Link Report for Wed. 7/10

[TooLiveBrew]

Sounds Swept In Albuquerque With 9-2 Defeat

Nashville Returns To Greer Tomorrow Following 1-6 Road Trip

Nashville Sounds

 

http://i.imgur.com/MReh9SI.jpg

Caleb Gindl, archive photo (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds)

 

• AUDIO: Khris Davis RBI Single
  
• AUDIO: Blake Lalli RBI Single

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Albuquerque Isotopes wrapped up a three-game sweep of the Nashville Sounds with a 9-2 victory on Wednesday evening at Isotopes Park.

 

Nashville (32-62), which committed a season-high four errors in the contest, suffered its sixth consecutive loss to conclude a 1-6 road trip.

 

Albuquerque grabbed a 2-0 lead against Zach Kroenke in the first inning. Dee Gordon (2-for-4) led off with a single, stole his PCL-leading 33rd base of the year, and later scored the night's first run on a groundout. Later in the frame, Ian Stewart and Brian Barden ripped back-to-back two-out doubles to double the advantage.

 

Elian Herrera upped the Isotopes' lead to 4-0 in the home half of the second with a two-out, two-run single to right off Kroenke.

 

The Sounds halved the deficit to 4-2 in the fourth when Khris Davis and Blake Lalli contributed one-out RBI singles against Albuquerque starter Matt Magill. Davis' knock extended the outfielder's longest hitting streak of the year to six games.

 

Albuquerque answered the Sounds' pair of runs with two more two-out runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, when the Isotopes did not get a ball out of the infield. Gordon contributed an RBI infield single before Alex Castellanos later drew a catcher's interference call from Lalli to force home the Isotopes' second run of the inning to make it a 6-2 contest.

 

Kroenke (4-12) suffered a loss for his fourth straight outing after giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits in his five innings of action.

 

Red Patterson (5-3) earned the win for Albuquerque with 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief behind starter Matt Magill.

 

The Isotopes tacked on three final runs in the eighth against Rob Wooten on a rally aided by a blown strike three call.

 

With a pair of runners on board and one out, Gordon swung at a two-strike offering but the pitch was curiously ruled a check-swing ball, and the Albuquerque batter later drew a walk to load the bases. Wooten struck out Herrera for the next out, which should have gotten him out of the frame. However, Castellanos got a turn at the plate and, on a 3-2 offering with all runners moving, blooped a ball to left-center that emptied the bases with the aid of a Josh Prince throwing error.

 

Caleb Gindl went 2-for-4 to continue his hot hitting for the Sounds in the losing effort. He has hit safely in 11 of 12 games at a .400 clip (18-for-45) since rejoining Nashville.

 

The Sounds return to Music City tomorrow to host the cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds (AAA-Cardinals) in a four-game series. Right-hander R.J. Seidel (1-4, 5.94) will toe the slab for Nashville to face Memphis right-hander Carlos Martinez (3-2, 1.98).

 

 

Nashville Box

 

 

Nashville PbP

 

 

Nashville Gameday

[TheCrew07]

Can we imbed tweets here? I couldn't figure it out.

 

Anyway, I thought Chris was a bit too critical of himself, but he's right this play was a game changer.

[TheCrew07]

Chris nails another quote, the Rattler postgame for tonight.

 

At the right time – Postgame post for July 10, 2013

[Mass Haas]

Stars Drop Rain-Shortened Game

By Alex Cohen / Huntsville Stars

 

Sprinkled within torrential downpours and an hour-plus rain delay, the Huntsville Stars dropped the series opener with the Birmingham Barons at Joe Davis Stadium by a score of 3-1 in five innings on Wednesday night.

 

Riding a three-game winning streak coming into the game, the Stars fell behind early in the first inning. Following a leadoff single from Barons second baseman Marcus Semien, an RBI double from outfielder Keenyn Walker put Birmingham on the board. Later in the inning, an error by shortstop Hector Gomez plated Walker to make the score 2-0.

 

In the bottom half of the first inning, the Stars managed their only run of the ballgame. After outfielder Chadwin Stang led things off with a double, he advanced to third on a groundout by second baseman Shea Vucinich. One batter later, outfielder Kentrail Davis plated Stang with a sacrifice fly to cut the Stars deficit in half.

 

Unfortunately, that was the closest Huntsville would get. Birmingham scored the final run of the game on a solo homer from Semien in the fourth inning. It was the fourth homer this year that Semien has hit against the Stars pitching staff.

 

For Huntsville, starting pitcher Drew Gagnon was tabbed with the loss. The 23-year-old righty fell to 1-5 in a Stars uniform after giving up three runs on five hits in five innings while walking a season-high five batters.

 

Scott Snodgress notched the win for the Barons, improving to 9-7 on the season after giving up just one run on six hits in five innings while striking out five batters. The nine wins for Snodgress is now tied with Stars starting pitcher Taylor Jungmann for most in the Southern League.

 

On offense, the Stars were paced by two hits from both third baseman Joey Paciorek and outfielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Paciorek now has six hits in his last nine at-bats.

 

The loss for the Stars snapped their three-game winning streak. It also goes down as the second rain-shortened contest they have played this season, the only other game being on May 2nd at Mobile.

 

On Thursday, the Stars will play game two of a five-game series at Joe Davis Stadium against the Birmngham Barons. Huntsville will send RHP Ariel Pena (5-7, 3.20 ERA) to the bump. Birmingham will counter with RHP Nick McCully (7-3, 2.78 ERA). First pitch is 6:43 ET.

[Mass Haas]

Brief Huntsville video highlights -- impressive umbrella sit by a sole fan and yet another entertaining mispronounciation of "Gagnon" (it's Gahn-'yo, folks).

 

WWE fans, think "Fandango"...

[Mass Haas]

LINK INCLUDES VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS MCFARLAND (several of those quotes included below)

 

Wisconsin slips past Fort Wayne

by Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent Media

 

GRAND CHUTE — Offensively, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers haven’t exactly been the monsters of the Midwest League.

 

Their team batting average has hovered around the .250 mark most of the year and only three teams in the 16-team league have scored fewer runs.

 

But there seems to be a lot more bang in the Timber Rattlers’ bats these days.

 

The Rattlers have generated 16 runs in their past two games and pounded out 13 hits Wednesday night in an 8-6 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps before a crowd of 4,043 at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

 

“We’ve been working hard in the cage, and with hard work comes success,” said Wisconsin outfielder Michael Reed, who went three-for-five with an RBI. “I feel like we’re taking good approaches at the plate and hitting balls up in the zone. We haven’t been swinging at bad pitches and that’s what it takes to be a good-hitting team.”

With his three hits, Reed raised his season batting average to .291.

 

“Some nights, it just happens for you,” said Reed. “I was able to put my bat on the ball all three times and it was just a good night.”

 

Five Timber Rattlers collected multiple hits in the opener of a three-game series against the TinCaps, the Midwest League affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The bottom of the batting order did the most damage, with Wisconsin’s seventh (Max Walla), eighth (Tyler Roberts), and ninth (Chris McFarland) hitters going a combined six-for-12.

 

“We had a great game offensively,” said McFarland, the Rattlers second baseman. “Everyone throughout the lineup battled. We had a lot of long at-bats, got to see a lot of pitches and made good contact. We had a lot of two-out hits. You can tell that everyone on our team is feeling better at the plate.”

 

Wisconsin broke a 5-5 deadlock and took the lead for good in the 22-hit slugfest with two runs in the sixth inning.

Walla started the rally with a triple and McFarland knocked him in two batters later with a game-tying three-bagger of his own off reliever Matthew Chabot, the second of three Fort Wayne pitchers.

 

“I saw lot of pitches and he threw me a high, hard slider and I caught it pretty good,” said McFarland.

 

McFarland then raced home with the go-ahead run on a passed ball following a strikeout by Orlando Arcia that allowed Arcia to reach base.

 

The Rattlers added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI single by Arcia.

 

In addition to his two hits, McFarland had a couple of nice defensive plays at second, including a sliding catch of a foul ball hit near the stands down the first-base line.

 

“The guys were joking with me because earlier in the game there was a similar play and an easier play where the ball fell out of my glove,” said McFarland. “They were like, ‘You can make the hard plays, but you can’t make the easy plays.’ I don’t know how I got to that one. I kind of lost it the last five feet and luckily I made the catch.”

 

Wisconsin starter Preston Gainey was hit hard, allowing five runs on six hits in three innings.

 

The Rattlers, though, received strong relief pitching from Ryan Gibbard, who finished the game with four shutout, hitless innings to pick up the win. Gibbard struck out two and improved his record to 4-2.

 

Orlando Arcia gets Mallex Smith of the TinCaps trapped between second and third. Photo by Ron Page/Post-Crescent Media

 

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[Mass Haas]

Yet another video news report on Tyrone Taylor

[Mass Haas]

Razo Strikes Again Out of Pen

Reliver improves to 4-0 but gets help from teammates

By Zac Vierra / Helena Brewers

 

Chris Razo is starting to be a good luck charm for the Helena Brewers. For the fourth time in five appearances this season, Razo has come out of the bullpen and the Brewers have rallied with the bats to win.

 

In Wednesday night's contest, Razo (above) entered the game with Helena trailing 3-2 in the fifth and just on script, the Brewers scored twice in the bottom of the frame to take the lead.

 

But when Idaho Falls tied the game off Razo in the sixth, it didn't take long for the luck-of-the-Razo to strike again.

 

With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Angel Ortega hit a line drive homer to give the Brewers a 5-4 lead. Helena would hold on and win 9-7 and Razo would earn his fourth win of the season.

 

Although Razo's 4-0 start meant he had to be in the right place at the right time, the righty had to pitch well to earn the victories as he did on Wednesday allowing one run on two hits in two innings.

 

But he gave props to his teammates for the help.

 

"All of the credit has to go to the defense and the offense because most of the time I'm coming in and we are either losing or tied. The offense steps up has a big hit, Angel going deep that was pretty exciting and the defense made some great plays behind me," said Razo

 

Helena manager Tony Diggs attributed the hot start to timing.

 

"He's a guy that comes in in crucial situations," said Diggs. "So if he can come in and shut down their offense and we can put up runs especially in a ballgame like that where maybe we are down by a run or a tie ballgame, then you are going to be able to pick up those wins so hats off to him."

 

But Razo admitted it took a lot of luck to start the season 4-0 out of the bullpen.

 

"It's exciting," he said with a smile.

 

Razo wasn't the only star of the night. Just night after the top three hitters in Helena's lineup provided all of the offense, the Brewers spread out the offensive attack to score a season-high nine runs for the third straight game.

 

With Helena trailing 2-0 in the third, number nine hitter Nathan Orf got things started for the Brewers pulling a double down the line in left scoring Jesse Weiss with Helena's first run of the game.

 

Weiss would later drive in Helena's ninth run of the game when he walked with the bases loaded in the seventh.

 

Jalen Harris would also have a huge game from the six spot in the order. With Helena trailing 3-1 in the fourth, Harris ripped a 3-2 pitch into the left-center gap to score Dustin Houle and make it a one run game.

 

Harris would also come up big in the seventh with the bases loaded as he sliced a two-run single to right to give Helena an 8-4 lead.

 

He would end the game 2 for 4 with three RBI and it was a special performance for the first baseman as his parents had arrived from Toronto to see their son play for the first time this season.

 

"It was a good day. It was a good start in front of my parents," said Harris.

 

The Brewers also got a big hit from the third man in their order as Michael Ratterree gave Helena its first lead of the game in the fifth by pulling a two-out single into left scoring Orf to make it a 4-3 ballgame .

 

But when Razo gave the run up in the top of the sixth it didn't take long for Ortega to pick up his teammate and put Razo in line for another win.

 

Ortega hit a 1-2 pitch from Idaho Falls starter Ashton Goudeau that just cleared the fence in left for his first homer of the season. The Brewers would not trail again in the game and it was a big hit for Ortega the defensive wizard.

 

"We have all been telling him he is a great hitter, all you have to do is just stay back and he hit a nice line drive over the fence, that was a good swing. He wasn't trying to hit a home run he was just trying to get on base like everyone else here and the ball went over and good for him," said Harris.

 

It was a game in which every batter in the Helena lineup got a hit with the exception of last night's hero Taylor Brennan. Six Brewers had RBI on the night.

 

"Yesterday one through three drove in all of our runs, today everybody [drove in runs]. That's the team concept," said Diggs. "Some days guys are going to be able to swing the bats some days guys don't, hopefully your teammates pick you up, hopefully you get good pitching and, you get good defense and I think at the end of it if you can get those things you are going to have a pretty good team."

 

Idaho Falls did make it interesting late as Razo was be replaced by Barrett Astin who allowed three runs, including a two-run homer by Elier Hernandez in the ninth, to make it close. But Andy Hillis came in to get the final two outs of the game and save the fourth win for Razo.

 

Chris Razo photo via Helena site

 

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[Mass Haas]

Brewers snag another ‘W’

by Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record

 

Jalen Harris may be hearing impaired, but that doesn’t stop him from hearing the roar of the crowd.

 

And at Kindrick Legion Field on Wednesday, amid 865 loud fans, the Helena Brewers’ first baseman said he could even pick out his dad’s voice cheering him on from the stands.

 

Harris was 2 for 4 with a double and three runs driven in to help the Brewers to a 9-7 win over Idaho Falls. He said the performance was all the more special considering his parents, Terry and Sandra Harris, made the trip from Toronto. It is the first time they’ve seen him play this year.

 

“It’s a good day, a good start having my parents here,” said Harris, who was born deaf but has worn cochlear implants since he was 3. “It’s an awesome feeling, but I’m just trying to do my job here. I’m not trying to do anything big, just try to get on base and just stay in the same approach that (hitting coach) Chuck (Caufield) has been teaching me since day one.”

 

Helena went on a hit parade Wednesday, with eight different players recording at least one base knock and everyone in the lineup reaching base. The Brewers scored nine runs for the third straight game, which also marked their third victory in a row, and maintained their grip on first place in the Pioneer League North Division.

 

With the loss, the Chukars — who play in the South — dropped to a Pioneer League-worst 6-14.

 

For the second time in as many days, Idaho Falls jumped out to an early lead but couldn’t hang on. Brewers shortstop Angel Ortega broke a 4-all tie in the sixth inning with a line-drive homer that barely cleared the fence in left field to give Helena its first lead of the game. The Brewers broke it open with a four-run seventh inning that saw 10 come to the plate.

 

Idaho Falls made things interesting in the ninth with two runs off a low homer by 18-year-old Elier Hernandez, but the Brewers used some stellar defensive prowess to stave off the late rally.

 

Taylor Brennan made an unbelievable play at third, diving on the third-base line chalk and throwing a rocket to Harris at first for the out. Center fielder Omar Garcia made a running catch at the warning track on a hard-hit ball by Hunter Dozier, who earlier in the contest extended his hitting streak to 11 games. And reliever Andy Hillis made a routine groundout to end the game, giving him his second save of the season.

 

“When you have that kind of defense behind you, I think it gives pitching a lot of confidence to know they can throw the ball across the plate and let the defense play,” Brewers manager Tony Diggs said.

 

Chris Razo agreed. After earning the win Wednesday, he is now 4-0 this season with all of his appearances coming out of the bullpen.

 

“He snuck in four wins already?” Diggs said with a grin when asked about his pitcher’s performance. “It’s good timing on his part. But that says enough. He’s a guy that goes in and gets a good hold. If he can come in and shut down their offense and we can put up runs, those wins will come. Hats off to him.”

 

Razo chalked up the record to dumb luck.

 

“I like coming into situations like that where the game is on the line, but all the credit’s got to go to the defense and the offense,” he said. “Most of the time, I’m coming in we’re either losing or tied. Then the offense steps up with a big hit, like Angel going deep there tonight was pretty exciting.

 

“I would say it takes a lot of luck to get that many wins out of the bullpen. The ball’s just kind of went my way when I get in there. … But being 4-0 is nice; it means the team is getting wins, and that’s all that matters.”

 

Razo, a 24th-round draft pick by Milwaukee this year, was used to being a starter in college at Illinois State. He was named the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year and a Lousiville Slugger third team All-American after posting a 1.71 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings for the Redbirds this season.

 

He has made the transition to reliever with ease, utilizing his fastball to induce groundball outs and getting plenty of help from his infield.

 

“I think it helps they know they’re gonna get a lot of action,” Razo said with a smile. He gave up two hits and an earned run in two innings of relief Wednesday.

 

Twenty-four hours after the top third of the Brewers lineup drove in all nine of the team’s runs, Helena got a team effort from 1-9.

 

“Tonight was a solid effort,” Diggs said. “Even though it was close, a 9-7 game, we did everything right in a lot of facets. Even though we had one error, it wasn’t something we couldn’t overcome, and we swung the bats well.”

 

Despite his longest outing of the season, Chukars starting pitcher Ashton Goudeau fell to 0-4. He gave up seven hits and five runs — only two of which were earned — through six innings.

 

Idaho Falls struggled defensively, with four errors proving costly in the close contest.

 

Frank Schwindel led the Chukars at the plate with a 2-for-2 effort that included a solo shot and a two-run double.

 

The teams continue their four-game set tonight at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central), with lefty Cody Reed scheduled to take the mound for Idaho Falls against Helena southpaw Tyler Linehan.

 

NOTE: Left-handed pitcher Hobbs Johnson was promoted to Helena from the Arizona League on Wednesday. Johnson was drafted out of the University of North Carolina this year in the 14th round. He went 5-1 with a 2.37 ERA with the Tar Heels.

[Mass Haas]

All photos by Eliza Wiley, Helena Independent Record

 

Angel Ortega gets a piece of the ball Wednesday night during the second inning.

 

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Brewers first baseman Jalen Harris catches the pop fly for second out in the third inning Wednesday night against Idaho Falls.

 

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Pitcher Chris Razo winds up for a pitch during the fifth inning.

 

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First baseman Jalen Harris makes second out of the 6th innning at first.

 

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Omar Garcia takes advantage of a bobble by Idaho Falls and takes third in the top of the seventh inning with the Brewers up 5-4.

 

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[Mass Haas]

Helena Brewers Notebook -- Situational Sensation

by Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record

 

Editor’s note: Statistics in this column do not include the results of Wednesday’s game.

 

Give Michael Ratterree some base runners and watch him work his magic.

 

The right fielder was just the man the Helena Brewers wanted to come to the plate with the bases loaded on Tuesday night. Ratterree has been phenomenal this season with runners on, hitting .455 with men on base and an astronomical .538 with runners in scoring position.

 

So it came as little surprise when the 10th-round draft pick out of Rice University made contact. The ball wasn’t hit hard, but found the perfect spot to land in shallow right field to score three runs for the home team and give the speedy Ratterree his first triple of the year. The man who has made his living so far off of doubles — he’s tied for the Pioneer League lead in that category with Idaho Falls’ Hunter Dozier — next wants to see one clear the fence.

 

“A good number of my doubles this year have been hit off the wall, so maybe I’ll try to hit one over next time,” Ratterree said with a smile.

 

The 22-year-old was billed as a power hitter in college. In 2013, he led the Owls in homers (nine), runs scored (45), walks (38), on-base percentage (.412) and stolen bases (12), and his 41 RBIs were a big reason Rice advanced to the NCAA Super Regional.

 

Helena hitting coach Chuck Caufield said he knew the kid could hit coming in, and admittedly hasn’t had to do too much with the mature Ratterree.

 

“I haven’t touched most of these guys,” Caufield said. “(With Ratterree) it was just a matter of trying to slow him down; he was getting started a little late, which was causing him to rush. But he has a nice, short, compact swing, and he’s a hard worker who puts a lot of effort in.”

 

Timing, however, is everything.

 

“When I came here, my timing was a little off,” he said. “Chuckie helped me to get started earlier and slower. I got some hits early on, but I don’t think you could call them true hits; I wasn’t really driving the ball. Once I loaded up earlier and slower, it seemed a lot better.”

 

It’s obvious Ratterree is becoming more comfortable at the plate. He’s batting .298, fourth among Brewers players who see regular action. He is tied for the team lead in RBIs with Taylor Brennan at 14. He has four multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games to his credit.

 

“I’ve just been able to see the ball well and drive it, and they’ve been finding holes in the defense,” he said.

 

He cites consistency as the No. 1 thing he needs to work on to take his game to the next level.

 

“I tend to be kind of a streaky hitter, so I would like to improve that part of my game,” Ratterree said.

 

As for the reason his average is so much better with runners on — he bats just .200 with the bases empty — he believes it’s a mental thing.

 

“I think maybe with runners on base you tend to focus a little more because you really want to drive them in and help the team out,” said Ratterree, who played shortstop his last two years of high school in Houston, and saw time at second base, left field and right field in college.

 

“I might just be a little more aggressive with runners on base.”

 

Caufield describes Ratterree as a gap hitter with a good approach and good hand-eye coordination, who is extremely patient for a player at this level.

 

“He’s a real patient hitter and you have to have that; especially when with people on base, pitchers pitch to you a little bit different,” Caufield said. “He’s patient enough to wait to get something good to hit.”

 

Brewers manager Tony Diggs said the organization expects big things from the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Ratterree.

 

* * *

 

A speedy Omar Garcia stole an impressive 32 bases in 39 games this past season as a sophomore at Miami Dade Community College. His eagerness to put up similar numbers in his first professional season with the Helena Brewers was evident early on, though success was tough to come by at first.

 

Heading into Wednesday night’s game, however, Garcia’s numbers on the base paths were looking much brighter. The center fielder stole a couple bags Tuesday night to give him five thefts so far — a team high. He is 5 for 9 in stolen base attempts, but has been picked off on the base paths a fair number of times as well.

 

“I started off being a little too aggressive on the bases,” the 19-year-old said. “Now I’m starting to pick up the moves a little quicker and coach has been giving us the green light more.”

 

Diggs and Garcia both noted that a big part of becoming successful on the bases is mental.

 

“He definitely has speed, but it’s a different thing having speed and understanding how to steal bases,” Diggs said. “I think he’s starting to understand that, and hopefully he continues to get better at that, so look for him to have a big season on the bases.”

 

* * *

 

The Brewers have been bitten by the injury bug.

 

Second baseman Renaldo Jenkins left Tuesday’s game early with a contusion to his thumb. Diggs said removing him from the contest was more a precautionary measure and said the infielder is day-to-day.

 

Also day-to-day are first baseman Garrett Cooper and catcher Clint Coulter, both of whom are nursing tweaked hamstrings.

 

The Brewers are no doubt being extra cautious with Coulter, a first-round draft pick from 2012 who has also been injured previously.

 

“Coulter is being evaluated so we make sure we are taking the proper precautions with him,” Diggs said.

 

With those players out, that leaves Dustin Houle and Michael Turay as the only catchers on the Helena roster. Four infielders are healthy in Taylor Brennan, Jalen Harris, Angel Ortega and Jesse Weiss, although outfielder Nathan Orf is also capable of moving in. Orf relieved Jenkins at second base Tuesday in the second inning.

 

Photo by Dylan Brown / Helena Independent Record

 

Michael Ratterree smiles as he stops on third base, after hitting a three-run triple on Tuesday.

 

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[Mass Haas]

VIDEO From Tuesday's Nashville game:

 

Hainley Statia hits a solo homer in the Sounds' 10-1 loss to Albuquerque

[Mass Haas]

Final: @AZL Mariners 13, AZL Brewers 10

 

AZL Brewers Box Score

 

Odd, wild game.

 

A-Crew takes a 3-0 lead in the top of the 1st.

 

Mini-Mariners really get to Austin Ross in the 3rd inning of yet another rehab start and take a 7-3 lead.

 

Brewers score two in the top of the 6th to to tie the game at 8-8, and then two more in the 7th to grab a 10-8 lead.

 

But, like Ross, Jorge Ortega struggled late in his own outing after early success, and the Mariners went up 12-10 with a four-run 7th.

 

Wow, except for leadoff man Brandon Diaz, every Maryvale batter had a multi-hit game (yet he gets the name in bold here). Please enjoy all the batting lines in that box score -- how many 17-year-old's have a perfect day over five plate appearances (David Denson).

 

AZL Brewers Game Log

 

Tanner Neuhaus made conversation with a "big leagua".

 

Mega box score, mega game log, please have at it.

[Mass Haas]

Post-Crescent Timber Rattler Photo Gallery

[Mass Haas]

Damien Magnifico on his blister issue

[Mass Haas]

[battlekow]

Orlando Arcia gets Mallex Smith of the TinCaps trapped between second and third. Photo by Ron Page/Post-Crescent Media

 

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That's unsigned Brewers 2011 13th-round draft pick Mallex Smith.

[TheCrew07]

Feature on Cubs' Arismendy Alcantara, subscriber content

 

Arismendy Alcantara Packs Plenty Of Pop In Small Package

[TheCrew07]

Cubs' 1B Dan Vogelbach.

 

MWL notes: Vogelbach shows maturity

[TheCrew07]

Red's 1B prospect Seth Mejias-Brean featured.

 

Mejias-Brean digs out of early hole

[TheCrew07]

Notable Quotables: Burning down the house

 

Brewers prospect Andy Moye on adjusting to Double-A (Stars’ Moye loses no-hit bid in ninth):

 

“One thing I’ve learned with this league that I didn’t do early on is just attacking these hitters. It’s my first year in Double-A, and it’s a learning experience, as coach says sometimes. I’ve learned to attack guys and just try to pound the zone with all my pitches and see what happens. I didn’t get ahead quite as well in the outing before, but I had similar results. I’m just trying to go right at guys. I think that’s been the term for me this year.”

[TheCrew07]

No one from the division gets mentioned today.

 

Prospect Notebook: Henry Urrutia Goes 5-For-5