A LONG TIME AGO: The Timber Rattlers defeated the Cedar Rapids Kernels 5-2 last night. Brett Lawrie and Michael Vass hit homers in support of Dan Merklinger’s six shutout innings.
IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY: Lawrie’s homer was a two-run blast to right-center in the bottom of the first inning to give the Timber Rattlers a 2-0 lead. That was his eighth homer of the season and Lawrie is tied for the team lead in that category. Lawrie now has 39 RBI on the year and is in fourth place in the Midwest League in that category..
A PRESENCE I HAVE NOT FELT SINCE: Vass hit his fourth homer of the season with one out in the bottom of the second inning. It was his first homer since May 14. The last two home runs hit by Vass have been off Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher Will Smith.
DO OR DO NOT. THERE IS NO TRY: Brock Kjeldgaard doubled in Corey Kemp in the bottom of the fourth inning for a 4-0 lead. That RBI was Kjeldgaard’s first since May 26 in Dayton.
THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE: Juan Sanchez had three hits last night. He was the only Rattler with more than one hit in the game. Sanchez drove in the final run of the night with his eleventh double of the season.
A NEW HOPE: Last night was Merklinger’s first appearance for the Rattlers since April 17. He had been on the disabled list since a start at Clinton on that date. Merklinger walked one, struck out six, and allowed four hits for his first Midwest League win.
THERE IS A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE: Rigoberto Almonte relieved Merklinger in the seventh inning, but allowed a pair of runs in the top of the eighth on a two-out RBI triple by Matt Crawford.
OBI-WAN HAS TAUGHT YOU WELL: Brandon Ritchie entered the game in relief of Almonte and threw one pitch to get the final out of the eighth inning.
YOU’RE ALL CLEAR, KID. NOW, LET’S BLOW THIS THING AND GO HOME: Jim Henderson finished off the Kernels with a scoreless ninth inning. He is now 13-for-13 in save opportunities. Henderson is tied with Eric O’Flaherty for sixth on the single season saves list.
I FIND YOUR LACK OF FAITH DISTURBING: Cedar Rapids had won 13 straight games heading into last night’s contest. They had held Wisconsin to one run over the first three games of the series and had won five of six in the series with the Rattlers. The Rattlers scored five runs on nine hits last night.
HOMESTAND: The Rattlers are in the midst of a 12-game home stand. They are 1-3 in the first four games. Wisconsin hosts Beloit in a four game set starting tonight and Kane County from June 10 through June 13 to wrap up the home schedule in the first half.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Beloit Snappers are the Midwest League affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are 18-35 and in eighth place in the Midwest League Western Division. The Snappers are 14-1/2 games out of first place and are currently on a five game losing streak. In their most recent series, the Snappers were swept in a four game series at Peoria.
SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers were 2-1 is a three game series at Pohlman Field from May 23-25.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .246 as a team. They have scored 232 runs (4.3/game) and hit 32 home runs. The Snappers are hitting .251 as a team. They have scored 241 runs (4.5/game) and hit 30 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.21 while allowing a total of 264 runs (4.9/game). Beloit pitchers have a team ERA of 5.04 while allowing 306 runs (5.8/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 72 errors. The Snapper defense has committed 66 errors. Wisconsin is 16-12 at home this season. Beloit is 8-19 on the road this season.
PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook listed one member of the current Beloit roster on their top 30 list of Twins prospects. Outfielder Angel Morales is rated as the #10 prospect in the Minnesota organization. Pitcher Shooter Hunt, who is currently on Beloit’s disabled list, is the #7 prospect.
OUT OF THE DRAFT 2008: The Twins have nine members of the 2008 Minnesota draft class on their current roster. Pitchers Steve Blevins (21st), Bobby Lanigan (3rd), Blake Martin (17th), Daniel Osterbrock (7th), and Bruce Pugh (19th); catcher Jeffrey Lanning (8th); infielders Dominic De La Osa (11th) and Nate Hanson (28th); and outfielder Michael Harrington (13th) were all drafted last year.
RETURNING ALUMNI: There are nine members of the current Beloit roster that played for the Snappers in 2008. Pitchers Michael Allen, Daniel Berlind, Martin, Michael Tarsi, Brad Tippett, and Matt Williams; infielder Ramon Santana; and outfielders Ozzie Lewis and Juan Richardson all wore a Snapper uniform last season.
BELOIT STARTING PITCHER: RHP Daniel Berlind was a seventh round pick of the Twins in the 2007 draft out of Los Angeles Pierce Junior College where he was the Western State South All-Conference Pitcher of the Year. Berlind began 2008 with Beloit and went 4-4 with a 4.47ERA in 11 games (10 starts). In June, Berlind was sent to Elizabethton in the Appalachian League where he was 2-3 with a 10.98 ERA in 14 games (eight starts). Berlind is 1-5 with a 4.08 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and 13 walks over 39-2/3 innings. He has never faced a Brewers affiliate, but he made one start against the Timber Rattlers last season. On April 27, he allowed two runs on four hits over five innings and picked up the win at Time Warner Cable Field.
No comments:
Post a Comment