Link Report for Monday 6/8

[TheCrew07]

Well I jinxed it, defense has cost the T-Rats the last 2 runs, and now Rizzo has come unglued...

[Mass Haas]

Thanks to the Brewers, we now know that OF Marcos Pineiro is a 19-year-old Venezuelan (the Brewers always seem to hit on a higher success rate with Venezuelan kids, so that's a good thing). He's listed at 6'1", 175, and is a right-handed bat.

 

From Opening Day June 1st --

 

CF Marcos Pinero singled in his first (and only thus far) pro at-bat.

 

Pinero stole second base after his debut single. Two innings later, he was pinch-hit for in the 4th inning, and did not play in game two. The log provides no real clues.

 

And Pinero has not played since then...

[TheCrew07]

Wisconsin hangs on for 4-3 win over Fort Wayne

By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattler

 

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Zach Hirsch pitched five no-hit innings to earn the win for the Timber Rattlers on Monday night against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica)

 

GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored four early runs and held on to defeat the Fort Wayne TinCaps 4-3 on Monday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Zach Hirsch pitched five no-hit innings to pick up the win in Wisconsin's final home game of the first half of the season.

 

Brandon Diaz gave the Timber Rattlers (18-40) the lead on the third pitch of the bottom of the first inning. Diaz drilled a 2-0 pitch from Jose Castillo over the wall in left for his fourth homer of the season and a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning, Elvis Rubio drove in Sthervin Matos with a single and the Rattlers were up 2-0.

 

Wisconsin doubled their lead in the second inning. Francisco Castillo and Matos had back-to-back RBI singles in the frame and the Rattlers were up 4-0.

 

Hirsch, who came off Wisconsin's disabled list earlier on Monday, was making his first start since May 2. He walked two of the first four hitters he faced, but settled in to retire the next thirteen batters he faced. Hirsch struck out four.

 

The TinCaps (24-33) broke up the no-hit bid - and the shutout - with one out in the sixth inning against reliever

David Burkhalter. Ruddy Giron lined a solo home run to left field to cut into Wisconsin's lead.

 

Fort Wayne made it 4-2 in the top of the seventh inning. Chase Jensen grounded into a force play at second base with runners at the corners to score Franmil Reyes from third.

 

In the ninth, Gian Rizzo took over for Burkhalter and got the first two outs. Jensen had an 0-2 count and sent a grounder to short, but reached on an errant throw. Rizzo fell behind pinch-hitter Trae Santos with three straight balls, came back with two strikes, but eventually walked him to put the tying run on base. Felipe Blanco, who was pinch-hit for in Fort Wayne's three-run game-winning rally during the ninth inning on Sunday, was down to his last strike before sending a single to center on a 2-2 to drive in Jensen to get the lead down to one.

 

Giron was next and he lined the first pitch he saw from Rizzo deep down the line in left, but the ball hooked foul at the last moment for a strike. Rizzo closed out the game by getting Giron looking at strike three.

 

The Timber Rattlers took two of three games in the series from the TinCaps to win their first series since they took two of three in a series at Clinton April 28-30. This was also the first home series win for the Timber Rattlers since they swept a three-game series from the Peoria Chiefs April 24-26.

 

Wisconsin drew 2,879 fans on Monday night to give them a total attendance of 106,829 in 35 home games for the first half. This marks the first time in team history Wisconsin has drawn over 100,000 fans to their stadium in the first half of the season. This is also the first time they did not have a rainout in the first half since the 2005 season.

 

The Timber Rattlers are off on Tuesday. They begin a 12-game road trip when they return to action on Wednesday at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio with a game against the Dayton Dragons. Angel Ventura (1-2, 2.50) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. The Dragons have named Wyatt Strahan (4-4, 2.73) as their starting pitcher. Game time is scheduled for 6:00pm CDT.

 

The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:40pm. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. Subscribers to MiLB.TV can see the game with the Dayton Dragons broadcast crew on the call.

 

HOME RUNS:

FW:

Ruddy Giron (6th, 0 on in 6th inning off David Burkhalter, 1 out)

 

WIS:

Brandon Diaz (4th, 0 on in 1st inning off Jose Castillo, 0 out)

 

WP: Zach Hirsch (2-3)

LP: Jose Castillo (0-1)

SAVE: Gian Rizzo (1)

 

TIME: 2:29

ATTN: 2,879

 

Postgame Post – June 8, 2015

Erickson's comments are always entertaining...

 

Wisconsin Boxscore

First kudos to my fellow Fox Valley residents, what awesome attendance for the Rattlers so far this season.

 

The pitching wasn't great from a location perspective, all 3 guys left a lot of balls up, all of Zach Hirsch's fly ball outs were on the warning track. David Burkhalter also threw quite a few "cob shots" (belt high down the middle), the HR and all of the hits against him were of that variety, he wasn't locating his curve as well as he had been either. Gian Rizzo was cruising until the error, the foul ball which was mentioned in the story and by Erickson was "just" foul, it hit the "2" in the 325 down the LF line, watching live I thought it was a HR. Right after I posted Rizzo was coming apart he dropped in 2 consecutive curve balls to get out of the jam.

 

All of the SS taken in the draft got me thinking about Jake Gatewood and while I've said multiple times that his defense was much better than I expected, I realized I hadn't really qualified it. In succession the Rattlers have had Rivera, Arcia, and Ortega; now the Brewers thought Ortega was perhaps the best defender of that trio, I would say Rivera is a slight tick better than Arcia and the best of that bunch, but it's close. All were plus defenders for the level and would play SS or 2B in MLB at a high level (hitting aside), Gatewood is like 2 ticks below those guys, maybe 3. He's not bad but he's not good, he's pretty much average for a MWL SS, and he's sloppy fundamentally (maybe awkward is a better word?), though he generally doesn't repeat mistakes. I think given enough time he could be an average MLB SS but with who he has in front of him I doubt he sticks there, the Brewers simply have too many better fielding options in front of him.

 

Francisco Castillo (3-4) had a big day, he's bumped his AVE up to .284 and is hitting .349 over his last 10 games. He doesn't and likely won't provide much power, but he's a decent defender with positional flexibility, perhaps a utility guy if he can keep it going and progress towards MLB. The Brandon Diaz HR was on a 2-0 pitch, it was an awesome way to start the game.

 

Wisconsin Recap

 

I haven't done a lot of this kind of thing in 2015 but since I mentioned it here are the Rattler adventures on the base paths tonight.

 

Contact play in the 1st.

 

Wisconsin Bottom of the 1st

• Brandon Diaz homers (4) on a fly ball to left center field.
  Francisco Castillo singles on a line drive to center fielder Michael Gettys.
  Sthervin Matos walks. Francisco Castillo to 2nd.
  With Carlos Leal batting, Francisco Castillo steals (2) 3rd base. Sthervin Matos steals (8) 2nd base.
  Carlos Leal reaches on a fielder's choice out, pitcher Jose Castillo to catcher Jose Ruiz. Francisco Castillo out at home. Sthervin Matos to 3rd.
  Elvis Rubio singles on a line drive to left fielder Nick Torres. Sthervin Matos scores. Carlos Leal to 2nd.
  Greg McCall grounds into a double play, shortstop Ruddy Giron to first baseman Nick Vilter. Elvis Rubio out at 2nd.

 

Agressiveness in the 2nd.

 

Wisconsin Bottom of the 2nd

• Jake Gatewood singles on a line drive to center fielder Michael Gettys.
  Alan Sharkey reaches on a force attempt, throwing error by first baseman Nick Vilter. Jake Gatewood to 2nd.
  Monte Harrison hit by pitch. Jake Gatewood to 3rd. Alan Sharkey to 2nd.
  Brandon Diaz strikes out swinging.
  Francisco Castillo singles on a line drive to right fielder Franmil Reyes. Jake Gatewood scores. Alan Sharkey out at home on the throw, right fielder Franmil Reyes to catcher Jose Ruiz. Monte Harrison to 2nd.
  Sthervin Matos singles on a line drive to center fielder Michael Gettys. Monte Harrison scores. Francisco Castillo out at 3rd on the throw, center fielder Michael Gettys to third baseman Chase Jensen.

 

A bad decision in the 3rd.

 

Wisconsin Bottom of the 3rd

• Carlos Leal bunt grounds out, pitcher Jose Castillo to first baseman Nick Vilter.
  Elvis Rubio reaches on a fielding error by shortstop Ruddy Giron.
  Greg McCall flies out to right fielder Franmil Reyes.
  With Jake Gatewood batting, Elvis Rubio picked off and caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Jose Ruiz to first baseman Nick Vilter to second baseman Felipe Blanco.

 

A CS in the 5th.

 

Wisconsin Bottom of the 5th

• Brandon Diaz walks.
  With Francisco Castillo batting, Brandon Diaz caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Jose Ruiz to second baseman Felipe Blanco.
  Francisco Castillo grounds out to first baseman Nick Vilter.
  Sthervin Matos flies out to center fielder Michael Gettys.

 

Another CS in the 8th.

 

Wisconsin Bottom of the 8th

• Brandon Diaz flies out to right fielder Franmil Reyes.
  Francisco Castillo singles on a ground ball to shortstop Ruddy Giron.
  With Sthervin Matos batting, Francisco Castillo caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Jose Ruiz to second baseman Felipe Blanco.
  Sthervin Matos grounds out, third baseman Chase Jensen to first baseman Nick Vilter.

[WV Brew]

Brevard County Powers Past Palm Beach

Manatees Win Series Opener, 7-2

By Dave Walkovic / Brevard County Manatees

06/08/2015 11:23 PM ET

 

http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/5/0/121645550/cuts/IMG_3176_1fns03sk_y8swfq0u.JPG

 

Brevard County starter Javi Salas, seen here from a game from earlier this season, recorded his fifth win of the season on Monday. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography)

 

Jupiter, Fla. - The Brevard County Manatees (25-31) scored seven consecutive runs to cruise past the Palm Beach Cardinals (26-31) 7-2 on Monday night at Roger Dean Stadium.

 

Trailing 2-0 in the fifth inning, the Brevard County offense exploded for a four-run frame. Cameron Garfield singled on a liner to center to lead things off. After a force out on a bunt attempt by Angel Ortega, Omar Garcia singled to center. With two on and one out, Chris McFarland laced a single to left to score Ortega. Garcia moved up to second on the hit. Taylor Brennan then doubled to left to tie the game at two. With runners on second and third, Clint Coulter doubled home both McFarland and Brennan. The Manatees led, 4-2.

 

The Manatees scored three more in the sixth. Garrett Cooper doubled to left to leadoff the frame. Garfield then reached on an infield single to put runners on first and second with nobody out. The single ended starting pitcher Will Anderson's night. Silfredo Garcia was summoned from the bullpen. Ortega sacrificed both runners up 90 feet. Garcia then grounded a single up the middle to plate Cooper and Garfield. With McFarland at the dish, Garcia stole second. It was his 20th stolen base of the season, which ranks third in the Florida State League. McFarland lined a singled to center. Garcia scored from second and the Manatees led, 7-2. Anderson (1-3, 4.46 ERA) was saddled with the loss after he surrendered six runs on nine hits in five-plus innings of work.

Javi Salas (5-4, 2.60 ERA) earned the win. He gave up just two runs on six hits and a walk. The righty fanned four. The only runs Salas allowed came on a fourth-inning two-run single by Casey Turgeon.

 

Mark Williams finished the game off with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just one base runner and retired the final six men he faced. Williams lowered his ERA to 0.84 on the season.

 

McFarland finished 3-for-5 on the night with a run scored and two RBI. He also recorded his 11th stolen base of the season.

The Manatees and Cardinals will continue the series tomorrow at Roger Dean Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

 

Brevard County Box Score

 

Javi Salas continues a strong season. Good day for Chris McFarland as mentioned above. Always feels good to beat the Cardinals.

 

Brevard County Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Gian Rizzo was cruising until the error, the foul ball which was mentioned in the story and by Erickson was "just" foul, it hit the "2" in the 325 down the LF line, watching live I thought it was a HR.

 

As linked on the Rattler Radio blog, that foul ball in the 9th was ridiculously close to being fair, see for yourself --

 

[Mass Haas]

“Just an unbelievable feeling:” FOX6 checks in with Kodi Medeiros, picked first overall by Brewers in draft

by Brandon Cruz

 

Also linked in our season-long Timber Rattler feature thread, excuse the incorrect name in the headline at the link...

[Mass Haas]

Final: Biloxi 2, Mobile 1

 

Arcia's historic homer backs Hall's quality start in win

Orlando Arcia broke a scoreless tie with a two run shot in the sixth

Biloxi Shuckers

 

http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/0/6/129442506/cuts/_BRP4432_el3673ss_ikni1702.jpg

 

Orlando Arcia blasted the first home run at MGM Park on Monday night in the 2-1 win over Mobile (Benton Reed Photography)

 

BILOXI, MS - Orlando Arcia blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning - the first at MGM Park - which broke a scoreless tie as the Shuckers would go on to defeat the Mobile BayBears 2-1 on Monday night in Biloxi. The fourth long ball from the 20-year-old backed the sixth quality start and sixth win from Brooks Hall as the magic number to clinch the South Division first half title drops to nine, with 12 to play in the first half. The Shuckers take a 2-1 series edge heading into game four on Tuesday night.

 

Neither offense mustered any momentum throughout the game, but it was Biloxi (35-22) who struck first with a blast off the bat of Arcia (2x3, HR, 2 RBI, R) in the seventh inning. Tyrone Taylor (0x3, R, BB) drew a walk, setting up the first home run in MGM Park history.

 

Hall (6-3, 3.47) dazzled on the mound, striking out seven BayBears and allowing just one run on three hits and a walk over seven innings. It was the first time the South Carolina native had seven strikeouts since July 29, 2011 while pitching with Wisconsin in the Midwest League during a 6-1 win over Clinton. The lone blemish against Hall came in the eighth after a leadoff single by Socrates Brito started things for Mobile. Brandon Drury's ground-rule double put runners at second and third for Zach Borenstein, who lifted a sacrifice fly to left to bring the runner home from third.

 

The victory for Hall places him in a four-way tie for the top spot for wins in the Southern League.

 

Damien Magnifico allowed one hit over the final two frames, picking up a strikeout on his way to his sixth save of the season.

 

Nathan Orf's franchise record 12-game hitting streak was snapped after an 0-for-3 performance.

 

The Opening Series at MGM Park continues through Wednesday, with 7:10 PM starts each night.

 

The Shuckers will look for their fifth straight series victory on Tuesday night when RHP Hiram Burgos (2-0, 3.86) faces off against RHP Brandon Sinnery (4-4, 4.60). Coverage begins at 6:55 PM on 1240-AM WGCM, 1580-AM WPMO and the Biloxi Shuckers Radio Network. Fans can also listen to the game using the TuneIn Radio app or by going to www.biloxishuckers.com.

 

***

 

Arcia tees off on Shuckers' historic homer

Brewers' top prospect belts first long ball at brand-new MGM Park

By Tyler Maun / MiLB.com

 

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Orlando Arcia has batted .333 in Shuckers "home games" and .324 in true road games this season. (Ed Gardner/MiLB.com)

 

Fans in Biloxi already have experienced their first home games and wins at their brand-new ballpark. Now they have their first home run as well.

 

Top Brewers prospect Orlando Arcia blasted the first long ball in the short history of MGM Park, a two-run shot that ended up being the game-winner as Double-A Biloxi held on to down Mobile, 2-1, on Monday night.

 

"I knew it was gone right off the bat," Shuckers center fielder and No. 2 Brewers prospect Tyrone Taylor told Biloxi's Sun Herald. "For him to get the first homer in the stadium, it just makes sense pretty much. Hopefully we keep it up."

 

Following Taylor's one-out walk in the sixth inning, Arcia broke open a scoreless game by going yard on the first pitch he saw from Mobile starter Braden Shipley. The shortstop's fourth homer of the season was enough for the Shuckers to pick up the win.

 

"Just watching him hit so many times this year, you just know when he's going to hit a home run," Taylor told the Sun Herald. "He put a good swing on it, and it was sweet to watch."

 

One of the youngest players in Double-A, Arcia has excelled during Biloxi's unique start to the 2015 season. With his team playing every game until last weekend away from Biloxi, Arcia has batted .329/.379/.476 while driving in 29 runs and scoring 36 times in 55 games.

 

"He's a heckuva ballplayer. He's probably one of the best shortstops I've seen coming up," starting and winning pitcher Brooks Hall told the Sun Herald. "Just the way he carries himself on the field, he's always having fun. He has power and is only 20. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the big leagues by the end of this year."

 

Arcia's homer came as part of a two-hit night that extended his modest hitting streak to five games. The Anaco, Venezuela native has driven home at least one run in three of his last four games.

 

"If you want to learn how to have fun playing baseball, watch Arcia," Taylor told the Sun Herald. "That's all he does, have fun out there."

 

Hall (6-3) picked up the win, allowing a run on three hits while striking out seven and walking one in seven innings. Right-hander Damien Magnifico gave up a run over two innings en route to his sixth save.

 

Arizona's No. 2 prospect Shipley (3-5) absorbed the loss, charged with two runs on five hits in seven innings.

 

Biloxi Box Score

 

Guess we should link to the Sun Herald, yes? We will below.

 

Biloxi Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Arcia slugs one for the record books in Shuckers' 2-1 win

by Patrick Ochs, Biloxi Sun Herald

 

BILOXI — From his spot on first base, Biloxi Shuckers center fielder Tyrone Taylor didn't even have to watch the ball sail over the left field wall. He just knew.

 

Deadlocked in a scoreless game, the Coast's new team needed a boost. Shortstop Orlando Arcia answered the call, driving the first pitch he saw from Mobile BayBears starter Braden Shipley in the sixth inning well over the 350-foot marker in left-center field for a two-run homer.

 

Coupled with a quality start from right-hander Brooks Hall, and a couple of web gems by his Shuckers teammates, the home team held on Monday to top the BayBears 2-1 at MGM Park.

 

Not only did Arcia's homer end up being the game-winning drive, it also marked the stadium's first homer.

 

"I knew it was gone right off the bat," said Taylor, who had walked ahead of the Arcia. "For him to get the first homer in the stadium, it just makes sense pretty much. Hopefully we keep it up."

 

Arcia, considered by Baseball America to be the Milwaukee Brewers' second-best prospect, right behind Taylor, has been one of the Shuckers' most consistent bats all season.

 

After going 2-for-3 against the BayBears (29-28) on Monday, Arcia improved his batting average to a team-best .329 in front of an announced crowd of 2,654.

 

"Just watching him hit so many times this year, you just know when he's going to hit a home run," Taylor said. "He put a good swing on it and it was sweet to watch."

 

Arcia's success hasn't affected his attitude according to teammates. The 20-year-old Venezuelan is always cutting up, whether it's on the field or in the locker room, which has helped to keep the Shuckers (35-22) loose after a 54-game road trip.

 

"He's a heckuva ballplayer. He's probably one of the best shortstops I've seen coming up," Hall said. "Just the way he carries himself on the field, he's always having fun. He has power and is only 20. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the big leagues by the end of this year.

 

"If you want to learn how to have fun playing baseball, watch Arcia. That's all he does, have fun out there."

 

PITCHER'S DUEL: Facing off against the Arizona Diamondbacks' No. 2 prospect in Shipley, Hall matched his right-handed counter part pitch for pitch and then some.

 

The 6-foot-5 right-hander struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk to improve to 6-3. The seven whiffs were his most since fanning 10 in Low Class-A on July 29 2011. Hall also picked up his sixth quality start of the year.

 

Hall said he was working on a two-seamer and was able to keep it down, which enabled him to make it through seven innings on just 89 pitches (60 strikes).

 

"I threw a lot of those tonight to get a lot of ground balls," he said. "I was commanding it and in the seventh inning I lost a little focus but limited them to one run so I was proud of myself."

 

Shipley fell to 3-5 on the year after allowing two runs in seven innings. He struck out four and walked one.

 

Damien Magnifico closed out the game for the Shuckers with a two-inning save, his sixth this season.

 

BANG-BANG AT THE PLATE: Both teams traded plays at the plate early to keep the game scoreless. In the second inning, second baseman Gerson Montilla attempted to score from second on a Rudy Flores single to center field, but Taylor came up throwing and nailed the BayBear at the plate.

 

"I tried to come up on it as fast as I could and settle down before I throw because the past couple of throws have been a little wild," Taylor said. "I just threw it right on the money and made a good play on it."

 

The BayBears returned the favor in the bottom of the inning when Michael Reed, who doubled to lead off the frame, tried to score on a single to left field by Nick Shaw but was thrown out by Zach Borenstein.

 

GOING STREAKING: Third baseman Nathan Orf had his franchise-best 12-game hit streak snapped Monday. The infielder went 0-for-3 and left two on base. Orf’s batting averaged dipped to .269 as a result.

 

LIGHTS, CAMERA BASEBALL: "Lone Survivor" producer Randall Emmett and actor Mark Paul Gosselaar were in attendance Monday night at MGM Park, taking in the Shuckers' win. During the middle innings, Emmett took over the PA for an inning and then spoke with local media about his new movie "Precious Cargo," which also stars Bruce Willis.

[Mass Haas]

PHOTO GALLERY: Talk about making up for lost time, another really nice gallery for Shuckers fans

 

***

 

And another...

[igor67]

Franly Mallen is having a much better start to the year than last year, not amazing but hitting over .300 and his K rate is down quite a bit. They seem to have found a formula for finding good to excellent defenders in Latin America that can also hit a little bit to bolster the SS ranks.

[Mass Haas]

Final: Omaha 14, Colorado Springs 2

 

Omaha Chases Sox Pitching In Blowout

19-Hit Attack Propels Strom Chasers to 14-2 Win

By Ed Pearsall / Colorado Springs Sky Sox

 

http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/8/8/117588288/cuts/04_09_035_pk_d6wt810o_fzmwc17h.jpg

 

Elian Herrera picked up three more hits on Monday to continue his hot-hitting and lead the way offensively for the Sox. (File Photo from prior game by Paat Kelly)

 

The Sky Sox were denied their fourth straight win on Monday night, suffering a 14-2 blowout defeat at the hands of the defending PCL champion Storm Chasers before a crowd of 4,654 at Werner Park in Omaha.

 

Omaha scored early and much too often for Sox starter Tyler Thornburg (1-3, 5.19), tagging him for eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits and three walks over just 2.2 innings of work. The greatest single blow to the right-hander's outing was Cheslor Cuthbert's one out, three-run home run in the home second that gave Omaha a then 7-0 lead to cap the frame's scoring.

 

Nick Additon took over from Thornburg to finish out the third, tossing four total innings in relief. The lefty allowed five runs of his own on seven hits and a home run in an outing just slightly better than that of the team's starter. The long ball came courtesy of nine-hole hitter Dusty Coleman, a solo shot that began an ugly seventh inning for Additon. He would allow four hits, three for extra bases, while recording two outs with runners on second and third before being replaced by Jed Bradley. The 2011 first rounder could not completely limit the damage, allowing consecutive base hits that permitted his inherited runners to score. Omaha would finish the innings with four runs crossing the plate, giving them a 13-0 after seven.

 

The Sky Sox got their only shot of offense in the very next frame, scoring two on the strength of Matt Clark's 10th home run of the season. The two-run shot came on Buddy Baumann's first pitch immediately following Elian Herrera's one out single.

 

Now trailing 13-2, Bradley came on for Omaha's final turn at the plate in the bottom of the eighth. The Storm Chasers capped their 19-hit outburst with an Orlando Calixte solo home run to leadoff the frame. Bradley settled down to retire the next three batters in order, sending the Sox to the top of ninth trailing 14-2.

 

Right-hander Michael Mariot finished the Sky Sox night in a 1-2-3 inning against the bottom of the Colorado Springs lineup, securing the 14-2 win for Omaha in game three of the series.

 

Herrera and Clark led the way offensively for the Sox with Herrera adding three base hits and a run scored to Clark's two-run shot. Eight Storm Chasers hitters collected multi-hit games with seven notching multiple RBIs in the offensive onslaught .

 

With the loss, the Sky Sox fall to 23-33 as Omaha improves to 30-29.

 

Coming off an excellent start, Josh Roenicke (3-2 4.35) will look to lead the Sox to a series victory against 2014 first rounder Brandon Finnegan (0-1, 6.48) and the Storm Chasers. First pitch is set for 6:05 PM MDT (7:05 Central) on Tuesday night from Werner Park.

 

Colorado Springs Box Score

 

Enough said, right?

 

Colorado Springs Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Some video fun just posted to our Sky Sox thread

[Mass Haas]

Hirsch unhittable in return from injury

Timber Rattlers southpaw caps night by retiring 13 straight TinCaps

By Alex Kraft / MiLB.com

 

 

After escaping a first-inning jam, Wisconsin's Zach Hirsch kept Fort Wayne batters 90 feet from first base for the rest of his shortened start.

 

In his first appearance since May 2, the Brewers left-hander did not allow a hit over five innings as the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers held off the Fort Wayne TinCaps, 4-3, on Monday at Fox Cities Stadium. The 24-year-old struck out four batters and walked two, both in the first inning. He retired the final 13 batters he faced.

 

Hirsch had not appeared in a game for over a month while nursing an elbow injury. The Timber Rattlers activated the southpaw from the seven-day disabled list before the start.

 

"It was nothing too severe," said Hirsch. "I just took a little time off. I felt great tonight."

 

The Illinois native ran into a difficult stretch in the first when he walked TinCaps leadoff man Ruddy Giron, then advanced the Fort Wayne shortstop to second on a balk. After issuing a pass to Franmil Reyes, Hirsch was able to get Michael Gettys to fly out to right field to end the threat.

 

"Obviously, there's always some nerves that play into it," said Hirsch. "Thankfully, I got that first inning out of the way and was able to kind of go from there. After that I settled in and found some good fastball and stayed in the zone. My catcher (Greg McCall) called a great game."

 

Since he was on a 55-pitch limit, the Nebraska University product left the game in the top of the sixth after throwing exactly 55 pitches. The TinCaps picked up their first hit two batters later when Giron homered off reliever David Burkhalter.

 

"You hope you do that well all the time," said Hirsch. "You try to go out there with the confidence to get guys out every time."

 

While he acknowledged that without a pitch limit he likely could have continued, the 6-foot-4 lefty was pleased he was able to help his team get a win.

 

"Obviously, today I knew [going deeper] wasn't going to be possible," Hirsch said. "But we had two guys come out of the bullpen and pitch well and we got the 'W.' [A no-hitter] would have been nice, but we were able to get the win and that's all that matters. At the end of the day a win's a win whether it's a no-hitter or 4-3."

 

The Brewers' 2014 19th-round pick sees no reason he can't stay healthy and pitch at a high level going forward, "as long as I take care of my business in the weight room and in the training room and keep working on location and mixing my pitches," Hirsch said. "We have a great pitching coach here (Gary Lucas) and I'm excited to keep working and going out there."

 

Gian Rizzo allowed a run on a hit and a walk in the ninth, but held on for his first save.

 

Jose Castillo (0-1), the Padres' No. 24 prospect, allowed four runs -- two unearned -- on six hits over five innings in his third Midwest League start.

[Mass Haas]

Good luck tonight, Taylor Jungmann.

 

Via Nicholas at Disciples of Uecker, a detailed analytical look

[CheezWizHed]

TWEET: Zach Attack!

 

Saved by the Bell's Zach Morris at Biloxi's ballpark

 

He didn't have Screech with him as a body guard did he? I heard that if they ever have a Saved by the Bell reunion, Screech's new nickname will be "Blade".