battlekow

Final: Great Falls 6, Helena 0 Helena box score The H-Crew had three baserunners all night and didn't get one past first base (though Sean Halton did his damnedest, getting thrown out stretching his leadoff single in the 5th). That clears the way for us to talk about Jake Odorizzi; despite taking the loss after allowing two runs on six hits in 4.2 innings, Odorizzi finally flashed some strikeout sexiness while maintaining his precocious control, punching out eight Voyagers and walking none. On the season now, he's got a 33/6 K/BB in 40.1 innings, with 41 hits allowed. Obviously, we'd like to see some more signs of dominance, but compared to his 2008 classmastes Evan Frederickson and Seth Lintz, you've got to love the lack of walks. Helena play-by-play

Final: Birmingham 7, Huntsville 6 Huntsville Comeback Goes For Naught in Ninth Inning Loss Brett Pollock/HuntsvilleStars.com David Cook singled in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Birmingham to a 7-6 win over Huntsville Saturday night in the second of a five-game set at Regions Park. The Barons stopped a four-game slide and lifted their record to 37-25 in the second half and 85-46 overall, while the Stars four-game win streak was snapped, as they fell to 25-35 in the second half and 63-67 overall. The Barons have taken eight out of 12 from the Stars, including six of eight in Birmingham. Mike McClendon tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings behind Stars' starterJosh Butler and gave way in the ninth to Wes Littleton, who walked the leadoff man Robbie Hudson. Jordan Danks dropped down a sacrifice bunt before CJ Retherford fanned for the second out. The Stars intentionally walked the lefty-swinging Christian Marrero to get to Cook, who cracked a ground ball past a diving Shane Justis at third base into left field to deliver Hudson with the decisive run. It was Cook's league-leading 82nd RBI of the season. Ricky Brooks followed Barons' starter Matt Long and kept the Stars scoreless through an inning and a third and turned over a 6-4 edge heading into the eighth inning to Clevelan Santeliz, who gave up a run-scoring double to Chuck Caufield that trimmed the Barons' lead to 6-5. The right-hander then gave up the tying run in the ninth when Justis led off with a double, moved to third base on a ground ball out and came in to score, after a collision at the plate, on a Jonathan Lucroy sacrifice fly. The tying run was only the fifth earned run allowed by Santeliz in 52 innings of work. Santeliz was tossed from the game after the inning was over but wound up picking up his fourth win of the season. Jared Price doubled with one out in the third, the first hit for either side, moved to third base on a Butler wild pitch and scored on a Hudson ground out to give the Barons a 1-0 lead. Long held the Stars hitless until Drew Anderson doubled with one out in the fourth. Taylor Green singled with two outs into right field from where Marrero made a one-hop throw to cut Anderson down at the plate to keep the Barons in front. The Barons collected only one hit in a five-run fifth, a run-scoring single by Danks, and took advantage of three errors, three walks and catcher's interference to move out to a 6-0 lead. A Butler throwing error on a bunt attempt by Price allowed a run to score, another Butler wild pitch chased in a run, a run-scoring ground out by Dayan Viciedo brought in another run, as did an error by Lorenzo Cain after he overran the base hit by Danks. Butler was lifted after 4 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits. The Stars climbed right back into the game with four runs in the sixth. Green drove in the first run with a base hit before JR Hopf's scoring fly ball cut the lead to 6-2. Caufield's two-out, run-scoring hit made it 6-3 and knocked Long out of the game. Brooks took over and gave up a run-scoring hit to Michael Garciaparra that completed the rally. Long, who had allowed only two runs over 25 innings in his prior four outings, was charged with four runs on seven hits, while walking three and striking out three. Huntsville box score Lucroy's new hitting streak ended at four games, but he did walk and knocked in the tying run in the top of the 9th on a sac fly before Littleton gave up the go-ahead run in the bottom half. Green was 2-5, Cain 1-3 with a walk, and Brett Lawrie an ugly 0-5 with four K's. Butler did not have a great outing, giving up six runs (three earned) in 4.2 innings, striking out four against three hits and three walks (one intentional), plus a hit batter and two wild pitches. He was doing fine, though, until the 5th, when a catcher's interference by Hopf and his own throwing error set the table for the Barons. At least Butler's sinker was working, judging by his 8/2 GO/AO. Huntsville play-by-play The fateful 5th: Birmingham Bottom 5th Javier Colina walks. Lee Cruz reaches on catcher interference by J. R. Hopf. Javier Colina to 2nd. Lee Cruz to 1st. Jared Price reaches on force attempt, throwing error by pitcher Josh Butler. Javier Colina scores. Lee Cruz to 3rd. Robert Hudson walks. Jared Price to 2nd. Coaching visit to mound. Jordan Danks singles on a ground ball to center fielder Lorenzo Cain. Lee Cruz scores. Jared Price scores. Robert Hudson to 2nd. Fielding error by center fielder Lorenzo Cain. C. J. Retherford hit by pitch. Robert Hudson to 3rd. Jordan Danks to 2nd. Christian Marrero strikes out swinging. With David Cook batting, wild pitch by Josh Butler, Robert Hudson scores. Jordan Danks to 3rd. C. Retherford to 2nd. Josh Butler intentionally walks David Cook. Dayan Viciedo grounds out, shortstop Michael Garciaparra to first baseman Taylor Green. Jordan Danks scores. C. Retherford to 3rd. David Cook to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Mike McClendon replaces Josh Butler. Javier Colina strikes out swinging.

Final: Nashville 5, Round Rock 4 Nashville box score It was the Hernan Iribarren show tonight; the Hurricane had a double in the 3rd and hit a grand slam in the Sounds' five-run 4th. Mat Gamel was 1-4 with three strikeouts and a fielding error, and J.J. Hardy was 0-4. John Axford struck out looking in his first professional plate appearance, but we'll forgive him since he performed well on the other side of the box score, striking out two in his two innings and not allowing a run for the first time in five outings. Nashville play-by-play The big inning: Nashville Top 4th Corey Patterson triples (3) on a line drive to center fielder Yordany Ramirez. J. Hardy pops out to shortstop Jason Smith. Joe Koshansky singles on a ground ball to right fielder Reggie Abercrombie. Corey Patterson scores. Mat Gamel singles on a line drive to left fielder Brian Bogusevic. Joe Koshansky to 2nd. Tike Redman singles on a line drive to left fielder Brian Bogusevic. Joe Koshansky to 3rd. Mat Gamel to 2nd. Hernan Iribarren hits a grand slam (3) to right field. Joe Koshansky scores. Mat Gamel scores. Tike Redman scores. Carlos Corporan strikes out swinging. Chase Wright strikes out swinging.

Final: Kane County 5, Wisconsin 1 Cougars quiet Rattlers Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com GENEVA, IL - Three Kane County Cougars pitchers held the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to three hits in a 5-1 victory Saturday night at Elfstrom Stadium. Mathieu Leblanc-Poirier got the win as he allowed an unearned run and a hit over six innings. Wisconsin and Kane County traded runs in the first inning. The Rattlers (57-74 overall, 23-38 second half) took advantage of some careless fielding by the Cougars to score their run. Brock Kjeldgaard reached on an error with two outs. A wild pitch and a throwing error allowed Kjeldgaard to take third base. Then, an error on a grounder off the bat of John Delaney let Kjeldgaard score. Kane County (71-61, 30-32) immediately struck back. Conner Crumbliss started the bottom of the first with a triple. He scored on a wild pitch by Rattlers starting pitcher Cody Scarpetta. In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Cougars took the lead. Jeremy Barfield doubled to lead off the inning. Petey Paramore was next and he doubled to drive in Barfield for a 2-1 lead. Kane County added to their lead in the seventh. They loaded the bases with one out against reliever Pedro Lambertus. The Rattlers reliever got the second out of the inning on a popup. But, he walked Barfield on a 3-1 pitch to force in a run. Liam Ohlmann relieved Lambertus and got out of the inning without further damage. The Cougars scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Corey Frerichs walked a pair of batters with one out. Then, Leonardo Gil singled in a run. A sacrifice fly by Steve Parker pushed the final run of the game across the plate. Erik Miller had an infield single in the third inning for Wisconsin's only hit off Leblanc-Poirier. Pete Fatse singled in the seventh and Josh Prince singled in the eighth for the other Rattlers hits. Wisconsin box score Another offensive explosion! In addition to his hit, Fatse walked twice; with Derrick Alfonso's walk and Kjeldgaard's HBP added in, that's seven Rattlers on base all game, and they still managed to hit into three double plays. Scarpetta's line is pretty blah. Wisconsin play-by-play

Nice to see Caleb Gindl playing center, too. Gindl and Rogers have really provided succor in a mostly depressing year for the system.

Three more errors for Cutter Dykstra so far, 16 on the season at Helena now.

I wonder if there was any thought of signing Kentrail Davis to a 2009 contract and letting him debut in the AFL.

Hernan Iribarren back to AAA for Suppan.

McCalvy:

Jim Callis at BA says the Brewers had the 4th-best draft:

This allergy medication is about to send me to bed, but Brevard County and both Helena games are finals; I'm sure someone will be around to post the write-ups later tonight. Brevard County 6, Daytona 1 Orem 9, Helena 8 Helena 4, Orem 3 Helena jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning of game one and looked sure to snap Orem's winning streak at 14 before Kyle Heckathorn, making his second pro appearance, and Jon Pokorny let the Owlz back into the game. Thankfully, the H-Crew managed to prevail in game two behind three solo homers, including Chad Stang's first as a pro. Hiram Burgos continued his recent trend of pitching un-horribly. The only game still going at the moment is in Arizona, where the Brewers are losing 7-3 to the A's after four and a half.

Sacramento 7, Nashville 5 Sounds Lose 7-5, Swept By River Cats NashvilleSounds.com NASHVILLE - The Nashville Sounds lost to the Sacramento River Cats 7-5 on Friday night at historic Greer Stadium in front of 8,723 fans. The loss gives Sacramento the four-game series sweep over Nashville (65-62), but the Sounds still stay 1.5 games behind Memphis in the American Northern Division after a Redbirds loss. Sacramento led in 32 of the 36 innings in the series and outscored the Sounds by a 35-16 margin. Sounds starter Lindsay Gulin held the Sacramento offense to one hit through the first four innings before giving up four runs in the fifth. Gulin surrendered two walks and then a Yung-Chi Chen single for the first run. Gregorio Petit followed with a three run home run to left field, his fourth of the year that gave the River Cats a 4-0 lead. Matt Carson doubled to lead off the next inning for the River Cats and then scored on a two-run homer to left field by Anthony Recker that extended the Sacramento lead to 6-0. Nashville broke a string of 14 straight scoreless innings before plating five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sacramento starting pitcher Chad Reineke retired 16 Sounds in a row before getting shortstop J.J. Hardy to hit a pop foul behind home plate. Catcher Anthony Recker then dropped the foul ball that extended Hardy's at-bat, with Hardy later belting a solo shot over the wall in left-center that put the Sounds on the board. Reineke walked the next two batters, and then surrendered consecutive RBI singles to Erick Almonte and Brendan Katin that brought Nashville within three at 6-3. Adam Stern and Corey Patterson followed with infield-base hits that plated two more runs in the inning, trimming the River Cats lead to 6-5. Sacramento got another run back in the top of the ninth after John Axford walked two batters in the inning. Carson doubled home Eric Patterson for a 7-5 Sacramento lead. Gulin (6-8) took the loss, giving up six runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work for Nashville. Reineke (7-4) earned the win, surrendering five unearned runs with two walks and seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings pitched. Sam Demel threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his third save on the year. Nashville box score Gulin's first rough start in awhile; I was surprised to see his ERA below five after the first couple months he had. Dave Johnson relieved Gulin in the 6th and got the first hitter he faced, Gregorio Petit, to ground into an inning-ending double play, but it took him eleven pitches; Petit fouled off six in a row before finally grounding out. Axford struck out three in two innings but needed a lot of pitches to do it (46), thanks to three walks, though one was intentional. Beyond Hardy's homer, it's hard to see four other runs in this box score; Mat Gamel was 0-3 with a walk. Nashville play-by-play The Sounds' five-run 7th: Nashville Bottom 7th Corey Patterson strikes out swinging. Dropped foul pop error by catcher Anthony Recker. J. Hardy homers (2) on a line drive to left center field. Joe Koshansky walks. Adam Heether grounds out, pitcher Chad Reineke to first baseman Brett Wallace. Joe Koshansky to 2nd. Mat Gamel walks. Coaching visit to mound. Erick Almonte singles on a line drive to center fielder Matt Carson. Joe Koshansky scores. Mat Gamel to 2nd. Brendan Katin singles on a fly ball to right fielder Chris Denorfia. Mat Gamel scores. Erick Almonte to 3rd. Pitcher Change: Henry Rodriguez replaces Chad Reineke. Coaching visit to mound. Patrick Arlis walks. Brendan Katin to 2nd. Adam Stern singles on a ground ball to shortstop Gregorio Petit. Erick Almonte scores. Brendan Katin to 3rd. Patrick Arlis to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Jerry Blevins replaces Henry Rodriguez. Coaching visit to mound. Corey Patterson singles on a ground ball to shortstop Gregorio Petit. Brendan Katin scores. Patrick Arlis to 3rd. Adam Stern to 2nd. J. Hardy called out on strikes.

Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 1 Chatwood chucks more zeroes at Rattlers Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com GRAND CHUTE, WI - Tyler Chatwood continued his dominance of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Friday night. The Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher tossed 6-2/3 scoreless innings and got the win in a 4-1 victory at Time Warner Cable Field. Chatwood has made three starts against Wisconsin this season and he has not allowed a run over 18-1/3 innings in those starts. A leadoff walk got Rattlers starting pitcher Trey Watten in trouble in the top of the second. Beau Brooks drew the free pass. Then, Gabe Jacobo tripled to right to knock in Brooks with the first run of the game. Matt Crawford's RBI grounder sent Jacobo home for a 2-0 lead. Cedar Rapids (69-55 overall, 29-25 second half) scored an unearned run in the top of the fourth inning. Roberto Lopez reached on an error. Then, he stole second and went to third on a throwing error. Watten got two outs, but an infield single by Crawford knocked in Lopez and put the Kernels up 3-0. Chatwood kept the Timber Rattlers off the board through 6-2/3 innings. However, he needed a little help to get out of the seventh. Chatwood retired the first two batters in the seventh. Then, Erik Komatsu singled and Sean McCraw walked to bring the tying run to the plate. Nick Pugliese entered the game out of the Kernels bullpen and got a strikeout to end the threat. Chatwood gave up two hits and struck out six while walking four on Friday night. In his three outings against Wisconsin, Chatwood has allowed six hits, walked 12, and struck out 19. He is 3-0 against the Timber Rattlers and 3-7 against the rest of the Midwest League Wisconsin (56-67, 22-31) got to Pugliese with a run in the eighth inning. Brock Kjeldgaard's two-out RBI single drove in Derrick McPhearson from third base to get the Rattlers to within 3-1. Kjedlgaard moved his hitting streak to a season high 10 games with that single. But, Cedar Rapids added to their lead in the ninth. A two-out RBI double by Jon Townsend off reliever Corey Frerichs put the Kernels up 4-1. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Kernels went to lefty Andrew Taylor and he struck out the side in order to get his seventh save of the season. Wisconsin box score Watten pitched his best game in almost two months, striking out six in seven innings while allowing just three hits and a walk, though oddly, he got more flyouts (eight) than groundouts (seven). Very little going on for the hitters with no multi-hit performances nor a single extra-base hit, though Komatsu and Kjeldgaard did each single and walk. Josh Prince also stole his 8th base since being called up and 34th overall. Wisconsin play-by-play Cedar Rapids only scored once in the 4th, but it was an ugly inning for the T-Rats regardless: Cedar Rapids Top 4th Roberto Lopez reaches on fielding error by second baseman Peter Fatse. With Beau Brooks batting, Roberto Lopez steals (5) 2nd base, . Roberto Lopez advances to 3rd, on throwing error by catcher Sean McCraw. Beau Brooks grounds out, shortstop Joshua Prince to first baseman Corey Kemp. Gabriel Jacobo strikes out swinging. Matthew Crawford singles on a ground ball to second baseman Peter Fatse. Roberto Lopez scores. Angel Castillo hit by pitch. Matthew Crawford to 2nd. With Jon Townsend batting, Matthew Crawford steals (22) 3rd base. Angel Castillo steals (14) 2nd base. Jon Townsend grounds out, second baseman Peter Fatse to first baseman Corey Kemp.

Huntsville 1, West Tennessee 0 West Tennessee 3, Huntsville 0 Each Shuts The Other Out in Twin Bill Brett Pollock/HuntsvilleStars.com Steve Bray spun a complete-game, three-hit shutout in game two to pitch West Tenn to a 3-0 win and a doubleheader split with Huntsville Friday night to finish off a five-game set at Joe Davis Stadium. The Jaxx improved to 29-26 in the second half and pushed their lead in the North Division to a game over both Tennessee and Chattanooga with 15 games to go in the season, while the Stars dipped to 21-33 in the second half and 59-64 overall. The Stars, who took the opener 1-0, won the season series 16-9. Matt Mangini's lead off long ball in the fifth inning broke up a scoreless game in the nightcap and gave him 11 home runs on the season. The Stars left JR Hopf stranded at third base with one out in the third and Jonathan Lucroy, who doubled with one out to push his hitting streak to 21 games, one shy of the team record, at third base with two outs in the fourth. West Tenn scored a somewhat bizarre run in the sixth when Greg Halman scored from second base after a diving catch in right-center field by Chuck Caufield. The Stars right fielder threw back to the infield to shortstop Michael Garciaparra, who was surprised to see Halman rounding third base and heading home when it clearly appeared he did not tag up. Garciaparra sailed a throw high and wide of the plate that allowed Halman to score to make it 2-0. West Tenn tacked on a run in the seventh against Zach Braddock on a two-out run-scoring hit by Halman, who reached base three times in the second game. Mark Holliman took the loss for the Stars to fall to 7-8 after yielding two runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He has lost six straight decisions and remains winless since July 1. Bray, who pitched for the Stars in 2006 and again last season, retired the side in order in three innings and tossed his second straight seven inning complete game shutout. He did not allow a runner past first base in the final three innings and wound up walking one and striking out five in improving to 6-6. The Stars were blanked for a seventh time in the nightcap after tossing their sixth shutout of the season in the opener. Lucroy led off the fourth inning of the opener with a double and advanced to third base on a line drive out before Brett Lawrie grounded out against a drawn-in infield for the second out. West Tenn starter Nick Hill then uncorked a wild pitch with JR Hopf at the plate that allowed Lucroy to score the only run of the game. Hill became the first Diamond Jaxx pitcher in team history to toss a complete game in three straight starts but suffered the loss to fall to 5-5 after allowing four hits and recording eight strikeouts over six innings of work. He and Bray tossed back-to-back complete games in a twin bill for the second time in a week, having done so last Saturday at home against Chattanooga. David Welch tossed a complete game shutout for the Stars to improve to 8-8, as he beat the Jaxx for a fourth time this season. He allowed four hits, walked one and fanned three. He set down Guillermo Quiroz on a fly ball with the bases loaded to end the third inning and again to end the fifth with two runners on base. Matt Mangini doubled with two outs in the fourth before Lorenzo Cain made a running, diving catch on a Callix Crabbe line drive that likely would have produced the first run of the game to end the frame. Huntsville box score (game one) Not much going on besides Welch's solid effort and Lucroy's 2-3 with a double. Huntsville play-by-play (game one) Not a Brewer (though some would have liked him to be), but I didn't realize Rich Poythress was in AA already. Huntsville box score (game two) Steve Bray continues to punish the Brewers for letting him go. As the recap mentioned, Lucroy extended his hitting streak with yet another double; he tallied three of the Stars' seven total hits on the day. Lawrie finished the day 0-5 with two K's, Green 1-4 with a walk, and Cain 1-6 with two K's. Huntsville play-by-play (game two) Zach Braddock got worked a bit in his one inning, throwing 23 pitches: West Tenn Top 7th Pitcher Change: Zach Braddock replaces Juan Sandoval. Mel Stocker strikes out swinging. Fleming Baez called out on strikes. Ezequiel Carrera doubles (11) on a fly ball to left fielder Drew T. Anderson. Greg Halman singles on a ground ball to center fielder Lorenzo Cain. Ezequiel Carrera scores. Thomas Hubbard hit by pitch. Greg Halman to 2nd. Coaching visit to mound. Johan Limonta grounds out, second baseman Brett Lawrie to first baseman J. R. Hopf.

My bad; I've been gone awhile and am rusty. Thanks for the correction.

Final: DSL Dodgers 6, DSL Orioles/Brewers 1 DSL O's/Brewers box score No Brewers pitched. As usual, catcher Jhonatan Javier was the main offensive contributor, going 2-3 with a walk. Hitaniel Arias went 1-3, Andres Martinez 0-4, Joan Abreu 0-1, and Luis Chirinos was a late defensive replacement and didn't bat. DSL O's/Brewers play-by-play

And he still only managed to score one of the Manatees' 10 runs. Nice to see big leaguers Hardy & Suppan showing the kids how it's done down in AAA.

Lawrie's gotten on base in his first two AA plate appearances, on a single and a HBP.

Wow, Amaury Rivas struck out 10 in six innings against just three hits and a walk.

From the Dayton Daily News:

D'Vo home, waiting on Brewers' call Scott Chancey/Albany Herald ALBANY - Former Lee County star D'Vontrey Richardson walked into Tony's Gym on his 21st birthday Thursday afternoon, ready to begin a workout. It's just a matter of days before he does the same thing in Arizona as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers' organization. "(The Brewers) have told me to hang in there and stay in shape," Richardson, on Thursday, told The Herald, which first reported the news Wednesday, making national headlines on ESPN.com and another media outlets. "I'm excited, but it's going to be like starting over. Now, I just have to work harder than ever. I've got to stay level-headed." Being assured by the Brewers that the MLB Commissioner's office will approve a bonus offer that is above the sliding scale for fifth-round picks such as Richardson, the only game he can play at the moment is a waiting one. Although Richardson did not sign Thursday, his guardian, Steve Glover, said it's possible that Richardson can sign by as late as next week. Either way, it's a done deal. Richardson was a 35th-round pick by the Washington Nationals out of high school in 2006, but instead chose to attend FSU. If he would have stayed at Florida State, he would be a redshirt junior this upcoming season. On the baseball field, meanwhile, his blend of athleticism and power enabled him to become a viable outfielder with a strong arm - not to mention one who could also hit it out of the park. He batted .351 and started mostly in center field his freshman year at Florida State. After not playing baseball last season to focus on academics, Richardson returned to baseball and batted .304 while starting 22 games. He tied a collegiate high for RBI (three) in the Tallahassee Regional-clinching win against Ohio State, but the lack of playing time this year occasionally frustrated Richardson. Now, Richardson feels he is moving in the right direction. "I'm very excited because I am a step closer to doing what I've dreamed of," Richardson said. However, Richardson is leaving behind football, a sport he showed glimpses of real promise while at Florida State. A GHSA Class AAAA player of the year out of Lee County, Richardson worked his way to being the backup to quarterback Christian Ponder. During last season, Richardson set the team record for longest touchdown run by a quarterback (55 yards) last fall against Chattanooga and also threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Preston Parker against Georgia Tech. Richardson, however, never surpassed Ponder on the depth chart and had been campaigning for a move to safety if he were to return to the gridiron this year. Richardson said he is at peace with his decision to pursue baseball, but that's not saying the urge to play football again will never come back. "I may miss football if I see FSU on TV or something like that, it will be like the feeling when I come back to Lee County and watch one of their games and it's like, "I wish I could play again," Richardson said.

D'Vo decides: MLB over FSU Scott Chancey/Albany Herald TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- Former Lee County High School star D'Vontrey Richardson's football career at Florida State is over. That's according to Richardson's guardian, Steve Glover, who confirmed to The Herald late Wednesday that the current two-sport FSU athlete will instead sign a minor-league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers as early as today. Glover added that while the signing could happen between today and next Friday, if Richardson signs today, the timing could not be more perfect. Today's his 21st birthday. "It's definitely going to happen (at some point really soon)," Glover said. Richardson, a fifth-round pick by the Brewers, has not signed yet because the signing bonus offer by Milwaukee must first be approved by the MLB Commissioner's office. The reason for needing approval is because the undisclosed offer is higher than what the payscale for a fifth-round draft pick allows. Last year's average signing bonus for fifth-round picks, according to the Major League Scouting Bureau, was $266,000. The Brewers' media relations office, when contacted by The Herald on Wednesday, said they had no comment on the status on Richardson's contract. Glover, meanwhile, says he is confident it's no longer a matter of if, but when. "They're telling us any day," Glover said. Glover then added: "Some players from other teams have already signed above the slot when it comes to money. We've talked to the Brewers. To them, it's a done deal. There's not going to be a problem. They even called us (Wednesday) and told us it would be soon." Attempts to contact Richardson on Wednesday, however, were unsuccessful. Glover said the reason was a good one: He was celebrating his upcoming birthday - and likely his contract - in a get-together with friends. When the contract is signed, Glover said Richardson will immediately make plans to travel to Arizona and play for the Brewers' Arizona League (Rookie) team. Richardson starred primarily in football and baseball at Lee County, and that earned him a scholarship to play both sports at Florida State. Those days, however, now appear to be in the past. "It's just the start of a new chapter in his life," Glover said. "It's really just the beginning. He's still got a long way to get to his goal. It's definitely a start and it's nice and that will allow him to basically focus on baseball full time." Glover said they have not told Florida State of Richardson's decision, but he added, "(Florida State) pretty much knew it when he left. When he went into the draft, they knew it was over because he's ready to take that chance." Richardson was a 35th-round pick by the Washington Nationals out of high school in 2006, but instead chose to attend FSU. While playing football for Florida State, Richardson worked his way to being the backup to quarterback Christian Ponder. During last season, Richardson set the team record for longest touchdown run by a quarterback (55 yards) last fall against Chattanooga and also threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Preston Parker against Georgia Tech. Richardson, however, never surpassed Ponder on the depth chart and had been campaigning for a move to safety if he were to return to the gridiron this year. On the baseball field, meanwhile, his blend of athleticism and power enabled him to become a viable outfielder with a strong arm - not to mention one who could also hit it out of the park. He batted .351 and started mostly in center field his freshman year at Florida State. After not playing baseball last season to focus on academics, Richardson returned to baseball and batted .304 while starting 22 games. He tied a collegiate high for RBI (three) in the Tallahassee Regional-clinching win against Ohio State, but the lack of playing time this year occasionally frustrated Richardson. Now, it's only a matter of time before that frustration goes away. "He's a really level-headed kid," Glover said. "To him, this is something he has always wanted to do. He's very mature about the approach. He's not over the top, but he's just going in with a lot of excitement, a controlled excitement. "He understands it's just a start, but he's excited about the work. He's ready."

God is 'everything' to Sarasota Baptist pitcher Bill Sorrell/Florida Baptist Witness SARASOTA (FBW)-In a dugout in Helena, Mont., Robert Hinton stared in disbelief at what he saw on the field: The car being raffled on the last day of the season had a striking resemblance to the green 1996 BMW he just purchased. As it got closer, he said, "Seriously, this IS my car. It's got all my stuff in it." Then the announcer proclaimed, "Robert Hinton has volunteered his car to be auctioned off." The winning ticket was drawn. The lucky fan raced to the dugout, shook Hinton's hand and said, "Thank you, man; thank you." Pitcher Josh Baker burst out laughing. "Come on dude, why are you messing with me like that?" Hinton asked Baker, the instigator of the "advanced" prank in the advanced rookie league. Back home in Sarasota, Hinton traded the car and the league. In his fifth season in professional baseball, Hinton pitches for the Huntsville Stars, the Milwaukee Brewers' AA affiliate in the Southern League. The Brewers drafted him out of Riverview High School in the 40th round in 2003. He played one year at Manatee Community College and signed before the 2004 draft. His father Rich Hinton pitched for five major league teams in the 1970s, including three stints with the Chicago White Sox. "Since I was a little kid and started playing catch in the back yard, he taught me everything there is to know about pitching," said Hinton, 24. "After every game I call him and go over the game and he gives me pointers. He is a pretty good resource for sure." His father and his mother, Rita Hinton, provided resources and examples of endurance for Robert's five brothers and sisters whose first names all begin with "R." Rita grew up in Communist Hungary before fleeing to Germany as a teen. There she became a model. Under Communism, life was oppressive but with a "great family" and a grandmother's influence, Rita was taught about God. She and her sister moved to Sarasota where she met Rich, who was in spring training with the White Sox. "The Lord did a wonderful work in her life," said Mike Landry, pastor of Sarasota Baptist Church where the family are members. A speaker and an author, Rita has written two books, including A Miracle of Love, a biography that also deals with her son Richie, now 19, who had a near-death experience as a child when he almost drowned. At Sarasota Baptist Church, Robert Hinton was active in the youth group and taught a Sunday School class for second and third graders. He became a Christian when he was six. "He has a calm spirit," Landry said of Hinton. "He is unashamed of Christ and wants his life to be used to open doors to Christ." While his first memory was hitting tennis balls off his father, it wasn't until he was in high school that Hinton vowed to become a big leaguer like his dad. "God has given me a great talent and I need to be thankful for what He has done and draw strength from Him. I just have to trust myself and go for it," said Hinton, who claimed Isaiah 40:31 as his favorite verse when he was a high school sophomore. Pitching against a senior, the game went extra innings. Exhausted in the ninth, the verse popped into his mind. "The Lord gave me strength on wings of eagles and ever since, that has been my life verse," he said. The verse is tattooed on his left arm. When he was 16, he experienced a turning point. He had to decide if he was going to make baseball or piano a career. While baseball prevailed, he didn't strike out on piano. Five hours of daily practice helped him develop strength in his fingers, which led to a sharp breaking ball. Today, Hinton's slider is feared. "His slider is probably one of the best sliders I've ever seen," said Huntsville catcher Jonathan Lucroy. "There are not many people who can hit that thing. It's pretty dirty with great movement. He is a real good pitcher. I feel confident every time he goes to the mound." Said Huntsville infielder Shane Justis: "He's an excellent relief pitcher. He makes everybody relaxed when he comes in. We know Robert does a nice job of commanding the strike zone and getting ahead of batters." Hinton, a 6-2, 196-pound righthander, led a Huntsville church baseball camp in June with other players, who gave their testimonies. His testimony is not one from a "down-in-the-dumps" to a high-point story. "Mine [testimony] is that God is good. He has given me a great life. He gave me the family to grow up in. I thank Him for it. He is always there when I am feeling down. It is awesome to see Him at work. He is everything," Hinton said. The toughest part of being a Christian, Hinton said, is the temptation to go places where teammates may want him to go. "It's kind of like you've got your team or your Christian values," Hinton said. "Everybody knows where I stand." Lucroy said, "He is a great guy, clean-cut. He does the right thing. He takes care of himself off the field well. You can't ask for a better person in the clubhouse." Former Huntsville teammate Mel Stocker, now with the rival West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, said of Hinton, "He does things in a different manner. He is more of an example." Teammates respect Hinton's convictions. "If you are walking with the Lord and you are not doing stupid stuff off the field, it's obviously going to help your career because you don't have off-field issues," Stocker said. Hinton was selected an All-Star when he played for West Virginia in 2005 in the Class A South Atlantic League and helped Huntsville win the Southern League's North Division championship in 2007. He's a cowboy in the off-season, raising cattle on a Texas ranch with Baker, who pitched for Rice University when the Owls won the national championship in 2004. Rich has told Robert that he has the right stuff. "You have way-better stuff than I ever had when I played in the big leagues. Trust yourself. If you stay healthy, you'll get there," Rich has assured Robert. Robert said, "With my dad playing in the big leagues, it would mean the world to him to see it happen. You dream about it, then you actually do it." http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/6368.24hintonpitching.jpg.image Milwaukee Brewers http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/6367.24hinton.jpg.image Milwaukee Brewers

Jake Odorizzi didn't piggyback with Arnett for the second straight turn; he hasn't pitched since the 16th. Max Walla missed his second straight game.

Demetrius McKelvie did single and walk, so there's that.