August 18 game notes

ABOUT SUNDAY: The Cougars beat the Timber Rattlers 5-0. Scott Mitchinson, Lance Sewell, and Chad Kerfoot combined on the four hit shutout.

GOOD STARTS: The Timber Rattlers had leadoff doubles in the first, fourth, and sixth innings.

ROUGH START: Rattler starter Edward Paredes allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts over 2-2/3 innings. He tossed nearly 60 pitches in the start.

TWO-OUT RUNS: Kane County scored three of their five runs after two outs. Jake Smith knocked in a run with a two-out single in the bottom of the third. Michael Richard’s two-run double in the fourth inning also came with two outs.

FIRST SINCE: The Rattlers had not been shutout this half. The last time the Rattlers did not score a run in a game was June 12 in a 5-0 loss at Burlington.

GREAT SCOTT: Mitchinson allowed two hits and struck out three in four innings before reaching his pitch limit through four innings.

SOME RELIEF: Sewell struck out seven over four scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and did not walk a batter.

ONE WALK: Chad Kerfoot pitched a scoreless ninth and issued the only walk by Kane County pitching yesterday.

KEEP DROPPING: Rattler reliever Joe Kantakevich pitched four scoreless innings on Sunday to drop his ERA to 5.50. Kantakevich had an ERA of 12.34 after an appearance against the Fort Wayne Wizards on July 14. He has allowed five earned runs in 22-2/3 innings pitched over his last 11 appearances, a 1.99 ERA over that span.

THREE UP, THREE DOWN: The Rattlers have followed a three game winning streak (August 12 through August 14) with a three game losing streak (August 15 through yesterday). This is the first three game losing streak the Rattlers have had since they were swept in a three game series at West Michigan July 23 through July 25.

NON HA FATTO NOVE: Rattler third baseman Alex Liddi went 0-for-3 with a walk on Sunday. By going hitless, Liddi’s eight-game hit streak ended. That is a season high hitting streak for Liddi, but fell one game shy of his career high.

FOUR CENTURIES: Liddi struck out once yesterday to become the fourth Wisconsin hitter with at least 100 strikeouts. Denny Almonte (127), Joe Dunigan (125), and Maximo Mendez (123) are the other three.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They were the first half Western Division Wild Card with a record of 39-29. They are currently 66-58 overall. Kane County is 35-29 at home this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .242 as a team and have scored 472 runs (3.9/game). Wisconsin has hit 53 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.94. Kane County is hitting .259 as a team. They have scored 563 runs (4.5/game). The Cougars have hit 75 home runs this season. The Kane County pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.40.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers are 5-8 against the Cougars in the 2008. Wisconsin went 2-1 against the Cougars in a series on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium May 16-18. The Rattlers won the first two games 8-6 and 4-2. They Cougars won the series finale 4-0. Kane County took three of four at Elfstrom Stadium May 28-31. The Rattlers and Cougars split a four game series in Grand Chute August 9-12.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: RH Tyson Ross was the second round pick of the Athletics in the 2008 draft out of the University of California. He was 7-4 with a 4.25ERA over 12 starts for the Golden Bears. Ross joined the Cougars early in the second half. Ross made three appearances (one start) before going on the disabled list in early July. Tonight is his first appearance since a July 7 relief outing at Cedar Rapids. He allowed two runs on three hits over 2-2/3 innings. In his only start as a professional, Ross allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts over three innings at Peoria. Tonight is the first time Ross will face the Timber Rattlers and an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.