Jim Goulart

Final: Fort Myers (Twins) 4, Brevard County 1 MiLB.com: Miracle wins with three hits Juan Portes' home run was one of only three hits for Fort Myers as the Miracle defeated Brevard County, 4-1, on Friday at William Hammond Stadium. The second-consecutive three-run first for the Miracle began with a hit-by-pitch to Brian Dinkelman followed by a four pitch walk to Steve Tolleson. After a one-out walk to Dustin Martin loaded the bases, a groundball from Portes would bring in Dinkelman for a 1-0 lead. On the same play, a throwing error by Mike Bell at second allowed Tolleson to score as well making it a two-run lead. Danny Valencia then came up and gave the Miracle a 3-0 lead with his RBI single to right. Two innings later, Portes connected for his eighth homer as he went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Dustin Martin and Daniel Valencia had the other hits for Fort Myers, both singles. Starter Kyle Waldrop (5-3) limited the Manatees to one run on four hits over seven innings, hitting a batter, walking another and striking out three. He was dominant early, retiring 15 of the first 16 batters he faced. Robert Delaney earned his third save after pitching a scoreless ninth. The Manatees (25-20) broke up Waldrop's shutout bid in the sixth when Yohannis Perez singled up the middle with one out, scoring Nestor Corredor from second. Starter Brae Wright (0-2) was the tough-luck loser, giving up four runs - three earned - on two hits, two walks, a wild pitch and a hit batter over seven innings. The Miracle will look to make it a perfect week on Saturday night in game three against Brevard County. The Miracle will send right-hander Zach Ward (3-15, 3.21) against Manatees righty Mike McClendon (4-3, 3.90) at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) -- Michael Echan/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_10_breafa_ftmafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_10_breafa_ftmafa_1

Final: Helena 3, Orem (Angels) 0 Helena Box Score: Bobby Bramhall goes six innings and Robert Bryson three to combine on a seven-hitter, striking out 13 and walking only one; 2007 4th rounder Eric Farris starting to win us over, on base three times; Kurt Crowell jacks his 4th home run; Scotty McKnight just can't get the ball to drop, now 5-for-40 but with only six K's... http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_10_helrok_orerok_1 Helena Game Log: Game log confirms the outstanding pitching lines were well-earned -- sweet... http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_10_helrok_orerok_1

Final: West Virginia 5, Savannah (Mets) 2 West Virginia Site Game Summary: LaPORTA HOMERS IN POWER VICTORY Matt LaPorta's first home run in a Power uniform was a two-run shot in the fourth inning of Friday night's game at Appalachian Power Park. It gave the Power a 2-1 lead, and they never trailed again, defeating the Sand Gnats 5-2. In the top of the second, Chris Toneguzzi walked Luis Rivera with the bases loaded to put the Sand Gnats on the board. LaPorta's shot put the Power on top 2-1. The Sand Gnats tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth inning when Joe Holden scored on D.J. Wabick's groundout. The Power took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth on Chuckie Caufield's first of two sacrifice flies. Caufield's second sac fly plated Jimmy Mojica in the seventh inning, and Mojica tripled in the eighth to score Taylor Green. Toneguzzi (5-3) got the win, allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts over five and a third. Omar Aguilar (9) got the save and Nelson Portillo (3-9) was tagged with the loss after surrendering three runs on six hits over six innings. D.J. Lidyard tossed two and two thirds scoreless innings or relief. The Power improved to 69-46 overall and 21-26 in the second half, while the Sand Gnats fell to 35-81 overall and 15-31 in the second half with the loss. Andrew LeFave and Taylor Green both had two hits for the Power. Chuckie Caufield went 1-for-2 with a run and two RBI, leading off for the first time this season. The Power will finish the four game series with Savannah Saturday night. The Power will start right hander Jeremy Jeffress (7-5, 3.49) and the Sand Gnats will counter with right hander Greg Mullens (4-3, 4.38). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: Taylor Green doubles and reaches three times; as noted yesterday, when doesn't Andrew LeFave have two hits? http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_10_savafx_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_10_savafx_wvaafx_1

LHP Joe Thatcher back in the bigs with San Diego, recalled today.

Nashville Media Notes: WEEKS RETURNS TO BREWERS; MACIAS ACTIVATED: Second baseman Rickie Weeks was recalled by the Milwaukee Brewers today to replace veteran infielder Tony Graffanino, who is out for the season with a torn ACL and medial meniscus tear in his right knee. Weeks batted .455 (10-for-22) with three doubles, a triple, three RBIs, and five runs scored in six games for Nashville during the club's recent road trip. To fill his roster spot in Music City, utilityman Jose Macias has been activated from the disabled list.

Standings through Friday's action: Arizona League 2nd Half Standings: Arizona Rookie is 11-28 overall... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...;period=h2 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 71 48 .597 - 37-18 34-30 L2 Iowa 66 54 .550 5.5 39-25 27-29 W2 Omaha 60 60 .500 11.5 38-21 22-39 W1 Memphis 48 72 .400 23.5 26-35 22-37 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 30 18 .625 - 15-8 15-10 L1 Chattanooga 27 21 .563 3.0 14-11 13-10 L1 Tennessee 25 23 .521 5.0 18-10 7-13 W1 Carolina 23 25 .479 7.0 14-11 9-14 W1 West Tenn 19 29 .396 11.0 9-16 10-13 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 25 20 .556 - 15-9 10-11 L3 St. Lucie 22 23 .489 3.0 9-13 13-10 W1 Jupiter 20 24 .455 4.5 11-10 9-14 W1 Palm Beach 21 26 .447 5.0 11-15 10-11 W1 Daytona 20 28 .417 6.5 10-16 10-12 W2 Vero Beach 11 33 .250 13.5 6-16 5-17 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hickory 31 17 .646 - 18-9 13-8 W5 Lakewood 25 21 .543 5.0 13-10 12-11 W3 Delmarva 23 24 .489 7.5 9-15 14-9 W1 Lake County 22 24 .478 8.0 10-14 12-10 L2 Greensboro 22 26 .458 9.0 14-8 8-18 L1 Lexington 21 27 .438 10.0 14-11 7-16 W2 West Virginia 21 27 .438 10.0 12-10 9-17 W1 Hagerstown 14 33 .298 16.5 9-15 5-18 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 8 3 .727 - 4-0 4-3 W2 Billings 6 5 .545 2.0 3-2 3-3 L1 Missoula 5 6 .455 3.0 4-2 1-4 L2 Helena 4 7 .364 4.0 2-5 2-2 W2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Standings through Thursday's action: Arizona League 2nd Half Standings: Arizona Rookie is 11-27 overall... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...;period=h2 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 71 47 .602 - 37-17 34-30 L1 Iowa 65 54 .546 6.5 39-25 26-29 W1 Omaha 59 60 .496 12.5 38-21 21-39 L1 Memphis 48 71 .403 23.5 26-34 22-37 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 30 17 .638 - 15-7 15-10 W8 Chattanooga 27 20 .574 3.0 14-11 13-9 W4 Tennessee 24 23 .511 6.0 17-10 7-13 L1 Carolina 22 25 .468 8.0 14-11 8-14 L2 West Tenn 19 28 .404 11.0 9-16 10-12 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 25 19 .568 - 15-9 10-10 L2 St. Lucie 22 23 .489 3.5 9-13 13-10 W1 Jupiter 19 24 .442 5.5 10-10 9-14 L2 Palm Beach 20 26 .435 6.0 11-15 9-11 L2 Daytona 19 28 .404 7.5 10-16 9-12 W1 Vero Beach 11 32 .256 13.5 6-16 5-16 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hickory 30 17 .638 - 17-9 13-8 W4 Lakewood 24 21 .533 5.0 13-10 11-11 W2 Lake County 22 23 .489 7.0 10-14 12-9 L1 Delmarva 22 24 .478 7.5 9-15 13-9 L1 Greensboro 22 25 .468 8.0 14-7 8-18 W2 Lexington 20 27 .426 10.0 13-11 7-16 W1 West Virginia 20 27 .426 10.0 11-10 9-17 L1 Hagerstown 14 32 .304 15.5 9-15 5-17 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 7 3 .700 - 3-0 4-3 W1 Billings 6 4 .600 1.0 3-1 3-3 W4 Missoula 5 5 .500 2.0 4-2 1-3 L1 Helena 3 7 .300 4.0 2-5 1-2 W1

Follow Saturday'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_11_albaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_11_biraax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2007_08_11_breafa_ftmafa_1&did=t503&sid=t503 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_11_savafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_11_helrok_orerok_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

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_10_albaaa_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_10_biraax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2007_08_10_breafa_ftmafa_1&did=t503&sid=t503 West Virginia: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_10_savafx_wvaafx_1 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_10_helrok_orerok_1 Arizona: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_10_rngrok_brrrok_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

Saturday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Mark DiFelice at home vs. Albuquerque (Marlins), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Steve Hammond at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: RHP Mike McClendon at Fort Myers (Twins), 5:50 pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: http://miraclebaseball.com/ NOTE: This link is for the Miracle's broadcast team. West Virginia: RHP Jeremy Jeffress at home vs. Savannah (Mets), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Helena: RHP Chad Robinson at Orem (Angels), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Arizona: Idle

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Adam Pettyjohn at home vs. Albuquerque (Marlins), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Lindsay Gulin at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: TBD at Fort Myers (Twins), 4:50 pre-game, 5:05 gametime Audio link: http://miraclebaseball.com/ NOTE: This link is for the Miracle's broadcast team. West Virginia: RHP Chris Toneguzzi at home vs. Savannah (Mets), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Helena: LHP Bobby Bramhall with RHP Robert Bryson scheduled to follow up in a tandem role, at Orem (Angels), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Arizona: TBD at home in Maryvale vs. the Rangers' newbies, 7:00 PM local time in Arizona, 9:00 Central; never any audio for Arizona Rookie League games

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Link while active, text follows: http://www.dailymail.com/story/Sports/2007081023/Powers-LaPorta-was-the-best-power-hitting-prospect-available/ Power's LaPorta was the 'best power hitting prospect available' Michael Dailey Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter The last couple of months have been sort of a whirlwind for West Virginia Power outfielder Matt LaPorta. LaPorta, the Milwaukee Brewers' first-round draft pick (7th overall) in the 2007 amateur draft, has called Arizona, Montana and West Virginia home since the end of a stellar collegiate career on May 25. The right-handed hitting, Port Charlotte, Fla., native, finished his four seasons at the University of Florida as the school's all-time leader in home runs (74), while ranking second in RBI (206) and third in slugging percentage (.681). Those numbers helped LaPorta become the only two-time Player of the Year award winner in Southeastern Conference history, and helped put him on the Brewers' draft radar. "As I understand from our scouting department, he was the best power hitting prospect available," said Reid Nichols, Milwaukee's director of player development. "And he's shown that in practice. He was just missing balls in the Pioneer League, but he was hitting the ball hard. "We think he's got a pretty good bat." Nursing a leg injury at the time of the draft, LaPorta was sent to the Brewers' minor league complex in Maryvale, Ariz., to rehab the injury and become acclimated to life as a professional baseball player. When his leg was declared healthy, LaPorta was sent to short-season Class A Helena to tune up for his trip to West Virginia. LaPorta, played in seven games at Helena, batting .259, with a double, homer and four RBI in 27 at bats. In two games with the Power, including Thursday evening's 6-4 loss to the Savannah Sand Gnats at Appalachian Power Park, LaPorta is 3-for-9 (.333) with a double and one RBI. West Virginia dropped to 20-27 with the loss, while Savannah improved to 15-30. With a budding career that is just nine games in the making, LaPorta's biggest challenge to date is learning a whole new position at the professional level. LaPorta, who entered Florida as a catching prospect, eventually tried third base before settling in at first. However, Milwaukee plans to play the slugger in left field. So far, LaPorta has performed well, although the conversion is still a work in progress. "Left field is new for him," said Nichols. "I've seen him play five or six games and he's making good adjustments in the outfield. "He's getting a good break on the ball. "But he's still got a lot to learn because it's still a new position for him. "The ball comes off the bat a little different in the outfield. "He's going through a lot of change, but he's looked good doing it. He's making the adjustments that he needs to make." While LaPorta knows of the difficulty involved in making the transition from collegiate player to professional, he's willing to do whatever it takes to help the Power and to help lengthen his playing career. "It just means that I've got to focus more," said LaPorta of the position change. "I need to go out there everyday and work hard. Not just offensively, but on defense too. I want to be a pretty good outfielder and I know I'll have to work to do that." He's already beginning to see improvement in his outfield play. "I'm starting to get more comfortable out there. My leg's getting healthier and that's helping me play a little better. "I'm judging balls a lot better right now, especially the line drives. "I'm starting to learn how to move on those." That improvement in the outfield showed in the eighth inning, when LaPorta made a sliding catch in left center to take a hit away from Savannah's No. 9 hitter Luis Rivera. Unfortunately, West Virginia didn't fare as well against the top of the Sand Gnats' lineup, as the top six hitters in the lineup finished with two hits apiece. After jumping to a 3-0 lead after two innings, on a first-inning solo homer by Brent Brewer and a two-run, second-inning shot by Steve Chapman, the Power was outscored 6-0 until plating its last run in the ninth. Savannah got on the board in the fourth inning on a solo homer by Francisco Pena. The Gnats took the lead for good in the fourth inning on a two-run homer by Joe Holden and an RBI single by Jonathan Sanchez, before adding single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Craig Cunningham The West Virginia Power's Matt Laporta trades his helmet for his glove after an unsuccessful slide into second base against the Savannah Sand Gnats on Thursday night at Appalachian Power Park. http://www.dailymail.com/images/081007Laporta.jpg

Submit questions early at the link: http://www2.jsonline.com/chat/chat.asp?id=powell

My goodness, Garrison is doing this in those dreaded California League Southern Division ballparks -- line from the link above: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K's His three starts since the trade: 22 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 15 K's

Fans upset with the team, or just August vacationers? Average daily visitors to Brewerfan: April: 4304 May: 4423 June: 4511 July: 4434 August: 3962 Actually, June (Amateur Draft) and July (Trade Deadline) numbers are consistently higher each year.

Final: Helena 7, Orem (Angels) 2 Owlz can't flash back to find their winning ways By Jason Adkins For the Deseret Morning News OREM - Flashback Night at Brent Brown Ballpark was a hit as prices of some food and drink were cheap, and an Elvis entertaining the crowd. The attempt backfired for the Orem Owlz, though, as they weren't able to get back to their winning ways in years past on Tuesday night. Orem wasn't able crack the pitching of the last-placed Helena Brewers - losers of six straight - in a 7-2 loss until late in the game on Thursday night. The Owlz only managed a lone hit through seven, but managed to get two runs in the last two innings. "That was an ugly game," Orem manager Tom Kotchman said. "After having a day off, that was just embarrassing. We had one hit going into the eighth inning." Jose Garcia (6-2) shined in relief for Helena in getting the win. Garcia didn't dazzle on the mound, but he just kept racking up the outs and striking out six in five innings of work. Orem's attempt at a rally with two outs in the eighth was too little too late. Rian Kiniry singled for the Owlz first hit since a leadoff single in the first. Both Hector Estrella and Andrew Romine followed with hits of their own, and Romine's line drive plated Kiniry from second to cut the lead to 5-1. Orem pitcher Michael Davitt (0-2) struggles this season continued in the third after striking out four in the first two innings. Curt Rindal led off the frame with a double and Jonathan Lucroy - with a .357 batting average - brought him home on a sharp single up the middle. Helena didn't give Orem reliever Christopher Armstrong a break as the Brewers extended their lead to 5-0 in the fourth. Lucroy's single brought in Rindal for his second RBI and finished the Brewers scoring in the inning. A wild pitch by Armstrong and a passed ball charged to catcher Chris Rosenbaum during Rindal's at-bat scored two runs earlier in the inning. Helena added two runs in the ninth for good measure and Orem pushed across a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, but a double play ended the game. Orem hosts the Brewers for the second game of their four-game series tonight at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). *** Helena gets back on winning track against Orem By Helena Independent Record Staff OREM, Utah - The Helena Brewers put an end to a six-game losing streak as they downed Orem 7-2 Thursday night. The Brewers jumped out to a 5-0 lead, with the big inning coming in the fourth. Miscues hurt the Owlz as Eric Fryer scored on a passed ball and David Fonseca came home on a wild pitch. Fryer and Jonathan Lucroy each had an RBI double in the inning. Curt Rindal also had a two-RBI double in the ninth to put the game away. Lucroy was 3-for-4 on the night and he drove in two. Eric Farris, Rindal and Fonseca had two hits on the night for the Brewers. The bottom three hitters in Helena's batting order had five hits and drove in three. Helena starter R.J. Siedel had a very solid three innings, striking out four in that span. Jose Garcia got his sixth win of the season, pitching five innings in which he struck out six and gave up just one earned run. The Brewers are still four games out of first place in the Pioneer League's Northern Division. Orem is two games out of first place in the Southern Division. Helena Box Score: Tough 0-for-6 for Lee Haydel (OBP down to .281); Zelous Wheeler walks three times... http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_09_helrok_orerok_1 Helena Game Log: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_09_helrok_orerok_1

Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Interview with Pitching Coach Aris Tirado: Be sure you're on the archive for August 9th, go to the 6:00 minute mark -- http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/multimedia/audio.jsp

Charleston Gazette Photographer: Kenny Kemp The Power's Steve Chapman (24) is congratulated after hitting a second-inning home run Thursday. http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/HRUN1.jpg

Miracle Web Site: A pair of three runs innings on Thursday night led the Fort Myers Miracle to their fifth consecutive win, a 6-4 decision over the Brevard County Manatees at Hammond Stadium. Miracle starter Jeff Manship tossed seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits, with five strikeouts in the win. The Miracle struck first in the opening frame as a lead-off double by Steve Tolleson would get the ball rolling. Tolleson would later score on Dustin Martin's double to right making it 1-0 Miracle. All five hits on the night for the Miracle were of the double variety. A dropped line drive by Lorenzo Cain in right, off the bat of Edward Ovalle, led to the other two runs in the first. Brevard County would jump on the board in the fifth as a lead-off double from Cole Gillespie would pay off after a Yohannis Perez single to right. Perez scored a two hitters later on a Nestor Corredor ground out to short. A pair of runs and two more Miracle doubles in the fifth would lead to the final three tallies on the night. Alexander Soto would draw a lead-off walk, move to second on Toby Gardenhire's sacrifice-bunt, and score easily on Tolleson's second two-base hit of the night. Another Manatee error, this one by Perez at short, allowed Tolleson to score the second run of the frame, while Erik Lis cleaned up with his own RBI-double to right for the 6-2 lead. Two groundouts off the bat of Mike Bell would bring the visitors to within two, but Miracle closer Eddie Morlan shut the door in the final 1.1 innings for the save. The Miracle and Manatees square off again Friday night at a special start time of 6:05 p.m. The Dave Matthews Tribute Band concert will take place after the ball game. The Miracle will send RHP Kyle Waldrop (4-3, 3.19) to the mound. *** Oh yeah, it was Midget Wrestling Nite in Fort Myers! http://www.news-press.net/serendipity/index.php?/authors/41-Edward%20Pelegrino%20-%20Fort%20Myers%20Miracle

Link while active, text follows: http://www.al.com/stars/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/sports/1186737707224480.xml&coll=1 Stars too hot to handle Huntsville chases Egbert in beating Birmingham 10-8 By BRAD SHEPARD For the Huntsville Times At this rate, not even the Southern League's best pitchers want to face the Huntsville Stars. Birmingham starter Jack Egbert entered Thursday night's game at Joe Davis Stadium sporting a 12-7 record and a 2.65 earned-run average. He exited stage left 1 1/3 innings later, sporting a bruised ERA and ego. The Stars touched up Egbert for four hits and six runs on their way to a 10-8 win in front of an announced crowd of 1,153. They built a huge lead early and needed almost every bit of it late. It was Huntsville's eighth straight win, extending the second-longest winning streak of the season. The Stars also did it without No. 3 hitter, first baseman Steve Sollmann, who left to be with his wife Kate in Illinois. Kate gave birth to the couple's first baby girl, May, late Thursday. "Everybody's chipping in," Stars manager Don Money said. "You take Sollmann out, and the guys picked it up. That's what it takes: Twenty-four guys." Stars starter Derek Miller wasn't his sharpest, but he still put together a solid outing. The lefty worked six innings and gave up three runs to improve to 5-0 on the season, and the bullpen hung on - barely. Basically, Huntsville pitchers need only pitch the five required innings lately. The offense is doing the rest. And Thursday, they did it against the pitcher with the No. 2 ERA in the league. A great portion of that damage came from Hernan Iribarren. The scorching second baseman had himself another fantastic game, going 3-for-5 with a double, a pair of triples and four RBIs. His last triple started with the bases loaded and ended with them cleared. That was the fifth inning, and it put the game out of reach, making it 10-3. It was the second time in less than a week Iribarren hit a pair of triples in a game. "That's pretty cool," he said. "I'm just making the adjustments. The first part of the season, I was struggling, but now, I'm hitting the ball well." Iribarren's stretch of the last half month is nearly as ridiculous as third baseman Adam Heether's was during July. In Iribarren's last 16 starts, he is 33-for-67, knocking on .500's door. In typical fashion, Huntsville (30-17, 67-48) started Thursday's game quickly at the plate. After a pair of quick outs in the first, Iribarren doubled and Heether knocked him home with a single to make it 1-0. Then, the Stars erupted for six in the second, chasing Egbert while sending 11 men to the plate. They finished the inning with four hits, two walks, two hit-batsmen and a head start on the Barons (20-27, 52-65). "It seems like no matter what lineup we put out there," said Ryan Crew, who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, "somebody's going to hit well and surprise you."

Final: Huntsville 10, Birmingham (White Sox) 8 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- http://www.huntsvillestars.com/news/news.asp?newsId=1314 Iribarren Ignites Another Stars' Victory Hernan Iribarren continued his scorching success at the plate, as he doubled and tripled twice and drove in four runs to power Huntsville past Birmingham 10-8 in another wild game Thursday night in the second of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars improved to 30-17 in the second half with their eighth straight win to maintain their three-game lead over victorious Chattanooga in the North Division, while the Barons dipped to 20-27 in the second half and 52-65 overall. All of the victories during the Stars win streak have been by one or two runs. Iribarren doubled with two outs in the first inning and scored when Adam Heether singled into left field to give the home team a quick 1-0 lead. Birmingham starter Jack Egbert, who entered the game second in the league in strikeouts and earned run average and leading the league in innings pitched, walked two and hit a batter in the home second to load the bases with one out. Mel Stocker hit a ground ball to second baseman Chris Getz, who fielded, looked to second and then turned and hurried a throw to first base past Shawn Garrett that allowed Brendan Katin and Carlos Corporan to score to make it 3-1, Guilder Rodriguez to advance to third base and Stocker to reach safely. Stocker stole second and scored with Rodriguez when Ryan Crew doubled to left to knock Egbert out of the game. Iribarren greeted Carlos Torres with a triple to score Crew and then scored on a two-out single by Katin to complete a six-run rally. Egbert was charged with six runs on four hits and recorded only four outs in his shortest outing of the season. He had lasted at least five frames in 21 of 23 outings and at least six innings in 18 of 23 turns. Adam Shabala's two-run homer, his first with Birmingham, in the third cut the Stars' lead to 7-3. Barons' reliever Corwin Malone walked the bases loaded in the home fifth before Iribarren tripled to drive in three to extend the Stars' advantage to 10-3. Iribarren has collected multiple hits in 13 of his last 16 games, during which he has totaled 33 hits in 67 at-bats. Stars' starter Derek Miller won his fifth straight decision to improve to 5-0 after giving up three runs on five hits over six innings. E.J. Shanks gave up a run-scoring double to Victor Mercedes and a three-run home run to David Cook in the seventh inning that got the Barons back into the game. Chris Kelly's home run in the eighth off Bo Hall trimmed the lead to 10-8 but Luis Pena squashed any hopes of a comeback with a scoreless ninth, including getting Mercedes to bounce into a game-ending double play. Pena recorded his fifth save in the last seven games and tenth of the season for the Stars, who have set a franchise record with a save in seven straight games. The series continues Friday night with left-hander Lindsay Gulin taking the hill for Huntsville against Barons' southpaw Ryan Wing. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: This team seems to be playing much better than the sum of its parts would indicate, good for them and Huntsville fans, they deserve all kinds of kudos for their 2007 efforts; Hernan Iribarren has an .885 OPS against right-handed pitching as a Southern League second baseman, a nice number (.488 OPS vs. southpaws in 98 AB's); Ryan Crew on base four times; Derek Miller with a sweet 38-to-9 BB/K ratio in his seven Stars' starts... http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_09_biraax_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_log&gid=2007_08_09_biraax_hunaax_1