Link Report for Wed. 8/1 - Hellweg's Strong Debut; Jungmann cruises; H-Crew walks off

[TheCrew07]

Cubs' Geiger off the charts, plates eight

Designated hitter ties RBI record in Peoria's 11-10 slugfest win

By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com

 

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Dustin Geiger has 46 RBIs in 47 Midwest League games this year. (Paul R. Gierhart/MiLB.com)

 

Cubs prospect Dustin Geiger woke up Wednesday morning well aware that the calendar had flipped to August.

 

After all, he batted .206 in 27 July contests for Peoria, and he had recorded just three hits in his previous 20 at-bats. Anxious to put those struggles behind him, he knew one good performance could set him up for a strong finish to the year.

 

Geiger went 3-for-5 with two homers and eight RBIs as the Class A Chiefs rallied past the Quad Cities River Bandits, 11-10.

 

"Everything was clicking and I saw the ball very well," he said. "I've never had a game like today. You could say it might have been a career day.

 

"I had a good month in June. From a home run standpoint, July was decent, but from an average standpoint, it was not where I wanted it to be. I told myself this morning, 'It's August 1. It's a new month and I need to make the most of it. I want to finish strong.'"

 

Batting fourth and serving as the Chiefs' designated hitter, the 20-year-old smacked a three-run homer to left field with one out in the first inning.

 

"The first pitch was a ball outside and I fouled a fastball off down the third-base line," Geiger said of his first at-bat. "[Hector Hernandez] threw me a 1-1 changeup, and when I saw it was up in the zone, I wanted to swing at it. I was hoping to hit it deep to the outfield to get the run in, but it was a line drive over the left-center field fence."

 

After grounding out to end the third, Geiger took Hernandez's 1-0 fastball and ripped a bases-clearing double to the left-center field gap in the fifth to give Peoria a 6-5 lead.

 

He flew out for the second out of the seventh, but got the last laugh by delivering a go-ahead two-run homer -- his 13th longball of the year -- in the top of the ninth.

 

"They brought in a sidearm guy," Geiger said. "Javier Baez just one-hopped the wall, so I was looking to get him home from second base. He hung a slider that stayed up in the zone. I wasn't sure I had got all of it, but it got over the wall and gave us the lead.

 

"Everybody got on base for me today and gave me a chance to produce. It was an up-and-down game and I think the lead changed six times. To have a good performance like this in a three-and-a-half hour game, great emotions were running."

 

Geiger's eight RBIs tied a team record set by Joe Jumonville at Kane County on April 14, 1995. It was later matched by Andy Bevins on May 15, 1998 against South Bend.

 

The third baseman, who had two homers against Burlington on July 4, is the first Chief to have two multi-homer games in a season since Anthony Giansanti achieved the feat last year.

 

"All the credit goes to the coaching staff. I've been working with the hitting coach [barbaro Garbey] and he has helped shorten my swing.

 

"I went down to the instructional league last year and we cut down on my leg kick. This year we moved my hands; they were in a higher slot, but now they're lower. We wanted to make sure I stayed back and got my front foot down on time."

 

The outing raised Geiger's average to .258, and he hopes, signals a change in fortunes at the plate.

 

Selected by the Cubs in the 24th round of the 2010 Draft out of Merritt Island High School in Florida, Geiger spent the first two months of the year on the disabled list after breaking the hamate bone in his left hand.

 

"It was the last day of Spring Training. I remember it well because it was the day before we shipped out," said Geiger, who stayed in Mesa, Ariz., to rehab the injury.

 

"I was set to go to Peoria to start the season, but in my first at-bat that day, I fouled a pitch off and felt a pain shoot through my hand. I went out to play defense and when I realized I couldn't close my glove, I knew I had to call the trainer."

 

Geiger is now in his third year of pro ball. He hit .244 in 35 games for Chicago's Arizona League affiliate in 2010, and he batted .264 with three homers and 33 RBIs across two levels last season.

 

On Wednesday, right-hander Bryce Shafer (1-2) earned the win after striking out four batters over 1 2/3 innings. He allowed one hit and lowered his ERA to 5.48. Cubs starter Zach Cates allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 2 2/3 innings.

 

Quad Cities' Dixon Llorens (0-1) surrendered three runs over an inning of work in the losing cause.

[TheCrew07]

video of Hellweg at the link

Hellweg makes good first impression

Right-hander tosses five one-hit frames in debut for Huntsville

By Jonathan Raymond / Special to MLB.com

 

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Johnny Hellweg is 6-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 124 2/3 innings at Double-A this season. (Jason Clark)

 

Milwaukee must have thought highly of Johnny Hellweg to get him included in a trade for Zack Greinke. His first start with the organization Wednesday did a lot to justify that opinion.

 

Making his debut for Double-A Huntsville, Hellweg allowed just one unearned run on one hit and two walks while fanning seven over five innings to lead the Stars to a 5-1 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts.

 

Hellweg (1-0), one of three players dealt from Los Angeles for Greinke, said he'd hoped to impress in his first start with the new club.

 

"I knew there was going to be a little bit of jitters, but I just kind of visualized it before the game and knew I was going to go out there and do well," he said. "I started off a little rough, the fastball command wasn't there. But after the first few guys I faced I settled down, curveball started working, changeup was there when I needed it. It felt really good."

 

Now Milwaukee's No. 6 prospect, Hellweg said getting traded surprised him, but he understood the reasoning behind it and appreciated that the Brewers had seen that value in him.

 

"It was kind of crazy, I'd heard a few [rumors] from the guys on the team, they were joking around with me, playing cards. Then they called me into the manager's office and told me I was traded. I was kind of shocked," he said. "Look back on it, though, it's best for both sides. I'm happy to be with the new team and make the most of the opportunity."

 

The 6-foot-9 right-hander posted a 3.38 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 60 walks in 119 2/3 innings for Double-A Arkansas before moving on to Huntsville. Last season with Class A Advanced Inland Empire, he fanned 113 in 89 1/3 innings and sported a 3.73 ERA.

 

Hellweg said he's taken pride in the workload he's been able to manage, throwing at least six innings in eight of his previous nine starts before Wednesday. While pitching more efficiently has led to a slight dropoff in his strikeout numbers, he's begun working to set hitters down with more frequency again.

 

"[striking batters out] hasn't been one of my main focuses. My goal is to keep the pitch count low and go deep into the game," he said, "but more recently I've focused on getting ahead in the count, getting into a good strikeout count and reaching for it if it's there."

 

On Wednesday, Daniel Meadows and Kyle Heckathorn threw two no-hit innings apiece to preserve the one-hitter for the Stars. Hellweg said he was impressed by the job his new teammates performed.

 

"They did a fantastic job," he said. "I saw only good things from these guys. I knew when I came out of the game it was in good hands."

 

Shortstop Jean Segura, who also came over in the Greinke trade and now ranks as the Brewers' top prospect, went 2-for-3 with a double and a run. In four games with Huntsville, Segura is 7-for-16 with two doubles and two RBIs.

[TheCrew07]

Rohan makes Triple-A debut special

Cubs prospect homers twice, plates three in Iowa defeat

By Robert Emrich / Special to MLB.com

 

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Greg Rohan has 19 homers and 85 RBIs across three levels this season. (Iowa Cubs)

 

Greg Rohan could not savor a victory in his Triple-A debut, but he made it one to remember anyway.

 

Rohan homered twice and drove in three runs Wednesday night, but the Iowa Cubs were beaten by the visiting Colorado Springs Sky Sox, 11-6.

 

Promoted from Double-A Tennessee before the game, Rohan capped an eight-pitch at-bat against Major League veteran Guillermo Moscoso by sending a 3-2 pitch over the left-field wall in the second inning at Principal Park.

 

"I was just trying not to think too much and trying to get a pitch to hit," said Rohan, who also singled in the eighth. "My first at-bat, I got to see quite a few pitches and was able to put a swing on a pitch to hit."

 

Rohan became the first Cub to homer in his first Triple-A at-bat since Eric Patterson -- who did it against R.A. Dickey -- on Aug. 19, 2006.

 

After striking out in the fourth, the 2009 21st-round Draft pick wasted no time in his third at-bat. Right after Cubs' No. 11 prospect Josh Vitters hit his 16th homer, Rohan turned on Moscoso's next offering and deposited it over the left-field fence.

 

"I'm really excited," the Kent State product said. "To homer twice in any game at any level, it's exciting."

 

After going yard three times in a week-long Southern League stint, Rohan has totaled five homers in his last seven games.

 

"I feel good. I've been working on stuff with Mariano Duncan in Tennessee and Dave Keller today on slowing things down and getting a good pitch to hit and not missing it," the 26-year-old first baseman said.

 

Rohan has improved his numbers each year as a pro. This season, he's batting .285 with a career-high 19 homers and 85 RBIs in 104 games across three levels.

 

"Working in the offseason, I got a chance to live in the training facility and work on baseball stuff the whole offseason," the Ohio native said. "I think that helped me a lot. I worked on everything, I tried to get stronger and better and talked a lot about approach. A lot of drills, really, and trying to find my swing."

 

Brett Jackson, Chicago's top prospect was 3-for-5 with a run scored and fell a homer shy of the cycle.

 

Chad Tracy drove in three runs and Tommy Field collected three hits and two RBIs for the Sky Sox.

[TheCrew07]

Triple-A roundup: Davis hits key homer

Zephyrs' Poveda strikes out eight; Blanco slugs walk-off blast

 

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Khris Davis is hitting .383 across three levels this season. (Mike Strasinger/Nashville Sounds)

 

Brewers No. 15 prospect Khris Davis capped a three-hit night with a go-ahead solo homer in the 11th inning as Nashville outlasted Fresno, 7-5. Eric Farris went 4-for-6 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored for the Sounds, while Brock Bond was 4-for-4 with a walk and a run scored for the Grizzlies.

[Mass Haas]

From Stars GM Buck Rogers (as of Wed. night):

 

Stars fans, later tonight it’ll begin anew: five contestants from various backgrounds will enter the car to begin a new season of Car Survivor. In addition to the five there are two alternates ready to jump into the car if any of the five don’t make it to the ballpark for the start of the contest. The car is already wired for sight and sound; we will be webcasting live later tonight after the five contestants are led from the field to the car.

 

You can watch all the action live at www.carsurvivor.com .

 

Here are some quick bullet points of the seven different personalities involved:

 

-From Gainesville, Florida….works at a local TV station, claims Monopoly to be his biggest addiction, loves Subway sandwiches.

 

-A Catering Coordinator from Decatur…plays music, loves Transformers and has a close family connection to a Car Survivor winner.

 

-A sergeant from the County Jail that can handle people in confined spaces…biggest addiction is food and lives in Huntsville…likes Pawn Stars

 

-A Decatur resident who grooves on Cheesecake, Chocolate, and coincidentally, the TV show Prison Break.

 

-A sales manager who loves the Virgin Islands and a huge Alabama fan (wo todd), can play solitaire for hours.

 

-Claiming that his biggest addiction is Mountain Dew Code Red, a soccer referee who calls Moorpark, California home

 

-An unemployed Andy Griffith fan from Huntsville who has lots of time on his hands who claims his biggest addition is BBQ

 

Five of these individuals will jump in the car, two are on stand-by. Which ones will join the game? Tune in or come on out to the stadium to join in the fun. Jerry Damson Honda has a sweet ride sitting out front of the stadium right now, leather seats, the whole package. Somebody is going to drive this away next week, or the week after…or the week after that.

 

Rock On!

 

***

 

MILB.com:

 

Sit in it to win it

 

The Huntsville Stars' "Car Survivor" promotion returns for the third consecutive season Wednesday, and, if it's anything like previous iterations, then get ready for some world-class sitting. The premise is simple: Just prior to the start of Wednesday's ballgame, five hardy souls will enter a used Honda, and the last one to leave wins it (a 15-minute break is provided every six hours, out of respect for basic biological necessity). Last year's winner, Mr. Shawn Harris, lasted just shy of nine days, and similar endurance is expected from 2012's eventual champion. To see how it all plays out, check out the riveting streaming video of the contest at carsurvivor.com.

[Mass Haas]

Rattler Radio Blog: Video Game Highlights

[Mass Haas]

It's an 11:45 AM pre-game broadcast time for the Rattlers today; Link Report will be up just before, but wanted to give everyone a heads-up.

[gregmag]

Every time I bring his name up, people roll their eyes, but Eric Farris has been on a nice little run lately. In his last 72 AB's, he's hitting .361/.403/.569.

 

Farris has indeed been doing great all July. In fact, if he keeps this run of his life going, he may even get his AAA OPS (now .685) up to the OPS Rickie Weeks has put up this year (now .706) -- in MLB, in his worst season as a pro. That could work out great for Farris, because of course you've been calling for Rickie Weeks to be traded for a bag of balls since April -- so if that happened, Farris would have a clear path to establishing himself as a candidate for worst starting position player in the majors.

[Mass Haas]

From Helena staff:

 

Here is the pic of Adam Giacalone getting mobbed by his teammates after the walkoff!