Jim Goulart

Two-run walk-off double, Mike Marseco -- Timber Rattlers break their six-game skid, 3-2! Details in a bit...

Eight of ten Scarpetta K's were swinging -- just overpowering.

Huntsville Site Game Summary: Carolina Comes Back to Stun Stars Mudcats Rally in Last At-Bat to Down Huntsville Juan Francisco scored from third base on a wild pitch with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, as Carolina came back to stun Huntsville 7-6 Wednesday afternoon in the middle of a five-game set at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC. The Mudcats have taken two of three to improve to 6-7, while the Stars suffered their first walk-off loss to dip to 6-7. Chris Heisey led off the fateful ninth with a triple against Robert Hinton, who recorded the last out in the eighth, and scored on a Zach Cozart single that trimmed the visitors lead to 6-5. Juan Francisco followed with a single to move Cozart to second base before Todd Frazier popped out. Cozart then stole third and scored to tie the game on a Logan Parker double that pushed Francisco to third. Michael Griffin fouled out for the second out before Hinton bounced his first pitch to Shaun Cumberland past the catcher J.R. Hopf, who played the carom and threw to Hinton covering at the plate just late, as Francisco slid across with the winning run. Ramon Geronimo earned his first win for Carolina with a scoreless ninth inning. Adam Stern opened the game by reaching on a Francisco fielding error, stole second base and scored on a one-out double by Kevin Melillo. However, the lead was brief, as the Mudcats rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning when Cozart doubled in Heisey and scored on a Frazier single. Melillo's sacrifice fly in the third tied the game at two before Lorenzo Cain was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Drew Anderson then drove Jordan Smith's first pitch over the wall in right field for a three-run clout that gave Huntsville a 5-2 edge. Carolina got a run back off of Stars' starter Bobby Bramhall in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, run-scoring hit by Parker. Smith, and Mudcats' skipper David Bell, were thrown out of the game after a ball was called on a Hopf check swing on an 0-2 offering during the lead off at-bat in the sixth. The pitcher and manager thought it should have resulted in a strikeout, prompting Bell to engage in a lengthy, animated discussion that led to his ejection. Camilo Vasquez took over and worked out of the inning before running into trouble in the seventh, as he walked the first three hitters of the frame and was removed after falling behind Anderson 2-0. Federico Baez took over and got Anderson to foul out before Chris Errecart singled in a run to extend the Stars' lead to 6-4. Baez escaped further trouble by setting down the next two hitters and then worked a scoreless eighth inning. Bramhall was removed after five frames, allowing three runs on four hits, while walking three and fanning three and remains winless in three double-A starts. Donovan Hand tossed scoreless relief in the sixth and was lifted with one out and one on in the seventh and followed by Casey Baron, who gave up a two-out double to Frazier that drove in Cozart to cut the lead to 6-4. The series continues Thursday night with Stars' southpaw David Welch taking the mound against Mudcats' right-hander James Avery. Coverage of the game begins at 6:00 PM central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score Huntsville Game Log Pitching coach John Curtis a busy man, making at least five mound visits that did not involve removing a pitcher at the time...

Final: Carolina (Reds) 7, Huntsville 6 Robert Hinton cant't protect a two-run 9th inning lead and Huntsville loses on a walk-off wild pitch, 7-6. Details from Brett Pollock a bit later... Carolina Bottom 9th Chris Heisey triples (1) on a fly ball to right fielder Adam Stern. Zach Cozart singles on a line drive to left fielder Drew T. Anderson. Chris Heisey scores. Coaching visit to mound. Juan Francisco singles on a line drive to right fielder Adam Stern. Zach Cozart to 2nd. Todd Frazier pops out to first baseman Chris Errecart in foul territory. With Logan Parker batting, Zach Cozart steals (1) 3rd base. Logan Parker doubles (3) on a line drive to right fielder Adam Stern. Zach Cozart scores. Juan Francisco to 3rd. Michael Griffin pops out to first baseman Chris Errecart in foul territory. With Shaun Cumberland batting, wild pitch by Robert Hinton, Juan Francisco scores.

Nine up, nine down for the T-Rats lineup so far (once again). At what point does their collective offensive slump become more than just a curiosity? This is ridiculous. Cody Scarpetta is rolling with his power K game.

More details on the earlier transaction from the Calgary Vipers (independent Golden Baseball League site): The Calgary Vipers have graduated their first player to the Triple-A ranks. Workhorse catcher Patrick Arlis has left the Snakes for the AAA-Nashville Sounds, the Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. "We hate to lose a player of Patrick's ability", said Vipers Director of Baseball Operations Peter Young. "But after talking with Gord Ash and the Brewers scouting staff we realized this was an incredible opportunity for Pat. He wants to get into coaching in the near future and this is a step in the door for him". Arlis started 78 of the Vipers 84 games in 2008 and all eight in the playoffs. He hit .273 with 7 home runs and 42 runs batted in. So we'll see what happens here, will Arlis take an occasional start from Angel Salome and Carlos Corporan, not to mention a Sounds roster spot? In the big picture, this means little, but we'll see how it all plays out when Arlis is eventually activated.

It's a shame it's not archived, but Reid Nichols with some high praise for the Brevard kids during the Wisconsin pre-game interview today, including noting that third baseman Zelous Wheeler is one of the better defenders in the system as well.

Is anybody able to get the Stars' audio this AM?

Thanks for the update, all you folks should bookmark Chris Mehring's Rattler Radio Blog and make it part of your pre-game routine, as we won't always be available to post individual links to Chris' updates on game day, although we'll try.

Eastern Time, plus you'll see a bunch of weekday games for the school kids right through early June.

We're having some of our main site (non-forum) issues of our own today, so we can only provide the link to all the MiLB.com standings pages here for now.

Follow Wednesday'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_04_22_nasaaa_mrbaaa_1 Huntsville: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t559&t=g_box&gid=2009_04_22_hunaax_cmcaax_1 Brevard County: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t503&t=g_box&gid=2009_04_22_breafa_tbyafa_1 Wisconsin: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=g_box&gid=2009_04_22_peoafx_wisafx_1&did=t572&sid=t572

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):

Diehard Sounds fans can actually watch the series in Memphis via MiLB.TV. The cost is $6.95 monthly, $29.95 for the season for live and archived video feeds. The Sounds will likely be on MiLB.TV approx. 15-20 times this season, I'd imagine. It does not appear single game purchases are still available any longer, and blackouts (Memphis area in this case) do apply.

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times Central; pitchers subject to change -- Link here for the live audio choices - audio will no longer archive. Sorry, no audio for this Brevard County series Nashville: RHP Nick Green at Memphis (Cardinals), 12:50 PM pre-game; 1:05 gametime Huntsville: LHP Bobby Bramhall at Carolina (Reds), 9:45 AM pre-game; 10:00 gametime Brevard County: RHP Mark Rogers at Tampa (Yankees), 6:00 PM gametime Wisconsin: RHP Cody Scarpetta (to be followed by LHP Efrain Nieves) at home vs. Peoria (Cubs), 11:45 AM pre-game, 12:05 PM gametime

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

By the way, it looks like MiLB.com is having site issues this morning, you may need to click later for box scores and game logs.

Final: Huntsville 2, Carolina (Reds) 1 Huntsville Site Game Summary: Three Huntsville Hurlers Handcuff Mudcats Another Comeback Win For Stars Chris Cody worked six strong innings to grab his first double-A victory and Huntsville took advantage of a costly fielding error in a tense 2-1 win over Carolina Tuesday night in the second of a five-game set at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC. The Stars evened their record at 6-6, with all six wins coming by one run, while the Mudcats dropped to 5-7. Todd Frazier reached against Cody to open the home second on a throwing error, moved to second base on a balk, advanced to third on an infield single by Michael Griffin and scored when Eric Eymann grounded into a double play. Cody then retired 10 of the next 11 hitters he faced before Chris Heisey bunted for a hit in the sixth inning. Mudcats' starter Travis Wood carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and retired the first batter before Jonathan Lucroy singled into left field to spoil a chance at history for the southpaw. Lorenzo Cain walked with two outs and Wood was removed in favor of Derrik Lutz, who hit Chris Errecart to load the bases. Drew Anderson pinch hit for Chuck Caufield and sent the first pitch he saw on the ground to third and it went right through the legs of Francisco, who looked like he tried to field the ball and throw all in the same motion. The misplay allowed two runs to score to give Huntsville the lead. Wood was tagged with the loss to fall to 0-2 despite yielding only one hit. He walked three, struck out three and was victimized by a lack of support and a costly error for a second straight start. Frazier singled to lead off the seventh and Cody was replaced by Mike McClendon, who set down all six hitters he faced. Juan Sandoval took over in the ninth, retiring the first two hitters with three pitches before walking Frazier. The right-hander then earned his second save in three tries by getting Griffin to ground out to end the game. Cody, who put together his longest outing with the Stars, gave up four hits and fanned three. The series continues Wednesday morning with Stars' southpaw Bobby Bramhall taking the mound against Mudcats' right-hander Jordan Smith. Coverage of the game begins at 9:45 AM central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score Honestly, if one were to study lefty Chris Cody's career numbers in a vacuum, and didn't know that he was an 80-85 MPH crafty soft-tosser, you'd be looking at a # 1 organizational prospect -- heck, he may be heading that way anyway; Cody has never wavered in his production, amazingly consistent, every single ratio has been sensational; the only drawback you can mention is that the 25-year-old has been old for his leagues along the way; he's a bit of an anti-Manny Parra right now, in complete control of every pitch... Huntsville Game Log

Link while active, text follows: All-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman gets back to starters roots -- for a night By Marlon W. Morgan, Memphis Commercial Appeal It was kind of a nostalgic moment for Trevor Hoffman as he trotted to the mound at AutoZone Park on Tuesday evening. Major League Baseball's all-time saves leader was now donning a Nashville Sounds jersey, as he prepared to make the first of two rehabilitation assignments for the Sounds. It wasn't the first time Hoffman had worn a Sounds jersey. He also sported one back in 1992, as a minor leaguer in the Cincinnati Reds farm system. ''That was the last time I started, too,'' Hoffman recalled. That was so long ago, he forgot how to warm up properly before the game as pitching coach Chris Bosio suggested the 41-year-old righthander may have thrown too many pitches before Tuesday's game against the Redbirds. Hoffman pitched the first inning of the Sounds 9-1 win over the Redbirds in front of 4,135. He gave up one run on two hits to the five hitters he faced, which further reminded him of what it was like to be a starter. ''It was similar results, giving up runs,'' Hoffman laughed afterwards. The Brewers didn't sign Hoffman to a $6 million contract in January to be a starter, though. They're hoping he has plenty more of the 554 saves he has amassed over his assured Hall of Fame career still left in his arm. Hoffman is recovering from a straight oblique near his right rib cage. He accomplished his major goal Tuesday, which was to get out of the game healthy. ''I had an opportunity to throw all my pitches,'' Hoffman said. ''It was exciting just to get out of the inning. I made sure that (Nashville pitcher) Chase (Wright) didn't have to sweat too much. I gave up the run of the game. He came in and did a nice job. It was a lot like spring training. I'm getting down towards the end of a couple of rehab assignments here and I just want to get out of them healthy.'' Hoffman is scheduled to pitch in relief in Friday night's series finale against the Redbirds, making another one inning appearance. If all goes well, he hopes to join the Brewers this weekend. ''I think he was probably rusty,'' Nashville manager Don Money said. ''He'll pitch an inning Friday, and hopefully, he'll be back in Milwaukee and pick up some saves for them.'' After allowing the Redbirds to score their only run of the game, Hoffman was replaced by Wright (1-1), who allowed just three hits in seven innings as the Sounds won their fifth straight game. Wright struck out four batters and had no walks. Redbirds Wrapup: Sounds 9, Redbirds 1 Redbirds starter Adam Ottavino struggled for the second straight outing. This time the righthander failed to get out of the third inning after surrendering six runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings. The Sounds jumped on the 23-year-old prospect in the first inning as Joe Koshansky belted a two-run homer. After adding a run in the second, Nashville chased Ottavino from the mound in the third with three more runs. The Redbirds' lone run came in the first inning when Nick Stavinoha's sacrifice fly drove in leadoff hitter Shane Robinson. The Redbirds were held to just five hits, with Robinson collecting two of those. Photos by Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2009/04/21/22birds1.jpeg Nashville's Hernan Irbarren slides safely across home plate as Redbirds catcher Bryan Anderson tags him too late for one of the Sounds' nine runs on the night. http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2009/04/21/22birds3.jpeg Trevor Hoffman, who is rehabbing an injury with the Brewers' farm club, was pain-free after pitching Tuesday. http://media.commercialappeal.com/mca/content/img/photos/2009/04/21/22birds2.jpeg

Nashville Pre-Game Audio Chat with Reliever Trevor Hoffman (Part 1 of 2) Part Two to be posted in Wednesday's Link Report; Hoffman deftly transfers any Padres mention to his Brewer status... Final: Nashville 9, Memphis (Cardinals) 1 Nashville Site Game Summary: Link for Mat Gamel photo, text follows -- Gamel, Wright Lead Sounds To 5th Straight Win MEMPHIS - Third baseman Mat Gamel homered and drove in four runs and Chase Wright tossed seven scoreless frames to lead the Nashville Sounds to their fifth straight victory, a 9-1 triumph over the Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday evening at AutoZone Park in the opener of a four-game series. Nashville (8-5) has won six of its last seven contests after opening the year with a 2-4 mark. For the third straight game, a Joe Koshansky home run gave the Sounds a lead they would not relinquish, this one coming in the top of the first inning off Memphis starter Adam Ottavino. Tony Gwynn led off the contest with a walk and later scored on the Sounds first baseman's blast to right, his third roundtripper of the year. AUDIO: Joe Koshansky Homers For Third Straight Game The Redbirds plated a run in the bottom of the frame against rehabbing Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman, who made his first appearance of the season. Shane Robinson led off with a double to left, stole third, and scored on Memphis first baseman Nick Stavinoha's sacrifice fly, cutting the Nashville lead to 2-1. Hoffman worked one inning, throwing 18 pitches (10 for strikes) while allowing the one run on two hits and striking out a batter. He is scheduled to make a second rehab outing with the Sounds in a relief capacity in Friday's contest at Memphis. After Hoffman's departure, Wright (1-1) took over on the hill for Nashville and turned in an outstanding outing to earn his first victory as a member of the Brewers organization. The southpaw was virtually untouched, allowing only three hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out four batters. The seven-inning outing matched the longest by a Nashville hurler this season. The Sounds increased the lead to 3-1 in the third when Hernan Iribarren, who has hit safely in 11 of his 12 games this season, doubled and scored on a Jason Tyner sacrifice fly, then upped the advantage to 6-1 with a three-run third that featured a Gamel RBI single and an Iribarren run-scoring double, his second two-bagger of the night. Nashville put the game out of reach in the sixth with a two-out rally culminated by Gamel's team-leading fifth longball of the season, a three-run shot to right off Memphis reliever Ian Ostlund. After the first two batters in the frame were retired, Gwynn - who extended the Sounds' longest hit streak of the year to 11 games in the contest - and Alcides Escobar singled to set the table to the slugging third baseman, who upped his RBI total to 19 on the year. Ottavino (0-2) took the loss for the Redbirds after surrendering six runs on six hits over his 3 2/3 innings of work. Wes Littleton retired the Redbirds in order in the bottom of the ninth in to close things out for Nashville. The teams continue the series with a 1:05 PM matchup on Wednesday afternoon. Right-hander Nick Green (1-0, 4.09) will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face Memphis right-hander Brad Thompson (1-0, 1.80). Nashville Box Score Tony Gwynn on base all five plate appearances, 13 of 15 hits are singles, but that's Tony; Hernan Iribarren, by comparison, has eight extra-base hits among his 17 safeties in the early going; Mat Gamel is ridiculous; for the first season, Chase Wright has to work the bat as well -- work in progress; wonderful to see Wright's mound work here; more clean defense, and yes, Mat Gamel was busy with the glove in this one, so not an empty errorless performance... Nashville Game Log

Final: Brevard County 10, Tampa (Yankees) 2 Brevard County Box Score Caleb Gindl four singles, a walk, run scored, three RBI; first baseman Steffan Wilson on base three times, the dangerous Wilson finds himself hitting eighth in a strong lineup; still trying to get used to seeing offensive production like this from our FSL affiliate; clean defense for all here, too; Lee Haydel, Brent Brewer and Eric Farris each stole their 4th base of the season, only Haydel has been caught (once); both Brandon Rapoza and Rafael Lluberes maintain their 0.00 ERA's in four relief stints apiece, each only walking one thus far this season (Lluberes did allow three unearned runs earlier)... Brevard County Game Log Formal Press Release with more details on Zelous Wheeler's award Manatees' Site Details Hot Team Start (Lee Haydel photo)

Rattler Radio Blog: Drat and Blast! (Wisconsin Postponed) Probable Pitchers (vs. Peoria) UPDATED...AGAIN

Link Report Bonus from MiLB.com -- fun: Promo Review: Desperate Househusbands Night in Huntsville

Rattler Radio Blog: April 21, 2009 Game Notes April 21, 2009 Timber Rattler Pitchers (Scarpetta / Nieves)

Pacific Coast League (AAA) - PCL American North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iowa 8 4 .667 - 3-1 5-3 W2 Memphis 7 4 .636 0.5 5-2 2-2 W1 Nashville 7 5 .583 1.0 3-5 4-0 W4 Omaha 7 5 .583 1.0 2-2 5-3 W2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Southern League (AA) - SOU North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tennessee 5 5 .500 - 2-2 3-3 W1 Carolina 5 6 .455 0.5 1-0 4-6 W1 Huntsville 5 6 .455 0.5 5-5 0-1 L2 West Tenn 4 7 .364 1.5 0-1 4-6 L6 Chattanooga 3 8 .273 2.5 2-3 1-5 L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florida State League (A+) - FSL North Division Standings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brevard County 6 4 .600 - 6-1 0-3 W5 Clearwater 6 4 .600 - 4-4 2-0 W1 Lakeland 5 5 .500 1.0 4-1 1-4 W2 Tampa 5 5 .500 1.0 2-0 3-5 L1 Daytona 5 6 .455 1.5 3-3 2-3 W1 Dunedin 4 7 .364 2.5 0-3 4-4 L4