Jim Goulart

Via MLB.com: Brewers prospect Orimoloye rising fast *** FYI: Don't be surprised at all (so we're told) when the Baseball America Arizona Rookie League top prospect rankings come out -- it will be Brewer-heavy.

PHOTO GALLERY: Sunday's Biloxi game via the Sun-Herald

Arcia shows patience, goes yard twice Brewers top prospect records first two-homer game in Shuckers loss By Alex Kraft / MiLB.com Orlando Arcia is known as a fiery player, but it was at his most relaxed that he did his best work at the plate on Sunday. The Brewers' top prospect went deep in his first two at-bats, registering his first career two-homer game in Double-A Biloxi's 3-2, 11-inning loss to Mobile at MGM Park. Both blasts came off BayBears starter Brandon Sinnery. They saw the normally free-swinging Arcia showcase his improving plate discipline. "I could see by the way he was taking pitches," Shuckers hitting coach Sandy Guerrero. "I thought he was really calm in his at bats." The coach was particularly impressed by the shortstop's second blast, which saw him battle back after falling behind in the count. "The second at-bat, he was down, 1-2, and [sinnery] tried to throw a fastball high and in to get him off the plate," Guerrero said. "He hit his second home run on that pitch, which is a really tough situation when you have two strikes and you're trying to make contact. I think that was really impressive what he did." Arcia, who Guerrero said often comes to sit by him in the dugout after his at-bats, came back after the second homer and proudly recounted how he succeeded on the two-strike count. The coach shared his pupil's excitement. "They were not cheap home runs, they were hit pretty well," Guerrero said. Arcia has three home runs in August, his most in any month this season. The Venezuela native is not known for his power, but Guerrero suggested that perception may be misguided. "Every time a guy hits two home runs in a game, it's a surprise, especially under the situation that he hit them," Guerrero said. "The ball jumps off his bat enough for him to hit home runs. It's not like he's going to be a home run-type guy, but if he hits the ball high, he's able to hit the ball out of the park." The 21-year-old has displayed consistency at the plate throughout the year. With the exception of a .247 average in June, Arcia hasn't hit below .275 in any month in his first taste of Double-A ball. "Basically it's his work ethic," Guerrero said. "We try to work towards perfection. Not overwork, but just if you're going to work five minutes, let's work the best five minutes that you can. He's been doing that the whole year and he keeps getting better and better. "He's always placed balls to all fields, so I think the consistency that he has found has been on his work ethic before the game. He's done it all year and, hopefully, he'll keep doing it his whole career." MLB.com's No. 13 overall prospect already is considered one of the Minor Leagues' best defensive shortstops. However, his offensive game may not be far off. "In a game like today, you go, 'Well, he's ready,'" Guerrero said. "But it's almost impossible right now for a kid his age to get [to the Majors] and see if he's ready or not. "Does he show sometimes that he's ready? Yes, he does. He shows some nights that he's ready to go and do it in the big leagues, and some nights he doesn't. He's got to stay more consistent on having at-bats like the ones tonight, but he's well on the way. He's not far." Mobile broke through in the 11th on an RBI single by D-backs' No. 12 prospect Jack Reinheimer off reliever Manny Barreda (1-1). Jake Barrett (3-0) got the win after giving up a hit and striking out one in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Jimmy Sherfy fanned one in a perfect 11th for his second save.

Colorado Springs' Matt Long hits a solo homer in the seventh inning of a 3-2 win over El Paso

Colorado Springs' Luis Sardinas rips a one-out triple in the first inning of a 7-4 Saturday loss to Tacoma

Final: Colorado Springs 3, El Paso 2 Sky Sox Play Long Ball To Down El Paso The Sky Sox defeated the El Paso Chihuahuas by a hair on Sunday evening with a late 3-2 win before a crowd of 8,273 at Southwest University Park. Sox starter Josh Roenicke (7-10, 5.96) allowed just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.2 innings of work. The right-hander would make just one mistake, serving up a first-inning solo shot to El Paso right fielder Hunter Renfroe that gave the Chihuahua’s a 1-0 lead they maintained until the Sky Sox fifth. Kyle Wren grounded a two-run single to center against El Paso starter and former big league Brewer Chris Smith (4-6, 3.77) to give Colorado Springs their first lead of the night. Smith would depart after six innings of work, allowing those two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five along the way. The Sox would maintain this slim one-run advantage until the seventh when Matt Long’s sixth home run of the season put the visiting squad up by two against reliever Michael Dimock and the Chihuahuas. Preston Guilmet would surrender El Paso’s final run of the night in the home eighth on a Renfroe leadoff double and Jake Goebbert RBI sac fly. Colorado Springs took a 3-2 lead into what proved to be the final frame with Jaye Chapman taking over on the mound for El Paso’s last chance at the plate. The right-hander tossed a perfect frame to secure the 3-2 win and his 13th save of the season. The Sky Sox improve to 54-74 with the win as they drop El Paso to 69-59 on the season. The Sox will look to make it two straight in their second of four games with these same Chihuahuas on Monday evening. Sox southpaw Brent Suter (2-0, 3.44) takes the mound against El Paso righty Daniel McCutchen (8-6, 3.81) with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM MDT (8:05 Central) at Southwest University Park. Colorado Springs Box Score Colorado Springs Game Log

'We got his back': Sen. Kaufmann among group of fans showing support for David Denson at Sunday's game Ryan Collingwood, Helena Independent Record PHOTO GALLERY: Related photos at link Sen. Christine Kaufmann, Montana's first openly gay state senator, has occupied a spot in the Montana Legislature for nearly 15 years. Her longtime baseball fandom dwarfs that number. Growing up in Illinois, the 63-year-old's affinity for the game was derived from following the Chicago Cubs -- a team Kaufmann, a Democrat representing Senate District 41 in Helena, still keeps a watchful eye on. When news broke last weekend that Helena Brewers slugger David Denson had become the first-ever openly gay active baseball player affiliated with a Major League Baseball organization, it hit Kaufmann -- a barrier-breaker herself -- on multiple fronts. "As a baseball fan it was pretty special to me to realize that the first gay player with major league ties was playing right here in Helena," said Kaufmann on Sunday afternoon as she took in a Brewers game with her wife, Pat Kemp, and a group of about 20 other Denson supporters donning gay pride T-shirts or stickers. Grouped around a rainbow flag hanging from the metallic first-baseline bleachers at Kindrick Legion Field were some of Montana's most prominent LBGT advocates, including Kaufmann. Also in attendance were Big Sky Pride leader Kevin Hamm, Montana Human Rights Network executive Kim Abbott and Niki Zupanic of the American Civil Liberties Union. At the peak of the Denson media buzz, hastily reported by every major media outlet in the country, Kaufmann contacted Hamm in an effort to organize a gathering to support the 20-year-old designated hitter. Hamm, whose Big Sky Pride organization has brought awareness and support through events across the state, then got in touch with Helena Brewers General Manager Paul Fetz. "We told (Fetz) we wanted to come show our support because we know how big of a pain in the ass it can be to come out," Hamm said. Hamm would know. Growing up in Helena in the late 1980s and early '90s, Hamm kept his homosexuality undisclosed in high school and went years before coming out, which took its mental toll. In the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article that broke the story, Denson -- who has since refused interviews with media in an effort to focus solely on baseball -- said that keeping his sexual orientation a secret even began to effect his game. "I remember what it was like being a gay kid growing up here, and I don't want anyone to have to go through that," Hamm said. "And that's why I want people to know (Big Sky Pride) exists. "We got a bunch of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trans and allies, and the point is we don't care what you are," Hamm continued. "We just want you to be you and we want to reinforce that with Denson and also his teammates." Drafted in the 15th round of the MLB Draft out his Los Angeles-area high school, Denson boasts a career batting average of just .237 but has had some success with Milwaukee's rookie affiliate in the Pioneer League this summer. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Denson was selected for the Pioneer League All-Star team, where he was later named the game's MVP, and has been on a recent tear at the plate. Denson combined for two home runs, four RBIs and a double in wins over the Great Falls Voyagers Friday and Saturday and found himself being intentionally walked Sunday in the bottom of the fifth inning with runners on second and third. He went 0 for 3 on the day. Just the 27th-ranked prospect in Milwaukee's farm system, the likelihood of Denson ascending to the big leagues is thin. But that doesn't change the significance of what he's done, according to Hamm. "It's really impressive to know that you have somebody that's part of an organization that has national significance," said Hamm, who got to meet Denson after Sunday's game. "He decided to be out and honest with who he was and that's how we think everyone should be." Wearing a Montana-shaped sticker with rainbow colors, Fetz had little to say about the saga that's had his small-town ballclub being mentioned in national conversation the last eight days. "Baseball is for everyone," Fetz said. Kaufmann proved to the Treasure State that a seat at the Capitol was for everyone, too. Kaufmann was openly gay in the early 1980s as a graduate student at the University of Montana and said she found Missoula, and later on the rest of the state, welcoming. So welcoming, in fact, that she was eventually elected to the Montana House in 2000. She was appointed to Ken Toole's Helena-area senate seat in late 2006 and has since won reelection in 2008 and 2012. Today, Kaufmann is one of three openly gay members of the Montana Legislature -- the other two are Sen. Diane Sands and Rep. Bryce Bennet, both of Missoula. "I was the first state senator to come out in Montana, and it's hard to be the first," Kaufmann said. "So we wanted to show David that Helena is a welcoming place and that we got his back and we appreciate the courage to come out." She understands the plight others who have come out and haven't received the brand of support Denson is getting. "Montana has sometimes been seen as not the easiest place to stay around once someone comes out or discover that they're gay or lesbian and a lot of them are leaving the state," Kaufmann said. "We'd like them to know that Montana is a great place to be and times have changed."

PHOTO GALLERY: We've been overdue for a Helena gallery from the Independent Record, and they came through today

Final: Helena 6, Great Falls 2 Helena secures series win over GF Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers (7-16) won their third straight game on Sunday, topping the Great Falls Voyagers (12-11) 6-2 at Kindrick Field in Helena. Junior Rincon (4-4) made his first start since the 2011 season to get the win for the Brewers. He would pitch a season-high five innings, giving up two runs on three hits. He struck out five and walked one. All of Great Falls' scoring came in the top of the third when Antonio Rodriguez hit a two-run home run to also score Landon Lassiter. The Voyagers have homered in every game of this series. Helena responded with six runs over the next three innings off Brannon Easterling (5-3). Easterling gave up six runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Troy Stokes got the scoring started for the Brewers with an RBI double to score Carlos Belonis. Stokes later scored on a wild pitch. Belonis added a two-run homer in the fourth, his second home run in as many days. He is now in a tie for most home runs on the team with seven. Steven Karkenny and Jose Cuas also share the lead. Christian Trent and Nate Griep combined for four shutout innings of relief. Griep, who pitched the final three, earned his first professional save. Helena has won three consecutive games for just the second time this season and secured their first series win over the Voyagers since 2013. Helena and Great Falls will face off in the finale of their four-game series on Monday at Kindrick Field. First pitch is set for 7:05 PM (8:05 Central). Helena Box Score First it was a two-inning, then three, now five-inning outing for the fireballing 23-year-old failed closer Junior Rincon, we'll see into 2016 perhaps if the role conversion pays off; just-turned 21-year-old OF Carlos Belonis' power-speed combo was on display here and remains intriguing, 1.069 OPS in August is awesome -- all about season-long progressions... Helena Game Log

Biloxi's Josh Fellhauer slaps a two-run go-ahead single as the Shuckers top Jackson Saturday, 2-1

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.

Look for these just prior to the respective game times -- 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 Pioneer League North Division Arizona League Central Division Dominican Summer League San Pedro de Macoris *** Sortable individual stat pages: Colorado Springs Biloxi Brevard County Wisconsin Helena Maryvale DSL Brewers *** Weather.com: El Paso, TX Biloxi, MS Lakeland, FL Peoria, IL Helena, MT

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

Sunday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Colorado Springs: RHP Josh Roenicke at El Paso (Padres), 6:35 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link We welcome Dan Karcher, who is the longtime play-by-play voice of the Sky Sox; follow him on Twitter @SkySoxKarch 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 Brooks Hall at home vs. Mobile (Diamondbacks), 4:55 PM pre-game, 5:10 gametime Free Live Audio Link We also welcome Chris Harris as the very first play-by-play voice of the Shuckers! Follow Chris on Twitter @CHarris731. We'll be linking to his fantastic "Shuck Dynasty" blog. 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! All the Biloxi games for the rest of the season are available via MiLB.TV. ********** Brevard County: RHP Jorge Ortega at Lakeland (Tigers), 12:00 gametime Sorry, no audio at all for this series. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Josh Uhen at Peoria (Cardinals), 4:40 PM pre-game, 5:00 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. NOTE: Forty-two (!) of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (9) and WACY-TV My NEW32 (34) 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. *** Helena: RHP Junior Rincon at home vs. Great Falls (White Sox), 1:45 PM pre-game, 2:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link We welcome back and again look forward to hearing second-year Voice of the H-Crew Dustin Daniel (@dustin__daniel on Twitter). *** Arizona Rookie (Maryvale): Idle *** DSL Brewers: Season complete, the team finished the season at 32-40.

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

What do we know about Alan Sharkey's exit in the Wisconsin game? Wisconsin Top of the 4th Elvis Rubio bunt grounds out, third baseman Paul DeJong to first baseman Alex De Leon. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Francisco Castillo replaces Alan Sharkey.

Via the Peoria broadcast team --

Denson goes yard twice in Helena victory Brewers No. 27 prospect records second multi-homer game of season By Kelsie Heneghan / MiLB.com http://www.milb.com/assets/images/6/5/4/144839654/cuts/David_Denson_0fvuewo1_ley0zd5k.jpg David Denson is hitting .300 (6-for-20) with two homers and seven RBIs in his last five games. (Jared Ravich/MiLB.com) David Denson has shown courage off the field in recent weeks. On Saturday night, he put the spotlight back on the diamond by showing off his power. The Brewers' No. 27 prospect recorded his second two-homer game of the season to power Rookie-level Helena to an 8-4 win over Great Falls at Kindrick Legion Field. Denson came into the contest with just one multi-hit game since July 17. He blasted his way out of that slump, starting in the third inning. After flying out in his first at-bat, the 20-year-old first baseman slugged a solo shot to left field off starter Matt Ball for his first homer since going yard twice on July 12. After striking out in the fourth, Denson came up in the seventh with the bases empty and gave fans a familiar sight with a homer to left-center off reliever Braulio Ortiz. The California native surpassed his career high of six jacks with the second blast of the game. Denson finished last summer with Class A Wisconsin and returned to the Midwest League to start his third professional season. But after hitting .195 with one homer in 24 games for the Timber Rattlers, he was reassigned to the Pioneer League. The left-handed hitter found his stride, posting a .250 average with four homers and 13 RBIs to earn a trip to the Northwest/Pioneer League All-Star Game on Aug. 5. There, Denson went 2-for-3 with a pinch homer, two RBIs and two runs scored en route to receiving the league's Top Star Award. Earlier this month, Denson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he's gay, becoming the first baseball player in the affiliated Minor or Major Leagues to publicly do so while still active. Denson's post-All-Star break numbers have been less stellar, but he's beginning to turn things around. The 2013 15th-round pick has six hits, including five for extra bases, seven RBIs and two walks in his last five games. Carlos Belonis -- who turned 21 on Wednesday -- slugged his sixth homer and tied a career high with four RBIs for the Brewers. Starter Joshua Torres (3-3) got the win, allowing a run on three hits and a walk with a career-high nine strikeouts over five innings. Ball (2-6) yielded seven runs -- six earned -- on eight hits and a walk while fanning five in three frames.

Darn, I hate accidentally closing my browser just before a perfectly prepared Sky Sox summary posted, let's try again, sigh -- Final: Tacoma 7, Colorado Springs 4 Tacoma Rains On Sox Parade In 7-4 Loss COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – The Sky Sox dropped their series-finale with a 7-4 loss to the Tacoma Rainiers before a crowd of 4,981 at Security Service Field on Saturday night. The Sky Sox would break through for two runs against Rainiers starter Forrest Snow (9-8, 3.97) in the home second to open the night’s scoring. Kyle Wren’s one-out double plated Matt Dominguez and Matt Long to give Colorado Springs an early 2-0 advantage. Tacoma would tie it up in the very next frame against Sox starter Zach Davies (1-1, 5.14) after the right-hander served up three singles and a walk in consecutive at-bats. One-out singles by Chris Taylor and Jabari Blash did the damage for Tacoma as the knotted contest headed to the home third. Colorado Springs retook the lead when Michael Reed came around to score on a Juan Centeno RBI single after the outfielder led off the frame with a booming double to left. The Sox third run would be the last allowed by Snow as the right-hander departed after five innings having allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out three. The Rainiers would tag Davies for four more runs over his final two innings of work, once again knotting the ballgame on a Steve Baron RBI forceout in the fourth before taking the lead for good in the fifth. Blash hit his third home run of the four-game set to lead off the fifth, giving Tacoma their first lead of the night with the new 4-3 advantage. Patrick Kivlehan followed with a base hit before Daniel Paolini reached on a Luis Sardinas fielding error. Patrick Brady added an RBI groundout before Leury Bonilla capped the frame’s scoring with a two-out RBI single. Davies would strike out Steve Baron to end the frame and his evening with Tacoma now leading 6-3. In all, Davies was charged with six runs (four earned) on 10 hits and two walks while striking out four over five innings of work. Austin Ross took over for Davies after a scoreless Sox fifth, allowing a run on two walks and two singles in the Rainiers sixth. Paolini drove in the lone run of the frame with an RBI base knock to extend their lead to 7-3 through six innings of play. Colorado Springs scratched their final run across in the home seventh against reliever Mayckol Guaipe on a Pete Orr run-scoring ground out. Centeno crossed the plate to cut the Sox deficit to 7-4 heading into the contests final two innings. The Sox southpaw duo of Jeremy Horst and Michael Strong combined to toss two shutout frames, keeping Tacoma off the board the rest of the way to give the home team a fighting chance at another comeback win. Unfortunately for Colorado Springs, the Rainiers bullpen proved just as strong over those pivotal final frames. Guaipe tossed a scoreless eighth before right-hander Tony Zych came in to close out the 7-4 contest in the ninth. The Rainiers closer did just that to earn his fourth save of the season, shipping Tacoma off on a high note with the four-game series-split. Tacoma improves to 60-68 with the win as Colorado Springs falls to 53-74 on the season. The Sky Sox will look to get back into the win column as they head off to Texas on Sunday to play the El Paso Chihuahuas in the first of a four-game set with the top affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Josh Roenicke (6-10, 6.20) gets the call for Colorado Springs and will face off against El Paso right-hander Chris Smith (4-5, 3.81) with first pitch slated for 6:05 PM MDT (7:05 Central) from Southwest University Park. Colorado Springs Box Score Juan Centeno, DH'ing here, was 4-for-5, and red-hot SS Luis Sardinas tripled among his three hits. Four other Sky Sox reached twice, including Matt Long, who doubled twice. Colorado Springs Game Log

Final: Arizona Royals 5, Arizona Brewers 1 A-Crew two games out of first, in 3rd place, with only five games left (elimination number is four) Maryvale Box Score Six Brewer hits, four walks, an HBP (yes, we noticed again, Max McDowell), but -- Team RISP: 0-for-9. Team LOB: 11. Our two video kids from Friday's game above did OK here, as SS Gilbert Lara singled and walked, and 3B Jorge Quiterio singled twice; CF Trent Clark singled and walked, but fanned in his other three AB's, an oddity for him, just 30 K's in 154 AB's coming into this one. Maryvale Game Log 9th round Oregon HS pick RHP Karsen Lindell had been excellent in his last four outings, this 3.2 inning start saw him put 11 men on base, but he did limit the damage to three runs, as rehabbing veteran LHP Brent Leach stranded one of his baserunners.

From Friday's game, Maryvale third baseman Jorge Quiterio doubles, his 8th of the season, on a ground ball to left

Friday's game: Tweet from ESPN's Eric Longenhagen -- Gilbert Lara's bat speed has evaporated (see brief conversation). AZL Brewers Top of the 2nd Max McDowell grounds out to pitcher Christopher Comito. Jorge Quiterio doubles (8) on a ground ball to left fielder David Walker. With Gilbert Lara batting, passed ball by Jacob Cooper, Jorge Quiterio to 3rd. Gilbert Lara pops out to third baseman Maiker Feliz in foul territory. Zach Taylor strikes out swinging. Here's the full at-bat video:

Final: Helena 8, Great Falls 4 Brewers win second straight Powered by the trio of David Denson, Troy Stokes and Yerison Pena, the Helena Brewers slugged their way to an 8-4 win over Great Falls on Saturday. The three each had a pair of hits in the win, with Denson leading the way. He finished 2 for 4 -- with both of his hits clearing the wall for home runs. The first came in the third inning, and the second was in the seventh. Both were solo shots. Stokes finished 2 for 2 with a pair of walks and two runs scored, while Pena was 2 for 4 with two runs scores. In all, Helena picked up 10 hits in the win. The game was tied 1-1 after the first, but the Brewers (22-36) added a pair of runs in the bottom of the second and four in the third to take control. Great Falls (29-29) chipped away at the deficit, but Helena held on to take a second consecutive win. The teams will face off again in a 1:05 PM (2:05 Central) Sunday contest, again at Kindrick Legion Field. Helena Box Score Carlos Belonis also homered, his 6th, matching David Denson's Helena total (Denson played LF here). Both of Denson's home runs were opposite hit to left (one to left-center). Belonis drove in four. Starting RHP Joshua Torres sported a pretty line -- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 9 K, 1 HR Rare off night for Malik Collymore as the DH, 0-for-5 atop the lineup with four K's. Helena Game Log *** VIDEO: Brewers teammates Mitch Ghelfi, Jordan Yamamoto speak out in support of David Denson (pre-game)

VIDEO: Brewers teammates Mitch Ghelfi, Jordan Yamamoto speak out in support of David Denson