Link Report for Mon. 9/9 - Helena's Bats Wake Up (And Then Some) in Playoff Opener

[Mass Haas]

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[Mass Haas]

Pioneer Baseball: Red-hot Voyagers ready for postseason, Helena

Great Falls Tribune

 

The Great Falls Voyagers swept their final four-game series against the Helena Brewers.

 

Now come three games that actually matter.

 

The Pioneer League North Division second-half champion Voyagers play host to the first-half champion Brewers tonight at Centene Stadium in the first game of the best-of-three playoff series at 7:00 PM (8:00 Central). The series shifts back to Helena Tuesday, and if necessary, Wednesday. The winner plays the South Division winner for the league title.

The Voyagers finished the regular season with six consecutive wins and the best overall record at 48-28. The Brewers finished 43-33.

 

Pioneer League pitcher of the year Jake Sanchez (6-3, 2.78 ERA) is slated to pitch for the Voyagers against Helena’s Taylor Williams (3-1, 4.25). Great Falls’ Andrew Mitchell (1-3, 4.50) is scheduled to face Helena’s Barrett Astin (1-1, 4.30) Tuesday, and the Voyagers’ Nick Blount (4-4, 3.18) would face Anthony Banda (3-4, 4.45) in the if-necessary game.

 

This marks the seventh straight season the Voyagers have qualified for the playoffs. Missoula topped the Voyagers two games to one last season en route to the league title. Great Falls won the title in 2011 and 2008.

 

Helena is making its first postseason appearance since it won the title in 2010.

 

Zach Voight is the Voyagers’ leading hitter with a .320 average. He has eight homers and 41 RBIs. Christian Stringer is hitting .312 and Corey Thompson is batting .310 with four homers and 40 RBIs. Justin Jirschele, Adam Engel and Zach Fisher are all hitting over .300. Jacob Morris leads the team with 12 homers.

 

Adam Giacolone is hitting .337 with five homers for the Brewers. Michael Ratteree is hitting. .314 with 12 homers and 58 RBIs.

 

Grand Junction faces Idaho Falls in the best-of-three South Division series. The winners will play each other later in the week. Thursday would be a travel day to the home of the South winner with a game Friday. Saturday is the return travel day with Games Two and Three at the North winner’s home.

[Mass Haas]

MiLB.com's preview story includes more tidbits and quotes from Brewers OF Michael Ratterree.

[Mass Haas]

Helena: RHP Taylor Williams at Great Falls (White Sox), 7:40 PM Central pre-game, 8:00 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link

 

Voice of the Helena Brewers Steve Wendt is back on board, and this year he's added Twitter to the mix @steve_wendt. We've been treated to Steve's work for many years now (ten!); he is among the very best at the art of the pre-game interview, especially considering how at ease he makes all these first-time professional ballplayers.

 

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Follow Monday's action as it happens with box score / game log links:

 

Helena Box Score / Game Log

 

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Weather.com:

 

Great Falls, MT

[Mass Haas]

New this season: Helena has media notes; it's a unique link each day, but look for it just prior to game time each day within the "Stats and Scores" banner here.

[MTBrew]

Winning this series is going to be a tall order for Helena.

I don't believe that they were employing a "rope a dope" strategy in dropping the final four games vs Great Falls. The way they played in that series was very indicative of their second half - they barely played .500 ball.

This is a team with a lot of holes, starting with the pitching. Too many walks, too many WP's, too many runs allowed by relievers, no dominate starter. I think that Diggs will need to use the entire pitching staff, even it it means guys only going 1, 2 or 3 innings.I guess we will see if they are playing to win or playing for development.

Depending on the lineup, the defense could be below average. And worse the club is not playing good fundamental ball right now - the base running is atrocious, not knowing how many outs, missing the cut-off man, lack of focus, etc. I don't lay all of this on the coaching staff but this team did not get better through out the season.

Helena got hot at different times this summer on the back of their bats. When they were hitting with confidence it rubbed off on the entire team, the "D" was better as was the pitching. This is what they will need to do to compete with Great Falls.

I don't think Great Falls has more talent than does Helena but they are playing much better ball and make fewer mistakes.

[Mass Haas]

AUDIO from the weekend --

 

Helena Brewers outfielder Charlie Markson talks about his recent success and playing outfield in different parks

[MTBrew]

Interesting starting line-up for game 1.

I like what Tony Diggs is doing, not the best "D" but still pretty good.

[Mass Haas]

Via the opponent's local press perspective --

 

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Pioneer Playoffs: Helena Brewers crush Voyagers in Game 1

by Jesse Geleynse, Great Falls Tribune Sports Writer

 

Maybe the Great Falls Voyagers were simply overdue for a loss.

 

After a second half that saw them lose only nine times and end the regular season with a six-game winning streak, maybe a letdown was inevitable. The Voyagers just hoped it wouldn’t be this soon.

 

Or this drastic.

 

The Voyagers committed three errors and Pioneer League pitcher of the year Jake Sanchez had his roughest outing of the season as the Helena Brewers routed Great Falls 16-5 in the first game of a best-of-three Pioneer League North Division Championship Series in front of 1,102 fans at Centene Stadium Monday.

 

“We were able to swing the bats and get a lot of barrel on the ball,” Brewers outfielder Michael Ratterree said. “We got a lot of momentum going right now. The way we played all year is we led with our bats. Our bats woke up tonight and helped us out.”

 

The series shifts to Helena tonight at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). A third if-necessary game would be played Wednesday in Helena with the winner traveling to face the South Division champion.

 

Great Falls had swept a four-game series in Helena to end the season that had no bearing on the postseason. But Monday belonged to the Brewers.

 

“We didn’t see them as meaningless games – we had some things we wanted to work on and gain some momentum,” Ratterree said. “There were some rainouts and our heads might not have been in it. But we were able to flip the switch tonight.”

 

It was Pioneer League MVP Ratterree who bested Sanchez with a two-run home run in the first inning that started the rout. Ratterree’s homer gave a lead they never relinquished to go one game up in the series.

 

Dionis Hinojosa hit a three-run homer in the fifth and Jose Pena hit a three-run home run in the eighth as the Brewers pounded out 15 hits.

 

The Voyagers hit two homers of their own, but both were of the solo variety. Ratterree said the ball carried particularly well Monday night.

 

“Especially to right field in the early innings – I thought I just hit a sac fly to right,” Ratterree said. “Luckily the wind picked it up and it got out.”

 

Sanchez – who was 5-1 in his last six starts and hadn’t allowed an earned run in 13 innings – lasted only 3 1/3 innings for his shortest start of the year. It was Sanchez’s second loss to Helena this season. The Brewers beat Sanchez on July 3 in his only other start against Helena.

 

“It just kind of proves to everybody that he’s human,” Voyagers manager Pete Rose said. “Everybody has bad starts and that’s part of the game. His head’s fine. He picked himself up off the ground and probably can’t wait to get the ball again.”

 

Helena starter Taylor Williams (2013 4th round, Kent State) was the star on the mound. Touching the upper 90s on the radar gun, Williams fanned six in five innings to pick up the win.

 

“He’s got great stuff,” Ratterree said. “When he throws strikes, he’s lethal.”

 

The Brewers broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning against reliever Jose Bautista. Dustin Houle doubled and scored on an error, and Hinojosa belted a long three-run home run to left as Helena opened up a 10-1 lead.

 

The Voyagers got two back in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double from Adam Engel and an RBI single by Danny Hayes. Great Falls added another in the sixth when Jacob Morris singled and scored on an RBI fielder’s choice by Justin Jirschele to make it 10-4.

 

Pena’s home run pushed the lead to 14-4 in the eighth. Zac Fisher homered leading off the bottom of the eighth, but that was as close as the Voyagers got. Ratterree added a two-run double in the ninth to complete the scoring.

 

Ratterree homered following a Charlie Markson one-out triple in the top of the first for a 2-0 lead. The Brewers pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second when Taylor Brennan doubled in Houle.

 

Morris’s solo home run in the second made it 3-1, but Hinojosa and Markson had RBI singles in the fourth to chase Sanchez. Bautista balked in another run before getting the final two outs as Helena increased the lead to 6-1.

 

Andrew Mitchell goes to the hill for Great Falls tonight in a quest to keep the season alive. Barrett Astin (2013 3rd round, University of Arkansas) will get the ball for Helena.

 

“We’ll be ready (today),” Rose said. “Now it’s a matter of seeing what they’re made of. We’ll get on the bus tomorrow, travel down there and play the game we’re supposed to play it and we’ll see what happens.”

 

Voyagers second baseman Christian Stringer attempts to turn a double play after forcing out Helena Brewers baserunner Michael Ratterree on Monday night at Centene Stadium. / TRIBUNE PHOTO/RION SANDERS

 

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[Mass Haas]

Dionis Hinojosa hit a three-run homer in the fifth

 

Apparently it went a long way.

 

OK, long, but maybe not that long.

[Mass Haas]

Via MLB.com:

 

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Ratterree MVP for Helena in opener

Pioneer League's top player plates four in rout of Great Falls

By Grant Tunkel / MiLB.com

 

Michael Ratterree slugged his way through the Pioneer League regular season to earn MVP honors. With the playoffs underway, he didn't miss a beat.

 

Ratterree went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBIs to help Rookie-level Helena rout Great Falls, 16-5, in the opener of the best-of-3 North Division Finals. He reached base five times and helped pace a 15-hit attack.

 

It was the right fielder's first appearance at the dish that set the tone for the entire evening. Facing Jake Sanchez, the circuit's Pitcher of the Year, Ratterree came to the plate with a runner on third base and one out in the top of the first inning.

 

"I was just trying to drive the ball to the outfield, so I was looking out over the plate," the 22-year-old Brewers prospect said. "He threw me an offspeed pitch. I was able to stay on it and the wind did the rest.

 

"It was big for us to come out and throw the first punch."

 

Helena didn't let up either. With the breeze blowing out at Centene Stadium in Great Falls, the Brewers hit three home runs and totaled seven extra-base hits. The offensive outburst was a welcome change for a team that averaged fewer than three runs per game during a season-ending four-game losing streak.

 

"Our hitting coach [Chuckie Caufield] gave us a little bit of an approach," Ratterree said. "He said just to look out over the plate. We haven't been hitting well over the last couple of days."

 

Ratterree, the Rice University product (photo below by Chris Talley/FutureStarPhotos.com) said the team had a little bit of extra energy heading into the game against Sanchez. The Voyagers hurler went 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA during the regular season, but he allowed six runs on nine hits in 3 1/3 innings Monday.

 

"You're always excited for an opportunity like that," Ratterree said. "We had some adrenaline coming into the game."

 

Every batter in the Brewers lineup had at least one hit. Leadoff hitter Dionis Hinojosa smacked a three-run homer on a four-RBI night. Jose Pena added a three-run homer in the eighth.

 

Game 2 will be in Helena at 8:05 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

 

"They have great pitching, great hitting. They're always gonna fight," Ratterree said of Great Falls. "I think we have to keep swinging the bats. That's what's led us all season."

 

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In other Pioneer League playoff action:

 

Idaho Falls 7, Grand Junction 1

 

Royals' No. 7 prospect Hunter Dozier went 2-for-4 with a double and Daniel Rockett drove in two runs. Chukars left-hander Jonathan Dziedzic tossed five innings of one-run ball and struck out six batters to earn the victory. His mound counterpart, the Rockies' Devin Burke, allowed six unearned runs in six innings and took the loss. Grand Junction committed eight errors in defeat.

[Mass Haas]

Notes from the Helena Independent Record:

 

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Brewers hang 16 runs on Voyagers in playoff opener

 

Dionis Hinojosa and Michael Ratterree drove in four runs apiece, leading the Helena Brewers to a 16-5 victory over the Great Falls Voyagers in the first game of the Pioneer League’s Northern Division playoffs.

 

Helena (43-33) used three pitchers in the triumph in the Electric City, with starter Taylor Williams collecting the win.

 

The Brewers will entertain the Voyagers in Game 2 Tuesday at Kindrick Legion Field. A Helena win will send the Brew-crew to the Pioneer League championship finals.

 

Helena scored early and often in the win over Great Falls (48-29) Monday, tallying two runs in the first inning, one in the second, three in the fourth, four in the fifth and eighth frames and two in the ninth.

 

The Brewers ripped 15 base hits in the contest, with seven extra-base hits. Hinojosa was 2 for 5, with a home run and three runs scored. Ratterree was 3 for 4, with a double, a homer and two runs. Jose Pena blasted a 3-run homer and Charlie Markson chipped in with two hits, a triple, three runs and an RBI.

 

Williams worked five innings, giving up four hits and three runs, while striking out six and walking two. He was relieved by Tristan Archer and Estevenson Encarnacion. Helena hurlers held the hosts to seven hits.

 

Great Falls starter Jake Sanchez gave up six runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings, and was hung with the loss.

 

Zach Fisher and Jacob Morris had homers for the Voyagers.

[Mass Haas]

Our rookie ball thread for Zac Vierra's feature on LHP Anthony Banda

[Mass Haas]

Helena Box Score / Game Log

 

Minus some fielding miscues on the right-side of the infield, it's all good. Every player with at least one base knock, and the league's MVP on base five times, as noted above. Enjoy!