August 5 game notes

LAST ACTION: The Timber Rattlers defeated the Great Lakes Loons 3-2 on Sunday afternoon. Michael Pineda struck out 11 over seven innings and picked up his team leading seventh win of the season. Alex Liddi’s fourth inning homer broke a 2-2 tie. Keith Meyer and Jeff Dunbar each worked an inning of scoreless relief to preserve the Rattler win.

GOES TO ELEVEN: Pineda became the first Timber Rattler pitcher to reach double digits in strikeouts this season. Several Rattler pitchers had struck out nine in a game prior to Sunday. Pineda struck out the side in order in the top of the first and eight in the first four innings.

MOST SINCE: The last Rattler to reach ten or more K’s in a game was Ricky Orta. He struck out 12 Great Lakes Loon batters on July 28, 2007.

K:BB: Pineda did not walk any batters in his outing on Sunday. He has struck out 92 and walked 32 in 106 innings pitched this season.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Pineda has seven wins this season. Steve Richard’s seven wins were the most by a Rattler pitcher in 2007.

OFFENSE: Denny Almonte broke an 0-for-9 streak with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning to give the Rattlers a 2-0 lead. The Loons rallied to tie the game with two runs in the top of the fourth. Brandon Taylor reached on an error that allowed the first run to score from third base. Jaime Ortiz singled to drive in the second run and put runners at first and second with no outs.

GETTING OUT: Pineda got out of the fourth inning jam with a double play ball and a strikeout to keep the game tied 2-2.

HOME: Liddi has four home runs this season. The one that he hit on Sunday was his first in Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium in 2008.

BACK TO THE BULLPEN: Meyer, who started, pitched five innings, and won the game on July 31 against Lansing, worked a scoreless eighth inning to protect the 3-2 lead.

UNSCORED UPON: Dunbar has made eight relief appearances for the Timber Rattlers this season. He has not allowed a run in 8-1/3 innings pitched and is 3-for-3 in save opportunities. Between his stop in the Appalachian League pitching for Pulaski and his time with the Rattlers this season, Dunbar is 6-for-6 in save situations.

SUCCESSFUL STAND: Despite dropping two out of three to the Loons, Wisconsin went 6-4 in the ten games that were decided during their nine-day homestand.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Clinton LumberKings are the Midwest League affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They were the first half Western Division Champions with a record of 41-26. They are currently 63-47 overall and have the best record in the Midwest League. Clinton is 31-25 at home this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .241 as a team and have scored 419 runs (3.8/game). Wisconsin has hit 45 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.91. Clinton is hitting .269 as a team to lead the Midwest League in that category. They have scored 544 runs (4.9/game) and lead the league in that category. The LumberKings have hit 92 home runs this season. The Clinton pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.48.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers lead the season series with a 4-2 record. The LumberKings won the only game played between the teams in Grand Chute in April. The other three games of that series were washed/frozen/snowed away. The Rattlers won four out of five games played at Alliant Energy Field over June 13-15.

MEAN GREENE MACHINE: Clinton outfielder Jonathan Greene has 19 home runs and is tied for the Midwest League lead with former teammate Ian Gac. Gac was promoted shortly after the end of the first half. Greene is second in the league in RBI with 73. He is just behind teammate Mitch Moreland, who leads the league with 75.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook placed four current LumberKings on its list of top 30 Ranger prospects heading into the 2008 season. Pitcher Michael Main is the highest rated at #6. Pitchers Blake Beavan (#8) and Fabio Castillo (#14) are joined by outfielder Engel Beltre (#10).

OUT OF THE DRAFT 2007: The LumberKings have ten members of the 2007 Texas Ranger draft class on their current roster. Pitchers Blake Beavan and Michael Main were both first round selections of the Rangers in 2007. Bevan was picked 17th overall out of Irving (TX) High School. Main was selected 24th overall out of DeLand (FL) High School. Pitchers Ryan Tatusko (18th round) and Ryan Turner (45th) are joined by infielders Jonathan Greene (8th), Matt Lawson (14th), Mitch Moreland (17th), and Davis Stoneburner (9th) and outfielders Kyle Murphy (19th) and Tim Smith (7th).

OUT OF THE DRAFT 2008: The Rangers have not sent any of their 2008 draft picks to Clinton yet.

CLINTON STARTING PITCHER: RH Ryan Tatusko was the 18th round pick of the Rangers in the 2007 draft out of Indiana State University. Tatusko’s first professional stop was with Spokane in the Northwest League. He went 3-7 with a 4.13ERA in 16 games (13 starts) for the Indians. Tatusko is 2-8 with a save and an ERA of 4.44 in 26 games (10 starts) for the LumberKings this season. In his appearance prior to this evening, Tatusko allowed three runs on eight hits over six innings in a loss at South Bend on July 30. Tatusko made one appearance against the Timber Rattlers earlier this season. He came on in relief in the second game of the day-night doubleheader on June 14 and allowed five runs on nine hits over four innings.