Link Report for Tue. 4/20 -- Sea Cows fall in Morning Affair; Marco Estrada Looks To Stay Unscored Upon

[Tedaldtada]

I just want to apologize to Marco. He was cruising until I opened my big mouth.

[sfl2hnq17]

id love to see gennett and dennis in that huntsville lineup. i dont think there would be any holes in that lineup.

[battlekow]

[Periard] works in the low 90s with a good sinking FB

Is Periard still throwing in the low 90's after his shoulder problems?

 

EDIT: A triple for Cain! Hallelujah!

[TheCrew07]

Ha, I don't why I doubted Lawrie...

 

You know BK, I haven't heard anything about his velocity since A ball. I don't recall Chad or Aaron mentioning his velocity tonight, but I haven't been paying close attention.

[battlekow]

Burgos blew the save for the Rattlers. Toby was surprised that Burgos wasn't starting, but I'm even more surprised that he's being used as strictly a short reliever. I wonder how much his stuff plays up in the pen.

[pogokat]

Brett Lawrie is on pace to make the majors at 21(if not 20)...those that stick at 20 or 21 tend to be all-stars by the end run...

 

sweet...scooter gennet, who i view as an infant in baseball terms, is just 4 months younger than lawrie

 

easily the brewers top prospect at this point...probably since braun

[battlekow]

Final: Huntsville 4, West Tenn 3

Huntsville box score

Lorenzo Cain extended his hitting streak to 12 and finally notched his first extra-base hit of the year, a triple; he keeps burning up the baselines as well, stealing his 8th base so far without being caught. Brett Lawrie was 1-4, Caleb Gindl was 1-3 with a walk, and Taylor Green was 1-4 with a double, already his 8th two-bagger this year. Green must like hitting 5th, because in the Stars' first game without Jonathan Lucroy, it was Zelous Wheeler who moved up to fill Lucroy's cleanup spot, where he did his best to keep the machine running with a single and a walk. Lawrie committed his 5th error of the year. It's a good thing Sean McCraw didn't get injured, since he was the only catcher on the roster today. I wonder who the third catcher is--Lawrie? Starter Alex Periard was effective, allowing three runs (two earned) in six innings. He allowed seven hits and no walks but only struck out one and wasn't successful at keeping the ball on the ground (8/9 GO/AO). Brandon Kintzler continues to impress as the closer.

Huntsville play-by-play

After his mighty struggles with runners on yesterday, it had to feel good for Steffan Wilson to come up with a single with men on second & third and two outs in the first--until Green was thrown out at home to end the inning:

 

Huntsville Top 1st

• Lorenzo Cain singles on a ground
  ball to center fielder Kuo Hui Lo.
• With Brett Lawrie batting,
  Lorenzo Cain steals (8) 2nd base.
• Brett Lawrie grounds out,
  third baseman Alex Liddi to first baseman Johan Limonta.
• Caleb
  Gindl pops out to first baseman Johan Limonta.
• Zelous Wheeler
  singles on a line drive to center fielder Kuo Hui Lo. Lorenzo Cain
  scores.
• Taylor Green doubles (8) on a fly ball to left fielder
  Joseph Dunigan. Zelous Wheeler to 3rd.
• Steffan Wilson
  singles on a ground ball to left fielder Joseph Dunigan. Zelous
  Wheeler scores. Taylor Green out at home on the throw, left fielder
  Joseph Dunigan to catcher Guillermo Quiroz.

At least they got one run out of the play.

 

[battlekow]

Final: Cedar Rapids 7, Wisconsin 6 (10 innings)

 

Kernels' comeback thwarts Rattlers

Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com

GRAND CHUTE,

WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers grabbed a 6-2 lead with an early

offensive outburst Tuesday night at Time Warner Cable Field. But, the

Cedar Rapids Kernels chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the

game in

the top of the ninth. A Timber Rattlers error allowed the winning run

to

score in the top of the tenth and Cedar Rapids picked up a 7-6 win in

ten

innings.

 

 

 

The Kernels

(7-6) used their speed to grab a 2-0 lead in the top of the first

inning.

Mike Trout, the leadoff batter for Cedar Rapids, reached on an infield

single,

stole second, and went to third on a sacrifice bunt. Rattlers starting

pitcher Damon Krestalude walked Jean Segura to put runners at the

corners. Then, the Kernels pulled the double steal to perfection and

Trout

scored without a throw to the plate.

 

 

 

Segura would

steal third base later in the inning and score on a sacrifice fly by

Luis Jimenez

for a 2-0 lead.

 

 

 

Wisconsin (5-8)

got on the board in the bottom of the first. Scooter Gennett was hit by

a

pitch. Khris Davis lined a double off the wall and Gennett scored

easily.

 

 

 

The Rattlers

took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the second. Carlos

George

stepped up with runners on second and third with no outs and got the

tying run

home with a ground out. Franklin Romero, Jr. was next and his triple

drove home the go-ahead run. D’Vontrey Richardson followed with an

RBI single and the Rattlers led 4-2.

 

 

 

It became a

6-2 game in the bottom of the third when Wisconsin loaded the bases with

no

outs. Pete Fatse got one run home with a sacrifice fly. Sean Halton

doubled to get the second run home.

 

 

 

Krestalude

left after five innings with the four run lead. He allowed two runs on

three hits, walked two, and struck out four.

 

 

 

The Kernels

got to Rattler reliever Jon Pokorny in the sixth inning. The lefty

walked

the leadoff batter and gave up a two-run homer to Randal Grichuk to make

the

score 6-4. The next two batters after Grichuk reached base, but Pokorny

got the last two outs of the inning to keep the Rattlers up by two runs.

 

 

 

Caleb

Thielbar relieved Pokorny to start the seventh and gave up a pair of one

out

singles. But, Thielbar kept the Kernels off the board in the seventh.

The second out was recorded on a fine running catch by Franklin Romero

on a

flyball to deep right-center. Thielbar got Grichuk to popout to second

for the final out of the frame.

 

 

 

Hiram Burgos

came on for the ninth to close out the win. He got the first out.

Then, Matt Long and Segura singled. A wild pitch move the tying runs

into

scoring position. Burgos got the second out, but Jimenez singled to

center to drive in both runs and tie the game.

 

 

 

Burgos got

the first two outs of the top of the tenth, but walked Adam Younger on a

3-2

pitch to keep the inning going. Trout was next and he looped a base hit

down the right field line. Romero got to the ball quickly and fired to

second for a play on the speedy Trout. But, the throw to second was

high

and it wound up on the left field line. Younger, who had stopped at

third, took off for the plate and scored without a play to give the

Kernels a

7-6 lead.

 

 

 

Jeremy Berg

worked a scoreless bottom of the tenth for his second save of the

season.

 

 

 

Game two of

the series is Wednesday afternoon. Wisconsin sends Jake Odorizzi (1-0,

0.00) to the mound as the starting pitcher. Cedar Rapids has Orangel

Arenas (0-2, 3.27) as their scheduled starter.

Wisconsin box scoreKrestalude's final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. He recovered nicely after the rocky first, and as MH said, he was pitching on only three days' rest, so going five innings is impressive. Gennet singled and walked in addition to his HBP, and Davis walked twice to go along with his double. Richardson was 1-5, as was Cameron Garfield. Chris Dennis was 1-4 with a HBP. Romero's triple was already his 4th of the year; he and Richardson each committed their first errors of the year. With three pickoffs and a balk on his ledger tonight, are you surprised to learn that opposing pitcher Patrick Corbin is left-handed?

 

Wisconsin play-by-playCorbin almost pulled a Tippy Martinez in the second, picking off Richardson and Gennett.

 

[battlekow]

Rattler Radio:

 

What Chris's gut is telling him

[battlekow]

Final: Oklahoma City 8, Nashville 6

 

Sounds Lose 8-6 To RedHawks

NashvilleSounds.com

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds lost 8-6 to the Oklahoma City

RedHawks on Tuesday evening at historic Greer Stadium in the opener of a

four-game series.

 

Nashville (8-5) has dropped four of his its last five, but remains 2.5

games ahead of Iowa for first place in the American Northern Division.

 

The Sounds jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, as

first baseman Joe Koshansky walked to begin the rally. Left fielder Ray

Olmedo then doubled home Koshansky for the club's first run, followed by

a Luis Cruz RBI-base knock.

 

After opening the season with 17 consecutive scoreless innings, Sounds

starter Marco Estrada allowed five runs to Oklahoma City in the top of

the fifth inning. The right-hander walked the bases loaded and then

allowed consecutive two-run singles to Gregorio Petit and Esteban

German. Hernan Iribarren followed with a sacrifice fly to deep center

for a 5-0 advantage in his Greer Stadium return since being claimed by

the Texas Rangers in the offseason.

 

 

Mitch Moreland made it 6-2 with his second home run in the next frame, a

deep shot to center that landed off the top and over the wall.

 

 

RedHawks righty Elizardo Ramirez came into the game in the bottom of the

sixth inning to relieve starter Michael Kirkman and allowed four runs

to knot the contest at 6-6. Olmedo doubled down the right field line and

later scored on Patrick Arlis' first RBI-base hit of the season. After a

Norris Hopper walk, second baseman Eric Farris belted his first

Triple-A home run over the old out-of-town scoreboard down the left

field line to tie the game.

 

 

Oklahoma City went ahead 7-6 in the top of the eighth inning. Petit

again reached base with a two-out single and then came home on a German

base hit combined with a fielding error by right fielder Trent Oeltjen.

 

The RedHawks tacked on another run in the ninth for a 8-6 lead on a

Mitch Moreland single that deflected off reliever Chris Smith.

 

 

Estrada took the no-decision, allowing five runs on four hits with four

strikeouts and four walks in five innings. David Johnson allowed one run

on three hits in one inning thrown, with A.J. Murray adding a scoreless

frame. John Axford (1-2) took the loss after allowing an unearned run

in the eighth.

 

 

Kirkman gave up two runs on five hits with three strikeouts and five

walks in five innings pitched. Geoff Geary (2-2) picked up the win with 1

1/3 innings of shutout ball in relief.

 

 

On a major league rehab assignment, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia went

0-for-1 with two walks and a run scored before exiting the game in the

sixth inning.

 

 

The Sounds and RedHawks continue with the second game of a four-game

series at 11:05 am CT on Wednesday morning, as thousands of screaming

kids will be in attendance for Reading Club Day. Sounds starting pitcher

Chris Waters (1-0, 4.66) takes the mounds opposite right-hander

Guillermo Moscoso (0-0, 2.57).

 

Nashville box score

Really weird to not have to bold Iribarren's name. Estrada was great again for four innings before it all came apart in the 5th--walking the bases loaded? He'd allowed only two baserunners and faced one over the minimum through the first four innings. Adam Heether was 0-5 is now batting .190. Farris drew just his second walk of the year.

 

Nashville play by play

Axford had two down and none on before allowing a run in the 8th:

 

Okla. City Top 8th

• Pitcher Change: John Axford
  replaces A. Murray.
• Max Ramirez strikes out swinging.
• Brandon
  Boggs grounds out, third baseman Adam Heether to first baseman Joe
  Koshansky.
• Gregorio Petit singles on a line drive to left
  fielder Ray Olmedo.
• Esteban German singles on a line drive to
  right fielder Trent Oeltjen. Gregorio Petit scores. Esteban German
  to 3rd. Fielding error by right fielder Trent Oeltjen.
• Hernan
  Iribarren flies out to center fielder Norris Hopper.

The Sounds had a great chance to take the lead in the previous half inning, but it looks like Erick Almonte made a crucial baserunning mistake:

 

Nashville Bottom 7th

• Pitcher Change: Geoff Geary
  replaces Elizardo Ramirez.
• Erick Almonte hits a ground-rule
  double (1) on a fly ball to right field.
• Adam Heether flies
  into double play, right fielder Mitch Moreland to third baseman Esteban
  German. Erick Almonte out at 3rd on the throw.
• Joe
  Koshansky strikes out swinging.

[Mass Haas]

Game Summary from the West Tenn site -- interesting tidbit italicized as well

 

JACKSON, TN. (April 20, 2010) - Huntsville (8-4) scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning and come from behind to beat the Diamond Jaxx (4-8) at Pringles Park, 4-3. The Jaxx drop their fourth consecutive game and their second one-run game of the season.

The loss trumps a great performance by starter Luis Munoz, who made his first start of the season. Munoz worked five innings on the hill allowed just two runs on five hits in the no decision.

Carlos Peguero and Carlos Triunfel led the Diamond Jaxx on the offensive side with 2-for-4 nights at the plate. Lorenzo Cain and Chris Errecart each provided 2-for-4 nights to lead the Stars.

Robert Rohrbaugh (1-1) suffers the loss on Tuesday night after surrendering his first two runs of the season in relief. Donovan Hand (1-0) picked up the win dealing 1.2 scoreless innings of relief for Huntsville. Brandon Kintzler (S, 4) notched the save tossing 1.1 innings scoreless to finish it.

The Huntsville Stars again on Tuesday night got on the scoreboard first, but did it with two outs om the first. After a leadoff single by Cain and a stolen base he was brought home on a single by Zelous Wheeler. Taylor Green smacked his league leading eighth double to put runners on second and third then Steffan Wilson drove in Wheeler from third. The Stars took a 2-0 lead before the Jaxx came to the plate.

In a bizarre bottom half of the second inning the Jaxx got on the scoreboard with a run. Alex Liddi and Joe Dunigan batted out of order, but it was not caught by Stars Manager Mike Guerrero until after a pitch was thrown to Liddi. The Jaxx scored their run in the inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kuo Hui Lo. The Jaxx trailed 2-1 after two innings.

West Tenn rallied for a couple of runs in the fifth inning and took their first lead of the game. Carlos Peguero plated Kuo Hui Lo after Lo doubled to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Mike Wilson plated Peguero on a fielders choice to give the Jaxx a 3-2 lead.

Huntsville came from behind though on this Tuesday night and plated a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning. Brett Lawrie singled in Cain after Cain tripled to deep right-center field. With the game tied and the bases loaded Green brought home Lawrie on a groundout giving Huntsville back the lead for good, 4-3.

The Jaxx and Stars play a special 11:05 AM game on Wednesday morning at Pringles Park. LHP Mauricio Robles (1-0, 2.89) takes the hill for West Tenn while RHP Mark Rogers (0-1, 3.12) deals for the Stars.

 

***

 

Cool -- Mark Rogers audio on Wednesday AM, and not up against a Brewer game.

 

EDIT: Audio overload, dueling ball games with Jake Odorizzi as well. Rogers gets a one-hour head start, we'll have to assign dual "audio correspondents". Hopefully many of you reading, and I imagine many in the Brewer front office, will be listening to one or the other. Of course, no slight to LHP Chris Waters with the Nashville matinee. OK, maybe a small slight...

[Mass Haas]

Brett in Appleton has several tidbits and updates, including quotes regarding disappointment in LHP Efrain Nieves.

[Mass Haas]

Look for Wednesday's Link Report by mid-morning in order to set you up for all three audio choices at lunchtime today.

 

An unproductive office day today...