Jim Goulart

Nashville Site: Tony had missed nine games with the hamstring strain... Gross Called Up, Gwynn Activated From D.L.

Wednesday's Daily Menu: We'll fill in the rest later on... All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Adam Pettyjohn at home in 102 degree heat vs. New Orleans (Mets), 11:45 AM pre-game; 12:00 PM gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Follow Wednesday'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_15_nozaaa_nasaaa_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 Standings through Tuesday's action: Arizona League 2nd Half Standings: Arizona Rookie is 12-30 overall... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...;period=h2 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 73 50 .593 - 39-20 34-30 L1 Iowa 69 55 .556 4.5 39-25 30-30 L1 Omaha 63 61 .508 10.5 39-21 24-40 W3 Memphis 50 74 .403 23.5 27-37 23-37 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 32 19 .627 - 16-9 16-10 W2 Chattanooga 29 22 .569 3.0 15-11 14-11 W2 Tennessee 27 24 .529 5.0 20-10 7-14 L1 Carolina 25 26 .490 7.0 14-12 11-14 L1 West Tenn 19 32 .373 13.0 9-17 10-15 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 25 23 .521 - 15-10 10-13 L6 St. Lucie 24 25 .490 1.5 9-13 15-12 W2 Jupiter 22 25 .468 2.5 12-11 10-14 W1 Palm Beach 22 27 .449 3.5 11-15 11-12 W1 Daytona 20 31 .392 6.5 10-17 10-14 L3 Vero Beach 13 33 .283 11.0 6-16 7-17 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hickory 33 19 .635 - 20-11 13-8 L2 Lakewood 25 25 .500 7.0 13-10 12-15 L4 Delmarva 25 26 .490 7.5 9-15 16-11 L2 Lake County 24 26 .480 8.0 10-14 14-12 L1 Greensboro 24 28 .462 9.0 16-10 8-18 L1 West Virginia 24 28 .462 9.0 15-11 9-17 L1 Lexington 22 30 .423 11.0 15-14 7-16 L3 Hagerstown 17 34 .333 15.5 9-15 8-19 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 12 3 .800 - 8-0 4-3 W6 Billings 7 8 .467 5.0 4-5 3-3 L3 Helena 7 8 .467 5.0 2-5 5-3 W3 Missoula 6 9 .400 6.0 4-2 2-7 L2

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

Storm make it three straight http://images.townnews.com/nctimes.com/art/spacer.gif By: ED WEHDE - North County Times Staff Writer LAKE ELSINORE---- The Storm staked starter Steve Garrison to two first-inning runs, which was more than enough for the crafty left-hander. Lake Elsinore tacked on three more in the sixth and rolled to its third straight win, a 5-1 victory over Rancho Cucamonga in front of an announced crowd of 1,353 at The Diamond on Tuesday. The win enabled the Storm (67-55 overall, 30-22 second half) to remain within a game of first-place Lancaster in the Cal League's South Division second-half standings. Third-place Rancho (58-64, 25-27) fell six games off the pace. Garrison kept the Quakes off balance with pin-point control and changing speeds. The former Milwaukee Brewers farmhand who came over in the deal for Scott Linebrink gave up just one unearned run in his seven innings, allowing five hits and no walks and striking out five. The 20-year-old has thrown at least seven innings in each of his four starts for the Storm and has never given up more than five hits or two runs. His Cal League ERA is now 1.24. Ernesto Frieri followed Garrison with two perfect innings, striking out four, and still hasn't allowed a run in his five Cal League outings. In 8 2/3 innings, he has permitted one hit and struck out 13. "Four quality starts (for Garrison) and seven solid innings, and Frieri comes back and throws two quality innings," Storm manager Carlos Lezcano said. "You can't ask for anything more from your pitchers." In the first six innings, Garrison allowed just two singles, and nobody got past first base. The Quakes, who hadn't scored in 12 innings coming into the game, finally broke through with an unearned run in the seventh. After three consecutive two-out singles loaded the bases, Garrison induced a grounder to second from Cliff Remole, but Jon Schemmel booted the ball, allowing the Quakes to break their scoring drought. The top of the Storm lineup got the team started on the right foot again Tuesday. A night after Josh Alley and Sean Kazmar started a four-run first-inning rally, they ignited a two-run uprising in the first. Kazmar, who made several outstanding plays at shortstop, also had a key two-out, two-run single as the Storm put the game away with three runs in the sixth. "That hit (Kazmar) got made it 5-0," Lezcano said. "That was crucial. Today was the Steve Garrison and Sean Kazmar night."

Link while active, text follows (article ran prior to Tuesday's start): http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18695963&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425696&rfi=6 Garrison adjusts to new Padres surroundings Hun graduate dominant in first three outings By: Justin Feil , Princeton (N.J.) Packet Assistant Sports Editor July 25 dawned like any off day for pitcher Steve Garrison, but ended unlike anything he had been through before. The Hun School graduate woke up and got in a round of golf before heading to Space Coast Stadium, home of the Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League. By the end of the Manatees' loss to St. Lucie that night, it no longer would be the home of Garrison, who was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers along with Will Inman and Joe Thatcher in exchange for San Diego Padres reliever Scott Linebrink. "I didn't expect it," Garrison said. "Absolutely not." Just three days earlier, the left-hander had delivered a gem for the Manatees to improve to 8-4 with a 3.44 earned run average. Garrison threw a complete-game three-hitter and struck out six in a 5-0 win over Daytona. It was his fourth straight win. It was his final pitching appearance for the Brewers' Single-A club. "My heart sank," said Garrison, who was a 10th-round selection by the Brewers in 2005. "It felt like an empty feeling inside. It was a whole bunch of emotions. There were a bunch of guys there that I've been with for a long time. Me and Lorenzo Cain have been rooming since '05. We were close. We were all really close. I was going to a whole different team. It was very, very shocking." It meant a change of plans for all surrounding Garrison. He called his family and friends from Hun to inform them of the trade. They helped him through the difficult transition. "Tommy (Monfiletto), Matt (Stillitano), I called them and said, I'm going to California," Garrison said. "It was cool talking to them. It's nice to have such close friends. They were all coming down to Florida to see me. I think we're going to wait until I come home (to Ewing). "My mom and dad came down once earlier. My mom was going to come again, but I'm not going to see her for a little longer. I was in Arizona all winter so I haven't really been home for a long time. That was hard. I'm definitely ready to come home." Cain drove Garrison to the airport at 5 a.m. on July 26 as he switched coasts to report to the Padres' Single-A affiliate, the Lake Elsinore Storm, in the midst of their road trip at San Jose, Calif. The travel day, a "day from hell," said Garrison, took 20 hours before he met his new teammates. "I didn't sleep at all," Garrison said. "I had to pack up my car. I had so much stuff. I had to get a bag to bring here, and my car is filled and loaded and parked at my old garage at Brevard County." Garrison was welcomed with open arms by Lake Elsinore, which sat just two games behind front-running Lancaster in the California League's South Division as of Monday. It made the sudden transition easier to handle. "It definitely was like starting over, but they were great," Garrison said. "They welcomed me right in. They were all more than helpful. They made me feel like home. Gradually, I started learning everybody's names and they became my friends. "They have some reports on some of the hitters and the players will help me out. I'm trying to go out there and get ahead. The defense is really good here. The guys play really well behind me. I trust them already. I try to let them hit it and see what happens. I've been fortunate everything is going well. I hope it continues." The easy-going Garrison isn't hard to like. Not when he can deliver quality starts as he has in his first three appearances for the Storm. After his first two starts netted him a narrow loss and a no-decision, Garrison picked up his first win for Lake Elsinore by going seven innings, striking out three and walking no one while surrendering just one run in an 8-2 win Thursday. With the performance, his ERA plummeted to 1.64. He has adjusted quickly to his new team and new league. "At first, it was leaving that was the hardest thing," Garrison said. "I guess it was motivation to make a statement for my new team. I was nervous how they'd look at me. I was nervous how they thought of me. I wanted to make a good impression on them. That was another big thing for me." Some of the Padres' major-league players were upset that the organization traded its set-up reliever in the middle of a pennant race for three minor leaguers. Garrison, however, was one of the main reasons they made the trade. The Padres, according to published reports, were not willing to make the deal until Garrison was included in the trade package. "I'm hoping they like me," he said. "I'm going to try to show them they can like me. The organization seems really good. I've been talking to a lot of people. Being traded is a good thing in some aspects. I'm excited and looking forward to it. "Every day I feel more comfortable. Every day I feel like more and more a part of the team. It's funny. Our (Storm) team made some moves the other day. We had a golf tournament and that was fun to hang out with the guys. We had some new guys and I'm not the new guy anymore." It wasn't easy for the Brewers to say goodbye either. Garrison heard from several who helped give him a start to his dream. "The guys from the Brewers called me and the scout that signed me called me," he said. "The head of the player development talked to me. It was good to hear from him. They all said good luck and congratulations. The Brewers have a lot more higher pitching prospects from what I heard. Hopefully I can climb up the ladder with the Padres." Garrison has continued to gain experience in his second year of professional baseball. He has grown from the dominant lefty who went 8-0 with a 0.52 ERA and 86-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio as a senior at Hun. He continues to aim to make the improvements that could bring him a major-league start. "Throwing the ball inside to a righty, the fastball hard in," Garrison notes of one of his improvements. "I've really been working on my change-up too. Randy Voorhees (former Mercer County Community College pitching coach), my coach back home, he's been pounding in my head that I need to work on my change-up. I can't blow a fastball by anybody anymore. I have to make sure I can throw an off-speed pitch for a strike. That's probably the biggest thing I'm working on and being more consistent. That's the big difference between the minors and the big leagues." Garrison expects to have the chance to see his old friends and teammates from the Manatees in instructional ball or in spring training. He is hoping by next year to be moving up the chart for the Padres. He has come on strong in the second half of the summer. "I'm trying to use that it's not how you start, it's how you finish," Garrison said. "I am hoping to finish up strong. Overall, I'm not thrilled with my season, but I'm definitely happy about how it's ending up." Even if it is ending up at a different place than where it began. But with the Brewers behind him, Steve Garrison is trying to make his way to the majors in a Padres jersey now. "I'm hoping to get five more starts," he said. "I'm hoping to stay strong. I'm hoping to prove to the Padres I can handle a long season. I want to show them I'm maturing as a pitcher and my body is maturing. I'm learning the business aspect of it, and I know I have to show them I can do it or they'll find someone better." http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1091/zwire/images/2007/08/story/20070814_112821_2_story.jpg

Steve Garrison is just pitching insane. Yet again in a tough California League Southern Division launching pad (his home park), Garrison gets the win for Lake Elsinore with seven innings of five hit ball, allowing only one unearned run. He did not walk a batter and struck out five. Box Score / Game Log In his four starts with the Storm, Garrison has a 1.24 ERA in 29 IP, allowing only 16 hits and two walks while striking out 20. YTD Stats

Nashville City Paper: Sounds, city of Franklin, Tennessean open ballpark talks; team investigating suburban Nashville options

Honestly, it may be decades before anything associated with the Brewers and/or their affiliates is bungled so badly (comically at this point): Architectural firm sues Nashville Sounds The guesses as to where the Brewers' AAA team plays next year is anybody's guess. It won't be at another existing affiliated city, as Player Development Contracts don't expire until after 2008. The Brewers / Sounds pact, which extends through 2010, will surely be broken as Greer Stadium is too decrepit to host games next season, if MLB continues their say. It'll probably be Greer after some patchwork repairs, but my goodness, what a joke.

Link while active, text follows: http://www.standard.net/live/sports/111158/ Nerves tested in Ogden Numerous Raptors tossed in latest loss By Roy Burton Ogden Standard-Examiner staff OGDEN -- Henry Cruz didn't know he was going to be the manager for half an inning Monday night. Nor did he know he'd be the only bench coach the Raptors had left. An otherwise typical Pioneer League game between Helena and Ogden became an ejection-fest with two outs in the top of the ninth. Ogden's Jaime Pedroza homered from both sides of the plate in Helena's 8-4 defeat of the Raptors. The real fireworks, however, started when pitching coach Craig Bjornson was ejected by home plate umpire Allen Alvarez for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. Raptors reliever Paul Koss wound up walking Mike Goetz; then the situation really boiled over. Austin Gallagher threw Eric Farris' grounder to third into the Helena bullpen, allowing Goetz to score, but umpire Erik Hill tossed right fielder Travis Vetters following the play. That set off already upset Raptors manager Jeff Carter, who was subsequently ejected by Alvarez, leaving hitting coach Cruz alone on the bench. The Raptors couldn't rally in the bottom half of the ninth, ending the zaniness of the first meeting of the season between Ogden (7-7, 24-27) and Helena (6-8, 32-20). Helena starter Evan Anundsen (6-3) pitched six respectable innings, striking out five while allowing three runs on three hits for the win. The game was a defensive disaster for Ogden, which committed four errors and allowed six unearned runs. Pedroza's slugging of his fourth and fifth home runs was the highlight for the Raptors. He ripped a no-doubt solo home run to left field in the seventh and provided a lift in the early going with a two-run homer in the third. Two Helena pickoff attempts had drastically differing results in the inning. Anundsen nailed Erik Kanaby at first but catcher Jonathan Lucroy let Austin Gallagher score later by trying to pick him off third. Pedroza's first shot came in response to Caleb Gindl's three-run shot in the top half of the third. Gindl, the leading hitter for average (.408) made Ogden pay for a pair of baserunners who reached on errors by hitting his fifth jack of the year. Pedroza moved past Orem's Jay Brossman for second in the batting crown race, raising his average to .376. Raptors right-hander Bobby Blevins had his shortest outing as a starter, giving up seven runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. Blevins wasn't as bad as the numbers, however: only two Brewers runs were earned. Helena got to Blevins for another run in the sixth, then added two more after shortstop Pedroza committed his team-high 13th error, dropping the third out on a fly ball to shallow left field. Second baseman Elian Herrera cut down Farris at the plate to save a run in the seventh. Vetters made a nice grab running toward the right field wall to prevent more runs in the third and reliever Chales Dasni picked off Gindl at first in the seventh. Koss's two-inning outing was his first since July 24 after having a tooth knocked out in the outfield in a batting practice accident on the road. *** Brewers boost record with Ogden win By Helena Independent Record Staff OGDEN, Utah - After a stretch in last place in the Pioneer League's North Division, the Helena Brewers won a game to lift them to 6-8 on the season, tying the Missoula Osprey for third. The game began well for the Brewers, as they scored one run and kept the Ogden Raptors to zero in the first inning. In the third inning, the Brewers boosted their lead to 4-0. A home run by Helena hitter Caleb Gindl, who went 1-for-3 but had four RBI, drove in Mike Goetz and Jonathan Lucroy. Ogden took a cue from Helena, also scoring three runs in the third inning to bring the score to a tight 4-3. The Raptors' Austin Gallagher scored on a throwing error by Lucroy on a pick-off attempt. Jaime Pedroza followed up by hammering in a homer, allowing Elian Herrera to score. The fourth was scoreless, but in the fifth inning the Brewers picked up where they left off, again scoring three runs. Goetz made it home on a grounder hit by Lucroy, and Lucroy came in on a fielding error by Pedroza. Steffan Wilson scored on a Zelous Wheeler single. Ogden switched out pitcher Charles Dasni for reliever Robert Blevins, who threw the third out to end the inning. The Brewers and the Raptors kept the score to 7-3 until the seventh inning, when Helena sent Casey Baron in to relieve starter Evan Anundsen, and Baron gave up one last run to Ogden. That tally was a second homer by Pedroza, who sent a fly ball to left field. After a last pitching change by Ogden, Helena scored the final run of the game in the top of the ninth inning when Goetz scored on a throwing error by third-baseman Gallagher. After the ejection of pitching coach Craig Bjornsen, manager Jeff Carter and right fielder Travis Vetters, Ogden couldn't pull it together in the bottom of the last frame, leaving the final score at 8-4. The Brewers play the Raptors tonight at 7:00 PM (8:00 Central). Helena Box Score: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_13_helrok_ogdrok_1 Helena Game Log: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_13_helrok_ogdrok_1

Link while active, text follows: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070814/SPORTS0401/708140356/1328/SPORTS Sounds' McClung named PCL pitcher of week By TOM KREAGER Tennessean Staff Writer Sounds right-hander Seth McClung was named the Pacific Coast League's pitcher of the week Monday. McClung went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts in two starts last week. He pitched five scoreless innings in Nashville's 6-0 win Aug. 6 at Tacoma and followed that up Sunday with another five scoreless innings, though he took a no-decision in the Sounds' 3-2 win. McClung is the third Sounds pitcher this season to garner the award. Yovani Gallardo collected the award in May. Manny Parra later earned the honor. Both Gallardo and Parra since have joined the Milwaukee Brewers. McClung joined the club July 27 when the Brewers traded Sounds reliever Grant Balfour to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. McClung's next scheduled start is 7 p.m. Friday at home against the New Orleans Zephyrs. Iowa's Matt Craig was named the league's batter of the week. Craig drove in nine runs and had a .957 slugging percentage last week. Hit streak: Brad Nelson extended his hitting streak Monday to eight games with a first-inning double to the center-field wall off Albuquerque Isotopes starter Chris George. Nelson drove in leadoff batter Callix Crabbe with the hit. Chris Barnwell tied his season-best hit streak at seven games with his second-inning single. Free comics Friday: A free comic book will be given to the first 5,000 fans at Greer Stadium on Friday for the Sounds game with New Orleans. Marvel characters Spider-Man, Iron-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk will be featured inside the book, Triple-A Baseball Heroes. The limited-edition comic book will be available only at Greer and will have the Sounds logo embossed on the cover. Tiebreaker: The Sounds start a four-game home series with New Orleans starting with today's 6 p.m. game. The season series is currently tied 6-6. Nashville Box Score: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_13_albaaa_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_13_albaaa_nasaaa_1

Link while active, text follows: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070814/SPORTS0401/708140355/1328/SPORTS Dickey goes eight innings in Sounds win By TOM KREAGER Tennessean Staff Writer R.A. Dickey knew he didn't have anything left in his right arm for the ninth inning. Good thing the Sounds didn't need it. The Sounds defeated Albuquerque 5-2 on Monday night to improve to a Pacific Coast League-best 73-49 in front of an announced crowd of 3,013 at Greer Stadium. Dickey (10-5) tied his longest outing of the season with eight innings pitched. His 126 pitches are the most he's thrown this season. Dickey's previous high was 122 pitches in an April 24 win against Iowa. "I was done," Dickey said. "And (Manager) Frank Kremblas knew it. I was pretty tired out there. It was kind of a blessing I struck out (in the seventh) because I could sit down quick and rest." Dickey, a former MBA and Tennessee standout, struck out six and walked four in the game before leaving with the three-run lead. Luther Hackman pitched a scoreless ninth to collect his 18th save of the season. The Sounds broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with three runs off left-handed starter Chris George. Vinny Rottino singled and scored on Mike Rivera's fielder's choice. Laynce Nix then followed with a two-run shot over the right-field fence. The home run was Nix's 16th of the season. "I've had pretty good success against this team this year because we've faced them so much," Nix said. "I just put a good swing on it and turned into it. "They are in our division so we see them a lot. I'm pretty familiar with their pitchers." The Sounds finished the season with a 10-5 series advantage against the Isotopes. The Isotopes grabbed a 1-0 lead after the top half of the first inning when Reggie Abercrombie doubled and scored on Dickey's wild pitch. The Sounds tied the score in the bottom of the inning. Leadoff hitter Callix Crabbe singled and eventually scored on Brad Nelson's two-out double. Rottino's 10th home run of the season gave the Sounds a 2-1 lead in the third inning. But Abercrombie's 10th home run of the season in the sixth inning tied the game at 2-2. What they said: "That was a big two-run home run by (Nix). We had a couple of other chances with guys on third. But that's going to happen. That's why you need that guy to step up and hit that two-run home run." - Kremblas

Nashville City Paper: Rottino, Dickey pace Sounds win BY NATE RAU, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent Nashville Sounds All-Star Vinny Rottino's 2007 season has been a case-study in patience. He came within a hair of making the Milwaukee Brewers' opening day roster out of spring training. Instead the utility man extraordinaire was sent to Triple A Nashville, where he assumed he was an injury away from a call-up. But a promotion hasn't come. Instead Rottino has spent the entire season playing virtually every position and giving the Sounds his typical sturdy play. Rottino went 2-for-4, homered and scored twice to help Nashville to a 5-2 win over Albuquerque at Greer Stadium on Monday. "I just look at it like I'm extremely blessed to be playing baseball," Rottino said. "I don't see it as a job. So I just see everyday I'm out here as a blessing." Last year Rottino made starts at six positions, but mostly played third base (77 games). With top prospect Ryan Braun parading through Music City and holding down third base for Milwaukee for the foreseeable future, Rottino has spent most of his time (48 games) at catcher this season. Despite learning catcher and still playing five positions, Rottino has delivered offensively for the Sounds this season. After Monday's game, Rottino was hitting .289 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs. "I feel like I'm a pretty valuable player as far as playing several positions, including catcher and I can handle the bat pretty good," said Rottino, who now views himself as a catcher who can play several positions. "Hopefully it works out and I get called up soon." The game was tied at two apiece when the Sounds busted out with three runs in the seventh. Rottino singled and scored the game-winner off the bat of Mike Rivera. Laynce Nix hit a two-run insurance homer later in the inning. Rottino hit a solo homer in the third, while Callix Crabbe also singled and scored for the Sounds. "We feel like we're a pretty good team and it doesn't matter who you put in there right now, they'll get the job done," Rottino said. On the mound, Sounds starter R.A. Dickey had another strong outing, going eight innings and allowing just two runs. It tied Dickey's longest outing of the season as it took him 126 pitches to do so. The first-place Sounds (73-49) are 4.5 games ahead of Iowa in the American Northern Division. McClung recognized: Sounds starter Seth McClung, who hasn't allowed a run in 14 innings since joining Nashville, was named PCL pitcher of the week Monday. In two starts, McClung earned a win and notched 11 strikeouts. Photo by Mike Strasinger for The City Paper Vinny Rottino of the Sounds is congratulated by Sounds manager Frank Kremblas after his 3rd inning homer. http://e-paper.nashvillecitypaper.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=TCP/2007/08/14/21/Img/Pc0210300.jpg

Link while active, text follows: http://www.dailymail.com/story/Sports/+/2007081460/Power%27s+Brewer+trying+to+overcome+bumps+in+the+road/ Power's Brewer trying to overcome bumps in the road Michael Dailey Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter The disappointment of a hitless night was etched all over Brent Brewer's face as he made his way back to the West Virginia Power's clubhouse Monday evening. For Brewer, a talented, but young shortstop in the Milwaukee Brewers' system, the evening worth forgetting was just another bump in the long road to the Big Leagues. That journey to the Major Leagues began last summer when the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Brewer was selected by Milwaukee in the second round of the June 2006 draft. The high selection -- and subsequent $600,000 signing bonus -- helped pry the talented athlete from a commitment to play football at Florida State. "It was a chance for me to get an early start at playing professional sports, instead of going to college and, then, trying to go from there," said Brewer, prior to West Virginia's 8-4 win over the Charleston RiverDogs. "I felt like I had a better chance to come out of high school and make it to the Big Leagues, than playing pro football." But also weighing into the decision to pick baseball over football was the Tyrone, Ga., native's pure love for the game. "I have no regrets about playing baseball," said Brewer. "I love to play the game. And the Brewers will pay for my college education in the future." Brewer's love for the game and work ethic never have been questioned by the organization that sees brighter days ahead for its young shortstop. "He's a great athlete," said Reid Nichols, Milwaukee's Director of Player Development. "He was in both of our winter programs last season and that helped him. He was in our first six weeks in November and December and, then, came back in our January session and made strides physically as an athlete." The winter programs are held at the Brewers' spring training complex in Maryvale, Ariz., and cover strength training and fitness in six-week sessions during November and December. In January, up and coming players work to hone their baseball skills for the coming season. That extra work helped advance Brewer from short-season rookie league Helena to the full-season Power in the South Atlantic League. "We asked him to come and it was up to him to decide whether he wanted to come or not," said Nichols of Brewer's winter work. "He took us up on it and I think it's paying dividends for him. "I think that's what gave him the edge to come to West Virginia this season. Without that work, he may have been in rookie ball in Helena if he hadn't devoted that time over the winter. "He's coming back again this winter for both sessions. That shows his desire to play this game." But even with the steady improvement, Brewer has suffered his fair share of frustrations in the field and at the plate this season, while trying to master what is arguably the toughest position on the diamond. Brewer has shown defensive flashes this season with what Nichols calls, "range in every direction," but is second in all of Class A baseball with 42 errors. At the plate, he has shown potential with 10 homers, 44 RBI and 38 stolen bases, but also leads all of Class A with 152 strikeouts. For Nichols, watching the peaks and valleys of the 19-year-old's first full season of professional baseball is no great surprise. "There were concerns coming into the season," said Nichols, "that we may be pushing him a little bit and that we may need to help him out with someone to spell him from time to time. "We thought as a staff, that he might struggle a little bit defensively. But he came out playing pretty well off the bat and, then, he got a little better. "As an organization, we're very happy with his progress. He's made strides in his defense and his offense. His throwing, his base-stealing and base-running have also gotten better as the season's progressed." Brewer also sees improvement in his play. "My hands have gotten better and my footwork is better from the start of the season," said the teenage shortstop. "Just all around, my arm ... just everything about the game has gotten better. "The reps I've gotten and just getting the one-on-one work with the coaches here and our rovers has really helped me get better." Power hitting coach Corey Hart also has noticed a difference in Brewer's play. "He's made more progress than anyone on the team this year," said Hart. "He's improved as the season has progressed. "He's a hard worker and I think he's got a chance to be a good player for many years to come." Nichols also likes Brewer's upside. "I think he's got unlimited potential," said Nichols. "He's an athlete that loves the game. He studies the game and he's dedicated to it. "At this time in the season, he's starting to get the basics down to where he can start fine tuning at the plate. I saw him going over some video with our hitting coach (Hart) and he made some adjustments. Then, that day in batting practice he was hitting the ball really hard with some of the adjustments that he made. "He's a hard worker, but he's still a really young player." Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Bob Wojcieszak West Virginia Power shortstop Brent Brewer ranges up the middle to field a grounder during his team's win on Monday night at Appalachian Power Park. http://www.dailymail.com/images/DOGPOW30814.jpg

Link while active, text follows: http://www.al.com/sports/huntsvilletimes/mmccarter.ssf?/base/sports/1187082983280980.xml&coll=1 Hot at bat and in soap Hardy shows signs his hitting is back on track Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com Huntsville Times "She can warm up with me any time." That was a simple line of dialogue, delivered with a mischievous look. Probably not destined to go down into history with "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" or "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." Or even " 'When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that goin' for me. Which is nice." You know. Something from one of the classics. The lascivious line came from Milwaukee shortstop J.J. Hardy, even if it sounds like Vince Vaughn. It's one of the perks when your team is baseball's flavor-of-the-month. And when it plays near the fictional city of Genoa City, Wis., the setting for the soap opera, "The Young and The Restless," which debuted on TV only shortly after test patterns were invented. Hardy and teammates Bill Hall, Chris Capuano and Jeff Suppan briefly appeared in an episode that aired in June. You can YouTube it at your own risk. The gist is they are meeting one of the city poohbahs and are suddenly interrupted by an attractive blonde, the actress Michelle Stafford, who apparently knows more baseball than Peter Gammons. When she's finally ushered from the room, J.J. delivers his timeless dialogue. The brush with Hollywood was also a perk of success and health. When the show was filmed, few players were having a better season than Hardy. He rode a 19-game hit streak the first month of the season, batting .418 with eight homers and 23 RBIs. Or, as the exuberant, starstruck Y&R blonde gushed in the scene, "His bat is on fire this year." Alas, "I got off to a really good start and I've been going downhill ever since," Hardy said, hanging out in the visitors' clubhouse last weekend when the Brewers played at Houston. "I'm trying to get back to where I was at the beginning of the season. But I'm definitely not complaining about where I'm at." His bat was on fire this past weekend in Houston. He went 6-for-13, with a pair of homers and three RBIs. He's batting .274 for the season with 20 homers and 66 RBIs, putting him second in the NL among shortstops in the latter two categories. After missing much of last season with an ankle injury that ultimately required surgery, Hardy's "main goal (was) just to stay healthy and play as much as I can and see what I can do. I haven't been able to know what I can do for a whole season up here." "People didn't expect it," general manager Doug Melvin said of Hardy's hot start. "They didn't see it coming because he didn't play that much the year before. James Jerry Hardy was the world's oldest 19-year-old when he played for the Huntsville Stars. Next week, he'll hit the quarter-century mark, having already accomplished a cameo appearance in a soap opera and in a Major League All-Star Game; the "Young and Restless" director gave Hardy more work than did St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa, who didn't send J.J. into the game until the ninth. Happily, he gets more respect in Genoa City - and Milwaukee - than in St. Louis.

Link while active, text follows: http://www.al.com/stars/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/sports/1187083143280980.xml&coll=1 Stars spotlight: Lindsay Gulin Brad Shepard, Huntsville Times Position: Starting pitcher Age: 30 Hometown: Issaquah, Washington Stats: 11-4 with a 3.21 ERA Year with Stars: First What equipment do you use? Rawlings glove and "(Corey) Thurman's bat and batting gloves. They've got a couple hits in them." Growing up 15 minutes from Seattle, are you a big fan of the professional teams? "I have to support my teams. I love the Sonics. I'll try to make it to as many games as I can." Who was your favorite: Shawn Kemp or Gary Payton? "Oh man, I love both those guys. I'm a big Gary Payton fan. He's my favorite, but Kemp was probably the most fun player to watch in the NBA." Being a Seattle guy, how tough was it to be released by the Mariners last year? "The only tough part was when it didn't work out, it was real disappointing. The whole time I was like a little kid. Just to share a locker with a guy like Jamie Moyer, a guy I try to pitch like, was really great." Favorite baseball movie: "For Love of the Game" Least favorite: "They're all good." Are you reading anything now? "Yeah, I'm reading 'The River Why,' and I really like 'The Magus.' I'll pick up anything if it's interesting." What's a fun fact about you that few people know? "I was on the U.S. Olympic badminton team from the time I was 14 until 18. I lived it. I spent a year living in the Olympic Training Center training and didn't play baseball. My dad built the first badminton-only club in western Washington." Why didn't you stick with it? "You can't really pay the bills and get rich playing badminton. I enjoyed them both, but I loved baseball more, I guess. I played badminton since I was like 4 years old." You're one of the married guys on the team, right? "I've been married for three years (to Traci), but we've been dating since we were freshmen in high school. We've been together like 15 years." How'd you meet? "I was going home to spend the night at a buddy's house, and we met on the school bus. We just started hanging out, dating and just never quit." I have to ask you what you think of Barry Bonds breaking the record: "Obviously, he hasn't been caught doing (steroids), but I'm going to give some more credit to all the people who put their names in the history books who are obviously clean."

Charleston Daily Mail: POWER NOTES: West Virginia improved to 72-47 overall and 24-27 in the second half with the win, while Charleston dropped to 66-54 and 29-21. ... Power second baseman Kenny Holmberg continued his torrid streak at the plate Monday with his third-two run homer in his last six games. Holmberg has scored 10 runs and knocked in seven during that same stretch. ... Outfielder Stephen Chapman added a pair of hits and two RBI. Chapman has 19 homers this season, which is just one shy of Jason Parsons' franchise record of 20 homers in a season. ... 2007 first-round draft pick Matt LaPorta chipped in with a pair of hits and an RBI. ... Power reliever J.T. King picked up the win to improve his record to 7-2. West Virginia Box Score: Taylor Green on base three more times; J.T. King scattered six hits but did not walk a batter, which allowed him to go four scoreless... http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_13_crdafx_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_13_crdafx_wvaafx_1

Charleston Gazette Photographer: Kenny Kemp West Virginia Power second baseman Kenny Holmberg (left) tries to complete a double play after retiring Seth Fortenberry of the Charleston RiverDogs. Backing up the play is Power shortstop Brent Brewer. http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/SFE1.jpg

Who's at # 11, and oh yeah, # 4? http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/hotsheet/264664.html

Nashville Site: McClung Named PCL Pitcher-Of-The-Week

Huntsville Times: Tom Van Schaack, general manager of the Huntsville Stars, begs to differ with several who've complained that recent editions of the Stars don't seem to care as much about community involvement as those teams in earlier years of the franchise. "Our community involvement is as strong as it has ever been,'' Van Schaack said. "Our players and mascot are out in the community as much as possible. They do it, however, not for the publicity or the slap on the back, but because they want to and it helps them grow as both players and human beings, preparing them for lives ahead of them at the Triple-A and major league level. "The Stars players are very willing to go out in the community. We get requests almost every day and most requests are granted, but others, unfortunately, are not due to the players' schedule. Community involvement is part of player development and our guys do their part as best they can.''

Standings through Saturday's action: Arizona League 2nd Half Standings: Arizona Rookie is 12-28 overall... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...;period=h2 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 72 49 .595 - 38-19 34-30 W1 Iowa 68 54 .557 4.5 39-25 29-29 W4 Omaha 61 61 .500 11.5 38-21 23-40 W1 Memphis 49 73 .402 23.5 27-36 22-37 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 31 19 .620 - 16-9 15-10 W1 Chattanooga 28 22 .560 3.0 14-11 14-11 W1 Tennessee 27 23 .540 4.0 20-10 7-13 W3 Carolina 25 25 .500 6.0 14-11 11-14 W3 West Tenn 19 31 .380 12.0 9-16 10-15 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 25 22 .532 - 15-9 10-13 L5 St. Lucie 23 25 .479 2.5 9-13 14-12 W1 Jupiter 21 25 .457 3.5 12-11 9-14 L1 Palm Beach 22 27 .449 4.0 11-15 11-12 W1 Daytona 20 30 .400 6.5 10-16 10-14 L2 Vero Beach 13 33 .283 11.5 6-16 7-17 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hickory 33 17 .660 - 20-9 13-8 W7 Lakewood 25 23 .521 7.0 13-10 12-13 L2 Delmarva 25 24 .510 7.5 9-15 16-9 W3 Lake County 23 25 .479 9.0 10-14 13-11 L1 Greensboro 23 27 .460 10.0 15-9 8-18 W1 West Virginia 23 27 .460 10.0 14-10 9-17 W3 Lexington 22 28 .440 11.0 15-12 7-16 L1 Hagerstown 15 34 .306 17.5 9-15 6-19 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 10 3 .769 - 6-0 4-3 W4 Billings 7 6 .538 3.0 4-3 3-3 L1 Missoula 6 7 .462 4.0 4-2 2-5 W1 Helena 5 8 .385 5.0 2-5 3-3 W1

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". 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_13_albaaa_nasaaa_1 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_13_crdafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_13_helrok_ogdrok_1 Arizona: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_13_brrrok_giarok_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

Monday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP R.A. Dickey at home vs. Albuquerque (Marlins), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: Idle Brevard County: Idle West Virginia: LHP Luis Ramirez at home vs. Charleston (Yankees), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Helena: RHP Evan Anundsen at Ogden (Dodgers), 7:45 PM pre-game, 8:00 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Arizona: TBD at the Giants' complex in Scottsdale, 7:00 PM local time in Arizona, 9:00 Central; never any audio for Arizona Rookie League games

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