Jim Goulart

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Ruth Carpenter is a season ticket holder; she says she has the best seat in the house; in the shade and behind home plate. KOB Eyewitness News 4 asked her if there was anything that would keep her from an Isotope game. Carpenter answered, "Not that I know of, not that I know of. I love baseball." She added, "It didn't bother me. I've been in worse conditions than a haze." Lady, you rock (video).

DiFelice said he has a verbal “out” agreement with the Brewers. Though not a written agreement, DiFelice said his understanding is it could essentially allow him to pursue opportunities with other teams if he's not joined the big league squad by Wednesday. Milwaukee's director of player development Reid Nichols told the Citizen-Times he wasn't privy to that conversation — which Nichols said would have been between DiFelice and Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash. As you'll read below -- MLB recall can't come fast enough for former Western Carolina University pitcher DiFelice by Tyler Norris Goode, Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times The conditioning was grueling. The weightlifting sessions were exhausting. The bullpen sessions seemed like they would never end. But there was something Mark DiFelice disdained even more than all that while rehabilitating from shoulder surgery last year. “The worst part of rehab is the downtime, the time actually away from the competitive aspect of the game,” said DiFelice, a former Western Carolina pitcher who made his big league debut with Milwaukee in 2009. “It's always trying mentally. You have to go through the conditioning, the strengthening of the shoulder. I think I threw 21 bullpens before I actually threw to a live hitter. … And it was my second shoulder surgery, so I didn't know how it was going to respond.” His body has actually bounced back quite well, based on the numbers he's putting up for Milwaukee's Triple-A club in Nashville. He recently moved from the bullpen back to starter and has been steady in both roles, posting a 1.82 earned run average with 27 strikeouts and five walks in 24 2-3 innings. He may be back on the diamond and thriving, but he's still not reached the destination he's aiming for. After striking out 11, walking three and posting a 3.86 ERA in 10 spring training appearances (9 1-3 innings), he hoped to break camp with the big league club. Since joining Nashville, he believes he's worked to show he belongs at the higher level either as a starter or reliever. “I wanted to be healthy,” DiFelice said. “The fact that I am healthy is the most important thing. I'm comfortable with Triple-A. Do I belong here? I don't think I do. I think I belong in the big leagues.” However, when asked about DiFelice's progress since returning to baseball, Nichols said: “I think he's back where he was before.” “As a worker, no one's going to out-work him,” Nichols said. “Last year when he was rehabbing in Arizona, sometimes it's 117 degrees, and they can get their work in and go home. We had games going on with rookie players, and after he'd get in his work he'd come out and watch the games. He's a real professional.” Mark DiFelice, who played his college baseball at Western Carolina, is trying to work his way back to the big leagues and is currently with Milwaukee's Triple-A club in Nashville, Tenn. / Mike Strasinger/Special to Citizen-Times http://cmsimg.citizen-times.com//apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=B0&Date=20110612&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=306120049&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0

To follow up, Macias, while not drafted, is perceived to have more value if he can stick at shortstop, according to KU bloggers. Macias, a senior from Flagstaff, Ariz., finished the year hitting .248 with four home runs, 19 RBIs and 34 runs scored. He batted .290 in his junior season with KU and made a handful of spectacular plays at shortstop, according to online reports. Brandon Macias Roster Profile Page via the KU site Macias is 22 years old (10/10/88).

Peterson Signs with Milwaukee Brewers LHP Stephen Peterson will report to the Brewers' rookie league team in Arizona KINGSTON, R.I. - The University of Rhode Island's Stephen Peterson has signed with Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent and will report to the Brewers' rookie league team in Arizona. "Like every kid who grows up playing baseball, I've dreamed about this my entire life," said Peterson, 23 years old. "I'm just really thankful for getting the opportunity to go out there and achieve my goals." Peterson, who missed the 2009 (transfer from Marist) and 2010 (injury) seasons, wrapped up the year with a perfect 6-0 record in Atlantic 10 conference games. He tossed two complete-game shutouts and led Rhody's starters with a 3.06 ERA. The Danvers, Mass. native also struck out a team-best 69 batters (85.1 innings) while holding opponents to a .231 batting average, en route to earning All-Conference and All-New England honors. At the annual NEIBA All-Star game, he was tabbed Pitcher of the Game after allowing just one hit over two shutout innings. "I couldn't be happier for Stephen," said head coach Jim Foster. "He proved to be an integral part of our weekend rotation this year and is very deserving of this opportunity." Peterson is the seventh Rhode Island baseball player to sign with an MLB team under Foster's guidance. Last year, Tim Boyce was selected by the Seattle Mariners following a 2009 season where Eric Smith (Arizona), Nick Greenwood (San Diego), Dan Rhault (Tampa Bay) and Luke Demko (San Francisco) were all taken in the Draft. Zach Zaneski signed with the Texas Rangers in 2008 while the New York Mets selected Steve Holmes in 2006. Stephen Peterson's Bio Page from URI *** URI’s Peterson Silencing A-10 Batters After Two Years AwayBy Kat Cornetta, collegebaseballdaily.com May 16, 2011 When a student-athlete makes the difficult decision to transfer to another program, they must mentally prepare for having to sit out a season. University of Rhode Island starting pitcher Stephen Peterson prepared to sit out a year after leaving Marist, but then found himself out longer than he ever expected. “I knew when I transferred, I would have to stay out that year,” the now-redshirt senior Peterson reflected on the 2009 season, the year NCAA guidelines forced him to watch on the sidelines due to his transfer. “I was prepared for that. I had some things to work on myself, and I was going to take that time to do so. I wasn’t just going to sit there, I was going to use that time to get better and get ready to contribute in 2010.” After making great strides in his pitching during the year he sat out, the Danvers, Massachusetts native took his refined skills to summer ball with the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL.) “I was having a great summer. I was pitching well, really hitting a good stride,” the left-hander said of his summer with the Gulls. Peterson pitched the Gulls through the semifinal round of the NECBL championship (which they won), but found out soon after that he would need Tommy John surgery. After an entire collegiate season out of the game already, the lengthy rehabilitation and unknowns that the surgery presented could have derailed Peterson’s college pitching plans. Peterson, however, saw it as just one more obstacle to persevere through. “I remember vividly the morning after the Tommy John surgery. Dr. (James) Andrews had done my surgery, and I was down in his facility down South. That morning, I went straight to rehab, and there were all of these big league guys around me, guys who had the same surgery as I did. I saw them working hard, and I just joined right in. I wasn’t going to take a break, or be sad, or get down on myself. This was just going to be another step in the process, and I was going to have to work hard at coming back.” Key to Peterson’s recovery was keeping his passion for baseball at the forefront. “I never lost that love of the game. This injury put my back up against the wall, and I was going to have to fight. You always have those around you who whisper, ‘He’s not going to come back, He’s not going to make it,’ and I wanted to prove them wrong. I have overcome another obstacle before by transferring. I was going to overcome this injury too.” After sitting out yet another season, Peterson prepared to return to the lineup during fall ball. He finally started his first collegiate game since 2008 and his first for URI on February 20th against McNeese State, a 11-5 loss. Peterson’s first three starts (including at #1 ranked Florida) were losses, but he didn’t panic. “My maturity definitely helped. After those first couple losses, I knew I had to do something. I think I took those first two weeks to heat up. I didn’t let myself get down. I talked to my coaches and my teammates, and I focused on just improving and looking at things little by little.” He had a sense things would settle down heading into URI’s March 20th 3-2 win against the College of Charleston, which Peterson points to as his favorite game of the season so far. “I knew I was getting the ball Sunday against the College of Charleston. I knew if we got out of there taking two out of three in this tournament, against these ranked teams, it would bode well for our team down the stretch. “I gave up two early on in the first inning, but after that I got into a groove. I don’t think that groove has left. I’ve just built on that from then on. I felt I was coming into my own, and I had finally put everything behind me. It was a complete game for everybody. We learned what we had inside us as a team, and (the game) had us excited for entering Atlantic-10 play and then opening up our home season.” Since the College of Charleston game, Peterson took a no-decision against Charlotte, but then started on a roll in league play. He has gone 6-0 in league play, and is the only pitcher in Atlantic-10 to be undefeated. After URI’s May 8th 4-1 win against UMass, Peterson struck out 10 batters, having only allowed five runs in his last 35 innings pitched. Peterson also gives a lot of credit to his teammates, many of whom look to him as a leader in the clubhouse. “To be honest, these guys have taken me in like I came in three years ago with all of them. It doesn’t matter to them that I transferred or couldn’t play. We’re all working towards the same goal, and it is really refreshing to be around a team like that, where we aren’t all looking for individual honors. We honestly all root for each other.” For Peterson, his hot streak and fit in this season’s URI lineup has only reaffirmed his dedication during his two year layoff. “I worked my butt off to get where I am right now. To be honest, I feel better than I ever have and I am pitching better than I ever have.”

Timber Rattlers profile: No. 6 T.J. Mittelstaedt, outfielder, infieldercompiled by Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent Quick hits - Age: 23. - Position: Outfielder, infielder. - Height, weight: 5-10, 185. - Bats/throws: Left/right. - Resides: Mission Viejo, Calif. - Notes: Selected by the Brewers in the 44th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft … Attended Long Beach State University … Majored in criminal justice … Named second-team all-Big West as a senior … Through Thursday, led the Rattlers with a .295 batting average and .420 on-base percentage … Was a high school classmate of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. Favorites - MLB team growing up: "Had to be the Angels because I'm from Southern California. It wasn't going to be the Dodgers because I was in Orange County so the hometown team was the Angels." - MLB player growing up: "J.T. Snow. He played centerfield, then first base, and that's how I grew up, playing everywhere. Plus, he was No. 6, too, and that was my number." - Food: "My mom makes some good Chicken Alfredo so that would be my choice." - Thing about Mission Viejo: "I'm pretty much two hours away from doing anything. There are days in the winter where I've gone to the beach in the morning and at night ended up at Big Bear, up in the mountains and barbequing up at the cabin. So being able to do anything at anytime of the year is probably my favorite thing." - TV show: " 'That 70s Show' and 'Family Guy.' Any kind of comedy, really." - Musical artist: "The most that I have on my iPod right now is Eminem." - NFL team: "San Francisco. Everybody in my family is divided but me and one of my sisters pulls for San Francisco. I have no idea why I chose it, but that's my team.'' Q&A Q: The team just got back from a 13-game road trip this week. What was that like? A: "Awful. The bus trips, we'd get in around 4:00 AM everywhere we went. Then you'd try to sleep, get a little bite to eat and get to the field and get back in the routine. You really have to conserve your energy, taking a little less BP and mentally preparing as opposed to physically. Staying mentally prepared was the hardest thing because eating cycles got completely washed away. You'd just try and find two or three times to eat and other than that, drink as much water as you could.'' Q: I guess you know you've been on a long trip when you go on the disabled list and come off on the same trip. What happened? A: "I bunted and it was just an instinctive play. The guy threw it high, jumped, and as I was passing the bag he tagged me straight down on the top of my head. And the next thing I was on the ground. He couldn't have squared up with the top of my head any better. It gave me a concussion and I had to wait a week. It couldn't have come at a worst time because I was starting to swing it pretty good." Q: What was it like to play at such an athletically noted high school like Mission Viejo? A: "It really gave me perspective in a lot of things. I was on the backburner, even though I did everything I did in high school. Our football team, with Mark Sanchez, just took over the school when they were No. 1 in the country. Mark was the quarterback when I was there for two years. He also played on my baseball team on junior varsity. But seeing them having success, and still during the baseball season having the football team get all the recognition, it made me want to keep doing what I was doing, keep working hard. And then I chose to go to Long Beach because they didn't have a football team. Baseball was the focus. And that helped because when you were doing well, everybody at the school knew it and we'd get more fans and they were there for you instead of somebody else. That was nice. But all of our athletes at Mission Viejo hung out together. We didn't have any rivalries. Everybody pretty much liked each other." Q: So was Sanchez as big a deal at your high school as one might think? A: "Yeah. Everybody knew it was going to happen; it was just a matter of when. He was pretty much a freak because he was so gifted that early. He was 6-foot-4 and could throw the ball 70 yards." Q: So you chose Long Beach because of baseball? A: "It was definitely a fit, just because of how they played. That's the way I always played. It was fun, make the other team mess up." Q: How was your overall experience at Long Beach? A: "It was a lot of fun. The school was about a half mile from the beach. On off days we'd go to Huntington Beach and go hang out there for a couple hours and then come back and barbeque. They only have two seasons; it's summer then a little bit cooler." Q: What do you hope to do with your criminal justice major? A: "I'm hoping I won't have to do much. But I've looked in to fire investigation. I have a few friends in the San Diego fire department now and they're always in need of the inspectors. And with my criminal background it puts me right in the front to go into that." Q: What does it mean to be a Dirtbag? A: "If there's another Dirtbag around and you're not outworking everybody, you're going to have a problem. So to have (former Long Beach player and Brewers reliever Marco) Estrada at spring training was easy because I knew if somebody's walking somewhere I'm going to jog. Whatever somebody does, you're going to do it harder. You're going to outwork everybody, everyday. And if it doesn't work out, at least you worked harder than everybody else." Q: So it's like a badge of honor? A: "Yeah. (Cal State) Fullerton can take all the college attributes, but we're going to outwork them and get to the bigs." Q: What was it like to get drafted? A: "Hectic. My junior year I had the best year of my career and didn't get drafted. And then senior year, I'm talking to about 15 teams. 'We're going to take you. We're going to take you.' And then 43 rounds go by and nothing had happened. I finally decided to go to the gym to work off some anger at about the 30th round and come back in the 40th and I'm still not drafted. At that point I told some friends to come over because if this doesn't happen we were still going to have a party. Once it came, it was pretty much a relief more than excitement, just knowing that I'm going to have a chance to prove everybody wrong that skipped me for 43 rounds. I heard it on the Brewers game last night. 'The draft is the start of the rainbow, the pot of gold is at the end.' " Q: What's your most prized sports possession? A: "The championship ring from last year. I'm competing with my uncle; he's got 11 rings now. He plays softball for over-60. I don't know how they still do it. Every family get together he says 'Hey, I've got another one.' " Q: Favorite sports moment you've watched or been a part of? A: "When I was 13, our national championship run in Oklahoma for our travel ball. We were playing Team USA/Texas in the semifinal and they beat us 3-2 earlier to give us our first loss in double elimination. Then we beat them 23-2, and a guy on our team hit two grand slams that went about 500 feet. If you were there you would believe me, it was 500 feet. It was 350 down the line and there was another field about 60 feet behind that and it landed on the mound." Q: So do you know what happened to that kid? A: "I think he's in the fire academy right now. Couldn't hit a slider." Q: Most famous person you've met? A: "Well, my grandpa works at a golf course and (former Red Sox great) Freddie Lynn is always out there golfing. I'll get a call, 'Hey, come down, talk to Freddie.' It was fun, he's just a normal guy, 'Hey, how you doing. I saw what you did at the game last night.' I was in high school and I'm thinking, 'How does this guy know who I am?' But he just goes out, talks to my grandfather, and asks how I'm doing. And I'll get a text from my grandfather: 'Freddie wants you to hit another homer.' I'm like 'All right, I'll do it.' " Q: Best advice you've ever received? A: "Show everybody that you don't belong where you're at.'' What is a Dirtbag? It's the unofficial nickname of the Long Beach State baseball team. It refers to the program's style of play and success against higher profile programs. Long Beach State's official nickname is the 49ers, but Dirtbags was coined in 1989 when the team played without a home field and practiced at a local all-dirt Pony Field. That team won its first 18 games and advanced to the school's first College World Series. Then-infield coach Dave Malpass would take his infielders to the all-dirt field for their rigorous workout. The infielders would return to the regular practice field after their sessions covered in dirt. Thus the name "Dirtbags" was born. The Tool Box Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson breaks down T.J. Mittelstaedt: "He's a nice guy to have on your ballclub for a manager because he's pretty versatile. He can play a number of positions. As a left-handed stick he's very patient at the plate. He has good plate discipline. He's one of the top on-base percentage guys on our team, presently. And he's kind of a crazy character; he's got a loose personality in the clubhouse. He's been a nice guy to have on our club. "We have a few guys in our outfield that are kind of fighting for playing time and all provide a little bit something different to the club. He was a guy that, it just seemed every time we put him in there, we're getting big hits or he's throwing somebody out or he's walking and the next guy is getting a big hit and now we're winning games with him in the lineup. So I started getting him more involved; he was hitting in the three hole for a little bit while Cody (Hawn) was gone and did a really good job there. He's done a nice job and can play second, third, all the outfield spots. Everywhere we've put him, whether it's second or third or the outfield, he's done a good job. And I didn't realize how good he could throw the baseball. I wouldn't say it's a very strong arm but a better than average arm with probably the best accuracy of any outfielder, which is saying a lot because our outfield has some good arms and has had a lot of assists. You can really tell during infield-outfield on a day-to-day basis, he puts the ball right on the bag, just about every time. He's done a nice job.''

Pitcher http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Final: @DSL Mariners 5, DSL Brewers 1 DSL Brewers Box Score 20-year-old 6'5" RHP Juan Francisco struggled in his start, walking four, hitting a batter, and allowing a home run in each of a couple of two-run innings in the 2nd and 3rd; the game's highlight was easily the four follow-up innings of scoreless, walk-free baseball tossed by 17-year-old RHP Gian Rizzo; the Mariners stole five bases in six attempts; the true Cerveceros played error-free ball at least... DSL Brewers Play-by-Play RF Jose Pena was 2-for-4 with a double and had the squad's lone RBI here, an inning that could have been more productive but for too-agressive baserunning by SS Orlando Arcia -- DSL Brewers Top of the 4th Yonki Hernandez walks. Orlando Arcia singles on a fly ball to center fielder Janelfry Zorrilla. Yonki Hernandez to 2nd. Jose Pena singles on a line drive to left fielder Randy Perez. Yonki Hernandez scores. Orlando Arcia out at 3rd on the throw, left fielder Randy Perez to third baseman Luis Matias. Deivi Mejia hit by pitch. Jose Pena to 2nd. Juan De Leon called out on strikes. Raul Mondesi flies out to right fielder Wilton Martinez.

Rattler Radio Blog Post-Game Thoughts (peppered with even more pop culture references than usual this evening), and audio / video highlights

Final: Fort Wayne 8, @Wisconsin 2 TinCaps top Timber RattlersBy Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber RattlersGRAND CHUTE, WI - The Fort Wayne TinCaps defeated the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-2 on Saturday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Fort Wayne cracked 14 hits and took advantage of four Timber Rattlers errors to beat Wisconsin for the second night in a row. Tyler Stubblefield led the way with three hits and two RBI for the TinCaps. Fort Wayne (28-33) took the lead in the top of the second inning on an RBI single by Stubblefield. They added to the lead when Wes Cunningham grounded into a 6-4-3 double play with runners at the corners and the runner from third scored. Wisconsin (32-30) got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI single by Chris Dennis. Then, every hard hit ball by the Rattlers with runners on base started finding the mitts of the TinCaps. T.J. Mittelstaedt drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth. He was off and running on a pitch to Reggie Keen. Keen lined that pitch down the third base line and it looked to be headed into the corner for an RBI double. But Stubblefield, Fort Wayne's third baseman, made a diving stab of the line drive and easily doubled Mittelstaedt off first base to end the inning. Rymer Liriano homered to start the top of the sixth inning to give the TinCaps a 3-1 lead and knock Rattlers starting pitcher Dan Britt out of the game. Tom Keeling came into the game and got the first out of the inning, but walked the next two batters. Stosh Wawrzasek relieved Keeling at this point of the game. Stubblefield singled on the first pitch he saw from Wawrzasek into right field. A run scored on the single and another scored when the throw in to third base got away. The TinCaps were up 5-1 at that time. Nick Shaw singled to start Wisconsin's half of the sixth. He was running on a pitch to Cody Hawn. Hawn drove the pitch to left field and it looked like extra bases. But left fielder Luis Domoromo raced back and made a leaping catch on the warning track with his back to the infield. Shaw was halfway to third base when the ball was caught. He was easily doubled off first base. Wisconsin's defense, which turned four double plays in the first four innings, committed three errors in the top of the eighth inning and the TinCaps scored three unearned runs to go up 8-1. The Rattlers got a run on an RBI single by Shaw, his third hit of the night, in the bottom of the eighth. They also loaded the bases with two outs. Dennis sent a hard grounder down the first base line, but first baseman Wes Cunningham speared the grounder behind the bag. He beat Dennis to the bag for the final out of the inning. Andrew Werner was the winning pitcher for the TinCaps. He struck out eight and allowed a run on five hits over seven innings to move his record to 2-5. The Rattlers and TinCaps play the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 PM. Mark Hardy (3-4, 2.54) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Fort Wayne. Wisconsin has Jimmy Nelson (1-6, 5.61) as their scheduled starting pitcher. Takashi Saito of the Milwaukee Brewers is slated to make a rehabilitation appearance for the Rattlers on Sunday. Sunday is a Brewers Sunday sponsored by 107.5, The Fan. Fans will be able to participate in Catch on the Field before the game. During the game, Timber Rattlers players will be wearing jerseys based on those of the 1975 Milwaukee Brewers. There is a player autograph session scheduled for after the game. If you can't make it out to Time Warner Cable Field for the game, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 12:45 PM. Wisconsin Box Score RHP Dan Britt made a serviceable spot start, didn't walk a batter in five innings (9 H, 3 R, 1 K); manager Matt Erickson always seems to have another reliever at the ready behind LHP Tom Keeling, in case his apparently electric stuff misses the mark, which can be often; could have been worse -- Rattlers converted four double plays; 3B Greg Hopkins extended his hit streak to 11 games with another multi-hit effort, 2-for-4 as he continues to dig himself out of a very deep early-season hole in rapid fashion... Wisconsin Play-by-Play Not a defensive clinic in the 8th -- cue the follies... Fort Wayne Top of the 8th Tyler Stubblefield reaches on missed catch error by first baseman Michael Walker, assist to third baseman Gregory Hopkins. Cole Tyrell doubles (2) on a ground ball to left fielder Chris Dennis. Tyler Stubblefield to 3rd. B. J. Guinn reaches on throwing error by pitcher Brian Garman. Tyler Stubblefield scores. Cole Tyrell to 3rd. With Chris Bisson batting, B. J. Guinn steals (16) 2nd base. Chris Bisson singles on a ground ball to center fielder Reggie Keen. Cole Tyrell scores. B. J. Guinn scores. Fielding error by center fielder Reggie Keen. Rico Noel strikes out swinging. Rymer Liriano grounds into a force out, shortstop Yadiel Rivera to second baseman Nick Shaw. Chris Bisson out at 2nd. Rymer Liriano to 1st. Luis Domoromo grounds into a force out, third baseman Gregory Hopkins to second baseman Nick Shaw. Rymer Liriano out at 2nd.

VIDEO: Mat Gamel crushes a two-run game-tying 7th inning home run (the Sounds would lose later on as you saw above)

Final: @Albuquerque 5, Nashville 2 Sounds Lose 5-2 In Albuquerque On Saturday Night First four hitters in the Nashville lineup go a combined 0-for-14 Nashville Sounds ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Nashville Sounds lost to the Albuquerque Isoptopes, 5-2, on Saturday evening at Isotopes Park in the third game of a four-game set. The loss was Nashville's (27-34) third in the last four games. Albuquerque starting pitcher Randy Keisler (2-2) allowed one run on a season-high seven innings pitched while fanning six for the win. The 35-year-old pitched also drove in the club's first run from the dish. The first four hitters in the Nashville lineup went a combined 0-for-14 with five strikeouts. Mat Gamel went 2-for-4 with a home run. Caleb Gindl also added two hits to extend his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games in the loss. Both starting pitchers drove in their club's first runs of the contest. In the top of the third inning, Amaury Rivas singled home Gindl from second base, who led off the inning with a base hit. Keisler tied the contest at 1-1 in the next inning with a sacrifice fly to deep right field. Rivas ran into trouble in the next inning, as Albuquerque loaded the bases with one out. Rivas would then be removed from the contest after the 25-year-old walked Trayvon Robinson for the go-ahead run. Reliever Mike McClendon came into the contest and induced an inning-ending double play to strand two runners and end the jam. Albuquerque extended its lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth. Justin Sellers was hit by a McClendon pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice, advanced to third on an infield groundout, and scored on an Ivan De Jesus RBI base hit. The Isotopes tacked on their final two runs for a 5-1 lead. After J.D. Closser singled and Russ Mitchell walked, Robinson knocked a two-run double to right field off McClendon. Gamel's solo home run in the top of the ninth inning brought the Sounds within three runs at 5-2. The long ball was Gamel's team-tying 11th long ball of the year (you can listen to the call via the lead link in this post). Rivas (4-6) walked six while allowing two runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings for the loss. The right-hander threw 97 pitches, but only 45 for strikes. McClendon allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings. Coming into the contest without allowing an earned run this season, McClendon's runs allowed on the evening snapped a scoreless string of 12 1/3 innings over eight appearances, both a team high. Justin James pitched one scoreless inning. Taylor Green added a double to extend his extra-base hitting streak to a team-high six games. The Sounds and Isotopes will play the 2:35 PM CT finale of a four-game set at Isotopes Park on Sunday afternoon. Nashville right-hander Frankie De La Cruz (1-4, 4.21) will toe the rubber against his former team and face Albuquerque righty John Ely (2-3, 5.01). Nashville Box Score Wow, that's a weak outing from Amaury Rivas, and that's with an ERA-saving bailout from Mike McClendon ; offensively, at least the three most interesting names in the lineup were those with productive mentions above (Mat Gamel, Caleb Gindl, and Taylor Green); otherwise, this contest was rather non-descript... Nashville Play-by-Play Guess the Isotopes' manager didn't agree with the call that ended the 5th inning -- Albuquerque Bottom of the 5th Ivan De Jesus singles on a ground ball to pitcher Amaury Rivas. Jerry Sands flies out to right fielder Brandon Boggs. JD Closser singles on a line drive to left fielder Jordan Brown. Ivan De Jesus to 2nd. Russell Mitchell walks. Ivan De Jesus to 3rd. JD Closser to 2nd. Trayvon Robinson walks. Ivan De Jesus scores. JD Closser to 3rd. Russell Mitchell to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Mike McClendon replaces Amaury Rivas, batting 9th. Damaso Espino grounds into double play, shortstop Edwin Maysonet to second baseman Eric Farris to first baseman Mat Gamel. Trayvon Robinson out at 2nd. Nashville Top of the 6th Albuquerque Isotopes Manager Lorenzo Bundy ejected by 1B umpire Brian Sinclair. Brandon Boggs strikes out swinging. Jordan Brown flies out to right fielder Eugenio Velez. Eric Farris called out on strikes.

Final: @Huntsville 9, Jackson 7 Generals Drop Third Straight By Chris Harris, Jackson Generals HUNTSVILLE, ALA. - The Generals dropped their third in-a-row Saturday night to the Huntsville Stars at Joe Davis Stadium, 9-7. The loss dropped the Generals to four games back of the Tennessee Smokies in the division, with seven games left in the first half. Huntsville moved to 32-30. Kyle Seager's 14-game hitting streak came to an end Saturday after an 0-for-5 night at the plate. Nate Tenbrink hit a three-run home run and was 1-for-2, reaching base three times. Jake Shaffer had an RBI double and was 2-for-5. Rich Poythress had the other multi-hit performance going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Sean Halton paced the Stars by finishing 4-for-5, with a double and two RBI's. Generals' starter Andrew Carraway took a no decision, working five innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. Brian Moran (2-2) was saddled with the loss, surrendering two runs on two hits in the eighth and ninth innings. Huntsville reliever Rob Wooten (1-0) was the winning pitcher. Nate Tenbrink blasted a three-run home run in the top of the second inning to give Jackson an early 3-0 edge. Angel Gonzalez blasted a two-run shot in the bottom half and after two innings the Generals led 3-2. Each team exchanged a run in the third inning and Jackson led 4-3 heading to the sixth frame. Jake Shaffer doubled home Kuo Hui Lo in the sixth, pushing the lead to 5-3. But once again the Stars had an answer and sent four runs across in the bottom of the sixth inning. After six, Huntsville led 7-5. The Generals scored a run in the seventh to cut the margin to a run and Carlos Triunfel drew a bases loaded walk in the top of the eighth that tied the game at 7-7. Huntsville got to Moran in the bottom of the eighth inning for two runs on a sacrifice fly from Erik Komatsu and single by Halton. The Stars held in the ninth and won 9-7. The Generals and Stars play game four of the series Sunday night at Joe Davis Stadium, with first pitch set for 6:43 PM. All-Star RHP and former Brewer farmhand Tom Wilhelmsen (1-1, 7.07) takes the mound for Jackson against RHP Michael Bowman (2-3, 4.42). Huntsville Box Score LHP Dan Merklinger started for the Stars (6 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 97 pitches, 63 strikes); after RHP Roque Mercedes allowed a run in the 7th (clean innings have been few and far between for Mercedes), RHP Rob Wooten struggled more than the Jackson game summary let on, allowing the tying run to score for a blown save in the 8th, an inning in which he walked three batters and hit another -- yikes, very un-Wooten-like. Offensive stars galore -- 1B Sean Halton now with a very impressive .328 / .365 / .481 slash line, 4-for-5 here, one knock a double, Halton leads the organization in getting the least ink with the most production, of course it would help if the Huntsville Times had any sort of online presence at all, what a joke that is; catcher Anderson De La Rosa actually leads the club in OPS (.888) in 71 AB's, 3-for-4 tonight; RF Erik Komatsu just being Erik Komatsu with four productive trips to the plate -- home run, single, walk, sacrifice fly; CF Logan Schafer 2-for-5... Huntsville Play-by-Play Here's the final three 1/2 frames -- the funky Wooten, the Stars' winning rally, and the Wooten we're used to -- Jackson Top of the 8th Pitcher Change: Robert Wooten replaces Roque Mercedes. Kuo Hui Lo pops out to shortstop Angel Gonzalez. Joseph Dunigan walks. Rich Poythress flies out to center fielder Logan Schafer. Ralph Henriquez walks. Joseph Dunigan to 2nd. Nate Tenbrink hit by pitch. Joseph Dunigan to 3rd. Ralph Henriquez to 2nd. Carlos Triunfel walks. Joseph Dunigan scores. Ralph Henriquez to 3rd. Nate Tenbrink to 2nd. Kyle Seager grounds out, second baseman Hainley Statia to first baseman Sean Halton. Huntsville Bottom of the 8th Anderson De La Rosa singles on a fly ball to center fielder Kuo Hui Lo. Hainley Statia out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Brian Moran to first baseman Rich Poythress. Anderson De La Rosa to 2nd. Logan Schafer singles on a ground ball to left fielder Jake Shaffer. Anderson De La Rosa to 3rd. Erik Komatsu out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Kuo Hui Lo. Anderson De La Rosa scores. Logan Schafer to 2nd. Sean Halton singles on a fly ball to right fielder Johermyn Chavez. Logan Schafer scores. Sean Halton out at 2nd on the throw, right fielder Johermyn Chavez to catcher Ralph Henriquez to shortstop Carlos Triunfel. Jackson Top of the 9th Johermyn Chavez strikes out swinging. Jake Shaffer strikes out swinging. Kuo Hui Lo pops out to second baseman Hainley Statia.

Final: Brevard County 7, @Lakeland 4 Brevard County's Kjeldgaard Hits 17th Homer, Manatees Win By David Yates, Lakeland Ledger Correspondent LAKELAND | Brevard County slugger Brock Kjeldgaard homered, singled twice, and drove in five runs as the Manatees defeated Lakeland, 7-4, at Joker Marchant Stadium Saturday afternoon. A Ledger Media Group crowd of 2,580 saw Kjeldgaard single in a run in the first, rocket a three-run homer onto the berm in the third, and single in another run in the fourth. The homer was the league-leading 17th for the 25-year-old Canadian. Staked to an early 7-2 lead, Brevard starter Maverick Lasker worked out of trouble repeatedly and survived long enough to improve to 2-7. Tony Plagman took Lasker deep in the first and the Flying Tigers put ten men on base in innings two through five but Lasker recorded big outs when he needed them. In the third the Arizona right-hander struck out Wade Gaynor with the bases loaded and in the fourth he retired Brent Wyatt on a groundout with the bases full. Lakeland starter Cole Nelson was not as effective working out of trouble and saw his record drop to 3-8. Nelson surrendered nine hits and seven runs (six earned) in 3 2/3 innings. In sharp contrast to his ineffective outing, Shawn Teufel and Dan Gentzler combined for 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief out of the Lakeland bullpen. Brevard County Box Score Still no word as to whether Brock Kjeldgaard will be a late addition to the Florida State League All-Star Game, a shame if he's not; Maverick Lasker surely is pleased to get that 2nd win, he certainly worked for it; after LHP Efrain Nieves pitched three innings (two runs) behind Lasker, future big-league Brewer (arent't they all?) Santo Manzanillo closed it out, working around a one-out double. I think we'll give our Florida Today friend Mark DeCotis a heads-up on Manzanillo's past -- 47 walks in 16.1 innings as a 17-year-old in 2006, so he can fill us in on Manzanillo's present. 31 of Hunter Morris' 65 base hits have gone for extra bases this year, nice; Scooter Gennett's nine-game hit streak came to an end, but he walked twice and stole his 7th base in 11 tries; 3B Shea Vucinich singled in addition to his home run; Khris Davis doubled and walked twice... Brevard County Play-by-Play The Sea Cows scored five times in the 3rd -- Brevard County Top of the 3rd Scooter Gennett walks. Kentrail Davis singles on a fly ball to right fielder Avisail Garcia. Scooter Gennett to 2nd. Hunter Morris called out on strikes. Khristopher Davis doubles (13) on a fly ball to right fielder Avisail Garcia. Scooter Gennett scores. Kentrail Davis to 3rd. Brock Kjeldgaard homers (17) on a fly ball to left field. Kentrail Davis scores. Khristopher Davis scores. Shea Vucinich homers (5) on a fly ball to left field. Sean McCraw doubles (3) on a fly ball to right fielder Avisail Garcia. Juan Sanchez strikes out swinging. Mike Brownstein called out on strikes.

Make that 3-for-3 with five RBI, and they're only in the 6th. To borrow from "When Harry Met Sally", I'll have what he's having.

Look for the Nashville and Wisconsin media notes here and here later on, respectively.

Huntsville Media Notes

At Wisconsin, RHP Jameson Dunn goes on the DL and RHP Tyler Cravy comes off. Looks to be just a matter of balancing workloads or some other unique non-serious injury situation, particularly for Dunn, as Chris Mehring tweeted to "try not to read a lot into that".

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Omaha 34 27 .557 - - 18-12 16-15 6-4 W1 Memphis 29 31 .483 4.5 80 16-15 13-16 7-3 W1 Iowa 27 33 .450 6.5 78 13-15 14-18 5-5 L3 Nashville 27 33 .450 6.5 78 16-14 11-19 6-4 L1 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tennessee 39 23 .629 - - 20-10 19-13 6-4 W2 Jackson 36 26 .581 3.0 6 17-11 19-15 6-4 L2 Huntsville 31 30 .508 7.5 2 17-9 14-21 4-6 W2 Chattanooga 30 32 .484 9.0 E 15-20 15-12 5-5 W4 Carolina 18 44 .290 21.0 E 11-21 7-23 2-8 L4 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Daytona 42 19 .689 - - 22-9 20-10 3-7 L3 Clearwater 38 23 .623 4.0 6 20-12 18-11 6-4 W1 Dunedin 33 28 .541 9.0 1 12-15 21-13 5-5 W1 Lakeland 33 28 .541 9.0 1 18-13 15-15 7-3 W3 Tampa 31 30 .508 11.0 E 14-17 17-13 8-2 L1 Brevard County 22 39 .361 20.0 E 13-20 9-19 2-8 L1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Burlington 41 21 .661 - - 20-7 21-14 5-5 L2 Quad Cities 34 27 .557 6.5 - 15-13 19-14 7-3 W1 Wisconsin 32 29 .525 8.5 8 19-14 13-15 5-5 L1 Beloit 31 30 .508 9.5 7 14-15 17-15 7-3 W3 Peoria 31 30 .508 9.5 7 19-11 12-19 3-7 W1 Cedar Rapids 29 32 .475 11.5 5 17-13 12-19 3-7 W1 Kane County 26 35 .426 14.5 1 13-17 13-18 3-7 L3 Clinton 21 41 .339 20.0 E 8-22 13-19 7-3 L1 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Brewers 9 2 .818 - - 3-2 6-0 8-2 L1 DSL Mariners 5 5 .500 3.5 59 2-3 3-2 5-5 W1 DSL Athletics 4 6 .400 4.5 58 2-3 2-3 4-6 L3 DSL Cardinals 1 8 .111 7.0 56 0-5 1-3 1-8 L1

Follow Saturday's action as it happens: Nashville (Gameday also available) Huntsville (Gameday also available) Brevard Countyhttp://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&gid=2011_06_11_breafa_lakafa_1&cid=503&t=g_box Wisconsin DSL Brewers

Saturday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Amaury Rivas at Albuquerque (Dodgers), 5:20 PM pre-game, 5:35 gametime Live Audio Link iPad/iPhone: Listen MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Huntsville: LHP Dan Merklinger at home vs. Jackson (Mariners), 6:43 PM gametime Live Audio Link iPad/iPhone: Listen Traditional broadcast -- look for the Jackson feed off the master MiLB.com audio list Brevard County: RHP Maverick Lasker at Lakeland (Tigers), 3:00 PM gametime Sorry, no audio available for this series... Wisconsin: RHP Dan Britt at home vs. Fort Wayne (Padres), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime Live Audio Link DSL Brewers: at the DSL Mariners, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest

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Carlos Corporan was 1-for-1 in 2009 with the Brewers, but that hit was off Reds SS Paul Janish in a mop-up game. Now just-called up to back up J.R. Towles in Houston, he pinch hit and singled off the spelling-challenged Cristhian Martinez of the Braves, who at last check, resembled an actual big league reliever. Congrats also to Aussie OF Trent Oeltjen, who should see quite a bit of time with L.A. in the Dodgers' never-ending search for a left fielder.

Smoke from the Wallow Fire burning on the Arizona-New Mexico border is expected to impact weekend events in the Albuquerque metro area. Saturday's Isotopes game against the Nashville Sounds has been rescheduled to begin at 4:35 PM (5:35 Central) in anticipation of smoke and ash returning to Albuquerque. The game was scheduled to begin at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central).

Big name, bigger batby Mark DeCotis, Florida Today For the record, it's spelled K-j-e-l-d-g-a-a-r-d and pronounced "Kill-guard." But the way Brevard County Manatees outfielder/first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard has been playing of late, the literal translation could easily be "knock it out of the park." Kjeldgaard is on a home run tear. Of the 15 homers he has hit this season, 12 of them have come since May 17 and he is four away from breaking the Manatees single-season mark of 18, set by Jose Santos in 2001. He had back-to-back two-home-run games against the Daytona Beach Cubs on June 4 and 5 and hit his latest round-tripper in Wednesday's loss to Dunedin. Heading into Friday night's game at Dunedin he was tied for the home run lead in the Florida State League. "Kjeldgaard continues to swing a hot bat for us," Manatees Manager Jeff Isom said. "It would be nice if we could get some guys on when he gets up. We'll take his solo home runs. He's swinging a great bat right now." Kjeldgaard's soft-spoken, quiet nature belies his big bat and his strapping 6-foot, 5-inch, 215-pound physique. The 25-year-old native of Edmonton, Alberta is in his sixth season of minor league baseball – the Milwaukee Brewers drafted him as a pitcher in 2005 - and his second with Brevard County. He hit .245 in 132 games with the Manatees in 2010 with 17 home runs, 120 hits and 75 runs batted in. He attributes his sudden power surge to adjustments in his swing. "Basically, I've just been getting ready on time, and I feel I've been more consistent in getting ready on time," he said. By that Kjeldgaard means that once the pitcher begins his delivery, he begins to load up his swing. By doing so, he sees the ball better. When that happens, he, well, hits it better and farther. He also attributes the turnaround to being more patient through the rough patches. Kjeldgaard has first-hand experience with that, having been converted from a pitcher to a position player in 2008. Being able to concentrate on his hitting certainly has paid off. He has 66 minor league home runs including 32 for the Manatees. "It's been pretty good up to now," he said in an obvious understatement. Kjeldgaard also is tied for fifth in the league in strikeouts with 61 but Isom sees that turning around as well. "He's really done a nice job of shrinking the strike zone, making sure he's getting pitches . . . if they elevate them, he's making them pay for it." Isom said. "He's a guy right now, it doesn't matter what level he's at, he could be having success and that could go all the way to the top. It's fun to see a guy when he's on a streak like this right now." Streaks will come and go but Kjeldgaard still relishes the challenge of pitcher vs. hitter. "I like the whole aspect of hitting," he said. "You've got to be able to do multiple things. Power is something that luckily I'm able have. But you can't go up there trying to hit home runs, obviously. "You've got to just know that if you put a good swing on, they'll come." And, they have. Photo by Craig Rubadoux, FLORIDA TODAY http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&Date=20110611&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=106110320&Ref=AR&MaxW=300&Border=0