MassBrew

In progress: Billings (Reds) 3, Helena 0, after three innings at Billings 20-year-old RHP Greg Moreira, 2001's 10th round pick, and not Dan McKenna, as BA listed, got the start. The Billings announcer is really butchering Moreira's name. Man, I really dislike listening to opposing announcers get overly excited about their ball clubs. Helena still looking for their first hit. The lineup is: Trofholz, Septimo, Anderson, Deevers, Rottino (walked), Frost, Palmisano, Segura, and Rodriguez I'm probably going to bail out on this broadcast now, final details by early in the AM...

News for High Desert folks from the Independent Leagues: Almost amazingly, LHP Brian Mazone has found work again after his release last week. He's back with the Joliet Jackhammers of the Northern League, where he had the success in 2002 that prompted his signing by the Brewers. Derek Patterson, who saw time in 2002 as a utility man with the Mavs, recently won Player of the Week honors in the Central League -- this coming immediately after being released a week earlier and being picked up by another team: www.centralleaguebaseball...s.cgi?id=2 Obviously, we won't always pass on the more obscure news like this. For those wishing to follow Brewer alumni, there's always that thread, pinned to the top of this forum. Speaking of which, we don't include "disabled list" news on that thread. There's been a lot of that lately, and it would be darn near impossible to keep up with on a reporting basis. If you have a favorite alum and you wish to follow that player more closely, we'll at least keep the links viable within the Alumni thread so that you can then check out the appropriate players' team web page on your own. Ah well, at least I gave Mike Lindskog a couple of items for filler for his next High Desert broadcast http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

Indianapolis Media Notes for Thursday: TONIGHT: The Indians look for their fourth three-game winning streak of the season as they wrap up an eight-game homestand with the final game of a four-game series with Syracuse. A win tonight would also allow the Indians to finish the homestand with a .500 mark. This is the final meeting of the season between these two clubs. The teams played four times at P&C Stadium last week. The Indians swept the series outscoring the SkyChiefs 30-13 and outhitting them 53-38. It was the Tribe's third series sweep of the season, but the first four-game sweep since April 9-12, 2002. Since joining the IL in 1998, the Indians are 22-25 against the SkyChiefs. The Tribe won the season series in 2001 and 1999. Last year, Syracuse swept the season match-up winning all eight games. The Indians are 11-6 in June and have matched their win total for May when they went 11-18. Last year, the Tribe was 15-13 during June. In 2001, the Indians went 18-11 in June. The Indians, who have had one game cancelled this season and will only play a 143-game schedule, will essentially be at the halfway point of the season after tonight's game. YESTERDAY: The Indians came from behind to win for the second straight day. Alex Delgado's three-run homer in the fourth inning broke a 3-3 tie and put the Tribe ahead for good. Delgado had four RBI on the day. Jason Conti went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Pasqual Coco earned his fifth straight win to improve to 6-4. Roberto Giron, pitching for the third consecutive day, worked the ninth for his ninth save. ON THE MOUND: Righthander Dave Burba makes his 13th appearance and 12th start of the season. This will be his ninth appearance and eighth start with Indianapolis since signing on May 4. Burba has won his last three starts recording a 3.71 ERA since June 4. The second of those three starts came at Syracuse on June 9. Burba gave up three earned runs in five innings in a 13-5 win. One of Burba's best starts as an Indian came on June 14 against Scranton. Burba gave up one run on five hits over six innings. HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE? The Indians are just 3-5 in their last eight home games, but have won seven consecutive road games. The Indians have scored just 24 runs (3.0 rpg) and are hitting .252 (66-for-262) with 14 doubles and one home run (.317 SLG) in the last eight games at Victory Field. Over the seven-game winning streak on the road, the Tribe is batting .335 (84-for-251) with 22 doubles, three triples and eight homers (.542 SLG). TOP OF THE ORDER: Bill Hall had a season-high eight-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday. He was moved into the lead-off spot in the lineup Saturday and has gone 8-for-21 (.381) with three runs scored, three doubles, a walk and a stolen base in five games. During his eight-game hitting streak, Hall was 13-for-34 (.382) with seven runs, four doubles and four walks. Hall had a seven-game hitting streak from May 29-June 4 giving him at least one hit in 16 of his last 19 games. In that period, he's batting .308 (24-for-78). WHAT A RELIEF: In the last 19 games, the Tribe relief corps has allowed just 12 earned runs in 73.1 innings (1.47 ERA). For the season, the Indians bullpen has a 2.97 ERA. Among the leaders are: - Jason Childers: Since May 2 he is 0-1-2 with a 1.44 ERA in 15 G (4 ER / 25.0 IP) - John Foster: In June he is 0-0-0 with a 0.90 ERA in 6 G (1 ER / 10.0 IP) - Roberto Giron: Since May 11 he is 0-0-4 with a 0.53 ERA in 16 G (1 ER / 17.0 IP) - Shane Nance: Since May 23 he is 2-0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 10 G (0 ER / 12.1 IP) WHAT A RUSH: Jim Rushford has hit safely in 23 of his last 28 games. Rushford signed with the Tribe on May 15, and after going hitless in his first four games and 10 at-bats, has broken out in a big way. Over the last 28 games, Rushford is hitting .356 (36-for-101). Rushford was the Tribe's MVP in 2002. UPCOMING PROBABLES: Friday at Pawtucket - LHP Travis Miller (4-2, 3.47) vs. RHP Eric Glaser (2-0, 1.80) Saturday at Pawtucket - RHP Joe Roa (0-1, 11.57) vs. RHP Steve Woodard (2-3, 4.76) Sunday at Pawtucket - RHP David Manning (4-3, 3.34) vs. RHP Dicky Gonzalez (3-5, 4.26) Monday at Pawtucket - RHP Pasqual Coco (6-4, 4.78) vs. LHP Bruce Chen (0-1, 5.40) You have to feel for RHP David Manning -- 30 years old, 12th year in pro ball, yet to see major league action. Nice to see he's due to make his start Sunday. Apparently, his arm has been barking as of late, otherwise he's been pitching worthy of that call-up. Something to look for tonight will be to see if OF Pete Zoccolillo is in the lineup. While listening to a portion of Wednesday afternoon's webcast, they mentioned Zocco was a last-minute scratch -- wasn't able to catch enough of the audio to hear if the announcers gave a reason. A couple of interesting names facing the Indians this weekend in Pawtucket -- MassBrew

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On Sunday the 15th, the Brewers also released 23-year-old RHP Eric A. Thomas, 2002's 28th round draft pick. In Ogden last season, Thomas appeared in 15 games, starting nine, with a 5.36 ERA. he allowed 50 hits in 45.1 IP, walked 21, hit nine batters (ouch), and struck out 38. Thomas was a three-year teammate of Rickie Weeks at Southern University, so hopefully Rickie won't allow this cut to hurt negotiations http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif . At the very least, we can now avoid confusion with Eric M. Thomas, the Brewers' 2002 3rd round pick, currently with the Arizona Brewers, dealing with some injury issues, apparently. Eric A. Thomas turned 23 last August while with Ogden. I understand there's no quibbling once you start talking about 28th round selections, but as a general rule draft-wise, if you're picking a soon-to-be 23-year-old, he had better be able to begin his career at Beloit, otherwise make use of the pick on a younger prospect. Yeah, that's being pretty picky, but...

Indianapolis LHP Nate Teut has been activated from the disabled list (back spasms), filling the active roster spot of promoted Dan Kolb. 2002 20th round RHP Tyler Shepple, out of the Univ. of Washington, was released last Sunday the 15th. In 25 relief appearances at Ogden last summer, Shepple allowed 56 hits in 33.2 IP, with a 7.49 ERA. When the rookie league season opened last June, Shepple had been given first shot at the closer's job for the Raptors. We're still efforting to learn the status of one or two other stray Brewer farmhands -- stay tuned...

Daily Press High Desert Game Story: www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...699,24133, The San Bernadino Sun runs a weekly California League column; High Desert news has been light thus far this year, but we'll pass on the following from this week: High Desert pitcher David Nolasco, a resident of Rialto and graduate of Eisenhower High School, got the opportunity to pitch in front of a home crowd for the first time in his professional career Saturday night. He made a spot start in the second game of a doubleheader against the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino at Arrowhead Credit Union Park. Nolasco, a 24-year-old right-hander, said he left 48 passes for family and friends but saw at least 10 other people he knew. All were standing behind the visitor's dugout and applauding when the local product left in the sixth inning after giving up a leadoff walk and a double. Nolasco (2-2) went five innings, allowing just one run and four hits while striking out two and walking one in the Mavericks' 3-1 victory. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't flat,' Nolasco said. "I didn't want to hold anything back. I was going to give it everything I had and if I ran out of bullets, so be it. Of course, I didn't want to come out, but I was running out of gas.' Nolasco has been used primarily in long relief, but Mavericks manager Tim Blackwell and pitching coach Bill Champion needed him in a pinch. The club was short-handed after releasing pitcher Brian Mazone to make room for Brad Nelson, who was coming off the disabled list. "Of course, I would love to start, but it is up to the coaches,' Nolasco said. "I will do whatever they want me to do.'

No conflicts here with the Brewers today -- we'll expect some reports from fans listening in to the various choices here later tonight... Daily Menu fans are still waiting for that five-course meal of game-day action -- off-days are delaying that; the Link Report staff needs to conserve energy for those six-game meals when the Arizona kids begin play http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif All times Central; pitchers subject to change; check out pre-game audio approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed; while there is no visitor's audio available for the Beloit game, yes, there is opponent's audio available tonight for the Helena game -- we are extremely jealous... Helena audio available (Billings feed) here: www.billingsmustangs.com/ INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Dave Burba at home vs. Syracuse (Blue Jays), 7:00 PM HUNTSVILLE: LHP Luis Martinez at Greenville (Braves), 6:15 PM HIGH DESERT: Idle BELOIT: The Snappers host Peoria (Cardinals) at 7:00 PM to open the second half of their schedule; we're guessing LHP Jeff Housman will get the start following the All-Star break, although it wouldn't surprise us if RHP Luis Pena got the nod, either HELENA: The pride of New Jersey, RHP Dan McKenna, gets the starting assignment at Billings (Reds), 8:00 PM; I believe others had speculated Mckenna might be placed in a closer's role, but apparently that's not the case

Thanks again to Highroller720 for posting all the early overnight box scores! Indianapolis Star Game Story: www.indystar.com/print/ar...2-036.html

Indianapolis 6, Syracuse (Blue Jays) 4 Indy Site Game Summary: The Tribe bullpen continues to shine... INDIANAPOLIS -- Alex Delgado drove home four runs, including three with his first home run of the season, as the Indianapolis Indians defeated the Syracuse SkyChiefs 6-4 at Victory Field on Wednesday afternoon. Syracuse jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning off of Tribe starter Pasqual Coco as nine batters came to the plate. The first run scored when Kurt Keene walked with the bases loaded bringing home Kevin Cash. Rich Thompson singled to center to plate an additional two runs. Coco (6-4) escaped further damage when he got Syracuse's top RBI man, Tony Zuniga, to ground out with the bases loaded to end the inning. The Indians answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning when Jason Conti drove home Keith Luuloa with a single to right. Delgado then lifted a fly ball into center field that fell at the feet of both Syracuse center fielder Thompson and right fielder Mike Colangelo. Wilton Veras who had walked earlier in the inning came home on the play, but Conti was thrown out at second base for an oddly constructed fielder's choice RBI for Delgado. In the bottom of the third the Indians tied the score when Luuloa led off with a single, moved to second on a single by Veras, and scored on a double by Conti. Delgado put the Indians on top for good with a three-run blast to deep left field which gave the Indians a 6-3 advantage. Coco pitched into the top of the sixth inning, but after allowing base hits to the first three batters was relieved by Jason Childers with two men on and one already having crossed home. Childers not only pitched out of the jam by retiring the next three SkyChiefs batters, but also retired the side in the seventh, and the first two batters in the eighth before allowing back-to-back base hits to Mike Moriarty and Keene which put runners on the corners with two outs. This time it was Shane Nance's turn to shut the door on the Syracuse rally as Nance was brought on to face Thompson, who popped out to Wilton Veras at third base to end the inning. Roberto Giron, pitching for the third straight day, worked the ninth to record his ninth save of the season. The teams wrap-up the four-game series and the Tribe's eight-game homestand with a 7 pm contest Thursday night at Victory Field. Indianapolis Box Score: Nice looking box score, contributions throughout... GAME DATE: 6/18/03 SYRACUSE 4 AT INDIANAPOLIS 6 YTD YTD SYRACUSE AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG R.Thompson CF 4 0 1 2 .359 B.Hall 2B 5 0 2 0 .258 J.Sequea 2B 5 0 0 0 .192 J.Rushford RF 4 0 1 0 .324 M.Colangelo RF 4 0 0 0 .293 M.Smith LF 5 0 3 0 .312 T.Zuniga DH 5 0 0 0 .292 D.Jennings DH 4 0 0 0 .294 R.Ryan LF 3 0 0 0 .249 K.Luuloa 1B 4 2 1 0 .276 K.Cash CAT 4 2 2 0 .260 W.Veras 3B 3 2 2 0 .237 K.Huckaby 1B 4 1 2 0 .219 J.Conti CF 4 1 3 2 .227 M.Moriarty 3B 3 1 2 1 .233 A.Delgado CAT 4 1 1 4 .313 K.Keene SS 2 0 1 1 .333 S.Scarboroug SS 4 0 0 0 .195 C.Baker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Coco PIT 0 0 0 0 .222 M.Smith PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Kershner PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Nance PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Bowles PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Giron PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 4 8 4 TOTALS 37 6 13 6 SYRACUSE 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 4 8 1 INDIANAPOLIS 0 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 X- 6 13 0 E--B.Bowles. DP--SYRACUSE 0, INDIANAPOLIS 0. LOB--SYRACUSE 9, INDIANAPOLIS 10. 2B--K.Huckaby (2), M.Moriarty (6), B.Hall (13), M.Smith (17), J.Conti (9). HR--A.Delgado (1). SB--R.Thompson (4). CS--B.Hall. HBP--M.Colangelo, D.Jennings. SH--K.Keene. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SYRACUSE C.Baker (L,0-1) 3.0 7 6 6 1 2 1 10.80 M.Smith 2.0 4 0 0 0 3 0 4.68 J.Kershner 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.58 B.Bowles 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0.98 INDIANAPOLIS P.Coco (W,6-4) 5.0 6 4 4 4 4 0 4.78 J.Childers 2.2 2 0 0 0 2 0 2.06 S.Nance 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.05 R.Giron (S,9) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.18 HB--C.Baker, P.Coco. SO--R.Thompson, J.Sequea 2, M.Colangelo, T.Zuniga 2, M.Moriarty, B.Hall, D.Jennings 3, A.Delgado, S.Scarboroug 2. BB-- R.Thompson, R.Ryan, M.Moriarty, K.Keene, J.Rushford, W.Veras. T--2:45. A--8893

Chad Petty is starting for High Desert. I think Kyle Petty is a race car driver or something like that That's too funny, and probably not the only time I'll make that mistake, as much as I despise auto racing. I realize that fans of that *sport* (cough, cough) are diehard and will defend it to the end -- just please don't do so here (off-topic forum, perhaps). I'll just never get auto racing or the logic behind it, nor do I have the desire to do so.

Daily Menu time -- are you hungry? There's one matinee... All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio is available approx. 15 minutes prior to game time; opposition radio coverage of the Helena game is available here: www.sportstalk1450.com/Ha...1CABA97AB} INDIANAPOLIS: Hard not to notice there's been a new wave of posts from fans in the Indianapolis area since I pushed the Brewerfan gospel at the Indy fans I met in my Milwaukee hotel last weekend http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ; RHP Pascual Coco vs Syracuse (Blue Jays), 2:00 PM From today's Indy Media Notes: Righthander Pasqual Coco makes his team-leading 15th start of the season. Coco leads the team in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. Coco has won his last four decisions dating back nine starts to May 4. Over those nine starts he has recorded a 3.97 ERA allowing 20 ER in 45.1 IP. His season ERA has come down to 4.61 from 5.76. Coco faced his former teammates on June 8. He did not get a decision in a 5-4 Tribe win. Coco gave up four runs in six innings. In his most recent start, Coco also allowed four runs (1 earned) in six innings against Scranton on June 13. HUNTSVILLE: RHP Jeff Robinson at Greenville (Braves), 6:15 PM, as the second half of the season begins HIGH DESERT: LHP Kyle Petty vs. Lancaster (Diamondbacks) at home, 9:05 PM BELOIT: Idle as the All-Star Break wraps up HELENA: 18-year-old LHP Carlos Ramirez is scheduled to start at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 8:05 PM The Helena front office gets a 2003 mulligan for its web site usefullness in year one (there pretty much is no usefullness right now). The folks in Helena should take note of the outstanding Missoula site and work to emulate that. www.missoulaosprey.com/ Fortunately, the Helena newspaper coverage should be solid and timely, at least for home games.

mlb.com now confirms that Josh Murray and Eric M. Thomas, 2002's 2nd/3rd round picks, are on the Arizona roster for now. There are still a few discrepancies between the Brewers' own minor league page, and the roster page on the Helena site. Right now, Brewerfan's rosters are kind of a compilation of both, based on what we believe to be correct at the moment. Until the rosters get settled betwen Helena and Arizona, not every transaction between the two clubs will be logged in our Transaction Archive. We'll now try to confirm the status of RHP's Eric A. Thomas and Tyler Shepple with the Brewers. Kate Geenen, the administrative assistant to the Brewers' player development staff, had provided us with information when we asked about certain specific moves in the past. We'd only ask her when we exhausted all other resources, and she was very obliging. Apparently she's left the Brewers to pursue a career in teaching, always a noble move. We wish her well!

Daily Press Article on Mavs' Hitting Coach Andy Tomberlin: www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...241,69395, Just a reminder that all minor league non-game story articles are linked in Brewerfan's Article Crawler, located on the home page. On each team's Brewerfan page, you'll find these same articles linked as well. The game stories can be found within each day's Link Report, and the full archive of those is available via the home page as well.

Daily Press High Desert Game Story: www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...705,85664,

At what point do Richardson & Henderson get bumped up to Beloit, or further given their past experience at that level? That may help guys like Eveland see more time in the rotation. Until things settle down, it's a pretty dizzying effort to keep up with the current make-up of the ball clubs in the lower minors. It's almost at the point where you're simply checking box scores to see who's where. Apparently, both LHP Eric Henderson and RHP Judd Richardson were transferred from the Helena to the Beloit roster after last night's game. There's also a notation on the mlb.com Transaction Page indicating that each has also been placed on Beloit's disabled list. Surely it's not a case of both pitchers being injured after last night's fine efforts. This might be a 7-day process in which the Brewers free up roster spots in Beloit. I'll see if I can summarize things in the Transactions thread in just a bit....

Helena Record Game Story: Helena pitchers retire the first 20 batters they face, Justin Barnes goes deep; Dana Eveland dominant in the closer's role; Andri Gomez earns the first Helena "Action Shot" Honors... www.helenair.com/articles...803_01.txt Helena's Opening Night a Hit: www.helenair.com/articles...803_01.txt Helena Box Score: Helena pitchers walk none, K 11; Jeremy Frost, drafted as a catcher, sees action at 3B with Lou Palmisano behind the plate; "C. Ramirez" at first base is Manny, as expected... GAME DATE: 6/17/03 MISSOULA 2 AT HELENA 4 YTD YTD MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG HELENA AB R H BI AVG J.Kaplan CF 4 0 0 0 .000 T.Trofholz CF 4 0 0 0 .000 E.Bonifacio 2B 4 0 1 0 .250 G.Rodriguez 2B 3 1 1 0 .333 C.Gonzalez RF 4 1 1 0 .250 D.Anderson LF 4 0 1 0 .250 J.Acosta DH 4 1 1 2 .250 J.Frost 3B 4 0 1 0 .250 A.Murillo 3B 3 0 1 0 .333 R.Deevers RF 4 1 1 1 .250 M.Montero CAT 3 0 0 0 .000 J.Barnes DH 3 2 1 2 .333 J.Brito 1B 3 0 0 0 .000 L.Palmisano CAT 3 0 0 0 .000 T.Vanzile LF 3 0 0 0 .000 C.Ramirez 1B 3 0 1 0 .333 J.Olivares SS 3 0 0 0 .000 A.Gomez SS 3 0 1 1 .333 A.Rocha PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Richardson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Perrault PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Henderson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Eveland PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 31 2 4 2 TOTALS 31 4 7 4 MISSOULA 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0- 2 4 2 HELENA 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 X- 4 7 0 E--E.Bonifacio, J.Olivares. DP--MISSOULA 1, HELENA 0. LOB--MISSOULA 2, HELENA 5. 2B--C.Gonzalez (1), A.Murillo (1). HR--J.Acosta (1), J.Barnes (1). SB--A.Gomez (1). CS--D.Anderson. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA MISSOULA A.Rocha (L,0-1) 6.0 6 4 4 2 1 1 6.00 J.Perrault 2.0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0.00 HELENA J.Richardson 3.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 E.Henderson (W,1-0) 4.0 3 2 2 0 4 1 4.50 D.Eveland (S,1) 2.0 1 0 0 0 5 0 0.00 SO--E.Bonifacio, C.Gonzalez 2, J.Acosta 3, J.Brito 2, T.Vanzile, J.Olivares 2, T.Trofholz, J.Frost, J.Barnes, L.Palmisano, C.Ramirez. BB--G.Rodriguez, J.Barnes. T--2:03. A--2077

From a poster with ties to the Tuscon area, within the Opdyke thread in this forum: As usual the Tucson paper was not even close. The numbers mentioned were off by hundreds of thousands. I do not know the actual figures but ignore these numbers. I believe the numbers were around the 200,000 mark to 250,000. I hope this one gets done soon.

Some interesting items highlighting the hot bats in the Indianapolis lineup and the multiple bullpen options for Milwaukee within the Tribe's Media Notes tonight: TONIGHT: The Indians play the sixth game of an eight-game homestand and the second game of a four-game set with the Syracuse SkyChiefs. The teams played a four-game set at P&C Stadium last week. The Indians swept the series outscoring the SkyChiefs 30-13 and outhitting them 53-38. It was the Tribe's third series sweep of the season, but the first four-game sweep since April 9-12, 2002. Since joining the IL in 1998, the Indians are 20-25 against the SkyChiefs. The Tribe won the season series in 2001 and 1999. Last year, Syracuse swept the season match-up winning all eight games. YESTERDAY: Syracuse beat the Tribe for the first time this season, 9-3. Tony Zuniga went 3-for-5 with 4 RBI. He delivered two, two-run bases loaded singles. The Indians got 10 hits including six from the top two men in the lineup, and eight from the top four spots in the order. The Tribe had the bases loaded with two outs in three innings and did not plate a run in any of those situations. ON THE MOUND: Righthander Ben Ford makes his fourth appearance and third start for the Indians since joining the team on May 31. All three of Ford's appearances have come at Victory Field. His last start came Thursday against Scranton. Ford pitched a season-high six innings. He took the loss allowing a five-run inning. Ford recorded five strikeouts in the outing, and has 15 Ks in 14.0 innings overall. HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE? The Indians are just 1-5 in their last six home games, but have won seven consecutive road games. The Indians have scored just 14 runs (2.3 rpg) and are hitting .232 (46-for-198) with nine doubles (.278 SLG) in the last six games at Victory Field. Over the seven-game winning streak on the road, the Tribe is batting .335 (84-for-251) with 22 doubles, three triples and eight homers (.542 SLG). TOP OF THE ORDER: Bill Hall has a season-high eight-game hitting streak dating back to June 7. He was moved into the lead-off spot in the lineup Saturday and has gone 6-for-13 (.462) with three runs scored, two doubles, a walk and a stolen base in three games. During his eight-game hitting streak, Hall is 13-for-34 (.382) with seven runs, four doubles and four walks. Hall had a seven-game hitting streak from May 29-June 4 giving him at least one hit in 15 of his last 17 games. In that period, he's batting .314 (22-for-70). WHAT A RELIEF: In the last 17 games, the Tribe relief corps has allowed just 12 earned runs in 67.2 innings (1.60 ERA). For the season, the Indians bullpen has a 3.04 ERA. Among the leaders are: - Jason Childers: Since May 2 he is 0-1-2 with a 1.61 ERA in 14 G (4 ER / 22.1 IP) - John Foster: In June he is 0-0-0 with a 0.90 ERA in 6 G (0 ER / 10.0 IP) - Roberto Giron: Since May 11 he is 0-0-3 with a 0.60 ERA in 14 G (1 ER / 15.0 IP) - Shane Nance: Since May 23 he is 2-0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 8 G (0 ER / 11.1 IP) 'KOLB' AS ICE: Opponents are hitting a frigid .183 against Tribe reliever Dan Kolb. Kolb has recorded a 1.37 ERA in 26 games allowing six earned runs in 39.1 innings. Kolb has struck out 40 batters in his last 30.2 innings (18 G). He was selected as the Brewers minor league pitcher of the month for May after recording a 1.47 ERA with 22 strikeouts and just three walks in 18.1 innings. LUULOA'S BAT STAYS HOT: Keith Luuloa, who hit .304 with 14 RBI in May, continues to swing a hot bat. In 20 games since May 25, he is hitting .333 (23-for-69) with 15 runs scored and 15 RBI. He has eight doubles, three triples and four home runs for a .710 slugging percentage. WHAT A RUSH: Jim Rushford has hit safely in 22 of his last 26 games. Rushford signed with the Tribe on May 15, and after going hitless in his first four games and 10 at-bats, has broken out in a big way. Over the last 26 games, Rushford is hitting .372 (35-for-94). Rushford was the Tribe's MVP in 2002. ON THE BOARD EARLY: The Indians have scored a team-best 43 runs in the first inning. The Tribe has plated a first-inning run in 23 games this season, but are just 12-11 in those games. The first and second innings are the only innings in which the Indians have outscored their opponents. The Indians have scored just 54 runs over the seventh, eighth and ninth innings and are 2-33 when trailing after six innings. UPCOMING PROBABLES: Wednesday vs. Syracuse - RHP Chris Baker (0-0, 4.91) vs. RHP Pasqual Coco (5-4, 4.61) Thursday vs. Syracuse - RHP Jason Arnold (1-3, 5.17) vs. RHP Dave Burba (5-6, 4.45)

Huntsville Times Game Story: No news is good news to the Stars' fans regarding roster maneuvers... www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...325090.xml Huntsville Manager Frank Kremblas: The "We Suck" Article Gotta love Kremblas' insistence on improved mental toughness among his physically gifted squad... www.al.com/sports/huntsvi...325090.xml

Daily Press High Desert Game Story: Listen to that Eddie Van Halen guitar riff (oh, and Michael)... www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...968,58592,

Daily Menu for Tuesday: All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio available approx. 15 minures prior to game time... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Ben Ford at home vs. Syracuse (Blue Jays), 7:00 PM HUNTSVILLE: Idle HIGH DESERT: RHP Danny Kolb at home vs. Lancaster (Diamondbacks), 9:05 PM BELOIT: Idle for the Midwest League All-Star game at West Michigan, 6:20 PM. Manny Parra (pitched Friday), Tom Wilhemsen (Saturday) and Dennis Sarfate (Sunday), along with Prince Fielder, represent the Snappers. It's likely only Parra might see action among the pitchers, perhaps an inning on three days' rest. West Michigan, the host team (Tigers), does not have gameday audio, and it doesn't appear as though the league has arranged for an alternative, which is a bit odd. HELENA: Mountain time zone so it's 8:05 Central for this one. The Brewers' games are broadcast locally, but KCAP, the Helena radio affiliate, does not webcast http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif . If curious, tonight's opponent, the Missoula Ospreys (Diamondacks), does webcast (at least they have a "Listen Live" button) -- find it here: www.missoulaosprey.com/ It'll likely be LHP Eric Henderson or RHP Judd Richardson getting the start tonight. It's supposed to be around 80 degrees with zero chance of rain for Opening Night activities. Welcome back, Helena!

No word yet on a new hitting coach for Helena...

Opening Day Preview from the Helena Independent Record: Play Ball! A few misspelled names here, but a nice little preview by the sports editor having never seen these kids in game action... www.helenair.com/articles...703_01.txt Sedar to stress hustle Isn't that the mantra of every Rookie League manager? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif www.helenair.com/articles...703_01.txt Feature on 3rd round catcher Lou Palmisano: Nice things to say about the Milwaukee organization; junior college players are actually eligible after their freshman year as well -- see article... www.helenair.com/articles...703_02.txt Pioneer League Has Undergone Change: www.helenair.com/articles...703_03.txt Not Brewer-related, but an interesting piece on baseball's arrival in Helena and some players who went on to big things: www.helenair.com/articles...703_01.txt Thanks again to our new friends at the Record! Online articles are available first thing in the AM, a big plus with the Link Report staff!

High Desert 13, Lancaster (Diamondbacks) 3 As predicted, the Mavs get a bounce from a clean slate -- the first win in what will undoubtably be an undefeated second half; fine pitching from starter Aaron Dean and Justin Gordon; big night in a nice offensive year for Todd West; Andy Tomberlin off to a nice start as High Desert's new Hitting Coach; Farm Director Reid Nichols will make his first visit to the desert this week... High Desert Site Game Summary: ADELANTO, CA ? The High Desert Mavericks are in first place! Even though the second half is only one game in, the Mavs put on a show for the home fans. The 13-3 blow-out of the Lancaster JetHawks was one of their most impressive wins this year, on Monday night at Mavericks Stadium. Aaron Dean (4-2) and Justin Gordon combined to give the Mavs solid pitching, holding the top offense in the Cal League to just three runs on seven hits. Offensively, each of the nine men in the lineup had a base hit, with Todd West leading the way with a 3-4 night and Jason Belcher picking up a team-high three RBIs. The Mavs scored three in the first as Scott Candelaria had a run-scoring single. After the JetHawks got a run-scoring hit from Kyle Nichols in the fourth, the Mavs answered with three more in the bottom of the inning. Brian Foster and Johnny Raburn each had an RBI double to highlight the inning. The Mavs went up 9-1 with three more in the fifth, as Foster again picked up an RBI double. That was followed by an Ozzie Chavez RBI double and a run-scoring fielder?s choice by Brad Nelson. The JetHawks got their second run off of Dean in the sixth as Chris Snyder knocked in a run with a two-out RBI hit, scoring Jason Gorman. The Mavs again answered by scoring two in the seventh and two more in the eighth for a commanding 13-2 lead. Justin Gordon earned his fourth save, allowing a run over the final three innings of work. Brad Nelson had two hits and two RBIs on the night, in just his second game back from the disabled list. Former Maverick (Diamondback organization) Scott Barber (5-4) took the loss with just four innings of work. The Mavs are now 1-0 in the second half, but 26-45 overall. They face Lancaster again on Tuesday night, as Danny Kolb (3-4) takes the hill against Lance Cormier (5-5) of the JetHawks. First pitch is 7:05 (9:05 Central) from Mavericks Stadium. High Desert Box Score: 2B Todd West reached base five times... GAME DATE: 6/16/03 LANCASTER 3 AT HIGH DESERT 13 YTD YTD LANCASTER AB R H BI AVG HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG T.McAndrews RF 4 0 0 0 .000 J.Raburn RF 6 2 2 1 .289 D.Uggla 3B 2 1 0 0 .294 T.West 2B 4 2 3 0 .281 B.Johnson 3B 0 0 0 0 .230 B.Nelson 1B 5 2 2 2 .395 K.Nichols 1B 2 0 1 1 .321 S.Candelaria 3B 5 1 1 2 .306 C.Snyder DH 4 0 1 1 .321 J.Belcher DH 5 0 2 3 .319 J.Garthwaite CF 4 0 0 0 .302 C.Morris CF 5 0 1 1 .257 M.DiRosa CAT 4 1 2 0 .259 R.Santana LF 3 2 2 0 .284 M.Thiessen LF 4 0 2 1 .250 B.Foster CAT 5 2 2 2 .197 D.Richar SS 4 0 0 0 .306 O.Chavez SS 5 2 1 1 .220 J.Gorman 2B 3 1 1 0 .333 A.Dean PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Barber PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gordon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Trejo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Medlin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 31 3 7 3 TOTALS 43 13 16 12 LANCASTER 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1- 3 7 4 HIGH DESERT 3 0 0 3 3 0 2 2 X-13 16 0 E--K.Nichols, M.Thiessen, D.Richar, J.Gorman. DP--LANCASTER 0, HIGH DESERT 3. LOB--LANCASTER 6, HIGH DESERT 13. 2B--M.DiRosa (3), J.Raburn (4), T.West 2 (14), B.Foster 2 (8), O.Chavez (1). SB-- D.Uggla (14), M.Thiessen (2), J.Raburn (18), R.Santana (18). HBP-- S.Candelaria, R.Santana. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA LANCASTER S.Barber (L,5-4) 4.0 6 6 4 4 1 0 5.51 F.Trejo 2.0 3 3 3 1 1 0 4.76 C.Medlin 2.0 7 4 3 0 0 0 7.41 HIGH DESERT A.Dean (W,4-2) 6.0 4 2 2 2 3 0 6.96 J.Gordon (S,4) 3.0 3 1 1 3 2 0 6.07 HB--S.Barber, F.Trejo. WP--C.Medlin. SO--D.Uggla, J.Garthwaite 2, M.DiRosa, J.Gorman, J.Belcher, C.Morris. BB--D.Uggla, B.Johnson, K.Nichols 2, J.Gorman, T.West 2, B.Nelson, J.Belcher, R.Santana. T--2:56. A--1047