ABOUT SUNDAY: The Rattlers lost 8-1 to Cedar Rapids. Garrett Richards pitched a complete game and struck out 10 for the win. Wisconsin scored a run in the first inning to tie the game 1-1, but the Kernels scored three runs in the second. They would tack on one in the sixth and three more in the eighth. The loss was the fifth straight for Wisconsin.
NO FASTER START: Mike Trout started the game with a solo homer.
A GOOD ANSWER: D’Vontrey Richardson walked to start the bottom of the first inning. He would go to third on a single by Scooter Gennett. Khris Davis grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to get the run home from third.
KERNELS TAKE CONTROL: Cedar Rapids scored three times in the top of the second inning off Rattlers starting pitcher Eric Arnett. The Kernels started the inning with a pair of singles and a walk. Arnett got a strikeout for the first out, but a walk to Trout, an RBI single by Jean Segura, and a sacrifice fly by Luis Jimenez put the Kernels in front 4-1.
DROUGHT CONDITIONS: Pete Fatse reached on a bunt single with one out in the bottom of the second inning. Richards retired the next 12 batters in a row.
EXTENDED DRY SPELL: There have been three other games this month in which more than 10 Wisconsin hitters have been consecutively retired. On May 1, Daniel Osterbrock retired the first 18 Rattlers he faced in a 7-inning no-hitter. On May 6, a pair of Quad Cities’ pitchers set down 14 in a row. On May 7, two Kernels’ pitchers retired 13 straight Wisconsin batters.
STILL SCOOTING: Gennett’s single in the first inning extended his current hitting streak to eight games. This current streak surpasses his previous professional high of seven which he set earlier this year. Gennett enters action tonight with a .356 batting average. That is good for third place in the Midwest League batting race.
TOP TEN: Khris Davis tripled and was 1-for-4 yesterday. He is currently hitting .327 and is tenth in the MWL batting race.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Quad Cities River Bandits are the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are 19-12 and tied with Peoria for first place in the Western Division of the Midwest League. The Bandits are 5-5 in their last ten games. Last season, the River Bandits missed the playoffs. They were 30-40 in the first half and 31-38 in the second half to compile an overall record of 61-78. Johnny Rodriguez is in his first season as the manager of the River Bandits. The River Bandits are on a two game winning streak after winning the last two games in the series at Modern Woodmen Park against the Clinton LumberKings. Quad Cities has won four of their last five games.
2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers are 2-4 against the River Bandits this season. Wisconsin dropped two out of three at Quad Cities from April 17-19. The Rattlers also lost two out of three to Quad Cities at Time Warner Cable Field May 5-7.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .261 as a team. They have scored 150 runs (5.0/game) and hit 14 home runs. The River Bandits are hitting .244 as a team. They have scored 154 runs (5.0/game) and hit 23 home runs. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 5.10 while allowing a total of 172 runs (5.7/game) this season. Quad Cities’ pitchers have a team ERA of 4.19 while allowing 152 runs (4.9/game). The Rattlers defense has committed 55 errors. The Bandits defense has committed 46 errors. Wisconsin is 3-10 in road games this season. Quad Cities is 11-5 at home this season.
PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook listed four members of the current River Bandits roster on their list of top 30 prospects in the St. Louis organization. Pitcher Shelby Miller, a first round pick out of Brownwood (TX) High School in 2009, is rated as St. Louis’ #1 prospect. Catcher Robert Stock, the Cardinals second round pick out of the University of Southern California in 2009, is #10. Pitcher Joe Kelley (#21) and shortstop Ryan Jackson (#25) are also on the list.
QUAD CITIES STARTING PITCHER: RHP Eric Fornataro was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft out of Miami Dade Community College. He was 6-8 with a save and 3.03ERA in 26 career games (15 starts) in the Cardinals organization coming into this season. Fornataro went 0-5 with the River Bandits in seven games (six starts) at the end of the 2009 season. In his start prior to today, Fornataro pitched the regularly scheduled game against the Rattlers on May 5. He gave up eight runs on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts over four innings. Fornataro was not involved in the decision as the River Bandits rallied from an 8-1 deficit for a 10-9 win. Fornataro has one other start against the Rattlers this season. On April 19 at Modern Woodmen Park, Wisconsin beat Fornataro by scoring five runs (four earned) on 10 hits over five innings.
No comments:
Post a Comment