ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers and the Burlington Bees had their game suspended with the score tied 1-1 in the top of the sixth inning.
A HARD RAIN: Tuesday’s game was played in a steady drizzle from the second inning. Play was halted in the sixth after Jose Duran was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. The rain started falling harder and the umpiring crew called for the tarp. After a delay of about 45 minutes, the game was suspended.
PICK IT UP WHEN? The Rattlers go back to Burlington August 24 through August 27. The suspended game will be restarted at 6:00pm on Tuesday August 25.
HOW WAS IT GOING? The Rattlers grabbed an early 1-0 lead on an RBI grounder by Martin Maldonado in the second inning. Burlington tied the game in the bottom of the third inning on a solo homer by Juan Rivera.
MERKLINGER IN THE RAIN: Dan Merklinger was the starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. He retired the first eight batters of the game before allowing the homer to Rivera. On the evening, Merklinger allowed three hits and struck out five without issuing a walk.
PAYBACK: On Monday night, the Timber Rattlers had three runners picked off first base. On Tuesday, Maldonado picked a Burlington runner off first in a crucial situation. A pair of errors and a single put runners at first and third with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. Merklinger got the second out on a popup to keep the game tied. Then, Maldonado took an outside pitch to the batter and fired to first to pick Nick Francis off to end the inning and keep the game tied 1-1.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The West Michigan Whitecaps are the Midwest League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are into the Midwest League playoffs as the first half wild card for the Eastern Division. The Whitecaps finished the first half with a record of 43-27. They finished two games behind Eastern Division Champion Fort Wayne in half number one. West Michigan is off to an 8-4 record in the second half to give them a 51-31 overall record.
SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers swept a three game series from the Whitecaps at Fifth Third Ballpark from May 29 to May 31. The Timber Rattlers beat the Whitecaps by scores of 5-3, 4-3, and 8-3. The sweep by the Rattlers was the first ever by an Appleton baseball team since the Whitecaps entered the Midwest League in 1994.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .244 as a team. They have scored 343 runs (4.2/game) and hit 40 home runs. The Whitecaps are hitting .276 as a team. They have scored 423 runs (5.2/game) and hit 35 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 3.93 while allowing a total of 365 runs (4.5/game). West Michigan pitchers have a team ERA of 3.65 while allowing 329 runs (4.0/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 99 errors. The Caps defense has committed 62 errors. Wisconsin is 26-18 at home this season. West Michigan is 24-15 on the road this season.
PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook listed three members of the current Whitecaps roster on their 2009 list of top Tigers prospects. Pitchers Casey Crosby (#4) and Brandon Hamilton (#26) are joined by infielder Brandon Douglas (#23).
RETURNING ALUMNI: There are five members of the current West Michigan team who played for the Whitecaps in 2008. Pitcher Hamilton and Brayan Villarreal; catchers Joe Bowen and Angel Flores; and infielder Douglas all played for the Caps last season.
WEST MICHIGAN STARTING PITCHER: RHP Luke Putkonen was a third round pick of the Tigers in the 2007 draft out of North Carolina. In his final season with the Tarheels, Putkonen was 8-2 with a 4.57ERA in 17 starts as a sophomore. He climbed from the Gulf Coast League in 2007 to Oneonta in the New York-Penn League in 2008 and was 2-2 with a 3.78ERA in nine career starts in the Detroit system before this season. Putkonen is 5-4 with a 3.86ERA in 16 starts with the Whitecaps in 2009. His last time out, Putkonen tossed a complete game, 9-inning shutout against the South Bend Silver Hawks. He allowed five hits, walked one, and struck out five.
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