ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers beat the Peoria Chiefs 5-3 at Miller Park. Wisconsin knocked out 14 hits and rallied from a 3-1 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Brock Kjeldgaard homered and knocked in three runs for the Rattlers. John Delaney and Brett Lawrie each had three hits in the game.
SWEEPS SEASON: Friday’s win helped the Rattlers conclude a four game sweep of the Chiefs. There have been sweeps in each of Wisconsin’s first four series this season. The Rattlers swept a three game set from Quad Cities to start the season. Fort Wayne and Clinton both swept the Timber Rattlers in the next two series.
GETTING AHEAD: The Rattlers scored a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. That run marked the first time the Timber Rattlers scored first in a game since April 14, a streak of seven games.
FALLING BEHIND: The Chiefs responded with two runs in the third and one more in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead. One run scored on an error. The other two came in on infield groundouts.
BACK IN FRONT: Michael Marseco doubled to start the Wisconsin fifth. Cutter Dykstra followed with an RBI double. Kjeldgaard hit his homer, a 415’ blast, to right field with two outs and the Rattlers took a 4-3 lead.
INSURANCE: Kjeldgaard drove in an insurance run with a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth.
DON’T MESS AROUND WITH JIM: Rattler closer Jim Henderson pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for his fourth save in four opportunities this season.
WALKING THROUGH THE MINEFIELD: Four Timber Rattler pitchers issued eight walks last night. Starter Wily Peralta walked three in four innings. Brandon Ritchie walked one in one inning. Cody Adams gave out three free passes in three innings. Henderson walked a batter with two out in the ninth. Of those eight walks, only one scored.
HOME RUN HISTORY: Kjeldgaard’s homer was the first hit by a Timber Rattler in three games at Miller Park. In the 2004 Miller Park game, Robbie Devers hit a pair of homers for the Beloit Snappers.
GOING THE EXTRA BASE: Wisconsin had six extra base hits last night. There were five doubles – Delaney with a pair, Marseco, Dykstra, and Erik Miller. – to go along with the home run by Kjeldgaard.
A LOT OF THANK YOUS: The attendance for last night’s game was 17,880. That was the largest number of fans to ever see the Timber Rattlers play.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Quad Cities River Bandits are the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. This is the fifth season of the partnership between the River Bandits and the Cardinals. Last season, Quad Cities missed the playoffs. They were 33-31 in the first half and 35-35 in the second half for an overall record of 68-66. They are off to a 6-7 start this season. In their most recent series, Quad Cities split a four game set at Beloit. The River Bandits won the first two games, but they blew a pair of early leads in the last two games of the series at Pohlman Field and took losses in both games.
2009 SERIES: The Rattlers swept a season opening series from Quad Cities at Time Warner Cable Field. The Rattlers won by scores of 2-1, 10-1, and 3-2.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .225 as a team. They have scored 47 runs (3.6/game) and hit six home runs. The Bandits are hitting .227 as a team. They have scored 65 runs (5.0/game) and hit seven homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 3.49 while allowing a total of 52 runs (4.0/game). Quad Cities pitchers have a team ERA of 4.08 while allowing 62 runs (4.8/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 14 errors. The River Bandit defense has committed 22 errors. Wisconsin is 0-3 on the road this season. The River Bandits are 4-2 at Modern Woodmen Park this season.
PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook listed just one member of the current River Bandit roster as a Top 30 prospect in the St. Louis system. Infielder Niko Vasquez is ranked at #18.
OUT OF THE DRAFT 2008: The Cardinals have placed 11 members of their 2008 draft class on the River Bandit roster. Pitchers George Brown (28th round), Scott McGregor (15th), Kevin Thomas (33rd), and Adam Veres (49th) are joined by catchers Charlie Cutler (14th) and Blake Murphy (42nd); infielders Alex Castellanos (10th), Brett Liley (29th), and Niko Vasquez (3rd), and outfielder Chris Swauger (26th).
ALUMNI: There are ten members of the current roster for the River Bandits who spent part of the 2008 season in Quad Cities. Pitchers Dave Carpenter, Chuckie Fick, McGregor, and Andres Rosales, catchers Roberto Espinoza and Blake Murphy, infielders Domnit Bolivar, Osvaldo Morales, and Vasquez, and outfielder John Edwards.
QUAD CITIES STARTING PITCHER: RHP Gary Daley was the third round pick of the Cardinals in the 2006 draft out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Daley started the 2008 season with Palm Beach in the Florida State League, but ran into control issues before being sent to extended spring training. He joined the Gulf Coast League Cardinals after their season started and walked 32, hit 9, and threw 19 batters in 10-1/3 innings over 17 appearances. In 2009, Daley has made four appearances – all in relief. He was walked three and struck out 10 over 5-2/3 innings. In his last outing, Daley allowed four runs on four hits in three innings against Peoria on April 18 in Davenport. Three of the four hits that Daley allowed were home runs. Tonight is Daley’s second appearance against the Timber Rattlers. He pitched in relief on April 10 at Time Warner Cable Field and did not allow a hit or a run while striking out one and walking none in 1-1/3 innings.
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