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Link Report for Wed. 8/3 -- Rattlers walk off in 12; Rain fizzles Fiers; Rogers Rogers

Mass Haas

By Mass Haas,
in Brewers Minor League Talk

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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Wednesday's Daily Menu:

 

Nashville: RHP Mike Fiers at Colorado Springs (Rockies), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime

Live Audio Link -- Select the Nashville feed from the MiLB main audio page

MiLB.TV -- for subscribers

 

Huntsville: LHP Dan Merklinger at home vs. Carolina (Reds), 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 -- Select the Carolina feed from the MiLB main audio page

Brevard County: RHP Mark Rogers at home vs. Dunedin (Blue Jays), 6:05 PM gametime

Live Audio Link -- Select the Dunedin feed from the MiLB main audio page

 

Wisconsin: RHP Brooks Hall at home vs. Clinton (Mariners), 11:45 AM pre-game, 12:05 PM gametime

Live Audio Link

MiLB.TV -- for subscribers

Helena: RHP Tommy Toledo at home vs. Great Falls (White Sox), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime

Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page

Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at the Reds' complex in Goodyear; 1:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league

 

DSL Brewers: at the DSL Cardinals, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest

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Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

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While today's Wisconsin matinee is up against a Milwaukee big league day game as well, there will be no such conflict Thursday evening.

 

The 7:05 contest will be televised by Time Warner Cable 32 for you locals with access. Please consider this your DVR alert for Thursday evening.

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PCL American North
Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak
Omaha 61 49 .555 - - 32-24 29-25 6-4 W5
Memphis 56 54 .509 5.0 29 34-21 22-33 5-5 W4
Nashville 54 57 .486 7.5 27 34-25 20-32 5-5 W1
Iowa 47 64 .423 14.5 20 27-25 20-39 3-7 L4

SOU North
Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak
Chattanooga 22 16 .579 - - 10-10 12-6 6-4 L1
* Tennessee 19 19 .500 3.0 30 12-6 7-13 7-3 W4
Huntsville 18 20 .474 4.0 29 7-11 11-9 5-5 W1
Carolina 17 21 .447 5.0 28 9-11 8-10 3-7 L1
Jackson 15 23 .395 7.0 26 7-11 8-12 3-7 L2

FSL North
Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak
Tampa 21 18 .538 - - 10-10 11-8 5-5 L4
Dunedin 20 18 .526 0.5 32 9-8 11-10 7-3 W4
Clearwater 20 19 .513 1.0 31 14-7 6-12 7-3 W1
* Daytona 19 19 .500 1.5 31 9-9 10-10 6-4 W3
Brevard County 16 19 .457 3.0 30 5-10 11-9 5-5 L5
Lakeland 16 20 .444 3.5 30 8-10 8-10 4-6 W2

MID Western
Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak
Quad Cities 23 14 .622 - - 14-7 9-7 7-3 W3
Kane County 22 15 .595 1.0 - 9-9 13-6 6-4 W1
Clinton 19 18 .514 4.0 31 11-10 8-8 5-5 L2
Beloit 17 20 .459 6.0 29 8-8 9-12 3-7 L3
Cedar Rapids 16 21 .432 7.0 28 10-9 6-12 4-6 L1
Wisconsin 15 22 .405 8.0 27 7-12 8-10 4-6 W2
Peoria 13 24 .351 10.0 25 5-11 8-13 4-6 W2
* Burlington 12 25 .324 11.0 24 8-10 4-15 3-7 L2

PIO North
Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak
Great Falls 2 1 .667 - - 2-1 0-0 2-1 L1
Helena 2 1 .667 - - 0-0 2-1 2-1 W1
Billings 1 2 .333 1.0 35 1-2 0-0 1-2 W1
* Missoula 1 2 .333 1.0 35 0-0 1-2 1-2 L1

AZL Central
Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak
AZL Dodgers 19 15 .559 - - 9-8 10-7 7-3 W2
AZL Reds 18 16 .529 1.0 22 9-8 9-8 5-5 W3
AZL Indians 17 17 .500 2.0 21 9-8 8-9 5-5 W1
AZL Brewers 8 24 .250 10.0 14 4-13 4-11 3-7 L3

DSL S.D. North
Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak
DSL Mariners 37 17 .685 - - 20-7 17-10 4-5 L1
DSL Brewers 34 20 .630 3.0 16 17-10 17-10 5-4 W2
DSL Cardinals 20 33 .377 16.5 3 13-15 7-18 6-4 L1
DSL Athletics 19 37 .339 19.0 E 11-15 8-22 4-6 L1
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And That Nashville Sounds

And That

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I mentioned this on Twitter, but I'll say it here too. Hall's curve looked a lot better today than it did when he had that no-hit bid a few weeks ago. At least it did for the 2 innings I got to peek in on. Seemed to have a lot more depth where as before he was just spinning it up there. Hall is getting a lot of flyballs, but as he gets more consistent with his slider and curve, he'll start to be more of a groundball guy. I love his delivery, too. Really think he has the chance to be a good one if he can rediscover a few more MPH on his 2-seam.
@YouKnowAndThat | Almost, Tim Dell
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battlekow ACL Brewers

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Final: @Wisconsin 2, Clinton 1 (12 innings)

 

By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are on a three game winning streak. Greg Hopkins delivered a game-winning single in the bottom of the twelfth inning to send Nick Shaw home with the run that gave the Rattlers a 2-1 win over the Clinton LumberKings Wednesday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field.

Wisconsin (54-54 overall, 16-22 second half) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Shaw singled with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch. Jason Rogers doubled down the left field line and Shaw scored easily.

Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Brooks Hall kept the LumberKings off the scoreboard through the first six innings. Hall allowed three hits and a walk, but Clinton (43-65, 19-19) could not cross the plate with Hall in the game.

Dan Britt relieved Hall in the seventh and worked a perfect inning. But, a double and a walk to start the eighth inning were followed by a sacrifice bunt to put two LumberKings in scoring position with one out.

Adrian Rosario entered the game and allowed an RBI grounder by Mike McGee to get the game tied. But, Rosario and Greg Holle shut down the LumberKings the rest of the way.

Wisconsin missed on a few early opportunities to extend their 1-0 lead. Then, they missed on chances to end the game in the tenth and eleventh innings.

In the tenth, Wisconsin had the bases loaded with one out after a pair of Clinton errors and an intentional walk. In the eleventh, the Rattlers had runners at second and third with no outs. But each time Clinton reliever Tyler Burgoon was on the verge of letting in the winning run, he managed to extend the game.

Clinton reliever John Taylor made his Midwest League debut by coming on in the bottom of the twelfth. Shaw welcomed Taylor to the league with a single through the left side of the infield. The hit was the third of the game for Shaw. Rogers followed with a sacrifice bunt. Then, Hopkins got another turn.

Hopkins had been 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and had stranded four runners in scoring position in his first five times to the plate. Taylor, an extreme sidearm pitcher, got ahead of Hopkins 0-2, but the Rattlers third baseman lined the next pitch to left field.

Shaw halted for a moment, but took off for home when he realized the ball would drop. There would be no play at the plate as the ball was not handled cleanly and the Rattlers celebrated their second extra inning win in three days at home.

Game three of the series with the LumberKings is Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Matt Miller (4-5, 4.95) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Roenis Elias is set to make his Midwest League debut as the starter for Clinton. Game time is 7:05pm.

Thursday is a Thrivent Financial for Lutheran's Night at the ballpark with a special Thursday Night postgame Fireworks display.

Also, fans are invited to bring school supplies to a special "Stuff the Bus" drive. Donations will go to schoolchildren in Calumet, Outagamie, and Winnebago Counties.

Plus, Thirsty Thursday means that 22 ounce Pepsi products and 16 ounce Miller products are available for $2. Redeem a Thursday night game ticket at Slugger's, located inside Super Bowl on Northland Avenue, for a chance to win great prizes from Miller Lite.

If you can't make it out to Time Warner Cable Field, you can catch the Timber Rattlers on AM1280, WNAM, timberratlers.com, and MiLB.tv starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45pm. The game is also available to Time Warner Cable Subscribers on Sports32.

Nice start from Hall, though of course it pales in comparison to his ten-strikeout masterpiece last time out. Incidentally, I just noticed that he got an MiLB.com profile pic at some point; ladies and gents, Brooks Hall:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_571736.jpg

Rosario pitched well, with a 4/1 K/BB in 2.2 scoreless, hitless innings. It's hard for right-handed A-ball relievers to stick on the Power 50, but he's giving it a go. Shaw had three hits, and Chad Stang had two and a walk. Nick Ramirez, really struggling since his promotion, got the day off.

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battlekow ACL Brewers

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Final: Carolina 7, @Huntsville 6

The Stars took a one-run lead into the 9th but Rob Wooten blew the save and the game. Dan Merklinger's recent effectiveness did not carry over, though a bunch of fives did: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 2 HR. Surely they could have scrounged up another walk for him, and I bet if Tony La Russa was managing the Stars, he could have gotten a five in the HR column (though that would have thrown off the rest). Brock Kjeldgaard, who's been hot lately after a brutal beginning to his AA career, cracked a three-run homer. Hainley Statia continues to intrigue, two more hits and a walk today. Lee Haydel showed signs of life with a triple and a single; Khris Davis not so much after his nice game yesterday, 0-3 with a walk today. No Sean Halton after his early exit yesterday.

Carolina Top of the 9th
  • Pitcher Change: Robert Wooten replaces Robert Hinton, batting 9th.
  • Yasmani Grandal strikes out swinging.
  • Jake Kahaulelio doubles (11) on a ground ball to left fielder Khris Davis.
  • Didi Gregorius doubles (2) on a fly ball to left fielder Khris Davis. Jake Kahaulelio scores.
  • Robert Wooten intentionally walks Bill Rhinehart.
  • Quintin Berry singles on a ground ball to center fielder Lee Haydel. Didi Gregorius scores. Bill Rhinehart to 2nd.
  • Henry Rodriguez strikes out swinging.
  • David Cook pops out to second baseman Sergio Miranda.

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LouisEly Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

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Walker missed his second consecutive game for the T-Rats...

 

David Herbek, I guy I pined for in the draft, off to a decent start with Great Falls. Would have liked the Brewers to have spent a 10-14th round pick on him.

 

Kjeldgaard starting to make the adjustment at AA. Hopefully his last 10 games are indicative of a longer trend.

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TooLiveBrew Milwaukee Brewers

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Nashville postponed.

Sounds, Sky Sox Rained Out On Wednesday Night In Colorado Springs

Teams Will Make Up Contest As Part Of Thursday Doubleheader

Nashville Sounds

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Wednesday evening's scheduled opener of a

four-game series between the Nashville Sounds and Colorado Springs Sky

Sox at Security Service Field was postponed due to rain.

 

 

 

The game will be made up as part of a 6:05 pm CT scheduled doubleheader,

consisting of two seven-inning contetsts on Thursday evening.

 

 

Right-hander Mike Fiers (3-0, 2.25) will start game one for the Sounds

against lefty Clayton Mortensen (1-5, 9.82). In the twinbill nightcap,

Nashville southpaw Sam Narron (5-4, 4.30) will toe the rubber against

Sky Sox right-hander Greg Reynolds (5-5, 6.58).

Stearns Brewing Co.: Sustainability from farm to plate
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Final: @BC 8, Dunedin 7, 10 innings

 

'Tees rally from seven down to snap skid

Down 7-0 after six, BC wins in extras to end five-game losing streak

By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees

 

VIERA, Fla. -- The Brevard County Manatees rallied from a 7-0 deficit to defeat the Dunedin Blue Jays, 8-7 in 10 innings on Wednesday night at Space Coast Stadium and snap a five-game losing streak.

Mark Rogers, one of Milwaukee's top pitching prospects, made his first start since a rehab stint in Arizona and was perfect in his first two innings of work, but ran into trouble in the third.

After allowing a lead-off homer in the inning to Kevin Ahrens, Rogers walked back-to-back hitters and then walked back-to-back hitters as Dunedin plated another run. After a strike out and a sacrifice fly, Rogers allowed back-to-back walks again and was then relieved by Evan Anundsen.

Rogers went 2 2/3 innings and allowed four runs (all earned), while giving up three hits and walking four.

Anundsen struggled as well as he gave up two homers in his 3 1/3 innings of work as the Blue Jays opened up a 7-0 lead going into the seventh inning.

Dunedin starter Drew Hutchinson was taken out after six and the 'Tees began an offensive assault on the Blue Jays' bullpen.

Hunter Morris and Shea Vucinich led the inning off with back-to-back singles off of Justin Phillabaum. Chuck Caufield then walked to load the bases and two batters later, Chris Dennis drew a bases-loaded walk to give the 'Tees (44-62 overall, 17-19 second half) their first run of the game.

Two batters later and with two outs, Scooter Gennett singled to drive in Vucinich and Caufield and make it a 7-3 deficit. Matt Wright would then come in to replace Phillabaum and he proceeded to walk Kentrail Davis to load the bases again for Brevard County.

D'Vontrey Richardson then hit a hot-shot to third on the first pitch he saw, that Ahrens couldn't handle which led to Dennis scoring to make it a 7-4 game.

Hunter Morris then singled through the hole on the right side to plate Davis and Richardson and cut it to just a one run deficit. Scott Gracey came in for Wright and got the final out of the inning, but not before the 'Tees put six on the board.

After Rolando Pascual's second scoreless inning of work, Juan Sanchez's one-out single in the bottom of the eighth to score Caufield knotted the game up at 7-7.

It would remain 7-7 until the bottom of the tenth as Caufield led the inning off with a double. Shawn Zarraga would sacrifice Caufield over to third and put the winning run 90 feet away.

Scott Krieger pinch-hit for Dennis and struck out and then Dunedin (59-50, 20-19) wanted a lefty-lefty match-up so they decided to intentionally walk Sanchez and have Aaron Loup face Brevard County's best hitter in Gennett.

Gennett made the Blue Jays pay for wanting to pitch to him as he singled to right to score Caufield to win the game and end a game that lasted almost three and a half hours, not including an hour rain delay.

Bradley Blanks picked up the win in two scoreless innings of relief.

Gennett went 3-for-6 with three RBI. Morris, Caufield and Sanchez all had two hits each as well.

Brevard County and Dunedin will continue their three-game series on Thursday night at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central).

Hiram Burgos (3-6, 4.66) will take the hill for the Manatees, while Ryan Tepera (8-5, 4.63) will toe the rubber for the Blue Jays.

 

BC Box Score

 

BC Play-by-Play

Stearns Brewing Co.: Sustainability from farm to plate
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TooLiveBrew Milwaukee Brewers

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Final: Great Falls 5, @Helena 2

 

Walters, Voyagers Beat Brewers 5-2

By Nicholas Allen

 

Blair Walters improved his record to 6-0 on the season for the Great

Falls Voyagers, beating the Helena Brewers for the third time this

season. The lefty allowed two runs (one earned) on just five hits and

struck out eight in seven innings. Brewers starter Tommy Toledo (0-1)

held Great Falls scoreless through the first three innings but would get

just one out in the fourth, allowing the first three earned runs of his

professional career.

 

The Brewers jumped on top in the third after Mike Nemeth doubled to lead

off the inning and came around to score on John Dishon's RBI single.

With two on and two out, Helena attempted a double steal in which Dishon

would score and Parker Berberet would advance to second on a caught

stealing error.

 

Great Falls answered immediately in the top of the fourth with three

runs, followed by one in the fifth and another in the eighth, bringing

the game to its final 5-2 margin. Voyagers leadoff man Qualon Millender

led the charge with three hits, a run scored and an RBI.

 

The teams meet again in the second game of a three-game series Thursday at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

 

Helena Box Score

Dishon, Yadiel Rivera, Kenny Allison, & Adrian Williams each had singles. Nemeth's double was the only extra-base hit for the Brewers. Allison, Berberet, & Williams were each charged with a CS.

 

 

Helena Play-by-Play

Max Walla came up with a defensive gem in the 5th inning:


Great Falls Top of the 5th
  • Jeffer Patino grounds out, second baseman Adrian Williams to first baseman Parker Berberet.
  • Randall Thorpe reaches on fielding error by shortstop Yadiel Rivera.
  • With Qualon Millender batting, Randall Thorpe steals (9) 2nd base.
  • Qualon Millender triples (4) on a fly ball to right fielder Max Walla. Randall Thorpe scores.
  • David
    Herbek flies into double play, right fielder Max Walla to catcher Tyler
    Roberts. Qualon Millender out at home on the throw.

That's called picking up your shortstop, pitcher, & catcher with one throw. Might've even picked himself up, too. Triples often seem to be outfield misplays that don't qualify as errors.

Stearns Brewing Co.: Sustainability from farm to plate
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Mass Haas GOAT

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Timber Rattlers pitchers putting together stretch of solid outings

by Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent staff writer

GRAND CHUTE — As the dog days of August hit, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitching staff seems determined to change its identity.

A serviceable mound staff has been sublime in recent games.

Wisconsin's pitching has been lights out all week and the staff delivered another gem Wednesday afternoon.

Four Timber Rattlers pitchers limited Clinton to five hits in a 2-1 extra- inning win, culminated by Greg Hopkins' one-out RBI single in the bottom of the 12th.

Wisconsin pitchers have allowed just two runs in their last 27 innings. Clinton managed just 10 hits off Wisconsin pitching in the first 21 innings of a four-game series that opened Tuesday at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium with a 2-1 Rattlers victory.

The pitching revival started Monday when the bullpen delivered five scoreless innings in an 8-5 10-inning victory over Burlington.

"We sat down as a staff and talked about what we should be doing in August," Wisconsin pitching coach Chris Hook said. "We talked about how we should be turning it up a notch. Obviously, there's a learning period, but for the players, the days of wondering if they belong here or not are over. We just talked about finishing up strong and letting everyone in the organization know that we're ready to move up to the next level.

"The guys have definitely been throwing the ball better as of late."

After a strong seven- inning outing by Jimmy Nelson Tuesday, righthander Brooks Hall delivered another quality start. Hall, a fourth-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2009 draft, blanked the LumberKings on three hits over six innings.

Hall had just two strikeouts and wasn't nearly as overpowering as he was in his previous start when he fanned 10 over six innings against Clinton on July 29, but he was effective.

"He showed me something today because he didn't have his best stuff," Hook said. "He wasn't as sharp as last time, but he finagled and made pitches when he needed to. That showed me something right there."

Wisconsin relievers Dan Britt, Adrian Rosario and Greg Holle allowed just two hits over the final six innings. Rattlers relievers have allowed just one run in their last 14 innings.

"There's been times when our pitchers have tried to do too much," Hook said. "We've talked about staying within ourselves and just executing pitches and that's what we've been doing lately."

Hopkins rebounded from what had been a tough day at the plate to emerge as the Rattlers' hitting hero. The Wisconsin third baseman had gone hitless in his five previous at-bats, with two strikeouts — including a whiff with the bases loaded for the second out of the 10th inning.

He was down 0-2 in the count against losing pitcher John Taylor before lashing a clean single to left to score Nick Shaw from second with the winning run.

"I didn't want to get too frustrated with that strikeout in the 10th and I just tried to clear my mind," Hopkins said. "He threw me a slider the previous pitch and I checked my swing and went around. He threw it again and left it up. I'm happy I was able to come through for us and that I didn't let the team down."

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A familiar face and a new faceby Jim Oskola, PostCrescent.com

 

Remember back when the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were the Class A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners?

 

Oh, come on now. It wasn't that long ago.

 

One of the members of the Rattlers in those waning days of the affiliation with the Mariners was Tony Butler. Yes, that Tony Butler of Oak Creek who led his high school baseball team to three state WIAA summer baseball state titles.

 

In 2008, Butler was ranked as high as the No. 4 on the Mariners prospect list by Baseball America was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 2008 as part of the Eric Bedard trade. From being part of the Orioles system, Butler ended up in the Brewers system until he was released by the Brewers last year.

 

Butler is back in the Mariners organization after signing with them as a minor league free agent, trying to work his way back up the ladder to the big leagues.

 

How's he doing?

 

So far, Butler is doing well. Through six starts, Butler is 1-1 with a 2.41 earned run average. He has allowed 31 hits, 13 walks and 11 runs in 33 2/3 innings. He has struck out 32.

 

Butler was originally slated to start on Friday in the series finale against the Timber Rattlers but that start has been pushed back by a day.

 

That brings us to the new face.

 

The Mariners top draft pick from 2010 Taijuan Walker will get the start for the LumberKings in the series finale.

 

Currently listed as the Mariners No. 4 prospect, Walker has done well this season. In 16 starts covering 86 2/3 innings, he is 4-6 with a 3.12 ERA. He has allowed 62 hits, 32 runs and 35 walks while striking out 104.

 

Walker is one of those players who a few years from now when he's in the majors (assuming he makes it), you will be able to say you saw him pitch at Fox Cities Stadium.

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Brewers bedazzled by Great Falls pitcher Blair Walters

by Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record

 

The first words out of Helena manager Joe Ayrault’s mouth when he came out of the clubhouse Wednesday night were “Blair Walters.”

No more was needed.

Walters, the Great Falls Voyagers’ ace, struck out eight Brewers while throwing a five-hitter to become the first pitcher in the Pioneer League this season to reach six wins. Walters (6-0) kept his unblemished record intact, as the visiting Voyagers beat the Brewers 5-2 at Kindrick Legion Field to stand alone in first in the North Division.

“He has our number,” Ayrault said of the southpaw, who lowered his ERA to 2.57 after giving up just two runs. “He has six wins now, I think three of those are against us. He’s 3-0 against us, because he throws the ball very well. He mixes his pitches well, keeps everything down in the zone, and has a good fastball.”

Walters at one point retired eight straight on Wednesday, seeming untouchable at times. He did issue a pair of free passes, however, after not walking a batter in his last 17 innings. It was just the third time in eight outings he had allowed more than one base on balls.

The 6-foot, 200-pound hurler out of the University of Hawaii said it means a great deal to know he has the best record in the league, but was quick to give credit where credit is due.

“I’ve been pitching well, but the team’s been playing well when I pitch,” said Walters, who left after 89 pitches. “They get the runs that I need and the bullpen does well. Everything clicks for me I guess.”

Cody Winiarski and Joe Dvorsky threw two perfect innings of relief, facing the minimum.

Offensively for the Voyagers (3-1), leadoff batter Qualon Millender continued his hot hitting. The slugger was 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored, extending his on-base streak to 17 games. But it was right fielder Mark Haddow who had the highlight of the game, and not just his run-scoring double that tied the game in the fourth frame. Haddow chased down a foul ball by Ben McMahan in the sixth inning on a 1-2 count, flipping head over heels over the padded railing and into the visitors’ bullpen. Haddow made a brilliant catch, and appeared to break the fence in the process, but was not hurt.

“That was amazing,” Walters said of the play. “He saved me a couple more pitches that let me go seven (innings). He just laid out, and I think he may have broken the fence. That was just a great catch.”

Helena (2-2) struck first blood in the contest, scoring two in the third. Mike Nemeth led off the inning with a double, his first extra-base hit as a pro, and later came home on John Dishon’s RBI single. The second run came in on second baseman Joe De Pinto’s error while trying to put Parker Berberet out at second. That would be it for the Brewers offensively, as they managed just one run the rest of the way. Ayrault said it’s not cause for concern.

“When you have a good pitcher like that you almost just try to tip your hat to the pitcher and just wash that one out, think about what we did the night before,” the skipper said. “They just have to keep working with Ned (Yost), stay in the cage, keep with their approach and trust their approach. You don’t want to change a lot of what you’re doing.”

Defensively, the Brewers turned their fifth double play in a two-game span but were plagued by a pair of errors, one of which allowed Great Falls to extend its lead to 4-2. The Voyagers tacked on another run on back-to-back doubles in the eighth inning.

Tommy Toledo (0-1) was dealt his first loss of the season after allowing three runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings pitched. It was the 11th-rounder’s longest outing of the season as the Brewers gradually continue to build his pitch count. Reliever David Goforth fanned four through two innings, using a filthy fastball that reached 97 miles per hour.

Walters said his team was just happy to take the division lead, regardless of how early in the second half it is.

“It’s called the second-half push, and we’re all buying into it,” he said. “We want to finish in first and come out on top. We’re going for it. We just have to believe in ourselves and show everybody what we’re made of.”

NOTES: Outfielder Ruben Ozuna was transferred to the Arizona League Brewers on July 30. Ozuna had been battling a groin injury … Lefty Pete Gehle (2-5, 4.54) gets the nod for Great Falls tonight, while fellow southpaw Mike Strong (2-1, 3.67) makes his seventh start of the season for Helena.

 

Photos by Dylan Brown, Independent Record -

Brewers second baseman Adrian Williams tags out Great Falls' Qualon Millender Wednesday evening at Kindrick Legion Field.

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/4d/a4d83bf0-be47-11e0-80b0-001cc4c002e0/4e3a0e35dc4bf.image.jpg

 

Williams is tagged out by Great Falls' Joe De Pinto while trying to steal second base

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/15/715cf3e2-be47-11e0-9029-001cc4c002e0/4e3a0ddf804a7.image.jpg

 

Williams throws the ball to first for an out

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/6d/46db89bc-be47-11e0-a63c-001cc4c002e0/4e3a0d98335ce.image.jpg
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