August 7 Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers beat the LumberKings 5-4. Wisconsin trailed 4-0 after seven innings. The Rattlers scored five runs in top of the eighth to rally for the win. Israel Nunez drove in the tying runs with a two-out, two-run double. Maximo Mendez drove in the go-ahead run with a drag bunt single.

EARLY ON: The LumberKings built their 4-0 lead with single runs in the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Catcher Jose Felix drove in runs in the fourth and sixth with singles.

RALLY TIME! Daniel Carroll and Denny Almonte drew walks to start the top of the eighth against reliever Fabio Castillo. Castillo got the second out, but Joe Dunigan and Alex Liddi greeted reliever Ryan Turner with RBI singles to make the score 4-2. Turner got the second out and Chris Dennis relieved. Alex Meneses drew a walk to load the bases and set the stage for Nunez.

BASES LOADED? NO PROBLEM: Nunez drove a 1-2 pitch just inside the third base bag to send two runs home with a double. Nunez had struck out in his only other bases loaded at bat this season.

THAT’S A HOT STREAK: The Rattlers are 2-for-2 with four RBI in their last two at bats with the bases loaded.

SMALL BALL: Mendez knocked in the go-ahead run with a drag bunt that made it past the mound to second base.

IT DON’T COME EASY: The Rattlers needed three pitchers to make it through the bottom of the eighth. Jose Jimenez retired two of three batters faced and left the game with a runner at first. Rob Harmon relieved and walked the only two batters he faced to load the bases. Jeff Dunbar entered the game and got the final out on a grounder to second base.

FINISH WITH A FLOURISH: Dunbar walked a LumberKing with one out in the bottom of the ninth. That brought up Jonathan Greene, who has 19 home runs this season. Dunbar got Greene to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play. That was the fifth double play of the series turned by the Timber Rattler defense.

STILL SCORELESS: Dunbar has not allowed a run in nine appearances over 9-2/3 innings for the Timber Rattlers this season. He is 4-for-4 in save opportunities with Wisconsin.

RUNNING WILD: There were 11 stolen bases last night. Clinton was 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts in the game. Tim Smith had three steals for the LumberKings. Wisconsin was 4-for-4 in stolen bases. Mendez swiped a pair of bases for the Rattlers.

THREE-WAY TIE: Wisconsin has three players tied for the team lead in stolen bases. Mendez, Dunigan, and Carroll all have 22 stolen bases this season.

HELPING HAND: Almonte threw out Miguel Alfonzo trying to stretch a single into a double in the second inning. Almonte leads the Timber Rattlers in outfield assists with eight.

A NEW STANDARD: Last night was the first time the Rattlers have rallied from a deficit larger than three runs this season.

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 64-48 overall and have the best record in the Midwest League. Clinton is 32-26 at home this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .241 as a team and have scored 428 runs (3.9/game). Wisconsin has hit 45 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.92. Clinton is hitting .270 as a team to lead the Midwest League in that category. They have scored 553 runs (4.9/game) and lead the league in that category. The LumberKings have hit 93 home runs this season. The Clinton pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.50.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers lead the season series with a 5-3 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.

CLINTON STARTING PITCHER: RH Jorge Quintero was signed by the Texas Rangers as a non-drafted free agent in August 2005 out of Venezuela. He spent time with the Dominican Summer League Rangers, the Arizona League Rangers, and the Bakersfield Blaze in 2007. In 12 games (three starts) with the Rangers affiliate in the Arizona League Quintero had no record, no saves and an ERA of 0.96. He allowed four runs (three earned) and struck out 22 while walking seven over 28 innings pitched. He is 5-6 with a save in 25 games (eight starts) with a 6.48ERA this season. Quintero’s last appearance for the LumberKings was a loss at Cedar Rapids on August 1. He allowed four runs on eight hits over five innings. Quintero is 1-1 in three appearances (one start) against the Timber Rattlers this season. Quintero was the starting pitcher for Clinton in the Rattler home opener on April 7 and got the win. He allowed one run on three hits over five innings for the victory. He mad a pair of relief appearances against the Rattlers in the five-game, three-day series at Alliant Energy Field June13-15. Quintero was the losing pitcher in the second game of the doubleheader on June 13 as he allowed two runs on three hits over 2/3 of an inning. He pitched in the second game of the doubleheader on June 14 and allowed one run on two hits in one inning of work.