Jim Goulart

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 52 42 .553 - 26-21 26-21 L2[/b] Memphis 48 46 .511 4.0 25-22 23-24 L2 Iowa 43 48 .473 7.5 28-23 15-25 L1 Omaha 42 52 .447 10.0 16-23 26-29 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- West Tenn 12 9 .571 - 6-4 6-5 W2 Carolina 11 9 .550 0.5 8-7 3-2 W1 [b]Huntsville 12 10 .545 0.5 4-6 8-4 L1[/b] Tennessee 11 10 .524 1.0 5-6 6-4 W3 Chattanooga 9 13 .409 3.5 4-6 5-7 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Brevard County 15 7 .682 - 4-2 11-5 W1[/b] St. Lucie 13 9 .591 2.0 4-5 9-4 L1 Palm Beach 13 10 .565 2.5 6-5 7-5 L1 Vero Beach 12 10 .545 3.0 7-6 5-4 W1 Jupiter 10 11 .476 4.5 9-4 1-7 L1 Daytona 6 15 .286 8.5 4-9 2-6 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 16 6 .727 - 11-1 5-5 W3 Hickory 13 8 .619 2.5 6-4 7-4 W2 Lexington 11 11 .500 5.0 8-4 3-7 L3 [b]West Virginia 11 11 .500 5.0 5-2 6-9 W3[/b] Lake County 10 12 .455 6.0 6-7 4-5 L1 Lakewood 10 12 .455 6.0 7-6 3-6 W1 Hagerstown 8 14 .364 8.0 3-6 5-8 L2 Greensboro 7 14 .333 8.5 1-6 6-8 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Helena 18 6 .750 - 9-3 9-3 W2[/b] Billings 14 10 .583 4.0 6-5 8-5 W2 Great Falls 9 15 .375 9.0 6-6 3-9 L2 Missoula 6 18 .250 12.0 3-12 3-6 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 Sunday'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_hagafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Gary Glover at home vs. Albuquerque (Marlins), 5:40 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Nashville Site Gamecast Feed: www.nashvillesounds.com/live/xlive.htm Huntsville: RHP David Bradley at home vs. Carolina (Marlins), 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. Fort Myers (Twins), 12:00 PM Audio link (opponent's, scroll to bottom of linked page): www.miracle-baseball.com/ West Virginia: TBD at Hagerstown (Mets), 4:35 PM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: TBD at home vs. Orem (Angels), 6:05 PM Audio link (opponent's, scroll to bottom of linked page): www.oremowlz.com/ Arizona: Idle

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Final: Helena 5, Orem (Angels) 3 Owlz is unique -- the Helena boys need to be the Brewerz... Helena Box Score: Huge save for Richard Breshears, inheriting and stranding two runners in the 9th; let's see: Mark Rogers, Angel Salome, Darren Ford, and Derek Miller -- Northeast Scout Tony Blengino had a pretty good 2004 draft, huh? Miller is rolling against the younger competition he's facing... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Helena Game Log: Charlie Fermaint is packing all of his 170 lbs. into his home runs, now five on the season... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1

Salome passed ball # 9 on the season just put they tying runs into scoring position in the 9th....

Final: Carolina (Marlins) 7, Huntsville 5 Huntsville Box Score: Ty Taubenheim found too much of the plate in his brief start... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: Enrique Cruz removed to begin the 6th, perhaps just a chance to grab a a rest -- he's been a lineup mainstay... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hunaax_1

Salome! In progress: Helena 5, Orem (Angels) 3, H-Crew still batting bottom of the 8th Angel just smacked a two-run shot for the lead, his third hit on the night... (We'll overlook that eighth error and eighth passed ball...)

Nashville Pre-Game Audio with Brewers Roving Pitching Instructor Jim Rooney: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-16.mp3 Final: Albuquerque (Marlins) 6, Nashville 2 Sounds outhit 15-2, yet it was tied after seven innings... Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Justin Lehr photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1689 Late Isotopes Homer Sinks Sounds, 6-2NASHVILLE ? Albuquerque?s Derek Wathan belted a three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to propel the visiting Isotopes to a 6-2 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Saturday evening in front of 8,817 fans at Greer Stadium. Three Albuquerque pitchers combined to hold the Sounds to a season-low two hits on the evening, both coming off the bat of second baseman Warren Morris (2-for-4). Meanwhile, six different Isotopes batters posted two or more hits in the victory, led by leadoff hitter Eric Reed?s 3-for-5, two-double effort. Wathan and Joe Dillon drove in three runs apiece to account for all of Albuquerque?s scoring. Despite the loss, Nashville (52-42) maintains its four-game lead over Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. Sounds outfielder Nelson Cruz was held hitless for the first time while wearing a Nashville uniform, finishing 0-for-2 to snap his hitting streak at 11 games. The teams traded a pair of first-inning runs. After the Isotopes jumped ahead 1-0 when Eric Reed scored on a Dillon groundout, Morris tied the contest with a one-out solo homer to right-center off Albuquerque starter Donovan Osborne. The blast was his fifth of the year. Audio link of Warren Morris' home run: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-16.mp3 Albuquerque re-took the lead in the third when Reed and Dillon combined their efforts again. Reed opened the frame with a single, stole second, and put the Isotopes up 2-1 when he scored on Dillon?s one-out RBI double. Nashville tied the game at 2-2 in the seventh when outfielder Corey Hart, who had reached on an error then stole third for his 21st theft of the year, scored on a Tony Zuniga groundout to short. After Larry Barnes and Wilson Delgado reached on eighth-inning singles against Sounds reliever Mike Adams, Wathan greeted Nashville left-hander Mitch Stetter with a three-run home run to left to put the visitors on top by a 5-2 count. The blast, which came on an 0-1 pitch, was Wathan?s fourth of the season. The Isotopes tacked on an insurance run in the ninth on Dillon?s one-out RBI double to right against Clint Weibl. Albuquerque reliever John Riedling (1-0) earned his first victory of the year after blowing a save in relief of Osborne then benefiting from Wathan?s heroics. The right-hander did not allow a hit in his two innings of work. Adams (3-2) took the loss after allowing two runs and striking out three in his 1 1/3 frames. Sounds starter Justin Lehr took a no-decision for Nashville. The right-hander allowed two runs in six innings, fanning five. The teams wrap up the series with a 6 p.m. meeting on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium. Right-hander Gary Glover (2-0, 1.32) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Albuquerque right-hander Jeff Fulchino (6-6, 6.25). Nashville Box Score: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

Final: Brevard County 3, Fort Myers (Twins) 2 Brevard County Box Score: Carlos Villanueva's no-hit bid ended in the 6th -- he strikes out ten during his shutout stint! Brian Wolfe strikes out the side in order in the 9th for the save; Manatee batters don't draw a walk but eek out the win... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1 Brevard County Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1

Final: West Virginia 2, Hagerstown (Mets) 0 West Virginia Box Score: Super-efficient Yo Gallardo with a sparkling start, Derek DeCarlo and Robert Hinton finish up the shutout; Ryan Braun now 5-for-31 since joining the Power... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hagafx_1 West Virginia Game Log: Hasan Rasheed's RBI was a two-out base hit; Josh Murray's with one out... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_hagafx_1

Final: Arizona Cubs 11, Arizona Brewers 6 Weather: 114 degrees, sunny. Wind: 2 mph, In from LF. T: 2:43 Arizona Box Score: Cubs left-fielder had a monster 5-for-5 game; Jose Garcia with the best of the pitching efforts; Lorenzo Cain with a triple and home run... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1 Arizona Game Log: Steve Garrison allowed seven hits in the 2nd inning alone... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Nashville Media Notes for Saturday (PDF format): Rick Helling will pitch on three days' rest on Tuesday... www.nashvillesounds.com/pdf/notes.pdf

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Nashville 52 41 .559 - 26-20 26-21 L1[/b] Memphis 48 45 .516 4.0 25-21 23-24 L1 Iowa 43 47 .478 7.5 28-22 15-25 W3 Omaha 41 52 .441 11.0 16-23 25-29 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Huntsville 12 9 .571 - 4-5 8-4 W2[/b] Carolina 10 9 .526 1.0 8-7 2-2 L1 West Tenn 10 9 .526 1.0 4-4 6-5 L1 Tennessee 10 10 .500 1.5 5-6 5-4 W2 Chattanooga 9 12 .429 3.0 4-5 5-7 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - East Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Brevard County 14 7 .667 - 3-2 11-5 L1[/b] St. Lucie 13 8 .619 1.0 4-5 9-3 W4 Palm Beach 13 10 .565 2.0 6-5 7-5 L1 Vero Beach 11 10 .524 3.0 6-6 5-4 L1 Jupiter 10 10 .500 3.5 9-3 1-7 W3 Daytona 6 15 .286 8.0 4-9 2-6 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Atlantic League (A) - Northern Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delmarva 15 6 .714 - 10-1 5-5 W2 Hickory 12 8 .600 2.5 6-4 6-4 W1 Lexington 11 10 .524 4.0 8-4 3-6 L2 Lake County 10 11 .476 5.0 6-7 4-4 W1 [b]West Virginia 10 11 .476 5.0 5-2 5-9 W2[/b] Lakewood 9 12 .429 6.0 6-6 3-6 L2 Hagerstown 8 13 .381 7.0 3-5 5-8 L1 Greensboro 7 13 .350 7.5 1-6 6-7 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b]Helena 17 6 .739 - 8-3 9-3 W1[/b] Billings 13 10 .565 4.0 5-5 8-5 W1 Great Falls 9 14 .391 8.0 6-6 3-8 L1 Missoula 6 17 .261 11.0 3-11 3-6 W1Arizona 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 Saturday'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_hagafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_helrok_1 Arizona: Not updated live, but usually later during the overnight... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Saturday's Daily Menu: All times Central except for Arizona League; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Justin Lehr at home vs. Albuquerque (Marlins), 5:40 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Nashville Site Gamecast Feed: www.nashvillesounds.com/live/xlive.htm Huntsville: RHP Ty Taubenheim at home vs. Carolina (Marlins), 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: RHP Carlos Villanueva at home vs. Fort Myers (Twins), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's, scroll to bottom of linked page): www.miracle-baseball.com/ West Virginia: RHP Yo Gallardo at Hagerstown (Mets), 6:05 PM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: TBD at home vs. Orem (Angels), 8:05 PM Audio link (opponent's, scroll to bottom of linked page): www.oremowlz.com/ Arizona: TBD at home in Maryvale vs. the teeny-tiny Cubbies, 10:30 AM local time in the Arizona sun; never any audio for this league...

We have to turn to the Fort Myers' Site for a Brevard County Game Summary: VIERA, FL ? There are some games during a season that a team has to win ugly and Friday night at Space Coast Stadium was one of those for the Fort Myers Miracle as they defeated the Brevard County Manatees 7-6. The game saw a combined 13 walks, five errors, seven unearned runs and 27 men left on base with nine different pitchers and lasted three hours and 46 minutes, but in the end the Miracle hung on. The night started off on a positive note for the Miracle. Manatee starting pitcher Ryan Costello couldn?t find the strike zone in the first. He walked lead off man Matt Tolbert, but got J.R. Taylor to ground into a double play. He followed that by loading the bases with a hit batsmen and two walks. That brought Kyle Phillips to the plate who tattooed a 2-1 fastball over the right field wall for a grand slam, his second homer of the season. It was the first grand slam hit by a Miracle since Terry Tiffee did it on May 7, 2002. The Manatees responded with three unearned runs in the bottom of the first. Travis Ezi led off the inning by reaching on second baseman Tolbert?s error. After stealing second, he scored on an RBI single by Drew Anderson. With two outs Steve Moss blasted a two-run homer to left to make it 4-3. The Miracle took a 5-3 lead in the second when Ron Perodin led off with a walk and with one out Taylor singled him to second. Perodin and Taylor pulled off a double steal and catcher C.J. Medlin?s throw went into left field which allowed Perodin to score. The Manatees drew within one in the seventh with another unearned run when with the bases loaded Ezi grounded one back to the mound that reliever Jan Granado booted which allowed the run from third to score The Miracle got two much needed insurance runs in the ninth. Kyle Geiger led off with a double to right and Brock Peterson extended his hit streak to 12 games by ripping a ground ball off the pitcher for an infield single and sending pinch runner Angelo Fermin to third. After Peterson stole second Scott Whitrock?s ground rule with two outs scored both runners. In the bottom of the ninth the Manatees made things interesting off of reliever Jay Sawatski. Jeff Eure led off the inning by reaching on Taylor?s error. Medlin followed with a double to left that put runners at second and third. Steve Sollman?s sac fly scored Eure and moved Medlin to third. Ezi?s ground out scored Medlin to make it 7-6. Ozzie Chavez then singled to right and Anderson reached on an infield single to first. Sawatski got Adam Heether to fly out deep to center to end the game. Crawford went five innings for the Miracle allowing three runs, all unearned, on six hits while walking a Miracle season high five and striking out six in getting his fourth victory of the season. Sawatski picked up his eighth save of the season by going 1.1 innings allowing two runs, both unearned, on three hits. The same two teams meet Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. (6:00 Central) at Space Coast Stadium. The Miracle send RHP Anthony Swarzak, making his first start for the Miracle since being called up from Single-A Beloit, to the hill against Manatees RHP Carlos Villanueva (6-1, 2.21)

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A first for the "new" Helena Brewers, Helena Press Release follows: HELENA - The Milwaukee Brewers announced Friday they have purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Dana Eveland from Double-A Huntsville of the Southern League. Eveland pitched in Helena in 2003 and becomes the first of the Helena Brewers to reach the Major Leagues off of a Helena club since its return to the Queen City in 2003. Eveland was 10-4 with the Huntsville Stars with a 2.72 ERA. In 109.0 innings he had allowed only 96 hits and had notched 98 strike outs with 38 walks. The 6'1 220 lb Eveland was a bullpen ace for Helena in '03. He was 2-1 with 41 K's in only 26 innings for the Brewers' that season, his first as a pro after being drafted in the 16th round of the amateur draft. "We're very excited that Dana will be contributing for our parent club at the Major League level," Helena Brewers' General Manager Paul Fetz said. "I think it's a great indication of how well we have been treated in terms of talent provided to us by Milwaukee. Dana is the first but certainly won't be the last of the new generation of the Helena Brewers who will make it to Miller Park in Milwaukee."

Link while active, text follows: www.helenair.com/articles...605_06.txt Brew crew comeback By KEVIN SHIVELY - IR Sports Writer Okay Brewers, you may deserve your number one spot. We knew you had the skill, but Friday night we saw the attitude too. That attitude came out when the Brewers came back from an 8-1 deficit to beat the Orem Owlz 11-10 in the bottom of the ninth. "I really like that the guys never gave up," said Helena manager Ed Sedar. "They always felt like they had a chance and that kept them in it." The Brewers had inched their way back out of the seven run hole, but were still down by two going into the bottom of the ninth. Brendan Katin walked and was brought around and scored after back-to-back singles from Agustin Septimo and Matt Gamel, making Septimo the tying run on third. With two outs, Charlie Fermaint must have decided that he didn't want extra innings, so he roped a single to left that easily scored both Septimo and Gamel. Steven Chapman hit a homer in the eighth, and Ken Holmberg was 3-for-4 in the game. The Helena offense put runs up on the board, but Helena's relievers allowed them the opportunity to score meaningful ones. Tyler Morrison started on the mound for Helena, and struggled through three innings. Morrison gave up four runs in each of the two first innings, on nine hits. Dane Renkert relieved Morrison in the fourth, and pitched two hitless innings and allowed only one run in the sixth. Ryan Marion threw the last three innings, allowing only one run on three hits, collecting the win to improve his record to 3-0. "Dane and Ryan did outstanding tonight keeping them at bay," said Sedar. "We teach our pitchers in that situation to give the hitters time to come back; to hold the opposing team to zeroes or at least only one run an inning. They did a great job of that." The Brewers (17-6) and the Owlz (12-12) will face off again tonight at 7:05 p.m. (8:05 Central). George Lane IR staff photographer - Brewers shortstop Ryan Crew steps out of the way of an Orem Owlz runner, after tagging him out at second base. The throw to first went wide. http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2005/07/16/sports_top/b01071605_06.jpg

Charleston Gazette: Wahpepah hurls Power past Lakewood 3-2 LAKEWOOD, N.J. ? The West Virginia Power got a strong pitching performance by starter Josh Wahpepah and held on at the end to beat the Lakewood BlueClaws 3-2 Friday night. After consecutive 1-2-3 innings to start the game, West Virginia?s Grant Richardson led off the top of the second with a solo home run to left field, giving him a team-best eight on the season and giving the Power a 1-0 lead. The Power extended its lead in the fourth when Josh Brady scored Richardson from third on a sacrifice fly, making it 2-0. In the next at bat, Nestor Corredor singled in Hasan Rasheed from third to put the Power up 3-0. That gave Wahpepah more than enough run support. He flirted with a no-hitter before surrendering a double to BlueClaw first baseman Doug Gredvig in the bottom of the fourth. He gave up a two-out single to designated hitter Michael Dzurilla in the sixth before getting Gredvig to fly to center to end the inning. Dzurilla?s .340 average entering the game ranked fourth in the South Atlantic League. BlueClaw catcher Jason Jaramillo doubled to left to start the seventh and put a runner in scoring position. Wahpepah then struck out Sam Orr, got Jesus Merchan to ground out and got Sean Gamble to pop out to escape the scoring threat. Lakewood was able to muster some offense after Wahpepah left to start the eighth and was replaced by Ben Stanczyk. Stanczyk walked second baseman Josh Mader to start the inning and Chris Klemm moved him to third with a one-out double. After Dzurilla struck out, Jaramillo reached on a throwing error by Ryan Braun that allowed Mader and Klemm to score to make it a 3-2 game. Stanczyk got Orr to pop out to preserve the lead. Richardson had two hits and scored twice to lead the Power (10-11). Wahpepah (5-4) pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, fanning three with just one walk. Stanczyk pitched two innings, surrendering the two unearned runs to get his sixth save. Matt Sweeney (1-8) took the loss for the BlueClaws (9-12). With the win, West Virginia moves a game ahead of Lakewood in the South Atlantic League Northern Division standings. After taking three in the four-game series, West Virginia travels south to visit the Hagerstown Suns tonight. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m (6:05 Central). ***Link while active, text follows: www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll...012/SPORTS Tough loss for Claws Fail to score with bases loaded in 9th BY JOE ADELIZZI, Asbury Park Press LAKEWOOD ? Perhaps if Josh Wahpepah had still been on the mound spinning his magic against the Lakewood BlueClaws the 3-2 loss wouldn't have hurt as much. Perhaps, if the Claws hadn't scratched their way back into the game with their usual eighth inning heroics, dropping their third game in four at home against West Virginia wouldn't have left the Claws' clubhouse a morose place to be. Perhaps, if they had found a way to get at least one run home in the ninth inning, when they loaded the bases with no one out, the fireworks that entertained the largest crowd of the season (8,424) would have been more festive. But none of those things happened. "It is one of the toughest loses of the season," said Chris Klemm, one of three batters who failed to cash the tying run in the ninth inning. Klemm had the best chance, working the count to 3-1 against Power closer Ben Stanczyk. He looped the ball to center field, where Hasan Rasheed charged in and made the catch. Meanwhile, at third base, Jesus Merchan decided that he couldn't score on the fly. Instead he headed home, hoping it would drop. "It was not deep enough for me to take a chance," Merchan said. "I would not have made it." But Rasheed was off balance when he made the catch and needed three steps to keep his balance before throwing home. It was the second fly out of the inning for Lakewood, the first coming from Greg Golson. It went to right field but Merchan had no chance of scoring on the shallow fly. The surprising thing was that the Claws made it that close. Wahpepah, now 5-4, was brilliant on the mound for seven innings, allowing three hits. Meanwhile the Power had gotten three runs off Matt Sweeney, who gave the Claws a solid six innings. Grant Richardson started the scoring with a home run and West Virginia stretched the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning. They had only one more base runner during the final five innings against three different relievers. When Wahpepah, who has now allowed only two earned runs in 19 innings this July, left the game the Claws got a break to give themselves a chance. Stanczyk allowed a walk, double to Klemm and another walk before Jason Jaramillo's slow ground ball to third baseman Ryan Braun was thrown into the stands behind first. That allowed two runs to score. In the ninth, Merchan singled, Sean Gamble walked and Josh Mader reached when the Power threw late to third on his sacrifice bunt. Then came the two fly outs before Mike Dzurilla struck out to end the game.

No kidding -- the Melbourne / Viera media notices -- everyone loves a winner! Link while active, text follows: www.floridatoday.com/apps...60324/1002 Last to first: Manatees in playoff hunt Home schedule favors Brevard to stay red-hot BY SCOTT BROWN FLORIDA TODAY VIERA - The heavier the summer air gets, the lighter the Brevard County Manatees' collective step seems to get. Go figure. Then again, this team has been tough for John Tamargo to figure. The Manatees skipper liked what he saw from his players during spring training, and Brevard County promptly went 25-43 in the first half of Florida State League play, finishing last in the East Division. Energized by a clean slate and a fast start to the second half of the FSL season, the Manatees opened a long homestand Friday night thinking playoffs. Even with a 7-6 loss to visiting Fort Myers on Friday, the Manatees (14-7) still stand atop their division. They also could put some distance between them and the rest of the division, since 14 of their next 15 games will be played at Space Coast Stadium. If the Manatees win the East in the second half of the season, they will qualify for the FSL's playoffs. "The homestand, I think, is going to tell us where we're going to be at the end of the year," Tamargo said. "I think at the end of the month we'll know if we have a legitimate chance of winning in the second half." So far, the Manatees look for real. They posted a 5-2 record on a recent road trip and got a big confidence booster in Dunedin. After losing consecutive games to the team that went 40-28 in the first half of the season, Brevard County rallied to win each of the next two games and salvage a series split. The Manatees are authoring a a tale of two seasons -- not because of wholesale changes so much as a change in mindset. In the first half, the Manatees found so many different ways to lose that they almost expected something bad to happen in the late innings of a close game. And now? "When we get down, we don't panic and we find a way to win games," outfielder Drew Anderson said. "Now we go out there and we expect to win." While losing led to a domino effect in the first half, winning has given the Manatees momentum, not to mention a much happier clubhouse. "It's a better atmosphere when you win," FSL All-Star catcher Lou Palmisano said. "Guys are relaxed; it's more upbeat." Maybe a little relaxing is all it took for the Manatees to turn their season around. Brevard County's pitching and defense were solid during the first half of FSL play, but the Manatees struggled to come up with big hits in the clutch. They have produced enough such hits in the second half, Anderson said, that players now relish the chance to bat in the late innings of a close game with runners on base. "When we're running on all cylinders, I don't think there's too many teams that can hang with us," said starting pitcher Tim Dillard, who has won six of his past seven decisions. "I think we have the best team in the league." Dillard may be getting ahead of himself, but such a statement is indicative of the confidence that now permeates the home locker room at Space Coast Stadium. As much as development is emphasized in the minor leagues, the players want to win as badly as they always have. Apparently, the same goes for the Manatees' manager. Before the start of the season, Tamargo flatly told his players that he hadn't taken the job just to watch them try to improve without much regard to winning. "You develop, too, by winning," Tamargo said. "If you continue to lose, it gets to you." It looks like for now that Tamargo is getting what every minor-league manager hopes for in a season: a team that is developing and winning. "You can see them growing, being more aggressive," Tamargo said. "I don't want to jinx us, but it's been fun to watch."

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...amp;coll=1 Sauveur watched, learned in first majors game Contact Mark McCarter at markcolumn@aol.com Huntsville Times So bright and shiny, a magical piece of treasure. Sits there glowing, like some exotic jewel from one of those hobbit movies. Too bright and shiny to touch. Just stand and look at it a while. Then - poof! Gone. That's the story of Rich Sauveur's first game in the major leagues. Sauveur, the Stars' pitching coach, played 18 seasons of pro ball. He pitched for, first, the Pirates. Then he bounced to several other organizations, valuable as a lefty who was especially tough on left-handed hitters but without the sort of radar-jamming velocity that makes scouts drool. The screwy thing, despite pitching in 34 games in the majors, he never collected a win. And was tagged with only one loss. There are two most memorable moments in Sauveur's professional career. One, he was there, as a Kansas City Royals pitcher, when George Brett got his 3,000th career hit. (Sauveur has another thread to history: He was born Nov. 23, 1963, and was two days old, in an Arlington, Va., hospital, when not far away echoed a 21-gun salute and a mournful taps was played as John F. Kennedy was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.) Sauveur's top moment was July 1, 1986. Major league debut. Pitching for Pittsburgh, at Three Rivers Stadium, against the Phillies. Check the lineups. The opposing pitcher was Mike Maddux, now a colleague of sorts as Milwaukee's pitching coach. There was Gary Redus, the Athens native, the first man Sauveur would face. On the Pirates side, there was Sid Bream at first. And there was a then-skinny center fielder. Kid named Barry Bonds. Sauveur got Redus to fly out to Bonds in the first. Rick Schu and Juan Samuel grounded out. Leading off the second, Mike Schmidt got plunked by Sauveur. Revenge would come later - and not just with his sixth-inning single. Sauveur pitched nicely. He sprinkled around seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked three. He only allowed two runs, on a Schu home run. After he was pulled from the game, Pirates radio man Jim Rooker found him in the clubhouse. "Rooker came down, we talked. He said I was going to be 'player of the game,' for the radio broadcast,'' Sauveur recalls. "They gave me a gold watch. It was worth more than I was making in a month at Triple-A.'' Somebody put the watch on a shelf in his locker in the eighth inning, the game tied 2-all. "I didn't even take it out,'' Sauveur says. "I just looked at it. Then, in the 10th, the Phillies scored two runs, the second by Schmidt, who had walked. But the Pirates tied it up in the bottom half with two runs off Steve Bedrosian. In the top of the 12th, Schmidt homered off Larry McWilliams. In the bottom of the 12th, Bonds grounded into a double play to end the game. Phillies 5, Pirates 4. "I came back into the clubhouse,'' Sauveur says, "and the watch was gone.'' The man with the game-winning homer, Mike Schmidt, was named player of the game. "Yeah,'' Sauveur says. "Like Mike Schmidt needed it.''

Link while active, text follows: www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...amp;coll=1 Bibbs beats throw home for Stars' win Huntsville forges pair of rallies to top Carolina By PAUL GATTIS Times Sports Staff pgattis@htimes.com The Huntsville Stars pulled out a dramatic victory twice Friday night. After taking a two-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Stars put together one more rally in the ninth when Kennard Bibbs' head-first slide into home scored the winning run to beat the Carolina Mudcats 5-4. With one out and the bases loaded, Brandon Gemoll grounded to Mudcats first baseman Chris Bass. Bass' throw to force Bibbs at the plate was a heartbeat late as the Stars won their fourth game in the last five. "We battled back," Stars manager Don Money said. "That's what you have to do." The Stars appeared to have the game wrapped up in the eighth inning. With two outs and the game tied 2-2, John Vanden Berg laced a two-run single to center for a 4-2 lead. But the Mudcats battled back against Stars reliever Jerome Gamble (2-0), who got the win when his teammates rallied in the bottom of the ninth off Carolina reliever Ross Wolf (5-3). Tony Gwynn Jr. led off the ninth by striking out. But four straight hits - two of the infield variety - led to the winning run. Bibbs "hit a good pitch," Money said, and singled to right. Vinny Rottino then hit the hardest ball of the inning - a line drive to center field that moved Bibbs to second. Then Brad Nelson hit a slow roller to shortstop that Carolina shortstop Rex Rundgren couldn't come up with cleanly and that loaded the bases for Gemoll. Gemoll grounded a high chopper to Bass at first. Unable to get much on the throw home, Bass' throw was just late as Bibbs slid in under Carolina catcher Jason Hill. "It took four base hits to get one run," Money said. "Two of them did not go far." The victory capped a pitcher's duel between Stars starter Glenn Woolard and Carolina's Yorman Bazardo - the No. 3 prospect in the Florida Marlins farm system. Woolard went seven innings and allowed five hits and two runs - both runs coming on a long homer to center by, strangely enough, Bazardo. Meanwhile, Bazardo went seven innings and allowed seven hits and two runs. After staking himself to a 2-0 lead, Bazardo surrendered a run in the third and the tying run in the fourth. The Stars' first run came when Woolard hit a long double over the head of Mudcats center fielder Reggie Abercrombie. He scored when Rottino singled to left with two outs. In the fourth, Enrique Cruz singled and scored on a two-out single by Vanden Berg. It was Vanden Berg's first RBI since June 15th. Vanden Berg then laced his two-run single to center in the eighth that temporarily gave the Stars a 4-2 lead. But Gamble, who had pitched two perfect innings since coming off the disabled list earlier this month, allowed three hits and two runs to miss out on what would have been his fifth save. Jeremy Hermida - the Marlins' No. 1 prospect - had an RBI double off Gamble, then Hill drove in the tying run with a groundout.

Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Albuquerque HRs earn twinbill split Helling stars in opener, Nashville loses nightcap By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Solid pitching and late offense keyed yet another Nashville Sounds victory last night, as the team opened an eight-game homestand with a 6-1 win over Albuquerque in the first game of a doubleheader. In the nightcap, Ben Hendrickson struck out a Sounds season-high 10 but allowed a pair of sixth-inning home runs in a 2-1 loss. Sounds starter Rick Helling and relievers Kane Davis and Jose Capellan combined to hold Albuquerque to four hits in the first seven-inning contest, with Davis and Capellan retiring the visitors in order in the sixth and seventh. The trio totaled 11 strikeouts. Meanwhile, Nashville broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning with Prince Fielder's bases-loaded single off the glove of Albuquerque first baseman Todd Sears that scored a pair of runs. Corey Hart added a bases-loaded single in the sixth to drive in two more runs, with Warren Morris scoring on a subsequent wild pitch. Albuquerque utilized five relievers behind former Sound Frank Castillo, who started and took the loss. Three different Isotopes failed to retire a hitter, including Clint Sodowsky, who gave up Hart's two-RBI single and was ejected for hitting Fielder on the next pitch. Albuquerque Manager Dean Treanor was also tossed in the aftermath. In the second game, Hendrickson struck out two hitters in each of the first four innings to match his and the team's previous season high, before his offensive mates gave him a 1-0 lead on Chris Barnwell's RBI double. He added a strikeout in the fifth and sixth, but also allowed a pair of solo homers in the sixth. Albuquerque tied the game on Josh Wilson's shot and went ahead on ex-Sound Jason Wood's longball. The 10 strikeouts for Hendrickson marked the first double-digit effort by a Nashville pitcher since Justin Reid posted 10 against Oklahoma on Aug. 24 of last season. It was his first outing with 10 or more since May 3, 2003, when he struck out 11 while pitching for Class A High Desert. On the move: Milwaukee pitcher Tommy Phelps was outrighted to Nashville yesterday to make room on the roster for Dana Eveland, whose contract was purchased from Huntsville. In 29 relief appearances for the Brewers, Phelps went 0-2 with a 4.63 ERA and a save. Eveland started the Southern League All-Star Game ? throwing a scoreless inning for the North Division ? and was 10-4, 2.72 in 18 starts with Huntsville. The 21-year-old left-hander was Milwaukee's 16th-round pick in the 2002 draft. Cruzing: With base hits in the second inning of Game 1 and the sixth inning of Game 2, Nelson Cruz extended his hitting streak to 11 games ? every game he's appeared in since joining the Sounds from Class AA Huntsville. In his 11 games, Cruz has hit .457 (16-for-35) with three home runs and eight RBIs. On the other side, both Dave Krynzel and Warren Morris had five-game strings broken with hitless outings in the first game. Droughts end: Ryan Knox's pinch-hit bunt single to lead off the fifth inning of Game 1 snapped a 0-for-13 skid coming off the bench. Also, Hendrickson beat out an infield single to lead off the third inning in Game 2 for his first base hit of the year. He'd been hitless in his previous 14 at-bats.