Jim Goulart

No matinees today, Monday's Link Report will kick off this afternoon.

Huntsville Site Update: Stars Washed Out On Sunday The game between the Huntsville Stars and Tennessee Smokies scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. has been rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader, featuring two seven inning games, on Monday that will begin at 6:05 p.m. The Stars will send right-handers Matt Yeatman and Khalid Ballouli to the mound in the twin bill and the Smokies will counter with right-handers Ross Ohlendorf and Micah Owings. Coverage of the doubleheader will get underway at 5:50 p.m. and can be heard locally on ESPN Radio 1450 and via the internet at www.huntsvilestars.com.

Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Rottino brings more than a bat He can play infield, outfield and catcher By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Baseball saved Vinny Rottino from a life of selling drugs. Before the Wisconsin native attended a free-agent tryout camp held by the Milwaukee Brewers, Rottino ? a former standout at NCAA Division III Wisconsin-LaCrosse ? had enrolled in pharmacy school at the University of Wisconsin. "Truth be told, I didn't really enjoy my time in pharmacy school," said Rottino, now in his fourth year of pro ball after signing a contract with the homestate favorites. "I probably would have done something else anyway." Fortunately for him, he didn't have to go searching for an alternative. The former chemistry major (graduating with a 4.0 grade-point average) has been making the grade coming up through the Brewers' organization. This is after earning D-III All-America honors and finishing third in the 2002 voting for national player of the year. Over his first three seasons as a pro, Rottino hit .303 ? including a .304, 17-homer, 124-RBI campaign at Class A Beloit in 2004. But it's not just his offense that has him on the Milwaukee radar. Last year at Double-A Huntsville, Rottino played first and third base, left and right field, and caught, and then did virtually the same thing after his Aug. 23 promotion to Nashville. "He adds a dimension in that he can play infield, he can play outfield, and he's also experimenting with doing some more catching," said Scott Martens, the Milwaukee Brewers' business manager for player development and minor-league operations. "He gives us some flexibility late in the game, when you're trying to make some moves as a manager." A shortstop coming out of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Rottino said it was strongly suggested that he broaden his horizons as he considered his professional prospects. "I had no other choice," he said. "I think they kinda set me in that role at the outset. They signed me as a catcher, even though I'd never caught before. "I take the mindset of 'Do what they tell you,' try to embrace it. I take groundballs everywhere, flyballs. I think it'll help me get to the big leagues, being a versatile player, being able to backup at different positions." What Rottino doesn't embrace is the age-old "Jack of all trades, master of none" concept. "I don't see it as a negative at all," he said. "It keeps you fresh, playing the different spots. I feel comfortable everywhere. It keeps me on my toes. I can't get complacent at any one spot." Already this season, Rottino has caught, played first, third and in the outfield for the Sounds ? though he's struggled a bit offensively (.235, 1 home run, 11 RBIs through 18 games). The slow start hasn't diminished him in the eyes of the Brewers' brass. "For Vinny to do what he did, coming in as a virtual unknown, signing out of a tryout camp, being a homegrown talent ? I think there are a lot of people in Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin pulling for him," Martens said. "With all that said, Vinny's best attribute is probably his work ethic and the way he approaches the game. He's a tremendous worker. He does everything you ask out of him. There aren't many people out there that are working harder than Vinny."

Link for Chris Barnwell photo while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Multi-position players deepen Sounds' bench Five non-pitchers can play in at least five different spots By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Every team in the Pacific Coast League plays under the same roster limit, yet it seems Nashville Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas has a few more players to work with. That's because five Nashville non-pitchers can play at least five different positions, at least four of whom the second-year Sounds skipper would feel comfortable plugging in at six different spots. Such flexibility makes the Nashville bench seem a little deeper, according to Kremblas, particularly in games against fellow National League affiliates ? such as the Iowa Cubs, who arrive at Greer Stadium today to begin a four-game series as part of an eight-game homestand. By rule at the Class AAA level, games that involve at least one American League affiliate are played with the designated hitter. Games between two National League farm clubs are played with the pitcher in the batting order. "With DH games, it's not that big a deal, unless an injury occurs," Kremblas said, regarding the effect of multi-positional players. "With a 'National League' game, you may want to double-switch or pinch-run for a catcher late in a game. Fortunately, with Vinny (Rottino) being able to catch, you can do that because you still have two catchers left." Typically, most managers are very hesitant to leave themselves without a catcher in a late-inning situation because of the potential for injury. However, the Sounds carry veterans Mark Johnson and Mike Rivera at the position in addition to the young Rottino, who has already seen action this season at both corner infield positions, both corner outfield positions and behind the plate after entering pro ball as a shortstop. Rottino might be the most movable Sound, but he's hardly the only one that has been on the move. Through Nashville's first 16 games, six of the team's 13 non-pitchers had played at least two different positions. Many of the current Sounds have been versatile players throughout their careers. Chris Barnwell started at all four infield positions last season after arriving in Nashville from Double-A Huntsville. Jermaine Clark started at second base, left field and right field for the Reds last year. Corey Hart played all three outfield positions and first base while earning PCL all-star honors last season. Zach Sorensen, currently on the disabled list, played all four infield positions and center field at Class AAA Salt Lake (Angels) last year. "I think that was a factor that definitely worked toward our advantage," said Scott Martens, the Milwaukee Brewers' business manager for player development and minor-league operations. "Look at the roster we have in Milwaukee. We have a great deal of flexibility up there with Corey Koskie, who can play third or first; (and) Bill Hall, who is the super-utility guy and worked out in the outfield during spring training. Some of that carried down to here as well. "It's always helpful to have that kind of flexibility so that if you ever have a need up in Milwaukee ? especially us being in the National League, where you do a lot of substituting late in the game ? it adds another dimension." Being able to play different positions at the Triple-A level doesn't just help the Sounds. It's also beneficial to the individual players as they're being evaluated for potential promotions, either with the Brewers or with another major-league club. "If they get called up, they may be that 23rd, 24th, 25th player on the roster," Martens said. "A lot of times, that's the role they fill, where they have to be able to play a couple of different positions or come into the game and pinch-hit, that kind of thing. It helps prepare these guys for the role they may have in Milwaukee." Roster depth Though Nashville Manager Frank Kremblas has only 12 defensive players, the versatility most of them boast makes his possibilities endless. C ? Mark Johnson, Mike Rivera, Chris Barnwell, Vinny Rottino 1B ? Mark Johnson, Mike Rivera, Brent Abernathy, Chris Barnwell, Jermaine Clark, Corey Hart, Brad Nelson, Vinny Rottino, *Zach Sorensen 2B ? Brent Abernathy, Chris Barnwell, Jermaine Clark, Enrique Cruz, *Zach Sorensen 3B ? Brent Abernathy, Chris Barnwell, Jermaine Clark, Enrique Cruz, Corey Hart, Mark Johnson, Mike Rivera, Vinny Rottino, *Zach Sorensen SS ? Chris Barnwell, Jermaine Clark, Enrique Cruz, Vinny Rottino, *Zach Sorensen LF ? Brent Abernathy, Chris Barnwell, Jermaine Clark, Nelson Cruz, Tony Gwynn, Dave Krynzel, Corey Hart, Brad Nelson, Vinny Rottino, *Zach Sorensen CF ? Jermaine Clark, Nelson Cruz, Tony Gwynn, Dave Krynzel, Corey Hart, *Zach Sorensen RF ? Chris Barnwell, Jermaine Clark, Nelson Cruz, Tony Gwynn, Dave Krynzel, Corey Hart, Brad Nelson, Vinny Rottino, *Zach Sorensen *?disabled list

Final: Nashville 12, New Orleans (Nationals) 4 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link while active, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1929 Sounds Sweep Away Zephyrs With 12-4 Rout METAIRIE, La. ? Outfielder Corey Hart belted two home runs, including a grand slam, to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 12-4 victory and four-game series sweep of the New Orleans Zephyrs on Sunday afternoon at Zephyr Field. Nashville (16-7) picked up its season-best fifth straight victory and finished off its second four-game sweep of the year to complete a successful 6-1 road trip. The Sounds, who hold a 3 ½-game lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division, recorded their ninth win in the last 10 games and have won 15 of 18 contests since opening the season with a 1-4 record. Hart (3-for-5), who has three home runs in the last two games, tallied a Sounds season-high five RBIs in the contest and was joined by shortstop Chris Barnwell in belting a longball in each of the last two games. In addition to Hart and Barnwell, Sounds catcher Mike Rivera (1-for-3) went deep for his fourth tater of the year to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, matching New Orleans? Larry Broadway for the longest streak in the Pacific Coast League this season. The backstop is hitting .462 (24-for-52) during his 13-game streak. The Sounds? 12 runs marked a season high and Nashville batters have homered in a season-best six straight games. Hart got things started for the surging Sounds with a two-out solo homer to left off Zephyrs starter Andrew Good in the top of the first inning. The blast was his second of the year and second in two days. The visitors upped their lead to 4-0 in the second with three consecutive two-out hits. Barnwell ? who finished with a 2-for-2, three-RBI afternoon and scored three runs ? singled to drive in Brad Nelson then came around to score when Sounds starter Dennis Sarfate helped his own cause with an RBI single. Tony Gwynn completed the inning?s scoring when he broke out of an 0-for-11 slump with a run-scoring double, his seventh two-bagger of the season. After New Orleans jumped on the board with a pair of third-inning runs on Broadway?s two-run single, the Nashville offense got back to work in the fourth and extended the lead to 6-2 on Barnwell?s two-run homer to left that brought in Vinny Rottino, who had tripled one batter earlier to break a personal 0-for-15 funk. Rivera belted his two-run roundtripper off Good in the top of the fifth to make it an 8-2 Nashville lead. Hart, who has hit safely in a season-best five straight games for Nashville, slugged his grand slam with two outs in the top of the sixth off Z?s reliever Chris Thompson to give the Sounds a double-digit advantage at 12-2. Barnwell, Gwynn, and Jermaine Clark scored on the blast. AUDIO: Corey Hart's Grand Slam -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-30.wma New Orleans sent catcher Russ Cleveland to the hill to make his professional pitching debut in the ninth inning and he worked a scoreless frame, allowing only a Hart single among his three batters faced. The Zephyrs finished off the afternoon?s scoring in the ninth with a pair of runs against reliever Mike Meyers, the first scores allowed by the Nashville bullpen in 18 innings. Reliever Jason Kershner (3-0) earned his team-leading third win for Nashville after striking out five batters over three scoreless frames behind Sarfate. The left-hander has not allowed a run in his last 11 1/3 innings of work. Sarfate took a no-decision in his start for Nashville, lasting only three innings. He walked four batters and struck out two and threw only 44 of 81 pitches for strikes while allowing a pair of runs. Good (0-2) didn?t live up to his name in taking the loss for New Orleans. The right-hander surrendered eight runs (six earned) on eight hits, including three homers, in his five innings of work. The Sounds return to Greer Stadium on Monday to begin their second homestand of the season with the 6 p.m. opener of a four-game series against the division-rival Iowa Cubs. Right-hander Jared Fernandez (1-0, 0.00) ? who has tossed 10 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for Nashville since being optioned from Milwaukee ? makes his first start of the season. Iowa will counter with left-hander Les Walrond (2-1, 2.57). What they said: Hart on his three homers in the last two games: "I only had three plate appearances in the big leagues, so it took me a while to get comfortable at the plate again. When you're playing every day instead of pinch-hitting it's a different mindset." Nashville Box Score: Just Corey being Corey; honestly, Chris Barnwell would have to be the PCL All-Star shortstop after one month, what a nice little story there... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Coaches Chat with Hitting Coach Gary Pettis: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-30.wma

Final: St. Lucie (Mets) 4, Brevard County 3 Brevard County Site Game Summary: Mets rally past Manatees Ambiorix Concepcion's single in the bottom of the ninth inning rallied St. Lucie to a comeback 4-3 win over Brevard County on Sunday. After relieving Robert Hinton (2-2) in the ninth, the Manatees' Jeremy Lewis allowed the tying run to score on Corey Coles' single. He struck out Jose Coronado swinging, but Concepcion singled to drive in Ryan Coultas with the winning run. Concepcion, who went 2-for-4, started the rally for the Mets (14-9) in the eighth with a double. Jesus Flores homered and St. Lucie pulled within a run, 3-2. Ryan Braun homered in the first to give Brevard County (15-9) the early lead, and teammates Hasan Rasheed and Freddy Parejo each went 2-for-4. Manatees starter Josh Wahpepah tossed six scoreless innings of three-hit ball. He walked three and struck out five. Hinton was charged with the loss, allowing four runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings. Lewis faced three batters and was charged with his third blown save. Travis Hope (1-0) picked up his first win with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Hope allowed one hit, walked one and struck out two. Blake Eager started for St. Lucie, scattering three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked two. The teams finish their three-game series at 7 p.m. ET on Monday at Tradition Field. -- Jeannine Rippa/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sluafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: 1st and 2nd, one out in the 9th -- not the easiest of save chances for Jeremy Lewis... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sluafa_1

Final: Greensboro (Marlins) 4, West Virginia 3 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Ford hits first homer in Power loss Power outfielder Darren Ford hit his first home run of the season, a two-run blast in the top of the fifth inning of Sunday?s game against the Greensboro Grasshoppers, but it was not enough as the Grasshoppers ended West Virginia?s three game winning streak with a 4-3 victory. In the bottom of the third inning the Grasshoppers scored three times to take an early lead. Jonathan Fulton scored the first run on a wild pitch and Jeff Van Houten knocked in the next two on a two-out single to center field. In the bottom of the fourth inning the Grasshoppers took a 4-0 lead when Andy Jenkins crossed the plate after Mike Bell?s error. Ford hit his two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning to cut the lead in half. In the top of the sixth inning with the bases loaded and one out, Bell reached on a fielder?s choice and Mat Gamel scored to bring the Power within a run. In the top of the ninth inning Greensboro closer Blake Jones struck out the side to seal the deal. Avi Rasowsky (1-0) earned the victory, Blake Jones earned the save (6) and Matt Kretzschmar (0-1) took the loss. The Power are 11-12 after the loss and the Grasshoppers improved to 12-12 with the win. The Power will have Monday off, then begin a six-game series against the Lexington Legends at Appalachian Power Park on Tuesday night. Lexington will start right hander Sean Walker (2-1, 3.52) and West Virginia will counter with right hander Robbie Wooley (0-1, 4.15). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). ***Hoppers get boost when they need it By Jeff Carlton Greensboro News-Record Staff Writer GREENSBORO -- The Grasshoppers needed an offensive lift. They got it, with some help. Closer Blake Jones needed a confidence boost. He got it, with nobody's help. The Grasshoppers mustered their first significant rally of the three-game series against the Power and, after Jones mowed down the final three hitters to preserve a 4-3 victory, they left First Horizon Park with something they really needed. A day off. "It's nice to have a win before an off day," manager Brandon Hyde said, "but I think these guys really need it. It's been kind of a grueling first 24 games." The Hoppers (12-12) had scored a total of three runs in the three previous games against the Power. Right-hander Matt Kretzschmar retired the first six hitters he faced Sunday before Greensboro ended its scoreless streak at 16 innings. Jonathan Fulton and Greg Burns coaxed walks to start the third inning. James Guerrero then dropped a perfect drag bunt -- which he called himself -- to load the bases. It looked like Kretzschmar might pitch his way out of it unharmed. Agustin Septimo popped up and Trent D'Antonio struck out. But his first pitch to Jeff Van Houten scooted to the backstop, allowing Fulton to score. "It's a break we haven't been getting, and it was a huge break for us," Hyde said. "Then Van Houten, with the big single up the middle, picked us up." Two runs scored, making it 3-0. The Hoppers, homerless in the series, scraped together another run in the fourth. Darren Ford played long ball against Avi Rasowsky in the fifth, cutting the Hoppers' lead to 4-2, in an otherwise excellent first start for the lefty. Greensboro's lead was 4-3 when Jones took the mound in the ninth, still looking to put Wednesday's blown save behind him. West Virginia started a five-run rally against Alexis Sosa and finished it against Jones to win that one, 7-6. "It was a sick feeling, a bad feeling you don't want to experience very often in your career," Jones said. "But it happens, and you've just got to come back and rebound." And so he did Sunday. He struck out all three hitters he faced, getting ahead and putting them away with split-fingered fastballs for his sixth save. West Virginia Box Score: RHP Matt Kretzschmar's first West Virginia appearance, and LHP Brandon Parillo's first since coming off the DL; Ned Yost really struggling... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Ryan Crew's strikeout in the 4th hurt; bases loaded, one out in the 6th -- only one run from that rally; tow gift errors to lead off the 8th and nothing comes from that -- all in all, a frustrating game... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Covering the bases Through Friday's action Paul Gattis, Huntsville Times The settlement reached Friday between minor league baseball and the umpires union was welcomed news to Southern League president Don Mincher. The strike has put a strain on leagues to find replacement umpires from the high school and college ranks and has occasionally led to some awkward moments in the first month of the season. Mincher praised the replacement umps but was also happy to know that professional minor league baseball would soon have its professional umpires back on the field. "I want to say we're very happy to have this thing come to a conclusion," Mincher said Saturday. "Without the regular umpires, it was somewhat of a strain. But we made it fine with our umpires. They did a good job for us and throughout the minor league system. But I'm happy this is over and done with. But our replacement situation was a lot better than I anticipated. I have nothing but good things to say (about the replacement umpires) and I feel very positive about it." Mincher tempered his excitement over getting the regular umps back by pointing to the vote Monday by the umpires on the agreement. But Mincher said he expected the new deal to pass. If the agreement is approved by the union membership as expected, Mincher said he hoped to have the umps back on the field as soon as May 8. Speaking of replacement umpires, one umpire in the International League may well be glad to get away from the pros. Durham's Delmon Young, who played for the Montgomery Biscuits last year and is one of the top prospects in baseball, flipped his bat at the umpire, striking him in the chest, after being called out on strikes and then ejected from the game. He has been suspended indefinitely by the International League. Young also had an incident last year with Southern League ump Jeff Latter, bumping Latter after getting called out on strikes. Young was suspended three games. Meanwhile, the Stars are happy just the way things are going right now. The Stars have won five of their last six and entered Saturday night's game against Tennessee just one-half game behind first-place Chattanooga. A key to the hot streak has been the effective work from the bullpen. In 26 1/3 innings pitched over the past six games, the bullpen has allowed just five runs, 18 hits and four walks while striking out 17 in compiling a 2-1 record with one save. The Stars offense, meanwhile, has scored more runs (92) than any team in the Southern League despite a .232 team batting average that is eighth. Stars hitters have also struck out just 144 times in the first 22 games, the fewest strikeouts in the league. And how about a shout out to the Stars of yesteryear? Or maybe just two years ago? With four former Stars in the starting lineup, the Brewers last week swept a three-game series from the Atlanta Braves for the first time in team history. And former Star Ben Sheets got the win in the series finale. Around the league Mobile may be tied for last place in the South Division but the BayBears are developing two bona fide pitching prospects. Cesar Carrillo, who pitched seven shutout innings against the Stars eight days ago, is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA. And Jared Wells pitched five no-hit innings on Friday as the BayBears beat the Mississippi Braves 3-0. Wells is 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA. ... The Southern League, a month into the season, has definitely been pitching-dominated so far. West Tenn leads the league in hitting with a mediocre .251 team batting average. Meanwhile, seven of the 10 teams in the league have an ERA of less than 3.50. Carolina leads the way with an obnoxiously low 2.86 ERA. The Stars ERA is 3.38. ... Micah Hoffpauir of West Tenn is the most recent hitter of the week in the league while Montgomery's Jim Magrane was the top pitcher. Magrane beat the Stars on April 18, allowing one run in six innings. Brewings Triple-A Nashville Sounds (14-7, first place in Pacific Coast League American Division): Former Star Dave Krynzel is hitting .361 in 14 games. Single-A Brevard County Manatees (14-8, second place in Florida State League East Division): 2B Steve Sollman is leading the team with a .361 batting average. Single-A West Virginia Power (10-11, fifth place in South Atlantic League Northern Division): P Derek Miller has 29 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched and compiled a 2.74 ERA. On deck The Stars play Tennessee tonight and Monday before playing a five-game set at West Tenn. The Stars return home next Sunday against Montgomery.

Standings through Saturday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 15 7 .682 - 7-1 8-6 W4[/b] Omaha 12 9 .571 2.5 8-5 4-4 L1 Iowa 8 13 .381 6.5 6-7 2-6 W1 Memphis 6 15 .286 8.5 4-4 2-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 15 9 .625 - 7-3 8-6 W1 [b]Huntsville 13 10 .565 1.5 7-6 6-4 L1[/b] West Tenn 13 10 .565 1.5 4-4 9-6 L1 Tennessee 11 12 .478 3.5 6-4 5-8 W1 Carolina 9 15 .375 6.0 4-5 5-10 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palm Beach 15 7 .682 - 7-4 8-3 W4 [b]Brevard County 15 8 .652 0.5 5-4 10-4 W1[/b] St. Lucie 13 9 .591 2.0 5-6 8-3 L3 Daytona 9 13 .409 6.0 6-7 3-6 W1 Vero Beach 8 14 .364 7.0 6-5 2-9 L1 Jupiter 7 16 .304 8.5 3-9 4-7 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lake County 14 9 .609 - 6-5 8-4 W2 Lexington 14 9 .609 - 10-4 4-5 W2 Delmarva 11 9 .550 1.5 4-5 7-4 W1 [b]West Virginia 11 11 .500 2.5 4-6 7-5 W3[/b] Greensboro 11 12 .478 3.0 8-5 3-7 L3 Hagerstown 9 12 .429 4.0 6-5 3-7 L2 Hickory 9 13 .409 4.5 4-5 5-8 L2 Lakewood 8 12 .400 4.5 6-4 2-8 L1

Follow Sunday'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_nozaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sluafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_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

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Dennis Sarfate at New Orleans (Nationals), 1:40 PM pre-game, 2:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Nashville Game Day Feature from MILB.com: Please note that GameDay links will not become active until approximately 1-2 hours before game time www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nozaaa_1 Huntsville: RHP Matt Yeatman at home vs. Tennessee (Diamondbacks), 1:50 PM pre-game, 2:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ Brevard County: RHP Josh Wahpepah at St. Lucie (Mets), 12:00 PM; sorry, no web audio for this series West Virginia: TBD at Greensboro (Marlins), 3:50 PM pre-game, 4:00 gametime; the Greensboro media hints it could be RHP Ryan Marion, a native of the Greensboro area... Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

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Power-less Hoppers fall below .500 By Rob Daniels Greensboro News-Record Staff Writer GREENSBORO -- On second thought, the Grasshoppers would have preferred a strikeout Saturday night. When Greg Burns failed to deliver a sacrifice bunt and instead hit an eighth-inning line drive, a base-running error and a fatal double play resulted and Greensboro absorbed a 2-0 defeat to the West Virginia Power. The Hoppers (11-12) lost for the fourth time in five games and fell below .500 for the first time on the year. "We play good some nights, and on others, we don't," manager Brandon Hyde said. "We've got to be more consistent in the way we approach things." Trailing 2-0 after Lorenzo Cain's sixth-inning home run, the Hoppers got a leadoff single from Jared Gaston in the eighth. Power pitcher Will Inman, of Dry Fork, Va., then hit Jonathan Fulton, who grew up only 16 miles away in Danville, Va., with a pitch and Greensboro was in business. Greg Burns, who had struck out 27 times in 88 plate appearances, became the perfect candidate for a sacrifice bunt as he walked to the plate. But two wayward attempts up the third-base line foiled that plan, and with two strikes against him, Burns swung away. He lined one toward the middle, and that became trouble when Gaston failed to dart back toward second immediately. Shortstop Michael Bell made an easy catch and an unassisted double play. He briefly contemplated a throw to first to try for a triple play, but he decided against it. No matter. Considerable damage had been done. The sequence was harmful to a Hoppers lineup that has scored one run in its past 17 innings. Although still leading the league in home runs, the Hoppers have failed to go deep in their past four games. "We had chances in the eighth and the ninth and couldn't push anything across," Hyde said. Cain, a 19-year-old Floridian who hit his first home run of the year in a 2-1 victory Friday night, deposited a Ryan Tucker offering onto Natty's Hill in left field. Cain is 5-for-7 in the series and hitting .367 for the year -- good for sixth in the South Atlantic League. But that was the only real downer for Tucker, who entered with 13 walks in 18 innings and a 5.40 ERA. Tucker struck out seven Power hitters and walked only one on Saturday. "His best start," Hyde said. "He threw strikes, challenged hitters and had a put-away slider. I thought he was outstanding." Why the Grasshoppers lost: They managed just five hits off starter Rafael Lluberes Inman. Performances worth noting: Hoppers -- Tucker allowed two runs and struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Power -- Cain went 2-for-4 and homered for the second straight night. ... Inman lowered his ERA to 0.95 with 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Also worth noting: Between the third and fourth innings, Hoppers fan Ken Harper proposed to his girlfriend, Schala Webb. She said yes. ... The big plays: A line-drive double play in the bottom of the eighth cut short the Hoppers' best chance. ... In the fourth, Tony Festa's liner down the right-field line was ruled foul. TV replays in the press box suggested it should have been a home run.

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com/ MELTDOWNIt was inevitable, but the Stars' defense which had destroyed the club record for the fewest errors after 20 games (eight) simply had a bad night, a 6th inning meltdown that cost the Stars their hold, albeit shared, on first place in the Northern Division of the Southern League. Corey Thurman and Steven Jackson were locked in a scoreless duel after five innings. For Thurman, this seems pretty typical now. He had three runs of support in his first three starts before beating Mobile on April 23. Add 'em up now and it's nine runs in 27 2/3 innings over five starts....... The first of the Stars' three errors came in the 5th when Adam Heether committed his first of the year, dropping Agustin Murillo's slow grounder. It was a tough error because he had to come in on it, but I've seen Heether make tougher plays cleanly. But the two in a really sloppy 6th really hurt. Thurman had held Tennessee to just one hit over five innings and it should have been an easy inning........ Leading off the 6th was the pitcher, Steven Jackson....... Jackson lined a 1-1 pitch that should have been caught by shortstop Ozzie Chavez, but it wound up going off his glove into left field instead, and Jackson was on first........ Things got worse. Danny Richar laid down a bunt. Thurman came over for it, as did Heether, but after some on-field confusion, Heether held the ball instead. Richar was given credit for a hit........ Next, Alberto Gonzalez chopped a ball to the left side of the infield. It was taken on the high hop by Thurman, who made a quick decision to try and get the lead runner, but his throw was high, and Heether came down on bag too late to get the runner, and the bases were now loaded........ Like a shark smelling blood, Miguel Montero, 2nd in the league in OPS and 10th in batting, lined a ball sharply to right, scoring the first two runs for the Smokies........ With Alex Frazier at bat, Thurman uncorked a 2-0 pitch that went back to the backstop, scoring Gonzalez from third, making it 3-0. On 3-and-1, Frazier lined a ball on one hop to right, moving Montero to third......... Jesus Cota then blooped a ball to right, falling in front of a charging Kennard Bibbs, and Montero scored to make it 4-0, all this coming before the Stars were able to record an out. Thurman then retired Murillo on a deep fly to left and got Phil Avlas on a grounder, but Jarred Ball, the 9th man to come up, doubled down the right field line, clearing the bases. Jackson, at bat for the second time in the inning, struck out to end the suffering. A cloudy, cool, and drizzly evening held the paid attendance to just over 1,000 after Friday night's season-high crowd of over 7,000. Better weather won't be on the way again until the Stars have gone on their next road trip to Jackson, Tennessee........ The forecast for Sunday is not as strong for rain as it was 24 hours ago, but it is very iffy. Steve Moss put the Stars on the scoreboard with a two-run homer to the left of the big star used for advertising, just missing the third level of ads in left-center field. The home run extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Last night, speaking to Moss, he wasn't even aware he had a hitting streak going, but in any event, he's hitting at a .371 clip (13-for-35) with nine RBIs.. The Stars' newest pitcher, Russ Rohlicek, is looking for a car he can come and go in from the apartment to the stadium. Earlier in the year, I mentioned that Carlos Villanueva and his teammate Ozzie Chavez were looking for a car they could use for the season. They are still looking. And now I hear Joe Winkelsas is looking for a car........ If anyone in the area can help them out, e-mail Brett Pollock, the voice of the Stars, at brett@huntsvillestars.com Dana Eveland pitched seven scoreless innings Saturday, giving up just three hits, en route to a 5-0 shutout victory over New Orleans. Eveland is now 2-0......... Yovani Gallardo, a pitcher we could see here this year, pitched six scoreless innings for Class A-Brevard County (Fla. St.) to lead the Manatees to a 3-1 victory over St. Lucie on the road. Gallardo gave up just four hits. Sunday, if the weather cooperates, Matt Yeatman will make his first start for the Stars against Russ Ohlendorf (0-2, 3.38)......... Yeatman, whose 0.79 ERA at this point is one of the ten best April starts in Stars history, is being held to a pitch count, and will be fortunate if he goes more than four innings. He's being moved to the rotation replacing Jeff Housman, who is on the disabled list and will be out 3-4 weeks......

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Bad inning trips Stars Huntsville loses after giving up all six runs in 6th inning By SKIP VAUGHN For The Huntsville Times, skipv@htimes.com Sitting at his desk before Saturday night's game against the Tennessee Smokies, Huntsville Stars manager Don Money explained his team's recent good fortune. The Stars had won five of their previous six games. "The pitching's been pretty decent for the most part," Money said. "Defense has been pretty solid. Knock on wood. "Hitting - we haven't been knocking the ball around the yard, but we've been getting timely hits. "That's what it takes - good pitching, defense and some timely hitting." The Stars didn't have it in a 6-2 loss to the Smokies before an announced crowd of 1,042 at Joe Davis Stadium. Huntsville's Corey Thurman and Tennessee's Steven Jackson waged a scoreless pitching duel through five innings. But the Smokies struck for six runs in the sixth, including three unearned scores courtesy of two errors by the Stars. Miguel Montero had a two-run single and Jarred Ball had an RBI double against Thurman (1-2). "Defense hurt us," Money said. "We had a couple of opportunities (on offense). Thurman - he pitched well enough to win, just a bad inning." The Stars cut their deficit to 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth on Steve Moss' two-run homer, scoring Kennard Bibbs who had singled. "It was a fastball in," Moss said of his second homer of the season. "He (Jackson) started all the other guys off with fastballs that inning. He had a six-run lead. I just knew he was trying to get ahead of all the batters." Jackson (1-2) went eight innings with seven strikeouts and allowed two runs, seven hits and one walk. Thurman went six innings with five strikeouts and allowed six runs (three earned), six hits, one walk and had two wild pitches. The Stars finished with three errors but matched the Smokies' eight hits. Tennessee (11-12) and Huntsville (13-10) are scheduled to play again today at 2:05 p.m. at Joe Davis Stadium. Probable starters are the Smokies' Russ Ohlendorf (0-2, 3.38) and the Stars' Matt Yeatman (1-0, 0.73).

What they said: "He (Dana Eveland) pitched great. He struck out the side in the first and never lost command." ? Sounds pitching coach Stan Kyles. "I was throwing three pitches for strikes, so that always helps. I had a few lucky breaks, throwing pitches down the middle occasionally and getting an out." -- Eveland, who pitched seven innings and allowed three hits with seven strikeouts. Nashville's 2.91 ERA is the best in the Pacific Coast League.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link while active, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=803 Smokies Take Advantage of Stars' Mistakes Miguel Montero?s two-run single snapped a scoreless tie and highlighted a six-run sixth inning rally that carried Tennessee to a 6-2 victory over Huntsville on a cool, drizzly night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Smokies won for a second time in three games in the series to improve to 11-12, while the Stars dropped to 13-10 after committing a season-high three errors. Tennessee starter Steven Jackson led off the sixth inning and reached base when shortstop Ozzie Chavez had his line drive hit off his glove and land in the outfield for an error. Danny Richar dropped a bunt to third base that was fielded by Adam Heether, who did not throw to first base after realizing that first baseman Greg Sain and second baseman Callix Crabbe were both standing on the bag. Alberto Gonzalez laid down a bunt that was fielded in front of the mound by Stars? starter Corey Thurman, who threw to third base to try to get Jackson but his throw was high and pulled Heether off the bag, which allowed the Smokies to load the bases. Montero then lined a 1-0 pitch into right field to score Jackson and Richar to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. Thurman wild pitched home another run, Jesus Cota singled home a run and scored on a Jarred Ball double and Phil Avlas chased home a run with a ground ball out to finish the largest scoring inning against the Stars this season. Thurman suffered the loss after allowing the six runs, three earned, over six innings and fell to 1-2 on the season. He had allowed only one earned run over 21 2/3 innings in his first four starts. The right-hander struck out five and walked one in going six innings for a third time in five outings. Russ Rohlicek worked three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and fanning three. Kennard Bibbs singled with one out in the sixth, to extend his hitting streak to a season-high four games, and scored when Steve Moss followed with his second home run of the season. Jackson then blanked the Stars over the next two innings to pick up his first win of the year in his longest outing of the season. The right-hander fanned seven and walked one and ended three of his innings with a strike out. Doug Slaten gave up a leadoff double to Drew Anderson and walked Heether to open the ninth but retired the next three hitters to end the game. Moss finished 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to ten games, while Crabbe picked up one hit in four tries and pushed his hit streak to five games. The series continues Sunday afternoon when the Smokies will send right-hander Ross Ohlendorf to the mound against Stars right-hander Matt Yeatman, who makes his first start of the season. Coverage of the game begins at 1:50 p.m. central time and can be heard locally on ESPN Radio 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

Brevard County Site Game Summary: Manatees hold off Mets Yovani Gallardo tossed six strong innings as visiting Brevard County defeated St. Lucie, 3-1, on Saturday. Gallardo (2-2) allowed four hits and a walk while striking out six to lower his ERA to 1.69. The 20-year-old right-hander retired the first eight batters he faced and did not give up a hit until Shawn Bowman lined a ground-rule double with two outs in the fourth. Bo Hall kept the shutout intact through the eighth, but Josh Alliston surrendered a two-out RBI single to Corey Coles in the ninth before getting Jose Coronado to fly out for his fourth save. Mets starter Chuck Smith (1-2) had control problems during his four-inning stint, yielding one run on two hits and four walks. He struck out five. William Vazquez followed with three scoreless innings, but Matt Lindstrom committed a throwing error in the eighth that allowed a pair of insurance runs to score. Hernan Iribarren and Steven Sollmann had two hits apiece for Brevard County (15-8), which has won two of three following a four-game losing streak. Coles and Joshua Petersen each contributed two hits for St. Lucie (13-9), which suffered its third straight loss. The teams meet again at 1:00 PM (12:00 Central) on Sunday. -- Daren Smith/MLB.com

Final: Tennessee (Diamondbacks) 6, Huntsville 2 Details from the Stars site later on... Huntsville Box Score: Steve Moss with a two-run HR, now with a ten-game hit streak; nice job by LHP Russ Rohlicek with a three-inning stint, saving the rest of the bullpen... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: The Stars defense, stellar all season, finally let them down in a big way during one disastrous six-run 6th inning... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Final: Brevard County 3, St. Lucie (Mets) 1 Not quite three shutout victories tonight... Brevard County Box Score: Yo Gallardo after five starts: 1.69 ERA, 26.2 IP, 20 H, 7 BB, 38 K's... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sluafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: Bo Hall loaded the bases in the 8th but survived unscathed... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_sluafa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Outfielder Tony Gwynn: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-29.wma

Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for nice Dana Eveland photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1928 Sounds Win Streak Hits Four With 5-0 Shutout METAIRIE, La. ? Left-hander Dana Eveland continued his strong season with seven innings of three-hit scoreless ball to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 5-0 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs on Saturday evening at Zephyr Field in the third game of a four-game series. Nashville (15-7) picked up its fourth straight victory to match the club?s longest winning streak of the year, accomplished twice previously. The Sounds recorded their eighth win in the last nine games and have won 14 of 17 contests since opening the season with a 1-4 record. Eveland (2-0) held the Z?s to three singles and struck out seven batters in his seven innings to lower his ERA to a miniscule 0.75 through four starts in 2006. Opponents are batting just .189 (18-for-95) against him on the year and the southpaw has fanned 27 batters in 26.0 innings. Mike Meyers and Mike Adams, who worked into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth, each tossed a scoreless frame behind Eveland to complete Nashville?s second shutout of the season. The trio of Sounds pitchers combined to strike out 11 batters on the evening. Every Nashville starter recorded a hit in the contest except leadoff batter Tony Gwynn (0-for-5), led by shortstop Chris Barnwell?s 3-for-4 evening. Barnwell broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot off New Orleans starter Anastacio Martinez. Mark Johnson, who opened the frame with a double, scored on the blast. AUDIO: Chris Barnwell's Two-Run HR -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-29.wma Outfielder Corey Hart added to the visitors? edge in the sixth, belting a one-out solo homer to left off Martinez to give the Sounds a 3-0 lead. The longball was Hart?s first of the year. Eveland helped his own cause in the seventh, plating Barnwell with a two-out RBI single to left to increase the Nashville advantage to 4-0. The Sounds added another two-out run in the eighth on Brad Nelson?s RBI single off Zephyrs reliever Bill Bray. Jermaine Clark, who had singled, then stole his PCL-leading ninth base of the year, scored on the knock. Martinez (0-2) took the loss after surrendering four runs on seven hits in seven innings. The right-hander struck out nine Nashville batters in the losing effort. The Sounds look to complete a four-game sweep when the teams wrap up the series with a 2:00 PM matinee on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Dennis Sarfate (1-0, 3.86) mans the bump for Nashville to face Zephyrs right-hander Andrew Good (0-1, 4.50).

West Virginia Site Game Summary: Power shutout Greensboro Rafael Lluberes, Will Inman and Joe Thatcher combined to pitch a five-hit shutout on Saturday night at First Horizon Park in Greensboro, North Carolina as the West Virginia Power won their third game in a row, beating the Grasshoppers 2-0. Lorenzo Cain, who was 7 for 15 in the series going into Saturday night?s action, provided the only runs of the game on a two-run blast in the top of the sixth inning. The home run was Cain?s second of the year, and his second in as many days. Cain also singled in the game to give him a South Atlantic League best 33 hits on the season. In the bottom of the ninth inning the Grasshoppers had runners on first and second base with only one out when pinch hitter Gary Roche ended the game grounding into a 4-6-3 double play. Lluberes (2-1) pitched six scoreless innings, and earned the victory. Thatcher earned the save (3) and Ryan Tucker (0-3) took the loss. The Power are 11-11 after the victory and the Grasshoppers fell to 11-12 after the loss. The win marks the first time that the Power have been at .500 since April 13. The Power will conclude the series with Greensboro on Sunday evening. Greensboro will start right hander Dan Barone (2-0, 1.16). West Virginia has not announced their starter yet. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:00 PM (4:00 Central). Note: normally LHP David Welch's turn in the rotation would be up, but the doubleheader on the 27th will force the Power to go to a Johnny Wholestaff approach on Sunday, most likely. - Mass Haas