ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Jake Odorizzi and Adrian Rosario combined to no hit the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Perfect Game Field in a 3-0 Wisconsin lead. Odorizzi struck out ten over eight innings and picked up his seventh win of the season. Rosario struck out a pair of Kernels hitters in the ninth inning for his first Midwest League save.
A WORD ABOUT THE OFFENSE: Kentrail Davis drove in the first run of the game with an infield grounder in the top of the fifth inning. The Rattlers added a pair of runs in the sixth inning on a Joey Paciorek squeeze bunt and an infield single by D’Vontrey Richardson.
BIG JAKE: Odorizzi pitched a career high eight innings and matched his career high for strikeouts in a game with ten. The only base runners to reach against Odorizzi were on an error, a fielder’s choice, a hit batsman, and a walk. At one point in the game, Odorizzi retired ten straight Kernels’ hitters. No Kernel base runner went past first base. Odorizzi is tied with Maverick Lasker for the team lead in wins with seven.
YO, ADRIAN! Rosario got the first out of the bottom of the ninth inning, but walked Michael Wing. The right-hander out of the Dominican Republic struck out the final two batters to complete the no-hitter. In his last five appearances, Rosario has struck out 21 opposing batters and walked four in 14 innings.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Last night was the third no-hitter (and first combined no-no) in Timber Rattlers history. Derrick Van Dusen tossed a no-hitter at Cedar Rapids on August 27, 2001 for the most recent no-hitter before last night. JJ Putz tossed the first no-hitter in Rattlers history when he did not allow a hit in a 7-inning victory over the Kane County Cougars in the first game of a doubleheader at Fox Cities Stadium on April 29, 2000. The last combined no-hitter in Appleton baseball history was on July 29, 1990. On that date, John Conner and Jim Smith tossed a no-hitter against the Wausau Timbers as members of the Appleton Foxes.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Burlington Bees are the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are the two-time defending Midwest League Western Division Champions. The Bees are 19-35 in the second half of the season. They are 41-82 overall this season.
2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Bees have played sixteen games this season. Wisconsin leads the season series 10-6. The Rattlers went 9-1 against the Bees at Time Warner Cable Field. However, Wisconsin is just 1-5 in six games against Burlington at Community Field. The Bees took two out of three from Wisconsin in Burlington in a first half series from April 14-16. The Bees swept a three game set from Wisconsin at Community Field July 1-3.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 594 runs (4.8/game) and hit 71 home runs. The Bees are hitting .235 as a team. They have scored 511 runs (4.2/game) and hit 58 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.75 while allowing a total of 660 runs (5.3/game) this season. Burlington pitchers have a team ERA of 5.31 while allowing a total of 729 runs (5.9/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 165 errors. The Bees defense has committed 152 errors. Wisconsin is 25-37 on the road this season. Burlington is 23-39 at home in 2010.
PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook listed five members of the active Burlington roster as Top 30 Prospects in the Kansas City Royals organization. Pitcher Tyler Sample (#14), catcher Jose Bonilla (#21), pitchers Keaton Hayenga (#23) and Matt Mitchell (#28), and outfielder Hilton Richardson (#30) are all on BA’s list of Royals prospects.
BURLINGTON STARTING PITCHER: RHP Tyler Sample was the 3rd round pick of the Royals in the 2008 draft out of Mullen High School in Denver, Colorado. In the two seasons prior to 2010, Sample is 4-8 with a save, and a 5.07ERA in 24 games (19 starts). He pitched in the Arizona League in 2008 and briefly in 2009. He spent most of last year with Burlington (NC) in the Appalachian League. Sample pitched to a pair of batters in the 2010 Midwest League All-Star Game on Tuesday. Sample gave up a hit and retired the other batter he faced. In his last official start prior to this evening, Sample picked up a no decision on August 14 against the River Bandits. He allowed three runs on five hits and two walks in two innings. Sample made the start on August 20 at Peoria and went three innings, but the game was rained out and the stats did not count. He has made four appearances against the Rattlers this season. On April 15, he started at Community Field and went 4-2/3 innings allowed two runs on two hits with six walks and four strikeouts. He was not involved in the decision. On May 24 at Time Warner Cable Field, Sample pitched one scoreless and hitless inning, walked one, and struck out one. On June 25 in Grand Chute, Wisconsin tagged him for the loss with four runs on six hits over 4-1/3 innings. On July 11 in Burlington, Sample also took the loss despite striking out nine and allowing two runs over five innings.
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