5/22/2009

May 22, 2009: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers lost 7-6 to the Cougars. Dusty Coleman’s two-run homer to center in the bottom of the ninth inning was the winning hit.

ENDING QUIETLY: Michael Bowman was the Wisconsin starting pitcher last night. He carried an 11 inning scoreless streak into the game. An RBI double by Steve Kleen with two outs in the first inning ended the streak at 11-2/3 innings.

QUICK TIE: Chris Dennis hit a solo homer with two outs in the second inning to tie the game 1-1.

OUCH: Rattler second baseman Brett Lawrie had to leave last night’s game after a grounder jumped up and got him in the face. Lawrie was heading to cover second base on a hit-and-run play and the ball took a bad hop.

ROUGH INNING: The Cougars took a 5-1 lead with a four run fourth inning against Bowman. Seven straight Cougars reached base in the inning.

A SINGLE STEP: Back-to-back doubles by Dennis and Juan Sanchez in the fifth inning made the score 5-2.

IN THE EIGHTH: Brock Kjeldgaard’s RBI single in the top of the eighth brought Wisconsin to within 5-3.

BIG COMEBACK: Wisconsin scored three times in the top of the ninth off Jamie Richmond to take a 6-5 lead. Edgar Trejo, who replaced Lawrie in the lineup, doubled with two-outs to drive in the tying runs. Kjeldgaard singled home Trejo with the go ahead run.

BIGGER COMEBACK: Rigorberto Almonte, who relieved Bowman to start the sixth inning, issued a one out walk to Matt Ray. Then, he fell behind Coleman 2-0. Coleman railed the next pitch out to center for a game-ending home run.

WELCOME BACK: John Delaney was activated off the disabled list yesterday and got his first start since April 25. Delaney was 0-for-4.

WELCOME BACK (PT II): Trejo was moved from the Helena roster to the Timber Rattler roster before yesterday’s game. He went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, two RBI, and he also started a 5-3 double play immediately after entering the game. Trejo had been on a four-game hitting streak before moving to the Helena roster last week. He is now on a five-game streak and is 6-for-17 during the streak.

A LITTLE ENVY: Taylor Green was promoted from Wisconsin to Huntsville, Milwaukee’s Southern League affiliate, before the game yesterday. Green played six games for the Timber Rattlers and was 8-for-20 (.400) with a homer and five RBI.

ROAD TRIP! The Rattlers began a 12-game, 12-day, 4-city road trip on Wednesday. Wisconsin is 1-1 so far with three game sets in Beloit, Dayton, and West Michigan still ahead. The Rattlers return home on June 2.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are 24-16 and in first place in the Midwest League Western Division. The Cougars have a 1-1/2 game lead over Peoria.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .256 as a team. They have scored 179 runs (4.5/game) and hit 24 home runs. The Cougars are hitting .266 as a team. They have scored 223 runs (5.6/game) and hit 34 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.40 while allowing a total of 204 runs (5.1/game). Kane County pitchers have a team ERA of 3.38 while allowing 159 runs (4.0/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 56 errors. The Cougars defense has committed 50 errors. Wisconsin is 3-13 on the road this season. Kane County is 15-8 at home this season.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: LHP Pedro Figueroa was signed by the Athletics as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2003. He has pitching in the Dominican Summer League, the Arizona League, and the Northwest League before joining the Cougars this season. Last season with Vancouver, Figueroa was 2-5 with a 3.93 ERA in 15 appearances. In his start prior to this evening, Figueroa gave up five runs on seven hits over 5-2/3 innings against Quad Cities and received a no decision. Tonight is the first time Figueroa has faced the Timber Rattlers, but he pitched against the Arizona League Brewers four times in 2006 and was 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA.

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