Jim Goulart

Saturday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Jeff Housman at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 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: LHP Ryan Costello at West Tenn (Cubs), 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 Tim Dillard at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 6:00 PM Audio link (opponent's -- click on right-side banner): www.daytonacubs.com/ West Virginia: LHP Greg Kloosterman at Delmarva (Orioles), 6:05 PM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: RHP Ryan Marion at Great Falls (White Sox), 8:00 PM; unfortunately, no web audio for this series... Arizona: Idle

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Final: Helena 7, Billings (Reds) 6 Helena Box Score: Kenny Holmberg joins Brendan Katin with a long ball; two passed balls for Angel Salome, now with five on the season -- let him rake and learn in the Pioneer League all summer... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1 Helena Game Log: This one had a major-league feel to it as the managers mixed and matched in the bottom of the 9th... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1

All 30 Major League Organizations Have Indy Players, With San Diego (15), Milwaukee (14) at the Top By Bob Wirz, Independent Baseball Insider Let?s hear it for the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers. The Padres and Brew Crew are the best friends an Independent Baseball player can have. In this corner?s annual survey, San Diego continues to be the organization with the most former Independent players. Our records, not including any players still in extended spring training, show the Padres with 15 former Independent players, one more than Milwaukee. A total of 194 players show up on the Independent Baseball Insider?s list with six of the 30 organizations?one more than one year ago?with 10 or more Independent players trying to work their way to the major leagues. Fifteen of the 194 players?slightly less than in recent times?are in the majors now, not counting Los Angeles Angels outfielder Curtis Pride and Chicago Cubs reliever Joe Borowski, who were designated for assignment this week. World Champion Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle and Tampa Bay have 10 players apiece, and every major league organization has someone. Detroit and Minnesota only show up one time apiece. The number of former Independent players per organization: Team No. Team No. San Diego 15 Atlanta 5 Milwaukee 14 Baltimore 5 Boston 10 Chicago-NL 5 Philadelphia 10 Cleveland 5 Seattle 10 Florida 5 Tampa Bay 10 Cincinnati 4 Pittsburgh 9 Los Angeles-NL 4 Chicago-AL 8 Washington 4 Houston 8 Arizona 3 Kansas City 8 Toronto 3 Los Angeles-AL 8 New York-NL 3 Oakland 8 New York-AL 2 San Francisco 8 Texas 2 Oakland 8 Detroit 1 Colorado 7 Minnesota 1

Arizona Rangers at Arizona Brewers Three games in the Arizona League Friday -- two have been reported on; so far, this one falls in the "unreported" category

Final: Nashville 7, Memphis (Cardinals) 5 Nashville fans have to be thrilled with this winning and entertaining group... Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Corey Hart photo, text follows -- www.nashvillesounds.com/n...ewsId=1665 NASHVILLE ? Sounds outfielder Corey Hart must have been singing ?Never Surrender? when he came to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, as he ripped a two-run double to give Nashville a 7-5 victory over the second-place Memphis Redbirds on Friday evening at Greer Stadium. Hart?s game-winning two-bagger completed a three-run Sounds rally in the frame, which was started by a game-tying Mike Rivera homer, and gave Nashville (45-37) its second straight win in the series as well as the team?s 13th victory this season in games in which it trailed in the seventh inning or later. With the win, the Sounds extended their lead over the Redbirds to a season-high 4 ½ games in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. Rehabbing right fielder Russell Branyan spotted the Sounds an early 1-0 lead with a two-out RBI double to right in the bottom of the first inning. Nelson Cruz doubled the Nashville advantage to 2-0 in the fifth with a two-out RBI single to right to score Branyan, who preceded Cruz with his second double of the evening. Branyan, 4-for-9 in four games on his rehab assignment, finished with two doubles and a walk in his three plate appearances before a scheduled early exit after six innings. The Redbirds stormed back to take a 4-2 lead with a four-run sixth against Ben Hendrickson. With one out, John Gall reached on an infield single and moved to third on John Rodriguez?s double. Memphis third baseman Scott Seabol followed with a game-tying, two-run triple to deep center, then scored the go-ahead run a batter later on Chris Duncan?s RBI single up the middle. Catcher Cody McKay put Memphis up two with a two-out RBI double to left-center. Memphis second baseman Bo Hart extended the lead to 5-2 with a one-out solo homer to left-center off Sounds reliever Mike Adams, the infielder?s fifth roundtripper of the year. The Sounds creeped back within a run in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs against Redbirds reliever Tyler Johnson. With two outs, Hart walked and stole second before Chris Barnwell extended his hitting streak to a season-high four games with an RBI single. After Cruz walked, Sounds first baseman Tony Zuniga ripped an RBI double to center to plate Barnwell and make it a 5-4 contest. Cruz was thrown out at the plate on the play to end the inning while attempting to score the tying run. Rivera, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and two doubles, tied the game at 5-5 in the eighth with a leadoff solo homer to center off Memphis reliever Josh Pearce. The blast was the backstop?s fifth of the season. After Steve Scarborough reached on a bunt single, Hart put the Sounds on top later in the frame with a two-out, two-run double to left-center off Vladimir Nunez. The two-bagger, Hart?s team-leading 24th of the year, extended the prospect?s hitting streak to 10 games. Adams (1-1) picked up his first win after allowing one run and striking out four batters in two innings of work. Pearce (0-1) took a loss in his first decision of the year after surrendering two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Jeff Bennett worked a perfect ninth to pick up his team-leading ninth save. The teams continue the series with a 6 p.m. meeting on Saturday evening at Greer Stadium. Left-hander Jeff Housman (3-6, 5.38) takes the hill for the Sounds to face Memphis right-hander Adam Wainwright (5-6, 3.58). Nashville Box Score: Catcher Mike Rivera's been a godsend since the Pat Borders trade; David Krynzel's .254 average and .330-ish OBP isn't cutting it, despite the HR and RBI production; Nelson Cruz on base in all four plate appearances... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1 Nashville Game Log: How about that Corey Hart -- 15 stolen bases in 21 attempts - it's only July 1st... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_nasaaa_1

West Virginia Site Game Summary: POWER COMMIT FOUR ERRORS IN LOSS TO DELMARVASalisbury, MD ? The West Virginia Power had a 4-1 lead through four innings of Friday night?s game against the Delmarva Shorebirds, but committed four errors down the stretch and were outscored 7-1 from the fifth inning on and lost by the final score of 8-5. Alcides Escobar began the ball game with a solo shot, which was his first home run of the season. Later in the inning Will Lewis drove in Hernan Iribarren on an RBI groundout to give the Power a 2-0 lead. The Shorebirds cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first inning on a Jason Fransz RBI single. Lewis delivered again in the top of the second inning on a two-run double to give the Power a 4-1 lead. The Power took that lead into the bottom of the fifth inning. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Shorebirds sent nine batters to the plate, scored four runs to take the lead and never looked back. Gary Cates hit a three-run homer to tie the game at 4-4 and Patrick Scalabrini knocked in Jake Duncan on an infield single to give the Shorebirds a 5-4 lead. In the seventh inning Fransz reached first base on a dropped third strike and Duncan scored from third during the play. Duncan delivered again in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-run triple to give the Shorebirds an 8-4 advantage. The Power made things interesting in the top of the ninth inning. They had the bases loaded with the tying run at the plate in Josh Brady with two outs. Brady hit a ground ball to the third baseman Scalabrini who booted the ball, allowing Escobar to score, making it an 8-5 ball game. Nestor Corredor grounded out during the next at bat to end the game. Carlos Perez (6-5) earned the victory, Justin Henington (2) earned the save and Mark Rogers (0-6) obtained the loss. The Power fall to 3-5 in the second half with the loss and the Shorebirds improve to 5-3 with the win. The Power will continue the series against the Delmarva Shorebirds at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on Saturday night. The Power will throw LHP Greg Kloosterman (3-10, 4.20) and the Shorebirds will counter with RHP Luis Ramirez (3-4, 3.31). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

In progress: Helena 6, Billings (Reds) 6, after seven innings These two evenly-matched clubs locked in a good one as of 10:30 Central -- give a listen if you're around; Brendan Katin with his 3rd home run...

Final: Huntsville 5, West Tenn (Cubs) 2 I think we all cheer a bit harder for the Stars fan base than any other -- with us since 1999, they're the longest-tenured current affiliate and certainly have added to our knowledge here -- good to see there may be some second-half excitement there... Huntsville Site Game Summary: Link for David Bradley photo, text follows -- www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=653 Stars Move Back Into Top Spot in DivisionBrandon Gemoll drove in three runs and David Bradley put together another quality start to carry Huntsville past West Tenn 5-2 Friday night in the second game of a four-game set at Pringles Park. The Stars improved to 6-4 in the second half and regained sole possession of first place in the North Division over Carolina, which was rained out for a third straight scheduled night, and the Diamond Jaxx, who dropped to 5-5 in the second half. Gemoll delivered a two-out, two-run double in the fourth inning to plate Vinny Rottino and Enrique Cruz with the first two runs of the game. Brandon Sing belted a solo home run off of Bradley in the fifth to trim the lead to 2-1. It was his 15th of the season and 101st of his minor league career. Bradley worked five innings in his third start of the year, allowing a lone run on three hits and a walk. The right-hander has totaled 14 innings in his three starts and has yielded one run in each of them, with two of the three runs coming on solo home runs. The Stars pushed their lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning when Brad Nelson tripled home Rottino and then came into score on a base hit by Gemoll, who has knocked in runs in each of his last four starts. West Tenn starter Renyel Pinto was taken out after six innings after yielding a season-high four runs on a season-high seven hits and three walks. The left-hander suffered his first loss of the season and dropped to 4-1. West Tenn plated an unearned run against Khalid Ballouli in the seventh to trim the lead to 4-2 but the Stars answered right back in the eighth with a run but missed out on a chance to score more. Ben Van Iderstine delivered a bases loaded single to plate Nelson but pinch-hitter Kennard Bibbs and Callix Crabbe followed by bouncing into force plays at the plate and Tony Gwynn, Jr. grounded out to end the inning. Gwynn is hitless in nine at-bats in the series with seven ground outs, while Bibbs has just one hit in his last 19 tries. Mitch Stetter worked two scoreless frames to nail down his seventh save of the season and his fourth since June 9 at Chattanooga. Rottino collected three hits and scored twice and has five straight multiple hit games and eight in the first 10 games of the half, while Nelson singled, doubled and tripled and has reached base in nine of his 10 plate appearances in the series. The series continues Saturday night with left-hander Ryan Costello taking the hill for the Stars against Diamond Jaxx right-hander Jae-kuk Ryu. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score: Wow -- this bears repeating: Vinny Rottino collected three hits and scored twice and has five straight multiple hit games and eight in the first 10 games of the half; second consecutive night that Brad Nelson misses just one component of the cycle -- no HR tonight; www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1 Huntsville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_wtdaax_1

Final: Delmarva (Orioles) 8, West Virginia 5 Mark Rogers still looking for that elusive first professional win... West Virginia Box Score: Second consecutive start that Rogers cruised until the 5th, although the defense let him down here -- Mark is getting the ground balls as of late, however; four errors, two passed balls -- ugh; Grant Richardson on base four times -- nice; Josh Brady should be mashing in Brevard County -- instead, he struggles at West Virginia... YTD YTD WEST VIRGINIA AB R H BI AVG DELMARVA AB R H BI AVG A.Escobar SS 5 3 2 1 .302 F.Figueroa 2B 4 2 2 0 .313 H.Iribarren 2B 4 2 1 0 .324 G.Cates SS 4 2 2 3 .352 W.Lewis RF 4 0 1 3 .297 J.Duncan LF 4 3 3 2 .309 G.Richardson 1B 2 0 1 0 .253 J.Fransz DH 5 0 1 1 .280 J.Brady LF 5 0 0 0 .232 A.Rivas CF 5 0 0 0 .264 N.Corredor CAT 5 0 1 0 .204 P.Scalabrini 3B 3 0 1 1 .281 J.Murray 3B 4 0 1 0 .198 J.Gutierrez 1B 3 0 0 0 .233 F.Parejo CF 4 0 0 0 .231 M.Houston CAT 4 1 2 0 .281 A.Mannon DH 2 0 1 0 .148 Q.Ascencion RF 4 0 0 0 .252 M.Rogers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Perez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Hinton PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Henry PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Barnes PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Cahill PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Henington PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 5 8 4 TOTALS 36 8 11 7 WEST VIRGINIA 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 5 8 4 DELMARVA 1 0 0 0 4 0 1 2 X- 8 11 2 E--H.Iribarren, N.Corredor, J.Murray, J.Barnes, P.Scalabrini, M.Houston. DP--WEST VIRGINIA 1, DELMARVA 0. LOB--WEST VIRGINIA 10, DELMARVA 9. 2B--W.Lewis (13), J.Murray (5), J.Duncan (11), M.Houston (7). 3B-- J.Duncan (4). HR--A.Escobar (1), G.Cates (1). SB--A.Escobar (21), H.Iribarren (27). CS--F.Figueroa. HBP--W.Lewis. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WEST VIRGINIA M.Rogers (L,0-6) 4.1 7 5 2 2 2 1 4.62 R.Hinton 1.2 2 0 0 0 1 0 3.11 J.Barnes 2.0 2 3 2 3 3 0 3.75 DELMARVA C.Perez (W,6-5) 5.0 6 4 4 3 3 1 3.84 P.Henry 2.0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1.13 C.Cahill 1.2 1 1 0 1 2 0 3.42 H.Henington (S,2) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 HB--C.Cahill. PB--N.Corredor 2. SO--H.Iribarren, J.Brady, J.Murray, F.Parejo, A.Mannon, J.Fransz, A.Rivas, P.Scalabrini 2, J.Gutierrez, Q.Ascencion. BB--H.Iribarren, G.Richardson 3, A.Mannon 2, F.Figueroa, G.Cates, J.Duncan, P.Scalabrini, J.Gutierrez. T--3:14. A--2129West Virginia Game Log: Alcides Escobar homers to lead off the game, his first; Will Lewis a two-out, two-run double in the 2nd; Power had the bases loaded and the winning run at the plate with two outs in the 9th -- Nestor Corredor grounded out to end it... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_delafx_1

Link while active, text follows: www.goleeflames.com/info/...ewsid=2841 In a year of many firsts for Lee University athletics, add the name of Jimmy Stanfield to the list. Stanfield has officially signed a professional minor league free-agent baseball contract with the Milwaukee Brewers of the National League. Several former Flames have played or are playing with independent professional teams, but Stanfield is the first to place his name on the dotted line with a major league club. "I had just about given up," said the former Flames' catcher as he packed his bags and prepared for his Wednesday afternoon flight to join the Arizona Brewers of the Arizona Summer League (ASL). "I actually missed the first call from the scout on Tuesday night. I'm glad he called back and I was able to get this opportunity." The Arizona Brewers are the Rookie League affiliate of the Brewers. Stanfield was signed by local scout Rick Hunter of Chattanooga and Area Scout Joe Mason from Millbrook, Ala. Stanfield enjoyed two outstanding years with the Flames. He batted .363 this past season with 14 home runs and 19 doubles. He tied Lee's single-season RBI record by driving in 61 runs. A solid defensive catcher, Stanfield was named to the Southern States Athletic Conference first team. He was also an All-Region XIII catcher and second team NAIA All-American. Stanfield was also vital in helping the Flames win two regular-season conference titles, one region tournament title and being a key factor in Lee's first trip to the NAIA World Series. Over two years, the Flames posted an impressive 96-35 record. "I believe Jimmy has a chance to play a lot of pro ball," said head coach David Altopp. "I've been around the game a long time and I haven't seen many better catchers. I also know really good catchers are hard to come by at any level. I'm very happy for Jimmy. He wanted this opportunity badly. He gave us two great years at Lee and I think he has prepared himself to move higher." Stanfield said he had not played baseball since the Flames played their final game in the NAIA College World Series in Lewiston, Idaho on May 28. "I will get a physical on Thursday and get to take some batting practice and work with the pitchers in the bullpen on Friday," he pointed out. "That should help me get ready to play again." ?We are extremely excited that Jimmy has gotten this opportunity," said Lee assistant baseball coach Mark Brew. "It has been a dream of his that has turned into a reality. He excelled behind the plate for us and helped lead us to our most successful season in Lee University history (55-16). Jimmy posted great numbers offensively and handled a very talented pitching staff. We wish him the best of luck and hope he gets an opportunity to move up through the Brewers' organization.? Lee University Roster Page: www.goleeflames.com/info/...;sportid=3 http://www.goleeflames.com/images/athletics/news/stanfield-watson-bryanAAA.jpg

First a link to the now-closed June transaction thread: p092.ezboard.com/fbrewers...mp;stop=40 In addition to 9th round pick infielder Carlos Hereaud signing and being sent to Arizona (see Draft Forum), the Brewers announced the following: Jimmy Stanfield, an undrafted catcher, also signed with the club and will join the Arizona Brewers; Stanfield is a recent graduate of Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. and stands six-feet tall and 215 lbs. In the summer heat of rookie ball, you really need to rotate through four catchers with the 20+ arms available, so this free agent pickup makes sense in that regard. We'll look up more info on Stanfield for you later this evening...

Great news on 9th round infielder Carlos Hereaud, signed and assigned to Arizona: The Brewers got a good look at Hereaud in Area Code Games last summer ... According to Baseball America, Hereaud's parents moved their family from Venezuela to get their children a better education, so it may be difficult to sign him away from his University of Houston scholarship. ... "He played shortstop in high school and played some third base and some second base," Zduriencik said. "Carlos, again, is a guy who we think has a chance to be an offensive player, whether he plays third, second or left field. We like the bat. The kid is an athlete and has versatility."

St. Lucie at Brevard County, postponed, wet grounds Brevard County Site Update: VIERA, FL -- With heavy downpours all afternoon, tonight's game between the Manatees and the St. Lucie Mets has been postponed due to unplayable field conditions. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on August 12 with the time TBA.

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

USA Today's Minor League Index Page -- Standings, Stats, League Leaders: 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_wtdaax_1 Brevard County: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_breafx_1 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_delafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_bilrok_1 Arizona: Not updated live, but usually later during the overnight... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_brrrok_1

Friday's Daily Menu: All times Central, except for the Arizona League; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Ben Hendrickson at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 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 West Tenn (Cubs), 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 Tim Dillard at home vs. St. Lucie (Mets), 6:00 PM; no audio for this series West Virginia: RHP Mark Rogers at Delmarva (Orioles), 6:05 PM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: LHP Rafael Lluberes at Billings (Reds), 8:05 PM Audio link: www.billingsmustangs.com/...cfm?Listen Arizona: TBD at home in Maryvale vs. the mini-Rangers, 11:30 AM Arizona time; never any audio for this league

Link while active, text follows: tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....328/SPORTS Cruz returns to AAA to lead Sounds Drives in winning run to open series with Redbirds By MAURICE PATTON Tennessean Staff Writer Nelson Cruz returned to Class AAA in fine fashion last night, driving in three runs with a double and a home run as the Nashville Sounds defeated visiting Memphis 6-3 to open a four-game series. Cruz played four games with Sacramento last year before he was traded during the offseason by Oakland to Milwaukee. He was called up Wednesday from Double-A Huntsville, where he had been among the Southern League's offensive leaders. "I'd been having a pretty good season," said Cruz (.306, 16 home runs, 54 RBIs). "You try to be ready (for a promotion), but you never know when they're going to do it. "It doesn't take a lot of adjustments. You just play the same." Cruz broke Nashville's scoring drought in the fifth inning, following Russell Branyan's leadoff double with a two-bagger to make it a 3-1 game against Memphis starter Bill Pulsipher. In the seventh, after Chris Barnwell doubled to score Corey Hart, Cruz hit a two-run shot to the opposite field to give the Sounds a 4-3 lead. "I was surprised that ball went out to right-center," Manager Frank Kremblas said. "The wind was blowing in a little, and that usually kills anything going out that way. He has a little power." That was all the runs the Sounds would need to pick up their 12th victory when trailing in the seventh inning or later. Branyan, seeing his first defensive action since joining the team on a rehabilitation assignment earlier this week, went 1-for-2 with a run. He started in right field but came out of the game following the sixth inning. "Being his first time in the field, they didn't want him to play all game," Kremblas said of Branyan, who is recovering from a broken middle finger on his left hand. "It still hurts when he swings and misses." Road warriors: The Sounds are one of three Pacific Coast League teams to boast winning records on the road (21-19) as well as at home (23-18). The others are Salt Lake (26-16 home, 18-17 road) and Tacoma (23-12 home, 22-21 road). No June swoon: Nashville's pitching staff posted a 4.03 ERA for the month of June, the second-best mark in the PCL behind Tacoma's 4.02. On the other end, Sounds hitters have put up 10 or more hits in 17 of the team's 28 games this month and are hitting .293. Stable roster: With the addition of Cruz and the reassignment of outfielder Brad Nelson to Huntsville, the Sounds' transaction count is up to 27 for the season. That's still 33 less than last year's team had at this time. Two of the players added, infielders Warren Morris and Tony Zuniga, have each hit better than .300 since taking the places of highly touted prospects Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder. Morris has hit .322 and Zuniga .333. Game at a glance ? Winning pitcher: Clint Weibl (1-2). ? Big stick: Cruz, 2-for-4, RBI double, two-run home run. ? How they won: Sounds rallied from a 3-0 deficit in fifth, picking up run in the fifth on Cruz's double and taking one-run lead in seventh when Barnwell doubled home a run and scored on Cruz's HR. Hart added a two-run hit in the eighth. Weibl and Jose Capellan combined for three scoreless innings of relief, Capellan getting his fourth save. ? What they said: "Clint did a pretty good job; Jose came in and got the job done with the bases loaded, made pitches when he had to." ? Kremblas. ? Tonight's pitchers: Sounds ? RHP Ben Hendrickson (4-6, 4.17 ERA). Redbirds ? RHP Chris Gissell (6-5, 2.90). Maurice Patton covers the Nashville Sounds for The Tennessean. He can be reached at mopatton@tennessean.com.

Sounds down rival Redbirds By Nate Rau, Nashville City Paper Sports Correspondent Nelson Cruz rolled into Music City Thursday and made himself right at home at Greer Stadium. A day after being promoted from Double-A Huntsville, Cruz paced the Sounds to a 6-3 win over Memphis, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, in front of 7,496 fans. Cruz?s debut was highlighted by a two-run home run blast in the seventh, which gave the Sounds the lead for good. Cruz also had an RBI double in the fifth inning. ?It was awesome,? Cruz said. ?You don?t expect you?re going to have a good game, the first game you get called up.? The Sounds and Redbirds met for the first this season, as the rivals settle in for a battle for first place in the Pacific Coast League American Northern division. It was the first of 16 grudge matches between the two teams this year. The win increased Nashville?s lead over Memphis (40-40) to 3.5 games. Reliever Jose Capellan saved the day for Nashville (44-37) in the eighth inning. With the bases loaded and the Sounds leading by a run, Capella struck out Chris Duncan. Capellan then got John Nelson to ground to first base to end the scoring threat and leave the bases loaded. Capellan celebrated the big out by spiking the ball into the turf. He then pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his fourth save. ?[Capellan] came in and got the job done,? Sounds manager Frank Kremblas said. ?He made the pitches he had to. Also, he made a nice play on a weird ground ball [to end the inning].? Memphis got a jump on its cross-state rival in the first inning when leadoff man Skip Schumaker floated the second pitch of the game over the left field wall for a homer off Sounds starter Gary Glover. The Redbirds added a run in both the fourth and fifth innings to build a 3-0 lead. Catcher Cody McKay, hitting below .200 on the season, belted a homer in the fifth. In the bottom of the inning, the Sounds answered when newcomers Russ Branyan and Cruz hit back-to-back doubles. Branyan, on loan from Milwaukee on a rehab assignment, scored on Cruz?s sharply-hit grounder down the third base line. It was Cruz?s first hit as a Sound. Branyan, who typically plays the infield but was in right to protect his injured finger, was removed after the fifth inning. Kremblas said a short outing is ?normal? for rehabbing players. Nashville got so-so pitching from Glover, who had been throwing well since being demoted by Milwaukee. Heading into Thursday, Glover was 1-0 with a 0.50 ERA. He allowed six hits over six innings of work, surrendering three runs, two earned. ?It seemed worse than it was,? Kremblas said of Glover?s outing. Memphis starter Bill Pulsipher (2-3) was on cruise control before running into trouble in the seventh. That?s when he gave up the lead, allowing three runs, including Cruz?s homer. Nashville distanced its lead in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run RBI single by Corey Hart. For the game, Hart went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs. Newcomer Corey Hart joined the Sounds June 24, after having his contract purchased from Bridgeport of the independent Atlantic League. The addition gives the Sounds two players named Corey Hart. The original Corey Hart on the roster is the Sounds? representative in the Triple-A All-Star game, hitting .307 with seven home runs before Thursday?s game. Heading into the game, he had yet to play first base, playing exclusively in the outfield. The new Corey Hart is listed on the roster as an infielder, so when ?Corey Hart? was announced in Thursday?s lineup, it was assumed to be the new addition. In reality, it was the all-star making his first start of the season at first.

Power fails in clutch, falls to Delmarva Charleston Gazette SALISBURY, Md. ? The West Virginia Power had the tying run on base the seventh and eighth innings but couldn?t come up with a clutch hit in dropping a 5-4 decision to the Delmarva Shorebirds Thursday night. After Delmarva took a 5-4 lead in the fifth on Jason Fransz?s double, the Power?s Tony Festa opened the seventh with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and reached third on a ground out but was stranded. In the eighth, Will Lewis drew a one-out walk and was eliminated on Grant Richardson?s ground out. Richardson reached second after Hasan Rasheed walked, but both were left on base. The Power was retired in order in the sixth and ninth. Richardson staked the Power to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with a two-run home run, his team-high sixth of the year. Hernan Iribarren, who tied the game in the fifth at 4-all with a run-scoring single, and Festa each had two hits and drove in a run for the Power. Freddy Parejo went 2-for-3. Power starter Yovani Gallardo lasted just three innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits. The Power will play at Delmarva at 7:05 (6:05 Central) tonight in the second of the three-game series. Second-half trend to aid Power? Charleston Gazette In recent years, Charleston?s minor league baseball clubs have shared one trait ? each has finished stronger than it started. Going back to 2000, the then-Alley Cats improved on their first-half records during the second half of each season. Some gains were small ? last year?s club was a mere two games better in the won-lost column. Others were more decisive ? the 2002 Cats improved by 12 games during the second half. In the five-year span of 2000-04, Charleston?s teams averaged nearly six wins better in each second half. During that same stretch, only last year?s club managed a .500 record for the entire season, finishing 84-56. While it?s not uncommon for a minor-league team to improve as the season progresses ? conventional wisdom says that young players should get better with experience ? it does give the West Virginia Power some hope as the second half kicks into high gear. The Power roster includes 13 players under the age of 22, including all-stars Hernan Iribarren and Alcides Escobar. The Power concluded the first half of its inaugural South Atlantic League season at 25-45. Toss out a dismal start ? the Power was 4-18 in April ? and that record doesn?t look nearly as bad. In fact, the 25 first-half wins are the third-most for a Charleston club since 2000. HEADING FOR HOME: After a four-game set at Delmarva, the Power returns to Appalachian Power Park to celebrate Fourth of July with a three-game series against rival Lexington. The Power has just one extended homestand in July ? a seven-game, seven-day layover against Hagerstown and Lakewood July 18-24. ALL-STAR FUTURE: Charleston?s new stadium will have to wait a little longer to play host to its first South Atlantic League All-Star game. This week, the league awarded the 2008 game to Greensboro, N.C. The Bats? new home, First Horizon Park, opened April 3 to rave reviews. The park features the minors? second-largest video scoreboard. The game will be played at Lake County (Ohio) in 2006 and at Rome (Ga.) in 2007. Charleston last played host to a Sally League All-Star game in 1989 at Watt Powell Park.

Link while active, text follows: www.billingsgazette.com/i...stangs.inc Ponies' streak stifled By MIKE SCHERTING Of The Billings Gazette Staff The first two innings Thursday night gave no indication of what the Billings Mustangs were in for. After a four-run second, which answered two runs put up by the Helena Brewers in the top of the inning, it appeared the Mustangs had a good shot at winning their eighth straight game. But three Helena relievers - in particular lefty Steve Hammond - not only shut the door, they slammed it shut as the Brewers rallied for a 9-4 win at Cobb Field. One game after losing their own seven-game winning streak, the Brewers (8-1) bounced back with a 16-strikeout performance from their four pitchers to move back into first place in the Pioneer League's North Division. The Mustangs (7-2) collected seven hits, but just three over the final seven innings. Hammond, the third of the four Helena pitchers, was dominating, so much so that Mustangs manager Rick Burleson called the performance from the sixth-round draft pick out of Long Beach State "awesome." All Hammond did was retire 12 of the 13 batters he faced, including the last 11 in a row. Brandon Roberts laced a one-out triple in the fourth, but Hammond responded by striking out the next two hitters to end the inning. It also started a stretch where Hammond struck out eight in a row. In all, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder struck out nine, walked none and picked up the victory as the Brewers put up single runs in the six, seventh and eight innings to take a 5-4 lead. "I knew they weren't very aggressive, they don't really swing at a lot of first pitches, so my plan all along was to get ahead and throw a lot of strikes," said Hammond, who has struck out 18 and walked zero in 11 innings for far for the Brewers. "So that's what I did." Josh Louis gave up a single to James Langham to lead off the eighth, but then set down the next six in a row to earn his second save. Angel Salome, who leads the league with 17 RBIs, hit a tie-breaking home run in the eighth off Billings reliever Jason Vecchio (0-1). The Brewers then took advantage of three walks and a wild pitch to score another run in the ninth before Charlie Fermaint pretty much sealed the Mustangs' fate with a three-run homer off Bo Lanier to complete the scoring. "You're not going to win many ball games striking out 16 times," Burleson said. "It was a good ball game basically up until the ninth inning. We just couldn't generate any offense. All our left-handed hitters, off their lefties, we didn't do some of the things that we've been successful with and that's dropping a bunt once in a while, putting pressure on them, that type of thing. "We've got four speed guys in a row (in the lineup), and we tried one bunt and fouled it off. They've got to use that part of their game, and they've got to battle a little bit better with two strikes." The Mustangs seemed to have all the momentum after the second inning when they scored four times on four hits, two walks and a Helena error. They also stole five bases in the inning. But Dane Renkert, in relief of starter Robert Wooley, finally ended the inning by striking out Langham and from there it was all Helena. "It didn't work out tonight," Burleson said. "Tomorrow's a new day and we'll try to bounce back from it. We've got to learn from it." The team's conclude their three-game series tonight at 7 p.m. (8:00 Central). David Wilson is scheduled to start for Billings against Helena's Rafael Lluberes. The ball gets away from Mustangs second baseman Michael DeJesus as Helena baserunner Darren Ford slides safely into second with a stolen base during their game at Cobb Field Thursday night. Photo by STEPHEN BRASHEAR/Billings Gazette Staff http://www.billingsgazette.com/rednews/2005/07/01/build//sports/images/25-mustangs.jpg

Need your help! Looks like we've lost our source for easy cut-and-paste text versions of the minor league box score and standings info, as USA Today goes to a new format. www.usatoday.com/sports/b.../index.htm So until we're pointed in another direction, be prepared to click away at all the box score info. Also, on the Brewerfan home page, you'll see scores in the scoreboard section, but no longer box scores. If you offer me suggestions, be sure they're valid starting with games of Thursday June 30th. Looks like major and minor league baseball are following through with a promise to be very proprietary when it comes to their box score info, making the simple text formats pretty rare. Thanks.

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Huntsville Site Game Summary: Nelson's Dazzling Debut OvershadowedAdam Greenberg tripled twice to drive in three runs to pace a 15-hit attack in West Tenn?s 9-6 win over Huntsville Thursday night in the first of a four-game set at Pringles Park. The Stars suffered their second straight loss to fall to 5-4 in the second half of the season and into a three-way for first place in the North Division with the 5-4 Diamond Jaxx and 4-3 Carolina Mudcats, who were rained out in Jacksonville. The Diamond Jaxx have taken five of the seven games played between the two teams and improved to 26-13 at home. The home side jumped on Manny Parra for five runs in the second inning to open up an early 5-0 lead. Brandon Sing doubled in a run, Jose Reyes singled in a pair and Greenberg capped the rally with a two-run triple off the top of the wall in right field. The five runs were the most allowed by Parra in an inning this season and the second time the Stars have allowed five in a frame in the second half. The Stars got a run back in the third when Vinny Rottino walked and scored on a double by Brad Nelson, playing in his first game with the Stars after being optioned from Nashville. Brandon Gemoll and Enrique Cruz walked to load the bases and West Tenn starter Carlos Marmol was lifted due to an upset stomach and replaced by Ryan O?Malley. The southpaw retired John Vanden Berg on a shallow fly ball to left field and Callix Crabbe on a fly out to right field to end the inning. West Tenn extended its lead to 7-2 in the fifth and knocked Parra out of the game in the process. Sing knocked in a run with a bases-loaded single and another run scored when Jose Reyes grounded into a double play. Parra suffered the loss and saw his three-game win streak come to an end after allowing a season-high seven runs on a season-high 11 hits and a pair of walks. The southpaw dropped to 5-6 on the season after his first start against the first half North Division winners. Nelson clubbed a two-run home run in the seventh and Ben Van Iderstine knocked in a run with a ground ball out to trim the lead to 7-5 before Gemoll?s two-out, run-scoring single in the eighth trimmed the home team?s lead to 7-6. Dwaine Bacon drew a one-out, pinch-hit walk off of Mike Meyers in the bottom of the eighth, stole second and third base and scored on a single by Ryan Theriot to make it 8-6 Diamond Jaxx. Greenberg would then triple inside the bag at first base to chase home Theriot to push the lead to 9-6. David Aardsma retired all three hitters he faced on ground ball outs in the ninth to earn his second save of the season. Nelson would reach base in each of his five at-bats with a single, two doubles and a walk along with the long ball. Rottino singled and scored three times and now has seven multi-hit games in the nine games played in the second half. Both Huntsville second basemen, Callix Crabbe and Guilder Rodriguez, made incredible diving catches to their right and then recovered to throw out Diamond Jaxx batters. The series continues Friday night with right-hander David Bradley taking the hill for the Stars against Diamond Jaxx left-hander Renyel Pinto. Coverage of the game gets underway at 6:50 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.