Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows (Thursday's game): http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070831/SPORTS0401/708310414/1328/SPORTS Sounds' home schedule ends with win vs. Omaha By MIKE ORGAN Tennessean Staff Writer Adam Pettyjohn limped to the Sounds dugout Thursday after crippling Omaha. The left-handed pitcher just had been hit in the leg by a ball in the eighth inning, but not before he helped Nashville to a 6-2 victory -its fifth win in the past six games. A Greer Stadium crowd of 3,983 watched the Sounds finish their regular season home schedule with 10 hits to go with Pettyjohn's impressive performance. Nashville travels to Memphis today to begin a four-game series and then heads into the Pacific Coast League playoffs on the road Wednesday. The Sounds won't know until the weekend whether they will play Albuquerque, New Orleans or Oklahoma. Pettyjohn was tagged by a ball hit by Derek Wathan. It bounced in front of the pitcher's mound and caught Pettyjohn on the right shin. The lefty, who improved to 12-4, was helped off the field while the crowd applauded his performance. "I just couldn't get my glove down fast enough,'' Pettyjohn said. "The guy hit it pretty well, just in the perfect spot. There was no reason to chance it and try to stay out there." Pettyjohn, who expected to recover fully after a couple of days of rest, recorded seven strikeouts before Steve Bray replaced him and added another strikeout. That helped the Sounds set a single-season team record of 1,118 strikeouts. The previous record of 1,117 was set in 2005. The win moved Pettyjohn into a tie for the Pacific Coast League lead in that category. Fellow Sound R.A. Dickey and Fresno's Matt Kinney also have 12 wins. "Our two guys have done an outstanding job,'' Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. The Sounds pulled in front 3-2 with two runs on six hits in the fourth inning. Andy Abad hit an RBI double and Chris Barnwell added an RBI single with two outs. Vinny Rottino hit his 12th home run of the season in the seventh inning, a three-run shot that gave the Sounds a 6-2 lead. What they said: "These guys are good. They're professionals, they know what to do. They'll just continue to work hard and get ready for the playoffs." - Kremblas on keeping the focus with only four games left in the regular season.

Link while active, text follows: http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070830/COLUMNIST0207/708300424/1106/SPORTS Sounds have seen hot streak Commentary by JOHN GLENNON Tennessean Staff Writer The Nashville Sounds have been red hot in August. They've also been playing pretty good baseball. It's impressive enough that the team clinched its third straight Pacific Coast League division title earlier this week. But the feat becomes even more notable given the conditions the Sounds worked under this month. By the end of tonight's game, they'll have played 18 of their last 22 contests at home, where the atmosphere has been blast-furnace hot. A few heated highlights from what will likely go down as the hottest month in Music City history: 15 days over 100 degrees, 24 straight days of 95 degrees or higher, and an average temperature about 9 degrees above normal. If you think it all feels the same to minor-league baseball players, think again. "This one has definitely taken the cake," said Sounds pitcher and Nashville native R.A. Dickey, 32. "I can't ever recall so many days in a row just being so thick and stagnant." Where the wind blows On an average night when he takes the mound, Dickey steals a glance at the flags flying behind the outfield in order to determine which way the wind is blowing. Needless to say, that hasn't proved much of anything recently. "It looks like there's a wind that's blowing the flags straight down," Dickey said. "There's nothing.'' Dickey always tries to work quickly, but it becomes even more important in Hades-like temperatures, when he's trying to get his teammates off a scorching diamond and back into the dugout. It's the kind of effort appreciated by players such as 6-foot-2, 220-pound catcher Mike Rivera, whose most miserable memory of the month came Aug. 15, when he donned the mask and equipment for a noon start in which the temperature hit 104 degrees. Over the past few weeks, Rivera has been soaking through about four T-shirts per game. He's also taken to removing his pads whenever possible during contests, hanging them on the dugout wall or in the locker room. "You try to air them out because all that sweat can make them smell bad," Rivera said. "But it doesn't really work." Pungent or not, the Sounds are worth making a big stink about. After Wednesday's 3-2 loss in 15 innings to Omaha, they have gone 10-7 in their hotter-than-ever home schedule this month. The Sounds even secured the division title with more than a week left in the schedule, a welcome change from the past two years when it took them until the second-to-last day of the season to clinch a playoff berth. Guess they figured with all they'd already experienced in August, why sweat things out?

Brewers could raid Sounds roster with late call-ups BY NATE RAU, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent The Nashville Sounds have already locked up their third-consecutive trip to the Pacific Coast League playoffs, but in order to win the title like they did in 2005 it might require a completely re-tooled roster. That's because the Sounds stand to lose at least one or as many as eight players when major league rosters expand Saturday and the Milwaukee Brewers make call-ups. "My guess is we'll lose five or maybe six guys," Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. "Then the rest of the guys they want to take a look at will be called up after the playoffs." Pitcher Carlos Villanueva is guaranteed a promotion. He was optioned to Nashville explicitly to make two starts and then return to the Brewers. After that, who the Brewers bring up will depend on what exactly general manager Doug Melvin and staff deem their roster needs. Kremblas thought the team would look for situational pitchers, pinch runners, pinch hitters and defensive specialists. The Brewers are entrenched in a pennant chase with St. Louis and Chicago in the National League Central. "I think they'll call up guys they need, like a pitcher or maybe a guy who can pinch-run late in games," Kremblas said. "It will probably be mostly pitchers." Reliever Chris Spurling and starter R.A. Dickey, fresh off being named PCL Pitcher of the Year on Wednesday, aren't on Milwaukee's 40-man roster but both could conceivably receive promotions on Saturday. Spurling has a 1.69 ERA in 16 innings for Nashville this season. Dickey is 12-6 with a 3.80 ERA in 30 games. The Sounds have three pitchers (Greg Aquino, Zach Jackson and Dennis Sarfate) who are on the Brewers' 40-man roster. Of that group, Aquino (2.33 ERA, 35 games) is most likely to be called up. Utility man Vinny Rottino has value for the Brewers because he can play virtually every position, including catcher. Rottino narrowly missed the Brewers' opening day roster and has played well for the Sounds, hitting .286 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs while adjusting to catching most of the time. Laynce Nix has been a worldbeater of late for the Sounds, as he's hit 23 homers and driven in 70 runs while playing all three outfield spots. Tony Gwynn tweaked his hamstring earlier in the week, which hurts his value as a pinch runner, but he too is a likely candidate to get promoted. "It's tough, because I've been with this team all season and you want to be there for these guys in the playoffs," Nix said. "But obviously the goal is to play in the big leagues and I'm going to give my best no matter what they ask of me."

Thursday's Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Outfielder Laynce Nix: http://www.nashvillesounds.com/audio/2007/Interview%208-30.mp3

West Virginia Roster Moves: RHP Jeremy Jeffress was officially placed on the restricted list, as of 8/30. LHP Luis Ramirez (sore shoulder) has been placed on the DL, retroactive to 8/29. RHP Patrick Lawler (from the Arizona Brewers) and LHP Bobby Bramhall (from the Helena Brewers) have been promoted to take their places on the roster. Helena Press Release: LHP Bobby Bramhall -- The College Station, TX native was stellar in his ten-outing stint with the Brewers. Bramhall was 3-0 on the season and had allowed only 23 hits in 31.0 innings of work. He had struck out 35 batters and walked 11. The former Rice University Owl was holding opponents to just a .202 batting average. Bramhall had allowed just one earned run over his last four outings, a span that covered 17.0 innings. *** Lawler was an drafted free agent signee in July who was a real bright spot in the Maryvale bullpen. He's 6'3", 235, out of Grand Canyon University, where he was a senior in 2007.

Link while active, text follows (Thursday's game): http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/200708315 Legends spoil another solid start by Hand By Mike Whiteford Charleston Gazette Staff writer In a brief dugout conversation Thursday night, Power right fielder Chuckie Caufield approached pitcher Donovan Hand and offered some nice words. Caufield said simply he appreciated Hand's ability to throw strikes, adding that it makes playing defense that much easier. Continuing his knack for challenging hitters, Hand did not walk a batter Thursday and allowed just three hits and a run in his five-inning stint, and he seemed headed for victory at Appalachian Power Park. But the Lexington Legends rallied for five unearned runs in the eighth and ninth innings to deprive Hand of the victory and defeat the Power 7-5. A crowd of 2,635 attended. As Hand and his counterparts know, throwing strikes is the most elementary and essential of pitching's fundamentals. It keeps position players on their toes, helps establish a pitcher's rhythm and catches the approving eye of managers, pitching coaches and other people of influence. "I try to make things happen early in the count,'' said Hand, a 21-year-old native of Jacksonville, Ala. "I saw an article in a magazine that said that if you throw over four or five pitches to a hitter, the defense gets back on their heels and relaxes a little bit.'' Since being assigned to the Power a month ago, Hand has pitched 25 innings as both a starter and reliever and has not walked a batter. Previously, he pitched 34 innings in Helena of the rookie Pioneer League and walked just four. "The Milwaukee Brewers organization preaches pitching to contact, and for that reason you can keep starters in the game longer,'' said Hand, a former Jacksonville State University pitcher. "That's one thing I do. I throw it in the zone and let 'em hit it and depend on my fielders to make plays. I've always had pretty good command of all three pitches.'' The 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-hander, who was taken in the 14th round in the June draft, retired the first eight batters he faced Thursday but allowed three straight singles for a run in the third. He pitched perfectly in the fourth and fifth. He threw only 51 pitches in five innings. The Power took a 5-4 lead into the ninth but, with two out and no one on base, Nick Moresi tripled into the left-field corner and scored when third baseman Taylor Green made an error on Ronald Ramirez's groundball. Greg Buchanan followed with a home run down the right-field line. Matt Kretzschmar, who pitched the ninth, took the loss. POWER POINTS: The Power will face the Legends at 7:05 Friday night (6:05 Central) and will conclude the regular season with three home games against Greensboro Saturday, Sunday and Monday. ... Thursday's attendance raised the Power's season total to 237,633, leaving the team just 2,089 short of last year's count of 239,722, which was the highest in the city's history. ... The Power's Brent Brewer hit a two-run inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning, giving his team a 5-1 lead. ... In the last homestand, the team sold 18 dozen Wheeler Bob T-shirts in five-and-a-half games. The proceeds went to charity.

Link while active, text follows: http://www.dailymail.com/story/Sports/+/2007083144/Power%27s+Jeffress+suspended/ Power's Jeffress suspended Charleston Daily Mail The West Virginia Power lost a baseball game Thursday night, and a lot more. With the Power headed toward the South Atlantic League playoffs next week, the club will be without pitching ace Jeremy Jeffress after the right-hander was suspended 50 games for violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Major League Baseball announced the suspension, saying in a news release that Jeffress, Milwaukee's No. 1 pick in the June 2006 draft, tested positive for a "drug of abuse." After getting that news, the Power went out and lost 7-5 to Lexington at Appalachian Power Park, despite an inside-the-park homer by shortstop Brent Brewer. Greg Buchanan's two-run homer in the ninth inning made Matt Kretzschmar (0-4) the loser. Jeffress, of South Boston, Va., finishes his Power season with a 9-5 record and 3.13 earned run average. He made 18 starts, striking out 95 in 86 1/3 innings. He would have pitched Sunday for a final time in the regular season, then worked in Game 2 of the SAL Northern Division playoffs a week from tonight at Power Park. He was at the ballpark in street clothes Thursday, but was not made available for comment. Power pitching coach John Curtis said Thursday that the club had already decided to start right-hander Alex Periard (7-7) in Game 1 of the playoffs likely at Hickory, which leads the division second-half race by 3 1/2 games with four to play. Jeffress had been slated for Game 2. That starting role now goes to Shawn Ferguson (4-1), with Donovan Hand (2-1) moving into Ferguson's projected slot for a Game 3 (if necessary) start on Sept. 8 at Power Park. "It's an unfortunate thing," Curtis said of Jeffress. "We're very concerned about him. Whatever the suspension is for, hopefully it's getting better and he can come back and be a better human being and a better pitcher." In Milwaukee, Brewer General Manager Doug Melvin issued a statement saying the club "takes these matters very seriously, and we are in the process of formulating a plan in hopes that Jeremy can redeem himself. Jeremy will be provided every opportunity to get his career back on track through the Brewers' Employee Assistance Program." The Power plays the finale of a two-game set with Lexington tonight at 7:05 (6:05 Central). Greensboro visits Appalachian Power Park for a three-game series Saturday night through Monday afternoon to close the regular season. Greensboro was involved in a 4-3 loss to visiting Kannapolis in which several brawls halted play for one hour on Thursday night. Umpires ejected enough players so that the game was stopped for one hour while the situation was sorted out, and SAL retiring President John Moss was called for a decision on how to continue the game. Suspensions are expected from Moss today. Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Craig Cunningham West Virginia Power's Brent Brewer slides past third before getting up and going to home for an inside-the-park home run. Lexington's Drew Holder was injured as he dove to field the ball. http://www.dailymail.com/images/Power083107.jpg

Link while active, text follows: http://www.al.com/stars/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/sports/118855195314150.xml&coll=1 Right on the Money Stars' boss named Southern League Manager of Year By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com The Huntsville Stars' transformation from the league's worst team in mid-July 2006 to a team now bidding for its third consecutive Southern League North half-season division title has been well documented. After a 35-63 start last season, they had gone 104-68 through Wednesday's game. Now, the transformation is being well rewarded. Don Money, the Stars' third-year manager, was named Southern League Manager of the Year on Thursday. It was the first such award for Money, the 60-year-old former major league infielder. Huntsville outfielder Brendan Katin, who entered Thursday's play tied for the league lead in homers with 23 and atop the RBI list with 90, was the only Stars representative on the postseason All-Star team, which featured 11 players from the four Alabama franchises. Montgomery third baseman Evan Longoria was elected Most Valuable Player and Montgomery's Chris Mason was picked as Most Outstanding Pitcher in the vote of managers, radio broadcasters and newspaper reporters. "It's an honor, especially since the other managers voted on it," Money said of his award. "Maybe it's recognition for us winning as a team but without a lot of the big-name prospects and with not a lot of high draft picks." Money was quick to praise his staff of pitching coach Rich Sauveur, who has been alongside him for five seasons, and hitting coach Sandy Guerrero. "Rich handles the pitchers and he does a fine job. And Sandy, he's a worker. He can throw batting practice all day long in the cage, on the field, then back in the cage and never get tired. He's getting better every year at what he does," Money said. Money managed Milwaukee's Single-A Beloit team for six seasons, guiding the Snappers into the championship series three times. With the Stars winning the first-half title and assuring themselves a playoff spot this year, he becomes the first Huntsville manager to lead a team into postseason play in consecutive seasons since Brad Fischer did so in 1985-87, the first three years of the franchise. Longoria earned the MVP award with a .301 average, 21 homers and 78 RBIs at the time of his late-July promotion to Triple-A. His final at-bat with Montgomery was a grand slam. He was joined on the All-Star team by: Catcher: John Jaso, Montgomery. First base: Javier Brito, Mobile. Second base: Emilio Bonifacio, Mobile. Shortstop: Chin-Lung Hu, Jacksonville. Outfielders: Katin, Charlton Jimerson, West Tenn; Justin Upton, Mobile; Fernando Perez, Montgomery. Designated hitter: Lee Mitchell, Carolina. Utility: Wilkin Castillo, Mobile. Best hustler: Carl Loadenthal, Mississippi. Right-handed pitcher: Chris Mason, Montgomery. Left-handed pitcher: Gio Gonzalez, Birmingham. Relief pitcher: Dale Thayer, Montgomery. Of Katin, Money said, "He's obviously got good power, and it's good power to all fields. But he has some things to learn. He needs to work on his approach at the plate and cut back on the strikeouts, but he's been a big hitter for us." The case could be made for several other Stars on the All-Star team, especially at second base. Hernan Iribarren is batting 17 points higher than Bonifacio and has 13 more RBIs and 12 more extra base hits in 10 fewer games, and leads the league in triples. But Bonifacio will likely finish as the stolen base leader. First baseman Steve Sollmann (.285, 51 RBIs) is at a deep position; ditto third baseman Adam Heether (.300, 9 HRs 58 RBIs), behind Longorio and Carolina's Mitchell. Lindsay Gulin had more wins than any lefty pitcher in the league, but Gonzalez had a slight edge over him in ERA and will lead the league in strikeouts. Katin becomes Huntsville's first postseason All-Star team rep since Brad Nelson in 2004 and Money is the first manager of the year honoree since Frank Kremblas in 2003; Gary Jones (1994) and Jeff Newman (1989) previously won the award.

Standings through Thursday's games: Arizona's standings reflect the final year both halves combined... Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 86 54 .614 - 48-24 38-30 W1 Iowa 78 62 .557 8.0 42-26 36-36 L1 Omaha 70 70 .500 16.0 45-27 25-43 L1 Memphis 55 85 .393 31.0 29-39 26-46 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 35 30 .538 - 18-16 17-14 L3 Tennessee 35 31 .530 0.5 22-13 13-18 W1 Chattanooga 34 32 .515 1.5 16-19 18-13 W2 Carolina 30 36 .455 5.5 15-16 15-20 L6 West Tenn 29 36 .446 6.0 12-19 17-17 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 36 30 .545 - 18-15 18-15 W2 Palm Beach 34 33 .507 2.5 17-18 17-15 W3 Brevard County 32 34 .485 4.0 18-14 14-20 L2 Jupiter 30 36 .455 6.0 18-15 12-21 W1 Daytona 25 42 .373 11.5 13-22 12-20 L2 Vero Beach 23 43 .348 13.0 12-19 11-24 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hickory 39 26 .600 - 24-13 15-13 W3 Lakewood 35 30 .538 4.0 19-13 16-17 W5 Greensboro 33 33 .500 6.5 22-12 11-21 L3 Lake County 32 32 .500 6.5 17-16 15-16 L3 West Virginia 31 33 .484 7.5 18-13 13-20 L1 Delmarva 31 34 .477 8.0 14-17 17-17 W1 Lexington 27 39 .409 12.5 16-16 11-23 W1 Hagerstown 23 42 .354 16.0 11-21 12-21 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 20 9 .690 - 11-4 9-5 W1 Billings 16 14 .533 4.5 9-7 7-7 W4 Helena 14 16 .467 6.5 6-9 8-7 L4 Missoula 13 17 .433 7.5 7-7 6-10 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Mariners 37 19 .661 - 24-4 13-15 W1 AZL Angels 33 23 .589 4.0 20-8 13-15 L1 AZL Giants 33 23 .589 4.0 17-11 16-12 W9 AZL Padres 28 28 .500 9.0 17-11 11-17 W1 AZL Royals 28 28 .500 9.0 15-13 13-15 L1 AZL Cubs 27 29 .482 10.0 14-14 13-15 W3 AZL Athletics 25 31 .446 12.0 14-14 11-17 L1 AZL Rangers 22 34 .393 15.0 11-17 11-17 L3 AZL Brewers 19 37 .339 18.0 10-18 9-19 W1

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". 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=2007_08_31_nasaaa_mrbaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_hunaax_biraax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_pbcafa_breafa_1&did=t503&sid=t503 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_lexafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_31_bilrok_helrok_1

These links will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally they are updated an hour or two prior to gametime, with Nashville's usually earlier: Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Huntsville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Mark DiFelice at Memphis (Cardinals), 6:55 PM pre-game; 7:10 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP Corey Thurman at Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): http://www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: RHP Mike McClendon at home vs. Palm Beach (Cardinals), 5:45 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/audio.jsp?cid=503&sid=t503 West Virginia: RHP Alex Periard at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Helena: RHP Robert Bryson at home vs. Billings (Reds), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Arizona: Season complete

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Nashville Media Notes: AQUINO CALLED UP, HOPF REJOINS SOUNDS: Right-handed reliever Greg Aquino was recalled by Milwaukee this afternoon to replace former Sound Manny Parra on the Brewers' pitching staff. Parra was placed on the 15-day D.L. today after suffering a displaced chip fracture of the left thumb during last night's game against Chicago. Catcher J.R. Hopf, who spent time with Nashville earlier this season, rejoins the Sounds from Advanced-A Brevard County, where he batted .219 (30-for-137) with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 50 games this season. The backstop went 4-for-14 (.286) in five June games during his first stint with Nashville.

Nashville Site: Frank Kremblas Named PCL Manager-of-the-Year

Some interesting action tonight, but I'm afraid I'll be unavailable during the overnight. Normally I'd send a private note to our "staff", but I'll toss a more public note here to see if we have a volunteer this evening, staff or not. Don't worry about getting all fancy and following the normal patterns, maybe it's time for a change of pace for an evening. Thanks in advance.

RHP Franklin Nunez, a 30-year-old Dominican native who saw action with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004 and 2005, has been signed and will report to AAA Nashville. From the independent Atlantic League's York (PA) Revolution: Right handed pitcher Franklin Nunez was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, August 26 and assigned to AAA Nashville. Nunez joined the Revolution in Spring Training and served as the team's closer for most of the season. He was 1-0 with a 2.76 ERA and 12 saves. Most recently he saved both games of the Road Warriors doubleheader on August 22. He was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the L.A. Dodgers in 1994, and has pitched in the Dodgers, Phillies, Mets, Devil Rays and Braves organizations. Baseball America rated him as having the Eastern League's best fastball in 2001. "We wish Franklin the best as he starts a new chapter in his baseball career," said York Revolution General Manager Matt O'Brien. RHP Franklin Nunez career statistics through 2006 2007 Statistics Scout.com: The six-foot, 170 pounder missed most of two years (2002-2003) with arm trouble and then went to the Phillies' organization, where he spent five seasons in their system. In 2003 Nunez was in the New York Penn League with the Mets, and then he signed with the Devil Rays' organization before the 2004 season. Nunez pitched very well in Montgomery and Durham (2.81 ERA in 40 games) and got a call-up to Tampa Bay for his first taste of the big leagues. He pitched in 8 games out of the bullpen and had a 5.91 ERA, 11 hits in 10.2 innings, 7 walks, and 14 strikeouts. Then he spent most of 2005 in AAA Durham and was 5-1 with a 6.34 ERA in 27 games. Nunez also pitched five games with Tampa Bay, allowing 6 runs in 5 innings pitched. Nunez has a power arm and can hit 92-96 on the radar gun. He also has a good slider and changeup.

Link while active, text follows: http://www.puyallup-herald.com/sports/story/9264222p-9179100c.html Lidyard rides rookie year roller coaster Cascade Christian grad experiences the normal ups and downs of first pro baseball season Sean Janssen of The Puyallup (WA) Herald While spring training may have seemed like one big high, the first full season of professional baseball is more the typical story of highs and lows for Cascade Christian product D.J. Lidyard. In March, Lidyard showed great things with his slider and sinker, allowing him to skip rookie league ball in Arizona or Helena, Mont., and jump straight to the Class A long-season West Virginia Power in Charleston, W. Va. "Our first-year guys usually go to the Arizona rookie league or our rookie team in Helena, but we felt he was ready for that challenge," said Jim Rooney, the Milwaukee Brewers' roving minor league pitching instructor. "We knew that it was going to be a challenge because it's a big leap from college ball to facing better hitters. When you come into pro ball, there's going to be some ups and downs." His greatest success has actually come, for the right-handed reliever, against lefties, shutting them down to the tune of a .241 batting average and compiling a 2.25 ERA against southpaws. He has also fared much better at night than during day games, with a 4.33 ERA aganinst 8.25. A breaking ball that wowed in March, according to Brewers scout Brandon Newell, tailed off into a soft curveball for a time, Curtis said. "That breaking ball was one of the most impressive things about him that we saw in spring training," he said. "It went in and out. The last month or so, he's coming back to where he was, delivering a better baseball." As the regular season winds down, Curtis is looking toward what Lidyard can show in a postseason situation. Whether he returns to West Virginia next summer or moves up the ladder to a team like the advanced Class A Brevard County (Fla.) Manatees or AA Huntsville (Ala.) Stars will largely be determined in next year's spring training camp. "That's where guys come in and start competing for those jobs," Rooney said.

Anybody else lose the connection to the game via MLB.TV or MLB Mosaic? I'm listening, but....

That's a nice touch by the organization bringing back two former farmhands. You all know about Zumwalt's time in the organziation, but it was the Brewers who brought Ken Ray back to affiliated ball (as a 29-year-old with high-A High Desert and later Huntsville in 2003), after Ray's three-year absence from organized ball. When Ray worked his way onto Atlanta's staff in 2006, it marked seven years since his major league debut with Kansas City in 1999. The moves involing Jackson and Sarfate seem to be a way to make roster space for the two newcomers, and not necessarily a pre-cursor to September call-ups.

Standings through Thursday's Arizona game: Arizona's standings reflect the final year both halves combined... Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 85 54 .612 - 47-24 38-30 L1 Iowa 78 61 .561 7.0 42-26 36-35 W2 Omaha 70 69 .504 15.0 45-27 25-42 W1 Memphis 54 85 .388 31.0 28-39 26-46 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 35 29 .547 - 18-16 17-13 L2 Tennessee 70 63 .526 2.5 39-29 31-34 L1 Chattanooga 62 73 .459 11.5 33-37 29-36 W1 Carolina 58 77 .430 15.5 34-31 24-46 L5 West Tenn 60 74 .448 13.0 31-34 29-40 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 35 30 .538 - 17-15 18-15 W1 Palm Beach 69 67 .507 5.0 33-36 36-31 W2 Brevard County 73 61 .545 - 42-24 31-37 L1 Jupiter 60 74 .448 13.0 33-34 27-40 W1 Daytona 57 78 .422 16.5 33-36 24-42 L1 Vero Beach 56 77 .421 16.5 36-31 20-46 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hickory 38 26 .594 - 24-13 14-13 W2 Lakewood 67 62 .519 11.0 35-31 32-31 W4 Lake County 63 70 .474 17.0 34-34 29-36 L2 Greensboro 71 64 .526 10.0 47-21 24-43 L2 West Virginia 79 52 .603 - 41-24 38-28 W3 Delmarva 65 67 .492 14.5 33-30 32-37 W1 Lexington 57 78 .422 24.0 32-35 25-43 L4 Hagerstown 52 80 .394 27.5 28-37 24-43 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 19 9 .679 - 11-4 8-5 L1 Billings 35 31 .530 8.0 22-13 13-18 W3 Helena 40 27 .597 3.5 17-15 23-12 L3 Missoula 27 40 .403 16.5 13-19 14-21 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Mariners 37 19 .661 - 24-4 13-15 W1 AZL Angels 33 22 .600 3.5 20-7 13-15 W2 AZL Giants 33 23 .589 4.0 17-11 16-12 W9 AZL Royals 28 28 .500 9.0 15-13 13-15 L1 AZL Padres 27 28 .491 9.5 17-11 10-17 L3 AZL Cubs 26 29 .473 10.5 14-14 12-15 W2 AZL Athletics 25 30 .455 11.5 14-13 11-17 W1 AZL Rangers 22 34 .393 15.0 11-17 11-17 L3 AZL Brewers 19 37 .339 18.0 10-18 9-19 W1

Final: Arizona Brewers 3, Arizona Rangers 2 Nice way to end the season... Arizona Box Score: Joey Paciorek hits a three-run HR in the bottom of the 8th, one of only two Brewer hits. Paciorek only got the chance because of a catcher's throwing error on a strikeout. 24 combined K's and 12 combined walks in the game... http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_30_rngrok_brrrok_1 Arizona Game Log: Enjoy the offseason, kids, work hard, play nice, stay clean... http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_30_rngrok_brrrok_1

Link while active, text follows: http://www.dailymail.com/story/Sports/+/2007083020/Power+likely+to+set+another+attendance+record/ Power likely to set another attendance record Jack Bogaczyk Charleston Daily Mail Sports Editor West Virginia Power Manager Mike Guerrero wants to remind baseball fans the South Atlantic League club really isn't heading into its last homestand of the 2007 season. "We still do have the playoffs," Guerrero said. The Power does open its last regular-season homestand tonight at Appalachian Power Park, as Lexington visits for the first of two games, and Guerrero sends right-hander Shawn Ferguson (4-1) to the mound. Greensboro comes to Charleston to end the SAL regular season with games Saturday night, Sunday afternoon and Labor Day Monday. The Power, thanks to its first-half title (48-20), opens the best-of-three Northern Division playoffs Wednesday, likely at Hickory -- leading by four games with five to play. West Virginia has Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) at home on Sept. 7 and 8 at the East End ballpark. The Power won the season series with the Crawdads, 9-4. While the Power is likely to set a Class A local franchise attendance season record Friday -- the club needs 4,725 to top last year's 239,721 total -- Guerrero is more concerned about what's on the field for a team that's 31-32 in the second half and in fifth place in the SAL Northern. "We've been playing pretty well lately, which is what you want when you're heading to the playoffs," said Guerrero, whose two-year Power record is an impressive 153-114. "Even the ones we've lost lately, we've been in the game, battling to the end. "I'm optimistic about the playoffs, especially the way we've been playing. We're hitting the ball, and we've been fundamentally sound. If we can pitch and play defense consistently, we'll be fine." The Power is coming off a 3-2 road trip. In its last six games, West Virginia has belted 13 homers, and the 122 for the season are a club record dating to the 1987 arrival of the SAL in town. Steve Chapman, whose 23 are a Charleston Class A franchise record, leads the club. Four others -- Andrew Lefave (17), Kenny Holmberg (15), Taylor Green (14) and Brent Brewer (10) -- join Chapman in double-figure dingers. In only 18 games, outfielder Matt LaPorta, Milwaukee's No. 1 pick in the June draft, has seven homers and 22 RBI and is batting .333. "He's been a really good addition for us," Guerrero said of the $2 million bonus man. "He has all of the appropriate tools for a No. 1 pick, and he's showing that. "There's nothing there that's surprised me." LeFave also leads the SAL in hitting (.345) by a comfortable 12 points, trying to become the city's first pro baseball batting champ since infielder Jack Perconte (.346) led the International League for the Class AAA Charlies in 1983. The Power's 48 first-half wins were a franchise record for a half-season, but the roster underwent several significant changes due to Milwaukee player movement. After a mid-second half lull that included a seven-game losing skid, the Power has rebounded and has won 11 of its last 16. If the Power can go at least 3-2 on the homestand, Guerrero also will have a distinction of sorts. Not only would the 39-year-old Dominican reach 500 career victories as a minor league manager. Guerrero (497-385) also would be the first Charleston skipper to guide his club through two straight winning full seasons since the Charlies' Jim Beauchamp in 1977 and '78. A 3-2 finish would leave the Power at .500 in the second half (34-34). The parent Brewers would be the first to have four half-seasons of at least .500 in back-to-back years in Charleston's 21 seasons in the low Class A league.

These links will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally they are updated an hour or two prior to gametime, with Nashville's usually earlier: Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Huntsville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

Follow Thursday'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". 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=2007_08_30_omaaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_30_hunaax_biraax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2007_08_30_pbcafa_breafa_1&did=t503&sid=t503 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_30_lexafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_30_bilrok_helrok_1 Arizona: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_30_rngrok_brrrok_1