July 9 Game Notes

LAST ACTION: The Rattlers and Beloit Snappers were suspended after the second inning with Wisconsin leading 2-1. The game will be picked up in the top of the third inning when Beloit returns to Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium in the last weekend of July.

INTO THE LEAD: Beloit took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with three straight two-out hits off Rattler spot starter Johnny DuRocher. The Rattlers rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the second. Ron Garth singled to start the inning. Joe Dunigan tripled in Garth to tie the game. Dunigan scored the go ahead run on a wild pitch.

SPECULATE WITH ME HERE: Dunigan’s triple is not included in the current stats, but if they were he would be 10-for-23 in his last six games with a triple, two doubles, three homers, and eight RBI.

IN THE HALF AT HOME: The Timber Rattlers are 1-8 in nine home games this half and have dropped to 18-20 at home this season.

ROAD TRIP: The Rattlers begin a six-game, six-day trip tonight. Wisconsin has three games with the Dragons followed by three games in Fort Wayne. Wisconsin is 16-29 on the road this season.

VS. THE EAST: Tonight also begins a nine game stretch against the Eastern Division for the Rattlers. So far this season, Wisconsin is 6-11 against the teams in the East.

VS. THE WEST: Wisconsin is 28-39 within their division.

GOING STREAKING: The Rattlers have lost ten straight games. This is the second year in a row Wisconsin has had a losing streak of at least ten games.

ROSTER MOVE: Rattler reliever Justin Souza was called up to Tacoma, the Pacific Coast League affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, during the off day. He will be there for a brief time before joining High Desert, the California League affiliate of the Mariners. The Rattlers will play tonight’s game with 24 players on the roster. A replacement for Souza will be joining the team tomorrow.

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 8-11. They are in fourth place in the Eastern Division and trail first place South Bend by five games. However, the Dragons currently hold the second half wild card by one game over Fort Wayne. Dayton is 18-27 at home this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .241 as a team and have scored 314 runs (3.7/game). Wisconsin has hit 31 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.78. Dayton is hitting .244 as a team and has scored 350 runs (4.0/game). The Dragons have hit 74 home runs this season. The Dayton pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.34.

2008 SEASON SERIES: 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. That moved Wisconsin’s all-time record in Dayton to 19-12.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook places four players active Dragons on their list of top 30 prospects in the Cincinnati organization. Catcher Devin Mesoraco is the highest rated player at #6. Pitcher Kyle Lotzkar (#11), infielder Neftali Soto (#14) and infielder Zack Cozart (#18) are also on the list. Infielder Brandon Waring (#23) is on Dayton’s disabled list.

OUT OF THE DRAFT 2007: The Dragons have 12 members of the 2007 Cincinnati draft class on their active roster. Pitchers Derrick Conaster (28th round), Jeremy Horst (21st), Jeff Jeffords (19th), Matt Klinker (15th), Kyle Lotzkar (Supplemental 1st), Curtis Partch (26th), and Tyler Rhoden (22nd) are joined by catchers Jason Bour (23rd) and Devin Mesoraco (1st); infielders Zack Cozart (2nd) and Neftali Soto (Supplemental 3rd); and outfielder Brandon Menchaca (13th).

OUT OF THE DRAFT 2008: Dayton has one member of Cincinnati’s ’08 draft class on their roster. Pitcher Zach Stewart was picked in the third round by the Reds this past June.

ON ASSIGNMENT: Jolbert Cabrera is on a rehab assignment for the Reds. Cabrera has a tie to the Timber Rattlers. He was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Seattle Mariners on April 3, 2004 for ex-Timber Rattler pitcher Ryan Ketchner.

SEEMS FAMILIAR: Dayton reliever Henry Arias started the 2008 season with the Burlington Bees. He joined the Reds organization as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Brad Salmon to the Reds in March.

DAYTON STARTING PITCHER: RH Matt Klinker was the 15th round pick of the Reds in the 2007 draft out of Furman University. Klinker, a native of West Chester, Ohio, went 2-2 with a 5.44 ERA in 15 appearances (two starts) for the Billings Mustangs, Cincinnati’s Pioneer League affiliate, in 2007. He struck out 39 and walked 10 over 41-1/3 innings for the Mustangs. In 2008, Klinker is 3-4 with a 3.87ERA in 15 appearances (14 starts). In his start prior to this evening, Klinker got a no decision at Great Lakes on July 3 despite allowing one run on four hits over seven innings with three strikeouts. Klinker has faced the Rattlers one time and beat them in game two of the doubleheader in Grand Chute on April 13. He allowed one unearned run, gave up five hits, walked one, and struck out four over five innings.