MassBrew

Arizona Brewers 5, Arizona Mariners 4 Walk-off win for the Crew probably was badly needed for the team's psyche... Arizona Box Score: OF Dallas Bates in his second season, yet still only turns 19 on Sunday (tomorrow); SS Gilberto Acosta 0-for-3, but still walks twice... Here's a bit of box score wondering for you: 2003 4th round OF Charlie Fermaint walks, steals a base, and then apparently leaves the ball game for Francisco Plasencia, if one attempts to read this correctly -- here's hoping that slide into second base was uneventful for the 17-year-old; we'll look for his name in the lineup over the next couple of days before contacting the Brewers should he not be listed... MARINERS AB R H BI AVG BREWERS AB R H BI AVG C.Craig LF 4 1 1 1 .364 D.Bates LF 5 1 3 1 .276 M.Rogelstad SS 4 1 1 0 .408 C.Fermaint CF 0 0 0 0 .373 B.Metheny 2B 1 1 1 1 .340 F.Plasencia CF 4 0 2 1 .270 E.Cruz RF 0 0 0 0 .273 B.Opdyke DH 5 0 1 0 .204 M.Wilson CF 4 0 1 0 .367 A.Mannon RF 4 1 0 0 .304 L.Soto 1B 2 0 0 1 .300 G.Acosta SS 3 0 0 0 .403 L.Soto CAT 1 0 0 0 .300 C.Corporan CAT 4 1 1 0 .224 C.Wu DH 4 0 1 0 .361 R.Pijuan 1B 3 1 2 0 .278 P.Ozoria 3B 3 0 0 0 .333 C.Lozada 3B 4 0 1 0 .400 C.Quintero CAT 2 0 0 0 .235 B.DePaula 2B 4 1 0 1 .189 B.Schweiger 1B 2 0 1 0 .294 E.Walker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Hymon RF 3 1 0 0 .104 H.Pruett PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Hymon 2B 0 0 0 0 .104 C.Gittings PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Flores PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Martinez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.James PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Bernat PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.O'Flaherty PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 4 6 3 TOTALS 36 5 10 3 MARINERS 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0- 4 6 4 BREWERS 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 1- 5 10 2 E--M.Rogelstad 2, P.Ozoria, J.Hymon, A.Mannon, C.Corporan. DP-- MARINERS 0, BREWERS 1. LOB--MARINERS 5, BREWERS 11. 2B--C.Craig (4), D.Bates 2 (4). SB--C.Fermaint (6), F.Plasencia (5). CS--B.Metheny. HBP--A.Mannon, C.Corporan. SF--B.Metheny, L.Soto. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA MARINERS R.Flores 2.0 1 0 0 1 3 0 0.00 R.Martinez 4.0 6 2 0 1 2 0 9.75 C.James 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4.72 D.Bernat (L,1-1) 1.1 1 3 2 2 2 0 7.11 E.O'Flaherty 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.74 BREWERS E.Walker 4.0 2 2 1 3 3 0 6.00 H.Pruett 4.0 3 2 2 1 4 0 2.81 C.Gittings (W,1-2) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6.30 HB--C.James, D.Bernat. WP--C.James, D.Bernat. PB--L.Soto, C.Corporan. SO--C.Craig, M.Wilson 2, P.Ozoria 2, J.Hymon 2, D.Bates, F.Plasencia, B.Opdyke, A.Mannon, G.Acosta, C.Lozada, B.DePaula. BB--B.Metheny, E.Cruz, P.Ozoria, J.Hymon, C.Fermaint, G.Acosta 2, R.Pijuan. T--2:52.

Helena Independent Record Game Story: Insightful quotes from Manager Ed Sedar here; yes, Captain Lou's hitting streak continues -- he's six games shy of tying the all-time Pioneer League record -- the league has been around since 1939, folks!; obviously, though, this is much more than a one-man squad -- read on... www.helenair.com/articles...903_02.txt Helena Box Score: Soon, we hope -- delayed today...

Heck of an exciting game tonight. That was a truly clutch performance by the Mavs' Aaron Dean on the mound in 9th, as Tim Blackwell chose to bypass struggling Bobby Bystrowski. Amazing how a tight final inning like that can entertain so thoroughly, even for a 30-67 ballclub... High Desert Site Game Summary: Woo-Hoo! Mavs Rally for 6-5 WinADELANTO, CA ? The High Desert Mavericks put an end to a seven-game losing streak overall and a seven-game losing streak at home, beating the Inland Empire 66ers on Friday night by a final score of 6-5 at Mavericks Stadium. Three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning were enough for Mavs reliever Aaron Dean (5-4), who worked out of a ninth-inning jam, leaving the tying run just 90 feet away. The Mavs loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning, as 66ers reliever Justin Blood (0-2) walked two consecutive men. An inside pitch to Jason Belcher hit off the glove of the catcher Chris Collins, as Johnny Raburn scored on the passed ball. With runners at second and third, Belcher hit a ground ball that was headed for center field. After second baseman Evel Bastida backhanded the ball, his throw from second got off the glove of first baseman Blake Bone, allowing both runners to score. Belcher picked up one RBI on the infield hit, while the go-ahead run scored on the throwing error. In the ninth, Dean allowed the first two men to reach. With runners at first and second, Dean struck out Dustin DeLucchi, then got Bastida to hit into a fielder?s choice as Jeremy Frost made a great stop at first base. With runners at first and third, and leading 6-5, Dean got the Cal League?s leading hitter, Greg Jacobs, to pop up to Todd West to end the game and end the losing streak. The 66ers got on the board first, as Hunter Brown homered in the second inning off Mavs starter Danny Kolb for a 1-0 lead. Kolb went 5 + innings, leaving with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth. Dean came out of the pen and allowed just one of the three inherited runners to score. Frost?s two-run home run to left field off 66ers starter Tim Rall put the Mavs in front at 2-1. West collected a two-out RBI hit, which gave the Mavs a 3-1 lead in the fifth. High Desert is now just 5-22 in the second half and 30-67 overall. The Mavs and 66ers meet in the third game of the four-game set on Saturday night, as Chad Petty (0-6) goes for High Desert, while Ryan Ketchner (10-4) throws for Inland Empire. Game time is 7:05 (9:05 Central). High Desert Box Score: Jeremy Frost continues to prove that an additional bat in the Mavs' lineup proved very worthwhile; surely he wasn't expected to produce as he has since his promotion from Helena... INLAND EMPIRE AB R H BI AVG HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG D.Delucchi CF 5 2 2 0 .348 J.Raburn CF 5 1 1 0 .274 E.BstdaMrtnz 2B 3 2 0 0 .254 T.West 2B 4 0 1 1 .263 G.Jacobs LF 4 0 2 3 .362 B.Nelson LF 2 1 1 0 .310 J.Castellano DH 4 0 1 0 .305 S.Candelaria 3B 3 2 1 0 .302 H.Brown 3B 2 1 1 2 .267 J.Belcher RF 3 0 1 1 .320 B.Bone 1B 4 0 1 0 .269 J.Frost 1B 4 1 2 2 .327 C.Guerrero RF 4 0 0 0 .251 B.Foster DH 4 0 0 0 .178 C.Collins CAT 3 0 2 0 .276 J.Alvarado CAT 4 0 0 0 .112 I.Castro PR 0 0 0 0 .250 O.Chavez SS 2 1 0 0 .219 E.Menchaca SS 3 0 0 0 .235 D.Kolb PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.VanMeetren PH 1 0 1 0 .269 A.Dean PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Rall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Rowland-sm PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Blood PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Done PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 5 10 5 TOTALS 31 6 7 4 INLAND EMPIRE 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 0- 5 10 1 HIGH DESERT 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 0 X- 6 7 0 E--E.BstdaMrtnz. DP--INLAND EMPIRE 0, HIGH DESERT 1. LOB--INLAND EMPIRE 7, HIGH DESERT 7. 2B--D.Delucchi (9), G.Jacobs (34), J.Raburn (6), S.Candelaria (19). HR--H.Brown (12), J.Frost (3). SB--D.Delucchi (8), O.Chavez (3). HBP--G.Jacobs, C.Collins, B.Nelson. SF--H.Brown. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA INLAND EMPIRE T.Rall 4.2 3 3 3 2 2 1 5.79 R.Rowland-sm 2.0 2 1 0 1 1 0 3.97 J.Blood (L,4-2) 0.0 1 2 2 2 0 0 2.66 J.Done 1.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 5.44 HIGH DESERT D.Kolb 5.0 7 3 3 2 0 1 6.06 A.Dean (W,5-4) 4.0 3 2 2 1 4 0 6.39 HB--T.Rall, D.Kolb, A.Dean. BALKS--T.Rall. PB--C.Collins. SO--D.Delucchi, B.Bone, C.Guerrero, E.Menchaca, J.Raburn, J.Belcher, B.Foster 2. BB--E.BstdaMrtnz 2, H.Brown, B.Nelson, S.Candelaria, J.Belcher, O.Chavez 2. T--3:07. A--2172

Huntsville Times Game Story: A new pitch for Matt Childers... www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...243900.xml

Helena 7, Billings (Reds) 5 Helena Line Score: PIO FINAL R H E - - - BILLINGS 5 7 4 HELENA 7 11 3

Peoria (Cardinals) 3, Beloit 2 Beloit Site Game Summary and Player of the Game Info: www.snappersbaseball.com/...c9e0c49795 Beloit Box Score: Catcher Pedro Esparragoza and the pitchers combine to nail all four Chief baserunners attempting to steal; like in Huntsville, the bullpen did their best to keep things close in a losing effort; also like in Huntsville tonight, no one draws a walk at the plate for the "good guys"... PEORIA AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG M.Lemanczyk LF 5 1 2 0 .287 K.Bibbs LF 4 1 2 0 .296 M.Jaramillo SS 4 0 1 1 .211 C.Crabbe 2B 4 1 1 1 .255 R.Gorecki CF 4 1 2 0 .289 T.Gwynn CF 4 0 1 1 .363 T.Hanson 3B 3 0 1 0 .272 P.Fielder 1B 3 0 1 0 .312 J.Hileman RF 4 1 1 1 .261 T.Hinton DH 4 0 1 0 .207 J.Santor 1B 1 0 0 0 .290 J.Eure SS 4 0 0 0 .253 T.Durham 2B 3 0 0 0 .266 A.Heether 3B 4 0 0 0 .217 M.McCoy 2B 0 0 0 0 .229 M.Mendez RF 4 0 2 0 .251 T.Lemon DH 4 0 1 1 .250 P.Esparragz CAT 3 0 1 0 .254 J.Motte CAT 4 0 2 0 .125 L.Pena PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Teekel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Scalamandr PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Huizinga PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Julianel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Cavazos PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 32 3 10 3 TOTALS 34 2 9 2 PEORIA 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0- 3 10 1 BELOIT 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 9 3 E--M.Jaramillo, J.Eure, A.Heether, L.Pena. DP--PEORIA 0, BELOIT 1. LOB--PEORIA 7, BELOIT 6. 3B--C.Crabbe (4). SB--K.Bibbs 2 (43). CS--M.Lemanczyk, J.Santor, T.Lemon, J.Motte, K.Bibbs, P.Esparragz. HBP--P.Fielder. SH--T.Durham. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA PEORIA J.Teekel (W,4-4) 6.0 7 2 2 0 7 0 2.28 R.Scalamandr 1.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.60 B.Julianel 0.2 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.17 A.Cavazos (S,5) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.42 BELOIT L.Pena (L,1-4) 5.0 7 3 2 2 4 0 3.46 B.Hall 3.0 2 0 0 2 4 0 3.10 J.Huizinga 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.00 HB--J.Teekel. WP--J.Teekel, L.Pena. SO--M.Lemanczyk 3, M.Jaramillo, T.Durham 2, T.Lemon 2, J.Motte, K.Bibbs, T.Gwynn, P.Fielder 2, T.Hinton 2, J.Eure, A.Heether, P.Esparragz. BB--T.Hanson, J.Santor 3. T--2:43. A--1423

West Tenn (Cubs) 5, Huntsville 3 Huntsville Site Game Summary: www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=222 Huntsville Box Score: Alejandro Machado heating up; Matt Childers has been so streaky on the mound -- in a really good way as of late... WEST TENN AB R H BI HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI A Weston LF 5 1 1 0 A Machado 2B 4 1 2 0 M Dzurilla 2B 5 2 3 1 D Krynzel CF 3 0 0 0 B Harris 3B 4 1 1 1 J HARDY SS 4 0 1 1 J Dubois 1B 4 0 2 2 C Hart 3B 4 1 1 0 R Sadler CF 4 0 1 1 B Gemoll 1B 4 1 1 1 J Melian RF 4 0 0 0 N Varner RF 3 0 0 0 R Theriot SS 4 0 1 0 D Clark LF 3 0 1 1 C Kopitzke C 3 1 2 0 K Johnson C 3 0 0 0 M Nannini P 1 0 0 0 R Miller P 1 0 0 0 D Hood PH 1 0 0 0 M Childers P 1 0 0 0 D Cash P 0 0 0 0 C Barnwell PH 1 0 0 0 J Szuminski P 0 0 0 0 K Ray P 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 35 5 11 5 TOTALS 31 3 6 3 WEST TENN 230 000 000 -- 5 HUNTSVILLE 110 000 100 -- 3 E--J HARDY. DP--WEST TENN 1, HUNTSVILLE 1. LOB--WEST TENN 8, HUNTSVILLE 2. 2B--D Clark, J Dubois 2, M Dzurilla. HR--B Gemoll 1 (10) (off M Nannini). SB--A Machado 1 (3), C Hart 1 (16), M Dzurilla 1 (4). S--D Krynzel, M Nannini 2, B Harris. IP H R ER BB SO HR WEST TENN M Nannini (W,8-6) 7 6 3 3 0 6 1 D Cash 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 J Szuminski (S,2) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 HUNTSVILLE R Miller (L,0-5) 3 2-3 9 5 4 1 3 0 M Childers 4 1-3 1 0 0 1 2 0 K Ray 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 SO--WTN: R Sadler 2, A Weston, R Theriot, B Harris. HUN: D Krynzel, M Childers, K Johnson, B Gemoll, A Machado, J HARDY, R Miller. BB--WTN: C Kopitzke, J Dubois. T--2:35. A--6,397.

Indianapolis 5, Rochester (Twins) 4, 11 innings Actually tuned into this one in time to hear the Tribe rally for two runs in the top of the ninth to force extra innings. Very entertaining finish as the winning run scored on a wild pitch during an intentional walk (yeah, pretty weird). Nice contributions from Scarborough, Rushford, Childers, and Foster -- others as well, most likely, but we'll let the folks in Indy fill us in later tonight / Sat. AM. Indy Site Game Summary: The Bill Hall Summertime Lovefest rolls on... ROCHESTER, NY -- The Indianapolis Indians committed three errors which led to three unearned runs, but it was two miscues by the Rochester Red Wings in the 11th inning that gave the Tribe a 5-4 come-from-behind win Friday night. Jason Conti drew a two-out walk off of Adam Johnson (3-11) in the top of the 11th. With a 2-0 count on Jim Rushford, Conti swiped his ninth base of the season and continued on to third as catcher Rob Bowen's throw sailed into right field. The Red Wings decided to intentionally walk Rushford, but Johnson's final offering went to the backstop allowing Conti to race home with the winning run. The Indians (42-55), who had trailed 4-1 at one point, scored two runs in the top of the ninth to force extra innings. Steve Scarborough walked and Bill Hall singled to start the inning against Red Wings closer Juan Padilla. After Conti grounded out to first advancing both runners into scoring position, Rushford delivered a two-run double to tie the game. The late-inning heroics marked the first time the Indians had rallied to win on the road when trailing after eight innings since July 7, 2002. The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Doug Jennings led off with a double and then later scored on a sacrifice fly by Scarborough. The Tribe made three errors in the next two innings, however, as the Red Wings (46-52) scored four times. Third baseman Wilton Veras dropped a ball during a rundown in the fourth as Rochester scored once. The Red Wings added three runs in the fifth. Veras threw a ball wildly on a force out at second base, and catcher Cody McKay dropped a throw at the plate to make two of the runs unearned. Three Indians relievers worked six shutout innings to give the Tribe offense a chance to come back. Roberto Giron was perfect in the sixth and seventh recording three strikeouts. Jason Childers retired six of the seven batters he faced in the eighth and ninth, including four by strikeouts. John Foster (2-1) closed out the effort with two innings. He pitched around a lead-off double by Shane Andrews in the 10th, striking out two in the inning. He also fanned clean-up hitter Todd Sears to end the game. The win by the Indians snapped two dubious streaks. The Indians had lost six straight games at Frontier Field, and hadn't won there since June 16, 2001. The Tribe also snapped an overall four-game losing streak. Hall extended his hitting streak to 11 games. He opened the game with a triple, and added the single in the ninth. The Indians and Red Wings continue the series Saturday evening at 6 p.m. Indianapolis Box Score: INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI ROCHESTER AB R H BI B Hall 2B 6 1 2 0 C Green CF 6 0 1 0 J Conti CF 4 1 1 0 L Rodriguez 2B 5 1 3 0 J Rushford 1B 5 0 2 2 M Restovich RF 4 1 0 0 M Smith LF 3 0 1 0 T Sears 1B 5 1 0 0 R Knox LF 1 0 0 0 S Andrews 3B 5 1 3 0 K Luuloa PH 1 0 0 0 M Ryan LF 4 0 2 2 P Zoccolillo RF 4 0 0 0 D Lamb DH 5 0 0 0 D Jennings DH 5 2 2 0 R Bowen C 4 0 1 0 W Veras 3B 4 0 0 0 A Prieto SS 5 0 0 0 C McKay C 4 0 2 0 S Scarborough SS 2 1 0 2 TOTALS 39 5 10 4 TOTALS 43 4 10 2 INDIANAPOLIS 000 101 002 01-- 5 ROCHESTER 000 130 000 00-- 4 E--W Veras 2, C McKay, R Bowen. DP--ROCHESTER 1. LOB--INDIANAPOLIS 10, ROCHESTER 12. 2B--D Jennings 2, J Rushford, M Ryan, S Andrews. 3B--B Hall. SB--J Conti 1 (9). CS--J Rushford, L Rodriguez. S--M Ryan. SF--S Scarborough 2. IP H R ER BB SO HR INDIANAPOLIS D Lee 5 8 4 1 3 4 0 R Giron 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 J Childers 2 1 0 0 0 4 0 J Foster (W,2-1) 2 1 0 0 2 3 0 ROCHESTER W Eyre 5 5 1 1 2 6 0 J Palki 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 M Nakamura 2 1 0 0 0 4 0 J Padilla 1 2 2 2 1 1 0 A Johnson (L,3-11) 2 0 1 0 2 1 0 WP--D Lee, A Johnson. HBP--J Conti by W Eyre. SO--IND: P Zoccolillo 2, M Smith 2, S Scarborough 2, J Rushford, K Luuloa, W Veras, J Conti, D Jennings, R Knox. ROC: T Sears 3, A Prieto 3, M Restovich 2, R Bowen 2, C Green, L Rodriguez, S Andrews, D Lamb. BB--IND: C McKay, P Zoccolillo, J Rushford, W Veras, J Conti, S Scarborough. ROC: M Restovich 2, T Sears, R Bowen, L Rodriguez. T--3:53. A--10,268.

From BA's Chat Today: Q: Jim Goulart from Assonet, MA asks: Prince Fielder -- Minor League Player of the Year Candidate? A: Josh Boyd: He's getting there, and it will take a ton of bombs for a low Class A prospect to win the award. Only Andruw Jones has won the award spending the whole year in low Class A. Gregg Jefferies and Tom Gordon are the only other two who have started the year at that level. Q: Jim Goulart from brewerfan.net asks: Where was the love for AA Huntsville in BA's recent discussion of the most prospect-laden minor league squads? J.J. Hardy, David Krynzel, Corey Hart, Mike Jones, Ben Hendrickson, Luis Martinez, Pedro Liriano -- and a nice group of supporting players like Noochie Varner, Daryl Clark, Alejandro Machado -- have I made my point yet? Thanks! A: Josh Boyd: You're right on. I think we've been promoting that group all year long though. Who's this "Jim" guy? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Turns out the Arizona Rookie kids get to play under the lights tonight for a change. Maybe AzBrew or our other Phoenix-based readers will spend a lovely Friday evening in Maryvale and provide us a scouting report. Or maybe squarepusher has already moved to Phoenix. How's that move going? It's a dry heat, y'know. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif * risks taking Link Report off course * Please use restraint http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif .

Indianapolis Media Notes for Friday: Bill Hall's recent numbers continue to sparkle, even amaze... THIS WEEKEND: The Indians play the final three games of the season against Rochester and against an IL North opponent. The Indians need to win all three games to even the season series against the Red Wings, and to finish above .500 against Northern foes. The Indians dropped three of four to the Red Wings in Indianapolis in May. Rochester hit .351 in that series. The Indians were 0-4 at Frontier Field last season, and have not earned a win at the ballpark since June 16, 2001. Overall since 1998, the Indians are just 19-26 against the Red Wings and have won the season series only one time (1999). The Indians are 21-23 against IL North clubs this season. The Indians have lost four straight games. Three of the four setbacks have been by one run. If they were to lose all three games this weekend, it would match a seven-game losing streak from April 13-20 as the longest of the season. After going 19-10 in June, the Indians are off to a 3-11 start in July. The team is hitting .272, but the pitching staff has a 5.37 ERA. THURSDAY: Rochester scored four times in the second inning and then held on for a 4-3 win. Todd Sears his a two-run homer for the Wings. The Indians got two hits from Steve Scarborough. ON THE MOUND: Lefthander Derek Lee will start on Friday. Lee opened the season at Double-A Huntsville and went 11-3 with a 3.40 ERA before being promoted to the Indians on July 4. He has made two starts for the Tribe, working 5.0 innings both times. His most recent start came on July 11 against Norfolk. He allowed two earned runs on five hits and three walks as he suffered the defeat. Righthander Wes Obermueller makes his third start for the Indians on Saturday. Obermueller led the Pacific Coast League with 10 wins and had been selected to the All-Star team with Omaha before being traded to the Tribe on July 2. His first start was interrupted by a long rain delay. He came back on July 13 and worked six innings at Louisville. He took the loss despite allowing just two earned runs. Southpaw Doug Davis makes his Tribe debut Sunday afternoon. Davis is pitching for his third organization in 2003. He started the season with the Rangers. He made four starts for Triple-A Oklahoma (3-0, 3.25) and one for Texas before being claimed off waivers by Toronto on May 1. Davis made 11 starts and one relief appearance for the Blue Jays going 4-6 with a 5.00 ERA. He refused assignment on July 12 and signed with Milwaukee on July 14. Davis started for Huntsville on Tuesday and earned the win by holding Mobile to two runs over six innings. ALL-STAR SELECTION: Outfielder Mark Smith represented the Indians at the Triple-A All-Star Game Wednesday night. Smith pinch hit for Louisville's Brandon Larson in the fifth and drew a walk. He came around to score as the IL took a 7-6 lead. Smith singled in the sixth and drew another walk in the seventh before striking out in the ninth. Smith was also an IL All-Star with Rochester in 1993 and 1995. ON THE LEADER BOARD: Bill Hall is fourth in the IL with 55 runs scored. TOP OF THE ORDER: Hall was moved into the lead-off spot in the lineup June 7 and has gone 42-for-124 (.339) with 27 runs scored, 14 doubles, two home runs, 11 walks and six stolen bases in 30 games since. Hall has hit safely in 37 of his last 43 games. In that period, he's batting .320 (58-for-181). Hall, who had two eight-game hitting streaks in June, brings a season-long, 10-game streak into the weekend. HOT AT THE PLATE: Over the last 54 games Jim Rushford is hitting .342 (69-for-202). Since May 19, Rushford has not gone more than two games without getting a hit. In 18 games since June 21, Cody McKay is hitting .404 (23-for-57). Dating back to June 3, McKay has hit safely in 13 consecutive road games, which is the longest active streak in the IL. LAST CHANCE: The Indians are 0-23 on the road when they are trailing after eight innings. The last time the Tribe rallied to win in that situation was July 7, 2002 at Toledo. The Indians tied the game with a run in the ninth, and won with two in the 10th. UPCOMING PROBABLES: Friday - LHP Derek Lee (0-2, 5.40) vs. RHP Willie Eyre (0-1, 7.50) Saturday - RHP Wes Obermueller (5-4, 3.86) vs. RHP Matt Carnes (2-3, 4.56) Sunday - LHP Doug Davis (NR) vs. LHP Brad Thomas (0-1, 1.13) Monday vs. Columbus - RHP Christian Parker (3-6, 6.27) vs. LHP Nate Teut (2-3, 3.58) Tuesday vs. Columbus - LHP Brandon Claussen (2-1, 2.17) vs. RHP Pasqual Coco (8-5, 4.53)

We now know that the Brewers have made room for LHP Doug Davis on the Indianapolis roster by placing fellow southpaw Travis Miller on the disabled list, as of July 11th. Hopefully the Tribe's web site will fill us in on the nature and severity of Miller's injury (sore back, we believe) in the next day or two.

Beloit Daily News Game Story: Just an outstanding game story here, managing to intertwine the Ballouli, Fielder, Gwynn, and Housman angles and quotes... www.beloitdailynews.com/703/snap18.htm

The national media picks up on the phenomenon that is Captain Lou... From SportsTicker's Daily Highlights: OK, so they got the two games of the doubleheader backwards, but other than that... HELENA (PIO) C LOUIS PALMISANO slapped a single to lead off the fourth inning of a 2-1 loss to the Missoula Osprey, extending his hitting streak to 20 games in the second half of a doubleheader. Palmisano went 2-for-4 with three RBI in the first game of the day as Helena fell, 7-6. A third-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2003 draft, Palmisano finished the day batting .430 (40-for-93), tops in the Class A Pioneer League. During the streak, the 20-year-old has hit .487 (37-for-76), recording 11 multi-hit games and driving in 21 runs. A native of New York, Palmisano is batting .462 (12-for-26) with nine RBI in just seven games vs. Missoula.

Friday's Daily Menu -- we'll be plugging in the standings for playoff-contending Huntsville, Beloit, and Helena within the Daily Menu while pertinent; Huntsville's fighting for a second-half crown that would provide additional home field advantage in the playoffs; Beloit's looking to qualify with a second-half division championship, and Helena's looking for a first-half title (their first-half ends Sunday, July 27th). All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: LHP Derek Lee at Rochester (Twins), 5:05 PM; Derek really needs to get his early-inning troubles under control Audio link: www.newstalk1430.com/ HUNTSVILE: RHP Ryan Miller with a spot start vs. West Tenn (Cubs) at home, 7:05 PM Audio link: espn1450.com/ WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 14 11 .560 MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 13 11 .542 .5 [b]*HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 13 11 .542 .5[/b] WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 13 12 .520 1.0 CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS (CINCINNATI) 11 15 .423 3.5HIGH DESERT: RHP Dan Kolb at home vs. Inland Empire (Mariners), 9:05 PM Audio link: www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm BELOIT: RHP Luis Pena at home vs. Peoria (Cardinals), 7:05 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.sportsjuice.com/provi...me=pchiefs WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 17 10 .630 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 16 11 .593 1.0[/b] PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 15 12 .556 2.0 *KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 15 12 .556 2.0 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 13 14 .481 4.0 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 12 15 .444 5.0 %WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 11 15 .423 5.5 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 11 16 .407 6.0HELENA: RHP Greg Moreira at home vs. Billings, 8:05 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.billingsmustangs.com/ NORTH DIVISION W L PCT GB GREAT FALLS WHITE SOX (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 18 10 .643 [b]HELENA BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 18 11 .621 .5[/b] BILLINGS MUSTANGS (CINCINNATI) 17 11 .607 1.0 MISSOULA OSPREY (ARIZONA) 15 14 .517 3.5ARIZONA: The Brewers host the rookie Mariners this AM in Maryvale; no Brewer starting pitcher info available on this one... Hey Toby, what do the Arizona kids wear on their hats / uniforms? An "A" with the wheat stalk? Probably not, more likely just Milwaukee caps and Brewer jerseys...

Duh! Too much going on lately! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif Despite struggles in his six Helena appearances (five starts), RHP Judd Richardson has been moved from Helena's roster to Beloit's, according to milb.com. The 23-year-old Richardson has been beset with a combination of injury and ineffectiveness in 2.5 pro seasons, but his status as a fifth round pick in 2001 should lead to an extended shelf life, although the Brewers showed with Jon Steitz and Dane Artman before him that this regime will cut the cord early on a recent high draftee if deemed necessary. No, that's incorrect! Read that backwards on the transaction wire, and the Brewers were apparently just getting caught up on some paperwork. Richardson's officially in Helena, not Beloit. Sorry, folks!

Daily Press High Desert Game Story: Solid account here -- plenty of worthwhile quotes and info; RH starter Dan Hall is hurting... www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...433,99188,

I think it's rather misleading to say we skipped all of our best prospects over A+. I agree to a large extent, igor. Let's not forget that Chad Petty was supposed to provide a lot more juice in that Maverick starting rotation upon his arrival, although 10 K's in his last outing shows signs of life, at least. I think there's been a whole lot of bad luck surrounding the High Desert circumstances this season. Outfield depth was a known problem, with a huge gap there in the system, yet the already-thin outfield has been where the Mavs have been hit hardest by injury. If not for injuries to Khalid Ballouli and Calvin Carpenter earlier, and now Tom Wilhelmsen, who's to say that there would not have been movement from Beloit in terms of pitching by now. Ballouli, already 23 years old, would have been a great fit if healthy all year. And now, the Snappers are seriously contending for a second-half title, perhaps limiting roster juggling further. A bunch of poor play, yes, but every possible ounce of bad karma seems to have descended onto the High Desert squad as well this season.

LHP Doug Davis has been officially transferred from Huntsville's to Indianapolis' roster. We believe a corresponding roster move will be announced later today, as AAA and AA rosters can't expand to 24 from 23 until August 10th, or so we think. Despite struggles in his six Helena appearances (five starts), RHP Judd Richardson has been moved from Helena's roster to Beloit's, according to milb.com. The 23-year-old Richardson has been beset with a combination of injury and ineffectiveness in 2.5 pro seasons, but his status as a fifth round pick in 2001 should lead to an extended shelf life, although the Brewers showed with Jon Steitz and Dane Artman before him that this regime will cut the cord early on a recent high draftee if deemed necessary. Helena LHP Gabe Mendoza has been placed on the disabled list. We will work on determining the nature and severity of his injury. The 21-year-old LHP out of Venezuela bypassed Helena this spring and was off to a fine start with Beloit. Then he had a string of disappointing appearances which led to a transfer to Helena, where he again has struggled in four very brief relief stints.

Early on in Colbyjack's posting process here, Brewerfan.net would appear on most search engine searches for "2003 baseball draft", or like language. So it was not only the fantastic detailed content that brought outsiders here, but also the fact that the info was available much earlier than most other, perhaps better recognized, sources.

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville Update: HELP FROM BELOITDespite this loss, there's at least two bits of good news for Stars fans. One: We need Ben Hendrickson for the playoffs and tonight, he threw 7 innings, 96 pitches, and struck out 8, the most since coming back from arm trouble, and as evidenced by his line, is looking stronger than when the season started. He is 100% healthy at a time when the rotation is thin....... It's so thin, that reliever Ryan Miller (0-4, 3.11) is going to make his first start of the season for Huntsville tomorrow night when the Stars come home to face the Diamond Jaxx. Unlike Mike Adams, this is not a new experience for Ryan. With Beloit in 2001, all 22 of his appearances were from the starting rotation and last year, he started nine times for High Desert. Two: We're going to get some help, not from High Desert, but from Beloit, where the team ERA is nearly 3 runs better!..... LHP Jeff Housman will start one half of Sunday's double-header for the Stars. Jeff has a 1.85 ERA in 19 appearances this year for the Snappers. He's 2-7, but ignore that. Midwest hitters are managing just a .232 average off him. He was the starting pitcher for Beloit Thursday night, going a scoreless inning and 2/3 before he was pulled. (Get all the scores on the standings link.)...... He will be inserted into the rotation until Mike Jones comes back in about two weeks. He did some throwing under the watchful eye of Stan Kyles tonight, a night earlier than I had believed. Standings Link: www.starsboxscore.com/standing.html After seven frustrating innings tonight against Chris Rojas and Alan Webb, the Stars came knocking on the door in the 8th inning...... Alejandro Machado's walk drove Rojas from the game in the 6th inning. In the 8th with one out, he chopped a ball to the right side and beat the flip from Danny Bravo to pitcher Bryan Gaal. Dave Krynzel then followed with his only hit of the game, a line drive single into center field. Machado made it to third with the throw way off line. For the first time in the game, the Stars had put together back-to-back hits....... Rusty Tucker began to loosen........ Daryl Clark grounded to J.J. Furmaniak. It was highly unlikely Furmaniak would have turned the DP on the ball, but at least he could have gotten a force out, but he got too careful and let the ball go through the wicket into the outfield and the error, the second by the Bay Bears, scored Machado....... A double steal followed, Krynzel swiping third and Clark taking second. It was Krinkles' first stolen base since June 30 and his league-leading 31st of the year. It was also D.J.'s first of the month......Corey Hart could have tied the game with a well-hit single, but he popped up a 1-0 pitch and Brandon Gemoll, the lefty batting over .400 over his last 8 games, struck out on a sinker......... Brandon's hit streak ended at eight tonight....... J.J. Hardy had an interesting lesson while fishing off the Gulf of Mexico with Chris Barnwell before the game........ He bagged about 10 little tiny fish, more than anyone else aboard. Chris was able to pick off about seven of them. J.J. grabbed the fish and pulled the hook out of its mouth and the skipper and first mate were screaming at him from across the boat. J.J., taken aback, stopped what he was doing while the skipper and first mate hurried over...... They showed him the razor-sharp teeth the little guy had. Piranha? The Brewers signed their # 6 pick, right-handed pitcher Robert Wooley and assigned him to the Arizona Rookie League.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=220

Beloit Box Score: Prince Fielder leads the Midwest League in RBI by 21, 81-60; RHP Calvin Carpenter struggled with control; not taking away from the pitching effort, but this Peoria team is really scuffling offensively as of late... GAME DATE: 7/17/03 PEORIA 0 AT BELOIT 5 YTD YTD PEORIA AB R H BI AVG BELOIT AB R H BI AVG M.Lemanczyk LF 3 0 0 0 .285 K.Bibbs LF 5 1 2 0 .294 M.Jaramillo SS 4 0 1 0 .210 C.Crabbe 2B 4 0 0 0 .256 R.Gorecki CF 4 0 0 0 .287 T.Gwynn CF 4 1 2 1 .368 T.Hanson 3B 4 0 3 0 .272 P.Fielder 1B 4 1 3 2 .312 J.Hileman RF 2 0 0 0 .262 T.Hinton DH 3 0 0 0 .206 J.Santor 1B 4 0 0 0 .291 J.Eure 3B 3 0 0 0 .256 M.McCoy 2B 2 0 0 0 .229 J.VandenBrg CAT 4 1 1 0 .297 T.Lemon DH 3 0 0 0 .250 M.Mendez RF 4 0 0 0 .247 J.Motte CAT 4 0 0 0 .050 C.Terni SS 4 1 1 1 .222 B.Runyon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Housman PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Rogers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Carpenter PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Flynn PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Ballouli PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Julianel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Alliston PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Thompson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 0 4 0 TOTALS 35 5 9 4 PEORIA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 4 2 BELOIT 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 X- 5 9 0 E--M.Jaramillo 2. DP--PEORIA 0, BELOIT 1. LOB--PEORIA 9, BELOIT 8. 2B--K.Bibbs (5). HR--P.Fielder (22). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA PEORIA B.Runyon (L,1-1) 3.2 8 5 3 1 0 1 2.93 J.Rogers 1.1 0 0 0 0 2 0 4.15 B.Flynn 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.11 B.Julianel 1.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1.19 B.Thompson 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3.48 BELOIT J.Housman 1.2 1 0 0 1 2 0 1.81 C.Carpenter 3.0 3 0 0 5 3 0 5.48 K.Ballouli (W,2-2) 3.1 0 0 0 0 2 0 5.11 J.Alliston 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.86 WP--B.Runyon, C.Carpenter. PB--J.VandenBrg. SO--M.Lemanczyk, M.Jaramillo 2, R.Gorecki, J.Hileman, T.Lemon 3, K.Bibbs, T.Hinton 2, J.VandenBrg 2, M.Mendez. BB--M.Lemanczyk, J.Hileman 2, M.McCoy 2, T.Lemon, T.Hinton, J.Eure. T--2:44. A--1052

If we view it as such a problem, why in the heck did we RENEW THE CONTRACT? Dean Taylor renewed, not Doug Melvin. I think the working relationship between Taylor, Riddoch and the High Desert front office was such that there was an extreme comfort level there, enough so to overlook the natural shortcomings the desert atmosphere provides.

Inland Empire (Mariners) 9, High Desert 3 Mavs drop their 7th in a row; OF Chris Morris left the game with an injured shoulder after a diving catch attempt -- the outfield health issues and shortage in High Desert worsens; announcer Mike Lindskog with a lively but classy (not whiney) discussion about Jeff Housman's bypass of the Desert -- basically just asking for a spark from the Brewer organization in terms of new blood... High Desert Site Game Summary: ADELANTO, CA ? Time is running out on the High Desert Mavericks and their chances for any kind of run at a second half South Division title. The Mavs lost their seventh straight game by falling to the Inland Empire 66ers, 9-3 on Thursday night at Mavericks Stadium. The Mavs are now just 4-22 in the second half and 29-67 overall. They have dropped seven straight home games and are just 3-20 in their last 23 home games. Inland Empire jumped out to a 9-0 lead after just five and a half innings. Mavs starter Dan Hall (6-9) and reliever Tommy Marx allowed all nine runs. The 66ers took a 1-0 lead as Greg Jacobs singled home Dustin DeLucchi in the third inning. An error by Ozzie Chavez allowed Evel Bastida to reach and eventually score on a fielder?s choice to give the 66ers a 2-0 lead. They went up 3-0, as Luis Oliveros connected with his fifth homer of the year, a solo shot off Hall in the fourth. They would make it 4-0, as Hunter Brown and Blake Bone picked up back-to-back doubles. Bone would later score on an error to make it 5-0. Four runs off Marx in the sixth gave Inland Empire a 9-0 lead. Jeff Hundley came on to get the final two outs of the sixth, and then went on to throw a total of 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Tony Stavros worked a scoreless ninth. High Desert finally broke through with a run in the bottom of the sixth off 66ers starter Troy Cate (6-9), as Scott Candelaria?s fielder?s choice brought home Jason Belcher. Jeremy Frost would double and score in the seventh on Belcher?s second hit of the night. The RBI for Belcher was his team-leading 50th on the year. The Mavs rounded out the scoring in the ninth, as Cristian Guerrero misplayed a Johnny Raburn RBI triple, allowing Todd West to score. The Mavs face Inland Empire on Friday night at 7:05 (9:05 Central) in the second game of the eight-game homestand. Danny Kolb goes for the Mavs while Tim Rall goes for the 66ers. (Rall was just purchased from the independent Northeast League. This will be his first Cal League game. -- MassBrew) High Desert Box Score: With Morris injured, Jason Belcher played CF, for a Brad Nelson - Belcher - Johnny Raburn OF combo; this team needs Tony Gwynn more than it needs Prince Fielder... GAME DATE: 7/17/03 INLAND EMPIRE 9 AT HIGH DESERT 3 YTD YTD INLAND EMPIRE AB R H BI AVG HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG D.Delucchi CF 3 2 1 1 .346 C.Morris CF 2 0 0 0 .267 E.BstdaMrtnz 2B 3 2 0 0 .258 J.Belcher PH 1 1 1 0 .319 G.Jacobs LF 4 1 1 1 .360 J.Belcher CF 2 0 1 1 .319 J.Castellano 1B 4 0 2 1 .306 J.Raburn RF 5 0 3 1 .275 H.Brown 3B 3 1 1 2 .265 B.Nelson LF 5 0 1 0 .308 B.Bone DH 4 1 1 2 .271 S.Candelaria 3B 4 0 1 1 .301 C.Guerrero RF 5 0 0 0 .258 F.Villanueva DH 3 0 0 0 .295 L.Oliveros CAT 4 2 2 1 .294 J.Frost 1B 3 1 1 0 .311 I.Castro SS 3 0 0 0 .250 B.Foster CAT 4 0 0 0 .181 E.Menchaca SS 1 0 0 0 .238 T.West 2B 4 1 1 0 .263 T.Cate PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Chavez SS 4 0 1 0 .222 J.Thomas PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Fruto PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Marx PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Hundley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Stavros PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 9 8 8 TOTALS 37 3 10 3 INLAND EMPIRE 0 0 2 1 2 4 0 0 0- 9 8 0 HIGH DESERT 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1- 3 10 2 E--S.Candelaria, O.Chavez. DP--INLAND EMPIRE 0, HIGH DESERT 1. LOB--INLAND EMPIRE 7, HIGH DESERT 9. 2B--H.Brown (23), B.Bone (6), L.Oliveros (13), J.Frost (4). 3B--J.Raburn (4). HR--L.Oliveros (5). CS--C.Guerrero. HBP--F.Villanueva. SF--B.Bone. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA INLAND EMPIRE T.Cate (W,6-9) 6.2 7 2 2 0 5 0 3.79 J.Thomas 1.1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4.18 E.Fruto 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 3.84 HIGH DESERT D.Hall (L,6-9) 5.0 6 5 3 3 3 1 6.77 T.Marx 0.1 2 4 4 4 0 0 23.00 J.Hundley 2.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.39 T.Stavros 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 5.50 HB--T.Cate. WP--T.Cate 2, T.Marx 2. SO--E.BstdaMrtnz, B.Bone 2, I.Castro, J.Raburn, B.Nelson 2, J.Frost 2, B.Foster. BB--D.Delucchi 2, E.BstdaMrtnz 2, G.Jacobs, J.Castellano, H.Brown 2, J.Frost. T--2:58. A--1197