Jim Goulart

Dennis finding hitting stroke on return to Wisconsin Timber Rattlers by Tim Froberg, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE – Wearing a Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' jersey seems to bring out the pop in Chris Dennis' bat. Dennis was one of the team's best hitters last summer, playing well enough to earn a promotion to Brevard County (advanced Class A) of the Florida State League. However, he struggled early this season at Brevard County and was transferred back to Wisconsin on May 1. Dennis' slump disappeared upon his return to the Rattlers and he has resumed his role as one of Wisconsin's sluggers. The right-handed-hitting outfielder collected two hits Tuesday night, including a tie-breaking two-run triple to highlight a three-run eighth inning, which lifted Wisconsin to a 3-1 win over Cedar Rapids before a crowd of 3,471 at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. "It was a fastball away and I was looking for something in the zone I could drive," said Dennis. "We've been having a little trouble scoring guys in scoring position and it was time to knuckle down and put the ball in play." Dennis is hitting .333 in his first 27 at bats with Wisconsin. The (Lasalle) Ontario, Canada native slammed 18 home runs with the Rattlers last season and knocked in 87 runs, hitting .270. He got off to a terrific 2011 start with Wisconsin, slamming a home run in his first at bat with the Rattlers earlier this month. "I've always felt comfortable in Wisconsin," said Dennis. "I know a lot of people here and I'm comfortable with the atmosphere. It's a good group of guys and I'm just trying to contribute to a team that has a lot of talent." Dennis just couldn't get started at Brevard County, collecting just three hits in 29 plate appearances. "I struggled, I don't know what it was," said Dennis. "Sometimes, you just get into those type of slumps. It's unfortunate, but I got a new start here and you can't dwell on the past. I just want to do what I can to, hopefully, get back up there." Dennis batted cleanup Tuesday and was part of a very productive middle of the batting order. He and No. 3 hitter, Cody Hawn both went two-for-four, while No. 5 hitter, Mike Walker, followed Dennis' game-breaking triple with an RBI single. "I consider myself to be a guy whose job it is to knock in runs," said Dennis. "Whether that means hitting a home run or hitting the gaps, I have to get those guys in. That's what I take pride in as a hitter." Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson said the Rattlers are hoping to develop more consistency at the plate with Dennis. "He's very streaky, but when he's good, he's really good, as good as it gets," said Erickson. "He's got a lot of stuff going on in his rhythm at the plate and we're trying to calm that down." The Rattlers also received strong pitching from starter Del Howell and reliever Eric Marzec, who combined on a six-hitter. Howell, a left-hander, allowed the lone run in six solid innings, delivering his best start of the season. Marzec was impressive out of the bullpen, throwing three shutout innings and striking out five. "When you pitch and play defense, you keep yourself in games and give yourself the opportunity to have a big inning," said Erickson. "I thought we did that tonight. Howell had 13 ground ball outs. Hooky (pitching coach Chris Hook) challenged him early to see if he could get some ground ball outs, because he's not the type who's going to blow the ball by hitters. And I thought our bullpen was very good for the second straight night, Eric Marzec came in and just shut them down."

Still Waitin’ Brendan Katin is closing in on the Sounds’ all-time homerun record but his most cherished prize is a call from Milwaukee Tennessee Sports Magazine Brendan Katin has a chance this season to become the all-time leading home run hitter in Nashville Sounds’ history. But the journey between Katin’s 69 home runs entering this season and former Sound Chad Hermansen’s team record 92 homers could be quite an adventure. It might not look like such an uphill climb, given Katin hit 26 home runs last season. Another 23 homers might appear within reach at first glance. But although no other player stands between the two, Katin has all kinds of obstacles in his way before reaching the top of the list. For starters, he has a bad knee. Katin missed seven weeks of playing time last year because of the knee injury, and that lingering problem alone could cut down on the amount of playing time he receives this season. Katin might not get enough at-bats to make a real home-run chase possible – even though he hit his single-season career high in homers last year in 336 at-bats. He hit 24 the year before in 459 at-bats. Ideally for Katin, who is now in his fourth year as a Sound, the whole home run thing would become a moot point if he were to be called up by the parent club Milwaukee Brewers. But there has been little to suggest the Brewers are eager to promote him. Katin is 28, and although he has been in the Brewers’ organization for his entire seven-year career, he has never made it to the major leagues – not even for the proverbial cup of coffee. Throw in the fact that the Brewers have outfield talent like Caleb Gindl and Brandon Boggs who stand to see considerable playing time with Katin and Brett Carroll as part of an outfield rotation, it’s no sure thing Katin will be in the lineup. The Brewers are a National League team, so that means Katin couldn’t even see playing time as a designated hitter in games against other National League-affilliated clubs. When he hits, Katin is a classic power hitter. He’s likely to bat in the clean-up spot. He is also likely to get about as many extra-base hits as singles. And he is likely to strike out a lot, although Katin points to improvements in that category. Katin could also become the team’s all-time RBI leader this season. He is second to Hermansen there as well. The leader has 286, Katin 240, which makes the RBI record a far more reachable goal. Hermansen was in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization at the time, and played for Nashville from 1998-2002. The two players have never met. Katin, who stands 6-feet-1-inch and 223 pounds, calls the home run record a “bittersweet” subject, a very nice accomplishment if it happens but also a painfully obvious bit of evidence that he is spending his time in the minor leagues. He will be a free agent at the end of the season, and he is already thinking about the possibility of playing in Japan, which he sees as potentially good money. Is a call-up to the Brewers in the future? Sounds Manager Don Money says he can’t say yes or no because so much depends on what the Brewers need. “He has the power. But I will say he’s pitch-able,” Money said. “What I mean by that is he can be pitched to.” What Money means by that is pitchers can figure out how to get Katin out. Money isn’t sure Katin can make the adjustments needed to face big-league pitching. “Physically, he has a bad knee. I don’t see him playing as much this year as last year, just because of that,” Money said. And like other power hitters, Katin goes hot or cold. “He’s a streaky hitter,” Money said. “When he’s hot, he carries the team. When he’s cold, he’s as cold as an iceberg.” “This game is always a game of adjustments. He’s a right fielder, an OK right fielder. He’s got a pretty good arm. At times in the past, he just doesn’t know how to use it. He throws to the wrong base sometimes. He overthrows guys. He has made some improvements, but you’ve got to pretty much do it all the time.” Money says he has seen players who can hit 30 home runs a season in the minor leagues but can’t play in the big leagues. He has seen guys hit for a .320 average in the minors but can’t make it in the majors because “there are other things they can’t do.” Katin was asked how much Brewer officials have told him about their plans for him in the field. “To be honest with you, not much at all,” he said. “I’m not the kind of guy that goes in and asks. If I’m in there, I’m in there. If not, I’ll be in the dugout ready to pinch hit. My best guess is we we’ll have some sort of outfield rotation. There are four outfielders for three positions. It’s just how it plays out.” Katin doesn’t sound especially fond of being a designated hitter anyway. “On a bad day at DH you get frustrated, because you don’t have anything to make up for it. You can’t go out there and rob a hit or throw a guy out to make up for a bad day at the plate,” he said. Katin lives in Wellington, Fla. He played in high school in Fort Myers and collegiately at Lake-Sumter Community College in Leesburg, Fla., then at the University of Miami, where he was a member of a College World Series team, although he didn’t get to play much on that trip. “I came in late against South Carolina and ended up going 2-for-2, so my career batting average in the College World Series is 1.000,” he said. Katin is one of eight children in his family, and he recalls playing baseball in his youth in the yard with two older brothers. His favorite player was a power hitter, Mark McGwire, first with the Oakland A’s and then with the St. Louis Cardinals. When asked what he thought about the steroids issue that swirled around McGwire after his retirement, Katin said it didn’t bother him much. Katin is a fixture with the Sounds, so much so the team has already scheduled a Brendan Katin Bobblehead day July 14. It has become the new measure that shows you have arrived in baseball when they make a bobblehead doll of you. But just like with the home run record, Katin would just as soon be in Milwaukee. He was asked his own opinion as to why he has never received the big-league call. “In 2008 or ‘09, my understanding was it was strikeouts,” he said. “Last year, in my opinion, I cut them down, increased my walks, increased my batting average, and increased my home runs and RBIs. “Last year, I thought I had a shot. It kind of frustrates me a little bit, but as far as one part of my game that’s keeping me there, I honestly couldn’t tell you. Who knows? I guess I’m just stuck behind a good group of outfielders in the big leagues.” In 2009 with the Sounds, Katin hit .244, with the 24 homers, 92 RBIs, 35 walks and 164 strikeouts. Last year, he batted .286 with 26 homers, 76 RBIs, 39 walks and 91 strikeouts. Money notes that Katin also had fewer at-bats last year, however. Baseball at any level can be a grind. On an off day, Katin will usually just crash on the couch at home and watch television. In the offseason, he occasionally enjoys fishing. And that’s Florida fishing, not freshwater fishing like in Nashville. “I’ve tried bass fishing here a couple of times and came up empty,” he said. “So that’s off my list.” But he has found an appreciation for a lot of things after playing winter ball in Venezuela and Mexico. “The first time I went to Venezuela, I came home 15 pounds less,” Katin said. “The access to food is a little different. You don’t have a 7-11 on every street corner. You don’t have the drive-thrus and whatnot. I’ve been to Venezuela three times and Mexico once. My stint in Mexico lasted only two or three weeks. “It’s a different world. It’s great to go see how other people live, but when you come home you appreciate a little more being able to do what we do every day. We get in our cars and go to the mall. We have hundreds of places to eat. There, you’ve got hamburger stands, and it’s just completely different. It makes you appreciate living in the United States.”

Jake Odorizzi again makes the home page at MiLB.com -- Rocks' Odorizzi fans career-high 13 By John Parker / Special to MLB.com Need to bring a losing streak to an end? Put Jake Odorizzi on the mound. Odorizzi allowed one hit while fanning a career-high 13 batters over six innings Tuesday night as Class A Advanced Wilmington snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over visiting Salem in a battle of first-place clubs. The former first-round draft pick whom the Royals acquired from Milwaukee in the Zack Greinke deal has won his last three starts, all of which followed Blue Rocks losses. He's allowed two runs on 10 hits while striking out 31 over 19 innings in the three outings. "Early on, I had my control and fastball location and things were just working well all night long," Odorizzi said. The gem gave the 21-year-old right-hander both the Carolina League and Royals organization lead in strikeouts. "I try to throw strikes and get ahead in the count," he said. "Working off the fastball opened up a lot doors, and when you throw strikes you'll get some strikeouts. The strikeouts are a side effect of the way I want to pitch." Odorizzi started hot Tuesday and never let up. He fanned the first five batters he faced and did not allow a hit until the sixth inning. "Jake set the tone for us," said Wilmington manager Brian Rupp. "He was aggressive with the fastball and his curve was maybe the best we've seen it so far." Though Odorizzi (3-0) walked a season-high three batters, just one Red Sox player reached second base during his six frames. Kevin Chapman posted his sixth save after allowing one run on one hit in the ninth. The Red Sox, who entered the game with the Carolina League's best road record (7-2) and best overall record (20-8), did not get on the board until Reynaldo Rodriguez led off the ninth with his fifth homer. They managed just three hits in the game. Wilmington and Salem, who lead the Carolina Northern and Southern Divisions respectively have two more games in their three-game set. The Blue Rocks visit LewisGale Field for a four-game series next week, but it remains to be seen whether Odorizzi will have pitched himself to Double-A Northwest Arkansas by then.

To make room for returning SS Edwin Maysonet (off the DL), the Brewers released 37-year-old veteran SS Luis Figueroa. Figueroa hit .296 (8-for-27) for the Sounds during his brief stint.

Nashville Audio Archive -- May 10 - Chat with infielder Edwin Maysonet

Nashville Media Notes

Nearly 7,000 in attendance in Knoxville, by the way. I'm so glad Sessile was available for this matinee recap because that game log had my head spinning during the course of the afternoon. Thirty-five combined baserunners, six extra-base hits for the Stars, five double plays turned by the Smokies, each team had exactly only one 1-2-3 clean inning. Nice win.

Multiple post-game Wisconsin thoughts (and game highlight video) from Chris.So glad Mr. Mehring didn't choose to continue to limit himself to three thoughts per game like earlier in the year. He's going to need a bigger blog! http://nighthawknews.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/jaws_swims_behind_chief_brody.jpg

Sean's apparently not a morning person...

Huntsville Media Notes

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Omaha 18 13 .581 - - 11-5 7-8 5-5 L1 Iowa 14 17 .452 4.0 110 7-8 7-9 3-7 L2 Memphis 11 19 .367 6.5 108 8-7 3-12 3-7 L1 Nashville 9 21 .300 8.5 106 6-8 3-13 1-9 L8 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tennessee 19 12 .613 - - 8-3 11-9 5-5 W2 Huntsville 17 13 .567 1.5 39 10-4 7-9 3-7 L1 Jackson 16 13 .552 2.0 39 6-7 10-6 7-3 L2 Chattanooga 17 14 .548 2.0 38 9-11 8-3 5-5 W3 Carolina 10 21 .323 9.0 31 7-13 3-8 5-5 W1 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Daytona 23 8 .742 - - 11-4 12-4 8-2 W7 Clearwater 21 10 .677 2.0 38 11-5 10-5 8-2 W2 Lakeland 15 16 .484 8.0 32 9-7 6-9 5-5 W1 Dunedin 14 17 .452 9.0 31 5-9 9-8 6-4 L2 Brevard County 10 21 .323 13.0 27 4-12 6-9 1-9 L8 Tampa 10 21 .323 13.0 27 4-12 6-9 1-9 L1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Burlington 23 7 .767 - - 10-2 13-5 8-2 W5 Cedar Rapids 20 11 .645 3.5 - 10-6 10-5 6-4 L1 Beloit 17 12 .586 5.5 39 10-5 7-7 5-5 W1 Peoria 17 14 .548 6.5 37 9-4 8-10 6-4 W3 Wisconsin 13 15 .464 9.0 36 7-9 6-6 6-4 W2 Quad Cities 14 17 .452 9.5 34 5-10 9-7 4-6 L2 Clinton 9 23 .281 15.0 28 4-15 5-8 3-7 L3 Kane County 9 23 .281 15.0 28 5-11 4-12 2-8 L4

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

Tuesday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at home vs. Fresno (Giants), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link iPad/iPhone: Listen Huntsville: LHP Dan Merklinger at Tennessee (Cubs), 10:35 AM gametime Live Audio Link -- look for the Tennessee feed off the master MiLB.com audio list Brevard County: TBD (probably RHP Hiram Burgos) at home vs. Charlotte (Rays), 6:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link -- Stone Crabs' feed Wisconsin: LHP Del Howell at home vs. Cedar Rapids (Angels), 6:15 PM pre-game; 6:35 gametime Live Audio Link

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WSSP Post-Game Audio / Press pool - news conference Ron Roenicke Zack Greinke Prince Fielder Jonathan Lucroy Kameron Loe *** Cory Provus Post-Game with Rickie Weeks ESPN540 Post-Game Interview with Jonathan Lucroy WSSP Pre-Game Interview with Jonathan Lucroy Cory Provus Pre-Game Interview with Craig Counsell

Cubs win 7th straight By Sean Kernan, Daytona News-Journal Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH -- The Daytona Cubs continued to put together impressive numbers Monday night. And why not? The Cubs had their favorite opponent at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Cubs twice overcame two-run deficits on the way to an 11-7 victory over the Brevard County Manatees, extending their season-best winning streak to seven games. The Cubs remained a perfect 7-0 in games played against the Manatees. "I don't think they want to see us for a while," Daytona manager Buddy Bailey said in reference to the Cubs' nearest rival in the Florida State League. "We've played them seven times and beaten them seven times. Certain teams, you go through stretches, and good things always seem to happen in your favor. Lucky things, or whatever it is, it's just been that way for us against them. "But then again, when you look at our record, it's been that way with a lot of the clubs we've played." The Cubs are 23-8, a winning percentage of .742 that is the third-highest in professional baseball behind the International League's Columbus Clippers (.24-7, .774) and Midwest League's Burlington Bees (23-7, .767). This was Daytona's third opportunity in just 33 days this season to extend a winning streak to seven games. The Cubs opened the season with a six-game winning streak and had another string of six wins from April 19-24. Monday night's win came before a crowd of 2,436 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Fans attending the Belly Buster promotion got to see plenty of baseball during the 3-hour, 23-minute marathon. The Florida State League Northern Division leader took advantage of numerous miscues -- two errors, six walks and one hit batter -- to set the table against the Manatees (10-21). Four of Daytona's runs were scored by base runners that reached on an error, walk or hit batter. The Cubs did get a mammoth home run by Justin Bour that sparked a four-run second inning. Bour, who now is tied for second in the FSL with eight home runs, crushed a 1-2 pitch over the center-field fence. "The big thing that's impressed me with Bour is it wasn't that long ago that he was batting .220. Now he's at .289," Bailey said. "He had a big night (3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI). So did Nellie Perez (2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs) and Jake Opitz (3-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored)." Daytona trailed 6-4 when it put together a three-run rally in the fifth. Singles by Bour and Michael Burgess, and a walk by Perez, loaded the bases. Opitz chopped a single over first base to drive in two runs. The go-ahead run came across on a ground ball by Mike Brenly. Daytona put the game away with a four-run eighth highlighted by a two-run double by Perez, who on Monday was named the FSL's Player of the Week. Brevard County’s Hunter Morris (15) gets tagged out by Daytona second baseman Matt Cerda on Monday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach. (News-Journal Photo | Sean McNeil) http://www.news-journalonline.com/sports/images/2011/05/10/cubs10510.jpg

Timber Rattlers hitting their stride, beat Quad Cities River Bandits by Ricardo Arguello, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — Finding continuity in baseball usually goes hand-in-hand with repetition. And now that the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have more of the latter, the former is beginning to take shape in the form of wins. The Timber Rattlers got two big home runs from their offense and some solid relief pitching in holding off Quad Cities 5-4 in a Midwest League game at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Monday. Wisconsin (13-15) has won six of its last nine games, including two of its last three. "We talk about momentum quite a bit," Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson said. "I think more so than the momentum though is getting some of that consistency of getting some work on the field and getting into a daily routine." Wisconsin, which scored three runs its last two games, struck for four in the third inning, with the highlight a three-run, opposite-field home run over the left-field fence from third baseman Mike Walker. Walker, who leads the Rattlers in home runs (six) and RBI (20), said Quad Cities pitchers had been pitching away and he was ready for what the Bandits pitchers had to offer. "All series, they've been going away, away, away," Walker said. "Today, I made some adjustments and got that pitch away that I was looking for and got it up there in the wind and it kind of just took it out of there." Quad Cities (14-17) scored two runs in the top of the fifth, but the Rattlers' Cody Hawn added a solo blast — another opposite-field shot to left — to start the bottom of the frame that put Wisconsin back on top 5-3. Wisconsin starter Matt Miller allowed only one hit, but struggled with his control, walking seven batters. Rattlers reliever Charly Bashara pitched three solid innings to get the win for Wisconsin — his only mistake a home run to Chris Edmondson in the eighth — before giving way to closer Greg Holle. Holle struck out Yunier Castillo to end the game and record his sixth save in as many opportunities. "We've had some consistency in days here to where we can get some work in, especially with our guys in the bullpen," Erickson said. "We've set up some roles there to where guys are fitting in and we're still trying to figure out some stuff down there, but it's been much better." Erickson pointed to his team needing to make better decisions on the base paths. The Rattlers had several chances to take a commanding lead, including loading the bases in the second and fifth innings, as well as getting the first two runners on in the seventh inning. In each instance, Wisconsin failed to score a run. "We were horrible on the bases tonight," Erickson said. "We had a chance to blow the game wide open and we get picked off third base and we had two at-bats without contact. We put ourselves in a good situation, we just couldn't finish."

Get ready for early audio with LHP Dan Merklinger and the Stars Tuesday, 10:30 AM Central, the first of two consecutive day games for Huntsville this week.

Kyle Heckathorn was definitely off tonight: 3 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 2 WP, 5 K, 1 HR, 5/0 GO/FO. That's five groundouts and five strikeouts in only three innings, so that means one of the strikeouts came on a wild pitch, allowing the batter to reach. That didn't appear to be the case, but this did occur -- David Macias reaches on force attempt, fielding error by second baseman Scooter Gennett. Nelson Perez scores. Jake Opitz scores. Michael Brenly to 3rd. Not sure if the scorers do this consistently (they don't, because Rob Wooten wasn't credited with an extra ground ball out on another Gennett error later on), but just as the batter is charged with an at-bat, Heckathorn gets credit for a ground ball out. Or at least appeared to here. We should probably just be thankful MiLB provides the ratio info at all. Certainly wasn't the norm not that long ago.

LF Khris Davis, an offensive standout thus far, left Monday's Brevard County game early. He grounded out to end the 1st, apparently played defense in the bottom of the 1st, but was lifted defensively to begin the bottom of the 2nd inning. No details at this time...

Y'know, Mark Rogers can't grip a baseball, Wily Peralta landed on the DL at AA as we await word on a formal injury report, and Amaury Rivas allowed sixteen baserunners (nine hits, seven walks) in 3.1 innings today. As the transaction thread now indicates, just some dental work for Peralta. Wisconsin lineup, game notres, and vintage Matt Miller video

Adam McCalvy tells us not to worry about Wily Peralta -- dental work only (molar extracted).

Final: @Round Rock (Rangers) 10, Nashville 2 Sounds Swept Away By Express, 10-2 Nashville Sounds ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Round Rock Express completed a four-game sweep of the Nashville Sounds with a 10-2 victory on Monday afternoon at The Dell Diamond. The loss was the eighth in a row for the Sounds (9-21), who went winless on their road trip. It marked the first time since Nashville joined the Pacific Coast League in 1998 that the Sounds have been swept in consecutive series. The Express outscored the Sounds, 45-26, in the four-game sweep. Nashville left runners on base in seven of its innings, finishing 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position in the contest. Nashville jumped out to a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the top of the first inning against rehabbing Texas Rangers hurler Tommy Hunter. Caleb Gindl opened the contest with a single and later scored on Mat Gamel's two-out RBI single (you can hear Gamel's hit via the lead link in this post). The run was unearned following a throwing error by second baseman Matt Kata earlier in the frame. Round Rock responded immediately, taking a 3-1 lead against Amaury Rivas in the bottom of the first. Endy Chavez and Omar Quintanilla opened the frame with consecutive doubles off the right-hander to tie the game before former Sound Brad Nelson blasted a two-run homer to right to put the Express in front. It was his fifth roundtripper of the season. The Express blew the game wide open in the fourth, sending 12 batters to the plate and netting seven more runs against a pair of Sounds hurlers to make it a 10-1 contest. Quintanilla (3-for-5) opened the Round Rock fourth with a solo homer to right-center off Rivas, his first big fly of the year. Then, after Rivas walked each of the next three batters on 13 total pitches to load the bases, Doug Deeds belted a grand slam to right on the first pitch he saw from the right-hander, upping the lead to 8-1. The slam was Deeds' fifth homer of the year. Donovan Hand took over on the hill for Nashville and was greeted by three consecutive Round Rock singles, the third of which, by Quintanilla, drove in Kata with sixth run of the inning. Chad Tracy concluded the scoring outburst by plating Kevin Cash with a groundout. Nashville wrapped up the day's scoring in the ninth against Round Rock reliever Michael Kirkman. With the bases loaded and one out, Eric Farris ripped an RBI single to left to bring home George Kottaras to make it a 10-2 game. With the sacks still full, Kirkman induced a game-ending double play grounder from Jordan Brown, who went 0-for-5 to snap his 13-game hitting streak. Hunter (1-0) held the Sounds to one unearned run on six hits over six innings of work in his first rehab start for Round Rock, striking out a pair of batters along the way. Rivas (3-3) took the loss after giving up a Nashville season-high nine runs on nine hits while walking seven batters and striking out only two in his 3 1/3 innings of work. The Sounds begin an eight-game homestand on Tuesday evening with the 7:05 PM opener of a four-game series against the Fresno Grizzlies (AAA-Giants). Left-hander Sam Narron (0-0, 3.80) will man the bump for Nashville in the series opener to face Fresno southpaw Matt Yourkin (2-2, 5.40). Nashville Box Score Y'know, Mark Rogers can't grip a baseball, Wily Peralta landed on the DL at AA as we await word on a formal injury report, and Amaury Rivas allowed sixteen baserunners (nine hits, seven walks) in 3.1 innings today. Life as a Brewer fan is not good right now. If the bullpen hadn't been so taxed as of late, perhaps Don Money would have made a move sooner with Rivas. The Sounds got their hits (ten of them, also stranded ten men), but the only player not to base knock was Jordan Brown, who saw a 13-game hit streak end. Mike Rivera stays on the radar with a game at first base, as Mat Gamel was your DH. Taylor Green doubled and singled in four trips. Caleb Gindl and Eric Farris each reached twice in five trips. Nashville Play-by-Play Going to be a fun flight home, huh? Here's the Express' three-run 1st and seven-run 4th -- Round Rock Bottom of the 1st Endy Chavez doubles (8) on a fly ball to left fielder Jordan Brown. Omar Quintanilla doubles (1) on a fly ball to right fielder Caleb Gindl. Endy Chavez scores. Chad Tracy grounds out, second baseman Eric Farris to first baseman Mike Rivera. Omar Quintanilla to 3rd. Brad Nelson homers (5) on a fly ball to right field. Omar Quintanilla scores. Luis Cruz doubles (5) on a fly ball to left fielder Jordan Brown, deflected by center fielder Brett Carroll. Doug Deeds grounds out to first baseman Mike Rivera. Luis Cruz to 3rd. Taylor Teagarden walks. Matt Kata strikes out on foul tip. Round Rock Bottom of the 4th Omar Quintanilla homers (1) on a fly ball to right center field. Chad Tracy walks. Brad Nelson walks. Chad Tracy to 2nd. Luis Cruz walks. Chad Tracy to 3rd. Brad Nelson to 2nd. Doug Deeds hits a grand slam (5) to right center field. Chad Tracy scores. Brad Nelson scores. Luis Cruz scores. Taylor Teagarden grounds out, second baseman Eric Farris to first baseman Mike Rivera. Matt Kata singles on a line drive to left fielder Jordan Brown. Pitcher Change: Donovan Hand replaces Amaury Rivas. Kevin Cash singles on a line drive to center fielder Brett Carroll. Matt Kata to 2nd. Endy Chavez singles on a ground ball to center fielder Brett Carroll. Matt Kata to 3rd. Kevin Cash to 2nd. Omar Quintanilla singles on a line drive to center fielder Brett Carroll. Matt Kata scores. Kevin Cash to 3rd. Endy Chavez to 2nd. Chad Tracy grounds into a force out, shortstop Luis Figueroa to second baseman Eric Farris. Kevin Cash scores. Endy Chavez to 3rd. Omar Quintanilla out at 2nd. Chad Tracy to 1st. Brad Nelson flies out to center fielder Brett Carroll.

The Rattlers' Chris Mehring tells us that SS Carlos George has indeed hit the DL (he injured his leg trying to beat out a groundball Saturday). The system's top shortstop prospect, Yadiel Rivera (just turned 19 years old last week), gets a chance to impress, moved up from extended spring training. Rivera is a rangy (OK, tall -- 6'3") native of Puerto Rico drafted in the 9th round last season.

Huntsville Media Notes