Jim Goulart

We learn more from Huntsville's site: Veteran Arm Added to Stars' Staff The Milwaukee Brewers have signed veteran right-hand pitcher Luther Hackman and assigned him to the Huntsville Stars. He is expected to be in uniform when the Stars and Mississippi Braves play the third game of their five-game set on Friday night at Trustmark Park. Hackman had been pitching for the Bridgeport Bluefish in the independent Atlantic Leauge, where he was 8-0 with eight saves and a 2.81 earned run average over 73.2 innings of work. He started the season in the bullpen and was moved into the rotation, lasting at least five innings in each of his nine starts. The 31-year-old was selected by Colorado in the sixth round of the draft in 1994 and he made his major league debut with the Rockies in 1999, making three starts and appearing twice in relief. Hackman made 10 starts and one outing in relief for the Carolina Mudcats in the Southern League earlier that season, going 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA. He pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and for the San Diego Padres during the 2003 season. Hackman owns a career big league mark of 9-10 with one save and a 5.09 ERA in 149 outings, including nine starts.

Huntsville Site Note: The Mississippi Braves announced Tuesday that Atlanta Braves? third baseman Chipper Jones is scheduled to make a rehab appearance with the M-Braves on Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12 against the Huntsville Stars. Jones was placed on the 15-day disabled list by Atlanta on July 30 with a strained left oblique. Before his injury, Jones was the hottest man in the Braves? lineup in July. He had a batting average of .500 with seven doubles, one triple, seven homers, 20 RBI, and 19 runs scored through only 16 games in July. The Stars are in Pearl, Mississippi for five games August 9-13 then have an off day on Monday, August 14 before beginning a 5-game series at Joe Davis Stadium on Tuesday, August 15 against the Carolina Mudcats.

the text of that article appears in yesterday's link report Actually, it's in the "Your 2006 West Virginia Power" thread. All the feature stories that are written are placed in one of the affiliate threads. That way, all the features are grouped together for a nice season-long collection that can then be archived as well. And yes, the vast majority of these feature stories are linked on a player's Brewerfan Player Index Page, and as long as the links remain active, provide a nice way to learn more about a player or look back on older articles.

Standings through Thursday's action: Huntsville only needs to leap-frog Tennessee -- Chattanooga's already in the post-season (first-half victors)... Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 63 56 .529 - 35-25 28-31 L3[/b] Iowa 61 57 .517 1.5 35-27 26-30 W1 Memphis 46 72 .390 16.5 26-33 20-39 L1 Omaha 45 74 .378 18.0 27-33 18-41 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 28 19 .596 - 16-9 12-10 W3 Chattanooga 25 22 .532 3.0 16-11 9-11 L2 [b]Huntsville 24 22 .522 3.5 12-12 12-10 W4[/b] West Tenn 22 25 .468 6.0 14-6 8-19 L1 Carolina 20 27 .426 8.0 14-8 6-19 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 27 19 .587 - 18-10 9-9 W1 St. Lucie 26 20 .565 1.0 13-9 13-11 W1 Palm Beach 25 23 .521 3.0 14-9 11-14 L1 [b]Brevard County 19 27 .413 8.0 9-9 10-18 L2[/b] Jupiter 19 27 .413 8.0 11-13 8-14 L1 Vero Beach 19 28 .404 8.5 11-14 8-14 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 30 16 .652 - 14-5 16-11 W1 Lake County 25 19 .568 4.0 12-9 13-10 L1 Hickory 25 21 .543 5.0 13-15 12-6 W4 Greensboro 23 22 .511 6.5 13-12 10-10 W1 [b]West Virginia 23 23 .500 7.0 12-9 11-14 W1[/b] Hagerstown 19 27 .413 11.0 10-16 9-11 L4 Lexington 19 27 .413 11.0 13-11 6-16 W5 Delmarva 15 30 .333 14.5 8-13 7-17 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 7 5 .583 - 4-2 3-3 W2 Missoula 7 5 .583 - 5-1 2-4 L1 [b]Helena 6 6 .500 1.0 5-2 1-4 W1[/b] Great Falls 4 8 .333 3.0 3-2 1-6 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Giants 9 3 .750 - 4-2 5-1 W4 AZL Royals 9 3 .750 - 5-2 4-1 W3 AZL Angels 8 4 .667 1.0 2-0 6-4 L2 AZL Padres 7 4 .636 1.5 4-2 3-2 L3 AZL Athletics 6 6 .500 3.0 5-2 1-4 W2 AZL Mariners 5 7 .417 4.0 5-2 0-5 W1 AZL Cubs 4 8 .333 5.0 1-5 3-3 W1 AZL Rangers 3 8 .273 5.5 3-3 0-5 L1 [b]AZL Brewers 2 10 .167 7.0 2-4 0-6 W1[/b]

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds and/or Huntsville Stars are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated an hour or two prior to gametime: Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Following Nashville's lead, Huntsville now makes its media notes available as well, nice: www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

Follow Friday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_msbaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_dbcafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_delafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Zach Jackson at Albuquerque (Marlins), 7:45 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP Yo Gallardo at Mississippi (Braves), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450radio.com/ Brevard County: LHP Derek Miller at Daytona (Cubs), 6:05 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.daytonacubs.com/ West Virginia: LHP Steve Garrison at Delmarva (Orioles), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: RHP Jose Beltre at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Audio (click on "Listen Live"): www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php Arizona: Idle

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Perhaps the 11th pitcher contending Huntsville needs -- MiLB.com now lists 31-year-old veteran RHP Luther Hackman (149 big league appearances) on the Huntsville roster. Perhaps Hackman was pitching in independent ball earlier this season, but he hasn't been active in affiliated pro ball since 2004, a season during which he pitched with Nashville (Pirates organization). RHP Luther Hackman Career Statistics: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...kman.shtml

Perhaps the 11th pitcher contending Huntsville needs -- MiLB.com now lists 31-year-old veteran RHP Luther Hackman (149 big league appearances) on the Huntsville roster. Perhaps Hackman was pitching in independent ball earlier this season, but he hasn't been active in affiliated pro ball since 2004, a season during which he pitched with Nashville (Pirates organization). RHP Luther Hackman Career Statistics: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...kman.shtml

Link, text follows: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp Faces on the Field: Lorenzo Cain By Lisa Winston / MLB.com West Virginia Power outfielder Lorenzo Cain represents the epitome of making up for lost time. The sheer natural athletic ability of the 6-foot-2, 165-pounder would seem to have made him a natural to be a three-sport star growing up, like so many professional athletes. But, in fact, growing up in northwest Florida, Cain had little opportunity to play sports. "My mom was working two jobs when I was growing up and there was just never a point where I could play, because I needed to help around the house," said Cain, who just turned 20 this past spring. When he began high school, Cain finally went out for the basketball team but didn't make it. The next year, as a sophomore, he decided to give baseball a try, and a Milwaukee Brewers top prospect was born. Cain, who did not step onto a baseball field until a few years ago, is steadily rising among the ranks of the most highly regarded Brewers farmhands. And, in just his first full pro season, he's also been one of the most consistent, standout players in the 16-team, prospect-laden South Atlantic League. Cain was among the league leaders with a .304 batting average and 30 steals, to go with five home runs, 49 RBIs and 28 doubles. His 134 hits with three weeks remaining in the season had him in a good position to break the Class A franchise record for hits of 150, set in 1992 by Bobby Perna of Charleston, when the team was a Cincinnati farm club. He was off to a hot start in Aug., hitting .353 after batting .312 in July. Cain ranked third among South Atlantic League hitters in batting, just six points off the lead, and led the league in hits. Credit can be distributed to a lot of folks in putting Cain firmly on the prospect map. A strong family support system that includes his mom, his older brother and his grandparents has been crucial in keeping him level-headed, humble and grounded while his star takes off. And speaking of stars, Milwaukee's Florida scout Doug Reynolds gets a four-star play in the scouting scorebook for finding Cain early and sticking with his raw but gifted discovery, to the point of going with him to the gym during the offseason to work out with him and further develop his still-slender build. Reynolds convinced the Brewers to take Cain as a draft-and-follow pick out of Madison County High School in the 17th round in 2003. He played that year at Tallahassee Community College, and his progress was astounding as he hit .344 with a team-leading 19 steals. "This was as good a draft-and-follow as you can have, and the type of guy you love to have this happen to," said Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik. "He's a good athlete, a great kid with terrific work habits, but he was an unrefined player. Doug recognized his abilities early, and by going to a good program like Tallahassee he just continued to get better and better, with the chance to play every day." Cain signed with the Brewers just before the 2004 draft, and the club sent him to the Arizona Rookie League. It was his first time away from home, but he didn't let the homesickness get to him on the field, earning league MVP honors as he hit .356 with five homers, 37 RBIs, 45 runs scored and a league-best 73 hits. "We knew he was a nice player with athletic ability, a nice swing and a loose body, but for him to go out and do what he did last summer? No way anyone could have predicted that," marveled Zduriencik. "But it's a tribute to him, how he approached things and his work habits." As one of the Robin Yount Award winners for the Brewers' Organizational Players of the Year, Cain was among a handful of prospects who were flown to Milwaukee for a luncheon in their honor and their first visit to Miller Park. "That was exciting, amazing," Cain recalled. "The stadium was beautiful and just to be there in front of all those people ... I really enjoyed myself." One thing that has really impressed the Brewers staff has been Cain's quick learning curve. "Last year he put up the good numbers in Arizona largely on the basis of his physical ability, because I don't think he had a good grasp of the game, in general, yet," said Jim Skaalen, Milwaukee's Minor League hitting coordinator. "But he's worked so hard that now he pretty much thoroughly understands what he's trying to do offensively. If he takes a bad swing he knows what he's done wrong and what he needs to correct. He's come so far, so quickly." With a body that projects to fill out as he matures (right now, his uniform No. 11 appears fitting as it looks like any wider number wouldn't fit on his back), Cain possesses all of the "five tools" to one degree or another. He already hits for average with good speed. His power should come with time. He has a strong arm and is learning the nuances of outfield defense. And that sixth tool, the all-important intangible: makeup? Off the charts. "I love his attitude," Skaalen said. "He gets down on himself, but not to the point where it tears him up but rather to the point where it pushes him to want to be better the next day." Zduriencik has been delighted, most of all, by Cain's consistency over the grind of his first full season. "He's been so consistent, with his average in the same range all year, and he'll just keep getting better," he said. "He already does things well, and the power will come with time. He just needs the continued fine tuning of playing the game on a daily basis." Cain has already discovered the difference between Arizona League pitching (almost all fastballs) and the slightly more advanced level of off-speed stuff he's seeing in the SAL. Batting behind speedy leadoff hitter Darren Ford (55 stolen bases), he knows that if Ford is on base he'll see more fastballs, but he's also working on learning to hit the off-speed offerings. And if his numbers are any indication, he's succeeding. "I'm just trying to improve my hitting and my defense, my whole overall game, trying to get better at all of it," he said. He knows that part of that improvement package will entail playing in fall ball or instructional league in Arizona, further lengthening his first full season. And he's ready for it, though with slightly personal mixed emotions. "With fall ball and winter ball coming up, I'll probably be in Arizona all year, and that will be the first time I've been away from home for that long. It will be difficult, but I'll get through it." Lorenzo Cain has been one of the most consistent players in the prospect-laden SAL. (Tony Farlow/MLB.com) http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2006/08/10/Xw5fm4yI.jpg

Lots of road games for the affiliates last night, so newspaper game reports with meaningful Brewer-related news will be limited -- if we find something at mid-day, we'll update you then.

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with First Baseman Graham Koonce: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-10.mp3 Final: Sacramento (A's) 11, Nashville 1 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Zach Sorensen photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2102 Sounds Held To One Hit In 11-1 Loss WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? The Nashville Sounds were held to a season-low one hit by a trio of Sacramento pitchers in an 11-1 thumping at the hands of the River Cats on Thursday evening at Raley Field in the finale of a four-game series. With the loss, Nashville (63-56) suffered its third consecutive defeat and had its lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division reduced to 1 ½ games over Iowa. The Sounds, who lost the series by a 3-1 margin, have never recorded more than one win in any of their five visits to Sacramento in franchise history. The one hit was the fewest posted by a Nashville squad since the club was no-hit by Colorado Springs on August 2, 2003 at Greer Stadium. The 10-run loss margin matched the largest suffered by Nashville this season; they previously lost by ten in a 15-5 defeat on May 14 at Las Vegas. The 11 runs were the most surrendered by the Sounds since June 28 in an 11-4 loss to Memphis. The Sounds did not record their lone hit until the eighth inning when Zach Sorensen singled off rehabbing Sacramento reliever Joe Kennedy. The infielder was promptly erased on a double-play grounder, however. Chris Barnwell and Vinny Rottino each had their seven-game hitting streaks snapped in the losing effort. Sacramento jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson on Hiram Bocachica?s first-inning sacrifice fly and Charles Thomas? two-out RBI single in the second. The Sounds got on the board without the benefit of a hit in the top of the third when Jermaine Clark plated Dave Krynzel, who had walked to open the inning, with a sacrifice fly to left off River Cats starter Ben Fritz. Krynzel had stolen second and was sacrificed to third prior to Clark's fly ball. The River Cats increased their advantage to 5-1 in the bottom of the frame on Scott McClain?s two-out, three-run homer off Hendrickson, the infielder?s team-leading 25th longball of the season. Hendrickson (9-6) took the loss after working his shortest outing of the season. He allowed five runs on five hits over only three innings. The right-hander has suffered four defeats in his last six trips to the hill. Reliever Jared Fernandez, who replaced Hendrickson on the hill, didn?t fare much better against the Sacramento offense. The knuckleballer surrendered six runs over the next three innings as the host River Cats padded their lead to an 11-1 margin, including a five-run sixth. A Thomas solo homer and a Dan Johnson bases-loaded, three-run triple highlighted the River Cats? sixth-inning flurry. Fritz (5-4) turned in a solid start to pick up the victory for Sacramento. He held the Sounds to one run and did not surrender a hit over his seven innings of work, walking four batters and striking out six. One bright spot for Nashville was reliever Steve Bray, who continued to post solid numbers at the Triple-A level. He retired all six batters he faced during two scoreless frames for the Sounds to finish off the contest. The right-hander has allowed a run in only one of his 12 Nashville outings this season. The Sounds continue their longest road trip of the season on Friday in Albuquerque when they open a four-game series against the Isotopes (AAA-Marlins). Left-hander Zach Jackson (2-4, 4.34) will start the 8:05 p.m. CT series opener for Nashville and face Albuquerque right-hander Yusmeiro Petit (3-4, 4.19). Nashville Box Score and Game Log Link: Steve Bray could be a guy the Brewers lose via Rule 5 this fall if not on the 40-man... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_srcaaa_1

Final: Arizona Brewers 8, Arizona Rangers 3 Arizona Brewer Box Score and Game Log Link: Best game in weeks for the A-Crew, as each starter reached base at least once, with seven players reaching at least twice; pitching and fielding solid, a box score to enjoy for a change from Maryvale... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

The same link in the prior post contains Steve Wendt's archived audio call of the big 9th inning rally, including Cole Gillespie's pinch-hit base hit and Stephen Chapman's game-winner, beginning at the 2:44:00 mark, just after a Missoula pitching change. Catcher Jordan Swaydan is on first base after a leadoff single. The rally was almost squashed by a bad baserunning gaffe by Swaydan later in the inning. Good drama, nice call, check it out!

Thursday's Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Chat with outfielder Chuckie Caufield (Select date for August 10th, skip to the 13:00 minute mark) -- www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...106_02.txt Brewers beat Osprey By JEFF WINDMUELLER - Independent Record Sports Writer With lightning riddling the air around Mt. Helena, it looked like the Helena Brewers might lose another close one to the Missoula Osprey at Kindrick Legion Field, Thursday night. As the Brewers trailed 2-1 with two outs and runners in scoring position, Stephen Chapman came to the plate as the last hope for the Brewers. Then, lightning struck one more time. Chapman cracked a single to right field that bounced out of the glove of a sliding Sean Smith, the Osprey?s second baseman, and sent thunderous cheers through the crowd. Cole Gillespie and Chuckie Caufield scored and the Brewers won 3-2, advancing to 2-1 in a four-game home series with Missoula. Chapman, who missed Wednesday?s game due to illness, had struck out three times and was 0-4 before stepping to the plate, but Brewers manager Ed Sedar didn?t lack confidence in the center fielder who is third on the team for batting average (.320) and second in home runs (5). ?He was hitting,? Sedar said. ?What, am I going to pinch-hit Chapman? You?d better get a new job if you think I?m going to pinch-hit my No. 3 hitter.? There was no doubt that both teams had to fight for hits throughout the game. Osprey starter Osbek Castillo repeatedly taunted the Brewers batters, pitching around them for eight strike outs in five innings while walking two. Brewer?s starter, Chris Jean, had three strikeouts ? getting errorless support from his teammates ? while walking two in six innings. ?You?ve got to tip your hat to the pitchers, both pitching staffs,? Sedar said. ?They had a plan, and they went out and did it.? Chris Toneguzzi was awarded the win after pitching the final inning and getting one strike out. Clay Zavada pitched the loss, giving up three hits and two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Missoula started their way to the early lead on a close call that prompted Sedar to step on the field from the dugout. With Gerardo Parra on third, Osprey?s Andrew Fie hit a ball that bounced off the dirt around the plate. Jean ran in to field it and flipped the ball to catcher Jordan Swaydan who stood just in front of the plate. Parra slid in, taking out Swaydan?s left leg as the catcher went for the tag, but home plate umpire Joel Hospodka called the runner safe. Sedar argued the call just long enough to throw off Fie, who was quickly picked off at first. Daniel Perales struck out to end the inning, and while Sedar?s argument might not have changed the call, it seemed to pump up the Brewers players. In the bottom of the inning, Andy Bouchie doubled to right-center field and ended up coming home on a grounder to center by Fredy De La Cruz. The Osprey scored once more in the sixth when Matt Oxendine came home on a double by Daniel Perales to make the 2-1 lead that they would hold until the ninth. ?That was an awesome game to watch. Probably nicer to watch than to have to try to manage it,? Sedar said. ?Both teams are playing well. Pitching well and playing well.? The Brewers are tied back up 6-6 in the second half of the Pioneer League?s season. They are currently third in the North Division while Missoula (7-5) now shares the top spot with Billings. Helena and Missoula will meet at Kindrick Legion again today at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). Jon Ebelt Independent Record Staff Photographer - Helena?s Chuckie Caufield, right, makes it back to first base with plenty of time to spare as Missoula?s Jose Dijol scoops up the pick off throw Thursday at Kindrick Legion Field. The Brewers were able to pull out the game in dramatic fashion with a ninth inning rally. http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2006/08/11/sports_top/b01081106_02.jpg

Is Brad Nelson a free agent at the end of the year? He was drafted in 2000, so this will be his sixth full year in the minors. Does injury/DL time effect the six year status? He certianly won't be protected if he isn't a free agent. Remember, the term six-year minor league free agent is somewhat of a mis-nomer. When a player signs his first affiliated pro contract, the organization owns the player for seven years, or six renewable seasons. Brad will be eligible to move on after his 2007 season. In late August, Toby and I will provide complete rundown lists on who will be eligible to walk out of the organization at season's end.

LHP David Welch, not Steve Garrison, your Power starter tonight. Welch solid as usual, West Virginia up 4-1 after five innings.

Cole Gillespie again absent from the Helena lineup, although Carlos de la Cruz returns. Each was hit hard by a viral infection that has been running through the H-Crew clubhouse and had missed the past three games. So, set your theories aside, it's illness that has waylaid the 3rd round outfielder.

Final, Game One: Huntsville 3, Mississippi (Braves) 1 Nice win, Stars above .500 for the first time in over three months -- that's in half-season record, overall, the Stars are still well below, but hey, we're predicting the most unlikely Southern League championship ever; Corey Thurman with a sweet six innings, Travis Phelps finishes up for the save in the seven-inning affair; amazing this is only Thurman's 4th win, despite all his fine efforts; nine hits for the Stars, including Steve Moss' solo home run; on to Game Two! Huntsville Game One Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_msbaax_1 Final, Game Two: Huntsville 8, Mississippi (Braves) 2 Huntsville Doubleheader Review: link, then text: www.huntsvillestars.com/news/news.asp?newsId=962 Crabbe Carries Stars to Twin Bill Sweep Callix Crabbe collected three hits and drove in three runs and Steve Hammond worked six solid innings to lead Huntsville to an 8-2 win in the second game and a doubleheader sweep over Mississippi Thursday night at Trustmark Park. The Stars have won five of seven on the current road trip to improve to 24-22 in the second half and pulled to within three and a half games of front-running Tennessee in the North Division, while the Braves fell to 20-27 in the second half and were swept in a twin bill for the first time in the five that they have played. Huntsville swept a doubleheader for a second time in four tries and has now won the first two games in each of its three series against Mississippi. Crabbe singled with one out in the first inning, the fourth straight game in which he has collected a hit in that situation, moved to third base on a Ryan Braun base hit and scored when Ron Acuna launched his first home run of the season off of Braves? starter Chris Waters, making his third start against the Stars. Jeff Eure led off the third inning with his 12th long ball of the season and the 22nd allowed by Waters, the most of any pitcher in the league. The Stars loaded the bases later in the inning and Crabbe cleared them with a double to left-center field to push the visitors lead to 7-0. The Huntsville second sacker injured his right hamstring and was taken out of the game after picking up six hits, knocking in four runs, scoring twice and stealing a base in seven at-bats. Waters suffered his league-high 11th loss after allowing seven runs on nine hits and four walks in four frames. Hammond retired the first 11 batters he faced before a Brandon Jones single produced the home team?s first base runner. The southpaw blanked the Braves on two hits through five frames before they strung together three singles to score in the sixth. Hammond earned his fourth win after six innings of work and allowed a run on five hits, walking one and fanning five. He has held the Braves to one run on seven hits over 15 innings in two turns. Crabbe singled with one out in the first inning of the opener and scored when Braun followed with a double against Braves starter Francisely Bueno, who was knocked around for nine runs, seven earned, on 10 hits over five frames in his first start against the Stars on July 12 in Huntsville. Steve Moss belted a leadoff home run in the third, his sixth of the season, to push the visitors lead to 2-0. Onil Joseph led off the home third with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Mike Rozema to trim the Huntsville lead to 2-1. Rozema led off the home sixth with a single, moved to second base on a Luis Hernandez sacrifice bunt, to third on a ground ball out by Brandon Jones and was left stranded when Jarrod Saltalamacchia flied out to right field. Moss bounced into a fielder?s choice and reached second base with two outs on a throwing error by Yunel Escobar and came into score on a base hit by Crabbe, who collected three hits in a game for a fifth time this season. Stars? starter Corey Thurman was taken out after six innings, during which he allowed a run on three hits and two walks, and was replaced by Travis Phelps. The veteran right-hander retired all three hitters he faced to earn his second save on the road trip. The Stars will send right-hander Yovani Gallardo to the mound in the middle game of the series on Friday, while the Braves will counter with right-hander Kyle Davies, who is on a major league rehab assignment and will be followed by right-hander Anthony Lerew. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on ESPN Radio 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Game Two Box Score and Game Log Link: Hope someone got to watch these games...sadly, I did not. www.minorleaguebaseball.c..._msbaax_2

Link while active, text follows: www.timesrecord.com/websi...endocument Rogers' rehab goes 'really well' Former Mt. Ararat standout and Brewers' prospect pitches an inning after a month off due to shoulder soreness Marc_Meyers@TimesRecord.Com (Maine) For the first time in more than a month, Milwaukee Brewers' pitching prospect Mark Rogers of Orr's Island faced batters in a rehab stint with the Rookie League's Arizona Brewers on Tuesday. According to the former Mt. Ararat High School standout, things went "really well." "I'm excited to get back out there," said the 20-year-old right-hander. "I'll throw in the bullpen again. As long as that goes well, I see myself getting out of here some time next week." After spending the season with the Florida State League's Brevard County (Fla.) Manatees, Rogers went on the disabled list shortly after the All-Star Break (early July) for soreness in his shoulder. Milwaukee Brewers' director of scouting Jack Zduriencik said Rogers had some tendinitis in his shoulder. The decision to send the Brewers' top pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft to Arizona was "for precautionary reasons." "Mark is very close to being back," said Zduriencik. "He's on our throwing program and should be ready some time next week." Although Rogers was frustrated by the time off, he said he's been working with a "great" physical therapist in Arizona. "We just wanted to treat it conservatively," he said. "There was some inflammation. We're taking care of it." The recovery came to a height on Tuesday when he took the mound for an inning against the Arizona Rangers. After opening with a walk, Rogers set down the next three batters ? two by strikeout. The lone batter to put the ball in play was Randall Simon, a seven-year Major Leaguer who recently signed with the Texas Rangers and was doing a rehab start. Simon popped out. As long as Rogers doesn't experience any soreness during a bullpen session, he should be headed back to Brevard County to finish out the season. Florida State League play ends on Sept. 3. "Hopefully, I'll get back and make two or three more starts," he said. Entering this season, Rogers was still working on adjusting his mechanics to take stress off the shoulder. "They're pretty much ironed out," he said. "There's been a lot of changes over the last couple of years to my arm and I'm sure a lot of it had to do with that." Rogers is 1-2 with the Manatees with a 5.07 earned-run average, 96 strikeouts and 53 walks through 16 starts and 71 innings pitched. Prior to the sore shoulder, Rogers went on a stretch of three starts in June with 20.2 innings pitched, five hits allowed, eight walks and 29 strikeouts. "I went on a real good run," he said. Rogers' progress is pleasing to Zduriencik. "He's had some excellent games this summer and continues to make progress with his command and control, still throwing with excellent velocity and breaking stuff," said Zduriencik. "Great kid, great worker ... looking for big things from Mark as we always have been."

Who will be able to tune in? Pogokat? Satellite users? Enjoy if you do, and report to us...

Huntsville Press Release: www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=960 Stars-Braves DH Live On CSS CSS will televise both games of tonight's doubleheader between the Huntsville Stars and Mississippi Braves for week eight of its 10-week, 2006 Minor League Game of the Week broadcast schedule. Both games will be televised live on CSS (Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast), tonight beginning at 6:00 pm (CST). In Huntsville, CSS can be found on Comcast ch. 67. CSS is a regional sports channel that reaches 4.5 million cable subscribers in 11 states across the southeast. The Stars are the Class AA, Southern League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Huntsville is 46-67 overall, 22-22 in the second half of the SL season, 3.5 games behind first-place Tennessee in the SL North heading into Wednesday night's game at Mississippi. Huntsville boasts nine players rated in Baseball America?s Top-30 of the Brewers organization: 3) 3B Ryan Braun (the fifth overall pick in the 2005 draft out of the University of Miami), 4) RHP Yovani Gallardo, 13) LHP Manny Parra, 14) 1B Brad Nelson, 16) RHP Tim Dillard, 18) LHP Steve Hammond, 20) C Lou Palmisano (2003 3rd round draft pick out of Broward (FL) CC) 25) OF Steve Moss, and 30) OF Drew Anderson. The Mississippi Braves are the Class AA, Southern League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Mississippi is 51-63 overall, 20-25 in the second half, 6 games behind first-place Jacksonville in the SL South. Mississippi sports eight players rated in Baseball America?s Top-30 of the Braves organization: 1) C Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2003 1st round draft pick out of Royal Palm Beach HS in West Palm Beach, FL), 3) SS Yunel Escobar, 4) LHP Anthony Lerew, 7) OF Brandon Jones (2003 24th round draft pick out of Tallahassee CC), 10) LHP Matt Harrison, 19) OF Josh Burrus (2001 1st round draft pick out of Wheeler HS in Marietta, GA), 21) RHP Jose Ascanio and 22) SS Luis Hernandez. The Mississippi club is managed by former Braves all-star shortstop Jeff Blauser and also has former Atlanta catcher Eddie Perez on the roster. For a third consecutive season, CSS Sports Anchor Matt Stewart is calling the play-by-play for the network?s minor league baseball coverage. He is joined this season by former minor league manager Nick Belmonte, who has worked with CSS for a number of years on its college baseball coverage. To find a complete schedule of the CSS Minor League Game of the Week, log-on to www.css-sports.com.

Standings through Wednesday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 63 55 .534 - 35-25 28-30 L2[/b] Iowa 61 57 .517 2.0 35-27 26-30 W1 Memphis 46 71 .393 16.5 26-33 20-38 W1 Omaha 45 74 .378 18.5 27-33 18-41 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 27 19 .587 - 16-9 11-10 W2 Chattanooga 25 21 .543 2.0 16-10 9-11 L1 [b]Huntsville 22 22 .500 4.0 12-12 10-10 W2[/b] West Tenn 22 24 .478 5.0 14-6 8-18 W1 Carolina 20 26 .435 7.0 14-7 6-19 W7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 26 19 .578 - 18-10 8-9 L1 St. Lucie 25 20 .556 1.0 13-9 12-11 L1 Palm Beach 25 22 .532 2.0 14-8 11-14 W6 [b]Brevard County 19 26 .422 7.0 9-9 10-17 L1[/b] Jupiter 19 26 .422 7.0 11-13 8-13 W1 Vero Beach 19 27 .413 7.5 11-14 8-13 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 30 16 .652 - 14-5 16-11 W1 Lake County 25 19 .568 4.0 12-9 13-10 L1 Hickory 25 21 .543 5.0 13-15 12-6 W4 Greensboro 22 22 .500 7.0 13-12 9-10 L1 [b]West Virginia 22 23 .489 7.5 12-9 10-14 L1[/b] Hagerstown 19 26 .422 10.5 10-15 9-11 L3 Lexington 19 27 .413 11.0 13-11 6-16 W5 Delmarva 15 29 .341 14.0 8-12 7-17 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Missoula 7 4 .636 - 5-1 2-3 W1 Billings 6 5 .545 1.0 3-2 3-3 W1 [b]Helena 5 6 .455 2.0 4-2 1-4 L1[/b] Great Falls 4 7 .364 3.0 3-2 1-5 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Giants 9 3 .750 - 4-2 5-1 W4 AZL Royals 9 3 .750 - 5-2 4-1 W3 AZL Angels 8 3 .727 0.5 2-0 6-3 L1 AZL Padres 7 3 .700 1.0 4-1 3-2 L2 AZL Mariners 5 6 .455 3.5 5-2 0-4 W1 AZL Athletics 4 6 .400 4.0 3-2 1-4 L4 AZL Rangers 3 7 .300 5.0 3-3 0-4 W1 AZL Cubs 3 8 .273 5.5 1-5 2-3 L3 [b]AZL Brewers 1 10 .091 7.5 1-4 0-6 L2[/b]