Game Notes -- 5/1

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Rattlers dropped their third straight game with a 3-1 loss to the Dayton Dragons. Travis Webb pitched six no-hit innings and got the victory. Leury Bonilla had the only hit for the Rattlers, a solo homer off Pedro Viola in the bottom of the seventh.

GOOD START: Wisconsin pitcher Kyle Parker made his first professional start last night and almost matched Webb. The Rattler righty allowed a one out single in the top of the first inning. Then, he retired the final fourteen batters he faced. Parker, who was on a limited pitch count, worked five innings, did not walk a batter, and struck out three.

BETTER START: Webb retired the first thirteen batters he faced before walking Kuo Hui Lo on a 3-2 pitch in the fifth. Webb got the next two outs and worked a 1-2-3 sixth before leaving due to reaching his pitch limit. Webb struck out five.

UNEARNED: The Dragons broke the scoreless tie with an unearned run in the top of the sixth.

TWO TWO-OUT DOUBLES: The Dragons went up 3-0 on a pair of two-out, RBI doubles in the seventh. Chris Heisey and Billy Rojo came through with the clutch hits.

BIG FLY: Bonilla hit his first Midwest League home run with one out in the bottom of the seventh. The home run was the third in the last two games for the Rattlers.

ODD COINCIDENCES: The Dragons are the only team to no-hit Wisconsin in Appleton. Johnny Cueto tossed a rain-shortened five inning no-no on May 13. Also, the Rattlers were nearly no-hit at home by Clinton pitcher Jake Rasner on August 25. The only Wisconsin hit in their 1-0 win over the LumberKings was a game-ending home run by Curt Ledbetter.

WEIRD ENDING: Bonilla was at the plate as the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. After taking a strike to run the count to 0-2, Bonilla stepped out of the batter’s box and was charged with a third strike to end the game.

HALMAN UPDATE: Rattler centerfielder Greg Halman had his hitting streak end at nine games with an 0-for-4 game last night.

ROSTER MOVES: Rattler starting pitcher Tony Butler will miss his scheduled start on Thursday against the Dragons. He has been placed on the disabled list. Taking his spot in the rotation will be Steve Richard (pronounced: rih-SHARD). Richard was the 8th round pick of the Mariners in the 2006 draft out of the University of Clemson.

OPPOSING STARTER: Sean Watson was the second round pick of the Reds in the 2006 draft out of the University of Tennessee. He was 4-3 with 11 saves and an ERA of 4.61 in 29 relief appearances in his final season with the Volunteers. He made his professional debut with the Billings Mustangs of the Pioneer League and had no record with one save and an ERA of 1.52 in seven games (four starts) before a promotion to Dayton. With the Dragons in 2006, Watson was 1-02 with an 8.59ERA. Watson made one relief appearance against the Rattlers last season. On August 18 at Fifth Third Field, he allowed two runs on three hits over two innings for a no decision during a 7-5 Rattler win in fourteen innings. In his last start of the 2007 season, Watson worked five innings at Pohlman Field against the Beloit Snappers and allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five for a no decision.