Link Report for Games of Sunday, May 31st

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Sunday's Daily Menu --

 

All times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Link here for the live audio choices - audio will no longer archive.

 

For the Brevard County series, you can click on the audio link for the Fort Myers (Twins) feed.

 

Nashville: RHP Tim Dillard vs. Omaha (Royals), 1:45 PM pre-game; 2:00 gametime

 

Huntsville: LHP Chris Cody at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:00 gametime

 

Brevard County: RHP Amaury Rivas at home vs. Fort Myers (Twins), 12:05 PM gametime

 

Wisconsin: RHP Michael Bowman at West Michigan (Tigers), 12:45 PM pre-game, 1:00 gametime

[Mass Haas]

Follow Sunday's action as it happens:

Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Tab or New Window". Choose "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often.

 

MiLB.com now has Gameday available for AA as well as AAA this season.

 

Nashville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2009_05_31_omaaaa_nasaaa_1

 

Huntsville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2009_05_31_biraax_hunaax_1

 

Brevard County:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2009_05_31_ftmafa_breafa_1

 

Wisconsin:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_05_31_wisafx_wmiafx_1&did=t572&sid=t572

[Mass Haas]

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated a few hours prior to gametime.

 

Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format):

 

[Mass Haas]

Click here for Chris Mehring's Rattler Radio Blog shortly before Wisconsin's gametime start for all of his usual pre-game updates.

[Mass Haas]

Midwest League Standings

[Mass Haas]

 Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 27 24 .529 - 13-13 14-11 L1 Memphis 25 23 .521 0.5 14-10 11-13 W1 Iowa 25 24 .510 1.0 12-12 13-12 L1 Omaha 23 27 .460 3.5 10-14 13-13 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 28 20 .583 - 10-11 18-9 W7 Carolina 25 24 .510 3.5 13-12 12-12 W3 Tennessee 21 29 .420 8.0 10-18 11-11 L7 West Tenn 20 28 .417 8.0 11-13 9-15 W1 Chattanooga 20 29 .408 8.5 10-15 10-14 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 29 13 .690 - 12-7 17-6 L1 Clearwater 23 21 .523 7.0 11-12 12-9 L1 Daytona 20 23 .465 9.5 9-9 11-14 W1 Lakeland 19 22 .463 9.5 11-13 8-9 W1 Tampa 20 26 .435 11.0 11-14 9-12 L2 Dunedin 17 28 .378 13.5 5-17 12-11 L3 

[Mass Haas]

I anticipate that this fine late spring day (at least where I am) will have the "official" updates not posting until well into the overnight, so please continue to chime in with observations that our readers will find of interest. Always appreciated by yours truly, and folks can obviously make use of the box score links above to see how the comments relate to the action. Thanks to all, both our posters and our more invisible readers...

[TheCrew07]

Just checking with the MiLB games quickly.

 

Bowman with a middling outing for WI, WI losing in the top of the 4th but the bottom of the order comes through and they've scored at least 1 run. (box score shows an RBI but the game log hasn't updated yet).

 

Rivas was decent for BC giving up 2 unearned runs. Wilson with a 2 hit day, BC down 2-0 in the 8th.

 

Cody doing what Cody does, Huntsville up 2-1 in the 6th.

 

Dillard pitching well, Katin with another HR after a Heether walk, Nashville up 2-0 in the 3rd.

[trwi7]

Big 5 run 4th inning for the Rattlers with the help of 4 singles, 2 walks and a wild pitch.

[trwi7]

Unless there was an injury to him that I don't know about, leaving Chris Dennis off the Wisconsin roster to start the year was a crime. 2-3 again today with a double.

 

Tim Dillard struggling giving up four earned runs (three homers) in six innings today. He has 22 strikeouts and 21 walks on the year and only has a GO/AO of about 1.6. That's not going to get it done when you're striking out only 3.5 per 9 innings. I'd still rather see Dillard up here as a reliever, where his future is anyways than Julio.

[battlekow]

Great to see Gillespie with a homer.

 

Strange to see a Braddock appearance with no strikeouts.

 

Another XBH for Chris Dennis.

[trwi7]

Bowman with a pretty good outing. 7 innings, 9 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 0 walks, 6 strikeouts.

[twobrewers]

I was actually disappointed to see Braddock's line - how DARE he go 2.1 scoreless innings without a strikeout!

I wonder how the P50 editors who left Chris Dennis off their list sleep at night...

Escobar with his 4th extra base hit in the last 9 games.

[TheCrew07]

How were they to know he'd come up and hit the cover off the ball? It was very odd that he didn't start the season with WI, I know he has a pretty solid following from the MilLB regulars. An injury makes sense, the only thing that would make sense is most of the guys in the OF are older than him so they wanted to see what they had in those guys first, Dennis and Dykstra weren't competing for playing time at the same position... the only other remote possibility is that we're smarter than Nichols and his development staff, make your judgements there at your own risk. Any rate Dennis is still hitting too low in the order, and he'll skyrocket up the P50 in the next edition.

 

Trejo needs regular ABs if he's ever going to figure it out, I'd rather they demote him to EST so he can get some work in if he's not going to play everyday, he's young enough he can play with Helena this season. WI has Delaney, Duran, and Sanchez who all can play 3B...

 

Bowman did indeed end up with a pretty good line. I'm really hoping that 2 or 3 of the starters from A+ get bumped to AA which has a ripple effect moving some of the older arms at WI to BC, then some of the young kids like Odorizzi can come up and pitch for the T-Rats. I'm pretty impatient with him for some reason, I want me some Odorizzi, and I want it now. I like this Almonte kid as well, he was a pretty good find for the organization.

 

Rivas got hosed by the offense and defense behind him, I wonder what was up in BC today, very few Ks out of pitchers that normally K a fair amount of hitters. Caleb's slump is reaching epic proportions, I'm sure 800 rain outs hasn't helped any of the players in BC. Schafer, Wilson, and Errecart all with 2 hits a piece, but not enough to plate a single run.

 

Cody continues to be studly, Melilo with a pretty awesome day at the plate. Green and Lucroy could both go on a tear anytime now and I'd feel better about that AA team.

 

Katin had 2 HRs... geez... Escobar with 2 hits, 1 being a 2B, he continues his climb. Salome with a hit and his average is right at .250, I'm going to call my shot and guess that he finishes up around .290, but I don't think his power numbers will look anything like last year's... I'll be honest, I don't like Dillard as a starter, that ship already sailed in my opinion. He is pitching better than Wright and Green, but I wasn't very high on either acquisition there either. That rotation isn't all that fun to follow for me personally.

[DHonks]

I still enjoy following Dillard. There's something to be said for guys that can go out and give a lot of innings, get wins, and do so with very low pitch counts

[twobrewers]

the only other remote possibility is that we're smarter than Nichols and his development staff, make your judgements there at your own risk.

For the record, it was kind of a "tongue in check" comment regarding Dennis. The editorial staff does a great job with the Power 50 - but Dennis might very well just into the top 30 in the next edition.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Nashville 8, Omaha (Royals) 4

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for new Brendan Katin photo, text follows --

 

Katin Belts Two More in Sounds 8-4 Win

NASHVILLE- The Nashville Sounds took the final game of a four-game series from the Omaha Royals, 8-4, on Sunday afternoon at historic Greer Stadium. The Sounds split the four-game series, and now are 5-7 against the Royals on the season.

 

Both teams hit a combined six home runs, with Nashville's Brendan Katin and Omaha's Scott Thorman each going deep twice.

 

For the second consecutive game, Katin hit two home runs in the same game to fuel the Sounds to victory, going 3-for-5 with five RBIs on the afternoon.

 

With Adam Heether on first, Katin gave the Sounds an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, hitting a two-run shot to left field, his ninth home run of the season and seventh long ball in his last 10 games.

 

Thorman brought Omaha back within one on a solo shot to right field in the fourth inning, his second straight game with a home run.

 

Mario Lisson gave the Royals a 3-2 lead in the next inning on a two-run shot to left field. Lisson's first career Triple-A home run came on his 25th birthday.

 

Nashville took the lead right back at 4-3 when Cole Gillespie hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, but Thorman tied the game at 4 in the sixth inning with his second homer of the game, a solo shot to center.

 

AUDIO: Gillespie Home Run

 

Again with Heether on first base in the bottom of the sixth, Katin belted a two-run opposite-field home run, giving Nashville a 6-4 lead.

 

Katin and Joe Koshansky each added insurance runs with RBI-singles that extended the Sounds lead to 8-4.

 

Nashville starter Tim Dillard (7-4) earned the win, pitching seven innings, allowing four runs on six hits. Dillard's win ties him with Iowa's J.R. Mathes for the PCL-lead . R.J. Swindle and Chris Smith each pitched scoreless innings on the afternoon.

 

Royals starter Heath Phillips (2-5) earned the loss, giving up six runs on five hits.

 

After an off-day Monday, the Sounds welcome the division-rival Iowa Cubs for the first game of a four-game series on Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM CT.

 

Nashville Box Score

Only 74 pitches in Tim Dillard's seven innings, 12 groundball outs; we mentioned Brendan Katin would be a possible trading chip a few weeks ago, but his recent run is truly amazing...

 

Nashville Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 3, Birmingham (White Sox) 2

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary

A Crisp Cody Carries Huntsville to Victory

Stars Take Series Opener Over Barons

By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars

 

Chris Cody spun eight solid innings and Huntsville used some timely hitting to beat Birmingham 3-2 Sunday afternoon in the opening game of a five-game set between division leaders at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars won their eighth straight game to improve to 29-20 and maintain their three and a half game lead over Carolina in the North Division, while the Barons dropped to 33-17 and saw their lead in the South trimmed to two and a half games over Mobile.

 

Tyler Flowers' solo home run in the sixth inning that cut the Stars lead to 2-1 was the only blemish on Cody's line. The left-hander allowed four hits, walked one and fanned six to grab his fifth win of the season. He retired the side in order four times and got through the only real threat he faced in the first inning by getting Brandon Allen and Dayan Viciedo to fly out with two runners on.

 

Robert Hinton took over in the ninth and retired the first two batters before Stefan Gartrell singled and scored on a double by John Shelby that right fielder Freddy Parejo lost in the sun. Hinton then got C.J. Retherford to ground out to end the game and nail down his fifth save of the season.

 

The Stars scored in the fourth inning to break up a scoreless game on a run-scoring hit by J.R. Hopf and a run-producing ground ball out by Yohannis Perez. The Stars got the run back in the sixth on Kevin Melillo's fifth home run of the season and just the third given up by Barons' starter Lucas Harrell in 53 1/3 innings. Harrell matched his longest outing of the season with seven innings of work but suffered the loss to fall to 6-2 after allowing eight hits, walking two and fanning four.

 

The series continues Monday night with right-hander Mike Jones taking the hill for the Stars against Birmingham right-hander John Ely. Coverage of the game begins at 6:45 PM central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score

Chris Cody picks up the bullpen after the successful but arduous Tennessee series with eight wonderful innings; home run, single, two walks for Kevin Melillo; Jonathan Lucroy with a single and another walk -- now with 28 walks vs. only 18 K's, still waiting for more extra-base hits...

 

Huntsville Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Victories still piling up for red-hot Stars

Winning streak now at eight after bouncing Barons

By Paul Gattis

Huntsville Times Sports Staff, paul.gattis@htimes.com

 

Is scalding hot enough to describe the Huntsville Stars?

 

They've won eight straight after Sunday's 3-2 victory over Birmingham. They've won 12 of their last 14.

 

They lead the Southern League North Division by 3 1/2 games over Carolina.

 

If water boils at 212 degrees, consider the Stars to be at 213.

 

At least.

 

"We're sky high," infielder Kevin Melillo said. "The chemistry in the clubhouse is through the roof. It's probably the best team I've been on in terms of that.

 

"We're on cloud nine right now. We're excited with the way we're playing and we're very confident. We know we have a very talented, veteran team."

 

After winning the last seven in an eight-game series squeezed into five days at Tennessee - necessitated by the three rainouts in Huntsville last month - the Stars returned home and gave the ball to ace left-hander Chris Cody.

 

And the Barons were sorry they did.

 

Cody (5-1) held the Southern League's top offense to one run on four hits over eight innings. Mixing in his well-placed (if not overwhelming) fastball with a delicate change-up, Cody was "dominating," Melillo said.

 

"When you look up the term 'pitcher' in the dictionary, his picture should be by it," Stars manager Bob Miscik said. "That's what he is - a pitcher, not a thrower. He's a very good pitcher. Very smart."

 

Still, Miscik said that Cody "did not have his best change-up today" even as he matched his season-best eight innings and struck out six.

 

"No?" Cody said when informed of Miscik's assessment. "I thought it was all right. If it can be the way it was today, I'll take it with everything working. Everything was what it needed to be."

 

Indeed, it's been that way for the Stars during this stretch - which began with a 7-2 win over West Tenn on May 21 pitched by, of course, Cody.

 

The Stars got a run-scoring single from J.R. Hopf and a groundout by Yohannis Perez that scored another run for a 2-0 lead in the fourth against losing pitcher Lucas Harrell (6-2). Then Melillo blasted his fifth home run of the season - all since May 23 - for a 3-1 lead in the sixth.

 

Robert Hinton got his fifth save, allowing a run when Freddy Parejo lost a fly ball in the sun with two outs in the ninth.

 

But the Stars still kept on sizzling.

 

"It was a ridiculous stretch of games," Melillo said of the Tennessee series. "It's kind of unheard of. But we've been having so much fun, it just kind of flew by."

[Mass Haas]

David Weiser's starsboxscore.com

 

Melillo Makes May Merrier

Insurance blast helps Stars beat the Barons

 

A gorgeous 85° day in the Rocket City. Thursday's rain dried out the air, so there was no humidity to deal with and as a nice throw-in, a light breeze going from left to right. Most of the 1,200 -- which is the best Sunday crowd I've seen this year -- chose to sit up in the Uecker seats where the shade was. Some preferred the annoyance of umbrellas.

 

The Stars head into June and the final three weeks of the season on a runaway train. With this afternoon's victory, they've won 13 of their last 15 and eight straight -- their longest win streak since the record-tying 12-game win streak of July 2007....... The Stars are now 29-20, 3½ games up on Carolina, their only serious competition, considering the way the rest of this weak division has performed this first half, but they have a challenging road ahead.

 

After Chris Cody, what do you do? There are four games left against the Barons. After the Stars go west to play the Diamond Jaxx at Pringles Park, they come back home for Jacksonville, before finishing the first half playing Birmingham at Regions Park..... The Barons have lost five of their last nine, but they are not to be taken lightly. Three of the losses were by a run and another was by two. They're atop the league with Mobile in batting (.266) and 2nd in ERA, also to Mobile (3.32), and they've outpowered the rest of the league with 53 home runs. The banjo-hitting Stars, by comparison, have hit 23 and are 8th in the league in slugging pct. (.367), outslugged by Birmingham by 2/3 of a whole percentage point. I don't expect to see a sweep here the way they humbled Tennessee, virtually knocking the Smokies out of the race.

 

Cody finished another fine month, scattering four hits over eight innings, throwing 95 pitches, 70% for strikes. The only run he allowed was a towering first-pitch HR hit by catcher Tyler Flowers, clearing the far back wall in left, roughly a 395-foot shot far to the left of the scoreboard. Flowers was a junior college teammate of Mat Gamel and is the White Sox #4 prospect, according to Baseball America. Prior to the home run, Cody had retired 11 of 13 batters, allowing for a force out. The defense behind Chris was excellent, with Shane Justis making a nice backhand stop of a grounder past the edge of the infield then wheeling around to make an accurate throw to retire Jordan Danks in the 3rd. Two batters later, Yohannis Perez made a diving stop of a hard grounder hit by Flowers almost directly in back of the bag at second, then picked himself up to gun Flowers down for the third out. Taylor Green had a hard shot hit at him in the 1st that was originally called an error, but later changed to a hit. That would have taken the suspense out of a budding no-hit bid, for that hit didn't come until C.J. Retherford broke the ice for the Barons with a clean line single to left with one out in the 5th.

 

The Stars put two runners on in the 1st on an infield single by Jonathan Lucroy, followed by a one-hop single to right by Drew Anderson, but Vinny Rottino bounced back to the mound to end the inning....... The Stars broke the goose eggs in the 4th, starting with a one-out seven-pitch walk to Kevin Melillo. Green singled on a 1-0 pitch through the right side of the infield, then on a 1-1, J.R. Hopf, who finished with a May batting mark of .161, drove in one of the three runs he's driven in this month with a line drive one-hop single to right. Green, who took third on the throw home, scored on a grounder far to the right side by Perez. Retherford made a fine pick-up on the ball that made its way to the outfield grass, flipping the ball quickly to first for the sure out.......

 

After Lucas Harrell retired the side in the 5th, Melillo, with one out, lined Harrell's first pitch the next inning off the second wall in right field for his 5th home run of the year, all of them coming in his last 11 games, for a 3-1 lead. That, as it turned out, became valuable insurance, for the Barons scored their 2nd run in the 9th off Robert Hinton. After Brandon Allen and Dayan Viciedo flied out, Stefan Gartrell lined an 0-1 pitch to left for a hit and John Shelby, whose father played in the majors for the Dodgers, skied a ball to right, falling in for a double after Freddy Parejo lost the ball in the sun. Gartrell, who of course was going on the pitch, scored without a throw. Retherford ended the game with a slow ground ball to Perez, who had to come in near the edge of the infield, to make the pickup and the throw for the final out.

 

Monday, Mike Jones will make his 3rd start, going against John Ely (5-1, 3.28)...... Jonesy has thrown 86 and 85 pitches in his two starts, 58% for strikes, and has a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him put together another nice start, for he looks like a different pitcher from the one who struggled coming off shoulder surgery last year (1-6, 6.09)...... Ely's best pitch is a change-up which he sets up with his fastball or a 12-6 curve. He throws strikes and gets, with a good game, about six Ks. He had only one bad start in his last 10, that one coming courtesy of Carolina, who knocked him out after 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings, the only game he's lost. He's currently 10th among SL ERA leaders.

 

Guilder Rodriguez (1, 12, .280) hit his first professional home run Saturday, for Class AA-Frisco (Texas). It was a big 6th inning three-run HR in a 7-5 victory over NW Arkansas. Guilder, honored by the Booster Club as a Rocky winner in 2007, has had over 1,600 at-bats since breaking in in 2001....... Steve Hammond, who was traded to the Giants last July for Ray Durham, is 2-3, 4.05 for Triple-A Fresno...... The Nashville Sounds called up from Brevard County pitcher Josh Butler, who had some spring action with the Stars, for a Saturday start at Greer Stadium against Omaha. Butler had a quality start (6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H), but lost on a two-run HR by Scott Thorman, who ironically was released by the Brewers after spring training......

 

Who'd have figured 18-year old Nick Bucci would be the first player out of last year's draft to make it to the Stars? Bucci was an 18th round pick, brought up to Huntsville during that eight-game series at Smokies Park. Who would have figured he'd actually appear in a game, but he did, throwing 10 of his 14 pitches for strikes and getting the win in his inning and 2/3 of relief in the final game of that series Saturday...... When it looked like the Stars would go the entire month of May without hitting a triple, Drew Anderson and Freddy Parejo both came through in Saturday's game. The last time the Stars went an entire month without hitting a triple was in June of 2004.

 

The Stars were 19-9 in May, their best May ever since becoming a Brewer affiliate....... The 1998 Stars, in their last year as an Oakland affiliate, had an 18-9 May. You'd have to go back to 1994 to find a Stars team that won 19 games in May....... The offense was so much a reason for the incredible month, especially in their 13-2 run........ After hitting just five home runs in April, they hit 11 of their 17 home runs in May during that 15-game stretch, while stroking the ball at a .273 clip. They hit just .232 in April....... On the hill, the starters have actually done better than the bullpen over the last 15 games, logging a 2.94 ERA, with the pen at a flat 3.00, but that's a bit skewed. If you take away the flat performances of Robert Hinton and Juan Sandoval that cost the Stars their two losses during this streak, no member of the relief corps has actually given up an earned run!

 

Shane Justis, who hit .243 in April, led May hitters with a .360 average and hit the first grand-slam HR of the season on May 27...... The Stars had four other .300 hitters in May: Anderson (4, 21, .337), Chuckie Caufield (2, 6, .303), Adam Heether (2, 12, .325), and Adam Stern (0, 8, .327).

 

The Pirates have put pitcher Donnie Veal on the disabled list. Veal, who in 2007 became the 7th pitcher to lose four times to the Stars in a season, has pitched 6 1/3 innings of relief over five games for the Bucs this year...... The Dodgers recalled Chattanooga pitcher Travis Schlichting...... The Stars could see Nic Ungs when Jacksonville comes to town. The Suns sent him up from Class A-Jupiter (Fla. St.)...... Former Stars outfielder Ron Davenport was reactivated by the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. Davenport hit .197 for the 2007 Stars before his May 17 release...... The White Sox traded former Birmingham pitcher Lance Broadway to the New York Mets for catcher Ramon Castro.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Fort Myers (Twins) 2, Brevard County 0

 

Game Summary from the Miracle's Site:

 

Robertson wins his third as Miracle shut out Manatees

 

VIERA -- Just one game after David Bromberg's best outing of the season, Tyler Robertson followed suit with a masterful six-inning, zero-walk, six-strikeout performance against the Brevard County Manatees at Space Coast Stadium. The Miracle won their third straight, 2-0, and have won the first two games of a four-game set.

 

Robertson (3-2) retired eleven straight at one point on his way to his first outing without a single walk on the season, besting his previous low of one in five innings on April 23 against Palm Beach.

 

Santos Arias, Spencer Steedley, and Blair Erickson combined on the shutout as Erickson, who entered with a two-run lead and one out in the ninth, saved his sixth.

 

Amaury Rivas (4-3) pitched well enough to win but suffered the loss with a line of four and two-thirds, three hits, two runs (both unearned), one walk, and two strikeouts.

 

Zach Braddock and John Axford took turns touching 95+ on the stadium radar gun in a scoreless four and one-third innings.

 

The Miracle (32-16) won despite being outhit 7-5, with no one on Fort Myers logging more than one hit. Ben Revere and Jair Fernandez delivered RBI hits in the fifth and third, respectively.

 

Revere just missed his second homer of the season. His double hit off the top of the short leftfield wall.

 

Logan Schafer, Steffan Wilson, and Chris Errecart each went 2-for-4 for Brevard County (29-14).

 

Brevard County Box Score

Thanks to the Fort Myers staff, we know both Zach Braddock and John Axford were throwing serious heat; both of Logan Schafer's hits were doubles, slugging .471 -- sweet; Ben Revere was ridiculed as the Twins' first-round pick in '07, but what a player...

 

Brevard County Game Log

Caleb Gindl's strikeout in the 1st with a man on third and one out hurt, as did a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out in the 7th (not involving Caleb)...

[Mass Haas]

Final: Wisconsin 8, West Michigan (Tigers) 3

 

Wisconsin Site Game Summary

 

Rattlers make history in road trip finale

By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

 

COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers defeated the West Michigan Whitecaps 8-3 on Sunday afternoon. The win completed a three-game sweep at Fifth Third Ballpark. The sweep marked the first ever by an Appleton baseball club in West Michigan since the Whitecaps entered the Midwest League in 1994.

 

West Michigan (31-18) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. An errant pickoff throw to first by Rattler starting pitcher Michael Bowman allowed Gustavo Nunez to score from third. Later in the inning, Jordan Lennerton drove in a run with a two-out single.

 

Ronnie Bourquin's RBI single in the bottom of the third inning extended the Whitecap lead to 3-0.

 

Wisconsin (24-26) erased that lead in the top of the fourth. Whitecap starter Mauricio Robles walked the leadoff batter and gave up back-to-back singles to load the bases. Sean McCraw knocked in the first Timber Rattlers run with a single. Michael Marseco drew a bases loaded walk to force in a run and knock Robles out of the game.

 

Robles entered the game as the Midwest League leader in strikeouts with 67, but he walked five, hit a batter, and left with the bases loaded and nobody out.

Whitecap reliever Erik Crichton entered the game and threw a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score. Erik Miller gave the Rattlers a 4-3 lead with an RBI grounder. Juan Sanchez capped the inning with an RBI single.

 

McCraw made it 6-3 with an RBI double in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Wisconsin made it 8-3 with a run-scoring double by Chris Dennis and an RBI single by John Delaney.

 

Meanwhile, Bowman settled down after a rocky beginning. He would work 6-1/3 innings, scatter nine hits, and strikeout six. Rigoberto Almonte pitched the final 2-2/3 innings without allowing a run to nail down the sweep.

 

Wisconsin ended a 12-game road trip with the win in West Michigan and went 7-5 on the odyssey through four different Midwest League cities. The victory also gave Wisconsin a 16-15 record in May. This marks the first time the Rattlers have had a winning record in a month with more than 10 games since August 2007.

 

The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday before returning to action on Tuesday. The Rattlers begin a 12-game homestand with a game against the Cedar Rapids Kernels Tuesday evening. Cody Scarpetta (1-3, 4.68) is the scheduled pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Cedar Rapids counters with Tyler Chatwood (2-2, 2.25). Game time is 7:05 PM.

 

Tuesday is a Bang for Your Buck Night with sodas, beer, and hotdogs for $1. Tickets are available for Tuesday and for the other 11 games on the homestand through the Timber Rattler ticket office at 800-WI-TIMBER or www.timberrattlers.com.

 

Wisconsin Box Score

Brett Lawrie a partial rest (designated hitter, walked twice); Michael Bowman sporting a nifty 41-to-14 K-to-BB ratio in 44 innings -- there's another kid who should be making a Power 50 debut next month; the Chris Dennis (double, single, HBP) OPS-watch continues -- 1.232 after 16 games for the 20-year-old...

 

Wisconsin Game Log

[Mass Haas]

A very fun blog post from Chris Mehring, who along with the Wisconsin kids and staff, must be thrilled to be heading home after the 7-5 roadtrip...

[LouisEly]

Katin's last 10 games - 39 ABs, 14 H (.359 AVG), 9 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 7 HRs, 15 RBIs... yeah, I know, 2 BB to 15 K, but when a dude jacks 7 HRs and adds a triple and two doubles to that in 10 days I'll let him strike out as much as he wants in the other ABs. No I'm not going to read any post about the MLE that projects too... blah, blah, blah, let's just enjoy one of the best 10 game stretches I have ever seen a hitter have. Anyone want to calculate the OPS that translates to the last 10 games? His OPS vs. righties this year is .855, so he can hit RH pitching at a reasonable clip. And a .975 OPS with runners on, vs. .832 with bases empty. And he has perhaps the best OF arm in the minors. Methinks some might undervalue him a bit.

 

Part of me misses not seeing TGJ's name at the top of the lineup in Nashville.

 

Good to see Wilson back at 3B. The FSL is really sapping his power (IIRC isn't their stadium particularly tough on RH hitters?) - would be nice to see some of those singles turn into doubles.