Rattler Radio

Making a change

2010-09-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

Rattler Radio has moved. We are now part of the MLBlogs collective.

Blogger has been a good home for several seasons, but there were some problems with the links on the sidebar not showing up on some browsers over the last few months.

Make a note of the new address and update your bookmarks and links. http://rattlerradio.mlblogs.com/

This blog will stay active, but all future updates will be over at the new place.

Pictures of a home run record

2010-09-08T14:08:00.000-05:00

A few days late, but here is a series of photographs detailing the record-breaking home run of Khris Davis. Click for a larger image.

SWING AND A DRIVE!

Rounding third

And heading into Timber Rattlers history.

Yes. They were excited for him.

Yep. Excited.

Life of Ryan

2010-09-08T13:54:00.000-05:00

Bob Brainerd put together this story on Ryan "Scooter" Gennett for the Fox Sports Wisconsin website.

"You definitely have to have fun," said Gennett with an infectious smile. "You can work as hard as you want, but if you're not having fun, I don't believe you're going to get any better or get anything positive out of it. You can work as hard as you want, take as many ground balls, but it's really the quality that you have in that energy and spark in your step."

Energy was never an issue with Scooter, in fact, there was too much of it at times. So much so that Gennett was diagnosed with AD/HD, or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

"I was constantly moving," explains Gennett. "I was the kid that if you said not to press the button, then I would. As I got older, I kind of matured. I'm not as defiant…just a little bit here and there."

Enough to keep Gennett grounded, understanding, and willing to work with children who face the same hurdles of AD/HD.

"It's important to accept that you have it and to know what triggers that," said Gennett. "I wasn't medicated when I was young, I actually got medicated after my first year of high school. When I was on my medication, I was just focused in class. But I was always good on the baseball field because that's what I enjoy doing."

Read it all.

Midwest League Playoff Previews & Predictions

2010-09-08T13:50:00.000-05:00

If you want previews of the four Midwest League first round series that are starting tonight, head over here. The records and the season series below are the work of Curt Rallo.

Quick previews:
Great Lakes Loons (Eastern Division second-half champions; 90-49)
vs. Fort Wayne TinCaps (Eastern Division Wild Card; 77-63)

Season series tied, 6-6

Why the Loons will win: They are the Loons.

Why the TinCaps will win: Played very well down the stretch and the Loons lost a lot of players over the course of the second half.

Lake County Captains (Eastern Division first-half champions; 77-62)
vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (Eastern Division Wild Card; 62-77)

Lake County won season series, 11-10

Why the Captains will win: They always find a way.

Why the Whitecaps will win: West Michigan was out of the playoff picture until a 12-game winning streak pushed them over the top.

Cedar Rapids Kernels (Western Division first-half champions; 82-56)
vs. Clinton LumberKings (Western Division Wild Card; 74-65)

Clinton won season series, 7-6

Why Cedar Rapids will win: Small Ball. Clinton shortstop Nick Franklin got promoted to AA right before the end of the season.

Why Clinton will win: Tom Wilhelmsen starts game one and Erasmo Ramirez starts game three for the LumberKings.

Quad Cities River Bandits (Western Division second-half champions; 83-55)
vs. Kane County Cougars (Western Division Wild Card; 71-67)

Kane County won the season series, 11-9

Why Quad Cities will win: Because I don't want them to win.

Why Kane County will win: Quad Cities lost Matt Adams to injury just before the end of the season.

Thank you

2010-09-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

Computer issues have prevented me from fully developing this post today.

But, I think that a few simple thank yous will work for now.

Thank you for reading the blog.

Thank you for your e-mails.

Thank you for listening to the games.

Thank you for coming out to the games.

Thank you for supporting Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Baseball.

Thank you.

September 6, 1960

2010-09-06T13:15:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today

FOX CITIES FOXES..8

GREEN BAY DODGERS 1

Dean Chance got the win. Boog Powell drove in three runs to give him 100 on the season.

The Three-I League Champion Foxes have an 82-55 record and two games remaining in the 1960 season.

Today's Lineups

2010-09-06T13:07:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to the boxscore for today's game.

Apologies for the lateness of all this. The old warhorse of a computer was acting out for the last two hours.

September 6, 2010: Today's Starting Pitcher

2010-09-06T12:59:00.000-05:00

RHP NICK BUCCI: Selected by Milwaukee in the 18th round of the 2008 draft out of St. Patrick High School in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

LAST SEASON: Bucci went 6-3 with a 4.31ERA in 13 games (12 starts) for the Helena Brewers in 2009.

LAST START: Bucci took the loss against Quad Cities at Time Warner Cable Field on September 1. He gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits and five walks over six innings. Bucci struck out four in a 6-1 loss.

THAT’S A STREAK: Bucci had a 15-1/3 inning scoreless streak end in the first inning against Burlington on May 23.

DOUBLING UP: Before moving to Helena for the 2009 Pioneer League season, Bucci made three relief appearances for Huntsville, the AA Southern League affiliate of the Brewers. In three games with the Stars, Bucci went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA. However, two of those appearances for Huntsville were scoreless.

O, CANADA! Bucci pitched for Team Canada in the 2009 World Cup of baseball and helped them to the bronze medal in the competition. It was Canada’s first medal in the World Cup.

ALL-STAR ACTION: Bucci faced one batter in the 2010 Midwest League All-Star Game on June 22 in Fort Wayne. He got Bo Greenwell of Lake County to ground out to first base.

LEAGUE AWARD: The Pioneer League recognized Bucci as their pitcher of the week on July 20 for his performance for the week of July 13-19.

ORGANIZATION AWARDS: The Brewers named Bucci their minor league pitcher of the month for July, 2009. Bucci went 5-0 with a 2.13ERA during July last season. Bucci was also named the Brewers minor league pitcher of the month for May, 2010 by the Brewers. Bucci was 3-1 with a 1.13ERA in six games (five starts) for the Rattlers during May.

RATED: Baseball America rated Bucci as the #29 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewer organization in their 2010 Prospect Handbook. He was also ranked as the #17 prospect in the Pioneer League by BA after the 2009 season.

VS. KANE COUNTY: Bucci has made two starts against the Cougars in 2010. He does not have a decision in either the start in the second game of the doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Field on April 9 or in a start on June 20 at Elfstrom Stadium. He has pitched six innings against the Cougars this season and has allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits and eight walks. Bucci has struck out two Cougars in his two starts.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 7.1 - (8/22/09 @ Orem)
STRIKEOUTS: 9 (2x - Last: 7/15/09 @ Idaho Falls)

September 6, 2010: Game Notes

2010-09-06T12:58:00.000-05:00

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Rattlers lost 9-4 to Kane County. Wisconsin could not hold 1-0 and 4-2 leads. The Cougars scored four times in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 6-4 lead. They added three more in the sixth inning to account for the final score. The Cougars clinched the top second half playoff spot in the Western Division with their win last night.

OVER THE TOP: Khris Davis set a new franchise record for home runs in a season by a Timber Rattler last night. He hit his 22nd homer of the season with a third inning blast off Aaron Larsen. Before that round tripper, he had been tied for the franchise record with Juan Silvestre (1999) and Matt Hagen (2003). The home run, a two-out, two-run shot, put the Timber Rattlers up 3-2 at the time.

DYNAMIC DUO: Davis and Chris Dennis have combined for 39 home runs this season. That is a new standard for most home runs by Timber Rattlers teammates in a single season. Davis and Dennis were tied with 2003 Timber Rattlers Matt Hagen (21) and Jon Nelson (16) for the record before Dennis homered on Saturday night.

QUICK STARTS: The Rattlers had a 1-0 lead two batters into the game last night. Cutter Dykstra walked, went to second on an errant pickoff throw, and scored on a Kentrail Davis RBI single.

BUT…: Starting pitcher Efrain allowed a two-run double in the bottom of the second and the Cougars were in front 2-1. After the Rattlers retook the lead, Nieves did not retire a batter in the bottom of the fourth inning and all four batters that reached scored.

DON’T MEAN NOTHING: The Rattlers have scored first in both games of this series and have dropped both decisions. Wisconisn is 37-32 when scoring first in 2010.

LOW WATERMARK: Wisconsin’s current five-game losing streak has knocked them to a season-low 23 games under .500. Last night’s loss also gave the Rattlers their fifth straight season with 80 or more losses. The Rattlers have also missed out on the Midwest League playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They missed the playoffs in the first half, but qualified for the postseason with the top spot in the second half Western Division Playoff Standings by a half game over Clinton. The Cougars are 40-29 in the second half and are coming into this series after sweeping a three-game set from Peoria at home. They open the playoffs on Wednesday night at Elfstrom Stadium against the Quad Cities River Bandits.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Cougars have met 14 times this season. Wisconsin is 8-6 against Kane County in 2010. That includes a 4-3 record at Elfstrom Stadium. Wisconsin took two of three from Kane County in Geneva May 25-27. The Rattlers also swept an abbreviated two game series June 19-20. In the most recent series, Wisconsin and Kane County split four games at Time Warner Cable Field August 28-31.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 656 runs (4.8/game) and hit 80 home runs. The Cougars are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 669 runs (4.9/game) and hit 66 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.81 while allowing a total of 735 runs (5.4/game) this season. Kane County pitchers have a team ERA of 3.87 while allowing a total of 611 runs (4.5/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 183 errors. The Cougars defense has committed 164 errors. Wisconsin is 27-40 on the road this season. Kane County is 40-28 at home in 2010.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: RHP Kenny Smalley was a 24th round pick of Oakland in the 2008 draft out of Delta State University. Smalley has pitched for Vancouver, Stockton, and Kane County in the Oakland system. He is 0-1 with a 6.14ERA in 12 appearances (two starts) for Kane County this season. His last appearance before today was as a reliever on September 4 against the Rattlers. He gave up a run on three hits and struck out the side in the ninth inning of the Cougars 6-2 victory. Smalley has pitched thee times against Wisconsin this season and has allowed three runs on six hits with five strikeouts over five innings. Today is his first start since July 22 when he lost at Lansing. Smalley is not expected to go to deep into the game as the Cougars are expected to use most of their bullpen on the final day of the season.

Brewers System Report: Games of September 5, 2010

2010-09-06T12:53:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 63-73; National League Central): The Brewers beat Philadelphia 6-2. Prince Fielder hit his 30th home run of the season and Randy Wolf got his eleventh win of the year.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 77-66; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds beat New Orleans 7-5. Brendan Katin hit a home run and drove in four runs for Nashville.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 67-72 overall; 34-35 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 9-1 to Mobile. The Bay Bears broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the fifth inning.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 64-75; 37-33 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees beat Clearwater 1-0 in the final game of the season. Juan Sanchez (’09) homered in the top of the eighth inning for the only run of the game.

HELENA (Rookie: 40-32 overall; 21-13 second half; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers beat Missoula 12-3. The offense banged out 16 hits as Helena closes in on a playoff berth.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

St. Louis (Jake Westbrook 1-3) at MILWAUKEE (Yovani Gallardo 11-7) 1:10pm CDT

NASHVILLE (Chase Wright 8-8) at New Orleans (Adalberto Mendez 5-4) 1:00pm CDT

Mobile (Kyler Newby 3-3) at HUNTSVILLE (Michael Bowman 9-12) 1:00pm CDT

BREVARD COUNTY: Season over

HELENA at Great Falls 8:00pm CDT

AZL BREWERS: Season over; AZL Champions

"Our job is to do promotions."

2010-09-05T16:55:00.000-05:00

Nice end of the home season story in the Post-Crescent on Saturday.

Rain and snow stifled what would have been a banner year for Wisconsin Timber Rattlers attendance at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

"If the weather and Mother Nature would've treated us a little nicer, I think we would've certainly beaten last year's (record) and been right up there in the 250s, 260 (thousand) maybe," Rattlers assistant general manager Aaron Hahn said.

Last year, Wisconsin set a club record with 253,240 fans despite 10 games being affected by poor weather. This year, 19 games were affected by poor weather, and the team still drew 244,331 fans.

That means this year's average of 3,759 fans per game is the highest in the history of the 15-year-old ballpark.

Click the link and read it all to find the quote and to whom it belongs.

And in case I haven't said it enough...Thank you.

September 5, 2010: Tonight's Lineup

2010-09-05T16:51:00.000-05:00

Cutter Dykstra.......3B
Kentrail Davis.......CF
Khris Davis..........LF
Hunter Morris........RF
D'Votrey Richardson..DH
Chris Dennis.........1B
Joey Paciorek........SS
Austin Stockfisch.....C
Connor Lind..........2B

Efrain Nieves........SP

September 5, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher

2010-09-05T16:48:00.000-05:00

LHP EFRAIN NIEVES: Selected by Milwaukee in the 7th round of the 2007 draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy.

LAST SEASON: Nieves spent all of 2009 with the Timber Rattlers. He went 5-7 with a 5.70ERA in 27 appearances. Nieves made 11 starts for Wisconsin in 2009.

LAST START: Nieves picked up a victory at Community Field by beating the Bees on August 27. He allowed two runs on five hits over 5-1/3 innings with a pair of walks and three strikeouts in a 7-3 Wisconsin victory.

WORLD CUP: Nieves pitched for Puerto Rico in the World Cup of Baseball after the 2009 regular season. He made three starts and was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA. In 14.1 innings pitched, Nieves walked six and struck out 17.

VS. CUBA: Nieves got the call to be the starting pitcher against Cuba on September 18 during the World Cup. He allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings. Nieves was not involved in the decision, but Puerto Rico would win the game 5-2.

A PRODUCTIVE WINTER: Nieves pitched for Arecibo in the Puerto Rican Winter League after the World Cup. Nieves also went on to pitch for Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series.

BREWERS CAREER: Nieves was 14-14 with a 5.08 ERA in his first three seasons as a pitcher in the Milwaukee minor league system. He has made 58 appearances (29 starts) since 2007 and has pitched.

INTO THE PAST: Nieves was the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week for his performance July 7-13, 2008 while pitching for Helena.

VS. KANE COUNTY: Nieves is made the start against Kane County on April 10 at Time Warner Cable Field. He took the loss. Nieves allowed five runs (two earned) on two hits over 3-2/3 innings with four walks and a strikeout.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

STRIKEOUTS: 9 (8/25/08 at Great Falls)

............2010 DAY-BY-DAY
DATE..OPP....DEC..IP...H R ER BB K ERA

4/10..KC*....Loss 3.2..2 5..2..4 1 4.91

4/15..@BUR*..Loss 3.0..8 8..6..3 3 10.80

4/21..CR.....Win..4.0..2 0..0..2 2 6.75

4/28..@PEO*.......5.0..3 0..0..3 5 4.60

5/3...@BEL........4.0..4 2..2..2 0 4.58

5/8...CR..........3.1..5 2..2..0 2 4.70

5/14+ BEL....Loss 1.0..2 1..1..1 1 4.88

5/20..PEO.........3.0..3 0..0..0 4 4.33

5/29..@CR.........3.0..6 4..3..1 3 4.80

6/3...@FW.........0.1..0 0..0..1 0 4.75

6/5...@LC.........4.0..6 3..3..4 2 4.98

6/12..DAY.........1.1..3 3..3..1 1 5.55

6/27..BUR.........2.0..1 1..1..1 0 5.50

6/30..QC.....Save 2.0..0 0..0..3 2 5.22

7/4...@CR....Win..4.2..1 0..0..1 3 4.67

7/10..BUR....Win..4.2..2 0..0..2 5 4.22

8/4...PEO.........1.0..1 0..0..0 2 4.14

8/7...@CLN........3.0..3 2..2..3 3 4.25

8/11..@QC.........2.1..3 1..1..2 4 4.23
8/15..CR*.........4.2..6 4..4..2 4 4.50
8/22..@CR*...Loss 1.1 10 8..7..1 1 5.43
8/27..@BUR...Win..5.1..5 2..2..2 3 5.27

*-Start
+-Game two of a doubleheader

September 5, 2010: Game Notes

2010-09-05T16:37:00.000-05:00

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Rattlers lost 6-2 to the Cougars. Wisconsin scored a run in the first inning, but Kane County scored four runs in the third and added two more in the fourth inning to take a 6-1 lead. Dan Straily struck out seven Rattlers over six innings and picked up the win.

OUT OF THE BLOCKS: Four batters into the game, Wisconsin had a 1-0 lead. Kentrail Davis doubled off the wall in left with one out. Khris Davis walked. Then, Hunter Morris singled home Kentrail Davis for the lead. Straily allowed two more hits over the five 4-2/3 innings.

MISADVENTRURES IN BASE RUNNING: In the top of the third inning, the Rattlers lost two runners on the bases. Erik Miller was thrown out at third after trying to get there from first on a single to center by Michael Marseco. Then, Marseco was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.

THAT’LL COST YOU: In the bottom of the third, Kane County loaded the bases on a double, a single, and a walk by the first three batters in the inning. Tyreace House doubled to left to drive in two runs and an error on Khris Davis allowed a third run to score. House took home later in the inning when he scored from third on a throw to first after a dropped third strike.

HOW MANY? The error on Davis was the 29th committed by a Timber Rattlers outfielder in 2010.

SUICIDE SOLUTION: The Cougars scored their first run of the fourth inning on an infield grounder. They got their final run when House dropped a suicide squeeze bunt to score a run from third.

GOING DEEP AND MAKING A MARK: Chris Dennis hit a leadoff home run in the top of the ninth inning. It was his 17th of the season and it also gave him 84 RBI on the season. Dennis is tied with Mike Wilson (’05) for the fifth most RBI in a single season by a Timber Rattler. The team record is held by Juan Silvestre (’99) with 107. The other three players in front of Dennis and Wilson are Bo Robinson (’99) with 102; David Ortiz (’96) with 93, and Jon Nelson (’03) with 91.

ON THE CUSP: Khris Davis has 21 home runs this season. He is tied for the Timber Rattlers franchise record with Juan Silvestre (1999) and Matt Hagen (2003). Davis has two homers in 13 games against the Cougars this season. He has hit homers off Chris Mederos and Aaron Larsen. Both home runs Davis has against Kane County this season were at Time Warner Cable Field.

DYNAMIC DUO: Dennis and Khris Davis have combined for 38 home runs this season. Last night’s home run by Dennis broke the record for most home runs by Timber Rattlers teammates in a single season. Davis and Dennis were tied with 2003 Timber Rattlers Matt Hagen (21) and Jon Nelson (16) for the record before last night.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They missed the playoffs in the first half, but currently hold the top spot in the second half Western Division Playoff Standings by a half game over Clinton. The Cougars are 38-29 in the second half and are coming into this series after sweeping a three-game set from Peoria at home.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Cougars have met 13 times this season. Wisconsin is 8-5 against Kane County in 2010. That includes a 4-2 record at Elfstrom Stadium. Wisconsin took two of three from Kane County in Geneva May 25-27. The Rattlers also swept an abbreviated two game series June 19-20. In the most recent series, Wisconsin and Kane County split four games at Time Warner Cable Field August 28-31.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 652 runs (4.8/game) and hit 79 home runs. The Cougars are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 660 runs (4.9/game) and hit 65 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.79 while allowing a total of 726 runs (5.3/game) this season. Kane County pitchers have a team ERA of 3.87 while allowing a total of 607 runs (4.5/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 181 errors. The Cougars defense has committed 162 errors. Wisconsin is 27-39 on the road this season. Kane County is 39-28 at home in 2010.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: RHP Aaron Larsen was selected out of Bethany College by the Oakland Athletics in the 34th round of the 2010 draft. Larsen was 1-4 with a 3.25ERA in 13 games and was a Second Team All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference selection as both a pitcher and a shortstop. Larsen went 5-2 with a 2.89ERA in 14 games (four starts) for the Arizona League affiliate of the A’s after signing with them. In his start prior to tonight, Larsen made his Midwest League debut against the Timber Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field on August 31. Larsen allowed six runs (two earned) on five hits over 1-2/3 innings. After pitching a scoreless first inning, Larsen got knocked around for a pair of two run homers. Chris Dennis hit the first and Kentrail Davis hit the second. Larsen walked one and struck out one in the game against the Rattlers and took the loss as Wisconsin went on to a 16-4 win. Larsen made his first professional start against the Brewers Arizona League affiliate on August 5 and allowed five runs (one earned) on four hits over 2-1/3 innings. These are his only appearances against affiliates of the Milwaukee Brewers.

September 5, 1960 & September 5, 1985

2010-09-05T16:23:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

GREEN BAY DODGERS 9

FOX CITIES FOXES 14

The Foxes committed five errors in the game and the Dodgers scored seven runs in the fourth inning. BUT, the Three-I League Champions rallied for the win. Charlie Johnson had a big three-run home run for the Foxes. Also for Fox Cities, Ed Saverine went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.

The Foxes are 81-55 on the season. There are three games left in the season.

25 Years Ago Today:

Twins, fog end reign of Foxes

The 3-year reign of the Appleton Foxes as Midwest League champions officially ended as the clock struck midnight Thursday, and just about everyone was long gone from Goodland Field.

With the Twins leading 4-3, the game had been suspended after the seventh inning that would have done Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles proud.

After holding up the game for more than 2-1/2 hours, the umpires ruled that conditions hadn't improved enough. So they called the game, bringing a strange and disappointing conclusion to the FOxes' otherwise stellar season.

"Fog is a weather condition just like rain," said Jim Cutler, vice president of the Midwest League. "We waited a reasonable length of time and treated it just like a rainout. I talked with Bill Walters (the ML president) on the phone to make sure that there was no special rule for playoff games. I was told that there was no special rule for this situation."

Earlier in the day the park was drenched by 2 inches of rain. The efforts of groundskeepers Rick Raasch and Ray Remmel along with Foxes manager Sal Rende, pitching coach Mitch Lukevics, trainer Ken Koch and players Greg Tarnow and Ken Reed got the field into reasonable playing condition. Despite the work, wet spots caused treacherous footing in the outfield.

"Of course we're disappointed to lose," said Rende. "But lose we did. But, there are no losers in this (locker) room. We knew that we would be competitive coming into the season. We did better than we thought we would after spring training. This team came out and did the job every day. They're also good people, and that says a lot about them and their character."

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

KENOSHA TWINS..020 002 0 - 4 8 1

APPLETON FOXES 101 010 0 - 3 7 1

ATTENDANCE: 472

COMMENTARY: What struck me most vividly was the manner in which the Foxes reacted to defeat. There were no alibis, no excuses. Rende and his players congratulated victorious Kenosha and wished the Twins well in the league championship series with Peoria.

Those of us who followed the Foxes this season were priviledged to watch champions in every sense of the word.

The above excerpts are from Gary L. Shriver's story in the September 6, 1985 Appleton Post-Crescent.

Midwest League Action: Games of September 4, 2010

2010-09-05T15:35:00.000-05:00

Complete scoreboard

@Kane County 6, Wisconsin 4: Clinch.

@Burlington 6, Clinton 1: Top.

Cedar Rapids 5, @Beloit 4: Slim.

Peoria 8 @Quad Cities 2: Ends.

Lansing @Lake County: PPD

West Michigan 8 @Fort Wayne 3: One game from playoffs.

@Great Lakes 7, Bowling Green 5: Fifth.

@Dayton 7, South Bend 5: keys.

Brewers System Report: Games of September 4, 2010

2010-09-05T15:22:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 62-73; National League Central): The Brewers lost 5-4 at Philadelphia. Milwaukee hit four solo homers, but the Phillies scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a 4-3 Brewers lead.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 76-66; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds lost 2-1 at New Orleans. The Zephyrs broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 67-71 overall; 34-34 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars split a doubleheader with Mobile. Huntsville won game one 10-7 when they scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth. Caleb Gindl hit a three-run homer in the decisive inning. Mobile won game two 5-2. The Stars had four hits in the loss.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 63-75; 36-33 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees lost 9-8 in 12 innings at Clearwater. Brevard County tied the game with a run in the top of the ninth and took an 8-7 lead with a run in the top of the twelfth. But, the Threshers scored twice in the bottom of the twelfth to beat the Manatees.

HELENA (Rookie: 39-32 overall; 20-13 second half; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers lost 5-2 at Missoula. The Osprey scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning. Matthew Miller struck out eight over four innings, but allowed the four runs and took the loss.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

MILWAUKEE (Randy Wolf 10-10) at Philadelphia (Kyle Kendrick 9-7) 12:35pm CDT

NASHVILLE (Tim Dillard 4-7) at New Orleans (Wes Whisler 3-6) 6:00pm CDT

Mobile (Wade Miley 4-2) at HUNTSVILLE (Michael Fiers 1-0) 1:00pm CDT

BREVARD COUNTY at Clearwater 12:00pm CDT

HELENA (Austin Ross 1-1) at Missoula (Austin Pizziconi 0-0) 6:00pm CDT

AZL BREWERS: Season over; AZL Champions

Rattler Alumni Report: Game of September 4, 2010

2010-09-05T15:19:00.000-05:00

Indians 4 @Mariners 2

CLE:

Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 1-for-4, RBI

Shin-Soo Choo ('02): 2-for-3, RUN, RBI

SEA:

Michael Saunders ('06): 1-for-4

Matt Tuiasosopo ('05): 0-for-4, RUN

White Sox 3 @Red Sox 1

BOS:

David Ortiz ('96): 0-for-4

Scott Atchison ('99): 1.1IP, 5H, R

White Sox 2 @Red Sox 1

BOS:

Ortiz: 1-for-4

Braves 2 @Marlins 0

FLA:

Jorge Sosa ('01): .1IP, 0H, 0R, K

@Phillies 5, Brewers 4

PHI:

Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 1-for-4

Greg Dobbs ('02): pinch hitter, 0-for-0

Hats off to the Production crew

2010-09-04T16:37:00.000-05:00

Here is a Fan Appreciation video for the season. Try not to smile as you watch it. If I were actually programmed to smile, I would have.

Kind of an answer

2010-09-04T16:35:00.000-05:00

A question I typically get is why games for doubleheader are only seven innings.

Well, Ask MiLB.com got that question along with a bunch of others that might be worth checking out if you are curious.

Why are doubleheaders played for seven innings? --Christine T.

According to Rule 4.10 (a) in the Official Rules Book, Minor Leagues have the option to adopt a policy where all doubleheaders consist of two, seven-inning games. It's most likely done to get the games completed in a timely manner, considering it's a good value for fans and also accommodates the bus travel plans of many teams.

So....Just because there are! Okay!

September 4, 2010: Tonight's Lineup (UPDATED)

2010-09-04T16:32:00.001-05:00

UPDATE: A few changes made at 5pm

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

Kentrail Davis........RF

Khris Davis...........LF
Hunter Morris.........1B
Chris Dennis..........DH

Cameron Garfield.......C
Joey Paciorek.........2B
Erik Miller...........CF

Michael Marseco.......SS

Hiram Burgos..........SP

September 4, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher

2010-09-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

RHP HIRAM BURGOS: Selected by Milwaukee in the 6th round of the 2009 draft out of Bethune-Cookman University.

LAST SEASON: Burgos started his professional career with Helena, the Pioneer League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Burgos was 3-2 with a 5.62 ERA in 14 games (seven starts) with Helena.

LAST START: Burgos took the loss to the Kane County Cougars at Time Warner Cable Field on August 30. He allowed four runs on five hits with six walks and six strikeouts over 5-1/3 innings in a 4-3 loss to Dan Straily.

STARTER KIT: Burgos is 7-1 as a starter this season. He is 4-1 in seven starts with the Rattlers. He went 3-0 in six starts for the Helena Brewers.

AT B-CU: Burgos won 21 games and struck out 250 batters in a four year career with Bethune-Cookman. In his final season with the Wildcats, Burgos was 6-3 with a 3.74ERA and 94 strikeouts over 79-1/3 innings pitched. He was part of four straight MEAC championship teams and was a Second Team All-MEAC selection in 2007.

WINTER BALL: Burgos went on to pitch for Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican Winter League this past offseason. He made 10 appearances (nine starts) and was 3-2 with a 2.27ERA. Burgos was named the PRWL Rookie of the Year for his performance.

START OF 2010: Burgos worked (mainly as the closer) out of the Timber Rattlers bullpen at the start of the season. He went 1-5 with a 5.40ERA and was 0-for-3 in save opportunities. Burgos was sent down to Helena after the appearance against Beloit on May 15. He was recalled from Helena after the start against Orem on July 18.

VS. KANE COUNTY: Burgos has faced the Cougars twice this season. He pitched four innings in relief against the Cougars on April 9 in the second game of the doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Field. He allowed a run on two hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Burgos was charged with the loss in a start on August 30 against Kane County at Time Warner Cable Field.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (7/18/10 v. Orem)

STRIKEOUTS: 10 (7/12/10 @Billings)

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

........Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

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

4/9+ KC...Win..4.0 2 1 1..1..6..2.25

4/15 @BUR......1.0 0 0 0..0..0..1.80

4/19 @QC.......1.0 0 0 0..0..0..1.50

4/20 CR...Loss 2.0 4 3 2..1..1..3.38

4/24 BEL..Loss 2.0 4 2 2..1..1..4.50

4/29 @PEO......2.0 4 2 2..0..1..5.25

5/3..@BEL Loss 1.1 3 2 1..0..2..5.40

5/6..QC...Loss 0.2 2 2 2..1..1..6.43

5/9..CR........2.0 2 1 1..0 .1..6.19

5/15 BEL..Loss 4.0 2 1 1..2..2..5.40
7/26 @SB*+ Win 6.0 4 2 1..1..5..4.50
7/31 CLN.......3.0 3 0 0..2..5..4.03

8/4..PEO* Win..7.0 6 1 1..1..8..3.50
8/9..@CLN* Win 7.0 8 4 4..0..4..3.77
8/14 CR*.......6.0 5 3 3..3..5..3.86
8/19 BEL*......8.0 5 2 2..0..9..3.63
8/25 @BUR* Win 6.0 8 4 4..0..1..3.86
8/30 KC*..Loss 5.1 5 4 4..6..6..4.08

*-Start
+Game two of a doubleheader

September 4, 2010: Game Notes

2010-09-04T16:26:00.000-05:00

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Quad Cities River Bandits defeated the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 4-0 in the home finale for the Timber Rattlers. Michael Blazek allowed three hits over eight scoreless innings for the win. Michael Swinson drove in three runs, including a two run homer in the top of the ninth inning.

UNFRIENDLY CONFINES: The Rattlers went 30-39 at home in 2010.

DAMON’S DAY: Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Damon Krestalude pitched six solid innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He struck out seven to match his previous professional high for a single game. But, Krestalude took the loss, his tenth of the season.

ARNETT UPDATE: Eric Arnett pitched the final three innings in relief last night for Wisconsin. He gave up two runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. Swinson homered with two outs in the top of the ninth inning off Arnett. It was the 14th home run given up by Arnett this season. It was also a homer with a runner in scoring position and two outs. Opponents were 18-for-56 (.321) with four homers off Arnett with runners in scoring position and two out this season.

THREE: The Wisconsin hits belonged to Cutter Dykstra (1st inning single); Michael Marseco (3rd inning triple); and Chris Dennis (4th inning single). Dykstra and Dennis extended their current hitting streaks to four games and Marseco sent his hitting streak to six games.

ON THE CUSP: Khris Davis has 21 home runs this season. He is tied for the Timber Rattlers franchise record with Juan Silvestre (1999) and Matt Hagen (2003). Davis has two homers in 12 games against the Cougars this season. He has hit homers off Chris Mederos and Aaron Larsen. Both home runs Davis has against Kane County this season were at Time Warner Cable Field.

NOTES ABOUT ATTENDANCE: In the 2010 home finale, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers drew 4,476 fans to Time Warner Cable Field. The total attendance for 2010 was 244,331, the second largest in team history. The average attendance for 2010 was 3,759, which is the largest in team history. In 2009, Wisconsin drew 253,240 fans while averaging 3,724 fans per game. The difference was in rainouts. There were just two rainouts in 2009. There were five home rainouts in 2010.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They missed the playoffs in the first half, but currently hold the top spot in the second half Western Division Playoff Standings by a half game over Clinton. The Cougars are 37-29 in the second half and are coming into this series after sweeping a three-game set from Peoria at home.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Cougars have met 12 times this season. Wisconsin is 8-4 against Kane County in 2010. That includes a 4-1 record at Elfstrom Stadium. Wisconsin took two of three from Kane County in Geneva May 25-27. The Rattlers also swept an abbreviated two game series June 19-20. In the most recent series, Wisconsin and Kane County split four games at Time Warner Cable Field August 28-31.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 650 runs (4.8/game) and hit 77 home runs. The Cougars are hitting .254 as a team. They have scored 654 runs (4.8/game) and hit 65 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.78 while allowing a total of 721 runs (5.3/game) this season. Kane County pitchers have a team ERA of 3.89 while allowing a total of 605 runs (4.5/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 180 errors. The Cougars defense has committed 162 errors. Wisconsin is 27-39 on the road this season. Kane County is 31-38 at home in 2010.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook five members of the current Kane County roster on their top 30 list of Athletics prospects. Catcher Max Stassi (#4) is the highest rated Cougar. Pitchers Connor Hoehn (#22), Jonathan Joseph (#23) and Justin Marks (#27) are joined by outfielder Tyreace House (#28) on the list.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: RHP Dan Straily was Oakland’s 24th round pick in the 2009 draft. He was selected out of Marshall. In his final season with the Thundering Herd, Straily went 4-3 with a 4.27ERA in 13 games. He spent his first pro season with Vancouver, Oakland’s Northwest League affiliate. He was 5-3 with a 4.19ERA in 16 games (11 starts) with the Canadians. Straily struck out 66 and walked 18 in 59 innings with Vancouver. In his start prior to this afternoon, Straily beat the Rattlers on August 30 at Time Warner Cable Field. He tossed seven innings and allowed a run on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Straily made five starts in August with a 5.51 ERA, but had not been involved in a decision until the win over the Rattlers. He has started three other times against the Timber Rattlers in 2010. Straily beat the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field on April 10, picked up a no decision at Elfstrom Stadium on May 27, and lost to Wisconsin at Kane County on June 19. In his four starts against the Rattlers, Straily has allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 17 hits and eight walks over 24 innings. Straily has struck out 26 Timber Rattlers this season, including 10 in seven innings on May 27. He is currently second in the Midwest League in strikeouts with 142, one behind the 143 for Josh Wall of Great Lakes.

September 4, 1960 & September 4, 1985

2010-09-04T16:24:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

GREEN BAY DODGERS 12

FOX CITIES FOXES..11

The Three-I League Champions committed six errors in their fifth straight loss.

The Dodgers scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 13-8 lead.

Pete Ward had four hits and five RBI to pace the Fox Cities offense. The Foxes are 80-55 on the season.

25 Years Ago Today:

Foxes square series on Menendez' 2-hitter

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

KENOSHA TWINS..000 000 010 - 1 2 3

APPLETON FOXES 200 000 31x - 6 9 1

ATTENDANCE: 457

Tony Menendez allowed an unearned run and struck out five to tied the best-of-three series with the Twins at one win a piece.

The first hit he allowed was on a two-out, pinch-hit RBI double by Tom Scaletta in the top of the eighth inning. Mike Ryan scored on the play. He had reached on an error to start the inning.

Had he tossed the no-no, it would have been the first no-hitter at Goodland Field since Larry Monroe no-hit Cedar Rapids in a 7-inning game on August 22, 1975.

The offense in this game for the Foxes was supplied early. Jim Winters doubled in two runs in the first and that was enough for Menendez.

It should be noted that in the other MWL Semifinal, the Beloit Brewers beat Peoria 9-2 to even that series at a win each. Frank Mattox went 4-for-5 with a double, homer, and four RBI to lead Beloit to the win.

Game Three - in each series - is September 5, 1985.

Brewers System Report: Games of September 3, 2010

2010-09-04T16:08:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 62-72; National League Central): The Brewers lost 1-0 at Philadelphia. Milwaukee managed three hits on offense.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 76-65; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds won 4-3 at New Orleans. Nashville scored a run in the top of the ninth to break a 3-3 tie.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 66-70 overall; 33-33 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars beat Mobile 3-1. Wily Peralta (’09) pitched five shutout innings and drove in two runs at the plate for the win.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 63-74; 36-32 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees beat Clearwater 12-2. Brock Kjeldgaard (’09) homered and drove in four runs for Brevard County.

HELENA (Rookie: 39-31 overall; 20-12 second half; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers beat Great Falls 5-4. Helena got a home run in the bottom of the ninth for the win!

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

MILWAUKEE (Dave Bush 7-11) at Philadelphia (Roy Halladay 16-10) 6:05pm CDT

NASHVILLE (Josh Butler 5-1) at New Orleans (Tom Mastny 4-5) 6:00pm CDT

Mobile at HUNTSVILLE DOUBLEHEADER (Game one starts at 4:00pm CDT)

BREVARD COUNTY at Clearwater 5:30pm CDT

HELENA (Matt Miller 7-1) at Missoula (Patrick Schuster 4-4) 8:05pm CDT

AZL BREWERS: Season over; AZL Champions

News of the Midwest League

2010-09-03T17:05:00.000-05:00

A few stories that caught my eye over the last few days.

Consider this one from Fort Wayne a minor surprise:

TinCaps extend pact with Padres

The baseball club announced Thursday it signed a two-year extension to be the Low-A affiliate of the Padres’ organization.

TinCaps President Mike Nutter said he was excited to continue the relationship as the club nears the end of its 12th season with the Padres. During that time, the team is 830-828, according to the Padres.

“They have been a big part of this franchise’s success over the last several years, and we’ve really enjoyed working with the player development staff,” Nutter said.

What kind of decision was it?

Randy Smith, Padres director of player development, said re-signing with the TinCaps was a “no-brainer.”

“The entire environment, including Mike Nutter’s staff, Parkview Field and the city of Fort Wayne, is conducive to player development,” he said.

Minor league teams are allowed to sign two- or four-year contracts with major league affiliates, Nutter said. While the Padres initially wanted to sign a longer deal, Nutter said the team felt the two-year extension provided the most flexibility.

Why was this a minor surprise?

Recent speculation centered on the possibility the team might look to sign with a more regional affiliate, but when the Chicago White Sox opted to stay in North Carolina after signing a four-year deal with Kannapolis on July 2, there were not many regional options left for the TinCaps.

Turning the affiliate page to Kane County.

Among the select merchandise recently on super sale at the Cougars’ Elfstrom Stadium team store is a green and gold Oakland A’s visor for $2.

Fans of Kane County’s parent club might be wise to snatch the almost-hats up. They could be a collector’s item by Opening Day 2011.

The Cougars still are pondering an affiliate change for the first time since leaving the Florida Marlins for the A’s before the 2003 season. General manager Jeff Sedivy and other club officials continue to mull their options and expect to make a final decision in the next few weeks.

“We’re not ruling anything out as far as going back with Oakland,” Sedivy said, “but we’re still exploring what’s out there.”

A tampering clause prevents Sedivy from naming names, though fans should know the Cougars are guaranteed Major League affiliation as they conclude their 20th season in Geneva.

Suspend any hopes of seeing the newest Cubs and White Sox in training, however. The Cubs are in bliss with Peoria – the Cougars’ in-state rival in the Midwest League – while the Kannapolis (N.C.) Intimidators announced in July a four-year extension as the White Sox Low-A affiliate.

Cedar Rapids is in its 18th season as a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim farm club, representing the longest partnership in the Midwest League.

Speaking of the Kernels...Here is a look at their playoff chances.

[W]ith the Midwest League playoffs next week, how are the Cedar Rapids Kernels playing and what are their postseason chances?

Let’s give the wishy washy answer in both cases of “so-so.”

The Kernels beat the Burlington Bees last night, 4-1, to go 2-0 in September. On the other hand, both wins came again a Burlington club that has the second-worst record in full-season minor league baseball.

And the Kernels’ August record was a less-than-awe-inspiring 13-18.

“It is what it is,” said Kernels Manager Bill Mosiello. “We’ve been where we’ve been, and now we’ve got to play better.”

Against whom is yet another good question. Cedar Rapids has home-field advantage in the first round because of its first-half championship, but doesn’t know what Western Division club it will face in a best-of-3 series that begins on the road Wednesday night.

It could be Clinton, Kane County or Beloit. Quad Cities also is in the playoffs via its second-place division finish in the first half, and has all but wrapped the best overall record, which is significant because that’s worth home-field advantage in the second round.

But there’s a LONG way to go before that.

Finally, from Dayton, there is this note:

When new third baseman David Vidal took the field Thursday, Sept. 2, the Dayton Dragons set a single-season franchise record for players used. Fifty-five have appeared, five more than last season.

They have made 81 roster changes and just five players — catcher Mark Fleury, third baseman Frank Pfister, outfielder Alex Oliveras and pitchers Jacob Johnson and Junior Martinez — have been on the roster all season.

Some, such as relief pitcher Donnie Joseph and first baseman Chris Richburg, outgrew this level and were gone quickly. Others, such as shortstop Didi Gregorius and second baseman Henry Rodriguez, hung around until the final week before receiving their promotions to Lynchburg.

“You look at Lynchburg and who’s playing up there and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s a pretty talented team.’ And most of them were here in Dayton — this year,” Dragons manager Todd Benzinger said.

The Dragons were 30-39 in the first half, then fell apart in the second half partially due to the many call-ups.

September 3, 2010: Midwest League Playoff Picture

2010-09-03T16:54:00.000-05:00

Well. The Rattlers are officially out of the Midwest League playoffs for 2010. Wisconsin's last playoff appearance was 2005.

Oh, and Peoria is out, too.

Just out of my own obsessive need for completeness. Here are the up-to-date standings for the Western Division with four days left in the season:

SECOND HALF WEST DIVISION PLAYOFF RACES

CLUB.........W-L..DIV GB WC GB

Clinton.....36-29... - ....-
Kane County 36-29... - ...-

Beloit......33-29...1.5...1.0

Peoria......31-33...4.5...4.5
Wisconsin...31-35...5.5...5.5

REMAINING GAMES:
Wisconsin (4): 1 v. QC; 3 @KC
Kane County (4): 1 v. PEO; 3 v. WI
Clinton (5): 2 v. BEL; 3 @BUR
Beloit (5): 2 @CLN; 3 v. CR
Peoria (4): 1 @KC; 3 @QC

September 3, 2010: Starting lineup

2010-09-03T16:49:00.000-05:00

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

Khris Davis...........DH

Hunter Morris.........LF

Chris Dennis..........1B

D’Vontrey Richardson..CF

Joey Paciorek.........2B

Austin Stockfisch......C

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

Michael Marseco.......SS

Damon Krestalude......SP

September 3, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher

2010-09-03T16:48:00.000-05:00

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 has made 31 appearances (15 starts) since 2008.

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 allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings against Kane County on August 29. He walked one and struck out one in the game. Krestalude left the game with Wisconsin leading 6-4. But, he got a no decision when the Cougars came back to tie the game. Wisconsin would go on to win 11-10 in 11 innings.

VS.QUAD CITIES: Krestalude made one start against the River Bandits this season. On August 13 at Modern Woodmen Park, he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 4-1/3 innings. Krestalude struck out six and did not walk a batter in a no decision. The went on to win the game 6-5.

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
7/30 @PEO* Loss 5.0 7 3..0 2..2..6.19
8/7..@CLN* Loss 4.0 7 6..6 3..1..6.62
 8/13 @QC*.......4.1 5 2..2 5..2..6.47
8/18 BEL*..Loss 2.1 9 9..9 2..2..7.35
8/23 @CR*.......4.1 7 4..3 0..6..7.29
8/29.KC*........5.0 7 4..4 1..1..7.29

*-Start

September 3, 2010: Game Notes

2010-09-03T16:43:00.000-05:00

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The River Bandits beat the Timber Rattlers 7-4 in 11 innings. Ross Smith broke a 4-4 tie with an RBI double in the top of the eleventh and Michael Swinson followed with a two-run single. Wisconsin sent the game to extra innings on a two-out, two-run double by pinch hitter Joey Paciorek. Four of the seven runs scored by the River Bandits last night were unearned.

ON THE WRONG FOOT: The Timber Rattlers committed errors on the first two balls put into play last night and the River Bandits scored a run. Later in the first a passed ball let another run in for the River Bandits. In the second inning, Wisconsin committed another error to let in a third unearned run.

D’VO! Rattlers outfielder D’Vontrey Richardson homered in the bottom of the third inning. It was his seventh homer and fiftieth RBI of the season. In his last 31 games (29 in August and two in September), Richardson is 36-for-113 (.319) and has raised his season batting average from .224 to .245.

HALF CENTURY: Richardson became the fourth Rattlers to reach 50 RBI for this season. Wisconsin had four players reach 50 RBI in a season in 2008 and five players make the 50 RBI mark in 2005.

NEW LEADER: Cutter Dykstra went 2-for-5 to move his season batting average to .316 to take over the team lead in batting average. Scooter Gennett saw his batting average drop to .309. Dykstra is third in the Midwest League batting race. Gennett has dropped to a tie for eighth in the category.

BIG HIT! Paciorek’s pinch hit double in the eighth inning was the first for the Timber Rattlers this season. Wisconsin pinch hitters are 1-for-7 with a sacrifice bunt, a sacrifice fly, and three RBI in 2010.

QUALITY START: The definition of a quality start is six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs by a starting pitcher. Rattlers starting pitcher Del Howell pitched six innings and allowed three unearned runs on three hits with five strikeouts. But, Howell walked six in the game, too.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Quad Cities River Bandits are the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They qualified for the Midwest League playoffs as the Western Division Wild Card in the first half. They are 81-53 overall and 41-24 in the second half. The River Bandits are coming into this series against the Rattlers after winning three out of four games in a series with Cedar Rapids.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and River Bandits have met 16 times this season. Wisconsin is 6-10 against Quad Cities this season. The Rattlers are 2-6 in eight games against the Bandits at Time Warner Cable Field in 2010. Quad Cities took two of three from the Rattlers in Grand Chute during a series May 4-6. The River Bandits also took two of three from the Rattlers June 28-30. Three of the six Quad Cities wins over the Timber Rattlers in Grand Chute have been in extra innings.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .256 as a team. They have scored 650 runs (4.9/game) and hit 77 home runs. The River Bandits are hitting .257 as a team. They have scored 718 runs (5.4/game) and hit 112 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.79 while allowing a total of 717 runs (5.4/game) this season. Quad Cities pitchers have a team ERA of 3.93 while allowing a total of 625 runs (4.7/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 180 errors. The Bandits defense has committed 174 errors. Wisconsin is 30-39 at home this season. Quad Cities is 44-27 on the road in 2010.

QUAD CITIES STARTING PITCHER: RHP Michael Blazek was selected by the Cardinals in the 35th round of the 2007 draft out of Arbor View High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Blazek has pitched at every level below the Midwest League in the Cardinals system since 2007. He has pitched for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals (’07); Johnson City in the Appalachian League (’08), and Batavia in the New York-Penn League (’09) prior to this season and has compiled a record of 8-16 with a 4.22ERA in 38 games (24 starts) with 151 strikeouts and 53 walks in 145 innings. In his start prior to this evening, Blazek lost at Cedar Rapids on August 29. He allowed an unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts over five innings. Blazek is 0-1 with a save in four appearances (one start) against the Rattlers in 2010. He has allowed 11 runs (seven earned) on 11 hits over 11-2/3 innings with six walks and 12 strikeouts.

September 3, 1960 & September 3, 1985

2010-09-03T16:41:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

GAME ONE (7 INNINGS)

FOX CITIES FOXES..3

GREEN BAY DODGERS 6

GAME TWO (9 INNINGS)

FOXES....8

DODGERS 11

Tough day for the Three-I League Champions in Green Bay. Dick McLaughlin hit a grand slam in the second inning for the Dodgers in their game one win.

In game two, the Foxes were up 8-1 after they scored seven runs in the fourth inning. Boog Powell hit a three-run homer in that inning, but the Dodgers came all the way back...and then some.

The Foxes are 80-54 after being swept in this doubleheader.

25 Years Ago Today:

GAME ONE MWL FIRST ROUND

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

APPLETON FOXES 000 000 141 -..6 12 4

KENOSHA TWINS..203 032 40x - 14 16 1

The headline from the Post-Crescent on 9/4/85 says it best after Appleton lost game one of a best-of-three series: Foxes' backs pinned to wall

Edwin Correa, who won 13 games during the regular season for Appleton, took the loss. He allowed eight runs on seven hits and five walks in 4-2/3 innings.

The offense was handcuffed by 15-game winner Alan Sontag. Well, not completely handcuffed, the Foxes had 10 hits off Sontag in 7-1/3 innings, but they did not have a big breakthrough until the eighth inning when they were already down 14-1.

The article does point out a positive factoid: The Foxes were 7-2 in nine games at Goodland Field against the Twins.

Midwest League Action: Games of September 2, 2010

2010-09-03T16:28:00.000-05:00

Complete scoreboard

Quad Cities 7 @Wisconsin 4 (11): Fall.

@Cedar Rapids 4, Burlington 1: Win.

@Kane County 5, Peoria 3 (7): Eliminated.

Beloit @ Clinton: Suspended

Fort Wayne @South Bend: PPD

Bowling Green 5 @Dayton 1: Lobstein.

@Great Lakes 5, Lake County 2: closer.

@Lansing 6, West Michigan 2: Again.

Brewers System Report: Games of September 2, 2010

2010-09-03T16:19:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 62-71; National League Central): The Brewers were off on Thursday.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 75-65; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds swept a doubleheader at Oklahoma City. Nashville won game one 3-2 behind a complete game 11-hitter by Marty McLeary. In game two, Dan Merklinger (’09) made his AAA debut and picked up the win. He allowed four runs over five innings and picked up the win.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 65-70 overall; 32-33 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 6-3 at Montgomery. The Biscuits scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a 3-3 tie.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 62-74; 35-32 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees lost 13-6 at Tampa. The Yankees scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 6-6 tie.

HELENA (Rookie: 38-31 overall; 19-12 second half; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers lost 2-1 to Great Falls. Helena had five hits in the game.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

MILWAUKEE (Chris Capuano 2-2) at Philadelphia (Cole Hamels 8-10) 6:05pm CDT

NASHVILLE (Josh Butler 5-1) at New Orleans (Nic Ungs 1-2) 7:00pm CDT

Mobile at HUNTSVILLE 7:00pm CDT

BREVARD COUNTY at Clearwater 6:00pm CDT

Great Falls at HELENA 8:05pm CDT

AZL BREWERS: Season over; AZL Champions

Rattlers Alumni Report: MLB Games of September 2, 2010

2010-09-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

Indians 6 @Mariners 3

CLE:
Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 3-for-5, 2 RUNS
Shin-Soo Choo ('02): 2-for-5, 2 RUNS, 5RBI, HR #16
Luis Valbuena ('06): 2-for-4, RUN

SEA:
Adam Moore ('06): 0-for-3

Red Sox 6 @Orioles 4

BOS:
David Ortiz ('96): David Ortiz ('96): 1-for-4, RUN, 2RBI
Scott Atchison ('99): 2IP, 0H, 0R, 3K

Mets 4 @Braves 2

ATL:
Eric O'Flaherty ('05): .1IP, 0H, 0R, K

Phillies 12 @Rockies 11

PHI:
Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 2-for-5, RBI

Jersey Auction

2010-09-03T01:05:00.000-05:00

There are six jerseys left from the Brewers Sunday's this season.

Follow this link to bid on:

A Team signed jersey
Kyle Heckathorn's Game Worn (Not Autographed)
#16
#35
#38
#39

The auction is running now through next Thursday evening. Proceeds go to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

Click that link for full details.

Nothing can be greater than playing baseball for a living

2010-09-02T16:17:00.000-05:00

Go ahead and make your snide comments and your unoriginal jokes. They weren't funny when you were 12.

I am pulling for Jeremy Jeffress. The title of this post (taken from a quote in this article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) is a big reason why.

The Milwaukee Brewers' 2006 first-round draft pick missed the first two months while finishing a 100-game suspension for testing positive a third time for marijuana. He then was assigned to low Class A Wisconsin, moving up to high Class A Brevard County and eventually Class AA Huntsville.

Then the big leagues.

"I'm on cloud nine right now," Jeffress said Wednesday after reporting to the Brewers as a September call-up. "It was a hope and prayer (to come up). It's a great opportunity. I couldn't even stand up when I first heard it.

"It was big steps, back on the mound, coming off the suspension. A great learning experience. I've been to the bottom and I worked my way back to the top. I thank everybody that stuck behind me."

The Brewers put Jeffress, 22, on their 40-man roster June 29, some two months before necessary. They called it a reward for good behavior coming off the suspension, but it also protected him from a lifetime ban should he test positive for marijuana again.

Jeffress knew there would be skeptics who expected him to lapse back into marijuana use.

"I've been doing great, staying clean," he said. "The temptation was there, but nothing can be greater than playing baseball for a living. This is what I love to do. The only way I can (stop speculation) is to prove them wrong."

Emphasis added. Congratulations on your MLB debut last night, Jeremy Jeffress. Here is to many more scoreless innings for you.

"Like a shark at feeding time"

2010-09-02T15:59:00.000-05:00

The Post-Crescent has this story on Rattlers pitcher Nick Bucci.

Nick Bucci's on-the-mound mentality is like a shark at feeding time.

It's a go-right-after-them type of game plan.

Bucci's aggressiveness has made him one of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' best starting pitchers and a legitimate major league prospect. It's also an area he has to learn to channel to continue climbing in the Milwaukee Brewers' organization.

The 20-year-old right-hander kept the Timber Rattlers in Wednesday's game with Quad Cities by allowing just two hits and one earned run with four strikeouts in six solid innings of work. His only negative was five walks, which pushed his season total to 65 — the highest on the staff.

"Nick is super-aggressive and that's a positive and a negative," said Wisconsin pitching coach Chris Hook after the Rattlers' bullpen crumbled in the late innings leading to a 6-1 loss to Quad Cities. "He's in an attack mode at all times. Sometimes that attack mode gets him off-kilter in terms of his delivery and his command suffers. But you have to like that aggressiveness. If he can learn to control his intensity, he's going to be fine. He's had a good year."

Click through to read it all.

September 2, 2010: Tonight's Lineup

2010-09-02T15:56:00.002-05:00

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

Scooter Gennett.......2B

Kentrail Davis........RF

Hunter Morris.........LF

Khris Davis...........DH

D’Vontrey Richardson..CF

Chris Dennis..........1B

Cameron Garfield.......C

Michael Marseco.......SS

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

September 2, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher

2010-09-02T15:55:00.000-05:00

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 lost to Kane County on August 28. He allowed three runs on six hits and six walks over 4-1/3 innings. Kane County won the game 8-4.

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.

SPLITS: Howell has made 15 starts and eight relief appearances in 2010. In his starts, Howell is 3-6 with a 4.78ERA. In his relief appearances, Howell is 0-1 with a save and a 5.79ERA. He has made 11 appearances (six starts) at Time Warner Cable Field this season and is 2-2 with a save and a 3.65ERA. In his 12 appearances (nine starts) on the road, Howell is 1-5 with a 6.16ERA.

VS. QUAD CITIES: Howell has made three appearances (two starts) against the River Bandits this season. He is 1-0 against Quad Cities. Howell has allowed eight runs (six earned) on 13 hits and eight walks over 12-1/3 innings. Howell has struck out nine River Bandits this season.

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
7/29 @PEO*.......6.0 8 2..2..3 4 4.76
8/6..PEO*...Loss 6.0 7 3..3..2 2 4.74
 8/12 @QC....Win..5.0 5 2..0..4 5 4.46
8/21 @CR....Loss 5.0 9 7..7..1 4 4.92
8/28 KC*....Loss 4.1 6 3..3..6 3 4.98

+-Game two of a doubleheader

*-Start

September 2, 2010: Game Notes

2010-09-02T15:51:00.000-05:00

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The River Bandits beat the Timber Rattlers 6-1. Frederick Parejo drove in three runs for Quad Cities. Khris Davis and Chris Dennis both had two hits for Wisconsin. Kentrail Davis drove in the only run for the Rattlers.

TRADING RUNS: Quad Cities scored a run in the top of the second inning on a two-out RBI single by Colin Walsh. Kentrail Davis tied the game by driving in a run with a two-out double in the bottom of the third.

UNEARNED: Rainel Rosario reached on a one-out error in the top of the fifth inning. After a walk to Alan Ahmady, a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position. Edgar Lara drove in Rosario with a infield ground out and the Bandits went in front 2-1.

STEALING BASES: Wisconsin stole four bases last night. Cutter Dykstra and Scooter Gennett each had one steal. Khris Davis had two steals. Wisconsin is 21-for-34 in stolen bases against the River Bandits this season.

RUNNING OUT OF AN INNING: The Rattlers had four runners thrown out on the bases last night: One in the second, one in the fifth and two in the sixth.

ARMED: Hunter Morris threw out a Bandit at the plate in the top of the seventh. It was his third outfield assist of the season.

PULLING AWAY: Parejo doubled in a pair of runs in the top of the eighth and scored on a single by Ivan Castro. Parejo drove in the final run of the night with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.

ON THE CUSP: Khris Davis has 21 home runs this season. He is tied for the Timber Rattlers franchise record with Juan Silvestre (1999) and Matt Hagen (2003). Davis has three homers in 15 games against the River Bandits this season. He has hit homers off Eric Fornataro, Michael Blazek, and Dan Calhoun. Two of the three homers against the Bandits have been at Time Warner Cable Field.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Quad Cities River Bandits are the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They qualified for the Midwest League playoffs as the Western Division Wild Card in the first half. They are 80-53 overall and 40-24 in the second half. The River Bandits are coming into this series against the Rattlers after winning three out of four games in a series with Cedar Rapids.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and River Bandits have met 15 times this season. Wisconsin is 6-9 against Quad Cities this season. The Rattlers are 2-5 in seven games against the Bandits at Time Warner Cable Field in 2010. Quad Cities took two of three from the Rattlers in Grand Chute during a series May 4-6. The River Bandits also took two of three from the Rattlers June 28-30.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .256 as a team. They have scored 646 runs (4.9/game) and hit 77 home runs. The River Bandits are hitting .257 as a team. They have scored 711 runs (5.3/game) and hit 111 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.81 while allowing a total of 710 runs (5.3/game) this season. Quad Cities pitchers have a team ERA of 3.94 while allowing a total of 621 runs (4.7/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 176 errors. The Bandits defense has committed 172 errors. Wisconsin is 30-38 at home this season. Quad Cities is 43-27 on the road in 2010.

QUAD CITIES STARTING PITCHER: RHP Shelby Miller was selected by the Cardinals with the 19th overall selection in the 2009 draft. St. Louis picked him out of Brownwood (TX) High School and Baseball America has rated him as the #1 prospect in the Cardinals’ organization. He had committed to play college baseball at Texas A&M, but signed with St. Louis at the August 17 deadline. In his start prior to tonight, Miller allowed two runs on four hits over four innings in a no decision against Cedar Rapids on August 28. He walked one and struck out five. Miller has made one start against the Timber Rattlers this season and beat them at Modern Woodmen Park on August 11. In that game, Miller allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts over five innings.

See a game, Win $10,000

2010-09-02T15:46:00.000-05:00

It was just that simple in Cedar Rapids last night.

There are grand slams, then there’s what Terrell Alliman hit Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Call it a 10-grand slam.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder capped off an 11-run fifth inning with a granny that helped his team to a 15-3 win over the Burlington Bees. This just happened to be the final Winning Wednesday of the season, and, yes, it was a winner.

The two-year-old promotion pays off $10,000 to a lucky fan if the Kernels achieve a particular feat in an inning. Last night’s fifth-inning feat was a grand slam.

That’s where Alliman comes in. Mike Schweitzer of Cedar Rapids was watching the game with a bunch of buddies and had his name randomly drawn by Kernels General Manager Jack Roeder as the grand winner of this 10-grand slam.

“Holy (cow!),” Schweitzer said, moments after learning of his payday. “Did I know I could (win)? Yeah. But you never think you will. What are the odds of this? Pretty cool.”

Nice editing with the Holy (cow)!, Jeff Johnson. I can't guess what that word (cow) replaced would be. And...Pretty cool? That's all you can come up with, really? Dude.

“Heck, I don’t care,” Schweitzer said, when asked if he was going to buy a celebratory round for the house of 1,713. “Set ‘em up.”

Now THAT'S more like it!

September 2, 2010: Midwest League Playoff Picture

2010-09-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

Here are the updated playoff standings heading into action on Thursday with the schedule of remaining games for the teams in the second half Western Division Playoff Race.

I can only come up with a really, convoluted and complicated and complex scenario in which the Rattlers make the playoffs. I will not share it. It makes one of Michael Westen's plans seem simple.

SECOND HALF WEST DIVISION PLAYOFF RACES

CLUB.........W-L..DIV GB WC GB

Clinton.....36-29... - ....-
Kane County 35-29...0.5 ...-

Beloit......33-29...1.5...1.0

Peoria......31-32...4.0...3.5
Wisconsin...31-34...5.0...4.5

REMAINING GAMES:
Wisconsin (5): 2 v. QC; 3 @KC
Kane County (5): 2 v. PEO; 3 v. WI
Clinton (5): 2 v. BEL; 3 @BUR
Beloit (5): 2 @CLN; 3 v. CR
Peoria (5): 2 @KC; 3 @QC

September 2, 1960 & September 2, 1985

2010-09-02T15:05:00.001-05:00

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

GREEN BAY DODGERS 5

FOX CITIES FOXES..2

The Foxes had two hits in the game.

It was Player Appreciation Night at Goodland Field. Trophies went to the following players in the following categories.

Team MVP: Pete Ward

Top Pitcher: Chuck Symeon

Top Rookie: Boog Powell

Most Popular: Charley Johnson

Best Team Player: Cal Ripken

Plaques and rings were presented to the players for the Three-I League championship.

The Three-I League Post-Season All-Star Team and awards were announced. The Foxes on the list were:

3B: Pete Ward

C: Cal Ripken

LHP: Pat Gillick

Pete Ward won the Michael H. Sexton Cup as the MVP of the Three-I League.
Boog Powell was the Three-I League Rookie of the Year.

25 Years Ago Today:

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

APPLETON FOXES..000 001 010 - 2 8 0

MADISON MUSKIES 000 021 00x - 3 9 0

The Foxes ended the 1985 season with a loss at Madison on Labor Day. Pete Venturini hit his second home run of the season to get Appleton on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning.

Appleton ended the season with the best record in the Midwest League at 85-54. They will open the Midwest League Playoffs at Kenosha on September 3.

Midwest League Action: Games of September 1, 2010

2010-09-02T14:52:00.000-05:00

Complete scoreboard

Quad Cities 6, Wisconsin 1: Cash in.

Beloit 4 @Clinton 3 (11): Shrinks.

@Kane County 7, Peoria 0: Roughs up Silva.

@Cedar Rapids 15, Burlington 3: 10-grand slam

@South Bend 12, Fort Wayne 5: Snap skid.

Bowling Green 5 @Dayton 3: Despite loss.

@Lansing 3, West Michigan 1: Stave.

@Great Lakes 4, Lake County 3 (10): Songco's double.

Brewers System Report: Games of September 1, 2010

2010-09-02T14:40:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by: Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 62-71; National League Central): The Brewers lost 6-1 to the Reds in Cincinnati. The Reds scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 73-65; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds split a doubleheader at Oklahoma City. Nashville won game one 9-5 on the strength of a seven run fifth inning. In game two, the Sounds tied the game 2-2 with a run in the top of the seventh inning. But, Oklahoma City scored a run in the bottom of the tenth for a 3-2 win.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 65-69 overall; 32-32 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars won 10-4 at Montgomery. Brett Lawrie (’09) went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI for Huntsville.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 62-73; 35-31 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees beat Tampa 5-1. RJ Seidel (’09) pitched five no-hit innings and got the win.

HELENA (Rookie: 38-30 overall; 19-11 second half; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers lost 2-0 to Great Falls. Helena had four hits in the game.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

MILWAUKEE: OFF DAY

NASHVILLE at Oklahoma City: Doubleheader; Game one starts at 2:05pm CDT

HUNTSVILLE (Amaury Rivas 11-6) at Montgomery (Paul Phillips 5-2) 7:05pm CDT

BREVARD COUNTY (Mike Ramlow 4-2) at Tampa (Craig Heyer 8-4) 6:00pm CDT

Great Falls (Steven Upchurch 3-2) at HELENA (Stosh Wawrzasek 2-3) 8:05pm CDT

AZL BREWERS: Season over; AZL Champions

Rattlers Alumni Report: MLB Games of September 1, 2010

2010-09-02T14:38:00.000-05:00

@Rays 2, Blue Jays 1

TB:

Rafael Soriano ('00: IP, H, 0R, K, SAVE #40

Red Sox 9 @Orioles 6

BOS:

David Ortiz ('96): 1-for-4, RUN, RBI, HR #30

BAL:

Adam Jones ('04): 1-for-3, RUN, 2RBI

White Sox 6 @Indians 4

CLE:

Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 1-for-5, RBI

Shin-Soo Choo ('02): 3-for-5, RUN

Angels 4 @Mariners 2

SEA:

Michael Saunders ('06): 1-for-4

Adam Moore ('06): 1-for-4

@Reds 6, Brewers 1

MIL:

Lorenzo Cain ('09): 1-for-4, RUN

Jeremy Jeffress ('10): IP, H, 0R (MLB Debut!)

@Houston 5, Cardinals 2

STL:

Ryan Franklin (Foxes, '94): IP, H, 0R

Phillies 5 @Dodgers 1

PHI:

Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 0-for-4

September 1, 2010: Midwest League Playoff Pitcure

2010-09-01T16:18:00.000-05:00

Let's just put it this way: The Rattlers elimination number is 2. Any combination of 2 Kane County wins or 2 Wisconsin losses means that the Rattlers are out of the postseason.

So, to still be alive heading into the weekend, the Rattlers will need to sweep the River Bandits and the Chiefs will need to take at least two of the three games in the series at Kane County. Go Rattlers! Go Chiefs!

Here are the updated playoff standings heading into action on Tuesday with the schedule of remaining games for the respective teams that are still alive in the second half Western Division Playoff Race.

SECOND HALF WEST DIVISION PLAYOFF RACES

CLUB.........W-L..DIV GB WC GB

Clinton.....36-28... - ....-
Kane County 34-29...1.5 ...-

Beloit......32-29...2.5...1.0

Peoria......31-31...4.0...2.5
Wisconsin...31-33...5.0...3.5

REMAINING GAMES:
Wisconsin (6): 3 v. QC; 3 @KC
Kane County (6): 3 v. PEO; 3 v. WI
Clinton (6): 3 v. BEL; 3 @BUR
Beloit (6): 3 @CLN; 3 v. CR
Peoria (6): 3 @KC; 3 @QC

September 1, 2010: Tonight's Lineup

2010-09-01T16:12:00.000-05:00

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

Scooter Gennett.......2B

Kentrail Davis........RF

Hunter Morris.........LF

Khris Davis...........DH

Chris Dennis..........1B

D’Vontrey Richardson..CF

Cameron Garfield.......C

Michael Marseco.......SS

Nick Bucci............SP

September 1, 2010: Tonight's Pitcher

2010-09-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

RHP NICK BUCCI: Selected by Milwaukee in the 18th round of the 2008 draft out of St. Patrick High School in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

LAST SEASON: Bucci went 6-3 with a 4.31ERA in 13 games (12 starts) for the Helena Brewers in 2009.

LAST START: Bucci took the loss at Quad Cities on August 11. He gave up seven runs (five earned) on seven hits over 4-2/3 innings. Bucci walked two and struck out six.

LAST APPEARANCE: Bucci pitched in relief against Cedar Rapids on August 16. He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks. Two of the three hits were home runs.

THAT’S A STREAK: Bucci had a 15-1/3 inning scoreless streak end in the first inning against Burlington on May 23.

DOUBLING UP: Before moving to Helena for the 2009 Pioneer League season, Bucci made three relief appearances for Huntsville, the AA Southern League affiliate of the Brewers. In three games with the Stars, Bucci went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA. However, two of those appearances for Huntsville were scoreless.

O, CANADA! Bucci pitched for Team Canada in the 2009 World Cup of baseball and helped them to the bronze medal in the competition. It was Canada’s first medal in the World Cup.

ALL-STAR ACTION: Bucci faced one batter in the 2010 Midwest League All-Star Game on June 22 in Fort Wayne. He got Bo Greenwell of Lake County to ground out to first base.

LEAGUE AWARD: The Pioneer League recognized Bucci as their pitcher of the week on July 20 for his performance for the week of July 13-19.

ORGANIZATION AWARDS: The Brewers named Bucci their minor league pitcher of the month for July, 2009. Bucci went 5-0 with a 2.13ERA during July last season. Bucci was also named the Brewers minor league pitcher of the month for May, 2010 by the Brewers. Bucci was 3-1 with a 1.13ERA in six games (five starts) for the Rattlers during May.

RATED: Baseball America rated Bucci as the #29 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewer organization in their 2010 Prospect Handbook. He was also ranked as the #17 prospect in the Pioneer League by BA after the 2009 season.

VS. QUAD CITIES: Bucci has made four appearances (three starts) against the River Bandits in 2010. He has allowed 12 runs (ten earned) on 16 hits over 15-1/3 innings against Quad Cities. Bucci has walked ten and struck out 14 in his games against the Bandits.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 7.1 - (8/22/09 @ Orem)

STRIKEOUTS: 9 (2x - Last: 7/15/09 @ Idaho Falls)

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

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

4/9+..KC*........3.0..1 2 0..5..5 0.00

4/14..@BUR.......4.0..1 1 0..0..5 0.00

4/19..@QC*.......4.1..4 1 1..5..2 0.79

4/24..BEL........2.0..2 3 3..1..1 2.70

5/1+..@BEL* Loss 4.1..3 3 2..4..1 3.06

5/6...QC.........3.0..1 0 0..0..2 2.61

5/13..BEL*..Win..6.0..3 0 0..3..7 2.03

5/18..PEO*..Win..6.0..1 0 0..3..3 1.65

5/23..BUR*..Win..7.0..7 2 2..2..6 1.82

5/28..@CR*.......5.2..6 1 0..4..4 1.59

6/2...@FW*..Loss 6.2..7 3 2..3..7 1.74

6/9^..BG*...Loss 4.0..4 4 4..4..3 2.26

6/13..DAY*.......3.0 10 6 6..1..2 3.07

6/20..@KC*.......1.0..1 1 1..3..0 3.06

6/28..QC*........3.1..4 4 4..3..4 3.46

7/3...@BUR*......6.0..6 4 3..3..8 3.55

7/8...@BEL* Win..7.0..4 3 3..1..2 3.58

7/15+ LAN*..Loss.6.2..5 4 4..3..8 3.72

7/21..@WMI*.Save 2.0..2 0 0..2..1 3.63
7/26+ @SB*..Loss 5.0..5 4 3..2..5 3.73
8/1...CLN*..Win..6.0..3 0 0..2..8 3.50
8/5...PEO........3.0..1 0 0..2..4 3.40
8/11..@QC* Loss..4.2..7 7 5..2..6 3.67
8/16..CR.........2.1..3 3 3..2..1 3.85


*-Start
^-Game one of a doubleheader
+-Game two of a doubleheader

September 1, 2010: Game Notes

2010-09-01T16:00:00.001-05:00

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers beat the Kane County Cougars 16-4. All nine Timber Rattlers in the lineup had at least one hit. Eight of the nine had at least one RBI. Chris Dennis, Kentrail Davis, and Khris Davis all homered for the Rattlers.

NEW STANDARD: The sixteen runs scored last night were the most by the Timber Rattlers this season. The previous high for 2010 was 15 set on July 12 against Burlington at Time Warner Cable Field. Last night was the most runs scored by the Rattlers since August 5, 2007 when they scored 19 runs at Fort Wayne.

DEEP SIX: The Rattlers scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning. That marked the fourth time in 2010 the Rattlers have scored six runs in an inning.

RECORD HOLDERS HAVE COMPANY: Khris Davis hit a solo homer in the fifth inning. It was his 21st round-tripper of the season. Davis is tied with Juan Silvestre and Matt Hagen for the Timber Rattlers franchise record for home runs in a single season. Silvestre set the record in 1999 and Hagen matched it in 2003. Davis has hit three homers in 14 games against the River Bandits this season.

RACK THEM UP: Chris Dennis hit a two-run homer in the second inning and scored four runs. Dennis has 16 homers and 83 RBI. The 83 RBI put him tied for second in the Midwest League. Those 83 RBI are also the most by a Timber Rattler in a single season since Mike Wilson had 84 in 2005. Silvestre holds the Timber Rattlers record for RBI with 107 in 1999.

FIRST SINCE: Kentrail Davis hit a two-run homer in the second inning, too. It was his first home run since June 30, 2010.

A FOUR FOR JOEY: Rattlers second baseman Joey Paciorek drove in four runs last night. He knocked in a run with a groundout in the second inning. Paciorek drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double in the bottom of the eighth inning.

THREE IS A MAGIC NUMBER: In last night’s game: Cutter Dykstra had three hits and three RBI; Khris Davis drew three walks and scored three runs; Michael Marseco had three hits.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Quad Cities River Bandits are the Midwest League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They qualified for the Midwest League playoffs as the Western Division Wild Card in the first half. They are 79-53 overall and 39-24 in the second half. The River Bandits are coming into this series against the Rattlers after winning three out of four games in a series with Cedar Rapids.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and River Bandits have met 14 times this season. Wisconsin is 6-8 against Quad Cities this season. The Rattlers are 2-4 in six games against the Bandits at Time Warner Cable Field in 2010. Quad Cities took two of three from the Rattlers in Grand Chute during a series May 4-6. The River Bandits also took two of three from the Rattlers June 28-30.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .256 as a team. They have scored 645 runs (4.9/game) and hit 77 home runs. The River Bandits are hitting .258 as a team. They have scored 705 runs (5.3/game) and hit 111 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.81 while allowing a total of 704 runs (5.3/game) this season. Quad Cities pitchers have a team ERA of 3.96 while allowing a total of 620 runs (4.7/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 173 errors. The Bandits defense has committed 172 errors. Wisconsin is 30-37 at home this season. Quad Cities is 42-27 on the road in 2010.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook listed three members of the current River Bandits roster on their list of top 30 prospects in the St. Louis organization. Pitcher Shelby Miller, a first round pick out of Brownwood (TX) High School in 2009, is rated as St. Louis’ #1 prospect. Catcher Robert Stock, the Cardinals second round pick out of the University of Southern California in 2009, is #10. Pitcher Joe Kelley (#21) is also on the list.

QUAD CITIES STARTING PITCHER: LHP* Daniel Bibona was the eighth round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2010 draft out of the University of California-Irvine. Bibona went 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 94-1/3 innings pitched over 13 starts in his final season for the Anteaters. He was a two-time Big West Pitcher of the Year, a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, a Louisville Slugger First Team All-American, and a NCBWA Second Team All-American. Bibona made his professional debut with the River Bandits on July 31 with 2-1/3 innings of scoreless relief against Cedar Rapids on July 31. In his start prior to this evening, Bibona allowed four runs on five hits and struck out nine over six innings for a no decision on August 26 at Clinton. Tonight is his first appearance against the Rattlers and against an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

*Typo! Had this as a RHP before the game.

September 1, 1960 & September 1, 1985

2010-09-01T15:58:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

TOPEKA REDS......5

FOX CITIES FOXES 2

FINAL - 11 INNINGS

Boog Powell went 2-for-4 with an RBI and ran his hitting streak to 11 games.

The Foxes, who had clinched the Three-I League pennant on August 31, saw their record drop to 80-51.

25 Years Ago Today

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

APPLETON FOXES..000 000 201 000 00 - 3..9 2

MADISON MUSKIES 000 021 000 000 01 - 4 10 1
FINAL - 14 INNINGS

This was the second to last game of the regular season for the Foxes. They tied the Muskies with a run in the top of the ninth inning on a Wes Kent sacrifice fly.

Madison won the game in the bottom of the fourteenth on a homer by John Kanter.

The Foxes are 85-53 on the season and they have one more game with the Muskies at Warner Park. The 1985 MWL playoffs begin on September 3.

Midwest League Action: Games of August 31, 2010

2010-09-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

Complete scoreboard

@Wisconsin 16, Kane County 4: Get offensive.

Burlington 9 @Beloit 5: Bees survive 9th inning scare.

@Quad Cities 16, Cedar Rapids 10: Goodwin's 8 RBI.

@Peoria 10, Clinton 9 (10): Ticket to MWL Playoff Race.

Great Lakes 13 @West Michigan 7: Give up 21 hits...move closer to playoff berth.

Dayton 12 @Lansing 0: Rip.

Fort Wayne 13 @Bowling Green 9: Done at home.

@Lake County 1, South Bend 0: Edge.

Brewers System Report: Games of August 31, 2010

2010-09-01T15:31:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 62-70; National League Central): The Brewers lost 8-4 at Cincinnati. Yovani Gallardo allowed eight runs on nine hits over five innings to take the loss.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 72-64; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds had their doubleheader rained out in Oklahoma City.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 64-69 overall; 31-32 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 3-2 at Montgomery. The Biscuits scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning to snap a 1-1 tie. Huntsville scored a run in the top of the seventh inning, but could not get the tying run on the board.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 61-73; 34-31 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees lost 6-5 in ten innings at Tampa. Brock Kjeldgaard (’09) hit a pair of solo homers for Brevard County.

HELENA (Rookie: 38-29 overall; 19-10 second half; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers lost the completion of their suspended game with Billings 7-5. Helena won the regularly scheduled game 3-2 in ten innings.

AZL BREWERS (Rookie: 34-22; Arizona League Central Division): The Brewers won the Arizona League championship with a 10-8 win over the Reds. The Brewers scored twice in the bottom of the eighth inning to break an 8-8 tie.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

MILWAUKEE (Chris Narveson 10-7) at Cincinnati (Johnny Cueto 12-4) 6:10pm CDT

NASHVILLE at Oklahoma City: Doubleheader; Game one starts at 3:05pm CDT

HUNTSVILLE at Montgomery 7:05pm CDT

BREVARD COUNTY at Tampa 6:00pm CDT

Great Falls at HELENA 8:05pm CDT

AZL BREWERS: Season over; AZL Champions

Rattlers Alumni Report: MLB Games of August 31, 2010

2010-09-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

@Mariners 3, Angels 1

SEA:

Felix Hernandez ('03): 7IP, 3H, 0R, 3BB, 8K

Matt Tuiasosopo ('05): pinch runner, RUN

Michael Saunders ('06): 0-for-2, RBI

Adam Moore ('06): 2-for-4, RBI

@Orioles 5, Red Sox 2

BAL:

Adam Jones ('04): 1-for-4, RBI

BOS:

David Ortiz ('96): 0-for-4

Phillies 8 @Dodgers 4

PHI:

Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 1-for-5

@Braves 9, Mets 2

ATL:

Eric O'Flaherty ('05): IP, 0H, 0R, K

August 31, 2010: Midwest League Playoff Pitcure

2010-08-31T17:14:00.000-05:00

Here are the updated playoff standings heading into action on Tuesday with the schedule of remaining games for the respective teams that are still alive in the second half Western Division Playoff Race.

SECOND HALF WEST DIVISION PLAYOFF RACES

CLUB.........W-L..DIV GB WC GB

Clinton.....36-27... - ....-
Kane County 34-28...1.5 ...-

Beloit......32-28...2.5...1.0

Peoria......30-31...5.0...3.5
Wisconsin...30-33...6.0...4.5

REMAINING GAMES:
Wisconsin (7): 1 v. KC; 3 v. QC; 3 @KC
Kane County (7): 1 @WI; 3 v. PEO; 3 v. WI
Clinton (7): 1 @PEO; 3 v. BEL; 3 @BUR
Beloit (7): 1 v. BUR; 3 @CLN; 3 v. CR
Peoria (7): 1 v. CLN; 3 @KC; 3 @QC

August 31, 2010: Tonight's Lineup

2010-08-31T17:10:00.000-05:00

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

Kentrail Davis........RF

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

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

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

D’Vontrey Richardson..CF

Cameron Garfield.......C

Joey Paciorek.........2B

Michael Marseco.......SS

Jake Odorizzi.........SP

August 31, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher

2010-08-31T16:54:00.000-05:00

RHP JAKE ODORIZZI: Selected by Milwaukee as a supplemental 1st round pick (32nd overall) in the 2008 draft out of Highland (IL) High School.

LAST SEASON: Odorizzi made 12 appearances (10 starts) for the Helena Brewers in the Pioneer League. He was 1-4 with a 4.40 ERA and struck out 43 while walking nine over 47 innings pitched.

LAST START: Odorizzi pitched eight no-hit innings and struck out 10 Cedar Rapids Kernels at Perfect Game Field on August 23. Odorizzi walked one, hit one, and got the win when Adrian Rosario got the final three outs without allowing a hit in a 3-0 Wisconsin win.

HIGHLAND HIGH: Odorizzi was 14-0 with three saves in his senior season with the Bulldogs. He allowed one earned run over 89-1/3 innings pitched to put up an ERA of 0.08 and struck out 146 batters while walking just six in his final season as a Bulldog and helped lead the team to its first ever Class 3A State Championship.

AWARDS: In his senior season, Odorizzi was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois; a Louisville Slugger Pre-season All-American; a Rawlings/Perfect Game All-American; and a member of USA Today’s All-USA Team.

ALL-STAR ACTION: Odorizzi faced one batter in the 2010 Midwest League All-Star Game on June 22. He struck out Danny Payne of the Fort Wayne TinCaps for the second out of the inning.

NOT IN THE CARDS: Odorizzi had committed to playing baseball and football at the University of Louisville before signing with the Brewers.

IN THE RANKINGS: Baseball America rated Odorizzi as the #2 prospect in the Pioneer League after the 2009 season. The publication placed him at #9 in the Brewers organization heading into the 2010 season.

BREWERS CAREER: In 23 games (14 starts) before this season, Odorizzi was 2-6 with a 4.12 ERA. He had walked 18 and struck out 62 in 67-2/3 innings as a Brewers farmhand before this season.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED: In five starts (and one relief appearance) by Odorizzi, the game has gone into extra innings.

LEAST SURPRISING: Odorizzi was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week on August 30 for his performance against the Kernels on August 23

VS. KANE COUNTY: Odorizzi has made one start against the Cougars this season. He pitched seven shutout innings at Elfstrom Stadium on May 25 for the win. Odorizzi walked two and struck out seven in that game.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (8/23 @Cedar Rapids)

STRIKEOUTS: 10 (2x: Last 8/23 @Cedar Rapids)

............2010 DAY-BY-DAY
DATE..OPP...W/L/S IP..H R ER BB K ERA
4/11..CLN...Save..4.0 1 0 0..1..4 0.00
4/16..@BUR*.Win...5.0 0 0 0..1..8 0.00
4/21..CR*.........4.0 3 2 2..3..7 1.50
4/28..@PEO..Loss..2.0 5 4 3..0..1 3.21
5/3...@BEL*.......3.0 3 5 4..5..5 4.76
5/8...CR*.........5.2 4 2 2..0..8 4.37
5/14+.BEL*........6.0 3 1 1..2..6 3.77
5/20..PEO*........5.0 6 4 4..2..6 4.28
5/25..@KC*..Win...7.0 5 0 0..2..7 3.54
5/30..@CR*........6.0 5 2 2..1..8 3.47
6/4...@LC.........3.0 5 3 3..1..4 3.81
6/10..BG*.........4.0 4 4 3..4..0.4.02
6/16..@CLN*.Win...5.0 4 1 0..1..5 3.68
6/26..BUR*..Win...6.0 4 0 0..0.10 3.34
7/1...@BUR*.......7.0 8 1 1..1..8 3.14
7/11..BUR...Win...7.0 4 0 0..2..9 2.86

7/17..GL*.........6.0 4 4 4..3..7.3.08
7/25..@SB...Win...6.0 3 1 1..2..8 2.98
8/2...CLN*..Loss..7.0 6 4 3..2..2 3.04
8/8...@CLN* Loss..6.0 8 4 4..2..4 3.21
8/16..CR*.........4.1 7 6 6..1..3 3.58
8/23..@CR*..Win...8.0 0 0 0..1 10 3.34

*-Start
+-Second game of a doubleheader

August 31, 2010: Game Notes

2010-08-31T16:44:00.000-05:00

ABOUT MONDAY: The Cougars beat the Timber Rattlers 4-3. Wisconsin trailed 4-1 heading to the bottom of the ninth inning. They scored two runs and had the bases loaded with no outs, but Ryan Doolittle got the final three outs to deny the Rattlers the comeback win.

FOUR! The Cougars scored a run in the top of the second and three runs in the top of the third to grab a 4-0 lead.

IN PERSPECTIVE: Rattlers starting pitcher Hiram Burgos walked six batters in 5-1/3 innings yesterday. In his two starts prior to Monday, Burgos had pitched 14 innings without issuing a single walk.

21: One of the Kane County runs in the third inning scored on a bases loaded walk. Wisconsin pitchers have walked 21 batters with the bases loaded this season, the most in the Midwest League.

COMEBACK STARTS: Cameron Garfield doubled and took third base on an error with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Michael Marseco followed with a double to drive in Garfield.

HEATING UP: Kentrail Davis singled and Hunter Morris doubled to start the bottom of the ninth. A wild pitch on ball four to Khris Davis sent Kentrail Davis home. D’Vontrey Richardson doubled off the wall in left to drive in Morris and send Khris Davis to third with the tying run.

COOLED OFF: Doolittle came out of the bullpen and intentionally walked Chris Dennis to load the bases. Then, he got a 5-2-3 double play and a leaping grab by Leonardo Gil on a line drive to third to end the game.

DAY GAMES: Monday was the final day game at home for the Rattlers. Wisconsin is 20-20 in day games this season. There is one more day game on the schedule, Labor Day afternoon at Kane County.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Kane County is 34-28 in the second half. They currently hold the Second Half Western Division Wild Card spot. Kane County is 66-65 overall. They are coming into the series with the Rattlers after taking two out of three games at Beloit August 25-27.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Cougars have met 11 times this season. Wisconsin is 7-4 against Kane County in 2010. Wisconsin took two of three from the Cougars at Time Warner Cable Field April 9-10. In a three game series at Kane County May 25-27, the Rattlers won two of three. Wisconsin also swept an abbreviated two game series at Elfstrom Stadium June 19-20. Wisconsin and Kane County wrap up the 2010 season with a three game series at Elfstrom Stadium September 4-6.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 629 runs (4.8/game) and hit 74 home runs. The Cougars are hitting .253 as a team. They have scored 634 runs (4.8/game) and hit 62 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.82 while allowing a total of 700 runs (5.3/game) this season. Kane County pitchers have a team ERA of 3.89 while allowing a total of 584 runs (4.5/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 171 errors. The Cougars defense has committed 156 errors. Wisconsin is 29-37 at home this season. Kane County is 31-37 on the road in 2010.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: RHP Aaron Larsen was selected out of Bethany College by the Oakland Athletics in the 34th round of the 2010 draft. Larsen was 1-4 with a 3.25ERA in 13 games and was a Second Team All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference selection as both a pitcher and a shortstop. Larsen went 5-2 with a 2.89ERA in 14 games (four starts) for the Arizona League affiliate of the A’s after signing with them. Tonight is his first Midwest League affiliate. In his start prior to tonight, Larsen pitched five shutout innings and allowed one hit against the Giants on August 26. Larsen made his first professional start against the Brewers Arizona League affiliate on August 5 and allowed five runs (one earned) on four hits over 2-1/3 innings. That is his only appearance against an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

August 31, 1960 & August 31, 1985

2010-08-31T16:39:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

TOPEKA REDS......2

FOX CITIES FOXES 7

Sioux City lost 10-1 to Cedar Rapids. The loss by the Soos and the win by the Foxes clinched the Three-I League Pennant for the Foxes.

This is the first pennant for an Appleton professional baseball team since 1910.

Buster Narum pitched a complete game and struck out 11 for the win. The Foxes are 80-50 on the season.

25 Years Ago Today:

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

APPLETON FOXES..010 100 001 001 - 4 14 3

MADISON MUSKIES 002 010 000 000 - 3..7 4

Jim Markert hit a homer in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game. Jim Byrd tripled in the top of the twelfth. Buck Autry singled him home.

The Muskies got a pair of runners on with one out in the bottom of the twelfth, but Mark Ruckbeil got out of the inning.

The Foxes are 85-52. They are two games left in the Midwest League season and the Foxes have clinched the best record in the MWL.

The race for the wild card cleared up a bit on August 31, 1985. Cedar Rapids and Kenosha entered the day with identical 77-59 records. Kenosha won 8-0 at Wausau. Cedar Rapids lost 6-4 at home in 12 innings to Clinton. The Twins have a one game lead for the wild card.

Midwest League Action: Games of August 30, 2010

2010-08-31T16:21:00.000-05:00

Complete Scoreboard

Kane County 4 @Wisconsin 3: Crush.

Clinton 7 @Peoria 2: On the chin.

@Beloit 7, Burlington 3: Keep pace.

@Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 3: Adams will miss rest of season.

@Lake County 7, South Bend 5: Swing state.

@West Michigan 10, Great Lakes 3: Pitching mark.

Dayton 9 @Lansing 7: Dooms Nuts.

@Bowling Green 4, Fort Wayne 1: win, eliminated.

Brewers System Report: Games of August 30, 2010

2010-08-31T16:04:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 62-69; National League Central): The Brewers lost 5-4 in ten innings at Cincinnati.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 72-64; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds lost 3-1 in Oklahoma City. Nashville had nine hits in the game.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 64-68 overall; 31-31 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars were off on Monday.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 61-72; 34-30 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees were off on Monday.

HELENA (Rookie: 37-28 overall; 18-9 second half; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers won 5-3 at Idaho Falls. Helena scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to break a 3-3 tie and win their eighth straight game.

AZL BREWERS (Rookie: 34-22; Arizona League Central Division): The Brewers beat the Rangers 6-5 with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to advance to the Arizona League Championship Game.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

MILWAUKEE (Yovani Gallardo 11-6) at Cincinnati (Aaron harang 6-7) 6:10pm CDT

NASHVILLE at Oklahoma City: Doubleheader; Game one starts at 5:05pm CDT

HUNTSVILLE at Montgomery 7:05pm CDT

BREVARD COUNTY at Tampa 6:05pm CDT

Billings at HELENA Conclusion of suspended game from August 9 6:30pm CDT; 7 inning game to follow

AZL Reds at AZL BREWERS 9:00pm CDT

Rattlers Alumni Report: MLB Games of August 30, 2010

2010-08-31T16:01:00.000-05:00

@Braves 9, Mets 3

ATL:

Eric O'Flaherty ('05): 1.1IP, H, 0R, K

@Dodgers 3, Phillies 0

PHI:

Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 0-for-3

@Reds 5, Brewers 4 (10)

MIL:

Lorenzo Cain ('09): 1-for-3, RUN

Angels 5 @Mariners 3

SEA:

Michael Saunders ('06): 1-for-4, RBI

Adam Moore (0-for-3, RBI

White Sox 10 @Indians 6

CLE:

Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 1-for-6, RUN

Shin-Soo Choo ('02): 1-for-5, RUN

Luis Valbuena ('06): 1-for-2, RBI

Sliding in safe

2010-08-30T11:31:00.000-05:00

That is a picture from Patrick Ferron's photo gallery of yesterday's game at the Post Crescent website.

August 30, 2010: Starting Lineup

2010-08-30T11:20:00.002-05:00

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

Scooter Gennett.......2B

Kentrail Davis........RF

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

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

D’Vontrey Richardson..CF

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

Cameron Garfield.......C

Michael Marseco.......SS

Hiram Burgos..........SP

August 30, 2010: Today's Starting Pitcher

2010-08-30T11:20:00.001-05:00

RHP HIRAM BURGOS: Selected by Milwaukee in the 6th round of the 2009 draft out of Bethune-Cookman University.

LAST SEASON: Burgos started his professional career with Helena, the Pioneer League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Burgos was 3-2 with a 5.62 ERA in 14 games (seven starts) with Helena.

LAST START: Burgos picked up the win at Burlington on August 25. He allowed four runs on eight hits in a 7-4 Wisconsin victory. Burgos did not walk a batter and struck out one for the win.

STARTER KIT: Burgos is 7-0 as a starter this season. He is 4-0 in six starts with the Rattlers. He went 3-0 in six starts for the Helena Brewers.

VS. KANE COUNTY: Burgos pitched four innings in relief against the Cougars on April 9 in the second game of the doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Field. He allowed a run on two hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (7/18/10 v. Orem)

STRIKEOUTS: 10 (7/12/10 @Billings)

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

........Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

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

4/9+ KC...Win..4.0 2 1 1..1..6..2.25

4/15 @BUR......1.0 0 0 0..0..0..1.80

4/19 @QC.......1.0 0 0 0..0..0..1.50

4/20 CR...Loss 2.0 4 3 2..1..1..3.38

4/24 BEL..Loss 2.0 4 2 2..1..1..4.50

4/29 @PEO......2.0 4 2 2..0..1..5.25

5/3..@BEL Loss 1.1 3 2 1..0..2..5.40

5/6..QC...Loss 0.2 2 2 2..1..1..6.43

5/9..CR........2.0 2 1 1..0 .1..6.19

5/15 BEL..Loss 4.0 2 1 1..2..2..5.40
7/26 @SB*+ Win 6.0 4 2 1..1..5..4.50
7/31 CLN.......3.0 3 0 0..2..5..4.03

8/4..PEO* Win..7.0 6 1 1..1..8..3.50
8/9..@CLN* Win 7.0 8 4 4..0..4..3.77
8/14 CR*.......6.0 5 3 3..3..5..3.86
8/19 BEL*......8.0 5 2 2..0..9..3.63
8/25 @BUR* Win 6.0 8 4 4..0..1..3.86

*-Start
+Game two of a doubleheader

August 30, 2010: Game Notes

2010-08-30T11:20:00.000-05:00

ABOUT SUNDAY: The Timber Rattlers defeated the Kane County Cougars 11-10 in 11 innings. Khris Davis singled in the winning run in the bottom of the eleventh inning.

CLUB 20: Davis homered in the second inning, a two-run blast that put the Rattlers up 2-1. He becomes the fourth member of the 20 home run club in Timber Rattlers history. Juan Silvestre (21-1999); Matt Hagen (21-2003), and Brock Kjeldgaard (20-2009) are the other members.

WELL, THAT WAS INTERESTING: The Rattlers had a 9-4 lead heading into the top of the eighth inning. Kane County drew five walks in the inning, including three with the bases loaded, to score three runs. Wisconsin got a run on a Kentrail Davis two-out triple in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 10-7 lead, but the Cougars drew five more walks, including one with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth to tie the game 10-10. Five Wisconsin pitchers combined to walk 14 Kane County batters. The Rattlers pitching staff has walked 20 opposing batters with the bases loaded, the most in the Midwest League, this season.

THAT’S TWO: Yesterday was the second extra-innings victory for the Rattlers. The team is 2-10 in extra innings this season.

THAT’S TWO, TOO: Khris Davis recorded his second game-ending hit of the season yesterday. Davis had also driven in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat Great Lakes on July 19.

THAT’S THREE: Sunday was the third time the Rattlers have allowed 10 or more runs in a game and picked up a victory this season. Wisconsin is 3-17 in games in which they have allowed 10 or more runs.

THAT’S FOUR: Sunday was the fourth time in 2010 that Wisconsin has recorded a walk-off victory at home. The Rattlers beat Kane County on an RBI single by Scooter Gennett in the first game of the season on April 9. There was the hit by Davis to beat the Loons on July 19. Hunter Morris doubled in a pair of runs in the bottom of the eleventh to beat Cedar Rapids on August 14.

FOCUS ON OFFENSE: Cutter Dykstra, Kentrail Davis, Hunter Morris, and Chris Dennis all had three hits on Sunday. The Rattlers knocked out 16 hits in the game.

A BAKER’S DOZEN FOR CUTTER: Dykstra had three singles and scored three runs on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. He is 22-for-55 (.400) and has scored 15 runs during the streak. Dykstra has bumped his season average from .294 to .313 and is currently fifth in the Midwest League batting race.

AMONG THE LEADERS: Chris Dennis drove in a run yesterday. He has 81 RBI and is third in the Midwest League in that category.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Kane County is 33-28 in the second half. They currently hold the Second Half Western Division Wild Card spot. Kane County is 65-65 overall. They are coming into the series with the Rattlers after taking two out of three games at Beloit August 25-27.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Cougars have met ten times this season. Wisconsin is 7-3 against Kane County in 2010. Wisconsin took two of three from the Cougars at Time Warner Cable Field April 9-10. In a three game series at Kane County May 25-27, the Rattlers won two of three. Wisconsin also swept an abbreviated two game series at Elfstrom Stadium June 19-20. Wisconsin and Kane County play seven of the last ten games of the 2010 season against each other.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 626 runs (4.8/game) and hit 74 home runs. The Cougars are hitting .253 as a team. They have scored 630 runs (4.8/game) and hit 62 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.83 while allowing a total of 696 runs (5.4/game) this season. Kane County pitchers have a team ERA of 3.90 while allowing a total of 581 runs (4.5/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 169 errors. The Cougars defense has committed 155 errors. Wisconsin is 29-36 at home this season. Kane County is 30-37 on the road in 2010.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: RHP Dan Straily was Oakland’s 24th round pick in the 2009 draft. He was selected out of Marshall. In his final season with the Thundering Herd, Straily went 4-3 with a 4.27ERA in 13 games. He spent his first pro season with Vancouver, Oakland’s Northwest League affiliate. He was 5-3 with a 4.19ERA in 16 games (11 starts) with the Canadians. Straily struck out 66 and walked 18 in 59 innings with Vancouver. In his start prior to this afternoon, Straily recorded a no decision at Beloit on August 25. He allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts over five innings. Straily has made five starts in August and has a 5.51 ERA, but has not been involved in a decision. He has started three times against the Timber Rattlers in 2010. Straily beat the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field on April 10, picked up a no decision at Elfstrom Stadium on May 27, and lost to Wisconsin at Kane County on June 19. In his three starts against the Rattlers, Straily has allowed seven runs (six earned) on 14 hits and five walks over 17 innings. Straily has struck out 19 Timber Rattlers this season, including 10 in seven innings on May 27.

August 30, 2010: Midwest League Playoff Pitcure

2010-08-30T09:21:00.000-05:00

Here are the updated playoff standings heading into action on Monday with the schedule of remaining games for the respective teams that are still alive in the second half Western Division Playoff Race.

SECOND HALF WEST DIVISION PLAYOFF RACES

CLUB.........W-L..DIV GB WC GB

Clinton.....35-27... - ....-
Kane County 33-28...1.5 ...-

Beloit......31-28...2.5...1.0

Peoria......30-30...4.0...2.5
Wisconsin...30-32...5.0...3.5

REMAINING GAMES:
Wisconsin (8): 2 v. KC; 3 v. QC; 3 @KC
Kane County (8): 2 @WI; 3 v. PEO; 3 v. WI
Clinton (8): 2 @PEO; 3 v. BEL; 3 @BUR
Beloit (8): 2 v. BUR; 3 @CLN; 3 v. CR
Peoria (8): 2 v. CLN; 3 @KC; 3 @QC

August 30, 1960 & August 30, 1985

2010-08-30T09:17:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

GAME ONE (7 INNINGS)

TOPEKA REDS......12

FOX CITIES FOXES..5

GAME TWO (9 INNINGS)

REDS..1

FOXES 8

In game one, Foxes manager Earl Weaver was ejected from the game. I can see why after the Reds scored seven in the third and five in the sixth.

In game two, Arne Thorsland won his 13th game of the season. The story noted that the victory broke the franchise record for wins that had been set in 1959. Frank Bruckbauer won 12 for the Foxes in 1959.

The Foxes Player of the Day was Photi Anthony. He homered twice in game two and scored four runs in game one.

The Foxes magic number to clinch the Three-I League Championship is at two. They are 79-50 on the season after the action on August 30, 1960.

25 Years Ago Today:

GAME ONE

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

APPLETON FOXES 201 010 003 - 7 12 1

KENOSHA TWINS..100 003 000 - 4..4 2

GAME TWO

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

FOXES 100 002 0 - 3 4 1

TWINS 300 011 x - 5 5 2

In game one, Jim Winters tripled in two runs in the top of the ninth inning for the extra innings victory. Dave White tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save, his 18th of the season. The winning pitcher? Oh, some guy by the name of Bobby Thigpen, who worked 2-2/3 scoreless innings in relief. The story notes that Thigpen had been called up from Sarasota earlier in the day.

Kenosha kept their wild card hopes alive with a win in the second game.

The Foxes are 84-52 on the season after the action on August 30, 1985.

Midwest League Action: Games of August 29, 2010

2010-08-30T09:01:00.000-05:00

Complete boxscore

@Wisconsin 11, Kane County 10 (11): Power.

@Beloit 11, Burlington 5: Pound.

Clinton 6, @Peoria 1; @Peoria 2, Clinton 1: Boost.

Cedar Rapids 5 @Quad Cities 2: Not good enough.

Lake County 1 @South Bend 0: Stumble.

@West Michigan 8, Great Lakes 1: Keep playoff drive going.

@Lansing 8, Dayton 3: 3HRs.

@Bowling Green 7, Fort Wayne 5: Big Albert.

Brewers System Report: Games of August 29, 2010

2010-08-30T08:51:00.000-05:00

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 62-68; National League Central): The Brewers beat the Pirates 8-4. Ryan Braun went 4-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and his nineteenth home run of the season. Trevor Hoffman earned career save #599.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 72-63; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds beat New Orleans 10-1. Brendan Katin had a pair of homers and seven RBI for Nashville. The Sounds pitchers allowed two hits.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 64-68 overall; 31-31 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars split a doubleheader at Mobile. The BayBears won game one 5-3 as they scored four runs in the first inning and held off Huntsville. The Stars won game two 2-1. Caleb Gindl drove in both runs and Andre Lamontagne struck out nine over 5-2/3 innings for the win.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 61-72; 34-30 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees lost 3-1 to Clearwater. Brevard County had four hits in the game.

HELENA (Rookie: 36-28 overall; 17-9 second half; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers beat Idaho Falls 9-2. Matt Miller allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts over five innings for his seventh win of the season. The victory was the seventh straight for Helena.

AZL BREWERS (Rookie: 34-22; Arizona League Central Division): The Brewers beat the Rangers 9-3.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

MILWAUKEE (Randy Wolf 10-10) at Cincinnati (Homer Bailey 3-2) 6:10pm CDT

NASHVILLE (Tim Dillard 4-6) at Oklahoma City (Brandon McCarthy 3-1) 7:05pm CDT

HUNTSVILLE: OFF DAY

BREVARD COUNTY: OFF DAY

HELENA at Idaho Falls 8:15pm CDT

AZL Rangers at AZL BREWERS 9:00pm CDT*

*Arizona League semifinals

Rattlers Alumni Report: MLB Games of August 29, 2010

2010-08-30T08:49:00.000-05:00

@Rays 5, Red Sox 3

TB:

Rafael Soriano ('00): Ip, 0H, 0R, BB, K, SAVE #39

BOS:

David Ortiz ('96): 0-for-4

Scott Atchison ('99): IP, H, 0R

@Mariners 2, Twins 1

SEA:

Adam Moore ('06): 0-for-2, RBI

Matt Tuiasosopo ('05): 0-for-2, RBI

Royals 6 @Indians 2:

CLE:

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

Shin-Soo Choo ('02): 0-for-4

Luis Valbuena ('06): 1-for-3

Phillies 5 @Padres 0

PHI:

Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 0-for-4

Profiling Efrain Nieves

2010-08-29T11:37:00.000-05:00

Head over to the Post Crescent website for the Efrain Nieves Profile. Here is the fun part:

Q: What's one thing that people don't know about you?

A: "About golf. I'm starting to learn the game of golf. I just started playing golf two weeks ago. That's something people don't know about me."

Q: Do you like golf?

A: "I like it a lot. I bought a brand new set of golf clubs."

Q: Are you pretty good?

A: (Sighs) "Terrible".

August 29, 2010: Today's Starting lineup

2010-08-29T11:32:00.000-05:00

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

Scooter Gennett.......2B

Kentrail Davis........RF

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

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

D’Vontrey Richardson..CF

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

Cameron Garfield.......C

Michael Marseco.......SS

Damon Krestalude......SP