ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The South Bend Silver Hawks beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3-1. Randy Rodriguez pitched 8-1/3 innings and allowed one run for his first win since June 2. Nelson Gomez doubled in a pair of runs in a three-run third inning to give the Hawks enough for the win.
ONE MISTEP: Rattlers starting pitcher Evan Frederickson allowed three runs on four hits in the second inning. In his previous start against the Silver Hawks on May 8, Frederickson allowed five runs in the game. All of those runs scored in the second inning.
WHO IS RANDY RODRIGUEZ? Rodriguez had lost six consecutive starts before last night. In the game against the Rattlers, Rodriguez gave up seven hits, struck out four. The Hawks defense turned a pair of double plays for him and from the fourth through the eighth, Rodriguez retired 14 of 15 batters faced.
RALLY TIME: The Rattlers loaded the bases against Rodriguez in the ninth inning. Juan Sanchez singled to start the frame. One out later, Lorenzo Cain singled and Corey Kemp walked.
HOSED: South Bend closer TJ Hose entered the game and hit Brock Kjeldgaard to force in Sanchez with a run for Wisconsin. But, Hose struck out Martin Maldonado and got John Delaney on a grounder to third to end the game.
MISSED AGAIN: A Rattler win last night would have given them a 44-41 mark for their overall record. That would have put the Rattlers three games over the .500 mark for the first time since they were 3-0 at the beginning of the season. That was the second time this week the Rattlers missed on a chance to go three above par.
PERALTA’S NIGHT: Rattler reliever Wily Peralta tossed three scoreless innings and struck out three hitters. He has 89 strikeouts this season and is second in the Midwest League in that category.
ON LEAVE: Rattlers second baseman Brett Lawrie will not be available today. He is playing in the XM Futures game in St. Louis today. The game is scheduled for a 1:00pm CDT start time at Busch Stadium.
CAIN WATCH: The Milwaukee Brewers sent outfielder Lorenzo Cain to the Rattlers to work his way back from injury. Last night, he was 2-for-4 with a double and a single. That double was the first extra base hit for Cain with Wisconsin. He is 5-for-21 with five walks and a run scored in seven games with the Rattlers.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The South Bend Silver Hawks are the Midwest League affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are the defending Eastern Division champions of the Midwest League. They finished the first half of the season with a record of 27-41. In the second half, the Silver Hawks are currently 8-8 and they are in third place in the Eastern Division. However, since the top two teams in the East this half already are in the playoffs, South Bend holds the top second half playoff spot in that division by two games over Dayton and Great Lakes. The Silver Hawks are currently on a ten game road trip. They are 7-2 on the first eight games after taking three out of four at Lansing and two out of three at Beloit.
SEASON SERIES: The Silver Hawks lead 3-1. They were 2-1 in a series at Coveleski Regional Stadium May 8 through May 10. Wisconsin lost game one 6-1 and game two 11-2. The Rattlers salvaged the final game of the series with a 4-1 win.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .242 as a team. They have scored 352 runs (4.1/game) and hit 41 home runs. The Silver Hawks are hitting .248 as a team. They have scored 319 runs (3.8/game) and hit 22 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 3.91 while allowing a total of 381 runs (4.4/game). South Bend pitchers have a team ERA of 4.05 while allowing 398 runs (4.7/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 102 errors. The Hawks defense has committed 107 errors. Wisconsin is 28-20 at home this season. South Bend is 17-29 on the road this season.
NOT FAR TO GO: AJ Pollock was the number one pick of the Diamondbacks in the 2009 draft. Arizona selected the Notre Dame outfielder with the 17th selection overall selection. Pollock was the Cape Cod League MVP in the summer of 2008 and played for the Irish against the Silver Hawks in an exhibition game at Coveleski Regional Stadium before the start of the Midwest League season.
SOUTH BEND STARTING PITCHER: LHP Wade Miley was selected by the Diamondbacks with a supplemental first round pick in the 2008 draft out of Southeastern Louisiana. Miley made his professional debut in the Northwest League for Yakima and appeared as a reliever in seven games. He went 1-1 and struck out 11 batters while walking five. Miley, the #5 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization, is 3-6 with a 4.24 ERA for the Silver Hawks this season. In his start prior to today, he had a no decision at Lansing on July 7. The Lugnuts got to him for nine hits over seven innings, but Miley allowed two runs and struck out four. The Rattlers beat Miley at Coveleski Stadium on May 10. Wisconsin scored four runs on six hits over eight innings for the win. Miley struck out four Rattlers in that game and walked one.
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