The Sunday Harvest

Player of the Week: C/OF Eric Fryer

Last 10 Games: .500 BA, 7 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 1 SB

It looks like Eric is making himself comfortable atop The Sunday Harvest.  Since Jonathan Lucroy got promoted to Brevard County, Eric has been making more starts behind the plate.  His bat is too precious to keep out of the lineup everyday though, so WV has also been playing him in the outfield.  They have also moved Fryer to the clean-up spot in the order.  Instead of trying too hard or choking, the young man has only improved his hitting.  He’s doing his best Mat Gamel impression right now with a .360 batting average.  It looks like Milwaukee may have found another diamond in the rough in the coal mines of West Virginia.

Honorable Mention

C Angel Salome – (Last 10: .421 BA, 6 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI) – With all the talk of Matt LaPorta, Mat Gamel, and Alcides Escobar in the C.C. Sabathia trade talks, Angel wanted everyone to know he’s not going anywhere.  That is, he’s not going anywhere except up the ladder in the Brewers farm system.  He’s still hitting for average and power.  The defense has improved this year, and the young man still has a cannon for an arm.  Look for him in Nashville next season.  Perhaps he will be the starting catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010 after Jason Kendall moves on.

SS Brent Brewer – (Last 10: .300 BA, 3 2B, 1 RBI, 3 SB) – This stat line may not be impressive at all, but it is a remarkable improvement for Brent this season.  The extremely raw prospect has struggled immensely all season.  His average has hovered around the .200-.210 mark, and he has hit for absolutely no power whatsoever.  The power is obviously still absent, but the batting average has come around a bit in the past week-plus.  Could this mean that Brent has finally started to piece together his skills?  Brewers fans around the country certainly hope so.

2B Eric Farris – (Last 10: .357 BA, 2 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB) – Eric started off the year in extended Spring Training, rehabbing a hamstring injury.  The 2008 season got off to an extremely rough start for the highly-touted second base prospect, and he kind of got lost in the shuffle in West Virginia.  No more, however.  He has started to breakout, as everyone expected him to do.  His defense is still stellar, but his bat is beginning to turn around.  Eric will never be much of a power threat, but the timely hitting will benefit him very much coming through the system.  I’m excited to see how Eric Farris performs in the second half of the season.

Pitcher of the Week: LHP Chris Cody

Chris dominated in West Virginia, which earned him a promotion to Brevard County.  He struggled to acclimate to his new surroundings at the beginning, and I began to be concerned that Chris was going to be demoted to the bullpen.  That is no longer the case.  In his last two outings, it has been business as usual for the prize of the Jose Capellan trade from last season.  He has gone seven innings in his past two outings, and only given up one run through those fourteen innings.  The strikeouts have returned as well – 13 combined in his past two starts.  Like I said before, business as usual for Chris Cody.

Honorable Mention

RHP Luis Pena – Nashville’s closer had a horrendous start to the 2008 campaign, but has rebounded nicely since then.  In his last 30+ innings, he has had a sub-2.00 ERA.  Many (including Tom Haudricourt) are beginning to think Pena has earned a promotion to the big leagues.  I’m not completely sold, however.  He has walked 8 people in his past 9.2 innings, which will certainly not translate well to the bigs.  His WHIP is 1.54.  You do not need to be a stathead to understand that is not good.  Luis will have to limit his baserunners before getting a call to the big show.  With that said, he is not allowing runs to cross the plate, which is what it all comes down to as a closer.

LHP Troy Cate – Milwaukee acquired Cate as a free agent a couple weeks ago, and teams around the major leagues are probably wondering why they didn’t pick this guy up.  In three starts for Huntsville, Troy has a 2.29 ERA with twelve strikeouts in 19.2 innings.  Let’s hope this becomes the norm, as he struggled a lot for his last team – to the tune of a 7.27 ERA in 17.2 innings out of the bullpen.  Perhaps he only needed to start games?

RHP Roque Mercedes – This week looks to be the “Week of the Comebacks.”  Roque pitched so poorly in the beginning of the season that he became the mop-up guy out of the bullpen.  That has changed recently, as the young right-hander has put together some very fine outings.  In his last 17.0 innings pitched, he has only given up three earned runs.  Roque has never been one to walk many people, but he has been a home run machine in 2008.  He has cut down the home runs.  Success has followed.  Let’s hope it stays that way in the second half.

RHP Robert Wooten – An under-the-table signing of the past month, the former UNC Tar Heel has broken onto the scene as a professional quite nicely.  He has pitched in two outings and has gone four innings.  The young man has given up four hits and one walk, while striking out six.  The Brewers are hoping to fast-track Wooten through the minor league system in the bullpen.  The big league squad could use his arm in a couple seasons.  Expect Robert to be promoted to West Virginia after he gets his feet wet a bit in Helena.

Minor League Boxscores: Saturday

Nashville Sounds (39-57), 19.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
New Orleans	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	0		4	9	0
Nashville	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	1		5	10	0

LHP Sam Narron – ND, 5.2 IP, 8 hits, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 4.43 ERA
RHP Joe Bateman – (W, 1-0) 3.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K – 2.61 ERA
C Carlos Corporan – 3-4, HR (1), 3 RBI – .231 BA
3B Adam Heether – 2-4, 2B, RBI, run – .252 BA

Huntsville Stars (14-10), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	0	0	1	0	4	0	2	2	1		10	17	0
Chattanooga	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		3	6	1

RHP Nic Ungs – (W, 2-0) 6.0 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K – 2.00 ERA
RHP Steve Bray – (S, 1) 3.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K – 4.22 ERA
SS Alcides Escobar – 3-5, RBI, BB, SB (25), 2 runs – .337 BA
3B Mat Gamel – 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 runs – .375 BA
LF Cole Gillespie – 1-4, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 2 runs – .277 BA
2B Mike Bell - 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI – .259 BA
CF Lorenzo Cain – 2-5, 3B, BB, 2 runs – .286 BA

Brevard County Manatees (7-14), 6.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Brevard County	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0		1	8	2
Sarasota	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	X		3	7	0

RHP Jeremy Jeffress – (L, 3-5) 5.0 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs (2 ER), 3 BB, 5 K – 4.68 ERA
SS Brent Brewer – 2-4, 2 1B – .238 BA
C Jonathan Lucroy – 2-4, 2 1B, run – .338 BA

West Virginia Power (17-5), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	1	0	0	6	0	2	0	0	3		12	13	1
Charleston	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0		2	7	2

RHP Amaury Rivas – (W, 7-3) 7.0 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs (1 ER), 0 BB, 2 K – 3.49 ERA
RHP Michael Bowman – 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 0.00 ERA
2B Eric Farris – 2-5, HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 runs – .262 BA
C Eric Fryer – 2-5, 2B, BB, run – .360 BA
3B Zelous Wheeler – 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, run – .283 BA
RF Steffan Wilson – 2-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, run – .275 BA
CF Lee Haydel – 2-4, RBI, 2 BB, SB (28), 3 runs – .280 BA

Helena Brewers (11-13), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Idaho Falls	2	0	0	8	1	0	1	0	1	1		14	16	0
Helena	3	3	1	0	3	1	2	0	0	0		13	18	0

LHP Brandon Ritchie – ND, 3.1 IP, 6 hits, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K – 6.98 ERA
RHP Adam Arnold – (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) 2.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K – 2.31 ERA
3B John Delaney – 4-5, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, BB, 2 runs – .244 BA
SS David Fonseca – 2-5, HR (4), 3 RBI, BB – .293 BA
1B Brock Kjeldgaard – 2-5, 2B, HR (6), BB, 2 runs – .278 BA
RF Mike Vass – 2-5, HR (3), RBI, BB, 2 runs – .197 BA
2B Jose Duran – 2-6, 3B, HR (2), RBI – .281 BA

AZL Brewers (3-12), 8.0 GB

Game postponed due to rain.

Round ‘em Up: Friday

UPDATE 07-11-08 3:04pm – Baseball America picked their minor league All-Star team last week. Mat Gamel, Alcides Escobar, and Matt LaPorta all made the squad. It is amazing how stacked Huntsville is, even with the departure of LaPorta. (Tip of the cap to Aaron for this one)

Dixieflatline from Brew Crew Ball has a great post that takes a look at the horizontal movement of Dave Bush’s pitches and attempts to figure out why he has struggled on the road. Ned Yost says the mound at Miller Park is to Dave’s liking. That could play a big part, as Dave has far more movement on his pitches when he’s at home. Give it a look. It’s great stuff.

I never wish injury onto anyone, but the Milwaukee Brewers get some good luck this weekend. Cincinnati’s Aaron Harang will miss his scheduled start against the Brewers due to a strained forearm. The injury is not serious, but it will allow the Crew to dodge him. Harang has killed Milwaukee when pitching against them throughout his career. In 2008 alone, the big right-hander has two starts and is 1-0. He went eight innings in both starts and only gave up one run in each game. Thank goodness the Crew doesn’t have to deal with Harang this weekend.

The Junkball Blues analyzes the amount of extra-base hits the Brewers hit.  No surprise, the majority of these hitters are extra-base hit machines.  The league average is about 1/3 of the hits to be for extras.  The only players for Milwaukee that do not live up to that are Craig Counsell and Jason Kendall.  No surprises there.

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I know I usually write an NL Central Review on Fridays, but it takes far too long to write. The response is not nearly as high now as it was at the beginning, so I think I will begin to include more NL Central news in the Round ‘em Ups instead of a separate post each week. I apologize if you were looking for the Review today, but I would rather spread the information out through the week and give more continuous attention to the NL Central.

• In case you did not know already, Corey Hart officially made the All-Star team thanks to your votes! Chuckie Hacks has the video of the Brewers mobbing Corey and giving him a little beer shower during his press conference. You want to know why people say Milwaukee’s clubhouse is great? Take a look at the video. It’s obvious that the guys truly like and respect each other.
• Bill Chuck from Dugout Central takes a look at the NL All-Star team and has a little commentary after each player. He doesn’t have Corey on the list though, so it must have been written before the final vote ended.
• ESPN.com has an interview of CC Sabathia with reporter Amy Nelson. It’s nice to see that CC is an articulate young man who is genuinely excited about being in Milwaukee. When asked about how much money it would take to keep him in Milwaukee after the season, however, he gave a very evasive answer. He says he wants a winning team with a great attitude. Perhaps Milwaukee can be that place for him.
• ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark says Zack Greinke was Milwaukee’s Plan B if they were unable to score Sabathia. This is interesting, as all reports have said Greinke is not on the market and will not be until after the season is over. The reliever idea is intriguing though.
• Aaron from Brew Crew Pub has a recap of the Colorado Rockies series. Let’s hope the Reds series goes a little better this weekend. The Crew needs to go into the All-Star Break on a high note.
• SportsBubbler names RHP R.J. Seidel the Prospect of the Week. His change-up is electric. It’s nice to see the LaCrosse native put a couple good outings together. I still see him in a relief role, but it will depend on how he handles Brevard County next season. Eric Fryer is also mentioned in the Three Up category, but they make it sound like he hasn’t done anything until this week. He has raked since being promoted to West Virginia. Get used to the name.
• The Hardball Times has a great piece that breaks down the mechanics and projectability of RHP Jake Odorizzi and LHP Evan Frederickson. The general consensus is that Odorizzi is something special, and the Brewers were lucky to get him with the #32 pick. I had not heard this before, but Jake is apparently trying out a four-seam fastball and has seen his velocity jump up to 95. With such a wiry frame, he should be able to add a couple ticks to that fastball too.Frederickson, on the other hand, did not receive much praise from THT. The author actually refused to rate Evan because the video being used did not match the reports of him. He was throwing much too slow. His control was still horrible though.
• The Brew Town Beat gives everyone in the batting order a theme song when coming up to bat. This is a nice light piece to kill some time while you’re at work.
• The Seattle Mariners finally released former-Brewer Richie Sexson. When you’re as tall as he is, a drop from productivity is a big fall. I suspect he’ll land somewhere. Not Milwaukee though. Don’t get excited.
• Cardinals Diaspora thinks its time for another NL Central team to negotiate a deal with Billy Beane. This time, the target would be Joe Blanton. If you really want Joe Blanton and his 5.00+ ERA, I will not stop you. St. Louis’ pitching coach, Dave Duncan, has worked wonders with the Cards’ pitching staff in 2008, but this may be asking for a little too much.
• Do you think the Cardinals aren’t worried about the big moves made by the Brewers and the Cubs this past week? You’d be wrong. St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa is asking for the front office to get him help right now. He does not want to wait for the return of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright in mid-August. He wants that help right now. It’s nice to make other teams feel nervous.
• JoeSportsFan.com has the 7 Worst Trades in the last decade. That Aramis Ramirez deal to Chicago remains one of the worst deals that has affected the Milwaukee Brewers. Every time I think about that deal, I just get upset. How did that seem like a good idea at the time? I know hindsight is 20/20, but seriously. What was Pittsburgh thinking?

I promised you all some big news either yesterday or today. I’m still working on it. The news just didn’t quite happen when it was planned. Stay tuned though. I’m not just teasing you all, don’t worry. Something is actually happening, and it is significant.

Minor League Boxscores: Friday

Nashville Sounds (38-57), 19.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Nashville	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0		5	7	0
Omaha	0	0	0	0	3	1	1	0	0	1		6	14	0

RHP Richie Gardner – ND, 5.0 IP, 9 hits, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 4.20 ERA
RHP Ben Howard – (L, 2-5) 1.1 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 4.75 ERA
RF Brendan Katin – 1-3, HR (14), 3 RBI, BB – .267 BA
C Vinny Rottino - 2-5, 2 2B, 2 runs – .263 BA

Huntsville Stars (13-10), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	0	1	3	0	0	3	0	1	1		9	14	1
Chattanooga	1	3	0	2	0	0	0	1	1		8	13	1

RHP Mike Jones – ND, 3.1 IP, 6 hits, 6 ER, 5 BB, 2 K – 7.09 ERA
RHP Patrick Ryan – (W, 3-4) 1.2 IP, 3 hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K – 2.93 ERA
RHP Juan Sandoval – (S, 11) 1.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 3.73 ERA
C Angel Salome – 3-5, 2B, HR (8), 3 RBI – .347 BA
SS Alcides Escobar – 2-5, 2 1B, RBI, SB (24), run – .333 BA

Brevard County Manatees (7-13), 6.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Lakeland	2	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	2		7	13	2
Brevard County	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	2	0		5	12	1

RHP Josh Butler – ND, 2.1 IP, 5hits, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K – 6.11 ERA
LHP Bobby Bramhall – 4.2 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K – 2.52 ERA
RHP Joshua Wahpepah – (L, 1-1) 1.1 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K – 2.79 ERA
SS Brent Brewer – 3-4, 2B, BB, SB (7) – .227 BA
3B Taylor Green – 2-5, 2 1B, RBI – .288 BA

West Virginia Power (16-5), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		5	10	0
Savannah	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0		4	8	2

RHP Evan Anundsen – (W, 8-4) 6.1 IP, 7 hits, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 3.52 ERA
RHP Corey Frerichs – (S, 7) 2.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – 2.54 ERA
3B Steffan Wilson – 2-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, run – .272 BA
LF Eric Fryer – 2-4, 2B, run – .359 BA

Helena Brewers (11-12), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Idaho Falls	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0		3	7	1
Helena	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	1	1

RHP Nick Tyson – (L, 0-1) 3.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 3.86 BA
RHP Robert Wooten – 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 0.00 ERA
3B John Delaney – 1-4, 1B – .212 BA

AZL Brewers (3-12), 8.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
AZL Padres	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	4	0		6	12	0
AZL Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0		2	7	2

RHP Damon Krestalude – ND, 4.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K – 2.53 ERA
RHP Adrian Rosario – (L, 1-1) 3.0 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 4.67 ERA
CF Jose Rangel – 2-4, 2 1B, 2 RBI, SB (8) – .196 BA

Minor League Boxscores: Thursday

Nashville Sounds (38-56), 18.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	0	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	1		6	9	0
Omaha	0	0	1	2	0	0	1	0	0		4	9	1

LHP Chris Narveson – (W, 3-11) 5.0 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K – 5.63 ERA
RHP Derrick Turnbow – (H, 5) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 8.15 ERA
LHP Randy Choate – (H, 2) 1.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 5.54 ERA
RHP Luis Pena – (S, 13) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 3.53 ERA
3B Adam Heether – 2-4, HR (7), RBI – .251 BA
LF Brendan Katin – 1-4, HR (13), 2 RBI – .267 BA

Huntsville Stars (12-10), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	0	2	4	4	2	0	3	0	0		15	20	1
Chattanooga	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0		4	9	1

LHP Troy Cate – (W, 2-0) 7.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K – 2.29 ERA
RHP Omar Aguilar – 1.0 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 5.94 ERA
RF Freddy Parejo – 3-6, 2B, HR (2), RBI, 3 runs – .302 BA
SS Alcides Escobar – 4-6, 4 1B, SB (23), 4 runs – .332 BA
3B Mat Gamel – 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 runs – .375 BA
C Angel Salome – 3-6, 3 1B, 3 RBI, 2 runs – .343 BA
LF Cole Gillespie – 2-5, 2B, RBI, run – .277 BA
1B Michael Garciaparra – 3-5, HR (1), 4 RBI, 2 runs – .237 BA

Brevard County Manatees (7-12), 4.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Lakeland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0		5	9	1
Brevard County	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	6	0

LHP Chris Cody – ND, 7.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K – 3.42 ERA
RHP John Axford – (BS, 1)(L, 3-6) 0.2 IP, 4 hits, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K – 5.03 ERA
SS Brent Brewer – 2-4, 2B, SB (6) – .204 BA

West Virginia Power (15-5), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	0	1	0	0	3	1	0	0	0		5	6	1
Savannah	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	1	0		4	6	0

LHP Evan Frederickson – ND, 4.2 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 5 BB, 3 K – 6.23 ERA
LHP Mike Ramlow - (W, 4-3) 4.1 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 2.96 ERA
2B Eric Farris – 2-5, 2 1B, 2 RBI, 2 SB (13), run – .258 BA
LF Eric Fryer – 1-3, RBI, 2 BB, SB (10) – .356 BA
1B Steffan Wilson – 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB – .269 BA

Helena Brewers (11-11), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Idaho Falls	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0		3	4	1
Helena	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	X		4	10	1

RHP Santo Manzanillo – ND, 4.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K – 5.89 ERA
LHP Lucas Luetge – (W, 2-0) 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 run (0 ER), 3 BB, 2 K – 0.00 ERA
RHP Wily Peralta – (S, 1) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 4.35 ERA
DH Corey Kemp – 2-3, RBI, BB, run – .295 BA
SS Mikey Marseco – 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, run – .235 BA

AZL Brewers (3-11), 7.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
AZL Giants	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0		2	3	2
AZL Brewers	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1		3	5	2

RHP Jake Odorizzi – ND, 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 0.00 ERA
RHP Joel Morales – (BS, 1)(W, 1-1) 4.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 run (0 ER), 0 BB, 3 K – 1.93 ERA
RF Jose Rangel – 1-4, RBI, BB, SB (7) – .167 BA
DH Pedro Ramos – 1-3, 3B, BB, run – .209 BA

Minor League Boxscores: Wednesday

Nashville Sounds (37-56), 19.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	0	0	0	0	1	0	0				1	8	0
Omaha	3	0	0	0	2	0	X				5	8	0

LHP Steve Hammond – (L, 0-3) 3.0 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K – 8.31 ERA
LF Hernan Iribarren – 2-3, 2 1B – .276 BA
RF Brendan Katin – 2-3, 2 1B, run – .265 BA

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	3	0	0	0	0	0	0				3	8	0
Omaha	1	0	0	0	0	0	0				1	1	2

LHP Lindsay Gulin – (W, 5-4) 7.0 IP (CG), 1 hit, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K – 2.89 ERA
3B Adam Heether – 2-3, 2 1B, 2 RBI – .247 BA
CF Tony Gwynn Jr. - 2-3, 2 1B, run – .328 BA

Huntsville Stars (11-10), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	1		5	14	0
Chattanooga	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	1	0		4	11	2

LHP David Welch – ND, 6.0 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 3.53 ERA
RHP Jason Shiell – (W, 3-1) 2.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 2.76 ERA
RHP Juan Sandoval – (S, 10) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 3.56 ERA
2B Mike Bell – 2-4, HR (7), RBI – .262 BA
RF Freddy Parejo – 3-5, 2 2B, run – .291 BA
3B Mat Gamel – 2-5, 2 1B, RBI, run – .372 BA

Brevard County Manatees (7-11), 3.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Lakeland	5	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2		9	16	1
Brevard County	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	2	1

LHP Rafael Lluberes – (L, 1-3) 0.0 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 6.86 ERA
RHP Alexandre Periard – 6.0 IP, 7 hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K – 3.83 ERA
2B Yohannis Perez – 1-3, 2B – .241 BA

West Virginia Power (14-5), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0		3	6	2
Savannah	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0		2	5	1

LHP Daniel Merklinger – ND, 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 run (0 ER), 1 BB, 4 K – 5.94 ERA
RHP Corey Frerichs – (W, 4-6) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K – 2.68 ERA
LHP Curtis Pasma – (S, 2) 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – 3.67 ERA
C Eric Fryer – 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI – .356 BA
LF Steffan Wilson – 1-4, 2B, RBI – .269 BA

Helena Brewers (10-11), 4.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Idaho Falls	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0		4	6	0
Helena	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0		3	7	1

LHP Efrain Nieves – ND, 6.0 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs (1 ER), 2 BB, 6 K – 3.28 ERA
RHP Garrett Sherrill – (L, 0-4) 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – 12.00 ERA
2B David Fonseca - 3-4, 2 HR (3), 2 RBI, 3 runs – .333 BA
CF Erik Komatsu – 2-4, 2 1B – .333 BA

AZL Brewers (2-11), 7.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
AZL Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0		1	6	2
AZL Angels	2	0	0	5	0	0	1	0	X		8	10	0

RHP Luis Guerrero – (L, 0-3) 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K – 9.00 ERA
RHP Liam Ohlmann – 1.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 1.42 ERA
SS Carlos George – 1-4, 1B, RBI – .313 BA

Minor League Boxscores: Tuesday

Nashville Sounds (36-55), 18.5 GB

Cmpl. Early: Rain	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	1	1	0	0	2	0					4	9	1
Omaha	0	0	0	0	2	0					2	4	0

RHP Mark DiFelice – (W, 4-0) 5.0 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 3.55 ERA
LHP Randy Choate – (S, 1) 0.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 5.73 ERA
CF Tony Gwynn Jr. – 2-4, 2 1B, RBI, SB (12) – .322 BA
RF Brendan Katin – 1-3, HR (12), 2 RBI – .260 BA

Huntsville Stars (10-10), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Birmingham	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	8	2
Huntsville	1	1	1	0	0	0	6	0	X		9	13	0

RHP Donovan Hand – (W, 1-2) CG, 8 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 4.39 ERA
SS Alcides Escobar – 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, run – .325 BA
DH Angel Salome – 2-5, 2 2B, RBI, run – .337 BA
C Martin Maldonado – 2-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 runs – .167 BA

Brevard County Manatees (7-10), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Lakeland	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	0	0		5	6	1
Brevard County	0	0	3	1	0	3	2	0	X		9	15	0

LHP Zach Braddock – (W, 4-5) 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K – 4.80 ERA
CF Darren Ford – 2-4, 2 1B, SB (42), BB, run – .232 BA
RF Chuck Caufield – 4-4, 2B, HR (3), RBI, 3 runs – .223 BA
2B Yohannis Perez – 3-4, 3B, 3 RBI, run – .240 BA

West Virginia Power (13-5), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	3	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0		5	8	2
Savannah	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0		2	5	1

RHP R.J. Seidel – (W, 6-4) 7.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs (0 ER), 1 BB, 3 K – 4.42 ERA
RHP Reed Dickert – (S, 1) 2.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – 2.20 ERA
CF Lee Haydel – 2-4, 2B, RBI, run – .279 BA
2B Eric Farris – 2-4, 2 1B, RBI, run – .255 BA
1B Steffan Wilson – 2-3, 2 1B, RBI, BB, SB (3) – .269 BA

AZL Brewers (2-10), 6.5 GB

Did not play.

Helena Brewers (10-10), 3.0 GB

Did not play.

Minor League Boxscores: Monday

Nashville Sounds (35-55), 19.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Round Rock	0	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	0		4	9	3
Nashville	0	2	1	0	1	0	1	2	X		7	11	0

LHP Sam Narron – ND, 6.0 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K – 4.26 ERA
RHP Derrick Turnbow – (W, 2-2) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 8.64 ERA
RHP Luis Pena – (S, 13) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 3.63 ERA
1B Brad Nelson – 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, run – .309 BA
2B Hernan Iribarren – 2-5, 2 1B, RBI, 2 runs – .271 BA

Huntsville Stars (9-10), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Birmingham	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0		3	6	0
Huntsville	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1		2	4	1

LHP David Wright – ND, 7.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K – 3.47 ERA
LHP Steve Bray – (L, 0-1) 1.0 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 6.75 ERA
DH Angel Salome – 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB – .336 BA
SS Alcides Escobar – 0-2, 2 BB, 2 runs – .324 BA

Brevard County Manatees (6-10), 3.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Daytona	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	3		7	6	2
Brevard County	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0		4	5	1

LHP Bobby Bramhall – ND, 3.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K – 2.56 ERA
RHP Jeremy Jeffress – (L, 3-4) 5.0 IP, 5 hits, 7 runs (5 ER), 4 BB, 10 K – 4.78 ERA
C Jonathan Lucroy – 2-4, 2 HR (4), 2 RBI – .351 BA
1B Stephen Chapman – 1-4, HR (12), RBI – .209 BA

West Virginia Power (12-5), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Hagerstown	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	5	2
West Virginia	0	5	6	0	5	0	0	0	X		16	14	0

RHP Roque Mercedes – (W, 3-4) 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 5.60 ERA
CF Lee Haydel – 2-5, 2 1B, 3 RBI, BB, 3 runs – .276 BA
LF Eric Fryer – 5-5, 3 2B, 6 RBI, run – .363 BA
3B Zelous Wheeler – 3-4, 2B, HR (8), 3 RBI, BB, 3 runs – .289 BA

AZL Brewers (2-10), 6.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
AZL Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0		1	3	1
AZL Cubs	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	X		6	10	1

RHP Stosh Wawrzasek – (L, 0-1) 1.0 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K – 27.00 ERA
LHP Daniel Meadows – 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 0.00 ERA
C Shawn Zarraga – 2-3, 2 2B, RBI, BB – .333 BA

Helena Brewers (10-10), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Helena	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	0	0		4	7	0
Billings	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	X		5	13	0

RHP Trey Watten – 5.0 IP, 7 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 3.60 ERA
RHP Cody Adams – (BS, 2)(L, 2-2) 3.0 IP, 6 hits, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 K – 5.68 ERA
1B Brock Kjeldgaard – 2-4, 2B, HR (5), 3 RBI, 2 runs – .277 BA
CF Erik Komatsu – 2-4, 2 1B, run – .324 BA

The Sunday Harvest

Player of the Week: C/OF Eric Fryer

Last 10 Games:  .514 BA, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB

One of the biggest surprises in West Virginia this season has been the play of Eric Fryer.  WV has been playing him a lot in the outfield, but he is capable of calling games behind the dish as well.  As you can see from the statistics, Eric has been an absolute hit machine over the past week and a half.  His breakout season is a bit of a surprise, as he only hit .209 in Helena last season.  Whatever the reason, balls have started to drop for Eric.  The power is there, and the plate discipline has been better than average.  In the past week, he has drawn four walks and struck out five times.  Not bad.  It will be very interesting to see how the season progresses for Eric Fryer.

Honorable Mention

C Jonathan Lucroy – (Last 10: .333 BA, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI) – No matter the level, Jonathan Lucroy has shown he can swing the stick.  One of the more overlooked aspects of his game has been the superb plate discipline.  Since joining the Manatees, he has a 2:1 BB:K ratio.  If his defense can progress as scouts say it has, Lucroy will be challenging Angel Salome for the top catcher in the system.

OF Lorenzo Cain – (Last 10: .368 BA, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, SB) – Rumor has it that Lo may be on his way out of Milwaukee’s farm system, but he is certainly not leaving quietly.  Since struggling in April, Cain’s stats have been clamoring for a promotion.  The power is starting to come, and he’s driving the ball more consistently to all fields.  The plate discipline could be better, but Milwaukee will wait for that to develop.  Lorenzo is a five-tool player that may be on the verge of a breakout year next season.  No one is sure if that will be in Milwaukee’s system or Cleveland’s, however.

OF Christopher Dennis – (Last 6: .320 BA, 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI) – I do not know much about Dennis besides the fact that the scouts rave about the young man’s abilities at the plate.  He seems to be another above-average offensive player that still needs development on the defensive side of the game.  Does Milwaukee draft anyone otherwise?

Pitcher of the Week: LHP Sam Narron

The Nashville Sounds have been starved for pitching this entire season.  So when a Sounds pitcher goes the distance in a game, he almost certainly gets the nod as Pitcher of the Week.  Sam pitched a beautiful game against Memphis last week, going the distance while only allowing one run to score.  He scattered nine hits, while walking two hitters.  Sam relies on inducing ground balls and doesn’t strike out many opposing batters.  His strikeout numbers may need to climb a bit for him to challenge for a spot in the big leagues, but he’s quickly becoming one of the most consistent pitchers down in Nashville.

Honorable Mentions

LHP Mike Ramlow – After Ramlow dominated hitters as West Virginia’s closer, the team decided to try him out as a starter.  That experiment did not work as well as planned, so Mike returned to the bullpen.  In one appearance this week, he bounced back very nicely.  He went 4.2 innings and recorded the win, while surrendering no runs.  It may not seem like much, but Ramlow has been an extremely effective reliever for WV.  The fact that he is a lefty may earn him a promotion rather soon.

LHP Daniel Merklinger – Daniel has been horrendous for most of the season, as his 6.70 ERA would suggest.  A left-handed fly-ball pitcher will not turn many heads in single-A ball.  His last start will, however.  The young man gave up one run and struck out nine in six innings of work.  That is the type of performance WV has expected from Merklinger all season.  Perhaps he’s just beginning to find his stride going into the second half of the season.

RHP Adam Arnold – Helena’s closer has been lights-out since inheriting the role.  He is now 3-for-3 in save chances and is striking out almost one batter per inning.  After walking two batters in his first outing three weeks ago, the young right-hander has only walked one in his last six-plus innings.  He has had a little trouble against lefties, but that should be expected from a pitcher in rookie ball.  The start has been bright from Adam.  Hopefully, he can keep it up all season.

Minor League Boxscores: Saturday

Nashville Sounds (34-54), 19.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Round Rock	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	1		4	8	3
Nashville	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2		3	5	2

LHP Chris Narveson – (L, 2-11) 6.0 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs (2 ER), 0 BB, 5 K – 5.64 ERA
RHP Luis Pena – 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K – 3.74 ERA
CF Tony Gwynn Jr. – 3-4, 3 1B, run – .312 BA
1B Brad Nelson – 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI – .305 BA

Huntsville Stars (9-8), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Birmingham	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	6	2
Huntsville	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1		2	7	1

LHP Troy Cate – ND, 7.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K – 2.13 ERA
RHP Juan Sandoval – (W, 2-3) 0.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 3.68 ERA
LF Cole Gillespie – 2-4, HR (12), RBI – .276 BA
RF Matt LaPorta – 1-3, 1B, BB, run – .291 BA

Brevard County Manatees (6-8), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Daytona	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	5	0
Brevard County	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	X		4	8	0

LHP Chris Cody – (W, 1-3) 7.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K – 4.66 ERA
RHP Casey Baron – (S, 3) 1.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 2.35 ERA
RF Lorenzo Cain – 2-3, 2 1B, BB, run – .285 BA
3B Taylor Green - 1-4, 1B, 2 RBI – .296 BA
1B Stephen Chapman – 2-3, 2B, HR (11), 2 RBI – .211 BA

West Virginia Power (10-5), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Hagerstown	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0		4	5	1
West Virginia	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0		3	11	2

LHP Evan Frederickson – ND, 4.0 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K – 6.75 ERA
RHP Corey Frerichs – (L, 3-6) 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 run (0 ER), 2 BB, 3 K – 2.54 ERA
2B Eric Farris – 3-5, 2B, RBI, run – .251 BA
LF Eric Fryer – 3-4, 2B, RBI, BB – .347 BA
3B Zelous Wheeler – 2-4, 2B, HR (7), RBI – .284 BA

Helena Brewers (9-9), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Helena	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2		3	6	0
Billings	0	0	0	3	5	2	0	1	X		11	17	2

RHP Michael Bowman – (L, 1-1) 4.0 IP, 9 hits, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 4.26 ERA
CF Cutter Dykstra – 2-4, 2B – .278 BA
LF Christopher Dennis – 2-4, 2 HR (7), 2 RBI – .273 BA

AZL Brewers (1-9), 6.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
AZL Brewers	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	3	0
AZL Giants	2	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	X		6	10	2

LHP Kristian Bueno – (L, 0-2) 3.0 IP, 6 hits, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – 8.64 ERA
RHP Joel Morales – 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 2.70 ERA
1B Pedro Ramos – 2-4, 2 1B, run – .179 BA

Minor League Boxscores: Friday

Nashville Sounds (34-53), 18.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	7	0
Memphis	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	X		5	8	0

LHP Lindsay Gulin – ND, 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 3.02 ERA
RHP Derrick Turnbow – (L, 1-2) 1.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 9.19 ERA
LHP Randy Choate – 1.0 IP, 3 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K – 3.86 ERA
1B Brad Nelson – 3-4, 3 1B – .306 BA
SS Adam Heether – 0-0, RBI, SB (6), 2 BB – .240 BA

Huntsville Stars (8-8), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	0	0		4	8	0
Tennessee	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	3	0

RHP Nic Ungs – (W, 1-0) 7.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K – 0.75 ERA
RF Matt LaPorta – 1-3, HR (20), 2 RBI, BB, 2 runs – .291 BA
LF Cole Gillespie – 1-4, HR (11), 2 RBI – .273 BA

Brevard County Manatees (5-8), 2.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Brevard County	0	0	0	0	3	0	2				5	4	0
Jupiter	0	0	0	4	0	0	0				4	9	0

RHP Alexandre Periard – (W, 7-6) 6.1 IP, 9 hits, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K – 3.88 ERA
RHP Mike McClendon – (S, 7) 0.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 5.00 ERA
RF Lorenzo Cain – 1-3, RBI, BB, run – .281 BA
DH Jonathan Lucroy – 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, run – .333 BA
3B Taylor Green – 1-3, HR (10), 2 RBI, BB – .297 BA

West Virginia Power (10-4), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Hagerstown	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0		2	5	0
West Virginia	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	X		3	7	2

LHP Daniel Merklinger – (W, 3-5) 6.0 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K – 6.70 ERA
RHP Rob Bryson – (S, 5) 3.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 run (0 ER), 0 BB, 4 K – 4.25 ERA
LF Eric Fryer – 3-3, 3B, RBI – .337 BA
C Anderson De La Rosa – 1-3, HR (1), RBI – .250 BA

Helena Brewers (9-8), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Helena	0	5	4	2	0	0	3	0	1		15	18	2
Missoula	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	1		6	7	1

RHP Nick Tyson – ND, 4.0 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K – 2.25 ERA
LHP Lucas Luetge – (W, 1-0) 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – 0.00 ERA
CF Cutter Dykstra – 2-4, 2B, HR (1), RBI, BB, 2 runs – .250 BA
LF Christopher Dennis – 3-5, HR (5), 2 RBI, BB, 4 runs – .258 BA
3B John Delaney – 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, 2 runs – .238 BA
C Derrick Alfonso – 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI – .353 BA
SS Mikey Maresco – 3-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, run – .222 BA

AZL Brewers (1-8), 5.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
AZL Angels	2	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	1		8	11	1
AZL Brewers	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		1	6	3

RHP Luis Guerrero - (L, 0-2) 2.2 IP, 7 hits, 6 ER, 5 BB, 1 K – 9.00 ERA
CF Brandon Drespling – 1-3, 1B, SB (4), run – .222 BA

Round ‘em Up: Thursday

Let’s get down to business and see what’s going on in the blogosphere.

• The site had been predicting Ryan Braun’s day off for a couple days now.  Yost seems to think it could be his hand, but his plate discipline has been especially terrible lately.  Taking a few pitches wouldn’t hurt him.  I think he may be sitting this afternoon as well, as Yost hopes a little time off will help Braun clear his head a bit.
• Brew Crew Pub has a game wrap from yesterday’s game.  Aaron does make a great point about Brian Shouse.  The veteran southpaw came in the game in a tight spot last night in the seventh, but he once again helped the Brewers escape unscathed.  In a tough spot, there is no one else – besides Salomon Torres – that I would like to see on the mound.
• TheJay from Brew Crew Ball analyzes the road/home split of the Brewers offense against relief pitchers.  Milwaukee is not especially stellar against relievers as a whole, but they struggle mightily on the road.  I don’t have any stats to back this up, as I have not analyzed this thoroughly, but it seems that Milwaukee hitters are incredibly impatient against relievers.  Even more so than against starters, if that is possible.  Needless to say, that may have to change.
• Al’s Ramblings notes that Peter Gammons said on the air that Milwaukee will not trade two of the Huntsville 5.  That means a trade package will not include two of Matt LaPorta, Mat Gamel, Angel Salome, Michael Brantley, and Alcides Escobar.  What’s crazy is that Huntsville still has Cole Gillespie and Chris Errecart in the starting lineup.  Double-A is stacked.
• Some are starting to think that Guillermo Mota is tipping his pitches.  I personally think that is a lame excuse.  Every time a pitcher struggles, he does not have to be tipping his pitches.  I do think Eric Gagne was doing so, but not Guillermo.  Perhaps he could actually throw his change-up, so hitters are able to sit on the fastball.  He does not throw his slider for strikes.  Therefore, hitters sit on the fastball.  He’s not tipping his pitches…
• Indians GM Mark Shapiro says that the Indians are clearly sellers at this point in the season.  That means the C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes are about to begin.
• Speaking of C.C. Sabathia, ESPN’s Buster Olney says that the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox are not going to be serious players in acquiring last year’s Cy Young winner.  That means the front-runners will be Milwaukee and Philadelphia.  Some say that the Angels will be players, but I believe they are looking for offense.  Apparently, they covet Matt Holliday.
• Eli’s MLB Rumors says the St. Louis Cardinals are also after Matt Holliday.  Eli did not provide a link, however, so I am unsure if there is any truth to that.
• SportsBubbler has this week’s Prospect of the Week, OF Caleb Gindl.  The young outfielder has really turned it on over the past month in West Virginia.  Add Caleb to the glut of quality outfield prospects in Milwaukee’s system.
• Mound Talk has a new ranking of the Top 50 Prospects.  The Brewers have four players that make the list: Matt LaPorta (who is #2), Mat Gamel, Angel Salome, and Jeremy Jeffress.  Not bad at all.
• Fan Graphs says Jeremy Jeffress is something special.  Tell us something we don’t know already.
• Do you remember Grant Balfour?  He made a brief appearance for Milwaukee last season before being traded for Seth McClung.  Last night, Balfour pitched the ninth against the Boston Red Sox for a save.  Balfour has always had great stuff, but he hasn’t been able to harness it.  Hopefully this is the beginning to a great career for Grant.

Minor League Boxscores: Thursday

Nashville Sounds (34-52), 17.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	4	0
Memphis	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	X		3	11	0

RHP Mark DiFelice – ND, 5.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 3.54 ERA
RHP Ben Howard – (BS, 1)(L, 2-4) 1.1 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 4.53 ERA
2B Hernan Iribarren – 1-4, 2B, run – .272 BA
RF Brendan Katin – 1-4, 2B, RBI – .265 BA

Huntsville Stars (7-8), 4.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0		5	11	2
Tennessee	0	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	2		6	12	1

RHP Donovan Hand – ND, 5.0 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs (2 ER), 4 BB, 1 K – 4.87 ERA
RHP Juan Sandoval – (BS, 4)(L, 1-3) 0.2 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 3.72 ERA
3B Mat Gamel – 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI – .382 BA
1B Chris Errecart – 2-4, HR (13), RBI – .292 BA

Brevard County Manatees (4-8), 3.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Brevard County	0	4	0	0	0	4	1	0	0		9	12	3
Jupiter	1	0	1	2	0	0	1	0	0		5	9	4

RHP Joshua Butler – ND, 1.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 5.91 ERA
RHP John Axford – (W, 3-5) 3.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 4.25 ERA
CF Darren Ford – 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, run – .240 BA
RF Lorenzo Cain – 2-5, HR (7), 3 RBI, 2 runs – .281 BA
LF Charlie Fermaint – 2-4, HR (4), 3 RBI, BB – .229 BA

West Virginia Power (9-4), — GB

Did not play.

AZL Brewers (1-7), 4.5 GB

Did not play.

Helena Brewers (8-8), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Helena	3	0	0	1	2	0	2	1	2		11	14	2
Missoula	0	1	2	5	0	0	1	0	1		10	8	2

RHP Santo Manzanillo – ND, 3.1 IP, 6 hits, 8 runs (6 ER), 5 BB, 1 K – 6.59 ERA
LHP Efrain Nieves – (W, 3-1) 4.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 3.86 ERA
RHP Adam Arnold – (S, 3) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 run (0 ER), 0 BB, 1 K – 1.04 ERA
LF Erik Komatsu – 3-4, 2B, BB, 3 runs – .380 BA
3B John Delaney – 3-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, SB (1), BB – .220 BA
2B David Fonseca – 2-5, HR (1), RBI, 2 runs – .400 BA
1B Brock Kjeldgaard – 1-5, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 runs – .242 BA

Brewers come from behind to bite the D’Backs

Milwaukee has secured at least a split in the road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  The way almost all of the major leagues has played on the road this season, that is a victory in itself.  When you consider Brandon Webb will be on the hill tomorrow afternoon, the magnitude of this win is augmented greatly.

In one of the brightest stories of the 2008 season thus far for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seth McClung continued to impress on the mound as a starter.  I will be the first to admit that he did not have his A-stuff tonight.  The big guy may not have even had his B-stuff, but he battled and scraped together 5.1 innings while only giving up two runs.  The main thing: He gave the Crew a chance to win the game.  That’s what a starting pitcher must do.

Finishing with six strikeouts and only one walk, Seth excited the game in the sixth inning.  He scattered 8 hits and limited the damage.  Five of those hits, however, came in the first two innings.  His fastball had lots of life this evening, and McClung was dialing it up on the radar gun.  The big right-hander kept the team in the game and gave them a chance for a comeback.

And come back they did.

After Mike Cameron laced a two-out double in the seventh inning, Ned Yost called on Rickie Weeks to pinch hit.  Rickie has been out with a stomach virus the past two games, so it was a risky call on the part of the skipper.  Beware of the weary, however.  Weeks absolutely crushed an 0-2 pitch out of the park to left field.  3-2 Brewers.

The lead was short-lived though.  David Riske – who did throw more than fastballs today, by the way – gave up a first pitch bomb to Justin Upton.  It was almost a carbon copy of the Weeks home run.  3-3 Brewers.

For all the flak Mike Cameron has been getting from Brewers fans the past couple weeks, he came through in a big way tonight.  After Russell Branyan led off the inning with a single that ricocheted off Arizona first-baseman Mike Reynolds, Cam fought off a couple tough pitches before depositing the eventual game-winning single to left-center field.  That’s clutch hitting from the veteran center fielder.  That is why Doug Melvin signed him in the off-season.

Salomon Torres converted his 14th save after Branyan tagged third and threw a bullet to first base to end the game on a double play.  It was a big play by Russell, as Salomon worked himself in a spot of trouble after Orlando Hudson led off with a single and got to second after a deep fly ball to left.  All was for naught, however, as the Crew pulled out another one-run victory.

A couple other things to note after tonight’s game.  Did anyone else think that Stephen Drew’s cleat shot to Jason Kendall in the eighth was a cheap shot?  I understand he was trying to knock the ball loose from Kendall’s glove, but he risked seriously injuring Milwaukee’s catcher by spiking him in the gut.  I thought Kendall showed his true veteran mentality when he simply walked away from the situation.  Whether or not the Brewers catcher pursued the matter, I’m a little surprised a fine player like Stephen Drew would do that.  It was in the heat of the moment, but those metal spikes are no joke.

Joe Dillon pinch hit this evening and continued his fine approach at the plate.  He hit an absolute rocket out into deep left-center.  It looked to have a chance to get out of the park.  It certainly was going to give Milwaukee some insurance on the scoreboard.  That is, until Chris Young came out of nowhere to make a spectacular play, jumping into the wall and hanging on to the ball.  Fine play, Mr. Young.

Big Prince Fielder is still struggling at the plate.  He is going to very much welcome a little home cooking starting this weekend.  I’m not so sure Miller Park is going to help much unless he changes his approach at the plate, however.  He has a natural upper cut on his swing, which is why he hits so many home runs.  The upper cut is so pronounced right now though, that it is getting to Jim Edmonds territory right now.  Flatten out the swing, big boy.  That and don’t try to hit every ball out of the park.  That may help too.

This may be jinxing him, but J.J. Hardy continued his hit streak.  It is now at 14 games after a 2-4 performance with a clutch RBI in the sixth inning to start off the scoring for the Crew.  His bat is staying through the hitting area much longer right now, and he’s naturally getting better wood on the ball as a result.  That two-spot fits J.J. well, I think.

I have been unable to confirm this, but Arizona commentator Darron Sutton apparently said there is a deal going on between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Milwaukee Brewers.  I did find it a little strange that Doug Melvin and Gord Ash have been attending this series, but there has been no confirmation.  The words were that the deal was going to come through “very, very soon.”

The only thing I can think of is a little help in the bullpen.  Arizona has some expendable arms with the likes of Tony Pena, Juan Cruz, and Chad Qualls.  They would almost certainly be looking for a bat in return.  Could Mike Cameron find himself on a plane to Arizona soon?  It could make some sense, as Gabe Kapler has been terrific.  Perhaps Gabe is the one in question.  Or perhaps this is completely unsubstantiated and nothing will happen.  Only time will tell.

Records: Brewers (46-38); Diamondbacks (42-43)

Hero of the Game: Mike Cameron

Mike came through today in a big way at the plate.  He almost hit one out of the park in the second inning, but it hit a little too far down on the trademark.  That at-bat was a sign of things to come for Mike, as he finished the game going 2-4 with two huge RBI.  His single in the ninth inning proved to be the difference in the game.  This is the type of player Mike Cameron can be on a daily basis.  Hopefully he can get on a hot streak sometime soon.

Goat of the Game: Prince Fielder

I understand Prince is an incredibly streaky hitter, but that swing needs to get a little flatter.  The plate discipline needs to improve.  He’s far too talented to fall into huge funks like he has this season.  Prince sorely needs to see Miller Park again.

On Tap

Manny Parra will take on Brandon Webb tomorrow afternoon in the series finale.  Parra has looked much better on the mound lately, and he’ll have to pitch effectively for Milwaukee to stand a chance against the fantastic Brandon Webb.

Minor League Boxscores: Wednesday

Nashville Sounds (34-51), 16.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	1	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	0		5	9	1
Memphis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	7	2

LHP Sam Narron – (W, 5-3) CG, 7 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 4.08 ERA
2B Hernan Iribarren – 1-2, 2 BB, SB (17), 2 runs – .273 BA
RF Brendan Katin – 3-4, 3B, 2 RBI, BB – .265 BA
LF Mel Stocker – 2-4, 2 2B – .281 BA

Huntsville Stars (7-7), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0		4	9	1
Tennessee	0	0	2	3	0	0	0	1	X		6	10	2

LHP Brae Wright – (L, 6-7) 6.0 IP, 8 hits, 5 runs (3 ER), 0 BB, 5 K – 3.61 ERA
RHP Omar Aguilar – 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K – 4.30 ERA
3B Mat Gamel – 2-4, 2 2B, RBI – .384 BA
SS Alcides Escobar – 3-4, 2 2B, SB (22), 3 runs – .330 BA
2B Mike Bell – 1-4, HR (6), RBI – .265 BA

Brevard County Manatees (3-8), 4.5 GB

Game suspended due to rain.

West Virginia Power (9-4), — GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Greensboro	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0		3	5	0
West Virginia	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	1	X		4	9	1

RHP Amaury Rivas – ND, 5.0 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs (2 ER), 4 BB, 4 K – 3.69 ERA
RHP Reed Dickert – (W, 1-2) 3.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 2.36 ERA
RHP Corey Frerichs – (S, 6) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 2.66 ERA
RF Caleb Gindl – 2-4, 2B – .287 BA
DH Steffan Wilson – 2-4, 2 1B, run – .270 BA
LF Eric Fryer – 1-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, BB – .325 BA

AZL Brewers (1-7), 4.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
AZL Rangers	0	3	0	0	0	2	0	1	2		8	10	4
AZL Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0		2	4	4

RHP Marcus Salmon – 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 0.00 ERA
LHP Daniel Meadows – (L, 0-1) 3.0 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs (0 ER), 1 BB, 2 K – 0.00 ERA
SS Carlos George – 2-3, 2 1B, 2 SB (3), BB – .450 BA

Helena Brewers (7-8), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Helena	0	3	2	1	3	0	6	0	0		15	15	1
Missoula	5	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0		8	11	4

RHP Trey Watten – ND, 4.0 IP, 8 hits, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K – 4.80 ERA
RHP Cody Adams – (W, 2-1) 3.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 2.79 ERA
1B Brock Kjeldgaard – 3-6, 2B, HR (3), 2 RBI, SB (3), 2 runs – .246 BA
RF Mike Vass – 2-5, HR (2), 3 RBI, 3 runs – .204 BA
C Michael Roberts – 2-5, 3B, HR (1), 5 RBI, 3 runs – .400 BA

Minor League Boxscores: Tuesday

Nashville Sounds (33-51), 16.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Nashville	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2		5	13	1
Memphis	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1		4	12	2

RHP Richie Gardner – ND, 5.0 IP, 5 hits, 1 run (0 ER), 4 BB, 3 K – 3.98 ERA
RHP Derrick Turnbow – (H, 4) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 9.20 ERA
LHP Randy Choate – (H, 1) 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K – 1.08 ERA
RHP Luis Pena – (BS, 2)(W, 1-0) 1.0 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 3.58 ERA
RHP Joe Bateman – (S, 1) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 2.25 ERA
2B Hernan Iribarren – 3-5, 3 1B, RBI – .271 BA
CF Tony Gwynn Jr. – 2-4, 2 1B, BB, 2 runs – .326 BA

Huntsville Stars (7-6), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Huntsville	0	0	1	1	1	1	0