TheCrew07

Final: Jackson 7, Huntsville 3 Huntsville Box Score I didn't like this pitching match-up coming into the game and Taijuan Walker held up his end of the bargain, damn him. Quick aside, but what's with Z developing good pitching in Seattle? Jerk could have done that here... Anyway, Evan Anundsen continued his slide, he's only given up 2R or less in 1 of his last 7 starts, it hasn't been good posting an ERA over 6.00 his last 10 starts, but his season ERA is still under 5. Today he went 5 innings allowing 4 runs, 3 earned, on 5 hits, 3 walks, and 1 HR against 6 strike outs while throwing 63 of 100 pitches for strikes and posting a 2:6 ratio. Brian Garman pitched around 2 hits for a clean inning thanks to a rare double play. Darren Byrd and R.J. Seidel both allowed an earned run in their innings of work. Singles hitter Scooter Gennett went 2-4 with a 2B and Khris Davis put up the other multi-hit game with a 2-4 effort of his own. T.J. Mittelstaedt and Hunter Morris popped doubles for their only hits, and Lee Haydel jacked a rare HR, Mittelstaedt and Haydel both added stolen bases. Gennett committed his 12th error on a poor throw and Anderson De La Rosa did the AZL catchers proud with his 11th Passed Ball of the season. Huntsville Play By Play Anundsen was beat around early and then retired the Generals in order in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings before exiting the contest. Jackson Bottom of the 1st Francisco Martinez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Lee Haydel. Denny Almonte singles on a fly ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Francisco Martinez to 3rd. With Stefen Romero batting, Denny Almonte steals (19) 2nd base. Stefen Romero strikes out swinging. Joseph Dunigan flies out to right fielder Kentrail Davis. Rich Poythress walks. Chih-Hsien Chiang singles on a ground ball to right fielder Kentrail Davis. Francisco Martinez scores. Denny Almonte scores. Rich Poythress to 3rd. With Ralph Henriquez batting, Chih-Hsien Chiang caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Anderson De La Rosa to shortstop Tommy Manzella. Jackson Bottom of the 2nd Ralph Henriquez pops out to third baseman T. J. Mittelstaedt. Kalian Sams homers (9) on a fly ball to center field. Leury Bonilla triples (1) on a fly ball to left fielder Lee Haydel. Francisco Martinez strikes out swinging. Denny Almonte walks. Stefen Romero strikes out swinging. Passed ball by catcher Anderson De La Rosa. Leury Bonilla scores. Denny Almonte to 3rd. Stefen Romero to 1st. With Joseph Dunigan batting, Stefen Romero steals (2) 2nd base. Joseph Dunigan walks. Rich Poythress flies out to right fielder Kentrail Davis.

Ouch. Starting to think Keith Laws just tries to make me cry now....actually convinced of it lol Dude you're alive!

Friendly rivals Taillon, Yelich face off Bucs hurler, Marlins hitter talk history in, out of batter's box

Hot Sheet Chat 7/20/2012

BA's Hot Sheet No. 3 JAVIER BAEZ, SS CUBS Team: Low Class A Peoria (Midwest) Age: 19 Why He's Here: .500/.519/1.042 (12-for-24), 2 HR, 2 3B, 3 2B, 7 RBIs, 4 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3-for-5 SB The Scoop: The Cubs held Baez back in extended spring training until Memorial Day weekend, in part because they didn't want to subject the ninth overall pick in last year's draft to the harsh early-season weather of the Midwest League. The approach has paid off so far. After crushing seven extra-base hits in six games this week, Baez is batting .338/.397/.605 with nine homers through 157 at-bats with Peoria, and his 1.002 OPS ranks second in the MWL since he joined the league on May 28.. BLAST FROM THE PAST • Corky Miller, c, Reds: A nonndrafted free agent signed out of Nevada in 1998, Miller has made quite the career for himself as a third catcher. Neither Miller's bat nor glove is good enough for him to be a major league regular, but he is reliable enough that teams like to have him in Triple-A, knowing he can serve a fill-in with the big league club for a few weeks if needed. Miller, 36, has not played in more than 40 big league games in any season, but he has made it up to the majors in 11 different seasons. This week was a good one for Miller offensively, as he hit .500/.571/1.083 with two home runs in 12 at-bats for Triple-A Louisville. NOT-SO HOT SHEET • Jed Bradley, lhp, Brewers: Bradley performed as expected for a college first-rounder in five April starts, dominating the Florida State League with a 4.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 2.79 ERA, including 19 consecutive scoreless innings. In 12 starts since, the 22-year old has walked 29 and struck out 30, posting a 6.03 ERA. This stretch was punctuated by Bradley's Wednesday start, when he allowed a season-high seven runs and four walks in four and two-thirds. The 6-foot-6 Bradley has battled mechanical issues, and his velocity has dipped to 88-91 mph.

The Youngest In Each League, Mid-Season Edition Peralta was #20 in the PCL. Bucci was #19 in the SL (even though he's technically on the DL) Taylor was #8 in the PL. Arcia was #15 in the AZL (DL noted) Nobody on the list for the FSL or the DSL.

Actually it does matter how good the pitching is... ESPN.com works the best for this, but you can open up multiple windows or tabs and look at team ranks by year for league or MLB wide for both pitching and hitting, see which more closely correlates to success. For example in 2010 San Fran gave up the 2nd least amount of runs allowed during the season but only scored the 17th most runs. In 2008 Tampa tied with the Cubs for the 3rd least runs allowed in the league while coming in #13 for runs scored. It's much easier to get to the post season being a pitching heavy team than it is to be hitting heavy.

You still have to pay for the replacements, which of course you didn't factor into your rant. Sure the $ wouldn't technically be committed if you non tender existing players, but where do the replacement players come from and how much to do they cost? The original point still stands and that payroll figure is not outrageously overstated.

How are those 2 even remotely close in concept or practical application? If you aren't able to compete for impact players in FA why it is playing the lottery to try and stockpile talent that you can develop? Do anything else and you're playing right into the hands of the system... just pay guys slot, let your best players go to the highest bidder, hopefully draft/develop as well the 2nd time and repeat, and always struggle to put a complete team on the field. I for one applaud teams for taking a different tact and trying to exploit holes in the system to their advantage. I agree that the initial costs have gotten out of hand, especially with all of the corruption in Latin America. However, young players are certainly no more risky that signing aging/established FAs to contracts. "Proven" MLB talent being a relatively "safe" investment is a myth of epic proportions, 1 lost season of a marque player ($20M) is the equivalent of signing #5 overall pick with a slot value of $3.5M almost 6 times. When did the Rays win a WS? But beyond that, your premise is still incorrect. Many of the mid to large market teams also spend a ton of money on the front end of the talent acquisition process or are draft develop teams who spend money 2nd. Off the top of my head the Braves, Giants, and Rangers all are draft and develop teams that also can spend money. The Rangers have done the best job making trades of both types, buying and selling, and no organization is more progressive from a pitching development standpoint than Texas. Boston and NY have spent a ton of money in Latin America and going over slot to keep the home grown talent cycle going as well. While they are certainly some success stories of Latin players signed on the cheap blossoming into impact MLB players, typically the teams that are the most active and spend the most are going to have the best results. Here's an article from earlier this season that tackles the international subject in pretty good detail. Tigers, Rangers Stand Out For Overseas Efforts I would argue that the reason small market teams don't sustain success is because most play right into the hands of the the "haves" by going all in when they think they have a chance. In order to compete in an unbalanced system no team that isn't able to realistically compete in FA won't be able to sustain itself without a continual cycle of talent because they can't afford to buy talent if they don't develop it. There are teams who've taken an extremely different approach, the Rays being the first, which is why I've talked about them so much. The idea should be to exploit the market and be out in front trends, not playing follow the leader, that's what made the Rays special. They signed players to a different type of contract than other teams were, avoided arbitration and bought out FA years adding team options for core players, and were really the first team to figure out that to compete with the big boys when you don't have money to spend it all comes down to pitching. The problem with the Brewers hasn't been just 1 thing, it's been in the approach to organization building. How is Parra's money spent worse than Arnett, or any other failed 1st round pick? I'm on record as being incredibly frustrated by Parra, but in any given year how many LHP with more than 2 plus pitches who throw in the mid 90s are there? He was tremendous until he got to MLB but that's a trend that also true in every single sport, unfortunately no team or league has figured out how to adequately assess what's going on in someone's head and how they will ultimately perform regardless of their physical talent. The same economic trend you highlighted with draft picks is also true of MLB FA... there are a limited number, TV contracts jump the revenue, which artificially inflates the salaries of the marquee players and has a trickle down effect. Braun's 2nd extension will probably look pretty good by the time it rolls through the way contracts escalated this past off season. The point is that any rule which places limits as to how much talent teams can acquire and develop indirectly favors the teams that can spend in FA where are there no limits except what a team is willing to pay. There just isn't very good value in that mid tier of FA and small market teams aren't going to catch up if they are signing Wolf/Lilly type players while the other teams are signing Sabathia/Greinke. The disparity in talent is just too great and realistically small market teams aren't going to be able to retain every marquee player they develop, especially if they spend too money on players in that middle tier talent wise, there just isn't enough money left. The Brewers could have easily afforded Greinke if they weren't paying market rates on average for Ramirez, Weeks, and Hart. Which is another reason to cycle talent and only worry about locking up "core" talent. If you don't cap or limit every aspect of the sport eventually the teams with the most means will gain the greatest advantage. Basically what's happened is that MLB has funneled more money into the hands of the MLB players and placed a greater emphasis on FA. Of course all things are not equal in terms of drafting and development, some teams have better scouting departments and/or better developmental strategies, but as fans of small market team how do we have a warm and fuzzy about our future when the system is tilted against us from the start? If we don't find ways to exploit the market or do a better job developing the talent we have how do ever come out on top over any meaningful length of time? We've been largely mediocre around the 2 playoff appearances, we haven't been legitimate contenders every season, but there's also a wide gulf between what the Brewers have done and teams like the Rays or Rangers for example. It's not luck, it's not draft position, it's a difference in philosophy starting at the front of the talent cycle all the way through the back end.

Geez those 2 plays were every bit as bad as Jeff said they were.

I got you bro.

My first concert is still extremely embarrassing, my mother dragged the rest of the family to John Denver sometime in the late 80s, and he was just terrible. He was so bad that my dad wanted to leave and save us from the misery about half way through but my mom was having none of that. I was so embarrassed about "John Denver" I'm sure I never even told any of my friends that we were going or had went, I was way into the 80s hair band scene at the time. The first stadium show/concert that I paid to go see was Metallica at the Target Center when I was living in the twin cities which set my bar way too high sometime in the mid 90s (95-97). I thought every subsequent band was going to play with that kind of intensity and energy...

No it doesn't help the smaller markets who were diverting more money into the draft and international signing process as a strategy to procure cost effective impact talent. With the slotting and the 2.9 million cap on international signings (not counting Japan) teams like the Pirates who had diverted significant money away from free agency and more into the developmental side of baseball took a hit. Last year they could have easily signed Appel, this year there was simply no way they could meet his bonus demands and sign the rest of their picks which was bad for them but good for the rest of the division. The new system isn't really any better than the old from a competitive advantage standpoint, it basically just expedites the signing process with the slotting and having the signing date moved up. It certainly helps get picks into the fold quicker but a major consequence is that many of the smaller market teams (including the Brewers in recent years) will no longer be going way over slot to attempt to pickup impact players on the cheap (compared to buying comparable talent on the FA market). As such those teams which can outbid the other teams for talent in the FA market have gained competitive advantage. It's like anything with baseball, for every good there is a bad. The simple truth is probably that until there is a worldwide draft and complete revenue sharing there will never be true competitive balance in baseball.

Sounds Walk Off With Taylor Green's Ninth-Inning Blast Nashville's 4-3 Victory Nets Four-Game Series Split NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Taylor Green blasted a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Nashville Sounds a 4-3 win on Thursday night at Greer Stadium in the finale of a four-game set. On the second pitch from Joe Ortiz (0-1), Green's unloaded his second homer of the season and first since re-joining the Sounds from Milwaukee. · AUDIO: Green Walk Off Homer The last-at-bat victory was the Nashville's 13th of the season and gave the club a four-game series split with Round Rock. Round Rock went ahead at 1-0 with three straight singles in the top of the fourth inning. Former Sound Brad Nelson knocked a line drive to left field, which was picked up by Corey Patterson and gunned to home plate. Greg Miclat would scurry around third base and slide under the Dayton Buller tag at home plate. The Express extended their lead to 2-0 off reliever Donovan Hand, who walked Miclat to lead off the sixth inning. Miclat moved to third on a bloop single by Nelson and scored on a deep sacrifice fly by Ryan Spilborghs. In his second Triple-A start, Round Rock starter Justin Grimm quieted the Sounds through the first five innings. The Bristol, Tenn. native's only baserunner through five innings was Edwin Maysonet, who singled in the third and was stranded at first. Nashville finally got to Grimm in the sixth with an exciting three-run rally to take a 3-2 lead. Maysonet doubled down the third base line and moved to third on the ensuing play as Patterson placed a perfect infield bunt. Eric Farris followed by hitting an infield single to Round Rock second baseman Luis Hernandez to score Maysonet, but the second base umpire ruled runner's interference against Patterson that forced Maysonet back to third. Next batter Logan Schafer then blasted a two-run double over the left fielder's head to score both Maysonet and Farris and while removing Grimm from the game. Two batters later against reliever Neil Cotts, Sean Halton blasted a deep sacrifice fly to score Schafer for the go-ahead run. · AUDIO: Schafer Two-Run Double · AUDIO: Halton Sacrifice Fly Round Rock scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth to tie the contest at 3-3. Former Vanderbilt star Matt Kata reached on an infield fielding error, moved to second on a walk by Sounds reliever Jesus Sanchez, and scored when Spilborghs singled to center. Claudio Vargas allowed one run on five hits with a strikeout and no walks in five innings for a no-decision. Hand was touched for one run in two hits in two innings. Juan Perez retired his only batter faced. Sanchez gave up one unearned run in 2/3 of an inning. Jim Henderson (4-3) worked around two walks for a scoreless ninth to get the victory. The Sounds travel to The Big Easy to face the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA-Marlins) in a four-game series beginning tomorrow, the last meeting between the two clubs this season. Nashville right-hander Wily Peralta (4-8, 4.98) makes the start against New Orleans righty Tom Koehler (9-8, 3.64) in the opener. Nashville Box Score I'm slightly surprised Jeff didn't mention the umpiring which was extremely questionable all series and finally came to a head in the Nashville 4th when both Caleb Gindl and Mike Guerrero were ejected on a phantom appealed swing to strike out Caleb who was actually hit by the pitch. Trust me when I say that both Gindl and Guerrero got their money's worth with the ejections, in fact Gindl had more to say after leaving the dugout on his way to the clubhouse. In today's game the umpiring issues started in the top of the 4th when the Sounds had made a tremendous stink about the ruling that Buller missed the tag allowing the run to score. However the Sounds had came out on the short end of every call prior all series long, so I wasn't surprised by the ejections, you could feel them coming. But hey, at least Taylor Green came up huge on a 1-0 count for the victory. Nashville Play By Play

Final: DSL Braves 6, DSL Brewers 5 DSL Brewers Box Score The good news here was that Gian Rizzo maintained his rotation slot after the break and this was a well pitched game until the 5th. The bad news is that Eliezer Montano gave up 6 runs attempting to pitch the final 4 innings, including a 4 run ninth. Back to Rizzo he pitched 3 innings this time out, hopefully his pitch count keeps going up. He wasn't as effective as usual allowing 5 hits in his 3 innings, but he didn't allow any runs or walks and did strike out 2. Joan De La Cruz made his second appearance of the season in relief of Rizzo, this time 2 scoreless with 3 strike outs and a walk. Montano took over from there and you and already know the rest... I don't think he was gassed, he's gone 5 innings a couple of times so far this season, the 9th just got away from him. The Brewer bats even added 2 insurance runs in the top of the 9th but it was for naught as 3B Joel Dicent led the way going 2-4 with a double and a walk. Elvis Rubio had a nice game going 2-3 with 2 walks and SS Raphachel Colatosti had the final multi-hit game going 2-3 to up his season BA to .225. Yunior De La Cruz added the 2 run double in the 9th and finally Yunior Santana who finished the game with a .191 BA smacked a HR and walked in his 5 plate appearances. Colatosti(10) and Juan Ortiz(10) both stole a base while Alejandro Mendoza was caught stealing for the 5th time. The defense was fairly atrocious with 5 total errors, I'll just recopy that section of the box below. FIELDING E: Mendoza, A (6, throw), Montano (2, pickoff), Ortiz, Ju (3, fielding), Dicent, Js (3, missed catch), De La Cruz, Y (7, catcher interference). DSL Brewers Play By Play The Brewers were up 3-2 coming into the 9th. DSL Brewers Top of the 9th Defensive Substitution: Jesus Heredia replaces right fielder Miguel Rivero, batting 3rd, playing right field. Juan Ortiz strikes out swinging. Elvis Rubio walks. With Jose Dicent batting, Elvis Rubio advances to 2nd on a balk. With Jose Dicent batting, wild pitch by Jesus Saldeno, Elvis Rubio to 3rd. Jose Dicent strikes out swinging. Yunior Santana walks. Yunior De La Cruz doubles (3) on a fly ball to center fielder Jose Morel. Elvis Rubio scores. Yunior Santana scores. Alejandro Mendoza strikes out swinging, catcher Fernan Zuniga to first baseman Ibrahim McKenzie. DSL Braves Bottom of the 9th Eugenio Diaz singles on a fly ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Nisandro Cleofa replaces Eugenio Diaz. With Jose Morel batting, wild pitch by Eliezer Montano, Nisandro Cleofa to 2nd. With Jose Morel batting, Nisandro Cleofa steals (1) 3rd base, Nisandro Cleofa scores. Missed catch error by third baseman Jose Dicent. Jose Morel flies out to left fielder Juan Ortiz. Ibrahim McKenzie strikes out swinging. Iosif Bernal walks. Luis Monasterio walks. Iosif Bernal to 2nd. Fernan Zuniga reaches on catcher interference by Yunior De La Cruz. Iosif Bernal to 3rd. Luis Monasterio to 2nd. Fernan Zuniga to 1st. Cristian Palacios hit by pitch. Iosif Bernal scores. Luis Monasterio to 3rd. Fernan Zuniga to 2nd. Johan Camargo singles on a fly ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Luis Monasterio scores. Fernan Zuniga to 3rd. Cristian Palacios to 2nd. Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Victor Reyes replaces Jesus Heredia. Victor Reyes singles on a fly ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Fernan Zuniga scores. Cristian Palacios to 3rd. Johan Camargo to 2nd.

I don't really have a problem with that idea Louis but that's not what the organization said about Bradley when they drafted him, nor did they say Jungmann would need additional development. After all shouldn't college pitchers be 3 years ahead on the development cycle vs high school pitchers? Isn't the high flame rate for high school draftees the same as it is for the number HS players that fail as college athletes in other sports? If you're a first round college pitcher you'd better be able to dominate A ball with just your FB and a so/so other pitch or you don't belong getting drafted in the first round. It's one thing to excuse away Lopez struggling AZ, it's another to make those same excuses for Bradley. Both pitchers were billed as fast movers and the issue here is really why Bradley like Frederickson, Heckathorn, and a slew of other pitchers the Brewers drafted have experienced abrupt and significant velocity loss. The only person I recall off the top of my head who really despised the Bradley pick was X, but he hasn't been around in forever. I'm going to reserve judgement on a newly drafted and projectable LHP, especially when we didn't have any above rookie ball. However there were plenty of warning signs about Bradley, especially his lack of production coming into the draft and inconsistent velocity. Hopefully he turns it around in a hurry, but it looks like he was placed too high and maybe should have started out in WI instead.

No DSL Box Score yet as of 00:05 CDT I'll keep checking as long I can stay awake. edit. off to bed, will get it in the morning if no one else does before I head to work.

DSL Cubs righties suspended by MLB De La Cruz, Encarnacion to miss 50 games for Stanozolol By Danny Wild / MLB.com NEW YORK -- A pair of Chicago Cubs Minor Leaguers were suspended on Wednesday after each tested positive for a banned steroid. The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced that right-handed pitchers Juancito De La Cruz and Antonio Encarnacion have each been suspended for 50 games without pay after testing positive for metabolites of Stanozolol. The suspensions are effective immediately. De La Cruz has appeared in 10 games for the Cubs' Dominucan affiliate this season, going 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA through July 16. Encarnacion has spent three seasons with the Cubs' DSL affiliate but has yet to pitch in 2012. Stanozolol is a synthetic anabolic steroid derived from testosterone that is sometimes prescribed by veterinarians to encourage muscle growth, red blood cell production, bone density and to stimulate the appetite of weakened animals. It's also been linked to body builders and several former and current baseball players. Major League Baseball has suspended 55 players this year for violations of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

Helisek unhittable in third career start Cardinals' 30th-round pick fans two over six shutout innings By Danny Wild / MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/18/HqZz6KBO.jpg Kyle Helisek was the first Villanova player drafted by St. Louis. (Villanova Athletics) When you're five games into your professional career, winning an argument with a manager is about as likely as getting a call to the Majors. Not that Kyle Helisek didn't have a valid argument to make on Wednesday night. Helisek tossed six hitless innings in his third start in the Cardinals' system, striking out two before reaching his pitch count in short-season Batavia's 2-1 loss to Jamestown. "I knew he wasn't going to let me go three more," Helisek said, referring to Muckdogs skipper Dann Bilardello. "He said I wasn't going to win the argument." Helisek, the Cardinals' 30th-round pick last month out of Villanova, worked 1-2-3 innings in every frame but the third, when Juancito Martinez reached on first baseman David Washington's error. Helisek and catcher Jonathan Keener took care of that when the lefty picked off the Jammers' lone baserunner and retired the final 10 batters he faced. For Helisek, a no-hitter came into focus around the sixth. By then, after four outings in which he hadn't gone more than 4 2/3 innings, his night was over. "I think, to be honest, the sixth, when I got taken out after two times through the order, I'm thinking, 'Three more innings, nine more outs, I can do this,'" Helisek said. "And that's when I got the news I was done." Helisek, like countless Minor Leaguers before him, took a seat with a no-hitter in progress. He handed the ball to Brandon Creath, who kept the gem intact in the seventh but gave up two hits in the eighth. "As soon as I came in, Dann Bilardello told me right away," Helisek said. "I mean, I just kinda accepted it. It was early." Helisek lost what would have been his second victory when Jamestown rallied for a walk-off win against Lee Stoppelman. Win or not, it was a dominant effort by the Pennsylvania native, who said the deepest he took a no-hitter in college was about the eighth. "I knew I was on a pitch count, but that's always in the back of your mind," Helisek said. "It's definitely hard to come out of that situation." The 22-year-old, who pitched four seasons at Villanova, said he fed Jamestown a steady diet of heat after his curveball felt off in the bullpen. "I threw a ton of fastballs. I knew in my bullpen I didn't love my breaking ball," he said. "I knew I had to keep my fastball low. Every pitch, I moved in and out and kept it low. It worked well for me today." Only fastballs? Not quite, but in the New York-Penn League, sometimes that's all you need. "I would say fastballs in and out, locating, and I mixed in a lot of changeups," Helisek said. "Our catcher, Keener, did a good job calling pitches, so that was really helpful." Helisek's pick-off in the third was a case of Batavia guessing right. He threw to first and Washington fired to shortstop Alex Mejia for the tag. "To be honest, after I saw my second baseman [breyvic Valera] catch it, I put my head down and then heard the crowd cheer," Helisek said. "I got two pick-off calls from our catcher, so credit to him. He read that one and we got him, so it was good." The outing will be another lesson in the Minors, something Helisek said he's adjusting to well since leaving Villanova ranked sixth in school history in innings pitched. "It's been great, playing out here, and it's nice to go out and have a great defense behind you," he said. "For the most part, we're hitting well, so it's a great feeling. I've been really enjoying it, definitely learned a lot and it's only been a month and a half." Jamestown trailed until rallying in the ninth. Martinez drew a leadoff walk, Cameron Flynn reached on a bunt and a groundout by Jesus Solorzano moved both runners into scoring position. Matt Juengel followed with a line drive to center field for a walk-off single.

Sounds Fall To Express, 8-5 Patterson Homers, Halton Drives In Two For Nashville In Losing Effort NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds dropped their second straight game to the Round Rock Express, falling 8-5 on Wednesday evening at Greer Stadium. With the defeat, the Sounds (42-55) suffered their first consecutive losses since late June. All-Star outfielder Joey Butler paced the Express' offensive attack with a 5-for-5 night that included an RBI and three runs scored. It marked the first five-hit effort by an opponent against Nashville this season. First baseman Sean Halton went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs to highlight four two-hit efforts by Sounds batters on the night. Round Rock opened the scoring with a three-run second inning against Sounds starter Seth McClung, who suffered his Pacific Coast League-leading 12th loss of the year. Former Sound Brad Nelson led off with a double to right and, after Ryan Spilborghs was hit by a pitch, scored the night's first run on Butler's RBI two-bagger into the right field corner. Luis Hernandez made it 2-0 when he plated Spilborghs with a sacrifice fly before Butler scored the third Express run on Elio Sarmiento's RBI single to center. The Sounds got a run back in the bottom of the second. After loading the bases with one out against Round Rock starter Chad Bell on three consecutive singles, catcher Jason Jaramillo lifted a sacrifice fly to center to plate Halton to make it a 3-1 contest. Nashville was unable to do any further damage, though, as Bell induced an inning-ending groundout from Edwin Maysonet. Nashville pulled in front, 4-3, with a three-run outburst against Bell in the third. Halton tied the game with a two-out, two-run double down the left field line that brought in Eric Farris (single) and Andy Gonzalez (walk). For the third straight night, Taylor Green (2-for-4) gave the Sounds their first lead of the contest when he followed with a broken-bat RBI single to shallow right. Round Rock reclaimed a 6-4 lead in the fourth, chasing McClung from the contest in the process. After the right-hander issued a leadoff walk to Spilborghs, Butler and Yangervis Solarte followed with back-to-back singles, the second of which knotted the game at 4-4. Later in the frame, Butler put the Express back on top when he raced plateward on Julio Borbon's bases-loaded infield single. McClung followed by issuing a walk to his final batter, Greg Miclat, to up the visitors' lead to 6-4. Sounds reliever Rob Wooten inherited a one-out, bases-loaded jam and escaped without further damage by popping up former Vanderbilt star Matt Kata and inducing a groundout from Nelson. McClung (2-12) allowed six runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings of action, walking four batters and striking out three. The Express added single runs in the fifth and sixth against Wooten on a two-out Hernandez RBI double and a Kata run-scoring single to extend the advantage to 8-4. Corey Patterson belted his eighth home run of the year, a mammoth one-out solo shot to right off Bell, to pull the Sounds within three at 8-5. The red-hot veteran went 2-for-4 on the night and is hitting .391 (36-for-92) over his last 29 contests. Bell (3-2) picked up the victory for Round Rock after allowing five runs on nine hits in seven innings of work. Johan Yan and Yoshinori Tateyama closed out the contest with a pair of perfect innings for Round Rock, with Tateyama picking up his second save of the year. The teams will wrap up the four-game set with a 7:05 p.m. finale on Thursday evening. Right-hander Claudio Vargas (3-1, 4.94) will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face Round Rock right-hander Justin Grimm (0-0, 2.25). The first 2,000 fans through the turnstiles will receive a bobblehead of Oak Ridge Boy bass singer Richard Sterban, a former Sounds minority owner and one of the team's official ambassadors. Nashville Box Score` I find it discouraging that Melvin cycled back both McClung and Vargas as starting pitchers for Nashville. Hasn't that ship already sailed? I certainly have no problem stashing depth in AAA, but neither pitcher fits my definition of MLB starting pitching depth at this point in their careers. Don't get me wrong, I've always liked big Seth, but he's just not a starting pitcher at this point. Sean Halton had a big day but is only SLG in the mid .400s, I'm honestly not sure what to make of him as that's about where I would guess Scooter Gennett would end up if he makes it in MLB. Nashville Play By Play

Sounds Suffer Extra-Inning Loss To Express, 5-4 Brian Baker Strikes Out Career High Nine In No-Decision NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Round Rock Express hit three consecutive two-out singles in the 11th inning to hand the Nashville Sounds a 5-4 defeat on Tuesday night at Greer Stadium in the second game of a four-game series. The Express scored two runs in the ninth to force the game to extras and later won the game thanks to three straight hits from Joey Butler, Tommy Mendonca, and Luis Hernandez off Amaury Rivas (4-6). It was the eighth extra-inning contest of the season and first since May 28 for the Sounds, who moved to 4-4 in extra-inning play. Nashville has blown a save in its last two losses and has held the lead in seven of its last night defeats overall. Nashville starter Brian Baker pitched seven strong innings as the Nashville Sounds handed the Round Rock Express a 4-2 loss In his first start since rejoining the Sounds, Nashville starter Brian Baker allowed two runs on four hits in his seven innings of work while striking out nine Express batters, which set a new career high and matched the most by a Sounds starter this season. Baker has now compiled a 1.47 ERA (3er/18.1) in his last four PCL outings (three starts) and picked up his last two victories against the Express. Outfielder Corey Patterson (2-for-3) tripled while scoring and driving in a run. Outfielder Caleb Gindl also added two hits and a double. Round Rock took an early 1-0 lead in the opening frame as leadoff hitter Julio Borbon singled, stole second base, and scored on a hustle play. Former Vanderbilt star Matt Kata grounded out to first base, as Boron continued to run through third and slide under the tag of catcher Jason Jaramillo. Nashville knotted the contest in the bottom of the second inning. Outfielder Corey Patterson lined a two-out triple down the first base line and scored on the ensuing play as Round Rock starter Greg Reynolds committed a balk during the bat with Jordan Brown. Nashville went ahead at 2-1 in the fourth with consecutive doubles from outfielder Caleb Gindl and Taylor Green. AUDIO: Taylor Green RBI Double The Sounds added two more runs for a 4-1 advantage in the home half of the sixth. After a couple of one-out walks by Express starter Greg Reynolds, Patterson lined a single into right field, followed by a sacrifice fly by Brown. Former Sound Brad Nelson cut the Nashville lead in half with his 14th homer of the season, a solo shot to left to lead off the seventh inning. Round Rock scored two late runs to tie the game at 4-4 in the ninth off reliever Mike McClendon, who walked Greg Miclat to leadoff the frame. Miclat moved to third on a Kata single and scored the first run as Nelson grounded out to second. Kata then came home to score the tying run from second base on a throwing error from Green. The Sounds threatened in the 10th inning, but came up empty as Schafer led off with an infield single and moved to second on an Eric Farris sacrifice. On the ensuing play, Gindl smacked a line drive to center, but Schafer was thrown out at home plate, attempting to go high on the catcher while being tagged out. Donovan Hand pitched a scoreless inning. McClendon gave up two runs in a 1/3 of an inning for the blown save. Juan Perez walked two and struck out three while stranding both inherited runners in two innings. Amaury Rivas scattered three hits for a run in 2/3 of an inning. Reynolds gave up four runs on in six innings in a no-decision. Neal Cotts (1-1) picked up the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. The Sounds and Express continue their series at 7:05 pm CT on Wednesday night at Greer Stadium. Right-hander Seth McClung (2-11, 5.60) takes the mound against Round Rock Chad Bell (2-2, 3.47). Nashville Box Score Before I start, is there any tastier homemade treat than cookies fresh out of the oven? Maybe I'm nostalgic, but I love that smell and taste going all the way back to my childhood. I've had boxes of cookie dough in the freezer since our fundraiser last season and it occurred to me recently that I should actually work to get rid of them before I buy more again next month. Cookies for the win! Unfortunately the Sounds didn't win, and they made some very curious plays late in the game that cost them. Brian Baker has been really good over his last 4 appearances, if he can keep it going maybe both Baker and Sanchez can be in the mix for bullpen spots next season. Amaury Rivas... *sigh* what the hell dude? His ERA as a reliever should be in low 3s at worst, he's pitching worse out of the pen than he did as a starter. Is his confidence just gone? The curious plays I was speaking of...in the 7th Baker has Nelson down either 0-2 or 1-2 and then grooves a pitch so Brad can hit a HR. Then Taylor Green fields a routine grounder in the 9th, looks the runner back to second, apparently hurries the throw short hopping Jordan Brown who isn't able to dig it out. In the bottom of the inning on the play described above when Logan Schafer gets thrown out at the plate... he waits for the ball to go through before advancing so he's already lost a couple of steps, he's waved home anyway, the throw beats him, and he just tries to run through the tag? He was the game winning run and didn't try to bury the catcher or slide around the tag? The last 4 innings of this game were frustrating to say the least. In case you're wondering Jeff mentioned that Jim Henderson wasn't available to close it out after pitching back to back to days. Nashville Play By Play

One can only hope...

If we're trading with the Cards we want Taveras(18th on the mid season 50) or Martinez(26th on the mid season 50), within the division you take either the best pitching prospect or the best hitting prospect.

Ask BA By Jim Callis July 16, 2012 With the signing date moved up to July and all of the first round picks but one signing, this is definitely an interesting read. Jim slots the draft picks into the top 50 and if they redid the top 50 today Thornburg wouldn't make the list. The mid season 50 with the draft picks slotted is in the middle of the post.

Final: DSL Blue Jays 3, DSL Brewers 2 DSL Brewers Box Score No it's not a replay of yesterday, only feels like it. You know I forgot about Milton Gomez when I was making my comments on the DSL pitching yesterday, shame on me. Young Milton got beat around a bit going 4.2 IP allowing 3 earned runs on 7 hits, he didn't walk anyone, but only struck out 2. Victor Diaz managed to put 2.1 scoreless innings despite allowing 3 hits and 2 walks, but some interesting baserunning helped him out. Felix Paulino now has a scoreless appearance streak, it stands at 2. Kevin Martinez who hadn't played since the 11th had the only multi-hit game and XBH as he went 2-4 with a double. Yunior Santana had both an error (fielding) and an outfield assist, Juan Ortiz added an OF assist of his own gunning a runner at home to save a run. DSL Brewers Play By Play The 3 run 5th was all the Blue Jays would need... DSL Blue Jays Bottom of the 5th Andres Sotillo grounds out, third baseman Jose Dicent to first baseman Alejandro Mendoza. Juan Tejada singles on a line drive to center fielder Juan Ortiz. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Juan Kelly replaces Juan Tejada. Rolando Segovia reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by second baseman Raphachel Colatosti. Juan Kelly to 2nd. Deiferson Barreto grounds out, shortstop Francisco Castillo to first baseman Alejandro Mendoza. Juan Kelly to 3rd. Rolando Segovia to 2nd. Edwin Fuentes doubles (3) on a fly ball to left fielder Elvis Rubio. Juan Kelly scores. Rolando Segovia scores. Angel Rojas singles on a ground ball to right fielder Yunior Santana. Edwin Fuentes scores. Pitcher Change: Victor Diaz replaces Milton Gomez. With Cesar Barazarte batting, Angel Rojas steals (6) 2nd base. Cesar Barazarte walks. Leudy Garcia called out on strikes. Bases loaded and no out led to the only 2 runs for the good guys, should have had more though. DSL Brewers Top of the 6th Defensive switch from first base to center field for Angel Rojas. Juan Kelly remains in the game as the first baseman. Pitcher Change: Jonathan Torres replaces Carlos Rodriguez. Alejandro Mendoza walks. Raphachel Colatosti walks. Alejandro Mendoza to 2nd. Francisco Castillo singles on a fly ball to left fielder Leudy Garcia. Alejandro Mendoza to 3rd. Raphachel Colatosti to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Manuel Lopez replaces Jonathan Torres. Kevin Martinez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Leudy Garcia. Alejandro Mendoza scores. Raphachel Colatosti scores. Francisco Castillo to 3rd. Fielding error by left fielder Leudy Garcia. Juan Ortiz called out on strikes. Elvis Rubio grounds out, pitcher Manuel Lopez to first baseman Juan Kelly. Jose Dicent strikes out swinging. An odd double play that only happens a couple of times per season. DSL Blue Jays Bottom of the 6th Ronniel Demorizi called out on strikes. Andres Sotillo singles on a ground ball to left fielder Elvis Rubio. With Juan Kelly batting, Andres Sotillo steals (4) 2nd base. Juan Kelly walks. Rolando Segovia flies into double play, right fielder Yunior Santana to first baseman Alejandro Mendoza. Juan Kelly doubled off 1st. Had a chance to tie or take the lead here... DSL Brewers Top of the 9th Juan Ortiz grounds out, second baseman Rolando Segovia to first baseman Juan Kelly. Elvis Rubio singles on a ground ball to center fielder Angel Rojas. Jose Dicent strikes out swinging. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Juan De Leon replaces Yunior Santana. Juan De Leon walks. Elvis Rubio to 2nd. Carlos Pena walks. Elvis Rubio to 3rd. Juan De Leon to 2nd. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Marcos Padilla replaces Carlos Pena. Pitcher Change: Simon Paulino replaces Manuel Lopez. Alejandro Mendoza strikes out swinging.