MassBrew

We referred to this Baseball Prospectus piece back on June 23rd, but it probably bears mention again based on Jeff Housman's promotion from Beloit to Huntsville: Noteworthy Prospects: The Brewers have already gotten some good returns on middle-round collegians from last year's draft. First-rounder Prince Fielder is the star of Milwaukee's Class-A affiliate in Beloit, but they're getting value out of their 21st and 33rd round picks as well: Jeff Housman was taken at #979 out of Cal State Fullerton. He pitched in 19 games for CSF last year, starting only two. He had a high strikeout rate and he whiffed twice as many as he walked: ERA W-L IP H BB K HR 4.89 0-4 35 50 15 32 4A college reliever with an ordinary statistical profile, he's flourishing in the pros. The Brewers have him in Beloit's rotation, where his 1.54 ERA is third in the Midwest League. His strikeout rate is down to 5.4 but his strikeout-to-walk ratio is well over 2-to-1. There's a potential problem veiled by that ERA. He has allowed only 51 hits in 70.1 innings, a figure as pretty as his college rate was ugly, and maybe as misleading. Your take on it depends on how much of a DIPS proponent you are. But Housman has allowed only two home runs, so even if the improvement is a bit inflated it's not a total illusion. Josh Alliston was taken at #619 out of Long Beach State, where 27 of his 29 appearances last year were in relief. Unlike Housman, he's still working out of the bullpen, but like him, Alliston has improved substantially on his last year in college. His statistical profile last year was very similar to Housman's: ERA W-L IP H BB K HR 4.53 2-4 45.2 45 19 46 5This year Alliston has struck out 37 in 36 innings, allowing only eight walks and a single home run. At 6'4" and 200 pounds he has the size scouts like. So does Housman, who is 6'3" and 180. At their age, they need to be pushed to Double-A and to survive it before Zduriencik should feel free to crow. If the two pitchers work out, should Zduriencik take credit? Some days you get the bear and some days the bear gets you, and maybe anyone can be the blind squirrel who gets lucky a couple times every draft. But GMs aren't cynical enough, modest enough, or dumb enough to pick blindly. They do try to make their picks count. Zduriencik or his scouts saw something in Houseman and Alliston that made them take a chance on these two instead of the hundreds of others who had yet to be drafted. This might be giving him too much credit, but maybe Zduriencik knew that Cal State Fullerton had the nation's fourth-most difficult schedule last year, and that Long Beach State's was sixth. Strength of competition is everything in college baseball. Houseman and Alliston were good in the significant sabermetric categories, put up their numbers against strong schedules, and are doing well in the pros so far. It's a bit early to draw conclusions about them yet, but these are two more anecdotes in favor of the projectability of college stats. Stathead wannabe's can learn more about "DIPS" referred to above, at this link: www.baseballprospectus.co...acken.html

Final in Game Two: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 7, Helena 6 Young Brewers swept -- tough as the end of the first half nears; Missoula got a run off of 2002 DFE pick Simon Beresford in the seventh and final inning; Nick Slack came in to strike out two in that 7th to keep it close, but to no avail... Helena Site Doubleheader Summary: Missoula beat Helena 2-1 and 7-6 to take both ends of a doubleheader Thursday night at Lindborgg-Cregg Field in Missoula. The victories gave Missoula a four game sweep of Helena. The Brewers had not lost more than two games in a row going into the series. Helena is now one-half game behind the Great Falls White Sox in the Northern Division. The first game saw Carlos Ramirez pitching a complete game picking up his first loss of the year. Ramirez gave up one earned run in six innings. Tetsuya Yamaguchi picked up the victory for Missoula. Drew Anderson scored Helena's lone run on an RBI single by Augustin Septimo. The second game was a wild one which saw Missoula jump out to an early 4-1 lead in the first. Missoula led by three going into the fourth. Helena managed to tie the game up in the sixth but surrendered the winning run in the bottom half of the inning. Helena Skipper Eddie Sedar was ejected in the top of the thrid. Lou Palmisano singled in both games to improve his team leading hit streak to 20 games. Sweet Lou is also leading the league in hitting at .430. Palmisano also had a stolen base. The Brewers had three more stolen bases to add to their league leading 51. Terry Trofholz went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Brian Montalbo (2003 7th round, University of California) started his first professional game getting a no-decsion in three innings giving up six runs. Simon Beresford pitched two and a third and his record now stands at 1-2. Helena returns home Friday for a four game stint against the Billings Mustangs, game time is 7:05 (8:05 Central). Helena's RHP Greg Moreira (0-2 7.20) faces Billings' RHP Walin Cabrera (1-2, 2.11). Helena Game One Box Score: Carlos Ramirez doesn't walk a batter (mini-Parra); Guilder Rodriguez fails to get on base in a game for the first time this season, we believe... GAME DATE: 7/17/03 HELENA 1 AT MISSOULA 2 DH GAME #1 YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG G.Rodriguez 2B 4 0 0 0 .236 J.Kaplan LF 3 1 2 0 .313 T.Trofholz CF 3 0 0 0 .299 J.McStoots SS 2 0 0 0 .241 L.Palmisano CAT 3 0 1 0 .427 A.Murillo 2B 2 0 0 0 .298 V.Rottino 1B 3 0 2 0 .357 A.Mottram 1B 3 0 0 0 .270 M.Ramirez DH 3 0 1 0 .393 J.Acosta DH 3 0 1 0 .234 R.Deevers RF 1 0 0 0 .322 M.Montero CAT 3 0 0 0 .262 D.Anderson PH 1 1 1 0 .315 A.McCreery 3B 2 1 1 0 .328 J.Barnes 3B 2 0 0 0 .253 C.Gonzalez RF 2 0 1 1 .274 B.Whitney PH 1 0 1 0 .362 C.Melendez CF 2 0 1 0 .364 N.Carter LF 2 0 1 0 .286 T.Yamaguchi PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Melo PH 1 0 0 0 .350 A.Cremidan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Gomez SS 2 0 0 0 .186 A.Septimo PH 1 0 0 1 .227 C.Ramirez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 27 1 7 1 TOTALS 22 2 6 1 HELENA 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 7 2 MISSOULA 1 0 0 0 1 0 X- 2 6 0 E--A.Gomez, C.Ramirez. DP--HELENA 2, MISSOULA 0. LOB--HELENA 6, MISSOULA 4. 2B--V.Rottino (4). 3B--C.Gonzalez (2). SB--N.Carter (3). HBP--R.Deevers, A.Murillo. SH--J.McStoots. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA C.Ramirez (L,5-1) 6.0 6 2 1 0 3 0 1.26 MISSOULA T.Yamaguchi (W,4-2) 6.0 7 1 1 0 6 0 3.22 A.Cremidan (S,3) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 HB--C.Ramirez, T.Yamaguchi. SO--G.Rodriguez, M.Ramirez, R.Deevers, J.Barnes, N.Carter, A.Gomez, A.McCreery, C.Gonzalez, C.Melendez. T--1:39. A--1293Helena Game Two Box Score: Lou Palmisano now 7-for-8 in SB attempts; the Missoula announcer wondered if his speed and athleticism would pry Lou from the catcher's position -- we don't think so! GAME DATE: 7/17/03 HELENA 6 AT MISSOULA 7 DH GAME #2 YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG T.Trofholz CF 4 2 3 1 .319 J.McStoots SS 4 1 0 0 .230 M.Melo RF 3 1 1 0 .349 C.Gonzalez RF 4 2 2 0 .282 L.Palmisano DH 4 1 2 3 .430 A.Murillo 3B 3 2 2 1 .308 D.Anderson LF 4 0 2 1 .323 J.Acosta LF 2 1 0 2 .229 V.Rottino 3B 4 0 1 0 .351 C.Melendez LF 0 0 0 0 .364 B.Whitney 1B 4 0 1 0 .355 A.Mottram DH 3 0 2 2 .282 A.SegurCornr CAT 4 0 1 1 .343 A.McCreery 1B 2 1 1 0 .333 A.Septimo SS 3 1 0 0 .217 O.Mercado CAT 2 0 0 0 .188 A.Gomez 2B 3 1 1 0 .194 M.Montero CAT 1 0 1 0 .272 B.Montalbo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Bonifacio 2B 3 0 1 1 .143 S.Beresford PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Santiago CF 3 0 1 0 .111 N.Slack PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Dove PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Julio PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Novosel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 6 12 6 TOTALS 27 7 10 6 HELENA 1 1 1 2 0 1 0- 6 12 2 MISSOULA 4 0 2 0 0 1 X- 7 10 0 E--A.SegurCornr, A.Gomez. DP--HELENA 1, MISSOULA 0. LOB--HELENA 8, MISSOULA 4. 2B--T.Trofholz (5), A.Mottram (4). SB--L.Palmisano (7), A.Septimo (3). CS--A.McCreery. HBP--A.Septimo. SF--J.Acosta. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA B.Montalbo 3.0 7 6 4 0 1 0 3.86 S.Beresford (L,1-2) 2.1 3 1 1 1 4 0 3.77 N.Slack 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.00 MISSOULA S.Dove 3.0 7 3 3 0 0 0 3.46 D.Julio 2.0 4 3 2 1 3 0 4.50 W.Novosel (W,1-0) 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0.00 HB--S.Dove. WP--B.Montalbo 2, D.Julio 2. PB--O.Mercado, M.Montero. SO--D.Anderson, V.Rottino, B.Whitney, A.SegurCornr, A.Septimo 2, J.McStoots, C.Gonzalez 2, A.Murillo, J.Acosta, O.Mercado, E.Bonifacio. BB--M.Melo, A.McCreery. T--2:13.

Thou shalt not expose promising young arms to Friendly Mavericks Stadium http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Seriously, though, what a 2003 for Jeff Housman. He won't be 22 until next month, and considering he was a 33rd round pick just last year (out of Cal State Fullerton) who was pretty awful in Ogden in 2002, this is huge for him. The funny thing is that he's a Visalia, California kid who probably would have enjoyed some family time in the Cal League. That must have been one great phone call he made home after tonight's game. It also makes a pretty strong statement about the current High Desert staff, unfortunately.

Game One: Missoula (Diamondbacks) 2, Helena 1 In Progress, Game Two: Missoula 6, Helena 3, in the bottom of the third in Missoula Audio works fine, you just have to wait a bit for software to load; Brewer Manager Ed Sedar ejected in Game Two, an argument related to the fact that the game lights should have been put on earlier -- thanks for the earlier update, deeswan... UPDATE: Helena 6, Missoula 6, bottom of the 6th, scheduled for 7http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/mad.gif Not to fear, Lou Palmisano with two hits thus far in game two -- he's stealing bases, too...

Mobile (Padres) 3, Huntsville 1 Ben Hendrickson strikes out 8 in a tough-luck loss as the Stars only muster four hits... Huntsville Box Score: Alejandro Machado the only Star to reach base more than once... GAME DATE: 7/17/03 HUNTSVILLE 1 AT MOBILE 3 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG MOBILE AB R H BI AVG A.Machado 2B 3 1 1 0 .217 B.Scales 2B 0 0 0 0 .269 D.Krynzel CF 4 0 1 0 .306 B.Scales LF 3 1 1 0 .269 D.Clark LF 4 0 0 1 .257 V.Faison LF 0 0 0 0 .213 C.Hart 3B 4 0 0 0 .284 V.Faison CF 4 0 1 1 .213 B.Gemoll 1B 4 0 0 0 .251 R.Washington 3B 4 0 0 0 .249 N.Varner RF 4 0 1 0 .293 J.Knott RF 2 1 1 0 .247 M.Kremblas CAT 3 0 0 0 .200 J.Gautreau 2B 4 0 1 2 .230 C.Barnwell SS 4 0 0 0 .242 R.Tucker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hendrckson PIT 2 0 1 0 .125 D.Bravo 1B 3 0 0 0 .244 R.Paz PH 1 0 0 0 .250 J.Furmaniak SS 2 1 1 0 .152 K.Ray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Reinking CAT 3 0 0 0 .100 C.Rojas PIT 1 0 0 0 .250 A.Webb PIT 0 0 0 0 .222 T.Donovan PH 1 0 0 0 .207 B.Gaal PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Guzman CF 0 0 0 0 .406 TOTALS 33 1 4 1 TOTALS 27 3 5 3 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0- 1 4 0 MOBILE 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 X- 3 5 2 E--J.Gautreau, J.Furmaniak. DP--HUNTSVILLE 0, MOBILE 0. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 7, MOBILE 5. 2B--J.Gautreau (13). SB--D.Krynzel (31), D.Clark (4). SH--C.Rojas. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE B.Hendrckson (L,4-2) 7.0 5 3 3 3 8 0 2.54 K.Ray 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2.84 MOBILE C.Rojas (W,5-6) 5.1 2 0 0 1 5 0 4.72 A.Webb 1.2 0 0 0 1 1 0 3.66 B.Gaal 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 3.42 R.Tucker (S,24) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3.55 SO--D.Krynzel 2, D.Clark, B.Gemoll, N.Varner 3, M.Kremblas, B.Hendrckson, B.Scales, R.Washington, J.Gautreau 3, D.Bravo, K.Reinking 2, T.Donovan. BB--A.Machado, M.Kremblas, B.Scales, J.Knott 2, J.Furmaniak. T--2:27. A--3092

Beloit 5, Peoria (Cardinals) 0 Prince Fielder 3-for-4 with a first-inning 2-run HR; Jeff Housman, Calvin Carpenter, Khalid Ballouli, and Jeff Alliston combine on a four-hitter; Ballouli retires all ten men he faces -- nice; much more shortly on this one... Beloit Site Line Score, Game Summary, and Player of the Game Info: www.snappersbaseball.com/...me_id=1148

Rochester (Twins) 4, Indianapolis 3 Indy Site Game Summary: ROCHESTER, NY -- The visiting Indianapolis Indians suffered through one bad inning in dropping the first of a four-game series to the Rochester Red Wings 4-3 on Thursday night. The Red Wings scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the second inning against Tribe starter David Manning, and held off numerous Indians rallies to preserve the win. Todd Sears got Rochester on the board first by connecting on a two-run homer to rightfield off Manning in the second inning. After the home run, Shane Andrews and Michael Ryan each doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Back-to-back sacrifice flys by Brandon Marsters and Alex Prieto allowed both Andrews and Ryan to score as Rochester took a 4-0 lead. Following the four-run outburst Manning (5-6) settled down, allowing no runs and only one hit over his final five innings of work. The damage had already been done, however, as Manning allowed six hits in 7.0 innings pitched, with four of those six hits coming with no outs in the second inning. Tony Fiore (3-1) picked up the win for Rochester by pitching 6.0 innings allowing five hits and single runs in both the third and fourth innings. Juan Padilla picked up his sixth save of the season for Rochester by recording the final four outs, including stranding the tying run at third base with two outs in the top of the eighth inning. The Tribe loaded the bases in the top of the third inning against Fiore when Steve Scarborough hit a one out double, Bill Hall walked, and Jason Conti singled. Jim Rushford hit a groundball to first that was fielded by Sears, but his throw to second in an attempt to start a double play was wide of the base and all runners were safe on the play. With still only one out and the bases loaded, Fiore struck out Mark Smith and then got Pete Zoccolillo to pop out to third to end the inning. The Indians cut the lead in half at 4-2 in the fourth inning when Wilton Veras doubled and scored on Cody McKay's RBI single. The final run of the game came in the top of the eighth when a two-out double by Doug Jennings off Jesse Crain put runners on second and third with two outs for Veras. The closer Padilla was brought in to face Veras, who hit a groundball that was misplayed by Red Wings second baseman Luis Rodriguez allowing Zoccolillo to score and advancing Jennings to third. Padilla then got McKay to ground out to shortstop to end the inning with Jennings representing the tying run stranded at third base. The Indians (42-54) and Red Wings (45-52) will continue the four-game series on Friday evening when lefty Derek Lee (0-2, 5.40) takes the mound for Indianapolis to face Willie Eyre (0-1, 7.50). Indianapolis Box Score: Triple and double for Steve Scarborough; Bill Hall on-base twice... GAME DATE: 7/17/03 INDIANAPOLIS 3 AT ROCHESTER 4 YTD YTD INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG ROCHESTER AB R H BI AVG B.Hall 2B 4 0 1 0 .280 C.Green CF 4 0 0 0 .258 J.Conti CF 5 0 1 0 .223 L.Rodriguez 2B 4 0 1 0 .285 J.Rushford 1B 5 0 0 1 .327 K.Young DH 2 0 0 0 .143 M.Smith LF 4 0 1 0 .294 K.Connacher PR 0 0 0 0 .236 P.Zoccolillo RF 4 1 1 0 .282 M.Restovich RF 3 1 2 0 .258 D.Jennings DH 3 0 1 0 .229 T.Sears 1B 3 1 1 2 .243 W.Veras 3B 4 1 1 0 .228 S.Andrews 3B 3 1 1 0 .242 C.McKay CAT 4 0 1 1 .241 M.Ryan LF 3 1 1 0 .220 S.Scarboroug SS 4 1 2 0 .221 B.Marsters CAT 2 0 0 1 .291 D.Manning PIT 0 0 0 0 .083 A.Prieto SS 2 0 0 1 .268 B.Ford PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Fiore PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Crain PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Padilla PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 3 9 2 TOTALS 26 4 6 4 INDIANAPOLIS 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0- 3 9 2 ROCHESTER 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 X- 4 6 2 E--M.Smith, C.McKay, L.Rodriguez, T.Sears. DP--INDIANAPOLIS 2, ROCHESTER 1. LOB--INDIANAPOLIS 9, ROCHESTER 4. 2B--D.Jennings (5), W.Veras (10), S.Scarboroug (13), S.Andrews (21), M.Ryan (14). 3B-- S.Scarboroug (3). HR--T.Sears (6). SB--M.Restovich (10). CS--K.Connacher. HBP--D.Jennings. SF--B.Marsters, A.Prieto. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA INDIANAPOLIS D.Manning (L,5-6) 7.0 6 4 4 2 5 1 4.39 B.Ford 1.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2.79 ROCHESTER T.Fiore (W,3-1) 6.0 5 2 2 1 4 0 2.76 J.Crain 1.2 3 1 0 0 2 0 5.59 J.Padilla (S,6) 1.1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.64 HB--T.Fiore. WP--D.Manning. SO--B.Hall 2, J.Conti, M.Smith, W.Veras, S.Scarboroug, C.Green, S.Andrews 2, M.Ryan 2. BB--B.Hall, K.Young 2, M.Restovich, T.Sears. T--2:30. A--5432

Baseball America has two chats this week, I believe. From today's: Q: Connor from New Haven, CT asks: Anthony Gwynn was considered by most a second-round reach this year, yet so far he's out-playing most first-rounders -- is he really this good or just lucky so far? A: Kevin Goldstein: A little of both, really. He was one of those players that scouts talked about as having a skillset that was more apt for the pro game. He was also under a very close microscope while at San Diego State, and while the Padres wanted to take him in the second round, it may be best for him to be out of the spotlight for awhile. Great start so far. Q: Joe from New Mexico asks: Does Prince Fielder have a shot of making it or is his size too much of a problem? A: Kevin Goldstein: Prince get into tremendous shape in the offseason, and is playing this year in the vicintiy of 260 lbs or so. He looks tremendous right now, and while weight may always be an issue, if he can maintain his current size, it shouldn't be a problem.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=214

The Mavs threatened in the eighth, but Froilan Villanueva and Chris Morris were both picked off of first base by Oaks catcher Jeff Winchester, foiling any potential rally. Can either player be in the starting lineup tonight? C'mon Tim Blackwell, make a statement. The Mavs can't make excuses when we see blatant lapses in concentration like this. It's time to stop feeling pity for this team -- maybe a little anger is in order.

Thursday's Daily Menu : All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: TBA at Rochester (Twins), 6:05 PM; when the Indy media notes come out later today, we'll let you know how Cecil Cooper has chosen to set his starting rotation after the break Audio link: www.newstalk1430.com/ HUNTSVILE: RHP Ben Hendrickson at Mobile (Padres), 7:05 PM Audio link: espn1450.com/ HIGH DESERT: RHP Dan Hall at home vs. Inland Empire (Mariners), 9:05 PM -- this new unbalanced schedule in the Cal League is just ridiculous, same old opponents; by the way, Mavs' attendance is down 12% vs. last season Audio link: www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm BELOIT: LHP Jeff Housman at home vs. Peoria (Cardinals), 7:05 PM Here's your incredible stat of the week, maybe the month: How is Jeff Housman 2-7 with a 1.85 ERA, good for 2nd in the Midwest League? Well, he's allowed more unearned runs than earned runs, 22-18. Time for the boys to play better defense behind Jeff, but he's got to bear down and bail out his guys more often as well -- to compare, Manny Parra has allowed only four unearned runs this season. Housman's only struck out 48 in 87.2 IP, so defense and pitching out of trouble are key to victory. Audio link (opponent's): www.sportsjuice.com/provi...me=pchiefs HELENA: LHP Carlos Ramirez and RHP Greg Moreira in a doubleheader at Missoula (Diamondbacks), 7:05 PM; has anybody been able to load the Missoula audio this week? I've had my struggles... Audio link (opponent's): www.1340kylt.com/Happenin...0A8052A72} ARIZONA: Idle

Indianapolis Indians outfielder Mark Smith was 1-for-2 and scored a run for the International League in last night's AAA All-Star Game.

Arizona Box Score: SS Gilberto Acosta had better be getting some Power 50 love soon! Three ineffective pitching performances, as half of the Cubbies' 16 hits went for extra bases, including four triples; Adam Mannon goes yard... GAME DATE: 7/16/03 CUBS 12 AT BREWERS 4 YTD YTD CUBS AB R H BI AVG BREWERS AB R H BI AVG S.Rosario DH 5 2 2 0 .296 C.Fermaint CF 5 0 2 1 .373 J.Rios 2B 4 0 1 0 .367 F.Plasencia LF 4 0 1 0 .254 O.Bernard 1B 1 1 1 2 .283 B.Opdyke CAT 4 1 0 0 .204 C.Mejia RF 3 0 0 1 .317 A.Mannon RF 4 1 2 2 .323 T.Welsch 1B 1 1 0 1 .233 G.Acosta SS 4 1 2 0 .422 T.Welsch 2B 0 0 0 0 .233 C.Corporan DH 3 0 2 0 .222 R.Fitzgerald CF 4 3 3 2 .347 T.McCormack 3B 4 0 0 1 .274 J.Fox CAT 5 0 2 2 .250 R.Pijuan 1B 4 0 1 0 .255 A.Francisco 3B 5 1 2 0 .276 B.DePaula 2B 4 1 1 0 .200 J.Valdez LF 5 2 2 0 .315 M.Garcia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Valdez RF 0 0 0 0 .315 T.Dillard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Jackson 1B 5 0 2 3 .205 F.Martin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Fitzgerald SS 4 2 1 0 .347 S.Overholt PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Alvarez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Bay PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Gross PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 42 12 16 11 TOTALS 36 4 11 4 CUBS 0 1 3 1 0 1 2 3 1-12 16 3 BREWERS 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0- 4 11 1 E--J.Fox, N.Jackson, R.Bay, B.DePaula. DP--CUBS 1, BREWERS 0. LOB-- CUBS 9, BREWERS 6. 2B--S.Rosario (5), R.Fitzgerald 2 (3), N.Jackson (2), C.Fermaint (3), C.Corporan (4). 3B--O.Bernard (1), R.Fitzgerald (5), A.Francisco (1), J.Valdez (4). HR--A.Mannon (1). SB--S.Rosario (8), R.Fitzgerald 2 (4). CS--F.Plasencia, C.Corporan. SF--T.Welsch. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA CUBS S.Overholt 1.0 2 2 0 0 0 1 5.40 J.Alvarez 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 9.35 R.Bay (W,5-0) 6.0 8 2 1 0 4 0 1.33 K.Gross 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.51 BREWERS M.Garcia (L,1-1) 4.0 5 5 4 2 1 0 9.00 T.Dillard 3.0 5 3 3 1 1 0 3.86 F.Martin 2.0 6 4 4 2 1 0 3.86 WP--M.Garcia. SO--J.Fox, A.Francisco, J.Valdez, B.Opdyke, A.Mannon, C.Corporan, T.McCormack, R.Pijuan 2. BB--S.Rosario, O.Bernard, T.Welsch, R.Fitzgerald 2, C.Corporan. T--2:25.

Missoula (Diamondbacks) 7, Helena 4 Helena Independent Record Game Story: Once again borrowed from the Missoula press... www.helenair.com/articles...703_02.txt Helena Box Score: GAME DATE: 7/16/03 HELENA 4 AT MISSOULA 7 YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG G.Rodriguez 2B 4 1 1 1 .247 J.McStoots SS 5 1 3 0 .247 T.Trofholz CF 3 0 1 1 .310 C.Gonzalez RF 4 1 0 0 .269 M.Melo CF 1 0 0 0 .359 A.Murillo 3B 3 2 1 0 .304 D.Anderson LF 5 0 1 0 .307 J.Acosta DH 4 1 1 2 .231 L.Palmisano CAT 5 0 1 0 .430 A.Mottram CAT 3 1 0 0 .278 R.Deevers RF 3 1 0 0 .326 A.McCreery 1B 3 1 1 3 .323 V.Rottino 1B 4 0 2 0 .343 J.Kaplan LF 2 0 1 0 .299 M.Ramirez DH 3 0 1 1 .397 C.Melendez CF 2 0 0 1 .355 J.Barnes 3B 4 1 1 0 .260 E.Bonifacio 2B 4 0 1 0 .130 A.Septimo SS 3 1 1 0 .231 M.Rosen PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Richardson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Krantz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Durost PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Cremidan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Hendrix PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Stover PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 4 9 3 TOTALS 30 7 8 6 HELENA 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0- 4 9 5 MISSOULA 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 X- 7 8 3 E--G.Rodriguez, J.Barnes 2, A.Septimo 2, C.Gonzalez, J.Kaplan, M.Rosen. DP--HELENA 2, MISSOULA 0. LOB--HELENA 9, MISSOULA 7. 2B-- M.Ramirez (9), A.Murillo (9). HR--A.McCreery (2). SB--J.McStoots (4). CS--E.Bonifacio. HBP--A.Mottram. SH--C.Melendez. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA J.Richardson 0.2 2 3 1 5 0 0 7.53 K.Durost (L,1-1) 4.1 4 3 0 0 1 1 2.84 P.Hendrix 2.0 1 1 0 1 2 0 6.55 R.Stover 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6.00 MISSOULA M.Rosen (W,1-1) 5.0 9 4 3 4 4 0 7.63 B.Krantz 3.0 0 0 0 1 3 0 4.91 A.Cremidan (S,2) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 HB--K.Durost. WP--J.Richardson. SO--M.Melo, D.Anderson, L.Palmisano, R.Deevers 3, M.Ramirez, J.Barnes, J.Acosta, C.Melendez, E.Bonifacio. BB--G.Rodriguez, M.Melo, R.Deevers, M.Ramirez, A.Septimo, C.Gonzalez, A.Murillo, A.McCreery, J.Kaplan 2, C.Melendez. T--2:45. A--1320

Visalia (Rockies) 4, High Desert 2 Well, the blowout loss scores are less frequent now, but a winning percentage of .305 is just scary... High Desert Site Game Summary: Oak-Handle Brooms, Mavs Get SweptVISALIA, CA - The Visalia Oaks completed the three-game sweep of the High Desert Mavericks on Wednesday night, winning the series finale in come-from-behind fashion. Three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning was the difference as the Oaks beat the Mavs 4-2 at Recreation Park in Visalia. Mavs starter David Nolasco cruised through the first five innings, but struggled in the sixth, allowing three runs, all with two outs. After allowing a first-inning home run to Dan Phillips, Nolasco threw four straight scoreless frames. The Mavs tied the game in the third as Todd West delivered a sac fly to score Johnny Raburn from third. High Desert took their only lead of the game in the top of the sixth, as Chris Morris doubled and eventually scored on a two-out wild pitch by Oaks starter Jeff Francis (7-8). Nolasco (2-5) allowed a two-out hit to Jayson Nix, who knocked in Hector Tena to tie the game at 2-2. After issuing a walk, Nolasco gave up back-to-back RBI hits to Ryan Shealy and Corey Slavik to make it a 4-2 game. Justin Gordon came on and earned the final out in the sixth before working two more frames of scoreless relief. The Mavs threatened in the eighth, but Froilan Villanueva and Chris Morris were both picked off of first base by Oaks catcher Jeff Winchester, foiling any potential rally. Three different Oaks pitchers were used in a scoreless ninth, with Ryan Speier striking out Jeremy Frost to end the game with just three pitches. Speier earned his second save of the series and 12th of the year. The loss for High Desert leaves them at 0-6 against Visalia this year, and just 29-66 over the entire season. Dan Hall (6-8) throws for the Mavs on Thursday night as they return home to open up an eight-game homestand at Mavericks Stadium, beginning with the Inland Empire 66ers. Game time is 7:05 (9:05 Central). High Desert Box Score: Chris Morris with stolen base # 50 -- caught 11 times... GAME DATE: 7/16/03 HIGH DESERT 2 AT VISALIA 4 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG VISALIA AB R H BI AVG F.Villanueva 1B 3 0 0 0 .299 M.Rosario CF 4 0 1 0 .244 C.Morris CF 4 1 3 0 .269 J.Nix 2B 4 1 1 1 .284 B.Nelson LF 4 0 1 0 .312 D.Phillips RF 3 2 1 1 .281 S.Candelaria 3B 4 0 2 0 .302 R.Shealy 1B 3 0 1 1 .317 J.Belcher RF 4 0 0 0 .316 C.Slavik DH 4 0 3 1 .335 J.Frost DH 4 0 0 0 .310 S.Barker LF 3 0 0 0 .270 J.Raburn 2B 2 1 2 0 .270 J.Winchester CAT 4 0 0 0 .247 J.Alvarado CAT 3 0 0 0 .116 J.Lincoln 3B 3 0 0 0 .205 T.West SS 2 0 1 1 .264 H.Tena SS 2 1 1 0 .227 D.Nolasco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Francis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gordon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Green PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 I.Pavlik PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Speier PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 2 9 1 TOTALS 30 4 8 4 HIGH DESERT 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0- 2 9 1 VISALIA 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 X- 4 8 0 E--J.Belcher. DP--HIGH DESERT 1, VISALIA 1. LOB--HIGH DESERT 4, VISALIA 6. 2B--C.Morris (18), J.Raburn (5), M.Rosario (6). HR-- D.Phillips (16). SB--C.Morris (50), J.Raburn (22). CS--J.Raburn, C.Slavik. HBP--S.Barker. SF--T.West. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT D.Nolasco (L,2-5) 5.2 6 4 4 1 3 1 6.04 J.Gordon 2.1 2 0 0 2 2 0 5.52 VISALIA J.Francis (W,7-8) 7.0 8 2 2 1 5 0 4.61 S.Green 1.1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4.83 I.Pavlik 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.90 R.Speier (S,12) 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.50 HB--J.Gordon. WP--J.Gordon, J.Francis. SO--F.Villanueva, B.Nelson, J.Belcher, J.Frost 3, M.Rosario, J.Nix, S.Barker, J.Winchester, J.Lincoln. BB--F.Villanueva, J.Raburn, D.Phillips, R.Shealy, H.Tena. T--2:35. A--576

Huntsville 8, Mobile (Padres) 7 Huntsville's site is down as of "post time", so our good friend David Weiser proves extra invaluable here... David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville Update: SEE-SAW RIDEPedro Liriano has to be the most luckless pitcher on the staff...... When he pitches well, he gets no support at all, then he pitches ineffectively enough to allow six runs, and the Stars win........ In Pedro's 10 losses, he's had to work with an average of less than a run per game. Now he can add this frustration --- in his four games without a decision, he's averaged 5.31 runs of support --- best on the staff among starters who left without a decision. If I had seen this game at Joe Davis Stadium, I'd be inclined to include this on my list of top 10 games of the season, for this went back and forth all night........ The Bay Bears and Stars held three leads apiece, and as if the Stars had something to prove after hitting .189 in a recent 6-game stretch, they put on their hitting shoes and belt the ball at a .338 clip in the last two games....... In the past two games, the 26 hits is nearly as many as they've come up with in their five previous games before that....... Corey Hart, 4-for-9 in his last two games, continues to snap out of a 4-for-31 slump, raising his average to .287........ Daryl Clark, coming out of a 1-for-17 slide, is 6-for-15 in his last four games, and tonight hit his first triple for the Stars....... While both Hart and Clark were breaking out, Brandon Gemoll stays hot with an eight-game hit streak, hitting .414, banging out 3 doubles, and raising his average to .254....... Even Mike Krembas, who had a pinch-hit in the 9th, climbed over the Mendoza line for the first time since back on April 18....... Now if Dave Krynzel (5-for-25 in July) can get hot. The see-saw affair took over three hours to complete, the longest since July 5........ It started in the bottom of the 1st when leadoff hitter Freddy Guzman singled, stole 2nd, and scored on Jon Knott's double...... In the top of the 2nd, Hart singled, then Gemoll walked. Noochie Varner then hit a bouncer through the left side for a base hit. The ball was juggled by left fielder Vince Faison for an error, and Hart came around to score to tie it up. After Clark singled, Kade Johnson hit a breaking ball down the line to right field past Danny Bravo and the merry-go-round begins --- a 2-run double for a 3-1 lead........ The Stars had an opportunity with the bases full to add to that lead, but Richard Paz popped out and J.J. Hardy lined out to end the inning. Pitcher Roger Deago singled in two runs to cap a 3-run inning in the 2nd, putting them back on top, 4-3. With nobody out, Liriano retired the next three hitters to end the threat. Huntsville's turn. Hart and Gemoll hit back-to-back doubles. That tied it up again. With one out and Gemoll breaking, Clark hit a 3-2 pitch to the right side for a single, scoring Gemoll easily, and the Stars had a 5-4 lead. In the bottom of the 4th with 2 out, Mobile went back on top, 6-5 on a throw home that was deflected by Liriano over the head of Johnson..... Once again, the Stars retook the lead right away, thanks to an error by Rico Washington. After Ryan Gripp, with three pinch-hits in his last three trips, at the plate, came through again with a tie-breaking single, Paz hit a grounder to third. Throwing on the run, Washington threw high, allowing Johnson to score from third. It was originally ruled as a hit for Paz, but then changed to an error on the high throw later. The Stars, with a 7-6 lead, added a very important insurance run in the 6th......... After Hart walked and Gemoll singled, Varner moved them over 90 feet...... Clark hit a broken-bat roller to third. Rico Washington committed another costly error trying to barehand the play, throwing the ball up the right field line, scoring Hart. Clark was given a generous infield hit, with Washington getting the error for the throw that allowed Clark to go to second........ Jon Knott would score on a double and a wild pitch in the 7th, so that run would prove to be very valuable. This game went right down to a nerve-wracking 9th...... Brian Adams, inconsistent in relief since his acquisition on May 14, did a splendid job holding the Bay Bears for two innings, leaving the outcome to Matt Parker. Parker was consistenly behind the count, as he made his 4th appearance in 6 games......... He made it through the 8th but gave up a long single to left by Rico Washington in the 9th. Jon Knott represented the winning run, but he hit Parker's 2nd pitch to Paz, forcing out Washington....... Knott was still a stolen base threat with Jake Gautreau at the plate, but Gautreau hit an 0-1 pitch to Clark, who backed up a couple of steps for the second out....... Parker once again nibbled at the plate on left-hander Danny Bravo and found himself behind again, but after getting behind on Bravo, 3-and-0. Humberto Quintero was on deck and hitting a red-hot .383 in his last 18 games....... Bravo took a fast ball strike on the outside corner, then hooked a pitch barely foul down the right field line, fouled another off to the left, and then took a fast ball for called strike three to end the game....... For Matt, it was his 3rd save this month, after saving one each in every prior month. Ben Hendrickson, who was being hammered 7-0 by Mobile in a rain-shortened game at the Joe on the 6th, will wrap the series up as he goes against Chris Rojas (4-6, 5.12), who won the first game of this series in relief. Steve Watkins (5-4, 4.26) was scheduled to get that start, but he was just promoted to Portland. In Memphis, former Huntsville Star Lou Collier went 3-for-3 and homered to lead the International League to a 13-9 victory over the Pacific Coast league in the AAA All-Star Game. Huntsville Box Score: Here's hoping Matt Parker's arm doesn't fall off soon -- we continue to hold our breath until the Stars get a tenth pitcher -- Doug davis for one start doesn't count, and Mike Jones is still about two weeks away -- he'll have his first pitching session in a while on Friday... GAME DATE: 7/16/03 HUNTSVILLE 8 AT MOBILE 7 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG MOBILE AB R H BI AVG D.Krynzel CF 5 0 1 0 .307 F.Guzman CF 3 2 2 0 .406 R.Paz 2B 4 0 0 0 .251 B.Scales LF 2 0 0 0 .268 J.Hardy SS 5 0 0 0 .304 V.Faison LF 3 1 1 1 .212 C.Hart 3B 4 3 3 0 .287 V.Faison CF 2 0 0 0 .212 B.Gemoll 1B 4 2 2 1 .254 R.Washington 3B 5 0 2 1 .252 N.Varner RF 5 1 1 1 .294 J.Knott RF 5 1 2 1 .245 D.Clark LF 5 1 3 1 .264 J.Gautreau 2B 5 0 0 0 .230 K.Johnson CAT 3 1 2 3 .179 D.Bravo 1B 2 1 2 0 .249 M.Kremblas CAT 1 0 1 0 .205 H.Quintero CAT 4 1 1 0 .295 P.Liriano PIT 2 0 0 0 .040 J.Furmaniak SS 4 1 1 1 .129 R.Gripp PH 1 0 1 1 .279 R.Deago PIT 2 0 1 2 .231 B.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Bumstead PIT 0 0 0 0 .167 C.Barnwell PH 1 0 0 0 .247 J.Trujillo PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 M.Parker PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 T.Donovan PH 1 0 0 0 .208 B.Gaal PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 41 8 14 7 TOTALS 38 7 12 6 HUNTSVILLE 0 3 2 0 2 1 0 0 0- 8 14 1 MOBILE 1 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 0- 7 12 3 E--P.Liriano, V.Faison, R.Washington 2. DP--HUNTSVILLE 0, MOBILE 0. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 10, MOBILE 8. 2B--C.Hart (23), B.Gemoll (18), J.Knott 2 (24), J.Furmaniak (2). 3B--D.Clark (1). SB--F.Guzman 2 (6). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE P.Liriano 4.0 9 6 5 1 4 0 3.41 B.Adams (W,2-1) 2.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 4.05 M.Parker (S,6) 2.2 2 1 1 1 2 0 2.86 MOBILE R.Deago (L,6-6) 4.1 11 7 6 3 3 0 4.38 M.Bumstead 1.2 2 1 1 1 0 0 3.35 J.Trujillo 2.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2.08 B.Gaal 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.31 WP--M.Parker 2. SO--D.Krynzel 3, R.Paz, C.Hart, B.Gemoll, D.Clark, M.Parker, F.Guzman, B.Scales, V.Faison, R.Washington, J.Knott 2, J.Gautreau, T.Donovan. BB--R.Paz, C.Hart, B.Gemoll, K.Johnson, D.Bravo 2, M.Bumstead. T--3:17. A--2366

Wednesday's Daily Menu : All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: Idle; veteran OF Mark Smith is the Tribe's lone rep in tonight's All-Star Game, which can be seen on ESPN2 at 7:00 PM. The AAA All-Star Game is in shambles, basically based on the status of AAA teams as AAAA roster filler, something that has been emphasized among nearly all big league clubs over the past decade. Only 19 of the 56 players originally named to the All-Star squads will take part -- the rest have either been called up or are injured. Talks are underway to determine the future of this "showcase". Let's look at AAA Albuquerque (Marlins). They didn't see Dontrelle Willis -- they didn't see super-stud Miguel Cabrera. Both went directly from AA Carolina to Florida. It will be interesting to see just how the Brewers handle things with all the Huntsville kids next season. If I'm a local fan or owner, I'd much rather have my team be a AA franchise. HUNTSVILE: RHP Pedro Liriano at Mobile (Padres), 7:05 PM Audio link: espn1450.com/ HIGH DESERT: RHP David Nolasco at Visalia (Rockies), 8:35 PM Audio link: www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm BELOIT: Idle HELENA: RHP Judd Richardson at Missoula (Diamondbacks), 8:35 PM Audio link (opponent's): www.1340kylt.com/Happenin...0A8052A72} ARIZONA: hosting the rookie Cubs this AM; RHP MIguel Garcia out of Venezuela is the scheduled starter; the rail-thin (6'2", 160) just-turned 18-year-old makes his fifth appearance and third start of 2003. In his first 11 IP, he's allowed 21 hits and 8 BB's while striking out five. The Maryvale boys best have their bats ready to support the young man.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: J.J. Hardy in the photo; fashion is discussed... www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=212

Helena Independent Record Game Story: Actually picked up from the Missoula newspaper, but enough Helena news to be of interest, including news on various "streaks"; tempers flared in this one... www.helenair.com/articles...603_04.txt Helena Box Score: CF Terry Trofholz now 10-for-12 in SB attempts... GAME DATE: 7/15/03 HELENA 7 AT MISSOULA 8 YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG G.Rodriguez 2B 2 1 0 0 .247 J.McStoots SS 5 2 1 2 .224 T.Trofholz CF 4 1 2 1 .309 J.Kaplan LF 1 0 0 0 .293 D.Anderson LF 3 1 0 0 .313 J.Kaplan CF 2 1 2 2 .293 L.Palmisano CAT 3 1 2 1 .444 A.Murillo 2B 5 1 2 0 .303 R.Deevers RF 5 1 2 2 .337 A.Murillo 3B 0 0 0 0 .303 V.Rottino 1B 3 0 1 1 .333 C.Gonzalez RF 5 1 1 0 .280 M.Ramirez DH 3 1 0 0 .400 A.Mottram 1B 5 0 2 1 .287 J.Barnes 3B 4 0 1 1 .261 J.Acosta DH 5 0 1 1 .230 A.Gomez SS 3 1 0 0 .193 A.McCreery 3B 2 1 1 0 .323 D.Grybash PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Bonifacio PR 0 1 0 0 .119 T.Taubenheim PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Bonifacio 2B 0 0 0 0 .119 D.Eveland PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Melendez LF 2 1 1 0 .379 C.Melendez CF 1 0 0 0 .379 O.Mercado CAT 4 0 1 0 .214 A.Rocha PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Novosel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Perrault PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Cremidan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 7 8 6 TOTALS 37 8 12 6 HELENA 0 2 1 0 3 1 0 0 0- 7 8 3 MISSOULA 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 1- 8 12 6 E--L.Palmisano, A.Gomez, D.Grybash, J.McStoots, J.Kaplan, A.McCreery, O.Mercado, A.Rocha 2. DP--HELENA 0, MISSOULA 2. LOB--HELENA 7, MISSOULA 9. 2B--L.Palmisano (8), J.Barnes (6). 3B--R.Deevers (1), J.McStoots (2), C.Gonzalez (1). SB--T.Trofholz (10), J.McStoots (3), J.Kaplan (2), A.McCreery (2). HBP--V.Rottino, J.Kaplan, A.McCreery 2. SF--L.Palmisano. SH--G.Rodriguez, T.Trofholz, D.Anderson, A.Gomez, C.Melendez. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA D.Grybash 4.0 6 5 4 0 3 0 3.38 T.Taubenheim 3.2 3 1 1 0 2 0 3.78 D.Eveland (L,0-1) 0.2 3 2 2 1 2 0 3.97 MISSOULA A.Rocha 5.1 5 7 3 4 5 0 4.28 W.Novosel 1.2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 J.Perrault 1.2 2 0 0 0 1 0 4.63 A.Cremidan (W,2-0) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 HB--D.Grybash 3, A.Rocha. WP--D.Eveland. SO--G.Rodriguez 2, T.Trofholz, L.Palmisano, J.Barnes, A.Gomez, J.Kaplan, A.Murillo, C.Gonzalez, A.Mottram, J.Acosta 2, C.Melendez. BB--G.Rodriguez 2, D.Anderson, L.Palmisano, M.Ramirez, J.Kaplan. T--2:48. A--929

Visalia (Rockies) 10, High Desert 1 About a dozen of these High Desert players were also members of the team in Beloit which set the all-time Snapper record for futility in 2002. Certainly that's not a statement about these guys (many of the other 2002 Snappers weren't promoted or were released), but some decent players (Brad Nelson and Jason Belcher come to mind) have experienced enough losing in just over a season and a half to last a decade... High Desert Site Game Summary: VISALIA, CA ? The High Desert Mavericks dropped their fifth straight game, losing to the Visalia Oaks on Tuesday night by a final score of 10-1 at Recreation Park in Visalia. Six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning broke open a close game, as the Oaks improved to 5-0 against the Mavs this year. Mavs starter Chris Saenz, who missed his last start with a pulled right groin, struggled a bit with his control, but battled his way through five innings. Saenz allowed just one run in his five innings of work, working through three hits, three walks and two hit batters. Johnny Raburn's RBI single knocked in Chris Morris as the Mavs tied the game in the fifth inning at 1-1 off Oaks starter Gerrit Simpson (8-6). Justin Backsmeyer (1-6) allowed the Oaks to take the lead in the sixth, as Doug Bernier singled to knock in Dan Conway with the go-ahead run. The Oaks stockpiled six runs in the seventh to take an 8-1 lead. Jayson Nix homered off of Bobby Bystrowski to cap the frame. The Oaks added two in the eighth off of Tony Stavros, who made his first appearance since twisting his knee last week in San Bernardino. Ralph Santana led the High Desert offense with two hits. The Mavs have now dropped five straight and are now just 29-65 overall. David Nolasco (2-4) takes the hill for High Desert on Wednesday night against Visalia's Jeff Francis (6-8). Game time is 6:35 (8:35 PM Central). The Mavs return home on Thursday to face Inland Empire. High Desert Box Score: Brad Nelson at 1B for the 28th time this year; four games thus far in LF... GAME DATE: 7/15/03 HIGH DESERT 1 AT VISALIA 10 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG VISALIA AB R H BI AVG C.Morris CF 4 1 1 0 .262 M.Rosario CF 3 1 0 0 .244 J.Raburn LF 4 0 1 1 .265 J.Nix 2B 3 1 1 4 .284 B.Nelson 1B 4 0 1 0 .313 D.Phillips RF 5 0 2 0 .281 S.Candelaria 3B 4 0 1 0 .299 R.Shealy 1B 5 1 1 0 .317 J.Belcher RF 4 0 1 0 .320 C.Slavik DH 4 2 2 1 .328 J.Frost DH 4 0 1 0 .342 S.Barker LF 4 2 2 0 .273 R.Santana 2B 4 0 2 0 .276 D.Conway CAT 4 1 1 0 .279 B.Foster CAT 4 0 1 0 .184 J.Lincoln 3B 2 1 0 1 .207 O.Chavez SS 3 0 0 0 .221 D.Bernier SS 3 1 2 3 .213 C.Saenz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Simpson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Backsmeyer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Serrano PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Bystrowski PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Stavros PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 1 9 1 TOTALS 33 10 11 9 HIGH DESERT 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 1 9 1 VISALIA 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 2 X-10 11 2 E--J.Raburn, D.Bernier 2. DP--HIGH DESERT 0, VISALIA 1. LOB--HIGH DESERT 8, VISALIA 12. 2B--J.Frost (3), D.Phillips (25), R.Shealy (20), C.Slavik (19), D.Bernier (4). HR--J.Nix (12). SB--C.Morris (49). CS--R.Santana. HBP--J.Nix 2, J.Lincoln 2. SF--J.Lincoln. SH--O.Chavez. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT C.Saenz 5.0 3 1 1 3 3 0 6.86 J.Backsmeyer (L,1-6) 1.2 5 6 6 3 0 0 4.99 B.Bystrowski 0.1 1 1 1 0 0 1 6.06 T.Stavros 1.0 2 2 2 2 2 0 5.60 VISALIA G.Simpson (W,8-6) 7.0 8 1 1 0 5 0 4.11 A.Serrano 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.13 HB--C.Saenz 3, J.Backsmeyer. WP--C.Saenz, G.Simpson. BALKS--G.Simpson. PB--D.Conway. SO--J.Raburn, J.Belcher, J.Frost, R.Santana 2, B.Foster, O.Chavez, M.Rosario, R.Shealy, D.Conway, J.Lincoln, D.Bernier. BB--M.Rosario 3, C.Slavik, S.Barker, D.Conway, D.Bernier 2. T--2:41. A--530

Yeah, I'm picturing Robbie Wooley's parents being excited about finding Brewerfan.net, the 2003 draft forum, and then this thread. And then Hank the Angry Dwarf shows up, among others. By the way, I live in a suburb of Fall River, Massachusetts, Hank's hometown, and married a Fall River girl. Yes, his passing was headline news here. Plenty of room for the other stuff in the Off-Topic forum, guys.

Huntsville 6, Mobile (Padres) 2 Doug Davis wins what will likely be his only Huntsville appearance, striking out six in six innings. Matt Childers followed up with a three-inning save. J.J. Hardy went 3-for-5, ripping the ball all evening long. Robert Portnoy with a classy, informative broadcast as usual Huntsville Box Score: Brandon Gemoll, Noochie Varner and Daryl Clark on base multiple times as well... GAME DATE: 7/15/03 HUNTSVILLE 6 AT MOBILE 2 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG MOBILE AB R H BI AVG A.Machado 2B 5 0 1 0 .200 F.Guzman CF 4 1 0 0 .379 D.Krynzel CF 5 0 1 0 .309 J.Furmaniak SS 5 0 0 0 .111 J.Hardy SS 5 2 3 0 .310 R.Washington 3B 4 1 1 0 .250 C.Hart 3B 5 1 1 2 .281 J.Knott RF 3 0 1 0 .243 B.Gemoll 1B 4 2 3 0 .251 J.Gautreau 2B 3 0 2 1 .234 N.Varner RF 3 1 2 2 .298 H.Quintero CAT 3 0 1 0 .296 D.Clark LF 3 0 1 1 .252 J.Benick 1B 3 0 0 0 .232 K.Johnson CAT 3 0 0 0 .167 A.Webb PIT 0 0 0 0 .222 D.Davis PIT 2 0 0 1 .000 B.Scales PH 1 0 1 0 .270 M.Childers PIT 1 0 0 0 .200 R.Tucker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 V.Faison LF 4 0 1 0 .212 D.McAdoo PIT 2 0 0 0 .105 D.Bravo 1B 2 0 1 0 .241 TOTALS 36 6 12 6 TOTALS 34 2 8 1 HUNTSVILLE 0 1 0 3 0 0 2 0 0- 6 12 1 MOBILE 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 2 8 0 E--D.Krynzel. DP--HUNTSVILLE 2, MOBILE 1. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 7, MOBILE 9. 2B--J.Hardy (19), B.Gemoll 2 (17), D.Clark (7), R.Washington (13), J.Gautreau (12), B.Scales (13). HR--C.Hart (9). SB--N.Varner (7), F.Guzman (4), J.Knott (4). HBP--H.Quintero. SF--D.Davis. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE D.Davis (W,1-0) 6.0 5 2 2 3 6 0 3.00 M.Childers (S,7) 3.0 3 0 0 0 1 0 3.39 MOBILE D.McAdoo (L,3-6) 6.0 8 4 4 2 4 0 4.52 A.Webb 2.0 3 2 2 1 2 1 3.75 R.Tucker 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.63 HB--D.Davis. WP--D.Davis 2. SO--A.Machado, C.Hart, N.Varner, K.Johnson, D.Davis, M.Childers, J.Furmaniak, R.Washington, J.Gautreau, H.Quintero, V.Faison, D.McAdoo, D.Bravo. BB--N.Varner, D.Clark, K.Johnson, F.Guzman, J.Knott, J.Gautreau. T--2:40. A--2293

Arizona Mariners 8, Arizona Brewers 3 Arizona Box Score: It's becoming a bit of a broken record, but SS Gilberto Acosta's line is impressive every day; huge RHP Alvaro Martinez won't be 18 for another two weeks; switch-hitting 2B Bartolo DePaula has been a bit overmatched in his very first go of state-side ball... BREWERS AB R H BI AVG MARINERS AB R H BI AVG D.Bates LF 3 0 0 0 .245 G.Sandel 2B 4 2 2 0 .286 F.Mejia LF 2 0 1 1 .281 M.Rogelstad SS 5 1 2 0 .439 C.Fermaint CF 5 0 1 0 .371 E.Cruz RF 3 1 0 0 .275 B.Opdyke DH 4 1 2 0 .222 W.Balentien LF 4 0 0 0 .247 A.Mannon RF 3 0 1 0 .311 L.Soto 1B 5 1 2 2 .308 G.Acosta SS 4 1 2 1 .417 C.Wu CAT 3 1 1 1 .333 C.Corporan CAT 3 0 0 0 .196 B.Schweiger CAT 0 0 0 0 .300 C.Lozada CAT 1 1 1 0 .419 M.Wilson CF 5 1 2 0 .338 T.McCormack 3B 4 0 1 0 .293 P.Ozoria 3B 2 1 1 0 .375 R.Pijuan 1B 4 0 2 1 .255 C.Craig DH 4 0 2 2 .379 B.DePaula 2B 4 0 0 0 .197 V.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Martinezsa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Woerman PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Hawk PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Flores PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Correa PIT 0 0 0 0 .250 T.Dorn PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 3 11 3 TOTALS 35 8 12 5 BREWERS 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2- 3 11 1 MARINERS 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 1 X- 8 12 1 E--B.DePaula, E.Cruz. DP--BREWERS 1, MARINERS 1. LOB--BREWERS 8, MARINERS 11. 2B--B.Opdyke (1), M.Rogelstad (3), M.Wilson (6), C.Craig (3). 3B--P.Ozoria (1). SB--G.Acosta (9), R.Pijuan (1), G.Sandel (8), E.Cruz (1). CS--C.Fermaint. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BREWERS A.Martinezsa (L,0-3) 2.2 8 7 6 3 5 0 7.31 T.Hawk 3.1 3 0 0 2 3 0 2.70 A.Correa 2.0 1 1 1 3 2 0 12.54 MARINERS V.Hall (W,1-1) 6.0 5 1 1 1 5 0 8.57 J.Woerman 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.38 R.Flores 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 T.Dorn 1.0 4 2 2 0 1 0 18.00 WP--A.Martinezsa, T.Hawk 2, A.Correa 2. SO--B.Opdyke, C.Corporan, T.McCormack, B.DePaula 4, G.Sandel, E.Cruz, W.Balentien 4, L.Soto 2, M.Wilson, C.Craig. BB--A.Mannon, G.Sandel, E.Cruz 2, W.Balentien, B.Schweiger 2, P.Ozoria 2. T--2:51.

Missoula (Diamondbacks) 8, Helena 7 Helena Line Score: PIO FINAL R H E - - - HELENA 7 8 3 MISSOULA 8 12 6Helena Site Game Summary: Missoula rallied from two down going into the eighth to top the Brewers 8-7 Tuesday afternoon in Missoula. In the top of the ninth with the score 7-7, Helena got the lead off man on but was unable to score. Missoula led off their half with a triple by Carlos Gonzalez. Dana Eveland struck out Allen Mottram and then gave up a walk-off single to John Acosta. Helena is now 0-3 in the first game of a road trip. C Lou Palmisano extended his hitting streak to 17 going 2-for-3 with a double. CF Terry Trofholz went 2-for-4 picking up an RBI of his own. RF Robby Deevers continued his hot streak going 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBI. Dan Grybash started for the Brew Crew pitching four innings while giving up five runs six of which were earned. Eveland came in with a 7-5 lead in the eighth but was unable to hold it and picked up his first loss of the season. Helena and Missoula go back at it Wednesday evening, game time is 7:05 (8:05 Central).

We've heard rumblings that Rivera is more of a junior college candidate for academic reasons, should he not sign with the Brewers, which would still allow the 15th round New Jersey high school OF to be monitored as a DFE.