There are 27 days before Opening Night, 25 days before the 2011 season begins in Helena, and more boxes to move. Yup, the Osprey Team Store and offices will be part of the MSO Hub, which opens on June 1.

– Good news from the injury front – the D-backs removed outfielder Roberto Rodriguez (2010) from the 7-day disabled list late Wednesday. R-Rod should be back in the South Bend lineup tonight when the Silver Hawks play a pair against Lake County.

– Notes from the former Osprey who played in Arizona’s 2-1 win over Colorado:
Miguel Montero (2002-03) had an 0-for-3 day at the plate, with a walk … Gerardo Parra (2006) was 0-for-4 (and he is 0-for-the-series) … and Carlos Gonzalez (2003) was 1-for-4.

– Former Osprey relief pitcher Jose Valverde (2000) continues to make his mark in the Detroit community.

– Speaking of relievers, a converted one, Jerry Gil (2000), managed to shut the door for Triple-A Louisville last night in a win.

– Lyle Overbay’s struggles continue at the plate, and the 1999 Osprey alum is trying to get back to where he was in Spring Training. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle gives his assessment.

– There is some convergence of former Osprey in this article, namely left-hander Greg Smith (2005) and catcher Javier Brito (2003-04).

Minor League Update

– Triple-A Reno: The Aces took care of Round Rock on Wednesday, 7-2. Bryan Shaw (2008) pitched a scoreless inning and struck out a batter in the win.

– Double-A Mobile: The BayBears were scheduled to play 14 innings in two games on Wednesday … and instead managed to get in 25. The lidlifter of the doubleheader went very well – an 8-0 win featuring Paul Goldschmidt’s 16th home run of the season (and two hits). Ollie Linton (2008) added three hits and a RBI, Taylor Harbin (2007) had a 1-for-3 game, and Jake Elmore (2008) posted as close to a perfect line that you can with one hit – he also hit a sacrifice fly, was hit by a pitch and scored a run in one official trip to the plate.

Game 2 – wow, 18 innings, and a 5-4 BayBears win that featured three position players pitching (two Osprey – one has before, the other made his debut), one pitcher playing a position, three innings in which both teams scored a run (the 12th, 13th and 14th innings), and, finally, the game-winning run scores on an error with two out in the bottom of the 18th. Oddly enough, former Osprey surrendered the three extra-inning runs – two by Elmore, one from Clay Zavada (2006). Bryan Henry (2007) was solid, allowing one run on four hits and two walks in five innings of work, with six strikeouts. At the plate, Linton went 3-for-7, Goldy was 2-for-7, and Kyle Greene (2008) went 2-for-8 with an RBI.

– Class A Advanced Visalia: The Rawhide lost a 14-12 slugfest to Stockton on Wednesday. The Ports overcame a 12-7 deficit with a seven-run top of the 8th, the final three runs surrendered by Victor Capellan (2009), who took the loss. Trevor Harden (2008) struggled, allowing seven runs (five earned) on six hits and five walks in 6 2/3 innings. Adam Worthington (2009) pitched a scoreless ninth. At the plate, both David Nick (2009) and Chris Owings (2009) had four hits and a RBI each, Rossmel Perez (2008) had two hits and a run scored, while Adam Eaton (2010) and Bobby Borchering (2009) each drove in runs.

– Class A South Bend: The game schedule for Wednesday with Lake County was postponed due to rain. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday.

Today’s games (and Osprey probables):
AAA Reno (28-19) at Round Rock
AA Mobile (25-20) vs. Jackson – Jarrod Parker (2007) is scheduled to make the start tonight.
A Adv. Visalia (21-25) vs. Stockton
A South Bend (22-24) vs. Lake County – Bradin Hagens (2009) gets the Game 1 start, while JR Bradley (2010) will go in Game 2

by Ben Catley

Just think, in 26 days, I’ll be watching batting practice from either the field or the Kindrick Legion Field press box, and watching as my partner in crime, Steve Wendt, is running around frantically making sure all is well and ready for Opening Night. Two days later, he can return the favor.

I figured that we’d take a quick look around the Pioneer League to see who was back as far as coaching staffs are concerned. Just in case you missed it, three members of the coaching staff are back for their second round, at least, in Missoula … albeit one of them was not a coach in 2010, but instead played here in 2000. That would be Andy Green, who is one of three hitting coaches (and four total) making their coaching debuts this season. Hector De La Cruz returns for his fourth season as manager, while Gil Heredia returns for his second season as pitching coach.

The rest of the league … a mixed bag of changes … but here’s the list by ballclub:

Helena – Joe Ayrault, Manager (2nd season); Ned Yost IV, Hitting Coach (2nd season); Elvin Nina, Pitching Coach (3rd season).

Billings – Pat Kelly, Manager (1st season in Billings, 21st overall); Eli Marrero, Hitting Coach (1st season, debut as coach); Bob Forsch, Pitching Coach (3rd season).

Great Falls – Ryan Newman, Manager (1st season); Charlie Poe, Hitting Coach (1st season);  Brian Drahman, Pitching Coach (3rd season, at least). Newman was replaced in Bristol by Pete Rose, Jr. – yes, that Pete Rose, Jr.

Casper – Tony Diaz, Manager (he’s been there a while); Jonathan Stone, Hitting Coach (2nd season); Craig Bjornsen, Pitching Coach (2nd season).

Idaho Falls – Brian Buchanan, Manager (2nd season); Missoula resident Jerry Nyman, Pitching Coach (3rd season); Omar Ramirez, Hitting Coach (1st season).

Odgen – Damon Berryhill, Manager (3rd season); Johnny Washington, Hitting Coach (3rd season); Bill Simas, Pitching Coach (1st season, debut as coach).

Orem – Tom Kotchman, Manager (11th season); Nathan Haynes, Hitting Coach (1st season, debut as coach); Zeke Zimmerman, Pitching Coach (9th season).

Now we just need teams and we can get going!

On to the news of the day …

– Tough break for former Osprey left-hander Jorge De La Rosa, as he is facing Tommy John surgery after what could be best described as a freak injury. The worst of it – no signs were present that something could go wrong – he has not had a shoulder or elbow injury during his Major League career.

– After hitting two home runs in the day portion of the day-night doubleheader, Carlos Gonzalez (2003) went 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts against Arizona left-hander Joe Saunders in the nightcap. CarGo’s average now sits at .251, with eight home runs and 31 RBIs.

– On the D-backs front … Miguel Montero (2002-03) played in the night game, and went 1-for-4 with an RBI … Gerardo Parra (2006) played both games in the outfield, and went hitless in seven at-bats, but did draw a walk … Esmerling Vasquez (2004) pitched the eighth inning in the lidlifter, allowing a hit, and striking out two.

– Gotta check out this blast from former Osprey catcher JD Closser. Note the grass seating, and where the ball ends up. A reminder – please pay attention to the game, because you never know when a ball will come in your vicinity.

– If it ain’t Paul Goldschmidt (2009) leading the minors in home runs (his 15 is currently 2nd in all of MiLB), it’s Adam Eaton (2010) leading the minors in hitting (.402) and on-base percentage (.509). Or, it could be Luis Terrero (1999-2000), who is in the Top 3 in the Mexican League in several categories.

Minor League Update

– Triple-A Reno: The Aces lost to Round Rock on Tuesday, 5-4. Josh Ellis (2007) allowed two runs (one earned) in his inning of work to take the loss on the mound. Tom Layne pitched 2 1/3 solid innings, allowing two hits while striking out five batters.

– Double-A Mobile: The BayBears had an off-day on Tuesday, which is a good thing … they have a seven-game series in five days ahead of them, beginning today.

– Class A Advanced Visalia: The Rawhide had the day off on Tuesday.

– Class A South Bend: Sometimes, wildly effective works better than being spot-on. That was the case for left-hander Patrick Schuster (2009-10) on Tuesday. Schuster allowed just two hits, but surrendered four walks. While that sounds a little shaky – he also allowed one unearned run and struck out seven in six innings of work to pick up the win. Daniel Taylor (2010) worked a scoreless ninth in the SilverHawks’ 8-1 triumph. At the plate, Ender Inciarte (2009) had three hits and three RBIs, while Matt Helm (2009-10), Chris Jarrett (2010) and Ramon Castillo (2009) added a hit and a RBI each. Raul Navarro (2010) added a single and a run scored.

Today’s early-start game with Lake County was postponed due to rain, and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday.

Today’s games (and Osprey probables):
AAA Reno (27-19) at Round Rock
AA Mobile (23-20) vs. Jackson, DH – Bryan Henry (2007) is scheduled to pitch in Game 2 of the twinbill.
A Adv. Visalia (21-24) vs. Stockton – Trevor Harden (2008) gets the ball for the Rawhide tonight.
A South Bend (22-24) vs. Lake County, ppd., rain – Bradin Hagens (2009) will likely make the start for the Hawks in Game 1 on Thursday … Game 2’s starter has not been announced.

The count is at 27 days before the season opens in Helena, 29 days before those Brewers come calling in the home opener, and a dozen days before Ticket Day – which is June 4.

– Derek Eitel (2010) worked a perfect game into the sixth, and took a no-hitter into the seventh before settling for a seven-inning, one-hit effort in Visalia’s 14-2 rout of High Desert on Monday.

– The Arizona Diamondbacks will try to keep their win streak going today, when they play a doubleheader at Colorado. They’ll face former Osprey left-hander Jorge De La Rosa (1999) in the opener of the four-game, three-day series at Coors Field. Here’s a preview – note the handle of the blogger.

– One roster move we did not mention in yesterday’s blog – South Bend placed Bobby Stone (2008-10) on the DL on Friday. It turns out to be an injury to his left arm, which occured after Stone threw a runner out at the plate in a game on Thursday. It’s a retroactive move to Thursday, which means Stone could be ready to go as soon as Friday, but it all depends on how his arm responds to treatment.

– Stone has had an, shall we say, eventful time with South Bend over the past couple of years, as it pretains to either getting injured, or somehow avoiding injury. The amazing part of the video below – after making this catch, he stayed in the game. We’ll have to dig the audio up from the interview with him from last summer about this catch and post it on here … but here is the video from the flip at West Michigan last season.

– Staying with the SilverHawks for a moment – the weekend produced a great outing for reliever-turned-starter Bradin Hagens (2009), who picked up a win on Friday and some attention from the MiLB.com folk.

– Pedro Ciriaco’s promotion has a backstory to it, apparently it was one that involved something that wasn’t. And the Pirates front office wasn’t happy about it, either.

– Goldy Watch: 1-2 with two walks against a top prospect. There’s also more of a look at Eitel’s season here as well, including some numbers which would put a D-backs’ observer at ease when it comes to the R0se-Hulman product’s numbers this season.

– If someone has an update to this list, let us know … because it may be a trivia question on the air this summer.

– Cool little nugget with Daniel Schlereth’s dad, Mark. Schlereth made his professional debut with the Osprey in August, 2008, and has the mark as the fastest-rising former Osprey to make his Major League debut – a span of less than a year.

Minor League Update:

– Triple-A Reno: The Aces beat Round Rock on Monday, 9-7. Bryan Shaw (2008) made his Reno debut, allowing a run on two hits with two strikeouts. Daniel Stange pitched the ninth inning to pick up his first save of the season.

– Double-A Mobile: The BayBears were knocked off by Tennessee, 6-5, on Monday. Outside of Goldschmidt (who scored twice in the game), Ollie Linton (2008) had a hit and a run scored, while Taylor Harbin (2007) was 1-for-4 on the night. Taylor Sinclair (2008) made his Double-A debut, and despite allowing two hits and two walks, did not surrender a run and collected a strikeout.

– Class A Advanced Visalia: While Bobby Borchering (2009) was treating High Desert pitching like he was back at Bishop Verot (three doubles, triple, 6 RBIs), Adam Eaton (2010) put together his typical line – 3-for-3, 4 runs, a walk and a hit by pitch. One of those hits was a double, and he also drove in a run. David Nick and Chris Owings (two runs, including a home run), who were teammates with Borchering in Missoula in 2009, had two hits and a RBI each, while Keon Broxton (yes, 2009), had a hit and a run scored. Rossmel Perez (2008) was the lone player not to get a hit in the Rawhide lineup, but he was busy catching Eitel’s run at perfection.

– Class A South Bend: The SilverHawks managed to get some power from an unlikely source – Raywilly Gomez (2009) – in an 8-3 win over Great Lakes on Monday. Gomez – who hit three home runs last season in Yakima – hit a solo shot in the second, while Chris Jarrett (2010) hit one in the sixth to cap off the Hawks’ scoring. Gomez had two hits, as did Jarrett (two runs), and two of Raywilly’s teammates in Missoula in 2009 – Ender Inciarte (two runs) and Matt Helm (three RBIs) . Helm also played in Missoula in 2010, as did Jeff Shields, who went five innings and allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk to pick up the win on the mound. Blake Cooper (2010) pitched a scoreless ninth to close the deal.

Today’s games (and Osprey probables):
AAA Reno (27-18) at Round Rock.
AA Mobile (23-20) has an off-day today, they will be at home on Wednesday.
A Adv. Visalia (21-24) has an off-day today, they will be at home on Wednesday.
A South Bend (21-24) will start a series at home against Lake County, with Patrick Schuster (2009-10) getting the call on the bump.

OK, 30 days before the home opener, 28 days before the season opener and not much longer before the Osprey office will be fully moved into their new location at the new MSO Hub. And after the first sneak peek, it looks awesome.

– Just in case you missed it, the D-backs have won six games in a row. It’s their longest win streak since the 2008 season. If they want to make it seven straight, they will have to get it done against Jorge De La Rosa (1999), Carlos Gonzalez (2003) and the Colorado Rockies. They’ll play two on Tuesday.

– Great story on Paul Goldschmidt (2009) courtesy of Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Note the headline. There’s also some interesting nuggets in this blog entry from that story – extras that Nick could not work into the original piece.

– Here’s the weekend minors update from AZ SnakePit – Saturday offered another Goldschmidt tater (he now has 15), and Friday’s includes a good night for the former Osprey with the Rawhide.

– Over the weekend, the D-backs made some moves in the minor leagues involving former Osprey players … one of them was promoting closer Bryan Shaw (2008) to Triple-A Reno, to fill the roster spot for DL’d Jordan Norberto (2006). To take Shaw’s place on the Double-A Mobile roster, left-hander Taylor Sinclair (2008) was promoted from Class A Advanced Visalia. And, in an expected move, right-hander Enrique Burgos (2009) was sent back to Extended Spring Training, as lefty Tyler Green came off of South Bend’s disabled list.

– The Pittsburgh Pirates also made a move over the weekend involving a former Osprey … infielder Pedro Ciriaco (2005) is back with the club, as third-baseman Pedro Alvarez was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Ciriaco’s promotion is a bit of a surprise, since he was only hitting .190 in 36 games with Triple-A Indianapolis, but the Pirates, at the moment, may need his versatility more than anything, since he can play any position other than pitcher or catcher.

– Speaking of the Pirates, more on Lyle Overbay’s season to date is here, and let’s hope that he has found that part of his swing that didn’t come north from Florida with the rest of him after Spring Training ended.

– Former Osprey catcher JD Closser (1999) went 2-for-8 in two games for the Albuquerque Isotopes (LA DOdgers) in their recent four-game series with Reno. Closser hit a two-run homer in Friday’s game, then added a single on Saturday. Closser is hitting .292 for the season, with four home runs and 18 RBIs.

Minor League Update:

– Triple-A Reno: The Aces dropped a 3-1 decision on Sunday at Albuquerque. Tom Layne (2007) pitched an inning, and allowed a run on two hits for the Aces.

– Double-A Mobile: The BayBears dropped their fourth straight game on Sunday, a 4-2 setback to the Tennessee Smokies. Charles Brewer (2009) allowed just a run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched, but the bullpen could not hold a slim 2-1 lead. Clay Zavada (2006) also allowed a run on two hits and a walk in the eighth inning. At the plate, both Ollie Linton (2008) and Goldschmidt had a base hit apiece, while Taylor Harbin (2007) went 0-for-2 with two walks.

– Class A Advanced Visalia: Well, Eric Smith (2009) had one of his better starts working, until the sixth inning. That’s when the High Desert Mavericks managed to get to Smith, scoring seven runs off of the right-hander in a 9-4 Rawhide setback on Sunday. Bobby Borchering (2009) had two hits and a RBI, Adam Eaton (2010) had a double and two RBIs, Chris Owings (2009) doubled, stole a base and scored twice, while Keon Broxton (2009) also had a hit and a steal. David Nick (2009) added a base hit and a run scored for the Rawhide.

– Class A South Bend: David Holmberg (2010) struggled in his start, but it enabled Keith Cantwell (2009) to pick up his first win as a SilverHawk, as South Bend outscored Great Lakes, 10-7, on Sunday. Cantwell scattered four hits while allowing a run and collecting a pair of strikeouts in the win. Matt Helm (2009-10) had two hits and three RBIs, while Ramon Castillo (2009) collected a hit and two RBIs. Roberto Rodriguez (2010) chipped in with a double and two runs scored.

Today’s games (and Osprey probables):
AAA Reno (26-18) at Round Rock.
AA Mobile (23-19) at Tennessee.
A Adv. Visalia (20-24) is currently playing (as of 2 p.m.) against High Desert. Derek Eitel (2010) gets the start for the Rawhide.
A South Bend (20-24) at Great Lakes – Jeff Shields (2010) gets the call for the Hawks

Today’s countdown numbers are – 35, 33 and  43:
– 35 days before the Osprey home opener
– 33 days before the Osprey open the season at Helena
– 43 fans before Ollie ties the single-game attendance record on Facebook … and the 4,077th fan gets some cool stuff. What, you ask?? The 4,077th person to become Ollie’s friend on Facebook will win an Osprey prize package including four tickets to the second game of the season on June 23, free popcorn and soda at the game and four Osprey caps. Tell your friends!

-Emilio Bonifacio (2003) hit a line drive off of Washington right-handed reliever Todd Coffey, this after Coffey dashed into the game on Sunday. Bonifacio reached safely on the play, and Coffey did not suffer any major injury to his pitching elbow, near where the ball made impact. He’s also making an impact at the plate, hitting .288 in 35 games with five doubles, two triples, a home run, six RBIs and two stolen bases, while playing a number of different positions this season.

– Bryan Augenstein (2007) continues to recover from a severe groin injury suffered last month in a game at Arizona. The St. Louis Cardinals have moved Auggie to the 60-day DL, and it also appears as if the right-hander will head to Triple-A Memphis to pitch once he is ready.

– Guess the “Santos rules” have been put on the shelf in Chicago. Here’s the highlights from his fifth save in five tries, and now with his scoreless streak sitting at 19 innings, you can call him “closer”. Santos is, however, still a work in progress. The righty is still just in his third season of pitching in  professional baseball, after the 2002 former Osprey made the move from the infield. By the way – make it 6-for-6 in saves, 20 scoreless frames and 16 scoreless appearances.

– He may be back – CarGo (2003) had another big hit to help the Colorado Rockies go back into first place in the NL West. Then again, reading this blog entry could make one feel bad for both Gonzalez and Jorge De La Rosa (1999-2000).

– Another former Osprey infielder on a similar path to Santos is former infielder-turned-pitcher Jerry Gil (2000). Gil is coming off of a solid outing for the Triple-A Louisville, and has an 0-3 mark with three saves and a 3.45 ERA in 14 games this season for Cincinnati’s top affiliate. Pitching 15 2/3 innings, Gil has allowed 16 hits and eight walks – which translates to a 1.54 WHIP, which for a closer can cause fans and coaches to be a little nervous in the ninth inning – but also has fanned 16 batters. Gil shares the closer duties, and it will be interesting to see what develops with him in the next season or two, especially now that he is apparently recovered from Tommy John surgery.

– Of course, the 2011 MLB First-Year Player draft is drawing near, and while there have been plenty of talk about who the Arizona D-backs will take with the Nos. 3 and 7 picks, there’s also the possibility that at least one Montana player will be taken in the draft. High on that potential list is a Missoula native, Ben Roberts, who was showcasing his skills at a pre-draft camp on Monday.

Minor League Recap:

– Triple-A Reno: The Aces took down the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday, 11-5. Tom Layne (2007) allowed two hits and a walk but did not allow a run in two innings of relief.

– Double-A Mobile: Charles Brewer (5 IP) and Bryan Henry (3 IP) combined for eight shutout innings as the BayBears beat Carolina, 5-0, on Tuesday. Brewer (2009) scattered four hits and a walk, while striking out a season-high seven batters, while Henry (2007) allowed just a hit and a walk while collecting a strikeout. Brewer also went 1-for-2 at the plate and scored a run. Taylor Harbin (2007) had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in a run, while Jake Elmore (2008) added a hit and a run scored. Paul Goldschmidt (2009) added a sacrifice fly.

– Class A Advanced Visalia: Another tough outing for Eric Smith (2009), as he suffered the loss in a 4-1 decision to Rancho Cucamonga on Tuesday. Smith allowed all four runs (three earned) on eight hits and five walks, and struck out five while lowering his ERA to 10.10. Diogenes Rosario and Adam Worthington, teammates with Smith on the 2009 Osprey, threw three innings of one-hit relief behind him. Unfortunately, the Rawhide offense could not get going as they were held to four hits. David Nick (2009) and Rossmel Perez (2008) each had a base hit for Visalia.

– Class A South Bend: The SilverHawks felt right at home, and used a six-run second, plus the solid pitching of David Holmberg (2010) to take down a 7-2 win over Lansing on Tuesday. Holmberg went seven innings and did not allow an earned run while striking out three batters. Jeremy Erben (2010) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to wrap up the win. Raywilly Gomez (2009) and Raul Navarro (2010) each had two hits, Ender Inciarte (2009) added a hit and a RBI, while Matt Helm added a single to the Hawks’ attack at the plate.

Today’s Games (and Osprey probables):
AAA Reno (25-15) has an off-day on today before beginning a four-game series at Albuquerque on Thursday.
AA Mobile (22-15) vs. Carolina – Game begins early … Gotta love the 11:35 a.m. (10:35 a.m. MT) start time.
A Adv. Visalia (18-21) at Rancho Cucamonga – Derek Eitel (2010) will get the call tonight for the Rawhide.
A South Bend (17-22) vs. Lansing – Jeff Shields (2010) got the start for the Hawks, with the game already underway. Lansing is up, 2-0, entering the top of the fourth inning.

We begin with a question … who has a better walk-to-strikeout ratio, Adam Eaton or Paul Goldschmidt? The answer is coming real quick, but before we spill the beans … 36 days before the home opener, 34 days before the season opener, and just a few days before more baseball hits the Ogren Park Allegiance Field turf again, with the Missoula Mavericks’ Memorial Day Tournament.

– With the scuttlebut about Goldy getting a strong look to move up the D-backs’ Organization Ladder, another player who has also hit his way into consideration of a promotion is Adam Eaton (2010), who is putting up a different kind of eye-popping numbers for Class A Advanced Visalia. Power numbers get a little out of whack in the Cal League, but Eaton will not be confused for Goldschmidt anytime soon.

Instead, Eaton is putting up on-base numbers (.488 through Sunday) close to what he did a season ago in Missoula, when he racked up a pair of team records with a .385 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage. Entering Monday’s action, Eaton’s .379 mark is 5th-best in the Cal League, while he is also in the Top 10 in the league in on-base (second) and stolen bases (13, which is 7th in the league). While he won’t be a power hitter (eight doubles, one triple, two home runs), the one small red flag is his strikeout total – he has 22, compared to 18 walks in 103 at-bats.

And to answer the question – Goldschmidt has more walks than strikeouts (30 to 26), thus the better BB-to-K ratio.

– One surprise – no DL for Blake Cooper (2010), at least for the moment. Apparently, he suffered no immediate ill-effects from the liner he took off of his forehead on Sunday while pitching for South Bend at Bowling Green. However, the D-backs will keep an eye on Cooper, as symptoms could arrive later. A similar episode (with a concrete wall, not a line drive) took place in Charles Brewer’s case before he went on the DL, several days following the initial trauma. And with the off-day for South Bend on Monday, the D-backs may make a move today instead.

-Scott Hairston (2001) has been relegated to spot-starting and pinch-hitting duty for the New York Mets since the return of two outfielders from the disabled list. So far, in 29 games, Hairston has just 45 at-bats, and is hitting .200 with a home run and five runs batted in.

– JD Closser (1999), who holds a rare Osprey mark, is putting together a decent season for Triple-A Albuquerque. The former Missoula backstop, who is also playing some first base for the Isotopes, is hitting .295 with two home runs (including one last night) and 15 RBIs. Oh, Closser’s mark – he is one of two former Osprey to have at least four hit streaks of seven games or more. The other player, Bobby Stone, needed three seasons to do it, while Closser collected all four of his in the 1999 season.

Minor League Update:

-Triple-A Reno:The Aces lost to the Iowa Cubs, 9-6, on Monday. Jordan Norberto (2006) pitched to one batter, allowed a hit, and was replaced. Unfortunately, it may involve an injury.

– Double-A Mobile: While Wes Roemer was taking a no-hit bid into the eighth inning (this begs a trivia question, see tomorrow’s post), the BayBears offense was mainly quiet – until the home half of the eighth, when Mobile erupted for five runs to take a 6-1 win over Carolina on Monday. A pair of 2008 Osprey played a role – Jake Elmore doubled home a run to cap off the rally, while Bryan Shaw picked up the last four outs to get the win on the mound. Fellow 2008 alumnus Ollie Linton singled, stole a base and scored a run, while Goldschmidt drew a pair of walks.

– Class A Advanced Visalia: Mike Belfiore (2009) gave up five first-inning runs (six total in four-plus innings) as the Rawhide took a 7-1 loss to Inland Empire on Monday. Adam Eaton (2010) had two hits and drove in Chris Owings (2009) in the seventh inning for the lone Rawhide run. Keon Broxton (2009) added a hit, while Christian Beltre (2007) pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief behind Belfiore.

– Class A South Bend: Had an off-day on Monday following a 3-5 road trip.

Today’s games (and Osprey probables):
AAA Reno (24-15) vs. Iowa
AA Mobile (21-15) vs. Carolina – Charles Brewer (2009) will make the start for the BayBears.
A Adv. Visalia (18-20) at Inland Empire – Eric Smith (2009) gets the ball tonight for the Rawhide.
A South Bend (16-22) vs. Lansing – David Holmberg (2010) gets the start for the Hawks.