TheCrew07

What To Expect: Gregory Polanco

That's about what we should have expected given our previous discussion on the matter.

Sorry nate82 I missed this earlier. If you could conceivably get 3 power arms in the top 4 rounds or something along those lines I'd definitely do it. Just throwing names out there as a for instance... this is highly unlikely but just using names of players people know falling to discuss the topic. Say you take Grant Holmes in the 1st, Luis Ortiz in the 2nd, Foster Griffin in the 3rd, and Bryce Montes in the 4th. Holmes would sign for slot I would think as a HS kid, Ortiz is going think he's worth 1st round money, Griffen probably does as well but will settle on 2nd, and Montes knows with good health he's a 1st round pick so he wants 1st round money as well. If you could add 4 arms, all of whom comfortably project as at least 2s, I would absolutely say it is worth it to lose a 1st round pick and give the young men what they want even if you only hit on half those guys. It would take some extreme star alignment for something like to that happen. If we were in the top 5 picks it would be much more doable... at #12 that's pretty tough, someone ahead of us is always going to nab falling players first. I'm certainly not opposed to the idea but you'd need a couple of players like Montes with injury concerns to have them slip enough to make it work. In the 4th you'd probably need someone with a ton of projection velocity and stuff wise coming off an injury. I could see us getting an injury steal here or there, but to be able to go over slot for 3 legitimate players would be one of the greatest draft coups in history.

You aren't alone, I think all of us around that age did the same, my brother and I did that's for sure. My brother still imitates Cooper's unique batting stance to this day sometimes during his softball games.

Interesting... this is just looking at 2005 but worth a read. How the Best Pitching Tools Translate to the Majors

Polanco, Coulter, and 33 year old Tsuyoshi Wada of the Cubs. Offensive Players of the Week For the week ending April 13 Pitchers of the Week For the week ending April 13

Ask BA: How Bad Is A Second Tommy John Surgery For A Pitcher?

The Cubs are continually looking to expand their pitching base. Arms Race Not Over For Cubs

More on Taillon from the Pirate's beat writer, also the Glasnow DL stint is a back issue. Taillon’s Season Ends Before It Begins

Not sure if this is a subscriber piece or not, it has the icon but didn't prompt me for my login. Brewers’ Wang Getting Along Swimmingly

College season week 9 updates. Three Strikes: Week Nine College Draft Prospects Stat Roundup: Week 9

Very few GMs are going to be willing to make a quantity for quality deal, that's more of a video game thing these days. 7-10 years ago it was much more of a realistic possibility. So then what you really are suggesting is trading Estrada or Gallardo for a prospect, which is what you hinted at in the part of the post I didn't quote, because quantity deals don't really exist for impact talent anymore. Here's BA's list from before the season what can you come up with? The top 4 guys aren't going anywhere: Sano had TJ surgery, Bryant can't be traded until after the draft, Franco is only .091 right now but he's the Phillies #1 prospect, and Castellanos is up and playing 3B in Detroit. I've long been a Seager fan but what would the Dodgers want with Estrada or Gallardo right now? Billingsley is coming back at some point, they have no long-term need for pitching when they can just bring up Zach Lee if things get bad enough with that 5th spot in the short term? Position-by-Position Rankings: Third Basemen Rank, Player, Team 1. Miguel Sano, Twins 2. Kris Bryant, Cubs 3. Maikel Franco, Phillies 4. Nick Castellanos, Tigers 5. Corey Seager, Dodgers 6. Joey Gallo, Rangers 7. Colin Moran, Marlins 8. Matt Davidson, White Sox 9. Garin Cecchini, Red Sox 10. Marcus Semien, White Sox 11. Hunter Dozier, Royals 12. Rio Ruiz, Astros 13. Mitch Nay, Blue Jays 14. Eric Jagielo, Yankees 15. Renato Nunez, Athletics 16. Brandon Drury, Diamondbacks 17. Jake Lamb, Diamondbacks 18. Jeimer Candelario, Cubs 19. Kaleb Cowart, Angels 20. Ryan McMahon, Rockies 21. Rafael Devers, Red Sox 22. Mike Olt, Cubs 23. Cheslor Cuthbert, Royals 24. Zach Green, Phillies 25. Victor Caratini, Braves

Funny I missed that blurb on Ortiz and I've actually read the BA article 3 different times now, I skimmed right over the last paragraph each time. I actually looked all over PG and BA for information on why his stock had fallen slightly, sometimes I'm a putz. I see And That beat me to the Holmes pick as well, I actually started my post early this morning but work interrupted. I didn't mean to steal his thunder... or did I?

IL notes: Prospects abound at Triple-A Pirates' Polanco, Phils' Franco start season in International League Interesting quote:

I-Cubs place Baez on disabled list Top prospect injured while fielding grounders in batting practice

Plenty of Divisional notes in this one, MH already quoted the Clint Coulter part in today's LR. Minor League Roundup: The Weekend

I got caught up on all my draft reading on Saturday, typed up a nice post about who I would select and why, but lost it when my browser accidentally got closed. I should really type in something other than the browser when I consistently have so many tabs open, it gets too messy. At any rate when looking at where the draft prospects are at about the halfway point of the college season (I know HS in the N and NE are just getting going), I'm still not feeling it from the hitters at all, at least in the first round. There are plenty of HS kids with upside and some of the all bat kids are hitting well, but in general this prep hitting class is pretty weak. The college hitting class isn't a strength either, there are some guys I like, such as Schwarber, who are performing well at the plate, but to me the top of this draft is all about pitching. I just don't see taking one of the hitters at 12, not with the arms that will potentially still be on the board. I have issues with Zimmer, Turner, Gatewood, and Conforto who all could be available depending on how teams line up there boards. I still like Schwarber as a steady/reliable bat, but at 12 that seems like a bit of reach. Certainly getting any MLB production from a pick is better than getting none but he's more of a high floor guy and I just can't bring myself to get on board with him right now. Here are the pitchers who could possibly be in the mix for #12. All of the data here is taken from PG and BA articles about the players and a combination of their rankings. There are players discussed in this thread who I wont touch on, I tried to limit myself to the top 25 players as of current rankings. When looking at pitchers for the 1st round I'm looking for the following and in this order: 1) Velocity, 2) Command, 3) Plus Secondary, 4) Pitchability. Kyle Freeland-LHP-Evansville FB generally sits 91-93, he throws both a 2 and 4 seam FB, both pitches have good break. His secondary offerings are a plus slider, an above average curve, and a below average but improving change. His command is excellent, he's throwing 71.8% of his pitches for strikes, and he threw 80% of his secondary pitches for strikes in his latest outing. He's 6' 4" 190lbs and also a good athlete. Brandon Finnegan-LHP-TCU FB is 90-94 topping out at 96. His best secondary pitch is a slider which he just learned from Rodon over the summer and is already flashing plus, he also throws a change which has the chance to be average. He is 5' 11" 184 lbs but has tried to make up for his lack of size by working hard in the weight room and on his conditioning, reports are that he's a good athlete. Touki Toussaint-RHP-HS FB sits low 90s and tops out at 97. His hammer curve in the mid 70s is probably his best pitch and is a plus offering. His control is pretty suspect, he has a high BB rate even for HS. He didn't start playing baseball until his early teens so he's a natural given the level of success he's enjoyed thus far. Touki was originally a soccer player, he's athletic, and 6-2 195lbs. Erick Fedde-RHP-UNLV FB sits 91-94 touching 96. He throws a slider which flashes plus and has a below average developing change. He's another multi-sport good athlete at 6' 4" and 180lbs and a 3/4 arm slot guy. Grant Holmes-RHP-HS FB has been 91-94 this spring topping out at 97-98. His "breaking ball" is something he calls a slider, evaluators call it curve, lets call it a slurve, but it has plus potential. He also has a change that looks to be above average but he hasn't thrown much. At 6' 2" 190lbs he's also a decent hitter. Sean Newcomb-LHP-Hartford FB 90-95 this spring, topping out at 96 last summer. His curve is improving and looks to be average right now, his change flashes above average. Newcomb did really start logging innings until his junior year of HS and only 1 team sent him a draft questionnaire. He's made tremendous strides each year in college, he's more like a HS pitcher than college with the changes in his game from year to year. His arm action is very easy and effortless, he's another multi-sport athlete and measures in at 6' 5" 240 lbs. Sean Reid-Foley-RHP-HS FB 91-93 topping out at 95. He's notable because of how he moves the FB around. His best secondary pitch is a slider which flashes plus, he also throws a change but uses it so little I couldn't find a grade on it. He's 6' 3" 210 lbs. Luis Ortiz-RHP-HS FB 92-94 topping out at 97 depending on reports. His slider is already a plus big league pitch. He also has a developing change and curve. He was apparently pudgy and then lost 40 lbs and transformed himself, he drew high marks for his command but for some reason is slipping down BA's draft board (16 to 40). He was 6' 3" 205 lbs coming into the season. If I had my druthers I'd pick Kyle Freeman right now, he's a lefty, plus FB, a plus secondary offering, and impeccable command, but I don't think he's going to be there. I'm not looking to hit a HR, I want a reliable and efficient pitcher with quality stuff, basically I have the bar set at someone like a Matt Garza at his best. A pitcher who can average 6.5+ innings per start and put up an ERA around 3.5 or better, that's the target. As such I'd take Grant Holmes or Sean Newcomb right now. Holmes throws strikes and already has a plus pitch as a HS pitcher, he's not the profile body wise that the Brewers normally target, but he's a good 2 way player who can handle the bat as well. He competes and adjusts to his stuff on the mound already. For some reason I can't put my finger on I want to compare him to Gallardo, though they weren't similar pitchers at the same point, but when I watch his video and read about him, that's the comparison which keeps coming into my head. Newcomb doesn't have projectability left from a velocity standpoint, but his secondary stuff is improving tremendously year to year as he learns more about his craft. I'm comfortable projecting him to have at least 3 above average MLB pitches. With his easy arm action, low mileage through his youth, left handedness, and constant improvement he's a player with tremendous upside. He fits the Brewer's body profile to a "T", and though he's usually the type of "breakout" player I would avoid I just can't help myself. I think Newcomb is a slight reach at #12, but he's got as much upside as any pitcher who would still be left on the board. Holmes would be the "safer" pick because everyone has thought highly of him for a long time. There are any number of pitchers the Brewers might higher on such as Ortiz (the Brewers do really well in CA), maybe they like Foster Griffen more than the other HS pitchers after Aiken and Kolek. My perspective rarely aligns with what the Brewers see on the pitching front so I find it very difficult to project who they will take, but those are the 2 players I'd like as of today.

Weiss legs out inside-the-park grand slam Pirates infielder uses wheels to record first pro roundtripper for Power

Orr and Fiers Guide Sounds To 5-3 Win Nashville Infielder Goes 3-For-4; Fiers Picks Up Win with Quality Start Nashville Sounds http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/0/4/71976704/cuts/_MPS4292_Large_jqzqrvln_c66fvnle.jpg NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds picked up a 5-3 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers Sunday at Greer Stadium, highlighted by Pete Orr's three-hit, three-RBI day and a dominant start from pitcher Mike Fiers (2-0). Orr began his stellar 3-for-4 outing with an RBI double into left field in the second inning. The double-bagger scored Sean Halton, 1-for-3, who drove a triple over Omaha's centerfielder Brett Eibner to lead off the frame. In the fourth inning, Orr singled to centerfield to help Nashville load the bases for outfielder Jeremy Hermida, who shot a double up the first base line to score two and make it a 3-0 game. The 34-year-old saved his biggest blast for the fifth inning: a two-run homer to the Twice Daily Fan Zone beyond right field. The shot was Orr's first of the year and gave Nashville the five-run advantage. Orr's chance for the cycle came in the seventh, but the veteran hit a grounder to second baseman Jimmy Paredes for the out. Orr is 4-for-10 in the series with a home run, triple, double, and four RBI. Defensively, Fiers kept the Storm Chasers off the board, scattering five hits across 6 2/3 innings of work to pick up his second win and quality start of the year. He improved his season ERA to 0.71 (1er/12ip), while fanning five Chasers and walking one. The outing gives Fiers a career ERA of 0.41 (1er/22ip) against Omaha. Omaha started a rally in the eighth inning, leading off with three consecutive singles against Sounds reliever Michael Blazek. With runners on the corners and one out, Blazek surrendered an RBI double to first baseman Matt Fields to end his night. Alfredo Figaro stepped in with a pair of inherited runners and allowed one to score on Paulo Orlando's single. Closer Donovan Hand entered in the ninth inning to earn his second save in as many nights. The Storm Chasers starter P.J. Walters (0-1) was charged with the loss, allowing Nashville five runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings. The Sounds will look to win the four-game series against the Omaha Storm Chasers (AAA-Royals) Monday night at 7:05 p.m. Nashville sends RHP Johnny Hellweg (1-1, 4.35) to the hill opposite the Chasers RHP Aaron Brooks (0-0, 27.00). Sounds broadcaster Jeff Hem has the call on 102.5-FM "The GAME". Nashville Boxscore Sean Halton's double was the only prospect accomplishment worth noting here, Hunter Morris sat this one out. Donovan Hand hasn't walked anyone yet this year covering 4 appearances and 5.2 innings pitched. Nashville Recap The Sounds missed a chance in the 3rd... Nashville Bottom of the 3rd Kevin Mattison doubles (1) on a ground ball to right fielder Paulo Orlando. Elian Herrera flies out to left fielder Carlos Peguero. With Eugenio Velez batting, Kevin Mattison steals (1) 3rd base. Eugenio Velez strikes out swinging. Caleb Gindl grounds out, third baseman Brian Bocock to first baseman Matt Fields. ... and could have had 1 more in the 4th. Nashville Bottom of the 4th Sean Halton walks. Pete Orr singles on a line drive to center fielder Brett Eibner. Sean Halton to 2nd. Hector Gomez hit by pitch. Sean Halton to 3rd. Pete Orr to 2nd. Jeremy Hermida doubles (2) on a ground ball to right fielder Paulo Orlando. Sean Halton scores. Pete Orr scores. Hector Gomez to 3rd. Matt Pagnozzi strikes out swinging. Kevin Mattison strikes out swinging. Elian Herrera strikes out swinging. Nashville Gamday

Wisconsin hits five homers in 11-7 win at South Bend Coulter launches two taters; Ratterree, Brennan, & McFarland join the party By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers SOUTH BEND, IN - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers used five home runs to build a lead on Sunday at Four Winds Field against the South Bend Silver Hawks. But, it was patience and soft singles the helped the Rattlers break a 7-7 with four runs in the top of the eighth inning on the way to an 11-7 victory. Clint Coulter put the Rattlers (6-4) in front with a leadoff home run in the second inning. The homer was the third of the season and second in as many days for Coulter, but he wasn't done. The Wisconsin catcher came up in the third inning with two on base and lifted another deep, no-doubt home run to left field. The three-run home run gave Coulter three homers and eight RBI in the last two days. Later in the inning, Taylor Brennan crushed his own home run. This one was a solo shot and the Rattlers were up 5-0. South Bend (4-6) got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Zach Esquerra. Michael Ratterree got into the long ball act in the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run to left and Wisconsin was up 6-2. The Hawks cut into the lead again in the bottom of the fifth. Andrew Velazquez tripled and scored on a groundout by Jamie Westbrook. Rattlers starting pitcher Zach Quintana left after the fifth inning with the lead. In the sixth, South Bend rallied for a run off Wisconsin reliever Tyler Linehan. Esquerra walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Colin Bray drove in Esquerra with a double and the Rattlers were up 6-4. Chris McFarland padded the Rattlers advantage back to 7-4 with a two-out solo home run to left. McFarland's second home run of the season was the fifth home run in the game for the Rattlers. The last time Wisconsin hit five home runs in a game was on June 8, 2007 at Kane County. The Rattlers lost that game 11-8. South Bend tried to repeat history by scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh. Linehan got the first out, but a double and two walks loaded the bases. Esquerra was at the plate and he sent a grounder to third. Brennan picked the grounder and stepped on third for the second out, but his throw to first for the inning-ending double play was wild. Two runs scored and Esquerra wound up a second base. Bray tied the game with a single to center. Wisconsin regrouped in the top of the eighth. David Denson and Johnny Davis drew back-to-back walks with one out. Omar Garcia loaded the bases with a single to left. Francisco Castillo put the Rattlers back in front with a bloop single to left-center that scored Denson. Ratterree drew a walk to force in Davis from third for the second run. A wild pitch let Garcia score for a 10-7 lead. McFarland capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to scored Castillo. Harvey Martin came out of the Rattlers bullpen and closed out the game with two scoreless innings. Wisconsin concluded their six-game road trip with a 4-2 record. They won two-of-three at West Michigan and South Bend. The Timber Rattlers return home to begin a six-game homestand with three games against the Lansing Lugnuts and three more against the Great Lakes Loons at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Rattlers match up with the Lugnuts first with a 6:35pm game on Monday. Taylor Williams (1-0, 0.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Jairo Labourt (0-0, 4.26) is set to start for Lansing. Monday is a Qdoba Q*Monday. Purchase a lunch entrée at either Appleton Qdoba location tomorrow and you will receive a free ticket that may be redeemed at any Monday home game for the rest of the 2014 regular season. If you can't make it out to the game, there are several ways to catch the Timber Rattlers action. MyNEW 32's Sports Showdown will have the game on television starting with the pregame show at 6:00pm. The radio call may be caught on AM1280, WNAM or IHeart Radio beginning with that pregame show at 6:15pm. The game is also available to subscribers of MiLB.tv. HOME RUNS: WIS: Clint Coulter (3rd, 0 on in 2nd inning off Austin Platt, 0 out) Clint Coulter (4th, 2 on in 3rd inning off Austin Platt, 1 out) Taylor Brennan (2nd, 0 on in 3rd inning off Austin Platt, 2 out) Michael Ratterree (2nd, 0 on in 5th inning off Austin Platt, 0 out) Chris McFarland (2nd, 0 on in 7th inning off Ben Eckles, 2 out) SB: Zach Esquerra (1st, 1 on in 4th inning off Zach Quintana, 1 out) WP: Tyler Lineha (1-1) LP: Ben Eckels (0-2) TIME: 2:59 ATTN: 1,360 Wisconsin Boxscore Zach Quintana wasn't as sharp as he was in his first outing. As you read in the game story above Tyler Linehan didn't fare all that well either. The good news is that offense kept piling on runs all game and a team that was supposed to get by on small ball played a different game for at least a day. Clint Coulter came close to doing something no T-Rat has ever done, no Rattler has hit 3 HRs in a game in the team's 20 year existence. Besides the 2 homer performance from Coulter the only other multi-hit game was from Francisco Castillo but the T-Rats drew 8 walks as a team during the game. Wisconsin Recap There were only 4 1-2-3 half innings in the game, a very busy game log if you are so inclined.

Almora breaks out in Florida State League Cubs prospect homers, drives in three runs following team meetings

Coulter has gone yard twice so far today.

Sounds Earn First Home Win, 5-2 Over Omaha Nashville Sounds http://www.milb.com/assets/images/3/4/0/71876340/cuts/_MPS3012_si3awu5s_0lwyjv4r.jpg (Mike Strasinger / Nashville Sounds) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds picked up their first home victory of the 2014 season on Saturday evening, hanging a 5-2 defeat on the Omaha Storm Chasers at Greer Stadium. Sean Halton and Taylor Green each recorded three hits to pace the Nashville offense, and starting pitcher Ariel Pena struck out eight batters in his four innings of work before leaving the game early after being struck by a comebacker. After Pena opened the game with two consecutive strikeouts, Omaha rallied to plate a two-out run to take a 1-0 lead. Jimmy Paredes singled, stole second, and scored the night's first run on a Brian Fletcher single to center. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases but Pena escaped further damage by fanning Paulo Orlando to leave the bags full of Storm Chasers. Nashville rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the home half of the opening frame. Elian Herrera drew a leadoff walk from Brett Tomko and tied the game when he raced home on Pete Orr's line-drive triple to center. Orr put the Sounds on top when he scored on a Caleb Gindl groundout. The Sounds upped the advantage to 3-1 in the second against Tomko. Robinzon Diaz led off with a single, extending his season-best hit streak to five games, and later scored on Elian Herrera's two-out single to left. Diaz's hit streak ties for the longest by a Nashville player this season. After the first frame, Pena calmed down and was on cruise control, retiring nine straight batters, before exiting the contest after being struck by a comebacker off the bat of Brian Bocock to open the fifth. Tomko (1-1) drew the loss for Omaha after allowing three runs on seven hits over five innings of work. Nashville tacked on a run in the sixth against Storm Chasers reliever Cory Wade when Irving Falu's one-out bunt single plated Green, who had walked earlier in the frame. Omaha got a run back in the top of the seventh as a leadoff walk came back to haunt Brad Mills (1-0), who picked up the win with three relief innings behind Pena. Jeremy Hermida closed out the evening's scoring in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI double into the right field corner against Wade. Alfredo Figaro and Donovan Hand each worked a scoreless frame to close out the game for Nashville, with Hand earning his first save since the 2011 season. The teams continue the series with a 2:05 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon, the first Piemont Natural Gas Military Sunday of the season. Right-hander Mike Fiers (1-0, 1.50) will toe the slab for the Sounds to face Omaha right-hander P.J. Walters (0-0, 3.38). Nashville Boxscore Arial Pena has been on fire to start the season with 16 strike outs in only 9 innings... just wow. Hopefully it's just a bruise and he'll be back toeing the rubber in short order. As mentioned earlier in the thread Brett Tomko must really love baseball to be pitching in AAA at age 41. He last saw the majors for 8 games in 2011 with TX. I actually thought he was older than he really is. Nashville Recap Nashville Gameday

Rattlers smack Silver Hawks, 6-4 Coulter hits grand slam, Gainey strikes out eight By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers SOUTH BEND, IN - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers used a grand slam by Clint Coulter and six strong innings from Preston Gainey to defeat the South Bend Silver Hawks 6-4 Saturday night at Four Winds Field. Wisconsin (5-4) loaded the bases with two outs against South Bend starter Blake Perry in the top of the first. Coulter lined out to left to end the inning. The Silver Hawks (4-5) took the lead with a little help from the Timber Rattlers. Joe Munoz singled with one out. A passed ball charged to catcher Rafael Neda sent him to second. A wild pitch by Gainey got him to third base and Neda's throw to third on the play was wild to let Munoz score the first run of the game. Perry set the Rattlers down in order in the second and retired the first two batters he faced in the third inning. Michael Ratterree and Jose Pena both singled to extend the inning. David Denson drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases for Coulter. Coulter crushed a 3-1 pitch from Perry over the grass seating above the wall in left-center for a grand slam and a 4-1 lead. The homer was the second of the season for Coulter. Another odd manager ejection, you would have thought it to happen after the GS by Coulter but after the break Chris said Haley had been ejected between half innings. - TC07 South Bend manager Mark Haley, who had disagreed with the ball and strike calls of plate umpire Chris Lloyd during the top of the third, was ejected before the bottom of the third could get started. Gainey pitched a scoreless third, struck out the side in order in the fourth, and went into cruise control. Gainey tossed a total of six innings, allowed two hits, and that lone unearned run. He also walked just one and set a new professional high for strikeouts in a game with eight. Wisconsin's offense added two runs in the top of the seventh inning to extend their lead to 6-1. Omar Garcia and Chris McFarland both singled to start the inning and pulled a double steal to move to second and third. Garcia scored on a wild pitch. Pena got McFarland in with a grounder to short. South Bend rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning against reliever Tyler Spurlin. Colin Bray hit a leadoff home run to right. Andrew Velazquez and Jamie Westbrook followed with consecutive doubles to make the score 6-3. Spurlin got consecutive ground outs by Stryker Trahan and Daniel Palka to get Westbrook home and cut Wisconsin's lead to two runs. Chris Razo took over for Spurlin after Munoz singled with two outs. Razo got the final out of the eighth. The Rattlers tried to add a run in the top of the ninth. Garcia walked and stole second to get into scoring position. McFarland moved Garcia to third with a ground out. Ratterree sent a fly ball to foul territory near the South Bend bullpen and right fielder Zach Esquerra made the catch. Garcia challenged the arm of Esquerra and lost as he was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Razo didn't allow the Silver Hawks to get started in the ninth as he retired the side in order, striking out the final two batters to record his first professional save. Wisconsin snapped a seven game losing streak to the Silver Hawks with Saturday's victory. The Rattlers previous win over South Bend was on July 18, 2011. The final game of Wisconsin's six-game road trip is Sunday against the Silver Hawks. Zach Quintana (0-0, 2.25) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. South Bend has Austin Platt (0-0, 4.91) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 1:05pm CDT. Tune in for the broadcast on AM 1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the pregame show at 12:45pm CDT. HOME RUNS: WIS: Clint Coulter (2nd, GRAND SLAM in 3rd inning off Blake Perry, 2 out) SB: Colin Bray (1st, 0 on in 8th inning off Tyler Spurlin, 0 out) WP: Preston Gainey (1-0) LP: Blake Perry (0-1) SAVE: Chris Razo (1) TIME: 2:46 ATTN: 2,475 Wisconsin Boxscore I'm intrigued by the 2014 version of Preston Gainey, and I'm still immensely curious about this "velocity increase" that Chris mentioned. Unfortunately I had every intention of paying close attention to the broadcast but got side tracked and missed it if Mehring passed along any velocity readings. Chris McFarland was 3-5 with a 2B, he currently has the highest AVE on the team at .321, the only other Rattler over .300 is Jose Pena at .310 who has been Mr. Clutch so far this season. I mentioned on opening day that McFarland looked noticeably thicker and it's been paying dividends so far in his repeat A campaign. Getting back to the AVE, everyone else who started today is hitting .250 or lower, the 9 players combined for a team BA of .226, though Taylor Brennan broke out of a 1-18 slump with a (1-3,2B,BB) effort. Speaking of which don't be fooled by David Denson's low BA at this point, he's hitting exactly .111 at the conclusion of this game. Even with that batting average he still has an OBP of .314(!), and he's stung some balls for outs. He may continue to struggle hit wise for a bit, but he's having good ABs, it's going to turn for him before the end of the summer. Omar Garcia has 6 stolen bases in the team's first 9 games, he's only hitting .250 but his OBP is exactly .100 points higher at .350. He's been a nice spark plug at the top of the order. Wisconsin Recap T-Rats had another chance to put the hammer down early but didn't take advantage in the 1st, Coulter came through in a big way in the 3rd though. Wisconsin Top of the 1st Omar Garcia grounds out, third baseman Joe Munoz to first baseman Daniel Palka. Christopher McFarland doubles (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Stryker Trahan. Michael Ratterree strikes out swinging. Jose Pena walks. David Denson walks. Christopher McFarland to 3rd. Jose Pena to 2nd. Clint Coulter flies out to left fielder Stryker Trahan.

How many pitchers who consistently nibble get borderline pitches called their way?