Jim Goulart

Given Taylor Green's recall and Edwin Maysonet's big league contract purchase Sunday, wonder if the Stars will lose the heart of their order after tonight's game to backfill. Let the chain reaction discussion begin (we'll save the transaction thread for the formal moves).

Wisconsin Media Notes

Nashville Media Notes

Something different: Cedar Rapids Manager Jamie Burke will manage his club for its game Saturday night in Wisconsin, then take a four-day leave, as pitching coach Chris Gissell did last week. The parent Los Angeles Angels are encouraging all of their minor-league coaches to take brief in-season sabbaticals. Former Kernels Manager Tyrone Boykin (now a roving instructor) and hitting coach Mike Eylward will run the club in Burke’s absence.

Baseball America Hot Sheet Chat: Matty (Milwaukee, WI): Both seem to be pretty similar but which do you think will have the most success once reaching the majors: Jed Bradley or Taylor Jungmann? Ben Badler: Bradley. For me, Jungmann's more of a back-end starter who's going to struggle to miss bats at higher levels.

OK Brewers, the schedules match up nicely, so honor these guys and make this happen!

OK Brewers, the schedules match up nicely, so honor these guys and make this happen!

LAKESIDE BASEBALL FAN TRACKS DOWN BRAUN AND HANDS OVER HOME RUN SOUVENIR by Don Norcross, UTSandiego.com Seated in a left-field, front-row seat Monday night at Petco Park, Robert Anderson tensed up for a moment as Ryan Braun smoked a line drive his way. “I kept thinking, ‘I can’t drop this ball,’ ” said Anderson, a 25-year-old Lakeside landscaper. Prepared with glove in left hand, Anderson reached across his body and snagged the souvenir, Braun’s third home run of the night. No one had hit three home runs in Petco Park’s nine-season history. Braun had never hit three home runs in a game. The next three innings, Anderson tried getting Braun’s attention. “He just tipped his cap,” Anderson said. Wanting to give the ball to Braun, Anderson called and emailed the Brewers the next day. “No one got back to me,” he said. Undaunted, Anderson arrived early for Wednesday’s batting practice. He stood near the visitors’ third-base dugout, watching Braun take cuts. When Braun stepped out of the cage, Anderson said, “I caught your third home run ball. You want it?” “Yeah, I do,” Braun said. “That’d be nice.” After Anderson gave him the ball, Braun took off his batting gloves, signed them and gave them to Anderson. “Would you like anything else?” Braun asked. “How about a bat?” Braun headed to the Brewers’ dugout and returned with an autographed bat. Why give away something when Anderson might have profited by selling the ball? “It was the first time he hit three home runs in his career,” Anderson said. “That’s a big deal. It’s his accomplishment, not mine.”

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STANDINGS: AAA - Pacific Coast League American Northern Division AA - Southern League North Division Florida State League North Division Midwest League Western Division

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

Saturday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: RHP Mark Rogers at Albuquerque (Dodgers), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 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 Josh Stinson 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 I-Phone friendly audio link 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: A total of 24 Stars' games (in Jacksonville and Tennessee) will be broadcast. ********** Brevard County: RHP Brandon Williamson at Palm Beach (Cardinals), 5:35 PM gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the Palm Beach feed from the MiLB main audio page 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's David Goforth and Chad Pierce in a tandem effort at home vs. 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).

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

Rattler Radio Blog -- Nine After Nine One injury note amid all the no-hitter hoopla...

Friends and family of LHP Jed Bradley and RHP Brooks Hall will appreciate all the photos this Associated Press photographer posted.

Despite Huntsville's loss, RH reliever Eric Marzec had a good night on the mound and was especially excited about his night at the plate.

Jeff Hem continues to alliterate with the best of them -- Nashville Pre-Game Audio: Audio from Albuquerque — “Excerpts from Eric”

Huntsville Media Notes *** Lookouts Pitching Silences Stars Bats HUNTSVILLE, Ala.- Following their six-game winning streak being snapped on Thursday, the Huntsville Stars (16-13) took another loss at the hands of the Chattanooga Lookouts (13-16) by a score of 8-2 on Friday night at Joe Davis Stadium. After taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a RBI single by Hunter Morris, the Stars pitching gave up eight unanswered runs leading up to the ninth inning. Huntsville starting pitcher Kyle Heckathorn gave up an RBI double off the bat of second baseman Luis Nunez in the second inning. After a Pedro Baez RBI single in the third inning gave the Lookouts the lead for good, Heckathorn gave up a sacrifice fly to shortstop Jake Lemmerman in the fourth and then an RBI single from Nunez in the fifth inning to end his night. In the end, the 24-year-old righty fell to 1-1 on the season after giving up four runs on nine hits through 4.1 innings. With RHP Darren Byrd on the mound, Chattanooga put the game away in the sixth inning. After Lemmerman hit a ground-rule double and scored on a throwing error by catcher Jason Jaramillo, an RBI-single from Baez and then another two-run single by Nunez gave the Lookouts’ an 8-1 lead. On offense, Huntsville was baffled by Chattanooga starting pitcher Ethan Martin. The former first round draft pick gave up just one run and five hits through seven innings while striking out nine to improve to 3-0 on the year. Huntsville was only able to manage one other run in the ninth inning as Lookouts’ RHP Luis Vasquez walked left fielder Khris Davis with the bases loaded. For the Stars, both Morris and shortstop Jeff Bianchi had two hits apiece. Huntsville also committed a season-high four errors on defense. With the teams splitting the first four games of this series, the rubber match is set for Saturday. The Stars will send RHP Josh Stinson (3-1, 4.15 ERA) out to the mound to square off against LHP Aaron Miller (1-2, 5.96 ERA). First pitch is at 6:43 PM.

Just a ridiculously good job by Mike Woods here, reaching out to Wily and putting together this piece -- *** In the pipeline: Peralta first ex-Timber Rattler to play for Brewers by Mike Woods, Post-Crescent staff writer Wily Peralta wanted to act like a knuckleball for just a short while Wednesday. You know, just dance a little. “I didn’t know that,” said Peralta when informed he was the first Wisconsin Timber Rattlers player since the Rattlers became affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009 to make it to the big leagues. “Now that I know that it feels great to know that I was the first one to do that,” Peralta said via phone from Nashville, where he is back with the Brewers’ AAA team after making his major league debut April 22 against the Rockies. Technically, one could argue third baseman Taylor Green was the first as he was called up to the Brewers at the end of last season. But Green’s stay in Grand Chute was because he was on a rehab assignment and played just six games here in 2009. The bottom line, though, is the hope that Timber Rattlers fans would have the opportunity to see future members of the Milwaukee Brewers is coming to fruition. “It’s what we’ve been waiting for,” said Timber Rattlers president and general manager Rob Zerjav. “We knew Wily Peralta would be a Brewer at some point. We knew the circumstances and knew he was going to be sent back down but it was exciting to see him get into the game. “It will be nicer when we have a former player stick with the team. But this is just a taste of it.” Peralta wasn’t even a top-10 Brewers prospect when he played the entire 2009 season here. And he played in the shadows of the more renowned Brett Lawrie and Cutter Dykstra, both of whom have since been traded. Peralta had a good, but certainly not great, year with the Rattlers, going 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 27 games, 15 of them starts. But there is no doubt inside the Brewers’ organization that he will be back in Milwaukee soon enough, this time for good. “He’ll be in the big leagues,” said Reid Nichols, a special assistant to the general manager and director of player development for the Brewers. “He’s a bulldog. Just talking to his teammates, he’s a guy they’d like to be in the foxhole with. When he has to bear down, he does. He’ll be in the big leagues, definitely.” Peralta is ranked No. 1 among the Brewers’ Top 20 prospects. Of that top 20 group, 14 either are playing or have played with the Timber Rattlers, including seven of the top 10. After Peralta, the next two former Timber Rattlers in the pipeline would appear to be pitcher Tyler Thornburg and infielder Scooter Gennett, ranked as the fourth and sixth top prospects, respectively. “Both are professionals at their position,” said Nichols. “Scooter is going to hit but his defense has to improve. We told him he’s got to get it done on defense and he’s on track and has worked very hard at it. “Thornburg is another unique talent. Has a nice curveball and changeup. He’s another bulldog who just keeps coming at you.” Both players are currently at Double A Hunstville (Ala.). Through Wednesday, Gennett was batting .278 with just one error. Thornburg was 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA. “From an organizational standpoint, we’re very excited about it,” said Zerjav. “It just re-enforces the tie we have with the Brewers and that our fans are going to see future Milwaukee Brewers play with the Timber Rattlers.” While every player who puts on a Timber Rattlers uniform believes he will play in the big leagues some day, seeing and getting to know someone who essentially got their start in Grand Chute only helps sharpen their focus. “One of the great things about our relationship with the Timber Rattlers and the Brewers, being 100 miles just north, we get every one of their broadcasts,” said Rattlers manager Matt Erickson. “It’s not uncommon for us to come off the field and catch the end of the Brewers game. It’s on in our clubhouse all the time and players are obviously interested in what’s going on there. “And when they see a younger player get an opportunity and they just had lunch with them in spring training, they get excited, and we as player development get excited when we have a kid that comes through the system and helps at the big league level.” What the Timber Rattlers have to look forward to is the possibility of producing a list of graduates similar to the Brewers former Class A affiliate in Beloit, which saw its share of players who made the Brewers into a playoff club in the early 1980s and again in the 2000s. Some of the former Brewers who went through Beloit included Chris Bosio, B.J. Surhoff, Teddy Higuera, Cal Eldred, Greg Vaughn, Geoff Jenkins, Manny Parra, Yovani Gallardo, Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks. And while the affiliates have no say in who shows up on their clubs, there are those times when a player — almost always a pitcher — shows up and grabs the attention of everyone. In Beloit in 1983, that player was Juan Nieves, still the only Brewer to throw a no-hitter. “All the teams in the league at that time, their general manager would always call and ask ‘When he comes up to Appleton, what day is he going to pitch?’ Or whatever city we were going to,” said George Spelius, the current Midwest League president who at that time was the president of the Beloit Brewers. “Everyone wanted to see that guy. The turnstiles turned. It brought in a good amount of dollars and cents.” No one knows if the Timber Rattlers will be that fortunate. But now that they have their first graduate reach the Brewers, its gives their entire organization a boost. “It’s great for everybody involved,” said Erickson. “It’s great for our young players to see, players that have been here a couple of years ago get there and obviously as player development people, that’s how we win. When we see our young talent improve on a daily basis and then get opportunities to help out the big league club, that’s why we’re here.” And make no doubt; Peralta’s promotion is a big deal to the Rattlers who will note the accomplishment in what has become a time-honored tradition. “There will be a Peralta bobblehead at some point,” Zerjav said. Wily Peralta pitches during a spring training game with the Brewers. He made his big-league debut April 22 before being sent back to Nashville. / Submitted Photo http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20120504&Category=APC020602&ArtNo=305040130&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&In-pipeline-Peralta-first-ex-Timber-Rattler-play-Brewers

Rattlers' Thompson, Williams toss no-no By Sam Dykstra / Special to MLB.com Chad Thompson was making his full-season debut and Mark Williams worked out of the bullpen for only the second time after four starts. So Friday figured to feature a few firsts for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. They got at least one they probably weren't expecting. The two right-handers combined to throw the Timber Rattlers' first no-hitter in nearly two years as Class A Wisconsin blanked the Clinton LumberKings, 5-0. Thompson (1-0) struck out six and walked three over his first five innings of Class A ball. Williams issued just one free pass and fanned three over the final four frames for his first professional save. "It was my first outing, so all I was worried about was doing what I'm supposed to do -- just throw strikes, try to get ground balls," Thompson said. "Fortunately, it all ended up working out really well." The Brewers' 27th-round pick in last year's Draft, Thompson made his first Midwest League appearance after recovering from biceps tendinitis suffered during Spring Training. He walked Jamal Austin to open the contest, then retired the next eight batters before issuing another leadoff walk to Austin in the fourth. That inning proved to be Thompson's most challenging of the night as Austin stole second and third. Jharmidy De Jesus also walked to put runners on the corners with one out, but the Orange Coast College product retired the next two LumberKings. He ended up throwing 70 pitches, 39 for strikes. When Williams came out of the bullpen to pitch the sixth, he was unaware of the feat Thompson had begun. "When I came in, it was just another game," Williams said. "I didn't even realize it was a no-hitter until I looked up at the scoreboard in the seventh inning. ... I was a little bit nervous at that point. I knew [Thompson] was throwing really well. But when you're in the bullpen, you're screwing around, you're talking a little, so you don't know just how well the starter's going." After retiring six of the first seven batters he faced -- Steven Baron was hit by a pitch -- Williams struggled a bit in the eighth. The 22-year-old walked Carlton Tanabe, an at-bat that concerned the starter-turned-reliever going into the ninth. "It's funny because I had a really rough eighth inning," Williams said. "I was trying to find my location, so I really wanted to throw strikes. But [catcher Rafael Neda] called a great game for the both of us. He was great out there. So I was feeling really comfy going back out there for the ninth, knowing he was out there with me." In the ninth, Williams had a scare in the ninth when Baron hit a high chopper back to the mound that he dropped on the transfer. "'Oh crap, oh crap' was all I was thinking," he said. But after a successful toss to first, the Ohio native struck out the last two batters to give the Timber Rattlers their first no-hitter since Jake Odorizzi and Adrian Rosario combined on one at Cedar Rapids on Aug. 24, 2010. It was the third no-hitter in the Minor Leagues this season. Three Greensboro Grasshoppers threw one in the South Atlantic League on April 24 and Justin Wilson combined with two relievers on another for Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday. The no-hitter was an especially big moment for Thompson. Not only was he coming off an injury, the 21-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in high school in 2009. Concerns over the procedure and lengthy rehab process contributed to his falling Draft stock last year. But Thompson never doubted that a night like Friday would come. "Eventually, I thought something like tonight would happen, definitely," he said. "Everything I was doing during the process, I wasn't expecting anything less than to end up here in pro ball. ... [When I was drafted last year], I wanted to get started. Once I could get healthy, I didn't want to wait any longer." The no-hitter also came almost a year to the day that Thompson lost his stepsister, Heather Faith Beyer, following a 15-month battle with breast cancer. She would have loved to have been there for him on the biggest day of his baseball career. "She would definitely be proud of me and she would have called me, that's for sure," Thompson said. "She was a big baseball fan." Greg Hopkins had two hits, including a three-run homer, and Jason Rogers went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for the Timber Rattlers, who have won a season-high five straight. Mark Williams recorded his first professional save. (Ann Mollica/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) Photo from prior appearance http://www.milb.com/images/2012/05/04/IkvSblYj.jpg

If you read this post the other day, then you knew more than most about Chad Thompson before his no-hit start tonight. *** If you read this detailed player profile in the Post-Crescent last Sunday, then you knew more than most about Mark Williams before his no-hit tandem relief appearance tonight. *** Great job by Chris Mehring in getting this up so quickly -- Clinton, Iowa not exactly a technological hotbed:

Wisconsin Media Notes (tarantula included)

Updated the Daily Menu based on Chris' tweet

Timber Rattlers name their Players of the Month for April *** Nashville Media Notes