Link Report for Wed. 4/10 - Stars Home Opener; Rattlers Doubleheader Wintered Out

[Mass Haas]

Brevard's bats come alive in Lakeland

Hopkins hits grand slam, Garfield hits go-ahead homer in 7-6 win

By Andy Towne / Brevard County Manatees

 

LAKELAND, Fla. - The largest offensive output of the season by the Brevard County Manatees was led by a grand slam from Greg Hopkins and a two-run homer from Cameron Garfield as the 'Tees edged the Lakeland Flying Tigers 7-6 on Wednesday night at Joker Marchant Stadium.

 

It was the second straight win for Brevard County (3-3) over Lakeland (3-3) in as many nights and it was much different than Tuesday night's low scoring affair, as the power outage that the Manatees had suffered through to start the year was put to rest.

 

It only took until the second inning to put runs on the board against Flying Tigers starting pitcher Tommy Collier. In that frame, the 'Tees batted around for the first time in 2013, as Brandon Macias doubled with one out and later scored on a Dionis Hinojosa single. In between, Yadiel Rivera was the first Manatee to be hit by a pitch in the inning, with Chadwin Stang being the other to load the bases.

 

Hopkins then stepped in and launched a 1-0 pitch halfway up the left field berm, making it the first home run for a member of the team this season and the first grand slam in the Florida State League in 2013. It was also the first grand slam hit by a Manatee since Cody Hawn's on July 6, 2012 against the Tampa Yankees.

 

The shutout didn't last long though as Dean Green skied one over the right field fence off of Manatees starting pitcher Drew Gagnon (0-1, 12.27) to make it 5-1 in the bottom half of the second.

 

A strong second start of the year turned sour for Gagnon in the bottom of the fifth, when he surrendered four more runs to even up the score. The tying run came in on a sacrifice fly, his only out recorded in the fifth, following a walk, a pair of doubles and a single to load the bases.

 

Gagnon did not factor in the decision as he allowed five runs in 4.1 innings. He surrendered six hits and two walks, while fanning three on the night.

 

Nick Ramirez led off the seventh inning with a double, but didn't have to wait long before crossing the plate. Garfield climbed halfway up the light tower in left on a full count with his first long ball this year, in what would end up being the game-winning RBI.

 

Chad Pierce was credited with the win despite getting into trouble after the in the bottom of the seventh. An error was charged to Garfield on a tough pop up by John Murrian in front of the plate to start the inning, and then a walk and a single scored Murrian. Another walk loaded the bases and Kevin Shackelford into the game for Pierce.

 

Shackelford induced a shallow pop-up and a ground out to get out of the bases loaded, one-out jam. He allowed a hit in the eighth before Tommy Toledo came on to close the game out with a perfect ninth inning earning his first save.

 

Lakeland and Brevard County will finish their three-game series at Space Coast Stadium in Viera on Thursday at 6:35 (5:35 Central). The game will be broadcast live locally on AM 1300 WMEL as righties Brooks Hall (0-1, 4.50 ERA) and Drew VerHagen (0-0, 6.24 ERA) square off on the mound, for the Manatees and the Flying Tigers respectively.

[Mass Haas]

Stars Win Their 4th Straight Home Opener

Alex Cohen, Huntsville Stars

 

To begin their 2013 regular season home slate, the Huntsville Stars beat the Jacksonville Suns by a score of 5-1 at Joe Davis Stadium on Wednesday night.

 

After allowing the first four batters he faced to reach base and a run in the first inning, Stars starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson dazzled in his second start of the season. The 23-year-old righty improved to 2-0 on the year after giving up just one run and three hits over six innings. After exiting in the game before the seventh inning, relievers Brian Garman, Alan Williams and Santo Manzanillo each pitched an inning of scoreless relief over the final three frames.

 

Following that first inning run for Jacksonville, the Stars pitchers held the Suns offense scoreless over the final eight innings of the game. Jacksonville only had two hits over that span as well.

 

On offense, the Stars got a pair of solo homers from right fielder Brock Kjeldgaard and third baseman Mike Walker in the span of three batters during the fourth inning off of Suns starter Brian Flynn to take a 2-1 lead.

 

Two innings later, a two-out double by center fielder Rene Tosoni led to an RBI single by catcher Adam Weisenburger two batters later to increase the Stars lead to two.

 

In the seventh inning, shortstop Nick Shaw began a rally when he snapped an 0-for-12 skid with a double off of Suns reliever Michael Ojala. Two batters later, first baseman Jason Rogers drove him home with an RBI single to make the score 4-1. Rogers would then score the next at-bat on an RBI double by right fielder Kentrail Davis for the Stars' final run of the game.

 

Overall, Kjeldgaard and Weisenburger paced the Stars offense two hits apiece, while the RBI double for Davis in the seventh inning extended his hitting streak to six games. As a team, the Stars cranked out ten hits, with all but one player in the starting lineup having one.

 

The victory for Huntsville was their 4th straight when opening their season at Joe Davis Stadium, the second against the Suns during that time span (2010). In addition, the win also improved the Stars league-best record to 5-1, their best start since 2008 where they began the season 5-0.

 

The Stars and Suns will play game two of their five-game series on Thursday night. Huntsville will send RHP Taylor Jungmann (1-0, 1.80) to the bump to square off against Jacksonville RHP Robert Morey (0-0, 1.50 ERA). First pitch is at 6:43 CT.

 

The Stars are in the midst of opening their 2013 home slate with a five-game series against the Jacksonville Suns immediately followed by a five games against the Tennessee Smokies.

[Mass Haas]

A lot to like from Huntsville Stars' 2013 home opener

Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Good to be giddy now and again. Especially at a mausoleum of a ballpark that doesn't do giddy very often. This is junior-high, first-crush kind of giddy.

 

So far, you like what you see of the 2013 Huntsville Stars.

 

Then again, you've got to be careful. Bandwagons often have flimsy wheels. Six games is barely breaking a sweat in a 144-game schedule.

 

The Stars are 5-1 on the year after their 5-1 win over Jacksonville Wednesday night. It's not exactly history making. They began 5-1 in 2008 and, alas, finished only 73-67 and didn't make the playoffs.

 

It was, however, a sweet little beginning to the home season, one of those games you'd script if you wanted some return customers. Quick game. Some drama. Web gems. Solid pitching. Home runs by the home team.

 

One of those, in a nod to Stars fans still caught in the riptide of nostalgia, was almost Canseco-esque in proportions, with Brock Kjeldgaard clearing both fences in dead centerfield. Kjeldgaard may never go to the big leagues and hit 462 homers. He'll also not embarrass himself with a sordid tryst with Madonna or by treating steroids like peanut M&Ms.

 

There was an announced crowd of 3,031. Not bad for a Wednesday school night. Not great for opening night in a city this size where baseball's future is a continuing source of conversation, where the team has lagged at the bottom of attendance figures for a decade.

 

Among those in attendance was a delegation from the parent club, the Milwaukee Brewers.

 

For the usual requisite cheap-shot from this column on such an occasion, among those not in attendance was the team owner, Miles Prentice.

 

Prentice did phone two hours before the pitch and got a weather report from general manager Buck Rogers.

 

Let's update the weather report:

 

Eighty percent chance of storms tonight.

 

Chilly relationship with ownership and the city.

 

Hot baseball team.

 

Starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson helped provide the drama. Fueled by enough adrenaline to bench-press a school bus, he quickly found himself in a 1-0 deficit with the bases loaded and nobody out, courtesy of a single, error, walk and hit batsman. He then got a strikeout, a double play ball and five ensuing innings of brilliance.

 

"He threw six strong innings when it's all said and done," said manager Darnell Coles. "He pitched fantastic."

 

It's appropriate to mention here, for the benefit of potential fans and to achieve the journalistic priority of search-engine optimization, that Jimmy Nelson is a former pitcher for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide.

 

And if you want to see him in Huntsville before he's promoted, better hurry. Here's hoping he didn't sign a long-term lease.

 

Coles, back for his second year as the Stars' manager, was still on the field 15 minutes after the win, signing autographs and talking with fans.

 

"It was a good opening night crowd," he said. "These guys come out every day not playing for the amount of fans. They're playing for a city. And for an organization. And they're trying to play the best brand of baseball they can play."

 

At that, he trudged up the ramp toward the clubhouse, another mission to accomplish.

 

No manager in the last 15 years has been as attuned to the off-the-field needs of this franchise as Coles. Community outreach is important to the team and it's a skill worth cultivating should players reach the majors.

 

On this first morning after the first home game, Coles was booked for a 7 a.m. civic club breakfast appearance today. He promised he'd bring along some players.

 

Something else you have to like about these Stars.

[Mass Haas]

Huntsville Times Photo Gallery

[Mass Haas]

More from Mark McCarter of the Times:

 

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- What started almost nightmarishly turned into a dream of a home opener for the Huntsville Stars Wednesday night.

 

Starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson struggled early, with the first four Jacksonville Suns reaching base. However, as Nelson kept his poise, the Stars found their power and went on to a 5-1 victory in front of an announced crowd of 3,031.

 

It was the fifth win in six games this season for Huntsville, which hosts Jacksonville again Thursday at 6:43 at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

As manager Darnell Coles noted, it was a game when every facet of the team seemed to shine:

 

Starting pitching: Nelson escaped his no-out, bases-loaded situation -- a mess caused by an error and a hit batsman -- with a strikeout and a double play, then held Jacksonville to only two more hits in the next six innings. That earned the second win of the season for the former Alabama hurler.

 

Hitting: Brock Kjeldgaard and Mike Walker homered in the fourth inning to take the 2-1 lead.

 

The Stars had 10 hits, two each by Kjeldgaard and Adam Weisenburger. The latter had a clutch two-out double in the sixth, then Jason Rogers smacked an RBI single and Kentrail Davis an RBI double in the seventh.

 

Defense: The Stars turned three double plays, including the key play in the first and then a game-ender.

 

Relief pitching: Brian Garman, Alan Williams and Santo Manzanillo combined for three innings of one-hit relief, with four strikeouts among them.

 

All of which was, as Coles put it, "a microcosm" of the Stars' four-out-of-five dominance in Chattanooga in the season's first series.

 

The Stars are batting a league-best .245 as a team, have four saves and a bullpen ERA of 1.19.

[Mass Haas]

Video from Huntsville, including both the Kjeldgaard and Walker home runs

[TheCrew07]

As mentioned earlier in the thread...

 

Cubs' Soler ejected in Daytona loss

[faede]

I sort of lost track of Jimmy Nelson in the mix of really fun SP prospects to watch. Nice to see him coming out strong. He's another guy who has mid to top of the rotation stuff if he puts it all together. Go Downward Thunder!

[TheCrew07]

Hald works in, out of trouble for Cards

[JohnBriggs12]

It's very early but I get the feeling Nelson will not be in Huntsville for both halves of the year.

[TheCrew07]

BA's weekly feature that I would generally skip in favor of the hot sheet chat last year.

Prospects And Draft Chat With Jim Callis

 

ridha (Chicago, IL): hi jim,is this draft deep enough in both pitching and position players for the cubs to make a serious impact in the rebuilding process and if u r picking #2 do you go for pitching or a bat?thank you

 

Jim Callis: It’s not a great draft, but in any draft, there’s talent available. The Cubs have the draft position and the extra spending power that comes with it to get some impact players. At No. 2, I’m taking the best guy available rather than targeting a specific need. That said, the Cubs really need some advanced pitching and the two best players available are college arms: Mark Appel (Stanford) and Jonathan Gray (Oklahoma). If the draft were today, I think the Cubs would take one of them.

Tony (Maryland): Javier Baez seems to be a boom or struggle guy. One week is not enough to be troubled or elated by anything, but how ... much are scouts concerned about his ... aggressive approach to the game?

 

Jim Callis: You’d like him to show some semblance of discipline, but he also has a knack for hammering pitches out of the strike zone. The general feeling is that he’ll eventually figure out that pitchers won’t challenge him if they don’t have to, and he’ll adjust accordingly.

Greg M (Pittsburgh): After seeing the bonus allotments for this year's draft, should the Pirates pick a player that will go below slot at 9 or 14 and then use the rest of the savings for the rest of their draft class? Seems like a smart strategy.

 

Jim Callis: I’d favor taking the best players available with two upper-half-of-the-first round picks because there’s less wiggle room to still get a stud and have leftover cash than there is at the top of the draft.

JT (Michigan): How worried should we be that Gerrit Cole's third pitch is shaky? He's universally called a potential ace, but without a consistent third offering.......

 

Jim Callis: His changeup is pretty good, and there aren’t many big leaguers who rely heavily on their third pitch.

Jack (Glenview): What are the odds Jorge Soler gets a cup of coffee with the Cubs this September? Is that even a possibility?

 

Jim Callis: He’s already on the 40-man roster, so it’s possible.

[Mass Haas]

Thursday's Link Report out at lunch time, but here's a heads-up:

 

No Rattlers Thursday, either

[TheCrew07]

Thursday's Link Report out at lunch time, but here's a heads-up:

 

No Rattlers Thursday, either

 

 

Was just coming here to post that, lame weather. I really hate exchanging game tickets for some reason and they may not play tomorrow either, so I'll have 4 games worth of tickets to exchange... boo!

[TheCrew07]

This is interesting, the more statistically inclined will really like this. The information is really nothing new though, we have known for a long time that Space Coast Stadium in BC surpresses runs. Nashville might come as a surprise given the PCL's reputation, though it's essentially neutral.

 

Minor League Ballparks Cheat Sheet: Intervals And Park Factors For Each Organization

 

If that wet your whistle make sure to check this out, specifics for each park in each league, it's an article from earlier this year.

 

Minor League Parks Drive Performance

[HiAndTight]

It's very early but I get the feeling Nelson will not be in Huntsville for both halves of the year.

 

 

Certainly not if he can keep throwing like he has been.

 

The only thing I don't understand is how the Brewers have been talking about how important starting pitchers learning how to pitch in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings is. Now of course you're not going to push a power arm in AA to 110 pitches at this point in this season, but he threw 72 pitches tonight and obviously was pretty dominant after the 1st, and I don't believe he threw 80 pitches in his first start.

 

For a guy who pitched 3 years of college ball and is supposed to be a horse and a big innings eater, it'd be nice to see them push him just a touch more. 72 pitches, he's rolling, bring him back out for the 6th inning...

[TooLiveBrew]

It's very early but I get the feeling Nelson will not be in Huntsville for both halves of the year.

 

 

Certainly not if he can keep throwing like he has been.

 

The only thing I don't understand is how the Brewers have been talking about how important starting pitchers learning how to pitch in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings is. Now of course you're not going to push a power arm in AA to 110 pitches at this point in this season, but he threw 72 pitches tonight and obviously was pretty dominant after the 1st, and I don't believe he threw 80 pitches in his first start.

 

For a guy who pitched 3 years of college ball and is supposed to be a horse and a big innings eater, it'd be nice to see them push him just a touch more. 72 pitches, he's rolling, bring him back out for the 6th inning...

This was a recurring theme last season at Huntsville. I sure hope this is an isolated case due to it still being early in the season, but I'm worried this trend will repeat itself this season.

[HiAndTight]

Yeah, it certainly makes sense if you're talking about a prep arm who's moved quickly, or a Peralta type guy, Rogers obviously.

 

But Nelson in particular seems like the type of guy who we should be trying to push a little bit more. With no serious injury history, it'd be nice to see him go maybe 90 pitches when he's dealing like he was. Could have gotten him into the 8th inning.