TooLiveBrew

Oh how I've missed these types of comments on Sheets

I wonder if the Brewers will reward Hunter Morris with a callup after whenever it is that the Stars' season comes to an end. Barring an injury, he's looking like a very good bet to win the Southern League MVP, and has to be a lock for the organizational 'batter of the year' award. I don't know, I feel 50/50 on whether or not I think he'll get called up. It would really be a waste of service time, but I could see the org. doing it. I think we'll definitely see some RPs -- Stetter, De Los Santos, Kintzler, Sanchez, Hand... all good guesses & obviously already mentioned. The only way I want to see Thornburg & Peralta up is if they're up to start. If you're going to burn service time on them it'd better not be to sit in the bullpen and make like three appearances each in September. Bianchi (who could easily play 2B) might get called back up, but as a RH hitter behind two key RH starters in the MIF I think he would get very little playing time. Green makes a lot of sense, Schafer I'm torn on (kinda like Bianchi... too much similar depth in the OF), Farris... see Bianchi comments (plus he's not really a SS due to his arm), Gindl? ... again, probably not due to OF depth. I think the best bets are bullpen guys to audition for one of the five or six spots up for grabs heading into 2013.

Man, every time I see or hear his name come up, I'm reminded how much I miss watching him hit. What a swing. EDIT: Does anyone know/recall why he was a late bloomer? Since he DH'd, I assume it was defensive liabilities that held him back... iirc he was a third baseman coming up through the minors...?

Thanks for the reminder. I hope you enjoy Frank Longo... I mean, 'my' recaps!

Now hold on, DHonks. If you go by what Ben will tell you he can do at the plate, you're in some elite GM-wanna-be territory.

His .524 AVG (11-21) over his recent five-game hitting streak would disagree with you. I actually think Gennett is a very strong candidate for the AFL, especially given all the praise his improved defense has gotten so far this season.

@Tennessee 5, Huntsville 3 Huntsville Box A furious comeback by the Stars ended tonight on a double-steal attempt in the 9th. They trailed 5-1 heading into the frame, but came up with three straight 1Bs to lead off the inning & make things interesting. Hainley Statia (2-4, SB), Scooter Gennett (3-3, 2B, BB, RBI), & Andy Gonzalez (1-3, BB) got the rally going. Statia stole second base with Gennett batting, and came around to score on Scooter's single. After a Hunter Morris (0-4) groundout, Gennett scored on a fielder's choice on a grounder off the bat of Josh Prince (1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, SB) to cut the deficit to two runs. Kentrail Davis (1-4) followed with an infield 1B, and with the next batter up, he was caught stealing at second base to end the game. Prince's 2B came in the 4th, after Gennett led off the inning with a 2B of his own; Gennett came in to score the Stars' first run on the play. Prince also stole his 41st bag of the season in the inning. Lee Haydel (0-4) & Anderson De La Rosa (0-3) both went hitless on the game. T.J. Mittelstaedt went 0-1 in a PH appearance in the 8th. Ariel "Speedwagon" Pena had a start to forget. Look away if you're squeamish -- 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R/ER, 7 BB, 3 K, WP, HBP, 4:1 GO:AO, 91 TP (46 strikes). Not much else to say about that start, except that Ariel doesn't have to dwell on it & will get another start soon. R.J. Seidel turned in another solid relief appearance, but it wasn't without struggle: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, BB, K, WP, HBP. Kyle Heckathorn took over in the 7th, and worked around a leadoff 2B to post a scoreless IP. Philippe Valiquette came on to work the 9th, and struggled -- he allowed a 1B to start the inning, followed by a groundout, WP, and two BBs. With the bases loaded, the Smokies got a groundball fielder's choice to score a valuable tack-on run. Valiquette got the next batter to ground out & end the inning, but the insurance run proved very valuable. -Gennett came up with his fifth straight multi-hit game, and has posted a .524 AVG (11-21) over the streak -Davis also extended his hitting streak to six games; he wasn't able to extend the streak until his fourth PA Huntsville PbP The one-run, two-double 4th: Huntsville Top of the 4th -Scooter Gennett doubles (28) on a fly ball to right fielder Matthew Szczur. -Andy Gonzalez flies out to right fielder Matthew Szczur. Scooter Gennett to 3rd. -Hunter Morris strikes out swinging. -Josh Prince doubles (25) on a fly ball to left fielder Michael Burgess. Scooter Gennett scores. -With Kentrail Davis batting, Josh Prince steals (41) 3rd base. -Kentrail Davis flies out to center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha. ... And the 9th-inning rally that fell short: Huntsville Top of the 9th -Pitching Change: Frank Batista replaces Nicholas Struck, batting 9th, replacing Nate Samson. -Hainley Statia singles on a line drive to left fielder Michael Burgess. -With Scooter Gennett batting, Hainley Statia steals (6) 2nd base. -Scooter Gennett singles on a ground ball to center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha. Hainley Statia scores. -Andy Gonzalez singles on a line drive to left fielder Michael Burgess. Scooter Gennett to 2nd. -Hunter Morris flies out to center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha. Scooter Gennett to 3rd. -Josh Prince grounds into a force out, shortstop Junior Lake to second baseman Logan Watkins. Scooter Gennett scores. Andy Gonzalez out at 2nd. Josh Prince to 1st. -Pitching Change: Brian Schlitter replaces Frank Batista, batting 9th. -Kentrail Davis singles on a ground ball to second baseman Logan Watkins. Josh Prince to 2nd. -Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Brock Kjeldgaard replaces Anderson De La Rosa. -With Brock Kjeldgaard batting, Kentrail Davis caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Chad Noble to second baseman Logan Watkins. Huntsville Gameday

Sure, maybe to him...

I'm selfishly hoping the Reds call Hamilton up come September, just so I can see some high-quality video of him on the basepaths. Not sure he'll hit enough to justify being a leadoff hitter, but I'm betting Dusty won't be able to help himself since Hamilton is so dang fast. [/base clogging!]

The NL aggregate slash line to this point is .254 /.319/.401/.720, and the Reds' is .251/.316/.419/.735 (including Votto). They're just not impressive to me when you factor in home ballpark (.771 home OPS, .701 road). I'll admit I didn't notice how good Ludwick & Frazier have hit this season, but even so that is an underwhelming lineup imo for a team that has legit WS aspirations. I agree that they should've added a bat or two, and that the focus should've been to increase OBP.

Maybe the Rangers were right after all to not part with Olt for a 10-15 starts of one pitcher. The production you wind up getting is almost impossible to predict.

That Reds offense, especially without Votto, is pretty pedestrian-looking. It's pretty impressive how many bad offensive players Dusty Baker can run out there in a contending season. Miguel Cairo: First Baseman.

I find it unlikely even Scott Boras could get Gomez a deal like that. Guy's not even a proven full-time player. Ahh, yes. My least favorite term once again rears its ugly head. I 'get' it here, I 'get' it whenever it's mentioned, but I still hate it. Maybe I should've just gone with the 4/$25M idea that others have floated in this thread -- that didn't seem to throw anyone. I feel like 4/$30M is a little closer to what might realistically get something done, sans Boras... I realize that's a little nit-picky on my part. I just feel like with how FA spending has exploded, Gomez turning himself into the mid-700s OPS player everyone hoped he would (yes, that's my belief) means he's going to be looking at some serious interest once he hits the FA market. I think $6-8M per year for a guy like that, with obviously elite defense, is a good deal.

http://www.thefeelgoodlifestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Freaking-Out.jpg

Sell high on Gomez this offseason. As has been noted many times in this thread & elsewhere, Gomez is a Boras client, and Boras clients don't sign reasonable contract extensions. Find a GM (or two or three) that is sold on his bat in the offseason, & flip him for the best return. If Boras wasn't his agent, I'd be all about a 4/$30-ish type contract extension.

Huntsville 7, @Tennessee 2 Huntsville Box A pair of three-run innings, combined with a solid start from Johnnie Lowe and another scoreless effort from the bullpen, led to a comfortable win tonight in the first of a five-game set in Kodak, TN against the Cubs' AA affiliate. Lowe finished with a line of 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 7:4 GO:AO, 101 TP. Brian Garman pitched around a single in each of the 6th & 7th for a scoreless 2 IP appearance. Dan Meadows tossed a scoreless 8th, and Evan Anundsen matched him with a scoreless 9th. The Stars have been getting some good relief pitching lately. As Mass Haas noted up-thread, Hunter Morris (2-4, HR, 4 RBI) kicked off the scoring in this one in the top of the 1st with a two-out three-run HR to centerfield on a belt-high 2-1 pitch. The Stars didn't wait long to post their other three-run inning -- they got line drive singles from Josh Prince (1-5) and Hainley Statia (2-5), followed by an infield single from Scooter Gennett (2-5), to lead off the 3rd and load the bases. Andy Gonzalez (1-1, HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI, HBP) drew a BB to force in a run, and a missed catch error by the Smokies' pitcher on the back end of an attempted double play on a grounder from Morris allowed two more runs came in to score. In the 5th, Gonzalez knocked a belt-high 1-0 pitch out to left field for his HR; Gonzalez reached base safely in all four PAs tonight. Adam Weisenburger finished 1-4, and was caught stealing once. Kentrail Davis also went 1-4, adding his 17th SB (17/24, 71%) on the season. Brock Kjeldgaard was 0-4 with three strikeouts. T.J. Mittelstaedt flew out in his only PA, a pinch-hit appearance in the 9th. -Gennett had his fourth straight two-hit game tonight, and has hit to a .325 clip in his last 10 games. Keep hittin', kid! -Prince has an interesting six-game hitting streak right now, just 9-26 (.257) to this point. A hitting streak's a hitting streak! -Davis also has a modest five-game hitting streak going, and has gone 7-17 (.292) over that stretch... after going hitless in his previous five games. Huntsville PbP The Huntsville 1st got this game off on the right foot: Huntsville Top of the 1st -Josh Prince flies out to right fielder Matthew Szczur. -Hainley Statia grounds out, second baseman Logan Watkins to first baseman Justin Bour. -Scooter Gennett singles on a ground ball to center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha. -Andy Gonzalez hit by pitch. Scooter Gennett to 2nd. -Hunter Morris homers (22) on a fly ball to center field. Scooter Gennett scores. Andy Gonzalez scores. -Brock Kjeldgaard grounds out, third baseman Matt Cerda to first baseman Justin Bour. And here's the slightly less conventional three-run 3rd: Huntsville Top of the 3rd -Josh Prince singles on a line drive to left fielder Nelson Perez. -Hainley Statia singles on a line drive to left fielder Nelson Perez. Josh Prince to 2nd. -Scooter Gennett singles on a bunt ground ball to pitcher Dallas Beeler. Josh Prince to 3rd. Hainley Statia to 2nd. -Andy Gonzalez walks. Josh Prince scores. Hainley Statia to 3rd. Scooter Gennett to 2nd. -Hunter Morris grounds into a force out, first baseman Justin Bour to shortstop Junior Lake. Hainley Statia scores. Scooter Gennett scores on the throw. Andy Gonzalez out at 2nd. Hunter Morris advances to 2nd, on a missed catch error by pitcher Dallas Beeler, assist to shortstop Junior Lake. -Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out swinging. -Kentrail Davis grounds out, second baseman Logan Watkins to first baseman Justin Bour. Huntsville Gameday

Btw, has anyone seen this gem? I hadn't, but thank you for linking that.

That's simply not true. Only because Braun was so, so, so bad, though.

I think that meets the classic 'getting the best player in the deal' protocol for you. Who is the Quintana you were offered? Jose of the White Sox? You'd be selling high on McCutcheon & buying low on J. Upton. So in that sense I like it. Verlander is so dominant... I dunno, it's probably a fair offer... the other guy doesn't have to say yes.

I'm curious, if Gamel had posted about an .825 OPS over roughly 1,000 PAs, would the doubters feel like he'd have earned the all-important label of "Proven"?

I don't know if Mr. Brown has been the lone photog for the Helena I-R, but the photography from Helena seems to always be first rate. Wow.

How does Tony La Russa recite the alphabet?

Straight as a string, 88-90mph FB? Check. Loopy curveball? Check. Dominance so far of MLB hitters? Check. Ninja-master delivery deception? Gotta be a check there too.

Well what he meant was that he only scouts the Sally League. At least that's how I took it.

Pensacola 6, @Huntsville 1 Huntsville Box Jimmy Nelson was dominant in his first 3 IP, but struggled in the 4th & 5th, allowing all three hits of his outing... and all of those hits were XBH. It could've been a case of Nelson tiring (maybe leaving his sinker up?), as this was just his third start back from injury and his longest pitch count leash to boot. Final line: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R/2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 6:4 GO:AO, 77 TP. Dan Merklinger came on in relief of Nelson to start the 6th, and was promptly sent packing thanks to a sequence of BB-BB-HR. R.J. Seidel came in and worked out of the 6th, pitching around a one-out 2B; Seidel was also able to work around a single in the 7th and another double in the 8th to post three scoreless frames of relief work. Evan Anundsen allowed a pair of two-out 1Bs in the 9th, but also tossed a scoreless inning in the 9th. Huntsville didn't notch their first hit until a two-out 1B in the 4th from Hunter Morris (1-4). In the 6th, they got back-to-back two out singles from Scooter Gennett (2-4, RBI; third straight two-hit game) and Brock Kjeldgaard (1-3, BB), but Morris wasn't able to keep the inning alive. The Stars scored their only run in the 8th, after Josh Prince (1-4, 2B) doubled and was singled home by Gennett. Kentrail Davis was 1-4 on the game. Andy Gonzalez went 0-2 with 2 BB. Anderson De La Rosa and Hainley Statia both were 0-4. Each of Lee Haydel, Domnit Bolivar, and T.J. Mittelstaedt went hitless in single PH appearances. Billy Hamilton added another SB tonight; his season total is up to 128. Hunstville PbP The only scoring for the Stars: Huntsville Bottom of the 8th -Pitching Change: Wilkin De La Rosa replaces Wirfin Obispo, batting 9th, replacing Bryson Smith. -Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Domnit Bolivar replaces R. J. Seidel. -Domnit Bolivar strikes out on a foul tip. -Josh Prince doubles (24) on a sharp ground ball to left fielder Andrew Means. -Hainley Statia grounds out, first baseman Donald Lutz to pitcher Wilkin De La Rosa. Josh Prince to 3rd. -Scooter Gennett singles on a ground ball to center fielder Ryan LaMarre. Josh Prince scores. -Pitching Change: Curtis Partch replaces Wilkin De La Rosa, batting 9th. -Brock Kjeldgaard walks. Scooter Gennett to 2nd. -Hunter Morris pops out to third baseman David Vidal. Huntsville Gameday