ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Kane County won their ninth game in a row by beating the Rattlers 5-2. A two-out, three-run rally in the bottom of the fifth broke a 2-2 tie. The Rattlers have lost four straight games overall and five straight to the Cougars at Elfstrom Stadium.
ONE SHY (x2): The Rattlers are one loss short of tying their longest losing streak of the season. The Rattlers lost five straight games from April 13-18. The Cougars are one win short of tying their franchise record winning streak. The Cougars won ten straight games in 1991, their first season in the Midwest League. This winning streak for the Cougars is the longest current win streak in minor league baseball.
FIRST TIME: Curtis Ledbetter blasted a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to give the Rattlers a 2-1 lead. It was Ledbetter’s first home run as a Timber Rattler.
VANISHING LEAD: The Cougars tied the game on a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fourth by Jose Pineda.
BREAKING THE TIE: Rattler starting pitcher Jose Escalona retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the fifth. But, Nick Blasi singled to reach; took second on a wild pitch; and scored on a single by Frank Martinez. Jeff Baisley and Steve Kleen followed with consecutive RBI singles to put the Cougars up 5-2.
QUIET TIME: The Rattlers didn’t have another hit after the homer by Ledbetter. Wisconsin only had one base runner after the top of the fourth. Eddy Hernandez drew a lead off walk in the fifth. Three Cougar pitchers retired the final fifteen Rattler hitters in the game.
THE KANE COUNTY TRIO: Last night was the second game in row that saw the Rattlers get just three hits. In their last five losses at Kane County, Wisconsin has picked up 23 hits and nine of those hits came in the 8-7 loss on May 19.
BACK IN THE GROOVE? Rattler reliever Edgar Guaramato pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings last night. That snapped a string of five straight appearances in which the Rattler right hander had allowed at least one run.
STILL SWINGING: Luis Valbuena extended his hitting streak to a season high eight games last night with a fourth inning single. Valbuena is 10-for-31 during the streak.
A PERFECT TEN: Cougar closer Steven Sharpe retired the side in order in the ninth inning. He is ten for ten in save opportunities this season.
RATTLERS ELEVEN: The Rattlers have fallen to a season low eleven games under .500 (18-29).
OPPOSING STARTING PITCHER: Jeff Gray was a 32nd round pick of the Athletics in 2004 out of Southwest Missouri State University. Last season Gray was 4-2 with a 2.51ERA for the Vancouver Canadians in the Northwest League. Gray faced Everett, the Mariners Northwest League affiliate, twice in ’05 and was 0-1 with an ERA of 7.59. In those two appearances, both starts, Gray pitched a total of 5-2/3 innings allowing five runs on seven hits. This is his second start against the Rattlers. Wisconsin beat him on May 16 at Elfstrom Stadium by getting four runs on six hits over six innings off the righty. In his last start, Gray got a no decision at Cedar Rapids. On May 21, he struck out six Kernels over six innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits in a game the Kernels eventually won.
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