Notes have been changed a bit from last night. The major additions to this post are notes on the weather and on Michael Blazek, the game two starter for the River Bandits.
Tonight's Rattlers pitchers are the same as last night except instead of a starter and a reliever, there are two starters. For the notes on Heckathorn & Lasker head over to this post.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers and the River Bandits were postponed by rain. The game is being rescheduled as part of a doubleheader tonight.
LAST ACTION: 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.
NOTES ABOUT THE WEATHER: Monday was the fourth postponement of the season for the Timber Rattlers. There was also a game against Quad Cities that was suspended by rain. During the entire 2009 season, there were seven rainouts and one suspended game. Six of the seven postponements occurred in the first half of the season.
EXTENDED DRY SPELLS: There have been four 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. On May 9, Cedar Rapids pitchers retired 12 straight Rattler hitters.
STILL SCOOTING: Gennett’s single in the first inning on Sunday 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.
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.
QUAD CITIES STARTING PITCHER (GAME ONE): 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.
QUAD CITIES STARTING PITCHER (GAME TWO): RHP Michael Blazek was selected by the Cardinals in the 35th round of the 2007 draft out of Arbor View High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Blazek has pitched at every level below the Midwest League in the Cardinals system since 2007. He has pitched for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals (’07); Johnson City in the Appalachian League (’08), and Batavia in the New York-Penn League (’09) prior to this season and has compiled a record of 8-16 with a 4.22ERA in 38 games (24 starts) with 151 strikeouts and 53 walks in 145 innings. In his appearance prior to tonight, Blazek picked up a four inning save against the Timber Rattlers on May 6. He did not allow a hit or run and struck out seven in those four innings. The only base runner he allowed was on a dropped third strike. The save was the first of Blazek’s career.
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