Jim Goulart

Tuesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Mike Meyers at home vs. Round Rock (Astros), 6:40 PM pre-game, 7:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Nashville Site Gamecast Feed: www.nashvillesounds.com/live/xlive.htm Huntsville: RHP Glenn Woolard at Chattanooga (Reds), 6:00 PM pre-game, 6:15 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ If that link is down for bandwidth, use: specs.eyecentric.com/pres...opup.shtml Brevard County: TBD at Jupiter (Marlins), 5:35 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.jupiterhammerheads.com/ West Virginia: LHP Greg Kloosterman at home vs. Lakewood (Phillies), 6:05 PM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: RHP Simon Beresford at home vs. Idaho Falls (Royals), 8:05 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.ifchukars.com/home/default.asp Arizona: Idle

From Adam McCalvy for MILB.com (thanks, Adam): Stars ace Sarfate sidelined by elbow DENVER -- The Brewers' Double-A affiliate started the season with a trio of aces. At least for the next few days, it's down to none. Right-handed pitching prospect Dennis Sarfate exited Sunday's loss in the second inning, reporting elbow soreness, and underwent X-rays on Monday. He'll be sidelined for at least 4-5 days before throwing a baseball, Brewers player development director Reid Nichols said. "The X-rays were negative and the doctor feels pretty good that we're talking about nothing more than a strain," Nichols said. "We don't think there's anything significant there." Huntsville began the year with a threesome of prospects at the top of the rotation. Left-hander Dana Eveland is currently pitching out of the Brewers' bullpen, but the others have not been so lucky. Lefty Manny Parra was shut down in July and underwent shoulder surgery on Aug. 4. Now Sarfate's health is in question. The latter could still pitch this season, Nichols said. Huntsville's loss on Sunday was its ninth in 10 games, and the Double-A season runs through Sept. 5. "We'll see what happens," Nichols said. In 16 starts for Huntsville, Parra was 5-6 with a 3.96 earned run average. Sarfate is 9-9 with a 4.00 ERA in 23 starts. Parra turns 23 in October and Sarfate is 24.

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Final: Arizona Cubs 10, Arizona Brewers 7 Arizona Box Score: Four Brewer runs in the 9th made the final score seem close; Tony Festa (two triples) continues to rake against pitchers 5-6 years his junior; LHP Steve Garrison continues to dazzle -- nice.... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_cubrok_1 Arizona Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_cubrok_1

Power?s stretch run: 21 games in 21 days Charleston Gazette With any luck, West Virginia Power players and coaches were able to enjoy a little rest and relaxation during Monday?s off day. They?re going to need it. Tonight?s home game versus Lakewood begins a stretch of 21 games in 21 days. In other words, barring rainouts, the Power will be on the field every day from now until the South Atlantic League season ends Sept. 5. And of those 21 games, 12 will be away from Appalachian Power Park. The Power (26-22) has had modest success on the road, posting a 12-11 record in the second half. The team is 14-11 at home. Following Sunday?s loss to Lexington, the Power dropped into a third-place tie with the Legends. The teams trail Northern Division leader Delmarva by five games. The Power will have its chances to make up ground in the playoff race, though. West Virginia has four games left with both the Legends and Shorebirds. West Virginia also makes a four-game swing to Southern Division-leading Kannapolis. The Wednesday, Aug. 24, game against Lake County will begin at 7:05 p.m. (6:05 Central), not the originally scheduled time of 1:05 p.m.

Final: Memphis (Cardinals) 5, Nashville 4 Nashville Site Game Summary: MEMPHIS ? Brandon Berger ripped a two-out RBI single to left-center off Nashville reliever Mike Adams in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Memphis Redbirds a 5-4 victory over the Sounds on Monday evening at AutoZone Park in the finale of a four-game series. With their second consecutive last at-bat win over Nashville (68-55), Memphis recorded a three-games-to-one series victory over the first-place Sounds, who had their lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division reduced to 6 ½ games. The series loss was Nashville's first on the road since mid-May. Redbirds catcher Robinson Cancel, who delivered the game-winning hit on Sunday afternoon, worked an 0-2 count into a leadoff walk from Adams to start the bottom of the ninth and was sacrifice to second by Tim Hummel before scoring on Berger?s game-winner. The game-winning two-out hit from Berger came after the Redbirds had stranded eight runners in scoring position over the previous three innings against the Nashville bullpen. Memphis jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Sounds starter Gary Glover in the bottom of the first inning. Reggie Taylor singled, moved to third on a Pete Zoccolillo single, and scored on John Gall?s RBI knock to right. Sounds catcher Julio Mosquera led off the third inning with a double down the left field line to extend his season-best hitting streak to seven games. After Glover was hit by a one-out pitch and Dave Krynzel lined out, Ryan Knox singled to center to plate Mosquera and tie the game at 1-1, although Glover was thrown out at third on the play. Gall gave the homestanding Redbirds the lead for a second time in the bottom of the third when he plated Taylor with a sacrifice fly to right. Mosquera (2-for-4) again scored the tying run for Nashville, evening the contest at 2-2 when he trotted home on Krynzel?s sacrifice fly to right-center in the top of the fifth after leading off the frame with his second double of the night. Gall continued his solid night when he gave Memphis the lead for a third time against Glover in the bottom of the fifth, driving in Bo Hart from third with a sacrifice fly to left for a 3-2 Redbirds advantage. Chris Duncan upped the lead to 4-2 with a two-out RBI single to right. Warren Morris opened the sixth with a walk and moved to third on Prince Fielder?s double. Following a Nelson Cruz strikeout, Tony Zuniga delivered a game-tying, two-run single up the middle to knock the contest at 4-4. AUDIO: Tony Zuniga's Game-Tying Single www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-15.mp3 Right-hander Alec Zumwalt made his career Triple-A debut for the Sounds when he relieved Glover in the bottom of the sixth inning. He retired his first two batters faced on flyouts to center before hitting pinch-hitter Brandon Berger in the helmet with a pitch and allowing a Hart single to left. Mitch Stetter relieved and walked Taylor before retiring Zoccolillo on a groundout to escape the jam unscathed. Fielder continued his recent hot hitting with a 2-for-4 evening and is batting a healthy .558 (29-for-43) over his last 11 games. Mosquera is batting .467 (14-for-30) during his current seven-game hit streak. Redbirds reliever Ricky Stone (1-1) earned his first victory of the season after tossing a scoreless inning, while Adams (3-3) took the loss after allowing the game-winning hit. The Sounds return to Greer Stadium on Tuesday to begin an eight-game homestand with the 7:00 p.m. opener of a four-game series against the Round Rock Express (AAA-Astros). It will be the Express? first-ever game in Music City; the franchise joined the Pacific Coast League this season, replacing the Edmonton Trappers franchise. Right-hander Mike Meyers (6-4, 5.25) will start Tuesday?s contest for Nashville and face Round Rock right-hander Fernando Nieve (3-4, 4.78). ***Link while active, text follows: Sounds keep winning despite losing players Three players called up during recent road trip By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Usually, talk about teams rebuilding and reloading takes place between seasons. The Nashville Sounds, though, have done it over the course of the current season and are now faced with doing so once again. As the team returns home from its longest road trip of the season, it comes back without all-star outfielder Corey Hart and relievers Jose Capellan and Kane Davis ? all promoted to Milwaukee following the Sounds' loss last Saturday at Memphis. Hart's call-up was precipitated by a rib injury sustained by Brewers outfielder Brady Clark. Relievers Julio Santana and Matt Wise were placed on the disabled list, prompting the Capellan and Davis promotions. Hart had been the Sounds' offensive catalyst, hitting .308 with 17 home runs, 29 doubles, 9 triples, 69 RBIs and a Pacific Coast League-leading 31 stolen bases. Davis was 4-2 with a save and a 2.44 earned run average in 45 appearances ? including an 0.76 ERA in his last 15 outings. Capellan had a 1.14 ERA in 24 relief appearances after beginning the season in the Nashville starting rotation. It would appear that the losses might hamper Nashville's run into the postseason, but the Sounds have overcome personnel moves all year while building a 7½-game lead in the PCL American North. "That's the problem with injuries at the major league level," said Reid Nichols, director of player development for the Brewers. "I think you're still going to see good ballgames. We're going to try to fill the holes we had to create." Alec Zumwalt, who was 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA and three saves in 28 relief appearances at Double-A Huntsville, joined the Sounds last Sunday. Utilityman Trent Durrington was optioned back to Nashville from Milwaukee to make room for Hart. Also, veteran infielder Jeff Cirillo will likely start a rehab assignment with the Sounds this week as he recovers from a broken left hand suffered on June 24. Even without Hart, Capellan and Davis, the Sounds return to Greer Stadium on a roll after winning 8 of their first 11 games of a swing through Colorado Springs, Salt Lake and Memphis. The trip helped reduce their magic number for clinching their second division title in three seasons to 15 heading into last night's game at Memphis. Previous departures this season include top prospect Rickie Weeks and veterans Pat Borders, Rick Helling and Kevin Orie. Still, Nashville has led its division for all but eight days since June 1. "The guys have done well," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "The dropoff in talent is not so great. It's just a matter of doing the job." On the flip side, though, Nashville's final 21 games are against Round Rock (13), Oklahoma (4) and Memphis (4) ? all of which are in postseason contention. "We're playing other teams that are fighting for playoff spots," Kremblas said. "It's not going to be easy." Maurice Patton covers the Nashville Sounds for The Tennessean. He can be reached at mopatton@tennessean.com. Nashville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_mrbaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_mrbaaa_1

Nashville Pre-Game Audio with Manager Frank Kremblas: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...208-15.mp3

Final: Helena 8, Idaho Falls (Royals) 6 Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...605_05.txt Brewers' aggressive pitching leads to win By KEVIN SHIVELY - IR Sports Writer The Helena pitching sent a message to Idaho Falls Monday night: Sunday's game wouldn't be a repeat. After allowing 18 runners to cross the plate on six home runs Sunday night, the Brewers kept the Chukars mostly at bay as they beat the Idaho Falls club 8-6. Helena, which gave up nine extra base hits in Sunday's game, held the Chukars to one; a double off the bat of Antonio Sabatini in the first inning. "Our guys were much more aggressive," said Helena pitching coach Mark Littell. "We had a few miscues in the first inning, but after that the pitching was very nice." Idaho Falls scored three of its six runs in the first inning, two of which crossed the plate on Sabatini's double. Mathew Kretzschmar was the starting pitcher for the Brewers, and after the first, he posted three straight hitless innings. The Brewers offense responded quickly to the early runs. In the bottom half of the inning, Darren Ford drew a leadoff walk, and Stephen Chapman followed by homering for the second night in a row. Carlos Gallardo singled with Michael Bell and Freddy Parejo on base. Both runners scored on a throwing error on the play, giving the Brewers a one-run advantage. Helena also tallied three runs in the second inning, thanks in part to back-to-back errors from shortstop Chris McConnell. Brandon Parillo (3-2) took over for Kretzschmar in the fifth, closing out the inning and pitching two more for the win. Parillo allowed only two hits in his time on the mound. Rafael Lluberes recorded his second save of the season, pitching a hitless eighth inning, and striking out two in the ninth. "Lluberes saw seven hitters and went right after each one of them," said Littell. "He got a little deep in the count a couple times, but worked his way out and pitched a very aggressive two innings." The two teams will meet tonight for game four, with the Chukars giving the nod to Mario Santiago (0-2, 8.79), and the Brewers sending Simon Beresford (0-0, 1.50) to the mound. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 (8:05 Central). Helena Box Score: Just think how much more exciting Freddy Parejo's .471 (24-for-49) would be if he hadn't hit just .231 in 268 West Virginia AB's earlier this season -- still, he's just 20 years old... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Helena Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

And this "Heart" thread hasn't included any images of Mrs. Cameron Crowe, aka Nancy Wilson yet, excuse me if I say still hot at *gulp* age 51. I'm officially old. Nancy forever! http://www.epiphone.com/images/N_NancyInt12.jpg

Final: Arizona Brewers 4, Arizona Royals 3 No linescore or game log, but box score intact... Arizona Brewers Box Score: 2005 7th round OF Michael Brantley has really picked it up as of late, on base four times in this one -- there's an example of a player (high school draftee) who benefited from an Arizona Rookie season; Canadian RHP Alexandre Periard just turned 18 in June -- fellow Canuck Mark James is a month younger; Alirio Ledezma, who closed things out, only turned 18 in April; 35 in attendance in Maryvale; at 8-5, the A-Crew is only a game and a half out of first place... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Nashville Media Notes for Monday (PDF format): www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

I'm just psyched about 9:00 game time starts Eastern time. Tough with a family to justify missing out on the remaining summer evening daylight, or to sneak in baseball around meal time, story time (homework time once school starts), etc. I can deal with the 8:00 starts I often get, but for someone who doesn't mind seeing midnight, three 9:00 starts is ideal. Honestly, I don't know how you Central time folks deal with those 6:00 starts during East Coast trips.

Is it just me, or is this rather compelling story getting absolutely no play on the Brewers' official site (where I don't believe it's even been mentioned) or the Journal-Sentinel? I mean, John Curtis is a member of the 2005 Brewers' family, and the circumstances and seriousness of this injury deserve discussion -- not sure as to whether it's been reviewed on-air at all (radio or TV). Baseball America posted a note based on our heads-up to them -- wouldn't mind seeing this get some national pub so that all John's old buddies could come out of the woodwork. And I'm not saying the Brewers aren't doing right by John, I'm sure they're monitoring things and working to assist him best they can. Perhaps Peter Gammons mentions this soon. Curtis and Gammons were great friends and drinking buddies when they were breaking in to the game together in the early 1970s, or so I'm told. And to read Gammons you now need ESPN Insider? Wow, it's amazing how ESPN has become such an afterthought in my life, both on-air and online.... Oh well, until someone else cares to follow up, we've got you covered: GREENSBORO NEWS-RECORD -- John Curtis' stay in Greensboro turned out to be longer than he expected. Curtis, the pitching coach for the West Virginia Power, was hit in the back of the head by a line drive during batting practice Aug. 6 at First Horizon Park before his team's game against the Greensboro Grasshoppers. He was taken to Moses Cone Hospital, where he stayed through Tuesday. Because of bleeding in the brain where he was struck, Curtis lost the motor functions in his left hand. When he was released, he decided to stay in town and begin rehab. Since then he has been staying at the Marriott downtown. "I've been fitted with a hand cast to prevent the tendons in my fingers and wrist from shortening," Curtis said Friday. "Things are about the same; I have a tingly feeling, but no function in my hand." Curtis said he has been told the rehab process could take anywhere from two to three months to six months or a year. The sooner he begins to regain motor function, the better the chances for a full recovery. "I'm still optimistic," Curtis said. "I've learned in my athletic career that the body is an amazing thing. So I won't rule out a speedy comeback. If it takes longer, I can accept that." Mary Ann Petino, Curtis' wife, was scheduled to fly to Greensboro on Friday night. The plan is for him to continue rehab here until Tuesday or Wednesday. The two will then drive to Charleston, W.Va., stay there for a few days, then drive home to Long Beach, Calif. Curtis has been told not to fly for three to four weeks because a change in cabin pressure could cause a convulsion. The former major league pitcher said he has been overwhelmed by "the kindness of strangers" during his ordeal. Hoppers president Donald Moore has paid Curtis several visits, and former Wake Forest baseball coach George Greer has been around to lend a hand. Greer was a teammate of Curtis on the U.S. team at the 1968 Pan Am Games. "George has been a savior, my transportation and inspiration," Curtis said. "Everyone has been so nice and that's helped, being in a strange place by yourself." Curtis has heard from some old friends and teammates, including Phil Nastu, who played with him in 1978 and '79 with the San Francisco Giants. "It's nice to be remembered," Curtis said, "although I wish it was for a no-hitter."

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 68 54 .557 - 31-29 37-25 L2[/b] Memphis 60 61 .496 7.5 32-31 28-30 W2 Omaha 60 62 .492 8.0 28-30 32-32 W4 Iowa 55 63 .466 11.0 36-27 19-36 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 30 17 .638 - 17-10 13-7 L1 West Tenn 26 23 .531 5.0 12-10 14-13 L6 Tennessee 22 27 .449 9.0 12-12 10-15 W1 [b]Huntsville 20 29 .408 11.0 8-15 12-14 L4[/b] Chattanooga 18 31 .367 13.0 11-17 7-14 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vero Beach 31 18 .633 - 17-10 14-8 L2 Palm Beach 30 21 .588 2.0 13-12 17-9 W2 [b]Brevard County 28 22 .560 3.5 12-14 16-8 L1[/b] St. Lucie 27 23 .540 4.5 11-12 16-11 W1 Daytona 22 27 .449 9.0 13-12 9-15 W1 Jupiter 18 30 .375 12.5 13-12 5-18 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 30 16 .652 - 17-3 13-13 W1 Hickory 27 21 .563 4.0 15-10 12-11 L2 Lexington 26 22 .542 5.0 16-11 10-11 W1 [b]West Virginia 26 22 .542 5.0 14-11 12-11 L1[/b] Lake County 22 24 .478 8.0 11-12 11-12 W2 Lakewood 23 26 .469 8.5 15-12 8-14 W3 Greensboro 21 27 .438 10.0 9-13 12-14 W1 Hagerstown 14 30 .318 15.0 5-12 9-18 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Helena 11 3 .786 - 5-3 6-0 L1[/b] Billings 6 8 .429 5.0 1-3 5-5 W2 Missoula 6 8 .429 5.0 5-5 1-3 W3 Great Falls 5 9 .357 6.0 2-4 3-5 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona League (R) - Arizona League Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZL Mariners 9 4 .692 - 5-2 4-2 W2 AZL Giants 8 5 .615 1.0 3-4 5-1 L3 AZL Athletics 9 6 .600 1.0 6-2 3-4 W1 [b]AZL Brewers 7 5 .583 1.5 2-4 5-1 W2[/b] AZL Rangers 8 7 .533 2.0 5-3 3-4 L1 AZL Royals 6 6 .500 2.5 4-2 2-4 L1 AZL Angels 5 8 .385 4.0 1-1 4-7 L1 AZL Padres 5 8 .385 4.0 2-6 3-2 W1 AZL Cubs 3 11 .214 6.5 1-7 2-4 L3Stats and League Leaders, USA Today (or go to MILB.com): www.usatoday.com/sports/b.../index.htm

Links to follow Monday's action as it happens: Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_mrbaaa_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Arizona: Not updated live, but usually later during the overnight... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_cubrok_1

Monday's Daily Menu: Smaller portion today.... All times Central except for Arizona Rookie; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Gary Glover at Memphis (Cardinals), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: Idle Brevard County: Idle West Virginia: Idle Helena: RHP Mathew Kretzschmar at home vs. Idaho Falls (Royals), 8:05 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.ifchukars.com/home/default.asp Arizona: TBD at the Cubs' complex vs. the rookie baby bears, 7:00 PM local time; never any web audio for Arizona Rookie ball...

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Nothing in yet on Sunday's Arizona game, but the box score is available from the A-Crew's Saturday victory in which Tony Festa hit for the cycle: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_giarok_1

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 8, Huntsville 2 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Darren Blakely knocked in four runs for a second straight game to back the pitching of Daniel Haigwood in Birmingham?s 8-2 victory over Huntsville Sunday night to complete a four-game series sweep at the Hoover Met. The Barons won their sixth straight game to improve to 30-15 in the second half and maintained their game and a half lead over red-hot Jacksonville, which won its? 10th consecutive game earlier in the day, in the South Division, while the Stars lost for the ninth time in their last ten games to drop to 20-29 in the second half. The Barons won nine of the 11 games in the season series, including five in a row and six out of seven in Birmingham. Jerry Owens opened the home first inning with a single and moved to second base on a walk to Andy Gonzalez and remained there when Huntsville starter Dennis Sarfate struck out Casey Rogowski for the first out of the frame. Chris Young was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Darren Blakely doubled down the left field line on a check swing to drive in all three runners to give the home team the lead in the first inning for a second straight night. However, one run was wiped off the board when the Stars successfully appealed that Young had missed touching third base on his way to the plate. Birmingham would make up for the aborted run when Ryan Sweeney followed with a single to plate Blakely to make it 3-0. Sarfate allowed a leadoff bunt base hit by Pedro Lopez in the second inning and then left the game after missing with a pitch to run the count to 3-1 on the next hitter, Antoin Gray. Sarfate dropped his glove, clutched at his right elbow and was escorted off the field by trainer David Yeager. No report on Sarfate?s status was issued during the game. Keith Stamler came on to replace Sarfate and wound up walking Gray and Jerry Owens to load the bases. Gonzalez followed with a double to score two and Blakely capped the inning with a two-out, two-run triple. Blakely singled in his final at-bat in the seventh inning and missed hitting for the cycle by one leg of the quadrant for a second straight night. Haigwood retired the first nine hitters he faced before Tony Gwynn, Jr. opened the fourth inning with a single and moved to second base on a Nelson Castro bunt base hit. Vinny Rottino followed with a chopping single fielded by Lopez at shortstop in shallow left field. Gwynn rounded the bag at third thinking the ball had gotten through to left field and was thrown out at the plate for the first out of the inning. The Stars finally got on the board when Gwynn opened the sixth inning with a triple and scored on a Rottino ground out. Haigwood went seven strong innings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk to improve to 5-1. The southpaw struck out nine and defeated the Stars for the first time in three tries. He has allowed only five earned runs, three scored by the Stars, in his first 47 1/3 innings at the double-A level. The Stars are off on Monday and begin a three-game series Tuesday night in Chattanooga with right-hander Glenn Woolard taking the mound against Lookouts? right-hander Jeff Bruksch. Coverage of the game gets underway at 7:00 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. ***Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Covering the bases (through Friday's Games) Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times It is all but a mathematical lock that the Stars will finish with their second consecutive losing season. This will be only the third time in franchise history the Stars have had back-to-back losing seasons, and only the eighth losing season in 21. "You want to win every game, but you have to be realistic,'' said manager Don Money. "We're not going to win the second half. We dug ourselves too big of a hole.'' Still, said Money, sitting behind his laptop and a pile of stats in his Joe W. Davis Stadium office, "You can salvage something in the second half if you wind up at .500.'' With six losses in their last seven games going into Saturday night, even .500 looks a distant goal. In Money's day in the majors, players "talked about the salary drive,'' the late-season push to build stats and, in turn, perhaps earn a juicy raise during the offseason. It's still applicable here, and at this level, at least in terms of earning notice and respect from the player development gurus. "If a guy's hitting .245, maybe he goes 32 for his last 100," he said. "Now he's gone from .245 to .260 and he can feel good about himself.'' The season may be extended for several Stars. Once Huntsville's final game is played, some may be promoted to Nashville to help the Sounds in the playoffs, while Nashville players are given call-ups to the majors, according to a story in The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. ... The Stars are next-to-last in the league in turning double plays, at 87. That's a sour stat for Money, the former infielder. Worse yet, they have hit into 111. ... Perhaps most disappointing in the Stars clubhouse is that they went 1-5 against Mississippi and Mobile, both of which are otherwise struggling. ... Reliever Jerome Gamble has big-league quality velocity, but if his fastball isn't moving, he's hittable. Hence his 33 strikeouts in 26 innings - and the 43 hits allowed. The Stars are also last in the league in homers, at 57. "We can't ever get an error, a base hit and a three-run jack,'' Money said. Instead, to produce any sort of rally, the Stars need to knit together "an error, two hits, a walk, another hit. Four or five runs, for us, is Mount Everest. We can't climb that high.'' ... After trying to work his way back into action after arm woes, the Stars are going to shut down pitcher Khalid Ballouli for the remainder of the season. ... Even though it was a rather late call-up, surely ex-Star Rickie Weeks will get some support in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He's batting .264 with nine homers and 25 RBIs in 55 games, with two homers Friday. Manager Ned Yost installed him as leadoff hitter on Friday, and that may be a perfect role for him in the majors, with his occasional power and speed. Still, he is striking out too many times and has too many errors, say Brewers officials. Around the league Birmingham has had two players with six-RBI nights this year, Chris Young and Casey Rogowski. Both came against the Stars. ... Tennessee's Dustin Nippert threw a nine-inning shutout Friday, his second of the season. ... Jacksonville took an eight-game win streak into Saturday's play and is threatening to sweep the pennant for both halves in the Southern League South. If so, the Suns would potentially host four of the five playoff games against the team from that division with the second-best overall record, likely Birmingham. ... The Barons' Jerry Owens had an 18-game hitting streak end Friday against the Stars. ... With the West Tenn franchise likely to move after the 2006 season, Diamond Jaxx manager Bobby Dickerson told Jeff Elliott of The Florida Times-Union, "Jackson is a small city. It's a single-A city. Look at the size of the other cities in the Southern League, with Jacksonville, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Mobile, Montgomery and some others. These are all relatively decent-size cities. Jackson, Tenn., is a town.'' ... Ex-Star Johnny Raburn had four hits and four RBIs Friday for Montgomery. He's having a nice season, batting .296 with 30 RBIs. Brewings Triple-A Nashville Sounds (68-52, first place in Pacific Coast League American Division): 1B Prince Fielder, eight-game hitting streak, 22-for-44 in August, 26 homers on the season Single-A Brevard County Manatees (27-21, third in Florida State East Division this half): 3B Adam Heether .306, 48 RBIs Single-A West Virginia Power (25-21, third in South Atlantic League Northern Division this half): OF Will Lewis .275, 46 RBIs Rookie League Helena Brewers (10-2 in second half in Pioneer League): DH Mat Gamel .353, 5 HR, 28 RBIs in 39 games. On deck The Stars end a four-game series at Birmingham tonight, then take Monday off. (Tee times have long since been reserved.) They travel to Chattanooga for three, Tennessee for three before returning Aug. 22. Huntsville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_biraax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_biraax_1

Brevard County Site Game Summary: Manatees Fall to Mets in Rain Shortened Game The Manatees fell behind early and were unable to recover in a 5-0 loss to the St. Lucie Mets that was called after five innings due to rain. Manatees starter Forrest Martin found the top of the Mets batting order tough to deal with. Martin recorded only one out and allowed four runs, three on Jamar Hill's fourteenth home run of the year, before being relieved by Bo Hall. Hall would record the final two outs and allow a home run to Wilson Batista before leaving in the third. Adam Heether and Nestor Corredor were the only two Manatees to get hits off Mets starter Tim Worthington. Worthington breezed through all five innings before a sudden rain storm called the game. With Vero Beach's loss on Sunday to the Palm Beach Cardinals, the Manatees remain 3.5 games out of first place in the East Division. On Tuesday the Manatees head to Jupiter to take on the Hammerheads after a scheduled off day Monday.

More on Tim Dillard: Link while active (also for photo of Tim and Forrest Martin), text follows: www.floridatoday.com/apps...50323/1002 Manatees' top hurler catches on in a hurry BY SCOTT BROWN FLORIDA TODAY VIERA - Tim Dillard's idea of a playground no doubt differed from most kids his age. Instead of dangling from monkey bars and riding on merry-go-rounds, Dillard frolicked on a Little League baseball field that had been built in his back yard. "Good thing I liked baseball," Dillard said chuckling, "or I probably would have been kicked out of the family." Dillard has been doing the family name proud this season. The son of an ex-big leaguer, Dillard has emerged as the ace of the Brevard County Manatees pitching staff and has set or is threatening a handful of franchise records. After a slow start, Dillard reeled off nine consecutive victories before losing Wednesday night. Even in that loss -- Jupiter's Hammerheads beat Dillard and the Manatees 3-2 -- the tall right-hander yielded just three runs in eight innings. When asked about the streak that preceded the defeat, the easygoing Dillard shrugged. "Defense was there, hitting was there," Dillard said. "I just lucked out, I guess." His manager knows better. "The most improved pitcher we've had this year," Manatees skipper John Tamargo said. "He's improved in every aspect of pitching -- from poise to pitch selection to command." That progress -- along with a fastball that has good movement and an improving slider -- is a big reason Dillard leads the Florida State League with 162 1/3 innings pitched and five complete games. He's also tied for second with 11 wins and fourth with a 2.49 ERA. His success should not come as a surprise, given his genes. Dillard's father, Steve, spent eight seasons as a utility infielder with three big-league teams. While Dillard wasn't born until his father's final major-league season, he still grew up around the game, serving as a batboy and clubhouse helper for the various teams his dad coached and managed. His experiences included shining Billy Wagner's shoes and watching Michael Jordan take batting practice for the Chicago White Sox during spring training. Steve, who worked for both the White Sox and Houston Astros, told the youngest of his three sons at an early age that the easiest way to make it to the majors was as a switch-hitting catcher. Dillard followed that advice until his course changed in high school. One day before his junior season, he caught all of the prospective pitchers and reported back to his head coach. "I told him we didn't have much pitching," Dillard said. He talked his coach into letting him pitch and won a combined 20 games his junior and senior seasons. Dillard still excelled as a catcher and was drafted at that position after his senior year of high school and first year of junior college. By the time Milwaukee picked Dillard for the second straight year in 2002, it was clear Dillard's future hinged on throwing pitches, not catching them. The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder is in his first full season as a starter (his third year as a professional) and has looked totally comfortable in that role. Dillard already has set Manatees records for complete games and shutouts. It's a foregone conclusion that he will break Ryan Dempster's mark for innings pitched (165 1/3) as soon as his next start. Not bad for a former catcher who lost seven of his first nine decisions this season. Tamargo said he could see Dillard, who turned 22 last month, making the big leagues as a fifth starter. "I think he's going to be a solid pitcher on a contending team," Tamargo said.

Final: Idaho Falls (Royals) 18, Helena 10 Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...505_01.txt Chukars home runs hurt Helena By KEVIN SHIVELY - IR Sports Writer Home runs can hurt. The Helena Brewers felt that pain Sunday night, as the Idaho Falls Chukars posted six on their way to a 18-10 win. The Chukars (24-28) led 16-0 after just three innings of play, evening their series with the first place Brewers (35-16) at one apiece. Kiel Thibault did half the work for Idaho Falls. Thibault homered three times in the contest, sending a two-run shot, three-run shot and a grandslam over the wall, collecting nine RBI. It looked like the spree wouldn't end, but with two outs in the third inning, Christopher Jean took the mound and brought a new energy with him. Jean got out of the inning and followed by posting four consecutive scoreless innings. He struck out three and allowed only three hits. Meanwhile, the Helena offense went to work. Ken Holmberg hit a home run to put the Brewers on the board in the fourth, and in the sixth, Stephen Chapman hit a three-run dinger to make the score 16-4. In the seventh, RBI doubles from Carlos Gallardo and catcher Bryan Opdyke gave the Brewers a a pair of runs. Freddy Parejo singled to score Mat Gamel and Chapman hit a sacrifice fly to make it four runs in the inning. In the eighth, Adam Mannon hit a two-run homer to make it 10, but the crew wasn't able to score again. Cody Harkcom (3-5) was awarded the win for his 1.1 innings on the mound, but Chris Nicoll pitched the first 4.2, striking out five and allowing only five hits. Robbie Wooley (5-4) got the loss for the Brewers, pitching into the second inning and allowing seven earned runs and three home runs. The two teams will square off again tonight at 7:05 (8:05 Central). Mathew Kretzschmar will take the mound for the Brewers and Bennett Cromer will pitch for the Chukars. Helena Box Score: Robbie Wooley's 2005 can best be described as inconsistent; knuckleballer Luis Bernal shelled -- listening to the Huntsville game, it was mentioned that RHP Keith Stamler shelved his new knuckleball, at least for a while... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Helena Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

Based on "thread read" counts and other insights, it's pretty clear that some folks are coming straight to the Link Report via the home page link and perhaps aren't visiting other Minor League threads. Just a reminder that just in the past day or so, there have been new feature articles linked to on Tim Dillard and Carlos Villanueva of Brevard County, the newest Brewer -- Richie Cormier of the Power, and even a Helena film update, including a link to the original trailer for this now apparently-forsaken project. Be sure to poke around a bit...

Link while active, text follows: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp Villanueva maturing on, off mound By Andrew Worob / Special to MLB.com SARASOTA, Fla. -- Hitters go down looking, some swing and miss. Many just shake their head and walk away. It's a learning experience to go up against one of the toughest pitchers in the Florida State League. For Carlos Villanueva, it's just another start. The 21-year-old has made a habit of striking out batters and collecting wins for the Brevard County Manatees, and pitching coach Fred Dabney has been ecstatic with what he's seen. "With the ability that he has, I expected nothing less," Dabney said. "I expected to see what he's been doing out there." The Manatees right-hander has been dominant all season. Villanova leads the league with a 2.12 ERA and has a 7-1 record in 20 starts. Perhaps the most glaring statistic is strikeouts -- he's third in the FSL with 118 in 106 1/3 innings. Last season, he fanned 113 in 114 2/3 innings for Beloit of the Midwest League. Though he's still in Class A, Villanueva knows the next level is nearby. "It's in my eyes right now and it's getting closer," he said. "It's not just because it's my fourth year (in the Minor Leagues), it's because I feel I'm ready and more mentally prepared now. I'm here, I know I can dominate at this level and get to the next level, and there's definitely a confidence factor. You have to show what you feel and I can do well on any level they put me at." It is hard for Villanueva not to think about moving up. In his first season in 2002, he was unhittable. Yet he remained in the Arizona Rookie League in the San Francisco Giants organization for two years before he was traded to the Brewers in 2004. Considering the type of season he's having, no one can blame him for looking ahead. But he also knows that sometimes you just have to wait your turn. "It's definitely on everybody's mind," he said. "You can't deny that you aren't thinking about it, but I've gotten older and have matured. In the beginning, I had a really good year and thought that was my chance, but they sent me back to the rookie league and I didn't understand that. But as the years have gone by, I don't go over to every manager or pitching coach and ask why I'm still here, there's reasons for which I'm here. "They (the coaches) see it in my face sometimes, but everything is going according to plan. I know I'm just 21, I'm the second-youngest player on this team, so I see it as an advantage. I'm doing really good at this level and if I get called up to Double-A this year or called up in September, then perfect. But if not, then hopefully I'll get the chance at some point to show that I can pitch. I know that the sacrifices I make will eventually be worth it." With the numbers Villanueva has posted, it's easy to see why he's considered one of the top pitching prospects in the organization. Though he throws an array of pitches, including a changeup, curvball and an 88 to 92 mph fastball, it's his nasty slider that has accounted for many of his strikeouts. "He's got four above-average Major League pitches when he throws them the right way, and that's his key," Dabney said. "He's got a tremendous amount of ability and has just done an outstanding job for us." Villanueva also has created a strong presence each time he strolls to the mound. It's a characteristic he has developed and worked on after watching many of the Majors' toughest pitchers. "I like the intimidation factor of Pedro Martinez," he said. "I also like to compare myself to a finesse pitcher like a Greg Maddux or Tom Glavine, so I'm trying to find a level between those types of pitchers. I just approach each game with a plan and try to execute it as much as I can." With the end of the season drawing near, Villanueva is focused on helping his team into the playoffs and isn't worried about where he might finish the year. "I have no idea what management thinks of me, I just have to finish the season strong," he said. "I'll just do whatever they give me and if I'm still here when the season is over, then I'm just going to do my job and let the rest take care of itself."

Well, I guess by the matter of a couple of minutes, the injury is "disclosed". Thanks for the update and our best to Dennis, he's been the true Brewer horse in recent seasons -- no offense to Carlos Lee.