Stars return home after sweep

Fresh off a sweep of a Thursday night doubleheader in Vancouver, the Las Vegas Stars open a 12-game homestand tonight at Cashman Field with a 7:05 p.m. contest against the Salt Lake Buzz.

The question is just how many of those 12 games will left-handed starter Heath Murray be around to watch?

Even before Murray upped his record to 4-1 by allowing just four hits and one earned run over six innings in the Stars' 5-1 victory in Thursday night's opener, there was speculation he could be promoted by the San Diego Padres to replace the struggling Stan Spencer in the Padres' rotation.

San Diego pitching coach Dave Smith and general manager Kevin Towers were to discuss Spencer's future Thursday in Fort Wayne, Ind., where the Padres played an exhibition game against their new single-A affiliate en route to a weekend series in Cincinnati. Spencer is 0-5 with an 8.22 ERA and already had been told he will be skipping his next scheduled start on Monday.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Smith and Towers were to decide whether to send Spencer back down to Las Vegas while recalling Murray or sending Spencer to the bullpen and spot-starting Brian Boehringer (1-1, 3.38).

Murray got all the offensive support he needed in the first inning Thursday night when Vancouver native Aaron Guiel, playing in front of his parents, smacked a three-run homer, his fourth of the season.

The Stars (16-17), who split their 12 games on their long Canadian road trip, also won the nightcap, 7-5, behind another strong pitching performance, this time by right-hander Jose Mercedes.

Mercedes (1-1), trying to rebound from right rotator cuff surgery, picked up his first victory of the year by allowing just three hits and two earned runs over six innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Catcher Jimmy Gonzalez hit a two-run homer and right-fielder Mike Darr and first baseman Dusty Allen drove in two runs each to lead the Stars offensively.

* STARS NOTES: The Stars were to arrive back from Vancouver at about 1 p.m. this afternoon. ... Shortstop Rico Rossy, who left the team on Monday to fly to Puerto Rico for the funeral of his sister-in-law, who was killed Saturday in an auto accident, arrived back in Vancouver at 5 p.m. and played in both games as a late-inning defensive replacement. ... Infielder Clayton Snellgrove, promoted from single-A Rancho Cucamonga to give the battered Stars some infield depth, started the second game and had two doubles in three at-bats. ... Lefty reliever Roberto Rivera, recently demoted by the Padres, made his Stars' debut in the second game and surrendered three hits and three runs in just one inning.

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