ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Rattlers lost 5-1 at Kane County. Jared Lansford allowed one hit over six shutout innings for the win. The Cougar offense scored five times in the bottom of the second inning off losing pitcher Ruben Flores. Kane County took three out of four games in the series from Wisconsin.
BIG INNING: Flores walked three, gave up four hits, and threw a wild pitch in the Cougars’ five-run second inning.
SETTLED DOWN: After allowing a two-run single to Mike Massaro to give the Cougars a 5-0 lead, Flores retired the next eight batters in a row.
LOCKED IN: Lansford, who pitched a 7-inning no-hitter against Beloit in the start prior to last night, extended his hitless streak to 12-2/3 innings before the Rattlers got their first hit. Eddy Hernandez doubled with two outs in the top of the fifth. Lansford retired the final four batters he faced.
AVOIDING THE SHUTOUT: Ron Garth drove in his team leading 21st RBI with a two-out single in the top of the eighth inning to avoid their sixth shutout of the season.
GENEVA BLUES: In the four game series at Elfstrom Stadium, the Rattlers were only outscored 15-12. Wisconsin hit just .208 (12-for-120) as a team and did not homer in the series.
POWER OUTAGE: The Rattlers have gone five games since their last home run. Jairo Hernandez went deep in the third inning of the first game of a doubleheader with Dayton on May 15. The Rattlers have three homers in their last ten games.
SEASON LOW: The Rattlers are at 17-24, seven games below .500.
UNFRIENDLY CONFINES: The Timber Rattlers are 7-15 at Fox Cities Stadium in 2006. They have lost three straight home games. Wisconsin is hitting just .204 at home, while opponents are hitting .275. The Rattlers have been outscored 104-69 at home this season.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Burlington Bees are the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are 18-21 and in 5th place in the Midwest League Western Division. They have won six straight games. In their most recent series, the Bees swept the Lansing Lugnuts at Community Field in Burlington. Burlington is hitting a league low .214 as a team, but they are third in the league in team ERA at 3.08.
VS. BURLINGTON IN ’05: The Rattlers were 8-4 against the Bees last season. Wisconsin went 3-1 at Fox Cities Stadium versus Burlington last season.
PROSPECTING: BASEBALL AMERICA’S places five members of the current Burlington roster on their list of Top 30 Prospects in the Royals organization. Shortstop Chris McConnell (#7) is the highest rated prospect by BA. Outfielder Jose Duarte (#18), pitcher Chris Nicoll (#19), infielder Mario Lisson (#24), and pitcher Matt Kniginyzky (#30) are on the list. The Bees have nine members of Kansas City’s 2005 draft class on their current roster. Nicoll (3rd round), Kiel Thibault (9th), Jeff Howell (10th), Michael Penn (11th), Cody Harkon (12th), Antonio Sabatini (14th), David Henninger (21st), Chris Kniginyzky (23rd), and Jeremy Jirschele (30th) were all drafted by the Royals last June.
FAMILIAR FACE: Bee outfielder Carlos Arroyo played for the Timber Rattlers in 2003. Arroyo hit .273 with three homers and 40 RBI for Wisconsin. He spent two seasons in the California League playing for Inland Empire. In 2004, he hit .323 with six homers. In 2005, Arroyo hit .313 with no homers and 62 RBI. The Mariners released Arroyo, and the Royals signed him this spring.
NATIVE SON: Burlington infielder Jeremy Jirschele is a native of Clintonville, Wisconsin and played his collegiate ball at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He was co-player of the year in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2005.
OPPOSING STARTING PITCHER: David Henninger was selected in 21st round of the 2005 draft by the Royals out of Messiah College (PA). He was 8-0 as a junior and 18-4 in his career with the Falcons. Last season, Henninger went 5-1 with a save and an ERA of 3.60 in 21 relief appearances for Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League. In his last start, he allowed five runs on eight hits in three innings for a no decision against the South Bend Silver Hawks on May 10. This is his first appearance against the Timber Rattlers.
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