Jim Goulart

Brady was afraid of the wall there plain and simple. He checked then he short armed it. No way. It hit halfway up his glove, but on the edge. Brady looked like he lost his footing when he hit that extra-wide warning track. All that being said, he should have had it.

Somebody tell Ned Yost that he's allowed to bring in Turnbow in the 8th. Left Wise in at least one batter too long, and Santana has been horrible with his straight-as-an-arrow heat. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Final: West Virginia 6, Hickory (Pirates) 4 Walk-off two-run home run for Ryan Braun! Details soon http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

RHP Brett Evert, picked up early this season when he was released from Seattle's triple-A club, made his Nashville debut Friday night after seven relief appearances with Brevard County and 16 bullpen stints with Huntsville.

In progress: Fresno (Giants) 9, Nashville 1, after eight innings As noted earlier, Nashville's pitching staff has been ravaged by injury and promotions. Ben Hendrickson was shelled on three days' rest tonight, and uber-handyman Chris Barnwell came on to begin the 6th inning. Amazingly, he's fired two scoreless innings thus far. In between Hendrickson and Barnwell, RHP Brett Evert was ineffective. He was promoted to Nashville from Huntsville today...

In progress: Tampa (Yankees) 1, Brevard County 0, bottom of the first at home at Space Coast Just to let you know that RHP Forrest Martin is your Manatee starter tonight -- allowed a home run early...

Nashville Media Notes for Friday (PDF format): Monday's starter still to be determined... www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

We're going to have to wait one more day for confirmations of all the Helena - West Virginia maneuverings. Not sure how the West Virginia newspaper accounts of LHP Derek Miller's arrival from Helena were incorrect, but we'll back out that transaction for now. We can confirm that 2005 12th round first baseman John Alonso is in Arizona from Helena, where he'll be able to see more regular playing time, and young 2004 draft-and-follow RHP Matt Kretzschmar, has been promoted from Arizona to the H-Crew.

Interesting news on the 2006 Southern League schedule, including the schedule itself here: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp MARIETTA, GA -- The Southern League of Professional Baseball Clubs announced today that the league's Board of Directors have approved the 2006 Southern League schedule. The 2006 season will open with five games on Thursday, April 6 and will end on Monday, September 4. Each Southern League club will play 140 games in the traditional split season format, with the first half concluding Sunday, June 18. The Southern League All-Star break will take place from July 9-11, with the All-Star Game scheduled for Monday, July 10 at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Biscuits. One key change in next season's schedule is the switch from three- and four-game series between clubs to five-game series. "I'm very happy with the new concept of our 2006 schedule and very curious to see how it works," said Southern League President Don Mincher. "The five-game series concept is a radical step for us but I see many advantages. It will cut our overall league travel by 25 percent, all homestands and road trips are either five or 10 games and there are no back-to-back series. The competitive value of the league is better balanced with each team playing each other between five and 15 games next season, as opposed to previous seasons when play was less balanced."

The Arizona Brewers are 1-0 as their second-half season is underway, and our usually reliable cut-and-paste link for standings is missing the Florida State League today.... Florida State League Standings Link: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...p;sid=l123 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 59 47 .557 - 30-25 29-22 L2[/b] Memphis 53 53 .500 6.0 29-26 24-27 W2 Iowa 47 56 .456 10.5 31-25 16-31 L4 Omaha 47 59 .443 12.0 19-28 28-31 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Tenn 21 12 .636 - 10-6 11-6 W3 Carolina 19 12 .613 1.0 12-9 7-3 W1 Tennessee 16 17 .485 5.0 7-7 9-10 W1 [b]Huntsville 14 19 .424 7.0 4-10 10-9 L4[/b] Chattanooga 12 21 .364 9.0 5-10 7-11 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 22 10 .688 - 15-1 7-9 L1 Hickory 21 12 .636 1.5 10-7 11-5 W2 Lexington 16 16 .500 6.0 11-8 5-8 L1 [b]West Virginia 16 17 .485 6.5 7-7 9-10 L1[/b] Lakewood 16 18 .471 7.0 10-10 6-8 L1 Lake County 15 18 .455 7.5 8-8 7-10 W1 Greensboro 14 19 .424 8.5 5-9 9-10 W1 Hagerstown 11 19 .367 10.0 4-9 7-10 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Helena 24 13 .649 - 11-7 13-6 W1[/b] Billings 22 15 .595 2.0 12-6 10-9 L1 Great Falls 15 22 .405 9.0 9-10 6-12 W1 Missoula 12 25 .324 12.0 5-14 7-11 L1Arizona League Standings: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...mp;lid=121 Stats and League Leaders, USA Today (or go to MILB.com): www.usatoday.com/sports/b.../index.htm

Links to follow Friday's action as it happens: Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Arizona: Not updated live, but usually later during the overnight... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central except for Arizona Rookie; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Ben Hendrickson on three days' rest at home vs. Fresno (Giants), 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 David Bradley at home vs. Montgomery (Devil Rays), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ If that link is down for bandwidth, use: specs.eyecentric.com/pres...opup.shtml Brevard County: TBD at home vs. Tampa (Yankees), 6:00 PM; no audio for this series West Virginia: RHP Mark Rogers at home vs. Hickory (Pirates), 6:05 PM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: RHP Robbie Wooley at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 8:05 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.missoulaosprey.com/ Arizona: TBD vs. the not-so-big Giants at home in Maryvale, 7:00 PM local time; never any web audio for Arizona Rookie ball...

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Link while active, text follows: www.dailymail.com/news/Sp...005072930/ Hickory's Pedro gets manager's vote Michael Dailey Charleston Daily Mail sportswriter Standing just 5-foot-7 and tipping the scales at 145 pounds, Hickory Crawdad outfielder Pedro Powell has heard all the wise cracks. He's heard the cracks about his relation to '80s child star Gary Coleman. He's heard fans ask sarcastically about a height requirement in baseball. He's heard fans question whether his jersey number -- 1 -- is his age or his height. You name it, and Powell has more than likely heard it. And when the Crawdad's made their first trip to Appalachian Power Park Thursday evening, it was no surprise that Powell was subjected to the same old ribbing, from a new set of well wishers. However, what was surprising was Powell's reaction to the "Buck Night" crowd. After singling in the first inning amid "Vote for Pedro!" cat calls, Powell turned on a third inning fastball from Power starter Greg Kloosterman and deposited it over the left-field wall. Powell's two-run blast, his first in 142 career professional games, not only quieted the Power faithful, it also opened an early lead in what ended as a 3-2 win for the Crawdads. "I hear the fans and it just motivates me," said Powell, an 18th round pick in the 2003 amateur draft. "I'm a good Christian man, so I don't let that bother me. I just play ball and block them out. "Growing up, people would always be on me about my height. I'd just let that motivate me to play hard and to play the game the right way. "That's my first professional home run tonight, so I felt really good about that. I've gotta call mom and dad and tell everybody about that. I'm very excited about that." But Powell's newly discovered power won't change his approach at the plate. "When he came back to the dugout, I told him he's not a power hitter," joked Hickory manager and former big league infielder Jeff Branson. And that's just fine with Powell, who turned down a football and track scholarship to the University of Georgia to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates. "Speed is my game," said Powell, a Georgia native. "I just try to hit the ball on the ground and do anything possible to get on base. I'm not a home run hitter, that's just a bonus. "I just try to put the ball on the ground and run." However, as is the case for many young professional hitters, thinking about putting the ball in play and actually doing it are two completely different things. "I've struck out a lot," said Powell, who is in his first full season as switch hitter. "But I just have to keep working to put the ball in play. "I'm just trying to get the Big Leagues. I've just got to keep on playing and trying to get better. For the people that say I'm too little, I'll just do my talking on the field." On the mound for West Virginia, Kloosterman suffered his South Atlantic League leading 15th loss against just three wins, despite tossing six steady innings. "Certainly, it's a sign of respect that we keep sending him out there," said Power pitching coach John Curtis of Kloosterman's tough-luck season. After having no luck against Hickory starter Matt Guillory (2-4) through five innings, the Power was able to scratch through a pair of runs in the seventh inning off of reliever Kyle Pearson.

Final: Arizona Brewers 6, Arizona Angels 5, ten innings Under 100 degrees under the lights... Weather: 97 degrees, clear. Wind: 2 mph, L to R. T: 3:11. Att: 41. Arizona Box Score: Four hurlers, all signed from the Latin American program, combine to allow only two earned runs, but highly touted Roque Mercedes has yet to have a nice clean outing -- he hits three batters and walks two in less than three innings, along with a wild pickoff throw; 12th round first baseman John Alonso, troubled by leg injury at Helena, makes his first Arizona appearance... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_angrok_1 Arizona Game Log: Single - bunt - single wins it in the 10th, textbook -- nice... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_angrok_1

Final, Game One: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 5, Helena 4 Final, Game Two: Helena 9, Missoula 1 Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...905_06.txt First half title goes to the Brewers By JOSH JORDAN - IR Sports Writer The Helena Brewers clinched the Northern Division title for the first half of the Pioneer League season with a fitting display of hitting and pitching in the second game of a doubleheader with Missoula on Thursday night at Kindrick Legion Field. The Brewers (24-13) dropped the first game of the doubleheader 5-4 but got back-to-back home runs from Charlie Fermaint and Ryan Crew to open a 9-1 win over the Osprey in the second game. That win and Billings' loss to Great Falls gave Helena a one-and-a-half game lead over the Mustangs with one game left on the first-half schedule. "We got off to a good start and it just shows the character of these players," said Helena manager Ed Sedar who led the Brewers to a sweep of the split Pioneer League season in 2003. "Fermaint and then Crew, everyone in that first inning went out with an objective." Helena starter Will Inman retired the side in the top of the first and Fermaint hit the second pitch he saw over the left-center field fence for his league-leading 12th home run of the year. It was Fermaint's fourth home run in the previous five games, the third to open a game. Helena went on to score four runs in the inning, thanks in part to three straight walks by Missoula starter Peter Duda, but the two home runs would have been enough for Inman. The 18-year-old right-hander from Virginia gave up just one run on three hits and a walk through six innings before giving way to Patrick Ryan who pitched a scoreless seventh. "It was a great performance by everybody," Inman said. "You can't ask for anything better than four runs (lead), you can just go right at guys." Inman got into trouble in the fifth inning when a speedy Pedro Ciriaco ran out an infield single to drive in Missoula's only run. The Osprey (12-25) went on to load the bases with two outs before Inman got out of the jam with a strikeout of Edwin Roman. Ned Yost hit a two-run home run over the scoreboard in left-center field in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-1 in favor of the Brewers. "That was the game," Sedar said about the momentum shift in the fifth. "I had already decided to go with Inman and once again a little character shows up. It's nice to see a person do what they do when there's a lot on the line." It was on the line thanks to the Brewers' loss in the first game. It was Helena's first three-game losing streak of the season and put them one game ahead of Billings after the Mustangs' first-game win over Great Falls. Missoula jumped to a 3-0 lead in the opener thanks to three hits and a pair of Helena errors. The Brewers tied it with three runs in their half of the third when Matt Gamel, Yost and Mike Bell opened the inning with three consecutive hits. Angel Salome blasted a home run to left-center field to open the fifth that tied the score at 4-4 after a Missoula run in the third, but the Osprey scored in the top of the fifth and got through the top of the Brewers order in the top of the seventh for the win. The Brewers victory in the second game gave them a wire-to-wire win of the first-half title. Helena won its first seven games of the season and never fell out of first place. Notes ? Missoula catcher Gerardo Bustamante was hit in the head with a pitch while warming up Duda prior to the start of the second game. Bustamante caught the second game for the Osprey but was feeling poorly after the game. He appeared to lose consciousness for a time and paramedics were called to the scene. The paramedics gave Bustamante oxygen and the native of Nogales, Mexico regained consciousness before leaving in the ambulance. Missoula's victory in the first game was its first in Helena since Aug. 29 of 2003. The Brewers had won 11 straight home games against the Osprey before the loss. Helena Game One Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Helena Game One Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Helena Game Two Box Score: Eight ground ball outs and six K's for Will Inman in his six innings; Ryan Crew sees some outfield action... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_2 Helena Game Two Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_2

Final: Hickory (Pirates) 3, West Virginia 2 West Virginia Site Game Summary: BARNES TOSSES THREE SCORELESS INNINGS IN POWER LOSSCharleston, WV ? All season long Justin Barnes has been a very reliable option out of the bullpen for the West Virginia Power. On Thursday night he threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, but it was not enough as the Power fell to the Hickory Crawdads by the final score of 3-2. The Crawdads scored first on a two-run homer from Pedro Powell in the top of the third inning. Hickory scored again in the sixth inning when Neil Walker scored on a ground ball hit by Mike Cockrell, which bounced off of Power third baseman Ryan Braun. In the bottom of the seventh inning Carlos Corporan knocked in Braun with a single and Grant Richardson scored later in the inning on an errant throw from Hickory second baseman Dan Schwartzbauer but those were the only two runs that the Power would score in the game. Matt Guillory (2-4) earned the victory, Matt Capps (14) earned the save and Greg Kloosterman (3-15) obtained the loss. The Power are 16-17 in the second half after the loss and the Crawdads move to 21-12 with the win. The Power will continue the four game series against Hickory at Appalachian Power Park on Friday night. The Power will throw RHP Mark Rogers (1-7, 4.74) and the Crawdads will counter with RHP Yoann Torrealba (3-4, 3.99). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). West Virginia Box Score: LHP Greg Kloosterman's not a stud prospect, but no way is he a 3-15 pitcher, either -- like they say, you have to be pretty good to stick around for 15 losses... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Freddy Parejo caught stealing in the 8th hurt... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wvaafx_1

Final: Brevard County 4, Tampa (Yankees) 0 Brevard County Site Game Summary: Manatees Shut Down Yankees End Two Game Skid Manatee pitching was the story of the day as the Manatees shut out the Tampa Yankees 4-0 on Thursday night. Manatees starter Juan Pena worked his way through the Yankees lineup for five innings. He got into some tight spots while giving up seven hits and one walk, but managed to keep his cool and get the right pitches when he needed them. Nick Slack and Jeremy Lewis would combine to no-hit the Yankees for the rest of the night, and seal off the Manatees victory. The Manatees hitters got things started in the sixth inning. After being held hitless through the first five innings by Yankees starter Danny Borrell, Ozzie Chavez would collect the first hit after a C.J. Medlin walk to start the inning. Medlin advanced to third on the single, and Chavez would wind up taking second base on the errant throw in from Tigers center fielder Evan Tierce. An RBI ground out by Robby Deevers would plate the first Manatees run, and a single by Steve Sollmann wold score Chavez to make it 2-0 Manatees. A Drew Anderson triple capped off the inning with the Manatees leading 3-0. Sollmann would score again in the eighth on a wild pitch by Yankees reliever Josh Smith. The Manatees look to make it two in a row here at Space Coast Stadium Friday night against the Yankees at 7:00 (6:00 Central). Brevard County Box Score: Reliever Nick Slack's best outing of the year; thanks for the heads-up above, it's quite possible that Drew Anderson has that 20-game hit streak going, but with virtually no media coverage and minimal details from the Manatee site, it's gone unnoticed... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1 Brevard County Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

Final: West Tenn (Cubs) 7, Huntsville 4 This whole series was pretty much a butt-whoopin'... Huntsville Site Game Summary: Diamond Jaxx Complete Sweep of StarsCarlos Marmol worked seven strong innings and chipped in with a run-scoring single to lead West Tenn past Huntsville 7-4 Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep at Joe Davis Stadium. The Diamond Jaxx improved to 21-12 and pushed their lead over Carolina in the North Division to one game entering their weekend series in Jackson, TN, while the Stars dropped their fourth in a row to fall to 14-19. Huntsville was outscored in the series 25-7 and has lost eight of its last nine games. The visitors took a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning and turned to Andy Shipman to try to close out the game. Nelson Castro singled home two runs with two outs, moved to second base on a walk to John Vanden Berg and scored on a pinch-hit single by Ben Van Iderstine to narrow the gap to 7-4. Tony Gwynn, Jr. drew a walk to load the bases before Shipman was taken out of the game and replaced by Thomas Atlee, who ended the contest by getting Callix Crabbe to ground out to second base on the first and only pitch he threw. Atlee earned his third save of the season. The game was scoreless until the seventh inning when the Diamond Jaxx posted four runs, the third time in the series they tallied at least four times in a frame. Marmol singled in the second run and scored when Dwaine Bacon followed with a triple, his second of the series. Adam Greenberg, playing in his first game after recovering from being hit in the head by Valerio De los Santos on June 9 by the first major league pitch he saw, legged out an infield hit to plate Bacon with the final run of the inning. Greenberg finished with one hit in five tries in his return to live action. Brad Nelson, mired in a two-for-36 slump, led off the home seventh with a home run to right field, his fourth since rejoining the Stars. Vinny Rottino followed with a single but Enrique Cruz bounced into a double play to squash any potential rally. Marmol yielded a lone run, the only earned run allowed by the three West Tenn starters in 21 innings in the series, on five hits and fanned four to earn his third win of the season. Brandon Sing belted his league-leading 22nd home run with two outs in the ninth to push the Diamond Jaxx?s lead to 7-1. He finished with a pair of long balls and eight runs batted in during the series. The Stars host Montgomery for the only time all season at home in a three-game set that begins Friday night with right-hander David Bradley throwing for the Stars against Biscuits? right-hander Jim Magrane. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and via the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. ***Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Stars get swept off their feet West Tenn completes three-game sweep with 7-4 victory MATTHEW NASCONE Huntsville Times Staff Writer eintern@htimes.com It took two games and eight innings for the Huntsville Stars' offense to finally make a big dent against the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. The only problem Thursday night was that the hosts' three-run ninth came with them trailing by six. The Stars wound up losing 7-4 at Joe Davis Stadium. "It was good for us - we had Montgomery on the verge of a sweep and we could have swept Tennessee at home last week, so it felt good to not come out flat in the final game here," said West Tenn first baseman Brandon Sing. Sing went 4-for-5 in the game with his 22nd home run of the season, two RBIs and two runs scored. "They kept feeding me fastballs in my last two at-bats and I got one down the middle of the plate, I put a good swing on it and luckily it got through the wind and over the fence," Sing said. The Stars did get three runs on four hits and two walks in the final inning. They came up just short with the bases loaded and Callix Crabbe at the plate. For the series, the Diamond Jaxx outscored the Stars 25-7. Through six innings Thursday, the starting pitchers combined to allow no runs on nine hits. That changed in the seventh, as West Tenn proved why it is in first place in the North division of the Southern League with a record of 21-12. The Diamond Jaxx broke the scoreless tie as Luis Montanez singled over the mound to open the inning. Aaron Sisk's sacrifice bunt moved Montanez to second. Matt Creighton reached on an infield single, moving Montanez to third. Casey Kopitzke popped out to the pitcher and Stars starting pitcher Josh Habel threw the ball over third baseman Nelson Castro's head as he tried to double Montanez off third. Montanez scored on the error and Creighton scored on a single by Carlos Marmol. West Tenn added two more runs in the inning to lead 4-0. Dwaine Bacon tripled to right, scoring Marmol. Adam Greenberg singled to score Bacon. Marmol picked up the win for West Tenn, allowing one run on four hits and striking out four Stars through seven innings. Thomas Atlee grabbed his third save of the season, throwing one pitch to retire Crabbe to end the game. Habel (1-3) took the loss for the Stars, going 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs, all unearned, on 10 hits. He struck out one batter and walked none. Huntsville got one run back in the bottom of the seventh on a homer by Brad Nelson. The Diamond Jaxx added a run in the eighth inning as Montanez hit a single to right field, scoring Sing. They added two more in the ninth on the bat of Sing. He hit a home run over the left-center field fence. Huntsville Box Score: Thirteen of West Tenn's 19 base hits came in the final three innings; to be honest, the Stars' bullpen performances have been sub-par more often than not all year long... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Nashville loses twice to Fresno Errors, erratic pitching costly for Sounds By JEFF LOCKRIDGE Tennessean Staff Writer One bad inning cost the Nashville Sounds twice last night at Greer Stadium. The Fresno Grizzlies scored 15 runs over two innings for a pair of wins, 9-4 in nine innings and 6-5 in seven innings, to put the brakes on what had been a solid stretch of baseball by the Sounds. Fresno catcher and ex-Sounds star Yamid Haad hit the upper half of the guitar scoreboard beyond left field for his 10th home run of the season, spearheading a six-run second inning in the second game. It proved just enough to hold off the Sounds (59-47), who had trailed 6-0. Outfielder Corey Hart's 12th homer of the year, a three-run shot in the fifth, made it 6-5. Hart later grounded into a double play to end the game. "We got down early, but these guys always stay in there and get right back into it," Hart said. "It's an up and down game. One bad inning can be tough to come back from." Sounds starter Jeff Housman settled down after yielding three homers in the second inning to strike out a career-high 11 over six innings, the most strikeouts by a Nashville pitcher this season. Fresno starter Matt Cain also struck out 11 to get the win. "We knew Cain could throw," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said. "But you can't help him out by swinging at bad pitches." The Sounds began the day with a forgettable display of defense to drop the first game, which was suspended due to rain after three innings Wednesday and continued yesterday afternoon. Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, Fresno (51-56) scored nine times and sent 13 batters to the plate, thanks largely to four Nashville errors. It took nine batters and 20 minutes before the Sounds recorded an out. The inning also featured an injury to Sounds right-hander Clint Weibl, who was struck in the pitching hand by a Julio Ramirez line drive and forced to leave the game. All five of the batters Weibl scored. "He'll be OK," Kremblas said. "His fingers are sore. His shoulder is sore. You're going to have those days." The Sounds mustered some offense in the bottom of the fourth when first baseman Prince Fielder hit a towering drive onto Chestnut Street, 60 feet beyond the right-field wall, for his 22nd homer. Nelson Cruz belted the next pitch over the center field wall to give the club its first back-to-back home runs of the season. That trimmed the deficit to 9-4, but the Sounds were limited to four hits over the final five innings. Nashville committed five errors. Early exit: Sounds pitching coach Stan Kyles was ejected two minutes into the restart of the first game for arguing from the dugout. Home plate umpire Darin Williams tossed Kyles after Fresno leadoff batter Todd Linden walked on a full count to begin the fourth. What they said: "I don't know what went on (in the fourth of game one). That was just not good baseball, and it snowballed on us." -- Kremblas What they said (game two): "That's not like him. Usually (Housman) has a couple of one-run innings, maybe a two- or a three-run inning. After and before that, he was OK." -- Kremblas

Link while active, text follows: www.nashvillecitypaper.co...s_id=43246 Grizzlies take two at Greer By Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com Twenty-one times this season, the Nashville Sounds have won a game in their final at-bat. Things seemed headed for No. 22 Thursday night against visiting Fresno. The Sounds had sluggers Prince Fielder and Corey Hart come to the plate in a one-run game. Unfortunately, Hart grounded into a game-ending double play and the Grizzlies downed Nashville 6-5 in front of 6,937 fans at Greer Stadium. Fresno won the first game of the doubleheader 9-4. ?It?s not going to happen every night, we battled back, there?s nothing you can say,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. Nashville (59-47) had its comeback attempt fall short in the seven-inning nightcap after the team endured a very forgettable second inning in which Fresno (50-56) put six runs on the board. Sounds starter Jeff Housman had a unique outing. Save the second inning, he pitched well. But in the second, Fresno tagged him for six runs on five hits. The Grizzlies got three homers in the inning. Housman went six innings, striking out a career-high 11 while giving up six runs. Kremblas had to leave Housman in for an extended outing, because the team?s bullpen has worn thin because of injuries. ?He was pretty good, besides the one inning, but the one inning was enough tonight,? Kremblas said. In the opener, the Sounds (59-47) came completely undone in their continued game from Wednesday. The game picked up in the fourth inning, where it stood before rain washed things out. In the top of the fourth, Fresno scored all nine of its runs and cruised to the victory. In the disastrous inning, Sounds pitching coach Stan Kyles was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Reliever Clint Weibl was hit on his pitching hand by a line drive and had to leave the game. Plus, the Sounds committed four errors ? three by shortstop Chris Barnwell. Nashville answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning, two of which came on a ball that Fielder skyrocketed out of the stadium and onto Chestnut Street. For the game, the Sounds? defense committed five errors. After the game, Kremblas said Weibl?s finger was sore and swollen, but not broken.

Final, regularly scheduled game: Fresno (Giants) 6, Nashville 5 The Sounds only allowed runs in two of 13 innings Thursday -- of course, when it's a nine-run inning and a six-run frame, ouch! Nashville Site Summary: NASHVILLE ? The Nashville Sounds dropped a pair of games on Thursday evening at Greer Stadium as the Fresno Grizzlies pounded out 15 runs on 20 hits on the evening in posting 9-4 and 6-5 victories. With the losses, Nashville (59-47) had its lead reduced to six games over Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. Fresno jumped out to a 6-0 advantage in the top of the second inning of the nightcap using a trio of longballs against Nashville starter Jeff Housman. Former Sound Yamid Haad gave the visitors a 3-0 lead with a three-run homer off the guitar-shaped scoreboard in left-center. The blast, which came with no outs, was the catcher?s tenth of the year and scored Jed Hansen and Mike Cervanek. After Doug DeVore drew a walk, Grizzlies shortstop Angel Chavez followed with his eighth home run of the season, a wind-aided two-run shot to right. Two batters later, Julio Ramirez ripped his 18th tater of the year, a solo shot that wrapped around the left field foul pole. Housman put the Sounds on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI groundout and Warren Morris made it a 6-2 game one inning later with a leadoff solo homer to center off Grizzlies starter Matt Cain, the infielder?s seventh of the year. All-Star outfielder Corey Hart pulled the home team within a run at 6-5 in the sixth when he crushed his 12th longball of the season, a three-run shot to right-center off Cain that plated Morris and Prince Fielder. Cain (7-5) picked up the victory, allowing five runs on six hits in five innings, and racked up a season-high 11 strikeouts, matching the most punchouts by a Fresno hurler in 2005. Jack Taschner tossed a scoreless bottom of the seventh to pick up his sixth save. Housman (4-9) fanned a career-high 11 batters for the Sounds but allowed six runs on 10 hits over his six frames to take the loss. All six of his runs came on a season-high three home runs allowed. The evening?s first game was the completion of Wednesday?s contest between the clubs that was suspended due to rain at the conclusion of the third inning. Nashville led 1-0 at the time after Dave Krynzel tallied the game?s first run in the top of the first when he scored on a double play grounder by Hart. Fresno wasted no time getting down to business once play resumed on Thursday, plating nine runs in the first half-inning of play which was the top of the fourth. The Grizzlies used five hits and took advantage of four Nashville fielding errors in the frame to do their damage. Highlighting the outburst were two-run doubles by Chavez and Todd Linden, both of which came against Sounds left-hander Mitch Stetter. Reliever Clint Weibl opened the game for Nashville in relief of Gary Glover, who fanned five batters over three scoreless frames on Wednesday prior to the suspension. Weibl (2-4) took the loss after failing to retire any of the five batters he faced, allowing five runs (four earned). The right-hander left the game after being struck in the pitching hand by a Julio Ramirez liner. The Sounds rallied for three runs in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by back-to-back homers by Fielder (two-run HR) and Nelson Cruz on consecutive pitches from Fresno reliever Jeremy Fikac. The blasts, Fielder?s 21st and Cruz?s sixth as a Sound and 22nd of the year, were the first set of consecutive jacks by Nashville players this season. Neither team scored the rest of the way as Fikac (4-7), who received the win, and Brandon Villafuerte blanked the Sounds over the last five frames and Sounds relievers Stetter and Mike Meyers combined to post goose eggs over the final five frames. The teams wrap up the series with a 7 p.m. meeting on Friday evening at Greer Stadium. Right-hander Ben Hendrickson (5-7, 4.27) will start on three days? rest for the Sounds. The Grizzlies will send right-hander Matt Kinney (3-6, 6.16) to the hill. Nashville Game Two Box Score: If Clint Weibl joins Mike Adams and Jeff Bennett (disabled list) and Tommy Phelps (day-to-day, knee) on the sidelines, then the Sounds only have eight pitchers capable of throwing right now... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Two Game Log: Corey Hart at the plate representing the winning run in the 9th, but a GIDP this time, not a game-winning blast... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

In progress: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 3, Helena 0, bottom of the 2nd in Helena LHP Derek Miller not promoted (yet) as previously reported, but asked to help clinch a first-half division title -- so far, three unearned runs are making that task tough... In progress: Hickory (Pirates) 3, West Virginia 0, after six innings Will LHP Greg Kloosterman lose yet again while pitching fairly well? Only two Power base hits thus far... In progress: Brevard County 3, Tampa (Yankees) 0, bottom of the 7th home at Space Coast Manatees first base hit came in their three-run 6th; Luis Pena and Nick Slack have combined on the shutout thus far... In progress: West Tenn (Cubs) 0, Huntsville 0, bottom of the 3rd at home at the Joe

Nashville Pre-Game Audio from Wednesday with RHP Wes Obermueller: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-27.mp3 Nashville Pre-Game Audio from Thursday with Manager Frank Kremblas: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-28.mp3

Final, completion of suspended game: Fresno (Giants) 9, Nashville 4 The carnage started exactly where the game picked up this afternoon -- RHP Clint Weibl didn't retire a batter; Corey Hart 3-for-4... Nashville Site Game Summary: Sounds Drop Opener To Grizzlies, 9-4NASHVILLE -- The Fresno Grizzlies exploded for nine runs in the top of the fourth inning to post a 9-4 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Thursday evening in the completion of Wednesday afternoon's suspended game. The Grizzlies used five hits and took advantage of four Sounds errors in the frame to do their damage. Prince Fielder and Nelson Cruz hit Nashville's first set of back-to-back home runs in the losing effort. AUDIO LINK: Prince Parks One On Chestnut St. www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-27.mp3 The teams are currently playing the seven-inning nightcap. Complete results will be posted at the conclusion of tonight's on-field action. Nashville Game One Box Score: Box score complete, no linescore or game log on suspended game action... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1