battlekow

Rattler Radio: Game notes Tonight's pitchers Starting lineup Looks like Chris Dennis is still laid up.

Vargas was released.

Twice now the Brewers have optioned a pitcher to AAA only to have to void that option after it turned out the pitcher was injured--first Josh Butler and now Marco Estrada, who instead heads to the 15-day DL.

Twice now the Brewers have optioned a pitcher to AAA only to have to void that option after it turned out the pitcher was injured--first Josh Butler and now Marco Estrada.

Heether was not having a poor year, just an unlucky one. His line, adjusted for park and balls-in-play luck at Minor League Splits, was .342/.426/.554/.980.

Final: Albuquerque 3, Nashville 2 (10 innings)Sounds fall to Albuquerque, 3-2 in 10 innings Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the visiting Albuquerque Isotopes on Thursday evening at historic Greer Stadium. Isotopes second baseman Chin-lung Hu drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk from Sounds reliever Mike Jones in the top of the tenth to plate Michael Restovich with the winning run. The extra-inning contest was the sixth of the year for Nashville (3-3) and seventh for Albuquerque (6-1). In the decisive Albuquerque tenth, Ivan De Jesus, Jr. led off with a single to center off Sounds reliever Mitch Stetter. One out later, Jones took over on the Nashville hill and was greeted by pinch-hitter Restovich's sharp single to center, which careened off the outstretched glove of shortstop Luis Cruz. De Jesus moved to third on the knock. After a walk to Jamie Hoffmann loaded the bases with one out, Jones coaxed a fielder's choice grounder from Lucas May that forced De Jesus at the plate before Hu drew his go-ahead walk from the right-hander. Nashville got the potential tying run to third with two outs in the bottom of the tenth against Isotopes closer Scott Dohmann before the right-hander struck out Norris Hopper looking to end the contest and nail down his fourth save of the year. Juan Perez (2-1) picked up the win for the Isotopes after tossing two scoreless frames of relief. Stetter (1-1) took his first loss of the year for Nashville after being charged with the game-winning run. The Sounds left a season-high 14 runners on base in the contest, finishing just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position on the night. Albuquerque took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning when Hu drew a two-out walk from Sounds starter Chris Waters and scored when Isotopes third baseman Justin Sellers followed with a double into the left field corner. Xavier Paul, who was added to the Albuquerque roster earlier in the day, doubled the visitors' advantage in the fifth with a leadoff solo homer to right off Waters, the outfielder's fifth longball of the year. The Sounds halved the lead with a two-out run in the bottom of the fifth. Waters drew an inning-opening walk from Albuquerque starter Scott Elbert, moved to second on a Hopper sacrifice, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on team RBI leader Joe Koshansky's single to center. Nashville knotted the score in the sixth against Isotopes reliever Jon Link. Johnny Raburn legged out a leadoff double to left before scoring on pinch-hitter Erick Almonte's RBI single through the left side of the infield. Sounds right fielder Trent Oeltjen kept the score tied in the seventh when he fired a laser to the plate to gun down Sellers as he attempted to score from second on Paul's single (listen to the audio of that play via this link). The teams wrap up the series with a 7:05 p.m. finale on Friday night at Greer. Left-hander Chuck Lofgren (6-3, 4.68) will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face Albuquerque right-hander Tim Corcoran (3-5, 4.56). Nashville box score David Riske worked a scoreless 8th with a walk. Mat Gamel was 1-4 with a double and a walk in his first game back at Nashville. Raburn and Cruz also doubled and walked. Nashville play-by-play

Final: Mobile 7, Huntsville 4Stars make six errors in loss to BayBears Huntsville Stars The Mobile BayBears (27-25) got two runs in the first inning and never looked back as they knocked off the Huntsville Stars (25-29) by a final score of 7-4 Thursday night. Huntsville made six errors in the contest, but only one of the seven Mobile runs was unearned. Stars’ starting pitcher Chris Cody has had issues with the long ball all season, and nothing much changed tonight as Evan Frey crushed a solo shot with one away in the first. After Kory Casto walked, Huntsville continued their recent issues on defense as a pick-off attempt went awry as the ball bounced off the glove of Drew Anderson and Casto advanced to second base. With two down, Bryan Byrne singled home Casto and Mobile had a 2-0 edge. After the rough start, Cody (2-6) settled down and pitched really well, going five innings scattering six hits while surrendering only the two runs, one of which was earned. He walked two and struck-out four in the losing effort. The BayBears tacked on a run in the top of the sixth against Stars’ reliever Mark Willinsky. Jake Wald singled home Taylor Harbin in the frame, but Willinsky was able to get out of the inning without any more runs scoring. The Stars finally got to BayBears’ starter Joshua Collmenter (3-0) in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a Brett Lawrie solo homer. Down 3-1, the Stars’ bullpen couldn’t keep the game close as Mobile scored two in the seventh. The Stars responded with a sacrifice fly from Taylor Green in the seventh, but the BayBears tacked on two more off reliever Nick Green in the bottom half of the frame. Down 7-2, the Stars made a nice attempt at a rally in the bottom of the ninth. Lorenzo Cain reached on an error and Caleb Gindl doubled him home for his team-leading 30th RBI of the year. Zelous Wheeler singled to put two on with nobody out. After Anderson hit into a force-out, Green continued his hot hitting with a RBI single to drive in Gindl and make the score 7-4. But Lee Haydel and Sean McCraw both grounded out to end the game. Huntsville will look to take the finale of the five game set Friday night at 7pm. Josh Butler (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will be on the mound for the Stars. You can hear all the action on the Huntsville Stars Radio Network and www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville box scoreNice to see Gindl (2-3, walk, two doubles) and Green (2-3) perhaps getting hot along with Lawrie (2-4). Cain was 0-3 but did walk. Infielder Andy Machado pitched the 9th, his second appearance on the mound this year. Huntsville play-by-play

'Born to play ball': Marcus Knecht takes next step when he hears name at MLB draft Bob Elliott/Toronto Sun We can hear host Martine Gaillard now: “Welcome to Sportsnet Connected ... and tonight’s special edition of Sportsnet ‘Knecht-ed.’ ” North York outfielder Marcus Knecht, 20, will be the top player from the GTA selected when the annual Major League Baseball amateur draft of high schoolers and collegians begins Monday night. The first 50 selections will be made on Monday. Rounds 2-30 go Tuesday and the final 20 take place on Wednesday. Knecht, projected as the 50th best prospect by the Perfect Game scouting service and 94th by Baseball America, will either go Monday night or early Tuesday afternoon. The Jays have four of the first 41 picks (11th, 34th, 38th and 41st) and nine in the first three rounds. Knecht worked out for the Jays on Wednesday morning at the Rogers Centre in front a cadre of scouts, and then taking batting practice again with Delino DeShields, Jr., for manager Cito Gaston. Knecht has been to Dallas to show his swing to Chicago Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays scouts; to Lufkin, Tex., for Cincinnati Reds scouts; to Anaheim for the Los Angeles Angels; to Jupiter, Fla., for the Florida Marlins and Bradenton for the Pittsburgh Pirates. * * * Knecht had all of 15 plate appearances with the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2009. How is it possible to climb so quickly up the draft boards? How did a Canadian who spent winters playing triple-A hockey for the Don Mills Flyers and Markham Islanders against the likes of John Tavares and Steve Stamkos while playing summer hockey with P.K. Subban, reach this point? Tavares skates with the New York Islanders, Stamkos the Tampa Bay Lightening and Subban the Montreal Canadiens, all reaching the top of their chosen profession. And now, Knecht is one sentence away — “We choose outfielder Marcus Knecht, of North York, Ont., Canada, as our selection” — to starting on his next step on the road to the majors in his sport. One scouting director, who throws around compliments like 10-pound shot puts, termed Knecht a “definite future major-leaguer.” A year ago June, Knecht informed Oklahoma State he would not return. “The coaches didn’t explain anything about playing time,” Knecht said during a break in his whirlwind tour. “The three starting outfielders last year were all either juniors or seniors. Two were drafted last June. The positions were locked down before I went there.” What to do? “I didn’t want to go through that again,” said Knecht of his season of inactivity. So, he called former coach Danny Bleiwas of the Ontario Blue Jays for advice. “I trusted Danny,” he said. The two have had a long relationship. Bleiwas first met Knecht at brother David Bleiwas’ Green Diamond ball camp in Stouffville. Knecht was age five and Bleiwas was a teenager. “Marcus was the best at age five, the best at age 20,” said Bleiwas. Knecht was warming in the bullpen when Billy Hurley got the final outs for Ontario, coached by Peter Kottaras and Bleiwas, against British Columbia to win the 2005 Canadian bantam title in Windsor. Bleiwas suggested Knecht transfer to Connors State College. Since 2000, Bleiwas and assistant coach Shawn Travers have sent more than 30 players to Connors and coach Perry Kieth. A junior college powerhouse, Connors is located in Warner, Okla., half an hour south of Muskogee, the town Merle Haggard made famous with the lyrics: “And I’m proud to be an Okie from Muskogee, A place where even squares can have a ball. We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse, And white lightnin’s still the biggest thrill of all.” Knecht provided a few thrills around eastern Oklahoma as the Cowboys held the No. 1 ranking in the U.S., in May. Besides the slugging outfielder, other Canadians played a major role: right-hander Chris Nagorski and catcher Peter Bako, both of Mississauga; infielder James Kottaras [also a past Brewers draftee, and George's brother] and outfielder Brodie Ross, both of Markham; Toronto right-handers Cam Gray and Nick DaSilva; Guelph’s Tyler Wheeler and catcher Jeremy Kral of Prince George, B.C. Knecht ran (a 6.54 clocking in the 60), hit for power (grading to 70 power on a scale where 80 is the highest), hit for average, fielded and showed a strong arm as the complete package. “It worked out well,” said Knecht, who hit .453 with 23 homers, 20 steals and a .540 on-base percentage. Kieth tells a story of a marathon scrimmage of 20 innings last fall. Knecht already had two homers. Pretty good day? He came up in the 15th with men on first and second, hit a sharp ground ball to short and hustled to beat the throw the throw from second, avoiding a double play. * * * Mike Knecht was born in Xenia, Ohio, and moved to Canada at age 11 with his parents who ran a tourist camp outside of Sault Ste. Marie. Mike graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1985, met Gail in Toronto and they wed in ’88. Marcus came along on June 21, 1990. Mike is now sales rep for Coldwell Banker Terrequity Realty, while Gail works at Mitchell Sandham Insurance. Marcus began playing baseball in Agincourt before switching to North York, quickly earning a reputation as one of the better pitchers in his age group. “That’s what I was known for — a good pitcher. I thought I was a big-league pitcher back then,” said Knecht. He played hockey then, too. “I was quick and could score,” Knecht said. “I loved to hit people, but, by the ninth grade, I was 100% baseball. When I stopped playing hockey, I didn’t worry about the OHL. “I was born to play ball. It’s ingrained in my brain structure, I love hitting.” After the bantam nationals, Knecht had to decide which elite team to play with. “There was pressure for Marcus to play for the Toronto Mets,” recalled Bleiwas, who had Tyler Johnstone, a former Ontario Blue Jay at Auburn University, call to help recruit the Knechts. “We thought he was the type of special player to go to a big conference school,” Bleiwas said. Knecht was 16 when called up to play for the Jays 18s at the All-American Classic in Memphis and hit the very first pitch for a homer. He returned to Memphis in the summer of 2009 and was spotted by Oklahoma State recruiters, hitting seven homers in six games. Knecht declined to return last September, sticking with Connors. When he had a hot start in fall ball at Connors, Oklahoma State coach Frank Anderson came calling for next fall. Knecht chose to sign a letter of intent to the North Carolina State Wolfpack this fall. No hard feelings, just no thanks. “They gave me free tickets to the Oklahoma State-Oklahoma football game,” Knecht said. Why go back to a place where you get in 10 games, starting two, out of 58? Knecht was (2-or-12, both homers) for a .167 average with two walks and was hit by a pitch. Where did his work ethic come from? “My dad is a driven man. Watching him and his positive attitude rubs off on people,” Knecht said. “He’s always positive. “Danny Bleiwas is a good friend and Sean Travers helped a lot.” Last summer, playing with the Intercounty league’s Oshawa Dodgers, Travers sat Knecht down and told him a year from now, baseball would be his job, he told him he had to take batting practice every day. Knecht did so and took out a membership at a fitness club. “I’ve seen him at every step of his career, from the nationals to the recruiting process when we worked as hard to get him into the organization as anyone,” Bleiwas said. “He’s an absolute pleasure to coach.” * * * This isn’t the first time Knecht heads into the draft. In 2008, he was the top local high-schooler but withdrew his name. “I wasn’t mentally ready, I wanted to try school,” Knecht says. Still, Milwaukee Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik and scout Jap Lapp chose Knecht in the 23rd round after making Brett Lawrie of Langley B.C., a first-round selection. “We got Lawrie, maybe his teammate will talk him into playing,” Zduriencik said. Lawrie and Knecht were teammates with the Canadian junior team which lost in the quarterfinals at the world championships in Edmonton. This time is different. A seven-team tour for private workouts. Meeting GMs, scouting directors, national cross checkers and area scouts. And renewing acquaintances with Jays scouting director Andrew Tinnish, whose hitting camp Knecht attended as a teenager. “Going off rumors, I’ve heard I could anywhere from supplemental first round, to the third,” Knecht says. “I’ll be happy with that.” He has put on a show for both the Angels and the Jays. Both teams have additional picks in the supplemental first round. The Jays choose 34th, 38th and 41st, while the Angels are at 37th and 40th. One will be well-Knecht-ed.

Final: Wisconsin 6, Fort Wayne 4Rattlers prevail in Fort Wayne Chris Mehring/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers FORT WAYNE, IN – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers beat the Fort Wayne TinCaps 6-4 Thursday night at Parkview Field. Scooter Gennett had three hits, including a homer, and drove in two runs to pace the offense in an odd back-and-forth game against the defending Midwest League champs. Maverick Lasker picked up the win with help from three Wisconsin relievers. The Rattlers (20-34) put together a two-out rally in the top of the second inning to take the early lead. Michael Marseco walked with two out and none on base. Kyle Dhanani singled to keep the inning alive. D’Vontrey Richardson and Gennett followed with consecutive RBI singles for a 2-0 lead. Khris Davis was next and he singled in both Richardson and Gennett for a 4-0 advantage. Lasker ran into trouble after a long delay in the bottom of the fifth inning. Rymer Liriano singled with one out in the fifth. However, the lineup turned into the umpires for the game had Liriano batting in a different spot in the order. Liriano had batted out of turn originally in the second inning. Wisconsin manager Jeff Isom asked for an explanation from the umpiring crew and got one after a 16 minute delay. When play resumed, Lasker gave up a single and had an error committed behind him to load the bases. Lasker walked two of the next three batters to force in two runs. In the bottom of the sixth, the Wisconsin defense could not turn an inning ending double play and Liriano reached on a fielder’s choice. Dean Anna tripled off the wall in right to bring the TinCaps (28-27) to within 4-3. Anna was the final batter Lasker faced. Efrain Nieves walked the next batter, but got out of the inning with a ground out to second. Lasker allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits over 5-2/3 innings and struck out five while walking three. Gennett padded the Wisconsin lead with a line drive homer to right to lead off the top of the seventh inning to put the Rattlers up 5-3. Damon Krestalude, who started the seventh inning, got the first out of the eighth, but walked the next two batters. He uncorked a wild pitch to send the runners to second and third, but got the second out via a strikeout. Closer Jon Pokorny entered the game, and threw a wild pitch that let Fort Wayne score a run to make it 5-4. Pokorny ended the inning with a popout to keep the tying run at third. In the ninth, the Rattlers put together a rally similar to their rally in the second. Cutter Dykstra walked with two outs and none on base. Pete Fatse singled to send Dykstra around to third base. Erik Miller dropped in a single and the Rattlers lead was 6-4. Pokorny gave up a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth, but he got the final out for his second save of the season. The Rattlers stay on the road and begin a three game series against the Lake County Captains in Eastlake, Ohio on Friday night. Del Howell (0-2, 7.27) is the scheduled starter for the Timber Rattlers. Lake County, the Midwest League affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, has Trey Haley (4-1, 3.65) as their scheduled starter. Tune in for all the action on AM1280, WNAM beginning with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:40pm CDT. Game time is 6:00pm CDT. Wisconsin box scoreA true team effort, as only Cameron Garfield (0-4) avoided getting mentioned in Chris's recap. Gennett made up for only getting one hit last night by getting three tonight. Davis, Dykstra, Fatse all had two hits apiece, with Dykstra and Fatse adding a walk each as well. Lasker had a really nice game going until the delay, which seemed to adversely affect his control. Pokorny solid yet again. Wisconsin play-by-play

Final: Jupiter 8, Brevard County 0Brevard County box score The Manatees were shut out for the second straight game, also tallying just three hits for the second time in a row. Trey Watten got hammered for ten hits and eight runs in 4.2 innings, so it probably didn't matter how many runs the Manatees scored. R.J. Seidel got into his third game this year, working 2.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, allowing a hit and a walk. As MH mentioned, Kentrail Davis and Erik Komatsu didn't play. Josh Prince was the lone bright spot on offense, singling twice and stealing his 14th and 15th bases. Sean Halton drew the only walk, and Shawn Zarraga was hit by a pitch. Brevard County play-by-play This about sums it up: Brevard County Top 1st Josh Prince singles on a line drive to right fielder Thomas Hickman. With Matt Cline batting, Josh Prince steals (14) 2nd base. With Matt Cline batting, Josh Prince steals (15) 3rd base. Matt Cline strikes out swinging. Sergio Miranda flies out to right fielder Thomas Hickman. Sean Halton called out on strikes.

Looks like the DSL was rained out today.

I just asked McCalvy about this and he indicated that it's the former. EDIT: Well, that was true for a day. Now, as you suspected, he's been activated and optioned.

Setting aside the fact that the Heether move almost assuredly wouldn't have been made except to clear room for another player, the 40-man roster has to be full to have a player on the 60-day DL (as at least one of Gamel and Riske still are), so there's definitely someone replacing Heether on the 40-man. EDIT: Though perhaps the rule simply prevents players from being put on the 60-day DL if the 40-man isn't full and doesn't speak to players already on the 60-day DL. Either way, why waive Heether now unless you needed the spot?

Well, as a couple others have said, Heether probably isn't destined to do anything great in baseball, but I do like him, more than Luis Cruz and Jeff Suppan anyway. Tough to see him go after all this time. Good luck in Oakland, Adam.

Nashville 6, Albuquerque 2Heether homers twice in Sounds 6-2 win Nashville Sounds NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds topped the Albuquerque Isotopes, 6-2, on Wednesday night thanks to two home runs by third baseman Adam Heether at historic Greer Stadium in the second game of a four-game series. Heether went 3-for-4 on the night, belting his team-leading ninth and tenth home runs while recording three runs and three RBIs. It was the second time in 2010 that a Sounds player posted a multi-home run performance, after Brendan Katin did so on April 8 in Iowa. Sounds right-hander Mark Rogers gave up one run on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings in his Triple-A debut. Nashville jumped on the board in the opening frame, scoring two runs off Isotopes starting pitcher Brent Leach. Sounds centerfielder Norris Hopper led off the contest with a line drive to center, followed by a single by Heether. After a double steal that put both runners in scoring position, shortstop Luis Cruz elevated his RBI total to 30 by plating both runners with a single to left field for Sounds 2-0 lead, tying him with Joe Koshansky for the team-lead. The Sounds tried to do further damage with no outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning, but were unable to do so. After Hopper led off with the inning with another hit, followed by walks by Ray Olmedo and Heether, Leach struck out the next three batters to escape the jam. After Albuquerque pitcher Hyang-Nam Choi was walked in the top of the fifth, Jay Gibbons tied the contest at 2-2 with his ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot over the right field wall. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Heether crushed Jesus Rodriguez's first pitch of the at-bat off the left field scoreboard for the 3-2 Nashville lead. After an Erick Almonte walk and another single by Cruz, Trent Oeltjen crushed a long single to deep center that scored Almonte for a 4-2 advantage. Heether smacked his second homer of the contest in the bottom of the eighth, another two-run shot to left for a 6-2 Nashville lead, his ninth of the season. Reliever David Johnson surrendered one earned run on the homer in the fifth, striking out three while walking none in 1 2/3 innings. Tim Dillard (1-2) earned the win, fanning one batter in two scoreless frames. Chris Smith stuck out two over a perfect ninth inning. In his second start of the season, Leach allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts in three innings pitched. Rodriguez (0-1) took the loss, giving up two runs with a walk and a strikeout in two innings in relief. The Sounds and Isotopes continue with the third game of a four-game series at 7:05 pm CT on Taco Bell Throwback Thursday at historic Greer Stadium. Left-hander Chris Waters (4-2, 3.48) takes the hill for Nashville against Albuquerque southpaw Scott Elbert (1-1, 5.40). Nashville box scoreYou can listen to one of Heether's homers here. Rogers threw 85 pitches, 55 for strikes. Nashville play-by-play

Final: Mobile 5, Huntsville 4BayBears 5, Stars 4 Huntsville Stars HUNTSVILLE, ALA. – Back-to-back home runs weren’t enough to lift the Huntsville Stars to victory over the Mobile BayBears Wednesday night at Joe Davis Stadium. A double and a sac-fly put the BayBears (26-25) on the board right away, 1-0. The Stars (25-28) followed up with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning off a triple and a sac-fly to tie things up. A fielding error by Brett Lawrie in the top of the third scored two more runs for Mobile. They added another run on in the fifth when Evan Frey doubled to right field. A throwing error by Stars starter Dan Merklinger (0-1) advanced Frey to third. He later scored on a sac-fly by catcher Konrad Schmidt. A lead-off single, hit-by-pitch and a walk loaded the bases for the BayBears in the top of the next inning. Reliever Jim Henderson got the next batter to pop out and managed to get out of the jam only surrendering one run. The Stars’ Lorenzo Cain got on base in the bottom of the sixth with a single to right field. He scored when Mat Gamel hit a dinger to right. Zelous Wheeler got in on the fun with a solo shot of his own, making it 5-4 Mobile. Drew Anderson grounded out on the next at-bat to end the inning. Neither team managed to score another run in the final three innings, keeping the final 5-4 in favor of the BayBears. Merklinger, making his Double-A debut, threw 4.1 innings, giving up four runs (zero earned) on five hits. He walked a batter and struck out four. Reliever Henderson pitched 1.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits. Robert Hinton and Eddie Morlan each threw an inning, now allowing a hit or run. Closer Brandon Kintzler was lights-out as usual, retiring the side and only allowing one hit. The Stars are now 6.5 games back of the first-place Tennessee Smokies. They’ll face the BayBears again tomorrow for game four of the five-game series and game nine of the ten-game home stand. It’s Bud Light’s Thirst-Aid Thursday, with all 20-ounce Bud products (Bud, Bud Light, Amberbock) just $2! First pitch is at 7 p.m.; gates open at 6 p.m. Visit www.huntsvillestars.com for more information. Huntsville box scoreMerklinger, remarkably, committed three errors. Cain was 2-3 with a triple, a walk, and his 12th steal. Lawrie also tripled, his ninth of the year. Caleb Gindl was 0-3, Lee Haydel 0-4, and Taylor Green did not play. Huntsville play-by-play The Stars put the tying run on second base with one out in both the 8th and 9th but couldn't plate it.

Final: Jupiter 3, Brevard County 0Brevard County play-by-play Cody Scarpetta continues to scuffle, allowing two runs on six hits, two walks, and a hit batter in four innings, striking out four. The Manatees had only three hits, one each from Kentrail Davis (nice to see him back), Sean Halton (who also walked twice), and Juan Sanchez. Erik Komatsu drew a walk, Shawn Zarraga was hit by a pitch, and Josh Prince was 0-4. Brevard County box score This was the Manatees' best chance to score: Brevard County Top 3rd Brock Kjeldgaard grounds out, third baseman Jake Smolinski to first baseman Ben Lasater. Scott Krieger walks. Juan Sanchez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Seth Fortenberry. Scott Krieger to 2nd. With Kentrail Davis batting, wild pitch by Johnny Dorn, Scott Krieger to 3rd. Juan Sanchez to 2nd. Kentrail Davis strikes out swinging. Josh Prince grounds out, pitcher Johnny Dorn to first baseman Ben Lasater.

Final: Fort Wayne 4, Wisconsin 3Caps clip Rattlers Chris Mehring/Timber Rattlers FORT WAYNE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had a 2-0 lead after 5-1/2 innings Wednesday night against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Parkview Field. But, the TinCaps rallied to beat Wisconsin 4-3. Wisconsin committed two crucial errors in the bottom of the seventh inning to allow Fort Wayne to take a lead they did not surrender. Khris Davis put the Timber Rattlers (19-34) in front with a two out, solo home run in the top of the first inning. The monstrous blast from the Rattlers’ left fielder cleared the ten-foot high centerfield wall 400’ away from home plate; ten-foot high batter’s eye that is set back at least 25’ beyond the fence, and a concession stand with a roof that is about three feet higher than the batter’s eye. D’Vontrey Richardson started the Wisconsin sixth inning with a double to left-center. Scooter Gennett followed with a single to center. Richardson sped home and just beat the throw to the plate for a 2-0 lead. Wisconsin starting pitcher Nick Bucci worked with runners on in every inning except the first, but kept the TinCaps off the scoreboard until the bottom of the sixth. Juedy Valdez doubled to start the inning. Later in the inning, Nate Freiman’s sacrifice fly to right scored Valdez. In the seventh, Jon Alia started the inning with a double. Dean Anna pinch ran for Alia. Rymer Liriano bunted up the third base line. Bucci fielded cleanly, but threw wildly to first base. That allowed Alia to score the tying run. After a single by Danny Payne put runners on first and second, the TinCaps attempted a double steal. Liriano was safe at third and he scored the go-ahead run when catcher Cameron Garfield’s throw went into left field. Fort Wayne (28-26) added an insurance run in the eighth inning as Anna singled home a run. The TinCaps would need the run. Davis lined a triple off the wall in right field to start the inning against Fort Wayne closer Nick Schumacher. Davis scored on an RBI grounder by Garfield. But, the Rattlers could not push the tying run across the plate and Schumacher picked up his eleventh save of the season. The Rattlers end their stay in Fort Wayne with a game on Thursday night. Maverick Lasker (2-3, 4.67) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The TinCaps will counter with Mike Watt (2-3, 4.25). Listen to the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:45pm CDT. Game time is 6:05pm. Wisconsin box score Bucci's final line: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. Nice to see solid peripherals through six innings for him. Richardson also has to be pleased with his 2-3 + HBP night after getting a day off, seemingly to clear his head. Chris Dennis was apparently injured on a collision at first base (see TheCrew07's post above) and did indeed come out of the game; hope he's okay. Dennis, Gennett, Garfield, and Cutter Dykstra had a single apiece. Wisconsin play-by-play

Final: DSL Mariners 9, DSL Brewers 6DSL Brewers box score 18-year-old RHP Jeffrey Saba had a nice pro debut, going six innings and allowing just one run one two hits and a walk, striking out three, an unusually clean outing in the woolly DSL for a pitcher of any age and experience. The debut of Joel Dicent, also 18 and recently touted as an arm to watch by Bruce Seid, did not go as well for the righty: five runs in 1.2 innings. Get 'em next time, Joel. 2B Yonki Hernandez stayed hot by going 2-3 with a double and a walk. SS Andres Martinez also had another nice game, 3-4 with a HBP. In five trips, OF Jose Pena singled, 1B Hitaniel Arias doubled, and OF Jose R. Garcia was hit by a pitch twice. DSL Brewers play-by-play

The point is that we're not dinging Salome for being, at this point, third on the organizational depth chart at catcher for the next four years; the performance of other players at a player's position--his "blocked-ness"--isn't taken into account when rating them as a prospect. On the other hand, Jeffress' situation is almost like that of a player with a very checkered medical history, like say Mark Rogers. The fact that he could be suspended for life at any moment essentially, just as Rogers' shoulder could blow up on any given pitch, affects his intrinsic prospect status. You can never trust that player's performance as much as you could a player with a clean medical/drug history.

He's been hurt by a really high HR rate in the bigs.

Rattler Radio: Game notes Tonight's pitcher Lineup

Getting to know Mike Jones

I'd like to collect all the various mock drafts in this thread. Feel free to post any I've missed. Jim Callis (Baseball America): RHP Matt Harvey, North Carolina: "Milwaukee needs pitching and has been tied to a pair of prep arms who aren't consensus first-round talents: Pennsylvania lefthander Jesse Biddle and Florida righthander Luke Jackson. It will be hard to pass up talented college pitchers who fall, such as Harvey and McGuire. The Brewers are the first real candidates to pop enigmatic Louisiana State righthander Anthony Ranaudo, and persistent rumors that they'll ignore pitching and take Castellanos won't go away." Keith Law (ESPN): RHP Matt Harvey, North Carolina: "Or Barrett Loux. I have written before that they're interested in both Jesse Biddle and Luke Jackson, but industry sentiment has them taking a college arm rather than a prep one. " Andy Seiler (MLB Bonus Baby): RHP Matt Harvey, North Carolina: "Even though Harvey comes with a lot of risk for a college arm, the Brewers are a team that desperately needs high-ceiling college pitching in their system. They could be looking at the likes of Wimmers, Wojciechowski, or perhaps a prep arm such as A.J. Cole. Harvey is the best fit, but a number of arms are possibilities." Jonathan Mayo (MLB.com): RHP Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech Patrick Ebert (5 Tool Talk): LHP Jesse Biddle, Germantown Friends HS (PA) Frankie Piliere (FanHouse): LHP Jesse Biddle, Germantown Friends HS (PA): "Sources say that the Brewers are considering three players. That list includes Biddle, Luke Jackson, and a college player -- whom many believe is Matt Harvey. In the end. I think Harvey will price himself out, and Biddle will be their guy following his impressive workout." David Rawnsley (Perfect Game USA): C/SS Justin O’Conner, Cowan HS (IN): "High-school position players have been notably, but very predictably, absent thus far, and this slot is where it should change. I’ve been told that O’Conner is one of the fastest-rising players on draft boards and should go in the top half of the first round. Third baseman Nick Castellanos, a Florida high-school slugger, is also a good fit for this slot." Michael Huang (Sporting News): RHP Asher Wojciechowski, The Citadel: "Think Jonathan Broxton and you've got Wojciechowski. Big and intimidating, his 96-mph fastball is one of the best at the collegiate level. He needs to refine a breaking pitch, but he could be a workhorse starter or a dominating closer." Dallas Jackson (Rivals): OF Josh Sale, Bishop Blanchet HS (WA): "Sale is one of more intriguing players in the draft, his bat is probably the best among all high school players but his defense is limited to either 1B or a shift to the corner outfield. The Brew Crew may have a tough time keeping him from going to Gonzaga to develop." Jason Churchill (Prospect Insider): RHP Asher Wojciechowski, The Citadel Kevin Goldstein (Baseball Prospectus): RHP Anthony Ranaudo, LSU: "My understanding is that the Brewers big three here are Ranaudo, Workman and Harvey. Ranaudo's SEC tournament showing might have saved him, but Milwaukee is still gauging both the medical and the money." Burke Granger (Prospect Junkies): RHP Asher Wojciechowski, The Citadel: "Power arm will need time to develop secondary stuff."

The winner was Austin Adams, whom the Brewers drafted in 2008 but didn't sign.