Jump to content
Brewer Fanatic

Link Report for Fri. 8/16

Mass Haas

By Mass Haas,
in Brewers Minor League Talk

Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

Brewer Fanatic Staff
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Pena, Bullpen Lead Stars to Victory

Alex Cohen, Huntsville Stars

 

Fresh off of two consecutive losses, the Huntsville Stars evened up their series at two games apiece against the Mobile BayBears with a 4-2 victory on Friday night at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

While the pitching was much of the story for Huntsville, the Stars bats started things off early in the top of the first inning against BayBears starting pitcher David Holmberg.

 

After second baseman Nick Shaw drew a walk and first baseman Jason Rogers hit a single with one out, catcher Shawn Zarraga brought them both home on a two-run double to make the score 2-0. For Zarraga, the double was in his first at-bats since spending 10 days on the disabled list.

 

While he gave up two runs in the fourth inning that tied up the ballgame, Stars starting pitcher Ariel Pena built off his last outing where he tossed five scoreless innings to earn his first victory in two months. Pena gave up just two runs on three hits in six innings to improve to 7-8 on the year.

 

Huntsville was able to break that tie and put Pena in position for the sixth inning with one swing of the bat. With BayBears righty Bryan Woodall in the game, Stars outfielder Brock Kjeldgaard took his first pitch on the night over the centerfield wall to put the Stars back up by a score of 3-2.

 

For Kjeldgaard, the homer ties him with Rogers for the team lead and Southern League lead with 20 roundtrippers this year. Huntsville tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning with an RBI single by third baseman Shea Vucinich.

 

While the offense ultimately put the Stars back on top for good, the win for Pena was ensured by a dominant bullpen effort for the Stars.

 

In the seventh and eighth inning respectively, righties Greg Holle and Kevin Shackelford sent down the Baybears in order, recording one strikeout apiece.

 

To finish up the game, righty David Goforth notched his third save of the sending when he sent down the heart of the Mobile order in the ninth inning.

 

On Saturday, the Stars will play the rubbermatch of a five-game series against the Mobile BayBears at Joe Davis Stadium. Huntsville will send RHP Brooks Hall (1-4, 5.06 ERA) while Mobile will counter with RHP Bo Schultz (5-2, 2.76 ERA).

 

This will be the final meeting between the Stars and BayBears in the regular season this year. Huntsville is 4-5 against the first half Southern League South champs this year.

 

First pitch on Saturday is 6:43 CT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

Brewer Fanatic Staff
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Wagner solid but Wisconsin falls to Peoria

by Jim Oskola, Post-Crescent Media

 

GRAND CHUTE — Wisconsin’s 7-2 loss to Peoria was far from the outcome the Timber Rattlers wanted at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Friday night but, at this level of baseball, the game is as much about improving as it is about winning.

 

Improvement is what people are seeing when Wisconsin right-hander Tyler Wagner takes to the mound.

 

Against Peoria, Wagner went six innings, allowing six hits and two runs.

 

“I’m just sticking with my approach, sticking with the process,” Wagner said. “I’m learning new things every outing and taking parts, bit and pieces into the next outing. That next outing is a brand new one in itself. All I can really worry about is executing the next pitch.”

 

Since June 21, when Wagner gave up five runs in four innings against Cedar Rapids, he has pitched 61 1⁄3 innings. Over that span, he has allowed 53 hits and 17 runs.

 

“He’s done a nice job, especially the second half,” Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson said. “He’s got a little more confidence. Even when he’s not winning counts early, he’s making quality pitches behind in the counts and finding ways to get ground balls. It was unfortunate in that two-run fifth inning. The lead-off guy hit a ball hard but then we made a play and there were three infield singles in a row.”

 

Those four singles allowed Peoria to overcome a two-run deficit that Wisconsin had built on a double by Tyler Roberts that scored Parker Berberet in the second inning and a double by Mike Garza in the the third inning that scored Michael Reed.

 

While it’s a long way from the Midwest League to Milwaukee, Wagner has been taking the steps necessary to improve.

 

“There’s been some delivery issues that he’s been working on since Day 1,” Erickson said. “I think he’s a lot more comfortable with his delivery now. There were a couple tweaks to that to try and get his hand up and get a little more sink, or tilt on his fastball. He’s doing a little bit of that.

 

“He’s throwing some really good sinkers, as opposed to just having the ball run on the same plane. That’s something he’s been working on with Chavi (pitching coach Dave Chavarria) pretty hard and he’s having some good results with it in competition.”

 

Wagner had Peoria beating the ball into the ground for most of his six innings, with 14 of the 18 outs he recorded coming on ground balls.

 

Having logged 130 2⁄3 innings in 24 appearances, Wagner has been able to maintain his arm strength.

 

“It’s just being consistent with the workouts,” Wagner said. “The everyday grind is keeping my arm in good shape.”

 

With 17 games remaining in the season, Wagner expects that he has about three starts left. His goals?

 

“Just stick with the process,” he said. “Try to get my fastball command down and just stick with the process of learning new things.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

Brewer Fanatic Staff
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Final: @Helena 12, Orem 7

 

***

 

Angel Blesses Brewers in Win

Ortega makes incredible play, has three hits in series finale

By Zac Vierra / Helena Brewers

 

http://www.milb.com/assets/images/6/8/8/57276688/cuts/10_Angel_Ortega_fielding_xh3oi5vc_fubacy8p.jpg

 

Angel Ortega (photo above) had a big two-run single in the eighth inning on Friday night to give the Brewers some much-needed insurance.

 

But ten years from now the 843 people in attendance will most likely forget that Ortega had three hits in Helena's 12-7 win over Orem. What they will remember is the incredible play that the silky smooth shortstop made in the top of the eighth inning.

 

After the Brewers had just taken a 9-6 lead, Ranyelmy Mendoza led off the seventh with a ground ball up the middle. Ortega ranged to his left and right before the ball reached him, it took it took a strange hop to the shortstop's right. Ortega then lunged to his right, barehanded the ball, and in one motion, while falling on to his backside, threw a perfect strike to nab Mendoza at first.

 

"I was making a diving catch and I saw a bad hop and I grabbed it with my hand. We throw every practice from behind the base so I had the angles right and I just threw it and see what happens," said Ortega with a smile.

 

It was reminiscent of Ozzie Smith's barehanded web gem with the Padres in 1978 and Ortega described it as the best play of his career.

 

Ortega, who has been spectacular defensively all season, made a play to end the fourth inning that would have made the highlight reel on any other night. In that frame, Alex Allbritton hit a grounder that looked destined for center field but Ortega slid behind the bag and spun around and threw to nail Allbritton.

 

The 19-year-old shortstop also had a successful day at the plate going 3 for 5 with two RBI and two runs scored. It was his second three-hit game of the season.

 

"I saw the ball really well and I just got lucky. You have to keep swinging it and that's what I do every day," said Ortega.

 

The Brewers took a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning but the Owlz rallied for one in the fifth and took the lead off Eduard Reyes and Sean Albury with a five spot in the sixth.

 

After Helena manager Tony Diggs was ejected in the in the top of the seventh for arguing a call at first base, his team rallied in the bottom half of the inning.

 

With the Brewers trailing 6-5, Adam Giacalone led off the frame with a bullet double to right-center and he advanced to third when Taylor Brennan grounded out to the right side.

 

Helena would tie the game at six when Dustin Houle hit a single up the middle to drive home Giacalone.

 

After a fly out, Ortega pulled a single to left. With two on and two out, Charlie Markson hit a 3-1 pitch into the gap in right-center. When the ball rolled all the way to the wall, Houle and Ortega scored and Markson slid in with his first triple of the year as the Brewers took the lead.

 

"We have done that all season. We have a pretty good team, good teammates that pick you up every time so I think that's the type to get behind you and get ahead again," said Ortega.

 

With the third baseman playing deep, Nathan Orf would follow with a perfect bunt single to score Markson and give the Brewers a 9-6 advantage.

 

Helena would add three insurance runs in the eighth when Ortega hit a two-run single and Jose Pena scored on a wild pitch.

 

Tanner Poppe pitched the final two innings to earn his second save of the game.

 

The win clinched the ninth series victory for Brewers this season.

 

On Saturday, Helena will face the Grand Junction Rockies, the South Division First Half Champions, for the first time this season. The Rockies are the only Pioneer League team the Brewers have not seen this season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

Brewer Fanatic Staff
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Brewers blow lead, rally to win

by Curt Synness, Helena Independent Record

 

After squandering a 5-0 lead to the visiting Orem Owlz, the Helena Brewers rallied back from a 6-5 deficit with a four-run seventh inning, highlighted by Charlie Markson’s two-run triple.

 

The Brewers tacked on three more runs in the eighth and finished with a 12-7 victory Friday over the Owlz at Kindrick Legion Field.

 

Helena wins the four-game Pioneer League series 3-1 over Orem, improving to 32-23 overall and 9-8 in the second half.

 

The Owlz drop to 29-25, 9-7.

 

The Brewers scored three runs in the second frame and two in the fourth for their early advantage.

 

Orem got on the board in the fifth, but Helena still led 5-1 going into the sixth thanks to the combined five-hitter by pitchers Eduard Reyes and Brandon Moore.

 

In the bottom of the fifth, Owlz third baseman Alex Allbritton peformed his best Brooks Robinson impression. He robbed Dustin Houle, Jose Pena and Angel Ortega of base hits by leaping for two screaming line drives, followed by an acrobatic play on a bunt.

 

Then the Utah club put up a five-spot in the top of the sixth, with Ryan Dalton’s RBI-single plating the go-ahead run.

 

Next, Helena manager Tony Diggs was thrown out of the game in the top of the seventh after arguing a questionable safe call at first base.

 

The incident seemed to spark the home team, as it rallied for four runs on Adam Giacalone’s double; singles by Houle, Ortega and Pena; and Markson’s triple to the right-center wall.

 

In the top of the eighth, shortstop Angel Ortega showed the fans he could play a little defense, too. He made an incredible play deep in the hole behind second base to throw out Ranyelmy Mendoza for the first out, and then got the third out on another web gem against Dalton.

 

Sean Albury collected the mound win, going 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. Tanner Poppe got the save, working the final two frames, allowing two hits.

 

The hosts outhit their counterparts 14-13, led by Dionis Hinojosa (double, two RBIs) and Ortega (two runs, two RBIs), with three base hits each.

 

Michael Fish and Dalton had a pair of RBIs apiece for the visitors.

 

Next, the Brewers host Grand Junction in a three-game set at Kindrick Legion, beginning today at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

 

Photo by James Ridle, Blackfoot Media Group

 

Helena’s Dionis Hinojosa dives back to base to avoid a pick-off attempt during the Brewers’ series finale against the Orem Owlz. Helena won, 12-7.

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/9b/79b207de-0702-11e3-b7fa-001a4bcf887a/520f127c2c853.preview-620.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mass Haas GOAT

Mass Haas

Brewer Fanatic Staff
Posted
  • Author
Posted

Final: AZL Brewers 7, @AZL Mariners 5

 

AZL Brewers Box Score

 

Four-run Brewer 5th broke a 2-2 tie. Six Mariner errors in the game, yet the A-Crew earned their pay, with only one of their runs technically a gift.

 

Top of the order with a nice job, please check out the box score for the specific mentions this AM.

 

SS/3B Tucker Neuhaus has played in 44 of Maryvale's 46 games. The next highest number is 2B Francisco Castillo at 39.

 

AZL Brewers Game Log

 

Moundwise, we already mentioned Martin Viramontes earlier; Devin Williams fanned six in three innings (two ER), and LHP Clint Terry proved weeks ago that he should have been placed in Helena, not Maryvale, three scoreless here. Brewer pitchers combined to whiff 17 (five walks, one HBP, one WP).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
The Twins Daily Caretaker Fund
The Brewer Fanatic Caretaker Fund

You all care about this site. The next step is caring for it. We’re asking you to caretake this site so it can remain the premier Brewers community on the internet. Included with caretaking is ad-free browsing of Brewer Fanatic.

Become a Caretaker
×
×
  • Create New...