July 31, 2010: Lineup

D’Vontrey Richardson..CF

Scooter Gennett.......2B

Khris Davis...........LF

Hunter Morris.........1B

Cutter Dykstra........3B

Chris Dennis..........DH

Austin Stockfisch......C

Erik Miller...........RF

Michael Marseco.......SS

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

July 31, 2010: Tonight's starter

RHP ERIC ARNETT: Selected by Milwaukee in the 1st round of the 2009 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.

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.

LAST START: Arnett allowed one run on one hit over six innings against Great Lakes on July 19 at Time Warner Cable Field. Arnett walked three and struck out four. The Rattlers trailed 1-0 when Arnett left the game, but they did come back to beat Great Lakes 4-3 and give Arnett a no decision.

LAST APPEARANCE: Arnett picked up his first Midwest League save with three scoreless innings at South Bend on July 25. He allowed one hit, walked two, and struck out a pair at Coveleski Regional Stadium.

VS. CLINTON: Arnett made his Midwest League debut against the LumberKings on April 12. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits over 4-1/3 innings and took the loss at Time Warner Cable Field. He hit two batters, did not walk anyone, and struck out three.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 7.0 (5/31/10 @Cedar Rapids)

STRIKEOUTS: 6 (2x – Last: 5/31/10 @Cedar Rapids)

............DAY-BY-DAY (2010)
DATE..OPP...DEC..IP..H..R ER BB SO ERA

4/12..CLN*..Loss 4.1 6..5..4..0 3..8.31

4/17..@QC*..Loss 3.1 6..8..5..0 5 10.57

4/22..CR*........4.0 5..6..6..2 1 11.57

4/29..@PEO*......4.1 6..5..5..3 4 11.25

5/3...QC*........3.0 1..0..0..0 3..9.47

5/9...CR*...Loss 5.0 5..4..4..4 2..9.00

5/15..BEL*.......5.0 3..3..2..3 5..8.07

5/21..BUR*..Loss 5.2 13 7..7..3 4..8.57

5/26..@KC*.......6.0 6..1..1..1 4..7.52

5/31..@CR*..Loss 7.0 6..2..2..0 6..6.80

6/5...@LC*..Loss 2.0 4..4..4..2 1..7.11

6/12..DAY*..Loss 5.2 9..7..3..2 5..6.87

7/19..GL*........6.0 1..1..1..3.4..6.35
7/25..@SB...Save 3.0 1..0..0..2.2..6.06

*-Start

July 31, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Rattlers lost 5-2 at Peoria. The Chiefs scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning and added two more runs in the two runs on four hits in the seventh inning. Wisconsin got their runs on a home run by Cutter Dykstra.

DANG IT: The Chiefs had the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. Hak-Ju Lee’s grounder to first was mishandled for an error that let in the first Peoria run. Logan Watkins grounder to third was misplayed and two more runs scored.

TRACKING IT: The Rattlers have committed 142 errors in 101 games. Those errors have led to 76 unearned runs this season.

CUTTER! Dykstra’s two-run homer in the third inning was his fifth of the season. It was his first homer since July 3 at Burlington.

POWER SURGE: The Timber Rattlers have homered in four straight games. They hit six homers in the nine games of the just completed road trip.

ABOUT THAT: The Timber Rattlers have hit 59 home runs in 101 games during the 2010 season. Wisconsin hit 62 homers in 139 games during the 2009 season.

SOMETHING ABOUT PEORIA: Wisconsin went 0-6 at Peoria in 2010. They were – including 2009 – 1-12 in their last 13 games at O’Brien Field.

END OF THE ROAD: Wisconsin went 4-5 in their 9-game road trip. Wisconsin went 2-1 in West Michigan and 2-1 in South Bend before the series in Peoria.

COMING HOME: The Rattlers start a 7-game homestand tonight. They face the Clinton LumberKings from July 31 to August 2. Peoria is in town from August 3 to August 6.

EJECT! EJECT! EJECT! Dykstra was ejected by base umpire Taro Hamano in the fifth inning of last night’s game. Dykstra argued a close call at first on which he was ruled out by Hamano.

FAMILY: Kentrail Davis missed last night’s game to attend the funeral of his grandfather in Alabama. He is scheduled to rejoin the team on Sunday.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Clinton LumberKings are the Midwest League affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They finished the first half with a record of 37-32 and missed out on one of the two first half playoff spots in the Western Division. Clinton is currently 15-17 in the second half of the season. They trail Kane County by 3-1/2 games for the top playoff spot in the second half. They are a ½ game behind Beloit and Peoria for the second half wild card spot. The LumberKings are coming off a three-game series at home against Cedar Rapids in which they dropped two of three.

FAMILIAR FACES: There are six former Timber Rattlers players and one former Timber Rattlers manager on the current Clinton roster. Pitchers Jose Jimenez and Ryan Moorer, catcher Blake Ochoa, infielder Luis Nunez, and outfielders Daniel Carroll and Kalian Sams are the players. Terry Pollreisz, who managed the Rattlers in 2008, is the hitting coach for Clinton

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and LumberKings played six games in their season series during the first half. Clinton went 2-1 at Time Warner Cable Field in a set from April 11-13. The Timber Rattlers went 2-1 at Alliant Energy Field in a series from June 15-17.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .254 as a team. They have scored 476 runs (4.7/game) and hit 59 home runs. The LumberKings are hitting .248 as a team. They have scored 474 runs (4.7/game) and hit 91 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.46 while allowing a total of 506 runs (5.0/game) this season. Clinton pitchers have a team ERA of 3.50 while allowing a total of 416 runs (4.1/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 142 errors. The LumberKings defense has committed 116 errors. Wisconsin is 22-28 in home games this season. Clinton is 21-26 on the road in 2010.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook placed four members of the current Clinton roster on their list of Top 30 prospects in the Seattle organization before the 2010 season. Infielders Nick Franklin (#9) and Mario Martinez (#12) are the highest rated players. Outfielder James Jones (#20) and infielder Gabriel Noriega (#24) are also on the list.

CLINTON STARTING PITCHER: RHP Erasmo Ramirez was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of El Salvador in 2007. He spent the last two seasons in the Venezuelan Summer League. In 2009, Ramirez was 11-1 in 14 games (13 starts) with a 0.51ERA, 80 strikeouts, and five walks in 88 innings. In his start prior to today, Ramirez won at Lansing on July 25 by pitching eight shutout innings and allowing just three hits in a 3-0 Clinton victory. Ramirez, who was a Midwest League All-Star for the Western Division, has made one other appearance against the Rattlers. On June 17 at Clinton, Wisconsin scored two runs (one earned) on eight hits over seven innings against Ramirez. The LumberKings won the game 3-2, but Ramirez, who struck out six, was not involved in the decision.

Sorry

Time for an Edgar the Egret of Excuses post.

It was 3:45am when the bus pulled in this morning.

It was 5am before I got home due to some setting up of equipment at the stadium.

It was 11am before I roused myself out of the trailer.

There has been a lot happening at the ballpark today.

An abbreviated day of posting follows....NOW!

Starting pitchers for the homestand

The Rattlers are home for seven games starting Saturday.  You can read or see about all of the fun stuff elsewhere.

Below is what the Rattlers have planned for the pitchers (starters and two tandems) over the seven days at home...weather permitting here in Peoria tonight...and at any point in Appleton.

vs. Clinton

SAT: Eric Arnett/Hiram Burgos
SUN: Nick Bucci
MON: Jake Odorizzi

vs. Peoria
TUE: Maverick Lasker
WED: Hiram Burgos
THU: Eric Arnett
FRI: Del Howell/Nick Bucci

Telemachus regrets to inform you...(UPDATED!)

I really don't want to do this, but since my name is Telemachus the Tarping Tapir, it's my job. The tarp is on at O'Brien Field. There is weather out there, but the hope is that it will miss us and there will be baseball tonight!

So stay tuned and keep a good thought out for the weather!

UPDATE!
The tarp is off the field.  Game on for 6.30pm tonight against the Chiefs!

GO RATTLERS!!

July 30, 2010: Lineup

D'Vontrey Richardson CF
Cutter Dykstra.......3B
Scooter Gennett......2B
Khris Davis..........LF
Hunter Morris........1B
Chris Dennis.........DH
Cameron Garfield......C
Erik Miller..........RF
Michael Marseco......SS

Damon Krestalude.....SP

July 30, 2010: Tonight's Pitcher

RHP DAMON KRESTALUDE: Selected by Milwaukee in the 17th round of the 2008 draft out of Port St. Lucie (FL) High School.

LAST SEASON: Krestalude made two appearances with the Brevard County Manatees (Florida State League) in early June. He was transferred to Helena once the Pioneer League started. Krestalude was 3-4 with a 5.35ERA in 15 games (nine starts) for the Helena Brewers.

A SEASON IN THE DESERT: In 2008 - his first season as a Brewers’ farmhand - Krestalude went 1-4 with a 3.15ERA for Milwaukee’s Arizona League affiliate.

DOWN IN FLORIDA: Krestalude worked two innings of relief against Sarasota on June 6, 2009 and allowed a run on a hit. On June 13, Krestalude got the start at Palm Beach. He pitched 4-2/3 scoreless innings and gave up three hits. Krestalude also hit a batter, walked four and struck out three in his start for the Manatees.

O, PIONEER LEAGUE: Krestalude was the first Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week in 2009. In his first appearance for the Helena Brewers, Krestalude pitched six shutout innings and gave up just one hit against Missoula on June 25. Krestalude picked up the win, walked one, and struck out three.

BREWERS CAREER: Krestalude was 4-8 with a 4.42 ERA in his first two seasons as a pitcher in the Milwaukee minor league system. He made 31 appearances (15 starts) before 2010.

SAVING THE DAY: Krestalude earned his first professional save on April 16 at Burlington. He tossed four scoreless innings, allowed one hit, and struck out three.

LAST START: Krestalude lost at West Michigan on July 23. He allowed nine runs on six hits and three walks in two innings. Krestalude struck out three.

VS. PEORIA: Krestalude has faced the Chiefs twice this season. In a start at O’Brien Field on April 27, he allowed four runs on six hits over five innings with a walk and five strikeouts for a no decision. On May 19 at Time Warner Cable Field, the Chiefs beat Krestalude by scoring six runs on seven hits over two innings. He walked three and struck out one.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (8/2/09 v. Billings)

STRIKEOUTS: 7 (8/2/09 v. Billings)

..........2010 GAME-BY-GAME

DATE OPP..DEC..IP..H R ER BB SO ERA

4/11 CLN* Win..5.0 5 2..2.0..2..3.60

4/16 @BUR Save 4.0 1 0..0 0..2..2.00

4/20 CR*.......5.0 3 2..2 2..4..2.57

4/27 @PEO*.....5.0 6 4..4 1..5..3.79

5/2..@BEL*.....5.0 2 2..2 4..3..3.75

5/7..CR*..Loss 5.1 3 2..2 1..5..3.68

5/19 PEO* Loss 2.0 7 6..6 3..1..5.11

5/24 BUR* Win..6.0 5 2..2 2..1..4.81

6/3..@FW.......1.2 2 1..1 2..3..4.84

7/5..@CR* Loss 2.1 6 5..5 4..0..5.55

7/10 BUR*......4.0 3 1..1 1..4..5.29

7/16 LAN* Loss 6.0 9 5..5 2..6..5.53

7/23 @WM* Loss 2.0 6 9..9 3..3..6.71

*-Start

July 30, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Chiefs beat the Timber Rattlers 3-2. Matt Szczur’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning broke a 2-2 tie. Szczur also had an RBI triple, a double, and a run scored last night. Wisconsin fell to 8-26 in games decided by one run. Last night was also the 22nd time an opponent has won in their last at bat against the Rattlers.

EARLY: The Chiefs scored twice in the bottom of the first inning. Szczur tripled in the first run and scored on a double by Justin Bour.

STOCKFISCH! Rattlers catcher Austin Stockfisch drove in the first run for Wisconsin with a single in the top of the second. He homered with one out in the fifth to tie the game. The home run was the first professional home run for Stockfisch. He is also on a seven game hitting streak and is 10-for-27 (.370) during the streak.

SPEAKING OF STREAKS: The Timber Rattlers have homered in three straight games. They have also hit five homers in the first eight games of this road trip.

ABOUT THAT: The Timber Rattlers have hit 58 home runs in 100 games during the 2010 season. Wisconsin hit 62 homers in 139 games during the 2009 season.

A NOTE: The Rattlers did not draw a walk in the first two games of this series.

SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PLACE: Wisconsin is 1-11 in their last 12 games at O’Brien Field. The Timber Rattlers were 1-6 against the Chiefs here last year. They are 0-5 against them this year in Peoria.

HEARTACHE SPOKEN HERE: The Rattlers have lost on a walk-off hit nine times this season.

DATE OPP..SCORE....HIT.BY WHOM

4/29 @PEO..8-7......1B Jonathan Mota

5/3..@BEL..9-8 (10) HR Wang Wei Lin

5/28 @CR...3-2......1B Luis Jimenez

6/4..@LC...6-5 (11) 1B Casey Frawley

6/17 @CLN..3-2......1B Kalian Sams

7/1..@BUR..7-6......1B Rene Oriental

7/3..@BUR..7-6 (14) 1B Drew Robertson

7/9..@BEL..4-3......HR Danny Rams

7/29 @PEO..3-2......1B Matt Szczur

END OF THE ROAD: Wisconsin ends their 9-game road trip tonight. They are 4-4 in the first eight games of the trip.

COMING HOME: The Rattlers start a 7-game homestand on Saturday night when they face the Clinton LumberKings.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Peoria Chiefs are the Midwest League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Peoria went 38-31 in the first half and missed the playoffs. They finished two games behind Quad Cities for the Western Division Wild Card. Peoria is 14-16 in the second half and are currently 52-47 overall this season. In their most recent series, the Chiefs took two out of three at Lake County. The Chiefs are managed by former UW-Oshkosh Titan player Casey Kopitzke.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Chiefs have played seven games this season, all in the first half and Wisconsin is 1-7 against the Chiefs. Peoria swept a three game series from the Rattlers at O’Brien Field from April 27-29 by scores of 5-4, 4-2, and 8-7. The Chiefs took two out of three from the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field May 18-20. The Chiefs won their two games in Grand Chute 11-7 and 9-6 in 15 innings. The Rattlers beat the Chiefs 14-1 on May 18. Wisconsin hosts the Chiefs in a four game series at Time Warner Cable Field August 3-6 for the final four regular season meetings of the season between the teams.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .254 as a team. They have scored 474 runs (4.7/game) and hit 58 home runs. The Chiefs are hitting .264 as a team. They have scored 464 runs (4.7/game) and hit 42 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.48 while allowing a total of 501 runs (5.0/game) this season. Peoria pitchers have a team ERA of 4.07 while allowing a total of 472 runs (4.8/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 139 errors. The Chiefs defense has committed 125 errors. Wisconsin is 19-31 in road games this season. Peoria is 32-18 at home in 2010.

PEORIA STARTING PITCHER: RHP Frank Batista was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Cubs in January of 2009. He pitched for the Cubs affiliate in the Dominican Summer League last season and went 4-2 with a 3.55ERA in 15 games (nine starts) with 63 strikeouts and seven walks over 58-1/3 innings pitched. Batista joined the Chiefs from extended spring training in late May of this season. In his last start, Batista allowed two runs on a hit and struck out 10 in 4-2/3 innings at Lake County and took the loss. Batista is 1-2 with a pair of saves and a 3.34 ERA in 14 appearances (three starts) for the Chiefs. In his three starts, Batista is 0-1 with a 2.31ERA and 22 strikeouts over 11-2/3 innings. Tonight is the first time he is facing the Timber Rattlers. It is also the first time he is facing an affiliate of the Brewers in the US.

July 30, 1960 & July 30, 1985

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

DAY GAME:

FOX CITIES FOXES....7

CEDAR RAPIDS BRAVES 8

The Braves scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Foxes.

NIGHT GAME:

FOXES..3

BRAVES 1

Arne Thorsland pitched a complete game and struck out 11 in game two for the win.

The Foxes are still in first place in the Three-I League with a record of 54-39. Their lead over Sioux City is down to one game.

25 Years Ago Today:

GAME ONE:

............................R..H E

APPLETON FOXES..004 010 1 - 6 10 0

MADISON MUSKIES 100 010 0 - 2..2 2

Mark Ruckbeil pitched a complete game 2-hitter with four strikeouts for the win. The Foxes rallied from the early deficit by sending nine men to the plate in the top of the fourth. Jim Markert had the big hit in the inning with a two-out, two-run single.

GAME TWO:

....................R..H E

FOXES...001 104 1 - 7 10 0

MUSKIES 011 020 0 - 4..9 4

The Foxes battled back from a 4-2 deficit by batting around in the sixth. Tom Forrester started the inning with a home run, his thirteenth of the season. Wes Kent knocked in the tying run with a single. Mike Taylor put the Foxes up 5-4 with an RBI single. Pete Venturini sent the final run of the inning home with another RBI single.

The sweep put the Foxes at 67-37 on the season. They are still leading the Northern Division of the Midwest League. Second place Kenosha is 14.5 games back.

Midwest League Action: Games of July 29, 2010

Complete scoreboard

@Peoria 3, Wisconsin 2: Newbie.

Kane County 7 @Quad Cities 4: at bay.

Cedar Rapids 2 @Clinton 1: Sneak.

Beloit 13 @Burlington 1: Bashes.

@Fort Wayne 6, South Bend 1: Most.

Bowling Green 6 @Dayton 3: Another night, another loss (16 straight home losses for Dayton)

Great Lakes 13 @Lansing 1: run over.

West Michigan 3 @Lake County 1 (12): Endure.

Brewers System Report: Games of July 28, 2010

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 48-55; National League Central): The Brewers were off on Thursday.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 56-49; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds lost 7-4 to Omaha. The Royals scored four runs in the fifth inning to erase a 4-3 Nashville lead.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 50-53 overall; 17-16 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 2-1 to Mississippi. The Braves broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the top of the eighth.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 48-54; 21-12 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees beat St. Lucie 4-2. Kyle Heckathorn (’10) allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings for the win. Brevard County has won six straight.

HELENA (Rookie: 19-18; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers beat Great Falls 10-8 in 15 innings. Great Falls scored five runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game 8-8. Greg Hopkins hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifteenth to win the game.

AZL BREWERS (Rookie: 21-10; Arizona League Central Division): The Brewers were off on Thursday.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

MILWAUKEE (Manny Parra 3-7) at Houston (JA Happ 1-0) 7:05pm CDT

Omaha (Philip Humber 4-6) at NASHVILLE (Chris Waters 5-8) 7:05pm CDT

Mississippi at HUNTSVILLE 7:00pm CDT

St. Lucie (Eric Beaulac 5-2) at BREVARD COUNTY (Cody Scarpetta 5-8) 6:05pm CDT

Great Falls (Thomas Royse 1-1) at HELENA (Evan Frederickson 2-1) 8:05pm CDT

AZL BREWERS at AZL Rangers 9:00pm CDT

Rattlers Alumni Report: MLB Games of July 29, 2010

Yankees 11 @Indians 4

NYY:

Alex Rodriguez (Foxes, '94): 1-for-4, 3RBI

CLE:

Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 1-for-3, RUN

Shin-Soo Choo ('02): 1-for-4

Luis Valbuena ('06): 0-for-4

@White Sox 9, Mariners 5

CWS:

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

SEA:

Michael Saunders ('06): 2-for-4, RBI

Rob Johnson ('05): 0-for-3

Orioles 6 @Royals 5

BAL:

Adam Jones ('04): 0-for-6

@Phillies 3, Diamondbacks 2 (11)

PHI:

Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 1-for-4, RUN, RBI, HR #9

Updates on Meche and Pineiro

Gil Meche and Joel Pineiro were teammates on the 1998 Timber Rattlers.  They are going through some health issues now.

Pitcher Gil Meche prepares for his third shoulder surgery

The best-case scenario has him ready for spring training or missing a month or two of next season. If the doctor finds something serious that needs repair, Meche will miss more time.

In two minor-league starts, Meche changed his pitching mechanics to compensate for the pain. The motion of bringing his arm upward, into the cocked position, from being extended down during his windup hurt.

“I can’t get through that zone,” Meche said. “I can’t get to that point unless I short-arm it. It’s just not a good feel. I can’t keep pushing it.”

Meche went on the disabled list following a May 25 start against Texas because of what club officials then diagnosed as bursitis. He is signed through 2011.

Angels pitcher Joel Pineiro to be sidelined 6-8 weeks

The team announced during the eighth inning of Wednesday's game that right-hander Joel Pineiro, scratched because of a left oblique strain suffered in pregame warmups, will be sidelined for six to eight weeks.

An MRI test during the game confirmed doctors' initial diagnosis of Pineiro, who is 10-7 with a 4.18 earned-run average and has been one of the team's most consistent and effective starters since early June.

July 29, 2010: Starting Lineup

D’Vontrey Richardson..CF

Scooter Gennett.......2B

Kentrail Davis........RF

Khris Davis...........LF

Hunter Morris.........1B

Cutter Dykstra........DH
Joey Paciorek.........3B

Austin Stockfisch......C

Michael Marseco.......SS

Del Howell............SP

July 29, 2010: Tonight's Pitcher

LHP DEL HOWELL: Selected by Milwaukee in the 15th round of the 2009 draft out of the University of Alabama.

LAST SEASON: Howell appeared in five games (three starts) between the Arizona League Brewers and the Helena Brewers in his first pro season. He was a combined 1-0 with a 0.77ERA. Over 11-2/3 innings pitched, Howell allowed one run, with three walks and nine strikeouts.

LAST START: Howell allowed one run on three hits over four innings at West Michigan on July 22. Howell walked four and struck out one in the game. He pitched four scoreless innings, but allowed two hits and a walk to load the bases in the bottom of the fifth. Then, a severe thunderstorm forced a suspension of the game. Howell got a no decision, but the Rattlers would pick up the win when the game resumed the following night

GO, BAMA! Howell went 5-3 with a 6.33ERA in 11 starts in his final season at Alabama. He struck out 68 opposing hitters in 58-1/3 innings pitched.

ROLL TIDE! Howell also was a position player during his three seasons with the Crimson Tide. He hit a home run against Arkansas as a freshman.

GLORY DAYS: Howell was Mr. Baseball in Alabama in 2006. As a senior at American Christian Academy, Howell went 13-1 with a 0.18ERA. He pitched back-to-back perfect games in his first two starts of the Class 1A state playoffs during the 2006 season.

RANKING: Baseball America rated Howell as the #22 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewer organization in their 2010 Prospect Handbook.

VS. PEORIA: Howell has faced the Chiefs one time this season. He pitched three innings on May 18 at Time Warner Cable Field and picked up his first professional save. Howell did not give up a hit, but did allow one unearned run with a hit batsman, two walks, and two strikeouts.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 6.2IP (7/3/10 @Burlington)

STRIKEOUTS: 6 (6/10/10 v. Bowling Green)

..........2010 DAY-BY-DAY

DATE OPP....DEC..IP..H R ER BB K ERA

4/10 KC..........3.0 5 3..3..0 0 9.00

4/14 @BUR*..Loss 1.2 8 7..7..3 1 19.29

4/19 @QC.........2.0 3 4..4..2 1 18.90

4/24 BEL*........4.0 6 2..2..4 4 13.50

5/1+ @BEL........1.0 1 0..0..0 0 12.34

5/6..QC*.........5.1 2 2..2..2 3 9.53

5/13 BEL.........2.0 1 0..0..2 2 8.53

5/18 PEO....Save 3.0 0 1..0..2 2 7.36

5/23 BUR.........2.0 1 0..0..1 4 6.75

5/30 @CR....Loss 2.0 1 3..3..3 0 7.27

6/4..@LC*........4.0 5 2..2..2 4 6.90

6/10 BG..........3.2 3 2..2..2 6 6.68

6/17 @CLN*.......6.1 4 2..2..2 2 6.08

6/27 BUR*...Win..6.0 5 2..2..3 4 5.67

7/2 @BUR*...Loss 6.2 6 4..1..2 3 5.13

7/7 @BEL*...Loss 6.0 6 5..5..2 4 5.37

7/15 LAN*...Win..5.0 5 1..1..3 2 5.07

7/22 @WMI*.......4.0 3 1..1..4 1 4.92

+-Game two of a doubleheader

*-Start

July 29, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Chiefs beat the Timber Rattlers 8-3. Peoria scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning and tacked on a run in the fifth and three more in the bottom of the seventh to grab an 8-1 lead. The Rattlers scored single runs in the third, eighth, and ninth innings to account for their runs.

EVEN IN ONE REGARD…:  Both teams had 10 hits last night.

…BUT NOT THE OTHER: Peoria went 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Wisconsin was 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

DOUBLE SHOT: Six of Peoria’s 10 hits were doubles.

GOING DEEP: Hunter Morris hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth inning. Morris has homered in his last two games to give him four since joining the Rattlers. He also extended his current hitting streak to four games, his longest as a professional. Morris is 8-for-17 during his current streak.

ABOUT THAT: The Timber Rattlers have hit 57 home runs in 99 games during the 2010 season. Wisconsin hit 62 homers in 139 games during the 2009 season.

HICCUPS: The Rattlers committed three errors last night, including two on one play. In the first six games of the current nine game road trip committed a total of three errors.

SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PLACE: Wisconsin is 1-10 in their last 11 games at O’Brien Field. The Timber Rattlers were 1-6 against the Chiefs here last year. They are 0-4 against them at O'Brien Field this year.

SNAPSHOT: A quick look at the second half playoff standings in the Western Division of the Midwest League:

CLUB..........W-L...PCT..GB

Kane County..17-14 .548..--

Wisconsin....15-16 .484..2.0

Beloit.......14-15 .483..2.0

Clinton......14-16 .467..2.5

Burlington...13-16 .448..3.0

Peoria.......13-16 .448..3.0

The Timber Rattlers are .001 ahead of Beloit for the second half Western Division Wild Card, but Wisconsin has one more loss and two more games played than Beloit in this half. Wisconsin is also even in the loss column with Clinton, Burlington, and Peoria.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Peoria Chiefs are the Midwest League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Peoria went 38-31 in the first half and missed the playoffs. They finished two games behind Quad Cities for the Western Division Wild Card. Peoria is 13-16 in the second half and are currently 51-47 overall this season. In their most recent series, the Chiefs took two out of three at Lake County. The Chiefs are managed by former UW-Oshkosh Titan player Casey Kopitzke.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Chiefs have played seven games this season, all in the first half and Wisconsin is 1-6 against the Chiefs. Peoria swept a three game series from the Rattlers at O’Brien Field from April 27-29 by scores of 5-4, 4-2, and 8-7. The Chiefs took two out of three from the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field May 18-20. The Chiefs won their two games in Grand Chute 11-7 and 9-6 in 15 innings. The Rattlers beat the Chiefs 14-1 on May 18.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 472 runs (4.8/game) and hit 57 home runs. The Chiefs are hitting .263 as a team. They have scored 461 runs (4.7/game) and hit 42 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.49 while allowing a total of 498 runs (5.0/game) this season. Peoria pitchers have a team ERA of 4.10 while allowing a total of 470 runs (4.8/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 139 errors. The Chiefs defense has committed 124 errors. Wisconsin is 19-30 in road games this season. Peoria is 31-18 at home in 2010.

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). Whitenack is 8-7 with a save in 20 appearances (19 starts) for the Chiefs this season. IN his last start, Whitenack faced the TinCaps at Fort Wayne on July 23. He allowed a run on four hits and struck out six over six innings, but was not involved in the decision. Whitenack has faced the Timber Rattlers twice this season. On April 29 at O’Brien Field, he allowed three runs on three hits with three walks, a hit batsman and four strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings for a no decision. On May 18 at Time Warner Cable Field, he gave up 10 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits over 3-2/3 innings and was tagged with the loss. He hit a batter, walked two, and struck out three in that start.

Trades (UPDATED)

There were a couple of trades yesterday. They involved non-Timber Rattlers Midwest Leaguers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers traded with Kansas City to pick up Scott Posednik. The Dodgers sent Great Lakes Loons pitcher Elisaul Pimentel and Lucas May.

Pimentel was 9-3 for the Loons this season. Odd. I don't see a release about this trade on the loons website yet. From the link above:

Pimentel, 22, is 9-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 17 games, including 16 starts, at Class A Great Lakes. He was the Midwest League pitcher of the month in June after going 4-0 with an 0.39 ERA. The Royals assigned him to Class A Burlington.

The Midwest League has a Pitcher of the Month Award? Really? Plus, it's nice of the Royals to make a trade to help the Bees down the stretch.

Cleveland and Detroit made a trade, too. Jhonny Peralta joins the Tigers. All they had to give up was Giovanni Soto of the West Michigan Whitecaps.

Soto, 19, started 16 games with low Class A West Michigan this season, posting a 6-6 record and 2.61 ERA. He had 76 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings. He was drafted in 2009 in the 21st round.

I did not see anything about him heading to Lake County. But, that will be interesting, too.

UPDATE: That's because I wasn't looking in the right place.

Giovanni Soto won't soon forget what happened to him Wednesday at Classic Park.

At 4:30 p.m., Soto arrived at the ballpark as a member of the West Michigan Whitecaps. A little more than one month ago, the 19-year-old left-handed pitcher had represented the Whitecaps in the Midwest League All-Star game.

West Michigan was in town to play the opener of a scheduled three-game series against the Captains.

Shortly before 6 p.m., Soto was called into the office of West Michigan manager Joe DePastino.

DePastino told Soto the Whitecaps' parent team, the Detroit Tigers, had just traded him to Cleveland for third baseman Jhonny Peralta and cash.

"I've never seen anything like this," DePastino said of Soto getting traded but not having to leave the premises to join his new team.

In a matter of minutes, Soto was bidding farewell to his former teammates and making the short journey down the hallway that leads to the Lake County clubhouse.

Video at the link.

July 29, 1960 & July 29, 1985

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

FOX CITIES FOXES

CEDAR RAPIDS BRAVES

PPD

The reason for the postponement? Let's go to the Wikipedia entry for the 1960 Canadian Football League Preseason....No...Really.

On July 29, the BC Lions played the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Part of the local appeal was the presence on three former University of Iowa stars, Kenny Ploen and Ray Jauch of the Blue Bombers, and Willie Fleming of the BC Lions.

See.  Perfectly normal.  I believe that that game would have been played at Kingston Stadium.  In 1960, Kingston Stadium and Veterans Memorial Stadium were separated by only a few feet and the parking lot probably would not be able to accommodate both games...Or, more likely, the folks from the Braves thought they couldn't compete with those former Hawkeyes.

The Foxes are 53-38, still in first place in the Three-I League and still 1.5 games up on Sioux City.

25 Years Ago Today:
..............................R H E
KENOSHA TWINS..204 400 400 - 14 9 0
APPLETON FOXES 300 000 010 -..4 6 3

ATTENDANCE: 1,441

Yeesh.

Gary Shriver did find something positive to write about in the Post-Crescent:

[T]he crowd of 1,441 pushed the Foxes' season attendance to 55,069, or 788 better than all of last season, when the team drew 54,281.  The Foxes still have 14 home dates  this season and have a chance to top 73,000 which would be the largest total at Goodland Field since the 1978 Midwest League champions brought in 94,730 fans.

The Foxes loss dropped their record to 65-37.  Their lead in the Northern Division of the Midwest League over Kenosha is 14 games.

Shriver adds a look at how some ex-Foxes are doing at other levels in his FOXES TALES at the end of the game story:

Several members of the 1984 championship team are having good seasons with Glens Falls of the Class AA Eastern League.  Mike Soper is hitting .297 with a league-leading 109 hits, Russ Morman is at .294 with 15 homers and 66 RBIs and Tom Moritz is at .268.  Pitcher Jim Hickey (5-4) has thrown complete games in his last 2 starts, a 1-hitter and a 5-hitter.

Ken Williams, who was with the Foxes in 1983 and part of 1984, is hitting .270 and has scored 69 runs, tops in the league.

Leo Garcia, a popular Foxes player in the 1982 championship year, is batting .278 with 2 homers for Denver, Cincinnati's AAA affiliate.

Midwest League Action: Games of July 28, 2010

Complete scoreboard

@Peoria 8, Wisconsin 3: Altered.

@Quad Cities 8, Kane County 1: Cools.

Cedar Rapids 5 @Clinton 3: Debated double.

Beloit 4 @Burlington 2: Not enough.

West Michigan 16 @Lake County 14: Ugly.

South Bend 4 @Fort Wayne 3: Shocks.

Great Lakes 3 @Lansing 0: Cost.

Bowling Green 5 @Dayton 3: Dayton’s 5-3 loss in front of 8,109 spectators at Fifth Third Field on Wednesday, July 28, was its 15th straight at home and 14th setback in the last 15 games.

Brewers System Report: Games of July 28, 2010

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 48-55; National League Central): The Brewers lost 10-2 to the Reds at Miller Park. Milwaukee had a 2-0 lead until the Reds scored five runs in the top of the sixth. Cincinnati added five more runs in the top of the eighth.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 56-48; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds lost 5-3 to Omaha. Joe Koshansky hit a homer, his 18th of the season, and drove in two runs for Nashville.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 50-52 overall; 17-15 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars beat Mississippi 6-0. Michael Bowman (’09) pitched six shutout innings and allowed two hits for his eighth win.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 47-54; 20-12 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees beat St. Lucie 5-1. Dan Merklinger (’09) pitched six shutout innings and struck out 13 for the win. Juan Sanchez (’09) went 5-for-5 with a homer for Brevard County.

HELENA (Rookie: 18-18; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers were off on Wednesday.

AZL BREWERS (Rookie: 21-10; Arizona League Central Division): The Brewers beat the Royals 4-2.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

MILWAUKEE: OFF DAY

Omaha (Bryan Bullington 8-2) at NASHVILLE (Josh Butler 1-0) 7:05pm CDT

Mississippi (Erik Cordier 8-6) at HUNTSVILLE (Mark Rogers 4-7) 7:00pm CDT

St. Lucie at BREVARD COUNTY 6:05pm CDT

Great Falls at HELENA 8:05pm CDT

AZL BREWERS: OFF DAY

Rattlers Alumni Report: MLB Games of July 28, 2010

@Rays 7, Tigers 4

TB:

Rafael Soriano ('00): IP, 0H, 0R, SAVE #28

@White Sox 6, Mariners 5

CWS:

Matt Thornton ('00): .2IP, 2H, 0R, WIN #3

JJ Putz ('00): IP, 0H, 0R

SEA:

Michael Saunders ('06): 0-for-4

Red Sox 7 @Angels 3

BOS:

David Ortiz ('96): 1-for-5

@Blue Jays 5, Orioles 0

BAL:

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

Yankees 8 @Indians 0

NYY:

Alex Rodriguez (Foxes, '94): 2-for-5, RBI

CLE:

Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 0-for-3

Luis Valbuena ('06): 0-for-1

Shin-Soo Choo ('02): 1-for-3

Cardinals 8 @Mets 7 (13)

STL:

Ryan Franklin (Foxes, '94): IP, 0H, 0R, K, SAVE #19

@Phillies 7, Diamondbacks 1

PHI:

Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 2-for-3

Greg Dobbs ('02): 0-for-4