Link Report for Thurs. 6/25 -- Big League Matinee; Five Evening Audio Choices as part of '7-Pack'

[battlekow]

Josh Prince walks to get on base for the 9th straight plate appearance. McPhearson needs to steal third so Prince can steal second.

[battlekow]

Josh Prince walks to get on base for the 9th straight plate appearance. McPhearson needs to steal third so Prince can steal second.

Haha, check. Double steal. That's four steals for McPhearson and nine for Prince.

 

Lambertus was lambasted in his first inning, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk.

[battlekow]

Helena loses the shutout and Andre Lamontagne a save in his first pro appearance after Derrick McPhearson lost a pop fly in the lights that would have been the last out. That was the second of three straight singles Lamontagne allowed with two down.

[Minigoon]

8-1 win for Helena tonight highlighted by the strong pitching performance from Damon Krestalude. Voice of Helena Steve Wendt crediting the work of Shawn Zarraga behind the plate. Missoula definately helped the H-Brew by committing 5 errors tonight.

[battlekow]

Voice of Helena Steve Wendt crediting the work of Shawn Zarraga behind the plate.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how they handle him and Garfield (Garfield DH'd tonight). Too bad Zarraga didn't work out at Wisconsin.

[battlekow]

Max Walla is officially on the board with his first pro homer.

[battlekow]

Nashville's game was called after five and a half innings because of rain, with Chris Cody taking the 4-0 loss; he didn't pitch particularly well, while Dodgers prospect Scott Elbert handcuffed the Sounds.

 

Arizona lost 8-5. Mike Brownstein went 3-4 with a walk and continues to overwhelm the AZL, as he's now hitting .643/.762/.857 with seven walks and no strikeouts in his four-game career.

[LouisEly]

One hit and four Ks in two innings for Lintz... not bad at all. Hopefully it was the jitters in finding the strike zone and thus the four walks.

 

Tyson keeps on rolling... very good to see.

 

Steffan Wilson has finally caught up his doubles with his home runs.

 

And Zach Braddock.. has he reached legend status yet?

[TheCrew07]

Miller is still in a hand cast, I was surprised, I was hoping to get to see him play someday.

 

Adams was in uniform in the dugout, it appears to me that his DL stint is on paper only. When he was on the DL previously he was working the charts and/or stalker gun.

 

Dennis batting 7th was a surprise, I thought maybe somehow I missed him going cold at some point, but he's batting .323 over his last 10 so that wasn't it.

 

Delaney changed his walk up music, it should have been good karma to pick such a Badger Favorite, unfortunately he got plunked in the head. It looked like the ball hit the bill of his helmet and jammed it down into his nose. I haven't had a chance to watch the video yet.

 

Vitters is physically imposing and his stats are impressive, including his 13 HRs, but he didn't impress me much tonight.

 

Periard had 5 hard hit balls off of him, and 3 of them came in the 3rd Inning. 2 of the hits against him were swinging bunts, 2 more could have been errors. I think I caught Lawrie's in the first inning on film, I thought it was a play he should have made scored a hit. Later in the game a bounding groundball towards third absolutely ate up Duran... charge that ball on the big hop young man. The runner probably would have been safe anyway but the way Duran back pedaled away from the ball irked me.

 

I've bagged on Delaney's D at 3rd in the past, but tonight he made a real nice play on a line drive up over his head.

 

Marseco hit 2 balls out of the infield finally for me, 1 a grounder that snuck through between SS and 3B for a single.

 

Kemp was a little shakey behind the dish, he let a couple of balls pop away from him that shouldn't have. He also tried the throw all the way through to 2nd play again. Marseco whiffed the throw and the ball went into CF and Sanchez wasn't backing up the play. Luckily the runner who was so surprised he wasn't out didn't advance on the play. Kemp did have a very nice CS, the play at 2B wasn't even close.

 

Braun actually looks decent at the plate, after his sub .200 average at Helena I wasn't expecting much, but he looks like he belongs when he makes contact.

 

The Peoria LF made a very nice diving catch to rob Sanchez of a hit to end the 4th.

 

In the 6th there was a foul pop up that landed about 6 rows behind me. I had lost it on the way up so looked at the guy next to me and figured out I was alright, but turned in time to see it come down squarely on the left side of this gentlemen's head, then richocet perfectly across the isle and hit another gentlemen right in the face. It was like the magic bullet from the Kennedy assassination... I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it. Both men seemed to be okay, though a bit embarrassed and were being treated medical personnel. I must be some kind of jinx, I saw the ball boy's (club house manager) broken ankle and now this.

 

I didn't get to sit in section 100 tonight due a traffic jam on 41 south, I sat in 103, so no stalker readings. Periard was hitting 87-88 consistently on the stadium gun once it was actually getting the pitches and not the throws back to the pitcher. Add the usual 2-4 MPH the gun is slow and he was working 90-92. When he's going well he works very fast, I almost missed a couple of pitches he was working so fast in the 2nd. When he's laboring he slows the pace the way down... a consistent pace would probably help him, he just needs to stay aggressive. He sawed off Vitters so badly that the head of the bat actually went farther than the ball.

 

Tyson was absolutely awesome, after Periard got into trouble in the 5th, he came in and struck out Vitters on 3 straight pitches. He cruised through the 6th as well.

 

I left at the start of the 7th, I had a long couple days and mostly just went down to the game to finally see Periard pitch in person since I've pimped him in the past.

[And That]

With this post I am in no way bagging on Chris Cody - he's way outperformed what I thought he could do, and he keeps proving me wrong with the results. A quick promotion to AAA here and a plaudit from Ash there, Milwaukee obviously likes him.

 

I noticed this just now, and it concerns me:

 

K/9 by level

A-: 8.5

A: 9.0

A+: 7.2

AA: 7.4

AAA: 3.8

 

There's not a strict downward pattern, but he's just not missing bats like he used to. I know K/9 shouldn't be used in a vacuum. It's just that a significant drop off in K rate usually results in a drop off in overall success. I hope he keeps up his success, I'm just leery about a guy that doesn't throw that hard, who is striking out fewer and fewer people.

[battlekow]

At least he's not getting hit particularly hard, nor has his walk rate spiked, so maybe he'll figure it out. His ratios are still better than Dillard's.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Albuquerque (Dodgers) 4, Nashville 0, 5.5 innings, rain

 

Nashville Site Game Summary:

Link for Chris Cody photo, text follows --

 

Topes Beat Sounds 4-0 In Rain-Shortened Game

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Nashville Sounds lost to the Albuquerque Isotopes 4-0 in a six-inning, rain-shortened contest at Isotopes Park on Thursday night.

 

Albuquerque starter Scott Elbert (1-0) earned the win, allowing only one hit and striking out seven while walking one over six innings. Elbert's only hit allowed came from a Martin Maldonado bloop-single to center field in the top of the sixth inning before the game was called.

 

Sounds starter Chris Cody (2-2) took the loss, surrendering four runs over five innings in his fourth start for the Sounds.

 

The Isotopes struck first in the bottom of the first. Blake Dewitt hit a two-out single to right field, followed by a Jamie Hoffman walk. Both players then scored on a Dee Brown double, putting the Isotopes ahead at 2-0.

 

Albuquerque added two more runs to their lead in the bottom of the third on RBI-base knocks by Hoffman and Brown, extending the lead to 4-0.

 

Suspended Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez was pulled from the game because of wet weather and field conditions.

 

The Sounds and Isotopes will play the finale of a four-game series at 8:05 PM CT on Friday night at Isotopes Park. Left-hander Lindsay Gulin (3-3, 5.37) makes the start against Albuquerque right-hander and former Sound Jason Schmidt (0-0, 4.70).

 

Nashville Box Score

 

Nashville Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Final: Huntsville 12, Chattanooga (Dodgers) 1

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary

 

Lucroy Leads Huntsville to Win Over Looks

BRAMHALL AND BRADDOCK STAR ON THE HILL

Brett Pollock, Huntsville Stars

 

Bobby Bramhall worked 6 1/3 solid innings and Jonathan Lucroy added a home run and knocked in four runs to lead Huntsville past Chattanooga 12-1 Thursday night in the fourth of a six-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars have taken three of four to begin the second half and have outscored the Lookouts 20-3 in so doing to improve to 41-32 on the season, while the visitors dropped to 31-42 overall.

 

Adam Stern opened the home first with a double, moved to third base on a Josh Bell throwing error and scored when Lucroy doubled to right field to give the Stars the early 1-0 lead. Vinny Rottino then singled in Shane Justis one out later to give the home team a two-run lead, as they scored for second time in the series in the first inning.

 

Lucroy belted a three-run home run in the third inning to make it 5-0 and mark the second time in three games he had driven in a run in the first inning and followed with a three-run long ball in the third. Chuck Caufield doubled in a run to finish off a four-run rally before Alberto Bastardo was lifted after 2 2/3 innings in his double-A debut. He took the loss after allowing five earned runs on eight hits, walking one and fanning one.

 

Bramhall blanked the Looks on one hit through five innings before Justin Sellers led off the sixth with an infield hit, moved to second base on a ground out and scored on a Russ Mitchell double. The Stars' southpaw was lifted with two runners on in the seventh and followed by Zach Braddock, who fanned pinch-hitter Adam Godwin and got Sellers to fly out to end the inning in his double-A debut. The left-hand reliever made the night even more special by belting an opposite field grand slam in the bottom of the inning in his first professional at-bat to make it a 12-1 game. Bramhall allowed four hits, walked three and fanned six to pick up the win and even his record at 4-4. Braddock retired all five hitters he faced and Rob Wooten followed with a scoreless ninth inning in his double-A debut.

 

Rottino collected three hits, while Justis, Freddy Parejo and Yohannis Perez each added a pair in a 13-hit attack, as the Stars improved to 17-17 at home.

 

The series continues Friday night with right-hander Mark Holliman taking the hill against Lookouts' left-hander James Adkins. Coverage of the game begins at 6:45 PM central time and can be heard through the internet at .

 

Huntsville Box Score

Jonathan Lucroy also threw out the only attempted basestealer; Zach Braddock 15 of 21 pitches for strikes...

 

Huntsville Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Final: Palm Beach (Cardinals) 7, Brevard County 5

 

Brevard County Site Game Summary

 

Cardinals Rally, Extend Manatees' Misery

BC's Longest Losing Streak Since 2005

By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees

 

(Viera, FL) The Brevard County Manatees got their bats going early on Thursday night, but failed to hold on to the lead, losing a tough decision to Palm Beach, 7-5. The loss extends the Manatees' season-high losing streak to seven games. It is the franchise's worst losing streak since the 2005 Manatees lost nine straight from June 4-12.

 

Palm Beach got on the board first, taking a quick lead on Aaron Luna's two-run double in the third inning. The Manatees responded with three runs in the fourth inning. Caleb Gindl drove in Logan Schafer for the first run on a groundout to second base. Carlos Corporan gave the Manatees a 3-2 lead with a two-out, two-run double to left field. Steffan Wilson tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning, hammering a double to right field, scoring Schafer and Lee Haydel.

 

The normally reliable Brevard County bullpen was unable to hold the lead, however. Jim Henderson walked in a run in the seventh inning, and was then replaced by Mark Willinsky with the bases still loaded and two outs. Willinsky induced what appeared to be an inning-ending ground ball, but confusion between middle infielders Brent Brewer and Eric Farris led to all runners reaching safely and Tommy Pham scoring to cut the lead to 5-4.

 

In the eighth inning, the Cardinals used four consecutive singles from Domnit Bolivar, Pham, Jermaine Curtis, and Colt Sedbrook to score three runs and take the lead, 7-5. Adam Reifer closed out the Manatees for his ninth save. Casey Mulligan (1-1) earned the win in relief, while Willinsky (2-2) took the loss.

 

The Manatees open the second half with a loss, making today the first time since April 17 that they have been out of first place, and the first time since they were 3-4 on April 16 that they have had a losing record. Evan Anundsen (7-4, 1.84) looks to get the Manatees back on track Friday. He takes on the Cardinals' Chuckie Fick (2-1, 4.65). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

 

Brevard County Box Score

RHP Amaury Rivas with a strong pitching line; Lee Haydel three singles and an HBP; Caleb Gindl 0-for-5, down to .271, that hot April seems a long time ago now; Carlos Corporan yet to see a Manatee win since his arrival...

 

Brevard County Game Log

Steffan Wilson's two doubles weren't enough for the Manatees Thursday night. (MiLB.com Photo by Dennis Greenblatt)

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2009/06/25/MW3P9ibj.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Final: Wisconsin 4, Peoria (Cubs) 1

 

Wisconsin Site Game Summary

 

Rattlers kickoff second half with a win

By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

 

GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored three times in the first inning and three pitchers made that stand up for a win Thursday at Time Warner Cable Field. The Rattlers beat the Peoria Chiefs 4-1 in the first game of the second half for both teams.

 

Wisconsin (35-36 overall, 1-0 second half) grabbed the early lead with three runs in the bottom of the first. John Delaney singled with two outs and the bases loaded to knock in the first two runs. Chris Dennis followed with an RBI single to right and the Rattlers were up 3-0.

 

Wisconsin starting pitcher Alex Periard was on early in the game. He scattered four hits over the first four innings and was not in a serious jam.

 

Steve Braun gave the Rattlers a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. The Rattlers designated hitter doubled down the left field line to chase Jose Duran home from second with two outs.

 

Periard got the first two outs of the fifth inning with a double by Michael Brenly sandwiched in between. But, a double by Josh Harrison knocked in the first Peoria run. Periard walked the next batter on the 3-2 pitch and was up against his pitch count. Nick Tyson relieved the Wisconsin starter and struck out Josh Vitters to end the Chiefs threat.

 

Tyson would pitch a 1-2-3 sixth inning to put himself in line for his first win of 2009. The Wisconsin reliever has not allowed a run in 14-1/3 innings this season.

 

Dan Merklinger pitched the final three innings against the Chiefs (38-32, 0-1) and allowed no runs on two hits to get his first save of the season.

 

Game two of the four game series is Friday night. Wisconsin will send Midwest League All-Star Wily Peralta (2-1, 3.64) out as their scheduled starting pitcher. Peoria counters with Chris Archer (2-2, 2.42). Game time is 7:05 PM.

 

The first 1,000 fans into the stadium on Friday night receive a Webkinz from the Fox Valley Humane Association. Friday is also a North Shore Bank Family Night with children 12 and under eating free. Then, after a post-game fireworks display, children 14 and under get to run the bases.

 

Wisconsin Box Score

Three impressive pitching lines; groin strain, broken nose -- is Brett Lawrie's .263 (.791 OPS) disappointing? Perhaps just a bit, even for one of the league's youngest...

 

Wisconsin Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Excerpts from Post-Crescent Rattler Blog Game Notes from Brett Christopherson --

More in the full post here...

 

In all, the Rattlers collected four hits in the first frame to avert being blanked for the third straight game.

 

"All of it was with two outs, and one thing we've been talking about as a club is we need to get more productivity with two outs," Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said. "It was nice to see. Because that's what we're going to have to do if we're going to have success in the second half. We're going to have to have some big hitting with two outs.

 

"It did give us some breathing room, and it's a lot easier to pitch when you have the lead. You can make a mistake and it's not going to hurt you."

 

Turning point

 

Brock Kjeldgaard drew a key two-out walk to load the bases and set the stage for the Rattlers' big first inning.

 

Delaney OK

 

John Delaney was forced out of the game in the fourth when he was plunked in the head on an offering from Chiefs starter Justin Bristow. Afterward, Isom deemed his third baseman "fine" and said his departure was strictly precautionary.

 

"It hit off his helmet and kind of grazed off his cheek a little bit," Isom said. "Anytime you've got a head issue, a guy getting hit in the head, they take that pretty serious."

[Mass Haas]

Full reports on the three rookie ball levels later this AM...

[igor67]

I may be a bit crazy and it would probably be a lot harder to get him back to starting, but with that control and stuff Braddock looks like he might be a big asset in the pen sooner rather than later. In general it maybe disappointing for these high ceiling guys to not make it as starters (Rogers, Jones, Braddock), but I'd sure rather see them find success as relievers then just o nothing for us like past flameouts.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Helena 8, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 1

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

Brewers bust up Missoula

By JASON SCOTT - Helena Independent Record

 

Helena Brewers starting pitcher Damon Krestalude only had one thing go wrong in his win over the Missoula Osprey Thursday: a line drive to his back.

 

Other than that, things went well for the righty and his team, which won 8-1 behind nearly flawless defense and steady hitting.

 

Krestalude was almost unhittable in his first start of the young season. Besides the Bobby Stone liner that hit him and a single one batter later, the 20-year-old only allowed one more baserunner - a walk - in the six innings he pitched.

 

"Going into the game, figured I'd work fast, keep the ball down, try to get two of three pitches over the plate," Krestalude said. "The only thing I didn't like was getting drilled in the back. Actually it loosened me up even more."

 

Krestalude was backed up by another potent display of hitting from the Helena lineup. Four different Brewers batters drove in runs, while three had multi-hit days. Derrick McPhearson, batting in the nine-spot, went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and three runs scored to lead the Brewers. Josh Prince and Pete Fatse both added two hits. Prince also got his ninth steal of the year.

 

The Brewers capitalized on four Missoula errors, two of which led to Helena runs. A steady stream of Brewer hits - ten in all - put a lot of pressure on the Osprey arms. For the third night in a row, Helena runners were busy on the basepaths, notching four stolen bases.

 

"The guys are running the bases well," Brewers manager Rene Gonzales said. "Being aggressive is a theme we're going for. We'd like it to be known around the league."

 

The Brewers got things started early. Prince led off with a single and was poised for his seventh steal in as many tries. However, the Osprey were ready this time, determined not to let him tie any more records in this series. After repeated pickoff attempts, Prince finally got a chance to steal, though he was gunned down by Missoula catcher Roidany Aguila. Fatse walked and later scored on a Chris Ellington sacrifice grounder.

 

In the third, Helena struck again. McPhearson singled and stole second, then came around on an infield hit by Fatse. After reaching third, Fatse attempted to tag up on a fly ball to right fielder Henry Zabala. Zabala's throw to the plate was a little off-target, but Aguila made it back to the plate in time for Fatse to crash into him in an attempt to knock the ball loose. Aguila held on to the ball for the rare 9-2 double play.

 

In the fourth, Edgar Trejo doubled to lead off the inning, then scored when Prince rapped a single to left. The inning might have been extended, but Missoula second baseman David Nick made a nice diving catch to end the frame.

 

While the Brewers lineup was rolling, Krestalude kept up his strong start. He didn't allow a baserunner after the first inning until he walked Zabala on a full count in the fifth. He then induced two weak fly balls to end the inning.

"Obviously we had outstanding pitching," Gonzales said. "Krestalude's was a similar outing to (Tuesday's starting pitcher Nick) Bucci's."

 

The Brewers hitters added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when Hitaniel Arias, McPhearson, Prince, Fatse and Scott Krieger all reached in consecutive at-bats.

 

In the top of the seventh, Andre Lamontagne came on in relief of Krestalude. His outing was nearly as good, as he didn't allow a baserunner until the ninth, when he ran into some trouble. After getting two quick outs, Missoula's Ramon Castillo singled, bringing David Narodowski to the plate. Lamontagne got Narodowski to hit a high fly ball to center field, but McPhearson had trouble finding it and the ball fell in for a single. Keon Broxton made the Brewers pay for the mistake, lining an RBI single to left and breaking up the shutout.

 

Rico Salmon came in to get the last out, giving Helena its second win of the season.

 

After the game, Gonzales said that he'd like to see McPhearson move up in the order if he keeps producing like he has.

 

"The only reason he's down there is he hasn't played baseball for a long time," Gonzales said.

 

McPhearson, who played college football and took a long break from baseball, said he'd be glad to help the team however he can.

 

"It's the management's call," he said. "It's out of my control. I'm just trying to control what I can control. I'm a nine-hitter right now and I'm just trying to hit the ball. It's great to go out and put a smile on people's faces."

 

The Brewers now hit the road for the first time this year as they head to Missoula for three more games with the Osprey. The first game is slated to start at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

 

Helena Box Score

Earlier preview had Cutter Dykstra ready to go in this one, apparently not...

 

Helena Game Log

 

Helena Brewers' Pete Fatse plows over Missoula catcher Roidany Aguila at home plate during Thursday night's game at Kindrick Legion Field. Fatse was called out on the play. (All Photos by Lisa Kunkel Independent Record)

 

http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers.jpg

 

Helena's Scott Krieger makes a connection

 

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-2.jpg

 

Pitcher Damon Krestalude tosses the ball to first baseman Hitaniel Arias for the out

 

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-3.jpg

 

Josh Prince slides into second base as Missoula's Adonys Canelo prepares to tag him out.

 

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-4.jpg

 

Josh Prince steals second base as Missoula's Adonys Canelo attempts the tag.

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-5.jpg

 

Josh Prince avoids an inside pitch as Missoula catcher Roidany Aguila reaches for the grab.

 

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-6.jpg

 

Pete Fatse crosses first base as Missoula's Bobby Stone leaps into the air for the throw.

http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-7.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Final: Arizona Athletics 8, Arizona Brewers 5

Arizona Box Score

Pro debut for 18th round RHP Caleb Thielbar, two innings, one unearned run; more of the same in the lineup, which means that the DSL Brewer team is providing greater opportunities for playing time both in Maryvale and the Dominican, not quite the same balancing act needed as in the past; various notes on these kids within the comments above from the early part of the thread...

 

Arizona Game Log

It was 8-0 Athletics after 5.5 innings...

[Mass Haas]

Final: DSL Brewers / Orioles 8, DSL Cubs #2 Squad 4

 

DSL Brewers / Orioles Box Score

17-year-old SS Andres Martinez with two home runs -- his name might appear prominently in more Link Reports over the next six years than you can imagine; both homers were to the opposite (right) field; other Brewer batters were 1-for-12 with Juan Barrini the lone base hit; the three relievers listed in your box score are all Brewers -- Ramos is the tall lefty...

 

DSL Brewers / Orioles Game Log