Jim Goulart

Thanks, this thread is fine. As all the updated lists come out, we had been piggybacking them on the Brewerfan reader thread for comparison purposes, but please, discuss here as you wish.

Via the Manatees: INF Nick Delmonico traded from Baltimore to Milwaukee and assigned to Brevard County. Delmonico will be wearing #23 with the Manatees and will be active for tonight's game against Bradenton. RHP Damien Magnifico activated from the disabled list. He will be the starting pitcher tonight for the Manatees against Bradenton. LHP Jed Bradley placed on the disabled list. Brevard County's roster is now at the Florida State League limit of 25 active players.

Peterson continues his success in minor leagues By Mike Ippolito, Tewksbury (MA) Town Crier Stephen Peterson is a lot like most Wilmington residents. The Wilmington native and 2006 graduate of St. John’s Prep grew up a fan of all the Boston sports teams, especially the Bruins. He enjoys occasionally heading down to Ristuccia Arena to watch his beloved Bruins practice. Even though he went to St. John’s Prep, he takes great pride in the great athletic traditions in the town of Wilmington. Yes, he is just your every day Wilmingtonite. Except for one thing. Some day, in the not too distant future, he may very well be taking the mound at Fenway Park, and many other ball parks around the major leagues. Peterson is a relief pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, currently in his third year of professional baseball after signing as an undrafted free agent with the Brewers in 2011 after graduating from the University of Rhode Island. He has steadily climbed the ladder through the Brewers organization in his first three years, starting in the Arizona Rookie League in 2011, followed by a fine championship season with the Class ‘A’ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers last season, before moving on to the Advanced ‘A’ Florida State League’s Brevard County Manatees this season. With Brevard County Peterson has continued his upward spiral with a 3-0 record to this point in the season, posting a 3.00 ERA. He has appeared in 29 games for the Manatees, good for second on the team, and is averaging nearly a strikeout per inning, with 40 strikeouts in 44 innings. Making his season even more impressive is that he is coming off knee surgery last August, putting him through a painful rehabilitation as he fought be to ready for the start of the season. Bruins rehabilitation coordinator Scott Waugh worked closely with Peterson as he prepared for spring training. As it turns out he has been more than ready, getting off to a strong start to the season and carrying it well into the second half. “It was a long rehab process and it was a lot of hard work,” Peterson said. “Scott put me though a lot of hard work so I would be set for the season. I felt great coming out of spring training. I haven’t really changed anything from last year. I talked to the coaches to help me work on things, but mainly I worked hard to be mentally and physically prepared for the season.” The hard work has paid off for Peterson and his teammates, as the Manatees are within 1 ½ games of the Florida State League’s North Division lead for the second half of the season. The Manatees missed out on the first half division title by just a half game to the Dunedin Blue Jays. “We would have liked to win the first half to qualify for the playoff spot, but we are excited now to be playing well in the second half,” Peterson said. “We’ve got a little more than a month to go and I think we have a really good shot at the playoffs.” Peterson of course has been a big part of the Manatees success, being used in a variety of roles, even picking up one save on the season. But mainly he is called upon when the opponent is threatening in the late innings of a ball game to help preserve a lead or keep his team close so they can attempt to come back. “One of the things they told me going into the season was to be ready for anything so I have been ready for whatever role they have for me,” Peterson said. “Whether that is the beginning of the game, or late in the game. All different kinds of situations. When you are working your way up like I am you want to be put in every situation and face as many different hitters as you can.” Brevard County manager Joe Ayrault knows what an asset he has in his bullpen in the versatile Peterson. “He is someone we can use in any situation,” Ayrault said. “His off speed stuff is coming along well to go along with his fastball. He’s got great composure and he is very durable. He attacks the hitter and he has been very consistent for us. He is a good guy to have on the team.” Peterson made the conversion to the bullpen in his first year in the Brewers organization after being a starter in high school and college. He has made the transition smoothly and he hopes to continue his success as he moves further up the organizational ladder. After stepping up a level in each of his first three seasons in professional baseball, he is hoping to continue his climb next season and in years to come. “Every year you want to take the next step,” Peterson said. “If you prepare yourself the right way and do the right things and work on what the organization wants you to work on, you will have success and continue to move up, hopefully eventually all the way to the big leagues.” Like every player in the minor leagues, that is the ultimate goal for Peterson of course, to someday be taking the mound in a major league stadium. Peterson continues to work towards that goal, but he also knows he must take care of the business at hand with the Manatees before he can think about moving up to the next level, let alone the big leagues. “It is something that you obviously think about,” Peterson said. “Every day on the field there has to be a purpose to what you are doing. You can’t take a day off, especially for someone like me who signed as a free agent. You are always trying to prove people wrong, and you are always trying to get better every single day to reach that ultimate goal. “But right now we are just worried about doing as well as we can as a team to try and make the playoffs. We are a close team and we have a lot of the same guys who won the Midwest League title last season, so we would love to get to the playoffs again. There are no individuals on this team, we just want to keep winning together.” That being said, Ayrault knows that Peterson will be one of the individuals on the team that he will be counting on most down the stretch of the second half of the season. “He is a good team leader and he comes to the ball park every day with a good attitude and ready to play,” Ayrault said. “He is able to come in for us in key situations and get guys out. He is definitely somebody we will be counting on the rest of the season.” As happy as Ayrault has been with Peterson’s performance this season, Peterson has been thrilled to play under his guidance, as well as that of pitching coach Mark Dewey. “They are both unbelievable guys. They are two of the best manager and pitching coach I have ever had,” Peterson said. “It’s just everything that they do, from the way they treat you to the way they talk to you. The players pick up on that and feed off of that. With their positive attitude, we are always excited to take the field.” Peterson has also had quite the influence on Ayrault, or at least on his five year old son. “He bought my son his first hockey jersey, a Bruins jersey, and he has brainwashed him into being a Bruins fan,” Ayrault joked. “But he will not convert him to the Patriots. My son is still a Redskins fan like me.” With any luck Peterson will reluctantly say good bye to the Manatees coaching staff at the end of the season and he will have a new manager and pitching coach next season at a higher level of minor league baseball. But wherever he is, one thing he will always remember is where he came from. “It’s always great to talk to you guys (at the Town Crier) and to talk baseball,” Peterson said. “I always enjoy catching up on what is going in Wilmington and I always like coming home. It is a great sports town and I love spending time there.” Who knows? Maybe someday he will be spending his off-season in Wilmington on a break from the big leagues. Wilmington resident Stephen Peterson unloads a pitch for the Manatees, the Milwaukee Brewers Single A Baseball team during a game this season. (courtesy photo). http://i.imgur.com/LObSCVb.jpg

Go see the month-by-month line items, June is starting to look like an outlier for Tyrone Taylor, we know the talent's there, get it back, young man. And yes, so young, not 20 until January.

We posted several new links and updates in the other threads on this Minor League Forum the past few days, be sure to visit the Forum regularly if you're only coming here directly via Link Report tweets.

Final: AZL Dodgers 6, @AZL Brewers 5 AZL Brewers Box Score Just-turned 18-year-old SS Tucker Neuhaus is feeling it, .932 OPS in his last ten games, double and two singles here. CF Edgardo Rivera stole four bases in as many attempts (once as part of a double steal). There was a lot of activity, good and bad, on the A-Crew basepaths, as the log will reveal to you below. Clint Coulter (knee) made his 2nd appearance in Maryvale, and good to see both have been behind the plate, not just as a DH. He's rusty at the plate, 0-for-5 (one BB, three K's) in the two games. Venezuelan RHP Jorge Ortega got the start, he's only allowed four walks in 33.2 innings and was likewise a control pitcher in his very young two DSL seasons. But his hit, K, and ground ball rates don't supplement that enough to get too excited at this time. AZL Brewers Game Log Eric Arnett squeezed an awful lot into his one inning, everything from a HBP to a wild pitch. He may have been unlucky on a few of those several groundballs. AZL Dodgers Top of the 6th Pitching Change: Eric Arnett replaces Jorge Ortega. Cody Bellinger singles on a ground ball to right fielder Eric Williams. Julian Leon hit by pitch. Cody Bellinger to 2nd. Reymundo Torres grounds out, pitcher Eric Arnett to first baseman David Denson. Cody Bellinger to 3rd. Julian Leon to 2nd. Ryan Scott singles on a ground ball to right fielder Eric Williams. Cody Bellinger scores. Julian Leon to 3rd. Cristian Gomez singles on a ground ball to right fielder Eric Williams. Julian Leon scores. Ryan Scott to 2nd. Melvin Santana grounds into a force out, shortstop Steven Halcomb to second baseman Francisco Castillo. Ryan Scott to 3rd. Cristian Gomez out at 2nd. Melvin Santana to 1st. Adam Law singles on a ground ball to right fielder Eric Williams. Ryan Scott scores. Melvin Santana to 2nd. With Theo Alexander batting, wild pitch by Eric Arnett, Melvin Santana to 3rd. Adam Law to 2nd. Theo Alexander strikes out swinging. Welcome back, Eric. Never been through it, but the rehab process after major knee surgery can't be fun. Good luck going forward.

Willing to wait until 2014 to pass any real judgement, especially of course on high school pick Devin Williams, but the inabilty of college arms Barrett Astin, Taylor Williams and Josh Uhen to impress against mostly younger rookie leaguers as top five picks is a bit disconcerting. Wow us in Wisconsin next spring, please.

He's coming off two consecutive scoreless inning-long appearances (two walks in each), but it's been a tough transition for LHP Daniel Meadows to the sidearm mode. Combined with first Huntsville and now Brevard, only 22 hits in 31 innings. However, 40 walks, 10 HBP, seven wild pitches during that 31 inning span. He's done well just to maintain the 5.23 ERA. *** I pumped up both Jimmy Nelson and Brent Suter in pre-game tweets. Will have to return to my usual less-frequent tweet mode.

AUDIO: Right handed pitcher Matt Miller joins Al Hernandez on the Manatees Pregame Show to discuss his improvement on the season *** Audio lowlights sprinkled with a highlight or two from Brevard's 10-2 loss

Audio: Sean Halton's HR for Nashville last night, the lone offensive Sounds highlight

Brewers claim first-half title outright Helena wraps up Pioneer League North Division, playoff berth By Josh Jackson / MiLB.com This season, if it hasn't been one thing for the Helena Brewers, it's been another. In a good way. A night after a loss by Great Falls assured Helena of a playoff berth, the Brewers locked up the Pioneer League North Division first-half title outright with a 9-7 victory over Billings on Friday. "Anytime you get to go to the playoffs, it's great. To do it in the first half and know you're going to be there is always a plus," said Brewers manager Tony Diggs, who began his eight-year playing career with Helena in 1989. "It was good last night, even though it wasn't the conventional way in." The Brewers improved to 21-14 after hitting five home runs -- two by Renaldo Jenkins -- in the victory. They rank fifth in the eight-team league in that category, and the longball has not been a primary focus, Diggs said. "The keys for us have been solid pitching and solid defense. There've been days with letdowns, but the offense always seems to pick up the pace," he added. "The last few nights, we've been driving in runs, but the pitching has been lax. But when it's going good in all three parts of the game, if one goes lax, the others can pick you up." Of course, Diggs would like to see everything working at the same time as the postseason approaches. "In the second half, we're going to focus on consistency, playing the game the way it's supposed to be played," he said. "We want to see the players improve. That's how it is in player development -- you don't want to see anybody breaking down walls. What you want to see is guys improving every day and you want to see the improvement they make over the course of the season." Michael Ratterree singled twice and scored twice to extend his hitting streak to 16 games, while Adam Giacalone went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer to raise his average to .465. For Diggs, clinching a trip to the playoffs with the team with which he started his career 24 years ago is a bonus. "The fact that the guys are playing well is really kudos to them. It's easy for me to write the lineup and tell them to execute plays every day," he said. "But it is really special for me to be back here. I've seen a lot of new faces and I've seen a lot of old faces." Michael Ratterree is tied for the Pioneer League lead with 32 RBIs. (Photo via Helena Brewers) http://www.milb.com/assets/images/3/0/6/54923306/cuts/Ratterree480_9q6zrdgt_nlbx3m1u.jpg

Brewers finish in front after home run derby at Kindrick By Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record What began as a pitchers’ duel quickly turned into a home run derby Friday night at Kindrick Legion Field. The Helena Brewers and Billings Mustangs combined for eight home runs as seven players went deep and Helena held on for a 9-7 victory over Billings one day after clinching the Pioneer League North Division first-half title. Everything seemed to be sailing out of the park, as the first 12 runs of the game were all plated via the longball. Brewers second baseman Renaldo Jenkins hit his first professional home run in the third to put the hosts on the board and struck another an inning later as part of a three-home run frame for Helena. Mustangs starting pitcher Jose Guzman had given up just three bombs all year coming into the game. Helena would finish with a season-high five homers, while Billings knocked the ball out of the park three times. “Honestly, I’ve never seen eight home runs in a game before in my life,” Brewers skipper Tony Diggs said, shaking his head. “I guess the batters were locked in. “You’ve heard the analogy that hitting is contagious — well, it is.” Twenty-four hours after pounding out 17 hits — which tied a season high — the Brewers brought their big lumber. Following Jenkins’ bomb, which trimmed Billings’ lead to 2-1, Adam Giacalone showed some power with a go-ahead, two-run homer of his own that hit the top of the scoreboard in left-center field. Not wanting to be outdone, third baseman Taylor Brennan joined the party with another two-run shot in the inning, and Jenkins launched his second long ball of the night on the very next pitch. A visibly frustrated Guzman hung his head and kicked at the dirt. But Billings wasn’t about to go away. Phillip Ervin, fresh off a 4-for-4 night, smashed a three-run bomb in the fifth to trim Helena’s lead to a run, 6-5. It was the Cincinnati Reds’ first-round pick’s third homer in two games. Brewers catcher Michael Turay answered with — you guessed it — another home run in the home half of the inning to give Helena some extra cushion, and Michael Ratterree would later come home on a wild pitch to make it 8-5 — the first time a run was plated without a ball leaving the park. Jonathan Reynoso and Gabriel Rosa also went yard for the Mustangs. It was a career night for Jenkins, who batted in the No. 9 spot in the lineup. The 20-year-old infielder extended his hitting streak to eight games with a 3-for-4 performance which included a pair of solo shots, a bunt base hit and a stolen base. “I just give all the glory to God. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn't even be here,” said Jenkins, who finished out the 2012 season in Helena. “This is definitely a blessing, to have a career night, but we got the win and that’s what’s most important.” Jenkins credited hitting coach Chuckie Caufield for helping him to come on strong as of late after a little bad luck at the plate early on this season. With the way Jenkins has been playing lately, Diggs said it’s a no-doubter to have him in the lineup. “The last few times he’s been in the lineup he swung the bat well,” Diggs said. “... Hats off to him tonight for a good game.” Taylor Williams got the win on the mound for Helena, despite giving up four runs on four hits through 2 2/3 innings. Guzman (2-4) suffered the loss for Billings, while fellow starter Barrett Astin went three frames for Helena, getting tagged for two runs on two hits —only one of which was earned. Both starters began the game dealing, with two scoreless innings, before the laser show began. “The pitching has gone through a bit of a funk,” Diggs admitted, but added that Estevenson Encarnacion and Andy Hillis did solid work in the final frames. In the last 3 1/3, neither pitcher gave up a hit and Billings plated just one run. Hillis earned his fourth save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth. Giacalone and Ratterree both turned in 2-for-4 performances at the plate, as Ratterree extended his hit streak to 16 games with a bloop single in the fourth frame. That is halfway to the Pioneer League record of batting safely in 32 straight games, held by Chris Valaika. Helena will open a three-game set against Missoula tonight at Kindrick Legion Field. Zach Quintana is expected to start for the Brewers against fellow right-hander Adam Miller. NOTES: Brewers right-handed reliever Chris Razo was promoted to Single-A Wisconsin on Friday after a superb season. Razo led the Pioneer League with five wins this year, all of which came out of the bullpen. He had a 1.59 ERA through seven games with Helena. ... Billings second baseman Ty Washington saw his 10-game hit streak come to an end with an 0-for-5 night, his first of the season.

Brewers Win Helena Home Run Derby Teams combine for eight homers as Helena ends up on top By Zac Vierra / Helena Brewers The Major League Home Run Berby was last week at Citi Field in New York, but the Brewers and the Mustangs provided the Pioneer League's version of the derby in Kindrick Legion Field in Helena on Friday night. The teams combined to smash eight dingers as Helena out-homered Billings 5-3. The Brewers won on the scoreboard too, beating the Mustangs in the final game of the series 9-7. It was a wild night in which the first 12 runs of the game were scored on homers and it seemed as if teams the teams were simply playing a game of wiffle ball in the backyard. "I've never seen eight home runs in a game," said Helena manager Tony Diggs. "I guess the batters were locked in." The Mustangs got the derby started in the third inning when Jonathan Reynoso smashed a two-run bomb to left off Barrett Astin to make it 2-0. Renaldo Jenkins would get a run back in the bottom of the frame when he hit a solo shot to left. It was the first pro homer of his career and it extended his hitting streak to eight games. The Brewers broke the game open with the long ball in fourth inning. After Michael Ratterree extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a bloop single, Adam Giacalone hit a fly ball to left center that kept drifting until in hit the top of the scoreboard in left-center for a two-run shot. After Jose Guzman got two outs, Angel Ortega would reach on an infield single. Taylor Brennan would then crush a two-run bomb to the left of the scoreboard to make it a 5-3 game. The fun would continue on the next pitch as Jenkins pulled his second homer of the game to left for a solo shot. "The last few times he has been in the lineup he has swung the bat well," said Diggs. "A guy like that who is locked in you know it is going to happen eventually so you just keep letting him swing. I don't think he would be the one to tell you he would hit two home runs in a game but that's what happens when you are locked in and you get your pitch, it goes over the fence." The Mustangs continued the act in the top of the fifth as Phillip Ervin hit a three-run shot to left, his third homer in two days and the Helena advantage was cut to 6-5. Helena would strike back with yet another homer in the fifth as Michael Turay pulled a dinger to left for a solo shot. After the first 12 runs scored when the ball left the ballpark, the 13th run of the contest would come on a wild pitch when Ratterree scored to make it 8-5 in the bottom of the fifth. But the teams would quickly get back to hitting balls over the fence when Gabriel Rosa hit a solo homer to leadoff the sixth inning. In the bottom of the sixth the Brewers did something strange: they scored without having the ball leave the infield. After hitting homers in his previous two at-bats, Jenkins (above) laid down a bunt and reached to start the rally. He then stole second and would score on a wild throw by the shortstop on a grounder to make it a 9-6 game. "That's a typical speedster play, 'I hit a home run now let me bunt,'" said Diggs. "It was a well executed bunt too so hat's off to him for a good game." From then on the Brewers would receive some solid pitching as Estevenson Encarnacion allowed one run in the seventh and eighth and Andy Hillis pitched a clean ninth inning for his fourth save of the season. "Encarnacion comes in does a good job, gives up a run but he closed it down in a position where we could have given up a couple more runs, Hillis comes in has a 1-2-3 ninth and that's what you like to see from the back end of the bullpen," said Diggs. Missoula will come to town on Saturday night for the final three games of the first half. It will be the first time the Osprey has played in Helena this season. First pitch is at 7:05 (8:05 Central). Helena Site Photo of Renaldo Jenkins by Seth Eikomstead http://www.milb.com/assets/images/9/8/0/54917980/cuts/2_Renaldo_Jenkins_stealing_c5wwmvdm_idgbhdhn.jpg

Video highlights via WHNT on the Huntsville game

Here are nearly three minutes of audio highlights via Alex on the wild Stars' game you just read about.

Stars Hold On to Beat Smokies By Alex Cohen / Huntsville Stars In a game where they led by four runs at one point and then three runs on two separate occasions, the Huntsville Stars held on for a 9-8 victory against the Tennessee Smokies on Friday night at Joe Davis Stadium. Much like the previous night, the Stars got off to their early lead in the first inning against the Smokies. Against starting pitcher A.J. Morris, Huntsville broke out to a 4-0 advantage led by an RBI single from first baseman Jason Rogers and a two-run single from second baseman Eric Patterson. The other run of the inning came via an error from Smokies third baseman Christian Villanueva. However, Villanueva would be able to make up for his earlier miscue. In the top of the second inning, his solo homer against Stars starting pitcher Ariel Pena put the Smokies on the board. Later in the inning, Tennessee catcher Rafael Lopez hit a two-run homer well over the right-field wall to cut the Stars lead to one. After the Stars got a two-run homer of their own from outfielder Brock Kjeldgaard in the third inning to push their lead back up to three, a solo homer from Smokies first basemen Justin Bour and a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Nate Samson made the score 6-5 after just four frames. One inning later, Stars catcher Shawn Zarraga began putting the finishing touches on a big night at the plate. Already 2-for-2 with two singles, the 24-year-old catcher came through with a two-run double against Smokies reliever Yepier Castillo to put the Stars on top by a score of 8-5. Unfortunately for the Stars, the Smokies would not go down without a fight. With a pair of RBI doubles from Lopez and second basemen Airesmendy Alcantara as well as an RBI single by outfielder Matt Szczur, Tennessee tacked on three runs in the sixth inning off Pena to tie the game at 8-8. Pena earned a no-decision after giving up a season-high eight runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings of work. The score remained tied until the bottom of the seventh inning where Zarraga struck again. After Kjeldgaard drew a walk against Smokies reliever Kevin Rhoderick to begin the frame and then advanced to second on a sac bunt from Patterson, Zarraga delivered an RBI single that ultimately plated the game-winning run. For Zarraga, his 4-for-4 night at the plate marks the fifth Stars player to have four hits in a game this season. He also reached base five times for the game, joining outfielder Chadwin Stang as the only Stars player to do that this season. Rogers and third baseman Mike Walker each had two hits as well. Aside from Pena on the pitching side of things, righty Kevin Shackelford improved to 1-0 on the year with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Closer Greg Holle ensured the win for Shackelford and the Stars with two innings of hitless baseball for his team-leading 10th save of the season. The Stars will play game rubbermatch of a five-game series at Joe Davis Stadium against the Tennessee Smokies on Saturday. Huntsville will send RHP Brooks Hall (0-3, 5.76 ERA) to the bump to try to win the series while Tennessee will counter with RHP Kyle Hendricks (9-3, 1.91 ERA). First pitch is 6:43 PM. Saturday will be the last time the Stars and Smokies play each other this season.

Via the TV broadcast, here is additional video from the Timber Rattlers game *** Separate video looks at Adrian Williams' spectacular night of defense at shortstop

Wisconsin struggles against Clinton by Jim Oskola, Post-Crescent Media GRAND CHUTE — In the three games Wisconsin played in Dayton, Ohio, against the Dragons and the first game of the series against Clinton, the Timber Rattlers had little trouble putting runs on the board. The Timber Rattlers scored 30 runs in those four games but, in the last two games of the three-game set against the LumberKings at Fox Cities Stadium, runs were hard to come by. The Timber Rattlers scored just one run for the second game in a row, falling to the LumberKings 3-1. “The first guy, (Tyler) Pike, has been pitching good all season,” said Timber Rattlers outfielder Victor Roache, who went one-for-four against a trio of Clinton pitchers. “He locates the ball well. He’s a lefty so he kind of stays away from righties. He pounds the zone low and away. He didn’t give guys many pitches today and, the ones he did give, we were missing.” Pike started the game with a 2.27 ERA and for his last seven starts has allowed two or fewer runs. After Friday’s start against the Rattlers, opposing batters have just 17 hits in Pike’s last six starts. “He had a very good changeup and he wasn’t giving you much to hit,” said Rattlers catcher Tyler Roberts, who was batting .333 in his last 10 games. “You had one pitch an AB to get it done. Sometimes you get overanxious and swing at balls out of the zone. Tonight, we swung the bats well. We just had no luck.” Once Pike completed his six innings, things didn’t get any easier with reliever Richard Vargas throwing mid-90s fastballs for two innings. “He throws hard,” Roache said. “You’ve really got to get your timing down with him.” Roache has been the Rattlers’ hottest hitter in the 10 games prior to Friday’s game, going 15-for-41 with five home runs and 14 RBI. That stretch has seen Roache’s batting average climb to .242. “I think timing is the biggest thing,” said Roache about his hot bat. “ Timing and confidence, for sure. I think timing is the biggest thing. I made a few swing adjustments that allowed me to be more on time and get my foot down. I’m just seeing the ball better and I think my pitch recognition has been better.” It has come about through a lot of hard work with hitting coach Dusty Rhodes. “Me and Dusty have been working hard since the beginning of the season,” Roache said. “Through the struggles, I never stopped. Even when I’m swinging good, I’m still in there. I just try to get in there as much as I can. “My teammates Chris McFarland and Alfredo (Rodriguez) helped me out a lot. They pointed out a few things. I made the adjustments. I talked to my dad a lot, my hitting coach back home. Just collectively, all those guys helped me get back on track.” While Roache has not been struggling, Rattlers starting pitcher Tyler Wagner had trouble finding the strike zone, with just 40 of his 80 pitches being strikes. “Nothing was really bothering him,” Roberts said. “He just didn’t have a feel for any of his pitches. He fell behind and he started pressing. Then he started to guide the ball instead of just kick, rock and firing. He’s a sinker-ball pitcher so it’s good he was missing down but too many times everything was down. He just couldn’t find it. “Tonight was one of those nights. Hang with him.”

Rattler Radio Blog - Postgame entry with game highlights including some nice defense

AUDIO: Milwaukee Brewers Special Assistant to the General Manager Dan O'Brien talks about what he looks for when evaluating Helena players

Surprise: Eric Arnett making a Maryvale rehab appearance tonight.

Ages of top 7 in Maryvale lineup tonight: 19 Rivera 18 Diaz 18 Neuhaus 19 Coulter 17 Denson 18 Norton 18 Williams Elvis Rubio just turned 19, has the night off. Nice...

Thinking out loud using the rare Link Report soapbox -- The Brewers really should provide an update (owe their fans, really) a detailed update on Mark Rogers. Rogers is on the big league disabled list, earning the full big league minimum this year (or just a touch over). Odds of contribution are long, we all know (pretty much impossibly long at this point, even for 2014). MLB isn't going to offer a 5th option year, so Rogers would need to make the big league club out of the gate next year. OK, so it's "shoulder instability". What's the daily/current rehab regimen? Is Rogers going to avoid another surgery? Is he long tossing or active in any manner whatsoever? Are he and the Brewers on the same page re: treatment? And normally I have nothing but positive things to say about the beat guys -- Adam, Tom, Todd. But I've heard more than once from them in audio interviews, "well, when we ask, we're told things are just the same" (paraphrase, of course). That's not enough, and it's worthy of following up (sorry if they have and I've missed it). Imagine Mark's not tough to reach himself in Maryvale for direct quotes. Weren't the Brewers just in Phoenix? (I realize Rogers is not at all on the casual Brewers fan radar right now, but still...) And while not on the big league disabled list, RHP Nick Bucci is on the 40-man roster and Gord Ash has usually been open to discussing injury issues re: the 40-man. Bucci (also shoulder, we believe) couldn't get through his only rehab inning in Maryvale on June 20th (his only action this season). Just turned 23, he should have some attention focused on him as a potential big part of the future. We should know more than we do given Bucci's 40-man status.

Actually, I tweeted out a hint to the beat guys to follow-up, but I should follow up directly.

Happy 21st birthday to DSL RHP Doni Arias. Rehab-weary, but not forgotten, Happy 28th Birthday, Mat Gamel!