MassBrew

Game Two: Battle Creek (Yankees) at Beloit, postponed, rain The second game of Saturday's doubleheader was postponed and rescheduled as part of a Sunday afternoon twinbill.

Update, in progress: Indianapolis 7, Durham (Devil Rays) 5, after seven innings D'oh! I jinxed things. Bulls with a five-spot in the 7th...

Final, Game One: Beloit 3, Battle Creek (Yankees) 0 Win streak now at seven... The game started an hour late, but the Beloit Snappers wasted no time in scoring en route to a 3-0 victory over the Battle Creek Yankees in the first game of a Midwest League double-header Saturday night at Pohlman Field. The Snappers scored twice in the first and once in the second, and that was enough for their seventh straight victory. The series opener Thursday night was delayed 1 hour 45 minutes, and Friday night?s game was rained out. Rain again delayed the start of Saturday night?s double-header. The second game of the double-header is scheduled to start at 9:15 p.m. CDT. But ? it started to rain between games and the tarp is on the field. Stay tuned.

Can you say pitching? In progress: Indianapolis 7, Durham (Devil Rays) 0, after six innings RHP Travis Phelps with a one-hitter through six... In progress: Huntsville 4, Jacksonville (Dodgers) 0, after four innings RHP Dennis Sarfate with a two-hitter through four... In progress: Game One -- Beloit 3, Battle Creek (Yankees) 0, after six innings in this seven inning affair Battle Creek with only four hits through six...

Indianapolis Pre-Game Notes: www.indyindians.com/pdf/gamenotes.pdf

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville update: OZSTANDING DEBUTAnother candidate for my Top Ten Games of the Year at the end of the season, and there were a number of reasons, but above all, for the debut of shortstop Ozzie Chavez, who left the California League with a .323 average --- tied for 9th among batting leaders, and arrived at Hoover Met after a promotion from High Desert at about 3 pm Friday........ Chavez figured prominently from beginning to end offensively and defensively, getting a double in his first Huntsville at-bat, then hitting the game-winning home run in the 14th inning, thereby becoming the first to homer in his debut since A's farmhand Dave Slemmer did it on June 16, 1998, coincidentally at Hoover Met........ If the Stars win the first half, this will be the one analysts like me will point to as being pivotal, or perhaps the springboard for the rest of fhe season. We'll see. Right now four teams in the West, including the Stars, are separated by a game and a half. Ozzie's debut was part of an organizational tsunami, Friday, that started in Milwaukee and trickled down to Class A........ The Brewers put Wes Helms on the disabled list with a torn meniscus in his right knee, an injury that could put him out of action for six weeks. To fill the roster spot, the Brewers called Corey Hart up to the show. There were tornado warnings in the Pittsburgh area Friday, so the weather around the ballpark had to have been pretty rough. No game was played, so we'll see if Hart makes his major league debut Saturday....... Brandon Gemoll was promoted to fill Hart's spot on the Indianapolis roster, despite leaving an 0-for-21 slump that lowered his average to .205...... Don't read a whole lot into that. Last year, Ryan Knox went up to Indianapolis despite a 1-for-22 slump at the time, and wound up hitting .275 for the Indians........ The Stars now are short two infielders because in addition to Gemoll, the Stars sent Enrique Cruz and his weak stick to High Desert......... Friday, Cruz struck out three times in three at-bats for the Mavs in a 5-2 loss to Lake Elsinore........ The Stars are still an infielder short, however, and something could happen tomorrow, if not real soon. Callix Crabbe is a possibility. He's hitting .279 at HD with 5 triples, 21 walks, and 14 stolen bases, obviously a strong on-base contribution for a team hitting .237 -- last in the Southern League. It was a scoreless game until the third inning when Johnny Raburn stepped up to the plate. He singled on an 0-2 pitch to lead off the inning. After Joel Alvarado flied out to right, Ozzie Chavez stepped up for the first time as a Huntsville Star....... On a 2-1 pitch, Chavez sliced one down the right field line, advancing Raburn to third. Rickie Weeks then snapped an 0-for-13 slump with an infield single. Guillermo Reyes made a diving stab for it, injuring his shoulder in the effort, causing him to be removed from the game......... Weeks' single scored Raburn and the Stars were on top, 1-0. It was Chavez again in the 4th inning....... Dennis Ulacia is an inconsistent pitcher who can paralyze a team one week, then get knocked in the early innings his next time. This wasn't his week......... Bases were full after a walk to Jason Belcher, and two successive errors at third by Rob Sasser, the veteran minor leaguer...... Chavez walked on five pitches, and he had his first RBI as a Huntsville Star, forcing in Belcher. Stars led, 2-0. Tony Gwynn, Jr., a steady, if not flashy centerfielder, figured in the Barons' rally that tied the game in the 6th inning....... Tim Bausher, after five good innings, walked leadoff hitter Josh Shaffer on four pitches. A sac bunt moved him to second, then Rob Sasser walked........ With runners now on first and second, Nate Murphy lined a 1-1 pitch into centerfield. Shaffer came around third to score. Rickie Weeks couldn't handle Gwynn's poor throw which dribbled into the infield. Sasser alertly had broken for third and now saw the possibility of scoring as well. Prince Fielder picked up the errant throw and fired to the plate, but it was too late. Sasser had scored and the game was tied........ The go-ahead run, though, was saved that inning when with two aboard when Aaron McNeal lined reliever Pete Zamora's 0-1 pitch. Brad Nelson broke back in left, and when it looked like the ball would nearly get past him, he came in to make a diving catch on his shoetops. We go to the 12th and the most exciting moment of this ballgame....... The Barons had every advantage........ Brian Adams goes 3-and-2 on Scott Bikowski, who then sends a high drive that appears to be gone for the game-winning home run. It fools our guy in the booth, Robert Portnoy, who thinks it's all over, but it hits the top of the second level of billboards and ump R.J. Thompson rules it in play....... It happened once for us here at Hoover Met, and now the bad break goes the other way........ Aaron McNeal got an intentional pass, his run being irrevelant........... John Novinsky enters the game........ The game now close to four hours in length, Normand Martel, making his debut for the Barons, singles off the leg of Novinsky to load the bases with nobody out. Baron skipper Razor Shines pulls a trick from the book on Frankieball....... With two strikes no less, Chris Stewart tries to drop one down, but misses, striking out. Scott Bikowski, reading the squeeze, is coming down the line, and is a dead duck. Joel Alvarado applies the tag for the 2nd out, and the double play....... Josh Shaffer ends the frame, hitting into a force play on the first pitch he sees. We're going to the 13th, baby! The Stars have cheated death! With a new breath of life, the Stars were in the mood for a rally....... They got the break they wanted when with one out, Jason Belcher reached first on another error, a throwing error by Rob Sasser, his third. Chris Barnwell, 3rd on the team in RBIs despite a .208 average, was intentionally walked....... It was time for Frankie Kremblas' wheels to turn now and with Johnny Raburn at bat, the double steal was successfully pulled, putting runners on second and third as Raburn struck out.......... Joel Alvarado, taking the count full for the 4th time in the game, struck out, however, to end the inning. John Novinsky, working his 3rd inning, retired the Barons in order in the 13th....... In the top of the 14th, Ozzie Chavez, who had doubled to set up one run, walked to force in another, and made a spectacular diving backhand grab at short, got a hold of a 1-1 pitch from Josh Fields and pulled it over the wall in right field, just a few feet from the foul line, to put the Stars on top for good, 3-2........ Chavez had only one home run at High Desert over 39 games. His season high was only three....... All there was left was for Novinsky to retire the Barons on six pitches in the bottom half for his club-leading 5th victory........ But what a day for 20-year old Ozzie Chavez in his first game as a Huntsville Star! Saturday, Jacksonville comes into the Joe........ Dennis Sarfate (1-4, 5.82) will go against Glenn Bott (1-2, 2.43), 8th among SL ERA leaders. A challenge for Sarfate, who seems to be too fine around the plate in the times I've seen him....... The Suns have lost nine of their last 12 games and are hanging on to a tie for first in the East, after being so dominant in April. They took three of four from the Stars earlier this month. Now it's our turn......... Bernie Brewer and the Famous Milwaukee Sausages will be the novelty attraction. Game time is 7:05 pm. We're now a week away from a brand new bells and whistles scoreboard....... The installer is flying in Sunday evening and will have a crane at Joe Davis Stadium early Monday to begin dismantling old blue....... Training sessions are going on for the eight-ten employees, some new, who will handle the chore of operating the scoreboard and the roaming cameras up and down the concourse......... This is so exciting. A big, beautiful video screen that actually works will display anyone on the screen these cameras choose to point to. The screen will also be used to show the head shots of the opposing players, and I assume the basic stats........ Meanwhile, four tractor-trailer trucks are due to arrive sometime during the week for the installation. One from Las Vegas carrying the video board, one from Canada, the line score; one from Texas with the ad panels and one from Georgia with the tri-vision signs......... While the new scoreboard is being assembled, an old-fashioned manual scoreboard will be up in time for Monday's game and will be used until Friday......... The new scoreboard is 12' x 18' and has a high-visibility LED display screen, offering the same quality seen on screens all over Major League ballparks. It has instant-replay capability and can be used to show televised games....... Above the screen is a real analog clock with Roman numerals that will actually tell the right time!....... Going below, is the line score, also a crisper, brightly lit LED panel that will no longer identify the visiting team as "VISITOR" and below that is ------- WHAT! A PITCH SPEED DISPLAY? GET OUT!........ It all happens Friday and I'm taking the day off. The Booster Club is planning a bus trip to Birmingham for the Rickwood Classic at Rickwood Field, one of baseball's oldest fields, built in 1910 and modeled after Forbes Field. Already, 30 have signed up for it with room for a few more.

We're at the quarter-pole of the season, and the Brewers are 1.5 games out of the wild card lead, and 2.5 games away from a division lead. Yeah, it's bunched up, and yes, all common sense says otherwise, but it's nice to look forward to that first pitch each game...

We'll place this here, even though draft-and-follow signee RHP Robert Hinton could be assigned to the Arizona Rookie League... From the Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune: Hinton joining Brewers BY CHAD BROCKHOFF CORRESPONDENT SARASOTA -- Charles Aliano, the Milwaukee Brewers' scouting supervisor for the Central Florida region, landed a player that he feels will be a future major leaguer. Riverview High grad and Manatee Community College right-hander Robert Hinton became the first player signed by Aliano for the Brewers' organization when he inked a contract on Tuesday. Hinton was selected in the 40th round of the 2003 draft by Milwaukee, which would have held his rights until this year's draft on June 7-8. "We think that he has the makeup to make it and that's the most important thing," said Aliano, who previously worked for the Toronto Blue Jays. "The inside part of him is something that we really want to take into our organization and make this guy special. This is a good one." Hinton was originally scouted by Fernando Arango, who now serves as the Brewers' Latin America scouting coordinator, during his senior season at Riverview when he compiled a 6-4 record with a 2.30 earned run average and struck out 88 batters in 64 innings. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Hinton was 7-4 with an ERA of 3.21 this past season for MCC. He recorded 96 strikeouts in 90 innings of work and helped lead the Lancers to the Suncoast Conference championship. "What we see now is good," Aliano said. "Coach (Tim) Hill has done a good job and (Hinton's) family is wonderful. Now, we're up to the next level and we think he's going to get a lot better. "We think there's some improvement left. We think he's going to get bigger and stronger, and we might be looking at a Darryl Kile-type pitcher." Hinton will leave Sarasota on Thursday to head to the Brewers' training facility in Phoenix. Following this year's draft, he will be assigned to either Milwaukee's Arizona Rookie League team or the Helena (Mont.) Brewers of the Pioneer League. "When I got drafted last year, I was a totally different pitcher than I am now," Hinton said. "I knew what I could be, which is one reason I decided to go to MCC. Good pitching coach, good team. I've gained about 20 pounds over the last season." Aliano said that Hinton will work closely with Milwaukee minor league pitching coordinator Jim Rooney. Young pitchers typically throw between 50-70 pitches a game and the organization emphasizes building arm strength and establishing the fastball. Hinton's father Rich played nine seasons in the major leagues as a left-handed pitcher with the White Sox, Yankees, Rangers, Reds and Mariners. Photo (can't seem to paste it directly here): imgsrv.heraldtribune.com/...80&title=1

MassBrew and DHonks comments from Link Report for Games of April 20th (Ozzie Chavez at .167 and showing nothing): MassBrew: Bo Hall pitches out of a huge Ozzie Chavez error-induced jam in the fourth. You know me, very rare I single a player out on the negative side, but I've listened to a fair share of Maverick games this year and last, and am still waiting for Ozzie to produce anything but miserable results or to show any baseball instinct whatsoever. I'm sure he'll have a huge rest of the game now... DHonks: Mass, when I saw Chavez last June, he showed absolutely terrible range and a mediocre arm. Based on what I saw, if you put him, Loretta, and Counsell together on a field (at the same age, that is), Lo and Craig would have easily looked superior, despite both slipping under the prospect radar to have productive careers. I talked with Mike Linskog (can't remember his last name exactly...my best guess) and he said that Chavez had looked terrible all year, displaying none of the skills he was known for in Beloit... http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif Well, I'm betting that Brewer management has been as pleasantly surprised as Honks and I; then again, maybe we should have remembered that Ozzie was 19 and in high-A in 2003 and is only now turning 21 this July... Here's Ozzie's lengthy Power 50 history from Toby; dare I say Mr. Chavez may be re-entering the P50 with a lofty jump from "51" this week... www.brewerfan.net/ViewPow...ayerId=131

Saturday's Daily Menu -- all evening action up against the parent club; three doses of home cooking, and the Mavericks continue to make their daily round-trip commutes vs. Southern Division foes... All times Central; pitchers subject to change; pre-game audio begins approx. 15 minutes prior to game time listed... INDIANAPOLIS: RHP Travis Phelps at home vs. Durham (Devil Rays), 7:00 PM Audio link: www.newstalk1430.com/ Alternate audio link (Bulls' feed): www.sportsjuice.com/provi...ame=dbulls HUNTSVILLE: RHP Dennis Sarfate at home vs. Jacksonville (Dodgers), 7:05 PM; classic Brewer uniforms and the racing sausages! Audio link: www.espn1450.com/ HIGH DESERT: RHP Glenn Woolard at Lake Elsinore (Padres), 9:05 PM Audio link: www.hdmavs.com/listen_live.htm BELOIT: RHP Carlos Villanueva and RHP Kenny Durost at home in a twi-night affair vs. Battle Creek (Yankees), 5:30 PM Audio link (Yankees' feed): www.battlecreekyankees.com/

WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 22 17 .564[/b] TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 21 21 .500 2.5 COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 19 19 .500 2.5 LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 19 22 .463 4.0 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 23 18 .561 BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 22 19 .537 1.0 MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 22 20 .524 1.5 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 22 20 .524 1.5[/b] MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 17 25 .405 6.5 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 26 16 .619 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 23 17 .575 2.0 LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 22 18 .550 3.0 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 19 21 .475 6.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 16 26 .381 10.0[/b] WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 25 15 .625 CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 24 17 .585 1.5 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 23 17 .575 2.0 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 22 18 .550 3.0 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 22 18 .550 3.0[/b] QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 18 21 .462 6.5 WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 18 23 .439 7.5 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 14 27 .341 11.5

Huntsville Video Scoreboard News: www.huntsvillestars.com/s...newsId=410

Final: Lake Elsinore (Padres) 5, High Desert 2 SS Enrique Cruz 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his Mavs' debut -- it always seems the Mavericks come up on the short end of these player swaps... High Desert Box Score: GAME DATE: 5/21/04 HD at LKE HIGH DESERT 2 AT LAKE ELSINORE 5 YTD YTD HIGH DESERT AB R H BI AVG LAKE ELSINORE AB R H BI AVG K.Bibbs CF 3 1 0 0 .312 K.Jones CF 4 0 0 0 .282 C.Crabbe 2B 4 0 1 0 .279 L.Cruz SS 4 0 1 0 .304 D.Boyd LF 3 1 1 2 .294 P.McAnulty DH 4 0 1 0 .311 T.Hinton 1B 4 0 1 0 .308 J.Carter RF 4 1 2 0 .276 T.Farnsworth 3B 4 0 0 0 .125 M.Johnson 1B 3 2 1 0 .220 J.Vanden ber CAT 2 0 0 0 .323 K.Jacobo 3B 3 2 3 4 .241 J.Frost DH 3 0 0 0 .253 M.Nettles LF 4 0 2 0 .245 M.Mendez RF 3 0 0 0 .213 A.Pagan CAT 2 0 1 1 .230 E.Cruz SS 3 0 0 0 .000 L.Carlin CAT 0 0 0 0 .393 F.Martin PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Lima 2B 3 0 0 0 .225 C.Breslow PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Huber PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 K.Beavers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Thayer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 29 2 3 2 TOTALS 31 5 11 5 HIGH DESERT 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 3 0 LAKE ELSINORE 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 X- 5 11 1 E--D.Thayer. DP--HIGH DESERT 1, LAKE ELSINORE 0. LOB--HIGH DESERT 3, LAKE ELSINORE 7. 2B--T.Hinton (12). HR--D.Boyd (5), K.Jacobo (5). SB--K.Bibbs (14), K.Jacobo (6). CS--D.Boyd, K.Jacobo, M.Nettles. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HIGH DESERT F.Martin (L,1-4) 5.1 9 5 4 2 4 1 5.01 C.Breslow 2.2 2 0 0 3 4 0 10.48 LAKE ELSINORE J.Huber (W,4-2) 6.0 1 2 2 3 9 1 3.69 K.Beavers 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1.86 D.Thayer (S,4) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2.86 WP--C.Breslow 2. PB--J.Vanden ber. SO--K.Bibbs, T.Hinton 2, T.Farnsworth 3, J.Frost, M.Mendez 2, E.Cruz 3, K.Jones, L.Cruz 2, P.McAnulty 2, J.Carter, M.Johnson 2. BB--K.Bibbs, D.Boyd, J.Vanden ber, M.Johnson, K.Jacobo, A.Pagan, L.Carlin, J.Lima. T--2:38. A--6208High Desert Game Log: Leadoff double in the 7th -- no runs; man on third with no outs in the 9th -- no runs, ugh! www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=18952

Final: Durham (Devil Rays) 5, Indianapolis 0 No Krynzel, no Hardy, no Hart equals no fun for Tribe fans... Indianapolis Game Blurb: SS B.J. Upton plays well against Huntsville and Indy within weeks; wow, he looks to be a star... Durham shortstop B.J. Upton had three hits and two RBIs, and starter Damian Moss pitched six scoreless innings to shut out the Indianapolis Indians 5-0 in International League action on Friday night at Victory Field. The Bulls (23-16) broke a scoreless tie in the fourth, scoring three runs off Indians' starter Jorge De La Rosa (1-4). Upton led off the inning with a double and scored on Fred McGriff's single. Three more singles and a sacrifice fly by catcher Dan Massiatte brought in two more runs. "They shut us down tonight," Scott Sheldon, who had one of six hits for the Tribe, said in a news release provided by the team. "We did not have timely hitting with runners on base. They made good pitches in those situations." Moss (2-1), who had four strikeouts en route to the win, got strong backing from Franklin Nunez and Jesus Colome. Indianapolis Box Score: Jorge de la Rosa with only one walk -- I can live with that... GAME DATE: 5/21/04 DUR at IND DURHAM 5 AT INDIANAPOLIS 0 YTD YTD DURHAM AB R H BI AVG INDIANAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG C.Gipson LF 5 0 1 0 .327 R.Knox CF 4 0 0 0 .254 B.Upton SS 4 1 3 2 .343 M.Erickson 2B 3 0 1 0 .220 M.Diaz RF 4 0 1 0 .295 C.Magruder LF 4 0 1 0 .292 F.McGriff DH 3 1 1 1 .143 J.Liefer 1B 4 0 1 0 .307 J.Sandberg 1B 4 1 1 0 .205 J.Nunnally RF 2 0 0 0 .265 L.Ordaz 2B 4 0 1 0 .286 S.Sheldon DH 4 0 1 0 .193 J.Maxwell 3B 4 1 2 1 .240 S.Scarbrough SS 4 0 0 0 .231 D.Massiatte CAT 3 0 0 1 .091 M.Johnson CAT 3 0 1 0 .241 A.French CF 4 1 1 0 .227 L.Figueroa 3B 3 0 1 0 .269 D.Moss PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.De La Rosa PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Nunez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Childers PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Colome PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Michalak PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 35 5 11 5 TOTALS 31 0 6 0 DURHAM 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 1- 5 11 1 INDIANAPOLIS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 6 0 E--B.Upton. DP--DURHAM 2, INDIANAPOLIS 1. LOB--DURHAM 6, INDIANAPOLIS 9. 2B--B.Upton (2), C.Magruder (8), S.Sheldon (6). SB--B.Upton (2), A.French (15), J.Nunnally (4). CS--C.Gipson, C.Magruder. SF--D.Massiatte. SH--L.Figueroa. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA DURHAM D.Moss (W,2-1) 6.0 5 0 0 2 4 0 2.50 F.Nunez 2.0 0 0 0 1 4 0 2.61 J.Colome 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.59 INDIANAPOLIS J.De La Rosa (L,1-4) 5.0 6 3 3 1 5 0 6.47 M.Childers 3.0 2 1 1 1 0 0 4.94 C.Michalak 1.0 3 1 1 0 2 0 5.54 SO--C.Gipson, M.Diaz 2, J.Sandberg, D.Massiatte, A.French 2, C.Magruder, J.Liefer, J.Nunnally, S.Sheldon, S.Scarbrough, M.Johnson 2, L.Figueroa. BB--B.Upton, F.McGriff, M.Erickson, J.Nunnally 2, M.Johnson. T--2:52. A--9222Indianapolis Game Log: Only one Indy runner made it to third base... www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=14128

Huntsville Box Score: Why do I think our Huntsville friend David Weiser will rank this in his top three at season's end? And believe me, Ozzie Chavez' name has already been engraved on the Organizational Player of the Month award; Brandon Gemoll didn't depart for Indy until Saturday, so he did take part Friday night; big 0-for collar for Prince, but four hits for Tony Jr.... GAME DATE: 5/21/04 HVL at BIR HUNTSVILLE 3 AT BIRMINGHAM 2 (EXTRA INNINGS) YTD YTD HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI AVG BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI AVG R.Weeks 2B 4 0 1 1 .261 R.Yan 2B 5 0 0 0 .258 B.Gemoll LF 3 0 0 0 .205 G.Reyes SS 1 0 0 0 .286 A.Gwynn CF 7 0 4 0 .253 R.Sasser 3B 4 1 1 0 .242 P.Fielder 1B 7 0 0 0 .259 N.Murphy CF 6 0 2 1 .277 B.Nelson LF 5 0 0 0 .275 C.Maldonado DH 6 0 1 0 .239 B.Nelson RF 0 0 0 0 .275 S.Bikowski RF 6 0 2 0 .280 J.Belcher DH 5 1 0 0 .296 A.McNeal 1B 5 0 2 0 .255 C.Barnwell 3B 5 0 0 0 .208 N.Martel LF 5 0 1 0 .200 J.Raburn RF 6 1 2 0 .267 C.Stewart CAT 5 0 1 0 .250 J.Raburn 2B 0 0 0 0 .267 J.Shaffer 3B 4 1 0 0 .129 J.Alvarado CAT 5 0 0 0 .167 J.Shaffer SS 0 0 0 0 .129 O.Chavez SS 5 1 2 2 .400 D.Ulacia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 T.Bausher PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 W.Allen PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 P.Zamora PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.McNichol PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Rivard PIT 0 0 0 0 .500 M.Smith PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Adams PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Bajenaru PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Novinsky PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fields PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 52 3 9 3 TOTALS 47 2 10 1 HUNTSVILLE 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1- 3 9 1 BIRMINGHAM 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 10 4 E--A.Gwynn, G.Reyes, R.Sasser 3. DP--HUNTSVILLE 3, BIRMINGHAM 3. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 12, BIRMINGHAM 7. 2B--A.Gwynn (7), J.Raburn (5), O.Chavez (1), S.Bikowski (1). HR--O.Chavez (1). SB--A.Gwynn (12), J.Belcher (2), C.Barnwell (7). CS--C.Maldonado, S.Bikowski, C.Stewart. SH--R.Yan. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA HUNTSVILLE T.Bausher 5.2 4 2 2 2 6 0 2.89 P.Zamora 2.1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.00 R.Rivard 2.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4.30 B.Adams 0.2 2 0 0 1 0 0 5.27 J.Novinsky (W,5-0) 3.0 1 0 0 0 4 0 3.74 BIRMINGHAM D.Ulacia 5.0 4 2 1 2 2 0 3.60 W.Allen 1.2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3.62 B.McNichol 1.1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.04 M.Smith 2.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1.11 J.Bajenaru 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.52 J.Fields (L,2-1) 3.0 2 1 1 1 3 1 1.50 SO--R.Weeks, B.Gemoll, P.Fielder 2, B.Nelson 2, J.Raburn 2, J.Alvarado, R.Yan, N.Murphy 3, C.Maldonado, S.Bikowski 2, A.McNeal, C.Stewart 3, J.Shaffer 2. BB--B.Nelson, J.Belcher, C.Barnwell, J.Alvarado, O.Chavez, R.Sasser, A.McNeal, J.Shaffer. T--4:27. A--6853Huntsville Game Log: Not sure why Rickie Weeks was lifted after striking out in the 7th;, but Johnny Raburn has been the ideal utility man; how's this for a number? Stars' relievers John Novinsky, Paul Stewart, and Reggie Rivard are a combined 12-0! www.sportsnetwork.com/mer...MEID=15642

Final: Huntsville 3, Birmingham (White Sox) 2, 14 innings Sounds like you guys had a blast listening to this one; sorry I took advantage of a Brewer rain out to catch up on my ZZZZ's.... Huntsville Site Game Summary: Tie game, bases loaded, bottom of the 13th, nobody out. On a 2-2 pitch, Birmingham tries a squeeze. Chris Stewart bunts through the pitch for strike three, and Stars catcher Joel Alvarado tags out Scott Bikowski charging down the line from third. An inning later, Huntsville?s Ozzie Chavez capped his Southern League debut with a solo homerun in the Stars? 3-2 win over the Barons (22-19) on Friday night at Joe Davis Stadium. Huntsville (22-20) remained 1 ½ games out of first in the Southern League West. Chavez figured prominently in every Stars rally. Arriving at the park at 3 p.m. after his call-up from class-A High Desert, Chavez doubled in his first Huntsville at-bat, sending Johnny Raburn from first to third. Rickie Weeks? single plated Raburn for a 1-0 Stars lead. With two outs in the fourth, Chavez batted with the bases loaded and drew a walk that scored Jason Belcher to put Huntsville up, 2-0. The Barons rebounded in the sixth, as Josh Shaffer led off with a walk. After Ruddy Yan?s sacrifice bunt, Rob Sasser walked. Nate Murphy singled to left-center, knocking in Shaffer, and when Tony Gwynn Jr.?s errant throw to second bounced past Weeks, Sasser raced home for a 2-2 tie. In the 14th, Chavez led off against Barons reliever Josh Fields. On a 1-1 pitch, Chavez hit a solo homer to right, highlighting his first appearance for the Stars. Chavez finished 2-for-5 with a homer, a double and two runs batted in. Stars reliever John Novinsky (5-0) notched his fifth win, giving up one hit and no runs while fanning four over three scoreless innings. Fields (2-1) suffered the loss, allowing one run on two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in three innings. The Stars resume play Saturday night at Joe Davis Stadium in the opener of a four-game series against the Jacksonville Suns. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Bernie Brewer and the Famous Sausages will entertain throughout the game, presented by Corr Wireless and WHNT-19. The Stars will wear throwback Milwaukee Brewers jerseys to be auctioned off during the game.

Snappers Rained Out, Two on Saturday Night: www.snappersbaseball.com/...me_id=1296

Indianapolis press release: Brandon Gemoll has been promoted from Double-A Huntsville to Indianapolis and will join the Tribe on Saturday for the second game of a four-game series with the Durham Bulls. Gemoll, 22, was selected in the eighth round of the 2001 June Free Agent Draft by Milwaukee. With Huntsville, he has hit .213 with three home runs and nine RBI in 29 games. Gemoll, who throws left and bats left, played exclusively at Huntsville last season. He hit .272 with 11 home runs and 65 RBI. Gemoll, 6-2, 210-pounds, is a native of Reno, Nev. and now resides in San, Jose, Cal. More importantly, this seems to indicate that Corey Hart may be in Milwaukee for much longer than a "cup of coffee". To discuss Hart in Milwaukee only, please see this thread: p082.ezboard.com/fbrewers...5782.topic

Sorry guys, obviously the Huntsville game is not early today, but 7:00 Central tonight. I believe Sports Network had it incorrect last night -- someone did, I know I saw it! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/embarassed.gif

Beloit Daily News Game Story: Lots from Dana Eveland here -- nice.... www.beloitdailynews.com/504/snap21.htm

Daily Press High Desert Game Story: Chock full of quotes; the final note details RHP Khalid Ballouli's incredible control as of late... www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-...430,26072, Photo by James Quigg/Victor Valley Daily Press Staff Photographer High Desert's Kennard Bibbs swipes second base after Inland Empire's shortstop Matt Rogelstad dropped the ball while attempting the tag Thursday morning at Mavericks Stadium. http://www.vvdailypress.com/storypics2/052104_mavs.jpg

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville update: BELCHER BUSTS IT... SHELLEY SHAKYThe Stars came out of a coma big time tonight with its biggest reunion with home plate since beating Montgomery, 14-1, more than a month ago....... Six doubles, a Jason Belcher home run to cap a six-run inning, a shaky, but successful comeback performance from Jason Shelley, abandoning his shocking blond hair for a military flattop, and good nights for Enrique Cruz, Chris Barnwell, Johnny Raburn and Paul Stewart, who won again in relief. In the 2nd inning, trailing 1-0 with two out, Barnwell doubled down the left field line. Kade Johnson worked a 2-0 count then was intentionally walked. Cruz, with his average well below the Mendoza line, knocked in both runners with a double to put the Stars ahead, 2-1........ Raburn then hammered one in the alley to the wall in left-centerfield, easily scoring Cruz, putting the Stars ahead, 3-1. It was 3-2 when Aaron McNeal faced Ryan Costello in the 3rd inning and turned this into a see-saw affair, or tried to....... The Stars were playing back when McNeal hit a bullet back up the middle scoring two, putting the Barons back in front, 4-3........ But that held only until the 5th inning when the Stars erupted with their biggest inning of the season........ After Enrique Cruz singled and was picked off, Johnny Raburn singled on the infield in front of the plate. Rickie Weeks hit a two-hop smash to Josh Shaffer, who tried to play it to his side and it played him instead for an error, advancing Raburn to second......... Tony Gwynn stepped in, Gwynn hitting .343 with runners in scoring position, .400 w/RISP and two out........ With one out though and runners on first and second, Gwynn sent a 1-1 pitch to shallow right center that fell in front of Rob Sasser for a base hit........ Raburn read it well and scored to tie the game....... Prince Fielder, who broke his 0-for-19 slump Wednesday, then picked up his only hit in this game, a missile off the top of the wall down the right field line, for a long single, scoring Weeks........ Brad Nelson then singled sharply through the infield into right to drive in a third run to make it 6-4 Stars....... Jason Belcher then stepped to the plate with Fielder on second and Nelson on first and one out. Batting .333 against LHP this year, Belcher tattooed a hanging 0-1 breaking ball high and deep to right center to break this game open, 9-4......... Belcher would get 3/4 of the cycle........ The six hits in this inning were the most in one frame for the good guys this year.......... The Stars were in control, but they would have to fight the Barons to keep it that way. Jason Shelley, in his first game since coming back from surgery in February to remove bone chips, came on in the 6th inning to face Scott Bikowski, Chris Stewart, and Guillermo Reyes --- the bottom of the Birmingham order........ Looking rusty, he issued 10 of 11 pitches for balls in one stretch and walked three in the inning, starting with leadoff hitter Bikowski on five pitches..... Bikowski would move to third on a fielder's choice and an error by Enrique Cruz, who couldn't handle Reyes' chopper....... With two out, Shelley loaded the bases after a walk on four pitches to Josh Shaffer, then walked in a run on four pitches to Ruddy Yan........ Shelley was definitely in trouble and looking like one batter away from being yanked, but this was a pitcher who was so impressive in nine starts last year, holding Southern League hitters to a .203 average after being rescued from the independent Frontier League on July 19th, that you couldn't give up on him easily....... A 3-2 record, 2.63 ERA, 53 Ks in 55 IP, and a 2.5:1 K-W ratio last year. Shelley went 2-and-0 on Rob Sasser, then struck him out lunging at a 2-2 slider that dove down and away, then did the same to Carlos Maldonado, who he also fell behind on 2-and-0, on a 3-2 slider....... The Stars would go to the 7th with a 9-5 lead........ The Stars added run number 10 in the 7th on a sacrifice fly by Chris Barnwell. Barney had a pair of sacrifice flies tonight. It's not a common thing to see in a game, but earlier in the season, Ryan Knox had a pair vs. Montgomery. Paul Stewart won his 17th game as a Huntsville Star, in a career with the club that goes back to 2000. It ties him with Stacy Hollins (Stars '95-'97) for 12th place on the club's all-time leaderboard. Matt Ford threw a 55-pitch session in the pen, Thursday. Said he feels great. Trainer Greg Barajas says a week to ten days. Mike Adams got the call tonight for the Milwaukee Brewers in a tie game in Puerto Rico against Montreal. He walked his first hitter, Jamey Carroll, but had a successful inning holding the fort for Dave Burba, striking out one and throwing 14 of his 21 pitches for strikes. Scott Podsednik hit what turned out to be the game-winning home run for the Brewers in the 9th, and Adams picked up his first major league win. Danny Kolb picked up his 10th save........ Reportedly, a decision will definitely be announced in mid-July on a permanent home for the Expos. I talked to an Expo scout last week at the Joe, kidding him about the situation, but seriously asking him where he thought they would wind up.......... "Definitely not Puerto Rico," he said. "Las Vegas?," I asked. "No, the players union doesn't want them there." "I think it will be Washington." "But what about Peter Angelos?," I replied. "Will he compromise?" "He's got a price," he said. "MLB wants it, and Angelos knows he can get whatever price he wants." That in the end is what it's all about, I concluded. Why not? It's what this world is all about. Hard-luck Tim Bausher (1-4, 2.84) will try to even this series, Friday night against Dennis Ulacia (2-2, 3.90), a wildly inconsistent pitcher, no longer on the Whisox list of Top 30 prospects. The Stars then come back up I-65 for Saturday's game against the Jacksonville Suns........ Bernie Brewer and the Famous Sausages will be the novelty attraction for this game, sans Randall Simon and the girl who was whacked by his bat last year. She has since retired. Definitely not the kind of thing to build a career on anyway.......... Also the Stars will be wearing throwback Brewer jerseys --- you know --- the colorful blue and yellow ones of the Robin Yount-Gorman Thomas-Pedro Garcia era and they'll be auctioned off during the game....... I'll fit in with the old-style Milwaukee cap I bought in Cooperstown last year.

Huntsville Web Site: SS Enrique Cruz was transferred to high-A High Desert after the game, and SS Ozzie Chavez was transferred to Huntsville from High Desert. Chavez is actually younger than Cruz, as Ozzie won't even be 21 until July. Enrique is 22, and will be 23 in November.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: In the Stars? decisive six-run rally Thursday night, a flare opened the flood gates, and the runs came pouring out. Down 4-3 in the fifth, Huntsville banged out six hits and scored six runs on route to a 13-7 whipping of Birmingham (22-18) at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The Stars (21-20) snapped their four-game losing streak and pulled within 1 ½ games of first in the Southern League West. The game-winning rally began with one out and the bases empty. Johnny Raburn reached on a swinging-bunt single, and Rickie Weeks? hot chopper skipped past third baseman Josh Shaffer for an error. With runners at first and second, Tony Gwynn Jr. started a string of four straight run-scoring hits, blooping a single to right that plated Raburn with the tying run. Prince Fielder hit a line drive off the rightfield wall for a single, scoring Weeks from second. Brad Nelson singled home Gwynn, setting the table for Jason Belcher, who launched an 0-1 pitch deep to right for a three-run homer, his second of the season, and a 9-3 Stars lead. Huntsville added one in the seventh on a Chris Barnwell sacrifice fly, and three in the ninth on Belcher?s run-scoring single, Barnwell?s second sacrifice fly and Raburn?s run-scoring single that put the Stars up, 13-5. Belcher paced the Stars? 14-hit barrage, finishing 3-for-5 with a homer, double, four runs batted in and two runs scored. Raburn doubled, singled twice, drove in two and scored two. Enrique Cruz had two hits, including a double, knocked in two and scored one. Barnwell was 1-for-3 with a double, two runs batted in and one run scored. Brad Nelson went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and one driven in. Paul Stewart (4-0) picked up his fourth win, giving up one hit and fanning two over two scoreless innings. Jason Shelley made his return to Huntsville after off-season elbow surgery, fanning three while allowing one unearned run on four walks and one hit in three innings of relief. Barons starter Heath Phillips (4-3) suffered the loss, permitting nine runs, eight earned, on nine hits and one walk with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Stars righty Tim Bausher (1-4, 2.84) meets Barons lefty Dennis Ulacia (2-2, 3.90) in the series finale on Friday night at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Game time is 7:00 p.m. and the FPH Financial Pre-game show starts at 6:45 p.m. Stars baseball can be heard on ESPN 1450 and at www.huntsvillestars.com. Stars Notebook: SS Enrique Cruz was transferred to high-A High Desert after the game, and SS Ozzie Chavez was transferred to Huntsville from High Desert.

Indianapolis Post-Game Notes: Columbus battled back from a 4-3 deficit after eight innings to defeat Indianapolis in 13 innings, 5-4. Clippers catcher Dave Parrish singled in the winning run for the Clippers, who improve to 19-19. Indianapolis falls to 22-16, despite a two-run homer from Corey Hart to put the Tribe up 4-3 after eight innings. Brian Bowles (1-1) picks up his first loss of the season in relief. Tribe closer Jason Childers blew his second save of the season. He came into the contest with 10 saves. QUOTES: Indians manager Cecil Cooper on the loss: "This is one game that we should have won," Cooper said. "We blew a couple of leads. I give them a lot of credit. They could have quit, especially after losing the first three games of the series. Cappy (Chris Capuano) pitched well and so did Todd Erdos. We?ll just go get ?em tomorrow." NOTES: Tribe infielder Luis Figueroa has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games played. He currently has a seven-game hitting streak. The 13 inning performance ties the club?s longest of the season, when Indianapolis played at Richmond on April 9. Indianapolis is now 3-1 on the homestand and 12-5 against IL West opposition this season. Indianapolis is 19-1 when leading after eight innings. Friday?s probables are LHP Jorge De La Rosa (1-3, 6.67) against Durham LHP Damian Moss (1-1, 3.75).