TheCrew07

I swear if I ever meet the announcer from Missoula I'm going to choke him to death with peanuts. If you're ever listed to a game in Missoula you'll understand.

Did anyone have trouble getting the Helena audio to start up tonight? It suddenly started working for me around 20:30 CDT, I hope I didn't miss a good interview.

I hope not, the AA rotation isn't all that prospect laden to begin with. I'd love for Anundsen and Rivas to get bumped up, but I'm not sure who'd fill in behind them as no one else at WI has done enough to earn a promotion in my opinion (starting pitcher wise).

WI had a big chance to take the game over in the 5th... bases loaded with no outs and Fatse Ks swinging, Lawrie Ks looking, and Kemp grounds out. My buddy at the game told me that if Kemp could run at all he would have been safe, it was a slow roller up the middle that got by the pitcher but he couldn't beat it out.

Where you did see that because Total Zone had him as basically a neutral or average defender? My eye test tells me he doesn't have plus range (very average best case) at 2nd or 3rd so if he sticks I'd rather have him in LF. The only problem with McGehee in LF is that Braun isn't anywhere near the defender he gets credit for being on this site. When you are at the games and can watch him as he reacts to the ball off the bat it's surprising how many times he turns his shoulders the wrong way, he just doesn't seem to read a ball off the bat any better in LF than he did at 3B. On TV we never get the switch till he's already moving towards the ball so that's something we don't get to see. He makes plays because of his athleticism but generally doesn't have a good feel for what to do on the fringe type plays so I think any talk of Braun moving out of LF is somewhat premature at this point.

I just switched my home computer over last night as my computer was in desperate need of a cleansing. I must say, and understand this coming from a computer tech who absolutely despised Vista in all of it's forms, I like Windows 7 so far, I'm surprisingly happy with it. Does anyone else have any experience with the RC? Any obvious bugs/issues that I should avoid? And no I haven't gotten around to reading the forums on Microsoft and doubt I'll have time.

I'm probably the only poster on this forum who's on the Bowman and Rivas bandwagons... Mike is way too up and down yet for me to start pimping him like I have been Rivas, and like Rivas he gives up too many HRs, at least in my opinion.

He blew out his hamstring and has been sent back to AZ for rehab per Steve on the game broadcast the other night.

Steve interviews recently demoted SS Michael Marseco. They discuss the injury, recovery, his offense, his defense, and of course his legendary scooter. A very entertaining interview and Mike appears to be a very grounded and likable young man.

It's been a while since I've looked at the MWL league leader boards but Chris just mentioned that Trey Watten just issued WI's 418th walk on the season, no other team in the MWL has crossed the 400 mark yet... with all of the natural ability on this staff that's criminal... I know X, walks in A ball don't matter!

He's more of a 1B at this point though, defensively he's similar to Salome and possibly worse unless something has drastically changed since I last researched him.

Molitor throws out the first pitch today for WI, and they sell out, he also signed autographs and apparently fans were parking across the way at the Wave (it's right next door to Fox Cities Stadium) and getting in line long before the parking lot actually opened. Sneaky sneaky...

That depends on whom you are targeting... if we're talking someone like Cain... ya that's probably fair, but speaking only for myself I was thinking more along the lines of prospect acquisitions. I'm on record many many times with the opinion that the Brewers missed their window to sell high on certain players for MLB pitching.

Huntsville delayed due to rain, no official start time yet. edit. Huntsville now under way, I missed the pre-game interview with JR Hopf, I caught the last 10 seconds of it.

I'm not sure you can just look at a player's RAW stat line and draw any definitive conclusions about their relative talent level, especially right handed hitters in the Brewers' system. Salome suffered a terrible injury in WV, and the FSL and Space Coast Stadium specifically suppress the numbers of right handed batters due to the 20 MPH wind that tends to blow straight in from left. The only right handed batter the stadium didn't seem to affect was Lucroy, and now that he's left BC he didn't get the surge in his numbers that most right handed batters do... he's had a similar year to Lawrie, both players are consistent contributors but haven't put together an extended hot streak all season. Long story short, the year at BC is rarely as good as the year at WV or now WI, but that doesn't mean the player hasn't improved.

No it's pretty much true across all sports... players who's career's are based on speed need to become better players in other areas to compensate (like all players) as their physical skills decline. In football receivers go from home run threats to possession receivers, Corners move to Safety, etc. I think it all depends on how they did the study... will Juan Pierre ever steal 65 bases again? Will Furcal ever steal 46? Barry Bonds once stole 52 bases in a season, was he a speed player at the end of his career? Scientific studies actually bear out that foot speed is typically the first natural ability to begin to slide, or rather the most noticeable, on average we'll lose around 15% of our reaction time as we age, in addition to natural reduction in muscle tissue which leads to shorter strides, less explosiveness, etc... this of course leads to a decrease in foot speed. Just because a statistician did a study, doesn't mean it's correct in it's methods or base assumptions. There aren't many players left in the game who play slick D, run the like wind, and hit around .200 yet have a starting gig, those days are long gone. In most cases players like Escobar and Andrus are as close as you're going to get to a "speed" player, but that type of player also has the ability to mature into something greater than a slap hitting MI. For players like Hart, Braun, and Cameron, speed is just one aspect of their overall game, it's not their entire game, so I'm unsure how it's fair to claim that speed ages better. Especially since all players age better now do to the advances in weight training, stretching, diet, and injury rehabilitation. What's probably the most true, is that players who are the most physically fit will age the best... therefore a player like Braun will age better than a player like Fielder. Some day maybe Hardy will move from SS to 3B... the only place for Prince to go is to DH. It's not so much speed, as a player's overall level fitness, it just happens that usually players who can run are also the most physically fit.

Speed doesn't age well because players that get bye on speed lose a big part of their game when they lose a step as they get older. Speed might mature late as Melvin has suggested in the past, but those are 2 entirely different concepts.

Link while active, text follows: 10-runs 4th inning helps Osprey roll past Brewers By Independent Record 08-04-09 Helena Brewers starter Adrian Rosario held Missoula scoreless over the first few innings Monday in the series opener. But the Osprey bats got hot, lighting up Helena for 10 runs in the fourth and the Brewers blew through their bullpen, using three different pitchers in the inning, as Helena fell on the road, 12-2 in Missoula. Rosario was handed his fourth loss of the year, giving up eight hits and seven earned runs in three innings, while walking two and striking out a single batter. Helena, normally a better team away from the confines of Kindrick Legion Field, tallied just seven hits in the contest and was tagged with an error, a missed catch by Joey Paciorek. It was the Brewers second loss in three games. Ogren Park at Allegiance Field is a hitter's haven, and the Osprey smacked two long balls out of the park. Although Helena didn't have any homers, Kyle Dhanani was the Brewers strongest hitter, stroking a double and a triple to go 2-for-4 with two RBI. Missoula DH Paul Goldschmidt was 4-for-5 with three RBI.

Wow too bad Volquez, I actually like him, even though he's in the division... so I guess in a round about way this is good for us. I echo what Peavey said, if you're going to build through your farm system managers like Dusty Baker should not be in your dugout. For all the grief I give the Brewer training staff for the way they've handled injuries the last 3 or 4 years, I'd be writing letter campaign furious with the way Cincy handled Volquez, he could be 6 weeks into his rehab already.

Final: DSL O's/Brewers 7, DSL Cubs2 5 DSL O's/Brewers Box Score Well at least 1 affiliate took home a victory today. Javier 1-4 with a double, Arias 1-4, Martinez 0-3, Chirinos 1-3 with a double. Montano struggles a bit in his 1.2 IP giving up 2ER on 3BB with 0K. Linares line looks pretty good 1.1 with 1BB and 3K but he didn't do Montano any favors giving up a Single and WP to score 2 inherited runners. DSL O's/Brewers Game Log As mentioned above... DSL Cubs2 Top 8th Rafael Disla walks. Willson Contreras flies out to right fielder Hitaniel Arias. Smaily Borgues pops out to first baseman Edwin Wilson. Joel Altagracia walks. Rafael Disla to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Edwin Linares replaces Eliezer Montano. Hector Suarez singles on a fly ball to center fielder Wilmer Portes. Rafael Disla scores. Joel Altagracia to 3rd. With Jasly Gonzalez batting, wild pitch by Edwin Linares, Joel Altagracia scores. Hector Suarez to 2nd. With Jasly Gonzalez batting, wild pitch by Edwin Linares, Hector Suarez to 3rd. Jasly Gonzalez strikes out swinging.

Final: AZL Rangers 5, AZL Brewers 4 AZL Brewers Box Score 6 Brewers have 2 hit games, unfortunately Walla was not one as he K'd 2 times in 3 official ABs. McKelvie posts the only Brewer XBH, a double. As noted above Butler strikes out the side in his 1 IP, Costello finally struggles a bit, Guerrero continues his struggles, DeLaughter also puts up a scoreless frame. Roquena has 10 Passed Balls already on the season... AZL Brewers Game Log Plenty of missed opportunities throughout this game log, in his other official AB Walla hits into a DP, not the best of nights for the young man. McKelvie's clutch double in the 9th wasted as the comeback falls short. AZL Brewers Bottom 9th Pitcher Change: Johan Yan replaces Ovispo De Los Santos. Franklin Romero strikes out swinging, catcher William O'Connor to first baseman Michael Ortiz. Carlos George strikes out swinging. Demetrius McKelvie doubles (3) on a line drive to right fielder Santo De Jesus. Wayne Dedrick flies out to left fielder Ruben SierraJr.

Final: Missoula (D'Backs) 12, Helena 2 Helena Box Score Wow I hate it when I accidentally reload a browser and lose a summary. Halton, Dahanani, and Stang all have 2 hits a piece. Dahanani doubles and triples, and Zarraga adds a triple of his own. Curious lineup decision of the day belongs to Gonzales who bats Paciorek 2nd? He's batting .175 over his last 10 and has never consistently hit the ball. As far as the pitching goes... well... hmm... at least Jeffers went 2 scoreless with 2H, 0R, 0BB, and 3K. Rosario has good velocity and had pitched well so far, but this is an outing to forget. Platt has been scored upon in 3 of his 5 outings, and Miller has been scored upon in 3 of his 4. Helena Game Log Understandably lots of defensive replacements in this one. The Missoula 4th inning... Missoula Bottom 4th David Nick singles on a line drive to right fielder Scott Krieger. Bobby Stone doubles (10) on a line drive to right fielder Scott Krieger. David Nick to 3rd. Ramon Castillo walks. Paul Goldschmidt singles on a line drive to center fielder Chadwin Stang. David Nick scores. Bobby Stone to 3rd. Ramon Castillo to 2nd. Keon Broxton hits a grand slam (6) to right field. Bobby Stone scores. Ramon Castillo scores. Paul Goldschmidt scores. David Narodowski walks. Errol Hollinger doubles (3) on a line drive to right fielder Scott Krieger. David Narodowski to 3rd. Pitcher Change: Ryan Platt replaces Adrian Rosario. Raywilly Gomez grounds out, shortstop Mike Brownstein to first baseman Joseph Paciorek. Ryan Platt intentionally walks Ender Inciarte. With David Nick batting, wild pitch by Ryan Platt, David Narodowski scores. Errol Hollinger to 3rd. Ender Inciarte to 2nd. David Nick walks. Bobby Stone walks. Errol Hollinger scores. Ender Inciarte to 3rd. David Nick to 2nd. Ramon Castillo grounds out, first baseman Joseph Paciorek to catcher Cameron Garfield to first baseman Joseph Paciorek. Ender Inciarte scores. David Nick to 3rd. Bobby Stone to 2nd. Pitcher Change: Mitch Miller replaces Ryan Platt. Paul Goldschmidt doubles (14) on a fly ball to right fielder Scott Krieger. David Nick scores. Bobby Stone scores. Keon Broxton grounds out, third baseman Kyle Dhanani to first baseman Joseph Paciorek.

Final: Kane County (A's) 5, Wisconsin 1 Wisconsin Site Summary Cougars Drop Rattlers By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Kane County Cougars and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers each had nine hits on Monday night at Time Warner Cable Field. But, the Cougars took advantage of four walks, two hit batsmen, and two wild pitches to beat the Rattlers 5-1. Kane County (57-49 overall, 17-20 second half) broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning. Petey Paramore singled to start the inning. Dusty Napoleon doubled to left center as centerfielder Erik Miller just missed on a diving attempt to catch the ball. Left fielder Derrick McPhearson had trouble picking up the ball and was charged with an error as Paramore came around to score the first run of the night. Rattlers starting pitcher RJ Seidel threw a pair of wild pitches that allowed Napoleon to score the second run of the inning. The Cougars got to Rattlers reliever Efrain Nieves in the top of the sixth. Tyler Ladendorf was hit by a pitch to start the inning. One out later Mike Spina doubled to put runners at second and third. Franklin Hernandez singled to knock in Ladendorf. An RBI single by Petey Paramore sent Spina home and Kane County was up 4-0. Wisconsin strung together three hits in their half of the sixth against Leblanc-Poirier, but only scored one run. Brock Kjeldgaard singled with one out and Jose Duran followed with a double to right-center. Kjeldgaard scored easily, but Duran was out trying to stretch the hit into a triple. Michael Vass followed with a single to knock Leblanc-Poirier out of the game. Trey Barham entered the game and got the final out. Then, Daniel Thomas shut the Rattlers down for two innings. Kane County got one more run in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Spina. Justin Miller closed out the Rattlers with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth. The loss dropped the Timber Rattlers to 48-58 this season. This marks the first time in 2009 that Wisconsin's record has been 10 games under the .500 mark. Wisconsin also falls to 14-22 in the second half and -- with wins by the two teams tied for the second half Western Division Wild Card -- are now three games out of a playoff spot with 34 games remaining in the season. Game two of the series is Tuesday night. Trey Watten (4-11, 4.47) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Shawn Haviland (6-8, 4.40) is set to go for the Cougars. Game time is 7:05pm. Link Report Bonus, Brett Christopherson's blog has a feature on Larry Hisle which is worth your time. Wisconsin Box ScoreLawrie, BK, and Vass all with 2 hits a piece. Duran adds a double the only the WI XBH of the night, but gets caught trying to stretch it into a triple as noted in the summary. Duran does many things I like, but I've seen him make some very sloppy plays and he makes too many outs on the bases in my opinion. Siedel effective in his 5 IP, giving up 2ER, 1BB, 4K, and only 3 hits, those 2 WPs proved very costly. Nieves is having a forgettable campaign as in Almonte. Fiers should give the bullpen a much needed boost. As bad as this team has free fallen in the last month, they are still only 3 games out of a playoff spot. Wisconsin Game Log The T-Rats had a chance to score first in the 4th, but Duran gets gunned at the plate to end the frame.. Wisconsin Bottom 4th Brock Kjeldgaard called out on strikes. Jose Duran reaches on throwing error by shortstop Tyler Ladendorf. With Michael Vass batting, Jose Duran steals (9) 2nd base. Michael Vass grounds out, pitcher Mathieu Leblanc Poirier to first baseman Stephen Parker. Erik Miller singles on a line drive to left fielder Franklin Hernandez. Jose Duran out at home on the throw, left fielder Franklin Hernandez to catcher Petey Paramore.

Final: Daytona (Cubs) 6, Brevard County 3 Daytona Site Game Summary Wyatt, Cubs End Losing Streak Against Rival Manatees DAYTONA BEACH - Losers of their last three and six of their last seven, the Daytona Cubs (17-19, 51-52) got a much needed 6-3 win against the rival Brevard County Manatees (22-13, 62-37) to open a three-game series. Daytona now owns a six-games-to-five lead in the I-95 series for the 2009 campaign. Cubs starter James Leverton retired the first nine batters he faced, but ran into trouble as Logan Schafer (8-8) saw him for the second time. The Manatees outfielder stroked a double into the gap in left-center, and then promptly took third with his twelfth stolen base of the year. The next batter, Eric Farris, fouled off a number of pitches before a single to left field opened the scoring. Daytona took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with two runs off Manatees starter Michael Bowman (3-4). Third baseman Marwin Gonzalez started the rally with a lead-off single. Jonathan Wyatt came through with one out, as he singled up the middle to push Gonzalez to third, and the Cubs outfielder moved to second on the throw. Daytona's leadoff hitter Tony Campana brought both runs in on an infield single to the right side. The lead would not last for long though, as Brevard County brought in the tying run in the top of the sixth inning. Catcher Derrick Alfonso led off the frame with a base hit through the right side and was gift wrapped second and third. Alfonso moved to second on a passed ball and third on a wild pitch. Schafer tied the game at two with a sacrifice fly to left field. Daytona loaded the bases in the sixth and got clutch hit from Wyatt. Back-to-back singles from Robinson Chirinos and Brandon Guyer, followed by a walk to Marwin Gonzalez, and the Cubs had an opportunity to get back in front with just one out on the board. Catcher Luis Flores struck out, but Wyatt picked up the slack with a bases clearing double to right centerfield. Wyatt would eventually come in to score on a single up the middle by second baseman Jose Madé, his first RBI as a D-Cub, and Daytona led 6-2. The Manatees got one back in the seventh off Cubs reliever Dan McDaniel. Third baseman Zelous Wheeler opened the frame with a double, and, after a Lee Haydel strikeout, Steffan Wilson drove Wheeler in with a single to right. Dustin Sasser would spell McDaniel and load the bases with a walk to Schafer. But the lefty got Farris to line out to All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro, who made a diving catch to his right to save at least one run. The Cubs and Manatees will have Tuesday off before resuming the series with game two on Wednesday. Jay Jackson will make his second start of the season for Daytona against Evan Anundsen. The last time Anundsen started at "The Jack", he threw a no-hitter on April 28. It will be another Halifax Health Wednesday, featuring $1 ice cream. The game also marks the second Bark in the Park presented by Sun State Specialty K-9's, in which man's best friend can enter the gates for $2, and all proceeds will benefit the Halifax Humane Society. Gates will open at 6:05 p.m., with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Brevard County Box Score Sort of an odd series with an off day tomorrow. Schafer just keeps on rolling 1 for 2 here with a double and a BB pushing his OBP up to .365, he just keeps getting better.. that .800+ isn't too shabby either. Wilson and Alfonso have the only mutli hit days with 2 hits a piece. Farris' BA is slowing climbing back up to respectability, he's hitting .272/.321/.349 on the season now, but .324 over his last 10 with 3 BB and 2K. Bowman effective in his 5IP, Rapoza not so much. Brevard County Game Log At the time the throw to 3B in 5th looked like it would be a major factor in the game as it allowed the runner to move up and eventually come around to score. Throw the ball behind the runner when you have the lead Mr. Schafer.

Final: Jacksonville (Marlins) 4, Huntsville 2 Hunstville Site Game Summary Jacksonville Bullpen Blanks Huntsville Over Final Three Frames By Brett Pollock / Huntsville Stars Sean West spun six solid innings and Mike Stanton delivered the game-deciding double in Jacksonville's 4-2 come from behind win over Huntsville Monday night in the middle of a five-game set at the Baseball Grounds in Florida. The Suns won for a twelfth time in their last 14 games to improve to 26-12 in the second half of the season and now hold a three-game lead on Birmingham in the South Division, while the Stars fell for a sixth time in seven games to dip to 15-23 in the second half and 53-54 overall. Adam Stern started the game with a double, moved to third base on a Shane Justis single and scored on Taylor Green fielder's choice grounder, as the visitors scored first for the first time in the series. West led off the home third with a triple off the wall in center field and scored on a Ryan Klosterman ground out to tie the game. Stern bunted for a base hit to lead off the fifth inning and scored to put the Stars back in the lead on a one-out double by Jonathan Lucroy, who pushed his hitting streak to a season-best seven straight games. Klosterman had apparently popped out for the final out in the fifth inning but instead was awarded first base on catcher's interference that kept the inning alive and pushed Bryan Petersen, who had singled, to second base. Stanton then belted Donovan Hand's next pitch past a diving Taylor Green at third base and into the left field corner for a two-run double that put the home team ahead to stay. Hand was lifted after five frames, allowing two earned runs on seven hits, while recording one strikeout. He suffered the loss to drop to 8-5 and has lost each of his last three turns. Juan Sandoval took over in the sixth for the Stars and yielded a two-out, pinch-hit double to Chris De La Cruz that delivered Kevin Randel, who had walked, to push the Suns' lead to 4-2. West was lifted after he allowed eight hits, struck out four and set down the last five batters he faced. Garrett Parcell worked a perfect seventh inning in front of Leval Speigner, who retired the Stars in order in the eighth inning. Kasey Olenberger took over in the ninth and walked the lead off man Chuck Caufield on five pitches before striking out the next three hitters on nine offerings to nail down his third save of the season. The series continues Tuesday evening with Huntsville right-hander Mark Holliman taking the hill against Suns' right-hander Christhian Martinez. Coverage of the game begins at 5:50 pm central time and can be heard through the internet at www.huntsvillestars.com. Huntsville Box Score As noted in the summary Lucroy extends his hit streak to 7 games with a double, Green and Cain go 0-4 with a K. Stern and Perez both have 2 hits a piece to pace the Stars. Hand adds a single bumping his BA up to .357 on the season. On the pitching side the 1 unearned run given up by Hand and the 3 BBs issued by Sandoval were the difference in this one. Huntsville Game Log Caufield's walk in the 9th provided Huntsville with their only runner since the 5th inning.