Link Report for Games of Saturday, June 21st -- Nixed

[MTBrew]

Absolutely pathetic in Helena!

Corey Kemp was the only position player who showed up tonight!

I've gone to the first 5 games ...

- mental errors, (read fundamentals) in each game,

no excuse for what happened at second base tonight in the first inning,

not hitting the cut off man,

can't execute a run-down ( Trejo was hurt in the botched one 6/19).

- lack of patience at the plate

- inability to even put the ball in play, I shudder to think of them even trying a hit and run

- weak defense, up the middle, at the corners (especially with Trejo hurt),

the Kjeldgaard experiment is painful to watch but the team has no one else (Kjeldgaard needs a day off),

hell, they've got no real 3rd baseman either, now that Trejo is hurt.

Schafer and Komatsu have improved the of, however I have no use for an of who turns his back on the infield while the ball is in play.

- very little "team" emotion, maybe I am spoiled from having Eddie Sedar here or Matt Cline and Zelous Wheeler last year providing some spark but this club sits in the dugout. no one is on the steps, no one is meeting the players as they come off the field, Kemp was well into the dugout before anyone raised a hand for him tonight (granted it was 13 - 0),

except for the on deck hitter no one is up studying the pitchers.

I also don't like watching players going thru the motions during pre-game workouts, stretching and infield or hitters standing in the box watching their popups getting caught.

 

Sorry for the ramble, but I can't remember when I last saw a game so poorly played. It was a culmination of all the piss poor play the previous 4 games. Right now this is a very strangely constructed ball club with questionable coaching and portends for a long summer in Helena.

[battlekow]

however I have no use for an of who turns his back on the infield while the ball is in play.

Who was that?

 

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Osprey crush Brewers

By JEFF WINDMUELLER - Helena Independent Record

 

After a quick time out, Helena Brewers catcher Corey Kemp situated himself in the batter's box and took a swing. Kemp crushed the 1-2 pitch over the left field fence and into the upper half of the safety net for the solo home run.

 

After 8 1/2 innings of doldrums, Kemp gave what was left of the 1,004 fans that initially graced the stands at Kindrick Legion Field something to cheer about Saturday night. His was the Brewers' (1-4) lone run of the evening as they lost 13-1 to the Missoula Osprey (1-4).

 

"I hope it's a lift for him. I don't think he's been swinging the bat the way he'd like to, but maybe that gets him on his way," said Brewers manager Rene Gonzales "When it's that kind of game, 13-0, a lopsided score, you've kind of just got to be selfish and get yours."

 

As for the rest of the team?

 

"It was kind of polar opposites from last night," he said.

 

The Brewers defeated Missoula 10-0 on Friday to get their first win of the year. The two teams will return tonight in another tie for last place in the Pioneer League's Northern Division.

 

Helena faltered early as starting pitcher Cody Adams gave up four runs - only one of them earned - in the first inning.

 

With a runner on first, Missoula's Kyle Greene hit a grounder to Brewers' first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard. Kjeldgaard jumped on the ball quickly, but then threw the ball high to second in an effort to pick up the double play. The error allowed Greene on base and the next batter, Alberto Diaz, singled to left to score one before Rafael Hilario grounded to center to score two more.

 

"It's going to go back to the fundamental things, in the first inning we blew open, and throughout the game, even we were down 7-0 we were making mistakes," Gonzales said about the loss.

 

Missoula scored twice more in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Adonys Canelo and Reynaldo Navarro. Ryne White came in on a single by Greene in the seventh and Isaias Ascencio's first at-bat after taking right field in the seventh inning netted a two-run homer that nearly cleared the ballpark.

 

Brewers pitcher Rolando Pascual had to be relieved by Nestor Corredor, who closed out a ninth inning that netted four more runs for the Osprey.

 

Missoula's starter, Rafael Quezada, couldn't fit the ball over the plate to start the game, walking John Delaney and went 3-0 counts on the next two batters before getting them out. Quezada wouldn't allow a hit until the fifth inning when Chris Dennis' infield grounder popped off the mound and just beyond the reach of the pitcher's glove.

 

"He might have been effectively wild at first. He wasn't throwing a whole lot of strikes. To be honest with you, sometimes it's tough to hit a guy like that," Gonzales said, referring to Quezada.

 

Quezada certainly found the strike zone and a little bit of confidence, striking out four and giving up the lone hit in five innings of play.

 

The Brewers finished with just five hits on the game to Missoula's 15.

 

Navarro led the Osprey, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI. Ascencio also hit a sacrifice fly and Canelo went 2-for-4 with the double and three RBI.

 

Delaney, Logan Schafer and Eric Komatsu added hits for the Brewers.

 

Adams (0-1) finished with the loss, giving up seven hits with one strike out over 3 2/3 innings. Pascual had the roughest night, giving up six earned runs in two innings of work.

 

The Brewers host the Osprey again tonight for their third in a three-game series. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PM (5:05 Central).

 

"What do you say to those guys?" Gonzales said. "Not much, be ready to go tomorrow, we have a lot of games to play."

 

Photos by Lisa Kunkel, Helena IR staff photographer - Helena Brewers pitcher Cody Adams throws a fastball during Pioneer League action Saturday night at Kindrick Legion Field. Adams struck out Missoula's Tyrell Worthington on the next pitch.

 

http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2008/06/22/sports/top/50spl_080621_brewers.jpg

 

Missoula's Rafael Hilario dives head first into second base as Brewer Jose Duran waits for the throw from third during Pioneer League action Saturday night at Kindrick Legion Field. Hilario was safe at the base.

 

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2008/06/22/sports/top/50spl_080621_brewers-2.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Thank, MTBrew! Even though you don't have a lot of posts on the forum, we recognize you from prior years as a faithful and knowledgable fan.

 

Too bad the H-Crew play hasn't been as good as the Helena newspaper coverage and photos, always excellent.

 

Your post is sure to garner interest from many in the organization who make the Link Report a daily visit (not bragging, just relaying what I know to be the case).

 

There is always at least one organizational coordinator on site with the club, it seems (last night it was roving infield instructor Garth Iorg). Hopefully he's reporting the same things back to Reid Nichols so they can nip this in the bud.

 

Heck, at the least, the Brewers love the Charleston facilities and would like to renew that affiliation -- a strong Helena class coming in would help.

 

Thanks for the first-hand report, keep us posted.

[Mass Haas]

Here's another well-written analysis -- to be sure, "oddly-constructed" does seem to apply here as well, meaning Reid Nichols also has work to do, but we as fans (especially local Helena fans) have to remember the reasons behind it --

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

Flexibility essential in minor leagues

By JEFF WINDMUELLER - Independent Record

Oh, the work of a minor league manager.

Every year it's a new crop of ballplayers, sometimes great and abundant, other times hardly enough to fill the roster. The players can turn into superstars like former Helena Brewer Ryan Braun, last year's National League Rookie of the Year. Or, they can fade away beneath the bright evening lights.

At the beginning of every summer season, the Helena Brewers manager has the unenviable task of fielding a team with those players hand-picked by the Milwaukee organization.

Complications often arise. Two years ago, former manager Ed Sedar, now a first-base coach for Milwaukee, was dealt a team loaded with five catchers and not enough outfielders. It was sometimes easy to tell who fit in the field and who was a newborn "utility" player that had switched from crouching behind the plate to staring into the sun.

On one occasion, a center fielder ran up to catch a pop fly before realizing he had misjudged it, backtracking as fast as he could. When it came down, the ball flew about an inch above the players' glove and nearly grazed his head. He was charged with an error and the opposing team was able to score.

This year, new manager Rene Gonzales ran into a dilemma similar to his predecessors.

On opening night, Helena had just 25 players, 14 of them pitchers. That's 10 players short of what they're allowed on the roster and five short of the players they can have listed as active for the game.

It also left just three outfielders to play in three positions and five infielders for four. Again, there was depth at catcher with three of them, but players have since been shuffled around the diamond.

In their 6-5 loss to the Great Falls Voyagers on Thursday, their third in a row, the Brewers' lack of depth nearly caught up with them. Third baseman Edgar Trejo chased down Voyagers' pinch hitter Doug Thennis, keeping him from scoring. But, in the process, Trejo sprained his knee and fell right on top of the baseline. He was able to make a smart play, tossing the ball up to catcher Derrick Alfonso, who threw out the batter headed toward first, but a hush quickly came over the crowd. Not only to see if Trejo was all right, but how Gonzales would troubleshoot the situation.

Earlier in the game, starting catcher Brett Whiteside skipped the final few feet to second base, obviously having pulled a muscle.

That meant Gonzales would need to dig deeper into the roster and make changes more commonly seen in Legion ball.

Gonzales moved Cutter Dykstra from left field to second base and John Delaney from second to third. Meanwhile, Logan Schafer, who had literally been introduced to the team early that afternoon, came in for the first time to play in the outfield.

"It was a move, but we weren't that out of synch. Cutter could play second base, he was drafted solely as a second baseman, but we thought just with his athleticism ... center field was more new to him than the infield," Gonzales said after the game. "Schafer came in, it was his first at-bat and in a key situation, he had a decent at-bat."

That's true. Schafer had an RBI ground out and Alfonso brought in a runner in the ninth as the Brewers nearly rallied from a four-run deficit to tie the game.

It turns out, Gonzales made the right move, even though it meant bringing in a player that wasn't in tune with the rest of the team to do it.

While it was an unlucky turn of events, Gonzales was at least lucky that he could substitute the players that had previous experience at the position. One day earlier and Schafer wouldn't have been an option.

It's important for fans to remember that as an affiliate of the Milwaukee organization, the Helena team is subject to the needs of the major leagues. It's their goal to develop players that might be able to make it to The Show, and if that means loading a team with players used to the same position, so be it.

It's also one of the reasons why the best players on Helena's squad are often gone within a few weeks, and why former manager Jeff Isom's team went from the top team in the Pioneer League Northern Division the first half of last season to fighting for wins by the end of summer.

Right now, the Brewers still have some players lying in wait to sign contracts, others that were sidelined in the College World Series. Until then, utility players will be key, which can be a positive note on their careers. Versatility is a strength, as Gonzales would know after playing eight different positions in the majors.

As the players get used to the change, or the final Brewers arrive, Helena (1-4) will start to improve.

While that doesn't necessarily mean more wins, at least Helena fans will be privy to a better brand of baseball.

As Gonzales put it with a smile, "Yeah, I'm a little bit strapped for players, and the other manager is going 'Wow, I feel for you,' but what are you going to do? It means more playing time for the guys. They'll get better."

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Sounds get rare series-opening win

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

A solid series start hasn't been common for the Sounds.

 

After dropping the first game in each of their previous four series, the Sounds opened their four-game set against Memphis with an 8-5 victory Saturday night at Greer Stadium.

 

Chris Woodward's two-run single in the seventh inning broke a 4-4 tie and sparked a four-run rally, as Nashville improved to 6-14 in series openers this season. It was the Sounds' third win in their past 15 games.

 

"We've been playing all right, but for some reason, you sometimes play a team where you score some runs and they come right back and score; that happened a lot to us," Woodward said. "We've just got to come up with the big hits when we can.

 

"We're going to get the breaks, but right now, we've got to make our own. That's sometimes hard to do."

 

Just as Woodward described, the Sounds took a 2-0 second-inning lead before Memphis answered with two in the third. Nashville's 4-2 lead after five innings evaporated as the Redbirds scored a run off starter Lindsay Gulin in the sixth and one off reliever Tim Dillard in the seventh.

 

The Memphis seventh could have been more painful, but Dillard managed to work out of a one-out, bases-loaded situation by getting a foul out and a line out.

 

"We did a good job of damage control there," Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas said.

 

Dillard, in his first appearance since returning from the Milwaukee Brewers, stranded a pair of runners in the eighth, and the Redbirds managed a run in the ninth off Ben Howard.

 

What they said: "From top to bottom, everybody put good wood on it; the pitcher doesn't get a break." - Adam Heether.

 

Photo by SHELLEY MAYS / THE TENNESSEAN

The Sounds' Vinny Rottino scores the first run of an 8-5 victory Saturday in front of Memphis' Jaime Garcia.

http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20080622&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=806220409&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Gagne may pitch at Greer

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

The stars could be out Tuesday night at Greer Stadium.

 

Following a successful simulated game Saturday in Milwaukee, Brewers reliever Eric Gagne is expected to make a couple of rehab starts for the Sounds later this week. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Gagne - who was placed on the disabled list May 23 with a shoulder injury -likely will start Tuesday against the Memphis Redbirds.

 

Meanwhile, St. Louis left-hander Mark Mulder has made three rehab starts for the Redbirds as he attempts to come back from a shoulder injury he suffered during spring training. Mulder's last start was Thursday, which in a five-man rotation would line him up to go again Tuesday.

 

More movement anticipated: Former Sounds second baseman Rickie Weeks is expected to be activated today by the Brewers, meaning Hernan Iribarren will be optioned back to Nashville.

 

Weeks has been out since June 7 with a sprained left knee.

 

Arrested: Sounds outfielder Laynce Nix claimed his innocence late Saturday night after being arrested earlier in the day.

 

Nix was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on James Robertson Parkway, WTVF-5 reported.

 

"I was charged with this, but everything is pending," said Nix, who did not play in Saturday's game. "I passed the field sobriety tests and no way was I impaired."

 

Growing pains: The game-tying passed ball charged to Sounds catcher Vinny Rottino in the seventh inning Saturday was his 13th of the season, bringing the team total to 16. Tacoma's 12 passed balls are the second-most in the PCL.

 

Although he was the PCL's starting catcher in last year's Triple-A All-Star game, this is the first season Rottino has focused solely on catching.

 

A former third baseman, Rottino caught 56 games for Nashville last year in a backup role, while playing 30 in the outfield, 10 at first base and seven at third base.

 

This season, he has made 65 of his 66 starts behind the plate.

 

Staying hot: Memphis pitcher Jaime Garcia, who tripled during his May 19 start at Greer, doubled and scored in the third inning. His run was the first for the Redbirds.

 

Rush to judgement: Sounds Manager Frank Kremblas sprinted from the dugout to discuss a questionable call with third-base umpire Jake Uhlenhopp during the seventh inning.

 

With runners at first and second, D'Angelo Jimenez hit a ball to shallow left field that Mel Stocker fielded and appeared to throw to third in time to retire Joe Mather - who was called safe.

 

Kremblas argued briefly, then returned to the dugout. Moments later, Mather scored on the passed ball by Rottino.

[Mass Haas]

Still quite-raw RHP Santo Manzanillo gets the start for Helena Sunday evening. Here's hoping he helps stem the tide for the boys.

[Minigoon]

Another quality start for Alexandre Periard in a losing effort. That is 6 straight quality starts. 25 K's to 9 BB's in that span as well. Keep it up Alex!

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Backup plan works

Reserves provide big hits as Stars edge West Tenn

By BRAD SHEPARD

For The Huntsville Times

 

As the innings passed and the raindrops fell on a massive crowd of 6,302 fans, a thought crossed Cole Gillespie's mind.

 

"I did think about this being another extra-inning game," the Huntsville Stars left fielder said, "but instead, we found a way to win."

 

After losing 11-inning and 13-inning games the past two nights to West Tenn, Huntsville rallied from four runs down Saturday to beat their Southern League North Division nemesis 7-6.

 

Reserve catcher Carlos Corporan delivered an RBI double down the third-base line for the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.

 

Another backup - infielder Guilder Rodriguez - went 3-for-4 with a seventh-inning double that led to a run.

 

"Neither one of them play much, but they came through," Stars manager Don Money said. "Guilder is the type of player who always has a knack to help you win, and Corp is just known for being a throw-and-catch guy who calls a good game.

 

"Every night, it seems like it's down to the last hitter, the last swing."

 

It was again Saturday. Following Corporan's RBI double, Huntsville called on Juan Sandoval to close the game. The reliever delivered another adventure.

 

"Same ol' Sandoval - here we go," Money said. "Walks the first batter, wild pitch, runner on second and no out, and I'm thinking, 'Here we go again.' But he battled back."

 

Sandoval rallied to strike out Mike Wilson, coaxed a ground out from Adam Moore and fanned Jon Nelson to end it. He pumped his fist violently after Nelson's swing and miss. It may only be one win, but the way the Jaxx have beaten up on the Stars lately, it felt big.

 

It also ended a long day for the Stars (2-3), who arrived at 1 p.m. for bunting practice after some shoddy fundamentals the past couple of nights.

 

"A win is a win, but that team beat us in an important game," said Sandoval, recalling Tuesday's playoff loss to West Tenn that decided the first-half pennant race. "So it's good to beat them."

 

Huntsville, which came from five runs behind Friday only to lose in 13 innings, rallied from four back after starter Donovan Hand gave up three no-doubt home runs in the first four innings to trail 5-1.

 

It stayed that way until the sixth when the Stars ripped Anderson Garcia with a four-run inning of their own. The big blow came on a two-triple by Gillespie, who scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

 

In the seventh, Rodriguez's hustle turned a bloop hit into a double, and he took third on a throwing error before scoring to put the Stars up 6-5.

 

"I've stayed here four years, and I know I don't play every day, but I'll play wherever and whenever the manager needs me," Rodriguez said.

 

"I work hard everyday to stay ready for when my team needs me."

 

Stars reliever Josh Wahpepah gave the lead right back in the top of the eighth, but Corporan's big hit broke the 6-6 tie in the bottom half.

 

"They've got a pretty good club," Corporan said. "But tonight, we got the big hits and did the little things, and good things happened."