Jim Goulart

VIDEO via WLOX: Biloxi highlights including Jacob Nottingham's moonshot

AUDIO via WSSP 105.7 FM Fri. 4/8: Adam McCalvy with the afternoon "Big Show"

Final: Memphis 2, Colorado Springs 1 Before we go to the game summary, let's just say this Josmil Pinto 9th inning at bat was not what the doctor ordered -- Col. Springs Top of the 9th Pitching Change: Juan Gonzalez replaces John Church, batting 9th. Andy Wilkins walks. Jake Elmore grounds into a force out, shortstop Alex Mejia to second baseman Dean Anna. Andy Wilkins out at 2nd. Jake Elmore to 1st. Shane Peterson walks. Jake Elmore to 2nd. Garin Cecchini singles on a line drive to right fielder Carlos Peguero. Jake Elmore to 3rd. Shane Peterson to 2nd. Josmil Pinto strikes out swinging. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Will Middlebrooks replaces Jacob Barnes. Will Middlebrooks pops out to catcher Mike Ohlman in foul territory. *** Sky Sox Fall 2-1 In Pitchers Duel Junior Guerra's quality start not enough as Sox bats silenced By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox To be fair to Pinto, you just read at that link that he contributed both offensively and defensively before the fateful 9th. Colorado Springs Box Score Guess we'll mention again that Michael Reed is a LF now? (Yes, small sample size...) Six different Sky Sox drew a walk apiece. Garin Cecchini off to a 3-for-6 start. Colorado Springs Game Log Just silly having Junior Guerra bunt here. Miscommunication from the bench? Col. Springs Top of the 5th Garin Cecchini singles on a ground ball to center fielder Charlie Tilson. With Josmil Pinto batting, passed ball by Mike Ohlman, Garin Cecchini to 2nd. Josmil Pinto lines out to second baseman Dean Anna. Junior Guerra out on a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Jacob Wilson to second baseman Dean Anna. Garin Cecchini to 3rd. Alex Presley called out on strikes. Oh well, tough one for the kid here -- Col. Springs Top of the 8th Pitching Change: John Church replaces Dean Kiekhefer, batting 9th, replacing Patrick Wisdom. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Eric Young Jr. replaces Brooks Hall. Eric Young Jr. walks. With Alex Presley batting, wild pitch by John Church, Eric Young Jr. to 2nd. Alex Presley walks. Orlando Arcia grounds into a double play, shortstop Alex Mejia to second baseman Dean Anna to first baseman Jonathan Rodriguez. Eric Young Jr. to 3rd. Alex Presley out at 2nd. Michael Reed grounds out, third baseman Jacob Wilson to first baseman Jonathan Rodriguez.

Salas solid on the mound as Shuckers slap around Lookouts, 6-2 Patrick Magee, Biloxi Sun-Herald http://www.sunherald.com/latest-news/42lpbb/picture69511997/ALTERNATES/FREE_960/0814_bisp_phillips08.jpg Shuckers center fielder Brett Phillips hit a two-run home run Friday night in a 6-2 win over the Lookouts at MGM Park. John Fitzhugh Photo, Sun Herald BILOXI – New Shuckers right-hander Javi Salas appears set to make a quick adjustment to Double-A. Salas allowed one run on two hits and struck out eight while walking none in 5 2/3 innings Friday night to pick up the win in Biloxi's 6-2 victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts. Biloxi holds a 2-0 lead in the season's opening series thanks to some impressive pitching. The Shuckers' hurlers have allowed only seven hits through 18 innings after the Lookouts picked up only four Friday night. Salas didn't allow a hit until Lookouts designated hitter Stuart Turner, a former Ole Miss standout, doubled to start the sixth inning. “I felt good. I felt prepared, ready to go,” Salas said. “I had a good spring and I just wanted to carry it over to my first start. I used my defense a lot. I tried to get everyone involved a little. They played great behind me today and I just kept the game flowing.” Salas, a University of Miami product, was 8-8 with a 4.13 ERA in 24 appearances, 22 starts, a year ago at Class A Brevard County (Fla.). Salas kept the Lookouts frustrated through the first five innings as the Chattanooga dugout constantly harassed home plate umpire Skyler Shown. “They were a little chirpy. (Shown) was giving me a low strike zone and that's perfect for me,” Salas said. “I wasn't complaining. “I'm a sinker guy. My sinker felt good in the bullpen so I threw it a bunch today. They hit some balls into the ground. That's my game.” Salas said he didn't shake off catcher Jacob Nottingham the entire night. “He was awesome today,” Nottingham said. “He was commanding all three of his pitches and kept a great pace. I think he threw the ball as good as he could have. I thought he did tremendous.” For the second consecutive night, the Shuckers put up a three-spot in the first inning. Nate Orf and Brett Phillips had back-to-back doubles with one out to push across the first run and Nottingham followed with a two-run blast to deep center for his first homer as a Shucker to make it 3-0. The homer was Nottingham's first hit for Biloxi. “I knew I hit it good,” Nottingham said. “I didn't know how far or what it was going to do, but it felt great. It's good to get that first hit, even better that it's a home run.” Nottingham also homered to center in Saturday's exhibition game against the Milwaukee Brewers. “I'm trying to hit in the gaps. I don't want to think about pulling the ball,” Nottingham said. “If I'm hitting it (to center), everything is going good. Chattanooga ended a 14-inning scoreless streak to start the series on an RBI groundout by Zach Granite to score Turner with two out in the sixth. Chattanooga catcher Mitch Garver hit a solo homer to right to cut the Biloxi lead to 3-2 in the top of the seventh, but Biloxi's Victor Roache answered with his own solo homer to right in the bottom of the inning to push the Shuckers' advantage to 4-2. Phillips added some cushion to the Biloxi lead in the eighth when the left-handed batter went opposite field with a two-run homer over the left field wall. “Our guys swing it. We're not scared to do that,” Nottingham said. “We're going to put together good at-bats and try to be hard outs. If you put the ball in play, good things will happen.” Chattanooga starting pitcher D.J. Baxendale (0-1) settled in after the rough first inning, holding the Shuckers scoreless over the next five innings. Baxendale, a former Arkansas star, allowed three runs on six hits in six innings, striking out five and walking none. Biloxi reliever Daniel Tillman registered a hold, giving up one run on two hits in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked none. Jaye Chapman pitched a perfect ninth in his first appearance of the season for Biloxi. The attendance for Friday night's game was 2,439. The Shuckers will host the Lookouts (0-2) for game three at 7:10 p.m. on Saturday. Right-hander Adrian Houser will get the start for Biloxi and Chattanooga will go with left-hander David Hurlbut.

AUDIO via MLB.com Fri. 4/8: David Stearns has big plans for the Brewers. MLB.com's Matt Waymire chats with Brewers reporter Adam McCalvy to spotlight Stearns' mentors and talk about where he's going with the Brewers, how Chris Carter has made strides as a hitter and how Aaron Hill is fitting in with his new team at third base.

Tweets from Tom Haudricourt -- #Brewers pitching prospect Cody Ponce has been placed on @BCManatees DL with right forearm fatigue. Called precautionary. Ponce is among #Brewers Top 10 prospects but the DL move is considered precautionary. No sense taking a chance at this early stage. *** LHP Zach Hirsch is starting Friday night, so he jumps right into Ponce's spot from prior "taxi squad" status.

Thaddeus Krzus (@Shucks1stIntern), has a bright future, what a nice new feature on the previous game --

Wisconsin: RHP Marcos Diplan at Beloit (Athletics), 6:10 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime And another 19-year-old, RHP Freddy Peralta (one of the three teenage RHP's acquired in the Adam Lind deal), is Diplan's tandem partner. Each makes their Rattler debut tonight, exciting!

You'll learn via the Erickson interview that longtime farmhand catcher Rafael Neda is hoping to transition to a front office career, but for now, will be assisting the coaching staff of the Rattlers. No official word on "retirement" status, but best wishes to Rafael.

AUDIO via WSSP 105.7's Chuck and Wickett Morning Show Fri. 4/8: "Can the Brewers win any games against Houston this weekend? Cliff Saunders, from KTRH in Houston, joins the show to breakdown the upcoming series between the Brewers and Astros. Is David Stearns the right man to turn the Brewers organization around?" *** AUDIO via the Bill Michaels Show Fri. 4/8: "What is the initial takeaway from the first series of the Brewers’ season? Tim Allen, Host of the Baseball Post Game Show on 105.7 FM The Fan, joins the Bill Michaels Show. Are the Brewers already looking to make deals?…" *** AUDIO via the Bill Michaels Show Fri. 4/8: "How much did baseball change while Bud Selig was commissioner? Former Commissioner of Major League Baseball Bud Selig joins the Bill Michaels Show. Could anything have been done to prevent the steroid era in baseball?"

The Rattlers notes are already up, and includes AUDIO with Manager Matt Erickson.

Baseball America -- Which Brewers' affiliate is considered to be the 9th best overall roster (across all levels of MiLB)?

Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet -- Who do you think is #3 based on pre-season buzz?

Notes via Zach Weber of the Brewers -- Orlando Arcia is the 2nd-youngest player on a Pacific Coast League Opening Day roster at 21.68 years of age. At 19.87 years of age, LHP Kodi Medeiros is the youngest player in the Florida State League.

Presenting the top 100 Minor League player names of 2016 Brewers well-represented!

From Thursday -- get used to this

From Thursday --

To see tweets as to when the Link Report has been technically "completed" with available links, as well as to know when the new day's Report has been posted, please follow @Mass_Haas on Twitter. *** Come on board! If you'd like to be a Link Report contributor, feel free to drop me a note via this Brewerfan Forum private message link. In particular, we're seeking "part-time" contributors who can job-share when others need much-deserved time off. At most, you'd be responsible for linking to a single box score / game log / game summary for the night, and (hopefully) pointing out any specifics of interest in the box that the summary may have overlooked. NOTE: We have made the decision that for game summaries this season, we will be linking directly to the affiliate website (as we always did), but not simultaneously copying and pasting here, which was one of the more tedious aspects of Link Reporting in the past. Next-morning newspaper reports will often be treated similarly, as well as any blog posts we come across. Thanks.

Look for these just prior to the respective game times -- Colorado Springs Media Notes - Linked on the Sky Sox official blog Biloxi Media Notes - Linked on the Shuck Dynasty blog Wisconsin Media Notes - Linked on the Rattler Radio blog *** STANDINGS: AAA - Pacific Coast League American Northern Division AA - Southern League South Division High-A - Florida State League North Division A - Midwest League Western Division *** Sortable individual stat pages: Colorado Springs Biloxi Brevard County Wisconsin *** Weather.com: Memphis, TN Biloxi, MS Viera, FL Beloit, WI

Follow Friday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Colorado Springs Biloxi Brevard County Wisconsin MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

Friday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Colorado Springs: RHP Junior Guerra at Memphis (Cardinals), 6:35 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link Dan Karcher, the longtime play-by-play voice of the Sky Sox is on Twitter @SkySoxKarch; joining him this season is Dan Acheson (@Dan_Acheson) MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; all Colorado Springs games, home and away, will be available to watch via MiLB.TV's $49.99 season-long package ($12.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. The video of each game is archived online, which is a nice feature. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. NOTE: Notice that on MiLB.TV's page, you can click on "Filter", then "Milwaukee Brewers", and you'll see just the Crew's organizational TV lineup. ********** Biloxi: RHP Javier Salas at home vs. Chattanooga (Twins), 6:55 PM pre-game, 7:10 gametime Free Live Audio Link Chris Harris is the play-by-play voice of the Shuckers. Follow Chris on Twitter @CHarris731. We'll be linking to his fantastic "Shuck Dynasty" blog. Thaddeus Krzus (@Shucks1stIntern) joins Chris often. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be radio broadcast. MiLB.TV - Eight of the ten Southern League teams telecast their home games, and Biloxi is among them. ********** Brevard County: TBD at home vs. Daytona (Reds), 5:35 gametime Free Live Audio Link (Daytona Feed) Unfortunately, the Manatees have dropped their broadcast coverage for 2016. No Florida State League games are available via MiLB.TV. Ten of the 12 Florida State League teams provide audio (some only for home games), we'll do our best to let you know when an opponent's audio is going to be available. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Marcos Diplan at Beloit (Athletics), 6:10 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime Free Live Audio Link - WNAM Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio. MiLB.TV - Eight of the 16 Midwest League teams telecast their home games, and Wisconsin, once again, is among them. NOTE: Thirty-nine (!) of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on local TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (10) and WACY-TV My NEW32 (29) will split duties. We'll let you know when and who, and remember to refer to the Rattlers' full TV schedule (scroll to bottom of link) so you can coordinate your DVR activity.

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

Nice write-up at Reviewing the Brew -- Previewing the Timber Rattler pitchers

Reminder, thanks!

Brewers announced the signing of former Braves 21-year-old 6'4" RHP Jorge Zavala, on Thursday (Baseball Reference). Via Braves blogger Tommy Poe earlier this week -- "No cut surprised me more than Zavala. In 152.1 innings over the last four years, Zavala has a 2.84 ERA. That ERA drops under 2.00 if you look at just 2014-15. It's rare to get released based on that and I'm left to wonder if he came to camp out-of-shape or with decreased velocity. Zavala is a free agent with a career 9.6 K/9 and 2.6 K/BB so he should interest other teams in giving him a look. Like Otero, Zavala was profiled in the Random Prospect Sunday series." That last link, from May 2015, is worth your time. Harness the escalating walk rate, may be on to something. Certainly was a quick scoop up by the Crew. An assignment to Wisconsin perhaps beckons soon, although Zavala has already seen time at the high-A level.