Jim Goulart

PDF document: Nashville Media Notes

This is info for Thursday, NOT today -- but we are probably guilty of not giving you enough lead time in the past, so here you go: Time Warner Cable Sports 32 for the locals -- set your DVR's Minor League Baseball: Beloit Snappers @ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Thursday, August 19: 7-10pm LIVE Repeated broadcasts -- Friday, August 20: 9am-12pm Saturday, August 21: 12-3pm Sunday, August 22: 7-10pm

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Iowa 70 53 .569 - - 35-29 35-24 5-5 L1 Omaha 68 56 .548 2.5 19 32-27 36-29 8-2 L1 Memphis 67 57 .540 3.5 18 37-25 30-32 5-5 L1 Nashville 64 59 .520 6.0 16 33-29 31-30 5-5 W2 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak * Tennessee 33 18 .647 - - 19-7 14-11 8-2 L1 Huntsville 27 24 .529 6.0 14 17-11 10-13 3-7 W1 West Tenn 24 27 .471 9.0 11 11-9 13-18 5-5 L1 Carolina 23 28 .451 10.0 10 10-13 13-15 4-6 W1 Chattanooga 22 28 .440 10.5 10 12-15 10-13 5-5 W1 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tampa 32 17 .653 - - 17-7 15-10 6-4 W3 Daytona 31 20 .608 2.0 18 18-8 13-12 4-6 L4 Brevard County 30 22 .577 3.5 17 16-11 14-11 5-5 L1 Lakeland 25 25 .500 7.5 14 13-9 12-16 7-3 W1 Clearwater 22 30 .423 11.5 9 15-12 7-18 5-5 L1 * Dunedin 22 30 .423 11.5 9 11-13 11-17 4-6 W1 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 31 18 .633 - - 10-13 21-5 7-3 W4 * Cedar Rapids 28 21 .571 3.0 - 14-10 14-11 6-4 W1 Clinton 27 22 .551 4.0 21 14-11 13-11 6-4 W2 Kane County 27 22 .551 4.0 20 16-9 11-13 4-6 L5 Beloit 24 23 .511 6.0 17 14-11 10-12 5-5 L2 Peoria 23 24 .489 7.0 18 11-12 12-12 5-5 W3 Wisconsin 24 26 .480 7.5 17 14-11 10-15 6-4 L1 Burlington 16 32 .333 14.5 9 11-13 5-19 1-9 L4 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Helena 8 7 .533 - - 4-3 4-4 6-4 L1 * Great Falls 8 8 .500 0.5 23 5-3 3-5 4-6 L2 Billings 7 8 .467 1.0 23 4-4 3-4 4-6 L1 Missoula 7 9 .438 1.5 22 3-5 4-4 5-5 L1 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Brewers 29 16 .644 - - 9-9 11-7 6-4 W2 AZL Dodgers 25 20 .556 4.0 8 10-8 10-6 8-2 W1 AZL Reds 24 22 .522 5.5 6 9-7 10-8 7-3 W2 AZL Indians 19 27 .413 10.5 1 7-11 9-8 1-9 L9 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Mariners 40 26 .606 - - 23-11 17-15 6-4 W2 DSL Cardinals 36 30 .545 4.0 3 23-10 13-20 4-6 L2 DSL Athletics 30 37 .448 10.5 E 16-17 14-20 6-4 L1 DSL Brewers 27 40 .403 13.5 E 16-17 11-23 4-6 W1

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Tab or New Window". Choose "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville (Gameday also available) Huntsville (Gameday also available) Brevard County Wisconsin Helena DSL Brewers

Wednesday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Sam Narron at home vs. Colorado Springs (Rockies), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: TBD at Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: RHP Darren Byrd at Lakeland (Tigers), 6:00 gametime Sorry, no audio for this game... Wisconsin: RHP Damon Krestalude at home vs. Beloit (Twins), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link Helena: RHP Austin Ross at home vs. Casper (Rockies), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): Idle DSL Brewers: at the DSL Cardinals, 9:30 AM

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

The Brewers won't take chances after Cutter Dykstra's beaning, placed on the DL; infielder Connor Lind comes up from Helena, Joey Paciorek will benefit with more AB's at Wisconsin.

Link while active, text follows: Brewers may not return as Huntsville Stars' big league partner Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The Huntsville Stars are among the few Class AA teams not assured of a major league partner for next season and indications are that the parent club, the Milwaukee Brewers, is interested in exploring options elsewhere because of dissatisfaction with Joe W. Davis Stadium. Stars owner Miles Prentice said he "has no idea" whether the player development contract with the Brewers will be renewed and he has not engaged in formal talks with Milwaukee officials. "At the end of the day, they need to find the best possible facility," Prentice said. However, the Stars will continue operations in Huntsville next season, even if a different major league partner is obtained. If Milwaukee doesn't return, the most likely potential major league affiliates for Huntsville are the California Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants or Seattle Mariners. "Baseball will be here next year," General Manager Buck Rogers said. "I've got next year's schedule sitting right here." "We've extended the lease so I certainly plan to be there next year," said Prentice, who announced in April a five-year extension on the city-owned ballpark. Prentice downplayed recent published reports from Panama City, Fla., that groups there want to build a stadium and obtain membership in the Southern League, and they have talked with him about purchasing or moving the Stars. He had a conversation with Panama City real estate developer Donald Jackson nearly a year ago but said it was a general inquiry. Prentice, a New York-based attorney who heads a group that purchased the Stars in 2001, said, "I have a lot of people call me all of the time" who have questions or interest in buying a team. Prentice has seen the Huntsville franchise plummet to the bottom of the league in attendance, and Monday afternoon's game drew only 440 fans. Currently 22 of the 30 Class AA working agreements have been renewed or are in the process of renewal. (They are done so on even-numbered years, for either two- or four-year terms.) Four Southern League teams have announced renewals in the past two weeks, leaving Huntsville, Carolina (Cincinnati Reds) and West Tenn (Seattle Mariners) unsigned. Major league teams can shift their affiliations among the three Double-A leagues. Teams must notify their respective league offices by Sept. 11 if they do not plan to renew their player development contracts, then there is a period from Sept. 16-30 where potential new deals may be negotiated; there are stiff fines for negotiating with new teams outside that two-week window. It is clearly a situation where Huntsville's ownership will be wooing the Brewers once Prentice can begin discussions with Milwaukee Executive Vice President/General Manager Doug Melvin and his chief aide, Gord Ash. "We'd certainly love to have the Brewers back," Rogers said. "They're one of the classiest organizations around." Brewers' officials have grown weary of the lack of response by Huntsville and Stars ownership for improvements to the 26-year-old stadium since the Brewers began their relationship with the Stars in 1999. "Obviously there are certain areas that need to be addressed with the facility at Joe Davis," said Scott Martens, business manager for the Brewers' minor league operation. "It's a stadium that has had relatively little maintenance. There are few stadiums that old that haven't undergone some major renovation. I think anybody who has been to any other park and then to Joe Davis knows there are issues that need to be addressed." Among the issues: poor playing surface, drainage problems (that led to two cancellations last week), stadium lights angled for football play not baseball, a visitors clubhouse that barely meets the lowest standards in minor league ball and the lack of an adequate batting-practice area. "They like the people here," Prentice said, "but they're frustrated with (the stadium)."

Brad Krause attended Monday's tough Rattlers defeat, and filed this blog account, which includes all his usual fine photo work, including two of Cutter Dykstra post-beaning.

Chris Mehring looks at the Rattlers' playoff picture heading into Wednesday's action.

Game suspended: @Arizona Brewers 1, Arizona Indians 1, two outs, top of the 5th Partial Arizona Box Score (No Game Log) Rain in Maryvale; will the game be completed? Unlikely, it seems -- the teams don't play again this season; 3B Kyle Dhanani singled in both his at-bats, and drove in C Tyler Roberts, who had doubled, with the game-tieing run in the 2nd; Elon University RHP Dan Britt made his first appearance in a month, allowing one run in his only inning; third straight positive three-run outing for 18-year-old high school pick R.J. Johnson, have to like what he's accomplishing given early coaching; home plate collisions are often unforgiving -- have to start thinking Max Walla may be sidelined for a while, although we have no updates...

Link while active, text follows: Brewers safe at home By AMBER KUEHN, Helena Independent Record The Helena Brewers and the Milwaukee Brewers have renewed their player development contract for an additional two years, the teams announced Tuesday. The contract was set to expire at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Helena General Manager and President Paul Fetz, along with owner DG Elmore and Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin, announced the deal at a press conference at Kindrick Legion Field. “The Brewers have had a presence here in Helena for 25 years, and the relationship has always been professional and competitive,” Fetz said. “The Brewers have treated our organization very, very well.” Despite Helena having the smallest market in the Pioneer League and averaging the lowest attendance numbers, Melvin said the decision to keep the rookie league affiliate in Helena was a no-brainer. “Our relationship with DG and Paul in the front office has been outstanding,” Melvin said. “Their cooperation in getting the facility updated with the new infield and clubhouse were important to us,” he added, referring to the $7.85 million parks improvement bond passed by voters in 2007 that helped upgrade the field. Melvin said it is very important for minor league players to begin their careers in a community in which they feel comfortable, and that Helena is the right fit. “One of our players, a recent draft pick, came up to me (Monday) night and said how much he enjoyed playing pro ball here in Helena,” related Melvin, who’s in town until Thursday. “He said it’s a great first step, a great experience.” The contract requires that Helena meet facility standards and that Milwaukee provide the team with players in addition to paying them. Elmore said when looking to renew a contract, two things come into play: Is it a first-class operation, and do they put a competitive team on the field? The Brewers have done both of those things, he said, adding that there was never any discussion to go a different direction or change affiliations. A number of players currently with the Brewers’ big league club came through Helena, like Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy, and even Milwaukee’s first base coach Ed Sedar was a manager in Helena for three seasons. Melvin said that only encourages fan growth. “The minor league (fans) really are our future major league fans,” he said. “It’s our responsibility between the three of us here to develop future fans of Major League Baseball for the growth of our game.” Minor league baseball in Helena has had many loyal fans throughout the years, including Gretchen Olheiser, who began coming to games at Kindrick Legion Field when the team was the Helena Phillies. She was pleased to hear about the contract extension. “It’s important to have the team in Helena. It brings some people to town to watch the games and it shows the community support we have for the Brewers,” Olheiser said. “We have a beautiful park, so we might as well use it, and the team generates a lot of enthusiasm.” The numbers may show otherwise. At the end of last week, Helena’s average attendance for the year was 956. The next closest in the Pioneer League is Casper, who at 1,706 is nearly double that. Everyone else in the league draws more than 2,000 fans on an average night. Still, Fetz said he has been pleased with the crowds thus far. “I’ve been really happy; right now we’re on pace to be ahead of last year,” Fetz said. Elmore said the team would not be here if they didn’t believe it was a viable market. “We’ve seen this with other Pioneer League cities, as the economy grows, so does attendance,” he said. Elmore said there has been no serious discussion about a new ballpark being built, but Melvin said he’s pleased with the renovations that have been made to Kindrick Legion Field. “There’s some age to it, but it’s still a ballpark that caters to the fans,” he said. This year’s rookies have been happy to call the ballpark and the city of Helena home. “I definitely love it up here in Helena. It’s a nice place, a beautiful area,” said infielder Mike Walker. “I think it gives a lot of fans something to do; we play every night, and God willing they’ll keep coming out and support us.” Photo by Eliza Wiley, Helena Independent Record From left Helena Brewers president- general manager, Paul Fetz, DG Elmore, owner Helena Brewers and Doug Melvin, Milwaukee Brewers general manager, announced Tuesday at a press conference they are renewing their player development contract for an additional two years. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/a/8e/1cc/a8e1cc12-aa74-11df-823a-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c6b4ca73ccdb.image.jpg

Nashville closer Chris Smith

Final: Casper (Rockies) 11, @Helena 10, 11 innings Casper not so friendly, Brewers fall in extras By Brett Billings/Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers have fared well in late night thrillers thus far this season. Unfortunately, tonight was not one of those nights as the Casper Ghosts beat the Brewers 11-10 in extras. The Brewers trailed 10-2 in the fourth inning. Matt Miller, who leads the league in wins, surrendered seven runs (six earned) and was taken out after two innings. The overall outlook of the rest of the game seemed bleak at the time, but the Brewers didn't want to go down without a fight. They scored eight unanswered runs over the next seven frames to extend the game. Brandon Sizemore, who finished 2 for 5, tied the game at ten with a two-run bomb in the bottom of the eighth. The score stayed knotted at ten apiece until the 11th inning. With Chad Robinson on the mound, Casper's Ryan Casteel reached on a fielding error by Shea Vucinich. He was pinch run for by Jeffrey Squier, who later stole second. Let there be drama. The next batter hit a bloop single into center field. Franklin Romero Jr.'s throw to the plate was a little offline and Squier scored. Robinson and Brewers' catcher Brent Dean immediately argued that Squier missed the plate. Robinson was ejected and Brewers' skipper Joe Ayrault quickly followed. Helena was blanked in the bottom half of the 11th as they fell to 27-26 on the season. They still remain atop first place in the Pioneer League North after Great Falls lost as well tonight. The Brewers look to bounce back tomorrow night with Austin Ross on the mound. Ricardo Ferrer is scheduled to start for Casper. First pitch is at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). *** Link while active, text follows: Brewers' rally goes for naught as Casper wins in 11 innings By AMBER KUEHN, Helena Independent Record A game that began as few expected ended in an even stranger way—a controversial call at home plate. Casper pinch runner Jeff Squier came home on Yafistel Roja’s RBI-single in the 11th inning to give the Ghosts the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run as Casper overcame blowing a 10-2 lead to win 11-10 in extra innings in a Pioneer League game at Kindrick Legion Field on Tuesday night. Helena Brewers pitcher Chad Robinson argued that Squier didn’t touch home plate. Robinson was immediately ejected, as was Helena manager Joe Ayrault. “It was a wild one,” Ayrault said when the game ended after 4 hours, 7 minutes. “The guys played their hearts out, gave it all they had, they put together some great at-bats. To lose on a call like that was pretty tough.” Despite the loss, the Brewers (27-26, 8-7 second half) maintained a half-game lead over Great Falls in the Pioneer League’s North Division. The Ghosts (25-29, 8-8), who blew a 2-0 lead the previous night, held on this time when center fielder Rafael Ortega made a running catch to spoil Cody Hawn’s chance to be a hero for the second straight night. Helena fell behind 10-2 after 3 1/2 frames but scored eight unanswered runs, capped by Brandon Sizemore’s two-run homer in the eighth, to tie the game at 10. The two teams combined for 30 hits and used a combined 14 pitchers in a sloppy affair that saw each squad record five errors. It never was the pitcher’s duel that appeared likely on paper, with two of the Pioneer League’s top pitchers facing off. Helena’s Matt Miller went up against Casper’s Tyler Gagnon, who entered with the league's fourth and fifth best ERAs, respectively. Neither made it to the third inning, and Miller had his worst outing as a pro. The Ghosts peppered Miller with six hits in a six-run second inning that gave the visitors plenty of cushion early. Reliever Seth Lintz gave up three more runs in the fourth, but Brewers relievers Eric Marzec, Alex Jones and Brian Garman pitched six shutout innings to keep Helena in the game. Every player in the Casper lineup reached base, but nobody had more hits than Brewers shortstop Carlos George, who was 5 for 6 in the loss. It marked the fourth time a Helena player had a five-hit game this season. Aside from Sizemore’s shot, Hawn had the only other extra-base hit for the Brewers, a two-run double in the fourth that cut the Casper lead to 10-5. Casper closer Juan Perez (2-0) earned the win, while Robinson was tagged with the loss. Ghosts closer Taylor Reid picked up his first save. It was the first time Casper had won an extra-inning affair this season in five tries. Ortega led the Ghosts at the plate, going 3 for 6 with two RBIs and his fifth home run of the season. But it was a bad night for starting pitchers, both with the best records on their teams. It was the shortest outing of the season for Miller as well as Gagnon. The right-handed Miller gave up seven hits and seven runs—six of which were earned—while walking one in two innings of work. Gagnon lasted just 1 2/3, giving up two runs on one hit—none earned—while walking two and striking out two. Austin Ross gets the start tonight for Helena, while fellow right-hander Ricardo Ferrer gets the nod for Casper. All photos by Ben Coulter, Helena Independent Record Helena Brewers' designated hitter Cody Hawn hits a two-run double to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday night at Kindrick Legion Field against the Casper Ghosts. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/3/fc/4b5/3fc4b500-aa83-11df-8b84-001cc4c002e0-revisions/4c6b652146e0e.image.jpg Helena catcher Brent Dean (right) shows the baseball to the umpire after tagging Casper Ghosts right fielder Juan Crousset at home plate. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/5/70/7dd/5707dd96-aa83-11df-95eb-001cc4c002e0-revisions/4c6b65486a75f.image.jpgHelena Box Score Doug Melvin was on hand, he certainly saw quite a bit; what an odd box score -- the 4-5-6-7 hitters in the Brewer lineup (3B Greg Hopkins, 2B Shea Vucinich, C Brent Dean, and 1B Mike Walker) combined to go 0-for-17 but with six walks and a HBP; meanwhile, CF Franklin Romero, Jr., DH Cody Hawn, LF Brandon Sizemore, and SS Carlos George all had multiple hit games as noted above, but failed to draw a base on balls among them; George's five singles lifted his Helena average to .312, but his OBP is only .330 with just four walks in 170 AB's -- George had earlier posted a .250 OBP in 60 AB's with the Timber Rattlers; among the five relievers that followed Matt Miller and Seth Lintz, RHP Eric Marzec had the most impressive line -- three innings, no runs, three hits, no walks, five K's, two wild pitches... Helena Game Log Miller's first clunker in 11 starts fell on an inopportune night -- line drive to center a bit repetitive in a six-run Casper frame... Casper Top 2nd Robert De La Cruz grounds out, shortstop Carlos George to first baseman Michael Walker. Ryan Casteel singles on a line drive to center fielder Franklin Romero. Yafistel Roja singles on a line drive to center fielder Franklin Romero. Ryan Casteel to 2nd. Jose Rivera singles on a line drive to center fielder Franklin Romero. Ryan Casteel scores. Yafistel Roja to 3rd. Fielding error by center fielder Franklin Romero. Rafael Ortega singles on a fly ball to center fielder Franklin Romero. Yafistel Roja scores. Jose Rivera to 2nd. Brett Tanos singles on a line drive to center fielder Franklin Romero. Jose Rivera scores. Rafael Ortega to 3rd. Corey Dickerson singles on a ground ball to left fielder Brandon Sizemore. Rafael Ortega scores. Brett Tanos to 3rd. Corey Dickerson to 2nd on the throw. Jordan Ballard reaches on fielding error by shortstop Carlos George. Brett Tanos scores. Corey Dickerson to 3rd. Juan Crousset grounds into a force out, first baseman Michael Walker to shortstop Carlos George. Corey Dickerson scores. Jordan Ballard out at 2nd. Juan Crousset to 1st. With Robert De La Cruz batting, Juan Crousset caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Brent Dean to shortstop Carlos George.

PDF document: Nashville Media Notes

We just posted the link showing that the Brewers have extended their relationship with Helena through 2012. Milwaukee has already committed to Brevard County and Wisconsin through 2012. Contracts are up after this season with Nashville (Brewers apparently pushing hard for Oklahoma City) and Huntsville. Baseball America last updated their master list on July 27th. There have been updates since then at the AAA / AA level, namely Florida re-upping with Jacksonville at AA comes to mind. There aren't as many openings as you might think at the AAA and AA level -- and some that are open, such as Pawtucket, seem destined to remain with their current affiliations. The Rangers will be kicking the Astros out of Round Rock, as the Nolan Ryan group has an ownership interest in both clubs now. That leaves Oklahoma City and their nice ballpark, built in 1999, up for grabs. That geography (Central Time Zone) works for the Crew as well.

Brewers extend player development contract with Rookie Helena Brewers MLB.com The Milwaukee Brewers announced today a two-year player development contract extension with the Helena Brewers of the Rookie Pioneer League through the 2012 season. "We are very pleased to extend our player development contract with the Helena Brewers," said Brewers Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Melvin. "The Pioneer League provides a competitive experience for our younger players. Many of the players in our organization began their professional careers at Helena including Ryan Braun, Alcides Escobar and Jonathan Lucroy." The Helena Brewers are owned and operated by the Helena Baseball Club, LLC. D.G. Elmore serves as the principal owner. "We are excited to renew our affiliation with the Milwaukee Brewers," said Elmore. "The Brewers are a first class operation and they have consistently provided Helena with exciting competitive teams." The Helena Brewers are located in Helena, Montana and have been a Brewers rookie affiliate since the 2003 season. They play their home games at Kindrick Legion Field. "The Helena Brewers look forward to continuing its working relationship with our parent club in Milwaukee. We have had a great history with the affiliation between our two organizations and look forward to welcoming more Milwaukee farmhands and staff members into our wonderful community," stated Helena Brewers General Manager Paul Fetz.

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Iowa 70 52 .574 - - 35-29 35-23 6-4 W1 Omaha 68 55 .553 2.5 20 32-27 36-28 8-2 W2 Memphis 67 56 .545 3.5 19 37-24 30-32 5-5 W1 Nashville 63 59 .516 7.0 16 32-29 31-30 4-6 W1 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak * Tennessee 33 18 .647 - - 19-7 14-11 8-2 L1 Huntsville 27 24 .529 6.0 14 17-11 10-13 3-7 W1 West Tenn 24 27 .471 9.0 11 11-9 13-18 5-5 L1 Carolina 23 28 .451 10.0 10 10-13 13-15 4-6 W1 Chattanooga 22 28 .440 10.5 10 12-15 10-13 5-5 W1 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Tampa 32 17 .653 - - 17-7 15-10 6-4 W3 Daytona 31 20 .608 2.0 19 18-8 13-12 4-6 L4 Brevard County 30 21 .588 3.0 18 16-10 14-11 6-4 W2 Lakeland 24 25 .490 8.0 14 13-9 11-16 7-3 L1 Clearwater 22 29 .431 11.0 10 15-11 7-18 5-5 W1 * Dunedin 21 30 .412 12.0 9 11-13 10-17 3-7 L2 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 31 18 .633 - - 10-13 21-5 7-3 W4 * Cedar Rapids 28 21 .571 3.0 - 14-10 14-11 6-4 W1 Clinton 27 22 .551 4.0 21 14-11 13-11 6-4 W2 Kane County 27 22 .551 4.0 20 16-9 11-13 4-6 L5 Beloit 24 23 .511 6.0 17 14-11 10-12 5-5 L2 Peoria 23 24 .489 7.0 18 11-12 12-12 5-5 W3 Wisconsin 24 26 .480 7.5 17 14-11 10-15 6-4 L1 Burlington 16 32 .333 14.5 9 11-13 5-19 1-9 L4 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Helena 8 6 .571 - - 4-2 4-4 6-4 W2 * Great Falls 8 7 .533 0.5 24 5-3 3-4 5-5 L1 Billings 7 7 .500 1.0 24 4-4 3-3 5-5 W1 Missoula 7 8 .467 1.5 23 3-4 4-4 5-5 W1 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Brewers 29 16 .644 - - 9-9 11-7 6-4 W2 AZL Dodgers 25 20 .556 4.0 8 10-8 10-6 8-2 W1 AZL Reds 24 22 .522 5.5 6 9-7 10-8 7-3 W2 AZL Indians 19 27 .413 10.5 1 7-11 9-8 1-9 L9 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Mariners 40 26 .606 - - 23-11 17-15 6-4 W2 DSL Cardinals 36 30 .545 4.0 3 23-10 13-20 4-6 L2 DSL Athletics 30 36 .455 10.0 E 16-17 14-19 6-4 W3 DSL Brewers 26 40 .394 14.0 E 15-17 11-23 3-7 L4

Follow Tuesday's action as it happens: Here's what you do, right click on each of the links below and choose "Open in New Tab or New Window". Choose "Recap". While you're listening to your minor league game of choice (or watching/listening to the big league Crew when they are playing), simply refresh your game log browsers every so often. Nashville (Gameday also available) Brevard County Helena Arizona Rookie (Maryvale) DSL Brewers

Tuesday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Marty McLeary at home vs. Colorado Springs (Rockies), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: Idle Brevard County: RHP R.J. Seidel at home vs. Dunedin (Blue Jays), 5:50 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Live Audio Link (SpaceCoastBaseball.com) Wisconsin: Idle Helena: RHP Matt Miller at home vs. Casper (Rockies), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at home vs. the lil' Indians; 9:00 PM; never audio for games in this league DSL Brewers: at home vs. the DSL Athletics, 9:30 AM

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

Link while active, text follows: No repeat heroics for Morris in Rattlers' loss to Kernels By Cory Jennerjohn, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — Not too many players get a chance to win a game. Some wait their entire career. For Hunter Morris, it happened twice in one series. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound lefty eased into the batter's box in the bottom of the ninth with the Timber Rattlers down 11-10 to Cedar Rapids at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Erik Miller was on third base and Kentrail Davis waited patiently on first with two outs. Unfortunately for Morris, he didn't have any late-game heroics as he sent a pop fly to left for the game's final out, ending the team's four-game winning streak. "Obviously, in that situation you want to get the job done," said Morris, who joined the club in June after setting an Auburn single-season record with 23 home runs. "Right there, any kind of base hit would've been huge." He should know. On Saturday night with the Timber Rattlers down 5-4, he blasted a two-run double to center to score Kentrail and Khris Davis. But Morris knew he didn't have to do it all himself. Heck, this was a team that scored six runs in the second inning — while hitting for the cycle — and four runs in the sixth. "That first is what's most important," said Morris, who's hitting .254. "I don't need to drive in three. And let the guy behind me do the rest." The top five batters in the Timber Rattlers' batting order knocked in eight of the team's 10 runs and batted 10-for-23 with a double, triple and a home run. "A base hit there, a double there scores two," said Rattlers manager Jeff Isom. "You can't take anything for granted with a club like this, especially with the elements what they were with the wind blowing out." Of course, being the hero and getting your batting helmet slapped by everyone with a maroon and black jersey would've been pretty cool, too. "It's disappointing to not be able to do it twice, but that's part of the game," Morris said. With 20 games left and only 10 at home, the Timber Rattlers are still in the Midwest League playoff picture. But they can't let chances to gain ground in the standings get away from them. Which is why losing a game up 6-0 early and 10-7 going into the ninth is so tough to swallow. "That's one that you definitely don't want to let get away," Morris said. Post-Crescent blog report with additional quotes, including one from Jeff Isom on Cutter Dykstra's status Post-Crescent blog report on a team cycle

Link while active, text follows: Ain’t afraid of no Ghosts By MARK VINSON, Helena Independent Record For seven innings Monday night, Casper pitcher Albert Campos had the Helena Brewers eating out of his hand. With one swing, Cody Hawn erased all that. Hawn’s two-run homer in the eighth inning capped another late rally as the Brewers won for the fourth time in their last five games, beating the Ghosts 3-2 in a Pioneer League contest before 1,058 at Kindrick Legion Field. “Man, it was awesome,” said Hawn, whose 10 home runs lead the Pioneer League. “I picked it up good out of his hand and there it went. I knew it as soon as I hit it. It was a very good feeling.” The mistake was one of the very few Campos made. The 6-4 righthander from Venezuela was coming off a dominant eight-inning four-hitter in his last outing and baffled the Brewers like few others have this season. “He threw great,” said Hawn, who grounded out, walked and was hit by a pitch in his first three plate appearances. “He just made that one mistake.” That mistake allowed Helena (27-25, 8-6 second half) to leapfrog Great Falls in the Pioneer League’s North Division for first place. Casper falls to 24-29, 7-8 in the South Division. Campos allowed just three hits and four balls out of the infield in the first seven innings, picking up eight of his season-high nine strikeouts along the way. “He’s just attacking hitters, being aggressive with all of his pitches,” Casper manager Tony Diaz said. “It’s just a shame he didn’t win it.” Helena, which leads the league with six victories in games in which it trails after seven innings, trailed 2-0 entering the eighth. The rally began with Robbie Garvey’s one-out triple to the rightfield fence. Franklin Romero, Jr. then singled to left for his second hit of the game to cut the Casper lead to 2-1. Diaz made the long walk to the mound and looked at ace closer Juan Perez, who was throwing in the bullpen. Perez is second in the league with seven saves and has a 1.47 earned run average. But after a lengthy deliberation, Diaz stayed with Campos. “Obviously, I made a mistake and it cost us,” Diaz said. “It’s really on me. I lost the game. I had my closer ready and didn’t bring him in.” Waiting in the on-deck circle, Hawn was surprised as well. “When (Diaz) came out, I really thought they were going to pull (Campos),” Hawn said. Campos (2-3) got ahead in the count with two strikes, then wasted a pitch that Hawn refused to chase. With a 1-2 count, Campos hung a slider over the middle of the plate. “As good as that guy had been all day, I was just focused on trying to hit the ball back up the middle,” Hawn said. “He hung it right out over the plate. Just that one pitch, he left it up there and I just put good wood on it.” Jimmy Nelson (2-0) earned the win with three innings of one-hit relief, retiring the final nine batters he faced. It was Nelson’s most impressive outing since arriving in Helena. “He’s got good stuff,” Helena manager Joe Ayrault said of Nelson. “It’s just one of those things of getting comfortable for him. Now he’s trusting what he’s doing. He’s comfortable and confident.” So, too were Helena’s hitters, even when Campos looked untouchable. “Our ballclub is the type of team we like to score runs late,” Ayrault said. Casper took a 1-0 lead against Helena starter Evan Frederickson on a fourth-inning single by Blake McDade, who eventually scored on an infield groundout. The Ghosts made it 2-0 on Jordan Ballard’s solo home run off the scoreboard in left-centerfield in the sixth inning against Helena reliever Ryan Bernal. That held up until the Brewers rallied in the eighth. Tuesday's matchup features two of the league’s best starting pitchers, when Helena’s Matt Miller (6-1, 2.62 ERA) faces Casper’s Tyler Gagnon (4-1, 3.40). All photos by Ben Coulter, Independent Record Helena pitcher Evan Frederickson fires a strike toward home plate Monday night against the Casper Ghosts at Kindrick Legion Field. The Brewers won 3-2. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/c/74/969/c74969f2-a9b7-11df-9632-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c6a0fc367be1.image.jpg Helena second baseman Shea Vucinich connects with the ball http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/a/6a/aaa/a6aaaa1c-a9b7-11df-8819-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c6a0f8cb5ac4.image.jpg Helena centerfielder Franklin Romero Jr. dives back to first base safely. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/b/7c/485/b7c48598-a9b7-11df-be7a-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c6a0fa941cc0.image.jpg Frederickson throws a routine ground ball to first base http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/e/72/9f0/e729f0ac-a9b7-11df-98d6-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c6a0ff6c5b47.image.jpg Helena third baseman Greg Hopkins makes the tag on Casper Ghost's shortstop Christhian Adames during the second inning. http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/d/95/dfb/d95dfb58-a9b7-11df-9335-001cc4c03286-revisions/4c6a0fe142790.image.jpg

Stars pull off dramatic comeback win By Aaron Morse, Huntsville Stars Brett Lawrie hit a two-out, two-RBI double and the Huntsville Stars (27-24, 60-61) scored seven runs in the sixth inning to rally from a five run deficit on their way to a 9-7 victory over the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (24-27, 63-57) Monday afternoon. The victory made a winner out of Wily Peralta (1-1) who went six innings, giving up six runs (three earned) on seven hits. He walked one and struck-out seven. The 21-year old right-hander had to work around some shaky Stars defense in the first inning. With one out, Johan Limonta doubled sharply down the right field line. Peralta got Alex Liddi to ground right back to the mound; he had Limonta caught dead to rights between second and third but his throw to second was dropped by shortstop Andy Machado. That allowed Limonta to go to third and everybody was safe. Then he was hit with some bad luck as a Carlos Peguero chopper up the middle was hit so slowly that no play was available for Machado to make. The infield single drove in Limonta and West Tenn grabbed the early 1-0 lead (audio). Scott Savastano followed with a grounder that Machado booted, loading the bases with only one down. The Stars paid for their bad defense as Joe Dunigan singled in two runs to extend the West Tenn lead to 3-0 (audio). West Tennessee tacked on an insurance run in the top of the second on a two-out RBI single from Liddi (audio). However the Stars were able to get that run back in the bottom half of the frame when Taylor Green doubled in Drew Anderson (audio), who’d drawn a lead-off walk. Peralta and his counterpart Jarrett Grube were lights out for the next three innings before the Diamond Jaxx struck again in the sixth. With one out Joe Dunigan reached on an infield single. Bonilla followed with his second homer of the afternoon to extend the advantage to 6-1 (audio). It was not Peralta’s best outing but the Stars made him a winner thanks to their epic comeback in the bottom of the sixth. Lee Haydel provided the spark Huntsville needed with a perfect bunt single down the third base line. Lawrie followed with a double to the left field corner. That’s when the Z-man, Zelous Wheeler, singled home both runners to cut the deficit to 6-3 (audio). An Anderson double put runners at second and third with still nobody out. It also chased Grube from the game as the Diamond Jaxx brought in Wes Littleton. He was greeted by a Chris Nowak chopper to short that Carlos Triunfel mishandled, allowing everyone to be safe as the Stars cut the lead to 6-4 (audio). Littleton walked Green to load the bases. His control continued to escape him as he walked Machado (audio) and Caleb Gindl as well and all of a sudden the game was tied at six (audio). Nick Hill entered the game and struck-out two batters before Lawrie hacked at the first pitch and doubled in two runs to give the Stars an 8-6 lead (audio). Robert Hinton tossed a scoreless seventh, but Michael Fiers gave up a homer to Bonilla in the eighth to cut the Stars’ lead to one (audio). Huntsville responded immediately in the bottom half of the frame when Haydel hit a sacrifice fly to score Gindl from third (audio). The 9-7 lead held up as Jeremy Jeffress nailed down his second save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning (final out). The win moves Huntsville to within 3.5 games of the Wild Card lead. They have an off day Tuesday before taking on the Birmingham Barons on Wednesday. Michael Bowman will be on the mound and you can catch all the action on the Stars Radio Network.

Link while active, text follows: Stars pick up ground in race with West Tenn Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The Stars knitted together a seven-run inning on Monday afternoon to catch and pass the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. They'll need an even more miraculous event to do so in the more important big picture of the postseason chase. Huntsville won three of five against the Diamond Jaxx -- including Monday's 9-7 triumph -- to cut West Tenn's lead to 3 1/2 games in the Southern League North wild-card race, with 19 games remaining. "You might be surprised with the character of this team," manager Mike Guerrero said. "We're not done yet. We're giving up until the last out of the season. That's how winners think." However, the Stars did give up a great opportunity to make up ground on West Tenn in this, the last head-to-head meeting with the Diamond Jaxx. They split doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday before Huntsville rallied for the series-winner. "Nobody says we're going to win all the games. We're going to go out and play the games as hard as we can," Guerrero said. "For now on, if we play the way we're capable of playing, we're going to gain some ground." Huntsville's remaining games are all against Southern League South teams, starting Wednesday with the opening of a five-game set at Birmingham. Tennessee, which won the first half, has a comfortable lead over the Stars in the second-half pennant race, so the Stars' best hope for a playoff spot is the wild-card berth, which goes to the team with the best overall record if the same team wins both halves. The wild-card team hosts only one of the games in a best-of-five playoff series. Sloppy defense and mediocre pitching plopped the Stars into a 6-1 deficit Monday afternoon, in front of an announced crowd of 440. Then in the sixth they erupted for seven runs, taking advantage of three walks by ex-Huntsville pitcher Wes Littleton. Brett Lawrie had two doubles in the inning, driving in a pair of runs. The Stars had nine hits in the game, six of them doubles. Wily Peralta was the beneficiary of the rally, collecting his first Southern League win despite allowing seven hits and six runs (three earned) in six innings. The Stars bullpen held West Tenn to two hits and one run in the final three innings, including Leury Bonilla's second homer of the day. Stars' Brett Lawrie belts two doubles in same inning http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/brett-lawriejpg-c316cf57685ccf09_large.jpg