Jim Goulart

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. 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_06_26_nasaaa_albaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2009_06_26_cngaax_hunaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2009_06_26_pbcafa_breafa_1 Wisconsin: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_06_26_peoafx_wisafx_1&did=t572&sid=t572 Helena: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t433&gid=2009_06_26_helrok_misrok_1&cid=433&t=g_box Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2009_06_26_brrrok_giarok_1 Dominican Summer League Brewers / Orioles: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&gid=2009_06_26_dobrok_dmlrok_1&cid=3130&t=g_box

Friday's Daily Menu: TGIF! All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Link here for the live audio choices - audio will no longer archive. For this Brevard County series, the opponent (Palm Beach) audio is available via this link Nashville: LHP Lindsay Gulin at Albuquerque (Dodgers), 7:40 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Huntsville: RHP Mark Holliman at home vs. Chattanooga (Dodgers), 6:45 PM pre-game; 7:00 gametime Brevard County: RHP Evan Anundsen at home vs. Palm Beach (Cardinals), 6:05 PM gametime Wisconsin: RHP Wily Peralta at home vs. Peoria (Cubs), 6:50 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime; LHP Evan Frederickson is scheduled to pitch in relief Helena: RHP Adrian Rosario at Missoula (Diamondbacks), 7:50 PM pre-game; 8:05 gametime Arizona Summer League: at the not-so-giant Giants in Scottsdale; no more day games -- all games begin at 7:00 local time in the desert; no audio, naturally... Dominican Summer League Brewers / Orioles: at the DSL Marlins (see this thread for some roster background) -- all games are 10:30 local time in the Dominican, and no need to ask about web audio; we usually won't see updated box scores until the overnight...

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Final: DSL Brewers / Orioles 8, DSL Cubs #2 Squad 4 DSL Brewers / Orioles Box Score 17-year-old SS Andres Martinez with two home runs -- his name might appear prominently in more Link Reports over the next six years than you can imagine; both homers were to the opposite (right) field; other Brewer batters were 1-for-12 with Juan Barrini the lone base hit; the three relievers listed in your box score are all Brewers -- Ramos is the tall lefty... DSL Brewers / Orioles Game Log

Final: Arizona Athletics 8, Arizona Brewers 5 Arizona Box Score Pro debut for 18th round RHP Caleb Thielbar, two innings, one unearned run; more of the same in the lineup, which means that the DSL Brewer team is providing greater opportunities for playing time both in Maryvale and the Dominican, not quite the same balancing act needed as in the past; various notes on these kids within the comments above from the early part of the thread... Arizona Game Log It was 8-0 Athletics after 5.5 innings...

Final: Helena 8, Missoula (Diamondbacks) 1 Link while active, text follows: Brewers bust up Missoula By JASON SCOTT - Helena Independent Record Helena Brewers starting pitcher Damon Krestalude only had one thing go wrong in his win over the Missoula Osprey Thursday: a line drive to his back. Other than that, things went well for the righty and his team, which won 8-1 behind nearly flawless defense and steady hitting. Krestalude was almost unhittable in his first start of the young season. Besides the Bobby Stone liner that hit him and a single one batter later, the 20-year-old only allowed one more baserunner - a walk - in the six innings he pitched. "Going into the game, figured I'd work fast, keep the ball down, try to get two of three pitches over the plate," Krestalude said. "The only thing I didn't like was getting drilled in the back. Actually it loosened me up even more." Krestalude was backed up by another potent display of hitting from the Helena lineup. Four different Brewers batters drove in runs, while three had multi-hit days. Derrick McPhearson, batting in the nine-spot, went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and three runs scored to lead the Brewers. Josh Prince and Pete Fatse both added two hits. Prince also got his ninth steal of the year. The Brewers capitalized on four Missoula errors, two of which led to Helena runs. A steady stream of Brewer hits - ten in all - put a lot of pressure on the Osprey arms. For the third night in a row, Helena runners were busy on the basepaths, notching four stolen bases. "The guys are running the bases well," Brewers manager Rene Gonzales said. "Being aggressive is a theme we're going for. We'd like it to be known around the league." The Brewers got things started early. Prince led off with a single and was poised for his seventh steal in as many tries. However, the Osprey were ready this time, determined not to let him tie any more records in this series. After repeated pickoff attempts, Prince finally got a chance to steal, though he was gunned down by Missoula catcher Roidany Aguila. Fatse walked and later scored on a Chris Ellington sacrifice grounder. In the third, Helena struck again. McPhearson singled and stole second, then came around on an infield hit by Fatse. After reaching third, Fatse attempted to tag up on a fly ball to right fielder Henry Zabala. Zabala's throw to the plate was a little off-target, but Aguila made it back to the plate in time for Fatse to crash into him in an attempt to knock the ball loose. Aguila held on to the ball for the rare 9-2 double play. In the fourth, Edgar Trejo doubled to lead off the inning, then scored when Prince rapped a single to left. The inning might have been extended, but Missoula second baseman David Nick made a nice diving catch to end the frame. While the Brewers lineup was rolling, Krestalude kept up his strong start. He didn't allow a baserunner after the first inning until he walked Zabala on a full count in the fifth. He then induced two weak fly balls to end the inning. "Obviously we had outstanding pitching," Gonzales said. "Krestalude's was a similar outing to (Tuesday's starting pitcher Nick) Bucci's." The Brewers hitters added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when Hitaniel Arias, McPhearson, Prince, Fatse and Scott Krieger all reached in consecutive at-bats. In the top of the seventh, Andre Lamontagne came on in relief of Krestalude. His outing was nearly as good, as he didn't allow a baserunner until the ninth, when he ran into some trouble. After getting two quick outs, Missoula's Ramon Castillo singled, bringing David Narodowski to the plate. Lamontagne got Narodowski to hit a high fly ball to center field, but McPhearson had trouble finding it and the ball fell in for a single. Keon Broxton made the Brewers pay for the mistake, lining an RBI single to left and breaking up the shutout. Rico Salmon came in to get the last out, giving Helena its second win of the season. After the game, Gonzales said that he'd like to see McPhearson move up in the order if he keeps producing like he has. "The only reason he's down there is he hasn't played baseball for a long time," Gonzales said. McPhearson, who played college football and took a long break from baseball, said he'd be glad to help the team however he can. "It's the management's call," he said. "It's out of my control. I'm just trying to control what I can control. I'm a nine-hitter right now and I'm just trying to hit the ball. It's great to go out and put a smile on people's faces." The Brewers now hit the road for the first time this year as they head to Missoula for three more games with the Osprey. The first game is slated to start at 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). Helena Box Score Earlier preview had Cutter Dykstra ready to go in this one, apparently not... Helena Game Log Helena Brewers' Pete Fatse plows over Missoula catcher Roidany Aguila at home plate during Thursday night's game at Kindrick Legion Field. Fatse was called out on the play. (All Photos by Lisa Kunkel Independent Record) http://www.helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers.jpg Helena's Scott Krieger makes a connection http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-2.jpg Pitcher Damon Krestalude tosses the ball to first baseman Hitaniel Arias for the out http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-3.jpg Josh Prince slides into second base as Missoula's Adonys Canelo prepares to tag him out. http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-4.jpg Josh Prince steals second base as Missoula's Adonys Canelo attempts the tag. http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-5.jpg Josh Prince avoids an inside pitch as Missoula catcher Roidany Aguila reaches for the grab. http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-6.jpg Pete Fatse crosses first base as Missoula's Bobby Stone leaps into the air for the throw. http://images.townnews.com/helenair.com/content/articles/2009/06/26/sports/top/50spl_090626_brewers-7.jpg

Excerpts from Post-Crescent Rattler Blog Game Notes from Brett Christopherson -- More in the full post here... In all, the Rattlers collected four hits in the first frame to avert being blanked for the third straight game. "All of it was with two outs, and one thing we've been talking about as a club is we need to get more productivity with two outs," Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said. "It was nice to see. Because that's what we're going to have to do if we're going to have success in the second half. We're going to have to have some big hitting with two outs. "It did give us some breathing room, and it's a lot easier to pitch when you have the lead. You can make a mistake and it's not going to hurt you." Turning point Brock Kjeldgaard drew a key two-out walk to load the bases and set the stage for the Rattlers' big first inning. Delaney OK John Delaney was forced out of the game in the fourth when he was plunked in the head on an offering from Chiefs starter Justin Bristow. Afterward, Isom deemed his third baseman "fine" and said his departure was strictly precautionary. "It hit off his helmet and kind of grazed off his cheek a little bit," Isom said. "Anytime you've got a head issue, a guy getting hit in the head, they take that pretty serious."

Full reports on the three rookie ball levels later this AM...

Final: Wisconsin 4, Peoria (Cubs) 1 Wisconsin Site Game Summary Rattlers kickoff second half with a win By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored three times in the first inning and three pitchers made that stand up for a win Thursday at Time Warner Cable Field. The Rattlers beat the Peoria Chiefs 4-1 in the first game of the second half for both teams. Wisconsin (35-36 overall, 1-0 second half) grabbed the early lead with three runs in the bottom of the first. John Delaney singled with two outs and the bases loaded to knock in the first two runs. Chris Dennis followed with an RBI single to right and the Rattlers were up 3-0. Wisconsin starting pitcher Alex Periard was on early in the game. He scattered four hits over the first four innings and was not in a serious jam. Steve Braun gave the Rattlers a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. The Rattlers designated hitter doubled down the left field line to chase Jose Duran home from second with two outs. Periard got the first two outs of the fifth inning with a double by Michael Brenly sandwiched in between. But, a double by Josh Harrison knocked in the first Peoria run. Periard walked the next batter on the 3-2 pitch and was up against his pitch count. Nick Tyson relieved the Wisconsin starter and struck out Josh Vitters to end the Chiefs threat. Tyson would pitch a 1-2-3 sixth inning to put himself in line for his first win of 2009. The Wisconsin reliever has not allowed a run in 14-1/3 innings this season. Dan Merklinger pitched the final three innings against the Chiefs (38-32, 0-1) and allowed no runs on two hits to get his first save of the season. Game two of the four game series is Friday night. Wisconsin will send Midwest League All-Star Wily Peralta (2-1, 3.64) out as their scheduled starting pitcher. Peoria counters with Chris Archer (2-2, 2.42). Game time is 7:05 PM. The first 1,000 fans into the stadium on Friday night receive a Webkinz from the Fox Valley Humane Association. Friday is also a North Shore Bank Family Night with children 12 and under eating free. Then, after a post-game fireworks display, children 14 and under get to run the bases. Wisconsin Box Score Three impressive pitching lines; groin strain, broken nose -- is Brett Lawrie's .263 (.791 OPS) disappointing? Perhaps just a bit, even for one of the league's youngest... Wisconsin Game Log

Final: Palm Beach (Cardinals) 7, Brevard County 5 Brevard County Site Game Summary Cardinals Rally, Extend Manatees' Misery BC's Longest Losing Streak Since 2005 By Tyler Stover / Brevard County Manatees (Viera, FL) The Brevard County Manatees got their bats going early on Thursday night, but failed to hold on to the lead, losing a tough decision to Palm Beach, 7-5. The loss extends the Manatees' season-high losing streak to seven games. It is the franchise's worst losing streak since the 2005 Manatees lost nine straight from June 4-12. Palm Beach got on the board first, taking a quick lead on Aaron Luna's two-run double in the third inning. The Manatees responded with three runs in the fourth inning. Caleb Gindl drove in Logan Schafer for the first run on a groundout to second base. Carlos Corporan gave the Manatees a 3-2 lead with a two-out, two-run double to left field. Steffan Wilson tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning, hammering a double to right field, scoring Schafer and Lee Haydel. The normally reliable Brevard County bullpen was unable to hold the lead, however. Jim Henderson walked in a run in the seventh inning, and was then replaced by Mark Willinsky with the bases still loaded and two outs. Willinsky induced what appeared to be an inning-ending ground ball, but confusion between middle infielders Brent Brewer and Eric Farris led to all runners reaching safely and Tommy Pham scoring to cut the lead to 5-4. In the eighth inning, the Cardinals used four consecutive singles from Domnit Bolivar, Pham, Jermaine Curtis, and Colt Sedbrook to score three runs and take the lead, 7-5. Adam Reifer closed out the Manatees for his ninth save. Casey Mulligan (1-1) earned the win in relief, while Willinsky (2-2) took the loss. The Manatees open the second half with a loss, making today the first time since April 17 that they have been out of first place, and the first time since they were 3-4 on April 16 that they have had a losing record. Evan Anundsen (7-4, 1.84) looks to get the Manatees back on track Friday. He takes on the Cardinals' Chuckie Fick (2-1, 4.65). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM (6:05 Central). Brevard County Box Score RHP Amaury Rivas with a strong pitching line; Lee Haydel three singles and an HBP; Caleb Gindl 0-for-5, down to .271, that hot April seems a long time ago now; Carlos Corporan yet to see a Manatee win since his arrival... Brevard County Game Log Steffan Wilson's two doubles weren't enough for the Manatees Thursday night. (MiLB.com Photo by Dennis Greenblatt) http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2009/06/25/MW3P9ibj.jpg

Final: Albuquerque (Dodgers) 4, Nashville 0, 5.5 innings, rain Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Chris Cody photo, text follows -- Topes Beat Sounds 4-0 In Rain-Shortened Game ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Nashville Sounds lost to the Albuquerque Isotopes 4-0 in a six-inning, rain-shortened contest at Isotopes Park on Thursday night. Albuquerque starter Scott Elbert (1-0) earned the win, allowing only one hit and striking out seven while walking one over six innings. Elbert's only hit allowed came from a Martin Maldonado bloop-single to center field in the top of the sixth inning before the game was called. Sounds starter Chris Cody (2-2) took the loss, surrendering four runs over five innings in his fourth start for the Sounds. The Isotopes struck first in the bottom of the first. Blake Dewitt hit a two-out single to right field, followed by a Jamie Hoffman walk. Both players then scored on a Dee Brown double, putting the Isotopes ahead at 2-0. Albuquerque added two more runs to their lead in the bottom of the third on RBI-base knocks by Hoffman and Brown, extending the lead to 4-0. Suspended Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez was pulled from the game because of wet weather and field conditions. The Sounds and Isotopes will play the finale of a four-game series at 8:05 PM CT on Friday night at Isotopes Park. Left-hander Lindsay Gulin (3-3, 5.37) makes the start against Albuquerque right-hander and former Sound Jason Schmidt (0-0, 4.70). Nashville Box Score Nashville Game Log

Final: Huntsville 12, Chattanooga (Dodgers) 1 Huntsville Site Game Summary Lucroy Leads Huntsville to Win Over Looks BRAMHALL AND BRADDOCK STAR ON THE HILL Brett Pollock, Huntsville Stars Bobby Bramhall worked 6 1/3 solid innings and Jonathan Lucroy added a home run and knocked in four runs to lead Huntsville past Chattanooga 12-1 Thursday night in the fourth of a six-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars have taken three of four to begin the second half and have outscored the Lookouts 20-3 in so doing to improve to 41-32 on the season, while the visitors dropped to 31-42 overall. Adam Stern opened the home first with a double, moved to third base on a Josh Bell throwing error and scored when Lucroy doubled to right field to give the Stars the early 1-0 lead. Vinny Rottino then singled in Shane Justis one out later to give the home team a two-run lead, as they scored for second time in the series in the first inning. Lucroy belted a three-run home run in the third inning to make it 5-0 and mark the second time in three games he had driven in a run in the first inning and followed with a three-run long ball in the third. Chuck Caufield doubled in a run to finish off a four-run rally before Alberto Bastardo was lifted after 2 2/3 innings in his double-A debut. He took the loss after allowing five earned runs on eight hits, walking one and fanning one. Bramhall blanked the Looks on one hit through five innings before Justin Sellers led off the sixth with an infield hit, moved to second base on a ground out and scored on a Russ Mitchell double. The Stars' southpaw was lifted with two runners on in the seventh and followed by Zach Braddock, who fanned pinch-hitter Adam Godwin and got Sellers to fly out to end the inning in his double-A debut. The left-hand reliever made the night even more special by belting an opposite field grand slam in the bottom of the inning in his first professional at-bat to make it a 12-1 game. Bramhall allowed four hits, walked three and fanned six to pick up the win and even his record at 4-4. Braddock retired all five hitters he faced and Rob Wooten followed with a scoreless ninth inning in his double-A debut. Rottino collected three hits, while Justis, Freddy Parejo and Yohannis Perez each added a pair in a 13-hit attack, as the Stars improved to 17-17 at home. The series continues Friday night with right-hander Mark Holliman taking the hill against Lookouts' left-hander James Adkins. Coverage of the game begins at 6:45 PM central time and can be heard through the internet at . Huntsville Box Score Jonathan Lucroy also threw out the only attempted basestealer; Zach Braddock 15 of 21 pitches for strikes... Huntsville Game Log

Link while active, text follows: Dazzling Double-A debut Elbow woes forgotten, Braddock adjusts to role as set-up man By Bill Bryant, Huntsville Times Sports Staff Zach Braddock didn't arrive in town Wednesday covered in bubble wrap. But the 21-year-old's left elbow might as well have come with a tag that read "Handle With Care." The Brewers' 12th-rated prospect according to Baseball America has the numbers to justify the midseason call-up to Huntsville - including a this-is-not-a-misprint 10-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio at Single-A Brevard County in 24-plus innings. But like the Steuben glass egg Guido keeps from Tom Cruise in "Risky Business," it's a little fragile. "He's a considerable talent," said Stars pitching coach John Curtis, who worked with Braddock a couple of years ago when the two were at Single-A West Virginia. "When you see him you realize how close he is to being a major league pitcher. But health is of the utmost concern with him - the big thing for him is staying healthy." Braddock underwent Tommy John surgery as a 16-year-old high schooler in New Jersey. He's also been shut down early in two of his three minor-league seasons. After last year, he had more work done on his elbow, mainly to clean up scar tissue. "One thing about having (Tommy John surgery) so young, it almost geared me to learn about the science and mechanics of pitching," Braddock said. "I looked into the whole kinesiology thing and thought about going into that if pitching didn't work out. I wanted to know why I got hurt. "The truth is, I played a ton as a kid and it was just wear and tear that did it. I was always throwing." Huntsville didn't waste any time putting Braddock to the test. He entered the seventh inning of Thursday night's game against Chattanooga with runners on first and second and one out. He quickly recorded a strikeout and flyout to get out of the jam, then struck out two more in a scoreless eighth. Oh, and he also hammered a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh in his first professional at-bat in the Stars' 12-1 victory. All along, Braddock has had the stuff for success. As he grew into his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame, his fastball went from the high-80s to the low-to-mid 90s and his slider - which is considered one of the best in the entire Milwaukee organization - became that much more effective. After being selected by the Brewers in the 18th round of the 2005 draft, he went 3-1 in his second year with a Bob Gibson-like 1.15 ERA in nine starts for West Virginia, making the South Atlantic All-Star team in the process. But at the first sign of elbow discomfort, the club put him on the shelf. Last year at Brevard County, he started 11 times but struggled with pain and control - his ERA jumped to 5.51 - and he eventually made the move to the bullpen for his rehab. "It's a little bit different. Instead of setting the tone you're often looking to put a stop to something," Braddock said. "(Last year), I guess they liked what they saw." He's been strictly a reliever this year, mainly as a set-up man. Though Curtis said starting "may creep back" into Braddock's future, he'll likely have the same role with Huntsville. "With the fastball and slider he's got, he has a shot at mowing people down," Curtis said. "But he'll be on a pitch count and he'll very rarely be brought back the day after he pitches. He's more than willing to do whatever we ask of him." Given the way the organization has watched over him as he's dealt with his various health issues, Braddock said that's only fair. "They've taken good care of me," he said. "I just want to give them something back in return."

Link while active, text follows: Rattlers pitcher Alex Periard rounding into form Pitcher may soon be promoted By Brett Christopherson Post-Crescent staff writer GRAND CHUTE - When asked to grade his body of work, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Alex Periard thought for a moment before giving himself a B-plus. And that might mean High-A. Or maybe even Double-A. Although the right- hander didn't factor in Thursday's 4-1 Midwest League triumph over Peoria at Fox Cities Stadium, he looked sharp enough through the 4 2/3 innings he worked to perhaps convince the Milwaukee Brewers front office to send one of their top prospects on to his next assignment. The 22-year-old was making his third start of the season - all with the Rattlers - after being shut down in spring training because of a sore pitching shoulder first developed during last fall's Arizona Fall League. So how's he feeling? "I've got to work on some stuff," said Periard, who scattered six hits, struck out three and surrendered one earned run. "But the more innings I throw, I'm starting to get a feel. It's getting better." The Canadian is rated by Baseball America as the fourth-best pitching prospect in the Brewers' system and the club's 13th-highest overall. He was selected by Milwaukee in the 16th round of the 2004 June draft and split last season between High-A Brevard County and Double-A Huntsville, finishing a combined 11-10 with a 4.06 ERA in 27 games, including 26 starts. In his three starts with the Rattlers, Periard - a member of the Brewers' 40-man roster - has fanned five, walked two, and allowed 14 hits and four earned runs through 11 1/3 innings. "Yeah, it was," Rattlers manager Jeff Isom said when asked if Thursday's outing was the best of the three for Periard. "He gave up a few hits there, but a couple of them were well-placed. His velocity is increasing. He's got good sink on the ball. Located pitches. Stayed down in the zone. I thought he did a real good job tonight. "The ball's coming out of his hand nice and easy, so we're excited to see that." Periard's only blemish came in the fifth when he gave up a pair of doubles to account for the Chiefs' only run. Isom said he was lifted with a pair of runners on and two down because he had reached 67 pitches, which fell within the allotted 65 to 70 pitch count range. Otherwise, Periard, backed by a three-run first inning, said the plan is to iron out the wrinkles as he continues to round into form. "I'm trying to pull my front shoulder too much, so the ball's cutting instead of sinking," said Periard, whose fastball touched as high as 89 mph on the stadium radar gun. "I'm just tying to concentrate on my delivery right now, be consistent in and out of the zone. My fastball command. For me, it's just staying healthy." And eventually advancing to Huntsville, his likely destination had he opened the season without the troubled shoulder. Isom said he was told by the Brewers to expect two or three rehab starts from Periard before he would be shipped off. "I felt at times (during his previous two starts), he was feeling for his pitches, didn't throw them with conviction'," Isom said. "Tonight, he was throwing his pitches with conviction. So he's obviously turned the corner and not thinking about surgery and all that stuff. That's good to see."

Sorry to see it didn't work out for Patrick Ryan with the Mariners -- RHP Patrick Ryan has been released from his Minor League player contract on Thursday. Patrick made eight starts for the Diamond Jaxx on the season and a total of 16 appearances. As a starter, Ryan was 2-5 with a 6.75 ERA. The 26 year old Ryan was in his first season with the Seattle Mariners. Ryan was a Triple A Rule 5 selection by the Mariners this past offseason from Milwaukee. Ryan was a mid-season Southern League All-Star last year for the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Huntsville Stars. Ryan was 5-5, with a 2.52 ERA last year for the Stars in 39 relief outings.

Sorry to see it didn't work out for Patrick Ryan with the Mariners -- RHP Patrick Ryan has been released from his Minor League player contract on Thursday. Patrick made eight starts for the Diamond Jaxx on the season and a total of 16 appearances. As a starter, Ryan was 2-5 with a 6.75 ERA. The 26 year old Ryan was in his first season with the Seattle Mariners. Ryan was a Triple A Rule 5 selection by the Mariners this past offseason from Milwaukee. Ryan was a mid-season Southern League All-Star last year for the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Huntsville Stars. Ryan was 5-5, with a 2.52 ERA last year for the Stars in 39 relief outings.

Chris' Timber Rattler notes and such should be available at his site just before game time.

Huntsville Game Summary: PITCHER DOES IT ON THE HILL AND AT THE PLATE FOR LOOKS Jesus Castillo worked eight impressive innings and chipped in with two run-scoring singles to lead Chattanooga past Huntsville 8-5 Wednesday night in the third of a six-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Lookouts won for the first time in the second half and improved to 31-41 overall, while the Stars dropped to 40-32 overall and 16-17 at home. The Looks have won seven of the twelve games between the teams, including four of seven in Huntsville. Russ Mitchell doubled with two outs in the second, moved to third base on a Kevin Melillo fielding error and scored when Castillo dumped a single into left field to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. James Tomlin started the fifth with a single, stole second base and moved to third base when Freddy Parejo dropped Joseph Becker's line drive, allowing him to reach second base. Tony Abreu followed with a single to plate both runners to make it 3-0 in favor of the visitors. Mike Rose walked with one out and both runners scored when Mitchell doubled down the left field line with two outs to extend the lead to five and knock Stars' starter David Welch out of the game. The southpaw suffered the loss after yielding five runs, one earned, on 10 hits and fell to 4-5. Castillo had retired 10 in a row before Johnny Raburn led off the home sixth with a double and scored the Stars' first run on an Adam Stern groundout. Castillo then chipped in with a two-out, run-scoring hit in the seventh that preceded Tomlin's two-run single that pushed the Looks' lead to 8-1 against Josh Wahpepah. Tomlin finished with four hits to pace a 16-hit, while Mitchell added three and Castillo was one of four players to collect a pair of hits. Stern and pinch-hitter Vinny Rottino started the ninth with singles against Castillo, who was then removed for J.D. Durbin, who walked Jonathan Lucroy to load the bases. Melillo cleared them with a triple and scored on a groundout but the rally ended there. Castillo authored his longest outing of the season, allowing five hits, walking one and fanning three. He improved to 4-5 and recorded 15 ground ball outs in the process. The series continues Thursday night with southpaw Bobby Bramhall taking the hill against Lookouts' left-hander Alberto Bastardo. Coverage of the game begins at 6:45 PM central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com.

Wednesday's Link Report was a bit more "active" than usual, as the start of rookie ball play has energized a few of our more regular posters. While we don't anticipate very many future Link Reports being quite as enthusiastic http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif, I will let you know that the preliminary posts made by these posters most nights are very helpful to me, giving me some background on the evening's highlights prior to the formal game summary updates and notes you're accustomed to. Normally I don't jump fully on board until after Brewer big league games or even the following early morning. It's unlikely you'd enjoy a Link Report that was purely "Mass Haas", anyway. I wouldn't. There is a thread in the issues forum where this topic was brought up. If you feel strongly enough to comment on the topic, please do so there, and not within this Link Report. But basically, we're going to take it steady as she goes and stay the current course. With three rookie ball seasons underway now, I may even be recruiting some of these same posters (or others) to assist with the more formal game posts. Goodness knows that a near 100% jump in daily game activity this time of year (much of it without formal game summaries) is going to make it near impossible for me to keep up this week's pace much longer. Thanks, as always, to everyone for reading.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 42 31 .575 - 23-15 19-16 W1 Iowa 38 34 .528 3.5 21-16 17-18 L1 Memphis 34 38 .472 7.5 21-15 13-23 W2 Omaha 27 45 .375 14.5 11-21 16-24 L4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 2 1 .667 - 2-1 0-0 L1 Tennessee 2 1 .667 - 0-0 2-1 W1 Carolina 1 2 .333 1.0 1-2 0-0 L1 Chattanooga 1 2 .333 1.0 0-0 1-2 W1 West Tenn 0 3 .000 2.0 0-0 0-3 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 Clearwater 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 Daytona 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 Dunedin 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 Lakeland 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 Tampa 0 0 - - 0-0 0-0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pioneer League (R+) - PIO North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Billings 1 1 .500 - 1-1 0-0 L1 Great Falls 1 1 .500 - 0-0 1-1 W1 Helena 1 1 .500 - 1-1 0-0 L1 Missoula 1 1 .500 - 0-0 1-1 W1

David Weiser's starsboxscore.com The streak goes on and it victimized David Welch tonight...... Four unearned runs in the 5th on three hits -- the key hit, a two-run double by Russ Mitchell....... James Tomlin led off the inning with a single to Freddy Parejo, then stole second. A fielding error on a fly ball to Parejo then opened the door giving the Lookouts a 5-0 lead....... That's now ten straight games with an error -- 21 errors in all. The Stars not that long ago had an eight-game streak. That's the longest streak since an 11-game, 18-error streak from May 17-28, 2005. The Stars went 2-9 during that one. The Stars are 3-7 on this one. Only goes to prove what we've knows all along about baseball -- pitching and defense win games..... Anyway, here's the tally that started in the second game of a double-header, June 15 vs. Jacksonville: JOHNNY RABURN 4 TAYLOR GREEN 4 KEVIN MELILLO 3 MARK HOLLIMAN 2 SHANE JUSTIS 2 DREW ANDERSON 2 VINNY ROTTINO 2 CHUCKIE CAUFIELD 1 FREDDY PAREJO 1 It's a rather moot point when you consider the Stars won the first half title, but without all the errors, it certainly would have been less suspenseful. The Stars put on a 9th inning rally, but came into the bottom half trailing, 8-1. The Stars loaded the bases with none out, then Kevin Melillo tripled deep to right on reliever J.D. Durbin's first pitch over the heart of the plate, clearing the bases. Chuck Caufield's grounder scored Melillo, but with the bases empty and one out, J.R. Hopf flied out on a 3-1 pitch and Parejo grounded out to 1st baseman Russ Mitchell on a 2-1 pitch to end the game. Bobby Bramhall (3-4, 5.80) gets the call, Thursday, against who I had thought would be Scott Elbert...... Bramhall is having his best month with a 2-1, 4.35 record for June. He's thrown 61% of his pitches for strikes in June, which is marginally better than April or May. His toughest inning has been the 4th, with an 8.44 ERA, a ground out ratio of only 0.31, and 15 hits allowd in 10 2/3 innings........ Elbert was promoted to Albuquerque. Nick Bucci got the win, going five innings, and gave up three hits in Helena's opening day win over Missoula, Tuesday. He struck out four and walked none as the Brewers won, aided by Cameron Garfield's 5-for-5 start, 10-5...... Eric Arnett, the Brewers' #1 pick this year, didn't fare as well Wednesday night. In an inning of relief, Arnett gave up two runs on a hit and two walks facing seven batters in Helena's 10-5 loss. Yohannis Perez went hitless for the 8th time in nine games and is 2-for-25 since June 6. It's dropped his average which then was .306 to .271..... John Axford made his AAA debut for Nashville Wednesday, getting the win in relief in a 15-inning game vs. Albuquerque, where former Stars voice Robert Portnoy can still be heard.

The Tennessean with a feature on their hometown boy R.A. Dickey.

The Tennessean with a feature on their hometown boy R.A. Dickey.

Associated Press story on the Nashville game from the Tennessean -- a few Sounds mentioned, no particular quotes

Final: Nashville 8, Albuquerque (Dodgers) 3, 15 innings Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Angel Salome photo, text follows -- Sounds Drop Isotopes 8-3 In Extras NASHVILLE-The Nashville Sounds beat the Albuquerque Isotopes 8-3 on Wednesday night at Isotopes Park after a five-run rally in the top of the 15th inning. Nashville (42-31) improved to 5-2 in extra-inning play this season. Catcher Angel Salome got the Sounds on the board in the top of the fourth inning with a solo shot to left field, his fourth homer of the season. After Adam Heether was hit by a Charlie Haeger pitch, Joe Koshansky hit a two-run homer to right field, extending the Sounds' lead to 3-0. Koshansky continues to kill the ball on the road, belting 10 of his 13 home runs and 31 of his 40 RBIs away from Greer Stadium. Sounds Starter Tim Dillard gave up his first hit of the game in the sixth inning to Albuquerque's Chin-lung Hu that scored Jason Repko and trimmed the Sounds lead to 3-1. Sergio Garcia and Kenley Jansen began the bottom of the eighth with consecutive singles. After another RBI-single by Hu that brought the Isotopes within one run at 3-2, Dillard got Blake DeWitt to ground out to Koshansky to get out of the jam. Ryan Houston came in to relieve Dillard in the next frame, but suffered his first blown save of the season. Jamie Hoffman led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to centerfield, moved to second on a groundout by Juan Gonzalez, and advanced to third on defensive indifference. Hoffman then came home on a base hit to right field by Jansen to tie the contest at 3. Dillard threw eight innings, his longest outing this season, surrendering two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts. The game remained tied at 3 until the Sounds came to bat in the top of the 14th inning. Koshansky began the frame by getting to second base on a fielding error by Repko, and advanced to third on a Brendan Katin sacrifice bunt. Making his Triple-A debut, pinch hitter Martin Maldonado then hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Koshansky and put the Sounds back in front at 4-3. Nashville then exploded for four more runs on Isotopes reliever Dwayne Pollok on four consecutive two-out hits, including a Hernan Iribarren triple and Salome double that extended the lead to 8-3. Sounds right-hander John Axford (1-0) earned the win in his Sounds' debut, striking out two over two scoreless innings. Dave Johnson, R.J. Swindle, and Wes Littleton also combined to throw four scoreless innings in relief on the evening for Nashville. Pollok (2-4) took the loss, allowing five unearned runs over two innings for the Isotopes. Suspended Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez went 0-for-1 against Dillard in his second minor league appearance, walking in four pitches in his first at-bat in and grounding out to shortstop in his next before departing in the top of the fifth. The Sounds and Isotopes continue with the third game of a four-game series at 8:05 PM CT on Thursday night at Isotopes Park. Southpaw Chris Cody (2-1, 1.69) takes the hill for Nashville against Albuquerque left-hander Scott Elbert (0-0, 0.00). Nashville Box Score No batter was forced to pull a big oh-fer -- heck, Jason Bourgeois and Angel Salome registered eight official at-bats; nice first AAA impression, John Axford... Nashville Game Log