Jim Goulart

I should be able to go through and update all the links for the alumni this week -- still owe you a bunch of indy ball links, too...

Always nice to see a former Brewer farmhand re-join affiliated ball after toughing it out on the independent league circuit: SCHAUMBURG, IL ? For the second time in as many weeks one of the Schaumburg Flyers starters has been picked up by a major league organization. Flyers starting pitcher Kenny Durost?s contract was bought by the Oakland A?s earlier this week. Kenny?s first stop in the Oakland organization will be at high Class A Stockton of the California League. This year for the Flyers Durost went 3-1in seven starts with a 2.03 ERA. He led the team in strikeouts with 43 and was the second highest ranked pitcher in the Northern League, leading the league in strikeouts. Durost came to the Flyers after a three year run in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, most recently with the Brevard County Manatees. He was a 28th round selection in the 2003 draft by the Brewers. Durost was the second Flyers starter to be picked up by an affiliated club, R.J. Swindle was picked up by the Yankee?s organization earlier this season. http://www.flyersbaseball.com/admin/team_news/images/Kenny_Durost.jpg

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/200607041/ Tourists manager won't be empty-handed Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Asheville Tourists Manager Joe Mikulik knows what awaits him today. "I'm ready for it," Mikulik said. It is the verbal onslaught launched by West Virginia Power fans and orchestrated by Rod Blackstone, their creative ringleader who is known as "Toastman." Mikulik undoubtedly will be their main target in the series opener between Asheville and West Virginia at 5:05 p.m. today because it marks his return from a seven-game suspension, which South Atlantic League officials imposed after a temper tantrum that made ESPN SportsCenter highlights. "I have something for him, too," Mikulik said of Blackstone, who is known around the league for his well-researched cheers and jeers. "I'm not coming up there empty-handed." Blackstone doesn't bother Mikulik, but he once did. "He will be ragging on me and he will be ragging on our hitters and pitchers," Mikulik said. "He comes up with stuff from every angle. At first, he got me mad. I was like, ?Who is this guy? Get a job. Get a life.' But I met him and got to know him. I know it's all in good fun. "I think it's a good thing for your team and your fans up there. I respect him. He respects everyone. If you don't know him, you probably think he's a bad guy, but he isn't. If you get to know him, he's a good guy." The same can be said about Mikulik, who normally isn't the hot-head millions of people saw on television the past week. "He's a great guy," Power General Manager Andy Milovich said. Milovich said his club has no plans for Mikulik-related promotions during the teams' four-game series at Appalachian Power Park. "I'm sure the fans will take care of it," Milovich said. Mikulik, who estimates he has been ejected about 25 times from 985 games in his seven seasons as the Tourists' manager, is ready to return. "It's hard to watch the games from the sides," said Mikulik, who was allowed to be on the field during pre-game but not in the dugout during games while serving the suspension. "I'm looking forward to getting back into the dugout and helping the team, although they have been playing well without me." The Tourists were 6-1 while managed by Rockies roving hitting instructor Jim Johnson. In addition to the suspension, Mikulik received a $1,000 fine. The incident occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning during the June 25 game between Asheville and Lexington, a 5-2 winner that day. Tourists pitcher Brandon Durden tried to pick off Legends runner Koby Clemens from second base. Base umpire Andy Russell called Clemens safe, causing Mikulik to charge onto the field from the visiting dugout. Russell ejected Mikulik, who immediately hurled his baseball cap to his right in response to the heave-ho. Mikulik then engaged in a nose-to-nose exchange with Russell behind the pitcher's mound, his hands on his hips, his head shaking as he screamed. Mikulik stopped yelling and sprinted toward second base, then dove toward the bag. When he stood up, he took the base out of the ground. Holding onto it with his right hand and pointing at it with his left hand, Mikulik ran toward Russell with the base -- screaming the entire time, of course -- for another nose-to-nose exchange before he flung it toward right field. He also hurled a rosin bag toward the bullpen. Mikulik then turned his attention to home plate umpire Steve Barga. Unhappy with the way he had called balls and strikes in that game, Mikulik kicked dirt toward Barga. Mikulik then kicked enough dirt on home plate to cover it. He finally retreated to the visiting dugout, although he wasn't done with his tirade. Standing inside the dugout, he tossed four bats onto the field. Mikulik started walking from the dugout to the clubhouse but stopped at home plate with a bottle of water. He squirted water on the plate to clean off the dirt he had kicked onto it. Mikulik then screamed at Barga in an unsuccessful attempt to get his attention. Next, Mikulik squatted in a catcher's stance and acted like an umpire calling a strike, then spiked the bottle of water and engaged in another nose-to-nose exchange with Barga. That ended the temper tantrum by Mikulik, who retired to the clubhouse. Well, almost. According to the Associated Press, Mikulik pushed a couple of water coolers, a chair and a batting practice screen in front of the umpires' locker room in the clubhouse. The Colorado Rockies, the Tourists' parent club and Mikulik's employer, issued a gag order to keep him from talking to the media about the incident. However, he has spoken to the Asheville Citizen-Times about it. "I have remorse for what I did," Mikulik told the North Carolina newspaper. "When I put the uniform on, I'm a competitive guy and I just took it too far." His players couldn't contain their laughter throughout the incident. "I was almost on my knees laughing so hard," said Tourists outfielder Daniel Carte, the former Hurricane High School star who will make his return to the Kanawha Valley today. "It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen."

Standings through Monday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 43 40 .518 - 28-19 15-21 L1[/b] Iowa 39 44 .470 4.0 20-19 19-25 L3 Memphis 36 47 .434 7.0 18-23 18-24 W3 Omaha 33 51 .393 10.5 19-20 14-31 W3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 9 6 .600 - 6-4 3-2 L1 West Tenn 9 6 .600 - 4-1 5-5 W4 Tennessee 9 6 .600 - 4-1 5-5 W1 Carolina 7 8 .467 2.0 5-5 2-3 L1 [b]Huntsville 5 10 .333 4.0 3-7 2-3 L4[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 9 1 .900 - 5-0 4-1 W9 Daytona 8 2 .800 1.0 4-2 4-0 W6 Palm Beach 5 6 .455 4.5 3-1 2-5 L2 [b]Brevard County 3 6 .333 5.5 2-3 1-3 L3[/b] Jupiter 3 8 .273 6.5 3-4 0-4 W2 Vero Beach 3 8 .273 6.5 0-4 3-4 L6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lakewood 8 4 .667 - 4-1 4-3 W1 [b]West Virginia 6 5 .545 1.5 3-0 3-5 W1[/b] Greensboro 6 6 .500 2.0 2-2 4-4 L1 Lake County 6 6 .500 2.0 3-2 3-4 L1 Hagerstown 5 6 .455 2.5 4-5 1-1 W3 Hickory 5 7 .417 3.0 4-4 1-3 L1 Delmarva 4 7 .364 3.5 2-2 2-5 L3 Lexington 3 9 .250 5.0 2-2 1-7 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 9 5 .643 - 5-2 4-3 W1 Great Falls 8 6 .571 1.0 3-4 5-2 L1 Missoula 6 8 .429 3.0 3-4 3-4 L1 [b]Helena 5 9 .357 4.0 2-5 3-4 W1[/b] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Giants 8 2 .800 - 3-2 5-0 L1 AZL Mariners 7 3 .700 1.0 3-1 4-2 W3 AZL Royals 6 4 .600 2.0 3-3 3-1 W1 AZL Padres 5 4 .556 2.5 2-2 3-2 W2 AZL Rangers 5 5 .500 3.0 2-3 3-2 L2 AZL Angels 4 6 .400 4.0 2-4 2-2 W1 AZL Athletics 4 6 .400 4.0 2-2 2-4 L1 [b]AZL Brewers 3 6 .333 4.5 2-3 1-3 L2[/b] AZL Cubs 2 8 .200 6.0 0-5 2-3 W1

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". Activate the Nashville Gameday. For the other links, 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. It's sweet! Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_mrbaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_biraax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_dbcafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_grfrok_1 Arizona: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_giarok_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

Tuesday's Daily Menu: It's a backyard feast! Happy Holiday to all from everyone here at Brewerfan... All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Justin Lehr at Memphis (Cardinals), 6:20 PM pre-game, 6:40 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP Travis Phelps at Birmingham (White Sox), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450radio.com/ Brevard County: LHP Manny Parra at Daytona (Cubs), 6:05 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.daytonacubs.com/ West Virginia: LHP Rafael Lluberes at home vs. Asheville (Rockies), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: RHP Jose Beltre 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: TBD at the not-so-giant Giants, 12:30 PM Central time, 10:30 AM local, never any web audio for the Arizona League

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Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Round Rock pounds Sarfate, holds on to defeat Nashville Sounds fail to rally with runners on base By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer The struggle continues for Dennis Sarfate. After going 6-1 through his first 14 starts, the Nashville Sounds right-hander lost his third consecutive outing Monday, allowing 11 hits to visiting Round Rock in four innings of an eventual 6-4 defeat. Sarfate's earned run average over his last three starts ballooned to 11.25 (15 earned runs, 12 innings). It wasn't walks that were Sarfate's undoing, as might be expected, considering he went into Monday's play as the Pacific Coast League leader in that category. Sarfate issued just one free pass, giving him 60 for the year, but that runner was erased when he caught a Royce Huffman line drive to start a double play and end the second inning. "He's throwing too many strikes," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said after Sarfate's outing, in which 44 of his 68 pitches were for strikes. "His command is getting better; now he has to learn to command the strike zone. "He's throwing strikes, but they're not necessarily quality strikes. They're not quality pitches. They're up in the zone. He's throwing too good of pitches. But he'll make the adjustment. You're always going to have a couple of blips during the year." Scoring in each of their first four innings, the visiting Express took a 6-0 lead that was just enough of a cushion. The Nashville relief corps allowed just one hit over its five innings, giving the offense a chance to make a game of it. But the Sounds were hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position, scoring on groundouts in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings after Jermaine Clark's solo home run in the fourth. "The bullpen did well, threw up some zeroes while we were trying to make a comeback," Kremblas said. "We had some pretty good at-bats; if we get a couple of two-out hits with runners in scoring position, we're alright. We just couldn't get that hit." The loss concluded Nashville's first losing homestand of the season, as the Sounds won just one game against Round Rock and one against Memphis. Previously, Nashville had won four of five homestands and split one. What they said: "I'm not too concerned. There's always going to be a little funk. We've got to work through it. We've got six games before the all-star break, and we'll see where we're at after that, come back from the break and go from there." ? Kremblas. ***Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS PCL selects Cruz for HR contest By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Sounds outfielder Nelson Cruz is one of three players who will represent the Pacific Coast League in next week's home run derby as part of the Triple-A All-Star Game festivities in Toledo, Ohio. "It's kinda cool that they think about you like a power guy," said Cruz, who will be joined by Round Rock outfielder Luke Scott and Portland third baseman Justin Leone on the PCL home run team. Cruz headed into Monday night's game with 15 homers, tied for fifth in the league and trailing league leader Scott by four. Leone took 12 home runs into Monday's play. The host International League will be represented by Durham first baseman Kevin Witt ? who is tied for the minor league lead with 22 homers ? Toledo outfielder Ryan Ludwick (14) and Buffalo third baseman Andy Marte (13). Cruz, who teamed with fellow Dominicans Wily Mo Pena and Willie Otanez to win a home run derby competition in Puerto Rico during winter ball last season, said he doesn't change anything in his approach. "You just try to get the same swings and try to launch a couple of balls," he said. Schedule changes: The Sounds will play a rare six-game series at Oklahoma later this month, with a suspended game to be concluded and a rained-out game to be made up during the July 21-24 set. The first doubleheader is scheduled for the opening day of the series, with the first game a completion of an April 24 game that was suspended in Oklahoma City due to rain. That game, a nine-inning contest, will be followed by a seven-inning game. A twinbill is also set for July 23, with the first game a makeup of a June 18 Greer Stadium rainout. The Sounds will be the official home team for that seven-inning contest, which will be followed by a second seven-inning game in which the RedHawks will be the home team. Familiarity breeds contempt: The same three-man umpiring crew for the series with Round Rock ? Kevin Sweeney, Jason Kiser and Delfin Colon ? will accompany the Sounds to Memphis for this week's series at AutoZone Park. Double threat: Chris Sampson, who started Monday's game for Round Rock, has successfully made the transition from position player to pitcher and overcome a three-year layoff at the same time. Originally drafted by the Astros in the eighth round of the 1999 draft as a shortstop out of Texas Tech, Sampson batted .239 with 21 stolen bases in 53 games for Auburn in the New York-Penn (short-season Class A) League ? then left the game for personal reasons. Returning in 2003 as a pitcher, Sampson was 16-27 with a 3.07 ERA through his first three minor league seasons before winning 9 of his 10 decisions with Round Rock thus far. Additionally, he took a .480 (12-25) batting average into Monday's contest, with a pair of multi-hit games.

Nashville Site: WINKELSAS HANGS ?EM UP: Sounds reliever Joe Winkelsas announced his retirement prior to the game. The 32-year-old right-hander took a loss in his final Nashville appearance on Saturday evening after surrendering three runs in the ninth inning of a 3-2 defeat. Winkelsas opened the season at Double-A Huntsville before earning a late May promotion to Milwaukee, where he posted an 0-1 record and 7.71 ERA in seven relief outings. He went 1-3 with one save and a 5.06 ERA (6 ER / 10.2 IP) in six relief appearances for the Sounds, taking losses in three of his final four appearances. From the Tennessean: Nashville reliever Joe Winkelsas announced his retirement prior to Monday's game. Still affected by a neck injury that required surgery in 2002, the Buffalo, N.Y., resident is ending his playing career after 11 seasons ? and seven relief appearances with the Brewers this year, in which he went 0-1 with a 7.71 earned run average. "I made it to the big leagues, which was a dream come true," said Winkelsas, who, in his only other major league appearance, threw one-third of an inning in relief for the Braves in 1999. "I'm at peace with it; I have contentment with what I've done. It was a great ride." Winkelsas, who was 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA and a save in six appearances with the Sounds, aspires to stay in the game as a pitching coach. "I'd like to get a pitching coach job as soon as possible," the 32-year-old said. "You don't want to be out for too long." ***If you had heard any of his interviews with the Sounds' Chuck Valenches or the Brewers' Jim Powell -- I imagine Brett Pollock must have had Joe on-air as well in Huntsville, you knew Winkelsas was very unique, as was this decision as well. Good luck in life, Joe...

Nashville Site: WINKELSAS HANGS ?EM UP: Sounds reliever Joe Winkelsas announced his retirement prior to the game. The 32-year-old right-hander took a loss in his final Nashville appearance on Saturday evening after surrendering three runs in the ninth inning of a 3-2 defeat. Winkelsas opened the season at Double-A Huntsville before earning a late May promotion to Milwaukee, where he posted an 0-1 record and 7.71 ERA in seven relief outings. He went 1-3 with one save and a 5.06 ERA (6 ER / 10.2 IP) in six relief appearances for the Sounds, taking losses in three of his final four appearances. From the Tennessean: Nashville reliever Joe Winkelsas announced his retirement prior to Monday's game. Still affected by a neck injury that required surgery in 2002, the Buffalo, N.Y., resident is ending his playing career after 11 seasons ? and seven relief appearances with the Brewers this year, in which he went 0-1 with a 7.71 earned run average. "I made it to the big leagues, which was a dream come true," said Winkelsas, who, in his only other major league appearance, threw one-third of an inning in relief for the Braves in 1999. "I'm at peace with it; I have contentment with what I've done. It was a great ride." Winkelsas, who was 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA and a save in six appearances with the Sounds, aspires to stay in the game as a pitching coach. "I'd like to get a pitching coach job as soon as possible," the 32-year-old said. "You don't want to be out for too long." ***If you had heard any of his interviews with the Sounds' Chuck Valenches or the Brewers' Jim Powell -- I imagine Brett Pollock must have had Joe on-air as well in Huntsville, you knew Winkelsas was very unique, as was this decision as well. Good luck in life, Joe...

Final: Round Rock (Astros) 6, Nashville 4 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Dennis Sarfate in holiday jersey photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2036 NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Nashville Sounds took a loss in the finale of their eight-game homestand on Monday evening, falling 6-4 to the Round Rock Express in front of 9,963 fans at Greer Stadium. With the loss, Nashville (43-40) dropped its second consecutive home series and finished with just two wins in eight games on the homestand, the Sounds? first with a losing record this season. Round Rock (52-32) upped its PCL-leading record to a season-best 20 games over .500. Sounds starter Dennis Sarfate (6-5) continued his recent struggles and took his third consecutive loss after giving up six runs (five earned) on 11 hits over four innings of work. The right-hander?s ERA in his last three outings sits at 11.25 (15 ER / 12.0 IP). The Nashville offense also continued its recent struggles, especially in the clutch. Sounds hitters combined for an 0-for-10 night with runners in scoring position, failing to cash in on several scoring opportunities in the late innings. Round Rock plated two runs in each of the first two frames against Sarfate before shortstop Cody Ransom upped the lead to 5-0 in the third with a two-out solo homer to left, his eighth roundtripper of the season. Express third baseman Joe McEwing, who paced Round Rock with a 4-for-5 evening, increased the visitors? lead to 6-0 with an RBI single in the fourth, Sarfate?s final inning of work. Following Sarfate?s departure, a pair of Nashville relievers combined to hold the Express in check, allowing only one hit the rest of the way. Mike Meyers worked three hitless innings with five strikeouts and was followed by Wilton Chavez, who posted two scoreless frames. Sounds third baseman Jermaine Clark (3-for-4, three runs scored) put the home team on the board in the bottom of the fourth with an opposite-field solo homer to right off Express starter Chris Sampson. The blast was the infielder?s second of the year. Clark scored the second Nashville run of the game in the sixth after singling with one out, moving to third on a Graham Koonce double, and scoring on Nelson Cruz?s RBI groundout. AUDIO: Graham Koonce's 2nd 2B Of Night -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%207-3.wma Nashville made it a 6-3 contest in the seventh when Dave Krynzel scored on a groundout from pinch-hitter Mike Rivera. The Sounds put runners on second and third with none out in the eighth against Express reliever Mike Gallo but only plated one run in the frame on their third groundball RBI of the night as Clark raced home on a Brent Abernathy ball to second. Sampson (10-1) became the Pacific Coast League?s second double-digit winner this season by holding the Sounds to two runs on four hits over six innings of work. Roberto Giron worked a scoreless ninth for the Express to pick up his ninth save of the year and second of the series. The Sounds travel across the state to Memphis Monday to begin a three-game series against the division-rival Redbirds at AutoZone Park. Right-hander Justin Lehr (1-3, 3.89) will start the 6:40 p.m. opener for Nashville and face Memphis southpaw Chris Narveson (3-1, 2.57). Nashville Box Score and Game Log Link: Like the rest of the team, Tony Gwynn slowing down (now at .304); Nelson Cruz with eight outfield errors now... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Hitting Coach Gary Pettis: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%207-3.wma

Final: West Tenn (Cubs) 6, Huntsville 2 Seriously, the Stars would be better off if Tim Dillard was their DH during their his off days... Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=904 Moore and Gallagher Lead Jaxx Past Stars Scott Moore hit a home run and knocked in a pair of runs to back the solid pitching of Sean Gallagher in West Tenn?s 6-2 win over Huntsville Monday night in the final game of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Diamond Jaxx won the last four contests to improve to 9-6 in the second half, while the Stars dropped to 5-10 in the second half and fell for a thirteenth time in 15 home meetings with the visitors. Huntsville has won four of its last 28 games at home and dropped to 13-31 at the Joe. The Diamond Jaxx jumped on Jorge De La Rosa for two runs in the first inning on a Brian Doparik ground ball out and a two-out single by Miguel Negron, who has driven in 14 of his 16 runs against the Stars. Chris Walker's two-out single in the third inning pushed the visitors lead to 3-0. Moore led off the fourth inning with a home run, his 14th of the season and fourth against the Stars. Walker delivered another run-scoring single with two outs to make it 5-0 and knock De La Rosa out of the game. The Brewers lefty, who blanked West Tenn on one hit over four frames on Thursday in his first rehab start, allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings to take the loss. Walker would finish with three hits, three stolen bases, two runs batted in and a run scored to celebrate his 26th birthday. Tim Dillard took over for De La Rosa and allowed a run in the sixth on a two-out double by Moore, who has knocked in 16 of his 45 runs against Stars pitching. The Huntsville right-hander blanked the visitors the rest of the way on one hit and retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced in his second appearance in relief. The Stars only two runs came in the fifth against Gallagher when Guilder Rodriguez walked, moved to third on a Dillard single and scored on a Steve Moss fly ball. Dillard advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Callix Crabbe ground out. Gallagher earned his third win in four starts at the double-A level, and second over the Stars, after yielding four hits and walking two. Andy Shipman retired all six hitters he faced on 14 pitches and Federico Baez retired the side in order in the ninth inning with 10 pitches. The Stars open a five-game series Tuesday night in Birmingham with right-hander Travis Phelps taking the hill against Barons? left-hander Ryan Rodriguez. Coverage of the game begins at 5:50 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 Unfortunately for Huntsville, Diamond Jaxx enjoy their visit West Tenn leaves with fourth straight victory By PAUL GATTIS Huntsville Times Sports Staff, paul.gattis@htimes.com Chris Walker even admitted it. Leaving Huntsville is going to be sad. "I really am," said the West Tenn leadoff hitter as he walked off the field at Joe Davis Stadium for the final time this season. Who can blame him? If he played Don Money's Stars every game, Walker would be in the majors with the Chicago Cubs instead of riding buses in the Southern League with the Diamond Jaxx. He struck again Monday night, going 3-for-5 with a run scored, two RBIs and three stolen bases as the D-Jaxx won their fourth straight with a 6-2 victory before an announced crowd of 6,313. This is how Walker spent the past five days in the Rocket City: In 22 at-bats, Walker had eight hits (a .363 average), scored four runs, knocked in two runs and stole eight bases. And that's in addition to chasing down everything airborne in center field. Just consider this fact: In all games this season excluding those against the Stars, Walker is hitting .270. But in 19 games against the Stars, Walker is hitting .403. "Wow," Walker said with a laugh. "I didn't realize that. I just get really jacked up when I play these guys. I know a lot of them. I talk to Lou (Palmisano, the Stars' catcher) every time I come up to bat. I always talk trash to him." By the time the series ended Monday night, Palmisano perhaps should have just been waving a white flag. Of course, Walker had ample help last night and throughout the series. Scott Moore hit a solo homer - his 14th of the season and his second of the series - and drove in two runs while Carlos Rojas was 3-for-4 with two runs scored. And Sean Gallagher (3-1) pitched six strong innings, allowing two runs on four hits while the tandem of Andy Shipman and Federico Baez pitched three hitless innings of relief. But Walker is the catalyst who came into the game 10th in the league in hitting, sixth in runs scored and first in stolen bases. "(West Tenn manager) Pat Listach and (hitting coach) Tom Beyers tell me that when I get on base, the game changes," Walker said. The first inning was a classic example. Walker led off the game with a single, stole second and third and scored on a groundout by Brian Dopirak. Walker then singled in runs in his next two at-bats. As for the Stars, the misery continues. Not even Jorge De La Rosa (0-1), a Milwaukee Brewers reliever making a rehab start as he recovers from a finger blister, could help. He gave up seven hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings as the Stars fell behind 6-0 before they scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth. And both of those runs came when outs were made. Guilder Rodriguez walked and scored when Steve Moss hit a sacrifice fly. And relief pitcher Tim Dillard singled, moved from first to third on a Gallagher wild pitch and scored on a Callix Crabbe groundout. The Stars closed the 10-game homestand with a 3-7 record and lost the last four. For the season, the Stars are 13-31 at home. Who knows? As sad as Walker was to leave town, the Stars may be just as happy. Huntsville Box Score and Game Log Link: Yawn... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Monday's Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Chat with Strength and Conditioning Coach Eric McMahon (Select date for July 3nd, skip to the 14:00 minute mark): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp Catch Jose Romero's memorable H-Crew debut at the two-hour, 56-minute mark (new fact -- they say the southpaw is actually ambidextrous - seriously!) Romero's probably much shorter than his listed 6'0" as well, stout, too, according to voice of the H-Crew Steve Wendt...

Final: Helena 6, Great Falls (White Sox) 1 Brewers strike out 12 times, but that's negated by key two-out RBI, clean fielding, and sterling pitching... MiLB.com Game Summary: Chapman, Brewers topple Sox Stephen Chapman went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored to lead visiting Helena over Great Falls, 6-1, on Monday. Chapman had an RBI triple in the fourth inning and added run-scoring singles in the fifth and ninth. He boosted his average back to .365 after going 1-for-7 in his previous two games. Chris Jean (1-0) got the win for the Brewers (5-9), allowing one run on five hits while striking out three and walking one in five innings. Jose Romero picked up his first save, striking out two in the ninth. Lee Cruz went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Great Falls. Tyson Corley (0-2) took the loss for the White Sox (8-6), allowing two runs on two hits while striking out one and walking three in one inning. Great Falls used six pitchers. Starter Kyle McCulloch, the Chicago White Sox' # 1 pick in the June draft, went four innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out one and walking one.-- Josh Cooper/MLB.com Helena Box Score and Game Log Link: Stephen Chapman moved into the # 3 spot in the lineup; J.R. Hopf 0-for-5, four K's; Chris Jean and Mike McClendon just fine; the Jose Romero era begins in Helena begins as advertised -- he comes in with the bases loaded and no one out in the 9th: pop out, strike out, strike out! I have convinced myself Jose Romero is Francisco Liriano in three years http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif . www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_grfrok_1

Final: Daytona (Cubs) 11, Brevard County 7 Despite the final score, Tomo Ohka was A-OK... Brevard County Site Game Summary: Muyco sparks Cubs win Jake Muyco hit a grand slam and Matt Craig went 3-for-5 with four RBIs as Daytona rallied past visiting Brevard County, 11-7, on Monday. The Cubs (7-2) were down, 5-1, in the sixth inning when Muyco forged a tie with his first homer of the year off reliever Robert Hinton. Down, 7-6, in the eighth, Dayton rallied again as Jaemel Spearman delivered an RBI single and Craig came through with a three-run triple. Spearman went 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored. Reliever Tim Layden (4-1) pitched a perfect eighth for the win and Paul Schappert tossed a scoreless ninth. Brendan Katin went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs and Hernan Iribarren added three hits and three RBIs for the Manatees (3-5). Right-hander Tomo Ohka made his first rehab start as he recovers from a partially torn rotator cuff. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing an unearned run on six hits while striking out five for Brevard County. Josh Alliston (0-2) suffered the loss, giving up four runs on two hits, three walks and one wild pitch while retiring two batters. -- Michael Echan/MLB.com Link while active, text follows: www.news-journalonline.co...070406.htm Cubs rally, top Manatees By KEN HORNACK Daytona News-Journal Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH -- Chances are most of the Daytona Cubs never faced a major-league caliber pitcher like Tomo Ohka until Monday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. And Ohka has probably never seen a bullpen implode like the Brevard County Manatees relievers did over the last three innings. The Cubs rallied from a 5-1 deficit with the help of a grand slam by Jake Muyco and a bases-loaded triple by Matt Craig and defeated the Manatees 11-7 to extend their winning streak to six games. All that damage came after Ohka, who was on an injury rehab assignment from the Milwaukee Brewers, had been pulled during the bottom of the fifth. In his first start since suffering a right rotator cuff strain two months ago, the 30-year-old righthander from Japan gave up six hits -- only one of which went for extra bases -- and recorded five strikeouts without allowing a walk. "He had four pitches and command of the strike zone," said Craig, who lined an opposite-field single and reached base on an error in his two at-bats against Ohka. "He changed speeds well." But a change of pitchers brought a change of fortune to the Cubs -- especially Muyco, who had only three hits in 24 at-bats since joining the Cubs until he clubbed a 1-0 pitch from reliever Robert Hinton over the leftfield fence with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth. "If I'm looking for a pitch and I get it and don't miss it, sometimes it'll go out," said Muyco, a catcher who was promoted from Peoria after Jake Fox moved up to the Class AA level. "It's more of a mistake for me because I'm not a big power guy." "He's been working extremely hard in the (batting) cages every day," Craig said. "He's working with Richie (Zisk, the Cubs' hitting coach) and taking lots of swings. And I'm ecstatic for the guy. It finally came through." Hinton, Seabreeze High School graduate Bo Hall and Josh Alliston (0-2) combined to give up 10 runs -- all earned -- on eight hits over 3 1/3 innings. Alliston issued three walks during his two-thirds of an inning and was touched for a triple by Craig after a dribbler up the third-base line by Jemel Spearman brought home pinch-runner Aron Weston to tie the game at 7-7. "In a tie ballgame with a runner on third and less than two out, you just want to find a way to get the runner in from third," Craig said. "And if you get the other two guys in, that's a bonus." The 11 runs almost equalled the number the Cubs had scored in their previous four victories, two of which were by 1-0 scores. "It's good to have our bats win a ballgame," Craig said. "The pitching has been doing great." The Cubs wore yellow NASCAR-themed Nextel Cup jerseys for the first time all season. They will wear them again tonight against the Manatees in the second game of an eight-game homestand. Brevard County Box Score and Game Log Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=t503

Final: West Virginia 5, Greenville (Red Sox) 1 West Virginia Site Game Summary: GARRISON TOSSES GEM IN POWER VICTORY Power lefty Steve Garrison pitched six scoreless innings in Monday night?s game against the Greenville Drive at West End Field in Greenville, South Carolina, and he was backed by five Power runs as the Power went on to beat the Drive 5-1. In the first inning Darren Ford singled and moved to second base on Luis Soto?s error in right field. After advancing to third base on a passed ball, Ford scored on Lorenzo Cain?s sacrifice fly to give the Power a 1-0 edge. Two batters later, Tony Festa blasted his first home run of the season to give the Power a 2-0 lead. West Virginia added to that in the seventh on Angel Salome?s two-run double off the wall in center field. The Power scored their final run of the game in the eighth inning when Ned Yost homered over the mini green monster in left field. The Drive scored their only run of the game in the eighth inning on an RBI triple from Chris Turner. Garrison (3-2) tossed six scoreless innings of five-hit ball and struck out four to earn the victory, while Clay Buccholz (4-3) obtained the loss. The Power are 45-35 overall and 6-5 in the second half after the win and the Drive fell to 43-39 overall and 8-4 in the second half after the loss. The Power will begin a four game series against the Asheville Tourists at Appalachian Power Park on Tuesday evening. The game will be followed by a fireworks show, and a concert featuring Shawn Camp and Keith Bryant. Asheville will start right hander Alan Johnson (7-3, 4.18) and the Power will start left hander Rafael Lluberes (4-3, 3.14). The first pitch is scheduled for 5:05 PM (4:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score and Game Log Link: Still tinkering with the format here... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_capafx_1 Andy Barch provided a great audio call as usual; both Tony Festa's and Ned Yost's HR's were apparently bombs, and Angel Salome's big double would have been out of any other Sally League park. Only Festa's first home run, though? Steve Garrison induced a huge inning-ending double play in the 5th with the bases loaded; second baseman Luis Bernal, in his first game since being promoted from Arizona, was in on a few very key defensive plays. The Power survive the road trip at 3-5, they're back home now, but July remains tough. West Virginia is home for nearly all of August, so if the boys can keep their heads over .500 this month, they'll be in great shape.

Early updates: Nashville: Dennis Sarfate allows seven hits and four runs in his first two innings, the log indicates it wasn't a beatdown, but still, nothing to cheer about Huntsville: JDLR doesn't pay attention to baserunners, regardless of level Brevard: 4.2 very strong innings for Tomo Ohka (one unearned run, no BB's) West Virginia: Lefty Steve Garrison four shutout innings thus far -- my audio choice for the evening Helena: Chris Jean will be your starter tonight

Two recently turned 20-year-old LHP's have been transferred from Arizona to Helena: undrafted free agent signing Brian Logan, a Virginia kid who pitched at a two-year school in North Carolina, and Venezuelan find Jose Romero, who dazzled in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2005. If you've read us all off-season, you know that we've been on the Jose Romero bandwagon, jump on board, say you were among the first!

Two recently turned 20-year-old LHP's have been transferred from Arizona to Helena: undrafted free agent signing Brian Logan, a Virginia kid who pitched at a two-year school in North Carolina, and Venezuelan find Jose Romero, who dazzled in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2005. If you've read us all off-season, you know that we've been on the Jose Romero bandwagon, jump on board, say you were among the first!

Looks like the Brewers have signed another Carlos Lee out of Panama; this is pretty wild. EDIT: A quick search indicates that this is indeed the brother of Milwaukee Brewers All-Star outfielder, Carlos Lee. The two brothers share the same name. So if the original Carlos leaves via free agency, Doug can say "no, he didn't. He's working on some things down on the farm." This Carlos Lee was released by the White Sox organization on April 28th after a brief stint with AA Birmingham. A catcher, he'll be 25 in September. So the catching corps grows again, although Lee will jump up soon, you would think, after getting his legs back under him with the Arizona Brewers, where he debuted as the DH today. Lee's 2005 high-A Carolina League season in 2005 was decent (.797 OPS, 14 HR's). Here are the career numbers for Carlos Humberto Lee; we'll try to find out if he's related to El Caballo: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...ee-1.shtml

Looks like the Brewers have signed another Carlos Lee out of Panama; this is pretty wild. EDIT: A quick search indicates that this is indeed the brother of Milwaukee Brewers All-Star outfielder, Carlos Lee. The two brothers share the same name. So if the original Carlos leaves via free agency, Doug can say "no, he didn't. He's working on some things down on the farm." This Carlos Lee was released by the White Sox organization on April 28th after a brief stint with AA Birmingham. A catcher, he'll be 25 in September. So the catching corps grows again, although Lee will jump up soon, you would think, after getting his legs back under him with the Arizona Brewers, where he debuted as the DH today. Lee's 2005 high-A Carolina League season in 2005 was decent (.797 OPS, 14 HR's). Here are the career numbers for Carlos Humberto Lee; we'll try to find out if he's related to El Caballo: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...ee-1.shtml

Final: Arizona Angels 12, Arizona Brewers 11 Remember, box score link above -- game log easy to find from there... You'll see Carlos Lee's name in the box score -- we'll have more on that in the transaction thread shortly. Holy cow, the A-Crew scores eight in the bottom of the 9th only to come up one run short! Great to see 2006 2nd round pick Brent Brewer leading off and only a home run shy of the cycle - Brewer's triple was a three-run hit in the 9th; Anthony Wycklendt with three hits; latin pitchers Wily Peralta and Luis Jimenez with major troubles today; young Canadian Mark James still pitching his way around baserunners without allowing a run; as for the game log, it's a mish-mash early and late, with some nice clean play in the middle -- how many of the 16 in attendance stuck around until the end?

West Virginia Press Release: Fractured left wrist -- ouch... The West Virginia Power, Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers have made another roster move. Today, middle infielder Scotty McKnight was placed on the disabled list, and Hector Bernal, Milwaukee's 14th round pick in the 2006 draft has been promoted from the Arizona League to take his place. Bernal, a shortstop hit .385 over five games with the Arizona Brewers and knocked in five runs during that stretch. He is a first year player out of El Paso Community College. McKnight was placed on the disabled list due to a fractured left wrist. McKnight began the year with West Virginia, and then spent most of May with Brevard County in the Florida State League. McKnight hit .294 over 18 games with the Power before heading to the disabled list.