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.

———————————————————————————

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	2	1		7	16	2
Tennessee	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0		3	6	1

LHP David Welch – ND, 4.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K – 3.56 ERA
RHP Dave Johnson – (W, 3-2) 2.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – 6.49 ERA
RHP Juan Sandoval – (S, 9) 1.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 3.18 ERA
3B Mat Gamel – 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB – .383 BA
SS Alcides Escobar – 3-6, 3 1B, RBI – .325 BA
LF Cole Gillespie – 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 runs – .277 BA

Brevard County Manatees (3-8), 5.0 GB

Did not play.

West Virginia Power (8-4), 0.5 GB

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

LHP Mike Ramlow – 5.2 IP, 5 hits, 5 runs (3 ER), 1 BB, 3 K – 3.23 ERA
RHP Pedro Lambertus – (W, 1-2) 2.1 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K – 6.48 ERA
1B Steffan Wilson – 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 runs – .267 BA
LF Eric Fryer – 2-3, RBI, BB, SB (9), 2 runs – .325 BA
C Ulrich Snijders – 2-3, HR (3), 3 RBI, BB, 2 runs – .244 BA

AZL Brewers (1-6), 4.0 GB

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

RHP Damon Krestalude – ND, 3.0 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 5.79 ERA
RHP Brandon Rapoza – 2.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 1.80 ERA
3B Allixon Cequea – 1-1, 2B, RBI – .400 BA

Helena Brewers (6-8), 4.0 GB

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

LHP Brandon Ritchie – (L, 0-1) 5.2 IP, 6 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K – 3.65 ERA
RF Mike Vass – 0-2, BB – .184 BA

Round ‘em Up: Monday

I think all Brewers fans are relieved that Interleague play is over.  More specifically, I think we’re all happy to get out of Minnesota.  They are playing some very, very good baseball right now.  They made the Milwaukee Brewers – who are playing good ball in their own right – look very pedestrian.

The Crew now moves on to Arizona to take on the D’Backs tonight.  Let’s see what’s in the news.

• I hope you all have some medicine handy.  The Milwaukee Brewers activated Eric Gagne from the 15-day DL and sent down Mark DiFelice.  Gagne has been analyzed every way possible, so I’ll leave that alone.

  DiFelice, on the other hand, has been a pleasant surprise this season.  He has struggled against left-handers in the big leagues, but still posted a 3.95 ERA in 10 appearances.  The word is that he’s going to start in Triple-A.  That should bring some relief to a horrid starting rotation in Nashville.

• Jayson Stark from ESPN.com says that one GM that has talked to Doug Melvin reported that Milwaukee will not be afraid to ship its prospects to Cleveland to get C.C. Sabathia in a Brewers uniform.  It will be interesting to see if this is true.  Will Doug be willing to ship the likes of Jeremy Jeffress, Matt LaPorta, or Mat Gamel to Cleveland?  I’m not so sure he is.

  This is not a very reliable source, but a post in the Brewerfan.net forum gives a recap of a radio show in which Doug Melvin appeared.  He said that the Brewers are interested in adding a #2 or #3-type starter to the rotation.  There are some untouchables in the farm system.  He says he will not trade someone he can control for six years for someone he only has for a couple months.  It would be a “quantity trade.”

  To me that “quantity trade” sounds like something right up Billy Beane’s alley in Oakland.  Rich Harden anyone?

• Right Field Bleachers gives a little review of the past week.  I didn’t realize that Ryan Braun was tied for third in the NL in outfield assists.  He does have a great arm out there, that’s for sure.
• The Brew Town Beat wonders if Ned Yost is setting up the Milwaukee Brewers for another Summerfest Swoon.  I still think it is crazy how their post after winning Saturday’s game is all about how 08 is totally different than 07, yet after a single loss, the whole season is going down the drain.  It’s a long season.  There are going to be ups and downs throughout the whole season.  I enjoy their writing at The Brew Town Beat, but their outlook on the season changes game-by-game.  Look at the bigger picture boys.
• Our friend Aaron has a Brewers-Diamondbacks preview for you all.  Give it a look, as he spends a lot of time writing those previews.  It’s good stuff.
• The Yost Infection is back after a long hiatus, and his target is Michael Hunt from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  The hilarity of his name aside, Mike Hunt is apparently a little slow in figuring out that Ben Sheets was going to test free agency all along.
• The newly drafted Evan Frederickson has performed so well in Helena in the couple weeks he’s been there, that he has been promoted to West Virginia.  (Hat tip to battlekow at Brew Crew Ball.  He certainly knows how to get it done.)
• There has been a lot of movement in the Brewers farm system in the past week or so.  Let me give you a run down of some of the promotions, demotions, etc.

  RHP Jason Shiell – Transferred from Nashville to Huntsville
  RHP Jake Orodizzi – Sent to AZL Brewers
  RHP Josh Wahpepah – Transferred from Huntsville to Brevard County
  LHP Troy Cate – Acquired from Orange County and sent to Huntsville
  RHP Joe Bateman – Transferred from Huntsville to Nashville
  LHP Steve Bray – Transferred from Nashville to Huntsville
  RHP Nic Ungs – Transferred from Nashville to Huntsville
  LHP Evan Frederickson – Transferred from Helena to West Virginia
  C Martin Maldonado – Transferred from Brevard County to Huntsville
  C Chris Corporan – Transferred from Huntsville to Nashville

Minor League Boxscores: Monday

Nashville Sounds (32-51), 16.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nashville	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0		2	6	0
Round Rock	0	0	1	1	4	1	0	0	X		7	10	0

LHP Chris Narveson – (L, 2-10) 5.0 IP, 8 hits, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 K – 5.84 ERA
RHP Joe Bateman – 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 3.00 ERA
RF Laynce Nix – 3-4, 2 HR (15), 2 RBI – .284 BA

Huntsville Stars (6-6), 3.0 GB

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

LHP Troy Cate – (W, 1-0) 5.0 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs (2 ER), 1 BB, 6 K – 3.60 ERA
RHP Juan Sandoval – (S, 8 ) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 3.33 ERA
3B Mat Gamel – 5-5, 2B, RBI, 2 runs – .379 BA
RF Matt LaPorta – 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, run – .294 BA
1B Chris Errecart – 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, run – .289 BA

Brevard County Manatees (3-8), 5.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Brevard County	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0		2	8	3
Fort Myers	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1		3	8	0

RHP Jeremy Jeffress – ND, 6.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K – 4.34 ERA
RHP Mike McClendon – (BS, 2)(L, 2-3) 1.1 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K – 5.03 ERA
RF Lorenzo Cain – 2-4, 2B, HR, 6), RBI, BB – .279 BA
DH Jonathan Lucroy – 2-5, 2B – .317 BA

West Virginia Power (7-4), 1.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		R	H	E
Lexington	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	9	0
West Virginia	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1		3	13	0

RHP Evan Anundsen – ND, 2.2 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – 3.38 ERA
RHP Roque Mercedes – ND, 5.1 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K – 5.98 ERA
LHP Curtis Pasma – (W, 3-2) 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 4.30 ERA
RF Caleb Gindl – 3-5, 2 2B, RBI, run – .284 BA
CF Lee Haydel – 2-5, 2 1B, SB (27) – .290 BA

AZL Brewers (1-5), 3.0 GB

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

RHP Joel Morales – (L, 0-1) 5.0 IP, 6 hits, 5 runs (3 ER), 0 BB, 1 K – 3.38 ERA
LF Jose Garcia – 1-4, HR (1), RBI – .292 BA
RF Hitaniel Arias – 2-4, 2 1B, RBI – .217 BA

Helena Brewers (6-7), 4.0 GB

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

RHP Michael Bowman – ND, 6.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs (1 ER), 2 BB, 6 K – 1.80 ERA
RHP Garrett Sherrill – (BS, 3)(L, 0-3) 1.2 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K – 14.21 ERA
CF Erik Komatsu – 2-4, 2 HR (3), 4 RBI, BB – .405 BA
LF Christopher Dennis – 1-4, HR (1), RBI, BB – .245 BA
2B Jose Duran – 1-5, HR (1), 3 RBI – .256 BA
1B Brock Kjeldgaard – 2-5, 2 2B, run – .235 BA

Round ‘em Up: Sunday

UPDATE 06-29-08 1:08pm – Guillermo Mota successfully lowered his ERA after appealing a scoring decision that occurred against the Houston Astros.

It’s good to know Mota is far more concerned with his personal stat line than whether or not his team wins the game. Ned Yost didn’t seem too pleased about Mota’s stunt either.

——————————————————————————

Ben Sheets will lead the Milwaukee Brewers against the hottest team in baseball right now. If the Crew can win this afternoon, it will be an excellent series win and a successful road trip. Who would have thought I would be saying that right now?

• Eric Gagne expects to be back with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday. I’m not so sure he’s ready for game action though. Normally, Ned Yost is one for hyperbole when talking about his injured players. He always says something like, “[Insert name here] is throwing the ball great in the bullpen” or “[Insert name here] is absolutely mashing the ball in BP.” Not with Gage though. Concerning Gagne’s bullpen session, Yost says that Gagne’s fastball control was “decent.” Oh good…
• Jim Powell has a new post up, and he echoes my concern about Gagne. In fact, he says Gagne’s bullpen session was “just okay.” He had control issues. Why bring him off the DL if he’s not ready?
• The Junkball Blues has a very interesting look at the Brewers offense. He hypothesizes that a team that walks a lot, hits lots of home runs, and strikes out a lot will have a more consistent offense because they do not rely on luck very much. How so? All three of those categories do not involve the opposing defense at all. It’s an interesting way to look at it, but the result is that Milwaukee needs to walk more. That’s what BN reader Aaron has been saying allllll along.
• The post of the day goes to Between the Green Pillars. He talks about what the Brewers need to do concerning acquiring another starting pitcher. The article says that Milwaukee would be much better off trading for someone like Rich Harden, Zach Greinke, or Eric Bedard at this point, as all would be under team control beyond this season. I completely agree when BTGP says making a move for C.C. Sabathia would make 2008 an all-or-nothing season. If the Brewers make the playoffs with C.C., it would be a huge success. If they don’t, however, Milwaukee has nothing to show for their troubles. I would much rather have the likes of a Bedard/Harden/Greinke than Sabathia at this point.
• Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, and he reports that Seattle’s Jarrod Washburn is becoming much more attractive given his recent success. That wouldn’t be a bad move if the price was right.
• The Brew Town Beat notes that one year ago, the Brewers lost to the Chicago Cubs on that Aramis Ramirez walk-off home run. That marked the downfall of the Milwaukee Brewers last season. This year, however, the Crew started off slow, but has caught fire in June. My how things change.
• The Huntsville Times has a nice article on OF Michael Brantley and how his father impacted his life in the game of baseball. An interesting part of the article says that Michael is the best player on the Stars ballclub. That’s a bold claim, but he has the entire package.
• If you haven’t seen the recap of the Dodgers-Angels game from last night, check it out. Jerod Weaver for the Angels combined with Jose Arredondo to no-hit the Dodgers, but still lost the game 1-0. Two errors and a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning spelled doom for the Angels. Crazy game.

The Sunday Harvest

Player of the Week: C/OF Eric Fryer

Last 10 Games:  .389 BA, 3 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB

Eric has been flying under the radar a bit in West Virginia, but with Jonathan Lucroy now up in Brevard County, the spotlight is shining firmly on Eric.  He has been playing both catcher and outfield for the Power.  That kind of versatility for a catcher is a big plus.  It reminds me very much of Vinny Rottino.  The kid can hit though, make no doubt about that.  He’s hitting for power, while still showing patience at the plate.  In his last ten games, Eric has drawn five walks and only struck out four times.  Having that type of BB:K ratio will help any team.

Honorable Mention

C Jonathan Lucroy – (Last 10: .344 BA, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI) – Jonathan may have been promoted to Brevard County recently, but it has not slowed his bat down one bit.  The young catcher continues to prove that his bat is no fluke.  Solid catchers who can hit are difficult to find, and the Milwaukee Brewers may have found an absolute gem in Mr. Lucroy.

RF Caleb Gindl – (Last 10: .357 BA, 4 2B, HR, 10 RBI, SB) – Even though he is only 19-years old, Caleb is showing why he is one of the brightest prospects in Milwaukee’s system.  The free-swinging outfielder has found his stroke in June, and West Virginia’s team has benefited greatly because of it.  Caleb is upping his average right now, which is a great sign, but the power numbers should continue to come.  If he can polish up his defensive abilities in right just a bit, a promotion to Brevard is not out of the question.

OF Erik Komatsu – (Last 8 Games: .400 BA, 4 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB) – The season may have just started for the Helena Brewers, but Komatsu is already in mid-season form.  The transition from college ball to the pros seems relatively seamless in Erik’s case.  He is still hitting for power with a wooden bat.  That is not something to be taken lightly.  We’ll continue to keep an eye on Erik.

Pitcher of the Week: RHP Evan Anundsen

Evan has been the model of consistency for West Virginia throughout the season, but his start this week was fantastic.  The young right-hander threw eight innings of shutout ball.  He struck out six batters, walking none, and giving up four hits along the way.  Dominate stuff right there.  Match that with his astounding 2.41 ground-out/fly-out ratio, and you can see why Evan is a 20-year old to watch.

Honorable Mention

LHP Randy Choate – The veteran southpaw sought to make the big league squad out of Spring Training, but a broken hand stifled those dreams.  Randy is now healthy, however, and dominating in his rehab outings.  In 7.1 innings of work, Choate has given up only two hits, while allowing zero runs to cross the plate.  Mitch Stetter may be looking at a trip back to Nashville once Randy is finished with his rehab assignment.

RHP Alexandre Periard – This 21-year old Canadian had a fine outing last week.  He pitched eight shutout innings, scattering two walks and seven hits.  Alexandre is a ground ball pitcher who relies on his defense behind him, rather than the strikeout.  In an interesting split, Periard has been better on the road thus far in 2008.  A 21-year old who is unfazed by pitching on the road.  He should teach Dave Bush something about that.

RHP Liam Ohlmann – Before the season started for the AZL Brewers, Liam Ohlmann could hardly contain his excitement.  He had just been drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, and he could simply not wait to pitch in his first professional game.  That over-the-top enthusiasm led be to believe Liam would struggle in his first couple outings until he regained his composure.  Turns out I was wrong.  Liam has pitched four scoreless innings for the AZL Brewers thus far in his professional career.  He has only given up one hit, while striking out three.  The young man has yet to walk anyone.  Not a bad start at all.

Minor League Boxscores: Saturday

Nashville Sounds (32-49), 14.5 GB

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

LHP Lindsay Gulin – (W, 4-4) 5.0 IP, 5 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 3.15 ERA
LHP Randy Choate – 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 0.00 ERA
RHP Derrick Turnbow – (H, 3) 0.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K – 9.88 ERA
RHP Luis Pena – (S, 12) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 3.41 ERA
RF Laynce Nix – 2-4, HR (11), 3 RBI – .272 BA
1B Brad Nelson – 1-4, HR (12), RBI – .315 BA

Huntsville Stars (5-5), 3.0 GB

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

RHP Donovan Hand – (L, 0-2) 6.1 IP, 9 hits, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K – 5.03 ERA
RHP Omar Aguilar – 1.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K – 4.26 ERA
3B Mat Gamel – 1-4, 3B, run – .371 BA
RF Matt LaPorta – 1-2, BB, SB (2), run – .297 BA

Brevard County Manatees (3-6), 4.0 GB

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

LHP Chris Cody – (L, 0-3) 5.0 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K – 6.57 ERA
C Jonathan Lucroy – 2-3, 2 1B, run – .344 BA
3B Taylor Green – 1-2, 1B, 2 BB – .299 BA

West Virginia Power (5-4), 1.0 GB

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

LHP Daniel Merklinger – (W, 2-5) 5.0 IP, 4 hits, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 K – 7.46 ERA
RHP Rob Bryson – (H, 1) 3.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 4.59 ERA
RF Caleb Gindl – 3-5, 3 1B, 2 RBI – .278 BA
1B Curt Rindal – 1-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, BB, 2 runs – .255 BA
DH David Fonseca – 1-4, HR (2), 3 RBI – .207 BA

AZL Brewers (1-3), 1.5 GB

Did not play

Helena Brewers (5-6), 4.0 GB

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

LHP Efrain Nieves – (W, 2-1) 6.0 IP, 7 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – 4.30 ERA
RHP Santo Manzanillo – (S, 1) 3.0 IP, 3.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 3.48 ERA
RF Mike Vass – 2-3, HR (1), 3 RBI, BB – .205 BA
3B John Delaney – 2-4, HR (1), RBI, 2 runs – .162 BA
CF Erik Komatsu – 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, run – .400 BA

Round ‘em Up: Friday

Hi everyone!  After a week-plus off, I’m back in the saddle.  Dan did a great job while I was gone, and I very much appreciate it.  Kudos to you, sir!

Anyway, I have quite a bit of news for you today.  Here we go:

• As you can all tell by the Minor League Boxscores from yesterday, Eric Gagne struggled quite a bit in his second rehab outing in Nashville.  That’s obviously not something you want to see.  Between the Green Pillars wonders what Ned Yost is going to do with Gagne.  Most likely, Gagne will be a seventh inning guy until he can prove himself capable of pitching in close games.  Either that, or Ned Yost will be stubborn and throw him out in a one-run game in the eighth inning just to prove something to the fans.  I hope its the former.
• Tom Haudricourt also writes about Gagne’s struggles, but brings up a good point.  Randy Choate has been lights-out in his rehab outings thus far.  The Brewers have a decision to make.  They can put him on waivers and hope he can clear.  Choate would then be sent to Triple-A Nashville.  It seems unlikely that a veteran left-hander would make it through waivers, so the Crew may simply have to promote him to the bigs.  That would mean Mitch Stetter may be saying goodbye to Milwaukee once again.
• Brew Crew Ball has a poll up about C.C. Sabathia.  Should the Brewers offer up stud prospects for a rental?  37% say the Brewers should trade for Sabathia, but only if no big name prospects were given up.  That’s obviously not going to be possible.  That leaves the 35% who say the Crew should trade for a lesser big name pitcher.  Like who?  Randy Wolf?  Please…
• Bugs and Cranks lets Brewers fans see how C.C. would look as a Milwaukee Brewer.  I don’t even know what to say about that.  It’s quite hideous, in fact.
• I wouldn’t be so quick to be so excited about a pending C.C. Sabathia acquisition.  NJ.com is reporting that the Cleveland Indians are attempting to sign the big left-hander to an extension.  This is most likely a token offer, however, as Sabathia has repeatedly stated that he does not wish to talk about his contract mid-season.

  Plus, MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that the Brewers most likely will not make a major acquisition before the trade deadline.  Starting pitching has been a major strength for the Brewers in the past month or so.  Why fix it if it ain’t broken?  If only it were that simple, right?

• The Milwaukee JS has a piece up about Salomon Torres.  Where would the Brewers be without their veteran closer?  He’s been one of the most pleasant surprises this season.  I think we all knew Doug Melvin had a steal when he acquired Torres for two no-name prospects during the winter.
• Here’s a Brewers-Twins series preview from SportsBubbler.com.  I wonder if a young man wrote the article.  I wouldn’t have guessed by the picture atop the article.
• SportsBubbler also recognizes LHP Zach Braddock as the player of the week.  He must have that “invisi-ball” working once again.  It will be extremely interesting to see how he fairs the rest of the season.  His arm is fragile, so his pitch count will most likely be quite strict throughout the year.  There is also a Vinny Rottino sighting in the Three Up section.
• Mat Gamel and Matt LaPorta have both been invited to play in the the U.S. Futures game.  Congratulations to both of them.  It is much deserved.
• Battlekow from Brew Crew Ball has been been quite proficient on the Minor League side of the game.  Today, he maps out the performances of some of the top prospects in the Brewers system.  Sure, the ranking is quite arbitrary, but it is still quite interesting to read.
• Get to know Tim Dillard from the Nashville Sounds.  I now know that if Tim is approached with the option A or B, he will choose C.  Interesting.
• Recently drafted RHP Trey Watten has been quite impressive in Helena thus far.  He only has two outings, but Trey has managed his nerves quite well in the beginning of his big league career.
• The Charleston Daily Mail has a nice article on 1B Curt Rindal from the West Virginia Power.  He has struggled with consistency for most of the year, but the young man has heated up quite nicely in June.  Let’s hope he can sustain this production for more than just one month.
• The Baseball Analysts have a list of the Best Players of Each Decade.  Both Hank Aaron and Robin Yount make the list.  Both very deserving.  Does anyone else from Milwaukee deserve to be mentioned?

Minor League Boxscores: Friday

Nashville Sounds (31-49), 14.0 GB

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

LHP Sam Narron - (W, 4-3) 4.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 4.66 ERA
RHP Eric Gagne – 0.2 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 10.80 ERA
LHP Randy Choate – 2.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 0.00 ERA
RF Brendan Katin – 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SB (3), 2 runs – .255 BA
CF Tony Gwynn Jr. – 2-5, 2B, run – .336 BA

Huntsville Stars (5-4), 2.0 GB

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

LHP Brae Wright – (W, 6-6) 8.0 IP, 6 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K – 3.56 ERA
SS Alcides Escobar – 3-6, 2B, HR (7), 3 RBI, 3 runs – .329 BA
3B Mat Gamel – 1-3, 2B, RBI, 3 BB – .373 BA
RF Matt LaPorta – 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB – .295 BA

Brevard County Manatees (3-5), 3.5 GB

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

RHP Alexandre Periard – (W, 6-6) 8.0 IP, 7 hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 3.75 ERA
RHP Mike McClendon – (S, 6) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 1 run (0 ER), 1 BB, 1 K – 4.99 ERA
CF Darren Ford – 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB, SB (40), run – .239 BA
RF Lorenzo Cain – 1-4, 2B, RBI, run – .276 BA

West Virginia Power (4-4), 1.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Lexington	2	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	0		8	12	0
West Virginia	0	2	1	0	0	3	0	1	0		7	14	1

RHP Amaury Rivas – ND, 5.2 IP, 7 hits, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K – 3.70 ERA
RHP Pedro Lambertus - (L, 0-2) 1.0 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K – 6.91 ERA
LF Eric Fryer – 3-4, 3 1B, RBI, run – .320 BA
DH Curt Rindal – 2-4, 2B, HR (5), 3 RBI, 2 runs – .253 BA

AZL Brewers (1-3), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
AZL Cubs	4	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0		7	8	2
AZL Brewers	2	0	0	0	0	1	2	6	X		11	14	5

RHP Greg Miller – ND, 1.0 IP, 4 hits, 4 runs (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K – 13.50 ERA
RHP Edwin Linares – (W, 1-0) 3.0 IP, 0 hits, 1 run (0 ER), 0 BB, 1 K – 0.00 ERA
LF Jose Garcia – 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 runs – .375 BA
3B Miguel Vasquez – 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, run – .273 BA

Helena Brewers (4-6), 4.0 GB

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

RHP Trey Watten – ND, 5.0 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K – 1.64 ERA
RHP Cody Adams – (BS, 1)(W, 1-1) 3.0 IP, 4 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 4.05 ERA
RHP Garrett Sherrill – (S, 1) 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – 9.64 ERA
DH Mike Vass – 2-4, 3B, RBI – .167 BA
2B Jose Duran – 2-3, 2 1B, RBI – .269 BA

Minor League Box Scores – Thursday

Nashville Sounds (30-49), 15.0 GB

Did Not Play

Huntsville Stars (4-4), 2.0 GB

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

P David Welch - 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K – 3.62 ERA
1B Christopher Errecart – 2-4, HR (12), 2 R, 2 RBI, BB – .282 BA
CF Michael Brantley - 2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB – .320 BA
3B Mat Gamel – 2-4, R, RBI, BB, 2 E (21) – .373 BA

Brevard County Mantees (2-5), 4.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Dunedin	2	0	0	0	0	0	4	1	0		7	10	1
Brevard County	1	0	1	0	2	0	1	1	0		6	11	3

P Joshua Butler – 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K – 5.86 ERA
1B Stephen Chapman – 2-4, HR (9), R, RBI – .202 BA
SS Brent Brewer – 2-4, 3B, 3 R, K, 2 SB, 2 E – .210 BA
RF Lorenzo Cain – 2-4, R, BB, K – .277 BA

West Virginia Power (4-3), 1.0 GB

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

P Michael Ramlow - 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 3.07 ERA
LF Eric Fryer – 2-4, HR (5), R, 2 RBI – .308 BA
DH Steffan Wilson – 1-4, HR (14), R, 2 RBI, K, 2 GIDP – .266 BA
2B Eric Farris – 3-5, RBI, K – .233 BA

Helena Brewers (3-6), 4.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Helena	0	0	4	0	1	1	0	0	0		6	4	3
Great Falls	0	0	2	2	0	0	7	1	X		12	7	1

P Brandon Ritchie – 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K – 5.40 ERA
CF Logan Schafer – 1-4, HR (2), R, 3 RBI, 2 K – .238 BA
1B Brock Kjeldgaard – 1-4, HR (1), R, RBI, 3 K – .194 BA
LF Erik Komatsu – 1-3, 2 R, BB – .429 BA

AZL Brewers (0-3), 2.0 GB

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

P Adrian Rosario – 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – 5.06 ERA
C Shawn Zarraga – 2-2, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, SF, SB – .600 BA
SS Carlos George – 2-4, 2B, R, SB, 2 E – .571 BA
2B Luis Sanchez – 2-5, 3B, 2 R, 2 K, E- .500 BA

Minor League Box Scores – Tuesday

Nashville Sounds (30-49), 15.0 GB

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

P Eric Gagne – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 0.00 ERA
P Richie Gardner - 3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K – 4.26 ERA
1B Brad Nelson - 2-5, HR (11), R, RBI, 2 K – .311 BA
3B Adam Heether – 2-4, 2 2B, R, BB, K – .243 BA
CF Tony Gwynn – 3-5, K, SB – .333 BA

Huntsville Stars (3-4), 2.0 GB

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

P Derek Miller – 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K – 4.66 ERA
1B Christopher Errecart - 3-3, R, RBI, BB – .278 BA
3B Mat Gamel - 2-5, 2B, R, RBI, 2 K – .371 BA
C Angel Salome - 2-5, 2B, R, RBI, K – .351 BA

Brevard County Mantees (2-4), 3.0 GB

Game 1

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

P Jeremy Jeffress – (W, 3-3), 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K – 4.75 ERA
DH Jonathan Lucroy – 1-3, HR (2), R, 2 RBI – .353 BA
C Martin Maldonado – 1-2, 2B, K – .273 BA
RF Lorenzo Cain – 1-3, R, K, SB – .274 BA

Game 2

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

P Zach Braddock – (L, 3-4), 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K – 4.33 ERA
RF Chuckie Caufield – 3-3 – .219 BA
3B Taylor Green - 1-3, HR (9), R, RBI – .299 BA
CF Darren Ford - 1-4, 2 K – .235 BA

West Virgina Power (4-2), 0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	2	0	3	1	4	0	1	0	0		11	16	1
Greensboro	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	5	3

P Evan Anundsen - (W, 7-4), 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K – 3.38 ERA
RF Caleb Gindl – 2-5, HR (7), 2 R, 2 RBI, BB – .268 BA
CF Lee Haydel - 3-6, 2 R, RBI, 2 K, SB – .291 BA
SS Matthew Cline – 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, E – .264 BA

Helena Brewers (3-5), 3.0 GB

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

P Michael Bowman - (W, 1-0), 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K – 2.00 ERA
LF Erik Komatsu – 2-4, R – .444 BA
DH Christopher Dennis - 1-4, R, BB – .300 BA
SS Michael Marseco – 1-3, R, RBI – .172 BA

AZL Brewers (0-2), 2.0 GB

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

P Kristian Bueno – (L, 0-1), 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K – 0.00 ERA
SS Carlos George – 2-3, 3B, CS, E – .667 BA
DH Jose Garcia - 1-4, 2B, R, K – .250 BA
3B Joseph Paciorek – 1-4, E – .250 BA

Minor League Box Scores – Monday

Nashville Sounds (30-47), 14.0 GB

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

P Steven Hammond - (L, 0-1), 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 1.50 ERA
CF Tony Gwynn – 3-5, R – .327 BA
SS Chris Woodward - 1-3, 2B, BB, K – .292 BA
1B Brad Nelson -1-4, 2B, RBI, BB – .306 BA

Huntsville Stars (3-3), 1.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Tenn	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0		3	10	2
Huntsville	0	1	2	0	0	4	0	0	X		7	11	1

P Mike Jones - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K – 6.48 ERA
3B Mat Gamel - 3-4, 2B, HR (15), R, 2 RBI – .371 BA
C Carlos Corporan - 2-4, HR (3), R, 3 RBI, K – .229 BA
LF Cole Gillespie – 1-3, 2B, 2 R, BB, K – .276 BA

Brevard County Manatees (1-3), 1.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Dunedin	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0		4	7	2
Brevard County	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	11	0

P Christopher Cody – (L, 0-2), 6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K – 8.59 ERA
SS Jimmy Mojica – 3-3, BB – .246 BA
2B Yohannis Perez - 2-4, 2B, K – .253 BA
3B Taylor Green – 0-3, 2 BB – .302 BA

West Virgina Power (2-2), 1.0 GB

Cmpl. Early: Rain	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	3	3	0	0	0	2	0				8	9	1
Kannapolis	4	1	0	0	0	2	X				7	11	2

P Daniel Merklinger – 1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K – 7.50 ERA
RF Caleb Gindl - 2-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, K – .271 BA
3B Steffan Wilson - 1-4, 3B, R, 2 RBI, E – .267 BA
CF Lee Haydel - 1-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB – .287 BA

Helena Brewers (2-4), 3.0 GB

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

P Santo Manzanillo - 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K – 4.91 ERA
LF Erik Komatsu – 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI, K – .444 BA
1B Brock Kjeldgaard – 2-4, 2B – .174 BA
DH Christopher Dennis – 1-3, R, BB – .273 BA

Minor League Box Scores – Sunday

Nashville Sounds (30-46), 13.0 GB

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

P Lindsay Gulin - 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K – 2.99 ERA
C Vinny Rottino - 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB – .282 BA
3B Adam Heether - 1-2, 2B, 3 RBI, SF, HBP – .241 BA
RF Brendan Katin - 1-3, 2B, 2 R, BB – .246 BA

Huntsville Stars (2-3), 1.0 GB

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

P Donovan Hand - 6 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K – 4.64 ERA
CF Michael Brantley – 2-2, 2 R, BB, S, 2 SB – .321 BA
1B Guilder Rodriguez - 3-4, 2B, R – .231 BA
DH Angel Salome – DH, 2-4, 2 R, RBI, GIDP – .357 BA

Brevard County Manatees  (1-2), 1.5 GB

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

P Alexandre Periard - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K – 4.14 ERA

CF Darren Ford - 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K – .238 BA
1B Stephen Chapman - 1B, 2-4, 3B, R, RBI, K, E – .203 BA
C Jonathan Lucroy - 1-3, 3B, BB, K – .400 BA
LF Charlie Fermaint - 1-2, 2 BB, CS – .242 BA

West Virgina Power (1-2), 1.5 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	1		3	11	0
Kannapolis	1	4	8	1	0	0	0	0	X		14	16	2

P Amaury Rivas – (L, 6-3), 2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K – 3.48 ERA
DH David Fonseca – 2-4, HR (1), R, 2 RBI, K – .197 BA
C Ulrich Snijders – 1-4, HR (2), R, RBI, K – .211 BA
1B Curt Rindal - 2-4, 2B, R, K, GIDP, CS – .245 BA

Helena Brewers (1-4), 3.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Missoula	4	0	0	2	0	0	1	2	4		13	15	1
Helena	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	5	3

P Cody Adams – (L, 0-1), 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 2.45 ERA
C Corey Kemp - 1-4, HR (1), R, RBI, K – . 263 BA
RF Erik Komatsu - 1-3, 2B, BB – .333 BA
CF Logan Schafer - 1-3, BB – .143 BA

Minor League Box Scores – Friday

Nashville Sounds (29-45), 14.0 GB

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

Derrick Turnbow - 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 WP – 10.95 ERA
Richie Gardner (W, 6-2) – 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K – 3.80 ERA
1B Brad Nelson - 3-3, HR (10), 3 RBI, SF – .312 BA
3B Adam Heether - 3-4, 2B, R, E – .236 BA
LF Mel Stocker - 3-5, 2 R – .287 BA

Hunstville Stars (1-2), 2.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11		R	H	E
West Tenn	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		4	11	1
Huntsville	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0		3	9	1

David Welch - 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K – 3.34 ERA
SS Alcides Escobar - 3-5, 2B, RBI – .333 BA
1B Matt LaPorta - 2-5, 2B, 2 K – .297 BA
2B Michael Bell - 1-3, R, BB, 2 K – .259 BA

Brevard Country Manatees (1-0), 0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Brevard County	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0		3	6	1
Daytona	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		2	10	1

Zach Braddock - 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K – 3.54 ERA
DH Taylor Green - 1-3, HR (8), R, RBI, BB, K – .306 BA
3B/1B Kenneth Holmberg – 1-2, 2 BB, SB – .239 BA
LF Charlie Fermaint - 1-3, R, BB, GIDP – .244 BA

West Virginia Power (1-0), 0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Virginia	1	0	0	3	4	0	0	0	2		10	13	0
Kannapolis	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	10	2

Evan Anundsen - (W, 6-4), 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K – 3.75 ERA
DH Curt Rindal - 3-5, 2 2B, R, 3 RBI – .242 BA
RF Caleb Gindl - 3-5, 2 2B, R, RBI, 2 K – .271 BA
1B Steffan Wilson - 2-4, 2B, 3 R, RBI, BB, K – .262 BA

Helena Brewers (0-3), 3.0 GB

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

Michael Bowman – 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K – 2.25 ERA
LF Christopher Dennis - 1-3, R, BB – .167 BA
CF Cutter Dykstra - 2B, 2-5, K, CS – .200 BA
3B Edgar Trejo -1-3, R, K – .364 BA

Minor League Box Scores: Thursday

Nashville Sounds (28-45), 14.0 GB

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

LHP Chris Narveson - (L, 2-8 ) 4 IP, 3H, 2R, 4K

CF Lance Nix - 2-5, 1HR, 3RBI .271

Huntville Stars (1-1), 1.0 GB

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
West Tenn	1	0	1	0	2	0	0	1	0		5	10	2
Huntsville	0	0	0	2	3	0	2	0	X		7	13	0

LHP Derek Miller - (W, 6-2), 8.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3K

SS Alcides Escobar - 3-5, 1 2B, .329

C Angel I. Salome – 3-4, .354

Brevard County (35-34) 6.5 GB

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

RHP Jeremy Jeffress - 4.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 3BB, 2K

C Martin Maldonado - 2-3, 2 2B, .267

West Virgina Power

All-Star Break

Helena Brewers (0-2), 2.0 GB

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

RHP Garett Sherill - (L, BS, 0-1) 4.1 IP, 4 H 2 R, 5K

C Edgar Trejo - 2-5, 1 HR, .357

Minor League Boxscores: Wednesday

Nashville Sounds (28-44), 13.0 GB

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

RHP Ben Howard - (L, 2-3) 5.1 IP, 8 hits, 5 ER, 4 BB, 6 K – 4.44 ERA
RHP David Riske – 1.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K – 0.00 ERA
RF Tony Gwynn Jr. – 2-4, 2 1B – .319 BA
2B Chris Woodward – 1-4, 2B – .283 BA

Huntsville Stars (0-1), 1.0 GB

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

LHP Steve Hammond – (L, 7-4) 5.2 IP, 10 hits, 5 runs (4 ER), 0 BB, 2 K – 3.45 ERA
RHP Joe Bateman – 3.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – 1.67 ERA
SS Alcides Escobar – 2-4, 2 1B – .324 BA

Brevard County Manatees (34-33), 7.0 GB

Game suspended.

West Virginia Power (32-37), 8.5 GB

All-Star break.

Helena Brewers (0-1), 1.0 GB

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

LHP Efrain Nieves – (L, 0-1) 4.2 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K – 7.71 ERA
SS Mikey Marseco – 2-3, 2 1B – .667 BA
2B John Delaney – 1-2, 1B, BB – .500 BA