ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Rattlers lost 4-3 to the Quad Cities River Bandits at Time Warner Cable Field in the final game of a three game series. The Rattlers scored three runs in the first inning. The River Bandits scored four runs in the seventh inning. Quad Cities took two out of three games from the Timber Rattlers in the series.
OUT OF THE GATE: Wisconsin scored three runs in the top of the first inning. D’Vontrey Richardson doubled to start the frame. Scooter Gennett doubled in Richardson. Later in the inning, Cameron Garfield and Chris Dennis had two-out RBI singles to make the score 3-0.
DRY SPELL: Richardson singled with two outs in the top of the second. Wisconsin did not have another hit the rest of the game. Khris Davis walked with one out in the third inning and River Bandit starting pitcher Jorge Rondon retired the next eight batters he faced. Quad Cities’ reliever Michael Blazek allowed one base runner over four innings. Francisco Romero, Jr. reached on a dropped third strike in the eighth inning.
ROLL, TIDE! Rattlers starting pitcher Del Howell pitched 5-1/3 innings, the longest outing of the season by a Wisconsin starter. He allowed two runs on five hits, walked two, struck out three, and left with a 3-2 lead.
DEEP SIX: Howell allowed a leadoff single in the sixth. Jason Stidham followed with a homer to left to get the River Bandits on the scoreboard. Howell got the first out of the inning and turned the ball over to the bullpen. Reliever Hiram Burgos entered the game and walked the leadoff batter, a double, a wild pitch, and a single scored two runs and put the Rattlers down 4-3.
ONE FOR EIGHT: Wisconsin has been involved in eight one-run games this season. They are 1-7 in those games.
STAY HOT: Catcher Cameron Garfield has the longest current hitting streak for a Timber Rattler. He is 12-for-24 (.500) in his last six games. Infielders Scooter Gennett (10-for-23; .435) and Chris Dennis (5-for-18; .278) are each on five game hitting streaks.
HE IS IRON MAN: Richardson has been the starting centerfielder and leadoff batter in each of the previous 27 Rattlers games this season.
THERE WILL BE RUNNING: Cedar Rapids is 42-for-52 in stolen base attempts this season. They are third in the Midwest League in that category. In the previous series with Wisconsin, the Kernels were 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts. Mike Trout is second in the league in steals with 15.
RETURN TO MILLER PARK: Tonight is the fourth time the Timber Rattlers will play a game at Miller Park. Wisconsin faced the Beloit Snappers in 2003 and 2004 when the Snappers were the Midwest League affiliate of the Brewers. Beloit won both games. In 2009, the Rattlers hosted the Peoria Chiefs on April 24. Brock Kjeldgaard homered and Wisconsin beat the Midwest League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs 5-3.
BACK HOME: Wisconsin and Cedar Rapids continue this series at Time Warner Cable Field on Saturday and Sunday. Both games are scheduled for 1:05pm starts.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Cedar Rapids Kernels are the Midwest League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In 2009, the Kernels went 72-66 and made the playoffs. Cedar Rapids was 40-30 in the first half and won the Western Division Wild Card. They swept Peoria in the first round of the playoffs, but lost in three games in the Western Division Championship Series to Burlington. The Kernels are 14-14 and tied for fourth in the Western Division in 2010. In their most recent series, Cedar Rapids dropped two out of three games at Peoria.
2009 SEASON SERIES: Wisconsin went 5-10 against the Kernels in 2009. The Rattlers were 1-6 against the Kernels at Time Warner Cable Field last year.
2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers are 2-1 against the Kernels this season. Wisconsin beat Cedar Rapids two out of three times in a series at Time Warner Cable Field April 20-22.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .268 as a team. They have scored 144 runs (5.3/game) and hit 14 home runs. The Kernels are hitting .250 as a team. They have scored 149 runs (5.3/game) and hit 18 home runs. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 5.10 while allowing a total of 153 runs (5.7/game) this season. Cedar Rapids pitchers have a team ERA of 4.28 while allowing 140 runs (5.0/game). The Rattlers defense has committed 49 errors. The Kernels defense has committed 33 errors. Wisconsin is 6-8 at Time Warner Cable Field this season. Cedar Rapids is 5-10 on the road this season.
PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook placed 10 members of the current Cedar Rapids roster on their list of Top 30 prospects in the Angels organization. There are five members of Baseball America’s Top 10 in the Angels system on the Cedar Rapids roster. Outfielder Mike Trout is #4 on the list. Other players in the Top 30 are: Pitchers Garrett Richards (#5), Fabio Martinez (#6), and Tyler Skaggs (#8); and outfielder Randal Grichuk (#7). Also on the list are pitcher Pat Corbin (#12), infielder Jean Segura (#13), pitcher Tyler Kehrer (#18), pitcher Jon Bachanov (#19), and Carlos Ramirez (#20).
CEDAR RAPIDS STARTING PITCHER: RHP Orangel Arenas was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2007. He spent two seasons in the Dominican Summer League before making his US debut with the Orem Owlz in 2009. He was 4-3 with a 4.65ERA in 15 starts for the Owlz. In his last start, Arenas pitched six shutout innings against Kane County on May 2. He allowed four hits, walked three, and struck out two for the win over the Cougars. On April 21, Arenas made the start against the Timber Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field and allowed three runs on five hits over 5-2/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts and took the loss. Arenas also made a pair of starts against Helena, the pioneer League affiliate of the Brewers, in 2009. He was 1-0 and allowed two runs on five hits over 12 innings with four walks and nine strikeouts.
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