Jim Goulart

Happy 19th birthday to RHP Marcos Diplan (Gallardo deal). The Rangers' Dominican $1.3 million bonus baby signing had a solid but not spectacular season with Helena in 13 appearances (seven starts), and while he did walk 21 in 50.1 innings (and 14 wild pitches), he also fanned 54, and did so while being over three years younger than the average Pioneer League player. Can't wait for the 2016 reports from Timber Rattler attendees.

VIDEO via WLOX: Game highlights including Max Kepler's diving catch

Max Kepler of the Lookouts kept the Biloxi Shuckers from getting under the win column Thursday BILOXI, MS (WLOX) - 3,173 fans turned out for the final game at MGM Park and they watched a young man from the Lookouts launch two long balls to give Chattanooga momentum. If anyone had any doubt that Lookouts left fielder Max Kepler wasn't worthy of being named the Southern League's Most Valuable Player...the Berlin, Germany native changed their minds. Facing Shuckers pitcher Adrian Houser, Kepler belted a solo home run in the top of the first inning and four innings later followed that up with a Grand Slam home run over the right field wall to propel Chattanooga to a 5-0 lead. The Shuckers are no longer undefeated in postseason play, falling 6 to 1. Shuckers infielder Nick Shaw said, "We were on a roll there for the first four games but as you know we can't win them all. Kepler had a heck of a game. He's a great player. He won the MVP for a reason. So, we have to bounce back in Chattanooga on Saturday." Lookouts pitcher Jason Wheeler kept the Shuckers off-balance and had a no-hitter into the sixth inning. "Whoever wins the next two out of three will be the champion of the league, "stated Shuckers manager Carlos Subero. He added, "We feel pretty good about our chances with our starters and the way we've been playing. So, hopefully we can go up there and go ahead and take game three." The Biloxi Shuckers were hoping to close out their final game here at MGM Park with a big win our Chattanooga. It didn't happen. That means games 3, 4 and if needed, game 5 will be played in Chattanooga beginning Saturday at 6:15. Southern League earned run average champion Tyler Wagner is slated to get the starting nod for the Shuckers. He's 1-0 in postseason play with a 0.00 ERA.

Kepler homers twice to even SL Finals No. 6 Twins prospect helps Lookouts win Game 2 with slam, solo shot By Josh Jackson / MiLB.com After an MVP season, Max Kepler was not producing his usual numbers in the playoffs. On Thursday, he returned to form. "I've been struggling a little," the Twins' No. 6 prospect admitted. "I can tell that people are trying to pitch me differently or pitch around me, and I'm not going to lie -- it got to me. I really want to hit. I got into swinging at some stuff I shouldn't have. Today I was much more patient in my at-bats and tried to get back to that same mind-set and not be greedy in looking for my pitch." Kepler cracked a grand slam and a solo shot while boosting Double-A Chattanooga to a 6-1 win at Biloxi. The Game 2 victory tied the best-of-5 Southern League Championship Series and sent the Lookouts home on a high note. "We knew off the bat this was not going to be an easy series against this team, so it was good. It's always good to get a win, regardless of when in the series," Kepler said. "It's going to be a long bus ride. Hopefully everyone gets some Z's and is rested for [saturday]." The 22-year-old outfielder delivered his first multiple-hit performance of six playoff games, raising his postseason average to .217. In the regular season, slashed .322/.416/.531 with 32 doubles, 13 triples, nine homers, 71 RBIs and 18 stolen bases over 112 games on the circuit. With two outs in the first inning, Kepler put together a seven-pitch at-bat against Shuckers starter and 28th-ranked Brewers prospect Adrian Houser, culminating in a dinger over the right-field wall. "I didn't know it was seven pitches, because it was a blur to me and it actually went by kind of fast. But with each pitch. you get more information -- how he's throwing the ball, if he's cutting it and sinking it. The ball got bigger for me with each pitch," he said, adding that the long ball gave the Lookouts some momentum after Wednesday's 7-1 loss. "Hitting a home run, actually just taking the lead in the opposing team's stadium -- their fans were all hyped up -- it was good for our team," he said. "They had a great crowd today, very loud, and it was good to silence them for an inning or two and get our team in the race." The German-born slugger popped out to Biloxi third baseman Yadiel Rivera in the third, but instigated another hush in the fifth. With two down, Houser gave up a single to Shannon Wilkerson followed by back-to-back walks to Stephen Wickens and Jorge Polanco. "They had a mound visit. I was assuming they were telling him to throw strikes, because I think he tried to make [Polanco] chase something," Kepler said. "He threw me a changeup up and in. It's my first this year, and grand slams are always fun. It's a great feeling, touching home and having three guys waiting to greet you there." He was intentionally walked in the seventh and popped out to shortstop Orlando Arcia in the ninth. Jason Wheeler, Minnesota's No. 25 prospect, started the game with five no-hit innings for Chattanooga and ended up allowing a run on three hits and three walks while striking out five to earn the win. "It was big," Kepler said. "He pitched a great game. He's one of the most confident people I know on this team. That's the great thing about him. He's not scared of anybody. He'll attack anybody with any pitch he has. It was just what we needed -- we needed to be aggressive on the mound and at the plate. It worked out, and it was a great game." The Lookouts host Game 3 at 7:15 PM ET (6:15 Central) on Saturday.

Chattanooga's Kepler has a big night to even series with Shuckers Patrick Magee, Biloxi Sun-Herald BILOXI – Max Kepler backed up his Southern League MVP award with a two-homer performance, lifting the Chattanooga Lookouts to a 6-1 victory over the Biloxi Shuckers Thursday night. The German had a solo homer, a grand slam and knocked in five runs as the Lookouts evened the Southern League Championship Series, 1-1, before a crowd of 3,173 at MGM Park. “He's been doing it all year,” Chattanooga manager Doug Mientkiewicz said. “They've been pitching him so tough in the playoff series and over the last three weeks. To see the growth of him, see him turn into a man, it's pretty fun to watch.” The big blow from Kepler came in the top of the fifth when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two out. The left-handed Kepler lifted the first pitch he saw well over the right field wall to push the Chattanooga lead to 5-0 and put the game out of reach for the Shuckers, who didn't have a hit until the sixth inning. Kepler also added a nice diving catch in left field in the fourth for what was a well-rounded night at the ballpark for the native of Berlin. “The catch he made in left field really settled down the game for us,” Mientkiewicz said. Shuckers starting pitcher Adrian Houser lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up five earned runs on three hits to take the loss. Houser walked three batters, including two costly walks in the the fifth inning to help load the bases for Hepler's grand slam. “He was (a little off), but he only gave up three hits,” Biloxi manager Carlos Subero said. “Kepler hit a solo homer and a grand slam. Other than that, he was able to stay in there.” Biloxi had a prime opportunity to cut into the 5-0 deficit in the bottom of the sixth with Nick Shaw, Yadiel Rivera and Orlando Arcia coming through with three straight singles to start the inning. The first man up with the bases loaded, Michael Reed, lined out to third. Garrett Cooper grounded out to second to bring home Shaw and Tyrone Taylor grounded out to the end the inning with only one run across. Shaw's single to lead off the sixth was the Shuckers' first hit of the game as Chattanooga's Jason Wheeler put in a quality outing on the mound. “He nibbled enough around the zone at this level to where he was able to get away with it. I don't think he particularly had good command on it,” Subero said of Wheeler. “The inning where he got in trouble, he was able to execute pitches and come out with just one run.” The left-handed Wheeler allowed one run on three hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked three. “He has the ability to elevate the fastball,” Mientkiewicz said. “He's a left-hander so he has a high angle. He doesn't really throw that hard, but he can spot it in and out or up and down. He's got an extra gear to the fastball. He elevated it and he was able to get it by some elite hitters.” Biloxi shortstop Orlando Arcia's streak of three consecutive games with a home run came to an end Thursday. He finished 1-of-4 with a single. “I think Jason just made better pitches to (Arcia),” Mientkiewicz said. “The kid is human. He'll make outs eventually. He's not the guy you want at the plate by any stretch of the imagination. You try to get him to chase the ball and put it in play somewhere else than over the fence.” Shaw, who batted ninth, was the only Shucker with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Heiker Meneses, Shannon Wilkerson and Kepler each had two hits for the Lookouts. Game three of the series is set for 6:15 PM Saturday in Chattanooga with right-hander Tyler Wagner scheduled to get the start for Biloxi.

PHOTO GALLERY: Biloxi Sun-Herald

Todays Knuckleball-- Championship experience matters in the minors for the Brewers

Now posted, and includes last night's pregame audio interview with OF Michael Reed.

AUDIO: Gord Ash discussing the Biloxi squad among the sounds in this week's Brewers on Tap podcast via Jeff Levering

Congratulations, Orlando and Jorge! Brewers name Arcia, Lopez as top minor leaguers for 2015

Completely realize it's a very "first world" complaint -- let's face it, this isn't Syria -- but not having access to MiLB.TV to watch a Game Three or beyond live (or highlights) is a bummer. There will be video snippets (hopefully celebration video) through Twitter / Vine and we may see some TV news station reports out of Chattanooga, but it won't be the same. That being said, surely Chris Harris is up to the challenge of painting us all a wonderful picture from the Chattanooga radio booth starting Saturday (travel day is Friday). And that'll be my last complaint on the topic...

Biloxi: RHP Adrian Houser at home vs. Chattanooga (Twins), 6:55 PM pre-game, 7:10 gametime; Game Two of a Best-of-Five Championship Series; Shuckers up 1-0 Free Live Audio Link MiLB.TV - Eight of the ten Southern League teams telecast their home games, and Biloxi is among them! Unfortunately, Chattanooga is not. *** Box Score / Game Log / Game Day Link *** Biloxi Media Notes - Linked by mid-afternoon today at the Shuck Dynasty blog *** Weather forecast: Biloxi, MS

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

It's a major issue all across minor league baseball, Baseball America has written about it extensively. Kids are back in school, and Biloxi wasn't helped by these being weekday games. Heck, until Chattanooga won on Monday, Biloxi didn't even know if their series would begin Wednesday or Thursday. The folk in Biloxi actually attended very well for a Wed. night in this circumstance.

With a LH Lookouts starter on the mound Thursday night and the designated hitter in place, Victor Roache should get a chance to celebrate his 24th birthday while in the lineup. We also wish a happy 19th to promising Panamanian catcher Johel Atencio, who turns 19. He missed all of 2015 with an unidentified injury. Next spring's media guide should provide details.

AUDIO -- Your radio highlights via Chris Harris' broadcast

Arcia, Lopez star again as Shuckers take 1-0 lead in SLCS Patrick Magee, Biloxi Sun-Herald BILOXI – Shuckers shortstop Orlando Arcia is looking more like a big leaguer every day. The 21-year-old hit his third homer in as many games and knocked in three runs as the Shuckers took game one of the Southern League Championship Series, 7-2, Wednesday night. “This is impressive, watching him doing what he's doing,” Shuckers outfielder Brett Phillips said. “He's helping this team a lot. We're all putting it together and winning as a team. It's been fun.” Arcia, who is ranked the No. 8 prospect in the minors by Baseball America, has three homers and nine RBIs in four postseason games. He was 2-of-3 with a run scored Wednesday. Chattanooga manager Doug Mientkiewicz and his pitching staff will have to figure out a new approach to stop Arcia going into game two. “In my book, he's better than half of the shortstops in the major leagues right now,” Mientkiewicz said. “We'll do the best you can. We'll try to use his aggression against him, come up with some new plan and try to go with something else tomorrow.” The Southern League's Most Outstanding Pitcher, Jorge Lopez, put in another stellar outing on the mound for Biloxi before a crowd of 2,386. He gave up one run on four hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking one to pick up his second postseason victory. In 13 2/3 postseason innings, Lopez allowed one run on just six hits and also appears ready for a promotion to Milwaukee. “Jorge has become a pitcher,” Biloxi manager Carlos Subero said. “He knows what pitches are working for him that night. He'll go work with that. He's been great.” Game two of the series is set for 7:10 p.m. Thursday at MGM Park with right-hander Adrian Houser scheduled to get the start for the Shuckers with left-handed pitcher Jason Wheeler starting for Chattanooga. "To the fans that have come out and support us all year long, tomorrow is last game they'll see this season," Phillips said. "We expect all you guys to be out there cheering us on. We appreciate it." Arcia's two-run blast in the third inning was part of a three-run rally that erased a 1-0 lead for Chattanooga. Biloxi catcher Adam Weisenburger was hit by a pitch from D.J. Baxendale to lead off bottom of the third to put one on. Yadiel Rivera followed with a line drive to the right-center gap to score Weisenburger and tie the game at 1-1. In the next at-bat, Arcia ripped a 1-0 pitch well over the left field wall to hand the Shuckers the 3-1 lead. Subero credited the outburst at the plate to a change in approach. “I think (Baxendale) had a little pattern of busting in,” Subero said. “We hadn't seen him in a while. He just kept going in, stayed in and I think we were able to make an adjustment on that.” Phillips, who was acquired late in the season from the Astros, hit his first home run as a Shucker with a two-out drive over the right field wall to push the Biloxi lead to 4-1 after four innings. “It felt great,” Phillips said of his homer. “It was a great team win tonight.' Nick Shaw led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and Arcia punched a single up the middle two batters later to make it 5-1. Rivera put the game out of reach for Chattanooga in the bottom of the sixth with a double that rolled to the wall in left center and brought home a pair of runs, making it 7-1. Rivera finished 2-of-5 with three RBIs. “It's good to see Rivera come through,” Subero said. “He can't be overlooked with the double and a triple.” Lopez had to work through a couple of early rough moments, helping the Lookouts gain a 1-0 lead in the top of the third after walking the leadoff man, Ole Miss product Stuart Turner. Steve Wickens and Jorge Polanco pushed Turner across with back-to-back one-out singles. Lopez avoided further damage by striking out Southern League MVP Max Kepler and getting Travis Harrison to ground out to end the inning. Chattanooga was held to five hits in the game and first baseman D.J. Hicks struck out four times. Baxendale lasted five innings, giving up five runs on six hits to take the loss. He struck out four and walked one.

PHOTO GALLERY -- Biloxi Sun-Herald

VIDEO via WLOX -- Game highlights, including Yadiel Rivera's triple

Via WLOX -- The Biloxi Shuckers got the job done on the mound and at the plate. Pitcher Jorge Lopez gave up only one run on four hits with six strikeouts in seven innings. Shuckers manager Carlos Subero said, "Great ballgame. It started with Jorge Lopez who had a great outing on the mound, going seven innings. He allowed only four hits , striking out six guys and a couple of times he got into trouble, he got out of it." After the Lookouts grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the 3rd, Biloxi exploded for three runs in the bottom of the inning on a triple by Yadiel Rivera and a two run blast off the bat of Orlando Arcia who had two hits in three trips to the plate, including an RBI double. Arcia now has 10 hits in 16 at-bats with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and nine RBI in four postseason games. Rivera was 2 for 5 with 3 runs batted in. Besides his triple, Yadiel smashed a 2 run double. "When they told me they wanted me to come down and help the team in the playoffs, I said, yes, "stated Rivera. "Let's go out and help the team and we're here in the finals and won the first game. Hopefully, we've got the next two." Center fielder Brett Phillips belted his first Shuckers home run Wednesday night. It was a solo-shot in the fourth inning to right field. "Playoffs is a different atmosphere and I've been blessed enough to play in my third, "said Phillips. "So, I knew what it's like to win and I feel like I contribute to this team. Everyone of these guys are winners. You can see it in our faces when we're out on the field, playing hard and playing to win." The Shuckers are now undefeated in four postseason games and have plated 24 runs on 42 hits. The Shuckers go for win Number two tonight at 7:10 at MGM Park and let's pack the stadium.

Arcia, Shuckers not slowing down for Finals Top Brewers prospect homers in third straight playoff game in opener By Josh Jackson / MiLB.com If the Brewers' top prospect had a huge 2015 season, his postseason can be considered absolutely enormous. "Orlando Arcia keeps on doing it," Double-A Biloxi manager Carlos Subero said. "He's a special player. With Orlando, the big thing is, the higher the challenge is, the higher he's going to go in the game." Arcia homered for a third consecutive playoff game, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a walk in the Shuckers' 7-1 win over visiting the Chattanooga Lookouts. The victory gave Biloxi a 1-0 lead in the best-of-5 Southern League Championship Series. The 21-year-old shortstop, who slashed .307/.347/.453 with 52 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases over 129 Double-A games this year, socked a two-run dinger to left-center field off Chattanooga starter D.J Baxendale in the third inning. "Like the previous two, you could tell he got a good pitch to hit," Subero said. "They got him to break his bat [on a first-inning popout], but he made the adjustments and came back and was ready for them." He singled in a run against Baxendale in the fifth, giving MLB.com's No. 12 overall prospect multiple hits in all of the Shuckers' four playoff games this year. He's 10-for-16 (.625) with 10 RBIs and six runs scored since the semifinals against Pensacola opened on Sept. 10. "He had big at-bats. He gets it done when it counts," said Arcia's manager. "That's the kind of player he's been all year. He's been hitting around .370, .380 with runners in scoring position all year. He likes the moment. "He [homered on] a fastball in, and he thought they were going to start him with the offspeed. He's always thinking along with the game, looking for sequences. It's not only his talent, it's that he puts himself in a position to succeed. Sure enough, first pitch, they give him a curveball, and -- boop! -- up the middle. That tells you something." Milwaukee's No. 2 prospect Brett Phillips, who was acquired by the Brewers from the Astros in the Carlos Gomez deadline deal, hit his first home run of the postseason after missing the last two weeks of the regular season with an irritated nerve in his thumb. SIDENOTE COMMENT -- Where have we heard about an irritated thumb nerve before? "It's been great," being able to slot him in the lineup, Subero said. "He got hurt there for a while and only got to play in two games in Pensacola. We all know about his tools -- he covers a lot of ground in center field, and he's been good. It was good to see him hit that one." The club's No. 9 prospect Jorge Lopez allowed a run on four hits and a walk while striking out six over seven innings to improve to 2-0 with an 0.66 ERA in the playoffs. He finished the regular season 12-5 with a 2.26 ERA over 24 starts spanning 143 1/3 Southern League innings. "With Jorge, he became a pitcher. He knows how to pitch. He knows what he's got that night. It might not be the changeup, it might not be the curveball, it might not be the fastball early on, but he knows how to work with what he's got," Subero said. "He started that about two-and-a-half months ago, and he hasn't stopped. [Pitching coach] Chris [Hook] has done a tremendous job working with him." The Shuckers host Game 2 at 8:10 p.m. ET (7:10 Central) on Thursday. *** Local Milwaukee product highlight for the Lookouts --

A fine read (not quite through it myself), but one has to set aside some time for this one. Inside baseball in the Dominican Republic

Actually, a 2014 minor league free agent update -- did the Brewers not see a relief option in RHP Jay Jackson after trading for him last August (cash deal) and having him make six starts with Nashville. John Sickels -- Who is San Diego Padres rookie pitcher Jay Jackson?

Jeff Levering - Minor Details Blog Post

VIDEO via WLOX: More Biloxi preview video with Pitching Coach Chris Hook discussing Jorge Lopez