Link Report for Wed. 9/8 -- Helena clinches playoff spot but potentially loses Hawn

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Monday's Daily Menu:

Helena: RHP Stosh Wawrzasek at home vs. Missoula (Diamondbacks), 7:50 PM Central pre-game; 8:05 gametime

Live Audio Link

 

***

 

Box Score / Game Log

 

PIO North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
*	Great Falls	22	13	.629	-	-	14-4	8-9	8-2	W4
	Helena	21	15	.583	1.5	2	9-8	12-7	5-5	L2
	Billings	17	18	.486	5.0	E	10-6	7-12	4-6	W2
	Missoula	14	22	.389	8.5	E	9-10	5-12	3-7	L3

[Mass Haas]

PCL American North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	Memphis	82	62	.569	-	-	48-26	34-36	7-3	W2
	Iowa	82	62	.569	-	E	39-33	43-29	6-4	L2
	Omaha	81	63	.563	1.0	E	40-32	41-31	8-2	W3
	Nashville	77	67	.535	5.0	E	39-31	38-36	6-4	L1

SOU North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
*#	Tennessee	86	53	.619	-	43-27	43-26	6-4	W3
	West Tenn	73	66	.525	13.0	37-33	36-33	6-4	W5
	Huntsville	67	73	.479	19.5	35-36	32-37	4-6	L3
	Chattanooga	65	74	.468	21.0	32-36	33-38	3-7	L5
	Carolina	58	79	.423	27.0	29-40	29-39	3-7	L3

FSL North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	Tampa	78	57	.578	-	40-28	38-29	5-5	L2
	Daytona	75	64	.540	5.0	37-32	38-32	5-5	W1
*	Dunedin	72	67	.518	8.0	33-36	39-31	6-4	W2
	Lakeland	71	67	.514	8.5	37-31	34-36	6-4	L1
	Clearwater	67	72	.482	13.0	37-34	30-38	5-5	L1
	Brevard County	64	75	.460	16.0	33-38	31-37	3-7	W1

MID Western
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	Quad Cities	83	55	.601	-	38-28	45-27	7-3	L1
*	Cedar Rapids	82	56	.594	1.0	45-22	37-34	7-3	W6
	Clinton	74	65	.532	9.5	42-30	32-35	3-7	L4
	Beloit	71	65	.522	11.0	37-33	34-32	5-5	L3
	Peoria	71	66	.518	11.5	41-27	30-39	4-6	W1
	Kane County	71	67	.514	12.0	40-29	31-38	7-3	L1
	Wisconsin	58	80	.420	25.0	30-40	28-40	3-7	W1
	Burlington	46	90	.338	36.0	27-41	19-49	4-6	W3

AZL Central
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	AZL Brewers	34	22	.607	-	-	13-12	12-10	3-6	W1
&	AZL Reds	31	24	.564	2.5	E	12-8	14-9	8-2	W6
	AZL Dodgers	30	25	.545	3.5	E	12-11	13-8	5-5	L1
	AZL Indians	21	35	.375	13.0	E	8-14	10-13	2-8	L2

DSL S.D. North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
#	DSL Mariners	43	28	.606	-	-	23-13	20-15	7-3	L1
	DSL Cardinals	39	32	.549	4.0	E	24-11	15-21	5-5	L2
	DSL Athletics	32	39	.451	11.0	E	17-19	15-20	6-4	W2
	DSL Brewers	28	43	.394	15.0	E	17-18	11-25	3-7	W1

[Mass Haas]

Dear H-Crew,

 

OK, boys, that's enough messing around.

 

Last-place Missoula is in town for a two-game set, Billings is home to first-place Great Falls the next two nights, and Great Falls will likely rest some players and set up thier rotation for the playoffs.

 

In other words, don't count on backing in, and don't wait until the final day of the regular season Thursday.

 

Signed,

Link Report Nation

 

***

 

(One Brewer win or Billings loss means playoff baseball for Helena.)

[jjkoestler]

Mass - The SO and I stopped in Helena for a game on our way back from Alaska. We took a bunch of pictures and had a great time. I'd like to post the pictures once I've sorted through them all. Should I start a separate thread or post them in a link report?

[colbyjack]

I'm not Mass, but I look forward to you sharing the pictures and any other thoughts you may have from your experience in Helena. Feel free to start a new thread!

 

Go H-Crew!

[jjkoestler]

Thanks, CJ. I'll do my best to get the photos up by the end of the weekend. The SO got a fancy new camera so we took a lot of high res photos. They should be great for 8X10s.

[colbyjack]

Helena wins 3-1! Nice to have one team advance to the postseason to have our link reports extended, particularly since the staff boasts a few of the more intriguing organizational arms. I would love to see them align their starting rotation to throw Thornburg and Miller back-to-back in the first two games of the playoffs.

[battlekow]

Final: @Helena 3, Missoula 1

 

Brewers secure playoff spot on win over Missoula

Brett Billings/Helena Brewers

 

The Helena Brewers defeated the Missoula Osprey 3-1 on Wednesday night at Kindrick Legion Field and secured their spot in the 2010 Pioneer League playoffs.

 

All of the Brewers' runs came in the first inning, but it was all they would need as the pitching staff kept the Osprey batters at bay all night.

 

Mike Walker hammered a two-run opposite field home run to give the Brewers the early advantage. Nick Shaw singled and scored earlier in the inning.

 

RHP Stosh Wawrzasek started on the mound for Helena. He tossed 4.1 innings and allowed Missoula's only run.

 

Rob Currie was credited with the win. He pitched a respectable 3.2 innings of no-hit baseball. Currie struck out three and walked two.

 

Brian Garman earned his ninth save of the season, which is good for fourth best in the league. He didn't allow a hit and struck out one, bringing his ERA down to 0.90 in 30 innings of work this season.

 

The win means the Brewers will face Great Falls in a best-of-three series for the Pioneer League North Championship. The first game will be played at home on Friday at 7:05 PM. The series will then move to Great Falls for the second game and a third if necessary.

 

For ticket prices and information, call the ticket office at 495-0500.

 

Before post-season play begins, the Brewers will close out the regular season tomorrow night against Missoula. First pitch will be at 7:05 with gates opening at 6:00.

 

Helena box score

Sweet! The Osprey got their run in the top of the 2nd, so there was a whole lot of nothin' after that. Wawrzasek allowed four hits, three walks, and a hit batter while fanning three. Walker also singled and walked, Johnny Dishon tripled and walked, and Kenny Allison had two hits. Cody Hawn was pinch-hit for after one plate appearance.

 

Helena play-by-play

[trwi7]

Ha, Helena knocks Billings out of the playoffs and we get an article about it from Brett Billings.

[battlekow]

Brewers clinch playoff spot

Amber Kuehn/Helena Independent Record

 

As conditions worsened at Kindrick Legion Field, moods brightened when the news came over the public address system Wednesday.

 

The Helena Brewers had made the Pioneer League playoffs with Billings' 5-2 loss to Great Falls, and the 447 fans who stuck out the rainy weather went crazy. A half-inning later the celebrating could truly begin, as the Brewers finished off the Missoula Osprey, 3-1.

 

It's the first time Helena has advanced to the postseason since 2007, and the Brewers will host Great Falls on Friday for the first game in the best-of-three series. Matt Miller is scheduled to start on the mound.

 

"Anytime you can go out there and clinch the playoff spot is great," said Helena infielder Mike Walker, whose two-run homer over the left-center field wall in the first inning was the difference in the contest. "We've been struggling the past couple days and finally got the monkey off our back and clinched it."

 

Walker was 2 for 3 with two RBIs, Kenny Allison was 2 for 4 and John Dishon added a triple for the Brewers (41-34 overall, 22-15 second half). But after Helena jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one, there was little offense the rest of the way. This one went to the pitchers.

 

"To win championships you've gotta get good pitching, solid defense and come through with timely knocks," Brewers manager Joe Ayrault said amidst loud music and cheering in the clubhouse. "That's what these guys do."

 

Stosh Wawrzasek started for Helena, going 4 1/3 frames and giving up just one run on four hits while striking out three and walking three. Rob Currie was phenomenal in relief, retiring 10 of the 12 guys he faced, with the only baserunners reaching on walks. Brian Garman closed the ninth for the save.

 

"It was an awesome feeling, we had the momentum from the beginning, scoring three runs right off the bat," said Currie, who was stoic on the mound in earning the win. "I was comfortable enough just throwing strikes and trusting my defense behind me when (Missoula) hit the ball."

 

The Osprey's lone run came in the second, when Javon Williams reached on a single, stole second, and then came home on Domingo Soriano's RBI single. Soriano entered the game batting just .099, and Missoula would have just one hit the rest of the way, a double by Matt Helm in the third.

 

Helena earned much-needed momentum heading into its regular-season finale tonight against Missoula before facing a tough Voyagers squad that won both halves. The Brewers are looking for some revenge.

 

"We got a sour taste in our mouth from Great Falls the past two days," said Currie. "Hopefully we'll win another one tomorrow and take a quick two in the playoffs."

 

The Brewers may have to compete without their hard slugging first baseman, Cody Hawn. Hawn retweaked a hamstring injury going to first on a groundball and was taken out of the game after just an inning. Ayrault said Hawn will rest tonight but is questionable for the playoffs.

 

"Our trainer guru Jimmy Gentry will work with him to try to get him back," the skipper said.

 

Walker or Brandon Sizemore could easily cover the bag at first if Hawn is unable to go, but the Brewers would miss the league-leader in RBIs' bat.

 

Ayrault, who takes the team to the postseason in his first year as the Helena manager, still has the faith in his team that he's had since day one.

 

"To be around this great group of guys, I've said it all year they have character," he said. "I love being in the trenches with these guys."