Jim Goulart

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! Nashville: RHP Mike Fiers at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Nashville feed from the MiLB main audio page MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Huntsville: LHP Chase Wright at Jackson (Mariners), 7:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Jackson feed from the MiLB main audio page Brevard County: RHP Nick Bucci at Tampa (Yankees), 6:00 PM gametime Sorry, no audio available for this series... Wisconsin: RHP Brooks Hall at home vs. Kane County (Royals), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Helena: RHP Andy Moye at Ogden (Dodgers), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): RHP Mike White at home vs. the mini-Mariners; 1:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league DSL Brewers: Season complete

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Final: @Orem 12, Helena 11, ten innings Owlz Win on Wild Pitch in Extras By Brandon Marcus, Orem Owlz Jerod Yakubik scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Owlz a wild 12-11 win that saw a huge comeback in the 8th inning. Chris Giovinazzo watched a ball sail passed Brewers catch Tyler Roberts and immediately stepped out of the way, and started signaling for Yakubik to come home. Yakubik came home and gave the Owlz the victory. The 10th inning started with Yakubik being hit by a pitch by an 0-2 pitch from Jacob Barnes. He got to second a single by Ryan Jones. Kaleb Cowart struck out swinging, Trevor Hairgrove hit a ground ball to second to move the runners over, and then Yakubik came home on the wild pitch. The win did not come easy as the Owlz had to fight back in the 8th inning. Orem (16-9) trailed 11-6 going to the bottom of the 8th, but came up with five runs against two of the best relievers for Helena (7-18). Alex Jones pitched a scoreless 7th, and started the 8th by striking out Giovinazzo. Kyle Mahoney was hit by a pitch, Andrew Ray walked, and Taylor Lindsey then singled to load the bases. Gary Mitchell pinch-hit for Wes Hatton and hit an infield single to bring home Mahoney. The bases were loaded, so the Brewers turned to their closer Sean Albury. Albury had not given up a single run this year before giving up two to Orem last week. The Owlz once again had no trouble with Albury. Jerod Yakubik hit a deep fly ball to right field off of Albury that was misread by Steve Felix in right. The ball sailed over his head and cleared the bases to make it an 11-10 game. Ryan Jones followed with a RBI double that scored Yakubik and tied the game at 11-11. Mike Johnson made his first professional start, giving up just two runs in three innings. Baudilio Lopez gave up four runs, Suammy Baez gave up three and Aaron Meade allowed two runs. However, Garrett Baker and Nick Mutz (2-2) threw 3.1 combined scoreless innings to allow the Owlz to come back and win. Ryan Jones finished 3-for-6 with a RBI, Andrew Ray hit his first home run since July 9th, and Taylor Lindsey went 2-for-5 with one run and 2 RBIs. *** by Al Marks, Helena NBC Sports The Helena Brewers saw their five-run lead disappear on Thursday night down in Utah as they fell to the Orem owlz 12-11 in 10 innings. The Owlz scored the winning run on a wild pitch by Brewers reliever Jacob Barnes. Helena's Parker Berberet went 2-5 with a home run and three RBI's and Ben McMahan went 3-5 with three RBI's in the loss. Ryan Jones led Orem going 3-6. Nick Mutz got the win and Barnes took the loss. Helena is now 0-4 on their road trip to Utah. Helena is 7-18 in the second half and nine games out of first place. Helena Box Score LF Kenny Allison reached four times, OBP .353; LHP Mike Strong was a victim of his defense, four unearned runs, Tyler Roberts' error and a passed ball foiled Strong... Helena Play-by-Play

Final: Memphis 9, @Nashville 6 Sounds Drop Second Straight To Redbirds, 9-6 Nashville SoundsNASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds lost their second straight game to the cross-state rival Memphis Redbirds on Thursday evening, falling 9-6 at Greer Stadium. With the win, Memphis pulled within three games of division-leading Omaha, which lost in New Orleans. The Sounds (66-67), who fell below .500 for the first time since August 8th, remain 8 ½ games back of the Storm Chasers with 11 contests remaining in the season. Redbirds right fielder Nick Stavinoha paced the visitors' 13-hit attack with a 4-for-6 evening. The teams traded the lead back and forth in the early going before Memphis pulled away by scoring in five consecutive innings from the third through the seventh. Catcher Martin Maldonado gave the Sounds a 2-0 lead in the second inning when he belted a two-out homer to left off Memphis starter Maikel Cleto, his sixth roundtripper of the year (that audio is available via the lead link in this post). Mat Gamel, who preceded the Nashville backstop with a single, also scored on the one-out blast. Memphis responded immediately, taking a 3-2 lead in the top of the third with three runs off Sounds starter Josh Butler. The Redbirds opened the frame by loading the bases on a Tyler Greene walk sandwiched by singles off the bats of Shane Robinson and Stavinoha, the visitors scored their first run on Mark Hamilton's RBI single to right and knotted the score when Greene raced home on a Matt Carpenter sacrifice fly. Later in the frame, catcher Tony Cruz staked the Redbirds to a 3-2 lead with a two-out RBI single to center to score Stavinoha. The back-and-forth affair continued in the home half of the third as the Sounds plated two runs off Cleto to reclaim a 4-3 advantage. Eric Farris tied the contest when he drove in Logan Schafer (walk) with a sacrifice fly to right. Taylor Green (2-for-4) followed with a go-ahead double into the right field corner that plated Caleb Gindl (2-for-4), who had singled earlier in the frame. It was Green's team-leading 35th two-bagger of the year. Memphis responded in their next turn at the plate, tying the contest at 4-4 as a run scored for the fourth consecutive half-inning. Robinson drew a leadoff walk from Butler and later came home on Carpenter's RBI single to right, which chased the Nashville starter from the contest. Butler took a no-decision after allowing four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. The Redbirds pulled back in front with two runs in the fifth off Sounds reliever Mike McClendon. Pete Kozma's RBI double in the frame pushed the visitors back in front. Memphis tacked on a single run in the sixth and added two more in the seventh to extend its lead to 9-4. After some early troubles, Cleto (5-2) settled down and retired 10 straight Sounds batters at one point en route to earning the victory. The right-hander allowed four runs on five hits while striking out six batters in his seven innings of action. Nashville drew back within 9-6 with a pair of eighth-inning tallies against Memphis reliever Cory Rauschenberger. Gindl, Farris, and Green opened the frame with three straight singles, the last of which plated Gindl with the first run of the frame. Farris then scored the night's final run on a Gamel groundout. Memphis closer Victor Marte worked around a pair of baserunners to toss a scoreless bottom of the ninth and nail down his PCL-leading 27th save of the year. McClendon (5-4) took the loss after surrendering three runs (two earned) on three hits in 2 1/3 innings of work in relief of Butler. The teams continue the series with a 7:05 p.m. meeting on Friday evening. Right-hander Mike Fiers (5-0, 1.44) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Memphis right-hander Brian Broderick (7-5, 5.13). Nashville Box Score Schafer, Green, Gindl and Gamel all reached at least twice, so we'll take that... Nashville Play-by-Play

Rattler Radio Post-Game Thoughts

Reliever Casey Medlen doing well for Timber Rattlers by Mike Woods, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — There was the usual monkey business after the last out was recorded Thursday on Time Warner Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The unusual part was there were actual monkeys riding dogs, chasing sheep into a pen. The idea was grand but the execution … It certainly was not as good as the show Wisconsin Timber Rattlers reliever Casey Medlen put on a few minutes earlier. He closed out his second inning of relief by striking out the side and preserving the Rattlers' 5-2 victory over Kane County in Midwest League play. It's been a whirlwind summer for Medlen, a 6-0, 155-pounder out of North Florida. He had all but given up on being drafted in June, but the Brewers plucked him in the 37th round. He signed his contract that night, ordered a U-Haul and packed up his stuff in Jacksonville, Fla., and drove to his parents home in Orlando. A day later, he was on a 6:00 AM flight to Phoenix to report to the Brewers' Arizona League team. He was there for only six games when, because of injury, the Rattlers needed a reliever. He left Arizona at midnight, arrived in Chicago at 6:00 AM, had a two-hour layover, took the one-hour flight and showed up about two hours before an afternoon game at Fox Cities Stadium. While he really needed a nap, he found himself in the bullpen and then was called on to finish up a 9-3 victory over South Bend and produced two-thirds of an inning of perfect baseball. Since then, he has posted a 1-0 record with a 2.05 ERA in 13 appearances. It has been quite the ride so far. "It has been," said Medlen. "I didn't know if I was going to get picked up or not out of college. I really didn't have that great of a year. And then getting picked up then sent right out to Arizona. "I really didn't think anything was going to happen because I was such a low draft pick. Once I came out here it was a blessing. It was pretty cool to come out here and try to make the most of my opportunity." Medlen's efforts have been a bonus for the Rattlers, who were being sent a player they likely believed they would just use for a short time before returning him to Arizona. "Casey has been a pleasant surprise, no doubt about it," said Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson. "He's worked himself into a pretty steady role at the back end of our bullpen. He's been good. He's got a little life to his fastball. He commands both sides of the plate. He's got a nice little wrinkle and throws a split-finger. "But what I like about him is that for a little guy he gets up on the mound and he's fearless. He comes right at you and throws strikes and he competes. And I never hesitate to give him the ball when those opportunities arise." Erickson said Medlen has the perfect attitude for his position. "I don't know if there's a chip on his shoulder or that's just his demeanor, his attitude," he said. "I don't know if it has anything to do with where he was drafted, but he gets on the mound and grabs the ball and comes right at you. "That's the kind of temperament, no matter what package you're in, everybody would have. I know as a player, those were the kind of pitchers you love playing behind. You knew they were going to be around the zone so you kept on your toes." Perhaps his greatest asset, aside from his demeanor, is a fastball that can reach the low 90s and a 70 mph curveball he can throw for strikes. "Ever since I was in high school," he said of the difference in velocity. "It's always been the same way, really slow. But I throw it for strikes and it's been working." What's really working now is his confidence. A guy who thought might not be drafted who will be attending the Brewers' advanced instructional league once the Rattlers' season concludes. "I feel like I can do it," Medlen said. "Everyone here has the same opportunity I have and I'm going to take full advantage of it and see where it takes me."

Team effort from Timber Rattlers tops Kane County By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers got a nice start from Matt Miller and key RBI hits from Jason Rogers, Reggie Keen, and Rafael Neda to beat the Kane County Cougars 5-2 on Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Field. T.J. Mittelstaedt started the Rattlers half of the fourth inning with a walk. He stole second and took third on a Cody Hawn grounder to the right side of the infield. Rogers broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single to get Mittelstaedt home. Miller kept the Cougars (61-67 overall, 33-26 second half) off the board until the top of the fifth. Geulin Beltre singled in a run with one out. Then, Beltre stole second and went to third on a throwing error. Miller stranded the go ahead run at third base by striking out the next two batters. Wisconsin (63-66, 25-34) retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Neda reached on an error and Brandon Macias doubled to the corner in left that put runners on second and third. One out later, Keen singled to get Neda home against Kane County pitcher Leondy Perez. Then, with Nick Shaw at the plate, Perez turned and threw to first base for an attempted pick off on Keen. However, first baseman Juan Graterol did not cleanly catch the ball. Macias broke for the plate as the ball trickled away from Graterol. Macias scored the run that put the Rattlers up 3-1. In the sixth, Neda snapped an 0-for-15 streak since joining the Timber Rattlers on August 20 with a two-run single to scored Hawn and Rogers for a 5-1 lead. Miller departed after scattering seven runs over seven innings. The Rattlers righty struck out six and picked up his sixth win of the season. Casey Medlen pitched the final two innings in relief of Miller. He allowed a run on a two out single in the top of the ninth inning, but recorded the last out of the game with his third strikeout. The final game of the three game series is Friday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Wisconsin has Brooks Hall (7-4, 3.43) as their scheduled starting pitcher. Kane County has announced Santiago Garrido (2-5, 6.20) is the scheduled starter for the Cougars. Game time is 7:05 PM. The final Friday home game of the season means that children 12 and under eat free on a North Shore Bank Family Night. After the game, enjoy a fireworks display! After the fireworks, Fazoli's invites children 14 and under to participate in Kids Run the Bases. If you can't make it out to the game, you can tune in to the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45 PM. Friday's game is also available on MiLB.TV.

Lots of runs as Nashville falls 9-6 and Helena loses (again) 12-11 in ten innings. Details later this AM...

Nashville Media Notes Look for the Wisconsin media notes here as game time approaches. If Huntsville posts theirs (they did so Wednesday), it will be found by placing your cursor over the "roster" banner at the Stars' home page.

Pacific Coast League American Northern Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Omaha 74 57 .565 - - 38-30 36-27 8-2 W2 Memphis 70 61 .534 4.0 9 40-23 30-38 8-2 W4 Nashville 66 66 .500 8.5 5 38-30 28-36 4-6 L2 Iowa 62 70 .470 12.5 1 36-28 26-42 7-3 W3 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Chattanooga 35 23 .603 - - 17-13 18-10 6-4 L1 * Tennessee 34 25 .576 1.5 11 18-11 16-14 7-3 W1 Carolina 27 32 .458 8.5 3 15-15 12-17 4-6 L1 Jackson 25 34 .424 10.5 2 12-18 13-16 2-8 W1 Huntsville 24 34 .414 11.0 1 10-18 14-16 4-6 W2 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Dunedin 33 24 .579 - - 14-11 19-13 8-2 W4 Tampa 32 25 .561 1.0 13 15-14 17-11 7-3 W6 Clearwater 29 28 .509 4.0 9 18-12 11-16 4-6 L1 Brevard County 26 30 .464 6.5 6 10-16 16-14 3-7 W1 * Daytona 25 31 .446 7.5 5 13-14 12-17 3-7 L5 Lakeland 23 31 .426 8.5 5 11-17 12-14 4-6 L2 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 34 24 .586 - - 18-10 16-14 5-5 W4 Clinton 33 25 .569 1.0 - 17-14 16-11 8-2 W4 Kane County 33 25 .569 1.0 - 13-15 20-10 5-5 W1 Beloit 26 32 .448 8.0 6 12-15 14-17 3-7 L4 Cedar Rapids 25 33 .431 9.0 5 15-15 10-18 5-5 L1 * Burlington 24 34 .414 10.0 4 14-15 10-19 7-3 W1 Wisconsin 24 34 .414 10.0 4 11-18 13-16 5-5 L1 Peoria 22 36 .379 12.0 2 12-18 10-18 2-8 L5 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Great Falls 15 9 .625 - - 7-3 8-6 7-3 W4 Billings 14 10 .583 1.0 14 6-4 8-6 6-4 W2 * Missoula 13 11 .542 2.0 13 9-5 4-6 5-5 L1 Helena 7 17 .292 8.0 7 4-10 3-7 3-7 L3 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Dodgers 31 21 .596 - - 16-10 15-11 6-4 L2 AZL Reds 30 22 .577 1.0 4 16-10 14-12 7-3 W3 AZL Indians 27 25 .519 4.0 1 14-11 13-14 6-4 L1 AZL Brewers 16 36 .308 15.0 E 8-18 8-18 7-3 W1 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak # DSL Mariners 45 24 .652 - - 22-13 23-11 4-6 W3 & DSL Brewers 44 27 .620 2.0 E 21-15 23-12 6-4 L1 DSL Cardinals 27 44 .380 19.0 E 16-19 11-25 6-4 W1 DSL Athletics 24 46 .343 21.5 E 14-20 10-26 3-6 L4

Follow Thursday's action as it happens: Nashville (Gameday also available) Huntsville (Gameday also available) Brevard County Wisconsin Helena

By the way, sweet revenge for former DSL and Maryvale Brewer and now DSL Oriole Jhonatan Javier, released by Milwaukee this spring -- he knocked in the game's only run in the 1-0 Cerveceritos game today.

Bad news for the DSL Brewers, they lost 1-0 in the first game today despite another amazing outing from still 17-year-old RHP Gian Rizzo, and as I type this, trail 10-3 late in the deciding series game. Eric will fill us in on the details later this evening.

Thursday's Daily Menu: Nashville: RHP Josh Butler at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Nashville feed from the MiLB main audio page MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Huntsville: RHP Jesus Sanchez at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:43 PM gametime Live Audio Link iPad/iPhone: Listen Traditional broadcast -- Birmingham feed Brevard County: RHP Tyler Thornburg at Clearwater (Phillies), 6:00 PM gametime Sorry, no audio available for this series... Wisconsin: RHP Matt Miller at home vs. Kane County (Royals), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Helena: LHP Mike Strong at Ogden (Dodgers), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): Idle

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Helena Independent Record recaps the road contest -- Brewers struggles continue One inning was really all Ogden needed. The Raptors scored seven runs on just two hits in the bottom of the sixth inning Wednesday, breaking the game open and beating the Helena Brewers 10-4 at Lindquist Field. Helena finished the game with the same number of hits as Ogden (five), but the difference in the contest was three Brewers errors. The Brewers took a 3-2 lead in the fourth frame when Steve Felix hit his first home run in a Helena uniform, a two-run shot to right field. The game stayed within one run until the bottom of the sixth, when the Ogden onslaught began. With one out, Helena starter Tommy Toledo hit Scott Schebler with a pitch, Matt Kirkland reached on a Kyle Dhanani fielding error and Toledo walked Jeff Hunt to load the bases. Two runs then came in on an error by Toledo, when the pitcher dropped the ball and allowed Justin Boudreax to reach first safely. Hunt stole home during the next at-bat, and Toledo was pulled after he issued back-to-back free passes. Noel Cuevas then struck a three-run triple off of reliever Seth Harvey, the Raptors’ first hit of the inning. Ogden added another base on balls and RBI single before the inning finally ended with Kirkland striking out, as the hosts batted around. Dhanani led the Brewers at the plate in a 2-for-4 performance, with a double and two runs scored. He was the only Brewer slugger with more than one hit in the game. Yadiel Rivera and Max Walla also added extra-base hits to go along with Felix’s bomb. The Brewers were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. In addition to errors by Dhanani and Toledo, Parker Berberet was called for catcher’s interference. Toledo (0-5) took the loss despite hurling a one-hitter. The Florida product gave up seven runs, of which just one was earned, and walked four in 4 1/3 innings.

Link also contains a Timber Rattler Photo Gallery Despite loss to Kane County, Wisconsin starting pitcher Eric Arnett has his best outing of season by Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — Eric Arnett sent an urgent message to the Milwaukee Brewers' organization Wednesday night: Don't give up on me. The former No. 1 draft pick has been a keen disappointment in his brief professional career, but the 6-foot-5, 219-pound right-hander on Wednesday showed the talent and tenacity that convinced the Brewers to make him the 26th overall pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. The 23-year-old Arnett delivered one of his best starts as a pro. Although he was the losing pitcher in Wisconsin's 4-1 loss to Kane County, Arnett's power pitching was a bright spot. He allowed two earned runs on five hits with a season-high eight strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. His 2011 record with the Rattlers may have dropped to 0-3, but Arnett's performance was highly encouraging. Two of the hits he surrendered were of the infield variety, including a bunt single. Arnett overmatched hitters at times, striking out the side in both the first and third innings. "He was outstanding," said Wisconsin pitching coach Chris Hook. "You saw some tenacity. You saw some aggressiveness. That's the best I've seen him." Arnett pounded the strike zone all evening, not walking a hitter. Of his 100 pitches, 72 were strikes. "I wasn't too happy with the result, not getting a W, but I felt good about what I did," said Arnett. "I was able to pretty much put the ball where I wanted to. It was an all-around good outing. I probably should have taken a little more fielding practice, though." Arnett was referring to his first-inning throwing error, when he fielded a potential double-play ball but threw wild to second. It was the first of two Rattlers' errors in the inning that led to the game's first two runs. Arnett's fastball topped off at 92 mph and he had a sharp slider, which he used as his out pitch. He also mixed in an effective change-up. "His slider was really tight and he used that in all counts," said Hook. "He had the change working as well as a split-finger (fastball). He kind of put it all together tonight. It was fun to watch." Arnett had little command of his change-up entering the season, but threw it for strikes Wednesday. "That's a pitch (the change-up) I had before, but I could never get it over the plate," said Arnett. "But this year, something clicked. It's not my best pitch, but now I can throw it over the plate." It was Arnett's third start of the season for Wisconsin and his second quality start after limiting Quad Cities to three runs on four hits with seven strikeouts on Aug. 14. He lowered his 2011 Timber Rattlers' ERA to 4.34. Arnett missed the start of the season with rotator cuff tendinitis before posting a 4-2 record at Helena in the Pioneer League with a high 5.19 ERA. But he did have 59 strikeouts in 52 innings. "I wish this would have come a bit earlier, but better late than never I guess," said Arnett, who is rated by Baseball America as the Brewers' 18th best prospect. "Hopefully this will carry over into my last two starts and then I can go to Arizona and work on some stuff." Arnett's impressive start was good news for a Brewers' organization that has taken some heat for investing a No. 1 pick on Arnett. The former University of Indiana standout entered the season with a career 3-13 record and 6.18 ERA. He spent most the 2010 season with Wisconsin and posted a 1-9 record with a 6.70 earned run average in 20 appearances and 16 starts. His stellar outing Wednesday, though, provides hope he can develop into a big-league pitcher. "This guy has been through a bunch," said Hook. "But to me, there is a difference in what he's doing now and how he's going about his work. There's just a different intensity to him and I think it's showing."

Rattler Radio Post-Game Thoughts Where can you find a monkey and a dog working on their herding skills? Nick Shaw keeps an eye on them between innings as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers host the Kane County Cougars on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. Photo by Ron Page/The Post-Crescent http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=U0&Date=20110825&Category=APC0206&ArtNo=108250801&Ref=PH&Item=14&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

Kane County spoils Wisconsin's homecoming By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Kane County Cougars stayed on pace for the post-season with a 4-1 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Wednesday night at Time Warner Cable Field. The Rattlers, back home after a seven game road trip, received a solid start from Eric Arnett, but the Cougars had enough for the win. Kane County (61-66 overall, 33-25 second half) scored two unearned runs in the first inning. Angel Franco reached on a single to start the game. Geulin Beltre was next and he sent a grounder right back to the mound. Arnett fielded the ball cleanly, but was inaccurate with his throw to second. Instead of a double play for two outs, the Cougars had runners on first and second with no outs. Arnett struck out the next batter. Then, Cheslor Cuthbert singled to right to get Franco home. An error on the play allowed Beltre to score for a 2-0 lead. Arnett hit the next batter to put runners on first and second with one out. But he struck out the next two batters and started a streak of 11 straight batters set down. The Rattlers (62-66, 24-34) came back with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Jason Rogers doubled in a run with two outs and Wisconsin was down a run. Wisconsin threatened to tie the game later. Nick Shaw and T.J. Mittelstaedt each singled to start the sixth. But, an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempt and an inning ending double play kept the Rattlers off the scoreboard. Nick Ramirez doubled to start the bottom of the seventh inning, but he was left stranded there when the inning ended. Arnett retired the first two batters in the top of the eighth inning, but gave up a single and hit a batter to put two runners on base. That ended his night. Dan Britt came out of the Rattlers bullpen to face Kevin David and threw a wild pitch to move each runner into scoring position. Then, David singled to left and drove in both runners for a 4-1 lead. Arnett tossed 7-2/3 innings, allowed four runs (two earned), and struck out eight batters. The Rattlers put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but could not mount more of a rally. Nick Rogers came on in the bottom of the ninth and retired Wisconsin in order for his seventh save of the season. Game two of the three game series is Thursday night at 7:05 PM. Matt Miller (5-7, 4.64) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Kane County has Leondy Perez (7-11, 3.23) as their scheduled starter. Thursday is a Thirsty Thursday which means that 22 ounce Pepsi products and 16 ounce Miller products are available for $2. Redeem a Thursday night game ticket at Slugger's, located inside Super Bowl on Northland Avenue, for a chance to win great prizes from Miller Lite. You will want to see the Ghost Riders in action at the Thursday's game. The Ghost Riders are monkeys - dressed as cowboys - riding dogs to herd sheep. Do not miss their first ever appearance at Time Warner Cable Field! And wear your cowboy boots and cowboy hats for Country & Western Night. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, you can tune into the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45 PM.

DSL Brewers with Game Two on Thursday now, Game Three Friday if necessary. It also appears that if the Brewers complete the sweep Thursday, the second round series would begin on Friday at the 52-18 Angels. The Brewers nemesis, the Marineritos, also won Wednesday, 8-1 over the Cubs #2 (Cuberitos-dos?) squad.

Nashville Media Notes Huntsville Media Notes

Hall Monitorby Bob Brainerd, sports32.com (Time Warner Cable) Photos by Brad Krause http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Brooks-throw-close-199x300.jpg Timber Rattlers pitcher Brooks Hall has learned to tune out the smack from his friends back home. You see, this native of South Carolina had a full ride on the table to play for his home state University of South Carolina Gamecocks…you know, the back-to-back National Champs? “People say that to me all the time, a bunch of my buddies and old coaches, they give me crap all the time, you could have been a two-time National Champion!” laughed Hall, a fourth round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009. “But I like what I did. I made the decision to play and I can’t look back now.” When Hall does sneak a peek at his childhood, he recalls a baseball environment that began the day he was born. On June 26th, 1990, Steven Brooks Hall came into the world dubbed with a middle name to honor his father’s idol. “Brooks Robinson was his hero so he gave me that name, and I’ve always gone by Brooks, not Steven, which is my real first name,” said Hall. “No one’s ever really called me that, maybe just in school on the first day.” It didn’t take long for Hall to tee it up and swing away at Tee Ball when he was only three. He followed up with coach pitch and then a team top heavy with buddies that traveled around the state. But his future on the mound was still in the distant future. “When I was that young I liked hitting,” said Hall. “Some people, when they’re young, like to pitch but I liked to hit and play shortstop growing up. It was fun having all your friends together having a good time out there. “It was an everyday thing, me and my dad outside throwing or something, taking ground balls and playing every weekend, just having fun back then trying to get here. This is my dream, so I was just working on it every day when I was younger.” But the fun and games grew more businesslike as Hall sprouted. His offensive ability stood out, so much so that the lanky 6-6 hitter eventually punched his ticket to play on scholarship at South Carolina thanks to a quick bat that hit for average and power. The plan was to nurture his offensive skills with the Gamecocks and dabble in pitching out of the bullpen. “I was playing third and shortstop and even going to go to South Carolina to be a utility guy and maybe close some,” said Hall. “But then before my senior year in high school I started working more on my pitching because scouts started saying I had a good arm and they wanted to see me pitch.” http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Brooks-pitch-300x200.jpg Somewhat reluctantly, Hall put his lumber in the bat rack for good at T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina. The scouts were correct in their assessment…Hall blew the competition away, even tossing a perfect game with 12 strikeouts on March 23rd, 2009. Still, the All-State senior yearned for his days at the dish. “Really hard for me,” said Hall. “I enjoyed my senior year in high school but it was tough to just focus on pitching. But now that I’ve been doing it for awhile I love it. I haven’t hit in two or three years so it might be hard to hit again, but I get to get back in it when I make it to Double A.” Before Hall could ever entertain reviving his offensive skills again, he had to begin his professional journey strictly on the bump. Hall went 3-4 with a 5.44 ERA in 14 games (seven starts) for the Arizona League affiliate of the Brewers in his inaugural 2010 season, walking just 16 and striking out 43 in 46-plus innings of work. “It was a little boring at first because, you control the game, but it’s just different when you’re out there playing short and hitting,” said Hall. “It’s just seeing the game a little different. You throw the ball up there and everybody has to make plays behind you when you were the one making plays and scoring runs for the team…now I have to keep them from scoring. “It kind of helps being a hitter because when you face guys you can see things and say what would I do right here…what would I be thinking?” While Hall’s head was getting a workout, his arm was growing more accustomed to erasing hitters. It was somewhat simple during his prep days, but no breeze in the minor leagues. “Another thing that was hard was developing off-speed pitches…I never had any,” said Hall. “All I had was a fastball and never had trouble throwing a fastball for a strike. That’s all I needed in high school, but I’ve developed a changeup and a slider. It wasn’t very hard, just had to work on it a lot. http://www.sports32.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Brooks-bullpen-199x300.jpg “My body and my motion are better. I’m able to repeat it, and that’s all that pitching is, repeating your delivery and throwing the ball where you want to. Once you feel your body do that, it becomes natural, everything becomes instinct. I just look at the mitt, throw a strike and get ahead of the hitters.” Hall made it look that elementary in his July 18th start against South Bend. With a Sports32 audience watching, Hall cobbled together a no-hitter into the seventh inning before giving up a blemish in the box score. The former slugging infielder may have morphed completely into a dominant pitcher that day. “I’m feeling way more comfortable on the mound, way more focused and I actually know what I’m doing out there right now,” said Hall. “At the beginning of the year I knew what I was doing, but now I’m learning how to pitch and know exactly what I need to do out there. It’s making a lot of things easier for me.” Hall made his debut with the Timber Rattlers on May 21st notching a win over Burlington by going five full innings in the first game of a doubleheader. He continues into the final weeks of the Midwest League season having never lost more than he won between starts. “I just want to maintain what I’m doing now,” said Hall. “I want to keep getting better each day because hitters are getting tired so you’ve got to be the guy not getting tired and overcome that. Hitters are going to be giving away at bats right now so it’s my time to go out and have a big end to the season.” Brooks Hall refuses to check the rear view mirror. He garnered an impressive paycheck to skip college and sign with the Brewers, but hasn’t made any outrageous purchases to date, unless you count his $1500 hunting bow, a small chunk of change out of his $700,000 deal. There is also no sign of Hall jumping ahead and trying to figure out his future. This is one pitcher whose ultimate baseball dream remains in check. “Honestly, I don’t focus on that,” admitted Hall. “I focus on the day to day. If I do what I have to do every day here (Appleton) then it’ll happen. So I’m not really focused on the big picture yet, taking this day by day and year by year. “When I get there it’s time to focus on if I want to have 25 wins in a season or do it big like that. That’s when it’s time to think about that.”

Pacific Coast League American Northern Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Omaha 73 57 .562 - - 38-30 35-27 7-3 W1 Memphis 69 61 .531 4.0 10 40-23 29-38 8-2 W3 Nashville 66 65 .504 7.5 7 38-29 28-36 4-6 L1 Iowa 61 70 .466 12.5 2 36-28 25-42 6-4 W2 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Chattanooga 35 22 .614 - - 17-13 18-9 7-3 W1 * Tennessee 33 25 .569 2.5 11 17-11 16-14 6-4 L1 Carolina 26 31 .456 9.0 4 14-14 12-17 5-5 W1 Jackson 24 34 .414 11.5 2 12-18 12-16 2-8 L1 Huntsville 23 34 .404 12.0 1 9-18 14-16 3-7 W1 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Dunedin 33 24 .579 - - 14-11 19-13 8-2 W4 Tampa 30 25 .545 2.0 13 13-14 17-11 6-4 W4 Clearwater 29 27 .518 3.5 10 18-11 11-16 4-6 W2 * Daytona 25 29 .463 6.5 7 13-14 12-15 4-6 L3 Brevard County 25 30 .455 7.0 6 10-16 15-14 3-7 L5 Lakeland 23 31 .426 8.5 5 11-17 12-14 4-6 L2 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 33 24 .579 - - 18-10 15-14 5-5 W3 Clinton 32 25 .561 1.0 - 17-14 15-11 8-2 W3 Kane County 32 25 .561 1.0 - 13-15 19-10 5-5 L3 Beloit 26 31 .456 7.0 8 12-14 14-17 4-6 L3 Cedar Rapids 25 32 .439 8.0 7 15-14 10-18 5-5 W5 Wisconsin 24 33 .421 9.0 6 11-17 13-16 5-5 W1 * Burlington 23 34 .404 10.0 5 14-15 9-19 6-4 L1 Peoria 22 35 .386 11.0 4 12-17 10-18 2-8 L4 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Great Falls 14 9 .609 - - 6-3 8-6 7-3 W3 Billings 13 10 .565 1.0 15 5-4 8-6 5-5 W1 * Missoula 13 10 .565 1.0 15 9-5 4-5 6-4 W1 Helena 7 16 .304 7.0 9 4-10 3-6 3-7 L2 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Dodgers 31 20 .608 - - 16-10 15-10 7-3 L1 AZL Reds 29 22 .569 2.0 4 15-10 14-12 7-3 W2 AZL Indians 27 24 .529 4.0 2 14-11 13-13 6-4 W2 AZL Brewers 15 36 .294 16.0 E 7-18 8-18 6-4 L1 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak # DSL Mariners 45 24 .652 - - 22-13 23-11 4-6 W3 & DSL Brewers 44 27 .620 2.0 E 21-15 23-12 6-4 L1 DSL Cardinals 27 44 .380 19.0 E 16-19 11-25 6-4 W1 DSL Athletics 24 46 .343 21.5 E 14-20 10-26 3-6 L4

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens: Nashville (Gameday also available) Huntsville (Gameday also available) Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Arizona Rookie (Maryvale) DSL Brewers Playoff -- Completion of Suspended Game One DSL Brewers Playoff -- Game Two in the best-of-three series

Wednesday's Daily Menu: Nashville: RHP Amaury Rivas at home vs. Memphis (Cardinals), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Nashville feed from the MiLB main audio page MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Huntsville: RHP Jesus Sanchez at home vs. Birmingham (White Sox), 6:43 PM gametime Live Audio Link iPad/iPhone: Listen Traditional broadcast -- Birmingham feed Brevard County: RHP Evan Anundsen at Clearwater (Phillies), 6:00 PM gametime Sorry, no audio available for this series... Wisconsin: RHP Eric Arnett at home vs. Kane County (Royals), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Note: Milwaukee with a matinee, so locals can watch "big league" guilt-free Time Warner Cable Sports 32, and there is also the MiLB.TV link which synchs with Chris Mehring's radio call. Helena: RHP Drew Gagnon at Ogden (Dodgers), 7:45 PM pre-game, 8:00 gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Helena feed from the MiLB main audio page Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at home vs. the Indians' kids; 1:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league DSL Brewers: First, it's the completion of Monday's Game One vs. the DSL Orioles (good guys up, 3-1, after three innings) and then it's the regularly scheduled Game Two in the best-of-three first-round playoff series; technically, the Cerveceritos are the visiting team in the suspended game and the home team in the nightcap (daycap?); we imagine both games are being played at the Brewers' complex. You would think both games (certainly Game One) would be played out for nine full innings -- we'll see.