ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Wisconsin capped off a 16-game home stand with a 9-4 win over the Peoria Chiefs. Alex Liddi had two hits and three RBI to lead the Rattler offense. Steve Richard pitched five hitless innings for his sixth win of the season.
TOSSING ZEROS: Richard made his first start since July 23 a good one. He walked three and struck out five over the five scoreless innings. Richard’s win was his sixth of the season. He leads the Timber Rattlers in that category.
BUONA SERRA: Liddi had his second three RBI game of the season last night. It was his eleventh multi-RBI night of the season. Liddi has 52 RBI and took over the team lead from Carlos Peguero last night.
CIAO: The Seattle Mariners have allowed Liddi to participate in an international tournament of Italy. Thursday night was his last game with the Rattlers this season.
LO DOWN: Kuo Hui Lo lined a second inning homer off Arik Hempy to put the Rattlers up 1-0. The homer was Lo’s fourth of the season.
BIG INNING: Wisconsin scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning to go up 6-0. Three of those runs scored without a hit. Jamie McOwen and Juan Beltran drew bases loaded walks to force in runs and another run scored on a wild pitch.
END OF THE STAND: The Rattlers went 9-7 on the just completed 16-game home stand.
MEET THE NEW GUYS: Julian Henson and Guy Welsh are the two new players on the Rattler roster. Henson, a 33rd round pick of the Mariners in 2005, is a catcher and replaced Jair Fernandez on the roster. Fernandez went on the disabled list before Thursday’s game. Henson spent three games with the Rattlers in 2006, but spent the majority of his time with Seattle’s Arizona League affiliate where he hit .203 with no homers and 5 RBI. Welsh replaces Liddi on the roster. He was the 18th round pick of the Mariners out of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in the 2007 draft. Welsh hit .345 with five homers and 49 RBI in 57 games in his final season at UNCG. After signing with the Mariners, he went to play for the Arizona League Mariners and hit .228 with no homers and seven RBI.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Burlington Bees are the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are 27-31 in the second half of the season. The Bees are 10 games out of first and 5-1/2 games out of the wild card spot in the second half standings of the Western Division. Overall, Burlington is 57-70. The Bees are managed by Jim Gabella.
THE SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers are 1-3 against the Bees in 2007. Burlington beat the Rattlers twice at Community Field over May 29 and 30. Burlington won on May 31 on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium before the Rattlers beat the Bees 2-1 in 13 innings on June 1.
COMPARE & CONTRAST: The Rattlers and Bees are tied for 11th in the Midwest League team batting average category at .246. The Rattlers are 12th in the league in runs scored (502), while Burlington is 14th in the league (481). Wisconsin has 64 home runs (13th) while the Bees have 72 (T-9th). Wisconsin’s pitching staff has an ERA of 4.11 (10th). Burlington pitchers have an ERA of 4.16 (11th).
PROSPECTING: BASEBALL AMERICA placed six members of the current Burlington Bee roster on their list of Top 30 Royal Prospects before the 2007 season began. Shortstop Jeff Bianchi (#11) is the highest rated player. Pitcher Blake Wood (#14) is the only other player in the top 20. The other Bees on the list are: outfielder Derrick Robinson (#21), infielder Kurt Mertins (#26), outfielder Joe Dickerson (#28), and pitcher Jason Godin (#29).
OUT OF THE DRAFT: There are no members of the 2007 Kansas City draft class on the current Burlington roster.
BURLINGTON STARTER: Blake Wood was selected by Kansas City in the 3rd round of the 2006 draft out of Georgia Tech. Wood was 11-4 with a 4.79ERA in his junior season with the Yellowjackets. He spent 2006 with Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League and was 3-1 with a 4.50 ERA in twelve starts. Wood started 2007 on the injury list and got into action with four starts for Kansas City’s Arizona League affiliate. He had no decisions in those starts, but allowed just two unearned runs on nine hits with no walks and 15 strikeouts over 9-2/3 innings. Wood is the reigning Midwest League Pitcher of the Week after his last start. He did not allow a hit or run walked two and struck out five through eight innings against Quad Cities on August 19. Wood got a no decision in the game as the Swing scored two in the top of the ninth inning for a 2-1 win. Tonight is the first time Wood will face the Timber Rattlers and an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.
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