Jim Goulart

TWC Sports 32 TV will have at least one Rattler post-season game.

Manatees: Here's a look at the @HunterMorris15 figurine that we gave out to the first 500 fans Friday night

Thank you, Bill Mitchell. Nice Helena player photo gallery

Stars snap out of cold streak, pound Birmingham, 10-2 By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- This time, the "vrrreeeeeppp!" factor was absent. That's the best approximate spelling to the sound effect made by Huntsville pitching coach Chris Hook to accompany his gesture of a nose-diving airplane. It was being used to describe what happened to Huntsville pitcher Johnnie Lowe in his previous outing against the Birmingham Barons, a team for which he toiled for three seasons. Lowe was lights-out for three innings, then out of gas - "vrrreeeeeppp!" - in the fourth inning of that July 15 game. "He was too fired up," Hook said. On Friday, Lowe avoided a fourth-inning disaster and the Huntsville Stars ended a four-game losing streak with their 11-2 victory over the Barons, Lowe picking up the victory after scattering five hits in six innings. Game two in this final homestand of the season is Saturday night at 6:43. Hunter Morris hit his league-leading 24th home run and had three RBIs, putting his average at .300. His homer total is sixth-best for a Huntsville hitter, tying Terry Steinbach; No. 5 on the list is Jose Canseco. Kentrail Davis, a chilly 2-for-17 on the last road trip, heated up with a homer, two-run single and RBI double and Anderson de la Rosa had two htis and two RBIs. The Stars were batting only .177 over their past five games and scored only six runs in their four-game skid. This time, they hammered out 11 hits. The Stars' bugaboo of situational hitting - only .254 as a team with runners in scoring position - was cured, too. Davis socked a two-run single in the second to stake Lowe to a 2-0 lead, then Morris delivered an RBI triple and Brock Kjeldgaard a sac fly in the third. The avalanche was on. The Barons nicked Lowe for a run in the fourth after he loaded the bases with a hit and two walks and Tyler Saladino hit a sac fly to left. Greg Paiml doubled home Erik Morrison in the sixth. Lowe, a 6-foot-5 righthander, was the sixth-round pick of the White Sox in 2007, advancing to Birmingham in 2009. He went 13-13 there before the Brewers signed him as a free agent this past spring. "He's a really aggressive type guy. He's been around this league. He's no-nonsense," Hook said, moments before sitting down with a thick loose-leaf binder, Lowe and the rest of the Stars' staff for a quick scouting report on the Barons. In the previous start against Birmingham, Lowe struck out six in three innings, including a one-two-three third. However, five walks and a Ken Williams grand slam chased him in the fourth in an eventual 14-3 Huntsville loss. This time, though he did load the bases in the fourth, it was a steadier, more efficient start. He walked five, but allowed only two runs in his six innings to earn his fourth win at Huntsville before Josh Butler closed things with three innings of one-hit relief. Stars notes A Mat Gamel bobblehead giveaway was scheduled for tonight. However, the bobbleheads have been delayed in shipping and won't be available until Thursday. Fans may pick up a voucher at the box office for a bobblehead and ticket for the Thursday game. ... Infielder Adrian Williams joined the Stars Friday from Class AAA Nashville. ... Next Wednesday is the voting deadline for managers and media to file ballots for the Southern League postseason All-Star team and awards. ... Only four home games remain for the Stars this season.

Stars Snap Losing Skid HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - On Friday night, the Huntsville Stars snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Birmingham Barons by score of 10-2 at Joe Davis Stadium. Fortunately for the Stars, a struggling offense broke out in a big way against the Barons and their starting pitcher Andre Rienzo. In the second inning, a two-run single by right fielder Kentrail Davis gave the Stars an early 2-0 lead. It was just the second time the Stars have struck first in ballgame over their last seven contests. One inning later, a RBI triple from first baseman Hunter Morris and a sacrifice fly by right fielder Brock Kjeldgaard put the Stars lead at 4-0. Following that initial surge by the Stars, the Barons put together their only attempt at a comeback in the middle innings. In the fourth inning, after the Birmingham offense loaded the bases on Stars starting pitcher Johnnie Lowe, a sacrifice fly by second baseman Tyler Saladino put the Barons on the board. Then, in the top of the sixth inning, a RBI double by shortstop Greg Paiml put the Stars lead at just two. From that point on, the Stars offense took over the game. After a solo homer by Davis in the bottom half of the sixth chased Rienzo from the game, the Stars were able to break out for more insurance runs off of Barons reliever Jon Bachanov. With Bachanov entering the game in the seventh, Morris greeted him with a two-run home run to make the score 7-2. For Morris, the blast was his 24th of the season, tying him with Jackson’s Joe Dunigan for the league lead in homers. In the eighth, the Stars got a two-run double from catcher Anderson De La Rosa and a RBI double from Davis to put the game out of reach. On the pitching side, Lowe improved to 4-3 on the season with the win against his former mates. The 27-year-old righty gave up just two runs on five hits through six innings for the victory. Aside from Lowe, reliever Josh Butler earned his first save of the season by pitching the final three scoreless innings. For Huntsville, the win snapped a four-game losing streak overall. The ten runs were also as much as the Stars have scored in their previous five games combined. With a loss from the Chattanooga Lookouts, Huntsville is now seven games back of a playoff spot with nine games to play in the regular season. The Stars and Barons will play game two of a five-game series on Saturday as they will send RHP Ariel Pena (0-2, 7.33 ERA) to the mound. First pitch is at 6:43 PM.

AUDIO: Bob Brainerd joined the WSSP On-Deck Show to talk Timber Rattlers Friday night Go to the 15:00 minute mark... *** Rattler Radio Blog: Video Highlights and Two Lists

Grand Junction grabs victory in the 11th Helena Brewers Grand Junction needed a victory on Friday night to keep pace with the Orem Owlz atop the South Division Pioneer League standings. After 11 innings, the Rockies would get the win but it didn't come easy. Grand Junction kicked off the scoring in the top of the second after shortstop Jason Stolz singled in Julian Yan. Yan, who tripled to lead off the inning, finished the night 1-for-5 with a walk. The Brewers would come back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs off Grand Junction starter Jayson Aquino. The first of the two runs came on a solo home run from catcher Paul Eshleman, his second of the year. Following Eshleman, Raul Mondesi Jr. doubled down the left field line and eventually scored on a fielding error by third baseman Ashley Graeter. Grand Junction managed to tie the game in the top of the eighth inning off Brewers reliever Martin Viramontes, who was tabbed with a loss and a blown save on Friday night. Grand Junction would strike for what proved to be the winning blow in the top of the eleventh when Graeter redeemed himself by knocking in Jeremy McLeod. Despite the six innings of one run baseball pitched by Brewers starter Taylor Wall, the Brewers dropped their 43rd game of the season and now sit at 20-43 on the year. The Brewers return to action Saturday night in game the first game of a three game series against the Orem Owlz. First pitch is slated for 7:05 (8:05 Central). Taylor Wall threw six innings allowing just one run on Friday. (Sleeping Giant Photography) http://www.milb.com/images/2012/08/25/WISguX3i.jpg

Helena CF Yonki Hernandez expectedly did not play Friday after this happened on Thursday: Helena Bottom of the 3rd Raul Mondesi homers (5) on a fly ball to left field. Andres Martinez flies out to center fielder David Dahl. Yonki Hernandez walks. With Christopher McFarland batting, Yonki Hernandez steals (14) 2nd base. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Ruben Ozuna replaces Yonki Hernandez.

Nashville audio: Caleb Gindl Plates Game's First Run Jordan Brown RBI Single

Catcher Brent Dean, who had not appeared in a Brevard County game since August 9th despite being on the active roster, has been transferred to Wisconsin. He was also, however, immediately placed on the Wisconsin disabled list. The Manatees' roster is now two short of the 25-man maximum.

My online access might be compromised the next few days -- thank you, not-so-smooth change in provider -- so I'll just link this now and early in the day going forward for the week: Look for Nashville and Wisconsin media notes at the links just prior to their game times. Huntsville is posting theirs more consistently. Rest your pointer under the "Roster" banner on the Stars' home page to see the link.

Pro baseball an endangered species in Viera? Interesting article. The Brewers are locked in to the Brevard franchise through 2014. If a move to the Orlando area is in the works for 2015 and beyond in a new facility, surely the Brewers wouldn't mind. Manatees management might like to see a more competitive roster than they've seen in recent years, however.

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.

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 (FINAL) *** NOTE: AAA Nashville, Rookie Maryvale and the DSL do not play a split schedule. When you click on a standings link for Huntsville, Brevard County, Wisconsin, and/or Helena, you'll then be able to choose 1st half and/or overall standings in addition to the current 2nd half standings.

Follow Friday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Maryvale

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times are Central Nashville: RHP Hiram Burgos at Round Rock (Rangers), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Jeff Hem is the new 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). We imagine the audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. ********** Huntsville: RHP Johnnie Lowe at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:28 PM pre-game, 6:43 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Huntsville feed from the MiLB main audio page Alex Cohen is the new play-by-play voice of the Stars; follow him on Twitter @alexmcohen. It's fantastic that Huntsville is returning to what will be a traditional broadcast format this year. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. MiLB.TV subsciption note: Huntsville road games in four locales (Mississippi, Tennessee, Jacksonville and Pensacola) will be broadcast. ********** Brevard County: RHP Taylor Jungmann at home vs. Clearwater (Phillies), 5:35 PM gametime Sorry, no audio available for this series... Once again this season, Brevard does not have its own audio coverage. It appears two teams in the Manatees North Division (within which the majority of games are played) have audio, and all six teams in the South Division have audio (at least for their home games), so there will be opportunities to listen to approx. 70% or Brevard's games this season, just all from the opponent's perspective. There are no Florida State League games on MiLB.TV this year. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Chad Thompson at home vs. Cedar Rapids (Angels), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 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 only two (Great Lakes) Midwest League clubs that have all their home games available via MiLB.TV; Chris' call provides the audio. So for the $39.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, all Timber Rattlers home games, and Stars' road games from four Southern League locales. ********** Helena: LHP Taylor Wall at home vs. Grand Junction (Rockies), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page We're lucky to have Steve Wendt back on board for another H-Crew season. ********** Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at home vs. the wee little Indians; 9:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league ********** DSL Brewers: Season complete; final stats and analysis here

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

The final two days of the DSL regular season have been cancelled because of tropical storm Isaac. The Brewers were idle Friday regardless, so they lose one game off their schedule (Saturday's). A 5th (last-place) finish in their division (26-39), here is a link to the team stats for the season. With a .227 team average in the always offensively-suppressed league, the Brewers (Cerveceritos) were 25th of 35 teams in that category (28th in OPS at .627), 11th in HR (23), 19th in walks, 17th most K's, 4th in SB (successful 65% of the time). On the mound, 19th in ERA (3.67), 23rd in WHIP (1.41), 10th fewest walks issued, 10th most K's. Individual Statistics There were no Orlando Arcia or Ruben Ozuna breakout individual offensive performances as in past years, although just-turned 18-year-old SS Carlos Belonis posted a solid .670 OPS but fanned in 31% of his AB's. 18-year-old 3B Sthervin Matos lost most of his 2nd DSL season to injury. Still 18 years old for a couple more weeks, Venezuelan RHP Gian Rizzo dazzled again, though little news has reached stateside on the slight young man's (6'1", 160) repertoire. RHP Eduard Reyes split his time between the DSL and Maryvale with a nice season, but he turned 22 yesterday, which tempers true phenom hopes significantly. LHP Juan Santiago turns 22 in December, and this was his third DSL season, but his counting and rate numbers were hard to overlook, and hey, he's a southpaw who saw starting action. Certainly if TheCrew07, who (thank you!) covered the DSL kids for us all season, or anyone else wishes to comment on their sleepers or the players already mentioned, please feel free. Until next spring when we see who comes stateside, as several did this season (see the top of this thread), adios, DSL. (NOTE: We'll try and summarize the other seasons as they end in these "team" threads, and I invite the Link Reporters wo covered each squad to do so for us, please and thanks!)

Nashville video: Sean Halton hits a three-run homer, his second of the night, as the Sounds fall to Round Rock, 7-6 (Wednesday) Huntsville video: Domnit Boliver swipes second base in the fourth inning of the Stars' 3-1 loss to Mississippi

Sounds catcher's experience benefits pitching staff by Nick Cole, The Tennessean After spending the better part of 10 seasons in the majors, newly acquired catcher Humberto Quintero is settling into a leadership role with the Nashville Sounds in Triple-A. “It is a good opportunity for me,” Quintero said. “After Kansas City designated me for assignment, I signed with the Marlins for 10 days. They didn’t put me in the big leagues, so I came here and they gave me the opportunity to play every day.” Quintero hit .232 in 43 games for the Royals this season. He signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on July 28 after the organization traded former Sound George Kottaras to Oakland. “He brings experience from the game at the highest level,” said Sounds infielder Edwin Maysonet, a teammate of Quintero’s in Houston in 2008 and 2009. “It’s like having another captain on the team. He pretty much runs the defense.” Having caught All-Star pitchers such as Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, David Wells and Jake Peavy, Quintero caught the attention of the Sounds’ pitchers. “A couple of the pitchers have been asking me about how I call games,” Quintero said. “”I just try to tell the young guys to throw strikes early in the count and stuff like that. Try to get their breaking balls working better. “I watch the games when I’m not playing and I watch a lot of video, both here and in the big leagues. So I’m comfortable that when I call for something, I know that it was the right pitch.” The 33-year-old Venezuelan, in his 14th professional season, can communicate with every member of the Sounds pitching staff. “He’s one of the best behind the plate,” Sounds starter and eight-year major-league veteran Claudio Vargas said. “We speak the same language, so we talk a lot even before the games. That makes me feel very comfortable with him catching.” The Sounds have won three of the four games that Vargas has started with Quintero behind the plate. Quintero is batting .266 with the Sounds, driving in 14 runs in 22 games. Down the homestretch: The Sounds are finishing up their final road trip of the season with three games in Round Rock this weekend. The team will return home on Monday to play the season’s final eight games at Greer Stadium, where the Sounds are 34-30 this season, compared to 27-41 on the road. Called up: Shortstop Jeff Bianchi was recalled by the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. This will be Bianchi’s third stop with the Brewers after making his major-league debut on July 12. Bianchi is 0-for-13 with Milwaukee. He has a .317 average with the Sounds this season.

AUDIO -- Helena Brewers broadcaster Steve Wendt recently took a moment to chat with LHP Taylor Wall

Six run inning propels Rockies to win Helena Brewers The Brewers offense scored six runs through the first seven innings on Thursday night, but a six run 8th inning by Grand Junction propelled the Rockies to an eventual 12-6 victory. The Brew Crew offense played a quality game and recorded eight hits while drawing four walks. Second baseman Chris McFarland homered for the second consecutive night and went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Raul Mondesi Jr. went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the third inning. Mondesi's home run was particularly noteworthy as it came on his twentieth birthday. The Rockies offense proved to be too much for the Brewers pitching staff on Thursday. First round draft pick David Dahl led the charge for Grand Junction going 2-for-5 with an opposite field home run in the fifth inning off of Preston Gainey. Dahl narrowly missed his second home run and a grand slam in the top of the eighth in which the ball would ricochet off the wall for a two run double. Dahl finished the evening with four RBI and now has 48 on the season. Rockies reliever Alvin Mejias earned his fifth victory of the season to improve his record to 5-6 with an ERA of 5.58. For the Brewers Michael Schaub was tabbed with the loss, dropping his record to 1-2. His ERA currently sits at 7.30. The Brewers return to action tomorrow night in game the final game of a four game series against the Grand Junction Rockies. First pitch is slated for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). Raul Mondesi Jr. homered on his 20th birthday (Sleeping Giant Photography) http://www.milb.com/images/2012/08/24/7BEylWqm.jpg *** Late rally lifts Rockies over Brewers Helena Independent Record The Grand Junction Rockies scored seven unanswered runs in the final two innings Thursday night, rallying to beat the Helena Brewers 12-6 at Kindrick Legion Field. Helena took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Chris McFarland hit his fifth home run of the season. The Brewers pushed that advantage to 4-1 after a three-run third inning that included a long ball by Raul Mondesi Jr. Grand Junction tied the game with a home run of its own, when David Dahl struck a two-run bomb in the fifth frame. An RBI double by McFarland in the seventh helped the hosts to regain the lead. The Rockies peppered Helena reliever Michael Schaub (1-2) for seven runs on seven hits to put the game away. Grand Junction’s Alving Mejias (5-6) got the win in relief, allowing just two hits and a run through four innings of work. McFarland, the Brewers second baseman, was the only Helena batter with more than one hit. He was 3 for 4 with a pair of runs scored, two doubles, a homer and three RBIs. Wilfredo Rodriguez was 3 for 5 with two doubles and three runs scored to lead Grand Junction at the plate. Five players had multi-hit games for the Rockies. NOTE: Helena Brewers pitcher Brent Suter was promoted to the Class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Wednesday. Suter, a southpaw out of Harvard, was selected by Milwaukee in the 31st round of this year’s June draft. He was 4-2 with a 3.92 ERA in Helena, with most of his appearances coming out of the bullpen. Suter made two starts and averaged nearly a strikeout per inning.

Rattler Radio Blog -- Video Highlights with three lists

Audio from Round Rock — “The Bake Show” (Ep. 2) Jeff Hem's note -- Tonight’s interview is with Sounds right-handed starter Brian Baker (@TheBakeShow14), who is near the end of his first year in the Brewers system after seven with Tampa Bay (much discussed in this interview with Baker from late May). In this chat, Baker discusses his outing (5 IP, 2 R, ND) on Wednesday night in Round Rock, the nice run of starts he’s put together lately, what it’s typically like for minor league free agents during an off-season and his chances of re-signing with Milwaukee, his thoughts about the Pacific Coast League ballparks and cities compared to the other Triple-A league, the International League, and his ever-entertaining friendship with teammate Eric “The Kid” Farris (@eRoc86), who refers to Baker as “Show” or “The Show.”

Huntsville Media Notes