Jim Goulart

Florida Today: Gamel's Errors costly in Manatees loss Brevard County's Rafael Lluberes allowed just one earned run in 6 1/3 innings but was the losing pitcher in Wednesday's 4-2 defeat to Dunedin at Space Coast Stadium. Mat Gamel went 2-for-4 -- including his fourth home run -- but committed both of Brevard County's errors. The Manatees outhit the Blue Jays 11-4. Angel Salome finished 3-for-4, while Mike Bell and Freddy Parejo had two hits apiece for the Manatees (15-12). Dunedin (17-10) had just four singles in the game. ***MiLB.com: Blue Jays slip past Manatees Anthony Hatch, Luke Hetherington and Jacob Butler drove in a run apiece as visiting Dunedin defeated Brevard County, 4-2, on Wednesday. Hatch and Butler had RBI forceouts in the seventh and eighth, respectively, and Hetherington lifted a sacrifice fly in seventh for the Blue Jays (17-10). Dunedin starter Orlando Trias (6-6) surrendered two runs on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts in six innings. Connor Falkenbach retired all four batters he faced for his 20th save. Manatees starter Rafael Lluberes (5-6) gave up three runs -- one earned -- on three hits, walking five and tying a season high with eight strikeouts over 6 1/3 frames. Third baseman Mat Gamel went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, his fourth, in the fifth for Brevard County (15-12). He also committed two errors, raising his Minor League-leading total to 45. -- Michael Echan/MLB.com

Link while active, text follows: media.www.diamondbackonli...5063.shtml Baron gets start with Helena By: Eric Detweiler The Diamondback, the University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper It doesn't matter that former Terrapin pitcher Casey Baron was selected in the 34th round of this year's Major League Baseball draft, according to his rookie league coach with the Helena Brewers, Jeff Isom. It's not important that 1,027 amateur players were selected before Baron or even that Milwaukee selected 14 other pitchers before Baron. All that matters to Isom is Baron's performance on the field. "As long as they have a uniform on, they have the same opportunity as anybody else," Isom said. "He comes in and does well and opens some eyes up, he becomes a prospect. That's the way we work in this organization." Therein lies another problem for the pitcher who anchored the Terps' staff as a senior this season with 4-5 record and 4.06 in 14 starts. After only two appearances with Helena, a member of the Pioneer League, Baron has been sidelined since June 25 with a "dead arm." He was 0-1 with a 1.35 ERA at the time of his injury. Baron said he "felt something weird" in his arm, and he has been rehabbing his arm with the goal of returning to game action on Friday. The good news for Baron is Isom and the Brewers are willing to wait for now. "We want to know exactly what he's capable of doing, and it's hard to do that when the guy's hurt," Isom said. "The answer is to just be patient in situations like this, and let him get healthy so he can go out and show what he's capable of doing." Baron, who said he was honored just to be drafted, is happy with the way the Brewers have handled him so far. "I love the organization. They're real relaxed. They let you play the way you know how to play. They don't really try to change anything in you unless it's something real major." Milwaukee caps its young pitchers at 150 innings between their amateur and professional seasons, Isom said. Baron finished his collegiate season with 93 innings pitched, and after 6.2 innings of work in his two appearances with Helena, he will be eligible for about 50 more innings of work in Helena's final 47 games. Baron's first two appearances were as part of "tandem starts" where a starter throws a set number of pitches and is relieved by a pitcher on a similar pitch count. Baron is hoping to slide back into that role when he returns. Until then Baron will continue his rehabilitation and adjusting to life as a professional. Baron said he enjoys not having classes and being able to focus all day for a game. The game has sped up a little bit, but he said hitters are having more trouble adjusting to rookie ball than pitchers because of the change to wooden bats. Baron's also dealing with a change of scenery, leaving the crowded east coast for sprawling, rural Montana. "It's completely different than back out East," Baron said. "It's gorgeous out here. There's no real big cities, and it's not commercialized. It's real laid back and easy going." Many things may have changed for Baron, but the one constant is his belief he can succeed. The most important part is Baron has bought into the idea it doesn't matter when he was drafted. "All they care about is the work ethic you put in and the results on the field," Baron said. "As long as I succeed on the field and show them my work ethic, I think I'll be fine."

The Brewers have released catcher C.J. Medlin, who just completed an injury rehab. Medlin, originally a Cubs farmhand, was purchased from the independent Northern League prior to the 2005 season, and had played in 97 games over the past two seasons at Brevard County.

Patrick Lawler pitched at the University of Arizona before transferring to Grand Canyon. His hometwon Arizona paper wrote this about him in 2004, which provides some background: verdeindependent.1upsoftw...48&S=1

Debuting today with Arizona Rookie was RHP Patrick Lawler, 6'3", 235, out of Grand Canyon University, where he was a senior in 2007. In 12 games in 2007 (11 starts), Lawler went 5-2 with a 4.82 ERA, 61.2 IP, 62 H, 20 BB, 15 HBP's, 53 K's. Must be a live arm, we'll try to learn more tonight. From April 1st, check the link -- maybe the Brewers saw Lawlor here: athletics.gcu.edu/sports/...rewers.htm

Final: Arizona Mariners 6, Arizona Brewers 0 "Mixed" Positives -- nine base hits (but all singles), no earned runs allowed (three unearned) by Pedro Lambertus in five innings... Arizona Box Score: Negatives -- 13 K's by Brewer batters; 0-for-3 in SB attempts... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1 Arizona Game Log: New Brewer pitcher, RHP Patrick Lawlor out of Grand Canyon University, with a clean one-inning debut... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Not sure how this would work. Currently I input all non-game story minor league basedarticles into the Article Tracker, and it is a bit T-E-D-I-O-U-S to do so. Would staff be responsible for including all big-league Brewer links within a similar tracker? We've always just felt that folks know to look to the Journal-Sentinel and the Brewers' official site daily, why would we link to all those articles here as well? Just a thought, as I officially would not be volunteering for that duty http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif .

Tuesday's Helena KCAP Audio Pre-Game Interview with 2007 18th round pick LHP Bobby Bramhall of Rice: Be sure you're on the July 17th archive, then go to the 13:30 minute mark: web.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Final: Lakewood (Phillies) 7, West Virginia 3 Just ended, details from the Power site later on... West Virginia Box Score: RHP D.J. Lidyard a nice middle relief effort to keep things close for a while; catcher Martin Maldonado and DH Andrew Lefave each ejected, Lefave for arguing balls and strikes... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lwdafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;did=milb

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: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lwdafx_1 Arizona: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_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

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Zach Jackson at New Orleans (Mets), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Derek Miller at home vs. Tennessee (Cubs), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: LHP Rafael Lluberes at home vs. Dunedin (Blue Jays), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 West Virginia: LHP Brae Wright at Lakewood (Phillies), 9:55 AM pre-game, 10:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Helena: Idle Arizona: Just-turned 19-year-old Dominican RHP Pedro Lambertus at home in Maryvale vs. the mini-Mariners, 10:30 AM local time in Arizona, 12:30 Central; never any audio for Arizona Rookie League games

Link while active, text follows: www.casperstartribune.net...1d85f1.txt Rockies can't answer Brewers By JON GOLD Casper Star-Tribune staff writer The seagulls flying below the looming, gray clouds seemed ominous, a warning sign of bleak things to come. But Casper Rockies pitcher Bobby Paschal, making his first start of the year, worked his way out of a first-inning jam against Helena Tuesday night. After hitting the first batter and surrendering a single to the second, Paschal induced a double play and a fly out to end the inning. But the vultures would come in the third inning, and this time, Paschal was picked apart. Paschal allowed three runs in the third on two hits and two walks, and the Rockies lost their seventh straight game, 4-1. The crowd of 832 at Mike Lansing field watched as Paschal walked No. 8 hitter Anthony Wycklendt on a full count to start the inning. After Brewers shortstop David Fonseca sacrificed Wycklendt to second with a perfect bunt, Paschal walked leadoff man Lee Haydel. Then came the vultures. Second baseman Eric Farris singled to center to score Wycklendt, then Steffan Wilson knocked a double to score Haydel and Farris. Paschal ended the inning with the next two batters, but the damage had been done. Rockies manager Tony Diaz was frustrated with the outing, wishing Paschal would've been more aggressive. "Definitely disappointed," Diaz said. "Based on the way he pitched out of the pen, you would've never imagined that he was going to come out as passive and just nit-picking around the plate. He tried to pitch away from contact, and that hasn't been him." If Paschal was passive, then the Casper hitters were kittens. The 14 strikeouts weren't so much the issue as the numerous called strikes, which included three called Ks. "We empower situations, and then we change," Diaz said of his team's refusal to swing away. "We have the best practices in the world, but if we change in the games, they're going to be different players. We're gonna have to trust ourselves if we want to be successful." Added centerfielder David Christensen, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI single but struck out twice: "It's a collective effort; whether it's taking good pitches that we can hit or chasing balls that we don't have a chance at. We have to find a way to make contact." With the way Helena's Evan Anundsen and Robert Bryson threw Tuesday night, though, the Rockies might've been staring at air anyway. Anundsen threw six innings, allowing four hits, walking none and striking out seven. Bryson faired even better over three innings -- two hits and seven strikeouts. Anundsen showed tremendous control of the strike zone, possibly never more so than in a first inning strikeout of Christensen. After Christensen fouled off a pitch to make the count 1-1, Anundsen came inside with a devastating curveball that started at Christensen's shoulder and ended at his kneecap. His next pitch had just as much curve, only on the outside of the plate, as Christensen swung a second late. "My breaking ball I've been working on for two years now, and it's getting there," Anundsen said. "But if my stuff's on, I can miss my spots a little bit more (and) the team's not exactly sure what's coming." The Rockies only looked settled at the plate in three of nine frames, including the sixth inning, which Shane Lowe led off with a double. Christensen drove him in three batters later, but Casper wouldn't get closer. "When the bell rings, it's up to them," Diaz said. "We can't play for them. They've got to trust what they did in practice and then execute in the game. They're having a hard time doing that." ***Helena Independent Record: Helena hammers Rockies CASPER, Wyo. ? The Helena Brewers pitching crew had 14 strikeouts and their batters pounced on Casper in the third inning to complete a four-game sweep of the Rockies by winning 4-1 Thursday night. Helena is now 18-10 overall, good for second place in the Pioneer League North Division standings. Casper dwells in the cellar with a 5-23 record. Evan Anundsen pitched six innings for Helena, giving up just one earned run on four hits while striking out seven. Robert Bryson relieved in the seventh and would finish the game with two hits, one walk and matching strikeouts. The Rockies lone run came in the bottom of the sixth when David Christensen singled to center field, scoring Shane Lowe. Steffan Wilson, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI to lead the Brewers. His two-run double came in the third inning after Eric Farris brought in Anthony Wycklendt with a high shot to center field. Wilson would bring in Lee Haydel and Farris when his ball escaped the Rockies? center fielder. Helena scored once more in the top of the sixth when Eric Fryer brought in Caleb Gindl on a sacrifice fly. The Brewers have today off before heading to Idaho Falls, where they dropped two out of three games last week. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central) on Thursday.

This article is actually about Tuesday's game, but at this point of the day, we realize many of our readers have put Tuesday's Link Report "to bed", so for viewership, we'll place it here -- Link while active, text follows: www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll...012/SPORTS Power jolt Claws, cut into 2nd-half lead BY JOE ADELIZZI, Asbury Park Press STAFF WRITER LAKEWOOD ? The Lakewood BlueClaws lead in the second-half championship race has dwindled to a half-game. And if Tuesday's outcome against the West Virginia Power is any indication of what is to come, the lead will soon be gone. The Power, who easily won the first-half championship, surged past the slumping Claws 9-4 to improve to 15-11. Lakewood is now 15-10. The Claws never had a chance. That was because Power starting pitcher Jeremy Jeffress, a first-round draft pick in 2006, was more than the Lakewood batters could handle. He blew his 99 mph fastball past Claws hitters and left them looking at his breaking ball and changeup for the first five innings before tiring in the sixth. "Good? That is an understatement," said BlueClaws manager Steve Roadcap after Lakewood lost its third straight home game. Meanwhile, West Virginia was showing its power, banging out 10 hits in less than five innings against Darren Byrd, who fell to 5-6. "You can see why they are hitting .290 (.292) as a team for the season," Roadcap said. Still, Byrd was a pitch away from keeping things together in the first inning. West Virginia had a run in with the bases loaded, but Steve Chapman was behind 0-2. Byrd could never get the third strike. Instead, he walked him to send in a second run. Andy Bouchie followed with a two-run single to give the Power a 4-0 lead before Lakewood got to see a pitch from Jeffress, now 6-3. "He picked around," said Roadcap of Byrd. "You'd like to see him go after the guy." The Power kept coming, and they built the lead to 7-1 when Lakewood seemed to get a wakeup call as West Virginia's Brad Miller tried to steal in the fifth inning. Byrd's next throw plunked Brent Brewer in the ribs. In the next inning, Lakewood scored three runs. "I don't know if it was intentional or not," said Lakewood's Adrian Cardenas, who had a two-run triple in the sixth. "But they shouldn't have been running with a 7-1 lead. I think it got us up a little." Zach Sterner came on in relief for Lakewood and was nearly flawless for 3 1/3 innings. "Sterner restored order for us and gave us a chance," Roadcap said. "We kept battling. I like that. But we've got to be more consistent." The BlueClaws will get a chance today when Andrew Cruse tries to shut off the Power who are now 62-31 overall. Lefty Brae Wright gets the ball for West Virginia.

Very complimetary article from New Orleans: Link while active, text follows -- www.nola.com/sports/t-p/i...amp;coll=1 Success story: Sound efforts fueling Brewers By Bob Fortus, New Orleans Times Picayune Staff writer In the 2005 season, when the Nashville Sounds won the Pacific Coast League title, they brought major-leaguers-to-be Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart to Zephyr Field. Last season, when the Sounds finished first in the American Northern Division, Hart, Carlos Villanueva and Tony Gwynn Jr. were honing their skills on the way to the Milwaukee Brewers. On the Sounds' first trip to New Orleans this season, Ryan Braun hit three home runs in one game, in which winning pitcher Yovani Gallardo shut out the Zephyrs on three hits for six innings and struck out 12. The next night, Braun homered in his first at-bat. Braun, now the starting third baseman for Milwaukee, hit .347 with 14 homers in his first 43 games for the Brewers. Gallardo, now a starting pitcher for the Brewers, was 1-1 with a 2.83 earned run average in his first six games. Though the roster keeps changing, Nashville keeps winning. The Sounds, seeking their third consecutive division title, have the best record in the PCL. More importantly, the Brewers are in first place in the National League Central, with many former Sounds playing significant roles. Clearly, the Milwaukee organization can recognize prospects and prepare them for the majors. "For clubs like ours, when you don't have unlimited resources, scouting and player development is really the cornerstone for success," Brewers Assistant General Manager Gord Ash said. On Monday, the Sounds lost another player to the Brewers, who promoted pitcher Manny Parra. He was scheduled to start against the Zephyrs but went to Milwaukee instead. Parra, a 24-year-old left-hander with a history of shoulder problems, went 7-3 in Double-A this season, then went 3-1 with a 1.73 ERA in four starts for Nashville. He pitched a perfect game against Round Rock. "Manny Parra is a good example of a guy we had to have some patience with," Ash said. Other players, such as Braun and Fielder, "get to the big leagues in a hurry," Ash said. Ash said that in the past three seasons, the Sounds have been in first place for 80 percent of their games. Frank Kremblas, who has managed the Sounds since 2005, said 11 of his former players are with the Brewers. "The first two years, there were quite a lot of younger players they had drafted and moved up through the organization, plus a mix of veterans they tried that can help," Kremblas said. Ash said the Brewers view Triple-A as "less about development and more about performance." The organization looks for "the right kind of veterans," he said. "If they've done well, they're getting an opportunity to come to the big leagues." He mentioned reliever Grant Balfour as an example. Balfour, 29, who had big-league time with the Minnesota Twins but missed most of the past two seasons because of arm injuries, compiled a 1.69 ERA in 24 games this season for Nashville. Milwaukee purchased his contract Tuesday. "Our Triple-A and Double-A managers run the club like a major-league club," Ash said. That means the emphasis is on performance, Kremblas said. "If you're not doing your job, you're going to lose your spot," he said. "Drew Anderson started the year here, wasn't hitting and got sent down. Now he's back. We've done it with pitchers, too." Anderson, who was hitting .197 after 36 games with Nashville, has raised his average to .260 since returning from Double-A Huntsville in early June. Ash, who is in his fifth year with Milwaukee, was an assistant general manager with Toronto when the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993. He later had a stint as the Blue Jays' general manager. He said that in player development and scouting, the Brewers are "very similar" to the Blue Jays of the late 1980s. "Once you get to that stage, then you start filling the holes with free agents," Ash said.

Standings through Tuesday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 59 37 .615 - 32-14 27-23 W1 Iowa 53 44 .546 6.5 30-20 23-24 L1 Omaha 46 51 .474 13.5 30-17 16-34 W1 Memphis 41 56 .423 18.5 22-28 19-28 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 15 11 .577 - 6-5 9-6 W8 Chattanooga 13 13 .500 2.0 6-9 7-4 W1 Tennessee 13 13 .500 2.0 10-5 3-8 L1 Carolina 12 14 .462 3.0 5-6 7-8 L1 West Tenn 9 17 .346 6.0 6-9 3-8 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 15 11 .577 - 7-4 8-7 W2 Palm Beach 13 12 .520 1.5 7-9 6-3 W1 Jupiter 11 14 .440 3.5 5-4 6-10 L2 Daytona 11 15 .423 4.0 6-8 5-7 L1 St. Lucie 10 15 .400 4.5 4-9 6-6 L1 Vero Beach 6 19 .240 8.5 3-9 3-10 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 14 10 .583 - 7-6 7-4 W2 Lakewood 14 10 .583 - 7-5 7-5 L3 West Virginia 15 11 .577 - 7-4 8-7 W2 Hickory 14 12 .538 1.0 9-7 5-5 W1 Delmarva 12 13 .480 2.5 5-8 7-5 L1 Lexington 12 14 .462 3.0 8-6 4-8 W2 Hagerstown 8 17 .320 6.5 4-9 4-8 L2 Greensboro 8 18 .308 7.0 5-6 3-12 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 20 8 .714 - 14-3 6-5 W9 Helena 18 10 .643 2.0 5-6 13-4 W4 Billings 14 14 .500 6.0 10-6 4-8 W5 Missoula 13 15 .464 7.0 5-7 8-8 W3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Mariners 15 6 .714 - 9-2 6-4 W2 AZL Angels 14 7 .667 1.0 12-3 2-4 L1 AZL Padres 14 7 .667 1.0 7-2 7-5 W2 AZL Cubs 11 10 .524 4.0 6-4 5-6 L2 AZL Giants 11 10 .524 4.0 6-4 5-6 W2 AZL Royals 9 12 .429 6.0 4-5 5-7 L1 AZL Rangers 8 13 .381 7.0 4-6 4-7 L2 AZL Athletics 7 14 .333 8.0 4-6 3-8 W1 AZL Brewers 5 15 .250 9.5 2-8 3-7 W1

Once again this week, wanted to give everyone a chance to listen for some "Jack-Jackety-Jack" calls this morning, so I'm sure to place this here, while the rest of the Menu is presented this afternoon: West Virginia: LHP Brae Wright at Lakewood (Phillies), 9:55 AM pre-game, 10:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia Box Score / Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lwdafx_1

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

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com/ SALAS SAYS SO LONGSTARS LOSE CLOSER, BUT WIN 8th IN A ROW One year ago, the Stars were in the middle of a five-game losing streak, and on their way to Carolina, 10-15, in 4th place, with Steve Hammond (2-1, 0.69) ready to start the road opener........ They had just acquired the closer that would make a huge difference in their miraculous turnaround, former Birmingham reliever Joe Valentine. Yovani Gallardo had only won one game after five starts, Ryan Braun was as hot as the month of July, hitting .278, but 14-for-39 since the 1st of the month, Lou Palmisano was hitting just .244, Adam Heether was hitting .243 -- at Brevard County, and Brendan Katin would not come along until mid-August. The Stars were just five days from the start of a turnaround unlike any in their history, from a 24-45 1st half start -- the worst in their history -- to a division title and a shot at the league championship........ The phenomenal streak that started on July 22, 2006, when they survived a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the 10th to win, at Five County Stadium, 3-2, has never abated......... They have gone 87-53 since then, as pointed out by Mark McCarter of the Huntsville Times....... They have already won a first half championship, never falling more than two games in back of the lead, and they have won eight in a row, and after a slow start to the 2nd half, are 15-11, two games in front of the Tennessee Smokies, whom they beat out for the 1st half title. Despite the loss of two of the Stars' best relievers, Mark DiFelice, and Marino Salas, today, they seem to be stronger than ever........ The rotation is the strongest it's been all year (6-1, 3.85 in July), and the pen has kept the Stars on the winning path (4-2, 3.89, five saves). Of course, the full effect of losing DiFelice a week ago and Salas today, has yet to be measured, but the offense has continued to be strong, and able to come through in the clutch....... Despite a modest .253 average, 6th in the league, and a slugging mark (.368) that ranks 8th, they've scored 449 runs -- six fewer than Montgomery, which ranks 2nd in that category in the league....... There may be more talented teams in the leaegue, but under Don Money's leadership, the Stars have learned how to win, and not slide into complacency. Different heroes emerge from day to day when a club is able to win without a central figure, such as Ryan Braun was last year........ That's how we won the whole shebang in 1994 (A's organization)........ Tonight, it was Ryan Crew (0, 5, .333), a somewhat unheralded bench player, who came through in the botton of the 7th with a clutch pinch-hit to center that unlocked a 2-2 tie, and sparked a six-run rally that turned an early pitchers' duel into a rout. It all started in the 1st inning....... Justin Berg got into early control trouble after striking out leadoff hitter Hernan Iribarren on a 1-2 pitch....... He went 3-and-0 on Michael Brantley, then walked him -- the wrong player to walk....... Brantley stole 2nd on a 2-and-0 pitch, then stole 3rd on the next pitch........ Steve Sollmann then finally ended his 0-for-16 slump with a 30-foot dribbler in front of the plate to the third base side, which he barely beat out for a hit, scoring Brantley with the first run. The Smokies tied it up on a Jason Simokaitis home run (his first since Apirl 20) that just managed to stay within the left field foul pole, 345 feet from home plate, then went ahead, 2-1 when Simokaitis drove Will Inman's first pitch into the center field gap, scoring Issmael Salas. Brantley and center fielder Steve Moss both chased the ball to the wall, allowing Salas, who singled after fouling off three pitches with a 2-2 count, to tie the game. Inman went full on hitters several times in his last three innings, running up his pitch count, which was only 37 after his first three innings, but his breaking ball was really sharp tonight, and he got Matt Craig and Tyler Colvin out swinging in the 4th, and retired four of the last five hitters he faced on strikeouts....... He left a the Stars in a 2-2 tie after throwing 93 pitches, 58 for strikes (62.4%)......... Bo Hall gave up a two-out single to Salas, and left the game when Crew hit for him in the 7th. Grant Johnson (0-1, 6.38), who held the Stars to one hit over three scoreless innings on July 5, came on in the 7th, and hit Brendan Katin, the first batter he faced. Then after Steve Moss laid down his first sacrifice bunt since May 15 to move Katin to 2nd, he went 3-0 on Alcides Escobar, then walked him on 3-and-1....... Crew singled in Katin and Escobar moved to 3rd on the throw home from Colvin....... Hernan Iribarren then walked on 3-and-0 to load the bases........ Brantley, on 1-and-0, then doubled to left-center, scoring Escobar and Crew to make it 5-2....... The wildness continued as Johnson hit Steve Sollmann on the forearm to load the bases again, and Adalberto Mendez, now in relief, uncorked a wild pitch on his first toss to Lou Palmisano, scoring Iribarren, and moving Brantley and Sollmann into scoring position........ With the count 2-and-1 on Adam Heether, another wild pitch by Mendez scored Brantley, and Heether capped off the inning with his 2nd hit, a hooking line drive into the corner in left for two bases, scoring Sollmann to make it 8-2........ Jeff Housman worked two scoreless innings, although he left the bases loaded before striking out Simokaitis on an 89-mph fast ball to end the game. That extended the bullpen's scoreless string to 16 innings since last Wednesday night against Chattanooga. The Stars are now 10-3 in July. They've hit .263 this month, supported by a 3.80 ERA from the pitching staff -- 3rd best among Southern League teams this month........ Heether's single to right in the 6th inning wasn't deep enough to score Steve Sollmann, who was thrown out at the plate by Nate Fuld, but it did stretch his hitting streak to eight games. (He holds the season's best at 15.)......... Heether was named Southern League Player-of-the-Week, Monday. He went 10-for-15, helping the Stars sweep Chattanooga, with two HRs and six RBIs....... In July, Heether's hit .478......... Heether's now moved into 9th place, ahead of Montgomery's Evan Longoria, in the Southern League batting race. Derek Miller will make his 3rd start for Huntsville, Wednesday night, as he faces Paul Schappert, who is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in two starts against the Stars this season. Brent Gates' California League-record hitting streak of 35 games was tied Tuesday night by Chris Davis of the Bakersfield Blaze....... Gates hit .333 in 12 games for the 1993 Stars....... Davis delivered a 4th inning RBI-double to help Bakersfield beat Stockton, 15-3........ With Marino Salas going up to Nashville, Luis Pena has been designated as the Stars' new closer. Pena and Bo Hall combined for four no-hit innigs of relief last Thursday. That was Pena's last appearance, for which he earned his 3rd save........ Filling the spot on the roster, Mitch Stetter was moved up from the Arizona Summer League, where he was rehabbing his elbow. Stetter started five of his seven games for the rookie-level Brewers and finished with a 1.50 ERA........ Stetter was 2-3 with eight saves and a 2.61 ERA for the Stars in 32 games in 2005.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Inman pitches in for Stars Starter strikes out seven and Hall gets win in relief for hot Huntsville By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff, markcolumn@aol.com Timely hitting. Solid pitching. Opportunistic play. Exceptional hustle. And, ho-hum, just another Huntsville win. The Stars rolled past Tennessee 8-2 Tuesday night, extending their win streak to a season-high eight games and padding their Southern League North lead over the Smokies to two games. Inside the Stars' clubhouse, though, nothing ho-hum about it. "You never get bored with it," said manager Don Money. "You just take them one day at a time, do the best you can every day and ride it as long as the roll will go." "We're pitching well, playing good defense and hitting in clutch situations," said first baseman Steve Sollmann. "You do that, more often than not you're going to win games." Will Inman pitched six innings, striking out seven, then Bo Hall got the win in his scoreless inning of relief. Jeff Housman closed things out. Perhaps the evening's signature play was actually a Huntsville out, a failed attempt to take the lead in the sixth. Sollmann, who had singled with two out, was trying to score from second on an Adam Heether single. The ball arrived at home plate moments before Sollmann. He was dead meat. So he lowered his shoulder on catcher Casey McGehee in a 5.4-on-the-Richter-scale collision. Instead of a meek slide, it was a nifty bit of old-school baseball. "I just feel like that's the way to play the game," Sollmann said. "I feel like if the situation was reversed and I was catching, I'd expect the guy to come around and try to knock the ball loose from me." After the game, trainer David Yeager was double-checking his ice chest, to see if the supply was enough. Not only might Sollmann be a little sore from the crash, he also was hit by a pitch. So, too, was Brendan Katin. And Hernan Iribarren, innocently hustling home from third on a wild pitch, was inadvertently hit by a McGehee throw to the pitcher two steps after Iribarren scored. The Stars broke the game open with a six-run seventh, though it was a crack in the dam for the Smokies in the sixth that might have set it up. Tennessee starter Justin Berg had nearly survived a pair of two-out hits when shortstop Joe Simokaitis committed a throwing error on a routine Lou Palmisano grounder. It enabled Michael Brantley to score the tying run. Two relievers, Grant Johnson and Adalberto Mendez, slogged through the seventh. Johnson hit a pair of batters and Mendez threw two run-scoring wild pitches. Pinch-hitter Ryan Crew singled in one run and Brantley doubled home two. Adam Heether, the reigning Southern League Hitter of the Week, doubled home the sixth run of the inning. Both teams had to do the Welcome Wagon bit for new players on Tuesday. Mitch Stetter, who pitched in 32 games for the Stars in 2005, joined the Huntsville pitching staff, replacing Marino Salas, who was promoted to Triple-A Nashville. Salas was second in the league with 17 saves. Stetter has been on Nashville's disabled list since April 30 with shoulder tendinitis. Tennessee added four new players, with outfielder Jorge Cortes and infielder Carlos Rojas moving to Triple-A. The Smokies' newcomers are infielders Robinson Chirinos and Nate Spears, catcher Alan Rick and outfielder Chris Walker, all up from Single-A Daytona.

Kudos to the organization again tonight -- what a pleasure to "report" on those mound efforts. For all the good that's taking place on the big league level, there are some very exciting things still happening on the farm. Scouting and player development, congrats. Season's far from over, but there's been plenty of progress made, new stars being born, major injuries (for the most part) being avoided, all the while winning up and down the chain to keep the affiliate fans happy as well. All due to Brewerfan.net, no doubt http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif .

Final: Helena 4, Casper (Rockies) 1 Brewers now 13-4 on the road; how about just-turned 19-year-old RHP Evan Anundsen, a 10-to-1 ground ball ratio tonight, improving a ridiculous 4.36 ratio on the season. Anundsen walked zero and struck out seven -- honestly, after a shaky opening outing, the 2006 4th rounder has been all that fans could have hoped for in 2007... Helena Box Score: OK, now super pitcher # 2 -- 2006 DFE Rob Bryson strikes out seven in three scoreless innings, he now owns a 30-to-3 K/BB ratio in 18.2 IP; Lee Haydel now 7-for-9 in SB attempts; Steffan Wilson left the game with a "leg tweak", hopefully OK... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_casrok_1 Helena Game Log: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_casrok_1

Final: Brevard County 3, Dunedin (Blue Jays) 1 MiLB.com: Garrison stifles Blue Jays Steve Garrison hurled seven strong innings as Brevard County defeated visiting Dunedin, 3-1, on Tuesday. Garrison (7-4) allowed one run on five hits, striking out four and walking one to pick up the win for the Manatees (15-11). E.J. Shanks worked around a hit batsman in a scoreless ninth inning for his ninth save. Angel Salome went 2-for-3 with an RBI single in the fourth and an RBI double in the sixth for Brevard County. Jacob Butler singled in a run in the sixth for the Blue Jays (16-10). Dunedin starter A.J. Wideman (7-3) surrendered two runs on six hits, fanning one without issuing a walk in seven frames. -- Alan Friedman/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: Steve Garrison with seven superb innings -- while not gaudy, what the New Jersey lefty has done through 19 starts at high-A as a 20-year-old has been especially solid, way to go, kid... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 Brevard County Game Log: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

Final: Nashville 3, New Orleans (Mets) 1 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Steve Bray photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2458 Sounds Even Series With 3-1 Win Over Zephyrs METAIRIE, La. ? The Nashville Sounds bounced back to even their series against the New Orleans Zephyrs with a 3-1 victory on Tuesday evening at Zephyr Field. Nashville (59-37), a winner in eight of its last 10 contests, earned its PCL-leading 27th road victory despite being out-hit 6-3 in the game. Sounds starting pitcher Elmer Dessens helped his own cause in the top of the second inning by giving the visitors a 3-0 lead with a two-out, three-run double to right off New Orleans starter Mike Pelfrey. After Joe Dillon led off the frame with a double, Ozzie Chavez drew a two-out walk before Chris Barnwell was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Dessens. AUDIO: Dessens Three-Run Double -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-17.mp3 Dessens worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings in his first rehab start before being removed due to a pitch count. The veteran threw 49 pitches, 31 for strikes, and allowed two hits while striking out two batters. New Orleans plated a run in the bottom of the seventh inning when Mike DiFelice scored from third on a Joe Thatcher wild pitch, making it a 3-1 contest. Thatcher avoided further damage in the frame by recording the final two outs with Zephyrs runners standing on second and third. The New Orleans pitching staff held the Nashville offense in check for most of the night and retired the final 19 Sounds batters in order. Sounds leftfielder Drew Anderson extended his hitting streak to 10 games, matching his longest this season, with a third-inning infield single. A pair of Sounds hitting streaks came to a close in the contest. Brad Nelson went 0-for-3 to snap Nashville?s longest streak of the year at 15 games. Catcher Vinny Rottino finished 0-for-3 to end his nine-game hit streak. Steve Bray (5-1) followed Dessens with 3 1/3 innings of relief work and was awarded the victory after allowing one run on two hits in his outing. Greg Aquino worked a scoreless ninth to notch his second save of the year for the Sounds. Pelfrey (2-3) took the loss for New Orleans after allowing three runs on three hits while walking three batters and striking out seven over his six frames. The teams continue the series with another 7 p.m. meeting on Wednesday night. Nashville left-hander Zach Jackson (9-4, 4.72) will man the bump to face New Orleans southpaw Jason Vargas (6-5, 5.65). Nashville Box Score: Steve Bray extremely economical and thus able to go 3 1/3 innings -- only 39 pitches... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1

Final: Huntsville 8, Tennessee (Cubs) 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1274 Crew Comes Through to Ignite Stars Ryan Crew?s pinch-hit single knocked in the go-ahead run and keyed a decisive six-run rally in Huntsville?s 8-2 victory over Tennessee Tuesday night in the opener of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars improved to 15-11 in the second half after their season-high eighth consecutive win, while the Smokies dropped to 13-13 and two games behind the North Division front-runners. The Stars have taken four of the last five meetings between the teams after dropping four out of six at Smokies Park to open the second half. Grant Johnson took over for starter Justin Berg to open the home seventh and hit Brendan Katin, the first batter he faced, and walked Alcides Escobar with one out before Crew delivered his third pinch-hit run batted in of the season to give the Stars a 3-2 lead. Michael Brantley doubled home two runs to make it 5-2 before Johnson hit his former Notre Dame teammate Steve Sollmann to reload the bases. He was then taken out of the game and replaced by Adalberto Mendez, who uncorked two wild pitches that plated two runs to push the home team?s advantage to 7-2. Adam Heether, the Southern League Hitter of the Week, delivered a double that scored Sollmann to complete the rally. Bo Hall picked up the win in relief, his fourth, with a scoreless seventh inning and Jeff Housman worked two shutout frames to extend the bullpen?s run of consecutive scoreless frames to 16 since the ninth inning on Wednesday night in Chattanooga. Stars? starter Will Inman went six innings, giving up two runs on four hits, while striking out seven in his third start against the visitors. Berg allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits, while fanning five in his six innings of work. Sollmann finished with three hits after entering the game without one in his last 16 at-bats, while Brantley scored three times and stole two bases. The series continues Wednesday night with Stars? left-hander Derek Miller taking the hill against Smokies? southpaw Paul Schappert. 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: Will Inman now with 37 K's and 14 BB's at the AA level -- he's fine... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1