Jim Goulart

Link for Nelson Cruz photo, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Sounds go the extra miles Playing in PCL means plenty of travel required By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer It just never has really sounded right: The Nashville Sounds of the Pacific Coast League. But since the dissolution of the American Association following the 1997 season, and the ensuing realignment of the 30 Class AAA minor league baseball teams into two leagues, that phrase has been uttered on numerous occasions. And it never has really sounded right. On top of that, though, there's the fact that Nashville and Memphis both appear more geographically suited to the East Coast-based International League. In terms of driving distance, nine of the other 15 PCL cities are located farther from Nashville than the farthest IL city. However, as strange as it sounds and looks, the consensus is that it's not a situation that the powers-that-be in minor league baseball intend to change anytime soon. "They told me I'm just making it an issue," said Dave Chase, general manager of the Memphis Redbirds, who made their first trip of the season to Nashville on Monday night as the two teams opened a four-game series at Greer Stadium. "They've never gotten up at 4 a.m. to make a flight to Sacramento." In all likelihood, in order for a revamping of the leagues to take place, a lot of stars would have to align. Both teams' general managers and the farm directors of their respective major league affiliates ? the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers ? would have to rally enough support within both the PCL and the International League for the change to even reach a state of discussion, and the move would have to be approved by Minor League Baseball. "It affects so few farm directors, that it doesn't seem to be an issue," Chase said. "You'd have to see some mechanism for discussion, and there doesn't seem to be." "Trying to get everybody in baseball to agree is another thing, too," said Scott Martens, the Brewers' business manager for player development and minor league operations. "It's interesting, but I think a lot would have to happen to get people to move forward." Among the reasons for the eight-team American Association's demise at the time was the lack of variety in opponents and the desire to create a Triple-A World Series between the two league champions. While there's been talk of reviving the Association as a 10-team league, nothing has gained any momentum. Meanwhile, the World Series, which as a best-of-five series ended in 2000 after three seasons in Las Vegas due to a general lack of fan interest, is set to return as a one-game event in Oklahoma City this September. "You hear about bringing back a third league, going back to the American Association," Martens said. "I think if you polled a number of different people, there's, geographically, a lot that could be done. In an ideal world, you'd have it set up where you don't have to travel east to west." Despite being the easternmost team in the PCL, the Sounds' chances of moving to the International League will likely be impacted ? adversely ? by the impending new stadium. "With Nashville getting a new park, it's going to make the PCL less likely to want to let them leave," Chase said. Of the six Triple-A teams within less than 500 miles of Nashville, though, the Sounds play only one ? Memphis. Louisville is closer than the Sounds' in-state rival, and Indianapolis, Columbus, Charlotte and Toledo are all reasonable bus rides. "Logistically, we spend a ton of money traveling to and from the West Coast," said Nashville assistant general manager Chris Snyder. "With the late games, with radio ? it's really difficult."

Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Round Rock, Memphis bring familiar feeling JEFF LOCKRIDGE, the Tennessean Call it a scheduling quirk. In reality, the Nashville Sounds got caught up in their own version of the movie "Groundhog Day." The Sounds recently concluded a series at Round Rock that kicked off a repetitious span of playing the Express and the Memphis Redbirds 23 consecutive games. The stretch began June 21 and runs through July 16. Memphis is in Nashville through Thursday, after which Round Rock visits. During the 23-game stretch the Sounds play three series with each club and get three days off for the all-star break July 10-12. Close calls: The Sounds have been involved in 31 games decided by one run ? tied for the most in the PCL with Iowa this season. Results have been less than desirable. The Sounds have 20 one-run losses, easily the most of the 16 teams in the PCL. They are 3-16 in one-run games on the road, having dropped three games by a single run during their latest trip to Round Rock. In games decided by more than one run, the Sounds win twice as much as their opponents, going 30-15 before Monday. More Hart: Former St. Louis second baseman Bo Hart was re-signed by the Cardinals organization over the weekend and assigned to Memphis. Hart, recently released by the Colorado Rockies organization, played in 39 games for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox this season, batting .252 with one homer before being let go June 17. Hart played with Memphis for parts of 2003-05 and was up with the Cardinals for a long stint in '03, during which time the 5-foot-11 player made national headlines for his hot start at the plate. Familiar names: Brian Daubach and Junior Spivey are Memphis Redbird names that baseball fans will recognize. Daubach, 34, has eight years of big-league service and was a regular in the Boston Red Sox lineup from 1999-2002. Spivey, 31, had a great year with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2002 and spent the 2003-04 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. Scout here: Tom Flanagan, the Brewers' director of administration/player development and scouting, is in Nashville for the second of two games tonight to get a closer look at the Sounds.

Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=50660 Sounds continue to stumble offensively By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent Frustration hasn?t set in just yet and Nashville Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said he?s confident his team will find a way out of its month-long hitting slump. But Kremblas still was pretty straightforward when asked what his team needs to do to get out of its current cold streak. Nashville is batting just .223 in the month of June. The Sounds haven?t scored more than three runs in nine games and the end result on Monday night was another loss as Nashville fell to the Memphis Redbirds 2-1 in 10 innings at Greer Stadium. ?We?ve just got to get out heads out of our (expletive), offensively,? Kremblas said. ?We can?t hit. We?re not hitting the ball hard.? Nashville (41-35) is going cold at the plate the same time its starting pitching is catching fire. Nashville got a strong performance from Dana Eveland, who went six innings and allowed just one run on seven hits. Eveland extended an 11-game streak in which Nashville starters have registered an ERA of just 1.66. ?It?s good, because it?s keeping us in the game, giving us a chance,? Kremblas said of the starting pitching. Eveland also matched his season-high with eight strikeouts, but he didn?t get much help from the Sounds? offense. Nashville couldn?t figure out Memphis starter (and long-ago Milwaukee Brewer) Travis Smith. The Sounds registered just a run off Smith when shortstop Jermaine Clark was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. ?Offense is a group thing and we?ve just got to do better,? Kremblas said. ?When you?re not swinging the bat well and you?re trying to get a two-out hit all the time, it ain?t gonna happen. ?[The slump] is one of those things that?s going to happen. The key is to not let it get into your head and worry about it. You understand you?re going to go through these things as a team and as hitters. The more you let it bother you, the longer it?s going to last.? Sounds first base coach Gary Pettis was ejected in the bottom of the seventh for arguing with first base umpire Angel Campos. Pettis was upset after Nashville pinch hitter Kennard Bibbs was ruled out on a fielder?s interference call on a ball bunted to second base by Tony Gwynn. Initially Bibbs was ruled safe, but the umpires met and changed the call, which infuriated Pettis. ?I think [Pettis] is probably a little upset with the offense overall,? Kremblas said. Sounds reliever Joe Winkelsas had a forgettable return to Music City. After being demoted by Milwaukee last week, Winkelsas took the loss by allowing two hits and the game-winning run in the tenth inning. Umpires Brian Kennedy, Shawn Rakos and Angel Campo jaw with Sounds first base coach Gary Pettis, before the coach was ejected after a heated exchange over a close call. Nashville City Paper Photo by Mike Strasinger. http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/uploaded/062606sounds.jpg

Final: Memphis (Cardinals) 2, Nashville 1, ten innings Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for new Dana Eveland photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=2022 NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The Nashville Sounds opened their homestand with a close loss to the cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds, falling 2-1 in 10 innings on Monday night at Greer Stadium. With the game tied at 1-1, Memphis plated the eventual game-winning run in the top of the 10th inning. With one out, John Gall and Junior Spivey (4-for-5) hit back-to-back singles off Sounds reliever Joe Winkelsas, leaving runners at the corners. Skip Schumaker followed with a hard grounder to Brent Abernathy at second base. The potential inning-ending double play ball bounced off Abernathy?s glove, allowing Gall to reach home and give the Redbirds their final 2-1 lead. The 10-inning affair was the 8th extra-inning game of the season for Nashville (41-35) and the defeat was the team?s 20th one-run loss of the season, a total that leads the Pacific Coast League. Nashville starting pitchers enjoyed another solid night on the mound as Dana Eveland threw six innings and allowed one runner to cross home on seven hits while striking out a season-high eight batters. With Eveland?s performance, Sounds starters have logged a miniscule 1.66 ERA over their past 11 contests. Missed opportunities were the name of the game early on. Neither team was able to plate a run before the fourth inning despite both teams combining for nine baserunners. The Sounds left the bases loaded in the third and the Redbirds left five ducks on the pond through the first three innings. Graham Koonce led off the Nashville second with a single to extend his hitting streak to four games, which ties his longest this season. The game broke open in the visiting half of the fourth. Redbirds left fielder John Gall started the inning off with a walk and stole second. Spivey, a former Milwaukee Brewer, followed up with a single that moved Gall 90 feet closer to home. With runners on the corners, Spivey attempted to steal second but got caught in a rundown. As the Sounds were preoccupied with Spivey, Gall crossed home before the out was made at first base to give the Redbirds a one-run lead. The Sounds bounced right back, plating a run in the bottom half of the fourth. With one out, Memphis starter Travis Smith walked Abernathy, who then proceeded to second on a Zach Sorensen groundball that was misplayed by shortstop John Nelson. Smith then walked Mark Johnson to load the bases. With the bases juiced, Jermaine Clark took one for the team as Smith hit the Nashville shortstop square in the hip, allowing Abernathy to walk across home and knot the game up at one. After the Sounds tied the game, the pitching staffs took over. Nashville relievers Mike Meyers and Allan Simpson combined for three innings of one-hit baseball. Winkelsas (1-2) came into the game in the 10th inning and allowed one run as he recorded the loss. Smith allowed only one unearned run over 6 1/3 innings for Memphis but received a no-decision. The Memphis bullpen worked 3 2/3 scoreless frames the rest of the way including one scoreless inning by Rich Scalamandre (2-0), who picked up his second win of the season. Brian Falkenborg worked a perfect bottom of the tenth to notch his 12th save of the campaign. Nashville right fielder Nelson Cruz broke out of an 0-for-18 slump with a 2-for-5 evening to pace all Sounds batters. The Sounds and Redbirds will play game two of the series on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Nashville will send right-hander Ben Hendrickson (5-2, 2.00) to the bump and Memphis will counter with right-hander Dennis Tankersley (3-8, 3.83). Nashville Box Score: Tony Gwynn and David Krynzel (.234) each go 0-for-5 at the top of the order; catcher Mark Johnson just helpless offensively... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: Dana Eveland with a fine effort, but really hurt himself at the plate; batting coach Gary Pettis ejected in the 7th; Sounds strand eight, but the game log details seem like it was so many more... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Starting Pitcher Jared Fernandez: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-26.wma

Final: Great Falls (White Sox) 5, Helena 3 Helena Box Score: No word on the status of outfielder Zach Clem yet (outfield collision last weekend); Eric Newton, a 33rd round middle infielder, is your cleanup hitter at DH -- that about summarizes things at the moment; Brewers strand nine... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Helena Game Log: Four singles lead to two runs off Brock Kjeldgaard in the 2nd; J.R. Hopf picked off 2nd with no outs in the 2nd -- ugh; David Parker picked off first in the 3rd -- a double followed later in the inning; Kjeldgaard strands the bases loaded in the 5th; J.T. King strands two inherited runners in the 6th, but takes the loss in the 7th; neither team covered itself in defensive glory... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

Monday's Helena KCAP Pre-Game Audio Chat with 2006 7th round catcher Andy Bouchie out of Oral Roberts (Select date for June 26th, skip to the 11:00 minute mark): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp

Final: Chattanooga (Reds) 4, Huntsville 2, ten innings Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=895 Herr Hands Stars Heartbreaking Loss Aaron Herr?s two-out, two-run double in the tenth inning vaulted Chattanooga past Huntsville 4-2 Monday night in the middle game of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Lookouts have won two of the first three games to improve to 5-3 in the second half, while the Stars slipped to 3-5 in the second half and fell for the 19th time in their last 21 home contests. Huntsville has won only one of the nine extra innings games it has played in this season. Gerrit Simpson, the winner in Sunday?s game, opened the tenth inning on the hill for the Stars and yielded one out singles to Javon Moran and Anderson Machado before Joey Votto flied out to left field for the second out and advanced Moran to third base. With Machado breaking on a 2-2 pitch, Herr lined a double to left to chase home both runners to put the Lookouts on top for the first time in the game. Calvin Medlock allowed a Drew Anderson single and struck out the side in the bottom of the inning to record his first save in four chances. Yovani Gallardo worked seven scoreless frames for Huntsville in his double-A debut, striking out six, walking one and allowing four singles. He was 6-3 with a 2.09 earned run average in 13 starts at high class-A Brevard County in the Florida State League before his promotion. Steve Bray took over in the eighth inning and allowed a run-scoring double to Moran that cut the Stars lead to 2-1 and ended a 23 inning scoreless drought for the visitors. Brett Evert took over for Bray in the ninth and Votto belted his first pitch over the wall in left-center field for an opposite field home run that tied the game. It was the third round tripper allowed by Evert and the second on the first pitch of an inning. Votto clubbed his league-leading 15th long ball and he has knocked in runs in six of the eight games against the Stars. Ryan Braun clocked a solo home run off of Eddy Valdez in the second inning to give the Stars a 2-0 lead. Valdez lasted seven innings, allowing eight hits and striking out six. He stranded a runner at third with less than two outs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings. Jim Abbott worked two scoreless frames in relief to earn the win in his second outing with the Lookouts. The series continues Tuesday evening with Stars? right-hander Corey Thurman taking the hill against Lookouts right-hander Homer Bailey, the top rated prospect in the Reds organization. Coverage of the game begins at 6:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on ESPN Radio 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: Three relievers, none do the job -- Jow Winkelsas is missed badly, despite his results in Nashville tonight (see below)... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: Valdez stranded a runner at third with less than two outs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings - just wanted to repeat that for effect, terrible, boys, terrible... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Going to be over 130 pitches soon -- ridiculous, do they think they need this for an All-Star berth?

From the independent Atlantic League: LHP Andy Pratt is with Somerset (N.J.). Long-time and long-ago Brewer farmhand Bobby Darula had his contract purchased by Atlanta (AA Mississippi).

I think it was since-released Glenn Woolard who threw a knuckle-curve, although not every knuckle-curve is necessarily Mike Mussina quality...

Apparently Baseball America and other sources (MiLB.com listed him as a Brewer for a while) jumped the gun a bit regarding 35th round slugging draft pick Sanduan Dubose of Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We've learned that the Brewers have not signed Dubose after all. Considering he was a college senior and he'll be 24 in October, normally there's no point in drafting the player unless you will sign him. Not yet, if at all, though...

Congratulations to the South Atlantic League Offensive Player of the Week: Ned Yost, West Virginia .462 (6-13), 2 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 SB, 1.077 SLG Yost was presented with a situation that every aspiring ballplayer dreams about -- and he came through. With the Power down by a run in the ninth inning, Yost stepped up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded and sent the pitch sailing over the right field fence to give West Virginia a 5-2 win over Kannapolis. He also led the Power to a 17-2 win over the Intimidators when he went 3-for-6, fell a home run short of the cycle and drove in two runs on Friday.

Tuesday's Link Report is going to be packed -- West Virginia Press Release: The West Virginia Power were supposed to start an eight game road trip at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta, Georgia on Monday night, but they were rained out for the second night in a row. The Power have not played a game since their come from behind 5-2 victory over the Kannapolis Intimidators on Ned Yost's walk off grand slam last Saturday. The Power will make up Monday's game with a doubleheader on Tuesday evening against the Augusta GreenJackets at Lake Olmstead Stadium. They will play a pair of seven inning games and the first pitch in game one will be delivered at 5:00 PM (4:00 PM Central). In game one right hander Matt Kretzschmar (1-2, 6.32) will start for West Virginia and Augusta will send right handed pitcher Ryan Shaver (6-4, 2.25) to the mound. In game two the Power will throw left hander Steve Garrison (2-1, 4.07) and the GreenJackets will counter with right hander Ronnie Ray (4-5, 4.91).

Final: Arizona Brewers 5, Arizona Cubs 3 Something had to give in this battle of winless squads... Arizona Brewer Box Score: Now this is more like it! Only one walk, no HBP's, only one error -- and a victory, about as clean a game as you'll see all summer at this level. 20-year-old RHP Amaury Rivas with a nice five-inning stint -- he debuted (and struggled) in Arizona last summer; Canadians Alexandre Periard and Craig Langille follow-up, with intriguing LHP Jose Romero closing things out; offensively, 20-year-old John Alonso (who should mash in this league) with a home run; Isaac Palencia and Lenny LeClercq with two hits apiece... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1 Arizona Brewer Game Log: Nice job by Rivas in the 1st after a one-out triple; one more thing to add that you see a lot of at low-Rookie ball -- pickoffs... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Brevard County GM Buck Rogers: Due to the amount of rainfall that saturated the area and turned our outfield into a pasture, tonight's game between the Brevard County Manatees and St Lucie Mets has been postponed until tomorrow, June 27th, at 6:00 PM (5:00 Central) as part of a doubleheader. Both games will be seven innings in length.

My bad, totally missed Jones, who only started Saturday http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif

Outfielder Adam Mannon, now 22 years old, drafted in the 17th round in 2002 (pro debut in 2003, signed as a draft-and-follow), has been released by the Brewers. Mannon showed extra-base pop in 2004 with Helena, but struggled at his first full-season stop at West Virginia in 2005, and split his season with time again in Montana. Adam Mannon Brewerfan Player Profile Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=545 Also released was 21-year-old Venezuelan infielder Herman Jimenez, who made his pro debut in 2005 with Arizona Rookie (.216 in 51 AB's). Luis Jimenez, a 17-year-old RHP with Arizona Rookie, is now the only remaining of the several Jimenez boys (not related).

RHP Luis Pena is your starter for Brevard County tonight. This will be his 12th appearance this season, but only his second start. The Manatees current rotation includes Pena, Manny Parra, Josh Wahpepah, and Mark Rogers. Unless Sam Narron is ready to move into the rotation, there is no obvious choice for the 5th spot right now, another reason to promote West Virginia's Derek Miller.

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars top Lookouts Acuna scores only run with two outs in ninth inning By PAUL GATTIS Huntsville Times Sports Staff, pgattis@htimes.com Wins like this, if you're the Huntsville Stars, you just take it and crank up the music in the clubhouse. You don't sit around and analyze it. Just turn up the volume a little bit louder. It's not as if the Stars didn't earn Sunday night's 1-0 victory over Chattanooga before a crowd of 1,283 at Joe Davis Stadium. But it's not as if the Lookouts didn't help out, either. The Stars scored the game's only run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on a soft roller deep into the hole at shortstop that catcher Lou Palmisano legged out for an infield hit, knocking in Ron Acuna from third base. "I just tried to get a good piece of it," Palmisano said, "and it ended up going where no one was." And that made for a nice post script for Steve Hammond, who made his Double-A debut after a promotion from Brevard County by pitching six shutout innings. "He did OK," Stars pitching coach Rich Sauveur said. "I've seen better from him in spring training. But he had a good night. It was his first start and I'm sure he was nervous, but he put up six zeroes against a good hitting team." Indeed, the Lookouts came into the game leading the Southern League with a .267 batting average and the second-most runs scored in the league. But the bottom of the ninth was ripe for second-guessing the Lookouts. Acuna led off with a double down the left-field line that skipped past third baseman Aaron Herr - the son of former major leaguer Tommy Herr. But Herr attempted to backhand the ball instead of moving in front of it to possibly knock it down and at least prevent the extra-base hit. Then after Drew Anderson bunted Acuna to third base for the first out, Lookouts manager Jayhawk Owens surprised Stars manager Don Money by pitching to third baseman Ryan Braun. The strategy paid off as Braun struck out for the fourth time. But Owens elected to pitch to Palmisano with two outs instead of walking him to get to shortstop Guilder Rodriguez, who has not driven in a run in 47 at-bats this season. "I didn't think they would throw me a fastball," Palmisano said diplomatically. "And they didn't the whole at-bat. I was looking for a breaking ball the whole at-bat. And anything close, I was trying to hit it somewhere hard. A walk wasn't going to help." Money summed up the debate with, "Hey, we'll take it." Especially in a game like this. The Stars improved to 3-39 in games in which they've scored four runs or fewer. The Stars are also now 4-9 in one-run games. Making that possible was Khalid Ballouli pitching two scoreless innings in relief of Hammond, then Gerrit Simpson (1-2) getting the win with a scoreless ninth inning. "As long as we give ourselves a chance to win," Money said, "that's all we can ask."

Link while active, text follows: www.statesman.com/sports/...press.html Nashville gets past Express 1-0 Fernandez too much for Express By William Wilkerson Austin AMERICAN-STATESMAN ROUND ROCK ? Nashville starter Jared Fernandez's knuckleball repeatedly baffled Round Rock batters and Mike Rivera hit an RBI sacrifice flay to put the Sounds over the Express 1-0 at Dell Diamond on Sunday. "That was some freak pitch," Express manager Jackie Moore said. "He could throw it in any count. I am sure a lot of our players have never faced a knuckleball before." Round Rock was held to just three hits in the loss and dropped its second game of the nine-game homestand. "What a series this has been," Moore said. "All the games came down to just one pitch or one play." Nelson Cruz drew a walk to lead off the second and Graham Koonce followed with a single to right field, which moved Cruz to third base. Cruz was then brought home on a sacrifice fly from Rivera. Wade Robinson scooted a bunt single passed Fernandez to lead off the seventh inning and supply the Express with its best chance to even the game. After a Brooks Conrad singled to right field, it looked as thought the Express were primed for a breakout inning with two on and no outs. But Fernandez notched two strikeouts and a fielder's choice to preserve the 1-0 lead. Round Rock's starter Chris Baker (8-3), who was trying to become the Pacific Coast League's first nine-game winner, only allowed two hits through seven innings. Fernandez, a former product of the Houston Astros from 2003-2004, dipped into speeds in the high 50s and displayed uncanny control for a pitch that is often dubbed as uncontrollable. He threw 103 pitches, 71 of which were called strikes. Fernandez threw seven strikeouts. "That was pretty impressive," Moore said. "Sometimes you just have to tip your hat and go on."

Link while active, text follows: www.billingsgazette.net/a...stangs.txt Trio of Mustangs pitchers, solid defense leads way for 3rd straight win By GREG RACHAC Of The Billings Gazette Staff If the Billings Mustangs continue to pitch and play defense like they did Sunday afternoon, they're going to win some baseball games. The Mustangs made countless plays in the field -- some of them spectacular -- and got a shutout from a trio of pitchers to claim a 2-0 win over Helena at Cobb Field. With the victory, the Mustangs claimed both games of a quick two-game series with the Brewers, and also finished up their season-opening homestand on a three-game winning streak. "It was a great effort by the pitchers, and we got solid defense," explained center fielder Drew Stubbs, the organization's first-round draft choice from the Texas Longhorns. "We were sound in the field today, making every play we could." Starting pitcher Daniel Guerrero upped his record to 2-0 with a six-inning gem. Guerrero held the Brewers to just four hits and struck out a pair. He didn't walk a batter. In relief Marcos Mateo allowed one hit in two innings of work, then hard-throwing closer Terrell Young (who touched 97 MPH in the game) closed out Helena in the ninth. In addition, the Mustangs' pitching staff allowed just one free pass for the second straight game and only one Helena base runner got as far as second base. But the success on the mound wouldn't have been possible without the stellar plays in the field. "There were some defensive plays out there that I didn't think we could make," Billings manager Rick Burleson said. For instance, third baseman Jason Louwsma made a classic play on Taylor Green, falling into foul territory on a grounder to snag the ball and make the throw to first base. An inning later, Stubbs made a diving catch in center off the bat of Chris Errecart to rob a hit, then in the ninth shortstop Chris Valaika made the second of two great stops, going into the hole for the ball to get Errecart at first. Guerrero also made a solid play in the field, helping himself on the mound in the sixth inning by knocking down a line drive off the bat of -- you guessed it -- Errecart to initiate a 1-6-3 double play. "Whenever you play a tight game late into the game, there's so much pressure on every play," Burleson said. "Our kids made some outstanding plays under pressure. It was a pleasure to watch." At the plate, the Mustangs delivered nine hits and scored bookend runs in the first and eighth innings. Stubbs drove in both the Mustangs' runs, the first with a base hit in the opening frame to plate leadoff man Billy Rojo, the second in the team's last turn to bat with an opposite-field triple that scored Valaika. In between, the Brewers made some adjustments facing a Billings lineup that was virtually identical to the one a night before in a 9-1 Mustangs' win. The Mustangs didn't have near the number of base runners on Sunday, nor did they benefit from the same amount of walks. But Billings did get another strong showing from the top of its batting order, as 1-2-3 hitters Rojo, Valaika and Stubbs each collected a pair of hits. Chris Heisy also had two hits for the Mustangs. "We got base runners on and were able to put them across when we needed to," Stubbs said. "I think we're starting to play as a team. Hopefully we can go out on the road and continue to play solid baseball."

Link for Hasan Rasheed photo, text follows: www.floridatoday.com/apps...002/sports Manatees sport new-look roster BY SCOTT BROWN FLORIDA TODAY Ramon Aviles lost two-fifths of his starting pitching rotation as well as one of his top run producers. And that, the Brevard County Manatees manager said, is actually a positive thing. "That's why we're here at this level," Aviles said, "to develop the players for the next level." Four Manatees developed enough during the past three months that Brevard County will have a different look during the second half of the Florida State League season. Last week, three Manatees -- third baseman Ryan Braun and pitchers Yovani Gallardo and Steve Hammond -- were promoted to the Milwaukee Brewers' Double-A team in Huntsville, Ala. They joined outfielder Travis Ezi, who made the jump last month to Huntsville, leaving some holes on the team that challenged for the FSL's first-half East Division title. Hammond and Gallardo combined for 12 wins, and the latter struck out 103 batters in 77 2/3 innings for the Manatees. Braun, one of the top prospects in the Brewers' organization, had a team-high seven homers as well as 34 RBI before joining the Huntsville Stars. It is too early to tell how the loss of the three FSL All-Stars will affect the team on the field. The Manatees did drop to 2-2 in the second half of the FSL season Sunday following an 8-1 loss to the St. Lucie Mets at Space Coast Stadium. "We've lost some key players but there's no doubt that we have enough talent to make it to the playoffs," Brevard County infielder Steve Sollmann said. Promotions are as much a part of minor league baseball as, well promotions. They are an indicator of the kind of job a coaching staff is doing with the players, probably even more so than a team's won-loss record. They could also complicate a manager's job since the promotion of one player -- or players in the Manatees' case -- may leave others wondering they didn't move up to the next level. Sollmann, for one, can make a case that he deserves a promotion. One of seven Manatees to make the FSL All-Star team, Sollmann has been one Brevard County's steadiest players and it easily its most versatile one. Sollmann, who has started at least four games at every infield position this season, took a .296 batting average (10th in the FSL) and a .404 on-baseball percentage (third) into Sunday's game. "All I can do is control how I play and the effort I give on the field every day," said Sollmann, who has been with the Manatees since the start of last season. "I think the No. 1 key is to stay patient." That is something Aviles makes a point of preaching to his players. As he tells them, production is only one factor that plays into promotions. Sometimes worthy players don't get promoted simply because there is no room for them at the next level. "We try to put in their mind that they cannot control decisions made by the front office but we all can control the job we do on the field," Aviles said. "We've got a great group of guys and they understand the situation."

Reminder to watch Oregon State outfielder Cole Gillespie in the national championship game Monday evening (6:00 PM Central, ESPN). The Brewers' third round pick will likely be in Helena this time next week, hopefully.

Link while active, text follows: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...3696.topic Brewers make minor adjustment to Barnwell By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent Has the mounting steroids saga made you resent the game of baseball? Has seeing the names Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Grimsley in headlines for all the wrong reasons made you want to give up on the sport altogether? Have you withdrawn yourself to spending summer months dissecting the Titans? offensive line depth instead of watching pennant races? Before you lose all faith in America?s pastime, allow yourself to become familiar with Chris Barnwell, the man who embodies all that?s right with the game you once loved. Barnwell is the former starting shortstop of the Nashville Sounds, with the word ?former? being key. That?s because on June 20, Barnwell had his contract purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers. The move ended six up-and-down minor league seasons for Barnwell, who most around the organization never would have predicted could earn a call-up in 2006. Not with the Brewers overloaded with infield talent like Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall, J.J. Hardy, Corey Koskie and Jeff Cirillo. After all, Barnwell wasn?t even on Milwaukee?s 40-man roster. Plus, Barnwell, whose player profile wasn?t included in Milwaukee?s 480-page media guide, only hit .245 last year in Nashville. The Sounds had an off-day last week when Barnwell heard the phone ring while at home in Jacksonville, Fla. It was Nashville manager Frank Kremblas, who told Barnwell he had been promoted. Barnwell thought he was kidding. ?I just asked Frank, ?Are you serious?? Barnwell said. ?I was extremely surprised, I wasn?t aware it was coming at all.? Barnwell carries himself like a role model. He?s friendly and soft-spoken. With the media, he?s as accessible as any player in Sounds locker room. And there are as many Chris Barnwell autographed baseballs in Music City as any other Sounds player because Barnwell consistently takes time out for fans. But it took more than being polite for Barnwell to earn his promotion and this has been his best season ever. Barnwell was hitting .326 and playing near-flawless defense, which essentially forced Milwaukee?s hand. Starting Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy has been out since mid-May with an ankle injury. Milwaukee?s infield defense has been porous and Barnwell figures to help out immediately in that department. He played in his first big league game the day he arrived June 21. A day later he collected his first hit. ?It?s all happening so fast, it?s kind of surreal,? Barnwell said. ?I was really nervous. Once I took my first ground ball, I settled down.? And on his first hit, Barnwell remembers this of his run to first base: ?I felt like I was going to fall down. After I got the hit, they made a pitching change so I had a moment to take everything in.? Barnwell was taking in the satisfaction that comes with any Cinderella story. Players like him are a dime a dozen at the Triple-A level, but success stories like his are few and far between. His stint with Milwaukee could end when Hardy returns, which should be sometime around next month?s all-star game. But Barnwell intends on making the most of his opportunity in the meantime. ?The game has always been fun, but it?s always been challenging. It?s never been super easy,? Barnwell said. ?This year I?ve just been comfortable and taken the right approach and everything has fallen into place.?