Jim Goulart

Link while active, text follows: Davis helps himself, Timber Rattlers with solid rehab outing in victory over Quad Cities By Mike Woods, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — If the guys who want to take his job someday learned one thing from Doug Davis on Wednesday, it was what it means to be a professional. "Results always mean something to me," said Davis, making his final rehab start for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium before rejoining the Milwaukee Brewers and an expected return to the starting rotation next week against San Francisco. "Whether it's A ball, Rookie ball, Triple-A, it doesn't matter," said Davis, 35, who was making his third rehab start after two earlier ones in Triple-A Nashville. "The fact that you're going out there competing and giving your team a chance to win, that's what your job is. Whether it's in the big leagues or the minor leagues, it doesn't matter. "These guys behind you are playing 100 percent. You don't want to go out there and say I don't care if I give up seven (runs); I just want to get my work in. These guys care. They want to be in the playoffs. They want to be a good team for I know how long the season is when you're on a losing team. It's terribly long. It's no fun that way." The day turned out great for the Rattlers, as Davis threw seven innings — giving an overworked Rattlers bullpen some much-needed rest — and picked up a 4-1 victory over Quad Cities. For Davis, he was mostly pleased. He threw 96 pitches — he was on a 100-pitch limit —before admittedly tiring in the sixth inning. He gave up one run on six hits, walked three, struck out four and hit one batter. Three of those hits and two walks came in his final two innings of work. "I didn't get much sleep beforehand," he said. "I got up at 7 a.m. I'm used to waking up at noon. But I chose to come here to pitch. I knew the routine." He said he has completely overcome the bout of pericarditis — an inflammation of the lining around his heart — that not only put him on the disabled list but frightened him like nothing else. "It has heart attack symptoms," he said. "My jaw, upper back, left arm … but being left-handed my left arm hurts all the time. But it had all the symptoms of having a heart attack. So, in a sense, I thought I was having a heart attack. I'm not young in baseball but I don't think I'm old enough to have a heart attack right now. But I think I take care of my body a lot better." Davis took 12 Advil a day until the symptoms cleared and now takes a single pill a day as a preventative measure. To prepare for his return to the Brewers rotation, he asked to use Major League Baseballs on Wednesday instead of the minor league baseballs he used in his previous two rehab starts. "Major league balls are harder, they're smaller, they're wound tighter," he said of the differences. "The laces are smaller, not as wide. "Yeah, I think that in my last two starts, having the bigger laces and softer ball made have made it a little easier to pitch. Just because you get more action with a minor league ball, better curveballs, and have a better feel. And they're softer; they don't go as far." He now returns to a Brewers' rotation that has stabilized somewhat recently, but is still in desperate need of quality starts and quality arms. "I'm ready," said Davis. "It's just a matter of them finding a place for me. They're playing well. I don't want to mess with a winning situation. "I understand what's going on and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help the team. As long as I show I'm healthy, I don't care where they put me." Doug Davis of the Milwaukee Brewers pitched seven innings and was the winning pitcher in the Timber Rattlers' 4-1 victory over the Quad Cities River Bandits on Wednesday at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute. (Post-Crescent photo by Wm. Glasheen) http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20100701&Category=APC020601&ArtNo=7010542&Ref=AR&Profile=1479&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

Link while active, text follows: Stars' Caufield has made plenty of contact at Joe Davis John Turner, The Huntsville Times Chuckie Caufield has been the Joe Davis Stadium hitting machine this season. He just doesn't know why or how. "For the most part, I do the same things at home and on the road," the Stars' 26-year-old outfielder said. "I carry myself the same. I don't change anything in my daily life." Caufield isn't sure how his home-field OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.084 entering Tuesday's game was more than 350 points higher than his road OPS. "I couldn't even have told you my OPS was that good at home," said Caufield, now taking a closer look at the stat sheet. "I can't explain it." He also can't rationalize how he upped his batting from .231 to .283 during his last homestand, going on a hitting tear that landed him Southern League player of the week honors. "Maybe it's my bed," he finally said. "I don't know. I couldn't tell you." Whatever it is, it's working. Caufield, in his fifth season in the Brewers' minor league system, is on pace to break career highs for on-base percentage and slugging, thanks in large part to his performance on the Stars' last homestand. The University of Oklahoma graduate tallied 10 hits, 12 RBIs, seven runs and a pair of home runs during the breakout series against Montgomery, helping the Stars take four of five contests. "The more I kept hitting, the more I felt like I was in the zone," Caufield said. "It was a super confidence level. I honestly felt like I couldn't get out." Caufield didn't get the start in Tuesday's series opener against Chattanooga but subbed in during the seventh inning, going 2 for 2. In a 9-3 loss, the Stars could have used him earlier. Caufield laced a double down the left-field line on his first at-bat, scoring one batter later to make the game 7-3. His next hit came in the eighth inning, pushing his batting average to a season-high .299. The Lookouts took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning before their pitcher, Mario Alveraz, was ejected by home plate umpire Chris Segal when his first pitch hit Huntsville's Brett Lawrie. The beanball set off a series of arguments, ultimately resulting in the ejection of Chattanooga coach Carlos Subero. The contest cooled down from there, but so did the Stars' hitting. After scoring one run in the bottom of the first, Huntsville pushed across just two more, falling to 35-42 on the season. Mark Rogers (3-6) took the loss for Huntsville. Stars' outfielder Chuckie Caufield has been playing his best baseball at home this season. http://media.al.com/huntsville-times-sports/photo/d1caufield-0630jpg-85449004ced6b11c_small.jpg

Final, Game One: Huntsville 1, Chattanooga (Dodgers) 0 Final, Game Two: Huntsville 5, Chattanooga 4Twice in one day against Chattanooga...Stars walk-off as winners By Aaron Morse, Huntsville Stars Double Header Audio Recap-- nice work from the Huntsville staff, even includes audio quotes from Chuckie Caufield and Steffan Wilson as well as the two game-winning calls, very professionally done, guys Steffan Wilson went 5-6, Amaury Rivas tossed a gem in game one, and Chuckie Caufield and Andy Machado provided the late heroics as the Huntsville Stars (4-5) swept the Chattanooga Lookouts (6-3) in Wednesday’s double header. In the first game of the twin bill, Rivas (7-5) took center stage as he threw a complete game shutout. The Lookouts managed only four hits in the seven-inning contest and Rivas walked a lone batter while striking out four. In the bottom of the seventh, Huntsville’s to that point dormant offense came alive as Drew Anderson drew a leadoff walk. They played some small ball as Machado laid down a nice bunt that caused a throwing error from catcher and former big league Brewer Mike Rivera, putting runners at first and second with nobody out. Wilson bunted as well and managed to beat it out for an infield single, loading the bases. After Dayton Buller struck-out, Caufield stepped to the plate, pinch hitting for Rivas. The red-hot outfielder singled in the hole between short and third, driving home Anderson to win the game. Timothy Sexton (3-7) pitched a complete game for the Lookouts but took the loss. Meanwhile Rivas’ second complete game of the year ties him with Tom Layne of Mobile for the most in the Southern League. Huntsville Game One Box Score Ten ground balls for Amaury Rivas, who won't dazzle us with K's, but he had better be on that 90-mile bus ride to Nashville right after the Southern League All-Star Game... Huntsville Game One Game Log Game two was not nearly as neat. Lookouts’ pitchers combined to walk 12 Stars hitters and three of the Lookouts’ four runs against the Stars were unearned. The Stars got off to a great start, scoring two runs in the first on RBI singles from Machado and Wilson. These came after Lookouts’ starter Jordan Pratt walked the first three batters of the game. Two of three batters Pratt walked in the first inning were Brett Lawrie and Lorenzo Cain. With two away in the second, he walked both of them again. The Stars proceeded to pull off a gutsy double steal and the throw to third base sailed into left field, allowing Lawrie to score and Cain to advance to third. Pratt walked Caleb Gindl again as well to put runners at the corners and chase him from the game. Chattanooga’s starter walked seven batters in only 1.2 innings of work. New pitcher Justin Miller uncorked a wild pitch right away, allowing Cain to score and the Stars to extend their lead to 4-0. But Huntsville’s sloppiness allowed the Lookouts to come back to tie the game. In the top of the fourth, Stars’ starter Lucas Luetge ran into trouble after having faced the minimum through the first three frames. With one away, Trayvon Robinson singled to left. After a second out was recorded, Luetge uncorked a wild pitch, advancing Robinson to second base. Corey Smith, the Southern League’s RBI leader, hit a slow roller that Luetge fielded, but his throw was low and skipped past Wilson at first base. They ruled the play an infield single, with the error allowing Robinson to score and Smith to advance to second base. He’d get out of the inning without any more damage, but wasn’t as fortunate in the fifth. With one down, Luetge walked his first batter of the game when Jaime Pedroza drew a free pass. Jessie Mier followed with a sharp single up the middle. It appeared Luetge would get out of the inning unscathed when pinch hitter Eddie Perez hit a tailor-made double play ball to Machado at short, but the veteran infielder bobbled the ball and everyone was safe. A wild pitch made it 4-2 and with two away Trayvon Robinson delivered the big blow with a two RBI single to left, evening the score at four. That was the end of the day for Luetge, who went 4.2 innings, giving up four runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits. He walked one and struck-out three in the no-decision. Eddie Morlan came on and got Jerry Sands to fly out to Gindl in right to end the inning. Lookouts’ reliever Eric Krebs gave up a lead-off double to Wilson in the fifth and walked Andy Machado with one away, but he worked out of the jam thanks to a well-timed double play ball hit by Sean McCraw. Krebs really got rolling in the sixth when he struck-out Anderson, Lawrie, and Cain in succession. Meanwhile for the Stars, Jim Henderson replaced Morlan to pitch the top of the seventh and walked the leadoff man. But after striking out the next batter, he was the beneficiary of an awful bunt attempt by Krebs that went straight up in the air. The runner was going on the pitch so Henderson calmly got the ball and jogged to the first base bag to turn the unassisted double play. Huntsville finally got to Krebs in the bottom of the seventh as with one out he hit Zelous Wheeler. Wilson followed that with the 11th Stars’ walk of the contest to put runners at first and second. Lee Haydel loaded the bases by slapping a single to left. That’s when Andy Machado redeemed himself. He’d made the crucial error back in the fifth, but against Krebs he drew the 12th walk of the game, driving in Wheeler and the Stars quite literally walked off with the win. Huntsville looks to take game four of the six game set Thursday night as they’ll send Josh Butler (1-4, 4.70) to the mound. You can hear all the action starting at 6:45 PM central time with the Window World Pre-Game Report on the Stars Radio Network. Huntsville Game Two Box Score Too bad only 715 took advantage, Helena and the Manatees drew more; hope Taylor Green is OK, as noted early on in this thread, left game one... Huntsville Game Two Game Log

Final: DSL Brewers 2, DSL Mariners 0 DSL Brewers Box Score This is how you determine who gets the prime time at this level -- Brewers' brass watched 20-year-old 6'0" RHP Jose Cepeda shine in six relief appearances to start the season, and now he's in the rotation, with this being his second start -- in 30.1 IP, he has a BAA of only .154 to go along with his 0.89 ERA, probably some luck involved with 13 walks and 22 K's on the season; Cepeda tossed eight scoreless in this outing, allowing a double, three singles, and three walks; this was a worthy-of-big-league-comparison matchup with clean defense on both sides, as future Mariner LHP Henry Perez now has a 37-to-3 K-to-BB ratio in just four starts and 27 innings -- he struck out 11 Brewers and walked none and now has an ERA of 1.00; the Brewers did manage nine hits, as Ronny Puello was 3-for-4 as the DH, and CF Ruben Sanchez (.926 OPS, team MVP to this point) and 1B Hitaniel Arias each singled twice; as noted above, new signee Raul Mondesi, Jr., not 18 years old until August, made his debut, grounding out as a pinch-hitter -- he's listed at 5'10", 182 a RH bat like his dad, who was only 5'11" himself -- funny how you remember taller -- hope he has the same gun for an arm... DSL Brewers Game Log LF Jose Garcia's lone hit, and the D-Crew's only extra-base hit, was a big one -- DSL Brewers Bottom 2nd Hitaniel Arias strikes out swinging. Ronny Puello singles on a ground ball to center fielder Randy Perez. Jose Pena singles on a ground ball to center fielder Randy Perez. Ronny Puello to 2nd. Jose R. Garcia doubles (6) on a fly ball to center fielder Randy Perez. Ronny Puello scores. Jose Pena scores. Julio Sotelo grounds out, second baseman George Soto to first baseman Westlonder Marcelino. Jose R. Garcia to 3rd. Andres Martinez strikes out swinging. Cepeda pitched around a leadoff double in the 2nd and then houdini'd in the 3rd -- DSL Mariners Top 3rd George Drullard walks. Randy Perez singles on a ground ball to center fielder Ruben Sanchez. George Drullard to 2nd. Efrain Nunez out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Jose Cepeda to first baseman Hitaniel Arias. George Drullard to 3rd. Randy Perez to 2nd. Luis Matias flies into double play, right fielder Jose Pena to pitcher Jose Cepeda to third baseman Allixon Cequea. George Drullard doubled off 3rd. Brewers really should have added on here -- DSL Brewers Bottom 4th Hitaniel Arias singles on a ground ball to center fielder Randy Perez. Ronny Puello singles on a ground ball to center fielder Randy Perez. Hitaniel Arias to 2nd. Jose Pena reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by pitcher Henry Perez. Hitaniel Arias to 3rd. Ronny Puello to 2nd. Jose R. Garcia strikes out swinging. Julio Sotelo grounds into double play, third baseman Jordy Lara to second baseman George Soto to first baseman Westlonder Marcelino. Jose Pena out at 2nd.

21-year-old 3B Joey Paciorek, on the Wisconsin DL for nearly two months with what must have been a pretty serious hand contusion, got the rehab start with Maryvale last evening -- a single and a walk in four plate appearances before calling it a night. With Cutter Dykstra's emergence, playing time back in Appleton could be an issue without some player movement.

It's 8:05 Central and the Manatees are tied 3-3 as the 7th inning stretch arrives, so this is a chance to listen to the end of a tight game before perhaps heading to Huntsville or Helena to cap your night. Stephen C. Smith with no commercials on his self-produced volunteer Brevard webcast, so no breaks -- hope he's not drinking a lot (wink, wink).

The Stars win game one, 1-0, on a bases-loaded one-out walkoff single by pinch-hitter Chuckie Caufield, allowing a dominant Amaury Rivas to get the win. Much more in the way of details later on, but just wanted to note that 3B Taylor Green left the game in the 4th, it's difficult to ascertain the nature of the injury via the log, perhaps the Huntsville game reports will clue us in.

Some interesting Rattlers tidbits from the Post-Cresent blog...

From GM Buck Rogers: Huntsville Stars 2B Brett Lawrie will play in the Futures Game in Anaheim on Sunday (7/11), then catch an early morning flight back to Huntsville to get back in time to play in the Southern League All-Star Game Monday night (7/12). Won't miss that game in front of the home folks, after all...

Ah, Villanueva -- used up all his bullets in April, didn't he?

Link while active, text follows: Q&A with former South Dakota State University standout Caleb Thielbar Sioux Falls Argus Leader Former South Dakota State standout Caleb Thielbar burst onto the minor-league scene last summer, putting together the best pro debut of anybody in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, according to Baseball America. But now what? He's no longer a fresh draft pick and he's not on the verge of making the big leagues. The left-handed pitcher from Randolph, Minn., is playing with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, a team in low Class A. He's 0-2 this season with two saves and a 4.79 ERA in 24 appearances. He took some time Tuesday to answer questions about his quest: Q. How is Year 2 as a pro different than Year 1? A. The main difference is playing a full season. It's 140 games, so the wear and tear on your body is a lot different than a short season where you play 60 games. Q. You were a starter in college and are coming out of the bullpen now as a mid-to-long reliever. What's your take on the move? A. I like it. It's nice to be able to have a chance to play every day. It seems like a lot of the starters just pack it in after batting practice is done. We have to stay in the game every day. It's kind of fun to be involved in every single game. Q. Are there some challenges to it? A. You can go out and have one bad outing, and it completely screws up your numbers for the next month. That's when you have to stop getting caught up in it. Go out and put up zeroes for the next four or five outings and the numbers will even out eventually. Q. Is it difficult to stay focused on the day-to-day and not get caught up in possible promotions and timelines? A. It is. You're always thinking about it. The thing that you really have trouble with is overanalyzing everything that goes on in the system as far as guys getting moved around. I just try to keep my focus off that and worry about how I'm doing. Everything will take care of itself. Q. There are a handful of former Jackrabbits playing the pro game. Do you guys give each other advice and encouragement? A. I think we all keep an eye on each other, but I haven't talked to the other guys in quite a while - I should do that sometime. It's always good to see the other guys doing well.

Want to visit Beloit this weekend? J.J. Hardy Joins Snappers for Rehab Stint

PDF Document: Huntsville Media Notes

Rattler Radio Blog: June 30, 2010: Game Notes June 30, 2010: Lineup

Rattler Radio Blog: RHP Damon Krestalude activated from the Timber Rattlers disabled list Wisconsin's roster is now at the 25-man limit.

PCL American North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Nashville 43 36 .544 - - 22-16 21-20 6-4 W3 Iowa 42 36 .538 0.5 66 22-20 20-16 5-5 L1 Omaha 41 36 .532 1.0 66 19-19 22-17 4-6 W1 Memphis 42 37 .532 1.0 65 21-16 21-21 5-5 L2 SOU North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Chattanooga 6 1 .857 - - 5-1 1-0 6-1 W3 * Tennessee 4 4 .500 2.5 61 4-2 0-2 4-4 L3 West Tenn 4 4 .500 2.5 61 2-0 2-4 4-4 W2 Carolina 3 5 .375 3.5 60 1-1 2-4 3-5 W1 Huntsville 2 5 .286 4.0 60 0-1 2-4 2-5 L4 FSL North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Daytona 5 1 .833 - - 2-0 3-1 5-1 W4 Tampa 4 1 .800 0.5 65 2-1 2-0 4-1 W3 * Dunedin 3 3 .500 2.0 63 2-2 1-1 3-3 W1 Brevard County 2 4 .333 3.0 62 2-2 0-2 2-4 L3 Clearwater 2 4 .333 3.0 62 1-1 1-3 2-4 L1 Lakeland 1 4 .200 3.5 62 0-2 1-2 1-4 L4 MID Western Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 4 1 .800 - - 2-1 2-0 4-1 W4 Beloit 3 2 .600 1.0 - 2-0 1-2 3-2 W2 Clinton 3 2 .600 1.0 - 3-2 0-0 3-2 W1 Wisconsin 3 2 .600 1.0 - 3-2 0-0 3-2 L2 * Cedar Rapids 2 3 .400 2.0 65 0-0 2-3 2-3 L2 Kane County 2 3 .400 2.0 65 0-0 2-3 2-3 L1 Peoria 2 3 .400 2.0 65 1-2 1-1 2-3 L1 Burlington 1 4 .200 3.0 64 1-1 0-3 1-4 W1 PIO North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak Helena 8 1 .889 - - 6-0 2-1 8-1 W4 Great Falls 5 4 .556 3.0 27 1-2 4-2 5-4 W1 Missoula 3 6 .333 5.0 25 3-2 0-4 3-6 L1 Billings 2 7 .222 6.0 24 1-3 1-4 2-7 L2 AZL Central Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak AZL Brewers 7 0 1.000 - - 0-0 0-0 0-0 W7 AZL Dodgers 4 3 .571 3.0 47 0-0 0-0 0-0 W3 AZL Reds 4 4 .500 3.5 46 0-0 0-0 0-0 L2 AZL Indians 2 6 .250 5.5 44 0-0 0-0 0-0 W1 DSL S.D. North Club W L PCT GB *ELIM # Home Away L 10 Streak DSL Cardinals 15 12 .556 - - 12-2 3-10 4-6 W1 DSL Athletics 14 12 .538 0.5 46 8-4 6-8 6-4 W1 DSL Mariners 14 13 .519 1.0 45 9-5 5-8 6-4 L1 DSL Brewers 10 16 .385 4.5 42 8-5 2-11 4-6 L1

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. Huntsville Game One (Gameday also available) Huntsville Game Two (Gameday also available) Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Arizona Rookie (Maryvale) DSL Brewers

Wednesday's Daily Menu: Manatee home audio tonight... Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: Idle Huntsville: RHP Amaury Rivas and LHP Lucas Luetge in a doubleheader at home vs. Chattanooga (Dodgers), 4:45 PM pre-game; 5:00 gametime; each game slated for seven innings Live Audio Link Brevard County: TBD (perhaps RHP Cody Scarpetta) at home vs. Daytona (Cubs), 6:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link (SpaceCoastBall.com feed) Wisconsin: LHP Doug Davis in a rehab start at home vs. Quad Cities (Cardinals), 11:50 AM pre-game; 12:05 PM gametime Live Audio Link Helena: RHP Stosh Wawrzasek at home vs. Billings (Reds), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): at the Dodgers' complex in Glendale; games begin at 7:00 local time in the desert; never audio for games in this league DSL Brewers: at home vs. the DSL Mariners, 9:30 AM

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

This was definitely not worth the wait -- Final: DSL Cardinals 13, DSL Brewers 7 A 6-3 Brewer lead after seven innings disappeared quickly when the first 12 Cardinals reached (ten scored) in the bottom of the 8th... DSL Brewers Box Score You don't see this often -- Perez, O pitched to 3 batters in the 8th. Roman pitched to 5 batters in the 8th. Mejia, J pitched to 3 batters in the 8th. Only when the 4th Brewer pitcher of the 8th inning came on, was a batter retired, but not before that 4th pitcher, Javier Belen, who actually cleaned up the mess nicely, allowed a fly ball that was ruled a sacrifice fly but was dropped! 21-year-old LHP Manuel Ruiz pitched well early on -- it was his 2nd appearance and his first in 25 days; middle infield combo Yonki Hernandez and Andres Martinez are a combined 15-for-18 in stolen base attempts; for the most part, these players are a curiosity, but as with any baseball game anywhere, you never know what you'll see, as detailed below... DSL Brewers Game Log Yikes! DSL Cardinals Bottom 8th Defensive Substitution: Erickson Salaya replaces right fielder Jose Pena, batting 6th, playing left field. Defensive switch from left field to right field for Ronny Puello. Luis Perez singles on a ground ball to center fielder Ruben Sanchez. Victor Ferreira walks. Luis Perez to 2nd. With Fernando Baez batting, wild pitch by Osmel Perez, Luis Perez to 3rd. Victor Ferreira to 2nd. Fernando Baez singles on a ground ball to center fielder Ruben Sanchez. Luis Perez scores. Victor Ferreira scores. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Domingo Diaz replaces Fernando Baez. Pitcher Change: Christopher Roman replaces Osmel Perez. Amaury Capellan walks. Domingo Diaz to 2nd. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Robelys Reyes replaces Jose Agustin. Robelys Reyes singles on a ground ball to shortstop Andres Martinez. Domingo Diaz to 3rd. Amaury Capellan to 2nd. Victor Encanacion singles on a ground ball to center fielder Ruben Sanchez. Domingo Diaz scores. Amaury Capellan scores. Victor Encanacion to 2nd. Robelys Reyes advances to 3rd, on fielding error by center fielder Ruben Sanchez. Daniel Barbuena doubles (7) on a fly ball to left fielder Erickson Salaya. Robelys Reyes scores. Victor Encanacion scores. Rafael Medina walks. Pitcher Change: Jairo Mejia replaces Christopher Roman. Eduardo Celestino doubles (2) on a fly ball to center fielder Ruben Sanchez. Daniel Barbuena scores. Rafael Medina to 3rd. With Luis Perez batting, passed ball by Jhonatan Diaz, Rafael Medina scores. Eduardo Celestino to 3rd. Luis Perez walks. Victor Ferreira walks. Luis Perez to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Javier Belen replaces Jairo Mejia. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Jorge Lopez replaces Domingo Diaz. Jorge Lopez hits a sacrifice fly. Fielding error by left fielder Erickson Salaya. Eduardo Celestino scores. Luis Perez scores. Victor Ferreira to 3rd. Jorge Lopez to 2nd. Amaury Capellan grounds out, second baseman Yonki Hernandez to first baseman Hitaniel Arias. Robelys Reyes grounds out, second baseman Yonki Hernandez to first baseman Hitaniel Arias. Victor Encanacion called out on strikes.

Nice to have our friend battlekow back in action, but I need to send one more thanks to TheCrew07 for bailing me out while bk was away. I can promise you that the Link Reports would not have been nearly as timely or complete if we hadn't had his assistance. We try to provide timely updates throughout the day and night, and I can tell you honestly that this will never be a one-person operation again just based on the pretty much round-the-clock nature of the availability of relevant news updates these days. The era of a solo "MassBrew", circa 2003, for instance, is long gone -- thankfully.

No DSL result yet. All the other games on the island were played, so it's probably just a late submission to MiLB. We'll check later on.

Link while active, text follows: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' extra-inning woes continue By Mike Woods, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — In the silver lining department, it wasn't another one-run loss. But that's about all the good news you could locate after the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers dropped their second straight extra-inning game, 6-4, to Quad Cities in 12 innings Tuesday before 5,272 fans at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Wisconsin is now 0-9 in extra-inning games this season. "We had opportunities to win that ballgame and didn't take advantage of them," said Rattlers manager Jeff Isom, whose team was two-for-12 with runners in scoring position. "You're playing against a pretty good Quad City team. They're a playoff club. We continue to talk about our club being a playoff club and we're right there with them. They haven't made a whole lot of changes since they won the first half. Happy with the way we're playing. But would like to see some of those runs get across the plate later in the game when we have opportunities." As is the case with a team that hasn't had many things go its way this season, there was a bit of bad luck involved. With runners at second and third and two out in a 4-4 game in the top of the 12th, the River Bandits' Michael Swinson hit a flair between third and short. Rattlers third baseman Cutter Dykstra and shortstop Michael Marseco each converged on the ball, which ended up hitting the glove of a diving Marseco and popping out, allowing two runs to score. "It was just a great pitch by (Andy) Sauter and the kid fought it off," said Marseco. "A flair in the six hole. I should have made the play. I thought I was going to catch the ball. I dove and I was surprised as anyone I didn't catch it as well and also disappointed for myself, especially the way we battled to stay in that game. Everyone played great and I wish I could have that back, that cost us the game right there I believe." Isom didn't exactly see it that way. "It was a tough play," he said. "Cutter is going back on him and Marseco is trying to stay out of Cutter's way, he doesn't want any collision there. And it was in his glove and out of his glove. I thought it was a tough play." The Rattlers battled back once in extra innings. Trailing 4-3 in the 11th, Chris Dennis led off with a home run to straight away center, his eighth of the season. "I was looking for something up in the zone that I could hopefully do something with it and hit it hard. That was my goal," said Dennis, who reached it as he pointed to the ball's path as soon as it was hit. "I think he just made a mistake and left one up and I was able to capitalize. I put a good swing on the ball and it ended up going out." But the Rattlers left a runner in scoring position that inning, and the next they were unable to produce another comeback. "It's kind of hard," said Dennis. "Starting the second half, we kind of feel we have the team to do it. We've come so far from the first half. To lose back-to-back games in extra innings is kind of tough. But we have a good group of guys, resilient guys, and we'll be ready to go (today)." *** Final thought at Post-Crescent blog

Tyler Thornburg and Alex Jones followed Miller and combined for seven more strikeouts in four scoreless innings. Jones earned the save with a pair of perfect innings and learned afterward he had been promoted to Class AA Wisconsin. *** Isn't it more likely that Jones is on his way to Appleton and not Huntsville, and that the writer simply mis-classified Wisconsin as "AA"? Maybe it's a situation like we saw with Nick Bucci and Damon Krestalude last year with a temporary rookie league bump to AA, but we'll find out today...

The formal press release: FOUR STARS SELECTED TO REPRESENT HUNTSVILLE IN ALL-STAR GAME HUNTSVILLE, ALA. - The North Division roster has been announced for the 2010 Southern League All-Star Game. Four Huntsville Stars were listed on that roster. However, only two will be in uniform for the game. Outfielder Lorenzo Cain, second baseman Brett Lawrie, pitcher Amaury Rivas, and closer Brandon Kintzler were all selected to represent the Stars by a vote from Southern League field managers, radio broadcasters, general managers and print media. Stars manager Mike Guerrero said, "This shows hard work is paying off. It's good for [these players] to be recognized going to the All-Star Game." Cain leads the Stars in batting average (.325) and on-base percentage (OBP) (.408). He is fourth in the league in overall batting, just behind Jacksonville's Brandon Tripp (.326). His .408 OBP puts him third in the league and second among active players. He has six triples on the year, second in the league to Lawrie (10). Rivas has been the Stars' ace for a better part of the season. He was 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA in the month of April, earning Southern League Pitcher of the Week honors for April 19 - 26 and the Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Month nod. Rivas is currently 6-5 with a 2.96 ERA. Lawrie, who is batting .300 (92-for-307) with six home runs, 21 doubles and a Southern-League leading 10 triples, was also selected to represent the Brewers in the MLB Futures Game in Anaheim on July 11. Therefore, he will not participate in this year's Southern League All-Star Game. Closer Brandon Kintzler, who was with the Stars until a promotion to Triple-A Nashville on June 7, will also not be a participant in this year's game. He recorded a save in each of his 10 opportunities while posting a 0.70 ERA with a 1-0 record with Huntsville. In eight games with Nashville, he is currently 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA. He has recorded two saves and has yet to surrender a run at home. Pitching coach John Curtis said it's great to see "two pitchers who deserve the honor and distinguish themselves with their stuff and command" get the All-Star title. The rest of the roster includes catchers Robinson Chirinos and Steven Clevenger (Tennessee), Johan Limonta (West Tenn) at first base, Jake Kahaulelio (Carolina) at second, Corey Smith (Chattanooga) at third, Carlos Triunfel (West Tenn) at shortstop, outfielders Cain, Tony Campana (Tennessee), Sean Henry (Carolina), and David Sappelt (Carolina). Blake Lalli (Tennessee) will be the DH with Mike Costanzo (Carolina) as the utility infielder and Trayvon Robinson (Chattanooga) as the utility outfielder. The pitching staff includes Rivas, Tennessee's Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Ryan Buchter, David Cales, Hung-Wen Chen, Carolina's Tom Cochran and Matt Klinker, West Tenn's Steven Hensley and Anthony Varvaro, and Chattanooga's Kenley Jansen. The South Division roster will be announced tomorrow. Stars manager Guerrero, hitting coach Al LeBoeuf, and Curtis will be the coaches for the North Division. Jacksonville's Corey Hart, a former Brewer minor league coach, and John Duffy will co-manage the South Division. The umpire crew will consist of Tripp Gibson, Jordan Baker, Chris Segal and Quinn Wolcott. The Southern League All-Star Game will be played at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville on Monday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are just $10 general admission and $12 reserved. For more information, visit www.huntsvillestars.com.