TheCrew07

Actually the contact play issues are not just limited to the MLB team, it's an organization wide deal I've witnessed T-Rats getting thrown out on it in person and listened to Huntsville, Wisconsin, and Nashville players get nabbed on the radio broadcasts. The Brewers might want to reconsider the employment of whichever statistician completed the study for them suggesting it was a winning move, because it isn't working at any level of professional baseball enough to be a winning strategy. I don't believe this particular strategy is an RR issue, it's something the organization as a whole has adopted. I personally hate it and always have, I bagged on it quite a bit in my Link Report write-ups earlier this season.

Chiefs' Soler records first four-hit game Cubs outfield prospect homers, raises batting average to .391 By Robert Emrich / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/08/18/QCemsYEB.jpg Jorge Soler has picked up hits in five of the six games he's played for Peoria. (Vincent Rinaldi) Six games into his Chiefs' career, Jorge Soler is proving to be a quick study. The Cubs prospect went 4-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored, falling a triple shy of the cycle, as Class A Peoria routed Wisconsin, 9-2, on Saturday night. After singling and stealing second base in the second inning, Soler got another base hit in the fourth. He homered leading off the sixth and doubled home another run in the seventh. Soler ended his night by grounding out to third base. "He had a plan at the plate and made a good adjustment," Chiefs hitting coach Barbaro Garbey said. "He used the whole field today, he was very good. He hit the fastball away, the breaking ball in and the breaking ball away for a homer. He showed he's the type of guy who is going to be a quality hitter and uses the whole field." After signing with the Cubs on June 11, the Cuban outfielder made his professional debut in the Rookie-level the Arizona League and batted .241 with two homers and 10 RBis in 14 games. In six Midwest League games, he's hitting .391 with two homers and eight RBIs. "The best thing he's been doing is that he's been paying attention to the pitcher and how they are pitching to him," Garbey said. "And his pitch selection has been good, and that will help him a lot. He shows great discipline at the plate and great patience, and that's why he's been successful. "He will move up a little faster than expected if he continues to have a good pitch selection and the same approach he's been showing at the plate and using the whole field. That's the most important thing." For a 20-year-old from a foreign country who signed a multi-million dollar deal, acclimating to life in the Minor Leagues can be daunting. Not so for Soler, according to Garbey. "In Cuba, it's a different game like we all know," the Cuban-born former Major Leaguer said. "It's a different game from college to pro level and from Cuba, it's very different. So he has to learn the way the organization wants him to play. "He looks at everybody as a teammate and everyone feels comfortable with him. He's adjusting well with how you're supposed to be in the clubhouse. He's a young guy who is going to get along with everyone with the way he conducts himself in the clubhouse and in the field." Jacob Rogers had two hits and drove in two runs for the Chiefs, who also got a pair of RBIs from Timothy Saunders. Peoria starter Michael Jensen earned his 10th win after striking out seven and allowing two runs -- one earned -- on three hits over five innings.

Storm Chasers Take Second Straight From Sounds, 5-1 Odorizzi Deals In First Start Against His Former Organization PAPILLION, Neb. - Former Brewers prospect Jake Odorizzi held the Nashville offense in check and Omaha belted three home runs as the Storm Chasers handed the Nashville Sounds a 5-1 defeat on Sunday afternoon at Werner Park. Odorizzi (10-2) allowed only one run on four hits over seven innings of work, walking two and striking out a pair of batters during his 86-pitch effort. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.80 at the Triple-A level and picked up his 14th overall victory, one off the minor league lead. Center fielder David Lough gave Omaha a 1-0 lead in the home half of the second when he belted a two-out solo homer to right off Sounds starter Hiram Burgos, the outfielder's 10th roundtripper of the year. The Storm Chasers increased the advantage to 3-0 in the fifth with two more big flies off Burgos. Second baseman Rey Navarro slugged a one-out solo shot to right, his first career Triple-A homer, and designated hitter Irving Falu added a two-out solo blast to right, his sixth longball of the campaign. Burgos (0-2) tossed his fourth quality start in five outings for the Sounds but suffered the loss after giving up three runs on six hits, including three home runs, in his six innings of work. After Odorizzi kept the Sounds' offense in check over the first five frames, Nashville finally got on the board in the top of the sixth, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Sounds loaded the bases with one out against the Omaha right-hander when Jordan Brown reached on an infield single, Taylor Green ripped a double to right off the glove of outfielder Mitch Maier, and Khris Davis drew a walk. Nashville was able to managed only one run, however, as Odorizzi limited the damage by retiring Caleb Gindl on a run-scoring groundout and popping up Jeff Bianchi to end the frame. Omaha tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the seventh against the Nashville bullpen to stretch the lead to 5-1. After the Storm Chasers loaded the bags against Jesus Sanchez on a pair of walks followed by a Maier single, Anthony Seratelli laced a one-out RBI single to center to plate Navarro and chase Sanchez from the contest. Brandon Kintzler inherited a one-out, bases-loaded jam and was greeted by a high chopper comebacker off the bat of Wil Myers (3-for-3) that went for an RBI infield single to increase the Storm Chaser's lead to 5-1. The right-hander recovered to induce an inning-ending double play grounder from Clint Robinson. The teams continue the series with a 7:05 p.m. contest on Monday evening. Right-hander Claudio Vargas (5-1, 3.90) will toe the rubber for the Sounds and face Omaha right-hander Nate Adcock (7-4, 4.86). Nashville Box Score Well that's too bad, I was hoping Hiram Burgos would match Odorizzi but he couldn't keep the ball in the yard (all solo shots) and Jesus Sanchez just didn't have it at all. Hiram still pitched well enough, the offense just didn't make the best of that bases loaded 1 out opportunity against Jake to change the outlook of the game. I don't mind listening to Odorizzi pitch well, in fact I expected it, but I would have rather the Sounds won 2-1 or something along those lines. Nashville Play By Play

Final: Huntsville 6, Montgomery 5 (10 Innings) Huntsville Box Score A nice come from behind walk-off win for the Stars as I take over just for tonight as TLB is entertaining our Italian friend Kalle8 at the Brewer game today. The Stars scored in the 6th, 7th, and 8th to push the game to extras and obviously walked of in the 10th. Jimmy Nelson got beat around early giving up crooked numbers in the 2nd and 3rd, though 2 of the runs in the 2nd were unearned. In total Jimmy went 5.2 allowing 5 runs, 3 earned, on 5 hits, 6 walks, 1 wild pitch, and 1 HBP while striking out 5. Brian Garman came on in relief of Nelson and retired the only batter he faced to end the 6th. Jimmy Hellweg pitched the next 2 innings allowing a hit and 2 walks, but didn't allow a run. R.J. Seidel pitched the final 2 innings to earn the win. On the offensive side of the coin big Brock Kjeldgaard (4-5) was a stud collecting 3 RBI (I know, I know) and moved the winning run into scoring position in the 10th. Kentrail Davis (2-5,HR) got the game winning knock in the 10th. Andy Gonzalez (2-2,HR,3BB) made up for his error by being on base all 5 times he stepped up to the plate. Huntsville Play By Play Nelson's early struggles... Montgomery Top of the 2nd Derek Dietrich doubles (5) on a fly ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Michael Sheridan reaches on a fielding error by third baseman Andy Gonzalez. Greg Sexton strikes out swinging. Brett Nommensen singles on a ground ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Derek Dietrich scores. Michael Sheridan to 2nd. Mark Thomas doubles (16) on a ground ball to left fielder Brock Kjeldgaard. Michael Sheridan scores. Brett Nommensen to 3rd. Shawn O'Malley walks. Ty Morrison grounds into a force out, third baseman Andy Gonzalez to catcher Anderson De La Rosa. Brett Nommensen out at home. Mark Thomas to 3rd. Shawn O'Malley to 2nd. Ty Morrison to 1st. With Mikie Mahtook batting, passed ball by Anderson De La Rosa, Mark Thomas scores. Shawn O'Malley to 3rd. Ty Morrison to 2nd. Mikie Mahtook called out on strikes. Montgomery Top of the 3rd Ryan Garko grounds out softly, shortstop Hainley Statia to first baseman Hunter Morris. Derek Dietrich hit by pitch. Michael Sheridan walks. Derek Dietrich to 2nd. Greg Sexton strikes out on a foul tip. With Brett Nommensen batting, wild pitch by Jimmy Nelson, Derek Dietrich to 3rd. Michael Sheridan to 2nd. Brett Nommensen walks. Mark Thomas singles on a soft line drive to center fielder Josh Prince. Derek Dietrich scores. Michael Sheridan scores. Brett Nommensen to 3rd. Shawn O'Malley lines out to right fielder Kentrail Davis. Huntsville score single runs in the 4th, 6th, and 7th putting up a crooked number here to tie. Huntsville Bottom of the 8th Pitching Change: Kirby Yates replaces C. J. Riefenhauser. Hainley Statia walks. Scooter Gennett flies out to center fielder Ty Morrison. Andy Gonzalez walks. Hainley Statia to 2nd. Hunter Morris walks. Hainley Statia to 3rd. Andy Gonzalez to 2nd. Brock Kjeldgaard singles on a line drive to right fielder Mikie Mahtook. Hainley Statia scores. Andy Gonzalez scores. Hunter Morris to 2nd. Pitching Change: Chris Rearick replaces Kirby Yates. Kentrail Davis called out on strikes. Josh Prince grounds out, second baseman Derek Dietrich to first baseman Michael Sheridan. Rally time! Huntsville Bottom of the 8th Pitching Change: Kirby Yates replaces C. J. Riefenhauser. Hainley Statia walks. Scooter Gennett flies out to center fielder Ty Morrison. Andy Gonzalez walks. Hainley Statia to 2nd. Hunter Morris walks. Hainley Statia to 3rd. Andy Gonzalez to 2nd. Brock Kjeldgaard singles on a line drive to right fielder Mikie Mahtook. Hainley Statia scores. Andy Gonzalez scores. Hunter Morris to 2nd. Pitching Change: Chris Rearick replaces Kirby Yates. Kentrail Davis called out on strikes. Josh Prince grounds out, second baseman Derek Dietrich to first baseman Michael Sheridan.

Sounds Drop Road Trip Opener In Omaha, 5-3 Loss Eliminates Nashville From Playoff Contention PAPILLION, Neb. - The Omaha Storm Chasers beat the Nashville Sounds, 5-3, behind seven strong innings from starter Ryner Verdugo on Saturday night at Werner Park in the opener of a four-game series. The loss eliminated the Sounds from the playoff contention and gave the Storm Chasers their second consecutive PCL American Conference Northern Division title. Designated hitter Jordan Brown, shortstop Jeff Bianchi, outfielder Caleb Gindl, and catcher Humberto Quintero all had two hits. Outfielder Khris Davis (0-for-4) snapped an eight-game hitting streak, but drove in a run for the 20th time in 27 games. Outfielder Logan Shafer also went hitless to snap his seven-game hitting streak. Verdugo (11-3) allowed one run on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven for the victory. Omaha third baseman Anthony Seratelli led the Storm Chasers offense, by going 4-for-4 with a run scored. The Sounds have all lost five contests at Werner Park this season and dropped 21 of their last 31 contests against Omaha, dating back to 2010. Omaha scored its first two runs in the fourth inning, beginning with a leadoff double from Clint Robinson. With runners on first and third, Adam Moore hit an RBI single, followed by a sacrifice by Rey Navarro. Derrick Robinson then hit an RBI groundout to third. Nashville got a run back in the next frame. Bianchi and Gindl had one-out singles before Quintero smacked an RBI double to right field. The Storm Chasers tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh for a 5-1 advantage, highlighted by four straight singles to open the inning and a costly error by first baseman Sean Halton. The Sounds scored their final two runs in the eighth to trail by a score 5-3, stranding the tying run at the plate. Schafer began by working an inning-opening walk to remove Verdugo from the game and promptly moved to third on a double from second baseman Eric Farris. Davis was responsible for the first run with an RBI groundout before Brown hammered an RBI single to center. Nashville starter Tyler Thornburg (1-1) gave up two runs on four hits in four innings in the loss. The 23-year-old tossed 79 pitches (49 strikes) on the night, and was a victim of a 34-pitch opening frame. Reliever Amaury Rivas pitched two scoreless frames. Tim Dillard was charged with three runs (two earned) without recording an out. Juan Perez closed it out with two shutout innings. The Sounds and Storm Chasers continue their series at 2:05 pm CT on Sunday afternoon at Werner Park. Right-hander Hiram Burgos (0-1, 4.24) takes the mound for Nashville against Omaha right-hander Jake Odorizzi (7-4, 2.92). Nashville Box Score Well it would appear that Thornburg is on an 80-85 pitch limit for the rest of the season, if that's what it takes to keep him healthy it's all good. Burgos vs Odorizzi tomorrow, match-up of the day. Nashville Play By Play Breezed over the game summary above... Omaha Bottom of the 7th Pitching Change: Tim Dillard replaces Amaury Rivas. Irving Falu singles on a ground ball to center fielder Logan Schafer. Mitch Maier singles on a ground ball to right fielder Caleb Gindl. Irving Falu to 2nd. Anthony Seratelli singles on a bunt ground ball to first baseman Sean Halton. Irving Falu scores. Mitch Maier to 3rd. Anthony Seratelli to 2nd. Throwing error by first baseman Sean Halton. Wil Myers singles on a ground ball to left fielder Khris Davis. Mitch Maier scores. Anthony Seratelli to 3rd. Pitching Change: Juan Perez replaces Tim Dillard. Clint Robinson grounds into a double play, shortstop Jeff Bianchi to second baseman Eric Farris to first baseman Sean Halton. Anthony Seratelli scores. Wil Myers out at 2nd. David Lough strikes out swinging.

Final: DSL Braves 3, DSL Brewers 2 (7 Innings) DSL Brewers Box Score Milton Gomez was fantastic through 6, but Felix Paulino couldn't bail him out of the 7th and the Brewers lost another in walk-off fashion. Gomez' final line was 6.1 IP allowing 3 runs, 2 earned, on 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 wild pitch while striking out 9. Francisco Castillo (1-2,BB,SB,CS) filled up the box score but no Brewers had multiple hits or an XBH in this contest. DSL Brewers Play By Play The Brewers were gifted runs in the 4th and the 5th. DSL Brewers Top of the 4th Alejandro Mendoza strikes out swinging. Juan Ortiz singles on a ground ball to center fielder Nisandro Cleofa. Juan De Leon grounds into a force out, shortstop Omar Obregon to catcher Alexander De La Cruz. Juan Ortiz out at home. Juan De Leon advances to 2nd, on a throwing error by third baseman Johan Camargo. Jose Dicent singles on a fly ball to right fielder Jose Morel. Juan De Leon scores. Jose Dicent advances to 2nd, on a fielding error by right fielder Jose Morel. Elvis Rubio strikes out swinging. DSL Brewers Top of the 5th Yunior Santana strikes out swinging. Yunior De La Cruz flies out to center fielder Nisandro Cleofa. Raphachel Colatosti reaches on a fielding error by third baseman Johan Camargo. With Francisco Castillo batting, Raphachel Colatosti steals (14) 2nd base. Francisco Castillo singles on a ground ball to center fielder Nisandro Cleofa. Raphachel Colatosti scores. Francisco Castillo to 2nd on the throw. Michael Flores intentionally walks Alejandro Mendoza. Juan Ortiz grounds out, first baseman Ibrahim McKenzie to pitcher Michael Flores. Then gifted a run back to the Braves in the bottom of the 5th. DSL Braves Bottom of the 5th Victor Reyes singles on a ground ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Eugenio Diaz grounds out softly, pitcher Milton Gomez to first baseman Juan De Leon. Victor Reyes to 2nd. Jose Morel grounds out, pitcher Milton Gomez to first baseman Juan De Leon. Victor Reyes to 3rd. With Alexander De La Cruz batting, passed ball by Yunior De La Cruz, Victor Reyes scores. Alexander De La Cruz grounds out, third baseman Jose Dicent to first baseman Juan De Leon With no room for error the pitchers couldn't hold the slim margin in the 7th. DSL Braves Bottom of the 7th Johan Camargo singles on a ground ball to left fielder Elvis Rubio. With Ibrahim McKenzie batting, wild pitch by Milton Gomez, Johan Camargo to 2nd. Ibrahim McKenzie strikes out swinging. Victor Reyes singles on a ground ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Johan Camargo scores. Victor Reyes to 2nd on the throw. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Carlos Castro replaces Eugenio Diaz. Milton Gomez intentionally walks Carlos Castro. Pitching Change: Felix Paulino replaces Milton Gomez. Jose Morel strikes out swinging. Alexander De La Cruz singles on a ground ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Victor Reyes scores. Carlos Castro to 2nd.

Final of Suspended Game: DSL Braves 4, DSL Brewers 3 (7 Innings) DSL Brewers Box Score Joan De La Cruz gave up 2 in the bottom of the 7th to let this one get away. Here's my original post on the game. The Brewer bats did nothing in the top of the 7th. DSL Brewers Play By Play DSL Braves Bottom of the 7th Nisandro Cleofa walks. Omar Obregon pops out to first baseman Juan De Leon. Gerald Chin singles on a ground ball to right fielder Yunior Santana. Nisandro Cleofa to 2nd. Johan Camargo doubles (13) on a fly ball to left fielder Elvis Rubio. Nisandro Cleofa scores. Gerald Chin to 3rd. Joan De La Cruz intentionally walks Ibrahim McKenzie. Victor Reyes singles on a ground ball to center fielder Juan Ortiz. Gerald Chin scores. Johan Camargo to 3rd. Ibrahim McKenzie to 2nd.

I'm sorry this got much longer than I originally intended I don't think this should be a surprise given the Brewer's problems with pitching in general. They haven't hit on many college pitchers either. Obviously the vast majority of HS draftees are going to fail, there's no college performance to filter out the 90% of the players that wouldn't have made professional ball if they had played at a level in between high school and the professional league like in the other major sports. The one advantage that baseball has is that it's largely an individual sport without contact so talented enough boys can actually have success against men, unlike football for example where maybe 1 18 year old kid out of a 1000 could walk in and physically compete against the men in the league. The minor leagues are slowly changing from a "trial by fire" atmosphere to more of a developmental atmosphere, but there are simply too many games on a horrible schedule to ever give each young man the individual attention and coaching he so desperately needs. I think the current pitching renaissance in baseball has more to do with organizations actually starting for the first time to develop pitchers instead of throwing them out there and hoping for the best. I linked to a story early in the year about teams using 6 man rotations below AA and it's a great way to be able to get more coaching time in the bullpen and build arm strength in-between starts. I'm not sure I'm completely on board with that concept, but it does have obvious merit. Drafting college players has always been a safer bet, but it's no way to build in an organization. Impact college players rarely last past the first 10 picks and I'm a huge proponent of having both high ceiling and high floor players in the organization, however I really struggle with the notion of taking "safe" college pitchers in the first round who might top out a #3 best case. That might be fine if we had a plethora of high ceiling arms but we haven't, we haven't had a pitcher whom we could say legitimately profiled as a #1 in quite a long time. I agree that any MLB contribution is better than no MLB contribution, but I'm not looking to be mediocre, and if we never take shots at high ceiling players and draft safe college players with the premium picks you end with Oakland's farm system through the mid 2000s to 2011, that's not where I want to be. So what's an acceptable rate for high school arms? I'd say getting a successful and productive impact pitcher 1 out of 2 years should be the goal, maybe you have a down year in there on the MLB side (like 2012) where you can draft high and pick-up an impact college arm in the top 10 picks, but for the most part if you're drafting in the middle to the end of the first round impact pitching is going to come from the high school ranks or international signings. The Rays have done a tremendous job getting impact high school to the majors, but they also drafted a ton of high school arms to do it. It's a reasonable assumption that the more players you draft with high ceilings, the greater the likely hood that 1 will live up to the hype. If we're only drafting a couple per year then the scouting dept has to be nearly perfect. Personally, I'd like to see 3 high school arms taken in the top 10 rounds pending draft position every year as well as some significant money spent that way in Latin America. Add 4-5 high ceiling arms every year between the draft and international signings, then actually get them the coaching they need, (Lee Tunnell in Milwaukee's bullpen is a joke). After that the chips will fall where they may with injuries and such, but we need to impact options out there. If you look at the Brewers Gallardo was a hit, Odorizzi was hit, and Rondon would have been a hit but they didn't get him signed. That's one heck of a top of the rotation if Odorizzi and Rondon pan out like they should, the problem is simply the spacing in years between those selections. We don't have the volume or the consistency in quality when it comes to high school pitchers. If it were my scouting dept this is what I'd do. 1) I'd hire more scouts and 2) I'd specialize them by area. 1 guy is the hitting guy, 1 guy is the pitching guy in each geographic area. Certainly they can compare notes about players that catch their eye, but not all scouts are equally good at judging pitchers and hitters. The scouts would continue to report to regional crosscheckers but then 3) I'd have an organizational crosschecker for both pitching and hitting right beneath the scouting director. Finally I really like the idea of splitting international and domestic scouting so 4) I'd create a separate international scouting dept focused solely on Latin America and Asia with a similar structure. These ideas would certainly create more overhead for the organization but every dollar spent on good scouting potential saves 10X that much signing FAs of any kind. In general the problem with high failure rates is that the the people who really know about a kid often overlook the negatives when selling that kid to scouts or recruiters, their motivation is simply to look after their son or a young man they've coached and grown attached to. They don't see the other side, that people's jobs and lively hoods depends on these kids developing into solid young men. It doesn't matter which college or professional sport, it's tough to see through the garbage to find out what the kid is actually like. Years ago one of my brother's best friends was drafted out of high school, chose college, was drafted again, and ultimately had a short stint as a reliever in the big leagues. I remember the day he was called up a good friend sent an email asking if I had heard and what I thought his prospects were for a career. Having been around him he had all the physical tools you'd want in arm, size, and stuff, but none of the intangibles so even though he'd always been successful I didn't hesitate to guess he wouldn't last the year. Unfortunately for him he didn't last the year and he was out of baseball within 2 years, a large number of people in the community thought this young man was screwed over by his organization when he simply didn't have enough to compete with the players at that level. I've said many times that I'm no one special, but my father is, so I've had opportunities to get to know and be around people that I otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to associated with and learn from. I've listened to high school coaches from high profile programs bitterly talk about colleges refusing to recruit their kids and I've listened to college coaches talk about how certain high school programs always oversell their kids so they aren't credible any longer. I've listened to professional athletes tell stories about the ultra talented players in college who never played a down or pitched in a meaningful game, and the same is true of those same kind of guys not making it out of training camp or the minor leagues once they went professional. Then at the end there's always that player who's attitude changes once he finally gets paid, those guys are extremely hard to weed out... some guys are happy with that first big singing bonus and that's it, others with their first big contract and that's it, they seem to relax once they feel they've arrived. The most difficult part of all of this isn't how tall, or how hard, or what kind stuff a pitcher has, it's how hard he competes and how badly he wants to play. The more information you have, the more eyes you have on a player, the better decisions you can make but when it comes time to make a choice it's always going to be subjective based on gut feelings about who a kid actually is. There's no magic psych profiling that can predict how an 18 year old kid will develop into a 22 year old young man. However, If you can find young men with all those qualities then you pursue them aggressively drafting as many as is feasible. I don't think the Brewers are good enough at scouting pitching to draft so few players with impact potential and they certainly can't fail to sign a kid when they do get it right. Baseball is tough enough the way is, bad travel, poor nutrition, not enough rest, lack of practice time, and inconsistent coaching. However, I'd still prefer high school kids that were only abused by their high school coach and not also through college where they get varying levels of coaching on mechanics and so on. It would appear that most college pitching coaches don't mess with what isn't broke as long as the player is having success, that irks me just as much as 140 pitch outings. Simple mechanics are always better than the alternative, there are less things the body has to manage, so at the very least we shouldn't see so pitchers with the significant fall off towards 1st base like K-Rod, but as long as a guy makes it work why challenge him to be better right? In fact that's the part of the Reid Nichols interview that really pissed me off, paraphrasing "we won't fix a kid until they fail"... it's certainly a non abrasive form of coaching but is it actually in the organization's, program's, or player's best long-term interest to just let a player do what he does until the bottom falls out? The Brewers must continue to target high ceiling arms through the draft, but they also must do a better job selecting and developing the talent. 1-2 players per year isn't going to cut it, there should be 4-5 new pitchers between the DSL and rookie leagues every single season. I'd absolutely like the trend of higher floor players to continue as well, but we need a better of mix talent in the organization, right now we simply have too many players of the same type and not enough players at the high end of the physical talent spectrum.

Green, Baker Lead Sounds Past Rainiers, 7-2 Nashville Takes Three Of Four From Tacoma To Conclude Homestand NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Taylor Green went 3-for-4 with a pair of homers and Brian Baker tossed six scoreless innings to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 7-2 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers in front of 7,411 fans on Friday evening at Greer Stadium. Baker (3-4) continued his recent solid pitching, allowing two hits and fanning seven over his six scoreless frames to record his third victory of the year. The right-hander, who has worked 11.0 scoreless frames over his last two starts, has posted a 2.66 ERA (15er/50.2ip) in his last 10 PCL outings. Five Sounds players produced multiple-hit efforts, led by Green's three-knock evening and the fourth straight two-hit night by center fielder Logan Schafer. The victory gave the Sounds a 3-1 season series win against Tacoma. Nashville (59-68) finished 5-3 during its homestand. The Sounds jumped out to a 5-0 first-inning lead against Andrew Carraway with five consecutive extra-base hits off the Rainiers right-hander. Eric Farris got things started with a one-out double down the left field line and scored the night's first run when red-hot left fielder Khris Davis drilled an RBI double off the highest panel of the 24-foot tall batter's eye in center. · AUDIO: Khris Davis Plates Night's First Run Jordan Brown followed with a run-scoring two-bagger down the right field line before Green and Jeff Bianchi mashed Nashville's fourth set of back-to-back homers on the year to up the lead to 5-0. Green's two-run homer to right-center and Bianchi's solo shot to left-center was each player's fourth roundtripper of the year. · AUDIO: Jordan Brown RBI Double · AUDIO: Taylor Green's 1st HR · AUDIO: Jeff Bianchi Makes It Back-to-Back Jacks Carraway (4-7) lasted just one inning for Tacoma, taking the loss after giving up five runs on five extra-base hits. The Sounds were unable to add to the lead in the third after having the bases loaded with no outs against Tacoma reliever David Pauley. After Brown, Green, and Bianchi singled in succession to fill the bags, Pauley induced a fielder's choice grounder from Corey Patterson which erased Brown at the plate then got out of the jam when Dayton Buller grounded into a double play. Green continued his solid night in the home half of the fifth, when he led off with a solo shot to right-center off Pauley to increase the Sounds' lead to 6-0. It marked the sixth two-homer game by a Nashville player in 2012 and the first by Green. · AUDIO: Taylor Green's 2nd HR After Baker's departure, Rob Wooten added a scoreless frame of relief for the Sounds before Tacoma broke through for a pair of runs against Fautino De Los Santos in the eighth. Nick Franklin put the visitors on the board with a two-out RBI double off the batter's eye that plated Brandon Bantz, who had singled earlier in the frame. Two batters later, Luis Jimenez made it a 6-2 game with a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield. Patterson got one of those runs back for the Sounds in the bottom of the eighth when he greeted new Tacoma reliever Chance Ruffin with a first-pitch home run to right, the veteran's ninth big fly of the season. · AUDIO: Corey Patterson HR The Sounds embark upon their final road trip of the season on Saturday, when they'll play the 7:05 p.m. opener of a four-game series at division-leading Omaha (AAA-Royals). Right-hander Tyler Thornburg (1-0, 1.80) will make the start for Nashville and face Storm Chasers southpaw Ryan Verdugo (10-3, 3.51). Nashville Box Score Brian Baker is also making a late season push for consideration in the disaster that's been Milwaukee's pen this year. The sounds pounded out 13 hits and here are all the performances of note once again: Logan Schafer (2-5), Eric Farris (1-4,2B), Khrush Davis (1-3,2B,BB), Jordan Brown (1-3,2B,BB), Taylor Green (3-4,2HR), Jeff Bianchi (2-3,HR,BB), and finally Corey Patterson (2-4,HR). If you were counting yes 1-7 hitters were all very productive at the plate in this game. This PCL schedule is just weird with a series ending on a Friday, but the very talented Omaha squad is up next. We should see Jake Odorizzi who last pitched 7 scoreless innings on the 14th, I'll be interested to see how that turns out. Nashville Play By Play

Final: DSL Tigers 14, DSL Brewers 5 DSL Brewers Box Score This was just a beat down, it was bad even before the 8 run top of the 8th. Only 2 pitchers didn't give up 4 runs, Miguel Diaz gave up 1 through his 3 innings and Joshua Torres pitched the final 1.1 clean. Francisco Castillo (2-4) was the only Brewer with multiple hits or an XBH. Jose Dicent stole a base and was caught stealing. Kevin Martinez continues to struggle defensively as he committed his 4th error (throwing) and his 5th PB before being lifted from the game late in the contest. DSL Brewers Play By Play The Brewers got all of their runs on crooked numbers in the 4th and 8th. DSL Brewers Bottom of the 4th Francisco Castillo singles on a line drive to center fielder Anderson Yance. Alejandro Mendoza singles on a line drive to left fielder Felix G. Santana. Francisco Castillo to 2nd. With Carlos Belonis batting, wild pitch by Carlos Lara, Francisco Castillo to 3rd. Carlos Belonis singles on a line drive to center fielder Anderson Yance. Francisco Castillo scores. Alejandro Mendoza to 2nd. Juan De Leon grounds into a force out, second baseman Yerison Pena to shortstop Albertin Chavez. Alejandro Mendoza to 3rd. Carlos Belonis out at 2nd. Juan De Leon to 1st. Jose Dicent out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Anderson Yance. Alejandro Mendoza scores. Elvis Rubio singles on a line drive to right fielder Omar Oses. Juan De Leon to 2nd. Juan Ortiz strikes out swinging. DSL Brewers Bottom of the 8th Raphachel Colatosti walks. Francisco Castillo singles on a ground ball to right fielder Omar Oses. Raphachel Colatosti to 2nd. Alejandro Mendoza hit by pitch. Raphachel Colatosti to 3rd. Francisco Castillo to 2nd. Carlos Belonis walks. Raphachel Colatosti scores. Francisco Castillo to 3rd. Alejandro Mendoza to 2nd. Juan De Leon grounds into a force out, third baseman Francisco Contreras to second baseman Yerison Pena. Francisco Castillo scores. Alejandro Mendoza to 3rd. Carlos Belonis out at 2nd. Juan De Leon to 1st. Jose Dicent grounds out, third baseman Francisco Contreras to first baseman Lenny Pena. Alejandro Mendoza scores. Juan De Leon to 2nd. Elvis Rubio strikes out swinging. However they gave up bigger numbers in the 2nd and 8th. DSL Tigers Top of the 2nd Lenny Pena singles on a fly ball to right fielder Elvis Rubio. Victor Ovalles singles on a ground ball to left fielder Juan Ortiz. Lenny Pena to 2nd. Felix G. Santana singles on a line drive to left fielder Juan Ortiz. Lenny Pena to 3rd. Victor Ovalles to 2nd. Felix A. Santana singles on a fly ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Lenny Pena scores. Victor Ovalles to 3rd. Felix G. Santana to 2nd. Omar Oses grounds into a force out, second baseman Alejandro Mendoza to shortstop Raphachel Colatosti. Victor Ovalles scores. Felix G. Santana to 3rd. Felix A. Santana out at 2nd. Omar Oses to 1st. With Albertin Chavez batting, Omar Oses steals (7) 2nd base, Felix G. Santana scores. Omar Oses to 3rd. Throwing error by catcher Kevin Martinez. Albertin Chavez strikes out swinging. Anderson Yance called out on strikes. DSL Tigers Top of the 8th Pitching Change: Orlando Torrez replaces Miguel Diaz. Victor Ovalles singles on a line drive to left fielder Juan Ortiz. With Felix G. Santana batting, passed ball by Kevin Martinez, Victor Ovalles to 2nd. Felix G. Santana walks. Felix A. Santana singles on a ground ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Victor Ovalles to 3rd. Felix G. Santana to 2nd. Omar Oses grounds into a force out, second baseman Alejandro Mendoza to catcher Kevin Martinez. Victor Ovalles out at home. Felix G. Santana to 3rd. Felix A. Santana to 2nd. Omar Oses to 1st. Albertin Chavez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Juan Ortiz. Felix G. Santana scores. Felix A. Omar Oses to 3rd. Anderson Yance grounds into a force out, second baseman Alejandro Mendoza to shortstop Raphachel Colatosti. Omar Oses scores. Albertin Chavez out at 2nd. Anderson Yance to 1st. Pitching Change: Marcos Padilla replaces Orlando Torrez. Francisco Contreras walks. Anderson Yance to 2nd. Yerison Pena walks. Anderson Yance to 3rd. Francisco Contreras to 2nd. Lenny Pena hit by pitch. Anderson Yance scores. Francisco Contreras to 3rd. Yerison Pena to 2nd. With Victor Ovalles batting, wild pitch by Marcos Padilla, Francisco Contreras scores. Yerison Pena to 3rd. Lenny Pena to 2nd. Victor Ovalles doubles (8) on a fly ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Yerison Pena scores. Lenny Pena scores. With Felix G. Santana batting, wild pitch by Marcos Padilla, Victor Ovalles to 3rd. With Felix G. Santana batting, wild pitch by Marcos Padilla, Victor Ovalles scores. Felix G. Santana walks. Pitching Change: Joshua Torres replaces Marcos Padilla. Felix A. Santana grounds into a force out, third baseman Jose Dicent to second baseman Alejandro Mendoza. Felix G. Santana out at 2nd.

This should make everyone pretty happy... 5 hits, 5 XBHs.. Nashville Bottom of the 1st Logan Schafer grounds out to first baseman Alex Liddi. Eric Farris doubles (15) on a line drive to left fielder Scott Savastano. Khris Davis doubles (4) on a fly ball to center fielder Darren Ford. Eric Farris scores. Jordan Brown doubles (20) on a ground ball to right fielder Carlos Peguero. Khris Davis scores. Taylor Green homers (4) on a fly ball to right center field. Jordan Brown scores. Jeff Bianchi homers (4) on a fly ball to left field. Corey Patterson strikes out swinging. Dayton Buller strikes out swinging.

The first time I heard New Medicine's song "Rich Kids" I thought it was a fun little song. Then I saw the video... now I'm hooked.

BA Hot Sheet Chat 8/17/2012

As mentioned in yesterday's link report Wily makes the list, when was the last time we had a prospect in the Helium watch section? I'm honestly coming up blank? BA Hot Sheet 8/17/2012 No. 1 GERRIT COLE, RHP PIRATES Team: Double-A Altoona (Eastern) Age: 21 Why He's Here: 1-1, 0.79, 2 GS, 11 1/3 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 15 SO, 3 BB The Scoop: Cole struck out a career-high nine batters against Portland on Thursday and took a no-hitter into the fifth before losing the bid on a Xander Bogaerts double. Last year's No. 1 overall pick has found a new gear with Altoona of late, loging a 1.23 ERA over his last four starts and 22 innings, during which time he's allowed 12 hits while brandishing a 26-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. While Cole may not challenge for the minor league lead in any one category, he will rank near the top of the Florida State and Eastern league prospect lists, while being little more than half a season away from Pittsburgh in 2013. No. 7 ALBERT ALMORA, CF CUBS Team: Short-season Boise (Northwest) / Rookie-level Arizona League Age: 18 Why He's Here: .536/.516/.786 (15-for-28), 8 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-2 SB The Scoop: Almora spent his first three weeks in the Arizona League, where the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft came as advertised. Upon his promotion to the Northwest League, Almora homered in his first game with Boise on Wednesday. It's been an auspicious debut for Almora, who has hit .353/.367/.518 in 20 games between the two levels. If there is such thing as a stacked short-season lineup, it has to be Boise, where the Hawks now have Almora, first baseman Dan Vogelbach, third baseman Jeimer Candelario and second baseman Gioskar Amaya. The best of the group, though, is Almora, whose feel for hitting is beyond his years. No. 10 WILY PERALTA, RHP BREWERS Team: Triple-A Nashville (Pacific Coast) Age: 23 Why He's Here: 0-0, 1.29, 2 GS, 14 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 13 SO The Scoop: A disappointing first half left the enigmatic Peralta with a 5.10 ERA, a walk rate of 5 per nine innings and an ugly 1.6 K-BB ratio at the all-star break. After some midseason mechanical fine-tuning, Peralta has a 3.98 ERA, 11 strikeouts per nine and a 2.7 K-BB ratio in seven second-half starts. With the second highest walk rate in the league (4.6 BB/9), Peralta still needs to improve his control, which scouts earlier in his career thought would make him a reliever. But if the 6-foot-2, 240-pound righthander can build on two good starts this week, then his low-to-mid 90s fastball; sharp, low-80s slider and changeup give him a chance to be an impact starter. NOT-SO HOT SHEET • Sean Buckley, 1b, Reds: Everything has been tougher for Buckley, 22, in his second pro season. Projected as an outfielder/third baseman out of junior college, he's now playing first base. At the plate, he's found the Midwest League to be much tougher than the Pioneer League. Buckley's strikeout rate is up, his power is down and he appears to have run out of gas in his first full season. Buckley is hitting .130/.216/.174 for low Class A Dayton in August with two extra-base hits.

I've posted this before but Carlos Rondon is going to be the one that really hurts... they drafted the right guy at the right time and couldn't get a deal done. Whatever extra it would have taken would been much cheaper than any FA pitcher... it's too bad. Wily Peralta made this week's BA Hot Sheet, I'll get a full post up into Friday's LR later this afternoon.

Rondon will likely be the 1st overall pick in 2014, that ship has already sailed.

Almora homers in short-season debut Sixth overall Draft pick also singles for Hawks in 13-5 defeat By Zack Cox / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/08/16/KAU2Mltw.jpg Albert Almora helped Team USA win the gold medal at the 2011 Pan-Am Games. (USA Baseball) Albert Almora is getting pretty good at making debuts. The sixth overall pick in this year's Draft homered and singled in his first Northwest League game Wednesday night, but short-season Boise dropped a 13-5 decision to visiting Salem-Keizer. The Cubs promoted Almora from the Rookie-level Arizona League, where he also homered in his professional debut on July 23. He went on to bat .347 with 13 RBIs, 18 runs scored and an .843 OPS in 18 AZL games. Almora was informed of his promotion Tuesday before flying to Idaho to join the Hawks, who have a five-game lead atop the Eastern Division. "I've been on a 14-hour plane ride to Taipei to play a baseball game in the Junior Olympics," Almora told the Idaho Statesman. The 18-year-old center fielder is only three months removed from playing high school ball in Hialeah, Fla., but said the pressure of competing against older players does not faze him. "It's just baseball," Almora said. "I'm used to this." "He's played some big-time games," Hawks manager Mark Johnson told the newspaper. "He's above his years, maturity-wise and playing the game-wise. The guys in Mesa who have been coaching him the past three weeks have said nothing but really good things about him, about his makeup." Almora was robbed of a third hit by Volcanoes left fielder Brennan Metzger, who made a diving catch in the seventh inning. The Hawks also got a three-run blast from 2012 Moniker Madness champion Rock Shoulders but could not hold a 5-3 lead. Mac Williamson homered twice and Andrew Cain added an inside-the-park homer to spark Salem-Keizer's comeback. Reliever Hunter Ackerman (0-1) took the loss after surrendering six runs on six hits over 2 2/3 innings. Steven Okert (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings out of the Volcanoes' bullpen for the win.

Cingrani racks up 10 K's for Wahoos Lefty hurls five shutout frames, Hamilton swipes two more By Robert Emrich / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/08/15/jocKs8XE.jpg Tony Cingrani is 5-3 with a 1.81 ERA in 13 Southern League starts for Pensacola. (Chris Nelson) Tony Cingrani may not have a win to show for his efforts Wednesday, but he continued to show that his dominant season is no fluke. The Reds' No. 8 prospect fanned 10 and surrendered five hits over five shutout innings as Pensacola lost to Mobile, 4-2, on Wednesday. Top Cincinnati prospect Billy Hamilton swiped two more bases, leaving him five away from sole possession of a new Minor League record. After giving up back-to-back singles to open the ballgame, Cingrani struck out five straight batters before Ed Easley singled with two outs in the second inning. But the 23-year-old left-hander fanned Michael Bolsinger to end the frame. "I had the fastball going, I was working it in and out," Cingrani said. "I mixed some sliders in there, threw some changeups, [but it was] mostly fastball command." Cingrani, who estimated he threw about 80 fastballs, is in the midst of a strong August in which he's allowed one run on 13 hits over 16 innings for Pensacola. The Illinois native credits a simple approach. "Just throwing strikes and going after hitters," the southpaw said. "Doing what I've always been doing and not giving in when there's guys on." Overall, Cingrani is 10-4 with a 1.51 ERA with 153 strikeouts in 23 starts between Class A Advanced Bakersfield and Pensacola. For a third-round pick who was a reliever coming out of Rice University, it's the kind of season that puts a prospect on the map. But Cingrani knows there's still plenty of road to travel on his journey. "It feels good," Cingrani said. "I'm just out doing my job and working hard. This is where it's taken me so far, it's pretty good. Whatever the front office chooses to do, I'm just going to go out and do what I do." Hamilton, MLB.com's No. 26 prospect, swiped two bases, giving him 141 this season. Watching the speedster pursue Vince Coleman's 29-year-old record of 145 stolen bases is a unique experience for Cingrani, who was teammates with Hamilton in Bakersfield earlier this season. "Unlike anything else," Cingrani said of watching Hamilton. "You know he's going to steal, they try to pick off, and he still goes. I've seen it since Bakersfield, it's still amazing." Brian Pearl (1-3) took the loss after allowing three runs on four hits over an inning of work for the Blue Wahoos. David Nick, Arizona's No. 19 prospect, singled home a pair of runs to break a tie game in the eighth for the BayBears.

Cole fans career-high nine batters Top overall pick from 2011 Draft carries no-no into the fifth By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/08/16/DNvKl96y.jpg Gerrit Cole has struck out 121 batters over 115 innings across two levels. (Rudy C. Jones/MiLB.com ) For the first five innings, Pittsburgh farmhand Gerrit Cole was on cruise control. Then things started to come unglued in the sixth, and what started out so promising left baseball's No. 8 prospect with a sour taste of deja vu. Cole (3-5) struck out a career-high nine batters while allowing two runs -- one earned -- on three hits over six innings, but the Double-A Altoona Curve fell to the host Portland Sea Dogs, 2-1, on Thursday evening. Cole's previous high was seven strikeouts. He achieved that three times, most recently with the Class A Advanced Bradenton Marauders, in a 6-0 win over Fort Myers on June 14, his final start in the Florida State League. "There are a lot of positives, but there's obviously a lot of things to work on," said Cole, who threw 91 pitches. "It was pretty bittersweet. I got through five innings, then handed them the lead back in the sixth." To steal a soccer cliche, Cole's outing was a game of two halves. The top pick from the 2011 Draft retired the first 14 batters he faced, allowing just one ball to leave the infield. Hot-hitting Xander Bogaerts broke up his perfect-game bid with a two-out double to right field with two outs in the fifth, but Cole induced an inning-ending ground ball off Peter Hissey to preserve the 1-0 advantage. "It was the first curveball I had thrown the whole night," Cole said of Bogaerts' hit. "It was 80 mph and I tried to get it in there for a strike, but I ran the risk of letting him get the bat head out on it. A lot of people would roll over it, but he did a good job of going the other way. "My fastball location was good and I was changing speeds when I needed to. They weren't really doing too much at all, maybe two or three balls out of the infield. I could have used another strikeout in the sixth [inning], but the chips fell where they did." In that frame, the UCLA alum was unable to keep the Sea Dogs at bay. Christian Vazquez led off with a grounder to left field, and Jackie Bradley hit a ball off the glove of charging shortstop Oscar Tejada and into right-center field, advancing to second on the miscue. Marquez Smith then tied the game on a run-scoring groundout, and Bradley scampered home with what proved to be the eventual winning run on a pitch in the dirt that veered away from catcher Ramon Cabrera. "It's frustrating. The ground ball was hit real soft and the pitch in the dirt was where I wanted to throw it, but it took a weird hop and the catcher couldn't do anything about it," the 6-foot-4 right-hander said. "I wasn't tired, I was still throwing 100 mph in the sixth, but I don't know. I don't have an answer. This is the third time that I couldn't get out off my last inning. I need to do better, no excuses. It's not acceptable and I'm better than that. I'll just have to figure it out next time." With the loss, Pittsburgh's No. 2 prospect behind Jameson Taillon fell to 3-5 in the Eastern League and 8-6 overall. The 21-year-old California native went 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 13 starts with the Marauders before his promotion to Altoona in mid-June. Across the two levels, Cole has a 2.82 ERA with 121 strikeouts over 115 innings, and he has held opponents to a .224 batting average. "Things are going well. I'm learning a lot and just getting used to the flow of things," he said. "I'm sure there are bunches of people whose expectations I'll never fill, but my goal is to get better every time, and for the most part, I've executed that quite well."

Final: DSL Blue Jays 4, DSL Brewers 3 (10 Innings) DSL Brewers Play By Play The regular lack of Brewer related DSL information on MiLB.com is starting to piss me off. I don't speak any Spanish, I actually took French because I thought all the hot chicks would be in French... and I was sorely mistaken. As such, I'm not sure how to read this other than the player names I couldn't seem to locate the box score for this game on the web site. I saw one mid inning pitching change, Junior Flores was pulled for Juan Santiago in the 8th, but I'm not going to go through and add up each hitter's line. I apologize for how spotty the DSL information has been.

Final: Nashville 3, Tacoma 2 (10 Innings) Sounds Win In Extras On Two Tacoma Miscues Late Khris Davis Homer Send Game To Extra-Innings NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds benefitted from two throwing errors from pitcher Brian Moran in the bottom of the 10th inning to win 3-2 over the Tacoma Rainiers on Thursday night at Greer Stadium. Schafer began the frame with an opposite-field single and moved to second on a pickoff attempt. Second baseman Eric Farris then hit a sacrifice bunt, which was then underthrown to first that allowed Schafer to score the winning-run. · AUDIO: Winning Run It was the PCL-leading 15th extra-inning contest (6-9) for the Sounds and seventh in the last 20 games. Nashville's last 10 games have been decided by one or two runs. Shortstop Jeff Bianchi had two hits including a double. Outfielder Khris Davis homered to hit safely in 28 of his last 30 games, including 15 of 17 with the Sounds. The game remained scoreless until both teams loaded the bases and traded runs in the fifth inning. After a Carlos Triunfel single, Guillermo Quiroz walk, and Darren Ford base hit, Nick Franklin hit a weak grounder to second, which caused Eric Farris to throw to first and allow the runner from third to score. The Sounds tied the game at 1-1 in the next frame with the bases juiced and no outs, begging with three straight base hits from Humberto Quintero, Jeff Bianchi, and Logan Schafer. Tacoma starter D.J. Mitchell then got Farris to strike out before offering up a game-tying sacrifice fly to Khris Davis. · AUDIO: Davis Sacrifice Fly Tacoma went back ahead at 2-1 in the top of the eighth against reliever Brandon Kintzler. Franklin lined a base hit to right, moved to second on a wild pitch, and trotted home to score the go-ahead run on an RBI double from Luis Antonio. Nashville came back to knot the score at 2-2 in the next frame as Davis went yard off the second pitch from Mitchell. The opposite-field blast, which landed just beyond the reach of the Tacoma right fielder, was Davis' fourth of the season for the Sounds. · AUDIO: Davis Solo Homer For the second consecutive outing, Nashville starter Wily Peralta surrendered only one run in seven innings for a no-decision. In 101 pitched (59 strikes), The 23-year-old scattered four hits and walked four on the night, but benefitted from two inning-ending double plays while striking out seven. Kintzler gave up a run in one inning. Jesus Sanchez (4-0) struck out one in two frames for the victory. Mitchell also pitched well in a no-decision and third quality start. The 25-year-old gave up two runs on six hits while striking out five in eight innings of work. With 96 pitches (66 strikes), the eight innings matched a season-high set earlier this season on April 18 vs. Rochester as a member of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Moran (2-2) was charged with the loss. The Sounds and Rainiers conclude their four-game series at 7:05 pm CT on Friday night at Greer Stadium. Nashville right-hander Brian Baker (2-4, 4.74) will take the mound in the homestand finale against Tacoma righty Andrew Carraway (4-6, 4.28). Nashville Box Score This was the first Wily Peralta start I've missed in a while, I chose to watch the football game instead, which was a mistake. He wasn't as efficient as I would have hoped looking at the box, but he was effective. I'd like to see him come up and start some games in Sept to stretch out to around 160 innings for the season, that would put him in good shape to pitch 180-190 next season. Normally I'd be worried about "long swing" scouting reports, but Khrush Davis just keeps on keeping on. I'll be surprised if he isn't at least an .800 OPS player at the level which counts (if he gets a chance to play). I couid see the Brewers keeping Khris in AAA another season or trading him in favor of keeping this year's OF intact... as in Aoki is a proven vet, Gomez has turned the corner, and Braun shouldn't be moved out of LF. And That has beaten this drum over the last 2 years and he does have an excellent point, why haven't they tried Khris at 1B at all? Nashville Play By Play

Done.

I think the answer to that question depends on where you live. I live and work in NE WI and I've had AWD since I bought my first European car in 2002, an Audi A4. I drive about 1,000 miles a month for work and AWD has saved me too many times to mention driving when the weather is poor. Even this winter as mild as it was my Volvo S40 saved me from accidents twice (both related to Semis carelessly changing lanes), I may have been able to keep the car the road without AWD but AWD made regaining control very easy resulting in just an elevated heart rate and not something much more serious. I haven't driven a RWD vehicle since I left home in the early 90s, all of my cars prior to the A4 were FWD, and all of the cars pushed through corners in bad weather. I'm to the point where I'll only buy AWD cars given my job, but if dealing with ice/snow isn't something that you'll regularly encounter then I'd think a 2 wheel drive car, front or rear, would be fine, and you'll get better gas mileage.

Final: DSL Brewers 3, DSL Angels 1 (12 Innings) DSL Brewers Box Score Well the youngest team in the organization salvaged an otherwise woeful day with the only victory at any level. In a somewhat odd twist Jorge Lopez has been the middle pitcher in all of his games thus far and put up another very solid effort going 5 innings allowing 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2. Joan De La Cruz actually pitched the first 2 inning allowing an unearned run. Victor Diaz and Felix Paulino pitched the final 5 scoreless innings to close out the contest. Brewer pitchers struck out 12 batters in total and only walked 3 in the 12 innings, just a fantastic effort all the way around. Carlos Belonis (3-6), the team really missed him, and Jose Dicent (3-6) led the way for the young Brewers in this one. No other Brewers had multiple hits or an XBH, and through the 12 innings they only had 1 error, a throwing error by Raphachel Colasti. Nashville Play By Play The Brewers had legitimate shots to score the go ahead run(s) in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th innings before finally busting through in the 12th. DSL Brewers Top of the 12th Francisco Castillo grounds out, shortstop Angel Almao to first baseman Ercilio De La Cruz. Alejandro Mendoza singles on a line drive to left fielder Ayendy Perez. Carlos Belonis singles on a line drive to center fielder Angel Montilla. Alejandro Mendoza to 2nd. Pitching Change: Yordany Reinoso replaces Edisson Rosario. With Juan De Leon batting, wild pitch by Yordany Reinoso, Alejandro Mendoza to 3rd. Carlos Belonis to 2nd. Juan De Leon singles on a fly ball to right fielder Ranyelmy Mendoza. Alejandro Mendoza scores. Carlos Belonis scores. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Yunior Santana replaces Juan De Leon. Jose Dicent singles on a line drive to left fielder Ayendy Perez. Yunior Santana out at 3rd on the throw, left fielder Ayendy Perez to third baseman Erick Salcedo. Jose Dicent to 2nd on the throw. Elvis Rubio grounds out, shortstop Angel Almao to first baseman Ercilio De La Cruz.

Late Homer Sinks Sounds, 7-6 Sounds Blow Eighth Save In The Month Of August NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tacoma Rainiers homered three times en route to a 7-6 come-from-behind victory over Nashville Sounds in the second game of a three-game series on Wednesday night at Greer Stadium. The Sounds trailed by five runs early, but came back to take a one-run lead before relinquishing the lead in the eighth. Nashville's last nine games have been decided by one or two runs. Nashville out-hit Tacoma on the night, but all 11 hits were singles. Outfielder Logan Schafer (2-for-5) posted his second straight multi-hit game. Second baseman Eric Farris, third baseman Taylor Green, and designated hitter Sean Halton each added two hits. Carlos Triunfel lifted his 10th homer of the season over the left field all to give the Rainiers a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Tacoma broke it open in the next inning to take a 5-0 lead, beginning with consecutive doubles from Luis Antonio and Carlos Peguero. After Triunfel's second hit brought home another run with two outs, Guillermo Quiroz blasted a two-run homer just below the guitar-shaped scoreboard. Nashville came back to cut the lead to 5-4 in the next inning, beginning with base hits from second baseman Eric Farris and Khris Davis. First baseman Jordan Brown brought home the first run on a sacrifice fly. After third baseman Taylor Green singled, designated hitter Sean Halton followed with an RBI base hit. Outfielder Caleb Gindl and catcher Humberto Quintero brought home the final two runs of the inning. The Sounds took advantage of another Tacoma error in the next inning and went ahead at 6-5. Outfielder Logan Schafer led off with a bunt single, moved to third on a Farris base hit, and scored the tying run on a Davis sacrifice fly. Farris, who advanced to second on the sac fly, moved to third on an infield groundout, and scored the go-ahead run on a pickoff attempt and throwing error from Tacoma catcher Quiroz. · AUDIO: Khris Davis Ties Game With Sacrifice Fly · AUDIO: Farris Score Go-Ahead Run Reliever Juan Perez recorded his second straight blown save and the Sounds' eighth in the month of August as the Rainiers scored two in the eighth to take a 7-6 lead. Alex Liddi led off with a base hit and scored on Peguero's team-leading 20th blast over the center field wall. Nashville starting pitcher Claudio Vargas scattered seven hits for five runs in six innings. In 105 pitches (55 for strikes), Vargas walked a season-high four batters while his five runs matched a season high set on June 19 vs. Oklahoma City. Five of his seven hits went for extra bases (three doubles and two homers). Reliever Amaury Rivas pitched a perfect a seventh frame before Perez (4-1) gave up a couple of runs in 1/3 of an inning for his first loss. Donovan Hand ended the game with 1 2/3 scoreless frames. Tacoma starter Erasmo Ramirez gave up six runs on eight hits and a walk in five innings. Brian Sweeney (6-3) allowed two hits over two scoreless frames for the victory. Danny Farquhar worked around a one-out walk for his second walk of the year. The Sounds and Rainiers continue their series at 7:05 pm CT on Thursday night at Greer Stadium. Right-hander Wily Peralta (6-10, 4.95) toes the rubber for Nashville against Tacoma right-hander D.J. Mitchell (0-2, 3.63). Nashville Box Score These Nashville game stories are just fantastic even if the results aren't, this one covered everything you need to know. Nashville Play By Play