TheCrew07

Hamilton steals 100th base of season Becomes first in California League to reach feat since 1983 By Sam Dykstra / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/03/6RHIJlgC.jpg Billy Hamilton evades the tag for his 100th stolen base this year. (Cherished Memories Photography) The biggest story in the Minor Leagues just reached a new level. Or rather, a new digit. Billy Hamilton stole two bases Monday night to give him an even 100 on the season in his 78th game of the season. He finished 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored for Class A Advanced Bakersfield, but the Blaze fell to Lake Elsinore, 3-2. The Reds' top prospect reached the century mark in steals for the second straight season after swiping 103 for Class A Dayton one year ago, although it took him 134 games to reach triple digits. He becomes the second California League player to total 100 steals in a season since Donell Nixon had 144 -- also for Bakersfield -- in 1983. Hamilton stole base No. 99 following a fifth-inning walk and then reached the century mark after singling and stealing second on a 1-0 fastball by Greg Gonzalez to lead off the eighth inning, the final frame in which he would find himself on the basepaths Monday. Lake Elsinore hitting coach David Newman was ejected by umpire John Bostwick for arguing the safe call on the milestone steal. The 21-year-old shortstop's 100 steals lead all professional baseball players. By comparison, Astros' No. 8 prospect Delino DeShields, Jr. ranks second with 57 thefts for Class A Lexington and Major Leaguer leader Dee Gordon has accrued only 28 thefts for the Dodgers. Hamilton jokingly told MiLB.com in May that his goal is to double last year's mark of 103. But next up is Nixon's Cal League record and just beyond that is Vince Coleman's Minor League best of 145, also set in 1983, in the South Atlantic League. The Mississippi native seemed confident that he could potentially reach both numbers before season's end. "I mean, it's possible," he said. "I think 144 is possible, but I'm not saying I'm going to go out and get 144. I knew [103] would be tough to double, but I didn't set any goals. I just want to get better, come work on my jump and whatever happens, happens." But for the time being, Hamilton and those around him had been preparing for Monday's feat as late as last week. "It'll be an exciting day for him, and an exciting day for the rest of the team," Bakersfield manager Ken Griffey Sr. told MiLB.com. "Like I've said, he's the catalyst for this team. Everything we do offensively comes from him or through him, so it'll be a big day for everyone." Eddy Rodriguez hit a solo homer and a double as part of a 2-for-3 night and Vince Belnome homered for the Storm. Lake Elsinore starter Burch Smith (7-4) allowed one run on three hits and struck out eight over six innings.

Wilson allows one hit over six innings Pirates' No. 9 prospect fans four, does not factor into decision By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/02/FQno5MVs.jpg Justin Wilson lowered his ERA from 3.57 to 3.34 in the win. (Carl Kline/MiLB.com) For the third time in four starts, Pittsburgh farmhand Justin Wilson was dominant. But like the other two games when he allowed just one hit, the left-hander was not rewarded with a win. Pittsburgh's No. 9 prospect allowed a lone single and issued one free pass while striking out four batters over six shutout innings Monday, as the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians beat the Louisville Bats, 6-4, in 14 innings. e 2008 Draft, Wilson set down the side in order in the first inning and he worked around hitting Felix Perez with two outs in the second. Kristopher Negron stroked a one-out base hit to left field in the third frame and Paul Janish followed that with a walk. But no other Louisville batter reached base against Wilson, who retired the final 10 batters he faced. The Fresno State product turned a 3-0 lead over to the bullpen in the seventh, but the Bats rallied to score three times to ensure he would not factor in the final decision. The outing lowered Wilson's ERA to 3.34, and it marked the third time in four starts that he has allowed one hit while pitching six innings. On June 17, he gave up a run on one hit and three walks in a 2-1 win over Charlotte. Five days later, he replicated that line in a 4-2 victory at home against the Scranton/Wilkes- Barre Yankees. Wilson did not factor into the decision in either game after exiting both contests in a 1-1 tie. Wilson has allowed two hits or fewer in six of his 17 International League starts this season. Among those performances was a 7 1/3-inning no-hit outing he spun on the road in Durham on April 29 in his fifth start of the year. Now in his fourth year of pro ball, Wilson went 6-8 with a 4.50 ERA in 26 starts with Lynchburg in 2009 and he posted an 11-8 record and a 3.09 EA in 27 appearances with Double-A Altoona in his sophomore year. Last season -- Wilson's first year in the International League -- he won 10 games (10-8) and recorded three saves with the Indians. He finished with a 4.13 ERA over 30 appearances, including 21 starts, in Triple-A. On Monday, Kris Johnson (4-0) allowed one hit while striking out one batter over two innings to earn the victory, and closer Tim Wood fanned two batters in the 14th inning to earn his 12th save. MLB.com's No. 32 prospect Starling Marte was 3-for-6 with a double, a walk and an RBI, and first baseman Matt Hague was 2-for-5 with a double, two walks and four RBIs. Hague snapped a 4-4 tie with a bases-loaded, two-run single to left field in the top of the 14th inning. Louisville reliever Nick Christiani (0-4) surrendered two runs -- one earned -- on two hits and a walk while striking out three batters. Right fielder Bill Rhinehart smacked a two-run homer in the loss.

Cingrani delivers on mound, at plate Reds prospect fans nine in 6 2/3 frames, scores first pro run By David Heck / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/02/nVMXqdzA.jpg Tony Cingrani has struck out 24 batters over 14 2/3 innings in his last two outings. (Chris Nelson) For most Minor Leaguers, an effort like Tony Cingrani's on Monday night might represent the highlight of their season. For the young left-hander, it was just "all right." Following up the best start of his pro career, the Reds' No. 10 prospect struck out nine while allowing two hits over 6 2/3 scoreless frames as the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos blanked the Jacksonville Suns, 2-0. Cingrani (3-1) issued four walks as he lowered his Southern League ERA to 1.75. "The off-speed wasn't really there, again," he said. "I just used the fastball and threw a breaking ball there when I needed to. It wasn't too bad." Cingrani retired the first 10 batters he faced before yielding a one-out single to Paul Gran in the fourth inning. He gave up a single and a walk in the fifth and sixth, then came out after issuing a pair of free passes in the seventh. Though his secondary pitches were inconsistent at times, the southpaw still tried to use them to keep Jacksonville off balance. "The changeup's fine," he said. "Against lefties, I threw a couple good sliders and struck them out. It's there, but it's just hit or miss sometimes." How can he develop the slider into a more reliable pitch? "Throw it more," said Cingrani, who will turn 23 on Thurday. "That's what I need to do to get to the next level." He also helped the Blue Wahoos' cause at the plate. Cingrani smacked a single to lead off the sixth, then came home on a double by No. 4 Cincinnati prospect Didi Gregorius to score the game's first run. Though he did not record a single plate appearance in college, he has tallied three hits in six at-bats with Pensacola. "I'm pretty awful, but I'm pretty quick, so I get down the line," Cingrani said. "I haven't hit in seven years. ... See it, hit it. I don't want to overcomplicate things. They usually just throw fastballs anyway." In six outings (36 innings) at Double-A, Cingrani has fanned 47 while limiting opponents to a .190 batting average. He was just as dominant in 10 starts for Class A Advanced Bakersfield, posting a 1.11 ERA and .189 batting average against. Overall, the product of Rice University leads full-season Minor Leaguers with a 1.36 ERA and ranks second with 118 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings. "If you make mistakes [in Double-A], they generally hit it. But for the most part, it's about the same," Cingrani said. "They're not as aggressive as they were in High-A, but for the most part, get the fastball in there, get ahead and you'll be pretty successful."

Cal notes: Brackman begins again Former first-rounder working to regain form in Blaze bullpen By Chris Martinez / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/03/PWeLBmQD.jpg Andrew Brackman has a 3.86 ERA in five relief appearances. (Ricky Bassman/MiLB.com) Cincinnati native Andrew Brackman has started anew with his hometown organization. The 6-foot-10 right-hander became a free agent in the offseason after the New York Yankees cut loose their former first-rounder, and he signed with the Reds to launch his second chance. Brackman struggled in five starts for Triple-A Louisville, then made three starts with the Bakersfield Blaze before moving to the bullpen. He allowed 19 runs in 17 1/3 innings with the Bats and had similar struggles in the Blaze rotation, but the numbers weren't the only reason why Brackman moved into relief. "[i'm] pitching in the bullpen so I can throw twice a week and find my stuff," Brackman said. "It doesn't matter where I pitch. I'm working to get back to my old self." His old self threw a fastball in the high 90s and dominated at Moeller High School in Cincinnati and at North Carolina State. The Yankees chose him 30th overall in the 2007 Draft and gave him a Major League contract. After three years of steady progress through the Yankees system, Brackman got a September call-up to the Majors in 2011 and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings. However, the Yankees decided to let Brackman go after the 2011 season, in which he walked and struck out 75 batters in 96 Triple-A innings. Brackman's decision to join the Reds was easy, but his time in the new organization has presented bigger challenges for him. It's changed Brackman's view of the game. Whether he's pitching for the Yankees or the Reds, Brackman said, "It's all the same game. You have to go out there and get outs." He applies the same philosophy to pitching in the bullpen instead of the rotation. "It's not what I planned to do," he said. "This game is funny. It has its ups and downs. I'm going out here every day, having fun and trying to be productive." Brackman has continued the adjustments that helped him get through 2011, like consistency in location and repeating his arm slot. "I'm still trying to figure out stuff that's comfortable for me," he said. Pitching in relief isn't new for Brackman. He made 19 starts and 10 relief appearances at Class A Charleston in 2009 and had 20 relief appearances and 13 starts in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2011. As Brackman works to get back to the Majors and regain his best stuff, his stop in Bakersfield is another lesson along the way. In brief Landry goes long: Rancho Cucamonga center fielder Leon Landry has hit safely in his last five games, including a pair of four-hit performances. The Louisiana native knocked in nine runs last week, scored six times and is hitting .392 since June 23. Quick recovery: Inland Empire reliever Eric Cendejas allowed three runs on June 27 against Lake Elsinore, marking the first time he'd allowed an earned run since June 2. He recovered with two scoreless outings at the end of the week, giving up two hits in 3 1/3 innings. He has nine strikeouts and a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings over his last 10 games. Taylor on top: Stockton catcher Beau Taylor is making a name for himself while sharing the position with one of Oakland's top prospects, Max Stassi. Taylor collected six hits in two game against San Jose to start the week, raising his season average to .323.

The Lansing Trio has been in the news all year, I suppose I'll give them some love, I did the same for Bundy. An interesting read if you're into developing pitching. I couldn't make the tables format so just providing the link Lansing pitching, not piggybacking

Blaze's Robles shines in Cal debut Reds farmhand allows three hits, fans six over six innings By Sam Dykstra / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/06/kvrv26YC.jpg Tanner Robles had a 4.45 ERA in 16 starts with Dayton before his promotion. (Emily Jones/MiLB.com) Tanner Robles was looking forward to spending the Fourth of July holiday with his family in Dayton, Ohio, where he was scheduled to pitch for the Class A Dragons on Thursday. Only problem was the Reds organization decided to bump the 23-year-old left-handed starter up to Class A Advanced Bakersfield instead. But even then, his family, who were en route from their home in Utah to the Midwest, made sure he wouldn't make his first journey to the California League alone. "It's pretty funny, my mom had to actually spend the night in Dallas," Robles said. He made sure his debut was worth the trip. Robles allowed just three hits and two walks over six shutout innings Thursday, but Bakersfield fell to Stockton, 6-3. After going 5-5 with a 4.45 ERA through 16 starts for Dayton, Thursday's feat marked the first time this season that the southpaw did not surrender a run in any given start. The last time he remained spotless in a start was Aug. 13, 2010 for Rookie-level Billings. As good as his final line looked, the Reds farmhand admitted there were some nerves at play, and it showed in his walk to Ryan Pineda to kick off the contest before he was able to settle down -- both mentally and physically -- thanks to the help of his teammates. "Before every start, you've got a little bit of jitters," he said."But I have all my buddies here from [Dayton] last year, and they played some great defense behind me." Robles' biggest problems came in the third inning when Dusty Robinson reached on a forceout and then stole second base with one down. After striking out Josh Whitaker, the 6-foot-4 hurler tossed a wild pitch that brought Robinson 90 feet away from the Ports' first run. But Robles rebounded from his own error, striking out A.J. Kirby-Jones to end the threat. The left-hander allowed a leadoff double to Max Stassi in the fourth before retiring the final nine Ports he faced in the outing. Robles, who employs a basic fastball-curveball-changeup mix on the mound, believed his improved results over time Thursday came from an improved confidence in his arsenal as the night wore on. "Honestly, it was all just good command of my pitches," he said. "I started really only throwing a fastball and curveball, but by the end, I was able to throw all three of them for strikes. That and keeping the ball low the whole night really helped." With his first Cal League start under his belt, the former Oregon State pitcher admitted that he was happy to be back on the nation's West coast, not only to be a little closer to his Utah family, but also for meteorological reasons. "We were just in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and it was like 93 degrees and humid there," Robles said. "It's a dry heat here. It's kind of nice." Whitaker launched a grand slam to center field off Blaze reliever Brooks Pinckard in the ninth to push the visiting Ports into the lead. Reds' top prospect Billy Hamilton finished 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored. The shortstop added two stolen bases to give him 103 on the year, equaling his career high established last season with Dayton.

Not sure if I linked this earlier when I started linking more articles, but here it is again just in case, I just reread it today. Teams Take Widely Varied Approaches To Developing Top Young Arms

Picking The Prospect Surprises And Disappointments Of The First Half • Tony Cingrani, rhp, Reds: At Rice, Cingrani was a complete bust as a starter. He posted an 8.58 ERA, which led to a move to the bullpen. Cincinnati gave him another chance to start, and he's responded by posting a 1.57 ERA in 28 starts as a pro. His slider has improved to the point where he has two average secondary offerings on most nights. The fastball is almost always plus. • Jimmy Nelson, rhp, Brewers: The Brewers' high Class A Brevard County club was supposed to be the launching pad for several of the club's top pitching prospects, but it's been Nelson, not 2011 first-rounders Taylor Jungmann and Jed Bradley, who proved to be the ace of the staff. Nelson has front-line stuff to go with his fine performance. Jungmann and Bradley were supposed to be on the fast track, but it's Nelson who has beaten them to Double-A. • Gregory Polanco, of, Pirates: When scouts come in to see low Class A West Virginia, Alen Hanson is usually the first prospect they look for. But many times, they will come away equally impressed with Polanco. The 20-year-old center fielder shows power and speed to go with a 6-foot-4 frame that gives him plenty of room to fill out. • Trevor Rosenthal, rhp, Cardinals: Often pitchers see their velocity dip as they adjust to the grind of pro ball. In Rosenthal's case, his velocity has gotten better and better. What was once a 91-95 mph fastball has become a 93-98 mph fastball to go with a plus slider. The only significant knock on him is that some scouts think he'll end up as a reliever because he's primarily a two-pitch guy right now. Stock Down Brett Jackson of Cubs 33 Has always battled some strikeout issues, but whiffing this year in an unsustainable 38 percent of at-bats Wily Peralta rhp Brewers 56 Great 2011 season has been wiped away by lost command in 2012 Jed Bradley lhp Brewers 71 Scouts who have seen him in Florida State League wonder what the fuss was about Steady Improvement Luis Heredia rhp Pirates Not many 17-year-olds can hold their own in New York-Penn League, but Heredia was off to flying start ALL DL Team Josh Bell of Pirates Has been out since April 23 with knee injury that will cost him much of season

Reds’ Tony Cingrani Keeps Piling Up The K’s

Billy Hamilton Hits The Century Mark

BA's Mid Season Top 50 (Subscriber Content) #6 Gerrit Cole - Pirates #15 James Tallion - Pirates #18 Oscar Taveras - Cardinals #20 Shelby Miller - Cardinals #25 Javier Baez - Cubs #27 Billy Hamilton - Reds (seems low, not a big power guy but he's tearing up AA regardless of the whole SB thing) #36 Starling Marte - Pirates #40 Alen Hanson - Pirates #44 Kolten Wong - Cardinals As mentioned earlier in the week in a different thread Thornburg was the #48. ALSO RECEIVING VOTES Matt Adams - Cardinals

I have a ton of catching up to do with BA and MiLB, I'll do it all in today's thread instead of going back to each day's specific thread.

I've been avoiding this idea for a long time because I didn't want to offend not just you but people who share your similar opinion. Isn't it awfully selfish and shortsighted to view the team from this perspective? It's like what people are really saying is that they want to watch meaningful baseball as long as possible so let's wait to do anything until the last minute and then we have football as a distraction so they won't care anymore. Which of course makes it very easy to dismiss the various well thought out posts about getting the best ultimate value from the situation. Is that why the same throw away lines keep getting repeated by so many, it doesn't matter how intelligent the counter argument is if the idea is contrary to what we want out of our personal fandom? I want the playoffs every year so the end always justifies the means? Another buy thread popped up again as well... buy with what? Or rather buy with whom? If we're competing head to head I'll fight until the bitter end, I just won't quit, I'm too spiteful a competitor for that, always have been. However all of this discussion is about making the best out of a bad situation... we have contracts that are expiring, we have a maxed payroll, we have a thin farm system, we have a ton of injuries... Shouldn't the question be how do we position ourselves so this scenario (which could have happened last year as well) doesn't happen again, not how can I watch meaningful baseball for as long as possible? This isn't about what we would do between the lines if we had the talent, it's about how to properly manage the situation to move the organization forward.

It's hard to project Fiers for a best case result given so few players with middling stuff get there, but he does have plus command which is maybe the most import aspect of pitching. I highly doubt he's a sub 3 ERA pitcher, plenty of rookies have come in and had a nice first year. We aren't past the point where everyone has a book on him either, it's one thing to read an advanced scouting report, and it's another to see the guy in action. The true test here will be when he starts seeing teams the 2nd and 3rd time, then we'll know. This guy is a good lesson in that kind phenomenon. I'm not comparing them as pitchers, they don't even throw with the same hand, I'm just saying lets not get carried away until repeats success against the same teams. Which is very similar to my take on pitchers at the start of a minor league season, lets see what happens the second time they face the same team. I'm very excited for him and I love that a prospect came up and pitched well enough to stay, though I have a bad feeling he'll be the guy sent down or sent to the pen when Marcum comes back. However that could just my perceived Milwaukee anti-prospect cloud hanging over the discussion.

Just so I understand, you think that 2 months of Greinke + the playoffs (possibly) is worth 2 of the top 10 prospects in Baseball? BA put out the mid season rankings and not so surprising Bundy jumped past Profar but those are 1 and 2, and Machado is the #9. I think some of you seriously over value Greinke and just making the playoffs. Texas would be crazy to do the #2 prospect for Greinke and they have a legitimate opportunity to win a World Series, that result would be the product of some serious bidding between teams. There is no way a realistic return from the O's is both Bundy and Machado. Baltimore is building around pitching, I could see them trading Machado but there's just no way we get Bundy. When we acquired Sabathia who's a better and more consistent pitcher in 2008 we only gave up LaPorta out of the top 50, and the Indians got comp picks and we controlled him longer than anyone getting Greinke would. That would have been like us trading LaPorta and Gamel/Escobar in that same deal, there was just no way.

Redbirds Even Series With 6-1 Win Over Sounds Patterson Homers For Third Straight Game For Lone Nashville Run MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Redbirds evened their series against the Sounds at one piece with a 6-1 victory over Nashville on Thursday evening at AutoZone Park. Left-hander John Gast (6-2) kept the Sounds in check, striking out seven while holding Nashville to one run on four hits over six innings of work in his quality-start victory. Red-hot outfielder Corey Patterson homered for the third straight game to account for the lone Sounds run of the night. Nashville managed only six hits against four Memphis hurlers on the evening. Shortstop Edwin Maysonet (2-for-4) and third baseman Andy Gonzalez (2-for-3) accounted for two-thirds of those knocks. Memphis grabbed a 1-0 first inning lead against Nashville right-hander Seth McClung. Adron Chambers opened the frame with a walk, advanced to third when McClung misfired toward first on a pickoff attempt, and scored on a Cedric Hunter sac fly. Patterson evened the contest in the second when he led off with a solo homer to right off Gast. The veteran has homered in three straight games and is batting .400 (26-for-65) over his last 21 contests. With the homer, Patterson extended his longest hit streak of the year to seven. · AUDIO: Corey Patterson Homers Again The Redbirds jumped back into the lead in the home half of the second, plating three runs off McClung to pull in front by a 4-1 count. Ryan Jackson led off with a double and scored the go-ahead run on catcher Bryan Anderson's subsequent RBI single. Chambers and Eulogio Velez added run-scoring knocks later in the frame. Memphis third baseman Zach Cox (3-for-4) added to the 'Birds lead in the third when he clubbed a leadoff solo homer to right off McClung, his sixth roundtripper of the season. McClung (2-10) suffered his PCL co-leading tenth loss of the year after surrendering five runs on five hits in only three innings of work, his shortest start of the season. Anderson contributed his second run-scoring knock for Memphis in the fifth when his two-out single off Sounds reliever Victor Garate plated Cox to make it a 6-1 contest. Following Gast's departure, a trio of Memphis reliever combined to keep Nashville off the board the rest of the way. The Sounds put a pair of baserunners on in the ninth before Sam Freeman popped up pinch-hitter Jay Gibbons to end the contest. Nashville outfielder Caleb Gindl went 0-for-4 on the night to snap his longest hitting streak of the season at eight games. Reliever Jesus Sanchez made his Sounds debut with a scoreless eighth inning. The teams continue the series with another 7:05 p.m. meeting on Friday night. Right-hander Claudio Vargas (2-1, 5.63) will man the bump for the Sounds and face Memphis southpaw Tyler Lyons (0-3, 7.40). Nashville Box Score Umm, it's late, and I did go back and check all the game stories twice just to make sure I'm not overtired, but we got swept as an organization today so even though Jesus Sanchez got his much deserved debut in AAA I'm glad I stayed away from the audio to do other things. Remember that article about Nashville prior to the season saying how much better their pitching would be? Well maybe it will be now with Thornburg up and Peralata seeming to find his groove, but it certainly hasn't been good outside of a couple of relievers. Out of the remaining 3 games in this series I'm primarily interested in 3 individual performances, and they are all pitchers. Shelby Miller for the Cards and then both Peralta and Thornburg have starts remaining. I have mixed mixed feelings about our divisional rival prospects, I really don't like rooting for them to fail, somehow it's akin to rooting for them to get hurt which is something that I don't do. I just want ours to be better, but do I have some morbid fascination with Miller's rough season thus far considering coming into the season he was a lock to be in the Cards rotation by this time. Of course as I've noted many times there are literally half a dozen or more top pitching prospects with unexpected horrible season lines in AAA, just a strange season from that perspective. Nashville Play By Play 6-1 was bad, but the Sounds turned 4 double plays or it would have been worse.

Did I hear correctly that he quit throwing his 2 seam FB? I wonder why? It's a great inside pitch against righties... it doesn't help him establish the outside part of the plate, that's for sure, but that's where the 4 seam or cutter come into play. Reconsider Drew!

Typically as a courtesy all scouts are in the mid teen rows behind home plate. A very good friend of mine has had season tickets in row 9 since Miller Park opened, and the Brewer's scout sits right behind him on the aisle in row 10. One game when Turnbow was still on fire and pitching really well my father and I sat in those seats and it was literally awe inspiring how sick Turnbow's slider was when he was on... 92 MPH hitting the black on the outside edge with a sharp break all the way across the plate, all my dad could say was "Jesus did you see that?" He chatted up the scout (something I never do, not even at MiLB parks like when I watch the T-Rats) after the game, it was pretty interesting. Sometimes watching on TV I catch myself thinking "I could hit that" but when I sit behind home plate I know there's no freaking way. Well, except when I sat there the day when Davis walked the entire world, I was pretty sure I could draw a walk off him, but by the 5th inning I just wanted to hit him with a bat.

Final: DSL Brewers 2, DSL Angels 1 DSL Brewers Box Score What a weird season, I keep lucking out getting to LR on the teams that are on hot streaks or just pretty darn good. Once again the pitching was fantastic, this time 21 year old Juan Santiago lit up the board for 7 innings allowing just 3 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, and 1 wild pitch against 7 strike outs. Junior Flores pitched the final 2 innings allowing a hit, a balk, and walk against 2 strike outs. On the position player side of things Raphachel Colatosti went 2-4, Carlos Belonis went 2-4 with a double, Juan Ortiz went 2-4, and finally Natanael Mejia who was the DH today also went 2-4 keeping his season average a right tight .500! I should also mention Alejandro Mendoza who went 1-2 with 2BB and a caught stealing in the contest. Belonis and Ortiz each stole a base, their 15th and 6th respectively. DSL Play By Play The teams traded runs in the 7th. DSL Brewers Top of the 7th Elvis Rubio grounds out, third baseman Jose Herrera to first baseman Gabriel Villavicencio. Juan Ortiz singles on a ground ball to left fielder Ayendy Perez. With Jose Dicent batting, Juan Ortiz steals (6) 2nd base, . Juan Ortiz advances to 3rd, on throwing error by catcher Bladimir Aquino. Jose Dicent reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by shortstop Erick Salcedo. Juan Ortiz scores. Throwing error by shortstop Erick Salcedo. Yunior De La Cruz grounds into a force out, shortstop Erick Salcedo to second baseman Ismael Dionicio. Jose Dicent out at 2nd. Yunior De La Cruz to 1st. Natanael Mejia grounds out, pitcher Ivan Melo to first baseman Gabriel Villavicencio. DSL Angels Bottom of the 7th Gabriel Villavicencio singles on a ground ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. With Ranyelmy Mendoza batting, wild pitch by Juan Santiago, Gabriel Villavicencio to 2nd. Ranyelmy Mendoza flies out to right fielder Elvis Rubio. Jose Herrera strikes out swinging. Bladimir Aquino singles on a ground ball to center fielder Francisco Castillo. Gabriel Villavicencio scores. Bladimir Aquino to 2nd on the throw. Angel Montilla strikes out swinging. The Brewers play small ball for the winning run! DSL Brewers Top of the 9th Juan Ortiz singles on a ground ball to center fielder Angel Montilla. Jose Dicent out on a sacrifice bunt to first baseman Gabriel Villavicencio. Juan Ortiz to 2nd. With Yunior De La Cruz batting, wild pitch by Alexis Campos, Juan Ortiz to 3rd. Yunior De La Cruz out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Angel Montilla. Juan Ortiz scores. Natanael Mejia singles on a ground ball to center fielder Angel Montilla. Offensive Substitution: Pinch runner Marcos Padilla replaces Natanael Mejia. Alejandro Mendoza singles on a ground ball to right fielder Ranyelmy Mendoza. Marcos Padilla to 3rd. Francisco Castillo grounds out, third baseman Jose Herrera to first baseman Gabriel Villavicencio.

Sounds Win 6-4 Over Memphis On Independence Day Thornburg Picks Up Victory In Triple-A Debut MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds beat the division-rival Memphis Redbirds, 6-4, on Independence Day at AutoZone Park in the opener of a five-game series. Shortstop Edwin Maysonet went 3-for-4 with a double, RBI, and run scored while Corey Patterson went yard for the second straight game. Nashville starter Tyler Thornburg (1-0) picked up a victory in his Triple-A debut. The 23-year-old gave up two runs on five hits while striking out six with 66 pitches (49 strikes) in five innings of work. Memphis took a 1-0 lead in the home half of the first against Thornburg. Pete Kozma singled to center, stole second base, and scored on a RBI base hit from Brandon Dickson. Nashville went ahead at 4-1 in the fifth, beginning with three consecutive hits to lead off the frame. First baseman Jordan Brown doubled, move to third on a single from second baseman Eric Farris, and scored as Maysonet singled to left. · AUDIO: Maysonet RBI Single Two batters later, outfielder Caleb Gindl extended his season-best hitting streak to eight games with an RBI double to right center. Patterson then went yard over the right field wall for his sixth long ball of the season. · AUDIO: Patterson Goes Yard Memphis trimmed the lead in half in the next frame with two doubles, highlighted by the second hit from Dickson. The Sounds added two insurance runs in the next inning to lead 6-2. Outfielder Jay Gibbons reached on a fielding error by Kozma and scored on the next play as catcher Jason Jaramillo knocked an RBI double to left. Two batters later, Farris hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Jaramillo. The Redbirds cut the lead to two runs in the bottom of the eighth against reliever Robert Wooten. With runners on second and third and two outs, Steven Hill hit a two-run single to center field. Donovan Hand tossed two scoreless innings to extend his scoreless streak to 19.0 straight innings over his last 11 outings. Wooten surrendered two runs on 2/3 of an inning. Jim Henderson converted the four-out save to end the game for his team-leading ninth of the season. Memphis starter Brandon Dickson (4-8) scattered eight hits for six runs (four earned) in 5 2/3 innings. The Redbirds pitcher also went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. The Sounds and Redbirds continue their five-game series at 7:05 pm CT on Thursday night at AutoZone Park. Nashville right-hander Seth McClung (2-9, 4.82) takes the hill against Memphis southpaw John Gast (5-2, 5.75). Nashville Box Score In case you're wondering Tyler Thornburg threw so few pitches after reading the game story I think this is why... In his last game at AA he was ejected and only threw about 80 pitches, then he didn't pitch for 10 days when he made his appearance for the big club on June 19th which was also around 80 pitches, then didn't pitch again until today. Long story short, he basically threw 160 pitches in 4 weeks and appeared to be on 5 inning or 80 pitch outing, whichever came first. He was exceedingly efficient though with 49 of those 66 pitches being strikes, that's a very good sign. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that he's one of those personalities that guys gravitate too because all he does is win everywhere he goes. Ohh yea, down with the Cards! Nashville Play By Play

This is wonderful, only 2 affiliates left to go!

Sounds Fall To I-Cubs In Series Finale, 3-2 Nashville Ends Season-Best Four-Game Winning Streak With Defeat NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Sounds snapped a four-game winning streak by falling to the division-rival Iowa Cubs, 3-2, in the finale of a four-game set at Greer Stadium. It was a pretty good crowd for a Tuesday, as 7,881 fans took in the loss then watched the Sounds' Independence Day fireworks spectacular following the on-field action. With the loss, the Sounds (36-40) took three of four from the Cubs in the series, while three of the four contests were decided by one run. Nashville was held to five hits on the evening and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Outfielder Corey Patterson went 3-for-4 with a homer, double, and both of Nashville's RBIs. Outfielder Caleb Gindl had a hit to extend his hitting streak to a season-best seven games while first baseman Jordan Brown went hitless to snap his six-game streak. In his first start with Iowa since being designated for assignment by Chicago, Iowa starter Randy Wells (3-2) allowed one early run on three hits with four strikeouts in five innings for the victory. Nashville took an early 1-0 lead in the home half of the first as outfielder Logan Schafer led off the game with a triple off the left field wall, his second contest in a row with a three-bagger. Schafer then came home on the first pitch to Patterson, who blasted an RBI double over the Iowa right fielder. · AUDIO: Patterson RBI Double The Cubs went ahead at 2-1 in the top of the third after loading the bases with no outs to begin the frame. Josh Vitters brought home the tying run on a sacrifice fly while Alfredo Amezaga scored the go-ahead run on a Blake DeWitt groundout. Iowa tacked on their final run in the fifth for a 3-1 advantage. Amezaga led off with a walk, stole second base, advanced to third on a fly out, and scored on Vitters' line drive base hit to center. After giving up consecutive hits in the first inning, Wells retired 13 of the next 16 and didn't allow a hit until the fifth. With Gindl on second base, Patterson smoked another base hit to right, but Iowa right fielder Dave Sappelt gunned down Gindl at the plate to end the inning. Nashville trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning after Patterson went yard off reliever Jay Jackson. The opposite field homer was Patterson's fifth of the year. · AUDIO: Patterson Solo Homer Later in the frame with runners on second and third, Jackson delivered a wild pitch to plate. Shortstop Jeff Bianchi tried to advance and score the tying run, but was tagged out at home. The Sounds stranded Jay Gibbons on first base as Schafer was struck out by Michael Bowden in the bottom of the ninth to end the game. Nashville starter Mark Rogers (3-6) came away with the loss, giving up three runs on five hits and five walks in five innings. He struck out four with 101 pitches (56 for strikes). Johnnie Lowe tossed two shutout innings in relief of Rogers. Donovan Hand tossed a perfect frame to extend his scoreless streak to 17.0 straight innings over his last 10 outings. Mike McClendon fanned one in an inning to end the game. The Sounds bus to Memphis to take on the cross-state rival Redbirds (AAA-Cardinals) in a five-game series at AutoZone Park that will take the teams to the Triple-A All-Star break. Sounds right-hander Tyler Thornburg (NR) will make his Triple-A debut against Memphis righty Brandon Dickson (4-7, 3.39) in the opener. Baseball returns to Music City on Thursday, July 12, when the Sounds welcome the Albuquerque Isotopes and Round Rock Express to town for an eight-game homestand. Nashville Box Score Everything was covered in the game story as usual. Regardless of injury, the one constant in Mark's career has been his insanely high BB rates at each level, which prior to tonight stood at 5.8, but he's always covered that rate stat up by missing bats and limiting hitters to a sub .250 average, barely above .200 in 2009 and 2010. Edwin Jackson is the only the starting pitcher whom I recall pitching for an entire season with a BB rate which was higher. I just went through the last 10 years of starting pitching stats for the Brewers and no starting pitcher who got regular appearances posted a BB rate higher than 5. Manny Parra was dead on it in 2009 at a 5.0 even, surprisingly the next closest pitcher was actually Gallardo with a 4.6 in 2009, which was higher than anything Wayne Franklin and Doug Davis put up for a full season. I'd like say it's just a flukey thing with after effects from his surgery, but his BB rate actually got worse with each level he moved up as hitters get themselves out less. His rate this year which was 4.9 coming to today's game but will be worse is actually an improvement over his AA rate in 2010 of 5.6, he's actually been slightly better with his walk rate in 2012. It's like he either commands the zone really well, or doesn't command it at all, he's the pitcher of 2 extremes, sometimes in the same game. He didn't pitch a single clean frame in this game even though he did strike out the side in the 4th. Just too many walks and grooved pitches when he gets behind in the count, coming into today's action hitters were hitting over .280 against him on the season. Nashville Play By Play We've seen this plenty of times before... A single and 2 walks load the bases for the opposing team to get easy runs off of Mark. Iowa Top of the 3rd Brett Jackson singles on a ground ball to shortstop Jeff Bianchi. With Alfredo Amezaga batting, Brett Jackson steals (18) 2nd base. Alfredo Amezaga walks. Adrian Cardenas walks. Brett Jackson to 3rd. Alfredo Amezaga to 2nd. Josh Vitters out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Logan Schafer. Brett Jackson scores. Alfredo Amezaga to 3rd. Adrian Cardenas to 2nd. Blake DeWitt grounds out, second baseman Eric Farris to first baseman Jordan Brown. Alfredo Amezaga scores. Adrian Cardenas to 3rd. Blake Lalli grounds out to first baseman Jordan Brown.

I think you misunderstood what I wrote. Simply put identifying pitches from certain camera angles in certain parks is extremely difficult, especially just going with stadium gun velocities. Then there are the other issues like the delivery (any deception) and so on which I already listed that are more easily viewed from behind the catcher. I really like PITCHf/x, but the data isn't even close to 100% accurate in it's pitch classifications at this juncture and it doesn't give you any of the human elements which can make a difference either. There is certainly a ton of value in the raw data but I think organizations are correct in their approach to send scouts to watch players they are interested in, there's just too much information that you won't get out of the raw data at this point in time.

Ramsey collects three hits in debut Cardinals' first-rounder feels right at home in Palm Beach By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/07/02/G8H963Aa.jpg James Ramsey led the Florida State Seminoles with 13 homers and a .378 average in 2012. (AP) Just two weeks after guiding Florida State to the semifinals of the College World Series, St. Louis first-rounder James Ramsey made the transition to pro ball look effortless. Ramsey went 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored in his Minor League debut Monday in Class A Advanced Palm Beach's 5-4 loss to Jupiter. "I would say it was good just to get out there and compete again," said Ramsey, selected 23rd overall in the 2012 Draft. "It hasn't been long since the College World Series, but it was nice to become part of the Cardinals' family this week. "It was a quick transition for me. I signed Friday night and then flew out on Sunday. It was a challenge going through four different cities. I went from Tallahassee to Atlanta, and then after 36 hours, I went from Atlanta to St. Louis to sign. I went back to Atlanta on Saturday morning and then to Palm Beach on Sunday." On Monday, the 22-year-old doubled to left field in his first at-bat in the first inning and he beat out an infield single to shortstop with two outs in the third. Ramsey then singled back up the middle to load the bases in the fifth frame before grounding into a forceout, stealing second base and scoring on Rainel Rosario's line drive to center field in the seventh. "I was just staying with my normal approach -- taking pitches, getting deep into counts and taking what the pitcher gave me," said Ramsey, who had around 15 family members and friends in the stands. "If he pitched me away, I'd try to go away; if he pitched me inside, I would try and pull it. "To get the first hit out of the way in the first at-bat was pretty special. I worked the count 3-2 and hit a line drive down the left side over the third baseman. It was big for me, but all of the hits were great." Playing center field and batting third, Ramsey struck out in his final at-bat in the ninth. "[The Cardinals] want to see me be myself and do the things that got me here. They will evaluate me day to day, but if I do the things I know I can do well, hopefully I will be on the fast track. I need to keep my blue collar mentality -- never too high, never too low and keep on grinding." In his senior year at Florida State, he led the Seminoles -- ranked third nationally -- to their 21st College World Series where they lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Arizona. Ramsey earned a below-slot $1.6-million signing bonus, according to Baseball America. Ramsey had to wait until his participation in the NCAA Division I playoffs ended before he was eligible to sign. "I think a lot of people will question why [st. Louis] paid that, but the Cardinals value me as a player and a lot of other teams valued me in the same ballpark. They know I will be in the big leagues before long, and they know they have someone who will be able to lead this team. "They put me straight in High-A for a reason and they obviously have a lot of faith in me." In 2012, the native of Alpharetta, Ga., led all Seminoles hitters with a .378 batting average and 13 homers in 67 games in his senior year. The captain of the team, he also ranked first on the team in runs scored (78) and triples (six), and he finished second in RBIs (58) and walks (63). Despite those numbers, Ramsey -- a finance major twice named to the President's List for holding a 4.0 GPA -- says his top attribute is his makeup. "I think maybe my best tool is my sixth tool, because people know that I do the other five pretty well, said Ramsey, named the MVP of the East team at the 2011 Cape Cod All-Star Game. "I have the confidence to know that I project to be a big leaguer pretty quickly and I have a team-first mentality. I don't have a glaring weakness, but there is always room to improve. "Coach [Mike] Martin was the college baseball coach of the year and FSU invests on you on and off the field. The things I learned there are invaluable." On Monday, Palm Beach starter Scott Schneider surrendered one run on three hits over four innings, but he did not factor in the decision. Dean Kiekhefer (2-2) gave up three runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning in the ninth. Cardinals catcher Luis De La Cruz was 3-for-4 with an RBI in the loss. Jupiter's Chad James allowed three runs -- one earned -- on five hits and three walks while striking out five batters over the first five innings. Michael Brady, the third reliever out of the 'pen, fanned two batters over a perfect ninth to improve to 2-3. Hammerheads' center fielder Christian Yelich -- MLB.com's No. 28 prospect -- was 2-for-4 with his 10th homer of the year in the victory. Leadoff hitter Danny Black recorded the decisive blow with a two-out, game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.

video of the shot Cole took at the link Cole bounces back with second win Bucs prospect fans five in first start since he was felled by liner By Danny Wild / MLB.com Altoona right-handed Gerrit Cole was struck by a pair of comebackers in his previous start. Pirates fans and scouts can breathe easy -- Gerrit Cole is back. Or perhaps he never left. A week after getting knocked out of a game by a pair of comebackers that glanced off his face, the Pirates' first-rounder bounced back with 5 2/3 strong innings, hitting 99 mph as Double-A Altoona beat Binghamton, 6-2, on Monday night. It was a big test for the 21-year-old right-hander, who dropped to the mound in pain on June 26 after Harrisburg's Sean Nicol hit a line drive that struck Cole in the face, the second comebacker to hit the Curve ace that inning. In what looked like a scary moment, Cole laid motionless on the ground, but eventually got back on his feet and struck out the final batter of the inning before going to a hospital for tests. That game marked the shortest outing of Cole's career, but it clearly did not deter him Monday when he struck out six and held the Mets to a pair of runs -- one earned -- on six hits over 5 2/3 frames for his seventh overall win and second in the Eastern League. Cole worked a 1-2-3 first inning and struck out Eric Campbell and Dustin Martin in the second en route to retiring the first seven batters he faced. Juan Centeno reached on missed catch error by first baseman Matt Curry with one out in the third, and after Mets starter Gonzalez Germen bunted foul with two strikes, Juan Lagares finally connected for the Mets' first hit, driving home Centeno with a single to left off Cole. The run was unearned, and Cole got back to task, working around a pair of two-out singles in the fourth. He survived a leadoff single and a walk in the fifth, but didn't finish the sixth. Cole, who hit 99 mph in the sixth, allowed a leadoff single to Campbell and an RBI double by Wilmer Flores before throwing a wild pitch to let Flores take third. The UCLA product popped up Sean Kazmar for the second out but handed the ball off to Nathan Baker, who got Centeno to fly to left to end the frame. Cole threw 63 of his 87 pitches for strikes in his second win in three Double-A starts. In 11 2/3 innings since his promotion, the California native has allowed six earned runs and one walk with 13 strikeouts. The Pirates' first-round pick in last year's Draft began his first professional season with Class A Advanced Bradenton, going 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 13 starts. Cole was in position to win all night after Altoona scored twice in the first and Brock Holt's solo shot in the third gave the Curve a 3-0 lead. Ramon Cabrera doubled and scored in the fourth before Altoona tacked on insurance runs in the seventh and ninth. Germen fell to 4-6 for Binghamton after allowing five runs -- three earned -- on eight hits and two walks over seven frames.