Link Report for Sun. 9/13 -- Huntsville's Season Ends, That's It For 2009

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Sunday's Menu:

 

Huntsville: RHP Brandon Kintzler at Tennessee (Cubs), 1:45 PM CT pre-game; 2:00 gametime; game four in a best-of-five series, Smokies lead, 2-1

Live Audio Link

 

***

 

Follow Sunday's action as it happens:

MiLB.com now has Gameday available for AA this season.

 

Huntsville:

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_09_13_hunaax_tenaax_1&did=t559&sid=t559

[Mass Haas]

Here's to seeing one more Link Report beyond this one in 2009....

[battlekow]

Another clutch homer for Steffan Wilson to tie the game at 1 in the 7th. Another impressive performance so far from Brandon Kintzler on the pitching side.

[pogokat]

well, that's that...stars lose, season over.

[battlekow]

...but a whimper.

[colbyjack]

Here's to seeing one more Link Report beyond this one in 2009....

 

Boo-urns. Allow me to be the first to once again thank our esteemed link report artist, MassHaas, for another fine season keeping us all up to speed on the day-to-day events of the Brewers minor league affiliates, from Joan Abreu to Shawn Zarraga, and everyone (and everything) in between. Your dedication is truly unmatched. I just wish one of these affiliates would have gone a little further, not just for the link report to survive another day, but because you deserve it.

 

I also need to say that the tone of your posts over the last week reminded me that you truly care for all of the Brewers affiliates, placing an importance on the teams as well as the players, which is something not too many people around here do. No one can question your desire to see this franchise win, from top to bottom.

 

A tip of the cap to you my friend!

[WV Brew]

Thanks to Mass and everyone else who helped this year. Also to the commenters who make this so enjoyable for us lurkers, especially those ones who are local followers of the minor league teams. This is a daily read for me and often so necessary, when the big club lays an egg, to keep some perspective.

[brewmann04]

Thanks to all you provided info on the crew Farm System. Hopefully the Crews Pitchers will be able to move up and help out the big league club.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Tennessee (Cubs) 3, Huntsville 1

It had to be a Cubs affiliate...

 

Huntsville Site Game Summary

 

Stars Season Comes to an End in Sevierville

Seventh Inning Rally Sends Tennessee Into Title Series

By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars

Starlin Castro singled in the game-winning run in the seventh inning to push Tennessee past Huntsville 3-1 Sunday afternoon and into the Southern League Championship Series. The Smokies won the last three games of the best-of-five North Division Playoffs to take the series in four games and set up a showdown with the winner of the South Division series between Jacksonville and Birmingham for the league title.

 

Stars' starter Brandon Kintzler was lifted after six innings, trailing 1-0, allowing a run on six hits, while walking one and fanning five. Mike McClendon took over in the seventh inning and gave up back-to-back singles on two pitches to Marquez Smith and Wellington Castillo. Jonathan Mota dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners and the Stars then walked Brandon Guyer to load the bases. Castro followed with a line drive single into center field to deliver Smith to put the Smokies back in the lead at 2-1 and chase McClendon from the game. Casey Baron took over and got Jim Adduci to bounce into a force at the plate for the second out. Pinch-hitter Russ Canzler then bounced a ground ball to shortstop Yohannis Perez, who fielded it and tossed to second baseman Zelous Wheeler covering at second base. However, Wheeler could not handle the throw, allowing Adduci to reach safely and Guyer to score to make it a 3-1 game.

 

Marco Carillo started the eighth on the hill for Tennessee and issued a one-out walk to Wheeler before Drew Anderson lined out to the third baseman Smith, who threw back to first to double off Wheeler to end the inning. Brian Schlitter allowed a leadoff single to Jonathan Lucroy in the ninth inning before Taylor Green fouled out and Steffan Wilson bounced into a game and series-ending double play. Schlitter saved all three Tennessee wins in the series after recording 22 in the regular season.

 

Castro led off the home first with an infield hit, moved to second base on an Adduci bunt base hit and was then thrown out at third base by Kintzler on a failed Ty Wright sacrifice bunt attempt. Blake Lalli then slapped a single into left field to bring Adduci around from second base with the game's first run.

 

The Stars had two runners on the first inning before Lucroy lined into a double play and then had runners at the corners with two out in the second inning for Kintzler, who ripped a sinking line drive to left field that was caught by a diving Wright to end the inning and squash the threat. Smokies' starter Hung-Wen Chen settled in and wound up retiring eleven of the last 12 batters he faced to finish off his five frames of work. The Taiwanese right-hander yielded just one hit, an infield single by Wilson in the fourth, walked three and struck out four. Chen threw 46 pitches to get through the first two innings and wound up tossing 85.

 

Jason Ruhlman followed Chen to the mound for the Smokies and set down the first four hitters he faced before Wilson belted a home run just over the left-center field wall on a 3-0 pitch to get the game tied at one in the seventh. Freddy Parejo followed with a single that chased Ruhlman and brought on Marcos Mateo, who struck out the next two hitters to end the frame. The Smokies' right-hander earned the win by facing only two batters before the winning rally.

 

Huntsville Box Score

Ho-hum, it's like Groundhog Day with these Huntsville box scores -- well, Bill Murray is a Cubs' fan, right? Steffan Wilson be 24 next May and should be a fun power source at this level; looks like RHP Brandon Kintzler was a find, at the very minimum as starting rotation depth at the upper levels; here's hoping we see production from Lorenzo Cain and Taylor Green in the AFL; thank you, Jonathan Lucroy, for a fun season following you...

 

Huntsville Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Hey Yuku, what's up with the little arrows in my links?

[hawing]

The arrows are a new feature, intended to make links more visible to colorblind readers.

 

Also (as always), tip of the cap/pat on the back to Mass Haas. You can relax for a while now, Jim.

[Mass Haas]

Video of Steffan Wilson's HR in the finale here, unfortunately the winning Smokies' rally, too

[Mass Haas]

http://media.knoxnews.com/media/img/photos/2009/09/13/smokies_0006_t607.JPG

Knoxville News Photo by Saul Young

Tennessee Smokies centerfielder Jim Adduci makes it safely to second base after Huntsville's Zelous Wheeler, right, dropped a throw from teammate Yohannis Perez, left. The Smokies defeated the Stars 3-1 at Smokies Park to win the Northern Division title. Tennessee advances to the Southern League finals starting Tuesday in Jacksonville.

[Minigoon]

Thanks for another awesome summer of link reports Mass! I'm already looking forward to next April.

[jvrocksaz]

Thanks Mass for all the work you do! Thanks also to those others who have contributed to the link report throughout the year! I live in Arizona and I can't wait to see and give first hand accounts on how Mark Rogers and others do in the AFL!