Jim Goulart

9:30 AM Central? Hope you got your Beat the Streak pick in for Wednesday.

Lakeland scores two in eighth to top Brevard County By Frank Longobardo / Brevard County Manatees The Brevard County Manatees dropped game two of their series with the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Tuesday night in Viera, 3-2. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees' patience at the plate paid off as Lakeland starter Luke Putkonen walked the bases loaded. With two outs in the inning, the Flying Tigers brought in Tyler Conn and he was greeted with a Sergio Miranda two-run single to score Martin Maldonado and Matt Cline to make it 2-1 Brevard County. Manatees starter Michael Fiers had another strong outing as he allowed one run on five hits in six innings of work. Fiers struck out four batters and has only allowed one run in 11 innings of work this season. But the Flying Tigers were able to plate two in the eighth against Manatees reliever Corey Frerichs as Ben Guez drove a one-out double to center field to make it 3-2 Lakeland. Tyler Stohr and Lester Oliveros shut the door on the Manatees, as Brevard County dropped its fourth straight. There will be little time to rest as the Manatees (2-4) and the Flying Tigers (3-3) will go right back at it for the finale of the three-game series at 10:35 AM (9:35 Central) on Wednesday at Space Coast Stadium. *** 1B Brock Kjeldgaard was removed from the game after striking out in the 8th, prompting several defensive switches. We'll look to see if he's in there Wednesday AM. Brock is 8-for-25 (.320), but with no walks, eight K's, and one extra-base hit (a double). Through six games, the 'Tees have only eight extra-base hits. Only three errors as a team (position players), but hitting .223 as a squad, which is actually 7th in the 12-team offense-challenged FSL. The team Brevard County has lost to the past two days, Lakeland, is hitting .144 (.431 OPS) after six games. *** Manatees reliever Corey Frerichs allowed a two-run double in the eighth inning, which was the difference in Brevard County's 3-2 loss to the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Tuesday night. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2010/04/13/FxHlnpLf.jpg

Nashville's Stu: You can't win them all!

Nashville's Stu Paul on last night's contest and the last season of Rosenblatt Stadium

Here's your starting lineup for the TV game -- April 13, 2010: Rattlers lineup (Chris Dennis at first base, not DH; where's Peter Fatse -- yet to appear in a game) April 13, 2010: Tonight's pitchers April 13, 2010: Game Notes

LHP John Halama and OF Tike Redman were welcomed back to the independent Atlantic League (links for press releases).

LHP John Halama and OF Tike Redman were welcomed back to the independent Atlantic League (links for press releases).

Link while active, text follows: T.L. Hanna's Hall delays minor league start By Paul Strelow, Anderson (S.C.) Independent Mail Brooks Hall’s roommates packed their bags and left last week, leaving the rookie pro baseball player with an empty nest. Hall is chomping at the bit to make a similar departure. The former T.L. Hanna standout, a 2009 fourth-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, has yet to taste the minor league experience. While the season began last Thursday, he remained planted at extended spring training in Maryville, Ariz. -- a suburb of west Phoenix -- and probably will be there another month. “Maybe when I get to the pros, it will be a lot different,” Hall joked. Hall was the third tall, power-armed prospect Milwaukee selected in the opening four rounds, and he is expected to join the others at the Brewers’ low Single-A affiliate in Appleton, Wisc., when ready. The delay speaks to the gradual process the 6-foot-5 right-hander faces in order to grow from a potential pitcher to a promising one. After pitching a mere five innings as a prep junior, Hall threw just 20 as a senior before a forearm strain relegated him to a third baseman or designated hitter. A projectable plus-slider and consistently low-90s fastball nonetheless persuaded Milwaukee to invest $700,000 in signing bonuses in him -- more than three times the amount Major League Baseball wanted teams spending on a late fourth-rounder. Since then, Hall spent separate stints in Arizona doing weight-training at Milwaukee’s facilities during the fall and earlier this year. The organization has him on a throwing program designed to help his arm transition to the vastly more laborious professional workload. Yet he still developed inflammation in his right shoulder a month ago, prompting the decision to keep Hall at extended spring training until he is healthy enough for use with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Hall had a brief scare in October when results from a standard electrocardiogram test on his heart came back abnormal. Doctors initially believed he might have an extra pathway in his heart. But further tests dispelled the supposition, and Hall said he was soon cleared to return to baseball without concern. It has been 13 months since Hall pitched in an actual game, and the anticipation can test his patience. “This season doesn’t really matter,” Hall said. “It’s just about progressing as much as I can and getting used to the pitching routine. It would be much different if I was coming out of college.”

PDF document: Nashville Media Notes

MID Western (click column headers to sort) Club W L PCT GB Home Away L 10 Streak Quad Cities 4 1 .800 - 2-0 2-1 4-1 W3 Clinton 3 2 .600 1.0 2-1 1-1 3-2 W1 Kane County 3 2 .600 1.0 2-0 1-2 3-2 W3 Wisconsin 3 2 .600 1.0 3-2 0-0 3-2 L1 Beloit 2 3 .400 2.0 1-1 1-2 2-3 W1 Cedar Rapids 2 3 .400 2.0 2-1 0-2 2-3 L2 Peoria 2 3 .400 2.0 0-0 2-3 2-3 L1 Burlington 1 4 .200 3.0 1-2 0-2 1-4 L3

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 5 0 1.000 - 0-0 5-0 W5 Memphis 3 2 .600 2.0 0-0 3-2 L1 Iowa 1 4 .200 4.0 1-4 0-0 W1 Omaha 1 4 .200 4.0 1-4 0-0 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carolina 4 1 .800 - 0-0 4-1 L1 Tennessee 4 1 .800 - 0-0 4-1 L1 Huntsville 3 2 .600 1.0 0-0 3-2 W3 West Tenn 3 2 .600 1.0 0-0 3-2 L1 Chattanooga 2 3 .400 2.0 2-3 0-0 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clearwater 4 1 .800 - 3-0 1-1 W2 Tampa 3 2 .600 1.0 2-0 1-2 L1 Brevard County 2 3 .400 2.0 1-2 1-1 L3 Daytona 2 3 .400 2.0 1-2 1-1 L1 Dunedin 2 3 .400 2.0 1-1 1-2 W1 Lakeland 2 3 .400 2.0 1-1 1-2 W1

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: Wisconsin:

Time Warner Cable (Sports32) will carry tonight's Rattlers game at 6:35 (and the big boys are conveniently idle). Very exciting for you locals to be able to see Lasker and Heckathorn this evening, of course with the rest of the team. Feel free to post commentary tonight, not so much as an in-game thread, but don't feel as though you have to wait until the postgame. As with any TV game, we'll anticipate a higher post volume from readers tonight. Make use of the audio link above for Chris' call and turn down the TV volume. Hopefully things sync up nicely for you.

Tuesday's Daily Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Kameron Loe at Omaha (Royals), 6:20 PM pre-game; 6:35 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: Idle -- Home Opener is Wednesday Brevard County: RHP Michael Fiers at home vs. Lakeland (Tigers), 6:05 PM gametime Sorry, no audio for this series... Wisconsin: RHP Maverick Lasker at home vs. Clinton (Mariners), 5:50 PM pre-game; 6:35 gametime; RHP Kyle Heckathorn is scheduled to pitch in relief Live Audio Link

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

This minor league blogger / photographer with a couple of photos, including a painful one for Juan Sanchez (actually from Sunday's game, but more folks will see it here on the current "Report").

Photo by Dave Dieter/Huntsville Times Brett Lawrie, foreground, gets the royal treatment from batting coach Al LeBoeuf (Does that look like Lawrie, though?) http://media.al.com/mccarter/photo/starsjpg-6ed76a27cb4db4e7_large.jpg

This Huntsville article (kind of a primer for the locals in Alabama) is more for Wednesday's home opener, but we'll post it here as the Times will likely have more tomorrow -- Link while active, text follows: Supplying the future By Mark McCarter Huntsville Times Sports Staff The steady stream of major league prospects flowing through Huntsville shows no signs of letting up. The Huntsville Stars have 10 of Milwaukee's top 30 prospects, as determined by Baseball America. The list is headed by second baseman Brett Lawrie, the Brewers' No. 2 ranked prospect and No. 59 in baseball. Those prospects make their home debut Wednesday against Jacksonville. Game time is at 7 p.m. at Joe Davis Stadium. The Suns are the Double-A farm club of the Florida Marlins. Joining Lawrie as something of the Terrific 10 are: No. 5: Catcher Jonathan Lucroy No. 8: Outfielder Lorenzo Cain No. 11: Pitcher Mark Rogers No. 2: Outfielder Logan Schafer (currently on disabled list) No. 16: Pitcher Amaury Rivas No. 17: Outfielder Caleb Gindl No. 20: Third baseman Taylor Green No. 25: Pitcher Alex Periard No. 26: Pitcher Evan Anundsen (currently on disabled list) (With top-ranked Alcides Escobar, the Stars' 2008 shortstop, having earned a spot in the majors this spring, Lawrie could be more accurately considered No. 1 on the ladder now and everyone else moved up a notch.) Lawrie is considered the best hitter in the organization, Rivas has the best control and best changeup, Lucroy has the best strike-zone discipline, outfielder Lee Haydel is the fastest baserunner and the best fastball belongs to Jeremy Jeffress, who is expected to join the Stars sometime in May after his 100-game suspension for drug use ends. The odds are slim. Only one in every 15 or so players at the Class AA level reaches the major leagues. But it seems the Stars have defied history somewhat through the years. Huntsville has been affiliated with Milwaukee since 1999 and most of the Brewers' current starting lineup (1B Prince Fielder, 2B Rickie Weeks, Escobar, LF Ryan Braun, RF Corey Hart) played for the Stars. The Stars have had a remarkable history of graduating players to the majors, including three league MVPs (Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada) and a former home-run record-holder (Mark McGwire). That each of the four has been linked to steroid use may or may not be coincidental. Nearly 30 ex-Stars are on big-league rosters and more than 260 players who have worn a Stars uniform have played in the majors.

The wounded baseball had barely found its new home in a landing spot behind Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium when cyberspace began to shudder. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Eric Arnett — the Milwaukee Brewers top pick from the 2009 draft and one of the club's top minor league prospects — was not faring well in his inaugural appearance on Monday. And Internet chatters following the action online were showing concern. Wonder who is being referred to here? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif 21 more photos of game action from the Post-Crescent -- we can't say we've been cut short on photos this year, and Nashville hasn't even been home yet...

Link while active, text follows: Arnett gets off to slow start in Timber Rattlers loss to LumberKings By Brett Christopherson, Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE — The wounded baseball had barely found its new home in a landing spot behind Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium when cyberspace began to shudder. Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Eric Arnett — the Milwaukee Brewers top pick from the 2009 draft and one of the club's top minor league prospects — was not faring well in his inaugural appearance on Monday. And Internet chatters following the action online were showing concern. "It's tough, especially in the first inning when you go up and give up four runs," Arnett shrugged following a 7-4 Midwest League setback to the Clinton LumberKings. "It's tough to fight back from that or even get into a positive rhythm, but we were able to do it. … If you can get out of that first inning, cut that down and we probably win the ballgame." Arnett then added with a chuckle: "I'll get 'em next time." In other words, chill out. No, the 6-foot-5 right-hander didn't enjoy the best of starts in making his anticipated season debut, yielding six hits and four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings before exiting after reaching his maximum pitch count of 40 pitches. And yes, the ugliest of those hits was a three-run, first-inning homer by LumberKings left fielder Kalian Sams — a former Rattler who spanked a 3-1 fastball that soared over the 385-foot sign in left-center and cleared the new visiting bullpen to cap a surprising four-run outburst. The pitch was intended to be thrown inside but missed its spot and wound up catching too much of the plate. "He took it," Arnett laughed again. "And he hit it pretty well." But other than that rough 32-pitch opening frame, the 22-year-old settled into a groove and pitched well, allowing just two hits the rest of the way, striking out three, walking none, showing good pace with his delivery and mixing his fastball and off-speed stuff. Pitching coach Chris Hook gave the young hurler a passing grade and was impressed by Arnett's ability to take the bad with the good — a must-have mindset if consistent success is to be achieved, particularly at that position. "The first inning, I went out to him and I said, 'Hey, listen. You got your first (homer) out of the way," said Hook, who pitched in two big league seasons (1995-96) with San Francisco. "He didn't seem bothered by it. And I was more impressed the second inning when we had (two errors) behind him. "He still didn't seem fazed at all." Clinton opened the second by filling the bags on a pair of fielding errors — Wisconsin's shoddy defensive effort included six miscues overall — and a bunt single. But Arnett, drafted out of Indiana University with the 26th overall pick and rated by Baseball America as the fourth-best prospect in the Brewers' system, induced the next batter on a groundout to second and ultimately worked out of the jam behind a 4-6-3 double play. The damage? Clinton scored one unearned run as Arnett didn't surrender another hit until the fifth and went on to retire eight batters via the groundball. "I was pretty impressed," Hook said. "Just showing some mound presence and coming right back at them. He didn't have any give into him. So I was very pleased with that. I know he's a competitor. "Today, I thought he might bubble over, but he didn't. ... I'm going to say in (my scouting report to the Brewers) probably had first-inning jitters and pitched a helluva game." Hook and catcher Cameron Garfield said Arnett did a good job of commanding his fastball down in the zone, another promising sign considering he hadn't pitched in a live game since the end of spring training. "As far as his stuff goes, I thought it was great," said Garfield, who had one of Wisconsin's eight hits. "We did the reports on the Clinton hitters and he made his pitches. Some things didn't go our way until he started settling down in the third inning and started making his pitches." Arnett's fastball touched as high as 90 mph on the stadium gun and he consistently threw that pitch in the high 80s — down a bit from the 91 to 94 mph he reportedly threw last spring with the Hoosiers. Garfield, however, said the season is far too young to be worried about anything like that. "He has movement on the ball and it's still early," he said. "He's not trying to go all out. But he can definitely pump it up there." And Arnett, still seeking his first professional victory after going winless in four decisions last season at rookie ball, is confident he'll definitely bounce back. "It's 140 games, and you start every five days. You're going to have outings like these," he said. "I'm sure I'm going to have another outing like this. You've just got to keep your head up and try to cut those down to as few as possible. "Just keeping the ball down and throwing strikes is what I'm going to take out of it. And the next time, hopefully, I don't make the big mistake that will cost you."

Our friend Brad with a first-hand Timber Rattlers account and 76 (yes, 76) nice photos from Monday at the ball park. You can view the photos as a slideshow, individually, search on names, etc. -- sweet.

More from Brett: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Eric Arnett -- the Milwaukee Brewers top draft pick in 2009 -- will be the guest on Tuesday's weekly "Sports for Lunch" show. That' this Tuesday (April 13), folks. The program can be seen two ways: *Live inside the Clubhouse Sports Pub & Grill at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton. To entice, there is a $5 all-you-can eat pizza buffet deal. *Log on to www.postcrescent.com. A link to access the show will be provided at the top of the home page. As usual, the show begins at noon. It's quirky. It's fun. It's an Internet Sensation. Hope you can check us out.

A few Rattler game notes and tidbits from Brett's blog at the Post-Crescent

So just when you think you're read a couple of game story insight articles on the Stars and you're all caught up, David comes along and crams us with new and interesting knowledge. And that's for a road game, looking forward to home game insights when he can... Zelous Wheeler is getting exposed defensively as an everyday shortstop, unfortunately.

David Weiser's starsboxscore.com Oh, the irony Errors rain on Chattanooga as Stars take series Errors. They cost the Stars the first two games of this series, and it's still a glaring liability on the statistical balance sheet. But, tonight, in all its ironic splendor, it cost Chattanooga the rubber game of this series....... Second baseman Jaime Pedroza, alone, made three and to add insult, struck out twice for the Lookouts and left two runners in scoring position in the 7th......... Let's zoom in and see the Pedroza effect....... He went back for Taylor Green's soft fly ball with two out in the 4th inning, along with outfielders Scott Van Slyke and Treyvon Robinson, losing it in the lights for a triple that scored Caleb Gindl, who just so happened, reached base on Pedroza's earlier fielding error........ In the 6th, with runners on the corners and one out and the Stars leading 2-1, Zelous Wheeler hits a routine grounder to Pedroza. It caroms off his chest and Jonathan Lucroy scores from third......... It was just a bad day for Pedroza all around. In the top of that inning, with a runner on first, Pedroza hit into a force play, and was then picked off first and tagged trying to take 2nd....... Just to show Pedroza couldn't do it alone, shortstop Dee Gordon, who had four hits, including three doubles, let a sharply hit ball by Lorenzo Cain get through his legs in the 5th with runners on 1st and 2nd. That scored Lee Haydel giving the Stars a 2-0 lead. The Stars made a couple of errors themselves, giving them 10 in this series -- the most for a five-game start since 2004 -- but all four runs the Stars allowed were earned......... Three of them came at the expense of the bullpen, but let's give them some credit for a 3-2 start. It's the 2nd best five-game start (1.56 ERA in 17 1/3 IP) since they beame a Milwaukee affiliate, dwarfed by the 2007 staff that logged a 1.14 ERA and struck out 33 in 23 2/3 innings, thanks in part to a wicked Arctic cold front that week that deadened the ball.......... It took some help from Brandon Kintzler to nail this one down, preserving a thin 5-4 lead, and Haydel, whose two-run line drive single with two out in the 9th took the steam out of Chattanooga's choo choo. Chris Cody, in his first start for the Stars since May 31 of last year, went five innings and threw 72 pitches, 46 for strikes (63.9%)....... He sailed through the first three innings and worked his way out of the 4th after Gordon hit the first of his three doubles and was moved to third on a sacrifice, but Pedroza lined out and with runners on the corners, he retired Andrew Lambo on a grounder to Brett Lawrie. The Lookouts battled back, scoring in the 7th off Donovan Hand, ending a scoreless string by the bullpen of 18 1/3 innings, and two more in the 8th to make it a one-run game........... Robert Hinton, making his 114th appearance in a Stars uniform, could not finish the job for reliever Casey Baron, who gave up a leadoff double to Lambo.......... With two out, Scott Van Slyke lined Hinton's first pitch fat over the plate for a single to right-center, scoring Lambo. That made it 5-3, Stars........ Hinton, who had real trouble spotting his pitches, walked Corey Smith on a 3-1 count. After a visit to the mound, he was victimized by Gordon's 3rd double of the night, a soft liner to right, sending Smith to 3rd........ Manager Mike Guerrero probably didn't want to bring in Kintzler at this point. He pitched Thursday and Sunday and got the save for Mike Bowman, but Guerrero didn't have any choice. The call was made, and Kintzler came in and retired versatile utilityman Elian Herrera on a popped up bunt in front of the mound. In the top of the 9th, Chattanooga brought in Javy Guerra, a 94-96 mph fastballer who gave the Stars fits the first two games of this series, both of which he saved........ Guerra, who threw 19 of his 27 pitches for strikes in those two games, walked Lawrie, who fouled off four pitches, and Gindl on four straight. After a coaching visit, Lucroy moved them into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt to the right side of the mound........ Green was then intentionally walked to pitch to struggling Steffan Wilson, who struck out on three pitches for the second out.......... Wilson, who beat Tennessee last year in the playoffs with a game-winning three-run HR in his Stars debut, hit .105 in the series, struck out 10 times in 19 at-bats, and left 16 runners on base.......... But Haydel stepped up to provide the insurance, lining a single to the right-center field gap on an inside belt-high 2-2 pitch. That scored Lawrie and Gindl to make it a final 7-4........... With Green on third, Haydel stole his 3rd base of the season. Wheeler was walked with Kintzler on deck, to fill the bases.......... The strategy, as expected, worked. It's rare your closer gets a chance to bat, and Kintzler struck out on three pitches......... It was the right move for Guerrero, of course. Kintzler was kept in to pick up the save, and that he did, retiring the order in the 9th to end the game. Carolina and Tennessee, both off to a hot 4-0 start, finally lost, so the Stars are now just a game in back of both those teams, along with West Tennessee......... After an off-day, the Stars open their home season, Wednesday, against Jacksonville (2-3). Fans will get their first look at Amaury Rivas (0-0) who will probably face Eli Villanueva, who struck out seven in 4 2/3 IP in the Suns' season opener against West Tennessee......... If you want to comment to our new play-by-play man Chad Anderson during a Stars broadcast, the e-mail address is starsonair@gmail.com. Zelous Wheeler made an error in each of the four games he played, and if you count last year's playoff series, that's five straight games. But officially, it's the first time since September 2-5, 2005, that any Stars fielder had made an error in four straight games. That dubious accomplishment belonged to Adam Heether........ The 50 hits the Stars had in this series is the most for a five-game start since 1999, when the Stars, in their first year with Milwaukee, had 56 and hit .286. They got off to a 4-1 start that year......... Chris Errecart left 11 on base in 11 at-bats in this series. He appeared in four games, had a triple, but did not drive in any runs. He could get more playing time in the Jacksonville series with Wilson struggling at the plate.......... I talked about the Stars bullpen a lot, but the rotation is 2-1 with a 2.10 ERA. The pitching staff is #1 in the Southern League with a 1.88 ERA and the .270 batting average also leads the league (30 points over the league average). Unfortunately, we're last in fielding pct.