Link Report for Sun. 7/24 -- Latest: Several updates posted Monday AM

[Mass Haas]

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[Mass Haas]

Sunday's Daily Menu:

Nashville: TBD at home vs. Iowa (Cubs), 6:20 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime
Live Audio Link -- Select the Nashville feed from the MiLB main audio page
MiLB.TV -- for subscribers

Huntsville: RHP Cody Scarpetta at home vs. Chattanooga (Dodgers), 6:43 PM gametime
Live Audio Link -- Select the Huntsville feed from the MiLB main audio page
iPad/iPhone: Listen
Traditional Broadcast Live Audio Link -- It's the Lookouts feed...

Brevard County: RHP's Austin Ross and Nick Bucci in a doubleheader at St. Lucie (Mets), 9:30 AM gametime; each contest slated for seven innings
Live Audio Link -- Select the St. Lucie feed from the MiLB main audio page

Wisconsin: RHP Brooks Hall at Great Lakes (Dodgers), 12:45 PM pre-game, 1:05 gametime
Live Audio Link
MiLB.TV -- for subscribers

Helena: LHP Mike Strong at home vs. Idaho Falls (Royals), 1:50 PM pre-game, 2:05 gametime
Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page

Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at the Mariners' complex in Peoria; 9:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league

DSL Brewers: DSL All-Star Game, NL vs. AL, no word on which Brewers will participate

[Mass Haas]

Follow Sunday's action as it happens:

 

Nashville (Gameday also available)

 

Huntsville (Gameday also available)

 

Brevard County Game One

Brevard County Game Two

Wisconsin

Helena

Arizona Rookie (Maryvale)

DSL All-Star Game (We will post an update in the 2011 DSL Brewers thread)

[Mass Haas]

PCL American North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Omaha	55	45	.550	-	-	30-20	25-25	6-4	W2
	Memphis	51	49	.510	4.0	40	30-21	21-28	3-7	L2
	Nashville	49	52	.485	6.5	38	31-22	18-30	7-3	W6
	Iowa	44	57	.436	11.5	33	27-25	17-32	3-7	L6

SOU North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Chattanooga	17	12	.586	-	-	7-8	10-4	5-5	W1
	Carolina	14	14	.500	2.5	40	7-7	7-7	5-5	L2
	Huntsville	13	16	.448	4.0	38	5-9	8-7	4-6	L1
*	Tennessee	13	16	.448	4.0	38	8-6	5-10	4-6	W2
	Jackson	12	18	.400	5.5	36	6-9	6-9	5-5	L2

FSL North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Tampa	16	13	.552	-	-	9-7	7-6	5-5	W1
	Brevard County	12	14	.462	2.5	41	5-7	7-7	5-5	W1
	Clearwater	13	16	.448	3.0	39	9-6	4-10	4-6	W3
*	Daytona	13	16	.448	3.0	39	5-8	8-8	4-6	L2
	Dunedin	13	16	.448	3.0	39	5-8	8-8	3-7	L1
	Lakeland	12	15	.444	3.0	40	7-7	5-8	4-6	L3

MID Western
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Kane County	16	12	.571	-	-	7-8	9-4	3-7	L2
	Quad Cities	16	12	.571	-	-	9-6	7-6	6-4	L1
	Beloit	14	14	.500	2.0	41	8-7	6-7	4-6	L4
	Clinton	14	14	.500	2.0	41	7-8	7-6	3-7	L1
	Cedar Rapids	13	15	.464	3.0	40	8-7	5-8	6-4	W2
	Wisconsin	12	16	.429	4.0	39	5-10	7-6	4-6	W2
	Peoria	10	18	.357	6.0	37	4-11	6-7	3-7	W1
*	Burlington	9	19	.321	7.0	36	7-8	2-11	3-7	L5

PIO North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Missoula	20	12	.625	-	-	9-6	11-6	8-2	W3
	Billings	16	16	.500	4.0	3	8-9	8-7	4-6	W1
	Great Falls	16	16	.500	4.0	3	8-9	8-7	6-4	W2
	Helena	15	17	.469	5.0	2	7-8	8-9	5-5	L1

AZL Central
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	AZL Reds	14	12	.538	-	-	7-6	7-6	6-4	W1
	AZL Indians	13	12	.520	0.5	31	6-6	7-6	5-5	W2
	AZL Dodgers	12	14	.462	2.0	29	6-8	6-6	2-8	L3
	AZL Brewers	7	18	.280	6.5	25	4-9	3-9	4-6	L1

DSL S.D. North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	DSL Mariners	35	11	.761	-	-	19-4	16-7	8-2	W4
	DSL Brewers	28	18	.609	7.0	20	13-10	15-8	5-5	L2
	DSL Cardinals	16	31	.340	19.5	7	11-13	5-18	4-6	W2
	DSL Athletics	16	32	.333	20.0	6	10-13	6-19	5-5	W1

[Mass Haas]

Look for the Nashville and Wisconsin media notes here and here later on, respectively.

 

If Huntsville posts theirs, it will be found by placing your cursor over the "roster" banner at the Stars' home page.

[battlekow]

Final (game one): Brevard County 3, @St. Lucie 2 (7 innings)

Brevard County box score

Nick Bucci went seven innings for the fourth straight start, but this one falls into the "ugly but effective" category: 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 5/8 GO/AO. The 'Tees got a run in the top of the 7th on Juan Sanchez's first homer of the year to give Bucci the abbreviated complete-game win. D'Vontrey Richardson (2-3, 2B) had multiple hits for the fifth time in his last six games. Scott Krieger posted the same line as D'Vo. Scooter Gennett got the day off. Three of Bucci's four free passes were handed out to Mets LF Pedro Zapata.

Brevard County play-by-play

[battlekow]

Scooter Gennett got the day game off.

Forgot about the doubleheader for a second; he started game two.

[battlekow]

Final (game two): Brevard County 7, @St. Lucie 6 (7 innings)

Brevard County box score

The Sea Cows took a 7-1 lead in the 3rd inning and held on for the win. Austin Ross continues to pitch poorly since his promotion: 5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 7/2 GO/FO. Effective but nondescript offense: BC had 11 hits, all singles. Chris Dennis was on three times with two walks to go along with his safety.

Brevard County play-by-play

[battlekow]

Final: @Great Lakes 5, Wisconsin 1

Loons quiet Rattlers

By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

MIDLAND, MI - Three Great Lakes Loons pitchers held the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to three hits as the Loons beat the Rattlers 5-1 Sunday afternoon at Down Diamond. The loss ended Wisconsin's brief two game winning streak.

Great Lakes scored three times off Rattlers starting pitcher Brooks Hall in the first inning. The first two Loons reached on a double and a single, but Great Lakes only had runners at second and third with two outs. Then, Blake Dean singled in a both runners. Hall walked the next batter to move Dean into scoring position. Steve Domecus capped the two out rally with an RBI single for the 3-0 lead.

Jason Rogers started the Rattlers' fourth-inning with a single, the first hit of the game for the Rattlers. He took second on a play that was disputed by Loons manager John Shoemaker. Rogers was ruled safe on a force play at second and after a brief discussion Shoemaker was ejected.

Rogers tried to take third on a grounder to short off the bat of Chad Stang. Bryant Hernandez tried to get Rogers at third, but threw wildly and Rogers scored to make the score 3-1.

The Loons added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth. Bobby Coyle started the inning with a home run to right. An RBI double by Jon Garcia plated the second run of the inning and Great Lakes was up 5-1.

Rick Anton, an 8th round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2011 draft, got the start and allowed one hit in four innings. Raul Burgos followed with three shutout frames. Bret Montgomery closed out the Rattlers with two scoreless innings and only one hit.

The final game of the series at Dow Diamond is Monday evening at 6:05pm CDT. Wisconsin will send Matt Miller (3-4, 4.74) to the mound as the starting pitcher. Great Lakes has Greg Wilborn (2-0, 2.35) as their scheduled starter. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattler.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:45pm.

Wisconsin box score

Hall had almost exactly the same line as Austin Ross above: 5.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR 5/4 GO/FO. Seth Lintz, in his A-ball debut, worked a scoreless inning with a walk and a strikeout. Just one walk. Pretty good. Obviously not much to talk about regarding the offense. Stang did throw a runner out at home. This is like the year of the outfield assist or something.

Wisconsin play-by-play

[CheezWizHed]

Nick Bucci went seven innings for the fourth straight start, but this one falls into the "ugly but effective" category: 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 5/8 GO/AO

 

Wildly effective? Hate to see 4BB, but 8 runners in 7 innings is tolerable.

[battlekow]

Re-signed Chase Wright is starting for Nashville.

[battlekow]

Final: Iowa 3, @Nashville 1

Sounds End Win Streak With 3-1 Loss To Cubs

Nashville Sounds

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds snapped a season-best six-game winning streak with a 3-1 loss to the division-rival Iowa Cubs on Sunday night at Greer Stadium.

Iowa starter Nick Struck (1-3) tossed his best pitching performance of the season for his first Triple-A victory. The 21-year-old surrendered just one run on seven hits in a season-high seven innings pitched with 79 pitches. John Gaub earned his fifth save with a scoreless ninth.

Before the defeat this evening, Nashville (49-53) also had won a streak of eight consecutive games against Iowa, the longest win streak against a single opponent since 2009.

Logan Schafer, Jordan Brown, and Taylor Green each had two hits for Nashville. Coming into the game leading the PCL with 31 hits in July, outfielder Caleb Gindl went 0-for-4 to snap his nine-game hitting streak, the longest active streak on the club.

Iowa catcher Welington Castillo uncorked his 15th homer of the season in the top of the second inning to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead, a solo shot over the left field wall. Cubs top prospect Brett Jackson made it 2-0 in the next inning after crushing a solo homer to center field for his first Triple-A long ball.

The Cubs added their final run in the fifth for a 3-0 advantage. Struck helped his own cause with a leadoff single, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After Zack Segovia came into the contest to relieve starter Chase Wright, third baseman DJ LeMahieu singled to left field to move Struck to third, but as Brown committed a fielding error, Struck came home to score.

Nashville scored their only run in the bottom of the sixth. Schafer hit a one-out double off the center field wall and scored as Brown lined a hard-hit single off the right field wall. Schafer's two-bagger was Nashville's only hit for extra bases and also extended the Sounds' extra-base streak to 30 straight games since June 22.

In his first start with the Sounds since being re-signed, Wright (5-6) took the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks in 4 ½ innings.

The Sounds' bullpen has not allowed an earned run in their last 18.0 innings of work, dating back six games. Segovia began with 2 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing his only inherited runner to score. Daniel Herrera added 1 1/3 shutout innings. Jim Henderson closed out the game with a scoreless frame.

The Sounds and Cubs wrap of their four-game series with tomorrow's 7:05 pm CT finale at Greer Stadium, the last of eight consecutive games against the division-rivals. Right-hander Josh Butler (5-5, 4.81) takes the mound for Nashville against righty Jay Jackson (5-9, 6.18).

Nashville box score

Shockingly Wright didn't see much change in his talent level in the ten or so days he was a free agent. The recap says Schafer's double was the Sounds' only extra-base hit, but the box score credits Mat Gamel with one as well.

Nashville play-by-play

[battlekow]

Final: Chattanooga 4, @Huntsville 2

Huntsville box score

Cody Scarpetta was pretty blah (5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), but it was the two solo homers off Lucas Luetge in the 7th that provided the final margin. Santo Manzanillo rediscovered his strikeout stuff, fanning two in a scoreless inning, and Rob Wooten did the same. After tying BC's home run mark for a season in half of one, Brock Kjeldgaard finally got on the board at Huntsville with a two-run shot that provided the Stars' only offense on the day--they had three hits. Martin Maldonado did draw two walks, which is pretty unusual for him.

Huntsville play-by-play

A one-out sac bunt with the pitcher up next? Sure, I buy that:

Chattanooga Top of the 4th

• Travis Denker doubles (3) on a line drive to left fielder Lee Haydel.
• Jaime Pedroza flies out to right fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Travis Denker to 3rd.
• Gorman Erickson walks.
• Ivan Ochoa out on a sacrifice bunt, catcher Martin Maldonado to first baseman Sean Halton. Gorman Erickson to 2nd.
• Nathan Eovaldi called out on strikes.

[TooLiveBrew]

Final: Idaho Falls 9, @Helena 1

Six Run Second Sinks Brewers

By Nicholas Allen

 

The Brewers allowed six runs in the second inning as Idaho Falls cruised

to a 9-1 victory Sunday at Kindrick Legion Field. Mike Strong (2-1)

allowed six runs, but just two were earned in 1.2 innings for Helena.

The left-hander allowed four hits, two of them home runs, walked three

and struck out one. The Chukars added three runs against Thomas Keeling

but Tommy Toledo and Alex Jones kept Idaho Falls off the board over a

combined five innings to finish the game.

 

Yadiel Rivera singled to score Kenny Allison in the third, but the

Brewers could not muster much offense on the day. Aaron Brooks (2-1)

held the Crew to just two hits and one run through six innings, striking

out seven for the Chukars. Brewers third baseman Kyle Dhanani had his

Pioneer League-leading 13-game hit streak snapped, going 0-for-4.

 

Following the contest, Helena first baseman and reigning Pioneer League

Player of the Week, Nick Ramirez was promoted to the Wisconsin Timber

Rattlers of the Midwest (class-A) League. The fourth-round pick of

Milwaukee batted .369 with 8 homers, 30 RBI in 22 games including a

stretch of five straight days with a home run.

 

The Brewers begin a three-game set Monday against the Casper Ghosts in Helena.

 

 

Helena Box Score

Tommy Toledo induced two groundouts, one popout, & one lineout to go along with his two K's over two innings, & didn't allow a hit. Alex Jones struck out four in his three innings of work; he allowed a double & hit one batter. Jones recorded four flyball outs to just one groundball out.

 

Yadiel Rivera's RBI single was his only hit on the day. Catcher Parker Berberet & centerfielder Robbie Garvey had the only other hits for Helena, both singles. Nick Ramirez made one error, while second baseman Gant Elmore made two.

 

 

Helena Play-by-Play

Just because four of the six runs Strong allowed were unearned doesn't mean he was just unlucky:

 

Idaho Falls Top of the 2nd

• Mark Threlkeld reaches on fielding error by second baseman Gant Elmore.
• Henry Moreno walks. Mark Threlkeld to 2nd.
• Edul Escobar homers (2) on a fly ball to left field. Mark Threlkeld scores. Henry Moreno scores.
• Runey Davis lines out to right fielder Max Walla.
• Adrian Martinez grounds out, shortstop Yadiel Rivera to first baseman Nick Ramirez.
• Tyler Chism homers (5) on a fly ball to right center field.
• Darian Sandford singles on a ground ball to third baseman Kyle Dhanani.
• With Richard Espy batting, Darian Sandford steals (12) 2nd base.
• With Richard Espy batting, Darian Sandford steals (13) 3rd base.
• Richard Espy walks.
• Daniel Mateo doubles (5) on a fly ball to center fielder Robert Garvey. Darian Sandford scores. Richard Espy scores.
• Pitcher Change: Thomas Keeling replaces Michael Strong.
• Mark Threlkeld grounds out, third baseman Kyle Dhanani to first baseman Nick Ramirez.

[TooLiveBrew]

Suspended (9th inning): AZL Brewers 5, @AZL Mariners 5

 

Looks like thunderstorms were the culprit behind the suspended game. Here's a screencap of the local radar at 10:00p MST:

 

http://i.imgur.com/q3e2P.png

The storm was actually moving from ENE to WSW.

 

 

AZL Box Score

This one was a good game throughout, so it's a shame they weren't able to finish it tonight. The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the 1st, & the Brewers were able to score twice in the 3rd & twice in the 4th to jump back ahead 4-1. The M's scored two in the bottom half of the 4th, & the score remained 4-3 until the Brewers plated a run in the 7th. The Mariners rallied for two more in the 8th to tie the game & held the Crew scoreless in the top half of the 9th. However, the umpires had seen enough, weather-wise, & pulled the teams off the field. Tomorrow -- the dramatic conclusion! EDIT: Nope, not Monday 7/25. These teams next face each other August 14th

 

Jeffrey Saba made the start for the Brewers, & threw five innings. He allowed eight hits, three runs (two earned), walked one & struck out five. '11 UDFA Will West worked two scoreless innings, allowing one hit, zero walks, & striking out three. Greg Davis allowed three hits & two runs (both earned) in the 8th.

 

West is a LHP, listed at 6'4" & 170 lbs. Outside of one outing back

on July 3rd, he's pitched well; he boasts a 15/3 K/BB ratio in 15 IP. He's made two starts & four relief appearances so far. I'd be interested in a scouting report on this young pitcher, who just turned 19 on Saturday.

 

No extra-base hits for the AZL Crew in this one (yet). Kevin Berard & Hitaniel Arias each were 2-5; Arias had an RBI groundout/fielder's choice. Steve Felix was 1-3 with two walks & two RBI. Catcher Jimmie Pharr didn't have a hit, but walked three times & threw out two of three attempted basestealers. Jalen Harris & Renaldo Jenkins each walked once; Jenkins was hit by a pitch to force in a run, receiving one RBI for his troubles. Jenkins also stole a base & committed a throwing error at shortstop.

 

Mariners starter Jochi Ogando walked five in four innings, & was the main reason for the Crew tallying seven free passes in the first nine innings. The M's also committed one error & catcher Stephen Cochrane was charged with three passed balls. The Brewers scored runs seemingly every way aside from the extra-base hit in this one.

 

 

AZL Play-by-Play

The Brewers had a chance to go ahead in the 9th, but couldn't cash in:

 

AZL Brewers Top of the 9th

• Steve Felix flies out to center fielder James Zamarripa.
• Hitaniel Arias singles on a line drive to right fielder Rigoberto Rangel.
• Jimmie Pharr walks. Hitaniel Arias to 2nd.
• Renaldo Jenkins called out on strikes.
• Brandon Macias pops out to first baseman Chris Andreas.

Hopefully they can extend this one to extras & steal a win.

[Mass Haas]

Manatees deal Mets' Gorski his first loss of season

By Bill Whitehead, TCPalm.com

PORT ST. LUCIE — A pair of bad pitches put the first black mark on the record of St. Lucie Mets pitcher Darin Gorski.

Brevard County's Juan Sanchez hit a wind-aided solo home run off Gorski with one out in the seventh inning Sunday, dealing the left-hander his first loss in a 3-2 Manatees win in the first of two seven-inning games.

Sanchez, batting ninth, hit a low change-up that Gorski missed with on the inside part of the plate. Left fielder Pedro Zapata drifted back and appeared as if he might make a play at the warning track, but it carried over the fence for Sanchez's first homer.

"That's how it goes sometimes," said Gorski, who set a St. Lucie record by starting 10-0. "I didn't think it was that bad of a pitch. It was a changeup low and he got the bat on it. I didn't think it was going to make it out."

Trailing the Manatees 2-1, Cesar Puello appeared to get Gorski (10-1) off the hook by leading off the fifth with his eighth homer, a shot to left off Nick Bucci (7-8). St. Lucie gained a 1-0 lead in the third on a sacrifice fly by newcomer Mike Baxter.

The Manatees, owners of the worst record in the Florida State League, grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Scott Krieger hit a two-run double to left with the bases loaded. D'Vontrey Richardson and Hunter Morris opened the inning with singles, and Gorski hit a batter.

Gorski delivered a 2-2 breaking ball to Krieger, and said his decision, not necessarily the execution, was the problem.

"It probably wasn't the right pitch in that situation. If you get beat, you want to get beat with your best stuff. It wasn't my best pitch and wasn't the one that's been working best for me lately," he said.

"It was just a mistake pitch."

St. Lucie had a final chance in the bottom of the seventh to win it when Puello reached on a throwing error and Zapata walked with two outs. Baxter, who played in nine games for San Diego and was claimed by the Mets Friday, popped out in foul territory for the final out.

"Gorski made a couple of mistakes, but I thought (Morris' hit) could've been caught by Zapata," Mets manager Pedro Lopez said. "He took a bad route and the ball ended up dropping. They bunted them over, and the big hit came afterward.

"Gorski got the loss, but I thought he pitched well enough to get the win."

The Manatees completed the doubleheader sweep by taking the afternoon game 7-6, getting to St. Lucie starter Kyle Allen (4-6) for nine hits and seven runs, five of them earned, in just over two innings pitched.

Robbie Shields and Rylan Sandoval both hit homers in the loss.

[Mass Haas]

The Manatees, owners of the worst record in the Florida State League

 

***

 

While the first-half schedule was a disaster, the Brevard boys are actually right in the hunt for a second-half playoff berth thanks to a currently mediocre North Division -- good for them:

 

FSL North
	Club	W	L	PCT	GB	*ELIM #	Home	Away	L 10	Streak
	Tampa	16	14	.533	-	-	9-7	7-7	5-5	L1
	Brevard County	14	14	.500	1.0	41	5-7	9-7	6-4	W3
	Clearwater	14	16	.467	2.0	39	10-6	4-10	5-5	W4
*	Daytona	14	16	.467	2.0	39	6-8	8-8	4-6	W1
	Dunedin	14	16	.467	2.0	39	5-8	9-8	4-6	W1
	Lakeland	12	16	.429	3.0	39	7-7	5-9	3-7	L4

[Mass Haas]

Rattler Radio Post-Game Thoughts includes Babe Ruth's bowling ball at Cooperstown

 

Side note -- I drove past the Cooperstown exit this weekend, dropping my daughter off at camp in the Adirondacks, did not stop by (induction weekend, will prefer a future, more intimate visit).

[Mass Haas]

Brad Krause and his very talented camera eye came back from his "road trip" (sorry about your Clinton, Iowa experience, Brad). He documented things here and included photos galore. Since he saw the Sounds for two games in Iowa, there are plenty of Sounds' shots, including Taylor Green, Mike Fiers, Caleb Gindl, etc.

 

Thanks for sharing, Brad!

[Mass Haas]

Since the Tennessean has released this story, we'll pass it along as well -- once agin, our best to Stu:

 

***

 

Sounds radio announcer Stu Paul injured at Iowa stadium

by Greg Sullivan, the Tennessean

Nashville Sounds radio announcer Stu Paul might miss the rest of the season after an accident after the team’s game July 19 at Iowa.

Paul dislocated his right shoulder and tore tendons in both knees after he fell down two flights of stairs while leaving the Iowa Cubs’ stadium.

“I took a big spill,” Paul said while recovering from surgery at a Des Moines hospital. “I didn’t place my foot properly, and down I went.

“Luckily I didn’t fracture anything, and I didn’t hit my head. It could’ve been a whole lot worse.”

Paul said he tried to pick himself up after the fall but his knees locked. Team trainer Dave Yeager took him to the nearest hospital, where he has since undergone surgery.

“I’m taking it day by day,” Paul said. “It’s frustrating but life goes on. Now I just have to rehab. Announcers have things like this, too.”

Paul, 52, is in his second season with the Sounds after handling play-by-play duties for the Double-A San Antonio Missions from 2001-09. He is in his 24th season as a professional baseball announcer and has been in the radio business for nearly 30 years.

His injury is only the second time he has missed an extended stretch as a baseball announcer. The other time was when his mother died in 2004.

Paul remains optimistic that he might rejoin the team in the booth for home games later this season if the rehab goes well, but he will not be traveling with the team for the remainder of the season.

Former Oklahoma City broadcaster Jim Byers will fill in for Paul’s road duties for the remainder of the season. Kevin Ingram has been calling the team’s games on their current homestand.

[Mass Haas]

Chukars knock off Brewers

Idaho Falls Chukars catcher Edul Escobar is a native of Panama City, Panama — the same city in which boxing legend Roberto Duran grew up.

 

And like the former five-time world champion, Escobar packs a wallop. The 20-year old ballplayer just packs his swinging a bat, and most often when facing the Helena Brewers.

 

The Chukars completed a four-game set at Kindrick Legion Field with a 9-1 win over the Brewers on Sunday, led by Escobar and pitcher Aaron Brooks.

 

Idaho Falls took the series 3-1, moving to 15-19 on the year. The Brewers slip to 15-18 in the Pioneer League.

 

Brooks, who established Cal State San Bernardino’s all-time innings pitched record as a junior this spring, started and worked six full innings for the visitors. He gave up just two hits and one run while striking out seven and walking only one.

 

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander was drafted in the ninth round by the Kansas City Royals, Idaho’s parent club.

 

Brooks was relieved by Gary Cuevas and Jose Sanchez. The Chukars triumvirate limited the hosts to just three base hits on the afternoon and massed 10 strikeouts.

 

Idaho Falls tallied all the scoring it needed in the second inning with six runs, including Escobar’s three-run homer, Tyler Chism’s solo blast and Danny Mateo’s two-run double.

 

They added another score in the third on Escobar’s second home run, and then two more in the fourth, thanks in part to an unusual play.

 

After Tyler Chism and Dean Espy reached on walks with two out, Mark Threlkeld lofted a hit into shallow right field. Brewers second baseman Gant Elmore followed it and attempted to make a sliding catch, but the ball caromed off his leg and past right fielder Max Walla.

 

Chism and Espy both scored, although Walla did manage to throw Threlkeld out at third when he attempted to stretch the hit into a triple.

 

Helena’s lone run came in the third frame. Robbie Garvey led off with a single, breaking up Brooks’ no-hitter. Then Kenny Allison reached on a fielder’s choice, ahead of a walk to Elmore.

 

Yadiel Rivera next stroked an RBI single to left field.

 

The Idaho club finished with nine hits, spearheaded by Escobar’s display of power. He went 2 for 4, with two home runs and four RBIs. All of the stocky 5-11, 185-pounder’s home runs this season have come against Helena.

 

In six games versus the Brewers, Escobar is batting .429 (9-21), with three round-trippers, two doubles and six RBIs.

 

Threlkeld also contributed two base knocks Sunday, both going for doubles, while driving in a pair of runs.

 

The Brewers used four pitchers, with starter Mike Strong taking the loss. Tommy Toledo and Alex Jones pitched the last five scoreless stanzas, giving up one hit and striking out six.

 

The lanky 6-6, 190-pound Jones, a whipping side-armer, has a delivery reminiscent of former Pittsburgh Pirate reliever Kent Tekulve.

[TooLiveBrew]

Paul dislocated his right shoulder and tore tendons in both knees after he fell down two flights of stairs while leaving the Iowa Cubs’ stadium.

 

*cringe*

 

Get well soon, Stu