Jim Goulart

Baseball America reports the following releases: Released OF Daniel Boyd Released RHP Richard Breshears Released SS Scott Candelaria Released RHP Josue Matos Released RHP Brian Montalbo Released C James Stanfield Released RHP Dan Stout Released OF Terry Trofholz Released RHP Glenn Woolard We had reported Richard Breshears' release earlier. Josue Matos was a 28-year-old minor league free agent signing this past offseason, and will now join others who are Brewer "alumni" without ever having actually played for the organization. Dan Boyd, Scott Candelaria, Brian Montalbo, Dan Stout, and Terry Trofholz were all players who had left the team previously, in some cases, multiple years ago, without signing official retirement paperwork, in all likelihood. Strictly paper transactions in these cases. Catcher Jimmy Stanfield was a non-drafted free agent signed in 2005. He appeared in 30 games for the Arizona Brewers before filling in at Huntsville at the end of the season, playing in three games there. Glenn Woolard is the "name" among this bunch. Having joined the Brewers from the Giants as part of the Wayne Franklin / Leo Estrella deal that netted current 40-man RHP Carlos Villanueva, Woolard had a solid 2004 that had yours truly lamenting his exposure in Rule 5 that offseason. He stepped back in 2005, among nagging injuries, I believe. RHP Glenn Woolard Brewerfan Player Index Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=665

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...006042736/ Power rallies for win Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Sitting in his office Tuesday evening, West Virginia Power Manager Mike Guerrero talked about the string of tough losses his baseball team had suffered. The Power entered its current homestand against the Greensboro Grasshoppers with 10 losses, including six in which its opponents scored the winning runs in the ninth inning. Sooner or later, Guerrero said, his players would learn how to protect leads and win games, particularly close ones. Two points he planned to emphasize, he noted, are the final two innings and the last at-bat. "Those," Guerrero said, "are what count." Perhaps his players are quick learners. That seemed to be the case Wednesday afternoon when the Power scored five runs in its final at-bat to collect a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over the Grasshoppers at Appalachian Power Park, where a Grand Slam School Day crowd of 3,484 fans -- most of them students and teachers playing hooky -- watched a thrilling finish between the South Atlantic League teams. West Virginia improved to 8-10. Greensboro dropped to 10-9. The Power is 4-1 against the Grasshoppers this season. "That's why you never give up," said Guerrero, whose team won for the first time in six tries when trailing after eight innings. "It only takes one inning to win a game." Making his debut with the Power, right-handed pinch hitter Michael Bell started the ninth-inning rally with a first-pitch single off left-handed reliever Alexis Sosa. "I love to hit off lefties," said Bell, whom the Milwaukee Brewers promoted from extended spring training Tuesday, the same day they shipped Scotty McKnight from West Virginia to Brevard County of the Florida State League to replace injured infielder Alcides Escobar there. "I was just trying to help out the guys. We all played together last year (with Helena of the Pioneer League). I finally got up here with them. It was nice to help them win." Sosa walked Kenny Holmberg before Grasshoppers Manager Brandon Hyde replaced him with closer Blake Jones. But Jones fared no better than Sosa. Ryan Crew drove in Bell with a single, cutting the Grasshoppers' lead to 6-3, and Mat Gamel brought Holmberg and Crew home with a double, cutting it to 6-5. A well-placed sacrifice bunt by Ned Yost moved Gamel to third base, putting the tying run 90 feet from home plate. Pinch hitter Nate Yoho followed with a first-pitch single, allowing Gamel to jog down the line, across the plate and into the dugout. Jones threw "a changeup low and away," Yoho said, "and I got just enough of it to get it through the middle." Yoho then stole second base on a 3-1 pitch to Darren Ford, who took it for a strike after Guerrero gave both of them the straight steal sign. With the students sitting behind home plate screaming his first name again and again, Ford smacked the full-count delivery -- a fastball low and away -- up the middle. "I was sitting on it," said Ford, who hit .421 (8-for-19) in his past five games -- tops among his teammates -- to raise his batting average to .274 (20-for-73) this season. "I knew I had to drive the ball somewhere." Centerfielder Greg Burns scooped the ball and fired it to catcher Trent D'Antonio. Burns' throw was ahead of the runner but was left of the plate, forcing D'Antonio to backhand the ball and twist his body to make the tag on Yoho, who didn't slide. "I got him with both hands on the thigh or around the knee," D'Antonio said. "It wasn't like I just clipped him. I gave him a little bump to make sure I got him. If he didn't feel it, there is something wrong with him." It indeed appeared D'Antonio touched Yoho in time. But the umpire called Yoho safe, prompting a celebration by the Power and an eruption by D'Antonio. The catcher spiked the ball and charged the umpire, vehemently arguing the call. Hyde did the same, but to no avail. "That was just me going crazy," D'Antonio said, "because I knew I got him and he knew I got him." That doesn't matter to the Power. The team won't give back its much-needed and well-earned win. "This is huge," Yoho said. "Maybe this win will get us over the top. I'm hoping so." "It just feels good to be on the other side of the coin," Guerrero added.

Standings through Wednesday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 12 7 .632 - 7-1 5-6 W1[/b] Omaha 11 8 .579 1.0 7-4 4-4 W1 Iowa 7 12 .368 5.0 5-6 2-6 L7 Memphis 5 14 .263 7.0 4-4 1-10 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 13 7 .650 - 7-3 6-4 W1 [b]Huntsville 12 8 .600 1.0 6-4 6-4 W4[/b] West Tenn 12 8 .600 1.0 3-2 9-6 L1 Tennessee 9 11 .450 4.0 6-4 3-7 W3 Carolina 7 13 .350 6.0 2-3 5-10 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Lucie 13 6 .684 - 5-3 8-3 W4 [b]Brevard County 13 7 .650 0.5 5-4 8-3 L4[/b] Palm Beach 12 7 .632 1.0 5-4 7-3 W1 Daytona 8 11 .421 5.0 6-7 2-4 L1 Vero Beach 7 12 .368 6.0 5-3 2-9 W3 Jupiter 5 15 .250 8.5 3-8 2-7 L8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 12 6 .667 - 8-3 4-3 W2 Lake County 12 8 .600 1.0 5-4 7-4 W1 Delmarva 9 8 .529 2.5 4-5 5-3 L3 Greensboro 10 9 .526 2.5 8-3 2-6 L1 Hagerstown 8 10 .444 4.0 6-4 2-6 W1 [b]West Virginia 8 10 .444 4.0 3-5 5-5 W1[/b] Lakewood 7 10 .412 4.5 5-2 2-8 W2 Hickory 6 11 .353 5.5 2-5 4-6 L3

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_nozaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_vbdafa_1 West Virginia Game One: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Two: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_2

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

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Justin Thompson at New Orleans (Nationals), 6:40 PM pre-game, 7:00 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 Carlos Villanueva at home vs. Tennessee (Diamondbacks), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ Brevard County: LHP Steve Hammond at Vero Beach (Dodgers), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia: RHP Kevin Roberts and RHP Robbie Wooley at home in a doubleheader vs. Greensboro (Marlins), 5:05 PM -- each game a seven-inning affair Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

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Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2006042649 Ninth-inning rally lifts Power By Mitch Vingle Charleston Gazette Sports Editor Perhaps it was appropriate the West Virginia Power held Grand Slam School Day on Wednesday. Because the team was saved by the Bell. As well as the Yoho. And the Ford. The Power rallied for five runs in the bottom of the ninth, culminating in Darren Ford?s RBI single to center, en route to a thrilling 7-6 matinee victory over Greensboro before 3,484 fans at Appalachian Power Park. The comeback before school kids wasn?t elementary. Nor was it easy. But the storyline was 1-2-3. First, Michael Bell, who was just called up to the Power roster, provided a spark batting in place of cleanup hitter Tony Festa. Bell was in extended spring training for the Milwaukee Brewers before landing a roster spot when ex-Power utility infielder Scotty McKnight was promoted to Brevard County. The 15th-round pick of the 2005 draft hit Charleston Tuesday night. ?My plane ride was something,?? Bell said. ?Turbulance on a tiny little plane. Then I stayed in the hotel [Tuesday] night and got up at 6:45 a.m. for [the 10:35 a.m.] game. But I felt like I got a good night?s sleep.?? Bell was clear-headed enough to single, move to second on a wild pitch and steal third. ?The [Greensboro] lefty [Alexis Sosa] came in and the DH we had hitting [Festa] was a left-handed hitter,?? said Bell, explaining manager Mike Guerrero?s decision to replace the Power?s cleanup man. That started the rally. West Virginia second baseman Kenny Holmberg took first base when he was hit by a pitch. Shortstop Ryan Crew plated Bell with an RBI single to right field. Left-handed hitter Mat Gamel, a fourth-round Brewers selection in 2005, then went down the leftfield line to push across two more runs. Suddenly, a 6-2 Grasshoppers? lead was trimmed to 6-5 with no outs. After a Ned Yost sacrifice bunt moved Gamel to third, Nate Yoho provided the second part of the storyline for the Power. Going against Greensboro righty Blake Jones, batting in place of No. 9 hitter Michael Brantley, Yoho reached out and poked a pitch back through the middle, scoring Gamel. ?He threw me a changeup low and away,?? Yoho said of Jones. ?I got just enough of it to get it through the middle.?? And to tie the game. But the rally wasn?t complete. With Ford at bat and the count 3-1, Yoho stole second base. Ford was swinging at the pitch. ?It was a straight steal,?? Yoho said. Ford then completed the storyline by chalking up his first game-winning hit in the minor leagues. ?I just went up there thinking of the situation,?? said the Power centerfielder and leadoff hitter. ?I had to hit the ball hard somewhere and try to drive in [Yoho].?? He nailed a fastball that was low and outside. ?I just tried to look for something middle and away,?? said Ford, an 18th-round 2004 pick. ?I knew that?s where they?d pitch me. I knew they wouldn?t come in. I tried to drive the ball.?? The hit completed a five-run rally that took but one out and drove West Virginia to its eighth win in 18 games. The Power had not won since its 4-3 victory over Lexington on Sunday. ?It means a lot because we?ve had a lot of tough losses like this,?? Ford said. ?It?s another step for us. Another one on the ladder. It shows we can win any game that we put our minds to.?? On the Power?s most recent road trip the team went 2-4. Four of the six games were decided by one run. ?This is huge,?? Yoho said. ?We should be up there with certain teams. Maybe this will help get us there.?? West Virginia (8-10) again plays host to South Atlantic Northern Division rival Greensboro (10-9) again tonight at 7:05 (6:05 Central).

Final: Vero Beach (Dodgers) 9, Brevard County 5 Brevard County Site Game Notes: Denker delivers for Dodgers Travis Denker hit a three-run double during a six-run seventh inning as the Vero Beach Dodgers beat visiting Brevard County, 9-5, on Wednesday. Blake Dewitt, Ryan Carter and veteran Pat Borders hit consecutive singles off Manatees reliever Luis Pena (1-1) to start the seventh. Denker followed with a drive to left field to clear the bases and give Vero Beach (7-12) a 6-5 lead. Cole Bruce lined a double to left to score Denker and Jason Mooneyham delivered an RBI single to chase Pena and give the Dodgers an 8-5 advantage. Jimmy Rohan's RBI double off Dave Johnson accounted for Vero Beach's final run. Rohan went 3-for-5, raising his average to a team-leading .350, and six other batters had two hits apiece for Vero Beach. Brevard County (13-7) took a 3-0 lead in the third on an RBI single by Ryan Braun and a two-run single by Brendan Katin. Braun went 2-for-5 to lead the Manatees. Adam Thomas (1-1) picked up the win after allowing two hits, walking one and striking out two over 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. Brian Akin recorded the last four outs, striking out three, to earn his first save. Brevard County starter Mike Jones allowed one run on six hits over three innings, walking one and fanning two. It was the first blown save for Pena, who was reached for eight runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout in one inning. The three-game set continues at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday in Vero Beach. -- Max Lance/MLB.com Brevard County Box Score: Fine, except for RHP Luis Pena's ugly outing... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_vbdafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_vbdafa_1

The Brewers have signed center fielder Steven Sapp to a contract, and assigned him to the Helena roster for now. Sapp was originally drafted in the 17th round of the 2003 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of a Torrance, California high school. Sapp played his first pro season at age 17. Still only 20 years old (21 this November), Sapp already has three pro seasons under his belt, as the Dodgers released him last off-season. He hasn't performed offensively to date. We'll have a Brewerfan Player Index page for Sapp by this weekend. Until then, here's his career numbers: www.thebaseballcube.com/p...sapp.shtml

Alcides Escobar is nursing a sore finger after getting hit by a pitch, thus his DL stint. No cause for major concern, apparently.

Final: West Virginia 7, Greensboro (Marlins) 6 Power sends home all the elementary school kids happy... West Virginia Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.wvpower.com/news/deta...?newsID=66 Power Plate Five In Ninth To Win The West Virginia Power entered the ninth inning of Wednesday morning?s ball game at Appalachian Power Park trailing the Greensboro Grasshoppers 6-2. The Power scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and defeated Greensboro 7-6. Kenny Holmberg blasted his fourth home run of the season in the bottom of the second inning, a solo shot to start the scoring for the Power. The Grasshoppers tied the game at 1-1 on former Brewer farmhand Agustin Septimo?s RBI single in the top of the third inning. In the top of the fourth the Grasshoppers took the lead on an RBI double from Andy Jenkins. Ryan Crew tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-out RBI base hit. Septimo struck again in the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run, his fifth of the year. Greensboro scored three times in the top of the seventh inning. Greg Burns drove in the first two runs on a triple and he scored later in the inning on Trent D?Antonio?s groundout. Newcomer Michael Bell began the five-run rally in the ninth inning with a pinch hit single. Crew knocked Bell in with an RBI single after Holmberg walked and Mat Gamel drove in Holmberg and Crew on a double to left field. Two batters later, Nate Yoho delivered a game-tying pinch-hit RBI single. Yoho then stole second base, and scored the game-winning run on Darren Ford?s single to center field. Dane Renkert (2-2) earned the victory and Blake Jones (1-1) obtained the loss. The Power are 8-10 after the victory and the Grasshoppers fell to 10-9 with the loss. The Power will play a pair of seven-inning games against the Grasshoppers at Appalachian Power Park on Thursday night. Right-hander Kevin Roberts (2-1, 3.72) will throw for the Power in game one and the Grasshoppers will counter with right-hander Todd Doolittle (0-0, 0.00). In game two right-hander Robbie Wooley (0-1, 5.00) gets the start for West Virginia and Greensboro will start right hander Chris Volstad (3-0, 2.84). The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 6:05 PM (5:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: Much needed rally for this squad... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

SS Alcides Escobar has indeed been placed on the Brevard County disabled list; we should have a status update by end-of-day, Thursday the latest.

The fact David Welch earned a starting rotation spot to start the year is worth something in terms of what the Brewers may think of him. Until we get first-hand accounts of him (not sure if Welch pitched at Greensboro when pogokat was there), we won't know too much. Of course, you could have listened to Andy Barch's call this morning, right? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif What we learned on Draft Day 2005: Round 20: David Welch - LHP 6'4", 200 lbs - Texarkana CC - Texas - He is from Sydney, Australia. - He had committed to attend Texas Tech University. - He was a 38th round pick of the Yankees in 2003. From colbyjack's Draft Recap: 4-1, 2.77 ERA in 12 appearances, 26 IP, 21 H, 29 K, 12 BB with Helena Welch, a native of Australia, is a well-built pitcher at 6'4", 215 pounds, with a live arm and a sturdy frame. He had committed to play for Texas Tech for his junior year of eligibility, but the Brewers were able to sign him away from that commitment to play professionally, and he responded well with the Helena Brewers. Welch earned a few starts later in the season after being used predominantly out of the bullpen, and he may find himself as a piggy-back starter for West Virginia in 2006. Like Patrick Ryan, Welch could be a sleeper to watch next season.

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2006042528 Power feels agony of close defeats By Nick Scala Charleston Gazette Staff writer The ledger shows the West Virginia Power with a 2-4 record on its recent road trip, but manager Mike Guerrero knows it could have been a much more pleasant journey. ?We actually should?ve been 5-1,? the Power manager said before Tuesday night?s game with Greensboro was rained out. ?It?s a matter of not closing the games.? Three of the four losses on the trip came after the Power let a ninth-inning lead slip away. Last Tuesday at Hagerstown, the Power squandered a 3-1 lead in the ninth as the Suns capitalized on two West Virginia errors and won 4-3. Against Hagerstown Thursday, a two-run Suns home run in the bottom of the ninth turned a 5-4 Power lead into a 6-5 loss. Monday night at Lexington, the Power led 3-0 in the eighth and 3-2 in the ninth before losing 4-3, with an error contributing to the winning run. ?We?re not executing,? Guerrero said. ?We?re not getting the pitching and defense when it counts, late in the games. We need to put it together for 27 outs.? Although the Power is giving up a lot of late runs ? including three in the ninth inning last Wednesday, a 5-4 win at Hagerstown ? it doesn?t seem to be the bullpen?s fault. Guerrero has settled on right-hander Dane Renkert and lefty Joe Thatcher as his bullpen closers, and both are registering decent numbers. Renkert (1-2, 1.17 ERA) has let up just one earned run in five appearances, while Thatcher (0-2, 2.08) has allowed just one earned run in four games. But Renkert?s appearances have yielded four unearned runs, while Thatcher has allowed three. That?s seven unearned runs in 12 innings among the closers. In contrast, the rest of the staff has thrown 138 1/3 innings and been victimized with just 10 unearned runs. ?We can?t make mistakes and give them four, five outs in an inning, especially late in the game,? Guerrero said. ?An error here, an error there, they add up. We?re giving opportunities to the other teams.? ***You can?t blow a ninth-inning lead without scoring some runs and getting a lead, and the Power has been doing that. Lorenzo Cain hit .370 (10-for-27) on the road trip, hiking his average on the season to .333, tied with Kenny Holmberg for second-best on the team behind Angel Salome?s .348 mark. Holmberg leads the Power with three home runs, and he?s also tops on the team in on-base percentage (.431), slugging percentage (.593) and walks (nine). ?He?s a contact guy,? Guerrero said of Holmberg, a 22nd-round draft pick in 2005 out of Embry-Riddle University. ?The ball jumps off his bat and he hits well to all fields.? ***The Brevard County Manatees, with a roster made up largely of players who spent last summer with the Power, are tearing up the high Class A Florida State League, although they've lost their last three contests. Brevard County has the league?s best record at 13-6, led by some familiar names. Through Monday, Hernan Iribarren, the Power?s all-star second baseman a year ago, is hitting a robust .368 for the Manatees. Catcher Carlos Corporan is hitting .357, shortstop Alcides Escobar is at .333, outfielder Freddy Parejo is hitting .315 and third baseman Ryan Braun is at .296 with a team-high 14 RBIs. Among last year?s Power pitchers, Ben Stanczyk (3-1, 2.45) and Dave Johnson (3-1, 3.29), both working out of the Brevard County bullpen, share the team lead in wins. Reliever Robert Hinton (2-0, 0.00) hasn?t allowed an earned run in 11 innings, and Yovani Gallardo (1-2, 2.18) and Josh Wahpepah (0-0, 1.13) have looked sharp in the starting rotation. On the other hand, Mark Rogers, the Brewers? first-round draft pick in 2004, is still struggling. In four starts, the right-hander from Maine is 0-1 with a 9.88 ERA, allowing 23 hits and 12 walks in 13 2/3 innings. ***BRIEFLY: Left-hander Dave Welch (0-1, 1.38), West Virginia?s scheduled starter Tuesday, will get the call for today?s ?Grand Slam School Day.? He?ll face Greensboro right-hander Dan Barone (2-0, 0.49). ... The Power?s starters for Thursday?s doubleheader with the Grasshoppers are Robbie Wooley (0-1, 5.00) and Kevin Roberts (2-1, 3.72).

Standings through Tuesday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 12 7 .632 - 7-1 5-6 W1[/b] Omaha 11 8 .579 1.0 7-4 4-4 W1 Iowa 7 12 .368 5.0 5-6 2-6 L7 Memphis 5 14 .263 7.0 4-4 1-10 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 13 7 .650 - 7-3 6-4 W1 [b]Huntsville 12 8 .600 1.0 6-4 6-4 W4[/b] West Tenn 12 8 .600 1.0 3-2 9-6 L1 Tennessee 9 11 .450 4.0 6-4 3-7 W3 Carolina 7 13 .350 6.0 2-3 5-10 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Brevard County 13 6 .684 - 5-4 8-2 L3[/b] St. Lucie 12 6 .667 0.5 4-3 8-3 W3 Palm Beach 11 7 .611 1.5 4-4 7-3 L2 Daytona 8 10 .444 4.5 6-7 2-3 W3 Vero Beach 6 12 .333 6.5 4-3 2-9 W2 Jupiter 5 14 .263 8.0 3-8 2-6 L7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 12 6 .667 - 8-3 4-3 W2 Lake County 11 8 .579 1.5 4-4 7-4 L1 Delmarva 9 7 .563 2.0 4-5 5-2 L2 Greensboro 10 8 .556 2.0 8-3 2-5 W3 Hagerstown 8 10 .444 4.0 6-4 2-6 W1 Lakewood 7 10 .412 4.5 5-2 2-8 W2 [b]West Virginia 7 10 .412 4.5 2-5 5-5 L2[/b] Hickory 6 11 .353 5.5 2-5 4-6 L3

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars come to life ... finally ... to pull out victory Huntsville scores seven runs in 8th inning to beat BayBears By PAUL GATTIS Huntsville Times Sports Staff, pgattis@htimes.com You should've been at Joe Davis Stadium on Tuesday night and seen the doubleheader. And all in one game. In the first game, the Huntsville Stars had three hits through six innings and seemingly had a termite-infested bat rack. In the second game, the Stars couldn't do anything wrong in scoring seven runs in the eighth inning and Mobile couldn't do anything right. It all added up to a 9-5 victory for the Stars - extending the Stars' winning streak to four games - before an announced gathering of 819. It was, indeed, a goofy game. Mobile catcher George Kottaras, rated the No. 2 prospect in the San Diego Padres minor league system, hit two homers and drove in all five runs for the BayBears. Starting pitcher Sean Thompson lugged a 6.43 ERA into the game but surrendered just three hits through six innings and allowed a baserunner past first base only twice. But the Stars cut their 4-0 deficit in half with two runs in the seventh, then took advantage of five BayBears walks in the eighth to score seven runs for their biggest inning of the season. Huntsville leadoff hitter Callix Crabbe had two hits in the decisive eighth inning, scoring one of the seven runs and knocking in two others. And the Stars, at 12-8, are now tied for second with West Tenn and one game behind Chattanooga in the Southern League North Division. It seemed such an unlikely outcome for a game that began so miserably for the Stars. Mobile's first two hitters singled and scored when Kottaras blasted a three-run homer to right-center off starter Khalid Ballouli for a 3-0 lead. The BayBears added another run in the second when Thompson reached on an infield single and scored on a Kottaras fielder's choice. Ballouli settled down, though, and held Mobile scoreless for the next two innings. And the bullpen trio of Russ Rohlicek, Matt Yeatman and Alec Zumwalt allowed two hits and one run in five innings. That run was also harmless enough, with Kottaras going deep off Zumwalt to lead off the ninth. The Stars' bats awoke in the seventh for two runs when Steve Moss and Ron Acuna singled. Moss scored on an error by Mobile second baseman Luis Cruz and Acuna came around on a Lou Palmisano single. The Stars sent 12 batters to the plate in the eighth, scoring the seven runs. Palmisano had a three-run double and Crabbe a two-run single in the highlights of the rally. Zumwalt (1-0) got the win while reliever Leonel Rosales (0-2) got the loss as Mobile's bullpen allowed six hits and seven runs in 1 2/3 innings.

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com/ HOUSMAN PUT ON DLThe Stars have placed LHP Jeff Housman on the disabled list with a strained pitching shoulder. No word on a replacement, but in a little more than a week, the roster must be trimmed by one and the Stars may deal with that situation a little earlier than they wanted. Well, another beautiful night for a ballgame........ 81° at gametime with a few more clouds in advance of what looks to be some rain for tomorrow, but the Stars will be off anyway, and there's simply nothing like the sounds of baseball at Joe Davis Stadium -- gloves popping, cell phones ringing, crickets chirping....... 819 the paid attendance tonight, though you could count way fewer than that in the stands. 30 minutes before gametime, I'd say there were a dozen in the seats, not counting ushers......... Perhaps the Friday crowd will be much, much larger. Right now, school is still in session. The Little Leaguers will come once school is over, and perhaps we won't see these embarrassing displays of support here........ What can you do? It's Hicksville. For the 4th straight night, the Mobile Bay Bears were first to score, but in the end, the Stars won their 4th straight game and have won nine of their last 12 to give them a 12-8 record. Two more wins will give them the best start since 1999........ The Stars did, though, set a record tonight. After 20 games, they have made just eight errors in the field, fewest on record at this stage of the season. In fact, they destroyed it, breaking the record of 16 set only last season. Despite the fact that Ozzie Chavez and Callix Crabbe have made most of them, and you expect that to happen from middle infielders, their defense and plate work have been exceptional. A marked improvement over last year and two years ago in Ozzie's case and the two have been the best clutch hitters on the club........ Callix is hitting .258 and Ozzie .286 so far this season....... Still waiting to see Adam Heether, Drew Anderson, and Greg Sain get hot....... Although Sain's HRs and RBI's have come in clutch situtations, Sain is hitting only .200....... Lou Palmisano? Perhaps tonight's three-run double was the spark that will set him on fire. The Stars were trailing 4-2 going into the bottom of the 8th. In the three previous five-game series, the Stars could come away with no more than three wins, while division-leading Chattanooga and West Tenn were hot, and it looked like it would be another 3-2 series win, but the top of the order was coming up. Callix got it going........ On a 2-0 count from reliever Geoff Jones, Crabbe hit a slow grounder up the middle. Both Luis Cruz at second and Juan Ciriaco at short were able to get their glove on it just in front of the bag at second, but neither one could come up with a clean play. Ciriaco finally conceded the hit......... Chavez then lined a hit to center and Crabbe moved to third......... Mobile manager Gary Jones made his move and brought Leo Rosales from the bullpen. Rosales walked Steve Moss on six pitches to load the bases for Sain, who was fresh off a grand-slam HR in Monday's game. Another would give him three for the month, something no Huntsville Star had ever done, and would have writers scrambling for the phones to the Southern League office for an answer league-wide........ Sain took three balls high, then swung at a fourth and belted it deep --- but foul toward the ever-lonely cheap seats way out in left field. Fifth pitch was ball four to score Crabbe. That was all for Rosales, and now in comes Dale Thayer, who led the SL in saves last year....... Ron Acuna touched his first pitch for a sharp ground-hugger to right for a single that would at least score two, but Steve Baker's throw to the infield was wild, and got past certain All-Star catcher George Kottaras, and scored Chavez and Moss, who would have likely scored, but Sain held up at third........ Acuna took second on the error, and although he might have made it there on a decent throw home, he puts the Stars ahead, 5-4........ Adam Heether was walked intentionally to fill the bases....... Keep in mind now, there's still nobody out six batters deep into the inning........ Now it's Sweet Lou........ Palmisano sees three straight balls from Thayer, then takes two strikes....... The infield is in. Next pitch is inside, but Palmisano gets around and lines a ball straight down the left field line. No one is near the third base bag and the ball goes all the way to the corner. The bases are cleared easily and it's now 8-4........ Drew Anderson is now intentionally walked........ Eight batters come up and eight batters reach safely. That streak ends with Alec Zumwalt, at the plate for the first time this season. He strikes out, though it takes six pitches. 36 pitches have now been thrown by three Mobile pitchers and back to the top of the order we go...... Crabbe gets behind 0-and-2, but lines a 2-2 pitch to right field, scoring Palmisano. Baker makes amends somewhat and makes a strong throw to Brett Bonvechio, who runs down Anderson and tags him. Crabbe makes 2nd on the throw........ Chavez walks on seven pitches and Moss ends the seven-run inning, largest this season for the second game in a row, and hits into a force at third......... Unbelievably, all the runs are earned. Even more remarkable is this is the last we'll see at the Joe of Mobile this year. Same will go when Tennessee leaves after this next series, starting Thursday. A rough outing for Khalid Ballouli, who has given up, much as he did last year, a run in the 1st inning for the second time in four starts. Last year, he did that in eight of his nine starts. He threw 81 pitches in his four innings of work, 48 for strikes (59.2%)........ Talk about Crabbe's defense earlier, he made a diving stop of a hard ground ball hit by pitcher Sean Thompson in the 2nd inning, throwing from his knees, his momentum causing him to fall spread eagle on the dirt. And still his throw, while not in time, was on target. The Stars wait now for the Tennessee Smokies to come in Thursday....... Carlos Villanueva (2-2, 3.92) will face former University of Alabama-Huntsville Charger and Huntsville native Adam Bass......... Bass is the UAH record-holder in wins and strikeouts and is in his 2nd season with the Smokies, sporting a 2-1 record and 3.43 ERA. I'm expecting a pretty decent crowd for this one, even for a Thursday, which also happens to be a Thirsty Thursday for all you sots...... Bass finished his career at UAH with a 29-7 mark. That's all. Time for some sleep.

Recently released Brewers continue to find homes in independent ball -- LHP Josh Habel to Gary of the Northern League: www.railcatsbaseball.com/...asp?ID=632

Brevard County Site Game Notes: Mets top Manatees in extra Alhaji Turay knocked in the go-ahead run with a single to right in the 10th inning as visiting St. Lucie beat Brevard County, 4-3, on Tuesday. With two outs in the 10th, Shawn Bowman and Joshua Peterson hit consecutive singles off Robert Hinton (2-1) setting up Turay's RBI. Hinton blew a 2-1 lead earlier in the ninth for the Manatees (13-6). Turay was hit by a pitch by Hinton in the ninth, and Mike Carp reached on an error by third baseman Ryan Braun and both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Yasmil Bruce then hit a grounder to shortstop Steven Sollman, who threw home but catcher Nestor Corredor couldn't hold on to the ball, allowing two runs to score and putting St. Lucie (12-6) up 3-2. Carlos Corporan hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extras. Carlos Muniz (2-0) picked up the win for the Mets. Edgar Alfonzo earned his third save by holding the Manatees scoreless in the ninth. St. Lucie starter Blake Eager allowed two runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. Josh Wahpepah allowed one run on six hits over six innings for Brevard County. He walked two and struck out six. Bo Hall pitched two perfect innings of relief for the Manatees before Hinton entered in the ninth. Hasan Rasheed went 3-for-4 for the Manatees. St. Lucie's Shawn Bowman was 3-for-5. Brevard County visits Verona for three games beginning at 7:00 PM (6:00 Central) on Wednesday. -- Max Lance / MLB.com

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". 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! Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_vbdafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Wednesday's Daily Menu: Triple-header of Power, Brewers, and Manatees today, so the menu's not as light as it appears; Mike Jones has the audio spotlight all to himself Wednesday night... All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: Idle Huntsville: Idle Brevard County: RHP Mike Jones at Vero Beach (Dodgers), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../audio.jsp West Virginia: LHP Dave Welch at home vs. Greensboro (Marlins), 9:35 AM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/n...newsId=799 EIGHTH INNING EXPLOSION LIFTS STARS TO VICTORY Callix Crabbe?s two-run single topped off a seven-run eighth inning rally that carried Huntsville past Mobile 9-5 Tuesday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars came from behind for a fourth straight day to win a fourth consecutive game to improve to 12-8 on the season, while the BayBears slumped to 7-13. The Stars matched their longest winning streak of the year and established a season-best home win string by claiming the last four games of the five-game set. Crabbe and Ozzie Chavez opened the decisive frame with singles off of Geoff Jones, who was then replaced on the hill by Leo Rosales, making his second appearance of the series. He walked Steve Moss to load the bases and walked Greg Sain to force in Crabbe to trim the visitors lead to 4-3 and was then lifted in favor of Dale Thayer, who led the Southern League in saves last season. Ron Acuna lined his first pitch into right field for a base hit to score Chavez with the tying run and Moss scored the go-ahead run when Steve Baker?s throw back to the infield got past the catcher George Kottaras, which also allowed the other runners to advance a base. Mobile walked Adam Heether to reload the bases before Lou Palmisano doubled down the left field line against a drawn-in infield to score two to push the home team?s advantage to 7-4. Crabbe?s two-run single with the bases loaded closed the Stars biggest scoring inning of the year, one day after they had posted six runs in the fifth inning of an 8-4 win. Moss extended his hitting streak to seven games, the longest of any Huntsville hitter this season. Every starter picked up a hit save for Sain and every starter scored except for Drew Anderson, who had scored in seven of the last nine games. Alec Zumwalt picked up the win with two innings of relief work during which he allowed a solo home run by George Kottaras, who left the yard twice and drove in all five Mobile runs. He hit a three-run home run in the first inning and finished the series with hits in all five games, three long balls and six driven in. Kottaras has hit four of his six double-A home runs at Joe Davis Stadium. Khalid Ballouli started for the Stars and gave up Kottaras?s first home run in the first inning, marking the ninth time in his 12 starts he had been scored on in the first inning. He left after four frames and was followed by Russ Rohlicek, who tossed two scoreless innings, and Matt Yeatman, who worked a scoreless seventh. The Stars are off on Wednesday and open a five-game series Thursday night against the Tennessee Smokies, who will send Huntsville native Adam Bass to the mound against Stars right-hander Carlos Villanueva. 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.

Nashville Site Game Summary: Link, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1919 Sounds Come Back To Knock Off RedHawks, 9-4 OKLAHOMA CITY ? Nelson Cruz belted his team-leading sixth homer and drove in three runs to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 9-4, come-from-behind victory over the host Oklahoma RedHawks on Tuesday evening at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. With the win, Nashville (12-7) recorded a 2-1 series victory and improved to 6-1 on the year against Oklahoma. The first-place Sounds -- who have won 11 of their last 14 games -- stole four bases and ripped four of their eight hits for extra bases. Sounds catcher Mike Rivera broke a 2-2 tie and extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a two-run single to highlight a four-run sixth inning. Outfielder Tony Gwynn upped his team-best hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the top of the ninth inning, finishing 1-for-5 on the night. Oklahoma designated hitter Erubiel Durazo gave the home team a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning with a leadoff home run to right off Sounds starter Dennis Sarfate. The blast was his second roundtripper of the year. The RedHawks doubled the advantage in the third when Sarfate issued four consecutive two-out walks to force home Jason Botts with the game?s second run. Sarfate ? who took a no-decision ? suffered through an erratic three-inning outing, his shortest start of the young season. The right-hander threw 75 pitches but only 34 for strikes, and issued five walks while allowing two runs on two hits. Through four starts (16.1 IP), Sarfate has totaled 16 walks and only 12 strikeouts. Nashville jumped on the board in the top of the fourth when Corey Hart (2-for-5) ripped a one-out double to right off Oklahoma starter John Hudgins and scored when Nelson Cruz followed with an RBI single, making the score 2-1. The Sounds tied the contest at 2-2 in the fifth on Enrique Cruz?s two-out RBI double off RedHawks reliever Kevin Walker, which scored Brad Nelson. Cruz has hit safely in eight of his last nine games. The visitors? offense kept rolling and plated four runs in the top of the sixth to grab a 6-2 lead. Rivera gave the Sounds a 4-2 lead with a two-run single off Kelvin Jimenez. Jermaine Clark and Nelson Cruz, who had drawn walks from Walker then each stole a base, scored on the knock. Brent Abernathy followed with an RBI double to right to bring in Rivera then scored the frame?s final run on a Jimenez wild pitch. AUDIO: Rivera Go-Ahead Two-Run Single -- www.nashvillesounds.com/a...204-25.wma Oklahoma cut the lead in half with one swing of the bat in the bottom half of the inning when Rashad Eldridge slugged a two-run homer to right off reliever Wilton Chavez. The longball, which plated Jamie Burke, was his second of the season. The Sounds tacked on three insurance runs with a two-out rally in the top of the ninth against rehabbing Texas Rangers hurler Brian Shouse. After Clark reached on a fielder?s choice that erased Gwynn, the second baseman swiped his team-leading eighth bag of the year then scored on a Hart RBI single. Nelson Cruz followed with a two-run shot to left to cap off the evening?s scoring and up the Nashville lead to its final 9-4. Chavez (2-1) picked up the victory after striking out six batters while allowing two runs in his 3 2/3 innings of work. Walker (0-2) took his second loss of the series after getting touched for two runs in his two-thirds of an inning. After joining the entire Pacific Coast League with an off day tomorrow, the Sounds continue their road trip on Thursday in New Orleans, where they?ll take on the Zephyrs in the clubs? first of four series this season. Nashville won the 2005 season series by an 11-5 margin but the teams split their eight meetings at Zephyr Field. Left-hander Justin Thompson (0-0, 5.79) will start the 7:00 p.m. CT series opener for the Sounds on Thursday night. New Orleans will send right-hander Kyle Denney (0-1, 3.18) to the hill.

Final: Nashville 9, Oklahoma (Rangers) 4 Frankie-Ball is running wild; Sounds site details shortly... Nashville Box Score: Nelson Cruz goes "boom" for the 6th time and reaches base four times; 75 pitches (five walks) in three innings for Dennis Sarfate; three relievers, six innings, no walks the rest of the way... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_orhaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: Yes, we've been pushing the game log reviews lately, but this one really givs you a sense of the havoc Frank Kremblas is authorizing on the basepaths, usually (but not always) with positive results... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_orhaaa_1