Jim Goulart

Through Monday's action: Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 4 1 .800 - 4-1 0-0 W4 Omaha 4 1 .800 - 4-1 0-0 W1 [b]Nashville 1 4 .200 3.0 0-0 1-4 L1[/b] Memphis 0 5 .000 4.0 0-0 0-5 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Tenn 4 1 .800 - 0-0 4-1 W2 Carolina 3 2 .600 1.0 0-0 3-2 W3 Chattanooga 3 2 .600 1.0 0-0 3-2 L1 [b]Huntsville 3 2 .600 1.0 0-0 3-2 W1[/b] Tennessee 1 4 .200 3.0 0-0 1-4 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Brevard County 5 0 1.000 - 1-0 4-0 W5[/b] St. Lucie 3 1 .750 1.5 2-0 1-1 L1 Palm Beach 3 2 .600 2.0 1-1 2-1 L1 Jupiter 1 3 .250 3.5 0-2 1-1 L1 Vero Beach 1 3 .250 3.5 1-1 0-2 W1 Daytona 0 4 .000 4.5 0-4 0-0 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lexington 5 0 1.000 - 5-0 0-0 W5 Greensboro 4 1 .800 1.0 4-1 0-0 L1 Lake County 4 1 .800 1.0 0-0 4-1 W1 Delmarva 3 2 .600 2.0 0-1 3-1 L1 [b]West Virginia 2 3 .400 3.0 1-3 1-0 W1[/b] Hagerstown 1 4 .200 4.0 1-0 0-4 W1 Hickory 1 4 .200 4.0 1-3 0-1 L1 Lakewood 0 5 .000 5.0 0-0 0-5 L5

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): All set for Monday already! www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Following Nashville's lead, Huntsville now makes its media notes available as well, nice: www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

Follow Tuesday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Window". Activate the Nashville Gameday. For the other links, choose "Log". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. It's sweet! Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_iowaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1

Tuesday's Daily Menu: Lunch with audio from Iowa and/or Greensboro! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Ben Sheets at Iowa (Cubs), 11:45 AM pre-game, 12:05 PM 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_iowaaa_1 Huntsville: RHP Carlos Villanueva at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime; Stars' home opener... Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ Brevard County: LHP Steve Hammond at home vs. Palm Beach (Cardinals), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.palmbeachcardinals.com/ West Virginia: RHP Kevin Roberts at Greensboro (Marlins), 11:30 AM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

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In the Off-Topic Forum, there's currently an oddball baseball injury thread: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...4328.topic This from the Terre Haute Tribune-Star about one of our favorite sleeper prospects: Joe Thatcher, a former Indiana State left-handed relief pitcher, will soon join the Brevard County Manatees of the Class A Gulf Coast League in the Brewers? organization. Thatcher was supposed to begin the season at Brevard County, but just before departure, slipped in the shower and bruised his ribs. He has rehabbed at extended spring training in Phoenix.

Nashville Box Score: Inauspicious Nashville debut for LHP Justin Thompson; veteran RHP Wilton Chavez followed up nicely, though... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_iowaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: Former Brewer farmhand Jeff Deardorff with a pinch-hit strikeout; eight hits but only one walk drawn by the Sounds... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_iowaaa_1

Final: Iowa (Cubs) 7, Nashville 6, 11 innings When reliever Allan Simpson reached 48 pitches midway through the 11th inning, Frank Kremblas had to turn to utility man Chris Barnwell on the mound: Bottom 11TH B:2 S:2 O:0 Jamal Strong hit by pitch. Bottom 11TH B:3 S:2 O:0 Buck Coats hits a sacrifice bunt. Fielding error by catcher Mike Rivera. Jamal Strong to 2nd. Buck Coats to 1st. Bottom 11TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Augie Ojeda replaces David Aardsma. Bottom 11TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Defensive switch from left field to 3rd for Vinny Rottino. Bottom 11TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Defensive switch from catcher to 1st for Mike Rivera. Bottom 11TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Defensive switch from catcher to pitcher for Chris Barnwell. Bottom 11TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Defensive switch from 1st to left field for Brad Nelson. Bottom 11TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Defensive switch from 3rd to shortstop for Enrique Cruz. Bottom 11TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Defensive Substitution: Mark Johnson replaces catcher Mike Rivera, batting 9th. Bottom 11TH B:2 S:2 O:0 Augie Ojeda hits a sacrifice bunt. Jamal Strong to 3rd. Buck Coats to 2nd. Augie Ojeda to 1st. Bottom 11TH B:0 S:0 O:0 Felix Pie singles on a fly ball to center fielder Tony GwynnJr. Jamal Strong scores. Buck Coats to 3rd. Augie Ojeda to 2nd. Details from the Sounds site later on...

Final: Huntsville 12, Mississippi (Braves) 5 Stars' site summary in just a bit... Huntsville Box Score: Braves went up 3-0 in the first, didn't score again until the 9th; the Stars drew 30 walks in the five-game series and broke out the bats tonight, with 16 hits; Khalid Ballouli had the groundball pitch working tonight; Greg Sain makes his Star debut with a pinch-hit appearance, flying out; newcomer Ron Acuna on base five times; neat that Matt Yeatman was re-acquired... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_msbaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: Gerrit Simpson replaced a tiring Joe Winkelsas and ended the game with one pitch... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_msbaax_1

Final: Brevard County 10, Palm Beach (Cardinals) 3 Guaranteed Win Night a success... Brevard County Box Score: Welcome back, Mike Jones! You too, Luis Pena! Charlie Fermaint, Steve Sollman, Freddy Parejo three hits apiece; Ryan Braun a BB and an HBP, but also three K's; Carlos de la Cruz a late fill-in at 2B, the first time we've seen him there, I believe; Sollman your 1B a night after starting at shortstop... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 Brevard County Game Log: Ben Stanczyk entered the game in the 4th, immediately allowed four extra base hits, says "that's enough", and strikes out the side, all swinging... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1

Final: West Virginia 2, Greensboro (Marlins) 0 West Virginia Site Game Summary: Power Pitching Staff Blanks Greensboro The Greensboro Grasshoppers entered Monday Night?s game against the West Virginia Power at 4-0 and had a league best .345 team batting average. The Power held the Grasshoppers to five hits and beat the Grasshoppers by the final score of 2-0. Ryan Crew drove in both runs for the Power. In the top of the first inning he walked with the bases loaded to give the Power a 1-0 lead. He struck again in the top of the seventh with a two-out RBI single to make it a 2-0 Power lead. The Grasshoppers had runners on second and third base with only one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, but that was as close as they came to scoring. Angel Salome went 0 for 3 but reached base his first four times up, and he reached base in nine consecutive at bats dating back to Sunday?s game. Rafael Lluberes (1-1) earned the victory, Wilfrido Laureano (1) earned the save and Chris Leroux (0-1) obtained the loss. The Power are 2-3 after the win and the Grasshoppers fall to 4-1 with the loss. The Power will continue the series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at First Horizon Park in Greensboro, North Carolina on Tuesday afternoon. Right hander Kevin Roberts (0-0, 1.80) will start for the Power and Greensboro will counter with right hander Chris Volstad (0-0, 11.25). The first pitch is scheduled for 12:30 PM (11:30 AM Central). West Virginia Box Score: No mention of Robbie Wooley's effort in the summary -- not fair, wonderful "pitch-to-contact" outing... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Power 5-for-6 on the basepaths; Grasshopper baserunners doubled off of third base in the 2nd and off 2nd base in the 4th to help bail Wooley out of jams; wasted Power opportunity in the 4th; Wilfrido Laureano pitched out of a huge 8th inning situation... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1

Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/200604108/ Power has ugly ending to Delmarva series Jacob Messer Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Consider this a case study for relief pitchers. Its title: "How not to close a game." With their team leading by four runs in the top of the ninth inning, West Virginia Power relievers Brandon Parillo and Dane Renkert allowed the Delmarva Shorebirds to turn a 7-3 deficit into an 8-7 victory in their final at-bat Sunday afternoon. Many of the 2,931 fans who attended the South Atlantic League game already had left Appalachian Power Park before the final inning because they assumed it was merely a formality. It wasn't. "Parillo and Renkert just didn't get the job done," Power Pitching Coach John Curtis said. "No excuses. It's plain to everybody that when you can't throw strikes, you are doing your team and the lead we had harm. It came back to bite us." Parillo and Renkert threw 35 pitches, 19 of which were called balls. "It's just throwing strikes," said Power starter David Welch, who should have picked up his first win after he allowed one run on one hit -- a solo homer in the fourth -- and finished with nine strikeouts compared to three walks in five innings. "I had trouble with it, too. I walked three guys, too. That's all it is. "If you just throw the ball over the plate, they are going to get themselves out. If you walk guys, you are going to get in trouble." Power relievers Ronny Malave (no runs on two hits in two innings) and Steve Palazzolo (two runs on three hits in one inning) followed Welch and preceded Parillo. Parillo faced Kyle Dahlberg, Rafael Rodriguez, Quincy Ascencion and Lorenzo Scott in the ninth but retired none of them. Parillo allowed one hit and yielded three walks, the last of which plated Dahlberg and started the Shorebirds' rally with their first run in the final inning. Renkert entered and fared no better than Parillo. His first four pitches were balls, walking Stuart Musslewhite and scoring Rodriguez. Renkert (0-1) then surrendered a single to Brandon Snyder, whose hit scored Ascencion. Mark Fleisher and Arturo Rivas followed Snyder with a groundout and a single, respectively, to score Scott and Musslewhite. A 6-4-3 double play mercifully ended the inning for Renkert and the Power, which hurt itself by stranding nine baserunners. "I told them things can't get much worse than that," Curtis said. The Power threatened to return the favor in its half of the ninth, when Mat Gamel and Angel Salome started the inning with back-to-back singles. Ned Yost moved Gamel and Salome into scoring position with a well-placed sacrifice bunt down the first-base line. But Ryan Crew hit into a game-ending double play in which Rodriguez caught his line drive at second base and threw to Rob Marconi at third base to pick off Gamel. "It's tough to swallow when you lose one like that," said Crew, whose club dropped to 1-3. The Power wasted not only a solid performance from Welch but also a spectacular one from Salome, the designated hitter who went 5-for-5 with a single, a homer and a pair of doubles. "You have to shake it off," said Salome, who also scored two runs and knocked in another one. "What can you do about this game? Nothing. It's already in the past." Darren Ford (3-for-5 with three RBI), Brad Willcutt (2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI) and Gamel (2-for-4 with two runs) also had multiple hits for the Power, which scored three in the second, one in the sixth and three in the eighth to build a 7-3 lead entering the ninth. "We have to bounce back," Gamel said. The Power won the season-opener between the teams but has lost three straight. POWER NOTES: Sunday marked the season debut for Willcutt, who started at catcher in place of Salome. A run-scoring double in his first at-bat eased his nerves, helping him at the plate. "Getting a hit (in your first at-bat) makes you relaxed for the rest of the game," Willcutt said. "I had a good day. I saw a bunch of pitches I could hit, and I was able to drive a couple of them." Rod Blackstone, the Power's most famous fan and its loudest, spent the afternoon throwing toast -- and eating crow. Snyder and Rivas, the two players to whom Blackstone talked the most trash, both hit home runs Sunday. Neither Snyder nor Rivas said anything to Blackstone when they jogged past him on the way back to the visiting dugout. The way they look at it, their actions spoke louder than their words could. "It's always good to make them quiet for a little bit," Snyder said with a smile. There are no hard feelings between the players and the fan. "After the game, he came up and congratulated me," Snyder said. "He's a great guy and a great fan." The Power visits the Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers tonight for the first of a four-game series. The Grasshoppers are undefeated at their new stadium, First Horizon Park, where a total of 26,519 fans watched them sweep the Hagerstown (Md.) Suns this weekend. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM (6:00 Central). West Virginia Power second baseman Kenny Holmberg, left, steps on second base to force out Delmarva?s Arturo Rivas (15) before throwing to first to complete the double play on the Shorebirds? Rob Marconi, foreground, to put an end to a five-run ninth inning that spelled doom for the Power in an 8-7 loss mon Sunday. Charleston Daily Mail Photo: Craig Cunningham http://www.dailymail.com/images/0410power.jpg

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 3 1 .750 - 3-1 0-0 W3 Omaha 3 1 .750 - 3-1 0-0 L1 [b]Nashville 1 3 .250 2.0 0-0 1-3 W1[/b] Memphis 0 4 .000 3.0 0-0 0-4 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 3 1 .750 - 0-0 3-1 W3 West Tenn 3 1 .750 - 0-0 3-1 W1 Carolina 2 2 .500 1.0 0-0 2-2 W2 [b]Huntsville 2 2 .500 1.0 0-0 2-2 L2[/b] Tennessee 1 3 .250 2.0 0-0 1-3 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Brevard County 4 0 1.000 - 0-0 4-0 W4[/b] Palm Beach 3 1 .750 1.0 1-1 2-0 W1 St. Lucie 3 1 .750 1.0 2-0 1-1 L1 Jupiter 1 3 .250 3.0 0-2 1-1 L1 Vero Beach 1 3 .250 3.0 1-1 0-2 W1 Daytona 0 4 .000 4.0 0-4 0-0 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greensboro 4 0 1.000 - 4-0 0-0 W4 Lexington 4 0 1.000 - 4-0 0-0 W4 Delmarva 3 1 .750 1.0 0-0 3-1 W3 Lake County 3 1 .750 1.0 0-0 3-1 L1 Hickory 1 3 .250 3.0 1-3 0-0 W1 [b]West Virginia 1 3 .250 3.0 1-3 0-0 L3[/b] Hagerstown 0 4 .000 4.0 0-0 0-4 L4 Lakewood 0 4 .000 4.0 0-0 0-4 L4

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): All set for Monday already! www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf Following Nashville's lead, Huntsville now makes its media notes available as well, nice: www.huntsvillestars.com/i...eNotes.pdf

Follow Monday'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_iowaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_msbaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_breafa_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_gboafx_1

No day games today, except for the major league Crew, so look for the start of Monday's Link Report at mid-day...

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Stars miss opportunities Huntsville leaves 12 men on base in loss at Mississippi By MARK McCARTER Huntsville Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com PEARL, Miss. - Stars manager Don Money was counting out loud, doing the math on one of the charts stacked on his desk and scribbling in numbers. Here's the most screwy arithmetic: 9 + 5 = 1. That's hits plus walks ... but adds up to only one run in Huntsville's 3-1 loss to the Mississippi Braves here on a glorious, windy Sunday afternoon. "We had opportunities to get 'em in, but we couldn't,'' Money said of the 12 men left on base. As a result, the Stars are now 2-2 on this young season. The final game of the Stars' visit here comes tonight at 7:05, with Khalid Ballouli pitching against Daniel Curtis, one of only two right-handed starters the Stars will face in a seven-game stretch. Huntsville's home opener is Tuesday at 7:05 against Birmingham. The Stars had runners aboard in every inning and got runners in scoring position in six of them. They even loaded the bases in the third with successive two-out singles by Steve Moss, Ron Acuna and Adam Heether, but Lou Palmisano lined to right to end the inning. The lone Huntsville run came after a one-out Drew Anderson triple in the fifth, with Acuna driving him in on a groundout. The Stars are not being particularly selective at the plate. As Money explained, "What happens, when things don't go your way, you start expanding your (strike) zone. You have to make them throw strikes.'' Easier said than done, especially since the consensus is the umpires who are replacing the striking regulars have already expanded the strike zone, especially on the high side. "All of a sudden, something will click and we'll start hitting,'' Anderson said. "We're swinging the bats good. It's the first time (in Double-A for several Stars), we're adjusting, everyone still has a little bit of nerves. Once we get settled in, we'll be fine. We're capable. It's just a matter of finding the comfort level.'' Tagged with the loss was Jeff Housman, who allowed four hits in five innings and struck out seven. He was the victim of a borderline call at first base that put Ray Serrano aboard to lead off the second, then gave up a two-out single to Martin Prado and a two-run double to Yunel Escobar. "It was all right,'' Housman said. "I felt like I had pretty decent control for the first time out. Control was the thing I was worried about in the spring.''

Link while active, text follows: www.floridatoday.com/apps...002/sports Manatees fan-friendly Cow bells, ticket packages part of new, 'fun' look BY SCOTT BROWN FLORIDA TODAY Free parking, a video-game room and ushers wearing tie-dyed T-shirts are all part of the new era of Brevard County Manatees baseball that general manager Buck Rogers plans to usher in this season. Local fans will have their first look tonight at the, well, new look that encompasses the team, the support staff at Space Coast Stadium and the stadium itself as the Manatees play the Palm Beach Cardinals in their home opener. The 7 p.m. game includes a cow-bell giveaway -- the first 500 fans get them. That's the first of what promises to be many promotions this season, since the quirky Rogers generally regards them just below oxygen in terms of importance. Another promotion for the home opener: It's "guaranteed-win night." "We're calling our shot, and saying we're going to win," Rogers said. "If not, as you exit the stadium, you're going to lay your ticket on the table and we're going to stamp it saying, 'We goofed. Come back and have (a game) on us.' " Rogers is confident some of the changes will be winners, part of the Manatees' new approach since the franchise became the property of a private ownership group headed by Dr. Tom Winters of Orlando. Take the new season-ticket package. Rogers said he will "put it up" against any in professional sports. The cost is $280 and it includes 70 tickets, a reserved seat, parking on the paved lots and 20 percent off all Manatees merchandise. Season-ticket holders also get early admission to games that have giveaways as well as a card that allows them free admission into any Manatees road contests around the Florida State League. Aside from six designated dates -- five that have postgame fireworks afterward and one that will feature an all-you-can-eat night as well as an eating contest -- the tickets can be used for any game. What is unique about this, Rogers said, is that if season-ticket holders have relatives or friends in town and want to take them to a Manatees game, they can use as many tickets as they want. The team, a high Class-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, should be interesting to watch since it has three first-round picks on the roster and is expected to be very competitive in the FSL. "We have a great club coming in here," said starting pitcher Mark Rogers, the fifth overall pick of Major League Baseball's amateur draft in 2004, "not just first rounders but all around." Added manager Ramon Aviles, whose team is off to a 4-0 start, "We played real good in spring training. We've got good speed in the outfield, which is good in this league." The spacious ballparks that are host to FSL games feature more than just baseball. At least that will be the case at Space Coast Stadium. The room used to serve lunch to scouts, reporters and team personnel during spring-training games has been turned into an arcade. It is still a work in progress, but it already has two "Golden Tees," "NBA Jam" and a couple of driving games. When completed, it will serve concessions and also offer music, Rogers said. For younger kids, a full-size jungle gym will be installed just below the concourse on the stadium's first-base side. Youngsters will have a chance to play in inflatable toys that will also be in the picnic area. During rain delays, Rogers said, Disney movies will be played on a big-screen TV in the guest lounge on the ground floor of Space Coast Stadium. Meanwhile, famous baseball bloopers will be shown on one of the concourses. "This has nothing to do with the game of baseball," Rogers said, "but it's the fan experience. What can I do at Space Coast Stadium now?" Looks like plenty this season.

West Virginia Power designated hitter Angel Salome (center) is congratulated after hitting a towering home run Sunday against Delmarva. Salome went 5-for-5, but the Shorebirds won 8-7. Charleston Gazette Photographer: Kenny Kemp http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/HOMERUN1.jpg

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com/ OUCH!It's strange to see, but between the two teams, there is a real lack of lefties that enters into the strategy for both teams. Although the Braves have two in their rotation, one of whom pitched last night, and the Stars have one, neither team has a single lefty in their bullpen. Today, both teams emptied their reservoir......... It's Jeff Housman vs. Chris Waters. So, Gregor Blanco was rested for Mississippi and their only other lefty, Carl Loadenthal, was put in the leadoff spot.......... For the Stars, only one true lefty, Drew Anderson, is in the lineup in the familiar # 2 slot. There's no other choice here for Don Money........ Did it really matter? Only runs matter, and the Stars today couldn't figure out how to score them. Not a cloud in the sky at Trustmark Park today. A sunny 66°...... The Stars broke out their red jerseys for the first time this year. Let's see if it changed their luck. Even though they're 2-1 to start the season, they're really struggling at the plate, hitting just .161. The Stars certainly didn't lack for opportunities. They had a runner in every inning. But in the end, they scored just one run, leaving 12 men on base, seven in scoring position. In the 3rd inning with two out in a scoreless ballgame, the Stars assembled three straight hits.......... Steve Moss tapped a grounder to third and legged it out for an infield hit, Ron Acuna sent a line drive one-hopper to the opposite field for another hit, and Adam Heether loaded them up with a ground ball single to right on the first pitch he saw, ending an 0-for-10 drought, but Lou Palmisano hit the first pitch he saw to right to end the inning....... Three innings, six left on base. The Braves didn't waste their chances in the bottom of the inning........ Ray Serrano led off with an infield single. Heether dove for the ball, got up and fired it to first, but Serrano dove into first and was called safe by one of the substitute umps being used (the minor league umps are on strike - an issue of tenure, mostly)....... Chris Waters forced him out at second on a bunt attempt and after Carl Loadenthal flied out, Waters moved to 2nd on a single by Martin Prado....... That set the stage for shortstop Yunel Escobar........ He drove an 0-1 pitch to right over the head of Acuna, the ball bouncing on the warning track, clearing the bases. (For the second straight night, it seems Acuna has misplayed the ball. Maybe this is why after 10 seasons, he's never gotten above AA.) By the 6th inning, the Stars had managed eight hits, three walks, but only one run...... The Stars got on board in the 5th after Anderson legged out a one-out triple. Up to that point he had been hitting only .167........ With the infield drawn in, Moss drew a walk from Waters, then Acuna bounced a ball slowly enough to the right side to score Anderson and advance Moss....... In the 6th, Kennard Bibbs picked up his first hit of the year, moving Palmisano, who led off with a single, to third, but Callix Crabbe, who has left four runners on base in his previous three games, flied out to center to end the inning....... In the 7th, Heether flied out to center, leaving Acuna, who walked with two out, stranded on first......... In the 8th, Ozzie Chavez legged out a two-out double on a liner that landed in right field foul territory, but pinch-hitter Guilder Rodriguez hit a grounder to second to end that frame. The Braves added an insurance run to make it 3-1. It didn't matter. Acuna was called out on strikes with Crabbe on third to end the game........ The Stars stranded at least one runner in every inning but the 4th........ The last time I saw this kind of waste was a 2-1 loss to Mobile on August 22 of last year. They left 11 -- 6 in scoring position..........The Braves' bullpen in four games has thrown 19 2/3 innings, while allowing just three runs for an ERA of 1.37. The five-game series wraps up Monday with Khalid Ballouli making his first start since May 24 of last year. Going for the Braves is Dan Curtis, who's marking his 5th year in Double-A with the Braves' organization.

Nashville Pre-Game Audio with Nelson Cruz: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%204-9.wma Link for archived Mike Rivera photo, text follows: www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1893 Sounds Rout Royals For First Win, 11-5 OMAHA ? Mike Rivera and Brad Nelson each homered and Tony Gwynn drove in four runs to lead the Nashville Sounds to their first victory of the 2006 season, an 11-5 triumph over the Omaha Royals on Sunday afternoon at Rosenblatt Stadium in the finale of a four-game series. The Sounds jumped all over Omaha starter Runelvys Hernandez, plating eight runs over the first three innings of play. Rivera opened the scoring with a first-inning RBI double. A Gwynn run-scoring single highlighted a four-run second inning, and Rivera (solo) and Nelson (two-run) slugged their longballs in the third. AUDIO: Mike Rivera's 3rd-Inning Homer - www.nashvillesounds.com/a...%204-9.wma Gwynn closed out the Nashville scoring in the fifth with a bases-loaded, three-run triple off Royals reliever Adam Bernero. Justin Huber and Andres Blanco each homered for Omaha in the losing effort. Reliever Jason Kershner (1-0) picked up the victory in relief of Sounds starter Dennis Sarfate, who allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over four innings before being removed due to a pitch count. Hernandez (0-1) took the loss after surrendering eight runs in three innings of work. The Sounds continue their season-opening road trip on Monday at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa, where they?ll take on the division-rival Iowa Cubs in the opener of a four-game series. Left-hander Justin Thompson takes the hill for Nashville and will face I-Cubs southpaw Rich Hill. Both hurlers will make their 2006 season debut.

Thanks, pogokat! Always feel free to jump in! Link while active, text follows: www.news-journalonline.co...041006.htm Manatees rally in 12th By BRENT WORONOFF Daytona News-Journal Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH -- With a strong wind blowing in off the Halifax River, Brevard Manatees second baseman Hernan Iribarren wasn't trying to crush the ball with the bases loaded in the top of the 12th inning. "I was just trying to put the ball in play," he said. "It felt good." He wound up smacking a Matt Weber pitch over left fielder Nic Jackson's head for a three-run triple to give the Manatees a 7-4 victory over the Daytona Cubs Sunday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Manatees (4-0) swept the season-opening series against the Cubs (0-4). "Every loss is tough," said Daytona manager Don Buford. "But we were in all the ball games. We had a chance in every game." The Cubs rallied from a 4-0 deficit Sunday to score three runs in the seventh and a run in the eighth with help from some sloppy fielding by the Manatees. But Daytona left the potential winning run on third base in both the ninth and 10th innings as Jackson hit a triple in the ninth and Issmael Salas hit a double in the 10th and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by shortstop Joe Simokaitis. Simokaitis, who wielded the Cubs' hottest bat in the series, had an RBI single in the seventh and drove in Jeff Culpepper with the tying run in the eighth. Culpepper, who reached on an error by the third baseman, went four games without a hit for the first time in his pro career. "The only reason we played extra innings is that we gave them too many outs in the seventh and eighth innings," said Manatees manager Ramon Aviles. "It should have ended in nine." Seabreeze High graduate Bo Hall was the victim of the Cubs' rally in the seventh, but only one of the runs was earned. Cubs starter Mark Holliman had a spectacular professional debut, allowing one run on two hits in five innings. The former Ole Miss star struck out seven and walked one. But his replacement, lefty Carlos Perez, gave up a big home run for the second day in a row. Charlie Fermaint greeted Perez in the sixth with a leadoff single, and Travis Ezi followed with a two-run homer over the left-field wall. After a walk and a groundout, Steve Sollmann's seeing-eye single gave the Manatees a 4-0 lead. "Carlos walked the first guy and then got behind in the count (to Ezi). When you're not getting pitches over, hitters can sit on that one pitch," Buford said. In the 12th, Weber gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases with one out. Iribarren, who had a sacrifice fly in the fourth, drove the ball to deep left to clear the bases.

NOTE: Monday night's Nashville Game is available to watch free from the new MILB.TV web page: www.minorleaguebaseball.c.../video.jsp Monday's Daily Menu: Home Opener for the Manatees All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Justin Thompson at Iowa (Cubs), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 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_iowaaa_1 Huntsville: RHP Khalid Ballouli at Mississippi (Braves), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime; the finale of the first of all five-game series in the Southern League this year... Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ Brevard County: RHP Mike Jones at home vs. Palm Beach (Cardinals), 6:00 PM; welcome back, Mike! Audio link (opponent's): www.palmbeachcardinals.com/ West Virginia: RHP Robbie Wooley at Greensboro (Marlins), 6:00 PM; Agustin Septimo, lost in the latest Rule 5 draft, hit a home run Sunday and faces his former teammates tonight... Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower.

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Travis Ezi just went deep with a two-run shot, it's 3-0 Manatees in the 6th; Josh Wahpepah dealing on the mound. Steve Hammond, Yovani Gallardo, Josh Wahpepah -- nice rotation, Mark who? Just kidding, Mr. Rogers. But right now, from a development basis, Yo and Josh are just so much more polished...