September 5, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher

LHP EFRAIN NIEVES: Selected by Milwaukee in the 7th round of the 2007 draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy.

LAST SEASON: Nieves spent all of 2009 with the Timber Rattlers. He went 5-7 with a 5.70ERA in 27 appearances. Nieves made 11 starts for Wisconsin in 2009.

LAST START: Nieves picked up a victory at Community Field by beating the Bees on August 27. He allowed two runs on five hits over 5-1/3 innings with a pair of walks and three strikeouts in a 7-3 Wisconsin victory.

WORLD CUP: Nieves pitched for Puerto Rico in the World Cup of Baseball after the 2009 regular season. He made three starts and was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA. In 14.1 innings pitched, Nieves walked six and struck out 17.

VS. CUBA: Nieves got the call to be the starting pitcher against Cuba on September 18 during the World Cup. He allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings. Nieves was not involved in the decision, but Puerto Rico would win the game 5-2.

A PRODUCTIVE WINTER: Nieves pitched for Arecibo in the Puerto Rican Winter League after the World Cup. Nieves also went on to pitch for Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series.

BREWERS CAREER: Nieves was 14-14 with a 5.08 ERA in his first three seasons as a pitcher in the Milwaukee minor league system. He has made 58 appearances (29 starts) since 2007 and has pitched.

INTO THE PAST: Nieves was the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week for his performance July 7-13, 2008 while pitching for Helena.

VS. KANE COUNTY: Nieves is made the start against Kane County on April 10 at Time Warner Cable Field. He took the loss. Nieves allowed five runs (two earned) on two hits over 3-2/3 innings with four walks and a strikeout.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

STRIKEOUTS: 9 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

............2010 DAY-BY-DAY
DATE..OPP....DEC..IP...H R ER BB K ERA

4/10..KC*....Loss 3.2..2 5..2..4 1 4.91

4/15..@BUR*..Loss 3.0..8 8..6..3 3 10.80

4/21..CR.....Win..4.0..2 0..0..2 2 6.75

4/28..@PEO*.......5.0..3 0..0..3 5 4.60

5/3...@BEL........4.0..4 2..2..2 0 4.58

5/8...CR..........3.1..5 2..2..0 2 4.70

5/14+ BEL....Loss 1.0..2 1..1..1 1 4.88

5/20..PEO.........3.0..3 0..0..0 4 4.33

5/29..@CR.........3.0..6 4..3..1 3 4.80

6/3...@FW.........0.1..0 0..0..1 0 4.75

6/5...@LC.........4.0..6 3..3..4 2 4.98

6/12..DAY.........1.1..3 3..3..1 1 5.55

6/27..BUR.........2.0..1 1..1..1 0 5.50

6/30..QC.....Save 2.0..0 0..0..3 2 5.22

7/4...@CR....Win..4.2..1 0..0..1 3 4.67

7/10..BUR....Win..4.2..2 0..0..2 5 4.22

8/4...PEO.........1.0..1 0..0..0 2 4.14

8/7...@CLN........3.0..3 2..2..3 3 4.25

8/11..@QC.........2.1..3 1..1..2 4 4.23
8/15..CR*.........4.2..6 4..4..2 4 4.50
8/22..@CR*...Loss 1.1 10 8..7..1 1 5.43
8/27..@BUR...Win..5.1..5 2..2..2 3 5.27

*-Start
+-Game two of a doubleheader

Profiling Efrain Nieves

Head over to the Post Crescent website for the Efrain Nieves Profile. Here is the fun part:

Q: What's one thing that people don't know about you?

A: "About golf. I'm starting to learn the game of golf. I just started playing golf two weeks ago. That's something people don't know about me."

Q: Do you like golf?

A: "I like it a lot. I bought a brand new set of golf clubs."

Q: Are you pretty good?

A: (Sighs) "Terrible".

August 27, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher

LHP EFRAIN NIEVES: Selected by Milwaukee in the 7th round of the 2007 draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy.

LAST SEASON: Nieves spent all of 2009 with the Timber Rattlers. He went 5-7 with a 5.70ERA in 27 appearances. Nieves made 11 starts for Wisconsin in 2009.

LAST START: Nieves took the loss at Cedar Rapids on August 22. He allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits over 1-1/3 innings. Nieves walked one and struck out one at Perfect Game Field.

WORLD CUP: Nieves pitched for Puerto Rico in the World Cup of Baseball after the 2009 regular season. He made three starts and was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA. In 14.1 innings pitched, Nieves walked six and struck out 17.

VS. CUBA: Nieves got the call to be the starting pitcher against Cuba on September 18 during the World Cup. He allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings. Nieves was not involved in the decision, but Puerto Rico would win the game 5-2.

A PRODUCTIVE WINTER: Nieves pitched for Arecibo in the Puerto Rican Winter League after the World Cup. Nieves also went on to pitch for Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series.

BREWERS CAREER: Nieves was 14-14 with a 5.08 ERA in his first three seasons as a pitcher in the Milwaukee minor league system. He has made 58 appearances (29 starts) since 2007 and has pitched.

INTO THE PAST: Nieves was the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week for his performance July 7-13, 2008 while pitching for Helena.

VS. BURLINGTON: Nieves has made three appearances (one start) against the Bees in 2010. He is 1-1 with a 6.52 ERA, six walks, and eight strikeouts versus Burlington. In 9-2/3 innings, he has allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 11 hits.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

STRIKEOUTS: 9 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

............2010 DAY-BY-DAY
DATE..OPP....DEC..IP...H R ER BB K ERA

4/10..KC*....Loss 3.2..2 5..2..4 1 4.91

4/15..@BUR*..Loss 3.0..8 8..6..3 3 10.80

4/21..CR.....Win..4.0..2 0..0..2 2 6.75

4/28..@PEO*.......5.0..3 0..0..3 5 4.60

5/3...@BEL........4.0..4 2..2..2 0 4.58

5/8...CR..........3.1..5 2..2..0 2 4.70

5/14+ BEL....Loss 1.0..2 1..1..1 1 4.88

5/20..PEO.........3.0..3 0..0..0 4 4.33

5/29..@CR.........3.0..6 4..3..1 3 4.80

6/3...@FW.........0.1..0 0..0..1 0 4.75

6/5...@LC.........4.0..6 3..3..4 2 4.98

6/12..DAY.........1.1..3 3..3..1 1 5.55

6/27..BUR.........2.0..1 1..1..1 0 5.50

6/30..QC.....Save 2.0..0 0..0..3 2 5.22

7/4...@CR....Win..4.2..1 0..0..1 3 4.67

7/10..BUR....Win..4.2..2 0..0..2 5 4.22

8/4...PEO.........1.0..1 0..0..0 2 4.14

8/7...@CLN........3.0..3 2..2..3 3 4.25

8/11..@QC.........2.1..3 1..1..2 4 4.23
8/15..CR*.........4.2..6 4..4..2 4 4.50
8/22..@CR*...Loss 1.1 10 8..7..1 1 5.43

*-Start

August 22, 2010: Today's Starting Pitcher (UPDATED)

The original post had the Nick Bucci information for today's start.  HOWEVER, Bucci was scratched last night and we just got the word about that fact 10 minutes ago.

Efrain Nieves is starting today for the Rattlers.

LHP EFRAIN NIEVES: Selected by Milwaukee in the 7th round of the 2007 draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy.

LAST SEASON: Nieves spent all of 2009 with the Timber Rattlers. He went 5-7 with a 5.70ERA in 27 appearances. Nieves made 11 starts for Wisconsin in 2009.

LAST START: Nieves made the start on August 15 against Cedar Rapids at Time Warner Cable Field.  He allowed four runs on six hits over 4-2/3 innings.  Nieves allowed one run through the first four innings and got the first two outs of the fifth.  However, he allowed the next five batters to reach base and could not get out of the inning to qualify for the win.  He walked two, hit a batter, struck out five, and was not involved in the decision.  The Rattlers would win the game 10-7.

WORLD CUP: Nieves pitched for Puerto Rico in the World Cup of Baseball after the 2009 regular season. He made three starts and was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA. In 14.1 innings pitched, Nieves walked six and struck out 17.

VS. CUBA: Nieves got the call to be the starting pitcher against Cuba on September 18 during the World Cup. He allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings. Nieves was not involved in the decision, but Puerto Rico would win the game 5-2.

A PRODUCTIVE WINTER: Nieves pitched for Arecibo in the Puerto Rican Winter League after the World Cup. Nieves also went on to pitch for Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series.

BREWERS CAREER: Nieves was 14-14 with a 5.08 ERA in his first three seasons as a pitcher in the Milwaukee minor league system. He has made 58 appearances (29 starts) since 2007 and has pitched.

INTO THE PAST: Nieves was the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week for his performance July 7-13, 2008 while pitching for Helena.

VS. CEDAR RAPIDS: Nieves has made five appearances (one start) against the Kernels in 2010. He is 2-0 with a 4.12 ERA versus Cedar Rapids. In 19-2/3 innings, he has allowed ten runs (nine earned) on 20 hits. Nieves has walked six and struck out 14 Kernels over those 19-2/3 innings.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

STRIKEOUTS: 9 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

............2010 DAY-BY-DAY
DATE..OPP....DEC..IP..H R ER BB K ERA

4/10..KC*....Loss 3.2 2 5 2...4 1 4.91

4/15..@BUR*..Loss 3.0 8 8 6...3 3 10.80

4/21..CR.....Win..4.0 2 0 0...2 2 6.75

4/28..@PEO*.......5.0 3 0 0...3 5 4.60

5/3...@BEL........4.0 4 2 2...2 0 4.58

5/8...CR..........3.1 5 2 2...0 2 4.70

5/14+ BEL....Loss 1.0 2 1 1...1 1 4.88

5/20..PEO.........3.0 3 0 0...0 4 4.33

5/29..@CR.........3.0 6 4 3...1 3 4.80

6/3...@FW.........0.1 0 0 0...1 0 4.75

6/5...@LC.........4.0 6 3 3...4 2 4.98

6/12..DAY.........1.1 3 3 3...1 1 5.55

6/27..BUR.........2.0 1 1 1...1 0 5.50

6/30..QC.....Save 2.0 0 0 0...3 2 5.22

7/4...@CR....Win..4.2 1 0 0...1 3 4.67

7/10..BUR....Win..4.2 2 0 0...2 5 4.22

8/4...PEO.........1.0 1 0 0...0 2 4.14

8/7...@CLN........3.0 3 2 2...3 3 4.25

8/11..@QC.........2.1 3 1 1...2 4 4.23
8/15..CR*.........4.2 6 4 4...2 4 4.50

*-Start

August 15, 2010: Today's Starting Pitcher

LHP EFRAIN NIEVES: Selected by Milwaukee in the 7th round of the 2007 draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy.

LAST SEASON: Nieves spent all of 2009 with the Timber Rattlers. He went 5-7 with a 5.70ERA in 27 appearances. Nieves made 11 starts for Wisconsin in 2009.

LAST APPEARANCE: Nieves allowed one run on three hits over 2-1/3 innings in a relief appearance at Quad Cities on August 11. He walked two and struck out four but was not involved in the decision.

LAST START: Nieves pitched five shutout innings at Peoria on April 28, but was not involved in the decision. Nieves allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out five.

WORLD CUP: Nieves pitched for Puerto Rico in the World Cup of Baseball after the 2009 regular season. He made three starts and was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA. In 14.1 innings pitched, Nieves walked six and struck out 17.

VS. CUBA: Nieves got the call to be the starting pitcher against Cuba on September 18 during the World Cup. He allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings. Nieves was not involved in the decision, but Puerto Rico would win the game 5-2.

A PRODUCTIVE WINTER: Nieves pitched for Arecibo in the Puerto Rican Winter League after the World Cup. Nieves also went on to pitch for Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series.

BREWERS CAREER: Nieves was 14-14 with a 5.08 ERA in his first three seasons as a pitcher in the Milwaukee minor league system. He has made 58 appearances (29 starts) since 2007 and has pitched.

INTO THE PAST: Nieves was the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week for his performance July 7-13, 2008 while pitching for Helena.

VS. CEDAR RAPIDS: Nieves has made four appearances (all in relief) against the Kernels in 2010. He is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA versus Cedar Rapids. In 15 innings, he has allowed six runs (five earned) on 14 hits. Nieves has walked four and struck out 10 Kernels over those 15 innings.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

STRIKEOUTS: 9 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

............2010 DAY-BY-DAY
DATE..OPP....DEC..IP..H R ER BB K ERA

4/10..KC*....Loss 3.2 2 5 2...4 1 4.91

4/15..@BUR*..Loss 3.0 8 8 6...3 3 10.80

4/21..CR.....Win..4.0 2 0 0...2 2 6.75

4/28..@PEO*.......5.0 3 0 0...3 5 4.60

5/3...@BEL........4.0 4 2 2...2 0 4.58

5/8...CR..........3.1 5 2 2...0 2 4.70

5/14+ BEL....Loss 1.0 2 1 1...1 1 4.88

5/20..PEO.........3.0 3 0 0...0 4 4.33

5/29..@CR.........3.0 6 4 3...1 3 4.80

6/3...@FW.........0.1 0 0 0...1 0 4.75

6/5...@LC.........4.0 6 3 3...4 2 4.98

6/12..DAY.........1.1 3 3 3...1 1 5.55

6/27..BUR.........2.0 1 1 1...1 0 5.50

6/30..QC.....Save 2.0 0 0 0...3 2 5.22

7/4...@CR....Win..4.2 1 0 0...1 3 4.67

7/10..BUR....Win..4.2 2 0 0...2 5 4.22

8/4...PEO.........1.0 1 0 0...0 2 4.14

8/7...@CLN........3.0 3 2 2...3 3 4.25

8/11..@QC.........2.1 3 1 1...2 4 4.23

*-Start

June 6, 2010: Notes

NOTES BEFORE THE NOTES:

Not much has changed from last night on the game notes. For the majority of it, head over here.

The boxscore (with the lineup) from last night may be found here.


SUNDAY NOTES:

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Rain suspended Saturday’s game between the Timber Rattlers and the Captains in the middle of the fourth inning. Lake County scored four runs in the first inning off Rattlers starting pitcher Eric Arnett. Chun Chen drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Casey Frawley hit a three runs homer. Scooter Gennett singled in two runs in the top of the third.

THE GROUND RULES: The suspended game will be played to its completion. There will be a 30 minute break. The regularly scheduled game is set for seven innings.

ANOTHER ONE? This is the second suspended game of the season for the Rattlers. Their home game against the Quad Cities River Bandits on May 4 was completed on May 5.

GAME TWO LAKE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: RHP Brett Brach was the 10th round selection of the Indians in the 2009 draft out of Monmouth (NJ) University. He was 7-3 with a 4.78ERA in 15 games (10 starts) as a junior in his final season with Monmouth. In his first season of pro ball, Brach went 5-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 15 games (all starts) for Mahoning Valley, Cleveland’s affiliate in the New York-Penn League. Brach started the 2010 season with two relief appearances with Kinston in the Carolina League and he was 0-1. In his start prior to today, Brach allowed two runs on five hits over five innings with five strikeouts against the Beloit Snappers on June 1. He was not involved in the decision. Tonight is the first time he will face Wisconsin and an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

SUNDAY'S PITCHERS FOR WISCONSIN:

SCHEDULED RELIEVER (GAME ONE)

LHP EFRAIN NIEVES: Selected by Milwaukee in the 7th round of the 2007 draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy.

LAST SEASON: Nieves spent all of 2009 with the Timber Rattlers. He went 5-7 with a 5.70ERA in 27 appearances. Nieves made 11 starts for Wisconsin in 2009.

LAST APPEARANCE: Nieves pitched 1/3 of an inning at Parkview Field against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. He entered with a runner at third and two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning with the Rattlers leading 4-3. Nieves walked the leadoff batter, but got the next hitter to protect the lead.

WORLD CUP: Nieves pitched for Puerto Rico in the World Cup of Baseball after the 2009 regular season. He made three starts and was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA. In 14.1 innings pitched, Nieves walked six and struck out 17.

VS. CUBA: Nieves got the call to be the starting pitcher against Cuba on September 18 during the World Cup. He allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings. Nieves was not involved in the decision, but Puerto Rico would win the game 5-2.

A PRODUCTIVE WINTER: Nieves pitched for Arecibo in the Puerto Rican Winter League after the World Cup. Nieves also went on to pitch for Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series.

BREWERS CAREER: Nieves was 14-14 with a 5.08 ERA in his first three seasons as a pitcher in the Milwaukee minor league system. He has made 58 appearances (29 starts) since 2007 and has pitched.

INTO THE PAST: Nieves was the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week for his performance July 7-13, 2008 while pitching for Helena.

VS. LAKE COUNTY: Nieves is making his first ever appearance against the Captains. This is also his first appearance against an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)
STRIKEOUTS: 9 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

..............2010 DAY-BY-DAY
DATE..OPP...W/L/S IP..H R ER BB K ERA
4/10..KC*...Loss..3.2 2 5..2..4 1 4.91
4/15..@BUR* Loss..3.0 8 8..6..3 3 10.80
4/21..CR....Win...4.0 2 0..0..2 2 6.75
4/28..@PEO*.......5.0 3 0..0..3 5 4.60
5/3...@BEL........4.0 4 2..2..2 0 4.58
5/8...CR..........3.1 5 2..2..0 2 4.70
5/14+ BEL...Loss..1.0 2 1..1..1 1 4.88
5/20..PEO.........3.0 3 0..0..0 4 4.33
5/29..@CR.........3.0 6 4..3..1 3 4.80
6/3...@FW.........0.1 0 0..0..1 0 4.75

*-Start
+Game two of a doubleheader


STARTING PITCHER (GAME TWO)

RHP KYLE HECKATHORN: Selected by the Brewers as a supplemental 1st round pick (47th overall) in the 2009 draft out of Kennesaw State University.

LAST SEASON: Heckathorn made six appearances (five starts) for Helena in the Pioneer League. He was 0-1 with a 6.04ERA with the Brewers. Heckathorn walked four and struck out 15 in 22-1/3 innings.

LAST START: Heckathorn allowed one run on five hits over seven innings at Fort Wayne on June 1. He did not walk a batter and struck out six over seven innings and picked up the victory.

WISE OWL: In his final season at Kennesaw State, Heckathorn went 4-1 with a 3.44ERA in 13 starts. He struck out 98 and walked 27 in 86-1/3 innings.

ALL-TIME: In three seasons with the Owls, Heckathorn struck out 239 batters. That ranks him fourth on the career strikeout list at Kennesaw State.

NICE WAY TO GO OUT: Heckathorn’s last start for Kennesaw State was against North Florida on May 14, 2009. He pitched nine innings and allowed four runs as he scattered 11 hits. What made the start particularly memorable was that he set a school record for strikeouts in a game as he K’ed 15 North Florida batters. Heckathorn, who walked just one in the game, was not involved in the decision, a 6-5 win for the Owls in 11 innings.

HONORED: Louisville Slugger recognized Heckathorn as one of their National Players of the Week for his performance on May 14 against North Florida.

POST-SEASON REWARD: The Atlantic Sun Conference named Heckathorn to their All-Conference team after the 2009 season.

RANKING: Baseball America lists Heckathorn as the #10 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

VS. LAKE COUNTY: Heckathorn has never faced the Captains. He has also never faced an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 7.0 ({3x} Last: 6/1/10 @Fort Wayne)
STRIKEOUTS: 6 ({2x} Last: 6/1/10 @ Fort Wayne)

..............2010 DAY-BY-DAY
DATE..OPP....W/L/S..IP..H..R..ER..BB..K..ERA
4/13..CLN....Loss...2.0 4..3.. 2.. 0..2..9.00
4/18..@QC...........3.0 1..0.. 0.. 0..4..3.60
4/23..BEL...........3.0 1..0.. 0.. 2..3..2.25
5/1^..@BEL*..Loss...3.1 4..4.. 4.. 3..2..4.76
5/4...QC.....Win....4.0 4..2.. 2.. 0..5..4.70
5/11..@QC*...Loss...4.0 4..3...3...2..6..5.12
5/16..BEL*..........6.0 5..1...0...0..3..3.91
5/22..BUR*...Win....7.0 9..4...1...2..5..3.34
5/27..@KC*..........7.0 6..1...1...0..5..2.97
6/1...@FW*...Win....7.0 5..1...1...0..6..2.72

^-Game One of a doubleheader
*-Start