Jim Goulart

Well, if that's the case, Toby, there was also an Alex Ochoa sighting and my first Craig Breslow mention of 2007...

Not Brewer-related, but check out the 9th inning in this one tonight: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_bufaaa_1

Ryan Braun did not play in the Nashville opener tonight (after Friday's suspension of play), and he's not in the starting lineup for the nightcap, either.

Final: Nashville 2, Round Rock (Astros) 1, completion of Friday's suspended game Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Brad Nelson photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2300 NASHVILLE ? Brad Nelson belted a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to power the Nashville Sounds to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the visiting Round Rock Express Saturday evening in the completion of Friday?s suspended game at Greer Stadium. The win was the seventh consecutive home victory for Nashville (16-12). Round Rock first baseman Mark Saccomanno gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on Friday when he belted his third home run of the season, a two-out solo shot to left off Sounds starter Tim Dillard. Rainshowers began in the third inning of the Friday portion of the game and became more intense as the game wore on, prompting the umpires to pull the teams off the field in the fifth. The suspension was announced following a 48-minute delay. Shortly before the action was halted Friday, the Sounds made an attempt to tie the contest when Andy Abad, who opened the bottom of the fifth with a single, attempted to score on Mike Rivera?s double off the center field wall, but Round Rock centerfielder Eric Bruntlett combined with shortstop Danny Klassen on a relay throw to nail Abad at the plate. Rivera advanced to third on the throw and was stationed there when play resumed on Saturday. Upon resumption, Express reliever Stephen Randolph struck out Nelson and Ozzie Chavez in succession to end the threat. A pair of players made their Sounds debuts in the contest, both after the game resumed on Saturday. Left-handed reliever Luis Villarreal took over on the hill for Dillard and worked an efficient eight-pitch scoreless inning that included a strikeout. Outfielder Charles Thomas, who was acquired by the Brewers from Oakland on Friday in exchange for Sounds catcher J.D. Closser, took over in center field on Saturday for Nashville and reached on an error by Express second baseman Brooks Conrad in the seventh before tying the game at 1-1 later in the frame when he raced home from third on an Andy Abad sacrifice fly. The run, which came against Randolph, was unearned. Nelson gave Nashville its first lead of the game in the bottom of the eighth when he greeted Round Rock reliever Miguel Ascencio. The blast to center was the slugger?s fifth of the year, tying him with Vinny Rottino for second among Sounds batters. Steve Bray (2-0) picked up the victory for Nashville after working two hitless innings. Luther Hackman came on for the ninth and earned his second save in two opportunities by retiring the Express in order. Ascencio (0-2) took the loss for Round Rock after surrendering Nelson?s game-deciding blast. Dillard, who took a no-decision and remains winless in his first six starts for Nashville, worked five innings on Friday before the game was suspended and allowed one run on five hits while striking out five batters. Nashville Game One Box Score: There are probably a couple of major league teams that would consider trading their bullpen en masse for Nashville's right now... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game One Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Final: Chattanooga (Reds) 4, Huntsville 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1141 Lecure Leads Lookouts to Second "Strait" Win Cody Strait hit a home run for a second straight day and the bullpen tossed four scoreless innings behind starter Sam Lecure to preserve Chattanooga?s 4-2 win over Huntsville Saturday afternoon at Joe Davis Stadium. The Lookouts improved to 13-16 on the season and won for a second straight game, while the Stars fell to 13-14 on the season and temporarily into second place in the North Division, pending the outcome of the game later tonight between Tennessee and Birmingham. Huntsville dropped to 6-8 at home and to 2-9 when scoring fewer than four runs. Lookouts? shortstop Paul Janish doubled with one out in the first inning and scored on a two-out single by Jay Garthwaite, marking the tenth time in 14 games at home that the Stars have been scored on in the first inning. Stars? starter Steve Hammond has been touched for at least a run in each of his three turns at home and has yielded a total of six. Lecure opened the third inning with a walk and scored when Strait followed with his fourth long ball of the season and the fifth allowed by Hammond, who gave up seven in 13 starts with Huntsville last year. Janish then doubled, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a Garthwaite sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 Chattanooga. Hammond suffered his fourth loss of the year, and third in as many tries at home, after allowing four runs on six hits over five frames. The Stars got to Lecure for a pair of runs in the home third on a run-scoring single by Hernan Iribarren, who drove in just his second run since April 18, and a sacrifice fly by Steve Moss, who drove in his 20th run to match Brendan Katin for the team lead. Lecure won a fourth straight start after allowing two runs on five hits over five frames. The former Texas Longhorn hurler struck six and walked two in going five innings for a fifth straight start. Carlos Bohorquez tossed two scoreless innings, Mike Flannery retired all three hitters he faced in the eighth and Tyler Pelland threw a scoreless ninth inning to record the first save of his career. He had made five starts to open the season before being moved to the bullpen. The series wraps Sunday afternoon with right-hander Mike Jones making the start for Huntsville against Lookout?s left-hander Luke Lockwood. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 AM WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: Yohannis Perez two hits including a double; Mark DiFelice and Robert Hinton fine out of the pen... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: Stars loaded the bases with two out in the 5th, but (does he prefer Ulyses or Ron?) Davenport flew out... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Huntsville Site: Link for Adam Heether photo, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1140 Stars Roster Shuffle Continues The Milwaukee Brewers have released infielder Jeff Eure and activated third baseman Adam Heether from the disabled list. Heether will be in the starting lineup for the Stars in their game Saturday afternoon against Chattanooga. Eure hit .181 in 72 at-bats for Huntsville this season and knocked in seven runs. He started 14 games at third base, twice at first base and once in left field. The 26-year-old, an 18th round selection by the Brewers in 2001, led the Stars with 54 runs batted in last season. He played all nine positions and earned the save in the Stars 1-0 win in the final regular season game last year at Birmingham. Heether was placed on the disabled list April 24 with an oblique muscle strain. He is batting .132 with three runs driven in over 38 at-bats. The 25-year-old hit .213 with one home run and 18 RBI in 70 games for Huntsville last season before being sent to high class-A Brevard County in the Florida State League, where he finished the campaign. Year seven in the sytem for Jeff Eure, and his career OPS of .700 just wasn't enough for a corner infielder. He can hold his head high -- we chronicalled his efforts at Ogden, Beloit, High Desert, Brevard County, and Huntsville, and Jeff played the role of organizational soldier well, and we hope that those in the ranks like Jeff wear that title proudly. Soldiers are to be respected, and we wish Jeff the best.

Standings through Friday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 15 12 .556 - 7-4 8-8 W1 Memphis 15 14 .517 1.0 12-5 3-9 L3 Iowa 13 15 .464 2.5 8-4 5-11 W1 Omaha 13 16 .448 3.0 11-5 2-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 13 13 .500 - 6-7 7-6 L1 Tennessee 13 13 .500 - 5-8 8-5 W1 Carolina 12 16 .429 2.0 7-6 5-10 L1 Chattanooga 12 16 .429 2.0 7-8 5-8 W1 West Tenn 12 16 .429 2.0 6-7 6-9 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 16 11 .593 - 7-6 9-5 L1 Brevard County 16 12 .571 0.5 8-6 8-6 W1 Daytona 15 13 .536 1.5 9-5 6-8 W2 Vero Beach 12 15 .444 4.0 8-6 4-9 W2 Jupiter 12 16 .429 4.5 5-9 7-7 L2 St. Lucie 12 16 .429 4.5 5-9 7-7 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 19 6 .760 - 11-4 8-2 L1 Greensboro 17 11 .607 3.5 11-4 6-7 W2 Lakewood 13 12 .520 6.0 6-7 7-5 W2 Lake County 14 13 .519 6.0 9-5 5-8 L2 Lexington 13 15 .464 7.5 7-8 6-7 W1 Hickory 11 15 .423 8.5 4-4 7-11 L1 Delmarva 10 17 .370 10.0 5-8 5-9 W1 Hagerstown 10 18 .357 10.5 6-8 4-10 L2

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 Completion of Suspended Game: Game log may not be available, refer to Gameday feature... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Regularly Scheduled Game: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_clrafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_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: Stuck in the house Saturday afternoon? Tune in the Stars... All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: First, it's the completion of Friday's game, with the Sounds down 1-0 in the bottom of the 5th but threatening in the inning, then RHP Chris Oxspring in the seven-inning nightcap at home vs. Round Rock (Astros), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Steve Hammond at home vs. Chattanooga (Reds), 1:50 PM pre-game; 2:05 gametime Audio link: www.huntsvillestars.com/ Brevard County: LHP Steve Garrison at Clearwater (Phillies), 5:20 PM pre-game, 5:30 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia: RHP J.T. King at home vs. Lexington (Astros), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link (game will also archive at this link): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

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J.J. with a 2.127 OPS against Zach Duke? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Baseball America reports that the Brewers signed outfielder Jose Rangel. He's an 18-year-old from Venezuela. When the Arizona Brewer season begins, MiLB.com will post his vitals, and we'll then build our Brewerfan Player Index Page for him. It's great to see the Brewers still active in Venezuela and the Dominican, being able to lure kids here with the promise to play in America right away, instead of toiling in latin summer leagues for 2-3 years. We remember the early Brewerfan days, when we'd follow entire DSL and VSL teams and try to make sense of the stats. Granted, the Brewers haven't really seen that breakout latin signee emerge, although several dot the current Power 50 -- time will tell. By the way, Christian Guerrero, now 27, has finally made it to AAA in the Nationals chain, no thanks to his stats. The entire refurbished "Alumni Thread", with stat links, will be up within the next 2-3 weeks.

Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Trade means Rottino likely to catch more By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer With Friday's trade between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Oakland Athletics that sent Sounds catcher J.D. Closser packing, Vinny Rottino figures to see more time behind the plate. Rottino, one of the final cuts coming out of spring training by the Brewers, is a "super sub" in training. The 27-year-old has played four positions for Nashville ? 11 games in right field, four in left field, one at first base and seven at catcher. Closser caught 12 games for the Sounds, with Mike Rivera working behind the plate in eight games. The position figures to be a two-player rotation indefinitely. Last season, Rottino started 77 games at third base, 15 at catcher, six in left field, five in right field, two at first base and one at designated hitter for the Sounds. In exchange for Closser, the Brewers received outfielder Charles Thomas, who will be assigned to Nashville and should join the team before the end of this weekend's series with Round Rock. Thomas opened his career with the Braves organization, before being traded with pitchers Juan Cruz and Dan Meyer for Tim Hudson in December 2004. Closser is expected to be assigned to Class AAA Sacramento. Thunder from "down under": The recent callup of reliever Grant Balfour from Double-A Huntsville, after Mitch Stetter was placed on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis, gives the Sounds a pair of Australian pitchers. Chris Oxspring ? tonight's starter ? is from Queensland, and Balfour is from New South Wales. Both have represented their country in international play, as Balfour pitched in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and Oxspring went 2-0 in the 2004 Athens Games and won a silver medal. More moves: Reliever Luis Villareal joined the Sounds prior to Friday's game, filling the roster spot created when outfielder Joe Dillon was placed on the DL with a strained left hamstring. Villareal, whose first Sounds appearance will mark his Triple-A debut, posted an 0-1 record with a 6.75 ERA in eight games with Huntsville. Spreading the wealth: Five pitchers have combined for Nashville's seven saves. Dennis Sarfate leads the way with three (in four opportunities), with Jose Capellan, Luther Hackman and Alec Zumwalt adding one each before Balfour did so Wednesday at Iowa. The Sounds have converted 7-of-12 save opportunities. Getting the call: Angel Campos served as third-base umpire and crew chief for Friday, one night after making his major league debut. Campos worked at first base for the Yankees-Rangers game in Arlington, Texas, as a fill-in umpire. Campos is an eight-year veteran and has been in the Pacific Coast League since 2004.

MiLB.com Brevard County Game Notes: Inman, Pena deck Cardinals Will Inman and Luis Pena combined for 13 strikeouts as Brevard County beat visiting Palm Beach, 6-2, on Friday at Space Coast Stadium. Inman (2-2) allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings for the win, lowering his ERA to 1.51, which ranks second in the Florida State League. He also matched a season high by fanning nine batters and grabbed the FSL lead with 43 strikeouts. Vince Perkins relieved Inman to start the eighth but was charged with two runs without retiring a batter. Pena set down six of the last seven batters he faced, fanning four, for his third save. Angel Salome had two hits and gave the Manatees (16-12) an early lead when he belted a two-run homer in the first. Michael Bell also contributed a pair of hits, including an RBI single. The Cardinals (16-11) spoiled the shutout bid in the eighth, when Jose Contreras singled home Nathan Southard. Shane Robinson followed that with another RBI single to get Palm Beach within 5-2. Starter Trey Hearne (1-2) took the loss after giving up five runs on seven hits and three walks in 6 2/3 innings. -- Michael Echan/MLB.com

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com/ JAM SESSIONMostly cloudy skies and the forecast of rain kept away a better crowd tonight. It came down lightly, but steadily in the bottom of the 6th, and then on through the game........ Those who stayed away missed a good game, even though the Stars came out on the wrong end. It had a little bit of everything. Don Money mixed his lineup some, starting Steve Sollmann at 3rd base, playing newcomer Carlos Corporan at 1st, resting Hernan Iribarren, and putting G. Rod (Guilder Rodriguez) at 2nd........ Lookouts' manager Jayhawk Owens did likewise. We saw catcher Dan Conway for the first time, Enrique Cruz started at short, Luis Bolivar started at 2nd instead of Drew Anderson, the Southern League's best fielding 2nd baseman at the moment, and Cody Strait led off....... Even though Strait is 4-for-his-last-27, the move worked...... He met Adam Pettyjohn's second pitch of the game and sent it over the left field wall for an instant 1-0 Chattanooga lead...... Pettyjohn gave up a one-out single to Cruz, who stole 2nd on a 1-2 pitch, but escaped a 2-0 deficit when Brendan Katin took Jeremiah Piepkorn's one-hop single to right and fired it home to Lou Palmisano, who had no problem tagging him out. The rap on Chattanooga starter Camilo Vazquez is occasional control problems...... That wasn't evident from the very start, as he struck out the first four Stars to face him. It was peculiar that Conway dropped third strikes on Sollmann and Rodriguez, and had to throw him out at first........ Up to the plate was potential strikeout #5 -- Brendan Katin -- who has struck out in every game but one this season. (He made it twice tonight)....... Katin, instead, got hold of a 1-1 pitch from Vazquez. Jay Garthwaite just looked up as the ball sailed high over the left field wall...... 1-1 Stars....... Mike Carlin followed and belted a 1-2 pitch off the left field wall for the first of two doubles for him on the night. Carlin now has four doubles in his last four games....... But after a two-out walk to Yohannis Perez, Pettyjohn struck out looking to end the threat. The Lookouts, who have taken the lead in every game in this series, took a 3-1 lead in the top of the 3rd, as Pettyjohn, who did not look sharp tonight, threw 27 pitches (79 pitches in five innings, 44 for strikes)...... After retiring Strait on a grounder to short, he loaded the bases on consecutive singles. Then a wild pitch on a 1-2 count on Piepkorn scored Paul Janish, moving Cruz to third and Garthwaite to 2nd....... Piepkorn then pounded Pettyjohn's 10th pitch to Steve Sollmann, who threw the one-hopper to the plate. Palmisano had him dead. The throw was a little wide, but on time. However, Palmisano dropped the ball. It went behind him and Cruz scored........ Palmisano, previously errorless, now has an error in consecutive games. No one since Kade Johnson on May 27-28, 2004 had done that. There was no peep from Piepkorn, tonight...... In the 5th inning, he hit Pettyjohn's 0-1 pitch high and out to left for a home run and the decisive 4-1 lead....... Steve Moss made it a one-run ballgame in the 5th on a two-out, two-run double off the left field wall that chased home Sollmann, who beat out a double play grounder to reach, and Rodriguez, who walked on four pitches, but Palmisano couldn't get Moss in, lining the ball sharply to center for the 3rd out. The Stars had plenty of time to rally, though, and it looked as if the Stars would. You could almost feel it. After all, they were riding a four-game win streak and they had momentum on their side, but Lookouts reliever Calvin Medlock (0-1, 1.80) was going on his own momentum........ In three innings of relief, he held the Stars to a Katin two-hop single to left in the 6th, and a two-out walk to G. Rod in the 7th. Mike Bumatay, unscored upon in nine of his ten relief appearances came on to close the door, but it was work....... Jeff Eure led off with a walk, then Yohannis Perez laid a bunt down on the right side of the infield. Bumatay ran off the mound, picked it up, and dropped it behind him....... Now Hernan Iribarren, who loves to bunt, even tries it, with mixed success, to reach base on a hit, sacrificed perfectly to the left side, putting the runners in scoring position with just one out......... But Steve Sollmann, who seldom strikes out (14 times in 81 at-bats after tonight), riding a six-game hitting streak, and ahead on the count, 3-and-1, did just that, swinging big at strike two and strike three........ That left the game up to Ron Davenport, 3-for-5 in the first two games of this series........ On a 1-1 pitch, he lined it hard right back at Bumitay. Easy out? Not at first glance...... His throw to Jeremiah Piepkorn was high and nearly over his head. The 6'3" 1st baseman brought it down and landed, to our misfortune, right on the bag. First base ump Jeff Latter thumbed him out on a close play to end the game. 166 pitches were thrown by both pitchers through the first five innings. Vazquez, who showed no control problems through the first four innings, started losing it some in the 5th, giving way to Medlock....... Jeff Housman made his first appearance since June 22 of last year, giving up two-out hits to Luis Bolivar and Dan Conway, but getting away cleanly, nonetheless, throwing at least 15 pitches, 10 for strikes.The news on Housman is good. He says his shoulder feels better than it has in years and he's looking forward to his new relief role. Saturday and Sunday are day games, and the weather forecast looks good, with temperatures in the mid-80s, although it will be humid and a small chance of scattered showers........Steve Hammond (2-3, 5.79), who pitched a complete game six-hit shutout over Birmingham his last time out, will start for the Stars against Sam LeCure (3-0, 2.63). LeCure, 7-12, 3.43 at Class A-Sarasota (Fla. St.) last year, is ranked 12th among the Reds' top prospects, according to Baseball America..... LeCure, according to BA, sits at 90-91 with his fastball, peaks at 93, and has an average slider and change. He does a good job of busting hitters inside........ We'll see how his average stuff fares with Moss, Sollmann, and Palmisano. Sollmann (.368) and Palmisano (.362) are now 2-3 in the Southern League batting race and 1-2 in on-base percentage........ The Stars have stolen 33 bases now in 25 games, and are one of three teams to draw over 100 walks........ Carlos Corporan made two outstanding plays in the game --- back-to-back in the 2nd inning -- the first, on a stretch to take Sollmann's less-than-accurate throw, and then a spectacular diving stop on a liner by Vazquez to end the inning, springing in the air, fully extended, and landing prone on the dirt.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars' Corporan loses his cool New rule yields called third strike, angry outburst By BRAD SHEPARD For The Huntsville Times It wasn't as bad as the notorious Delmon Young incident, but the Huntsville Stars barely dodged a national nightmare Friday night. What they couldn't avoid was a ugly situation. In the fourth inning of a 4-3 loss to Chattanooga, Stars first baseman Carlos Corporan was called out on strikes by umpire Brent Rice when he stepped out of the batter's box. Because of a new rule implemented this year to speed up the game - Rule 6.02© - a player cannot step out of the box without cause. There are nine documented circumstances in which it is allowed. With two strikes already against Corporan, Rice - calling his first Double-A game behind the plate this year - called the third strike when the player stepped out. After an argument, Corporan erupted in front of 2,337 fans. First, he slammed down his bat, drawing an ejection. As Rice was walking off, Corporan slammed his bat again, snapping it directly behind the umpire. He was eventually restrained by hitting coach Sandy Guerrero just before he broke his helmet. "It crushes my soul to see that," said Southern League president and former Stars owner Don Mincher. "Emotions of the game take over, and it's a new rule that's very hard to enforce. We knew it would create problems, but umpires have to call it." When asked after the game whether he wanted to comment, Corporan, who made his first start after being called up, said, "Not really." Stars manager Don Money just shook his head after describing the tough rule. "He just went a little berserk there," Money said. "He looked like he was going to throw (the bat) pretty hard there for a second. "It's hard to figure guys out sometimes." After reviewing the play on video several times, Mincher said Rice "made the right call." Mincher said it was too early to speculate any punishment for Corporan, but he would wait on a report from the umpire. Nobody justified Corporan's reaction, however. "If you ever act like you're going to assault an umpire, it's very serious trouble," Mincher said. "From what I saw, it didn't look like he did anything to assault an umpire. He wasn't throwing the bat at him." Still, the Corporan situation revived memories of Young, the Tampa Bay rookie outfielder who was suspended for 50 Triple-A games early last season for hitting a replacement umpire in the chest with a bat. Watching the game from the concourse, Lookouts pitcher Justin Mallett had a unique take on Corporan's blowup and conduct in baseball in general. Mallett spoke from experience, having served a 50-game suspension last year for failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. "I had a lot of time to think about it," Mallett said with a chuckle. "There is a right time and a wrong time for anger, and definitely, the wrong time is on the field, because it's going to be a suspension or a fine. And I like my money." Huntsville fell behind 4-1 early, and it began with a leadoff home run from Chattanooga's Cody Strait. The Lookouts added three more runs before Steve Moss' two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the fifth brought Huntsville within one. That's where the rally ended though, as the Stars put runners on second and third with one out in the ninth but failed to take any of the sting off a tough night.

Final: Chattanooga (Reds) 4, Huntsville 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...ewsId=1139 Lookouts' Bullpen Locks Down Stars Cody Strait and Jeremiah Piepkorn hit home runs and Mike Bumatay worked out of a big jam in the ninth inning to preserve Chattanooga?s 4-3 win over Huntsville Friday night in off and on rain at Joe Davis Stadium. The Lookouts improved to 12-16 on the season and won for the first time in three games in the series, while the Stars fell to 13-13 on the season and into a first place tie in the North Division with Tennessee after the Smokies routed the Barons in Birmingham. The Stars lost a season-high four-game win streak and dropped to 6-7 at home. Bumatay took over for Calvin Medlock to open the ninth and started the inning by walking Jeff Eure and mishandling a sacrifice bunt attempt by Yohannis Perez that put runners at first and second base with nobody out. Hernan Iribarren advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt but Bumatay battled back to strike out Steve Sollmann, who lost a six-game hitting streak after going hitless in five tries, and retire pinch-hitter Ulyses Davenport on a comebacker. Bumatay earned his second save of the season. Strait hit the second pitch of the game from Adam Pettyjohn over the wall in left field for his third home run of the season, marking the ninth time in 13 games the Stars have been scored on in the first inning. Huntsville tied the game in the home second when Brendan Katin blasted a solo home run, his second in as many nights and team-high fifth of the season. Pettyjohn uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded in the third inning that allowed Paul Janish to score to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. Piepkorn then hit a ground ball to the third baseman Sollmann, who threw home to try to cut down Enrique Cruz but catcher Lou Palmisano couldn?t handle the throw and Cruz scored to make it 3-1. Piepkorn hit his first double-A long ball in the fifth to extend the Lookouts lead to 4-1. Pettyjohn suffered the loss after giving up four runs, three earned, on nine hits, including the first two round-trippers he had yielded this season, over five frames. Bo Hall, Jeff Housman and Corey Thurman blanked Chattanooga over the last four innings. Steve Moss doubled home two runs with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to trim the lead to 4-3 but the rally was squelched when Marland Williams made a sliding catch of a sinking line drive off the bat of Palmisano. Chattanooga starter Camilo Vazquez recorded his second win of the year, and first since his first turn on April 7, after permitting three runs on six hits over five frames. He walked three and struck out a season-high six before Medlock tossed three scoreless innings in relief. The series continues Saturday afternoon with left-hander Steve Hammond making the start for Huntsville against Lookout?s right-hander Sam LeCure. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on SportsRadio 730 AM WUMP and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: Nice to see Brendan Katin's power bat coming alive -- that's his main selling point; Guilder Rodriguez on base three times; Mike Carlin two doubles... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: Carlos Corporan ejected after getting called out on strikes in the 4th; Steve Sollman's the guy you'd want up in that clutch 9th inning situation -- not to be tonight, though... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Suspended, bottom of the 5th in Nashville: Round Rock (Astros) 1, Nashville 0 Nashville Site Update: Link for Tim Dillard photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2300 Sounds-Express Suspended Due To Rain Friday NASHVILLE ? Friday night?s game between the Nashville Sounds and Round Rock Express was suspended due to heavy rain with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning and the Express holding a 1-0 lead at Greer Stadium. Round Rock first baseman Mark Saccomanno gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when he belted his third home run of the season, a two-out solo shot to left off Sounds starter Tim Dillard. Shortly before the action was halted, the Sounds made an attempt to tie the contest when Andy Abad, who opened the bottom of the fifth with a single, attempted to score on Mike Rivera?s double off the center field wall, but Round Rock centerfielder Eric Bruntlett combined with shortstop Danny Klassen on a relay throw to nail Abad at the plate. Rivera advanced to third on the throw and will be stationed there with Brad Nelson at the plate when play resumes on Saturday evening. Rainshowers began in the third inning and became more intense as the game wore on, prompting the umpires to pull the teams off the field in the fifth. The suspension was announced following a 48-minute delay. The rain-shortened contest was Nashville?s second weather-affected game in succession. The club?s scheduled road trip finale in Des Moines on Thursday night was rained out. The suspended game will completed to its nine-inning entirety on Saturday evening beginning at 6 p.m. The Sounds and Express will follow that contest with their regularly-scheduled game, which will be shortened to seven innings. In Saturday's seven-inning contest, right-hander Chris Oxspring (2-1, 2.39) will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face Round Rock left-hander Philip Barzilla (3-1, 5.96). Nashville Partial Box Score: Seven ground ball outs and five K's for Tim Dillard in five strong innings... www.nashvillesounds.com/s...a_nasaaa_1

Final: Lexington (Astros) 3, West Virginia 2 West Virginia Site Game Summary: LEGENDS EDGE POWER On the one year anniversary of their record setting offensive onslaught where the Power set a league record by hitting seven home runs, the Power bats were silenced by Lexington lefty Dave Qualben as the Legends took game one of the series 3-2. The Power scored early in the contest on Chuckie Caufield?s two out RBI single to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Lexington tied the game in the third inning when Greg Buchanan crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Koby Clemens gave Lexington the lead in the fourth inning on a solo home run, his first of the year. Cesar Quintero scored Lexington?s final run on a solo home run in the fifth. West Virginia scored one final time on Brent Brewer?s first home run of the season, a solo home run in the sixth inning. The game ended for West Virginia with the tying run on third base when Lexington?s closer Santo Luis struck out Steve Chapman. The Power were held to just four hits, a season low. Dave Qualben (4-1) allowed just two runs on four hits over six innings to get the win. Santo Luis (7) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save and Brae Wright (1-2) was tagged with the loss. West Virginia used Patrick Ryan and E.J. Shanks out of the bullpen and they combined to toss four scoreless innings of relief. Darren Ford recorded two of West Virginia?s four hits and stole two bases to give him 17 on the year. The Power fell to 19-6 with the loss and the Legends improved to 13-15 with the win. The Power will continue the four game series with the Lexington Legends at Appalachian Power Park on Saturday night. The Power will start right hander J.T. King (3-0, 0.00) and the Legends will counter with left hander Doug Arguello (1-2, 5.40). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: J.T. King will be the 8th Power pitcher to start a game when he throws Saturday night; Darren Ford on base three times; over 4,400 in Charleston... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Missed opportunity in the 3rd, with a man on third base and only one out... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Final: Brevard County 6, Palm Beach (Cardinals) 2 Brevard County Box Score: Reminder -- Will Inman won't be 21 until February... web.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503 Brevard County Game Log: web.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

Inman is just amazing when he puts himself in the slightest bit of trouble. What a joy to follow this kid... Palm Beach Top 3rd - Nathan Southard hits a ground-rule double (9) on a fly ball to center field. - Casey Rowlett grounds out, first baseman Chris Errecart to pitcher William Inman. Nathan Southard to 3rd. - Jose Contreras called out on strikes. - Shane Robinson grounds out, third baseman Mat Gamel to first baseman Chris Errecart. Palm Beach Top 5th - Mark Hamilton doubles (4) on a fly ball to right fielder Freddy Parejo. - Dan Nelson lines out to center fielder Lorenzo Cain. - Nathan Southard grounds out, second baseman Michael Bell to first baseman Chris Errecart. Mark Hamilton to 3rd. - Casey Rowlett called out on strikes. Palm Beach Top 6th - Jose Contreras strikes out swinging. - Shane Robinson singles on a ground ball to shortstop Alcides Escobar. - With A. J. Van Slyke batting, Shane Robinson steals (9) 2nd base. - A. J. Van Slyke strikes out swinging. - Allen Craig lines out to right fielder Freddy Parejo.

Jacob Messer of the Daily Mail does an awesome job for us, producing stories even when the Power's on extended road trips. Here's the latest: Link while active, text follows -- www.dailymail.com/story/S...er+hitter/ 'Tee-Ball' stance turns around Power hitter Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail Sportswriter With advice and encouragement from his West Virginia Power hitting coach, Stephen Chapman knew what he needed to do to end an early-season slump. It's called getting back to the basics. Chapman hit .091 (2-for-22) with one run and one RBI in his first seven games. He also had 11 strikeouts compared to one walk during that stretch. Chapman has hit .387 (19-for-49) with 16 runs and 18 RBI in his last 13 games. He also decreased the frequency of his strikeouts (12) and increased the frequency of his walks (seven) in that span. The difference? Let Chapman tell that story. "When I first got to Charleston, I was trying to do too much," Chapman said in a pre-game telephone interview Thursday, before going 2-for-3 with two walks and two RBI in the Power's 10-5 road win over the Hagerstown (Md.) Suns. "I was feeling good at the plate, but I was swinging too hard. I was seeing the ball fine. I was just missing it. I would miss fastballs right down the plate. I was baffled." He also was discouraged. "When you aren't even hitting your own weight, it's pretty frustrating," Chapman said. "But when you hit rock bottom, there's only one way to go and that's up." Enter Corey Hart, the Power's first-year hitting coach. Chapman explained, "Corey came up to me in the locker room and said, ?I was sitting on the couch thinking about you the other day.' Then, he told me, ?I want you to get in your Tee-Ball stance. Just put the bat on your shoulder and as the pitcher starts his windup, take your load back, then take a nice, short and easy swing to the ball.' "It worked. I have been hitting the ball well ever since." Winners of 17 of their last 19 games, Chapman and his teammates return to Charleston today to start a four-game South Atlantic League series against the Lexington (Ky.) Legends at Appalachian Power Park. The Northern Division-leading Power (19-5) will start left-hander Brae Wright (1-1, 5.84) in the series opener at 7:05 tonight (6:05 Central). The Legends (12-15) will throw left-hander Dave Qualben (3-1, 1.90). Chapman enters the homestand hitting .296 (21-for-71) with two triples, three homers, four doubles, 17 runs and 19 RBI. Chapman's playing time increased significantly thanks to a hip flexor injury to fellow outfielder Michael Brantley, whom Power Manager Mike Guerrero has used as a first baseman and designated hitter as he plays through the pain. "I don't wish for anyone to go on the disabled list, but it gives me an opportunity to show (Guerrero) I can hit the ball," Chapman said. "It's very hard to get into a rhythm at the plate when you're not playing. Even if you're playing every other day, you still can't carry it over from day to day." Hart is pleased with Chapman's turnaround. "He's getting in a better position and giving himself a better chance to hit now," Hart said of Chapman, a 6-foot, 185-pound outfielder who bats and throws left-handed. "He's starting (his swing) on time now. He was starting a little late before. You have less than a second to figure out what pitch is coming and put good wood on it. "Timing is the key." The same can be said about Chapman's career, which began in 2004 after the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball Draft with the 166th overall pick. Baseball America ranks Chapman as the No. 28 overall prospect in the Brewers' minor-league system. The publication describes him as "a well-rounded player with solid tools across the board," one who "remains a work in progress and could be another in a series of late bloomers in their system." Chapman, 21, spent his second consecutive season at Helena (Mont.) last year playing with the Brewers' short-season, high-level rookie club. He was briefly promoted to West Virginia last year but played in only six games. Rather than waste his talent on the bench in Charleston, the Brewers decided to use it in Helena. As expected, the demotion initially angered and annoyed Chapman, but he admits that it ultimately helped him. "I wasn't getting any playing time or at-bats here," said Chapman, an Auburn University recruit who bypassed college for a $159,000 signing bonus. "You can't get better that way." Returning to Helena "helped me find my swing and get my confidence back," said Chapman, who hit .308 with 40 RBI and 50 runs in 70 games there last season. "I played pretty much every single day and I learned a lot about the game." Contact sportswriter Jacob Messer at jacobmesser@dailymail.com

Standings through Friday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 15 12 .556 - 7-4 8-8 W1 Memphis 15 13 .536 0.5 12-4 3-9 L2 Omaha 13 15 .464 2.5 11-5 2-10 W2 Iowa 12 15 .444 3.0 8-4 4-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 13 12 .520 - 6-6 7-6 W4 Tennessee 12 13 .480 1.0 5-8 7-5 L1 Carolina 12 15 .444 2.0 7-5 5-10 W3 West Tenn 12 15 .444 2.0 6-6 6-9 W3 Chattanooga 11 16 .407 3.0 7-8 4-8 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 16 10 .615 - 7-6 9-4 W3 Brevard County 15 12 .556 1.5 7-6 8-6 L3 Daytona 14 13 .519 2.5 8-5 6-8 W1 St. Lucie 12 15 .444 4.5 5-9 7-6 L1 Vero Beach 11 14 .440 4.5 8-6 3-8 W2 Jupiter 11 15 .423 5.0 4-8 7-7 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - SAL Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Virginia 19 5 .792 - 11-3 8-2 W1 Greensboro 16 11 .593 4.5 11-4 5-7 W1 Lake County 14 12 .538 6.0 9-4 5-8 L1 Lakewood 12 12 .500 7.0 6-7 6-5 W1 Lexington 12 15 .444 8.5 7-8 5-7 L1 Hickory 11 14 .440 8.5 4-3 7-11 W1 Hagerstown 10 17 .370 10.5 6-8 4-9 L1 Delmarva 9 17 .346 11.0 4-8 5-9 L1

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