Link Report for Tue. 4/27 -- Wright, Lucroy, Farris shine in lunchtime Sounds' rout

[battlekow]

Clearwater Offense Silent In 3-0 Loss To Brevard

Adrian Martinez/ClearwaterThreshers.com

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The offense struggled tonight as the Clearwater

Threshers (11-7) managed just four hits, falling to the Brevard County

Manatees (7-11) 3-0 in the opening game of the series. Chris Capuano

(1-0) and Daniel Merklinger combined on the shut out for the Manatees.

 

 

Capuano, a 2006 National League all-star for the Milwaukee

Brewers, made his first rehab start of 2010 after undergoing a second

Tommy John surgery last year. The southpaw scattered three hits and

stuck out five in five innings. Merklinger followed with four more

scoreless innings for his first save of the year.

 

 

Brevard threatened to score early on in the first inning but was

denied when right fielder Brian Gump nailed Josh Prince at the plate

trying to tag up on a fly ball. Brevard also had runners in scoring

position in the fourth and fifth inning but Clearwater starter Jesus

Sanchez (0-3) was able to escape unscathed.

 

 

The Manatees finally broke through in the top half of the sixth

inning with a pair of singles followed by a pair of fly balls to plate

the first run. Then Erik Miller clubbed a single up the middle to score

the second run for Brevard. That would be all from Sanchez who worked

six innings, surrendering the two runs on six hits and striking out

four.

 

 

After Tyler Cloyd worked a scoreless seventh for the Threshers,

Korey Noles allowed the three hitters he faced to reach base in the

eighth. Chris Kissock then came on gave up an RBI single to Sergio

Miranda, then picked up a strike out and a double play to get out of the

jam.

 

 

The Threshers were 0-3 on the night with runners in scoring

position and struck out 10 times, reaching double-digits for the second

time this season.

 

 

Fidel Hernandez did record a hit in the ninth inning to extend

his hit-streak to nine games.

 

 

The two teams square off again Wednesday afternoon at 1 p.m. as

Cody Scarpetta

(1-2) will face J.C. Ramirez (2-0) during Senior Citizens

Day at Bright House Field.

[battlekow]

Final: Peoria 5, Wisconsin 4

Late Peoria homer foils Rattlers comeback

Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com

PEORIA, IL –

The Peoria Chiefs have two home runs this season. Greg Rohan has both

of

them. His second long ball of the year snapped a 4-4 tie in the

bottom of the eighth inning to give the Chiefs a 5-4 win over the

Wisconsin

Timber Rattlers Tuesday night at O’Brien Field. The Rattlers

rallied with three runs in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game,

but

the blast from Rohan sent Wisconsin to their third straight loss.

 

 

 

The Chiefs (11-8)

struck first with three runs in the bottom of the third inning.

Francisco

Guzman started the inning with a bunt single. Hak-Ju Lee doubled to put

two runners in scoring position. Logan Watkins followed with a triple

to

right to push both runners across the plate. Matt Cerda was next and

his fly

ball to right was deep enough to score Watkins with the third run of the

inning.

 

 

 

 

 

Wisconsin (7-11)

got one of those runs back in the top of the fourth inning on a two-out

RBI

single by Sean Halton.

 

But, a

two-out RBI single by Guzman in the bottom of the fourth put the Chiefs

in

front 4-1.

 

 

 

The score

stayed that way until the Rattlers scrapped together a three-run rally

in the

top of the eighth inning. Scooter Gennett walked and Chris Dennis

singled

to right on a hit-and-run to put Gennett on third. Pete Fatse sent a

fly

ball to the warning track in left that was dropped. Gennett scored,

Dennis

took second, and Fatse reached. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners

into

scoring position.

 

 

 

Halton sent

Dennis home from third and Fatse to third with an RBI grounder. Fatse

scored the tying run on a wild pitch.

 

 

 

Chad Robinson

got ahead of Rohan 0-1, but the next pitch was driven over the left

field wall and

the Chiefs were back in the lead.

 

 

 

James Leverton,

who blew the save in the top of the eighth inning, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth

for

his second win of the season.

 

 

 

Game two of

the series is Wednesday night. Efrain Nieves (1-2, 6.75) is the

scheduled

starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Peoria sends Su-Min Jung

(3-0,

0.00) to the mound.

Wisconsin box score

Damon Krestalude started and allowed four runs in five innings on six hits and a walk, striking out five. Gennett finished 2-4 with a walk and was caught stealing. Dennis's single was his lone hit of the game; he struck out three times. D'Vontrey Richardson finished 0-4 with a walk and was picked off first (without checking, I think at least the third time he's been picked off this year), and Cameron Garfield was 0-2 with a walk and a sac bunt. Carlos George had two hits but an equal amount of errors, already eight of the latter on the year.

Wisconsin play-by-play

Gennett tried to score from third on Fatse's grounder to first in the 4th inning but was thrown out at home. The Rattlers had the bases loaded and nobody out in the 5th but couldn't score:

 

Wisconsin Top 5th

• Carlos George singles on a line
  drive to right fielder Francisco Guzman, deflected by pitcher Kenneth
  McNutt.
• Franklin Romero singles on a bunt ground ball to
  pitcher Kenneth McNutt. Carlos George to 2nd.
• With D'
  Vontrey Richardson batting, wild pitch by Kenneth McNutt, Carlos George
  to 3rd. Franklin Romero to 2nd.
• D' Vontrey Richardson
  walks.
• Ryan Gennett lines into double play, shortstop Hak-Ju
  Lee to second baseman Logan Watkins. Franklin Romero doubled off 2nd.
  
• Chris Dennis strikes out swinging.

[battlekow]

Final: Chattanooga 12, Huntsville 3

 

Huntsville box score
Uh, Mark Rogers pitched in this game; so did Chuckie Caufield and Chris Errecart. The latter two combined for two scoreless innings, while the former got one more out while allowing ten more runs. So, yeah, not the greatest start, but "only" five of them were earned, and it's still fewer runs per inning than Trevor Hoffman gave up today. Errecart had a pretty nice day all around, 2-3 at the plate with a double and a walk to go along with his fireman act. Caleb Gindl was 2-4, and Zelous Wheeler smacked his second homer in as many games. Taylor Green was 0-4 and Brett Lawrie 1-5 with three strikeouts.

 

Huntsville play-by-play

In between the four-run 1st and more-run 3rd, Rogers actually managed a scoreless, four-batter 2nd inning. Caufield's perfect 8th:

 

Chattanooga Top 8th

• Pitcher Change: Chuck Caufield
  replaces Robert Hinton, batting 9th.
• Eduardo Perez flies out
  to right fielder Caleb Gindl.
• Tommy Giles flies out to center
  fielder Lee Haydel.
• Mike Rivera grounds out, third baseman
  Taylor Green to first baseman Chris Errecart.

[battlekow]

Rattler Radio:

 

Guts

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville attendance -- 493.

It's too bad that the people of Huntsville who should be shamed by that aren't reading here, and the few who are have to see that.

 

***

 

Lookouts blitz Stars to even the series

By Aaron Morse, Huntsville Stars

 

Dee Gordon tallied three hits, Andrew Lambo went yard, and the Chattanooga Lookouts (9-10) smashed the Huntsville Stars (11-8) by a final score of 12-3 Tuesday night.

 

Stars starting pitcher Mark Rogers (1-2) never found his control as he walked six batters in 2.1 innings of work. But the Stars defense wasn’t much help either, committing four errors in the contest, matching their season high.

 

Gordon got things going in the first inning, singling to left. Back to back walks loaded the bases for Lambo. The clean-up hitter hit a tailor-made double play ball to Taylor Green, but Green’s throw to second sailed high over Brett Lawrie’s head, two runs scored and the Lookouts had runners on 2nd and 3rd with still nobody out. Rogers got the next two batters before catcher Mike Rivera smacked a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 4-0.

 

But that would not be the worst of it for the Stars. The Lookouts delivered the knock-out punch in the top half of the third. With one out, Eduardo Perez drew a walk. A wild pitch put him on second, and a throwing error from Martin Maldonado on a pick-off attempt advanced Perez to third. Giles drew another walk from Rogers to put runners at the corners with only one down. Back to back RBI singles from Rivera and Anthony Hatch made the score 6-0. A passed ball allowed both runners to advance 90 feet. Rogers' control problems continued as he walked the pitcher, Timothy Sexton. Gordon would deliver the final blow to Rogers’ evening as he singled to right to drive in Rivera.

 

Donovan Hand entered the game to replace Rogers, but the onslaught continued. An RBI grounder put runners on 2nd and 3rd with two down. Trayvon Robinson hit a sharp grounder to first that snuck through Chris Errecart’s legs and two more runs crossed the plates. Lambo put the icing on the cake of the huge inning with a two-run shot to right, extending the lead to 12-0.

 

The Stars would show some life in the 6th against Sexton (1-0), who got the spot start thanks to the late scratch of scheduled starter John Koronka. With one out, Caleb Gindl doubled to right. Then Zelous Wheeler continued his hot hitting with a two-run bomb to left-center field. One more run would cross the plate in the ninth for the Stars on a Lee Haydel RBI single.

 

An interesting note from this game, two position players for the Stars got some action on the mound and acquitted themselves quite nicely. Chuck Caufield and Errecart each tossed one inning of shutout ball.

 

With the series even at two the Stars look to win the rubber match Wednesday morning at 10:30 AM Central Time. Join us bright and early at 10:15 AM for the Window World Pre-Game Show. Wednesday’s matinee can only be heard on www.huntsvillestars.com. Michael Bowman (2-1. 4.61 ERA) will be on the mound for the Stars as he’ll match-up against Chattanooga’s Jesus Castillo (1-1, 1.56 ERA).

[Mass Haas]

Photos by RON JOHNSON/PEORIA JOURNAL STAR

Peoria Chiefs second baseman Logan Watkins is upended by a sliding Franklin Romero Jr. of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at second, but Watkins made the force out on the play in the second inning of Tuesday's game at O'Brien Field.

 

http://www.pjstar.com/photos_graphics/x57972697/042710Chiefs-Rattlers1-JPG/g12c000000000000000266ddc13cc3405c5c22a835dd49d13b8162ad2aa.jpg

 

Jose Valdez of the Chiefs bolts past Carlos George of the Timber Rattlers at second base on his way to third during Tuesday night's game.

 

http://www.pjstar.com/photos_graphics/x57972701/042710Chiefs-Rattlers5-JPG/g12c000000000000000d4e8aa738e0a58262444703b61bf571e0d346003.jpg

[Mass Haas]

As you plan your office day today, a reminder the Huntsville audio begins at 10:15 AM Central. Wednesday's Link Report up shortly before that...