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Final: Brevard County 3 Lakeland 1 After dropping three in a row to Daytona, Brevard got back in the win column with a 3-1 victory on Tuesday night, thanks to a nice bounce back outing from Jed Bradley and the Manatees pitching staff. Brevard County got on the board first in the top of the fourth inning, scoring a pair of runs. Nick Ramirez had a one out triple and Cameron Garfield followed with a double to score Ramirez. Greg Hopkins then added a clutch two out single to center to score Garfield. Bradley worked five strong innings to pick up the win, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six. Eric Marzec relieved Bradley in the sixth, and retired all six batters he faced over two innings. The Manatees tacked on an insurance run in the seventh when Lance Roenicke doubled to score Cody Hawn, who had started the inning with a base hit. Stephen Peterson followed with a 1-2-3 eighth and Seth Harvey shut down Lakeland in the ninth to earn his second save. Brevard County Box Score The BC pitching staff was fantastic tonight, allowing just one run on five hits. Eric Marzec and Stephen Peterson continued their strong starts to the season and Jed Bradley threw more like the pitcher Brewers fans have been hoping for. It's always hard to tell without seeing the game, but listening on the internet it didn't even sound like the run he gave up was all that bad, as the "double" that put runners on second and third could have possibly been caught but the outfielder pulled up and then the ball got by him. So given the circumstances, Bradley did a good job to limit the damage to just that one run. Still not much offense out of the Brevard lineup, as they too managed just five hits, but it was enough to get the job done. Lance Roenicke was 1-3 with a double and an RBI. Greg Hopkins went 1-2 with a sacrifice. Cody Hawn singled, Cameron Garfield doubled, and Nick Ramirez tripled for the other Manatees hits. Chadwin Stang drew the lone walk of the night while the Sea Cows racked up another nine strikeouts. Roenicke was also thrown out attempting to steal a base. John Dishon had a throwing error. Brevard County Play-By-Play The Manatees got all the offense they would need in the fourth. Brevard County Top of the 4th Chadwin Stang grounds out, pitcher Kevin Eichhorn to first baseman Aaron Westlake. Nick Ramirez triples (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Chad Wright. Defensive Substitution: Jason Krizan replaces right fielder Steven Moya, batting 3rd, playing right field. Cameron Garfield doubles (2) on a fly ball to left fielder Jeff McVaney. Nick Ramirez scores. Cody Hawn strikes out swinging. Gregory Hopkins singles on a fly ball to center fielder Chad Wright. Cameron Garfield scores. Yadiel Rivera pops out to third baseman Jason King in foul territory.

Manatees shutout at home again by Cubs Brevard yet to score a run in Viera as they fall 9-0 to Daytona By Andy Towne / Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. - Following an 8-0 loss in the home opener, the Brevard County Manatees were blanked 9-0 on their home turf by the Daytona Cubs on Sunday evening at Space Coast Stadium in Viera. The first five innings blew by with only minor threats in the second for both teams. Daytona (3-1) loaded the bases with nobody out in the second inning, but 'Tees (1-3) starter David Goforth induced a shallow fly to center and a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the jam. In the bottom half of the second, consecutive errors had runners on the corners with two outs but P.J. Francescon notched his second strikeout of the inning to close out the scoring opportunity. Francescon matched Starling Peralta's effort from Friday night, carrying a no-hitter into the fifth. Yadiel Rivera was again the man to break it up, this time on a bunt single. The starter ended up only allowing that hit plus one walk, striking out six for the win as he finally got the run support he needed in the sixth. After Kevin Shackelford came on in relief of Goforth and sat Tim Saunders down looking, he surrendered five straight hits including a Jorge Soler home run and a John Andreoli triple. A line of relievers followed with Chad Pierce surrendering a run on three walks and no hits. Micah Gibbs took Tommy Toledo deep over the right field foul pole in the eighth inning and Seth Harvey surrendered three runs in the ninth. The best chance for the Brevard County's bats came in the seventh, when the bases were loaded with one out. Daytona reliever Yeiper Castillo would get out of the jam as he struck out Chad Stang and forced Brandon Macias to fly out to right. David Goforth had a stellar Manatees debut, allowing just two hits and a walk with three strikeouts in five scoreless innings. With a league-wide off day on Monday, the Manatees won't return to the field until they travel to Joker Marchant Stadium to take on the Lakeland Flying Tigers (2-2) on Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. Southpaw Jed Bradley (0-0, 4.50) will make his second start of the season for the 'Tees against right-hander Kevin Eichhorn for Lakeland. Both Tuesday's game and Wednesday's game against the Flying Tigers will be broadcast on ManateesBaseball.com, with pregame coverage starting 30 minutes before first pitch.

Final: Daytona 9 Brevard County 0 Brevard County Box Score Rough day all around for the Manatees. David Goforth was one of the few bright spots. He started and worked five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. He struck out three and only walked one batter. But the bullpen really struggled, giving up nine runs over the final four innings. Kevin Shackelford allowed four runs in just a third of an inning. Chad Pierce gave up one run despite not allowing a hit. He did walk three batters. As did Seth Harvey who gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning. The offense was once again almost non-existent for BC. Yadiel Rivera had half of the Brevard hits on the day, going 2 for 4. Greg Hopkins and John Dishon each had a base hit, but that was about it. Chadwin Stang stole his third base of the season after drawing the teams only walk. Hopkins and Lance Roenicke each committed an error and Daytona stole another four bases. Brevard Play-By-Play The game fell apart for the Manatees in the sixth inning Daytona Top of the 6th Pitching Change: Kevin Shackelford replaces David Goforth. Timothy Saunders called out on strikes. Javier Baez singles on a ground ball to center fielder Chadwin Stang. With Jorge Soler batting, Javier Baez steals (1) 2nd base. Jorge Soler homers (2) on a line drive to left field. Javier Baez scores. Stephen Bruno singles on a ground ball to center fielder Chadwin Stang. John Andreoli triples (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Chadwin Stang. Stephen Bruno scores. Dustin Geiger singles on a line drive to left fielder Lance Roenicke. John Andreoli scores. Dustin Geiger advances to 2nd, on a fielding error by left fielder Lance Roenicke. Pitching Change: Chad Pierce replaces Kevin Shackelford. Micah Gibbs strikes out swinging. Ben Carhart flies out to right fielder John Dishon in foul territory.

Final: Brevard County 2 Daytona 4 Daytona Game Story Daytona Beach, FL - The Daytona Cubs, thanks to six shutout innings of relief from RHP Yao-Lin Wang (W, 1-0) and LHP Frank Del Valle (S, 1), doubled up the Brevard County Manatees 4-2 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Saturday night. Wang and Del Valle both tossed three innings in relief of starter LHP Austin Kirk. Kirk surrendered two runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts, but Wang and Del Valle shut the Manatees down for the remainder of the game. Wang only allowed one hit and issued one walk with three strike outs, and Del Valle also only surrendered just one hit with a walk and six strikeouts. The Cubs bullpen has not allowed a run over its last 13 innings of work and the Daytona pitching staff has struck out 32 Manatees over the first three games of the season. Trailing 2-0 after three innings, Daytona plated three runs in the fourth to take the lead for good. RF Jorge Soler led off the frame with a walk, then 2B Stephen Bruno was hit by a pitch on his right hand. With runners on first and second, LF John Andreoli dropped down a bunt about five feet to the right of the third baseline and about 40 feet from home. Manatees' third baseman Brandon Macias threw wide to first so Andreoli was credited with an infield single and an error was charged to Macias allowing Soler to score and both Bruno and Andreoli to advance to third and second respectively. 1B Ben Carhart then grounded a ball to shortstop which scored Bruno and C Micah Gibbs dunked a ball over the shortstop Yadiel Rivera's head which plated Andreoli giving the Cubs the lead. Soler added an insurance run with a solo home run to lead off the seventh which landed on the back-side of the Cubs' batting cages beyond the left field fence. Both Soler and Andreoli have hit safely in each of the first three Cubs games this season. Bruno reached base safely three times with two singles and the hit-by-pitch and 3B Tim Saunders went 3-4 with three singles. Soler finished 2-3 with the home run and a walk. With the win, the Cubs (2-1) are now tied for first place in the Florida State League with the Dunedin Blue Jays and Tampa Yankees both losing on Saturday. The Cubs and Manatees will play the final game of their four-game series on Sunday evening at Space Coast Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 P.M. Brevard County Box Score Another rough night for the BC bats, just two runs on six hits. Cameron Garfield and Greg Hopkins were each 2-4 with a double. Brandon Macias was on base three times with a triple, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Chadwin Stang had the only other Brevard hit. Nick Ramirez drew a walk and had the only RBI of the game on a sac fly. Brandon Macias had a throwing error and John Dishon recorded an outfield assist for the second night in a row. Brooks Hall started and gave up three runs, two earned, over four innings of work. He walked two and struck out four. Jacob Barnes followed with two scoreless innings. Eric Marzec pitched the seventh, allowing a run on a home run to Cubs prospect Jorge Soler. Stephen Peterson worked a scoreless eighth. Brevard County Play-By-Play The Manatees could have had a big inning in the third but managed just one run Brevard County Top of the 3rd Chadwin Stang grounds out, shortstop Javier Baez to first baseman Ben Carhart. Brandon Macias triples (1) on a line drive to center fielder Zeke DeVoss. Nick Ramirez out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Jorge Soler. Brandon Macias scores. Cameron Garfield singles on a ground ball to left fielder John Andreoli. Gregory Hopkins doubles (1) on a ground ball to left fielder John Andreoli. Cameron Garfield to 3rd. Rafael Neda walks. Yadiel Rivera pops out to shortstop Javier Baez.

Brevard County Game Notes

Brevard blanked in home opener By Dave Walkovic / Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. - The Brevard County Manatees home opener was spoiled on Friday night as the 'Tees were shutout by the Daytona Cubs, 8-0 at Space Coast Stadium. Javier Baez kick started the Daytona (1-1) offense by launching a two-run home run over the left-center field fence in the top of the first inning. Baez's first home run of the season gave the Cubs an early two run cushion and Daytona never looked back. Cubs starting pitcher Starling Peralta (0-0, 0.00) didn't allow a hit until the fifth when 'Tees (1-1) shortstop Yadiel Rivera doubled to dead center field. Center fielder Zeke DeVoss almost made an incredible diving over-the-shoulder catch, but couldn't control the ball when he hit the ground. Peralta's night came to an end with one out in the fifth inning. He allowed no runs on just one hit, walked three and fanned five batters. DeVoss had a huge night at the plate as well. After he singled and scored in the first, DeVoss connected on a two-run triple to right-center field to extend the Daytona lead to 4-0. He doubled down the right field line in his third at bat, but went 0-for-2 with a walk in his final three plate appearances and finished a home run shy of the cycle. The bottom third of the Daytona order - LF John Andreoli, C Chad Noble, and 3B Ben Carhart - combined to go 8-for-13 with four runs scored and two RBI. Andreoli and Carhart each had three hits and Noble crushed an RBI triple off the batters' eye in center field in the third inning to extend the Cubs cushion to five. The Cubs smacked 15 hits in total. Ryan Searle was credited with the win after he tossed 4.2 scoreless innings, gave up just two hits and struck out six. Brevard County's Drew Gagnon (0-1, 15.00) struggled in his first start of the new season. He was tagged for five runs on eight hits in three-plus innings. The lone bright spot in the 'Tees batting order came in the form of Chad Stang who notched his second consecutive two-hit game. Out of the bullpen, Kevin Shackleford, Tommy Toledo and Stephen Peterson all had scoreless outings on the night. The same two teams will square off again tomorrow night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach. Southpaw Austin Kirk (9-3, 3.12 in 2012) will get the call for the Cubs. He will be opposed by righty Brooks Hall (4-3, 4.33 in 2012) for the Manatees. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. and you can hear all the action live on ManateesBaseball.com starting with the Manatees Pregame Show at 6:35 p.m. The 'Tees return home Sunday evening for a 5:05 p.m. contest to wrap up its four game series with Daytona

Final: Daytona 8 Brevard County 0 A night after pounding out 12 hits, Brevard County was completely shut down by Daytona pitching on Friday night, managing just three hits. Daytona roughed up Manatees starter Drew Gagnon for five runs in 3+ innings. Zeke DeVoss led off the game with a single, stole second and went to third when Cameron Garfield's throw sailed in to center field. Javier Baez then gave the Cubs a lead they would never lose, when he crushed a 3-0 pitch to left center for a two-run home run. The Cubs got two more in the second on a two-run triple by DeVoss, and added another in the third on an RBI triple by Chad Noble. After allowing a double and a walk to start the fourth, Gagnon was relieved by Mark Williams. Williams got out of the fourth inning jam for the Manatees, but surrendered two more runs in the fifth. Greg Hopkins walked to start the fifth and Yadiel Rivera followed with a double, Brevard's first hit of the game, but they were left stranded, following a pop out and two strike outs to end the Manatees threat. Daytona got one more run in the sixth, for the final 8-0 margin. Brevard County Box Score Drew Gagnon went 3+ innings, allowing five runs on three hits and three walks. He also struck out three. One of the BC announcers (not sure if it was Dave or Andy) mentioned that Gagnon had a good breaking ball going, but that his fastball was getting too much of the plate. Mark Williams allowed three runs in 2.1 innings, walking four. Kevin Shackelford tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Tommy Toledo and Stephen Peterson each worked a scorless frame. Chadwin Stang was the only Manatee with multiple hits, going 2-3 with a sacrifice. Yadiel Rivera's fifth inning double was the only other hit for BC. John Dishon, Brandon Macias and Greg Hopkins each drew a walk. Hopkins was hit by a pitch as well. Dishon also recorded an outfield assist, gunning down a runner at third base. Cameron Garfield had the previously mentioned throwing error. A night after being the hitting star, Cody Hawn had a rough night, going 0-4 with four strikeouts. On the injury front, it was mentioned on the pregame that Ben McMahan's trip to the DL was for a hand injury. Later in the game it was revealed that McMahan broke his thumb in practice so it will be more than just a 7-day stint on the DL for him. Brevard County Play-By-Play Not much to highlight tonight. The Manatees best scoring chance came in the 5th when they had runners at second and third and nobody out, but they weren't able to push any runs across. Brevard County Bottom of the 5th Gregory Hopkins walks. Yadiel Rivera doubles (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Zeke DeVoss. Gregory Hopkins to 3rd. Pitching Change: Ryan Searle replaces Starlin Peralta. Lance Roenicke pops out to shortstop Javier Baez. John Dishon strikes out swinging. Brandon Macias strikes out swinging.

Hawn's bat leads 'Tees to Opening Night win Brevard tops Daytona 4-3 to start 2013 campaign By Andy Towne / Brevard County Manatees http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/8/0/43929580/cuts/4.4.13_mediawall_480x270_vs28znpg_p36d7gfq.jpg DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - In a game that turned out to be Cody Hawn against the Daytona Cubs, the Manatees' slugger helped Brevard County edge out their rivals, 4-3, for an Opening Night win on Thursday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Hawn finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, drove in three runs and scored once. His evening got started with Chad Stang on base, knocking him in with a base hit to left field to put the 'Tees (1-0) on the board in the top of the first inning. Daytona (0-1) answered right back in their half of the frame, sending their first two batters all the way around the diamond. Zeke DeVoss split the infield and then scored on Tim Saunders' double, with Saunders coming around on a sacrifice fly. The score stayed at 2-1 until the top of the third, in which Stang opened up by taking a walk. He swiped second and easily crossed home on Hawn's first two-bagger. A 2-2 stalemate was broken in the bottom of the sixth, with Stephen Bruno smacking a double of his own, advancing to third on a wild pitch and scoring on a John Andreoli base hit. That was the end of Daytona's offense, but Brevard County wasn't done. They came back and scored a pair their next time up, with Hawn driving in Nick Ramirez on another two-base hit. Greg Hopkins pushed Hawn across with the game-winning RBI after Hawn had moved to third on a wild pitch. Eric Marzec picked up the win in relief as he threw 2.2 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball with two strikeouts. Starter Jed Bradley (0-0, 4.50) took a no-decision after allowing two runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out four in four frames of work. Seth Harvey nailed down a save with a perfect ninth inning. The Manatees and Cubs continue their series on Friday at Space Coast Stadium in Viera. It will be Drew Gagnon (7-3, 2.83 in 2012) taking the hill for Brevard County, while Daytona will counter with Starling Peralta (5-8, 3.44 in 2012). Admission is just $2 and the first 2,000 fans will receive a 2013 magnet schedule picture frame presented by Health First and Via Tuscany Apartments. There will also be a post-game fireworks show.

That's awesome! Wasn't aware of it until I saw your post. Thanks for the heads up.

3 and 0 on the night. Beat a Cubs affiliate. Beat a Cardinals affiliate. Big nights from Morris, Thornburg, Taylor and Arcia. Great start to the season!

In trwi7's defense, it was a pretty rough start to the night for Bradley. He settled down nicely after the first inning plus, but I was listening to the game, and I'll admit I thought it was gonna get ugly as well. He retired the last 7 batters he faced, striking out four, including Cubs top prospect Javier Baez on a big curveball, so there were definitely some positives. Looking forward to his next few starts as he gets stretched out and can go longer in to games.

Final: Brevard County 4, Daytona 3 The Manatees got off on the right foot, scoring a run in the top of the first inning. Chadwin Stang started things off with a one out infield single. Nick Ramirez followed with a hit-and-run single to move Stang to third. With two outs, Cody Hawn notched the first RBI of the season for the 'Tees, scoring Stang from third. The Cubs got two runs in their half of the first, as Jed Bradley struggled early on. Zeke DeVoss singled, and Tim Saunders followed with a double to knock in DeVoss. After Saunders stole third base, Javier Baez hit a long sacrifice fly to center to score him. The Manatees tied up the game at 2-2 in the third inning when Hawn doubled in Stang, who was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Daytona took the lead back in the sixth, getting a run off of Chad Pierce, who was on in relief of Bradley. A double, a walk, a wild pitch and an infield single got Pierce in to trouble, but Eric Marzec came on with one out and induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. Brevard answered right back with a pair of runs in the seventh to take a 4-3 lead. Nick Ramirez drew a one out walk and scored on Hawn's second double of the evening. Greg Hopkins then singled to score Hawn and give the Manatees the lead. Marzec and Seth Harvey shut down Daytona over the final 3.2 innings to preserve the victory. Marzec earned his first win of the season and Harvey recorded his first save. Brevard County Box Score Jed Bradley struggled early but then settled down. He only went four innings in his first outing of the season, but retired the final seven batters he faced, with four strikeouts. His final line was 4 IP, 2 R, 2ER, 3H, 3BB, 4K. Chad Pierce went 1.1 innings in relief, allowing one run while striking out three. Eric Marzec pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief and Seth Harvey had a 1-2-3 ninth for the save. Cody Hawn was the hitting star for BC. He went 3-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Greg Hopkins picked up where he left off last season with a 2-4 night. John Dishon was 2-4 with a triple. Chadwin Stang was on base three times. He had two infield singles and was hit by a pitch. He also stole a pair of bases. Lance Roenicke, Nick Ramirez and Cameron Garfield each added a single. As Noche mentioned earlier, the Cubs were running a lot early in the game against Garfield, going 4 for 4 in stolen base attempts (milb.com lists a CS for him but it was actually just a straight 1-3-6 pickoff). Brevard County Play-By-Play Brevard County's 7th Inning Rally Brevard County Top of the 7th Chadwin Stang flies out to left fielder John Andreoli. Nick Ramirez walks. Cameron Garfield strikes out swinging. Cody Hawn doubles (2) on a line drive to right fielder Jorge Soler. Nick Ramirez scores. Pitching Change: Eduardo Figueroa replaces Sheldon McDonald. With Gregory Hopkins batting, wild pitch by Eduardo Figueroa, Cody Hawn to 3rd. Gregory Hopkins singles on a ground ball to center fielder Zeke DeVoss. Cody Hawn scores. Yadiel Rivera pops out to shortstop Javier Baez.

Strange start in that Nashville game. Tyler Thornburg with 4 K's in the first inning. Then Scooter Gennett reaches on catcher's interference in the bottom of the first.

Haven't even played a game yet and the coverage at Brevard County is already much improved over years past. We have Game Notes!

80% chance of rain, with strong winds and hail in the forecast for the Manatees game tonight. Play Ball!

Got to see Nashville and Huntsville play today against the Reds AAA and AA teams and had a couple quick observations. - Tyler Thornburg started for Nashville and did a pretty good job of shutting down the Reds. He got Ryan Hanigan (who was leading off each inning) all three times I saw him face him. Thornburg did take a line drive off his leg/foot but stayed in the game and appeared to be okay after. - Josh Prince started the game in CF, with Francisco Castillo playing 2B. After a few innings the two switched positions. Prince had a nice sliding catch in center before moving to second. It was the first time I had heard of Prince playing 2B. I know he came up as a SS so perhaps they are grooming him for a super utility type role. Castillo got a bad read on a line drive and let it drop for a hit during his time in center, but that's always one of the toughest balls to read and he was playing well above the level he is likely to start at in 2013. I would imagine he will be staying in extended and playing with one of the short-season teams when they get going. I'm excited to see what he can do after the season he had last year in the DSL. - Got to see Stephen Parker in a Brewers uniform for the first time today. From what little I saw, I was impressed with his defense. Don't know a ton about him. Looking forward to seeing more of him once Nashville's season gets under way. - I managed to get a peak at the Brewers radar gun a couple of times today in the AA game as well. Casey Medlen was sitting around 92-93 mph and Santo Manzanillo was hitting 95-96. Manzanillo struck out Reds prospect Donald Lutz on a 3-2 fastball down in the zone. That's it for me from Arizona. Hope you all enjoyed the photos. I'll have lots more when I get back to Wisconsin and can go through everything I shot over the past two weeks. Looking forward to the Link Report getting under way and following Brevard County and all of the Brewers affiliates this season!

Thanks for the kind words guys, I really appreciate it! Winding down my visit to Arizona. Should see the Brewers AAA/AA teams once more on Monday on our way out of town. Wanted to drop a couple more quick notes before I call it a night. - Victor Roache was in a red jersey today. (Meaning he has some sort of injury) He didn't play in the game I attended on Wednesday either. Not sure what the injury is but he did take part in some stuff this am so it doesn't seem to be real serious. - Got to see Johnny Hellweg and Taylor Jungmann both pitch today. They both looked pretty good. Jungmann did allow a home run but it was on a pretty good pitch and the hitter just did a good job of driving it to the opposite field. One thing I really like about Jungmann is that he always seems to throw strikes. When he misses, it's not by much. I wonder if maybe he throws too many strikes sometimes (if that makes any sense). - Maybe I'm just not very observant but today was the first time I noticed several of the players the Brewers had in camp who played in the DSL last year. Francisco Castillo, Elvis Rubio, and one other player I was unable to identify were all taking batting practice this morning. - T.J. Mittelstaedt was playing 3B in the AAA game today and made a couple of really nice defensive plays. I've seen him at 2B, 3B and LF since I've been down here and he's handled himself well at each position.

A couple quick notes from yesterday: Burke Badenhop looked dominant in his first two innings, striking out four, but then the Royals started to tee off on him in the third. He gave up a hard hit double, a broken bat single, a triple and hit a batter. He also had a couple of really hard hit balls that were pulled foul. Doug Melvin was in attendance to watch Badenhop throw. Hunter Morris hit the ball well. He had three hits that I saw, including two doubles. One he pulled right down the first base line. The other was tagged to right center. I happened to be right next to the Royals dugout during the second double and some of the Kansas City players and even one of the coaches were talking about how Morris didn't hustle, calling him lazy and that he could have had a triple. Personally I didn't see any problem with Morris effort, it was pretty clearly a double from the start and Morris cruised in to second, he wasn't getting third unless the outfielder booted the ball, and if that were the case he would have made third easily anyway. Kentrail Davis also had a couple of hits, including a home run that he crushed to right. Again I was right next to the KC dugout and there was an audible groan as soon as the ball left the bat. I still have high hopes for Kentrail. He shows flashes of real talent, just needs to flash it more consistantly. Scooter Gennett just continued to do what Scooter Gennett does and hit everything in sight. I know I'm higher on him than most, but I firmly believe he is going to be an every day second baseman in the big leagues for many years. It may not be in Milwaukee, depending on what happens with Rickie Weeks but he's hit everywhere, consistantly, every time I've seen him play. Yesterday was my first real chance to see Josh Prince play centerfield. When I had seen him play in the past he had been a shortstop. He seemed to get decent jumps, had a little trouble with the high Arizona sun on one play but did a good job of staying with it and making the catch. I also got to see some of the catcher's drills in the am and in seeing Clint Coulter three times thus far, I've noticed he seems to have a lot of trouble with making the transfer from the glove to his throwing hand. I first noticed it in the intrasquad game last week, and again against the Reds on Friday, and then yet again yesterday. Probably a result of just trying to be too quick. I definitely think it's something he can correct in time. Going to see the Major League guys in Goodyear today. I'll get a chance to watch the Single-A teams on Wednesday in Peoria and will try to chime in then with anything interesting.

Just wanted to share a couple quick observations from Arizona. Of course, the Brewerfan motto "Beware the small sample size" applies here. - Victor Roache looks like the real deal. I've seen him hit with power to all fields, and he is a lot more athletic than I was aware of. - Orlando Arcia had booted a couple of balls in the two days I've seen him. That's to be expected with any young player, but it really reinforced in my mind just how good Yadiel Rivera's defense is. I've seen him make several nice defensive plays and he always looks so smooth doing it. Hopefully he will hit enough to make it to the big leagues because his defense is fantastic. - Mitch Haniger was playing with the High-A squad in both the intrasquad game on Monday, and the game I attended against the Reds yesterday. After his brief stint in Wisconsin I thought he might be headed back to the Timber Rattlers, and he still may be, but I just thought it was kind of interesting that he's been working with the BC squad. - While on the subject of roster projections, it appears like Jason Rogers may have jumped past Cody Hawn. Hawn was with BC yesterday splitting time at first base with Nick Ramirez. Ramirez looks like he's slimmed down quite a bit since the end of last season. He looks noticeably skinnier. On a side note, there was a funny moment in yesterday's game when Hawn took second on a ball in the dirt. A big cheer went up from the Brewers dugout as Hawn is not exactly a speed demon. - Finally one player who has stood out to me so far has been Jose Sermo. MiLB.com has him listed as a 2B and Brewerfan has him listed as a SS, but he has been playing first base when I've seen him. He has hit the ball hard in the few at bats I saw. Looking forward to seeing more of him this week. No Brewers action for me today as I'm off to see the Mariners and Padres, but I'm taking in the Brewers/Royals AAA/AA games tomorrow so hopefully I will get to see some of our pitching prospects.

Sorry I didn't get back to you guys sooner. I can grab a team for this season if you still need someone. I guess my first choice would be Brevard County since they play the earliest games, but I'm good with whoever.

Wisconsin wins Midwest League title Ramirez delivers go-ahead hit as Rattlers win their first crown By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/09/16/jst5xYl6.jpg Nick Ramirez led Wisconsin with 70 RBIs and 16 homers. (Vincent Rinaldi/Rinaldi Photos) When Lee Orr struck out to seal Class A Wisconsin's first Midwest League championship, Milwaukee prospect Nick Ramirez had only one thing on his mind: Don't get caught at the bottom of the dogpile. Luckily for the first baseman, his teammates stayed on their feet, and he was able to celebrate standing up with high-fives, hugs and plenty of sparkling cider showers. Ramirez broke a tie with a seventh-inning two-RBI double Sunday to help the Timber Rattlers beat the Fort Wayne TinCaps, 4-2, in Game 4 of the circuit's best-of-5 Championship Series. "This is awesome, it's a great feeling," Ramirez said. "This is my first championship in pro baseball. This is one of the best feelings of my career. There's nothing higher than this at this level; this is the World Series for us. "I tried to push [6-foot-5 pitcher] Brent Suter down, but he's a big guy. It wasn't going to happen. I was thinking to myself, 'Don't be at the bottom of the dogpile.'" The victory gives the Timber Rattlers their first league championship in the 18-year history of the club. The last time the team won a championship -- in 1984 -- the team was a White Sox affiliate known as the Appleton Foxes. Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson knows better than anyone the importance of the title to the organization and the town of Appleton, Wisc. "I was born and raised in Appleton, and I'm a member of the community," said Erickson, who was selected in the seventh round of the 1997 Draft. "I played my West High School games at the old park, Goodland Field, and I watched the Appleton Foxes growing up. "I played in the Midwest League in '98 with Kane County when I was a member of the Florida Marlins organization, and I watched the transition from the Foxes to the Timber Rattlers and all the excitement that brought to the valley." Leadoff hitter Brandon Macias doubled to center field to start the game, and Chadwin Stang drove him in with a single to put the Timber Rattlers on the board. Max Walla doubled the lead with a two-out homer to right field in the second, but an RBI double by Yeison Asencio and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Travis Whitmore tied the game in the third. That was the way the game stayed until the seventh when 23-year-old Ramirez, selected by the Brewers in the fourth round of the 2011 Draft out of Cal State-Fullerton, delivered the decisive blow. With runners on the corners and one out, Ramirez ripped a two-RBI double to right field to give the Timber Rattlers the lead for good. Ramirez, who led the team in homers (16), RBIs (70) and extra-base hits (44), knew he would get a chance to give his team another lead in the seventh. "They brought in a lefty [brandon Alger] and I figured I would see a couple curveballs because there were guys at first and third and they wanted me to hit into a double play," said Ramirez, who drove in 10 runs during nine postseason games, including four in the Finals. "He threw a first-pitch fastball, then a pretty good slider for a strike that I thought was a ball," Ramirez recalled. "He threw a fastball that I fouled off, and since he changed my eye level, I thought he would probably come with something off-speed. He came with a curveball and I got enough of the barrel on it." The runs made a winner of starter Chad Thompson (2-0), who allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three batters over six innings. Suter fanned three batters over three hitless innings of relief to seal the championship. "It feels unbelievable. I'm so happy for the players who put in all the hard work and preparation to get this done," Erickson said. "I want them to know how appreciative I am of the hard work they put in. It's proof hard work can bring results. "This is something that nobody can take away. It will stay with them their whole lives. I told them at no point in my career was I as close with my teammates than I was in my first full season of A-ball. Hopefully, they will have some good memories of the 2012 season." Wisconsin booked its slot in the playoffs after winning the Western Division first-half title. The team went 44-25 over the first half, winning the division by 5 1/2 games over the Beloit Snappers. It marked the fourth time the team won a division title. It won the now-defunct Central Division in 1996 and 1999 and claimed the Western Division in 2005. The Timber Rattlers lost the first game of its opening-round against Burlington, 4-0, but won the next two games to get to the semifinals, where they swept Clinton. Wisconsin and Fort Wayne split the first two games of the Championship Series, before the Timber Rattlers won Game 3 on Saturday, 10-8, and sealed the title at Parkview Field. "No one gives up. We fought all throughout the year," Ramirez said. "There was no giving up. I'll remember the whole experience and the rush of being champions and celebrating on the field."

Midwest League Champions! Final: Wisconsin 4, Fort Wayne 2 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are Midwest League Champions Wisconsin beats Fort Wayne 4-2 in Game Four By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers FORT WAYNE, IN - Nick Ramirez had one hit on Sunday at Parkview Field. But, it was a hit that helped the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers claim their first Midwest League Championship. His 2-run double in the seventh inning snapped a 2-2 tie and propelled the Rattlers to a 4-2 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps in Game Four of the Midwest League Championship Series. Wisconsin won the series three games to one. Wisconsin got out to a very fast start. Brandon Macias doubled on the first pitch of the game and Chadwin Stang sent Macias home with a single for a 1-0 lead two batters into the game. Max Walla hit a solo home run with two outs in the second inning for a 2-0 lead. Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Chad Thompson hit a spot of trouble in the third inning. A single and a walk with one out brought Yeison Asencio to the plate. The regular season batting champion blooped a double to right to score the first Fort Wayne run. A sacrifice fly by Travis Whitmore tied the game 2-2. TinCaps starter James Needy settled in after the second inning and kept the Rattlers off the scoreboard. That included an jam in the sixth inning where the Rattlers had runners at second and third with no outs, but could not score. The score changed in the seventh as the TinCaps went to the bullpen. Macias started the inning with a double off Luis De La Cruz. A sacrifice bunt and a walk put runners at the corners with one out. Fort Wayne went back to the bullpen to bring in lefty Brandon Alger to face the left-handed Ramirez. Ramirez, who lead Wisconsin in homers and RBI during the regular season and the playoffs, fell behind Alger 0-2. The Rattlers first baseman fouled off one two-strike pitch. Then, Alger left one over the plate and cracked a double to the wall in right. Both Macias and McMahan scored on the play for a 4-2 lead. Ramirez drove in ten runs during the nine postseason games for the Timber Rattlers. That included four in the Championship Series. Thompson, like Needy, settled in after his early troubles. He allowed just one base runner after the double by Asencio in the third. Brent Suter, a 31st round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers out of Harvard in the 2012 draft, relieved Thompson to start the bottom of the seventh. The Rattlers left-hander started mowing down TinCaps and didn't stop until the championship was won. Suter retired the side in order in the seventh and the eighth. He retired Asencio for the first out of the ninth on a grounder to short. Suter got Whitmore to swing and miss at strike three for the second out. The pennant-clinching out came as Suter caught Lee Orr looking at a 2-2 pitch for strike three. The pennant is the first for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The last Midwest League Championship by an Appleton Professional Baseball team was won in 1984 by the Appleton Foxes. The Foxes joined the Midwest League in 1962 and won eight pennants (1964, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1978, 1982, 1983, & 1984). Now, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have a pennant of their own to fly over Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. HOME RUN: WIS: Max Walla (1st, 2nd inning off James Needy, 2 out) WP: Chad Thompson (2-0) LP: Luis De La Cruz (1-2) SAVE: Brent Suter (1) TIME: 2:34 ATTN: 2,390 Wisconsin Box Score Nick Ramirez 2 RBI double in the 7th turned out to be the game winner. He finished the day 1-3 with a pair of walks. Brandon Macias went 2-5 out of the leadoff spot with two doubles. Macias scored two of the Rattlers 4 runs. Chadwin Stang was on base three times with a single, a double, and a walk. Max Walla came up big with a home run and a walk as well. As has been the case throughout the postseason, Wisconsin pitching came up huge once again. Chad Thompson started and pitched the first six innings. He gave up just two runs. Brent Suter pitched the final three innings to earn the save. He retired all nine batters he faced. Wisconsin Play By Play Wisconsin Top of the 1st Brandon Macias doubles (1) on a line drive to center fielder Kyle Gaedele. Chadwin Stang singles on a line drive to left fielder Jeremy Baltz. Brandon Macias scores. Chadwin Stang advances to 2nd, on a fielding error by left fielder Jeremy Baltz. Ben McMahan walks. Nick Ramirez strikes out swinging. With Cameron Garfield batting, Chadwin Stang caught stealing 3rd base, catcher Austin Hedges to third baseman Duanel Jones, Ben McMahan to 2nd on the throw. With Cameron Garfield batting, wild pitch by James Needy, Ben McMahan to 3rd. Cameron Garfield grounds out, shortstop Jace Peterson to first baseman Lee Orr. Wisconsin Top of the 2nd Yadiel Rivera strikes out on a foul tip. Rafael Neda flies out to right fielder Yeison Asencio. Max Walla homers (1) on a fly ball to right field. Adrian Williams pops out to second baseman Tyler Stubblefield. Wisconsin Top of the 7th Pitching Change: Luis De La Cruz replaces James Needy. Brandon Macias doubles (2) on a fly ball to left fielder Jeremy Baltz. Chadwin Stang out on a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Duanel Jones to first baseman Lee Orr. Brandon Macias to 3rd. Ben McMahan walks. Pitching Change: Brandon Alger replaces Luis De La Cruz. Nick Ramirez doubles (1) on a fly ball to right fielder Yeison Asencio. Brandon Macias scores. Ben McMahan scores. Pitching Change: Johnny Barbato replaces Brandon Alger. Cameron Garfield called out on strikes. Yadiel Rivera called out on strikes.

Final: Wisconsin 10, Fort Wayne 8 Rattler bats awaken! Wisconsin beats Fort Wayne10-8 in Game Three Timber Rattlers within one win of first Midwest League Pennant By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers FORT WAYNE, IN - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had six hits and four runs in the first two games of the Midwest League Championship Series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at home. A change of venue for Game Three was like a loud alarm clock as Wisconsin pounded out thirteen hits and scored ten runs on Saturday night at Parkview Field. The Rattlers needed almost every single run as they held off the TinCaps 10-8. The win gave Wisconsin a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. The TinCaps grabbed a quick lead in the first inning. Jace Peterson drew a leadoff walk. Tyler Stubblefield followed with a double to right-center on a 2-0 pitch to drive in Peterson. Later in the inning, Stubblefield tried to score from third on a grounder to short, but was cut down as catcher Rafael Neda held on after a collision at the plate. Wisconsin tied the game in the top of the third inning. Chadwin Stang's infield single knocked in Adrian Williams from third base. The TinCaps went back in front in the bottom of the third. Yeison Asencio tripled down the first base line to drive in a pair of runs for a 3-1 lead. Then, the Rattlers bats woke up from their Championship Series slumber. Nick Ramirez started the bombardment with an opposite field homer to left as the leadoff batter in the fourth inning. The homer was the fourth of the playoffs for Ramirez. The blast was his second of the Championship Series. It looked like that would be it for the scoring after a walk and a double play left the bases empty with two outs. But, Neda drew a walk and Lance Roenicke singled. Adrian Williams followed with a single to left and Neda beat the throw home to tie the game 3-3 and chase Fort Wayne starting pitcher Frank Garces. Macias was next and he cracked a 3-2 pitch from reliever Cody Hebner over the wall in left-center for a three-run homer and a 6-3 lead. Wisconsin starting pitcher David Goforth allowed a run in the fifth on a wild pitch but was throwing comfortably with the cushion through six innings. The right-hander out of Ole Miss struck out ten in the game to set a single game high as a professional in his second straight start. Wisconsin tacked on insurance in both the seventh and eighth innings. Ben McMahan snapped an 0-for-16 streak with an RBI double in the seventh. In the eighth, Stang's bunt single with two outs and the bases loaded scored Williams from third. McMahan followed with a single that plated two runs for a 10-4 lead. But, the final four outs were the toughest of the night for the Timber Rattlers. Stosh Wawrzasek entered the game for the bottom of the eighth inning after Mike Strong tossed a scoreless seventh inning. Wawrzasek got the first two outs in the eighth, but a single and a walk were followed by an RBI single by Duanel Jones. Another walk loaded the bases. Peterson would single in another run before the final out of the inning was recorded. The Rattlers entered the ninth inning with a 10-6 lead. Wisconsin's defense was the best in the Midwest League during the regular season and had committed four errors in the first 71 innings of the post season. But, the leadoff batter reached on an error in the bottom of the ninth. Wawrzasek got the first out. Then, a grounder that looked like a potential game ending double play was misplayed to extend the game. Austin Hedges made the Rattlers pay with an RBI double to left to make the score 10-7 and put runners at second and third with one out. Santo Manzanillo came into the game and got a grounder to short for the second out. A run scored on the play to make the score 10-8. Jones stepped to the plate as the tying run with two out ... and Manzanillo struck him out swinging to preserve the victory for the Rattlers. Macias led the way for Wisconsin's offense with three hits, three runs scored, and three RBI. Williams, McMahan, and Stang also had a pair of hits in the game for the Timber Rattlers. Game Four of the Midwest League Championship Series is Sunday evening. Chad Thompson is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. James Needy is set to start for the TinCaps. A win by Wisconsin on Sunday lets them claim their first Midwest League pennant - and the first championship by an Appleton professional baseball team since the 1984 Appleton Foxes. A win by Fort Wayne on Sunday forces Game Five on Monday night. Game time at Parkview Field on Sunday is 4:05pm CDT. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 3:45pm. HOME RUNS: WIS: Nick Ramirez (4th, 0 on in 4th inning off Frank Garces, 0 out) Brandon Macias (1st, 2 on in 4th inning off Cody Hebner, 2 out) WP: David Goforth (2-0) LP: Frank Garces (0-1) SAVE: Santo Manzanillo (2) TIME: 3:18 ATTN: 4,939 Wisconsin Box Score One win away from a Championship! The Rattlers pitching has carried the team for most of the playoffs, but tonight the bats came alive. Brandon Macias was 3-4 with a walk a home run and 3 RBI. Nick Ramirez also went yard. Chadwin Stang, Adrian Williams and Ben McMahan each chipped in with two hit nights. McMahan knocked in three runs while Williams scored three. Rafael Neda was on base three times with a single and a pair of walks. David Goforth struck out 10 in his six innings of work. He did allow four runs but only allowed six hits. Mike Strong pitched a scoreless inning and Santo Manzanillo recorded the final two outs to get the save. Wisconsin Play By Play Wisconsin Top of the 4th Nick Ramirez homers (2) on a fly ball to left field. Cameron Garfield walks. Yadiel Rivera grounds into a double play, third baseman Duanel Jones to second baseman Tyler Stubblefield to first baseman Lee Orr. Cameron Garfield out at 2nd. Rafael Neda walks. Lance Roenicke singles on a ground ball to left fielder Mike Gallic. Rafael Neda to 2nd. Adrian Williams singles on a ground ball to left fielder Mike Gallic. Rafael Neda scores. Lance Roenicke to 2nd. Pitching Change: Cody Hebner replaces Frank Garces. Brandon Macias homers (1) on a fly ball to left field. Lance Roenicke scores. Adrian Williams scores. Chadwin Stang flies out to center fielder Kyle Gaedele.

Final: Fort Wayne 5, Wisconsin 1 TinCaps trio two-hits Rattlers offense Fort Wayne wins Game Two 5-1 to even MWL Finals GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Fort Wayne TinCaps gave the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers a taste of their own medicine on Thursday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Rattlers rode stellar starting pitching to the Midwest League Championship series and a one game lead through Wednesday night. On Thursday, Colin Rea and two relievers combined to hold Wisconsin's offense to two hits in a 5-1 Fort Wayne victory in Game Three of the MWLCS. Fort Wayne's win evened the best-of-five series at 1-1. The TinCaps got on the board first with a leadoff homer by Lee Orr in the second inning off Wisconsin starting pitcher Chad Pierce. Orr had eleven homers during the regular season. His second inning blast was his fourth in seven postseason games. Nick Ramirez tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. He launched a 2-2 pitch with two outs over the Timber Rattlers bullpen for his third homer of the playoffs to even the score 1-1. But, the TinCaps responded in the top of the fifth inning with a pair of runs. Kyle Gaedele started the inning with a double. Tyler Stubblefield tried to bunt Gaedele over to third base, but was unsuccessful in his first two attempts. The bunt play was taken off with two strikes and Stubblefield lined an RBI double to left-center. An error allowed Stubblefield to take third base. Jace Peterson's sacrifice fly sent Stubblefield across the plate for a 3-1 advantage. TinCaps starter Colin Rae didn't give up another hit after the homer by Ramirez. He allowed two hits, struck out three, and protected that 3-1 lead. Duanel Jones hit a two-run homer off Kevin Shackelford in the top of the ninth inning to provide the TinCaps with a couple of insurance runs. The runs turned out to be unnecessary for Fort Wayne. Johnny Barbato worked a 1-2-3 eighth and Matt Stites pitched a perfect ninth inning to close out the game. The teams will be off on Friday. Game Three of the Midwest League Championship Series is scheduled for Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Saturday, September 15. The Timber Rattlers have David Goforth as their scheduled starting pitcher. The TinCaps have named Frank Garces as their starting pitcher for Saturday. Game time is 6:05pm CDT. Tune in for all the remaining Timber Rattlers playoff games on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com. Saturday's broadcast starts with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:45pm CDT. HOME RUNS: FW: Lee Orr (4th, 0 on in 2nd inning off Chad Pierce, 0 out) Duanel Jones (1st, 1 on in 9th inning off Kevin Shackelford, 1 out) WIS: Nick Ramirez (3rd, 0 on in 4th inning off Colin Rea, 2 out) WP: Colin Rea (2-0) LP: Chad Pierce (1-1) TIME: 2:10 ATTN: 602 Wisconsin Box Score Still trying to figure out why there was an hour long "rain delay" for this one. Somebody got a bad weather report I think because there were nothing but sprinkles. I guess, being the playoffs, they didn't want to get a starter ready and then have them sit down if there would have been rain. Once the game got going it moved really quick. Just two hours and ten minutes. (Maybe they were in a hurry to get to the Packers game) The offense managed only two hits. Nick Ramirez homered and Cameron Garfield doubled, but that was it. Garfield and Max Walla each drew a walk. Chad Pierce deserved a better fate. He had another solid game, giving up three runs on just four hits over seven innings. Wisconsin Play By Play Wisconsin Bottom of the 4th Chadwin Stang lines out to right fielder Yeison Asencio. Ben McMahan pops out to first baseman Lee Orr in foul territory. Nick Ramirez homers (1) on a line drive to center field. Cameron Garfield pops out to second baseman Tyler Stubblefield My photos from Game 2

Really nice work, Brad. Some great images in there. Thanks, hope to upgrade my gear before Spring Training so hopefully will have better stuff in 2013!