MassBrew

Indianapolis Pre-Game Notes included this telling stat: Since June 7, when closer Jason Childers left Indianapolis, the Tribe is 4-12 and has blown four saves. Full notes: www.indyindians.com/pdf/gamenotes.pdf

The Brewers have acquired 26-year-old middle infielder Wandel Campana from Schaumburg of the Northen League and assigned him to Beloit. Campana already has plenty of Midwest league experience as a member of the Reds' organization. Wandel Campana career stats: www.sports-wired.com/play...sp?ID=4783 2004 Independent League numbers: www.baseballamerica.com/c...er=campana Campana's Bio with Schaumburg: www.flyersbaseball.com/fl....asp?ID=61 We didn't think Guilder Rodriguez would be out much longer, Will Lewis has arrived in Beloit, and Campana's primarily a second baseman. With a roster limit of 25, it appears that two other moves would have to be made to allow for Ken Durost's return and the Campana acquisition. Just a week ago: Campana was taken to Alexian Brothers Hospital for precautionary measures after he was hit by a pitch in the first inning. "He was hit in the left cheek, I think the ball might have hit his helmet and then hit his left cheek," Flyers medical director Tony Garofalo said. "He did lose consciousness for about 30 seconds or less." Campana also experienced blurred vision, headaches and a lot of swelling in the left cheek, Garofalo said. Campana went into Wednesday's game hitting .304 with 19 RBI. But from this past Saturday night: Schaumburg second baseman Wandel Campana hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning Saturday night at Alexian Field in Schaumburg, Ill. A 26-year-old inked for Beloit? Something's up elsewhere...

The Brewers have apparently made a quick decision on RHP Garrett Berger of the Helena squad, as he was given his release. Too bad, as we've linked to recent stories on Berger from Helena newspaper coverage and ESPN's Rob Neyer. Both of those links can be found within the Helena thread: p082.ezboard.com/fbrewers...2156.topic

I've just noticed that Ken Durost has been activated by the Beloit Snappers back to their roster. Anyone know what was involved with his disappearance act? We've known for some time now that RHP Kenny Durost had a change of heart regarding his retirement, but hadn't commented officially here until the Snappers made his return official. No known reason behind any of the circumstances, let's just say "Go get'em, Kenny!"

Need your help today, guys. Look for and post links to game stories as follows later today: High Desert here (around 9:00 AM Central): www.vvdailypress.com/ Huntsville here (around 2:00 PM) www.al.com/sports/huntsvilletimes/ There may be news in the sports section at Beloit as well (1:00 PM): www.beloitdailynews.com/ Enjoy your Thursday -- catch you late tonight!

Must prepare myself for the first truly "full" six-team Link Report by sunning and surfing on Cape Cod beaches today *insert smirk here*. So, hopefully I can keep the sand out of the sandwiches in your Daily Menu: Brewers have a matinee -- we expect to see your listening reports tonight! Not necessarily play-by-play, but news and notes would be nice -- a Ben-and-Manny twinbill, wow! All times Central except Arizona Rookie (local Mountain); pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Ben Hendrickson at home vs. Syracuse (Blue Jays), 7:05 PM; the other day, the Indy site proclaimed in big letters across their home page that we should "listen live" -- fix the link! Audio link: www.newstalk1430.com/ Alternate audio link (SkyChiefs' feed): www.skychiefs.com/ HUNTSVILLE: LHP Ryan Costello at home vs. Tennessee (Cardinals) and Luis Martinez, 7:05 PM Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ HIGH DESERT: LHP Manny Parra at home vs. Inland Empire (Mariners), 9:05 PM Audio link: www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm BELOIT: TBD at home vs. Kane County (A's), 7:00 PM Audio link (Cougar's feed): www.kccougars.com/ HELENA: RHP Justin Barnes at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 8:00 PM Audio link (Osprey's feed): www.1340kylt.com/ ARIZONA ROOKIE: The kids travel to the Padres' complex for a 10:30 affair; 19-year-old Dominican LHP Rafael Lluveres makes his state-side debut after two solid seasons in the DSL; he's listed at 6'4", 150 lbs. -- hopefully his U.S. diet plan can address that...

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville update: HANGOVER OVER?A promotional night for Whitesburg Baptist Church made up most of this crowd, comfortably pushing the home attendance over the 100,000 mark on this overcast, drizzly 73° evening....... There was a rain delay of 33 minutes. The Nashville Sounds have drawn very well with their "Faith Nights", going to the point of congregation members handing out Bibles at the turnstiles........ I think that's an unnecessary imposition, but the Sounds have some great ideas when it comes to bringing the church crazies out to the Stadium on weeknights, especially Wednesdays, which for Baptists are the 2nd most sacred night of the week for some reason........ The Sounds have tried to lure them to market by putting together special packages, like a hot dog, drink, and a seat for $10 and Bible Bobble-Head Nights (Moses, Noah, Samson among them)........ It's not a bad idea. It draws 2-3 times the normal crowd for a weeknight at Greer Stadium....... Alabama is the heart of the Bible Belt and any church would declare their city as the holiest of cities in this state, so this is really an untapped opportunity to exploit these people........ Instead of feeding the collection plate, they'd probably feel better, if their conscience lets them, if they let the Stars feed their faces instead with hot dogs, sodas, popcorn, and the big $5 Kahuna Burger (which is really good)........ Maybe someone in the Stars front office can come up with a collection plate the ushers can pass around their sections to make them feel at home. A brand new start for the Stars got off on the right foot....... It's no-nonsense time, according to manager Frank Kremblas, who wants to see more run production in the second half, but what he got tonight was a mini-home run derby and one of Chris Saenz' finest starts to hold the home-run crazy Smokies, 2-1, in what turned out to be a nail-biter at the end. If there's anyone more prepared to go to Indy on this team, it's Chris Saenz........ Tonight was his best game since May 30, when he shutdown Mobile on seven scoreless four-hit innings, and by coincidence, it just happened to be the last time the Stars had back-to-back victories (May 30-June 1)....... It's been that long........ Saenz gave up a couple of hits in the first couple of innings --- a 1st inning single down the right field line that Papo Bolivar tried unsuccessfully to stretch into a double, and a single up the middle by Chris Duncan in the 2nd inning. After that, Saenz retired 10 in a row........ He was throwing his slider (his favorite pitch) and breaking ball for strikes consistently tonight. Of the 19 batters he faced, he went to a three-ball count only three times, going 3-and-1 twice. Of his 94 pitches, he threw 64 (68%) for strikes. At no point did he throw more than 16 pitches in any inning......... His one mistake --- a 2-and-1 pitch (his 77th) to Papo Bolivar in the 6th inning, crushed to the opposite field for a home run. Tennessee's Chris Narveson is not a hard thrower. His fastball will touch 90 occasionally. But he is one of the Cardinals top prospects (#3 in their organization)....... His best pitch is the off-speed and he's a smart pitcher who likes to play the cat-and-mouse game with the hitter. His intelligence in knowing what to throw and how to throw it gets hitters out, and he was just as effective tonight as Saenz. Like Saenz, he didn't walk anyone tonight, and went to 3-2 counts to four hitters, and fanned eight........ One of those 3-and-2 pitches, however, was lined straight over the centerfield wall in the 3rd inning by Rickie Weeks that put the Stars on top, 1-0 in the 3rd inning........ Weeks' five HRs have all been of that nature. Not one home run hit by him was skied out of the park this year. Weeks fought Narveson for his pitch, too. It was the 9th pitch to him that inning. Tony Gwynn, Jr. nearly followed Weeks' shot with a hit, himself --- a well-placed hopper that managed to stay inside the 3rd base line, but Gabe Johnson ran in on the play, gloved it on the hop and submarined a difficult, but perfect throw to first to end the 3rd. Chris Barnwell came up with a tie-breaking moon shot high over the Corr Wireless sign in left field in the 7th inning on a 1-0 hanging breaking ball........ That was the end of the night's home run derby. Only two hitters got as far as third base tonight........ Johnny Raburn, who doubled to left-center to lead off the 5th, reached third on a one-out grounder to Corey Erickson and Milko Jaramillo made it to third with one out in the exciting climax to this game........ After closer John Novinsky got Dan Moylan (who homered off him earlier this season) to uppercut a breaking ball in the 9th to deep centerfield where Gwynn was stationed, Haynes singled to Barnwell on a slow grounder........ With the count 0-and-1 on Chris Duncan, Novinsky's throwing error up the right field line on an errant pick-off throw allowed pinch-runner Milko Jaramillo to get 90 feet from tying this game again........ Duncan hit a high foul pop to the right side short of the visiting bullpen, but Prince Fielder, with Weeks and Raburn on the chase, tried to reach out and make the catch with his back to the plate, something I've seen him successfully do only once........ Although Raburn was in a better position, Fielder took charge and could not come up with the catch......... Novinsky, however, threw Duncan, Tennessee's leading RBI man and a .304 hitter in his last 8 games, a couple of hard sliders and struck him out...... The same formula worked for the last hitter, Gabe Johnson, and the Stars had their first win of the second half. Among the Stars opponents, only Birmingham has hit as many home runs (12) against us........ The Smokies, with home run hitters up and down their lineup, are third in the Southern League with 69. The Stars, at the start of the half, were second to last with 51....... The Smokies haven't gone four straight games without a home run since a seven-game power outage at the start of the season........ Away from home, the Smokies are now 15-20........ Southern League hitters carry just a .194 average against Saenz in the first two innings of his starts. With runners on base, though, even after tonight when Tennessee's hitters were 0-for-11, opponents are still hitting .297........ Paul Stewart arrives from Indianapolis tomorrow to replace Reggie Rivard who was sent down to High Desert, where the atmosphere should really challenge him...... Rivard's first half was a 6.75 ERA with marks over 5.00 separately in April and May and a 9.72 ERA in June. He gave up four HRs, three of them in April. Ryan Knox will be out 7-10 days with a strained hip flexor, but he will be available for pinch-hit duties....... Kade Johnson is healthy after turning an ankle rounding first base during the Rickwood Classic....... Saul Rivera, making his debut for the Huntsville Stars, threw seven pitches (four for strikes) to retire the Smokies in the 8th --- Corey Erickson on a catch Gwynn made in shallow right, Jon Hamilton on a first-pitch comebacker, and Papo Bolivar on an unassisted grounder to Fielder. Skip Schumaker reached base when Chris Barnwell reached up to backhand a high hopper, but dropped the ball behind him. Second baseman Jeff Pickler (Stars 1999-2001) had a 6-for-6 night for the Oklahoma Redhawks Tuesday night, and Danny Ardoin (Stars '97-'98) went 5-for-6 and scored six times as their team crushed the Albuquerque Isotopes, 24-4. The Redhawks had 31 hits and Wednesday night, they followed that with a 10-9 victory with Ardoin scoring three more times....... Oklahoma leads the PCL in batting (.309) and runs scored (459 in 73 games or 6.29 per game). Just thought I'd throw that in. Thursday night is Mascot Night, so everyone coming in will get a "Homer" bobblehead........ Ryan Costello (3-1, 5.28) will face former Star Luis Martinez (6-6, 4.48), who pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Stars back on June 14. Costello gave up eight hits in four innings against Birmingham in his last start. Baseball America reports that Ron Walker, a Diamond Jaxx 1st baseman-3rd baseman during the 1999 and 2000 seasons, was killed in an auto accident in Medford Twp, New Jersey on April 16. Walker, a Jersey native, finished his career with Little Falls in the independent Northern League in 2001...... Long-time Braves fans might be interested to know that former outfielder Mack Jones died of cancer, June 8, in Atlanta. Jones was the Montreal Expos' #2 pick in the 1968 expansion draft, and hit a grand-slam HR in the Expos' very first game, a 10-1 win over the Mets if memory serves me correctly. He retired after the 1971 season.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: With a fresh start and their top gun on the mound, the Stars were ready to put the first half behind them. Fireballer Chris Saenz shut down the Smokies' bats, Rickie Weeks and Chris Barnwell supplied all the offense, and Huntsville nipped Tennessee, 2-1, in Wednesday night's second-half opener at soggy Joe Davis Stadium. Saenz (5-4) went to a three-ball count just three times over seven outstanding innings, fanning seven and walking none. Saenz scattered six hits, allowing only one run on Papo Bolivar's game-tying homer in the sixth. Bolivar was the lone runner to advance past first against Saenz, who retired 10 straight from the second through fifth. The Stars (33-38, 1-0) took a 1-0 lead on Weeks' third-inning homer to dead-centerfield, his fifth of the season. After Bolivar's blast tied the game, Huntsville retook the lead in the seventh, when Chris Barnwell launched a towering drive to left for his fourth homerun this year. Saul Rivera, making his Stars debut, tossed a scoreless eighth, and John Novinsky survived a ninth-inning scare to record his fifth save. With one out, Dee Haynes reached on a swinging-bunt single. Novinsky's errant pick-off attempt bounded into the bullpen and sent Haynes to third. Novinsky responded by fanning Chris Duncan and Gabe Johnson, both with nasty breaking balls, to end the game. Chris Narveson (2-7) suffered a tough loss, surrendering only two runs - the Weeks and Barnwell solo homers - on four hits and no walks with eight strikeouts over seven solid innings. Huntsville lefty Ryan Costello (3-1, 5.28) meets Smokies left-hander and former Star Luis Martinez (6-6, 4.48) in game two of the series on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. Roller Coasters Skate Center and WHNT-19 present a Homer Bobblehead Doll Giveaway and Mascot Mania at Joe Davis Stadium.

WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 39 31 .557 TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 38 35 .521 2.5 [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 34 36 .486 5.0[/b] LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 34 38 .472 6.0 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB *MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 1 0 1.000 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 1 0 1.000[/b] BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 1 0 1.000 WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 0 1 .000 1.0 MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 0 1 .000 1.0 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB *LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 3 0 1.000 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 2 1 .667 1.0 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 1 2 .333 2.0 INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 2 1 .667 1.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 1 2 .333 2.0[/b] WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 0 0 .000 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 0 0 .000 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 0 0 .000 *KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 0 0 .000 CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 0 0 .000 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 0 0 .000 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 0 0 .000 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 0 0 .000[/b] NORTH DIVISION W L PCT GB BILLINGS MUSTANGS (CINCINNATI) 4 2 .667 [b]HELENA BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 4 2 .667 [/b] GREAT FALLS WHITE SOX (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 3 3 .500 1.0 MISSOULA OSPREY (ARIZONA) 1 5 .167 3.0 W L PCT GB ROYALS (KANSAS CITY) 2 0 1.000 MARINERS (SEATTLE) 2 0 1.000 GIANTS (SAN FRANCISCO) 2 0 1.000 ATHLETICS (OAKLAND) 1 1 .500 1.0 ANGELS (ANAHEIM) 1 1 .500 1.0 RANGERS (TEXAS) 0 1 .000 1.5 PADRES (SAN DIEGO) 0 1 .000 1.5 CUBS (CHICAGO CUBS) 0 1 .000 1.5 [b]BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 0 1 .000 1.5[/b]

Final: High Desert 6, Rancho Cucamonga (Angels) 1 We haven't highlighted him this year, but 2002 19th round RHP Bo Hall is having a darn solid season; Roxy Bernstein, the Mavs' announcer, made a good point heading into the second half, the rotation of Manny Parra, David Bradley (3.48 ERA), newcomer Jesse Harper, Hall, and to a lesser extent although he's showing signs of bouncing back, Khalid Ballouli, gives High Desert a fighting chance nearly every night... GAME DATE: 6/23/04 HD at RC HIGH DESERT 6 AT RANCHO CUCAMONGA 1 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG RANCHO CUCAMONGA AB R H BI AVG C.Crabbe 2B 4 1 2 1 .301 R.Melgarejo CF 4 0 0 0 .250 S.Candelaria 3B 3 0 0 0 .237 R.Willits LF 4 0 1 0 .241 P.Rasmusen RF 2 0 0 0 .198 G.Porter 3B 4 0 1 0 .315 D.Boyd LF 3 1 1 2 .293 M.Napoli CAT 3 1 1 0 .321 T.Hinton 1B 5 0 1 1 .304 D.Gates DH 3 0 1 0 .292 F.Villanueva CAT 5 0 1 0 .242 J.Abruzzo 1B 4 0 0 0 .279 J.Frost RF 5 0 0 0 .259 A.Pavkovich SS 3 0 1 0 .204 J.Frost 3B 0 0 0 0 .259 B.Weed 2B 3 0 0 0 .260 M.Mendez CF 4 2 2 0 .262 R.Budde PH 1 0 0 0 .236 T.Farnsworth DH 2 1 0 0 .167 N.Kimpton RF 3 0 0 0 .115 E.Cruz SS 4 1 3 2 .203 E.Aybar PH 1 0 0 0 .342 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Saunders PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Slack PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Carroll PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 H.Rivera PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Lugo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Wilson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 6 10 6 TOTALS 33 1 5 0 HIGH DESERT 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 1 0- 6 10 3 RANCHO CUCAMONGA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 1 5 3 E--D.Boyd, T.Hinton, J.Frost, M.Napoli, A.Pavkovich, B.Weed. DP-- HIGH DESERT 0, RANCHO CUCAMONGA 2. LOB--HIGH DESERT 9, RANCHO CUCAMONGA 8. 2B--T.Hinton (20), E.Cruz (5), A.Pavkovich (15). HR--E.Cruz (5). SB--M.Mendez (4). HBP--D.Boyd, T.Farnsworth. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT B.Hall (W,4-5) 7.0 3 0 0 1 3 0 5.40 N.Slack 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5.40 H.Rivera 1.0 1 1 0 2 1 0 3.95 RANCHO CUCAMONGA J.Saunders (L,6-7) 5.0 4 1 1 0 3 1 3.49 J.Carroll 2.0 3 4 0 0 0 0 3.58 O.Lugo 1.0 2 1 1 2 1 0 3.00 P.Wilson 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 7.77 HB--J.Carroll 2. PB--F.Villanueva. SO--T.Hinton, J.Frost 2, T.Farnsworth, D.Gates, A.Pavkovich, R.Budde, N.Kimpton. BB--C.Crabbe, D.Boyd, T.Farnsworth, M.Napoli, D.Gates, A.Pavkovich. T--2:33. A--2943High Desert Game Log: Bo Hall was also able to overome the suddenly shaky Maverick defense to keep his innings scoreless... www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=19110

Hopefully things will catch up eventually, but most likely not. The Baseball America stats and standings for Helena won't reflect the results of the one "missing box score" game, or at least don't, yet.

Helena Box Score: We've mentioned the "hugeness" of Venezuelan RHP Alvaro Martinez at least twenty times over the past two summers with the Arizona Brewers -- if he's harnessed his control, watch out, he'll be scary-good. It's very rare to see a Helena starter get six innings in, this early on. And not a game goes by when someone on air or in the press isn't raving about 17-year-old SS Alcides Escobar. He's doing what 2002 2nd rounder Josh Murray was supposed to do two seasons ago... GAME DATE: 6/23/04 MSO at HEL MISSOULA 5 AT HELENA 6 YTD YTD MISSOULA AB R H BI AVG HELENA AB R H BI AVG J.Santiago RF 4 0 1 1 .417 H.Rasheed LF 4 2 2 0 .400 D.Bruce 2B 5 0 1 0 .250 S.Sollmann 2B 1 2 0 1 .313 D.Bruce 3B 0 0 0 0 .250 C.Fermaint CF 3 0 0 1 .286 W.Castillo DH 4 0 0 0 .300 A.Festa 3B 2 0 1 0 .188 M.Matos CF 3 0 1 0 .417 A.Mannon RF 3 0 1 3 .200 R.Sosa 3B 2 0 0 0 .263 N.Corredor CAT 3 0 0 1 .000 F.Rodriguez 2B 1 1 0 0 .214 C.Lozada 1B 4 0 0 0 .273 J.Centeno LF 4 2 3 2 .400 D.Bates DH 4 1 2 0 .391 J.Brito 1B 4 1 1 2 .150 A.Escobar SS 3 1 1 0 .333 M.Del Campo CAT 4 1 2 0 .375 A.Martinez S PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Williams CAT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Murray PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Olivares SS 3 0 1 0 .158 D.Johnson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Vaillancou PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Yonezawa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Bauer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 5 10 5 TOTALS 27 6 7 6 MISSOULA 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2- 5 10 1 HELENA 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 X- 6 7 0 E--K.Yonezawa. DP--MISSOULA 0, HELENA 0. LOB--MISSOULA 6, HELENA 7. 2B--M.Del Campo (1), A.Mannon (4), D.Bates (2). HR--J.Centeno (1), J.Brito (1). SB--M.Matos (3), S.Sollmann (2), A.Escobar (2). CS-- A.Escobar. HBP--S.Sollmann, A.Festa 2, A.Escobar. SF--C.Fermaint, N.Corredor. SH--J.Olivares. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA MISSOULA T.Vaillancou (L,0-2) 6.0 5 4 4 2 1 0 6.55 K.Yonezawa 0.1 1 2 2 1 1 0 54.00 G.Bauer 1.2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 HELENA A.Martinez S (W,1-0) 6.0 3 0 0 2 4 0 1.86 B.Murray 0.2 4 3 3 1 1 1 21.60 D.Johnson (S,1) 2.1 3 2 2 0 1 1 7.71 HB--T.Vaillancou 3, G.Bauer. SO--J.Santiago 2, J.Centeno, J.Brito, M.Del Campo 2, C.Fermaint, C.Lozada. BB--J.Santiago, M.Matos, F.Rodriguez, H.Rasheed, S.Sollmann 2, A.Mannon. T--2:32. A--1161

Noticed earlier this week that although the road team, the Missoula newspaper coverage has been incredibly detailed, so although from the opponent's point-of-view, another report: Osprey battle back, but fall short By The Missoulian HELENA - Same song, Wednesday verse. The Helena Brewers captured their third straight one-run victory over the Missoula Osprey on Wednesday, this time holding off the late-charging Birds for a 6-5 Pioneer League baseball decision. It came on the heels of 9-8 and 8-7 Brewer wins on preceding evenings at Kindrick Legion Field. The Osprey, whose only victory in their first six games was a 7-0 shutout in Great Falls on Sunday, try again at the Brewers' home park on Thursday. Derik Nippert (0-1) and Justin Barnes (1-0) will face off. The same teams meet again Friday and Saturday nights in Missoula to inaugurate Missoula's Play Ball Park. Missoula blew a 5-0 lead on Monday and a 5-1 edge Tuesday. This time the O's battled back from an early 4-0 deficit after starter Tim Vaillancourt (0-2) hit three batters, walked two others and gave up a two-run double by Adam Mannon in the first two innings. Vaillancourt recovered and pitched well after that. But Helena starter Alvaro Martinez, a 6-foot-7, 265-pound Venezuelan who turns 19 next Tuesday, blanked the Birds on three hits in six innings. Missoula made its move against the Brewers bullpen, starting with lefty Brandon Murray. Left fielder Jaen Centeno, who went 3-for-4, clouted a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning off Murray. Three singles later, Jayson Santiago's bouncer off the gloves of Murray and second baseman Steven Sollman plated Manny Del Campo to make it a 4-3 game. Helena retaliated with two runs in the bottom of the seventh against Missoula relievers Kosuke Yonezawa and Garrett Bauer, who were both making their professional debuts. Yonezawa, a Japanese right-hander, put the first two Brewers he faced on base via a base hit and a walk. He was charged with the only error of the game when a pickoff attempt of the Brewers' Hasan Rasheed went awry. Yonezawa struck out dangerous Charlie Fermaint before Osprey manager Jim Presley waved Bauer to the mound. Bauer hit Helena's Tony Festa to load the bases, walked Mannon to force in the Brewers' fifth run, then surrendered a sacrifice fly to Nestor Corredor to make it 6-3. But the O's weren't done either. Centeno led off the ninth with a single against David Johnson, a 15th-round pick making his first appearance after playing for UCLA. First baseman Javier Brito, who had two hits in 22 at-bats, then launched his first home run of the season to left-center to make it 6-5. Del Campo, making his second start at catcher for Missoula, promptly lined a double to left center, still with no outs. He was sacrificed to third by Juan Olivares. But the O's could advance him no further. Johnson struck out Santiago on a change up, and Derek Bruce grounded out to shortstop to end the game. Missoula again out-hit the Brewers, this time by a 10-7 count. Centeno, a 20-year-old from Venezuela who played last year for the Arizona Diamondbacks' Dominican Summer League team, raised his season average to .400 (6-for-15) after a 1-for-7 start. Del Campo was 2-for-4. Rasheed led Helena from the leadoff spot with a pair of singles, a walk and two runs scored. Dallas Bates, who hit a two-run homer for the Brewers on Tuesday, had a single and a double in four at-bats. Vaillancourt finished his six-inning stint with four runs and five hits allowed. He retired 14 of the last 16 Helena batters he faced, including 10 straight from the second through fifth innings after the Brewers took advantage of his early wildness. Martinez, who struck out seven in just over three innings of his first start at Billings, fanned four Osprey in six frames this time. But the O's managed just three harmless singles off him and didn't get a runner past second base. Bird songs: The Osprey have gotten seven home runs by seven different players in the first six games. Helena has stolen eight bases in as many attempts in the Missoula series. The Brewers had their third straight game with no errors.

Final: Helena 6, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 5 Helena Independent Record Game Story: Brewers take third straight cliffhanger from Missoula By KEVIN SHIVELY - IR Sports Writer - 06/24/04 The Missoula Osprey almost put an end to another Brewers' win Wednesday, but Helena held on for its third consecutive one-run win over the Missoula club. Osprey first baseman Javier Brito knocked a two-run homer over the left-center wall with no outs in the top of the ninth, bringing Missoula within one, but Helena gave another errorless performance to win 6-5. "At the Milwaukee front office they've established the phrase ?it's the way we play,' " said Helena skipper Johnny Narron. "This means that we play hard every second of the game. These guys have a lot of heart. They play hard and you can see it carrying through the defense. They're alert and focused out there." Helena has gone errorless through the last three games. "Its not just one guy doing well," said Narron. "Tonight Escobar stood out. Its one guy after another. We really stress making the routine plays. If you do that, the great plays fall into place." Shortstop Alcides Escobar was a case-in-point Wednesday. He made several crucial plays in the game, including a diving catch in the seventh. Escobar also ended the game, throwing out Derek Bruce at first and stranding the tying run at third. Helena had a 4-0 lead going into the seventh inning, but a two-run home run from Jaen Centeno and a RBI single from Jayson Santiago pulled the Osprey within one. The one-run lead wasn't close enough for the Brewers, who grabbed two more in the bottom half of the inning. Hasan Rasheed singled and was walked in for the first run. Nestor Corredor hit a sacrifice fly to center for the second. "A lot of pro teams get behind and fall apart," said Narron. "We've been answering runs really well. Tonight, Missoula wasn't up, but they had a solid inning, and we came right back." Alvaro Martinez picked up the win for the Helena club. He pitched six shutout innings, striking out four and only allowing three hits. Martinez's record for the season is 1-0. Helena improved to 4-2 with the win. Missoula will have one more chance at the Brewers tonight at 7 at Kindrick Legion Field.

Arizona Rookie League Boxscore: Obviously a lot to digest here in a high-scoring affair; rough day for 19-year-old Venezuelan catcher Franklin Tua, with three passed balls to go with an 0-for-5 collar; some good things in the box score, too, though; this will be the final year of such a heavy emphasis of Latin-born kids at this level -- not to say we won't see additional signings, we absolutely will. But the dismantling of the DSL and VSL squads has this year's team chock-full of Latin kids -- hopefully several will emerge. Stephen Chapman and Lenny LeClercq were the only two U.S.-born kids in this game for the Brewers; they'll get an opportunity to develop their language skills as well! Three wild pitches, 10 walks, and two HBP's from the Brewer pitchers. All the names in the box score match those in the Brewerfan data base and Player Index. We know infielder Carlos de la Cruz has been in Helena; there's another de la Cruz infielder, Fredy, in the organization, although the first initial listed is confusing here... ATHLETICS 15 AT BREWERS 11 YTD YTD ATHLETICS AB R H BI AVG BREWERS AB R H BI AVG A.Piper-Jord CF 5 4 2 2 .333 H.Iribarren 2B 5 1 2 1 .400 F.Martinez SS 6 1 1 1 .222 S.Chapman CF 5 0 0 0 .000 W.Long 3B 5 2 1 0 .111 F.Parejo LF 4 2 1 0 .250 T.Best CAT 4 0 2 1 .333 C.Gallardo 1B 4 2 2 3 .500 N.Feliz 1B 3 0 2 3 .286 C.De La Cruz 3B 3 2 1 1 .333 R.Arias DH 5 0 0 0 .111 A.Ayala DH 3 0 3 2 1.000 W.Perez 2B 3 3 1 0 .167 F.Arias PR 0 1 0 0 .000 A.Valdez LF 5 3 3 0 .600 F.Arias DH 1 0 0 0 .000 C.Carela RF 5 2 1 1 .286 F.Tua CAT 5 0 0 0 .000 J.Muessig PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Vicioso SS 2 1 1 0 .500 H.Mola PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Leclercq PH 1 0 0 0 .667 S.Fairbanks PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 L.Leclercq SS 2 1 2 0 .667 A.Delarosa RF 5 1 2 2 .400 O.Montes PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fermin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Mosquea PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Laureano PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Angulo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 41 15 13 8 TOTALS 40 11 14 9 ATHLETICS 0 0 3 3 5 4 0 0 0-15 13 1 BREWERS 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 8 0-11 14 7 E--C.Carela, H.Iribarren, S.Chapman, F.Parejo, C.Gallardo, F.Tua, O.Montes, J.Fermin. DP--ATHLETICS 1, BREWERS 1. LOB--ATHLETICS 12, BREWERS 7. 2B--A.Piper-Jord (1), W.Long (1), C.Gallardo (1), A.Ayala (1). 3B--C.Gallardo (1), O.Vicioso (1). HR--A.Piper-Jord (1). SB--F.Martinez (1), W.Perez (1), A.Valdez 2 (2), C.De La Cruz (1). HBP--C.Gallardo, C.De La Cruz. SF--N.Feliz. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA ATHLETICS J.Muessig 4.0 4 2 1 0 2 0 2.25 H.Mola 3.1 7 7 7 2 3 0 18.90 S.Fairbanks (W,1-0) 1.2 3 2 2 1 0 0 10.80 BREWERS O.Montes (L,0-1) 2.0 2 3 1 2 3 0 4.50 J.Fermin 2.0 4 5 3 4 2 0 13.50 D.Mosquea 1.1 3 6 3 3 1 1 20.25 W.Laureano 1.2 2 1 1 2 1 0 5.40 O.Angulo 2.0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0.00 HB--J.Muessig, H.Mola. WP--H.Mola, S.Fairbanks, J.Fermin, D.Mosquea 2. PB--F.Tua 3. SO--W.Long, T.Best 2, N.Feliz, R.Arias 2, W.Perez, C.Carela, S.Chapman, F.Parejo, C.Gallardo, O.Vicioso, L.Leclercq. BB--A.Piper-Jord, W.Long, T.Best 2, N.Feliz 2, R.Arias, W.Perez 3, A.Valdez, C.Carela, F.Parejo, C.De La Cruz, A.Ayala. T--3:25.

In progress: High Desert 1, Rancho Cucamonga (Angels) 0, after six innings RHP Bo Hall throwing a dandy; listen in...

I'm still ticked about playing the infield in early on -- Yost does that constantly! You've got to know what's a Counsell situation and what's a Kieschnick situation. And worst of all, do you think Olson or Haudricourt is going to get a tough question answered tonight -- hell, no. At least we don't have to talk about a freakin' sweep tomorrow. Most upset I've been all year. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/mad.gif

Yost blew chunks tonight. Lyle's got to get the job done too -- those first two cuts were at high fast balls. Don't they have Cjacon's rap sheet? Does this team have a take sign?! Expletive!

Final: Huntsville 2, Tennessee (Cardinals) 1 Still not much offense (outhit 7-4), but Chris Saenz gets the job done... Huntsville Box Score: GAME DATE: 6/23/04 TEN at HVL TENNESSEE 1 AT HUNTSVILLE 2 YTD YTD TENNESSEE AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG S.Schumaker CF 4 0 0 0 .296 R.Weeks 2B 4 1 1 1 .240 P.Bolivar LF 4 1 2 1 .296 A.Gwynn CF 3 0 0 0 .241 D.Moylan CAT 4 0 1 0 .293 P.Fielder 1B 3 0 0 0 .257 D.Haynes RF 4 0 1 0 .261 B.Nelson LF 3 0 0 0 .279 M.Jaramillo PR 0 0 0 0 .229 C.Barnwell 3B 3 1 1 1 .252 C.Duncan 1B 4 0 1 0 .279 J.Raburn RF 3 0 2 0 .261 G.Johnson 3B 4 0 1 0 .283 K.Johnson CAT 3 0 0 0 .230 J.Colina 2B 3 0 1 0 .240 O.Chavez SS 3 0 0 0 .202 C.Erickson SS 3 0 0 0 .194 C.Saenz PIT 2 0 0 0 .360 C.Narveson PIT 2 0 0 0 .185 S.Rivera PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Hamilton PH 1 0 0 0 .249 J.Housman PH 1 0 0 0 .286 J.Axelson PIT 0 0 0 0 .211 J.Novinsky PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 1 7 1 TOTALS 28 2 4 2 TENNESSEE 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0- 1 7 0 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 X- 2 4 2 E--C.Barnwell, J.Novinsky. DP--TENNESSEE 1, HUNTSVILLE 0. LOB-- TENNESSEE 5, HUNTSVILLE 2. 2B--J.Raburn (6). HR--P.Bolivar (9), R.Weeks (5), C.Barnwell (4). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA TENNESSEE C.Narveson (L,2-7) 7.0 4 2 2 0 8 2 4.44 J.Axelson 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6.03 HUNTSVILLE C.Saenz (W,5-4) 7.0 6 1 1 0 7 1 4.07 S.Rivera 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 J.Novinsky (S,5) 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3.55 SO--S.Schumaker, D.Haynes, C.Duncan 2, G.Johnson, J.Colina, C.Erickson 2, C.Narveson, R.Weeks 2, P.Fielder, B.Nelson, J.Raburn, K.Johnson 2, C.Saenz 2, J.Housman. T--2:08. A--1822Huntsville Game Log: Where's Ryan Knox tonight? Jeff Housman a pinch-hitter in the 8th? The Huntsville position player hunt continues for Reid Nichols, who apparently failed basic math... www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=12004

Just felt like all they needed there was a walk, a poke into LF, anything. You know Kieschnick is going for the fences with every swing. Ugh...

Would you go with Counsell here?

No 5th OF, so Clark has to bat. Prove me wrong, Brady -- worst 5 hole hitter in MLB? Chris Magruder, switch-hitter, should have been on this club since Day 1 -- he would have been the extra RH bat when Grieve pinch-hit against the lefty earlier.

Little Link Report Extra with a High Desert mention -- a scouting-related Baseball Prospectus article that leaves you a bit empty but is worthwhile for a gander... www.baseballprospectus.co...cleid=3000

Final: Arizona Athletics 15, Arizona Brewers 11 Looks like the young'uns forgot to pack their gloves; box score in the AM... FINAL R H E - - - ARIZ ATHLETICS 15 13 1 ARIZ BREWERS 11 14 6

That outfield (Hart, Rushford, Cummngs, Collier) is quite the Brewer reunion.