Link Report for Sat. 5/26 -- Stars and Rattlers bats' explode; Brooks Conrad, AAA Superman

[DHonks]

Thinking Selfishly... Since Arcia won't play stateside this year, does that mean it will prevent his "years till needs to be on the 40" clock from starting for another year?

[Mass Haas]

Peoria Star Newspaper Story --

 

But Peoria starter Gerardo Concepcion had no answer for Wisconsin second baseman Greg Hopkins, who homered twice and doubled in the game’s first run against the lefty.

 

“Something clicked,” Hopkins said. “I just went out and had some good at-bats and had some fun.”

 

***

 

Also at that link, despite an 11-3 loss, you'll see video highlights of positive Chiefs' plays.

 

And read the link to see who is joining the Cubs' affiliate later in this series.

[Mass Haas]

Offensive Barrage Leads Stars to Victory

 

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.- The Huntsville Stars offense exploded with a season-high in runs and 14 hits as they took the series finale with the Birmingham Barons by a score of 12-4 at Joe Davis Stadium on Saturday night.

 

The bats broke out for Huntsville early, as center fielder Josh Prince homered on the third pitch he saw to lead off the game for the Stars. Then in the second inning, a two-run double by shortstop Tommy Manzella gave Huntsville a 3-0 lead.

 

In the third inning, the Stars offense skyrocketed. Beginning with five straight singles to lead off the frame, Huntsville ended up sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring eight runs when all was said and done. The scoring began with RBI singles from catcher Anderson De La Rosa, right fielder Kentrail Davis and left fielder Juan Sanchez off of Birmingham starter Eric Wickswat. De La Rosa scored on a wild pitch from Barons reliever Nevin Griffith. Then, with the bases loaded, first baseman Hunter Morris delivered a three-run triple to give the Stars a commanding 11-0 lead.

 

The run support was plenty for Stars starter Hiram Burgos, who earned the first Double-A win of his career after giving up four runs in six-plus innings of work. The 24-year-old righty improved to 1-1 on the season while striking out eight batters, tying his season-high with the Stars.

 

Aside from Burgos, relievers Brandon Kintzler, Santo Manzanillo and Jesus Sanchez each had scoreless innings.

 

For Birmingham, first baseman Seth Loman went 3-for-5 with a solo home run off of Burgos in the sixth inning and three RBI. Center fielder Jared Mitchell also went 3-for-3 and walked twice.

 

On offense for the Stars, Manzella, Morris and Davis each had two hits. Second baseman Scooter Gennett also went 1-for-3, increasing his hitting-streak to ten games.

 

After winning four-out-of-five against Birmingham, the Stars will hit the road to Kodak, Tennessee on Monday to begin a five-game series with the Tennessee Smokies (Cubs). First pitch is at 6:15 CT.

[Mass Haas]

For MiLB.TV subscribers, a reminder that the upcoming Huntsville series against the Cubs' Tennessee affiliate will be video-streamed online.

 

That would include Tyler Thornburg's (likely) next start (Tuesday or Wednesday depending on how the staff uses Sunday's day off, probably Wednesday), conveniently scheduled before a West Coast Brewers game.

 

Also in the Southern League, the number of teams online now has doubled from two to four, with Mississippi and Pensacola joining the fray.

 

Remember that all Sounds games and all Rattlers home games are video-streamed.

[Mass Haas]

Sounds' Conrad continues power surge

Brewers farmhand has homered in four straight, eight of nine

By Sam Dykstra / Special to MLB.com

 

Sometimes adjustments of mere fractions of inches can produce substantial much more substantial results.

 

That's the case for Brooks Conrad, who homered for the fourth straight game Saturday as the Triple-A Nashville Sounds defeated the Round Rock Express, 7-3.

 

The 31-year-old switch-hitter has gone yard in eight of his last nine contests, totaling 22 RBIs during that stretch. He had homered only twice in his 12 previous games for the Brewers' top affiliate and failed to hit a longball during a 13-game stint with Milwaukee.

 

"It's something I haven't ever done," Conrad said. "But you know, I'm staying on the ball better, I'm seeing the ball better and it's turning into results."

 

The big difference? A small change in the way he holds the bat.

 

After going 0-for-21 during his stay in the Majors from May 4-19, Conrad knew something wasn't quite right at the plate. So he went to work with Sounds hitting coach Al LeBoeuf, trying to correct the problem.

 

"When I came back down, my Triple-A hitting coach turned it around right away and identified something I could work on," Conrad said. "It's just the way I'm holding my hands. We made an adjustment there that keeps me shorter to the ball, allows me to identify pitches better."

 

But Conrad also did not let himself off the hook quite so easily in blaming the juxtaposition of his Major League struggles with his Minor League triumph on a technical issue.

 

"It's two different levels as well," he said. "At the big league level, you make a mistake and you're popping balls up and that's the end of your at-bat. You're not going to get many pitches to hit, either, so everything that you're doing wrong gets magnified."

 

Conrad signed a Minor League deal with the Brewers in January after parting ways with the Braves, the team that gave him his first chance to become a full-time Major Leaguer. The infielder earned the nickname "Clutch Conrad" during the 2010 season in Atlanta for his late-inning heroics.

 

"I played against [the Brewers] a number of times over the past couple years and I gained a huge amount of respect for the way they go about their business," he said. "The whole team hustles, gets after it, slides into second base, plays scrappy baseball. I thought it'd be nice to be on their side because whenever we faced them, we had to pitch our best to win.

 

"When they called in the offseason, I thought, 'Yeah, that'd be a good fit,' and wanted to be part of the team."

 

But everything didn't go according to plan. Conrad lost out on the final utility spot to Travis Ishikawa after hitting .204 (11-for-54) in Spring Training. After being recalled early this month as a replacement for the injured Mat Gamel, he still didn't hit.

 

Conrad, however, remains optimistic about his chances the rest of the season, especially given his recent power surge.

 

"I'm happy to still have a job, no matter where it is," he said. "All you can do is ask for a shot somewhere, and I'm glad to have that. I'd obviously love to help the big club at some point, but I'm really enjoying myself. The entire organization has been tremendous."

 

Brooks Conrad has totaled 22 RBIs over his last nine games. (Mike Strasinger/Nashville Sounds)

 

http://www.milb.com/images/2012/05/26/NhEr42m4.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Rattlers with a three-game division lead in the first-half race now, and the Stars just a game out of first -- nice!

[igor67]

Vinny's Beloit season was quite special. I really thought he was going to catch on as the near perfect bench player. Very versatile and a bat that wouldn't really play at the corners well as a starter, but was still respectable. And for a bench player he was patient enough to not get exposed as a free swinger, but generally liked to swing and hit for average.

 

Last fun fact Vinny's RBI total might belong up there in the pantheon of great one-offs. Despite being fairly consistent throughout his career with the slash line he has only had 1 other seasons were he passed half way to that 124 RBI total! 70 RBI's in 2010 is his next highest total.