Link Report for Sat. 8/21 -- Merklinger & BC annihilate Daytona, DSL Crew goes out winners

[Mass Haas]

Final, Game Two: Arizona Dodgers 6, @Arizona Brewers 3, seven innings as scheduled

 

Arizona Game Two Box Score

Brewers out-hit, 11-5, trailed 5-1 after five innings; RHP Brooks Hall couldn't duplicate his last stellar start, as he allowed a triple, seven singles, and walked two in 4.1 innings, surrendering five runs (four earned); second base leadoff man Nick Shaw doubled twice and walked in four trips, as he seems to save his very best efforts for when it's my turn to detail an A-Crew game -- so here we go again, Shaw's line: .329 / .453 / .473 (.925 OPS); T.J. Mittelstaedt had an RBI double late, but little else of note for the boys here; last season's DSL stud, C/DH Jhonatan Javier (stats), has only seen sporadic playing time (17 games) and he committed error # 6 -- we weren't holding particularly high hopes for the soon-to-be 23-year-old entering the season...

 

Arizona Game Two Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Final: Idaho Falls (Royals) 16, @Helena 2

Ouch!

 

Brewers chucked 16-2

By Brett Billings/Helena Brewers

 

On a night when just about anything that could go wrong did, the Helena Brewers lost at home to the Idaho Falls Chukars 16-2.

 

LHP Evan Frederickson (2-3, 5.67) took the loss and only recorded 1.1 innings. Frederickson struggled with his control walking six batters and allowing six runs on two hits.

 

Seth Lintz worked three innings in relief and allowed five more runs on five hits.

 

Chad Robinson entered the game in the fifth inning in an attempt to control the damage. He was effective for the most part, but left the game in the sixth with an apparent injury after surrendering two runs.

 

Alex Jones finished his inning with a strikeout to the only batter he faced.

 

Jimmy Nelson tossed innings seven and eight. He allowed two runs but neither were earned.

 

Thomas Keeling closed out the game, and the only thing that hadn't gone wrong for the Brewers did in the ninth. With two outs, a ball in the dirt rolled up newcomer catcher Rafael Neda's arm and onto the press box to score the Chukars' 16th and final run.

 

Helena's only runs came in the sixth inning. Cody Hawn singled and later scored on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Mike Walker singled in Brandon Sizemore, who also singled earlier in the inning.

 

The Brewers will go for the series win tomorrow night at Kindrick Legion Field. Chad Blauer is penciled in to start for the Chukars. The Brewers will send Matt Miller to the hill. First pitch is at 1:05 PM (2:05 Central).

 

***

 

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Brewers blown out in loss to Chukars

Helena Independent Record

 

After a strong series against Casper and excellent command over the last few games, the Helena Brewers pitching staff fell apart on Saturday night in front of 964 fans at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

Brewers pitchers issued 11 walks to Idaho Falls batters as the Chukars won 16-2 to match their largest margin of victory this season.

 

It was just the Chukars’ fifth win in 16 games through the Pioneer League’s second half.

 

Helena’s Evan Frederickson (2-3) got the start and the loss, after walking six and giving up six earned runs off just two hits through 1 1/3 innings. Seth Lintz wasn’t much better in relief, giving up five earned runs on five hits while walking a pair in three innings of work.

 

As Helena hurlers struggled, Idaho Falls’ pitching was strong. Brennon Martin picked up his fourth win of the year, throwing five frames of shutout ball while giving up four hits and striking out six. The Chukars struck out 13 Brewers batters in all.

 

The southpaw Martin got plenty of run support from his teammates, who already had jumped out to an 11-0 lead after five frames. Idaho Falls outhit Helena in the contest, 14-9, and five different Chukars had multi-hit games.

 

Malcom Culver made it 13-0 in favor of the visitors when he went deep for the third time this year in the sixth. Murray Watts also had a homer in the game. Helena didn’t get on the board until the sixth, when Cody Hawn scored on a wild pitch and Greg Hopkins came home on Mike Walker’s RBI single. Hopkins and Hawn were each 3 for 4 at the plate.

 

The Brewers saw their newest catcher for the first time, after Rafael Neda was promoted from the Arizona League Saturday. Neda comes in to replace Gerald Ogrinc, who is day-to-day after suffering a broken nose on a play at the plate in Friday’s 4-3 win.

 

Helena (10-9 second half, 29-28 overall) hosts Idaho Falls (5-16, 21-38) again today in the third game of the series.

 

Helena Box Score

Evan Frederickson turns 24 years old in one month, think about that for a moment -- ugh, what a pick, almost historically awkward, at least we all agreed with the pick when it happened, no wait, it was actually almost universally panned; at least Seth Lintz won't be 21 until February; poor Chad Robinson just can't catch a break regarding his heatlh; Cody Hawn sure has seen a lot of action as a designated hitter lately; 2B Shea Vucinich was rockin' until August came -- 9-for-67 this month (.134, including 3-for-his-last-36)...

 

Helena Game Log

"A ball in the dirt rolled up newcomer catcher Rafael Neda's arm and onto the press box" -- now that's a ricochet!

[Never Outhustled]

Since the beginning of July, Dan Merlinger has made 9 starts with a 1.83 ERA, 7.4/1 K/BB ratio, and 11.3K/9. I'm impressed.