Link Report for Thursday 4/13 - Rattlers Shine; Manatees faill in battle of 1st rounders; Michael Reed on fire

[Mass Haas]

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[Mass Haas]

Thursday's Daily Menu:

 

All times are Central

 

Colorado Springs: LHP Brent Suter at Nashville (Athletics), 6:00 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link

 

Dan Karcher, the longtime play-by-play voice of the Sky Sox is on Twitter @SkySoxKarch; joining him this season is Dan Acheson (@Dan_Acheson)

 

MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; all Colorado Springs games, home and away, will be available to watch via MiLB.TV's $49.99 season-long package ($12.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. The video of each game is archived online, which is a nice feature. All MiLB.TV details available at the link.

 

NOTE: Notice that on MiLB.TV's page, you can click on "Filter", then "Milwaukee Brewers", and you'll see just the Crew's organizational TV lineup.

 

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Biloxi: RHP Adrian Houser at Mobile (Diamondbacks), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link

 

Chris Harris is the play-by-play voice of the Shuckers. Follow Chris on Twitter @CHarris731. We'll be linking to his fantastic "Shuck Dynasty" blog. Thaddeus Krzus (@Shucks1stIntern) joins Chris often. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be radio broadcast.

 

MiLB.TV - Eight of the ten Southern League teams telecast their home games, and Biloxi is among them.

 

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Brevard County: LHP Kodi Medeiros at Fort Myers (Twins), 6:05 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link (Fort Myers feed)

 

Unfortunately, the Manatees have dropped their broadcast coverage for 2016.

 

No Florida State League games are available via MiLB.TV. Ten of the 12 Florida State League teams provide audio (some only for home games), we'll do our best to let you know when an opponent's audio is going to be available.

 

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Wisconsin: RHP Jordan Yamamoto at home vs. Peoria (Cardinals), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime; expect RHP David Burkhalter to pitch in a tandem role

 

Free Live Audio Link

 

Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio.

 

MiLB.TV - Eight of the 16 Midwest League teams telecast their home games, and Wisconsin, once again, is among them.

 

NOTE: Thirty-nine (!) of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on local TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (10) and WACY-TV My NEW32 (29) will split duties. We'll let you know when and who, and remember to refer to the Rattlers' full TV schedule (scroll to bottom of link) so you can coordinate your DVR activity.

[Mass Haas]

DVR ALERTS! (INCLUDING TONIGHT!)

 

Timber Rattlers Games

 

Thursday April 14th, 6:30 PM -- TWC SportsChannel

 

Friday April 15th, 6:30 PM -- MyNew32 TV

[Mass Haas]

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

 

Colorado Springs

 

Biloxi

 

Brevard County

 

Wisconsin

 

MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

[Mass Haas]

Look for these just prior to the respective game times --

 

Colorado Springs Media Notes - Linked on the Sky Sox official blog

 

Biloxi Media Notes - Linked on the Shuck Dynasty blog

 

Wisconsin Media Notes - Linked on the Rattler Radio blog

 

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STANDINGS:

 

AAA - Pacific Coast League American Northern Division

 

AA - Southern League South Division

 

High-A - Florida State League North Division

 

A - Midwest League Western Division

 

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Sortable individual stat pages:

 

Colorado Springs

 

Biloxi

 

Brevard County

 

Wisconsin

 

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Weather.com:

 

Nashville, TN

 

Mobile, AL

 

Fort Myers, FL

 

Grand Chute, WI

[Mass Haas]

To see tweets as to when the Link Report has been technically "completed" with available links, as well as to know when the new day's Report has been posted, please follow @Mass_Haas on Twitter.

 

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Miscellaneous notes from the Sky Sox Blog

 

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Big day Friday for the Manatees --

 

Jackie Robinson Game set for April 15

Brevard County, St. Lucie to play in third-annual event at Dodgertown

 

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Pointer this out on Twitter as well, but tonight's David Denson's 5th start, all at designated hitter

[Mass Haas]

Wet grounds halt Shuckers, BayBears Thursday

Game to be made up as part of a Friday doubleheader

 

Friday pitching details at the link...

[sfl2hnq17]

Wow, Medeiros gave up a home run. Surprised by that.

[Eye Black]

Final: Fort Myers 7, Brevard County 2

 

Fort Myers pounds out 13 hits in win over Manatees

Donald Rieber, Jr., Manatees Examiner

 

*****

 

Brevard County Box Score

 

Another night and another impressive outing for the opposing pitcher, this time it was Twins prospect and former #5 overall pick Kohl Stewart.

 

Coming into tonight Kodi Medeiros hadn't given up a home run since August 26, 2014. He had pitched 98 consecutive innings without giving up a long ball, but that all changed with the first batter tonight (Tanner English) who took him deep for only the the third HR allowed in his professional career.

 

The first inning is chronicled in greater detail in the game story linked above. Medeiros went 3.2 innings, getting tagged for seven hits, four runs (three earned), and three walks, while recording three strikeouts. Medeiros was working between 89-92 mph with his fastball, touching 93 mph one time. His changeup was between 81-83 mph and his slider, which supplied the third strike in both 1st inning punch outs (one swinging, one looking), was in the 87-88 mph range. The Fort Myers broadcaster mentioned that Kodi's fastball did not have the sinking movement as advertised and was being squared up by Miracle batters.

 

Dustin Houle had a tough night at the plate but made two key defensive plays behind the plate with a caught stealing at 2B and a bases loaded pick-off at 3B

 

Brevard County Game Log

 

Manatees relief pitcher Kaleb Earls not happy with some calls in the bottom of the 8th inning, is asked to leave at the beginning of the 9th.

 

Fort Myers Bottom of the 8th

Pitching Change: Kaleb Earls replaces Brad Kuntz.

Alex Swim walks.

Logan Wade grounds out, shortstop Angel Ortega to first baseman Dustin DeMuth. Alex Swim to 2nd.

With Trey Vavra batting, Alex Swim advances to 3rd on a balk.

Trey Vavra lines out to second baseman Blake Allemand.

With Chris Paul batting, Alex Swim scores on a balk.

Chris Paul pops out to second baseman Blake Allemand.

 

Brevard County Top of the 9th

Pitching Change: Brian Gilbert replaces Raul Fernandez.

Brevard County Manatees pitcher Kaleb Earls ejected by HP umpire Justin Robinson.

George Iskenderian strikes out swinging.

Blake Allemand flies out to center fielder Tanner English.

Taylor Brennan walks.

With Brandon Diaz batting, Taylor Brennan advances to 2nd on defensive indifference.

Brandon Diaz singles on a ground ball to center fielder Tanner English. Taylor Brennan scores.

Johnny Davis grounds into a force out, shortstop Logan Wade to second baseman Ryan Walker. Brandon Diaz out at 2nd.

[TheCrew07]

Three Rattlers Pitchers Combine on Four-Hit Shutout

Neuhaus has three hits & Rubio homers for the offense

By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

 

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Alan Sharkey greets Elvis Rubio after Rubio's two-run homer in the second inning on Thursday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica)

 

Wisconsin Boxscore

 

As Chris discussed in the game story the pitching was extraordinary after the first 2 batters of the game, what a performance in the first televised game of the season. I didn't get to watch much, but I do have it DVRd so I'll probably watch it on Saturday or Sunday and write more about the game then.

 

Last year I compared Matos and Rubio as toolsy guys who just haven't put it together and stand by that comparison, they both hit mini grooves where everything is right but they've been too few and far between so the overall result has been on the poor side.

 

Tucker Neuhaus and Carlos Belonis remain hot to start the season, well at the plate anyway, Neuhaus has been spotty in the field.

 

With so many of the position players repeating this should be a decent team offensively with even modest improvement.

 

Wisconsin Recap

[Mass Haas]

Link includes video interview with RHP Jordan Yamamoto

 

Timber Rattlers shut out Peoria

 

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Rattlers' Rubio proving worthy of 2nd chance

Tim Froberg, Appleton Post-Crescent

 

GRAND CHUTE - Elvis Rubio opened the season with his status in limbo.

 

The 21-year-old outfielder is hitting like a man who doesn’t want to deal with that type of uncertainty again.

 

A day after going 3-for-5 in his 2016 Wisconsin debut, Rubio gave the Timber Rattlers some early juice with a two-run homer and the Rattlers’ pitching took care of the rest in a 4-0 win over Peoria on Thursday at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

 

Rubio, who spent all of 2015 with Wisconsin, was part of Helena’s roster when the Rattlers opened the season April 7. However, Rubio never played a game for Helena, which doesn’t open its advanced rookie league season until June.

 

Instead, Rubio was assigned to the Rattlers on Wednesday to replace outfielder Troy Stokes Jr., who went on the disabled list with an ankle sprain.

 

Rubio started fast with the three-hit performance against Burlington and kept his momentum going by drilling a two-run laser shot over the left-field wall in the bottom of the second off Peoria starter Jake Woodford, the 39th overall selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2015 draft.

 

“It was a fastball, low and in, and that’s what I was looking for,” said Rubio.

 

The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Rubio has the body type to generate power and should put up better numbers in Grand Chute this season after hitting .247 with just four homers and 38 RBI in 124 games and 459 at-bats with Wisconsin in 2015.

 

“Last year was a new experience for me,” Rubio said. “This year I know what to expect and what the league is about. I’m ready.”

 

Rubio, a native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, was signed by Milwaukee at the age of 17 as a non-drafted free agent and is already in his sixth professional season. Rubio had 95 strikeouts with the Rattlers in 2015, and making better contact is a priority for him.

 

“He’s got some bat speed and he can hit a fastball,” said Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson. “The key for him is to stay disciplined in the strike zone, and get into fastball counts. He’s a guy who has to get himself in position and recognize the breaking ball. Sometimes when he gets in trouble, he chases out of the zone with off-speed stuff.”

 

Rubio had help in the offensive department. Second baseman Tucker Neuhaus went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple to lead an 11-hit attack. Designated hitter David Denson and outfielder Carlos Belonis added two hits apiece.

 

“I had a rough day yesterday, so I kind of expanded my zone,” said Neuhaus. “When you have a bad day like that, you have to flush it, trash it. Act like it never happened. You have to do that on good games, too, because every day is a new day, a new opportunity.”

 

The Rattlers (3-5) received outstanding pitching from the trio of Jordan Yamamoto, Nate Griep and David Burkhalter. The three combined on a four-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and only one walk.

 

Yamamoto, the starter, was especially impressive. The right-hander out of St. Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, allowed singles on two of the first three pitches he threw, but then settled down and didn’t allow another hit in his four innings of work. Reaching 93 mph on the radar gun, Yamamoto struck out five and had one walk.

 

“I just went after the hitters, threw strikes and kept the ball down in the zone,” said Yamamoto, a 12th-round pick by the Brewers in the 2014 draft. “That’s what our coaches preach. And our defense helped me out big-time, making some diving plays. I think we have a very good pitching staff here. I have high hopes for this pitching staff.”

 

So does Erickson, who was impressed with his team’s work on the mound.

 

“Really a nice job by all three,” said Erickson. “Yamamoto did a great job of attacking the hitters. He kept up his tempo and rhythm even after they got those first two hits off him. He and Burky were pitching on three days rest because of some weather issues and we needed some efficiency from them.”

[Mass Haas]

Rattler Radio Blog - Several audio interviews, including pre-game with Isan Diaz

 

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[Mass Haas]

AUDIO: Sky Sox Warmup with Manager Rick Sweet

 

Love the Junior Guerra mentions; Ariel Pena will be given a starting role; of course, Michael Reed discussion; Will Middlebrooks' oblique injury not too severe...

[Mass Haas]

Final: Colorado Springs 7, Nashville 5

 

Late Rally Leads Sky Sox Past Sounds 7-5

Sky Sox score four runs in eighth inning to earn series split in Nashville

By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox

 

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Colorado Springs Box Score

 

Orlando Arcia a rare 0-for-5; Michael Reed yet to see an inning in CF - that should be a directive to the Sky Sox from the big league club, no? We're going to see anything but a set rotation of infield defensive positioning, outside of Arcia at short - that makes sense from a big league overview perspective.

 

Colorado Springs Game Log

[Mass Haas]

Introducing the local Sky Sox fans to Jorge Lopez' family story, just prior to him starting the home opener Friday night --

 

Sky Sox pitcher thrilled to have son out of hospital, with him on last stop before the major leagues

Brent Briggeman, Colorado Springs Gazette

[Mass Haas]

Be sure to read about the Manatees likely move to Kissimmee, FL in 2017

[Mass Haas]

En fuego

 

[Jenkins5]

“I had a rough day yesterday, so I kind of expanded my zone,” said Neuhaus. “When you have a bad day like that, you have to flush it, trash it. Act like it never happened. You have to do that on good games, too, because every day is a new day, a new opportunity.”

 

Have to love the maturity & mindset for the still young & 20 Tucker Neuhaus. Really starting to wonder if he is turning corner to being the prospect we were hoping we got after he was drafted.

[FVBrewerFan]

Michael Reed yet to see an inning in CF - that should be a directive to the Sky Sox from the big league club, no?

 

I would think so, it's not like there's a prospect in CF that's blocking him from playing there. They see him every day, so I guess we have to trust the belief he's not a CF. It's early though, we'll see if they move him around. He projects to be a perfect 4/5 OF at the MLB level, and if that's the case he has to be able to play some CF.

[Outlander]

I don't get it. If they see him as an utillity guy that will need to play CF why is he not getting any playing time in CF?