battlekow

Wisconsin game notes and lineup: Reggie Keen – CFNick Shaw – 2BTJ Mittelstaedt – DHChris Dennis – 1BMike Walker – 3BFranklin Romero – RFRobbie Garvey – LFTyler Roberts – CYadiel Rivera – SS Tyler Thornburg – SP

Final: @Tacoma 5, Nashville 3 Sounds Lose Series Opener In Tacoma, 5-3Nashville Sounds TACOMA, Wash. - The Tacoma Rainiers belted three home runs en route to a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Monday evening at Cheney Stadium in the opener of a four-game series. The Sounds (17-26) jumped out to an early lead, plating a pair of unearned runs against Tacoma starter Fabio Castro in the top of the first inning following a fielding error by shortstop Sean Kazmar. Catcher George Kottaras continued his recent hot hitting by delivering a two-out, two-run single in the frame [audio]. With the run-ahead knock, Kottaras extended his longest hitting streak of the year to six games and has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games at a .349 clip (15-for-43). Tacoma halved the Nashville lead in the second. Luis Jimenez led off the inning by drawing a walk from Sounds starter Josh Butler and later scored on Matt Tuiasosopo's two-out double to right. The Rainiers knotted the score at 2-2 in the fourth when right fielder Johan Limonta belted a two-out solo homer to right-center off Butler, his second longball of the year. Brendan Katin put the Sounds back in front, 3-2, in the sixth when he belted a mammoth leadoff homer over the left field foul pole. The blast, off Castro, was his team-leading 11th of the season. Tacoma responded immediately, taking its first lead of the night in the bottom of the frame with a pair of solo homers off Butler. Mike Carp led off with a line-drive solo shot to right that barely cleared the 325-foot fence, the outfielder's 11th roundtripper of the year. Two batters later, Rainiers third baseman Alex Liddi swatted a go-ahead blast to left, his ninth of the year, giving the home team a 4-3 lead. The Rainiers extended their lead to 5-3 in the seventh when Ryan Langerhans laced a two-out RBI single to right off Sounds reliever Zack Segovia. Tacoma reliever Scott Patterson (1-0) picked up his first win of the year with 1 1/3 hitless innings behind Castro. Hard-throwing right-hander Dan Cortes closed out the contest with two scoreless frames, striking out five batters, to earn his first save of the year for the Rainiers. Nashville threatened in the ninth, putting two runners into scoring position with two outs in the frame, before Cortes caught Caleb Gindl looking at a game-ending third strike to ice the victory. Butler (2-3) took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits over six innings. The right-hander, who had allowed only three home runs all season entering the contest, gave up three taters on the night. Sounds shortstop Eric Farris went 2-for-4 on the night to extend his longest hit streak of the year to eight games. The teams continue the series with a 1:35 p.m. matinee on Tuesday afternoon. Left-hander Chase Wright (1-3, 3.12 will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face Tacoma southpaw Luke French (0-5, 5.98). Nashville box scoreKatin is slugging .691. Gindl stuck out four times. Mat Gamel was 0-3 with a walk. Nashville play-by-play

If you're looking for something to do, Clearwater and Jupiter are now in the 22nd inning tied 1-1. Listen or check out the box score.

Final: @Huntsville 5, Montgomery 2 Hunter Morris homer lifts Huntsville Stars past MontgomeryMark McCarter/Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Hunter Morris, in his third game with the Huntsville Stars, socked a two-run homer in the sixth inning to put the Stars ahead en route to a 5-2 win over the Montgomery Biscuits Monday night. The Stars won three of five games in this home stand. Morris, the former Grissom High and Auburn standout, was 5-for-13 in the homestand after being promoted Saturday from Class A Brevard County. He scored five runs and drove in two. He had two extra base hits, a triple in his debut and Monday's homer. He is the first Huntsville native to play for the Stars. "For the first three games, I would say I did OK," Morris said. He was pleased that he put the ball in play each at-bat, with no strikeouts, and against the highest level of pitching he has seen in his pro career since his stint in the Arizona Fall League last year. Morris was promoted to replace Sean Halton, who went on the disabled list. There is no word how long Morris may remain with the Stars or if his performance will keep him on the Huntsville roster when Halton is healthy, necessitating other player moves. Morris was the fourth-round draft pick of the Brewers in last June's draft. Huntsville box scoreI'm liking this thing where the Times writes up Stars games, however perfunctorily, with Morris on the team. When Halton returns, Morris could play third; if not that, both have limited experience in the outfield as well. Neither deserves a demotion at this point and it's not like displacing Angel Gonzalez, Sergio Miranda, or Brandon Jones should be a problem. Okay, in non-Hunter Morris news, Cody Scarpetta pitched pretty well: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR. Still too many balls, though: 97 pitches, only 56 strikes. R.J. Seidel had an impressive Stars debut with 2.1 scoreless innings; he allowed no hits and a walk while fanning one. With Michael Fiers' promotion, looks like Darren Byrd will be the closer; he picked up his first save. Erik Komatsu continues to toy with AA pitchers, going 3-4 with a walk tonight to raise his line to .356/.443/.481. Lee Haydel walked and tripled (a rare extra-base hit). Steffan Wilson, Martin Maldonado, and Miranda had two hits each.Huntsville play-by-play Scarpetta struck out five consecutive hitters between the 4th & 5th.

Final: Palm Beach 4, @Brevard County 1 Brevard County drops sixth straightFrank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- A short outing by starting pitcher Adrian Rosario and a lack of offense resulted in a 4-1 loss for the Brevard County Manatees against the Palm Beach Cardinals on Monday night at Space Coast Stadium. It was the sixth loss in a row for the Manatees. The Cardinals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Palm Beach started off the game with three straight hits. Palm Beach would score again off Rosario in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk with two outs, that made it 3-0 and ended Rosario's night, after just 3.2 innings. Evan Anundsen relieved Rosario and kept the Manatees in the game as he threw 3.1 shutout innings and struck out three. Brevard County had an opportunity to plate a run in the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs, but Khris Davis flew out to right field as the Manatees came up empty. Palm Beach padded its lead in the eighth off of Rolando Pascual, who made his Manatees debut. Pascual walked the bases loaded and with two outs, hit Xavier Scruggs with a pitch to make it 4-0 Cardinals. The Manatees scored their only run in the bottom of the ninth as Sean McCraw led the inning off with a double, moved to third on a ground out by Juan Sanchez and then scored on a sacrifice fly off of the bat of Scooter Gennett. McCraw and Logan Schafer each had two hits for the Manatees. The Manatees will look to snap their six-game losing streak as the series continues against the Cardinals on Tuesday night. Hiram Burgos (1-2, 3.54) will toe the rubber for Brevard County, while Joe Kelly (1-2, 3.23) will get the nod for Palm Beach. http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2011/05/23/toBJJb2k.jpg Rosario. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) Brevard County box scoreSecond time that Anundsen's come in after a short start and pitched impressively; he allowed just two hits. This wasn't just Pascual's Manatees debut; after signing for $710,00 in 2005, he'd yet to pitch above Rookie ball. Obviously his control is...not good...but hey, he did strike out two guys. Santo Manzanillo pitched an inning without walking anyone to show up Pascual. Logan Schafer had two hits and a walk. Kentrail Davis walked twice. Khris Davis singled and walked. D'Vontrey Richardson was lifted for a pinch hitter after one at-bat (a strikeout). Shawn Zarraga did not play for the third straight game. Brevard County play-by-playRichardson didn't field any balls before being removed. Bases-loaded, two-out opportunity for Khris Davis in the 5th with BC down 3-0 could have gotten them right back in it: Brevard County Bottom of the 5thSean McCraw walks.Juan Sanchez grounds into a force out, second baseman Luis Mateo to shortstop Domnit Bolivar. Sean McCraw out at 2nd. Juan Sanchez to 1st.Scooter Gennett grounds out, second baseman Luis Mateo to first baseman Edgar Lara. Juan Sanchez to 2nd.Logan Schafer singles on a line drive to left fielder Kyle Conley. Juan Sanchez to 3rd.Kentrail Davis walks. Logan Schafer to 2nd.Khristopher Davis flies out to right fielder Rainel Rosario.

Chris Mehring's postgame post includes the following breakdown of the homestand: Kind of amazing.

106 pitches, 70 strikes for Ross. Highlights:

Final: @Wisconsin 4, Burlington 3 Walker homers Rattlers past BurlingtonChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - Mike Walker's two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers their first lead over the Burlington Bees on Monday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. Rattlers closer Greg Holle made that lead hold up as he got the final six outs in the 4-3 win. The game started late because Zach Braddock, Wisconsin's scheduled starting pitcher, was scratched with a problem fingernail on his pitching hand. The game was delayed by 16 minutes to allow Austin Ross to warm up to make the start. Burlington (30-14) was ready for Ross. Douglas Landaeta doubled to drive in Nino Leyja in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. Wisconsin (25-19) rallied to tie the game in the third. Nick Shaw's two-out RBI single drove in Greg Hopkins and evened the game 1-1. The Bees got to Ross again in the fourth inning. Yordy Cabrera singled and AJ Kirby-Jones followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Jose Rivero stepped up and sent a hard grounder to Hopkins at third base. Hopkins looked Cabrera back to third before starting a 5-4-3 double play. Cabrera, who started for the plate just as Hopkins sent the ball to second, barely beat Walker's throw from first to the plate and slid home with a run for a 2-1 lead. Hopkins had a hand in tying the game at two. Robbie Garvey singled to start the inning and took second on a grounder to short. Hopkins followed with a single to center and Garvey raced home with the run to even the game. Burlington took the lead during a brief downpour of rain in the top of the sixth. The skies above Time Warner Cable Field had been alternating between rainy gray and sunny blue for most of the afternoon, but Kirby-Jones sent a one out blast through a sudden squall to right field for a double that moved Cabrera around to third base. The rain slacked a bit, but Ross uncorked a wild pitch to let Cabrera score the run to make the score 3-2. Plus, Kirby-Jones was at third with an insurance run. Ross struck out Jose Rivero for the second out of the inning. Then, Eric Marzec relieved to get the final out and keep Kirby-Jones at third. The skies had turned sunny again by the time TJ Mittelstaedt drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth inning. One out later, Walker found himself down in the count 0-2. He fouled one pitch from Burlington starter Tyler Vail. He crushed the next pitch to the Burlington bullpen beyond the wall in left-center. Walker's eighth home run of the season put the Rattlers up 4-3. Just before the Bees batted in the top of the eighth inning, the skies opened up again and forced a delay of twenty minutes. Rattlers closer Holle had started to run in from the bullpen just before the delay. He was ready when play restarted. Holle struck out a pair in the eighth and worked around a two out single for a scoreless inning. He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record his eleventh save in eleven save opportunities. Wisconsin wrapped up their seven-day, 10-game homestand with a 7-3 record. They went 3-2 against the Beloit Snappers before taking four of five from the Midwest League Western Division leading Bees. The Rattlers will vacate Time Warner Cable Field until June 7 and begin a four-city, 14-game, 13-day road trip on Tuesday evening. The first stop for Wisconsin is Peoria, Illinois for a series with the Peoria Chiefs at O'Brien Field. Tuesday's pitching matchup features Tyler Thornburg (3-0, 1.75) for the Timber Rattlers and Su-Min Jung (2-0, 2.50) for the Chiefs. Game time is 6:30pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:10pm. Wisconsin box scoreRoss has spoiled us to the point where this near-quality start is disappointing. I'll have Ross's pitch/strike count as soon as Twitter cooperates. With his scoreless 1.1 innings, Marzec has now allowed a run in just one of his 13 games this year. After a rough beginning to the year, Holle's really perked up lately, both in results and peripherals. Garvey led the bats with three hits. Yadiel Rivera was promoted to 8th in the order after yesterday's homer but went 0-4, as did Chris Dennis. Reggie Keen was on twice with a walk and a HBP and used the opportunity to steal his 18th and 19th bases. The Rattlers' last four wins, all in the last five games, have each come by the score of 4-3. Wisconsin play-by-play

Braddock has a cracked nail.

Well, Chris says Braddock's scratch wasn't due to the weather but also isn't due to anything serious. Hmm.

John Sickels has a scouting report on Brett Lawrie. Takeaway quote: "Based on his track record, and what I saw Sunday afternoon, I am convinced that Brett Lawrie has everything needed to be a superstar."

Colin Fly said on Saturday that Braddock would either appear for the Rattlers or pitch a simulated game, depending on the weather, so presumably you're right that the rain nixed it.

Final: @Huntsville 8, Montgomery 3 Huntsville box scoreThe Stars knocked out 12 base hits, all singles, through three innings, scoring five times in the process. Though Jesus Sanchez let the Biscuits close to within 5-3 in the 4th, Huntsville got two more in the bottom of that inning and Dan Meadows came on for 3.1 innings of lock-down relief. Rob Wooten finished the game with two more scoreless innings, though he didn't strike anyone out. The Stars ended up with 15 hits, just one of them for extra bases, Steffan Wilson's double; every starter had at least one. Hainley Statia led the way with three, and Erik Komatsu, Hunter Morris, Andy Gonzalez, and Sergio Miranda each had two. Huntsville play-by-playThe only hit you're missing by looking at the PBP from the first four innings is Wilson's two-out RBI double in the 5th. Huntsville Bottom of the 1stLee Haydel grounds out, second baseman Shawn O'Malley to first baseman Matthew Sweeney.Erik Komatsu singles on a line drive to left fielder Stephen Vogt.Angel Gonzalez singles on a ground ball to right fielder John Matulia. Erik Komatsu to 2nd.Brandon Jones flies out to left fielder Stephen Vogt.Steffan Wilson called out on strikes. Huntsville Bottom of the 2ndHunter Morris pops out to shortstop Tim Beckham.Martin Maldonado singles on a line drive to right fielder John Matulia.Sergio Miranda singles on a fly ball to left fielder Stephen Vogt. Martin Maldonado to 2nd.Hainley Statia singles on a ground ball to right fielder John Matulia. Martin Maldonado scores. Sergio Miranda to 3rd.Lee Haydel singles on a line drive to center fielder John Shelby. Sergio Miranda scores. Hainley Statia to 2nd.Erik Komatsu strikes out swinging.Angel Gonzalez singles on a line drive to left fielder Stephen Vogt. Hainley Statia scores. Lee Haydel to 2nd.Brandon Jones singles on a ground ball to left fielder Stephen Vogt. Lee Haydel scores. Angel Gonzalez to 2nd.Steffan Wilson strikes out swinging. Huntsville Bottom of the 3rdHunter Morris singles on a sharp ground ball to first baseman Matthew Sweeney.Martin Maldonado out on a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Henry Wrigley to first baseman Matthew Sweeney. Hunter Morris to 2nd.With Sergio Miranda batting, wild pitch by Joseph Cruz, Hunter Morris to 3rd.Sergio Miranda singles on a ground ball to right fielder John Matulia. Hunter Morris scores.Hainley Statia singles on a ground ball to right fielder John Matulia. Sergio Miranda to 2nd.Lee Haydel called out on strikes.Erik Komatsu singles on a sharp ground ball to pitcher Joseph Cruz. Sergio Miranda to 3rd. Hainley Statia to 2nd.Angel Gonzalez flies out to right fielder John Matulia. Huntsville Bottom of the 4thPitcher Change: Chad Thall replaces Joseph Cruz.Brandon Jones walks.Steffan Wilson walks. Brandon Jones to 2nd.Hunter Morris singles on a ground ball to right fielder John Matulia. Brandon Jones out at home on the throw, right fielder John Matulia to catcher Nevin Ashley. Steffan Wilson to 2nd.Martin Maldonado hit by pitch. Steffan Wilson to 3rd. Hunter Morris to 2nd.Sergio Miranda grounds into a force out, shortstop Tim Beckham to second baseman Shawn O'Malley. Steffan Wilson scores. Hunter Morris to 3rd. Martin Maldonado out at 2nd. Sergio Miranda to 1st.Hainley Statia singles on a ground ball to left fielder Stephen Vogt. Hunter Morris scores. Sergio Miranda to 3rd.Lee Haydel grounds out to first baseman Matthew Sweeney.

Brandon Revels, head of baseball operations for the Manatees, says Bucci was touching 93 today.

Manatees skid extends to fiveFrank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- Coming off a 2-4 road trip, the Brevard County Manatees returned home Sunday looking to get back on track in the first game of an eight-game homestand. But Palm Beach Cardinals starter John Gast put that to a halt as he threw a complete game six-hitter as the Manatees fell 5-1 to the Cardinals on Sunday evening at Space Coast Stadium. For the first six innings, Manatees starter Nicholas Bucci went toe-to-toe with Gast in a pitcher's duel as Bucci blinked first in the top of the fifth as he gave up the first run of the game as he hit Zack Cox with a pitch, with the bases loaded. He was able to get out of another bases loaded jam by forcing Kyle Conley to hit into an inning-ending double play. Brevard County scratch across its only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth, on a RBI ground out by Scooter Gennett that tied the game at 1-1. With runners on second and third, the next batter - Logan Schafer - couldn't bring the runners home as he grounded out to first to end the inning. Trey Watten relieved Bucci in the seventh and then ran into some trouble in the eighth as he loaded the bases on a walk, hit by pitch and walk to lead off the inning. Xavier Scruggs struck out with the bases loaded, but then Jarred Bogany laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt as Cox scored on the suicide squeeze to make it 2-1 Cardinals. Efrain Nieves relieved Watten in the ninth and the Cardinals scored three insurance runs, capped off by a two-run two-out single by Edgar Lara to make it 5-1 in favor of Palm Beach. Kentrail Davis was the only Manatee with a multi-hit game as he had two of Brevard County's six hits. Brevard County and Palm Beach will continue its four-game series on Monday night at 7:05 p.m. at Space Coast Stadium. The Manatees will send Adrian Rosario (2-2, 6.03) to the mound, while the Cardinals will counter with Jordan Swagerty (1-0, 3.60).

Final: @Salt Lake 8, Nashville 4 Late Salt Lake Grand Slam Gives Nashville 8-4 Loss In Series FinaleNashville Sounds SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The Nashville Sounds lost to the Salt Lake Bees, 8-4, on Sunday afternoon at Spring Mobile Ballpark in the finale of a four-game set.After Nashville took an early 4-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning, Salt Lake scored seven unanswered, including five in the bottom of the seventh inning to avoid a four-game series sweep. The loss halted a season-best four-game winning streak by the Sounds (17-25), who posted their first winning series on the road this season by taking the first three games of the series. Out of the seventh hole in the Nashville lineup for only the third time this season, outfielder Brett Carroll went 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored for the Sounds. Carroll collected half of Nashville's eight hits on the afternoon, while the first five hitters in the Nashville lineup went a combined 1-for-20. Caleb Gindl failed to reach base, snapping a 23-game streak, the longest such stretch by a Sound in 2011 and 3rd-longest active streak in the PCL. Jeff Baisley spotted Salt Lake with a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out double off the center field wall. The Sounds scored all four runs with no outs on Bees starting pitcher Bear Bay to go ahead 4-1 in the second inning. Mat Gamel began the rally by reaching base on a fielding error, followed by a single by catcher George Kottaras. Carroll cleared the bases with a hard-hit double down the left field line [audio]. Shortstop Edwin Maysonet then came to the dish and hit a soft grounder on the first pitch to shortstop Gil Velasquez, who committed a throwing error that allowed Carroll to score and Maysonet to advance to second. In the ensuing at-bat, Taylor Green hammered an RBI base hit to right field to score Maysonet. The Bees trimmed the Nashville lead to one run at 4-3 in the bottom of third inning. After Frankie De La Cruz issued an inning-opening Dwayne Bailey walk, Velazquez homered to left field, his second of the season. De La Cruz cruised through the next three innings before getting into trouble in the bottom of the seventh. Salt Lake loaded the bases on De La Cruz, before the right-hander issued a base loaded walk to tie the contest at 4-4. The next batter Chris Pettit removed De La Cruz from the ballgame after tattooing the first pitch his saw over the left field wall. Giving Salt Lake the 8-4 lead, the homer was Pettit's second of the season and Salt Lake's second grand slam of the series. Bear (2-2) settled down after giving up his four runs (two earned) all in the second inning. The right-hander walked none while striking out five in seven innings for the win. De La Cruz (0-3) tossed 108 pitches in 6 1/3 innings for the loss. The right-hander set a season-high eight runs allowed on eight hits and four walks with eight strikeouts. Jim Henderson walked two in 2/3 of a scoreless inning in relief. In his Triple-A debut, Mike Fiers pitched a scoreless frame. The Sounds continue their road trip by beginning a four-game series with the Tacoma Rainiers (AAA-Mariners), beginning at 9:05 pm CT on Monday night at Cheney Stadium. Right-hander Josh Butler (2-2, 5.23) takes the mound against Tacoma left-hander Fabio Castro (3-2, 4.50). Nashville box scoreToo bad de la Cruz faltered late; he was pitching pretty well before that. Anyone else curious to see what he could do in a big-league bullpen, given his velocity? The Sounds had an outfield assist, but it wasn't Carroll's; Jordan Brown nailed a runner at home. Carroll was, however, himself thrown out at home. Continuing the throwing merriment, Kottaras picked a runner off third. Green had two hits. Gamel was 0-4. Fiers allowed a hit and a walk and struck out two; Jim Breen says his fastball was touching 90 but "very straight". Nashville play-by-play

Final: Palm Beach 5, @Brevard County 1 Brevard County box scoreThanks to another strong effort by Nick Bucci, this was a 1-1 tie after seven innings, but Trey Watten allowed a run in the 8th and Efrain Nieves three more in the 9th to put the game out of reach. Bucci went six innings, allowing a run on five hits, two walks, and a hit batter while striking out four. He posted an 8/4 GO/FO. Kentrail Davis (two singles) and Khris Davis (single, HBP) were the only Manatees on base more than once, though Kentrail took himself off base once by getting picked off (he also stole his 7th base). Logan Schafer, back in center, was 1-4, while Scooter Gennett and D'Vontrey Richardson were each 0-4, Richardson fanning twice. Brevard County play-by-playAnecdotally, Bucci seems to be above average, at least so far in his career, at getting out of jams like this: Palm Beach Top of the 4thZack Cox singles on a line drive to right fielder Kentrail Davis.Kyle Conley singles on a ground ball to left fielder Khristopher Davis. Zack Cox to 2nd.Edgar Lara flies out to center fielder Logan Schafer. Zack Cox to 3rd. Kyle Conley to 2nd.Xavier Scruggs grounds out, third baseman Mike Brownstein to first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard.Jarred Bogany flies out to right fielder Kentrail Davis. This situation could have been better, but also could have been a lot worse. Bucci's otherwise-good control really deserted him momentarily: Palm Beach Top of the 5thDomnit Bolivar singles on a line drive to left fielder Khristopher Davis.Luis De La Cruz out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Nicholas Bucci to first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard. Domnit Bolivar to 2nd.D'Marcus Ingram walks.Patrick Elkins walks. Domnit Bolivar to 3rd. D'Marcus Ingram to 2nd.Zack Cox hit by pitch. Domnit Bolivar scores. D'Marcus Ingram to 3rd. Patrick Elkins to 2nd.Kyle Conley pops into double play, second baseman Scooter Gennett to catcher Sean McCraw to third baseman Mike Brownstein. D'Marcus Ingram out at home. Watten was struck by a similar bout of wildness in the 8th: Palm Beach Top of the 8thZack Cox walks.Kyle Conley hit by pitch. Zack Cox to 2nd.With Edgar Lara batting, wild pitch by Trey Watten, Zack Cox to 3rd. Kyle Conley to 2nd.Edgar Lara walks.Xavier Scruggs strikes out swinging.Jarred Bogany out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Trey Watten to first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard. Zack Cox scores. Kyle Conley to 3rd. Edgar Lara to 2nd.Domnit Bolivar grounds out, second baseman Scooter Gennett to first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard.

Final: @Wisconsin 4, Burlington 3 Rattlers relievers come through againChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – After three doubleheaders and the loss of three starting pitchers from the rotation that started the season, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers bullpen dug deep and did the job again. Wisconsin used four pitchers – all of whom have been regular relievers this season – and got just enough offense for a 4-3 win over the Burlington Bees Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. Jameson Dunn, who just joined the Timber Rattlers on May 19, started the relay by making his first professional start. The Bees (30-13) got to Dunn for a pair of singles, including an RBI single by Douglas Landaeta, in the top of the first inning. But, that was all Burlington would get off Dunn. He tossed three innings and struck out three. The Rattlers (24-19) went in front in the bottom of the first inning. TJ Mittelstaedt’s one-out triple sent Robbie Garvey home with the tying run. Chris Dennis followed with an RBI single for a 2-1 lead. Dan Britt was the second man up from the relief corps on Sunday and he worked a 1-2-3 fourth. It looked like he would work a scoreless fifth inning, too. But, John Nester’s slide to the plate knocked both the ball out of the glove and the glove off the hand of Britt after Nester looked to be out when he tried scoring from third on a ball that trickled away from Rattlers catcher Tyler Roberts for a wild pitch. Nester’s run tied the game. Yadiel Rivera untied the game right away in the bottom of the fifth. The Rattlers shortstop launched on a 2-0 pitch from Bees starter Jonathan Joseph and the ball carried over the wall in left. Rivera, the ninth-round pick of the Brewers in the 2010 draft, circled the bases with his first professional home run and gave the Rattlers a 3-2 lead. Later in the fifth, Nick Shaw picked up his second hit of the game with a single. Mittelstaedt sent Shaw around to third with another single. Zach Thornton relieved Joseph after the Mittelstaedt hit, but could not keep Shaw from scoring. A passed ball charged to Nester let Shaw come home for a 4-2 lead. Tyler Cravy, the third Rattlers reliever of the day, pitched a perfect sixth, but walked the first batter of the seventh, but retired the next two before walking another. Royce Consigli singled to drive a run and send the tying run to third. Cravy passed the baton to Stosh Wawrzasek and the right-hander struck out Nino Leyja to end the threat. Wawrzasek worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning and retired the first batter of the ninth. But, a one out single put the tying run on base. Wawrzasek got a force out for the second out and finished with a flourish by striking out Nester to end the game for his first save of the season. The Timber Rattlers wrap up their homestand on Monday afternoon with the final game in the series against the Bees. Milwaukee Brewers reliever Zach Braddock will make his third rehab start of the season for the Timber Rattlers when he takes the mound on Monday afternoon. Austin Ross (5-1, 1.64) was the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers, but he will come on in relief. Burlington is planning on having Tyler Vail 0-1, 6.06) as their starting pitcher. Game time is 12:05pm. Monday is Qdoba Q*Monday. Fans receive a free ticket to any Monday home game when they purchase a lunch entrée at the Qdoba by the Fox River Mall tomorrow. Monday is also a bonus Baker Tilley Business Person's Special with a box seat ticket, a beverage, and a brat or hot dog available for $11.50 and a business card. Senior citizens may also take advantage of this deal. If you can’t make it out to the game, tune in for the broadcast on AM 1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 11:45am. Wisconsin box scoreNice bullpen start. STOSH! has been impressive this year, with 23 strikeouts in 17 innings; he's struggled with walks, but issued none today. Congrats to Rivera for getting on the board. Mittelstaedt added a walk to his two hits, and Dennis also walked. Roberts continues to struggle mightily with the bat, 0-4 with two strikeouts today. Wisconsin play-by-play

Brett Lawrie's homered twice today (11 on the year). He's hitting .346/.397/.633.

Hunter Morris makes a splash in his historic Huntsville Stars' debutMark McCarter/Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Jeff Morris couldn't any more sit down during a baseball game than you could stay awake having brain surgery. Such is the incurable habit of a baseball father. He found a good spot Saturday night, holding up a concourse wall at Joe Davis Stadium, him and his thoughts and the occasional passersby, while nearby the rest of the extended Morris family watched, doted, beamed and otherwise marked the grandest, most historic family reunion in Joe Davis Stadium lore. Morris was there, stoic on the outside and "surprisingly, not as (nervous) as I thought I'd be," to watch his son Hunter finish 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. The result - a 9-6 Stars loss to Montgomery, their 14th in 19 games - was but a footnote to an evening in which Hunter Morris became the first Huntsville native to play in a Stars uniform. He was a baseball prodigy who grew up to become All-City at Grissom High, then was initially drafted by the Red Sox in the second round in 2007. He went on to play three seasons at Auburn, being named MVP in the Southeastern Conference last year, before being selected in the fourth round by Milwaukee. Immediately after the draft, the buzz began: Morris will probably play for the Stars one day. The buzz reached a crescendo Saturday night in front of 1,998, some of whom weren't even on the Hunter Morris friends-and-family plan. "I was definitely looking forward to it," Morris said afterward. "The minor leagues is not the greatest lifestyle. But to spend it at home with friends and family, with my wife and son, that makes it that much better and that much easier on me. To be able to do that is satisfying." Morris admitted "there were some nerves. Not so much nervousness as excitement" over the massive turnout of support. "I'm glad to have Game 1 over with. Put that one behind me," Morris said, "and continue on." There is no guarantee how long he'll be here. He is a replacement for Sean Halton, who has gone on the disabled list. The conventional wisdom was that the 22-year-old Morris, for whom Saturday was only his 112th regular-season pro game, was ticketed for Huntsville much later in the season. "I wouldn't say I've been great, but I've performed pretty well (in Class A). To have the opportunity to come up here, whether it's while Halton is hurt or if it's permanent, it's my job to play hard and do what I can to help this team win." Morris was batting .317 with a league-leading 16 doubles when promoted from Class A Brevard County. His Huntsville debut, on his first swing on the first pitch he faced, should have been a double. Alas, Biscuits left fielder Reid Fronk, no sentimentalist he, went skidding on his knees at the foul pole to rob Morris. The next at-bat was a long fly to left that was hauled in on the warning track. In the seventh, when the previously somnambulant Stars awoke for five runs, he legged out a chopper to short that bounced like a Super Ball. The signature moment was a screaming triple down the first-base line in the ninth. It led to the sixth Huntsville run - and a massive celebration inside the skybox reserved for the occasion by Adam Moseley, Morris' former Grissom coach. In the box seats behind home plate, one of the family held up a sign, as if being lifted by Hunter's infant son Tripp, that read, "Welcome Home Daddy." This wasn't Morris' first game at the stadium by any means. Grissom played some games here and he played in a high school all-star game at the park. He was usually too busy playing to attend many games, but did make a point to be here with a couple of old friends - Lee High grad Craig Kimbrel and Atlanta native Jason Heyward, who played here with Mississippi en route to their jobs with the Atlanta Braves. "I don't know how much emotion plays into it (for me)," said Jeff Morris, who fetched his son from the airport but had only two hours to visit before Hunter reported for duty. "The thing that hits home the most is I didn't have to drive four hours or change planes twice to get to where he was playing. Being close to home is kind of an odd feeling. It's been a long time since he got to play close to home." http://media.al.com/huntsville-times/photo/9602295-large.jpg (Bob Gathany/Huntsville Times)

This FSL baseball fan says Kyle Heckathorn's fastball was also only in the high 80s last night.

From Chris: Obviously we'd like to see the fastball sit a little higher, but the good changeup and control are encouraging. We'll see if the velocity comes up as he gets stretched out.

From the link:

Final (game two): Burlington 10, @Wisconsin 4 Bees bounce Rattlers with big fourth inningChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattler GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Burlington Bees sent 13 men to the plate in the top of the fourth inning and scored seven runs on the way to a 10-4 win in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Field. Ryan Pineda homered and drove in four runs in the game for the Bees. However, Pineda made a mistake on a grounder in the bottom of the first inning to let the Rattlers (23-19) take a 1-0 lead. Nick Shaw was at second with two outs, when Pineda let a grounder off the bat of Chris Dennis go through his legs. Pineda made up for the fielding miscue in the first by hitting a two-out solo homer in the top of the second to tie the game 1-1. The blast off Timber Rattlers starter Damon Krestalude was the first of the season for Pineda and landed in the Bees bullpen beyond the wall in left-center. Wisconsin went back in front in the bottom of the third inning as the Bees starting pitcher contracted a bout of wildness at the same time the Burlington defense kicked the ball around the infield. Reggie Keen reached second with one out after another grounder eluded Pineda. Then, a wild pickoff throw by Nate Long sent Keen to third. Long walked the next three batters to force in a run. Dennis drew the final walk of the sequence to force in Keen for a 2-1 Rattlers lead. Mike Walker was next and his slow grounder towards second baseman Nino Leyja was fielded cleanly, but Leyja was caught between tagging Dennis and flipping to shortstop Wade Kirkland for the force play. However, Dennis had stopped in the basepath late and Leyja tried a fancy flip to second that Kirkland wasn’t ready for and dropped. All hands were safe and another run scored for a 3-1 lead. But, the next two Rattlers batters were retired and Wisconsin could not come up with the big hit to blow the game open. Burlington (30-12) did not make that mistake when their turn came in the fourth. Krestalude, who was making his first start of the season and his first appearance since May 9, gave up a single and a double to the first two batters he faced in the fourth. Tom Keeling came on in relief to face Pineda. Tyreace House drew a walk to load the bases. Then, Pineda’s sacrifice fly drove in the first run of the inning. Catcher Daniel Pettiti tripled to right-center to drive in two more and the Bees were up 4-3. Keeling hit the next batter and walked the batter after that to reload the bases. Doug Landaeta singled in a run, before Keeling struck out Kirkland for the second out. AJ Kirby-Jones, the batter who started the inning for the Bees with a single, drew a walk to force in a run and knock Keeling out of the game. Brian Garman came on and walked Jose Rivero on four pitches to force in another run. House would single to knock in one more run and the Bees were up 8-3. Walker cut into the lead with a long home run to right-center in the bottom of the fifth inning. Then, Pineda struck with a two-run single against Garman in the top of the sixth. The Rattlers bullpen, which has been depleted with three doubleheaders over the last four days, turned to position player TJ Mittelstaedt to get the final outs of the game. Mittelstaedt almost exclusively went with the knuckleball in the seventh and allowed one hit, but got a double play and a flyout to center. The series between the Rattlers and the Bees continues on Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. Neither team had announced their scheduled starting pitcher for Sunday’s game. The game is scheduled to start at 1:05pm. Sunday is a Brewers Sunday presented by 107.5, The Fan with Timber Rattlers players wearing jerseys and caps based on those of the 1975 Milwaukee Brewers. There is an Austin Ross Poster Giveaway to the first 1,000 fans to attend the game, pregame catch on the field presented by momslikeme.com, and a post-game autograph session. Also, Time Warner Cable subscribers may bring in their bill and receive up to four half priced reserve seat tickets on Sunday. If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, tune in to the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 12:45pm. Wisconsin box score (game two)Not so good, especially for Keeling, who gave up five runs and got only two outs. Kinda funny that Mittelstaedt was the only Rattlers pitcher not to give up a run. Garman had such a rough start to the year that giving up two runs in 2.1 innings actually lowered his ERA. Wisconsin play-by-play (game two)

Brewers pitching prospect Rogers continues to battleTom Haudricourt/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel It would be perfectly understandable if Mark Rogers asked "Why me?" At the very least, Rogers should be allowed the indulgence of wondering aloud, "What next?" Those questions, among others, undoubtedly crossed the mind of the Milwaukee Brewers' pitching prospect in recent weeks. After recovering from two shoulder surgeries that cost him a couple of years of minor-league development, the 25-year-old right-hander bolted all the way to the big leagues last September, making a successful, if brief, debut with the Brewers. But, right when he appeared on the cusp of great things, Rogers was set back in training camp this spring by shoulder stiffness. As if that weren't enough, his health took a more bizarre turn after he reported to Class AAA Nashville when he began experiencing numbness in the fingers of both hands. Rogers was diagnosed with bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, an affliction that would seem more normal for a computer geek than a pitcher. He was shut down for three weeks but when his return to action became a debacle Sunday, the decision was made for Rogers to go to high Class A Brevard County to regroup. "It's frustrating, I can tell you that," Rogers said in a telephone interview from Florida. "I'm sure it's frustrating for the Brewers, too. But I've been down much tougher roads before." Those tough roads began in 2007 when Rogers underwent major shoulder surgery that forced him to sit out the entire season. When the shoulder did not improve significantly, another procedure was performed that forced him to go on the shelf for all of '08 as well. So, the 2004 first-round draft pick knows what it's like to face adversity. That doesn't make it any easier to embark on another round of it, however. "I didn't want to believe it," he said. "But I knew something was wrong with my hand. I went out there and I wasn't myself. I had trouble gripping the ball. "This is so rare (for a pitcher). It would be easy to ask why this is happening to me now. But I'm excited about getting it right. Where I was with this wasn't doing anybody any good." That became evident Sunday when Rogers returned to action for Nashville after a three-week DL stint. He pitched a clean first inning but ran into a buzz saw in the second, surrendering eight runs before being removed with two outs. That disastrous outing left Rogers with a 0-2 record and 13.20 earned run average in five starts for the Sounds, with 21 hits and 22 walks allowed in 15 innings. "It was a cool day and I sat on the bench for about 25 minutes before going back out," he said. "My wrist tightened up again and I couldn't get a good grip on the ball. Something had to be done." Rogers talked it over with Brewers officials and the decision was made to send him to Brevard, where the Florida climate is warmer and the pressure a bit less to perform. He made it clear the move was not a demotion but a calculated plan to help him get past the carpal tunnel syndrome and back to being the Brewers' top pitching prospect again. "By coming here, I'm able to step back from the situation and address what's going on," he said. "The No. 1 priority is to get healthy and back to 100% again. My shoulder and elbow feel great, but my wrist isn't where we want it to be. "It's gotten a lot better from where it was, and I'm confident with the approach we're taking it will continue to improve. It's just a matter of getting it 100% and building my pitch count. The Brewers wanted me to be right before I pitch again and I appreciate that." He lasted only 12/3 innings and gave up three runs Friday in his first outing with Brevard County. Rogers isn't sure how the condition evolved. There was some thought that it was the residue of a virus, but the complete story remains something of a mystery. But it was the last thing he expected after recovering from the shoulder stiffness that set him back in camp. "It's all new to me, which is what made it alarming," he said. "I felt it a little bit in spring training and the more I threw, the more I felt it. "It is what it is. I just need to take care of business and get healthy. I don't want any more setbacks. Hopefully, I'll get some more ideas on treatment. I'm not recovering from outing to outing like I should be because I can't do a lot with my wrist. I wear a splint on it when I'm not pitching so I can't even lift a 5-pound weight. "I think Florida is going to be good for me. I want to build up my strength in my forearm and wrist. I think this is the best plan for me." Rogers still remembers the exhilaration of making his big-league debut last September, hearing the roar of the crowd at Miller Park when he got out of a first-inning jam against Florida with a strikeout. In four outings covering 10 innings, he compiled a 1.80 earned run average with 11 strikeouts. That showing put him atop the list this year to replace any starting pitcher who was sidelined for any reason. But, when Zack Greinke was sidelined with a cracked rib at the start of the season, Rogers was in no position to step in after falling behind in spring camp. "After what I've been through, this is a minor setback," said Rogers. "Getting back to the big leagues is the ultimate goal. That's where I want to be." http://media.jsonline.com/images/mjs-61883192(2).jpg (Getty Images)