Jim Goulart

Saturday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Chase Wright at Albuquerque (Dodgers), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: RHP Mark Rogers at home vs. West Tenn (Mariners), 5:45 PM pre-game; 6:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: RHP Cody Scarpetta at home vs. Tampa (Yankees), 5:50 PM pre-game; 6:05 gametime Sorry, no audio for this game... Wisconsin: RHP Jake Odorizzi at home vs. Cedar Rapids (Angels), 12:50 PM pre-game; 1:05 gametime; expect LHP Efrain Nieves to tandem Live Audio Link

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RHP Donovan Hand has been activcated from the Stars' disabled list, and will take the spot recently opened up by corner IF/OF Steffan Wilson's placement on the DL. This gives Huntsville an odd 13 pitcher / 11 position player balance on their full 24-man roster. Their next six games involve the designated hitter, so the bench is short, but pinch-hitters won't be needed for a week.

Linkwhile active, text follows: Sounds lower the boom on the Isotopes Christopher Jackson, Albuquerque Baseball Examiner The Nashville Sounds entered their four-game series at Isotopes Park on Friday night as a team with a reputation for solid pitching and weak hitting. The Sounds proved to be just as good as advertised on the mound. In respect to hitting, though, they proved to be just the opposite. Nashville pounded out 15 hits en route to an 11-1 thrashing of Albuquerque. The Isotopes compounded their woes with four errors. They also had to use three relievers and one position player on the mound to get through the game. “It’s just tough that we weren’t there at all defensively tonight," manager Tim Wallach said. "We put our whole (pitching) staff in jeopardy of being blown in one night. That’s not good here. We did not come to play and I’m very disappointed." The Sounds got a stellar performance from veteran left-hander Chris Waters (3-0). The former Baltimore Oriole allowed just one run on seven hits. He had two strikeouts and no walks. "He threw strikes for one, kept the ball down," Wallach said. "We didn’t make a whole lot of adjustments against him. I don’t think he threw too many breaking balls. He threw some changeups. He threw mostly fastballs." While Waters further improved Nashville's team ERA, which stood at a Pacific Coast League-best 3.04 entering the game, the Sounds' bats came to life. Joe Koshansky crushed a three-run homer in the first inning to start the barrage. Two errors and a pair of RBI doubles led to three more runs in the second inning for Nashville. The Sounds picked up four more runs in the third as Trent Oeltjen hit a leadoff homer and Luis Cruz belted a two-run shot. Koshansky then added an RBI single. Josh Towers (2-3) turned in his worst start of the year for Albuquerque, allowing 10 runs, seven earned, on nine hits and one walk over 2 2/3 innings. Towers had entered the game with a team-leading 3.00 ERA “He’s done a great job so far," Wallach said of Towers. "He got some balls up. But we had a chance to make some plays and get some innings over sooner than they were gotten over. We didn’t get it done. That’s what disappoints me. “Josh didn’t have his best stuff, but we didn’t help him, either." The Isotopes finally picked up a run in the seventh as Prentice Redman singled, Michael Restovich doubled and Chin-Lung Hu grounded out to second, scoring Redman. That continued a recent trend of struggles at the plate for Albuquerque, which scored just 10 runs in losing three of four games at Memphis this week. “We are not getting the pitcher to make mistakes," Wallach said. "It’s OK to be aggressive, but you’ve got to be aggressive with pitches to hit. We’re putting a lot of pitchers’ pitches in play, which is what they want." Outfielder Timo Perez took the mound in the ninth inning to help save the Isotopes' bullpen. Perez tossed a scoreless inning, even getting the Sounds' Ray Olmedo to ground into an unconventional 3-1-5 double play. Wallach said Perez volunteered to take the mound, but that didn't make the decision any easier. “He was willing to go out there and pitch," Wallach said. "I hate doing that because it scares me. I don’t want a guy blowing his arm out on a pitch, or having a line drive hit back at him, either." Right-hander Tim Corcoran (1-2, 7.20 ERA) will make his first start of the year in Albuquerque on Saturday. Corcoran has one start and seven relief appearances this season, with his start having come on the road against Memphis on Monday. He will face Sounds left-hander Chase Wright (2-0, 3.07), who pitched briefly for the New York Yankees in 2007.

The full game audio archive of Brevard's big Friday win over Tampa (Wily Peralta's fine start, outstanding offensive effort) is available here from Stephen C. Smith.

Nashville RHP Kameron Loe at the May 7th audio link Deep voice matches 6'8" frame...

See who Stu is particularly happy for in his Nashville blog

Link while active, text follows: by Cory Jennerjohn, Appleton Post-Crescent After getting only one hit through the first five innings, the Cedar Rapids Kernels had a five-hit, four-run sixth inning to earn a Midwest League victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Miller Park on Friday night. Wisconsin's Damon Krestalude was pitching well before the fateful sixth. The righty retired seven straight during a stretch in the first three innings and retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings. Krestalude struck out five and walked one, but left after giving up back-to-back singles after 5 1/3 innings. It was the longest outing of the season for the 20-year-old, whose previous high was five innings. He also tied his season best for strikeouts. "That was the best performance by Damon all season long," Timber Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said. "He got behind some hitters, but he made some pitches when he had to." Luis Jimenez put the Kernels on the scoreboard in the sixth by lacing a one-out, two-run triple down the right-field line. It wasn't just the Kernels' bats that hurt the Timber Rattlers in the sixth. With two outs and runners on the corners, Casey Haerther was stealing second when Rattlers catcher Cameron Garfield faked the throw to second and instead threw down to third to try to get Randal Grichuk. The throw sailed over Peter Fatse's head and Grichuk easily scored. Wisconsin put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the eighth against Mike Kenney. Scooter Gennett doubled. Khris Davis singled him home. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Rattlers loaded the bases with one out against David Carpenter. The Kernels reliever got the second out on a popout. D'Vontrey Richardson worked the count to 3-1 and sent a line drive toward the left field corner. But Jimenez was there with a leaping, back-handed stab of the ball to end the game. Timber Rattlers first baseman Chris Dennis and second baseman Gennett raised their hitting streaks to six games apiece.

Link while active, text follows: Timber Rattlers hitting coach Matt Erickson's memories are players' dreams Cory Jennerjohn, Appleton Post-Crescent Remember when your grandpa would hoist you up on his lap and start telling you stories from his past? Matt Erickson may not have an AARP card yet, but that didn't stop the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers hitting coach from letting the youngsters know about the team he used to play for as they toured the $400 million playpen that awaits the fortunate few. "We went through the home clubhouse and I had a couple guys ask me, 'Where's your locker,' " said Erickson, who played four games for the Brewers. "So I got to show them that. Casey McGehee's in it right now. I'd like to let Casey know that he's in my locker." The Timber Rattlers lost to Cedar Rapids 6-1 on Friday in Wisconsin's fourth game at Miller Park dating back to 2003. Wisconsin may be in low A, but the Crew laid down the red carpet for these kids. After batting practice, hot-hitting catcher Cameron Garfield was munching on the Wisconsin tradition of cheese and sausage, while third baseman Peter Fatse opted for the more exotic pineapple and pretzels. "I don't think I need any more motivation than I already have," said Garfield, who is batting .429 in his last seven games. "I mean, you're trying to get through the minor leagues. It's not the best environment you want to be in always — the bus rides and taking long trips — but any more motivation to get, this is definitely it." The one thing that Fatse couldn't get over was the army of staff members at the ready in the clubhouse. "There's one for every three players," he said. "Every time you turn around, someone is willing to lend a helping hand." The story of Erickson getting called up to the show on July 9, 2004, came up in the trainer's room. "My first at-bat here was against Aaron Harang," said Erickson, who got his only big-league hit off future Hall-of-Famer Greg Maddux. "I pinch hit in the ninth and a 2-1 slider — I remember like it was yesterday. It was out over the plate and I took a big swing on it and my top hand slipped off the bat a little bit and I heard a pop in my shoulder and, sure enough, I sprained my AC joint. The next day, the second day I'm in the big leagues, I'm getting a cortisone shot for my shoulder." When the Rattlers came back for their pregame warm-up, they were adorned in their Sunday baby-blue jerseys, which are a nod to the Milwaukee glory days of the late '70s and early '80s. And every so often, a player or two would turn around and take a peek at the retired numbers of Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Rollie Fingers, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Bob Uecker's 50 years in baseball that adorn the upper facade. "Everywhere you go, you go to the cages, even in this locker room, you think of all the great players in the NL and AL that are here from day to day," Fatse said. "It's pretty crazy to think that we're just hanging out here and we got our own special day here." Fans may not have seen Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun, but there was a sausage race, and "Roll Out The Barrel" was blared throughout the park. So, just how big did the whole experience make the eyes of these young pups? "As big as mine," Timber Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said. "This is my second time here, and what a great experience for these guys. There will be a handful of guys that end up making it in the long run, playing here at Miller Park and having good careers. And there's other guys, unfortunately it's business, they won't make it, but this is one day they'll remember for the rest of their lives." Not one player made their way to Erickson's lap, but they appreciated every word that came out of the former big leaguer's mouth. "He's only a couple years removed from playing, so the fact that he can relate to what we're going through and to be in a big league park where he got to play, that's pretty special," Fatse said.

Wish it had been a better game, it wasn't listed on the initial Time Warner 32 schedule so we didn't inform you ahead of time, but if you want to record Damon Krestalude's fine Miller Park start for the Rattlers, and also see Scooter Gennett, Chris Dennis, etc., here are some opportunities this weekend. Minor League Baseball: Cedar Rapids Kernels @ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Saturday, May 8: 12-3pm Sunday, May 9: 7-10pm You can also get to know the players by watching Timber Rattlers "Field Pass" Tuesday's at 5:00 PM only on Sports32.

PDF document: Huntsville Media Notes

Rattler Radio: May 7, 2010: Game Notes May 7, 2010: Tonight's Rattlers starting pitcher May 7, 2010: Rattlers Lineup Photo Contest for tonight!

PDF document: Nashville Media Notes Last start for Chris Waters with Mr. Capuano on the way?

Middle of the game, but not part of the game. That was a stand-in, not an actual Sounds player.

Please pass along your own impressions, photos, etc. from Miller Park's event tonight. Would love to hear from you... Personally, I'm "stuck" at Fenway tonight for what surely will be a four-hour struggle with the Yankees. You guys know me, and I'd much rather be at Miller Park for the evening. Have fun!

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 17 9 .654 - 5-5 12-4 W1 Omaha 14 13 .519 3.5 6-10 8-3 W1 Memphis 12 14 .462 5.0 7-5 5-9 L1 Iowa 11 16 .407 6.5 5-9 6-7 L1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 19 9 .679 - 7-6 12-3 W1 Huntsville 15 13 .536 4.0 5-8 10-5 L3 West Tenn 14 13 .519 4.5 4-10 10-3 W3 Chattanooga 12 14 .462 6.0 8-7 4-7 L2 Carolina 8 18 .308 10.0 3-8 5-10 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clearwater 19 8 .704 - 11-3 8-5 W8 Dunedin 15 12 .556 4.0 6-7 9-5 W1 Tampa 15 13 .536 4.5 8-7 7-6 L1 Lakeland 12 15 .444 7.0 7-7 5-8 L2 Brevard County 11 16 .407 8.0 5-9 6-7 W1 Daytona 10 18 .357 9.5 3-9 7-9 L1

MID Western (click column headers to sort) Club W L PCT GB Home Away L 10 Streak Peoria 18 10 .643 - 14-2 4-8 8-2 L1 Beloit 17 10 .630 0.5 8-5 9-5 7-3 L1 Quad Cities 17 11 .607 1.0 9-4 8-7 3-7 W2 Cedar Rapids 14 14 .500 4.0 9-4 5-10 6-4 W1 Kane County 14 14 .500 4.0 8-4 6-10 6-4 W3 Clinton 12 16 .429 6.0 7-8 5-8 4-6 W1 Burlington 10 18 .357 8.0 6-9 4-9 4-6 L3 Wisconsin 9 18 .333 8.5 6-8 3-10 2-8 L2

Follow Friday'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

Nashville infielder Ray Olmedo at the May 6th audio link

MiLB.com video subscribers can watch the Nashville series in Albuquerque

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: LHP Chris Waters at Albuquerque (Dodgers), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: RHP Alex Periard at home vs. West Tenn (Mariners), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: LHP Chris Capuano at home vs. Tampa (Yankees), 5:50 PM pre-game; 6:05 gametime Live Audio Link Wisconsin: RHP Damon Krestalude at Miller Park vs. Cedar Rapids (Angels), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Live Audio Link

Read Brett Christpherson's full blog post here-- it includes the following: “I thought we came out and obviously very aggressive,” Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said. “I like the way ‘D-Vo’ ended up turning a single into a double and sparked us a little bit. And then as the weather cooled down, so did our bats. “But Rondon and Blazek went out there and struck out 12, they attacked the strike zone – off-speed pitches and sliders were very good. And we just didn’t make a whole lot adjustments. That’s something that we’ve done a good job of all season long. It just happens (we did) nothing after the first two innings. You’ve got to tip your cap to their side, obviously. But we have to make adjustments, as well.” Del Howell, meanwhile, turned in his best outing of the season in a no-decision. The 22-year-old lefty – the Brewers’ 15th round draft choice in 2009 and rated by Baseball America as the 22nd best prospect in Milwaukee’s minor league system – didn’t surrender a hit until the third, struck out three and allowed two earned runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings. He came in winless in one decision and toting a 12.34 ERA but did a good job of mixing speeds and keeping the ball low as he induced nine groundouts. “He got out of a tough situation there with (runners on) second and third in the fifth inning and got a big strikeout with one out,” Isom said. “And then he got the (third) out (shortly) after that. “He made pitches when he had to. Unfortunately, he made a mistake to (Stidham), and he hits a two-run home run. But overall, very pleased with what I saw with Del’s performance tonight.” Stat pack 1: Wins for the Rattlers this season in one-run contests. They have lost seven such games. .352: Scooter Gennett’s current batting average, which ranks third in the league. He finished with a hit in four at-bats on Thursday. .476: Batting average of Rattlers left fielder Khris Davis over his last six games. That stretch includes a pair of homers and six RBI. He nearly hit for the cycle, finishing with a single, two doubles and a homer in Wednesday’s second contest, which followed the completion of Tuesday’s suspended game. Davis was held hitless in three trips to the plate on Thursday.

We'll fill in the usual Link Report set-up later today, here's the kickoff -- Link while active, text follows: Timber Rattlers look forward to game at Miller Park By Brett Christopherson, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — Let the record show Wisconsin Timber Rattlers manager Jeff Isom will zip down Bernie Brewer's Miller Park slide should any of his players launch an offering into the outfield seats tonight. OK … maybe. "I'm not a big fan of heights, but I'll do it," he said with a chuckle. "It would be fun." Fun wasn't the word being bandied about following Thursday's 4-3 Midwest League loss to Quad Cities at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. But there figures to be plenty of it today as the Rattlers eagerly await a chance to experience the big-league dream when they face the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Milwaukee's Miller Park in the first of a three-game set. The remaining two games of the series will be played at Fox Cities Stadium. "I went there when I signed, but that's the only time I've been there," said Rattlers center fielder D'Vontrey Richardson, who banged out two of Wisconsin's five hits and scored a run in Thursday's setback. "It was nice, especially the roof when you close it in and it's cold outside. … "We're going to be nervous, going to be anxious because it should be pretty packed. But hopefully, we just settle down and hit the ball like we're supposed to. Hopefully, we'll be fine." Friday's game will be the fourth for the Rattlers inside Miller Park. They took on Beloit in 2003 and '04 when Wisconsin was affiliated with the Seattle Mariners and the Snappers were partnered with Milwaukee. Wisconsin also played there last year, beating the Peoria Chiefs 5-3 in front of nearly 18,000 fans. Attendance estimates for this year's game were not available. "It's going to be great, a great experience, great for all of us," said Rattlers right-hander Damon Krestalude, tonight's starter. "This is what we're striving for. We're playing here, but we're striving to get to Miller Park." The club is scheduled to arrive in Milwaukee around noon. Included in a busy itinerary is a full major-league style lunch spread and a stadium tour before the team gets in its typical pregame work. "It's about the dream," Isom said. "It's kind of like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This is what we're working for. This gives them a little bit of a taste of what's to come. You go through the process of the minor league, and at times it gets long and tiresome. But it just shows them, 'Here's what you're playing for.' "For one day, we're treated as major leaguers. They do a great job here in Appleton, but it's going to be nice to be treated as a big leaguer." Krestalude admitted it will be nice to finally get the game under way, particularly since he'll be the one chucking the opening pitch. "I'm sure everybody is going to have a little bit of nerves and butterflies," he said. "But once we get on the field, it'll be business as usual. You've got to do what you've got to do, which is stick to the game plan and execute your game plan to the best of your ability." Which for the 20-year-old Krestalude means continuing an early season trend of strong outings. He enters 1-0 with 17 strikeouts and a 3.75 ERA over four starts and five appearances spanning 24 innings. "I'm sure the first inning is going to be pretty electric," said Krestalude, who threw at Miller Park as part of a pre-draft workout prior to being plucked by the Crew in the 17th round in 2008. "But after that, you try to focus and keep your focus and take it one pitch at a time — just like a normal game. It's going to be a little tougher than usual, but I'm sure it'll be pretty good."

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Link while active, text follows: By Danny Davis, AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF The Nashville Sounds finally figured out the Round Rock Express' offense. After allowing 36 hits in its last three games against Round Rock, Nashville limited Round Rock to four hits in a 3-1 victory. The loss snaps Round Rock's season-high three-game winning streak and drops the Express to 10-17, the worst record in the Pacific Coast League. The Express offense was derailed on Thursday by Nashville starter Kameron Loe. Loe pitched six innings of one-hit baseball and did not allow a run. Loe, who struck out four , has not given up an earned run in his last 21 innings. But for as dominant as Loe was on Thursday, the Express did have a chance to score some runs in the fifth inning. But, a night after leaving 14 runners on base, Round Rock again squandered a big opportunity. Loe walked three of the inning's first four batters to load the bases with one out. But Jason Bourgeois struck out and Brian Bogusevic grounded out to end the inning. Just before his strikeout, Bourgeois nearly cleared the bases but a liner down the left-field line was barely foul. "We had a golden chance," Round Rock manager Marc Bombard said. "They held us in check." Round Rock also put runners in scoring position in the second and eighth innings but were unable to produce any runs. Loe and the two pitchers who relieved him didn't need much of a cushion on the scoreboard but Nashville (17-9) gave them all the run support they needed with two swings of the bat. Adam Stern hit a solo home run in the first inning to score the game's first run and Jonathan Lucroy hit a solo homer run in the seventh inning to give the Sounds a 2-0 lead. Trailing 3-0, Round Rock got its lone run on an RBI triple by Drew Meyer in the seventh inning. The Express offense wasted a solid pitching performance from starter Roy Corcoran, who allowed one hit and one run over five innings. The 29-year-old Corcoran was making his first start of the season after nine relief appearances. Overall, Round Rock allowed five hits on Thursday. Round Rock dropped to 3-12 in games decided by two runs or fewer.