Jim Goulart

Nashville Sounds are better than record shows by Greg Sullivan, The Tennessean When the Nashville Sounds reach the All-Star break after Sunday’s game at Memphis, they can look back on improved play following a horrid April. “It’s better. I think our team is starting to play at a better level,” said manager Mike Guerrero, whose club was in second place in the Pacific Coast League American North Division despite its 37-51 record after Thursday’s 6-1 loss to Memphis. “We can’t worry about what happened in April, May or even June. Not at this point.” The Sounds scored 68 runs in April, compared to 117 in May and 124 in June. Early on, failure in pretty much all areas of the team’s offensive play caused it to finish 6-17 in April. Ever since, the Sounds have been trying to dig themselves out of a hole and have gone 31-34. They still trail first-place Omaha by 19 games. The Sounds hit 13 home runs in April and stole nine bases. In June, they hit 31 homers and stole 25 bases. But Nashville is still last in the 16-team PCL in runs (334), hits (739), RBIs (299) and on-base percentage (.321), based on numbers prior to Thursday night. “We see we’ve scored the fewest runs in the PCL,” said outfielder Logan Schafer, who has been among the Sounds’ best hitters with a .290 average. “That’s not something we’re excited about. “We’re starting to score runs. Our bats are starting to warm up. We’re starting to play for each other.” The Sounds’ pitching has been more consistent, ranking sixth in the PCL with a 4.67 ERA. There has been plenty of turnover. Right-handed starter Mike Fiers was promoted to Milwaukee. Fellow righty Josh Butler made only four starts before going down with an elbow injury. Top prospect and Opening Day starter Wily Peralta (4-8, 5.44 ERA) has had a disappointing season. “I think that, as a staff, we’ve come together,” said starter Mark Rogers (3-6, 5.66). “There was a time there where I thought we were scuffling, but we’ve picked each other up and helped each other out.” In his Sounds debut, prized prospect Tyler Thornburg picked up a win in a 6-4 win against Memphis on Wednesday, giving up two runs in five innings. The bullpen has been mostly solid, despite having key arms Vinnie Chulk, Juan Perez and Mike McClendon each see time in the majors this season. “We’ve been a little streaky, I guess,” said reliever Jim Henderson (3-3, 1.76), the only Sound who will be playing in Wednesday’s Triple-A All-Star game. “But I feel like we’re settling in now pretty good.” Similarly, the vibe in the clubhouse is mostly upbeat. While the record still isn’t good, there seems to be a feeling that the Sounds’ worst days this season are behind them. Shortstop Jeff Bianchi led the Sounds in hitting with a .313 average prior to Thursday's game. / Photo by Larry McCormack, The Tennessean http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20120706&Category=SPORTS04&ArtNo=307060067&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Nashville-Sounds-better-than-record-shows

Story from Cedar Rapids with a gymnast Shawn Johnson twist -- and yes, the Kernels beat the Timber Rattlers...

There is Helena video (well, actually video from the Billings perspective, along with the game story). With two hits Thursday, Helena 3B Michael Garza extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Huntsville Video

LOOKOUTS EVEN UP SERIES WITH STARS HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Following a 50-minute rain delay, the Huntsville Stars fell to the Chattanooga Lookouts by a final score of 5-3 on Thursday night at Joe Davis Stadium. For the first time in five games, the Stars got the scoring started first. In the first inning, second baseman Scooter Gennett drew a walk to get on base. He advanced on a single by Hunter Morris and eventually scored on an error by Chattanooga’s Luis Nunez. Unfortunately for Huntsville, their offense was shut down from that point on by Lookouts’ starting pitcher Matt Magill. Magill retired the last 16 batters he faced, improving to 6-4 on the year after giving up just one run and one hit through six innings of work. For Magill, Chattanooga gave him solid run support in the form of five runs. In the third inning, the Lookouts tied up the game on a RBI triple by center fielder Nick Buss off of Stars starter Brian Baker. An RBI single by second baseman Rafael Ynoa made the score 2-1, giving the Lookouts the lead for good. After Baker was replaced by reliever Philippe Valiquette, Chattanooga tacked on three runs in the seventh inning. A pinch-hit, two-run double by J.T Wise and an RBI groundout gave the Lookouts a 5-1 lead. On offense, the Stars made the game interesting in the eighth inning against Lookouts’ reliever Chris Withrow. Back-to-back singles by pinch-hitter Domnit Bolivar and center fielder Josh Prince finally gave the Stars a runner in scoring position. Gennett hit an RBI groundout and Morris knocked an RBI single to pull the Stars within two. Unfortunately, once closer Stephen Ames replaced Withrow with two outs in the eighth inning, he retired the last four batters he faced for his ninth save of the season. Pitching wise, Baker took the loss in his first outing on the season with the Stars, falling to 0-1 after giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits in six innings of work. Baker also struck out five. The Stars and Lookouts will play the deciding game of their three-game series at Joe Davis Stadium on Friday. First pitch is at 6:43 PM.

Chris with a potential Mitch Haniger injury update tweet

Pre-game audio from Wednesday: Steve Wendt sits down to chat with Helena manager Jeff Isom before his team takes on the Billings Mustangs Good RHP Mike Schaub talk...

Thursday's DSL Brewers at DSL Blue Jays game has been postponed. The teams next meet at the Jays' park on the 17th, but the DSL may make the game up on the 10th when the teams meet at the Brewers' complex. So one of the next two Tuesday's should have a doubleheader.

Audio from Memphis — “(Tyler) Thornburg’s Thoughts” Jeff's note --Tonight's pregame interview is with Sounds right-hander Tyler Thornburg, who discusses his Sounds debut and victory last night in Memphis, his two weeks between starts due to the wrist injury, his time at Double-A Huntsville, how he found out about his major league call-up for June 19 at Miller Park against Toronto, what he enjoyed most about his major league debut and why he's, at least partially, living out of his car these days.

It may be lucky for Joe that on the WTMJ Brewers podcast archive page they no longer host the post-game summaries of action and highlights. (They still archive Ueck with Roenicke, and Block's interviews.) The summaries can be painful to listen to live -- it's like whatever Kent is feeding Block, there's just a disjoint there that makes it awkwardly produced and presented. I can see that in April, but not July. And too many moments that just seem uncomfortable in the pre-game interviews. Maybe because I'm expecting those moments now and am being too particular, but I do listen to those daily via the archive. Well, he's young and has great pipes -- and also probably reading this thread, which means with effort and focus he can build on some of the more constructive criticisms.

Wisconsin Media Notes

Nashville Media Notes

TRatsBaseball Roundtable Discussion from Wed.

Mondesi promises discipline Son of former Major Leaguer learning from mistakes in Helena By Greg Rachac / Special to MLB.com When asked to describe the incident that has so far defined his young Minor League career, Raul Mondesi Jr. isn't very forthcoming. The 19-year-old Helena Brewers outfielder would rather talk about his rich baseball lineage, his attributes on the field or his dedication to the game. He'd rather forget the monumental gaffe he made in the Brewers' 2-1 loss to Missoula on June 25. "I know I made a mistake," Mondesi said. "I learned from it and it will not happen again." In case you didn't see it on Deadspin or YouTube (yes, it went viral), here's a recap: Mondesi hit what would have been a game-tying, two-run homer in the 10th inning against Missoula, but he failed to touch home plate. The Osprey appealed, and Mondesi was called out to end the game. The game had been contentious up to that point, Mondesi recalled. Ty Linton hit a two-run homer in the top of the 10th to give Missoula the lead. Helena reliever Manuel Ruiz had already hit Rudy Flores, then followed Linton's homer by plunking Daniel Pulfer. "We were going to fight," Mondesi said. So, when Mondesi homered over the center-field wall to tie the game again with two outs in the bottom half of the inning off Missoula reliever Dexter Price, he wanted to make a point -- one that would resonate beyond simply getting the best of his opponent in a clutch situation. "When I hit the home run, when I was going to touch home plate, I started doing this," said Mondesi, demonstrating the taunting gesture he cast toward Missoula's dugout. "I did not focus on touching the plate. I didn't see it." Osprey catcher Michael Perez noticed Mondesi did not touch the plate and asked for an appeal. Sure enough, Mondesi was called out and the game was over. "You're going to see some things at this level that make you say, 'Wow. What's the thought process there?' Brewers manager Jeff Isom said. "We'll tell our guys it's OK to make mistakes, but you have to learn from them and not make the same ones again. "I hadn't heard of anything like that happening before, but it happened to us. We talked with Raul about it and told him he has to learn from it. There's nothing he can do about it now. It's in the past. Let's just move on to the future and be more attentive to details." Mondesi is the son of former big leaguer Raul Mondesi. The elder Mondesi played 16 seasons in the Majors and won Rookie of the Year in 1994 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Like his son, he played in the Pioneer League, spending his first year of professional baseball with Great Falls in 1990. Mondesi is said to have a great arm like his father did, as his six assists entering the games of July 4 attest to. He's still trying to get acclimated at the plate, though -- he was hitting .203 with just six RBIs in 64 at-bats. He had struck out a league-high 24 times. Mondesi is adjusting to the professional game, just like any young player, regardless of who his father is. And regardless of the mistakes he's made. "You try to be a good baseball player because wherever you go in a ballpark or a game and they say, 'Mondesi Jr.,' people think 'Raul Mondesi,'" he said. "So you have to try to do things right because you're representing him. You're his son. "I know this game brings ups and downs. You can have a tough day today, but tomorrow you can come and be the hero for your team. It's all about fun. You have to have fun and enjoy it." Raul Mondesi Jr. has six RBIs in his first 15 games at Helena. (Sleeping Giant Photography) http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/04/BI8yWTSp.jpg

Scooter Gennett Wednesday interview from Joe Davis Stadium Click on "Sports Live from Joe Davis" on right hand-side of page

Rare photo (Maryvale rainout -- fans apparently are under cover...) Nice metaphor...

Magnifico in Milwaukee (5th round pick in for physical...)

The Brevard County Manatees will be wearing patriotic jerseys presented by Northrop Grumman from July 4-7. The jerseys will be auctioned off online and all proceeds from the auction will go to benefit the AVET The auction will begin at 5:00 p.m. ET on July 4 and end at 11:59 p.m. ET on July 7. http://manatees.milbauctions.com/images/stores/87/500/JerseyFront_500.JPG

Tonight's Manatee starting pitcher, Drew Gagnon, was Joe Block's pre-game guest on the big-league pre-game Wednesday (audio link)

Many of you have already put Wednesday's Link Report to rest, so here's Chris' Nine after 9 from the holiday, which he posted this AM

Audio from Memphis — “Comments from Corey (Patterson)” Jeff Hem's note -- Tonight’s interview is with Sounds outfielder Corey Patterson, who discusses his and the team’s season so far, the Sounds’ improvement the last few months, his approach as a veteran hitter, hitting lefties vs. hitting righties and his thoughts about becoming a first-time father next month.

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 *** NOTE: AAA Nashville does not play a split schedule. The other leagues, including the rookie leagues, do. When you click on a standings link for Huntsville, Brevard County or Wisconsin, you'll then be able to choose 1st half and/or overall standings in addition to the current 2nd half standings.

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

Thursday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: RHP Seth McClung at Memphis (Cardinals), 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: TBD (likely RHP Brian Baker) at home vs. Chattanooga (Dodgers), 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 Drew Gagnon at home vs. Tampa (Yankees), 5:35 PM gametime Sorry, no audio 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 Kevin Shackelford at Cedar Rapids (Angels), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 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 24 Stars' road games (one Helena series this summer, too). ********** Helena: RHP Eric Semmelhack at Billings (Reds), 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): Idle ********** DSL Brewers: at the DSL Blue Jays, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest