ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Rattlers lost 6-5 to the Chiefs. Wisconsin rallied from a 5-1 deficit to tie the game, but the Chiefs loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth and scored the winning run on a wild pitch. The loss was the sixth straight for Wisconsin.
THAT WAS FAST: Brett Jackson hit the third pitch from Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Evan Frederickson in the top of the first inning out of the park for a home run. Peoria has hit a first inning homer against the Rattlers in three straight games at O’Brien Field.
THAT’S A LOT: In the last four meetings between the Rattlers and the Chiefs, Peoria has hit eight homer runs.
SEVENTEEN: Brock Kjeldgaard hit a solo homer in the top of the second inning to tie the game 1-1. Kjeldgaard’s homer was his 17th of the season. He is tied with Shawn McCorkle (2000) and Marshall Hubbard (2005) for sixth on the single season home run list for the Rattlers. The single season record for homers by a Rattler is 21 and it is shared by Juan Silvestre (1999) and Matt Hagen (2003).
SEVEN: Kjeldgaard also extended his season-high hitting streak to seven games with that homer. He is hitting .429 (12-for-28) during the streak.
OUT FRONT: The Chiefs scored an unearned run in the third and three more in the fourth to grab a 5-1 lead.
COMEBACK: Brett Lawrie and Corey Kemp hit back-to-back two-out, RBI singles in the top of the fifth. Erik Miller hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to tie the game 5-5.
WALK-OFF WILD PITCH: The Chiefs loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth on a lead-off walk, a sacrifice bunt, an infield single, and – after the runner at first moved up on defensive indifference – an intentional walk. The winning run scored on a 1-1 pitch that got away.
LOOK OUT! There were six hit batsmen in last night’s game. Wisconsin pitchers hit four Peoria hitters. Chief pitchers hit two Timber Rattler batters.
MORE WALKS: Timber Rattlers pitchers combined to walk eight more hitters last night. They have walked 440 opponents this season to lead the Midwest League in that category. There are five teams in all of Minor League Baseball with more walks allowed than Wisconsin: Springfield (AA-Texas League) has 501; Mississippi (AA-Southern League) 478; Carolina (AA-Southern League) 468; Myrtle Beach (A-Advanced Carolina League) 460; and Sacramento (AAA-Pacific Coast League 442.
LOW TIDE: Wisconsin’s overall record sits at 48-62 for the 2009 season. The 14 games under .500 mark is the farthest Wisconsin has been below .500 this season. Since beating South Bend on July 13 to get to 45-42 and match the most games over .500 they have been this season, the Rattlers have gone 3-20.
ROAD WOES: Wisconsin has lost eight straight road games and they are 3-13 on the road in the second half of the season.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Peoria Chiefs are the Midwest League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They missed the playoffs in the first half of the season with a 38-31 record. So far in the second half, the Chiefs are 23-17. They hold the top playoff spot in the Western Division for the second half by four games over both Clinton and Quad Cities. The Chiefs are 13-2 in their last 15 games.
SEASON SERIES: Wisconsin is 7-5 against Peoria this season, including an 0-4 record at O’Brien Field. The Rattlers swept a four game series in the first half of the season with three wins at Time Warner Cable Field and one win at Miller Park. The Rattlers took three out of four from the Chiefs at Time Warner Cable Field to open the second half of the season. But, Peoria swept a three-game set at O’Brien Field from July 25-27.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .238 as a team. They have scored 434 runs (3.9/game) and hit 52 home runs. The Chiefs are hitting .273 as a team. They have scored 515 runs (4.7/game) and hit 87 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.23 while allowing a total of 541 runs (4.9/game). Peoria pitchers have a team ERA of 3.80 while allowing 466 runs (4.3/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 128 errors. The Chiefs defense has committed 127 errors. Wisconsin is 16-34 on the road this season. Peoria is 36-16 at O’Brien Field this season.
PEORIA STARTING PITCHER: RHP Alberto Cabrera was signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2005. Cabrera pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2006 and for the Boise Hawks in the Northwest League during 2007. In 2008, Cabrera made 12 appearances (11 starts) for the Chiefs. He was 4-6 with 30 walks, 37 strikeouts, and a 5.71ERA in 52 innings pitched. So far in 2009, Cabrera is 5-2 with a 5.25 ERA in 21 games (five starts). Tonight is Cabrera’s first start since the second game of a doubleheader on June 15 against Quad Cities. In his outing prior to this evening, Cabrera allowed four runs on four hits over 1-1/3 innings and picked up a blown save at Beloit on August 4. Cabrera has faced the Timber Rattlers twice this season. He made the start in the second game of a doubleheader on April 23 at Time Warner Cable Field and allowed four runs on five hits and four walks over three innings. On June 26 in Grand Chute, Cabrera allowed two runs on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts over 2-1/3 innings of relief work. Cabrera does not have a decision in his two appearances against the Rattlers this season.
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