Link Report for Sat., April 24th -- Timber Rattlers Day Game Audio

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Saturday's Daily Menu:

 

Times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: LHP Chuck Lofgren at New Orleans (Marlins), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime

Live Audio Link

 

Huntsville: RHP Amaury Rivas at home vs. Chattanooga (Dodgers), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime

Live Audio Link

 

Brevard County: RHP Michael Fiers at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 6:05 PM gametime

Live Audio Link (Cubs' feed)

 

Wisconsin: LHP Del Howell at home vs. Beloit (Twins), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:05 gametime; RHP Nick Bucci scheduled to tandem in relief

Live Audio Link

[Mass Haas]

The weather looks to be a bit iffy (60% chance of rain in Appleton), but if you do happen to find yourself driving around or in the yard, Chris reminded us --

 

If you can't make it to the game, tune in to AM 1280, WNAM.

[Mass Haas]

Follow Saturday'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.

 

Nashville (Gameday also available)

 

Huntsville (Gameday also available)

Brevard County

 

Wisconsin

[Mass Haas]

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nashville 10 6 .625 - 3-5 7-1 W1 
Memphis 8 8 .500 2.0 4-4 4-4 L1 
Iowa 7 9 .438 3.0 3-5 4-4 W1 
Omaha 7 9 .438 3.0 2-6 5-3 W1 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tennessee 13 2 .867 - 4-1 9-1 W7 
Huntsville 9 6 .600 4.0 3-2 6-4 L2 
Chattanooga 7 8 .467 6.0 6-4 1-4 W3 
Carolina 6 9 .400 7.0 2-8 4-1 L5 
West Tenn 6 9 .400 7.0 3-7 3-2 W2 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clearwater 10 6 .625 - 7-1 3-5 W2 
Dunedin 9 7 .563 1.0 5-3 4-4 L1 
Tampa 9 7 .563 1.0 5-3 4-4 W1 
Lakeland 8 7 .533 1.5 5-2 3-5 L2 
Daytona 6 10 .375 4.0 2-6 4-4 L1 
Brevard County 5 10 .333 4.5 3-5 2-5 W1

[Mass Haas]

MID Western (click column headers to sort)
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Quad Cities	12	4	.750	-	6-1	6-3	7-3	W1
	Peoria	10	6	.625	2.0	6-0	4-6	7-3	L1
	Beloit	9	7	.563	3.0	5-4	4-3	7-3	W2
	Cedar Rapids	7	9	.438	5.0	4-2	3-7	5-5	L3
	Clinton	7	9	.438	5.0	5-5	2-4	3-7	L2
	Kane County	7	9	.438	5.0	5-4	2-5	3-7	W1
	Wisconsin	7	9	.438	5.0	5-5	2-4	4-6	L1
	Burlington	5	11	.313	7.0	4-3	1-8	4-6	W2

[Mass Haas]

Check for updated links shortly before game time for media notes --

PDF documents:

Nashville Media Notes

Huntsville Media Notes

***http://rattler-radio.blogspot.com/Rattler Radio:

Game notes

April 24, 2010: Today's Rattlers pitchers

April 24, 2010: Rattlers lineup

[Mass Haas]

Hey folks, apologies from me, as I failed to remind you about last Thursday's Timber Rattler game being a Time Warner Channel 32 event.

 

Here's the box score from that game

 

You have two chances to DVR the replay from that game this weekend -- the position players and Andre Lamontagne would appreciate it, Eric Arnett may wish you to overlook this one -- regardless, if you want to do some self-scouting with the convenience of the occasional fast-forward / rewind button, here's the schedule for the re-broadcasts:

 

Saturday 4/24, 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM

 

Sunday, 4/25, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

[Southern Leaguer]

The Huntsville game has already been cancelled due to predicted bad weather. DH scheduled for tomorrow, 1:00 pm.

[Mass Haas]

More on the weather from Buck --

 

Stars fans, tonight's 6-o'clock game joins the long list of area event cancellations. Due to severe thunderstorms and projected tornado activity that will be hitting north Alabama in the next couple hours until late into the evening, tonight's game between the Chattanooga Lookouts and the Stars has been postponed. The game will be made up as part of a DH tomorrow (Sunday) beginning at 1:00 PM.

 

The decision to postpone this game was made after numerous phone calls to weather officials, the league president and the visiting team. The weather experts have stressed to us that today's storms will be violent and they couldn't stress enough the seriousness of them. Not only do we have to consider the safety of Stars fans, players and coaches, but the safety of having the Chattanooga Lookouts bus drive into severe thunderstorms with tornado activity very likely. We knew two days ago what was coming but we waited until this morning to make final plans on the off chance that the front would change direction. Our goal is to make every attempt to play baseball, but not at a cost of anybody's safety.

 

Currently there is a tornado watch until 2:00 PM today with more updates coming. We just received a report that we will have another batch of severe storms beginning at 3:00 this afternoon and that the severe and/or isolated thunderstorms will not end until midnight.

 

Our staff made it in early today and we have moved just about everything and anything that could go airborne. We tarped the field last night and have a large amount of water on it - along with tractors, equipment and benches - that will hopefully help keep it on the ground so we can play baseball tomorrow.

 

Our goal is to get in early tomorrow and reconfigure the stadium. The plan is to open gates at noon. The Stars players and coaches will be on the concourse signing autographs from noon until 12:20 PM. Make sure you're here early.

 

Also, ensure that you safeguard your family and yourselves today and tonight while these storms pass thru the area. We'll have clearer skies tomorrow and a DH to get us back on schedule.

 

Rock On!

[battlekow]

Rattlers are having weather problems as well, in a rain delay after seven.

[TheCrew07]

Rattlers are having weather problems as well, in a rain delay after seven.

That will give people a chance to go and listen to the audio about Heckathorn's pitch count being built up so he can beginworking as a SP again.

[battlekow]

Apparently they'll be getting back under way shortly.

[battlekow]

Final: Beloit 7, Wisconsin 5

 

Snappers' 9th inning rally beats Rattlers

Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com

GRAND CHUTE,

WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers fought back to tie the Beloit

Snappers

with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. But, the Snappers

scored twice in the top of the ninth inning and held off Wisconsin for a

7-5

win on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field.

 

 

 

Wisconsin

(7-10) got a pair of two-out RBI hits in the bottom of the first inning

to grab

a 2-0 lead against a nemesis. Scooter Gennett doubled with one out, but

he was still at second with two outs. Pete Fatse drove in Gennett with a

triple. Sean Halton followed with an RBI double. That was about all

the Rattlers could manage against Beloit starting pitcher Daniel

Osterbrock on

the day.

Beloit (10-7)

answered with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Rattlers

starting

pitcher Del Howell walked the leadoff batter to start the inning.

Yosmil

Pinto was next and his RBI double knocked in the first run. Another

walk

and a single loaded the bases and Howell threw a wild pitch that let

Pinto

score the tying run.

 

The game

remained tied 2-2 until the sixth inning. Aaron Hicks homered off

reliever Nick Bucci with one out in the top of the frame to put the

Snappers up

3-2. Bucci got the second out of the inning, but walked Brian Dozier.

Angel Morales was next and hit a two-run homer to left to make the score

5-2.

 

 

 

The rain

started falling in the top of the seventh. After Osterbrock got the

final

out of the bottom of the seventh, the umpires called for the tarp to be

put on

the field.

 

 

 

 

 

Osterbrock

made three starts against the Rattlers in 2009 and went 3-0 with a

1.42 ERA.

He would be in line for a fourth win in four starts against the Rattlers

after

he went seven innings with eight strikeouts.

 

The rain delay

lasted 81 minutes and when the game resumed, the Rattlers got busy tying

the

game.

 

 

 

D’Vontrey

Richardson doubled with one out in the Rattlers half of the eighth

inning

against Beloit reliever Peter Kennelly. Gennett followed with a double

to

make the score 5-3. Kennelly got the second out, but walked Pete Fatse

to

put the tying run on base. Steve Blevins relieved Kennelly and hit Sean

Halton with the first pitch to load the bases.

 

 

 

Blevins would

walk Cameron Garfield on four pitches to force in a run to make the

score 5-4. Blevins

walked Joey Paciorek on a 3-1 pitch and force home the tying run.

 

 

 

Wisconsin

reliever Hiram Burgos, who had pitched a scoreless eighth, had two out

and a

runner at first in the top of the ninth. But, Tobias Streich singled to

keep the inning alive. Then, James Beresford singled to left to send in

a

run to make the score 6-5. A wild pitch by Burgos allowed Streich to

score the final run of the game.

 

 

 

The Timber

Rattlers would put two on with one out against Blevins in the bottom of

the

ninth. That was when Edgar Ibarra entered the game and recorded the

final

two outs for the Snappers to get his first save of the season.

 

 

 

The final

game of the homestand is a Brewers Sunday presented by 107.5, The Fan.

Timber

Rattlers players will be wearing jerseys and caps based on those of the

1982

Milwaukee Brewers. Fans may play catch on the field before the

game. There is also a post-game autograph session with the players.

Additionally, Time Warner Cable subscribers may bring in their bill and

receive

up to four half priced reserve seat tickets.

 

 

 

Wisconsin

sends Damon Krestalude (1-0, 2.57) to the mound as the starting

pitcher.

Beloit counters with Miguel Munoz (0-0, 1.98) as their scheduled

starter.

Wisconsin box score

Though Howell allowed only two runs, ten runners in four innings isn't much progress, though at least the strikeouts showed up today. Bucci, by contrast, allowed only three baserunners in his two innings, but thanks to the two homers, they all scored; he struck out one. Richardson was 2-5, and the fly-ball double is great to see, but he continues to strike out a disturbing amount, twice more today for 20 on the year against only three walks. Gennett continues to greatly impress: both of his doubles were on line drives, and he also walked, was hit by a pitch, and stole a base. Chris Dennis finally had a bad day, 0-5 with four strikeouts. He'd really been keeping the strikeouts down so far this year. Garfield added a single to go along with his walk. It looks like Khris Davis was held out of the game today after injuring his hand last night.

 

Wisconsin play-by-playAfter leaving the bases loaded in the second, Howell somehow escaped unscathed after loading them again with no outs in the 4th:

Beloit Top 4th

 

• Tobias Streich doubles (2) on a ground
  ball to left fielder Peter Fatse.
• James Beresford singles on a
  line drive to center fielder D' Vontrey Richardson.
• Aaron
  Hicks singles on a ground ball to left fielder Peter Fatse. Tobias
  Streich to 3rd. James Beresford to 2nd.
• Wang-Wei Lin
  grounds into a force out, pitcher Del Howell to catcher Cameron
  Garfield. Tobias Streich out at home. James Beresford to 3rd.
  Aaron Hicks to 2nd. Wang-Wei Lin to 1st.
• Brian Dozier
  strikes out swinging.
• Angel Morales called out on strikes.

[Mass Haas]

Brad's Rattlers photos from Friday night

[battlekow]

Rattler Radio:

 

What Chris's gut is telling him

[TheCrew07]

Fiers was outstanding again today, too bad the effort was wasted/

[battlekow]

Final: Daytona 1, Brevard County 0

 

Brevard County box score

Mike Fiers is pretty much your sole highlight here. He struck out seven in seven innings, allowing the sole run of the game on a solo homer, one of only four hits he surrendered. He walked none and hit a batter. At the plate, Erik Komatsu continued his hot streak by going 2-4 and is now 18 for his last 32. The only other Manatee to reach base more than once was Matt Cline with a single and a walk, as Cubs prospect Dae-Eun Rhee limited the 'Tees to just two baserunners in first six innings. Still no Kentrail Davis; we heard that his injury wasn't serious and that he'd be activated as soon as he was eligible to return, but it's several days past that now with no sign of him.

Brevard County play-by-play

When you're as limited offensively as BC, I suppose you have to take chances on the bases, but this attempt to tie the game didn't pay off:

 

Brevard County Bottom 7th

• Pitcher Change: Aaron Shafer
  replaces Dae-Eun Rhee.
• Erik Komatsu reaches on fielding error
  by shortstop Junior Lake.
• Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out
  swinging.
• Erik Miller singles on a line drive to left fielder
  Nelson Perez. Erik Komatsu to 2nd.
• Juan Sanchez singles on a
  ground ball to shortstop Junior Lake. Erik Komatsu out at home,
  shortstop Junior Lake to catcher Michael Brenly. Erik Miller to 2nd.
• Anderson
  De La Rosa flies out to right fielder Kyler Burke.

Another potential rally was short-circuited in the next inning:

 

Brevard County Bottom 8th

• Michael Roberts grounds out,
  third baseman DJ LeMahieu to first baseman Matthew Spencer.
• Matt
  Cline singles on a line drive to left fielder Nelson Perez.
• Josh
  Prince reaches on fielding error by shortstop Junior Lake. Matt
  Cline to 2nd.
• Sergio Miranda lines into double play, second
  baseman Marwin Gonzalez to first baseman Matthew Spencer. Josh Prince
  doubled off 1st.

[battlekow]

Final: Nashville 8, New Orleans 3

Lofgren Uses Arm, Bat To Lead Sounds Past Z's

NashvilleSounds.com

 

METAIRIE, La. - Nashville left-hander Chuck Lofgren turned in a solid

five-inning start on the hill and drove in three runs at the plate to

lead the Sounds to an 8-3 win over the New Orleans Zephyrs on Saturday

evening at Zephyr Field in the opener of a four-game series.

 

With the victory, Nashville (11-6) picked up its third win in the last

four contests and improved to 8-1 on the road this season.

 

Lofgren (3-1) allowed three runs on five hits over five innings to notch

his third win in four starts to begin the year for Nashville. The

southpaw added a 2-for-3, three-RBI effort at the plate; all three of

the hurler's RBIs came with two outs.

 

The eight runs scored marked the highest scoring output for Nashville

this season. Lofgren led a group of five Sounds batters who recorded

two-hit efforts as the visitors rapped out a season-high 12 hits on the

evening

 

 

Sounds third baseman Adam Heether (2-for-5) got the scoring started with

a two-out solo homer to left in the top of the first inning. The blast,

Heether's team-leading fifth of the year, came against Z's starter Rick

VandenHurk.

 

 

New Orleans quickly answered in the home half of the frame against

Lofgren. Emilio Bonfacio led off with a triple to right and scored to

make it a 1-1 contest when Bryan Peterson followed with an RBI single to

center.

 

 

Lofgren, who handles the lumber well, helped his own cause in the second

by ripping a two-out, two-run double to center off VandenHurk to give

Nashville a 3-1 advantage. Jonathan Lucroy (2-for-4), who singled to

open the frame, and Johnny Raburn, who drew a two-out walk, scored on

the two-bagger.

 

 

The Z's pulled back within a run at 3-2 in the bottom of the second when

catcher Brad Davis slugged his first home run of the year, a leadoff

solo shot to left off Lofgren.

 

 

Nashville added to its lead in the fourth, plating a pair of two-out

runs to make it a 5-2 game. Lofgren again helped his own cause when his

single to center brought Norris Hopper plateward, and Eric Farris

followed with an RBI knock of his own to right.

 

 

A pair of two-out walks came back to haunt Lofgren in the bottom of the

fourth as pinch-hitter Alejandro Machado pulled the home team back

within two at 5-3 with a two-out RBI single to center.

 

 

The Sounds tacked on three insurance runs in the eighth against New

Orleans reliever Jose Veras to extend the lead to 8-3. Joe Koshansky led

off with a walk and moved to third on a Lucroy double before both

players scored on Hopper's two-run double to right. Hopper later scored

on pinch-hitter Erick Almonte's RBI fielder's choice to third.

 

 

Nashville had the bases loaded with only one out later in the frame but

Zephyrs reliever Adalberto Mendez stifled any further rally by inducing

an inning-ending, line drive double play from Luis Cruz.

 

 

The Sounds' bullpen continued its impressive early-season performance,

as three hurlers combined for four scoreless frames to keep New Orleans

off the board in the late innings.

 

 

David Johnson followed Lofgren to the hill and worked a pair of hitless

frames, fanning two batters. John Axford added a scoreless eighth,

retiring the side on 13 pitches including a pair of strikeouts, before

left-hander A.J. Murray closed out the win by working around a pair of

baserunners in a scoreless ninth, leaving two men on board as he struck

out the game's final two batters.

 

 

VandenHurk (1-1) lasted only four frames for the Z's, allowing five runs

on six hits in absorbing his first loss of the year.

 

 

The teams continue the series with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon.

Right-hander Marco Estrada (0-0, 2.50) will man the bump for the Sounds

to face New Orleans right-hander Ryan Tucker (0-0, 3.38).

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/04/24/xPJjdRga.jpg

 

Nashville box score

Lofgren walked three and struck out two. I love pitchers who love to hit; there's not much more satisfying than two-out RBI doubles from your starter. Nice to see Axford with a perfect, dominant inning after he'd been scored upon in his last two outings, and of course it's great to see Lucroy post his first multi-hit game at AAA.

 

Nashville play-by-play

[jjjf44]

Is there anything wrong with Zach Braddock, have not see his name pitching for a few days?

[Mass Haas]

This may be the most photographed Brewer affiliate of all time -- here's the Post-Crescent's gallery for Saturday's Timber Rattlers game.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Rain chases Snappers pitcher Osterbrock when Timber Rattlers batters can't

By Jim Oskola, Post-Crescent staff writer

 

GRAND CHUTE — After being held to three hits on Friday, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers showed some offensive life at rain-soaked Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Saturday.

 

It wasn't quite enough life, though, as Beloit won its second straight in the three-game series, defeating the Rattlers 7-5.

 

Wisconsin got two runs in the first inning off Beloit starter Daniel Osterbrock when Scooter Gennett sliced a double to left, Peter Fatse tripled to the right field corner and Sean Halton doubled down the third baseline.

 

Just when the umbrella-toting Rattlers fans started to think Wisconsin had Osterbrock on the ropes, he settled down and only four more Rattlers reached base in the next six innings.

 

"He was mixing his pitches all right," Fatse said. "He wasn't overpowering but he definitely was mixing things up on us. I think, for the most part, we were getting ourselves out a little bit in the middle innings."

 

Gennett, who went two-for-three with two doubles and a pair of runs scored, thought Osterbrock got in a good rhythm.

 

"We had good at-bats early," Gennett said. "We kind of came off our approach a little bit, but he had good rhythm, got real comfortable up there and you can't allow that to happen if you want to win ballgames."

 

Or maybe Osterbrock is just lucky against the Timber Rattlers.

 

In 2009, Osterbrock went 7-10 in 28 games for Beloit but went 3-0 against Wisconsin, allowing four runs on 12 hits, while striking out 22 in 19 innings.

 

Saturday's pitching line for Osterbrock was seven innings, five hits, two runs, one walk and eight strikeouts.

 

The good thing for the Rattlers was the one-hour, 21-minute rain delay after the seventh inning finished Osterbrock's day and allowed them to go to work against the Beloit bullpen.

 

Trailing 5-2 in the eighth inning, the Rattlers used a patient approach at the plate against Peter Kennelly and Steve Blevins to score three runs.

 

The doubles came early in the count against Kennelly but following a walk to Fatse, Blevins relieved and the Rattlers batters did a good job of sitting back and waiting for strikes.

 

"You have to be patient when you're down in a game," Gennett said. "Seeing pitches and making him throw strikes worked in our favor. We got a lot of walks and had a lot of good at-bats there at the end."

 

Blevins hit the first batter he faced (Halton) and then missed the strike zone on eight of his next nine pitches to force in a pair of runs.

 

"At that point, we were waiting to see a couple pitches and we were in our catch-up approach," Fatse said. "We were not going to be too aggressive unless he got a strike on us early."

 

The patience at the plate paid off until Blevins finally ended the inning by getting Michael Marseco to ground out to short on a 2-2 pitch.

 

"We definitely have to stay with our routine," Gennett said. "It's really important when you're not doing well to not give up and try new things. You've got to maintain what you've been doing, what's gotten you to this point, and stick with it."

 

With the season only 17 games old, there are plenty of at-bats left.

[Mass Haas]

Brevard County blanked by Daytona

By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees

 

One pitch made the difference in the Brevard County Manatees' return from a six-day road trip. Daytona Cubs left fielder Nelson Perez hit a solo home run to right field in the third inning as the Manatees fell 1-0 at Space Coast Stadium on Friday night.

 

Manatees starter Michael Fiers (0-2, 1.88 ERA) went seven strong innings allowing four hits and striking out seven, but made the one costly mistake to Perez.

 

The Manatees (5-11) though had their chances in the last three innings of the game.

 

In the seventh with two on and one out, Juan Sanchez singled to shallow left center field, but Erik Komatsu was waved home and gunned down by Daytona's Junior Lake. Anderson De La Rosa flied out to end the inning.

 

In the eighth inning as the Manatees had runners on first and second with one out, but Sergio Miranda lined out to Cubs second baseman Marwin Gonzalez, who then threw out Josh Prince at first for the double play.

 

With their last chance in the ninth, Komatsu led off the inning with a single and then stole second after Brock Kjeldgaard struck out. With the tying run on second and one out, Erik Miller struck out and Sanchez grounded out to end the game.

 

Komatsu led the way at the plate for Brevard County with two hits.

 

Dae-Eun Rhee got the win for the Cubs (7-10) as he threw six innings of one-hit ball and struck out two.

 

Brevard County and Daytona will wrap-up their quick two-game series on Sunday afternoon beginning at 1:05 PM (12:05 Central) at Space Coast Stadium.

 

Manatees starting pitcher Michael Fiers threw seven strong innings allowing one run on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts, but Brevard County could not push a run across though as they fell 1-0 to Daytona on Friday night. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography)

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/04/24/vxv4r5QR.jpg