Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: Cameron ready to depart By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Mike Cameron isn't where he wants to be in terms of major league readiness, but he'll take it. With the Sounds' 9-0 loss Monday night to visiting Colorado Springs, the veteran outfielder completed a rehabilitation assignment that was necessitated by a 25-game suspension he received over the offseason after testing positive for a banned stimulant. "I'll go in the trenches right away," Cameron said after going 0-for-4 Monday to wrap up a four-game stay, during which he hit .200 (3-for-15) with a home run, two RBIs and four runs scored. "Hopefully I can speed up the process and turn things around before I get up there and get on TV." Cameron, who signed a free-agent contract with the Milwaukee Brewers after spending the previous two seasons with San Diego, played with the Sounds during the 1997 season when the team was the top affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. He will join the Brewers in time for tonight's game against the Chicago Cubs. Streaks snapped: Vinny Rottino (nine games) and Adam Heether (seven games) both had hitting streaks ended in Monday's loss. Rottino was hitless in four at-bats, while Heether was 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Assessing the damage: Milwaukee's front office was well represented at the Sounds' series opener Monday against visiting Colorado Springs. Assistant general manager Gord Ash was on hand, as was player development director Reid Nichols and player development business manager Scott Martens. Cota's back: Humberto Cota, who played parts of the 2001-04 seasons with the Sounds as a catcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization, is on the Colorado Springs roster. Cota signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies after going to major league spring training this year with the Washington Nationals as a non-roster invitee. In four years with the Sounds, Cota hit 32 home runs - leaving him just two short of the franchise's career top 10. Ex-Blue Raider honored: Former Middle Tennessee State standout Brett Carroll was named the PCL's batter of the week Monday, after hitting .500 (10-for-20) with four home runs and eight RBIs in six games for Albuquerque. Among the Isotopes' games last week were a pair against Nashville, with Albuquerque winning 12-6 on April 21 and losing 13-3 on April 22. For the year, Carroll is hitting .417 with eight homers and 20 RBIs.

Link while active, text follows: Sounds pitchers get 13 K's, one L Strikeouts can't stave off defeat again By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Sounds pitchers went through an all-or-nothing night Monday against visiting Colorado Springs. They struck out 13 batters - the team's second-best total of the season - but gave up four extra-base hits and 12 total in a 9-0 loss. It was the worst shutout defeat for the Sounds since a 10-0 loss at Sacramento on May 20, 2004, and the performance left Manager Frank Kremblas searching for answers. "What can you say - 'play better'?" Kremblas said after his team lost for the 18th time in 23 games. The Sounds' 5-18 record gives them the worst record in the Pacific Coast League after Tucson (6-19) beat Round Rock on Monday. Colorado Springs opened the game with three straight hits against starter Richie Gardner (0-1). The third was a three-run home run by Seth Smith in an eventual four-run rally. Gardner finished with five strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings, but allowed six runs (four earned) before Tim Dillard came in and gave up a two-run homer to Omar Quintanilla in a three-run sixth. Nashville, meanwhile, managed just four hits and advanced just two runners to second base. "Who knows what we need to do?" said Brad Nelson, who had one of the Sounds' four base hits. "We had two balls that were really well hit - (Abraham) Nunez's ball to center field and Vinny's (Rottino) to second base; they did everything they needed to do. They got started right away in the first inning, and added to it." In typical Sounds fashion these days, however, both balls were caught for outs.

The Tennessean's Jae S. Lee with a photo gallery that includes this nice shot of Abraham Nunez - Link to Gallery (the Mike Cameron photo isn't coming up as of post time) http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Avis=DN&Dato=20080429&Kategori=SPORTS0401&Lopenr=804290801&Ref=PH&Item=3&Maxw=580&Maxh=500

For the www.starsboxscore.com archive: That's the way this game is...... It's never over till it's over. And when a run is all that separates victory from defeat, it comes down to just one pitch. That's what makes this game really so exciting, and like this afternoon, so exasperating. This one isn't over till it's over, and that won't be until Monday, when they pick up this game at 11 in the morning, but for awhile, it looked like an Angel had come down to spare the fans the torrent they knew would come from the dark clouds that were looming in the distance as you looked out from left-center field........ Angel Salome was already having a good day -- a 5th inning single to right-center and a 7th inning double to the track in left-center that scored a pair of runs..... Sensing destiny perhaps, Salome got a 3-2 pitch to his liking and drove it deep over the 2nd wall in center, to the right of the 405' marker, breaking an 8-8 tie...... I'm sure it didn't surprise Buck (Rogers) too much. The Stars' GM told me, Friday, that he had seen this team comeback time and time again from big deficits to win at Brevard County last year....... The Stars came back from an 8-4 deficit to take the 9-8 lead with his homer. The game was now in the hands of Joe Bateman, who got Bobby Malek to pop out in back of second base on the first pitch. Then Ivan DeJesus, 3-for-16 in the series, struck out on four pitches as the rain began...... At this point, Bateman started to unravel...... Juan Gonzalez fouled off three 2-0 pitches, then was hit -- painfully -- by a 3-0 pitch. Shane Justis came out of the dugout to run for Gonzalez...... Now the skies opened up -- really pouring...... Bateman served up a here-it-is-and-hit-it pitch to James Tomlin and that's exactly what he did, pinch-hitting for Adam LaRoche....... A hard grounder to Alcides Escobar's right side. A difficult play under normal circumstances, Escobar lost his grip on the ball. Tomlin was given the hit, moving Gonzalez to second....... Then Bateman hit Lukas May in the back with his first pitch and the bases were loaded....... Rene Rivera, who was coaching at first base for the Suns, was called up to hit for Zack Hammes, who gave up all five of the Stars' runs in the 7th and 8th innings. On an 0-1 pitch, Bateman flung one to the backstop. A wild pitch with true finesse. Angel Salome made an effort to throw Justis out at home, but no miracle how small would have gotten Justis, who was barreling down third base...... What once looked to be in the bag, now was a tie game...... Two pitches later, rain forced the umpires to call the game....... At 6:40 CT, after a 37-minute delay, the game was officially suspended........ When it's picked up tomorrow, there will be a 2-2 count on Rivera with Tomlin on third and May on 2nd..... Following that game, the Stars will send lefty Sam Narron, who pitched a complete game 2-hitter vs. the Braves last Wednesday. That game, and this, will be good candidates for my Top Ten list at the end of the season...... Mario Alvarez (0-2, 7.64) will oppose him. After four starts, he has given up 9 earned runs in 9 2/3 innings to teams with winning records (Carolina and West Tennessee). Alvarez is also ranked 21st among the Dodgers' top Minor League prospects according to Baseball America and is on LA's 40-man roster. The Stars are a win away from their 5th straight victory and their 4th straight against Jacksonville going back to last year, something they haven't done since the 2001 season, a season in which they wound up sharing the Southern League title with them....... Mat Gamel stretched his hitting streak to 13 games, which stands for the time being as the longest current streak in the SL. B.J. Szymanski's 12-game streak is on hold because Chattanooga's game with Carolina was also suspended after four innings with Carolina in front, 2-0. Szymanski is 0-for-1....... Gamel put the Stars on the scoreboard in the 3rd inning with an opposite-field HR over the Star Pharmacy sign in left-centerfield....... Gamel is hitting a healthy .436 in this streak which started on April 15 vs. Chattanooga. Last year at Brevard County, he went on a 33-game hitting streak, which was the longest in high A in 56 years....... Gamel tied a club record by hitting two triples, but he did it in consecutive innings. I can't say for sure if he is the first. He shares the record with seven other players, including Hernan Iribarren who did it twice last year (the only one who has)...... Mat tripled down the right field line in the 6th and scored on Matt LaPorta's double that hit the back edge of the warning track in left field and one-hopped the fence. That broke a 2-2 tie...... In the 7th with the Stars behind 4-3, Gamel's shot to right-center went all the way to the back of the warning track in right-center scoring Angel Salome and Michael Brantley to give the Stars a 5-4 lead. Freddy Parejo drove in two more that inning to give the Stars an 8-4 lead with his first hit of the game -- a triple that bounced all the way to center. There was some question at first whether scorer Don Rizzardi would score it a double with an advance to third on the throw from right fielder Jamie Hoffman to relayman Juan Gonzalez to catcher Lukas May, but Parejo got the triple. So for the first time since June 18, 1990, the Stars had three triples in one game. (They did that in an 11-1 win at the Joe vs. Columbus.) Parejo should have had two triples in this game!...... In the 4th inning, Parejo hit Jose Castillo's 2nd pitch into the deepest part of the right field corner, landing just inside the line. It might even have kicked up a little chalk dust. But from my bird's-eye advantage in Double-K, I clearly saw where it landed. First base umpire Chris Bakke called it foul. Parejo struck out on the next pitch....... It would have created Stars history twofold -- four triples in one game and two players hitting two each! And that brings us up to the 8th and Salome's home run and the fateful 9th when Bateman fell apart. Perhaps a much better case can be made for the weather conditions. The rains fell after Bateman hit Gonzalez with that pitch........ It's hard to grip a wet ball, and that's what Bateman had to contend with. Alcides Escobar's 9-game hitting streak is riding on the line when play resumes. His average has fallen to .265 after flying out twice, grounding out to second, popping out, and striking out....... Robert Hinton, who came into the game with a 2.64 ERA in six appearances, walked 4 and gave up 2 hits in his 2 innings of work. Hinton had previously walked only 2 in 10 2/3 innings this year....... Control has been a now-and-then problem. Last year, Hinton in his first game after returning from Brevard County, walked five Chattanooga hitters in 2 2/3 innings, July 28 in an 8-3 loss that snapped a 7-game home winning streak for the Stars...... One of the two hits Hinton gave up was a grand-slam HR to Lukas May, which clanged off the bare aluminum billboard thingy on the light standard beyond left-centerfield that gave the Suns their 8-4 lead. As you await tomorrow's finish, remember what Buck told me -- don't count these guys out. J.R. Hopf, who started the season with the Stars while they were awaiting the return of Salome, is hitting .417 up in Nashville....... The Stars broke a club record this afternoon by collecting 12 hits in this ballgame. That gives them 11 games with 10+ hits this month -- a record for April........ A win today, their 16th, would have tied the record for April....... Brevard County, from which we get our guys more directly, lost in 13 innings to Vero Beach (11-13), Sunday, 2-1. Mike Jones, on the recovery trail, pitched three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit......... The Manatees (14-10) are in 2nd place in the Florida State League's Eastern Division, 2 games in back of Palm Beach....... Third baseman Taylor Green is leading the Manatees with a .330 average -- 9th best in the league.

Finally a mis-step for Steve Garrison

Elbow surgery, 2005.

Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for new Richie Gardner photo, text follows -- Sounds Blanked In Homestand Opener, 9-0 NASHVILLE - Three Colorado Springs pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout in the Sky Sox's 9-0 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Monday evening at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series. The top three batters in the Sky Sox order - Omar Quintanilla, Cory Sullivan, and Seth Smith - combined to go 8-for-14 with eight RBIs and five runs scored to pace the Colorado Springs attack. Sky Sox starter John Koronka (1-2) earned his first win of the year and his first victory in six career starts against Nashville by working seven innings of scoreless, three-hit ball. Matt Daley and Steven Register each worked a scoreless inning of relief to close out the win. Colorado Springs jumped out to an early lead with a four-run first inning against Sounds starter Richie Gardner. Smith got the visitors on the board with his first home run of the season, a one-out, three-run shot to right. Sky Sox catcher Edwin Bellorin, who reached on a Joe Dillon throwing error, scored the fourth run in unearned fashion when he came plateward on Joe Koshansky's RBI double. The Sky Sox added a pair of runs against Gardner in the fourth to increase the lead to 6-0. Gardner (0-1) took a loss in his second start of the season after allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits over 3 1/3 innings of work. He threw 71 pitches (50 strikes) and was removed due to a pitch count. Colorado Springs increased the lead to 9-0 in the top of the sixth with three runs off reliever Tim Dillard. Quintanilla plated two of the runs with his first home run of the year, a two-run shot to right. Smith added an RBI single later in the frame. Dillon went 2-for-4 for the Sounds to register half of the Nashville hits on the evening. Catcher Vinny Rottino went 0-for-4 to snap the Sounds' longest hitting streak of the year at nine games. The teams will continue the series with another 6 p.m. meeting on Tuesday evening. Right-hander Mark DiFelice (1-0, 1.50) will make his second start of the year for the Sounds and face Colorado Springs right-hander Victor Zambrano (0-3, 9.92). Nashville Box Score You know it's been a bad game when the Nashville site doesn't provide an audio highlight... Nashville Game Log John Koronka? John Koronka?

Final: Colorado Springs (Rockies) 9, Nashville 0 Ugh -- the Nashville site will provide the gory details shortly, we'll link then...

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Outfielder Brendan Katin

Final: Brevard County 7, Vero Beach (Rays) 6 Manatees score six in the 8th to win it! Brevard County Bottom 8th - Matt Cline singles on a line drive to right fielder Neil Walton. - Yohannis Perez singles on a ground ball to center fielder Garrett Groce. Matt Cline to 2nd. - Darren Ford strikes out swinging. - Lorenzo Cain hit by pitch. Matt Cline to 3rd. Yohannis Perez to 2nd. - Pitcher Change: Ryan Owen replaces Wilton Noel. - Stephen Chapman doubles (6) on a line drive to right fielder Neil Walton. Matt Cline scores. Yohannis Perez scores. Lorenzo Cain to 3rd. - Chuckie Caufield walks. - Charlie Fermaint out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Garrett Groce. Lorenzo Cain scores. - Jimmy Mojica homers (2) on a fly ball to left field. Stephen Chapman scores. Chuckie Caufield scores. - Andy Bouchie singles on a ground ball to right fielder Neil Walton. - Matt Cline grounds into a force out, shortstop Christian Lopez to second baseman Jackson Brennan. Andy Bouchie out at 2nd. Brevard County Box Score Alex Periard strikes out nine in six innings, which must be a career high, but also allows five runs on nine base hits and a walk -- don't worry about the K's, Alex, and limit the damage; Jimmy Mojica may see additional time if Kenny Holmberg remains sidelined with his hand injury -- Mojica's been immense all April in limited action; Omar Aguilar with another save; Taylor Green with the night off -- remember, we questioned why he left Sunday's game -- we'll try to find out what's hurting with Green, hopefully nothing serious... Brevard County Game Log

According to a West Virginia Power press release, the Brewers have released 1B / DH John Alonso, the 2005 12th round pick. Alonso slugged .460 at West Virginia in 2005 as he showed pop with 34 of 73 hits going for extra bases. Alonso was hitting .194 in 62 AB's thus far in 2008. A bit of a surprise... Alonso Interview Video -- Bull on Baseball, September 2007 Taking Alonso's spot is RHP Pedro Lambertus, activated from the West Virginia DL.

Final: Huntsville 10, Jacksonville (Dodgers) 9, completion of Sunday's suspended game Final: Huntsville 7, Jacksonville 2, regularly scheduled game Huntsville Site Summaries: Stars Complete Series Sweep of Suns Gamel Continues Torrid Stretch at Plate By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Chris Errecart's home run in the bottom of the ninth won the suspended game from Sunday for the Stars and Sam Narron spun six strong innings and clubbed a two-run home run in the regular scheduled game, as the Stars downed Jacksonville 10-9 and 7-2 Monday morning and afternoon at Joe Davis Stadium to complete a five-game series sweep. The Stars improved to 17-8 overall and 13-2 at home and await the results of the completion of Carolina's suspended and regular scheduled games to see where they stand in relation to the first place Mudcats in the North Division. Juan Sandoval struck out Rene Rivera with his first and only pitch to end the top half of the ninth inning and grabbed the win in his second appearance with the Stars. Tanyon Sturtze took over on the hill for the Suns in the bottom of the ninth and retired Mat Gamel on a ground out with one pitch before Errecart blasted an 0-1 delivery off the scoreboard in left-center for the game-winning hit and his second home run of the season. Huntsville Game One Box Score Huntsville Game One Game Log Errecart's two-out single in the home first staked Narron to an early lead. The southpaw, who retired the first 23 batters in his last start, retired the Suns in order in the first inning before walking Lucas May to open the second, thereby dashing any hopes of a repeat performance. Narron belted the first pitch he saw from Suns' starter Mario Alvarez over the wall in right field for a two-out, two-run home run, his first as a pro, to give the home team a 3-0 lead after two. Alvarez was charged with the loss after yielding four runs, three earned, on six hits and four walks over four frames, the third time in the series a Suns' starter lasted only four innings. Gamel's fielding error with two outs in the fourth allowed Andy LaRoche to score from third to cut the Stars lead to 4-1 and James Tomlin's sacrifice fly, on a foul ball caught by Errecart, who went up and over the tarp roll to make the play, trimmed the Stars' lead to 4-2. Narron earned his staff-high fourth win after allowing one earned run on eight hits, walking two and fanning two. Patrick Ryan allowed one hit, walked a pair and struck out one over three scoreless frames to nail down his third save of the season. He has thrown 13 shutout innings in his first seven appearances. Errecart knocked in another run in the sixth with a bases loaded single to right field that Jamie Hoffman overran, allowing both Alcides Escobar and Gamel to score the final runs for Huntsville, which scored 40 runs on 61 hits in the series. Gamel reached in all five of his plate appearances Monday, as he singled twice, walked twice and scored three times. He has hit safely in 14 straight games during which he has collected 26 hits. Huntsville opens a five-game series Wednesday night at Montgomery with left-hander Steve Hammond taking the mound against Biscuits' southpaw Jake McGee. 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 Game Two Box Score I've been extolling the virtues of Patrick Ryan's performances since his rookie '05 season in Helena -- I'd love to hear the comments of a Reid Nichols or Gord Ash on this kid; Stars stranded 13; you know you've had a good April when you go 0-for-5 and your average drops to .429, Freddy Parejo... Huntsville Game Two Game Log

This article came out later than expected, so we'll post it here -- consider it the pre-game Huntsville report. Link while active, text follows: Stars start week in ninth-inning hold Game with Suns halted by rain; resumes at 11 today By JOHN FERRY Huntsville Times Sports Staff, john.ferry@htimes.com For the Huntsville Stars, Sunday at Joe Davis Stadium was so close but yet so far. Trailing by four runs as they batted in the seventh inning, and then leading by a run and needing just one more out for the victory, the Stars could only manage a 9-9 tie with Jacksonville when rain halted play for the day. Huntsville and Jacksonville will resume the game this morning at 11, then play the finale of the five-game series. "We will have games like that," Stars catcher Angel Salome said. "We must keep fighting until the last out. I love that kind of game. It makes me play better." Salome's eighth-inning homer to center gave Huntsville a 9-8 lead. He went 3-for-4 for the day. First baseman Mat Gamel had two triples and a two-run opposite-field homer. "We've got to come out and win it (today)," he said. "You're never guaranteed victory until the last out. (We need to) finish it up." Rain held up Sunday's first pitch for 58 minutes. The final 37-minute delay sealed the postponement. Stars manager Don Money said it could have been stopped sooner. "The umpires waited too long," Money said. "I understand they are trying to get it completed. The pitchers were throwing the ball all over." Stars reliever Joe Bateman got the first two outs in the ninth, then hit a batter who eventually scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Gamel's third-inning homer gave Huntsville a 2-0 lead. In the sixth, with the Stars down a run, an RBI single by Cole Gillespie plus a wild pitch gave the Stars the lead again at 4-3. Jacksonville came back with a five-run seventh, highlighted by Lucas May's grand slam. Down 8-4, the Stars came right back to tie thanks to two-run triples from Gamel and Freddy Parejo. Series notes: Today's games at Joe Davis will constitute a businessperson's special. It will be the Stars' last home game until May 5. ... Jacksonville third baseman Andy LaRoche, who is on a rehab assignment from the Dodgers, has gone 5-for-13 in the series against Huntsville. He has scored three runs and has one RBI.

The Brewers have released RHP Thomas Atlee from the Huntsville disabled list. It is our understanding there was a serious legal transgression that most likely was the impetus for the release. To be fair, we'll leave things at that. We had posted the following upon Atlee's signing in mid-January. Atlee never threw an official pitch for the organization. ***************************************************************************************** The Brewers have reached into the independent ranks again, this time acquiring former Cub farmhand RHP Tom Atlee from the New Jersey Jackals of the American Association: ATLEE SOLD TO BREWERS Little Falls, NJ - The New Jersey Jackals have announced that pitcher Tom Atlee has been sold to the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Atlee, acquired near the end of the 2007 season, played in three games for the New Jersey Jackals recording one save and five strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work. Prior to being traded to the Jackals, Atlee played for the Coastal Bend Pelicans of the American Association. In 36 games, Atlee recorded 17 saves and 53 strikeouts in only 37 innings of work. Originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs organization in the 19th round of the 2002 draft, Atlee started his career with the Cubs' Single-A affiliate Boise Hawks of the Northwest League. In 19 games, he recorded 5 saves with 21 strikeouts in 27.1 innings of work. In 2006, Atlee reached his highest level playing for the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League. Atlee played 10 games for the Iowa Cubs with seven strikeouts in 13.1 innings of work. "We are very excited for Tom." Manager Joe Calfapietra commented. "He is another great example of what the Can-Am League is all about." With the purchase of Atlee, the Jackals have now had 13 players sign with a major league organization since the beginning of the 2006 season. Guillermo Reyes will be reporting in February to spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Brad Voyles (Florida), Jaime Cerda (Seattle), and John Lindsey (Los Angeles) are all playing at the Triple-A level. Alex Fernandez (Pittsburgh) and Raul Valdes (New York Mets) are playing at the Double-A level. Rusty Tucker (Milwaukee), Hunter Davis (Tampa Bay) and Jason Wylie (Philadelphia) are playing at the High Single-A level. Michael Vicaro (Arizona) is playing at the Rookie league level. Randy Rapp (Oakland) and Isaac Pavlik (Chicago Cubs) have returned to the Independent Leagues after playing part of the 2006 season in High Single-A and Double-A levels respectively. "We are very proud as an organization to help players get their first or second chance with a major league organization. The success of players that have moved on shows the value of independent baseball as a whole." The Jackals wish Tom Atlee the best of luck for the 2008 season. Career statistics in affiliated ball for the 5'10" 28-year-old More often than not, it appears, Atlee goes by "Thomas". His page from his youth instructional camp, which he owns. Click on the photos at the link for close-ups. Atlee has plenty of Southern League experience, and we've seen it documented that the Brewer regime wants top closer candidates at each level, even if it means a closer is pitching in a league that might technically be "below" him. You'd think we might see Atlee in Huntsville to begin 2008 (perhaps Nashville, we'll see).

Hit the game-winning opposite field three-run HR against Luis Pena last fall to snatch a championship away at the very last possible moment.

Link while active, text follows: Braddock shines in Power victory by Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter West Virginia Power southpaw Zach Braddock and his pitching coach hope his stay in Charleston is a brief one. South Atlantic League teams undoubtedly are wishing for the same thing. If not, they probably will be after his most recent performance. Braddock struck out 10 batters in four innings in a 7-4 victory Sunday afternoon to help West Virginia earn a series split with Delmarva. "He was brilliant today," West Virginia pitching coach John Curtis said of Braddock, 20, whom Baseball America ranks as the No. 13 overall prospect -- and second-ranked left-handed pitcher -- in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Braddock had a 3-1 record and 1.15 earned run average in 10 games in 2007, when he was an SAL All-Star selection. He threw 47 innings, allowing six runs on 28 hits and 15 walks. Opponents hit .168 and struck out 68 times against him. However, he didn't pitch after June 15 because of a shoulder strain. "We saw the Braddock we saw last year for two months of the season," Curtis said. "He was out for a month before the (SAL) All-Star Game and he was still the unanimous choice to be the starter. That tells you what kind of respect he commanded for those innings he was in." An Appalachian Power Park crowd of 2,753 watched the home team win for the sixth time in nine games. West Virginia had endured a seven-game losing streak prior to this stretch. The Power improved to 9-15 and remains in seventh place in the eight-team SAL Northern Division. The Shorebirds dropped to 12-12 and fell to third place. Braddock fanned eight of the first 10 batters he faced, striking out the side in the first and third innings. "I felt great, much like last year," said Braddock, who allowed two hits in four innings. "I was commanding the fastball to both sides of the plate. "I was kind of sitting comfortably at 85 percent most of the time throwing strikes. Then, when I needed to, I would reach back and pump up a little bit and elevate the ball and make them swing through it." Braddock struck out two more in the fourth, when the Shorebirds scored their only run against him on a passed ball. He also issued a walk and committed an error in that frame. "When we had that last inning," Braddock said, "it was like, 'Oh, I'm back to pitching.' The first three innings, it was almost like I was sleepwalking. I was throwing strikes, but they weren't hitting it. "For instance, I had the ball come back to me. It wasn't hit too hard, but I was just finishing my delivery and I was still up in the air. I kind of caught it, then jumbled it and booted it with my feet. "I'm still shaking off the rust from last year. It has been a while since I have seen some ground balls in a live game in pressure situations." Sunday marked Braddock's second start this season. He pitched two innings April 22 in West Virginia's 8-2 win over host Lexington, Ky. He allowed no runs and no hits. He walked two and fanned three in a no-decision effort. "We're gradually getting him back to full-start mode," Curtis said of Braddock, a Burlington (N.J.) Community College product who was a draft-and-follow selection in the 18th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. "By that, I mean five or more innings. "He has been in Arizona rehabbing. This is basically what we hope will be a brief stopover before he goes on to high Class A Brevard County, Fla. Braddock said his arm is "pretty much back to 100 percent." "They think a lot of scar tissue had built up and irritated the nerve last year," said Braddock, who had Tommy John surgery in high school. "Also, the nerve was getting caught on a certain place in the arm. "So, they have been working some muscle exercises and some massages to loosen up that area. Ever since, it has been great. It's really nothing detrimental like a surgery or a tear." POWER POINTS: Right-handed pitcher Jared Sutton was released Sunday to make room for left-handed pitcher Dan Merklinger, who was removed from the disabled list that morning. ... West Virginia is off today but will begin an eight-game Maryland road trip Tuesday with a pair of four-game series against Hagerstown and Delmarva, respectively. Charleston Daily Mail Photo of Zach Braddock by Tom Hindman http://www.dailymail.com/images/thumbs275/Zach_Braddock_0013_D0804273dvpzu.jpg

LHP Christian Friedrich of Eastern Kentucky wins out.

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_04_28_cspaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville Completion of Suspended Game: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_27_jaxaax_hunaax_1 Huntsville Regularly Scheduled Game: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_28_jaxaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_28_vbdafa_breafa_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

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Omaha 13 8 .619 - 9-5 4-3 W1 Iowa 11 11 .500 2.5 6-8 5-3 L1 Memphis 10 14 .417 4.5 2-6 8-8 W1 Nashville 5 17 .227 8.5 2-5 3-12 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 16 7 .696 - 8-2 8-5 L1 West Tenn 16 8 .667 0.5 8-2 8-6 W6 Huntsville 15 8 .652 1.0 11-2 4-6 W4 Chattanooga 13 10 .565 3.0 8-5 5-5 W1 Tennessee 9 15 .375 7.5 5-9 4-6 L6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 16 8 .667 - 11-3 5-5 L2 Brevard County 14 10 .583 2.0 8-5 6-5 L1 Daytona 14 10 .583 2.0 6-5 8-5 L1 Jupiter 13 11 .542 3.0 8-2 5-9 W1 Vero Beach 11 13 .458 5.0 7-4 4-9 W1 St. Lucie 4 20 .167 12.0 4-9 0-11 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 15 8 .652 - 5-3 10-5 L1 Greensboro 12 11 .522 3.0 5-8 7-3 L5 Delmarva 12 12 .500 3.5 6-6 6-6 L1 Hickory 12 12 .500 3.5 6-5 6-7 L1 Hagerstown 11 12 .478 4.0 3-5 8-7 W3 Lakewood 11 13 .458 4.5 5-7 6-6 L2 West Virginia 9 15 .375 6.5 5-9 4-6 W1 Lexington 8 16 .333 7.5 3-11 5-5 W2

Monday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Richie Gardner at home vs. Colorado Springs (Rockies), 5:40 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: First, it's the completion of Sunday's suspended game, followed by LHP Sam Narron at home vs. Jacksonville (Dodgers), 10:55 AM pre-game; 11:05 gametime Audio link via WUMP (game will also archive at this link): http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?sid=t559 Brevard County: RHP Alex Periard at home vs. Vero Beach (Rays), 6:00 PM gametime Sorry, no audio for this series... West Virginia: Idle

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Link while active, text follows: Sounds still hopeful after dismal start By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer It could be worse. Sure, the Nashville Sounds have lost more games before the end of April than they have to open any season in the last 10 years, going just 5-17 following Sunday's 3-2 loss in the series finale at Omaha. "You look at Tucson and they're 3-19," said Gord Ash, assistant general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, Nashville's parent club. "We're not the worst team in the league." But for a team that has won at least 75 games in each of its first three years as the Brewers' top affiliate -- including 89 wins last season and a Pacific Coast League championship in 2005 -- the slow start is cause for concern. The Sounds, winless in nine games decided by two runs or less, open an eight-game homestand at Greer Stadium Monday against Colorado Springs. "Obviously, we've had some very successful years there as an affiliate," Ash said prior to Sunday's defeat. "I think you want to continue that level of success. I didn't think the team was to the same level it has been in the past, but neither did I think it was as bad as it is. I think we've got some younger guys there, probably fewer veteran-type players." Some of the losses early in the month came despite solid pitching performances. But the Sounds went into Sunday's game having lost four of their last six games, despite averaging 10 runs in that span. That facet of the team's game could get a lift in the next few days, as some transactions at the major league level are expected to result in an extra arm or two joining the roster. "We're not pitching -- lately, especially," said Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas, whose staff has a composite earned run average of 5.99 -- the fourth-worst mark in the 16-team PCL. "They're probably going to send somebody down that's a starter. It's still a couple of days away, and that can change, so we'll see how that goes. But we could have a little better starter coming in that could put a little more pressure on the pitching staff (so) they realize, 'we'd better pick it up or we're not going to have a job.'" Nashville's relief corps, meanwhile, is last in the league with one save -- not that there have been an abundance of opportunities. "I expected our bullpen to be a little bit better than it has been," Kremblas said. "But you know bullpens go through bad spells. But I think our starters have got to get much better. We got a good start out of (Mark) DiFelice in Albuquerque, and (Chris) Narveson was OK there. He wasn't too bad. Our other guys have got to pick it up some." Offensively, Nashville is hitting a respectable .281, a middle-of-the-pack mark in the PCL. Same goes for the team's 24 home runs and 110 runs scored. "They've had some poor pitching, some poor defense, but they've had some better offensive days lately and I think it's kind of rounding into shape," Ash said. "I think the team's coming together. I don't think it's too late to get back into contention. "We've prided ourselves over the last several years on being at or near the top of the league and in the playoffs each year. To look down and see a 5-16 record is not something you like to look at. I think obviously we're disappointed but we see some light at the end of the tunnel in the way the team has played the last five or six days."

Nice summary of a big year in 2007 for former Huntsville LHP Brian Adams *** The Atlantic League is the first of the eight independent leagues to begin play, with games now underway. Each and every one of the eight rosters in the Atlantic League contains at least one former member of the Brewers organization, with most having multiple, including five member sof the York (PA) Revolution. We've provided info on nearly all the names during this past offseason, but the link above should satisfy your curiosity for the most part if need be.

Link while active, text follows: Sounds swinging in the rain By Rob White Omaha World-Herald Staff Writer When the series with Omaha started, Nashville's Brad Nelson had a good number for home runs and a less than thrilling total in RBIs. The number for each was four. "Guys were giving me grief about how many (RBIs) I would end up with," Nelson said. "It just shows how early in the season it really is." Nelson continued his two-game tear Saturday night against the Royals, adding three hits and three RBIs to his two-homer, five-RBI game in Thursday's opener and leading the Sounds to a 13-9 win before 3,987 (paid) at Rosenblatt Stadium. Game-long drizzle, all three hours and 15 minutes worth, made it miserable for both sides, leading to sloppy fielding and struggling pitching. But Nashville came out smiling at the end. "We're happy with the first Sounds night victory of the year," Nelson said. "But it was pretty ridiculous conditions out there." The Sounds had lost their first 14 under the lights as part of a sluggish 5-16 start. It's unfamiliar territory for a team that has won three straight division titles. "We've started to put up some runs, but we're just not used to starting out like this after the teams we've had the last few years," Nelson said. "We haven't pushed the panic button yet, but we know we've got to get some things done and get this season turned around before it drags out too much longer." Nelson, 25, the former Nebraska recruit from Algona, Iowa, was part of all three of those teams, and seems to be getting back on track after a disappointing 2006. Once considered Milwaukee's top prospect, Nelson made a comeback with 20 homers last year for the Sounds and is hitting .364. "He's made some nice adjustments in his swing," Nashville manager Frank Kremblas said. Nelson had plenty of help Saturday, as he, Russell Branyan and Vinny Rottino combined to go 9 for 12 with 11 RBIs. They outslugged an Omaha team that got home runs from each of the top five hitters in the order - Mitch Maier, Mike Aviles, Shane Costa, Ryan Shealy and Matt Tupman - in the first four innings. But the Royals also gave up potentially six runs because of defensive miscues brought about by the conditions.