battlekow

Chris Mehring's on Monday was Tyler Thornburg.

Chris Mehring's postgame thoughts include honorary Wisconsinite status for Austin Ross.

Pocket Doppler's Brian Carriveau has an nice piece on Tyler Thornburg, including the heretofore unknown (to me, anyway) information that Thornburg was limited with an oblique injury last year. I guess he's just ahead of the curve.

Final: @Chattanooga 10, Huntsville 7 Lookouts Top Stars in 10-7 DonnybrookChattanooga Lookouts It was a tale of two types of games at AT&T Field on Monday night between the Huntsville Stars and Lookouts. In what started out as a pitchers' duel, the final summary of the game would be defined as a slugfest with a combined 17 runs and 25 hits. After the dust settled, the Lookouts came out on top, 10-7. Starting pitchers Rubby De La Rosa (2-0) and Wily Peralta (2-1) dominated for four innings, as the two stingy pitchers did not yield a single run; however, the fifth inning proved to be a turning point in the game. Huntsville's Matt Cline led off the fifth with a seemingly innocuous walk, but Dayton Buller followed with a triple to account for the first run of the game. Chattanooga would counter in the bottom portion of the fifth in a big way by plating six runs. Kyle Russell led off the rally with a single and progressed to second on a throwing error by third baseman Steffan Wilson on a ball hit by Scott Van Slyke. Jaime Pedroza loaded the bases by reaching on a perfectly executed bunt single. Another throwing error by Wilson on a hit ball by Jessie Mier continued the base path carousel. Pinch hitter Pedro Baez then hit a one-out single to score Van Slyke and Pedroza. Peralta continued to labor, and the righty, once again, loaded the bases. A wild pitch scored another run, but an Alfredo Silverio two-RBI triple proved to be the final blow in the pivotal inning. Both teams continued to slug it out in the sixth. Buller struck again with a two-run double, while RBI singles from Pedroza and relief pitcher David Pfeiffer highlighted the three-run inning for the Lookouts. Van Slyke nailed an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to extend the Lookouts' lead, 10-4. Despite facing an increasingly daunting deficit, the Stars gave it the ole college try. RBI singles from Buller and Sergio Miranda accounted for two runs in the eighth, but a bases loaded double play by Sean Halton quelled any big-inning aspirations in the penultimate frame. Huntsville added another run in the ninth inning on a Wilson double, but Javy Guerra, who entered the game in the eighth, settled down to notch his second save of the season. The Chattanooga Lookouts and Huntsville Stars will continue their five-game series at 7:15 P.M., tomorrow. Tickets for this game or any other Lookouts home game can be purchased at the Lookouts Box Office at AT&T Field, online at www.lookouts.com, or by calling (423) 267-4849. Huntsville box scoreGood details and context on Peralta's start from Cracked Bat Collector above. Peralta's final line: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, 7/1 GO/FO, 90 pitches, 58 strikes. Overall, doesn't seem like there's anything to be concerned about here; he still missed bats and got a ton of ground balls. I'd expect his previous dominance to return next time out. Great to hear confirmation on Darren Byrd's impressive velocity; he fanned two and allowed a hit in a scoreless inning. Sounds like Wilson would fit in nicely in the Brewers' infield. Buller (or "Butler" as whoever wrote the Lookouts' recap knows him) was a homer short of the cycle. Brandon Jones had three hits and a walk. Erik Komatsu was 1-4 with a walk, and Lee Haydel 0-4 with a free pass. Unexpected lineup for the Stars: Haydel led off and Komatsu hit sixth. Huntsville play-by-playIf you care for the intimate details of Peralta's fateful, fatal final frame: Chattanooga Bottom of the 5thKyle Russell singles on a ground ball to shortstop Matt Cline.Scott Van Slyke reaches on throwing error by third baseman Steffan Wilson. Kyle Russell to 2nd.Jaime Pedroza singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Steffan Wilson. Kyle Russell to 3rd. Scott Van Slyke to 2nd.Jessie Mier reaches on force attempt, throwing error by third baseman Steffan Wilson. Kyle Russell scores. Scott Van Slyke to 3rd. Jaime Pedroza to 2nd.Ivan Ochoa strikes out on foul tip.Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Pedro Baez replaces Rubby De La Rosa.Pedro Baez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Lee Haydel, deflected by shortstop Matt Cline. Scott Van Slyke scores. Jaime Pedroza scores. Jessie Mier to 2nd.With Brad Coon batting, Jessie Mier caught stealing 3rd base, catcher Dayton Buller to third baseman Steffan Wilson.Brad Coon singles on a ground ball to right fielder Brandon Jones. Pedro Baez to 3rd.With Elian Herrera batting, Brad Coon steals (1) 2nd base.Elian Herrera walks.With Alfredo Silverio batting, wild pitch by Wily Peralta, Pedro Baez scores. Brad Coon to 3rd. Elian Herrera to 2nd.Alfredo Silverio triples (3) on a ground ball to left fielder Lee Haydel. Brad Coon scores. Elian Herrera scores.Pitcher Change: Robert Hinton replaces Wily Peralta, batting 9th.Kyle Russell strikes out swinging, catcher Dayton Buller to first baseman Sean Halton.

Finally got an answer on this front. Farris has been dealing with a foot injury, apparently making the Brewers resist asking him to play shortstop. Now that he's getting healthy, we should expect to see him play short about twice a week from here on out. EDIT: McCalvy with details.

Rattler Radio has the game notes and lineup: Nick Shaw 2BReggie Keen CFCody Hawn 1BJason Rogers DHMike Walker 3BTJ Mittelstaedt LFRobbie Garvey RFCarlos George SSTony Pechek C Austin Ross SP Pechek also started the second game of yesterday's doubleheader.

Final: @Omaha 8, Nashville 3 Sounds Lose Series Finale At Omaha, 8-3Nashville Sounds PAPILLION, Neb. - The Nashville Sounds closed out their first road series of the season on the short end of an 8-3 loss to the division-rival Omaha Storm Chasers on Monday afternoon at Werner Park in the finale of the four-game set. With the defeat, Nashville (6-6) fell to the .500 plateau on the year after dropping three of four in the series. The Sounds got things started with a two-out rally against former big-league Jeff Suppan in the top of the first inning, taking an early 3-0 lead. Brett Carroll snapped out of an 11 at-bat hitless funk by ripping a two-out RBI double to left to plate Brandon Boggs, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the frame. Third baseman Taylor Green (2-for-3) continued his recent hot hitting when he followed with a two-run single to right to extend the advantage to three. Omaha got a run back against right-hander Mark Rogers in the home half of the first when David Lough (2-for-4, 3 RBI) led off with a triple and scored one batter later when Johnny Giavotella (3-for-5) singled. The wheels fell off for Rogers, the Brewers' top prospect, in the second frame, as Omaha touched him for five additional runs and chased him from the ballgame after working just 1 1/3 innings. After Rogers opened the frame by issuing back-to-back walks, the right-hander gave up four straight hits to Storm Chaser batters, including a pair of two-run doubles by Lough and Eric Hosmer, as Omaha pulled in front by a 6-1 margin. Rogers exited the game following the fourth of those consecutive hits, a Mike Moustakas RBI single. Jim Henderson took over on the Nashville hill and got out of the inning without further damage, striking out the final two batters. The Nashville offense was unable to take advantage of opportunities to pull back into the contest, failing to score the rest of the way despite putting runners on base in six of the game's final seven innings. The Sounds finished 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position on the day. Omaha extended its lead to 7-3 in the seventh when Giavotella scored on a two-out Clint Robinson single against Nashville reliever Chase Wright. The run was unearned following a Green throwing error earlier in the frame. The Storm Chasers closed out the day's scoring in the eighth against Zack Segovia as Lough drove in his third run of the afternoon, plating Lance Zawadzki with a sacrifice fly to bring the score to its final 8-3 standing. Nashville threatened in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs against reliever Louis Coleman, before Boggs struck out on three pitches to end the contest. Suppan (1-2) recovered from his shaky first inning to record a win for Omaha. The veteran allowed three runs on five hits over five frames of work. Storm Chasers relievers Luis Mendoza and Louis Coleman combined for four scoreless frames from the bullpen, allowing only two hits between them. Rogers (0-1) took a loss for his first career Triple-A decision and surrendering six runs on seven hits while walking three batters in his 1 1/3 innings. He threw 52 pitches, 28 for strikes. The Sounds travel this evening to New Orleans, where they'll conclude their opening road trip with a four-game series against the Zephyrs (AAA-Marlins). Right-hander Josh Butler (1-0, 5.40) will take the hill for Nashville in Tuesday's 7:05 p.m. series opener to face New Orleans right-hander Dallas Trahern (0-0, 3.38). Nashville box scoreWell that's a little embarrassing. Rogers' sorry outing is detailed above. I'm sure Tom Haudricourt had many hilarious quips on Twitter about losing to Suppan. Green was on three times, also taking a free pass; Boggs drew another walk, as did Mat Gamel. Eric Farris had two hits and zero innings at shortstop. As LouisEly pointed out, Brendan Katin did not play in either half of yesterday's doubleheader; he didn't play today, either. Nashville play-by-playThe Sounds also threatened in the 7th, when it was still a three-run game; that potential rally also ended with a Boggs strikeout: Nashville Top of the 7thMartin Maldonado singles on a line drive to center fielder David Lough.Chris Nowak walks. Martin Maldonado to 2nd.Anderson Machado grounds into a force out, second baseman Johnny Giavotella to shortstop Lance Zawadzki. Martin Maldonado to 3rd. Chris Nowak out at 2nd. Anderson Machado to 1st.Eric Farris strikes out swinging.Brandon Boggs strikes out on foul tip. The aforementioned 9th: Nashville Top of the 9thTaylor Green walks.Martin Maldonado reaches on fielding error by shortstop Lance Zawadzki. Taylor Green to 2nd.Chris Nowak strikes out swinging.Anderson Machado flies out to right fielder Paulo Orlando.Eric Farris singles on a soft line drive to second baseman Johnny Giavotella. Taylor Green to 3rd. Martin Maldonado to 2nd.Brandon Boggs strikes out swinging.

Ha. The ever-positive Don Money.

Baseball America's Aaron Fitt has a blog post up--Purke's Velocity Drop Raises Concerns:

Chris Mehring has a bunch of notes/thoughts from a doubleheader, including that Dan Britt?will start on Wednesday, and highlights from each game:

Final (game two): Nashville 5, @Omaha 3 (7 innings) Green Homers Twice, Sounds Win Nightcap 5-3Nashville Sounds PAPILLION, Neb. - Third baseman Taylor Green powered the Sounds to victory in the second game game of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Werner Park, belting a pair of solo homers in leading Nashville to a 5-3 triumph over the Omaha Storm Chasers to help snap the club's three-game losing skid. Green (2-for-3) belted a two-out solo homer off Omaha starter Vin Mazzaro in the top of the second inning to give the Sounds a 1-0 lead. The blast was the infielder's second of the year. Nashville extended its advantage to 3-0 in the third on back-to-back, one-out RBI doubles against Mazzaro by Brandon Boggs (2-for-3) and Mat Gamel (3-for-4), whose two-bagger was his team-leading fifth of the young season. Omaha got a run back against Sam Narron in the home half of the third. Left fielder Gregor Blanco laced a one-out double to left, stole third, and later scored on Eric Hosmer's two-out RBI single to make it a 3-1 contest. The Storm Chasers rallied to knot the game at 3-3 with a pair of runs against Narron in the fifth. Blanco led off by bouncing a ground-rule double over the wall in left, moved to third on a Lorenzo Cain single, and scored on David Lough's sacrifice fly. After Cain stole second, the former Sound raced around to score the tying run on Hosmer's second RBI single of the day. The Sounds quickly retook the lead, however, plating a run in the top of the sixth against Omaha reliever Steven Shell. Martin Maldonado (2-for-2) led off with a walk and later moved to third on a one-out Eric Farris single before being driven home by Boggs' RBI single to center to stake the visitors to a 4-3 advantage. The inning continued as a Gamel single loaded the bases with one out. However, Shell escaped the jam without further damage as he induced a shallow flyout to left from Brett Carroll and popped up Jeremy Reed for the final two outs. Green struck again in the seventh, swatting his second solo homer of the contest with one out off Shell to up the Sounds' lead to 5-3. Omaha put a pair of runners on base with one out in the bottom of the seventh against Sounds reliever Mike McClendon, but the right-hander struck out Clint Robinson before retiring Johnny Giavotella on a shallow flyout to center to end the contest. McClendon (1-0) recorded the final five outs of the contest to notch his first win of the year for the Sounds. The right-hander has yet to allow a run through his first three appearances (5.2 IP) this season. Shell (1-2) was saddled with the defeat after giving up two runs in his two frames of action. The teams wrap up the four-game series with an 11:05 a.m. finale on Monday morning. Right-hander Mark Rogers (0-0, 0.90), the Milwaukee Brewers' top prospect, will toe the rubber for the Sounds in search of his first career Triple-A win. Omaha will counter with former Sound Jeff Suppan (0-2, 7.71).Nashville box score (game two)I guess lucky Emmylou Harris is still helping Green out. After going 3-5 with a double and a walk between the two games today, Gamel's now hitting a cool .400/.500/.525 on the young season; Boggs is now up to .313/.511/.563. Nashville play-by-play (game two)

Final (game two): @Wisconsin 2, Peoria 1 (7 innings) Walker’s blast gives Rattlers a doubleheader splitChris 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 a 2-1 victory over the Peoria Chiefs in game two of Sunday’s doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Field. Walker’s game-ending blast completed a fine day for the Wisconsin third baseman. He went 4-for-6 with two homers, a double, and five RBI in the two games against the Chiefs. The Rattlers and Chiefs split the twinbill as Peoria beat Wisconsin 7-6 in game one. Wisconsin starting pitcher Tyler Thornburg struck out eight over the first 5-2/3 innings, but he allowed a two-out RBI single to Greg Rohan in the top of the sixth inning. That run put Peoria (4-6) up 1-0. Thornburg hit a batter, walked a batter, allowed four hits, and had those eight strikeouts in the game. Graham Hicks, the starting pitcher for the Chiefs, tossed six scoreless innings against the Rattlers (5-5). Hicks allowed four hits, struck out four, and did not walk a batter. He left the game in the hands of Eduardo Figueroa for Wisconsin’s last at bat in the bottom of the seventh. Cody Hawn started the rally with a leadoff walk. Jason Rogers sacrificed pinch runner Robbie Garvey to second base with a bunt. Then, Walker stepped up to the plate. Walker drilled an 0-1 pitch deep to right field for Wisconsin’s first game-ending home run since Brock Kjeldgaard hit a three-run homer to beat Kane County on June 10, 2009. Dan Britt pitched a scoreless inning of relief and picked up his second win of the season. The Timber Rattlers begin a three game series with the Beloit Snappers on Monday evening at Time Warner Cable Field. Wisconsin has Austin Ross (1-0, 1.64) as the scheduled starting pitcher. Beloit has Manuel Soliman (0-0, 0.00) as their scheduled starter. Game time on Monday is 6:35pm. Tickets are available, but if you can’t make it to the game, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or on timberrattlers.com. The Miller Lite Pregame show begins at 6:15pm. Wisconsin box score (game two) Take a bow, Mike Walker. Not only did he go deep in each half of the doubleheader, but that's the second huge homer he's had in a week. Thornburg had pretty good control today, throwing 54 of his 78 pitches for strikes. Rogers (double) and Reggie Keen had the only other hits for the Rattlers; Keen stole his 5th base. Wisconsin play-by-play (game two)

Final: @Omaha 4, Nashville 1 (7 innings) Sounds Drop Twinbill Opener Sunday, 4-1Nashville Sounds PAPILLION, Neb. - The Nashville Sounds lost 4-1 to the Omaha Storm Chasers in the opener of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Werner Park. It marked the first time this season that Nashville (5-5) suffered a loss by greater than a one-run margin. The Sounds managed only two hits in the opener against Omaha pitching: singles by Eric Farris and Mike Rivera. Nashville grabbed a 1-0 lead against Omaha starter Mike Montgomery without the benefit of a hit in the top of the third inning, taking advantage of a pair of errors by Storm Chasers third baseman Mike Moustakas. After the third sacker booted Anderson Machado's inning-opening grounder, he then made a throwing error on Farris' sacrifice bunt attempt, placing Sounds runners on the corners with no outs. Taylor Green followed with an RBI groundout to plate Machado with the game's first run. Montgomery recovered to retire Mat Gamel and Brett Carroll in succession to strand Farris in scoring position and keep it a one-run contest. Omaha rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of a fielding error by Green, the Sounds' third baseman. With one out, Eric Hosmer singled for the Storm Chasers' first hit of the day off Nashville starter Amaury Rivas. A walk issued to Moustakas followed by a Clint Robinson groundout put runners on second and third with one gone. Johnny Giavotella hit a ball to Green at the hot corner, which was mishandled to allow both runners to score in unearned fashion to put the home team on top. The Storm Chasers tacked on a pair of insurance runs against Rivas in the sixth to extend the advantage to 4-1. David Lough led off with a triple and scored two batters later on a Moustakas RBI single. Robinson followed with a run-scoring double to center that chased Rivas from the contest. Milwaukee Brewers reliever LaTroy Hawkins made his second rehab appearance for the Sounds in relief of Rivas. The right-hander was greeted by a Giavotella single to left, but Brandon Boggs came up firing and threw out Robinson at the plate as he attempted to score on the play. It marked Nashville's eighth outfield assist in the season's first 10 games, including five runners thrown out at the plate. Hawkins then struck out Lance Zawadzki swinging to finish with a scoreless two-thirds of an inning of work. He threw 11 pitches, seven for strikes. Storm Chasers reliever Greg Holland worked a scoreless top of the seventh to secure the win and notch his first save of the year. Montgomery (1-1) earned his first victory of the season with a quality start for Omaha. The southpaw allowed just one unearned run on two hits over six innings of work, walking five batters and striking out six. Rivas (2-1) suffered his first career Triple-A loss after giving up four runs (two earned) on four hits over 5 1/3 frames during his 89-pitch effort. The right-hander walked two batters and fanned three. Nashville box scoreI was really hoping Rivas would outduel big-time prospect Montgomery, but alas. Gamel and Jeremy Reed both drew two walks. Green was 0-3. Boggs walked again, his 10th free pass of the year. Sure seems like the Sounds have thrown a lot of runners out at home in the early going this year. Nashville play-by-playFarris singled to lead off the game but made a pretty poor decision by getting thrown out at third with one out Gamel coming up: Nashville Top of the 1stEric Farris singles on a soft line drive to center fielder Lorenzo Cain.Taylor Green out on a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Mike Moustakas to first baseman Eric Hosmer. Eric Farris to 2nd.With Mat Gamel batting, Eric Farris caught stealing 3rd base, catcher Lucas May to third baseman Mike Moustakas.Mat Gamel walks.Brett Carroll grounds into a force out, shortstop Lance Zawadzki to second baseman Johnny Giavotella. Mat Gamel out at 2nd. Also, what is Taylor Green doing sac bunting in the 1st inning?

Final (game one): Peoria 7, @Wisconsin 6 (7 innings) Game one gets away from the Timber RattlersChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Peoria Chiefs erased a 6-2 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers lead win game one of a Sunday doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Field. The Chiefs scored four times in the top of the seventh inning to defeat the Rattlers 7-6. The teams traded runs in the first inning. Rubi Silva doubled in the top of the first and later scored on a wild pitch to give the Chiefs (4-5) the early lead. Wisconsin responded in the bottom of the first. Nick Shaw doubled and scored later on a grounder by Jason Rogers. The Rattlers (4-5) took the lead in the bottom of the third inning. Reggie Keen doubled to left. Cody Hawn followed with an RBI single to right and Wisconsin went in front 2-1. Peoria evened the game in the top of the fifth inning. Arismendy Alcantara lined a leadoff homer to right-center off Del Howell to tie the game 2-2. Wisconsin answered immediately in their half of the fifth inning. Hawn started the rally with a one-out double. Peoria went to the bullpen and brought Jeff Antigua into the game. Jason Rogers singled to left and got Hawn to third base. Then, Rogers stole second to put runners on second and third. That brought in the Chiefs infield and led to the Rattlers taking the lead. Greg Hopkins blooped a single into shallow right-center to drive Hawn home. The second baseman would have had a play on the ball had he not been playing in on the grass. Mike Walker was next and he lined a home run to the Rattlers bullpen in right-center for a three-run homer and a 6-2 lead. Wisconsin starting pitcher Howell left after five innings. He scattered five hits and two walks to be in line for the win. But, the Chiefs scored a run in the sixth inning off of Rattlers reliever Brian Garman when he induced a double play ball with runners at the corners. Then, the seventh inning happened. The first three Chief batters of the frame reached against Garman on a pair of singles and a walk. Rubi Silva followed with an two-run single to make the score 6-5 and send a runner to third. Greg Rohan popped up the next pitch to shallow right field. But, somehow, the ball dropped in. Wisconsin got the force on Silva at second, but the tying run scored. Garman got the second out of the inning on another force out at second base. Eric Marzec relieved Garman to try to get the final out of the inning. But another single put they go ahead run in scoring position. Micah Gibbs cashed in the opportunity with a single to left and pinch runner Elliott Soto scored from second for a 7-6 Chiefs lead. Walker drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh inning, but that was all the Rattlers could manage. Wisconsin box score (game one)Really ugly loss. At least Howell pitched decently, striking out four. In addition to his single and double, Hawn drew a free pass. How about big Jason Rogers continuing to steal bases? Carlos George had two hits, and Tyler Roberts had a double. Wisconsin play-by-play (game one)

Per Jon Heyman, the Brewers signed 37-year-old shortstop Luis Figueroa. Figueroa's only had a handful of at-bats in the majors, but over an extensive MiLB career he's proven to be a decent hitter for average but not much else. Heyman says he "resurrected his career with big year in Puerto Rico winter ball." Figueroa previous played in the Brewers system in 2004, when he hit .272/.314/.347 in 418 at-bats for AAA Indianapolis.

Final (game one): @Huntsville 8, Carolina 6 (7 innings) Final (game two): @Huntsville 3, Carolina 2 (7 innings) Huntsville box score (game one) Huntsville box score (game two) Jesus Sanchez started the first game and struggled, allowing six runs (four earned) in five innings, including two homers and a three-run 1st inning. Darren Byrd picked up the win with two scoreless innings in relief. Cody Scarpetta started the second game and seems to have had good, but wild stuff; he fanned eight but racked up 92 pitches (56 strikes) doing it and was done after 4.2 innings. Scarpetta allowed two runs on five hits and two walks, plus two wild pitches. Dan Meadows and Donovan Hand finished off the Mudcats with 2.1 perfect innings. The Stars came back from that 3-0 deficit in the first game to take a 5-3 lead before the game was knotted at 6-all, finally taking the lead for good in the 6th. They were behind 2-0 in the second game but scored three runs combined in the 4th and 5th innings for the sweep. Hitting stats from the two games combined: Matt Cline was 3-6 with a double, Sean Halton 4-6 with a homer and a walk, Brandon Jones 3-6 with a homer and a walk, and Erik Komatsu 2-5 with two walks. Komatsu started in center and hit leadoff in both games; Lee Haydel did not play in the first game and hit 7th in the second, going 0-3. In his first game action of the year, Shawn Riggins pinch-hit in both games and went 0-2. Huntsville play-by-play (game one) The Stars' four-run 3rd: Huntsville Bottom of the 3rd Erik Komatsu grounds out, second baseman Cody Puckett to first baseman Neftali Soto. Matt Cline flies out to center fielder Felix Perez. Sean Halton homers (1) on a fly ball to left center field. Chuck Caufield doubles (4) on a ground ball to left fielder Kyle Day. With Brandon Jones batting, wild pitch by Dallas Buck, Chuck Caufield to 3rd. Brandon Jones singles on a line drive to left fielder Kyle Day. Chuck Caufield scores. Steffan Wilson walks. Brandon Jones to 2nd. Anderson De La Rosa doubles (1) on a line drive to left fielder Kyle Day. Brandon Jones scores. Steffan Wilson scores. Dallas Buck intentionally walks Yancarlos Ortiz. Jesus Sanchez grounds into a force out, second baseman Cody Puckett to shortstop Jose Castro. Yancarlos Ortiz out at 2nd. Huntsville play-by-play (game two) Huntsville Bottom of the 4th Brandon Jones homers (1) on a line drive to right field. Steffan Wilson singles on a ground ball to center fielder Denis Phipps. Matt Cline flies out to center fielder Denis Phipps. Lee Haydel grounds out, second baseman Cody Puckett to first baseman Mike Costanzo. Steffan Wilson to 2nd. Dayton Buller flies out to right fielder David Cook. Huntsville Bottom of the 5th Yancarlos Ortiz walks. Erik Komatsu walks. Yancarlos Ortiz to 2nd. Sergio Miranda ground bunts into a force out, catcher Chris McMurray to third baseman Jake Kahaulelio. Yancarlos Ortiz out at 3rd. Erik Komatsu to 2nd. Sergio Miranda to 1st. Sean Halton singles on a line drive to third baseman Jake Kahaulelio. Erik Komatsu to 3rd. Sergio Miranda to 2nd. Brandon Jones walks. Erik Komatsu scores. Sergio Miranda to 3rd. Sean Halton to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Nick Christiani replaces Jordan Hotchkiss, batting 9th. Steffan Wilson grounds into a force out, shortstop Eric Eymann to second baseman Cody Puckett. Sergio Miranda scores. Sean Halton to 3rd. Brandon Jones out at 2nd. Steffan Wilson to 1st. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Shawn Riggans replaces Daniel Meadows. Shawn Riggans strikes out swinging.

Final: @Omaha 2, Nashville 1 Sounds Drop Road Opener To Divsion-Rival Storm Chasers, 2-1Nashville Sounds PAPILLON, Neb. - The Nashville Sounds lost 2-1 to the division-rival Omaha Storm Chasers in the first-ever game played at Werner Park on Saturday night. Nasville matched a season-low six hits on the evening while facing six Omaha pitchers. All four of Nashville's (5-4) defeats this season have come by one run, including twice in extra innings. The Storm Chasers scored both runs in the bottom of the third inning. David Lough doubled in the beginning of the frame and attempted to score on an Eric Hosmer single, but was the victim of the Sounds' seventh outfield assist of the early season as Brett Carroll threw Lough out at home plate to save a run. It was Carroll's league-leading fourth outfield assist. Third baseman Mike Moustakas then doubled home Hosmer for the first run scored in Werner Park history. After Mark DiFelice came into the contest to replace the rehabbing Manny Parra, Johnny Giavotella tripled to right field to score Moustakas for the club's final run. The Sounds were able to trim the Omaha lead to 2-1 in the top of the sixth inning. With Mat Gamel on first base and two outs, Brendan Katin doubled to left field to move Gamel to third base. During Brandon Boggs' at-bat, Luis Mendoza threw a wild pitch that allowed Gamel to score from third. The Sounds threatened to do damage in the top of the eighth inning, but failed to plate any runners. Omaha reliever Blaine Hardy started the frame and allowed a single sandwiched between two walks to load the bases before being replaced by Jesse Chavez (1-0). Boggs then struck out looking, followed by Jeremy Reed grounding into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. Louis Coleman struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his second save of the year for Omaha. Parra (0-1) made his second rehab appearance for the Sounds in the loss and tossed 2 2/3 innings while giving up two runs on four hits. He threw 49 pitches (30 strikes), fanning and walking two. Rehabbing reliever LaTroy Hawkins made his first appearance for the Sounds and tossed 2/3 of an inning by throwing 20 pitches (10 strikes). He induced one groundout and one out pop out before walking two batters. Nashville right-hander Frankie De La Cruz struck out five while contributing 4 1/3 shutout innings in relief for Nashville. Chris Nowak collected his first hits of the season, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base. Katin's eighth-inning double was the club's only extra-base hit. Omaha starter Danny Duffy allowed one hit with seven strikeouts and one walk over 4 2/3 scoreless innings. To make up for Friday's rainout, the Sounds and Storm Chasers will play a scheduled doubleheader beginning at 2:05 pm CT on Sunday afternoon at Werner Park. Sounds right-hander Amaury Rivas (2-0, 1.50) looks to stay perfect in the first game against Omaha righty Vin Mazzaro (0-0, 19.29). Southpaw Sam Narron (0-0, 5.40) faces left-hander Mike Montgomery (0-1, 9.00) in the nightcap. Nashville box scoreMakes you a bit jealous to see the names from Kansas City's farm system, eh? One name not mentioned: Storm Chasers center fielder and leadoff man Lorenzo Cain. Kinda rings a bell. Cain was making his second start of the year after coming off the DL and went 0-3 with a walk. Nice "start" from de la Cruz, who allowed four hits and a walk, throwing 71 pitches and 45 strikes. Gamel singled and was hit by a pitch. How about Carroll's arm? He also drew two walks. Eric Farris also drew a walk, which is nice to see; something else we'd all like to see Farris do is play shortstop, where he could surely at least clear the bar set by Anderson Machado there tonight--two errors. Reed was 1-4 in his Nashville debut. Nashville play-by-play

Final: Clearwater 9, @Brevard County 4 Threshers thump 'Tees 9-4Frank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- Manatees starting pitcher Maverick Lasker was roughed up for seven earned runs and the Brevard County (3-7) offense couldn't muster much support in a 9-4 loss to the Clearwater Threshers in front of 3,611 on Friday night at Space Coast Stadium. Clearwater (7-3) pounded out three runs on five hits in the first inning, with four of those hits coming with two outs in the frame. The Threshers would plate three again in the third, including a two-run homer by Travis Mattair. Clearwater added two more in the fifth to increase their lead to 8-0. Brevard County couldn't get it going at the dish either as the Manatees were held hitless for the first 5 1/3 innings of the game. The Manatees finally broke out of their funk in the sixth as they plated two runs. One came on Kentrail Davis scoring on a wild pitch and the other came on a RBI ground out that scored Hunter Morris. The Manatees would score two more in the seventh as Shawn Zarraga singled home Scott Krieger, who led the inning off with a double, and Zarraga would score on a ground out. No Manatee had more than one hit, while Morris and Krieger were responsible for the only extra-base hits, both of them being doubles. Brevard County is back in action on Sunday evening at 5:05 p.m. as they welcome the Tampa Yankees to town. The Manatees took two of three from the Yankees last week on the road. Brevard County box scoreLasker's ugly final line: 5 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR. As Toby pointed out, at least Lasker kept the ball on the ground. Kentrail Davis and Zarraga were both 1-3 with a walk, while Khris Davis, and Scooter Gennett went hitless but also drew a free pass. Gennett committed two errors for the second straight night. Brevard County play-by-playThe 1st inning would have been even worse without Krieger and Zarraga: Clearwater Top of the 1stJiwan James doubles (2) on a fly ball to left fielder Scott Krieger.Brian Gump reaches on fielding error by second baseman Ryan Gennett. Jiwan James scores.With Leandro Castro batting, Brian Gump caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Shawn Zarraga to shortstop Josh Prince.Leandro Castro flies out to left fielder Scott Krieger.Darin Ruf singles on a line drive to center fielder Kentrail Davis.Joe Savery singles on a ground ball to left fielder Scott Krieger. Darin Ruf to 2nd.Sebastian Valle singles on a line drive to right fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Darin Ruf scores. Joe Savery to 2nd.Travis Mattair doubles (2) on a fly ball to left fielder Scott Krieger. Joe Savery scores. Sebastian Valle out at home on the throw, left fielder Scott Krieger to second baseman Ryan Gennett to catcher Shawn Zarraga. Picture of the play: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2011/04/16/aOqXrLGx.jpg(Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography)

As suspected, C Patrick Arlis goes on the "DL" to make room for OF Jeremy Reed.

Bad weather postpones Rattlers-Chiefs on SaturdayChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – Saturday afternoon’s game between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Peoria Chiefs at Time Warner Cable Field has been postponed. Rain began falling last night in the Fox Cities area and continued into Saturday morning. The forecast for the 1:05pm start time was not much better so the decision was made to postpone the game. This is the second Timber Rattlers home game in a row to be called off due to bad weather.?? Since Friday’s postponement is already being made up as a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field and Sunday is the final meeting between the Rattlers and Chiefs in Grand Chute in the first half, Saturday’s postponement will need to be made up in Peoria. The Timber Rattlers visit O’Brien Field twice in the first half of the season. Wisconsin is in Peoria from May 24-26 and June 14-16. The date for the makeup game will be determined later. ??Fans with tickets for Saturday’s game may exchange them for the same price ticket to a regular season Timber Rattlers home game – excluding special events and playoff games – during the 2011 season. Tickets must be exchanged at the Timber Rattlers ticket office. Tickets cannot be replaced if lost, stolen, or destroyed. The teams are scheduled for a pair of seven inning games at Time Warner Cable Field on Sunday afternoon. Game one of the twinbill is set for 1:05pm. A second game will follow the conclusion of game one by thirty minutes.??Sunday is a Brewers Sunday presented by 107.5, The Fan. Milwaukee Brewers mascot Bernie Brewer is scheduled to appear on Sunday afternoon. The Timber Rattlers will wear jerseys based on the uniforms of the 1975 Milwaukee Brewers during one of the games. Plus, the first 1,000 fans aged 21 and older will receive a seat cushion courtesy of Miller Lite and the Rattlers. There is an all-player autograph session scheduled for after the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader.?? The Timber Rattlers ticket office will be open from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday. Fans may order tickets for Sunday’s doubleheader or for any Rattlers game at Time Warner Cable for the 2011 season by stopping at the ticket office, by calling (800) WI-TIMBER, or online attimberrattlers.com.

Final: Clearwater 4, @Brevard County 2 Brevard County's win streak snapped by ThreshersFrank Longobardo/Brevard County Manatees VIERA, Fla. -- The Brevard County Manatees had their three-game winning streak snapped as the Clearwater Threshers rallied to score three runs in the eighth inning and handed the Manatees a 4-2 loss on Friday night at Space Coast Stadium. The Manatees (3-6) got on the board first as Khris Davis drove in both Mike Brownstein and Scooter Gennett with a double in the third inning, to put Brevard County up 2-0. But those would be the only runs that the Manatees could muster, as Clearwater's (6-3) bullpen threw six innings of two-hit shutout ball. Brevard County starting pitcher Adrian Rosario, who allowed five earned runs in four innings in his first start, bounced back in a big way as he threw five shutout innings and allowed just three hits, while striking out six. The Manatees bullpen though couldn't close the door for Rosario. In the eighth, Manatees reliever R.J. Seidel left the game with runners on second and third with two outs, as Jonathan Pokorny came in. Pokorny proceeded to walk the first batter he faced, to load the bases and then Clearwater third baseman Travis Mattair cleared the bases with a double to the left field wall that was a couple of feet away from being a grand slam. The Threshers took a 3-2 lead and never looked back. Clearwater would score another run in the ninth off of Mark Willinsky. Scooter Gennett and Kentrail Davis both had two-hit nights for the 'Tees, while Khris Davis drove in the only two runs for Brevard County. Brevard County and Clearwater will conclude their three-game series at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday night at Space Coast Stadium. Brevard County box scoreWell, hardly an ideal ending, but Rosario's start is very encouraging. He walked two and kept the ball on the ground, getting five groundouts against just one flyout. Really glad to see Kentrail Davis back in the lineup after missing yesterday's game; he also walked, so he was on in three out of four plate appearances. Josh Prince was 0-4 but managed to steal two bases; Gennett was caught stealing and also committed two errors, somewhat mitigating his two-hit performance. Hunter Morris doubled once in four trips. Brevard County play-by-play This is one way to keep a leadoff walk from scoring--take matters into your own hands: Clearwater Top of the 1stJiwan James walks.With Brian Gump batting, Adrian Rosario picks off Jiwan James at 1st on throw to Hunter Morris. BC squandered a couple opportunities for more runs in the early going: Brevard County Bottom of the 2ndHunter Morris doubles (5) on a fly ball to right fielder Leandro Castro.Kentrail Davis walks.Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out swinging.Shawn Zarraga flies out to left fielder Brian Gump.Chris Dennis grounds out, third baseman Travis Mattair to first baseman Joe Savery. Brevard County Bottom of the 3rdMike Brownstein singles on a ground ball to shortstop Troy Hanzawa.Josh Prince grounds out, shortstop Troy Hanzawa to first baseman Joe Savery. Mike Brownstein to 2nd.Ryan Gennett singles on a ground ball to shortstop Troy Hanzawa. Mike Brownstein to 3rd.Khristopher Davis doubles (3) on a fly ball to left fielder Brian Gump. Mike Brownstein scores. Ryan Gennett scores.Hunter Morris reaches on fielding error by third baseman Travis Mattair. Khristopher Davis to 3rd.Kentrail Davis strikes out swinging.Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out swinging.

Some nice pictures from Tug Haines from Thursday's Threshers @ Manatees game. My two favorites are Santo Manzanillo expressing his undying love for Toby, and Nick Bucci throwing a changeup.

Huntsville Stars pitcher Jesus Sanchez settling in on the moundJohn Turner/Huntsville Times HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- For Stars pitcher Jesus Sanchez, moving is just part of being a ballplayer. In his first year with the Brewers organization, the 23-year-old pitcher already has played in the Yankees and Phillies farm system. He's played in the Gulf Coast League, Florida State League, South Atlantic League, and now, the Southern League. "It's part of the business, and you've got to get used to it, because you never know what's going to happen," Sanchez said. "Today you're here, and tomorrow you're not here." But it's not the miles that bother the Venezuela native, it's the positions. Sanchez, who makes his second start of the season tomorrow at 4:43 p.m. against Carolina, is in his third season as a pitcher. He hopes it will be the third of many. "When I younger playing baseball, when I was trying to sign, I was an infielder," Sanchez said. "(Coaches) said, 'Have you ever been a catcher before?' I said 'no,' and they said, 'Can you try?' I said 'Yeah, let's go.' "Then they said, 'Have you pitched before?' I said, 'About two times when I was 6 of 7 years old.' They said 'We're going to make you a pitcher,' and after that, I just try to do everything the coaches tell me to do." The results so far have been encouraging. In his first year as a pitcher with the Phillies organization in 2009, Sanchez won 10 games with a 3.44 earned-run average. Last season, he lowered his ERA to 2.99 while holding opponents to a .230 batting average. In his first start for the Stars on April 9 at Jacksonville, Sanchez allowed one run in six innings, striking out three and allowing two hits in the win. "His first outing, he gave us the opportunity to win a ball game, and we did," Stars coach Mike Guerrero said. "He went six innings, and that's all you can ask for from a starting pitcher at this time." Guerrero admits they're still in the feeling out process with Sanchez, but when it comes to position-players-turned pitchers, the Stars coach said he's seen it work plenty of times."There's certain players out there who have their best ability is in their arm," Guerrero said. "To give them an opportunity to get to the big leagues, they turn them into a pitcher. A lot of times, it works. Look at Trevor Hoffman. He was a shortstop, now he leads the league in saves all-time." Sanchez said there's no going back to those struggles at the plate or blocking balls in the dirt at this point, but that doesn't mean he's done moving. "Hopefully, I won't stay here for a long time," Sanchez said. "There's nothing wrong with moving around, but position-wise, I'm done." Sanchez will start the first game of tomorrow's doubleheader, but he will not throw the first pitch. That honor will go to former Negro League players Carl Holden and Eugene Scruggs, who are on hand to celebrate Jackie Robinson Night. The second game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first, when Cody Scarpetta will take the mound for Huntsville. http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/9491585-large.jpg

Darren Ford recalled by the Giants.

And now the Rattlers are rained out as well. Figues the one team left standing (so far) is the rain-plagued Manatees. Rattlers and Chiefs postponed on Friday nightChris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – Friday’s series opening game between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Peoria Chiefs at Time Warner Cable Field has been postponed. A combination of extremely strong winds and cold temperatures forced the postponement about two hours before the scheduled 6:35pm pitch.?? The teams are scheduled to play a single game on Saturday afternoon at 1:05pm. Friday’s postponement will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. Game one on Sunday is scheduled to begin at 1:05pm. Both games on Sunday are scheduled for seven innings.?? The Miller Lite Seat Cushion giveaway that was scheduled for Friday night has also been rescheduled to Sunday. The first 1,000 fans who are 21 or older will receive a seat cushion courtesy of Miller Lite.