Jim Goulart

Lakeland Ledger: VIERA -- Steffan Wilson hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to power the Brevard County Manatees to a 6-2 victory over the Lakeland Flying Tigers Sunday afternoon. Wilson's home run, his 10th of the year, came with no outs and spoiled Lakeland's ninth-inning rally. It came off Nolan Cain, who picked up his first loss of the year. Trailing, 2-0, Lakeland forced extra innings with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth. Devin Thomas led off the ninth by reaching on an error. He later scored on Chris White's single. With two outs, Audy Ciriaco singled to drive in Jeramy Laster. The Flying Tigers tried to take the lead on the hit, but center fielder Logan Schafer threw out White at home. The Manatees took a 1-0 lead in the second when Zelous Wheeler scored on Brent Brewer's groundout. They went up 2-0 in the sixth on Chris Errecart's sacrifice fly. In the ninth, Cain got in trouble as Anderson De La Rosa led off with a double. Schafer singled and Eric Farris was intentionally walked to bring up Wilson. The two teams meet again Monday night as the Manatees will be attempting to pick up win No. 1,000 in team history.

Final: Brevard County 6, Lakeland (Tigers) 2 Brevard County Box Score Kudos to Steffan Wilson and his walkoff grand slam -- once again, the team that deserves the proper coverage doesn't get it; Manatee pitchers don't allow an earned run, RHP Michael Bowman one hit and three walks in six innings... Brevard County Game Log Brevard County Bottom 10th Defensive Substitution: Adrian Casanova replaces catcher Jordan Newton, batting 4th, playing catcher. Anderson De La Rosa doubles (3) on a line drive to left fielder Joshua Workman. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Juan Sanchez replaces Anderson De La Rosa. Logan Schafer singles on a bunt ground ball to pitcher Nolan Cain. Juan Sanchez to 3rd. Nolan Cain intentionally walks Eric Farris. Logan Schafer to 2nd. Steffan Wilson hits a grand slam (9) to left field. Juan Sanchez scores. Logan Schafer scores. Eric Farris scores.

Final: Salt Lake (Angels) 11, Nashville 4 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Jason Bourgeois photo, text follows -- Bees Drop Sounds On Sunday, 11-4 SALT LAKE CITY - The Salt Lake Bees pounded the Nashville Sounds 11-4 on Sunday evening at Franklin Covet Field. Salt Lake first baseman Bobby Wilson went 2-for-5 with a double and five RBIs to power the Bees. Bees starting pitcher Dan Denham (9-7) picked up the victory after allowing two runs on eight hits in five innings. The Sounds got out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning with RBI base hits by Angel Salome and outfielder Jason Bourgeois. After Brandon Wood reached base on a Sounds throwing error, Salt Lake trimmed the lead to 2-1 with an RBI base hit to left field by Gary Patchett. The Bees got to Sounds starter Tim Dillard again in the next inning, touching up the pitcher for four more runs in the third. Salt Lake tied the game on another Sounds throwing error, followed by a base hit by Matthew Brown that scored another run. Dillard then hit the next two batters that plated two more runs, giving the Bees a 5-2 advantage. With the bases loaded again in the following inning, Wilson hit a three-run double to left field that extended the Bees lead to 8-2. In the next inning, Petit hit his sixth homer of the season to left field, a two-run shot for a 10-2 lead. The Sounds got another run back in the top of the seventh inning when second baseman Johnny Raburn hit his first AAA home run of the season (2nd overall) that cut the lead to 10-3. AUDIO: Johnny Raburn's First Home Run Wilson recorded another base hit to score Sean Rodriguez in the following frame that extended the Salk Lake lead back to eight runs. The Sounds scored a late run in the ninth inning, but were unable to do further damage. Brendan Katin hit a double to left field and later scored on a Bourgeois sacrifice fly. Dillard (10-5) surrendered eight runs on seven hits in four innings, while walking three and hitting three batters. Matt Ginter pitched four innings in relief, allowing three runs on four hits. Bourgeois recorded his team-leading 39th multi-hit contest, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs on the evening for the Sounds. The Sounds and Bees continue with the second game of a four-game series at 8:05 pm CT on Monday night at Franklin Covey Field. Sounds left-hander Chase Wright (6-6, 4.11) takes the hill against Bees right-hander Brad Knox (6-6, 5.18). Nashville Box Score Both of the generic throwing errors mentioned below belonged to Mat Gamel, by the way -- what a mess the Brewers (and Mat) have made there; CF Jason Bourgeois can hold his head high at season's end, he's been consistently solid all year... Nashville Game Log

Final: Peoria (Cubs) 8, Wisconsin 3 Wisconsin Site Game Summary Chiefs keep Rattlers on a cold streak By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - On a Sunday afternoon where the on field temperatures reached over 100 degrees, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers stayed ice cold. The Peoria Chiefs handed the Timber Rattlers their eighth straight loss in an 8-3 decision at O'Brien Field. Jovan Rosa drove in three runs and Ryan Flaherty homered for the Chiefs. The Rattlers (48-64 overall, 14-28 second half) got off to a good start in the first inning. Josh Prince walked to start the game and Pete Fatse followed with a bunt single. Corey Kemp drove in Prince with a one-out single. Wisconsin would load the bases, but left the sacks full. The Chiefs (63-48, 25-17) got off to a better start in their half of the first inning. They loaded the bases with one out and an RBI fielder's choice by D.J. LeMahieu tied the game. Then, Rosa came through with a two-out, two-run double into the corner in right and Peoria was up 3-1. Rosa put the Chiefs up 4-1 with two-out RBI double in the bottom of the third. Peoria pulled away in the fourth inning as they scored three more runs. Rattlers starting pitcher Trey Watten retired the first batter, but allowed a double and a walk to put two runners on base. Flaherty knocked in the first run of the inning with a single. Rebel Ridling drove in the next two runs of the inning with another double. Wisconsin got a run back in the top of the fifth on an RBI sac fly by Josh Prince. But, the Chiefs went back up by six runs on a two-out, solo homer by Flaherty. The Rattlers loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the eighth inning against Peoria reliever Manolin DeLeon. DeLeon got a strike out, but threw a wild pitch to allow a run to score. DeLeon got another strikeout, but walked Jose Duran to load the bases and left the game. Chris Huseby relieved DeLeon and got the strikeout to leave the bases loaded with Timber Rattlers. Huseby would allow the first two Rattler hitters in the top of the ninth inning to reach base, but he got the final three outs to give the Rattlers their tenth straight road loss. The Timber Rattlers conclude their four game series with the Chiefs on Monday night at O'Brien Field. Cody Scarpetta (2-9, 3.89) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Peoria will send Aaron Shafer (8-7, 5.67) to the mound. Game time is 7:00 PM. Wisconsin Box Score At least Josh Prince is making Wisconsin box scores watchable -- this lineup hasn't been for a long time; let's not give Trey Watten and those who scouted and worked with him a free pass, he's a 7th round pick who will be 23 in December -- 65 hits and 22 strikeouts in 48 innings over his last ten appearances... Wisconsin Game Log

Final: Mississippi (Braves) 7, Huntsville 4 Huntsville Site Game Summary Braves Ride Early Offense to Victory Over Huntsville Ortegano Outstanding in First Start Against Stars By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Concepcion Rodriguez singled four times and drove in two runs to support the stellar pitching effort of Jose Ortegano in Mississippi's 7-4 victory over Huntsville Sunday afternoon in the middle of a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Braves have taken the first three games to improve to 22-21 in the second half and 53-60 overall, while the Stars have matched a season-high with a sixth straight loss to fall to 15-28 in the second half and 53-59 overall. The Stars have lost 11 of their last 13 at home to fall to 20-28 on home soil. Matt Young started the game with a double and scored when Brandon Hicks followed with a two-base hit. One out later, Rodriguez singled home Hicks and came into score when Greg Creek hit an opposite field home run to left, his fifth long ball of the season and the 16th allowed by Stars' starter Mark Holliman. The right-hander then threw a fastball up and in to the next hitter, Eric Campbell, and both benches were warned. Holliman walked the bases loaded but got Young to fly out to end the frame. Travis Jones doubled in a run in the third inning to make it 5-0 and Holliman was lifted after four frames, marking the sixth time this season he has not gone longer than four innings in his 21 starts. He suffered his fourth straight losing decision to fall to 7-6 after allowing seven hits, walking a season-high four and fanning three. The Stars finally got on the board in the fifth inning when Yohannis Perez led off with a double and scored on a two-out infield single by Chuck Caufield. The teams swapped runs in the sixth, as Rodriguez delivered a two-out single off of Mike McClendon to plate Young and Michael Garciaparra's two-out single scored Jonathan Lucroy, who led off the inning with an infield hit to push his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games. Jason Heyward's two-out, opposite field home run to left field in the eighth off of Rob Wooten pushed the visitors' lead to 7-2. Ortegano was lifted after allowing two runs on eight hits, walking one and fanning eight, at least one in every inning, to win for a third time in as many double-A turns. The southpaw has struck out 21 and walked only three in 20 innings of work with Mississippi. Lurcoy's lead off long ball off of Steve Marek in the home eighth cut the lead to 7-3 and the Braves' reliever was then lifted with runners at the corners and one out and gave way to Brett Butts, who gave up a run-scoring single to Perez that cut the lead to 7-4. The right-hander retired the next two hitters to end the threat and was followed to the mound by Craig Kimbrel, who attended Lee High School in Huntsville. The hard-throwing right-hander retired the side in order in the ninth to end the game and earn his second double-A save. The series continues Monday night with left-hander David Welch taking the hill for the Stars against Braves' southpaw Edgar Osuna. Coverage of the game begins at 6:45 PM central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score Ugly outing for RHP Mark Holliman -- the Brewers have no choice but to assign place-holders in these upper-level rotations, but you can't say the guys given these slots haven't had opportunities to impress; Lorenzo Cain stole his 2nd base of the season -- what a setback year it's been for him; Jonathan Lucroy earning praise in multiple threads on this forum, as he should be... Huntsville Game Log Only 754 in attendance -- Sunday crowds at Joe Davis have been particularly weak...

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 61 54 .530 - 34-25 27-29 L1 Memphis 60 54 .526 0.5 37-22 23-32 W1 Iowa 57 57 .500 3.5 33-21 24-36 W2 Omaha 47 66 .416 13.0 23-31 24-35 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 24 19 .558 - 15-9 9-10 L1 Tennessee 22 21 .512 2.0 9-11 13-10 L3 West Tenn 22 21 .512 2.0 9-9 13-12 L1 Carolina 16 27 .372 8.0 7-13 9-14 W1 Huntsville 15 27 .357 8.5 6-11 9-16 L5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tampa 29 10 .744 - 11-7 18-3 W5 Brevard County 24 15 .615 5.0 15-8 9-7 L1 Dunedin 21 19 .525 8.5 12-8 9-11 W1 Clearwater 20 19 .513 9.0 10-9 10-10 L1 Daytona 18 22 .450 11.5 9-13 9-9 L3 Lakeland 18 22 .450 11.5 7-9 11-13 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Missoula 5 1 .833 - 2-1 3-0 W3 Billings 3 2 .600 1.5 3-2 0-0 W3 Great Falls 2 4 .333 3.0 0-3 2-1 L4 Helena 1 4 .200 3.5 0-0 1-4 L2

This link will be included in each daily report when the Nashville Sounds are scheduled to play. Normally it is updated a few hours prior to gametime. Nashville Media Notes (Adobe .pdf format): *** We're going to include the link to Kraig McNutt's Nashville blog in the same post as the Nashville media notes link going forward. *** "Voice of the Rattlers" Chris Mehring's informative and entertaining Rattlers Radio Blog includes game notes an hour or two before gametime.

Midwest League Standings Arizona League Standings Dominican Summer League Standings

Follow Sunday'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. MiLB.com now has Gameday available for AA as well as AAA this season. Nashville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2009_08_09_nasaaa_slcaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_08_09_msbaax_hunaax_1&did=t559&sid=t559 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2009_08_09_lakafa_breafa_1 Wisconsin: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2009_08_09_wisafx_peoafx_1 Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2009_08_09_brrrok_angrok_1

Sunday's Menu: Times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Nashville: RHP Tim Dillard at Salt Lake (Angels), 4:50 PM pre-game; 5:05 gametime Live Audio Link Huntsville: RHP Mark Holliman at home vs. Mississippi (Braves), 12:45 PM pre-game; 1:00 gametime Live Audio Link Brevard County: RHP Michael Bowman at home vs. Lakeland (Tigers), 12:05 PM gametime No audio for this series Wisconsin: RHP Trey Watten at Peoria (Cubs), 1:45 PM pre-game; 2:00 gametime Live Audio Link Helena: Idle Arizona Summer League: at the Angels complex in Tempe; no more day games -- all games begin at 7:00 local time in the desert; no audio, naturally... Dominican Summer League Brewers / Orioles: Idle

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Link while active, text follows: Deja vu for Brewers in doubleheader By AMBER KUEHN - Helena Independent Record The Helena Brewers managed to get one game in Saturday night. But following a night when the game was postponed due to rain, wild weather once again ruined the Brewers' plans. Helena fell to the Billings Mustangs, 2-1, at Dehler Park in the first game of the scheduled doubleheader. Helena got off to a strong start in the second game, but strong rain and hail came pouring down in the fourth. Now, the Brewers will have to pick up the game Sept. 4 in Billings. That contest will be continued where they left off. "It was horrible," Helena manager Rene Gonzales said after the game was finally called. "I've never seen anything like it. It was hailing and the temperature must have dropped about thirty degrees." Lately, pitching has been problematic as the Brewers bullpen has struggled some. But this time, it was the Helena offense that couldn't get anything going. Helena mustered just four hits in the first game, with only Mike Brownstein, Chad Stang and Chris Ellington recording hits. Stang's RBI single got the Brewers on the board in the top of the third, but as has been the case lately Helena couldn't hold on. Damon Krestalude, who relieved starter Andre Lamontagne to start the second, held the Mustangs scoreless just two more innings after Helena staked the lead. The Billings bats got hot late in the fifth. With two outs, Mark Fleury doubled on a line drive to Helena right fielder Scott Krieger. In the next at-bat, Frank Pfister singled on a ground ball to center to score Fleury. Billings added the go-ahead run in the sixth on Christopher Richburg's RBI single. Stang was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI to pace the Brewers. For the Mustangs, Pfister led with an RBI off 1-for-2 hitting. "Well, we scored a run," a frustrated Gonzales said. "Krestalude was pitching well enough to win. We just played poor enough to lose." The pitching was solid in the seven-inning contest, with Billings starter Luca Panerati throwing the complete game. Panerati picked up his second win of the season, striking out five batters and giving up just one run on four hits. Lamontagne threw just one inning, as was originally planned, and was taken out after retiring three Mustangs on ground-ball outs. Krestalude was handed his third loss of the year, giving up six hits, two runs and fanning four in five innings. Helena got some confidence at the start of the second game with Jake Odorizzi on the mound. Odorizzi hadn't pitched in a game since July 16, and the righthander looked shaky at first, walking a batter and giving up a double. Odorizzi hurled his way out of the jam though, then struck out the side in the second inning before being relieved by Adrian Rosario in the third. Odorizzi finished with five strikeouts in just two innings of work. "It was no doubt good to see him back," Gonzales said. "He had the ball coming out pretty well." Helena had plenty of scoring opportunities in the third. The Brewers loaded the bases when Brownstein singled to right and later stole second. Mike Marseco was walked, then Krieger reached on an error. Unfortunatley for the visitors, they wouldn't plate a single run. "It's kind of the same old story," the Brewers skipper said. "The heart of our order has to pick it up. There's no getting around it. If we're going to win this half we're going to have to start hitting the ball." Shawn Zarraga grounded out for an RBI to score Cameron Garfield in what would be the final inning before the crazy weather stopped the game, giving the Brewers a one-run lead, one they can hold for 24 days. Chris Ellington of Helena is tagged out near home plate by Billings catcher Mark Fleury during the top of the seventh inning of the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. The second contest was cut short due to rain. (David Ramsay Billings Gazette) http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2009/08/09/sports/local/55spl_090809_brewers.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Brewers' call surprises Wilhelmsen, who thought he'd stay with Toros Right-hander set to resume career after 5 years off By Casey Crowe ARIZONA DAILY STAR Tom Wilhelmsen did not touch the seams of a baseball for a self-estimated five years, finally ending that hiatus in May during an open tryout for the independent Golden Baseball League's Tucson Toros. Just three months since returning to the mound, and after totaling 13 strikeouts against four walks with two saves in 11 2/3 innings, the 25-year-old right-hander finds himself back in a Major League Baseball organization. The Milwaukee Brewers acquired the contract of the 6-foot-6-inch Tucson High School product Thursday, and he said he will report to the franchise's spring training complex in Maryvale in about two weeks. Was Wilhelmsen expecting this turn of events? "No," Wilhelmsen said during a Friday phone interview. "I was expecting to be with the Toros all year. I didn't even know the Brewers still owned my rights until we got a call (in June). I was hoping I'd get noticed. But five years off, three months back … it was faster than I thought." "All the scouts are in love with the radar gun, and Tom was back up in the 92-95 (mph) range," said Toros pitching coach Ed Vosberg. "I think they can see the potential. Now that he is back throwing regularly, you can see what he is capable of." Originally drafted by the Brewers in the seventh round of the 2002 draft, Wilhelmsen did not flame out because of his on-field performance, amassing a 2.84 ERA in 17 minor-league starts at the rookie and Single-A levels. But it was off-the-field where Wilhelmsen said he was not prepared for the pros. "I was young and I had no idea how to handle myself professionally away from the game," said Wilhelmsen whose last minor-league season was 2003. "I burnt myself out that way. I've matured in the last five years. I have a wife now and I have dreams for us. I'm aware of what it takes now. Back then, I wasn't." Wilhelmsen is the third Toros pitcher to sign a minor-league contract this season, following fellow Tucsonan Rene Garcia, a Sunnyside product who signed with the Chicago White Sox, and Andrew Romo, who signed with the San Francisco Giants. "You'd obviously like to keep the guys that are playing well, but the whole objective here with the Toros is to get a chance like that," said Vosberg, who spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors. "We like winning here, and we like having the best players here to do that. But if they have the ability to play at that level, they should take those opportunities. I got that chance and they should too."

Link while active, text follows: Brewers: Minor leagues haven't been pitching in much help By DENNIS PUNZEL The Capital Times In the Milwaukee Brewers' master plan, they would be the envy of the baseball world. While other teams engage in the annual scramble for pitching, the Brewers would be sitting pretty with a home-grown starting rotation built around the likes of Nick Neugebauer, Mike Jones, Mark Rogers, Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra. Waiting in the wings would be flame-throwing phenom Jeremy Jeffress. "You take those guys and you have quite a rotation," said a wistful Bruce Seid, the Brewers' first-year director of amateur scouting. Of course, the dream rotation never materialized, derailed by a series of debilitating injuries to one top prospect after another. The most visible casualty was Neugebauer, who suffered a torn rotator cuff while pitching for the Brewers in 2002 at the age of 21, an injury that eventually ended his career. That scourge has left the Brewers with a shortage of pitching not only at the major league level but at the top two levels of their farm system, as well. The shortcomings became painfully obvious when openings occurred in their already-thin starting rotation due to injuries to Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan and the early ineffectiveness of Parra. Rather than fill those spots with rising prospects, they've had to turn to relief pitchers Seth McClung and Carlos Villanueva and journeyman minor leaguer Mike Burns to patch together a rotation. The results have been disastrous and have contributed to the Brewers' downward spiral. Those three have managed just one quality start in 10 opportunities, compiling a 2-6 record with a 7.28 ERA. The Brewers have had similar problems plugging holes in their bullpen, with veteran minor leaguers Chris Smith, R.J. Swindle, Chris Narveson and Tim Dillard providing little help when called upon. The pitching shortage impacted the team in another way, making it more difficult for general manager Doug Melvin to trade for immediate help because other teams were looking for young pitchers in return. He had none to offer. Pitching gap This development didn't catch anyone in the organization by surprise. "We knew we were going to have a gap in the system," said Reid Nichols, director of player development/training. "We have a lot of free agent guys playing at Triple A and Double A. We've had major setbacks from the high school guys we've gotten in the first round. "I don't think we're unique in this problem. The history of high school pitchers taken with first-round picks shows that the success rate isn't very good. It's such a roll of the dice." While former scouting director Jack Zduriencik has been credited for bringing in the nucleus of the lineup that put the Brewers in the playoffs last year, his track record on pitchers has not been as good. In his nine years with the Brewers before leaving to become general manager of the Seattle Mariners, Zduriencik selected three pitchers in the first round - Jones with the 12th overall pick in 2001, Rogers with the fifth pick in '04 and Jeffress with the 16th pick in '06. All three were highly regarded, hard-throwing high school pitchers. But none has yet to pitch a game above Class AA. Jones and Rogers have had their careers sidetracked by shoulder surgeries, while Jeffress is serving a 100-game suspension after testing positive for marijuana. "There's three guys there that we could be talking about at the major league level right now," Nichols said. Instead, all three are battling the odds to make it to the Brewers. At the same time - and this might be the biggest indictment of the team's pitching shortage - they are regarded as the top three prospects to provide help in Milwaukee in the next couple of years. "Jack Z. did a very solid job drafting for them," said J.J. Cooper, managing editor of Baseball America, the sport's bible of player scouting and development. "But when it comes to pitching, they've not had near the success they've had with hitters.'' Battling back Entering his senior season at Thunderbird High School in Phoenix, Jones was considered a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft. But minor arm issues caused him to fall to the Brewers at No. 12. Shortstop J.J. Hardy, the Brewers' second-round pick that year out of Tucson, remembers Jones as an overpowering pitcher and empathizes with his struggles to fulfill his potential. "He was a high school guy who was throwing 98, 99, 100 miles per hour,'' Hardy said. "And he was a very good center fielder, too, just a great all-around athlete. "I think everyone who's been around him is pulling for him and wants him to just stay healthy and be as good as he can be. If he can stay healthy there's no doubt in my mind that he can make it." Jones appeared to be on the fast track to the big leagues when he compiled a 7-2 record with a 2.40 ERA at Class AA Huntsville in 2003 at the age of 20. He returned to Huntsville the following season but was sidelined by shoulder problems that required surgery after the season. His pitching coach back then was Stan Kyles, now the Brewers' bullpen coach. He sees Jones as a cautionary tale of what can happen when a young pitcher is pushed too quickly. "He was a young kid and he had to go out and attempt to get out much more experienced hitters," Kyles said. "It takes a toll when you have to be on top of your game. Hitters at that level weren't helping him a whole lot. He was a mature kid for his age and he wasn't a guy who would overthrow. He had a pretty quiet delivery even though there were some issues then. "We just felt that we'd be able to get him through some things, but it didn't work out and he took a lot of steps back because of it.'' Five years later, Jones is back in Huntsville after starting the season at High Class A Brevard County. He has a combined 7-3 record with a 4.23 ERA, and over his last five starts he is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA. But at age 26, the clock is ticking on his career. A tougher path If anything, Rogers has had an even tougher path than Jones. In 2004, the Brewers made Rogers the highest draft choice ever from the state of Maine after watching him light up radar guns, selecting him over a more ballyhooed pitcher from Texas, Homer Bailey. Rogers showed a high-90s fastball but struggled with his control during his first three minor league seasons, posting a 3-14 record with a 4.99 ERA. In 200 innings he struck out 245 batters but walked 139. Then, he missed the 2005 and '06 seasons after undergoing two shoulder surgeries. Gallardo, the Brewers' second-round pick that year, was Rogers' teammate those first three seasons. "He had very good stuff," said Gallardo, the Brewers' ace at age 23, one month younger than Rogers. "He threw very hard and had a good slider and a good curveball. ... I can't imagine what it was like for him to not be able to pitch for two years. But I talked to him at spring training and he seemed pretty confident that he was going to be able to come back." Rogers is displaying his old fastball at Brevard County. Working with a limited pitch count, he has an 0-3 record with a 2.12 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 46 innings. "He's pitching in the mid-90s consistently," Nichols said. "His arm strength is back and we just need to get him some time on the mound. He's having flashes of brilliance, but he's still lacking experience and needs to get some innings logged. He's going to pitch in the fall league and he could be knocking at the door at the end of next year with a good year in Double-A." Is it just bad luck? The Brewers' track record with young pitchers raises the obvious question: Is it just the result of bad luck or can the problems be attributed to their scouting and development program? "If you take our team at the big league level, we match up against anybody when it comes to producing players," Nichols said. "Obviously, we've been better with position players than with pitchers. "You always hear that if you have seven prospects who are pitchers, you hope that two of them make it just because of the injuries. I'm not satisfied with that ratio. I don't like having injuries and we can always examine what we do. But the throwing motion is an unnatural act for the human body." A sign that the Brewers have adjusted their approach to developing pitchers was the hiring of Lee Tunnell, a former major league pitcher, to coordinate their minor league pitching program. "Anytime there's a change of people there's a change of philosophy," Nichols said. "I'm very confident and comfortable with Lee. He knows his stuff and has a good relationship with the pitching coaches. "We continually re-evaluate, assess and adjust the program. We had a medical symposium with our surgeons and pitching coaches where we reviewed everything we were doing. We've made some adjustments at lower levels with younger pitchers to lighten the workload. We try to keep everybody under 150 innings, except for some of the older guys who have clean deliveries." Still, the most important element might be patience, something that can be hard to maintain as the demand for pitching grows. As point of reference, the previous Brewers regime took a lot of criticism for its handling of Neugebauer, who was scouted and signed by Seid. Plagued by injuries since being drafted out of high school in 1998, he nevertheless was pitching at the major league level by age 20 in 2001, his third full pro season. Neugebauer raised hopes by striking out nine batters in five innings in his major league debut but then struggled to a 1-7 mark during the team's 106-loss season of 2002 before succumbing to injury. Compounding matters, he was trotted out for five September appearances after taking off three months in an attempt to rest his arm. After surgery in 2003, an attempted comeback fizzled the following year, and he retired soon afterward. "Throughout baseball there's a sense of urgency to develop pitching," said Gord Ash, the Brewers' assistant general manager. "But it's not an avenue you can rush. There are no shortcuts.'' Looking ahead Whatever help the Brewers get for their pitching staff in the next year or so will have to come from outside the organization. Beyond that, the front office is cautiously hopeful that some help is on the way internally. "We don't have a lot of guys at the Triple-A and Double-A levels that we can count on next year," Ash said. "But in the next two- to three-year period there seems to be a good number of pitchers who are promising. But you can't count on those guys at this point; you have to see how they develop." One shift in philosophy is the Brewers have come to believe that bigger is better when it comes to pitchers. It's more than coincidental that their top two pitchers in this year's draft, Eric Arnett and Kyle Heckathorn, are both 6-foot-6, as is last year's first-round supplemental pick, Evan Fredrickson. "There's a clear philosophy that bigger, stronger should be healthier,'' Ash said. "There are certainly exceptions, but over the last couple years we've made a distinct effort to get bigger." Of course, it will be several years before that theory will be borne out. But those three have quickly assumed a place among the team's top prospects, even as they get their feet wet in pro baseball. Baseball America's Cooper anticipates that when his publication compiles its annual list of the top 100 prospects in baseball, the Brewers will have two players on it - shortstop Alcides Escobar and second baseman Brett Lawrie. "I don't see any pitchers that are going to make it among the top 100 prospects," he said. ARMS OF THE FUTURE? A quick read on some of the Brewers' long-range pitching prospects: Zach Braddock, 21, 2-1, 0.79 ERA at Brevard County and Huntsville: Braddock is in many ways a typical Brewers prospect, possessing overpowering stuff and a history of arm issues. He has been almost unhittable this year, allowing just 21 hits in 34 innings while striking out 53 and walking seven. But he's also been shut down since early July because of elbow tenderness. Evan Anundsen, 21, 8-7, 2.94 ERA at Brevard County: Anundsen grabbed the spotlight by throwing a no-hitter earlier this season. He also has posted some impressive peripheral numbers, allowing just 83 hits in 107 innings and striking out 102. But the power numbers belie a finesse approach built around a heavy sinker. Evan Fredrickson, 22, 3-7, 4.92 ERA at Wisconsin: Command is the missing element of Fredrickson's game, as evidenced by his 58 walks in 75 innings this season. Wily Peralta, 20, 3-3, 3.54 ERA at Wisconsin: Peralta fits right in with the Brewers, having missed the 2007 season after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery. But he is back at full strength this year and has been the Timber Rattlers' top pitcher, with 99 strikeouts in 84 innings. Jake Odorizzi, 19, 1-2, 3.71 ERA at Helena: A multi-sport athlete from Highland, Ill., Odorizzi is an example of the newfound emphasis on going slow with pitchers as he has pitched just 26 innings. Nick Bucci, 19, 6-0, 2.94 ERA at Helena: An 18th-round draft pick last year out of Canada, Bucci has quickly become a favorite of Brewers' execs with his aggressive style of pitching. His control has allowed him to pitch deeper into games than most pitchers his age and he's allowed only 36 hits in 52 innings, striking out 47 and walking 14.

It's official: Ex-Lee star D'Vo signs with Brewers D'Vontrey Richardson smiles after inking his name on a Milwaukee Brewers contract. (Special to The Albany Herald) http://www.albanyherald.com/SiteImages/Article/5259a.jpg D'Vontrey Richardson signs as Brewers scout, Ryan Robertson, looks on. http://www.albanyherald.com/SiteImages/Article/5259b.jpg

As one of our posters also noted in the Draft Forum -- Link while active, text follows: Update: FSU coaches wish Richardson the best with Brewers By Steve Ellis TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT SENIOR WRITER Former Florida State quarterback and outfielder D'Vontrey Richardson signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers late Friday night. The two-sport athlete had made it clear from almost the moment he was selected in the fifth round by the Brewers that he would sign and no longer play college football or baseball at Florida State. Jamey Shouppe, the FSU baseball team's associate head coach, learned Saturday morning that Richardson will be bound for professional baseball pending a physical. "We wish him all the best," Shouppe said. "I think he'll have a good pro career but the first two years will be crucial for him. Devoting full time to baseball will benefit him. He's a good athlete." The Major League Baseball deadline for signing June draft selections is Aug. 17. The only holdup was the Brewers obtaining approval from the MLB Commissioner's office to sign Richardson to a signing bonus above the fifth-round average. The amount of the signing bonus was not announced. Richardson spent the summer working out in Albany, Ga. in preparation for professional baseball. The outfielder hit .304 in 22 starts for the Seminoles this past season. Richardson, a backup quarterback last season, would have worked out at safety this fall. "A lot of physical skills. He does a lot of great things. He's fun to watch play baseball," FSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said of his former backup quarterback. "He's got the ability." Richardson spent the summer working out in Albany in preparation for professional baseball. The outfielder hit. 304 in 22 starts for the Seminoles this past season. Richardson, a backup quarterback last season, would have worked out at safety this season. http://cmsimg.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=CD&Date=20090808&Category=FSU03&ArtNo=90808003&Ref=AR&Profile=1008&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

Always a worthwhile read when we learn something we didn't know otherwise... Link while active, text follows: Reliever stuns with quick pitch By Paul Gattis Huntsville Times Sports Staff The batter, as Mike McClendon recalled, sat down at home plate in disbelief. It was last year when McClendon, now a reliever for the Huntsville Stars, was pitching for Single-A Brevard County. And it was the best reaction his abbreviated windup has ever gotten. "I just quick-pitched the last guy (to end the game)," McClendon said, "and he turned around to the umpire, threw his bat, and sat at home plate trying to argue there was a balk. And there was no one on base. "He had no idea what was coming." So what was it? It's a staple of McClendon's repertoire. Every now and then, McClendon will rock back in his windup, raise his arms over his head ... then pitch. No conventional leg kick, no pause, no nothing. "It's something I've always done," McClendon said. "I've really worked on getting that in there and not just showing it. Being able to throw a strike with that was one of the most challenging things." Stars pitching coach John Curtis said he's never seen anything like it. "It's something we hesitate to teach because it's not easy to do," Curtis said. "Technically, we do it with the slide step out of the stretch. But Mac has got it down." McClendon has been one of the Stars' most effective pitchers. He's 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA in 33 games - all but two out of the bullpen. He has mostly worked as a long reliever, though he has three saves in five chances. Drafted in the 10th round by the Brewers in 2006 out of Seminole (Fla.) Community College, McClendon has a career ERA of 3.92. "(Double-A) is a little bit surprising," he said. "I thought it was going to be a gigantic jump. I really prepared and tried to do my best to get out there and actually try to make a job up here."

Final: Colorado Springs (Rockies) 6, Nashville 5, 11 innings Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Carlos Corporan photo, text follows -- Sounds Drop Heartbreaker To Sky Sox In 11 COLORADO SPRINGS - Colorado Springs outfielder Matt Murton delivered a two-run double in the bottom of the eleventh inning to give the Sky Sox a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Saturday evening at Security Service Field in the finale of a four-game series. With the win, Colorado Springs gained a split of the four-game series against Nashville. The Sounds (61-54) fell to 6-4 in extra-inning contests on the year follow the heartbreaking loss and had their lead over second-place Memphis reduced to just a half-game in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. After Nashville grabbed a 5-4 lead in the top of the eleventh on a Carlos Corporan home run, the Sky Sox rallied for the second time to erase a late Sounds lead and won the game. Eric Young led off with a single against Nashville reliever Ryan Houston and was sacrificed to second before Matt Miller's infield single put runners on the corners to set the table for Murton, whose 20th two-bagger of the year led to Nashville's eighth last at-bat defeat. Murton stole the hero's star for the contest from Corporan, whose 11th-inning leadoff blast off Joel Peralta was the backstop's first in 176 at-bats, dating back to August 29, 2008. Peralta (6-0) was bailed out by Murton and was awarded the win despite allowing the go-ahead run in his two innings of work for the Sky Sox. Houston (5-4) took the loss for the Sounds after suffering his second blown save of the year and allowing two runs in his one-third of an inning of action. It was Nashville's second blown save of the night. After Colorado Springs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, the Sounds rallied for three runs in the top of the third against Sky Sox starter Brandon Hynick to grab a 3-1 advantage. Adam Heether (3-for-5) tied the contest with a one-out RBI single before third baseman Mat Gamel delivered a two-run single to right with two outs to put the visitors in front. The Sky Sox rallied to knot the score with RBI singles in the fourth from Edwin Bellorin and in the fifth from Matt Murton, both off Sounds starter Chris Narveson. Nashville moved back in front in the seventh when Corey Patterson tripled off former big-leaguer Mike Timlin then scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Joe Koshansky. Colorado Springs re-tied the contest in the bottom of the eighth, plating a run against reliever David Johnson to make it a 4-4 game. Christian Colonel led off with a single, was sacrificed to second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Daniel Ortmeier's one-out single to right. Gamel stifled a Sky Sox attempt to win the contest in the tenth when he threw out Chris Frey, who had tripled, at the plate as he attempted to score on a Bellorin grounder. Narveson turned in a quality start for Nashville, allowing three runs on seven hits in his six innings of action, but took a no-decision for his efforts follow the blow save. The Sounds continue their road trip on Sunday afternoon with a 5:05 PM CT opener of a four-game series in Salt Lake. Right-hander Tim Dillard (10-4, 3.84) will make the start for Nashville to face Bees right-hander Dan Denham (8-7, 5.28). Nashville Box Score Robert Hinton pitched a scoreless inning in his AAA debut, stranding two; Alcides Escobar stold two bases, now 42-for-52 on the season; Adam Heether sporting an .893 OPS... Nashville Game Log

Final: Arizona Athletics 3, Arizona Brewers 2, ten innings Arizona Box Score Leadoff walk issued by RHP Jose Sanchez immediately scores on a triple in the top of the 10th -- even though the man on 3rd would be cut down at the plate on a subsequent fieldder's choice, that was enough for the loss; Brewer pitchers combine to strike out 15 Athletics, as RHP Andrew Dunn and LHP Matt Costello, each advanced for this league, combined for five shutout innings of relief; 19-year-old RHP Luis Guerrero continues to stretch out although this was his first start this season, and he had a busy four-inning stint here, walking four and striking out eight, allowing two runs; CF Franklin Romero homered (his first as a pro) and doubled, and nailed a runner at the plate in the 5th; catcher Tyler Roberts was lifted for the 6th inning after the play at the plate in the 5th, but that likely was not injury-related, catchers often split games in the heat... Arizona Game Log Brewers missed a golden chance to win the game in the bottom of the 9th... AZL Brewers Bottom 9th Demetrius McKelvie strikes out swinging. Wayne Dedrick singles on a ground ball to center fielder Douglas Landaeta. With Brandon Sizemore batting, wild pitch by Ryan Quigley, Wayne Dedrick to 2nd. With Brandon Sizemore batting, throwing error by Ryan Quigley on the pickoff attempt, Wayne Dedrick to 3rd. Brandon Sizemore strikes out swinging. With Maxwell Walla batting, wild pitch by Ryan Quigley, Wayne Dedrick scores. Maxwell Walla called out on strikes.

Sorry folks, some rare connectivity issues for me, hope to be back on track by this evening.

Infielder Kyle Dhanani (stats linked) has joined the Timber Rattlers from Helena. He was the 43rd round pick of the Brewers this spring.

Helena falls in walk-off fashion, but the Maryvale and DSL kids win in very differing ways. Details from my cohorts later on...

Just a note that Friday's Link Report will likely not kick off until after some of the early evening games begin. Please refer to MiLB.com for all your early links and such. Thanks.

Post-Crescent: "He's going to be missed, but when somebody leaves like that though, it's an opportunity for somebody else to step up. And hopefully, we have someone that steps up and does what he does, the ability to play multiple positions and a high level. And he's kind of a scrappy guy, as well." - Manager Jeff Isom on infielder/outfielder Juan Sanchez, who on Thursday was promoted to High-A Brevard County. Sanchez hit .253 with 22 doubles, one homer and 27 RBI in 100 games with the Rattlers

More from Brett at the Post-Crescent: Tyler Ladendorf and Nino Leyja belted a pair of two-out, two-run homers as the Kane County Cougars edged the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4-3 on Thursday in a Midwest League game at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute. Both were hit against Daniel Meadows and ruined an otherwise strong outing by the left-hander as the Cougars swept the four-game set. Ladendorf's homer, a shot to left, came in the fourth inning and tied the game at 2-2. Leyja's blast, another that sailed over the left field wall, was hit one inning later to erase a 3-2 deficit. The Ratters grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Josh Prince scored on a wild pitch. Michael Vass' solo home run in the second gave Wisconsin a 2-0 lead, while Jose Duran's fielder's choice chopper to short in the fourth broke the 2-2 tie. Meadows, looking for his league-leading 13th win of the season, struck out six, walked two and scattered seven hits over 6 1/3 innings to fall to 12-4. "Two pitches, 0-0 pitches," Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said. "And they hit them for home runs. That's going to happen, but he gave us every opportunity to win that ballgame. I thought it was well-pitched on his side, but we've got to be able to drive some runners in." Turning point Cougars leadoff hitter Leonardo Gil roped a two-out single to center in the fifth. Leyja followed by clubbing his second homer of the season. Stat pack 3: Times the Rattlers were caught stealing in Thursday's loss. Erik Miller was nabbed twice, once to end the second inning and the other to end the seventh. 6: Consecutive games in which Rattlers first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard has collected a hit, a season high. He singled in the fourth to extend his string and is hitting .440 during the streak. .230: Wisconsin's road batting average. .247: Wisconsin's home batting average. Did you know? The Rattlers surpassed the 200,000 mark in home attendance on Thursday to become the sixth team in the league to reach that level. Dayton, as usual, leads the league with an attendance total of 462,585 through 54 dates for a per-game average of 8,566. 2009 record: 34-36 first half, 14-25 second half. 2008 record: (as a Seattle Mariners affiliate): 31-35, 11-28. Thursday's attendance: 4,588. Overall attendance through 57 dates: 202,337 (3,550 average). On deck Game time: Wisconsin vs. Peoria on Friday at 7 p.m. at Peoria, Ill. Season series: Wisconsin leads 7-4. Up and throwing: Wisconsin - Wily Peralta (3-3, 3.54 ERA); Peoria - Jeff Antiqua (0-0, 1.80 ERA).