Link Report for Sat. 6/2 - Timber Rattlers drop to first-place tie despite fine road trip thus far

[TheCrew07]

Nine after 9 for June 2, 2012

[Mass Haas]

Stars Capitalize on Errors; Beat M-Braves 6-2

 

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - A struggling Huntsville Stars offense was sparked by four Mississippi Braves errors, leading to three runs in the fourth inning and a 6-2 victory on Saturday night to open up a six-game series at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

In the first inning, the M-Braves capitalized off of some early struggles from Stars starter Josh Stinson. After Stinson hit two of the first three batters he faced, center fielder Todd Cunningham singled home Phil Gosselin to give Mississippi an early 1-0 lead.

 

Finally, in the third inning, the Stars offense began to wake up. Catcher Adam Weisenburger doubled to lead off the inning for his first ever Double-A hit. He scored on a two-out RBI double by center fielder Josh Prince to tie up the game at 1-1.

 

Just one inning later, Huntsville became the beneficiaries of some defensive miscues by the Braves. Following a leadoff double by second baseman Scooter Gennett, an error by first basemen Ian Gac on a Hunter Morris grounder allowed Gennett to score to give the Stars a 2-1 lead. A single by Tommy Manzella put runners at first and second. Another error by Gac on a Kentrail Davis grounder loaded the bases. After a sacrifice fly by Weisenburger scored Morris to make the score 3-1, a throwing error by catcher Christian Bethancourt on a stolen base attempt by Davis plated Manzella from third to increase the Stars lead to 4-1.

 

That was plenty of run support for the Stars pitching. Stinson improved to 7-2 on the season after giving up just two runs (one earned) while scattering four hits over six innings. In addition to Stinson, reliever Jesus Sanchez threw two scoreless innings and RHP Brandon Kintzler pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the victory for the Stars.

 

On offense, the Stars were led by Gennett, who went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Morris also added some run support, launching a two-run home run in the eighth inning off of Braves RHP Mark Lamm. For Morris, the round tripper was his team-leading fourth of the season.

 

For Mississippi, Zeke Spruill took the loss, falling to 5-5 on the year after giving up four runs (two earned) on just four hits in seven innings of work. The Braves scored their only other run of the game on a RBI single by Gac in the fifth inning.

 

On Sunday, the Stars and M-Braves will play a doubleheader as part of a rescheduled game from a rainout earlier this season. First pitch for game one is at 2:03 PM, with game two beginning approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.

[Mass Haas]

Misc. Huntsville musings:

 

Remember Hunter Morris' nightmarish defensive season at first base at Brevard last year? Only one error thus far in 2012.

 

Third base has been tough to fill after Andy Gonzalez' promotion to AAA; Domnit Bolivar (.450 OPS in 101 AB's) and Matt Cline (.389 OPS in 85 AB's) are splitting time there and are struggling defensively as well.

 

Thornburg - Heckathorn - Stinson - Anundsen - Burgos gives the Stars a pretty good chance every night.

 

What was the point of making a paper transaction back on April 25th to place RHP Nick Bucci on the Stars' roster (DL)? That was a big tease, still waiting on Nick.

 

How's Brock Kjeldgaard's torn thumb ligament (April 23rd), not to mention Cody Scarpetta's ailing elbow? Khris Davis' calf? Is RHP Andre Lamontagne going to miss a second season?

[Mass Haas]

Stars knock off Mississippi as Hunter Morris homers

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

 

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- With Huntsville native Hunter Morris punctuating things with a two-run homer and the season's largest crowd watching, the Huntsville Stars knocked off the Mississippi Braves 6-2 Saturday night to begin a six-game homestand.

 

Scooter Gennett had a pair of hits, newcomer Adam Weisenburger started a rally with a third-inning double -- his first hit in Class AA ball -- and drove in another with a sacrifice fly and the Stars took advantage of four Mississippi errors.

 

"The guys were ready to play. They had a lot of energy going into it," said Dwayne Hosey, the Stars' coach who was pinch-hitting for manager Darnell Coles, completing the last of a three-game suspension.

 

The announced crowd of 7,360 "had a lot to do with the energy," Hosey said.

 

The Stars, who remain 3 1/2 games behind Jackson in the Southern League North, with 15 games left in the first half, host the Braves again today at 2:03 in a doubleheader.

 

Starting pitcher Josh Stinson began inauspiciously by hitting the first two men he faced. As pitching coach Chris Hook explained, there were some hiccups in his mechanics.

 

"But he's an athletic guy. He can make adjustments on the fly," Hook said. "I never panicked because he's a competitor and athletic."

 

The Braves managed only one run that inning, then another unearned run in the fifth as Stinson allowed only four hits in six innings before Huntsville relievers Jesus Sanchez and Brandon Kintzler closed things out with three innings of one-hit relief.

[Mass Haas]

Manatees top Marauders 4-1 to sweep twin bill

Hall allows one run in 5 2/3 innings to earn first win

By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees

 

VIERA, Fla. - The Brevard County Manatees swept their second doubleheader in the last five days as they completed a sweep of the Bradenton Marauders with a 4-1 win in game two of Saturday night's twin bill at Space Coast Stadium.

 

Manatees (23-31) starting pitcher Brooks Hall (1-2, 4.40) allowed just one run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings of work against the Marauders (24-31), to earn his first win of the season. Eric Marzec threw 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief to earn his first save of the season.

 

Brevard scored one run in each of the first four innings as T.J. Mittelstaedt, Joey Paciorek, Mike Walker and Scott Krieger all drove in runs for the Manatees. Krieger and Cody Hawn had two hits each in the second game and were both 3-for-5 overall for the doubleheader.

 

The Manatees and Marauders will play the third game of their four-game set on Sunday evening at 5:05 PM (4:05 Central) as two newly-named Florida State League All-Stars will face off against each other on the mound.

 

Jimmy Nelson will toe the rubber for Brevard County and will look to improve to 3-1 at Space Coast Stadium. Nelson now leads the Florida State League in earned run average and has a 1.55 ERA in his last four starts.

 

Taking the hill for Bradenton will be the number one overall pick of the 2011 draft, Gerrit Cole. Cole is 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his last six starts.

 

Taylor Jungmann and Brooks Hall both earned wins. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography)

 

http://www.milb.com/images/2012/06/02/sQe8DxVe.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Headline matchup on Sunday!

 

Manatees-Marauders have All-Star pitching matchup set today

Bradenton's Cole will oppose 'Tees' Nelson

Florida Today

 

With both the Brevard County Manatees and Bradenton Marauders solidly under .500, today’s matchup between the two teams at Space Coast Stadium at 5:05 PM (4:05 Central) might not seem like a marquee matchup on the surface.

 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

Two of the best pitchers in the Florida State League will match up as Brevard’s Jimmy Nelson goes up against the first overall pick of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft in Bradenton’s Gerrit Cole.

 

Nelson, a Florida State League All-Star and second-round pick in the same draft from the University of Alabama, has arguably out-pitched his more highly-touted opposition.

 

Though he only has a record of 4-4, Nelson has been superb this season for the Manatees, sporting a 2.08 ERA to go along with a 3.7-to-1 strikeout to-walk ratio. He has also allowed just two home runs.

 

Nelson, rated as the 10th-best prospect in the Brewers’ organization by Baseball America, has given up more than two earned runs only twice in his 10 starts.

 

Cole also has pitched well for the Marauders, who are an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. The right-hander from UCLA has a 4-1 record with a 2.47 ERA and over a 3.3-to-1 strikeout to-walk ratio.

 

He has yet to give up more than three earned runs in a game, but Cole, who is ranked as the top prospect in the Pirates’ organization by Baseball America, has had some issues going deep into games as he has pitched just 17 innings in his past four starts.

 

He has not pitched longer than six innings in any game this season.

 

Cole was also named an All-Star earlier this week.

[Mass Haas]

Sounds End Skid With 8-0 Shutout Of Z's

Vargas, Two Relievers Combine On Six-Hitter

Nashville Sounds

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds snapped a six-game skid with an 8-0 victory over the New Orleans Zephyrs in front of a season-high 10,044 fans on Saturday evening at Greer Stadium.

 

Right-hander Claudio Vargas (1-0) scattered three hits and struck out six batters over five scoreless innings to pick up his first win for the Sounds. Vinnie Chulk followed with a pair of scoreless frames before Donovan Hand closed out the contest with two scoreless innings of his own.

 

The 8-0 win, Nashville's fourth shutout triumph of the year, marked the Sounds' largest margin of victory this season.

 

Nashville pitchers combined to strike out 10 batters and did not issue a walk in the contest for only the second time this season; it previously occurred on April 12 at Oklahoma City.

 

First baseman Jordan Brown paced the 10-hit offensive attack with a 4-for-5 night, Nashville's third four-hit effort this season (Sean Halton, Edwin Maysonet). Andy Gonzalez, Corey Patterson, and Jeff Bianchi each drove in two runs for the Sounds.

 

Nashville (21-34) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when they batted around and erupted for a five-spot against New Orleans right-hander Alex Sanabia.

 

Brown opened the inning with a double before Gonzalez and Jay Gibbons drew walks to load the bases. Hainley Statia put Nashville on the board with a run-scoring single to right to plate Brown (audio).

 

After Sanabia recovered to retire the next two hitters, Patterson (audio) and Bianchi (audio) delivered back-to-back two-run singles to up the home team's advantage to five.

 

Gonzalez made it a 7-0 game an inning later when he belted his second homer in the last two days, a two-run shot to left-center off Sanabia (audio). Brown also scored on the big fly after preceding Gonzalez with a single.

 

Vargas helped his own cause in the fifth when he lifted a two-out RBI double into the left-center gap off Z's reliever Robert Ray to plate Statia to up the Nashville lead to 8-0 (audio).

 

Sanabia (3-4), who was activated from a stint on the disabled list prior to the game, was saddled with the loss after being tagged for seven runs on six hits in just 2 1/3 innings of work.

 

The teams continue the series with a 2:05 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Brian Baker (1-3, 6.89) will make the start for the Sounds to face New Orleans left-hander Brad Hand (4-3, 3.43).

 

Claudio Vargas (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds)

 

http://www.milb.com/images/2012/06/02/bdYo8zoV.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Don't lose sight over the fact that the Rattlers playoff chances (five game wild card lead, 14 games remaining) are still strong.

 

It would be more fun to have bragging rights with a division title, so Let's Go, Wisconsin! You'll be back home very soon.

[CheezWizHed]

Our new uber-prospect SS Carlos Belonis will hopefully show his metal.

It would be really cool if we had a cyborg shortstop.

Did I mess up the phrase or are you just going on a related tangent?

Mettle.

 

[sarcasm]You really shouldn't medal like that...[/sarcasm]