Jim Goulart

Nashville Audio Archive -- May 9 - Chat with reliever Donovan Hand

Nashville Media Notes Brad Nelson and Luis Cruz do damage again, as they hit two of the four (!) extra-base hits in the first inning off Amaury Rivas. Sigh...

That's a different Parejo, actually. The former Brewer farmhand was in indy ball last I remember....

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Omaha 18 12 .600 - - 11-4 7-8 5-5 W2 Iowa 14 16 .467 4.0 111 7-7 7-9 4-6 L1 Memphis 11 18 .379 6.5 109 8-7 3-11 4-6 W1 Nashville 9 20 .310 8.5 107 6-8 3-12 1-9 L7 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tennessee 18 12 .600 - - 7-3 11-9 5-5 W1 Huntsville 17 12 .586 0.5 41 10-4 7-8 4-6 W1 Jackson 16 12 .571 1.0 41 6-7 10-5 8-2 L1 Chattanooga 16 14 .533 2.0 39 9-11 7-3 4-6 W2 Carolina 9 21 .300 9.0 32 7-13 2-8 4-6 L1 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Daytona 22 8 .733 - - 10-4 12-4 8-2 W6 Clearwater 20 10 .667 2.0 39 11-5 9-5 8-2 W1 Dunedin 14 16 .467 8.0 33 5-8 9-8 7-3 L1 Lakeland 14 16 .467 8.0 33 9-7 5-9 4-6 L1 Brevard County 10 20 .333 12.0 29 4-12 6-8 2-8 L7 Tampa 10 20 .333 12.0 29 4-11 6-9 1-9 W1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Burlington 22 7 .759 - - 10-2 12-5 8-2 W4 Cedar Rapids 20 10 .667 2.5 - 10-5 10-5 7-3 W2 Beloit 16 12 .571 5.5 39 10-5 6-7 5-5 L3 Peoria 16 14 .533 6.5 37 8-4 8-10 5-5 W2 Quad Cities 14 16 .467 8.5 35 5-10 9-6 4-6 L1 Wisconsin 12 15 .444 9.0 36 6-9 6-6 5-5 W1 Clinton 9 22 .290 14.0 29 4-14 5-8 4-6 L2 Kane County 9 22 .290 14.0 29 5-11 4-11 2-8 L3

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

Monday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Amaury Rivas at Round Rock (Rangers), 11:50 AM pre-game; 12:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link iPad/iPhone: Listen MiLB.TV (for subscribers) Huntsville: LHP Lucas Luetge at Tennessee (Cubs), 6:15 PM gametime Live Audio Link -- look for the Tennessee feed off the master MiLB.com audio list Brevard County: RHP Kyle Heckathorn at Daytona (Cubs), 6:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link -- Cubs' feed Wisconsin: RHP Matt Miller at home vs. Quad Cities (Cardinals), 6:15 PM pre-game; 6:35 gametime Live Audio Link

Here's a nice photo album from our poster "Hammer" who was at Saturday's Wisconsin game. While not captioned individually, most of the players are identifiable via their uniform name in the photos. Thanks!

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Mother's Day is special for players, fans at Timber Rattlers game by Tim Froberg, Appleton Post-Crescent GRAND CHUTE — Every time Jackie Keen applied stain remover to the dirt-caked baseball uniforms of her son, Reggie, she would shake her head and wonder why he seemed determined to make her laundry chores so difficult. But Jackie would always laugh it off, knowing how important the game was to her son. Jackie's days of washing Reggie's uniform are long gone, but her close relationship with her son is for keeps. The Danville, Va., woman was one of the many moms who attended the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' 3-0 win over Quad Cities Sunday at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. And Jackie received a Mother's Day present she will never forget. In addition to throwing out the first pitch as an honored guest in a pregame ceremony, Jackie and her husband, William, watched with pride as Reggie, the Timber Rattlers' fleet center fielder, played a key role in the victory. Reggie tripled and scored the game's first run in the third inning. He also made a couple of nice running catches in the outfield, including one that halted a Quad Cities scoring opportunity. What made things even more special for the Keens was that the weekend marked the first time that Jackie and William have seen their oldest son play professional baseball. The Keens arrived in town Friday morning and immediately drove to Beloit to watch Reggie and the Rattlers play a road game, before settling into their seats at Fox Cities Stadium to catch the back-to-back contests against Quad Cities. "It's the best Mother's Day present I could ask for," said Jackie. "When we booked the trip, I didn't even realize that Sunday was Mother's Day, but then I was like, 'What a great opportunity.' He didn't know we were coming to the Beloit game and we tried to surprise him, but he saw me and just came running at me, shouting, 'There's my mom.' " Reggie signed with the Milwaukee Brewers organization as an undrafted free agent last June, but his summer was cut short by a season-ending wrist injury before Jackie and William could travel to Helena (Mont.) to watch him play. "It meant the world to me when they said they were coming up here to see me play pro ball for the first time," said Reggie, who leads the team with 12 stolen bases. "I was looking forward to this weekend for a long time. My parents have always been there for me with their love and support. I could always go to my mom for any type of problem I had. No matter what, she was always there for me. I love her to death." Jackie, a secretary at a dental office in Danville, and William were always regulars at Reggie's baseball games going back to his Little League days. "I'd be washing his baseball uniform all the time and there would be dirt all over my laundry room and I'd tell Reggie, 'Oh my gosh, what are you trying to do to me," said Jackie with a chuckle. "I'd be spraying and spaying trying to get the stains out and I'd be thinking, 'What is this all for? But doing all that laundry paid off." Jackie Keen wasn't the only mom enjoying a sunny Mother's Day afternoon at the ballpark. Mary Hansen of Greenville brought her mom, Evelyn Bartlett of New London, to the game along with her own daughters, Hannah and Abbey, and her husband, Chris. The group first attended a Mother's Day brunch prior to the game. The 250-seat brunch was a sellout. "I'm a Brewers fan and I watch them on TV, but this is the first time I've been to a baseball game," said Bartlett, 87. "The brunch was delicious and they're giving me gifts and it's a beautiful day. I couldn't ask for a better Mother's Day gift." Hansen added: "We usually do the traditional Mother's Day brunch at a restaurant, but we found out about this and we all love baseball, so we thought we'd combine both of them." Brooke Tank of Black Creek and her husband, Sam, were also enjoying a family outing on Mother's Day at the ballpark with their sons, Spencer, 5, and Joe, 3. "It was actually my idea," said Tank. "The weather was so nice and we had some ticket vouchers, so we figured it would be a nice way to spend Mother's Day." In addition to the brunch, the Timber Rattlers wore special jerseys to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. A silent auction was held during the game and the autographed jerseys were awarded to the highest bidders. Proceeds of the brunch and silent auction will go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Other items raffled off included Brewers tickets, autographed pink bats and hats and Timber Rattlers gift cards. The day was a huge success for the Rattlers, capped by the pitching of Tyler Thornburg, Eric Marzec and Greg Holle, who combined on a four-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts. "Thorny (Thornburg) was able to get ahead of hitters early and he kind of rolled from there," said Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson. "I thought the tempo of all our pitchers was very good." A full photo gallery is available via the lead link in this post. Wisconsin center fielder Reggie Keen gives his mother, Jackie, a kiss after she throws out the first pitch at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Sunday. / Post-Crescent photo by Ron Page http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?NewTbl=1&Site=U0&Date=20110508&Category=APC0206&ArtNo=105080816&Ref=PH&Item=1&Maxw=640&Maxh=410&q=60

Reminder that we'll have Monday's Link Report up early on as we hope to provide Nashville moral support in their 12:05 PM contest, 11:50 AM pre-game. RHP Amaury Rivas on the rubber.

Video of the first two Teagarden blasts

Nashville Audio Archive -- May 8 - Chat with LH Starting Pitcher Sam Narron

Katin's knees are limiting his ability to contribute on an everyday basis, and that may be the issue all season long. It's too bad, although I'm hoping for a sneak on to the 40-man roster on 9/1 and a power bat on the September bench for a playoff push.

From Tom Haudricourt -- Minor matters Right-hander Austin Ross was named the Brewers' minor-league pitcher of the month for April and outfielder Khris Davis was named the player of the month. Ross, 22, was 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA in four starts with low Class A Wisconsin, with six walks and 21 strikeouts in 25 innings. Davis, 23, batted .350 with five homers and 22 RBI in 22 games for high Class A Brevard County. Ross has been impressive since being taken in the eighth round of the 2010 draft out of Louisiana State. He went 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 games (five starts) last year with the rookie Helena club. A seventh-round selection out of Cal-State Fullerton in 2009, Davis was a midseason and postseason all-star selection for Wisconsin last season and won the Midwest League's home run derby.

Probably like many, I'll DVR the big league boys today and will enjoy the day with family. Look for the respective media notes for the two minor league games here and here later on. Eric will be back some time this evening with recaps. It was nice to re-visit the post-game side of things for a day, but Eric's fantastic and much-appreciated efforts allow me to maintain some semblance of life away from the Link Report http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif.

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Omaha 17 12 .586 - - 10-4 7-8 5-5 W1 Iowa 14 15 .483 3.0 113 7-6 7-9 4-6 W1 Memphis 10 18 .357 6.5 110 8-7 2-11 4-6 L5 Nashville 9 19 .321 7.5 109 6-8 3-11 1-9 L6 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tennessee 18 12 .600 - - 7-3 11-9 5-5 W1 Huntsville 17 12 .586 0.5 41 10-4 7-8 4-6 W1 Jackson 16 12 .571 1.0 41 6-7 10-5 8-2 L1 Chattanooga 16 14 .533 2.0 39 9-11 7-3 4-6 W2 Carolina 9 21 .300 9.0 32 7-13 2-8 4-6 L1 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Daytona 22 8 .733 - - 10-4 12-4 8-2 W6 Clearwater 20 10 .667 2.0 39 11-5 9-5 8-2 W1 Dunedin 14 16 .467 8.0 33 5-8 9-8 7-3 L1 Lakeland 14 16 .467 8.0 33 9-7 5-9 4-6 L1 Brevard County 10 20 .333 12.0 29 4-12 6-8 2-8 L7 Tampa 10 20 .333 12.0 29 4-11 6-9 1-9 W1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Burlington 21 7 .750 - - 10-2 11-5 8-2 W3 Cedar Rapids 19 10 .655 2.5 - 9-5 10-5 6-4 W1 Beloit 16 11 .593 4.5 41 10-5 6-6 6-4 L2 Peoria 15 14 .517 6.5 38 7-4 8-10 4-6 W1 Quad Cities 14 15 .483 7.5 37 5-10 9-5 5-5 W2 Wisconsin 11 15 .423 9.0 37 5-9 6-6 5-5 L1 Clinton 9 21 .300 13.0 31 4-13 5-8 4-6 L1 Kane County 9 21 .300 13.0 31 5-11 4-10 2-8 L2

Follow Sunday's action as it happens: Nashville (Gameday also available) Wisconsin

Sunday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Chase Wright at Round Rock (Rangers), 12:50 PM pre-game; 1:05 gametime; Seth McClung opposes Live Audio Link iPad/iPhone: Listen MiLB.TV (for subscribers) Huntsville: Idle Brevard County: Idle Wisconsin: RHP Tyler Thornburg at home vs. Quad Cities (Cardinals), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:05 gametime Live Audio Link

Chris' always-entertaining post-game thoughts and the audio / video-synchronized plays of the Timber Rattlers game.

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Which Brewer is # 1 on this week's Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet? OK, so former Brewer. Congrats, kid. Meanwhile, the Brewers are only four games back in the loss column, even if they do trail even the Pirates. I remain very optimistic about the big league Crew in 2011 and hope you all do as well. From the Hot Sheet chat -- [tt]KyleS (Loudonville, NY): Austin Ross has been impressive since the Brewers drafted him out of LSU last year. What's his ceiling and what do you think he'll become?[/tt] Jim Shonerd: A righthander taken in the eighth round last year, Ross has excelled for low Class A Wisconsin so far. He has an average fastball and a quality slider. Whether his changeup comes along will determine if he's a starter or reliever long term. He struggled against lefty hitters last year but has been good against them this year, so that's encouraging.

Timber Rattlers profile: No. 11 Reggie Keen, outfielder compiled by Mike Woods, Appleton Post-Crescent Quick hits - Age: 23. - Position: Center fielder. - Height, weight: 5-foot-11, 176. - Bats/throws: Right/right. - Hometown: Danville, Va. - Notes: Signed by the Milwaukee Brewers as a non-drafted free agent on June 18, 2010. ... Graduated from Radford University with a degree in sports administration. ... As a senior, hit .353 with six homers, 49 RBI and 31 stolen bases and earned second-team all-Big South honors. ... Through Friday, hitting .253 with the Rattlers. ... Leads the Timber Rattlers in stolen bases with 12, which ranks tied for fourth in the Midwest League. Favorites - MLB team growing up: "Atlanta Braves. I'm from Danville, Va., and we have a rookie team, the Danville Braves, and I grew up watching them play and then wanting to see them play in Atlanta." - MLB player growing up: "Andruw Jones. He's a centerfielder, I play outfield and I tried to model myself after how he played. Not some of the catches he made, but play aggressive like he did." - Sport other than baseball: "I'm a big basketball guy. I played AAU and the city league, but once I got to high school, I mostly focused on baseball." - Food: "Spaghetti. My mom cooks a really good spaghetti." - Thing about Danville: "Probably the Braves." - TV show: " 'SportsCenter,' by far." - Musical artist: "I'm a Biggie fan. So it's B.I.G." - Athlete to watch: "Terrell Owens. Because he's a guy who, I feel, goes out and wants to prove a lot of people wrong. And I like that. Kind of like the underdog in many ways. And he's been known to prove a lot of people wrong." - NFL Team: "Dallas Cowboys. Die-hard fan. Born and raised." Q&A Q: How did you hurt your wrist last year and how disappointing was that? A: "I got hit by a 93 mph fastball and broke two bones in my hand. I was disappointed and I got down a little bit because I was having such a good start (batting .348 after 17 games), but things happen. The Lord has a plan for everybody. I was just glad to go to Arizona, get a great doctor and have the surgery. … I was fortunate enough to play in instructional league and it hasn't bothered my since." Q: How did you end up at Radford University? A: "I was a recruited walk-on. Coming out of high school, I really didn't go to too many showcases or Perfect Game (a collegiate summer league) things. Growing up, I didn't have an older brother or any cousins who played baseball, so I was kind of oblivious to how the whole thing worked. Well, one of my buddies I played with in school became a student-assistant at Radford and he told me to check them out and I called up there and they basically told me that I could grab a spot in the fall season. So I went up there and played well in the fall and they brought me back for the spring. "I actually was on a recruiting visit to Virginia Tech and on my way home when I stopped by Radford and I told my father 'I don't want to go to Radford. What's Radford?' But then when I got there I saw the campus and how everybody was so open and friendly and I was drawn more into going to Radford. I thought it was a great decision." Q: What do you hope to do with your degree in sports management? A: "My concentration was sports marketing. I love to do marketing, promotionals and advertising. Before I got signed by the Brewers, I worked for the Danville Braves and I was a marketing and sales trainee. My responsibility was to set up nightly promotions, kind of like they do here, and I thought it was fun. So that's what I want to do after baseball." Q: You never had to dress up and do the mascot thing, did you? A: "(Laughs). I did have to do the mascot thing. You heard the story about that, huh?" Q: No I didn't, tell me. A: "The story that the guys always tease me about is that I was the mascot. I wasn't the mascot. One of our guys didn't show up for that day — the mascot had an appearance at a day care — so I told my boss I'll do it. I'll fill in for him. I went to this day care for two hours in this big bird suit — his name was Blooper — playing around with the kids and everything, sweating, and in my mind I'm saying 'I'll never get back in this suit again.' "And when I got back to my car, I had four or five missed calls, a couple of text messages from my college coach saying, 'Hey man, you'd better pick up the phone because that's a scout calling you. You're going to play some ball.' So I thought about that. He (the scout) said 'You want to play some ball?' I said 'Sure.' He sent me the contract that day at work and, a couple of days later, I was flying to Helena (Mont., home of the Brewers rookie league team)." Q: Were you disappointed you didn't get drafted? A: "Yes, I was. But, like I said, things happen. I was very fortunate enough to get that call. Somewhere down the line, my scout, Dan Nellum, saw me play and gave me a shot. So now I'm going to make the best of it." Q: You seem to be a guy who plays with a chip on your shoulder. True? A: "I mean, in high school, I didn't get many college letters, so I had that chip on my shoulder. I wanted to go out and prove a lot of people wrong and basically show them that I can play. In college, I didn't get a lot of recognition, as far as postseason accolades or first-team all-conference stuff. I did receive it my senior year, second-team all-conference, but I felt like I should have got more. Now, here, I'm just trying to prove I can play and can play at the next level and, hopefully, I'll be able to do so." Q: Any significance to No. 11? A: "Eleven used to be my high school number. I wore 21 in college. They kind of gave that to me so I wore 21 throughout college. I wanted 21 this year, but Frankie Romero had that. So I kind of wanted to go back a little bit and I got 11." Q: What is your most prized sports possession? A: "Probably it would have to be my glove. That thing saves me a lot of times. I need that wherever I play. I've had this same model glove for four, five years now. I got it my senior year in high school and, every two years, I get a new glove and I get the same kind of glove." Q: So what would hurt you more, losing your glove or your phone? A: "The phone. The phone would be way worse. You can't do anything without that phone." Q: What's the best advice you've received? A: "Just play hard every day. You can't teach effort. You can't teach that daily grind. You have to have that within you. If I was to talk to any kids who wanted to play the sport, you've got to give it your all every day. And don't let up because baseball is a tough sport and you're going to go through ups and downs, and when you're down, try to stay positive all the time. It's tough but you just have to do it." Q: Did you have any interest in the Royal Wedding? A: "No, but I kind of tweeted about it and said I'd rather be watching these (NBA) playoffs than the Royal Wedding. But this morning, I did check it our for about 10 minutes to see what the big hype was and there were a lot of people. It was cool." Q: You're a long ways from home. What are you going to do for Mother's Day? A: "My mother is coming out here. She will be here on Mother's Day and I'll be very happy to see her. We'll probably go out to eat or something after the game and kind of just hang out with her and enjoy it." The Tool Box Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson breaks down center fielder Reggie Keen: "It's a great story. It's kind of shocking, to be honest with you, because the kid's got some tools. He can run a little bit. He finds a way to put the bat on the ball. He's got a nice arm and some accuracy. I'm kind of glad he fell through the cracks and we got him. Last year, I know he turned some heads a little bit and then it was unfortunate he got the injury. So this is really his first extended time in professional baseball. "His main strength to me right now — because offense comes and goes with everybody — is defensively. He's really done a nice job pre-pitch. We talk about communication all the time and reading hitters and seeing their tendencies in their swings and he's really good at communication with the other outfielders. And right now, we have some interchangeable parts but he's kind of been a staple in center field. He does a nice job of moving with the counts and the hitters and making sure the corner outfielders are adjusting with him. And he goes and gets it. "I think the area he needs to work on most is pitch selection at the plate. Because he can run a little bit, because he can steal a base and he's able to put the ball in play on a line, I think if he shrunk his zone a little bit earlier in counts — he sometimes is too aggressive early in counts and gets himself in bad situations — I think early in the count if he shrunk his zone and won his at-bats early in the count, he'd get better pitches to hit and his on-base percentage would go up a little bit because he is a weapon on the bases."

Hey, at least we have Rolando Pascual. OK, slight cheap shot, as there is Wily Peralta and Amaury Rivas (the top two on the Power 50). Wily, by the way, turns 22 today (Sunday).

Timber Rattlers' ace Ross gets trumped by Quad Cities' Martinez by Mike Woods, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — One ace was splendid. The other was, well, wow. Make that WOW. Making his U.S. debut, Quad Cities' highly regarded Carlos Martinez showed he was as good as advertised during the River Bandits' 1-0 victory Saturday over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in Midwest League play at Timer Warner Cable Field. Martinez, who was given a $1.5 million signing bonus and is rated the St. Louis Cardinals' third-best organizational prospect, started and threw four innings. The spindly, 6-foot, 165-pound right-hander out of the Dominican Republic faced 13 batters, didn't allow a hit, struck out six, walked one and consistently was in the mid to high 90s on the Fox Cities Stadium radar gun, topping out at a stunning 102 mph. Combined with a breaking ball that ranged from the high 70s to low 80s, it made him unhittable. "I saw his warm-up pitches and I thought, 'Man, the ball is coming out of his hand pretty fast,' " Rattlers manager Matt Erickson said. "Obviously, he has a live arm, but he was in the strike zone with his fastball, and not only his fastball, but his off-speed pitches. And if you're running it up there 97, 98 mph and you have command of an off-speed pitch, it's going to be a tough night offensively, I don't care who you are." Rattlers ace Austin Ross was the hard-luck loser. He left with two runners on in the eighth after allowing six hits while striking out six and walking one. He was responsible for the runner on second, who scored on Oscar Tavares' single off reliever Stosh Wawrzasek. The Rattlers, who finished with two hits, had a chance to tie the score in the eighth. Pinch runner Franklin Romero was on second when Reggie Keen singled to right, but Romero was gunned down at the plate on a perfect throw after the right fielder mishandled the ball. "It was a soft line drive and he had to wait to make sure the line drive was through," Erickson said. "The ball got to the outfielder's hand right before Romero got to third base so we were going to hold him up. But as soon as he kicked it away, I sent him. Credit to their right fielder, he put it in the only spot to get Romero."

Yes, the MiLB.TV video archive is up for the Nashville game, and I did allow myself to suffer the 9th inning walk-off loss.