Jim Goulart

Nashville Pre-Game Audio with LHP Andy Pratt: His night would not be as care-free later on... www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-24.mp3

Palm Beach Site Doubleheader Summary: JUPITER, FL ? Joe Mather hit a grand slam in the eighth inning with no one out in the second game of a doubleheader to cap what was a night of 20 innings of exciting baseball at Roger Dean Stadium. In the bottom of the second of game two, Jason Motte hit a three-run home run to give the Cardinals the early lead. It was Motte?s third homer of the year, and his first at home this season. The Manatees added two runs in the fifth off starter Roberto Batista on a double by first baseman Jeff Eure and then a wild pitch. The scored stayed 3-2 until the top of the seventh, scheduled to be the final frame. Mark Worrell entered the game, attempting his 16th save of the year, but gave up a leadoff double to third baseman Adam Heether and then a single to catcher Lou Palmisano to tie the game at three apiece. In the bottom of the eighth, consecutive singles by Brendan Ryan and Andy Schutzenhofer, followed by an intentional walk to Matt Dryer, loaded the bases for Mather. On a 3-2 pitch, Mather hit a blast deep to make the Cards a 7-3 winner. Mather was added to the roster on Thursday from the Quad Cities. Worrell (2-2) picked up the win, while the loss went to Bo Hall (0-2). The first game of the doubleheader was a classic pitchers? duel between Carlos Villanueva for the Manatees and Jose Garcia for the Cardinals that the Manatees won 1-0. Garcia had a no-hitter into the seventh that was broken up by an infield single by right fielder Travis Ezi. That was the only hit Garcia allowed in his eight innings of work. Villanueva gave up just two hits over seven innings. The Manatees broke through off Andy Cavazos (0-3) in the 12th inning, scoring on a high chopper to Matt Dryer at third. Dryer bare-handed the ball and attempted to cut down the run, but his throw was late. Jeremy Lewis (2-5) picked up the win in relief for the Manatees, and Brian Wolfe earned his fourth save. The final game of the series is Saturday at 6:05 p.m. (5:05 Central).

Final, Game One: Brevard County 1, Palm Beach (Cardinals) 0, 12 innings, scheduled for seven Final, Game Two: Palm Beach (Cardinals) 7, Brevard County 3, 8 innings, scheduled for seven Yes, that means walk-off grand slam.... Brevard County Game One Box Score: Villanueva - Lewis - Wolfe, outstanding... YTD YTD BREVARD COUNTY AB R H BI AVG PALM BEACH AB R H BI AVG T.Ezi RF 4 0 2 0 .276 J.Hoffpauir 2B 5 0 0 0 .118 O.Chavez SS 4 0 0 0 .240 M.McCoy CF 4 0 1 0 .285 D.Anderson LF 5 1 1 0 .283 A.Schutzenho 1B 4 0 2 0 .500 A.Heether 3B 5 0 2 0 .278 M.Dryer 3B 4 0 0 0 .214 S.Moss CF 4 0 0 1 .258 T.Parker RF 4 0 0 0 .270 L.Palmisano DH 5 0 0 0 .225 R.Laya SS 5 0 0 0 .207 J.Eure 1B 3 0 0 0 .209 J.Mather LF 5 0 1 0 .200 C.Medlin CAT 4 0 0 0 .271 J.Santor DH 5 0 0 0 .221 S.Sollmann 2B 4 0 2 0 .250 M.Pagnozzi CAT 3 0 0 0 .193 C.Villanueva PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Garcia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Lewis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Scalmandre PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Wolfe PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Cavazos PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 38 1 7 1 TOTALS 39 0 4 0 BREVARD COUNTY 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 7 1 PALM BEACH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 4 0 E--A.Heether. DP--BREVARD COUNTY 0, PALM BEACH 0. LOB--BREVARD COUNTY 5, PALM BEACH 8. 2B--D.Anderson (9), A.Schutzenho (1). 3B--A.Heether (1). SB--S.Sollmann (10). CS--S.Moss. SH--T.Ezi, O.Chavez, A.Schutzenho. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BREVARD COUNTY C.Villanueva 7.0 2 0 0 2 4 0 1.79 J.Lewis (W,2-5) 4.0 2 0 0 2 6 0 4.50 B.Wolfe (S,4) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 PALM BEACH J.Garcia 8.0 1 0 0 1 6 0 3.67 R.Scalmandre 3.0 4 0 0 1 1 0 2.30 A.Cavazos (L,0-3) 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 2.57 SO--T.Ezi, D.Anderson, A.Heether, L.Palmisano 2, J.Eure, C.Medlin, J.Hoffpauir 2, M.Dryer, T.Parker 2, R.Laya, J.Mather 2, J.Santor 4. BB--S.Moss, J.Eure, M.McCoy, M.Dryer, T.Parker, M.Pagnozzi. T--3:10.Brevard County Game One Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_pbcafx_1 Brevard County Game Two Box Score: Manatees rallied from 3-0 down to force the extra frame; Cardinals three-run HR and the granny account for all their runs... YTD YTD BREVARD COUNTY AB R H BI AVG PALM BEACH AB R H BI AVG T.Ezi DH 4 0 2 0 .282 J.Hoffpauir 2B 4 0 0 0 .095 O.Chavez SS 4 0 0 0 .235 B.Ryan SS 4 1 2 0 .317 D.Anderson LF 3 0 0 0 .280 A.Schutzenho 1B 1 1 1 0 .600 A.Heether 3B 3 1 1 0 .279 M.Dryer 3B 3 1 1 0 .215 S.Moss CF 2 1 0 0 .256 J.Mather RF 4 1 1 4 .222 L.Palmisano CAT 3 0 1 1 .227 M.McCoy CF 3 1 1 0 .286 J.Eure 1B 3 1 1 1 .211 J.Santor DH 3 0 0 0 .218 W.Campana 2B 3 0 2 0 .257 R.Laya LF 3 1 1 0 .209 R.Deevers RF 3 0 0 0 .165 J.Motte CAT 3 1 1 3 .171 L.Pena PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Batista PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Russ PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Worrell PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 28 3 7 2 TOTALS 28 7 8 7 BREVARD COUNTY 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0- 3 7 1 PALM BEACH 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 4- 7 8 1 E--J.Eure, M.Dryer. DP--BREVARD COUNTY 0, PALM BEACH 1. LOB--BREVARD COUNTY 2, PALM BEACH 4. 2B--A.Heether (12), J.Eure (16). HR--J.Mather (1), J.Motte (3). SB--S.Moss (8), B.Ryan (3). CS--J.Hoffpauir, M.Dryer. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BREVARD COUNTY L.Pena 5.0 5 3 3 3 1 1 4.71 B.Hall (L,0-2) 2.0 3 4 4 1 1 1 4.50 PALM BEACH R.Batista 5.0 3 2 2 1 2 0 3.98 C.Russ 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.50 M.Worrell (W,2-2) 2.0 3 1 1 0 2 0 2.67 WP--R.Batista, M.Worrell. SO--O.Chavez, D.Anderson, A.Heether, L.Palmisano, J.Eure, M.Dryer, J.Mather. BB--S.Moss, A.Schutzenho 3, M.Dryer. T--2:10. A--2038Brevard County Game Two Game Log: Travis Ezi picked off in the third -- this continues to be an issue throughout the organization, is it that tough to read pickoff moves -- apparently so... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_pbcafx_1

Check out the wasted Manatee chances in the 10th and 11th -- sad, so sad -- still scoreless as of this "post time": www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_pbcafx_1

Update, in progress: Brevard County 0, Palm Beach (Cardinals) 0, after nine innings (scheduled for seven) LHP Jeremy Lewis just pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the 9th to extend this exercise in offensive futility -- Manatees have two base hits; goodness, I miss those late-night High Desert pinball games...

Latest from the Power -- do the error numbers fool us about this West Virginia defense? Is range that spectacular? Q AND A SESSION WITH RAMON AVILESRA: RAMON AVILES AB: ANDY BARCH AB: How was it for you and the guys being a big part of the race, playing spoiler against Lexington and Hagerstown down the stretch? RA: Its was very interesting, a lot of fun being able to determine who won the division or not. It felt like a playoff atmosphere and that really made it exciting, and we expect it to be that way when we begin the second half. AB: The offense has played much better lately. After hitting .210 in April, the team batting average is now at .245, what has contributed to their success? RA: We've been able to work out in the cages at home now, doing a lot of extra hitting there. Players are taking what they learn and work on in the cages into the field. They've taken what they have learned in our batting practice drills into game situations as well. AB: Is there anybody on the team that stands out in your mind, that has really exceeded pre-season expectations? RA: Escobar and Iribarren have been very good so far this year both offensively and defensively. I really feel that Escobar and Iribarren make the best middle infield tandem in the league. Mark Rogers has improved his command of his fastball from the beginning of the season, and that is something that he needed to do. He is starting to realize that he doesn't need to strike everybody out to be successful. Will Lewis has done a very nice job for us and he has done more than a lot of people expected, he is in the mix now for the team lead in RBI. Carlos Corporan is a guy who has been coming around lately with his bat and defensively we've known all along that he would do a great job and he has not disappointed us in defensively this season. AB: What would you say at this point in the season are the strengths and weaknesses of this team? RA: The strengths would be our defense and our starting pitching. We have a solid defense all around, Escobar and Iribarren cover a lot of ground on the infield and Josh Murray has done a great job making the switch over to third base, he has been great this year defensively. As long as the starters give us six good innings, then we will have good chances at winning ball games in the second half. Our weakness at the beginning of the year was situational hitting, but that has come around lately. We are hitting much better in clutch situations. AB: Now that the second half has begun, the team has a chance to start over and make some noise in the final 70 games of the season. What do you see happening with this team in the second half? RA: I see our team having a chance to win the second half if we continue to pitch well, play good defense and continue to improve on our offense. We feel we are really going to do very well in the second half of the season if we can do these things. AB: Lastly, talk about the thrill of playing in the new ballpark. How exciting has it been for you and the guys to be the first ones to play at this new facility? RA: I had the opportunity to play and coach in the old ballpark, which was pretty depressing in its final years. Coming to this beautiful new facility is a change from here to the moon. Every day I walk into the ballpark and I get very excited about being here and I get fired up, and I know that the players have the same feeling playing at the new park as well. Our players work hard and play hard every day so the fans can be sure that they are going to give them all that they have day in and day out.

News from the Power -- looks like Alcides Escobar has been added to the South Atlantic League squad: After Sunday's game the Power will take a 3 day break for the All Star game. Second baseman Hernan Iribarren, shortstop Alcides Escobar and right-handed pitcher Robert Hinton will represent the Power in this year's All-Star game to be held in Augusta, Georgia on June 28th.

In progress, Game One: Brevard County 0, Palm Beach (Cardinals) 0, after four innings Typical Manatee affair, with B.C. looking for its first baserunner; meanwhile, the incredible Carlos Villanueva has allowed only one hit, and pitched out of a 1st-and-3rd, one-out jam in the 4th (an Adam Heether error) to strike out two and end the threat -- big 12-to-6 curveball and pinpoint fastballs; don't forget, this audio is available now -- it's 5:00 PM Central as of this post -- remember, this is only a seven-inning game...

Photo by Tom Bauer, the Missoulian - Stephen Chapman of the Helena Brewers is safe at second base as the throw gets to Missoula Osprey shortstop Pedro Ciriaco too late in the third inning Thursday at Play Ball Park in Missoula. http://www.helenabrewers.net/html2/images/b01062405_04.jpg

Huntsville RHP Matt DeWitt has landed on the seven-day DL with an undisclosed injury. That leaves the Stars with only ten healthy arms, so expect additional moves soon.

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

Just an milb.com summary from last night, but a nice photo as well -- Dennis Sarfate has that Tom Brady chin dimple working for him, not that I'm biased to Tom Brady http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif -- yeah, only my baseball allegiance travels to Milwaukee.... www.minorleaguebaseball.c...;fext=.jsp http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2005/06/24/SDGI5PNi.jpg Now if you want to talk about Tom's honey, Bridget Moynihan, that's another thread for the Off-Topic Forum...

This is incredible: NASHVILLE - Now manning the outfield for the Nashville Sounds -- Corey Hart. Soon to be manning the infield for the Nashville Sounds -- Corey Hart. Confused? The Milwaukee Brewers have purchased the contract of infielder Corey Hart from the Bridgeport (Ct.) Bluefish in the independent Atlantic League and assigned him to the Sounds' roster to replace recently-released infielder Matt Erickson. He will join the team in Oklahoma City tomorrow. Hart has spent the entire 2005 season with Bridgeport, where the switch-hitter led the Atlantic League with a .466 on-base percentage and batted .305 (53-for-174) with one home run and 20 RBIs in 51 games of action, appearing primarily as the club's shortstop (14 errors). He drew a team-best 51 walks and struck out only 33 times. Prior to this season, Hart batted .239 over seven years in the Kansas City Royals farm system after being selected in the 23rd round of the June 1998 draft. He finished the 2004 season in the Pacific Coast League, playing for Omaha. Infielder Corey Hart's Career Statistics (through 2004): www.thebaseballcube.com/p...rt_1.shtml http://www.nashvillesounds.com/images/news/hart2.jpg I still think that they should play "Never Surrender" before 9th inning rallies when the Corey's are scheduled to hit...

Only one of the four Arizona League games reported their box score yesterday -- an all-too common occurance. www.usatoday.com/sports/b...mrazst.htm We have no idea what took place -- anyone with any info or who can supply me with a boxscore can post here or mail me at: jgoulart@brewerfan.net In past years we've had some folks who work at the various minor league offices with access to this info that have assisted us. Thanks.

Final: Helena 17, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 5 Link while active, text follows: www.missoulian.com/articl...orts01.txt Brewers bomb O's again By KIM BRIGGEMAN of the Missoulian To say the wheels have come off for Missoula's Pioneer League baseball team would imply the Osprey have had time to put wheels on. Helena hijacked the Osprey for the third night in a row Thursday, this time in a 17-5 yawner at Play Ball Park. Attendance in the 3-hour, 38-minute game was 2,002 - for awhile. The Brewers lashed 20 hits, raising their three-game total to 53. They scored in every inning but the eighth, when Missoula's fourth pitcher, Lorenzo Church, struck out Ned Yost with runners on first and second. Helena (3-0) turned five double plays, two of them on fly balls to the outfield with no outs, when Osprey base runners took off running on contact. Brewers leadoff hitter Darren Ford went 4-for-5 with three more runs. He's scored eight times this week already. Catcher Angel Salome, who hit a home run in each of the first two games, didn't go yard on this pleasant summer night. Instead he hit two doubles, drove in four runs and finished 4-for-5. Second baseman Kenny Holmberg, batting ninth in the order, was a perfect 5-for-5 with two runs batted in. Missoula's starting pitcher was tattooed for the third straight night. Donald Julio, a third-year Osprey, surrendered nine runs on as many hits in four innings, although only six of the runs were earned. The next three relievers were touched for at least two runs apiece. The highlight of the night for Missoula came in the ninth, when the outcome was long decided. Right-hander Eddie Baeza, a draft-and-follow pitcher who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks hours before the deadline at the end of May, relieved Church with bases loaded and no outs. Baeza got one out on a ground ball in which Brendan Katin scored Helena's final run. He then whiffed Bryan Opdyke and Matt Gamel for an impressive debut in professional ball. Baeza was a junior college All-America this spring for Valley College of Los Angeles. Tyler Morrison, Helena's second of three pitchers, earned the victory after relieving Ryan Marion in the middle of a fifth-inning jam. Morrison gave up just a run and two hits in three innings of work. Marion danced in and out of trouble before his exit. Jayson Santiago greeted him in the bottom of the first with a leadoff home run to right field, Missoula's first of the season. It was also Santiago's first round-tripper in three seasons with the Osprey. Marion hit the first two O's he faced in the fourth inning, Bryan Byrne in the helmet and Rusty Ryal in the ribs. He plunked catcher Jake Elder later in the same frame, tying a Pioneer League record. But Missoula squeezed just one run out of the inning, on Luis Lajara's RBI single. Byrne had a single and a double to lead the Osprey attack. Lajara had two RBIs singles and a walk. Osprey shortstop Pedro Ciriano had the fielding play of the game in the sixth inning. With a runner on third and two outs, Ciriano went deep in the hole to backhand a one-hop shot by Helena's Brad Willcutt, then skipped a long throw to Byrne at first to nip Willcutt. Missoula finished with eight hits and maintained a batting average of above .300 for the week. But the base-running mistakes and three fielding errors, and especially a staff ERA that climbed to 10.60, made for another long night. The finale of the season-opening series between the Brewers and Osprey is Friday at 7:05 p.m (8:05 Central). Notes: Helena's team batting average in the first three games is .393. The Brewers have beaten the Osprey 17 times in their last 19 meetings dating back to the start of last season. Missoula added pitcher Maels Rodriguez to its roster Thursday. The hard-throwing right-hander pitched for Cuba in a 3-0 loss to Ben Sheets and Team USA in the 2000 Olympics and defected in 2003. He was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 22nd round of this year's draft and becomes the first 25-year-old Osprey. The five double plays turned by Helena were one short of the league record, set by Medicine Hat in 1998 against Helena. A pitch by Church hit Helena shortstop Ryan Crew in the helmet in the ninth inning and Crew went down like a shot. He recovered enough to walk to the dugout. Helena Box Score: 4th rounder Matt Gamel 1-for-11 with 7 K's as we micro-sample things needlessly... YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG D.Ford CF 5 3 4 2 .533 J.Santiago CF 2 2 1 1 .500 M.Bell SS 0 0 0 1 .300 N.Melendez CF 2 0 0 0 .000 C.Fermaint DH 2 2 0 3 .000 P.Ciriaco SS 3 0 0 0 .357 O.Emeterio PH 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Cruz SS 2 0 0 0 .167 O.Emeterio DH 2 0 0 1 .000 G.Thomson RF 4 0 1 1 .333 A.Salome CAT 5 2 4 4 .571 B.Byrne 1B 3 0 2 0 .200 B.Opdyke CAT 1 0 0 0 .000 R.Ryal 3B 3 1 0 0 .333 M.Gamel 3B 6 0 0 0 .083 S.Mena DH 4 1 1 0 .400 B.Willcutt 1B 5 1 1 0 .308 L.Lajara LF 3 1 2 2 .667 C.Gallardo 1B 1 0 1 0 .333 J.Elder CAT 1 0 0 0 .250 S.Chapman RF 3 0 0 0 .250 G.Bustamante PH 0 0 0 0 .333 N.Yost RF 0 0 0 0 .250 G.Bustamante CAT 2 0 1 0 .333 N.Yost LF 2 0 0 0 .250 J.Batten 2B 2 0 0 0 .143 A.Septimo LF 0 0 0 0 .455 D.Julio PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Septimo CF 6 3 3 0 .455 C.Evans PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Crew SS 0 0 0 0 .545 M.Venas PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Crew CF 5 2 2 1 .545 L.Church PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Katin PR 0 0 0 0 .250 E.Baeza PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Katin RF 0 1 0 0 .250 K.Holmberg 2B 5 3 5 2 .667 R.Marion PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Morrison PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Laureano PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 48 17 20 14 TOTALS 31 5 8 4 HELENA 1 2 1 5 1 4 1 0 2-17 20 2 MISSOULA 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1- 5 8 3 E--A.Salome, K.Holmberg, P.Ciriaco, J.Batten, D.Julio. DP--HELENA 5, MISSOULA 0. LOB--HELENA 14, MISSOULA 6. 2B--A.Salome 2 (2), A.Septimo 2 (2), K.Holmberg (1), B.Byrne (1), S.Mena (1). 3B--D.Ford (1). HR--J.Santiago (1). SB--D.Ford (2), S.Chapman (3), J.Batten (1). HBP--R.Crew, B.Byrne, R.Ryal, J.Elder. SF--C.Fermaint 2. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA R.Marion 4.0 4 3 2 2 0 1 4.50 T.Morrison (W,1-0) 3.0 2 1 1 0 3 0 3.00 W.Laureano 2.0 2 1 1 2 2 0 4.50 MISSOULA D.Julio (L,0-1) 4.0 9 9 6 2 4 0 13.50 C.Evans 1.1 5 4 4 2 0 0 27.00 M.Venas 1.2 3 2 1 1 0 0 15.00 L.Church 1.0 3 2 2 2 2 0 7.71 E.Baeza 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 HB--R.Marion 3, L.Church. WP--C.Evans, M.Venas. PB--G.Bustamante. SO--B.Opdyke, M.Gamel 4, S.Chapman, N.Yost, A.Septimo, N.Melendez, R.Cruz 2, B.Byrne, S.Mena. BB--D.Ford, M.Bell, C.Fermaint, B.Opdyke, M.Gamel, S.Chapman, K.Holmberg, J.Santiago, L.Lajara, J.Batten 2. T--3:38. A--2002Helena Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_misrok_1

Link while active, text follows: www.wvgazette.com/section...2005062343 No wins, no worries for Rogers Power notebook By Nick Scala Charleston Gazette Staff Writer On the surface, Mark Rogers? statistics for the West Virginia Power don?t seem to match the expectations the Milwaukee Brewers had when they made the right-hander from Maine their first-round pick in last year?s draft. The 4.50 ERA isn?t pretty, and especially discouraging is Rogers? won-lost record: 0-5. In fact, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound pitcher is still looking for his first professional win. Counting his Arizona Rookie League season last spring, Rogers is 0-8 in 21 pro games. Disappointing, especially when you consider Rogers? $2.2 million signing bonus out of high school? Not at all, at least not to Power pitching coach John Curtis. ?He has fulfilled every hope we had for him coming out of spring training,? Curtis said of the 19-year-old from Maine. ?We have absolutely no reservations about his ability.? Rogers? ability is centered around a fastball that registered as high as 102 mph on the pitch-speed display at Appalachian Power Park. ?I truly believe he?s cracked 100, but I know that time thing is off a bit,? Curtis said. ?His comfort zone?s 94, 95 [mph]. He really doesn?t have to throw any harder. It?s a phenomenal talent. This is a special kid here.? It?s reflected in Rogers? strikeout totals ? 55 in 40 innings, or nearly a whiff-and-a-half per inning. In the Arizona Rookie League last summer, Rogers struck out 35 in 26 2/3 innings. Rogers? problem, though, has been the location of that blazing fastball. Far too often, it finds its way out of the strike zone, and that?s reflected in his 23 walks in those 40 innings. ?We?re trying to make him a pitcher and not a thrower,?? said Power manager Ramon Aviles. ?He?s a power pitcher, but we?re trying to teach him he doesn?t have to strike everybody out, that he has a defense behind him he can depend on.? It may be working. In his last two outings, covering nine innings, Rogers has not issued a single walk, and he?s struck out 13 over that span. The improvement may be due to a flaw that was detected in Rogers? delivery. ?The main thing we?ve tried to improve is his line toward home plate,? Curtis said. ?We wanted to get his landing foot more in line with his back foot, to open him up a little bit. When it?s closed, it puts tremendous stress on your shoulder. ?He?s pitching more closed now. The hope was that he would not overthrow the fastball and he?d be much more consistent with his command. It?s too early to drop the ?he?s there? on him yet, but he?s getting closer.? More than anything, Curtis is impressed by Rogers? willingness to adapt. ?He?s demonstrated faith in what we?ve told him,? the pitching coach said. ?That?s a good sign of his maturity and willingness to take a look at himself and see what needs to be done.? A blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand landed Rogers on the disabled list last month. Upon his return, he pitched six shutout innings in two appearances, then held Hagerstown to one run through four innings in his last start Saturday. But in the fifth inning, he allowed three runs ? and was saddled with another loss, dropping him to 0-5 heading into tonight?s start at Lexington. It was the third time this year that Rogers has allowed four or five runs. In his other nine appearances, his ERA is 1.93. ?He can?t have 30, 35-pitch innings,? Curtis said. ?He has to become more consistent and efficient, be on target a little more.? On their own Curtis said the Power has abandoned its practice of ?piggybacking? the starting pitchers ? pairing two hurlers together for a game and having them share duties, with one starting and the other coming in to relieve him, then flopping the roles in their next assignment. ?The tandem was a protective device, but we?ve determined that they?re ready to go out and own their own games,? Curtis said. ?Their development was rapid enough that we can put them on their own.? Rogers, Yovani Gallardo (1-3, 3.38), Josh Wahpepah (4-3, 4.00), Josh Baker (1-4, 6.98) and Greg Kloosterman (3-10, 4.23) will make up the Power?s five-man rotation. Forrest Martin (1-4, 5.23) and Brian Montalbo (1-2, 5.46), who were involved in the tandem system, will now work strictly out of the bullpen. Iribarren?s future Power second baseman Hernan Iribarren will play for the World Team in the All-Star Futures Game July 10 at Detroit?s Comerica Park. The Futures Game, held in conjuction with the Major League All-Star Game, annually puts the spotlight on the minor leagues? top prospects, those deemed to have the best chance of advancing to the big leagues. Iribarren, a left-handed hitter from Venezuela who turns 21 Wednesday, has been the Power?s steadiest performer. Going into Thursday?s game at Lexington, Iribarren led the team in batting (.327), on-base percentage (.385), slugging percentage (.441), stolen bases (23), hits (86), triples (7) and walks (26). His 32 RBIs rank second on the team behind only Will Lewis (33). Iribarren?s batting average has risen sharply since a slow start, from .240 in April to .351 in May and .371 so far in June. He?s put up solid and often spectacular numbers since signing as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2002. Last year, Iribarren was named the Arizona League?s Most Valuable Player after leading the league in batting average (.439), hits (83), triples (9), slugging (.630) and on-base percentage (.490) in 46 rookie-league games. That earned him a late-season promotion to the Beloit Snappers, the Brewers? Midwest League low Class A team last year (replaced by the Power this year). In 15 games, Iribarren batted .373. Last year, Charleston Alley Cats catcher Robinzon Diaz was picked to play in the Futures Game, where he had a double and a run for the World Team. Diaz is playing this season for the Blue Jays? high Class A team at Dunedin, where he?s hitting .262 with a homer and 30 RBIs in 54 games. Mark Rogers? fastball has been clocked at more than 100 mph. Charleston Gazette File Photo http://www.wvgazettemail.com/images/stories/power22.jpg

Link while active, text follows: www.kentucky.com/mld/kent...972742.htm West Virginia gets physical By Mark Maloney LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER The hits just kept on coming, rock 'n' roll style, last night at Applebee's Park. The West Virginia Power did most of the hitting, with 14 hits en route to a physical 9-3 victory over the Lexington Legends. Legends catcher J.R. Towles took a beating. Twice he was bowled over by runners trying to score, holding on both times. And twice he was hit by pitches from Power starter Yovani Gallardo. Although there were no ejections, tempers flared after the plays at the plate. The catcher had words with Josh Brady after holding on for the final out of the fourth inning, and flipped the ball high in the air after nabbing Grant Richardson for the final out of the seventh. "You've just got to block the plate and catch the ball," said Towles, smeared head-to-toe with red dirt. "Catch the ball, that's the main thing. And then tag." Players from both benches took several steps on the field after the fourth-inning play, but plate umpire Mike Jarboe intervened. Then Legends Manager Tim Bogar engaged field umpire John Conrad in an animated argument. "It had nothing to do with the play. It had everything to do with a comment that was made to me," said Bogar, who would not elaborate. "It's not worth it. I had my say." Bogar and Power Manager Ramon Aviles agreed that no bad blood will carry over from the physical play. "It's just boys being boys. They're playing the game hard, and that's the way I like it," Bogar said. "I told Ramon, 'I can't blame your player for doing what he did. That's what he's supposed to do.' I have no hard feelings over it." Aviles said much the same and praised Towles. "I am impressed with him that he took two pretty good shots and he stayed behind the plate for the rest of the game," Aviles said. "He's a tough kid. I like it." Power catcher Carlos Corporan nearly went on overload in the sixth, when Frankie Caraballo slid home and was called safe on the back end of a double steal. But that was when the game was close. Tied 3-3, West Virginia blew the game open with four runs in the seventh and two in the eighth. Lexington is now 13-4 overall against the Power, 5-1 at home. The Legends will try to regroup tonight, then head to Hagerstown for Saturday's game that will double as the first-half-title tie-breaker. Freddy Parejo had three of West Virginia's 14 hits, including a pair of doubles. Richardson, Brady, Alcides Escobar and Hasan Rasheed had two hits each. Luke Barganier had two of the Legends' six hits.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Sarfate Sets the Tone in Stars VictoryDennis Sarfate blasted a home run, drove in four runs and lasted into the seventh inning to win his third straight start in Huntsville?s record-setting 14-3 win over Mobile Thursday night in the third game of a four-game series at Hank Aaron Stadium. The Stars won their second straight game to improve to 2-1 in the second half and 31-41 overall, while the BayBears fell to 1-2 in the second half and 29-44 overall. The Stars won back-to-back road games for just the third time this season and for the second time in Mobile, having taken the first two games of a four-game set on May 9-10. Trailing 1-0 entering the fifth inning, the Stars sent 17 batters to the plate and scored a franchise-record tying 12 runs on 11 hits, three walks and an error to forge a 12-1 edge. Sarfate knocked in the first run with a bases loaded fielder?s choice grounder that scored Enrique Cruz, who had started the inning with a single. The Huntsville hurler hit a ground ball to shortstop Ronnie Merrill, who tried to start a double play by throwing to second baseman Casey Baker, who could not handle the throw. The error allowed Callix Crabbe to remain alive on the bases, keep the bases loaded with nobody out and set the tenor for the remainder of the inning. Tony Gwynn, Jr. singled in John Vanden Berg, who had walked, and Crabbe, who had singled, to put the Stars ahead to stay at 3-1. Vinny Rottino singled home Sarfate, Nelson Cruz grounded into a double play with the bases loaded to score a run to make it 5-1, Brandon Gemoll knocked in the next run with a single and knocked starter Mike Thompson out of the game before Crabbe singled home a pair to push the lead to 8-1. Sarfate then punctuated the inning by slamming a 1-0 offering from Angel Tovar over the wall in left field for his second long ball of the year, and the third for Stars? pitchers, to increase the advantage to 11-1. Rottino singled again to knock in the final run of the frame and complete the Stars' biggest scoring inning since they tallied 12 runs in a frame on April 17, 1988 against Orlando. Nelson Cruz struck out for the final out of the inning and was the only Stars hitter not to reach base at least once in the inning. The 11 hits in the inning were a season-high, easily eclipsing the previous mark of six set against Mississippi in the sixth inning on June 4. Mike Thompson was charged with seven runs, three earned, on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings to suffer the loss to fall to 5-5. The right-hander has been knocked around for 26 runs, 22 earned, on 36 hits over 21 2/3 innings in his last four starts. Tovar allowed the first seven hitters he faced to reach base and recorded only one out and was charged with five runs, all unearned. Crabbe doubled in two runs in the sixth to complete the Stars scoring and finished the night with a season-high four runs batted in and three hits in five at-bats. Gwynn collected three hits, scored twice and drove in two, while Vanden Berg became the fourth Stars player to score three runs in a game. Every position player had at least one hit, as Huntsville set a season standard with 18, besting the 17 collected at Jacksonville on April 11 and at home against Tennessee on May 30. The 14 runs matched a season-high set in a 14-13 10 inning win over the Smokies on April 28. Sarfate allowed three runs on five hits and three walks to win his third straight start and for a third time in three tries against Mobile. The right-hander struck out eight and has fanned 20 BayBears in 17 2/3 innings over three starts. Sarfate won for the fifth time in six starts to improve his record to 7-3 and move into a second place tie in the league in wins. Brett Evert worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings and worked out of bases loaded jams in the seventh and eighth innings. The series concludes Friday night with left-hander Manny Parra taking the hill for the Stars against BayBears right-hander Travis Chick. Coverage of the game gets underway at 7:20 p.m. central time on ESPN 1450 AM and through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

Nashville Pre-Game Audio with Brad Nelson: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-23.mp3

Nashville Site Game Summary: Hart, Lehr Star; Sounds Hammer Isotopes, 11-5ALBUQUERQUE ? The Nashville Sounds enjoyed a productive all-around effort on Thursday evening, lighting up the Albuquerque Isotopes for 14 hits in an 11-5 victory in the third game of a four-game series. Corey Hart paced the Sounds offense with four hits, missing the cycle by a homer, and second baseman Warren Morris and third baseman Tony Zuniga each posted a season-high four RBIs on the evening. On the mound, Nashville starter Justin Lehr tossed his fourth quality start in his last five outings to pick up his team-leading seventh victory and went 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of runs scored to help his own cause. With the victory, Nashville (40-35) maintained its 2 ½ game lead over Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. The Sounds posted a double-digit run total for the tenth time this season. The Sounds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning against Albuquerque starter Peter Bauer. Hart ripped a one-out double into the left field corner and advanced to third on a throwing error by Isotopes left fielder Mark Little. Zuniga put the Sounds on the board when he followed with an RBI groundout to second, his first run produced in a Nashville uniform. Nashville upped the advantage to 4-0 with a three-run third. Lehr led off the frame with an infield single, his sixth hit in 10 at-bats this season. After Dave Krynzel popped out, Ryan Knox followed and was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. PCL All-Star Trent Durrington extended the Sounds? longest hitting streak of the season to 15 games with an RBI single to left, plating Lehr to make it a 2-0 game. Morris continued his hot start for the Sounds when he followed with a two-run triple to center off Bauer to clear the bases and extend the lead to 4-0. Durrington?s 15-game hit streak is the longest by a Nashville player since 2001, when outfielder Adam Hyzdu led all minor leaguers with a 26-gamer. Audio Link to Durrington's Hit to Extend the Streak: www.nashvillesounds.com/a...206-23.mp3 The Isotopes halved the Sounds? lead in the bottom of the third. Catcher Ryan Jorgensen led off the frame with a solo homer off Lehr, his second of the campaign, to put Albuquerque on the board. Bauer followed with a single and scored the second run of the inning on Chris Aguila?s RBI single later in the inning. The Sounds took command of the game in the fourth, when they sent 11 batters to the plate and erupted for five runs to pull ahead 9-2. The heart of the order did the damage for Nashville. With one out, cleanup hitter Morris stroked a bases-loaded, two-run single to right, Hart followed with an RBI double (his second two-bagger of the evening), and Zuniga added a run-scoring single to chase Bauer. Mike Rivera greeted Isotopes reliever Mike Flannery with a sacrifice fly to bring in Hart with the final run of the inning. With his pair of doubles on the evening, Hart jumped ahead of the departed Kevin Orie for the team lead with 19 two-baggers. Albuquerque got a run back in the bottom of the sixth when former Sound Jason Wood scored on a Jorgensen RBI single. Zuniga put the Sounds into double digits with a two-run homer to deep center off Isotopes reliever Carlos Martinez in the top of the seventh, the infielder?s first roundtripper in a Nashville uniform. The blast, which increased Nashville?s lead to 11-3, brought home Hart, who ripped his sixth triple of the season to lead off the frame. Albuquerque wrapped up the evening's scoring with a pair of ninth-inning runs against Sounds reliever Clint Weibl. Mark Little ripped a one-out solo homer and Todd Sears added an RBI single in the frame. Lehr (7-6) earned his team-leading seventh victory by holding Albuquerque to three runs on eight hits over six innings of work. The right-hander reached base in all three of his plate appearances and scored a pair of runs to help his own cause, upping his average to .636 on the year (7-for-11). Bauer (3-5) took the loss after getting hammered for nine runs on 10 hits over only 4 1/3 frames. Weibl worked the final three innings, allowing two runs, to pick up his second save of the season for the Sounds. The teams wrap up the four-game set with an 8:05 p.m. CT finale on Friday evening. Right-hander Gary Glover (1-0, .086) takes the hill for the Sounds to face Albuquerque southpaw Les Walrond (4-5, 4.57).

Final: Nashville 11, Albuquerque (Marlins) 5 Nashville Box Score: YTD YTD NASHVILLE AB R H BI AVG ALBUQUERQUE AB R H BI AVG D.Krynzel CF 5 1 2 0 .269 M.Little LF 5 1 2 1 .276 R.Knox LF 3 1 0 0 .230 W.Delgado 2B 5 0 1 0 .268 T.Durrington 1B 4 2 1 1 .283 C.Aguila CF 4 1 2 1 .356 W.Morris 2B 4 1 2 4 .378 T.Sears 1B 4 0 2 1 .343 C.Hart RF 5 3 4 1 .290 J.Wood 3B 5 1 1 0 .303 T.Zuniga 3B 5 1 2 4 .357 M.Padgett RF 4 0 0 0 .302 M.Rivera CAT 4 0 1 1 .276 J.Wilson SS 4 0 1 0 .251 C.Barnwell SS 4 0 0 0 .213 R.Jorgensen CAT 3 1 2 2 .219 J.Lehr PIT 2 2 2 0 .636 P.Bauer PIT 1 1 1 0 .333 B.Nelson PH 1 0 0 0 .248 M.Flannery PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 C.Weibl PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 D.Wathan PH 1 0 0 0 .224 C.Martinez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Flury PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Perisho PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Ashby PH 1 0 0 0 .242 TOTALS 38 11 14 11 TOTALS 38 5 12 5 NASHVILLE 0 1 3 0 5 0 2 0 0-11 14 0 ALBUQUERQUE 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2- 5 12 1 E--M.Little. DP--NASHVILLE 1, ALBUQUERQUE 0. LOB--NASHVILLE 7, ALBUQUERQUE 9. 2B--C.Hart 2 (19), C.Aguila (9). 3B--W.Morris (1), C.Hart (6). HR--T.Zuniga (1), M.Little (17), R.Jorgensen (2). SB-- T.Zuniga (2). CS--D.Krynzel. HBP--R.Knox, T.Durrington. SF--M.Rivera. SH--R.Knox. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA NASHVILLE J.Lehr (W,7-6) 6.0 8 3 3 3 3 1 4.99 C.Weibl (S,2) 3.0 4 2 2 0 1 1 5.15 ALBUQUERQUE P.Bauer (L,3-5) 4.1 10 9 8 0 1 0 7.08 M.Flannery 1.2 0 0 0 2 1 0 5.74 C.Martinez 1.0 3 2 2 0 0 1 18.00 P.Flury 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 6.46 M.Perisho 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.38 HB--P.Bauer 2. SO--D.Krynzel, R.Knox, C.Hart, M.Little, M.Padgett, M.Flannery, C.Ashby. BB--W.Morris, C.Barnwell, J.Lehr, C.Aguila, T.Sears, R.Jorgensen. T--2:50. A--6303Nashville Game Log: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1

USA Today's Minor League Index Page -- Stats, Standings, League Leaders: www.usatoday.com/sports/b.../index.htm

Links to follow Friday's action as it happens: Nashville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...a_albaaa_1 Huntsville: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_mobaax_1 Brevard County Game One: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_pbcafx_1 Brevard County Game Two: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_pbcafx_2 West Virginia: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...x_lexafx_1 Helena: www.minorleaguebaseball.c...k_misrok_1 Arizona: Unavailable via this feature, unfortunately...

Friday's Daily Menu: Tough to follow up yesterday's feast... All times Central, except for the Arizona League; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Gary Glover at Albuquerque (Marlins), 7:40 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Audio link: www.nashvillesounds.com/listenlive/ Huntsville: LHP Manny Parra at Mobile (Padres), 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 and RHP Luis Pena in a doubleheader at Palm Beach (Cardinals), 4:00 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.live365.com/cgi-bin/m...2747440343 West Virginia: RHP Mark Rogers at Lexington (Astros), 6:05 PM Audio link: www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=wvpower. Helena: TBD at Missoula (Diamondbacks), 8:05 PM Audio Link (opponent's): www.1340kylt.com/ Arizona: TBD at the Padres complex to face the San Diego kids, 10:30 AM Arizona time; never any audio for this league

Nashville Site: The Milwaukee Brewers announced on Thursday that Sounds infielder Matt Erickson has been released by the organization. The 29-year-old, who has been hampered by a lingering right knee injury, batted .389 (7-for-18) in 16 games for the Sounds, adding two RBIs and two runs scored. Erickson co-leads Nashville with four pinch hits (4-for-7, 2 RBI as PH) and recorded the Sounds? first pinch-hit RBI of season with 10th-inning single on April 15 at New Orleans. The Sounds' active roster currently stands at 22 players, two short of the PCL limit. Matt Erickson Career Stats (through 2004): www.thebaseballcube.com/p...kson.shtml