TooLiveBrew

I'd be excited to see it, but I'm not holding my breath

You are who I had in mind in the OP

Nashville 3, @Colorado 2 Nashville Box Kentrail Davis: 2-4, 2B, SB Eugenio Velez: 0-2, RBI, BB, E (fielding) Josh Prince: 2-3, BB Blake Lalli: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI Blake Davis: 1-2, BB, CS, E (throw) [pre]Jimmy Nelson: 5 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 4 BB 5 K 92 TP (49 strikes) 6:2 GO:FO[/pre] Nashville PbP Lalli opened the scoring in the 2nd: Nashville Top of the 2nd -Josh Prince singles on a line drive to left fielder Ryan Wheeler. -Blake Lalli homers (11) on a fly ball to right field. Josh Prince scores. -Hainley Statia strikes out swinging. -Blake Davis strikes out swinging. -Jimmy Nelson strikes out swinging. Velez's insurance run proved to be critical: Nashville Top of the 5th -Blake Davis singles on a line drive to right fielder Kent Matthes. -Jimmy Nelson out on a sacrifice bunt to first baseman Ben Paulsen. Blake Davis to 2nd. -Kentrail Davis strikes out swinging. Wild pitch by pitcher Armando Galarraga. Blake Davis to 3rd. Kentrail Davis to 1st. -With Eugenio Velez batting, Kentrail Davis steals (5) 2nd base. -Eugenio Velez out on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Ryan Wheeler. Blake Davis scores. -Sean Halton grounds out, shortstop Drew Garcia to first baseman Ben Paulsen. Sanchez had just enough in his bag of tricks to notch the save: Col. Springs Bottom of the 9th -Lars Davis bunt pops out to catcher Blake Lalli. -Pitching Change: Jesus Sanchez replaces Brent Leach, batting 7th. -Drew Garcia strikes out swinging. -Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Jordan Pacheco replaces Mitchell Boggs. -Jordan Pacheco singles on a line drive to center fielder Kentrail Davis. -Tim Wheeler singles on a line drive to center fielder Kentrail Davis. Jordan Pacheco to 3rd. -Hernan Iribarren singles on a line drive to center fielder Kentrail Davis. Jordan Pacheco scores. Tim Wheeler to 3rd. -Reid Brignac lines out to third baseman Stephen Parker. Nashville Gameday

- Nashville Game Two Sounds Fall 4-2 In Nightcap Out West Hellweg Suffers First Loss For Nashville Since Early May Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/afmG75R.jpg Hunter Morris, archive photo (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Sean Halton's RBI Double AUDIO: Hunter Morris' RBI Single COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Nashville Sounds never recovered from a four-run first inning put up by the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in Saturday's nightcap at Security Service Field, eventually losing 4-2 despite a 7th-inning rally. Sounds starting pitcher Aaron Laffey (5-6) loaded the bases with no outs in the first to set the table for the Sky Sox big four-run inning. The Sox got their first pair of runs on groundouts, while Kent Matthes' double to the right-field corner and a single through the infield by Jose Gonzalez each scored a run. Laffey was charged with the loss, his sixth, for one inning of work in which he allowed three hits and one walk. Laffey's start is the shortest made by a Sound this season, previously Tyler Thornburg held that mark with a 2 1/3 outing in May. Reliever Tim Dillard picked up in the second inning for Nashville to work two scoreless frames. He picked up one strikeout on the night to take sole possession of third place on the Sounds career strikeouts list with 322 all-time. Reliever Dustin Molleken made his Sounds debut a good one, working two 1-2-3 innings in the middle of the game and recording three strikeouts. Michael Olmsted also saw work from the bullpen for Nashville. The right-hander had a runner on third with no outs, but retired the side with two strikeouts and a fly ball to center. The Sounds plated a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning as Sean Halton knocked a double down the left-field line that scored Eugenio Velez, who reached base on balls. Hunter Morris followed with a single into right field, scoring Halton. Nashville had other chances in the game, loading the bases with two outs in the fourth and having a runner on second with no outs in the fifth, but came up empty on both occasions. The team left a total of 10 runners on base. Velez, 2-for-2, extended his hit streak to eight games and Blake Davis, 2-for-3, brought his streak to five consecutive games for the third time this season. Davis finished the doubleheader 5-for-6 and is 7-for-10 in the series. The Sounds will wrap the series with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on Sunday night at Security Service Field. Throwing for Nashville will be RHP Jimmy Nelson (2-4, 3.70) opposite the Sky Sox RHP Armando Galarraga (0-1, 9.39). Baseball returns to Greer Stadium on Friday, August 16, for Elvis Night and postgame fireworks. Nashville Game Two Box Nashville Game Two PbP Nashville Game Two Gameday

- Nashville Game One Sky Sox Defeat Sounds In Twinbill Opener, 6-2 Hellweg Suffers First Loss For Nashville Since Early May Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/0UJXAwG.jpg Johnny Hellweg, archive photo (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Kentrail Davis RBI Groundout AUDIO: Eugenio Velez Game-Tying RBI Double COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Colorado Springs Sky Sox snapped a seven-game skid by hanging a 6-2 loss on the Nashville Sounds in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Security Service Field. Colorado Springs right-hander Chris Volstad (6-4) worked a seven-inning complete game to earn his first victory since June. The veteran authored a quality start, holding the Sounds to two runs on seven hits in his seven frames, and helped his own cause with a go-ahead RBI single in the contest. Shortstop Blake Davis went 3-for-3 for Nashville in the contest. The Sky Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead against PCL ERA leader Johnny Hellweg in the bottom of the second inning. After Ryan Wheeler led off the frame by scorching a double to the center field wall, Jordan Pacheco sliced an RBI triple down the first base line into the right field corner to plate the afternoon's first run. Ben Paulsen (3-for-3) followed with a run-scoring bloop single to shallow center that doubled the home team's lead. Kent Matthes followed with a double to put runners on second and third with still no outs, but Hellweg escaped the frame without further damage by striking out former Sound Hernan Iribarren then inducing a comebacker pop-up double play from Volstad on a botched suicide squeeze bunt attempt. Nashville evened the contest at 2-2 in the top of the third with a pair of runs against Volstad. Josh Prince drew an inning-opening walk and moved to second on a Blake Davis single before both runners were moved up a base on a Hellweg sacrifice bunt. Kentrail Davis followed with a run-scoring groundout before red-hot Eugenio Velez extended his hitting streak to seven games with a game-tying double into the left field corner. The infielder is hitting .440 (11-for-25) during his hit streak. Volstad helped his own cause in the fourth, putting the Sky Sox back in front with a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield against Hellweg. Paulsen scored on the knock after reaching on a one-out single during the frame. Colorado Springs extended its lead to 4-2 when Tim Wheeler followed with a bloop RBI single to left. The Sky Sox continued to add to the lead in the fifth, plating two more runs against Hellweg to make it a 6-2 contest. Paulsen contributed his second RBI single of the day before the Nashville right-hander misfired to first on a pickoff attempt to allow the second run of the frame to score in unearned fashion. Hellweg (10-5) took his first Triple-A loss in 13 outings, dating back to May 5th, after being touched for a season high-tying six runs on a season-high 10 hits in his five frames of action. His league-leading ERA jumped from 2.44 to 2.75 following the outing. Nashville Game One Box Nashville Game One PbP Nashville Game One Gameday

The Sky Sox & Sounds game was postponed last night, and will be made up as part of a doubleheader tonight. The first game is scheduled to start at 4:30p CT.

Man, even only to St. Louis, that's an impressive arm...

THIRD BASE! http://i.imgur.com/ERhaviJ.gif

This kind of detail in a prospect article is so refreshing (including his time to home plate out of the stretch). Pleskoff is fun to read.

There's not a serious argument that Dunn is a better contact hitter than Gwynn. But Dunn walked enough & hit enough HRs that their overall production is similar.

Not sure if the catch itself, or the spliced-together animal 'reactions' were better

I'm not pinning anything on Narron -- half the lineup most days is AAAA (or worse) caliber hitters at this point. It's not a slump as much as it is a lack of talent overall.

What? Second base, most likely. I don't know.

I'm not convinced that Davis can hit well enough to man 1B. I actually have zero doubts about Morris's power -- it's his contact that is a work in progress. Ultimately, I think we agree on Davis -- as a backup-backup option, he could be decent.

What?

With each passing season, BA seems to get higher & higher up the 'prestige ladder' of sports announcers. I've been worried that he'll leave for greener pastures each of the last two or three offseasons, so now that concern will only increase.

The offense, by OPS, has been slightly above league average in 2013. The pitching, by ERA, has been slightly below league average in 2013. Middling-ness isn't going to win the Brewers any titles - they need help on both ends. Not to mention that Miller Park seems to inflate offense. I'd guess that, by OPS+, the offense has been basically average so far this season.

Gamel looks the part of a 6'0" guy, and clearly has the wingspan to not be too small a target at 1B. I'm a bit skeptical of Davis actually being 5'11", but he doesn't have long arms & I think that limits his ability to play 1B to very occasional spot-appearances. Morris, Halton, & Francisco are all guys that are ahead of Davis at 1B on my 2014 depth chart; there'd be no reason outside of injuries/emergencies where -- for me -- Davis should be at 1B.

Gindl & Davis are so short that I don't want to see either one at 1B except in cases of emergency. Best solution for 1B in 2014 imo is Morris, with Halton there to platoon (straight or 'soft'). Time to let Corey walk, as much as I love the guy. Francisco is a guy I'd keep as a 1B/3B backup & power PH option. If a decent trade for Aramis came along, I guess I'd just bite the bullet & run Francisco out there at 3B, since I have a hard time seeing the Brewers contending next season.

And yet K-Rod, who was downright bad in 2012 (both mechanically & in terms of stats), pitched just under 25 innings in for the Brewers this season, & returned a solid prospect from Baltimore. K-Rod has given up 4 HR in 5 IP so far with the O's. Teams do strange & desperate things for bullpen arms sometimes.

Sounds Blank Tucson In Finale, 3-0 Nashville's Narveson Twirls Seven Scoreless; Morris Goes Yard Nashville Sounds http://i.imgur.com/zqRHCQ0.jpg Chris Narveson (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) AUDIO: Hunter Morris' 22nd Home Run of Season AUDIO: Eugenio Velez's RBI Double AUDIO: Sounds Record Final Out NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds held the visiting Tucson Padres to only three hits in the team's seventh shutout victory of the season: a 3-0 win Tuesday night at Greer Stadium. The Sounds wrap the homestand winning seven of the eight to complete their winningest homestand greater than four games since the 2003 season. In 2003, the Sounds went 6-0 vs. Iowa and Albuquerque in the season-opening homestand with two rainouts from April 3-10 and then went 8-1 from June 17-24 against Iowa and Colorado Springs. First baseman Hunter Morris put the Sounds on the board in the first inning with his two-run homer to the opposite field. The jack was Morris' 22nd of the season, which makes him one off the league leader, Brock Peterson. Eugenio Velez, who singled to reach base, also scored on the play to give Nashville the 2-0 lead. Velez added to Nashville's lead with a two-out double in the fifth inning that landed just fair down the right-field line to score Kentrail Davis for the 3-0 advantage. Davis had reached base with a two-out triple to right-center field. Sounds lefty Chris Narveson (4-6) kept the Padres off the board though seven innings, allowing only two hits for his fourth quality start over his last five games. The 31-year-old fanned eight batters and walked only two en route to his fourth win of the season. Narveson has not allowed a run in his last 16 2/3 innings pitched, stretching back to the final 2 2/3 innings of his July 27 start, the longest scoreless streak by a Sounds starting pitcher this season. Relievers Mike Olmsted and Jesus Sanchez helped combine for the shutout, each logging a scoreless inning. Sanchez notched his fourth save, while Olmsted extended his scoreless streak to seven consecutive appearances. Following a league-wide off day Wednesday, the Sounds will pick back up on Thursday out west to begin a four-game series with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Rockies affiliate). Throwing for Nashville will be RHP R.J. Seidel (2-4, 4.90) opposite the Sky Sox RHP Jeff Manship (6-8, 4.95). Baseball returns to Greer Stadium on Friday, August 16, for Elvis Night and postgame fireworks. Nashville Box Nashville PbP Nashville Gameday

So, wait -- your (arguably) future franchise player obviously injures/tweaks his wrist in a manner that could well be serious, and you don't even run the trainer out to check on him? In a season in which the team isn't contending for anything? I've argued before against some of the complaints about Roenicke's managing in a lost season, but this one was defenseless for me. This post doesn't even come close to matching my level of irritation. I don't care if Segura waved off potential medical attention. That wrist needed to be examined right away, zero excuses. Even leaving him in the game the rest of the way tonight is pretty questionable imo.

Apparently, Chris Narveson had something to 'say' about that possibly open rotation spot with the big club. Pretty nice final line tonight.

I'll echo those thoughts. Definitely worth the quick watch.

This game preview story can be accessed via the "MLB Gameday" link in the OP -- scroll to the bottom of the Gameday page to find the link to the preview. Lucroy to play first as Peralta starts vs. Giants Brewers catcher shifts to stay in lineup against San Francisco's Cain By Kevin Massoth / MLB.com | 8/6/2013 2:08 AM ET When Wily Peralta starts, the Brewers have found a way to keep at least one of their big bats in the lineup. Jonathan Lucroy, Milwaukee's regular catcher and RBI leader, will make his second start at first base Tuesday, while backup catcher Martin Maldonado takes his usual place behind home plate when Peralta toes the rubber. With Ryan Braun suspended and Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart injured, Lucroy's bat becomes more important to the Brewers' lineup, so he volunteered last week at Wrigley Field to play a position he had little experience with outside of a few innings earlier this season. He was charged with an error on a short-hopper during the Brewers' 6-1 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday, but generally handled himself well. "If he matches up against somebody well and it's a day I think it's right for him to do it, then I'll put him at first base," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. Chalk Tuesday up as one of those days. Lucroy is 6-for-15 lifetime against Giants starter Matt Cain with a double, a triple and a home run. Lucroy also enters Tuesday batting .327 over his previous 62 games, boosting his average from .208 to .284. He leads the Brewers with 59 RBIs and is second with 16 home runs. Of his only other Major League start at first base, Lucroy said, "Other than the one error, I thought it went all right. I'm just going to try to keep the ball in front of me. I'll get better at it." Lucroy has not been taking grounders at first base on the days he starts at catcher to avoid beating up his body. Next year in Spring Training, he plans to spend much more time learning the position. Cain will try to keep his recent roll going for the Giants, who won Monday's series opener, 4-2. He has two wins in his last three starts with a 1.80 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 20 innings. He brings a 4.57 ERA -- the highest of his nine-year career -- and a 7-6 record into Tuesday, but without the four outings in which he allowed seven runs or more, Cain's ERA would be 2.76. Brewers: Peralta aims to regain form Peralta allowed just one earned run in his first four July starts (0.31 ERA) but coughed up 12 runs, eight of them earned, in his last two (8.31 ERA). The 24-year-old right-hander has shown signs of brilliance in his first full season, but has also had his share of growing pains. He brings a 7-11 record and 4.57 ERA into his 24th start Tuesday. • Roenicke laid out plans for the returns of Yovani Gallardo, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, and Ramirez, who is on the 15-day DL with a sprained left knee. Gallardo played long toss Saturday and is expected to throw off a mound later this week. Roenicke said Gallardo is tentatively scheduled to be activated Aug. 16 against the Reds, the day after he is eligible. "He should fall right back into that rotation," Roenicke said. Ramirez tested his sprained left knee on the bases Monday and, assuming no setback, will do the same Wednesday. Ramirez has been bothered by the knee all season but is planning on being the Brewers' designated hitter this weekend in Seattle. Giants: Vogelsong to return to rotation Friday Ryan Vogelsong will make his first start since fracturing his right pinkie Friday against the Orioles at AT&T Park. Vogelsong missed more than two months after he was hit by a pitch from Washington's Craig Stammen on May 20. The right-hander made four rehab appearances with Double-A Richmond, allowing three runs in 15 2/3 innings for a 1.72 ERA. He pitched six solid innings in his final outing Sunday, allowing one run on five hits in Richmond's 8-3 win over New Hampshire. The Giants considered assigning Vogelsong to one more rehab start, but manager Bruce Bochy said his right-hander's final 85-pitch performance convinced the team he was ready to return. "More than anything, how he came out of it, how good he feels and the number of pitches he threw," said Bochy, who added that Vogelsong probably can elevate his pitch count to 100 if necessary against the Orioles. Vogelsong said that he's throwing all of his pitches pain-free. Worth noting • Peralta allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in four innings against the Giants on April 16, his only career start against San Francisco. Cain is 3-6 with a 5.05 ERA in his career against the Brewers. • The Brewers enter Tuesday 3-1 this season against the Giants and 11-19 against the National League West. The Giants are 8-19 against the NL Central.