Jim Goulart

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 5, Huntsville 4 Huntsville Site Game Summary Barons Stun Stars in Ninth Huntsville Hanging On To Slim Division Lead By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Dayan Viciedo singled home the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom half of the ninth inning to carry Birmingham to a 5-4 comeback win over Huntsville Thursday night in the second of a six-game series at Regions Park. The Stars dropped their second in a row to fall to 37-28 and see their lead in the North Division trimmed to a half game after Carolina split a doubleheader at Tennessee, while the Barons improved to 45-20 with their sixth walk-off win of the season. John Axford threw 2 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings behind Stars' starter Donovan Hand and turned over a 4-3 lead to Robert Hinton in the ninth. Robbie Hudson reached with one out on a Kevin Melillo fielding error, then stole second base and swiped third base as John Shelby fanned for the second out. C.J. Retherford followed by lacing Hinton's first pitch for a double into the left field corner to plate Hudson with the tying run. The Stars intentionally walked Tyler Flowers to get to Viciedo, who lined a 1-1 pitch into left field in front of a diving Drew Anderson for the game-winning hit. Hinton suffered the loss to fall to 0-4, while Jhonny Nunez spun 2 2/3 scoreless innings, fanning six, to grab his third win. Christian Marrero launched the first pitch he saw at the double-A level for a two-run home run to give the Barons the lead in the second inning. Flowers belted a solo shot in the third, his second of the series and third of the year against the Stars, to push the home team's lead to 3-0. Hand had surrendered just two long balls in 49 innings coming into the game. He lasted 5 2/3 innings and was charged with three runs on seven hits. Shane Justis led off the fourth inning with a single, the Stars' first hit, stole second base and moved to third base on a one-out single by Anderson before Vinny Rottino bounced into a double play to end the inning. Barons' starter Lucas Harrell had blanked the visitors on two singles through six innings but could not make it through the seventh. Jonathan Lucroy led off with a fly ball to shallow right field that hit off the glove of Stefan Gartrell, as he and the second baseman Retherford both made an attempt to catch the ball. Anderson then bounced a ground ball to Viciedo at third base but his throw to second base hit a sliding Lucroy to put runners at first and second base with nobody out. Rottino flied out to center field to move Lucroy to third base before Taylor Green blasted the first pitch he saw from Harrell for a game-tying three-run home run, his third of the year. Melillo followed with a double and moved to third base on a single by Freddie Parejo that knocked Harrell out of the game. Nunez took over and gave up a scoring fly ball to Johnny Raburn that gave the Stars their first lead of the night. Harrell allowed four hits, did not walk a batter and fanned three over 6 1/3 innings. The series continues with a Friday evening twin bill, as Huntsville will send southpaw David Welch to the hill in the opener with right-hander Josh Wahpepah taking the hill in the nightcap, while the Barons will throw right-handers John Ely and Matt Zaleski. Coverage of the game begins at 4:45 PM central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score Huntsville Game Log

Final: Oklahoma City (Rangers) 8, Nashville 7, 11 innings Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Angel Salome photo, text follows -- Sounds Drop Heartbreaker To Open Road Trip OKLAHOMA CITY - The Nashville Sounds opened their road trip with a heartbreaking 8-7, 11-inning loss to the Oklahoma City RedHawks on Thursday evening at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in the opener of a four-game series. After Nashville took a one-run lead in the top of the eleventh, Sounds reliever Sam Narron failed to record an out and gave up a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame as the RedHawks claimed victory. The contest was the second consecutive extra-inning affair for Nashville (40-28), which fell to 4-2 when playing free baseball. With one out in the top of the eleventh, Hernan Iribarren reached on an infield single off RedHawks reliever Mike Hinckley before Brendan Katin followed with a go-ahead triple to right. Oklahoma City opened the bottom of the frame with three straight singles off Narron, the third of which by Royce Huffman brought home Max Ramirez with the tying run. Pinch-hitter Nate Gold followed with a game-winning double to left. RedHawks reliever Beau Vaughan (4-2) was awarded the victory after retiring the only batter he faced, while Narron (0-2) was saddled with the loss for Nashville. The RedHawks jumped on the board in the bottom of the first inning when they started the contest with three consecutive singles off Sounds starter Tim Dillard, the last of which by Esteban German plated Julio Borbon with the game's first run. Nashville grabbed a 3-1 lead in the fifth with three unearned runs stemming from a pair of Oklahoma City errors before the RedHawks tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the frame on Jose Vallejo's solo homer to left off Dillard, his second roundtripper of the year, and a Joaquin Arias RBI single. Sounds catcher Angel Salome pushed the visitors back in front, 5-3, in the sixth with a two-run homer to left-center off Oklahoma City starter Josh Rupe, the backstop's third longball of the season. Adam Heether, who preceded Salome by drawing a two-out walk, also scored on the blast. The RedHawks stormed back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to take a 6-5 advantage. Casey Benjamin chased Dillard with an RBI double before Oklahoma City touched Sounds reliever R.J. Swindle for a pair of runs, charged to Dillard, on run-scoring singles by Vallejo and Borbon. Nashville knotted the contest at 6-6 in the top of the seventh when Joe Koshansky plated Alcides Escobar with a two-out single to left off RedHawks reliever A.J. Murray, one batter after the left-hander issued an intentional pass to Katin to bring the Sounds first baseman to the plate. The teams continue the series with another 7:05 PM matchup on Friday evening. Left-hander Chris Cody (1-1, 1.35) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Oklahoma right-hander Elizardo Ramirez (3-5, 4.14). Nashville Box Score Adam Heether's OBP is .425; Wes Littleton survived five walks in three shutout relief innings... Nashville Game Log Joaquin Arias of the RedHawks is tagged out at home plate by Nashville catcher Carlos Corporan in the third inning of Thursday's game. Arias was 3-for-6 as the RedHawks won 8-7 in 11 innings. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/581593/gallery_photo

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Starting Pitcher Manny Parra Good discussion, you can tell Manny is intelligent, maybe too cerebral for his own good, sounded at ease... *** Look who Manny gets to face next Tuesday

Link while active, text follows: Sounds star is a switch-fielder By MAURICE PATTON THE TENNESSEAN In most baseball circles, Alcides Escobar has been viewed as the shortstop-in-waiting for the Milwaukee Brewers, with a glove that's considered major-league ready at that position and a bat that's on the rise. A season-ending injury sustained last month by Milwaukee second baseman Rickie Weeks sent Escobar's progression in a different direction. For a handful of games in late May, Escobar switched sides in the middle of the Nashville Sounds' infield, getting himself prepared in case Brewers officials wanted to slide him ahead of veteran utilitymen Craig Counsell or Casey McGehee at second. "About three weeks ago, they said 'put him over there, play him two games at second base, one game at shortstop, and see what he can do,' " Sounds Manager Don Money said. The results, for a 22-year-old playing the position for the first time ever, were predictable. Escobar has committed nine total errors in 67 games - five in 60 games at shortstop, four in seven games at second base. "It's not as easy as some people might think," Brewers Assistant General Manager Gord Ash said. "I'd compare it to when we (North Americans; Ash is Canadian) travel to Europe and we have to drive. You're still driving, but you're driving on the other side of the road. We all know how to drive, but … it's not so natural. "It's a similar situation. It's a little different thought process. It takes some time to get used to it. The throws are a little different, the cutoff positions are a little different." And while the numbers may indicate that the move was unsuccessful, it would be more accurate to call Escobar a work-in-progress at second base. "It's a little bit difficult, but I can play it," he said. "If the team decides to call me up, I can play it. I'm more comfortable at shortstop, but I can play second base." In addition to different responsibilities on relay throws from the outfield, the most obvious difference between shortstop and second base comes on double-play situations. "It's more difficult on the double play," Escobar admitted. Dealing with the pivot is something that develops with time, Money said. "You have to judge how hard the ball is hit to the shortstop or to the third baseman, you have to know the runner," he said. "You've got to have that 'sense'. But he did alright with the turn." Currently, Escobar's play at second base is being limited to pregame work during infield practice, as the division-leading Brewers have been pleased with the Counsell/McGehee performance. At the same time, the hope is to allow Escobar to continue to develop through his first year of Triple-A ball. "Counsell and McGehee have done a good job for us so we don't really need to make that change, but we wanted to be prepared if we did," Ash said. "At this stage of his development, we don't feel it's good to bring him up if he's not going to play every day, and at this point, that's probably not going to happen." It looked as though Alcides Escobar was destined to spend the entire 2009 campaign with the Sounds. But a wrist injury that ended Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks' season may have opened a door. (Photo by DIPTI VAIDYA / THE TENNESSEAN) http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20090619&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=906190376&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

Fascinating in that as of last night, Cody was listed (on his normal turn), but indeed Dillard is moved up today -- interesting to try and sleuth out the maneuverings given the status of the 5th starter situation for the Brewers. As for Lawrie, he was pulled back in April, which certainly seemed harmless. There was one other game in which he was pulled for a "manager's decision". But let's be cautious here folks, there is no indication, none at all, that any recent absence is discipline-related. We'll probably learn something soon. Those associated with the club are in a very difficult situation when it comes to injury disclosures (HIPPA legal ramifications). And if it is disciplinary, well that's hardly something we'd be prone to learn about openly, either. Patience, everyone...

Wasn't able to link to all of Chris' pre-game updates earlier, but catch up on his last few posts , which include all that info, plus an update on our old friends in High Desert, finally something to celebrate. Those were some mighty lean years back for the Brewers in Adelanto.

Manatees site summary of the just-completed four-game set in Jupiter (nice Evan Anundsen photo).

DHonks, click the link where it says "here you go" http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

From Brian Massey, Huntsville's Director, Media & Public Relations: The Milwaukee Brewers and the Huntsville Stars announced today that RHP Juan Sandoval has been reinstated from the 7-Day Disabled List. In a related move, RHP Josh Butler has been assigned to Helena. Both moves are effective immediately, and Sandoval will be in uniform tonight as the Stars face the Birmingham Barons. Butler's move a paper transaction, you folks know the drill on that.

Final: Jupiter (Marlins) 2, Brevard County 0 Brevard County Box Score Michael Bowman has looked excellent in his three FSL outings with a 17-to-3 K-to-BB ratio, but a leadoff walk in the 3rd inning proved costly here in his six inings; the Hammerheads added an insurance run against Rob Wooten with a two-out rally in the 8th; three lonely singles for the good guys... Brevard County Game Log Manatees barely threatened...

Nashville fans willing to pay the associated fee can watch the Oklahoma City series this weekend via MiLB.TV.

Here you go, and I guarantee you that the Baseball Cube does not have the correct picture, proper one below -- http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_440773.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Napa Valley College's Cravy signs with Brewers By Marty James FOR THE WEEKLY CALISTOGAN Tyler Cravy said it's always been his dream to get drafted and play professionally. Cravy can stop dreaming. The Napa Valley College freshman pitcher was chosen last week by Milwaukee in the 17th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. He agreed to terms and signed with the Brewers late Friday. "Baseball's only going to give you one chance in life and it's real hard to pass it up," Cravy, a 6-foot-3 right-hander, said Sunday before leaving town. He was assigned to the Brewers' rookie league team in Phoenix, which opens its season June 21. "It wasn't even really the money - it wasn't even that big of an issue to me," said Cravy. "All I've ever really wanted to do is play baseball. This is the first step." Cravy said he will receive a $75,000 signing bonus and $25,000 for college, if he returns to school when he's done playing. Cravy agreed to the contract after meeting with Justin McCray, a Brewers scout. The Napa resident was the 526th overall selection. "I feel like I'm able to play at that level," said Cravy. "I'm going to get better and have good coaches there that know a lot about the game. I feel like I'm ready. I want to pitch as good as I can, get stronger and stay healthy. "I just want to show them that I can pitch with any of the guys, hopefully show them how much that I want to play." Milwaukee announced the signing Sunday. Cravy, who had a record-setting season as a starting pitcher, was named to the Community College Baseball All-America team. Cravy, a pitcher-infielder, was chosen as the Bay Valley Conference's Player of the Year as the Storm (22-18 overall, 16-11 BVC) took third place, missing out on the Northern California regional playoffs. "I felt like I had a pretty good year," he said. "I worked hard and did my best." It was his first season with the Storm after taking the 2008 season off. "To be an All-American and the Player of the Year in our conference is really something special," said Storm coach Bob Freschi. "He was a pleasure to coach and fun to watch." Cravy was 8-3 in 15 appearances with a 2.99 earned-run average. He broke Phil Simpson's school record, set in 1988, by striking out 110 batters in 90 1?3 innings. Simpson had 108 strikeouts. "We're very proud of him and excited for him," said Freschi. "We want what's best for each player - Tyler has that opportunity to live out a boyhood dream. He's going to do it. "Tyler's a special talent and he had a phenomenal year for us, both pitching and offense." Opponents batted .188 off Cravy, a righthander, who went to Hogan High School-Vallejo. He made 12 starts with three complete games. He throws in the 88- to 90-mph range with good control. Cravy also starred as a shortstop, first baseman and hitter, batting .335 with three home runs, 10 doubles, five triples and 40 RBIs. "I'm very proud of him," said Warren Brusstar, the Storm's pitching coach. "The biggest adjustment for him going into pro ball is that you're going to be at the ballpark every day. I'm sure he will be one of the top five guys, arm-wise, that they will have there." Cravy was a Day 2 selection during the draft. He said he had no idea that he'd be where he is today. "I didn't really expect to have a standout year," said Cravy, 19. "I was just getting back into baseball. I just wanted to play again, I missed playing a lot. I ended up having a good year." Following the season, Freschi began getting calls from different four-year colleges wanting to know about Cravy, who has very good arm strength. His make-up, body type, and the movement on his pitches got the attention of pro scouts. "The ball just gets on you as a hitter," said Freschi. "It's just a matter of him developing and progressing. He's just going to get better and develop and hopefully stick around for a while." Cravy's fastball explodes out of his hand, said Brusstar, and he showed very good consistency from start to start. The righthander also throws a curveball and changeup for strikes. "He still has a long ways to go, but he will do nothing but get better," said Brusstar. "The body's there, the arm's there - that's what they're looking for. "The best of luck to him." Richard Bruns photo http://images.townnews.com/weeklycalistogan.com/content/articles/2009/06/18/sports/local/doc4a39393df1669101335465.jpg

MLB.com's Adam McCalvy once again helps us out: Right-hander Mike Jones, the injury-plagued former first-round Draft pick and onetime top Brewers pitching prospect, was placed on the seven-day disabled list at Double-A Huntsville over the weekend. But he was battling an illness, not an arm problem, according to assistant general manager Gord Ash.

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville 40 27 .597 - 23-15 17-12 W2 Iowa 35 32 .522 5.0 18-14 17-18 W2 Memphis 31 35 .470 8.5 19-15 12-20 L2 Omaha 26 40 .394 13.5 11-21 15-19 W1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huntsville 37 27 .578 - 14-16 23-11 L2 Carolina 36 28 .563 1.0 21-14 15-14 W2 Tennessee 28 37 .431 9.5 15-18 13-19 L2 Chattanooga 27 38 .415 10.5 14-17 13-21 W2 West Tenn 25 41 .379 13.0 12-19 13-22 L3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 40 20 .667 - 15-11 25-9 L2 Daytona 31 30 .508 9.5 16-12 15-18 L1 Clearwater 30 32 .484 11.0 15-16 15-16 L1 Dunedin 30 33 .476 11.5 12-20 18-13 W1 Tampa 28 34 .452 13.0 15-19 13-15 L3 Lakeland 26 33 .441 13.5 15-17 11-16 L4

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. *** AAA All-Star voting is here with your MiLB.com online account.

Midwest League Standings Dominican Summer League Standings

Follow Thursday'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_18_nasaaa_orhaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2009_06_18_hunaax_biraax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2009_06_18_breafa_jupafa_1 Wisconsin: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_06_18_wisafx_kccafx_1&did=t572&sid=t572 Dominican Summer League Brewers / Orioles: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&gid=2009_06_18_dobrok_ddorok_1&cid=3130&t=g_box

Thursday's Daily Menu: We're all road-trippin' All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Link here for the live audio choices - audio will no longer archive. For this Brevard County series, you can pick up the Hammerheads' audio via this link. Nashville: LHP Chris Cody at Oklahoma City (Rangers), 6:40 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Huntsville: RHP Donovan Hand at Birmingham (White Sox), 6:50 PM pre-game; 7:05 gametime Brevard County: RHP Michael Bowman at Jupiter (Marlins), 11:05 AM gametime Wisconsin: RHP Trey Watten at Kane County (Athletics), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime Dominican Summer League Brewers / Orioles: at the DSL Dodgers (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...

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

Link while active, text follows: After being drafted as a catcher, Brewers make a new pitch to Sounds' Dillard Terry McCormick, Nashville City Paper Baseball has been a part of Tim Dillard's life for as long as he can remember. That's because his father, Steve Dillard, spent all or parts of eight seasons in the major leagues as a utility infielder for the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. For Nashville Sounds pitcher Tim and his brothers, the game was easily accessible and readily available. "I came from a baseball family. I had a baseball field in my backyard growing up," Dillard said. "I was a catcher. My brothers were infielders, and one of them was a pitcher. Someone had to catch them. " Dillard's abilities as a catcher got him noticed by the Milwaukee Brewers as a "draft-and-follow" prospect in 2003. The Brewers followed Dillard closely enough to notice his arm and soon the team came to like him as a pitcher more than as the catcher they originally drafted. "I got drafted twice by the Brewers as a catcher. I actually was pitching a little bit here and there in high school and college, but they actually liked me better as a pitcher," Dillard said. "They said, 'We're gonna sign you, but we want you to pitch.' I was like, 'Oh well, at least somebody wants me.'" Since being signed by the Brewers, Dillard has been trying to settle into a role as a pitcher - be it starter or reliever. Dillard has spent time alternating between starting and relieving. He had been mostly a reliever last year when he made his major league debut. With the Brewers he tossed 14 1/3 innings, but this season he has been one of the Sounds most reliable starters with a 7-3 record and a 3.98 earned run average in 12 starts. He said there are differences between being a starter and a reliever that the casual baseball fan might not recognize. "I think as a reliever when you come in, you just can't sit there and get comfortable. You can't sit there and throw the fastball down the middle, as opposed to a starter, who can kind of establish his fastball and throw more strikes," Dillard said. "As a reliever, you come in, especially in late innings, you've got to come in with probably your best stuff. You've got to come in throwing every 'out' pitch. Every pitch has got to be like you're throwing an 0-2 out pitch. You can't just throw a get-me-over. That's probably the biggest difference I've noticed." Sounds manager Don Money echoed that in his assessment of the difference as well. "Relievers could be in there two days in a row, off a day and in two more days," Money said. "If you get knocked around and you're a starter, you've got four more days to think about it. As a reliever, you get roughed up, we may run you right back out there the next day." Money knows Dillard well, having managed him in Double-A Huntsville and Single-A Beloit (Wis.) before this year in Nashville. He sees a pitcher who still is a work in progress and one he says needs to develop one more pitch to his repertoire in order to reach and stay at the big-league level. "He's doing well, but there's still things he needs to work on," Money said. "I had him in Huntsville, and I had him Beloit. I've seen him in both roles, but mainly as a starter. In my eyes, he still needs an off-speed pitch. He's a sinker, slider type. He'll throw a forkball or change-up on occasion, but just throwing it doesn't mean anything. You have to get guys out with it. "Once you get a pitch over the plate, nobody says you have to throw it 30 times, but you have to let the hitter think about it, that he could throw his change-up or his forkball. You just put it in the back of his mind to think about it. All the good ones do it. All good pitchers plant the seed." Dillard says that by being a starter full-time, it has given him the chance to develop more pitches this season. "When you throw more pitches, your stuff can be a little better," Dillard said. "When I pitched out of the bullpen, I threw maybe 60 or 70 innings last year. This year, I've already thrown [72]. When you get to have that many innings, you get to throw more sliders, you get to throw more change-ups. So everything should be a little bit better." Dillard said one of his goals as a starter is simply to give his team a chance to win every fifth day. And that is something he has done, for the most part this season. "I'm just trying to stay consistent and stay healthy and give the team a chance to win. To me, if you're a starting pitcher, if you can do that, that's probably the recipe," Dillard said. Of course, the ultimate goal is to get to the majors and stay this time. The little taste he got in May and September of 2008 was plenty to whet his appetite to accomplish that goal. And it's kept him hungry. "When you grind it out in the minor leagues, it's no treat, but to have that payoff and know what it's like is amazing," he said. "Your work ethic gets better, your drive. It reboots you in a way. When you start feeling like you're on the downturn, it throws you back into the mix and pumps you up a little bit." http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/files/citypaper/imagecache/story_floated/images/dillard.jpg

Link while active, text follows: Rice Owls Pitcher Mike Ojala---from Super Regionals to MLB Draft to Tommy John Surgery Roughly three weeks ago, Mike Ojala was getting ready to pitch game one of the NCAA Houston Regional at Reckling Park versus Sam Houston State University. The Rice Owls would go on to defeat the Bearkats May 29th on their way to winning the Houston Regional versus Kansas State on Monday, June 1st, and advance to the Super Regional in Baton Rouge, June 5th and 6th. LSU was the opponent. The starting pitching assignment, once again, per Rice Skipper Wayne Graham, went to Mike Ojala. Heading into the weekend series, Ojala had the 3rd best ERA in Division I College Baseball at 1.72. The Owls would suffer defeat Friday and Saturday cementing their season at 43-18 and elimination from CWS contention. However, the baseball world and Major League Baseball, in particular, would take notice of the successful season the Owls would experience and select five of their draft-eligible players in the MLB draft that took place June 10-11, 2009. One of those would be Ojala---selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 34th round of the MLB draft. "It was pretty awesome---it was a blessing. I really didn't think I was gonna go actually. It was pretty cool to see my name get popped up on the screen. I was excited." The Milwaukee Brewers also drafted one of Ojala's college teammates, outfielder Steven Sultzbaugh. The two could, at some point, become teammates at the Major League level. "Sultzbaugh is a great guy. We become pretty good friends this past year. I hope both of us end up taking that road and we can play together. We'll see how it goes. He's up in Cape Cod playing right now trying to get a little more ball in between his discussions with the signing." Looks like the Brewers made two really good decisions, especially with Ojala. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2009, he went undefeated at 5-0 and maintained a team-leading 2.17 ERA with one save in 66.1 innings of work. Ojala's ERA was never above 2.20 at any point during the season. He would finish second on the team with 74 strikeouts and third in innings. Ojala held opposing hitters to a .249 batting average while averaging 10.0 strikeouts per 9.0 innings. Pretty amazing stats---especially since Ojala has suffered through the season with an elbow injury that kept him out of the starting lineup and off the mound for a portion of the season. But, he wasn't the only Owl who played through pain this season. Ryan Berry and Chad Mozingo, to name a few, also suffered through the season with nagging injuries that at times kept them off the field. In fact, Mozingo played with a broken hand and TWO badly sprained ankles and is scheduled to undergo a procedure to repair ligaments in one of his ankles on Thursday, (today), similar to that of Anthony Rendon. More on Mozingo coming up in a future article. But, long story short, the injuries made it tougher for the Owls to continue their winning ways, says Ojala. "That was a huge blow to our team. But, I was very, very proud of how everybody came together. The chemistry on our team is just unbelievable. It was great! Our defense was solid and sound. And our bats were taking care of the pitchers. We had some ups and downs. But, it was a great team to be a part of this year." There was one specific key reason why Ojala really enjoyed this year's team and why they played so well. "I think it's very, very hard to find a college team, or even a professional team or any team at any level that every single person on the team loves everybody else. On and off the field, we were always together. I don't think you could find one person on the team that could say something negative about somebody else. The chemistry was pretty unbelievable. So, you know, a lot of those guys return next year. I hope that vibe kinda sticks with it." Speaking of sticking with it, the bigger question is for Ojala---whether or not to return to Rice for his final season of eligibility and graduate or sign with the Milwaukee Brewers. He will have Tommy John surgery on Thursday, (today), to repair the injured elbow. It's a typical pitcher's surgery. Rehab will take 9 to 12 months. "I will be taken care of very well no matter if I'm with Rice or the Brewers. So, I'm very blessed." Here's the deal. The Brewers drafted Ojala which gave them the right to talk with him and possibly sign him to a contract. He has until August 17th to decide whether to sign with the Brewers or forego the opportunity and return to Rice to play the second half of the 2010 seaon. Either way he decides, he will rehab with Rice or with the Brewers. Should he decide to remain at Rice, he will be able to finish his education and graduate next year with a degree in Economics and enter the 2010 MLB Draft. However, if he signs with the Brewers, Ojala is hoping the Brewers will show flexibility in allowing him to complete his degree plan. "That's my number one goal---my mom would kill me if I didn't get my school done as soon as possible and I'm right there with her. I hope that through my negiations with the Brewers that I can get my school done first and foremost and then kinda go from there." Meanwhile, Ojala is hoping for the best after the Tommy John's surgery on Thursday. http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/IMG_0383(6).JPG

Final: DSL Mets 8, DSL Brewers / Orioles 6 DSL Brewers / Orioles Box Score No Brewer pitchers; catcher Jhonatan Javier hitting .320 after 50 AB's, reached four times here as the DH (double, walk two HBP's); SS Andres Martinez 1-for-5, four K's; LF Luis Chirinos 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI -- the 16-year-old is hitting .282 after 39 AB's... DSL Brewers / Orioles Game Log

Final: Burlington (Royals) 8, Wisconsin 6 Wisconsin Site Game Summary That one stings By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers BURLINGTON, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers grabbed a 6-3 lead with four runs in the top of the seventh inning at Community Field on Wednesday night. However, the Burlington Bees took advantage of a two-out error and scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to rally and beat the Rattlers 8-6. Chase Fontaine had three hits, including the two-run double that put the Bees ahead to stay in the seventh. The Rattlers missed out on a chance to reach the .500 mark for the first time since April 25 because of this loss. Juan Sanchez was hit by a pitch on the first pitch of the game. Michael Marseco moved Sanchez along to second with a sacrifice bunt. Then, Corey Kemp doubled to drive home Sanchez with the first run of the game. That just started the see-saw affair. Burlington (28-38) tied the game in the bottom of the second. A two-out RBI single by Fernando Garcia knocked in the tying run. Wisconsin (32-34) went back up by one in the top of the fifth. Sanchez stepped to the plate with runners at first and third with one out and lined a single back through the center of the diamond to drive in the go-ahead run. The Bees rallied to tie the game again in the bottom of the fifth inning. Nick Van Stratten singled home the tying run with one out. Cody Scarpetta relieved Wisconsin starting pitcher Efrain Nieves to start the bottom of the sixth inning. He allowed a two-out RBI single by Chase Fontaine that put the Bees up 3-2. That lead did not hold. Steve Braun reached on an error to start the top of the seventh. A sacrifice bunt by Sean McCraw moved Braun over to scoring position. Then, Sanchez drew a walk. Marseco was next and he singled to center to send Braun home with the tying run. Another walk loaded the bases and sent Bees reliever Manauris Baez to the showers. John Delaney faced Barry Bowden and fell behind in the count 1-2. But, the all-star reliever for Burlington hit Delaney with a pitch to force in the go-ahead run. Chris Dennis singled in the next run and Brock Kjeldgaard's sacrifice fly put the Rattlers up 6-3. But, that lead would not hold. Scarpetta struck out the first two batters of the bottom of the seventh inning. Then, an error on a dropped throw at first for what would have been the final out of the frame extended the inning. Scarpetta walked the next batter and it was off to the races after that. Nick Francis, David Wood, and Sean McCauley had consecutive RBI singles to tie the game 6-6 and knock Scarpetta out of the game. Brandon Ritchie replaced Scarpetta and gave up a two-run double to Fontaine and Burlington led 8-6. Bowden walked the first two Timber Rattler hitters in the top of the eighth, but he retired the last six batters he faced and preserved the Burlington win. The Timber Rattlers begin a four game series in Kane County against the Western Division leading Cougars on Thursday night. Trey Watten (2-6, 4.01) is the scheduled starter for the Timber Rattlers. Kane County sends Kenny Smalley (6-2, 1.94) to the mound. Game time is 6:30 PM. Wisconsin Box Score Encouraging five innings from Efrain Nieves; teams combined to go 12-for-29 with RISP; not having the Rattlers at home means no press on Brett Lawrie's absence -- not sure if Chris Mehring mentioned it during the broadcast... Wisconsin Game Log

Final: Jupiter (Marlins) 8, Brevard County 3 Brevard County Box Score 21-year-old catcher Brett Whiteside mopped up, he pitched a scoreless ninth to extend his scoreless streak to four innings on the year with only two hits allowed -- thanks to the 'Tees Tyler Stover for the stat info; catcher Martin Maldonado (again) picks a runner off second base... Brevard County Game Log Caleb Gindl grounded out in the top of the 8th, was replaced defensively in the bottom of the inning -- hopefully OK, perhaps a victim of the 87 degree heat and humidity...