7/21/2010

July 21, 2010: Game Notes

LAST ACTION: The Timber Rattlers beat the Great Lakes Loons 4-3 by scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Kentrail Davis tied the game with a two-out, two-run double. Khris Davis singled to drive in Kentrail Davis with the winning run.

WELCOME BACK: Eric Arnett made his first start for the Timber Rattlers since June 12 when he took the hill against the Loons on Monday afternoon. Arnett allowed a run on a hit and struck out four over six innings. Arnett was not involved in the decision.

EARLY ON: The Rattlers left the bases loaded in the first, two runners in scoring position in the second, and a runner at second in the third. The Rattlers would strand 10 runners in the game.

BEHIND: Angelo Songco hit a leadoff homer in the top of the fourth inning to give the Loons a 1-0 lead. The home run was the twelfth given up by Arnett this season.

A LITTLE FURTHER BEHIND: The Loons tacked on a seventh inning run without the benefit of a hit. Rafael Ynoa walked against reliever Adrian Rosario, stole second, went to third on an error, and scored on a wild pitch.

TRADING: The Rattlers got their first run of the game on a two-out RBI single from Cutter Dykstra in the bottom of the eighth, but the Loons went back up by two runs with an RBI grounder by JT Wise in the top of the ninth.

RISP: Before Dykstra’s eighth inning hit with a runner in scoring position, the Rattlers were 0-for-12 in that situation. The Rattlers had runners at first and second with no outs in the bottom of the ninth. Those runners were at second and third before Kentrail Davis hit his double.

WALK IT OFF: Monday was the second walk-off hit by the Rattlers this season. Scooter Gennett’s RBI infield single to beat Kane County in the first game of the season, the first game of a doubleheader on April 9.

FIRST! The Rattlers win on Monday was the first time they have beaten an opponent when trailing after eight innings. Wisconsin is now 1-30 in that situation.

UP NEXT: The Rattlers continue their stretch of twelve straight games against the Eastern Division by hitting the road to face West Michigan and South Bend for three games each from July 21 to July 26. The Rattlers are 6-12 against the Eastern Division this season, 3-9 at home and 3-3 on the road.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The West Michigan Whitecaps are the Midwest League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are 33-60 on the season. They finished the first half of the season with a 26-43 record and missed one of the two playoff spots in the Eastern Division. The Whitecaps are 7-17 in the second half. In their most recent series, West Michigan went 0-3 in a series at Kane County. The Whitecaps are 4-14 in 18 games against the Western Division this season.

2009 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Whitecaps played six games in 2009. Wisconsin went 5-1 against West Michigan. The Rattlers swept a three-game series at Fifth Third Ballpark from May 29-31. Wisconsin went 2-1 in a three-game series at Time Warner Cable Field from July 8-11.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 441 runs (4.8/game) and hit 52 home runs. The Caps are hitting .249 as a team. They have scored 338 runs (3.6/game) and hit 36 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.48 while allowing a total of 465 runs (5.1/game) this season. West Michigan pitchers have a team ERA of 4.00 while allowing a total of 415 runs (4.5/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 133 errors. The Whitecaps defense has committed 89 errors. Wisconsin is 15-27 in road games this season. West Michigan is 18-25 at home in 2010.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook placed two players on the current West Michigan roster on their list of Top 30 prospects in the Detroit system before the 2010 season. Outfielder Avisail Garcia, who split time between West Michigan and Lakeland in the Florida State League in 2009, is ranked at #17. Infielder Wade Gaynor, a 3rd round pick in the 2009 draft out of Western Kentucky, was placed at #24 on the list.

WEST MICHIGAN STARTING PITCHER: RHP Victor Larez was signed by the Tigers as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2005. He spent all of last season with the Whitecaps (mainly as a reliever) and went 5-10 with a 4.33ERA. Larez appeared in 37 games (three starts) and collected three saves. He walked 24 and struck out 81 over 108 innings for the Whitecaps in 2009. Larez has won his last two starts. In his start prior to this evening, Larez allowed one run on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts over seven innings at Clinton. Larez made two relief appearances against Wisconsin in 2009. He went 0-2 with a blown save. On May 30, 2009 at Fifth Third Ballpark, Larez entered the game in the top of the seventh inning with a 3-1 lead. The Rattlers scored three runs on a two-out home run by Brett Lawrie to take a 4-3 lead that they would hang on to for the win. On July 10, 2009 at Time Warner Cable Field, Larez came into the game in the bottom of the fifth inning and the score tied 1-1. Lawrie hit a two out solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to give the Rattlers a 2-1 lead. Wisconsin added a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh (all three of these runs were unearned) to go on to a 5-2 victory.

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