May 13, 2010: Game Notes

You may have seen most of the material at the start of this post from yesterday. The Beloit stuff that makes up the second half of the post is new.

ABOUT WEDNESDAY: Wisconsin had their game at Quad Cities rained out. The game will not be made up. Wednesday was the final scheduled meeting of the first half between the Rattlers and River Bandits.

LAST ACTION: The Rattlers and River Bandits split a doubleheader with the Quad Cities River Bandits on Tuesday, May 11. In Game one, River Bandits starting pitcher Eric Fornataro tossed six shutout innings for the win. He retired the first 11 batters he faced and struck out eight while allowing just two hits. Quad Cities scored the only runs they would need in the fourth inning on a three-run double by CJ Beatty. In game two, Wisconsin beat the Bandits 6-2. Scooter Gennett’s two out grand slam in the top of the second inning broke a 2-2 tie. Maverick Lasker got the win for Wisconsin. The win snapped the Rattlers’ six-game losing streak.

STARTING STRONG: D’Vontrey Richardson started the nightcap off with a home run. It was the second home run of the season for Richardson. His leadoff homer snapped a scoreless streak of 15-1/3 innings.

NOTES ABOUT A SLAM: The last time a Timber Rattlers batter hit a grand slam was on August 12, 2008. Maximo Mendez lifted a bases loaded homer against Kane County at Time Warner Cable Field on that day. The last time a Rattlers second baseman hit a grand slam was on June 8, 2007. Trevor Lawhorn hit a grand slam at Kane County. This was only the second time since 1995 that a Wisconsin player has hit a slam against a Quad Cities franchise. Adam Jones hit one in Davenport on April 25, 2004.

PERMISSION TO BUZZ THE TOWER: Lasker pitched five innings, allowed two first inning runs, gave up two hits, walked four, and struck out six to pick up his first win of the season.

FLAWLESS: The Timber Rattlers defense did not commit an error in either game Tuesday night.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Beloit Snappers at the Midwest League affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are 19-13 on the season. They trail first place Quad Cities by a ½ game. They hold the first half Western Division Wild Card by ½ game over third place Cedar Rapids. In their most recent series, the Snappers split two games of a series at home to Kane County. Wednesday’s game was rained out and will be played at a doubleheader later this half. Beloit is 5-5 in their last ten games.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers are 1-5 against the Snappers this season. Wisconsin lost the only two games played at Time Warner Cable Field in the first meeting between the teams on April 23 and 24. The game on April 25 was rained out and is the reason for the doubleheader that is scheduled for Friday night. The Rattlers went 1-3 in a four game series at Pohlman Field from April 30-May 3.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 156 runs (4.9/game) and hit 16 home runs. The Snappers are hitting .242 as a team. They have scored 134 runs (4.2/game) and hit 18 home runs. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 5.06 while allowing a total of 178 runs (5.6/game) this season. Beloit pitchers have a team ERA of 3.32 while allowing 122 runs (3.8/game). The Rattlers defense has committed 55 errors. The Bandits defense has committed 32 errors. Wisconsin is 6-11 in home games this season. Beloit is 9-5 on the road this season.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook placed five 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. Pitchers BJ Hermsen (#21) and Ben Tootle (#28) and infielder James Beresford (#30) are also on the list.

BELOIT STARTING PITCHER: RHP Miguel Munoz was signed by the Twins as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2005. He appeared in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006 and the Dominican Summer League in 2007. Munoz made his US professional debut in the Gulf Coast League in 2008 and was 5-2 with a 3.09ERA. In 2009, Munoz went 5-4 with a 4.96ERA in 13 starts with Elizabethton, the Appalachian League affiliate of the Twins. He is 0-1 with a 4.03 ERA in six starts for the Snappers this season. In his start prior to today, he allowed five runs on seven hits over four innings against Burlington at Pohlman Field on May 26 and took the loss. Munoz walked four and struck out six in that game. Munoz has made one appearance against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers before tonight. On May 2 at Pohlman Field, Munoz allowed two runs on six hits over 5-1/3 innings. He walked two, hit one, and struck out one, but was not involved in the decision.