ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers beat the Great Lakes Loons 6-3. Corey Kemp homered and drove in four runs to pace the offense. Cody Adams scattered 10 hits over five innings to earn the win. Wily Peralta and Jim Henderson combined to work the final four innings to close out the Loons.
ROUGH START: Adams allowed four first inning hits to the first five batters he faced. But, he escaped with only two runs scored against him. Dee Gordon reached on a single, but was erased on a force play at second. Then, Adams picked Jaime Pedroza off first base. But, Austin Gallagher followed with a single and Kyle Russell lined a homer to left for a 2-0 lead. Tony Delmonico singled to extend the inning, but Adams got out of the frame with no more damage.
THE COMEBACK: Wisconsin got to Great Lakes starter Kyle Smit right away in the bottom of the first. Juan Sanchez and Brett Lawrie singled with one out. Then, Kemp launched his first Midwest League home run and the Rattlers led 3-2.
XBH: Lawrie made the score 4-2 with an RBI double in the third inning. Lawrie has 10 extra base hits this season – four doubles, three triples, and three home runs. He is tied with six other players in the MWL for second in that category. Russell leads the league with 11.
SIGN OF RESPECT: Lawrie was walked intentionally with runners at second and third with one out in the sixth. It was the first intentional pass give to a Rattler hitter this season.
MY SACRIFICE: Kemp followed Lawrie’s intentional walk with a sacrifice fly to knock in a run. The 4 RBI for Kemp is a high by a Rattler hitter this season.
WORTH MENTIONING: Wisconsin pitchers had given out 89 walks to lead the Midwest League in that category heading into last night’s game. None of the three Rattler hurlers in the game issued a walk.
EIGHT BALL: Rattler outfielder Erik Miller went 1-for-4 last night to extend his current hitting streak to eight games, the longest streak by a Rattler this season. He is 11-for-32 (.344) during the streak. This hitting streak is Miller’s longest streak as a professional. He had a six-game hitting streak from July 14 to July 20 while playing for the Arizona League Brewers.
DON’T MESS AROUND WITH JIM: Henderson pitched a perfect ninth inning with a strikeout to get his fifth save in five opportunities this season.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Great Lakes Loons are the Midwest League affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the third season for the Loons in the Midwest League. The franchise had been based in Battle Creek, Michigan from 1995 through 2006. The Loons have been a Dodgers affiliate since they entered the league in 2007. In their first two seasons, the Loons have not made the playoffs and compiled a record of 111-167. Juan Bustabad is in his second season at the helm. Former major league pitcher Danny Darwin is in his second season as the pitching coach for the Loons. Great Lakes is off to a 10-9 start to the 2009 season. In their most recent series, the Loons dropped three out of four games in a home series with the Fort Wayne TinCaps.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .227 as a team. They have scored 72 runs (4.0/game) and hit eight home runs. The Loons are hitting .273 as a team. They have scored 88 runs (4.6/game) and hit ten homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.55 while allowing a total of 89 runs (4.9/game). Great Lakes pitchers have a team ERA of 4.06 while allowing 84 runs (4.4/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 21 errors. The Loon defense has committed 18 errors. Wisconsin is 7-3 at Time Warner Cable Field this season. The Loons are 5-3 away from Dow Diamond this season.
GREAT LAKES STARTING PITCHER: RHP Justin Miller was the 6th round pick of the Dodgers in the 2007 draft out of Johnson County Community College in Kansas. Miller spent 2007 in the Gulf Coast League and was with the Loons all of 2008. He went 4-11 in 27 games (25 starts) with a 3.99 ERA. Miller walked 74 and struck out 82 in 140 innings. He is 1-1 this season, but picked up a no decision his last time out. A 4-1/3 inning outing at Dayton on April 24 in which he gave up four runs on five hits with four walks. Miller has never faced an affiliate of the Brewers, but he did pick up a win against the Rattlers last season. On August 1, 2008 he gave up five runs on six hits over five innings with a walk and seven K’s.
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