Link Report for Games of Tuesday, June 15th

[MassBrew]

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB COLUMBUS CLIPPERS (NEW YORK YANKEES) 34 29 .540 TOLEDO MUD HENS (DETROIT) 34 31 .523 1.0 [b]INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (MILWAUKEE) 32 31 .508 2.0[/b] LOUISVILLE BATS (CINCINNATI) 32 33 .492 3.0

 WEST DIVISION W L PCT GB MOBILE BAY BEARS (SAN DIEGO) 37 29 .561 WEST TENN DIAMOND JAXX (CHICAGO CUBS) 36 29 .554 .5 BIRMINGHAM BARONS (CHICAGO WHITE SOX) 33 32 .508 3.5 [b]HUNTSVILLE STARS (MILWAUKEE) 30 36 .455 7.0[/b] MONTGOMERY BISCUITS (TAMPA BAY) 28 38 .424 9.0

 SOUTH DIVISION W L PCT GB LANCASTER JETHAWKS (ARIZONA) 42 23 .646 INLAND EMPIRE 66ERS (SEATTLE) 37 28 .569 5.0 LAKE ELSINORE STORM (SAN DIEGO) 32 33 .492 10.0 RANCHO CUCAMONGA QUAKES (ANAHEIM) 30 35 .462 12.0 [b]HIGH DESERT MAVERICKS (MILWAUKEE) 22 43 .338 20.0[/b]

 WESTERN DIVISION W L PCT GB KANE COUNTY COUGARS (OAKLAND) 39 25 .609 CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (ANAHEIM) 38 26 .594 1.0 PEORIA CHIEFS (ST.LOUIS) 37 27 .587 1.5 [b]BELOIT SNAPPERS (MILWAUKEE) 35 30 .538 4.5[/b] CLINTON LUMBER KINGS (TEXAS) 33 30 .524 5.5 QUAD CITY RIVER BANDITS (MINNESOTA) 29 32 .475 8.5 WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS (SEATTLE) 28 36 .438 11.0 BURLINGTON BEES (KANSAS CITY) 21 44 .323 18.5

[MassBrew]

Indianapolis Post-Game Notes:

 

Durham?s Jim Magrane (4-1) handcuffed Indianapolis for six scorless innings Tuesday night as the Bulls blasted the Tribe, 8-2. Durham finished the contest with 15 hits, keyed by four hits from shortstop B.J. Upton.

 

While Magrane kept the Tribe in check, the Bulls jumped ahead of Indianapolis starter Adrian Hernandez (0-4) for two runs in the first and a single tally in the sixth. The Tribe, which could muster a single hit off Magrane through six, rallied for two runs in the eighth off Magrane and reliever Bobby Seay.

 

Indianapolis fell to 32-31, while Durham improved to 34-29 and continues to lead the IL South Division.

 

QUOTES:

 

Bulls winning pitcher Jim Magrane comments on near perfect start:

 

?Truthfully, I was aware that I was pitching a perfect game in the fifth, but I didn?t want to lose focus,? said Magrane. ?I just tried to focus on what got me to that point. I had really good pitch execution. I was mixing my fastball and changing speeds well all night. In the eighth, I was still trying to be aggressive with my fastball, but I missed a couple of pitches. I lost a little bit of focus down the stretch. I need to clock in at that point of time a little better.?

 

NOTES:

 

After two opening wins on the road at Charlotte, the Tribe has now dropped three games in a row.

 

The Tribe has posted a 4-10 record in June, its slowest start of the first three months of the season (April, 13-6; May, 15-15).

 

Steve Scarborough hit his second triple of the season.

 

Tribe pitching staff now has a 4.43 ERA, the highest of the year.

[MassBrew]

David Weiser's www.starsboxscore.com Huntsville update:

 

LONGBALL BLUES

The Smokies poked Chris Saenz for flairs, bloopers, dunkers, and Texas Leaguers all day, pitching well enough to hold some small leads......... As usual, the Stars had several chances again to walk all over Tennessee, and yet, couldn't come up with the clutch hit when it was needed........ Still, the Stars have never come closer to breaking this seven-game losing streak than it had today, but the tendency to give up home runs, outhomered now 23-8 during this frustrating month, ruined a day that was so tantallizingly close to victory....... The Stars will now have a taste of defeat to take with them to Birmingham that hadn't been experienced by any team since the first year of affiliation with Milwaukee........ ...... The current losing streak is the longest since July 10-17, 1999.

 

Eleven runners were left on base by the Stars......... With two out in the 1st inning, Prince Fielder doubled over the 1st base bag, scoring on Brad Nelson's single to right center, but the Stars had a chance for a bigger inning. They loaded the bases on a Ryan Knox single and a walk to Johnny Raburn, but Kade Johnson ended the 1st with a fly out to left......... In the 4th, Kade was left in scoring position after a two-out double to left......... The Stars left runners on 2nd and 3rd in their two-run 5th, but Raburn flied out to end their half........ Fielder hit into a force play to end the 6th, stranding two........ In the 7th, with Raburn on 2nd and Knox on 3rd, Kade and Ozzie Chavez both hit into ground outs to the left side......... 63 runners have now been left on base during this losing streak.

 

Chris Saenz gave the Stars strong enough support for them to hang onto a 5-3 lead going into the 8th inning, even trying to win it by himself........ In the 6th inning, he doubled to drive in Kade Johnson, putting the Stars back into the lead, 4-3, but 105 pitches was the end of the road for him on this overcast afternoon....... The game was handed to Jason Shelley who had given up just one home run in 16 innings, facing a longball-loving team that was 3rd in the league........ Shelley started out by hitting Dee Haynes in the back on a 3-0 pitch. Ozzie Chavez then blew a double play on a fine throw from Prince Fielder, throwing the ball into the Tennessee dugout........ Shelley walked Gabe Johnson........ Then with Chris Duncan on 2nd and Johnson on 1st, Javier Colina, who hit a bloop single to drive in a run in the 4th, launched a high 2-2 hanging breaking ball over the left field wall to give the Smokies a 6-5 lead........ Corey Erickson added some salt with a drive deep to left to make it 7-5...... It was the final straw of a see-saw game, which saw the Stars lose early leads of 1-0 and 3-2.

 

The win kept Tennessee in a first place tie in the Eastern Division in what will be one of the most exciting finishes in a while in the Southern League....... Mobile, losing to Chattanooga, has a half-game lead in the West.

 

The Stars, as it turns out, aren't alone in the dumps....... Indianapolis, once atop their division in the International League, has lost 10 of 14 in June and High Desert, without a Top 30 prospect, is 22-43 this season, and recently ended an 11-game losing streak. Beloit, although it has a winning record, has been streaky.

 

Chris Barnwell missed his first game this year at 3rd base, suspended by the organization for two games, for unspecified reasons........ Johnny Raburn made his first appearance at 3rd base this season, his 8th position (including DH) so far. Left field and catcher is all that's left......... Saenz now has nine hits on the season, giving him a .391 average. That's the best batting mark by a Stars pitcher with at least 10 at-bats in a season. The record for most hits is 12 by Travis Smith in 2000, and he seems destined to break that if he isn't called up before then.

 

Thursday, the Stars come to Rickwood Field for the second straight year to play in the Rickwood Classic....... Both teams will wear throwback uniforms of the Industrial League teams of the mid-20th century. I believe Birmingham will wear the uniform of Sloss Industries, an old steel mill, now said to be haunted........ The Stars will represent U.S. Steel. Kind of ironic when you think about it........ These were Birmingham's two oldest and richest companies at one time. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the game with the proceeds to go to the upkeep of historic Rickwood Field. Fans are encouraged to dress the part, as these old Industrial League games were treated as major social events during their heyday. The teams themselves would go after the finest of ballplayers available, even reaching into the Negro Leagues for stringers........ Some Industrial League players graduated to the major leagues.

 

Ryan Costello will start for "U.S. Steel". I haven't heard who will start for Birmingham.

[FVBrewerFan]

I'll take the glass is half full today. What a nice line:

 

Quote:

---

L.Pena (W,5-2) 7.0 4 2 2 1 12 1

---

 

I do have a question. How did we acquire Heether, Trofholz, and W. Lewis. I've heard of Heether prior to this yr and knew he had power, but Trofholz seems to be a very nice lead-off man. And this Lewis kid has been raking since he came to Beloit.

[biedergb]

Heether (11th), Trofholz (22nd), and Lewis (32nd) were all drafted out of college in the 2003 Amateur Draft.

Heether spent most of last year in Beloit with Gwynn and Weeks, while Trofholz and Lewis played in the rookie leagues.

 

Patrick (colbyjack's) profiles from last year's draft recap:

Heether

"Athletic 3B with average tools across the board. Above average defenisvely at 3B, and displays a strong arm. Also shows nice hitting actions with a patient eye and a quick stroke as he led the Dirtbags in hitting this season. For the season he hit .360 with a .463 on-base percentage and a .506 slugging percentage with 5 home runs in 178 at bats. He may not have the over the fence power necessary to be your prototypical 3B, but the same was said about Jeff Cirillo for years in Milwaukee, a player that Heether favorably compares to."

 

Trofholz

"Good overall hitter with a career. 381 batting average at TCU. Had a great junior campaign that made him a 2nd team All-American. Dipped a bit this spring as a senior, batting .328 with a .407 on-base percentage and a .446 slugging percentage in 192 at bats. Has pretty good speed, and is considered a pretty good defensive outfielder as well. Doesn't have much power, and is basically a gap to gap hitter."

 

Lewis

"Good defensive 2B that also has a little bit of pop in his bat. Is a smart overall baseball player that has average tools across the board. If his power continues to develop he could be an above average 2B offensively with strong defense."

[igor67]

Interesting that Heether is showing way more over thefence pwoer with wood this year than in college. His statistical record is now quite a bit stronger than it was a few weeks ago when we started to notice the hot streak. For a full season of ABs he projects to about 60 walks 110 Ks 25 HRs and 40 doubles. Pretty good totals for the Midwest league and unless I'm wrong his strikeout rate has declined quite a bit the last few weeks which bodes well for the future.

[madbad2000]

Heether is really turning the corner in my eyes. He just needs to get some consistency. The guy is great defensively, built like a brick.yeah, and has decent speed. He's shown the pop but it seems like the day after a big game like Tuesday he goes O for the world because he's trying to pull the ball out of the park. Reminds me of Jenkins and his streaks. Heether's swing flies open, shoulder is wide open and he pulls his head out. If he just gains that consistency with his swing he could be special. Plus the guy is so friendly, if you get a chance go up and talk to him. Let's all officially welcome him as the Brewers top 3rd base prospect. He's earning it.

[foamboy1]

Hmmmm.....Heether is built like a "brick" and now suddenly is showing more power than ever before.....

[madbad2000]

I doubt that foamboy....he's not bonds ripped...the guy is just solid.

[MassBrew]

Daily Press High Desert Game Summary:

 

RANCHO CUCAMONGA ? Being on the road just hasn't been kind to the High Desert Mavericks as of late.

 

The Mavs previous road trip, one in which they went 1-8, led to a season-high 11-game losing streak. High Desert's current roadie isn't going any better.

 

Rancho Cucamonga scored two runs in the fifth, sixth and two more in the eighth then held on for a 8-6 victory over the Mavericks before 2,490 at The Epicenter on Tuesday night.

 

The Mavs (22-43) tried to rally in their final at bat down 8-4. They loaded the bases as both Froilan Villanueva and Mario Mendez singled and Pete Rasmusen walked. That brought up Callix Crabbe, who has been clutch when it comes to this situation.

 

Crabbe was 3-for-3 with the bases loaded coming into the game. He stayed perfect as he singled in two runs to close the gap at 8-6. But with runners at first and second, Quakes reliever Von Stertzbach got Dan Boyd to fly out and pick up his ninth save of the year.

 

Rancho Cucamonga snapped its four-game losing streak and the Mavs fell to 1-3 on their current six-game road trip.

 

High Desert was down 6-3 in what turned out to be a pivotal eighth inning.

 

The Mavs scored a run in the top half of the inning on Travis Hinton's RBI double off the Quakes' Cliff Smith. That scored Crabbe and it left runners at second and third for Scott Candelaria. Stertzbach replaced Smith and struck out Candelaria to end the threat.

 

In the bottom of the eighth, the Mavs unraveled committing two errors which led to two unearned runs and an 8-4 Rancho Cucamonga lead.

 

Khalid Ballouli suffered the loss for High Desert. He gave up four runs, all earned, on six hits in five innings of work. Ballouli is 3-8 and has dropped his last five decisions. Rancho Cucamonga's Daniel Davidson picked up the win and improves to 5-3.

 

The Quakes took the lead on the Mavs in the first inning. Michael Napoli hit his California League-leading 18th home run to give Rancho Cucamonga a 2-0 lead.

 

High Desert made a comeback in the top of the third. Jeremy Frost led off with a single and Mendez tied the game with a two-run homer off Davidson. Enrique Cruz made it back-to-back home runs and the Mavs were in the lead, 3-2.

 

The Mavs' lead lasted until the fifth inning when David Gates drove in the go-ahead runs off of Ballouli with a two-run double.

 

High Desert's Eric Henderson relieved Ballouli in the sixth. The Quakes scored two runs off Henderson, one was on a Reggie Willits sacrifice fly and the other, a Greg Porter RBI-single.

[MassBrew]

The San Bernadino Sun runs a weekly California League notes column. It's been a while since a Maverick was featured:

 

Mavs' Vanden Berg has roots in baseball

By MICHELLE GARDNER, Staff Writer

 

Considering High Desert catcher John Vanden Berg grew up around Major League Baseball players, it is not surprising he is pursuing a baseball career.

 

Vanden Berg's father, Gary, is Director of Grounds for the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park which opened in April of 2001. He has held that position since 1981 so his tenure dates back to the Brewers longtime home County Stadium.

 

John, now 24, remembers the days he and twin brother, Joel, would go to work with their father.

 

"Gosh, I did that as soon as my mom thought I was old enough,' John said. "Back then, I didn't think it was a big deal because it was something I always did. I look back now and I realize I didn't know just how good I had it.'

 

Not surprisingly, John grew up a Brewers fan. Like many Milwaukee fans, his favorite player was Robin Yount. One of his fondest memories was being at the stadium when the Hall of Famer got his 3,000th hit. He also remembers shagging fly balls in the outfield during batting practice and playing catch on the warning track with other favorites such as Cecil Cooper.

 

So it was a dream come true when he was selected by the Brewers in the 25th round of the 2002 draft. He had attended Northern Illinois University, but transferred to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, graduating with a degree in finance.

 

He had tryouts with the Phillies, Pirates and Twins but was thrilled that it was the Brewers choosing him in the draft.

 

"It was pretty much a dream come true,' he said. "Not everybody gets the opportunity to play for their hometown team. The only thing that could be better is if I make it to the major leagues.'

 

The only bad thing about having a father who works for the Brewers is that he rarely gets a chance to attend one of his son's California League games. John played rookie ball in Ogden, Utah, of the Pioneer League in 2002 and hit .295.

 

The best case scenario occured last year because John was sent to Low-A Beloit of the Midwest League, which is only about a one-hour drive from Milwaukee. Gary was hardly a regular, but he was able to spend the occasional off day seeing his son play. Being in the same time zone also made it easier to keep in touch.

 

The Mavericks might be struggling as a team this season, but John has definitely been one of the bright spots for manager Mel Queen. John splits time behind the plate with Froilan Villanueva and is hitting .319 in 36 games with 18 RBI and 18 runs scored.

 

Meanwhile his twin brother works on the grounds crew with his father.

 

"I'm pretty happy with how things are going. You can alway do better but I think I'm improving and that's the biggest thing,' John said.

 

ALL-STAR ANNOUNCEMENT: Rosters for the Carolina-California League All-Star Game are expected to be released today. There will be 22 players on each team. The California League squad will be managed by Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino skipper Daren Brown.

 

The game will be held June29 at Arrowhead Credit Union Park. Festivities will get underway June28 with a celebrity golf tournament featuring San Bernardino's own Olympic gold medalist Derek Parra at Arrowhead Country Club.

[igor67]

Heether can't possibly be a real prospect he's one of those Moneyball freaks walking hitting homers and playing in college. What was Jack Z thinking drafting a kid out of college http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/roll.gif . Yep top third basemen in the system and all the scrutiny that goes with it. Hoffy better add him to the saviors list.

[batman]

Adam Heether is the old Steve Sollmann. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

It's so nice to finally have an organization that drafts these kinds of players, even if they also love high-ceiling, raw high school kids. Team Canada isn't perfect, but when compared with previous Brewers' administrations they are regular geniuses.

 

~Bill

[MassBrew]

Fun story about the fan giveaway during last night's Beloit game:

 

www.snappersbaseball.com/...4361356848

 

Beloit Daily News Game Story:

 

Heether stays hot

Snapper smacks two more homers in victory

By Charlie Corr

Daily News staff writer

 

There were not a whole lot of opportunities for either team to capitalize on.

 

But the few available chances the Beloit Snappers had at the plate, they took advantage in a big way.

 

Snappers third baseman Adam Heether led the charge with two home runs and three runs batted in as Beloit defeated the Clinton LumberKings, 6-2, in Midwest League action at Pohlman Field Tuesday night.

 

Heether leads the club with 11 long balls.

 

``I'm just trying to put the bat on the ball, and it can do whatever it wants,'' said Heether, who has hit three homers in two days. ``I'm making solid contact and just staying loose.''

 

The other player who looked pretty loose was Snappers right-hander Luis Pena. He was in solid form, mowing down 12 batters in seven innings and freezing several Clinton batters on the corners _ five LumberKings went down looking on strikes.

 

``Today I was working the outside corner, throwing my changeup outside to the right-handers,'' Pena said. ``And tonight I used my two-seamer.''

 

``Pena threw the ball outstanding today. You've got to give him some credit,'' Clinton manager Carlos Subero said. ``He had a lot of movement on his fastball and was able to throw it for strikes. He threw a great game.''

 

LumberKings left-hander Brian Mattoon (5-2) allowed only six hits through five innings. And southpaw Tim Cunningham went three hitless frames for Clinton (33-30).

 

``We had some clutch hitting. Five of the six runs were on home runs,'' Snappers manager Don Money said. ``And with the way the pitching was going, it proved to be enough.

 

``(Pena) was in command the whole night, from the first inning on,'' Money said.

 

Pena (5-2) had one tough inning in the fourth. The Snappers had a 2-0 lead, but Pena led the top of the fourth by surrendering a double to Larry Grayson. After striking out Micah Furtado, Jason Fransz tomahawked the first pitch he saw to center field for a two-run shot to tie the game at 2-2.

 

Heether got those runs right back in the bottom half with his own two-run belt to left-center. He had crushed a solo shot to center in the second.

 

Terry Trofholz added a two-run homer in the fifth to give Beloit (35-30) a four-run cushion.

 

Pena got better as the game progressed. In one stretch he struck out six of seven consecutive batters. He allowed just four hits and a walk before Simon Beresford relieved him in the eighth.

 

Clinton's only other strong scoring opportunity came in the seventh. With two outs the LumberKings had runners on second and third thanks to a walk and a double. Pena got Emerson Frostad to ground out on a comebacker to end the inning.

 

The LumberKings split with the Snappers in a four-game series earlier in the season. Now Beloit is looking to sweep them in today's finale (7 p.m. start).

 

Clinton is still trying to offset the promotion of shortstop Ian Kinsler, who was promoted to the Texas Rangers' AA club, the Frisco RoughRiders.

 

Kinsler deserved the promotion after posting a stellar .402 average with 30 doubles, 11 home runs, 52 RBIs and a .692 slugging percentage.

 

``I think it'll take a couple games for our guys to get back in a groove,'' Subero said. ``The guys will step up and do their job. I'm confident they'll pick it up. We'll be all right.''

 

NOTES: Pena won a fan a Verlo Mattress bed in the fifth inning because he struck out the side. ...William Lewis was 2-for-3 with two runs.

[FVBrewerFan]

Without looking at the Power 50, I don't think Trofholz or Lewis are on the list right? Trofholz has been right around .300 all year with occasional pop, and Lewis sounds like a real good defensive player hitting over .400 (small sample). May be too early to put Lewis on the list, but both these guys are doing well for low round picks!

[gregmag]

Trofholz's "pop" is about as "occasional" as it gets. In 229 AB he has hit 62 singles, seven doubles, and two homers, for a whopping isolated power figure of .057. Beyond that, he has walked only 16 times. His value is completely wrapped up in his .310 average and his +15 in stolen base attempts. If not for the steals, he'd have the emptiest .300 average this side of Alex Sanchez. For an outfielder in low A ball who will turn 24 in September, he's putting up pretty unexciting numbers.

 

Lewis, on the other hand, is looking like fun. Small sample, yes, but he deserves watching. My P50 beef du jour is how Luis Pena ever fell off the list. I'll admit I only noticed after his ridiculous outing last night, but it isn't like he was stinking up the joint before that. I assume he'll be back.

 

Greg.

[Never Outhustled]

My P50 beef du jour is how Luis Pena ever fell off the list. I'll admit I only noticed after his ridiculous outing last night, but it isn't like he was stinking up the joint before that. I assume he'll be back. Well, if Pena can make A+ by the age of 24, and carry an ERA over 8, lose some movement on his fastball, get rid of the depth and drop on his slider, and stop commanding his changeup, he should be perfect for the #20 spot on the P 50. Just like Khalid Balloulihttp://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif