5/31/2008

Homestand Primer

Sunday, June 1, vs. Peoria Chiefs 5:05pm
Throwback Jerseys, North Shore Bank Seat Cushion giveaway, Player Poster giveaway, Autograph session after the game, Hall of famer Ryne Sandberg managing the Chiefs.

Monday, June 2 vs. Peoria Chiefs 12:05pm
Qdoba Q*Monday, School day, Hall of famer Ryne Sandberg managing the Chiefs.

Tuesday, June 3 vs. Peoria Chiefs 7:05pm
Bang for your Buck night, $1 Hot Dogs, $1 sodas, and $1 beers, US Cellular Rally towel giveaway, Hall of famer Ryne Sandberg managing the Chiefs.

Wednesday, June 4 vs. Peoria Chiefs 12:05pm
Business Person Special, Senior Day, School Day, Hall of famer Ryne Sandberg managing the Chiefs.

Thursday, June 5 vs. Quad Cities River Bandits 7:05pm
Thirsty Thursday with $1 sodas and $1 beers, Miller baseball cap giveaway to first 1,000 fans 21 and over

Friday, June 6 vs. Quad Cities River Bandits 7:05pm
Family Frenzy Friday, Kids eat free, kids run the bases after the game, post-game FIREWORKS!, and SPIDER-MAN!

IN COLOR!!!

Saturday, June 7 vs. Quad Cities River Bandits 6:35pm
Wilderness Hotel & Resort Night, post-game FIREWORKS!

Sunday, June 8 vs. Quad Cities River Bandits 1:05pm
Throwback Jerseys, Player Poster giveaway, Autograph session after the game

Tickets available for all the games.

Call 1-800-WI-TIMBER or 733-4152.
Stop by the Ticket office at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium
Order on-line

Probable Pitchers (Peoria Series)

SUN: LHP Edward Paredes (4-3, 4.08) vs. RHP Hung-Wen Chen (0-3, 3.30)
MON: RHP Nathan Adcock (1-4, 3.20) vs. RHP Billy Muldowney (1-0, 2.25)
TUE: RHP Phillippe Aumont (3-3, 1.50) vs. RHP Robert Hernandez (1st appearance of ’08)
WED: LHP Donnie Hume (4-1, 2.33) vs. LHP Chris Siegfried (1-3, 5.40)

Tonight's Rattler Starting Pitcher (5/31)

RH JUAN RAMIREZ: Signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Nicaragua by Seattle in July 2005.

DOWN IN VENEZUELA: Ramirez made his professional debut pitching for the Aguirre in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006. He went 5-1 with a 1.66ERA in 14 games (13 starts)

ON TO EVERETT: Ramirez made 15 starts for Seattle’s Northwest League affiliate in 2007. He was 3-7 with a 4.30 ERA for the AquaSox.

STINGY: Ramirez allowed three or fewer earned runs in 12 of those fifteen starts.

LAST START: Ramirez picked up the win at Peoria on May 25. He allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts and walked one.

ON THE ROAD: Ramirez is 1-2 with an ERA of 3.63 in four starts on the road this season. He has struck out 18 and walked four over 22.1 innings pitched.

AT HOME: Ramirez is 2-1 with an ERA of 3.41 in five starts at home this season. He has struck out 32 and walked 10 in 29 innings pitched.

NUMBER NINE: Ramirez struck out nine batters in three consecutive starts. The streak started against West Michigan on April 28; continued with a start at Great Lakes on May 4; and reached three against Cedar Rapids.

VS. KANE COUNTY: This is the first time Ramirez is facing the Cougars.

VS. OAKLAND: Ramirez faced Vancouver, Oakland’s Northwest League affiliate twice in 2007. He was 0-1 and allowed ten runs (eight earned) over 8-1/3 innings on five hits, 11 walks, and 12 strikeouts.

PROFESSIONAL HIGHS
INNINGS PITCHED: 7.0 (3x) Last: 5/25 @ Peoria
STRIKEOUTS: 9 (3x) Last: 5/10 @Great Lakes

May 31 Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers lost 4-2 to the Cougars. Craig Italiano ran his record to 7-0 with five innings of one-hit, shutout ball. Donnie Hume allowed three runs (two earned) over three-plus innings for the loss.

ONE THIRD: The Cougars broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs off Hume in the third inning. The first run scored on a potential double play ball that was booted. The other run scored on a single by Larry Cobb.

*FALLING DOWN: The Rattlers are 8-19 when their opponents score the first run of the game.

ONE FOURTH: Michael Richard plated Kane County’s third run of the game on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth.

TRIPLE CROWN: Italiano lowered his Midwest League leading ERA to 0.65 with five scoreless innings last night. He has gone 40-1/3 innings over seven starts without allowing an earned run. He also struck out five batters last night to take sole possession of the MWL lead in K’s with 68. The win last night was Italiano’s seventh and he is tied with Kennil Gomez for the league lead in that category.

**NEVER SURRENDER: The Rattlers got to within 3-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning. Juan Diaz doubled in the first run and an infield single by Edilio Colina drove in the other. Wisconsin had runners at first and second with no outs, but could not push the tying run across the plate.

INSURANCE AGENT: The Cougars scored a run on an RBI grounder by pinch-hitter Michael Lissman in the bottom of the eighth to go up 4-2.

ARRRGH! The Rattlers tried to rally in the top of the ninth against Justin Friend. A one-out single by Scott Robinson was followed by a pinch-hit double by Denny Almonte to put runners at second and third. But, Nick Walters entered the game and got the final two outs for the save.

SIX PACK: The Rattlers used six pitchers last night. Hume (3.0IP), Jake Wild (2.2IP), Walter Suriel (1.0IP), Rob Harmon (0.0IP), Justin Souza (0.1IP), and Travis Mortimer (0.2IP) all got in last night.

IN A PINCH: After Almonte’s double last night, Wisconsin pinch-hitters are 2-for-4 in 2008. Last year, Rattler pinch-hitters were 3-for-14.

ON THE ROAD: The Rattlers are 3-8 in the first eleven games of their current 12-game road trip. The Rattlers are hitting .206 (72-for-350) and have scored 23 runs (2.1/game) on this trip. Opponents are hitting .235 (80-for-340) and have scored 44 runs (4.0/game) during the last eleven games.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The Cougars are 32-21 this season. They are currently in second place in the Midwest League Western Division. Kane County trails first place Clinton by 6.5 games. The Cougars hold the first half Western Division Wild Card spot by 3.5 games over third place Beloit. The Cougars are 15-12 at Elfstrom Stadium.

202: Last night was the 202nd regular season meeting between the Rattlers and the Cougars. The series is tied 101-101.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .231 as a team and have scored 157 runs (3.1/game). Wisconsin has hit 13 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.29. Kane County is hitting .255 as a team and has scored 217 runs (4.1/game). The Cougars have hit 25 home runs this season. Their pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.62.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers season series is tied at three wins a piece after six games. The Rattlers won the first two games of the series in Grand Chute by scores of 8-6 on May 16 and 4-2 on May 17. The Cougars won the final game of the series 4-0 on May 18. Kane County has won two of the first three games in this series. The teams will meet again August 9-12 on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium and August 16-19 at Elfstrom Stadium.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: Jamie Richmond was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 31st round of the 2004 draft out of Texarkana College. He joined the Oakland organization in a January 2008 trade that sent Mark Kotsay to the Braves. He was 7-6 with a 3.05ERA in 25 games (24 starts) for Rome in the South Atlantic League. He picked up a no decision in his start prior to this evening for the Cougars. On May 25 against the Quad Cities River Bandits, Richmond allowed one run on four hits over six innings with two walks and six strikeouts. Richmond is making his first appearance against the Timber Rattlers and his first appearance against an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

*-Rick, could I have my breakfast, please?
**-
And if your path won't lead you home
You can never surrender
And when the night is cold and dark
You can see, you can see light
Cause no-one can take away your right
To fight and never surrender

Not just for kids

Keep pushing that envelope, Quad Cities River Bandits.

NEW SNO-CONES FOR GROWN-UPS NOW AVAILABLE AT MODERN WOODMEN PARK
Sno-cones are not just for kids anymore, as the River Bandits have opened a brand new stand featuring sno-cones enhanced with vodka that comes in 11 different fruity flavors.

"We made a commitment to upgrading our concessions menu when we took over this team, and this is another element of that process," owner Dave Heller said. "Our fans can come to the ballpark and have a wide variety of high-quality options, more than just staple ballpark foods like hot dogs and nachos."
Is it just me or can everything be enhanced with vodka?

Badger State in the draft

Baseball America is doing a state-by-state preview of the upcoming MLB entry draft. It is behind the subscriber wall, but the title and the lede probably tell you all you need to know.

Badger State probably won't have any early-round picks
Wisconsin has been good for at least one early-round pick in each of the last four drafts, from Erik Cordier (Royals, second round in 2004) to Greg Reinhard (Rays, sixth in 2005) to Tony Butler (Mariners, third in 2006) to Ryan Zimmermann (Nationals, second in 2007) and Andrew Paulauskas (Marlins, seventh in 2007). But the Badger State is barren this time around and may not have a single player chosen in the first 15 rounds.
St. Norbert shortstop Adam Frost is considered the top draft prospect in the state by BA. Here is the write up on a Fox Cities High Schooler who may go:
The best high school prospect in the state is righthander Phil Schreiber [Kaukauna HS]. He repeats his mechanics well and has a sturdy frame, but he's also just 6 feet and 185 pounds and operates at 86-88 mph with his fastball. He showed more velocity last summer in showcases. He'll flash a hard slider but he often gets under it, costing him velocity and break. Schreiber will attend Iowa if he doesn't turn pro.

Baek and the Padres

Cha Seung Baek ('00) gets a write-up on the website of his new team.

Baek appreciates shot with Padres
Versatile right-hander acquired via trade with Mariners

Baek, who will celebrate his 28th birthday on Thursday, got an early present Tuesday night when he was traded from the Mariners to the Padres in exchange for 26-year-old reliever Jared Wells.

"He's solid," Padres manager Bud Black said of Baek. "I saw him when I was with the Angels. He threw some good games against us. I felt as though when he pitched, he had a strong idea of what he wanted to do. He had a four-pitch mix -- fastball, slider, curve and change. ... He's been a strike-thrower in his career with a good delivery, [and he's] fundamentally very sound as a pitcher.
"I think, with his history, he's primarily been a starter," Black said. "But he has the ability to pitch in the bullpen. I think this allows us a little more depth in the rotation, with a guy who has Major League experience as a starter."
What does Baek say?
"I am grateful that a team has given me another chance," said Baek. "I just hope to do my best and help the team.

"I have been a starter most of my career, but this year I've been used in long relief. I'm comfortable as a starter, but I have learned a lot about relieving. Wherever they need me, I'll pitch."
Sounds good to me.

Whitecaps Hall of Fame

This is a pretty neat idea for the West Michigan Whitecaps.
Let the voting begin! In conjunction with the Whitecaps 15th Year Anniversary Tribute during Friday’s game, fans can begin voting on the West Michigan Whitecaps inaugural Hall of Fame ballot, released today by the Hall of Fame committee.

The committee reviewed the numerous fan nominations and constructed the inaugural ballot consisting of 15 individuals (13 former players and two former managers). The nominees are Emil Brown (1995), Ben Grieve (1995), Ramon Hernandez (1996), Dave Borkowski (1997), Francisco Cordero (1997), Robert Fick (1997), Bruce Fields (1997-2000), Brandon Inge (1999), Calvin Chipperfield (2000), Ramon Santiago (2000), Andy Van Hekken (2000), Juan Tejeda (2002), Phil Regan (2002-03), Jon Connolly (2003) and Joel Zumaya (2003).

Voting on-line and at Fifth Third Ballpark continues through September 1. The winners will be announced at their Winter Banquet in January.

Back to my old school

MiLB.com had their new The Farm's Almanac up a few days ago. The main story has to do with some Kane County Cougars rooting for and following their old college teams as the NCAA Tournament is in full swing.

There is a Timber Rattler tie in there:

The situation is much different for Wisconsin Timber Rattlers outfielder Gavin Dickey, who was drafted in the 12th round in 2006 out of the University of Florida. Dickey had been a starting outfielder for the 2005 Gators team that advanced to the College World Series championship, ultimately losing to Texas. However, the coaching staff of that team was overhauled following last season, with head coach Pat McMahon replaced by Kevin O'Sullivan. Now, familiar faces are few and far between in Dickey's old program.

"I haven't even gotten a chance to meet the new staff. I spoke with one of my coaches I had when I was there before the season and a couple of guys I played with, but I haven't met the new guys," Dickey said.

Views from the Press Box

From the Elfstrom Stadium Visiting Press Box before Friday's game.



And during Friday's game.

Rattler History...Since 2000

Here is how the Timber Rattlers have fared on May 31 since 2000

2000: The Rattlers were rained out in Clinton. Rattler record on this date: 27-23

2001: The Rattlers lost 3-2 to Peoria at home. Aneuris Diaz drove in a pair of runs in the fourth and broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI single in the eighth. Dan Floyd drove in one Rattler run with a triple and scored the other on a wild pitch. Rattler record after this game: 30-21.

2002: The Rattlers won 4-2 at Dayton in a game that started at 9:57 EDT after a 2 hour and 57 minute rain delay. Greg Dobbs hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Jason Rainey hit an inside-the-park home run later in the game. Juan Done (6IP) and Ramon Royce (3IP) combined to wrap that game up at 12:48am EDT. Rattler record after this game: 27-26

2003: The Rattler home game with West Michigan was rained out. Rattler record on this date: 28-24

2004: The Rattlers won 18-7 at Peoria. This game was scoreless until the fifth. The Rattlers scored six times in the fifth and seven times in the sixth. Josh Womack had three RBI. Adam Jones, Evel Bastida, Chris Collins, Brent Metheny, and Chris Colton all had two RBI in the game. Ryan Feierabend allowed five runs (three earned) over seven innings for his sixth win. Rattler record after this game: 22-28

2005: The Rattlers lost 11-4 at Cedar Rapids. The Kernels scored once in the first and six times in the second inning. Aaron Jensen allowed nine runs over four innings for the loss. Rattler record after this game: 30-22

2006: The Rattlers lost 6-3 at Burlington. The Bees snapped a 2-2 tie with a pair of runs in the fifth. Not much else to report here. Rattler record after this game: 19-33

2007: The Rattlers lost 5-4 to the Bees at home. The Rattlers scored twice in the first on three straight doubles (Kuo Hui Lo, Leury Bonilla, and Carlos Peguero). But, Burlington had a 5-2 lead after the top of the fifth. Burlington held on for the win. Rattler record after this game: 16-36

A 2-4 record with two rainouts and a near-rainout. The game in Dayton in 2002 was one of the longer rain delays I've sat through before a game was actually played. But, the Rattlers won, swept the series from the Dragons, and came home above .500. An okay day in Rattler history.

Midwest League Action (Games of 5/30)

May 30 scoreboard.

@Kane County 4, Wisconsin 2: Italiano doesn't have best stuff. Moves to 7-0.

South Bend 6, West Michigan 1: One of these teams is 'stuck in reverse'.

@Clinton 5, Beloit 2;
Beloit 6, @Clinton 2: SPLIT!

@Fort Wayne 2, Dayton 1: Suspended in the third, so a quick note about the Wizards playoff chances.

@Lansing 1, Great Lakes 0: The team that had ten hits? They didn't win.

Cedar Rapids @ Peoria: PPD. Doubleheader Day at O'Brien Field.

@Quad Cities 7, Burlington 4: Five homers, including an inside-the-parker, for the Bandits. The inside-the-park job? By 6'-4" 260 pound first baseman Matt Arburr. There has GOT to be video of this somewhere.

Mariner System Report (Games of 5/30)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 20-35 4th American League West): The Mariners lost 7-4 to Detroit. The Tigers scored seven runs in the first inning off Carlos Silva. Adrian Beltre homered twice, but Seattle could not make up the difference.

TACOMA (AAA: 26-28, 3rd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers lost 7-1 at Fresno. The Grizzlies scored five runs in the first inning off Sean White (’07). Yung Chi Chen (’05) had two of the six hits for the Rainiers.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 34-21, T-1st Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx beat Mississippi 5-3. Luis Valbuena (’06) hit a three-run homer and Johan Limonta (’06) hit a solo homer for West Tennessee. Ryan Ketchner (’02) struck out seven and allowed three hits over 6-1/3 scoreless innings for his fourth win.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 26-29, T-1st California League South Division): The Mavericks beat Stockton 4-2. Ogui Diaz (’07) and Matt Mangini both hit homers for the Mavs. Anthony Varvaro (’07) struck out seven over six innings and allowed two runs on four hits for the win.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Detroit (Justin Verlander 2-7) at Seattle (Felix Hernandez 2-5) 2:55pm CDT
Salt Lake (Kasey Olenberger 3-4) at Tacoma (Chris Jakubauskas 2-1) 9:05pm CDT
Tennessee at West Tennessee 7:05pm CDT
High Desert (Kyle Parker 5-1) at Stockton (James Heuser 2-1) 9:05pm CDT

5/30/2008

Game on

It has stopped raining in Kane County...for now.

The word passed along was a 7:00pm start. Italiano, the Kane County starting pitcher, just started playing long toss in the outfield, sothat should be just about right.

Game on!

sorry.

Play Ball!

Rain Delay Theater

Sounds like the game may start around 7:00pm.

Until the, enjoy this Goofy cartoon:

Tonight's Rattler Starting Pitcher (5/30)

LHP DONNIE HUME: Selected by the Mariners in the 8th round of San Diego State University.

OFF THE LIST: Hume was activated off the disabled list today. To make room, Michael Pineda was transferred to the roster of the Everett AquaSox.

AZTEC: Hume was 4-2 with a 3.07ERA in seven starts in his final season at SDSU. That season ended after surgery to remove a small bone spur in his pitching elbow on May 7.

PRE-AZTEC: Pitched two seasons at Long Beach State before transferring to SDSU. Was 1-1 with a 2.37ERA as a freshman and 3-3 with a 3.59ERA as a sophomore.

FAMOUS ALUM: Hume played for Vacaville High School and earned All-Monticello Empire League honors as a senior. Major leaguer Jermaine Dye also went to Vacaville High School.

ON THE CAPE: Hume was a member of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2006. Was 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA for the Sox.

FIRST PRO START: Hume is made his professional debut as the starting pitcher in the second game of the doubleheader against the Quad Cities River Bandits on April 5, 2008. He pitched five shutout innings for the victory in the 2-0 Rattler win. The only hit he allowed was a one out double in the bottom of the fifth. He struck out five and walked a pair for the win.

LAST WIN: Hume won his fourth straight decision with six strong innings against Cedar Rapids on May 8. He allowed one run on two hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

LAST START: Hume allowed two runs on six hits over 5-1/3 innings against Burlington on May 13 in Grand Chute. He did not walk a batter and struck out seven. Wisconsin would win the game 6-4, but Hume was not involved in the decision.

STRETCHING OUT: Hume’s six innings against Cedar Rapids set a new career high for him.

VS. KANE COUNTY: This is Hume’s first appearance against the Cougars. It is also his first appearance against an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.

PROFESSIONAL HIGHS
INNINGS PITCHED: 6.0 (5/8 vs. Cedar Rapids)
STRIKEOUTS: 8 (5/2 @Lansing)

May 30 Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers beat the Kane County Cougars 2-1. Juan Diaz drove in both Timber Rattler runs for the offense. Phillippe Aumont got the win and four Wisconsin relievers preserved the victory.

*SQUEEZE: The game was scoreless when Diaz stepped to the plate with one out and runners at second and third in the top of the sixth inning. On a 2-1 count, Scott Robinson, the runner at third broke for the plate, and Diaz got the ball down for an RBI on the suicide squeeze.

AUMONT UPDATE: The Rattler right-hander pitched five shutout innings to lower his ERA to 1.50. He also evened up his record at 3-3 by picking up his first win as a starting pitcher. Aumont set a professional high for strikeouts with six.

WITH DIAZ, YOU’RE IN GOOD HANDS: The Rattler shortstop delivered a two-out, RBI single in the top of the eighth inning to give Wisconsin an insurance run to go up 2-0.

MORE HITS? IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER: In game one of the series, the Rattlers outhit the Cougars 9-3, but lost 3-1. Last night, the Cougars outhit the Rattlers 7-4, but it was the Rattlers who picked up the win.

**FOUR HORSEMEN: Four Rattler relievers kept the Rattlers in front. Ryan Moorer pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh inning. Justin Souza allowed a run in the eighth, but got two outs. Jose Escalona, a lefty, struck out a left-handed hitter for the final out of the eighth. Keith Meyer worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts for his second save.

A TIP OF THE CAP: Scott Mitchinson was the starting pitcher for the Cougars last night. In two starts against the Timber Rattlers this season, he has allowed one unearned run on six hits with 16 strikeouts over 14 innings. He is 1-1 against the Rattlers.

ON THE ROAD: The Rattlers are 3-7 in the first ten games of their current 12-game road trip. The Rattlers are hitting .203 (64-for-316) and have scored 21 runs (2.1/game) on this trip. Opponents are hitting .227 (70-for-308) and have scored 40 runs (4.0/game) during the last ten games.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The Cougars are 31-21 this season. They are currently in second place in the Midwest League Western Division. Kane County trails first place Clinton by seven games. The Cougars hold the first half Western Division Wild Card spot by three games over third place Beloit. The Cougars are 14-12 at Elfstrom Stadium. In their most recent series, Kane County went 2-3 in five games at home with the Quad Cities River Bandits that ended on Monday.

201: Last night was the 201st regular season meeting between the Rattlers and the Cougars. The Rattlers lead the all-time 101-100.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .231 as a team and have scored 155 runs (3.2/game). Wisconsin has hit 13 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.29. Kane County is hitting .254 as a team and has scored 213 runs (4.1/game). The Cougars have hit 25 home runs this season. Their pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.63.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers lead the season series 3-2 after five games. The Rattlers won the first two games of the series in Grand Chute by scores of 8-6 on May 16 and 4-2 on May 17. The Cougars won the final game of the series 4-0 on May 18.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: Craig Italiano was the second round pick of Oakland in the 2005 draft out of Flower Mound (TX) High School. In 2006, he made four starts for the Cougars and was 0-1 with a 3.50ERA. In 2007, Italiano went 0-3 with a 12.71ERA in six starts. His final start in 2007 was against the Timber Rattlers on May 14. He had allowed no runs over the first 2-2/3 innings. But, Carlos Triunfel lined a pitch back at the mound in the third inning and it hit Italiano in the head. He missed the remainder of last season as he recovered from a fractured skull. Italiano is off to a 6-0 start in the 2008 season and leads the Midwest League in earned run average with a 0.72ERA. He is also tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 63. In his start prior to this evening for the Cougars, Italiano pitched five scoreless innings, struck out six and allowed three hits against Quad Cities on May 24 for a no decision. Italiano has not allowed an earned run since a start on April 21 against Great Lakes. That is a stretch of six starts.

*-Cool for Cats....Get it...Of course, you do.
**-Whooooooooooooooooo!

Alumni Report

Jay has his latest edition of the Rattler Alumni Report up at the main site.

Of note to the independent league set:
Northern League
Winnipeg Goldeyes released RHP Ivan Blanco ('05)

Blanco was horrible for High Desert last season (10.72 ERA in 22.2 innings) and couldn't crack the independent Goldeyes roster this spring.
HOT and COLD return as well!

Get out the vote

MLNSports.com is running a Best of election at their website. Follow that link and click on the banner link at the top of the page you arrive at.

Don't worry, the Rattlers are there. They still have us listed under the old name, Fox Cities Stadium. We shouldn't feel too bad. John O'Donnell Stadium/Modern Woodmen Park is not even listed.

Not only stadium, but also food, amenities and entertainment.

Walking around the stadium (Kane County)

Have I mentioned that they are pretty excited about the expansion plans in Kane County?


And the work has begun!

They like their Alumni, too.



For the record, Dontrelle Willis has one of those paintings on the concourse, too.
Just showing something different.
You are here ^

Hotel Art (Kane County, 2008)

These paintings made an impression on me last year, too.



I left out the bathroom painting this time.

The View from my hotel window -- Kane County

Nice day yesterday.

Rattler History...Since 2000

Here is how the Timber Rattlers have fared on May 30 since 2000

2000: The Rattlers won 5-4 at Clinton. After an all-night bus ride after the Sunday Day game in Dayton, the Rattlers fell behind the LumberKings 3-0 in the first inning. Cha Seung Baek tossed 40 pitches in the inning and Melqui Torres came on for the second and allowed another Clinton run. Wisconsin got their first run on a two-out RBI single by Chris Snelling in the sixth. But, the Rattlers still trailed 4-1 heading into the eighth. Brad Salmon gave up a pair of singles and a walk with one out in that inning to load the bases. Dustin Robinson entered and Snelling greeted him with a GRAND SLAM. Rattler record after this game: 27-23

2001: The Rattlers won 5-2 at West Michigan. Ariel Durango had a pair of RBI and scored a run. Erik Grunwald allowed one run on four hits over 6-1/3 innings for the win. Rattler record after this game: 30-20.

2002: The Rattlers won 4-3 at Dayton in 2 hours and 58 minutes. Shin-soo Choo sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth broke a 3-3 tie. Lanny Patten got out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth. Rattler record after this game: 26-26

2003: The Rattlers beat West Michigan 12-2 at home. Corey Harrington hit a three-run homer in the second and Matt Hagen hit a grand slam as part of a seven run third inning. BOBBY Livingston allowed two runs (one earned) for his eighth win of the season. Rattler record after this game: 28-24

2004: The Rattlers lost 3-2 at Peoria. Tyler Parker’s RBI single off Juan Ovalles in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Chiefs the win. Rattler record after this game: 21-27

2005: The Rattlers won 11-4 at Quad Cities. Rob Johnson and Matt Tuiasosopo both had four hits and three RBI for the Rattlers. Johnson hit a pair of homers and Mike Wilson also homered. Rattler record after this game: 30-21

2006: The Rattlers lost 5-1 at Burlington. The Bees scored four times in the second inning. Harold Williams walked the bases loaded and Jose Duarte hit a three-run double and scored later. The Rattlers had five hits. Rattler record after this game: 19-32

2007: The Rattlers lost 10-9 at Burlington. The Rattlers hit four home runs in the game (Kuo Hui Lo, Alex Liddi, Carlos Peguero, and Gerardo Avila). Avila’s homer in the seventh tied the game 8-8. But, Kurt Mertins hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Andrew Barb to put the Bees up 10-8. Back-to-back doubles by Lo and Peguero to start the ninth inning made the score 10-9, but Burlington held on for the win. Rattler record after this game: 16-35

A 5-3 record with a Snelling grand slam four-homer game in a loss make it an interesting day in Rattler history.

Midwest League Action (Games of 5/29)

May 29 scoreboard.

Wisconsin 2, @Kane County 1: Rattlers win a close one.

South Bend 7, @West Michigan 3: Four straight losses by the Whitecaps.

@Fort Wayne 8, Dayton 3: Dragons baffled.

Great Lakes 3, @Lansing 1: Lugs miss another chance to take over first.

@Peoria 7, Cedar Rapids 4: Four run second got the Chiefs off to a nice start.

Clinton @ Beloit PPD: Doubleheader day in Clinton.

@Quad Cities 6, Burlington 0: Whole lotta shakin' goin' on.

Mariner System Report (Games of 5/29)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 20-34 4th American League West): The Mariners were off on Thursday.

TACOMA (AAA: 26-27, 3rd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers lost 5-4 at Fresno. Oswaldo Navarro (’05) drove in a pair of runs for Tacoma. Robert Rohrbaugh (’05) allowed four runs over six innings for a no decision. Fresno scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to break a 4-4 tie.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 33-21, T-1st Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx lost 7-2 at Mississippi. Brent Johnson (’05) and Michael Saunders (’06) each drove in a run, but Justin Thomas (’06) allowed six runs over 4-1/3 innings for the loss.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 25-29, T-1st California League South Division): The Mavericks won 4-1 at Stockton. Greg Halman (’07) hit his fifteenth homer and Jamie McOwen (’07) hit his second homer to lead the Mavs. Keith Renaud (’07) allowed one run over 6-1/3 innings for his second consecutive win. Shawn Kelley (’08) struck out the side in the ninth for his third save in the California League.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Detroit (Nate Robertson 2-5) at Seattle (Carlos Silva 3-4) 9:10pm CDT
Tacoma (Sean White 4-3) at Fresno (Brad Hennessey 3-1) 9:05pm CDT
West Tennessee (Ryan Ketchner 3-1) at Mississippi (Jerome Gamble 0-3) 7:05pm CDT
High Desert (Anthony Varvaro 1-4) at Stockton (Trevor Cahill 5-2) 9:05pm CDT

It is alive!

Quick story.

A power supply for a laptop dies at 4pm. A replacement is needed, but can't be found until the local Radio Shack opens at 10am the next day.

A customer unironically wearing a Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon T-shirt is spotted at said local Radio Shack.

The power supply is purchased. The computer lives. Work begins.

Blog will be updated later.

To work!

5/29/2008

Tonight's Rattler Starting Pitcher (5/29)

RHP PHILLPE AUMONT: Selected by the Mariners in the first round (11th overall) in the 2007 draft out of Ecole Du Versant in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.

O, CANADA! Aumont pitched for Canada in the 2007 IABF World Cup and was named the 2007 Canadian Junior National MVP. Also pitched for Team Canada at the 2006 World Junior AAA Championships.

HIGHEST SINCE: Was the first Canadian selected in the first round of the baseball draft since 2002 and the first native of Quebec to be selected in the first round since 1997.

RATED: Baseball America ranks Aumont as the #2 prospect in the Seattle minor league system.

FIRST SINCE: Aumont is the first #1 pick to start the season after he was drafted with the Timber Rattlers since catcher Ryan Christianson in 2000. Jeff Clement, Seattle’s #1 pick in June, 2005 joined the Rattlers later in 2005. Adam Jones was a supplemental first round pick in 2003 before starting 2004 with the Rattlers.

FIRST PRO START: Aumont did not pitch professionally last season. His start in game one of the doubleheader at Quad Cities on April 5 was his first start as a professional.

LAST WIN: Aumont picked up the win against the Burlington Bees on May 13 at home. He entered the game with the Rattlers 4-2, but Mike Moustakas drove in the tying runs in the top of the eighth inning. Wisconsin rallied for a 6-4 win. Aumont allowed those two runs on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

LAST START: Aumont allowed three runs on five hits over 5-2/3 innings at Peoria on May 23. He walked one and struck out three and took the loss in a 5-2 Peoria win.

FIRST: The runs scored by Burlington off Aumont on May 13 were the first earned runs allowed by Aumont this season. He did allow four unearned runs in a loss to Fort Wayne on April 14.

SAVINGS PLAN: Aumont is 2-for-3 in save opportunities. His two saves were outings of three innings in length.

VS. KANE COUNTY: Aumont made his second start (and first at home) of the season on May 18 against the Kane County Cougars. Aumont allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over four innings and took the loss. Both runs scored by Kane County off Aumont were on wild pitches with runners at third base. The Rattlers lost 4-0 to the Cougars.

CAREER HIGHS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 5.2 (5/23 @Peoria)
STRIKEOUTS: 5 (5/8 vs. Cedar Rapids)

May 29 Game notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers lost 3-1 to Kane County. The Cougars scored three runs in the first inning and Scott Hodsdon scattered nine hits over 5-2/3 innings for the win.

TALE OF TWO FIRSTS: The Timber Rattlers loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first inning on an error, a two out single and a two out walk. But, Hodsdon got out of the jam. The Cougars had runners at first and second with one out in the bottom of the first. Danny Hamblin tripled to left to drive in both runners. Later in the first, Hamblin jarred the ball loose from Blake Ochoa on a play at the plate for a 3-0 Kane County Lead.

WRONG FOOT: The Rattlers have been outscored 33-18 in the first inning this season.

*THAT’S ALL: Rattler starting pitcher Nathan Adcock was charged with three runs (one earned) in the first inning. Then, he kept the Cougars off the scoreboard for the rest of his seven inning outing. He allowed one more hit and struck out eight, but took the loss.

RUN OF THE DAY: The Rattlers got a two-out, RBI single from Ochoa in the top of the fourth inning. That pulled Wisconsin to within 3-1 and put runners on the corners. But, Hodsdon got out of the jam again.

**MISSED AGAIN: The Rattlers outhit the Cougars 9-3 in the game, but left 11 runners on base in the game. Hodsdon did not record a 1-2-3 inning during his 5-2/3 innings on the mound for the Cougars. Wisconsin left the bases loaded in the first and sixth innings.

OUT OF THE BULLPEN: Scott Deal relieved Hodsdon with two outs in the sixth after the Rattlers had loaded the bases on an error and two singles. Deal got the final out of the inning on a fly ball to left. He retired six of the next seven batters – allowing only a one-out walk in the seventh – before turning the game over to Justin Friend. The Cougar closer recorded a 1-2-3 inning for the save.

RACKING THEM UP: Adcock’s eight strikeouts included five in a row from the sixth into the seventh. He now has 58 strikeouts this season and is the team leader in that category. He is tied with Lauren Gagnier of West Michigan and Robert Fish of Cedar Rapids for sixth place in the league in that category.

ON THE ROAD: The Rattlers are 2-7 in the first nine games of their current 12-game road trip. The Rattlers are hitting .209 (60-for-287) and have scored 19 runs (2.1/game) on this trip. Opponents are hitting .228 (63-for-276) and have scored 39 runs (4.3/game) during the last nine games.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The Cougars are 31-20 this season. They are currently in second place in the Midwest League Western Division. Kane County trails first place Clinton by 6.5 games. The Cougars hold the first half Western Division Wild Card spot by 3.5 games over third place Beloit. The Cougars are 14-11 at Elfstrom Stadium. In their most recent series, Kane County went 2-3 in five games at home with the Quad Cities River Bandits that ended on Monday.

200: Last night was the 200th regular season meeting between the Rattlers and the Cougars. The Rattler the all-time series is tied 100-100.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .233 as a team and have scored 153 runs (3.2/game). Wisconsin has hit 13 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.34. Kane County is hitting .254 as a team and has scored 212 runs (4.2/game). The Cougars have hit 25 home runs this season. Their pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.67.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The season series is even at two wins a piece after four games. The Rattlers won the first two games of the series in Grand Chute by scores of 8-6 on May 16 and 4-2 on May 17. The Cougars won the final game of the series 4-0 on May 18.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: Scott Mitchinson was originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a non-drafted free agent out of Australia in 2003. The Athletics selected him in the Triple-A portion of the 2007 Rule 5 Draft. He made three stops in the Philadelphia system last season: Gulf Coast, Williamsport (New York-Penn), and Lakewood (South Atlantic). In eight starts for Lakewood, Mitchinson was 3-3 with a 4.12ERA and struck out 50 batters while walking 14 in 43-2/3 innings. Mitchinson has pitched internationally for Australia, most recently in the Olympic qualifying tournament in March and in the 2007 World Cup in Taiwan. He faced a Canadian team that had former Rattlers Michael Saunders and Sebastien Boucher in a game on November 14, but was not involved in the decision, a 7-6 win for Australia. Rattler pitcher Phillippe Aumont, who pitched for Canada in the same tournament, did not appear in that game. In his last start for Kane County, Mitchinson had a no decision against Quad Cities on May 23 in the first game of a doubleheader. He allowed three runs (none earned) on six hits over five innings. Mitchinson beat the Timber Rattlers on May 18 in Grand Chute with seven innings of shutout baseball. He allowed four hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out nine.

*-Genesis
**-Phil Collins

Hopefully, his visit won't be like this

Spider-Man will be appearing at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Friday, June 6. It's a Family Night with Kids eat free and Kids Run the Bases. Plus, there is a scheduled post-game fireworks display.

I would like to thank Rick Chandler at Deadspin for posting a youtube video that may be used as a promotional spot for the Webslinger's visit. It may also be used as proof that most childhood memories of The Electric Company are not really as good as you think they are. Here is that video:



Two things:
1.) Spidey is a Met fan? Makes sense, I guess. The Fantastic Four and The Avengers would be Yankee fans.

2.) The umpire? Yes. It is who you think it is. He also played Easy Reader, which I always thought was spelled E.Z. Reader. Hipper for a young 1970's era Mehring, right?

Tickets available on-line.

All-Decade pitchers (1968-1977)

Head over to the main Rattler site for the All-Decade pitchers from the years 1968-1977. Jay has once again provided an good list and some in-depth information.

Here is the list of pitchers:

Bart Johnson
Chris Knapp
Terry Forster
Goose Gossage
Pete Vuckovich
Steve Trout

Manager Joe Sparks

Special Mention: Wayne McCauley. Here's why:
He never made it to the Major Leagues, but McCauley had a week to remember during the 1972 season. Just six days after losing a 2-1 decision in which he struck out 20 batters, McCauley threw a 7 inning no hitter against Quincy. (Special thanks to mwlguide.com for the tidbit)

Watch TLC?

I think the last time I watched The Learning Channel was during one of my frequent bouts of insomnia and I caught Graham Greene on Exhibit A, a Canadian version of Forensic Files.

That may have to change after receiving this comment on the Tonight's Rattler Starting Pitcher post last night.
FYI- Wisconsin Timber Rattler Daniel Carroll (currently on disabled list), his new bride Chelsea, and their wedding attendants will be featured on a new TLC Network wedding show to air on TV this Sunday, June 1st. The show is called "Rock the Reception" and will feature their "first dance" at their wedding taught to them by choreographers that the show hired.
I believe this is the TLC Schedule for June 1. If this tip is correct, the show will be on at 8:00pm and 11:00pm CDT. Come on out to the Rattler game at 5:05pm against the Chiefs and then, head home in time to catch the show.

Sosa Signs

Jorge Sosa ('01), who has been a former Tampa Bay Devil Ray (before the name change), Atlanta Brave, St. Louis Cardinal, and New York Met, has a new home.
Righthander Jorge Sosa, who was recently designated for assignment by the New York Mets, has signed a minor league contract with the Astros. He'll be at Class AAA Round Rock, where he'll work with pitching coach Burt Hooton, who helped Tim Byrdak ultimately become an important part of the major league club.

"In my opinion, we've got a big league pitching coach in (Class AAA) in Burt Hooton," general manager Ed Wade said. "I think Burt really helped Tim Byrdak. We just thought if we had a chance to get an experienced arm like Jorge's, we thought we'd do that. No strings attached. We'll see what kind of progress he makes."

Sosa was also with the Rockies as an outfielder before converting to the mound with Seattle in 2001.

Report on Valbuena

Luis Valbuena ('06) is the focus of this week's M's Farm Report by Jason Churchill in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Here's the plus and the kinda/sorta minus view on the former Rattler second baseman. Which is which?
"He's got a nice, fairly compact swing," a scout for an NL team said. "He generates good bat speed, kind of like a Rafael Furcal or Jose Reyes, though he will strike out a little. But he's got some pop, too."

"I'm still not sure if he's got big league ability at the plate," another NL scout said. "I've caught him six or eight times this year, and he's definitely a better, more confident hitter than a year ago, but all my reports have him as a fringe bat right now. But that could change.
Go read the whole thing.

Rattler History...Since 2000

Here is how the Timber Rattlers have fared on May 29 since 2000

2000: The Rattlers won 7-4 in 10 innings at Dayton. Gorky Estrella and Shawn McCorkle had back-to-back RBI singles in the tenth. Estrella scored on a wild pitch for the final run. The big highlight of this game was in the first inning. Mark Wohlers was making a rehab start for the Reds and was only going to throw one inning. He struck out Ruben Castillo and Kris Gundrum on a couple of pitches in the upper-90s. Then, Chris Snelling stepped in. Snelling turned on a 97mph heater from Wohlers and hit his seventh homer of the season. Rattler record after this game: 26-23

2001: The Rattlers won 7-6 at West Michigan. Jake Daubert hit a three-run homer and Dan Floyd drove in three runs. Chad Wiles allowed a run in the bottom of the ninth, but held on for his eighth save. Rattler record after this game: 29-20

2002: The Rattlers won 11-7 at Dayton in 3 hours and 20 minutes. The Rattlers were down 5-2 after the fifth inning. Then, the Rattlers scored six runs in the sixth. A Jeff Ellena grand slam capped the inning. Rattler record after this game: 25-26

2003: The Rattlers won 9-4 at Fort Wayne. Juan Sandoval allowed three runs (none earned) over seven innings for the win. Chris Phillips had a pair of RBI for the Rattlers. Rattler record after this game: 27-24

2004: The Rattlers won 12-9 at Peoria. Wisconsin snapped a scoreless streak that reached 28-1/3 innings with an RBI single by Oswaldo Navarro in the fifth inning. That started a seven run inning for the Rattlers. Chris Collins and Chris Colton both had three RBI in the game for Wisconsin. Rattler record after this game: 21-27

2005: The Rattlers won 9-7 at Quad Cities. Wisconsin scored five runs in the second inning with Jack Arroyo hit a bases loaded triple for the big hit. Mumba Rivera got the win to move his record to 7-0. He left with the score 8-3 and the bases loaded in the sixth. Then, Jake Mullinax hit a grand slam off Chad Fillinger. The Rattlers held on for the win when Craig James worked a scoreless ninth inning. Rattler record after this game: 29-21

2006: The Rattlers lost 3-2 in ten innings at Burlington. Wisconsin tied the game with a run in the top of the ninth. But, a throwing error in the bottom of the tenth allowed the winning run to score.

2007: The Rattlers lost 6-4 at Burlington. The Bees cranked three homers in the game – one off Tony Butler and two off Brian Kappel. Carlos Peguero hit one for the Rattlers in the top of the ninth. Rattler record after this game: 16-34

A 6-2 record, a Snelling home run Mark Wohlers, and some other interesting wins make this a pretty good, nay, borderline great day in Rattler history...since 2000

Midwest League Action (Game of 5/28)

May 28 scoreboard.

If there's a quote in the story, we'll use it.

@Kane County 3, Wisconsin 1: "Did we win this game or did Wisconsin beat themselves?" Cougars' manager Aaron Nieckula asked rhetorically. "We just took advantage of some mistakes on their end and the pitching staff did a fantastic job."

South Bend 8, @West Michigan 3: For the first time since last June, the Whitecaps have lost three consecutive home games following an 8-3 defeat at the hands of the South Bend Silver Hawks.

Dayton 5, @Fort Wayne 4: "We just made more mistakes than they did,” Wizards manager Doug Dascenzo said. Go read for another weird play in Fort Wayne.

Great Lakes 7, @Lansing 4: For the second straight contest, the Lansing Lugnuts could not overcome an early deficit as they dropped a 7-4 decision at Oldsmobile Park to the Great Lakes Loons in the first meeting between the teams this season.

Cedar Rapids 5, @Peoria 3: The argument seemed civil, if tense, at first. But Gutierrez ejected the manager. “I asked where the pitch was and he wouldn’t answer me,” Sandberg said. “I asked again where the pitch was at. He said a ball and then he had some choice words for me for coming out there.

@Clinton 1, Beloit 0 (10 innings): [B]ut thankfully for LumberKings fans it was Tim Smith's walk-off single that accounted for the only run as Clinton prevailed 1-0 over the Beloit Snappers Wednesday night.

Burlington 4, @Quad Cities 1 (11 innings): “It sounds a little crazy when you have just two hits, but this was a game we probably should have won. We certainly had our chances,’’ River Bandits manager Steve Dillard said.

Mariner System Report (Games of 5/28)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 20-34 4th American League West): The Mariners beat the Red Sox 1-0. Yuniesky Betancourt hit a home run in the third inning for the only run. Erik Bedard, Brandon Morrow, and JJ Putz (’00) combined on the two hit shutout. Bedard struck out eight over seven innings. Putz pitched a scoreless ninth for his sixth save.

TACOMA (AAA: 26-26, 3rd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers beat Fresno 4-3. Matt Tuiasosopo (’05) doubled in two runs off Julio Mateo (’00) in the top of the ninth inning to give Tacoma a 4-0 lead. Andy Baldwin pitched seven shutout innings allowed four hits, and struck out eight for the win. Fresno scored three runs on a Nate Schierholtz homer off Tracy Thorpe. But, Thorpe got the final three outs to get Tacoma back to the .500 mark.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 33-20, 1st Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx lost 7-3 at Mississippi. Luis Valbuena (’06) and Mike Wilson (’05) both hit solo homers for West Tennessee. But, the Diamond Jaxx could not get out of an early hole.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 24-29, T-1st California League South Division): The Mavericks lost 3-1 at Stockton. Greg Halman (’07) had two hits and drove in a run in the top of the ninth inning to help High Desert to avoid the shutout.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Seattle – OFF DAY
Tacoma (Robert Rohrbaugh 3-4) at Fresno (Ryan Sadowski 0-1) 9:05pm CDT
West Tennessee (Justin Thomas 3-4) at Mississippi (Tommy Hanson 1-2) 7:05pm CDT
High Desert (Keith Renaud 1-7) at Stockton (Travis Banwart 0-0) 9:05pm CDT

5/28/2008

Tonight's Rattler Starting Pitcher (5/28)

RHP NATHAN ADCOCK: Selected by the Mariners in the fifth round of the 2006 draft out of North Hardin (KY) High School.

SCHOOL DAYS: In Adcock’s senior season, he went 12-2. He struck out seventeen in a game three times in that season and totaled 140 K’s.

FIRST PRO SEASON: Adcock made ten appearances (six starts) for Seattle’s Arizona League affiliate after the draft. He was 0-2 with a 3.31ERA and struck out 31 batters in 35-1/3 innings.

FIRST PRO START: Adcock pitched one inning on July 14 against the AZL Rangers in his first professional start. He allowed an unearned run on one hit with one strikeout and no walks. Adcock got a no decision.

FIRST PRO WIN: Adcock picked up his first professional win against Kane County at home on May 22. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out four. The Rattlers were up 6-3 when Adcock left and picked up a 6-5 win. That game is his only appearance against the Cougars.

RATTLER DEBUT: Adcock pitched 2/3 of an inning in relief in the second game of a doubleheader against Clinton on April 10 at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Adcock walked a pair and struck out one as the LumberKings scored three unearned runs.

LAST SEASON: Adcock started 2007 with the Timber Rattlers. He was 2-8 with a 3.70 ERA in 17 appearances (16 starts). Opponents scored 60 runs in 87-2/3 innings pitched, but only 36 of those runs were earned. He was promoted to High Desert on July 20 and went 1-3 with an 8.84 ERA in five starts. In his two stops in the Mariner system, Adcock struck out 77 and walked 60 in 106 innings.

LAST WIN: Adcock picked up his first win of the season with seven shutout innings at Great Lakes on May 6. He struck out a career high nine batters and walked just one in a 6-0 win over the Loons.

LAST START: Adcock got knocked out of the game after two innings at Cedar Rapids on May 22. He allowed four runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. All four runs scored were in the first inning in a 6-0 Rattler loss.

SCORELESS SKEIN: Adcock went 17-2/3 innings without allowing a run from the second inning of his start at Lansing on May 1 through two outs in the first inning of his start against Kane County on May 17.

VS. KANE COUNTY ‘08: Adcock got a no decision against Kane County on May 17 in Grand Chute. He allowed single runs in the first and second innings, but kept the Cougars off the board for his last five innings. The Rattlers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Kane County 4-2.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 7.1 (6/2/07 vs. Quad Cities)
STRIKEOUTS: 9 {2x} (Last: 5/12/08 vs. Burlington)

May 28 Game Notes

LAST ACTION: The Timber Rattlers lost 5-3 at Peoria. The Rattlers scored twice on three hits in the top of the first inning off Chief starter Billy Muldowney. But, Peoria scored four times in the bottom of the first inning off Edward Paredes. The Rattlers collected two more hits the rest of the game.

BIG BANG: Maximo Mendez hit the first pitch of the game for a home run to right field. The homer was the first of the season for Mendez. The Rattlers followed up with a one out double by Edilio Colina and a two-out RBI double by Alex Liddi for a 2-0 lead.

FIRST SINCE: That lead-off homer was the first time a Rattler started a road game with a home run since Gavin Dickey hit a lead-off home run at Peoria on June 25, 2007.

BIGGER BANG: The Chiefs tied the game two batters into the bottom of the first. Rattler starting pitcher Edward Paredes allowed a lead-off single to Nate Samson and a two-run homer to Josh Donaldson. A double, single, and walk to the next three batters loaded the bases. Dylan Johnston cracked a two-run single to drive in two more runs for a 4-2 Peoria lead. Paredes retired the next three batters to get out of the inning without any more damage.

*HEART LIKE A WHEEL: Muldowney did not allow another hit over his final four innings of work. He did not walk a batter and struck out four to earn his first win of the season.

AGAIN WITH THE STREAK: Colina’s double in the first inning gave him a seven-game hitting streak. Colina also had a 15-game hitting streak earlier this season.

AWARD WINNER: Paredes was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week on Monday. The lefty won the award for his game against Cedar Rapids on May 21, in which he took a no-hitter into the bottom of the eighth inning and picked up a win in Wisconsin’s 1-0 victory.

TRANSACTION: Joe Dunigan was activated off the Timber Rattler disabled list today. Paredes was transferred to the roster of the Everett AquaSox.

**ON THE ROAD: The Rattlers are 2-6 in the first eight games of their current 12-game road trip. The Rattlers are hitting .203 (51-for-251) and have scored 18 runs (2.3/game) on this trip. Opponents are hitting .240 (60-for-249) and have scored 36 runs (4.5/game) during the last eight games.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The Cougars are 30-20 this season. They are currently in second place in the Midwest League Western Division. Kane County trails first place Clinton by 6.5 games. The Cougars hold the first half Western Division Wild Card spot by 2.5 games over third place Beloit. The Cougars are 13-11 at Elfstrom Stadium. Kane County went 2-3 in a five game home series with the Quad Cities River Bandits that ended on Monday.

200: Tonight is the 200th regular season meeting between the Rattlers and the Cougars. The Rattler lead the all-time series 100-99.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .233 as a team and have scored 152 runs (3.2/game). Wisconsin has hit 13 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.38. Kane County is hitting .257 as a team and has scored 209 runs (4.2/game). The Cougars have hit 25 home runs this season. Their pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.70.

2007 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Cougars played 16 times in 2007. Wisconsin went 5-11 against Kane County last season. The Rattlers were 1-6 in seven games at Elfstrom Stadium in 2007.

2008 SEASON SERIES: Wisconsin leads the series 2-1. The Rattlers won the first two games of the series in Grand Chute by scores of 8-6 on May 16 and 4-2 on May 17. The Cougars won the final game of the series 4-0 on May 18.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook has placed two members of the current Kane County roster on their list of the top 30 prospects in the Oakland organization. Outfielder Corey Brown is rated #6 and pitcher Craig Italiano is ranked #30.

OUT OF THE DRAFT: The Cougars have 14 members of the 2007 Oakland draft class on their current roster. Pitchers Justin Friend (13th), Brad Hertzler (15th), Scott Hodsdon (6th), Chad Kerfoot (30th), Brent Lysander (16th), Lance Sewell (7th), and Ryne Tacker (34th) are joined by catchers Jonathan Johnston (42nd) and Dusty Napolean (19th). Infielders Justin Frash (27th), Danny Hamblin (10th), and Matt Ray (18th) and outfielders Corey Brown (1st supplemental) and Adam Klein (48th) are also on the team. Two members of the Cougar disabled list were also drafted last season. Catcher Matt Smith (14th) and infielder Michael Richard (11th) are both on the Kane County DL.

VETERANS: There are seven members of the current Kane County roster who played at least part of 2007 with the Cougars.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: Scott Hodsdon was the 6th round pick of the Athletics in the 2007 draft out of Azusa Pacific University. In his final season at APU, Hodsdon was 10-1 in 25 games (14 starts) with an ERA of 3.17 and struck out 116 with 25 walks in 108 innings. In his first professional season, Hodsdon went 7-1 with a 4.57ERA in 16 games (10 starts) for the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League. He struck out 67 and walked 23 in 67 innings for Vancouver. In his start prior to this evening, Hodsdon picked up a win at Burlington on May 22. He allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings with a walk and six strikeouts as the Cougars beat the Bees 4-2. Hodsdon faced the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on May 17. He allowed an unearned run in 7.1 innings and struck out seven while allowing just three hits. The Cougars led 2-0 when Hodsdon left the game, but one of his runners left on base scored. Then, Wisconsin scored three times in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 4-2 victory over the Cougars.

*-Was going for a video of the Shirley Muldowney biopic. Steve Miller will work.
**-Or, the Canned Heat song that I can stand

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