Jim Goulart

Timber Rattlers' Johnny Davis' brother -- Centennial’s Tyree Davis signs deal with Twins

Speaking of Burke Badenhop: Via Jen McCaffrey -- "Badenhop stretched his career-best scoreless inning streak to 16 innings and has now thrown 30.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. That marks the third-longest relief stretch of that kind in Red Sox history behind Koji Uehara in 2013 and Dick Radatz in 1963."

RHP Tyler Cravy will make his AAA debut Sunday afternoon in Salt Lake City. The man he replaces in the Nashville rotation, LHP Brad Mills, will debut for the Athletics at home vs. Boston Friday night. Will enjoy peeking in on that one between innings of Brewers-Rockies.

And now this, via the Sounds Media Notes: MATTISON TO NASHVILLE; GREEN TO D.L.: Infielder Taylor Green was placed on the disabled list today. Filling the spot left by Green will be outifelder Kevin Mattison, who joins the Sounds’ active roster from Double-A Huntsville. No word at this time on the nature or severity of Green's injury. This was Green's last activity Wednesday, so no hint here -- Nashville Top of the 9th Anthony Seratelli remains in the game as the left fielder. Defensive switch from left field to first base for Brandon Allen. Pitching Change: John Church replaces Scott Rice, batting 9th. Pete Orr flies out to center fielder Cory Vaughn. Matt Pagnozzi strikes out swinging. Taylor Green singles on a line drive to center fielder Cory Vaughn. Logan Schafer strikes out swinging. *** The Huntsville roster is now short by a player, so look for someone TBD to join the club in Pensacola soon.

RHP Jorge Lopez via Jeff Moore of Baseball Prospectus

Tidbit from Dustin: Tonight's (Billings) Mustangs starter, RHP Luke Moran, was drafted by the Brewers (out of Lutheran High School North in Houston) in 2010. Passed up signing for junior college and signed with Reds in 2012.

Congrats to Nashville hitting coach Bob Skube, named to the PCL All-Star Game staff.

Reported by Adam McCalvy as a cleanup procedure on his right shoulder done Thursday afternoon, surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews. The Brewers have not announced a recovery timetable for Burgos, who had a rough 6.50 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 18 innings (four starts) this season at Nashville.

At Huntsville, infielder Greg Hopkins has been activated from the 7-day DL. For the moment, even after Hopkins' activation, the Stars have a 24-man roster and an 11-man pitching staff, so expect a pitcher to be added heading into the weekend. The staff dropped to 11 after RHP Tyler Cravy's promotion to Nashville.

Miscellaneous notes from Steve in Huntsville -- The Stars completed a series sweep over Chattanooga which marked their second series sweep over a team this year. They also swept Tennessee May 26th-30th. Both sweeps came in Huntsville at Joe Davis Stadium...The Stars took 11 out of the 14 series in the first half of the season with seven of them being decided after the first three games… During the Stars six game winning streak every winning pitcher for the Stars has been out of the bullpen. Tim Dillard has two wins while Casey Medlen, Tommy Toledo, David Goforth and Brent Suter have all factored into the decisions… Last Saturday, the Stars for the 5th straight game hit at least one homer. The Stars are 27-9 when they hit at least one home run in a game. 28 out of the 45 or 62% of the Stars home runs have been solo shots. Hainley Statia hit a two-run homer in the 2nd inning. Statia had a very impressive series against Chattanooga going 7-15 with a HR and 6 RBI’s. He had two 3 RBI games against the Lookouts…. Mitch Haniger did not play Saturday. In his last 25 games, Haniger is batting .330 (31-94) with 7 home runs and 17 rbi’s…. Haniger has enjoyed hitting at home with his .314 home batting average compared to .209 on the road. Only Shawn Zarraga (.434) swings the bat better at home. Eight of Haniger’s ten home runs have been hit in Huntsville. Haniger’s six home runs in the month of June are the most in the Southern League. Haniger is on pace for 22 home runs this year… Zarraga did not play Saturday. In his last nine games, Zarraga is batting .619 (13-21) with 8 RBI… Kentrail Davis has batted leadoff now in eleven straight games. He has an RBI in four straight games. In his ten games as the leadoff man, he is 13-43, .302 with an on base percentage of .375. This season Davis has batted first, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth. The only spot in the order that Davis has had a higher batting average than the leadoff spot is 7th (.333 BA 15 G)… Since the Stars clinched the 1st half championship they’ve gone 7-5…In the month of June alone, the Stars are 7-7. The Stars have the 2nd highest team ERA in June of any team in the league with a 5.13 team ERA.

The Ortega boys -- Not to be confused with last night's Helena starter, who was Venezuelan RHP Jorge Ortega (who turns 21 on Friday, by the way), Thursday night's Helena starter will be making his formal Brewers' organization debut. 21-year-old LHP Luis Ortega gets the nod Thursday. He was acquired from the Red Sox for Burke Badenhop last winter. Listed at just 5'10, 155, Luis Ortega will be making his first appearance before a traditional stadium crowd, as the Dominican native has played one season in the DSL and one season in the Gulf Coast League in Florida.

From Wednesday -- Still no formal MiLB.com box score from Wednesday...

AUDIO: Voice of the Sounds Jeff Hem's appearance on Nashville sports talk radio Thursday, another good listen

Weather.com: Las Vegas, NV Pensacola, FL Viera, FL (Melbourne) Burlington, IA Helena, MT Boca Chica, DR

Sortable individual stat pages: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Dominican Summer League Brewers

STANDINGS: (For split-season leagues, 2nd half standings are shown as the default, although overall standings are also available at the link.) AAA - Pacific Coast League American Southern Division AA - Southern League North Division High-A - Florida State League North Division A - Midwest League Western Division DSL - Dominican Summer League San Pedro de Macoris

Look for these just prior to the respective game times -- Nashville Media Notes - it's a unique link each day, but look for it under the "Roster" banner on the Sounds' site. Brevard County Media Notes - again, it's a unique link each day, but look for it under the "Multimedia" banner on the Manatees' site. Wisconsin Media Notes - Linked on the Rattler Radio blog

To see tweets as to when the Link Report has been technically "completed" with available links, as well as to know when the new day's Report has been posted, please follow @Mass_Haas on Twitter.

Follow Thursday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin Helena DSL Brewers MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: RHP Johnnie Lowe at Las Vegas (Mets), 8:45 PM pre-game, 9:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Jeff Hem is the play-by-play voice of the Sounds; follow him on Twitter @jeffhempbp; we'll link to his blog updates at On the Air…and Off MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; all Nashville games, home and away, will be available to watch via MiLB.TV's $49.99 season-long package ($12.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. ********** Huntsville: RHP Jacob Barnes at Pensacola (Reds), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime Free Live Audio Link Steve Jarnicki is the new play-by-play voice of the Stars - welcome aboard! Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveJarnicki. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. MiLB.TV - It appears seven of the ten Southern League teams telecast their home games (not the Stars). Pensacola does have MiLB.TV coverage available for this series. ********** Brevard County: RHP Damien Magnifico at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 5:05 PM pre-game, 5:35 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the proper link based on listed schedule Dave Walkovic returns as the play-by-play voice of the 'Tees; follow the Brevard broadcast booth staff on Twitter @BCManateesRadio, as all games are scheduled to be broadcast in 2014. No Florida State League games are available via MiLB.TV. ********** Wisconsin: LHP Anthony Banda at Burlington (Angels), 6:10 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime Free Live Audio Link - 1280 AM WNAM Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio. For the $49.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, Stars' road games from seven Southern League locales, and all Timber Rattlers home games and some road games. NOTE: Thirty-nine (!) of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (9) and WACY-TV My NEW32 (30) will split duties. We'll let you know when and who, and remember to refer to the Rattlers' full TV schedule so you can coordinate your DVR activity. No local TV coverage until Friday June 27th. ********** Helena: LHP Luis Ortega at home vs. Billings (Reds), 7:45 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link There's a new Voice of the Helena Brewers in 2014, as Dustin Daniel (@dustin__daniel on Twitter) takes over for legendary Steve Wendt. We look forward to Dustin building his own legacy moving forward. MiLB.TV -- When the H-Crew makes their way to Grand Junction, Orem, and Idaho Falls (one series each), those games will be available to watch online. ********** DSL Brewers: at the DSL Astros "Orange Squad", 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until later in the day We're going to lock in the link to Brad Krause's fantastic Miller Park Prospects - Dominican Summer League primer right here, at least for the first couple of months of the DSL campaign, for your easy review. Brad will also be adding DSL Link Report duties to his Brevard coverage for us here. Thanks, Brad!

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

Brevard County -- AUDIO: INF Alfredo Rodriguez joins Andrew Luftglass on the Manatees Radio Network to talk about Rodriguez's first game at first base this season AUDIO, Game Highlights: The 'Tees complete the sweep of the Jays with a 5-2 victory *** It's a shame that the second half of the Brevard County season begins Thursday, as these three post-All Star Game victories over the super-tough Dunedin squad counted only in the first-half standings.

Brewers get great pitching from Ortega but can’t hold on By Amber Kuehn, Independent Record Late-game heroics by the Missoula Osprey spoiled a sterling performance by Helena Brewers starting pitcher Jorge Ortega in the series rubber match Wednesday at Kindrick Legion Field. Ortega twirled seven-innings of shutout ball and had a two-hitter going through six frames, but the wheels came off as fatigue set in in the eighth. The right-hander walked Damion Smith and Sergio Alcantara with one out in the inning, and hit Michael Abreu to load the bases. Ryan Deeter then came on in relief, but the Osprey would plate five runs in the inning as Helena saw its four-run lead vanish. Missoula won 5-4 to take two games out of the three-game set. One night after the Osprey watched the Brewers break open the game with an eight-run eighth inning to take the lead, Missoula gave Helena a taste of its own medicine with its own comeback — also in the eighth. Designated hitter Trevor Mistui’s two-run single to center was the dagger. Despite the defeat, Brewers manager Tony Diggs was thrilled with what he saw from Ortega, who was making his Pioneer League debut. “It was absolutely a great performance on his part,” Diggs said. “He did a great job, an excellent effort, it was just a shame we wasted it.” Helena still had a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth. Luis Aviles led off the inning with a double to center field, and Gregory Munoz followed with a beautiful bunt base hit to put runners at the corners. Munoz then stole second, putting two in scoring position for the Brewers. But with chants of “Let’s go Brewers” still ringing through the ballpark, Missoula reliever Brody Greer struck out Mitch Meyer and Elvis Rubio and got Dustin DeMuth to ground out to dash the hosts’ hope of a comeback. “I’m quite sure nobody in that locker room is happy right now,” Diggs said of Helena’s missed opportunities. The Brewers were 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Deeter was charged with the blown save and the loss for Helena. Ortega finished with four strikeouts, four hits, two walks and three runs — two earned — through 7 1/3 innings of work. Seven of those were impressive, as the Caracas, Venezuela, native pitched to contact and kept his pitch count low enough to keep the bullpen quiet. Despite errors behind him at shortstop and blown chances offensively, Ortega said he wasn’t frustrated with his teammates. He also said he felt “very good on the mound.” “I just try to make a good pitch,” he said. “Try to make first pitch for strike.” He said his fastball, changeup and slider were all working for him Wednesday in his first outing in Helena. Ortega was 2-5 in the Arizona League last year with a 4.15 ERA. Jincy Solis pitched two-hit ball in 2 2/3 innings of relief to earn the win for the Osprey, just shortly after being assigned to Missoula. Aviles and Munoz extended their hitting streaks to three games, with each going 3 for 4 with an RBI in the contest. Aviles’ RBI double put the hosts up 3-0. Edgardo Rivera also turned in a 3-for-4 performance for the Brewers, with a double and an RBI. The Brewers close out the homestand with a two-game set with the Billings Mustangs, beginning tonight with first pitch slated for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). Thom Bridge photo / Independent Record - Jorge Ortega throws from the mound. The Helena Brewers hosted the Missoula Osprey for a third game at Kindrick Legion Field Wednesday night. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/4/e5/4e591d6e-f763-11e3-9840-001a4bcf887a/53a25b6cd3bff.preview-620.jpg *** Helena Independent Record Photo Gallery - Nobody provides consistent photo quality and quantity for us more often then athe good folks in Helena - for several players, this is their Brewers' "photo debut".

Manatees look for consistency in season's second half Michael Parsons, FLORIDA TODAY Last season, the Brevard County Manatees fell just short of making the playoffs in the first half, but struggled in the second half. This season, the hope is just the opposite. After finishing the first half 36-30 and in third place in the FSL North Division, hopes are high for a much better second half, which begins today at home against Daytona. And there is reason for the high expectations. The pitching staff is among the tops in the Florida State League. And as the first half wrapped up, the offense began to show signs of life. "Having the pitchers that we have, a quality bullpen with some veterans mixed in and they are doing a heck of a job. It is a fun group to watch," Manatees manager Joe Ayrault said. "And the position players are coming along, making adjustments at the plate." And that is the key — the offense. In the first half, the Manatees ranked among the bottom in batting average and runs scored. "Consistency at the plate," Ayrault said was the key to success. "It's just a matter of our guys being consistent at the plate and making the adjustments. Sticking with our approach, not giving away at-bats and coming through with clutch knocks. Our pitching and defense is where we need it to be." Defensively, the club may be one of the best in the organization up the middle. With Cameron Garfield behind the plate, the duo of Yadiel Rivera and Orlando Arcia at shortstop and second base and Tyrone Taylor manning center, this team can go get the ball. "Arcia and Rivera, they are a fun pair to watch. We are just very good up the middle. And having Taylor in center being able to run balls down with a strong arm, they do a heck of a job out there," Ayrault said. But while Garfield agrees the second half should be better, he agrees consistency is the key. "We just need to play a little more consistent ball. We will go through a stretch where we play really good ball and we will be competing every night and then we will take a game off, not physically but mentally," Garfield said. "If we can just not do that we can be a really good team. We have a lot of potential. We have a great staff and we have the best infield and outfield, we have all the tools on paper we just have to apply them on a more consistent basis." It all begins with tonight's game against Daytona at Space Coast Stadium and Ayrault is excited about the prospects. "Hopefully we take off and score a bunch of runs. I know our pitching will hold it when we do," Ayrault said.

AUDIO via Jeff Hem's blog -- "Tonight’s interview is with Sounds pitching coach Fred Dabney, who discusses the Sounds’ loss of Brad Mills (traded Tuesday to Oakland), the addition of Tyler Cravy (up from Double-A Huntsville, debuts for the Sounds Sunday), the recent excellent work by relievers Dustin Molleken and Jeremy Jeffress, and pitching in hitter-friendly Las Vegas."