Link Report for Thurs. 8/5 -- Helena Tosses 2nd Straight One-Hitter; Lamontagne Six No-Hit Innings in Stars' Win

[Tedaldtada]

Early returns on Matt Miller are very impressive. Wow.

 

Will Komatsu make it 3 of the last 4 MiLB POY winners from Brevard County? So much for being a pitchers haven.

 

I keep forgetting how dang hot it is around the country right now (I'm in MN). Some of these games have had to been scorchers. I could see the heat having a slight effect on Lawrie's recent performance (which really hasn't been that bad), but I think that might be grasping a little.

[wibadgers23]

Mat Gamel continues to swing a hot bat. Two more hits so far tonight including his 9th homerun.

 

Edit: He's also playing in RF tonight. His first time playing out there since Hart signed the extension. It makes me wonder if there is still a remote possibility that Corey moves to 1b and Gamel to RF.

[colbyjack]

Final: Brevard County 3, @Bradenton (Pirates) 6

Brevard County box score

Erik Komatsu has been rock solid for the 'Tees squad this season, going 2-for-4 in this game with his fourth home run of the year, a solo shot off of Pirates prospect Tim Alderson. Shawn Zarraga was the only other Manatee with an extra base hit (a double, his 11th), and Brock Kjeldgaard was the only other hitter with a multi-hit game. Matt Cline swiped a pair of bags off of his former teammate Eric Fryer. Starter R.J. Seidel gave up 3 ER in 3.2 innings, striking out and walking 4. Trey Watten pitched the best of BC's three pitchers (3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 K) but took the loss.

Brevard County play-by-play

Nothing really stands out in this one -- Seidel gave up two consecutive base hits at a bad time in the fourth inning, pitching fairly well prior to that, Ruben Flores gave up a big two-run double to Robbie Grossman in the eighth that somewhat put the game out of reach heading into the final inning, and aside from Komatsu's solo shot and taking advantage of a couple of scoring opportunities in the middle innings, the Manatees couldn't muster much offense.

[TCSM]

Cody was pitching fine until the final inning when he gave a run up. One last shot to see if Huntsville can pull one out....

 

Edit: Lawrie with an RBI TRIPLE to tie it!!

[colbyjack]

Final: @Wisconsin 1, Peoria (Cubs) 13

Rattlers get Bour-ed[/url]

By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

GRAND CHUTE, WI - Peoria Chiefs first baseman Justin Bour drove in six runs Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Field. The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers offense managed just four hits in Thursday's game. The Chiefs beat the Rattlers 13-1.

Peoria (56-50 overall, 18-19 second half) started their scoring binge early. Leadoff batter Hak-Ju Lee doubled to start the game against Wisconsin starting pitcher Eric Arnett. One out later Matt Cedar singled to drive in Lee.

In the second, Arnett got the first two outs. But, Luis Flores doubled to keep the inning alive. Then, Anthony Giansanti singled and Flores scored.

In the third, Bour picked up his first RBI of the night with a run scoring ground out. Later in the inning, DJ Fitzgerald and Jae-Hoon Ha had RBI singles to make the score 5-0.

Bour added an RBI single in the top of the fourth to put the Chiefs up 6-0.

Arnett allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits over four innings and was tagged with the loss.

Wisconsin (44-63, 18-21) did not have much success against Peoria starting pitcher Su-Min Jung. The right-hander out of South Korea struck out eight and allowed just two hits over five scoreless innings.

Peoria's offense was halted for three innings by Rattlers reliever Adrian Rosario, who allowed two hits from the fifth through the seventh. But, in the eighth, the Chiefs erupted for six runs.

Tony Butler allowed a double and two walks to load the bases. Then, a single by Logan Watkins and a walk to Cerda let the first two runs of the inning score and chased Butler from the game.

Bour greeted reliever [/b]Santo Manzanillo[/b] with a grand slam to left-center and the Chiefs were up 12-0.

Wisconsin did get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth inning on a two-out single by Hunter Morris. But, the Chiefs got that run back in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by Watkins.

The final game of the series is Friday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Wisconsin is sending Del Howell (2-4, 4.76) to the mound. Peoria has Marcus Hatley (0-0, 40.50) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 7:05pm.

Friday is a North Shore Bank Family Night. Children 12 and under eat free as part of North Shore Bank Family Night in conjunction with momslikeme.com. Plus, the Amazing Spider-Man will be on hand for an appearance. The Marvel ® Superhero will be at the game to meet fans for pictures and autographs.

Additionally, the first 1,000 fans into the stadium receive a poster of Midwest League home run derby champion Khris Davis courtesy of Express Convenience Centers. It is also a Fritos ® Family Friday. Bring in a bag of FRITOS ® corn chips and receive ten percent off Timber Rattler merchandise at the stadium store. After the game, there is a fireworks display sponsored by 95.9 KISS-FM. After the fireworks, ThedaCare Orthopedics presents Kids Run the Bases for children 14 and under.

If you can't make it out to the ballpark, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45pm.

Wisconsin box score

I know this may be hard to take right now, but Eric Arnett didn't look as bad as his line (4 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 4 K, 1 BB, 6:2 GO:FO) may indicate, as only two of the nine hits he allowed went for extra bases, and his fastball-slider combo looked pretty good. If you could excuse me adding some of my opinion to the link report, it seems as though he has some Manny Parra in him, albeit at the low-A ball level, in that it seems he may have some issues to deal with upstairs, as his stuff is legit and his control was decent. Arnett's counterpart Su-Min Jung shut-down the T-Rats hitters, and overall the team had only four hits on the day. Chris Dennis with an ugly 0-4 collar, and Wisconsin native Tony Butler didn't provide any feel-good stories in the eighth.

Wisconsin play-by-play

Read through each of the first four innings. Obviously Arnett has problems having a clean inning, which is a problem, but in his defense he wasn't hit hard, and he could have had better support behind (or in front of) him in the third.

[biedergb]

Andre Lamontagne isn't young, but considering I had no idea who he was heading into the season...he has made a name for himself.

 

He has a 2.47 ERA between Wisconsin, Brevard County and Huntsville.

While he is not young, he is 24 years old, and now doing well in AA, which is legitimate. A back end of rotation pitcher or yet another potential reliever for 2011-2012.

[pogokat]

it would seem he will start 2011 at AAa...at 25, that's not great but not bad...the brewers must love the kid

 

gamel and cain are too old and hot to be screwing around in AAA when the mlb team is 8 under in august...

[colbyjack]

Final: Helena 5, @Billings (Reds) 0

Helena box score

The H-Crew tandem of Matt Miller and Jimmy Nelson continues to get better and better, combining on a 1-hitter over Billings. Miller may be auditioning for a late season call-up to Wisconsin, if they have any room for him, while Nelson enjoyed his best outing as a professional. He set down all six batters he faced in order, including a strikeout of Billy Hamilton, one of the Pioneer League's better positional prospects, on a slider that caused Helena radio voice Steve Wendt to emphatically say, "Good gracious was that a violent breaking ball!" Cody Hawn goes hitless, but draws a pair of walks, Greg Hopkins and Mike Walker each went 2-for-4, Rob Garvey went 3-for-4 and Brandon Sizemore had two RBI.

Helena play-by-play

Nelson's sinker-slider combo seems to have been working for him tonight. Overall a clean, and quick game with the good guys coming out on top.

[dadofandrew]

I think it was Whitey Herzog that said they should just play intersquad games until AA. No concept of capitalism, but who cares if Arnett struggles in low a ball. His mechanics have obviously been tinkered with, if not totally altered. It takes a while for a guy to learn how to pitch the right way. What good would it do to have him dominate A ball and then blow his arm out at 23? Stats are all but meaningless, control and velocity are all that matters for those kids.

 

Remember what good numbers Inman had? Sol what, he has awful mechanics that do not translate to the majors.

[colbyjack]

Final: @Huntsville 5, Carolina (Reds) 3

 

Huntsville box score

What a great game, starting with a good pitching matchup between Andre Lamontagne and Carolina's Scott Carroll. The scoring started after Lamontagne was removed from the game, and journeyman Dayton Buller provided the final heroics with the walk-off, two-run home run in the 13th. Brett Lawrie had a big hit of his own, an RBI triple in the 12th that tied the game back up. The triple was Lawrie's 15th, and he also added his 28th double earlier in the game. Zelous Wheeler was also 2-for-6, while Lucas Luetge, Eddie Morlan and Chris Cody were strong in relief.

 

 

Huntsville play-by-play

Robert Hinton may have been too efficient throwing strikes, as of the eight he threw (of eight pitches) one was a single and one was a two-run blast to force extra innings. Buller had a few opportunities before the 13th...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Rattlers try to put tough loss to Chiefs behind them

By Jim Oskola, Post-Crescent staff writer

GRAND CHUTE — If not for the postgame fireworks going off outside following Thursday's game against Peoria, the only time you would find the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers locker room at Fox Cities Stadium any quieter would be during the offseason.

 

That happens when the Peoria Chiefs, a team Wisconsin was tied with in the standings before the game, smack you around to the tune of 13-1.

"You tell them there's another game tomorrow," Timber Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said. "The sun will come up tomorrow and we're playing at 7:05. As a baseball player, you have to be able to flush the games like this and be ready to go again."

While a win on Thursday and a win tonight would have evened Wisconsin's second-half record at 20-20 before getting on the bus for a seven-game road trip, tonight's game is still an important one.

"It's a chance for us to take the series," Isom said. "It's going to be the big one. Either we go .500 in the series or we go 3-1. That's going to be the main focus after tonight's game."

Cutter Dykstra, who had one of Wisconsin's four hits, said that it is frustrating that the Rattlers can't get on a roll where they would rip off six straight wins.

"That's just the way the game is," he said. "Every day is so different. Just learning to deal with failure, you've got to come back and get them the next day. That's the way game is. You're going to have games where the bats aren't there and the pitching's not there.

"They just beat us tonight and they beat us bad. We've got them again. That's the beauty of the game. We can go out there and do the same to them just as easily."

When a team is down 2-0 early in the game, the team can still do things, but when the score becomes 6-0, the approach changes.

"It's tough mentally when you're a position player and you go up to the plate and you're down 6-0," Isom said. "You try to just bang out your hits but at times you're trying to hit a six-run home run and you know that's not going to happen."

 

***

 

 

The Rattlers' 13-1 loss to Peoria on Thursday marked the 13th time the pitching staff has allowed 10 or more runs.

 

Eric Arnett's last two starts have been struggles. Arnett has allowed 13 runs (10 earned) in nine innings.

 

Offensively, the Rattlers are batting .224 in their last 11 games. It's tough to win games with a team batting average that low.

 

The Rattlers will end their seven-game homestand Friday night when they send Del Howell (2-4, 4.76 ERA) to the mound. Peoria will counter with Marcus Hatley who will be making his Midwest League debut.

 

A victory on Friday will give a the Rattlers a winning homestand with a 4-3 mark.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

This time, Brewers make one-hitter count with victory

By AMBER KUEHN, Helena Independent Record

 

BILLINGS — Clapping could be heard from outside the Helena Brewers’ clubhouse after Thursday’s game.

 

This one-hitter felt so much better than the last.

 

Helena one-hit the Billings Mustangs for the second straight night, only this time the Brewers walked away with a 5-0 win in the Pioneer League contest.

 

The previous night, the final hit proved the dagger in Helena’s devastating defeat at Dehler Park.

 

A strong performance from Helena starter Matt Miller helped the visitors avoid being swept by Billings (24-20, 3-3). The right-hander improved to 3-0 against the Mustangs, 6-1 overall, after giving up just a single to Billy Hamilton. Miller didn’t allow a single run while striking out four and walking two in seven innings.

 

“To have back-to-back pitching performances like that is excellent,” said Helena manager Joe Ayrault, referring back to Evan Frederickson’s sterling performance Wednesday. “(Miller) is very aggressive, mixes his pitches well and kept hitters off the plate when he needed to.”

 

Ayrault said the coaching staff has continued to stress the importance of pitching and defense, and it has been evident in this second half.

 

“Elvin Nina’s been doing a great job working with these guys everyday and reminding them of our goals,” Ayrault said.

 

On Thursday, the Brewers’ bats came back alive a night after getting just four hits in a shutout. Helena started things off early, scoring runs in the second, third and fourth innings before tacking on insurance scores in the ninth. The Brewers got multi-hit games from Greg Hopkins, Mike Walker and Robbie Garvey, and Brandon Sizemore’s two-run double gave Helena (22-22, 3-3) the extra cushion at the end.

 

“Obviously our hitters were fired up after last night,” Miller said. “They wanted to come out and defend our pitchers.”

 

The Brewers still managed to strand 13 runners, including leaving the bags loaded in the sixth after being issued three straight walks.

 

Miller admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect after seeing how Wednesday’s game went.

 

“It was very important (to come out strong),” the fifth-round pick said. “I was expecting their hitters to come out a little heated tonight after being held until that last inning.”

 

But Billings never could quite get anything going, even with Miller out of the game. Jimmy Nelson, a second-round pick this year, closed the contest with two shutout innings, retiring six straight. Billings starter Stalin Gerson was tagged with the loss, after giving up seven hits and three runs (two earned) over five innings. He walked one and struck out three before giving way to Mike Henry, the newest member of the Mustangs’ pitching staff. Henry struggled mightily with command in his debut, walking five in two innings and at one point throwing eight straight balls.

 

The bright spot for Billings remained Hamilton, who had two stolen bases after reaching on a hit and a walk to improve his Pioneer League-leading total to 26 thefts. Hamilton has been on a tear at the plate as well, with a league-leading 59 hits, 16 of those coming in the last week.

 

The Brewers head to Great Falls for a three-game set before returning home to Kindrick Legion Field to play host to the Mustangs. Miller will get to see Billings again in that series, something he’s OK with.

 

“I’ll have three straight starts against them,” he said. “I’m pretty familiar with that lineup by now.”

 

Photo by BOB ZELLAR/ Billings Gazette

Billings’ Oliver Santos, right, tags out Helena’s Mike Walker at third base during Thursday’s game.

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/c/4c/dce/c4cdce68-a122-11df-ad30-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c5ba9c8d2251.image.jpg

[Mass Haas]

The Billings Gazette video report from Helena's 5-0 win -- very complimentary of Matt Miller, no doubt...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Mustangs held to 1 hit for second consecutive night

MIKE SCHERTING Of The Billings Gazette Staff

The way the last 22 innings have gone, it’s hard to believe the Billings Mustangs, who were 5-0 losers to the Helena Brewers Thursday night, could walk away claiming victory in the three-game series.

 

But that’s how Mustangs manager Delino DeShields tried to look at things after his club was one-hit by Helena pitching for the second consecutive night in front of 3,358 fans at Dehler Park.

 

Helena starter Matt Miller, who entered the game fourth in the Pioneer League in ERA, allowed one hit in seven innings and Jimmy Nelson sealed the Mustangs’ fate with two perfect frames. The night before, the Mustangs’ Danny Hernandez delivered the game-winning hit and spoiled a Brewers’ no-hit bid on one swing with one out in the ninth for a dramatic 1-0 Billings win on a run-scoring single. And although Billings won the series opener 5-3 on Tuesday night, the Mustangs were held to one hit over that game’s final four innings.

 

Which means Mustangs hitters finished the series just three for their last 65 at-bats, but still came away victorious in two of the three games.

 

“We won the series,” DeShields said after praising Helena’s pitching. “I mean, that’s really all we can ask for. Three (wins) would have been nice, but two out of three, we’ll take it.”

 

The Mustangs bats showed little inspiration on a night the players wore yellow jerseys for a LIVESTRONG promotion.

 

For Miller, silencing the Mustangs is nothing new: In three starts against Billings, the 10th-round pick from the University of Michigan is 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA. He’s allowed just seven hits in 19 innings in those three games and has thrown 15 straight scoreless innings against Billings. He improved to 6-1 overall with his latest victory and lowered his ERA to 2.16.

 

“He just hits his spots and he mixes pitches really well,” said Mustangs catcher Chris Berset, who was a teammate of Miller’s at Michigan. “And he’s a competitor out there.”

 

Billy Hamilton had the lone hit for the Mustangs, a third-inning single. He stole second and eventually reached third base but was stranded there when Miller got Devin Lohman to pop out. Hamilton reached second base in the sixth on a walk and stolen base, and Oliver Santos was the only other Mustang to get past first. Santos got to second in the second inning when he reached on a Brewers error and then stole second.

 

Miller and Nelson combined to retire the last 12 hitters they faced.

 

“You sense a little frustration because no one wants to get one-hit, everyone wants to get a hit,” Berset said. “We just have to stay together. The guys are great, they’re all mature, and we’re just fighting through it. We’ll come out of this sooner or later. We’ll just explode for eight runs in an inning, so we’re looking forward to that.”

 

NOTES: Helena had 12 hits, three from Robbie Garvey. Brandon Sizemore drove in two runs. … When the Brewers scored a run in the second inning for a 1-0 lead, it ended a streak of 18 consecutive scoreless innings against the Mustangs. Helena had last scored in the first inning Tuesday in game one of the series. ... The Mustangs’ shutout of Helena on Wednesday night was the fifth of the season for the Billings pitching staff. That ranks first in the Pioneer League; Great Falls, Orem and Idaho Falls each have two shutouts.

[Mass Haas]

Wow, what a game -- each and every one of the audio calls had an emotional element, huge ups and downs based on the critical situations in the game. Again, wow...

 

Buller provides the heroics as Stars walk-off in 13 inningsBy Aaron Morse, Huntsville Stars

 

Andre Lamontagne tossed six no-hit innings, but it was Dayton Buller who led the Stars to victory as he smashed a two-run walk-off home run in the 13th inning as Huntsville (23-17, 56-54) prevailed 5-3 over the Carolina Mudcats (19-21, 49-60) Thursday night.

 

Lamontagne was the story early in the game as he dominated the Mudcats. The second year pro out of Oral Roberts University retired the first 14 batters he faced before issuing back-to-back walks in the fifth inning. But a visit from pitching coach John Curtis settled him down and Lamontagne struck-out Carlos Mendez to end the inning.

 

He worked a 1-2-3 sixth frame and finished with a line of 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, and 5 K’s. Lamontagne threw 71 pitches, 47 of them for strikes. He got 10 ground-outs and two fly-outs in his second career Double-A start.

 

The only problem was that his opponent Scott Carroll was just as good. The former Purdue quarterback gave up a one-out double to Brett Lawrie in the first and that was pretty much it until the seventh inning.

 

Zelous Wheeler started things in the seventh with a single to right field. Drew Anderson reached first at the expense of Wheeler as he was forced out at second base. Chris Nowak ripped a double down the right field line; Luis Terrero had trouble handling the ball in the corner and would be charged with an error (audio). Anderson scored on the play to make it 1-0 Stars but Nowak was not credited with a RBI. He advanced to third and Lee Haydel drove him home with a single to center (audio).

 

The 2-0 lead looked to be quite safe. Lucas Luetge lost the no-hitter when he surrendered a double to Dave Sappelt. But he and Eddie Morlan provided the bridge to Robert Hinton in the ninth.

 

Hinton retired the first two batters he faced and it appeared that the Stars were on their way to a combined one-hitter. Sappelt ended those dreams when he singled to left. Terrero proceeded to surprise everyone by blasting his second homer of the year to tie the game at two (audio).

 

It would remain that way until the 12th inning when Carolina got to Chris Cody for a run. Cody was his own worst enemy as he jumped ahead of Mike Costanzo 0-2 and ended up walking him. After making Devin Mesoraco look foolish on two straight pitches where Mesoraco’s bat went flying out of his hands; Cody hit him with a pitch that brushed his jersey. Sean Henry bunted the runners over and Brandon Yarbrough stroked a sacrifice fly to left. A strong throw from Haydel made the play at the plate bang-bang, but a good slide from Costanzo gave Carolina the 3-2 lead (audio).

 

It wouldn’t last as Cody helped his own cause by smacking a single to left field to start the bottom half of the frame. Caleb Gindl bunted him to second and Brett Lawrie laced a triple to the right-center field gap to score Cody (audio). It’s Lawrie’s league-leading 15th triple of the year. Unfortunately the Stars could not get him in from third as reliever Jerry Gil got to pop ups to end the inning.

 

Cody worked a 1-2-3 13th and was rewarded for his efforts in the bottom of the frame. Taylor Green stunned everyone as he laid down a perfect bunt against new pitcher Lee Tabor (3-1) that hugged the third base line until it hit the bag for an infield single. One out later Buller hit his second homer of the season to end the game and give Cody (6-7) and the Stars the dramatic victory (audio).

 

Lawrie, Wheeler and Buller all tallied multi-hit games for the Stars.

 

The victory clinches the series for Huntsville. It’s the Stars’ third consecutive series win and sixth series victory out of their last seven. They didn’t gain any ground as the Smokies won as well so Huntsville remains one game back in the Southern League North Division.

 

Huntsville looks to take the series finale Friday night at 7:00 PM. Wily Peralta (0-0, 1.50 ERA) will be making his third Double-A start. Join us on the Stars Radio Network beginning at 6:45 PM central time for the Window World Pre-Game Report.

[Mass Haas]

Andre Lamontagne is the lead and graces MiLB.com's home page this morning --

 

Lamontagne tosses six hitless frames

By John Parker / Special to MLB.com

 

A long night in Huntsville ended with several heroes for the Stars.

 

Making just his second start of the season, Andre Lamontagne tossed six hitless frames as Huntsville beat the visiting Carolina Mudcats, 5-3, in 13 innings Thursday night.

 

Brett Lawrie tripled to tie the score in the 12th and Dayton Buller delivered a walk-off two-run shot in the 13th.

 

Lamontagne struck out five and walked a pair in the longest outing of his pro career.

 

An 11th-round pick out of Oral Roberts in the 2009 Draft, the Brewers prospect began the 2010 campaign with Class A Wisconsin, where he went 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 16 relief appearances. He was promoted to Class A Advanced Brevard County on June 1 and then assigned to Double-A Huntsville on July 10.

 

"It's been a pretty exciting season for me, getting to play with these different teams and now being in a playoff race in Huntsville," Lamontagne said.

 

After going 2-0 with a 3.97 ERA in six relief outings for the Stars, he has allowed just two hits over 11 shutout innings in two starts.

 

"They told me back in the spring that I would probably go into the rotation at some point," he recalled. "But that was when I was with Wisconsin, so I wasn't sure it would happen."

 

The 24-year-old retired the first 14 batters he faced before issuing back-to-back walks with two outs in the fifth inning. Mudcats infielder Carlos Mendez fouled off four straight Lamontagne pitches after falling behind 0-2, but succumbed on the seventh pitch, striking out to end the threat.

 

Carolina went down in order in the sixth, all on groundouts. Lamontagne collected 10 groundball outs and a pair of flyball outs. He threw 71 pitches -- 47 for strikes.

 

"I was trying to approach things a little differently than I would in a relief appearance," he said. "I was really trying to pound the strike zone and make them hit it. I knew I was on a pitch count."

 

Lucas Luetge took over in the seventh and yielded a leadoff double to the Mudcats' Dave Sappelt. Sappelt moved to third on a groundout, but was stranded there after Luetge notched back-to-back strikeouts.

 

The Stars, who had been held to just one hit through six frames by Mudcats starter Scott Carroll, got on the board in the seventh on Chris Nowak's RBI double and Lee Haydel's run-scoring single.

 

Carroll was charged with two runs on four hits over 6 1/3 innings. He fanned five and walked two.

 

Eddie Morlan pitched a perfect eighth for the Stars and Robert Hinton quickly got two outs in the ninth before things unraveled.

 

Sappelt, who leads the Southern League with a .352 batting average, singled to left. Luis Terrero followed with a towering home run to tie the score, 2-2.

 

Carolina scored a run on Brandon Yarbrough's sacrifice fly in the top of the 12th, but Huntsville answered on Lawrie's RBI triple in the bottom of the inning. The former first-round Draft pick leads the league with 15 triples this season.

 

Taylor Green led off the 13th with a perfect bunt that rolled until it hit third base. After Lee Haydel went down on strikes, Buller homered to left.

 

Chris Cody (6-7) earned the victory for the Stars, allowing one run on one hit over four innings. The left-hander has made 16 starts for Huntsville this season.

 

Mudcats reliever Lee Tabor fell to 3-1 after giving up two runs on two hits in a third of an inning.

 

The Stars have won six of their last seven games to keep pace with first-place Tennessee in the Southern League's North Division, one game behind.

[Mass Haas]

Final: @Reno (Diamondbacks) 3, Nashville 2

 

Sounds Drop Second Straight In Reno

Nashville Sounds

RENO, Nev. - The Nashville Sounds lost their second straight game to open their road trip on Thursday evening, falling 3-2 to Reno at Aces Ballpark.

 

The loss combined with an Iowa victory earlier in the evening dropped the Sounds (59-53) to a season-worst five games out of the division lead.

 

The Sounds grabbed a first-inning lead when Eric Farris (2-for-4) reached on a one-out double off Reno starter Kevin Mulvey and scored the contest's first run when Mat Gamel (2-for-4) followed with an RBI single to left.

 

The Aces tied it at 1-1 in the third when Mulvey reach on a one-out single off Sounds starter Chase Wright and came around to score on Ryan Roberts' two-out RBI double to center.

 

Nashville reclaimed the lead in the fifth when Gamel led off by tattooing Mulvey's 2-1 offering over the wall in right-center for his ninth home run of the season (audio link can be found here).

 

Reno came back to grab the lead with a pair of runs in the fifth, making it a 3-2 contest.

 

Tony Abreu and Ed Rogers opened the frame with back-to-back singles off Wright to put runners on the corners for catcher Ed Easley, who reached on a fielding error by Sounds third baseman Erick Almonte that allowed Abreu to score.

 

After Mulvey sacrificed the runners to second and third with only one out, Wright walked Doug Deeds on four pitches to load the bases. Roberts (2-for-3) continued his solid night by lifting a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Easley with the go-ahead run in unearned fashion.

 

Neither team scored the rest of the way. The Sounds had runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh frames but went 0-for-4 in those situations as Reno held on for a one-run victory.

 

Each starting pitcher turned in a quality start in the contest.

 

Mulvey (6-7) held the Sounds to two runs on eight hits over seven innings to pick up the victory, while Wright (7-7) took a hard-luck loss after giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits over six frames.

 

Sounds manager Don Money was ejected from the game by first-base umpire Will Robinson in the seventh inning after Adam Stern was called out at first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt. It marked Money's first ejection in his two seasons as the Nashville skipper.

 

Carlos Rosa closed out the Reno victory by retiring all six batters he faced to notch his fifth save of the year.

 

Mike McClendon struck out a season-high five batters in two innings of relief work for the Sounds behind Wright.

 

The teams continue the series with another 9:05 PM CT meeting on Friday. Right-hander Marty McLeary (5-6, 7.13) looks to continue his recent success on the hill when he mans the bump for the Sounds to square off against Reno right-hander Matt Torra (7-6, 4.14).

 

***

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

Aces: Reno on track to break even

By Chris Gabel, cgabel@rgj.com (Reno Gazette)

Aces manager Brett Butler posed the question before Thursday's game as to whether his team could go 22-9 the rest of the way, thus getting the Aces to the breakeven point.

 

It would seem like quite a feat for a team that had played just .438 ball to that point. But if Butler continues to get the type of pitching he received a few hours later, it would not be out of the realm of possibilities.

 

Kevin Mulvey allowed two runs in seven innings and Carlos Rosa picked up the two-inning save with a pair of unblemished frames in Reno's 3-2 victory over Nashville.

 

It was rare pitcher's duel in front of 4,763 at Aces Ballpark, where just twice before had the home team come out on top in a game that featured five or fewer combined runs.

 

"It's great to pitch in a game where your team has a chance to win and even better when you really have a chance to determine the outcome," said Mulvey, who gave up eight hits but did not walk a batter and brought his ERA back down below 5.00. "It's great to come out on top in a one-run game."

 

Mulvey was backed by diving plays from shortstop Ed Rogers, whose started a nifty double play, and outfielders Cole Gillespie and Brandon Allen.

 

Newcomer Tony Abreu also made his presence felt.

 

The Aces lost a defensive wizard when shortstop Pedro Ciriaco was traded away last weekend, but they welcomed a comparable replacement to the roster in Abreu, who joined the team earlier Thursday after he was sent down from the majors.

 

Abreu had a pair of hits, scored a run and flashed the leather -- as well as some skin. Abreu barehanded Rogers' toss from behind second base to turn a pivotal double play in the second inning.

 

"He's just so comfortable out there, and in the batter's box," Butler said.

 

Abreu, who made a three-game rehab appearance with the Aces in early June, was sent down after the Diamondbacks received three players in a deal with Pittsburgh that sent Ciriaco to the Pirates along with catcher Chris Snyder. He was a career .312 hitter in the minor leaguers entering the season and is now hitting .438 with Reno this year.

 

"It was good to help everyone win," said Abreu, who was acquired from the Dodgers organization in a trade late last season.

 

For Rosa, it was his fifth save.

 

KEYS TO THE GAME

 

KEY NUMBER: 1 -- It was the Aces' 10th one-run victory of the season, bringing their record to 10-13 in such games.

 

KEY PLAYER: Tony Abreu picked up a pair of hits and flashed the leather at second base in his first game with Reno since he was sent down from the big leagues.

 

KEY PLAY: Nashville third baseman Erick Almonte booted a ball that could have started a double play but instead opened the door for a two-run inning that proved the difference.

 

(Photo by Vince Alonzo/RGJ)

The Aces' Ed Rogers gets a piece of the ball during Thursday's game against the Sounds. Reno won, 3-2. Martin Maldonado is the Nashville catcher.

 

http://cmsimg.rgj.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=J7&Date=20100806&Category=SPORTS03&ArtNo=8060406&Ref=AR&Profile=1018&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

 

Nashville Box Score

Reliever Mike McClendon seems to have a real future in Milwaukee, with other young relievers having established the way to go in the big league bullpen; Eric Farris 9-for-9 in SB attempts, you all remember his 70-for-76 at Brevard last season -- be sure to check out the pre-game audio we posted; Mat Gamel's swing currently in an ultra-sweet mode...

 

Nashville Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Busy morning on the forum here, as you can tell...

 

Full details on the Arizona Rookie 10-8 win and the DSL Cerveceros' 6-1 loss by mid-morning...thanks as always for hanging out with us!

[igor67]

MR or back end starter doesn't matter too much to me, any big league return on an 11th round pick is a big help in developing a good deep team.

[BrewCrewForever]

Gamel's numbers are starting to look pretty good. That is good to see.

 

Brett Lawrie has 14 triples. Crazy.

[Mass Haas]

Gamel's numbers are starting to look pretty good. That is good to see.

 

Brett Lawrie has 14 triples. Crazy.

15!

[twobrewers]

The 24-year-old retired the first 14 batters he faced before issuing back-to-back walks with two outs in the fifth inning. Mudcats infielder Carlos Mendez fouled off four straight Lamontagne pitches after falling behind 0-2, but succumbed on the seventh pitch, striking out to end the threat.

That is a pretty dominating performance. You would expect that he might wear out after multiple innings as he had been working out of the bullpen.

[Mass Haas]

Final: @Arizona Brewers 10, Arizona Athletics 8

 

Arizona Box Score

Four-run rally in the bottom of the 7th pole-vaults an 8-6 deficit into the final margin; LHP Dane Amedee made the start on his 20th birthday, and allowed five runs (four earned) in four innings; RHP Jose Sanchez picked up his third save, stranding a leadoff runner for winner LHP Marques Kyles (3 ER, 3 IP) in the 8th, and striking out five over the final two scoreless innings...

 

Jody Gerut and his heel bruise played another full game in CF, and was on base four times in five trips (two singles, two walks); DH Steve Felix's double and LF John Bivens' two-bagger were the lone extra-base hits among the ten Brewer knocks; 3B T.J. Mittelstaedt joined Gerut with a multi-hit game; Brewer batters drew six walks; RF Max Walla had an outfield assist at third base; C Jhonatan Javier still an issue with passed balls, two here...

 

Arizona Game Log

A five-run 3rd gave the good guys a 5-4 lead...

 

AZL Brewers Bottom 3rd

• John Bivens doubles (3) on a line drive to right fielder Royce Consigli.
  
• Nick Shaw reaches on throwing error by shortstop Zhi Fang Pan. John Bivens scores. Nick Shaw to 2nd.
  
• Yadiel Rivera reaches on a fielder's choice out, shortstop Zhi Fang Pan to third baseman Jonatan Santana. Nick Shaw out at 3rd.
  
• Jody Gerut walks. Yadiel Rivera to 2nd.
  
• With Thomas Mittelstaedt batting, Yadiel Rivera steals (4) 3rd base.
  
• Thomas Mittelstaedt reaches on force attempt, throwing error by second baseman Neudy Clime. Yadiel Rivera scores. Jody Gerut to 3rd. Thomas Mittelstaedt to 2nd.
  
• With Maxwell Walla batting, wild pitch by Aaron Larsen, Jody Gerut scores. Thomas Mittelstaedt to 3rd.
  
• Maxwell Walla walks.
  
• Pitcher Change: Andrew Bailey replaces Aaron Larsen.
  
• Demetrius McKelvie strikes out swinging.
  
• Steve Felix doubles (2) on a fly ball to center fielder Michael Choice. Thomas Mittelstaedt scores. Maxwell Walla scores.
  
• Jhonatan Javier strikes out swinging.

The winning four-run rally in the 7th --

 

AZL Brewers Bottom 7th

• Yadiel Rivera flies out to center fielder Michael Choice.
  
• Jody Gerut walks.
  
• Thomas Mittelstaedt singles on a ground ball to right fielder Royce Consigli. Jody Gerut to 2nd.
  
• Maxwell Walla reaches on force attempt, missed catch error by second baseman Neudy Clime, assist to shortstop Hiram Martinez. Jody Gerut to 3rd. Thomas Mittelstaedt to 2nd.
  
• Demetrius McKelvie singles on a ground ball to right fielder Royce Consigli. Jody Gerut scores. Thomas Mittelstaedt scores. Maxwell Walla to 3rd on the throw. Demetrius McKelvie to 2nd.
  
• Pitcher Change: Jose Macias replaces Charles Mye.
  
• Jose Macias intentionally walks Steve Felix.
  
• Jhonatan Javier singles on a line drive to right fielder Royce Consigli. Maxwell Walla scores. Demetrius McKelvie to 3rd. Steve Felix to 2nd.
  
• John Bivens out on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Elvis Garcia. Demetrius McKelvie scores.
  
• Nick Shaw strikes out swinging.

Jose Sanchez wiggles out of a 2nd and 3rd, no-out jam in the 8th --

 

AZL Athletics Top 8th

• Jonatan Santana walks.
  
• Pitcher Change: Jose Sanchez replaces Marques Kyles.
  
• Elvis Garcia singles on a line drive to right fielder Maxwell Walla. Jonatan Santana to 2nd.
  
• With Neudy Clime batting, passed ball by Jhonatan Javier, Jonatan Santana to 3rd. Elvis Garcia to 2nd.
  
• Neudy Clime strikes out swinging.
  
• Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Yeudy Brazoban replaces Hiram Martinez.
  
• Yeudy Brazoban strikes out swinging.
  
• Royce Consigli grounds out, shortstop Yadiel Rivera to first baseman Demetrius McKelvie.

[Mass Haas]

Final: DSL Mariners 6, @DSL Brewers 1

DSL Brewers Box Score

Brewers led 1-0 after five innings, but RHP Rolando Pascual's standout day up to that point was spoiled as his long-time nemeses, walks and wild pitches, showed up in a disastrous four-run 6th -- hard to believe we've been following Pascual for nearly five full seasons now; 19-year-old LHP Jose A. Garcia sports a spiffy 2.16 ERA in seven brief outings, but he's walked 14 in 8.1 innings; the Brewers drew more walks (six) than they had base hits (all singles, five); 19-year-old 1B Hitaniel Arias singled and walked twice, his .370 OBP is promising as a starting point; 3B Juan De Leon walked three times...

 

DSL Brewers Game Log

Pascual's implosion after five nice innings --

 

DSL Mariners Top 6th

• Noe Berro walks.
  
• Efrain Nunez out on a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Juan De Leon to first baseman Hitaniel Arias. Noe Berro to 2nd.
  
• Luis Matias strikes out swinging.
  
• Jordy Lara doubles (7) on a fly ball to center fielder Ruben Sanchez. Noe Berro scores.
  
• With Rudy van Heydoorn batting, wild pitch by Rolando Pascual, Jordy Lara to 3rd.
  
• With Rudy van Heydoorn batting, wild pitch by Rolando Pascual, Jordy Lara scores.
  
• Rudy van Heydoorn walks.
  
• Janelfry Zorrilla homers (2) on a fly ball to center field. Rudy van Heydoorn scores.
  
• Pitcher Change: Carlos Sosa replaces Rolando Pascual.
  
• Miguel Sanchez reaches on fielding error by third baseman Juan De Leon.
  
• Axel Wel doubles (2) on a fly ball to center fielder Ruben Sanchez. Miguel Sanchez to 3rd.
  
• Estarlyn Morales grounds out, shortstop Andres Martinez to first baseman Hitaniel Arias.

[Funketown]

Gamel's numbers are starting to look pretty good. That is good to see.

 

Brett Lawrie has 14 triples. Crazy.

15!

Does anybody know what the Southern League record is? I think someone threw it out on here a few days ago, and I'm pretty sure it was something like 19. Lawrie has a pretty good chance at that.

 

Better not fasttrack him to AAA now, Doug!