Link Report for Sunday 4/11 -- A very solid first weekend for the organization wraps up

[igor67]

It' entirely possible we could have an abundance of OF prospects by the end of this season. I always look at AA as being crucial to guys whose tools are questioned like Gindl. Then again height isn't a tool.

[battlekow]

Final: Wisconsin 8, Clinton 2

 

Wisconsin box score

We thought it was going to be Maverick Lasker piggybacking on Damon Krestalude's start, but it turned out to be Jake Odorizzi, who tossed three scoreless innings for his first career save, striking out four while only allowing one hit and one walk. Krestalude pitched pretty well himself, holding the LumberKings scoreless until the 5th and ultimately allowing two runs in his five innings while walking none. Each of the first five Timber Rattlers--D'Vontrey Richardson, Scooter Gennett, Khris Davis, Cameron Garfield, and Chris Dennis--had a double, with the best overall line belonging to Dennis, who went 3-4 but somehow managed to avoid taking ball four. Gennett stayed hot, going 2-4, and Richardson got back on track with a 2-5 line.

Wisconsin play-by-play

The Rattlers went 3-4 in the 3rd inning but managed only one run:

• Franklin Romero singles on a ground ball to third baseman Mario
  Martinez.
• D' Vontrey Richardson doubles (1) on a fly ball to
  center fielder Daniel Carroll. Franklin Romero out at home on the
  throw, center fielder Daniel Carroll to third baseman Mario Martinez to
  catcher Brandon Bantz.
• Ryan Gennett singles on a line drive to
  left fielder Kalian Sams. D' Vontrey Richardson scores.
• Khristopher
  Davis grounds into double play, third baseman Mario Martinez to second
  baseman Nick Franklin to first baseman Dennis Raben. Ryan Gennett out
  at 2nd.

[battlekow]

Iowa Cubs drop to 0-4 with loss on Sunday against Nashville

Randy Peterson/Des Moines Register

The Iowa Cubs will hit, say a couple veterans aware that offensive

speed bumps can be a part of early-season baseball.

 

“We’ve played

four games,” fifth-season Iowa hitting coach Von Joshua said after

Sunday’s 4-2 loss against Nashville before an announced crowd of 7,035

at Principal Park. “We’re going to be a good hitting team.

 

"We’ve

got some young kids right now that just have to learn what triple-A

pitching is all about. They’re a little anxious right now, and then the

veteran guys are trying to do a little too much.”

Iowa’s record fell to 0-4 in Ryne Sandberg’s first season as manager.

The team batting average is .189 after getting seven hits, including

Jason Dubois’ second homer of the season, Sunday. The Cubs are 1-for-15

with two outs and runners in scoring position.

 

“It’s a case of

early-season jitters,” said Micah Hoffpauir, who hit .362 at Iowa in

2008, but checks in for tonight’s 6:30 game against Cardinals affiliate

Memphis at .133. “Maybe some guys are trying to do a little too much,

but you have to credit the Nashville (pitching) staff.”

 

The Iowa

staff hasn’t done badly, either, including starter Casey Coleman on

Sunday. In his triple-A debut, the 22-year-old allowed three runs and

struck out four in six innings.

 

“The pitching has been solid,

and the bats will come alive,” Sandberg said.

Iowa

is 0-4 for the first time since 2005. That’s also the last time the

Cubs started 0-5 – ironically the same year Sandberg was inducted into

baseball’s Hall of Fame.

 

“We’re not really concerned right now,”

Hoffpauir said. “What it’s going to take are some big hits in key

situations, and then it’s turned around.

 

“Everyone goes through

something like this. We’re just doing it at the start of the season.”

[battlekow]

Sounds Complete Four-Game Sweep Of I-Cubs

NashvilleSounds.com

 

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Nashville Sounds completed a season-opening sweep

of the division-rival Iowa Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Principal Park,

winning 4-2 to notch their fourth straight victory.

 

Nashville (4-0) remains the lone undefeated team in the Pacific Coast

League and is off to its best start since 2003, when that eventual

division-winning Sounds club opened with an 8-0 mark.

Iowa plated the game's first run for the first time in the series when

left fielder Jason Dubois led off the bottom of the second by depositing

a 1-2 Chris Waters offering over left field wall. The veteran's second

home run of the year gave the Cubs a 1-0 advantage.

 

The Sounds rallied to knot the score in the top of the third. Shortstop

Luis Cruz led off with a double to left off Iowa starter Casey Coleman,

was sacrificed to third by Waters, and made it a 1-1 contest when he

trotted home on a Norris Hopper sacrifice fly to right.

 

 

Iowa pulled back in front by a run in the home half of the frame as a

leadoff walk to fellow hurler Coleman came back to haunt Waters. After

the left-hander recovered to retire the next two hitters, Micah

Hoffpauir connected for an RBI double to right, although Brendan Katin

threw him out at third on the play to end the inning.

 

 

Nashville grabbed its first lead of the afternoon in the fourth at 3-2

as Katin belted his PCL-leading third home run of the young season, a

two-run blast to center off Coleman. Trent Oeltjen also scored on the

roundtripper after opening the inning by reaching on a fielding error by

Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair.

 

 

Third baseman Adam Heether upped the visitors' advantage to 4-2 in the

seventh when he greeted Cubs reliever Scott Maine by blasting his second

home run of the year, a solo shot to left.

 

 

Waters (1-0) continued a series-long trend of strong outings by

Nashville starting pitchers. The southpaw allowed two runs on three hits

while striking out four in his five innings of work to pick up the

victory in his Sounds debut.

 

 

The Nashville bullpen continued its early-season dominance. Tim Dillard

followed Waters with two scoreless frames in his first appearance of the

year. Zach Braddock worked into and out of a two-on, two-out jam in the

eighth to post a scoreless innings. Chris Smith closed things out by

nailing down his third save of the series with a 1-2-3 ninth.

 

 

Sounds second baseman Eric Farris' single to lead off the eighth inning

was the infielder's first career Triple-A knock, snapping an 0-for-12

start to his year.

 

 

Hopper singled in the top of the fifth inning to become the lone

Nashville player to record a hit in each of the club's first four games

this season.

 

 

Coleman (0-1) drew the loss despite working a quality start for Iowa.

The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits over six

frames.

 

 

The Sounds continue their road trip on Monday with the 6:35 p.m. opener

of a four-game series against the Omaha Royals at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Left-hander Chase Wright will man the bump for Nashville to make his

first start of the season. He'll be opposed by Royals right-hander Bryan

Bullington.

[battlekow]

Stars Edge Lookouts, 5-2

Lookouts.com

 

Caleb Gindl collected four hits to lead the Huntsville Stars to a 5-2

victory over the Lookouts in Sunday afternoon action at AT&T Field.

 

After two innings of much-ado-about-nothing baseball in terms of runs,

the Stars broke the ice in the third. With two outs already recorded, a

Lorenzo Cain hit by pitch began the rally. A subsequent John Koronka

wild pitch put Cain in scoring position. Brett Lawrie continued his

hot-hitting ways by slugging an RBI single to put Huntsville on the

board. After a passed ball, Caleb Gindl singled to put the score at 2-0.

 

Huntsville added another run in the fourth on a Lee Haydel RBI single,

but the Lookouts countered with two runs in the fifth frame. Dee Gordon

started the rally with a double and came home on a ground-rule double

from pinch hitter Tommy Giles. A subsequent Elian Herrera single up the

middle put the score at 3-2.

 

The Stars augmented their lead in the sixth with another run. A Lee

Haydel walk, sandwiched by singles from Zelous Wheeler and Lorenzo Cain,

set-up a Lawrie sacrifice fly.

 

Gindl, once again, punished the Lookouts in the top of the ninth by

blasting a solo shot to put the score at 5-2.

Brandon Kintzler pitched a perfect ninth to preserve the lead, notching

his first save of the season in the process.

 

Michael Bowman (1-0) earned the win for the Stars, throwing five innings

of two-run ball. He yielded five hits and no walks, while striking out

six.

 

John Koronka (0-1) took the loss for the Lookouts. In five innings, he

surrendered three runs (one earned) on eight hits. He struck out three

in the losing effort.

 

 

http://media.timesfreepress.com/img/photos/2010/04/11/041110lookoutsgame247_t305.JPG?ba7ba0dd8d7f1e464d5eb01fb9ba8c10bd9c61fe

Huntsville

Stars second baseman, Brett Lawrie,

no. 13, tags out the Lookouts' Eddy

Perez, no. 18,

at second base before throwing to first base for

another

out on the Lookouts' right fielder

Scott Van Slyke, no. 16, during the

game on Sunday.

(Jake Daniels/Chattanooga Times Free Press)

[battlekow]

Check out Stars announcer Chad Anderson's blog entry on today's game.

[battlekow]

Daytona Erupts for 10 Runs & Second Straight Win

DaytonaCubs.com

 

VIERA, FL - The Daytona Cubs rode the momentum from last night's

exciting victory to win their second straight over the Brevard County

Manatees. The Cubs bats exploded for a 5-run third inning en route to a

10-5 victory.

 

Third baseman Josh Vitters brought in the game's first run in the first

inning as he doubled to center field to score Brett Jackson.

 

The Manatees tied it up in the bottom of the second inning as Cubs

starter Chris Archer plunked Juan Sanchez with the bases loaded to force

in a run.

 

Daytona did not take long to answer as they batted around in the top of

the third inning and plated five runs. Vitters had another RBI-double to

get the scoring started in the third. Mark Reed, Brett Jackson and DJ

LeMahieu also had run-scoring base hits.

 

Brevard County would not lay down scoring single runs in the fourth and

fifth innings to pull within three runs. Martin Maldonado flew out to

right in the fourth to score Erik Miller and then Sergio Miranda singled

and drove in Juan Sanchez in the fifth.

 

 

The Cub's bats went back to work in the top of the sixth inning to put

the game on ice. LeMahieu doubled to begin the inning and scored on a

Josh Vitters single. Vitters then scored on Ryne White's double to the

gap in right-center. White would later score on a wild pitch.

 

 

The Manatees kept coming, but only scratched across one run in the

bottom of the sixth inning off of the Cubs Ryan Searle. Brock Kjeldgaard

led off the inning with a double and scored on a fielder's choice later

in the frame.

 

 

Daytona continued to rack up the runs in the top of the seventh inning

as Kyler Burke singled in Brett Jackson to make it double-digits in the

Cubs run column.

 

 

Ryan Searle (1-0) picked up the win for Daytona with four innings of

two-run baseball. Cody Scarpetta (0-1) worked just 2.1 innings and gave

up six runs to take the loss.

 

[Point Beer Is Best]

A couple of pics I took at the Rattlers' game to illustrate the sweet 1982 Brewers inspired jerseys, complete with "Wisconsin" script across the front:

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/a22156469fec25f2557bdc525bfcd3147437f2c.jpg

Starting Pitcher Damon Krestalude

 

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/1af25e046e989edd2fdf4fd0c90a22d7ed63d1b.jpg

Jake Odorizzi, who was dominant. Struck out 3 of the first 4 batters he faced if memory serves.

[battlekow]

Rattlers rip Clinton

Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com

GRAND CHUTE, WI – Sunday’s game could not have

been planned out any better by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The

offense

supported the pitching tandem of Damon Krestalude and Jake Odorizzi with

12

hits – including five doubles - for an 8-2 win over the Clinton

LumberKings. D’Vontrey Richardson and Michael Marseco each drove in

two runs for the Rattlers.

 

 

 

Wisconsin (3-1) put together single runs in the

first three

innings to build an early lead. Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis put

Wisconsin on the scoreboard in the first inning. Gennett doubled with

one

out. Davis followed with an RBI double for a 1-0 lead. The Rattlers

had runners at the corners with no outs in the bottom of the second

inning and

Joey Paciorek hit into a 6-4-3 double play that scored the run from

third.

An RBI single by Gennett in the third inning made it 3-0.

 

 

 

The Rattlers doubled their run total with three

runs in the

bottom of the fourth. Sean Halton singled in the first run. Later

in the frame – with two outs and the bases loaded – Richardson singled

to knock in two runs for a 6-0 lead.

 

 

 

Krestalude, the Timber Rattlers starting pitcher,

kept the

LumberKings (2-2) off the scoreboard until the fifth inning. James

Jones

doubled to start the frame. Kalian Sams followed with a homer to left.

 

 

 

Marseco got the Timber Rattlers their six run lead

back in

the bottom of the fifth inning. The Rattlers shortstop delivered a

two-out

single with the bases loaded to drive in two runs and make the score

8-2.

 

 

 

 

 

Krestalude turned the game over to the bullpen

after five innings.

In his Timber Rattlers debut, Krestalude allowed two runs on five hits

and

struck out two without issuing a walk.

 

 

Rattlers reliever Chad Robinson pitched a scoreless

sixth

inning with a pair of strikeouts. Odorizzi finished off Clinton as he

struck

out four over the final three innings and earned his first professional

save.

 

 

 

The Timber Rattlers and the LumberKings continue

their

series on Monday afternoon. Eric Arnett, the #1 pick of the Milwaukee

Brewers in the 2009 draft, is the scheduled starting pitcher and will

make his

Timber Rattlers debut. Clinton will counter with Taylor Stanton.

Game time is 12:05pm.

[colbyjack]

Thanks for sharing those pics Point Beer Is Best. Those 'Sconnie jerseys are pretty sharp.

[Mass Haas]

Stu checks out of Nashville and into Omaha

 

A clean sweep--and a night of rest and relaxation!

[juancastillo3]

battlekow wrote:

• Franklin Romero singles on a ground ball to third baseman Mario Martinez.
  
• D' Vontrey Richardson doubles (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Daniel Carroll. Franklin Romero out at home on the throw, center fielder Daniel Carroll to third baseman Mario Martinez to catcher Brandon Bantz.

I got a few good shots of the play at the plate. I think the ump blew the call. The catcher clearly does not have posession of the ball as it is resting on his glove in this photo.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AvXObne-YHg/S8Kxjs3SbvI/AAAAAAAAAlM/ttuysDazE0I/s1600/20100411_266.JPG

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Stars outshine Lookouts

David Paschall, Chattanooga Times Free Press

The Chattanooga Lookouts and Huntsville Stars evoked some not-so-pleasant memories from the not-too-distant past Sunday afternoon at AT&T Field.

Long before the Stars pounded out 14 hits in claiming a 5-2 victory, the two starting pitchers combined to hit three batters in the first three innings. In the second inning, Huntsville's Michael Bowman hit Jessie Mier in the cheek and moments later pegged Dee Gordon in the head on a pick-off attempt at second base.

"None of it was intentional, I can tell you that," Huntsville right fielder Caleb Gindl said. "You saw two guys get hit right off the bat, and then we try and pick a guy off and he gets hit. It's early and pitchers are nervous, too."

Lookouts starter John Koronka faced Bowman in the third inning but hit Lorenzo Cain in the ensuing at-bat, which resulted in home-plate umpire Anthony "Booter" West stepping out to warn both benches.

"Their guy hit a couple of our guys, and we ended up hitting one," Koronka said. "You don't want to get in that situation early in the season, but what happens, happens. You just go on to the next day."

In July 2008, the Lookouts and Stars had a bench-clearing brawl at AT&T that resulted in eight players being ejected, four from each team. Southern League president Don Mincher suspended each of the eight players for three days without pay, the largest number of suspensions Mincher could remember in his decade overseeing the league.

There were no more incidents Sunday after West issued the warning.

Chattanooga's problems began after Cain took first, as Koronka threw a wild pitch and then gave up an RBI single up the middle to Brett Lawrie for the game's first run. Lawrie advanced to second on a passed ball and scored when Gindl singled up the middle.

Gindl finished with four hits for the Stars (2-2), who have racked up 30 hits the past two games and allowed only six to the Lookouts (2-2).

"We're facing a good-hitting club who has pounded the ball well," Lookouts manager Carlos Subero said. "We haven't gotten many hits, and we've given up a lot. It's part of the game and part of the way it goes."

Huntsville made it 3-0 in the fourth inning when Taylor Green reached on an infield hit, advanced to second on a Gordon fielding error and scored on Lee Haydel's bloop single to left. The Lookouts pulled within 3-2 in the fifth on RBIs by Tommy Giles and Elian Herrera, but a Lawrie sacrifice to left in the sixth made it 4-2 and Gindl homered to right to open the ninth.

Gordon, the top prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, had been hitless (0-for-6) until Sunday, when he went 2-for-3 and scored a run.

Jesus Castillo is scheduled to start tonight's 7:15 (6:15 Central) series finale for the Lookouts, with Chris Cody scheduled for the Stars.

[Mass Haas]

The Rattlers' Chris Mehring -- What my gut tells me (4/11/10)

[battlekow]

juancastillo3's Timber Rattlers blog has some excellent insight and information regarding last night's game.

[Mass Haas]

Lookouts starter John Koronka faced Bowman in the third inning but hit Lorenzo Cain in the ensuing at-bat, which resulted in home-plate umpire Anthony "Booter" West stepping out to warn both benches.

 

Best umpire nickname -- ever.

[wibadgers23]

juancastillo3's Timber Rattlers blog has some excellent insight and information regarding last night's game.

I keep seeing the word "dominant" when describing Jake Odorizzi. Very nice. I really need to drive down to Appleton and watch him pitch.

 

 

[Southern Leaguer]

I'm not sure the best way to this but I've got several pictures from the Stars games this weekend in a Facebook album -

[battlekow]

I'm not sure the best way to this but I've got several pictures from the Stars games this weekend in a Facebook album -

I'm not able to view the album; are you sure it's not behind a privacy wall?

[Southern Leaguer]

I'm not sure the best way to this but I've got several pictures from the Stars games this weekend in a Facebook album -

I'm not able to view the album; are you sure it's not behind a privacy wall?

Try again now. If this doesn't work, I'll put them on a page on my other website. I changed the link in the original post but I think the old link still shows up in your response.

 

[battlekow]

Try again now. If this doesn't work, I'll put them on a page on my other website.

Still no go.

[bretsky07]

They work for me. Gindl at the plate for Huntsville now replaces Gindl at the plate in Brevard as my background.

[Southern Leaguer]

Try again now. If this doesn't work, I'll put them on a page on my other website.

Still no go.

Sorry. If the link works for some, maybe they can fix it so it will work for all. I will be posting more pics as the season goes along.

 

[battlekow]

No, I can see them now. After other people could see them, I figured my browser just had the first, protected version cached, so I cleared my cache, which fixed the problem. Thanks for sharing the pictures and sorry for the red herring.