Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Like weather, Stars not a hit Doubleheader turns into single-game loss By PAUL GATTIS Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com By the clock, Thursday was not a good day for the Huntsville Stars. 6-6:15 a.m. - The grounds crew at Joe Davis Stadium removes the tarp shielding the infield from rain. 7 a.m. - An unexpected rain shower drenches the infield and turns the areas around first and third base into mudholes. 10:30 a.m. - The game against Montgomery began 30 minutes late. 10:58 a.m. - The game is stopped for the second time to improve the condition of the field. But just five batters into the game, the Biscuits have already taken the lead in what resulted in a 5-2 victory. 1:30 p.m. - The game resumed after a 2 1/2-hour delay to work on the field and allow it to dry while most of the 4,753 fans at the game - primarily children from area schools - were long gone. 1:31 p.m. - Ryan Christianson, the first batter after the delay, smacked a grand slam off Stars reliever Stephen Bray and the Biscuits led 5-0 in the top of the first inning. 3 p.m. - The game ended and Stars manager Don Money summoned the 12 non-pitchers on the roster into his office to discuss why virtually no one on the team is hitting. 3:45 p.m. - The meeting ended. Not a good day. "Of course, after we lost," Money joked when asked if he was sorry the game ever got played. Maybe the bright spot was that it was supposed to be a doubleheader to make up for Wednesday's rainout. But Southern League president Don Mincher - who arrived at the stadium during the lengthy second delay - ruled that the seven-inning game that had already been started should be completed, but the second game was canceled. In fact, the replacement umpires - filling in for the regular umps who are on strike - were prepared to call the game off after Stars third baseman Adam Heether slipped and fell as he started to chase a short pop-up into left field. But then they chose to pass the problem on to Mincher. And improvements to the field's condition were made more difficult because the Stars' grounds crew had exhausted its supply of dust-like material designed to remove moisture from the dirt, Money said. It was just the latest chapter in a familiar story for the Stars, who are last in the league in hitting, produced only four hits Thursday and lost their third in a row, their sixth in the last eight games. The only runs came on a Drew Anderson groundout in the fourth that scored Greg Sain, who had walked, and Anderson, who had doubled, scored in the seventh on a wild pitch. Not a good day. The Stars also had a runner at third with less than two outs in both the second and fourth innings and couldn't get him in. And Biscuits winning pitcher Mike Prochaska (1-0) lugged a 6.75 ERA into the game but held the Stars to one run in five innings. "That's inexcusable," Money said of the lost opportunities. "We're not the type of team that can let chances go by." The second-inning threat ended when Ron Acuna lined out to second and Anderson was doubled off at first. "I know he lined out to second," an exasperated Money said of Acuna, "but line out to center (instead, and score the run on a sacrifice fly)." Money said his research shows that the Stars have had just one game with 10 or more hits since April 27 and a disheartening total of four for the season. "That's not anything," he said. Add to the woes at the plate the concern over Thursday starting pitcher Khalid Ballouli complaining that his right shoulder tightened up after he retired just one batter before being forced from the game by the long delay. Money said Ballouli could miss a start or two. 9 a.m. today - The Stars bus departs for Kodak, Tenn., outside Knoxville to start a 10-game road trip. Maybe a day that can't be as bad as the one before?

Final: Tuscon (Diamondbacks) 9, Nashville 2 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Brent Abernathy photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1945 TUCSON, Ariz. ? The Nashville Sounds came up on the short end of a 9-2 loss to the Tucson Sidewinders on Thursday evening at Tucson Electric Park. The loss was the fifth in the last seven games for Nashville (21-13) but the Sounds maintain their 5 ½ game lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. The seven-run defeat was the largest losing deficit faced by the club this season. The Sounds jumped on the board first in the top of the second inning, taking a 1-0 lead when Brad Nelson doubled and later scored on a two-out Enrique Cruz RBI single off Sidewinders starter Dustin Nippert. AUDIO: Enrique Cruz RBI Single -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-11.wma Tucson answered quickly, plating three runs off Sounds starter Mike Meyers in the bottom of the frame to grab a 3-1 advantage. Nippert tied the contest when he drove in Chris Carter with an RBI single to center, then Alberto Callaspo delivered a go-ahead two-run double later in the frame to stake the home club to a two-run cushion. Nashville pulled within a run in the sixth when Brent Abernathy, who paced the Sounds with a 3-for-4 evening that upped his hitting streak to a season-best four games, scored on a double play groundout to make it a 3-2 contest. Once again, the home club had an immediate answer. Former Sound Matt Erickson, pinch-hitting for Nippert, delivered a one-out RBI single off Nashville reliever Brett Evert in the bottom of the inning to bring home Juan Brito who had doubled off Meyers earlier in the frame. The Sidewinders broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh with five runs against Evert to increase the lead to 9-2, matching the biggest single-inning output by a Sounds opponent all season. Tucson right fielder Robby Hammock and Brito each had two-run knocks in the frame. Nippert (5-0) picked up his fifth win of the year for the Sidewinders after holding the Sounds to two runs on seven hits while striking out five batters over six innings. Meyers (1-2) took a loss in his first start of the season. He allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and struck out five batters over 5 1/3 innings. Reliever Alec Zumwalt, who joined the Sounds from Double-A Huntsville prior to the game, made his debut with two scoreless innings of work. The teams wrap up their four-game series with an 8:30 p.m. CT finale on Friday evening. Sounds left-hander Justin Thompson (2-1, 6.45) mans the bump to face Tucson southpaw Neal Musser (0-3, 6.67). Nashville Box Score: 96 degrees and cloudy... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_tucaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_tucaaa_1

Brevard County Site Game Summary: Threshers rock Rogers, Manatees Derek Griffith allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings to lead visiting Clearwater past Brevard County, 9-5, on Thursday afternoon. Griffith (3-2) struck out five and walked just one. The 23-year-old lefthander matched his season high in both innings pitched and strikeouts. Cory Dueitt allowed three eighth-inning runs, while Jacob Barrack tossed a scoreless ninth. The Threshers (18-16) scored four times off Brevard County starter Mark Rogers in the first inning en route to their fifth straight victory. Braden Florence, Bryan Hansen, Matt Thayer and Jeff Winchester all drove in runs. Florence added a sacrifice fly in the second inning, while P.J. Antoniato hit a three-run homer in the fifth. Ryan Braun went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored in a losing cause for the Manatees (17-16). Carlos Corporan contributed a run-scoring single in the second inning and an RBI groundout in the eighth, and Josh Murray laced an RBI double in the seventh. Rogers didn't even make it out of the first inning. The 2004 first-round draft pick allowed four runs -- three earned -- in just 1/3 of an inning. He's now 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA. Robert Hinton surrendered one run over 3 2/3 innings, while Bo Hall yielded four runs over 2 1/3 frames. -- Benjamin Hill/MLB.com

Final: West Virginia 5, Asheville (Rockies) 3 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Festa shines in Power win Tony Festa went 3-for-3 with an RBI single on Thursday night against the Asheville Tourists, knocking in a very important insurance run in the top of the eighth inning as the Power went on to win 5-3. Asheville struck first in the bottom of the second inning on Kyle Blumenthal?s solo home run. Ryan Crew and Nate Yoho drew walks to lead off the top of the third inning. Steve Chapman laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners over and then Darren Ford hit a groundball to the shortstop Chris Nelson who threw out Yoho at third, but Crew scored in the process to tie the game. Asheville took their second lead of the game in the bottom of the third inning. Eric Young Jr. got caught up in a rundown between second and third, Mike Bell?s wild throw went into the Power dugout and allowed Young to score. Mat Gamel tied the game in the top of the fourth on a solo home run, his fifth of the season. With one on and two out in the top of the fifth inning, Lorenzo Cain gave the Power the lead for good on a two-run homer, his third of the season. Asheville came within a run in the bottom of the seventh after Travis Becktel?s solo home run, but the Power answered on Festa?s RBI base hit in the top of the eighth inning. Festa has gone 5 for 6 during the road trip. Dave Welch (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to earn the victory, Joe Thatcher (5) earned the save and Zach Simons (3-2) obtained the loss. The Power are 16-16 after the win and the Tourists fell to 19-14 with the loss. The Power will continue the four game series against the Tourists at McCormick Field in Asheville, North Carolina on Friday night. Asheville will start left hander Brandon Durden (1-0, 2.88) and West Virginia will counter with right hander Ronny Malave (2-0, 2.95). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: Darren Ford three stolen bases, now 11-for-14 on the season; amazingly, Asheville's Eric Young, Jr. has already attempted 32 steals (24 successfully)... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_ashafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Closer Joe Thatcher three ground balls in the 9th; Lorenzo Cain's big 5th inning two-run HR came with two outs... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_ashafx_1

Final: Montgomery (Devil Rays) 5, Huntsville 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=823 Biscuits Win After a Long Wait Ryan Christianson?s grand slam capped a five-run first inning and powered Montgomery past Huntsville 5-2 Thursday afternoon in a game that was twice delayed by a total of two hours and 47 minutes due to wet field conditions at Joe Davis Stadium. The teams were slated to play a doubleheader but the second game was cancelled due to the condition of the field. The Biscuits grabbed the last three games of the four-game series to improve to 21-13 and take the season series five games to four, while the Stars dropped to 17-17 and suffered their second three-game losing streak at home. Elliot Johnson led off the game with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Matthew Maniscalco before play was halted for 15 minutes to give the grounds crew a chance to work on the area around third base. Jason Pridie singled off Stars' starter Khalid Ballouli on the first pitch when play resumed to pull off a near exact replica of how the first inning played out two nights before. Michael Coleman walked and Gabriel Martinez blooped a single into left field to load the bases. Huntsville third sacker Adam Heether lost his footing while trying to break back on the Martinez fly ball and play was halted again. The teams were taken off the field and play started again two and a half hours later. Christianson slugged a 2-2 offering from Steve Bray, who took over for Ballouli, over the wall in left field for his league-leading ninth long ball of the year and first off of Bray since April 13. The Huntsville right-hander had thrown 12 2/3 scoreless innings and had allowed only one run in 17 2/3 innings in his last seven outings. Ballouli suffered the loss after yielding four runs on three hits and a walk in a third of an inning. Mike Prochaska blanked the home side through the first three innings before allowing a run in the fourth on a Drew Anderson ground out that plated Greg Sain. The Montgomery southpaw lasted five innings, giving up a run on three hits and four walks to earn his first win of the season. Anderson doubled and scored in the seventh inning against Marcos Carvajal and collected two hits in a game for the fifth time this season. Huntsville travels to Kodak, Tennessee Friday morning to open a five-game series against the Smokies, who took three of five from the Stars two weeks ago. Right-hander Matt Yeatman will start for the Stars and be opposed by Tennessee right-hander Micah Owings. Coverage of the game begins at 6:00 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: LHP Andy Pratt with what is probably his best outing since his acquisition from the Cubs for Ben Grieve in Sept. '04; giving up the grand slam was not good, but our Steve Bray watch continues -- 24 K's, zero walks in 27.2 IP this season; impossible to find good things to highlight about this offense right now... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: Bad luck on a double play lineout in the 2nd; Ozzie Chavez a non-productive at-bat in the 3rd.. www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Was there an injury reason for Ballouli getting pulled so quickly today, or was it just general badness? Ballouli was pulled after a two-and-one-half hour rain delay. The bases were loaded when he left. Steve Bray came in and surrendered a grand slam to the first batter after the delay, thus Khalid's awful line. I hope the fans who stuck around were offered free game vouchers or something -- yuck, what an awful stretch of weather and games the Huntsville folks were subjected to this week. Details on the Stars game later tonight...

Final: Clearwater (Phillies) 9, Brevard County 5 Brevard County Box Score: Ryan Braun 3-for-3; Alcides Escobar really struggling at the plate and is yet to play the field since his return from a hand injury; over 6,100 on hand to view Mark Rogers' very bad day... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

Huntsville Site Update: One game today only... The first game of today's scheduled doubleheader between the Stars and Montgomery Biscuits will resume at 1:30 p.m. It will be a seven-inning game and the game originally scheduled for today will be postponed. The teams will wind up playing four of the five scheduled games in the series and will not play again during the regular season.

Link while active, text follows: www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/128684 Comparisons to father part of game for Gwynn By Charles Durrenberger ARIZONA DAILY STAR Anthony Gwynn showed up to the ballpark on Wednesday clean shaven. Gwynn, the son of eight-time National League batting champion Tony Gwynn, was hoping the new look would translate to a fresh start. "Gotta get something going," said the younger Gwynn, who snapped an 0-for-12 skid with a 2-for-5 night in Nashville's 3-2 10-inning win Wednesday over the Sidewinders at Tucson Electric Park. The transition from Class AA to Class AAA has had its ups and downs for the fourth-year pro who was coached by his father for his last two years at San Diego State. And yes, he still hears the comparisons from the cheap seats on a nightly basis. "I've gotten that since Little League," the 6-foot, 185-pounder said of the catcalls. "They'll be like, 'You'll never hit like your father' or 'Where's the weight at; you must be malnourished.' It just rolls off your back." The bar is just a little higher for Anthony Gwynn. The elder Gwynn ended his career with a .338 career batting average, five Gold Gloves, 3,141 hits and 15 All-Star appearances in addition to his batting titles. "There's always pressure, especially when you have a father like mine," Gwynn said. "That's something you learn to deal with and work through. At this point in my life, it's an everyday thing like putting on my pants. I don't really notice it any more." Anthony Gwynn entered Wednesday's game hitting .281 with one homer and 20 RBIs in his first season at Triple-A. He hit .271 in 2005 and .243 in 2004, both seasons at Double-A. "He has some of the same problems that all young hitters have," Nashville hitting coach Gary Pettis said. "Sometimes his timing gets out of sync. He's done fine. I think he's made the transition very well." As the Sounds' everyday center fielder, Gwynn is seemingly at a logjam of outfielders trying to make it to the Milwaukee Brewers. He is rated behind fellow Nashville outfielders Nelson Cruz, Corey Hart and David Krynzel and Milwaukee's Gabe Gross, according to Baseball America magazine. "I have a long way to go as far as the mental aspect of the game," Gwynn added. "It's so completely different from Double-A to Triple-A. The pitchers up here can throw a strike when they want to. When they're throwing balls, there's a purpose behind it. That's one of the things I'm working on, trying to understand their game plan." Gwynn admits that he spends hours on the phone, back to San Diego where his dad is head coach at San Diego State. "I'll tell him what I'm seeing and what I feel, and he shoots it back at me," the younger Gwynn said. "He knows me well enough so we can go over what I'm doing without him actually seeing me swing." Unlike his dad, who battled knee troubles late in his career, Anthony Gwynn has sprinter's speed and a knack for running the bases. He was sixth last year in the Southern League with 34 steals and is 8 of 10 on stolen-base attempts this year. "He's already gone from first to third on ground balls hit to the infield," Pettis said. "He's very aware on the bases." Photo by Jeffrey Scott / Arizona Daily Star http://www.azstarnet.com/ss/2006/05/11/128684-1.jpg

Rogers must have left due to injury. There's no way manager Ramon Aviles would have the pen warming up so quickly. A strikeout, then an error, so there should have been two outs off the top right away. Single, double, walk, single, single -- hardly reason to have to spend the whole bullpen for a game unless necessary. EDIT: Although the game log "usually" indicates when a player leaves due to injury....

Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=49752 Sounds treat autographs as a sign of the times By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent High on the list of ?signs you?re a real celebrity? is having a stranger ask you for an autograph on a napkin, a photograph, a piece of paper or, in the case of the Nashville Sounds, a baseball. Signing autographs comes hand-in-hand with being a professional athlete. More so than any other sport, autograph seeking is as much a part of the baseball experience for many fans as peanuts, crackerjacks or the seventh-inning stretch. Fans know what it?s like to seek an autograph before or after a game, but Sounds players said it?s more than a little surreal to have strangers in search of their John Hancock. ?The way I look at it, it?s an honor,? first baseman Brad Nelson said. ?Something?s wrong when they don?t want it any more.? Outfielder Tony Gwynn said that while there are times it can be bothersome to sign for fans, he looks at it as an honor. ?It?s one of those things where, when you grow up, you?re hoping to be able to sign autographs,? Gwynn said. And while the Sounds said they enjoy signing, there are some rules that come with autograph-seeking. The first misconception fans have is that players are free to sign during warm-ups before games. This is usually not the case. Although players don?t seem to be breaking a sweat before a ballgame, the stretching exercises combined with simple mental preparation make the time preceding first pitch important. ?My thing is I?ll sign as much as they want after a game,? infielder Brent Abernathy said. ?Before a game, we?re getting ready to play, to do our job, and fans need to be respectful of that.? The second rule is fans should ask for no more than two items to be signed at one time. ?Two per person because you don?t want people coming up with 10 different things, because then you?ll never get home for your personal life,? Gwynn said. Abernathy, who has over 200 games of big league experience, said players are skeptical of fans who show up with shopping bags full of baseballs and cards to be signed. ?You wonder, ?What?s this guy going to do with all this stuff??? Abernathy said. And while not a single Sounds player could even make an educated guess as to how many autographs they give out over the course of a season, Gwynn has one autographing memory he?ll never forget. ?Probably the weirdest thing I?ve ever signed is a woman?s chest,? Gwynn said. ?Seriously though, signing for a fan is an honor. It?s a chance to interact with them and almost every player I know is happy to do it.?

Final: Nashville 3, Tuscon (Diamondbacks) 2, ten innings Nashville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1942 Sounds Snap Skid With 3-2 Extra-Inning Win TUCSON, Ariz. ? The Nashville Sounds snapped their three-game losing streak with a 3-2, 10-inning victory over the Tucson Sidewinders on Wednesday evening at Tucson Electric Park. The win, the Sounds? first in extra innings this season, snapped the club?s seven-game losing streak in Tucson. Nashville (21-12) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Dave Krynzel?s third home run of the season, a one-out solo shot to right off Sidewinders starter Edgar Gonzalez. AUDIO: Krynzel HR Provides 1-0 Lead -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-10.wma The score remained the same until the bottom of the eighth when the home team tied it at 1-1 when Kenny Perez led off the frame with a double off Nashville starter Dennis Sarfate then was driven home one batter later on Alberto Callaspo?s RBI single. Sarfate ? who tossed six innings of no-hit ball to open the contest ? took a no-decision for the Sounds after allowing one run on four hits over 8.0 innings, the longest start by a Nashville hurler this season. With the outing, the right-hander lowered his seasonal ERA to 2.70. Pinch-hitter Corey Hart opened the Nashville tenth with a double to center off Tucson reliever Bill Murphy. After a Tony Gwynn single, Krynzel struck again for Nashville, plating Hart with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly. Brent Abernathy added an important insurance run for the Sounds when he followed with a single to right to plate Gwynn for a 3-1 lead. Left-hander Jason Kershner took the hill for the Sounds in the bottom of the tenth and surrendered one run on a Stephen Drew RBI groundout before retiring Scott Hairston with a strikeout to close out the ballgame and earn his second save of the year. Mike Adams (1-0) picked up his first win of the year for the Sounds after striking out the lone batter he faced in the bottom of the ninth inning. Murphy (0-3) took the loss after allowing the game-deciding runs in his two-thirds of an inning worked. Chris Barnwell had his season-best 12-game losing streak come to a close with an 0-for-3 evening that included three strikeouts. The Nashville shortstop kept his consecutive games on base streak alive, however, when he was hit by a pitch to extend that streak to a team-best 25 contests, tying for the longest such run by a PCL player this season. The teams continue their series with an 8:30 p.m. CT meeting on Thursday. Sounds right-hander Mike Meyers (1-1, 3.07) takes the hill for his initial start of the year. Tucson will counter with right-hander Dustin Nippert (4-0, 4.34). Nashville Box Score: Mitch Stetter strikes out both men he faces... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_tucaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_tucaaa_1

Nashville Pregame Audio Chat with Outfielder Dave Krynzel: Discusses his off-season... www.nashvillesounds.com/a...205-10.wma

Standings through Wednesday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 21 12 .636 - 11-5 10-7 W1[/b] Omaha 15 17 .469 5.5 9-7 6-10 W1 Iowa 12 19 .387 8.0 6-9 6-10 L3 Memphis 11 20 .355 9.0 8-8 3-12 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 24 10 .706 - 15-4 9-6 W5 West Tenn 20 14 .588 4.0 8-7 12-7 W2 [b]Huntsville 17 16 .515 6.5 9-9 8-7 L2[/b] Tennessee 15 19 .441 9.0 8-6 7-13 L1 Carolina 14 20 .412 10.0 8-7 6-13 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 21 11 .656 - 9-8 12-3 W2 Palm Beach 18 14 .563 3.0 7-7 11-7 W1 [b]Brevard County 17 15 .531 4.0 5-8 12-7 L1[/b] Daytona 14 19 .424 7.5 8-9 6-10 L2 Jupiter 14 19 .424 7.5 7-12 7-7 L1 Vero Beach 11 22 .333 10.5 7-11 4-11 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 18 14 .563 - 12-5 6-9 L1 Delmarva 17 14 .548 0.5 7-8 10-6 W1 Greensboro 16 15 .516 1.5 11-6 5-9 L2 Lake County 17 16 .515 1.5 8-9 9-7 L3 [b]West Virginia 15 16 .484 2.5 7-8 8-8 L1[/b] Hagerstown 15 17 .469 3.0 9-6 6-11 W3 Lakewood 15 17 .469 3.0 10-6 5-11 L1 Hickory 12 18 .400 5.0 5-8 7-10 L1

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". 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_tucaaa_1 Huntsville Game One: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Two: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_2 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_ashafx_1

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Mike Meyers at Tuscon (Diamondbacks), 8:10 PM pre-game, 8:30 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: RHP's Khalid Ballouli and Matt Yeatman at home in a doubleheader vs. Montgomery (Devil Rays), 9:50 AM pre-game, 10:05 AM gametime -- shorthanded staff for the moment for the Stars... Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ Brevard County: RHP Mark Rogers at home vs. Clearwater (Phillies), 10:00 AM; sorry, no audio for this series West Virginia: RHP Matt Kretzschmar at Asheville (Rockies), 5:55 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

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Any reason as to why Inman came out of the pen? Very impressive performance BTW. It's still low-A ball, and your youngest pitchers will get in some work on their 5th day out of the pen instead of starting to protect their arms -- same thing happened with Mark Rogers and Yo Gallardo last season.

Brevard County Site Game Summary: Happ handcuffs Manatees James Happ scattered four hits over eight innings as visiting Clearwater topped Brevard County, 3-0, on Wednesday. Happ (2-3) struck out 10 without issuing a walk as he lowered his ERA to 2.47. Nathan Johnson struck out one in a perfect ninth for his second save. Clearwater (17-16) scored all its runs in the eighth. With one out, Tuffy Gosewisch lined a double to center field off reliever Dave Johnson (3-3). Brian Burgamy struck out, but Peeter Ramos beat out a ground ball for an infield hit and Michael Constanzo followed with another infield single to plate pinch-runner Matt Thayer for a 1-0 lead. Left fielder Travis Ezi misplayed a fly ball by Branden Florence, allowing Ramos to score, and Costanzo came home on a wild pitch by Johnson. Brevard County starter Steve Hammond went seven innings, allowing three hits, walking one and striking out six. Charlie Fermaint's leadoff double in the bottom of the first was the only extra-base hit for the Manatees (17-15). Ezi sacrificed Fermaint, but Happ struck out Ryan Braun and retired Brendan Katin on a flyout. -- Jeannine Rippa/MLB.com

Final: Asheville (Rockies) 5, West Virginia 4 West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER RALLY FALLS SHORT The Power had their fastest player in Darren Ford on base in the top of the ninth inning down by a run with one of their best hitters in Lorenzo Cain at the plate, but could not score the tying run and fell to the Asheville Tourists by the final score of 5-4 on Wednesday night. The Power scored first on Brad Willcutt?s two run single in the top of the second inning. Asheville answered with three runs to take the lead in the bottom of the second and never looked back. Michael Paulk drove in the first run with a base hit, Nelson Robledo reached on a fielder?s choice scoring Cole Garner and Dexter Fowler reached on Mat Gamel?s error which plated the final run of the inning. The Tourists added two runs in the sixth inning on Nelson Robledo?s two-out double. Down 5-2, the Power hit three doubles and scored twice in the top of the eighth inning. Cain started the inning with a double and he was brought in during the next at bat on Angel Salome?s double. The final double of the inning came from Ryan Crew who drove in Salome. Willcutt singled in the top of the ninth inning and Steve Chapman pinch ran for him. Nate Yoho followed with a line out to Daniel Carte in right field and Chapman was doubled up at first base. Ford?s two-out single kept the Power alive until Cain grounded out to first base to end the ballgame. Xavier Cedeno (3-1) earned the victory, James Burok (3) earned the save and Rafael Lluberes (2-2) obtained the loss. The Power are 15-16 after the loss and the Tourists improved to 19-13 with the win. The Power will continue the four game series against Asheville at McCormick Field in Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday night. Asheville will start right hander Zach Simons (3-1, 3.06) and West Virginia will counter with right hander Matt Kretzschmar (0-1, 16.62). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM. West Virginia Box Score: Tucked in the box score is a dominant two-inning relief stint by Will Inman, striking out five in a row... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_ashafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Ned Yost picked off second base with none out in the 2nd -- ugh... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_ashafx_1

Ryan Braun representing his faith at the top of this list -- former Brewers represented as well... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp Ryan Braun is hitting .274 with four homers, 20 RBIs and nine stolen bases this season. (Jerry Hale/MiLB.com) http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2006/05/10/mIWUDlHE.jpg

Final: Clearwater (Phillies) 3, Brevard County 0 Brevard County Box Score: Tonight's little-known fact: the "T" at the end of Fermaint is silent; super starting effort for lefty Steve Hammond... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: Bad strikeout for Ryan Braun in the first inning... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

Baseball America reports that the Brewers released just-turned 19-year-old Venezuelan RHP Alirio Ledezma. The youngster posted decent numbers in Arizona Rookie ball in 2005: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=772

If my work schedule had allowed, I was hoping to attend tonight's Syracuse - Pawtucket doubleheader, in order to see Ty Taubenheim start, and also meet up with Craig Breslow and Tim Bausher of the PawSox. Taubenheim was pulled after three scoreless innings tonight, and speculation is rampant he'll be replacing struggling Josh Towers in the Blue Jay rotation. Amazing -- and congrats to Ty if so! Who would have thought he'd be in the bigs before Zach Jackson? Hardly a throw-in was Ty, as it turns out....