Jim Goulart

Follow Saturday's action as it happens: Nashville (Gameday also available) Huntsville Game One (Gameday also available) Huntsville Game Two (Gameday also available) Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Arizona Rookie (Maryvale) DSL Brewers Game One DSL Brewers Game Two

Saturday's Daily Menu: Nashville: RHP Amaury Rivas at Colorado Springs (Rockies), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link -- Select the Nashville feed from the MiLB main audio page MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Huntsville: RHP's Cody Scarpetta and Wily Peralta in a doubleheader at home vs. Tennessee (Cubs), 4:43 PM gametime; each contest slated for seven innings Live Audio Link -- Select the Huntsville feed from the MiLB main audio page iPad/iPhone: Listen Traditional Broadcast Live Audio Link -- Select the Tennessee feed from the MiLB main audio page Brevard County: RHP Austin Ross at Lakeland (Tigers), 5:00 PM gametime Sorry, no audio available for this game... Wisconsin: RHP Maverick Lasker at Kane County (Royals), 5:40 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime Live Audio Link Helena: RHP Drew Gagnon at Missoula (Diamondbacks), 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 the Cubs' complex in Mesa; 1:00 PM gametime; never audio for games in this league DSL Brewers: (likely) doubleheader at home vs. the DSL Cardinals, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest; each contest slated for seven innings

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Brewers done in by stranded runners by Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record Steve Felix stood on third base, the tying run represented just 90 feet from home. Chants of “Let’s go Brewers” grew louder each time Adrian Williams took a swing at a pitch. But with Helena down to its final strike, Williams popped up to second baseman Joe De Pinto to end the game. For the fourth time Friday evening, a Brewers base runner was stranded at third, left thinking about what might have been. “There were a lot of opportunities in that ballgame,” Helena manager Joe Ayrault said after the Brewers dropped their third straight to the Great Falls Voyagers, 2-1 at Kindrick Legion Field. “We had a runner on second base and nobody out three or four times and we could not get him to third. That’s a big part of our daily routine in batting practice, working on moving runners over, scoring a runner from third base. It was just an off night for that.” John Dishon managed to score from third base in the third inning, after reaching on a walk and then advancing on a balk and a passed ball before Ben McMahan’s RBI single put the Brewers on the board. But that came after already leaving two on third in the early innings, and they’d strand two more from the same spot before the game was over. “Missed opportunities,” Ayrault stressed. “In order for us to be in the hunt down the stretch, we’re going to have to get that taken care of.” Great Falls (5-1) remained in first place in the Pioneer League North Division second-half standings, sweeping a series for the first time this season. But after pounding out 13 hits in Thursday night’s contest, the Voyagers needed just four in this one to earn the win. Needless to say, it was a tough-luck loss for Helena starter Andy Moye (4-1), who had entered with an unblemished mark and looked as strong as ever Friday. The right-hander went seven innings, giving up just four hits and two runs — both of them unearned — while striking out eight and walking just one. Jacob Barnes was just as solid in relief, fanning four to just one walk in two scoreless innings of no-hit ball. At one point, Brewers pitchers retired 12 straight. “Our pitchers did an outstanding job,” said the Helena skipper, whose staff leads the league in terms of ERA. “Barnes, every outing we’ve seen him this year he’s just improved from day one. He’s getting better and Moye, it was another solid start for him.” In a tight ballgame, the Brewers (2-4) were given a gift by the baseball gods — a final chance in the ninth when De Pinto made an errant throw to first on a routine ground ball that allowed Felix to get all the way to second. With a runner in scoring position and nobody out, the crowd of 1,005 came to life. But Stephen McCray would strike out Kenny Allison, and Mike Nemeth grounded out on what could’ve been another error by De Pinto if not for the heroics of Jimmy Jacquot. Jacquot, typically a catcher but playing first base for just the second time since Little League, picked a low throw out of the dirt for the crucial out. “At least we had an opportunity there to do it,” Ayrault said, seeing the silver lining. “To have the tying run in scoring position at the end, that’s all you can ask for.” The Voyagers took the lead on a two-run double by third baseman Kyle Eveland in the fifth frame. It was the only extra-base hit for Great Falls in the game, and the last time the visitors would get a base runner until Kevan Smith’s walk in the ninth. Eveland finished with two hits in the contest. McMahan was the lone Brewer to have a multi-hit game. The designated hitter was 2 for 4 with an RBI. As a team, Helena was just 1 for 16 with runners in scoring position. Helena heads to Missoula today for a quick two-game set. The Brewers are hoping a change of venue can shift momentum, as they fell to just 9-13 at home. They own a .500 road record. NOTES: Steve Felix was promoted to Helena from the Arizona League Brewers on Friday. Felix, who was batting .375 in the AZL, will give Helena depth at catcher. However, the versatile Panama City, Fla., native played first base Friday and is also capable of playing in the outfield, where he spent a lot of time in college ... Friday marked the 90th anniversary of the first-ever radio broadcast of a baseball game ... Missoula infielder Eric Groff extended his Pioneer League-best hitting streak to 22 straight games Friday ... Great Falls catcher Kevan Smith started a handful of games at quarterback for Pittsburgh before moving on to a college baseball career.

Rattler Radio Post-Game Thoughts

Three worthwhile interviews -- and yes, we do learn how Eulogio became "Frankie"... Nashville Audio Archive -- August 5 - Chat with Starting Pitcher Mike Fiers August 4 - Chat with Starting Pitcher Frankie De La Cruz August 3 - Chat with Brewers Roving Infield Instructor Bob Miscik

Garman shines in defeat by Jim Oskola, Appleton Post-Crescent GRAND CHUTE — One of the favorite things for a baseball manager to have happen is have his starting pitcher work deep into a game so he can mix and match his relievers with the opposing team's hitters. That opportunity didn't present itself when Wisconsin Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Charly Bashara lasted only 3 1/3 innings. Even though the Timber Rattlers lost to Clinton 6-1 in Friday's game at Fox Cities Stadium, Brian Garman showed that he was more than capable of picking up the team. Garman, cast in the role of long reliever, pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing two hits, while striking out three. Most important, he did not let Clinton continue to build its lead. "It's good that I had a good outing," Garman said. "If I had a poor outing, sitting back going 3 1/3 bad innings isn't what I'm looking for. Looking back on it, it's good I got to have 3 1/3 solid innings but we were really hoping Bashara was going to go deep in the game. Right now, this late into the season, the bullpen is pretty tattered and torn and you're not real sure what you're going to get out of guys. It's August and that tends to show up. I get an opportunity, I've got to make the most of it." Garman found out Thursday from pitching coach Chris Hook that he would be the long man out of the bullpen. "I expected to be the first guy out of the bullpen if Miller didn't throw a complete game," Garman said. "I've got to be in today. I've had five days off. We throw two arms out of the bullpen yesterday and I'm sitting there, scratching my head. I was banking on getting in today. I wasn't sure how long Bashara was going to be able to throw. Three innings. Eight innings. I wasn't sure, but if anyone else was going to throw, I was hoping it was going to be me. I just got lucky enough today that he called my number." Garman lowered his earned run average to 3.56 with his outing. "When I warmed up in the bullpen, I felt like I really didn't have anything going for me," he said. "Days like that, when you step on the game mound, you've just got to grind it out. You've got to trust your stuff. You've got to trust what you've done all year and just know that it's going to show up. If it doesn't show up, I'll figure out something else to do." In the other dugout, Clinton starter Taijuan Walker got it going after the first inning. Walker allowed three hits, three walks and one run with six strikeouts over five innings. In the first inning, the Rattlers loaded the bases on a single by Mike Brownstein and walks to Jason Rogers and Joey Paciorek but couldn't score. "He's got a plus fastball," said Nick Shaw, who had one hit in three cracks at Walker. "First at-bat, you want to jump at that. After the first at-bat, he really seemed to settle in. He used the curveball a lot more and kept us off balance. His curveball was like 76-77 miles per hour and his fastball was 94-95. With that difference, it's tough to hit when he settles in." The hit that Shaw got off Walker in the fifth inning helped the Rattlers score their lone run and it also extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He's hitting .368 over his last 11 games to boost his batting average to .272. "Early in the season, there were holes in my swing everywhere," Shaw said. "I made a little adjustment probably two weeks ago that has seemed to pay off. Everyday working in the cage on that adjustment has helped me continue that streak. "Early in the year, I was bringing my hands back and elbow was jacking up, causing my swing to loop a little bit. I just pushed my hands back as far as I can now so they can just come forward." The 12-game hitting streak is Shaw's hottest stretch of the season. He had an 11-game hitting streak earlier this season.

Garman's pitching repetoireby Jim Oskola, PostCrescent.com Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Brian Garman has had his ups and downs during the 2011 season. He entered Friday night's game against Clinton with a 3.83 ERA, allowing 19 earned runs over 44 2/3 innings. Friday's 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief against the LumberKings in what turned into a 6-1 loss at Fox Cities Stadium was definitely an up. What made him particularly effective against several of Clinton's right-handed batters was his ability to hit the outside corner of the plate and then when the LumberKing batters were looking for that outside pitch, he busted them inside, leaving the LumberKing batters unable to get the bat around on the ball. "That's my slider to a rightie," Garman said. "I've had a lot of success with it. It's a fairly new pitch to me. The first time I ever did that was last year. This is only really the second full season where I've been able to be consistent with a back-foot slider to a right-handed hitter. I've just had a lot of success with it. I think part of that is being able to keep my hand speed the same as my fastball and make it look like a fastball in my hand. I think a lot of guys bite on that looking like a fastball right away and it's out of the zone by the time it gets to them." When did Garman get confident enough to first throw the pitch in a game? "Everybody else is more confident than I am," Garman said with a chuckle. "It probably took me three years to learn to throw a slider. I started trying to throw a slider at the end of my freshman year in college. At that point in time, I strictly had fastball/curveball and somebody said, 'Hey, you should try throwing a slider with your arm slot and everything you have mechanically.'" With that idea planted in his head, Garman started working on the pitch. "I talked with guys getting different perspectives and different tips," Garman said. "It took me forever. It felt like I was never going to get it. Then my senior year in college it just showed up and it was my best pitch."

The Brewers did formally name Taylor Green (repeat monthly winner) and Wily Peralta as their Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for July.

RHP Blake Billings, the now-21-year-old 6'5" RHP drafted out of an Alabama high school with the 19th pick in 2008, was placed on the 60-day DL in Maryvale with an undisclosed (obviously serious) injury. Billings only pitched one inning in Maryvale in 2010 (career stats).

BC drops rubber game to Jays 'Tees have lost seven of eight By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- The Brevard County Manatees dropped the rubber game of a three-game set with the Dunedin Blue Jays by the score of 9-3 on Friday night at Space Coast Stadium. The 'Tees have lost seven of their last eight games. Nick Bucci started for the 'Tees (44-64 overall, 17-21 second half) and gave up five runs (three earned) off of six hits in 4 2/3 innings of work. Dunedin (61-50, 22-19) got its runs off of Bucci early as the Blue Jays scored twice in the first off a two-out two-run single by Brian Van Kirk and a two-out RBI double in the second by A.J. Jimenez. Jon Pokorny came in for Bucci in the fifth and allowed two runs in 2 1/3 innings and then Rolando Pascual gave up two runs in an inning of work. Eric Marzec made his Manatees debut in the ninth and threw a perfect inning. Offensively, the 'Tees did put up 11 hits, but just like Thursday, did not score until the ninth. Juan Sanchez had a two-out double in the ninth that scored Scott Krieger and then Scooter Gennett hit a two-run homer, his seventh of the season. Krieger, Sanchez, Hunter Morris and Shea Vucinich all had two hits each. Brevard County was just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Despite Brevard County's recent struggles, remarkably the Manatees are still just 3 1/2 games out of first place in the second half. The Manatees will travel to Lakeland to take on the Flying Tigers at 6:00 PM (5:00 Central). Austin Ross (1-2, 8.02) will get the ball for Brevard County, while Lakeland (54-55, 18-21) will throw Brian Stroud (0-1, 9.00). Brevard County will return home on Sunday to face Lakeland for a doubleheader. The two teams will play a second doubleheader on Monday. *** Boy, this article was a big jinx -- Manatees not even competitive lately.

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Highlights, including the play described above, here.

WORST TO FIRST: Voyagers knock off Brewers, stay atop Pioneer League by Amber Kuehn, Helena Independent Record After Great Falls finished the first half 17-21 and in the basement of the Pioneer Leauge North Division, Voyagers manager Ryan Newman had some inspiring words for his team. “A lot of people don’t remember how you start; they remember how you finish,” Newman recounted. The Voyagers have seemed to buy into that. With their 7-2 victory over the Helena Brewers Thursday at Kindrick Legion Field, Great Falls improved to 4-1 in the second half and remained in first place. Behind solid pitching and timely offense, everything seems to be clicking for the Voyagers as they make a push for the final playoff spot. Great Falls advanced last year, losing to Helena in the division championship. “They’ve made progress all season and the ball’s bouncing our way right now,” Newman said. “Pitchers are going out there and throwing strikes and our hitters are getting on base.” The Voyagers pounded out 13 base knocks — just three shy of their season high — to just four by the Brewers. Helena struggled against a starting southpaw for the second straight night, touching up Pete Gehle for just two runs on three hits. The Brewers got on the board in the second inning, when Kenny Allison’s RBI groundout scored Max Walla and Mike Nemeth’s RBI single brought John Dishon home. But the hosts went hitless over the next six frames, until Parker Berberet singled to lead off the ninth. Helena didn’t have any extra-base hits in the contest. Brewers manager Joe Ayrault called it another great pitching performance by Great Falls after the game, and his counterpart agreed. “Pete did an outstanding job, he’s been solid for us all year,” Newman said. “I think everytime he goes out there he gives us at least five innings. He’s kept us in games all year and fortunately today we scored enough runs for him and the bullpen held on.” Jamaal Hollis and Stew Brase combined for three scoreless innings of relief. Gehle (3-5, 4.34) got the win, while Helena starter Mike Strong (2-2, 4.75) was tagged with the loss after a less-than-stellar start. Strong was touched up for two runs in the first inning, before Great Falls tacked on three more in the second to take a commanding 5-0 lead. The lefty who entered the game with opponents batting just .192 against him — a league low — was chased in the second after allowing five runs on five hits. Mark Haddow led the Voyagers at the plate, going 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI. Five different Great Falls sluggers hit doubles Thursday. “This team bats well,” Newman said. “These guys have worked really hard.” With 18 players on the Voyagers roster new to pro ball this year, the Great Falls skipper said the day-in, day-out grind of a 76-game slate has taken a toll. Only now are they beginning to adjust. “It’s the first time they’ve had to come to the ballpark every day ready to play,” he said. “They kind of have their feet underneath them now, know their routine and they’re settling in.” With the win, Great Falls guaranteed a series victory over Helena, which will try to avoid the sweep. The three-game set concludes tonight, with right-hander Andy Moye (4-0, 4.42) taking the mound for the Brewers. Lefty Jarrett Casey (4-0, 4.15) gets the nod for Great Falls in a battle between unbeaten pitchers. TRANSACTION: Right-handed pitcher Eric Arnett was promoted to Low-A Wisconsin following Wednesday’s game. The 2009 first-round pick had a 4-2 mark with a 5.19 ERA in nine starts for Helena. Arnett ranked second in the Pioneer League with 49 strikeouts, and his 52 innings pitched and 229 total batters faced were tops in the league ... Brewers infielder Kyle Dhanani is day-to-day with a hand injury. He was wearing a brace following Thursday’s game and said it might be broken ... Great Falls third baseman Kyle Eveland took the field against his brother’s former team. Dana Eveland played for Helena in 2003 ... Every Pioneer League contest except the Helena-Great Falls game went extra innings Thursday ... Missoula infielder Eric Groff ran his league-best hitting streak to 21 games, getting his lone hit Thursday in his final at-bat to keep the streak alive. Photos by Dylan Brown Independent Record - Brewers' John Dishon smiles after scoring Thursday night at Kindrick Legion Field, while playing against the Great Falls Voyagers. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/7d/c7d9bf9a-bf0d-11e0-b7e9-001cc4c03286/4e3b5aa0f2fd3.image.jpg Brewers catcher Tyler Roberts looks at second base after successfully keeping Great Falls' Randall Thorpe from scoring. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/5/a8/5a864c96-bf0e-11e0-a66b-001cc4c03286/4e3b5b970f6a7.image.jpg Brewers' Yadiel Rivera hits a line drive. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/0d/20dce090-bf0e-11e0-89cd-001cc4c03286/4e3b5b364f333.image.jpg

We now know it's a hand injury for Walker, no more specifics on the nature or severity.

Rattler Radio Post-Game Thoughts

Walker's loss puts Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' offense in a hole by Ricardo Arguello, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE – There's no doubt that Mike Walker's absence in the middle of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers lineup has left a gaping hole in terms of power and production. That has been evident in Wisconsin's last three games, including Thursday's 3-2 loss to Clinton in a Midwest League game in front of 5,371 fans at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Walker, who is among the league leaders in home runs (15) and RBI (72), was placed on the seven-day disabled list after missing the past two games with a hand injury. "Anytime you lose a guy who has been instrumental and very consistent in our lineup, you have to find a guy to replace that," Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson said. "We haven't yet, but we're going to keep throwing guys out there. "That's the beauty of the game. Somebody goes down and other guys get opportunities and hopefully we can get some guys to step up and take advantage of that." Wisconsin (54-55 overall, 16-23 second half) left six runners in scoring position and mental mistakes on the base paths short-circuited early scoring opportunities. That put the onus on the Timber Rattlers pitching staff, which has produced three consecutive solid outings in as many games. Timber Rattlers starter Mike Miller threw seven innings, striking out six and allowing three earned runs, but was saddled with the loss to drop to 4-6 on the season. "We had some real good pitching performances the last few days and we had another one today," Erickson said. "Miller definitely threw the ball well enough to get the win and our bullpen has been very solid this series." Trailing 3-0, Wisconsin rallied with single runs late in the game. Greg Hopkins had an RBI groundout in the seventh to score Chad Stang to make the score 3-1. Wisconsin appeared to have a big inning brewing with runners on first and third with one out, but a spectacular catch by outfielder Kevin Rivers limited the Rattlers' Jason Rogers to an RBI sacrifice fly. A single by Joey Paciorek put runners on the corners again for the Rattlers, but Clinton got out of the inning when Stang was called out on a close check swing for the third out. "I was ready for that (situation) the whole game and I just kind of got too amped up," Stang said. "I got out of the zone I was in earlier in the game and I was too worried about trying to get that hit instead of just waiting on that pitch. "It was one of those situations where that pitch could have gone either way." Stang finished three-for-four and Nick Shaw recorded a base hit in the eighth inning to increase his hitting streak to 11 games. It was after that single where Shaw had a quick conversation with Walker, who was coaching first base. "I said 'We really miss you Mike,' " Shaw said. "It's tough because he has like 15 home runs and almost 80 RBI on the season … but we're doing well with who we got now so we just have to keep grinding."

Clinton takes close contest from WisconsinBy Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Clinton LumberKings took game three of a four game series from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-2 on Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Field. The game was the third straight between the teams in the series to be decided by one run. Wisconsin had won the first two games of the series. Robbie Anston started the ballgame by drawing a leadoff walk from Wisconsin starting pitcher Matt Miller. Anston stole second with one out, but was still at base with two outs. Miller made a good pitch to Stefen Romero, but the LumberKings second baseman fought it off and blooped the ball into right field for an RBI single. Clinton (44-65 overall, 20-19 second half) padded their lead in the fourth inning. Kevin Rivers doubled to start the winning. He took third on a grounder to the right side and scored on a wild pitch by Miller. The LumberKings got an insurance run in the sixth. Anston doubled and Julio Morban followed with an RBI single for a 3-0 lead. Wisconsin (54-55, 16-23) struggled to put together a rally against Clinton starting pitcher Roenis Elias through the first six innings. But, they got something cooking in the seventh. Chad Stang, who had three hits in the game, doubled with one out and Nick Ramirez drew a walk to chase Elias from the game. One of the first pitches from reliever Jesse Nava was mishandled by catcher Carlton Tanabe for a passed ball to allow Ramirez to second base. Greg Hopkins grounded out to second to get Stang home and move Ramirez to third. But, Nava got the final out of the inning to keep Clinton up 3-1. Elias allowed an unearned run on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts over 6-1/3 innings in his first Midwest League start. Miller went seven innings and allowed three runs on four hits with six strikeouts for the Rattlers. In the bottom of the eighth, Reggie Keen reached on a one-out error and moved to second on a wild pitch. Nick Shaw extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single to center that got Keen to third base. Next was the key play of the game. Jason Rogers sent a fly ball to shallow right-center that looked like it might drop for a run scoring single that would also move Shaw around to third with the tying run. But, Rivers charged and made a diving catch off the top of the grass for the second out. Keen tagged and scored, but Shaw had to retreat to first base. Matt Bischoff replaced Nava on the mound and gave up a single to Joey Paciorek that sent Shaw around to third, but Bischoff got the final out of the eighth and worked a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the game for Clinton. The final game of the four game series is Friday night at 7:05 PM. Charly Bashara (4-4, 5.12) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Taijuan Walker (4-5, 3.12) is set to start for the LumberKings. Friday is Emergency Services Night at Time Warner Cable Field. Paramedics, firemen, police officers, and their families will receive $1 off reserved bleachers and box seating for Emergency Services Night. Plus, the first 1,000 fans to attend this game will receive a baseball courtesy of Baycom. Friday is also North Shore Bank Family Night. Children 12 and under eat free. After the postgame fireworks display, 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 may tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45 PM. Friday's game is also available on MiLB.TV.

Brevard County routed by Dunedin, 11-1 By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- The Brevard County Manatees were unable to build on the momentum of Wednesday's comeback win as they were routed by the Dunedin Blue Jays, 11-1 on Thursday night at Space Coast Stadium. Manatees (44-63 overall, 17-20 second half) starting pitcher Hiram Burgos - who turned 24 years old on Thursday - went five innings and allowed four runs (all earned) on six hits, en route to dropping his record to 3-7. Skyler Crawford came in for Burgos and didn't fare that well either as he gave up four runs (all earned), off of two hits and four walks in just 1 1/3 innings. Efrain Nieves gave up one unearned run in 1 2/3 innings, and Roque Mercedes allowed two runs - both earned - in the top of the ninth. Brevard County's pitching staff allowed 11 hits - five of them for extra bases - and Dunedin (60-50, 21-19) hitters went 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Conversely, the 'Tees offense sputtered as Brevard County scored just one run on a lead-off homer in the bottom of the ninth by Kentrail Davis, his seventh of the year. The Manatees had just three runners get past first base the whole night. Both Davis and Shawn Zarraga had two hits each in the loss. Both Brevard County and Dunedin will look to earn a series win in Friday's rubber game, set to begin at 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). Nick Bucci (7-9, 3.57) will take the hill for the Manatees, while Dunedin's starting pitcher has yet to be announced. Manatees starting pitcher Hiram Burgos, who turned 24 on Thursday, allowed four runs in five innings of work in Brevard County's 11-1 loss to the Dunedin Blue Jays. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2011/08/04/VGvZyokw.jpg

Final, Game Two: @Colorado Springs 9, Nashville 6 Gonzalez puts in late night as Sky Sox splitIgnacio Marquez, Colorado Springs Gazette The team came out for routine batting practice, complete with ground ball catching drills. But it was not business as usual. Carlos Gonzalez was in town, rehabbing for the Sky Sox on Thursday night. There was no fanfare and no crowd surrounding the young slugger, who took regular defensive drills and batted after a couple of his Sky Sox teammates did. The Rockies’ star outfielder, who went on the disabled list on July 22 after reaggravating his right wrist injury, was slated to begin his rehab assignment for Colorado Springs on Wednesday, but rain impeded that. But he played two on Thursday. After a rain delay of 2 hours, 38 minutes, a crowd of 3,192 watched the Sky Sox lose the first game of a doubleheader, 19-0, to the Nashville Sounds. Considerably fewer people watched the second game, which didn’t start until 10:42 p.m. Those who did watched a more offensively-sound Sky Sox team defeat the Sounds 9-6 to split the doubleheader in a game that ended at 12:58 a.m. Gonzalez singled in four at-bats in the opener. The left fielder was limited to one inning in the second game, leading off the bottom of the first with a single. He came around to score the Sky Sox's first run on a sacrifice fly by Mike Jacobs. “It feels great, but I know I can get a lot better,’’ Gonzalez said between games. “This is only the first game back, but once I start swinging more and getting more playing time, it will all fall into place.” Gonzalez is scheduled to return to Denver on Saturday. In the second game, Jacobs two-run home run in the the third inning highlighted a six-run frame that put the Sky Sox up for good. Jacobs now has 95 RBIs, which tied him for the lead in all minor league baseball. Had Gonzalez not gotten a chance to play, Sky Sox manager Stu Cole was unsure of what the Rockies would have done. “We just have to wait and see what happens,” Cole said. It seems nothing worked for the Sky Sox — plans or otherwise — Thursday night, at least in the first game. The hits kept pouring after the rain stopped as the Sounds had 24 hits — and that just was the first game. The stat line through seven innings read 2-1-5-2-5-4. The Sounds offensive onslaught included two innings in which they batted around. Nashville starter Mike Fiers (4-0, 1.73 ERA) kept Colorado Springs at bay with seven strikeouts in six innings of work. The Sounds struck big in the fourth inning when the lineup batted around, chasing Sky Sox starter Clayton Mortensen out and scoring five runs to make the score 8-0. Mortensen (1-6) pitched 3 2/3 innings and gave up eight runs on 10 hits and saw his ERA balloon to 10.55. Blake Johnson replaced Mortensen in the fourth inning. Cole attributed Mortensen’s up and down season to his change in clubs. The starter has been called up to the Rockies and sent back down on some occasions. “At the beginning of the season, he had a stretch were he was going back and forth between the big league club and here, so he started for us and come out of the bullpen up there,” he said. “When he came back down the last time, he had to build his pitch count back up, and I think once he got to that point and back into a rhythm.” Nashville Game Two Box Score Every Sound starter, including pitcher Sam Narron, reached base at least once; Eric Farris tripled, doubled, and scored twice; Mat Gamel singled twice and drove in two; Taylor Green doubled and drew a walk; Sounds had a 6-2 lead when Narron surrendered a six-spot in the 3rd; all the offensive pyrotechnics puts Mike Fiers' Game One effort in an even brighter light... Nashville Game Two Play-by-Play

RHP Eric Arnett from Helena to Wisconsin, filling the spot opened by Mike Walker's DL assignment.

Look for the Nashville and Wisconsin media notes here and here later on, respectively. If Huntsville posts theirs, it will be found by placing your cursor over the "roster" banner at the Stars' home page.

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Omaha 62 49 .559 - - 33-24 29-25 7-3 W6 Memphis 56 55 .505 6.0 27 34-21 22-34 5-5 L1 Nashville 54 57 .486 8.0 26 34-25 20-32 5-5 W1 Iowa 48 64 .429 14.5 19 28-25 20-39 3-7 W1 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Chattanooga 23 16 .590 - - 10-10 13-6 6-4 W1 * Tennessee 20 19 .513 3.0 29 13-6 7-13 7-3 W5 Carolina 18 21 .462 5.0 27 9-11 9-10 4-6 W1 Huntsville 18 21 .462 5.0 27 7-12 11-9 5-5 L1 Jackson 16 23 .410 7.0 25 8-11 8-12 4-6 W1 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tampa 21 18 .538 - - 10-10 11-8 5-5 L4 Clearwater 20 19 .513 1.0 31 14-7 6-12 7-3 W1 * Daytona 20 19 .513 1.0 31 10-9 10-10 7-3 W4 Dunedin 20 19 .513 1.0 31 9-8 11-11 7-3 L1 Brevard County 17 19 .472 2.5 30 6-10 11-9 5-5 W1 Lakeland 16 21 .432 4.0 29 8-10 8-11 4-6 L1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 24 14 .632 - - 14-7 10-7 8-2 W4 Kane County 23 15 .605 1.0 - 9-9 14-6 7-3 W2 Clinton 19 19 .500 5.0 29 11-10 8-9 5-5 L3 Beloit 17 21 .447 7.0 27 8-9 9-12 3-7 L4 Cedar Rapids 16 22 .421 8.0 26 10-10 6-12 3-7 L2 Wisconsin 16 22 .421 8.0 26 8-12 8-10 4-6 W3 Peoria 14 24 .368 10.0 24 6-11 8-13 4-6 W3 * Burlington 12 26 .316 12.0 22 8-10 4-16 3-7 L3 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Great Falls 3 1 .750 - - 2-1 1-0 3-1 W1 Helena 2 2 .500 1.0 34 0-1 2-1 2-2 L1 * Missoula 2 2 .500 1.0 34 1-0 1-2 2-2 W1 Billings 1 3 .250 2.0 33 1-2 0-1 1-3 L1 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Dodgers 19 16 .543 - - 9-8 10-8 7-3 L1 AZL Reds 19 16 .543 - - 10-8 9-8 6-4 W4 AZL Indians 18 17 .514 1.0 21 10-8 8-9 5-5 W2 AZL Brewers 8 25 .242 10.0 13 4-13 4-12 2-8 L4 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Mariners 38 17 .691 - - 20-7 18-10 5-5 W1 DSL Brewers 34 20 .630 3.5 15 17-10 17-10 5-4 W2 DSL Cardinals 20 33 .377 17.0 2 13-15 7-18 6-4 L1 DSL Athletics 19 37 .339 19.5 E 11-15 8-22 4-6 L1