TheCrew07

...

The USPS has been trying to adopt the model of the private sector to stop of the hemorrhaging of billions every quarter. It was never a very efficient system to start with in comparison with it's private sector rivals and has become even less so on the local level.

Loons take game one from Wisconsin By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/4/2/122147542/cuts/5_Apr3_Meyer_5ru3qk61_beg9fv2r.jpg Mitch Meyer had three of Wisconsin's five hits on Friday night at Great Lakes. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) MIDLAND, MI - The Great Lakes Loons defeated the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 5-2 on Friday night at Dow Diamond. Alex Verdugo had three hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs for the Loons in game one of the three-game series. Great Lakes (55-54 overall, 17-24 second half) scored twice in the bottom of the second inning against starting pitcher David Carver. Willie Calhoun and Frederico Celli singled to start the inning. Justin Chigbogu followed with a double to right-center to drive in Calhoun. Carver got the first out of the inning with a strikeout. Nick Dean followed with a grounder to short and the Rattlers got Chigbogu at third base for the second out as Celli scored. The Loons made it 3-0 in the bottom of the third. Matt Beaty doubled and Verdugo singled to start the frame. Then, Kyle Garlick knocked in Beaty with a single. Carver got out of the inning without further damage. Grant Holmes, the Loons starting pitcher, didn't allow a run until there were two outs in the top of the fifth. Mitch Meyer lined a clean single to center to start a rally for the Rattlers. Holmes walked the next two batters to load the bases before being removed in favor of Jose Molina. The Great Lakes reliever walked Omar Cotto, the first batter he faced in the game, to force in Meyer and the Rattlers were within 3-1. But, Molina left three Rattlers on base to end the inning. Verdugo gave the Loons a three-run cushion back with a long solo home run to right with one out in the bottom of the fifth off reliever Gian Rizzo. Great Lakes added one more run in the bottom of the seventh against Jarrett Martin. Beaty doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Verdugo. The Timber Rattlers (37-73, 16-26) scratched for a run in the top of the ninth inning against JD Underwood. Sthervin Matos struck out for what would have been the second out of the inning, but reached as the ball got back to the backstop. Underwood got the second out on a popup, but Meyer extended the game with an infield single, his third hit of the game, which was also Wisconsin's fourth hit of the night. Tucker Neuhaus sent a hard grounder up the middle that was backhanded by Calhoun. The Loons second baseman tried to flip the ball from his glove to Dean at second for the force to end the game, but the ball shot back towards the infield grass. Neuhaus was given an infield single and Matos scored on the error to bring the tying run to the plate. But, Underwood would get the final out on a routine fly to center. Friday was the ninth straight game the Rattlers' opponents scored first. Game two of the series is Saturday night at Dow Diamond. Cody Ponce (1-1, 1.29) is the scheduled starter for the Timber Rattlers. Luis De Paula (0-2, 3.93) is set to start for the Loons. Game time is 6:05pm CDT. The action may be heard on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:45pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. The Loons are also a team that participates in MiLB.TV and fans with subscriptions may watch the game on that platform. HOME RUN: GL: Alex Verdugo (5th, 0 on in 5th inning off Gian Rizzo, 1 out) WP: Jose Molina (4-2) LP: David Carver (1-3) TIME: 2:26 ATTN: 4,832 Wisconsin Boxscore Well I was extremely interested in this game for a variety of reasons as the Rattlers were matching up against Grant Holmes. Holmes had a SO:9 coming into the game of 10.9 and he's at the top of the MWL leaderboard in every category including walks, his BB rate of 4.6 coming into today's action is pretty bad. True to form Grant walked 3 Rattler hitters but surprisingly only struck out 1, so I was pretty pleased in that regard. His one strike out was against Sthervin Matos who watched 3 straight 91-92 MPH FBs (stadium gun) paint the outside corner. (which by the way is probably why Holmes is walking so many, he's nibbling off the corners). Unfortunately once Holmes left the strike outs picked up tremendously and the Rattlers still ended up with 8 in the game. Every pitcher on the Rattler side gave up at least 1 run with the exception of Scott Lieser. Jarret Martin was up to 94 on the stadium gun. If not for Mitch Meyer (3-4) this would have been woeful offensive performance as they were into the bullpen in the 5th but just couldn't scrape together any hits to take advantage of their limited opportunities. Wisconsin Recap

It's criminal how little was accomplished with that much talent.

Rattlers snap six with 6-3 win at Lansing By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/0/8/8/118574088/cuts/Angel_Ventura_Article_Photo_zqt03vc9_xuiy982s.jpg Angel Ventura earned his sixth win of the season on Thursday night at Lansing. Ventura allowed one run and struck out seven over six innings in Wisconsin's 6-3 win. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) LANSING, MI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers ended a six-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Lansing Lugnuts Thursday night at Cooley Law School Stadium. The Rattlers received solid pitching, key hits, and were able to take advantage of three errors by Lugnuts fielders. Lansing (63-47 overall, 21-19 second half) scored first with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Boomer Collins singled with one out and took second on a wild pitch. Alex Maldonado followed with a single to center and Collins scored for a 1-0 lead. The Timber Rattlers (37-72, 14-25) responded in the top of the fifth. Blake Allemand singled to start the frame and took third on an errant pickoff throw with one out. Sthervin Matos drew a walk to put runners on the corners, but both runners were at their bases with two out. Mitch Meyer cashed in the opportunity with a triple off the wall in left-center and the Rattlers were up 2-1. Wisconsin had never led a game during their losing streak. Rattlers starting pitcher Angel Ventura gave up a pair of one out singles in the bottom of the fifth inning, but struck out the next two Lansing batters to keep the Rattlers in the lead. Wisconsin's offense responded, with a little help from the Lansing defense, in a big way in the top of the sixth. Alan Sharkey started the top of the sixth with a double. Francisco Castillo bunted up the third base line for a hit and the throw to first was wild to allow Sharkey to score and Castillo to take second base. A wild pitch let Castillo go to third. Then, Allemand lined a single to center. Castillo held to see if the ball would be caught before heading home. Centerfielder Josh Almonte tried to throw home to get Castillo, but the throw was late and Allemand went to second on the throw home. That hit spelled the end of the night for Lansing starter Conor Fisk. Lansing reliever Mark Biggs got the second out, but hit Sthervin Matos with a pitch. Elvis Rubio was next and he lined a single to left to score Allemand. Matos was heading for third and drew a throw that went wild and allowed him to score the fourth run of the inning to give the Rattlers a 6-1 lead. Ventura tossed a scoreless sixth to maintain that lead before turning the game over to the bullpen. Ventura allowed one run on seven hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over his six innings to put himself in line for the win. Lansing did score twice against Josh Uhen in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI grounder and a sacrifice fly, but they would get no closer than 6-3. Luke Curtis allowed two hits and struck out two in the bottom of the ninth to nail down his third save of the season. Wisconsin scored more runs in Thursday's game (6) than they did in the six-game losing streak (4). The Timber Rattlers continue their road trip with three games against the Great Lakes Loons in Midland, Michigan. Game one of the series at Dow Diamond is Friday night. David Carver (1-2, 5.51) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The Loons have named Grant Holmes (6-2, 2.59) as their starter. Game time is 6:05pm CDT. The action may be heard on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:45pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. The Loons are also a team that participates in MiLB.TV and fans with subscriptions may watch the game on that platform. WP: Angel Ventura (6-5) LP: Conor Fisk (2-3) SAVE: Luke Curtis (3) TIME: 2:46 ATTN: 6,560 Wisconsin Boxscore Chris pointed out that since his disastrous outing on 7/9 against Kane County Angel Ventura has allowed just 4 runs over 5 appearances. He gave up too many hits today, but otherwise it was another fantastic outing. Gian Rizzo is the other Rattler pitcher on a hot streak having allowed just 4 runs since 5/31, that's 15 appearances. Speaking of pitching, the Rattlers currently have 14 pitchers on the roster, that's awfully extreme. Hooray for the bats doing something productive pounding out 10 hits led by Francisco Castillo (3-4) who put up his 5th 3 hit day of the season. He's versatile in the field, plays hard, and is decent at the plate though he'd been very cold in August (1-16) prior to today's action. Alan Sharkey (2-4) who was the lead off hitter tonight and Blake Allemand (2-4) had the other multi-hit games for the Rattlers. Is it wrong I chuckled when I saw the 1B was batting 1st? Somewhere Michael Brantley is smiling... Tomorrow the T-Rats match up against Grant Holmes which I find extremely interesting. Wisconsin Recap

I feel like I didn't pimp Arcia enough when he was in WI because I had a hard time articulating his over aggressive approach, Denson is the exact opposite. He's patient to a fault so he ends up down in the count and then forcing swings at bad pitches or watching questionable called strike 3s. He has a good eye, is a better athlete than his body type would suggest, and I'll just come out and say he's easily one of my favorite players in the entire system. The fact that he continually bats around .250 drives me insane because he's a better player than he's shown, his .195 average in WI was not representative of his true talent. His strides at 1B from year 1 to year 2 in WI were just phenomenal. I want very badly for him to turn into a legitimate prospect.

Never bring the problem solving stage into the decision making stage. Otherwise, you surrender yourself to the problem rather than the solution. -Robert H. Schuller If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. -Abraham Maslow

2 starters on the cusp of stardom? You're grasping at straws here in defense of your "every season is meaningful" mantra. If we're looking for an everyday 3B JD Davis should be one of the targets, he's only 2 years away from MLB, he'd fit in perfectly with the next wave of prospects. Furthermore we control all of our inexperienced starting pitching for at minimum of 5 more years, there's no rush. Even if it's true that both Nelson and Jungmann are better than 3s the idea here should be to quit assigning competitive windows to a player, because as we've seen the window just transferred from Fielder, to Greinke, to Gomez, to Lucroy and so on...the "we need to make these moves now because player X is in his prime!" mentality leads to fragmented and haphazard hole plugging that makes little sense when taken as a whole. You can apply the reverse justification that some posters are so fond of to any of the moves but on a macro level there's no cohesion or direction which is the most unresolved issue that will continue to plague this franchise. This seems appropriate: We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. -Albert Einstein

Rattlers drop sixth straight game By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/9/4/141448594/cuts/August_5_at_Lansing_dsrwdfnd_glkyp8xp.jpg The Rattlers lost 2-1 to the Lansing Lugnuts at Cooley Law School Stadium on Wednesday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) LANSING, MI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers offense woke up late in their game with the Lansing Lugnuts on Wednesday night at Cooley Law School Stadium, but it was too late. The Timber Rattlers avoided a shutout with a ninth inning run and fell 2-1 to Lansing. The loss was the sixth straight for Wisconsin. It didn't appear that the Timber Rattlers (36-72 overall, 13-25 second half) would have an issue with Lugnuts starting pitcher Clinton Hollon, who was making his Midwest League debut on Wednesday night. Alan Sharkey singled to start the game, but was picked off by Hollon. Blake Allemand drew a walk with one out, stole second with two outs, and Elvis Rubio drew a walk to put two runners on base. Hollon got out of the inning with a grounder. That final out in the top of the first inning started a streak of nineteen straight Timber Rattlers retired by Hollon as he did not allow another base runner over his seven innings of work. Lansing (63-46, 21-18) grabbed the lead in the second inning. DJ Davis tripled off the wall in right with one out. Dawel Lugo knocked in Davis with a sacrifice fly and the Lugnuts were up 1-0. Juan Kelly started the Lansing third inning with a double. He beat the throw to third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Austin Davis to put runners on the corners with no outs. Chris Carlos sent Kelly home with a sacrifice fly to right and the Lugnuts had a 2-0 lead. The Lugnuts threatened to add to their lead in the fifth inning against starting pitcher Jon Perrin. Lugo tripled to start the inning, but Perrin stranded him at third base with a strikeout and a pair of grounders. Perrin allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and two strikeouts. In his last two starts, Perrin has allowed three runs - two earned - over ten innings, but he is 0-2. Nathan Kirby, who was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 40th selection of the 2015 draft, relieved for Jarrett Martin in the bottom of the seventh. Martin had tossed a perfect sixth inning in his Timber Rattlers debut, but Kirby gave up a pair of singles and a walk to the first three batters he faced in the seventh. Kirby would escape the jam with a 1-2-5 double play and a grounder back to the mound. He also pitched a scoreless eighth inning to keep the Rattlers within two runs. Tucker Neuhaus singled with one out in the eighth inning against Lansing reliever Colton Turner for Wisconsin's first hit since Sharkey's leadoff single in the first. However, Neuhaus was erased on an inning-ending double play. Turner retired the first two batters in the top of the ninth, but could not close out the game. Blake Allemand doubled to left-center to keep the inning alive. Carlos Leal extended his hitting streak to four games with an RBI single and pull the Rattlers to within a run. Both teams made changes before Rubio got a chance to hit in the ninth. The Rattlers sent Omar Cotto to first as a pinch runner for Leal. The Lugnuts brought Carlos Ramirez into the game as a reliever for Turner. Rubio worked the count full before drawing a walk against Ramirez and moving Cotto into scoring position with the tying run. But, Francisco Castillo grounded out to short on the first pitch of his at bat and the throw to first was in time to close out the game. Wisconsin has been outscored 30-4 in their last six games. The final game of the series is set for Thursday night. Angel Ventura (5-5, 3.20) is the scheduled starter for the Rattlers. Conor Fisk (2-2, 4.38) is set to start for the Lugnuts. Game time is 6:05pm CDT. The action may be heard on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:45pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. WP: Clinton Hollon (1-0) LP: Jon Perrin (1-3) TIME: 2:07 ATTN: 2,582 Wisconsin Boxscore I got nothing. Wisconsin Recap

Lansing starts series with a shutout of the Rattlers By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/9/6/141201796/cuts/August_4_at_Lansing_d8y0o6x9_ewmxpqum.jpg The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers lost 5-0 to the Lansing Lugnuts at Cooley Law School Stadium on Tuesday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) LANSING, MI - Chase Mallard struck out nine over seven scoreless innings to lead the Lansing Lugnuts to a 5-0 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Tuesday night at Cooley Law School Stadium. Both teams had six hits in the game, but the Rattlers were shutout of the second time in the last three games. Lansing (62-46 overall, 20-18 second half) took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Wisconsin starting pitcher Eric Hanhold faced the minimum through the first three innings and got the first out of the fourth. He walked the next two batters, but catcher Greg McCall caught a runner trying to steal third base for the second out. Hanhold walked the next batter. Then, DJ Davis doubled to right-center to drive in both runners for a 2-0 lead. The Lugnuts added an unearned run off reliever Scott Lieser in the bottom of the fifth. Michael De La Cruz doubled with one out and scored when Alex Maldonado's grounder was misplayed. Wisconsin (36-71, 13-24) managed four hits and no walks off Mallard, but never got a runner past second base against the right-hander. The Lugnuts scored their final two runs of the game in very different ways against reliever Devin Williams. In the seventh, Dawel Lugo started the frame with a single and went to second on a wild pitch. Josh Almonte sent a grounder to the right side to move Lugo to third base. De La Cruz knocked in Lugo with a sacrifice fly to right. In the eighth, Chris Carlson hit a leadoff homer to right-center. Dusty Isaacs allowed two hits in the eighth inning, but stranded both runners. He would retire the side in order in the ninth to complete the shutout. The loss was the fifth in a row for the Rattlers, who have been outscored 28-3 during the streak. No Timber Rattlers player made it to third base in Tuesday's game. Game two of the series is scheduled for Wednesday night at Cooley Law School Stadium. Jon Perrin (1-2, 4.79) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Lansing has named Clinton Hollon as their starter. Hollon will be making his Midwest League debut on Wednesday. Game time is 6:05pm CDT. The action may be heard on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:45pm. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. HOME RUN: LAN: Chris Carlson (6th, 0 on in 8th inning off Devin Williams, 0 out) WP: Chase Mallard (5-3) LP: Eric Hanhold (0-2) TIME: 2:15 ATTN: 3,827 Wisconsin Boxscore Blah, just blah, this team's roller coaster ride continues from 5 wins in a row to 5 losses in a row... *sigh*. Wisconsin Recap

Then you need to do some research and see how many HRs are being hit period, the following have enough ABs in the league to qualify statistically. In the SL the leading HR hitter is Brett Walker (MIN) with 26 and that's exceptional, no else has more than 15. In the FSL the leading HR hitter has 12, Phil Ervin (CIN). In the MWL (the most volatile with the age differences) Casey Gillespie (TBR) had 16 before his promotion, in fact all of the top HR hitters were promoted already. The player with the most HRs who's been in the league all year is 22 year old Mike Gerber (DET) with 10. Here's the entire list which includes the Mexican and Korean leagues and of course indy ball. Legitimate prospects with over 20 HRs. AJ Reed - 28 Adam Walker - 26 Tyler O'Neill -24 Richie Shaffer - 23 Cody Bellinger - 21 Kevin Cron - 20 Peter O'Brien - 20 Ryan O'Hearn - 20 That's it, across all of minor league baseball. Roache's HR production is above average regardless of position, not that there are many legitimate 1B prospects around baseball period. I find it odd that I'm even defending 15+ HRs a year from a player in the minors as above average... this isn't MLB and most players with great raw power aren't able to translate it into HRs and wash out before ever reaching MLB. Roache's current 15 HR total would be tied for 15th in MLB, or exactly MLB average tied with Cabera and Alvarez... my point is not that HRs in the minors directly translate because they don't, both ways for a wide variety of reasons, but rather to reign in outlandish expectations.

I'm not real big on Roache at this point, in fact I've been firmly in the skeptic category since his first half season in WI but that blurb about power is not remotely true, he's displaying above average power with a well below average hit tool. That's something very difficult to do. He's hit 22, 18, and so far this year 15 HRs between 2 levels. He's hitting a HR every 23 ABs for his career, and as I mentioned has hit 15 this season while striking out 37.43% of the time. I agree he's never going to be an OBP guy, he'd be a nice 5 or 6 hole hitter with that kind of power hitting .240 while batting 5th or 6th as a best case. We don't have a high AVE, high SLG, high OBP prospect like Fielder in the system at this time. Even Braun only had a trio of good OBP seasons, his OBP is normally 50 to 60 points higher than his BA, the Brewers just haven't developed that kind of hitter.

He's not going to get to start for them? Can't imagine that sits well for Fiers. I think he's earned to be a starter in this league. He's the employee, he does what he's told, "earned" has nothing to do with it. He's probably better than 2 of Houston's starting pitchers but it's a different team in a different league. He hasn't "earned" anything as far as Houston is concerned, there's more to this stuff than ERA or lame FIP. He's a smoke and mirrors guy who's on the downside of his career already. I might be in the minority but I've never trusted those guys which is why I've been so vehemently against every single one of the Brewers' FA pitching acquisitions, they've all been pitchers without stuff on the down side of their careers, and every contract has ended abysmally. If we aren't able to sign guys like that for less than 3 years then don't make the freaking deal. Houston is being cautious and rightly so, but I doubt Fiers will continue to pitch terribly in relief, and he may well end up in their starting rotation yet as well. Casual Houston fans are probably pissed about trading for the Brewers' trash right now...

I'd rather see Cravy get a shot in the rotation than Thornburg, unless Thornburg's velocity bounces back I see no reason to try him as a starter again. Davies throws a similar 88-92 FB to Thornburg with better control and a plus change if we're looking for someone with blah type velocity to round out the rotation and have success like Fiers did. My vote is Cravy.

None of the current OFs are a 3B and Coulter was already tried there during instructs last fall and was bad enough they made the decision to put him in RF. At 3B 2 guys who are excellent defenders with some power and low batting averages are Taylor Brennan in A+ and Sthervin Matos in A. Matos in particular has been owned by a particular opponent this season where he only has 3 hits in almost 60 ABs which is way beyond a statistical abnormality, but I believe his true talent at this point is in that .240 range as a hitter. At 1B Garrett Cooper has had a breakout year repeating A+ and there's still Jason Rogers at AAA. Alan Sharkey is an excellent defensive 1B with a weak stick at WI, and David Denson and Tyler Perry are at R+ and R respectively. I think long term 3B, SS, and 2B will be covered by players in the SS pipeline. I'm not sure any of the 3B or 2B that I like in the system are going to hit enough to be regulars at MLB, much less impact players. 1B may ultimately be Braun or one of the other OFs, And That's suggestion of Roache makes some sense because he was awful in LF when he was with WI, as in way below average even for the level. Like I said prior to the deadline we need corner infield, catching, and impact pitching prospects, and we didn't get any of that which is why I was just okay with what happened. The organization has become fond of trying to put square pegs in round holes, especially at 3B, so who knows what will ultimately transpire there.

It's not like he hasn't played CF before, he's just not the best option long term.

River Bandits top Rattlers to sweep series By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/4/6/125669246/cuts/5_20_Leal_Article_ed6ji1a5_lmmekaay.jpg Carlos Leal had three of Wisconsin's six hits and scored their only run on Sunday at Quad Cities. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) DAVENPORT, IA - The hard times for the Wisconsin Timber Ratters at Modern Woodmen Park continued on Sunday night. The Quad Cities River Bandits defeated the Rattlers 6-1 to earn a three-game sweep and send the Wisconsin to its fourth straight loss. Jose Fernandez put the River Bandits (69-36 overall, 24-13) in front with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning. Quad Cities added to their lead later in the inning on a two-out, RBI single by Jason Martin. Quad Cities added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Wisconsin starting pitcher David Burkhalter gave up a leadoff walk and a bunt single. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position and Luke Curtis came on in relief of Burkhalter. Martin knocked in one of the runner Curtis inherited with a sacrifice fly. Bobby Boyd followed with an RBI double and the River Bandits were up 5-0. Quad Cities scored their final run of the game on a throwing error in the bottom of the seventh inning. Wisconsin (36-70, 13-23) had one hit, walked once, and struck out eight times in five innings against River Bandits starter Brock Dykxhoorn. They didn't fare any better over the next three innings and they were two outs shy of being shutout of the second game in a row. The Timber Rattlers did get on the scoreboard in the ninth inning. Carlos Leal, who had three of Wisconsin's six hits in the game, singled with one out in the ninth. Elvis Rubio and Francisco Castillo followed with singles to load the bases. Sthervin Matos drove a sacrifice fly to left-center to knock in Leal. The other Wisconsin highlight was the professional debut of pitcher Nathan Kirby. The left-hander out of the University of Virginia was picked by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 40th selection of the 2015 draft. Kirby allowed a hit, walked none, and struck out one in a scoreless inning of work. But it wasn't enough for the Rattlers who were outscored 18-2 by the River Bandits in the three-game series. Wisconsin is also 1-11 in twelve games against the playoff bound River Bandits, including 0-6 at Modern Woodmen Park, this season. The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday. They return to action on Tuesday night in Lansing, Michigan against the Lansing Lugnuts. Eric Hanhold (0-1, 7.71) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. The Lugnuts have named Chase Mallard (4-3, 5.38) as their starting pitcher. Game time at Cooley Law School Stadium is 6:05pm CDT. Wednesday's broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:45pm. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. HOME RUN: QC: Jose Fernandez (1st, 1 on in 2nd inning off David Burkhalter, 1 out) WP: Brock Dykxhoorn (6-3) LP: David Burkhalter (3-7) TIME: 2:30 ATTN: 3,825 Wisconsin Boxscore David Burkhalter wasn't sharp again, and he really needs to be to have success. I believe Chris said Nathan Kirby was regularly missing up and away but the down of side of radio is that I couldn't rewind it and listen again. The hit he allowed was right back up on the middle as was the ground out. In a year of offensive futility for the Rattlers Carlos Leal has been the lone bright spot. It doesn't matter what pieces have been changed out, the offensive issues have continued. Wisconsin Recap

I don't think it's right to just compare the top 3 players from each team. The truth is the Cubs' young core is much deeper and better all the way around than the Brewer core was. We had Hart and Hardy in addition to the previous mentioned 3. The Cubs have Rizzo, Soler, Castro, and Baez who is ready to come back to MLB. There's also more behind them in Torres and McKinney... The Cubs have more than enough depth to cover anyone who might fail like Alcantara and Almora but the kicker is they aren't thinking short term and have the resources to sign impact FA pitching while they wait and/or hope for Underwood and Cease find some health and pitch to their potential.

Quad Cities shuts out the Rattlers By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattler http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/4/6/125669246/cuts/5_20_Leal_Article_ed6ji1a5_lmmekaay.jpg Carlos Leal had two of Wisconsin's three hits on Saturday at Quad Cities. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) DAVENPORT, IA - Three Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout in a 5-0 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Saturday night at Modern Woodmen Park. The loss was the third straight for the Rattlers. The River Bandits (68-36 overall, 23-13 second half) used a two-out rally in the bottom of the first to take the early lead. Nick Tanielu doubled on a 3-2 pitch with two outs and none on base. Ryan Bottger followed with an RBI single to left. Rattlers starting pitcher David Carver issued a walk to Ramon Laureano to keep the inning alive. Jose Fernandez was next and he singled to right to drive in Bottger for a 2-0 lead. Carver walked the next batter to load the bases, but escaped the inning without more damage. Quad Cities added to their lead in the bottom of the third. Bryan Muniz hit a sinking line drive to left with Jose Fernandez at first and two outs. Mitch Meyer charged, but couldn't make the play as the liner dropped in for a hit and the ball skipped by Meyer all the way to the wall. Fernandez scored easily as Muniz raced around to third base. Wisconsin (36-69, 13-22) couldn't get to the Quad Cities starting pitcher for the second night in a row. On Friday night, Elieser Hernandez tossed 6-2/3 scoreless innings. Joshua James pitched 5-2/3 innings on Saturday without allowing a run, but needed some help to escape the sixth inning unscathed. Carlos Leal reached base with a one-out single. Alan Sharkey drew a two-out walk on four straight pitches and that spelled the end of the night for James. Michael Freeman came out of the River Bandits bullpen. His first pitch went for a passed ball to move runners to second and third. However, Freeman stranded the runners in scoring position when got the final out of the inning with a strikeout. Freeman retired all seven batters he faced in the game, including four strikeouts. The River Bandits added two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning against reliever Tyler Linehan. Muniz singled to knock in Fernandez from second base. Jason Martin accounted for the final run of the game with a single to drive in Muniz. Riley Ferrell pitched a scoreless, hitless ninth inning to finish the game. Quad Cities has outscored the Rattlers 12-1 in the first two games of the series. Leal had two of Wisconsin's three hits in the game and Sharkey drew two of the four walks coaxed by the Timber Rattlers offense. Wisconsin got one runner to third base in the game and had just two at bats with a runner in scoring position. The Timber Rattlers are 1-10 in eleven games against the River Bandits this season. That includes an 0-5 record at Modern Woodmen Park in 2015. The final game of the series is Sunday evening. David Burkhalter (3-6, 4.71) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Brock Dykxhoorn (5-3, 3.74) is set to go for the River Bandits. Game time is 5:15pm. Follow the action on the AM1280, WNAM radio broadcast starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 4:55pm. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. Subscribers to MiLB.TV may watch the game on that platform with the Quad Cities announcers. WP: Joshua James (4-2) LP: David Carver (1-2) TIME: 2:36 ATTN: 7,318 Wisconsin Boxscore I highlighted the attendance because 7,318 is an astounding number for an A ball game. Wisconsin has been pulverized by the better teams in the league this season, it's been tough going all year. Wisconsin Recap The Damage to David Carver would have been much worse if not for the fantastic work in the field (Meyer error aside): Quad Cities Bottom of the 2nd Kristian Trompiz singles on a ground ball to center fielder Omar Cotto. Jason Martin singles on a line drive to left fielder Mitch Meyer. Kristian Trompiz out at 3rd on the throw, left fielder Mitch Meyer to third baseman Sthervin Matos. Jason Martin to 2nd on the throw. With Bobby Boyd batting, Jason Martin steals (12) 3rd base. Bobby Boyd reaches on a fielder's choice out, second baseman Tucker Neuhaus to catcher Carlos Leal. Jason Martin out at home. Nick Tanielu flies out to left fielder Mitch Meyer. Technically this run saved would have scored regardless of the choice Matos made but at the time it seemed big. Quad Cities Bottom of the 3rd Ryan Bottger flies out to left fielder Mitch Meyer. Ramon Laureano walks. With Jose Fernandez batting, Ramon Laureano steals (11) 2nd base. With Jose Fernandez batting, wild pitch by David Carver, Ramon Laureano to 3rd. Jose Fernandez reaches on a fielder's choice out, third baseman Sthervin Matos to catcher Carlos Leal. Ramon Laureano out at home. Bryan Muniz singles on a fly ball to left fielder Mitch Meyer. Jose Fernandez scores. Bryan Muniz to 3rd. Fielding error by left fielder Mitch Meyer. With Garrett Stubbs batting, Carlos Leal picks off Bryan Muniz at 3rd on throw to Sthervin Matos.

Prospect Roundup: Games of July 31

I think he did pretty mediocre, like always... and yes the entire FO still needs to go.

and Angel Ventura.

Bandits take early lead to beat Rattlers By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/8/2/6/125459826/cuts/5_19_Sharkey_Web_bum63bwg_wb6peuh6.jpg Alan Sharkey had two hits, a walk, and drove in Wisconsin's only run at Quad Cities on Friday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) DAVENPORT, IA - The Quad Cities River Bandits scored four runs in the second inning and pulled away to defeat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 7-1 Friday night at Modern Woodmen Park. The Rattlers were held to one run in their second straight loss. Drew Ferguson drew a walk to start the bottom of the second inning. Jose Fernandez tripled into the corner in left and the River Bandits (67-36 overall, 22-13 second half) were up 1-0. Wisconsin got the second out and looked to be out of the inning on a grounder to second base, but an error on the play allowed Fernandez to score and Trent Woodward to reach base. Kristian Trompiz really made the Rattlers pay when he followed the error with a two-run homer and Quad Cities went in front 4-0. Quad Cities added to their lead in the fifth. Wisconsin starting pitcher Angel Ventura appeared to strikeout Jason Martin to end the inning, but the ball got back to the screen on a wild pitch and Martin reached. Nick Tanielu followed with a double to right-center. Martin scored on the play for a 5-0 advantage. Tanielu knocked in two more runs with a two-out double in the seventh inning against reliever Kodi Medeiros. Wisconsin (36-68, 13-21) struggled against Hernandez. The Rattlers got four hits off the right-hander, but all four came in four different innings with two outs and none on base. Hernandez struck out eight and walked one over 6-2/3 innings. The Rattlers scored an unearned run against the Quad Cities bullpen in the eighth. Blake Allemand wound up at second after a dropped flyball to start the inning. Elvis Rubio's infield single and a throwing error on the play let Allemand take third. Alan Sharkey, who had two hits in the game, cracked a single to right to drive in Allemand and send Rubio around to third base. But, the Rattlers wouldn't score again. Quad Cities is now 9-1 in ten games against the Timber Rattlers in 2015. Wisconsin is 0-4 at Modern Woodmen Park this season. The Timber Rattlers and River Bandits play game two of their series on Saturday night. David Carver (1-1, 6.55) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Joshua James (3-2, 3.14) is set to start for Quad Cities. Game time is 6:00pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:40pm. The broadcast may also be heard on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. Subscribers to MiLB.TV may watch the game on that platform with the Quad Cities announcers. HOME RUN: QC: Kristian Trompiz (5th, 1 on in 2nd inning off Angel Ventura, 2 out) WP: Elieser Hernandez (1-1) LP: Angel Ventura (5-5) TIME: 2:44 ATTN: 8,207 Wisconsin Boxscore I've noticed over the course of the season that Angel Ventura doesn't always handle adversity well, and giving up a HR to the 9 hitter immediately after an error speaks to that. In fact, that's the 2nd HR to a 9 hitter the pitching staff has allowed this week. At any rate it was nice to listen to Chris again, I hadn't caught a radio broadcast since last Thursday... You know what else? I like Alan Sharkey as a player even though he's way more of a Mark Grace than Prince Fielder. He might develop some more power as he advances but I don't think he's ever going to hit for a high enough average to matter. Even though I know that, I enjoy watching him play, and I find myself pulling hard for him. Wisconsin Recap

Would you rather have those two pitching prospects or Wheeler/Flores? I think I'd lean towards Wheeler but I could probably be talked into the prospects on account of Wheeler not being able to pitch a full season until 2017 and I believe he's a FA after 2019. So even if he is healthy and good again you'll only have him 3 years. I suppose you could trade him his last year though for a good batch of prospects if he's good again though. The top guy seems like he'll be up next year and you'd have full control and maybe a year or two into it you could buy out a couple years of his arbitration if he looks good. Honestly would've preferred Wheeler and just take out Flores and replace him with Fulmer if possible. Exactly.

The Brewers have a wonderful knack for crushing any high the organization puts me on.