LAST ACTION: The Rattlers defeated the West Michigan Whitecaps 8-3 on Sunday afternoon. Chris Dennis, John Delaney, and Sean McCraw combined to go 6-for-12 with four RBI, and five runs scored. Michael Bowman worked through a rough beginning of his start to earn his third win of the season.
EARLY ON: Bowman allowed two first inning runs on three hits and an error. The Whitecaps made the score 3-0 with a run in the bottom of the third.
TURNING THINGS AROUND: In the top of the fourth inning, Wisconsin chased West Michigan starting pitcher Mauricio Robles with five runs, their most productive inning of the season.
ANATOMY OF A RALLY: The Rattlers loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth as Brock Kjeldgaard drew a walk and Dennis and Delaney followed with singles. McCraw drove in the first of his two runs in the game with a single. Michael Marseco drew a bases loaded walk to force in a run and chase Robles. A wild pitch by the Whitecap reliever allowed Delaney to score the tying run. An RBI grounder by Erik Miller put the Rattlers ahead and an RBI single by Juan Sanchez made it 5-3.
ADDING ON: Wisconsin tacked on a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth for an 8-3 lead.
WALKING AWAY A WINNER: Timber Rattler hitters drew seven walks in Sunday’s game to set a season high in that category.
BOWMAN! The Rattler starting pitcher is now 3-1 after scattering nine hits over 6-1/3 innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.
ALMONTE! Reliever Rigorberto Almonte worked the final 2-2/3 innings and kept the Whitecaps off the scoreboard.
McCRAW! The Rattler catcher is on a season-high, five-game hitting streak. He is 7-for-17 (.411) with four RBI during the streak. McCraw went 5-for-10 in the series at West Michigan.
ROAD TRIP! The Rattlers ended a 12-game, 12-day, 4-city road trip on May 31. Wisconsin went 7-5. They were 1-2 in Kane County; 2-1 in Beloit; 1-2 in Dayton; and 3-0 in West Michigan.
A LITTLE HISTORY: The sweep at West Michigan was the first by an Appleton Baseball Club since the Whitecaps entered the Midwest League in 1994.
A LITTLE MORE HISTORY: The Timber Rattlers were 16-15 in the month of May. By winning their final three games of the month, Wisconsin gave themselves their first winning month (in a month with more than 10 games) since the 2007 Rattlers went 17-12 in August of that season.
HOME AGAIN: The Rattlers begin a 12-game homestand tonight. Cedar Rapids is here for a four game series. Beloit will follow for a series from June 6 through June 9. Kane County wraps up the homestand with a set of games from June 10 through June 13.
ROSTER MOVES: Rattler pitcher Daniel Merklinger has been activated from the disabled list. To make room for Merklinger, pitcher Liam Ohlmann has been transferred to the roster of the Helena Brewers.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Cedar Rapids Kernels are the Midwest League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Kernels enter this series on a 10-game winning streak that started on May 22. In their most recent series, Cedar Rapids swept three games from Dayton at Fifth Third Field. The Kernels are currently 30-20 and hold the Western Division Wild Card by four games over Peoria and Clinton. They trail first place Kane County by one game.
SEASON SERIES: The Kernels took three of four from the Timber Rattlers at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids May 12 through 15.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .253 as a team. They have scored 226 runs (4.5/game) and hit 30 home runs. The Kernels are hitting .257 as a team. They have scored 234 runs (4.7/game) and hit 21 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.25 while allowing a total of 249 runs (5.0/game). Cedar Rapids pitchers have a team ERA of 3.58 while allowing 195 runs (3.9/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 71 errors. The Kernel defense has committed 54 errors. Wisconsin is 15-9 at Time Warner Cable Field this season. Cedar Rapids is 13-14 on the road in 2009.
PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook listed four players on the current Kernel roster on their list of top 30 Angel prospects. All four are pitchers. Tyler Chatwood is the highest rated at number 11. Will Smith (#12), Manuarys Correa (#19) and Ryan Chaffee (#21) are also on the list.
OUT OF THE DRAFT 2008: The Angels have placed 15 members of their 2008 draft class on the Cedar Rapids roster. Pitchers Chatwood (2nd), Chaffee (3rd), Smith (7th), and Christian Scholl (8th) and infielder Gabe Jacobo (10th) were all selected in the first ten rounds of the ’08 draft. Pitchers Mike Kohn (13th), Kevin Nabors (26th), Andrew Taylor (34th), and Jeremy Thorne (29th); catcher Beau Brooks (20th), infielders Adam Younger (18th) and Dwayne Bailey (21st); and outfielders Ryan Groth (22nd), Matt Crawford (23rd), and Roberto Lopez (25th) were also picked in last year’s draft.
RETURNING ALUMNI: Five players from last year’s Kernels team are back with Cedar Rapids are back again in 2009. Catcher Anel De Los Santos, infielders Jacobo and Alexi Amarista, and outfielders Groth and Angel Castillo were all with the Kernels last season.
CEDAR RAPIDS STARTING PITCHER: RHP Tyler Chatwood was a second round pick of the Angels out of Redlands (CA) East valley High School. He was 1-2 with a 3.08ERA for the AZL Angels in his first pro stop. So far in 2009, Chatwood is 2-2 with a 2.25ERA in seven starts. In his last outing – a rain-shortened start at Fort Wayne on May 27 – Chatwood allowed two runs on four hits over two innings. Tonight is his first appearance against the Rattlers. He made four starts against the AZL Brewers in 2008 and had no record. Chatwood allowed three runs on seven hits, 14 walks, and 19 strikeouts over 13-2/3 innings pitched.
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