Jim Goulart

Final: Chattanooga (Reds) 10, Huntsville 1 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1241 Cosme Carries Chattanooga to Victory Caonabo Cosme collected four hits, including a home run, scored three times and knocked in three to power Chattanooga to a 10-1 win over Huntsville Tuesday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Lookouts improved to 7-2 in the second half of the season and 36-43 overall, while the Stars fell to 3-6 in the second half and 40-37 overall in suffering their second worst defeat of the season. The Stars were held to three runs or less for a 13th time in the last 15 games and held to six hits or fewer for an 12th time in the last 17 contests. Hernan Iribarren produced the home side?s only run with a leadoff home run in the first inning against Johnny Cueto, who was making his double-A debut. The right-hander settled down and wound up retiring a dozen in a row after a one-out single by Alcides Escobar in the second inning before a Steve Sollmann double in the sixth. He was taken out after a leadoff walk to Adam Heether and a Steve Moss single to open the seventh. Tyler Pelland got Escobar to ground into a double play to squelch any potential rally and tossed two scoreless frames in relief. Cueto, the Reds' fourth rated prospect according to Baseball America, was charged with a run on six hits, while walking two and fanning six. Cosme hit a two-run home run in the second to give the visitors the lead for good and knocked in a run with a bases loaded single in the fourth to make it 3-1 before Cueto followed with the decisive blow in the game, a three-run double that extended the Lookouts advantage to 6-1. Thurman was charged with six runs on seven hits over four frames and suffered the loss to drop to 2-5. He has allowed 17 runs on 21 hits over 14 innings in his four starts. Chattanooga added two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth and ninth innings and has scored in five frames in each of the last two games en route to outscoring the Stars 20-1. Jay Bruce, Enrique Cruz and Luis Bolivar contributed two hits in the 14-hit attack. The series continues Wednesday afternoon, as Huntsville will send southpaw Steve Hammond to the mound against Lookouts? right-hander Carlos Fisher. Coverage of the game begins at 11:50 a.m. central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: Sam Narron some relief work - getting an inning in to help out a taxed bullpen? After two scoreless one-inning outings, Robert Hinton with another rough outing; let's get LHP Derek Miller up from Brevard to aid this starting staff; this lineup desperate for a Ryan Braun-type presence, but obviously those guys are few and far between... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Final: Lakeland (Tigers) 10, Brevard County 2 MiLB.com: Maybin, Mendez power Tigers Cameron Maybin and Rafael Mendez smacked three-run homers as Lakeland routed visiting Brevard County, 10-2, on Tuesday. Maybin's eighth homer of the year in the fourth inning erased a 1-0 deficit, driving in William Rhymes and Maxwell Leon. Mendez's first homer with Wilkin Ramirez and Justin Justice aboard in the eighth capped the scoring for the Flying Tigers (3-2). Lakeland starter Burke Badenhop (7-5) yielded two runs on four hits, striking out five and walking three over six innings to pick up the win. Brendan Wise gave up one hit in two shutout innings. The Manatees' Mat Gamel went 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 24 games. The third baseman is hitting .441 during that stretch (38-for-86). Steve Garrison (4-4) surrendered three runs on two hits, fanning two and walking two in five innings to take the loss for Brevard County (3-3). -- Alan Friedman/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: Ben Stanczyk has allowed runs in each of his last four relief stints (8 ER total); six passed balls on the season for Angel Salome, catching approximately every other game... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 Brevard County Game Log: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_lakafa_1

Final: Augusta (Giants) 7, West Virginia 0 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER OFFENSE SILENCED BY AUGUSTA The Augusta GreenJackets scored five times in the first inning of Tuesday night?s game at Lake Olmstead Stadium and they shutout the West Virginia Power for the second night in row, taking game two of the series 7-0. Bobby Felmy and Tyler Graham both hit RBI singles in the first inning before Juan Jean cleared the bases with a three-run single to cap off the five-run frame, and knocked Power starter Jeremy Jeffress out of the contest. The GreenJackets scored two more times in the contest on RBI singles from Brett Pill in the fourth and the sixth. West Virginia has not scored a run since the third inning of Sunday?s game against the Kannapolis Intimidators, putting them on a 24 inning scoreless slump. Augusta starter Ben Snyder retired the first ten batters he faced before walking Brent Brewer on four pitches in the fourth inning, and he had a no hitter going through four and a third until Andy Bouchie ripped a one-out single in the fifth. Snyder (9-2) pitched six scoreless innings, allowed two hits and struck out four to get the victory while Jeffress (4-1) was tagged with the loss after he allowed five runs on four hits over two thirds of the first inning. The trio of D.J. Lidyard, Shawn Ferguson and J.T. King held the GreenJackets to just two runs on six hits over seven and a third innings of relief. The Power fell to 50-24 overall and 2-4 in the second half, and the GreenJackets improved to 55-21 overall and 5-1 in the second half with the win. Jimmy Mojica ripped a pair of singles and was the only Power player with a multi-hit game. The Power will continue the four game series against the GreenJackets Wednesday night. The Power will start left hander Brae Wright (5-4, 6.43) and Augusta will start right hander Adam Cowart (9-3, 2.18). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: This Augusta pitching staff has been absolutely amazing all season -- historically amazing; Brent Brewer's two walks give him 29 in 290 AB's, meeting the 10-to-1 ratio often seen as reasonably attainable -- he's also K'd 92 times, still 19 years old, he'll probably repeat the first half of next year... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_augafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_augafx_1

Final: Round Rock (Astros) 9, Nashville 3 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Joe Dillon photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2411 Express Split Series With 9-3 Win Over Sounds ROUND ROCK, Texas ? The Nashville Sounds fell to the Round Rock Express by a 9-3 count on Tuesday evening at The Dell Diamond in the finale of a four-game series. With the win, Round rock gained a series split against the Sounds (45-33). The Nashville loss combined with an Iowa win dropped the Sounds a half-game behind the Cubs in the PCL American Conference Northern Division as the teams flip-flopped first and second place for the third time in the last four days. The game began at 8:39 p.m. after a one hour and thirty-four minute rain delay. Round Rock took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against Sounds starter Adam Pettyjohn. Jason Lane plated Mike Rodriguez with the game?s first run on a sacrifice fly. The Express added a second run in unearned fashion following a two-out fielding error by Nashville leftfielder Drew Anderson. The Sounds got a run back in the second in unearned fashion when Joe Dillon (2-for-4) scored on an Anderson double-play groundout. Express outfielder Jason Lane extended the home club?s lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth when he belted Pettyjohn?s first offering of the inning over the center field wall for his fourth home run of the season. Round Rock starting pitcher Chan Ho Park helped his own cause later in the frame when he delivered a two-out, two-run single to push the lead to 5-1. Nashville rallied against the Express bullpen in the top of the eighth to pull within a pair of runs at 5-3 on Dillon?s two-out, two-run single to left off Travis Driskill. AUDIO: Joe Dillon Two-Run Single -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-26.mp3 Round Rock responded immediately, however, by plating four runs of their own against Luther Hackman in the bottom half of the frame to extend the lead to a comfortable 9-3. Cody Ransom belted a two-run homer to left, the veteran?s 11th jack of the year, before two more Express runs scored later in the inning on a pair of Hackman wild pitches. Park (5-6) defeated the Sounds for the second time this season by allowing one unearned run on three hits over seven innings. He walked one batter while striking out five. Pettyjohn (3-2) had his three-start winning streak snapped after working his shortest outing as a Sound. The left-hander lasted only four innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits in taking the loss. Anderson doubled in the fifth inning for Nashville to extend his longest hitting streak of the season to seven games. The Sounds travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico on Wednesday to complete their road trip with a three-game series against the Isotopes (AAA-Marlins). Nashville has won five of the previous eight meetings between the clubs this season. Right-hander R.A. Dickey (5-4, 5.00) will start Wednesday?s 8:05 p.m. CT series opener for the Sounds. Albuquerque will counter with right-hander Daniel Barone (2-0, 1.93). Nashville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_rreaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_rreaaa_1

Slideshow Gallery from Opening Day: That mascot head (page two) frightens me, I can only imagine the little girl's thoughts http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif pictopia.com/perl/gal?pro...der_id=497

Jim Powell Interview with Jack Zduriencik: media.620wtmj.com/Desktop...wsid=17804

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Star in the spotlight: Adam Heether Brad Shepard, Huntsville Times Position: Third baseman Age: 25 Hometown: Ripon, Calif. Stats: .262, 3 HR, 23 RBI Year with Stars: Third What is your hometown known for: "It's the almond capital of the world. I have to like them. There are acres by acres of almond trees. My wife's grandpa is a big almond guy." So, you still live in Ripon in the offseason? "Yeah. Most of my family still lives there, and my wife's (Jennifer) does, too." Were you and your wife high school sweethearts? "After-the-fact high school sweethearts. She wouldn't have anything to do with me in high school." Equipment: 34-inch, 311/2 -ounce Xbat T141 and a Rawlings glove. What are your other talents besides baseball? "I was a running back and point guard in high school. I play golf, bowl, but I play a lot of table tennis now. Without a doubt, I'm the No. 1 Ping Pong guy on the team. (Hernan) Iribarren's No. 2. It's a competitive group." Who was your favorite player growing up? "Pretty much anybody on the Oakland A's: Rickey Henderson, the Bash Brothers. I went to a lot of games, full-uni, including the spikes when I was, like, 4 years old." Did you have the infamous Bash Brothers poster with McGwire and Canseco dressed like the Blues Brothers? "Oh yeah. They were on the wall everywhere, life-size." What non-baseball team do you pull for religiously? "I don't really get into teams." Who were some of your teammates at Long Beach State? "(Angels pitcher) Jered Weaver, Troy Tulowitzki, who's with the Rockies, Paul McAnulty was up with San Diego and Jeremy Reed, I think, was playing for the Mariners." How cool is it to see what some of those guys like Weaver and Tulowitzki is doing? "It's pretty unbelievable to see what they're doing to the league. You know they can do it, but it's nice to see them do it. You want to get up there with them." If Barry Bonds breaks the record, what do you think about it? "I have nothing against him. The thing is every time he's grabbing a bat, I'll go out of my way to watch him, bottom line." What kind of car are you driving? "We drive a 2005 Toyota Corolla that we're just putting so many miles on right now it's ridiculous. It gets like 36 miles-per-gallon, something just stupid." What was your first vehicle? "A Mazda extended-cab pickup, I think it was an '88. Loved it." What kind of music do you listen to? "Mostly hip-hop and rap, but my wife likes country, so we listen to that, too." What's in your iPod right now? "Well, in my CD player is Jay-Z's "The Black Album."

Nashville Audio Chat with Perfect Game Hurler Manny Parra: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-26.mp3 Jim Powell Interview with Manny Parra: media.620wtmj.com/Desktop...wsid=17882

Nashville Site: Getting To Know ... 2B/OF Callix Crabbe Getting To Know ... P Adam Pettyjohn If you have a question you'd like your favorite Sounds player to answer, click here to submit it. The answer might be in a future Getting To Know ... update. The Sounds will be updating the site with two new Q&A's each week.

Nashville announcer Chuck Valenches on the Parra Perfecto: nashvillesounds.blogspot....ut-it.html

RHP Tim Bausher back in affiliated ball with the Royals: www.canamleague.com/cgi-b...1182867421

Mat Gamel with a triple for Brevard, doesn't waste any time extending his hit streak to 24.

Brevard County catcher Nestor Corredor, who was forced to leave a game earlier this week, has been placed on the Manatee disabled list, exact injury not disclosed. Nashville catcher J.R. Hopf has been activated from the Sounds D.L. and transferred back to Brevard to take Corredor's spot.

Helena Pre-Game KCAP Audio Interview with Organizational Field Coordiantor Charlie Greene ("Select Date" of June 25th, then go the 8:30 minute mark): web.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Standings through Monday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 45 32 .584 - 26-12 19-20 W2 Iowa 44 32 .579 0.5 24-15 20-17 L1 Omaha 37 41 .474 8.5 24-12 13-29 W1 Memphis 34 44 .436 11.5 18-21 16-23 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 6 2 .750 - 5-1 1-1 W1 Tennessee 5 3 .625 1.0 4-2 1-1 L1 Huntsville 3 5 .375 3.0 1-1 2-4 L1 West Tenn 3 5 .375 3.0 3-3 0-2 L2 Carolina 1 7 .125 5.0 1-1 0-6 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 4 1 .800 - 4-1 0-0 W4 Brevard County 3 2 .600 1.0 1-0 2-2 L1 Vero Beach 3 2 .600 1.0 1-2 2-0 L2 Jupiter 2 3 .400 2.0 0-0 2-3 W1 St. Lucie 2 4 .333 2.5 2-4 0-0 L2 Daytona 0 5 .000 4.0 0-4 0-1 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 4 1 .800 - 4-1 0-0 W2 Lakewood 4 1 .800 - 4-1 0-0 L1 Lexington 2 2 .500 1.5 2-2 0-0 W2 Delmarva 2 3 .400 2.0 0-0 2-3 W1 Hickory 2 3 .400 2.0 2-2 0-1 L1 West Virginia 2 3 .400 2.0 2-2 0-1 L2 Greensboro 1 4 .200 3.0 1-3 0-1 L1 Hagerstown 0 5 .000 4.0 0-0 0-5 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 4 3 .571 - 2-2 2-1 W1 Great Falls 4 3 .571 - 1-2 3-1 L1 Helena 3 4 .429 1.0 1-3 2-1 W1 Missoula 3 4 .429 1.0 1-2 2-2 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Mariners 3 1 .750 - 2-0 1-1 W2 AZL Angels 2 1 .667 0.5 1-0 1-1 W2 AZL Brewers 2 1 .667 0.5 1-0 1-1 L1 AZL Cubs 2 1 .667 0.5 2-0 0-1 W1 AZL Rangers 2 1 .667 0.5 1-1 1-0 L1 AZL Athletics 1 2 .333 1.5 1-1 0-1 W1 AZL Padres 1 2 .333 1.5 0-1 1-1 W1 AZL Giants 1 3 .250 2.0 0-2 1-1 L3 AZL Royals 1 3 .250 2.0 1-1 0-2 L2

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 Tuesday'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_rreaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_lakafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_augafx_1 Helena: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Arizona: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Tuesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Adam Pettyjohn at Round Rock (Astros), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP Corey Thurman at home vs. Chattanooga (Reds), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: LHP Steve Garrison at Lakeland (Tigers), 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: RHP Jeremy Jeffress at Augusta (Giants), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Helena: RHP Jose Garcia at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Arizona: RHP Luis Guerrero of the Dominican Republic, who just turned 17 years old last week, vs. the baby Cubs at home in Maryvale, 10:30 AM local time in Arizona, 11:30 Central; never any audio for Arizona Rookie League games

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Huntsville Site: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1240 Seven Stars Named to All-Star Squad The Southern League has announced that Huntsville catcher Lou Palmisano, first baseman Steve Sollmann and outfielders Brendan Katin and Steve Moss have been voted on to the North Division team for the All-Star Game in Pearl, MS on Monday, July 9. Huntsville pitchers Mark DiFelice, Lindsay Gulin and Marino Salas will also represent the North Division in the mid-season affair. The players were selected by league managers, radio announcers, general managers and newspaper beat writers. Palmisano, a Southern League All-Star selection last season, is batting .305, good for tenth best in the circuit, with five home runs and 42 runs batted in. Sollmann is hitting .313, currently eighth in the league, with a pair of long balls and 37 driven in, while Katin is batting .255 with a dozen home runs and 50 RBI. Moss, named to the squad as the ?utility? outfielder, is batting .257 with five round trippers and 36 knocked in. DiFelice has posted a record of 5-1 with a 1.66 earned run average in one start and 23 appearances in relief. He has gone 23 2/3 straight innings without allowing a run since May 23 at Mobile. Gulin is 5-3 with a 3.74 earned run mark in nine starts since joining the Stars, while Salas has recorded 13 saves in 14 opportunities and allowed only three earned runs in 30 innings. He has thrown 19 consecutive scoreless innings since May 2. Manny Parra, who threw a perfect game for triple-A Nashville Monday night, was also named to the team but will not participate in the game. The former Stars? left-hander went 7-3 with a league leading 2.68 ERA at the time of his promotion. Parra still ranks third in the league in ERA and fifth in strikeouts with 81. Stars? hitting coach Sandy Guerrero will be the manager for the North Division squad in the absence of Don Money, who will be at the Futures Game in San Francisco as part of the Major League All-Star Game.

Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...607_02.txt Brewers capture first home victory By CURT SYNNESS, Helena Independent Record Sports Writer The Helena Brewers scored more runs Monday night than in their previous four contests combined. The home team defeated the Missoula Osprey 9-2 at Kindrick Legion Field and halted a three-game losing streak. The Brewers? offense pounded out 15 hits in the victory, led by the multi-hit efforts of Eric Newton, Jonathan Lucroy, Caleb Gindl, Zealous Wheeler and Kurt Crowell. But just as impressive as the performances at the plate was the stellar work of the pitching staff. R.J. Seidel, Casey Baron and Nick Tyson collaborated to hurl a one-hitter, striking out nine Garden City batsmen and walking only three in the process. Seidel started and went five innings for the win, holding Missoula hitless until two outs into the fourth inning, when Sean Coughlin hit an RBI double. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Seidel is regarded by some to have the best change-up in the Milwaukee organization. His fastball was popping the catcher?s mitt in the low 90s as he fanned five of the first seven men he faced and finished with six Ks. The Brewers led 2-0 after two frames and 5-0 after three stanzas. In the three-run third, designated hitter Newton jacked a towering two-run homer well over the left-center field fence. He just missed another tater in the sixth, driving a blast high off the wall at the 400-foot mark in center. However, in a bizarre turn of events, Newton wound up with only a single, as the base runner in front of him thought the ball was caught and was tagged out after rounding second base and returning to first. On the night, Newton went 3-for-4, with a homer and three RBI. He scored three times. Lucroy laced three hits with a double, Crowell stroked two singles and drove in a pair of runs, and Wheeler ripped a two-bagger and a single. Right fielder Caleb Gindl, who leads the team with a robust .423 batting average, was 2-for-4, with a double, two runs and an RBI. Reliever Casey Baron took over for Seidel in the sixth, spinning three scoreless innings while whiffing two. Tyson worked the ninth to nail down the victory. Missoula?s Santo Baez was tabbed with the loss. The Brewers and Osprey now stand with identical 3-4 records. The two teams meet again tonight at Kindrick Field at 7:05 Pm (8:05 Central).

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2007062526 Brewers' top pick signs; is expected to come here Charleston Gazette West Virginia may be in for a power surge at Appalachian Power Park. The Milwaukee Brewers agreed Monday to a contract with Matt LaPorta, giving their top pick and the seventh overall selection in this year?s amateur draft a $2 million signing bonus. LaPorta will report to the rookie Arizona League where he will rehabilitate a minor strain in his right quadriceps at the Brewers? facility. All indications are that LaPorta will arrive in Charleston to play for the West Virginia Power, the Brewers? low Class A affiliate, sometime this summer. ?My guess is as soon as his quad is in good shape he?ll probably be up here,?? said Andy ?Bull?? Barch, the Power?s radio play-by-play announcer. ?I?m not sure if he?s going to play down there or just work out to get his quad good and ready. As soon as he?s ready to rock ?n? roll down there, he?ll be up here. I hope that?s the case, because he can add some pop to this lineup.?? In June 2005, the Brewers didn?t waste any time in sending Ryan Braun, their first-round draft pick from Miami (Fla.), to the Power. Braun, who recently made his Major League debut with Milwaukee, spent only 10 games at the rookie league level before coming to Charleston. A senior left fielder and first baseman at Florida, LaPorta was chosen the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 2005 and this season, when he hit .402 with 20 home runs, 52 RBIs and 55 walks. He is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top amateur baseball player. LaPorta led the nation in on-base percentage (.582), second in on-base plus slugging percentage (1.399), fifth in slugging percentage (.817) and ninth in homers. LaPorta, 22, hit 74 homers in his four-year career, ranking third in SEC history and ninth in NCAA history. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound LaPorta was selected in the 14th round of the 2006 amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox after an injury-plagued junior season at Florida. The Chicago Cubs drafted LaPorta in the 14th round of the 2003 draft after he graduated from Charlotte (Fla.) High School. Barch said LaPorta?s offensive abilities are comparable to those of Braun, the former Power third baseman. Braun hit .355 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 37 games with the Power. ?It?s assumed he?d put up the same numbers Braun put up,?? Barch said. ?[LaPorta?s] just a very, very good offensive player. If he stays here for any amount of time he could have double digits in home runs.?? The Power captured the South Atlantic League?s Northern Division title and accompanying playoff spot in the season?s first half with a 48-20 record, setting a franchise record for victories. The Power led the Sally League in batting average (.305) and was fourth in homers.

It will be posted some time just after July 4th.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Stars fall 10-0 to Chattanooga By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times On a night like Monday, the Stars were grasping for any good news. Despite being clobbered 10-0 by Chattanooga and getting soaked to the bone after a ninth-inning downpour, Huntsville players were abuzz with some positive news in the clubhouse after the game. Former teammate Manny Parra pitched a perfect game game in his second start for Triple-A Nashville, going nine spotless innings against Round Rock with a career-high 11 strikeouts. "Yeah," Stars manager Don Money said with a thin grin, "we're in Huntsville, though." Still, anything to brighten the mood, right? Especially after Huntsville was three-hit and the Brewers' top prospect still in the minors, Will Inman, was roughed up for seven earned runs in two innings. "We're very happy for Manny," first baseman Steve Sollmann said. "We wish we could've played as well as he did tonight." They were never really close, losing badly on a day that started so kind as Money was officially named the North Division's manager in the upcoming All-Star game. Inman - Milwaukee's No. 3 prospect, according to Baseball America - has had a rough go of it in his three starts since being promoted. Monday night only exacerbated Inman's struggles. He worked two dreadful innings, but could have been bailed out of the first if Ruben Mateo wouldn't have misplayed a ball that ended up being a two-run triple. It kind of snowballed from there as 1,150 fans at Joe Davis Stadium watched. "Today, his fastball was up, and his breaking ball was down," Money said of Inman. "I asked a couple of the opposing hitters if they could see the ball well, and they said yes. "He's facing much better hitters up here." In his three Stars starts, Inman has allowed 16 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings for a jagged 13.46 earned run average. To put his numbers into perspective, he already has allowed one more earned run in his three starts than he did in 13 starts at Single-A Brevard County, where he was 4-3 with a 1.72 ERA. This experience is something new for a right-hander who baffled hitters his entire first season in the pros last year, going 10-2 with a 1.71 ERA for West Virginia. Still, he's only 20, and he did strike out the side in the first inning. In between, however, the Lookouts (6-2) had four hits and three runs. After getting a quick out to start the second, Inman allowed six consecutive baserunners. The big blow was a three-run, opposite-field homer by Jay Bruce, who added an RBI single in the third and another monster home run that cleared the star in left-center field gap in the eighth. Bruce - the Reds' No. 2 prospect by the same publication - was called up at the break, and he looked the part Monday, going 4-for-6 with two home runs and five RBIs. "This is our first series against him, and everything I've seen so far looks like he's living up to the hype," Sollmann said. Even down by 10, the Stars (3-5) couldn't buy a break. After an eighth-inning double by Adam Heether, reliever Bo Hall sent what looked to be an RBI single up the middle, but Paul Janish dove and threw him out. Then the rains came, turning the infield into a puddle and making playing conditions dangerous in the ninth. "It definitely wasn't fun hitting in that," said Sollmann, who made the last out. "I was trying to hit it anywhere except back to the pitcher, and sure enough, I hit it back to the pitcher." It was that kind of night for Huntsville, who never gave the fans at Joe Davis Stadium anything to cheer about. At least a former Star gave his old teammates something to cherish.

Link while active, text follows: www.statesman.com/sports/...amp;urcm=y Parra perfect against Express By William Wilkerson AMERICAN-STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT ROUND ROCK ? The shaving cream pie waited on the table inside Nashville's clubhouse. So did Manny Parra's teammates ? beer in hand ? as they prepared to douse the pitcher who had just thrown the eighth perfect game in the 104-year history of the Pacific Coast League, a 3-0 victory over the Round Rock Express. There was only one problem with his antsy teammates: Parra couldn't get away from autograph seekers quickly enough. They hounded him before he even retrieved his equipment from the dugout. "Is he going to sign every one of them?" one teammate said. Parra got there in due time, and the celebration unfolded ? perfectly, if you will. The 24-year-old southpaw got Round Rock's Jesse Garcia to pop out to end the game, securing Parra's first Triple-A victory in only his second career Triple-A start. "Honestly, I didn't get nervous at all," said Parra. "As far as I was concerned it was a 1-0 ballgame in the eighth inning and I fell behind a couple of guys. I wasn't thinking no-hitter." Several of the 8,611 fans at Dell Diamond stood and clapped for Parra when he batted in the ninth inning, then again as he walked to the mound for the final time. He got Humberto Quintero to pop out for the first out in the ninth and struck out pinch hitter Barry Wesson before inducing a popup from Garcia, also a pinch hitter. The scare of the night for Nashville came when Wesson chopped a high ground ball toward third base. Luckily for Parra, the ball rolled foul. Coincidentally, Nashville's John Wasdin was the last PCL pitcher to throw a perfect game before Monday. It came against Albuquerque on April 7, 2003. Three Sacramento pitchers combined to throw a seven-inning perfect game last season against Portland. Monday was the first time the Express has been no-hit or had a perfect game thrown against the team. Nashville center fielder Tony Gwynn said his team's players were easygoing in the dugout during the game. "It was as usual. Everybody was sitting next to him, everybody was talking to him. I think it relaxed him that it was only his second" Triple-A start, Gwynn said. Mike Rivera gave Parra some breathing room with a two-run double off Paul Estrada in the eighth inning. Parra hurled full counts to Jason Lane and Cody Ransom in the eighth inning before getting a groundout and a popout in foul territory. Express pitcher Matt Albers ran his string of consecutive quality starts during the month to five, pitching seven innings, allowing eight hits and striking out six, which all came through four innings. Understandably enough, Parra stole his thunder. Nashville took the lead early in the first when Callix Crabbe bowled over catcher Humberto Quintero on a Joe Dillon single. Nashville hit three straight singles in the seventh but couldn't bring a run across on two quirky plays, including Parra's failed attempt at a suicide squeeze that got Drew Anderson tagged out in a hot box. It's obvious now that Nashville didn't need any more run support. The only worry of the night for Parra may have been his attempt to catch the bus back to the team hotel. With the first bus scheduled to leave at 10:16 p.m., a teammate left this message on the board: Manny Parra, second bus, 10:30 p.m. It was 10:20 p.m. and he was still wiping the shaving cream off his face.