Jim Goulart

Looking forward to catching Mike Fiers' start in Nashville at 11:45 Central this afternoon, look for Monday's Link Report kickoff by mid-morning.

Nashville: VIDEO: TV Report VIDEO: Taylor Green leads off the bottom of the fifth with a homer in a 5-1 win over Iowa AUDIO: Irving Falu Solo HR AUDIO: Final Out Of The Game

Brevard County, all AUDIO: The best plays in the month of April courtesy of the Manatees Radio Network Sunday's game highlights - Victor Roache becomes the first Manatees player in history to hit three home runs in a game. The 'Tees defeat Clearwater, 11-5. Postgame interview - Andrew Luftglass catches up with Victor Roache Feature - Rich Gunton, a replacement umpire in the Florida State League, chats about the life of an umpire

Roache makes more Manatees history Brewers prospect records Brevard County's first three-homer game By Kelsie Heneghan / MiLB.com http://www.milb.com/assets/images/0/7/4/74351074/cuts/Victor_Roache_s5s30dug_iwan7nfb.jpg Victor Roache boasts a .545/.583/1.455 slash line in three games this month. (Mark LoMoglio Photo/Tampa Yankees) As April became May, Victor Roache was looking for a clean slate. And on Sunday, he not only wiped away the memory of a rough first month of the season, he carved a place in Brevard County history. The Brewers' No. 7 prospect belted a pair of solo shots and a two-run blast for the first three-homer game in the franchise's 21-year history as the Manatees defeated Clearwater, 11-5. "It felt good, felt kind of weird at first," Roache said. "I don't think I've ever hit three home runs in a game since college. Everything happened so fast." In fact, the 22-year-old accomplished the feat by the fifth inning. He launched solo homers off Threshers starter Miguel Nunez (1-3) in the second and fourth, then greeted reliever Steven Inch with a two-run jack to center field. Roache never got a chance to tie the single-game Florida State League record with a fourth homer as the Threshers intentionally walked him in the seventh. "I didn't see any good pitches to hit. I was up 3-0, I was really locked in at the plate [and] my manager gave me the green light," he said. Roache led the NCAA with 30 homers in 2011 for Georgia Southern, but he hit .175 with two roundtrippers, 12 RBIs and a .289 slugging percentage in 25 games. "I had some things mechanically wrong that started to affect me mentally. I was getting away from my approach," he said. "I've been getting here early and staying late. I think I've ironed the flaws out. "I just got away from what I usually do when I'm swinging the bat well. All my power comes from my legs [and] just letting my legs work. I wasn't using my legs very well. I was really getting down on myself and pressing, but I came into May thinking, 'This is a clean slate. Don't worry about the batting average, don't worry at the plate.' And I think that helped a lot." Roache's two biggest proponents are his father, Victor, and hitting coach Ned Yost IV. The elder Roache texts his son with tips every day, while Yost encourages him during extra sessions. Both reinforced a positive mind-set. And in three games since the calendar changed, Roache is hitting .545/.583/1.455 with six RBIs. The 28th overall pick in the 2012 Draft also capped an eventful week for the Manatees. His record-setting performance came five days after Tyrone Taylor became the first player in team history to hit for the cycle. "It's been a crazy week for us, with my game and with Tyrone hitting a cycle earlier. I was happy to add to that," Roache said. "It's been fun. Our manager keeps guys loose, we never play tight. He lets us play our game. Win or lose, we always have a positive attitude." Skipper Joe Ayrault had plenty to smile about on Sunday at Space Coast Stadium as Taylor doubled twice and drove in a run, and Brewers No. 15 prospect Michael Reed blasted his second homer of the season. Brevard County's Jorge Lopez (3-2) allowed five runs on six hits over six innings but struck out six to win his second straight start. Nunez surrendered eight runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. Making his season debut and beginning a rehab assignment, Ethan Martin -- the Phillies' No. 8 prospect -- pitched around a walk in a hitless frame.

AUDIO via Jeff Hem's blog -- "Sunday’s interview is with Sounds reliever Brent Leach, the winner from last night’s game. Leach discusses his season so far, his tremendous pick-off move, what it will take for him to get back to the big leagues (where he debuted as a Dodgers reliever in ’09), pitching in Japan (’11) and his ping pong skills."

Excellent write-up by Brad over at Miller Park Prospects - Wisconsin CF Johnny Davis

Sharing a personal note, hope you find it worthwhile -- Deafness doesn't impair RIT baseball player Skip Flanagan Combines multiple favorites for me -- baseball, Massachusetts kid. My daughter will be attending RIT/NTID in the fall. Hopefully a Brewers draft pick next year

Weather.com: Nashville, TN Viera, FL (Melbourne) Grand Chute, WI (Appleton)

Sortable individual stat pages: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin

It's been a long time, Nashville! STANDINGS: AAA - Pacific Coast League American Southern Division AA - Southern League North Division High-A - Florida State League North Division A - Midwest League Western Division

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

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: RHP Ariel Pena at home vs. Iowa (Cubs), 1:45 PM pre-game, 2:05 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: Idle ********** Brevard County: RHP Jorge Lopez at home vs. Clearwater (Phillies), 3:35 PM pre-game, 4:05 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. All home games and many road games are scheduled to be broadcast. When road games are only available via the opponents' audio feed (or not at all), we'll let you know that. No Florida State League games are available via MiLB.TV. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Tristan Archer at home vs. Clinton (Mariners), 12:45 PM pre-game, 1:05 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. DVR ALERT: The next Timber Rattlers game available on local TV is Thursday evening May 8th on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

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Be sure to read Tim Froberg's Post-Crescent feature on Clint Coulter here.

Now that he's healthy, Coulter can concentrate on improving by Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent Media Clint Coulter File Age: 20. Residence: Camas, Wash. Height/weight: 6-3, 230. Bats/throws: Right/right. FAVORITES MLB team growing up: “Boston Red Sox. My parents were Mariners fans and just about everyone in Washington was a Mariner fan. I had to be a little different. My favorite player, Mike Napoli, played for them and I guess I just liked the underdog. Back then, they hadn’t won the World Series for so long. I think I was in the fourth grade when they won it. It was pretty cool.” MLB player: “Napoli. He just takes hacks. He swings as hard as he can every time, but he gets the job done.” Food: “Meat. Any kind of meat.” Musical group/artist: “I listen to a lot of people. I like 90s rock, no one in particular.” Hobbies outside of baseball: “Lifting weights. Doing anything outside, hiking, biking, just getting out in the sun.” Job as a kid: “The only job I had was working at the pool, where I was a life guard and taught some swim lessons. It was a pretty good summer job.” Place to go in Appleton: “Chipotle (Mexican Grill). I eat there a lot. Can’t beat it.” The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' Clint Coulter was a first-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2012 first-year player draft. / Adam Wesley/Post-Crescent Media http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20140503&Category=APC020602&ArtNo=305030493&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Now-he-s-healthy-Coulter-can-concentrate-improving Prince Fielder is nothing but a Miller Park memory, but the Milwaukee Brewers hope his free agent departure will eventually give the team another big-time slugger. Catcher Clint Coulter, taken with one of two first-round compensatory picks (No. 27 overall) awarded to the Brewers in the 2012 first-year player draft for the loss of Fielder, has the raw power to become a fixture in Milwaukee. Coulter had a tough start in Grand Chute last season, hitting just .207 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 116 at bats. But Coulter has been a different player in 2014. He is hitting a robust .313 and ranks among the Midwest League’s top hitters in home runs (five), RBI (18) and slugging percentage (.608). Coulter has also shown improvement behind the plate. Q: You struggled here last year, but have been killing it this season. What’s been the difference? A: “I wouldn’t consider last year to be a huge struggle. It just seemed like I was battling injuries all year. I’d just start to get hot and then I’d get injured. I had an oblique injury and a knee injury that put me on the DL. And I was battling a wrist injury all year that needed surgery in the offseason. The main thing in baseball is to just stay healthy and to keep getting better. This year, I’m good to go health-wise. You’re never completely 100 percent, but as long as you can get out on the field and be able to play, it’s all good.” Q: What adjustments have you made at the plate? A: “I’m swinging at good pitches and I’ve been able to stay back and really see the pitch. It’s all about seeing the ball and letting your eyes tell your body what to do and then letting your athleticism take over. In the offseason, I worked with guys like Jeremy Reed, Tony Diggs, Sandy Guerrero and now Chuckie Caufield. All those guys have really helped me with my approach and have got me to stay back and let my swing work. The big difference, though, is that I’m just getting a lot of reps, as opposed to last year when I kept getting injured.” Q: How are you coming along as a catcher? A: “Good. It’s just like hitting. You have to get your reps back there and you learn something every day. There’s no replacement for reps.” Q: Since the Brewers drafted you, there has been some talk about whether you should remain a catcher, or be switched to the outfield or first base. Where do you think your future lies? A: “Catcher. Definitely. In pro ball, I’ve never played another position besides catcher and I don’t plan to. If there’s a change, it would be a surprise to me.” Q: How tough is catching on the body? A: “Well, you get a tweak here and a tweak there, and it can turn into something serious, because you’re aggravating it every day with all the squatting and having to come up and throw. But you have to be a grinder. You have to push through those things and be available.” Q: How difficult is it playing pro ball directly out of high school? A: “Oh, it’s unreal. In high school, you’re seeing pitches 80-to-85 (mph). In pro ball, it’s 90-to-95 (mph). Your eyes have to adjust and you need a certain amount of at bats before you can get your timing down. Guys like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper who can come out of high school and get to the majors in a short time and dominate so quickly just amaze me. There’s only a couple guys in the world who can do that. It’s a huge adjustment.” Q: You were a Washington state wrestling champion your sophomore year, but gave up the sport to focus on baseball. How tough of a decision was that? A: “Really tough. I had done it for 12 years. Finishing up as a state champ made it a lot easier. If I had gotten second, I would have been on the mat the next year. I felt bad because I was a team captain as a sophomore, and we had a really good team. I think we finished third the next season and had I stayed, well, you never know. But I don’t like to do things halfheartedly. Had I done both, it would have taken away something from both baseball and wrestling. I felt I needed to focus on baseball for my last few years and try and get a scholarship and maybe even get drafted.” Q: As a first-round pick of the Brewers, you received a $1.675 million signing bonus. Any interesting purchases? A: “I haven’t even bought a car yet. I’m just focusing on baseball. I did buy a house (in Arizona) close to where spring training is, just as sort of an investment.” Q: That’s a ton of money for a teenager coming out of high school. How surreal was that? A: “In high school, I didn’t have a job, so if I wanted to go to a movie, I’d have to ask my parents for money. Once I got money, it still felt like I was spending my parent’s money. I didn’t spend a lot at first, even on food. Instead of going to a restaurant, I’d still be thinking, ‘Aw, I can eat at home.’ Even now, if I go to Chipotle, I feel like I’m really spoiling myself.” Q: Do you feel any added pressure being a first-round pick? A: “I think pressure is kind of self-given. The expectations are there, but whether you meet them or not is sometimes out of your control. In some cases, the expectations aren’t realistic, especially for a player coming out of high school. My expectations are to keep getting better. As long as you keep getting better, I think they’re happy with that.” Q: In high school, you played at Wrigley Field in the Under Armour All-America Baseball game? How cool was that? A: “It was unbelievable. They treat you like a big leaguer. They really take care of you. And just walking down the tunnel where guys like Babe Ruth once walked is unreal. For a high school kid, there’s nothing like it.” Q: What was it like growing up in Camas, Wash.? A: “It’s a really good community. Great people. There’s not a lot of crime and there’s some really good athletic rivalries.” Q: Speaking of rivalries, your current Timber Rattlers teammate, (pitcher) Taylor Williams, also grew up in Camas. Did you play with, or against him in high school? A: “He played at Camas High, where my parents went to school. I went to Union High, which is a cross-town rival. We had some heated battles. In addition to pitching, he was a really good position player. I remember pitching against them. As a pitcher, I had no idea what I was doing. I could throw hard, about 93 (mph). But that was my only pitch, a fastball. It was kind of funny seeing him get drafted by the Brewers, because Camas isn’t that big. And now I get to catch him. In spring training, both his parents and my parents would come to the ballpark, which was pretty cool.” Q: Having grown up in Washington state, you are probably better prepared than your teammates for Wisconsin’s cool, rainy spring. How does the baseball weather back home compare to that of Wisconsin? A: “It’s actually a lot rainier in Washington. In high school, we’d play in the rain and the mud all the time. It was wild. You would be sliding. and water would just come flying up. You’d see outfielders stepping into these huge puddles. It was crazy. The winters aren’t as cold as they are here, but there’s definitely more rain.” Q: With the awful spring weather wreaking havoc on the schedule, has it been tough for you and your teammates to fall into a groove? A: “Definitely. As as team, we’ll start to get on a roll, then we’ll get two days where you’re not even on the field because of the weather. As a hitter, your eyes need to see pitching consistently. To me, guys that are able to be pinch hit are unreal, because it’s hard to recognize pitches when you come in cold like that. Once the weather warms up, I think we’re going to be a hard team to beat.” *** And yes, the Mike Napoli answer is very confusing, as he only joined the Red Sox in 2013. You just stay focused on the baseball diamond you're playing on, Clint -- Jim (Mass Haas)

Brevard County: AUDIO: Don Money, the special instructor of player development for the Milwaukee Brewers, joins Justin Rocke on the Manatees Radio Network AUDIO, Game Highlights: The Manatees win, 7-3, in the resumption of a game suspended on 5/1 AUDIO, Game Highlights: The Yankees score four runs in the seventh and beat the Manatees, 6-2

Huntsville: VIDEO: Nick Ramirez adds his fifth hit of the day in an 11-0 rout of Montgomery And from Friday -- VIDEO: Taylor Jungmann ends the sixth inning with a strikeout in a 9-1 win over Montgomery

Nashville: VIDEO: Local TV Coverage AUDIO: Unlike the announcer above, Jeff gets Jeremy Hermida's name pronounciation right on this call AUDIO: Final Out Of The Game

Final: Huntsville 11, @Montgomery 0 Stars Shut Out Biscuits Montgomery, AL - The Huntsville Stars earned their fourth shutout of the season after they blanked the Montgomery Biscuits 11-0 Saturday night at Riverwalk Stadium. The Stars won four out of five against the Biscuits, the Double-A Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, and finished their ten-game road trip with a 7-3 record. Brent Suter (4-1) threw seven shutout innings and allowed just two hits. He also struck out seven and was backed by plenty of offense. In the third inning, the Stars broke out against Montgomery starter Matt Neil (1-1). With runners on the corners and two-outs, Nick Ramirez produced an RBI double. It was the first of five hits for Ramirez. Jason Rogers then followed with a two-run homer over the left field wall making it 3-0. It was Rogers' second home run of the season. The Stars added to their lead in the fourth. Kentrail Davis led off with a double. Two batters later, Josh Prince walked and stole second. Adam Weisenburger then brought both runners home on a two-run double making it 5-0. D'Vontrey Richardson and Ramirez also had RBI singles in the inning increasing Huntsville's lead to 7-0. Neil was hit hard by the Stars allowing nine hits on seven runs in 3.1 innings. The Stars scored another run in the eighth when Rogers reached on a fielder's choice. Then in the eighth, Weisenburger singled home a run and Ramirez provided a two-run single. The Stars pounded out a season high 17 hits as they improved to 19-11 on the season and still lead the Southern League North division by 2.5 games. Ramirez led the Stars by going 5-5 with 4 RBI. Weisenburger was a hit away from the cycle as he needed a home run but was pinch hit for in the ninth inning. Weisenburger was 3-4 with 3 RBI. Mitch Haniger, Prince and Rogers all had two hits for the victorious Stars. The Stars will return to Huntsville and have Sunday off. The Stars resume play on Monday night at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville as they host the Jackson Generals, the Double-A Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Stars will have RHP Tyler Cravy (4-1, 2.59) on the mound. Jackson will have LHP James Gillheeney (1-0, 1.64). The game can be heard starting at 6:15 PM CT with Steve Jarnicki on 92.9 FM, 1450 AM, and wtkiradio.com. Huntsville Box Score Montgomery was 16-9 before the Stars came to town and wrecked them in four of five games. My goodness, the Stars put 20 men on base and didn't commit an error in this 11-0 game. Suppose you can quibble with a combined five walks from the scoreless performances of LHP Bruce Suter and RHP Kevin Shackelford, but this contest was about as perfectly played as we'll see anywhere in the system all summer. Even the Montgomery weather (75 degrees, clear) was perfect. Nick Ramirez is now 5th in the Southern League in slugging at .541 and 8th in OPS at .887, what a monster game, his confidence must be sky-high right now. C'mon, man! Joey Paciorek deserves another blowout chance off the bench late, but you can't pinch-hit for Adam Weisenburger a homer shy of the cycle there, you just can't. Suter now sports a 1.46 ERA -- 18 hits allowed in 37 innings, a 0.70 WHIP, best in the league. Huntsville Game Log Enjoy! Running out of superlatives for this club...

We'll see what it means going forward, but as per the Sounds media notes, RHP Alfredo Figaro is set to start on Monday afternoon (LHP Brad Mills' spot).

AUDIO via Jeff Hem's blog -- "Tonight’s interview is with the Sounds’ current closer, Donovan Hand, who discusses his new role compared to the many others he’s had in his career; the feel and success of this Sounds team compared to years past; his mentality this season after having success in the major leagues last year but being removed from the Brewers’ 40-man roster before spring training; and his excitement about becoming a parent with his wife, Haley, in July." *** Hey, congrats to the Hand's!

Notes from Steve in Huntsville: The Stars guaranteed themselves their fifth series victory of the season with Friday night's win. They did not win their fifth series of last year until July 8th in Tennessee…The Stars have won 5 out of their first 6 series of the season… The Stars are now 5-0 on Friday’s…. Jason Rogers produced his second three hit game of the season last night, and it also was his third game this year of having two doubles in one game. His 8 doubles are now tied for the 3rd most in the Southern League…With the nine runs scored last night, Huntsville has now scored more runs than any other team in the Southern League with 133. They passed Montgomery, who has scored 128. Nick Ramirez (.268, 4 hr, 16 RBI during streak) extended his on base streak last night to 14 consecutive games which is the 2nd longest active streak in the Southern League. He needed his final at bat in the 8th on a two run single to extend the streak. John Andreoli of Tennessee has the longest active on base streak at 21 consecutive games….Shawn Zarraga’s streak of recording at least one hit in every start came to an end last night. He had at least one hit in his first 17 starts of the season…Greg Hopkins’ 12 game on base streak also ended with his 0-5 game…The streak is the 7th longest on base streak this season. It started April 18th as he hit .231 during the streak… Adam Weisenburger still has his streak alive after not playing yesterday (.323, 3 RBI during streak) has now reached base safely in 11 straight thanks to a pair of walks in game two yesterday.

Congrats to RHP Eric Marzec, who has been promoted to Nashville from Huntsville. This won't be Marzec's first time at AAA, he made two emergency appearances there as a surprise call-up from Brevard County in 2011. The Brewers selected the now-26-year-old Marzec in the 30th round of the 2010 draft out of Youngstown State University, so he's had quite the run already considering his draft status. If you remember, Marzec enjoyed this past winter in the Australian (Summer) Baseball League.