battlekow

Final: @Montgomery 6, Huntsville 3Huntsville box score Amaury Rivas has been a little wild the last two times out, tonight walking six and hitting two more in six innings. He only allowed three runs, though; the other three came off Robert Hinton as the Biscuits broke a three-all tie in the 8th. Brett Lawrie was 2-5, including his 16th triple, and Lee Haydel also tripled. Taylor Green was on twice with a single and a walk, and Caleb Gindl took a big 0-5 collar. Huntsville play-by-play

Final: @Tampa 13, Brevard County 6Brevard County box score Believe it or not, BC actually led this game 5-1 in the 5th inning before the wheels came off. Mike Ramlow was fine in another spot start, striking out six in 3.2 innings while allowing just a run, but Brandon Ritchie gave up five scores and new 'Tee Dexter Bobo made an inauspicious FSL debut by giving up four more. Erik Komatsu, Juan Sanchez, and Sean McCraw all had two hits, each including a double. Sean Halton also had two hits, and Angel Salome also doubled. Brevard County play-by-play After getting the last out of the 5th and recording a 1-2-3 6th, Bobo had a rather forgettable 7th (not that Buddy Flores's was any better): Tampa Bottom of the 7th Zoilo Almonte doubles (9) on a fly ball to right fielder Juan Sanchez. With Jack Rye batting, Zoilo Almonte steals (8) 3rd base. Jack Rye strikes out swinging. Jose Gil singles on a line drive to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Zoilo Almonte scores. Anderson Feliz walks. Jose Gil to 2nd. With Raymond Kruml batting, Jose Gil steals (4) 3rd base. Anderson Feliz steals (2) 2nd base. Raymond Kruml singles on a ground ball to right fielder Juan Sanchez. Jose Gil scores. Anderson Feliz to 3rd. Pitcher Change: Ruben Flores replaces Dexter Bobo. Jose Pirela walks. Raymond Kruml to 2nd. Bradley Suttle flies out to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Addison Maruszak walks. Anderson Feliz scores. Raymond Kruml to 3rd. Jose Pirela to 2nd. Myron Leslie hits a grand slam (6) to right field. Raymond Kruml scores. Jose Pirela scores. Addison Maruszak scores. Zoilo Almonte pops out to second baseman Steve Braun in foul territory.

Final (game two): Nashville 5, @Oklahoma City 4 (7 innings)Sounds sweep RedHawks in doubleheader Nashville Sounds OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Nashville Sounds defeated the Oklahoma RedHawks in an exciting nightcap that was a back-and-forth affair featuring four lead changes to close out a doubleheader sweep on Thursday evening at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. With the sweep, Nashville (74-65) took three of five from the RedHawks in the series and notched a 9-7 win in the season series between the clubs. The Sounds have won 13 of their last 18 contests. First baseman Joe Koshansky recorded knocks in both contests to extend his hitting streak to 14 games for the Sounds, matching the longest by a Nashville player this season. Left-hander Dan Merklinger (1-0) made his career Triple-A debut for Nashville in the nightcap and earned the victory. The 24-year-old hurler allowed four runs on six hits over five innings of work, throwing 103 pitches (60 strikes). Nashville took an early 1-0 lead when Norris Hopper led off the contest with a double and later came plateward on an Erick Almonte groundout. The opposing catchers in the contest got into the longball act over the next two frames as the teams exchanged the lead. Kevin Richardson put the RedHawks in front, 2-1, in the second with a two-out, two-run blast to center off Merklinger, his eighth dinger of the year, before Sounds backstop Martin Maldonado answered with a two-run shot of his own in the top of the third to put Nashville back on top by a 3-2 count. The longball, which came on an 0-1 offering from Oklahoma City starter Guillermo Moscoso, was Maldonado's seventh homer of the season. The back-and-forth affair continued in the bottom of the third frame, as Oklahoma City rallied for a pair of runs against Merklinger to jump back ahead, 4-3. PCL veteran Esteban German opened the frame with a double and scored the tying run when Willy Taveras followed with an RBI single to left. Taveras moved to third on a Chris Davis single then hustled home with the go-ahead run on a Max Ramirez sacrifice fly. Koshansky extended his hit streak to 14 games in the fourth when his opposite-field, two-run homer to left off Moscoso, which also scored Brendan Katin (2-for-3), pushed the visitors back on top by a 5-4 score. The home run was Koshansky's team-leading 25th of the season. His 14-game hit streak matches Eric Farris for the longest by a Nashville player in 2010. Sounds closer Chris Smith worked the sixth frame in scoreless fashion behind Merklinger and returned to the hill following a nearly two-hour rain delay in the middle of the seventh to retire the RedHawks in order to nail down his PCL-leading 25th save of the season. Moscoso (7-7) took the loss for Oklahoma City after working all seven innings, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out seven batters. The Sounds travel to New Orleans on Friday to close out their 2010 season with a four-game set at Zephyr Field. Right-hander Josh Butler (5-1, 4.99) will man the bump in Friday's 7:00 p.m. series opener and face New Orleans right-hander Nic Ungs (1-2, 7.43). Nashville box score Merklinger found the veterans of the PCL a little less to his liking than FSL kids, striking out just two and walking three. One of Katin's hits was a double. Johnny Raburn was on all three times with two singles and a walk. How about Smith coming back in after the long delay? Didn't seem to affect him: he struck out three overall and didn't allow a baserunner. Nashville play-by-play

Mark Rogers discusses the long road back.

The Tools of Ignorance Aaron Morse/Hunstville Stars Anderson De La Rosa squats behind the plate as he awaits a 98 mph fast ball from former first round draft pick Mark Rogers. The ball will arrive at home plate in about four tenths of a second. That’s literally in a blink of an eye. It doesn’t go straight into De La Rosa’s glove. Instead the batter fouls the ball off the 26-year old catcher’s foot. Catchers wear lots of protective gear. A mask, a chest protector, and shin guards make up what’s known in baseball parlance as the “tools of ignorance.” Unfortunately, those protective measures don’t include one’s foot. All De La Rosa has there are his shoes. He hops up and down in pain and bends at the waste to try to will the pain away. There’s no more physically demanding position in the game of baseball than catcher. No one knows that better than the Stars’ oldest player, nine-year veteran Patrick Arlis. At 29 years of age, Arlis has spent most of his career with the Florida Marlins’ organization. He’s had two stints in independent ball and came to the Brewers’ organization in 2009. “The main thing people don’t realize is you can’t take a great hitter and turn him in to a catcher just because of the fact that the grind on your legs is unbelievable,” Arlis said. “You can catch nine innings and be not gassed one night. And the next night you catch three innings and you don’t have anything left in the tank.” That makes hitting rather difficult. “You’re supposed to go up there and try to turn on a pitch in a situation; it’s tough to do because you don’t have any legs,” Arlis said. “So you have to take care of yourself day in and day out. During the day, at night, during the game, everything, your legs are your most important asset.” Arlis is the Crash Davis of the Huntsville Stars. He’s been around the game for many years and loves it with a passion. But he realizes that nothing lasts forever. “Baseball, you want it to be life,” Arlis said. “In the end it’s not always that way. A plan is something not a lot of these guys have. I’ve been released, not like a lot of these guys that I’m playing with now.” Arlis has a plan. He’s been working the past two years to earn his Master’s Degree in Elementary Education through the University of Phoenix, an online school. He wants to be a middle school Physical Education teacher when his playing days end. When speaking of his younger colleagues in the game of baseball, he emphasizes the need to have a plan of action if baseball does not work out. “They don’t understand that it’s not that easy to get another job,” Arlis said. “When the game is over, you know, it’s over. If you don’t have anything to do, you’re in trouble. I had a coach my first year tell me, baseball is a suspended state of adolescence. And when it’s over, you wake up, you’re 25 years old, and you don’t have anything.” Dayton Buller, 29, describes Arlis as the hardest working player on the team. Buller started playing professional ball the same year as his fellow catcher and has also had a stint where he was out of affiliated baseball. The Brewers purchased his contract from Camden of the Atlantic League this year after Martin Maldonado earned a promotion to Triple-A Nashville. He came to the Stars and smashed a home run in only his second game. But hitting is not the primary focus when you’re serving as the captain of the infield. “Calling a game and handling a staff and just controlling the game; you get so many good things out of it,” Buller said. “When you win you really feel like you did something even if you go 0-4.” Every detail matters. Fans tend to notice the big events in a game. The 450-foot grand slam, the dominating pitching performance, the spectacular catch, those are the things that make Sports Center. Buller even had a “big moment” this year when he hit a walk-off home run against the Carolina Mudcats. However the catcher is responsible for the stuff that does not necessarily show up in the box score. “Controlling everything, making sure the infielders know when a bunt situation is on and who bunts, who’s fast, and stuff like that [is important],” Buller said. “Making sure the pitcher knows exactly what the situation is; and who’s on deck and everything. You’ve got to know every single thing that’s going on in the game; you cannot take any pitches off or that one pitch could be the game.” Not only that, but you have to also manage some pretty interesting personalities when it comes to working with the pitchers. Arlis says the key for the men wearing the tools of ignorance is…knowledge. “You just learn about everybody,” Arlis said. “You get thrown into the fire; you start talking to a lot of guys, you learn their personality. What they can take, what they can’t. You’ve got to know what guys you have to go out [to the mound] and talk nice to and what guys you go out and be a real jerk to. What’s going to fire them up and make them more successful? The more successful they are the less work you have to do in the end.” Work is not something the Stars’ catchers are afraid of, that’s for sure. They don’t really get days off. If one guy is not catching a certain day, he’s down in the bullpen helping the relievers warm-up. There’s no such thing as a designated “bullpen catcher” at the Double-A level. However the Stars are lucky they have three catchers (Buller is currently on the DL, but all three have been active at the same time in previous weeks), instead of the normal two. That brings us to the aforementioned De La Rosa. The 26-year old out of Venezuela has a cannon for an arm. He has thrown out 41 percent of would-be base-runners during his six years as a backstop in the Brewers’ organization. “[This year] I am focusing more on my defense and blocking everything, working for the pitcher, throwing guys out at the bases,” De La Rosa said. “I feel really good when I throw guys out at second base.” De La Rosa smiles as he talks about his ability to play a bunch of positions. He says before he signed with the Brewers in 2003 he played a lot of outfield and some corner infield as well. In 2005, Milwaukee asked him if he’d want to try out catcher. De La Rosa had played the position as a young kid so he was very receptive to the idea. But he says it hasn’t been a cakewalk. “Everything’s hard, when you play catcher, everything’s hard,” De La Rosa said. “You want to be focused on the game so you can call good pitches. You need to study every hitter. Every at bat is different. The pitchers are top prospects so you have to work really hard to help them do well.” Talking to De La Rosa, one gets the sense that he takes more pride in helping the pitching staff succeed than his own personal accomplishments. This self-less attitude is a quality Arlis and Buller have as well. None of these men are considered prospects to play in “the show”, nor do they put up big offensive numbers at the Double-A level. But the Stars would be a lesser team without them. “Too many guys in pro ball are just here because they think they’re going to make it to the big leagues,” Arlis said. “They don’t want to play the game and they don’t play the game properly. Personally, I’ve had a great time.” De La Rosa shakes off the pain of the foul ball. He gets back behind home plate and gets ready for some more Rogers heat. There are still seven more innings to catch.

Final (game one): Nashville 3, @Oklahoma City 2 (7 innings)Sounds take twinbill opener from RedHawks, 3-2 Nashville Sounds OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Sounds right-hander Marty McLeary worked a seven-inning complete game and Brendan Katin ripped a go-ahead RBI double in the fifth inning to lead Nashville to a 3-2 victory over the Oklahoma City RedHawks in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. McLeary (7-9) allowed two runs, both on solo homers, over seven innings of work to pick up the victory for the Sounds, snapping a personal two-game skid with his 106-pitch quality start. Oklahoma City took a 1-0 lead in the second when Ryan Garko belted a two-out solo homer to left-center off McLeary, the infielder's 12th big fly of the year. The RedHawks doubled their lead in the third when catcher Taylor Teagarden led off with a solo blast to left-center, his second roundtripper of the year. The Sounds rallied to tie the contest in the fourth. Joe Koshansky, Luis Cruz, and Ray Olmedo posted three consecutive one-out singles off Oklahoma City starter Doug Mathis, the last of which made it a 2-1 ballgame as Koshansky scored from second on the knock. Johnny Raburn followed with a game-tying RBI groundout. Koshansky's single in the frame extended the Nashville first baseman's longest hitting streak of the year to 13 games, one shy of the best effort by a Sounds batter all season. Nashville took its first lead of the afternoon in the fifth when Adam Stern (2-for-3) led off with a single and later scored on Brendan Katin's two-out double to left, giving the visitors a 3-2 advantage. The RedHawks didn't go down without a fight, however, placing runners on first and third with two outs in the bottom of the seventh before McLeary induced a game-ending groundout from Max Ramirez to secure the one-run victory. Mathis (5-7) took the loss for Oklahoma City after giving up three runs in his six frames of work. Nashville box score McLeary allowed 11 hits and a walk, but hey, it's a win. Stern was on three times with two hits and a walk. Nashville play-by-play

Jeremy Jeffress makes successful major league baseball debut Joe Chandler/The Gazette-Virginian Jeremy Jeffress has had his share of ups and downs since becoming the Milwaukee Brewers’ 16th pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. Wednesday night he saw the reward of his hard work. The hard-throwing former Halifax County High School star hurler made his Major League Baseball debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in Cincinnati, facing three batters in a scoreless eighth inning in the Brewers’ 6-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. After giving up a leadoff single, Jeffress induced the second batter to hit into a ground-ball double play. The third batter Jeffress faced topped a ground ball to second base that resulted in a routine out to retire the side. “I thought I did pretty well,” Jeffress said yesterday. “The second batter hit into a double play and the third batter hit a ground ball. It went well.” It has been an eventful week for Jeffress. He was with Class AA Huntsville (Ala.) when he received a call from Milwaukee Brewers officials Tuesday afternoon wanting him to report to the team Wednesday in Cincinnati. “I couldn’t stand up on my two feet,” Jeffress remarked. “I was standing up and they told me that they were calling me up. I asked them were they serious. I sat down. They said they were serious. It was the biggest shock. It felt great.” Jeffress hustled to get his things together and joined the Brewers, who were concluding a series with the Cincinnati Reds. “It was like a dream come true,” Jeffress explained. “Everybody here was friendly. I knew a couple of the guys on the team They told me don’t change anything. The said to just do the same thing I was doing in AA and I would fit in just fine.” The next big shock for Jeffress came when he was told to go to the mound in the eighth inning of Wednesday night’s game. “I was just nervous,” Jeffress recalled. “While I was running out to the mound, I was looking around at the whole field. It was the biggest thing that I had seen in my life. When I stepped onto the mound, all things just went back to what I’m used to – a baseball, a glove, a catcher and a batter.” Being put into action right away was not something that was totally unexpected. “I was expecting it just a little bit,” he said. “A couple of the guys told me that as soon as they had gotten called up they got shot right into the game, just to get those butterflies out of their system. I was kind of expecting it, but if it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have been upset.” Jeffress has spent this season primarily as a relief pitcher. He logged a 2.23 ERA in 23 relief appearances with the three minor league teams that he has played for this season. Before being called up, the hard-throwing right-handed pitcher had a 1.23 ERA and 15 strikeouts against two walks in 11 outings with AA Huntsville. The role of a relief pitcher apparently suits Jeffress very well. “I love the pen,” Jeffress said. “It’s a great spot for me. I come to the field every day ready, knowing that I could be asked to throw. I would prefer to stay in the pen, but I will play whatever position they need me to play.” The former South Boston resident started the season having to finish out serving a 100-game suspension handed down last year, when he tested positive for a “drug of abuse” for the second time. Jeffress completed a rehabilitation program in Milwaukee during the off-season and was sent down to the Minor League ranks to start working his way back. The Brewers added Jeffress to their 40-man roster in June. The Brewers would have had to have done that by the end of the season or risk losing their pitching prospect to December’s Rule 5 Draft. Placing Jeffress on the 40-man roster also protected the Brewers’ investment in the young player, who netted a $1.55 million signing bonus in 2006. Major League players are not tested for marijuana use and are subject to a different set of rules. Another positive test for marijuana under the Minor League testing program and Jeffress would be banned from baseball for life. Jeffress has worked hard to overcome his obstacles and has his mind set on proving skeptics wrong. “I’m feeling good,” Jeffress pointed out. “It was a tough obstacle to overcome. It was kind of hard, but it was easy at the same time. I kept my eyes on the prize and stayed focused.” Jeffress said the unwavering love of his family, his family’s faith in him, and the love and support of his church family helped him get back on and stay on the right path. “I love my family,” remarked. “They’ve supported me each step of the way and have helped me through all of my trials and tribulations. I really appreciate that very much. My church family loves me very much and I love them. I have a great family and everybody is sticking behind me. It’s wonderful.” Now, Jeffress, a youngster who grew up playing baseball in South Boston’s recreation baseball leagues before joining the middle school and high school baseball teams, can say he’s a Major Leaguer. “It feels wonderful,” he said. “I’ve been at the bottom and worked my way back and it feels awesome that I can finally say I’m a Major League player. This is every kid’s dream. The steps I’ve taken and the knocks that I have had have been hard for me, but I’m glad I overcame them.”

At the big-league level, they don't--guys who are there already hit enough to be there. In MiLB, a large number of K's portends an inability to make enough contact with MLB pitching to hit at an MLB level.

Fiers topped out at 92 in relief in spring training when I saw him on TV. Kevin Goldstein said Pokorny was 91-93 when he saw him, and Andre Lamontagne was touching 95, but that was in relief.

Final: Brevard County 5, @Tampa 1Brevard County box score R.J. Seidel was quite good in his first start in awhile, tossing five shutout, no-hit frames while walking one and fanning four. Matt Cline, Erik Komatsu, Angel Salome, and Sean Halton all had two hits for the 'Tees; one of Komatsu's was a double, BC's only extra-base hit on the night. Brevard County play-by-play Big two-out hit by Cline to give BC two big insurance runs in what was a 3-1 game: Brevard County Top of the 9th Anderson Feliz remains in the game as the designated hitter. Pitcher Change: Ronny Marte replaces Philip Bartleski. Shawn Zarraga singles on a ground ball to center fielder Raymond Kruml. Juan Sanchez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Jack Rye. Shawn Zarraga to 2nd. Steve Braun out on a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Bradley Suttle to first baseman Myron Leslie. Shawn Zarraga to 3rd. Juan Sanchez to 2nd. Peter Fatse strikes out swinging. Matt Cline singles on a ground ball to center fielder Raymond Kruml. Shawn Zarraga scores. Juan Sanchez scores. Erik Komatsu flies out to left fielder Jack Rye.

Final: Great Falls 2, @Helena 0Brewers blanked by Voyagers 2-0 Brett Billings/Helena Brewers On a cold night at Kindrick Legion field the bats were colder as the Helena Brewers fell to the Great Falls Voyagers 2-0. RHP Tyler Cravy (6-6, 6.49) started on the mound and took the loss. He threw six innings and allowed two runs, both earned. Cravy struck out five and walked two. RHP Rob Currie entered the game in relief in the seventh inning, pitching the final three frames without allowing a run. He struck out three and walked two. Robbie Garvey accounted for half of the Brewers' four hits with a single and a double. Rafael Neda and John Dishon had the other two. The loss drops the Brewers lead to 1.5 games ahead of Great Falls for first place in the Pioneer League North. They must either win the second half or finish with a better overall record than the Billings Mustangs in order to make the playoffs. Helena (38-30) looks to even the series tomorrow night as the face the Voyagers for the second game of the three game series. RHP Stosh Wawrzasek (2-3, 5.36) is scheduled to start for the Brewers. RHP Steven Upchurch (3-2, 4.28) will take the mound for Great Falls. Gates open at 6:00 with first pitch at 7:05. Helena box score Well, if the win streak didn't end yesterday, it's over now. Almost literally nothing going on beyond what was mentioned in the recap; Neda drew a walk and Brent Dean was hit by a pitch. Dishon did throw a runner out at home. Kenny Allison was the only one of today's mass call-up from Maryvale to see action, entering the game as pinch runner. Cody Hawn still out with his hamstring injury. Helena play-by-play

Final: Huntsville 10, @Montgomery 4Stars hit double digits to even series Connor Shreve/Huntsville Stars The Huntsville Stars turned in a dominating performance on Wednesday night to get back to within striking distance of the wild card race. The 10-4 win at Montgomery placed Huntsville 3.5 games back of the Diamond Jaxx in the battle to determine the final playoff team that will represent the Northern Division in the 2010 Southern League post season. Huntsville started early with five second inning hits, four doubles, all of which came with two outs in the inning. The Stars led by four runs after two innings, tacked on one in the fifth and put the contest out of reach with a five spot in the sixth inning. Zelous Wheeler and Chris Nowak teamed up to knock back-to-back blasts in the sixth. Nowak’s shot was the first against his former squad, sailing out of the ballpark beyond left field and disappearing in to the forest backdrop beyond the train tracks that skirt the state Capitals downtown stadium. Mark Rogers turned in his second strong outing against the Biscuits in as many tries. The only run Rogers allowed came in the fifth thanks to Shawn O’Malley. O’Malley picked up an RBI on his single but the Biscuits stumbled with men on and nobody out. O’Malley was joined by Emeel Salem on base when Rogers struck out Rashaad Eldridge and induced an inning ending double play ball from Jose Ruiz. With a chance to make Huntsville’s playoff chances slim to none, West Tenn came up short against Mississippi, 10-1. The Diamond Jaxx have led the wild card chase most of the way but left the door open for the Stars having lost six of the last ten games. West Tennessee finishes the season with four games against Chattanooga in a series running from Sep 3-6. Huntsville tries for a series victory in the finale Thursday night at 7:05 (CDT). Huntsville box score Rogers was very good: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 9/1 GO/AO, 99 pitches, 61 strikes. Bring him up! Brett Lawrie and Caleb Gindl both had nice lines; Lawrie had three hits, including a double, and Gindl bagged two two-baggers. Lee Haydel (two singles, triple) and Anderson de la Rosa (single, two doubles) also had three hits. Lawrie committed his 23rd error and Wheeler his 35th. Huntsville play-by-play Two big innings deserve to be highlighted: Huntsville Top of the 2nd Drew T. Anderson flies out to right fielder John Matulia. Anderson Machado strikes out swinging. Chuck Caufield doubles (10) on a fly ball to left fielder Emeel Salem. Lee Haydel singles on a line drive to center fielder Rashad Eldridge. Chuck Caufield to 3rd. Anderson De La Rosa doubles (4) on a fly ball to left fielder Emeel Salem. Chuck Caufield scores. Lee Haydel scores. Brett Lawrie doubles (36) on a line drive to left fielder Emeel Salem. Anderson De La Rosa scores. Caleb Gindl doubles (32) on a fly ball to right fielder John Matulia. Brett Lawrie scores. Zelous Wheeler called out on strikes. Huntsville Top of the 6th Chuck Caufield pops out to catcher Craig Albernaz in foul territory. Lee Haydel flies out to center fielder Rashad Eldridge. Anderson De La Rosa doubles (5) on a line drive to left fielder Emeel Salem. Brett Lawrie singles on a line drive to right fielder John Matulia. Anderson De La Rosa scores. Brett Lawrie to 2nd on the throw. Pitcher Change: Justin Dowdy replaces Rayner Oliveros. Caleb Gindl doubles (33) on a line drive to left fielder Emeel Salem. Brett Lawrie scores. Zelous Wheeler homers (11) on a fly ball to right field. Caleb Gindl scores. Chris Nowak homers (12) on a fly ball to left field. Drew T. Anderson strikes out swinging.

Final (game two): @Oklahoma City 3, Nashville 2 (10 innings)Katin homers twice in extra-inning twinbill finale loss Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds lost an extra-inning doubleheader nightcap to the Oklahoma City RedHawks, 3-2, on Wednesday evening at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in the third game of a five-game series. Brendan Katin provided both of Nashville's runs in the game, as the slugger crushed two solo home runs to tie him with Joe Koshansky for the team's home run lead. The RedHawks plated the winning run after David Johnson failed to record an out in the bottom of the 10th inning. After already recording two scoreless innings in the game, Johnson began the final frame by walking two and hitting former Sound Hernan Iribarren to load the bases. Johnson then walked Matthew Brown on four straight pitches to end the game. The twinbill finale remained scoreless until the top of the fifth inning, as Katin jacked his 23rd home run and second on the day to give the Sounds the 1-0 lead. Oklahoma City catcher Kevin Richardson quickly squared the contest at 1-1 in the next frame with a leadoff solo homer, his seventh of the season. After the next batter, James Tomlin, walked, Esteban German tripled home the go-ahead run to score for a temporary 2-1 lead. Katin did more damage to tie the game at 2-2 and force the game to extras. The slugger hit the first pitch he saw from reliever Scott Feldman over the left field wall in the top of the seventh inning for his 24th homer of the season. The Sounds had a chance to take the lead in the top of the 10th with runners at first and third with two outs, but Cody Eppley (2-1) struck out Farris to end the rally and come away with the win. Chuck Lofgren allowed two runs on six hits and three walks while fanning six in 4 1/3 innings for the Sounds. Brandon Kintzler followed with 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Johnson (2-2) was charged with the loss. RedHawks starter Dustin Nippert threw three shutout innings while striking out three. Feldman followed with four innings. Koshansky extended his hitting streak to a season-high 12 games with hits in both games. The Sounds and RedHawks are scheduled to play another doubleheader beginning at 2:05 pm CT at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark on Thursday. Veteran right-hander Marty McLeary (6-9, 7.31) will toe the rubber in the opener against RedHawks righty Doug Mathis (5-6, 5.75). Left-hander Sam Narron (9-7, 4.16) will start the nightcap opposite Guillermo Moscoso (7-6, 5.11). Nashville box score Wow. That's three homers on the day and five in the last four games for Katin, who's finishing what was already a fine season with a flourish. Kintzler allowed two hits and a walk and failed to strike out a batter. Nashville play-by-play C'mon Brendan, a single? Nashville Top of the 9th Eric Farris lines out softly to shortstop Gregorio Petit. Erick Almonte singles on a soft line drive to right fielder James Tomlin. Joe Koshansky strikes out swinging. Pitcher Change: Cody Eppley replaces Clay Rapada. Brendan Katin singles on a fly ball to center fielder Willy Taveras. Erick Almonte to 2nd. Luis Cruz grounds out, pitcher Cody Eppley to first baseman Chris Davis.

Final: Quad Cities 6, @Wisconsin 1Bandits cash in on opportunities to beat Rattlers Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Quad Cities River Bandits took advantage of walks and errors and two out hits to defeat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 6-1 Wednesday night at Time Warner Cable Field. Quad Cities blew open a close game with three runs in the top of the eighth inning. The loss put the Rattlers 4-1/2 games behind Kane County for the wild card playoff spot in the Western Division with five games remaining in the season. Quad Cities (80-53 overall, 40-24 second half) took the lead in the top of the second inning. Edgar Lara drew a leadoff walk against Rattlers starting pitcher Nick Bucci. But Lara was still at first base with two outs. Ivan Castro singled to keep the inning going. Then, Colin Walsh knocked in Lara from second with a single to right field. Wisconsin (57-76, 31-34) tied the game with a two-out hit over their own in the bottom of the third inning. Kentrail Davis doubled off the wall in right field to send Scooter Gennett home from second base. Bucci looked like he was in for an easy inning in the top of the fifth. He retired the first batter on one pitch. Then, Rainel Rosario swung at the first pitch and sent a grounder to short. However, the throw was wild. A walk to Alan Ahmady and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with no outs. Lara’s grounder behind second got Rosario home and the Bandits were up 2-1. The Rattlers tried to rally, but they had three runners thrown out on the bases between the fifth and sixth innings to end potential rallies. The first five River Bandits to bat in the top of the eighth inning reached base against reliever Maverick Lasker and Quad Cities pushed their lead to 5-1. After Lara and Devin Goodwin singled to start the frame, Frederick Parejo doubled in a pair of runs. Ivan Castro singled in Parejo to score the final run of the frame. Parejo drove in the final run of the game when his sacrifice fly scored Ross Smith from third. In the games involving the teams still alive for the two second half playoff spots in the Western Division, Beloit beat Clinton 4-3 in 11 innings and Kane County beat Peoria 7-0. Clinton (36-29) still holds the top spot in the Western Division, but their lead over Kane County (35-29) is down to a half game. Beloit (33-29) is just 1.5 games behind Clinton and one game back of Kane County for the Wild Card. The loss by Peoria (31-32) knocks them to four games behind Clinton and 3.5 games behind Kane County. The Timber Rattlers and River Bandits play game two of their series on Thursday night at 6:35pm. Del Howell (3-6, 4.92) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Quad Cities has Shelby Miller (7-5, 3.71) as their scheduled starter. The first 1,000 fans into Time Warner Cable Field on Thursday night will receive a bobblehead of Wisconsin Timber Rattlers pitcher Jake Odorizzi. Thursday night is also a bonus Bang For Your Buck Night at Time Warner Cable Field. Soda, hotdogs, and Miller Beer will be available for $1. Additionally, the first 1,000 fans into the ballpark will receive a magnet schedule for the 2011 Timber Rattlers season. If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, you can tune in for the radio broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The game is also available to Time Warner Cable subscribers on Sports 32. Wisconsin box score Bucci again struggled with his control, walking five in six innings and throwing just 51 of his 102 pitches for strikes. Khris Davis and Chris Dennis both had two his, Cutter Dykstra was on three times with a single and two walks, and Kentrail Davis drew a free pass to go with his 26th double. Hunter Morris, doing his best to show he can be more than a first baseman, threw out a runner at home from left field. The Rattlers stole four bases but were caught twice and picked off once (D'Vontrey Richardson, natch). Wisconsin play-by-play

Final (game one): Nashville 9, @Oklahoma City 5 (7 innings)Sounds take first game of Wednesday doubleheader, 9-5 Nashville Sounds OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Nashville Sounds' offense came alive to top the Oklahoma City RedHawks, 9-5, in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at AT&T Brick Town Ballpark. Six Sounds recorded multiple hits in the victory as Nashville (73-64) banged out 15 hits. Joe Koshansky went 3-for-4 while Brendan Katin crushed a three-run homer for his 22nd home run. The Sounds took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning as Adam Stern hit a leadoff double and scored on an RBI single from Eric Farris. Erick Almonte scored the club's next run in the top of the fourth inning when Koshansky singled to center field for his team-leading 75th RBI. Nashville put the game away in the fifth inning, erupting for seven runs off reliever Tanner Scheppers to extend the lead to 9-0. Scheppers allowed five base hits while only recording one out to begin the inning, highlighted by RBI base knocks from Stern and Almonte. Katin then followed with a three-run bomb to left field that plated Farris and Almonte, his 22nd homer of the season. Oklahoma City catcher Taylor Teagarden gave the RedHawks their first run with a solo home run to right center in the next frame, his first of the season. The RedHawks would do damage in the final frame of the first game, but were unable to score enough runs to overcome the nine-run deficit. Oklahoma City scored four runs on five hits, highlighted by a Chris Davis two-run single. Sound starter Chase Wright (8-8) picked up his eighth win after the southpaw allowed one run on five hits while fanning four in five innings pitched. Donovan Hand surrendered four runs in two innings in relief. Oklahoma City starting pitcher Omar Beltre (3-9) took the loss, giving up two runs on five this in 3 1/3 innings for the RedHawks. Nashville box score Nice group of veterans they had a Nashville this year. Stern also walked, so he was on three times, and Farris, Almonte, Luis Cruz, and Martin Maldonado all had two hits. Nashville play-by-play

With the AZL season over, the following players were promoted to Helena to finish out the Pioneer League season: LHP Charly Bashara, RHP Jose Sanchez, C Tyler Roberts, IF Nick Shaw, and OF Kenny Allison. RHP Alex Periard will also continue his injury rehab at Helena.

Mark Rogers is kind of a big deal in Maine:

LHP Dan Merklinger was promoted to Nashville from BC to finish out the year, and LHP/folk hero Dexter Bobo moves up from the AZL Brewers to BC to take Merk's place.

The entire toolbar isn't visible when replying from my iPhone.

Final: @Tampa 6, Brevard County 5 (10 innings)Brevard County box score Kyle Heckathorn could only go two innings because of a rain delay, which came after he loaded the bases to begin the 3rd inning. He gave up two runs on four hits, striking out two and walking none. Trey Watten came in and handled the next four innings; as usual, he got a lot of grounders (8/2 GO/AO) but also allowed three runs. Brock Kjeldgaard homered twice for the Manatees, Erik Komatsu doubled twice, walked, and stole his 25th base, and Matt Cline added three hits, including a double. Shawn Zarraga and Juan Sanchez also had two hits each. Big Brock also pitched in on defense, showing off the old arm with an outfield assist (how come he doesn't play RF?) Brevard County play-by-play How the game ended: Tampa Bottom of the 10th Pitcher Change: Corey Frerichs replaces Daniel Meadows. Jack Rye strikes out swinging, catcher Shawn Zarraga to first baseman Sean Halton. Mitch Abeita singles on a line drive to center fielder Erik Komatsu. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Anderson Feliz replaces Mitch Abeita. With Trent Lockwood batting, wild pitch by Corey Frerichs, Anderson Feliz to 2nd. Trent Lockwood doubles (16) on a fly ball to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Anderson Feliz scores.

Final: @Wisconsin 16, Kane County 4Rattlers get offensive to beat Kane County Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had their biggest offensive night of the 2010 season in a 16-4 win over the Kane County Cougars Tuesday night at Time Warner Cable Field. All nine Timber Rattlers in the starting lineup had at least one hit and eight of the nine had at least one RBI. Plus, Khris Davis, Kentrail Davis, and Chris Dennis all homered for Wisconsin, while Joey Paciorek drove in four runs. The home run by Khris Davis made a little team history for the Wisconsin outfielder. The Rattlers (57-75 overall, 31-33 second half) grabbed control of the game with a six run second inning. Khris Davis started the inning with a walk. Then, Dennis hit his sixteenth home run of the season to put the Rattlers up 2-0. One out later, Cameron Garfield reached on a three-base error and scored on an infield grounder by Paciorek. Michael Marseco kept the inning alive with a single and stole second base. Cutter Dykstra singled home Marseco. Then, Kentrail Davis lined a homer over the wall in left and Wisconsin was up 6-0. On Tuesday night Jake Odorizzi was making his first start for the Rattlers since his eight no-hit innings at Cedar Rapids on August 23. He kept the Cougars off the board through the first three innings, but he struggled in the fourth and could not get out of the inning to qualify for the win. The first two batters singled to get runners on first and third for Kane County (66-66, 34-29). Odorizzi got a strikeout for the first out and Tyreace House knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly for the second out. But, a walk kept the inning going for the Cougars. Leonardo Gil followed with a triple to drive in a pair of runs. A mishandled pickoff throw to third let Gil score. Then, Mitch LeVier drew a walk to knock Odorizzi out of the game. Adrian Rosario, who pitched the final inning of the no-hitter on August 23, relieved Odorizzi and got the final out of the fifth with a strikeout. Khris Davis started the bottom of the fifth inning for the Rattlers with a home run to the bullpen in right-center and joined an exclusive club in Timber Rattlers history. The homer was the his twenty-first of the season and tied the franchise record for home runs in a season. Juan Silvestre set the mark in 1999 and Matt Hagen matched it in 2003. Now, Davis is tied and has six games remaining in the season to set a new standard. That homer got the Rattlers going again. Three walks in the inning loaded the bases. Dykstra knocked in two runs with a single for a 9-4 lead. In the sixth inning, Wisconsin pushed the lead to 12-4 on a two-run double by D’Vontrey Richardson and a sacrifice fly by Garfield. Wisconsin put the game away in the bottom of the eighth. Paciorek doubled with the bases loaded to drive in three runs. He would score on another single by Marseco and the Rattlers were up 16-4. The sixteen runs for Wisconsin were the most since in 2010. The previous high of 15 was set on July 12 in a 15-12 win over Burlington. The victory moves the Rattlers to within 3-1/2 games of the Cougars, who currently hold the wild card spot in the second half Western Division standings in the Midwest League. Wisconsin and Kane County play a three-game series at Kane County September 4-6 to conclude the regular season. The Timber Rattlers begin their final homestand of the season on Wednesday night when they host the Quad Cities River Bandits. Nick Bucci (5-6, 3.85) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Daniel Bibona (3-0, 2.10) is set to start for Quad Cities. Game time is 6:35pm. Tuesday night is a bonus Bang For Your Buck Night at Time Warner Cable Field. Soda, hotdogs, and Miller Beer will be available for $1. There are a pair of giveaways on Tuesday night, too. The first 1,000 fans into the ballpark will receive a poster of Timber Rattlers pitcher Maverick Lasker courtesy of Express Convenience Centers. Also, there will be magnet schedule for the 2011 Timber Rattlers season for the first 1,000 fans. Tuesday night is a Back to College Night. Fans who show a college ID will receive admission to the game for just $1. Wisconsin box score The Rattlers really made colby pay for not going. Marseco and Dykstra both had three hits, and both were on four times total, each drawing a walk. Khris Davis, with three walks to go with his history-tying homer, and Dennis, who doubled and walked twice to complement his blast, also reached base four times. Richardson was also strong, 2-4 with a walk. Despite having 25 doubles and 10 triples on the year, the homer was just Kentrail Davis's third. Rosario struck out five and walked one in 2.1 scoreless innings. Scooter Gennett did not play. Wisconsin play-by-play

Final: @Montgomery 3, Huntsville 2Stars' playoff hopes waning Connor Shreve/Huntsville Stars Huntsville failed to rally in Montgomery Tuesday evening and came out on the bottom end of a 3-2 final score. The loss, with a West Tennessee victory, moved the Stars to four games back in the wild card chase with Huntsville's elimination number now at three games. The low scoring affair didn't start that way with both squads combining for four of the five total runs in the first two innings. Zelous Wheeler scored Huntsville's first run in the second inning on a play that handcuffed the Stars chances of adding to the total. Wheeler doubled to lead off the inning and advanced on a wild pitch. He scored on a grounder off the bat of Chris Nowak that wiped the bases clean and accounted for the first two outs of the frame. Michael Fiers kept Huntsville in the game with four shutout innings of relief. Stars starter Mike Bowman lost his 12th game of the season, allowing three earned runs in four innings. The Stars and Biscuits play game two on Wednesday evening beginning at 7:05 CDT. Huntsville box score Great job by Fiers, who struck out eight and walked none while allowing just two hits; 37 of his 52 pitches were strikes. I think we're seeing a glimpse into the future there: quality multi-inning relief from Fiers. Wheeler also drew a free pass to go with his double. Caleb Gindl doubled, Taylor Green had a walk, and Brett Lawrie was 0-4. Huntsville play-by-play The Stars' second run: Huntsville Top of the 7th Drew T. Anderson flies out to center fielder Rashad Eldridge. Zelous Wheeler walks. With Taylor Green batting, wild pitch by Dane De La Rosa, Zelous Wheeler to 2nd. With Taylor Green batting, wild pitch by Dane De La Rosa, Zelous Wheeler to 3rd. Taylor Green lines out to shortstop Drew M. Anderson. Chris Nowak singles on a line drive to center fielder Rashad Eldridge. Zelous Wheeler scores. Caleb Gindl grounds into a force out, second baseman Shawn O'Malley to shortstop Drew M. Anderson. Chris Nowak out at 2nd.

Final (game one): Billings 7, @Helena 5 Helena box score Win streak over--sort of. As MH noted, because this was the completion of a suspended game, it probably doesn't technically snap the run of consecutive wins, but it's a loss all the same. It was 2-0 in favor of the Mustangs when the game was suspended in the top of the 4th; Jimmy Nelson came on, inheriting a mess from Evan Frederickson, and allowed another run to score. He would allow two of his own--both unearned--in the 6th, and finished with four strikeouts and three walks in two innings of work. Frederickson himself walked four and uncorked two wild pitches while allowed the three runs in 3.2 frames. Franklin Romero and Robbie Garvey had two hits, and Garvey also walked and threw a runner out at home. Shea Vucinich reached four times, on a single, a walk, and two HBP; the Brewers were hit four times in total. Helena play-by-play

McCalvy:

McCalvy: "Other pitchers already on the 40-man roster who could garner consideration [for promotion tomorrow] include...Amaury Rivas, Mark Rogers and Cody Scarpetta."