Jim Goulart

It's been too long since we linked to our cohort Patrick Ebert's work at perfectGame.org, such as this interesting analysis: All-Star Procurement (colbyjack at Perfect Game) Archive of colbyjack's work: http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/crackthebat/patrick_ebert/

Standings through Friday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 56 36 .609 - 30-14 26-22 L1 Iowa 50 42 .543 6.0 29-19 21-23 L2 Omaha 44 49 .473 12.5 29-16 15-33 W4 Memphis 40 53 .430 16.5 21-27 19-26 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 12 11 .522 - 6-7 6-4 L4 Huntsville 12 11 .522 - 5-5 7-6 W5 Tennessee 11 12 .478 1.0 8-5 3-7 L2 Carolina 10 13 .435 2.0 5-5 5-8 W2 West Tenn 8 15 .348 4.0 6-7 2-8 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 13 9 .591 - 5-3 8-6 L1 Palm Beach 11 10 .524 1.5 5-7 6-3 W1 Jupiter 10 11 .476 2.5 5-4 5-7 L2 Daytona 10 12 .455 3.0 5-6 5-6 W2 St. Lucie 9 12 .429 3.5 4-8 5-4 L1 Vero Beach 5 16 .238 7.5 2-7 3-9 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 14 7 .667 - 7-2 7-5 W2 Hickory 12 10 .545 2.5 8-5 4-5 L1 West Virginia 12 10 .545 2.5 7-4 5-6 W1 Lake County 11 10 .524 3.0 6-6 5-4 L2 Delmarva 10 11 .476 4.0 5-7 5-4 W1 Lexington 9 13 .409 5.5 8-6 1-7 L1 Hagerstown 7 14 .333 7.0 3-6 4-8 L1 Greensboro 7 15 .318 7.5 4-4 3-11 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 16 8 .667 - 10-3 6-5 W5 Helena 14 10 .583 2.0 5-6 9-4 L1 Billings 10 14 .417 6.0 6-6 4-8 W1 Missoula 10 14 .417 6.0 5-7 5-7 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Angels 13 5 .722 - 11-3 2-2 W1 AZL Mariners 13 5 .722 - 7-2 6-3 L2 AZL Padres 11 6 .647 1.5 5-2 6-4 W1 AZL Cubs 10 8 .556 3.0 5-3 5-5 W4 AZL Giants 9 9 .500 4.0 5-4 4-5 W2 AZL Rangers 7 11 .389 6.0 3-5 4-6 L1 AZL Royals 7 11 .389 6.0 3-5 4-6 L2 AZL Athletics 6 12 .333 7.0 3-5 3-7 W1 AZL Brewers 4 13 .235 8.5 1-8 3-5 L5

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: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_cngaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sarafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1 Helena: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_casrok_1 Arizona: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_pdrrok_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: LHP Adam Pettyjohn at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Steve Hammond at Chattanooga (Reds), 6:00 PM pre-game; 6:15 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: RHP Mike McClendon at Sarasota (Reds), 4:50 PM pre-game, 5:00 gametime NOTE: Sorry, no audio for this Brevard County series West Virginia: RHP Alex Periard at Greensboro (Marlins), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Helena: RHP Nick Tyson makes his first pro start after five promising relief stints, at Casper (Rockies), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Arizona: TBD in Peoria at the Padres' complex, 10:30 AM local time in Arizona, 12:30 Central; never any audio for Arizona Rookie League games

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

Thanks to TopProspectAlert.com for the heads-up: Born slugger: Fielder's mother reflects as son's Major League fame soars Includes the photo: http://images.townnews.com/katytimes.com/content/articles/2007/07/12/sports/01fielder.jpg

Rockford Register Star: Brewers sign Marksbury The Milwaukee Brewers have signed RiverHawks closer Mike Marksbury, the team?s all-time saves leader, and assigned him to Brevard County in the high Class A Florida State League. Marksbury, a two-time Frontier League All-Star, was leading the league this season with 14 saves, including 10 straight in his last 10 appearances. In 20 1/3 innings this season, he had 32 strikeouts, 10 walks and held opposing batters to a .119 average. He pitched 2/3 of an inning in Wednesday?s All-Star Game, retiring both batters he faced and striking out one. ?He was just beside himself,? manager J.D. Arndt said of Marksbury when he received the news. ?He was stunned. ?He has been knocking on the door of moving up and this year he kicked it in. His assets are that he has a 90 to 92-miles-an-hour fastball and he hides the ball well. He also was working on a pretty good breaking pitch, but the best thing about him is his absolute ability to come in and slam the door on the opponent.?

Final: Idaho Falls (Royals) 5, Helena 4 MiLB.com, with additional notes from the Helena Independent Record: Chukars survive Brewers O.D. Gonzalez lifted a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to give Idaho Falls a 5-4 victory over visiting Helena on Friday. Helena is now 14-10 on the season and in second place in the Pioneer League North Division. Idaho Falls is 17-8, the best record in the league. They lead the South Division standings. The Brewers led after four innings when Jonathan Lucroy drove in Lee Haydel with a single in the first. Helena went up 2-0 when David Fonseca hit a grounder to bring in Eric Fryer. The Chukars, however, came back with two-run innings in the sixth and eighth. Devery Van De Keere and Gonzalez scored in the sixth. Nick Van Stratten came in on a single by Joseph Billick in the eighth while Anthony Seratelli took advantage of a double steal. Lucroy, at catcher, was able to throw out Joseph Billick as he tried to steal second base, but Seratelli snuck home to score. Adrian Ortiz smacked a leadoff double in the ninth and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on Gonzalez's fly ball. Ortiz went 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and Devery Van De Keere was 3-for-4 with a walk for the Chukars (18-7). Idaho Falls starter Chris Chavez allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings. Pat Cassa (2-0) recorded the final out in the ninth for the win. Curt Rindal delivered an RBI single and Jordan Swaydan plated a run with a groundout in the ninth for the Brewers (14-11). Steffan Wilson went 2-for-3 with a walk. Helena starter Donovan Hand surrendered two runs on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six frames. James Etheridge (0-1) retired only two batters, yielding one run on one hit and a walk in the ninth. The Brewers head to Casper, Wyo., to face the 5-18 Rockies at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central) Saturday night. -- Steve Conley/MLB.com Helena Box Score: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_idarok_1 Helena Game Log: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_idarok_1

Helena KCAP Audio Pre-Game Interview with OF Mike Goetz of UW-Milwaukee: Be sure you're on the July 13th archive, then go to the 9:30 minute mark -- web.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Final: West Virginia 3, Hickory (Pirates) 2 West Virginia Site Game Summary: HOLMBERG'S SACRIFICE FLY PLATES WINNING RUN West Virginia left a runner stranded at third base in six innings of Friday night?s game but came away with a 3-2 victory as Andrew Lefave scored on Kenny Holmberg?s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning to take the rubber match. Kent Sakamoto drove in his first of two runs on a triple in the top of the second inning to give Hickory an early lead. The Power scored twice in the third inning to take their first lead of the contest. Brent Brewer tripled in the first run of the inning and scored on Lefave?s sacrifice fly. Sakamoto struck again with a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-2. In the ninth inning Lefave reached first base on a one-out walk. Chuckie Caufield?s base hit through the left side of the infield put Lefave on second base and Lefave got to third on Taylor Green?s walk. With the bases loaded, Holmberg hit a fly ball to left field which was taken care of by Jared Keel, but Keel?s throw went up the first base line, allowing Lefave to score. Shawn Ferguson (1-0) retired all four batters he faced through an inning and a third to get the win, and Derrick Moeves (2-2) was tagged with the loss. Power starter Brae Wright allowed a pair of runs on six hits over seven and two thirds. The Power improved to 60-30 overall and 12-10 in the second half, while the Crawdads fell to 39-50 overall and 12-10 in the second half with the loss. Brent Brewer paced the Power with three hits and came a home run away from the cycle. West Virginia is 21-6 in one run games. The Power will begin a three game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at First Horizon Park on Saturday night. The Power will start right hander Alex Periard (4-1, 2.95) and the Grasshoppers will counter with right hander Kyle Winters (2-1, 5.06). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (6:00 Central). ***Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2007071335 Power produces winner in ninth Holmberg?s sacrifice fly downs Hickory 3-2 By Mike Whiteford Charleston Gazette Staff Writer Through most of the late innings, the Power continually threatened but failed to break a tie that had persisted since the fourth. The Power even loaded the bases with none out in the seventh and still stranded the go-ahead run. Such failures in the clutch were highly unbecoming of a team that owns a first-half division championship, leads the league in hitting, brought a 59-30 record into the game and had attracted another big crowd of 6,441 on fireworks night. And when the Power loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, it raised the possibility of more frustration, but Kenny Holmberg scorched a long sacrifice fly to left to score Andrew Lefave for a 3-2 victory over the Hickory Crawdads Friday night at Appalachian Power Park. On a night when the Power made modest use of seven hits, eight walks, two hit batsmen and two Hickory errors, it survived on pitching, particularly the work of left-hander Brae Wright. For Wright, the Power?s opening-night starter on April 5, it was a continuation of the steady transition from college pitcher to professional. Instead of trying to blow fastballs past the hitters as he did at Ole Miss and Oklahoma State, the 23-year-old Wright is throwing four pitches, locating better and adding guile. ?He was a rear-back-and-cut-it-loose guy in college,?? said Power pitching coach John Curtis. Wright didn?t pick up the victory Friday night but went 7 2/3 innings, allowed six hits and two runs and did not walk a batter. In the season?s first three months, he posted a 6.00 earned run average but in his last 20 innings has yielded just 16 hits, seven runs and two walks. ?He?s a more rounded pitcher now,?? said Curtis. ?He has a grasp of the game that should carry him. He?s getting people out in a way that he didn?t earlier. The difference is he?s a four-pitch pitcher now rather than a one-pitch pitcher.?? Mostly, he?s learned to mix up his pitches. ?This is a guy who?s worked very hard to change his style of pitching,?? said Curtis. ?We?ve tried to get him to rely more on his natural sinker action of his two-seam fastball, and we?ve made that the centerpiece of his whole approach. And we?ve impressed upon him that he?s got to mix up his pitches. ?He can?t throw fastball after fastball and expect to get people out. You have to set up the fastball at times with other pitches. He?s used his slider and changeup, and we?ve worked on a little curveball, too, and that?s given him a pretty impressive repertoire of pitches.?? Lefave started the ninth-inning rally by drawing a one-out walk. Chuckie Caufield followed with a single to left and Taylor Green walked to load the bases, setting up Holmberg?s sacrifice fly. The Power scored twice in the third as Martin Maldonado was hit by a pitch and scored on Brent Brewer?s triple. Brewer then came home on Lefave?s sacrifice fly. Shawn Ferguson pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for the victory. BRIEFLY: The Power opens a four-game series at Greensboro tonight and will play three games at Lakewood before returning home July 21. ... Before the game, the Power added Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning to its Wall of Fame. Bunning spent half of the 1956 season as a Charleston Senator and is the only former Charleston player voted to the Hall of Fame. ... In the last 11 games, the Power has averaged more than 5,000 fans a game and entered Friday?s game with a 3,931 average, which ranked seventh in the 16-team South Atlantic League. ... The Power is 21-6 in one-run games. ... The Crawdads? Kent Sakamotto homered to center and added an RBI triple off the left-field fence. West Virginia Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 If you wish to listen to Andy "Bull" Barch's call of the 9th inning walkoff rally, be sure you're on the July 13th date, and go to the 2 hour, 33 minute mark: web.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Charleston Gazette Photographer: Chip Ellis Brent Brewer of the West Virginia Power slides safely into third base after hitting a run-scoring triple against Hickory. http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/Power2.jpg

Final: Sarasota (Reds) 3, Brevard County 2, 11 innings MiLB.com: Holden propels Reds Josh Holden's RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning capped a two-run rally that lifted host Sarasota over Brevard County, 3-2, on Friday. After giving up a run in the top of the inning, the Reds (11-11) rallied off reliever E.J. Shanks (1-1). Tonys Gutierrez, who went 2-for-4, singled to start the 11th and Jeremiah Piepkorn sacrificed. Miguel Perez walked and was replaced by pinch-runner Gerardo Cabrera before pinch-hitter Daniel Dorn delivered an RBI single to center field. Cabrera took third when center fielder Darren Ford misplayed the ball before scoring on Holden's base hit to right. Perez also clubbed a solo homer, his first, in the fifth for Sarasota. Reliever Derrik Lutz (3-3) picked up the win, despite allowing an unearned run on two hits and a walk with a pair of strikeouts in two innings. Starter Daryl Thompson allowed one hit and a walk while striking out six over five shutout frames. Chris Errecart slugged a solo homer, his sixth, in the seventh and doubled home Lorenzo Cain in the 11th for the Manatees (13-9). Brevard County's Mat Gamel went 0-for-5, snapping his Florida State League season-high 20-game road hitting streak. Shanks, who had allowed just one run over his previous 10 appearances, surrendered two runs -- one earned -- on three hits and a walk while retiring only one batter in the 11th. Starter Rafael Lluberes yielded a run on four hits and six walks while fanning one in six frames. Kevin Roberts and Ben Stanczyk combined to hurl four scoreless frames. The Manatees hold a 4-3 game lead in the season series following the 3-hour, 24- minute thriller in front of 648 fans at Ed Smith Stadium. -- Michael Avallone/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: Cole Gillepsie a single and three walks; LHP Rafael Lluberes almost always limts the damage, but his walk rate is troubling -- if he ever gains command, he'll be high on the radar screen... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sarafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: Darren Ford picked off second base with one out in the top of the first inning; Lorenzo Cain with an outfield assist at home in the bottom of the inning... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sarafa_1

Final: Memphis (Cardinals) 10, Nashville 5 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Vinny Rottino photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2449 Redbirds Double Up Sounds, 10-5 NASHVILLE ? The Nashville Sounds? five-game win streak came to an end with a 10-5 loss to the division-rival Memphis Redbirds on Friday night at Greer Stadium in front of a Faith Night crowd of 8,562 fans. Despite the loss, Sounds first baseman Brad Nelson (1-for-3) extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games with an opposite-field solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was his 12th longball of the season. Nashville (56-36) jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first when Callix Crabbe doubled down the right field line and advanced to third on an error by Memphis rightfielder Joe Mather. Crabbe (2-for-4) scored two batters on a Laynce Nix groundout to first base. Memphis (40-53) tied the game in the top of the second after Jarrett Hoffpauir hit a two-out single up the middle. He moved to third when shortstop Chris Barnwell misplayed a Matt Pagnozzi grounder, allowing Pagnozzi to reach first. Pitcher Mike Parisi followed with a double to deep center that scored Hoffpauir and moved Pagnozzi to third before Sounds starter Zach Jackson worked out of the inning. Nashville retook the lead in the bottom of the third. Charles Thomas started the offense off with a one-out single up the middle and moved to third base after Parisi issued back-to-back walks to Joe Dillon and Brad Nelson. Vinny Rottino followed with a bases-clearing double down the right field line to put the Sounds up 4-1. Rottino extended his hitting streak to eight games with the two-bagger. AUDIO: Rottino's Bases-Loaded Double -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-13.mp3 Memphis would rally to score one run in the top of the fourth inning, two runs in the sixth, and one in the seventh to tie the game. In the top of the eighth, Brendan Ryan reached first on a two-out error by Dillon before advancing to second on a Mike McCoy walk. Ryan scored the go-ahead run on a Rick Ankiel (3-for-4) single off Sounds reliever Joe Thatcher before McCoy plated an insurance run on a Tagg Bozied single. Redbirds reliever Matt Ginter (2-4) got the win, throwing two innings of no-hit relief and striking out four. Sounds right-hander Greg Aquino (2-1) took the loss after giving up two unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning. Nashville dropped to 6-4 against Memphis on the year but maintains its six-game division lead over the Iowa Cubs, who took a 6-5 loss against the Omaha Royals. Sounds veteran team leader Andy Abad returned to action for the first time since June 1st after missing nearly six weeks due to a left wrist sprain. He flew out to deep right as a pinch-hitter to end the game, which snapped his hitting streak at 12. The cross-state series continues Saturday night at Greer Stadium when Sounds southpaw Adam Pettyjohn (4-2, 4.17) takes the mound against the Redbirds Mike Smith (8-7, 4.83) at 6:00 p.m. The first 2,000 fans through the turnstiles will receive a free Sounds T-shirt compliments of Copley Instruments. All fans are invited to stay after the game to enjoy another spectacular fireworks display presented by Your Select Buick-Pontiac-GMC Dealers. ***Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Sounds fail to overcome mistakes Have season-high four errors in loss By MAURICE PATTON Tennessee Staff Writer Committing a season-high four errors Friday night, the Nashville Sounds allowed four unearned runs and saw a five-game winning streak snapped in a 10-5 loss to visiting Memphis. The Redbirds rallied from a three-run fifth-inning deficit, scoring an unearned run in a two-run sixth inning and tying the game in the seventh. In the eighth, a two-out fielding error by third baseman Joe Dillon led to a pair of runs as Memphis broke the game open. "We did our job ? got on the scoreboard early; we just couldn't keep the lead like we usually have," Nashville first baseman Brad Nelson said. Nelson gave the Sounds a 5-2 lead in the fifth with his two-out solo home run, his 12th of the season. "We just made too many errors," Nelson said. "They hung in and came back, got people on and got some timely hits. It was just one of those nights for us, I guess. We hadn't done that in a long time." Along with the errors, four Nashville relievers combined for five walks as the bullpen gave up six runs. "Those games are going to happen," Manager Frank Kremblas said. "Ideally, you get them all in the one game, and go on to the next one." Memphis got on the scoreboard following a second-inning fielding error by shortstop Chris Barnwell, then cut the deficit to 5-3 following an errant sixth-inning pickoff attempt by pitcher Tim Dillard. In the ninth, right fielder Charles Thomas bobbled a ball hit by Joe Mather, allowing Mather to score after tripling off the center field wall. Nashville scored five runs for the fifth straight game but allowed 10 runs for just the sixth time in 92 games. Despite the loss, the Sounds maintained their six-game lead over Iowa in the Pacific Coast League's American Northern Division. Iowa lost at Omaha, 6-5. What they said: "Giving up 15 hits, four errors and eight walks, I'd say we did pretty good giving up just 10 runs." ? Kremblas after his team's five-game winning streak was snapped. ***Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS No-decision leaves Jackson in familiar setting By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer It shouldn't have come as a complete shock to Sounds starter Zach Jackson when he took a no-decision in Friday's 10-5 loss to visiting Memphis. Jackson, who entered the game tied for the Pacific Coast League lead with nine victories, had made two earlier starts against the Redbirds ? and didn't get the decision in either outing. On May 23, the left-hander lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) but striking out six in an 8-5 home loss. Three weeks later, he managed 4 1/3 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) and again struck out six as the Sounds rallied for a 6-5 road win. Jackson worked 5 2/3 innings Friday and left with a 5-3 lead before Tim Dillard allowed an unearned run in the sixth and a game-tying earned run in the seventh. Too little, too late: The Sounds remain the only PCL team without a victory when trailing heading into the ninth inning. Nashville is 0-26 in such situations. Let's go, Peay: Jack Zduriencik (zurr-EN-sik), director of amateur scouting for the Brewers, is in town for the Sounds' weekend series. Zduriencik earned his master's degree in physical education at Austin Peay, where he coached football and baseball from 1975-77. The Pennsylvania native joined the Brewers in October 1999 after stints with the Dodgers, Pirates and Mets. A baker's dozen: Brad Nelson extended his hitting streak to a career-best 13 games with his two-out solo home run ? his 12th of the year ? in the fifth inning. Nelson is hitting .320 during the streak, which is the Sounds' longest of the season. Andy Abad had a chance to extend his own hitting streak to 13 games but flew out to deep right field in a ninth-inning pinch-hitting appearance. It was the first at-bat for Abad since June 1, as he's been sidelined by a sprained wrist. Three's company: With Vinny Rottino's three-run double in the third inning, the Sounds are batting .380 with the bases loaded. That success is a marked improvement over Nashville's .255 season clip with runners in scoring position. Nashville Box Score: Dennis Sarfate allowing walks and extra-base hits in the 9th -- he entered with the Sounds down, 7-5... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Final: Huntsville 5, Chattanooga (Reds) 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1266 Katin Carries Stars to Second Straight Comeback Win Brendan Katin?s two-run double capped off a four-run sixth inning rally that led Huntsville to a 5-3 comeback win over Chattanooga Friday night in the middle game of a five-game set at AT&T Field. The Stars matched their longest win streak of the year with a fifth consecutive victory and won for a fifth time in six games to improve to 12-11 in the second half to move into a first place tie with the Lookouts, who fell to 12-11 in the half and 42-51 overall. The Stars have won six of the eight games in Chattanooga and lead the season series 11-8. Chattanooga starter James Avery had blanked the Stars through the first five frames and for a total of 15 straight innings dating back to June 4 over three starts. Stars? starting pitcher Lindsay Gulin started the winning rally with a double to left field and scored when Hernan Iribarren followed with a single. Michael Brantley singled, Steve Sollmann dropped down a sacrifice bunt and Lou Palmisano was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Adam Heether chased home Iribarren with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. Katin then followed with a line drive into the alley in right-center field to clear the bases and give the visitors their first lead of the night. Iribarren?s second home run of the season in the seventh inning accounted for the game?s final run. Avery dropped to 7-9, and 1-2 in four starts against the Stars, after allowing all five runs on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings. Gulin went six innings, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks to earn his team-high eighth win of the season. He struck out seven and was followed by Jeff Housman, who retired the first five batters he faced before a walk to Drew Anderson and a base hit by Adam Rosales brought Marino Salas into the game. The Stars? closer ended the threat by retiring Jay Garthwaite on a ground ball and set down the side in order in the ninth to earn his 16th save, good for second best in the league. Luis Bolivar?s two-out, two-run home run, his second of the season, staked the Lookouts to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Marland Williams struck out for what appeared to be the second out of the fifth inning but reached on a wild pitch and moved around to third base on two more wild pitches uncorked by Gulin, who became the ninth pitcher in league history to issue five wild pitches in a game. Matt Clement was the last to do it on August 15, 1997 while pitching for Mobile. Mike Griffin?s spinning, cue shot infield hit delivered Williams to make it 3-0 Chattanooga. The series continues Saturday night with southpaw Steve Hammond taking the mound for the Stars against Lookouts? right-hander Johnny Cueto. Coverage of the game begins at 6:00 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: No offensive standout, small contributions add up to a win; Lindsay Gulin has eight wins in 12 Nashville starts -- remember, he began the season in Nashville... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_cngaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_cngaax_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Brewers Director of Amateur Scouting Jack Zduriencik (Part 1 of 2): www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-13.mp3

Link while active, text follows: www.kokomotribune.com/spo...30138.html Thatcher enjoying Sounds of success Kokomo product is a bullpen stalwart for Triple-A Nashville By BRYAN GASKINS Kokomo (IN) Tribune Sportswriter The Milwaukee Brewers lead the National League Central and feature an impressive collection of young players including All-Star slugger Prince Fielder, but that is just the start of the good news in an organization that is clearly on the rise. The Brewers? farm system is stocked with talent too. The Nashville Sounds are leading the minor league clubs with their play in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. The Sounds went into the all-star break with a league-best 55-35 record and a five-game lead in the Northern Division. Kokomo?s Joe Thatcher is a relief pitcher for the Sounds. ?Things are going really well,? the former Kokomo High School basketball and baseball standout said during a visit home this week. ?When I got there [in May], we were right at .500 and now at the break, we?re 20 games over. We?ve been hot; just playing great baseball. We have good pitching, a good bullpen, guys swinging the bats well and clutch hitting. We?re winning and we?re having fun.? Thatcher is in his second full season in the Brewers? organization. The Indiana State University product opened the 2007 season at Double-A Huntsville where he posted a 1-0 record and 0.55 ERA in 14 appearances. He received a promotion to Nashville on May 17 and quickly established himself as a reliable option out of the bullpen. Thatcher went into the all-star break with a 1-1 record, six holds, one save and a 2.65 ERA in 20 appearances. The southpaw has shown his usual razor-sharp control in racking up 27 strikeouts against just six walks in 17 innings of work. ?I?ve been throwing really well. I?ve settled into a role where I face a lot of lefties, but I?ve also reached a point where the coaches have confidence in me to face right-handed hitters,? he said. As a left-handed pitcher out of the bullpen, Thatcher is often called on to face left-handed batters in pressure situations late in games. The Sounds look to him to either hold the lead or if they are trailing, to keep them within striking distance. Thatcher savors those opportunities. ?Since I?ve been playing professionally, I?ve been in the bullpen and if you?re going to be in the bullpen, you better want those situations,? he said. ?Once you get in those situations and have some success, then it becomes fun to come into a close game and shut the door and get your team out of a tight spot.? The Pacific Coast League kicked off the second half of its season Thursday. Nashville is hosting the Memphis Redbirds in a four-game weekend series. Thatcher said he is enjoying his time in the Music City. ?We have a good clubhouse; guys get along really well and everyone wants to win,? he said. ?At the same time, the real goal is to get called up to the big leagues. We?ve had our big prospect pitcher [Yovani Gallardo] and our big stick [third baseman Ryan Braun] called up. They?re big-time talents and they belong in the major leagues.? Thatcher is knocking on the door himself. He enjoyed some rest and relaxation during his visit home this week, but his mind remained on the task at hand. ?We have 50 games left in the regular season and then the playoffs. It?s going to be a big push to finish strong,? he said. ?I?ve tried to relax and recharge the batteries because I need to finish strong and make a push to get to Milwaukee whether it?s the end of this year or next year.? Photo image provided to the Kokomo (IN) Tribune http://www.kokomotribune.com/sports/images_sizedimage_193230627/xl

Link, text follows: www.frontierleague.com/cg...1184355843 The Milwaukee Brewers have signed one of the top closers in Frontier League history. The Rockford (Illinois) RiverHawks have announced that the Brewers have signed reliever Mike Marksbury, the team?s all-time saves leader. Marksbury was 0-0 with a league-leading 14 saves and a 1.33 earned-run average in 20 appearances with Rockford. The two-time FL all-star is the eighth RiverHawk signed by a major-league organization in the team?s six seasons in Rockford. Milwaukee has assigned Marksbury to the Brevard County Manatees of the high Class A Florida State League. ?We?re going to miss him as a player,? RiverHawks director of baseball operations Dave Ciarrachi said. ?We?re glad to help him advance his career. He was an asset here both as a person and as a player.? In his final appearance, Marksbury picked up the save last Saturday at River City to continue a dominant mid-season stretch. The 25-year-old right-hander picked up the save in each of his last 10 appearances. In that span, Marksbury pitched 10 2/3 scoreless innings and scattered three hits ? two against Chillicothe on June 21 and one on July 7 ? for an .091 (3-for-33) opposing average, struck out 18 and walked four. In 20 1/3 total innings this season, Marksbury struck out 32, walked 10 and held opposing batters to a .119 average. Marksbury broke the team career saves record on June 28. Marksbury has 26 saves in two seasons with the RiverHawks. Josh Latimer set the old record by saving 22 games in 2002-04. Marksbury, who saved 12 games last year and recorded a career-best save total this year, is the first pitcher in team history with two seasons of double-digit saves. He had matched Jason Glosser for second place on the RiverHawks? single-season saves list. Latimer holds the single-season record of 15 saves, set in 2004. Marksbury is fifth on the FL?s career saves list. He is second among active league pitchers, trailing only Evansville closer Mike Bille, who has 29 career saves. Major-league teams have purchased nine contracts from the RiverHawks in the team?s six seasons in Rockford. Marksbury?s signing is the fourth time a RiverHawk went to the Frontier League all-star game and was picked up. Pitcher Jason Shelley was signed by the Brewers at the 2003 all-star break and was named Baseball America magazine Independent League Player of the Year following the season. Lefty Justin Dowdy was signed by Seattle the same week, returned to Rockford the following spring and was picked up by Anaheim at the break in 2004. Other RiverHawks signed by major-league clubs are: infielder Jayson Drobiak (New York Yankees, 2002), pitcher Justin Olson (Minnesota, 2003), pitcher Scott Sobkowiak (Cincinnati, 2003), outfielder Rich Austin (Kansas City, 2004) and pitcher Derrick Ellison (Seattle, 2005). The RiverHawks are members of the Frontier League, a 12-team independent professional baseball league in its 15th season. ***Marksbury was drafted in the 50th round by Colorado in 2001 but did not sign. He'll be making his debut in affiliated ball when he suits up for the Manatees. No word on a corresponding roster move. We will create a Brewerfan Player Index Page later tonight. Link while active, text follows: mystateline.com/content/f.../?cid=4514 Marksbury Closes The Deal Reported by: Scott Leber, mystateline.com Wednesday, Jul 4, 2007 When it's late in the game and the RiverHawks are winning, Mike Marksbury is certain to be on the mound. His job is to save games, and no one in RiverHawks history has done that as well as he has. "Markey has more saves for us this year than he had all last year," says RiverHawks manager J.D. Arndt. "He's really been a horse for us." The big righthander out of Cincinnati led the RiverHawks with 12 saves last season. He averaged better than one strikeout per inning pitched. This season he has already recorded 13 saves. He is only three saves away from breaking the RiverHawks single season record, and he still has half a season to go. "I take the same approach to any game I enter whether it's 1-0 or we're up four," says Marksbury. "My goal is to not let anybody on base and to do my best when I'm out there. I don't like to give up hits. I don't like giving up walks. When I'm out there I'm out to get the job done." Marksbury says that before he pitches he makes himself angry. That helps him pitch better. But he also is able to keep his emotions from getting out of hand. "I'm pretty amped up when I'm out there. But at the same time my mind is at ease. I'm pretty relaxed." Not everyone can handle the pressure of pitching in the late innings with the game on the line. Marksbury seems to have been born for that role. Although in college (University of Miami, Ohio at Hamilton) he was a starting pitcher. "I never really got into the starting mentality," he says. "Being a closer, I feel like this is what I'm meant for." Marksbury pitched for two years for one of the RiverHawks Frontier League rivals in Florence, Kentucky just 20 miles from his home. But when he had an arm injury two years ago, Florence no longer wanted him. The RiverHawks did. "Mr. Ciarrachi called me, and I just made the decision to come up here." What a break that has been for the RiverHawks. Video of Marksbury along with the above story: mystateline.com/media_pla...ia_id=4834

Final: Arizona A's 5, Arizona Brewers 3 Arizona Box Score: Only three hits, coming from the 8 and 9 spots in the order combined; this club seems to be both overmatched and boring; and yes, we're talking about 17-, 18- and 19-year olds's here, but they're facing similar players from other clubs; the thread is long gone, but we've discussed in the past the number of prospects, particularly position players, that later prospered, who saw significant time in Arizona Rookie ball -- it's a miniscule list; wow, I'm king on the run-on sentence lately... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1 Arizona Game Log: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Standings through Thursday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 56 35 .615 - 30-13 26-22 W5 Iowa 50 41 .549 6.0 29-19 21-22 L1 Omaha 43 49 .467 13.5 28-16 15-33 W3 Memphis 39 53 .424 17.5 21-27 18-26 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 12 10 .545 - 6-6 6-4 L3 Huntsville 11 11 .500 1.0 5-5 6-6 W4 Tennessee 11 11 .500 1.0 8-4 3-7 L1 Carolina 9 13 .409 3.0 5-5 4-8 W1 West Tenn 8 14 .364 4.0 6-6 2-8 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 13 8 .619 - 5-3 8-5 W1 Jupiter 10 10 .500 2.5 5-4 5-6 L1 Palm Beach 10 10 .500 2.5 4-7 6-3 L4 St. Lucie 9 11 .450 3.5 4-7 5-4 W1 Daytona 9 12 .429 4.0 5-6 4-6 W1 Vero Beach 4 16 .200 8.5 2-7 2-9 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 13 7 .650 - 7-2 6-5 W1 Hickory 12 9 .571 1.5 8-5 4-4 W1 Lake County 11 9 .550 2.0 6-5 5-4 L1 West Virginia 11 10 .524 2.5 6-4 5-6 L1 Delmarva 9 11 .450 4.0 4-7 5-4 L1 Lexington 9 12 .429 4.5 8-5 1-7 W1 Hagerstown 7 13 .350 6.0 3-6 4-7 W1 Greensboro 6 15 .286 7.5 4-4 2-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls 15 8 .652 - 9-3 6-5 W4 Helena 14 9 .609 1.0 5-6 9-3 W1 Billings 9 14 .391 6.0 5-6 4-8 L1 Missoula 9 14 .391 6.0 5-7 4-7 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Angels 13 5 .722 - 11-3 2-2 W1 AZL Mariners 13 5 .722 - 7-2 6-3 L2 AZL Padres 11 6 .647 1.5 5-2 6-4 W1 AZL Cubs 10 8 .556 3.0 5-3 5-5 W4 AZL Giants 9 9 .500 4.0 5-4 4-5 W2 AZL Rangers 7 11 .389 6.0 3-5 4-6 L1 AZL Royals 7 11 .389 6.0 3-5 4-6 L2 AZL Athletics 6 12 .333 7.0 3-5 3-7 W1 AZL Brewers 4 13 .235 8.5 1-8 3-5 L5

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 Nashville excerpt: The Sounds are more than 20 games over .500 for the first time in nine years. The last time Nashville was this far above the break-even point was on September 5, 1999 (80-59); that club?s high point was 28 games over (66-38, July 30).

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: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_cngaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sarafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 Helena: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_idarok_1 Arizona: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Zach Jackson at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Lindsay Gulin at Chattanooga (Reds), 6:00 PM pre-game; 6:15 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: LHP Rafael Lluberes at Sarasota (Reds), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime NOTE: Sorry, no audio for this Brevard County series West Virginia: LHP Brae Wright at home vs. Hickory (Pirates), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Helena: RHP Donovan Hand at Idaho Falls (Royals), 8:00 PM pre-game, 8:15 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Arizona: LHP Mitch Stetter gets in another inning of work in a start vs. the Athletics' kids at home in Maryvale, 10:30 AM local time in Arizona, 12:30 Central; never any audio for Arizona Rookie League games -- Canadian RHP Travis Nevakshonoff will make his pro debut, following Stetter on the mound

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Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/story/S...n-Arizona/ Power falls, Braddock will rehab in Arizona Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter The headline-grabbing news at Appalachian Power Park on Thursday had nothing to do with which team won or lost. Instead, it focused on which players are coming and going. More on that later. First, the formalities. Although they finished with nine strikeouts and three errors, the Hickory Crawdads got the hits and made the plays when they had to in a 7-3 baseball win over the West Virginia Power. It was a disappointing result for the Buck Night crowd of 6,267. But none of those fans left the East End stadium as upset as Power pitcher Zach Braddock, a hard-throwing left-hander who was one of the South Atlantic League's most dominant pitchers in the first half. The Milwaukee Brewers have decided to send Braddock to their spring-training complex in Arizona to rehabilitate his arm. Soreness and tightness have sidelined the 6-foot-4, 230-pound southpaw since June 15. When West Virginia placed Braddock on the disabled list last month, Power pitching coach John Curtis said the 19-year-old prospect wouldn't take the mound again until August. Now, who knows? "I don't know how long I'll be down there," said Braddock, who has a 3-1 record and 1.15 earned run average with 68 strikeouts compared to 15 walks in 47 innings this season. "They don't know what's wrong with it. I'll be back, though." Braddock was scheduled to fly to Phoenix today. On the opposite side of the transaction spectrum, former University of Florida slugger Matt LaPorta is preparing to arrive in Charleston within the next two weeks. Some sources say the 22-year-old power hitter could be here as early as July 21, when West Virginia is scheduled to begin an eight-game homestand (four against Delmarva and four against Hagerstown). LaPorta, the Brewers' 2007 first-round draft pick, is in Arizona rehabilitating an injury of his own (strained right quadriceps). "The trainers are doing a great job getting me healthy and ready to play," LaPorta said. "We don't want to rush anything." LaPorta had a .323 batting average and hit 74 home runs in his four-year college career. The 6-1, 215-pound prospect was a catcher in high school and a first baseman in college, but he will play left field in the pros. "I'm excited about coming there and starting my career," LaPorta said. As for Thursday's on-the-field action, the Power collected more hits (8-7) and committed fewer errors (0-3) than the Crawdads. But a pair of two-run homers from right fielder Jonel Pacheco and third baseman Eddie Prasch and three insurance runs were enough for Hickory (12-9, second half) to beat West Virginia (11-10). "The two home runs, the two-out RBI, the leadoff walks, the stolen bases in clutch situations ... they did a pretty good job and you have to tip your hat to them," said Power Manager Mike Guerrero, whose team stranded 10 runners. "Even with the errors, they made good plays. They had a couple of diving plays that took away hits. They did what they needed to do." West Virginia starter Jeremy Jeffress (5-3) took the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits and six walks in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out seven batters, including five of the first nine he retired. Right fielder Chuckie Caufield, third baseman Taylor Green and first baseman Andrew Lefave each had two hits for the Power. Caufield scored two of West Virginia's runs; LeFave scored the other. Its RBI came from Green (two-out single), designated hitter John Alonso (bases loaded walk) and left fielder Stephen Chapman (sacrifice fly). Power plugs -- The teams will conclude their three-game series Friday night. The Power will start left-hander Brae Wright (6-4, 5.70). The Crawdads will throw right-hander Jared Hughes (7-6, 4.04). ... Saturday marks the start of a seven-game road trip (three in Greensboro and four in Lakewood) for West Virginia. ... The Power entered the game with a 14-1 record on Thursdays and a 7-1 mark against the Crawdads this season. ... Anyone whose dream is to play Major League Baseball will have a chance to make it happen next week. Power General Manager Ryan Gates said the Brewers will hold an open tryout one week from today at 10 a.m. at Appalachian Power Park. Milwaukee scouts will attend. Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Tom Hindman West Virginia Power pitcher Jeremy Jeffress surrendered four runs on five hits with six walks in the Power?s 7-3 loss to Hickory on Thursday. http://www.dailymail.com/images/071307Jeffress.jpg

Friday's Link Report will be out late this afternoon.