Jim Goulart

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

Chris Mehring with a naturally subdued edition of Timber Rattler post-game thoughts, audio, and video.

Timber Rattlers lose more ground in playoff race with loss to Fort Wayne Wisconsin two games behind Quad Cities in playoff race by Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent GRAND CHUTE — This is what a death march looks like. Your pitching staff gives up 17 hits. Your offense goes one-for-nine with runners in scoring position. Your defense commits five errors. All in a tidy three hours, 28 minutes. The 11-5 loss Friday to Fort Wayne in Midwest League play on Time Warner Field at Fox Cities Stadium again dropped the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers two games behind Quad Cities for the final first-half playoff spot with nine games to play. And it marked the second time this week the Rattlers laid the proverbial egg on their home field. "It's equally disappointing,'' said Rattlers manager Matt Erickson. "But tonight, that team offensively is pretty hot right now. From my understanding they had 20 hits (Thursday) and 17 more (Friday).'' Despite the TinCaps' offensive prowess in taking a 3-0 lead, the Rattlers fought back within 3-2. After Fort Wayne stretched it to 5-2, the Rattlers came back within 5-4. But this would be a pattern that would continue, with the Rattlers unable to come up with the key hits in the middle of the game. "I was proud of our fight in the middle of the game,'' said Erickson. "We put together five runs in three innings. We had the bases loaded and one out and left some runners out there. We had second and third with one out and left some runners out there and we had the bases loaded again and only get one run. "So we had some opportunities to kind of break the game open, I thought, and take the lead even with them swinging the hot bats. But then, obviously, in the latter part of that game we completely fall apart again. Concentration level, we had a situation where we didn't know how many outs there were on the bases and then we blow up in the last inning defensively. That was frustrating.'' About the lone bright spot for the Rattlers was the continued stellar play of third baseman Greg Hopkins. He went two-for-five, including his first home run of the season. He has a 10-game hitting streak in which he has gone 17-for-40. Friday marked his sixth straight multi-hit game. But he wasn't exactly a happy camper afterward. "That was an ugly one, man,'' said Hopkins. "Hopefully, we won't have too many of those. "In the end, a game like that just everything doesn't feel too good after that. But we'll come back (today) ready to go. Hope we turn the tables around.'' Though he was happy to see a ball leave the yard off his bat for the first time this season, even though it was close. "He threw me a fastball inside,'' said Hopkins. "I was hoping that was staying fair. It would have been kind of brutal if it went foul. I'm just glad it stayed inside the poll.'' Erickson said he didn't feel the need to say much to his team afterward. "I said we were pretty sloppy,'' said Erickson. "I said we'll have a full workday (today). I said I don't think we got much out of today. We'll have a full workday (today) and, hopefully, we'll have a better showing on the field. That was it. "Hopefully, they're talking amongst themselves about it. We're in the middle of the season now. They're big enough boys where we don't need to smear them after the game after every little negative that we do. Hopefully, there's some accountability and a learning process going on amongst themselves in there.''

Nashville Audio Archive -- June 10 -- Chat with outfielder Caleb Gindl Caleb discusses the very first two-run home run game he can ever remember and his current spot near the bottom of the order... VIDEO: Gindl just crushes his 2nd HR of Thursday's game, well over the 428 foot mark in CF, wow!

Walkoff Blast Drops Sounds In Extras In Albuquerque, 7-6 Nashville moves to 0-4 in extra-inning play this season Nashville Sounds ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Trayvon Robinson hit a walkoff 10th inning home run to lift the Albuquerque Isotopes to 7-6 win over the Nashville Sounds on Friday evening at Isotopes Park. Robinson's 13th home run was his only hit of the game, as the outfielder blasted Sean Green's (0-1) second pitch of the inning over the wall in centerfield to end the game. Moving to 0-4 in extra-inning play this season, Nashville (27-33) never led game, but tied the contest three separate times. The one-run loss for Nashville was the club's PCL-leading 17th of the season, which has accounted for just over half of the team's total defeats. Merkin Valdez (3-1) earned the win with five strikeouts over two scoreless innings. While also recording his PCL-leading 11th outfield assist, centerfielder Brett Carroll went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. Erick Almonte and Zelous Wheeler also added two hits. Albuquerque plated the game's first run in the bottom of the second inning as Wheeler committed his first throwing error of the game to allow John Lindsay to reach base. Lindsay moved to second on a Russ Mitchell single, advanced to third on a fly out, and scored on a Jamie Hoffman sacrifice fly for a 1-0 Albuquerque lead. Sounds starter Sam Narron helped his own cause in the next frame. Wheeler banged a one-out triple to right field and scored to tie the contest at 1-1 as Narron hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield. The RBI was Narron's first of the season. The Isotopes homered twice in the next frame to take a 5-1 lead. Justin Sellers led off with his sixth home run of the season, a solo shot over the wall in left field. After two consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly, Lindsay belted a two-run homer to left field for his fifth on the year. The Sounds got two runs back to cut the Albuquerque lead to 5-3 in the top of the fourth inning. Carroll was issued a five-pitch walk to lead off the inning and later scored on an Almonte line drive double to center. Edwin Maysonet then singled home Almonte for the club's second run of the inning. Albuquerque added another run in the bottom of the sixth to go up 6-3 after Narron allowed three straight singles, highlighted by an RBI base hit Eugenio Velez. The Sounds struck back and knotted the contest at 6-6 in the top of the seventh off reliever Travis Schlichting. Wheeler hit a line drive single to lead off and later came home on a Carroll RBI single. First Baseman Mat Gamel then came to the dish and belted a two-out, game-tying homer to right field to send the game to extra-innings. The two-run homer was the slugger's 10th of the season. (You can hear the audio of Mat the Batt's last via the link leading off this post.) Ranking third in the PCL with a 3.13 ERA coming into the contest, Narron scattered 12 hits while allowed a season-high six runs (five earned) in 5 1/3 innings. Zack Segovia pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings while stranding both of his inherited runners. Donovan Hand contributed two shutout frames. Former Sound Dana Eveland tossed a quality start for a no-decision for Albuquerque. The left-hander allowed three runs on six hits in six innings. The first Sound to record a double-digit hitting streak of the season, Gindl went 1-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Joe Koshansky's season-ending 18-gamer in 2010 was the last time a Sound recorded a double-digit streak. Taylor Green added a double to extend his extra-base hitting streak to five games. Eric Farris went 0-for-5 to snap his streak of reaching base safely at 24 games, which was the longest stretch by a Sound in 2011 and the 3rd-longest active streak in the PCL. The Sounds and Isotopes will play the third game of a four-game set at 5:35 PM CT on Saturday evening at Isotopes Park. Nashville right-hander Amaury Rivas (4-5, 4.36) takes the mound against Albuquerque southpaw Randy Keisler (1-2, 5.96).

Final: DSL Red Sox 13, @DSL Brewers 2 Were due for a clunker... DSL Brewers Box Score The Red Sox scored in six different innings so several of their kids are now probably on their way to Fenway for next week's series; each of five Brewer hurlers were met with poor results -- they combined to walk 11 batters while fanning only two, while throwing five wild pitches. Among the mound victims was Opening Day starter 17-year-old RHP Osmel Perez, who has looked quite ordinary to the dismay of the Power 50 editors. CF Yonki Hernandez (you can never have enough Yonki's) was caught stealing for the 3rd time already this season (now 3-for-6 on the basepaths); one of the club's higher profile signees, 18-year-old RF Jose Pena, in his second season, had a productive day all around, 2-for-4 with two outfield assists, including a direct throw to home plate. There were plenty of substitutions late, but none seem to indicate red flags, just getting everyone action within the rout. DSL Brewers Play-by-Play 17-year-old LHP Marcos Padilla placed the first three men on in the 8th, then watched as all came across against 18-year-old RHP Doni Arias -- DSL Red Sox Top of the 8th Defensive Substitution: Dionis Hinojosa replaces center fielder Yonki Hernandez, batting 1st, playing center field. Defensive Substitution: Raphachel Colatosti replaces shortstop Orlando Arcia, batting 2nd, playing shortstop. Aneudis Peralta walks. Deiner Lopez singles on a ground ball to second baseman Alejandro Mendoza. Aneudis Peralta to 2nd. Alixon Suarez walks. Aneudis Peralta to 3rd. Deiner Lopez to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Doni Arias replaces Marcos Padilla. Juan Ugas singles on a line drive to right fielder Jose Pena. Aneudis Peralta scores. Deiner Lopez to 3rd. Alixon Suarez to 2nd. Jair Bogaerts strikes out swinging. Ynoel Aguero flies out to left fielder Raul Mondesi. Andres Garcia singles on a line drive to center fielder Dionis Hinojosa. Deiner Lopez scores. Alixon Suarez to 3rd. Juan Ugas to 2nd. Cleuluis Rondon singles on a line drive to right fielder Jose Pena. Alixon Suarez scores. Juan Ugas scores. Andres Garcia to 2nd. Robert Del Rosario grounds out, first baseman Deivi Mejia to pitcher Doni Arias.

Dunedin Bottom of the 4th Jon Talley flies out to right fielder Kentrail Davis. A. J. Jimenez grounds out, shortstop Mike Brownstein to first baseman Hunter Morris. Pitcher Change: Corey Frerichs replaces Hiram Burgos. Brian Van Kirk doubles (8) on a fly ball to left fielder Khristopher Davis. Chris Hopkins walks. Ivan Contreras grounds out, second baseman Scooter Gennett to first baseman Hunter Morris. This is definitely something to watch. Burgos had pitched a scoreless 3rd inning as well; he's stretched out, there's no logical reason for his removal at that point in the game.

Former Ashbrook, G-Braves pitcher drafted, signed by Milwaukee Brewers Richard Walker, Gaston (NC) Gazette GASTONIA – When his senior baseball season at Elon University began, former Ashbrook High standout Mitch Conner knew major league scouts were showing interest in his pitching talents. That interest became real on Wednesday when the Milwaukee Brewers selected Conner in the 36th round of the Major League draft. Conner signed with the team later that day and will be headed to the Brewers’ training facility in Phoenix, Ariz., where he expects to be assigned to that organization’s summer league roster. “All season, I’d get a phone call here and there asking information about me,” said Conner, a 2007 Ashbrook High graduate. “And I’d been given some questionnaires in the mail. But I never got ahead of myself.” And when Conner’s big moment came, not even a frozen computer could kill his enthusiasm. “I was watching the draft on my computer and my computer froze up,” Conner said. “Then my friend from Canada called to congratulate me and then the Brewers scout called. So it was a pretty exciting day for me.” Conner got calls from Brandon Dhue of Toronto, Ontario and Dan Nellon. Dhue and Conner helped get the Guilford Tech baseball program started in 2008 and Nellon was the Brewers’ scout who recommended his organization draft the Elon relief pitcher. Conner’s selection makes him the fifth player in Ashbrook history to be chosen in the major league draft – joining Wes Helms (1994), Brian Horne (1996), Brad Correll (1999) and Devin Harris (2009, 2010) – and it means Gaston County has had at least one player picked in the draft in eight straight years. “I’d always hoped I’d get the chance to play, so this is a dream come true for me,” said Conner, who played two years at Guilford Tech before spending the last two years at Elon. “I’ve thought about playing pro baseball since I started playing baseball.” A 6-foot-3, 209-pound right-handed pitcher, Conner also became the fourth Elon player chosen in this year draft and 20th Phoenix player selected in the past four drafts. A two-year Gaston Braves American Legion performer, Conner was a reliever at Guilford Tech and Elon during his college career. His best season was this past spring when he went 1-2 with eight saves and a 2.32 ERA in 26 appearances.

The reason 11th round RHP Tommy Toledo missed time in 2010 -- Article link For Tommy Toledo, he's just happy to be back on the mound again. The Alonso alum and University of Florida pitcher took a line drive off the right side of his face off the bat of Charleston Southern hitter Derek Smith in March 2010. Toledo had to be taken to a hospital with facial fractures and had metal plates inserted in his cheeks. He missed a total of 59 days as his injury healed before his next start. So when Toledo, a junior, got the call Tuesday from the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the draft, he was on Cloud Nine. "It's exciting. I've been through the draft a couple times before, and this time I was just ready for it," said Toledo, who was drafted by San Diego in 2007 after his senior year at Alonso and again last year by Minnesota. "(I took it) as another opportunity for me to see if I can go out there and play this year. I thought last year I was ready to go out there and play and get drafted, but the injury kind of set me back a bit." Toledo, a right-handed pitcher, is 5-3 this season with one save and a 3.21 ERA. He's struck out 31 batters, walked eight and allowed 13 earned runs. Now, Toledo can turn his full attention to trying to win a national championship with the Gators. The squad faces Mississippi State in the Super Regionals in Gainesville in a best-of-three series. The winner heads to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. "I've enjoyed this year," Toledo said. "This year has been unbelievable with the Gators. Words can't describe how excited I am. Also the draft, it's a big honor to be drafted for the third time."

Carlos Rodon Q&ABy Anna Hickey, Pack Pride NC State baseball signee Carlos Rodon discusses being selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the MLB Draft with Pack Pride. When did you know that the Brewers were taking you? [Laughs] About 3 minutes ago. I just got a phone call from the area scout for the Brewers, Dan Nellum, and he told me that the Brewers drafted me. He said they’re going to watch me this summer in tournaments and club showcases, and then get me caught up on what I need to learn. Were you expecting a call from the Brewers? I thought there was a chance. Before the draft, I had the best conversations with the Brewers, Blue Jays, and Cardinals, but I knew it could be any team that drafted me. I’m really excited about the Brewers. Have you made a decision at this point if you’re going to attend NC State or sign with the Brewers? No, I haven’t. I’m going to take some time this summer to figure it out. I have until August. Obviously, money will play a factor, but an education, especially one at NCSU, is really really important to me. Also, getting to play under Coach Avent and Coach Holliday is a great opportunity. What made you feel like NC State was the place for you so early on? The coaches and the facilities. Coach Avent and Coach Holliday really made me feel like I was a part of the Wolfpack family. I didn’t grow up a State fan, I’m from Miami, but I really love it over there. Okay, now you’ve won a state title and been drafted by a major league team within a matter of days of each other. Which is better? Winning the state championship. That’s something that doesn’t happen too often. You know, you can always get drafted, but winning a state title - you really only have one shot at it. And it was awesome winning the title with my teammates. Really, the team aspect of winning the state championship is what set it apart from being drafted. What aspect of your game did you try to improve on the most this season? Hitting the ball better. I worked on my power a lot in batting practice, and just improving my overall offense. Also, the mental aspect. Last year, we lost in the third round of the playoffs, and I didn’t want that happening again this year. What do you think is your biggest strength as a player? I’m a competitor. Whether my team is down 1-0 or 10-0, I’ll always try my hardest. I’ll find a way to win. http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/93/939023.jpg

LINK Louisiana Tech signee BreShon Kimbell, a catcher from Mesquite (Texas) High School, was taken by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 28th round with the 851st overall selection. Tech head coach Wade Simoneaux said he has talked to Kimbell, and said Kimbell is "definitely coming" to Tech.

Major League Baseball Players Born in Bahamas -- not a long list

Yeah, how nice would it be to be a native of the Bahamas?Bahamian Sean Albury drafted by the Brewers Yet another Bahamian collegiate baseball player has been drafted into the major leagues. Nova Southeastern senior hurler Sean Albury, who piled up some impressive statistics for the Sharks this year, caught the eye of the Milwaukee Brewers as they took him with the 941st overall pick in the 31st round of the Major League Baseball (MLB)?Draft on Tuesday. Right-hand pitcher Albury finished with a 7-2 win/loss record this year, limiting opponents to a .229 batting average. The 22-year-old closer finished with a 2.08 ERA this year, and was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA)?All-South Region Team. Albury was also named as a member of the (ABCA) American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Region teams. In his junior year last year, Albury earned NCBWA and ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-America honors, was named first-team All-Sunshine State Conference, and was also selected to the Daktronics first-team all-region, first-team NCBWA all-region and ABCA/Rawlings first-team all-region. He had one of the most dominant seasons pitching in relief in program history as he allowed just two runs in 23 and one third innings pitched for a 0.77 Earned Run Average (ERA). In his junior year, Albury struck out 37 batters and limited the opposition to just a .134 batting average. He concluded the season with a 2-1 record and 10 saves in 20 appearances. His 10 saves ranked among the nation's elite closers. He had 16 consecutive scoreless outings, and his 0.77 ERA was the lowest in program history for a pitcher with over 20 innings pitched. As a sophomore in 2009, Albury established himself as the Sharks regular closer. He finished 1-4 with six saves and a 6.97 ERA. Albury started the season with nine consecutive scoreless appearances, and held opposing batters to a .220 batting average. He struck out 34 in 20.2 innings, and struck out the side four times. He struck out at least one batter in his first 12 appearances. As a freshman in 2008, Albury made eight appearances as a reliever out of the bullpen and six appearances as an outfielder. He had three hits in 14 at-bats, was successful in his only stolen base attempt, and allowed only one earned run in eight innings pitched. He struck out 13 while walking just four, and held opposing batters to a .192 batting average. The Bahamas Baseball?Federation (BBF) wishes to congratulate the Nova Southeastern hurler on this momentous achievement. http://www.thenassauguardian.com/attachments/article/10874/1C%20Pic-Selected.jpg

33rd round pick LHP Steven Okert, twice drafted by the Brewers, could be a tough JUCO sign -- Okert, who is headed to the University of Oklahoma to coninue his college career, finished the NJCAA Region V tournament with a 9-1 record and a 1.90 earned-run average Okert was first-team all-region and was also an honorable-mention juco All-American.

Look for the Nashville and Wisconsin media notes here and here later on, respectively. If Huntsville posts theirs, and they are doing so more consistently now, 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 33 27 .550 - - 17-12 16-15 6-4 L1 Memphis 28 31 .475 4.5 81 16-15 12-16 6-4 L1 Iowa 27 32 .458 5.5 80 13-14 14-18 5-5 L2 Nashville 27 32 .458 5.5 80 16-14 11-18 6-4 W1 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tennessee 38 23 .623 - - 20-10 18-13 6-4 W1 Jackson 36 25 .590 2.0 8 17-11 19-14 6-4 L1 Huntsville 30 30 .500 7.5 3 16-9 14-21 3-7 W1 Chattanooga 29 32 .475 9.0 1 15-20 14-12 5-5 W3 Carolina 18 43 .295 20.0 E 11-20 7-23 2-8 L3 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Daytona 42 18 .700 - - 22-9 20-9 4-6 L2 Clearwater 37 23 .617 5.0 6 20-12 17-11 6-4 L2 Dunedin 32 28 .533 10.0 1 11-15 21-13 5-5 L1 Lakeland 32 28 .533 10.0 1 17-13 15-15 7-3 W2 Tampa 31 29 .517 11.0 E 14-16 17-13 9-1 W5 Brevard County 22 38 .367 20.0 E 13-20 9-18 3-7 W1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Burlington 41 20 .672 - - 20-6 21-14 5-5 L1 Quad Cities 33 27 .550 7.5 - 14-13 19-14 7-3 L1 Wisconsin 32 28 .533 8.5 10 19-13 13-15 5-5 W2 Beloit 30 30 .500 10.5 8 13-15 17-15 7-3 W2 Peoria 30 30 .500 10.5 8 18-11 12-19 2-8 L4 Cedar Rapids 28 32 .467 12.5 6 16-13 12-19 3-7 L1 Kane County 26 34 .433 14.5 3 13-16 13-18 4-6 L2 Clinton 21 40 .344 20.0 E 8-21 13-19 7-3 W1 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Brewers 9 1 .900 - - 3-1 6-0 9-1 W2 DSL Athletics 4 5 .444 4.5 59 2-3 2-2 4-5 L2 DSL Mariners 4 5 .444 4.5 59 1-3 3-2 4-5 L1 DSL Cardinals 1 7 .125 7.0 57 0-5 1-2 1-7 W1

Follow Friday'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_10_breafa_dunafa_1&cid=503&t=g_box Wisconsin DSL Brewers

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at Albuquerque (Dodgers), 7:50 PM pre-game, 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link iPad/iPhone: Listen MiLB.TV -- for subscribers Huntsville: RHP Michael Fiers 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 Hiram Burgos at Dunedin (Blue Jays), 6:00 PM gametime Live Audio Link -- select the Dunedin feed from the main MiLB.com audio page Wisconsin: RHP Brooks Hall at home vs. Fort Wayne (Padres), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link DSL Brewers: at home vs. the DSL Red Sox, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until late afternoon at the earliest

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

I think it's just a combination of a ten-team league, injuries elsewhere, perhaps more deserving kids getting promoted (like the starter Hand called up the other day by the Marlins, although that's in the opposite Southern League Division, you get the picture...)

Not only could this kid mess up the Rattlers' postseason plans while with rival Quad Cities (they saw him earlier this year), but of course he's a friggin' Cardinals farmhand.

Cain begins negotiation process with Brewers by Chuck Carree, Wilmington (NC) Star-News Andrew Cain is eagerly awaiting a visit from the Milwaukee Brewers regional scout later Thursday. The team, which took the outfielder in the 12th round on Tuesday of the Major League Baseball Draft, is expected to make him an offer. Teams must make a written offer within 15 days of his selection. He has no idea what the Brewers will offer or his counter offer, if it comes to that. He told me he and his family have numerous questions to ask. One is what is the time frame to wrap up negotiations. I sense Cain wants it resolved before the Aug. 15 deadline. He does not have an advisor, like some players, and it is the first time he has been drafted. “I don’t have a figure in mind, but I also don’t want to sell myself short either,” he said. “We just have a lot of questions for them.” Cain, if he returns to school, will be a senior in the fall. He is a year and a half away from graduating. His education will be part of the negotiations. He obviously wants the final three semesters paid, plus whatever bonus he receives. He also said he would be content to return to the Seahawks of UNC-Wilmington. But for now, his focus is on the negotiations. “It is not an easy decision,” he said. When I asked him about the Brewers’ projection for him in the future, such as a 6-foot-6, 235-pound outfielder with 25-a-season home run potential, he replied: I am curious to know that too.” http://baseballnut.blogs.starnewsonline.com/files/2010/02/Andrew-Cain-200x300.jpg

For those of you who like to keep track of such things, that's a 6-0 night on the farm. Only the big boys spoiled a perfect organizational day.

Final, Game Two: DSL Brewers 2, @DSL Athletics 0, seven innings DSL Brewers Game Two Box Score Darn, kudos to the Brewers' latin scouts and coaches on a fantastic first two weeks! Soon-to-be 18 years old, RHP Jorge Ortega impressed in a five-inning relief stint six days prior, so he nabbed the Game Two start, and did he ever! In only his third pro appearance, Ortega's line -- 7 IP, 3 H (all singles), 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 8-to-3 GB-to-FB - wow, when do you ever see polished performances like this one (and others we've seen from the DSL Crew thus far) this early in the kids' development? The Brewers committed only one erorr in each game on this day, no nonsense with wild pitches, hit batters, balks, etc. We like polished! Six players each had one base hit here. DSL Brewers Game Two Play-by-Play Neither run the Brewers scored was earned (1st and 6th innings), but they win and sorry, A's, you didn't; relish in this game log -- Ortega didn't even let a man reach 2nd, we imagine he'll get more starts now...