MassBrew

The Twins have flashed absolutely sick leather this series -- this is bordering on ridiculous defense -- unbelievable.

From April 23rd: Serfass on fire at West Virginia By JENNIFER WIELGUS phillyBurbs.com In the throes of a disappointing senior season, the stories sound even more enticing. Jake Serfass has many friends who play baseball professionally in the minor leagues. And when they call or visit him at West Virginia University, they really get his blood pumping. "They come back with all the stuff they get, talking about all the people they meet," says Serfass, a Pennsbury graduate. "It's got to be fun. They love it. I would love to do it, too." Serfass currently plays left field for West Virginia, which has slogged to a 12-21 overall record this year. The Mountaineers are 3-10 and in last place in the Big East standings. Only the top four in the 11-team conference go to the Big East championship tournament. So barring a miraculous turnaround by WVU, Serfass has only about a month left in his college baseball career. Serfass, like any serious athlete, dreams of going pro. But the 6-foot-2, 190-pound lead-off hitter says he won't have a gauge on his draft prospects until the phone rings on draft day (June 5). Until then, he's finishing off a degree in physical education and trying to make the best of a tough season. "It's always hard to stay positive when you're losing," says Serfass, who lives in Fairless Hills. "But playing the game is fun. You get to play it at the collegiate level, and there's always tomorrow. You lose one game and you always want to come out the next day and give it your best and get better at practice. "You can always get better - especially the way we're playing." Serfass has been playing pretty well. One of just two West Virginia players to start all 33 games this year, he's hitting .323 with a teamhigh 5 home runs. His 11 doubles and 22 walks also lead the team. Serfass has driven in 15 runs, scored 32 and boasts a .543 slugging percentage. A former Pennsbury basketball and baseball standout, Serfass had to wait his turn during his first two years at West Virginia. He started nine games as a freshman, then 12 as a sophomore. Then just eight games into his junior year, Serfass cracked the starting lineup again. He smashed two home runs in a win over Stony Brook, and the rest was history. Serfass hit .357 last year with 10 homers, 37 RBIs and a whopping .656 slugging percentage, all of which earned him third-team All-Big East honors. If Serfass' professional baseball goals don't come to fruition this summer, he plans to make a living teaching and coaching. But he'd love to share in all of his friends' minor league stories. "If I get a call, I'm definitely going [pro]," Serfass says. "I want to play as long as I can. It would be great to play and get paid for it."

Jake Serfass was a senior corner outfielder for the University of West Virginia this year. He hit .302 in 205 AB's, slugging .468 (six HR's), and getting on base at a .399 clip. 6'2", 190 -- could provide some immediate maturity to that young Helena outfield.

Cubs score two in the ninth to beat the A's 4-3 http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/ohwell.gif Billy Beane, what are you thinking about that bullpen? OMG!

Link while active, text follows: www.zwire.com/site/news.c...&rfi=8 Trofholz earns all-star honor By GEOFF BLAINE , PLANO STAR COURIER SPORTS WRITER 06/11/2004 So-called baseball experts should know better than to underestimate Terry Trofholz. The standout outfielder for the Class A Beloit, Wisc., Snappers was selected to the Midwest League West All-Stars this week. "It's a big honor," Trofholz said. "Last season was my first season, but that was short-season ball. I did pretty well there and made the all-star team there, but making it in this 'A' ball here is a higher level of competition. It was quite an honor." Trofholz, a 1999 graduate of Plano Senior High School, was not selected during the 2002 MLB First-Year Player Draft and returned for his senior season at Texas Christian University and set several records. The Milwaukee Brewers took notice and drafted Trofholz in the 22nd round with the 639th overall pick during Day 2 of the 2003 draft. Trofholz says it is nice to prove the people that passed on him were wrong, at least so far. "It feels really good," he said. "I didn't get taken my junior year and that was a disappointment. The Brewers took a chance on me my senior year. I owe everything to them because they are the reason I am playing. I am trying to fulfill my end of the deal and play as best as I can to help the Brewers along, and at the same time help myself." The Snappers have five representatives on the 2004 Midwest League All-Star Team. The all-star game will be hosted by the Cedar Rapids Kernels in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 22. Trofholz will join teammate Vinny Rottino in the starting lineup. Beloit catcher Lou Palmisano was selected as a reserve. Pitchers Luis Pena and Dana Eveland were also chosen for the squad. As of June 10th, Trofholz, 24, leads the Snappers in batting average (.309), runs (37), and stolen bases (20). The former Wildcat is sixth overall in batting average in the Midwest League. His 20 stolen bases ranks him third among his peers. He is one of two players on the Snappers that don't have any errors on the season. Similar production in the second half of the season is a primary goal for Trofholz. "I'd like to have as good a half, if not better, than the first half," he said. "My first half I did pretty well. I'd like to continue that and maybe improve on some other things in the second half as well. I'd like to put together a whole year instead of just a half of a season." The next two stops for Trofholz could be with Class A Advanced High Desert Mavericks or the Double-A Huntsville Stars. Trofholz, however, isn't concerned with the progression up the minor-league ladder. He just focuses on what is best for the Brewers organization. "I try not to worry about those things," Trofholz said. "I can't control who decides when I move and where I go. All I can do is play. They tell you if you play well you will get promoted and move along. That's all I am trying to do. If I don't (advance), that's the way it is." The All-Stars were nominated and selected by the league's field managers. The Cedar Rapids Kernels will host the 2004 MWL Summer All-Star Classic on June 22 at New Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The accolade was the second of its kind in as many seasons. Trofholz was an all-star selection in the Pioneer League last year for the Helena Brewers, a short-season rookie ball club in Montana. During Trofholz' senior season at TCU, he was sixth on the team with a .328 batting average in 53 starts. He was third in runs scored (50), fourth in hits (67), tied for third in doubles (15), third in walks (24), and also sported a slugging percentage of .446. Trofholz made his mark during his junior campaign in 2002 when he enjoyed one of the most prolific seasons in TCU history, batting .441 to shatter the Conference USA record and tied the TCU mark for single-season hits (94). He was a 2002 consensus second-team all-American and led the Horned Frogs in a majority of offensive categories in 2002, including batting average, hits, runs, total bases, on-base percentage and stolen bases. The Plano product also ranks fourth on TCU's career lists with a .381 batting average. While at Plano, Trofholz earned 1999 District 9-5A MVP honors, as well as all-district pitcher and all-district outfielder. He also holds records for single-season hits (54) and RBI (46). The former Wildcat was coached by Terry Tuck and also lettered in basketball. http://images.zwire.com/local/Z/ZWIRE1426/zwire/images/ACF213A689.jpg

Welcome to Ober-mueller Park tonight, where the Brewers are in third place in the wild card chase, only a game and a half behind both the Cubs and Reds, and even in the wild card chase loss column, pending this afternoon's Cubs-A's matchup. Within the next ten days, at some point I'm sure we'll be able to type something like: As of today, June __, the Brewers would be in the playoffs if the season ended this morning. And won't that be sweet... MLB.com: milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...;fext=.jsp

Daily Press High Desert Game Story: Mavs' rally falls short against Giants By TIM HARAN/Staff Writer ADELANTO ? The last thing the High Desert Mavericks wanted to do with the San Francisco Giants' top prospect on the mound was get behind early. Even before the handful of scouts in attendance could train their radar guns on San Jose's highly touted Merkin Valdez (3-0), the Mavericks had spotted the Giants a sizable lead, thanks to San Jose's five-run first inning against High Desert starter Bo Hall (3-5). Though the Mavs' right-hander settled down and pitched through the sixth, the damage had been done as the Giants claimed an 8-4 victory Friday at Mavericks Stadium. In four starts this season Valdez, a 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has posted a 1.27 ERA. In 21 1-3 innings, the strong-armed right-hander has struck out 24 and walked just two. "He's got a very good arm," said High Desert manager Mel Queen. "You throw 94, 95 (mph) and you're around the plate and you've got some breaking stuff, it makes it tough." For the players, it was more that they hurt themselves rather than being hurt by Valdez. "I think we got ourselves out," Scott Candelaria said. "I mean, sure, he was throwing hard. From the night I had, I was swinging at stupid pitches. ... He was good, but he wasn't dominating." The Mavericks rallied against the Giants' bullpen, scoring three times with two outs in the eighth. Candelaria launched his third home run of the year to left-center field. Following a walk to Dan Boyd and a single by Travis Hinton, Mavs catcher John Vanden Berg blasted a double to left that appeared to be misplayed by San Jose's Dan Trumble. Hinton and Boyd came around to score on the play. It wasn't the first time that the San Jose fielders had difficulty judging fly balls. In the seventh, Mario Mendez popped up to shallow left and watched as three Giants converged. The ball dropped and Jeremy Frost, who had doubled earlier in the inning, scored to give High Desert its first run of the night. But it couldn't erase the early deficit. After suffering an emotional, one-run extra-inning loss Thursday to Rancho Cucamonga, the Mavericks struggled early against the Giants and fought an uphill battle from the outset. The Giants sent ten batters to the plate in the first inning. After Hall hit Fred Lewis to start the game, San Jose pieced together four singles and a double to take a commanding 5-0 lead. Hall retired 12 of the next 14 batters before surrendering a leadoff triple to Nate Schierholtz in the sixth inning. Schierholtz scored on a double by Steve Holm, and second baseman Anthony LaBarbera drove in Holm to extend the Giants' lead. Hall, in his six innings of work, allowed seven runs on nine hits. He struck out six and walked two. "You could tell it wasn't Bo Hall (in the first inning)," Queen said. "Whatever it was, we hope we don't see it again. But after the first, he was just as good as (Valdez)." The Mavericks' Craig Breslow allowed a pair of walks in two innings, while Nick Slack gave up a solo home run to Trumble in the ninth. NOTES: Outfielder Kennard Bibbs was out of the High Desert lineup for the third straight game with a strained hamstring. ... Lancaster's Justin Wechsler, Dan Richar and Jarred Ball replaced the three JetHawks who had been named to the California-Carolina League all-star team and who subsequently have been promoted to Double-A El Paso.

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville update: BELCHER-CHILDERS DEAL COMPLETEDDennis Sarfate hit the gas, gas, gas, but he was no Jumpin' Jack Flash tonight at Hoover Met, where the Stars and Barons rejoined the 21st century. A walk and a balk put a man in scoring position in the 1st inning and his own error in the 7th put the Stars and Sarfate back in the losing column. The first error belonged to manager Frank Kremblas. He brought out a lineup card with Tony Gwynn, Jr. at 2nd base and Rickie Weeks in center field...... That's the way the lineup remained, and when the Stars took the field in the bottom of the 1st, he had the two players revert to their familiar positions, but it was the first time since May 6 that Gwynn had led off....... None of it mattered much in the end. Sarfate pounded Joel Alvarado's glove all night, consistently hurling his fastballs in the 91-95 mph range. He definitely packed his hard stuff tonight, determined to shake the displeasure over his last few efforts and the decisions Milwaukee made this year over his role in the starting rotation, first having to share it with Tim Bausher coming out of spring training, then back to piggy-backing after Matt Ford and Mike Jones returned......... He's given up 11 earned runs in 16 innings over four starts this month for a 6.19 ERA, not the sort of thing that happened last year at Beloit when he finished the year 12-2 with a 2.84 ERA. Off to a good start, he got Michael (don't call me Mike) Spidale and Normand (call me Norm) Martel on fly outs, then walked Michael Morse, 5th among Southern League slugging leaders, on four pitches.......... Trying to pick him off, he double-pumped a throw and balked him to second........ He threw a fifth ball low and away to Brian Becker. Becker rocketed hit his next pitch up the middle. Gwynn was playing him in right-center and had to chase it down. Morse turned on the juice and scored. The Stars reciprocated quickly off Eduardo Villacis in the 2nd....... Even though Villacis was with the club when these two teams met at the Joe, June 8-11, the Stars never got a look at him....... After Brad Nelson's ground out, Ryan Knox hit a bullet off the glove of Rob Sasser, dribbling into left for a single....... Chris Barnwell, in his first game back from a team-imposed suspension, singled on a 1-0 pitch past the diving Tommy Nicholson, Knox stopping at second........ Villacis went to 2-and-1 on Johnny Raburn, then attempted to pick off Barnwell, but wound up throwing a hard sinker past Becker that bounced all the way down the right field line for a two-base error. Knox scored to tie the game and Barney went to third....... Raburn went to 3-and 1, but eventually popped out....... Ozzie Chavez, returning to the scene of his thrilling debut with the Stars where he hit a 13th inning game-winning home run on May 21, nearly repeated the feat, lining a 0-1 pitch down the right field line, but this time, right fielder Nate Murphy caught up to it for the third out........ The Stars would not get another hit until Tony Gwynn, Jr.'s one-out single off Jeff Bajenaru in the 9th. Speaking of Gwynn, Tony Sr. was present for this game (as well as the Rickwood Classic yesterday), and says he will make a visit to Huntsville some time this season...... He took some time to talk to Robert Portnoy during the radiocast. Things were quiet until the bottom of the 7th inning, Sarfate's last. By this time, he had thrown well over 90 pitches and had reached 100 with his one-out walk to Chris Stewart ........ Spidale followed with an 0-1 comebacker to Sarfate. It kicked off Sarfate's foot and he was able to pick the ball up, but he fired it up the right field line, clipping Spidale as he was going. The ball bounced into the bullpen and Stewart was waved home......... Spidale, who got credit for the hit, was cut down by Alvarado, trying to take third on the overthrow, but the Barons had the 2-1 lead they would be able to keep, thanks to Birmingham's bullpen......... The Barons pen now has an ERA of 1.90 this year against the Stars, with three wins and two saves....... After not getting past one full inning in his last start, Sarfate finished the game throwing 70 of his 110 pitches (63.6%) for strikes. Saturday night, Matt Ford (1-1, 3.98) will meet Barons lefty Ryan Meaux (2-5, 5.13)..... Ford should be at a limit of about 60 pitches or so, as he has made four starts since coming back from the disabled list........ Meaux's last appearance was four innings in relief of Arnie Munoz on June 8, in which he gave up one run on five hits in the Stars' 4-3 victory over Birmingham before plunging into a seven-game losing streak.......... The Barons lost Munoz, the Southern League's winningest pitcher, to the Chicago White Sox, but will get back from Charlotte Enemencio Pacheco, who beat the Stars in Game One of the Western Division Playoffs last year, and generally was a thorn all season....... Charlotte also sent down to Birmingham another familiar name --- Richard Paz, the Stars on-base leader (.406) last year, until his promotion to Indianapolis on July 22....... Paz was signed as a free agent by the White Sox last December 22nd. He's in his 11th year in professional baseball. RHP Saul Rivera will report to the Stars tomorrow as the player-to-be-named in the Jason Belcher-Jason Childers to Montreal deal for Peter Bergeron........ Rivera started out the season nursing an injured leg, and that following arm surgery that cost him the 2003 season...... He leaves Class AA - Harrisburg (Eastern) with an 0-2 record and a 7.71 ERA with three saves over 18 appearances....... The Twins drafted him in the 9th round in 1998. As a closer for Class A - Quad City (Midwest) in 1999, he saved 23 games and had a 1.42 ERA. After a 12-6 season as a set-up man and a climb to Double-A, Baseball America ranked him 27th among the Twins best prospects in 2001....... Hasn't done much since an arm injury. He was claimed on waivers by the Mets after the 2001 season. From there, he went to the Expos in a seven-player trade that involved Scott Strickland and Bruce Chen......... I'm totally underwhelmed.

Am I showing my age by saying that I can remember when all pro teams, major and minor, played Saturday afternoon and not Saturday night? Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Jeff Farnsworth at Buffalo (Indians), 6:05 PM; I'll be honest -- not a link report goes by where I don't bow my head in honor of J.J. Hardy -- we got gypped out of him in 2004... Audio link: www.newstalk1430.com/ Alternate audio link (Bisons' feed): www.sportsjuice.com/provi...e=bbisons/ HUNTSVILLE: LHP Matt Ford at Birmingham (White Sox), 7:00 PM; Matty continues to get stretched out for a prime second-half run... Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ HIGH DESERT: LHP Manny Parra at home vs. San Jose (Giants), 9:05 PM; High Desert faithful -- you can count on one hand how many more times you'll see Mr. Parra grace the Friendly Maverick Stadium mound -- buy your tickets now! This game's a "must flip-to" as soon as the Brewer game wraps up... Audio link: www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm BELOIT: RHP Carlos Villanueva at Quad City (Twins), 7:00 PM; here's hoping Tom Wilhelmsen is doing well, wherever he is... Audio link (Swing's feed): www.swingbaseball.com/live/ HELENA: 2004 3rd round pick RHP Josh Wahpepah makes his pro debut at Billings (Reds), 8:00 PM Audio link (Mustangs' feed): www.billingsmustangs.com/ I'm reminded that I had passed on the link and story about the Ogden team, then a Brewer affiliate, getting stranded in the middle of the night when they were rudely awakened (and narrowly avoided serious injuries) as their team bus hit a bull (or cow, help me out, bovine fans) -- passed that story on to Jim Powell via that brewersradionwetwork.com link that night back then. The parent-club Brewers were in the midst of playing just brutal ball, and this particular night, were down like 13-1 after five, or some such hideous score. JP brought the story to Bob Uecker's attention in the sixth or so, and it led to four wonderful innings of Ueck remembrances about his Pioneer League days, which Bob always refers to so fondly. (Notice how often Bob, as he scans a player's bio, will mention he played in "such-and-such" in the Pioneer League.) Anyway, the Brewer fiasco on the field that night was hardly mentioned over the next hour, and Bob and Jim worked the final four innings as a tag-team that night, something I wish they'd do more often -- although I love their solo efforts by their inning routine as well. Jim later passed on thanks for the link, as it basically kept them (and the few remaining listeners at that point) totally entertained during another Brewer abomination at that time. And no, can't find that old link to that story, unfortunately...

WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 35 31 .530 TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 36 33 .522 .5 [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 33 33 .500 2.0[/b] LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 32 36 .471 4.0 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 38 29 .567 WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 36 31 .537 2.0 BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 34 33 .507 4.0 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 31 37 .456 7.5[/b] MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 28 39 .418 10.0 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 43 24 .642 INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 38 30 .559 5.5 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 33 35 .485 10.5 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 32 36 .471 11.5 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 23 45 .338 20.5[/b] WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 41 26 .612 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 40 27 .597 1.0 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 38 29 .567 3.0 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 37 31 .544 4.5[/b] CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 34 32 .515 6.5 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 32 32 .500 7.5 WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 30 37 .448 11.0 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 22 46 .324 19.5 NORTH DIVISION W L PCT GB BILLINGS MUSTANGS (CINCINNATI) 1 0 1.000 GREAT FALLS WHITE SOX (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 1 0 1.000 [b]HELENA BREWERS (MILWAUKEE) 0 1 .000 1.0[/b] MISSOULA OSPREY (ARIZONA) 0 1 .000 1.0

Helena Game Story from the Billings' Gazette: Ponies trip up Brewers By MIKE SCHERTING - of the Billings Gazette - 06/19/04 The Billings Mustangs won their Pioneer League opener in dramatic fashion Friday night with a walk-off .... error? Sure, it wasn't glamorous, but when Helena Brewers' shortstop Agustin Septimo bobbled Chad Ziemendorf's grounder, it allowed Bradley Key to score the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 Mustangs' victory. Ziemendorf, the Mustangs' catcher, was digging for first for all he was worth and didn't see the ball pop out of Septimo's glove. The next thing Ziemendorf knew after he ran through the bag, teammates were patting him on the helmet. "I'm not sure I can take credit for (the win), but it worked out for the best, that's for sure," Ziemendorf said. "I'm just glad we won it. That was the biggest thing in my mind, I wanted to win our home opener, you know?" The crowd was small by home-opener standards ? 3,229 attended despite the cold temperature ? and they saw a Mustangs team that looks to be pretty solid on defense. Third baseman Bradley Key made two fine plays while Ziemendorf snuffed Hasan Rasheed at second base in the first inning on Helena's only stolen base attempt. Shortstop Paul Janish made a fully extended dive on a line drive by Rasheed in the eighth inning, but the ball glanced off Janish's glove for a single. The play of the night, though, belonged to left fielder Phil Gentry. Gentry, who played with the Mustangs last season, tracked Nestor Corredor's deep drive leading off the ninth all the way to the wall. Gentry crashed into the fence and held on to the ball, a play which probably saved a run given the fact Adam Mannon doubled and Dallas Bates singled later in the inning. "You remember the field after you've played on it all year," Gentry said, explaining that his familiarity with Cobb Field from last year helped him make the catch. "It makes it a lot easier." Bobby Mosby, another returning Mustang, was 2-for-4 with two RBI while Tiago Campos also had two hits. Mustangs starter Ramon Ramirez allowed just one hit ? a solo home run by Grant Richardson ? through five innings of work. Adam Lingenfelter (1-0) collected the win with two shutout innings after Jacobo Meque allowed two runs in the sixth to allow the Brewers to tie the game at 3-3. The Mustangs outhit Helena 8-4, but they left 13 runners on base and struck out nine times. "We had a lot of chances to score runs but we couldn't do it," said Luis Aguayo, who picked up his first win as the Mustangs' manager. "We'll get better. We've got the right people here to help these kids get better, and they will." Not only were the Mustangs' aided by Septimo's error, but they were the beneficaries of a bad-hop single just before the final play. Cody Strait hit what looked like a routine grounder toward Septimo until it hit the lip between the infield grass and the dirt, sending the ball bounding well over Septimo's head. Key, who had walked to start the ninth, advanced to third on the play. He then scored on Septimo's miscue. Notes: Septimo had entered the game in the ninth as a defensive replacement after starting shortstop Alcides Escobar was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth. ... Richardson was 2-for-3 for Helena, and drove in two runs. ... LHP Tyler Pelland, who was obtained from the Boston Red Sox last season when the Reds traded Scott Williamson, is scheduled to start tonight for the Mustangs. Helena will counter with left-hander Josh Wahpepah. Photo Courtesey of the Billings Gazette - Billings Mustang Paul Janish tags out Helena's Hasan Rasheed, 40 as Rasheed tried to steal second Friday in Billings. http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2004/06/19/sports_top/b01061904_01.jpg

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Again, super effort by Sarfate, and it's brutal that his only two walks were the baserunners that scored... With both starting pitchers putting up zeros, the Stars and Barons played a taut, tense game typical of the Southern League?s most heated rivalry. On Friday night at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Birmingham (34-33) edged Huntsville, 2-1, to send the Stars (31-37) to their eighth loss in nine games. The game turned on three miscues, the last helping the Barons score the winning run. Birmingham jumped in front in the first after a two-out walk to Michael Morse. Dennis Sarfate?s balk put Morse in scoring position, and Brian Becker grounded a single up the middle to plate Morse for a 1-0 Barons lead. In the second, a Birmingham hiccup tied the game. Following consecutive one-out singles by Ryan Knox and Chris Barnwell, Eduardo Villacis? pick-off throw to first sailed up the rightfield line, scoring Knox and sending Barnwell to third. Johnny Raburn popped to short and Ozzie Chavez flied deep to right to strand Barnwell at third. Villacis seized control of the game from there, retiring the final 14 batters he faced. He permitted only two singles, walked none and fanned five while throwing 87 pitches over six innings. Villacis left with the score tied, 1-1. Sarfate matched Villacis and carried the Stars into the seventh, regularly reaching 92-93 miles per hour with his fastball, but his own error handed Birmingham the go-ahead run. With one out in the frame, Sarfate walked Chris Stewart to start a Barons rally. Michael Spidale then hit a sharp ground ball that caromed off Sarfate?s foot, bouncing back toward the plate. Sarfate pounced on the ball, but his throw sailed into the runner, glancing off Spidale and bouncing down the line into the Barons? bullpen. Stewart scored all the way from first to put Birmingham up, 2-1. The combination of relievers Brian McNichol, Matt Smith and Jeff Bajenaru slammed the door on the Stars. McNichol (3-1) secured his third win, fanning one and walking one over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Smith recorded the final out of the eighth, and Bajenaru stumbled in the ninth but survived. He surrendered Joel Alvarado?s leadoff walk and Tony Gwynn Jr.?s one-out single before retiring Prince Fielder and Brad Nelson with the tying run at second to notch his 10th save. Sarfate (3-7) suffered a tough loss, scattering nine hits and allowing only two runs, one earned, with two walks and four strikeouts while throwing 111 pitches over seven innings. Huntsville lefty Matt Ford (1-1, 3.96) meets Barons left-hander Ryan Meaux (2-5, 5.13) in game three of the series Saturday night at the Met. Game time is 7:00 p.m. The FPH Financial Services Pre-game Show starts at 6:45 p.m. Stars baseball can be heard on ESPN 1450 and at www.huntsvillestars.com.

Hmmm, tough act to follow. With no affiliate contending for a first half title, the lack of movement of players between affiliates is even more irksome. It's not like you need to keep a roster together for a playoff push. Anyway, on with the "Report"...

High Desert Box Score: Giants' starter Merkin Valdez is one of the very top prospects in all of baseball, and he showed the Mavericks why in this one... GAME DATE: 6/18/04 SJ at HD SAN JOSE 8 AT HIGH DESERT 4 YTD YTD SAN JOSE AB R H BI AVG HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG F.Lewis CF 4 1 0 0 .313 C.Crabbe 2B 4 0 1 0 .297 A.LaBarbera 2B 5 1 3 2 .265 S.Candelaria 3B 4 1 1 1 .249 B.Vericker 1B 5 1 1 0 .291 D.Boyd LF 3 1 0 0 .297 D.Trumble LF 3 1 1 2 .290 T.Hinton 1B 4 1 1 0 .310 C.Sosa RF 5 1 1 0 .286 J.Vanden ber CAT 4 0 1 2 .310 B.Buscher DH 4 0 0 0 .226 J.Frost RF 3 1 1 0 .261 N.Schierholt 3B 3 2 2 1 .250 M.Mendez CF 4 0 1 1 .222 S.Holm CAT 2 1 1 1 .232 E.Henderson DH 4 0 0 0 .143 A.Hornostaj SS 4 0 1 2 .236 E.Cruz SS 4 0 0 0 .186 M.Valdez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Hall PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Pannone PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Breslow PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Garcia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Slack PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 8 10 8 TOTALS 34 4 6 4 SAN JOSE 5 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1- 8 10 0 HIGH DESERT 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0- 4 6 0 DP--SAN JOSE 0, HIGH DESERT 0. LOB--SAN JOSE 6, HIGH DESERT 5. 2B--N.Schierholt (2), S.Holm (4), C.Crabbe (12), J.Vanden ber (11), J.Frost (8). 3B--N.Schierholt (1). HR--D.Trumble (16), S.Candelaria (3). SB--F.Lewis (17), A.LaBarbera (3), J.Frost (5), M.Mendez 2 (3). CS--N.Schierholt. HBP--F.Lewis. SF--D.Trumble. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA SAN JOSE M.Valdez (W,3-0) 6.0 1 0 0 1 5 0 1.27 A.Pannone 1.2 5 4 4 1 3 1 5.08 J.Garcia (S,1) 1.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.16 HIGH DESERT B.Hall (L,3-5) 6.0 9 7 7 2 6 0 6.00 C.Breslow 2.0 0 0 0 2 1 0 8.00 N.Slack 1.0 1 1 1 0 1 1 5.90 HB--B.Hall. WP--M.Valdez. SO--F.Lewis, B.Vericker 3, D.Trumble 2, S.Holm, A.Hornostaj, C.Crabbe 2, D.Boyd, T.Hinton, J.Vanden ber, J.Frost, M.Mendez 2, E.Henderson. BB--D.Trumble, N.Schierholt, S.Holm 2, D.Boyd, J.Frost. T--2:33. A--2142High Desert Game Log: www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=17915

Indianapolis Post-Game Notes: Matt Diaz smashed two homers Friday night, driving in five runs, as the Durham Bulls smashed the Indianapolis Indians, 11-6. Matt Erickson, the Tribe designated hitter, initiated the scoring in the first inning with a two-run homer, but Diaz hit a grand slam home run in the bottom of the first off Tribe starter Paul Stewart to ignite the Bulls offense. Durham jumped out to a 9-3 lead after three innings, but Indianapolis cut the margin to 9-6 after six, before the Bulls tallied the final two runs of the contest in the seventh. Stewart (0-2) picked up the loss and Bobby Seay (2-1) earned the win. Indianapolis falls to 33-33, while Durham improves to 36-30. The Tribe, now 3-5 on the road trip, travels to Buffalo Saturday to play the Bisons. QUOTES: Matt Diaz, Durham right fielder on home runs: ?When things are going right for you, you can feel comfortable to be aggressive at the plate,? said Diaz. ?I?ve been seeing the ball really well lately. In the first inning, I just wanted to get the ball up in the air. Fortunately, he got the pitch up and I hit it out. I felt like I was in the driver?s seat during my second home run. I was looking for a fastball and it was great to see it go. Tonight was a lot of fun and our crowds have really supported us during the series.? NOTES: Trent Durrington hit his first home run for the Tribe, since joining the team from Milwaukee, though he continues to struggle at the plate (.091 batting average). The Tribe committed three errors in the game. Ben Ford, on Major League rehab assignment from Milwaukee, is expected to pitch two innings on Saturday at Buffalo. Erickson has hit in eight straight games and has a .419 batting average in his last 10 starts.

Helena Box Score: GAME DATE: 6/18/04 HEL at BIL HELENA 3 AT BILLINGS 4 YTD YTD HELENA AB R H BI AVG BILLINGS AB R H BI AVG H.Rasheed CF 3 1 2 0 .667 P.Gentry LF 5 0 0 0 .000 S.Sollmann 2B 2 0 0 0 .000 J.Mejia 2B 5 1 1 0 .200 A.Festa 3B 2 0 0 0 .000 B.Key 3B 3 2 1 0 .333 C.De La Cruz PH 1 0 0 0 .000 B.Roberts DH 3 0 1 0 .333 C.De La Cruz 3B 1 0 0 0 .000 R.Mosby 1B 4 0 2 2 .500 G.Richardson 1B 3 1 2 2 .667 W.Strait RF 5 1 2 0 .400 N.Corredor CAT 3 0 0 1 .000 C.Ziemendorf CAT 3 0 0 0 .000 A.Mannon RF 4 0 1 0 .250 T.Campos CF 3 0 2 1 .667 C.Lozada DH 4 0 0 0 .000 P.Janish SS 2 0 0 0 .000 D.Bates LF 4 0 1 0 .250 R.Ramirez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Escobar SS 2 1 0 0 .000 J.Meque PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Segura Cor PH 1 0 0 0 .000 A.Lingenfelt PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Septimo SS 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Martinez S PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Wooley PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Wilson PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 30 3 6 3 TOTALS 33 4 9 3 HELENA 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0- 3 6 1 BILLINGS 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1- 4 9 0 E--A.Septimo. DP--HELENA 1, BILLINGS 0. LOB--HELENA 6, BILLINGS 13. 2B--A.Mannon (1), J.Mejia (1), T.Campos (1). HR--G.Richardson (1). SB--W.Strait (1). CS--H.Rasheed. HBP--C.Ziemendorf. SF--R.Mosby. SH--S.Sollmann, T.Campos. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HELENA A.Martinez S 3.2 3 2 2 3 7 0 4.91 R.Wooley 3.1 5 1 1 1 2 0 2.70 J.Wilson (L,0-1) 1.2 1 1 0 3 3 0 0.00 BILLINGS R.Ramirez 5.0 1 1 1 2 4 1 1.80 J.Meque 2.0 2 2 2 3 3 0 9.00 A.Lingenfelt (W,1-0) 2.0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 HB--R.Wooley. SO--S.Sollmann, C.De La Cruz, G.Richardson, A.Mannon, C.Lozada, D.Bates 3, A.Escobar, P.Gentry, J.Mejia, B.Roberts 2, R.Mosby 2, W.Strait 2, C.Ziemendorf 2, T.Campos, P.Janish. BB-- H.Rasheed, S.Sollmann, G.Richardson, N.Corredor, A.Escobar, B.Key 2, B.Roberts 2, C.Ziemendorf, P.Janish 2. T--2:50. A--3229Helena Game Log: www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=16519

Final: San Jose (Giants) 8, High Desert 4 Affiliates go 0-for-Friday...

Beloit Game Summary from the Quad Cities' Site: Scott Whitrock blasted a three run homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and Peter Tautor worked two scoreless innings as the Swing of the Quad Cities defeated the Beloit Snappers, 7-4, on Friday night at John O?Donnell Stadium. The win marked the Swing?s fourth in their last five games, and moved them to .500 (32-32) for the first time since May 16. With the game tied, 4-4, enteriring the bottom of the eighth, Brock Peterson was hit by a pitch. Omar Burgos followed with a bunt, and a throwing error allowed him to reach base. With one out, Mark Zamojc bounced back to pitcher Greg Moreira, who elected to get the out at third rather than trying to start a double play. The decision proved to be a bad one as, on a 1-2 pitch, Whitrock ripped a curve onto the berm in left field for a 7-4 Swing lead. Tautor worked a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the win. The righty allowed only one hit in his two scoreless frames, and improves to 2-2 on the year. The Swing jumped out to the early lead, taking advantage of wildness from Beloit starter Greg Kloosterman. JR Taylor and Justin Arneson walked to open the inning and, after a wild pitch, Brock Peterson?s groundball scored the first run of the game. But the Snappers came on to take the lead in the next half-inning, as Vinny Rottino and Adam Heether each walked to open the inning. After a sacrifice bunt, William Lewis singled into left to score both runners. Beloit added a run in the third frame, when Steve Moss opened with an infield single, and came home on a flare single from Rottino. The Swing rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Down in the count 0-1, Dusty Gomon pulled a low-and-away fastball to the berm in left, a solo homer to slice the deficit to 3-2. Mark Zamojc followed by reaching on a walk, and Scott Whitrock dropped down a bunt single. With two outs, Paul Rutgers hit a sinking line drive into right. Beloit?s Terry Trofholz made a diving effort, but the ball skipped under his glove and all the way to the wall, a two-run triple to put the Swing on top, 4-3. But the Snappers tied it up in the top of the sixth, when Heether took a 2-0 pitch deep to left, his 12th homer of the season. Chris Schutt worked seven strong innings for the Swing, allowing four runs on six hits to get no decision. The Swing righty has worked seven innings in each of his last three outings for Quad Cities. NEXT HOME GAME: The Swing and Snappers continue the series on Saturday, as Adam Harben (2-4, 3.45) starts against Carlos Villanueva (5-5, 4.87). First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., and pregame coverage on Great Country 105 will begin at 6:45.

Final: Billings (Reds) 4, Helena 3 This was a heck of a minor league game, with both teams taking turns threatening and stranding runners; finally, a two-out error by SS Agustin Septimo in the bottom of the ninth allows the Mustangs to win; Alvaro Martinez started, Robbie Wooley was clutch in 3+ innings of relief, and Justin Wilson was the tough-luck loser; Grant Richardson was the offensive star, but was called out on a disputed called third strike in a clutch situation late...

I didn't jinx Danny after Wednesday night, so this post will be an ongoing point of reference: Dan Kolb pitched the ninth inning Friday for his 20th save. Kolb hasn't allowed an extra-base hit in 31 games and hasn't allowed a homerun in 51 games. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/eek.gif

As discussed elsewhere on the forum, RHP Saul Rivera is the player to be named in the Jason Childers / Jason Belcher / Peter Bergeron deal, and is headed to Huntsville. Rivera discussion thread: p082.ezboard.com/fbrewers...2260.topic The 5'11", 155 lb. Rivera's career numbers prior to 2004: www.sports-wired.com/play...?Name=GHGD

In progress: San Jose (Giants) 5, High Desert 0, after one inning 'Nuff said for now...

In progress: Helena 3, Billings (Reds) 3, bottom of the sixth in Billings Brewers parlay infield hits and walks to stage a tying rally in the 6th; listen in to Opening Night now that the big-league Brewers have put away Minnesota...

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 2, Huntsville 1 Gee, this isn't shaping up as a great night in the minors, is it? The man you want at the plate, two on, two out for Brad Nelson in the ninth, but not to be for the win... Huntsville Box Score: Nice outing by Dennis Sarfate, despite his own costly error... HUNTSVILLE 1 AT BIRMINGHAM 2 YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI AVG A.Gwynn CF 4 0 1 0 .245 M.Spidale CF 4 0 1 0 .299 R.Weeks 2B 4 0 0 0 .240 N.Martel LF 4 0 1 0 .304 P.Fielder 1B 4 0 0 0 .267 M.Morse SS 3 1 1 0 .287 B.Nelson RF 4 0 0 0 .283 B.Becker 1B 4 0 1 1 .444 R.Knox LF 3 1 1 0 .276 N.Murphy RF 4 0 0 0 .284 C.Barnwell 3B 3 0 1 0 .252 R.Sasser 3B 3 0 2 0 .232 J.Raburn DH 3 0 0 0 .257 C.Maldonado CAT 3 0 0 0 .251 O.Chavez SS 2 0 0 0 .202 T.Nicholson 2B 3 0 2 0 .362 J.Alvarado CAT 2 0 0 0 .143 C.Stewart DH 2 1 1 0 .241 D.Sarfate PIT 0 0 0 0 .133 E.Villacis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Rijo PIT 0 0 0 0 .333 B.McNichol PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Smith PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Bajenaru PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 29 1 3 0 TOTALS 30 2 9 1 HUNTSVILLE 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 3 1 BIRMINGHAM 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X- 2 9 1 E--D.Sarfate, E.Villacis. DP--HUNTSVILLE 2, BIRMINGHAM 0. LOB-- HUNTSVILLE 3, BIRMINGHAM 6. CS--O.Chavez. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE D.Sarfate (L,3-7) 7.0 9 2 1 2 4 0 4.71 F.Rijo 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4.70 BIRMINGHAM E.Villacis 6.0 2 1 0 0 5 0 3.32 B.McNichol (W,3-1) 1.2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.85 M.Smith 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.14 J.Bajenaru (S,10) 1.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1.01 BALKS--D.Sarfate. SO--A.Gwynn 2, R.Weeks 2, P.Fielder, B.Nelson, O.Chavez, J.Alvarado, B.Becker, N.Murphy 2, C.Maldonado 2, C.Stewart. BB--O.Chavez, J.Alvarado, M.Morse, C.Stewart. T--2:40. A--5487Huntsville Game Log: Prince Fielder had his chance in the ninth, too... www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=15652

Final: Quad Cities (Twins) 7, Beloit 4 Beloit Box Score: Adam Heether homers and walks; LHP Greg Kloosterman's return brief, planned that way, obviously... BELOIT 4 AT QUAD CITY 7 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG QUAD CITY AB R H BI AVG T.Trofholz RF 5 0 1 0 .309 J.Taylor SS 3 1 0 0 .297 S.Moss CF 4 1 1 0 .200 J.Arneson CF 2 0 0 0 .252 D.Anderson LF 3 0 1 0 .272 B.Peterson DH 3 0 1 1 .256 L.Palmisano CAT 4 0 1 0 .305 O.Burgos 3B 3 1 0 0 .281 V.Rottino DH 3 1 1 1 .298 D.Gomon 1B 4 1 1 1 .199 A.Heether 3B 3 2 1 1 .266 M.Zamojc LF 3 2 0 0 .221 C.Corporan 1B 3 0 0 0 .261 S.Whitrock RF 4 2 3 3 .244 W.Lewis 2B 4 0 1 2 .425 J.Johnson CAT 4 0 0 0 .129 J.Murray SS 4 0 0 0 .188 P.Rutgers 2B 3 0 1 2 .225 G.Kloosterma PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Schutt PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 G.Moreira PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Tautor PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 33 4 7 4 TOTALS 29 7 6 7 BELOIT 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0- 4 7 2 QUAD CITY 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 X- 7 6 0 E--G.Moreira 2. DP--BELOIT 1, QUAD CITY 0. LOB--BELOIT 6, QUAD CITY 4. 2B--S.Whitrock (7). 3B--P.Rutgers (1). HR--A.Heether (12), D.Gomon (6), S.Whitrock (8) . SB--T.Trofholz (22), W.Lewis (2). HBP--B.Peterson. SH--C.Corporan, O.Burgos. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT G.Kloosterma 1.2 1 1 1 2 1 0 8.87 G.Moreira (L,5-3) 6.1 5 6 3 2 8 2 4.21 QUAD CITY C.Schutt 7.0 6 4 4 3 4 1 3.93 P.Tautor (W,2-2) 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 6.67 HB--G.Moreira. WP--G.Kloosterma, C.Schutt 2. SO--T.Trofholz, S.Moss, D.Anderson, C.Corporan 2, J.Taylor, J.Arneson, O.Burgos 2, D.Gomon, M.Zamojc 2, S.Whitrock, P.Rutgers. BB--D.Anderson, V.Rottino, A.Heether, J.Taylor, J.Arneson 2, M.Zamojc. T--2:28. A--2603Beloit Game Log: RHP Greg Moreira's own error led to the tie-breaking HR that cost the Snappers dearly... www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=15013