ABOUT SUNDAY: The Rattlers beat the Clinton LumberKings 3-2. Jeff Flaig was 4-for-4 with a home run. The homer came in the top of the eighth to break a 2-2 tie.
FLAIG DAY: Yesterday was Flaig’s second 4-hit game of the season. He also hit his first home run since August 17, 2005 when he played for the Everett AquaSox.
THREE IN A ROW: The Rattlers won the final three wins of the series with the LumberKings. This is the first three game winning streak of the second half for the Rattlers. Wisconsin has won three or more games in a row two other times this season. The Rattlers won the final three games of the series with Fort Wayne earlier this season. Their longest winning streak of the season was five games from June 1st through June 5th.
SCATTERED: Clinton had ten hits, but only scored two runs. In the three Wisconsin wins of the series, Clinton scored a total of three runs on nineteen hits.
CONCENTRATED: All eight of Wisconsin’s hits were by the 2-3-4 hitters in their lineup. Flaig had four; Chris Minaker had two hits; and Johan Limonta added two.
SPEAKING OF LIMONTA: Limonta was promoted to Inland Empire after Sunday’s game.
GETTING CLOSER: Sunday’s Rattler starting pitcher Paul Fagan made his 27th start of the season yesterday. If he makes his scheduled start at Clinton on Friday, Fagan will become the first Timber Rattler pitcher to make 28 starts in a season.
GETTING CLOSER (PT II): Rattler reliever Edgar Guaramato made his 51st relief appearance of the season and picked up the win yesterday. Guaramato is tied with Clint Chrysler for second on the single season list for appearances by a Rattler reliever. Mike Hrynio is the record holder with 54 appearances in 2004.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Rattler win on Sunday gave them a record of 29-40 at Fox Cities Stadium in 2006. That win made this team ½ game better than the 2004 team that finished with a 29-41 record at Fox Cities Stadium. The 2002 Timber Rattlers had the worst home record in team history with a 24-46 record.
SOMETHING TO SHOOT FOR: With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Rattlers are 50-82. Wisconsin needs to go at least 4-4 over those last eight games to pass the 2002 Timber Rattler team that finished the season 53-86. That 53-86 mark in the worst record in Wisconsin history.
MEET THE NEW GUY: Taking Limonta’s spot on the Timber Rattler roster is pitcher John Sullivan. The reliever was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Mariners in August of 2004 out of the University of Oakland in Michigan. At Oakland, Sullivan was mainly a catcher and a third baseman and he was a First Team All-Mid-Continent Conference performer with a .348 batting average and twelve home runs. Sullivan made his professional pitching debut for the Mariners Arizona League affiliate in 2005. He went 3-0 with a pair of saves and a 2.92ERA. He began 2006 with the AZL Mariners and made one appearance for Seattle’s California League affiliate on August 23. He should be arriving at the ballpark at some point during the game tonight.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Peoria Chiefs are the Midwest League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are currently 70-61 overall. In the second half, the Chiefs are 29-33. They qualified for the Midwest League playoffs by winning the first half Western Division Championship. The Chiefs will face the second half wild card winners from the West in the first round of the playoffs beginning September 6. The Chiefs are managed by former major league catcher Jody Davis.
VS. PEORIA IN ’06: The Rattlers are 7-7 against the Chiefs this season. The Rattlers took two out of three from the Chiefs at O’Brien Field earlier this half.
PROSPECTING: BASEBALL AMERICA’s Top 30 list of Cub prospects has only one active member of the Chiefs on it. Catcher Mark Reed was listed at number 19 before the season. Shortstop Dylan Johnston is at number 27 but is currently on the disabled list. Catcher Parker Blake and infielder Ryne Malone are the only members of the 2006 Cub draft class on the Peoria roster. Blake was a 16th round pick out of Arkansas. Malone, who recently went on the disabled list, was a 49th round pick out of Florida State.
TRADE WINDS BLOW TO PEORIA: A trio of Peoria pitchers joined the Cubs organization through trades. Todd Blackford became a Cub after a trade sent Todd Hollandsworth to the Atlanta Braves in August of 2005. Joel Santo and Fabian Jimenez were traded to the Cubs organization from the Padres for reliever Scott Williamson just before the 2006 trading deadline. Both Jimenez and Santo started this season with the Fort Wayne Wizards.
OPPOSING STARTING PITCHER: Jesse Estrada was the 30th round pick of the Cubs in the 2004 draft out of Grayson County Junior College. He made 27 starts for the Chiefs in 2005 and went 6-12 with a 5.58ERA. This season, has made 34 appearances (three starts). In his last outing, Estrada pitched two scoreless innings in relief against Quad Cities on August 24. His last start was on July 22 at Lansing and he allowed one run on five hits over six innings for a no decision. Estrada has faced the Rattlers three times this season – all in relief – and he does not have a decision. He has allowed three runs on seven hits over 6-2/3 innings against the Rattlers this season.
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