Tedaldtada

I'm sorry, but I am falling for Michael Reed. Still no XBH's but a couple more a singles and another walk for him tonight. Did I mention he stole his 3rd base as well? This teenager is looking like a gem.

I will say that it sounds like it may take a little over slot to sign him, unless CWH is dead on about the agent speak.

"It will be a tough decision," Taylor said about weighing the Brewers and the Titans. "It feels great to be drafted in the second round. I hope to be in the Majors in the next few years." I really hope he signs. Seems like a good kid and his potential is off the charts. I really doubt the Brewers picked him without a pretty confident idea about his intentions.

Sounds like Nelson got the bump to AA. From Jimmy's roomie @GregHolle44: Cong Raaaats to @Jimmy_J_Nelson promoted to AA. Good luck lunkhead! #hashtaaaaaag #900000forrentbymyselfnow

Sounds Hang Ten On Redbirds In Series Opener 06/11/2012 11:10 PM ET Nashville Sounds MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds handed the cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds a 10-4 defeat on Monday evening at AutoZone Park in the opener of a three-game series. The 10 runs scored by Nashville (25-40) set a season-high and marked the first time that the Sounds scored double-digit runs this season. Coming into the contest, Nashville was the only PCL team to not to achieve that feat. First baseman Jordan Brown and right fielder Jay Gibbons each belted two-run homers in the victory for the Sounds, who were previously winless in road series openers (0-9). Seven Sounds had at least one hit, led by two each from center fielder Logan Schafer and third baseman Andy Gonzalez. With six strikeouts and only one baserunner due to a walk to the pitcher, Redbirds starting pitcher and Cardinals top prospect Shelby Miller was cruising until running into trouble in the top of the fourth inning. After Schafer hit a one-out single, Brown went yard over the right field wall. The long ball was Brown's fourth of the year. Two batters later after Miller hit Gonzalez with a fastball in the ribs, Gibbons crushed a two-run bomb into the Nashville bullpen in right center for a 4-0 lead. Memphis cut the lead in half in the following frame by loading the bases with two outs thanks to two walks and a fielding error by shortstop Jeff Bianchi. Redbirds Eugenio Velez then doubled off the centerfield wall to plate two runners. Nashville got the two runs back for a 6-2 lead in the fifth. Left fielder Caleb Gindl and Bianchi led off with singles to remove Miller from the contest before Schafer singled to load the bases. Gonzalez followed with a two-run single to right off reliever Barret Browning. Memphis cut the lead to 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runs off reliever Mike McClendon, who walked Velez before surrendering three consecutive hits to left field, highlighted by a two-run double by Pete Kozma. Nashville added two more runs in the eighth to push the lead back to four runs at 8-4. Redbirds reliever Clay Zavada walked Gonzalez and hit Gibbons before second baseman Eric Farris lined an RBI double down the left field line. Zacada would then throw a wild pitch to allow Gibbons to trot home and score. Nashville tacked on two insurance runs in the ninth as Bianchi walked, stole second base, and scored on a Shafer RBI single. Gonzalez followed with a two-out, RBI single to right. Sounds starter Brian Baker escaped two based-loaded jams while tossing three scoreless innings for a no-decision. The 29-year-old walked a career high six batters and also struck out two with 68 pitches (32 strikes). Vinnie Chulk (2-0) matched his longest relief outing of the season with three innings of work for the win, allowing two unearned runs on three hits. McClendon gave up two runs on three hits in an inning. Jim Henderson ended the contest with two scoreless frames. Miller (4-5) was charged with six runs on five hits in four-plus innings for the loss. The prospect struck out seven (including five of his first six) while walking two. The Sounds and cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds continue with the second game of their three-game series at 7:05 pm CT on Wednesday night at AutoZone Park. Nashville right-hander Wily Peralta (1-7, 6.60) takes the mound against Memphis southpaw Nick Additon. Box Score Brian Baker pitched weird, and the fielders probably thought it was pretty annoying too. 3 IP 1 H 0 R 6 BB 2 K 2:3 GO:FO. Vinny Chulk gave up some runs but they were unearned. His ERA is still under 2.00 for the season. Mike McClendon is really still trying to find it. His ERA is back over 5.00 now. Jim Henderson keeps chugging with 2 IP to end this one. Logan Schafer (2-5 2B) was very good from the 3-hole. The rest of the hitters, including the two 4th inning 2-run bombs off of Shelby Miller, were covered in the game story. Great team effort on offense tonight! First time all season Nashville has scored double digits. Game Log Miller started very well. Nashville Top of the 1st Caleb Gindl called out on strikes. Jeff Bianchi strikes out swinging. Logan Schafer strikes out swinging. Nashville Top of the 2nd Jordan Brown flies out to left fielder Mark Hamilton. Andy Gonzalez strikes out swinging. Jay Gibbons strikes out swinging. Nashville Top of the 3rd Eric Farris pops out to first baseman Jamie Romak. Jason Jaramillo pops out to third baseman Eugenio Velez in foul territory. Brian Baker walks. Caleb Gindl called out on strikes. Gameday

'Tees rally but fall in extras to Lakeland 06/11/2012 11:54 PM ET By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees http://www.milb.com/images/2012/06/11/AYDdFJos.jpg Jed Bradley (L) allowed three earned runs in seven innings and Cody Hawn ® was 3-for-5 in Brevard County's 6-5 loss to Lakeland on Monday night. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) VIERA, Fla. - The Brevard County Manatees scored four runs in the eighth inning to tie the game at 5-5, only to fall in ten innings to the Lakeland Flying Tigers by the score of 6-5 on Monday night at Space Coast Stadium. Reggie Keen led off the eighth inning for the 'Tees (27-36) by drawing a walk off of the new Lakeland pitcher Matt Little. T.J. Mittelstaedt then singled to right as Keen made it to third to put runners on the corners with no outs. An errant pickoff throw by Little to first, allowed Mittelstaedt to reach second and Keen to score to cut the Flying Tigers' (32-29) lead to 5-2. Mike Walker singled to right to put runners on the corners again with no outs. After Shea Vucinich drew a walk to load the bases, Matt Crouse came in to relief Little for Lakeland. Crouse was greeted rudely as Cody Hawn reached on an infield single to second to plate Mittelstaedt and make it a 5-3 game. With the bases loaded and still no outs in the inning, Parker Berberet struck out swinging for the first out of the frame. Michael Reed then drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Walker and make it a one run game. Franklin Romero Jr. would plate Vucinich on a groundout in the hole to the shortstop and the game was now tied. Nick Shaw stepped up to the plate with runners on second and third with a chance to drive in the go-ahead run but he struck out looking to end the threat and leave the game tied. Brevard County had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth as Keen led the inning off with a single and then Mittelstaedt reached on a bunt single. But a long, loud fly out by Walker and back-to-back strikeouts by Vucinich and Hawn sent the game to extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Casey Medlen - who was in his second inning of work - gave up a lead-off single to James Robbins who then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Then with Adolfo Reina at the plate, Medlen threw a wild pitch that moved Robbins to third. A couple pitches later threw a second wild pitch to allow Robbins to score the eventual game-winning run. Southpaw Jed Bradley (4-5, 4.36) got the start for the 'Tees but did not factor in the decision. He went seven innings - his longest outing of the season - and gave up five runs (three earned). The 2011 first round pick yielded nine hits and three walks, while striking out two. Offensively, Hawn led the way for Brevard County at the plate as he was 3-for-5 with a RBI. Keen and Mittelstaedt also added two hits each. Keen also stole his league-leading 20th base of the season. The Manatees will being a three-game set with their rivals the Daytona Cubs (28-34), beginning on Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. The first two games of the series will be at Space Coast Stadium and the final game will be at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Brooks Hall (1-2, 4.41) will toe the rubber for the 'Tees on Tuesday night. After going 0-1 with a 5.31 ERA in five May appearances, Hall is 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA in his first two games of June. His ERA is also more than four runs better at Space Coast Stadium this season.

Lakeland (Tigers) 6 Brevard County 5 Box Score Brevard with a tough loss in extras, but there is a lot to digest in the box score. Let's start with Jed Bradley. His line shows only 3 ER, but in reality, one of those unearned runs was his fault too due to an error on a pickoff attempt. He also had more walks than K's and more hits than IP. On the bright side, he got 14 GB outs and successfully picked off another. I am really not sure what to make of the "new" Bradley. One thing that crossed my mind; Jimmy Nelson had many lines similar to tonight's by Bradley before he really broke out. Old buddy Eric Arnett appeared again tonight and threw a scoreless inning. His season ERA stands at 2.21. Arnett has been pretty much lights out since the start of May. Casey Medlen continued to show strike out stuff (3 in 2 IP), but he gave up the deciding runs in this one. 36 K and 6 BB in 27 IP for Casey. Michael Reed (1-3 2 BB) was on base 3 more times today. He is not driving the ball, but it is hard to complain about what this 19 year old is doing. T.J. Mittelstaedt (2-4 BB SB (11)) stayed hot. Reggie Keen also went 2-4 with a BB and a SB (20). Reggie is still struggling with his leg problems but his performance tonight did not reflect it. Cody Hawn went 3-5. 9 BC hits in this one, all singles. Game Log Bradley's ill-timed E. Lakeland Top of the 3rd Marcus Lemon singles on a ground ball to second baseman Shea Vucinich. With Adolfo Reina batting, passed ball by Parker Berberet, Marcus Lemon to 2nd. Adolfo Reina walks. Dixon Machado out on a sacrifice bunt, first baseman Cody Hawn to second baseman Shea Vucinich. Marcus Lemon to 3rd. Adolfo Reina to 2nd. Daniel Fields singles on a line drive to left fielder Michael Reed. Marcus Lemon scores. Adolfo Reina scores. With Cale Iorg batting, throwing error by Jed Bradley on the pickoff attempt, Daniel Fields to 2nd. Cale Iorg grounds out, second baseman Shea Vucinich to first baseman Cody Hawn. Daniel Fields to 3rd. Tyler Collins singles on a line drive to left fielder Michael Reed. Daniel Fields scores. Wade Gaynor flies out to right fielder Franklin Romero Jr. Cody Hawn's ill-timed E. Lakeland Top of the 5th Daniel Fields grounds out to first baseman Cody Hawn. Cale Iorg doubles (1) on a line drive to center fielder Reggie Keen. Tyler Collins singles on a line drive to center fielder Reggie Keen. Cale Iorg to 3rd. With Wade Gaynor batting, Tyler Collins steals (7) 2nd base. Wade Gaynor walks. Avisail Garcia out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Franklin Romero Jr. Cale Iorg scores. Tyler Collins to 3rd. James Robbins walks. Wade Gaynor to 2nd. Marcus Lemon reaches on fielding error by first baseman Cody Hawn. Tyler Collins scores. Wade Gaynor to 3rd. James Robbins to 2nd. Adolfo Reina grounds into a force out, third baseman T. J. Mittelstaedt to second baseman Shea Vucinich. Marcus Lemon out at 2nd. Double steal. Brevard County Bottom of the 6th Reggie Keen singles on a ground ball to center fielder Daniel Fields. With T. J. Mittelstaedt batting, wild pitch by Brian Stroud, Reggie Keen to 2nd. T. J. Mittelstaedt walks. Pitcher Change: Tyler White replaces Brian Stroud. Mike Walker strikes out swinging. Shea Vucinich called out on strikes. With Cody Hawn batting, Reggie Keen steals (20) 3rd base. T. J. Mittelstaedt steals (11) 2nd base. Cody Hawn flies out to left fielder Tyler Collins.

Hopefully the signings pick back up today. Am I right that the big question marks in the first 10 rounds are Taylor (2), Ortega (6), and Rivera (8)? As far as I know, Haniger is thought of as a slot sign. What about Quintana (3) and Lavandero (9)?

I could concede this. I thought Anderson was in A+, but he is in A. Still, at best Jungmann is tied with Anderson in my completely useless rankings. I still like Jungmann's stuff much better than Anderson's. I wonder if Taylor still half-strides and does the head jerk?

G2: Lakeland (Tigers) 4 Brevard County 3 Brevard edged 4-3 by Lakeland in game two 06/10/2012 11:55 PM ET By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. - The Brevard County Manatees dropped the second game of Sunday's doubleheader 4-3 to the Lakeland Flying Tigers, thanks to a solo homer by Lakeland's Wade Gaynor with two outs in the fifth inning. Down 3-0, the Manatees (27-35) tied the game with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the third as T.J. Mittelstaedt hit his second three-run homer of the doubleheader. Mittelstaedt was 2-for-3 in the second game and 4-for-6 for the twin bill. In his last ten games, he is hitting .361 (13-for-36) with three home runs and 12 RBI. Brandon Williamson (1-4, 6.21) got the start for the 'Tees and went five innings and allowed four runs (three earned), including the eventual game winning home run to Gaynor in the fifth. Lakeland (31-29) scattered four hits off of Williamson as he walked three and struck out five. The Manatees and Flying Tigers will wrap-up their three-game set on Monday night at 6:35 p.m. Jed Bradley (4-5, 4.42) will take the mound for Brevard County and is looking for his first win since May 8. Box Score Now it is time for some Bruce Seid love. T.J. Mittelstaedt went 2-3 with another 2-out 3-run bomb in G2. He finished the day 4-6 with 2 HR and he knocked in all of BC's runs on the day. Not bad for a 44th round pick. What a great find for the Brewers as T.J. is on track to see time in the majors. 27 XBH's for T.J. now. The two hits from Mittelstaedt in G2 were the only hits in the game for the Manatees. Brandon Williamson deserved better, but the free passes were not helping either. Game Log Williamson wasted no time getting his 1st K. Lakeland Top of the 1st Daniel Fields called out on strikes. Cale Iorg flies out to right fielder Michael Reed. Tyler Collins walks. Wade Gaynor flies out to center fielder Reggie Keen Micahel Reed, 19 year old spark plug. Brevard County Bottom of the 3rd Brent Dean called out on strikes. Michael Reed walks. Nick Shaw walks. Michael Reed to 2nd. Reggie Keen flies out to right fielder Avisail Garcia. T. J. Mittelstaedt homers (8) on a fly ball to right field. Michael Reed scores. Nick Shaw scores. Mike Walker flies out to left fielder Tyler Collins.

G1: Brevard County 3 Lakeland (Tigers) 2 Mittelstaedt powers 'Tees to game one win 06/10/2012 11:54 PM ET By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. - T.J. Mittelstaedt's two-out three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning was ultimately the difference as the Brevard County Manatees took game one of Sunday's doubleheader 3-2 from the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Down 1-0 with runners on second and third in the third, Mittelstaedt took the 3-2 offering from Lakeland's (30-29) Luis Angel Sanz and deposited it over the right field wall to put the 'Tees up 3-1. Manatees (27-34) starting pitcher Taylor Jungmann (5-4, 3.78) threw a seven-inning complete game as he allowed one earned run - a solo homer in the top of the seventh to make it a 3-2 game - on six hits. He walked one and for the first time this season, the 2011 first round draft pick did not strike out a batter for the first time this season. With the win, Jungmann improved to 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA in seven home starts in 2012. He has won three of his last four starts and is 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA in his first two starts in the month of June. Box Score Taylor Jungmann threw a 7-inning complete game but the line was rather strange. 7 IP 6 H 2 R 1 ER 1 BB 0 K 1 HR 1 WP 10:4 GO:FO. Can somebody explain to me why the Brewers passed on Matt Barnes? I can remember resisting Barnes myself, but that was because the scouting reports were that he was very raw for a college guy. Scouts are not perfect and they may still prove to be correct, but Jungmann and Bradley will forever be compared to Sonny Gray, Chris Reed, Tyler Anderson and Barnes. Those 4 guys were the next set of college pitchers to go in the 1st round in 2011. As it stands today, just ranking their season pitching lines it would look like: 1. Matt Barnes 2. Chris Reed 3. Tyler Anderson 4. Taylor Jungmann 5t. Jed Bradley 5t. Sonny Gray Of course, the pitcher picked between Jungmann and Bradley may be the best of the lot. The last thing I will add on our 1st rounders is that it is impressive what they have done in the FSL in their 1st taste of pro ball. With the caliber of college pitching that came out last season, it will be tough for anyone to shine. Michael Reed hit 2nd in G1 and went 1-3. T.J. Mittelstaedt smacked a 2-out 3-run homer which provided Taylor with all the runs he would need. Game Log Jungmann's unearned run. Lakeland Top of the 4th Tyler Collins singles on a line drive to right fielder Franklin Romero Jr. With Wade Gaynor batting, passed ball by Parker Berberet, Tyler Collins to 2nd. Wade Gaynor singles on a ground ball to shortstop Nick Shaw. Tyler Collins to 3rd. Avisail Garcia grounds into double play, second baseman Shea Vucinich to shortstop Nick Shaw to first baseman Cody Hawn. Tyler Collins scores. Wade Gaynor out at 2nd. Marcus Lemon grounds out, shortstop Nick Shaw to first baseman Cody Hawn.

I-Cubs Trounce Sounds In Series Finale, 14-3 06/10/2012 5:09 PM ET Nashville Sounds DES MOINES, Iowa - PCL home run leader Anthony Rizzo belted a pair of longballs and drove in four runs to power the Iowa Cubs to a 14-3 triumph over the Nashville Sounds on Sunday afternoon at Principal Park in the finale of a six-game series. Eight of Iowa's 15 hits on the day went for extra bases, including four home runs. The I-Cubs won four of the six contests in the series against the Sounds (24-40). Cubs catcher Juan Apodaca joined Rizzo with four RBIs on the day and also homered. Nashville grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second when Jordan Brown (2-for-3) went station-to-station after leading off the frame with a single against Iowa starter Chris Rusin. Brown moved to second on an Andy Gonzalez single, to third on a Corey Patterson fielder's choice grounder that erased Gonzalez, and scored the afternoon's first run on an Eric Farris groundout to second. Sounds center fielder Logan Schafer singled in the top of the third inning to extend his hitting streak to six games, matching his longest effort of the year, but was removed from the contest prior to the bottom of that inning as a precaution after suffering an apparent injury to his right knee on a swing during that at-bat. Iowa rallied to jump in front in the bottom of the third inning against Sounds starter Mark Rogers, opening the frame with five consecutive singles en route to a five-run frame and a 5-1 lead. Rusin, Matt Tolbert, and Brett Jackson opened the frame with three consecutive singles off the right-hander, the last of which knotted the contest. Rizzo (3-for-5) followed by driving an 0-2 offering to deep right that one-hopped the right field wall for a go-ahead RBI single that brought in Tolbert for a 2-1 I-Cubs advantage. Josh Vitters kept the rally going with a seeing-eye RBI single up the middle that was narrowly missed by shortstop Jeff Bianchi as he roamed behind the second base bag. Ty Wright (3-for-5) then drilled a grounder to third and Andy Gonzalez threw home to retire Rizzo for the first out of the inning. After Rogers issued a four-pitch walk to Alfredo Amezaga to load the bases with one down, the right-hander recovered to strike out Dave Sappelt before Apodaca dumped a 2-2 breaking ball into right field for an opposite-field, two-run single that increased the Iowa lead to 5-1. The Cubs put the game out of the reach an inning later with a six-run fourth, upping their lead to 11-1 and chasing Rogers from the contest in the process. The inning was keyed by back-to-back home runs from Jackson (two-run) and Rizzo (solo), the slugger's PCL-leading 19th roundtripper, off Rogers and a two-out, two-run homer from Apodaca off Sounds reliever Johnnie Lowe, the backstop's first big fly of the year. Rogers (2-4) took the loss after surrendering 10 runs on 11 hits in just 3 1/3 innings for the Sounds, marking the first time in his last nine starts that he failed to pitch at least five innings. The 10 runs allowed by Rogers were the most permitted by a Sounds pitcher since Chuck Löfgren gave up a ten-spot to Reno on August 4, 2010 at Aces Ballpark. Sounds first baseman Sean Halton doubled to lead off the sixth inning, extending his season-best hitting streak to eight games, and came plateward when Brown followed with a run-scoring single to center. Iowa answered the Nashville run with one of its own in the bottom of the sixth when Wright doubled and later scored on a two-out Sappelt two-bagger. Rizzo struck again for the I-Cubs in the seventh, belting a two-run homer off Lowe to make it a 14-2 contest. The Sounds closed out the scoring in the ninth when Farris reached on a fielder's choice and later scored on a Hainley Statia groundout. Rusin (5-4) picked up the victory after holding Nashville to two runs on six hits over seven frames of work. Sounds outfielder Caleb Gindl went 0-for-5 on the day to being his season-best five-game hitting streak to a close. The Sounds continue their divisional road trip tomorrow in Memphis, when they'll face the cross-state rival Redbirds for the first time this season in a 7:05 p.m. contest. Right-hander Brian Baker (1-3, 6.51) will man the bump for Nashville and face right-hander Shelby Miller (4-4, 5.18), the St. Louis Cardinals' top prospect. Box Score There isn't much else for me to say. What a stinker. Sean Halton came off the bench for Logan Schafer. · AUDIO: Jordan Brown RBI Single Game Log Rizzo's night did not start well. It finished very well from here. Iowa Bottom of the 1st Matt Tolbert grounds out, second baseman Eric Farris to first baseman Jordan Brown. Brett Jackson walks. Anthony Rizzo strikes out swinging. Brett Jackson steals (12) 2nd base. Josh Vitters lines out to right fielder Caleb Gindl. Oh yeah, the stench of burning eye ball. All singles at least. Iowa Bottom of the 3rd Defensive switch from right field to center field for Caleb Gindl. Defensive Substitution: Sean Halton replaces center fielder Logan Schafer, batting 3rd, playing first base. Defensive switch from first base to right field for Jordan Brown. Chris Rusin singles on a ground ball to right fielder Jordan Brown. Matt Tolbert singles on a ground ball to center fielder Caleb Gindl. Chris Rusin to 3rd. Brett Jackson singles on a line drive to right fielder Jordan Brown. Chris Rusin scores. Matt Tolbert to 3rd. Anthony Rizzo singles on a sharp line drive to right fielder Jordan Brown. Matt Tolbert scores. Brett Jackson to 3rd. Josh Vitters singles on a ground ball to center fielder Caleb Gindl. Brett Jackson scores. Anthony Rizzo to 3rd. Ty Wright reaches on a fielder's choice out, third baseman Andy Gonzalez to catcher Jason Jaramillo. Anthony Rizzo out at home. Josh Vitters to 2nd. Alfredo Amezaga walks. Josh Vitters to 3rd. Ty Wright to 2nd. Dave Sappelt strikes out swinging. Juan Apodaca singles on a line drive to right fielder Jordan Brown. Josh Vitters scores. Ty Wright scores. Alfredo Amezaga to 2nd. Chris Rusin grounds out, third baseman Andy Gonzalez to first baseman Sean Halton. Okay, here is a nominee for worst inning of the season. Iowa Bottom of the 4th Matt Tolbert walks. Brett Jackson homers (8) on a fly ball to left center field. Matt Tolbert scores. Anthony Rizzo homers (19) on a fly ball to center field. Josh Vitters grounds out, third baseman Andy Gonzalez to first baseman Sean Halton. Ty Wright singles on a fly ball to right fielder Jordan Brown. Alfredo Amezaga doubles (5) on a ground ball to right fielder Jordan Brown. Ty Wright to 3rd. Pitcher Change: Johnnie Lowe replaces Mark Rogers, batting 9th. With Dave Sappelt batting, wild pitch by Johnnie Lowe, Ty Wright scores. Alfredo Amezaga to 3rd. Dave Sappelt pops out to catcher Jason Jaramillo in foul territory. Juan Apodaca homers (1) on a line drive to left center field. Alfredo Amezaga scores. Chris Rusin strikes out swinging, catcher Jason Jaramillo to first baseman Sean Halton. Gameday

Gibbons Homer Nets Sounds 3-2 Nightcap Victory 06/09/2012 11:18 PM ET Nashville Sounds DES MOINES, Iowa - Outfielder Jay Gibbons belted a go-ahead homer in the top of the sixth inning to propel the Nashville Sounds to a 3-2 victory over the Iowa Cubs in the nightcap of a doubleheader on Saturday evening at Principal Park. With the win, Nashville (24-39) gained a split of a twinbill against the division-rival Cubs for the second straight evening. The Sounds grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning against Iowa right-hander Esmailin Caridad. Hainley Statia drew a one-out walk and moved to third on a Corey Patterson double before scoring the game's first run on an Eric Farris groundout. With two outs, Sounds starting pitcher Amaury Rivas struck out swinging but the pitch eluded Cubs catcher Blake Lalli, allowing Patterson to race home to score on the wild pitch. Patterson, the Nashville left fielder, kept the lead at two in the bottom of the second when he threw out Ty Wright at the plate as the Cubs outfielder attempted to score from second on a two-out Caridad single. Rivas worked three scoreless inning during his spot start for the Sounds, taking a no-decision. Victor Garate followed the right-hander and worked into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, striking out pinch-hitter Juan Apodaca on a breaking ball to escape the inning unscathed. The Cubs evened the game at 2-2 in the fifth with a pair of two-out runs against Garate. Iowa got on the board when Luis Valbuena's two-out RBI double off the left field wall plated Matt Tolbert. Josh Vitters followed with an opposite-field RBI single to right that was just inside the first base bag. Gibbons put Nashville back in front in the sixth when he slugged his first home run of the year, a two-out solo shot to right off Cubs right-hander Ty'Relle Harris. Nashville missed a golden opportunity to add an insurance run in the seventh after Patterson led off with his second double of the night and moved to third on a Farris bunt single. Iowa left-hander Scott Maine recovered to strike out Dayton Buller, Caleb Gindl, and Jeff Bianchi to escape the jam. Rob Wooten retired the final six Iowa batters in order, including a game-ending strikeout of top prospect Anthony Rizzo, to secure the victory and nail down his first career Triple-A save. Garate (2-3) was the beneficiary of the late Gibbons homer and was awarded the victory despite giving up the game-tying runs in his two innings of work. Harris (0-1) drew the loss after surrendering Gibbons' homer. The teams wrap up the six-game series with a 1:05 p.m. finale on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Mark Rogers (2-3, 4.47) will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face Iowa southpaw Chris Rusin (4-4, 3.93). Box Score 11 hits in 14 innings for the Sounds, but they still managed to split the double header. Corey Patterson went 2-2 with 2 2B to pace the Sounds. Caleb Gindl got another hit in G2, but he also made 3 outs. Jay Gibbons went yard. Eric Farris is up to 17 steals on the year now. Amaury Rivas got the spot start and pitched admirably over the first 3 innings. 3 IP 3 H 0 R 2 BB 3 K. Robert Wooten had a 2 inning save with 3 K. Game Log That is an interesting end to the inning. Nashville Top of the 2nd Jay Gibbons strikes out swinging. Hainley Statia walks. Corey Patterson doubles (9) on a fly ball to center fielder Dave Sappelt. Hainley Statia to 3rd. Eric Farris grounds out, second baseman Diory Hernandez to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Hainley Statia scores. Corey Patterson to 3rd. Dayton Buller walks. Amaury Rivas strikes out swinging. Wild pitch by pitcher Esmailin Caridad. Corey Patterson scores. Wooten K's Rizzo. Iowa Bottom of the 7th Matt Tolbert lines out to second baseman Eric Farris. Dave Sappelt strikes out swinging. Anthony Rizzo strikes out swinging. Gameday

Raley, Cubs Blank Sounds In Twinbill Opener 06/09/2012 8:43 PM ET Nashville Sounds DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa left-hander Brooks Raley tossed a seven-inning, six-hit shutout to lead the Cubs to a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Sounds in the opener of a doubleheader on Saturday evening at Principal Park. Raley (2-1), who retired the final eight batters in order and 14 of the last 15 Sounds overall, threw 90 pitches to record the shutout .The southpaw allowed six hits, struck out six, and did not walk a batter. The I-Cubs scored the game's only run in the bottom of the first inning when second baseman Matt Tolbert belted the first pitch he saw from Sounds starter Seth McClung over the center field wall for his first roundtripper of the season. McClung (1-7) worked out of jams throughout the contest, including stranding the bases loaded twice, in keeping the deficit at one run. The big right-hander allowed one run on seven hits while striking out a season-high eight batters in his 106-pitch, six-inning complete-game effort. The eight punchouts were the highest single-game output by a Nashville pitcher this season. Nashville advanced a runner to second only twice in the game and both were left stranded there by Raley. First baseman Sean Halton singled in the first inning to extend the Sounds' longest active hitting streak to seven games. Outfielder Logan Schafer also singled in the Nashville first to extend his own hit streak to five games. The defeat was the fourth shutout suffered this season by Nashville (23-39). Box Score Was anyone actually trying in this game? The scoring was done after a Cubs 1st inning homer. Caleb Gindl (2-3 2B) stayed hot. Logan Schafer (1-3) and Sean Halton (1-3) kept modest hitting streaks alive. Seth McClung went the full 7 pitching quite well. 8 K's for Seth. Game Log Left one out there. Nashville Top of the 1st Caleb Gindl singles on a ground ball to right fielder Dave Sappelt. Caleb Gindl out at 2nd, right fielder Dave Sappelt to shortstop Luis Valbuena. Jeff Bianchi grounds out, second baseman Matt Tolbert to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Logan Schafer singles on a fly ball to left fielder Ty Wright. Sean Halton singles on a line drive to center fielder Brett Jackson. Logan Schafer to 2nd. Andy Gonzalez grounds out, shortstop Luis Valbuena to first baseman Anthony Rizzo Gameday

That is fantastic news on McFarland. His scouting report reads just like Gennett's did, except this dude has a body that can scouts love.

And the next 3 series he'll probably follow it up with 1 for a 4 for 44 with 24 K's. And he's more useful than Conrad how? Conrad can play 3 positions, Branyan can hardly play one and Ishikawa played well enough this year that I'm fine with him on the bench over a guy we have very little use for. It's bf.net meme to worship Branyan. So, you can put down your internet night stick for now.

I was just searching for this thread. So Clint Coulter will be in the lineup G1 for the Arizona Brewers. Anyone have initial thoughts on that? I really hope he just rips it up.

Sounds Shut Out I-Cubs In Twinbill Finale, 6-0 06/08/2012 11:43 PM ET Nashville Sounds DES MOINES, Iowa - The Nashville Sounds handed the division-rival Iowa Cubs a 6-0 shutout to earn a doubleheader split on Friday night at Principal Park. Nashville (23-38) moved to 2-4 on the season in doubleheader action with the split and collected their sixth shutout of the season in the doubleheader finale. Nashville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth of the nightcap as outfielder Logan Schafer and first baseman Sean Halton drew one-out walks off Iowa starter Ryan Rowland-Smith. After an Andy Gonzalez single, shortstop Hainley Statia hit an RBI groundout to the shortstop to bring home Shafer. Nashville dropped three more runs in the fifth for a 4-0 lead after loaded the bases with one out. Catcher Dayton Buller trotted home on a wild pitch before outfielder Logan Schafer brought home outfielder Caleb Gindl on a sacrifice fly. On the following play, first baseman Sean Halton crushed an RBI double off the left field wall. The Sounds added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh frames, beginning with a Caleb Gindl RBI single. Cubs catcher Juan Apodaca walked three consecutive batters in the seventh which included a based-loaded free pass to Patterson for the club's sixth run. (Catcher?) In his second spot start, Donovan Hand worked around three hits over four scoreless innings while fanning four. The four innings matched a season-high for the fourth time this season. Reliever Vinnie Chulk (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings for the victory before Robert Wooten closed the door with a scoreless seventh. Rowland-Smith (2-1) lasted four innings, allowing one run on two hits while fanning four in the loss.

Nashville 6 Iowa (Cubs) 0 Box Score Logan Schafer probably had his best day as a pro over the course of both games today (5-5 3B 2 BB 2 SB). He is up to .281 on the year. It would not surprise me one bit to see him finish out the year comfortably above .300. Caleb Gindl (2-4) did in fact lead-off again, and he had another big game. Sean Halton hit 4th and smacked a 2B and walked in 4 PA. Hainley Statia had a good day too with 2 hits in G1 and 2 BB's in G2. 8 BB's total for the Sounds. Iowa was baffled by Donovan Hand, Vinnie Chulk and Rob Wooten as the three combined for the 7-inning 4-hit shutout. Game Log A game log littered with BB's. Pick it apart. Gameday

I like Hunter, but for a guy who can really only play 1st, and doesn't walk that much, I think he needs to bring that slugging up quite a bit in order to truly become a top 10 prospect for most people. It would be nice to see him in AAA this year. I would be more curious how Rivera doesn't "sniff," your top 10 than why you think it outrageous that Morris isn't in it? I'll take a young, projectable SS with a much higher ceiling over a player who's more developed with a more certain floor, but far less of a ceiling. I guess it all goes back to how you evaluate prospects. Does a .300 hitter with a little bit of pop who hasn't draw walks at a very high clip until this year and is limited to 1st base deserve to be ranked higher than a raw player with a far less chance of making it to the big leagues, but a far high chance of making a impact. I go with the latter. I think I had Yaddy at 19. I still really like his potential, but he has a very long way to go with the bat. He is approaching 1000 career PA's and his OPS sits at .611. The clear top SS prospect in the system is Orlando Arcia and I think the Brewers know it. Now, let's sign Angel Ortega, get Carlos Belonis' bat cooking and try Chris McFarland at SS. Then we just might have five of the more exciting SS prospects aged 20 and under in all of baseball. As for Morris, the thing I always go back to was an early season Jimmy Nelson interview when Nelson was asked to name the one hitter in the Brewers system who will be a sure-fire major league hitter. He quickly answered, "Hunter Morris". Now look at Hunter's numbers. See how they are trending up as he moves up the ladder? To me, that is a really good sign he will mature properly as a hitter. His SLG is a few ticks below .500. He is on pace to roughly double his BB total form last season. The power is real as he did set a BC Manatee HR record last season and currently is among SL leaders in hits, 2B, XBH and TB. Morris is pretty dang good with the glove too. After looking at it even closer, I am more than satisfied where I placed both players.

'Tees fall late in rain-shortened game 06/08/2012 11:11 PM ET By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees JUPITER, Fla. - Up 3-2 after five and a half innings, the Brevard County Manatees allowed three runs in the sixth and ended up falling 5-3 to the Jupiter Hammerheads on Friday night in a game that was shortened to seven innings due to rain. Eric Marzec came into the game in the sixth and allowed a lead-off walk to Noah Perio. After getting the first out of the inning, he allowed a double to Ryan Fisher to put runners on second and third. Perio then scored on a sacrifice fly and Fisher would score on a RBI single to give Jupiter a 4-3 lead. Aaron Dudley then walked to put runners on first and second with two outs. Mark Canha then made it a 5-3 game with a RBI single to right. The loss for Marzec came in relief of FSL All-Star Jimmy Nelson (4-4, 2.12) who allowed two runs in five innings of work. Nelson yielded five hits and four walks, while striking out five Jupiter hitters. The Hammerheads scored the two runs off of Nelson in the fifth inning on a RBI groundout and then a two-out RBI single. The Manatees (26-34) had a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth as they scored one run each in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Nick Shaw had a run-scoring single in the third and Michael Reed had a RBI single in the fourth. Brevard's run in the fifth game on a RBI groundout by Mike Walker. Friday night's loss prevented the 'Tees from taking the series from the Hammerheads and dropped Brevard County's road record to 9-20. Brevard will return to Space Coast Stadium for a three-game set with the Lakeland Flying Tigers (30-28), beginning on Saturday night at 6:35 p.m. The Manatees are 5-1 against the Flying Tigers so far in 2012. Box Score A long wait on the game story here. Perhaps waiting on Jungmann injury info before it's finished. No info on Jungmann. Could they be setting up Nelson to start the FSL all-star game or something? Jimmy Nelson started on normal rest and was not his normal elite self. Still, he limited damage very well, and still proved incredibly difficult to square up. 5 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 4 BB 5 K 8:2 GO:FO. RHB are hitting .156 against Jimmy with LHB a more respectable .269. After seeing Hiram Burgos transition so well to AA, I am certainly interested to see if Nelson can do the same. Eric Marzec couldn't contain the Hammerheads as he coughed up the lead. Relievers are rarely noticed unless it is going bad. Remember, Eric had 1.69 ERA with 65 in 69.1 IP last your for the T-Rats. Michael Reed went 1-2 with BB and now sports a .990 OPS through 3 games for the Manatees. He has 2 hits of LHP's and 2 off of RHP's. SS Nick Shaw went 1-2 with 2 BB but was CS on a pick off. Game Log T.J. Mittelstaedt book-ended some good with some bad in this inning. Brevard County Top of the 7th Nick Shaw flies out to right fielder Daniel Pertusati. Shea Vucinich grounds out, shortstop Danny Black to first baseman Mark Canha. Pitcher Change: Raudel Lazo replaces Michael Ojala. T. J. Mittelstaedt strikes out swinging. Mittelstaedt advances to 1st, on throwing error by catcher Jacob Realmuto. With Mike Walker batting, T. J. Mittelstaedt steals (10) 2nd base. With Mike Walker batting, T. J. Mittelstaedt caught stealing 3rd base, catcher Jacob Realmuto to third baseman Ryan Fisher.

I-Cubs Walk Off In Twinbill Opener, 5-4 06/08/2012 9:03 PM ET Nashville Sounds DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa Cubs scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to hand the Nashville Sounds a 5-4 defeat in the twinbill opener on Friday night at Principal Park. With the Sounds leading by one run entering the bottom of the seventh, the Cubs loaded the bases against reliever Jim Henderson (3-3) before Josh Vitters tied the game with a single. For the second consecutive night, Ty Wight drove in the winning run with a slow-grounding RBI single to left field. The top of the Nashville lineup went a combined 9-for-11 in the loss. Leadoff hitter Caleb Gindl (3-for-4) doubled twice and scored two runs. Shortstop Jeff Bianchi had three hits while centerfielder Logan Schafer went a perfect 3-for-3 with a triple, walk, and a stolen base. The Sounds took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to three consecutive hits by the Sounds. Gindl led the off the game with a double to left field, moved to third on a single from Bianchi, and scored when Schafer singled to center field. Consecutive doubles from Luis Valbuena and Josh Vitters in the home half of the second inning knotted the contest at 1-1. Both teams traded runs in the fourth inning. Schafer got his second hit on a single to center, stole second base, and scored on a one-out double from third baseman Andy Gonzalez. Valbuena evened the score by leading off the next frame with his seventh homer of the season, a solo shot to center. Nashville did damage with two-outs in the top of the fifth to take 4-3 advantage. Gindl doubled for the second time and scored on the following play as Bianchi singled to center. Schafer then tripled in Bianchi for the final run of the frame. Cubs prospect Anthony Rizzo homered in the next frame to trim the Nashville lead to 5-4. The solo shot was his PCL-leading 18th of the season. Nashville starter Claudio Vargas allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while fanning a season-high six strikeouts in five innings. Cubs starter Rodrigo Lopez scattered 10 hits for four runs in six innings, striking out six and walking zero. Mike McDougal (1-1) worked around two hits in a scoreless inning for the win. Box Score Caleb Gindl (3-4 2 2B) led off today and answered the bell. Let's see if Mike Guerrero actually sticks with him in that spot for a bit. Trying to predict his lineups is akin to solving the Navier-Stokes set of equations in fluid mechanics. SS Jeff Bianchi also had 3 hits and 3-hitter Logan Schafer (3-3 3B BB SB) is driving the ball with authority. 21 XBH in 58 games for Logan. After a decent start from Claudio Vargas, Jim Henderson could not finish his 2 inning save allowing the walk-off. Game Log Whoops. Nashville Top of the 1st Caleb Gindl doubles (9) on a fly ball to left fielder Ty Wright. Jeff Bianchi singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Josh Vitters. Caleb Gindl to 3rd. Logan Schafer singles on a line drive to center fielder Brett Jackson. Caleb Gindl scores. Jeff Bianchi to 3rd. Jordan Brown pops out to shortstop Luis Valbuena. Andy Gonzalez strikes out swinging and Jeff Bianchi caught stealing home, catcher Juan Apodaca to second baseman Matt Tolbert to first baseman Anthony Rizzo to shortstop Luis Valbuena to catcher Juan Apodaca. Could have used the cush. Nashville Top of the 7th Pitcher Change: Mike MacDougal replaces Rodrigo Lopez, batting 9th. Eric Farris grounds out, second baseman Matt Tolbert to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Caleb Gindl singles on a sharp ground ball to pitcher Mike MacDougal. Jeff Bianchi singles on a ground ball to shortstop Luis Valbuena. Caleb Gindl to 2nd. Logan Schafer walks. Caleb Gindl to 3rd. Jeff Bianchi to 2nd. Jordan Brown grounds into double play, second baseman Matt Tolbert to shortstop Luis Valbuena to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Logan Schafer out at 2nd. Gameday

Billy Hamilton is unreal. I posed the question on Twitter one day, but is he like Usain Bolt fast? What kind of speed are we talking here? He has scored from 1st on a single a handful of times this season. I can recall one story of him scoring from 2nd on an infield hit. Once he inevitably moves to CF, will the Reds be able to play 5 infielders and 2 outfielders?

This is very cool to see the results. Yaddy Rivera does not sniff my top-10. Plus, how the heck does Hunter Morris not crack the top-10? So, let's do another after the draft pick signing/trade deadline?

Brevard rallies to edge Jupiter in 11 innings 06/07/2012 11:12 PM ET By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees JUPITER, Fla. - T.J. Mittelstaedt hit a two-run homer in the ninth to tie the game and then a RBI single in the 11th that eventually won the game as the Brevard County Manatees defeated the Jupiter Hammerheads, 7-6 in 11 innings on Thursday night at Roger Dean Stadium. It is the first time this season that Brevard has won a game in which they have been trailing after eight innings. Down 6-4 with one out and one on in the ninth, Mittelstaedt hit his sixth homer of the season to right field to eventually send the game into extra innings. In the 11th inning, Michael Reed led the inning off with a single and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Shaw. Shea Vucinich reached on an error by Jupiter third baseman Alfredo Lopez to put runners at the corners. Mittelstaedt's infield single to short scored Reed and gave the 'Tees a 7-6 lead. Mittelstaedt was 3-for-6 on the night with three RBI and two runs scored. That's all that Brevard (26-33) closer Casey Medlen would need as he threw a perfect inning with two strikeouts to earn his ninth save of the season. Brian Garman earned the win out of the bullpen as he threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out three. Manatees starting pitcher Brooks Hall (1-2, 4.41) went just four innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He struck out two and gave up a season-high five walks. Brevard County got the two runs that Hall allowed back in the top of the fourth on a Scott Krieger RBI ground-rule double and a Joey Paciorek RBI single. Both Krieger and Paciorek were 2-for-5 on the night. Krieger also stole two bases and scored three runs and is hitting .423 (11-for-26) to begin the month of June. With the Manatees up 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Hammerheads (28-32) retook the lead as they scored two unearned runs off of Eric Arnett. Mike Walker committed an error to start the inning and then Arnett yielded back-to-back walks. Taylor Krick grounded into a double play to plate one run and then after Thomas Keeling replaced Arnett, a wild pitch by him allowed the other run of the inning to score. The 'Tees tied the game at 4-4, in the top of the eighth thanks to a two-out RBI single by Brent Dean. In just his fourth game of the season, Dean was 3-for-5 on the night. The tie was short live though as Jupiter took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded hit by pitch allowed by Keeling. Brevard County pitchers allowed 13 walks on Thursday night, but for the most part was able to keep those runners for scoring as Jupiter stranded 16 base runners. The Manatees also had the edge with runners in scoring position as they were 5-for-18 with runners at second and third. The Hammerheads were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position. The Manatees will go for the series victory as they close out their four-game set with Jupiter on Friday night at 6:35 p.m. Taylor Jungmann (4-4, 4.02) will toe the rubber for Brevard County. In his last start he allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings to defeat Bradenton in the first game of a doubleheader this past Saturday. Jupiter will send Edgar Olmos (1-4, 5.22) to the hill. Olmos allowed seven earned runs in his last start, this past Sunday against Lakeland. Box Score This was a back-and-forth, wild, sloppy, exciting game. T.J. Mittelstaedt (3-6 HR (6)) came up big twice. Once to tie it in the top of the 9th and then again in the 11th with the game winning hit. Michael Reed kick-started the winning rally with a leadoff single. C Brent Dean quadrupled his hit total on the year, now 4-16, with 3 hits and a steal tonight. Poor Mike Walker went 0-6 and was the only Sea Cow to not reach base with a hit or walk. Joey Paciorek went 2-5 and Kreiger's game is highlighted above. Brooks Hall was not throwing strikes tonight. Final line: 4 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 5 BB 2 K 1 WP 6:3 GO:FO. As you can see, he was still somewhat effective. Remember, Hall is almost a full year younger than Jimmy Nelson, 6 months younger than Taylor Jungmann and 3 weeks younger than Jed Bradley. Look for a stellar 2nd half from Brooks as he settles into A+. Five Manatee relievers followed Hall. They saved the best for last as Casey Medlen punched out 2 in a scoreless bottom of the 11th for the save. Mike Walker (11) and Nick Shaw (12) each committed fielding errors. Game Log You have to take the out in the 1st inning. Still, where was the throw? Jupiter Bottom of the 1st Alfredo Lopez singles on a ground ball to left fielder T. J. Mittelstaedt. With Danny Black batting, Alfredo Lopez steals (7) 2nd base. Danny Black grounds out, first baseman Cody Hawn to pitcher Brooks Hall. Alfredo Lopez to 3rd. Mark Canha out on a sacrifice fly to first baseman Cody Hawn in foul territory. Alfredo Lopez scores. Aaron Dudley singles on a ground ball to center fielder Michael Reed. Marcell Ozuna strikes out swinging. I'm guessing they tried for Reed at home plate? Brevard County Top of the 11th Michael Reed singles on a line drive to right fielder Daniel Pertusati. Nick Shaw out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Chris Squires to first baseman Mark Canha. Michael Reed to 2nd. Shea Vucinich reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by third baseman Alfredo Lopez. Michael Reed advances to 3rd, on missed catch error by third baseman Alfredo Lopez. T. J. Mittelstaedt singles on a ground ball to shortstop Danny Black. Michael Reed scores. Shea Vucinich to 2nd. Mike Walker grounds out, shortstop Danny Black to first baseman Mark Canha. Shea Vucinich to 3rd. T. J. Mittelstaedt to 2nd. Scott Krieger grounds out, third baseman Alfredo Lopez to first baseman Mark Canha. Medlen's magic. Jupiter Bottom of the 11th Pitcher Change: Casey Medlen replaces Brian Garman. Noah Perio pops out to third baseman Mike Walker in foul territory. Daniel Pertusati strikes out swinging. Alfredo Lopez strikes out swinging.