Link Report for Fri. 8/24

[Mass Haas]

Nashville audio:

 

Caleb Gindl Plates Game's First Run

 

Jordan Brown RBI Single

[Mass Haas]

Helena CF Yonki Hernandez expectedly did not play Friday after this happened on Thursday:

 

Helena Bottom of the 3rd

Raul Mondesi homers (5) on a fly ball to left field.

Andres Martinez flies out to center fielder David Dahl.

Yonki Hernandez walks.

With Christopher McFarland batting, Yonki Hernandez steals (14) 2nd base.

Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Ruben Ozuna replaces Yonki Hernandez.

[igor67]

Gindl's August OPS up to .831. It's fair to say that he hasn't taken a step forward this year, but if you line things up it does look like it the first half was largely driven by a low batting average and the last two months are basically the same old Gindl. Perhaps the biggest difference is that being a year older now he loses a little bit of that projectability for constantly being rather young for his league. I still like him though.

[Mass Haas]

Grand Junction grabs victory in the 11th

Helena Brewers

 

Grand Junction needed a victory on Friday night to keep pace with the Orem Owlz atop the South Division Pioneer League standings. After 11 innings, the Rockies would get the win but it didn't come easy.

 

Grand Junction kicked off the scoring in the top of the second after shortstop Jason Stolz singled in Julian Yan. Yan, who tripled to lead off the inning, finished the night 1-for-5 with a walk.

 

The Brewers would come back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs off Grand Junction starter Jayson Aquino. The first of the two runs came on a solo home run from catcher Paul Eshleman, his second of the year. Following Eshleman, Raul Mondesi Jr. doubled down the left field line and eventually scored on a fielding error by third baseman Ashley Graeter.

 

Grand Junction managed to tie the game in the top of the eighth inning off Brewers reliever Martin Viramontes, who was tabbed with a loss and a blown save on Friday night. Grand Junction would strike for what proved to be the winning blow in the top of the eleventh when Graeter redeemed himself by knocking in Jeremy McLeod.

 

Despite the six innings of one run baseball pitched by Brewers starter Taylor Wall, the Brewers dropped their 43rd game of the season and now sit at 20-43 on the year.

 

The Brewers return to action Saturday night in game the first game of a three game series against the Orem Owlz. First pitch is slated for 7:05 (8:05 Central).

 

Taylor Wall threw six innings allowing just one run on Friday. (Sleeping Giant Photography)

 

http://www.milb.com/images/2012/08/25/WISguX3i.jpg

[Mass Haas]

AUDIO: Bob Brainerd joined the WSSP On-Deck Show to talk Timber Rattlers Friday night

Go to the 15:00 minute mark...

 

***

 

Rattler Radio Blog: Video Highlights and Two Lists

[Mass Haas]

Stars Snap Losing Skid

 

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - On Friday night, the Huntsville Stars snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Birmingham Barons by score of 10-2 at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

Fortunately for the Stars, a struggling offense broke out in a big way against the Barons and their starting pitcher Andre Rienzo.

 

In the second inning, a two-run single by right fielder Kentrail Davis gave the Stars an early 2-0 lead. It was just the second time the Stars have struck first in ballgame over their last seven contests. One inning later, a RBI triple from first baseman Hunter Morris and a sacrifice fly by right fielder Brock Kjeldgaard put the Stars lead at 4-0.

 

Following that initial surge by the Stars, the Barons put together their only attempt at a comeback in the middle innings. In the fourth inning, after the Birmingham offense loaded the bases on Stars starting pitcher Johnnie Lowe, a sacrifice fly by second baseman Tyler Saladino put the Barons on the board. Then, in the top of the sixth inning, a RBI double by shortstop Greg Paiml put the Stars lead at just two.

 

From that point on, the Stars offense took over the game. After a solo homer by Davis in the bottom half of the sixth chased Rienzo from the game, the Stars were able to break out for more insurance runs off of Barons reliever Jon Bachanov.

 

With Bachanov entering the game in the seventh, Morris greeted him with a two-run home run to make the score 7-2. For Morris, the blast was his 24th of the season, tying him with Jackson’s Joe Dunigan for the league lead in homers. In the eighth, the Stars got a two-run double from catcher Anderson De La Rosa and a RBI double from Davis to put the game out of reach.

 

On the pitching side, Lowe improved to 4-3 on the season with the win against his former mates. The 27-year-old righty gave up just two runs on five hits through six innings for the victory. Aside from Lowe, reliever Josh Butler earned his first save of the season by pitching the final three scoreless innings.

 

For Huntsville, the win snapped a four-game losing streak overall. The ten runs were also as much as the Stars have scored in their previous five games combined. With a loss from the Chattanooga Lookouts, Huntsville is now seven games back of a playoff spot with nine games to play in the regular season.

 

The Stars and Barons will play game two of a five-game series on Saturday as they will send RHP Ariel Pena (0-2, 7.33 ERA) to the mound. First pitch is at 6:43 PM.

[Mass Haas]

Stars snap out of cold streak, pound Birmingham, 10-2

By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times

 

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- This time, the "vrrreeeeeppp!" factor was absent. That's the best approximate spelling to the sound effect made by Huntsville pitching coach Chris Hook to accompany his gesture of a nose-diving airplane.

 

It was being used to describe what happened to Huntsville pitcher Johnnie Lowe in his previous outing against the Birmingham Barons, a team for which he toiled for three seasons. Lowe was lights-out for three innings, then out of gas - "vrrreeeeeppp!" - in the fourth inning of that July 15 game.

 

"He was too fired up," Hook said.

 

On Friday, Lowe avoided a fourth-inning disaster and the Huntsville Stars ended a four-game losing streak with their 11-2 victory over the Barons, Lowe picking up the victory after scattering five hits in six innings. Game two in this final homestand of the season is Saturday night at 6:43.

 

Hunter Morris hit his league-leading 24th home run and had three RBIs, putting his average at .300. His homer total is sixth-best for a Huntsville hitter, tying Terry Steinbach; No. 5 on the list is Jose Canseco.

 

Kentrail Davis, a chilly 2-for-17 on the last road trip, heated up with a homer, two-run single and RBI double and Anderson de la Rosa had two htis and two RBIs.

 

The Stars were batting only .177 over their past five games and scored only six runs in their four-game skid. This time, they hammered out 11 hits.

 

The Stars' bugaboo of situational hitting - only .254 as a team with runners in scoring position - was cured, too. Davis socked a two-run single in the second to stake Lowe to a 2-0 lead, then Morris delivered an RBI triple and Brock Kjeldgaard a sac fly in the third. The avalanche was on.

 

The Barons nicked Lowe for a run in the fourth after he loaded the bases with a hit and two walks and Tyler Saladino hit a sac fly to left. Greg Paiml doubled home Erik Morrison in the sixth.

 

Lowe, a 6-foot-5 righthander, was the sixth-round pick of the White Sox in 2007, advancing to Birmingham in 2009. He went 13-13 there before the Brewers signed him as a free agent this past spring.

 

"He's a really aggressive type guy. He's been around this league. He's no-nonsense," Hook said, moments before sitting down with a thick loose-leaf binder, Lowe and the rest of the Stars' staff for a quick scouting report on the Barons.

 

In the previous start against Birmingham, Lowe struck out six in three innings, including a one-two-three third. However, five walks and a Ken Williams grand slam chased him in the fourth in an eventual 14-3 Huntsville loss.

 

This time, though he did load the bases in the fourth, it was a steadier, more efficient start. He walked five, but allowed only two runs in his six innings to earn his fourth win at Huntsville before Josh Butler closed things with three innings of one-hit relief.

 

Stars notes

 

A Mat Gamel bobblehead giveaway was scheduled for tonight. However, the bobbleheads have been delayed in shipping and won't be available until Thursday. Fans may pick up a voucher at the box office for a bobblehead and ticket for the Thursday game. ... Infielder Adrian Williams joined the Stars Friday from Class AAA Nashville. ... Next Wednesday is the voting deadline for managers and media to file ballots for the Southern League postseason All-Star team and awards. ... Only four home games remain for the Stars this season.

 

[Mass Haas]

Manatees:

 

Here's a look at the @HunterMorris15 figurine that we gave out to the first 500 fans Friday night

 

[Mass Haas]

TWC Sports 32 TV will have at least one Rattler post-season game.

[homer]

The AZL Brewers hitters, minus Clint Coulter, are pounding 1.85M man Dillon Howard through 2.1 innings.

 

AZL Brewers Bottom of the 3rd

 

Malcolm Dowell singles on a ground ball to left fielder D'vone McClure.

Dionis Hinojosa singles on a ground ball to right fielder Chia-Ching Lin. Malcolm Dowell to 3rd.

Edgardo Rivera singles on a line drive to center fielder Mark Brown. Malcolm Dowell scores. Dionis Hinojosa to 2nd.

Jose Sermo singles on a line drive to center fielder Mark Brown. Dionis Hinojosa scores. Edgardo Rivera to 3rd.

Dustin Houle singles on a ground ball to left fielder D'vone McClure. Edgardo Rivera scores. Jose Sermo to 2nd.

Deivi Mejia doubles (3) on a line drive to left fielder D'vone McClure. Jose Sermo scores. Dustin Houle to 3rd.

Alan Sharkey singles on a line drive to center fielder Mark Brown. Dustin Houle scores. Deivi Mejia scores. Alan Sharkey to 2nd on the throw.

Taylor Smith-Brennan grounds out, third baseman Nick Hamilton to first baseman Nelson Rodriguez.

 

Minus Coultier? He's 1 for 2 with a BB and 2 RBI's.

 

I'd like to see more power out of him, but I suspect the 6'3 220 pound former HS State Wrestling Champ will add the power. It's awesome to see him hit for some average and draw some walks though.

 

Houle was in the box score before. Just look at the quote.

 

 

I'll back you up on this. I checked the box score before hitting the hay last night and Coulter was not on there in the early going.

[Mass Haas]

Thinking this isn't great for a pitcher who firs 100+