Link Report for Games of Saturday 4/16 -- Scarpetta fans eight

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Saturday's Daily Menu:
Times Central; pitchers subject to change --

Nashville: LHP Manny Parra at Omaha (Royals), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime -- expect RHP Frankie De La Cruz to follow Parra
Live Audio Link
iPad/iPhone: Listen

MiLB.TV -- For subscribers, the Nashville game is the first MiLB.TV opportunity of 2011.

Huntsville: RHP's Jesus Sanchez and Cody Scarpetta in a doubleheader at home vs. Carolina (Reds), 4:43 PM gametime; each contest slated for seven innings
Live Audio Link
iPad/iPhone: Listen
Traditional broadcast via Carolina feed: Listen

Brevard County: RHP Maverick Lasker at home vs. Clearwater (Phillies), 6:05 PM gametime
Sorry, no audio available for this contest...

Wisconsin: LHP Del Howell at home vs. Peoria (Cubs), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:05 gametime
Live Audio Link

[Mass Haas]

Follow Saturday's action as it happens:

 

Nashville (Gameday also available)

Huntsville Game One (Gameday also available)

Huntsville Game Two (Gameday also available)

Brevard County

Wisconsin

[Mass Haas]

PCL American North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Nashville	5	3	.625	-	-	5-3	0-0	5-3	L1
	Iowa	4	4	.500	1.0	136	0-0	4-4	4-4	W1
	Memphis	3	5	.375	2.0	135	3-5	0-0	3-5	L4
	Omaha	2	6	.250	3.0	134	0-0	2-6	2-6	L4

SOU North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Huntsville	5	2	.714	-	-	2-0	3-2	5-2	W3
	Tennessee	5	2	.714	-	-	2-0	3-2	5-2	W2
	Chattanooga	4	3	.571	1.0	63	2-3	2-0	4-3	W3
	Jackson	3	4	.429	2.0	62	0-2	3-2	3-4	L2
	Carolina	1	6	.143	4.0	60	1-4	0-2	1-6	L2

FSL North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Clearwater	6	3	.667	-	-	2-0	4-3	6-3	W1
	Daytona	6	3	.667	-	-	4-1	2-2	6-3	L3
	Lakeland	6	3	.667	-	-	3-1	3-2	6-3	W2
	Tampa	5	4	.556	1.0	61	2-3	3-1	5-4	W2
	Brevard County	3	6	.333	3.0	59	1-3	2-3	3-6	L1
	Dunedin	1	8	.111	5.0	57	1-6	0-2	1-8	L2

MID Western
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Burlington	6	2	.750	-	-	3-1	3-1	6-2	W2
	Beloit	5	3	.625	1.0	-	3-1	2-2	5-3	L1
	Quad Cities	5	3	.625	1.0	-	2-2	3-1	5-3	L1
	Cedar Rapids	4	4	.500	2.0	62	2-2	2-2	4-4	W2
	Wisconsin	4	4	.500	2.0	62	2-2	2-2	4-4	L2
	Kane County	3	5	.375	3.0	61	1-3	2-2	3-5	W1
	Peoria	3	5	.375	3.0	61	2-2	1-3	3-5	L2
	Clinton	2	6	.250	4.0	60	1-3	1-3	2-6	W1

[Mass Haas]

The Sounds say hello to Lorenzo Cain tonight.

 

Exciting news -- if the schedule holds, Jeff Suppan faces Nashville in a Monday matinee!

[battlekow]

Bad weather postpones Rattlers-Chiefs on Saturday

Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

GRAND CHUTE, WI – Saturday afternoon’s game between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Peoria Chiefs at Time Warner Cable Field has been postponed. Rain began falling last night in the Fox Cities area and continued into Saturday morning. The forecast for the 1:05pm start time was not much better so the decision was made to postpone the game. This is the second Timber Rattlers home game in a row to be called off due to bad weather.??

Since Friday’s postponement is already being made up as a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field and Sunday is the final meeting between the Rattlers and Chiefs in Grand Chute in the first half, Saturday’s postponement will need to be made up in Peoria. The Timber Rattlers visit O’Brien Field twice in the first half of the season. Wisconsin is in Peoria from May 24-26 and June 14-16. The date for the makeup game will be determined later.

??Fans with tickets for Saturday’s game may exchange them for the same price ticket to a regular season Timber Rattlers home game – excluding special events and playoff games – during the 2011 season. Tickets must be exchanged at the Timber Rattlers ticket office. Tickets cannot be replaced if lost, stolen, or destroyed.

The teams are scheduled for a pair of seven inning games at Time Warner Cable Field on Sunday afternoon. Game one of the twinbill is set for 1:05pm. A second game will follow the conclusion of game one by thirty minutes.??Sunday is a Brewers Sunday presented by 107.5, The Fan. Milwaukee Brewers mascot Bernie Brewer is scheduled to appear on Sunday afternoon. The Timber Rattlers will wear jerseys based on the uniforms of the 1975 Milwaukee Brewers during one of the games. Plus, the first 1,000 fans aged 21 and older will receive a seat cushion courtesy of Miller Lite and the Rattlers. There is an all-player autograph session scheduled for after the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader.??

The Timber Rattlers ticket office will be open from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday. Fans may order tickets for Sunday’s doubleheader or for any Rattlers game at Time Warner Cable for the 2011 season by stopping at the ticket office, by calling (800) WI-TIMBER, or online attimberrattlers.com.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Media Notes includes the following --

 

BOGGS ON BASE: Outfielder Brandon Boggs leads the PCL with a .559 on-base percentage and is one of 11 players to reach base via hit or walk in each of the season’s first eight games. Boggs co-leads the PCL with nine walks drawn this season.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville is underway, but the Stars' audio link has dead air, and the more traditional broadcast call from Carolina has a country music station playing, so not sure if you're going to have any audio during the course of the doubleheader. Game One Lineup --

 

Huntsville Stars
Player	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Komatsu	CF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.667
Cline	SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.316
Halton	1B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.379
Caufield	LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.391
Jones, B	RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.217
Wilson, S	3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.320
De La Rosa	C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Ortiz, Y	2B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Sanchez, Je	P

[Mass Haas]

Reminder that the Nashville game is available via the MiLB.TV subscription. Manny Parra to start.

 

MiLB.TV also archives full game coverage.

[Mass Haas]

The Carolina audio is available -- in a game scheduled for seven innings, the Stars and Mudcats are tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the 5th. Five of the Stars have reached base twice each thus far.

 

***

 

Tough first inning for Maverick Lasker at Brevard -- three runs, five hits.

[Mass Haas]

The MiLB.TV experience thus far --

 

The video feed is fine. There are no graphics from Omaha, although other random games I sampled earlier did include them.

 

But the audio feed is of some radio station (music, commercials) instead of the game.

 

I pulled up Stu's audio call, but it's behind the video feed by a couple of minutes.

 

Manny Parra loaded the bases in the 1st but got out of it. I'll likely call it a night here in terms of posting. Eric will be by as usual with your recaps.

[battlekow]

Final: Clearwater 9, @Brevard County 4

Threshers thump 'Tees 9-4

Frank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees

VIERA, Fla. -- Manatees starting pitcher Maverick Lasker was roughed up for seven earned runs and the Brevard County (3-7) offense couldn't muster much support in a 9-4 loss to the Clearwater Threshers in front of 3,611 on Friday night at Space Coast Stadium.

Clearwater (7-3) pounded out three runs on five hits in the first inning, with four of those hits coming with two outs in the frame.

The Threshers would plate three again in the third, including a two-run homer by Travis Mattair. Clearwater added two more in the fifth to increase their lead to 8-0.

Brevard County couldn't get it going at the dish either as the Manatees were held hitless for the first 5 1/3 innings of the game. The Manatees finally broke out of their funk in the sixth as they plated two runs. One came on Kentrail Davis scoring on a wild pitch and the other came on a RBI ground out that scored Hunter Morris.

The Manatees would score two more in the seventh as Shawn Zarraga singled home Scott Krieger, who led the inning off with a double, and Zarraga would score on a ground out.

No Manatee had more than one hit, while Morris and Krieger were responsible for the only extra-base hits, both of them being doubles.

Brevard County is back in action on Sunday evening at 5:05 p.m. as they welcome the Tampa Yankees to town. The Manatees took two of three from the Yankees last week on the road.

Brevard County box score

Lasker's ugly final line: 5 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR. As Toby pointed out, at least Lasker kept the ball on the ground. Kentrail Davis and Zarraga were both 1-3 with a walk, while Khris Davis, and Scooter Gennett went hitless but also drew a free pass. Gennett committed two errors for the second straight night.

Brevard County play-by-play

The 1st inning would have been even worse without Krieger and Zarraga:

Clearwater Top of the 1st

• Jiwan James doubles (2) on a fly ball to left fielder Scott Krieger.
• Brian Gump reaches on fielding error by second baseman Ryan Gennett. Jiwan James scores.
• With Leandro Castro batting, Brian Gump caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Shawn Zarraga to shortstop Josh Prince.
• Leandro Castro flies out to left fielder Scott Krieger.
• Darin Ruf singles on a line drive to center fielder Kentrail Davis.
• Joe Savery singles on a ground ball to left fielder Scott Krieger. Darin Ruf to 2nd.
• Sebastian Valle singles on a line drive to right fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Darin Ruf scores. Joe Savery to 2nd.
• Travis Mattair doubles (2) on a fly ball to left fielder Scott Krieger. Joe Savery scores. Sebastian Valle out at home on the throw, left fielder Scott Krieger to second baseman Ryan Gennett to catcher Shawn Zarraga.

Picture of the play:

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2011/04/16/aOqXrLGx.jpg

(Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography)

[battlekow]

Final: @Omaha 2, Nashville 1

Sounds Drop Road Opener To Divsion-Rival Storm Chasers, 2-1

Nashville Sounds

PAPILLON, Neb. - The Nashville Sounds lost 2-1 to the division-rival Omaha Storm Chasers in the first-ever game played at Werner Park on Saturday night. Nasville matched a season-low six hits on the evening while facing six Omaha pitchers.

All four of Nashville's (5-4) defeats this season have come by one run, including twice in extra innings.

The Storm Chasers scored both runs in the bottom of the third inning. David Lough doubled in the beginning of the frame and attempted to score on an Eric Hosmer single, but was the victim of the Sounds' seventh outfield assist of the early season as Brett Carroll threw Lough out at home plate to save a run. It was Carroll's league-leading fourth outfield assist.

Third baseman Mike Moustakas then doubled home Hosmer for the first run scored in Werner Park history. After Mark DiFelice came into the contest to replace the rehabbing Manny Parra, Johnny Giavotella tripled to right field to score Moustakas for the club's final run.

The Sounds were able to trim the Omaha lead to 2-1 in the top of the sixth inning. With Mat Gamel on first base and two outs, Brendan Katin doubled to left field to move Gamel to third base. During Brandon Boggs' at-bat, Luis Mendoza threw a wild pitch that allowed Gamel to score from third.

The Sounds threatened to do damage in the top of the eighth inning, but failed to plate any runners. Omaha reliever Blaine Hardy started the frame and allowed a single sandwiched between two walks to load the bases before being replaced by Jesse Chavez (1-0). Boggs then struck out looking, followed by Jeremy Reed grounding into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Louis Coleman struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his second save of the year for Omaha.

Parra (0-1) made his second rehab appearance for the Sounds in the loss and tossed 2 2/3 innings while giving up two runs on four hits. He threw 49 pitches (30 strikes), fanning and walking two.

Rehabbing reliever LaTroy Hawkins made his first appearance for the Sounds and tossed 2/3 of an inning by throwing 20 pitches (10 strikes). He induced one groundout and one out pop out before walking two batters.

Nashville right-hander Frankie De La Cruz struck out five while contributing 4 1/3 shutout innings in relief for Nashville.

Chris Nowak collected his first hits of the season, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base. Katin's eighth-inning double was the club's only extra-base hit.

Omaha starter Danny Duffy allowed one hit with seven strikeouts and one walk over 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

To make up for Friday's rainout, the Sounds and Storm Chasers will play a scheduled doubleheader beginning at 2:05 pm CT on Sunday afternoon at Werner Park. Sounds right-hander Amaury Rivas (2-0, 1.50) looks to stay perfect in the first game against Omaha righty Vin Mazzaro (0-0, 19.29). Southpaw Sam Narron (0-0, 5.40) faces left-hander Mike Montgomery (0-1, 9.00) in the nightcap.

Nashville box score

Makes you a bit jealous to see the names from Kansas City's farm system, eh? One name not mentioned: Storm Chasers center fielder and leadoff man Lorenzo Cain. Kinda rings a bell. Cain was making his second start of the year after coming off the DL and went 0-3 with a walk. Nice "start" from de la Cruz, who allowed four hits and a walk, throwing 71 pitches and 45 strikes. Gamel singled and was hit by a pitch. How about Carroll's arm? He also drew two walks. Eric Farris also drew a walk, which is nice to see; something else we'd all like to see Farris do is play shortstop, where he could surely at least clear the bar set by Anderson Machado there tonight--two errors. Reed was 1-4 in his Nashville debut.

Nashville play-by-play

[battlekow]

Final (game one): @Huntsville 8, Carolina 6 (7 innings)

Final (game two): @Huntsville 3, Carolina 2 (7 innings)

Huntsville box score (game one)

Huntsville box score (game two)

Jesus Sanchez started the first game and struggled, allowing six runs (four earned) in five innings, including two homers and a three-run 1st inning. Darren Byrd picked up the win with two scoreless innings in relief. Cody Scarpetta started the second game and seems to have had good, but wild stuff; he fanned eight but racked up 92 pitches (56 strikes) doing it and was done after 4.2 innings. Scarpetta allowed two runs on five hits and two walks, plus two wild pitches. Dan Meadows and Donovan Hand finished off the Mudcats with 2.1 perfect innings.

The Stars came back from that 3-0 deficit in the first game to take a 5-3 lead before the game was knotted at 6-all, finally taking the lead for good in the 6th. They were behind 2-0 in the second game but scored three runs combined in the 4th and 5th innings for the sweep.

Hitting stats from the two games combined: Matt Cline was 3-6 with a double, Sean Halton 4-6 with a homer and a walk, Brandon Jones 3-6 with a homer and a walk, and Erik Komatsu 2-5 with two walks. Komatsu started in center and hit leadoff in both games; Lee Haydel did not play in the first game and hit 7th in the second, going 0-3. In his first game action of the year, Shawn Riggins pinch-hit in both games and went 0-2.

Huntsville play-by-play (game one)

The Stars' four-run 3rd:

Huntsville Bottom of the 3rd

• Erik Komatsu grounds out, second baseman Cody Puckett to first baseman Neftali Soto.
  
• Matt Cline flies out to center fielder Felix Perez.
  
• Sean Halton homers (1) on a fly ball to left center field.
  
• Chuck Caufield doubles (4) on a ground ball to left fielder Kyle Day.
  
• With Brandon Jones batting, wild pitch by Dallas Buck, Chuck Caufield to 3rd.
  
• Brandon Jones singles on a line drive to left fielder Kyle Day. Chuck Caufield scores.
  
• Steffan Wilson walks. Brandon Jones to 2nd.
  
• Anderson De La Rosa doubles (1) on a line drive to left fielder Kyle Day. Brandon Jones scores. Steffan Wilson scores.
  
• Dallas Buck intentionally walks Yancarlos Ortiz.
  
• Jesus Sanchez grounds into a force out, second baseman Cody Puckett to shortstop Jose Castro. Yancarlos Ortiz out at 2nd.

Huntsville play-by-play (game two)

Huntsville Bottom of the 4th

• Brandon Jones homers (1) on a line drive to right field.
  
• Steffan Wilson singles on a ground ball to center fielder Denis Phipps.
  
• Matt Cline flies out to center fielder Denis Phipps.
  
• Lee Haydel grounds out, second baseman Cody Puckett to first baseman Mike Costanzo. Steffan Wilson to 2nd.
  
• Dayton Buller flies out to right fielder David Cook.

Huntsville Bottom of the 5th

• Yancarlos Ortiz walks.
  
• Erik Komatsu walks. Yancarlos Ortiz to 2nd.
  
• Sergio Miranda ground bunts into a force out, catcher Chris McMurray to third baseman Jake Kahaulelio. Yancarlos Ortiz out at 3rd. Erik Komatsu to 2nd. Sergio Miranda to 1st.
  
• Sean Halton singles on a line drive to third baseman Jake Kahaulelio. Erik Komatsu to 3rd. Sergio Miranda to 2nd.
  
• Brandon Jones walks. Erik Komatsu scores. Sergio Miranda to 3rd. Sean Halton to 2nd.
  
• Pitcher Change: Nick Christiani replaces Jordan Hotchkiss, batting 9th.
  
• Steffan Wilson grounds into a force out, shortstop Eric Eymann to second baseman Cody Puckett. Sergio Miranda scores. Sean Halton to 3rd. Brandon Jones out at 2nd. Steffan Wilson to 1st.
  
• Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Shawn Riggans replaces Daniel Meadows.
  
• Shawn Riggans strikes out swinging.

[Mass Haas]

Big drop in our availability to Huntsville coverage this year -- no (or at best infrequent) game summaries provided, even for home affairs. We lost highlight and interview archiving from 2010, the broadcast-that-is-not-a-broadcast from the couch is a failed, if not AWOL, experiment thus far, and the Huntsville Times apparently sat idly by for the doubleheader as well.

 

Makes link reporting more of a chore for us, and for family and friends of the Stars, certainly not a good situation. Unacceptable at the AA level, actually. We respect those trying to make it happen there, but at least at this point, it's hard to paint a pretty picture.

 

At least things are going well on the field in Huntsville, where it matters.

[Mass Haas]

Werner Park debut a success for Storm ChasersBy Rob White, Omaha World-Herald Staff Writer

Bases loaded, eighth inning, nobody out and protecting a one-run lead.

Go get ’em, Jesse.

And that’s what Jesse Chavez did Saturday night, helping the Omaha Storm Chasers preserve a 2-1 victory over Nashville in the home opener before 6,533 at Werner Park.

“Getting out of that jam was big,” Omaha manager Mike Jirschele said. “That got us over the hump.”

Chavez inherited the sticky situation and struck out Brandon Boggs on three pitches before getting Jeremy Reed to ground into a snappy double play, one of three turned by the Storm Chasers’ defense.

“The first pitch is the biggest thing,” Chavez said. “If you can get ahead in the count, you’re in control and you don’t have to groove anything.

“After that, I just want to rely on my sinker and try to get ground balls (for double plays) or a short pop up where the outfield is coming in instead of going back. The strikeout was just a bonus.”

Louis Coleman struck out the side in the ninth for his second save.

Chavez (1-0) got credit for the win since he was the most effective Omaha reliever after starter Danny Duffy left with a lead before completing five innings.

Duffy dominated for 4 2?3, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out seven. The left-hander struck out five of the first seven batters he faced, including three in a row in the second inning, which he finished with a 96 mph fastball past Martin Maldonado.

 

But Duffy reached his 75-pitch limit one out short of qualifying for the victory.

 

“He just ran out of pitches,” Jirschele said. “On a cold night, just getting a win by pitching to one more batter here isn’t worth risking an injury.”

 

That’s fine with the 22-year-old Duffy, considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Kansas City organization.

 

“As long as we pull out the win, that’s what matters,” Duffy said. “I’m not a stat rat.”

 

The Chasers put together four straight hits to produce two third-inning runs. David Lough doubled, but was cut down at home trying to score on Eric Hosmer’s single to center. Hosmer moved to second on the play, then scored the first Class AAA run in ballpark history on Mike Moustakas’ opposite-field double into the left field corner.

 

Johnny Giavotella then delivered the first triple in park history, scoring Moustakas.

 

Omaha was decked out in special jerseys, with puzzle pieces on the sleeves to symbolize autism awareness. The uniforms were autographed and auctioned off after the game.

 

Despite the wind chill dipping into the low 40s, the Chasers appreciated their new home-field advantage.

 

“I don’t think we hear as much right now because we’ve got the heater going in the dugout,” Jirschele said. “But at the end, when we won it, you could tell this is a different atmosphere than it was at Rosenblatt.”

Photo by KENT SIEVERS/THE WORLD-HERALD

The Storm Chasers Eric Hosmer is welcomed home after scoring the first run in the bottom of the third inning.

 

http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=OW&Date=20110416&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=704169748&Ref=AR&maxw=600&maxh=400

 

***

 

With the grand opening and all, there is additional coverage, if not from a Sounds' perspective, naturally. You can view that here. Pretty much what could have been with Nashville as long as two years ago now. Oh well...

[Mass Haas]

Went back and watched LaTroy Hawkins' stint on MiLB.TV. He threw quite a few breaking pitches, most of those out of the zone, a couple missing badly. No radar gun graphic or mention. The final count was 21 pitches, 11 for strikes.

 

Brett Pollock, former voice of the Stars, was on the mike during Hawkins' stint.

[trwi7]

Nice jigsaw puzzle sleeves. Not.

[Menace II Sobriety]

Nice jigsaw puzzle sleeves. Not.

I would guess that the jigsaw puzzle sleeves had a tie-in to an autism event at the stadium or promotion.

[Mass Haas]

From the article above --

 

Omaha was decked out in special jerseys, with puzzle pieces on the sleeves to symbolize autism awareness. The uniforms were autographed and auctioned off after the game.

[trwi7]

Well now I feel bad. I thought that was part of their actual uniforms.

[CheezWizHed]

Well now I feel bad. I thought that was part of their actual uniforms.

 

I did too when I first saw it. I was trying to figure out how that fit in with chasing storms...