Link Report for Wed. 7/2 - This Just In: Jimmy Nelson's Still Awesome

[Mass Haas]

Final: AZL Brewers 4, @AZL Athletics 2

 

Maryvale Box Score

 

Rehabbing RHP Seth Harvey got the start, and after two innings (one run), there was some outstanding work from 20-year-old RHP's Joshua Torres and Gian Rizzo.

 

Maryvale Game Log

 

LF Yunior Santana hit his first stateside home run, 3B Sthervin Matos doubled, and the A-Crew added nine singles, although they drew no walks (fanned eight times). Catcher Matt Martin (the designated hitter in this game) reached three times (two singles, HBP).

 

Three-run 3rd inning the key --

 

AZL Brewers Top of the 3rd

 

Daniel Leonardo singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Jean Carlo Rodriguez.

Troy Stokes lines out to center fielder Jonesy Zarraga.

With Jake Gatewood batting, Daniel Leonardo steals (2) 2nd base.

Jake Gatewood grounds out, third baseman Jean Carlo Rodriguez to first baseman Michael Soto.

Monte Harrison singles on a ground ball to shortstop Edwin Diaz, deflected by second baseman Jesus Lopez. Daniel Leonardo scores.

Sthervin Matos doubles (5) on a fly ball to center fielder Jonesy Zarraga. Monte Harrison scores.

Juan Ortiz singles on a line drive to shortstop Edwin Diaz. Sthervin Matos scores.

Yunior Santana flies out to center fielder Jonesy Zarraga.

[Mass Haas]

Pagnozzi's homers back Sounds' Nelson

Veteran catcher produces in latest solid start by Brewers top prospect

By Josh Jackson / MiLB.com

 

Nobody ever accused catcher Matt Pagnozzi of not doing enough to make his batterymate comfortable.

 

Pagnozzi homered twice -- sending two balls off Greer Stadium's guitar-shaped scoreboard in left field -- and threw out two basestealers in support of top Brewers prospect Jimmy Nelson as Triple-A Nashville blanked visiting Memphis, 5-0, on Wednesday.

 

The 31-year-old backstop got an earful about his teammates after the long homers.

 

"They joke around about it all the time, whenever anybody hits one off the guitar," he said. "They were saying, 'Is that all you got?' I said, 'Yeah, unless the pitcher throws harder, because that's about all I've got.'"

 

Pagnozzi went 3-for-4, homering twice off Redbirds starter Tyler Lyons -- one in the fourth inning and the other in the sixth.

 

"There wasn't a whole lot of height on the first one. I was talking to the ball a little, telling it to get up," he said.

 

AUDIO: Matt Pagnozzi's 1st HR

 

"[The second one] was just a matter of a hitter's count, and it comes down to getting your pitch.

 

"I think it was a changeup and it was a little bit elevated. That always helps, but he threw me one in that first at-bat and got me out with a little one-hopper back to him. I'm not sure the [sixth-inning changeup] was where he wanted it though."

 

VIDEO: Matt Pagnozzi hits his second homer of the game for Nashville against Memphis

 

Both of Pagnozzi's long balls ended up with the same fan.

 

The Sounds have won six in a row, while the Redbirds are on a seven-game slide. Nelson (10-2) has been on a streak of his own -- one that's virtually season-long. The victory keeps him atop the heap in all three pitching Triple Crown categories: he's tied with Iowa's Kyle Hendricks with 10 wins and leads outright with a 1.56 ERA and 110 strikeouts.

 

"He was throwing all of his pitches, moving his fastball around in the zone, up and down and in and out," Pagnozzi said. "He was throwing his slider for strikes early and burying it late and he was throwing his changeup like that as well. It makes it really tough. He's got electric stuff."

 

VIDEO (Full At-Bat): Jimmy Nelson records a strikeout for Nashville against Memphis' Xavier Scruggs

 

Memphis threatened in the first, when rehabbing Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong led off with a single and stole second and Scott Moore was hit by a pitch with one out. But Nelson got second-ranked St. Louis prospect Stephen Piscotty to ground into an inning-ending double play.

 

In the fifth, Pete Kozma reached on an error by Nashville second baseman Pete Orr, but Pagnozzi caught him stealing.

 

"Errors are part of the game, but it definitely felt good to erase it," Pagnozzi said. "I'm sure [Orr] felt good about that, too."

 

Ed Easley followed with a ground-rule double, the only extra-base hit Nelson allowed.

 

"You've got to tip your hat to him. He took a pretty good pitch on a two-strike count the other way and tucked it in the line," Pagnozzi said. "That's the kind of thing they frustrate you with, but you've got to tip your cap."

 

In the seventh, Nelson yielded a leadoff single to Thomas Pham, but Pagnozzi caught him trying for second on a pitch that bounced in the dirt.

 

"I was fortunate to block the ball and keep it in front of me," Pagnozzi said. "He was doing what he's been taught to do, which is be aggressive on a ball in the dirt."

 

After issuing a two-out walk to Easley, Nelson gave the ball to Alfredo Figaro, who pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings. Jeremy Jeffress tossed a 1-2-3 ninth.

 

There was one area where Pagnozzi couldn't help Nelson. MLB.com's No. 65 overall prospect was 0-for-3 and is still searching for his first professional hit.

 

"Everybody's been trying to coach him along. He hit a couple balls tonight that were more about placement than anything else," Pagnozzi noted. "Wong made a great play on him up the middle, and [Nelson]'s not blessed with a lot of speed."

[Mass Haas]

Nashville strung together three two-out knocks in the first inning to take an initial 2-0 lead on Memphis. Outfielder Jeremy Hermida drove a double to dead centerfield to score Jason Rogers 2-for-4, before being driven home himself on Sean Halton's RBI single.

 

AUDIO: Hermida's RBI Double

[Mass Haas]

Sounds finally find their swing

Mack Burke, The Tennessean

 

Wednesday's 5-0 win over Memphis at Greer Stadium was the Sounds' sixth victory in a row and left them 8-3 in the previous 11 games entering Wednesday's contest.

 

That follows an eight-game losing streak from June 13-20.

 

The reason for the turnaround? It's a few things, some of which haven't been so prevalent this season.

 

The pitching is solid, as it has been for the majority of the season, and that has contributed to the quick turnaround. But the offense, which has been relatively quiet for most of the season, has been surging

 

The recent wave of hitting hasn't really made a noticeable dent in the overall, season-long team stats. The Sounds still had the lowest batting average in the Pacific Coast League in June (.254), and they're near the bottom of the league for the season (.261).

 

But a few hitting streaks and a couple of recent call-ups from Double-A Huntsville have added more power to the roster.

 

Sounds manager Rick Sweet said hitters have been putting in extra work and practice to improve at the plate. And the roster additions have provided a much-needed balance, allowing players to get more days off to rest.

 

"(The hitting's) been better, and I think that part of that is that they've worked very hard with (hitting coach Bob) Skube. They've hit in the cage; they've hit extra," Sweet said. "It's tough when you go on the road because you don't get to get in as much work, and now that we're back home, we've gotten in tons of work, and guys are swinging really well.

 

"Skube does a great job of picking up things for guys (to work on), helping them," Sweet said.

 

Infielder Pete Orr was one of the Sounds' best hitters in June with his .375 (24-for-64) batting average. After Wednesday's game, he has had at least one hit in 18 of the previous 22 games, including five RBIs in the previous five.

 

In the previous 10 games entering Wednesday night, Eugenio Velez was 13-for-34 (.382) and Caleb Gindl was 10-for-33 (.303) with six RBIs.

 

And, finally, the middle of the order has been consistent over the past few games. Hunter Morris and Sean Halton have combined to go 14-for-27 (.519) with two home runs and nine RBIs in the previous five games.

[Mass Haas]

Manatees pull off comeback against Cubs

Michael Parsons, FLORIDA TODAY

 

VIERA – The Brevard County Manatees rallied to post their sixth straight win, increasing their lead in the North Division of the Florida State League standings.

 

The Manatees scored runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings to go from 2-0 down to defeat the Daytona Cubs 4-3 on Wednesday night at Space Coast Stadium.

 

"The guys have really been playing well since the break, the guys have really made good adjustments," Brevard County manager Joe Ayrault said after the team improved to 10-3 in the second half.

 

Down 2-0 in the fourth inning, Nicky Delmonico got the Manatees offense going against Daytona starting pitcher Justin Amlung, blasting his fourth home run over the right-field wall.

 

After Daytona scored its third run of the game in the fifth inning, the Manatees got it back in the bottom of the inning as Mike Garza scored on Nathan Orf's ground ball to shortstop.

 

Garza also scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning on an Orf groundout to second.

 

"He did a good job. He just kind of broke and kept rolling. For a big guy, he can run and has good instincts," Ayrault said.

 

Brevard County starter Jorge Lopez did not have his best stuff, but kept the Manatees in the game, allowing three runs and walked five. He also struck out five in six innings.

 

"He wasn't his usual self, but got through it," Ayrault said. "When you can get through six innings when you don't have your great stuff, it says a lot about him."

 

Chad Pierce came into the game and pitched two shutout innings to pick up his second win of the season.

 

Mark Williams pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his seventh save.

 

The two teams will play the third game of the series in Daytona tonight. The series returns to Space Coast Stadium Friday night for a July 4th celebration. There will be fireworks after the game.

[Mass Haas]

Brevard County -

 

AUDIO: Justin Rocke of the Manatees Radio Network chats with LHP Mike Strong about his recent success on the mound

 

AUDIO, Game Highlights: Brevard County wins its sixth consecutive game with a 4-3 victory over Daytona

 

AUDIO: Nicky Delmonico went 2-for-3 with a homer on Wednesday Night. Justin Rocke of the Manatees Radio Network caught up with Delmonico postgame.

 

***

 

AUDIO: The best Brevard County plays from the month of June, as heard on the Manatees Radio Network

[Mass Haas]

ARTICLE LINK INCLUDES VIDEO INTERVIEW - Audio was included in Rattler Radio Blog post linked earlier...

 

Timber Rattlers' Rafael Neda shows versatility

Timber Rattlers player has good week at the plate while showing versatility in the field

Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent Media

 

Rafael Neda played a key role as a starting catcher in helping the Wisconsin Timber Ratters win the Midwest League championship in 2012.

 

Two years later, Neda has resurfaced with the Timber Rattlers in a different role, but has remained a valuable and versatile player off the bench.

 

Neda has been the Rattlers' most productive hitter this week and continued to sting the ball Wednesday night in Wisconsin's 6-1 loss to Cedar Rapids.

 

The 25-year-old Neda has been used as a utility player and has divided his time between catcher and first base. He went 2-for-4 Wednesday in a mid-week start at first base to continue a hot streak which has kept him in the starting lineup all week.

 

Neda started at first base Monday against Burlington and slammed a home run, then went 2-for-2 Tuesday night as Wisconsin's starting catcher, while reaching base five consecutive times and delivering a game-winning walk-off single in the Rattlers' 1-0, 12-inning win over Cedar Rapids.

 

"I'm just trying to take advantage of the playing time I'm getting," said Neda. "Right now, I'm feeling really confident at the plate. I'm just trying to hit the ball hard. That's my approach."

 

Neda is hitting .257 on the season with two homers, 20 RBI and an on-base percentage of .342.

 

"He's a little bit more mature and has about 500 more at-bats than the rest of our guys," said Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson. "His approach at the plate right now is pretty solid. He's getting himself in some pretty good counts and when that happens, they have to come to him and he's not missing. He's had some really good at bats.

 

"Hopefully, he can lead the rest of the players in a positive direction right now. He's filled in nicely at first base and did a great job behind the plate Tuesday night. He was probably the reason, both offensively and defensively, that we won that game."

 

The Timber Rattlers have had issues at first base all season and a recent injury to Garrett Cooper has opened the door for Neda, who isn't going to get extensive playing time behind the plate because the Timber Rattlers are trying to develop first-round pick Clint Coulter.

 

"I still like being a catcher better, but wherever I can get the most playing time, I'll be happy to play there," said Neda. "First base is a little different. I haven't played there since my junior year in high school and I'm just doing my best to keep the ball in front of me. I'm getting better at it."

 

Neda played in 74 games during the Rattlers' championship season of 2012 and his receiving skills and handling of the team's pitching staff were vital in Wisconsin's postseason run. Neda spent all of the 2013 season at high Class A Brevard County, where he hit .203 with 11 RBI in 143 at bats.

 

"I really had a good time here two years ago," said Neda. "Right now, I'm just trying to make the best of being back here. I'm enjoying every trip to the plate, and every time I go out to first base or behind the plate."

 

Center fielder Johnny Davis also collected two hits for the Rattlers, but Wisconsin stranded 11 runners and has scored just two runs in its last two games.

 

"Our approach right now is not good," said Erickson. "We've got some guys pressing and we're chasing out of the zone early and not putting ourselves in position to have success."

 

Coulter, who served as the Rattlers' designated hitter, is in a 1-for-28 slump.

 

"Everyone goes through these things, that's why we do what we do," said Erickson. "Teams have been throwing him a lot of off-speed pitches and he's sitting on some of those and missing some fastballs he should be hitting."

 

Wisconsin starting pitcher Barrett Astin struggled in his 13th start of the season, allowing all six runs on nine hits in six innings of work.

 

The Kernels got to Astin early, scoring three runs on four hits in the opening inning. An RBI single by Chad Christensen and a two-run single by Jason Kanzler proved to be the big hits.

 

Astin gave up two more hits in the top of the second and Cedar Rapids increased its lead to 4-0 when Astin uncorked a wild pitch with a runner on third in the second inning.

 

Wisconsin relief pitcher Clint Terry supplied the defensive play of the game in the top of the seventh inning. Terry, a left-hander, snagged Alex Swim's ground ball to the mound behind his back with his glove hand and threw out Swim at first to complete one of the most remarkable put-outs of the season.

 

(You'll see the play via the earlier-linked Rattler Radio blog post...)

 

"I think there was a little luck involved there, but he had the reaction time to put his glove in the right spot, which was behind his back," said Erickson. "It was a pretty athletic play, fun to watch."

[Mass Haas]

Haupt drives Voyagers to win

by Curt Synness, Helena Independent Record

 

Both teams’ catchers belted solo home runs in the Pioneer League contest between the Helena Brewers and Great Falls Voyagers on Wednesday, but the Voyagers’ backstop added a two-run double to his evening, lifting the visitors to a 3-1 win.

 

The Brewers’ Greg McCall powered a solo shot over the center field fence to lead off the bottom of the second inning, but it turned out to be the home team’s only run.

 

The Voyagers’ offense was spearheaded by Dillon Haupt, who doubled and homered, while driving in all three of the visitors’ runs.

 

Great Falls improves to 9-8 after the two-game series at Kindrick Legion Field, while the Brewers slip to 7-9.

 

The Voyagers barely edged Helena in base hits, 6-5, in the pitchers’ duel, but Great Falls used its offense economically.

 

The Electric City crew scored two in the opening frame and one in the third inning. Their first two tallies were provided by Toby Thomas’ single, a walk to Hunter Jones, and a bases-clearing double to right by Haupt.

 

Haupt, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound 22-year-old from San Diego, also accounted for the Voyagers’ final score with his third-inning homer.

 

Both clubs’ pitchers hurled shutout ball over the final six innings on Wednesday.

 

Great Falls starter Chris Fruedenberg went six innings for the win, allowing five hits and striking out four. Relievers Matt Cooper and John Bengard twirled hitless ball the rest of the way, with Bengard striking out the side in the Brewers’ last at-bat.

 

Chad Thompson started for Helena and took the loss. The 6-foot-7, 207-pounder from Lake Forest, California, worked five frames, giving up five hits and fanning seven.

 

He was spelled by Javier Salas and Donnie Hissa, who permitted just one hit in the last four stanzas.

 

The two pitching staffs combined for 21 strikeouts and only two walks on the night.

 

One of the game’s defensive standouts was Helena first baseman Alan Sharkey, who twice robbed Voyager batters of base hits.

 

The two teams resume play against each other today in Great Falls for the start of a two-game series at Centene Stadium.

 

Photo by Eliza Wiley, Helena Independent Record

 

Helena Brewers second baseman Francisco Castillo gets the out at second and tries for a double play against Great Falls Wednesday night.

 

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/53/653be4f8-0262-11e4-880f-001a4bcf887a/53b4ce5c1c46e.preview-620.jpg

[Mass Haas]

More photos in this Helena gallery

[TheCrew07]

Top 10 Fantasy Prospects: Free Jimmy Nelson

 

1. Jimmy Nelson, rhp, Brewers

 

Season Totals: 10-2, 1.56, 104 IP, 66 H, 23 R, 18 ER, 3 HR, 30 BB, 110 SO at Triple-A Nashville.

 

Update: Ho hum, another scoreless outing for Nelson. He blanked Memphis on Wednesay night on four hits in 6 2/3 innings with one walk and five strikeouts for his 10th win.

 

Prognosis: Nelson can’t do much more to show he’s ready and the Brewers would appear to have a need. Although Marco Estrada‘s pitched better of late, he has still allowed 26 homers in 102 innings; Nelson, contrarily, has allowed three in 110 innings. The Brewers have a deep rotation, but it would not be a surprise for Nelson to get the call after the All-Star break.

[WV Brew]

Maryvale is under way with an early start for 7/3. Jim Henderson starting in a rehab stint. Burkhalter was supposed to start, will probably be in later.

 

Caleb Smith came in with 1 out in the second. Hopefully not a setback for JH.