ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Loons scored five times in the first inning and pulled away to a 9-6 win over the Timber Rattlers. Jaime Pedroza went 5-for-5 and drove in three runs for the Loons. That 5-hit night was the first in the three season history of the Great Lakes Loons.
ALMOST AS GOOD: Rattler first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard went 3-for-3 with a homer, two doubles, a walk, four runs scored, and two RBI in the game.
EARLY HOLE: Of the five runs scored by the Loons in the first inning, four were unearned against Rattler starter Michael Bowman. Last night was the second time this week in which the Rattlers found themselves down big early. On Monday, Quad Cities scored six first inning to go up 6-1 on the Rattlers.
KEPT COMING BACK: Wisconsin got a pair of runs in the second and two more in the third to cut the deficit to one. But, the Loons got a run in the fourth. Wisconsin got one in the sixth to make the score 6-5. But, the Loons scored three times in the eighth for a 9-5 lead.
CRUCIAL PLAY: In the bottom of the seventh inning, Juan Sanchez lined a pitch into the left field corner for a one-out double to put the tying run in scoring position. However, the Loons appealed to first and Sanchez was ruled out for missing first base. The play went for the second out of the inning on a 1-3 putout.
NUMBER NINE: Rattler outfielder Erik Miller went 1-for-2 last night to extend his current hitting streak to nine games, the longest streak by a Rattler this season. He is 12-for-34 (.353) during the streak. This hitting streak is Miller’s longest streak as a professional.
FOR COMPARISON: Jordan Newton of West Michigan has the longest active hitting streak in the Midwest League this season. He has hit in 11 straight games (17-44, .438). Newton also closed the 2008 season on a 12 game hitting streak and on the stat page he is on a 23-game hit streak.
WELL, THAT WON’T HAPPEN: There will not be a sweep in this series. The previous five Wisconsin series had all ended in sweeps. This series is even at one win a piece with one game left to play.
A LITTLE LATE IN POINTING THIS OUT: Great Lakes has two players on their roster with fathers who are or were major leaguers. Dee Gordon is the son of former Appleton Fox and current Arizona Diamondback Tom Gordon. Matt Wallach is the son of Tim Wallach, a former Montreal Expo and Los Angeles Dodger.
A LITTLE LATE IN POINTING THIS OUT (PT II): Great Lakes manager Juan Bustabad was the manager of the Kane County Cougars in 1998. Rattler hitting coach Matt Erickson played for the Cougars in 1998 as a farmhand for the Florida Marlins.
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 11-9 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. These teams will meet at Midland in the second half. The series at Dow Diamond will be from July 15-17.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .229 as a team. They have scored 76 runs (4.1/game) and hit nine home runs. The Loons are hitting .275 as a team. They have scored 97 runs (4.9/game) and hit 11 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.52 while allowing a total of 98 runs (5.2/game). Great Lakes pitchers have a team ERA of 4.06 while allowing 90 runs (4.5/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 24 errors. The Loon defense has committed 19 errors. Wisconsin is 7-4 at Time Warner Cable Field this season. The Loons are 6-3 away from Dow Diamond this season.
GREAT LAKES STARTING PITCHER: RHP Nathan Eovaldi was the 11th round pick of the Dodgers in the 2008 draft out of Alvin (TX) High School. He chose the Dodgers over a scholarship to Texas A&M. He appeared in six games as a reliever for the Gulf Coast League Dodgers and one game for the Ogden Raptors in 2008. He had no record, one save, and a 0.84 ERA with three walks and 11 K’s in 10-2/3 innings last season. In his last appearance, Eovaldi took the loss to Fort Wayne on April 26. He gave up six runs (four earned) on seven hits over 3-2/3 innings pitched. Tonight is his first appearance against the Rattlers and an affiliate of the Brewers.
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