Rex Hudler

By the way, our pitchers have owned Stars CF Dave Krynzel, but that guy can absolutely go get it in CF. He made two plays in Huntsville Wednesday night that were ESPN Top 10 easily! Both plays were within five feet of each other but several innings apart. In both, he made a catch running full speed into the gap, crashing into the wall hard immediately after making the catch. Both times the collision knocked him on his ass. He got up slowly, but caught them both. Both were absolutely outstanding plays.... jawdroppers if you will...

He had one start.... pitched just two innings as a tuneup for the playoffs..... Walked none, but gave up five hits and five runs, only one was earned.. I wouldn't say he pitched poorly because he didn't walk anyone. With any defense he would have been out of the inning with just one or two runs. There were two misplays as well as an error that didn't help him any. I think he was so focused on not walking anyone that he got the middle of the plate more than normal, like he overadjusted. It certainly wasn't his best stuff either, but I wouldn't call it poor. Hopefully he gets into a rhythm tomorrow and gets through the first two innings. If he can do that, I think he will be fine.

Cotts on the bump tomorrow to try and finish off the series, in a 1:00 matinee.

Great game tonight....... Yofu was strong..... great relief from Bullard and Meaux HUNTSVILLE (0) AT BIRMINGHAM (5) HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI D Krynzel CF 4 0 0 0 C Durham CF 3 1 1 0 A Machado 2B 4 0 0 0 D Sandoval 2B 4 1 1 0 J HARDY SS 4 0 2 0 J Reed RF 4 1 1 0 C Hart 3B 4 0 1 0 G Alvarez 1B 4 1 0 1 B Gemoll DH 4 0 1 0 S Bikowski DH 3 1 3 2 N Varner RF 4 0 1 0 C Maldonado C 4 0 0 0 B Nelson LF 4 0 0 0 J Hamilton LF 2 0 1 2 C Barnwell 1B 3 0 2 0 G Reyes SS 3 0 0 0 M Kremblas C 3 0 1 0 T Nicholson 3B 2 0 1 0 TOTALS 34 0 8 0 TOTALS 29 5 8 5 HUNTSVILLE 000 000 000 -- 0 BIRMINGHAM 300 002 00x -- 5 E--C Durham, A Machado, J HARDY. DP--HUNTSVILLE 1. LOB--HUNTSVILLE 7, BIRMINGHAM 4. 2B--T Nicholson, S Bikowski. CS--S Bikowski 2, J Hamilton, J HARDY. IP H R ER BB SO HR HUNTSVILLE J Shelley (L,0-1) 5 2-3 6 5 3 3 3 0 K Ray 1 1-3 1 0 0 1 1 0 M Parker 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 BIRMINGHAM T Yofu (W,1-0) 6 7 0 0 0 3 0 J Bullard 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 R Meaux 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 WP--T Yofu. SO--HUN: D Krynzel 2, B Gemoll, B Nelson, A Machado. BIR: J Hamilton, T Nicholson, C Maldonado, D Sandoval. BB--BIR: J Hamilton, T Nicholson, S Bikowski, C Durham. T--2:26. A--3,801.

I'll ignore all of the banter about Roman....... but I have no problem with the stament by ESPN at all. How is that negative towards the Sox??

Okay, it wasn't perfect, but damn close. Pacheco faced the minimum 27 batters, allowing just two singles and one walk. Both singles were erased on double play ground balls and the walk was caught stealing. No runner reached second all night for Huntsville. Juan Piniella had a bases-clearing double and a two-run HR to lead the Barons offensively. He was robbed of a single in the 1st inning by an incompetent official scorer. BIRMINGHAM (7) AT HUNTSVILLE (0) BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI D Sandoval 2B 3 3 1 1 A Machado 2B 3 0 0 0 J Piniella LF 4 1 2 5 D Krynzel CF 3 0 0 0 J Reed RF 3 0 0 0 J HARDY SS 3 0 0 0 G Alvarez 1B 4 0 0 1 C Hart 3B 2 0 1 0 S Bikowski DH 3 0 1 0 B Gemoll 1B 3 0 0 0 C Maldonado C 4 0 0 0 N Varner RF 3 0 0 0 T Nicholson 3B 3 1 0 0 B Nelson LF 3 0 1 0 G Reyes SS 4 1 1 0 D Clark DH 3 0 0 0 C Durham CF 3 1 0 0 M Kremblas C 3 0 0 0 TOTALS 31 7 5 7 TOTALS 26 0 2 0 BIRMINGHAM 100 040 200 -- 7 HUNTSVILLE 000 000 000 -- 0 E--J HARDY. DP--BIRMINGHAM 2, HUNTSVILLE 1. LOB--BIRMINGHAM 4. 2B--G Reyes. 3B--J Piniella. HR--J Piniella 1 (1) (off B Adams). SB--D Sandoval 1 (1). CS--B Nelson. S--J Piniella, J Reed. IP H R ER BB SO HR BIRMINGHAM E Pacheco (W,1-0) 9 2 0 0 1 5 0 HUNTSVILLE B Hendrickson (L,0-1) 5 3 5 4 2 3 0 B Adams 2 1 2 2 2 0 1 R Miller 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 WP--R Miller. HBP--T Nicholson by R Miller. SO--BIR: J Piniella 2, G Alvarez 2, J Reed. HUN: M Kremblas 2, D Clark, B Nelson, A Machado. BB--BIR: D Sandoval 2, S Bikowski, C Durham. HUN: C Hart. T--2:20. A--1,072.

I'll start a new thread.......

Great Falls lost, now two games back......

Rios is not on the 40-man roster.....

I saw Cotts pitch today, and while he wasn't sharp, I am not too worried..... He didn't walk anybody, but did get hit around a bit....... IN the five-run inning, there was an error, a misplay not called an error that could have gotten him an out, and another mental error that didn't help. He was scheduled to pitch no more than 4 innings if he was cruising. The fact he walked no one to me showed that he is okay. Keep in mind he had only pitched 1/3 of an inning in the last 9 days.

Borchard hit .254 in August (not counting today)......... He hit .287 in July

Cotts missed out on the leage ERA title by an inning and 2/3.

Doubtful..... My guess is he is done in Chicago for now.....

Welcome Back Missed your daily Great Falls articles... You'll have to make it up to us by keeping us up-to-date as they vie for the playoffs. ;-) Have you seen any good features on any players that you could go back and post for us?

Yes, that is Liefer. Borchard was better the last two months of the season, but still needs work. I doubt he will get called up just because there is no time to play him.

That just goes to show you how difficult it is evaluating young talent. It is hard enough being accurate once they get into the Minor Leagues, let alone straight out of HS or college.

Honestly, I have no clue...... It is impossible to guess what the Sox are thinking. My thought is that you have very few callups, only guys you think can help you in September. The Sox are in a race and I don't think it would help anyone to have guys they will rarely use, taking up space, taking up BP time, etc. I doubt they would want to do anything that could disrupt the chemistry of the locker room they have now, unless it is going to come from someone that will contribute. Perhaps a pitcher or three..... Perhaps Riviera and Burke

What question?

With the future of the Great Falls Sox season lying in the balance, down 2-1, with two out and two men on scoring position, with David Shafer, one of the premier closers on the mound for the Mustangs, Mario Valenzuela stepped to the plate... The Sox are not playoff-sure yet, but they certainly have a chance to show that they're an effective road team over the next five days. They spend Labor Day and Tuesday in Helena, and then travel to Billings for the final three games of the regular season. BILLINGS 2 AT GREAT FALLS 3 YTD YTD BILLINGS AB R H BI AVG GREAT FALLS AB R H BI AVG C.Dickerson CF 4 0 0 0 .240 A.Gray 2B 3 1 1 0 .290 T.Cairns 3B 4 0 0 0 .286 M.Myers SS 4 0 2 0 .288 L.Bolivar SS 3 0 0 0 .351 M.Valenzuela LF 5 0 3 2 .400 J.Votto 1B 2 0 1 0 .316 B.Bounds 1B 2 0 2 1 .319 M.Perez CAT 3 0 1 0 .340 C.Kelly PR 0 0 0 0 .250 B.Himes RF 4 1 1 0 .300 C.Kelly 1B 2 0 0 0 .250 R.Mosby DH 3 0 0 0 .224 C.Lee CAT 4 0 0 0 .290 W.Olmstead PH 1 0 1 0 .275 R.Sweeney RF 4 0 2 0 .438 P.Gentry LF 4 0 1 0 .222 S.Morris DH 4 0 2 0 .263 D.Beale 2B 3 1 0 0 .202 M.Schnurstei 3B 4 1 1 0 .264 J.Paduch PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Young CF 4 1 0 0 .211 C.Medlock PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Logan PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Shafer PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Moat PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 F.Hernandez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 31 2 5 0 TOTALS 36 3 13 3 BILLINGS 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0- 2 5 1 GREAT FALLS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2- 3 13 3 E--D.Shafer, M.Myers, R.Sweeney, B.Logan. DP--BILLINGS 0, GREAT FALLS 2. LOB--BILLINGS 7, GREAT FALLS 10. 2B--M.Valenzuela (4). SB--L.Bolivar (11), D.Beale (4). CS--M.Myers, R.Sweeney, S.Morris. HBP--L.Bolivar. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA BILLINGS J.Paduch 6.0 10 1 1 2 6 0 1.94 C.Medlock 2.0 1 0 0 1 3 0 1.69 D.Shafer (L,0-3) 0.2 2 2 0 0 1 0 2.91 GREAT FALLS B.Logan 5.0 3 1 0 1 6 0 6.82 M.Moat 3.0 1 1 0 3 7 0 2.89 F.Hernandez (W,1-2) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.99 HB--M.Moat. WP--B.Logan. SO--C.Dickerson 4, L.Bolivar, J.Votto, B.Himes 2, R.Mosby 3, P.Gentry, D.Beale, M.Myers, M.Valenzuela, C.Kelly, C.Lee 4, S.Morris 2, C.Young. BB--J.Votto 2, M.Perez, D.Beale, A.Gray 2, M.Myers. T--2:54. A--2965

Kannapolis gets crushed........ again KANNAPOLIS 2 AT LAKEWOOD 12 YTD YTD KANNAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG LAKEWOOD AB R H BI AVG B.Ivy LF 4 0 0 0 .180 C.Roberson CF 3 1 0 0 .236 L.Luna SS 4 0 1 0 .138 C.Rodriguez SS 5 2 2 0 .192 J.Terrell DH 4 1 1 0 .268 J.Isenhower LF 5 2 2 1 .245 M.Christense 3B 4 0 1 0 .234 T.Jones 3B 5 3 3 5 .238 D.Ciraco CF 2 0 0 1 .228 A.Jarvis 1B 4 1 2 1 .282 J.Reyes 1B 3 1 1 0 .256 C.Martinez CAT 5 0 1 1 .256 G.Molina CAT 4 0 0 0 .229 N.Italiano DH 3 1 1 1 .333 E.Young RF 4 0 1 1 .246 M.McRoberts RF 4 0 0 0 .179 F.Lebron 2B 3 0 1 0 .229 M.Tugwell 2B 4 2 3 1 .208 B.Miller PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Simon PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Garza PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Read PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Perez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 32 2 6 2 TOTALS 38 12 14 10 KANNAPOLIS 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- 2 6 1 LAKEWOOD 0 0 2 0 3 0 4 3 X-12 14 0 E--F.Lebron. DP--KANNAPOLIS 0, LAKEWOOD 1. LOB--KANNAPOLIS 6, LAKEWOOD 6. 2B--L.Luna (2), J.Terrell (7), T.Jones (27), C.Martinez (8), M.Tugwell (7). 3B--N.Italiano (1). HR--T.Jones (11). SB--C.Rodriguez 2 (18), J.Isenhower (14). SF--D.Ciraco, N.Italiano. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA KANNAPOLIS B.Miller (L,8-12) 5.0 7 5 5 2 2 1 5.30 R.Garza 1.1 2 2 2 0 2 0 2.89 A.Perez 1.2 5 5 3 1 0 0 4.41 LAKEWOOD A.Simon (W,5-0) 6.0 6 2 2 1 5 0 3.79 R.Read (S,2) 3.0 0 0 0 1 4 0 5.61 BALKS--A.Simon. PB--C.Martinez. SO--B.Ivy, L.Luna 2, M.Christense, D.Ciraco 2, J.Reyes, E.Young 2, C.Rodriguez, T.Jones, M.McRoberts, M.Tugwell. BB--D.Ciraco, J.Reyes, C.Roberson 2, A.Jarvis. T--2:37. A--8439

Five pitchers combine on a shutout for Winston....... WINSTON-SALEM 3 AT FREDERICK 0 YTD YTD WINSTON-SALEM AB R H BI AVG FREDERICK AB R H BI AVG M.Spidale CF 3 1 1 0 .262 W.Cliffords CF 4 0 0 0 .282 R.Yan 2B 3 1 2 0 .266 O.Rogers 2B 4 0 1 0 .295 D.Holt LF 3 0 1 1 .262 V.Majewski DH 4 0 1 0 .288 E.Storey DH 3 1 1 1 .266 M.Huggins 1B 4 0 0 0 .293 C.Rogowski PH 1 0 0 0 .248 T.Johnson 3B 3 0 0 0 .273 E.Welsh 1B 3 0 1 1 .240 G.Davies RF 1 0 1 0 .265 J.Lackaff 3B 4 0 0 0 .262 D.Gredvig PH 1 0 0 0 .270 N.Martel RF 4 0 1 0 .273 P.Shier RF 1 0 0 0 .266 P.Lopez SS 4 0 2 0 .231 A.Manley LF 3 0 0 0 .196 W.Rosa CAT 4 0 0 0 .214 G.Cates PH 1 0 0 0 .316 B.O'Neal PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 O.Martinez CAT 3 0 1 0 .248 D.Ulacia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Fahey SS 2 0 0 0 .233 J.Castro PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 E.Bedard PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 N.Lubisich PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.Knapp PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fields PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 A.Mitchell PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Lewis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 32 3 9 3 TOTALS 31 0 4 0 WINSTON-SALEM 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0- 3 9 2 FREDERICK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 0 4 0 E--P.Lopez 2. DP--WINSTON-SALEM 2, FREDERICK 3. LOB--WINSTON-SALEM 6, FREDERICK 7. 2B--E.Welsh (17). HR--E.Storey (9). SB--M.Spidale (24), R.Yan 2 (76), D.Holt (8). SF--E.Welsh. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA WINSTON-SALEM B.O'Neal 3.0 1 0 0 1 3 0 3.47 D.Ulacia (W,3-1) 2.2 2 0 0 2 0 0 0.42 J.Castro 1.1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.01 N.Lubisich 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3.18 J.Fields (S,20) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.10 FREDERICK E.Bedard (L,0-1) 3.2 5 3 3 1 2 1 7.36 B.Knapp 3.1 2 0 0 0 2 0 9.24 A.Mitchell 1.0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3.46 R.Lewis 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3.34 WP--B.O'Neal. SO--E.Storey 2, J.Lackaff, N.Martel, W.Rosa, W.Cliffords, T.Johnson, A.Manley 2, B.Fahey. BB--M.Spidale, R.Yan, D.Holt, T.Johnson, G.Davies, B.Fahey. T--2:41. A--10932

One helluva pitching duel through five innings..... Yofu scheduled for five readying for the playoffs, otherwise the game may still be 0-0. GREENVILLE (6) AT BIRMINGHAM (0) GREENVILLE AB R H BI BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI C Thomas CF 3 1 0 0 D Sandoval 2B 4 0 0 0 R Castro 3B 4 2 3 0 T Nicholson 3B 4 0 1 0 C Aldridge RF 4 0 2 2 G Alvarez 1B 4 0 0 0 J Jurries DH 4 1 1 1 S Bikowski LF 4 0 0 0 J Fitzgerald LF 4 0 1 2 C Maldonado DH 4 0 0 0 R Lewis 2B 4 0 0 0 J Hamilton RF 2 0 0 0 P Orr SS 4 1 1 0 S Morales C 3 0 0 0 B Jeffcoat 1B 3 0 0 0 G Reyes SS 3 0 2 0 B Terveen C 2 1 0 1 C Durham CF 2 0 0 0 TOTALS 32 6 8 6 TOTALS 30 0 3 0 GREENVILLE 000 001 041 -- 6 BIRMINGHAM 000 000 000 -- 0 E--C Durham, P Orr, A Wainwright. DP--GREENVILLE 1. LOB--GREENVILLE 6, BIRMINGHAM 5. 2B--C Aldridge, R Castro, J Jurries. SB--J Hamilton 1 (22), D Sandoval 1 (21). SF--C Aldridge, B Terveen. IP H R ER BB SO HR GREENVILLE A Wainwright (W,10-8) 6 2 0 0 1 7 0 B Digby 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 R Colon 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 K Barry 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 BIRMINGHAM T Yofu 5 2 0 0 0 6 0 K McWhirter (L,3-8) 2 1-3 2 4 4 3 0 0 J Stumm 1 2-3 4 2 2 1 1 0 WP--K Barry, A Wainwright. HBP--C Thomas by T Yofu. SO--GRE: J Fitzgerald 2, P Orr, B Terveen, B Jeffcoat, R Lewis, J Jurries. BIR: S Bikowski 2, S Morales 2, C Maldonado 2, J Hamilton, D Sandoval, G Alvarez, T Nicholson. BB--GRE: C Thomas, B Terveen, R Castro, B Jeffcoat. BIR: J Hamilton, C Durham. T--2:36. A--4,362.

Charlotte blew an 8-2 lead, including giving up two in the bottom of the 9th tonight and was eliminated from playoff contention..... Matt Ginter gave up three straight hits in the 9th, including a game-winning two-run double. CHARLOTTE (8) AT DURHAM (9) CHARLOTTE AB R H BI DURHAM AB R H BI A Miles 2B 3 1 0 0 J Tyner CF 4 0 0 0 J Burke DH 4 2 2 1 B Badeaux 2B 4 1 1 1 R Gload 1B 4 1 2 3 J Smith PH 1 0 0 0 J Borchard CF 4 2 1 0 M Diaz LF 5 2 2 0 M Rivera C 5 0 2 2 C Truby 3B 5 2 2 0 A Rios RF 5 0 2 1 R Jackson 1B 5 3 4 5 R Hankins 3B 5 0 1 1 J Gomes DH 3 1 2 0 S Morgan LF 3 1 0 0 G Lombard RF 3 0 0 0 J Nunez SS 4 1 1 0 J Liefer PH 1 0 1 1 J Cantu SS 4 0 2 1 H Ortiz C 4 0 1 1 TOTALS 37 8 11 8 TOTALS 39 9 15 9 CHARLOTTE 241 100 000 -- 8 DURHAM 010 130 202 -- 9 0 OUTS WHEN WINNING RUN SCORED. E--R Hankins, L Gardner, M Diaz. LOB--CHARLOTTE 8, DURHAM 8. 2B--R Gload, M Diaz 2, R Jackson, C Truby. HR--R Gload 1 (18) (off C Bowers), B Badeaux 1 (1) (off M Porzio), R Jackson 1 (13) (off M Porzio). SB--J Nunez 1 (14). S--R Gload. SF--J Burke. IP H R ER BB SO HR CHARLOTTE M Porzio 4 1-3 8 5 5 1 4 2 J Adkins 2 1-3 3 2 2 0 2 0 A Munoz 1-3 1 0 0 0 1 0 B Koch 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 M Ginter (L,3-5) 0 3 2 2 0 0 0 DURHAM C Bowers 2 7 6 6 3 1 1 T Belitz 2 3 2 1 1 3 0 T Haines 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 E Rust 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 L Gardner (W,3-7) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 WP--M Porzio. HBP--J Gomes by M Porzio. SO--CHA: S Morgan 2, A Rios 2, M Rivera, J Burke, R Gload, J Borchard, J Nunez. DUR: G Lombard 3, J Cantu, C Truby, J Gomes, B Badeaux. BB--CHA: A Miles 2, S Morgan, J Borchard. DUR: J Tyner. T--3:11. A--9,531.

Also, Charlotte lost today and is now out of the playoffs, so you may see some players called up tomorrow or Tuesday. I doubt you will see many, however.

That is my best guess..... My understanding was that Stewart would not pitch again this season. They were hoping he would be able to pitch some in Instructional league. My guess is that they are doing just that, using his spot for flexibility in the playoffs.