The dean of MWL Broadcasters

Jeff Johnson of the Cedar Rapids Gazette has an article about John Rodgers, the 15 year broadcaster of the Kernels.

After 15 seasons, Rodgers still loves calling the game

John Rodgers says he’s slowing down, though you have a hard time believing the longtime Cedar Rapids Kernels radio announcer.

Rodgers is a whirl of activity and energy on game night at Veterans Memorial Stadium. That includes his broadcasts, of course.

“The runner goes!” he shouts in that excitable John Rodgers tone. “There’s no throw! Safe! The runner is safe at third!”

I am lucky that I have had the chance to work with John in season, talk to him in the offseason, and call him friend over the last 11 seasons. Whenever, Cedar Rapids is in town and someone asks me how my day is going my response is: How can you have a bad day with John Rodgers in town?

He has his quirks...but...well, you've met me haven't you? His are nothing.

Jeff caught about 92 seconds of John on the air against the LumberKings.



Someone needs to get video of John at Miller Park next week.

Weather Update in Beloit

The tarp is on the field in Beloit. We are in a rain delay.

Here is the weather for Beloit including the RADAR!



Correction, Telemachus the tarping tapir. I, Perry the postponement penguin, have an announcement.

The Snappers have postponed tonight's game. There will be a doubleheader on Saturday. Game one starts at 4:00pm. Game two will follow the conclusion of game one. Both games are scheduled for seven innings.

April 30, 2010: Rattlers Lineup

D'Vontrey Richardson..CF
Scooter Gennett.......SS
Khris Davis...........LF
Pete Fatse............RF
Sean Halton...........DH
Chris Dennis..........1B
Austin Stockfisch......C
Michael Marseco.......3B
Carlos George.........2B

Kyle Heckathorn.......SP

April 30, 2010: Tonight's Rattlers pitchers

SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHER:

RHP KYLE HECKATHORN: Selected by the Brewers as a supplemental 1st round pick (47th overall) in the 2009 draft out of Kennesaw State University.

LAST SEASON: Heckathorn made six appearances (five starts) for Helena in the Pioneer League. He was 0-1 with a 6.04ERA with the Brewers. Heckathorn walked four and struck out 15 in 22-1/3 innings.

LAST START: Heckathorn pitched four innings as the starter against Great Falls on September 6, 2009 for Helena. He allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Heckathorn was not involved in the decision.

LAST APPEARANCE: Heckathorn pitched three innings of scoreless relief against Beloit at Time Warner Cable Field at Time Warner Cable Field on April 23. He allowed one hit, walked two, and struck out three. Heckathorn was not involved in the decision.

WISE OWL: In his final season at Kennesaw State, Heckathorn went 4-1 with a 3.44ERA in 13 starts. He struck out 98 and walked 27 in 86-1/3 innings.

ALL-TIME: In three seasons with the Owls, Heckathorn struck out 239 batters. That ranks him fourth on the career strikeout list at Kennesaw State.

NICE WAY TO GO OUT: Heckathorn’s last start for Kennesaw State was against North Florida on May 14, 2009. He pitched nine innings and allowed four runs as he scattered 11 hits. What made the start particularly memorable was that he set a school record for strikeouts in a game as he K’ed 15 North Florida batters. Heckathorn, who walked just one in the game, was not involved in the decision, a 6-5 win for the Owls in 11 innings.

HONORED: Louisville Slugger recognized Heckathorn as one of their National Players of the Week for his performance on May 14 against North Florida.

POST-SEASON REWARD: The Atlantic Sun Conference named Heckathorn to their All-Conference team after the 2009 season.

RANKING: Baseball America lists Heckathorn as the #10 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

VS. BELOIT: Heckathorn’s appearance against the Snappers on April 23 is the only time he has faced the Snappers.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 6.0 (9/11/09 v. Missoula)
STRIKEOUTS: 4 (2x; Last: 9/11/09 v. Missoula)

SCHEDULED RELIEVER:

RHP MAVERICK LASKER: Selected by Milwaukee in the 5th round of the 2008 draft out of Sandra Day O’Connor High School in Phoenix, Arizona.

LAST SEASON: Lasker went 5-1 with a 3.26 ERA in 13 games (one start) for the Arizona League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. He was a late season addition to the Timber Rattlers roster and Lasker went 1-1 in a pair of Midwest League starts.

LAST APPEARANCE: Lasker took the loss was the starting pitcher against the Snappers on April 23 at Time Warner Cable Field. Beloit got to him for six runs on six hits over four innings. Lasker walked three, hit two batters, threw a wild pitch, and struck out three.

PRO CAREER DELAYED: Lasker did not pitch professionally in 2008. He was placed on the disabled list of the Arizona League affiliate of the Brewers in July and was not activated until September.

WHERE EAGLES DARE: Lasker’s team made it to the Arizona State Baseball Championship Game for Class 4A-I.

SAYING NO TO SAN DIEGO: Lasker turned down a scholarship offer to play college baseball at San Diego State University.

PRO DEBUT: Lasker made his first appearance as a professional as a reliever for the Arizona League Brewers on June 27, 2009 against the Angels. He pitched two innings, allowed two runs on two hits, walked two and struck out one in his relief appearance.

MAULING THE COUGARS: Lasker made his Midwest League debut on August 31 at Kane County. He pitched seven scoreless innings and picked up the win. Lasker allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out three.

RANKING: Baseball America lists Lasker as the #30 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

VS. BELOIT: Lasker made the start against the Snappers at Pohlman Field on September 5, 2009. Lasker allowed seven runs (five earned) on five hits and three walks in two innings and took the loss. He is 0-2 with an ERA of 19.50 in two career starts against the Snappers.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 7.0 (2x; Last: 8/31 @Kane County)
STRIKEOUTS: 10 (8/11 @AZL Athletics)

April 30, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Peoria Chiefs beat the Timber Rattlers 8-7. Jonathan Mota drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth. Mota had three RBI for the Chiefs.

EARLY ADVERSITY: The Chiefs scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the first. An infield single by Justin Bour and a run scoring wild pitch by Rattlers starting pitcher Eric Arnett gave Peoria the lead. They would tack on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 5-0 lead.

RATTLERS RALLY: Wisconsin scored four times in the top of the fifth. Michael Marseco came in on a wild pitch and Pete Fatse tripled with two outs and the bases loaded to get the Rattlers back to within 5-4.

SECOND CHANCE: Fatse stepped to the plate with one out and the bases loaded in game two of the series with the Chiefs. He struck out.

BACK AND FORTH: Wisconsin grabbed a 6-5 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth on an RBI triple by Carlos George and a wild pitch that let George score from third. The Chiefs went back in front in the seventh on an RBI grounder by DJ Fitzgerald and an RBI single by Mota. Scooter Gennett tied the game 7-7 with a two-out RBI single in the eighth.

WELL, THERE’S SOMETHING YOU DON’T SEE EVERY DAY: In the bottom of the seventh, Just Bour had an unusual ground rule double. From the Peoria Journal-Star account:

[I]t looked like Justin Bour gave the Chiefs the lead with one swing when he drove a ball to right field. Base umpire Jeff Klinghoffer initially signaled home run.

But Wisconsin outfielder Peter Fatse protested and Klinghoffer went out to investigate. Fatse leaped and pulled the ball from behind the outfield padding for a million-to-one ground-rule double.

ADVENTURES IN BASE RUNNING: The Rattlers had three runners thrown out on the bases last night: Two at third, and one at second. Wisconsin also had three runners thrown out on the bases in game one and game two of the series at Peoria.

TRIPLE DECKER: Carlos George had a pair of triples last night. Fatse’s triple gave the Rattlers three three-bagers in the game. In 2009, Wisconsin had 35 triples, but never more than one in a game.

ARNETT UPDATE: The #1 pick of the Brewers from the 2009 draft pitched 4-1/3 innings, allowed five runs on six hits, walked three, struck out four, and threw a pair of wild pitches. He was not involved in the decision.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Beloit Snappers at the Midwest League affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are 12-8 and in third place in the Western Division. In their most recent series, the Snappers took two out of three games at Burlington

2009 SEASON SERIES: Wisconsin and Beloit split a 14 game series last season. The Rattlers were 2-4 against the Snappers at Pohlman Field in 2009. The Snappers swept the Rattlers at Pohlman Field over Labor Day weekend in the final three games played between the teams last season.

2010 SEASON SERIES: Wisconsin is 0-2 against Beloit this season. The Snappers defeated the Timber Rattlers 7-2 and 7-5 at Time Warner Cable Field on April 23 and 24. The game that was scheduled for Sunday, April 25 was rained out and will be made up as a doubleheader on May 14.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .266 as a team. They have scored 106 runs (5.3/game) and hit nine home runs. The Snappers are hitting .244 as a team. They have scored 86 runs (4.2/game) and hit 14 home runs. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.80 while allowing a total of 111 runs (5.6/game) this season. Beloit pitchers have a team ERA of 3.01 while allowing 78 runs (3.6/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 34 errors. The Snappers defense has committed 21 errors. Wisconsin is 2-7 away from Time Warner Cable Field this season. Beloit is 5-4 at Pohlman Field this season.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook placed four members of the current Beloit roster on their list of Top 30 Prospects in the Minnesota Twins organization before the 2010 season. Outfielder Aaron Hicks is the #1 prospect in the Minnesota organization. Outfielder Angel Morales (#8) is also a top 10 prospect. Pitcher Ben Tootle (#28) and infielder James Beresford (#30) are also on the list.

BELOIT STARTING PITCHER: RHP Liam Hendriks was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Australia in 2007 by the Twins. In 2007, Hendriks was 4-2 with a 2.05ERA for the Gulf Coast League Twins. He missed all of 2008 with an injury and began the 2009 season with Elizabethton in the Appalachian League. Hendriks went 2-0 in three starts with Elizabethton and was promoted to Beloit. As a Snapper, Hendriks went 3-5 in 11 starts with a 3.51ERA and 62 strikeouts over 66-2/3 innings. In his start prior to this evening, Hendriks beat the Timber Rattlers on April 23 at Time Warner Cable Field. He allowed one run on one hit with a walk and six strikeouts over five innings in a 7-2 Beloit victory. Hendriks was the first Midwest League pitcher of the week and is 1-0 with a 0.41ERA in four starts this season. He has allowed one run and struck out 26 batters over 22 innings this season.

April 30, 1960 & April 30, 1985

50 years ago today:

The Fox Cities Foxes were rained out again. Well, according to the paper it was a rain/snow mix that forced the postponement in Burlington.

This was the third straight Foxes game that had been postponed by the weather. They will try again on May 1 in Burlington with a doubleheader. Hint: The forecast for that doubleheader does not look good.

25 years ago today:

.........................R..H..E
APPLETON..101 100 030 - .6 13..2
MADISON...000 100 000 -..1..5..1

WP: Kevin Renz (3-1)

The Foxes handed the Muskies their third loss of the season with a 6-1 decision at Warner Park. Kevin Renz held Madison in check as he worked eight innings, allowed one run on four hits, walked five, and struck out seven.

Mike Taylor was one of the hitting heroes for Appleton. He was 3-for-5 with a run, a stolen base, and two RBI out of the leadoff spot.

Troy Thomas added two RBI and John Caianiello had three hits and an RBI.

Madison still led the Northern Division of the Midwest League with a record of 16-3. The Foxes were 12-6, 3.5 games back.

The teams return to Goodland Field to continue their series on May 1, 1985.

Thank you, @MLB

I just want to thank @MLB. I put up this post about the wind before the game in Peoria last night and mentioned it on the Timber Rattlers Twitter feed.

They retweeted that update and this humble little therapy tool...I mean informative minor league blog had a rather large jump in traffic.

	Rattler Radio This Week's Visits

The hour by hour tracking that was available before midnight (But, I forgot to save) was very impressive.

I think that the next time I am in Peoria, I'll need to get a picture of the mural on that brick building with the BORN sign on it. I might break 1,000 visits in one day with that.

I may not get @RobertaCBS5 to comment on that mural, but who knows.

Midwest League Action: Game of April 29, 2010

Complete scoreboard

WEST:

@Chiefs 8, Rattlers 7: Home is where the victories are

@Cougars 4, River Bandits 2: Kane County Cougars' Gilliam rebounds from early mistakes

@Kernels 7, LumberKings 5:Ramirez homers twice in 7-5 win over Clinton

EAST:

@Whitecaps 7, Lugnuts 3: Whitecaps snap out of hitting slump to beat Lugnuts, 7-3

Captains 4 @Dragons 1: Lake County Tops Dragons 4-1 to Win Series

@TinCaps 9, Silver Hawks 1: Ball bounces TinCaps' way in victory

Loons 2 @Hot Rods 1: Loons Two-Hit Hot Rods

Brewers System Report: Games of April 29, 2010

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 9-13; National League Central): The Brewers lost 9-0 at San Diego. The Padres scored four runs in the fourth and five runs in the fifth. Milwaukee had nine hits, but were shutout.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 15-6; Pacific Coast League American North Division): The Sounds beat Memphis 4-2. Jonathon Lucroy went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Kameron Loe allowed two unearned runs over seven innings for Nashville.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 11-10; Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 3-1 at Birmingham. Huntsville collected 10 hits.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 8-12 overall; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees lost 6-5 in 10 innings at Clearwater. Erik Komatsu had a pair of RBI and Juan Sanchez went 4-for-5 with an RBI for Brevard County.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:
MILWAUKEE (Dave Bush 1-1) at San Diego (Clayton Richard 0-2) 9:05pm CDT
Memphis (Lance Lynn 0-1) at NASHVILLE (Chuck Lofgren 3-1) 7:05pm CDT
HUNTSVILLE at Birmingham 7:05pm CDT
BREVARD COUNTY (Mike Fiers 0-2) at Tampa (Adam Warren 3-1) 6:00pm CDT

Rattlers Alumni Report: MLB Games of April 29, 2010

White Sox 7 @Rangers 5

CHA:
Matt Thornton ('00): IP, H, 0R, K

Yankees 4 @Orioles 0

NYY:
Alex Rodriguez (Foxes, '94): 0-for-3, RBI

BAL:
Adam Jones ('04): 1-for-4

Pirates 2 @Dodgers 0

PIT:
Jeff Clement ('05): 0-for-4

Musical Interlude

Tough one for the team tonight. My brain is a little fried right now. So, I'm going to enjoy this acoustic Pete Townshend version of a song by The English Beat and take the advice from the title. Save it for later.



I'll be back in the morning...later this morning.

Windy in Peoria

Want to see how windy it is in Peoria tonight?

Look at the flags during warmups for the top of the first.


Here's a close up.

Pitching matchups @BEL (4/30-5/2) [Update]

FRI: RHP Kyle Heckathorn*..v. RHP Liam Hendriks
SAT: RHP Nick Bucci**......v. LHP Daniel Osterbrock
SUN: RHP Damon Krestalude..v. RHP Miguel Munoz
MON: RHP Jake Odorizzi***..v. RHP Brad Stillings

*-Maverick Lasker scheduled in relief
**-Del Howell scheduled in relief
***-Efrain Nieves scheduled in relief

UPDATE: Just got back up from batting practice and Pitching Coach Chris Hook let me know that Heckathorn will be making the start on Friday in Beloit. Hook and Lee Tunnel had a discussion today and it was decided to let Heckathorn make the start. Lasker will be scheduled for relief.

April 29, 2010: Rattlers' Lineup

D'Vontrey Richardson..CF
Scooter Gennett.......2B
Khris Davis...........LF
Sean Halton...........1B
Pete Fatse............RF
Chris Dennis..........DH
Cameron Garfield.......C
Michael Marseco.......3B
Carlos George.........SS

Eric Arnett...........SP

April 29, 2010: Rattlers' starting pitcher

RHP ERIC ARNETT: Selected by Milwaukee in the 1st round of the 2008 draft out of Indiana University.

LAST SEASON: Arnett was sent to Helena shortly after signing with the Milwaukee Brewers. In his first pro season, Arnett appeared in 14 games (nine starts) for the Pioneer League affiliate of the Brewers. Arnett went 0-4 with a 4.41 ERA. He walked 21 and struck out 35 over 34-2/3 innings for Helena.

LAST START: Arnett allowed six runs on five hits over four innings against Cedar Rapids on April 22 at Time Warner Cable Field. He gave up two homers, walked two, and struck out one, but was not involved in the decision. Wisconsin beat the Kernels 11-6 that day.

RANKED: Baseball America rated Arnett as the #4 prospect in the Brewers system in their 2010 Prospect Handbook. They also named him the #10 prospect in the Pioneer League after the 2009 season.

BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA: Arnett went 12-2 with a 2.50 ERA in his final season with the Hoosiers. Arnett was a First-Team All Big Ten selection and a co-pitcher of the year in the Big Ten.

ALL-EVERYTHING: Arnett attended Watkins Memorial High School in Pataskala, Ohio. He was an All-Ohio Capital Conference and All-County selection in his final three seasons with the Warriors. In his senior season, Arnett was named Ohio Capital Conference Player of the Year.

TRIPLE THREAT: Arnett also played football and basketball at Watkins Memorial High. He was an All-Conference selection in those sports as well.

VS. PEORIA: Arnett is making his first ever appearance against the Kernels.

VS. CUBS: Arnett is making his first ever appearance against an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 5.1 (9/9/09 @Great Falls)
STRIKEOUTS: 6 (9/4 @Billings)

April 29, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Chiefs beat the Timber Rattlers 4-2. Wisconsin had a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but Peoria scored three times in the sixth and once in the seventh to pick up the win.

GREAT START! Efrain Nieves extended his scoreless innings streak to 10-2/3 innings with five shutout innings last night. Nieves allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out five.

GREAT START! PT II: The Rattlers scored in the first inning. D’Vontrey Richardson singled to start the game and moved to third on two wild pitches during Scooter Gennett’s at bat. Gennett’s foul popup down the left field line was caught by the shortstop. Richardson raced home without a play.

HOUDINI: In the bottom of the first, Nieves gave up a single and a walk to the first two batters he faced. A one out error loaded the bases. But, Nieves got out of the frame without a run.

ADDING ON: Cameron Garfield grounded into a 6-4-3 double play with no outs and runners on the corners in the top of the fifth. The run from third scored and the Rattlers led 2-0.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKED: Wisconsin loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but did not score.

WALLS FELL: The Chiefs got to Jake Odorizzi quickly in the sixth. The Rattlers reliever gave up a pair of singles and a two-run double to the first three batters he faced. Later in the inning, a sacrifice fly gave the Chiefs a lead they wouldn’t give up.

ADVENTURES IN BASE RUNNING: The Rattlers had three runners thrown out on the bases last night. One at home, one at third, and one at second on stolen base. Wisconsin also had three runners thrown out on the bases in game one of this series.

ON THE LAST DAY: The Timber Rattlers have lost the first two games of their first three road series of the 2010 season. Wisconsin won the final game of the series at Burlington and at Quad Cities to avoid the three-game sweep in the prior two road series.

YOUR FACT OF THE DAY: Since 2006, the Timber Rattlers are 10-21 at O’Brien Field.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .267 as a team. They have scored 99 runs (5.2/game) and hit nine home runs. The Chiefs are hitting .242 as a team. They have scored 82 runs (4.3/game) and hit two home runs. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.61 while allowing a total of 103 runs (5.4/game) this season. Peoria pitchers have a team ERA of 3.49 while allowing 78 runs (3.9/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 33 errors. The Chiefs defense has committed 21 errors. Wisconsin is 2-6 away from Time Warner Cable Field this season. Peoria is 8-0 at O’Brien Field this season.

PEORIA STARTING PITCHER: RHP Rob Whitenack was an eighth round pick of the Cubs in the 2009 draft out of SUNY-Old Westbury. He was the first ever player drafted out of that State University of New York school. In 2009, he pitched for the Boise Hawks in the Northwest League and was 0-4 with a 4.80ERA in 15 games (12 starts). He is 2-1 with a save in four appearances (three starts) for the Chiefs in 2010. Whitenack’s outing prior to this evening was a loss at Quad Cities on April 23. He gave up four runs on six hits and four walks in four innings. Tonight is his first ever appearance against the Rattlers and against an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

TILLMAN! PEGUERO! BoDEANS!

As I mentioned on Twitter, last night was a good night for ex-Rattlers.

Chris Tillman ('07) tosses a no-hitter for Norfolk at Gwinnett in the International League.

Less than two weeks after the Atlanta Braves were no hit, so were the G-Braves.

Chris Tillman did the honors for Norfolk at Coolray Field, allowing just two base runners and facing only one batter over the minimum thanks to a double play as the Tides won 6-0.

It was the first no-hitter in the International League since 2006 and the first thrown against Atlanta’s Class AAA team since Richmond was the victim in 1993.

Gwinnett’s Matt Young grounded out to end the game and touch off a Norfolk celebration at the mound as Tillman was mobbed by his teammates.

“It was amazing, man,” Tillman said afterward. “I felt really good and my team played great behind me. This is fun.”

Tillman, who turned 22 on April 15, finished last year in Baltimore’s starting rotation and was expected to be there at the start of this season.

The right-hander lost his spot during spring training, however, and was hammered in his first three starts with Norfolk .

Unfortunately, Tillman was already back on track before he faced the G-Braves after pitching eight strong innings in a victory over Charlotte last week.

“I was working on some things the Orioles wanted me to in the first couple of starts,” Tillman said of his rough outings. “Then they said just go out and have fun and do your own thing.”

Tillman's from California, right? If you blinked back in 2007, you may have missed his time with the Rattlers. He was 1-4 in eight starts - and maybe two or three of those eight starts were good ones. He was off to the California League before Memorial Day. Then, he was involved in the Erik Bedard trade that was going to win the M's the pennant...or something.

Carlos Peguero was a power prospect of the Mariners who played in Wisconsin in for 79 games in 2007. He hit nine home runs in 297 at bats and he was shutdown before August.

Last season, he hit 31 homers in High Desert.

This year in the Southern League...Well..

The 23-year-old left fielder hit the fourth pitch of the game from Mobile's Barry Enright (0-1) over the right-field fence. After lining out and singling, he led off the eighth inning with a shot over the right-center field wall, then capped his first four-hit game of the season with a two-run blast in the ninth.

Peguero has six homers in his last seven games and nine this season, tying him with Jacksonville's Mike Stanton for the league lead.

On freaking fire!

From the Mobile Press-Register

West Tenn leadoff batter Carlos Peguero was the main obstacle for the BayBears, blasting three home runs and driving in four runs. He hit four home runs in the series and now is tied for the Southern League lead with nine.

"I just stayed focused and didn't try to do too much," Peguero said. "The whole team pulled together, and good things happen when you do that."

Good things. Awesome BoDeans song, by the way.

April 29, 1960 & April 29, 1985

50 Years ago today:

The Fox Cities Foxes were rained out in Cedar Rapids. It was the second day in a row in which the Foxes were rained out. They are still 0-4 on the season.

25 Years ago today:
........................ R..H..E
MADISON...100 201 030 -.7..13..1
APPLETON..100 030 000 - 4...9..4

LP: Jeff Anderson (1-1)

ATTN: 245

The Foxes fall to 11-6 with the loss. They trail first place Madison by 4-1/2 games. The win pushed the Muskies to a 16-2 record.

Darrell Pruitt homered in the bottom of the fifth. It was a three-run shot and put the Foxes in front 4-3.

Starting pitcher Chris Jefts gave up a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth and the Muskies tied the game. Jefts went six innings and allowed four runs on 10 hits.

But, the bullpen and the defense let the Foxes down in the eighth.

Anderson walked two batters and struck out one before he was replaced by Dave White. White walked a batter to load the bases. He got a strikeout for the second out of the frame. But, a walk to Mike Cupples put the Muskies ahead. Mark Howie hit an infield single and an error on the play let the Muskies score two more runs.

After one game at Goodland Field, the Foxes head to Madison for one game. Then, the teams head back to Appleton for two more games. And some people complain about the current MWL schedule.

This is some pitching!

From the always informative a dabbler's journal.

Two one hitters and a no-hitter in one doubleheader? You bet! It happened in 1980 and it has a tie to Appleton baseball.

The largest Waterloo Stadium crowd in several seasons--6,180--was treated to sterling pitching performances as the Waterloo (Midwest) Indians swept a doubleheader June 7 from the Appleton Foxes, 3-0 and 1-0. In the first game, Indians righthander Dane Anthony raised his record to 8-1 by unfurling a no-hitter. He allowed three base runners, all on walks. Earlier this season he had pitched a one-hitter and a two-hitter. In the second game, Appleton's Chuck Fox and Waterloo's Jack Nuismer each tossed a one-hitter. The lone safe blow off Fox decided the game. It was an eighth-inning single by Waterloo right fielder Carmen Castillo that scored first baseman Bob Bohnet from second. Bohnet had reached first on an error and was sacrificed to second.

That is from an article that Joel found in The Sporting News. from June 28, 1980.

And he posted this in December. Why am I just finding this now? Have I posted this already? It's only day three of the road trip!

Midwest League Action: Game of April 28, 2010

Complete scoreboard

Winning teams website headline

WEST:
@PEO 4, WI 2: Chiefs Come From Behind To Win 4-2 Wednesday

BEL 11 @BUR 1: Snappers Swat Bees in Rubber Game

@KC 7, QC 6: Cougars Rally for Wild Walk-Off Win

CLN 12 @CR 2: Big Bats Back Stanton in CR

EAST:
SB 2 @FW 1: Bullpen Dominates in Silver Hawks 2-1 Win

LAN 2 @WMI 1: Lugnuts edge Whitecaps, 2-1

LC 4 @DAY 1: Captains' Cook Defeats the Dragons

GL 7 @BG 4: Loons Rally for 7-4 Win

Brewers System Report: Games of April 28, 2010

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 9-12; National League Central): The Brewers lost 6-5 to the Pirates in 14 innings. Milwaukee had a 4-3 lead heading to the top of the ninth, but could not hold on for the win.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 14-6; Pacific Coast League American North Division): The Sounds were off on Wednesday.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 11-9; Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 4-2 to Chattanooga. Huntsville had four hits in the loss.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 8-11 overall; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees beat Clearwater 8-0. Cody Scarpetta (’09) tossed five scoreless innings with four strikeouts for the win. Brock Kjeldgaard (’09) drove in two runs for Brevard County.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
MILWAUKEE (Doug Davis 0-1) at San Diego (Wade LeBlanc 1-0) 9:05pm CDT
Memphis (Evan MacLane 1-2) at NASHVILLE (Kameron Loe 2-1) 7:05pm CDT
HUNTSVILLE at Birmingham 7:05pm CDT
BREVARD COUNTY (Trey Watten 0-2) at Clearwater (Hector Correa 3-0) 5:30pm CDT

Rattlers Alumni Report:: MLB Games of April 28, 2010

@Angels 4, Indians 3

LAA:
Brian Fuentes ('97): IP, 2H, 0R, WIN #1

CLE:
Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 0-for-3
Shin-soo Choo ('02): 2-for-4
Luis Valbuena ('06): 2-for-4

Yankees 8 @Orioles 3

NYY:
Alex Rodriguez (Foxes, '94): 0-for-4, RBI

BAL:
Adam Jones ('04): 0-for-4

@Rangers 6, White Sox 5

CHA:
JJ Putz ('00): IP, 0H, 0R, 2BB, 2K

Mariners 6 @Royals 5

SEA:
Rob Johnson ('05): 0-for-2, RUN, RBI
Ryan Rowland-Smith ('03): 5IP, 6H, 5R, 3BB, 4K
Mark Lowe ('05): IP, H, 0R, K

KC:
Gil Meche ('98): 6IP, 8H, 5R, 3BB, 5K

Pirates 6 @Brewers 5 (14 innings)

PIT:
Jeff Clement ('05): 1-for-5

Phillies 7 @Giants 6 (11 innings)

PHI:
Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 1-for-4, RUN
Greg Dobbs ('02): pinch hitter 0-for-1

@Cardinals 6, Braves 0

ATL:
Eric O'Flaherty 9'05): IP, H, 0R, BB

Rules (4/28/10)

WIS 2
PEO 4

Boxscore | Game Story

A list of Gibbs' Rules that were broken tonight:

Never let suspects stay together. Bottom of the seventh. Two run lead. Two suspects on base to start the inning. Not only did they score to tie the game, the guy who followed them scored as well.

Never take anything for granted. I will admit that I broke my own rule here, folks. I'd apologize, but that's a sign of weakness and never apologizing is another rule.

Always wear gloves to a crime scene. One error and one misplay that resulted in a HUGE extra swing tonight made it tough to hold on for the win.

Never, ever involve the lawyers. The Rattlers tried to take the extra base on the Chiefs in the second, fourth, and ninth. They weren't close plays and the umpires made the right calls. But, it would have maybe been a little better if they didn't need to make the calls.

A rule that was not broken tonight:

Leave when the job is done. Nice job by Efrain Nieves tonight. He did his job with five scoreless innings and left when his job was done. He has not allowed a run in his last two outings (Nine innings).

Mehring's Rule: Get 'em tomorrow.

April 28, 2010: Rattler Lineup

D'Vontrey Richardson...CF
Scooter Gennett........2B
Khris Davis............LF
Pete Fatse.............RF
Sean Halton............DH
Chris Dennis...........1B
Cameron Garfield........C
Joey Paciorek..........3B
Michael Marseco........SS

Efrain Nieves..........SP

April 28, 2010: Tonight's Rattlers Pitchers

SCHEDULED STARTER

LHP EFRAIN NIEVES: Selected by Milwaukee in the 7th round of the 2007 draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy.

LAST SEASON: Nieves spent all of 2009 with the Timber Rattlers. He went 5-7 with a 5.70ERA in 27 appearances. Nieves made 11 starts for Wisconsin in 2009.

LAST START: Nieves made the start at Burlington on April 15. He gave up six runs on six hits in the first inning. Nieves pitched three innings and allowed eight runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts. He took the loss as the Bees beat the Rattlers 11-4.

LAST APPEARANCE: Nieves pitched four innings of scoreless relief on April 21 against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Time Warner Cable Field. He allowed two hits, walked two, struck out two, and picked up the win in a 5-2 Rattlers victory.

WORLD CUP: Nieves pitched for Puerto Rico in the World Cup of Baseball after the 2009 regular season. He made three starts and was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA. In 14.1 innings pitched, Nieves walked six and struck out 17.

VS. CUBA: Nieves got the call to be the starting pitcher against Cuba on September 18 during the World Cup. He allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings. Nieves was not involved in the decision, but Puerto Rico would win the game 5-2.

A PRODUCTIVE WINTER: Nieves pitched for Arecibo in the Puerto Rican Winter League after the World Cup. Nieves also went on to pitch for Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series.

BREWERS CAREER: Nieves was 14-14 with a 5.08 ERA in his first three seasons as a pitcher in the Milwaukee minor league system. He has made 58 appearances (29 starts) since 2007 and has pitched.

INTO THE PAST: Nieves was the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week for his performance July 7-13, 2008 while pitching for Helena.

VS. CHIEFS: Nieves made three appearances (one start) against the Chiefs in 2009. He had no record with an ERA of 7.71. In 12-2/3 innings against Peoria, he allowed ten runs on 17 hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)
STRIKEOUTS: 9 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

SCHEDULED RELIEVER

RHP JAKE ODORIZZI: Selected by Milwaukee as a supplemental 1st round pick (32nd overall) in the 2008 draft out of Highland (IL) High School.

LAST SEASON: Odorizzi made 12 appearances (10 starts) for the Helena Brewers in the Pioneer League. He was 1-4 with a 4.40 ERA and struck out 43 while walking nine over 47 innings pitched.

LAST APPEARANCE: Odorizzi made the start against the Cedar Rapids Kernels on April 21 at Time Warner Cable Field. He pitched five innings, allowed two runs on three hits, and struck out seven. He left the game with the score tied 2-2 and was not involved in the decision.

HIGHLAND HIGH: Odorizzi was 14-0 with three saves in his senior season with the Bulldogs. He allowed one earned run over 89-1/3 innings pitched to put up an ERA of 0.08 and struck out 146 batters while walking just six in his final season as a Bulldog and helped lead the team to its first ever Class 3A State Championship.

AWARDS: In his senior season, Odorizzi was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois; a Louisville Slugger Pre-season All-American; a Rawlings/Perfect Game All-American; and a member of USA Today’s All-USA Team.

NOT IN THE CARDS: Odorizzi had committed to playing baseball and football at the University of Louisville before signing with the Brewers.

IN THE RANKINGS: Baseball America rated Odorizzi as the #2 prospect in the Pioneer League after the 2009 season. The publication placed him at #9 in the Brewers organization heading into the 2010 season.

BREWERS CAREER: In 23 games (14 starts) before this season, Odorizzi was 2-6 with a 4.12 ERA. He had walked 18 and struck out 62 in 67-2/3 innings as a Brewers farmhand before this season.

VS. CHIEFS: Today is Odorizzi’s first appearance against Peoria.

VS. CUBS: Odorizzi has never faced an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs before this evening.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 6.0 (2x; Last: 7/4/09 @Great Falls)
STRIKEOUTS: 8 (2x; Last: 4/16/10 @Burlington)

April 28, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Chiefs beat the Timber Rattlers 5-4. Wisconsin tied the game 4-4 by scoring three runs in the top of the eighth inning. But, Greg Rohan homered in the bottom of the eighth to provide the winning margin.

THREE RINGS: The Chiefs grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third with three straight hits and a sacrifice fly off Damon Krestalude. Francisco Guzman’s bunt single was followed by a double by Hak-Ju Lee, a two-run triple by Logan Watkins, and a sacrifice fly by Matt Cerda.

STRIDER: Sean Halton extended his hitting streak to seven games with an RBI single in the fourth inning to cut the Chiefs lead to 3-1. Halton drove in a pair of runs last night to give him 11 on the season.

A KNIFE IN THE DARK: The Chiefs scored a two-out run in the bottom of the fourth inning to go back up by three runs.

FLOTSAM & JETSAM: Wisconsin loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fifth inning, but did not score. In the game, Wisconsin had three runners thrown out on the bases and stranded eight more

A LONG-EXPECTED PARTY: Wisconsin tied the game in the top of the eighth. Pete Fatse drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly and reached base when the ball was dropped. Halton knocked in a run with an RBI grounder and Fatse scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 4-4.

THE MUSTER OF ROHAN: Rohan hit his home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning. It happened on an 0-1 pitch from reliever Chad Robinson.

THE TWO TOWERS: The Chiefs have two home runs this season. Rohan has both of them.

A FINAL DEBATE: James Leverton, who blew the save in the top of the eighth, retired the top third of the Wisconsin lineup in order to close out the Rattlers.

THE LAND OF SHADOW: The Timber Rattlers have lost three straight games and are a season low four games under .500 (7-11)

YOUR FACT OF THE DAY: Since 2006, the Timber Rattlers are 10-20 at O’Brien Field.

YOUR BONUS FACT OF THE DAY: The last season Wisconsin had a winning record in a season at O’Brien Field was 2005, when they were 5-3.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .265 as a team. They have scored 97 runs (5.4/game) and hit 9 home runs. The Chiefs are hitting .241 as a team. They have scored 82 runs (4.3/game) and hit two home runs. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.68 while allowing a total of 99 runs (5.5/game) this season. Peoria pitchers have a team ERA of 3.58 while allowing 76 runs (4.0/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 31 errors. The Chiefs defense has committed 21 errors. Wisconsin is 2-5 away from Time Warner Cable Field this season. Peoria is 7-0 at O’Brien Field this season.

PEORIA STARTING PITCHER: RHP Su-Min Jung was signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent out of South Korea in 2008. Last season, he split time between the Arizona League and Northwest League. In 10 games (nine starts) he had no record with an ERA of 3.90. Jung walked 13 and struck out 20 over 27-2/3 innings pitched in ’09. In his start prior before this evening, Jung pitched five scoreless innings and got the win over Kane County on April 22. Tonight is his first appearance against the Rattlers. On July 27, 2009, Jung made the start and pitched two scoreless innings against the Arizona League Brewers.

April 28 in Appleton Baseball history

50 Years Ago - April 28, 1960

The Fox Cities Foxes had their game at Cedar Rapids rained out. They are 0-4 on the season.

25 Years Ago - April 28, 1985
.......................... R..H E
WAUSAU....000 000 020 00 - 2..4 2
APPLETON..000 200 000 01 - 3 11 2
Final- 11 INNINGS

WP: Dave White (2-1)

ATTN: 283

Foxes are now 11-5. They are in 2nd place, 3.5 games behind Madison.

The winning rally in the 11th went like this:

• Mike Taylor single
• Darrell Pruitt sacrifice bunt, reaches on error by Bill Mendek, Taylor to 2nd
• Jerry Bertolonai bunt single, Taylor to 3rd, Pruitt to second
• Jim Winters sacrifice fly to center, Taylor scores

Troy Thomas hit a two run homer in the bottom of the fourth for the Foxes. But, he committed an error in the top of the eighth that allowed the Timbers to tie the game.

This spoiled a good outing for starting pitcher Tony Mendez. He allowed two hits over 7-1/3 innings with three strikeouts. Six walks kept it from being a great start. Two unearned runs in the 8th kept it from being a win.

But, the Foxes found a way - as they normally did in the 80's.

Next up for the 1960 Foxes is a doubleheader in Cedar Rapids...weather permitting.
Next up for the 1985 Foxes is a showdown with first place Madison at Warner park.

Hotel Room Art (Peoria April 28)

A Bend in the River

Rolling Hills with a distant lake

More Rolling Hills but closer to the lake.

Sorry about the flash in the middle picture. It's a new camera...and the same photographer.

View from my Hotel Window (Peoria: April 28)

Ground floor room.

I just missed the guy on the riding mower going past the window at 8:45am.

That almost takes away from how nice a place this is.

Timber Rattlers are giving away Brewers tickets

Head over to the Timber Rattlers facebook page. The team is giving away four tickets to the Brewers Tuesday, May 11 game against the Atlanta Braves.

Just comment on this update between now and the end of the Timber Rattlers game at Beloit on Sunday, May 2.

The Rattlers will take the names and pick out a winner.

I should also mention that Fang T. Rattler is doing the same contest for the Monday, May 10 game against the Braves.

Good luck.

Why we love Bob Uecker

The man is 75 years old and facing heart surgery. Here is how he opened his press conference announcing that he would miss 10-12 weeks of the baseball season.

"A lot of you don't know, and some do, I have been added to the active roster of the club," said Uecker.

That is the humor that has gotten so many Brewers fans through so many summers over the years.

It didn't matter if the year was 2008, 2000, 1987, 1982, or 1976. We keep coming back to listen to our team because of him.

He is one of the reasons that I love baseball so much.

A summer night on the porch with my dad listening to a west coast game against and struggling to stay awake long enough to hear what George Scott or Darrell Porter would do against the Swingin' A's.

Soon after getting my license driving around in the Chevy Chevette that only had an AM radio and listening to the Rene Lachmann team.

Living up in Superior in the mid 90's and listening to those teams on the affiliate up in the Northwoods and a little piece of home just before or just after the Dukes season.

Take care and get well soon, Mr. Baseball.

Lesson learned

The lesson. Put 10 players on a Baseball America Top 30 prospect list on one team. There will be a Baseball America blog post on that team pretty early in the season.

Attention to the Kernels' offense typically centers on 2009 first-round picks Randal Grichuk and Mike Trout, a pair of prep outfielders who punched their tickets to the MWL with strong pro debuts last season. But don't lose sight of second baseman Jean Segura and third baseman Luis Jimenez. At ages 20 and 22, respectively, they may not be as wet behind the ears as Grichuk or Trout, but both righthanded batters have an advanced feel for hitting.

Mosiello deemed Jimenez perhaps the club's most overlooked player. "He's going to be a special hitter," he said. "He's got very strong barrel awareness, but right now he needs to be a bit more patient. He thinks he can handle every pitch out there."

With a 5-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio, Jimenez's play backs up his manager's assessment. Though he had yet to homer in the MWL, he led the Rookie-level Pioneer League in dingers and doubles in 2008.

In the early going, Jimenez is playing a rotation of two games at third followed by one at DH as he makes his return from shoulder surgery that wiped out his ’09 season. Through 16 games, Jimenez had batted .297/.343/.438 with seven doubles, a triple and 16 RBIs.

Family Tree

Susan Denk of The Hawkeye in Burlington talked with Joey Paciorek when the Rattlers played the Bees.

Want to see some really neat baseball cards and learn a little about the Paciorek family business?

Go here.

Midwest League Action: Game of April 27, 2010

Complete scoreboard

Hometown newspaper or the home team website?

WEST:

@PEO 5, WI 4: Chiefs find power to edge Timber Rattlers, 5-4

@BUR 13, BEL 3: Bees blast Snappers 13-3

@KC 10, QC 5: Cougars Blast Past River Bandits

CLN 5 @CR 0: Kernels continue struggles in loss to Clinton

EAST:

@FW 2, SB 1: TinCaps reliever keeps Silver Hawks at bay

LAN 6 @WMI 0: Manager Joe DePastino calls Whitecaps' hitting struggles 'ugly' after shutout loss to Lugnuts

@DAY 5, LC 4: Game-winning base hit allows Dragons to escape cold, beat one of league’s hottest teams

@BG 4, GL 2: Rodriguez Leads Hot Rods to First Winning Streak

Brewers System Report: Games of April 27, 2010

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 9-11; National League Central): The Brewers lost 7-3 to the Pirates at Miller Park. Prince Fielder gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead with a home run in the bottom of the eighth. But, Trevor Hoffman allowed five runs in the top of the ninth inning.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 14-6; Pacific Coast League American North Division): The Sounds won 12-1 at New Orleans. Chase Wright pitched seven shutout innings and the offense banged out 17 hits.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 11-8; Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 12-3 to Chattanooga. The Lookouts scored four runs in the first inning and eight more in the third inning to put the game away.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 7-11 overall; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees won 3-0 at Clearwater. Brock Kjeldgaard (’09) drove in two runs for Brevard County. Chris Capuano (5IP) and Dan Merklinger (’04) combined on the shutout.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:
Pittsburgh (Paul Maholm 1-2) at MILWAUKEE (Chris Narveson 1-0) 12:10pm CDT
NASHVILLE – OFF DAY
Chattanooga (Jesus Castillo 1-1) at HUNTSVILLE (Michael Bowman 2-1) 10:30am CDT
BREVARD COUNTY (Cody Scarpetta 1-2) at Clearwater (Juan Carlos Ramirez 2-0) 12:00pm CDT

Rattlers Alumni Report:: MLB Games of April 27, 2010

Indians 9 @Angels 2

CLE:
Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 4-for-5, 2 RUNS
Shin-soo Choo ('02): 2-for-5, 2 RUNS, 2RBI

@Rays 8, Athletics 6

TB:
Rafael Soriano ('00): IP, 0H, 0R, K, SAVE #5

Red Sox 2 @Blue Jays 1

BOS:
David Ortiz ('96): 0-for-2, RUN

Mariners 3 @Royals 2

SEA:
Adam Moore ('06): 1-for-4
Shawn Kelley ('08): 1.2IP, 0H, 0R, K, WIN #1
Mark Lowe ('05): IP, 0H, 0R

@Orioles 5, Yankees 4

BAL:
Adam Jones ('05): 1-for-5

NYY:
Alex Rodriguez (Foxes, '94): 0-for-5

Pirates 7 @Brewers 3

PIT:
Jeff Clement ('05): 3-for-5, RUN, RBI, HR #3

Jeff Clement had his finest performance with the Pirates, hitting his third home run, a double and a single to inch above the Mendoza Line at .208.

@Giants 6, Phillies 2

PHI:
Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 0-for-2, RBI