April 25 Game Notes

LAST ACTION: The Rattlers lost 10-2 at South Bend. The Silver Hawks broke a scoreless tie with nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Evan Frey tripled to start the inning and doubled in three runs in his second at bat of the inning. Taylor Harbin homered in the fourth to cap the scoring for the frame.

TOUGH START: Rattler starting pitcher Edward Paredes retired the first nine batters he faced in the game, but he allowed eight runs on six hits and two walks in bottom of the fourth.

ANNOUNCING HIS PRESENCE: Rattler outfielder Maximo Mendez tripled in his first at bat with the team. In the top of the first inning on Wednesday, Mendez tripled to start the game. The newest Rattler had seven triples last season with Seattle’s Arizona League affiliate.

STREAKING: Rattler outfielder Calvin Beamon and infielder Ron Garth extended their current hitting streaks to four games. Edilio Colina, who had Wednesday off, has the longest current hitting streak of active Timber Rattlers with a six-gamer.

UNSCORED UPON: Reliever Shawn Kelley pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday. He has not allowed a run in five outings (4-2/3 innings) this season.

GETTING AWAY FROM HIM: Harbin homered in all three games of the series against the Timber Rattlers. He was 7-for-13 (.538) with six RBI in the three game set.

BACK HOME AGAIN: The Rattlers completed their six game road trip to Beloit and South Bend with a 2-4 record.

ERRORLESS RUN: The Rattlers have not committed an error since the third inning of the rain-shortened game at Beloit on April 18. Wisconsin has gone five games (44-1/3 innings) without committing a miscue in the field.

HOME RUN RUN: Timber Rattler pitchers allowed at least one home run in each game of the just completed six-game road trip. Opponents launched nine homers against the Rattlers on the trip.

DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT THE NIGHT CAN DO? The Rattlers are winless in seven night games this season.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Beloit Snappers are the Midwest League affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They were 79-61 last season and made it to the playoffs as the first half western division champions. Beloit made it to the Midwest League Championship Series, but lost in five games to the West Michigan Whitecaps.

SNAPPERS IN 2008: The Snappers are 6-14 in the first 20 games of 2008. In their most recent series, the Snappers were swept in a three-game series with the West Michigan Whitecaps in Comstock Park, Michigan. They are 2-6 on the road this season under new manager Nelson Prada.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: Beloit is hitting .241 as a team and has scored 74 runs (3.7/game). They have hit 16 home runs this season. Beloit’s pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.97. The Timber Rattlers are hitting .237 as a team; have scored 46 runs (2.9/game); and have hit two home runs this season. Wisconsin’s pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.05.

2007 SEASON SERIES: The Timber Rattlers went 5-7 against Beloit last season. The Rattlers were 5-1 at home against the Snappers last season. Wisconsin lost the game against Beloit on April 17 and won the final five games played between the teams in Grand Chute.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers took two out of three games from the Snappers at Pohlman Field in Beloit April 18-20.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook has seven members of the current Beloit roster on their list of top 30 prospects in the Minnesota system. Outfielder Joe Benson (#2) is the highest rated player with the Snappers. Outfielder Chris Parmelee (#12) and third baseman Deibinson Romero (#13) are the other position players on the list. Pitchers David Bromberg (#15), Mike McCardell (#18), Loek Van Mil (#19), and Dan Berlind (#26) are the also on the list.

OUT OF THE DRAFT: There are 12 members of the 2007 Minnesota draft class on the current Beloit roster. The pitchers are: Dan Berlind (7th), Blair Erickson (10th), Steven Hirschfeld (9th), Mike McCardell (6th), Charles Nolte (24th), Dominique Rodgers (36th), Spencer Steedley (25th), and Michael Tarsi (12th); catcher Daniel Lehmann (8th), infielders Chris Cates (38th), Ben Petsch (19th), and outfielder Ozzie Lewis (21st) are also on the Snappers roster.

VETERANS: There are 14 members of the 2008 Beloit Snappers who played for the Snappers in 2007.

FAMILIAR FACE: Catcher Jair Fernandez was a Timber Rattler in 2007 and was slated to start the season in Grand Chute. But, just before camp broke, Fernandez was traded to the Minnesota organization so that the Seattle Mariners could hold on to the rights to pitcher RA Dickey, a Rule 5 selection in December of 2007.

BELOIT STARTING PITCHER: David Bromberg was the 32nd round pick of the Twins in the 2005 draft. He was selected out of Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, California. Bromberg spent 2005 with the Gulf Coast League Twins (3-3, 2.66ERA) and 2006 with the Elizabethton Twins (9-0, 2.78ERA) in the Appalachian League. His last start for the Snappers was his first appearance against the Timber Rattlers. On April 19 at Pohlman Field, Bromberg allowed two runs on two hits with four walks, and five strikeouts over six innings. He left the game with the Snappers leading 3-2, but the Rattlers rallied for a 5-3 win.

Yes, the link is to a Steve Winwood song. So what?