Jim Goulart

Final: Idaho Falls 9, Helena 3 Hey, remember when this 10-16 team was 6-2 to start the season? Those were good times... Chukars Six Unanswered, Win 9-3 Brewers Drop Fourth Straight IDAHO FALLS, ID - With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 5th, Manny Olloque came to bat for Idaho Falls with runners on first and third and two outs. He grounded a ball to short. Trever Morrison dove, gloved it, and popped up firing the ball across the diamond to an outstretched Ronnie Gideon. Olloque was called safe, Rudy Martin came in to score, and the Idaho Falls Chuckars never looked back, scoring six unanswered runs to defeat the Helena Brewers 9-3 on Thursday night at Melaleuca Field. The loss was the Brewers fourth in a row, and 12th in their last 14 games. After falling behind 3-0 in the 2nd, the Brewers fought their way back to with a combination of timely hitting and aggressive baserunning. Helena's first two runs came in the top of the 4th, the first on a Caleb Whalen RBI single and the second on a successful double steal that saw Demi Orimioloye scamper home from third for his league best 11th stolen base. A Nathan Rodriguez ground out in the 5th tied it at three, but it was all Chukars from there. Helena left eight men on base, including seven in scoring position, and finished the game 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Rodrigo Benoit was effective, allowing two earned runs on four hits, in a four-inning start, but Gentry Fortuno (2-2) struggled for a second consecutive outing. The right-hander allowed six earned runs on seven hits and two walks in just 2.2 innings. Offensively, Lucas Erceg snapped an 0-for-10 skid with a 3-for-3 night, and Orimoloye finished with two hits to raise his average to .253. The Brewers will look to salvage the finale of this three game series on Friday night before heading to Ogden for four games with the Raptors. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 (8:15 Central), and Wuilder Rodriguez will get the start for Helena opposite Matt Portland for Idaho Falls. Helena Box Score Lucas Erceg on base all four times up, including a double, he's also now 7-for-8 in SB attempts; Erceg also committed his 8th and 9th errors in 17 games. Gilbert Lara singled, but fanned in his other four at-bats. Helena Game Log RHP Gentry Fortuno allowed four earned runs in his first 19 innings; he's allowed 16 earned runs in his last six, yikes.

: Watch the Shuckers' walk it off, and then stay on the field for a nice on-field celebration of Mike Guerrero's 1000th win -- part spontaneous, part scripted, but in a nice way

Final: Tacoma 3, Colorado Springs 1 Third Link Report loss of the night tonight by a 3-1 score... Sky Sox Clipped 3-1 By Tacoma Sky Sox produce just four hits in series opening loss By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox *** Colorado Springs Box Score Sky Sox just four hits, one walk, and they struck out 13 times...turn the page. Colorado Springs Game Log Luis Sardinas confirming he is not a good offensive player with the Mariners organization; oh, and we see you atop the lineup, Nori Aoki...

Florida Today Brevard County Photo Gallery

AUDIO via Thursday's Shuckers Pre-Game Show: Manager Mike Guerrero

Shuckers' Guerrero earns 1,000th career win in dramatic fashion over Barons by Doug Barber, Special to the Biloxi Sun-Herald BILOXI – Biloxi Shuckers manager Mike Guerrero picked up his 1,000th career coaching victory in dramatic fashion Thursday night at MGM Park. Angel Ortega’s infield single scored Johnny Davis with the winning run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning before 2,639 fans as the Shuckers rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Birmingham Barons. Davis reached first on a one-out bunt single. He stole second, moved to third on a single by Tyrone Taylor, and scored on Ortega’s grounder to the second baseman. “It was an exciting ballgame,’’ Guerrero said. “Anytime we can win a ballgame like that is awesome. It means a lot to me. Our players grinded it out and played hard. I tip my hat to them. “We always talk about competing and playing with energy even when things aren’t going our way. Once we got runners on bases, we put the pressure on them. Today is a special moment and we will enjoy it.’’ The Shuckers (47-43, 8-13 in the second half) have won two in a row. Birmingham fell to 38-53, 9-12. Game 2 of the homestand with Birmingham is Friday night at 7:10. Right-hander Taylor Jungmann (0-1, 5.27) will be on the mound for the Shuckers. The Barons will counter with Blair Walters (3-3, 3.48). “I just tried to get on base so my teammates could get me in,’’ Davis said. “I knew we would pull it out. We were playing patient. If we had panicked, we would not have won this game. We chilled out and said let’s go out and get this win.’’ Trailing 2-0, the Shuckers tied it in the bottom of the eighth. Tyrone Taylor was hit with a pitch. Ortega then rapped an infield single. Brett Phillips laid down a sacrifice bunt, and pitcher Zack Burdi threw it into right field to cut the lead to 2-1. Then Garrett Cooper singled to right to tie the game. The Barons broke through against Shuckers starting pitcher Angel Ventura in the top of the fifth. Adam Engel singled with one out. Eddy Alvarez doubled him home but Alvarez was thrown out trying to stretch the double into a triple. Ventura worked five innings, giving up one run on eight hits with five strikeouts. He was relieved by Junior Rincon, Tyler Spurlin and Tayler Scott. The Barons pushed the lead to 2-0 in the seventh. Engel led off with a triple to right off Rincon, and then Courtney Hawkins drove him home on a sacrifice fly to left. Scott was the winning pitcher in relief, working the ninth inning, while Nolan Sanburn took the loss in relief of Jordan Guerrero and Burdi.

VIDEO via WLOX: Early inning Biloxi action, including some sweet infield defense

Midseason Top 100: Risers And Fallers J.J. Cooper, Baseball America FALLERS For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Here are some preseason Top 100 Prospects whose stock has fallen in the first half of the season. Jorge Lopez, rhp, Brewers Colorado Springs is going to hurt any pitching prospect’s development because it’s a near-impossible place to pitch effectively. At home, the Sky Sox have a 6.10 ERA and .310 batting average against (the team’s road numbers are 4.77 and .255). And some of those struggles at home can bleed over on the road. But even with all those caveats, scouts have been disappointed in what they have seen from Lopez this year. Lopez’s downer curveball has not been the same plus breaking ball he’s shown in the past. And he’s left his fastball up in the zone much too often. Scouts who have seen Lopez in the past as well as this year wonder if he’s hit a speed bump and needs to recover, and scouts who have just seen him this year say he looks like a fringe big leaguer more than a future rotation stalwart.

Not any more, as OF Carlos Belonis (shoulder, sidelined since 6/29) is activated, and LHP Drake Owenby has been placed on the 7-day DL with an undisclosed injury. Also, 3rd catcher Natanael Mejia was placed on the DL on the 11th. The Rattlers active roster is at 25.

More from Wednesday night -- Woodruff racks up K's, zeros for Shuckers Brewers righty ties career high with 10 strikeouts over seven innings By Robert Emrich / MiLB.com Quotes there from Brandon... *** And more from Pensacola: Unfortunately Travieso, the longest start by a Blue Wahoos pitcher this season was matched by Biloxi righthander Brandon Woodruff. Woodruff worked seven innings with 10 strikeouts, four hits and kept the Blue Wahoos from getting a runner in scoring position until the seventh. Even in the later innings, Woodruff's fastball was still being clocked in the mid-to-upper 90 mph range. "We don't see that kind of velocity very often from starters," said Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly, whose team had not faced Woodruff until last night. "He was really good. He had kind of a quick delivery that was tough to time. "Good use of his slider once he got ahead. He was just effectively wild. He wasn't consistent at any particular spot. So we ended up swinging at some pitches out of the (strike) zone."

MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers It's another streamlined Link Report start tonight, thanks, we'll get back to normal soon. At least we're not missing anything on the overnights or back end, so in that regard, same details you're accustomed to. As you'll see at the link above, real late night (Tacoma) for the Sky Sox, Maryvale's idle, and a nice win for the DSL men to be recapped later on. Don't forget, Helena's on MiLB.TV if you're a subscriber (Idaho Falls call).

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

VIDEO via WLOX - Biloxi game in Pensacola

Gee, this makes it even more excruciating for the Rattlers -- Jake Cronenworth swung on the first pitch and hit a fly ball into the Wisconsin bullpen in right, just over a leaping attempt by Sthervin Matos. "I'm just looking for a good pitch to hit and extending the inning," Cronenworth said. "I put a good swing on it and luckily it got out just by a little bit. I thought he was going to catch it. I think the wind helped out a little bit.

Nice! Pensacola Manager Pat Kelly said the Blue Wahoo hitters struggled with Biloxi's Brandon Woodruff’s fastballs that reached 98 mph Wednesday. “We haven’t see that kind of velocity from a starter,” Kelly said. “(The hitters) thought they saw the ball good but it was up and down, in and out, it wasn’t constantly in any one spot.”

International League wins 4-2; Manny Pina 0-for-2 with a walk; Orlando Arcia did not play - I'll admit I'm behind on my news and Twitter timelines this All-Star break, so if anyone has an update on Orlando, please fill us in here. INT All-Stars Bottom of the 7th Pitching Change: Damien Magnifico replaces Mike Hauschild. Defensive Substitution: Brett Nicholas replaces catcher Manny Pina, batting 7th, playing catcher. Brian Goodwin grounds out, second baseman Carlos Asuaje to first baseman Kaleb Cowart. Pitching Change: Blake Parker replaces Damien Magnifico. Jorge Polanco grounds out to first baseman Kaleb Cowart. Pitching Change: Andrew Edwards replaces Blake Parker. Cam Perkins lines out to first baseman Kaleb Cowart.

Two Teams Training in Sarasota County? Could Happen Brewers mentioned, but only due to the nature of their current lease. If you wish to discuss, go to the thread in the Major League Forum.

Two Teams Training in Sarasota County? Could Happen Brewers mentioned, but only due to the nature of their current lease.

Final: Arizona Brewers 4, Arizona Mariners 3 Weather: 105 degrees, clear. Wind: 3 mph, Out to CF. Nice three-run go-ahead rally in the bottom of the 8th... Maryvale Box Score Nice pro debut for 31st round University of Arizona first baseman Ryan Aguilar, 2-for-4 with a double; the first four A-Crew pitchers were rehabbers, including the stateside debut of RHP Junior Flores, as we discussed in our Transaction Thread earlier; congrats RHP Dalton Brown, first pro win with a scoreless relief inning just prior to the rally detailed below... Maryvale Game Log AZL Brewers Bottom of the 8th Jose Gomez grounds out, third baseman Joe Rizzo to first baseman Ismael Pena. Chad McClanahan walks. Trey York walks. Chad McClanahan to 2nd. Pitching Change: Aneurys Zabala replaces Michael Rivera. Jay Feliciano doubles (2) on a sharp line drive to center fielder Gareth Morgan. Chad McClanahan scores. Trey York scores. Ryan Aguilar singles on a line drive to center fielder Gareth Morgan. Jay Feliciano to 3rd. With Payton Henry batting, wild pitch by Aneurys Zabala, Jay Feliciano scores. Ryan Aguilar to 2nd. Payton Henry pops out to first baseman Ismael Pena. Gabriel Garcia grounds out sharply, pitcher Aneurys Zabala to first baseman Ismael Pena.

MiLB.TV subscribers can watch that Helena game on archive, and the rest of this series in Idaho Falls is one of the rare road series available via that means. So Helena friends and families, pay the relatively small fee.

Final: Idaho Falls 8, Helena 2 Brewers Strand 11 in 8-2 Loss By Craig Durham / Helena Brewers IDAHO FALLS, ID - The beat goes on for the Helena Brewers. Another night, another disappointing defeat. The Brewers left 11 men on base on Wednesday night, as they kicked off a seven game road trip with an 8-2 loss to the Idaho Falls Chukars in front of 3,138 at Melaleuca Field. The Brewers trailed 2-0 after two, 5-0 after five and 8-0 after six before finally breaking through for a run in the 8th on a Yeraldy Martinez single and adding another on a Joantgel Segovia single in the 9th. Segovia led all Brewers batters with a 4-for-4 night at the plate (plus a walk), but he was picked off twice - once in the 1st and once in the 3rd - to help the Chukars build and maintain an early advantage. Karsen Lindell (1-3) was tagged with the loss, though an effective night saw him allow two earned runs on six hits in four innings. Matt Smith made his Pioneer League debut for the Brewers in the 6th inning, and after a rocky start he retired nine of the last 12 men he faced, including five strikeouts. Alex Luna (3-0) remained perfect for Idaho Falls, shutting out the Brewers over six innings. He struck out five and did not issue a walk. Before the Brewers scored in the 8th, they had been outscored 26-0 in 19 innings going back to Monday's doubleheader with Billings. Helena will look to right the ship on Thursday when they send Rodrigo Benoit (0-0, 5.06) to the mound opposite Jace Vines (0-1, 7.15). First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM and all the action can be heard live on Helena's Gold Country 98.5FM and online at helenabrewers.net. *** Helena Box Score Rare off night (0-for-5, three K's) for 2nd round 3B Lucas Erceg... Helena Game Log RHP Santos Saldivar, the 23-year-old with the unique signing story, has not been effective in his short middle relief stints.

Golden sombrero Wednesday night -- In 2016, Brett Phillips has struck out: Four times in a game on three occasions (OK, one was a seven-AB game, but still) Three times in a game on eight occasions Two times in a game on 23 occasions One time in a game on 25 occasions Zero times in a game on 19 occasions

Milwaukee inks another "older" rookie to debut in the Dominican Summer League. The uniquely named Yunior Juan is 22 years old. He debuted Wednesday, did a nice job stranding inherited runners, but ran into big control trouble in the next inning -- DSL Yankees2 Bottom of the 6th Oswaldo Cabrera singles on a line drive to left fielder Marcos Pinero. With Luis Sanchez batting, wild pitch by Joaquin De La Cruz, Oswaldo Cabrera to 2nd. Luis Sanchez singles on a ground ball to third baseman Aaron Familia. Oswaldo Cabrera scores. Throwing error by third baseman Aaron Familia. Carlos Tatis flies out to right fielder Antonio Perez. With Jhon Moronta batting, wild pitch by Joaquin De La Cruz, Luis Sanchez to 2nd. Jhon Moronta walks. Pitching Change: Yunior Juan replaces Joaquin De La Cruz. Meure Rodriguez grounds into a double play, shortstop Luis Avila to second baseman Javier Castillo to first baseman Moises Perez. Jhon Moronta out at 2nd. DSL Yankees2 Bottom of the 7th Defensive Substitution: Bryan Torres replaces catcher Luis Avalo, batting 8th, playing catcher. Roberto Espinosa walks. Ezequiel Rodriguez walks. Roberto Espinosa to 2nd. With Borinquen Mendez batting, wild pitch by Yunior Juan, Roberto Espinosa to 3rd. Ezequiel Rodriguez to 2nd. Borinquen Mendez grounds out, third baseman Aaron Familia to first baseman Moises Perez. Roberto Espinosa scores. Ezequiel Rodriguez to 3rd. Antonio Arias walks. Pitching Change: Jefry Tamares replaces Yunior Juan. With Oswaldo Cabrera batting, wild pitch by Jefry Tamares, Ezequiel Rodriguez scores. Antonio Arias to 2nd. Oswaldo Cabrera hit by pitch. Luis Sanchez grounds into a force out, pitcher Jefry Tamares to shortstop Luis Avila. Antonio Arias to 3rd. Oswaldo Cabrera out at 2nd. Luis Sanchez to 1st. Carlos Tatis singles on a ground ball to right fielder Antonio Perez. Antonio Arias scores. Luis Sanchez to 3rd. Carlos Tatis to 2nd on the throw. Jhon Moronta singles on a ground ball to second baseman Javier Castillo. Luis Sanchez scores. Carlos Tatis scores. Meure Rodriguez called out on strikes.

Milwaukee inks another "older" rookie to debut in the Dominican Summer League. The uniquely named Yunior Juan is 22 years old. He debuted Wednesday, did a nice job stranding inherited runners, but ran into big control trouble in the next inning -- DSL Yankees2 Bottom of the 6th Oswaldo Cabrera singles on a line drive to left fielder Marcos Pinero. With Luis Sanchez batting, wild pitch by Joaquin De La Cruz, Oswaldo Cabrera to 2nd. Luis Sanchez singles on a ground ball to third baseman Aaron Familia. Oswaldo Cabrera scores. Throwing error by third baseman Aaron Familia. Carlos Tatis flies out to right fielder Antonio Perez. With Jhon Moronta batting, wild pitch by Joaquin De La Cruz, Luis Sanchez to 2nd. Jhon Moronta walks. Pitching Change: Yunior Juan replaces Joaquin De La Cruz. Meure Rodriguez grounds into a double play, shortstop Luis Avila to second baseman Javier Castillo to first baseman Moises Perez. Jhon Moronta out at 2nd. DSL Yankees2 Bottom of the 7th Defensive Substitution: Bryan Torres replaces catcher Luis Avalo, batting 8th, playing catcher. Roberto Espinosa walks. Ezequiel Rodriguez walks. Roberto Espinosa to 2nd. With Borinquen Mendez batting, wild pitch by Yunior Juan, Roberto Espinosa to 3rd. Ezequiel Rodriguez to 2nd. Borinquen Mendez grounds out, third baseman Aaron Familia to first baseman Moises Perez. Roberto Espinosa scores. Ezequiel Rodriguez to 3rd. Antonio Arias walks. Pitching Change: Jefry Tamares replaces Yunior Juan. With Oswaldo Cabrera batting, wild pitch by Jefry Tamares, Ezequiel Rodriguez scores. Antonio Arias to 2nd. Oswaldo Cabrera hit by pitch. Luis Sanchez grounds into a force out, pitcher Jefry Tamares to shortstop Luis Avila. Antonio Arias to 3rd. Oswaldo Cabrera out at 2nd. Luis Sanchez to 1st. Carlos Tatis singles on a ground ball to right fielder Antonio Perez. Antonio Arias scores. Luis Sanchez to 3rd. Carlos Tatis to 2nd on the throw. Jhon Moronta singles on a ground ball to second baseman Javier Castillo. Luis Sanchez scores. Carlos Tatis scores. Meure Rodriguez called out on strikes.