MassBrew

Indianapolis Star Game Story: Quevedo around 90 pitches... www.indystar.com/print/ar...6-036.html David Weiser's Huntsville Update: Includes an injury update on J.J.... THE ESCAPE ARTISTI hardly know what kind of day Mike Jones is going to have when he steps on the mound........ He's alternated a bad start with a good start, and even though his last two have been, in a way, good (2 ER in 11 IP), he's struggled with his control (9 BBs, 8 Ks in his last 2 starts)....... According to pattern, he would have had a bad day today and it looked like it would come to pass. His very first pitch to Ryan Langerhans sailed over the wall in right for a home run. Keoni De Renne then singled to center, but the G'Braves, who successfully broke the winning pattern of the Carolina Mudcats, could not get that key hit..........Jones was able to get out of jam after jam. They had a runner in scoring position in each of the first four innings and of the 12 runners they left on base, 9 were in scoring position......... Trailing 2-1 in the 6th with the bases loaded, the G'Braves loaded the bases with two out. Manager Brian Snitker wanted to stick with the Braves' #1 prospect, Adam Wainwright, however, and let him take his licks. Jones retired him on a grounder to short........ With runners on 1st and 2nd in the 7th, Jason Fitzgerald hit into a double play, quickly and cleanly started by Richard Paz to Chris Barnwell, who stepped on the bag and threw in one motion, to Ryan Gripp and Fitzgerald was out by at least two steps. The Stars erased an early 1-0 deficit in the 2nd as Cristian Guerrero led off with a single. Paz doubled down the right field line, sending Guerrero, who is 7-for-15 in his last 4 games, to third....... Joel Alvarado, getting his first start in almost a week, with one hit and one RBI on the year, hit a sharp single to right center in what turned out to be the key hit for the Stars. The Stars made it 3-1 in the 6th, when Corey Hart singled and scored all the way from first on Guerrero's 2nd hit of the day, to left-center. Ryan Langerhans booted the ball in the alley, allowing Corey to score the insurance run........ The G'Braves left two runners on in the 8th, thanks to a pair of two-out walks...... Matt Childers stayed in to close out the game, but he instead received an unexpected exit......... After Barnwell booted an easy grounder for an error, Childers walked Adam LaRoche on four pitches. Childers came off the mound to shout a few words that home plate ump Brandon Bushee didn't like, and he was quickly tossed....... Ryan Miller got all the time he needed to warm up, and got Jason Fitzgerald to hit into his second consecutive double play....... Assuming Miller doesn't see another appearance this month, he'll finish with the 6th best April ERA in Stars history.. For the season, Jones now has a 3.86 ERA in 25 2/3 innings, but has a SO-BB ratio of 19:17....... Ryan Knox saw his hit streak of 14 end, Sunday. Don't know how he did, other than a fly out to left and a strikeout cause I didn't get into the park until the 4th inning. That tied the longest streak of the season with Carolina's Will Smith, whose 14-game hit streak ended Saturday night........ Dave Krynzel stretched his hit streak to 11 with a single in the 2nd and one more in the 8th......... The Stars have now won 9 of their last 12 games. Pedro Liriano (1-3, 4.29) will face off against another of the Braves' prized pitching prospects, Bubba ("Don't call me Kenny") Nelson (2-1, 3.38)........... The Stars have four relievers with ERAs at 3.00 or below: Miller (0.60), Childers (0.98), Mike Adams (2.70), and Matt Parker (3.00).......... J.J. Hardy is day-to-day with a strained hip flexor muscle, according to trainer Greg Barajas.

Lake Elsinore (Padres) 7, High Desert 4 High Desert Site Game Summary: LAKE ELSINORE, CA ? The Lake Elsinore Storm completed a three-game sweep by beating the High Desert Mavericks in the series finale on Sunday afternoon, winning by a final of 7-4 at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore. The Storm scored the last four runs, as the Mavs blew a lead for the second straight game. The loss leaves the Mavs a season-worst seven games under .500 and six games back of the first place Storm. The Mavs jumped on top in the second inning, as Dan Boyd picked up a two-run, two-out single, to put the Mavs up 2-0. The Storm rallied off Mavs starter Dan Hall, scoring three times in the bottom of the inning. Greg Sain's first of two home runs on the day, a two-run shot tied the game at 2-2. Josh Carter would score an unearned run two outs later, as Joe Hastings picked up an RBI groundout for a 3-2 Storm lead. The Mavericks answered in the top of the third, as Kade Johnson's two-out, two-run double off of Storm starter Justin Germano (2-1), scored Mark Ernster and Daryl Clark for a 4-3 lead. The Mavs held that lead until the sixth, when the Storm finally got to Hall. Joe Gerber's RBI double scored Jon Benick to tie the game at 4-4. With runners at second and third and no outs, Hall got Josh Carter to fly out to shallow right field. Hall was then lifted for Justin Gordon, who came on and struck out Joe Hastings for the second out of the inning. The Storm cashed in with the winning hit though, as Nick Trzesniak's two-out single to left plated two runs for a 6-4 lead. Greg Sain's solo homer in the seventh off Gordon gave them all the insurance they would need as they took a 7-4 lead. The Mavs never threatened, as Mike Wodnicki worked a scoreless ninth for his third save of the year. Hall (3-1) ended up taking his first loss of the year, and failed to become the first pitcher in the Cal League to pick up four wins. The Mavs send LHP Brian Mazone (0-1) to the hill on Monday night as they head to Lancaster for the start of a four-game series with the JetHawks. Game time is at 7:15 from Lancaster. HIGH DESERT 4 AT LAKE ELSINORE 7 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG LAKE ELSINORE AB R H BI AVG C.Morris CF 4 0 0 0 .232 M.Nettles LF 5 0 3 0 .215 M.Ernster 3B 4 1 1 0 .455 J.Furmaniak SS 2 0 1 0 .347 D.Clark DH 3 1 1 0 .389 J.Barfield 2B 4 0 0 0 .380 K.Johnson CAT 4 0 2 2 .356 J.Benick 1B 4 2 2 0 .350 J.Belcher RF 4 1 1 0 .348 G.Sain 3B 4 3 3 3 .326 F.Villanueva 1B 3 1 1 0 .351 J.Gerber RF 4 1 1 1 .333 R.Santana 2B 4 0 0 0 .262 J.Carter CF 4 1 0 0 .276 D.Boyd LF 4 0 2 2 .250 J.Hastings DH 4 0 0 1 .241 T.West SS 3 0 0 0 .239 N.Trzesniak CAT 4 0 2 2 .314 D.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Germano PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gordon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Cassel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Wodnicki PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 4 8 4 TOTALS 35 7 12 7 HIGH DESERT 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 8 1 LAKE ELSINORE 0 3 0 0 0 3 1 0 X- 7 12 0 E--C.Morris. DP--HIGH DESERT 1, LAKE ELSINORE 0. LOB--HIGH DESERT 5, LAKE ELSINORE 6. 2B--K.Johnson (8) , F.Villanueva (3), J.Benick 2 (7), J.Gerber (7). 3B--K.Johnson (1). HR--G.Sain 2 (6). SB--C.Morris (14). CS--M.Nettles, J.Furmaniak. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT D.Hall (L,3-1) 5.1 9 6 5 1 3 1 5.18 J.Gordon 2.2 3 1 1 1 5 1 6.89 LAKE ELSINORE J.Germano (W,2-1) 7.0 8 4 4 1 3 0 4.50 J.Cassel 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.32 M.Wodnicki (S,3) 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.84 SO--M.Ernster, D.Clark 2, M.Nettles, J.Barfield 3, J.Benick, J.Gerber, J.Hastings, N.Trzesniak. BB--D.Clark, F.Villanueva, T.West, J.Furmaniak 2. T--2:17. A--6099

New Link Report Feature: USELESS TIDBIT OF THE WEEK (OR AS OFTEN AS I CHOOSE TO INCLUDE ONE)The Kansas City Royals have a 27-year-old third baseman at their AA Wichita affiliate; his name is Corey Hart. He too, wears his sunglasses at night and never surrenders...

Beloit 9, Lansing (Cubs) 3 Game Summary from the Lugnuts' Site: From the Lansing perspective, but we'll take it, especially following a win... LANSING - The Beloit Snappers gave the Lansing Lugnuts their first two-game losing streak of the season Sunday at Oldsmobile Park with a solid and convincing 9-3 win. Beloit smacked out 12 hits and took advantage of a season-high five Lansing errors. They chased Lansing starter Rich Hill from the game after just three innings. In the third, Hill walked three and hit a batter and his defense committed an error behind him. Beloit sent its entire order to the plate and scored three in the inning despite only getting one, 40-foot infield hit. But solid runs would follow for the Snappers, as they hung one earned run on reliever Ryan O'Malley in the fourth and three runs (one earned) on him in the seventh. Federico Baez allowed two unearned run in the eighth. In all, five of the Snappers' nine runs were the direct result of Lansing errors. Keith Butler, Milo Salas and Buck Coats, the first three hitters in the Lugnuts' order, combined for all but one of Lansing's hits. Butler was 3-for-5 with a double; he scored a run in the first when Jason Fransz was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and scored in the fifth when Coats singled him in from third. Coats had two singles and two RBIs and Salas was 2-for-5 with a triple and a run scored. The four-through-nine hitters of the Lugnuts were a combined 1-for-20. The lone hit among those players was a seeing-eye single in the eighth by Kevin Collins; the hit snapped his 0-for-18 batting slump. Beloit shortstop Chas Terni and right fielder Mario Mendez each had three hits for the Snappers. Terni collected three RBIs. Beloit takes the series, three games to one. BELOIT 9 AT LANSING 3 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG LANSING AB R H BI AVG C.Crabbe 2B 4 2 1 0 .274 K.Butler CF 5 2 3 0 .322 C.Terni SS 4 1 2 3 .220 F.Salas 3B 5 1 2 0 .385 J.VandenBrg CAT 5 1 0 0 .304 B.Coats DH 4 0 2 2 .310 P.Fielder 1B 4 0 2 1 .373 J.Fransz LF 2 0 0 1 .227 J.Eure DH 4 1 1 2 .200 M.Creighton 2B 3 0 0 0 .138 M.Mendez RF 5 1 3 1 .286 J.Johnson RF 4 0 0 0 .140 K.Bibbs CF 4 0 1 0 .236 K.Collins 1B 4 0 1 0 .114 K.Bohanan 3B 4 1 0 1 .000 C.Medlin CAT 3 0 0 0 .095 N.Carter LF 4 2 2 0 .147 R.Chirinos SS 4 0 0 0 .171 D.Sarfate PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Hill PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Mendoza PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.O'Malley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Baez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Carter PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 38 9 12 8 TOTALS 34 3 8 3 BELOIT 0 0 3 1 0 0 3 2 0- 9 12 2 LANSING 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0- 3 8 5 E--C.Crabbe 2, F.Salas, M.Creighton, K.Collins, C.Medlin 2. DP-- BELOIT 0, LANSING 1. LOB--BELOIT 8, LANSING 8. 2B--C.Terni (1), J.Eure (3), K.Butler (5). 3B--F.Salas (2). SB--K.Butler (4), B.Coats (3). CS--K.Bibbs, B.Coats. HBP--C.Terni, J.Fransz. SH--C.Crabbe, K.Bibbs, C.Medlin. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT D.Sarfate (W,2-0) 5.0 7 3 2 2 8 0 2.37 G.Mendoza (S,2) 4.0 1 0 0 0 5 0 1.00 LANSING R.Hill (L,0-1) 3.0 2 3 2 3 5 0 3.00 R.O'Malley 3.1 8 4 2 0 2 0 5.93 F.Baez 1.2 1 2 0 0 1 0 7.71 M.Carter 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.90 HB--D.Sarfate, R.Hill. SO--C.Terni, J.VandenBrg, J.Eure, M.Mendez 2, K.Bibbs, K.Bohanan 2, N.Carter, K.Butler, F.Salas 2, B.Coats, J.Fransz, J.Johnson 2, K.Collins, C.Medlin 3, R.Chirinos 2. BB--P.Fielder, J.Eure, K.Bohanan, J.Fransz, M.Creighton. T--2:31. A--5709

Huntsville 3, Greenville (Braves) 1 Huntsville Site Game Summary: www.huntsvillestars.com/n...?newsid=48 Huntsville Box Score: Five Stars with two hits in the game... GAME DATE: 4/27/03 GREENVILLE 1 AT HUNTSVILLE 3 YTD YTD GREENVILLE AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG R.Langerhans CF 4 1 1 1 .286 R.Knox LF 4 0 0 0 .261 K.De Renne 2B 4 0 2 0 .139 D.Krynzel CF 4 0 2 0 .289 A.LaRoche 1B 4 0 0 0 .278 C.Hart 3B 4 1 2 0 .304 P.Orr PR 0 0 0 0 .394 R.Gripp 1B 4 0 0 0 .167 J.Fitzgerald LF 5 0 2 0 .233 C.Guerrero RF 3 1 2 0 .220 C.Aldridge RF 3 0 0 0 .234 R.Paz 2B 3 1 2 0 .264 K.Johnson SS 2 0 1 0 .250 J.Alvarado CAT 3 0 2 2 .115 B.Terveen CAT 3 0 0 0 .143 C.Barnwell SS 3 0 1 0 .214 J.Jurries 3B 2 0 0 0 .164 M.Jones PIT 2 0 0 0 .143 A.Wainwright PIT 3 0 0 0 .222 M.Parker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.McCarthy PH 1 0 0 0 .259 B.Gemoll PH 1 0 0 0 .237 E.Herndon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Miller PIT 0 0 0 0 .333 TOTALS 31 1 6 1 TOTALS 31 3 11 2 GREENVILLE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 1 HUNTSVILLE 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 X- 3 11 1 E--R.Langerhans, C.Barnwell. DP--GREENVILLE 1, HUNTSVILLE 2. LOB-- GREENVILLE 12, HUNTSVILLE 4. 2B--K.Johnson (4), C.Hart (6), R.Paz (2). HR--R.Langerhans (2). SB--C.Aldridge (2), K.Johnson (4), D.Krynzel (8). CS--J.Fitzgerald, D.Krynzel. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA GREENVILLE A.Wainwright (L,1-2) 7.0 10 3 2 0 2 0 3.32 E.Herndon 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 6.23 HUNTSVILLE M.Jones (W,3-1) 6.0 5 1 1 5 3 1 3.86 M.Parker 1.0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2.81 M.Childers 1.1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0.98 R.Miller (S,2) 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.60 SO--A.LaRoche 2, B.Terveen, J.Jurries, R.Gripp 2, B.Gemoll. BB-- R.Langerhans, K.De Renne, A.LaRoche, C.Aldridge, K.Johnson 2, B.Terveen, J.Jurries 2. T--2:34. A--1892

Columbus (Yankees) 4, Indianapolis 1 Indy Site Game Summary: The Indianapolis Indians (8-14) bullpen was unable to hold off a late-inning power surge as the Columbus Clippers (6-15) gathered a split of the two-game series from Victory Field 4-1. Ruben Quevedo's strong outing slid by the books as the Tribe bullpen surrendered two-run home runs in both the eighth and ninth innings on Sunday afternoon. The Tribe were poised to break open the game early, loading the bases in the bottom half of the second inning against Clippers starter Danny Borrell with no outs, but the Tribe were limited to only a single run on Wilton Veras' sacrifice fly scoring Scott Seabol from third. Borrell pitched 5.0 innings allowing five hits and the lone run before giving way to Sam Marsonek (1-0) to start the sixth inning trailing 1-0. Quevedo pitched 5.0 innings of shutout baseball allowing only two hits before being lifted in favor of Jason Childers (1-1). Childers faced the minimum six batters in the sixth and seventh innings before returning to the mound to start the eighth inning with the Tribe still clinging to a 1-0 lead. Drew Henson's one out single was followed by Fernando Seguignol's pinch-hit blast that landed far beyond the 320 foot sign on the right field wall for a two-run home run giving the Clippers a 2-1 lead. Willie Banks entered the game in the bottom of the eighth inning and pitched the final two scoreless innings to preserve the win for Marsonek while also earning his first save of the season. Marcus Thames added to the Clippers' total in the top of the ninth with a two-run shot of his own off of Brooks Kieschnick to finish up the scoring. The Indians have an off-day on Monday before the Louisville Bats visit Victory Field for a two-game series beginning Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. The Tribe's Pascual Coco (1-3, 5.30) is scheduled to face Lance Davis (1-2, 3.80) for Louisville. Indianapolis Box Score: Ruben's been fine; why only five innings with what would appear to be a low pitch count? GAME DATE: 4/27/03 COLUMBUS 4 AT INDIANAPOLIS 1 YTD YTD COLUMBUS AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG D.Post 2B 4 0 0 0 .164 J.Lawrence 3B 1 0 0 0 .232 J.Rodriguez LF 4 0 1 0 .222 J.Lawrence LF 4 0 3 0 .232 J.Rivera RF 3 0 1 0 .333 J.Conti CF 4 0 0 0 .200 N.Rolison DH 3 0 1 0 .281 M.Smith RF 3 0 1 0 .333 K.Reese PR 0 1 0 0 .217 L.Stevens DH 4 0 0 0 .304 M.Thames CF 4 1 1 2 .313 S.Seabol 1B 2 1 0 0 .229 R.McGuire 1B 3 0 1 0 .262 K.Luuloa 3B 3 0 1 0 .160 B.Smith SS 4 0 0 0 .206 P.Zoccolillo PH 0 0 0 0 .269 D.Henson 3B 4 1 1 0 .171 P.Zoccolillo LF 0 0 0 0 .269 M.Jensen CAT 2 0 0 0 .143 B.Hall 2B 4 0 1 0 .162 F.Seguignol PH 1 1 1 2 .314 C.McKay CAT 4 0 0 0 .145 M.Hernandez CAT 1 0 0 0 .234 W.Veras SS 3 0 0 1 .190 D.Borrell PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Quevedo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Marsonek PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Banks PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Kieschnick PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 4 7 4 TOTALS 32 1 6 1 COLUMBUS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2- 4 7 2 INDIANAPOLIS 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 1 E--R.McGuire, M.Jensen, C.McKay. DP--COLUMBUS 0, INDIANAPOLIS 0. LOB--COLUMBUS 5, INDIANAPOLIS 9. 2B--N.Rolison (5), J.Lawrence (3). HR--M.Thames (2), F.Seguignol (6). CS--J.Rivera, J.Lawrence. SF-- W.Veras. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA COLUMBUS D.Borrell 5.0 5 1 1 2 5 0 2.45 S.Marsonek (W,1-0) 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 5.52 W.Banks (S,1) 2.0 0 0 0 2 3 0 2.57 INDIANAPOLIS R.Quevedo 5.0 2 0 0 1 4 0 2.10 J.Childers (L,1-1) 3.0 4 2 2 0 3 1 3.60 B.Kieschnick 1.0 1 2 2 2 1 1 8.49 WP--J.Childers. SO--J.Rodriguez 2, N.Rolison, M.Thames 3, D.Henson, M.Jensen, J.Lawrence, J.Conti 2, M.Smith, L.Stevens 2, K.Luuloa, C.McKay 2, W.Veras. BB--J.Rivera, N.Rolison, R.McGuire, M.Smith, S.Seabol 2, P.Zoccolillo. T--2:45. A--6641

Pre-Game Media Notes from Indianapolis: TODAY: The Indians and Clippers meet for the final game of a two-game series. The Clippers are making their first trip to Victory Field this season. The teams opened the season against each other splitting four games at Cooper Stadium. The teams played evenly last year as well splitting all 16 contests and the eight at Victory Field. The Indians face a left-handed starter for the sixth time this season, and are still looking for their first win. The Indians are actually hitting lefties better than righties (.230 vs. .219). Mark Smith and Scott Seabol are hitting southpaws at a .333 clip while Wilton Veras (.308) and Joe Lawrence (.273) are also swinging the bat well. YESTERDAY: The Indians beat Columbus 6-5. Mark Smith went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. He doubled twice. Lee Stevens belted a two-run homer in the fifth driving in what proved to be the game-winning runs. The Tribe got a solid start from Francisco Campos (5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R), and Dan Kolb worked out of a jam in the ninth to preserve the win. ON THE MOUND: Righthander Ruben Quevedo makes his fifth start today. Quevedo faced the Clippers in his first start of the year on April 5 and earned the win holding Columbus to one unearned run in 5.1 innings. Quevedo helped the Tribe snap a seven-game losing streak in his most-recent start on April 21. He held Louisville to one run in a season-high 6.1 innings to pick up his second win. HOT AT THE PLATE: Three Indians boast batting averages above .300. Mark Budzinski tops the team with a .346 mark. He leads the team with five multi-hit games (tie) and three multi-RBI games. Over his last six games, Budzinski is hitting .389 (7-for-18). Mark Smith is hitting .333. Smith has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games (.360, 18-for-50) and leads the team with 11 RBI and five multi-hit games (tie). Lee Stevens is batting .327. BACK IN INDY: Ed Romero, the Tribe's skipper a year ago, is back in Indianapolis this weekend as the Brewers' roving minor league infield instructor. He is joined by Ed Cedar the minor league field coordinator. MR. VERSATILITY: Keith Luuloa has played every infield position and served as the DH already this season. In just eight games, Luuloa has six RBI. Five of those RBI have come in his last four games. ON THE BOARD EARLY: The Indians have scored a team-best 16 runs in the first inning. The Tribe has plated a first-inning run in eight games this season. The Indians are 5-5 when they score the game's first run. The Tribe's struggles have come in the third, fourth and fifth innings when they've been outscored 54-19. LEANING TO THE RIGHT: The Indians pitching staff is made up completely of righthanders. Milwaukee kept lefthanders Valerio De Los Santos, Matt Ford, John Foster and Shane Nance in their bullpen. NOW THAT'S RELIEF: The Indians bullpen continues to slam the door on the opposition. In 76.1 innings, the relief corps has recorded a 3.54 ERA. A ROUGH 'ROAD' TO HOE: The Tribe opened the season with 14 of its first 19 games on the road. The Indians went 7-12 in that stretch including a 3-11 mark away from Victory Field. The Indians hit .195 in the 14 road games and scored just 41 runs (2.9 rpg). Six of the Tribe's 12 position players are hitting below .200 on the road. TROUBLE IN THE FIELD: The Indians have committed 22 errors which is fourth-most in the IL. Nineteen of those have come on the road leading to 26 unearned runs. UPCOMING PROBABLES: Monday - Off Day Tuesday vs. Louisville - LHP Lance Davis (1-2, 3.80) vs. RHP Pascual Coco (1-3, 5.30) Wednesday vs. Louisville - LHP Jimmy Anderson (0-0, 9.00) vs. RHP Mark Guerra (0-2, 5.03)

Huntsville Times Game Story: Insights and quotes on closer Mike Adams' season... www.al.com/stars/huntsvil...311090.xml

David Weiser's Huntsville Update: Looks like Luis Martinez didn't have his best stuff tonight, but even though his fastball wasn't humming and his curve and slider weren't fooling anyone the way we've seen --- even though he retired the side in order only once through five innings, manager Frank Kremblas's aggressive brand of ball saved the day. The 2003 Stars may not be the fastest (the 1985 team, with Luis Polonia and Stan Javier out front was far speedier), but they are one of the most aggressive teams in the Stars' 19-year history......... After 21 games, the Stars have stolen at least 29 bases. (I don't know how many were stolen in Friday's suspended game).......... In games in which the Stars have at least one steal, they are 11-3. It's paid off. That record is pretty much indicative of the type of aggression Stars fans have seen in four of five years of the Brewer era.......... The 1999 team stole 31 bases after 21 games, and were also 11-3 in games in which they stole at least one base....... This is not to say that stealing bases is the be all and end all that will win you games. The 1989 and 1991 teams stole 28 and 29 bases respectively at that early stage, and had 5-8 and 6-7 records when they did......... You have to have pitching, hitting, hitting for power, and defense --- in other words, the other four tools scouts look at......... The Stars as we know, so far, have plenty of the former and not enough of the latter. Mix it up, and the Stars remain in 1st place in the Western Division with a 13-9 record....... The D'Jaxx keep rolling along. They beat slumping Carolina, tonight, 11-3. Martinez was looking invincible after two batters, using 8 pitches to get swinging strikeouts on Ryan Langerhans and Richard Lewis, but he got behind on Adam LaRoche, the son of former reliever Dave........ On a 2-0 pitch, LaRoche pulled one off the right field wall, that was close to going out........ Now up to this point in the season, Luis had never given up a hit with a runner in scoring position. That streak ended when left fielder Bill McCarthy lined a 2-1 pitch into the left field corner for a double......... It's quite obvious both hitters were expecting to see a fastball, which leads me to stop for a moment to clue you neophytes on a simple corollary in baseball......... It's statistically been proven that if you get behind the count on a hitter, chances are much better he'll get what he wants and whack it for a hit somewhere........ LaRoche scored, and Luis' streak of 23 innings without allowing an earned run came to an end........ He'll likely not get another start this month, so he finishes April with a ridiculous 0.31 ERA --- the 3rd lowest by a Huntsville pitcher in their history after the first month, but the best by a starting pitcher. Corey Hart made a nice off-balance throw on a hard 2-hopper hit near the 3rd base bag to get leadoff hitter Lee Evans in the 2nd inning, but once again, porous defense led to another unearned run........ After Kelly Johnson singled to right on a 3-1 pitch, 3rd baseman James Jurries hit an easy grounder to Chris Barnwell that would have been a double play ball for J.J. Hardy. Barnwell overcharged the ball and in the process, mistimed his approach and let the ball go through him. That put runners on the corners....... Matt Belisle then hit a little blooper that fell in for a hit in back of the second base bag, scoring Johnson to make it 2-0, Greenville........ Luis settled down to retire 10 of the next 13 hitters, getting four ground outs and a pair of strikeouts in the process......... Meanwhile the Stars went to work. With one out in the 2nd, Cristian Guerrero hit his first pitch to right for a single and Richard Paz walked....... Mike Kremblas hit into a force play at third, erasing Guerrero........ With the count 1-and-2 on Barnwell, the unlikely duo of Paz and Kremblas pulled off a double steal........ Barnwell then lined a 2-2 pitch into right field that easily scored both runners to tie the game......... The Stars tried another double steal in the 6th with Brandon Gemoll and Guerrero on base, but it was only half successful. Once more in the 3rd, a stolen base leads to another run....... After Ryan Knox struck out, Chris Cosbey walked on 3-and-1 and stole 2nd........ Hart, moved up to 3rd in the lineup (there was some major lineup mixing tonight), singled up the middle and the Stars were in the lead, 3-2. That put Corey in 2nd place among SL RBI leaders........ In the 4th, Guerrero drew a walk, only his 3rd this season in the 21 games he's played....... He then stole 2nd to set up the 4th run on a stolen base...... Paz got just enough of a 2-2 pitch to dribble it in front of the plate......... Pitcher Matt Belisle pounced on it, but slipped while fielding it, advancing Guerrero to third........ Kremblas grounded into a double play, scoring Guerrero to put the Stars up, 4-2. After two spotless innings of relief, Kelly Johnson hit a 3-1 slider to right as Guerrero watched the ball lift over the 3rd level of billboards for his 1st home run of the season, but Mike Adams picked up his 2nd save of the season, striking out Jim Jurries, getting pinch-hitter Jason Fitzgerald to fly out to center, and Ryan Langerhans to spank a ball to Barnwell to end the game......... Martinez threw 93 pitches, 54 for strikes (58%). At least 12 were first-pitch strikes to 26 batters. Ben Hendrickson had a throwing session in the bullpen....... Dave Krynzel has an 11-game hit streak, even though Friday night's hit technically is not in the books until it's completed sometime at the end of May......... Knox's hit streak was kept alive at 14 games thanks to the benevolence of Larry Smith, the home scorer. Knox hit a first pitch to James Jurries who charged in and threw wide of Adam LaRoche's outstretched glove. It looked surely like a two-base error, but Ryan was gifted with a hit on a ball that wasn't that tough to field....... Gemoll committed the Stars' 35th error in the 6th inning on an attempted double play......... Greenville, by comparison, came into the game with 19, spread pretty evenly......... Greenville reliver Joe Winkesas, a former Bay Bear, threw a pair of scoreless innings to run his streak to 12 1/3 on the season. Mike Jones (2-1, 4.58) gets the ball for the Stars, tomorrow........ The skies are expected to clear up and get much warmer for the 2 pm game........ Adam Wainwright (1-1, 3.68), almost guaranteed to be in Atlanta's starting rotation someday. He's their #1 minor league prospect, as rated by Baseball America..........He led the Sally League in strikeouts in 2001 while setting a Macon record with 184 Ks......... He reached 96 mph in last year's Futures Game......... The Braves aren't rushing him. The Stars will not fill their open roster spot, left vacant by the retirement of Tim Crabtree. The roster must be trimmed to 23 next week......... Updated MLB.com NL Central Prospect Report: Krynzel, Hardy, Nelson, Cruz... mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/ml...&fext=.jsp

Sunday's Daily Menu : All listed times Central, pitchers subject to change, pre-game audio approx. 15 minutes prior to game time where available... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Ruben Quevedo vs. Columbus (Yankees) at home, 2:00 PM HUNTSVILLE: RHP Mike Jones vs. Greenville (Braves) at home, 2:05 PM HIGH DESERT: RHP Dan Hall looks to right the Mavs' ship at Lake Elsinore (Padres), 5:05 PM -- flip over to the audio after the Brewer game, as Hall has earned Maverick "ace" status with his performances thus far... BELOIT: It should be RHP Dennis Sarfate on the hill when the Snappers coninue their stay in Lansing (Cubs), 2:00 PM -- isn't it interesting how Sarfate and Tom Wilhelmsen have outshone Manny Parra, Calvin Carpenter and Khalid Ballouli in the early going? Still, a strong rotation top-to-bottom and easy to compare with Huntsville's current crew...

Thanks to the late-night guys for kicking off the "Report" Saturday... Lake Elsinore (Padres) 5, High Desert 4, 12 innings Road woes continue... High Desert Site Game Summary: Mavs outhit 13-5 as Lake Elsinore couldn't give it away enough.. LAKE ELSINORE, CA ? The Lake Elsinore Storm pulled out another come-from-behind win over the High Desert Mavericks, with a 5-4, 12-inning victory on Saturday night at the Diamond in Lake Elsinore. Joe Gerber's second home run of the season, a shot down the left field line off Mavs reliever Justin Backsmeyer, gave the Storm their third straight win, and keeps them in the top spot in the South Division. With the loss, the Mavs have now dropped a season-worst four in a row overall, and seven straight on the road. The Mavs took the early lead thanks to the first of four Lake Elsinore errors on the night. Mark Ernster reached on an error and scored when Daryl Clark tripled and knocked in his league-leading 25th RBI of the year. Clark would score on a Kade Johnson ground out as the Mavs took a 2-0 first inning lead. They went up 3-0 in the third, as Chris Morris reached on an error, then scored on a throwing error by catcher Nick Trzesniak, as he tried to throw out Morris stealing third. The Storm answered with two runs in the bottom of the third off starter Chris Saenz. Marcus Nettles and Josh Barfield each collected RBI hits to cut the lead to one, at 3-2. The Mavs got a run back in the fifth, as Todd West reached on the fourth Lake Elsinore error, and scored on an Ernster RBI double. All told, the Mavs four runs were all unearned off of Storm starter Tom Lipari, who went five innings. The Storm rallied after Saenz was pulled after five innings. Greg Schaub walked the leadoff man, Joe Gerber, in the sixth, and allowed him to score on a two-out hit by Jason Clements. After the Mavs couldn't produce an insurance run with runners at first and third and no outs in the top of the eighth inning, Bobby Bystrowski came on and allowed the game-tying base hit in the bottom of the inning. Again, it was Clements with a two-out, RBI single, to tie the game at 4-4. Each team had the chance to win it but neither club produced until the 12th. Backsmeyer (0-1), who worked a scoreless 11th, gave up the line drive homer to Gerber, which barely stayed fair, just clearing the fence. It was the first run that Backsmeyer had allowed in his four appearances so far this year. Robert Garvin (2-1) got the win with two innings of scoreless relief. Dan Hall (3-0) looks to become the Cal League's first four-game winner as he goes to the mound on Sunday for High Desert. Lake Elsinore will counter with Justin Germano (1-1) at 2:05 in the final game of the series. The Mavs return home on Friday, May 2nd. High Desert Box Score: We miss you, Brad... GAME DATE: 4/26/03 HIGH DESERT 4 AT LAKE ELSINORE 5 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG LAKE ELSINORE AB R H BI AVG C.Morris CF 5 1 1 0 .242 M.Nettles CF 6 1 1 1 .183 M.Ernster 3B 4 1 2 1 .500 J.Furmaniak DH 5 0 0 0 .342 D.Clark LF 5 1 1 1 .391 J.Barfield 2B 5 0 3 1 .398 K.Johnson CAT 5 0 1 1 .351 G.Sain 3B 6 0 2 0 .286 J.Belcher RF 5 0 0 0 .354 J.Gerber LF 4 2 2 1 .341 B.Foster DH 4 0 0 0 .275 J.Carter RF 5 0 1 0 .296 J.Raburn PR 0 0 0 0 .291 J.Hastings 1B 4 0 2 0 .259 J.Raburn DH 1 0 0 0 .291 F.Guzman PR 0 1 0 0 .354 R.Santana 2B 5 0 0 0 .279 J.Benick 1B 1 0 0 0 .342 S.Candelaria 1B 5 0 0 0 .226 N.Trzesniak CAT 5 0 0 0 .298 T.West SS 4 1 0 0 .250 J.Clements SS 3 1 2 2 .667 C.Saenz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Lipari PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Schaub PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Kozol PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Bystrowski PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Cassel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Backsmeyer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Wodnicki PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Garvin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 43 4 5 3 TOTALS 44 5 13 5 HIGH DESERT 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 5 2 LAKE ELSINORE 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1- 5 13 4 E--M.Ernster, K.Johnson, G.Sain 2, J.Clements, T.Lipari. DP--HIGH DESERT 1, LAKE ELSINORE 2. LOB--HIGH DESERT 4, LAKE ELSINORE 11. 2B--C.Morris (7), M.Ernster (3), M.Nettles (2), J.Gerber (6), J.Carter (3), J.Hastings (4). 3B--D.Clark (4), J.Barfield (2). HR--J.Gerber (2). SB--C.Morris (13), M.Ernster (1), T.West 2 (4), J.Barfield (6), J.Clements (1). CS-- J.Furmaniak, J.Clements. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT C.Saenz 5.0 5 2 2 4 8 0 6.86 G.Schaub 2.0 3 1 1 2 2 0 2.35 B.Bystrowski 3.0 4 1 1 0 0 0 3.77 J.Backsmeyer (L,0-1) 1.1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1.69 LAKE ELSINORE T.Lipari 5.0 2 4 0 1 6 0 0.00 A.Kozol 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.25 J.Cassel 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1.42 M.Wodnicki 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.98 R.Garvin (W,2-1) 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.05 PB--N.Trzesniak. SO--C.Morris 3, D.Clark 2, J.Belcher, B.Foster, S.Candelaria 2, T.West, M.Nettles, G.Sain 3, J.Carter 3, J.Hastings, N.Trzesniak 2. BB--M.Ernster, J.Furmaniak, J.Barfield, J.Gerber 2, J.Clements 2. T--3:13. A--5674

Beloit Daily News Game Recap: Just an additional detail or two; it's tough to get anything from a Snappers' perspective when the team is on the road... www.beloitdailynews.com/403/snap26.htm

Daily Press High Desert Game Story: Manager Tim Blackwell says an attitude adjustment is in order... www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...088,44663,

With Wilhelmsen pitching Saturday as mentioned above, good place to note the following: Q: Josh from Sherwood, WI asks: Tom Wilhemson has been throwing well thus far this season for the Brewers' minor league affiliate in Beloit. For those of us who don't know much about him, what kind of repertoire does he have, and how fast can he pitch? Is he a prospect for this Brewers fan to keep his eye on? A: Josh Boyd: His velo fluctuated as an amateur, but at his best he gets it into the low 90s. With his size and arm strength, he's definitely worth tracking.

Daily Menu : All Times Central, pitchers subject to change... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Francisco Campos at home vs. Columbus (Yankees), 7:00 PM -- at some point in the future, Indianapolis will have significance as a Brewer affiliate -- it just hasn't happened yet... HUNTSVILLE: LHP Luis Martinez at home vs. Greenville (Braves), 7:05 PM -- we'll have plenty of Sunday AM analysis for you on this one... HIGH DESERT: RHP Chris Saenz at Lake Elsinore (Padres), 9:05 PM; What was the headline in Tuscon, Chris' hometown, when he committed to play pro ball with the Brewers -- Saenz signs? BELOIT: RHP Tom Wilhelmsen and the Snappers visit Lansing (Cubs), 5:05 PM; if anyone has found on-air web audio of the Lugnuts' games, let us know...thanks.

High Desert Site Game Summary: Mavs Fall Hard in Road Trip Opener LAKE ELSINORE, CA ? The High Desert Mavericks began a seven-day road trip on Friday night, losing to the Lake Elsinore Storm by a score of 15-4 at the Diamond in Lake Elsinore. The Mavs looked sloppy in one of their worst defeats of the year, committing a season-worst four errors, while allowing 15 runs on 18 hits. The Storm took the early lead in the first as Josh Barfield picked up a two-run double to make it 2-0 off Mavs starter Pete Smart (1-3) after one inning. The Storm added five more in the second as Smart lasted a season-worst, two innings. Greg Sain and Jason Clements each had home runs for the Storm in the second frame. They went up 9-0 in the third, scoring two runs off of Mavs reliever Aaron Dean. The Mavs tried to chip away at the lead, scoring two in the fourth, when Froilan Villanueva collected an RBI single and Scott Candeleria drove in a run with a fielder's choice. Storm starter Mike Thompson (1-2) lasted just five innings, giving up two runs, while allowing ten hits. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter. The Storm quickly got those two runs back, scoring two more in the fourth off of Dean. Lake Elsinore plated four more off releiver J.M. Gold in the seventh, who allowed four runs, three earned, in three innings of relief. The Mavs scored a run in the sixth and a run in the eighth to round out their scoring. Kade Johnson, who had an 18-game hitting streak halted on Thursday night, had three hits on the night for the Mavs. Jason Belcher and Ralph Santana also had three hits for the Mavericks. Candelaria finished the night hitless, but did drive in two runs to lead the Mavs in that categtory. The Mavs are now four games behind the first place Storm, who take over the top spot in the South Division with the win. The Mavs face the Storm on Saturday and Sunday before heading to Lancaster on Monday for four straight. On Saturday, the Mavs throw right-hander Chris Saenz (1-2) against Justin Germano (1-1) at 7:05 in Lake Elsinore. The Mavs return home on Friday, May 2nd to battle Rancho Cucamonga. High Desert Box Score: About as ugly as we feared... GAME DATE: 4/25/03 HIGH DESERT 4 AT LAKE ELSINORE 15 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG LAKE ELSINORE AB R H BI AVG C.Morris CF 4 0 0 0 .244 M.Nettles CF 5 1 1 1 .185 J.Raburn SS 5 0 1 0 .296 J.Furmaniak SS 4 3 3 0 .368 D.Clark LF 4 0 0 0 .402 J.Barfield DH 4 0 2 4 .386 K.Johnson CAT 5 1 3 0 .359 J.Hastings PH 2 1 0 0 .240 J.Belcher RF 5 1 3 0 .383 J.Benick 1B 6 2 2 0 .347 B.Foster DH 5 1 1 0 .289 G.Sain 3B 4 2 2 2 .278 R.Santana 2B 4 1 3 0 .304 J.Carter RF 4 2 2 1 .306 F.Villanueva 3B 4 0 2 1 .352 M.Richardson LF 4 0 1 1 .273 S.Candelaria 1B 4 0 0 2 .246 N.Trzesniak CAT 4 2 3 2 .333 P.Smart PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Clements 2B 3 2 2 2 .667 A.Dean PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Thompson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Gold PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Craker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Jones PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Richards PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 40 4 13 3 TOTALS 40 15 18 13 HIGH DESERT 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0- 4 13 4 LAKE ELSINORE 2 5 2 2 0 0 4 0 X-15 18 4 E--C.Morris 2, K.Johnson, S.Candelaria, J.Furmaniak, J.Benick, G.Sain, G.Jones. DP--HIGH DESERT 1, LAKE ELSINORE 2. LOB--HIGH DESERT 11, LAKE ELSINORE 10. 2B--J.Belcher (6), J.Furmaniak (5), J.Barfield (8), J.Benick 2 (5), G.Sain (2). HR--G.Sain (4), J.Clements (1). SB-- C.Morris (12), R.Santana (6), N.Trzesniak (3). HBP--J.Clements. SF--M.Nettles, N.Trzesniak. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT P.Smart (L,1-3) 2.0 8 7 7 1 3 2 9.00 A.Dean 3.0 5 4 4 3 1 0 16.36 J.Gold 3.0 5 4 3 2 2 0 5.56 LAKE ELSINORE M.Thompson (W,1-2) 5.0 10 2 2 0 5 0 4.74 J.Craker 1.0 2 1 1 1 0 0 7.71 G.Jones 2.0 1 1 0 0 4 0 3.48 J.Richards 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6.75 HB--A.Dean. WP--P.Smart. BALKS--P.Smart. SO--C.Morris 3, J.Raburn, D.Clark 2, J.Belcher, B.Foster 2, J.Furmaniak, J.Benick, G.Sain 2, M.Richardson, J.Clements. BB--C.Morris, D.Clark, J.Furmaniak 2, G.Sain, J.Carter, M.Richardson, J.Clements. T--2:56. A--6134

Huntsville Site Suspended Game Summary: Scoreless in the 7th... www.huntsvillestars.com/n...?newsid=46 David Weiser note: Just-traded Mike Nicolas joins a list of phantom Stars. I don't mean players who played just one game --- I mean players who had worn the uniform or come close, but never played a single regular season game........ It's a topic I've never had the opportunity to delve into, but here it presents itself, so off the top of my head, are some of those phantom Stars: ??? Pete Smart. Currently on High Desert's roster, he was promoted to Huntsville on the last day of the 2002 season, just in case Huntsville needed him for the playoffs, since the Western Division title had come down to the last day vs. Birmingham. The Stars lost, 1-0. Smart still has a shot to wind up with the Stars, though. Maybe before the season's done. To learn about others prior to Huntsville's association with the Brewers, scroll to the bottom of David's site: www.starsboxscore.com/ And speaking of Pete Smart...

Lake Elsinore (Padres) 15, High Desert 4 Thankfully, we don't know the details quite yet; the fact the teams combined for eight errors couldn't have helped make it a classic... Lake Elsinore 15 18 4 High Desert 4 13 4

Daily Press High Desert Game Story: Lots of good Kade Johnson analysis; Mark Ernster day-to-day... www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...5428,8290, Beloit Daily News Game Story: Just an additional detail or two about Thursday's game... www.beloitdailynews.com/403/snap25.htm From SportsTicker's Daily Minor League Highlights: BELOIT (MID) 1B PRINCE FIELDER went 5-for-5 with a pair of RBI in the Snappers' 9-8 win over the Lansing Lugnuts. Fielder singled in the first inning, doubled in the fourth and singled again in the sixth. During a seven-run rally in the eighth, the 18-year-old singled and scored on a two-run double by OF TRAVIS HINTON. In his second at-bat of the frame, Fielder capped the outburst with a two-run single, giving his club its first lead of the contest. On the season, the Milwaukee Brewers' slugger ranks second in the Midwest League in batting (.391), on-base percentage (.480) and slugging percentage (.703) and is tied for the lead in homers with five.

Today's Menu features quite a bit of southpaw seasoning: All Times Central... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Francisco Campos vs. Toledo (Tigers) at home, 7:00 PM HUNTSVILLE: LHP Derek Lee at Mobile (Padres), 7:05 PM HIGH DESERT: LHP Pete Smart at Lake Elsinore (Padres), 9:05 PM BELOIT: LHP Manny Parra at Lansing (Cubs), 5:05 PM

Indianapolis Star Game Story: Apparently Cecil Cooper's feeling the pressure... www.indystar.com/print/ar...5-036.html That's pretty weak; the team's first game back after the longest road trip of the season, and you refuse to talk to the media?

Huntsville Site Game Summary: One wild inning... www.huntsvillestars.com/n...?newsid=45 David Weiser Chimes In From Huntsville: Included is a Ben Hendrickson update... FOR WHOM THE RAINS TOLL...The skies were ominous as the game began. Mobile was on the edge of the same front that spawned tornadoes in Texas earlier in the day........ A double down the line by Jon Knott scored Alex Fernandez just as the rain picked up in the 3rd inning, bringing Mobile to within a run, 4-3........ Ben Diggins could have ended the inning on a ball hit back to him by Danny Bravo, but perhaps because the ball was wet, Diggins lost his grip on the little devil and threw it into right field for a 2-base error that scored two runs. That gave Mobile a 5-4 lead...... The lead stayed that way until the 7th inning....... Do not ask for whom the ominous clouds toll, it tolled for Mobile. Now generosity is a word that usually applied to us this season, but of the 33 errors the Stars made, as many were made by our opponents, and out of the 17-15 unearned run edge by our opponents, the Stars still won 3 of 5 games where errors mattered in the outcome of a game....... Hank Aaron Stadium became the theatre of the absurd as Mobile made a club record four errors in the 7th inning, allowing seven unearned runs to score in the Stars' come-from-behind 12-6 victory over the Bay Bears. Wish I knew the Southern League record for most errors by one team in an inning, but the SL Media Guide does not list it........ In addition to those errors, there was a wild pitch and two hit batters. A pitch by Ian Harvey brushed the pants leg of Chris Barnwell, but Barnwell did not get the umpire's signal to take his base, but Harvey's next pitch left no doubt. He hit him in the butt and the rally went on........ The seven runs by the Stars is their biggest inning since scoring six runs in the 9th to beat the Tennessee Smokies last year, 10-7. An Alan Webb error opened the floodgates on this inning, but it was first set up by an error at 3rd base by Danny Bravo and a walk to Mike Kremblas.......Barnwell then laid down a beautiful bunt to try to advance the runners. Webb threw the ball away, drawing 1st baseman Jon Knott into the baseline, and Barnwell collided with Knott as the ball sailed down the right field line. Cristian Guerrero scored easily with the first run....... That ties the game......... Right fielder Alex Fernandez air-mailed the throw to home plate as Kremblas tried to score. The overthrown ball was backed up by Webb and he quickly flipped the ball to catcher Humberto Quintero, but Kremblas knocked it out of his glove and Quintero was charged with error number three....... At that point, the Stars had an 6-5 lead........ After pinch-hitter Ryan Gripp popped out, Ryan Knox singled Barnwell to second. Dave Krynzel hit a chopper to Knott at first. Trying to start a double play, Knott bounced his throw off Ryan's noggin (he was wearing a helmet, Stars fans) for the fourth error of the inning........ The ball rolls into left field. That scores Barnwell. 7-5........ Knox goes to third. A wild pitch sends him in. 8-5....... Fun at the ol' ballpark, huh?........ Krinkles then steals third....... J.J. Hardy rips a single to left and in comes Dave. .......9-5........ Corey Hart, who sadly failed to join in the night's fun, struck out...... Brandon Gemoll singled Hardy to second, setting the table for Cristian Guerrero, up for the second time in the inning. He rips a double off reliever Ian Harvey to left-center field, scoring Gemoll and Hardy to make it 11-5. Kremblas made it 12-6 in the 9th inning on a first pitch breaking ball hit well out of the park to the hillside in left for his first home run since he was a member of the Tennessee Smokies in 2000. Krynzel extended his hit streak to 10 games....... Knox extended his to 13, but it was only his second 2-hit game of the streak....... Ryan Miller's string of scoreless innings, which was second only to Luis Martinez' record best in April, came to an end after 12 1/3 innings, when Vince Faison homered in the bottom of the 7th. Both teams conclude their series at the Hank, Friday night, 7 pm....... Mobile sends Brad Baker (0-2, 5.74) against Derek Lee (2-0, 2.50), making his third start....... Ben Hendrickson's tight forearm is sounding more and more suspiciously like the elbow problem that at least one reliable source has attested to......... In any case, Hendrickson is on a schedule where he throws a simulated game every other day....... According to the voice of the Stars, Robert Portnoy, Derek could wind up making at least three more starts while Hendrickson slowly comes back, first throwing 20-25 pitches from the bullpen with increasing counts until he's ready to go back into the rotation. With a roster spot open, the Stars nearly wound up with Mobile reliever Mike Nicolas, #8 on the list of the Padres' top prospects........ Nicolas, who pitched two scoreless innings against the Stars, Tuesday, was acquired on waivers, Thursday....... No sooner did Nicolas move his stuff from one dugout to the other before he found out the Brewers had traded him to the Red Sox.

Beloit 9, Lansing (Cubs) 8 Prince Fielder lifts his average from .339 to .391 (25-for-64, 10 extra-base hits) and keys incredible comeback victory... Game Summary From the Lugnuts' Site: Snappers' seven-run inning dooms 'Nuts LANSING - Beloit first baseman Prince Fielder, son of former Deroit Tiger Cecil Fielder, went 5-for-5 at Oldsmobile Park Thursday night, including two singles in a seven-run eighth inning that was just enough to give Beloit a 9-8 win over the Lansing Lugnuts. Lansing squandered leads of 6-0 and 8-2, as three Lansing relievers were knocked around in the inning. Twelve Snappers batted in the inning, and Fielder drove the last nail in the coffin with a bases-loaded, two-run single through the middle of the infield off of Jason Wylie. Lansing had constructed a 2-0 lead on a first-inning RBI single by Buck Coats and a solo home run in the second by Keith Butler (his first). Then they exploded for four runs in the third inning, sending 10 to the plate and scoring on a double by Donny Hood, a single by Butler and a two-run single by Robinson Chirinos. Beloit starter Calvin Carpenter was chased from the ballgame in the third, having given up 10 hits and six runs in 2 2/3 innings. The Lugnuts' last two runs came in the seventh, scoring on a groundout by Jose Reyes and a single by Chirinos. Fielder, who had four singles, missed a home run by about a foot in the fourth inning, when he smacked a leadoff double off the top of the wall in left centerfield. He finished the night with three RBIs and a run scored. The Beloit Snappers are the snappers of a six-game Lansing win streak. Lansing, now 10-5, trail Fort Wayne by a half-game in the Eastern Division. Lansing tied a season high by smacking out 15 hits. Felix Pie, with a triple and a single, had two; Ryan Theriot had a single and a double, walking twice; Coats had two singles; Hood collected a single and a double; Chirinos singled twice and collected three RBIs; Butler led all hitters with two singles and the solo homer. The four-game series continues Friday night at 6:05 p.m. R H E LOB Beloit (8-8) 9 16 1 8 LUGNUTS (10-5) 8 15 0 10WP: Justin Gabriel (2-0) LP: Federico Baez (1-2) SAVE: Bo Hall (2) HR: Keith Butler (1) Time of Game: 3:17 Attendance: 2902

Toledo (Tigers) 5, Indianapolis 1 Anemic ways continue; the Brewers had better promise Indy fans that most of this year's Huntsville squad will grace Victory Field full-time in 2004... Indy Site Game Summary: The Indianapolis Indians (7-13) suffered another setback on Thursday night in their return to Victory Field after a nine-game road trip, dropping the first of a two-game series 5-1 to the Toledo Mud Hens (10-9). The Indians' bats were held silent throughout the majority of the game as Mud Hens starter Nate Robertson (1-1) pitched seven solid innings for his first Triple-A victory. Toledo jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning against Indians starting pitcher Mark Guerra (0-2). Leadoff batter Andres Torres got the ball rolling for the Mud Hens innocently enough with a bunt single down the third base line. Two batters later Kevin Witt, who entered the ballgame trailing Lou Collier for the International League RBI lead by one with 17, doubled to deep left-center field to score Torres. Witt later scored on an RBI single by Derek Nicholson. Toledo tallied single runs in the second and third innings off of Guerra, who pitched six innings allowing six hits and four runs. Danny Klassen accounted for the single run in the third inning with a solo home run to left field for Toledo. Robertson allowed only four hits in his seven innings of work, allowing the Tribe's only run to cross the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning when Keith Luuloa's double scored Scott Seabol from first base. Robertson notched a season-high seven strikeouts while walking just two Indians batters. Toledo's final run came on Tom Evans' solo home run in the top of the ninth inning, ending reliever Dan Kolb's string of frames without allowing an earned run at 7.1 innings. The two teams will finish off the series on Friday evening at 7 p.m. at Victory Field. Shane Loux (2-0, 0.51 ERA) will start for Toledo and Francisco Campos (0-2, 9.18 ERA) will start for the Tribe. Indianapolis Box Score: Jamey Wright with a couple of scoreless innings... GAME DATE: 4/24/03 TOLEDO 5 AT INDIANAPOLIS 1 YTD YTD TOLEDO AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG A.Torres CF 4 1 1 0 .343 J.Conti CF 3 0 0 0 .231 W.Morris 2B 5 0 1 0 .219 J.Lawrence CAT 3 0 0 0 .196 K.Witt 1B 4 1 1 1 .358 M.Smith RF 4 0 0 0 .300 E.Young RF 3 0 0 0 .265 L.Stevens DH 4 0 0 0 .327 D.Nicholson DH 4 0 1 1 .196 S.Seabol 1B 4 1 2 0 .214 D.Klassen SS 3 1 2 1 .222 K.Luuloa 2B 3 0 1 1 .136 C.Ross LF 4 0 0 0 .188 P.Zoccolillo LF 3 0 0 0 .271 T.Evans 3B 3 2 1 1 .152 B.Hall SS 3 0 0 0 .164 A.Hinch CAT 4 0 1 1 .121 W.Veras 3B 3 0 2 0 .212 N.Robertson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Guerra PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Pearson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Wright PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Rodney PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Kolb PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 5 8 5 TOTALS 30 1 5 1 TOLEDO 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1- 5 8 0 INDIANAPOLIS 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 1 5 1 E--W.Veras. DP--TOLEDO 2, INDIANAPOLIS 0. LOB--TOLEDO 6, INDIANAPOLIS 4. 2B--K.Witt (5), A.Hinch (2), K.Luuloa (2). HR--D.Klassen (2), T.Evans (1). SB--A.Torres (12), W.Morris (1), E.Young (2), D.Klassen (2). CS-- A.Torres, E.Young, J.Conti. HBP--D.Klassen, T.Evans. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA TOLEDO N.Robertson (W,1-1) 7.0 4 1 1 2 7 0 2.16 T.Pearson 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 F.Rodney 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.86 INDIANAPOLIS M.Guerra (L,0-2) 6.0 6 4 4 1 0 1 5.03 J.Wright 2.0 1 0 0 1 3 0 7.29 D.Kolb 1.0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1.08 HB--M.Guerra, J.Wright. PB--J.Lawrence. SO--A.Torres, D.Nicholson, C.Ross, L.Stevens 3, S.Seabol, P.Zoccolillo 2, B.Hall 2. BB--A.Torres, E.Young, J.Conti, J.Lawrence. T--2:12. A--4040

In tonight's final portion of the Reid Nichols interview with Jim Powell on the Brewers' pre-game show, the focus was on the A-ball teams. Daryl Clark, Kade Johnson (defense looks fine), J.M. Gold, and the Beloit pitching staff (Nichols sees big similarities to the strong Huntsville staff) were all quick points of discussion. The strongest statement concerned Beloit's 19-year-old Steve Moss, who received rave reviews and is "major league ready" as a defensive CF. Of course, Moss has shown fine offensive skills as well, but Nichols admits they need to get and keep him healthy (apparently foot / leg issues persist, although no details were mentioned).