Jim Goulart

Excellent (and free) write-up on Orlando Arcia's game smarts via Baseball America

Final: Biloxi 6, Birmingham 2 Ramirez, Reed Power Shuckers Past Barons Wednesday Nick Ramirez and Michael Reed homer backing Brooks Hall's quality start Biloxi Shuckers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/9/6/128383796/cuts/_BRP4905_h3fzi6fk_3h6zyxzt.jpg Nick Ramirez tallied four hits for the second time on Wednesday, plus added his eighth home run (Benton Reed Photography) BIRMINGHAM, AL - Nick Ramirez (4x5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2B) and Michael Reed (2x5, HR, 2 RBI, R) brought their boom-sticks to Regions Field on Tuesday morning, accounting for five of the Shuckers' six runs in their 6-2 victory over the Birmingham Barons. Ramirez finished the game a triple short of the cycle. With the win, the first half magic number goes down to 15 with 17 to play in the half. Biloxi (32-20) struck for four runs in the second and never looked back. A leadoff double by Ramirez was followed by Reed's fifth home run of the season to give the Shuckers a 2-0 lead. Taylor Green (2x4, R) and Tyrone Taylor (1x4, R) followed with back-to-back singles, and a sacrifice bunt by Parker Berberet (0x3) moved the runners to second and third. Josh Fellhauer (1x3, 2 RBI, BB) singled to right to bring in both base runners to extend the lead to four. Berberet's hitless performance snapped his eight-game hitting streak. Birmingham (25-28) scratched across two runs in the fourth on an RBI triple to center by Christian Marrero, scoring Brian Fletcher. Marrero scored on an error in center by Kyle Wren (2x5). Ramirez added his eighth long ball of the season on a towering, two-run shot to right to give the Shuckers a 6-2 lead. The left-handed swinger extended his hitting streak to eight games with the four-hit performance. Brooks Hall (W, 5-3, 6 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 SO) worked effectively in his first start in June, going six innings and allowing the two runs on five hits, with two walks and six strikeouts. The South Carolina native gave up his first hit with one out in the fourth, facing just one over the minimum through the first three innings. Jacob Barnes (1.2 IP, R, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 SO) worked out of two-out trouble in the seventh, but allowed a run to cross in the eighth on a RBI single by Rob Brantly. Damien Magnifico worked the final 1.1 innings, striking out four en route to picking up his fifth save of the season. Biloxi will attempt its fourth consecutive series victory on Thursday night against the Barons. LHP Brent Suter (3-1, 2.43) will make his second start of the year against Birmingham, picking up the win on May 22 with six innings of shut-out ball. The Barons will counter with RHP Frankie Montas (0-1, 3.29), who allowed three runs - two earned - over five innings against the Shuckers on May 24. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM, with coverage beginning at 6:50 on 1240-AM WGCM and the Biloxi Shuckers Radio Network. Fans can also listen to the game using the TuneIn Radio app or by going to www.biloxishuckers.com. Biloxi Box Score Nick Ramirez has reduced his K rate from 31% in 2014 to 23.5% this season. His walk rate is up slightly. Click on Ramirez' stat line to see that all his slash numbers are way, way up. He truly has had a remarkable first two months, somewhat under-reported in all the Arcia - Reed - Rivera - Taylor prospect hoopla. Nick will be 26 in August, certainly not ancient, but regardless, kudos sir. Day off for Orlando Arcia? No problem, Nick Shaw reaches twice and the team rolls on. Michael Reed? Those are league MVP-type numbers, in his age 22 season, folks! Starter Brooks Hall's brief stumble is now a memory, and loving RH closer Damien Magnifico again here (four batters, four outs, three K's, WHIP now 1.03). Biloxi Game Log These guys shook off a 10-0 Monday loss with two more solid road wins, with contributions throughout the roster. When do we run out of superlatives?

RHP Scott Lieser (of leg-kick fame) has been activated from the Brevard County DL and transferred to Wisconsin. Lieser had been on the DL since May 20th when RHP Manny Barreda rejoined the organization. Lieser's stay may have been a "taxi-squad" type of stint, that's unclear at this time. A spot opened up with the Rattlers because RHP Luke Curtis was placed on the 7-day DL with an unnamed injury. Curtis struggled Monday in his most recent outing.

From January 31st: And today we get news of Alexander's release.

Via the Brewers Player Development Office -- To make room for RHP Tyler Wagner on the Biloxi roster, C Tyler LaTorre has been transferred to Helena. Also, LHP Tyler Alexander has been released. More on Alexander in a bit...

ARTICLE - David Goforth's high school coaches reflect

Look for these just prior to the respective game times -- Colorado Springs Media Notes - Home games only, it's a unique link each day, but look for it under the "Multimedia" banner on the Sky Sox' site. Biloxi Media Notes - Linked on the Shuck Dynasty blog Brevard County Media Notes - It's a unique link each day, but look for it under the "Multimedia" banner on the Manatees' site. 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: Colorado Springs, CO Birmingham, AL Viera, FL Grand Chute, WI Boca Chica, DR

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.

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

DVR ALERT! Starting tonight (Wednesday), the Timber Rattlers are on local TV five times in six days. Tonight's game is on MyNew32 TV, 7:00 PM airtime. Refer to the Rattlers' full TV schedule (scroll to bottom of link) so you can coordinate your DVR activity.

Wednesday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Colorado Springs: RHP Tyler Thornburg at home vs. Fresno (Astros), 7:35 PM pre-game, 8:05 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 Birmingham (White Sox), 10:45 AM pre-game, 11:00 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 looking off to his very promising "Shuck Dynasty" blog. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be radio broadcast. MiLB.TV - Seven of the ten Southern League teams telecast their home games, and Biloxi staff indicates it is hopeful it will be eight when the new stadium opens. NOTE: This series is available online for MiLB.TV subscribers. ********** Brevard County: RHP Jorge Ortega at home vs. Daytona (Reds), 5:05 PM pre-game, 5:35 gametime Free Live Audio Link Dave Walkovic returns as the play-by-play voice of the 'Tees; follow the Brevard broadcast booth staff on Twitter @BCManateesRadio, as all home games and the "commuter" road games are scheduled to be broadcast in 2015. No Florida State League games are available via MiLB.TV. ********** Wisconsin: LHP Kodi Medeiros at home vs. Lake County (Indians), 6:45 PM pre-game, 7:05 gametime; expect RHP David Burkhalter to pitch in a tandem role 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. So, for the $49.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sky Sox games, most Shuckers games, and all Timber Rattlers home games and some road games. *** DSL Brewers: at the DSL Rangers #2 team, 9:30 AM, although game data won't be available until later in the day We'll link to this Dominican Summer League Brewers' thread as part of the Daily Menu all season to assist you with your familiarity with these young men.

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With OF Shane Peterson taking the roster spot, RHP Tyler Cravy is optioned back to AAA Colorado Springs. The Brewers don't need a 5th starter until Tuesday 6/9, but Cravy must remain in AAA for ten days after his option unless another pitcher on the big league club is injured, so he will not be the 5th starter that day -- bummer.

Tortugas Staff the Difference in 3-2 Win By Jerry Durney / Brevard County Manatees Daytona Beach, Fla. - In a game where the start was delayed by an hour and a half by rain, the Daytona Tortugas (32-20) would've been ready to start at any hour thanks to a collective effort by the pitching staff to earn a 3-2 win over the Brevard County Manatees (22-29) Wednesday night at Radiology Associates Field. It would be the Manatees that opened the scoring in the top of the first inning, ignited by an Omar Garcia base hit to left and a Chris McFarland double off of the wall in right. Clint Coulter brought Garcia home on a groundout to third. Tortugas starting pitcher Jackson Stephens worked out of the jam by striking out Victor Roache and then getting Taylor Brennan to ground out to third. Daytona would move level in the bottom of the second, although it could've been an inning that would've broken the game open. The 'Tugas saw the first three reach base as Robert Ramirez and Joe Hudson singled in between a walk to Chad Wallach. The Tortugas would get the tying run at a cost as Ramirez scored while Jeff Gelalich hit into a double play. Manatees starting pitcher Javi Salas would escape the inning soon after, inducing a groundout from Jon Matthews. Daytona would take the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning, which started with a leadoff single from Junior Arias. He promptly swiped second and came around to score on a base hit to left by Alex Blandino. Blandino would move up a base as Salas threw a wild pitch with Sebastian Elizalde at the plate. After Elizalde struck out, Robert Ramirez drove in what proved to be the deciding run with a knock to center, plating Blandino to make it 3-1 and brought Salas' night to a close in the process. The 'Tees best chance to draw back even came in the following half inning, starting with Coulter's one-out walk. Roache then slapped a single to right and Coulter was able to get to third thanks to some aggressive baserunning. That decision paid off right away as Brennan lifted a sacrifice fly to center get Brevard County within one. The threat was wiped out when Hudson threw out Roache at second. The Tortuga bullpen took care of the rest as Alejandro Chacin and El'Hajj Muhammad made the one-run lead stand up over the final three innings, including retiring the last seven Manatee hitters. Stephens settled in after a rough start to the game, giving up just two runs on four hits for his fourth win of the season. The night proved to be a rare misstep for the usually steady Salas, who was ultimately charged with those three runs on seven hits, while walking three and striking out two in 4 1/3 innings of work. Manatee reliever Mark Williams was exceptional in relief of Salas, retiring 11 of 12 Tortuga hitters, six of them via strikeout. The lone base runner to reach over the final 3 2/3 of the game came on an Angel Ortega error in the bottom of the sixth. Garrett Cooper recorded the only multi-hit game for Brevard County, extending his hitting streak to 11 in the process. That mark ties McFarland for the longest by a Manatee this season. Brevard County will look to salvage a split of the home-and-home series on Wednesday night at Space Coast Stadium. LHP Clint Terry (0-1, 2.28 ERA) gets the start against RHP Nick Travieso (3-4, 3.46 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 P.M (5:35 Central).

Oh joy, another matinee, with the Shuckers on the air at 10:45 AM -- look for a hustled-up Link Report kickoff just before air time...

VIDEO, Colorado Springs Gazette article: Top baseball prospect Carlos Correa on display in Colorado Springs

Final: Fresno 5, Colorado Springs 1 Errors, Walks Hurt Sox In 5-1 Loss To Fresno Taylor Jungmann goes 6.2 innings but five walks and four errors too much for Sox By Ed Pearsall / Colorado Springs Sky Sox http://www.milb.com/assets/images/9/3/6/128265936/cuts/04_10_120_pk_8tbu65ak_uwgvit41.jpg Donnie Murphy's fifth inning triple provided the Sox with their only extra-base hit of the night in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to Fresno. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The Sky Sox could not overcome a two-run Fresno first in their 5-1 loss to the Grizzlies before a crowd a Tuesday night crowd of 5,952 at Security Service Field. Sox Starter Taylor Jungmann (2-3, 6.37) would struggle early on, allowing two quick runs in a first inning that saw his first four batters faced reach base safely via two free passes and two base hits. The right-hander kept his composure however, keeping Fresno off the board over his next four frames to give his team the chance to get back in the ballgame. Grizzlies left-hander Luis Cruz (2-2, 4.34) held the Sox offense scoreless through four innings in an impressive start. Colorado Springs would finally break through for their first run in the home fifth as Logan Schafer plated Donnie Murphy, who led off the inning with a triple to deep centerfield, with an RBI sacrifice fly. Pete Orr and Scooter Gennett would go down quietly to end the fifth still trailing 2-1. Cruz would ultimately toss six innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits and a walk while striking out four. The walk would once again hurt Jungmann as he ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing two runs on two walks and an Alex Presley one-out double to the left field corner. Fresno tacked on another run in the seventh after the Jungmann walked leadoff hitter Nolan Fontana before allowing a single to Robbie Grossman, who would reach third on a fielding error by Orr in left field. The miscue would prove costly as Fontana would come around to score his team's fifth run. Jungmann would get MLB.com's #1 prospect Carlos Correa to ground out to second before striking out Matt Duffy for the second out of the seventh. In fact, Jungmann would retire Correa in his final three at-bats, striking him out swinging twice. Rick Sweet would pull his starter after allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and five walks while striking out four over 6.2 innings of work. Michael Kirkman came on with a runner on third to retire power-hitting first baseman Jon Singleton on strikes, ending the inning and additional scoring threat. Kirkman and the newly added Wirfin Obispo kept Fresno off the board over the game's final two innings to maintain a 5-1 score heading into the home ninth. The Grizzlies bullpen trio of Tyson Perez, Richard Rodriguez and Jordan Jankowski would finish Cruz's strong effort with a combined three scoreless, one-hit innings as they struck out five along the way. Jankowski's 1-2-3 ninth secured the 5-1 series opening victory for the Grizzlies as the team improves to 30-22 on the season. The Sox defense would make four total errors while the offense notched just one extra-base hit in the surprisingly flat effort, making it hard to believe that Colorado Springs outhit Fresno 7-6. The Sky Sox fall to 20-31 with the loss. The Sky Sox will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday night as they take on this same Grizzlies team in the second game of the four-game set. Tyler Thornburg (1-2, 4.41) faces off with Fresno right-hander Brady Rodgers (2-3, 5.77) with first pitch set for 7:05 PM MDT (8:05 Central) at Security Service Field. Colorado Springs Box Score Yawn to Taylor Jungmann starts, pre-game, post-game, just so uninspiring more often than not... Colorado Springs Game Log

Brief article on the Shane Peterson call-up posted in the Transactions Thread...

Sky Sox player wakes up to news of promotion By Brent Briggeman, Colorado Springs Gazette Rick Sweet started Tuesday morning with some excitement, telling his latest Sky Sox player that he was on the way to big leagues. The Colorado Springs manager woke up Shane Peterson with the good news that he was now a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. "I called him this morning and told him to get his butt out of bed," Sweet said. "I said, 'How can I send you to the big leagues if you're sleeping. Let's go.'" Peterson has been in the majors before, playing two games with Oakland in 2013. He batted eight times, collecting one hit, one walk and driving in a run. This season, Peterson had a slash line of .320/.387/.523 in 47 games. His 55 hits lead the Sky Sox and his 27 RBIs are second only to Matt Clark's 29. Peterson is the 10th player to go from Colorado Springs to Milwaukee this season. "That's what this is all about, get as many of these guys out of here as I can," Sweet said. "Without a doubt."

AUDIO via the Shuck Dynasty Blog -- Game highlights and the pregame interview with RHP Tyler Wagner, who will get to pitch the home opener Saturday in the new ballpark

VIDEO: One more look at the scary collision in the Biloxi game, and then this discussion -- MGM Park: Hitter's haven or pitcher's palace? *** VIDEO: More from inside MGM Park

EXTENDED VIDEO, ARTICLE -- May, Anderson injured in outfield collision White Sox prospects leave Barons game with head, shoulder injuries By Ashley Marshall / MiLB.com Hoping the two young men will be back to action soon...

Lopez delivers bounceback performance Brewers righty allows three hits in seven shutout frames for Shuckers By Alex Kraft / MiLB.com Even though he didn't officially get a victory, Jorge Lopez felt like a winner after Tuesday's start. The Brewers' No. 12 prospect allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings in the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers' 4-3 win over the Birmingham Barons. The right-hander tied a career high with eight strikeouts and did not issue a walk. "The best thing was my fastball command," said Lopez, who sports a 3-2 record. "I trusted my fastball and my curveball as my secondary pitch." The 22-year-old was in need of a strong rebound outing after allowing nine hits and six runs in only four innings in his previous start against the Chattanooga Lookouts on May 27. "Last time, I didn't have the command I had today," the Puerto Rico native said. "I was behind in the count a lot then. That was different today. I just tried to stay ahead in the count and throw quality pitches. "I felt good and in charge. I wanted to keep my head up and not be down out there." The Caguas Military Academy product faced only one batter over the minimum. Barons first baseman Danny Hayes singled in the bottom of the second, but Lopez picked off Hayes at second. The righty also got Adrian Nieto to ground into a double play after Brian Fletcher singled to lead off the bottom of the fifth. The top Puerto Rican player in the 2011 Draft class, Lopez said this start definitely ranks among his best performances of the season and gives him something to build on going into his next start. "Yeah, a hundred percent," he said. "If I go like this every outing, I'm sure I'll be good." The 2011 second-rounder lowered his ERA to 3.38 and increased his strikeout total to 51, tied for ninth among Southern League pitchers. Lopez was unable to secure his fourth victory when the Barons tied the game with three runs in the eighth against relievers Mike Strong (2-0) and Austin Ross (3-1). But Milwaukee's No. 17 prospect Kyle Wren, who plated three runs, delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the ninth. "It was a good feeling," said Lopez of the comeback. "I think we have a really good team and they make the approach every time where they always have their heads up. They never get down, they just keep on fighting and that's one of the things we do well." Ross (3-1) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn a blown save and the win. Chicago's No. 2 prospect Tim Anderson, who started the game at shortstop, and No. 14 Jacob May left the game in the top of the fourth after the pair collided in the outfield on a play. Anderson was replaced by Keenyn Walker, who singled home a run during the Barons' rally. Center fielder May was replaced by Chris Curley, whose bases-loaded walk tied the game in the eighth.

VIDEO: Biloxi's Jorge Lopez ties a career high with his eighth strikeout against the Birmingham Barons

Final: Biloxi 4, Birmingham 3 Lopez dominant in 4-3 win over Barons Biloxi bounced back from their worst loss to even series Biloxi Shuckers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/0/8/128264708/cuts/_BRP5949_c53zihkr_826avxau.jpg Jorge Lopez struck out eight batters for the third time this season, matching again a career high (Benton Reed Photography) BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Shuckers' rebounded after suffering their worst loss of the season on Monday, taking down the Birmingham Barons, 4-3, on Tuesday night at Regions Field. Starter Jorge Lopez was dominant in his 10th start of the year, facing just one over the minimum in seven shutout innings. The Brewers' 15th-ranked prospect by Baseball America faced the minimum through six before stranding Chris Curley at second in the seventh. The 6'4" righty tied a career high in strikeouts with eight and allowed just three hits over his seven innings of work. Kyle Wren drove in three of the four runs including the go-ahead and eventual winning run in the top of the ninth. Biloxi carried a 3-0 lead into the eighth as Lopez turned it over to the bullpen. The Barons rallied for three runs and four hits as Mike Strong surrendered each of the runs before being relieved by Austin Ross (W, 3-1, 2 H, BB, 3 SO) The former LSU Tiger took over with the bases loaded and a 3-1 game, allowing two inherited runners to score before getting the Shuckers out of the inning, but in a 3-3 deadlock. The Shuckers pulled back ahead in the top of the ninth against reliever Raul Fernandez. Nathan Orf (1x3, 2 R, BB) led off the frame with a single and moved to third on a hit-and-run single by Nick Shaw (1x2, BB) to place runners at the corners. Wren (2x4, 3 RBI) shot a grounder through the left side to give Biloxi a 4-3 lead. Ross took the mound again in the ninth and gave up a leadoff single to Danny Hayes, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Adrian Nieto. Back-to-back strikeouts to Joey DeMichele and Jeremy Farrell ended Birmingham's threat and ended the game. Biloxi's offense continued to scuffle on Tuesday, but broke through in the fourth after a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Taylor Green (0x3, RBI) brought in Nick Ramirez (1x4, R). The play resulted off of a collision in center field by Barons' centerfielder Jacob May and shortstop Tim Anderson. May laid on the ground for several minutes before getting to his feet and being carried off the field by his teammates. The Shuckers put up their second run in the fifth on an RBI single by Wren to bring home Adam Weisenburger (1x3, R, BB). Wren was at it again in the seventh with a squeeze bunt to plate Orf to give Biloxi a 3-0 lead. With the win and two M-Braves' victories on Tuesday night, the lead in the South Division is 2.5 games with 18 to play in the half and the magic number for a clinch is 17. Biloxi will try to pull ahead in the five-game series on Wednesday. RHP Brooks Hall (4-3, 3.89) will take the bump for the Shuckers, while it has yet to be determined who will start for the Barons. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM, with coverage beginning at 10:45 on 1240-AM WGCM, 1580-AM WPMO and the Biloxi Shuckers Radio Network. Fans can also listen to the game using the TuneIn Radio app or by going to www.biloxishuckers.com. Biloxi Box Score Six groundouts, one flyout in one of the more dominant pitching lines we've seen this season - what an effort, Jorge Lopez; RF Michael Reed walked three times to lift his 2015 OBP to .415 (career .381); bottom of the order really stepped up on a night when Tyrone Taylor and Orlando Arcia were a combined 0-for-9... Biloxi Game Log