Jim Goulart

Smashing records for average daily visitors this month, now well over 3600 unique visitors each day, with over 5000 folks visiting this past Tuesday. A very rough estimate would say that Brewerfan is showing 15-20% plus comps when comparing to the previous year's monthly rates. We thank you all very much. Still love the "by country" portion of the stats sheet: www.brewerfan.net/stats/u...l#TOPCTRYS

Yovani Gallardo included in this alphabetical list of "Minor League Player of the Year" candidates: www.baseballamerica.com/t...62006.html

Will Inman with four shutout innings thus far (one hit, two walks, two HBP's), as the Power lead early, 6-0, behind Darren Ford (two-run HR), Lorenzo Cain (two doubles), Mat Gamel (3-for-3), and Mike Bell (triple). The game has been interrupted, however, as the Power's Hector Bernal, playing shortstop tonight, is laying on the field, his left leg in an air cast, as the trainers await an ambulance. He was injured while making the pivot on a double play -- hard to say if the sliding baserunner was the direct cause. Indications are that he suffered a broken leg. Bernal, just getting adjusted to Sally League play, was the Brewers 14th round pick this year out of El Paso Community College. Must be fifteen minutes now -- do they have ambulances in Charleston, South Carolina? The Power broadcast has actually gone to ESPN radio because the delay has been so lengthy.

Quick and different Chris Errecart Q&A on the Helena site: www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php

I'm told that pogokat is back from his world travels and pumped and jacked to chip in with some of the late-evening post-game updates. Thanks, kid! Until next time...

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 Thursday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_crdafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_grfrok_1

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Justin Lehr at home vs. Colorado Springs (Rockies), 6:40 PM pre-game, 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP Tim Dillard at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450radio.com/ West Virginia: RHP Will Inman at Charleston (Yankees), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: LHP Zach Braddock at Great Falls (White Sox), 7:45 PM pre-game; 8:00 gametime Audio (click on "Listen Live"): www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php Arizona Rookie: Idle

Manatees, Blue Jays postponed Thursday's Florida State League game between Brevard County and Dunedin was postponed due to rain. The Manatees and Blue Jays will make up the game as part of a doubleheader on Friday.

Huntsville Press Release: The Milwaukee Brewers have sent shortstop Ozzie Chavez from triple-A Nashville to Huntsville and placed infielder Milko Jaramillo on the disabled list, retroactive to July 25. Chavez will be in uniform Thursday night when the Stars meet the Birmingham Barons in the fourth of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. Chavez was promoted from Huntsville to Nashville on June 20 and batted .231 with one home run and six runs batted in over 78 at-bats in 24 games for the Sounds. The 22 year-old batted .254 with one home run and 21 runs driven in over 68 games for the Stars and had hit safely in each of his last four games before joining Nashville. Jaramillo is hitting .163 with one run batted in since joining Huntsville on May 31. No word on the nature of Jaramillo's injury -- Mass Haas

Huntsville Press Release: The Milwaukee Brewers have sent shortstop Ozzie Chavez from triple-A Nashville to Huntsville and placed infielder Milko Jaramillo on the disabled list, retroactive to July 25. Chavez will be in uniform Thursday night when the Stars meet the Birmingham Barons in the fourth of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. Chavez was promoted from Huntsville to Nashville on June 20 and batted .231 with one home run and six runs batted in over 78 at-bats in 24 games for the Sounds. The 22 year-old batted .254 with one home run and 21 runs driven in over 68 games for the Stars and had hit safely in each of his last four games before joining Nashville. Jaramillo is hitting .163 with one run batted in since joining Huntsville on May 31. No word on the nature of Jaramillo's injury -- Mass Haas

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Brewers Asst. GM Gord Ash (Part 1): www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-26.mp3 Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Brewers Asst. GM Gord Ash (Part 2): www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-27.mp3 Final: Nashville 2, Colorado Springs (Rockies) 1 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for new Carlos Villanueva photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2079 Villanueva Sharp Again In 2-1 Sounds Victory NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? Right-hander Carlos Villanueva earned his third win in four Nashville outings on Wednesday night in another one-run affair at Greer Stadium as the Sounds emerged on top for the second night in a row, beating the Colorado Springs, 2-1. With the victory, Nashville (58-47) won its sixth straight home game and improved to 11-5 in one-run contests at Greer. Villanueva (3-0) continued to dominate PCL hitters as he hurled seven innings of scoreless, four-hit baseball. In his second start as a Sound, the 22-year-old sent the Sky Sox back to the bench one after another and matched his season high by striking out eight batters. With his scoreless outing, he lowered his ERA from a minuscule 0.64 to an unbelievable 0.43 (1 ER / 21.0 IP) while pitching for Nashville. The Sounds struck first, plating a run in the home half of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Kennard Bibbs (2-for-4) started the Nashville offense off early with a leadoff double off Sky Sox starter Jose Acevedo. Brent Abernathy then put runners at the corners with a bunt base hit down the third-base line. Dave Krynzel grounded into a double play, allowing Bibbs to score from third to etch the first run of the game. Colorado Springs? first hit of the game came in the form of a double to left field off the bat of former Sound Carlos Rivera (Pirates' organization) in the top of the fourth inning. Rivera?s hit was the first hit allowed by Villanueva in 9 2/3 innings at Greer Stadium. The Sounds? offense struck again in the bottom of the fifth as they etched an insurance run with some help from Chris Barnwell. Barnwell reached base on a fielding error by Sky Sox third baseman Tommy Whiteman and advanced to second on a Villanueva sac bunt. With two outs in the frame, Bibbs followed with an amazing 10-pitch at-bat that culminated in a single to right field that gave Barnwell the chance to score from second. There was a play at home but the right fielder?s throw bounced just short of the plate and allowed Barnwell to slide safely into home, giving the Sounds a two-run cushion. AUDIO: Kennard Bibbs RBI Single -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-26.mp3 Barnwell was just added to the Sounds roster Wednesday and arrived at the ballpark within a couple hours of game time after being optioned back to Nashville after last night?s game in Milwaukee. Barnwell currently holds a .325 batting average, which leads the team. The Sounds brought in reliever Steve Bray and his seven-inning scoreless streak in the top of the eighth in relief of Villanueva. The Sky Sox broke Bray?s scoreless streak in his only inning of work. With two outs, Josh Wilson hit a solo home run to left, his fourth blast of the year, cutting the Sounds lead in half. After Colorado Springs put the leadoff man on base in the top of the ninth against Mitch Stetter, Sounds skipper Frank Kremblas summoned closer Alec Zumwalt from the bullpen who recorded three outs to pick up his team-leading 11th save of the year. Acevedo (5-7) hurled his sixth consecutive quality start but received the hard-luck loss, his seventh of the season. He allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits over his seven frames of work. The Sounds will face off against the Sky Sox for game three of the four-game series on Thursday night at Greer with the first pitch slated for 7 p.m. The Sounds will give Justin Lehr (3-3, 3.43) the starting nod and the Sky Sox will send Justin Hampson (4-3, 3.08) to the bump. ***Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Sounds hot at home Top Sky Sox, stretch winning streak at Greer Stadium to six By MIKE ORGAN Tennessean Staff Writer It's a good thing Greer Stadium has been good to the Sounds this season. That's because Nashville has just nine home games in August when the Pacific Coast League American North Division race with Iowa will heat up. The Sounds picked up another home win Wednesday night with a 2-1 victory over Colorado Springs. A crowd of 3,164 watched Nashville pitcher Carlos Villanueva stage his best performance of the season with eight strikeouts. He improved his record to 3-0. The right-hander allowed four hits through seven innings in his second start. Villanueva's ERA dropped to 0.43. He has allowed one earned run in 21 innings. Villanueva also struck out eight in three games for Double-A Huntsville this season. "It's been a combination of things that have worked for me,'' Villanueva said. "I don't throw in the high 90s, I'm not a blow-it-by-them kind of a guy. So I rely on my pitch in and out to keep him off balance.'' Wednesday's victory extended Nashville's home winning streak to six games. The Sounds improved to 34-20 at Greer Stadium. And while they've been tough to beat in Nashville, the Sounds have a losing record (24-27) on the road. Nashville (58-47) is four games ahead of Iowa (53-50). Fortunately for the Sounds, they won't have to travel to Iowa on any of the lengthy upcoming road trips. Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas said he is not surprised by the struggles his team has experienced away from Greer because of the number of young players he's had to rely on. "A lot of teams are similar to us, they play better at home than they do on the road,'' Kremblas said. "You look at the teams that play better than average on the road and you see they usually have older guys. "They're a little more used to the travel and that kind of thing. We have a fairly young team.'' Nashville took a 1-0 lead into the fifth inning when Kennard Bibbs hit the ball into right field, and Chris Barnwell scored from second. Colorado Springs catcher Chris Iannetta mishandled the throw at the plate. The Sky Sox scored in the eighth after Steve Bray replaced Villanueva on the mound for Nashville. Jayson Nix hit Bray's third pitch over the left field wall for a home run, trimming the score to 2-1. ***Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=51217 Villanueva, Bibbs come up big for Sounds By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent With Nashville and Colorado Springs locked in a pitchers? duel at Greer Stadium on Wednesday night, it was the Sounds? smallest player who tilted the scale in their favor. Kennard Bibbs, who is listed as 5-9, 149-pounds, collected two hits, a run and an RBI to lead Nashville to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Sky Sox. Bibbs was the difference in a game controlled by Nashville starter Carlos Villanueva and his Colorado Springs counterpart Jose Acevedo. Nashville got on the board in the first inning when Bibbs, who is not an everyday starter, hit a leadoff double and eventually scored from third after Dave Krynzel grounded into a double play. Bibbs added an RBI single in the fifth. ?The more pitches you see, the more comfortable you?re going to be in the box,? Bibbs said. ?I?ve been fortunate enough to get some consecutive games under my belt and I?m feeling pretty comfortable in the box.? Villanueva turned in another sparkling performance for the Sounds and has yet to allow a run at Greer this season. Villanueva threw six hitless innings in his first Nashville start on July 15. He followed that up by holding the Sky Sox hitless for three innings before surrendering a double to former Sound Carlos Rivera. In total Villanueva (3-0) went seven innings and allowed only four hits en route to lower his ERA to 0.43. He also matched his Sounds season-high with eight strikeouts. Villanueva bested Acevedo, who also threw well, going seven innings while giving up just two runs. ?I feel really comfortable here, the coaches [and teammates], it?s unbelievable. We?re a team,? Villanueva said. ?When you?re on a team [like this], it?s easy.? The only Sky Sox run of the game came in the eighth when Josh Wilson hit a solo homer off Sounds reliever Steve Bray. Alec Zumwalt picked up save his eleventh save for Nashville. Nashville?s lead in the Pacific Coast League American Northern Division stood at four games, with second-place Iowa playing a night game in Tucson. Sounds and Brewers extend agreement: The Nashville Sounds will remain the Triple A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers through 2010, it was announced Wednesday. Nashville became a Brewers affiliate last year and then won the Pacific Coast League title. The agreement means the Sounds will be a Brewers affiliate when Nashville?s new downtown ballpark, First Tennessee Field, opens in 2007. Barnwell rejoins Sounds: To make room for Chris Barnwell, who was optioned down by Milwaukee, Ozzie Chavez was sent to Double A Huntsville. Nashville Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

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Nashville updates later on. Thursday's Link Report kickoff later, too...

Final: Charleston (Yankees) 8, West Virginia 4 West Virginia Site Game Summary: RIVERDOGS DROP EIGHT STRAIGHT ON POWER The Charleston Riverdogs hit into five double plays, four of which were inning-enders, and they fell behind 4-0 after five innings against the Power on Wednesday night. None of that mattered after they scored seven runs in the eighth inning to beat the Power 8-4. The Power scored twice in the second inning to take an early lead. Kenny Holmberg doubled into right field and scored Ned Yost to put the Power ahead. Holmberg scored later in the inning on Michael Brantley?s bunt single. In the fifth Mike Bell knocked in Darren Ford on a sacrifice fly and Lorenzo Cain scored on Yost?s run-scoring single. The Riverdogs scored their first of eight straight runs in the sixth inning on a two-out RBI double from C.J. Henry. Down 4-1 entering the eighth inning, the Riverdogs scored seven times to take the lead and never looked back. Henry hit his second RBI double of the game to bring the Riverdogs within two. Eduardo Nunez followed with a game-tying two-run single. Nunez scored the go-ahead run on Joe Muich?s RBI single. The Riverdogs added a few more insurance runs on an RBI base hit from Tim Battle and a two-run single from Reegie Corona. Dan McCutchen (1-0) earned the victory, and Dane Renkert (5-5) got the loss. The Power are 53-48 overall and 14-18 in the second half after the loss while the Riverdogs improved to 53-50 overall and 15-18 in the second half after the win. The Power will finish the four game series against the Riverdogs at J.P. Riley Stadium on Thursday night. Left hander Zach Kroenke (5-5, 3.68) will make the start for Charleston and the Power will counter with right hander Will Inman (6-1, 1.33). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_crdafx_1

Final: Helena 7, Billings (Reds) 2 Helena Independent Record: Brewers end losing streak The Helena Brewers snapped a six-game losing streak Wednesday, when they upended the Pioneer League North Division-leading Billings Mustangs 7-2. The Brewers edged out to a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning before scoring two more runs in the fifth. Cole Gillespie hit an RBI single in the inning and Andy Bouchie stroked an RBI double in the frame. Bouchie had two hits and drove in a run, while Gillespie drove in two and had one hit on the evening. He also scored a run. Helena tallied another run in the sixth and two more in the ninth. Helena was agressive on the basepaths, stealing four bases on the night. Chuckie Caufield notched two steals. Helena also had solid pitching. Jose Beltre and Mike McClendon combined to hold Billings to three hits and one earned run over six innings. They also struck out five. McClendon picked up the win. Defensively the Brewers were flawless. They turned three double plays in the game. Helena will now play Great Falls in Great Falls tonight before returning home for a two-game set with the White Sox. Helena Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

Final: Dunedin (Blue Jays) 13, Brevard County 6 Brevard County Site Game Summary: Corrente, Jays ground Manatees David Corrente homered and drove in four runs as Dunedin rolled past visiting Brevard County, 13-6, on Wednesday. After Josh Kreuzer's two-run homer snapped a 6-6 tie in the fifth inning, Corrente hit an RBI double and added a solo homer in the seventh. The 22-year-old catcher, who went 3-for-4, also delivered a two-run double in a three-run eighth to cap the scoring. Starter Russ Savickas (4-1) worked five innings, yielding six runs -- one earned -- on eight hits with one strikeout and a walk. Cory Patton went 2-for-5 with an RBI double in the third and a leadoff homer by Eric Nielsen sparked a four-run fourth for the Blue Jays (18-16). After an RBI double by Scott Dragicevich and a run-scoring single by Juan Peralta, Aaron Mathews hit an RBI triple to forge the deadlock. Carlo Cota also drove in a run for Dunedin. Reliever Ben Stanczyk (7-3) surrendered three runs on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks over two frames in the four-game series opener. Brendan Katin, who leads the Florida State League with 30 two-baggers, went 2-for-4 with a three-run double in the third for the Manatees (13-19). Adam Heether and Ryan Crew also doubled in a run apiece. -- Marissa Rega/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score and Game Log Link: Ryan Crew continues to impress... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_dunafa_1

Final: Huntsville 8, Birmingham (White Sox) 1 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=939 Stars Keep Rolling Right Along Yovani Gallardo worked 6 2/3 solid innings and Jeff Eure belted a three-run home run to cap the scoring in Huntsville?s 8-1 win Wednesday night in the third of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars matched a season-high with their fourth straight win to improve to 15-18 in the second half and move to within four games of North Division leading Chattanooga, while the Barons slipped to 15-18 in the second half. Huntsville has held Birmingham to two runs or less in seven of the last eight meetings and pushed their record to 11-7 against the visitors. Lucas Harrell, making his second start at the double-A level, walked Travis Ezi and Callix Crabbe to open the home first and Steve Moss followed with a single to plate Ezi to give the Stars the early 1-0 edge. Brad Nelson walked to load the bases before Ron Acuna delivered Crabbe with a sacrifice fly to drive in his 39th run of the year and 16th against Birmingham. Ezi and Crabbe walked to open the fifth, advanced on a Harrell balk and scored on a double by Nelson that made it 4-0 Stars and knocked the right-hander out of the game. Ex-Barons catcher Carlos Lee singled with two outs against Dwayne Pollock to drive in Nelson to make it 5-0. Harrell suffered the loss after giving up four hits, walking seven and striking out a pair over 4 1/3 innings. Eure?s three-run blast, his 10th of the season, came off of Brian West in the seventh and gave him a team-high 42 runs batted in. The Stars have scored eight or more runs in five of their last six wins and eight of their last ten victories over the Barons. Huntsville won four straight games over Birmingham and Montgomery from April 14-17 and took four in a row from Mobile at the Joe April 23-25. Gallardo struck out Cory Aldridge with two runners on to end the third inning and fanned Michael Myers and Wally Rosa with two runners on to close the fourth inning. He gave up a lead off single to Myers in the seventh, fanned Rosa and Chris Getz and was taken out after 104 pitches. Matt Yeatman allowed back-to-back singles to Pedro Lopez and Ricardo Nanita that pushed across Myers with the Barons lone run. Gallardo earned his second win after allowing five hits, fanning eight and walking three. The Stars scored four runs in the right-hander?s first four starts, all Huntsville losses, and have tallied 17 times in his last two turns. The series continues Thursday night with right-hander Tim Dillard starting for Huntsville against Barons? left-hander Corwin Malone. 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. ***Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars whip up on Barons Huntsville cruises behind pitching of Gallardo By BRAD SHEPARD, For The Huntsville Times If only the Huntsville Stars could play every game against their fellow Alabama-based Southern Leaguers. The suddenly surging Stars beat up on Birmingham again Wednesday at Joe Davis Stadium for the third consecutive night, winning 8-1 for their fourth straight victory. So far this season, Huntsville - which is 39-63 overall - is 21-16 against in-state opponents, including an 11-7 record against the Barons. "We're just playing them one at a time," Stars manager Don Money said. "But if you look at our record, we're like 30 games under .500, and we're like 26 under against the top three teams in the league, Jacksonville, Chattanooga and West Tenn. "There's your under .500 record right there." Though Money's numbers are a little off, he's dead on in his assessment. Huntsville is 24 games under .500 and 7-33 against the Southern League's three elite teams. Luckily for the Stars, Birmingham isn't one of them. And Wednesday's starter, Yovani Gallardo, is looking like one of the top pitchers around. The 20-year-old right-hander entered the game 1-2 with an 0.59 earned run average, and he allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings. Already with a 2-0 lead, the Stars broke the game open with a three-run fifth inning that started with walks to Travis Ezi and Callix Crabbe. Brad Nelson made Birmingham pitcher Lucas Harrell pay for his lack of control, ripping a two-run double into the left-field corner. "With three walks tonight, I was just trying to get a good pitch in that situation," Nelson said. "I saw a pitch early on and fouled it off, but I got that one." After the Barons changed pitchers, Carlos Lee knocked in Nelson with a single to make it 5-0. All night, Huntsville turned walks into runs as five free-passes wound up on the scoreboard. "I thought a few weeks ago, we weren't taking advantage of situations when we had them," Money said. "Recently, we've been doing the small things, and they're showing up as Ws." Huntsville piled on in the seventh with a three-run homer by Jeff Eure, his 10th of the year. Guilder Rodriguez, who'd struggled all season with a .179 average, added three hits. It was only after Gallardo (2-2) was pulled after 104 pitches in the top of the seventh that Birmingham scored off Matt Yeatman. Still, Gallardo's fortunes appear to have changed. He's been terrific on the hill, but after getting just four runs of support in his first four starts, he's gotten 17 in his last two - both wins. "He's dominant," Nelson said of Gallardo. "I'm at first base, so I talk to other players. Just talking to other teams, they say there's just something about him that sticks out." Huntsville Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

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 Wednesday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Open the Nashville Gameday. For the others, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_dunafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_crdafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Carlos Villanueva at home vs. Colorado Springs (Rockies), 6:40 PM pre-game, 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP Yovani Gallardo at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450radio.com/ Brevard County: LHP Derek Miller at Dunedin (Blue Jays), 6:05 gametime; sorry, no audio for this series West Virginia: LHP Rafael Lluberes at Charleston (Yankees), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: RHP Jose Beltre at Billings (Reds), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Audio (click on "Listen Live"): www.helenabrewers.net/html2/index.php

Wednesday's Arizona Brewers at Arizona Cubs Rookie League Game was postponed by rain.

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Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Closer to the heart Valentine loves feeling he gets after saves, the latest after Stars' 4-2 win By MARK McCARTER Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com Nobody out, a two-run lead and runners on every base. It had to feel as claustrophobic as the middle seat in coach class on a cross-country flight. It had to be nerve-wracking, right? "I love it," said Joe Valentine, the Stars' newest reliever and the claustrophobic centerpiece. "It's the only thing I want to do is be a closer, be a late-inning guy. Here, and back in the big leagues. There is no greater feeling for me." Thirty-six times Valentine saved a game for the Birmingham Barons in 2002, a league record. On Tuesday, escaping a jam of his own creation, Valentine saved his first as a Huntsville Star, preserving a 4-2 victory over the '06 edition of the Barons. "This one was tough," said Valentine, who spent much of the past three years with the Cincinnati Reds. "A couple of things didn't go my way. But two-inning saves don't come around too often. Good, bad or ugly." Which was this? "This was somewhere in between. It was good. I got the job done. But I made that last inning a little longer than I wanted to." Valentine sandwiched a pair of walks around a single to load the bases, but got a pair of shallow popups and a strikeout of Mike Myers to end the game. As Huntsville won its third straight, contributions came from unusual sources. Travis Ezi, the 175-pound-dripping-wet outfielder, launched a two-run homer. It was the first homer of the season for Ezi, who came in batting .220, and only the 20th of his pro career. And Guilder Rodriguez doubled his season RBI total when he singled home a run in the second. Once again, Huntsville totalled 10 hits - its average in the past 12 games against Birmingham. Said manager Don Money, "We hit these guys pretty good for some reason. But they've got good pitching.'' So does Huntsville. Steve Hammond, in his sixth Huntsville start, ran his record to 3-2, allowing only three hits in seven innings, striking out nine. It was the fourth start in which the lefty allowed one run or fewer; this run was a two-out homer in the first by Ricardo Nanita. Singles by Jeff Eure and Ezi in the second led to G-Rod's RBI single, then Ezi homered with Carlos Lee aboard in the fourth. A passed ball and a Pedro Lopez laser right back at Valentine in the eighth conspired to put the Barons within one, at 3-2, before Callix Crabbe doubled and scored on a two-out swinging bunt by Ron Acuna in the ninth. Then Valentine - 1-0, one save, eight innings, one earned run, eight strikeouts in four Stars appearances - got out of trouble in the ninth. "It hasn't gone as planned," he said of his career that seemed on the fast-track after dominating the Southern League in 2002. "I'm here in Double-A for a reason, and I know that now. "I think I pressed too hard the last couple of years trying to pitch in the big leagues." "He's trying to get back," Money said, noting it's a matter of "getting down here and get your rhythm going."

Link for Tony Gwynn photo while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....002/SPORTS Theft report: Sounds No.1 'Everybody has the green light' for PCL leader that could set a team record By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer It's all about the numbers ? and the Nashville Sounds have been putting up some astounding ones this season. After Tuesday night's homestand opener against Colorado Springs, the Sounds were head-and-shoulders ahead of the rest of the Pacific Coast League in stolen bases with 152 ? 34 more than the No. 2 team, New Orleans, and on pace for a franchise record by season's end. While second-year Nashville manager Frank Kremblas, hoping to substitute speed for power, has signed off on the relay team, the results have been in the hands of the players. Six current or former Sounds have already reached double-digit steal totals. Three others have had at least seven. "On this team, everybody has the green light," said veteran infielder Jermaine Clark, who is tops on the Sounds with 26 stolen bases. "That's something that's kind of new. Most teams I've played for, the top-of-the-order and bottom-of-the-order guys have the green light. "What's good about Frank is, even when you do run into a bad play, make a bad decision, he doesn't scold you about it. He knows and you know it's a bad decision, and you shouldn't do it next time. It's really relaxed to run with him and that makes it easier to steal bases." Clark has been Nashville's most prolific basestealer, but he's hardly the only one. All-Star outfielders Tony Gwynn (since promoted to the Milwaukee Brewers) and Nelson Cruz have 24 and 17, respectively, with Dave Krynzel adding another 19. "I played for Frank in 2004. It's nothing new to me," said Gwynn, who stole 35 bases at Class AA Huntsville two years ago. "I knew when I was with him again I'd get the chance to run, and we've done that." Turn it loose Many teams and managers say they want to run. Not so many back up the lip service by giving such freedom up and down the batting order. "It keeps everybody involved in the game," said Sounds hitting coach Gary Pettis, a five-time AL Gold Glove winner who also stole 354 bases in 11 major league seasons. "When you reach first base, your job isn't done. You don't just sit there and wait for a guy to hit a ball in the gap to score you. If you can get into scoring position, whether it be by a stolen base or just if you're ready to steal a base, you can get there on a ball in the dirt, too." The green light approach for baserunners is equal to the philosophy some managers have with hitters on a 3-ball, 0-strike count ? turning you loose isn't a edict to swing, or run. "It has something to do with being comfortable going," said Clark, who has stolen 20 or more bases in eight of his 10 professional seasons. "I'm just waiting on counts that dictate it, or if a pitcher doesn't care. Some of these veteran pitchers just don't care. That's something they would rather not worry about. They feel holding runners takes away from their stuff. They'll let you steal second and third and just worry about the hitter. So that being said, if you feel that way, I'll take second and third on you." "For (Kremblas), it's just more of him wanting you to run," Gwynn said. "He doesn't care how you do it ? doesn't care about your stance, your jumps. He just wants you to get a good jump and get to second base or get to third base. "It makes my job a lot easier, for sure. You're not looking over your shoulder to see if, when you do get thrown out, if it's a big deal. Frank doesn't care." Make 'em sweat As expected, the increased running game ? Nashville stole 174 bases last season ? has increased the pressure on opposing defenses. "We've gotten a lot of stolen bases with errors added to them where we've gotten to the next base," Gwynn said. "We end up scoring runs like that." And for a team that's 14th in the PCL with 71 home runs, scoring runs in alternative fashions is important. "We've got to find other ways to put runs on the board, and speed is our next option," Gwynn said. "With Frank, once you get on base, anything can happen. There have been times when it hasn't worked out, where we've been thrown out or it looks like we're running into outs in certain occasions. But in the end, the percentages are in our favor when we're trying to get the next base. As long as we continue to get on base, we're going to continue to keep pushing the envelope and making the defense make plays." Just the threat of the stolen base creates opportunities for an offense by putting defenses at disadvantages. "Now the defense has to play in a position where they can cover the bag, which opens up another hole for the hitter," Pettis said. "Or the catcher now feels like the pitcher has to throw more fastballs because now if he throws a breaking ball, he doesn't have a chance, which gives the hitter another advantage. If he can hit fastballs instead of breaking balls, it's better for the hitter, also." Have no fear By Kremblas' standards, the power of positive thinking is important in the stolen-base equation. "To me, if you're afraid of getting picked off, you're not going to be a good basestealer," he said. Your concern can't be going back. Your concern has to be going forward, so you can get your good jumps." It's easy to understand the apprehension a baserunner might have, though. Any fan that's seen a player get picked off first base after leaning the wrong way on a pitcher's first move can empathize with that long walk back to the dugout. "The biggest thing is that guys are willing to do it," Pettis said. "There's always a risk and reward factor." Clark agrees with Kremblas in that thinking positively is the key. "I know a lot of people think basestealers never go through a mindset of 'I don't want to get thrown out,' " he said. "I've been playing for nine years, and every time I go out there I don't want to get thrown out. You just have to go. It sounds so crazy, but you just have to run. "If you start second-guessing yourself, you'll start not going and balls will be thrown in the dirt. It'll be a ball off the catcher's mitt when you don't go, and then you get really frustrated. You just have to say to yourself, 'Go.' " When to go Different players take different approaches when they attempt to steal a base. But the process boils down to whether the baserunner can get to the next base before the pitcher delivers the ball and the catcher can catch it and throw to said base. "Certain guys say 'I'm keying this, I'm keying that,' " Clark said. "I just ask for the time." Most first-base coaches put a stopwatch on every pitch to figure how quick the pitcher is to the plate ? usually around 1.3 seconds. They typically also time a catcher's throw to second between innings, around 2.2 seconds. "Then you take your time from home to first," Clark said. "That should be, for a guy like myself, 4.0-4.2. But when we're (attempting a steal), we don't have to swing the bat and we have a 13- to 15-foot lead. "If he's a 1.25 and above, I'm going to give it a go. If he's a 1.25 or below, I'm not that fast. I'm looking for a time, and I'm looking at his front foot. When he picks that front foot up, I'm leaving. "I've had several coaches say look at the shoulders, look at the back of the knee, but honestly, I wasn't good enough to work that into my bag of tricks. Some people say they turn their shoulder before they move their front foot. That could be true, but I don't know because I don't look at that. "All I know is, if I'm looking at their shoulders and they go to pick off, the feet are going to move to me before the shoulders. There are people that would probably prove me wrong, and that's fine, but I've been semi-successful with the way I've done it from high school all the way up to this level, so far." While Clark focuses on one specific body part, Gwynn takes it all in. "I'm just trying to see if he does anything different," he said. "He might lean forward when he's going to the plate, he might lean backward when he's coming to first base. I'm looking for things like that. When I can feel him leaning or getting ready to go to the plate, I'm off." Knowing times is important, but knowing tendencies is a factor as well. "We have guys that steal bases, and they're not the fastest guys," Pettis said. "But it's reading the pitcher, picking the right pitch, paying attention to the pitch sequences. That's probably one of the most important things. If you're a guy that doesn't have a lot of speed, but you have an idea they're about to throw a breaking ball, that gives you a few extra seconds to get down there." Fun to run Although it's unlikely any Nashville player will challenge the Sounds' individual single-season record of 74 steals set by Otis Nixon in 1981, the team would almost have to stop running for the franchise mark of 205 ? also set in '81 ? to survive. "A guy that hits .300 in this lineup and can run, can steal 70 bases," Clark said. "With the freedom Frank gives you, you can steal 70. Would it be hard? (Darn) right it would be hard. But it's something that could be done because of the freedom he gives us. "Early on, I set my goals for 50 ? but I was hot. Things change. Half the battle of stealing bases is being on first base. If I could steal myself 40 to 50, I'd be more than happy with that." "It's easier for guys like us to run when you've got a manager like Frank," Gwynn said. "You can rely on your instincts, as opposed to having to wait and see what he wants you to do. When you have a manager that wants you to run, it makes things a little easier."