MassBrew

Exactly one of Jeff Liefer's games in Indianapolis was played as an outfielder. So you can't exactly say the Liefer over Grieve move is due to defense in Petco's cavernous right field. Cincinnati comes back from the dead to win again today. They are certainly looking charmed.

MLB.com Preview: milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...;fext=.jsp Let's go boys, two out of three in SD heading to Anaheim, please...

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville update: A ROSE IS ANYTHING BUT A ROSEThe fans love coming out on Saturday and the Stars have been used to obliging them this year with a win. In Saturday games going into tonight, the Stars were 7-2 and eager to snap a four-game losing streak......... No such luck........ The Stars are currently deep in the dumpster with their biggest batting slump in two years and a five-game losing streak, their longest of the season........ Since the start of the month, the Stars have hit .195 while going 1-5......... Two years ago, on August 11-22, 2002, the Stars hit just .163 in an 11-game stretch, but still managed to go 4-7......... Remember, things could be worse..... It's too early to start talking about the monster losing season of all time -- the 1988 campaign -- until the Stars show how truly bad they want to be, and the issue is not average, anyway -- it's scoring. Even that team that hit .163 in that 11-game stretch was outscored only by a 32-29 margin........ The Stars after tonight have been outscored 36-5 and outhit 58-28 over this five-game streak........ I could go on and on with the litany of problems, but I think we know what they are....... Briefly, we have one experienced catcher who has hit .117 since the start of May, a centerfielder on an 0-for-13 slump and 3-for-his-last-22, a shortstop who is 2-for-17 in June, and a slugging first baseman with eight extra-base hits in his last 35 games, and a .174 average since May 27, and, oh yes, a much-prized second baseman, hitting .125 in his last 16 games.......And if things weren't bad enough, this team that has set fielding marks in the early going, has made seven errors in the last two games, not including some that were given the benefit of the doubt. One bad inning spoiled the whole bunch for Chris Saenz........ Without the 22-pitch 3rd inning, Saenz gives up just three hits in six scoreless innings....... After striking out Ramon Moreta on a 1-2 breaking ball (which was working well for him tonight. Saenz struck out Jeff Bannon on three of them in the 6th inning), pitcher Brian Rose should have been a quick memory........ Instead, Rose drove the first pitch to the the gap in left, all the way to the wall for a double....... Andrew Beattie's short single to right-center put runners on the corners....... Beattie should be intentionally walked every time he comes up to the plate. He's now 11-for-23 (.478) vs. the Stars this season....... William Bergolla roped a 3-1 pitch to left-center for a double, scoring Rose, but Ozzie Chavez's relay from Tony Gwynn, Jr. to Joel Alvarado beat Beattie at the plate, even though the throw was high, owing more to Chavez's arm than his accuracy. Alvarado made the sweep tag down just in time to get Beattie. But that didn't stop the Lookouts......... With two out, Edwin Encarnacion singled on a 3-and-2 pitch to score Bergolla, then Jesse Gutierrez hit his 10th home run of the season, just clearing the RSC sign in right-centerfield --- roughly a 395-ft. shot to make it 4-0, finishing the scoring for this game......... For the remaining six innings, the pitching combination of Saenz-Fernando Rijo-Pete Zamora allowed just two hits......... There was one play at the plate. That came in the 6th inning. Leadoff hitter Gutierrez slapped a hard grounder to Chris Barnwell near the line, but his throw to first came on the short hop and Prince Fielder couldn't come up with it cleanly. Barney was charged with a throwing error....... Breaking balls retired Jeff Bannon and Chris Peterson on strikeouts, then Ramon Moreta singled on a 1-0 pitch....... Gutierrez, who reached 2nd earlier on a balk, tried to score, but Alvarado was guarding the plate like a Marine when the throw from Brad Nelson came in right on target.. Gutierrez was cut down cold like Bonnie and Clyde....... After that, nine straight Chattanooga hitters were retired to end the game. The Stars did their best to make the most of five hits....... In the 2nd inning, Jason Belcher and Barnwell put together back-to-back singles with one out, but Alvarado struck out, as he is so accustomed to doing (20 Ks in 66 ABs -- a .303 SO avg.), and Ozzie flied to center....... In the bottom of the 6th, Saenz became a .350 hitter this season with a clean single to right-center, then stole 2nd on the strikeout of Gwynn, Jr....... Fielder took six pitches, then drew a walk to put runners on first and second....... Nelson went 2-and-0 before hitting a single through the right side, but Saenz ran Frank Kremblas' stop sign at third and was a dead duck at the plate....... Two errors on one play put Barnwell on third with two out in the 7th, but Chavez struck out on a breaking ball by Rose......... You don't often see things like this........ Andy Beattie came in on Barnwell's low liner to left, but dropped it. He recovered the ball and fired it in to first baseman Gutierrez, who now had Barney trapped between first and second. Gutierrez threw to shortstop Jeff Bannon, who was stationed in front of the bag all ready to tag Barnwell, except he dropped the ball, too and Barney snuck in safely behind him. Rickie Weeks made the play-of-the-game in the 9th inning -- an incredible play to start the inning....... Chad Durham hit a ball to the right side that looked like a sure single. Fielder left his position to try to field the ball, but got there too late, but from out of nowhere, Weeks ranged over in the outfield grass and in one motion, got in front of the ball, and in motion, made a difficult, awkward, and impossible throw, more lobbed than actually thrown, to Pete Zamora, who was alert enough to cover the bag for the putout on what became a bang-bang play in the Stars' favor....... Zamora retired the side in the 9th on just four pitches. The line score shows two errors for the Stars tonight, but I think they should have been charged for three....... In the 2nd inning with Jesse Gutierrez on first, Durham hit a two-hopper to Weeks running in direction of the 2nd base bag. He naturally went for the force, with no play at first even if he tried, but his throw to Ozzie Chavez was wide. To me, Weeks should have been given an error, but scorer Don Rizzardi gave Durham the hit, explaining to me that, after a lot of discussion in the press box, Durham would have been safe anyway. Weeks had no chance to get Durham, thus Gutierrez would have reached second safely as well...... I disagree with that........ Weeks intended to get the force and failed with a bad throw to Chavez. Missed Robert Portnoy in the radio booth tonight....... He came down with a sinus infection upon returning from Montgomery and left the booth duties to his right-hand man, Bryan Neece, who has a show on ESPN-1450, and is improving steadily since interning last year, but still isn't very newsy. Not a mention of the Stars' new catcher, Nestor Corredor, just turned 20, up from extended spring training to plug that catching hole for the time being....... Corredor hit .218 with 5 HRs and 31 RBIs in the Dominican Summer League last year....... Kade Johnson is eligible to come off the waiver wire, Tuesday. If he clears, Kade will probably be back. If not, it's not very likely Corredor will have a regular job all of a sudden with the Stars, and I'd love to see what John Vanden Berg, hitting .317 for High Desert, can do.......... Tim Bausher, also put on waivers, is set to take his turn in the rotation on Monday, provided he remained unclaimed at the end of Saturday....... Sunday, Ryan Costello (3-0, 4.20) will face Dustin Moseley (2-0, 1.91). Moseley lost four times to the Stars last season, only one of five pitchers ever to lose that many to the Stars in a season in their history. My favorite scoreboard moment tonight: Seeing a clip from Ferris Bueller's Day Off on the video board -- the scene in which Ferris and Cameron are at Wrigley Field and Cameron is yelling "hey, batter, batter, batter, kannidy, kannidy, kannidy, kannidy.... (sp?)" ........ The Stars always ran the audio version of that, but now we have the images of what is one of my favorite movies.

Perhaps the most popular Star ever, this former Brewer farmhand: Mathis never out of position Popular Star played every spot on field in one game By MARK McCARTER Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com Sometimes, he still has dreams about baseball. He's even playing in the big leagues in those dreams. Most of the time, though, "It seems like I haven't played in 20 years,'' says Jared Mathis. In truth, it's been only two years since Mathis last played for the Huntsville Stars. Much has happened since. Mathis has settled in back home in Port Orange, Fla., adjacent to Daytona Beach. He and wife Brittany have an 11-month old daughter, Macy. Jared is working as an insurance broker for commercial real estate property. As with so many retired players, he doesn't miss so much the games as he does everything surrounding the game. "I miss hanging around D-Lee (pitcher Derek Lee) and Bucky (Jacobsen), just sitting around the apartment,'' Mathis says. "I don't miss the bus rides and all that.'' There have been fewer players more popular with fans in recent years than Mathis. And there have been fewer places more popular with Mathis than Huntsville. "He sure has a lot of good memories about that place,'' says an old friend in Daytona, Johnny Goodrich, now the head baseball coach at Mathis' old high school. He wasn't a high-dollar prospect, but you got more than your money's worth out of him. He hustled, he was versatile and he ended up looking like the "Peanuts" character Pigpen, smothered in dirt, most any time he played. Fans related to and appreciated his work ethic. Too many players at this level create a moat between the dugout and the stands. Not Mathis. He created friendships instead. And there probably isn't an autograph with less value in Huntsville history than that of Mathis, since he signed more than anybody. Sure, longevity helped. He spent parts of four seasons here. But the force of his personality was bigger than his numbers. "I think it was just that I could appreciate what (the fans and boosters) were doing for us,'' Mathis says. "It's only fair. If somebody's going to support us, we should support them.'' As Mathis recalls Huntsville, he first recalls the impact of 9-11, and the eventual cancellation of the Southern League playoffs as a result, and the Stars' championship. He remembers the Fourth of July holiday games, with fireworks and packed houses. And he remembers a nice bit of history he made. It was a memorable laborious Labor Day, Sept. 4, 2000. Manager Carlos Lezcano proclaimed it "Jared Mathis Day.'' Mathis had already proved over the course of his Huntsville career to have more uses than a Swiss Army knife. On this season finale, Lezcano decided to put them all out for display at once, an idea he had concocted as early as spring training. He had Mathis play every position on the field. It may have been Mathis' greatest blessing and curse. Utility players this versatile are priceless. But few players advance without having a definite position. And few players advance to the big leagues from such meager beginnings. Mathis played collegiately at Embry-Riddle in Daytona, a school more known for aerospace technology than athletics, and had been playing in an independent league when the Brewers signed him. The previous day had begun memorably enough. During the Stars' Sunday morning team chapel meeting, a drawing was held for a ball autographed by Joe Dimaggio. Mathis won the drawing. The ball still rests on a shelf in his house. Mathis began Labor Day as the Stars' starting pitcher. He even struck out John Powers with an 81 mph fastball. ''All my dad is going to talk about is the strikeout," said Mathis afterward. "He thinks I should be pitching in the big leagues." He singled in the game's first run and finished with three hits. He was also plunked in the helmet with a pitch. He scored the game-winning run in the 12th, doubling and hustling home on a Toby Kominek single. "It was awfully fun," said Mathis, pronouncing the benediction on the day. "It made the game go by really quick. I wasn't in the same place too much. I recommend it. It kept me on my toes." Mathis still looks back at that day as something special. Except for some good-natured scolding from his dad. "I hadn't shaved in about a week, and you could tell it in the pictures in the paper,'' Mathis says. "My dad said, 'It'd have been great if you had just shaved.' " The events of that day still come up regularly in conversation. "People see on my resume that I played baseball, or it comes up,'' Mathis says. "Then they always ask, 'What position did you play?' " On one memorable day, he can tell them, he played them all. But Stars fans will tell you his best position was simply being Jared Mathis.

Mark McCarter's Huntsville Times' Stars' Notebook: Covering the bases Milwaukee has left the Stars short-handed offensively with the promotion of Brandon Gemoll and having designated catcher Kade Johnson for reassignment from the Brewers' 40-man roster. While Johnson will likely return to the club if no major league teams claims him off waivers, a short bench won't let the Stars take full advantage of being able to use the designated hitter in eight of their last 12 games of the half, against Birmingham, one of only two American League-affiliated teams in the Southern League. While the Stars limped away from the ballpark Friday night after a 14-1 catastrophe against Chattanooga, they were at least catching a break 350 miles away. Division-leading West Tenn, which rallied with a two-out, two-run single in the top of the ninth to force extra innings at Mobile, lost in the 12th on a Ben Johnson sacrifice fly. It left the Stars still three games behind with 15 to play, headed into Saturday's action. The least-concerned person about West Tenn's progress is Huntsville manager Frank Kremblas. "I'm not worried about them. I'm worrying about us,'' he said. When it was suggested to him the Stars need a six-out-of-eight win streak, Kremblas said, "We need more than that.'' ... Mike Jones threw a simulated game Saturday. Depending upon how well his elbow responds after that, he'll likely have one more such game, then make a start before the end of the first half on June 20. ... John Novinsky is putting together All-Star type numbers. He entered Saturday's play at 5-0 and 3.16, with two wins, two saves, 15 strikeouts and a 1.64 ERA in his last six appearances. Around the league Cal Ripken may become part of the Southern League. The ex-Baltimore Oriole star is part of an ownership group looking to buy a franchise in Florida. He was in Jacksonville this week, throwing out the first pitch before a game and meeting with Suns ownership to discuss a possible purchase. ... Kenny Kelly of Chattanooga, the league's leading hitter, was promoted to Triple-A this week. The ex-Miami quarterback was batting .356. The Lookouts didn't seem to miss a beat when they arrived in Huntsville, racking up 16 hits Friday. ... Birmingham pitcher Arnie Munoz fell one win shy of a Southern League record for consecutive wins. He won six in a row in relief in 2002 then, after spending 2003 in Triple-A, began this year with a 6-0 record. But he lost 3-2 last Sunday in Jacksonville when his team left the potential tying run on third in the ninth inning. He then made it two in a row with a 3-2 loss to West Tenn on Thursday. ... Mobile outfielder Todd Donovan, the BayBears' leading hitter, broke his thumb Wednesday and is likely out until August. ... West Tenn's Matt Craig was named the BC Powder Southern League Player of the Week after batting .407 with 11 RBIs. ... Mobile's Tim Stauffer was Pitcher of the Week, allowing only one run in 15 innings with 14 strikeouts. ... Florence's Josh Willingham, playing for Carolina, is having a terrific season. He's batting .273 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs. Brewings (after Friday's games) Triple-A Indianapolis (29-23, second place in International League West): OF Corey Hart .282, 8 HR, 29 RBI. Single-A High Desert (20-35, fifth place in California League South): Six-game losing streak. IF Travis Hinton .305. Single-A Beloit (29-26, fourth in Midwest League West): OF Terry Trofholz .313. On deck The Stars host Chattanooga today at 2:05, and mini-bats will be given to the first 1,500 fans. Birmingham visits for a four-game series beginning Tuesday, with a 12:05 game set for Wednesday.

Huntsville Times Game Story: Stars fizzling in pennant race Huntsville shut out by Lookouts for fifth straight loss By SKIP VAUGHN For The Times skipv@htimes.com It's not how you want to enter the final two weeks of a pennant race. The Huntsville Stars entered Saturday night's game against Chattanooga in the throes of a losing streak while trailing first-place West Tennessee by three games in the Southern League Western Division with 15 games left in the first half. But Stars manager Frank Kremblas wasn't overly concerned about this particular game. "It's no more important than the others," he said beforehand. "We're either going to play better or we're not. Whether we win the first half or not has nothing to do with tonight. It's whether we play better baseball overall or not." But the Stars didn't get it done this time and lost 4-0 to Chattanooga before an announced crowd of 4,913 at Joe Davis Stadium. There was a moment of silence before the national anthem in honor of former President Ronald Reagan, who died Saturday. Brian Rose (5-2) outdueled Huntsville's Chris Saenz (4-3) as the Stars lost their fifth straight, equaling their high this season. Rose pitched seven shutout innings with six strikeouts and allowed four hits and one walk. "We got people in scoring position but we never could get that two-out base hit to score some runs," said Stars right fielder Jason Belcher, who had two of Huntsville's five hits. The Lookouts (32-24) went up 4-0 in the third inning on run-scoring singles by William Bergolla and Edwin Encarnacion and a two-run homer by Jesse Gutierrez. "The one inning they scored their runs, they got some pitches up in the zone and these guys, they're a good team," Kremblas said. "And you make mistakes, they're going to make you pay for them." Saenz went seven innings with eight strikeouts and allowed four runs, nine hits, one walk and committed a balk. "I thought it was pretty good," Kremblas said of his starter's outing. "He had that one bad inning where he got the ball up in the zone. You make mistakes against these guys, you're going to pay for them. You've got to be on your game 100 percent of the time or you're going to get beat. But the rest of the time, he did good." Kremblas said he still wasn't concerned about the losing streak. "We're not playing bad. It all comes down to you have one lapse and you have one bad inning, it's tough to come back from." He said he thinks the Stars can catch West Tennessee but he's not worried about the pennant race. "I'm more concerned about us playing better baseball. And if we catch them, we catch them."

WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 30 23 .566 [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 29 24 .547 1.0[/b] TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 29 27 .518 2.5 LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 26 28 .481 4.5 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 31 25 .554 MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 29 27 .518 2.0 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 28 28 .500 3.0[/b] BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 28 28 .500 3.0 MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 24 32 .429 7.0 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 34 21 .618 INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 31 25 .554 3.5 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 28 27 .509 6.0 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 27 28 .491 7.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 20 36 .357 14.5[/b] WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 33 22 .600 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 33 22 .600 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 32 22 .593 .5 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 30 26 .536 3.5[/b] CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 28 26 .519 4.5 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 24 27 .471 7.0 WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 24 31 .436 9.0 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 17 39 .304 16.5

By the way, just click on June 5th when you reach the Dayton audio link in the initial post above. The Snappers' ninth inning rally begins at the 3 hour, 3 minute mark.

Final: Visalia (Rockies) 9, High Desert 7 Mavs make a game of it... Visalia Site Game Summary: Sean Barker hit two home runs and collected five RBI as the Oaks held on for a 9-7 win over High Desert. Barker?s first home run, a two-run blast broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth inning. His solo shot gave the Oaks a valuable insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. Barker also had a two-run double in the sixth that made the lead 8-4. High Desert?s Callix Crabbe hit his first home run of the season in the top of the eighth to trim a four run deficit to one at 8-7. After Crabbe?s home run, Eudy Morel and Mike Cosgrove combined to retire the last seven Mavericks batters in the game. Cosgrove pitched a perfect ninth to earn his eleventh save, which ranks him second in the California League. Jeff Baker hit a two-run homer before Barker in the third tow tie the game, 3-3. Baker went 4-for-5 with 3 RBI. K. J. Hendricks also went 4-for-5 and has seven hits over the first two games of the series. Mavericks starting pitcher Eric Henderson pitched four innings, allowed six runs and took the loss. High Desert Box Score: GAME DATE: 6/05/04 HD at VIS HIGH DESERT 7 AT VISALIA 9 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG VISALIA AB R H BI AVG K.Bibbs CF 4 1 2 0 .306 J.Salazar CF 5 0 0 0 .320 C.Crabbe 2B 4 2 3 3 .307 K.Hendricks 2B 5 2 4 0 .293 D.Boyd LF 5 0 1 1 .285 J.Baker 3B 5 2 4 3 .348 T.Hinton 1B 5 0 2 0 .311 C.Fallon 1B 4 1 1 0 .285 J.Vanden ber CAT 3 1 2 0 .317 S.Barker LF 5 2 3 5 .280 S.Candelaria RF 5 1 1 2 .260 R.Spilborghs DH 4 0 2 0 .300 J.Frost DH 4 1 0 0 .278 B.Gonzalez RF 5 0 2 0 .252 T.Farnsworth 3B 4 1 1 1 .174 A.Colina CAT 1 1 1 0 .220 E.Cruz SS 5 0 0 0 .207 K.Reinking CAT 4 0 0 0 .194 E.Henderson PIT 0 0 0 0 .167 D.Bernier SS 4 1 2 1 .255 C.Breslow PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Gallagher PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Kusiewicz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Cable PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Mendoza PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Morel PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Cosgrove PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 39 7 12 7 TOTALS 42 9 19 9 HIGH DESERT 0 2 1 1 0 0 3 0 0- 7 12 2 VISALIA 0 1 4 1 0 2 0 1 X- 9 19 0 E--T.Farnsworth 2. DP--HIGH DESERT 0, VISALIA 0. LOB--HIGH DESERT 11, VISALIA 11. 2B--D.Boyd (10), J.Vanden ber (8), J.Baker (16), S.Barker (12), A.Colina (7). HR--C.Crabbe (1), S.Candelaria (2), T.Farnsworth (3), J.Baker (5), S.Barker 2 (8). SB--K.Bibbs (20), C.Crabbe (18), J.Frost (3), K.Hendricks (14). HBP--J.Vanden ber, J.Frost. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT E.Henderson (L,2-4) 4.0 11 6 6 2 2 2 7.02 C.Breslow 2.0 5 2 2 0 4 0 8.81 M.Kusiewicz 2.0 3 1 1 0 1 1 6.16 VISALIA B.Gallagher 4.1 9 4 4 2 2 2 8.01 T.Cable (W,3-2) 1.2 2 0 0 1 2 0 4.68 M.Mendoza 0.2 1 3 3 1 2 1 13.50 E.Morel 1.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.24 M.Cosgrove 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.49 HB--T.Cable, M.Mendoza. PB--J.Vanden ber. SO--K.Bibbs, D.Boyd 2, T.Hinton, S.Candelaria, T.Farnsworth, E.Cruz 2, C.Fallon 3, R.Spilborghs, K.Reinking 2, D.Bernier. BB--K.Bibbs, C.Crabbe, J.Vanden ber, T.Farnsworth, C.Fallon, R.Spilborghs. T--3:21. A--1698High Desert Game Log: www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=18196

I'm much too tired to lok it up, but when was the last time the Brewers: -- scored five or more runs? -- had a multi-HR game? -- hit a three-run HR? -- entertained us offensively? And yet they have Davis and Sheets going in the next two games, so hope looms -- gotta score, though.

I'm not sure, but it appears as though you may have to wait a day before being able to play the Beloit archive. That ninth inning rally should be a fun listen...

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Clint Weibl at home vs. Rochester (Twins), 2:00 PM Audio link: www.newstalk1430.com/ Alternate audio link (Red Wings' feed): www.redwingsbaseball.com/...bcast.html HUNTSVILLE: LHP Ryan Costello at home vs. Chattanooga (Reds), 2:05 PM Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ HIGH DESERT: RHP David Bradley at Visalia (Rockies), 3:35 PM Audio link: www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm BELOIT: LHP Dana Eveland at Dayton (Reds), 1:00 PM Audio link (Dragons' feed): www.daytondragons.com/str...games.html The Dayton feed also archives should there be a special moment we wish to review...

In progress: Visalia (Rockies) 6, High Desert 4, after four innings The Oaks (11) and Mavericks (7) combining for 18 hits in the first four frames...

Final: Rochester (Twins) 12, Indianapolis 1 Y'know who would look good in the Indy rotation? Wes Obermueller; for the first time this year, the Tribe's not in first place -- Max Schumacher and Indy management can officially begin whining mode... Indianapolis Post-Game Notes: For the second consecutive evening, Rochester pounded Indianapolis pitching for 16 hits as the Red Wings defeated the Indians, 2-1. Jason Kubel collected four hits in the contest and has seven in the three-game series, which Rochester leads 2-1. With the loss, Indianapolis falls out of first place for the first time since the road opening win at Norfolk on April 8. The Tribe drops to 29-24, while Rochester improves to 29-26. Rochester scored at least one run in the first five innings to take an 8-1 lead. The lone Tribe tally came in the bottom of the first, a Corey Hart RBI single, scoring Ryan Knox. QUOTE: Michael Restovich, left field, Rochester Red Wings: "I wasn?t looking for any particular pitch," Restovich said. "I got lucky and was able to hit the ball the other way. When I am playing well, I hit the ball to the opposite side of the field. Tonight was a big win for us." NOTES: Indianapolis has fallen into second place for the first time this season. Saturday night?s attendance of 10,365 was a season-high mark for the Tribe. Sunday?s final matchup of the Rochester series is Bob Uecker Bobblehead Day. The first 4,000 fans will receive a Bob Uecker bobblehead, courtesy of Marsh, O?Malia?s and The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis Box Score: Corey Hart with two hits... GAME DATE: 6/05/04 ROC at IND ROCHESTER 12 AT INDIANAPOLIS 1 YTD YTD ROCHESTER AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG L.Rodriguez SS 5 1 2 2 .245 C.Magruder LF 4 0 0 0 .265 L.Rivas 2B 6 0 1 0 .167 R.Knox CF 4 1 1 0 .262 J.Morneau 1B 3 1 1 1 .342 B.Gemoll 1B 4 0 1 0 .219 T.Tiffee 3B 4 1 0 0 .283 C.Hart RF 4 0 2 1 .287 M.Restovich LF 4 3 3 2 .249 M.Johnson CAT 4 0 1 0 .278 J.Kubel RF 5 2 4 1 .361 M.Johnson 3B 0 0 0 0 .278 J.Rabe DH 5 1 1 3 .260 S.Sheldon DH 4 0 1 0 .222 B.Simmons CF 4 1 1 2 .220 L.Figueroa 3B 2 0 0 0 .282 B.Marsters CAT 4 2 3 1 .195 A.Delgado CAT 1 0 0 0 .130 H.Bonilla PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 S.Scarbrough SS 2 0 0 0 .215 J.Palki PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Erickson 2B 3 0 0 0 .206 B.Kemp PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Hernandez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Crain PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Phelps PIT 0 0 0 0 .333 T.Erdos PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Michalak PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 40 12 16 12 TOTALS 32 1 6 1 ROCHESTER 1 1 2 1 3 0 0 4 0-12 16 0 INDIANAPOLIS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 6 0 DP--ROCHESTER 1, INDIANAPOLIS 2. LOB--ROCHESTER 8, INDIANAPOLIS 6. 2B--L.Rodriguez (16), J.Morneau (15), B.Simmons (9), B.Marsters 2 (7), R.Knox (9). HR--M.Restovich (13), J.Rabe (1). SB--J.Kubel (3). HBP--T.Tiffee, M.Restovich. SF--J.Morneau. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA ROCHESTER H.Bonilla (W,1-0) 6.0 6 1 1 0 4 0 1.50 J.Palki 1.0 0 0 0 2 1 0 6.06 B.Kemp 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 J.Crain 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.81 INDIANAPOLIS A.Hernandez (L,0-2) 3.0 6 4 4 2 0 1 7.04 T.Phelps 2.0 6 4 4 0 0 0 5.44 T.Erdos 2.1 2 0 0 2 1 0 6.30 C.Michalak 1.2 2 4 4 0 1 1 5.94 HB--C.Michalak 2. PB--A.Delgado. SO--J.Rabe, B.Marsters, C.Magruder 2, R.Knox, B.Gemoll 2, S.Scarbrough 2. BB--L.Rodriguez, J.Morneau, B.Simmons, B.Marsters, A.Delgado, S.Scarbrough. T--2:34. A--10365Indianapolis Game Log: Why did 3B Luis Figueroa leave abrubyly in the 5th? www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=13079

Final: Beloit 9, Dayton (Reds) 7 Wow -- Snappers score six in the ninth! Dayton Site Game Summary: Calvin Medlock was masterful in Saturday night?s series opener with the Beloit Snappers (30-26), but the Dayton Dragons (23-33) had trouble out of the bullpen, as Omar Segovia, Trey Rice, and Carlos Guevara allowed nine runs after Medlock pitched six innings of shutout baseball. The Snappers scored six in the top of the ninth and took the first game of the series by a 9-7 score. After a 1-2-3 top half of the first inning, the Dragons gave their starter plenty to work with offensively, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first, one in the second and two more in the fifth. A 5-0 lead to work with heading to the sixth was more than enough for Medlock, who surrendered just three hits. No Snappers ever advanced past first base and he left the game looking like a lock for his seventh win of the season. He finished his outing by recording one of his six strikeouts to end the sixth before Alonso Powell brought on Omar Segovia to face the Snappers in the seventh inning. Beloit began to chip away at the Dragons lead with a single tally off Segoiva in the seventh inning to make it a 5-1 game. The two teams traded two spots in the eighth inning, with Beloit closing to 5-3 on a two RBI single by Lou Palmisano. The Dragons restored the four run advantage with eighth inning RBI doubles by Kyle Smith and Miguel Perez to run the lead back to four at 7-3. Heading into the night, the Dragons were 19-0 when leading after eight innings. That however would change as the Snappers shocked the 9,029 fans at Fifth Third Field with a six run top of the ninth to steal the win. Trey Rice began the inning issuing a double to Adam Heether. Manuel Ramirez followed with an RBI single to close the gap to 7-4. An error on the play by Himes moved Ramirez to second and with one down a wild pitch moved him to third. Will Lewis drew a walk and Rice was lifted in favor of Dragons closer Carlos Guevara. Terry Trofholz got home a run with a sacrifice fly to center to close the Snappers to within 7-5. Steve Moss blooped a single into center field good for another hit and RBI to make it a one run game. Chris Dickerson?s diving effort to end the game on Moss? hit came up just short and Beloit was still alive. Guevara looked like he had the game won, striking out Drew Anderson, but a wild pitch on the strikeout allowed Anderson to reach and the Snappers once again had life with two down. Palmisano was hit by a pitch and the bases were loaded for Vinny Rottino with two down and Beloit trailing 7-6. Rottino delivered a bases clearing three RBI double into the left field corner and the comeback was complete as the Snappers took a 9-7 lead. Tim Dillard pitched a one, two, three, ninth inning and the Dragons fell in the first game of the series in shocking fashion. Dillard picked up his fifth save of the season and preserved the win for Dan McKenna who won his first of the year despite giving up two runs in two innings of work. The Dragons continue their four game series with the Beloit Snappers Sunday afternoon with a 2 PM (1:00 PM Central) first pitch at Fifth Third Field. The Dragons will start RHP Brock Till; Beloit will counter with LHP Dana Eveland. Beloit Box Score: 2B Will Lewis walks and makes an error in his 2004 debut... GAME DATE: 6/05/04 BLT at DTN BELOIT 9 AT DAYTON 7 YTD YTD BELOIT AB R H BI AVG DAYTON AB R H BI AVG T.Trofholz RF 3 1 1 1 .313 C.Dickerson CF 5 1 1 0 .301 S.Moss CF 4 2 2 1 .185 W.Hudson SS 3 2 0 0 .200 D.Anderson LF 5 1 1 0 .278 J.Votto 1B 4 1 1 0 .293 L.Palmisano CAT 4 1 1 2 .301 W.Olmstead 3B 3 1 1 2 .265 V.Rottino DH 5 1 2 3 .298 B.Himes RF 4 0 1 2 .241 A.Heether 3B 5 1 1 0 .258 K.Smith LF 4 1 2 1 .224 M.Ramirez 1B 4 1 2 1 .266 J.Piepkorn DH 4 1 1 0 .194 J.Murray SS 4 0 0 1 .205 M.Perez CAT 4 0 1 1 .238 W.Lewis 2B 3 1 0 0 .000 E.Conley 2B 3 0 1 1 .316 B.Montalbo PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Medlock PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Taubenheim PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Segovia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.McKenna PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Rice PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Dillard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Guevara PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 37 9 10 9 TOTALS 34 7 9 7 BELOIT 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 6- 9 10 3 DAYTON 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0- 7 9 2 E--S.Moss, L.Palmisano, W.Lewis, B.Himes, C.Medlock. DP--BELOIT 2, DAYTON 1. LOB--BELOIT 6, DAYTON 5. 2B--V.Rottino (13), A.Heether (15), M.Ramirez (9), K.Smith (13), M.Perez (4). SB--T.Trofholz 2 (19), S.Moss (1). CS--B.Himes. HBP--T.Trofholz, L.Palmisano, W.Hudson. SF--T.Trofholz. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BELOIT B.Montalbo 5.0 6 5 5 2 3 0 4.85 T.Taubenheim 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.67 D.McKenna (W,1-0) 2.0 2 2 2 2 2 0 8.38 T.Dillard (S,5) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.15 DAYTON C.Medlock 6.0 3 0 0 0 6 0 1.82 O.Segovia 2.0 3 3 3 1 2 0 3.42 T.Rice 0.1 2 3 3 1 0 0 7.71 C.Guevara (L,1-2) 0.2 2 3 3 0 1 0 4.63 HB--B.Montalbo, O.Segovia, C.Guevara. WP--C.Guevara 2. PB--M.Perez. SO--T.Trofholz, D.Anderson 3, L.Palmisano 2, A.Heether, M.Ramirez, W.Lewis, C.Dickerson, W.Hudson, B.Himes, K.Smith, J.Piepkorn, M.Perez. BB--S.Moss, W.Lewis, W.Hudson, J.Votto, W.Olmstead, E.Conley. T--3:02. A--9029Beloit Game Log: Huge three-run double by Vinny Rottino in the 9th; the inning was only kept alive when Drew Anderson reached on a wild pitch after striking out... www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=13449

Final: Chattanooga (Reds) 4, Huntsville 0 Who thought we'd be using the word "overmatched" to describe Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder this season? And how silly does the "100 win" or even "90 win" talk look now? What were we thinking? Huntsville Site Game Summary: Huntsville (28-28) equaled its longest losing streak of the season with a 4-0 loss to Chattanooga (32-24) on Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars' fifth straight loss dropped them into third place in the Southern League West, three games behind leader West Tenn. The Lookouts got all their runs with five straight hits in the third, and pitcher Brian Rose started the rally with a one-out double to left-center. Andrew Beattie's single to center moved Rose to third, and William Bergolla singled home Rose. Edwin Encarnacion's single scored Bergolla, then Jessie Gutierrez homered for the second straight night, a two-run shot to right-center. Jason Belcher paced the Stars' offense with two singles in four at-bats. Brad Nelson, Chris Barnwell and Chris Saenz each singled once. Huntsville had one runner thrown out at home plate and stranded six runners in the ballgame, four in scoring position. Brian Rose (5-2) shut out the Stars over seven superb innings, requiring just 91 pitches to record 21 outs. Rose permitted only four hits and one walk while fanning six for his fifth victory. Saenz (4-3) suffered the loss, surrendering four runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out eight in seven frames. Chris Booker pitched the final two stanzas for Chattanooga, allowing a single and fanning three. Fernando Rijo and Pete Zamora each tossed a scoreless inning of relief for Huntsville. Huntsville lefty Ryan Costello (3-0, 4.20) meets Lookouts righty Dustin Moseley (2-0, 1.91) in game three of the series Sunday at Joe Davis Stadium. Game time is 2:05 p.m. Huntsville Box Score: GAME DATE: 6/05/04 CNG at HVL CHATTANOOGA 4 AT HUNTSVILLE 0 YTD YTD CHATTANOOGA AB R H BI AVG HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG A.Beattie LF 4 0 2 0 .319 R.Weeks 2B 4 0 0 0 .233 W.Bergolla 2B 4 1 1 1 .274 A.Gwynn CF 4 0 0 0 .250 E.Encarnacio 3B 4 1 1 1 .308 P.Fielder 1B 3 0 0 0 .249 J.Gutierrez 1B 4 1 2 2 .301 B.Nelson LF 4 0 1 0 .294 J.Bannon SS 4 0 0 0 .283 J.Belcher RF 4 0 2 0 .289 C.Durham RF 3 0 1 0 .262 C.Barnwell 3B 4 0 1 0 .218 B.Peterson CAT 4 0 0 0 .295 J.Alvarado CAT 3 0 0 0 .152 R.Moreta CF 4 0 1 0 .200 O.Chavez SS 3 0 0 0 .234 B.Rose PIT 3 1 1 0 .462 C.Saenz PIT 2 0 1 0 .350 C.Booker PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Rijo PIT 0 0 0 0 .400 J.Raburn PH 1 0 0 0 .252 P.Zamora PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 4 9 4 TOTALS 32 0 5 0 CHATTANOOGA 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0- 4 9 2 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 5 2 E--A.Beattie, W.Bergolla, C.Barnwell, O.Chavez. DP--CHATTANOOGA 0, HUNTSVILLE 2. LOB--CHATTANOOGA 4, HUNTSVILLE 6. 2B--B.Rose (3). HR--J.Gutierrez (10). SB--C.Saenz (1). YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA CHATTANOOGA B.Rose (W,5-2) 7.0 4 0 0 1 6 0 3.49 C.Booker 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0.79 HUNTSVILLE C.Saenz (L,4-3) 7.0 9 4 4 1 8 1 3.70 F.Rijo 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.32 P.Zamora 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.32 BALKS--C.Saenz. SO--W.Bergolla, E.Encarnacio 2, J.Gutierrez, J.Bannon, B.Peterson 2, R.Moreta, B.Rose, R.Weeks, A.Gwynn 2, P.Fielder, B.Nelson, J.Alvarado 2, O.Chavez, C.Saenz. BB--C.Durham, P.Fielder. T--2:21. A--4913Huntsville Game Log: Double -- single -- single -- single -- HR! Ouch, ugly five batter stretch for Chris Saenz in the 3rd... www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=11997

Wes Obermueller's last West Coast outing was very successful in San Francisco earlier this season, and the Brewers are now seeing the eminently hittable Ismael Valdez for the second time in a week, and won't be shut down twice. Be sure to tune in to Jim Powell's pre-game interview with Baseball America's Jim Callis as they discuss this week's amateur player draft. (And actually, the interview is archived and we'll link you to that later tonight as well...) MLB.com Preview: milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com...;fext=.jsp

Beloit Daily News Game Story: Another news wire account -- must be staff on vacation at the BDN this past week... www.beloitdailynews.com/604/bspt5.htm

High Desert Game Story: The opponent's account in Visalia is all we'll get today... www.visaliatimesdelta.com...80546.html

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville update: REID, WE NEED A BAT!I know the minors are all about development and not so much the number of wins and losses and league titles your affiliates win, so I'm going to play the devil's advocate here........ So given that, one can possibly look past numbers to reason why a major league team makes what looks to you Stars fans like stupid decisions that affect its minor league affiliates. Two days after pitcher Tim Bausher was waived by the Brewers, Kade Johnson has now been placed on waivers to make room on the Brewers' 40-man roster for former Birmingham Baron Jeff Liefer, who was called up to Milwaukee......... Kade is, in effect, no longer a member of the Huntsville Stars, and for the next three days, any major league team can sign him to a contract and assign him to their farm system........ If they all pass on Kade, and I think this is unlikely, Milwaukee can reassign him, probably back to Huntsville, or just release him........ Bausher is, I'm told, unclaimed with one day left......... You're going to ask yourself what's going on with this organization, why decimate the Stars' roster when it's still desperately in a race, three games in back of 1st and a little more than two weeks to go in the first half....... The Brewers have never done what the A's used to do --- but from Milwaukee's point of view, this may have more to do with what they see as each player's potential for success in the organization with the amateur draft coming up Monday..... Tim Bausher's 2.40 ERA in April made you think he was effective, but six of the ten runs he gave up in April were unearned. He continued to give up just two earned runs per start in May, but at the end of the month, his ERA for the month was 3.72. He also served up six home runs in 29 innings in May........ His last two starts (Mobile and Montgomery) were abysmal, giving up eight earned runs in a little over 11 innings........ While his strikeout ratio has been good (2.8-1), the league was hitting .272 against him........ Last week, before a game against Mobile, pitching coach Fred Dabney took him aside for a bullpen session with Joel Alvarado, worked with him one-on-one and tried to exorcise some bad habits that were poisoning him, and I think Dabs was trying, also, to shake out a losing attitude........ Who's to say who gave up on who now. As for Kade, although he can really power the ball at any unexpected moment, there haven't been enough of those moments to really satisfy those who evaluate him. He just never hit for average as was expected........ It's bad timing, I believe, because it leaves the Stars with one experienced catcher, Alvarado, who is better defensively than Kade, but can't hit a grapefruit off a tee. We're in desparate straits behind the plate, but tomorrow, I'm told, the Stars will get a catcher......... Unfortunately, I've learned it won't be John Vanden Berg, Lou Palmisano, or even Charlie Lozado, who was called up during the playoffs last year to serve as a bullpen catcher and emergency backstop........ Brian Opdyke, the Brewers' 5th round draft pick last year? Who knows? I talked to Robert Portnoy who was told all this by Frank, but he forgot the name........ (Since David posted this, we've since learned that Nestor Corredor is the catcher named -- we've detailed his past in the Transactions thread for June, linked here, which many of you have probably already read. -- MassBrew) http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=2207.topic Getting back to Kade, one other reason I can see for placing him on waivers was the talent trying to climb the ladder behind him, and specifically, it's those names I mentioned --- Vanden Berg, who is hitting .308 at High Desert, and Palmisano, the Brewers # 3 draft pick last year, who is in Beloit and has been on track. I know little about how he's done defensively, but Palmisano is a year away from joining the Stars, imho, so let's scratch him for now........ Also with the draft coming up, the Stars may want to make room....... Reportedly, they're going after a pitcher first and they have one of three from Rice University in their sights......... Although the loss of Bausher and Johnson looks stupid on the surface, there may be some method to the Brewers' madness, but the loss of these two players is awful in its timing. Although the Stars kept from sliding another game in back of the Diamond Jaxx tonight, it seems things have just gotten more sour in multiples......... The Stars have now lost four straight.........With just one player on the bench for the Stars (Thursday, they didn't have any), the Stars were routed Friday night for their worst loss since becoming a Milwaukee affiliate........ Not since May 31, 1998 had the Stars lost by 13 runs........ It was just a fiasco from start to finish. The Stars only run came on a bases-loaded walk to Alvarado, his 4th RBI on the year and his first since May 13........ But one play early in the game really set the tone........ Had Brad Nelson made a clean catch off William Bergolla in the 1st inning, there may not have been a five-run 1st and the whole complexion of the game may have changed....... Then again, maybe not........ Four more errors would follow and in the end, Stars pitchers would allow eight unearned runs. In the 1st inning, after Jeff Housman hit Chad Durham on the rump with an 0-1 pitch, William Bergolla, on 2-2, sent a rather deep fly ball out to left not far from the line. Nelson kind of lost sight of it, then lost direction....... I've seen Tony Gwynn, Jr. get away with this and make the play without losing his equilibrium, but after turning one way, then another, Nelson was dizzied and the ball hit off the heel of his glove for a two-base error........ Make the catch, and Nelson, who is coming in on the ball at the last moment, would have had a chance to double up Durham, and you have two out and nobody on. Instead this happens........ Edwin Encarnacion singles to left, scoring Durham from third and moving Bergolla to third........ Housman issues his only walk (to Jesse Gutierrez) to load the bases, then another key error comes into play........ Jeff Bannon hits a single to the gap in left-center, fielded by Gwynn. That easily scores Bergolla, but Gwynn bobbles and drops the ball before winging it home to get an aggressive Encarnacion. He scores, Gutierrez moving to third and Bannon to second on the throw........ On a 2-2 pitch to Jason Hill, Alvarado loses the ball behind him and Gutierrez scores to make it 4-0....... Although Hill strikes out looking at a breaking ball, Andrew Beattie singles through the left side of the infield into center, scoring Bannon......... 5-0........ Housman then gets Ramon Moreta on a first-pitch liner straight to Nelson, then strikes out starter Steve Kelly. Good teams overcome this kind of lead......... They turn a 5-0 mountain into a 5-3 hill, then win in the end, 6-5. The Yankees did this recently........ Housman had a 1-2-3 2nd inning, thanks to fine plays by Tony Jr. on a deep fly ball to the track, and Ozzie Chavez, who made a nice play in the hole. But the errors continued, and when there weren't errors, there was just sloppy bad baseball. In the 3rd, Jason Hill hit a blooper that fell between Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, and Johnny Raburn for a double....... Hill would eventually score when an easy play by Chris Barnwell on a grounder by Steve Kelly, sailed away toward the dugout......... Raburn, playing right, had a chance to double up Jason Hill on 1st in the 6th. Instead the throw was offline to Fielder and a Chattanooga rally continued....... In that same inning, a barely accurate throw by Weeks to first thwarted a double play....... There were pitches thrown by all four hurlers who took the mound for the Stars that were way inside and a whisker from hitting the batter...... There were so many mistakes in the field, some of them leading to runs, some not, that I don't have the time to mention them all........ The first pitch by Reggie Rivard, in relief of Glenn Woolard in the 6th, came back to him, but instead of getting an easy double play out of it, threw the ball wildly in the direction of Chavez, scoring a run and leading to another........ Jeff Housman was forced to struggle through all those mistakes, threw some of his own, and in the end, left after throwing 70 pitches, 44 (63%) for strikes. Housman came into this game 8th among SL ERA leaders....... Hitters on this team continue to struggle. Gwynn, Jr. is 3-for-18 in his last six games....... Weeks is 2-for-17 (.118) in his last five games and 7-for-52 (.135) in his last 15 games......... Fielder finally had his first three-hit game since May 10. He had four of these in April........ The Stars have now hit .204 for this month. We could use some bats. Pitching coach Fred Dabney says Mike Jones has made excellent progress, and will pitch a simulated game tomorrow, and there's an outside chance he may pitch an inning or two on this homestand. An uncharacteristic laugher at the Stars expense did not spoil the fans enjoyment of what is nearly a fully functional scoreboard........ The bright-red LED lights were turned down for better visibility, the balls and strikes were working, the new video board was just awesome and was used liberally to show the crowd between innings, and stats during the game, and even instant replays. The clarity is exceptional........ The only thing the Stars are still waiting is a part for the radar gun that will show the pitch speed between the two ad signs below the line score. That, hopefully, is expected to come Wednesday. The Cubs released pitcher Ben Christensen, and signed with the Seattle Mariners, who assigned him to San Antonio......... The White Sox signed former Stars pitcher Ken Ray, who was 2-1, 2.93 in 31 games last year. So far with the Class A - Winston-Salem Warthogs, he's 3-0 with a 4.95 ERA in 11 games including one start.

WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 29 23 .558[/b] COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 29 23 .558 TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 29 26 .527 1.5 LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 26 28 .481 4.0 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 31 24 .564 MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 28 27 .509 3.0 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 28 27 .509 3.0[/b] BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 27 28 .491 4.0 MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 24 31 .436 7.0 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 33 21 .611 INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 31 24 .564 2.5 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 27 27 .500 6.0 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 27 27 .500 6.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 20 35 .364 13.5[/b] WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 32 21 .604 KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 32 22 .593 .5 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 32 22 .593 .5 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 29 26 .527 4.0[/b] CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 27 26 .509 5.0 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 23 27 .460 7.5 WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 24 30 .444 8.5 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 17 38 .309 16.0

From Mark McCarter at the Huntsville Times: Stars catcher Kade Johnson and pitcher Tim Bausher have both been placed on waivers - but may well be lost to the Huntsville club for only a brief time. Johnson and Bausher were both on Milwaukee's 40-man major league roster. The Brewers have removed them from that roster, clearing space for two new players. Other teams may claim them within 72 hours, but must then place them on a 40-man major league roster. If they clear waivers - Bausher's waiver period ends Sunday and Johnson's on Monday - they will remain with the Milwaukee organization and in Huntsville. Catcher Nestor Corredor is to join the Stars, who started Friday's game with only nine available position players, in time for Saturday's game. He has been at Milwaukee's extended spring training camp in Arizona. From MassBrew: This is Corredor's stateside pro debut. The Venezuelan youngster just turned 20 years old last week. In two seasons with the Dominican Summer League Brewers, the kid hit .211 in 360 AB's. The Brewers must see something in his young 6'1", 180 lb. frame that has them including him in the crop of players they brought to Arizona from their now-disbanded Latin summer teams. This likely will be a cup of coffee visit with the team, it would seem.

Huntsville Times Game Story: Stars forget to Lookout Five errors play a role in disaster for Huntsville By MARK McCARTER Times Sports Staff markcolumn@aol.com This was a lethal combination Friday, one of those 11th-grade chemistry class experiments that leaves you with your eyebrows singed and a hole in the ceiling tiles. The Chattanooga Lookouts, the Southern League East leader, were batting .283 as a team. They were third in the league in runs scored and far-and-away tops in hits. The Huntsville Stars pitching staff has been struggling of late in the three-game - make it four-game now losing streak. Mix those two up and ... Kaplowie! The Lookouts mauled Huntsville 14-1 in an ugly performance that included five Stars errors, 16 Chattanooga hits, three runs scored on bases-loaded walks and another run produced by a passed ball. Nice timing. The brand-new scoreboard, the video screen with its replay capability, all up and running - for this? Bloody red numbers and nary a Huntsville highlight worth running. Fact is, the only Stars run came on a bases-loaded walk. This was Girl Scouts Night, with troops of girls planning to camp out on the field after the game. Which meant that a bunch of restless girls had to sit through three-plus hours of this before pitching tents. Keep that in mind next year when the Ambers and Megans of the world come knocking on your door to sell Thin Mints and Tagalongs, and provide them pity. The Stars pitchers have allowed 49 hits and 32 runs - only 20 earned thanks to sloppy defense - and six home runs in the last four games. Afterward, manager Frank Kremblas dove into a plate of pasta at his office desk and took a "what's a guy to do?'' approach. What can you say? "Nothing,'' Kremblas said. "There's nothing to do. What can you do? We played bad and they played good and we got our butts kicked. I'm not going to get mad. We made some physical errors, some plays we should have made. But I don't think it helps to scream at everybody. If they're not giving the effort, yeah. But they were playing hard.'' Chattanooga had four runs before it even made an out. Huntsville starter Jeff Housman (1-4) hit outfielder Chad Durham with a pitch to begin the game - and it went downhill from there. Leftfielder Brad Nelson dropped a fly ball, then the Lookouts stitched together three singles and a walk and took advantage of a passed ball. Jesse Gutierrez homered to trigger a three-run third in which the Lookouts got five more hits off Housman. The Stars avoided the shutout with a fourth-inning run when Joel Alvarado drew a bases-loaded walk off Lookouts' starter Steve Kelly (4-3), who got his first win since April 28. The Stars host the Lookouts tonight at 7:05, with Chris Saenz (4-2) facing Brian Rose (4-2). Rose is the former big leaguer (Red Sox). -- MassBrew

Final: Visalia (Rockies) 13, High Desert 4 High Desert Box Score: OF Mario Mendez finishes up and is the most effective pitcher of the evening... GAME DATE: 6/04/04 HD at VIS HIGH DESERT 4 AT VISALIA 13 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG VISALIA AB R H BI AVG C.Crabbe 2B 3 1 2 1 .297 J.Salazar CF 4 2 2 3 .327 S.Candelaria RF 4 0 0 0 .262 K.Hendricks 2B 4 3 3 0 .279 D.Boyd LF 3 0 1 1 .287 J.Baker 3B 5 1 3 1 .335 T.Hinton 1B 4 0 2 0 .309 C.Fallon 1B 4 2 1 4 .286 F.Villanueva CAT 4 1 1 0 .248 S.Barker RF 5 1 1 2 .272 J.Frost DH 4 1 2 1 .287 R.Spilborghs LF 5 2 3 0 .295 K.Bibbs CF 4 1 1 1 .302 B.Gonzalez DH 3 1 1 1 .247 T.Farnsworth 3B 4 0 0 0 .167 A.Colina CAT 5 0 2 1 .215 E.Cruz SS 4 0 1 0 .226 D.Bernier SS 4 1 1 0 .245 K.Ballouli PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Asahina PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Nolasco PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Lynch PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Slack PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Young PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Mendez PIT 0 0 0 0 .213 I.Pavlik PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 34 4 10 4 TOTALS 39 13 17 12 HIGH DESERT 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0- 4 10 1 VISALIA 0 1 3 0 6 0 3 0 X-13 17 1 E--T.Hinton, J.Baker. DP--HIGH DESERT 1, VISALIA 0. LOB--HIGH DESERT 5, VISALIA 8. 2B--J.Salazar (9), K.Hendricks (8), R.Spilborghs (12), B.Gonzalez (9). HR--J.Frost (3), J.Salazar (11), C.Fallon (5), S.Barker (6). SB--C.Crabbe (17), R.Spilborghs (3). SF--J.Salazar. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT K.Ballouli (L,3-6) 4.1 9 7 6 0 3 1 7.74 D.Nolasco 0.2 3 3 3 3 0 1 8.27 N.Slack 2.0 4 3 3 0 1 1 6.38 M.Mendez 1.0 1 0 0 2 2 0 9.00 VISALIA J.Asahina (W,1-2) 6.0 7 3 2 2 5 1 4.44 B.Lynch 0.1 3 1 1 0 0 0 27.00 C.Young 1.2 0 0 0 0 2 0 3.82 I.Pavlik 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8.87 WP--K.Ballouli, D.Nolasco. PB--A.Colina. SO--S.Candelaria, D.Boyd 2, T.Hinton 2, J.Frost, T.Farnsworth, J.Baker, S.Barker, B.Gonzalez, A.Colina 2, D.Bernier. BB--C.Crabbe, D.Boyd, K.Hendricks, C.Fallon, B.Gonzalez 2, D.Bernier. T--3:04. A--1078High Desert Game Log: www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=18195

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Chattanooga (31-24) knocked out 16 hits and routed Huntsville (28-27), 14-1, on Friday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars dropped their fourth straight game but did not lose ground in the Southern League West, remaining three games out of first after West Tenn's 12-inning loss to Mobile. The Lookouts scored five in the first, three in the third and six in the sixth for their third win in five meetings with the Stars this season. Edwin Encarnacion led the hit parade, going 3-for-4 with a homer, four runs batted in and two runs scored. Andrew Beattie added three hits and drove in one, and Jesse Gutierrez homered, singled and scored two. Jeff Bannon singled twice, knocked in two and scored a pair. Prince Fielder paced Huntsville's six-hit attack, doubling and singling twice for his first multi-hit game since May 22. Chris Barnwell finished 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, and Joel Alvarado pushed across the Stars' lone run with a bases-loaded walk. Steve Kelly (4-3) won for the second time in two starts against the Stars. He crafted seven strong innings, equaling his season-high, allowing just one run on four hits and three walks while fanning four. Jeff Housman (1-4) suffered his second straight loss, permitting eight runs, four earned, on eight hits and one walk with two strikeouts over three innings. Game two of the series pits Huntsville righty Chris Saenz (4-2, 3.51) against Lookouts right-hander Brian Rose (4-2, 3.99) on Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium. Game time is 7:05 PM. Robert Portnoy's always perfect with these recaps, but not sure about this word: paced Huntsville's six-hit attack