Link Report for Tue 6/17 - Awesome Pitching, Perfect Night

[igor67]

Some seemingly random thoughts:

This may be the Brewers scouts best year on record considering how many exciting prospects there are and that La Porta and Jones aren't playing right now I don't believe we have any first rounders playing! That means that all these guys took some effort to sift and winnow through.

AA has a fairly high number of very age advanced prospects which is huge Inman, Garrison, and Brantley. I'll say this I will be surprised if Brantley is not a regular MLB player.

Salome still exciting, but he is an extreme put the ball in play guy. His K-rate is awesome, but the walk rate is even lower. I just hope he develops more like Hardy then Estrada. It's pretty sad when you can be almost batting .300 and still have a below average OBP.

Of course Captain Lou is totally the opposite in approach watching pitches like crazy a very interesting contrast.

[bork]

It's been a fun year. How many guys have Huntsville and Nashville lost, yet they keep winning? The organization is now an amazing 92 games above .500.

 

But it's a little different watching the minors now than in the past. Most of the "can't miss" prospects have made it to the Brewers. Most of the top prospects are younger and a few years away from the majors now.

[brewers4eric]

Michael Brantley was my pick to click in 2006. I'm glad to see that he is clicking in 2007.

[biedergb]

igor's post is interesting. Of the last 9 drafts (including 2007) we only have two 1st/2nd round players playing in the minors (Jeremy Jeffress & Brent Brewer both of the '06 draft). Many (sheets, hardy, fielder, weeks, braun, gallardo, gwynn) are in the majors, and 3 are on the DL (Jones, Rogers, LaPorta) with 2 out of the organization (kade johnson and josh murray).

 

That raises 2 very interesting points:

 

1. Scouting has done well in the 1st two rounds (getting 7 MLB players out of 15 picks is amazing -- especially since 3 players are in their 1st or 2nd year, and 2 are on the shelf with arm injuries)

 

2. Scouting has done well with round 3 + (as our minor league system is doing really well with a lot of 3rd round or later picks) -- Inman, Salome, Brantley, Garrison, Gamel, Ford, just to name a few.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

www.casperstartribune.net...1d85f1.txt

 

Rockies can't answer Brewers

By JON GOLD

Casper Star-Tribune staff writer

 

The seagulls flying below the looming, gray clouds seemed ominous, a warning sign of bleak things to come.

 

But Casper Rockies pitcher Bobby Paschal, making his first start of the year, worked his way out of a first-inning jam against Helena Tuesday night. After hitting the first batter and surrendering a single to the second, Paschal induced a double play and a fly out to end the inning.

 

But the vultures would come in the third inning, and this time, Paschal was picked apart.

 

Paschal allowed three runs in the third on two hits and two walks, and the Rockies lost their seventh straight game, 4-1.

 

The crowd of 832 at Mike Lansing field watched as Paschal walked No. 8 hitter Anthony Wycklendt on a full count to start the inning. After Brewers shortstop David Fonseca sacrificed Wycklendt to second with a perfect bunt, Paschal walked leadoff man Lee Haydel.

 

Then came the vultures.

 

Second baseman Eric Farris singled to center to score Wycklendt, then Steffan Wilson knocked a double to score Haydel and Farris.

 

Paschal ended the inning with the next two batters, but the damage had been done.

 

Rockies manager Tony Diaz was frustrated with the outing, wishing Paschal would've been more aggressive.

 

"Definitely disappointed," Diaz said. "Based on the way he pitched out of the pen, you would've never imagined that he was going to come out as passive and just nit-picking around the plate. He tried to pitch away from contact, and that hasn't been him."

 

If Paschal was passive, then the Casper hitters were kittens.

 

The 14 strikeouts weren't so much the issue as the numerous called strikes, which included three called Ks.

 

"We empower situations, and then we change," Diaz said of his team's refusal to swing away. "We have the best practices in the world, but if we change in the games, they're going to be different players. We're gonna have to trust ourselves if we want to be successful."

 

Added centerfielder David Christensen, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI single but struck out twice: "It's a collective effort; whether it's taking good pitches that we can hit or chasing balls that we don't have a chance at. We have to find a way to make contact."

 

With the way Helena's Evan Anundsen and Robert Bryson threw Tuesday night, though, the Rockies might've been staring at air anyway.

 

Anundsen threw six innings, allowing four hits, walking none and striking out seven. Bryson faired even better over three innings -- two hits and seven strikeouts.

 

Anundsen showed tremendous control of the strike zone, possibly never more so than in a first inning strikeout of Christensen. After Christensen fouled off a pitch to make the count 1-1, Anundsen came inside with a devastating curveball that started at Christensen's shoulder and ended at his kneecap. His next pitch had just as much curve, only on the outside of the plate, as Christensen swung a second late.

 

"My breaking ball I've been working on for two years now, and it's getting there," Anundsen said. "But if my stuff's on, I can miss my spots a little bit more (and) the team's not exactly sure what's coming."

 

The Rockies only looked settled at the plate in three of nine frames, including the sixth inning, which Shane Lowe led off with a double. Christensen drove him in three batters later, but Casper wouldn't get closer.

 

"When the bell rings, it's up to them," Diaz said. "We can't play for them. They've got to trust what they did in practice and then execute in the game. They're having a hard time doing that."

 

***

Helena Independent Record:

 

Helena hammers Rockies

 

CASPER, Wyo. ? The Helena Brewers pitching crew had 14 strikeouts and their batters pounced on Casper in the third inning to complete a four-game sweep of the Rockies by winning 4-1 Thursday night.

 

Helena is now 18-10 overall, good for second place in the Pioneer League North Division standings. Casper dwells in the cellar with a 5-23 record.

 

Evan Anundsen pitched six innings for Helena, giving up just one earned run on four hits while striking out seven.

 

Robert Bryson relieved in the seventh and would finish the game with two hits, one walk and matching strikeouts.

 

The Rockies lone run came in the bottom of the sixth when David Christensen singled to center field, scoring Shane Lowe.

 

Steffan Wilson, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI to lead the Brewers.

 

His two-run double came in the third inning after Eric Farris brought in Anthony Wycklendt with a high shot to center field. Wilson would bring in Lee Haydel and Farris when his ball escaped the Rockies? center fielder.

 

Helena scored once more in the top of the sixth when Eric Fryer brought in Caleb Gindl on a sacrifice fly.

 

The Brewers have today off before heading to Idaho Falls, where they dropped two out of three games last week. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central) on Thursday.

[bullox]

Some pictures from Huntsville last night, here

[Will Inman Fan]

Bullox.. Thanks for the pics That was NEAT to put the pics to the game AFTER you have laid in the floor and listen to all 9 innings online!

Will has lost so much weight from Mono and just the traveling too I think. He said that he has lost weight but I can really see it in the pics! Thanks again!