TooLiveBrew

Don't even joke about that. I could see it, too.

Sounds Lose Series Opener To Express, 7-4 Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/DGfuPM7.jpg Stephen Parker (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Stephen Parker Go-Ahead Two-Run HR AUDIO: Blake Lalli RBI Single NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds dropped the opener of a five-game series against the Round Rock Express on Friday evening , falling 7-4 in front of 8,714 fans at Greer Stadium. Nashville (50-77) out-hit the Express, 10-8, in the contest and Sounds pitchers combined to strike out a season-high 15 batters in the losing effort. Round Rock got off to a quick start against Sounds right-hander Jimmy Nelson, grabbing a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Alex Buchholz's one-out RBI single. The Express doubled their lead to 2-0 in the third when Engel Beltre led off with a double and scored on Mike Bianucci's one-out single to center. The Sounds got on the board in the home half of the third when Stephen Parker drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a Eugenio Velez sacrifice fly to make it a 2-1 contest. Parker powered Nashville to a 3-2 lead in the fifth when he slugged his first home run in 192 at-bats, a massive two-run bomb to right off Round Rock starter Jake Brigham. Blake Lalli, who led off the frame with a single, also scored on the third baseman's seventh big fly of the year. Round Rock reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer of its own, a two-out Chris McGuinness shot to right-center off Nelson that put the visitors back on top by a 4-3 margin. The Express tacked on three more scores later in the frame in unearned fashion after center fielder Kentrail Davis dropped Beltre's bases-loaded fly ball with two down. Two runs scored on that play and another when Buchholz added an infield single. On that play, Sounds shortstop Ozzie Chavez threw out Beltre at the plate as he also attempted to score. Nelson (3-5) took the loss for the Sounds after allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits in his 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out nine batters, one shy of his career high. His 109 pitches on the night were the most by a Nashville hurler all season. Lalli -- who is batting .351 (13-for-37) over his last nine games -- pushed across Nashville's fourth run of the night in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out RBI single up the middle to plate Robinzon Diaz (3-for-5). Brigham (5-3) earned the win for the Express after giving up four runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 frames. The Sounds missed opportunities to reduce the deficit in the sixth and seventh, leaving the bases loaded in both frames without scoring. Express right-hander Wilmer Font closed out the contest with a pair of hitless innings to earn his fourth save of the year. The team square off against at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday evening. Left-hander Chris Narveson (4-7, 5.14) will man the bump for the Sounds and face Round Rock right-hander Scott Richmond (4-5, 5.76). Nashville Box Nashville PbP Nashville Gameday

Given the current state of the two franchises, I could definitely see this managerial job in Philly eventually paving the way for Sandberg to be hired by the Cubs once they're ready to contend.

I'm heading to Milwaukee on Saturday, & won't be able to cover the Nashville game. As long as I'm available, I'd be happy to 'trade' a night with anyone else willing to cover for me tomorrow. I know those off days at this point in the season feel like they're nonexistent, so even if you just want to trade so you have a night off, let me know.

By the 'eye test' for the few instances (instance? Iirc it's been more than once) where he's played 3B this year for the Brewers... he's a 1B-only caliber defender. I wouldn't want anything to do with him defending at 3B on a team attempting to contend.

Another Downhill Thunder/Ariel Speedwagon double feature night!

Fun (possibly widely-known) fact: Ryne Sandberg was drafted by the Phillies, & spent his first 4 pro seasons with the Phils.

I would argue that Crapenter was a bona fide ace, & pitched like it in the postseason. Anyway, back to John Sickels's revisiting of his pre-season list...

Sounds Split Series In Reno With 7-3 Win Nashville's Hellweg Picks Up 11th Win And 2 RBIs Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/K1tqrKN.jpg Josh Prince, archive photo (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Prince's Bases-Clearing Triple AUDIO: Hellweg's RBI-Double AUDIO: Halton's RBI Ground Ball AUDIO: Prince Picks Up 3rd RBI AUDIO: Hellweg's RBI-Single AUDIO: Lalli's Shallow Single Into CF RENO, Nev. - The Nashville Sounds converted 14 hits into seven runs Thursday night at Aces Ballpark to defeat the Reno Aces 7-3 in the series finale. The win gives Nashville the series split and their 15th Thursday night win of the season (15-3). The Sounds finish the road trip with a 4-4 record. Nashville strung together three runs in the second inning for the early 3-0 lead. Catcher Robinzon Diaz, 2-for-4, doubled to lead off the frame and was followed by a walk to Stephen Parker. Shortstop Josh Prince hit a bases-clearing triple to the right-field wall and then scored on Johnny Hellweg's double to the same spot. Sean Halton, 1-for-5, added to the Sounds lead in the fifth inning with a groundout that scored Caleb Gindl, 2-for-5, from third for the 4-0 lead. Gindl reached the hot corner on a hustle triple on a ball hit to right-center field. With two outs in the inning, Diaz and Parker drew walks before Prince and Hellweg connected again for back-to-back RBI-singles to make it 6-0. First baseman Blake Lalli added a run in the sixth inning with his shallow single into left field. Kentrail Davis led the offense with three hits, two doubles, while Josh Prince racked up three RBIs. The Aces worked three runs off Hellweg in the sixth inning, after the Sounds hurler had served up five scoreless. Mike Jacobs touched Hellweg for a lead-off home run to extend his hit streak to 11 games. A Prince fielding error allowed Juan Rivera to reach base in the frame before Josh Wilson lifted Reno's second home run of the inning to pull the Aces to within four runs. Reno never scored again. Hellweg picked up his 11th win of the season, scattering five hits across six innings of work. The 6-foot-9 pitcher allowed three runs, two earned, walked four and struck out three before making way for reliever Brent Leach. Leach and Kyle Heckathorn combined for three perfect frames for Nashville with two strikeouts. Reno starter Tyler Skaggs (6-8) took the loss, allowing Nashville six runs on 10 hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings of work. The Sounds return to Greer Stadium Friday to begin a five-game homestand with the Round Rock Express (Rangers affiliate). Throwing for Nashville will be RHP Jimmy Nelson (3-4, 3.54) opposite Express' RHP Jake Brigham (4-3, 4.28). The first 500 fans to Greer Stadium will receive a commemorative Elvis TV Guide, courtesy of Sun Entertainment, for Elvis Night and postgame fireworks. Nashville Box Nashville PbP Nashville Gameday

He's past 30, so we should be expecting him to get slower each season now. So he's another year older, & perhaps a step slower. Additionally, imo he's not a very good rightfielder in terms of tools. He doesn't go back on balls well, has above-average speed, and I'm not convinced that his arm overall is any better than below-avg. or avg. for RF. He's just not a very talented defender imo -- he's not *bad* by any stretch, though.

The Brewers had no legitimate aces in 2011 and were 2 games from the World Series. I definitely get the point you're making here, but I feel like a more accurate way to describe that run would fit right into the point fondy was trying to make -- the Brewers won one playoff series against a team that also lacked 'legit ace' SP talent, and then lost 4 of 6 games in the next round.

Honest question -- in this season, why do you care? The team isn't close to contending -- do you want to see them play their way out of the top 5 picks in the draft?

Laffey, Sounds Defeat Aces, 8-1 Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/BHYDX0X.jpg Aaron Laffey, archive photo (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Davis Scores On Wild Pitch AUDIO: Aaron Laffey RBI Squeeze Bunt AUDIO: Eugenio Velez Two-Run Single AUDIO: Sean Halton RBI Single AUDIO: Caleb Gindl Guns Down Runner At Plate AUDIO: Caleb Gindl RBI Single RENO, Nev. - The Nashville Sounds defeated the host Reno Aces by an 8-1 count on Wednesday evening at Aces Ballpark. Left-hander Aaron Laffey (6-6) earned his second win with Nashville by hurling his second quality start for the club, holding the Aces to one run on seven hits over six strong innings of action. Every starting Sounds position player recorded a knock in the contest, led by two-hit efforts from Kentrail Davis, Caleb Gindl, and Robinzon Diaz. The Sounds grabbed a 1-0 first-inning lead with an unearned run against Charles Brewer. Davis (2-for-4, three runs) led off the contest with a single and later scored from second with two outs when Brewer uncorked a wild pitch and catcher Ed Easley misfired to third on the play. Davis singled and scored again for Nashville in the third to double the Sounds' lead to 2-0. Eugenio Velez followed Davis with a grounder to second and Tyler Bortnick threw high to the bag on the force attempt to allow both runners to reach base. After Davis hustled to third on a flyout, he trotted home in unearned fashion on Sean Halton's groundout to second. The Sounds made it a 6-0 contest in the fourth with four more scores against Brewer. Stephen Parker led off with a double, moved to third on a Josh Prince single, and scored on Laffey's well-executed squeeze bunt. Two batters later, the red-hot Velez smacked a two-run single to center then stole second and scored the final run of the frame on Halton's two-out single up the middle. Brewer (5-10) drew the loss for Reno after being touched for six runs on eight hits over four-plus innings of work. Reno got onto the scoreboard in the home half of the fourth when Brad Snyder scored on a Laffey wild pitch. Gindl kept the Aces to a sole run when the left fielder handled a Alfredo Marte foul fly and threw out Easley at the dish with a strong one-hop throw to end the inning with a double play. The Sounds continue their scoring in the eighth against Aces reliever Nate Adcock. Davis, who reached base three times on the night, drew a walk and later came plateward on a two-out single to right by Gindl, who went 2-for-5 in his first game back with Nashville. Nashville tacked on one final run in the ninth as pinch-hitter extraordinaire Hainley Statia delivered an opposite-field RBI knock to left off Chase Anderson. Statia is hitting .450 (9-for-20) off the bench this season. The Aces didn't produce a baserunner over the final three frames against the Sounds' bullpen. Jesus Sanchez followed Laffey with two hitless innings of relief before Dustin Molleken wrapped up the victory with a perfect ninth in his second appearance for the Sounds. The Sounds will look to gain a series split when the clubs wrap up the four-game set with a 9:05 p.m. CT finale on Thursday night. It will be a battle of pitching prospects as right-hander Johnny Hellweg (10-5, 2.75), the PCL's ERA leader, will man the bump for the Sounds and face Reno left-hander Tyler Skaggs (6-7, 4.12). Nashville Box Nashville PbP Nashville Gameday

Wrong. None of those guys were good enough to draw a QO from their previous team. I'm not in favor of losing picks over free agents as that's no way to build the foundation others have described in detail. With that said, I'm not sure what the "hit" rate is in the 2nd round but I'd bet that it isn't above 50%. That being the case and also considering many of those that do hit are fringe starters and backups, a "mediocre" FA is a win for that pick historically. All three of those players were signed before the Qualifying Offer system was created. I can't recall off the top of my head if any of them were classified as Type A or Type B free agents, though.

That shot he hit last night was freaking impressive -- as was Scooter's first HR. Nothing I've seen from watching Gennett on defense this year conflicts with the general scouting report on him -- average-ish range with a below-average arm for the position. He just doesn't bring good tools to the table on D. Adequate? Sure.

Tomatoes change color even after being picked. Obviously. Peppers, too... and I'd imagine most every other type of fruit

Off to a good start in Reno: Nashville Top of the 1st -Kentrail Davis singles on a line drive to right fielder Alfredo Marte. -Eugenio Velez singles on a ground ball to right fielder Alfredo Marte. Kentrail Davis to 2nd. -Sean Halton homers (11) on a fly ball to left field. Kentrail Davis scores. Eugenio Velez scores. -Hunter Morris strikes out swinging, catcher Ed Easley to first baseman Mike Jacobs. -Blake Lalli strikes out swinging, catcher Ed Easley to first baseman Mike Jacobs. -Josh Prince walks. -With Hainley Statia batting, Josh Prince steals (20) 2nd base. -Hainley Statia walks. -With Stephen Parker batting, Josh Prince steals (21) 3rd base. Hainley Statia steals (6) 2nd base. -Stephen Parker strikes out swinging.

I just noticed tonight that Khris Davis's physique is almost identical to Segura's. That is all.

Dude -- think about it. If they kept Gindl, WHERE WOULD YUNI PLAY?!?!

I also think the success of recent FA Cubans like Aroldis Chapman, Yoenis Cespedes, & Yasiel Puig would increase the chances of the Brewers pursuing Abreu. Mind you, imo that takes things from 'an inch short of never' to 'hey, maybe they'll at least consider it...'

For Nashville's loss last night, updated post #21 with some stats.

Nashville went on to lose 12-7 tonight. No game story posted for this one. Nashville Box Kentrail Davis: 0-3, 2 BB, SB, E (fielding) Eugenio Velez: 1-4, 2B, BB Sean Halton: 1-4, 2B, RBI, BB Hunter Morris: 1-5 Josh Prince: 0-3, BB Stephen Parker: 3-4, 2B, RBI, E (throw) Ozzie Chavez: 0-3, BB Chris Narveson: 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI Nashville PbP Narveson's huge hit came with two outs in the 4th -- he was such an intimidating figure in the batter's box that he even spooked a run out of Matt Wright before the double: Nashville Top of the 4th -Sean Halton flies out to center fielder Tony Campana. -Hunter Morris singles on a line drive to left fielder Brad Snyder. -Robinzon Diaz pops out to shortstop Chris Owings. -Josh Prince walks. Hunter Morris to 2nd. -Stephen Parker singles on a fly ball to center fielder Tony Campana. Hunter Morris scores. Josh Prince to 2nd. -Ozzie Chavez walks. Josh Prince to 3rd. Stephen Parker to 2nd. -With Chris Narveson batting, wild pitch by Matt Wright, Josh Prince scores. Stephen Parker to 3rd. Ozzie Chavez to 2nd. -Chris Narveson doubles (4) on a line drive to center fielder Tony Campana. Stephen Parker scores. Ozzie Chavez scores. -Pitching Change: Chase Anderson replaces Matt Wright, batting 9th. -Kentrail Davis grounds out, second baseman Tyler Bortnick to first baseman Mike Jacobs. Nashville Gameday

After falling behind 9-1 in the 3rd, the Sounds scored 4 in the 4th & 2 more in the 5th to get back in the game. They now trail 9-7 in the top of the 7th.

You are who I had in mind in the OP LoL.... OK. I've missed a lot of games this year as I've had other things going on. Never the less it's still been a fun year and I'm beyond happy for the guys that have been called up. All are great guys and always a pleasure when I get to talk with them before each game. I know you've mentioned numerous times about talking face-to-face with the players with whom you do interact. Is that access simply a product of having seats right by the home dugout? I've always been curious, but never asked.