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Link Report for the Pioneer League Finals -- HELENA BREWERS, CHAMPIONS!!

battlekow

By battlekow,
in Brewers Minor League Talk

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battlekow

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Helena Brewers open Pioneer League title series against Ogden tonight

Amber Kuehn/Helena Independent Record

 

The Helena Brewers’ quest for their first Pioneer League title since 1996 begins tonight, when the Brewers host the Ogden Raptors for the first game in a best-of-three Pioneer League Championship Series.

 

But the attitude in the Kindrick Legion Field clubhouse before Monday’s practice was light, as coaches stressed the importance of having fun, rather than becoming overwhelmed by the pressure that often goes hand in hand with big games.

 

“Have fun with what you’re doing and just know you’re prepared when you are out there,” said Helena pitching coach Elvin Nina. “In a game like this you could forget about having fun and just think about the outcome of the game...all we can do now is enjoy ourselves and, whatever the outcome may be, you’ve got to cherish this time.”

 

Nina only made it to the playoffs twice in his 10-year playing career. He said he hopes the players realize what it means to still be playing and how tough it is to get this far. After all, only two teams out of the eight-team league are still standing.

 

Helena reached the playoffs via the wild card, then went on to defeat the Pioneer League North regular-season champion Great Falls Voyagers on the road in the decisive game on Sunday. Ogden won both halves of the Southern Division, then rallied from a seven-run deficit to rob defending champion Orem of a game-three victory. It’s the Raptors’ first trip to the championship since 1996, when Helena held on to take the crown for the second straight year.

 

The Brewers haven’t seen the Raptors since July 24, and only won once in the seven games they faced Ogden during the regular season. The Raptors closed out the season with four straight losses, but still managed to finish as the best offensive team in the league.

 

Ogden has a .298 team batting average, and boasts the Pioneer League MVP in Jake Lemmerman, the league-leader in home runs in Nick Akins and the best closer in Shawn Tolleson, who finished with 17 saves.

 

Helena, however, appears to have the better pitching staff on paper. The Brewers’ 4.54 ERA is just slightly better than Ogden’s, but the way Helena hurlers have been throwing lately, many on the staff think the Brewers can ride their pitchers to a ring.

 

“They’re putting in the work and it’s starting to show on the scorecard,” Nina said. “We’re going to have to continue doing exactly what we’ve been doing, pounding the strike zone. Pitching and defense is what wins championships. Offense will get you to the playoffs but pitching and defense is what will get you the win at the end.”

 

The Brewers send Tyler Thornburg to the mound. Thornburg was 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in the regular season. He has not pitched against Ogden. The Raptors were still unsure who they’d send to the mound as of late Monday.

 

“Our guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now,” first-year Brewers manager Joe Ayrault said. “We’ve got some good pitchers ... they’ve just got to stick to the gameplan, hit their spots and execute their pitches. I know those guys are going to be loose and playing with some fire.”

 

The Helena bats have brought some heat lately, as the Brewers pounded out 11 hits in Sunday’s win. After closing out the regular season with a handful of games where they struggled to bring in runs, the Brewers appear to have some new-found confidence on offense.

 

“We’ve just got to do the little things,” Helena hitting coach Ned Yost said. “We’ve gotta move guys over and score them from third, hit with less than two outs and bunt when needed.

 

“You can always get better but I think our guys have been doing a really good job overall. I like our chances.”

 

Yost hopes the guys come out with the same intensity they had in game three but, as the rest of the staff said, remember to enjoy themselves.

 

“Emotions were running high and it was either get it done or go home,” Yost said of the game-three attitude. “The one thing I told them was it’s just a game, go out there and have fun. Don’t try to be too perfect out there. When you get all those emotions out there guys tighten up and it’s hard to play under pressure.”

 

Ayrault was clear to point out that just because they’re preaching fun doesn’t mean they’re not teaching to win.

 

“I know all those guys in that clubhouse are like me—competitive,” he said. “I don’t even like losing at cards.

 

“When you’re playing to win, you’re having fun.”

 

First pitch tonight is 7:05 p.m. Games two and three, if necessary, will be Thursday and Friday in Ogden.

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Thornburg strikes out the side in order in the 1st!

 

Ogden Top of the 1st

  • Leon Landry strikes out swinging.
  • Robert Coyle strikes out swinging.
  • Jake Lemmerman strikes out swinging.

Anybody ready to Photoshop a Lincecum haircut?

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_592804.jpg

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Not an accidental double-post:

 

Ogden Top of the 3rd

  • Casio Grider strikes out swinging.
  • Leon Landry strikes out swinging.
  • Robert Coyle strikes out swinging.

Thornburg throwing about 95% heat, in the mid-90 range, according to Steve. That's seven K's, all swinging, through three innings.

 

Helena up, 1-0, and threatening for more, bottom of the 3rd.

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colbyjack Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

colbyjack

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Thornburg started to tire and lost his command while also hitting his pitch count somewhere in the 60-70 range in the 4th inning. Stosh came on in relief, although 2 runs scored due to 4 total walks. 9 Ks in 3.2 IP for Thornburg, who as Mass noted was throwing mostly fastballs. I listened to his last 4 appearances, and Steve Wendt each time out couldn't gush enough about this guy's stuff. 3 of his 4 walks came in that 4th inning in which he (and Stosh) walked in a runner, but also struck out a pair.
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battlekow ACL Brewers

battlekow

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Final (game one): @Helena 3, Ogden 2

Garvey, Brewers win Finals opener

John Parker/Special to MLB.com

 

The Rookie-level Helena Brewers got key hits from left fielder Rob Garvey and a stifling performance from four pitchers Tuesday night to beat visiting Ogden, 3-2, in the opening game of the best-of-3 Pioneer League Finals.

 

Garvey went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and a pair of RBIs. He is 6-for-15 (.400) with two homers and four RBIs in four postseason games.

 

During the regular season, the Raptors offense led the league in hitting (.298) and runs scored (494) while accumulating the fewest strikeouts (562). On Tuesday night, however, the Dodgers affiliate was held to just three hits while fanning a season-high 17 times.

 

"Our team really started to click in the second half of the season," Garvey said. "We might have been underdogs on paper, but we didn't feel that way at all tonight."

 

Third-round Brewers pick Tyler Thornburg got the game off to a blistering start by striking out the side in the first inning. He did it again in the third, but started to run out of gas in the fourth. The right-hander, who had not pitched since Aug. 31, allowed a single and three walks in the frame -- including a bases-loaded free pass -- before exiting. He was charged with two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out nine batters in 3 2/3 frames.

 

Reliever Stosh Wawrzasek issued a bases-loaded walk to the first batter he faced, but settled down to pitch 2 1/3 hitless innings and earn the victory.

 

He was followed by left-hander Charly Bashara, who allowed one hit in two shutout frames. Brian Garman closed it out for the Brewers, striking out a pair in a perfect ninth.

 

"Our pitchers were awesome," said Garvey. "If we get performances like that from them, we're going to be tough to beat."

 

Garvey got Helena on the board in the third with an RBI single to center, but was caught stealing later in the frame. The Brewers added a run on a fourth-inning double by Rafael Neda and went ahead for good on Garvey's sacrifice fly in the fifth.

 

Ogden starter Bret Montgomery (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs -- two earned -- on six hits over five innings. The 6-foot-6 right-hander struck out four and walked one. Arismendy Ozoria and Andrew Pevsner combined to hold Helena hitless in their final three innings.

 

The series shifts for Game 2 on Thursday to Ogden's Lindquist Field, where the Raptors were 26-12 during the regular season. Both teams will turn to their ace starters, with Ogden's Red Patterson (6-1, 3.33 ERA) facing Helena's Matt Miller (7-2, 4.06).

 

A win would give the Brewers their first Pioneer League title since beating the Raptors in the 1996 Finals. At the time, both clubs were Milwaukee affiliates.

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/09/15/cWeDaRUE.jpg

Robbie Garvey (Bill Mitchell/Four Seam Images)

 

Helena box score

As noted above, Thornburg was really on through the first three innings. Steve Wendt was just gushing about his fastball; paraphrasing: "You just don't see stuff like this very often, especially in the Pioneer League." The pregame show mentioned that Thornburg had been shut down for a few weeks before tonight because of fatigue, and obviously the Brewers are continuing to limit his pitch counts, and rightly so given how quickly he fatigued.

 

Helena play-by-play

Here's the troublesome 4th:

 

Ogden Top of the 4th
  • Jake Lemmerman walks.
  • Nick Akins strikes out swinging.
  • Blake Dean singles on a line drive to center fielder Kenneth Allison. Jake Lemmerman to 3rd.
  • Jonathan Garcia called out on strikes.
  • Chris Henderson walks. Blake Dean to 2nd.
  • Michael Pericht walks. Jake Lemmerman scores. Blake Dean to 3rd. Chris Henderson to 2nd.
  • Pitcher Change: Stosh Wawrzasek replaces Tyler Thornburg.
  • Casio Grider walks. Blake Dean scores. Chris Henderson to 3rd. Michael Pericht to 2nd.
  • Leon Landry strikes out swinging.

Thornburg battled Henderson to a 3-2 count before walking him, and Wendt was kind of surprised that he was left in to face Pericht--whom he promptly walked on four pitches to force in a run. Wawrzasek then came in and threw four straight balls to Grider to force in another run and fell behind Landry--a third-round pick this year--either 2-0 or 3-0 before coming back to fan him. After that, though, fantastic job by the Helena pen.
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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Bullpen holds strong, Brewers take Game 1

By Brett Billings/Helena Brewers

 

The Helena Brewers took the first game of the Pioneer League Championship series against the Ogden Raptors on Wednesday night at Kindrick Legion Field. Helena trailed 2-1 in the fourth, but scored two unanswered runs as the bullpen tossed 5.1 innings of shutout baseball.

 

The Brewers took an early lead in the in the third. John Dishon led the inning off with a walk and later scored after consecutive singles from Carlos George and Robbie Garvey.

 

Ogden quickly answered back with a two-run fourth. Tyler Thornburg (0-0, 4.91) started on the mound and cruised through the first three innings, striking out seven batters. But after walking in a run in the fourth, he was replaced by Stosh Wawrzasek. Thornburg left after allowing two runs on two hits in 3.2 innings. He struck out nine and walked four.

 

Helena didn't let the Raptors keep the lead for long. They scored in the fourth to tie the game thanks to a two-out RBI double from Rafael Neda. The Brewers took the lead and scored the final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth. This run was a bit of a gift. George drew a free pass to start the inning, advanced all the way to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Garvey. Garvey finished the game 2 for 3 and was responsible for two of the Brewers' three RBI.

 

Wawrzasek (1-0, 0.00) earned the win, throwing 2.1 innings without allowing a hit. He struck out three and walked two.

 

Charly Bashara, who was promoted late in the regular season from the Arizona Rookie League, pitched two scoreless innings in relief while striking out three.

 

Brian Garman closed the game with a scoreless ninth to earn the save.

 

The Brewers' pitching staff combined to strikeout 17 Ogden batters and only allowed three hits.

 

Helena now travels to Ogden for Game 2 and a third if necessary. Wednesday will be a travel day and the series will resume on Thursday at Ogden's Lindquist Field.

 

***

 

One win shy of a title

By AMBER KUEHN, Helena Independent Record

What do you get when you strike out the best hitters in the Pioneer League 17 times and hold them to just two runs and three hits?

 

A Game 1 win in the Pioneer League Championship.

 

The Helena Brewers got another phenomenal performance from their pitchers and just enough timely base hits from their offense to move one game away from a ring, beating the Ogden Raptors 3-2 Tuesday at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

“One more, baby!” first-year Helena manager Joe Ayrault yelled to his team in the clubhouse after the game.

 

The Brewers head to Ogden to close out the best-of-three series, looking for their first title since 1996, which also came against the Raptors.

This one couldn’t have started out any better.

 

Helena starter Tyler Thornburg came out and struck out the side in the first inning and again in the third, finishing with nine strikeouts. A hot-hitting Ogden team that closed out the season batting .298 was fanned a season-high 17 times.

 

“I guess that’s kind of the ideal way to start,” said the right-handed Thornburg, who worked a fastball into the low- to mid-90s. “It was definitely nerve-wracking because I hadn’t been out there in a couple weeks.”

 

Thornburg hadn’t thrown since Aug. 31 but was practically unhittable, giving up just two singles to Ogden first baseman Blake Dean. The trouble came in the fourth inning, when he and reliever Stosh Wawrzasek walked four batters to bring in the Raptors’ lone runs and give the visitors the lead. Charly Bashara and Brian Garman combined for a one-hit shutout to close the game.

 

“Offensively, we just didn’t show up,” Ogden manager Damon Berryhill said. “We tried to force too much tonight.”

 

The Brewers drew first blood in the third, when Robbie Garvey pounded an RBI single to score John Dishon. Garvey would also bring in the game-winning score, on a sacrifice fly in the fifth that brought Carlos George home.

 

Still, it was defense and pitching that prevailed in a game where the Brewers had just six hits.

 

“The bats might be there, they might not,” said Brewers catcher Rafael Neda, who had the lone extra-base hit in the contest when he struck a double in the fourth frame. “But pitching should be there everyday ... pitchers are the ones that win the ring.”

 

Pitching has been strong since the second half and through the postseason, but Ayrault hopes his defense continues to play the way it has been.

 

“We made some big plays defensively,” the skipper said, referencing in particular Franklin Romero Jr.’s catch on the run in center to rob Dean of a double; Neda’s diving play on a pop up bunt by Leon Landry in foul ground; and a back-handed grab by George on Casio Grider’s ground ball that the shortstop flipped quickly to first for the second-to-last out in the contest.

 

Ayrault also spoke highly of his pitching staff.

 

“Tip your hat to Elvin Nina for having those guys ready to pitch playoff baseball,” he said.

 

Now, a roster full of 19 first-year pros would love to remember Rookie ball with a ring. They can taste a title.

 

“It’s really close but at the same time feels far away,” Neda said. “We know we can do it, but we’ve got to take it one pitch at a time, and one at-bat at a time.”

 

The Brewers face Ogden in Game 2 at Lindquist Field on Thursday. Matt Miller is slated to start for Helena, against right-hander Red Patterson of Ogden.

 

DIAMOND NOTES: Ogden catcher Mike Pericht was 0 for 3 in the contest, which snapped a 10-game hitting streak ... Pioneer League MVP Jake Lemmerman was just 1 for 3 while leadoff hitter Leon Landry struck out in four of his five at-bats ... the Raptors first four in the order were a combined 1 for 14.

 

All photos by Dylan Brown Independent Record

Helena's Carlos George comes across the plate to score the third run Tuesday night against the Ogden Raptors in the first game of the Pioneer League Championship Series.

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/5/83/f0f/583f0f64-c080-11df-a46e-001cc4c002e0-revisions/4c90492fcadfb.image.jpg

 

George, left, is greeted by his teammates after scoring the third run of the night.

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/4/a2/a2f/4a2a2f12-c080-11df-a64a-001cc4c002e0-revisions/4c90491877a8c.image.jpg

 

George hits a grounder for a single.

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/3/c3/63a/3c363aea-c080-11df-98ea-001cc4c002e0-revisions/4c904900e2dfd.image.jpg

 

Helena's John Dishon slides safely into third before Ogden's Chris Henderson catches the ball.

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/2/d8/9eb/2d89eb22-c080-11df-916b-001cc4c002e0-revisions/4c9048e7cb3b8.image.jpg
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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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The post in the beginning of this thread has been updated to reflect the proper box score link for Thursday's Game Two and potential championship clincher for Helena.

There's no big league Brewer game tonight, no NFL football, we realize the new prime time TV schedules are kicking in, but Link Report diehards should be able to find time this evening for the H-Crew.

Live Audio Link

With a 7:40 PM pre-game with Steve Wendt, even if you're not tied to your PC audio for three hours, set up a reminder for yourself for 10:00 or so minimum and check out the last couple of innings -- you may hear a bit of history.

From our September 1st transaction thread --


With the AZL season over, the following players were promoted to Helena to finish out the Pioneer League season: LHP Charly Bashara, RHP Jose Sanchez, C Tyler Roberts, IF Nick Shaw, and OF Kenny Allison.

For those guys, a rare chance to act crazy and celebrate twice. First-year pros Bashara, Shaw, and Allison must think "so this must be what's it like all the time" in terms of championships. Bring it to Miller Park, guys...

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colbyjack Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

colbyjack

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There's no big league Brewer game tonight, no NFL football, we realize the new prime time TV schedules are kicking in, but Link Report diehards should be able to find time this evening for the H-Crew.

 

I intend to tune in. Just to share some useless info, last night, with the Brewers day game yesterday I did everything I had to do (get the kids fed, bathed and put down to bed, exercise and did some laundry) so I could cozy up to my computer at 8pm for the H-Crew broadcast. I clicked on the "listen" link only to have silence. It was then that I remembered that there was an off day for travel http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. Go Brewers!

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colbyjack Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

colbyjack

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CheezWizHead...not to diminish my fathering skills, but the wife got home late last night, thus the extra effort http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

 

Congrats to the Helena Brewers. As Tedaldtada29 noted, the T-Rats have to be excited since both rookie clubs (how often does that happen?) won their league championships this year. I remember MTBrew bringing this up a year ago, and I'd love to hear his stance on the team this year, about how the Helena team hasn't played well as a unit the past couple of years. Obviously when it comes to winning and losing, I think I know what his response would be, but after listening (and even watching) a handful of games this year, this club certainly didn't beat themselves very often. If defensive stats are available, I would guess that the H-Crew boasted one of the better units.

 

Tedaldtada29 also noted that Eric Marzec had one heck of a summer. Nice to see he, Miler, Nelson & Garman (another sleeper prospect along with Marzec) combine on the championship game victory.

 

Holding that pitching staff together, particularly over the last month, was Rafael Neda. He's going to be the glue to that staff moving forward, and could even leap-frog Cam Garfield (who IMO should repeat low-A) next year. Neda is an absolute stud defensively, and anything he provides offensively is pure gravy. He really neutralized the running game, and should be a rock for the organization's young pitchers over the next 2-3 years.

 

Cody Hawn of course was the star of the evening. I still contend he's the better pure hitter between he and Hunter Morris (although Morris very well could have posted Nintendo-numbers had he began his pro career in the Pioneer League).

 

I'm just really excited to see this club win the Pioneer League championship. Congrats!

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