Jim Goulart

Sunday's Daily Menu: Time listed is Central Wisconsin: RHP Chad Thompson at Fort Wayne (Padres), 3:50 PM pre-game, 4:05 gametime; fourth game of the league championship best-of-five, Timber Rattlers lead, 2-1 Free Live Audio Link - 1280 AM WNAM *** Follow the action as it happens with box score / game log links: Wisconsin *** Check the Rattler Radio blog for the media notes just prior to gametime

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Rattler Radio Blog: Ten after 10

Macias sparks Rattlers' breakout Three-run shot helps open 2-1 lead in Midwest League Finals By Jonathan Raymond / Special to MLB.com Wisconsin scored four runs in the first two games of the Midwest League Finals. With the series tied, 1-1, the Timber Rattlers were looking to break out on Saturday night. They did. In a big way. Brandon Macias went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer as the Timber Rattlers scored five times in the fourth inning and held on for a 10-8 victory that put them one win away from the championship. Wisconsin trailed, 2-1, heading to the fourth, but Nick Ramirez led off with his league-leading fourth playoff homer. Adrian Williams singled home the go-ahead run with two outs and Macias capped the rally with his first postseason longball. "[My home run] was a big part, but Adrian came up big with that hit with two outs, tied the game up," said Macias, a non-drafted free agent who signed with the Brewers in June 2011. "Everything after that fell into place. It definitely changed the momentum. "We had struggled the last few games and just kind of worked on some stuff in batting practice, and we came through tonight; [the top four] in the lineup hadn't been doing too well and tonight we put it all together." Macias finished 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. No. 2 hitter Chadwin Stang chipped in two hits and two RBIs, while No. 3 hitter Ben McMahan was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Batting cleanup, Ramirez also walked. All the offense proved necessary after the TinCaps reduced a six-run deficit to 10-8 in the ninth. They brought the potential tying run to the plate with a runner at third and two outs, but Santo Manzanillo struck out Duanel Jones for his second playoff save. "They were tremendous," Wisconsin starter David Goforth said of the offense. "They score all those runs and you think it's enough and we end up giving up two more runs there at the end. We had to use them all tonight, [but] those guys stepped up. We'd been pitching pretty well in the playoffs, so tonight it was the hitters that carried us." Goforth, the Brewers' No. 17 prospect, recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts over six innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks. He improved to 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA in two playoff starts after fanning nine in a complete-game shutout to close out Burlington in the first round. The 23-year-old attributed his newfound penchant for punchouts to a slider he started using more as the season went along. With the championship within their grasp, the Timber Rattlers are riding high, Goforth said. "This team is one of the better teams that I've ever been a part of, the character is incredible," he said. "The whole season -- we get down in games or lose a game and we always bounce back. I would say we've been confident the whole time." Yeison Asencio had two hits and two RBIs, while Tyler Stubblefield doubled twice, scored twice and drove in a run for Fort Wayne, which hosts Game 4 on Sunday. Brandon Macias shares the team lead with eight hits in the playoffs. (Vincent Rinaldi/Rinaldi Photos) http://www.milb.com/images/2012/09/16/TwkPcxcO.jpg

TinCaps vow they will not go softly Ben Smith | Fort Wayne Journal Gazette FORT WAYNE – So now it’s simple, at least. Win, and you keep summer alive for 24 more hours. Lose, and someone else hoists the championship trophy in your own ballpark, in front of your own fans, in your own city. These are the choices now, after Wisconsin 10, TinCaps 8 in Game 3 of the Midwest League Championship Series on Saturday night. This is where all the clichés go to be born, as the nights cool and summer shrinks to whoever gets to three wins first. Wisconsin has two wins. The TinCaps have one. And so their backs are against the wall, and there’s no tomorrow, and it’s (choose one) do or die, or sink or swim. “We’re not done,” TinCaps manager Jose Valentin said, defiant in a situation that calls for nothing else but defiance. “We’re behind, but we’ve been in this situation before. So we just have to try to come out and score some runs early and try to make the game a lot easier for (starting pitcher James) Needy.” Down the hall, around the corner, and here sat catcher Austin Hedges. “We just have to go out and play the game we’ve played all year,” he said. “We need to go out and get strike one tomorrow, get ahead in the count on the pitching. We swung the bats pretty good today. We have to do the same thing tomorrow and we’ll be OK.” Or, not. Saturday they swung the bats, yes, and they put up eight runs and 11 hits, but David Goforth and three Wisconsin relievers also struck out 13 of them. The last was Duanel Jones, who went down swinging in the ninth to end it with a man on third and the Timber Rattlers on the ropes. The visitors led 10-4 going into the home half of the eighth. But the TinCaps scored two in their half, both with two out, and two more in the ninth, and left the premises believing they’d simply run out of time. “We’re never giving up,” Hedges said. “Our guys battle to the final out. It was good to see tonight. We had plenty of opportunities, we just came up a little short.” “We’re fine,” Valentin agreed. Fine, as long as Needy gives them five solid innings and hands a lead to the bullpen. That didn’t happen Saturday night. To be sure, Frank Garces set Wisconsin down in order in the first and second, and Tyler Stubblefield drove one to the warning track for an RBI double, smacking his hands on his batting helmet in celebration as he arrived at second. The TinCaps led 1-0 after an inning, and 3-1 after three. And then the wheels went thataway. Cody Hebner came on for Garces in the fourth and Brandon Macias took him deep with two aboard. Suddenly it was 6-3, a five-run inning for Wisconsin, four of the runs coming after there were two outs and nobody on. And the TinCaps, though they didn’t know it yet, were deader than disco, the bullpen giving up six hits and five runs, Wisconsin scoring eight of their 10 runs with two out. And now it’s simple, at least. Now it’s the TinCaps whose backs are against the wall, who are on the brink, who need timely hitting to stretch summer another day, plus a return of the pitching that, in the first two games, limited Wisconsin to four runs and six hits. “This game of baseball, it’s about 25 guys,” Valentin said Friday, before game three. They’ll need ’em all now.

Fort Wayne Gazette photo gallery includes some nice celebratory photos of the Rattlers

Rocked, rattled, rolled Wisconsin hits 2 homers to take 2-1 lead in championship series LaMond Pope | Fort Wayne Journal Gazette FORT WAYNE – Fort Wayne pitchers kept falling behind in the count. And Wisconsin hitters made them pay. As a result, the TinCaps are one loss away from having its surprising postseason run end. And the Timber Rattlers are one win away from the Midwest League title. Nick Ramirez and Brandon Macias hit home runs for the Timber Rattlers in a 10-8 victory over the TinCaps in Game 3 of the Midwest Championship series in front of 4,939 fans Saturday at Parkview Field. “We held that team to six hits in the first two games and the reason why is because we threw strikes and kept the ball down,” Fort Wayne manager Jose Valentin said. “Today, we didn’t do that.” Wisconsin scored five runs in the fourth inning on the way to taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 4 is at 5:05 PM (4:05 Central) today at Parkview Field. “We just didn’t get ahead pitching. The big thing was avoiding the big inning. And that was the difference in the game,” said Fort Wayne catcher Austin Hedges, who was 2 for 5 with one RBI. “We were behind in the count all day and that put them in hitter’s counts. They got a few pitches up in the zone and drove them pretty good. That was the spark for them to get their big innings.” The Timber Rattlers hit 107 home runs in the regular season, good for second in the Midwest League. Wisconsin hit two during the critical fourth inning. Fort Wayne attempted a late rally. The TinCaps brought the tying run to the plate in both the eighth and ninth innings. But Fort Wayne couldn’t complete the comeback. Now the TinCaps will need to come back if they want to capture their second Midwest League crown in franchise history. “We can’t put any more pressure on us than is already on us,” said second baseman Tyler Stubblefield, who was 2 for 4 with one RBI. “We have to come out and play baseball, have fun. If we get too uptight, it’s going to show.” Fort Wayne gave up the lead twice on Saturday. Garces was charged with five runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings. He suffered the loss. “Garces, the home run he gave up to Ramirez took him out of the game,” Valentin said. Macias went 3 for 4 with a walk and three runs scored. The Timber Rattlers scored once in the seventh and three more runs in the eighth to extend the lead to 10-4. Fort Wayne came back with two in the bottom of the eighth to make it 10-6. An RBI double by Austin Hedges in the ninth made it 10-7. Lee Orr scored to get the TinCaps within 10-8. “You see the way we reacted, down six runs in the last two innings,” Valentin said. “My guys showed a lot of pride. We are not down. We know we are behind, but we’ve been in this situation before.” Note: Outfielder Travis Jankowski (rib) was placed on the disabled list. Infielder Connor Powers was activated from the disabled list.

AUDIO: Brewers Pregame Interview w/ Minor League Player of the Year IF Hunter Morris & Minor League Pitcher of the Year Hiram Burgos *** Brewers site video interviews with Morris and Burgos

TinCaps counting on pitching in bid for title LaMond Pope, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette FORT WAYNE – The fight for the Midwest League title has become a best-of-three series. Fort Wayne and Wisconsin meet in Game 3 of the Midwest League championship series at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central) today at Parkview Field. The series is tied at 1 after the teams split games at Fox Cities Stadium. The remainder of the series is at Parkview Field – Game 4 is 5:05 PM Sunday (4:05 Central); Game 5, if necessary, is 7:05 PM Monday (6:05 Central). “Hopefully our pitching keeps doing the job,” Fort Wayne manager Jose Valentin said after the TinCaps’ 5-1 victory in Game 2 on Thursday. “Hopefully those guys, the starters, go at least five innings and keep the game close. Our bullpen has been great so far.” Pitching has been the story of the series. Fort Wayne starter Colin Rea and relievers Johnny Barbato and Matt Stites combined for a two-hitter in the Game 2 win. Fort Wayne has limited Wisconsin to six hits in the two games. The Timber Rattlers have scored four runs. Two of the four scored on wild pitches. Wisconsin defeated Fort Wayne 3-2 in 10 innings in Game 1, scoring the game-winning run on a wild pitch. Frank Garces is the scheduled starter today for Fort Wayne. He went 9-6 with a 2.81 ERA in the regular season. Garces has made one start in the postseason, going six innings of Game 1 of the Eastern Division championship series against Lake County. Garces gave up two runs on four hits and struck out six but did not factor in the decision. David Goforth will pitch for Wisconsin. He had a 10-8 record in the regular season. Goforth pitched a complete-game four-hit shutout of Game 3 of the Timber Rattlers’ Western Division opening-round series against Burlington. Fort Wayne will have to shuffle its lineup after losing leadoff hitter Travis Jankowski to a rib injury. The outfielder was hit by a pitch in the first inning of Game 2. He left the game after the half inning and will be out the rest of the series, according to Valentin. Jankowski hit .282 during the regular season. He had 17 stolen bases. He hit .259 in the playoffs. Kyle Gaedele will likely shift from left to center field, with Mike Gallic or Jeremy Baltz as options in left field. “It’s a big blow,” Valentin said. “He put us in this situation. One of the reasons we are in the finals is because he was great. We’re going to miss him, but whoever comes in is going to have to step up. This game of baseball is about 25 guys, it’s not about one guy. We’ve got plenty of guys who can do the job.” Note: Valentin and Stites were honored by Baseball America, which released its All-Star teams for each minor league classification Friday. Stites was selected as the Low-A All-Star relief pitcher. Valentin was named the Low-A Manager of the Year. The list is compiled from all rosters in the Midwest League and South Atlantic League.

Saturday's Daily Menu: Time listed is Central Wisconsin: RHP David Goforth at Fort Wayne (Padres), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime; third game of the league championship best-of-five, series tied at one game apiece Free Live Audio Link - 1280 AM WNAM *** Follow the action as it happens with box score / game log links: Wisconsin *** Check the Rattler Radio blog for the media notes just prior to gametime

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Fondy's Pierce closes memorable campaign with T-Rats Mike Rogers, Fond du Lac Reporter When the final batter of Thursday’s game struck out, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers started grabbing their bats and gloves before heading to the clubhouse. But it took a few extra seconds for the starting pitcher of the Milwaukee Brewers’ single-A affiliate to move from his place hunched over the dugout railing looking at the dirt that surrounds the playing field. For Fond du Lac native Chad Pierce, it was a mix of disappointment and surprise. After the Fort Wayne TinCaps beat Wisconsin 5-1 in Grand Chute, the best-of-5 Midwest League championship series is tied at 1 and heads to Fort Wayne starting Saturday. But for Pierce, an exceptional season has more than likely come to an end. “This is why you play baseball. You want to be playing at the very end. We’re the last two teams playing in the Midwest (League),” Pierce said. “It’s been a great year, and this stadium has treated me well. I think I pitched better here than on the road. It’s disappointing to end my last outing with a loss, since it’s treated me so well all year.” His perception is reality. In 14 home starts entering Thursday’s game, Pierce had a 5-0 record with a 2.33 ERA, with a mix of family and friends always making the 40-mile trek to watch. Thursday was a little different. Between the rain that delayed the game for an hour, the 60-degree temperature and the sparse crowd, the atmosphere wasn’t what it had been for the past five months. And on the mound, Pierce certainly didn’t have his best stuff. He did finish the game strong, however. He allowed three runs, two earned, in seven innings, and it was the seventh that was actually his best inning. He induced a groundout to start the frame, then went offspeed to strike out the second batter before a fastball, which sat in the high 80s all afternoon, had the third Fort Wayne batter flailing on a 3-2 pitch. Despite bounding off the mound with plenty of energy, that proved to be his 101st and last pitch of the day. “Our pitching coach [David Chavarria] comes just staring at me while I’m sitting in the dugout,” Pierce said with a chuckle. “I want to tell him I’m still good to go. He told me, ‘you’re done.’ I lobbied to get the ball, but he’s like ‘you’re tired, you’re out of here; don’t lie to me.’” The 24-year-old right-hander said it was the right decision and he still had confidence in his offense, but on Thursday it wasn’t meant to be. Nick Ramirez blasted a home run to right center field in the fourth inning, but that was the team’s only run and one of just two hits for the Timber Rattlers all game. After pitching 140 2/3 innings this season in his first full year of pro ball after being drafted by the Brewers in the 38th round of last year’s draft, Pierce acknowledged his body was ready for a break, even if he’s enjoyed the past few months. “The competitor that I am, I didn’t want it to end it this way, so obviously I want to get out there again,” Pierce said. “You don’t want to ever end your season on a loss, especially in the playoffs. You know with the magnitude of this and the final series to lose it’s not going to sit well. “But it’s been a long year and your body finally tells you it’s the end.”

Rattler Radio Blog: The Day After & The Day Before

Huntsville Stars' agreement with Milwaukee is positive move for franchise that still has its negatives By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Alabama --Sure enough, Doug Melvin was dead-on. We were standing on the concourse at Joe Davis Stadium on one of those friends-and-family, sparsely populated nights at a Huntsville Stars game when I asked his thoughts about the ballpark. Said Melvin, the vice president and general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, "Take last year's story and reprint it." There is much that seems very familiar, very reprintable. First, to report that the Stars and Brewers, as expected, renewed their player-development contract for two more seasons. Sources say Milwaukee pondered moving to Little Rock, Ark., leaving Huntsville to shop for another partner - something else that is deja vu from our 2010 off-season coverage. I could almost reprint a Melvin quotation from a press release announcing the renewal at Class AAA Nashville, which has a 34-year-old park. For Nashville: "While the current facility and conditions are not totally satisfactory, we remain loyal and are very supportive of the ownership and Frank Ward in his continued efforts to get a much-needed new park." For Huntsville: "The current facility and conditions provide a number of challenges on the player development front and we support Miles Prentice and his ownership group in their continued efforts to get a much needed new park." What isn't the same story to reprint is that this is a nice, positive move for the Huntsville franchise. It continues a productive relationship. It doesn't guarantee baseball's future here - that's up to Prentice, not the Brewers - but I can't imagine anything drastic happening before this agreement ends. There has been no louder, more persistent public critic of the Stars' operation the past decade than I. There remains much to criticize. But not this decision. This past summer, if you were among those who avoided the ballpark, you missed the Stars even more than they missed you. (The Stars, for the record, drew 34,000 more in 2012 than in 2011, but still were last in the league in attendance.) It was hardly a great team. But it was usually entertaining to watch. The players engaged fans. They made countless public appearances, leaving general manager Buck Rogers to call them "the best team I've ever been around when it comes to community outreach." Manager Darnell Coles was a shining example for public relations. So was the best player, Hunter Morris. The Huntsville native and league MVP shoulda/coulda pleaded "no" to some requests, but never did. Yes, it's been a while since the Stars have played in postseason (2009) or even had a winning record. Alas, winning goes in cycles in minor league ball. The Brewers have provided Huntsville with some talent. Prince Fielder. Ryan Braun. J.J. Hardy. Corey Hart. Ben Sheets. Rickie Weeks. Nelson Cruz. Yovani Gallardo. Tony Gwynn Jr. Nineteen of Milwaukee's roster are ex-Stars and six were in Huntsville this summer. Yet the Brewers didn't disrupt a good thing, letting Morris and Scooter Gennett complete a full season here. Now, where Doug Melvin wasn't dead-on was "continued efforts" by Prentice for a stadium. A new stadium isn't feasible or advisable right now. Mayor Tommy Battle supports a downtown ballpark that is a public-private partnership, where team ownership has "some skin in the game." Hizzoner shares the belief that local ownership would best serve baseball's future here. If Prentice has truly sold Melvin that he is involved in a "continuing effort," Melvin better check his pocket for his wallet. This ownership group has extended little effort to make a new stadium happen, or to make the franchise the success this city deserves. That sentiment, sadly, has often been reprinted.

Fort Wayne newspaper coverage included: TinCaps' Travis Jankowski suffered a rib fracture and will miss the rest of the series, according to Manager Jose Valentin. The outfielder was hit by a pitch in the top of the first. He left the game when the inning ended.

Starter gives Fort Wayne 'Rea' of hope TinCaps win Game 2 as righty stifles Wisconsin for seven By Andrew Pentis / Special to MLB.com When the Fort Wayne team bus pulled away from Fox Cities Stadium after the TinCaps' loss in Game 1 of the Midwest League Finals Wednesday night, the players didn't know who the starting pitcher would be for Game 2 the following afternoon. Colin Rea was sitting in the back of the bus when he saw pitching coach Willie Blair fast approaching. "I didn't know what he was gong to say because it's been up in air with our starters," Rea said. "But I was excited." Making good on his coach's faith, Rea completed a career-high seven strong innings as his TinCaps topped the host Timber Rattlers, 5-1, on Thursday afternoon in Game 2 of the best-of-5 set. "It helps us get back on track going to Fort Wayne," the site of Games 3 through 5, said Rea. "I think we have a good shot of pulling this off. We're very excited with the way we have been playing, attacking their hitters, getting key hits in key situations, playing well all around." Utilizing his sinking two-seam fastball, plus a strong changeup and curveball, Rea (2-0) retired the side in order in four of his seven frames. He gave up just one run on two hits, including first baseman Nick Ramirez's solo homer in the fourth. "It was a 2-2 count and the pitch before that wasa curve. My catcher wanted me to throw a changeup, but I shook him off to a fastball and left it over plate, and [Ramirez] did the rest," said Rea, who threw 53 of his 84 pitches for strikes and issued two walks. "I wanted to freeze him up on the inside but didn't get it in far enough." The 22-year-old right-hander's postseason ERA (0.90) offers a stark contrast to his season mark (4.11). Rea helped punch Fort Wayne's ticket to the Finals with three scoreless innings of relief two days earlier in Lake County. "In the regular season, I fell behind hitters, got into a lot of 2-1 and 3-1 counts," said Rea, who bounced between the rotation (19 starts) and bullpen (12 appearances) this season, his second as a pro. Entering the playoffs, "I talked to Willie, and he told me I need to be aggressive and things will work out for me." Rea had the support of his lineup. TinCaps first baseman Lee Orr went yard in the second, and his teammates broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth on back-to-back doubles from outfielder Kyle Gaedele and second baseman Tyler Stubblefield, plus shortstop Jace Peterson's RBI sacrifice fly. "Our hitters do what they do, and that made it easier for me," Rea said. Two insurance runs scored in the ninth. Facing Wisconsin reliever Kevin Shackelford, catcher Austin Hedges tripled then jogged home on third baseman Duanel Jones' homer over the left-field fence. Starter Chad Pierce (1-1) was charged with the first three runs on four hits over seven innings. He struck out three. Rea's relievers, right-hander Johnny Barbato and Matt Stites, pitched perfect eighth and ninth frames to close out the win. The series moves to Fort Wayne, where the teams will play Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary). The TinCaps are seeking their second league title in four seasons, while the Timber Rattlers haven't won it all since 1984, when they were still known as the Appleton Foxes.

Post-Crescent Photo Gallery

LINK INCLUDES VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH CHAD PIERCE Timber Rattlers batters struggle as TinCaps even series by Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent Staff Writer GRAND CHUTE — Wisconsin’s sublime postseason pitching has camouflaged a serious problem at the plate. There has been far more slumping than slugging going on. The Timber Rattlers have compiled a .185 team batting average in the playoffs and their lack of production with the lumber finally caught up with them Thursday afternoon. Fort Wayne shut down the host Rattlers on just two hits and socked a pair of home runs to post a 5-1 victory and even the Midwest League Championship Series at 1-1. Wisconsin is trying to win its first Midwest League Championship under the Timber Rattlers’ name, but will have to do it on the road. The TinCaps will host Games 3-5, starting Saturday in Fort Wayne at 6:05 p.m. “There’s definitely a belief that we can get this done,” said Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson. “We’ve won a lot of series this season and this team has done all right on the road, so it’s not like there’s a lack of hope.” The TinCaps have limited the Rattlers to just six hits in the opening two championship series games and Wisconsin has scored only 24 runs in its seven playoff games. “What happens in the playoffs is that pitching shows up,” said Rattlers first baseman Nick Ramirez. “It’s not just another game in July or August. The pitchers have some adrenaline going and are locating their stuff well. That makes it tough on a hitter.” Ramirez generated the Rattlers’ only run with a mammoth solo homer to right center in the fourth inning, carrying an estimated 413 feet and tying the score at 1-1. It was the third home run and seventh RBI of the playoffs for the 23-year-old Ramirez, who led the Rattlers during the regular season in homers (16) and RBI (70). Ramirez (.318) and catcher Rafael Neda (.286) are the only Wisconsin players hitting over .211 in the postseason “He got a fastball up and I got pretty good wood on it,” said Ramirez, a fourth-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2010 major league draft. “My pitch selection has been better lately. I’m not swinging at bad pitches and I’m just shrinking the pitcher’s zone a little. The more I try and do at the plate, the worse I am, so I’m just trying to make good contact.” A crowd of 602 at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium watched Fort Wayne starter Colin Rea control the Wisconsin hitters. The smooth right-hander with good breaking stuff and excellent control allowed one run on just two hits in seven innings. “He was locating his fastball pretty well and had a pretty good curve,” said Ramirez. “He was getting some inches off the plate and was consistently putting it there. Anytime you put the ball in the black, a hitter isn’t going to make good contact.” Despite the Rattlers’ hitting struggles, Ramirez is confident his team will rebound at the plate. “The sticks will come around, no question about it,” he said. “This team can hit.” Although the TinCaps put five runs on the board, Wisconsin received another quality start from Fond du Lac’s Chad Pierce, who allowed two earned runs (three overall) on four hits in seven innings, departing with a 3-1 deficit. Pierce, a 38th-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2011 draft, has compiled a 1.13 ERA in the playoffs. “I wish I had thrown a little better, but I battled,” said Pierce. “All year long, we’ve preached that when you score runs, you can’t give them right back and I was sailing some balls in that two-run inning of theirs. I gave up a leadoff double that inning and it’s always tougher when you let the leadoff guy on.” Pierce allowed back-to-back doubles by Kyle Gaedele and Tyler Stubblefield in the TinCaps’ pivotal two-run fifth, which broke the deadlock and gave Fort Wayne the lead for good. A rare error by slick-fielding shortstop Yadiel Rivera let in another run. “Chad Pierce has had a great year and he kept us in the game,” said Erickson. “He made a name for himself this year and put himself on the map in this organization.” Fort Wayne’s Duanel Jones walloped a two-run homer in the ninth off Rattlers reliever Kevin Shackelford to finish off Wisconsin. The TinCaps also used the long ball to generate their first run on a long homer to left center by Lee Orr. It was the fourth homer of the postseason for Orr, a right-handed hitting first baseman. “This was just one game,” said Ramirez. “It doesn’t make the series any tougher. We just have to go to their place and have an us-against-the-world mentality.”

Cream City Cables with more quotes

Kyle of BrewCrewBall with his on-site Rattlers Notebook Quotes galore in the report...

Huntsville Media Relations: Brewers, Stars Extend Player Development Contract Stars to Remain Brewers Double-A Affiliate Through 2014 Season HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Milwaukee Brewers and Huntsville Stars have extended their player development contract for two more seasons, through the end of the 2014 season. The announcement was made today by Brewers President of Baseball Operations – General Manager Doug Melvin and Stars General Manager Buck Rogers. “We have agreed to extend our working agreement with the Stars,” said Melvin. “The current facility and conditions provide a number of challenges on the player development front and we support Miles Prentice and his ownership group in their continued efforts to get a much needed new park. The Southern League continues to provide a competitive environment for our players at the Double-A level and we look towards continuing our long-time affiliation with the Huntsville Stars.” The Stars have served as the Brewers Double-A affiliate since the start of the 1999 season. During those 14 seasons, Huntsville has been home to two Southern League Most Valuable Players (Corey Hart, 2003, and Hunter Morris, 2012), won four division championships (2001, 2003, 2006 and 2007) and was named Southern League Co-Champions in 2001. The Stars hold a 945-996 record during that time span. “We are extremely proud to continue our relationship with the Brewers for another two years,” said Rogers. “Many of the players that the Brewers have assigned to Huntsville have gone on to become Major League stars. The coaches and players that were a part of our 2012 season were heavily involved with the community. The Brewers are a classy organization and we are honored to have them back in Huntsville.” This past season, the Stars were managed by Darnell Coles and saw six players spend time in Huntsville and end the season in Milwaukee. There are currently 19 players on the Brewers active roster that are former Stars.

It's just past 1:30 Central, and they're playing ball -- listen in!

From Buck Rogers: To place a bid email your name, bid, color jersey and # of the jersey you wish to bid upon. Minimum bids are $150 for jerseys, $75 for the BP tops. Bids can be increased in $5 increments. Send your bid to buck @ huntsvillestars.com . Bidding ends at noon Central Time on Friday, September 21st . Winning bidders will be notified to arrange payment and delivery of jerseys. Any shipping and handling for delivery is not included in your bid. There are a lot of big names on that list, some that have played in the Major Leagues and many that will in the very near future. A Letter of Authenticity (LOA) accompanies all jerseys that are purchased. Our jersey auction in on-going. I have an update on the Hunter Morris BP top: Hunter stopped by yesterday and autographed it. The current bid is $275. *** Buck emailed the updated list, but the format won't convert to text here. Feel free to make bids, and if you've underbid, he'll hopefully let you know. I'll drop him a line asking to.

Cream City Cables: 1 Down, 2 To Go: A Quick Interview With Timber Rattlers Catcher Rafael Neda

Rain delay, perhaps a 1:05 start instead...