Jim Goulart

Huntsville video report -- Chadwin Stang and Nick Shaw have their base hits against Jake Peavy stored forever online, and Peavy looks thrilled to be home in Alabama during his interview.

Mark McCarter's Huntsville Times article focusing on Jake Peavy's rehab start (link for full read) included this from Huntsville Manager Darnell Coles -- Watching from the other dugout, Coles, a 13-year big-leaguer, could appreciate the craftsmanship. "He had a lot of movement. He reached back for a little extra when he needed to," Coles said. "Hey, he's a Cy Young winner. He's special. This is good for our guys to have a chance to see how a major league pitcher pitches you. He reaches back when he needs to. He gets his breaking ball over in breaking-ball counts. It was a teachable moment. "He did exactly what he was supposed to, and that's dice us up," Coles said. "It was fun to watch. Not so much to be on the losing end of it, but fun to watch because you see how a big league guy works."

Peavy, Homers Silence Stars By Alex Cohen / Huntsville Stars To wrap up their five-game series at Joe Davis Stadium, the Huntsville Stars fell to the Birmingham Barons by a score of 5-1 on Sunday. Highlighting the ballgame was a Major League rehab start for the Barons from starting pitcher Jake Peavy. The former NL Cy Young Award winner threw five innings, giving up just one run on five hits while striking out four batters en route to his first win in the Southern League since 2002. Peavy is rehabbing from a fractured rib that he suffered on June 5th. Birmingham ensured the victory for Peavy when three relievers combined to shutout and no-hit the Stars bats through the final four innings of the game. Righty Salavdor Sanchez tossed two frames while Kevin Vance and Taylor Thompson sent down the Huntsville offense in order during the eighth and ninth innings respectively. On offense, the Stars only run came on a two-out rally in the third inning off of Peavy. After a single from outfielder Chadwin Stang, second baseman Nick Shaw lined a double down the right-field line to score Stang all the way from first. The Barons got all the offense they needed in the second inning against Stars starting pitcher Andy Moye. Following a leadoff walk from first baseman Dan Black, outfielder Jared Mitchell lofted a two-run homer over the right-field wall to put the Barons on the board. In the fourth inning, the Barons continued that momentum as designated hitter Brandon Short hit a solo homer of his own and third basemen David Herdek ripped an RBI single to make the score 4-1. For insurance purposes, the Barons tacked on another run in the eighth inning on a solo homer by Black against Stars reliever Arcenio Leon. With the loss, Moye fell to 4-10 on the year, giving up four runs on five hits in four innings while striking out and walking three batters each. In a losing effort, Shaw paced the offensive attack with two hits, while Stang, third basemen Shea Vucinich and first baseman Mike Walker chipped in with one hit each. The season-series between the Stars and Barons is now finished, in which the Barons won each of the four series and 14 of the 20 games overall. On Thursday, Stars will continue their second-half schedule after the Southern League All-Star game with the opener of a five-game set against the Pensacola BlueWahoos at Pensacola BayFront Stadium.

Eighth Inning Rally Gives Helena Win Orf's hit by pitch ends up being the difference By Zac Vierra / Helena Brewers In a game where the Brewers executed a perfect hit and run and a beautiful squeeze play, it was a hit by pitch that put them over the top. With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth and the score tied at three, Nathan Orf was hit by the first pitch he saw from James Baune to give Helena a 4-3 lead. Michael Turay would follow by hitting a Texas League to center that dropped in to score a pair and Andy Hillis would finish the game in the ninth as Orf's RBI on the hit by pitch was the difference in 6-3 win over Ogden. It made sense that Orf (photo below) would be the one to snap a three game losing streak by taking one for the team. During his junior year with Baylor in 2012, Orf was hit by a pitch 35 times. It was the second time this season that Orf was hit and it gave his team a win. "The guys played well and that's all that matters anyway. They came out and they played the full 27 outs, you know you get that kind of effort out of them and good things can happen so Orf getting hit, driving in a run, then you have a base hit that scores two more insurance runs, that's good," said Helena manager Tony Diggs. Before the unorthodox way to win the game in the eighth, the Brewers had put themselves ahead with some great situational baseball. With Helena up 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Jesse Weiss would lead off the frame by scorching a single to left. After a strikeout, the Brewers would put on the hit and run play and it would be executed perfectly as Weiss was off with the pitch and Orf slapped a single in spot that was vacated by the second baseman. With runners on the corners, Diggs decided to put on another play. This time it was the squeeze and with Weiss breaking home, Turay laid down a perfect bunt to score the runner. "Turay can handle the bat and that's what you look for in that situation like that," said Diggs. "Their pitcher throws a lot of strikes so it puts you in position where you know the ball is going to be around the plate so you know you can squeeze if you choose to. It just worked out for us it was a great play." "It's good when things work out that way you look like a genius but when they don't work out you look like an idiot so it worked out well and the guys executed on each one of them and that's all that matters," added Diggs. Orf would later advance to third on a wild pitch and the Brewers would pick up their second run of the inning when Renaldo Jenkins hit a liner into left for an RBI single. To that point in the game three runs looked huge as a pitcher's dual had ensued between Victor Araujo and Eduard Reyes. Reyes had a spectacular outing for Helena allowing just one hit in five shutout innings while striking out a season-high eight batters. Reyes struck out the side in the third a string of four batters retired by way of the K. "Reyes did a good job of going after hitters, he kept them off balance enough with pitches either in the zone or out of the zone and hats off to him," said Diggs. When Reyes was replaced by Brandon Moore in the sixth, Ogden came back without the benefit of an RBI With one out, Moore walked a batter and then hit a batter to put two on. Valdez would then hit a single to right and the ball got by Dionis Hinojosa in left as Gerson Nunez scored and Pat Stover advanced to third on the error. Stover would then come home with Ogden's second run when Moore threw a wild pitch. It looked like Moore would get out of the jam when Jacob Scavuzzo hit a groundball to short, but Jenkins' throw was off the mark and Valdez came around to tie the game. The game would stay tied until Helena pulled away in the eighth. The final game of the series will take place on Monday night as the Brewers try to end the seven game homestand on a winning note. Nathan Orf photo via Helena site by Seth Eikomstead http://www.milb.com/assets/images/9/8/6/53788986/cuts/3_Nathan_Orf_batting_50tkhmjv_49p5avns.jpg

Via the Rattler Media Notes, we see not only that Johnny Hellweg gets the TV matinee Monday, but Austin Ross leaves Maryvale to continue his post-Tommy John comeback on Wednesday at Bowling Green.

Brewers minor leagues: Top 20 prospects not on fast track to Milwaukee by Mike Sherry, Post-Crescent Media Yasiel Puig’s smashing debut in the major leagues has evoked comparisons to Joe DiMaggio and sparked a national debate about whether the Los Angeles Dodgers rookie should be an all-star despite barely a month in the majors. Jarred Cosart made his major league debut for the Houston Astros on Friday, and the 23-year-old pitcher took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, cooling off the streaking Tampa Bay Rays and outdueling former Cy Young winner David Price. The Milwaukee Brewers, meanwhile, have had eight players make their major league debuts this season, and none has come close to the impact of Puig, Cosart and others like them. To be fair, Puig and Cosart are just two examples, and both have been highly acclaimed prospects, ranked higher than any of the minor leaguers who have debuted with the Brewers this season, with the possible exception of Wily Peralta. But the terrific starts by Puig and Cosart illustrates the gap in talent between the Brewers’ farm system and the top organizations in baseball. Before the season, Baseball America — the foremost authority on prospects and minor league baseball — ranked the Brewers’ minor league talent 23rd out of the 30 teams in baseball. Peralta was the only Brewers prospect to crack the magazine’s list of top 100 prospects, coming in at 69th. “It’s not like anything stands out about the system,” Jim Callis, an Executive Editor at Baseball America, said about the Brewers during a recent phone interview. “They’ve had some extra picks but those haven’t paid off so far. There’s not a lot of top 100 type prospects, not a lot of depth. It’s kind of thin. “I wouldn’t say it’s devoid of prospects, but it’s kind of below standard in however you want to look at it.” Baseball America recently presented its Midseason Prospect Update, and the news wasn’t any better for the Brewers, who were shut out on that list, while their National League Central Division rivals claimed 12 of the top 50 prospects in baseball. The Cardinals led the way with four of the top 50, followed by the Cubs (three), Pirates (three) and Reds (two). As Callis said, the Brewers aren’t without prospects, but the consensus is that there isn’t a Puig-type player waiting to blow the roof off Miller Park, and some of the best prospects are still several years away from reaching Milwaukee. “I think even organizations that aren’t going well always feel like they have prospects in the pipeline at the lower levels,” Callis said. “A lot of time, prospects are like your kids — you’re going to love your own prospects more than anyone else does.” A few things jump out about the Brewers: their lack of top infield prospects, and a dearth of left-handed pitching. And, given the organization’s conservative approach to promoting prospects, it could be three or four years before we see a lot of them in Milwaukee. With all of that in mind, we’ve put together a list of the Brewers’ top 20 prospects with the help of Baseball America and others who rank minor league prospects. Callis offers his thoughts on some of the prospects, notably those who have passed through the Fox Valley and played for the Timber Rattlers. Peralta, who began the season as the Brewers’ top prospect, and Logan Schafer, who started the year as the team’s 13th-best prospect, have graduated off the prospect list after spending the entire season with the Brewers. 1. Jimmy Nelson The 6-foot-6, 245-pound, hard-throwing righty will represent the Brewers in the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game today. Started the season at Double-A Huntsville, where he went 5-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 12 starts before getting promoted to Triple-A Nashville. Is 1-3 with a 3.62 ERA at Nashville, where walks have been a problem, but has made a steady climb since spending the 2011 season with the Timber Rattlers. Could be a September call-up by the Brewers, unless they opt to limit his innings this season. Miller Park ETA: 2014. Callis says: “I think he is their top pitching prospect. He’s continually gotten better. Good life on his fastball. Slider has gotten better. His changeup is just OK.” 2. Johnny Hellweg Didn’t set the world on fire in his brief stint with the Brewers (0-3, 10.97 ERA), but he earned the shot by going 7-4 with a 2.82 ERA at Nashville. Walks have been a problem at every level, and his strikeouts are down this year as he tries to pitch to contact more and harness his upper 90s fastball. Should be back with the Brewers when rosters expand in September, if not sooner. Miller Park ETA: 2013. 3. Tyrone Taylor Prospects who can impress at a young age are the ones who make scouts stand up and notice, and that’s exactly what the 19-year-old Taylor has done this season at Class A Wisconsin. Is hitting .299 with 25 doubles, eight home runs and 44 RBI. More impressive, he has struck out only 38 times in 83 games. A college prospect as a running back in football, Baseball America ranked him as the Brewers’ best athlete in the minors. Miller Park ETA: 2017. Callis says: “He’s having a nice year. He’s not as raw as a lot of 19-year-old guys who are multi-sport guys. To his credit, he’s more advanced than we thought he would be at this point. He’s probably been the highlight of that team so far.” 4. Taylor Jungmann As an accomplished college pitcher, most expected a quicker rise to Milwaukee for Jungmann, who was drafted 12th overall in 2011 and received the second-largest signing bonus in club history ($2,525,000). Is 9-6 with a 3.56 ERA at Double-A Huntsville. His strikeouts and velocity are down from his college days as he tries to be more efficient, but his 67 hits allowed in 93 2⁄3 innings is impressive. A September call-up to get a sniff of the big leagues is possible. Miller Park ETA: 2014. Callis says: “Absolute sensible picks for the Brewers when they took them (Jungmann and Jed Bradley). Some thought they’d be in the big leagues by now. With Jungmann, the thing that concerns me is he’s pitching OK but not missing any bats.” 5. Tyler Thornburg Is 0-9 with a 5.79 ERA at Nashville this season, but 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA for the Brewers in limited duty. His strikeout totals have been impressive throughout the minors, but he has given up a lot of hits the higher he has progressed. The major question for Thornburg and the Brewers is if he’s a starter or a reliever in the majors. Miller Park ETA: 2013. 6. Orlando Arcia Like Taylor, Arcia has impressed as a young player in the Midwest League, especially after missing the 2012 season with a broken ankle. Signed out of Venezuela in 2010, the Rattlers’ shortstop is hitting a respectable .243 and has struck out only 27 times in 276 at-bats. Defense will be his calling card until his bat develops more. He has made 16 errors this season. Miller Park ETA: 2016. Callis says: “He’s a toolsy shortstop and a young kid, only 18, and playing every day. Hitting .240 in the Midwest League at 18 is a fairly impressive performance. Defense will be his meal ticket and he can develop into a solid hitter.” 7. Devin Williams The Brewers’ top draft pick this season (54th overall) is being treated with kid gloves as he begins his career with the Arizona rookie team. Has an 0-2 record and 4.09 ERA but has thrown just 11 innings in four games. The 18-year-old Missouri prep standout can touch 93 mph with his fastball now and projects as a power pitcher as he bulks up his 6-3, 165-pound frame. Miller Park ETA: 2018. Callis says: “I would think he’d make their top 10. He’s an athletic, projectable kid. They took him in the right spot. On his good days, he looked like a first-rounder.” Timber Rattlers shortstop Orlando Arcia will make his name with defense until his hitting develops. / Photo by Ron Page, Post-Crescent Media http://cmsimg.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20130713&Category=APC020601&ArtNo=307130371&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Brewers-minor-leagues-Top-20-prospects-not-fast-track-Milwaukee 8. Hunter Morris The Brewers didn’t think Morris was ready for a call-up earlier this season despite their problems at first base. The Brewers’ minor league player of the year and Southern League MVP in 2012 at Huntsville has been solid but unspectacular at Nashville this year. Is hitting only .241, but has 38 extra-base hits (19 homers) and 50 RBI in 87 games. Should get a September call-up and then challenge for the starting job in 2014. Miller Park ETA: 2014. 9. Ariel Pena The overlooked third piece of the Zack Greinke trade, along with Jean Segura and Hellweg. Has pitched better than Jungmann at Huntsville for most of the season and is 5-7 with a 3.47 ERA. Leads the Stars with 88 strikeouts, but also a team-high 51 walks. Has an upper 90s fastball and good sinker and just needs to harness his raw tools. Miller Park ETA: 2014. 10. Mitch Haniger Started the year with the Timber Rattlers before moving up to high Class A Brevard County. Is hitting .248 with three homers and 17 RBI in 42 games with the Manatees. Has 14 doubles and is starting to show a little more power, which he will need as he projects as a corner outfielder. Miller Park ETA: 2016. Callis says: “Fits better in right field. He’s a polished hitter. He knows what’s he’s doing at the plate. Has hit a little bit of a wall in the Florida State League, but is a solid bat.” 11. Victor Roache A first-round pick by the Brewers in 2012, he sat out his first season with a broken wrist. Has spent this season with the Timber Rattlers, where he has flashed impressive power with eight homers and 39 RBI in 71 games, but has also struggled making contact (76 strikeouts, .224 avg.). His bat will be his ticket to the majors. Miller Park ETA: 2017. Callis says: “When you have a wrist injury, it’s going to take a little while to bounce back. There always will be some swing and miss with Victor, but if he was healthy he wouldn’t have been there (when the Brewers drafted him). Might have been the best power hitter in that draft if he was healthy.” 12. Scooter Gennett Had a brief stint with the Brewers but has spent most of the season at Nashville, where he is hitting .302. His lack of power — only 18 extra-base hits in 67 games at Triple-A — lowers his ceiling in some scouts’ eyes, along with his small stature and average glove. Opinions vary on Gennett perhaps more than any other Brewers prospect. Miller Park ETA: 2013. 13. Clint Coulter The Brewers’ other first-round draft pick in 2012 with Roache. Drafted for his bat, the Brewers hope he can stick at catcher, but he likely ends up at third base, first base or a corner outfield spot. Started the season in Wisconsin, was sent back to rookie league Helena as part of a planned move and is hitting .281 in nine games there. Hasn’t played since July 2 as he nurses an injury. Miller Park ETA: 2018. Callis says: “I think his bat stands out more than his defense, but I think they are committed to making catching work. Got off to a rough start in the Midwest League, but high school catchers usually take a while to develop. I don’t look at it as a huge setback.” 14. Jorge Lopez A raw, but talented prospect who is 4-6 with a 5.88 ERA for the Timber Rattlers this season. Taken in the second round of the 2011 draft out of Puerto Rico, there’s no doubting Lopez’s natural talent. How long it takes him to harness his skills and grow into his 6-4 frame will determine his fate. Miller Park ETA: 2017. Callis says: “You have to like the arm. I don’t think he’s developed as quickly as the Brewers would hope, but you can’t ignore the arm strength. Has velocity and a good curveball. The stuff is there.” 15. Michael Reed The Brewers are obviously high on Reed after giving him a reported bonus of $500,000, more than three times his slot value, to give up a scholarship to Mississippi after he was drafted in the fifth round in 2011. Strong and athletic, he has hit .293 with nine triples for the Timber Rattlers this season. Needs to cut down on strikeouts, with 80 in 79 games. Miller Park ETA: 2017. Callis says: “He’s a toolsy guy. They brought him along slowly. He needs time to develop. He’s an athlete and has right-field tools. At 20, he’s not old for the league. I think the key for him will be developing power, but he’s made some nice progress.” 16. Jed Bradley Taken three picks after Jungmann in the 2011 draft. Big, strong and left-handed, the Brewers hoped for a faster rise from the Georgia Tech star. Is 4-3 with a 4.21 ERA at Brevard County. Hasn’t pitched since June 22 because of an undisclosed ailment, but was expected to return to the mound for the Manatees on Saturday night. Miller Park ETA: 2015. Callis says: “Bradley is still struggling with command. Now they (Bradley and Jungmann) look like back-of-the-rotation guys. It’s just unfortunate for Milwaukee.” 17. Tucker Neuhaus Drafted with the 72nd overall pick in this year’s draft, the Florida prep star has been playing shortstop with the Arizona Brewers but may eventually wind up at third base. Is off to a slow start in Arizona with a .184 average in 19 games, but the left-handed batter projects as an excellent hitter with the glove and arm to be a good fielder. Miller Park ETA: 2018. Callis says: “He’s an interesting guy. I tend to think he’s more of a third baseman, but he moves well and has arm strength and has power. If they have to move him to third, you’re not worrying that the power won’t play there. You play him at short as long as you can.” 18. Drew Gagnon Third-round pick of the Brewers in 2011. Advanced college pitcher who moved quickly through the system but has hit a wall with a 1-5 record and 6.82 ERA since being promoted to Huntsville earlier this season. Excellent control with a low to mid 90s fastball. Needs to develop his secondary pitches. Miller Park ETA: 2015. 19. Elvis Rubio Not on a lot of scouts’ radars yet and may never pan out but, what the heck, in an organization lacking high-ceiling prospects, Rubio is worth keeping an eye on. Signed out of the Dominican for a reported $95,000 in 2011, the 6-3, 215-pound outfielder has finally landed stateside and, having just turned 19, is off to a strong start with the Arizona Brewers, batting .381 with four homers and 11 RBI in 14 games. Miller Park ETA: 2018. 20. Gian Rizzo Like Rubio, is extremely raw but has exciting potential. Just 19, he is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA with the Arizona Brewers, his first season in the states after being a Dominican Summer League all-star the past two years. Was signed in Venezuela in 2011. Has walked just one batter in his first 20 innings in Arizona. Reportedly hits 91 mph with his fastball now, but that should increase as his 6-1, 160-pound frame fills out. Miller Park ETA: 2019.

STANDINGS: AAA - Pacific Coast League American Northern Division AA - Southern League North Division High-A - Florida State League North Division A - Midwest League Western Division Rookie Advanced - Pioneer League North Division Rookie - Arizona Summer League DSL - Dominican Summer League San Pedro de Macoris Division *** NOTE: To view first half or overall standings for Huntsville, Brevard County, and Wisconsin, you'll notice options at the respective links for that. Otherwise it's second-half standings as the default view for those three leagues.

Weather.com: Nashville, TN Huntsville, AL West Palm Beach, FL Grand Chute, WI (Appleton) Helena, MT

Look for Nashville and Wisconsin media notes at the links just prior to their game times. New this season: Brevard County has media notes; as of now, it's a unique link each day, but look for it just prior to game time each day within the "Stats and Scores" banner here. Also new this season: Helena has media notes; it's a unique link each day, but look for it just prior to game time each day within the "Stats and Scores" banner here

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 Huntsville Brevard County Game One Brevard County Game Two Wisconsin Helena New MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

Programming notes: DVR ALERT! (one day's notice) No TV Sunday, but Monday's noontime Timber Rattlers matinee will be broadcast on TWC Sports 32. *** No Brevard audio from a Manatee perspective for this road series, but the Menu above has been updated to indicate you can select the Palm Beach option. Brevard-based audio next available on Wednesday the 17th.

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: LHP Chris Narveson at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 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 $39.99 season-long package ($9.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. ********** Huntsville: RHP Andy Moye at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 12:48 PM pre-game, 1:03 gametime Free Live Audio Link Alex Cohen is the play-by-play voice of the Stars; follow him on Twitter @alexmcohen. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. It appears four Southern League teams air their home games on MiLB.TV, and we'll let you know when those dates pop up on the schedule ********** Brevard County: LHP's Jed Bradley and Brent Suter in a douleheader at Palm Beach (Cardinals), 3:05 PM gametime; each contest slated for seven innings Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Palm Beach option ********** Wisconsin: RHP Jorge Lopez at home vs. Lake County (Indians), 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. MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; Wisconsin is one of four Midwest League clubs that have all their home games available via MiLB.TV. So for the $39.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, Stars' road games from four Southern League locales, and all Timber Rattlers home games and some road games. NOTE: 32 of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel has seventeen games scheduled and WACY-TV My NEW32 plans to show fifteen games. We'll let you know when, but won't be providing day-before DVR reminders, so regularly check for proper channel and time planning (scroll to the bottom of this link). ********** Helena: RHP Eduard Reyes at home vs. Ogden (Dodgers), 1:45 PM pre-game, 2:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Voice of the Helena Brewers Steve Wendt is back on board, and this year he's added Twitter to the mix @steve_wendt. We've been treated to Steve's work for many years now (ten!); he is among the very best at the art of the pre-game interview, especially considering how at ease he makes all these first-time professional ballplayers. MiLB.TV -- When the H-Crew makes their way to Idaho Falls (July) and Grand Junction (August), those games will be available for viewing online. ********** Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): Idle ********** DSL Brewers: Idle

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

The Nashville site game story now includes game audio highlight links.

Brief Huntsville video highlights, too. Goforth! Mike Walker's blast! Line dancing!

Final: AZL Athletics 7, @AZL Brewers 5 AZL Brewers Box Score Brewers scored three in the 8th to make things respectable. 3rd year pro LHP Will West made his 2013 debut, we're unaware of the specific injury he's been rehabbing, but he retired all six men he faced, nice. Unfortunately, 5th round UW-Milwaukee RHP Josh Uhen's night was poor, done in a bit by his club's defense but mostly by five walks. A-Crew pitchers threw five wild pitches, one by Uhen. Brewer batters failed to draw a single walk, never like to see that at the lower levels, where you're always looking for glimpses of overall plate discipline. (The team is faring OK in that regard, currently 5th in the 13-team league.) We need to start paying more attention to 8th round Florida high school pick OF Brandon Diaz, looks like he's got a real solid head start on his pro career at .300/.391/.433, three singles and two RBI here. Catcher Tanner Norton and first baseman Alan Sharkey each had two singles, and 22-year-old (23 in August) non-drafted free agent SS Steven Halcomb out of Gonzaga made his pro debut, singling twice and scoring a run. 1B David Denson missed a 2nd consecutive game since exiting early Thursday. AZL Brewers Game Log Josh Uhen's night -- AZL Athletics Top of the 3rd Pitching Change: Josh Uhen replaces Will West. Piikea-Jiro Kitamura grounds out, second baseman Francisco Castillo to first baseman Alan Sharkey. Scott Masik reaches on a throwing error by third baseman Luis Aviles. With Yairo Munoz batting, passed ball by Tanner Norton, Scott Masik to 2nd. Yairo Munoz walks. Justin Higley walks. Scott Masik to 3rd. Yairo Munoz to 2nd. Billy McKinney out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Eric Williams. Scott Masik scores. Ryon Healy walks. Yairo Munoz to 3rd. Justin Higley to 2nd. Diomedes Lopez grounds into a force out, shortstop Steven Halcomb to second baseman Francisco Castillo. Ryon Healy out at 2nd. AZL Athletics Top of the 4th Gabriel Santana bunt grounds out, pitcher Josh Uhen to first baseman Alan Sharkey. Jonesy Zarraga grounds out, first baseman Alan Sharkey to pitcher Josh Uhen. Piikea-Jiro Kitamura walks. With Scott Masik batting, wild pitch by Josh Uhen, Piikea-Jiro Kitamura to 2nd. Scott Masik walks. Yairo Munoz homers (1) on a fly ball to left field. Piikea-Jiro Kitamura scores. Scott Masik scores. Justin Higley grounds out, second baseman Francisco Castillo to first baseman Alan Sharkey. Not happening for the A-Crew here, stranding three -- AZL Brewers Bottom of the 7th Tanner Norton singles on a ground ball to pitcher Travis Pitcher. Alan Sharkey singles on a ground ball to center fielder Billy McKinney. Tanner Norton to 2nd. Luis Aviles strikes out swinging. Steven Halcomb singles on a ground ball to left fielder Scott Masik. Tanner Norton to 3rd. Alan Sharkey to 2nd. Francisco Castillo lines out to third baseman A. J. Kubala. Johnny Davis called out on strikes.

Huntsville audio highlight's from Saturday's victory via Alex - SEE. YOU. LATER.

Goforth, Homers Carry Stars to Victory By Alex Cohen / Huntsville Stars With their second two-hit shutout from their pitching staff in the last five days, the Huntsville Stars evened up their series against the Birmingham Barons at two games apiece with a 3-0 victory on Friday night at Joe Davis Stadium. Much like his last start where he tossed a complete-game, seven-inning, two-hit shutout against the Tennessee Smokies, Stars starting pitcher David Goforth was the story of the night on Friday. The 24-year-old righty shut out the Barons through seven innings, giving up just two hits once again while striking out five batters and walking two. Righty Brooks Hall notched his first save of the season by blanking the Barons bats over the final two innings of the game to conserve the two-hit shutout. For Goforth, the win improves his record to 3-1 in a Stars uniform in four outings at the Double-A level. The Ole Miss product has now not given up a run in his last 14 innings and has won his last three starts. On offense, the Stars gave Goforth and the rest of the pitching staff all the run support they needed in the first inning. With two outs, outfielder Rene Tosoni launched a solo homer that tucked right inside the right-field foul pole off of Birmingham starting pitcher Michael Nix to put Huntsville on the board. The homer for Tosoni was his tenth of the season and second longball in his last three games. For good measure, the Stars tacked on two more runs against Nix in the seventh inning. After a leadoff walk from outfielder Brock Kjeldgaard, first baseman Mike Walker hit a two-run blast to make the score 3-0. The homer for Walker was also his tenth of the season. Third basemen Joey Paciorek also chipped in with two hits. The two-hitter for the Stars was the second in their last five days, the first being the one from Goforth on July 8th against Tennessee. Despite ranking ninth in the league in earned run average and total runs given up, the Stars pitching staff has two two-hitters and three one-hitters this season. On Sunday, The Stars will wrap up a five-game series at Joe Davis Stadium against the Birmingham Barons on Sunday. Huntsville will send RHP Andy Moye (4-9, 4.16 ERA) to the bump to try to win their first season in four tries against Birmingham. The Barons will counter with former Cy Young Award winning pitcher Jake Peavy (N/R) as he makes a rehab appearance as a member of the Chicago White Sox. First pitch on Sunday is at a special 1:03 PM time. The Stars will continue their second-half schedule on Thursday with the opener of a five-game set against the Pensacola BlueWahoos in Pensacaola.

Raptors Take Bite Out of Brewers Helena dropps third straight contest By Zac Vierra / Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers fell behind Ogden early on Saturday night and could not recover, falling to the Raptors 8-3. Ogden smashed a pair of homers in the win and Jonathan Martinez picked up the victory after limiting the Brewers to two runs on five hits in six innings. Things didn't look good for Helena early in this one as the Raptors took the lead when the second batter of the game, Gerson Nunez, crushed an absolute bomb to left for a solo home run off Tristan Archer. Ogden would grab four more runs in the second inning when an error hurt the Brewers. With one out, Joey Curletta hit a grounder to short that Angel Ortega couldn't corral for his eighth miscue of the season. Curletta would score in the next at bat when Hank Yates smoked a double into the left-center gap. After a groundout, Brandon Trinkwon would pull a double down the line in right that scored Yates. Nunez would then get hit with a pitch and after a wild pitch, Pat Stover would hit the third double of the inning to score a pair and make it a 5-0 game. "We came out flat. We didn't perform well. We didn't do a lot of the little things that we usually do well. It was just one of those days," said Helena Manager Tony Diggs. Archer would be replaced by Danny Keller (photo below) after allowing five runs (although only one was earned) on five hits in two innings. It was Keller's first appearance since June 22nd and he pitched two shutout innings allowing just a single. "It was a nice performance by Keller. Especially the time that he has had off, coming back from a little bit of a nagging back injury. He came out for two innings by design and did a good job," said Diggs. The Brewers would chip away in the bottom of the third when Dionis Hinojosa hit a single to center and Renaldo Jenkins followed with a perfect bunt to third. After a sac bunt and a fly out, Michael Ratterree would pull a single that got through the hole between short and third as Hinojosa and Jenkins scored. But Ogden would get two more runs in the top of the fifth off David Otterman when Pat Stover hit a solo homer to center and Justin Chigbogu hit a double and eventually scored on a double play. Otterman would settle down and pitch till the eighth inning, keeping the Brewers in the game. "It was one of those things where [Otterman] was part of that tandem to throw today. He had a little bit of a rough start but he kept his composure and went right out there so he did a good job tonight," said Diggs. Helena would grab a run in the top of the ninth but it was too little too late as the Brewers lost their third game in a row. Luckily Helena won't have much time to dwell on the loss as the teams are back at it for a matinee tomorrow. First pitch is at 1:05 PM (2:05 Central). Danny Keller Photo via the Helena Site by Seth Eikomstead http://www.milb.com/assets/images/3/9/0/53700390/cuts/44_Danny_Keller_g00bzpvz_mvkt7dqp.jpg

Additional Timber Rattler highlights via the TV broadcast

To expect the unexpected – Rattler Radio Postgame Post Yes, with video, and yes, awesome as per usual...

Well, he hasn't played since hurting himself, so he isn't struggling offensively in terms of the "demotion", this is likely more about the training/rehab facilities available in Maryvale.

This is a different Kentrail Davis interview from yesterday's: *** Via Jeff Hem's blog -- Audio from Nashville — Sounds outfielder Kentrail Davis Here is tonight’s interview with new Sounds outfielder Kentrail Davis, who discusses joining the Sounds from Double-A Huntsville, his return to Tennessee (where he attended University of Tennessee) and getting to play in his home region with Huntsville (he’s a native of Mobile, AL) and his history with teammates like Hunter Morris (Auburn alum) and Jimmy Nelson (Alabama alum).

Looks like when we next see catcher Clint Coulter (knee), it will be in Maryvale, as he has been transferred to that roster from Helena. *** Also, it's not good news for 2011 27th round RHP Chad Thompson, yet to make an appearnce this year. He was formally placed on the Maryvale 60-day DL on Friday. We're not aware of the specifics, but that's certainly not promising.