Jim Goulart

Huntsville Media Relations: BIRMINGHAM – The Milwaukee Brewers and Huntsville Stars have made a pair of roster moves prior to tonight’s game at Birmingham. Outfielder Scott Krieger and RHP Jimmy Nelson have been placed on the disabled list. Krieger is retroactive to June 27 and Nelson is retroactive to July 1. Krieger is currently hitting .300 in 15 games for the Stars after starting the year out at High-A Brevard County. He hasn’t played since June 27 when he entered the game as a pinch hitter. His last start was June 23. Nelson has compiled a 1-0 record with a 4.73 ERA in just three starts after being promoted from Brevard County. His last outing was June 30 against Mobile. He didn’t give up a run, allowing just five hits in five innings of work. He walked two and struck out five. With these moves, the Stars active roster is at 23, two below the Southern League limit. *** OK, another assignment for the beat guys via Gord Ash...particularly on Nelson, no offense to Scott.

Nashville Media Notes Tyler Thornburg will come off the DL to make a 4th of July start, his AAA debut. Man, I remember this 4th of July Yankee Doodle Dandy's day. 29 years ago, yikes!

First pitch: A century in the making Good for her!

More video on the Roenicke connection

Audio from Nashville — “Time with (Brad) Tammen” Here last night’s pregame interview with Sounds GM Brad Tammen, who joined me live in the radio booth to discuss the Sounds’ promotional schedule with just under half of the season remaining, the recent extreme heat wave that has come through Nashville, the latest on a potential new stadium for the Sounds and his thoughts about the Sounds’ affiliation with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Congratulations to Jason Rogers, your Florida State League Player of the Week!

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

Monday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: RHP Wily Peralta at home vs. Iowa (Cubs), 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 Evan Anundsen at Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 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: LHP Jed Bradley at Clearwater (Phillies), 6:00 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 Matt Miller at Quad Cities (Cardinals), 6:40 PM pre-game, 7:00 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: LHP Brent Suter at home vs. Great Falls (White Sox), 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 the Diamondbacks' complex at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (Scottsdale); 9:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league ********** DSL Brewers: at home vs. the DSL Braves, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest

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Jim Callis reports the Brewers sign 5th rounder Damien Magnifico to over-slot money.

Schafer healthy, patient By Chris Jackson / Special to MLB.com Center field has been a problem for the Milwaukee Brewers this season as the platoon of Nyjer Morgan and Carlos Gomez has struggled to provide much in the way of offense. The good news for the Brewers is that help could soon be on the way in the form of prospect Logan Schafer, who is hitting .294 (87-for-296) with seven home runs, 26 RBIs and 11 stolen bases at Nashville. Schafer, though, is not concerned about the timing of a call-up. "When it comes to opportunities you're not usually handed opportunities in this game," Schafer said. "It's very rare that you're just given something in this game. "I'm here in Nashville, I'm trying to do what I can to help this team win." Schafer, along with most of his teammates, got off to a slow start this season, but he has turned it on of late. In June, Schafer hit .354 (34-for-96). "If I do everything I can do on both sides of the ball, defense and offense, I feel like I can create an opportunity at some point somewhere in the big leagues to show what I have and hopefully help some team, hopefully the Brewers, win at some point in the big leagues," Schafer said. "That's the approach I'm taking." That Schafer is even back in the discussion for a big-league call-up is impressive after a disastrous run of injuries that limited him to just seven games in 2010 and only 99 games in the Minors (plus eight with Milwaukee) last season. "Obviously being healthy is the first thing that I think about when I'm out there and playing the game," Schafer said. "I think about even if I have a bad game, at least I'm out there and able to play it. "I had a pretty rough stretch there with injuries. I took about a year-and-a-half off with multiple injuries -- the groin and the foot and the hernia and the broken thumb. I had a long list of injuries. "But to be up and able to play it's an amazing feeling. I cherish it every day." Once he overcame the final injury, a broken thumb suffered in Spring Training last year, Schafer caught fire, batting .315 between Class A Advanced Brevard County, Double-A Huntsville and Nashville before earning a September call-up with the Brewers, going 1-for-3 with a run scored. "It took me a while to get my swing down, get my timing, recognize pitches," Schafer said. "I eventually got to where I wanted to be with my swing and my approach got to where it was in the previous couple of years." After all that he has gone through, Schafer said he just enjoys taking life one game at a time. "Every day you've just got to be excited to be playing and healthy," he said. "That's where I am, excited to be healthy and playing." Logan Schafer is hitting .294/.349/.446 in 78 games for Nashville. (Jamie Harms/MiLB.com) http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/02/KTdCbrmj.jpg

Coming off a promising 2011 with some buzz, 18-year-old 3B Sthervin Matos is sidelined again. He left the club's 4th game June 6th after a strikeout (maybe an oblique?). He returned to action in a DH role June 12th and appeared in five games, but hasn't re-appeared since June 19th.

John Sickels' Minor League Top 120 One lonely Brewer, at #107... I'm clinging to my Mike Fiers respect card.

Nashville has added audio clips to their Sunday game summary.

Famous last name in the Helena - Great Falls game

Rattler Radio Blog - Nine After 9

Lance Roenicke is the latest on Twitter. He'll be added to the list this AM, making 95 farmhands found.

Huntsville Media Relations A night after being shutout by the Mobile BayBears, the Huntsville Stars were blanked by the Birmingham Barons by a score of 2-0 in the first game of a three-game series from Regions Park on Sunday. The Barons got all the run support they needed in the second inning with back-to-back RBI singles from right fielder Kenny Williams Jr. and second baseman Dan Wagner. Starter starter Josh Stinson was the hard-pressed losing pitcher on the day, falling to 8-4 on the year after giving up two runs on just five hits through five innings of work. On offense, the Stars were shutout by a score of 2-0 for the second straight game. They have now been held without a run for 21 consecutive innings. Game two of a five-game series will begin on Monday as the Stars will send RHP Evan Anundsen to the mound (4-3, 3.76 ERA) to square off against Barons RHP Andre Rienzo (2-0, 0.49 ERA). First pitch is at 7:05 P.M.

Road game summary analysis from the Helena Independent Record Chris McFarland’s grand slam to left field culminated in a seven-run second inning and gave the Helena Brewers an early 7-4 lead Sunday afternoon in Great Falls. But the Voyagers pitched shutout baseball the rest of the way and took advantage of four Helena errors to rally for a 9-7 win in front of 1,131 fans Centene Stadium. Mike Garza also homered for the Brewers, who pounded out a dozen hits but failed to make the most of opportunities late in the game for the second straight night. The visitors showed some aggression on the base paths with four stolen bags, but batted just 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position. The Voyagers tied the game in a three-run fourth frame, then took the lead in the seventh when Patrick Palmeiro hit his first home run of the season — a two-run shot off Brewers reliever Elliot Glynn. Glynn was tagged with the loss, while David Putman got the win for Great Falls. Joe Dvorsky was credited with the save. It was a short outing for both teams’ starting pitchers. Helena’s Leonard Lorenzo went 1 2/3, giving up four runs — two earned — and walking three. Great Falls’ Cory McGinnis was blasted by the Brewers, with seven runs — all but one unearned — on eight hits. McFarland’s grand slam was his first long ball of the season and his only hit in Sunday’s contest. The Brewers were led at the plate by Garza, who was 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Helena returns home tonight to take on the Voyagers at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

We haven't seen Helena video this year yet, so even though this is from last week, you've got a Michael Reed web gem and extra-base rip, Chris McFarland base knock, etc. VIDEO LINK

Cream City Cables -- Lance Roenicke Q&A

Sounds' Vargas tries to impress Brewers again by Autumn Allison, The Tennessean This is Claudio Vargas’ third time with the Brewers organization but his first time with the Nashville Sounds. The starting pitcher, now in his 17th professional season, retired last year but now is trying for another shot at the majors. “I am happy to be here,” said Vargas, 34. “This was the last team I thought would call. Got told they had too many people and a month later I get the call.” The Dominican Republic native pitched for the Brewers in 2007 and from 2009-2010. “2010 is the only time I did poorly,” said Vargas, who was 48-40 with a 4.83 ERA in eight major-league seasons. “My ERA got a little high (7.32), only pitched 20 innings. They (the Brewers) didn’t really give me the chance.” In June 2011, Vargas announced his retirement only to return when the Brewers signed him as a minor-league free agent on May 14. Between his retirement and return, the right-handed pitcher spent time with Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League and Vaqueros Laguna in the Mexican League. While playing with Aguilas, Vargas switched from the starter/long reliever position he held in the majors to a closer. The switch had to be reversed after Vargas joined the Sounds. “We had to build him up,” Sounds pitching coach Fred Dabney said. “He was basically a one-inning man while he was closing in Mexico.” Building up Vargas included working his consistency and getting back up to 100-110 pitches per game. “I feel good. Every fifth day I go to the mound and do the best I can. I do my job,” said Vargas, who is 2-1 with a 5.63 ERA in nine starts. Now at an age when most players start considering retirement, Vargas won’t let age be a factor in his performance. “I think I can still play, still pitch,” Vargas said. “I just work hard.” In the six weeks he has been with the Sounds, Vargas has proved himself to be a much-needed addition to the rotation and has even added a slider. When pitching for the Brewers, Vargas had only three fully formed pitches. But even with his continued building, is another run at the majors out of the question? “Not at all. He has significant major-league experience and a track record,” said Dan O’Brien, special assistant to the Brewers general manager. “I can’t predict what is going to happen tomorrow, but in terms of him being a legitimate consideration, I’d go with yes.” Sounds pitcher Claudio Vargas, who is back in the Brewers organization for the third time, is 2-1 with a 5.63 ERA in nine starts. / GEORGE WALKER IV/THE TENNESSEAN http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20120702&Category=SPORTS04&ArtNo=307020013&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0&Nashville-Sounds-Claudio-Vargas-tries-impress-Milwaukee-Brewers-again

Huntsville video highlights from Saturday's game *** Jason Rogers opens the day's festivities with a two-run blast for the 'Tees -- I'm calling it, 8-0 organizational sweep today!