ABOUT MONDAY: The Beloit Snappers scored six runs in the sixth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit and defeated the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 7-5. Michael Tarsi picked up his first win of the season with 1-1/3 innings in relief and Joe Testa got the save.
EARLY IN THE DAY: The game was played in a steady drizzle through the first five innings. Wisconsin grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Brock Kjeldgaard tripled with one out and scored on a two-out double by Michael Vass.
MORE ZEROES: Rattler starting pitcher Trey Watten worked five scoreless innings, allowed one hit, and struck out three. In his last two starts – totaling 11 innings – Watten has not allowed a run and he has a pair of no decisions.
THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT DELAY: The rain started pouring down too hard for the game to continue in the bottom of the fifth inning. The game was halted with a runner at first and one out. The rain delay lasted 1:38 minutes.
FAST RESTART: John Delaney hit his first Midwest League homer on the third pitch after play resumed. The home run put the Rattlers up 3-0. Delaney had three RBI in the game for the Rattlers.
THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY: Reliever Rigoberto Almonte took over for Watten in the top of the sixth inning. He gave up six runs on seven hits and retired two of the 10 batters he faced in the inning. Alexander Soto’s two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded broke a 3-3 tie.
EDGING CLOSER: A pair of RBI ground outs in the sixth and seventh innings got the Rattlers to within 6-5.
COUP DE GRACE: Michael Harrington hit a solo homer with two outs in the top of the ninth inning for a 7-5 lead. Testa came on in the bottom of the ninth to get the final two outs for the save.
NOT A LOT OF POWER: The homers by Delaney and Harrington were the first two hit by either team in the first six games of the season series.
ENDING THE SLIDE: Rattler shortstop Michael Marseco ended an 0-for-24 slump with a single in the seventh inning of Monday’s game.
ROSTER MOVE: Brett Lawrie was placed on the disabled list before yesterday’s game.
MEET THE NEW GUY: Taking Lawrie’s place on the roster is infielder Steve Braun. The infielder was a non-drafted free agent signing out of the University of Maryland in July of 2008. Braun played 25 games for the Helena Brewers last season and joins the Timber Rattlers from extended spring training. He is the brother of Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun.
HOMESTAND: The Rattlers are in the midst of a 12-game home stand. They are 2-5 in the first seven games. Wisconsin hosts Beloit 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 20-36 and in eighth place in the Midwest League Western Division. The Snappers are 14-1/2 games out of first place and ended a seven-game losing streak with the win against the Rattlers in game two of Sunday’s doubleheader. Reliever Joe Testa is the only member of the Snappers to be named to the Midwest League All-Star team. The Rattlers and Snappers do not face either again until August 15 through 18.
SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers were 2-1 in a three game series at Pohlman Field from May 23-25. The season series is tied 3-3.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .244 as a team. They have scored 240 runs (4.2/game) and hit 33 home runs. The Snappers are hitting .253 as a team. They have scored 253 runs (4.5/game) and hit 31 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.23 while allowing a total of 276 runs (4.8/game). Beloit pitchers have a team ERA of 4.96 while allowing 314 runs (5.6/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 72 errors. The Snapper defense has committed 66 errors. Wisconsin is 17-14 at home this season. Beloit is 10-20 on the road this season.
BELOIT STARTING PITCHER: RHP Brad Tippett was signed by the Twins as a non-drafted free agent in January of 2006 out of Australia. He spent time in the Gulf Coast League in 2006 and with Elizabethton – where he was 7-1 with three saves and a 0.93ERA in 21 relief appearances – in the Appalachian League in 2007. Last year, Tippett began his season with Beloit and he went 2-1 with a save in 13 relief appearances. He was sent back to Elizabethton after the Appy League season started and went 8-3 in 14 starts with nine walks and 63 strikeouts in 74 innings. So far in 2009, he is 5-2 with a 3.19ERA. In his start prior to this evening, Tippett lost at Peoria on June 4. He allowed four runs on seven hits over 5-1/3 innings. In his lone appearance against the Timber Rattlers, Tippett came on in relief on May 24 and tossed six shutout innings, allowed one hit, and struck out five for a win. Tippett was the scheduled starting pitcher that day, but arrived late to the ballpark and entered the game in the fourth inning.
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