ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers lost 8-3 to the Beloit Snappers at Pohlman Field. The Rattlers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. But, Beloit scored four times after the stretch to go ahead 6-3. Danny Valencia hit a three-run homer to break a 3-3 tie. The Snappers tacked on a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF: Last night, Valencia hit his three run homer off Rattler reliever Justin Souza. Valencia also hit a solo home run off Souza in the sixth inning of the game between the Rattlers and Snappers at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Tuesday night.
STAYING HOT: Timber Rattler Leury Bonilla doubled twice, drove in a pair of runs, and scored once in last night’s game. Bonilla doubled in his final at bat on Thursday night and in his first two at bats on Friday. Bonilla is tied for second in the Midwest League in doubles with five.
OUCH: The Rattlers had a lead in all four games of the home-and-home series with the Snappers. Wisconsin dropped three of the four games and had a blown save in all three of the losses.
CUTTING DOWN ERRORS: The Rattler defense committed just one error last night. In the first three games of the series with the Snappers, Wisconsin committed eight. Wisconsin still has 30 errors and lead the Midwest League in that category.
NEW HIGH: Rattler starting pitcher Nathan Adcock set a professional high for strikeouts in a game. Last night, he punched out six Snapper batters in four innings. Adcock allowed two runs (none earned) and saw his ERA drop from 5.79 to 3.12.
IN LINE: Rattler reliever Rob Harmon pitched a pair of scoreless innings last night. It was the first scoreless outing that he has had as a Rattler after allowing at least two runs in each of his first three relief appearances of this season. Harmon was in line for the win when the Rattlers scored a run in the top of the seventh inning to take a 3-2 lead.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The West Michigan Whitecaps are the Midwest League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The Whitecaps are the defending Midwest League champions. They went 89-48 in the 2006 season. The Whitecaps are off to a 6-7 start and are tied for third in the Midwest League East. They just split a four game series with the Clinton LumberKings. West Michigan is managed by former major leaguer Tom Brookens.
LAST YEAR: The Timber Rattlers and Whitecaps played eight times in 2006. West Michigan took the season series 7-1. The Whitecaps swept a four game series from the Timber Rattlers at Fifth Third Ballpark from June 29-July 2.
THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON: West Michigan defeated Fort Wayne in three games in the first round of the 2006 playoffs. Then, they swept Lansing in the Eastern Division Championship Series. West Michiga beat Kane County in four games in the Midwest League Championship Series. Last season was the fourth Midwest League Championship for the Whitecaps since they entered the league in 1994.
PROSPECTING: BASEBALL AMERICA lists five members of the current Whitecap roster on their list of the top 30 prospects in the Detroit minor league system. Outfielder Gorkys Hernandez is the highest ranked Whitecap at #7. Infielder Scott Sizemore is rated at #10 in the system. Outfielder Brennan Boesch (#16), pitcher Jonah Nickerson (#25), and shortstop Audy Ciriaco (#28) are the other three on the list.
WHERE THEY CAME FROM: Four of the members of the current Whitecap roster played for West Michigan in 2006. Eighteen of the current Whitecaps played for Oneonta in the New York-Penn League in 2006. The Oneonta Tigers finished the ’06 season 40-34 and missed the New York-Penn League playoffs.
OPPOSING STARTER: Duane Below was the 19th round pick of the Tigers in the 2006 draft out of Lake Michigan Junior College. Below was 2-0 with a 1.60 ERA in 15 games (four starts) for the Gulf Coast League Tigers. He made two starts for Oneonta late in the season with no record and an ERA of 3.86. In his last start this season, Below allowed two runs in 4-2/3 innings at South Bend on April 15 and got a no decision. This is his first appearance against the Timber Rattlers and against an affiliate of the Mariners.
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