ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Rattlers lost 4-2 to the Cougars in ten innings. Jeremy Barfield’s two-out, two-run single in the top of the tenth snapped the tie.
WATTEN SHOWS HIS QUALITY: Rattlers starting pitcher Trey Watten earned a quality start last night. He allowed one run on five hits over six innings, but was not involved in the decision.
OUT IN FRONT: Wisconsin grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI infield single by Derrick McPhearson.
CHANCES WERE: The Rattlers had runners at the corners with no outs in the fourth and fifth innings against Kane County starting pitcher Shawn Haviland, but could not cash in the opportunities.
ALL TIED UP: Kane County scored in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Petey Paramore.
THREE-BALL: Corey Kemp and Brock Kjeldgaard each had three hits last night. Kemp had a pair of doubles. Kjeldgaard is on a four game hitting streak and is 9-for-17 in those four games. Kjeldgaard’s third hit of the night was an RBI single that tied the game 2-2 in the eighth.
WALKS HURT: Timber Rattlers pitchers walked nine last night. Three walks by Brandon Ritchie, including one with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, allowed the Cougars to take a 2-1 lead. Nick Tyson’s walk with two out in the tenth was followed by a walk issued by Mike Fiers to load the bases. Barfield smacked his game-winning hit moments later.
YEAH, ABOUT THOSE WALKS: Wisconsin’s pitching staff has issued 426 walks this season. Dayton’s hurlers are second in the league in walks allowed with 402.
LOW TIDE: Wisconsin’s overall record sits at 48-59 for the 2009 season. The 11 games under .500 mark is the farthest Wisconsin has been below .500 this season.
A NOTE ABOUT ATTENDANCE: The attendance on Tuesday was 5,556 to bump Wisconsin’s home attendance to 193,919 for an average of 3,526. There are 13 home games remaining on the schedule. The single season attendance record for Wisconsin was set in 1996 with a mark of 233,797. If the Timber Rattlers hit their average attendance over the final 13 games of the season, that will give them 45,838 more fans for a total of 239,757.
A NOTE ABOUT ATTENDANCE (PT II): Last night’s attendance was the highest of the 2009 season for the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field. Last night outdrew Opening Night’s crowd of 5,487.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The Cougars are in the Midwest League playoffs as the first half champions of the Western Division. They were 43-29 in the first half. So far in the second half, Kane County is 18-20. In their most recent series, they lost the final two games of a three game series at Lansing. But, they are on a two game winning streak with victories in the first two games of this series.
SEASON SERIES: Wisconsin is 6-7 against Kane County this season, including a 3-2 record at Time Warner Cable Field. Wisconsin was 1-2 in a three game series at Kane County May 20-22. The Rattlers won three of four from Kane County in Grand Chute from June 10-13. The teams split a series at Elfstrom Stadium June 18-21.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .239 as a team. They have scored 426 runs (3.9/game) and hit 49 home runs. The Cougars are hitting .244 as a team. They have scored 485 runs (4.5/game) and hit 69 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.24 while allowing a total of 528 runs (4.9/game). Kane County pitchers have a team ERA of 3.56 while allowing 441 runs (4.1/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 126 errors. The Cougars defense has committed 128 errors. Wisconsin is 32-26 at home this season. Kane County is 29-28 on the road this season.
KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: RHP Murphy Smith was the 13th round pick of the Oakland Athletics in the 2009 MLB entry draft out of Binghamton University. Smith was 7-3 with a 3.12ERA, was named America East Pitcher of the year, and helped the Bearcats make their first ever appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament. Smith is pitching with his third team in the Oakland minor league system since signing with the Athletics. He made his pro debut with the Arizona League affiliate of the A’s and made three appearances (two starts). He was 0-1 and allowed four runs in six innings before being moved up to Vancouver in the Northwest League. He made one start there and pitched four innings allowing one unearned run on four hits. Smith joined the Cougars in mid-July and is 0-1 in three starts for Kane County. In his start prior to today, Smith allowed a run on a hit with a walk and four strikeouts over four innings at Lansing on July 31. Today is his first appearance against the Timber Rattlers. But, Smith made his pro debut against the Arizona League affiliate of the Brewers. On June 30 he tossed a scoreless inning of relief with a hit, a hit batsman, and a strikeout.
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