ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers beat the Burlington Bees 8-6. The Timber Rattler offense racked up 15 hits and broke a 3-3 tie with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Daniel Meadows for the win. Jim Henderson pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his seventeenth save of the season.
TRADING PLACES: Both teams scored single runs in the first, second, and fourth innings.
A LITTLE BETTER START: Cody Adams was the starting pitcher for the Rattlers and he went 2-1/3 innings, walked one, committed an error, struck out two, and allowed two runs on two hits. In Adams start prior to last night, he gave up three runs on three hits with two walks in one inning.
MEADOWS’S ELEVEN: Meadows pitched 3-1/3 innings in relief and allowed three runs on eight hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out four. Meadows is 11-1 on the season. No other pitcher in professional baseball has that many wins this season.
AHEAD FOR GOOD: The Rattlers broke the 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth. An error on a potential inning ending double play allowed the go ahead run to score. Then, Michael Marseco doubled in a pair of runs with two outs for a 6-3 lead.
A PERFECT TEN: The Bees rallied to get to within 6-5 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Brock Kjeldgaard gave Wisconsin a cushion with a two-run homer in the top of the seventh. That homer, Kjeldgaard’s team-leading tenth of the season, put the Rattlers up 8-5. It also gave Kjeldgaard his 39th and 40th RBI of the season.
SEVENTEEN: Henderson is 17-for-17 in save opportunities after he struck out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth. He is now tied with Aquilino Lopez (2000) and Chad Wiles (2001) for second place on the single season saves list in Timber Rattlers history. John Thompson of the 1995 Rattlers holds the single season record with 19 saves.
NEW LEADER IN THE CLUBHOUSE: Henderson also broke a tie with Brad Brach of the Fort Wayne TinCaps to take over the Midwest League lead in saves.
A MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: Rigoberto Almonte entered the game in the bottom of the seventh and allowed an unearned run. He struck out the final batter of the seventh with the tying run at the plate. Almonte struck out the side in order in the eighth. Henderson struck out the side in order in the ninth to make the final seven outs of the game strikeouts by Burlington hitters.
MIGHTY MIKES: Marseco and Michael Vass both had three hits to pace the Rattler offensive outburst.
SOMETHING AGAINST GUYS NAMED JUSTIN? Kjeldgaard’s homer was off Burlington reliever Justin Garcia. Kjeldgaard also homered off Garcia in a game at Time Warner Cable Field on May 6. Kjeldgaard hit a game-ending homer off Justin Murray of Kane County on June 10. Murray also gave up a single to Kjeldgaard the only time the two faced each other in a game at Kane County on May 22. The Canadian slugger did not homer against Great Lakes starting pitcher Justin Miller on April 30, but did go 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles.
YOUR TIM KURKJIAN DID YOU KNOW? FOR THE NIGHT: This season, Kjeldgaard is 6-for-6 with a walk, three homers, and two doubles in seven plate appearances against Midwest League pitchers named Justin.
IT’S OVER…AT LEAST FOR THIS HALF: The Rattlers were eliminated from first half playoff contention last night when Cedar Rapids beat Kane County in extra innings.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Wisconsin is closing out their first half schedule with an eight-game road trip. They are 2-1 with one game left in Burlington and four games at Kane County June 18-21.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Burlington Bees are the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are the defending Midwest League Champions. The Bees are 27-38 and have been eliminated from playoff contention in the first half.
SEASON SERIES: The season series is tied 3-3. Burlington took two out of three from the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field May 5-7.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .250 as a team. They have scored 277 runs (4.3/game) and hit 35 home runs. The Bees are hitting .241 as a team. They have scored 270 runs (4.2/game) and hit 24 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.04 while allowing a total of 303 runs (4.7/game). Burlington pitchers have a team ERA of 4.12 while allowing 318 runs (4.9/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 81 errors. The Bees defense has committed 81 errors. Wisconsin is 11-18 in road games. The Bees are 10-24 at Community Field this season.
ALL STARS: The Bees have four members of their team on the Western Division team for the 2009 Midwest League All-Star game. Nick Van Stratten and Nick Francis were voted on as starting outfielders. Pitchers Barry Bowden and Bryan Casey will also represent the Bees.
BURLINGTON STARTING PITCHER: RHP Mike Lehmann was a 20th round pick of the Royals in the 2007 draft out of Pearl River High School in Carriere, Mississippi where he was a two time all-state selection. Lehmann spent his first season of pro ball in the Arizona League and went 5-1 with a save and a 2.61ERA in 14 games (one start). Last year, Lehmann pitched for the Burlington (NC) Royals of the Appalachian League and was 4-4 with a 3.43ERA in 13 games (nine starts). Lehmann joined the Bees in mid-May and is 2-2 in with a 4.81 ERA, 13 walks, and 11 strikeouts in six games (four starts). In his start prior to this evening, Lehmann took the loss at Beloit and allowed eight runs (four earned) on seven hits and five walks over 2-2/3 innings. Lehmann has never faced the Timber Rattlers, but in 2007 he faced the Arizona League affiliate of the Brewers six times as a reliever. He was 2-0 with a save and allowed 11 runs (eight earned) and struck out 18 over 17-2/3 innings.
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