Link Report for Wed. 5/18 -- Scarpetta wild, Ross effective, Lasker disastrous; Komatsu & D'Vo stay hot; Schafer debuts

[Mass Haas]

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

[Mass Haas]

Wednesday's Daily Menu:

Times Central; pitchers subject to change --

 

Nashville: Idle

 

Huntsville: RHP Cody Scarpetta at Jackson (Mariners), 11:05 AM gametime

Live Audio Link -- look for the Jackson feed off the master MiLB.com audio list

Brevard County: TBD (perhaps RHP Maverick Lasker) at Fort Myers (Twins), 6:05 PM gametime

Live Audio Link -- look for the Fort Myers feed off the master MiLB.com audio list

 

Wisconsin: RHP's Austin Ross and Dan Britt in a doubleheader at home vs. Beloit (Twins), 11:45 AM pre-game; 12:05 PM gametime; each contest slated for seven innings

Live Audio Link

[Mass Haas]

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens:

Huntsville (Gameday also available)
Brevard County

Wisconsin Game One

Wisconsin Game Two

[Mass Haas]

PCL American North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Omaha	23	16	.590	-	-	11-5	12-11	6-4	W4
	Iowa	17	22	.436	6.0	100	7-8	10-14	3-7	L1
	Memphis	15	23	.395	7.5	99	12-11	3-12	5-5	L1
	Nashville	14	24	.368	8.5	98	11-11	3-13	5-5	W1

SOU North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Jackson	22	15	.595	-	-	10-7	12-8	6-4	W5
	Tennessee	23	16	.590	-	-	10-5	13-11	6-4	W1
	Chattanooga	20	19	.513	3.0	29	11-13	9-6	5-5	L1
	Huntsville	19	19	.500	3.5	29	10-4	9-15	3-7	L6
	Carolina	11	28	.282	12.0	20	7-13	4-15	2-8	L2

FSL North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Daytona	27	12	.692	-	-	13-6	14-6	6-4	L1
	Clearwater	25	14	.641	2.0	30	13-7	12-7	6-4	W1
	Dunedin	21	18	.538	6.0	26	8-10	13-8	7-3	W3
	Lakeland	20	19	.513	7.0	25	9-7	11-12	6-4	W3
	Brevard County	15	24	.385	12.0	20	7-15	8-9	5-5	W2
	Tampa	15	24	.385	12.0	20	7-13	8-11	6-4	L1

MID Western
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Burlington	28	9	.757	-	-	14-2	14-7	8-2	W4
	Beloit	20	16	.556	7.5	-	11-7	9-9	4-6	W1
	Cedar Rapids	20	18	.526	8.5	33	10-7	10-11	2-8	L8
	Peoria	20	18	.526	8.5	33	11-6	9-12	6-4	L1
	Quad Cities	20	18	.526	8.5	33	8-10	12-8	7-3	W3
	Wisconsin	18	17	.514	9.0	34	10-10	8-7	7-3	L2
	Kane County	14	25	.359	15.0	26	9-13	5-12	5-5	W1
	Clinton	10	29	.256	19.0	22	5-17	5-12	1-9	L1

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Game Notes

Wisconsin Lineup and Game Notes

[Mass Haas]

By the way, looks like Sports32 Cable has adjusted their Timber Rattler schedule, so the TV game we hinted at for Thursday the 19th no longer appears on their schedule. Wiscosnin now has a 5:00 doubleheader scheduled, so not sure how they would have handled that broadcast-wise regardless.

[Mass Haas]

Cory Provus (via Tom Flanagan, Brewers Director-Baseball Operations) hints at a Brooks Hall transfer from extended spring to Wisconsin soon.

[And That]

Austin Ross with a peripherally subpar outing, I guess you'd call it. 5.2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K. No earned runs.

 

Edit: 83 pitches, 51 for strikes.

[battlekow]

Final: @Jackson 6, Huntsville 4

Huntsville box score

I said in yesterday's Link Report that the best thing about MiLB schedules is that you can lose four in a row to the same team and still not get swept, but that only works if you win the last game. The Stars didn't and have now dropped seven in a row. They were down 3-0 but rallied to tie in the 7th; however, Dan Meadows and Michael Fiers combined to give up three more runs in the 8th and the Stars' chances winked out of existence. Cody Scarpetta was again not very good: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 91 pitches, 49 strikes. Needs to find the strike zone way more often. Fiers has a pretty solid 17/6/2/14 K/BB/HBP/H in 16.2 innings but has somehow given up ten runs. Erik Komatsu of course went 2-4 (he struck out for the third day in a row!), and Lee Haydel also had two hits. Hainley Statia contributed three base knocks and Chuckie Caufield a big two-run homer.

Huntsville play-by-play

Meadows was close to getting Scarpetta out of the 6th with only two runs on his tab but thanks to some wildness couldn't quite pull it off:

Jackson Bottom of the 6th

• Kyle Seager walks.
• Rich Poythress pops out to shortstop Hainley Statia.
• Eddy Martinez-Esteve singles on a soft fly ball to right fielder Chuck Caufield. Kyle Seager to 2nd.
• Pitcher Change: Daniel Meadows replaces Cody Scarpetta.
• Johermyn Chavez strikes out swinging.
• Nate Tenbrink walks. Kyle Seager to 3rd. Eddy Martinez-Esteve to 2nd.
• With Kuo Hui Lo batting, wild pitch by Daniel Meadows, Kyle Seager scores.
• Kuo Hui Lo walks. Eddy Martinez-Esteve to 3rd. Nate Tenbrink to 2nd.
• Brandon Bantz called out on strikes.

Huntsville got one back in the 9th but needed to put a couple more runners on to get Komatsu back up with a chance to drive in the tying runs:

Huntsville Top of the 9th

• Chuck Caufield hit by pitch.
• Anderson De La Rosa grounds into a force out, third baseman Nate Tenbrink to second baseman Kyle Seager. Chuck Caufield out at 2nd. Anderson De La Rosa to 1st.
• Matt Cline grounds out, third baseman Nate Tenbrink to first baseman Scott Savastano. Anderson De La Rosa to 2nd.
• Hainley Statia singles on a line drive to center fielder Kuo Hui Lo. Anderson De La Rosa scores.
• Lee Haydel grounds out, second baseman Kyle Seager to first baseman Scott Savastano.

[battlekow]

Final (game one): @Wisconsin 1, Beloit 0 (7 innings)

Rattlers beat Beloit 1-0

Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

GRAND CHUTE, WI – Chris Dennis provided all the offense that Austin Ross needed on Wednesday afternoon. Dennis hit a solo homer in the bottom of the second inning for a 1-0 victory over the Beloit Snappers in game one of a doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Field.

Dennis put the Rattlers (19-16) up 1-0 with a leadoff home run in the second inning. The homer was the 25th for Dennis in his Timber Rattlers career. He is now second on the career homer list for the franchise behind just Juan Silvestre (36 career homers with Wisconsin).

That home run by Dennis was also the last hit for the Rattlers in the game. Snappers starter BJ Hermsen tossed a complete game and allowed two hits, but he took the loss.

Ross worked out of jams in the first and second innings before settling down. However, he would need help to get out of the sixth inning. Ross walked Wang Wei Lin to start the inning. A sacrifice bunt and a ground out moved Lin to third. Ross would walk Michael Gonzales to put runners on the corners. The call went to the bullpen for Thomas Keeling.

The lefty came on to face left-handed batting Daniel Ortiz. Keeling got Ortiz to ground out to third to end the inning.

Rattlers closer Greg Holle looked like he would have an easy save as he retired the first two Beloit batters in the top of the seventh. But, the Snappers (20-17) made the game interesting as the next two batters reached on singles and Lin drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. Jamaal Hawkins stepped in and worked the count full on Holle again. Holle got Hawkins to fly out to right to end the game.

Ross went 5-2/3 shutout innings, gave up three hits, walked three, and struck out three to pick up his fifth win of the season.

Holle earned his ninth save with the scoreless seventh inning.

Wisconsin box score (game one)

Good results for Ross but certainly not the dominant peripherals he's spoiled us with in the past; a 9/4 GO/FO always helps, though. TJ Mittelstaedt had Wisconsin's other hit; Nick Shaw and Cody Hawn each drew a walk. Another one-batter outing extends Keeling's walkless streak to five games (4.2 innings).

Wisconsin play-by-play (game one)
Ross's first two innings:

Beloit Top of the 1st

• Wang-Wei Lin flies out to left fielder T. J. Mittelstaedt.
• Jamaal Hawkins singles on a line drive to center fielder Reggie Keen.
• Nate Roberts flies out to center fielder Reggie Keen.
• With Michael Gonzales batting, Jamaal Hawkins steals (8) 2nd base.
• Michael Gonzales walks.
• Daniel Ortiz flies out to center fielder Reggie Keen.

Beloit Top of the 2nd

• Lance Ray grounds out, second baseman Nick Shaw to first baseman Cody Hawn.
• Andy Leer doubles (5) on a line drive to left fielder T. J. Mittelstaedt.
• Tobias Streich grounds out, pitcher Austin Ross to first baseman Cody Hawn. Andy Leer to 3rd.
• Daniel Santana strikes out swinging.

[battlekow]

Stars swept by Generals

Huntsville Stars

Jackson, TN – The Huntsville Stars (19-20) dropped their seventh straight game with a 6-4 loss at Jackson Wednesday afternoon. With this loss, the Stars dropped below .500 for the first time all season.

The Stars were behind 3-0 until the top of the seventh inning. Outfielder Brandon Jones drew a leadoff walk from reliever Stephen Penney. Chuckie Caufield capitalized on the situation with a two-run home run on a 1-1 pitch, making it 3-2 Generals. Matt Cline got on base with a throwing error by Carlos Triunfel. He advanced to second on a single by Hainley Statia and scored on a single by Lee Haydel to tie the game.

The Generals’ Kuo Hui Lo hit a three-run bomb in the bottom of the eighth off reliever Michael Fiers. The Stars scored one more run in the top of the ninth with a RBI-single from Statia to score Anderson de la Rosa. It wasn’t enough for a comeback and the Stars were handed their first series sweep since August of last year at Tennessee.

Reliever Dan Meadows (3-2) took the loss, giving up one run in two innings of work. Meadows replaced Cody Scarpetta in the sixth inning. Scarpetta went 5.1 innings, giving up three runs on five hits. He walked four and struck out two.

Caufield, Haydel, Statia and Erik Komatsu all recorded multi-hit games. It was the second consecutive multi-hit game for Caufield. The Stars compiled a 2-8 record on the 10-game road trip, falling to fourth in the Southern League North Division standings.

The Stars return home Thursday for a five-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits. The homestand kicks off with Bud Light’s Thirst-Aid Thursday and post-game party at Sammy T’s Music Hall downtown Huntsville! All 20-ounce drafts are just $2 through the seventh inning and your ID wristband will get you free admission at Sammy T’s after the game! Gates open at 6 p.m.! Visit huntsvillestars.com for more information!

[battlekow]

Final (game two): Beloit 4, @Wisconsin 2 (8 innings)

Beloit prevails in extra innings in nightcap

Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Beloit Snappers earned a split in Wednesday’s doubleheader with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers by winning game two 4-2 in eight innings. Andy Leer drew a bases loaded walk in the top of the eighth to drive in the winning run. The loss spoiled a fantastic spot start by Dan Britt of the Timber Rattlers.

Beloit (21-17) grabbed an early lead in the first inning. There were two Snappers on when Michael Gonzales singled to center. One run scored on the single by Gonzales. A second scored on an error on the play.

Britt would allow a hit in the second and a leadoff double in the top of the third. After that double in the third, he retired the next 15 batters he faced. Britt struck out eight and walked one over seven innings. The number of strikeouts and the innings pitched were game highs as a professional for Britt.

Wisconsin (19-18) rallied to tie the game with single runs in the third and fourth innings. Mike Walker drove in the run in the third with an RBI grounder. Tyler Roberts singled in a run in the fourth.

The Rattlers had a great opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the seventh when they loaded the bases with one out. Reggie Keen singled and Cody Hawn and Walker drew walks to put the winning run on third base.

Chris Dennis appeared to have won the game, but his line drive headed to left field was snared with a diving catch by third baseman Gunner Glad. Franklin Romero was next and he just missed beating out a slow roller to shortstop.

The Snappers cashed in their bases loaded opportunity in the top of the eighth. Lefty Tom Keeling came on to start the inning against a pair of left handed hitters for the Snappers. Unfortunately, he hit both batters to put two runners on base,.

Eric Marzec relieved Keeling at this point of the eighth. Jamaal Hawkins bunted and Marzec looked to third before throwing to first. The speedy Hawkins beat out the throw to first to load the bases.

Marzec walked Leer on a 3-2 pitch to force in the go-ahead run. Gonzales followed with a single to center that scored a run for a 4-2 lead.

Jose Gonzalez struck out the side in order in the bottom of the eighth inning to earn his fourth save of the season.

The teams have another doubleheader scheduled on Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Tyler Thornburg (2-0, 2.10) and Matt Miller (2-3, 4.03) are the scheduled starters for the Timber Rattlers. Adrian Salcedo (3-1, 2.57) and Michael Tonkin (1-1, 6.98) are set to start for the Snappers.

Both games are scheduled for seven innings on Thursday. Game one begins at 5:05pm. The second game will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.

Wisconsin box score (game two)

Remarkable work by Britt. He threw 84 pitches (54 strikes). Keen was a perfect 4-4 with a double. Roberts had two hits and was also hit by a pitch--best offensive game he's had in awhile. Hawn also had a hit and a sac bunt(?). Keeling's walkless streak continues, but I'd say two hit batters counts as a huge asterisk.

Wisconsin play-by-play (game two)

Wisconsin Bottom of the 3rd

• Nick Shaw singles on a fly ball to left fielder Daniel Ortiz.
• Reggie Keen singles on a fly ball to right fielder Lance Ray. Nick Shaw to 2nd.
• Cody Hawn out on a sacrifice bunt, catcher Matt Parker to first baseman Michael Gonzales. Nick Shaw to 3rd. Reggie Keen to 2nd.
• Michael Walker grounds out, shortstop Jamaal Hawkins to first baseman Michael Gonzales. Nick Shaw scores. Reggie Keen to 3rd.
• Chris Dennis lines out to shortstop Jamaal Hawkins.

I appreciate the sentiment, Cody, but c'mon! This inning was full of fail:

Wisconsin Bottom of the 5th

• Reggie Keen singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Gunner Glad. Reggie Keen out at 2nd, second baseman Derek McCallum to shortstop Jamaal Hawkins.
• Cody Hawn singles on a ground ball to center fielder Wang-Wei Lin.
• Michael Walker strikes out swinging and Cody Hawn caught stealing 2nd, catcher Matt Parker to second baseman Derek McCallum to first baseman Michael Gonzales to shortstop Jamaal Hawkins.

[battlekow]

WBAY:

The Packers' Ted Thompson was taking in the game while Doug Melvin was taking in the performance of Austin Ross.

[battlekow]

Interesting goings-on in the Manatees game. First of all, Logan Schafer is playing center field, pushing D'Vontrey Richardson to right. Richardson has responded to the slight by homering and singling in his first two at-bats; he's now 8 for his last 8 after yesterday's 6-6 performance. Lastly, Maverick Lasker had a bit of a problem in the first inning:

Fort Myers Bottom of the 1st

• Aaron Hicks walks.
• With James Beresford batting, Aaron Hicks steals (4) 2nd base.
• James Beresford walks.
• Brian Dozier walks. Aaron Hicks to 3rd. James Beresford to 2nd.
• Nicholas Romero walks. Aaron Hicks scores. James Beresford to 3rd. Brian Dozier to 2nd.
• Nathan Hanson walks. James Beresford scores. Brian Dozier to 3rd. Nicholas Romero to 2nd.
• Pitcher Change: Evan Anundsen replaces Maverick Lasker.
• Daniel Rams strikes out swinging.
• Anderson Hidalgo grounds into a force out, third baseman Mike Brownstein to second baseman Scooter Gennett. Brian Dozier scores. Nicholas Romero to 3rd. Nathan Hanson out at 2nd. Anderson Hidalgo to 1st.
• Ramon Santana grounds into a force out, shortstop Shea Vucinich to second baseman Scooter Gennett. Anderson Hidalgo out at 2nd.

Great job by Anundsen there getting it out of it with just one more run scoring. That's allowed the Manatees to come back from what was a 3-0 deficit; they're now leading 5-3 after three innings.

[battlekow]

Final: @Fort Myers 6, Brevard County 5

Brevard County box score

Maverick Lasker, as detailed above, walked all five batters he faced in the 1st inning and was summarily removed; replacement Evan Anundsen fared much better, recording five scoreless frames as the de facto starter. With Anundsen holding the Miracle at bay, BC was able to hand a 5-3 6th-inning lead to Trey Watten--who promptly allowed the tying runs to score. He gave up another in the 8th, giving the Manatees a come-from-ahead loss. Even though Anundsen pitched well, the ERA column of the box score is frightening indeed--Lasker: 7.58; Anundsen: 8.10; Watten: 9.77. It's like a perverse countdown (count-up, I guess)--and when it hits 10, we all lose. At the plate, the news is again D'Vontrey Richardson, who, after homering and singling as described above, walked in his next trip to run his on-base streak to nine plate appearances. Unfortunately, he was retired in his final at-bat; still, a two-day OBP of .900 ain't too shabby. Logan Schafer, making his season debut, was 1-4 with a walk. Hunter Morris had a single and a double in five trips. Khris Davis singled and walked twice. Scooter Gennett and Kentrail Davis were each 1-5. Mike Brownstein chipped in with two hits and a walk.

Brevard County play-by-play

Even though they scored five runs combined in the 2nd and 3rd innings, the 'Tees still left a few on the field, including Brownstein getting thrown out at home:

Brevard County Top of the 2nd

• Hunter Morris singles on a ground ball to center fielder Aaron Hicks.
• Khristopher Davis walks. Hunter Morris to 2nd.
• D' Vontrey Richardson homers (2) on a fly ball to right field. Hunter Morris scores. Khristopher Davis scores.
• Shea Vucinich flies out to right fielder Steven Liddle.
• Sean McCraw strikes out swinging.
• Mike Brownstein singles on a line drive to center fielder Aaron Hicks.
• With Scooter Gennett batting, Mike Brownstein steals (5) 2nd base.
• Scooter Gennett singles on a line drive to left fielder Ramon Santana. Mike Brownstein out at home on the throw, left fielder Ramon Santana to catcher Daniel Rams.

Brevard County Top of the 3rd

• Logan Schafer singles on a fly ball to right fielder Steven Liddle.
• With Kentrail Davis batting, Logan Schafer advances to 2nd on a balk.
• Kentrail Davis strikes out swinging.
• Hunter Morris doubles (15) on a line drive to right fielder Steven Liddle. Logan Schafer scores. Hunter Morris advances to 3rd, on fielding error by right fielder Steven Liddle.
• Khristopher Davis singles on a ground ball to center fielder Aaron Hicks. Hunter Morris scores.
• D' Vontrey Richardson singles on a ground ball to third baseman Anderson Hidalgo. Khristopher Davis to 2nd.
• Shea Vucinich grounds out, second baseman James Beresford to first baseman Nathan Hanson. Khristopher Davis to 3rd. D' Vontrey Richardson to 2nd.
• Sean McCraw grounds out, second baseman James Beresford to first baseman Nathan Hanson.

At least they went down, um, swinging:

Brevard County Top of the 9th

• Logan Schafer walks.
• Kentrail Davis strikes out swinging.
• With Hunter Morris batting, wild pitch by Blake Martin, Logan Schafer to 2nd.
• Hunter Morris strikes out swinging.
• Pitcher Change: Dakota Watts replaces Blake Martin.
• Khristopher Davis strikes out swinging.

[Mass Haas]

Dennis nearly a hero twice for Timber Rattlers in doubleheader against Snappers

by Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent

 

GRAND CHUTE — Already a baseball hero once on the day, Chris Dennis was looking for a double.

Well, actually, he was looking for a single, triple — even a fly ball.

Instead his one-out, bases-loaded laser was stabbed by Beloit third baseman Gunner Glad, the Timber Rattlers' threat ended one batter later and they ended up going down 4-2 in eight innings in the second game of a Midwest League doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

Dennis' 380-foot homer to right was the difference in the opener as the Rattlers beat Beloit 1-0.

"It's frustrating,'' said Dennis of his second-game near miss. "We battled for eight innings and it's unfortunate we couldn't pull it off. I put a good swing on the ball. The guy made a good catch. All you can really do is tip your cap.''

The caps were tipped Dennis' way in the opener, as his homer was one of only two hits by the Rattlers, who received another solid outing from starter Austin Ross.

"I was looking for a fastball, something early in the count,'' Dennis said. "I came off a tough day (Tuesday) so I was just looking for something I could drive. I was chasing pitches early (Tuesday). I caught a fastball inside and I was able to put a good swing on it and hit it pretty well.''

Ross was not on top of his game as he has battling a cold for the past few days. But he was good when he needed to be, especially in the first two innings when he got out of each inning unscathed after the Snappers put runners in scoring position.

"Anytime you can get out of jams early unscathed it's good,'' said Ross, who pushed his record to 5-1 with a 1.64 ERA after being pulled with two outs in the sixth inning, allowing three hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

"Especially for me, and for most pitchers, the first couple of innings you might not be dialed in and you're trying to figure out the game mound and how your pitching is going for the day, what the umpire's zone is. So there are a lot of variables; and sometimes you're not exactly on your game. So it's huge.''

As good as Ross has been this season, he still found a way to impress Rattlers manager Matt Erickson.

"He's got the mentality,'' said Erickson. "He's been out there a number of times and has given us a chance to win every time. And I think some guys even get tougher and more locked in when the pressure is on and I think he's one of those guys. Runners were in scoring position and he got a little bit better and he needed to to get out of that stuff.''

As good as Ross was, he was one pitch away from getting a no decision as the Snappers loaded the bases against Wisconsin reliever Greg Holle in the bottom of the seventh.

"Anytime you get into that situation you get a little bit uneasy,'' said Ross.

"Shoot, Holle has been making a routine out of that and every time he has been getting out of it. This was nothing new. He even joked in the clubhouse 'Can I make it easy just one time?' I was nervous, but confident he'd get the job done.''

 

Timber Rattlers pitcher Austin Ross grabs the bunt of Beloit's Daniel Santana while chasing him to first for an out in Grand Chute on Wednesday. / Post-Crescent photo by Sharon Cekada

http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20110519&Category=APC020602&ArtNo=105190615&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0

[CheezWizHed]

Cory Provus (via Tom Flanagan, Brewers Director-Baseball Operations) hints at a Brooks Hall transfer from extended spring to Wisconsin soon

 

Sweet tidbit. Kind of funny that he never heard the name (yeah, not everyone follows the draft like us), but we were sitting here hoping he would make A-ball out of ST

[battlekow]

I just realized that Lasker has, over his last three starts, pitched a total of three innings, with 12 walks. Maybe he'd rather spend the summer in Appleton?