Link Report for Monday 5/9

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Monday's Daily Menu:

 

All times are Central

 

Colorado Springs: RHP Jorge Lopez at home vs. Oklahoma City (Dodgers), 1:00 PM pre-game, 1:35 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 home vs. Jacksonville (Marlins), 6:20 PM pre-game, 6:40 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.

 

**********

 

Brevard County: TBD at Daytona (Reds), 6:05 PM gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link (Daytona 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.

 

**********

 

Wisconsin: LHP Jake Drossner at home vs. Clinton (Mariners), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime

 

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. We'll let you know when a road TV feed is available.

 

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!

 

Timber Rattlers Games

 

Wednesday May 11th, 6:30 PM -- TWC SportsChannel

 

Thursday May 12th, 6:30 PM -- MyNew32 TV

 

Friday May 13th, 6:30 PM -- MyNew32 TV

 

Saturday May 14th, 1:00 PM -- MyNew32 TV

[Mass Haas]

Follow Monday'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

 

***

 

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

 

***

 

Sortable individual stat pages:

 

Colorado Springs

 

Biloxi

 

Brevard County

 

Wisconsin

 

***

 

Weather.com:

 

Colorado Springs, CO

 

Biloxi, MS

 

Daytona Beach, FL

 

Grand Chute, WI

[Mass Haas]

AUDIO via Sunday's Sky Sox pre-game show: Roving hitting coordinator Jeremy Reed - Part One has been released at this time

 

***

 

AUDIO via Sunday's Shuckers pre-game show: Brett Phillips talks three-homer game

[Mass Haas]

Via Miller Park Prospects: Who's Hot

[FVBrewerFan]

Lopez and Hauser...two guys who really need a good outing.

[MrTPlush]

Poor Colorado Springs has to face Julio Urias today.

[dacbrewers]

Lopez and Hauser...two guys who really need a good outing.

What is up with Lopez? Walks are out of control.

[markedman5]

Lopez and Hauser...two guys who really need a good outing.

What is up with Lopez? Walks are out of control.

 

They sure are

 

 

Jorge Lopez has allowed just 2 hits and struck out 4 through 4.0 IP. However, 5 walks have led to 1-0 deficit as the Sky Sox bat in the 4th.

[MrTPlush]

Lopez and Hauser...two guys who really need a good outing.

What is up with Lopez? Walks are out of control.

 

He has always lacked a good bit of control. Outside of last year his WHIP has never been below 1.33 and his walk rate has always been fairly high.

 

Really outside of last year he has been pretty horrendous his entire career. He succeeded last year because of limiting hits and getting strikeouts...without that it has gotten pretty ugly.

[WV Brew]

Lopez is actually striking out more this year than last by quite a bit. It's his walks that are way up. (8.8/9 inn versus 3.3). He is, to me, more of a breaking ball pitcher who might be thrown off by the thin air. Whatever the cause, he needs to throw more strikes. At least he didn't give up many hits today.

[And That]

He succeeded last year because of limiting hits and getting strikeouts...without that it has gotten pretty ugly.

That's mixing correlation with causation. The cause of his success last year was improvements made to his curve and change, making the former borderline plus and the latter borderline average. He also improved his fastball command and velocity, which allowed him to get more swing and miss out of his curveball. His control has generally been fine.

 

I haven't seen him pitch yet this year, but my guess is what's happening to Lopez is similar to what's happening to Jungmann. His mechanics are off for some reason (maybe trying to overcompensate for the conditions in Colorado Springs), leading to spotty fastball command, leading to over-reliance on breaking stuff that he can't get over the plate and can't get swing and miss on out of the zone. Which is not a good plan in Colorado. Or anywhere.

[FVBrewerFan]

Simply put, his strikes were getting hit all over the yard earlier this year. So, to compensate, he's afraid to throw strikes = more walks. Vicious cycle that happens to most pitchers at some point in their career, just hope he can get out of it.

[Mass Haas]

League-wide hitter of the week honors for Brett Phillips and Jake Gatewood.

[WV Brew]

Wow. 3 run blast by Angel Ortega. What's gotten into him this year?

[AKCheesehead]

Love seeing Clark's first start in low A, leadoff walk, run scored.

[Jenkins5]

Wow. 3 run blast by Angel Ortega. What's gotten into him this year?

 

He has always had potential & his advanced glove has always carried him above where his bat was...holding him back seems to have allowed his bat to catch up a bit! Could see him being equal to a Rivera type pro prospect. Little less pop but think a better approach at same age (less of a free swinger)

[Mass Haas]

Frosty Microbrews: Breaking Down the Language Barrier

By Kyle Lobner / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

[Outlander]

Gatewood with a walk today.

[markedman5]

In his first 2 at-bats of the season, Trent Clark drew 2 BB. #TRats

 

Has 1 more walk then Gatewood now.....

[Jenkins5]

Gatewood with a walk today.

 

OBP is finally higher than BA! Hopefully this becomes a trend for him!

[Mass Haas]

Final: Colorado Springs 7, Oklahoma City 3

 

Seven-Run Seventh Propels Sky Sox To 7-3 Win

Sky Sox offense explodes for seven runs off Dodgers bullpen to earn victory on Monday

By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox

 

http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/1/8/177157218/cuts/04_21_0710_pk_gos39snp_o6gnfph0.jpg

 

Manny Pina crushed a two-run home run in the Sky Sox win over the Dodgers on Monday. (Paat Kelly photo)

 

***

 

Top-level prospects live up to billing as Sky Sox top Oklahoma City

Brent Briggeman, Colorado Springs Gazette

 

Aside from the 13 big league parks that hosted games Monday, it's likely that nowhere featured a more impressive collection of baseball talent than Colorado Springs.

 

Two of the top-four prospects in baseball were on hand and a Major League-caliber pitching duel broke out at Security Service Field. Eventually the feature players exited and the Sky Sox broke out with seven runs in the seventh against the Oklahoma City bullpen to win 7-3, but what took place over the first six innings is that made day noteworthy.

 

"Absolutely," said Sky Sox starting pitcher Jorge Lopez about feeling an uptick in intensity on a day like Monday. "That made me feel good. I came with confidence."

 

Lopez struggled through some early command issues, walking five of the first 14 batters he faced. The only run he surrendered over five innings came when he walked Rob Segedin with the bases loaded in the third inning. But after that Lopez retired seven of his final eight batters.

 

"This was his best game," Sky Sox manager Rick Sweet said. "After he got settled in he pitched well."

 

On almost any other day in the minor leagues, Lopez's breakthrough that lowered his ERA 1.51 points to 7.33 would have been the story. He was one of the best pitchers in Double-A last year, but had struggled over five Triple-A starts this year before seemingly getting on track Monday. This could well be the start that catapults him back on the trajectory he enjoyed last year.

 

"It's all he needed," Sweet said of Lopez, ranked by MLB.com as the No. 53 prospect in baseball. "He was excited after the game."

 

Lopez's outing just blended into the overall narrative of the day. Oklahoma City countered with Julio Urias, the top-left-handed pitching prospect in the game and the No. 2 overall prospect in the minor leagues, who continued what has been a dazzling season. Urias wiggled out of two jams to throw six scoreless innings and lower his ERA to 1.50 over 30 innings. The 19-year-old from Mexico hasn't allowed a run in 16 innings.

 

On Monday he also showed that he's more than a young pitcher with a lively arm. When the Sky Sox saw him in spring training he was hitting the mid-90s with his fastball. This time he rarely went higher than 91 mph, but dipped into the upper 70s with his breaking balls and served up only two pitches that Colorado Springs hitters truly squared up.

 

"He used a cutter inside on guys," Sweet said. "We didn't really know he had that pitch because he didn't use it in spring training. He's got good stuff. He's way above the norm with his stuff."

 

One of the hard hits off Urias, the youngest pitcher in Triple-A, came off the bat of Sky Sox shortstop Orlando Arcia, the youngest position player in the Pacific Coast League who is now considered the No. 4 prospect in the minors. Arcia went 1 of 3 on the day, grounding back to Urias, singling sharply to center and flying out to right field.

 

Arcia was pulled as part of a double-switch in the seventh, as the Sky Sox batted around, popped six extra-base hits and capped the scoring with a two-run home run from catcher Manny Pina, who is batting .370.

 

The only downside to Monday's performance was the timing of it. The Sky Sox and Dodgers drew 13,276 combined fans to Friday and Saturday nights' games. But Monday's game was played early in the day, during work hours, to allow the teams time to travel in the evening. The result was an announced crowd of 1,013 that was the second smallest in Security Service Field history. Actual numbers were much smaller, with only about 115 there when Lopez delivered the first pitch at 12:38 p.m.

 

But while there weren't many fans, there were scouts and many others in baseball tracking its progress. You don't get this kind of collection of talent together without attracting some kind of attention.

 

Colorado Springs Box Score

 

CF Keon Broxton doubled, singled, and walked - en fuego; Orlando Arcia now just 4-for-7 in SB attempts...

 

Colorado Springs Game Log

 

Col. Springs Bottom of the 7th

 

Pitching Change: Lisalverto Bonilla replaces Julio Urias, batting 9th.

Michael Reed walks.

With Josmil Pinto batting, Michael Reed steals (7) 2nd base.

Josmil Pinto doubles (6) on a fly ball to right fielder Jose Tabata. Michael Reed scores.

With Jake Elmore batting, wild pitch by Lisalverto Bonilla, Josmil Pinto to 3rd.

Oklahoma City Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes ejected by HP umpire Travis Eggert.

Oklahoma City Dodgers Manager Bill Haselman ejected by HP umpire Travis Eggert.

Defensive Substitution: Jack Murphy replaces catcher Austin Barnes, batting 3rd, playing catcher.

Jake Elmore walks.

Ben Guez called out on strikes. Jake Elmore steals (7) 2nd base.

Pitching Change: Luis Avilan replaces Lisalverto Bonilla, batting 9th.

Garin Cecchini out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Jose Tabata. Josmil Pinto scores. Jake Elmore to 3rd.

Keon Broxton doubles (6) on a fly ball to right fielder Jose Tabata. Jake Elmore scores.

Nate Orf doubles (2) on a line drive to right fielder Jose Tabata. Keon Broxton scores.

Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Will Middlebrooks replaces Austin Ross.

Will Middlebrooks doubles (6) on a fly ball to left fielder Corey Brown. Nate Orf scores.

Manny Pina homers (2) on a fly ball to left field. Will Middlebrooks scores.

Michael Reed strikes out swinging.

[markedman5]

How fast is Clark? Lol

 

https://twitter.com/brewerprospect/status/729864701186871296