MassBrew

We've yet to see any confirmation on the Brewers' web site or another transaction wire, but Baseball America reports that Milwaukee has signed RHP Ben Ford. The Brewers confirmed for us that Ford's signing, as described above, did occur, but that Ford has been placed on the "Temp Inactive" list for now.

Daily Menu for Friday allows for plenty of early evening appetizers before the Brewer nightcap: All times Central; pitchers subject to change; the always-informative pre-game shows begin approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed here... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Dave Burba at home vs. Ottawa (Orioles), 7:00 PM HUNTSVILLE: It's a battle for first place as LHP Derek Lee faces Birmingham (White Sox) at their place, 7:00 PM HIGH DESERT: The Mavs are in San Jose to face the baby Giants at 9:00 PM; last we knew it was LHP Brian Mazone scheduled to go tonight, as we await newcomer Chad Petty's first outing BELOIT: RHP Luis Pena vs. Cedar Rapids (Angels) at home, 6:30 PM; visitor's audio is available for this series by clicking here: www.kernels.com/Pages/radio.html

Beloit Game Story from the Battle Creek Enquirer: A few additional details here... www.battlecreekenquirer.c...88715.html

Huntsville Site Game Summary: www.huntsvillestars.com/n...?newsid=82 Huntsville Box Score from Baseball America: Includes updated averages and ERA's... GAME DATE: 5/29/03 HUNTSVILLE 1 AT BIRMINGHAM 9 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI AVG R.Knox LF 4 0 1 0 .251 C.Durham CF 3 1 0 0 .273 D.Krynzel CF 3 0 2 0 .316 D.Sandoval SS 4 1 1 0 .250 J.Hardy SS 4 0 1 1 .324 R.Hankins 2B 4 2 1 3 .270 C.Hart 3B 4 0 1 0 .302 D.Ingram LF 0 0 0 0 .216 N.Varner RF 4 0 0 0 .000 D.Ingram DH 1 1 0 0 .216 B.Gemoll 1B 2 0 0 0 .247 S.Bikowski RF 4 1 1 2 .320 R.Gripp DH 4 0 0 0 .222 C.Maldonado CAT 3 1 1 1 .299 K.Johnson CAT 4 0 0 0 .100 J.Acevas 1B 3 1 0 0 .269 R.Paz 2B 2 1 2 0 .263 J.Piniella LF 3 1 2 1 .254 P.Liriano PIT 0 0 0 0 .077 J.Piniella CF 0 0 0 0 .254 B.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Shaffer 3B 4 0 2 1 .207 R.Miller PIT 0 0 0 0 .250 N.Cotts PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Bullard PIT 1 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 31 1 7 1 TOTALS 30 9 8 8 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 1 7 2 BIRMINGHAM 0 5 0 0 2 0 2 0 X- 9 8 1 E--J.Hardy, P.Liriano, J.Piniella. DP--HUNTSVILLE 1, BIRMINGHAM 2. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 7, BIRMINGHAM 6. 2B--R.Paz (9), C.Maldonado (9), J.Piniella (7). HR--R.Hankins (6), S.Bikowski (1). SB--R.Knox (17), D.Sandoval (8). CS--D.Krynzel, D.Ingram. HBP--D.Krynzel. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE P.Liriano (L,4-5) 4.1 6 7 2 7 3 2 2.91 B.Adams 2.2 2 2 2 2 2 0 10.80 R.Miller 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.00 BIRMINGHAM N.Cotts (W,7-2) 6.1 4 1 1 2 12 0 2.18 J.Bullard 2.2 3 0 0 1 0 0 4.72 HB--N.Cotts. WP--P.Liriano, B.Adams. SO--R.Knox, J.Hardy, C.Hart 3, N.Varner 2, B.Gemoll, R.Gripp 2, K.Johnson 2, C.Durham, D.Sandoval, D.Ingram, J.Piniella, J.Shaffer 2, J.Bullard. BB--B.Gemoll 2, R.Paz, C.Durham, D.Sandoval, R.Hankins, D.Ingram 3, C.Maldonado, J.Acevas, J.Piniella. T--2:45. A--3325

starsboxscore.com No problem, David. With a 9-1 Huntsville loss, you picked a good evening to skip. Game One: Rochester (Twins) 7, Indianapolis 1 Game Two: Rochester 4, Indianapolis 3 Indy Site Doubleheader Summary: INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Indians (18-33) dropped both ends of a doubleheader against the Rochester Red Wings (23-28) on Thursday night, losing 7-1 in the first game and 4-3 in the second. Justin Morneau led a Red Wings offensive attack that mashed out 23 hits in the two ballgames. Brent Hoard (3-3) pitched 6.0 innings holding the Tribe to six hits and only one run in game one. David Manning, who entered the game with a 1.88 ERA on the season, took the loss for Indianapolis as he allowed six runs off nine hits in only 4.2 innings. Brandon Marsters and Morneau each homered off Manning in the fifth inning, Marsters with a solo shot and Morneau with a three-run homer. Morneau was 2-for-3 in game one with two runs scored and four RBI. The Tribe's lone run in game one was scored in the home half of the second inning when Pete Zoccolillo's single drove home Wilton Veras after Veras had reached base on a double. In game two, the Indians jumped out to an early lead scoring single runs in the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead. Zoccolillo doubled home Bill Hall in the first inning and Jason Conti was balked home as Veras batted against Red Wings starter Matt Carnes in the bottom of the second. After coasting through the Red Wings order in the first three innings, Tribe starter Pasqual Coco ran into trouble facing Morneau leading off the fourth inning, as Morneau connected for his second home run of the night and 11th of the season with a solo blast to right center. Rochester then tied the game on a Marsters RBI double later in the inning. The Red Wings and Tribe traded runs in the fifth inning when Luis Rodriguez delivered an RBI base hit for Rochester and Zoccolillo plated Mark Budzinski on a groundout in the bottom half of the inning. Coco pitched 5.0 innings in game two allowing three runs on eight hits before giving way to John Foster (1-1) with the score tied at three apiece heading into the sixth. Foster, who had won his only other appearance with the Indians this season, allowed Shane Andrews to score the go-ahead run for Rochester in the top of the sixth on an RBI groundout by Gabby Torres. Juan Padilla (2-1), who came on in relief of Carnes with one out and two Indians runners on base in the bottom of the fifth, earned the win for Rochester in game two. Jim Rushford, who was a combined 3-for-6 on the day, extended his hitting streak to nine games after connecting for base hits in both contests. The Indians will open a four game series with Ottawa on Friday night when Dave Burba (2-5, 3.86) faces Eric DuBose (4-3, 4.05) at 7 p.m. from Victory Field. Indianapolis Star Game Story: "Action Shot" of Steve Scarborough, but you've got to get quotes at the home games, Indy writers -- it's kind of ironic that the weakest overall coverage of the farm system by local writers is at the AAA level.... www.indystar.com/print/ar...6-036.html Indianapolis Star Dave Burba Story: Another member of the Tribe contemplating retirement; apparently, the Brewers did not have to compensate Cleveland after all.... www.indystar.com/print/ar...4-036.html Indianapolis Game Two Box Score: The rainout Wednesday throws the Indy rotation into flux for next week, especially with LHP Nate Teut's injury status in question... GAME DATE: 5/29/03 ROCHESTER 4 AT INDIANAPOLIS 3 DH GAME #2 GAME 2 YTD YTD ROCHESTER AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG M.Ryan CF 4 1 3 0 .206 M.Budzinski RF 3 1 1 0 .264 L.Rodriguez 2B 3 0 2 1 .282 B.Hall SS 4 1 2 0 .241 J.Morneau 1B 3 1 1 1 .340 J.Rushford 1B 3 0 1 0 .275 M.Restovich RF 4 1 1 0 .275 P.Zoccolillo LF 3 0 1 2 .255 D.Lamb SS 4 0 2 0 .296 K.Luuloa DH 3 0 0 0 .260 S.Andrews 3B 3 1 0 0 .212 J.Conti CF 2 1 2 0 .236 K.Connacher LF 2 0 1 0 .200 C.McKay CAT 2 0 1 0 .181 B.Marsters CAT 2 0 1 1 .293 W.Veras 3B 3 0 0 0 .227 G.Torres DH 3 0 0 1 .227 S.Scarboroug 2B 3 0 0 0 .139 M.Carnes PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Coco PIT 0 0 0 0 .143 J.Padilla PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Foster PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Erdos PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Kolb PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 28 4 11 4 TOTALS 26 3 8 2 ROCHESTER 0 0 0 2 1 1 0- 4 11 0 INDIANAPOLIS 1 1 0 0 1 0 0- 3 8 0 DP--ROCHESTER 1, INDIANAPOLIS 2. LOB--ROCHESTER 7, INDIANAPOLIS 5. 2B--M.Ryan (6), B.Marsters (9), P.Zoccolillo (10), J.Conti (6). 3B--M.Ryan (2). HR--J.Morneau (11). CS--L.Rodriguez, J.Conti. SH-- L.Rodriguez, C.McKay. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA ROCHESTER M.Carnes 4.1 7 3 3 2 2 0 3.52 J.Padilla (W,2-1) 1.2 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.55 T.Erdos (S,6) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.83 INDIANAPOLIS P.Coco 5.0 8 3 3 2 3 1 5.26 J.Foster (L,1-1) 1.1 3 1 1 1 1 0 3.38 D.Kolb 0.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.33 BALKS--M.Carnes. SO--M.Ryan, M.Restovich 2, S.Andrews, K.Connacher, B.Hall, W.Veras 2, S.Scarboroug. BB--J.Morneau, K.Connacher, B.Marsters, M.Budzinski, J.Conti. T--2:14.

Hey Mass, just wondering if you can come up with the probables for High Desert this weekend. I believe they have an odd series that goes Fri-Sun-Mon. I'd like to check them out here in San Jose (and of course I'd give updates) Have a good time! If the rotation holds to form, you'll see lefty Brian Mazone, and then RHP's Dan Kolb and Jeff Robinson against the Giant farmhands. But the real wild card is Chad Petty. That'd be pretty cool if you saw his first Brewer start. Jeff Robinson, trying to come back from injury, has pitched pretty well, and he just turned 26 years old. It makes way too much sense to figure out a way to have the '99 7th rounder join Huntsville as their 11th pitcher, and then plug Petty into his spot. If that's the case, Monday's your must-see, I would think. I'm hoping that one of our High Desert posters, like MavsWin, might fill us in should a weekend rotation be confirmed for you.

Beloit Box Score: I have run out of adjectives to describe the Snapper's pitching performances this season; on the flip side, the offensive woes continue to be quite evident... GAME DATE: 5/29/03 BELOIT 3 AT BATTLE CREEK 1 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG BATTLE CREEK AB R H BI AVG K.Bibbs LF 3 1 1 0 .268 G.Lopez 2B 4 0 0 0 .250 K.Bibbs CF 1 0 0 0 .268 E.Andrus LF 4 0 3 0 .538 C.Terni SS 3 0 0 0 .262 J.Drobiak 1B 4 0 1 0 .294 J.Eure 3B 4 1 2 0 .250 M.Carson RF 4 0 1 0 .287 P.Fielder 1B 3 1 0 0 .286 E.Verbryke DH 4 0 1 0 .230 T.Hinton DH 3 0 0 0 .172 R.Guillen CF 4 1 1 1 .277 S.Moss CF 2 0 2 3 .248 S.Madera CAT 2 0 0 0 .000 M.Mendez RF 2 0 0 0 .246 W.Vasquez 3B 4 0 0 0 .233 P.Esparragz CAT 4 0 1 0 .242 J.Arias SS 4 0 2 0 .236 N.Carter LF 2 0 0 0 .129 J.Valdez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Carter RF 2 0 0 0 .129 C.Mendoza PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Crabbe 2B 1 0 0 0 .193 M.Brumit PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Sarfate PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Alliston PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 3 6 3 TOTALS 34 1 9 1 BELOIT 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 3 6 0 BATTLE CREEK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 9 2 E--G.Lopez, J.Arias. DP--BELOIT 0, BATTLE CREEK 1. LOB--BELOIT 5, BATTLE CREEK 8. 2B--J.Eure (11). 3B--J.Arias (3). HR--R.Guillen (7). SB--C.Crabbe (8), J.Drobiak (4). CS--T.Hinton, S.Moss, E.Andrus. SH--C.Terni. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT D.Sarfate (W,4-2) 7.0 7 0 0 2 4 0 1.80 J.Alliston 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 2.22 B.Hall (S,6) 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 1 4.01 BATTLE CREEK J.Valdez (L,5-3) 6.0 6 3 3 3 6 0 3.49 C.Mendoza 2.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4.91 M.Brumit 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.42 WP--C.Mendoza. BALKS--C.Mendoza. SO--K.Bibbs, C.Terni, J.Eure, T.Hinton, M.Mendez 2, P.Esparragz, N.Carter, G.Lopez, M.Carson, E.Verbryke 2, R.Guillen, S.Madera, J.Arias. BB--P.Fielder, T.Hinton, C.Crabbe 2, S.Madera 2. A--2058

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 9, Huntsville 1 ESPN Southern League Page: Linescore only as of post time; box score will be here in a bit... sports.espn.go.com/minorl...league=sou

Beloit Game Summary from the Battle Creek Site: Well, it's their site, and they lost, so if they don't want to mention Dennis Sarfate by name, I guess it's OK; with this pitching staff and a still struggling offense, every Beloit game seems to finish in about an hour and a half... The Beloit Snappers defeated Battle Creek 3-1 Thursday night in a Midwest League baseball game at C.O. Brown Stadium to drop the Yankees to three games below .500 for the first time this season. Battle Creek (25-28) opens a four-game series at Burlington on Friday night. Rudy Guillen led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run ? his seventh of the season ? for the Yankees? only run. Battle Creek outhit Beloit 9-6, with Erold Andrus getting three hits and Joaquin Arias two. A crowd of 2,058 ? the third-largest home crowd of the season ? was on hand for Lou Gehrig Bobble Head Doll Night. But the Yankees lost ? again ? as they have won just once before the seven largest home crowds this season. The Yankees have been at .500 a total of 16 times this season ? and never more than two games above or below that mark until now. The Snappers came to town with an eight-game losing streak, but took three of the four games in the series. The Yankees? only win was a 16-4 rout; Beloit outscored Battle Creek 16-2 in the other three games. Beloit scored two runs in the first inning on a bases-loaded single by Steve Moss with two outs. The Snappers padded their lead to 3-0 in the second on a two-out single by Moss. The Yankees never got more than one hit in any one inning. A fifth-inning triple by Arias was the team?s only extra-base hit until Guillen?s home run.

On the Brewers' site (Helena page), Dillard is listed as a catcher.

Daily Menu for Thursday: All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed? INDIANAPOLIS: RHP?s David Manning and Pascual Coco in a home doubleheader vs. Rochester (Twins), 6:00 PM HUNTSVILLE: RHP Pedro Liriano at Birmingham (White Sox), 7:00 PM HIGH DESERT: Idle; a day off in northern California BELOIT: RHP Dennis Sarfate at Battle Creek (Yankees), 6:00 PM; visitor's audio available at www.battlecreekyankees.com

Baseball America spotlights RHP Tom Wilhelmsen in their Daily Dish: There might be a few scouting directors out there wondering how righthander Tom Wilhelmsen lasted until the seventh round last year. He's a 6-foot-6, 190-pounder out of the heavily scouted Tucson area. He had plenty of attention pitching in showcases including the Area Code Games, Perfect Game and Team One events. If exposure wasn't the problem, how did the Brewers get so lucky to pop a top-five round talent in the seventh? Wilhelmsen was pitching with an 85-89 mph fastball and unrefined breaking ball in the fall of 2001. His velocity didn't spike to its current 90-94 mph range until last spring, but as a raw and wiry pitcher, his radar gun readings fluctuated. He pitched the final game of his high school career with strep throat, which caused his velocity to dip into the mid-80s and very well may have scared some teams away. On Wednesday, Wilhelmsen tossed the first complete game of his pro career, improving to 5-2, 1.73 for low Class A Beloit. He allowed just five hits, a walk and one unearned run while fanning five over nine innings. He topped out at 94 mph, hit 93 in the ninth inning, and used an economical 96 pitches. His curveball is much improved with good depth to compliment the plus arm-side movement on his fastball. Wilhelmsen, 19, punched out a career-high 10 in his first pro victory April 20 against Fort Wayne. Opponents have managed a .224 average against (50 hits in 62 innings), with 20 walks and 47 strikeouts. Given my reputation, is it OK to say I really, really, really like this guy? In a platonic, baseball sorta way. Must be the long hair.... Is it too early to say that Beloit pitching coach Rich Sauveur, picked up from independent Northeast League Brockton late this offseason, was one of the best Brewer signings of the winter? Those kids are pitching unconscious...

DFE assignments: 3B Justin Barnes - Helena (noted earlier) 6'6" RHP Simon Beresford - Helena LHP Dana Eveland - Helena Switch-hiiting catcher Tim Dillard - Helena OF Adam Mannon - Arizona These are official, but of course the Brewers could still adjust these prior to the starts of the rookie league seasons just a couple of weeks away.

Battle Creek Newspaper Account, Beloit Game: Includes this: Beloit pitching coach Rich Sauveur, one of Randy Johnson's teammates in the minor leagues, said that Wilhelmsen throws just as hard as Johnson did at this age, only with better control. Yikes. Also, a nice picture of Prince to add to your collection... www.battlecreekenquirer.c...82684.html

Need a summer job? Tough commute for most, I imagine. www.helenair.com/articles...903_06.txt Mascots? Bernie Brewer has kids? On a completely different note, from the Prospectus guys: Wretched Performer: The pitching staff of the High-A Desert Mavericks. Last year the Mavericks had the worst team ERA in the minor leagues. Not just the Cal League but the entirety of the minor leagues. This year they've gone from worst to worster. Their ERA of 6.65 is a half run worse than in 2002 and again it's last in the minors. The Cal is a hitters' league, but even with context accounted for the staff is mashed potatoes. The team ERA is a run and a half higher than the league's next staff. The 565 hits they have given up are 50 more than any other team. They have allowed 68 home runs; no other staff has given up more than 36. High Desert is a batting cage and any staff pitching there will look superficially worse than it really is, but the Mavericks' ERA and ratio of hits-per-nine innings is even worse on the road than it is at home. Not all is lost: The staff leads the league in strikeouts and has one of the Cal's best strikeout/walk ratios. And since only one Mavericks pitcher made Baseball America's list of Milwaukee's top 30 prospects--J.M. Gold, who was grudgingly included at that--it's not like this has been a calamity for the organization. Nice of them to hold back their opinions a bit. The Mavericks' staff is what it is this year, we know that. You root for the guys to hold their own. It'll be interesting to see what Chad Petty does. By the way, it doesn't appear as though the Mavs will need to make a roster move to make room for Petty. I count 24 non-DL bodies prior to his arrival in a league that allows 25.

David Weiser's Huntsville Update: LUIS SMOKED IN ROUND 2Ding! Round two. On tonight's card, two pitchers who can deal a blow, but both hiding glass jaws........ In this corner, the Barons' 230-lb. right-hander Brian West. West, 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA against the Stars last season --- hiding that 8 of his last 10 runs yielded have been unearned. He's coming back from an April 20 pounding....... In the other corner, wearing the gray outfit, Luis Martinez, the Stars' heavyweight ace whose deceptive 1.21 ERA has also been hiding a bothersome ineffectiveness. After his first five spectacular bouts, he's given up nearly twice as many hits this month as he had in April, even though his May ERA was still a low 2.08........ And here come the boys. While the Stars failed to land a punch in the 1st inning, the Barons struck Looie with a leadoff double from Chad Durham........ Undaunted, Martinez struck out Juan Piniella and got Ryan Hankins on a grounder, but on a 2-2 pitch, he hit the canvas on Darron Ingram's opposite-field home run to nearly the same spot Brandon Gemoll had hit the previous night.......... The Stars came back with their trusty hit-and-run battle plan in the 2nd. Daryl Clark led off with a single up the middle off West, then lightly regarded Mike Kremblas, batting .135, doubled down the left field line. Chris Saunders' relay home to get Clark sailed about 10 rows deep into the stands and Kremblas rounded third and scored to tie the game.......... The judges weren't uncertain about this outcome for long. The Barons seized control starting with two cheap hits off Martinez, a leadoff dribbler by former Star, Gabe Alvarez and a bloop hit over the head of J.J. Hardy by designated hitter Carlos Maldonado....... Both moved to scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Jon Acevas......... Danny Sandoval punched a sac fly to left, then the Barons started pummeling Martinez, who had never given up more than two earned runs in a game this season. Three straight Barons delievered loud, punishing two-out hits: First, Chad Durham's double down the left field line. Then, Juan Piniella's crackling single to left-center brought home Durham. When Daryl Clark overran the ball for his first error as a Huntsville Star, Piniella took second........ Finally, Ryan Hankins nailed Martinez with a bomb to left-center for a double, and Birmingham's lead was 6-2.........Martinez staggered through three more rounds with enough strength left to get the Barons in order in the 3rd, but they put him down for the count in the 5th inning on a 2-out double by Maldonado........... Brian West, himself, didn't make it through this match and was deprived of a victory with 2 out in the 5th. Manager Wally Backman decided to bring in left-hander Jim Bullard to face the left-handed hitting Gemoll with runners on 1st and 2nd. Bullard got Gemoll on a grounder to third. The victory went to Mitch Wylie, who the Barons called up from Winston-Salem just two days before. Reliever Matt Childers was unhittable for three innings in relief of Martinez, retiring nine straight hitters........ In the 8th, down 7-3, Childers kept the inning alive with two out...... After the Stars loaded the bases on a single to right by Hardy and two walks courtesy of Wylie, Childers hit a 3-and-2 breaking ball to left for a clean hit to the gap in left, scoring Hardy and Corey Hart, but that was the Stars' last gasp........ Royce Ring, who inherited the closer's job from Baron savemasters Edwin Almonte and Joe Valentine, fanned Chris Barnwell to end the inning and closed out the game in the 9th...... Looie's ERA rose to 2.10, still 5th best in the Southern League....... Tomorrow, the Barons send the next best pitcher in the SL, Neal Cotts (6-2, 2.28) against Pedro Liriano (4-4, 2.82). Dave Krynzel stole his 20th and 21st bases of the season. The latter gives him 34 in his career as a Huntsville Star, putting him in the all-time top 20. He's tied for 18th with Lance Blankenship (Stars '87), Pat Dietrick (Stars 87-'88), and Jesus Azuaje (Stars '99)........ Krynzel walked twice tonight, but his hit streak ended at 10 games. The Milwaukee Brewers traded outfielder Alex Sanchez for a pair of minor leaguers. Tonight, one of them arrived in Birmingham and was watching in uniform from the Stars dugout........ The Stars newest addition is outfielder Gary Varner, primarily known by his nickname "Noochie." Varner was acquired with pitcher Chad Petty, who will be assigned to High Desert....... Varner was the Reds' #24 minor league prospect a year ago. The Tigers acquired him last September in a deal that brought pitcher Brian Moehler to Cincinnati. He was hitting .303 for the Erie Sea Wolves, leading the team in RBIs and 2nd to former Southern Leaguer, Brian Ust in average at the time of the trade........ Fair power. Though he has done a good job cutting down on his strikeouts since coming up to Double-A, he still doesn't draw many walks and was not a base-stealer at Erie....... His biggest flaws early in his career, which started in 2000 at Billings, came with his fielding, but he was moved from 3rd base to left field and his defense apparently has improved. Guess we'll have to see what kind of arm he has. He's from Corey Hart's home state of Kentucky....... Someone had to go to make room, so after the game, the Stars released Matt Hammons, whose last appearance for the Stars was on May 12 vs. Tennessee. He threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings in May, before a shoulder problem surfaced. He was reportedly trying to come back, scheduling throwing sessions on the side, with a return planned at the end of the week. Perhaps there was a setback. I don't know......... Left-hander Chad Petty, the #11 prospect in the Tigers' talent-thin minor league organization, was 3-4 with a 4.40 ERA for Class A - Lakeland (Fla. St.) at the time of the Sanchez deal.

RHP Matt Hammons was released from the Huntsville roster. The 26-year-old former Cub farmhand had been signed last fall after his independent league season in Joliet. He had appeared in 13 games, only pitching 14.2 IP. Recently, he had been sidelined with some arm discomfort, although was apparently set to pitch again soon. The move was made to free up a roster spot for OF Noochie Varner, so it's just a bit surprising a position player wasn't moved. You would think more moves are forthcoming, as even with the recent addition of RHP Ken Ray from High Desert, there are only ten healthy pitchers on the Huntsville roster. Tough business this is for these guys. Hammons was recently featured in a Huntsville pre-game interview, looking forward to getting back on the mound. His Joliet teammate in 2002, 26-year-old LHP Brian Mazone, has really struggled in the High Desert rotation, but continues to get his chances. Matt Hammons Brewerfan Player Profile Page: www.brewerfan.net/ViewPla...ayerId=372

Huntsville Site Game Summary: www.huntsvillestars.com/n...?newsid=79

Stockton (Rangers) 7, High Desert 4 STOCKTON, CA ? The Stockton Ports held the Mavs to a season-low two hits, as they grabbed the third and final game of the series, winning Wednesday night by a final score of 7-4. A single by Johnny Raburn in the fourth and a single by Ralph Santana in the ninth were the only base hits off Stockon?s pitching staff. The Mavs were able to score four runs, taking advantage of seven walks and two defensive miscues that led to three unearned runs. On the other hand, High Desert?s pitching staff issued nine walks and committed three errors which contributed to two unearned runs for the Ports. The Mavs took the early lead in the second as Todd West?s ground ball between the legs of Jason Bourgeios, scored Chris Morris and Brian Foster, who both walked earlier in the inning. Mavs starter Dan Hall walked two men in the second inning, allowing Rashad Eldridge to score on a single by Jason Moore to make it 2-1 in the second. The Mavs got a run in the fourth, as Morris walked and scored on Foster?s sacrifice fly. They added a run in the fifth as Joel Alvarado walked to lead off the inning and scored on Jason Belcher?s fielder?s choice to make it 4-1. Stockon scored the final six runs though, picking up two in the fifth and chasing Hall, who didn?t retire anyone in the fifth. Aaron Dean came on and worked out of the jam in the fifth to preserve the lead, but gave up a run to tie the game at 4-4 in the sixth, as Christopher Stringfellow scored on a sacrifice fly from G.J. Raymundo. The Ports took the lead in the seventh, as Justin Backsmeyer (1-2) allowed an RBI double to Jason Bourgeios, scoring Jason Moore. Bougeios scored on Stringfellow?s RBI single to make it 6-4. In the eighth, the Ports made it 7-4 as Rashad Eldridge doubled and scored on a Scott Heard single. In the ninth, the Mavs brought the tying run to the plate after Foster walked and Santana singled. Raburn?s ground ball to second ended the threat though, as Steven Rowe collected his fifth save of the year. Kiki Bengochea (4-3) tossed three scoreless innings in relief to earn the win. The Mavs will have a day off on Thursday and will return to action on Friday against the San Jose Giants. Brian Mazone (0-5) looks for his first win of the year, as he throws for the Mavs. Game time from San Jose on Friday is 7:00. High Desert Box Score: YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG STOCKTON AB R H BI AVG R.Santana 2B 1 0 0 0 .313 J.Bourgeois SS 5 1 2 1 .327 R.Santana 3B 3 0 1 0 .313 C.Strngfelow RF 3 1 1 1 .287 J.Raburn LF 4 0 1 0 .286 J.Botts 1B 4 1 1 0 .317 F.Villanueva 1B 1 0 0 0 .309 G.Raymundo 3B 3 1 1 1 .331 O.Chavez SS 3 0 0 0 .179 P.Boyd CF 4 0 0 0 .250 J.Belcher RF 4 0 0 1 .330 J.Dill DH 4 0 0 1 .242 M.Ernster 1B 3 0 0 0 .278 R.Eldridge LF 4 2 2 0 .291 M.Ernster 3B 0 0 0 0 .278 S.Heard CAT 3 0 1 2 .260 C.Morris CF 2 2 0 0 .245 J.Moore 2B 3 1 1 1 .163 B.Foster DH 1 1 0 1 .223 J.Echols PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.West 2B 4 0 0 0 .257 D.Mead PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.West SS 0 0 0 0 .257 K.Bengochea PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Alvarado CAT 3 1 0 0 .140 S.Rowe PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Dean PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Backsmeyer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 29 4 2 2 TOTALS 33 7 9 7 HIGH DESERT 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0- 4 2 3 STOCKTON 0 1 0 0 2 1 2 1 X- 7 9 2 E--R.Santana, O.Chavez, J.Alvarado, J.Bourgeois, S.Heard. DP--HIGH DESERT 0, STOCKTON 0. LOB--HIGH DESERT 7, STOCKTON 14. 2B--J.Bourgeois (12), R.Eldridge 2 (9). SB--J.Belcher (4), C.Morris (30), C.Strngfelow (4), P.Boyd (7), J.Dill (1), R.Eldridge (9). HBP--J.Alvarado, J.Moore. SF--B.Foster, G.Raymundo, S.Heard. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT D.Hall 4.0 5 3 1 4 2 0 6.12 A.Dean 1.2 0 1 1 5 2 0 7.67 J.Backsmeyer (L,1-2) 2.1 4 3 3 0 2 0 4.13 STOCKTON J.Echols 4.0 0 3 0 4 1 0 3.64 D.Mead 1.0 1 1 1 1 1 0 9.00 K.Bengochea (W,4-3) 3.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 9.00 S.Rowe (S,5) 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.30 HB--J.Backsmeyer, D.Mead. WP--A.Dean, J.Echols. BALKS--J.Echols. PB--J.Alvarado 2. SO--O.Chavez 2, M.Ernster, J.Bourgeois, J.Botts, J.Dill, R.Eldridge, S.Heard 2. BB--R.Santana, J.Raburn, M.Ernster, C.Morris 2, B.Foster 2, C.Strngfelow 2, J.Botts, G.Raymundo, P.Boyd, J.Dill, R.Eldridge, S.Heard, J.Moore. T--2:59. A--504

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 7, Huntsville 5 Huntsville Box Score: Nice to see the seven walks taken; Matt Childers flawless in relief; catcher Mike Kremblas left the game early, will have to wait for word there... GAME DATE: 5/28/03 HUNTSVILLE 5 AT BIRMINGHAM 7 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI AVG R.Knox RF 4 0 0 0 .251 C.Durham CF 4 2 2 1 .278 D.Krynzel CF 3 0 0 0 .310 J.Piniella LF 4 1 2 1 .243 J.Hardy SS 5 1 1 0 .327 R.Hankins 2B 3 0 1 2 .271 C.Hart 3B 2 2 1 1 .303 D.Ingram RF 4 1 1 1 .217 B.Gemoll 1B 3 0 1 0 .250 C.Saunders 3B 3 0 0 0 .217 K.Johnson CAT 2 0 0 0 .111 G.Alvarez 1B 4 1 1 0 .324 K.Johnson DH 2 0 0 0 .111 C.Maldonado DH 4 2 3 0 .298 D.Clark LF 4 1 1 0 .255 J.Acevas CAT 3 0 1 1 .280 M.Kremblas CAT 1 1 1 1 .147 D.Sandoval SS 3 0 0 1 .250 C.Cosbey PH 0 0 0 0 .182 B.West PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Gripp PH 1 0 0 0 .235 J.Bullard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Childers PIT 1 0 1 2 .286 M.Wylie PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Barnwell 2B 4 0 0 0 .234 R.Ring PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Martinez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 32 5 6 4 TOTALS 32 7 11 7 HUNTSVILLE 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 0- 5 6 1 BIRMINGHAM 2 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 X- 7 11 1 E--D.Clark, G.Alvarez. DP--HUNTSVILLE 1, BIRMINGHAM 1. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 7, BIRMINGHAM 5. 2B--M.Kremblas (5), C.Durham (6), J.Piniella (6), R.Hankins (15), J.Acevas (5). HR--C.Hart (6), D.Ingram (6). SB-- D.Krynzel 2 (21), C.Hart (9), J.Piniella (3). SF--D.Sandoval. SH-- J.Acevas. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE L.Martinez (L,4-3) 5.0 11 7 7 2 5 1 2.10 M.Childers 3.0 0 0 0 0 4 0 1.88 BIRMINGHAM B.West 4.2 4 3 2 5 2 1 5.56 J.Bullard 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.12 M.Wylie (W,1-0) 2.2 1 2 2 2 4 0 6.75 R.Ring (S,13) 1.1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.39 WP--L.Martinez 2, B.West. SO--R.Knox, D.Krynzel 2, K.Johnson 2, D.Clark, C.Barnwell 2, J.Piniella 2, D.Ingram, C.Saunders, G.Alvarez 2, J.Acevas 2, D.Sandoval. BB--R.Knox, D.Krynzel 2, C.Hart 2, B.Gemoll, C.Cosbey, R.Hankins, C.Saunders. T--2:58. A--3882Matt Childers was forced to bat (and got a base hit) becasue the Stars' had lost the DH spot earlier in the game when Kade Johnson went from DH to catcher, replacing Mike Kremblas. Earlier, PH's Chris Cosbey and Ryan Gripp hit in the DH spot.

Beloit Box Score: Not often you see Midwest League pitchers economize pitches to get nine-inning complete games -- and no earned runs! GAME DATE: 5/28/03 BELOIT 7 AT BATTLE CREEK 1 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG BATTLE CREEK AB R H BI AVG K.Bibbs LF 5 1 1 0 .268 G.Lopez 2B 4 0 1 0 .257 C.Terni SS 4 0 2 0 .268 J.Arias SS 4 0 0 0 .229 J.Eure 3B 5 1 2 2 .245 J.Drobiak 1B 4 0 1 0 .294 P.Fielder 1B 3 1 1 1 .291 M.Carson RF 3 0 0 0 .288 T.Hinton DH 5 0 0 0 .177 E.Verbryke DH 4 1 1 0 .229 J.VandenBrg CAT 4 2 2 2 .254 R.Guillen CF 3 0 0 0 .278 S.Moss CF 4 0 0 0 .237 E.Andrus LF 3 0 2 0 .444 N.Carter RF 3 1 1 0 .133 T.Rojas CAT 2 0 0 0 .210 C.Crabbe 2B 4 1 3 2 .194 W.Vasquez 3B 3 0 0 0 .239 T.Wilhelmsen PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.King PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Acosta PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 7 12 7 TOTALS 30 1 5 0 BELOIT 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 3- 7 12 1 BATTLE CREEK 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0- 1 5 0 E--C.Terni. DP--BELOIT 3, BATTLE CREEK 0. LOB--BELOIT 7, BATTLE CREEK 4. 2B--P.Fielder (9), C.Crabbe (11). HR--J.VandenBrg (2). SB--J.Eure (11), G.Lopez (4). HBP--P.Fielder, T.Rojas. SF--P.Fielder. SH--C.Terni. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT T.Wilhelmsen (W,5-2) 9.0 5 1 0 1 5 0 1.73 BATTLE CREEK J.King (L,4-5) 6.0 8 4 4 1 2 1 3.66 M.Acosta 3.0 4 3 3 0 2 0 6.75 HB--T.Wilhelmsen, J.King. WP--M.Acosta. SO--T.Hinton 2, S.Moss 2, G.Lopez, M.Carson 2, E.Andrus, W.Vasquez. BB--N.Carter, M.Carson. T--2:18. A--706

Beloit 7, Battle Creek (Yankees) 1 Tom Wilhelmsen, oh my! Game Summary from the Battle Creek site: Tom Wilhelmsen pitched a complete-game five-hitter to lead the Beloit Snappers past the Battle Creek Yankees 7-1 Wednesday night in a Midwest League baseball game at C.O. Brown Stadium. The final game of the four-game series is Thursday night. It was the first complete game for Wilhelmsen, a 19-year-old right-hander. The first-year pro struck out five and walked just one to snap a two-game skid and improve to 5-2 on the season. The Yankees had pounded out 16 hits the night before in a 16-4 rout, but got just five singles ? and never two in the same inning. Erold Andrus led Battle Creek with two hits. Beloit took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-run homer by John Vanden Berg. Prince Fielder led off the inning with a double, and Vander Berg homered with one out. The Yankees scored in the fifth, loading the bases on a single by Eric Verbryke, an error and a bunt single by Andrus. Verbryke scored on a double-play grounder. The Snappers padded their lead to 4-1 on a two-run single by Callix Crabbe with two outs in the sixth. In the night, a two-run single by Jeff Eure and a sacrifice fly by Fielder made it 7-1. The Yankees (25-27) are two games under .500 for the eighth time this season. Battle Creek starter Jeremy King (4-5) was tagged with the loss. BATTLE CREEK vs. BELOIT Thu ? RHP Jose Valdez (5-2, 3.38) vs. RHP Dennis Sarfate (3-2, 2.06)

Rochester (Twins) at Indianapolis, postponed, rain Indy Site Tells Us More... INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Indians game against the Rochester Red Wings scheduled for Wednesday night, May 28, has been postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Righthander David Manning, who ranks third in the International League with a 1.88 ERA, will pitch game one for Indianapolis. He will be followed by righthander Pasqual Coco (4-4, 5.24) in game two. Rochester will counter with lefthander Brent Hoard (2-3, 7.41) and righthander Matt Carnes (0-0, 2.89).

In progress: Birmingham (White Sox) 6, Huntsville 2, after two innings Needed to kick off the Link Report, so here goes. Six runs on seven hits for the Barons off of Luis Martinez, and not dinks and dunks, either. Must be a tough week to be a stud LH starter in the system this week (see Manny Parra). The exception, of course, is Beloit's Jeff Housman, who, as Toby will tell you, is a god. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Catcher Mike Kremblas doubled in a run for the Stars, and scored when he advanced to third on the throw home, scoring on that same throw, which got away. It's still early, so here's to a Huntsville comeback and a good night all around the system.

No official "Daily Menu" for today, guys, as I'm heading out until later tonight and have to run. However, all the pitching matchups / gametimes are mentioned in the game summaries above, and as for the routine, you're all familiar with that by now... Enjoy your Wednesday!