July 11 game notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Dragons beat the Rattlers 5-2. Devin Mesoraco hit a grand slam home run in the bottom of the third inning to put the Dragons up 5-0. Dayton starting pitcher Kyle Lotzkar pitched five scoreless innings and struck out seven for the win.

SLAMMED AGAIN: That grand slam homer by Mesoraco was the second slam given up by Timber Rattler pitching this week. Allan de San Miguel hit a bases loaded home run for the Beloit Snappers in Sunday’s game in Grand Chute.

ONE PITCH: Rattler starting pitcher Edward Paredes got ahead of Mesoraco 0-2 with the bases loaded and one out in the third. But, the next pitch got too much of the plate and Mesoraco hit the slam.

ON THE BOARD: The Rattlers got on the board with a run in the sixth and a run in the eighth. Denny Almonte doubled and scored on a Ron Garth single in the sixth. Daniel Carroll was hit by a pitch in the eighth and moved around the bases on a stolen base and a pair of grounders.

ONE STREAK: Paredes is 0-6 with three no decisions in his last nine starts.

TEAM STREAK CONTINUES: The Rattlers have lost twelve straight games.

WHERE DOES THAT STAND? The longest streak in Timber Rattler history was last season. Wisconsin lost 14 straight between July 4 and July 22. The Appleton Baseball franchise record is 15 straight. The Appleton Foxes lost 15 straight games during the 1973 season.

TECHNICALITY: The Rattlers lead the Beloit Snappers 2-1 in a game that was suspended after the second inning on July 7. If the Rattlers win that game when it is resumed, the losing streak would only be ten games.

ON ASSIGNMENT: Jolbert Cabrera is on a rehab assignment with Dayton for the Reds. He is 2-for-6 in the series. Cabrera was 1-for-4 last night with a pair of ground outs, a pop up, and a single.

ROSTER MOVES: Pitcher Johnny DuRocher has been placed on the Timber Rattler disabled list before yesterday’s game. Pitcher Jeff Dunbar joins the Timber Rattlers from Pulaski today.

MEET THE NEW GUY: Dunbar was drafted by Seattle in the 11th round of the 2007 draft out of the University of California-Irvine as a catcher. He hit .247 with four homers and 21 RBI for Everett in the Northwest League last season. Dunbar transferred to the mound in the off-season. He began this season with the Pulaski Mariners and was 1-0 with three saves in seven games in the Appalachian League.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Dayton Dragons are the Midwest League affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They finished the first half with a record of 28-40 and missed the playoffs. In the second half, Dayton is 10-11. They are in fourth place in the Eastern Division and trail first place South Bend by four games. However, the Dragons currently hold the second half wild card by two games over Fort Wayne. Dayton is 20-27 at home this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .239 as a team and have scored 317 runs (3.7/game). Wisconsin has hit 31 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.84. Dayton is hitting .244 as a team and has scored 364 runs (4.1/game). The Dragons have hit 77 home runs this season. The Dayton pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.28.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Dragons lead the season series 3-1. The Rattlers and Dragons split a pair of games on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The two games were played on Sunday, April 13. The first two dates of the series April 11 & 12 were snowed out and froze out.

LAST YEAR IN DAYTON: The Rattlers went 1-3 in four games at Fifth Third Field in 2007. Wisconsin’s all-time record in Dayton is 19-13.

DAYTON STARTING PITCHER: RH Luis Montano was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He spent three seasons in the Dominican Summer League from 2003-2005. He spent two starts in Dayton late in 2006, but spent the majority of that season with the Gulf Coast League affiliate of the Reds. Last season, Montano made five relief appearances for the Sarasota Reds of the Florida State League, but spent most of his time with Billings and was 8-4 with an ERA of 3.62 in 15 games (13 starts) in the Pioneer League. In 2008, he started the season 4-0, but is 4-6 in his last twelve starts. In his start prior to this evening, Montano lost to the West Michigan Whitecaps on July 6. He allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts over five innings. Montano is making his first appearance against the Timber Rattlers and against an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.