battlekow

Wait, I guess Mehring was referring to a ball Marseco hit in the 9th. But Dennis was upset about something, too.

From Haudricourt's Twitter. Big night for prospects, eh?

Sounds like Chris Dennis just hit what he thought was a walk-off homer but was controversially called a foul ball. I tuned in just afterward. Was anyone listening?

Final: Charlotte 11, Brevard County 8Brevard County box score Well, the Manatees doubled their season total in home runs with two tonight, but it wasn't enough to overcome a disastrous rehab start from Josh Butler and shaky relief from Mike Fiers. Butler allowed seven runs in 2.1 innings and Fiers three in 3.2 innings. The 'Tees' taters were courtesy of Brock Kjeldgaard and Anderson de la Rosa. Matt Cline went 4-5 and saw his first action at shortstop this year while a rehabbing Mat Gamel started at third base; Gamel was 0-3 with a walk. Josh Prince pinch hit for Gamel in the 8th and flew out. Kentrail Davis was moved up to the leadoff spot and went 1-4 with a walk and stole his 4th base. Erik Komatsu was 1-3 with a walk. Brevard County play-by-play

It's, um, jarring to see Carlos Gomez cast in the role of wisdom-dispensing veteran, and I kind of cringe at the idea of anyone taking hitting advice from him. Fielding, though--he and Richardson can talk into the wee hours about fielding if they want.

Routine keeps Sounds reliever Zach Braddock ready for quick call-up Bryan Mullen/The Tenneseean Zach Braddock is a creature of habit, reliant on routine. Whether it's how he stretches before games or how he conducts himself on the mound, the Sounds pitcher likes order. Considering his success this season, there's no reason to change it up soon. Braddock, 22, is the youngest player on Nashville's roster but has also been its most reliable reliever. He has had 11 outings this season but has given up a run in only one of them. He has a Major League Baseball fastball clocked in the mid-90s and some offspeed pitches that fluster opponents. All of this has led to whispers that he may be called up to the Brewers soon, but the 6-foot-2, 235-pound lefty is keeping it all in perspective. "I feel it's more than just a game because it has been such a big part of my life," Braddock said. "You can't think ahead too much. That's the way I approach baseball. You have to have a plan and keep a good routine. I try to perfect it every day." To this point, he's been as perfect as any Nashville player. Braddock has pitched 16 innings and struck out 28 while walking only nine. "He's got the stuff," Sounds Manager Don Money said. "Some guys can just pick it up and feel comfortable and other guys are a nervous wreck. He's had his bumps in the road. Now he seems to be over the hump and feels like, 'Hey, I can pitch in this game.' " One of those bumps came early in his career. As a junior at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey, Braddock had a decision to make. He needed Tommy John surgery to repair a torn elbow ligament in his throwing arm. He decided to have the procedure done immediately and went to Dr. Craig Morgan in Delaware. Morgan has operated on many MLB pitchers — including former star Curt Schilling. "(Morgan) did a great job," Braddock said. "I came back in eight to nine months and was pitching again." The Brewers weren't scared off by the injury and made him an 18th-round draft pick in 2005. Braddock has had a few lingering injuries as a pro but said he is fortunate to be with a patient organization. "The Brewers have been great maintaining me through injury and have stuck behind me and allowed me to excel," Braddock said. For all of Braddock's successes on the mound, there was one not so great outing earlier this season. It was so out of character for Braddock that Money laughs about it now. The Sounds were in New Mexico facing the Albuquerque Isotopes on May 9. Nashville would go on to lose 15-12 in a stadium that is known for allowing tons of home runs. Braddock pitched two-thirds of an inning, gave up five hits, one home run and eight earned runs. It was the only time this season Braddock has given up a run. "We were trying to get him through because our pitching was a little short at that time," Money said with a laugh. "He got the first guy 1-2 and throws a breaking ball and hits him in the foot. And then it all breaks loose. … You hit anything in the air there and it goes out." It didn't faze Braddock. In his next outing four days later against Tacoma, he threw one inning and struck out the side. The ability to bounce back quickly was impressive, Money said, and a trait many MLB regulars have. Braddock, however, isn't looking too far ahead. "It's a goal that everyone here has," said Braddock, referring to being called up. "But the goal I have set for myself is to maintain what I am doing now." He got a dose of the big time in spring training when he spent time with some of the Brewers' regulars. What he mostly took away from the experience shouldn't come as a surprise. "I saw how those guys go through their routines," Braddock said. "I think that will help me get to the next level." http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20100520&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=5200327&Ref=AR&Profile=1031&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0 (Larry McCormack/The Tennessean)

Final: Brevard County 4, Palm Beach 3Brevard County box score The Manatees were walk-off winners tonight, breaking a 3-3 tie in the 9th on Sergio Miranda's RBI single. Miranda finished 3-5, while Kentrail Davis was 1-2 with three walks and Matt Cline walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Josh Prince was 1-5, and Erik Komatsu was 0-3 with a walk and a sac bunt. Again, though David Riske was the de jure starting pitcher, Trey Watten was the de facto starter, and he pitched pretty well, allowing two runs in five innings on two hits, two walks, and a hit batter while striking out three. His sinker did its thing: eight ground outs and only two air outs. Brevard County play-by-play The winning rally: Brevard County Bottom 9th Josh Prince strikes out swinging. Matt Cline walks. Erik Komatsu lines out to center fielder Thomas Pham. Kentrail Davis walks. Matt Cline to 2nd. Sergio Miranda singles on a line drive to left fielder Devin Shepherd. Matt Cline scores. Kentrail Davis to 2nd.

McCalvy: "Outfield prospect Caleb Gindl was placed on the temporary inactive list at Double-A Huntsville on Wednesday because of a health issue in his family."

Final: Huntsville 11, Tennessee 3Stars 11, Smokies 3 Huntsville Stars HUNTSVILLE, ALA - Zelous Wheeler tallied four hits as the Huntsville Stars (20-20) destroyed the Tennessee Smokies (24-16) by a final score of 11-3 Wednesday afternoon at Joe Davis Stadium. The Smokies took the early 1-0 lead on a Matthew Spencer RBI double in the top of the first off of Stars starter Alex Periard (2-2). The Stars offense, which has been quiet for quite a few games, exploded in the bottom half of the frame against Smokies’ starter Alberto Cabrera to take the lead. With one away, Lee Haydel, fresh off the disabled list, smacked a single to right field. Brett Lawrie walked and Wheeler delivered a ringing 2-RBI double to center. Chris Errecart followed that with a double of his own to bring Wheeler home and the Stars had a quick 3-1 lead. But they didn’t stop there. A wild pitch moved Errecart to third. With two down, Andy Machado drew a walk to get runners on the corners. That’s when the bottom of the order came up huge. Martin Maldonado legged out a rare infield single to drive in Errecart. Periard solidified the lead by singling up the middle and the Stars had a 5-1 lead. That last single chased Cabrera from the game after only two-thirds of an inning. The Smokies would use six different pitchers during the nine-inning contest, wearing low on their bullpen. The wind picked up at The Joe today as Tennessee and Huntsville combined for five home runs. The Smokies used the long ball to cut the Stars’ lead to 5-3 as Russ Canzler homered in the second and Ty Wright went yard in the third. Lorenzo Cain and Wheeler both hit a bomb off of Jeremy Paplebon in the fourth. Lawrie hit his second of the year off of Smokies reliever Dustin Sasser in the sixth to make it 8-3. The Stars offense would put the game out of reach later that inning on a 2-RBI single from Machado to go ahead 10-3. Lawrie would continue his big day at the plate with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to drive home Brent Brewer. Periard (2-2) tossed seven strong innings to get the win. He gave up three runs on seven hits, but shutout the Smokies for the final four frames he was in the game. Everyone in the Stars’ lineup tallied at least one hit, while Lawrie, Errecart, and Wheeler each had a multi-hit and multi-RBI game. The Stars scored as many runs Wednesday as they had in their previous five games combined. With the win the Stars pull back within four games of the division-leading Smokies. They head on the road tomorrow to take on the Mississippi Braves. You can catch all the action on the Stars Radio Network and www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville box score Lawrie's big game of the week? 2-3 with a homer and two walks qualifies. He also stole his 9th base but was caught for the 5th time as well. Great to see Cain flashing power and patience as well; at the rate things are going for the Brewers, he might find himself in Milwaukee sometime this year if he keeps it up. Congratulations to Wheeler as well on the huge day, and to Maldonado on the Jake Taylor. Second time in the last three games Periard's allowed multiple homers. Huntsville play-by-play

Final: Peoria 11, Wisconsin 7Peoria pulls away from Rattlers Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Rattlers almost dug out of a deep hole on Wednesday afternoon. The Peoria Chiefs built a 6-1 lead after 2-1/2 innings. Wisconsin chipped away to get to within 6-5 after the bottom of the fifth. But, the Chiefs pulled away with three runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth for an 11-7 win at Time Warner Cable Field. Nelson Perez drove in four runs for the Chiefs. Chris Dennis drove in four runs for the Rattlers. Peoria (23-17) struck first with three runs in the first inning off Wisconsin starting pitcher Damon Krestalude. An infield grounder by Matt Cerda drove in the first run, but it was also the second out of the frame and left nobody on base. Krestalude walked the next batter and gave up a double to DJ Fitzgerald. Perez followed with a two-run single and the Rattlers trailed 3-0. Dennis hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the second, but the Chiefs answered with three more runs in the top of the third. The first five batters reached against Krestalude and the Rattlers’ starting pitcher did not record an out. Back-to-back singles by Cerda and Justin Bour put Peoria up 5-1. Krestalude left with the bases loaded and no outs. Wisconsin reliever Jon Pokorny allowed only one of those runs to score – on a sacrifice fly by Mario Mercedes – but the Rattlers were down 6-1. The Rattlers (13-26) started their comeback with a pair of two-out RBI double by Scooter Gennett in the third. Two more runs scored in the fourth on a double by Michael Marseco and a sacrifice fly by Erik Miller. Wisconsin made it a 6-5 game in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Dennis. Peoria reliever Jonathan Nagel, who gave up the run in the fifth inning, would retire the final nine batters he faced to maintain the lead. Fitzgerald set up the Peoria rally in the eighth with a leadoff triple. That hit was the fourth of the game for the Chiefs’ left fielder. Mercedes knocked him in with a single. Later in the inning, Charles Thomas and Hak-Ju Lee drove in runs for a 9-5 lead. Peoria added two more runs in the ninth inning as Perez delivered a two-run single. Dennis accounted for the final two runs with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez, who is on a rehabilitation assignment, was the leadoff batter and center fielder for the Rattlers on Wednesday. He went 1-for-3 with a stolen base before leaving – as scheduled – before the sixth inning. Gomez is scheduled to make his second and final rehabilitation start for the Rattlers on Thursday. Wisconsin and Peoria wrap up their series Thursday night. Jake Odorizzi (1-1, 3.77) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Peoria counters with Trey McNutt (2-0, 2.18). Tomorrow is a WIXX Thirsty Thursday: Carlos Gomez will make the second of his two rehabilitation appearances. 16oz beers and 22 oz. sodas are available for $2. It is another College Night. Fans may also play Launch-A-Ball, a promotion that allows fans attempt to win great prizes from area businesses, immediately after the game. If you can’t make it to the game, you can tune into the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM. The Miller Lite Pregame Show begins at 6:15pm. Game time is 6:35pm. Wisconsin box scoreHuge day for Dennis, who hadn't homered since April. Great to see D'Vontrey Richardson back in after leaving yesterday's game early; he was 1-4 and saw his first action anywhere other than center, playing left while Gomez was in the game. Cutter Dykstra started at the hot corner and was 1-3 with two walks. Cameron Garfield had a double but still hasn't walked in the month of May. Tough day for Krestalude, who as MH mentioned had been dependable up to this point, as least relative to most other Rattlers pitchers. Wisconsin play-by-play The T-Rats could have tied the game in the 5th but couldn't score Gennett from third with nobody out: Wisconsin Bottom 5th Cutter Dykstra walks. Ryan Gennett reaches on force attempt, throwing error by shortstop Hak-Ju Lee. Cutter Dykstra to 3rd. Chris Dennis singles on a ground ball to right fielder Nelson Perez. Cutter Dykstra scores. Ryan Gennett to 3rd. Cameron Garfield called out on strikes. Peter Fatse flies out to left fielder D. J. Fitzgerald. With Michael Marseco batting, Chris Dennis steals (3) 2nd base. Michael Marseco strikes out swinging.

OF Caleb Gindl was placed on the temporary inactive list at Huntsville, with OF Lee Haydel coming off the DL to replace him. LHP Mike Ramlow, who missed most of last year with arm surgery, was activated off the DL at Brevard County.

Rivas' strong outing helps Stars stop skid at three Bill Bryant/Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, AL - An ace's role on a pitching staff consists of a couple of things. Win a lot of games, and win them when they count. Huntsville's Amaury Rivas played his part well Tuesday night at Joe Davis Stadium against first-place Tennessee. The 24-year-old right-hander stopped the Stars' losing streak at three by giving up only one run in eight innings as they squeaked by the Smokies 2-1. "Every time you have a pitcher with his type of ability, you have a good chance to come out with a win," said Huntsville manager Mike Guerrero, whose team is now 19-20 in the Southern League North. "He showed that tonight." Rivas, for his part, didn't give the mini-slump a second thought during his longest stint of the season. "I didn't feel any pressure," he said. "I'm pitching pretty well right now." Indeed, the Milwaukee Brewers' Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April continued his strong start by allowing only six hits and not walking a batter. Rivas (5-2) has given up one earned run or less in six of his eight starts. His counterpart from Tennessee, Hung-Wen Chen, proved to be pretty stingy himself, allowing just two hits in his six innings of work. But Huntsville made them count. A Brett Lawrie double in the top of the first followed a walk to leadoff hitter Lorenzo Cain. One out later, a Chris Errecart fielder's choice brought in the first run. In the fifth, a Caleb Gindl sacrifice fly brought in Cain again after he had tripled to right-center. "I have to be honest, we haven't been swinging the bats very well at all lately," Guerrero said of the Stars, who had just 16 hits in the four-game series with the Smokies (24-15). "When you get good pitching like we did tonight, it doesn't show up as much, but when you don't get the pitching it really stands out." Rivas found himself in only a couple of sticky situations against Tennessee. A Chen double and Tony Campana bunt hit put runners on first and third with no one out in the sixth, but a sacrifice and an ill-advised decision by Chen to try to score on a grounder to third kept Rivas out of a big inning. Then, with the Stars ahead 2-1 in the eighth, a Blake Lalli double was erased when Campana lined into a double play. Brandon Kintzler came on in the ninth to close things out, striking out one and earning his sixth save in as many tries. http://media.al.com/huntsville-times-sports/photo/amauryjpg-84a9a54c50433a5a_small.jpg (Bob Gathany/Huntsville Times)

Rivas dominates Smokies as Stars break three-game skid Huntsville Stars HUNTSVILLE, ALA. - Amaury Rivas went eight nearly flawless innings and the Huntsville Stars (19-20) played some small ball to prevail 2-1 over the Tennessee Smokies (24-15) Tuesday night at Joe Davis Stadium. The Stars provided Rivas (5-2) with some early offense in the first inning on a night where runs would be scarce. Lorenzo Cain drew a walk from Smokies’ starter Hung-Wen Chen. Brett Lawrie followed that with a ringing double down the left field line to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. One out later, Zelous Wheeler was plunked, loading the bases for Chris Errecart. Errecart hit a slow chopper to third that scored Cain, but Chen was able to work out of the jam without allowing anymore runs in the frame. Rivas didn’t even have to break a sweat on the mound through the first five innings. In the bottom of the fifth that the Stars got him a much-needed insurance run. Once again it was Cain providing the spark as he tripled off Chen to right-center field. One out later Caleb Gindl showed why he’s the Stars RBI leader as he drove a ball to deep right that scored Cain from third. The sacrifice fly was Gindl’s 22nd RBI of the year. In the bottom of the fifth, Rivas found himself in the only trouble of the night, provided by none other than the opposing pitcher. Chen made the most solid contact of the night as he crushed a double to left-center field. Speed demon Tony Campana followed up with a perfect bunt to put runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Marwin Gonzalez bunted Campana over to second base, holding Chen at third. Rivas caught a break when Ty Wright hit a hot smash to third, caught by Wheeler. The shortstop threw to home to get Chen out at the plate. Campana advanced to third on the play and scored the Smokies’ lone run of the game on a balk by Rivas. Chen departed after six strong innings, as he only gave up two hits and two runs, while walking three and striking out four. However, the night belonged to Rivas, who finished with an impressive line of eight innings, six hits, one run, no walks and five strikeouts. Brandon Kintzler kept his ERA at 0.00 with a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 6th save of the year. Offensively the Stars’ top of the order got the job done as Cain went 1-2 with both their runs scored. Lawrie was 1-3 with a double and Gindl and Errecart provided the RBIs. With the victory, the Stars move to within five games of the Smokies in the Southern League’s North Division and gain a game on the 2nd place West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. Huntsville sends Alex Periard (1-2, 4.08) to the mound in Wednesday’s finale of the five-game series. He’ll be opposed by Alberto Cabrera (0-0, 7.94) for Tennessee. Game time is set for 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.huntsvillestars.com.

Final: Portland 6, Nashville 2Sounds close homestand with 6-2 loss Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds wrapped up their homestand on the short end of a 6-2 loss to the Portland Beavers on Tuesday evening at historic Greer Stadium in the finale of a four-game series. With the defeat, Nashville (23-15) finished its homestand with a 4-4 record. After opening his Sounds campaign with 11 scoreless frames including the first three innings of the contest, left-hander Chris Capuano finally surrendered a run in the top of the fourth as Portland took the first lead of the evening. Sean Kazmar led off with a double into the left field corner and scored the contest's first run later in the frame on Craig Cooper's single. Aaron Cunningham doubled the visitors' lead to 2-0 with a two-out RBI single to center. Nashville knotted the contest with a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth. Ray Olmedo led off with a single against Portland starter Cesar Carrillo, extending his hitting streak to nine games, then scored on Adam Heether's two-out triple to right-center. Norris Hopper followed with a game-tying single to make it a 2-2 game. Portland pulled back in front, 4-2, in the sixth. With one out, Cooper reached on shortstop Luis Cruz's second fielding error of the night. Lance Zawadzki followed with a double down the left field line that barely eluded the backhand stab of Heether at third base to put a pair of runners in scoring position for Craig Stansberry, who ripped a two-run single to right off Capuano. The Beavers tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the eighth against Sounds reliever Tim Dillard to increase the lead to 6-2. Chris Stewart dropped down a perfect squeeze bunt to plate Zawadzki from third and Luis Durango later added an RBI single in the frame. Carrillo (4-2) turned in a quality start for Portland to pick up the victory. The right-hander held Nashville to two runs on five hits while fanning six in seven frames of action. Capuano (1-1) took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings of work for the Sounds. The left-hander struck out seven batters and walked none in his 84-pitch outing. Cruz singled in the third inning to extend his longest hit streak of the year to 10 games, the Sounds' second double-digit effort of the year (Olmedo, 10G). After a league-wide off day tomorrow, the Sounds open an eight-game California road trip on Thursday in Fresno with a 9:05 p.m. CT opener of a four-game series. Left-hander Chuck Lofgren (5-2, 4.42) will man the bump for Nashville to face Grizzlies right-hander Jose Martinez (3-1, 3.92). Baseball returns to Music City on Friday, May 28 when the Sounds open an eight-game homestand. Nashville box scoreZach Braddock worked a scoreless 9th, walking one and striking out one. Jonathan Lucroy was 1-3 and, as mentioned, threw out two runners. For the record, he has been excellent, nailing over half of attempted stealers (8/15). Nashville play-by-play

Final: Wisconsin 14, Peoria 1Total team effort in Rattlers win Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers beat the Peoria Chiefs 14-1 on Tuesday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Four Timber Rattlers hitters had two hits as the offense banged out 13 hits. Pitchers Nick Bucci and Del Howell were the beneficiaries of the offensive spurt, but did their part. Bucci allowed one hit over six scoreless innings for the win. Howell allowed an unearned run over three hitless frames. The win was the second straight for the Rattlers. Wisconsin (13-25) got on the board with three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Chris Dennis doubled with two outs. Michael Marseco drove him in with a single to left. The Rattlers loaded the bases on another single and a hit batsman. D’Vontrey Richardson sent a routine flyball to right center, but the ball dropped between the two Peoria outfielders to allow two runs to score for a 3-0 lead. The Rattlers batters got going again in the fourth inning as they loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk to start the frame. Cameron Garfield knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly. Dennis followed with a two-run double. An wild pitch later in the inning allowed Dennis to score for a 7-0 lead. Wisconsin kept the pedal to the metal in the fifth inning by scoring three more times. Khris Davis drove in a pair of runs with a single. Davis would score on an error for a 10-0 lead. The only hit for the Chiefs (22-17) was a leadoff double by Nelson Perez in the top of the third. Bucci stranded Perez in that inning and did not allow another runner past second base. He won his second straight start, struck out three, and walked three. Bucci also extended his scoreless innings streak to 15 straight. Pete Fatse drove in three runs with a bases loaded double in the bottom of the eighth inning. He scored on an error to make the score 14-0. Howell allowed an unearned run in the top of the ninth. The last time the Rattlers scored this many runs in a game was May 18, 2009. Wisconsin beat Clinton 14-7 in that game. Game two of the series is Wednesday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. Damon Krestalude (1-2, 3.86) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Peoria will send Nick Struck (2-4, 3.63) to the hill. Game time is 12:05pm. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez is scheduled to make the first of his two rehab starts for the Timber Rattlers on Wednesday. It is also an American TV Win It Wednesday. All fans 16 or older will receive a scratch off ticket when they come into the stadium. All scratch off tickets are winners. If you can’t make it to the ballpark, you can tune in to AM1280, WNAM for the broadcast. The Miller Lite Pregame Show starts the broadcast at 11:45am. Game time is 12:05pm. Wisconsin box score Wisconsin's solution to one-run games: turn then into 13-run games. Fatse, Scooter Gennett, Dennis, and Erik Miller all had two hits; Dennis also walked. One worrisome note: Richardson left the game in the 4th; he didn't bat in the third, but was thrown out at second to end the 2nd after that misplayed fly ball. Let Bucci's and Howell's efforts not be overlooked amongst the runs. Howell finished with no hits allowed in three innings, walking two, hitting a batter, and striking out two and allowing just the unearned run. Wisconsin play-by-play

It was only 35 innings, but he posted good strikeout and walk rates and wasn't throwing like 85 or anything. He still hasn't walked a guy this year.

Mike Sweeney now or Mike Sweeney from '99-'05 who put up a 130 OPS+?

Final: Palm Beach 6, Brevard County 2Brevard County box score One big inning was again Cody Scarpetta's downfall: he went five innings and surrendered three runs, all in the 3rd. He allowed five hits, walked two, and struck out six. Erik Komatsu had two hits, Josh Prince doubled, Shawn Zarraga had a hit and was hit twice, and Kentrail Davis, though 0-4, was yet again hit by a pitch--it's looking like that's a skill of his. Brevard County play-by-play Check out the weird wild pitch-throwing error combo by Scarpetta that allowed two runs to score: Palm Beach Top 3rd Devin Shepherd triples (1) on a fly ball to right fielder Erik Komatsu. Oliver Marmol singles on a ground ball to second baseman Sergio Miranda. Devin Shepherd scores. Jose Garcia singles on a ground ball to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Oliver Marmol to 2nd. Colt Sedbrook out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Cody Scarpetta to first baseman Sean Halton. Oliver Marmol to 3rd. Jose Garcia to 2nd. Tony Cruz strikes out swinging. Tony Cruz advances to 2nd, on throwing error by pitcher Cody Scarpetta. Wild pitch by pitcher Cody Scarpetta. Oliver Marmol scores. Jose Garcia scores. Richard Racobaldo grounds out, shortstop Josh Prince to first baseman Sean Halton. Tony Cruz to 3rd. Xavier Scruggs grounds out, shortstop Josh Prince to first baseman Sean Halton.

Final: Huntsville 2, Tennessee 1 Huntsville box score Amaury Rivas pitched a beauty of a game, allowing just one run in eight innings and needing only 86 pitches (60 strikes!) to do so. He gave up six hits, walked none, hit a batter, struck out five, and continued to keep the ball on the ground to a ridiculous extent, 13 ground outs against only four air outs. Brandon Kintzler did what he does, working a perfect 9th with a strikeout for his sixth save. Lorenzo Cain was tripled, drew two walks, and stole his ninth base, and Brett Lawrie doubled and walked. Caleb Gindl added a walk and a sac fly. Zelous Wheeler walked and was hit by two pitches. Huntsville play-by-play Rivas worked himself into trouble in the 6th and almost worked out of it but then balked in a run: Tennessee Top 6th Hung-Wen Chen doubles (2) on a ground ball to center fielder Lorenzo Cain. Tony Campana singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Zelous Wheeler. Hung-Wen Chen to 3rd. Coaching visit to mound. Marwin Gonzalez out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Amaury Rivas to first baseman Chris Errecart. Tony Campana to 2nd. Ty Wright reaches on a fielder's choice out, third baseman Zelous Wheeler to catcher Martin Maldonado. Hung-Wen Chen out at home. Tony Campana to 3rd. With Blake Lalli batting, Tony Campana scores on a balk. Ty Wright advances to 2nd on a balk. Blake Lalli grounds out, third baseman Zelous Wheeler to first baseman Chris Errecart.

The box score originally had Butler with four innings pitched, but was amended to two.

Miscik's mission is to keep Manatees competitive Mark DeCotis/Florida Today VIERA -- Brevard County Manatees Manager Bob Miscik has a simple measuring stick in the complicated business that is long-season Class A minor league baseball. In the Florida State League where rosters constantly change, where stadiums that host Major League spring training often overmatch hitters and where many times players are dealing with failure for the first time, Miscik can break things down with a singular judgment. "It all comes down to, are you still competing?" he said. "Just go out there and compete. We know you are going to fail sometimes. It's part of the process. "The danger is when they stop competing." On paper it might appear this season's edition of the Manatees are not competing, sitting in fifth place in the six-team FSL North with a 14-22 record. But that's not the case. "Honestly, I'm pleased in some areas," Miscik said. "We're playing pretty decent defensively. Pitching-wise we haven't settled in yet . . . some guys just going through the learning process. I think we can do better pitching-wise and I think we will." And despite the fact that the Manatees have only two home runs as a team in 36 games heading into Monday night's matchup with Palm Beach, Miscik isn't concerned. "This is a tough park to hit in . . . part of it is this park, part of it we don't have much power," he said. "But we're actually doing decently in other areas offensively. We're up there (in) top half in batting average (fifth of 12 teams at .261). "As far as individuals go, we've got some guys doing fairly well." Shortstop Matt Cline ranks fourth in the league in hitting with a .351 average and outfielder Erik Komatsu is 13th at .321. All in all, it hasn't been a bad beginning for what the parent Milwaukee Brewers organization knew would be a young team. "We're probably where we thought we would be at this point," Miscik said. "I don't mean just wins and losses, the fact that we've lost more than we've won. I mean where guys are at developmentally. "We knew coming in we had some inexperience and guys were going to get an opportunity here. At this point, some guys have taken that opportunity and have developed and are on the right track. Other guys are a little slower in doing that." And that's where Miscik's experience -- he has been in the game as a minor league player, coach, field coordinator, player development coordinator and manager since 1980 -- and the experience of his coaches comes in. "Obviously when you're in A ball, you have a little more patience with guys," he said. "But the clock is ticking with each player. You have to at some point produce in a fashion that would help a higher-level team win." But a player also has to show he can measure up under the wilting pressure of professional baseball before he can help anyone win, and that takes a deft touch to determine when to push a player or when to pull the plug. "Generally speaking, we want people just to compete," Miscik said. "And this process, some of these guys are dealing with failure the first time and the first thing that happens when they start failing is they lose their competitiveness. "And we have to constantly say, 'This is natural. This is not high school, this isn't college. It gets a little harder every step.' As long as a person is competing, then we have their back. We're going to stick with them. "If they're out there competing and they come the next day and try to work on whatever didn't work and try to make some improvements, develop some, that's the process. We're going to keep going, win or lose."

Doubleheader proves to be double trouble Huntsville Stars HUNTSVILLE, ALA. – The Stars took an early 2-0 lead in game two of the doubleheader tonight at Joe Davis Stadium only to see it quickly disappear when the Smokies scored two of their own in the top of the 4th. Chris Errecart doubled in the bottom of the second to drive Zelous Wheeler home. Errecart made it past the plate himself three batters later when Sean McCraw grounded into a force out, making it 2-0 Stars. The Smokies hot bats didn’t stay quiet for long. Matthew Spencer and Russ Canzler hit back-to-back homeruns to tie it up in the Smokies 4th. Things continued to unravel in the top of the sixth inning. Relief pitcher Mark Willinsky came in for Stars starter Chris Cody and gave up a double to the first batter he faced, Ty Wright. Spencer continued his power surge, sending Wright home on a single. After stolen base, walk and wild pitch, Steve Clevenger doubled home Spencer, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Josh Vitters singled both runners home to extend the advantage to 6-2. Willinsky hit a batter and struck out Smokies pitcher Chris Carpenter before he was replaced by left hander Casey Baron. Baron retired the first batter he faced, but after that surrendered the runners he inherited and when the dust cleared it was 8-2 Smokies. Huntsville got one back in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a fielders-choice RBI from Juan Sanchez. Carpenter (2-1) went six strong innings for the win while Willinsky (2-1) suffered his first loss of the year. With the loss, the Stars fall six games back from the Smokies. It’s their largest deficit of the season. They’ll try to get some revenge Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when they send their ace Amaury Rivas (4-2, 2.23 ERA) to the mound. You can catch all the action on huntsvillestars.com.

Stars press release: Amaury Rivas named Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Month HUNTSVILLE, ALA. – Huntsville Stars starting pitcher Amaury Rivas (4-2, 2.23 ERA) was named the Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April. He had a 0.90 ERA and allowed only 15 hits in 30 innings pitched. His record for the month was a solid 4-0. Stars Manager Mike Guerrero said, "(Rivas) has strong command of his pitches. He's been throwing the ball very aggressively and he can really execute his plan. He helps us win ball games." Rivas was also the Southern League Pitcher of the Week from April 19-26.

Final: Nashville 2, Portland 1 (7 innings)Sounds win 2-1 over Beavers in twinbill finale Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Nashville Sounds won the finale of their Monday doubleheader, taking a 2-1 victory over the Portland Beavers in seven innings at historic Greer Stadium. Nashville moves to 23-14 with the victory, thanks to Sounds left-hander Chris Waters (4-1). In his third consecutive quality start, the left-hander threw six shutout frames while allowing four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. The Sounds jumped on the board, 2-0, in the bottom of the third inning in the second game thanks to three consecutive hits to lead off the frame. Shortstop Ray Olmedo doubled to center field and scored the first run on another double from left fielder Trent Oeltjen. Joe Koshansky then singled to right field to plate Oeltjen for the club's second run. Portland's Chris Stewart jacked his third home run in the top of the seventh inning, a solo shot that reduced the Sounds lead to 2-1. Chris Smith then got the final two outs to earn his minor league-leading 13th save of the season. Luis Cruz went 2-for-3 with a double, lengthened his hitting streak to a season-high nine games. Olmedo extended his hitting streak to eight games with a 1-for-4 performance in the second contest. In his second rehab start, Portland right-hander Sean Gallagher (0-1) took the loss after allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts in three innings pitched. The teams wrap up their four-game series with a 7:05 p.m. finale on Tuesday evening. Left-hander Chris Capuano (1-0, 0.00) makes his second start of the year for the Sounds after working eight scoreless innings against Tacoma earlier in the homestand. Portland will counter with right-hander Cesar Carrillo (3-2, 3.35). Nashville box scoreThe home run has been Smith's bugaboo in his time in the majors, and it's cropped up again for him at Nashville lately. At least this time he was able to preserve the lead. Jonathan Lucroy was 1-3 after sitting out the first game, and Adam Heether was 0-3. Nashville play-by-play

Smokies pull away late to top Stars in game one Aaron Morse/Huntsville Stars The Tennessee Smokies (23-14) got a solo home run to break the tie and two-run homer along with a grand slam to put things away late as they topped the Huntsville Stars (18-19) by a final score of 9-2 in game one of Monday's double header. Former first round draft pick Mark Rogers, coming off his best outing of the year, struggled out of the gate. He walked Tony Campana, which was quickly followed by a double to deep right that put runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. Ty Wright continued his hot hitting with a single to left that drove in Campana. A sacrifice fly from Blake Lalli gave the Smokies the early 2-0 lead. The Stars are not known for the long ball, but they showed they can hit them when necessary Monday against Smokies starter Craig Muschko. Caleb Gindl hit his third blast of the year in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit in half. That matched Zelous Wheeler for the team lead. Not to be outdone, Chris Errecart followed that up with a homer of his own in the bottom of the second inning to tie the game. But after that it was all Smokies as they scored 7-unanswered runs to take the commanding 9-2 advantage. It all started in the top of the 5th as Josh Vitters slugged a line-drive over the left field wall for a solo home run. Donovan Hand entered the game in the top of the 6th and got the first two hitters he faced out. But after Wright legged out an infield single, Blake Lalli hit his second homer of the series and of the year to put Tennessee up 5-2. Jim Henderson struggled in the top of the seventh. Two straight singles started the inning. A sacrifice bunt put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Henderson intentionally walked the next batter and was able to strike out Marwin Gonzalez. But Wright continued his big night with a grand slam off the left field scoreboard. Rogers (2-3) got hit with the loss after pitching 5.0 innings, giving up three runs on four hits, including a home run.