ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers won their first game of the season with a 6-3 decision over the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The Rattler offense collected a season high fourteen hits as six different players had two hits in the game. Ricky Orta picked up the win with five solid innings.
AFTER TWO THEY GO: The game was scoreless in the top of the second inning and the Rattlers had two outs with nobody on base when they rallied for two runs. Gerardo Avila doubled to left. Jair Fernandez followed with a double to knock in Avila. Ougi Diaz was next and he singled home Fernandez.
IN THE BOOK: Rattler outfielder Greg Halman ended an 0-for-15 streak to start the season with a two-run RBI single in the top of the third. Halman had one other hit in last night’s game.
INCREDIBLE SHRINKING ERA: Yes, it’s early, but Orta allowed two runs over five innings last night and his ERA dropped from 54.00 to 12.00 after his performance last night.
POWERED UP: Both runs off Orta were on solo home runs. Hank Conger and Chris Pettit each hit long ones for the Kernels. Cedar Rapids has four home runs this season. Conger and Pettit each have two homers in 2007.
CLEAN SHEET: Orta and three Timber Rattler relievers did not walk any Kernel batters last night. Rollie Gibson (1 IP), Joe Kantakevich (2IP), and Natividad Dilone (1 IP) each struck out one while issuing no free passes.
RUNNING WILD: There were a combined ten stolen base attempts in Saturday’s game. The Timber Rattlers were successful four times in six tries. The Kernels were 4-for-4 (Pettit was 3-for-3) in their attempts.
SNAPPING STREAKS: The Rattlers ended a pair of four game losing streaks with the victory last night. Not only did the win end the four game slide to start the ’07 season, it also stopped a four game losing streak at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Rattlers beat the Kernels 5-3 in game one of a doubleheader on August 11, 2006, but lost the last three games of that series in Cedar Rapids. Then, the Rattlers lost on Friday night to the Kernels.
OPPOSING STARTER: RHP David Herndon was the 5th round pick of the Angels in the 2006 draft out of Gulf Coast Community College in Florida. He was originally drafted by the Twins in the 23rd round of the 2005 draft as a draft-and-follow, but the Twins did not sign him. Last season in the Pioneer League, Herndon went 5-2 with a 2.21ERA for the Orem Owlz. He made fourteen appearances (all starts) in 2006. Herndon made his Midwest League debut on April 7 at Beloit. He allowed one run on two hits with no walks and five strikeouts over six innings and received a no decision. This is Herndon’s first appearance against the Rattlers and against an affiliate of the Mariners.
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