pitched into a jam in the 8th, and had to be relieved by Tim Wood, who got two huge outs to get out of the jam. The Hammerheads offense was able to take a 5-4 lead in the 8th inning, which opened the door for closer Adalberto Mendez. Mendez has been money this season, and he earned his 9th save of the season tonight. The Hammerheads offense hit the ball well tonight, getting a total of ten hits. The offense was led by first baseman Logan Morrison, who was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Second baseman James Guerrero also had a fine game and went 2 for 2 with three walks and a run scored. Center fielder Gregory Burns was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Former Milwaukee farmhand Agustin Septimo had an RBI triple in the 4th inning, which was his 2nd triple of the season. The Brevard County Manatees took a 4-3 lead in the 5th inning, but they were not able to hold the lead for starter Donovan Hand. Hand pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and three walks. Reliever Josh Wahpepah allowed Jupiter to tie the game in the 6th inning by allowing a bases loaded walk. Bobby Brahmall gave up the game-winning run in the 8th inning to suffer his 2nd loss of the season. Brevard County outfielder Charlie Fermaint was the bright spot of the offense, going 2 for 5 with an RBI. Brevard County Box Score Manatees drew seven walks, which is never a bad thing; infielder Jimmy Mojica on base three times, spill sports a 1.047 OPS; a miserable 6th inning for Josh Wahpepah with four walks; Charlie Fermaint is 9-for-10 in SB attempts... Brevard County Game Log Wasted chances -- Andy Bouchie hit into a 1-2-3 DP in the 2nd; Anderson de la Rosa struck out with the bases loaded and one out in the 5th; Yohannis Perez struck out with runners on 1st and 3rd and one out in the 8th...

Sorry to say that Waukesha's and UW-Milwaukee's reliever Ben Stanczyk has been released from the organization (Huntsville's roster). While it was true the 25-year-old had struggled some in his first taste of AA this spring, his weak 2008 numbers are skewed by his April 15th outing (seven earned runs in two innings). This is a pitcher who had pitched 248 innings for the organization prior to 2008 (3.67 ERA), allowing only 232 hits while striking out 236 (82 walks, WHIP 1.27). How is soon-to-be 31-year-old Melqui Torres, who had made exactly one appearance above AA prior to this year with much worse numbers across the board (not even close), of more value to the organization right now than Ben Stanczyk? Ben was an undrafted free agent who was in the system for 4+ seasons -- it would not be a surprise to see him in affiliated ball elsewhere some time soon. Good luck to the local Wisconsin product...

31-year-old RHP Mark DiFelice's next start is Sunday with Nashville. Gord Ash just made a point of mentioning him in an interview on WSSP. Simply pay attention to his starts in the coming weeks -- I promise you, you will look like a genius with your casual Brewer friends when he's on the Brewer roster sooner rather than later -- yes, before Jeff Weaver. Book it (that's me, not Gord, talking). His K / BB ratio since the start of '07 is 139-to-15. 104 hits in 136.2 IP. OK, back to our traditional Link Report format (I occasionally take advantage of our "audience" for the Link Report threads to toss thoughts like that your way http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif).

Nashville Media Notes: DILLON CALLED UP; HOPF ACTIVATED: Infielder Joe Dillon's stay with the Sounds lasted only the minimum 10 days required for an optioned player as he was recalled by Milwaukee this morning to replace reliever Derrick Turnbow (designated for assignment) on the Brewers' 25-man roster. In nine games with Nashville, Dillon batted .219 (7-for-32) with one home run and three RBIs. To fill Dillon's spot on the Sounds' roster, catcher J.R. Hopf has been activated from the temporary inactive list. BUSH PROMOTED; GULIN RETURNS TO ROTATION: Right-hander Dave Bush's Sounds stint ending up last only one start. The right-hander was recalled by Milwaukee today to replace former Sound Yovani Gallardo in the Brewers' rotation. Gallardo suffered a torn right ACL in yesterday's game at Wrigley Field while covering first base and will be sidelined indefinitely on the disabled list. Lefthander Lindsay Gulin has been activated from the Nashville disabled list and will start on Monday morning in Bush's spot. He is 0-2 with a 3.77 ERA (6 ER / 14.1 IP) in four games (three starts) for the Sounds this season.

LHP Rusty Tucker and RHP Thomas Atlee, both just released from the Huntsville roster, have each signed with the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Can-Am League.

Chad Fox is with the big league Cubs. Insert irony here. Fox didn't exactly endear himself to Brewer fans on his exit.

The Alumni Thread has always been in the minor league forum, because for the most part, it includes minor league names. For April, it's MLB only -- we'll be adding all the minor league names soon. By the way, Chad Fox has had his contract purchased by the Cubs from AA after just four innings of action. Even easier to dislike one of the few Brewers who did burn his bridges with the fans and the front office.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Omaha 14 11 .560 - 9-5 5-6 L2 Iowa 11 15 .423 3.5 6-8 5-7 L5 Memphis 11 17 .393 4.5 3-9 8-8 L3 Nashville 7 19 .269 7.5 4-7 3-12 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 19 8 .704 - 13-2 6-6 W8 West Tenn 18 10 .643 1.5 8-2 10-8 W2 Carolina 17 11 .607 2.5 9-4 8-7 L2 Chattanooga 16 11 .593 3.0 10-5 6-6 L1 Tennessee 11 16 .407 8.0 6-9 5-7 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 18 9 .667 - 11-3 7-6 L1 Brevard County 16 11 .593 2.0 9-5 7-6 L1 Jupiter 15 12 .556 3.0 10-3 5-9 W1 Daytona 14 13 .519 4.0 6-7 8-6 L4 Vero Beach 12 15 .444 6.0 8-5 4-10 W1 St. Lucie 6 21 .222 12.0 4-10 2-11 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 16 10 .615 - 6-5 10-5 L2 Greensboro 14 12 .538 2.0 5-8 9-4 W2 Hickory 15 13 .536 2.0 6-5 9-8 W1 Delmarva 14 13 .519 2.5 8-7 6-6 L1 Lakewood 13 14 .481 3.5 7-8 6-6 L1 Hagerstown 12 14 .462 4.0 4-7 8-7 L2 West Virginia 11 16 .407 5.5 5-9 6-7 W2 Lexington 9 18 .333 7.5 3-11 6-7 W1

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_02_slcaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_02_hunaax_monaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_02_breafa_jupafa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_05_02_wvaafx_hagafx_1

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Chris Narveson at home vs. Salt Lake (Angels), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP David Welch at Montgomery (Rays), 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 Donovan Hand at Jupiter (Marlins), 6:05 PM gametime Audio link, Jupiter's broadcast (game will also archive at this link): web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 West Virginia: RHP Evan Anundsen at Hagerstown (Nationals), 5:20 PM pre-game, 5:35 gametime Audio link via WSWW, be sure to select the proper date (games will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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

Brevard County Game Summary from the Hammerheads' Site: Hammerheads Get Back on Track With Win JUPITER, FL- The Jupiter Hammerheads got back on their winning ways this afternoon, beating the Brevard County Manatees 2-1 in front of 3,807 screaming school kids on Education Day. It was another pitchers' duel, with Jupiter starter Derell McCall getting the better of the Manatees' hitters today. McCall pitched a terrific game, going five strong innings and only allowing one earned run along with two strikeouts. The performance earned McCall his 2nd victory of the season. The bullpen was also outstanding, with three relievers combining to pitch four scoreless innings to seal the deal. Reliever Jarrett Santos, who was just sent down from Carolina (AA), pitched a perfect inning and opened the door for closer Adalberto Mendez. The Hammerheads called on Mendez to get a six-out save, which he did with no problem. Mendez struck out four of the six batters he faced, and got Manatees designated hitter Charlie Fermaint to ground out to end the game. It was the 8th save of the season for Mendez. Hammerheads designated hitter Kevin Randel continues to stay on fire, going 2 for 4 with an RBI. Randel is 2nd behind Jupiter 3rd baseman Jacob Blackwood in leading off the inning, compiling a .571 batting average. In his last 10 games, Randel is batting .346 with 2 RBI's. Right-fielder Daron Roberts was 1 for 2 along with a walk and a stolen base. It was Roberts's 5th stolen bag of the season. Gregory Burns continues to get on base and steal bags for the Hammerheads, swiping his 10th bag of the season. Burns is currently 3rd in the Florida State League in stolen bases. Brevard County starter Josh Butler struggled today with his command. In the 1st inning, Butler hit Dante Brinkley and Daron Roberts with pitches. He also walked Logan Morrison to load the bases. Jupiter scored two runs that inning on RBI's by Roberts and Purdom, and it was all that Jupiter would need to win the game. The Manatees' offense was held in check all game, getting only four hits. Center fielder Darren Ford stole his 14th base of the season, putting him in the league lead in this category. The two teams wrap up their three-game series tomorrow evening at Roger Dean Stadium. Red hot starter Kyle Winters will make the start for Jupiter, and he will be opposed by right-hander Donovan Hand. The game is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

Link while active, text follows: STARS 4, BISCUITS 2: Huntsville's LaPorta continues hot hitting By A. Stacy Long Montgomery Advertiser Matt LaPorta was gathering a plate of food in Huntsville's clubhouse when one of his teammates delivered a monotone, deadpan line more suited to a comedy club. "Matt LaPorta? What did he do today?" The Stars laughed, but Riverwalk Stadium didn't Thursday. LaPorta hit two home runs, barely missed a third and collected all four RBIs in the Stars' 4-2 win over the Biscuits. He hit a mammoth solo shot in the fourth and cracked a wind-aided, three-run effort in the sixth, both on 3-0 pitches from Biscuits starter Wade Davis, and Huntsville handed Montgomery its fifth straight loss. "It's one of those things that happens," LaPorta said. "Sometimes, the ball finds holes. Sometimes, they go over the fence. "I've felt like I was swinging the bat well before and not had anything to show for it." LaPorta has three homers and eight RBIs in two games against the Biscuits and leads the Southern League with nine homers and 30 RBIs this season. LaPorta, a first-round draft pick last year and a former University of Florida All-American, is the No. 1 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers' organization. He has 21 homers and 61 RBIs in 56 professional games. "When he steps in, he looks like a hitter and he's ready to hit," Biscuits manager Billy Gardner said. "He just attacks the ball." LaPorta first thought his second-inning screamer was going out. Instead, it hit high off the wall in left-center field for a double. The 23-year-old hit a no-doubter with two outs in the fourth. His twisting blast in the sixth accounted for three runs and gave Huntsville a 4-1 lead. The ball appeared headed for the bleachers in foul ground in left, but a gusting wind pushed it back toward fair territory. It landed about five feet inside the pole and over the wall. "He's pretty zoned in right now and I just made a couple of mistakes to him," Davis (3-2) said. "I made two bad pitches, 1 1/2 actually. That second one started out foul and the wind pushed it fair." Davis, with one out in the sixth, gave up two straight singles to bring up LaPorta. After the homer, Davis struck out the next two hitters. His six-inning stint included six hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. "That pitcher did a pretty good job against us," Stars manager Don Money said. "(LaPorta) just hit it when we needed it." Huntsville's Matt LaPorta hit one of his two home runs of the day against Montgomery on Thursday at Riverwalk Stadium. The Stars beat the Biscuits 4-2. The Biscuits have lost five consecutive games. (Montgomery Advertiser Photo by David Bundy) http://cmsimg.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DS&Date=20080502&Category=SPORTS01&ArtNo=805020344&Ref=AR&Profile=1018&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

Photo Gallery of the Stars' game from the Montgomery Advertiser -- several Stars included

Final: West Virginia 6, Hagerstown (Nationals) 2 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER SHUT DOWN SUNS The West Virginia Power used a pair of big two-out hits from Caleb Gindl and a clutch pitching performance from Corey Frerichs in Thursday's game to defeat the Hagerstown Suns 6-2 at Municipal Stadium. The Power benefited from two Hagerstown errors in the second inning to take the lead. With the bases loaded and one out in the inning, Scott Houin hit a groundball to Hagerstown third baseman Steven Souza who threw the ball past first baseman Bill Rhinehart, allowing Gindl and Curt Rindal to score. The Power added to their lead one inning later. Brent Brewer was on third base when Zelous Wheeler was caught up in a rundown between first and second base. Wheeler was tagged out, but he bought enough time to allow Brewer to steal home. Gindl's first two-out RBI single plated Jonathan Lucroy in the fifth inning to give the Power a 4-0 lead. Gindl struck again with a two-out RBI single in the seventh to bring in Brewer. Tim Pahuta hit a solo shot in the seventh inning to put the Suns on the board. In the eighth, Rhinehart ripped an RBI single to put runners at the corners with nobody out. The tying run was at the plate with nobody out when Corey Frerichs was called upon to extinguish the fire. Frerichs delivered with three consecutive strikeouts to end the threat. The Power added one final run in the ninth inning when Lucroy's sacrifice fly plated Lee Haydel. Roque Mercedes (1-1) earned his first victory as a member of the Power with a solid performance. He tossed five scoreless innings and allowed just a pair of hits while striking out three. Hassan Pena (1-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on three hits over three innings. Frerichs secured his first save of the season after striking out five batters in two scoreless innings of relief. The Power improved to 11-16 with the win and the Suns fell to 12-14 with the loss. Four Power players had multi-hit games including Gindl who turned in his second consecutive three-hit performance. Brent Brewer swiped three bases, giving him nine on the season in 11 attempts. The Power will finish their four game series with Hagerstown Friday night. Right-Hander Evan Anundsen (2-2, 3.62) will get the start for the Power and the Suns will counter with right hander Jeff Mandel (1-1, 5.68). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM (5:35 Central). West Virginia Box Score Zelous Wheeler the pivot man at second base on the two DP's the Power turned; Wheeler (.425 OBP, .885 OPS) drew two walks to nicely offset an 0-for-3 night; here comes Caleb, here comes Caleb; worth saying again, fantastic save, Corey Frerichs... West Virginia Game Log

Something positive in this thread for a change -- Three-minute video tour of the Sounds' new locker room facilities

Link while active, text follows: Dillon will rejoin Brewers By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Joe Dillon's stay with the Sounds was a short one. The veteran infielder, who was on the Milwaukee Brewers' opening-day roster before being optioned April 20, is set to rejoin the Brewers in Houston in time for tonight's game. "We knew he wasn't going to be here that long," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "It was good for him to come get some at-bats, get back in the swing of things. Even though he didn't hit like he wanted to, I'm sure he feels much better." In nine games with the Sounds, Dillon hit .219 (7-for-32) with a home run and three RBIs. In nine previous games with the Brewers, he hit .200 (2-for-10) with a double and two runs scored. "You always want to swing the bat well. I'm getting there," said Dillon, who split the 2007 season between Nashville and Milwaukee. "It's a different mind-set, playing every day versus pinch-hitting. I got to see some pitches, got some at-bats, got to play. There were some positives from (coming down)." The Brewers will have to make a roster move in order to activate Dillon. Speculation is that former Franklin (TN) High pitcher Derrick Turnbow will be designated for assignment. In eight relief appearances, Turnbow is 0-1 with a 15.63 ERA; opposing batters are hitting .414 against him. In the eighth inning of an eventual 19-5 loss Wednesday to Chicago, he allowed six runs on four hits and four walks over two-thirds of an inning. Oh, brother: Sounds outfielder Laynce Nix has a tough time getting to his brother - Colorado Springs second baseman Jayson Nix. Jayson joined the Sky Sox for Thursday's game, having been designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies last week and later clearing waivers. "I don't think either of us was thrilled, but it's good to see him," Laynce said Thursday, the sixth time the two have squared off. They played four times in 2006 when Laynce was with Oklahoma. Last season, Laynce joined the Sounds on a rehab assignment as they were closing a four-game series at Colorado Springs while Jayson was with the team. In their face-to-face meetings, Laynce has gotten the better of his younger brother, going 9-for-24 with seven extra-base hits and 12 RBIs while Jayson has been 6-for-19 with a pair of stolen bases. Still, Laynce hasn't been able to take Jayson out in a double-play situation. "I've tried to get him, but that's one of his strong suits," Laynce said. "His footwork around the bag is pretty good. "It's good to see him. It's fun to watch his skills." Weaver returns: Thursday's start marked the first minor league appearance for Sounds right-hander Jeff Weaver since April 10, 2000, when he was with the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate at Toledo. Weaver signed a minor league free-agent contract with the Brewers on April 16. He did not pitch in spring training but went to extended spring training at Milwaukee's headquarters in Phoenix after signing. On Thursday, he gave up four runs - all earned - on six hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two. "I'm sure he made some pitches he didn't like," Kremblas said of Weaver. "The key one was the three-run homer to (Cory) Sullivan; I'm sure that wasn't what he was trying to do." To make room on the active roster for Weaver, reliever Melqui Torres (0-0, 5.00 ERA) was reassigned to Double-A Huntsville. Rare reliever: Zach Jackson made just his second career minor league relief appearance Thursday when he came on in the sixth inning. Jackson's only other appearance out of the bullpen was Aug. 24, when he pitched five innings in relief of Carlos Villanueva, who had started after previously pitching in relief in Milwaukee. Awful April: Despite winning its last two games of April, Nashville finished the first month of the season at 7-18. It marks the Sounds' first losing April in the last six years. Nashville was 11th in the 16-team Pacific Coast League in batting average (.267) and 13th in ERA (5.59).

Link while active, text follows: Sounds lose, see win streak halted at two By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Looking to extend their first winning streak of the season, the Sounds came up empty Thursday night. Despite a pair of ninth-inning hits, five Colorado Springs pitchers combined to hold the Sounds to just four total hits, and the Sky Sox roughed up veteran major leaguer Jeff Weaver in his first start of the season en route to a 5-1 victory at Greer Stadium. "They obviously made some pitches," the Sounds' Joe Dillon said. "We hit the ball, but it was right at somebody. It was one of those games." The four hits matched a season low set in Monday's 9-0 loss to the Sky Sox and sent the Sounds to a series split - their first of the year. The loss was the 19th of season of the Sounds; last year, en route to an 89-55 record, they didn't lose No. 19 until May 13. Weaver started out well, allowing only a first-inning double to Cory Sullivan and one in the third to pitcher Sean Smith. The latter was followed with a walk to Jayson Nix and a Sullivan three-run homer. That offset Nashville's second-inning run on an RBI double by Ozzie Chavez. "I'm still getting my feet under me," said Weaver, who struck out seven. "I was trying to do a little too much with runners on base. I got in the stretch and I was rushing a little bit and fell behind." Colorado Springs added a run in the fifth off Weaver and one in the sixth off reliever Zach Jackson. The latter run ended a stretch of 10 scoreless innings by the Sounds bullpen. Nashville got just one runner over the next six innings. In the ninth, Dillon and Brad Nelson had back-to-back one-out singles. Vinny Rottino grounded out and Russell Branyan struck out to end it. Nashville tonight hosts visiting Salt Lake, off to a 24-2 start. Tennessean Photo by Larry MacCormack Nashville's Ozzie Chavez, right, avoids a collision with Colorado Springs' Seth Smith to turn a double play during the Sounds' 5-1 loss to the Sky Sox on Thursday. http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20080502&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=805020440&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0