Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006080910/ Power coach still recovering year later Michael Dailey Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter With over 20 years experience as a professional baseball player and coach, West Virginia Power pitching coach John Curtis has developed many memories of the game he loves. Some of Curtis' memories are good and some are bad, but none rival the memory of suddenly finding himself sprawled out on the outfield grass last Aug. 6, in Greensboro, N.C. During Power batting practice on that Saturday afternoon at First Horizon Park, Curtis was struck in the back of the head by a liner off the bat of Milwaukee Brewers' shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar. Curtis was standing around 10 feet behind a protective screen at the edge of the outfield grass in shallow centerfield, hitting fly balls to outfielders, when he was struck by the sinking liner. The liner bruised Curtis' brain and caused a hemorrhage on the right side brain, resulting in stroke-like symptoms, including the loss of feeling in his left arm and hand. "I remember everything," said Curtis on the recent one-year passing of the accident. "I remember standing out there and right up to the moment that that thing hit. I remember going down, I remember lying on the ground. "Usually you can hear a ball when it's coming in your direction, but that one, I just had no chance. It caught me by surprise." After quick care on the field by Power trainer Alan Diamond and a five-day stint in Greensboro's Moses Cone Hospital, Curtis headed back to his California home for rehabilitation. Since that rehab, Curtis' symptoms have decreased to a slight tingle in his left hand. "I've still got some tingling in the hand that went dead on me for about three weeks," Curtis said following Tuesday night's 11-4 Power win over the visiting Rome Braves. "But it's coming along. "I've not had any post-concussion syndrome. "Now, I've forgotten things once in a while, but nothing real serious. There's no short-term memory loss, so I'm just counting my blessings right now. "It's hard for me to believe that it's been a year ago. I still feel the hangover from it, but it's getting better. I can do a lot of things now, that I couldn't do a couple of months ago. The progress is getting a little slower now, and there's still some fine tuning that needs to be done, but I can carry things and throw a little bit now."

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2006080846 Festa?s big night sparks Power By Jim Workman For The Charleston Gazette Tony Festa doesn?t dare dream of having an offensive night like he had on Tuesday. Maybe he should. Festa provided the offensive firepower, going 5-for-5 with three singles, a double, triple and six RBIs as the West Virginia Power defeated Rome 11-4 in a South Atlantic League game at Appalachian Power Park. ?You don?t even think about having a night like that,? Festa admitted. ?You just try to help the team as much as you can and get as many hits as you can. I just went up there looking to attack a fastball. I got some I could hit in some clutch situations. When it?s going good, the ball finds the holes.? ?He had a great day and swung the bat real well,? Power manager Mike Guerrero said of Festa. ?He?s feeling pretty good at the plate.? Lorenzo Cain also swung a hot stick, going 4-for-5. The Power is 22-22 in the second half, fourth in the Sally League?s Northern Division and 61-52 overall. Rome got on the board first, tallying a run in the first inning when Jamie Romak doubled in Eric Campbell. The Power struck back in a hurry. Festa smacked a two-run triple to center, scoring Cain and Mat Gamel to give West Virginia a 2-1 advantage in the bottom of the first. Festa struck again in the third, drilling a single that scored Gamel from second base to raise the Power lead to 3-1. Rome trimmed the Power advantage in the fourth, plating a run on a Quentin Davis bases-loaded sacrifice fly. The Braves tied it at 3 in the fifth when Elvis Andrus scored from third base on a passed ball. The Power regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Gamel tripled to center, scoring Cain, who led off the inning with the double. Festa followed with an RBI single to center to lift the Power to a 5-3 advantage. Kenny Holmberg pounded a double down the left-field line to score Festa to make it 6-3 Power. Rome picked up another run in the seventh as Cody Clark stroked a RBI single to left, cutting the Power lead to 6-4. ?They have a pretty good team,? Guerrero said of Rome. ?They?ll always battle you.? West Virginia received some insurance in the eighth with a five-run rally. Cain plowed an RBI double down the right-field line, Mike Bell doubled in two runs and Festa singled in a pair to stretch the Power lead to 11-4. Bell redeemed himself after striking out in his previous four times to the plate. Power reliever Ryan Marion (1-0) got the win with 3 2/3 innings of work. Rome starter Jairo Cuevas (6-9) was tagged with the loss. Rome visits the APP again tonight to close a four-game series. The Power, winner of five of its last seven contests, will travel then to Delmarva for a four-game series and return home Tuesday to play host to Hickory. ***Charleston Daily Mail: Rome won the South Atlantic League's first-half Southern Division title, but Braves' pitchers were the only ones feeling a hangover after West Virginia hitters pounded 14 hits in taking a 2-1 lead in the four-game series at Appalachian Power Park before a crowd of 3,528. For the Power (21-22), first baseman Tony Festa was flawless at the plate in going 5-for-5, including a triple, double and six RBI. "You hope to get a couple of hits, but five for five is better than I could have expected," Festa said. "I'm seeing the ball well now and I noticed that their pitcher (Jairo Cuevas) challenging guys with his fastball. "In my first at-bats, that's what I went up there looking for and whenever you get that first hit out of the way, you seem to feed off it. "I was fortunate to battle him enough to see a lot of his pitches, and when it's going good for you the ball definitely finds a hole." Cuevas was touched up for eight hits and six earned runs in just 4 1/3 innings, while reliever Rudy Quinonez was touched up for four hits and five earned runs in one inning of work. Power right fielder Lorenzo Cain continued his chase of the single-season hit record for Class A baseball in Charleston with four hits, including two doubles, in five at bats. Cain now has 133 hits, in pursuit of Bobby Perna's record of 150 hits in 1992. West Virginia will finish its four-game series against Rome and eight-game homestand tonight at 7:05 (6:05 Central). Lefty Beau Jones (4-3) will start for Rome, while the Power will counter with southpaw Rafael Lluberes (4-6).

No way on 2006 for Perkins -- he only had his surgery this spring...

In the game -- again Former River Cat Graham Koonce thought he could live without baseball, but the Milwaukee Brewers had other ideas By Scott Howard-Cooper -- Sacramento Bee Staff Writer FRESNO -- A funny thing happened on the way to the rest of his life. He didn't get there. Graham Koonce started playing baseball again, the real baseball, and started driving the ball again and, so, here he is. Not just here at Grizzlies Stadium, but here back on the carousel of minor-league baseball he finally decided he could live without. Doubleheader in Nashville on Tuesday, early-morning departure to Fresno on Wednesday, at the ballpark by late afternoon and loosening up with batting practice in the indoor cage beneath the stands. Koonce never wanted to be defined by his baseball accomplishments, whether with the Nashville Sounds in 2006 or while starring for the River Cats during Pacific Coast League title runs in 2003 and '04. But it's not as if the game called to him or anything. He essentially was out of baseball three years after being voted the PCL's MVP as the Cats' first baseman and designated hitter. He joined the independent San Diego Surf Dawgs for the workout and to bring him emotionally closer to pursuing a job as a paramedic or firefighter than trying for the majors again. He had a wife and a newborn daughter and a happy home life in San Diego that was never supposed to hinge on baseball. And then the Milwaukee Brewers called with a spot at Triple-A Nashville and an understood chance at promotion, and there went what passed for retirement. "I have a little bit lighter perspective of the game," Koonce said. Lighter? "I'm just as focused and just as determined as I've ever been," he said. "But I know it's not the end-all of everything if I have a bad night." Always grounded and mature, even years ago as he slugged his way to become one of the most storied and popular River Cats ever, the Koonce of age 31 has evolved into someone who loves the game but doesn't desperately need it. He returned to Raley Field for the first time since 2004 as Nashville visited for four games. He and Aubrey, his wife of nearly four years, had Addison on March 21. Talk about perspective. But Koonce also has had the last two seasons, ever since he realized the path to the A's was blocked by circumstance and timing and he left Northern California as a free agent. Indianapolis was the first stop. He thought he had a chance to make the Pittsburgh Pirates out of spring training. Instead, he spent 2005 with their Triple-A affiliate in the International League and hit 23 homers, topping 20 for a fourth consecutive minor-league season. The New York Yankees were next after signing him as a free agent for 2006. Or at least their Tampa, Fla., spring training home was next. Team officials told him they were going to assign him to Double A for the start of the season. Koonce said he would rather be released. They gave him that courtesy. Funny thing about the timing of the career setback -- and this is where the affirmation became more real than ever -- is he didn't want to be known for what he did on the field. Aubrey called from San Diego just as he was pulling out of the parking lot in Tampa to say the doctor had decided to induce labor the next day. It wasn't until he got to the airport a little later that evening, for the flight home to California, he broke his news. Their precious Addison arrived as promised. So much for remembering that week as a downer. Koonce, a free agent again, said he went three weeks without swinging a bat and didn't miss it. When the season started without him, he didn't feel bad about that, either. Being home was great. Without actually saying he was retired, he plotted new careers. Baseball people did not call with jobs. Fine. The Surf Dawgs -- part of the fledgling Golden League with teams in California, Nevada and Arizona -- offered a chance to play the game he loved at a reduced level, where only a sliver of each roster was considered prospects by the affiliated leagues. It was mostly pedestrian, exercise and the opportunity to compete without the travel demands that had been so much a part of his life. What a change for someone who in 2003 and '04 had a combined 56 home runs and 192 RBIs at Triple A and had briefly been in the majors with the A's in '03. "It might just have been that opportunity with us ? the opportunity maybe he didn't take advantage of or the opportunity that maybe shut quicker than he expected," Keith Lieppman, the A's director of player development, said of Koonce being unable to stay in the majors despite impressive production in Sacramento. "It wasn't just one thing." Koonce was in independent ball, part last stand for still-hopeful players and part sideshow where Jose Canseco pitches without apology, for about a week when the Brewers called. He went from the Surf Dawgs' late spring training to Nashville on May 31, about seven weeks into the PCL season, and had 11 home runs the first 56 games in his familiar role at first base and DH. Over 125 outings in a full schedule of 144 games, that projects to about 25 homers if he hadn't missed April and most of May. "You can tell he's interested out there, when he's at bat and when he's in the field," Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. "He's definitely still into it." He has to be. Fresno was the first stop on a 12-game trip that covers 13 days, a three-hour bus ride up Highway 99 and a stop in Albuquerque, N.M., before returning to Tennessee in hopes of holding off Iowa for the American Conference's Northern Division title and a postseason that could last into mid-September. "It's still just as fun to me," Koonce said. "If it wasn't, I wouldn't be playing." He would be getting on with the rest of his life. http://www.sacbee.com/static/rich_content_images/287043-0806koonce01.jpg http://www.sacbee.com/static/rich_content_images/287043-0806koonce03.jpg

Complete newspaper summaries and updates at mid-day Wednesday...

Final: Arizona Rangers 9, Arizona Brewers 7 Arizona Brewer Box Score and Game Log Link: Three doubles for Anthony Wycklendt, who had cooled after a powerful start to the season; Brett Whiteside also slowing his early-season pace; Andrew Lefave reaches base three times; Brent Brewer two more hits; five Brewer errors -- ugh; Jeremy Jeffress' relief appearance -- um, not good; welcome back, Mark Rogers -- two K's, a walk and a wild pitch in his inning... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_rngrok_1

In progress: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 1, Helena 1, after one inning RHP Amaury Rivas your starter; Cole Gillespie not in the lineup again...

Final: Sacramento (A's) 6, Nashville 1 Nashville Site Game summary: Link for Justin Lehr photo, text follows -- Sounds Drop Second Straight To River Cats, 6-1 WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? The Nashville Sounds suffered a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday afternoon at Raley Field. The loss was the second in a row for Nashville (63-55), which had its lead temporarily reduced to two games over Iowa pending the result of the Cubs? game against Portland on Tuesday evening. River Cats starter Jason Windsor (11-0) continued his undefeated string in Pacific Coast League play, holding Nashville to one run on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out eight batters while walking only one in his outing. Kennard Bibbs paced the Nashville offense by matching his career high with four hits on the afternoon. The remainder of the Sounds? lineup collected only four cumulative knocks. The Sounds? struggles in scoring opportunities continued. One day after leaving eight men on second or third, Nashville left six of its nine stranded in scoring position. Sacramento grabbed a 3-0 lead against former River Cat Justin Lehr, who pitched for the club in 2003 & 2004, in the bottom of the first inning. Scott McClain and Jason Perry (team-best 3-for-4) each contributed RBI singles and Jeremy Brown added a sacrifice fly in the frame. Nashville left the bases loaded in the third as Windsor struck out Laynce Nix and induced an inning-ending groundout from Graham Koonce to escape the jam. It was the third time in the last two games that the Sounds left the bags full. River Cats left fielder Doug Clark upped the home team?s lead to 5-0 in the fourth with a two-out, two-run homer to right-center on a 3-2 pitch from Lehr. The blast, which scored Mike Rouse, was Clark?s 10th of the year. The Nashville defense had its season-best stretch of 56 1/3 consecutive innings without an error snapped in the bottom of the fifth inning on a failed pickoff attempt. McClain, who was on second, advanced to third when shortstop Chris Barnwell was unable to glove Lehr?s throw and scored an unearned run on Perry?s second run-scoring single of the afternoon to up the lead to 6-0. The Sounds finally registered a run in the top of the seventh when Bibbs? third hit of the afternoon, a single to left, scored Mark Johnson from third to chase Windsor and make it a 6-1 game. Barnwell singled in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to seven games, matching Vinny Rottino (DNP) for the club?s longest active streak. Jermaine Clark singled in the seventh to pull within one knock of the 1,000-hit plateau in his minor-league career. Johnson, who went 2-for-3 at the plate, made his first career appearance in the outfield, starting in left field for the Sounds. He successfully handled both fly balls hit his way on the afternoon. The catcher had previously appeared at first base and third base in his 13-year career. Lehr (3-6) suffered his third straight losing start for the Sounds after surrendering a season-high six runs (five earned) on eight hits over five innings of work in his first career outing against his former club. Dennis Sarfate turned in his second consecutive strong relief outing for Nashville, working two scoreless innings including three strikeouts to close out the game. The teams will enjoy a scheduled mid-series off day on Wednesday before wrapping up the four-game set on Thursday evening with a 9:05 p.m. CT finale. Right-hander Ben Hendrickson (9-5, 2.18) will toe the rubber for the Sounds and square off against Sacramento right-hander Ben Fritz (4-4, 5.69). Nashville Box Score and Game Log Link: Looks eerily like a lot of recent Milwaukee box scores... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_srcaaa_1

Link while active, text follows: www.missoulian.com/articl...orts03.txt O's Cruz past Brewers By NICK LOCKRIDGE of the Missoulian Where there is smoke there is usually fire. And right now, Ricardo Cruz's bat is on fire. The Osprey infielder smacked a solo home run - his second of the game - to lift Missoula to a 7-6 Pioneer League victory over Helena in extra innings on an overcast, smoke-filled Monday evening at Ogren-Allegiance Park. Cruz, who leads the team with seven homers, sent the second pitch he saw from reliever Steve Palazzolo over the fence in left field to lead off the bottom of the 10th. It was the first walk-off home run of Cruz's career and it helped keep the Osprey in first place in the Northern Division. ?That felt really good,? said Cruz, who led Missoula with 10 home runs last season. ?I was just looking to get on and do something to help out the team and I saw a good pitch, a slider, that he left hanging.? Helena's left fielder didn't give much chase to the ball as it soared almost as high as it did far. Cruz was mobbed at home plate by his teammates. The Osprey will carry a three-game win streak into a four-game series at Helena starting Tuesday. ?Helena's a tough team,? Cruz said. ?We have to keep the momentum going and take it to their field now. But they're a tough club. We just have to keep at it.? Cruz also hit a two-run homer to left field in the fourth, giving the O's a 4-2 lead at the time. It marked the second straight game in which Cruz has gone deep for Missoula, which improved to 5-2 in extra-inning games. The Osprey (6-3) have played three extra-inning games in their last seven outings. All but one of their extra-innings games have ended in the 10th this season. Missoula's Gerardo Parra led off the ninth with a pinch-hit homer to right field to tie the game 6-6 and send the game into an extra frame after the O's left the bases loaded in the eighth. Helena's Chris Errecart, who was 3-for-4, gave his team a 6-5 lead with an RBI double in the top of the ninth. Yet, as exciting as the ninth and 10th innings were, the real excitement was in the eighth, when it appeared that Missoula grabbed the lead for good on an two-out single by Tyler Jones. The O's loaded the bases on back-to-back singles by John Hester and Derrick Walker and Jose Dijol's hit batter. Following a strikeout, Jones grounded a ball to center field. Hester scored easily and Walker beat the throw home, but home plate umpire Alex Ortiz never signaled safe on the play. Helena catcher Andy Bouchie then tagged Walker as he was walking back toward the dugout, ending the inning with the score tied 5-5. ?Stuff's going to happen, you know?? Cruz said. ?You have to do whatever you can to make the best of the situation and get a score.? This was after the Brewers had taken a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh on another RBI double by Errecart, which just got past a diving Andrew Fie at third base and then caromed off the foul pole to allow David Parker to score from first. Missoula's Daniel Stange got the win for the Birds after pitching the final two innings. He's the only reliever on the staff with four wins, which matches Missoula starter Tony Barnette for the most on the team. Barnette lost his bid for his first victory since July 17. Barnette, who took a no decision, allowed two runs to score in the sixth and tie the game at 4-4. One run scored on a fielding error by Ricardo Cruz and Barnette walked in the tying run. Clay Zavada relieved Barnette and struck out Brad Miller with the bases still loaded to end the threat. Former catcher Justin Brashear and Fie are the only other O's players to homer in back-to-back games. Helena Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_misrok_1

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2006080731 Inman?s the man again Power ace hurls eight shutout innings to improve to 9-1 By Jim Workman For The Charleston Gazette When Will Inman takes the mound for the West Virginia Power, the team?s confidence level grows dramatically. ?When you have a pitcher like that, you?re going to have an opportunity to win,? said Power manager Mike Guerrero. ?He?s a bulldog out there.? The Power rode Inman?s arm to a 4-0 win over the Rome Braves before a crowd of 1,737 in a rain-delayed South Atlantic League contest Monday night at Appalachian Power Park. Inman pitched a masterful eight innings in the shutout, striking out nine and allowing just two hits to improve to 9-1 on the season. He has claimed a victory in each of his last six starts. ?He threw a gem,? said Guerrero of Inman, who lowered his ERA to 1.48. ?It was a great performance. He was almost unhittable. You can?t ask for anything else from a pitcher. He goes after hitters.? If the Power had to win one game? ?I?d feel comfortable with [inman] on the mound,? Guerrero said. ?He?ll give you everything he has, day in and day out.? The Power (22-22, fifth place in the second half of the Sally League Northern Division) didn?t waste much time scoring following a 15-minute rain delay before the first pitch. In the first inning, Tony Festa swatted a double down the right-field line, scoring Michael Brantley to put the Power up 1-0. Kenny Holmberg stretched the Power lead to 2-0 in the fourth, driving a home run over the left-field wall. The Power played longball again in the sixth, getting a solo homer off the bat of Mike Bell to increase the lead to 3-0. Ryan Barba dribbled a slow grounder with bases loaded in the eighth, but Jaime Trejo committed an error that allowed the fourth Power run to cross the dish. Bell and Brad Wilcutt each went 2-for-4 for the Power. ?We?ve been scoring some runs,? said Guerrero. ?Everybody has been contributing to the cause. We just have to make sure to play defense to maintain the lead. And we did that [tonight]. If we can get some run support, we?ll win some games.? Adam Stanley (1-6) was tagged with the loss for Rome. Power reliever Dane Renkert finished things off for Inman, retiring the side in the ninth. The Power will play host to Rome again tonight at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) in the third game of a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves affiliate. POWER POINTS: The shutout was the sixth of the year for West Virginia. ... Inman?s eight-inning performance marks the longest outing of the season for any Power pitcher. ...West Virginia has won sixty games, matching its total from the 2005 season. Charleston Gazette Photographer: Chip Ellis West Virginia Power?s Brad Willcut (23) is tagged out by Rome shortstop Elvis Andrus on a stolen base attempt in the second inning of Monday night?s game at Appalachian Power Park. http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/Power.jpg

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006080813/ Power's Inman dominates Rome Christopher Wade For the Charleston Daily Mail For a short while, weather conditions provided the Rome Braves a heavy dose of dark clouds, a brief heavy rainstorm, thunder, and lightning. All eventually cleared up Monday night, and left the Atlanta Braves' Class A affiliate with a heavy dose of West Virginia Power ace pitcher Will Inman. The Braves would have much rather preferred the former. Inman, a 19-year old right-hander, baffled Rome hitters to lead the Power to a 4-0 South Atlantic League baseball victory over the Braves at Appalachian Power Park. Inman consistently mixed a 70-mph curveball with fastballs in the upper 80s and sometimes lower 90s and an effective changeup. He left Rome hitters off-balance all night. Inman (9-1) pitched eight shutout innings, allowing only two hits while striking out nine Rome batters. "I can't say much more about the outing," said Inman, who had nine strikeouts and a walk. "All my pitches felt good out there. I was able to keep them off-balance with an effective curveball and changeup, mixed in with my fastball." Power Manager Mike Guerrero was impressed with Inman, who has 90 strikeouts and 19 walks in 79 innings this season. "You can't really ask for anything more," guerrero said. "He had a great performance and threw a gem. To do what he did tonight, throwing eight scoreless innings, he was unhittable." Dane Renkert came on in the ninth for the Power to slam the door on the Braves. "I kind of wanted to go back out in the ninth and we had a talk about it, but this isn't the Major Leagues," Inman said. "You have to look to the future and my pitch count was pretty high." Inman threw 96 pitches, including 70 strikes, and still was able to throw 89 mph in the eighth inning. After the first two Rome batters reached in the top of the first inning, Inman retired 11 straight. After a fifth inning single by the Braves, Inman once again retired 11 straight batters before leaving the game. Inman, a third-round draft pick (No. 85 overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2005, has won five consecutive games. The performance lowered his earned run average to 1.48. "I'm not out there thinking about trying to be dominant," Inman said. "It's just about being confident in trying to be able to get the job done at any level. I just try to give my team the chance to win every game." It looked as if Inman's great performance on the mound might get cut early after a short rain storm in the third inning and subsequent large claps of thunder and several strikes of lightning in the fourth inning. At the time, the Power led 1-0 after a first inning RBI double by Tony Festa. After the weather conditions cleared, designated hitter Kenny Holmberg hit a solo homer to give the Power a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning. It was the third home run in the last four games for Holmberg, who hit two homers and drove in five runs in a Power victory on Friday night. Power second baseman Mike Bell added an insurance run with a towering home run just inside the left field foul pole in the sixth inning and in the eighth inning, two Rome errors gave the Power a fourth and final run. With the win, the Power is now 60-52 on the season and 21-22 in the second half. With the 60 wins, the Power has already won as many games as it did in 2005. The Power will continue the four-game series against Rome at Appalachian Power Park tonight at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). Right-hander Jairo Cuevas (6-8) will make the start for Rome and the Power will counter with right-hander Shawn Ferguson (1-1).

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/baybears/mobil...amp;coll=3 Dillard, Huntsville clip Mobile By TOMMY HICKS Mobile Press-Register Sports Reporter Although it was billed as Awful Night at Hank Aaron Stadium -- awful fireworks, awful music blasted over the loudspeaker, awful giveaways -- Huntsville Stars pitcher Tim Dillard refused to go along with the idea in Monday night's game against the Mobile BayBears. Instead, the right-hander put together seven innings of solid work in relief -- giving up six hits and striking out three without a walk -- to lead the Stars to a 3-2 win on a hot, muggy night. Mobile fell to 22-22 in the Southern League's South Division second-half race, one game behind second-place Montgomery in a battle for a playoff berth. Huntsville is 21-22. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jose Capellan, making a rehab appearance, was held to a 25-pitch count after starting. After one inning, Dillard took over and remained on the mound until the final batter. He allowed solo home runs to Luis Cruz and Vincent Sinisi, but otherwise pitched well against a Mobile team that has put together a solid offensive performance in the series. "I felt good," Dillard said. "Obviously, I made two big mistakes (the home runs) -- both of those were sliders -- but they're a good-hitting ballclub. We've seen that all week. I just tried to execute pitches and tried to get them to hit ground balls because if they get it in the air, they're trouble." In the ninth, Dillard struck out Sinisi to lead off the BayBears' share of the inning and Stephen Smitherman followed with a double to right-center. "He smoked that," Dillard said of the hit. "I thought it was going to go through the fence." Cruz followed by hitting a line drive to right field right at Ron Acuna for the second out. That's when the Stars went to reliever Travis Phelps, who struck out pinch-hitter Colt Morton on a 3-2 check swing to end it. "We had a chance there in the ninth but we didn't get the run," BayBears manager Gary Jones said. "That's the second or third time (Dillard) has gone deep into a game against us. He pitched a good game." Cruz, who has picked up his offensive performance this month, echoed the thoughts of his manager. "He's a really good pitcher," Cruz said. "He made some good pitches all night. We were fighting on every at-bat but he did a good job against us. ... I thought I had a chance (for a hit in the ninth) but (the ball) stayed down. I'm feeling comfortable right now." Cruz put Mobile in front in the second inning with a one-out, solo home run over the left-field fence. It marked his fifth homer of the year and his second straight game with a homer; his three-run blast in the eighth inning Sunday tied a game the BayBears eventually won 4-3 in 11 innings. The Mobile lead held until the Stars' share of the fourth. With one out, Calix Crabbe and Drew Anderson drew walks, and Ryan Braun singled to load the bases. Brad Nelson then delivered a two-run single off BayBears starter Jose Oyervidez, Acuna singled to load the bases again, and Lou Palmisano's fielder's choice brought in another run for a 3-1 lead. Mobile trimmed it to 3-2 in the bottom half of the inning when Sinisi led off with a solo homer. "Usually, I pitch better in warmer weather," Dillard said when asked about pitching almost eight innings in Monday night's heat and humidity, "but my hat's off to their pitchers who have to pitch in this kind of weather all the time. I changed shirts about halfway through. ... I just tried to make some pitches. The rest of the (Stars) played defense and scored the runs. I just tried to keep us in the ballgame." Mobile's Oyervidez allowed five hits and three runs in six innings while striking out five and walking five. Geoff Jones and Paul Abraham finished the game in relief. Dustin Delucchi and Smitherman had two hits each for Mobile, while Acuna and Crabbe each had a pair of hits for the Stars. The teams finish their five-game series tonight with a 7:05 game.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Covering the bases Huntsville Times It was an hour after Jeff Eure hustled home with the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth (after having already hit a two-run homer) and two nights before Eure's three-run, pinch-hit double would give the Stars a win at Mobile. Stars manager Don Money thumbed through stat sheets to confirm what was already evident: The biggest bang for the buck this season has come from Eure, the 25-year-old utility man. "He comes up with big, quality RBI hits," Money said. Eure, who has started in five different positions this year, is batting .269 and Money compares him favorably with Vinny Rottino, whose versatility turned him from a non-drafted free agent into a valuable commodity with a chance to make the majors this fall. Eure leads the Stars with 49 RBIs (and 11 homers) in only 264 at-bats. That's 100 fewer at-bats than Drew Anderson, who is No. 2 on the club, 41 fewer than Ron Acuna, who is No. 3 in RBIs. The numbers in the clutch are more impressive. Eure is batting .299 with runners on base, .325 with 39 RBIs with runners in scoring position and is .351 with 17 RBIs with runners in scoring position and two out. Acuna, .267 overall, is slightly better at .336 and 40 RBIs with runners in scoring position and is .350 with 16 RBIs with two out. The Stars were batting .249 with runners on base, .286 with bases loaded, .248 with men in scoring position and .234 in scoring position with two out going into the weekend. ... The Stars can expand their roster by one in mid-August, and could use another arm in the bullpen. ... He may be a No. 1 pick and a bonus baby, but third baseman Ryan Braun is taking extra work like a man trying to make the club as he continues to improve his footwork. He's making the transition from shortstop to third base - much as Money did with the Phillies when Larry Bowa was coming up through the system. ... Corey Thurman went from April 23 to July 29 without winning a game at home, mostly because of a lack of offensive support. His ERA of 3.06 is still 10th in the league among full-time starters. ... Ballots have been distributed to managers and media for the Southern League postseason All-Star team. ... Circle your calendar. The Stars open the 2007 season on Thursday, April 5, at home with the Mississippi Braves. ... The league will maintain the five-game-series format, as well as the North and South divisions. Around the league A story Friday in The Orlando Sentinel reported that a group of investors want to buy the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx and move them to Orlando. After early success at the gate, the Jaxx have struggled with attendance (the worst in Double-A), have been sold once already and the current ownership "has been in the market to sell" for several years, according to The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun. There would be considerable hurdles to this. The Diamond Jaxx are in the first year of a three-year lease with the city of Jackson that would cost $250,000 per year to break. Tinker Field, a historic old downtown ballpark in Orlando, would need considerable refurbishing, and in a hurry, to meet standards to play there in '07. An alternative might be the Disney Wide World of Sports stadium, but it would likely be an expensive lease and it has a history of drawing poorly. Finally, the league schedule for '07 is set. Don't be surprised, though, to see it happen in 2008. ... That's rocker Todd Rundgren's son Rex who drove in the game-winner for Carolina Friday against West Tenn, ending a 4:28, 13-inning game. ... Jesus Cota snapped a 2-for-11 slump to go 5-for-6 Friday as Tennessee buried Birmingham 15-2 Friday. ... After his slow start, Mississippi catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is heating up. He went through a 13-for-25 streak to improve to .233. Brewings (through Friday) Triple-A Nashville Sounds (61-53 before Saturday's play, first place in Pacific Coast League American Division): CF Laynce Nix 15-game hitting streak, 13-for-23 in six games, P Alec Zumwalt team-high 12 saves. Single-A Brevard County Manatees (18-22, fourth in Florida State East Division this half): Ex-Star Milko Jaramillo and 1B Ned Yost IV (.281, 46 RBIs at West Virginia) join club with Steve Sollman on DL. Single-A West Virginia Power (20-20, fourth in South Atlantic League Northern Division this half): 2B Kenneth Holmberg 2 HRs, 5 RBIs Friday against Columbus (Ga.) after 3B Mat Gamel had 7 RBIs Thursday. Single-A Helena Brewers (4-2, first in Pioneer League North second half) OF Stephen Chapman 13 SBs (2nd in league), .318. On deck The Stars continue their trip to Mobile through Tuesday, then play five at Mississippi before returning to Huntsville Aug. 15. Only 10 home games remain.

In Nashville, RHP Steve Bray comes off the disabled list, and fellow reliever Mike Meyers goes on with a left calf strain.

In Nashville, RHP Steve Bray comes off the disabled list, and fellow reliever Mike Meyers goes on with a left calf strain.

Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Dana Eveland photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2098 Sounds Lose Heartbreaker In Bottom Of 9th WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? The Nashville Sounds suffered a heart-breaking 5-4 loss to the Sacramento River Cats on Monday evening at Raley Field, allowing five runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Sacramento right fielder Hiram Bocachica belted the first pitch he saw from Sounds closer Alec Zumwalt over the left field wall for a game-ending three-run homer, his 16th of the year. The River Cats had been down to their final out against Sounds reliever Allan Simpson before Mike Rouse broke up Nashville?s shutout bid with a two-out, two-run homer to right-center. Nate Espy, who had walked, scored on the blast, Rouse?s sixth of the year. The rally continued as Sacramento put the potential tying run on base against Simpson as Doug Clark singled and Keith Ginter was hit by a pitch before Sounds manager Frank Kremblas lifted the right-hander in favor of Zumwalt, who threw only one pitch. The loss, which snapped the Sounds' four-game winning streak, marked the first time in 23 tries this season that Nashville (63-54) failed to protect a ninth-inning lead on the road. The Sounds? lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division fell to 2 ½ games over Iowa, which has won three in a row. For the second straight outing, Nashville starter Dana Eveland had a victory taken away due to a blown save. The left-hander was in a groove all night, allowing only two hits, one of which was an infield single, and striking out seven batters over seven scoreless innings. The outing was his sixth quality start of the campaign. The Sounds were one out away from their league-leading 11th shutout of the year before the late Sacramento rally. The recently red-hot Nashville offense banged out a double-digit hit total (11) for the fourth straight contest but finished the evening only 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position, leaving 11 men on base including eight of those on second or third. Four Sounds finished with two hits on the night. Laynce Nix went 2-for-4, his seventh multiple-hit effort in nine games for Nashville. The outfielder has now produced at least one hit in 17 of his last 18 contests. Sacramento sent a pair of rehabbing Oakland A?s hurlers to the hill to begin the contest and both performed flawlessly. Left-hander Joe Kennedy worked two innings and allowed only one baserunner on a Graham Koonce walk. Former Sound Scott Sauerbeck followed with two scoreless frames of his own, fanning a pair of batters but didn?t put up the second of his two zeroes without a bit of drama. Nashville loaded the bases with none out in the fourth against the veteran southpaw on singles by Chris Barnwell and Nix followed by Koonce?s second walk of the evening. After Brent Abernathy lined out to second, Sauerbeck induced a comebacker 1-2-3 double play grounder from Vinny Rottino to escape the jam unscathed and keep the contest scoreless. Barnwell?s fourth-inning single extended the shortstop?s hitting streak to six games. Left-hander Adam Pettyjohn, the projected River Cats starter, took over in the fifth and the Sounds broke the scoreless deadlock against the southpaw an inning later. Zach Sorensen led off the Nashville sixth with a single, moved to second on a Barnwell sacrifice, and scored the game?s first run when Nix followed with an RBI single to right. With two outs in the frame, Abernathy plated Nix with a single to left and Andrew Beattie wrapped up the inning?s scoring two batters later with an RBI single to left to bring in Abernathy for a 3-0 Sounds lead. AUDIO: Laynce Nix RBI Single -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%208-7.mp3 The Sounds tacked on a run in the seventh against Pettyjohn on Koonce?s bases-loaded sacrifice fly to left that brought home Dave Krynzel for a 4-0 advantage. Nashville left the bases loaded for the second time in the contest in the eighth. With one out, Beattie singled before Pettyjohn offered only two strikes in a 10-pitch stretch to Chad Moeller and Krynzel to fill the bags. River Cats skipper Tony DeFrancesco summoned reliever Shawn Kohn from the bullpen and the right-hander responded by striking out Sorensen and inducing an inning-ending grounder from Barnwell to escape the jam. Rottino went 1-for-3 for Nashville to extend the team?s longest active hitting streak to seven games, one short of his best effort this year. Jermaine Clark made a pinch-running appearance in the ninth and swiped his team-leading 27th stolen base of the year, three shy of the PCL lead. Steve Bray returned from a week-long stint on the disabled list to work the eighth for Nashville and struck out two of the three batters he faced. River Cats reliever Matt Roney (4-2) was the beneficiary of the late River Cats heroics, earning the win after tossing one scoreless inning. Zumwalt (0-1) took the loss after surrendering the game-deciding homer on the only pitch he threw. The teams continue their series with a 1:35 p.m. CT matinee on Tuesday afternoon. Right-hander Justin Lehr (3-5, 3.42) takes the hill for the Sounds to face his former club for the first time in his career. Lehr appeared in 86 games for Sacramento over parts of three seasons from 2000-04. Nashville Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_srcaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat (from Monday) with Infielder and Sacramento Native Jermaine Clark: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%208-7.mp3 Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Infielder Andrew Beattie: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%208-8.mp3

Standings through Monday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 63 54 .538 - 35-25 28-29 L1[/b] Iowa 60 56 .517 2.5 34-26 26-30 W3 Memphis 45 71 .388 17.5 26-33 19-38 L3 Omaha 45 72 .385 18.0 27-31 18-41 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 25 19 .568 - 15-9 10-10 L2 Chattanooga 24 20 .545 1.0 15-9 9-11 W1 [b]Huntsville 21 22 .488 3.5 12-12 9-10 W1[/b] West Tenn 21 23 .477 4.0 14-6 7-17 L5 Carolina 18 26 .409 7.0 12-7 6-19 W5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytona 25 18 .581 - 18-10 7-8 L1 St. Lucie 23 19 .548 1.5 13-9 10-10 W1 Palm Beach 23 22 .511 3.0 12-8 11-14 W4 [b]Brevard County 18 25 .419 7.0 9-9 9-16 L4[/b] Jupiter 18 25 .419 7.0 11-13 7-12 W1 Vero Beach 18 26 .409 7.5 11-14 7-12 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 29 15 .659 - 14-5 15-10 L1 Lake County 24 18 .571 4.0 12-9 12-9 W1 Hickory 23 21 .523 6.0 11-15 12-6 W2 Greensboro 21 21 .500 7.0 12-11 9-10 L1 [b]West Virginia 21 22 .488 7.5 11-8 10-14 W1[/b] Hagerstown 19 24 .442 9.5 10-15 9-9 L1 Lexington 17 27 .386 12.0 11-11 6-16 W3 Delmarva 14 28 .333 14.0 8-12 6-16 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Missoula 6 3 .667 - 5-1 1-2 W3 Billings 5 4 .556 1.0 2-1 3-3 L1 [b]Helena 4 5 .444 2.0 3-1 1-4 L3[/b] Great Falls 3 6 .333 3.0 3-2 0-4 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Padres 7 1 .875 - 4-0 3-1 W4 AZL Angels 8 2 .800 - 2-0 6-2 W6 AZL Giants 7 3 .700 1.0 3-2 4-1 W2 AZL Royals 7 3 .700 1.0 4-2 3-1 W1 AZL Athletics 4 6 .400 4.0 3-2 1-4 L4 AZL Mariners 4 6 .400 4.0 4-2 0-4 L1 AZL Cubs 3 7 .300 5.0 1-4 2-3 L2 AZL Rangers 2 7 .222 5.5 2-3 0-4 L3 [b]AZL Brewers 1 8 .111 6.5 1-4 0-4 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 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_srcaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_mobaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sarafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Arizona Rookie: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_rngrok_1

Tuesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Justin Lehr at Sacramento (A's), 1:15 PM pre-game, 1:35 gametime; the River Cats will counter with undefeated right-hander Jason Windsor (10-0, 3.79), who has won 14 consecutive minor-league decisions since an Opening Day loss for Double-A Midland Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Manny Parra at Mobile (Padres), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450radio.com/ Brevard County: RHP Luis Pena at Sarasota (Reds), 6:00 PM; sorry, no web audio for this series West Virginia: RHP Shawn Ferguson at home vs. Rome (Braves), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: TBD 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: TBD at the Rangers' complex to face the Texas kids, 9:00 PM Central time, never any web audio for the Arizona League

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

From colbyjack last September in his draft recap: At 6' and 220 pounds, Alonso has a strong, compact frame and a powerful right-handed swing. Full article: www.brewerfan.net/ViewArt...icleId=218

Final: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 7, Helena 6, ten innings Usually reliable Steve Palazzolo touched for home runs in the bottom of the 9th (blown save) and 10th (loss); the Osprey challenged for more in the 9th, but Palazzolo pitched out of trouble, only to surrender the leadoff blast in the 10th. Again, full game stories and such at mid-day...

Final: Sacramento (A's) 5, Nashville 4 Unbelievable... Down to their final out with no on base, this happens in the 9th: Allan Simpson pitching after retiring the first two men: Nate Espy walks. Mike Rouse homers (6) on a fly ball to right center field. Nate Espy scores. Doug Clark singles on a ground ball to right fielder Laynce Nix. Coaching visit to mound. Keith Ginter hit by pitch. Doug Clark to 2nd. Coaching visit to mound. Pitcher Change: Alec Zumwalt replaces Allan Simpson. Hiram Bocachica homers (16) on a fly ball to left field. Doug Clark scores. Keith Ginter scores. Full details will be posted at mid-day...