Link Report for Wed. 5/8

[Mass Haas]

VIDEO - Brief Huntsville highlights

[Mass Haas]

Link includes video interview with Tyler Wagner

 

Wagner gives Wisconsin good start in doubleheader split

by Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent Media

 

GRAND CHUTE — Tyler Wagner was a closer in college, but it didn’t take long for the Milwaukee organization to convert him to a starter.

 

It’s looking like a good call by the Brewers.

 

Wagner’s bullpen days will likely be over with more performances like the gem he delivered Wednesday for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the opening game of a doubleheader against the Clinton LumberKings.

 

The 22-year-old right-hander tossed a seven-inning, three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in a 5-0 victory. Clinton came back to salvage a split and snap a six-game Wisconsin winning streak with a 4-2 win in the second game.

 

Wagner’s lights-out showing was clearly the best game thrown by a Timber Rattlers pitcher all season. It was the first complete game and first individual shutout of 2013 for Wisconsin.

 

“That was probably my best performance as a professional,” said Wagner. “Everything was just on, our defense played well and I got great run support.”

 

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Las Vegas native consistently pounded the strike zone. He threw strikes on 67 of his 95 pitches and walked just two. Wagner threw a two-seam and four-seam fastball that topped out at 93 mph in the seventh, and also mixed in a slider and change-up.

 

“I had all three pitches working and the big thing was that my fastball was down in the zone,” said Wagner. “I was able to throw all my pitches in any count. My change-up has good sinking action to it. My slider is more of a slurve because it isn’t that tight and isn’t that hard. But it’s been a pretty good pitch for me.”

 

The LumberKings didn’t hit a ball hard the entire game against Wagner. Two of the hits he yielded were infield hits and Clinton had just two outfield fly outs.

 

Wagner raised his season record to 3-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.40. He leads the team in strikeouts with 28.

 

“He did a very nice job and that’s three quality starts in a row for him,” said Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson. “He’s getting his off-speed stuff over early in the count. His two-seamer is working really well against lefties and he throws his four-seam when he has to. He’s throwing strikes and getting a lot of outs.”

 

Wagner was a fourth-round pick out of the University of Utah by the Brewers in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. Wagner was the Utes’ closer and holds Utah school records for career saves (17) and single-season saves (11).

 

Milwaukee immediately made Wagner a starter and he went 1-4 with a 7.77 ERA in 13 starts with the Helena Brewers last summer. Despite the high ERA and losing record, Wagner showed arm talent, fanning 47 in 48 2/3 innings.

 

“It was hard last year and early this year to really get the mentality down of having to go longer in games, “ said Wagner. “But now I realize that I can take my closer’s mentality into every inning for seven innings. It definitely helps to have that mentality of, ‘they can’t score this inning, every inning.’ They’re totally different roles, but I like the situation I’m in now.”

 

Erickson compares Wagner to David Goforth, a 2012 Rattlers pitcher who was a closer at the University of Mississippi before making a successful transition to a starter.

 

“We did the same thing with Goforth last year,” said Erickson. “It’s not that uncommon in A ball to take some of your best arms and throw them in a tandem and try and get them in a five-day routine. It’s easier to control their pitch count and innings that way. Wagner made a lot of appearances in college, but didn’t pitch a lot of innings.

 

The Timber Rattlers gave Wagner all the offensive support he would need with a four-run first. An RBI single by Mitch Haniger followed by a two-run single by Chris McFarland highlighted the inning. Jose Sermo doubled in Wisconsin’s final run in the sixth.

 

The Timber Rattlers also received solid starting pitching in the second game. Left-hander Mike Strong pitched four shutout innings before Clinton finally broke a string of 11 scoreless innings against the Rattlers with a run in the fifth on Guillermo Pimentel’s two-out RBI single.

 

The LumberKings chased Strong and wiped out a 2-1 deficit with a three-run sixth, culminated by Gaby Guerrero’s go-ahead single off reliever Jono Armold.

 

“Our pitching has been pretty tough the last six games,” said Erickson. “I thought Mike Strong put us in position to win the game. Jono (Armold) was put in a tough spot, coming in with a guy on third and no out.

 

“The guy (Guerrero) hit a good pitch. It was right off the end of the bat and it found a hole.”

 

Post-Crescent Photo Gallery

[Mass Haas]

Pena, Stars Shutout Generals

By Alex Cohen / Huntsville Stars

 

In game two of a five-game series at Joe Davis Stadium, the Huntsville Stars shutout the Jackson Generals by a score of 1-0 on Wednesday night.

 

On Tuesday, the Stars got a dominating outing from starting pitcher Ariel Pena. The 23-year-old righty struck out 10 batters and gave up just four hits in six shutout innings to improve to 2-2 on the season. His 10 strikeouts for Pena was the most for a Stars pitcher in any single game this season. The former Angels farmhand has now gone 11.1 innings over his last three starts without giving up an earned run.

 

Pena was put in line for the victory in the third inning as the Stars scored their only run against Generals starting pitcher Chance Ruffin (L, 1-1). To begin the frame, catcher Shawn Zarraga started things off with a single. After advancing to second on a balk from Ruffin and then to third on a sacrifice bunt from second basemen Nick Shaw, Zarraga scored on a wild pitch to give Huntsville the sole run of the game.

 

After Pena excited the game with two runners on base and nobody out, Stars reliever Greg Holle got Pena out the jam, striking out three batters in two scoreless frames. Huntsville closer Casey Medlen then shut down the door in the ninth by striking out the side and stranding two runners on base for his fifth save of the season.

 

Overall, the Stars pitching staff struck out 16 Generals hitters, there most in a game during the 2013 season. The win snapped a five-game losing streak at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

The shutout for the Stars was also their first of the season as well.

 

The Stars and Generals will play game three of their five-game series at Joe Davis Stadium on Wednesday. Huntsville will send RHP Taylor Jungmann (1-4, 7.89 ERA) to the bump to square off against Jackson RHP Taijuan Walker (3-2, 1.54 ERA). First pitch is at 6:43 PM.

[JohnBriggs12]

Tyler Wagner is now on my radar.

[Mass Haas]

Tyler Wagner is now on my radar.

 

That game highlight video was very impressive, great movement.

[TheCrew07]

Soler's big day not enough for D-Cubs

[TooLiveBrew]

Encouraging to see Ariel Pena starting to find his form again. His post-trade performance last season was pretty troubling.

[TheCrew07]

Jorge Soler of the Cubs discussed again.

 

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