Jim Goulart

43rd round pick RHP Clint Wilson out of Navarro (TX) College is a reliever who who throws a mid-90s fastball. We'll fill in moe blanks as the Official Draft Pick Selection / Signing Thread is finalized by this weekend.

By Jim Parker, The Windsor (Ontario, Canada) Star The game of baseball will now become a business for three members of the Windsor Selects under-18 team. After two days of watching and waiting, right-hander Skylar Janisse, outfielder Steve Adam and right-hander Andrew Marra were selected in Wednesday's third and final day of the 50-round Major League Baseball Draft. Janisse went in the 34th round to the New York Yankees. The Milwaukee Brewers took Adam in the 44th round and the New York Mets grabbed Marra in the 45th round. "Adam, who is also weighing scholarship offers, was thrilled to have his name called by the Brewers. "I wanted to be drafted and get my name out there," the five-foot-11, 170-pound Adam said. Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin is from Chatham and the Brewers have looked to the area in recent grabbing Chris Dennis in 2006 and Joel Pierce last year. "Now, it's the question (of signing) I have to ask myself," the 18-year-old Adam said. "Is the money enough to live off the next few years? It's a family decision we'll have to make." Adam, an outfielder from Tecumseh, is considered one of the fastest players in the country.

45th round SS Adrian Williams out of UCLA -- Williams batted .206 in 20 games, including nine starts at shortstop for UCLA in 2011. He went 7-for-34 on the season with four runs, one RBI and two stolen bases in three attempts. In three seasons at UCLA, Williams has batted .231 with one double, two RBI and 10 runs. *** Must be something there, dang.

Football player Ahmad Christian has baseball offer By Hays Carlyon, The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville) Trinity Christian's Ahmad Christian has a decision to make, but he's fairly certain which way he's leaning. The dual-sport standout has already signed to play football at South Carolina as a defensive back. Now, the Gamecocks have some competition for Christian's services. The Milwaukee Brewers chose Christian in the 46th round during the final day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday. "It's an either-or situation for me," Christian said. "I do have some time to think about it, because I don't report to South Carolina until later this summer. Still, there's a good chance I'm going to still go to South Carolina."

Villanova lefthander Francisco selected by Brewers By TED SILARY, phillynews.com When doesn't the baseball draft work in mysterious ways? Beginning at roughly 10:30 yesterday morning, Villanova lefthander Mike Francisco spoke and/or exchanged text messages with a half-dozen major league organizations. Mindful that Francisco, a product of Malvern Prep, had not signed last year after being selected by the Phillies in the 45th round, the teams "were trying to see whether I still wanted to play pro ball." Then, toward the latter part of the afternoon, while he was speaking on the phone with 'Nova coach Joe Godri, Francisco received a text from a Mets scout, who indicated his franchise would take him with the very next pick (No. 1,452 overall) in the 48th round. "Very cool," Francisco thought. Another text followed shortly thereafter. Same guy. "You just got picked by somebody else." "I didn't even know who it was," Francisco said, laughing. "I had to go online to find out. When I saw it was the Milwaukee Brewers . . . Pretty surprising. I hadn't talked to them all year." The 6-4, 225-pound Francisco, a reliever, this season went 2-3 with nine saves and a 3.60 ERA. "I'm fully thankful to be getting another chance at pro ball," he said. "The Phillies saw me last year [in a New England summer league] and talked to me a number of times, but the [money] numbers weren't close to keeping me from returning to finish up my degree [marketing]. "I was thinking maybe I could go a little higher this time, but all I wanted was another opportunity and I got it. I'm very excited." When asked for his feelings about the fact that his pro career won't start with his hometown team, as it could have, Francisco said, "Ah, there's still that possibility in the future, right? At least I'll always be able to say my hometown team drafted me once, even if it wasn't in the year when I signed." Francisco said he expects to reach terms quickly and begin his career with a low-level affiliate in Arizona or Montana. *** NOTE: A 49th round LH reliever, Daniel Meadows, is doing just fine, thank you very much. -- Jim

Milwaukee Brewers Draft Mike Francisco in 48th Round of MLB DraftVillanova reliever is drafted for second consecutive season VILLANOVA, Pa. - For the second straight season Villanova LH reliever Mike Francisco (Newtown Square, Pa.) had his name called during the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Francisco was chosen in the 48th round of the 2011 draft on Wednesday by the Milwaukee Brewers, becoming the first player ever from Villanova to be selected by the Brewers organization. "Mike is only the seventh player from Villanova to be selected twice in the draft and he is the first from our program taken by the Brewers," Villanova head coach Joe Godri said. "I am extremely happy for Mike. He has a power arm and, with velocity in the 88-92 range and an imposing frame at 6-foot-4, there is no question that he can be successful at the next level." Francisco was the Wildcats top reliever for the last three seasons and graduated last month as the program's all-time leader in appearances and saves. He was also drafted last season by the Philadelphia Phillies and chose to return to school and complete his degree in Marketing from the Villanova School of Business. As a senior this year Francisco pitched in 25 games out of the bullpen for the second straight season for Villanova, racking up nine saves while holding opponents to a career low .229 batting average against him. Francisco logged 30.0 innings pitched and allowed only 25 hits while striking out 35. His nine saves in 2011 match the second-highest single-season total in the history of the program and his 20 career saves are a Wildcats record. For his collegiate career Francisco pitched in a school-record 82 games and added five wins to his save total while pitching exactly 100.0 career innings. Francisco is one of the very few relievers in school history with over 100 career strikeouts, as he finished with 105 to just 95 hits allowed (.253 opponent batting average). "Mike projects as a setup man or a closer at the professional level," Godri said. "The great thing for Mike is that he now has an opportunity to develop his secondary pitches as a pro. He worked on those pitches in practice at Villanova but the nature of being a closer is that when you get into the game you have to stick to your strength. Mike's strength is working his fastball to both sides of the plate." This year marked the eighth time in the last ten MLB drafts that Villanova had multiple players selected. Yesterday in the fourth round of the First-Year Player Draft right-handed pitcher Kyle McMyne was chosen by the Cincinnati Reds. The Wildcats have had a top-five round draft pick in each of the last two drafts and five times overall since 2000. Since the inception of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in 1965, the Villanova program has had 54 players drafted a total of 62 times, 34 of those 62 picks being used on pitchers. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nova/sports/m-basebl/auto_action/6583702.jpeg

Pair of Fond du Lac High School Cards drafted, Chad Pierce by Brewers by Doug Whiteley, Fond du Lac Reporter Two former Fond du Lac High School baseball players were drafted in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft that started Monday and concluded Wednesday. Sam Munson, a 2008 Fondy grad, went Tuesday to the Atlanta Braves, and Chad Pierce, an '06 Fondy grad got picked Wednesday by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers picked Pierce in the 38th round with the 1,151st pick. "I was watching the draft all day," Pierce said. "I stepped out of my apartment and my brother called me. The first thing he says is, 'Congrats,' and I said, 'For what?' He said, 'You got picked by the Brewers.' " Pierce, a 6-1, 215-pound right-handed pitcher was the ace of the staff at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee this season. He wasn't necessarily surprised that the Brewers selected him after he threw for their scouts last week at a pre-draft workout. "I threw pretty well there," he said, adding that he expects to be contacted in the next couple of days about where to report for assignment. "I think I made a good last-minute impression and figured if I was going to go it probably would be to the Brewers." He finished 6-4 with a 3.21 ERA, striking out 82 in just over 100 innings of work. He allowed opponents to hit just .236 on the season. He ranked third in the Horizon league in ERA, victories, strikeouts and innings pitched. In league play, he went 5-0 in eight starts with an ERA of 2.39. He was named the league's pitcher of the year this year and the newcomer of the year in 2010 when he led the Panthers during their run to the Horizon League Tournament title and berth in the NCAA Division I tournament. Pierce went to the University of Arkansas out of Fondy before transferring back to UWM. The stories of life playing through the minor leagues usually sound more dull than thrilling from those who tell the tales, but Pierce said he's ready to take on the challenge. "I'm definitely ready," he said. "Here in Milwaukee we made those long bus trips. We don't play everyday (like a minor-league schedule), but it's something you never really get used to. For me, since you were a little kid you've always wanted to play baseball, so you have to run with it. You get a chance to play every day, so you can't really complain." Pierce said he knows it will be difficult, but whether he plays one year or several years, he said he's honored to have been selected and will always remember the day he got drafted.

Chris' post game video and thoughts include a clever Brooks & Dunn reference and this -- The reason for the TBA today instead of Tyler Thornburg is that Thornburg was sent home sick from the stadium each of the last two days. He may not make the start today…Might be Dan Britt…Don’t know yet.

Wisconsin roughs up Lake County Captains with 14 runs, 20 hits Written by Tim Froberg, Appleton Post-Crescent There is a nice photo-gallery at the article link, be sure to check the option to show captions GRAND CHUTE — Hitting against a knuckleball pitcher is a unique experience that can be exasperating. When the knuckler is dancing, it's like trying to piece together a moving puzzle. Tricky stuff? Not for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Wednesday afternoon. The Timber Rattlers rocked Lake County knuckleballer Steven Wright and pounded a season-high 20 hits in a 14-2 Midwest League rout of the Captains at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. It was Wisconsin's highest single-game hit total since Aug. 5, 2007. The 14 runs and four home runs were also season highs. Wisconsin did most of its damage off Wright, who has been very effective with the knuckleball this season. The right-hander — a second-round pick out of the University of Hawaii in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft — entered the afternoon game with a 1-1 record and a 1.69 ERA. He has a career record of 25-20. But Wright was no riddle for the Rattlers. Wisconsin collected 12 hits and 11 runs off Wright in 3 1/3 innings. For most of the Rattlers, it was the first time many had faced a knuckleballer. "I don't think any of us have," said first baseman Cody Hawn. "I mean, you get guys goofing around in practice throwing them, but you never see it as someone's main pitch. We were joking around that it's just another day in Class A ball. A month ago we saw a guy throwing 102 (Quad Cities' Carlos Martinez) and today we saw a knuckleball guy." Hawn went two-for-four and hammered a three-run homer to right-center off Wright in the bottom of the fourth. Outfielder T.J. Mittelstaedt also homered off Wright, while Nick Shaw and Chris Dennis added round-trippers off Lake County relievers Nathan Stritz and Dale Dickerson. "The wind was in his face and that probably affected him," said Hawn. "He seemed to have trouble controlling the knuckleball and it probably didn't move as much for him. It seemed like it was real heavy. A lot of his knuckleballs were dying down and I think the wind kept the ball up on him. On my second at-bat against him, he just painted a couple pitches on me where I was like, 'Man, I couldn't image hitting off (Boston Red Sox knuckleballer) Tim Wakefield.' " Wisconsin third baseman Greg Hopkins laced a two-run triple off Wright to trigger a six-run first inning and went three-for-five on the day. "His knuckleball was pretty good and it's the first time I've seen one," said Hopkins. "Against a knuckleballer, they say, 'See it high, let it fly. See it low, let it go.' I tried to see it up in the zone and put a good swing on it. On the ball I hit off the wall (for the triple), he actually jammed me, but I got it up into the air and the wind helped me." Hopkins has been the Timber Rattlers' hottest hitter in June and extended his hitting streak to eight games. He hit near the bottom of the batting order earlier this season, but has moved into the cleanup spot. "The past few weeks I've been able to string some solid games together," said Hopkins. "I'm just trying to stay with my approach." Wisconsin's offensive explosion came less than 24 hours after being blanked 9-0 by Lake County on Tuesday night. "We needed this," Hawn said. "We've been kind of up and down with the bats." The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' Stosh Wawrzasek delivers against the Lake County Captains during their baseball game at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, WI. on Wednesday, June 8. Photo by Wm. Glasheen/The Post-Crescenthttp://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=U0&Date=20110608&Category=APC0206&ArtNo=106080812&Ref=PH&Item=16&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

All-Stars a bonus for Manatees Bucci, Davis, Gennett see majors as big prize by Mark DeCotis, Florida Today Being an All-Star in professional baseball is nothing new to Brevard County Manatees players Nick Bucci, Khris Davis and Scooter Gennett. That being said, the recognition is always welcomed and appreciated, and that's how the trio embraced their selection to the 50th Florida State League All-Star Game to be played Saturday, June 18 at Bright House Field in Clearwater. The added bonus for the players is that family members will get to see them play -- and in Bucci's and Davis' case -- that means journeys from Canada and California, respectively. After all, it's a big deal. "I was happy even though my numbers really aren't deserving and there's some other guys in the league that might have deserved that honor number-wise," said Gennett, a second baseman and a graduate of Sarasota High. "It was still exciting and it's always good when you get recognized." Gennett, Davis and Bucci were all-stars for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Class A Midwest League in 2010 and now have made the jump to High Class A successfully enough to be honorees again. That doesn't surprise Manatees manager Jeff Isom, who was the head man for Wisconsin in 2010. "It's nice to get notoriety, there's no question about that," Isom said. "They deserve it, they've played well." What they've accomplished, despite the Manatees being in last place in the FSL North Division, is only a sign of things to come, Isom believes. "I know where they were last year, I know where they're at now and they've all grown in individual areas," Isom said. "Where can they be? The sky's the limit. Making the major leagues. Those are three pretty good ballplayers there." At the time of their selections, left fielder Davis was fifth in the league in slugging percentage at .524, fifth in on-base plus slugging at .921 and sixth in runs batted in with 40. He also was first or second on the Manatees in 11 offensive categories. Davis, who was named the parent Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Player of the Month for April, hit safely in 34 out of his first 49 games and reached base safely in 43, including 18 straight from May 11-29. Gennett was tied for second team-wise in hits and was in the top five among the Manatees in three other offensive categories. He hit .318 in April and had the longest hitting streak in the league at 16 games. Bucci, a right-handed pitcher, was fourth in the league with a 2.29 earned run average and was tied for seventh in the league with a 1.15 WHIP (walks, hits per innings pitched). He led the Manatees in innings pitched and strikeouts. Davis took his selection in stride. "Every year my goal is to be an all-star whatever league in I'm in," he said. "I was happy but I've still got more work to do." The selection validates Davis' approach of preparation. "The hard work I put in, it just feels good to get something back," he said. Bucci had the same realistic approach as Davis. "Definitely, it's good to get recognized for something like that but, obviously, there's way more than half the season left so there's definitely a lot of work I still have to do," he said. Second baseman Scooter Gennett is batting .257 with 58 hits in 55 games and has scored 25 runs for the Brevard County Manatees. / Tim Shortt, FLORIDA TODAY http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&Date=20110609&Category=SPORTS&ArtNo=106090322&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0

An overnight update, very late from MiLB.com -- Final: DSL Mariners 3, @DSL Brewers 2, 11 innings Squad finally tastes defeat, but still things to like... DSL Brewers Box Score Somehow, someway, 6'7" Venezuelan lefty Eliezer Montano managed to go nine full innings while walking four and fanning ten -- I see how he managed to limit that pitch count, only one hit allowed! The 19-year-old rail-thin southpaw (listed at 170 lbs.), now in his 3rd DSL campaign, also managed to induce ten ground ball outs in a pretty amazing effort. Alas, the offense wasn't on its best game and the contest went into extra innings tied at 1-1. The Cerveceros bats had nine hits and six walks, so more should have been produced. Of course, SS Orlando Arcia had two hits in three trips, one a double. However, Arcia did not return to the game for the 8th inning after he placed the tag on a man at second base for the final out of the 7th, so we'll have to keep an eye on that. DSL Mariners Top of the 7th Wilton Martinez walks. With Axel Wel batting, Wilton Martinez picked off and caught stealing 2nd base, pitcher Eliezer Montano to first baseman Deivi Mejia to shortstop Orlando Arcia to catcher Carlos Pena to pitcher Eliezer Montano. Axel Wel walks. Estarlyn Morales grounds out, shortstop Orlando Arcia to first baseman Deivi Mejia. Axel Wel to 2nd. Janelfry Zorrilla singles on a line drive to left fielder Raul Mondesi. Axel Wel scores. Janelfry Zorrilla out at 2nd on the throw, left fielder Raul Mondesi to pitcher Eliezer Montano to shortstop Orlando Arcia. DSL Mariners Top of the 8th Defensive Substitution: Raphachel Colatosti replaces shortstop Orlando Arcia, batting 2nd, playing shortstop. DSL Brewers Play-by-Play The Brewers committed three errors, one of the two runs they allowed in extra innings was unearned, they were only 2-of-5 in stolen base attempts, and 2-for-10 with RISP, so the first loss of the season was somewhat deserved. In fact, because of Mariner errors, the two runs the good guys scored weren't even earned. Ruben Ozuna returned to action as the DH, so the Brewerfan DSL MVP from 2010 may be hobbled somehow, but nice to see him in action after a recent apparent injury scare, and Ozuna was the only Brewer beyond Arcia to have multiple hits. 3B Juan DeLeon did single and walk twice. What's going on injury-wise around the second base bag? Did catcher Julio Sotelo get hurt here? DSL Brewers Bottom of the 2nd Jose Pena walks. With Juan De Leon batting, Jose Pena caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Alexander Capriata to second baseman Diego Mina. Juan De Leon walks. Raul Mondesi strikes out swinging. Julio Sotelo singles on a line drive to right fielder Wilton Martinez. Juan De Leon to 2nd. Francisco Castillo grounds into a force out, fielded by shortstop Ketel Marte. Julio Sotelo out at 2nd. DSL Mariners Top of the 3rd Defensive Substitution: Carlos Pena replaces catcher Julio Sotelo, batting 8th, playing catcher. Alexander Capriata grounds out, second baseman Francisco Castillo to first baseman Deivi Mejia. Diego Mina grounds out, shortstop Orlando Arcia to first baseman Deivi Mejia. Ketel Marte grounds out, shortstop Orlando Arcia to first baseman Deivi Mejia. Raul Mondesi, Jr. (in left field for this one) was 0-for-4 with three K's, and was replaced after fanning on a called strike to end the 9th. He wasn't ejected, so perhaps manager Nestor Corredor didn't like his reaction. They are too detailed to list here, but you have to check out the four half-inning frames in the 10th and 11th. Each team scored in the 10th, in sessions filled with wild pitches and errors. Bizarre stuff. The boys could have won it if the bottom of the 10th didn't end like this -- Deivi Mejia flies into double play, center fielder Randy Perez to catcher Alexander Capriata. Yonki Hernandez out at home on the throw.

For the 3rd time in four days, the Nashville video highlight of the day is a Taylor Green extra-base hit, this time another home run, his 8th. And sweet swing off a lefty!

The Brewers press crew reports via Bruce Seid that Wily Peralta was added to the All-Star Game squad. Well, it is only a ten-team league, so not every player is going to have stellar stats.

Leaving mound proves best medicine for KjeldgaardOnce a pitcher, now a position player enjoying success in advanced A ball in Florida By MORRIS DALLA COSTA, The London (Ontario) Free Press Three years ago when the Milwaukee Brewers organization came to Brock Kjeldgaard and told him he was no longer a pitcher but would become a position player, he wasn't particularly thrilled. Now he realizes it could have been the best thing that happened to him. Kjeldgaard, born in Alberta but raised in London, is now playing the outfield, all three positions, first base and recently third base for the Florida State League Brevard County Manatees in advanced A ball. NOTE: We don't remeber that third base stint, and Baseball Refernce does not show it. Right now, the 25-year-old, six-foot-five, 245-pounder is ripping it up. He was named the league's player of the week the last two weeks in succession. He has 14 home runs, third in the Florida State League. He's hit eleven of those 14 since May 18. "It's been going well," he said while preparing for a game against Dunedin. That is a classic understatement. Kjeldgaard is hitting .267 in 50 games. He has 35 RBIs to add to the 14 home runs. In a six-game stretch, he hit .348, with four home runs, two two-run homer games in succession. He has had four multi-homer games this year. He is five homers short of the Manatee single-season record. NOTE: Now four home runs shy after another Wednesday night. He was drafted in the 34th round by the Brewers in 2005 as a pitcher and has 65 home runs in his minor league career. "It's always kind of tough to make a position change," Kjeldgaard said. "There are more guys who make the position change from position player to pitcher if you have a strong arm. I know lately there's been more players that have gone from pitcher to position player. It takes a little time." Kjeldgaard hadn't hit in a game for almost three years. "It was almost a good thing for me now that I look back," he said. "It wiped clean everything I did and I started from scratch. I got instruction and I learned a better way to go after it." While he's pleased now, he took a while to get to that feeling. But reality kicked in for him. "I was shocked because it wasn't my decision," he said. "But after it settled in I thought I had a couple of tough years pitching. This could be good. I could get a fresh start. It's worked out for the best so far. "I like hitting more than pitching. I just like being in every day. It was tough when I was pitching because if you are in the bullpen, you might not pitch for six or seven days. As a position player I've been lucky to be in there almost every day." While he's pounding the ball pretty well right now, it took some time for Kjeldgaard to find his hitting rhythm. But he made some adjustments focusing on a consistent swing. "It carried over into the game," Kjeldgaard said. "It's nice because I had a rough start to the season, that makes it more special. It's kind of nice to show them what I can do." The boost a player gets mentally is almost as important as the boost he gets physically. "When you get a little streak you have it in your mind that you can do this kind of thing," Kjeldgaard said.

Several DSL games were rained out Wednesday, including the other division game near Santo Domingo, where the Brewers play. While the DSL Brewers linescore does not indicate it yet, we imagine they were wiped out of a game, or perhaps suspended.

Final: Dunedin 4, @Brevard County 3 Brevard County edged by DunedinBucci K's six, Kjeldgaard homers again in loss By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- Manatees starting pitcher Nick Bucci was outdueled by Blue Jays starting pitcher Deck McGuire in a battle of All-Stars as Brevard County fell 4-3 to Dunedin on Wednesday night at Space Coast Stadium. Bucci went six innings and allowed four runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out six. McGuire went just five innings, but gave up just three runs (two earned) on five hits and struck out 10 Manatees. Dunedin jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first when Justin Jackson led off the game with a ground-rule double, moved to third on a ground out and then scored on a wild pitch. Brevard County's recent power surge at the plate continued in the second as Khris Davis and Brock Kjeldgaard led off the inning with back-to-back solo shots to give the Manatees a 2-1 lead. For Davis it was his ninth of the season and for Kjeldgaard it was his 15th. Dunedin would take the lead back in the third as Jackson worked a two-out walk and then Kevin Nolan took the first pitch he saw from Bucci and deposited it over the right field fence, for a two-out two-run homer to give the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead. Dunedin added another run in the fourth to make it 4-2 The Manatees had a chance to cut the lead in the bottom of the fourth as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Juan Sanchez grounded out to end the threat. Brevard County did scratch across a run in the fifth as Scooter Gennett and Kentrail Davis led the inning off with back-to-back singles and then Hunter Morris reached on an error by the center fielder Jackson, as Gennett scored to cut it to a 4-3 game. A double steal by Kentrail Davis and Morris gave the 'Tees runners on second and third with nobody out, but McGuire proceeded to strikeout the side as he got Khris Davis swinging, Kjeldgaard looking and Shea Vucinich swinging to end the threat. The Manatees got the leadoff runner on in both the seventh and the ninth, but couldn't capitalize as they lost their third straight game. In relief of Bucci, R.J. Seidel threw one scoreless inning and Santo Manzanillo threw two scoreless frames. Gennett and Khris Davis each had two hits, while Kjeldgaard's 15th homer of the season put him in a three-way tie for the league lead and four away from setting the Manatees single-season mark. Brevard County will close out the home portion of this three-game series with Dunedin on Thursday night at 7:05 PM. The game will be broadcast live on Bright House Sports Network for those in the Melbourne / Viera area. Nick Bucci (L) struck out six in six innings and Brock Kjeldgaard ® hit his 15th homer, but it was in a losing effort as Brevard County fell 4-3 to the Dunedin Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Space Coast Stadium. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography)http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2011/06/08/Wxa88SUQ.jpg Brevard County Box Score Another loss in a season full of them for the Sea Cows, but still several positives to take out of this; Nick Bucci struck out six while walking only one, and had a 7-2 GB-to-FB ratio, somewhat mitigating the four earned runs in six frames; relievers R.J. Seidel and in particular Santo Manzanillo continue to pitch well -- not sure how much Manzanillo has had to dial down his legitimate 100 MPH heat to obtain his newfound dominance, but I'm just going to toss out there the notion that he may need to be a 40-man roster addition next fall, just sayin'; Khris Davis is up to a .927 OPS, and don't look now, but Scooter Gennett now has a seven-game hit streak (albeit with eight hits total); OK, we've saved Brock Kjeldgaard for last and I'll be posting a feature story about him in the Manatee thread momentarily -- if the Florida State League can't figure out a way to sneak Brock onto the All-Star squad, shame on them -- he played CF tonight, we'd all love to see video for any Corey Hart-type adjustments the kid has made, certainly everyone has to be happy for him... Brevard County Play-by-Play Honestly, you could get physically ill reading this game log, all the wasted chances -- 0-for-11 with RISP! 26-year-old former Brewer farmhand Wes Etheridge now has 19 (19!) saves as the Blue Jays closer, including several against the 'Tees. Here's the 9th, cue the frustration: Brevard County Bottom of the 9th Pitcher Change: Wes Etheridge replaces Dumas Garcia. Scott Krieger doubles (10) on a line drive to right fielder Brad Glenn. Sean McCraw reaches on a fielder's choice out, catcher A. J. Jimenez to third baseman Kevin Ahrens. Scott Krieger out at 3rd. Juan Sanchez pops out to third baseman Kevin Ahrens. Scooter Gennett grounds out, first baseman Jon Talley to pitcher Wes Etheridge.

Final: @Wisconsin 14, Lake County 2 Wisconsin whacks four homers in 14-2 win over Captains by Chris Mehring, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers cracked 20 hits in a game for the first time since 2007 and beat the Lake County Captains 14-2 Wednesday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. Four of Wisconsin’s hits were home runs. Jameson Dunn pitched five innings and picked up his second straight win as the beneficiary of the offensive display. The Captains (27-32) threatened to break through early as they loaded the bases against Dunn in the first inning. But, the right-hander struck out Jesus Aguilar for the final out of the first to strand all three runners. Then, the Rattler hitters took over from there. T.J. Mittelstaedt started the bottom of the first with a walk. One out later Cody Hawn drew a walk to set up cleanup batter Greg Hopkins. The Rattlers third baseman, who took over the number four spot in the batting order last Saturday, cracked a triple off the wall in left for a 2-0 lead. Hopkins has six RBI in four games since moving into the cleanup spot. A passed ball allowed Hopkins to score for a 3-0 lead. Wisconsin set the table again with a couple of base runners and Tony Pechek drove one in with a single. A two-out single by Robbie Garvey, the ninth man in the order, drove in two more runs for a 6-0 lead. Mittelstaedt picked up the first of his four hits on the day with a leadoff homer in the second inning and the Rattlers (31-28) were up 7-0. Wisconsin kept the pressure on in the fourth inning. Nick Shaw drove in a run with a single. Hawn was next and he drove a three-run home run over the Miller High Life Home Run Porch in right-center for an 11-0 Wisconsin advantage. The Captains broke through in the top of the fifth against Dunn. A one-out, two-run home run by LeVon Washington cut Wisconsin’s led to 11-2. The home run also ended Dunn’s scoreless innings streak at 18-2/3 innings. Dunn went five innings, gave up six hits, walked one, and struck out four in the game for Wisconsin. Shaw got both runs back in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run home run that made the score 13-2. Chris Dennis capped the scoring for the game with a line drive home run in the bottom of the eighth. Dennis has five home runs this season after that blast. The final game of the series is Thursday night. The Rattlers have not named a starter for the game yet. Lake County will send Kyle Blair (3-3, 5.37) to the mound. Game time is 7:05 PM. Dennis Haskins, who played Mr. Belding on Saved by the Bell, is making a personal appearance for Educator Appreciation Night presented by School House on Thursday night. Haskins will be available for autographs, throw out a first pitch, sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and host post-game karaoke. As part of Educator Appreciation Night, educators will receive $1 off a box seat or a reserved bleacher seat ticket when they show their ID. The regular Slugger's Sports Bar Thirsty Thursday presented by 101.1, WIXX promotion means that 22 ounce Pepsi products and 16 ounce Miller products are available for $2. Redeem a Thursday night game ticket at Slugger's, located inside Super Bowl on Northland Avenue, for a chance to win great prizes from Miller Lite. Also, the first 1,000 fans will a team photo of the 2011 Timber Rattlers upon entering the stadium. If you can’t make it out to Time Warner Cable Field, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45 PM. Wisconsin Box Score Yay Mr. Belding! Before we give props to the bats, undrafted free agent Jameson Dunn is in his first pro season at age 24, but heck, Michael Fiers was drafted at 24 and we still like him. So yes, it's OK to root for Dunn, who is not short on velocity either (I believe 92-93 has been mentioned in previous Chris Mehring post-game thoughts). Reliever Brian Garman didn't need his GPS to find the plate in three scoreless follow-up innings, only one walk (been waiting all season for that one, yes, I know it's spelled Garmin). Everybody had a hit. OK, so seven guys had multi-hit games. There were seven extra-base hits and four were of the over-the-fence variety, as Chris noted. T.J. Mittelstaedt led the way out of the leadoff spot with four knocks. Greg Hopkins is loving life in the cleanup spot since that lineup adjustment. Just about everybody deserves a mention, so click on the box score link and enjoy all the crooked numbers. Chris' video / audio highlights tonight should be in miniseries form. Can't wait...the guys really took Matt Erickson's Tuesday dis-satisfaction to heart. Wisconsin Play-by-Play We posted the six-run 1st earlier, so here's the four-run 4th... Wisconsin Bottom of the 4th Robert Garvey singles on a line drive to right fielder Carlos Moncrief. T. J. Mittelstaedt singles on a ground ball to second baseman Nick Bartolone. Robert Garvey to 2nd. With Nick Shaw batting, wild pitch by Steven Wright, Robert Garvey to 3rd. T. J. Mittelstaedt to 2nd. Nick Shaw singles on a line drive to right fielder Carlos Moncrief. Robert Garvey scores. T. J. Mittelstaedt to 3rd. Cody Hawn homers (4) on a fly ball to right field. T. J. Mittelstaedt scores. Nick Shaw scores. Gregory Hopkins singles on a line drive to left fielder Brian Heere. Michael Walker pops out to third baseman Giovanny Urshela in foul territory. Chris Dennis singles on a line drive to right fielder Carlos Moncrief. Gregory Hopkins to 3rd. Pitcher Change: Nathan Striz replaces Steven Wright. With Tony Pechek batting, wild pitch by Nathan Striz, Chris Dennis to 2nd. Tony Pechek pops out to first baseman Jesus Aguilar. Yadiel Rivera strikes out swinging, catcher Alex Monsalve to first baseman Jesus Aguilar.

Final: @Mobile 11, Huntsville 6 Huntsville Box ScoreCody Scarpetta went only three plus innings, and did not retire any of the five men he faced in the 4th, and Lucas Luetge allowed both inherited runners to score, giving Scarpetta a final line of 3 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 5 K -- his ERA jumped from 3.88 to 4.63; in the "if you take away two starts" game, if you were to remove this start and his first start of the season, Scarpetta would have an ERA right around 3.00 through his other ten outings. The Stars trailed 8-3 after four innings and would close the gap to 8-6 after seven, but Rob Wooten surrendered three runs in the 8th for the final tally. Offensively, there was much to cheer, as Huntsville outhit Mobile, 15-11. First baseman Sean Halton led the way with a 4-for-5 day (two doubles). CF Logan Schafer (double) and SS Andy Gonzalez (double) each had two hits and a walk , and C Anderson De La Rosa was 2-for-5 and also doubled. The Stars smacked six two-base hits (for those counting, pinch-hitter Hainley Statia had the other) and the club also drew four walks total as LF Lee Haydel singled twice and walked. Huntsville was 3-for-4 swiping bags, but offset any success offensively with three errors (two unearned runs) to go with the mostly sour mound efforts. Huntsville Play-by-Play The ugly 4th -- Mobile Bottom of the 4th Marc Krauss walks. Josh Ford singles on a line drive to left fielder Lee Haydel. Marc Krauss to 2nd. Jacob Elmore doubles (7) on a line drive to center fielder Logan Schafer. Marc Krauss scores. Josh Ford to 3rd. Bryan Henry singles on a ground ball to left fielder Lee Haydel. Josh Ford scores. Jacob Elmore scores. Ollie Linton walks. Bryan Henry to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Lucas Luetge replaces Cody Scarpetta, batting 9th. A. J. Pollock flies out to left fielder Lee Haydel. Paul Goldschmidt doubles (13) on a fly ball to center fielder Logan Schafer. Bryan Henry scores. Ollie Linton scores. Ryan Wheeler flies out to left fielder Lee Haydel. Taylor Harbin flies out to right fielder Erik Komatsu.

That's pretty special. Here's another detailed article on him, actually one of many available on the interwebs. He can wear my "I Love You, Brewers" logo on his uniform.

On the other hand, Rattler Manager Matt Erickson must be really thrilled about this -- a six-run 1st! Wisconsin Bottom of the 1st T. J. Mittelstaedt walks. Nick Shaw flies out to center fielder LeVon Washington. With Cody Hawn batting, T. J. Mittelstaedt steals (8) 2nd base. Cody Hawn walks. Gregory Hopkins triples (2) on a fly ball to center fielder LeVon Washington. T. J. Mittelstaedt scores. Cody Hawn scores. With Michael Walker batting, passed ball by Alex Monsalve, Gregory Hopkins scores. Michael Walker singles on a fly ball to left fielder Brian Heere. Chris Dennis reaches on force attempt, throwing error by pitcher Steven Wright. Michael Walker to 2nd. Tony Pechek singles on a ground ball to center fielder LeVon Washington. Michael Walker scores. Chris Dennis to 2nd. Yadiel Rivera grounds out, second baseman Nick Bartolone to first baseman Jesus Aguilar. Chris Dennis to 3rd. Tony Pechek to 2nd. Robert Garvey singles on a fly ball to center fielder LeVon Washington. Chris Dennis scores. Tony Pechek scores. With T. J. Mittelstaedt batting, Robert Garvey caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Alex Monsalve to shortstop Ronny Rodriguez.

The Mobile manager must be thrilled about this -- Huntsville Top of the 1st Logan Schafer walks. Erik Komatsu strikes out swinging. Sean Halton doubles (12) on a line drive to left fielder Ollie Linton. Logan Schafer scores. Steffan Wilson grounds out, second baseman Jacob Elmore to first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Sean Halton to 3rd. Mobile BayBears pitcher Wade Miley ejected by 1B umpire Jordan Ferrell. Pitcher Change: Bryan Henry replaces Wade Miley, batting 9th. Angel Gonzalez walks. Anderson De La Rosa singles on a ground ball to center fielder A. J. Pollock. Sean Halton scores. Angel Gonzalez to 2nd. Lee Haydel strikes out swinging. Cody Scarpetta gave up a two-run HR in the bottom of the inning, baserunner had reached on a Lee Haydel error.

Huntsville Media Notes

Wisconsin Lineup and Media Notes

Just a reminder for you fans of the future baby Brewers that we are linking to all the "next-day" hometown newspaper articles we can find within the discussion threads on our Draft Forum. Of course, we can't mention any by name here in the Minor League Forum until they formally sign http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif. The newspaper articles often provide us with the best draft-related info -- the first reaction quotes, the "oh, was I not supposed to discuss my signing bonus to the press" gaffes, family reactions, etc. These articles will all eventually be linked within each player's individual post in our Official Draft Pick Selection/Signing Thread . Other folks on the interwebs are doing a fantastic job for you all as well. We're just trying to maintain the draft coverage you've come to expect over the years from us. Odd circumstances and technical challenges have made it a bit more daunting over the last 24 hours, but we believe you'll find the latest stuff pretty interesting. In other words, Brewerfan kicking butt (again) for you. Stay tuned!

Keller leads area draft picks with sixth-round selection By Rhiannon Potkey, Ventura County (CA) Star Danny Keller had a good excuse for skipping graduation rehearsal at Newbury Park High on Tuesday morning. Keller was about to fulfill his childhood dream. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound right-handed pitcher was selected in the sixth round by the Milwaukee Brewers in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft. "Getting drafted is such a big honor, and it was really exciting to finally have it happen," Keller said. "It was like breathing a sigh of relief." Keller was one of nine players with local ties selected on the second day of the draft. Keller, the 191st overall pick, had a feeling the Brewers might select him. Keller played on the Brewers scout team during the fall. "It's kind of nice to already know a few of the guys in the organization and some of the scouts," Keller said. "Anything can happen in the draft, so I wasn't sure they would take me. But it is a pretty cool thing." ""I am most likely going to sign with the Brewers," Keller said. "Basically this is what I have been working for my whole life, so I want to take the chance now."