August 29, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Kane County Cougars defeated the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-4. Wisconsin grabbed an early 1-0 lead, but Leonardo Gil homered and drove in four runs to pace Kane County’s comeback.

ABOUT THAT START: Cutter Dykstra singled to start the bottom of the first inning. Scooter Gennett doubled in Dykstra and Wisconsin had the lead.

WALKS WILL KILL YOU: Rattlers starting pitcher Del Howell walked six batters over 4-1/3 innings and three of those walks scored. Reliever Adrian Rosario walked two batters and both of those walks scored.

THE TURNING: The Rattlers trailed 3-2 heading to the top of the sixth inning. Jose Crisotomo tripled to start the inning. Two walks loaded the bases with no outs for the Cougars. Mitch Levier singled in two runs and Gil followed with an RBI single to put Kane County up 6-2.

A DOZEN FOR CUTTER: Dykstra had a pair of singles and a pair of runs scored last night. Dykstra extended his hitting streak to 12 games last night. He is 19-for-49 (.388) and has scored 12 runs during the streak.

MULTIBALL: Gennett had a pair of hits last night. He has 46 games in 2010 with two or more hits.

A NOTE ABOUT ATTENDANCE: The attendance for last night’s game was 5,341. The Timber Rattlers have drawn 14 crowds of over 5,000 at Time Warner Cable Field this season. Wisconsin has also had 17 home sellouts in 2010.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Kane County is 33-27 in the second half. They currently hold the Second Half Western Division Wild Card spot. Kane County is 65-64 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 nine times this season. Wisconsin is 6-3 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 .254 as a team. They have scored 615 runs (4.8/game) and hit 73 home runs. The Cougars are hitting .254 as a team. They have scored 620 runs (4.8/game) and hit 60 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.80 while allowing a total of 686 runs (5.3/game) this season. Kane County pitchers have a team ERA of 3.85 while allowing a total of 570 runs (4.4/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 168 errors. The Cougars defense has committed 152 errors. Wisconsin is 28-36 at home this season. Kane County is 30-36 on the road in 2010.

KANE COUNTY STARTING PITCHER: RHP Chris Mederos was a 25th round pick of the Oakland Athletics out of Georgia Southern in the 2009 draft. He spent the 2009 season with the Arizona League affiliate of the A’s and went 3-1 with a 2.14ERA in 11 games (two starts). He struck out 26 and walked two in 21 innings pitched last season. Mederos was on the 2010 Opening Day roster for the Cougars, but left a game in early May against Cedar Rapids with an injury. He made two appearances for the Arizona League Athletics in early July and rejoined Kane County on July 16. He is 6-5 with a 2.63ERA in 13 games (11 starts) for the Cougars this year. In his start prior to today, Mederos allowed a run on four hits over seven innings with two walks and seven strikeouts for a win over Quad Cities on August 24. Today is the first time Mederos will face the Timber Rattlers. He did face the Arizona League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers three times in 2009. Mederos allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts, but was not involved in any of the decisions in those games.

August 28, 2010: Midwest League Playoff Pitcure

Burlington was eliminated with their loss and Kane County's win last night.  So....Here are the playoff standings heading into tonight's action.  The schedule of remaining games for the respective teams that have not been eliminated is below the standings.

SECOND HALF WEST DIVISION PLAYOFF RACES

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

Clinton.....34-25... - ....-
Kane County 32-27...2.0 ...-

Beloit......29-28...4.0...2.0

Peoria......28-29...5.0...3.0
Wisconsin...29-31...5.5...3.5

REMAINING GAMES:
Wisconsin (10): 4v. KC; 3 v. QC; 3 @KC
Kane County (10): 4 @WI; 3 v. PEO; 3 v. WI
Clinton (11): 5 @PEO; 3 v. BEL; 3 @BUR
Beloit (10): 4 v. BUR; 3 @CLN; 3 v. CR
Peoria (11): 5 v. CLN; 3 @KC; 3 @QC

August 28, 2010: Tonight's Lineup

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

Scooter Gennett.......2B

Kentrail Davis........RF

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

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

D’Vontrey Richardson..CF

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

Austin Stockfisch......C

Michael Marseco.......SS

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

August 28, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher

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

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

LAST START: Howell was charged with the loss at Cedar Rapids on August 21. He gave up seven runs on nine hits over five innings.

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 14 starts and eight relief appearances in 2010. In his starts, Howell is 3-5 with a 4.69ERA. In his relief appearances, Howell is 0-1 with a save and a 5.79ERA. He has made ten appearances (five starts) at Time Warner Cable Field this season and is 2-1 with a save and a 3.38ERA. In his 12 appearances (nine starts) on the road, Howell is 1-5 with a 6.16ERA.

VS. KANE COUNTY: Howell has made one relief appearance against the Cougars this season. On April 10 at Time Warner Cable Field, he allowed three runs on five hits over three innings. Howell was not involved in the decision.

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

+-Game two of a doubleheader

*-Start

August 28, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers won 7-3 at Burlington. Chris Dennis homered and drove in four runs for Wisconsin. Efrain Nieves picked up the win and Jon Pokorny got the final four outs for his seventeenth save of the season. The Rattlers wrapped up their seven game road trip with a 4-3 record.

DENNIS THE MENACE: The Rattlers trailed 1-0 heading into the top of the third inning. Dennis started the inning with a strikeout, but reached on a wild pitch. He scored on a two-out RBI single by Cutter Dykstra. D’Vontrey Richardson put the Rattlers in front 2-1 with an RBI double in the fourth inning. Then, Dennis followed with a three-run homer. In the sixth inning, Dennis tripled in a run for his fourth RBI. Dennis has three games with four RBI and 21 multi-RBI games this season.

WELCOME BACK: Dykstra was activated off the disabled list before Friday’s game. He went 2-for-5 in his first game since Monday, August 16 and extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

SAVINGS PLAN: The Rattlers were up 7-3 with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Bees had the bases loaded and the tying run was at the plate. Pokorny entered the game from the bullpen and struck out Gerard Hall looking to end the threat. Pokorny pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his seventeenth save of the year. Pokorny has stranded 29 of 32 inherited base runners this season. He is two saves shy of tying the Timber Rattlers single season franchise record held by John Thompson since 1995.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Kane County Cougars are the Midwest League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Kane County is 32-27 in the second half. They currently hold the Second Half Western Division Wild Card spot. Kane County is 64-64 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 eight times this season. Wisconsin is 6-2 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 .254 as a team. They have scored 611 runs (4.8/game) and hit 73 home runs. The Cougars are hitting .253 as a team. They have scored 612 runs (4.8/game) and hit 59 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.78 while allowing a total of 678 runs (5.3/game) this season. Kane County pitchers have a team ERA of 3.87 while allowing a total of 566 runs (4.4/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 166 errors. The Cougars defense has committed 150 errors. Wisconsin is 28-35 at home this season. Kane County is 29-36 at home in 2010.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook placed 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 Jonathan Joseph was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2006 by the A’s. He was 0-2 in 18 games (six starts) for the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League in 2009. In his minor league career, Joseph was 8-8 with six saves and a 4.96ERA in 64 games (20 starts) heading into the 2010 season. In 178 career innings, he has struck out 164 hitters and walked 74. Joseph started this season with the Cougars and was 0-3 in seven games (two starts). Joseph was sent down to Vancouver and went 1-1 with a 2.68ERA in eight starts for the Canadians before being sent back to Kane County in early August. Since coming back to the Cougars, Joseph is 1-2 with a 2.45ERA and 27 strikeouts in 25-2/3 innings over five starts. Joseph was the starting pitcher on Opening Night at Time Warner Cable Field against the Rattlers. He allowed one run on three hits over three innings with a walks and four strikeouts. Joseph has also faced the Rattlers as a reliever. On May 26 at Kane County, he allowed a run on a hit over three innings and was charged with the loss. In his start prior to this evening, Joseph allowed an unearned run on three hits over five innings against Quad Cities on August 23. He struck out six, walked four, and was not involved in the decision.

August 27, 2010: Tonight's Lineup

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

Efrain Nieves.........SP

August 27, 2010: Tonight's Starting Pitcher

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 took the loss at Cedar Rapids on August 22. He allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits over 1-1/3 innings. Nieves walked one and struck out one at Perfect Game Field.

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. BURLINGTON: Nieves has made three appearances (one start) against the Bees in 2010. He is 1-1 with a 6.52 ERA, six walks, and eight strikeouts versus Burlington. In 9-2/3 innings, he has allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 11 hits.

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

*-Start

August 27, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers lost 10-3 at Burlington. Burlington scored in each of the first five innings and collected 12 hits in the game. Hilton Richardson drove in four runs and Burlington starting pitcher Keaton Hayenga snapped a personal 12-game losing streak in the win.

QUICK START: Hunter Morris gave the Rattlers an early 1-0 lead with a two-out homer in the top of the first inning. The home run was the ninth for Morris and gave him 39 RBI in 60 games since joining the Timber Rattlers.

MAVERICK TAMED: Rattlers starting pitcher Maverick Lasker allowed a two-run homer to Alex McClure, the second batter of the bottom of the first inning, and the Bees took a 2-1 lead. Lasker allowed eight runs on 11 hits over four innings. He walked one batter and threw three wild pitches in the game.

DRIP…DRIP…DRIP…The Bees added to their lead with two runs in the second, three in the third, and one in the fourth.

THREE x THREE: The Timber Rattlers matched their season high for triples in a game when they picked up three triples last night. Scooter Gennett, Chris Dennis, and D’Vontrey Richardson all had three-baggers last night. Wisconsin also had three triples in a game at Peoria on April 29.

BATTING TITLE NEWS: Scooter Gennett went 1-for-4 with a triple last night. His batting average dropped a point to .320. Mike Trout, who was promoted of the Cedar Rapids Kernels in July, has the highest average in the Midwest League at .362, but he may not qualify for the batting title (minimum 2.7 plate appearances per team game). If the Kernels play all of their remaining games, Cedar Rapids will play 138 games meaning Trout would need 373 plate appearances to qualify. Trout was promoted with 365 plate appearances. Also, Brian Cavazos-Galvez of Great Lakes (.319) and Sean Ochinko of Lansing (.318) are within striking distance of catching Gennett. Wisconsin has never had a batting champion. The last time a player for an Appleton Professional Baseball team won a Midwest League Batting title was 1966 when Grover Jones hit .364 for the Fox Cities Foxes.

HOWEVER, KEEP THIS IN MIND: Rule 10.22 (a) allows for Trout to be charged with the number of hitless at bats he needs to qualify for the Midwest League batting title. If eight hitless at bats are added to Trout’s numbers for 2010, he will be hitting .353 and could be declared this year’s batting champion.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Burlington Bees are the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are the two-time defending Midwest League Western Division Champions. The Bees are 20-36 in the second half of the season. They are 42-83 overall this season.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Bees have played eighteen games this season. Wisconsin leads the season series 11-7. The Rattlers went 9-1 against the Bees at Time Warner Cable Field. However, Wisconsin is just 2-6 in eight games against Burlington at Community Field. The Bees took two out of three from Wisconsin in Burlington in a first half series from April 14-16. The Bees swept a three game set from Wisconsin at Community Field July 1-3.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .254 as a team. They have scored 604 runs (4.8/game) and hit 72 home runs. The Bees are hitting .236 as a team. They have scored 525 runs (4.2/game) and hit 59 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.79 while allowing a total of 674 runs (5.3/game) this season. Burlington pitchers have a team ERA of 5.30 while allowing a total of 732 runs (5.9/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 166 errors. The Bees defense has committed 154 errors. Wisconsin is 26-38 on the road this season. Burlington is 24-40 at home in 2010.

BURLINGTON STARTING PITCHER: RHP Matt Mitchell was the 14th round pick of the Royals in the 2007 draft out of Barstow (CA) High School. He missed all of the 2009 season with Tommy John surgery. In 2008, Mitchell went 8-8 with a 3.47ERA in 25 games (21 starts) for the Bees. He is 1-7 in 24 games (16 starts) for Burlington in 2010. His last start was on August 15 against Quad Cities. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings for a no decision. Since that start, Mitchell has made a pair of relief appearances (August 21 and August 24) against the Beloit Snappers. In those two games, he allowed two runs on four hits over two innings. Mitchell has faced the Timber Rattlers twice this season. He was the starting pitcher at Community Field on April 16 and took the loss when he allowed four runs on seven hits over four innings. Mitchell walked four, hit a batter, and struck out two in that game. Mitchell pitched in relief against Wisconsin on July 12 at Time Warner Cable Field. Mitchell gave up a run on a hit with a walk and a strikeout.

August 27, 2010: Midwest League Playoff Pitcure

Since Kane County lost to Beloit the Rattlers didn't lose any ground to Kane County in the wild card race. But, that loss to the Bees hurt the playoff chances. Instead of being 2-1/2 games back with 11 to play and only Beloit between the Rattlers and Kane County, Peoria won last night and moved passed the Rattlers again.

Wisconsin has seven games remaining with Kane County, but they made things a lot tougher on themselves with that loss last night.

Meanwhile, Clinton is closing in on the second half division title.

Burlington has been eliminated from contention for the division title.  They are mathematically alive for the wild card.

Here are the updated playoff standings with the schedule of remaining games for the respective teams.

SECOND HALF WEST DIVISION PLAYOFF RACES

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

Clinton.....33-25... - ....-
Kane County 31-27...2.0 ...-

Beloit......29-27...3.0...1.0

Peoria......27-29...5.0...3.0
Wisconsin...28-31...5.5...3.5

Burlington..20-36..12.0..10.0

REMAINING GAMES:
Wisconsin (11): 1 @BUR; 4v. KC; 3 v. QC; 3 @KC
Kane County (11): 1 @BEL; 4 @WI; 3 v. PEO; 3 v. WI
Clinton (12): 1 v. QC; 5 @PEO; 3 v. BEL; 3 @BUR
Beloit (12): 1 v. KC; 4 v. BUR; 3 @CLN; 3 v. CR
Peoria (12): 1 v. CR; 5 v. CLN; 3 @KC; 3 @QC
Burlington (11): 1 v. WI; 4 @BEL; 3 @CR; 3 v. CLN

August 27, 1960 & August 27, 1985

Sponsored by Rasmussen College

50 Years Ago Today:

LINCOLN REDS.....2

FOX CITIES FOXES 4

Buster Narum pitched a complete game for the win. He allowed nine hits and walked one, but he struck out nine.

Charles Johnson hit a three-run homer for most of the Foxes offense.

Fox Cities is 78-47 and closing in on a Three-I League Championship.

25 Years Ago Today:

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

MADISON MUSKIES 200 000 000 - 2..7 2

APPLETON FOXES..000 200 001 - 3 10 1

ATTENDANCE: 520

Ken Reed with a complete game for his twelfth win of the season. Troy Thomas drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. Oh, and the Foxes clinched the Northern Division title!!

Madison scored a pair of runs in the top of the first. Wes Kent hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie the game.

The Foxes are 83-49 and clinched the pennant on their final home game of 1985.

It was noted in the Post-Crescent story that the crowd of 520 gave the Foxes an attendance of 72,860. That was good for the fourth best attendance in club history.

Midwest League Action: Games of August 26, 2010

Complete scoreboard

@Burlington 10, Wisconsin 3: Hayenga.

@Peoria 1, Cedar Rapids 0: Guts.

@Beloit 4, Kane County 3: Hicks' late blast

Quad Cities 5 @Clinton 4 (10); @Clinton 6, Quad Cities 3: Split.

@Fort Wayne 6, Great Lakes 4: Giant relief.

@West Michigan 10, Lansing 6: Playoff hunt.

Lake County 4 @Bowling Green 0: Solid start.

Dayton 3 @South Bend 1: Douse.

Brewers System Report: Games of August 26, 2010

Sponsored by Jockey.com

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 59-68; National League Central): The Brewers lost 7-1 to the Dodgers. Milwaukee had two hits in the game as they lost their fourth straight.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 70-62; Pacific Coast League American Northern Division): The Sounds beat New Orleans 7-3. Rey Olmedo went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and a homer for Nashville.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 63-67 overall; 30-30 second half; Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 3-2 at Mobile. The BayBears scored two runs in the seventh to rally past Huntsville’s 2-1 lead.

BREVARD COUNTY (Advanced-A: 61-69; 34-27 second half; Florida State League North Division): The Manatees lost 3-2 to Tampa. The Yankees scored two runs in the seventh to tie the game. They scored the go ahead run in the top of the eighth.

HELENA (Rookie: 33-28 overall; 14-9 second half; Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers beat Casper 20-8. Helena collected 28 hits in the game.

AZL BREWERS (Rookie: 33-21; Arizona League Central Division): The Brewers won the conclusion of their suspended game from August 17 with the Indians 4-3. But, the Indians won the regularly scheduled game 2-1 in thirteen innings.

BREWERS SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY:

Pittsburgh (James McDonald 2-3) at MILWAUKEE (Chris Narveson 9-7) 7:10pm CDT

New Orleans (Brian Lawrence 10-8) at NASHVILLE (Marty McLeary) 7:05pm CDT

HUNTSVILLE (Wily Peralta 1-2) at Mobile (Josh Collmenter 7-2) 7:05pm CDT

Clearwater at BREVARD COUNTY 6:05pm CDT

HELENA at Idaho Falls 8:15pm CDT

AZL BREWERS at AZL Dodgers 9:00pm CDT

Rattlers Alumni Report: MLB Games of August 26, 2010

@Indians 3, Athletics 2

CLE:

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

Shin-Soo Choo ('02): 0-for-3

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

@Nationals 11, Cardinals 10 (13)

STL:

Ryan Franklin (Foxes, '94): 2IP, 2H, 2R, 2K

Astros 5 @Phillies 1

PHI:

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

Dodgers 7 @Brewers 1

MIL:

Lorenzo Cain ('09): 0-for-3

Pitching Probables for Kane County Series (8/28-31)

SAT: LHP Del Howell ......v. RHP Jonathan Joseph (1-5, 3.35)
SUN: RHP Damon Krestalude v. RHP Chris Mederos (6-5, 2.63)

MON: RHP Hiram Burgos............v. RHP Dan Straily (8-7, 4.60)
TUE: RHP Jake Odorizzi.........v. RHP Jose Macias (0-1, 4.50)

This is usually where the starting lineup post would go

Edgar, the Egret of Excuses here.  Just letting you know that there are two lineup cards made out for tonight. But nothing official yet, I just didn't want to mess up the flow of the days posting.

It may be a while before the lineup is available. So, it may not be posted here tonight. You'll probably need to check the boxscore on today's scoreboard.

August 25, 2010: Tonight's starting picher

RHP MAVERICK LASKER: Selected by Milwaukee in the 5th round of the 2008 draft out of Sandra Day O’Connor High School in Phoenix, Arizona.

LAST SEASON: Lasker went 5-1 with a 3.26 ERA in 13 games (one start) for the Arizona League affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. He was a late season addition to the Timber Rattlers roster and Lasker went 1-1 in a pair of Midwest League starts.

PRO CAREER DELAYED: Lasker did not pitch professionally in 2008. He was placed on the disabled list of the Arizona League affiliate of the Brewers in July and was not activated until September.

WHERE EAGLES DARE: Lasker’s team made it to the Arizona State Baseball Championship Game for Class 4A-I.

SAYING NO TO SAN DIEGO: Lasker turned down a scholarship offer to play college baseball at San Diego State University.

PRO DEBUT: Lasker made his first appearance as a professional as a reliever for the Arizona League Brewers on June 27, 2009 against the Angels. He pitched two innings, allowed two runs on two hits, walked two and struck out one in his relief appearance.

MAULING THE COUGARS: Lasker made his Midwest League debut on August 31, 2009 at Kane County. He pitched seven scoreless innings and picked up the win. Lasker allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out three.

RANKING: Baseball America lists Lasker as the #30 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

LAST START: Lasker faced Beloit at Time Warner Cable Field on August 20. He allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits over four innings. Lasker walked three, struck out two, and threw a pair of wild pitches. Lasker was not involved in the decision, but the Rattlers would win 14-11.

VS. BURLINGTON: Lasker has made one relief appearance against the Bees in 2010. He pitched two scoreless innings at Time Warner Cable Field on May 22. Lasker did not walk a batter and struck out a pair. He was not involved in the decision.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:

INNINGS PITCHED: 9.0 (6/29/10 v. Quad Cities)

STRIKEOUTS: 10 (8/11/09 @AZL Athletics)

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

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

4/13..CLI*.......5.0 3 1.1..2..5..1.80

4/18..@QC*..Loss 5.0 7 4.3..0..3..3.60

4/23..BEL*..Loss 4.0 6 6.6..3..3..6.43

5/1+..@BEL.......2.0 1 0.0..0..0..5.63

5/5...QC*........4.2 4 2.2..6..6..5.23

5/11^.@QC*..Win..5.0 2 2.2..4..6..4.91

5/16..BEL...Win..2.0 2 0 0..0..1..4.55

5/22..BUR........2.0 1 0 0..0..2..4.25

5/29..@CR*..Loss 5.0 6 4 4..1..1..4.67

6/3...@FW* .Win..5.2 5 3 1..3..5..4.24

6/9^..BG*........4.2 4 1 0..2..2..3.80

6/15..@CLI*.Win..7.0 5 1 1..0..6..3.46

6/20..@KC...Win..4.0 3 0 0..0..3..3.21

6/29..QC*........9.0 4 3 1..1..8..2.91

7/3...@CR*.......3.1 7 4 4..2..1..3.29

7/9...@BEL*......6.2 6 3 3..2..5..3.36

7/21..@WMI Win...7.0 4 1 1..0..2..3.18
7/28..@PEO Loss..5.0 5 5 5..3..4..3.52
8/3...PEO* Win...7.0 3 1 0..1..3..3.26
8/12..QC.........2.1 4 4 4..1..1..3.55
8/20..BEL*.......4.0 8 6 5..3..3..3.86

+-Game two of a doubleheader

^-Game one of a doubleheader

*-Start

August 26, 2010: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers beat the Bees 7-4. Michael Marseco drove in three runs and Hiram Burgos was the winning pitcher for Wisconsin. The win was the third straight for the Rattlers.

RATTLERS FIVE: The Timber Rattlers took a 5-0 lead by scoring three runs in the second and two more in the third. Marseco’s two-out, two-run single in the second inning put the Rattlers up 2-0. Kentrail Davis forced in a run by drawing a bases loaded walk later in the second. Austin Stockfisch and Marseco would drive in runs in the third inning for a five run lead.

GETTING THE JOB DONE: Davis has seven plate appearances with the bases loaded this season. He is 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and two sacrifice flies to drive in six runs in that situation.

DOING MORE: Davis also drove in a run in a two-run sixth inning with a triple after D’Vontrey Richardson doubled to start the inning. Davis is 21-for-55 (.382) with 34 RBI with runners in scoring position since joining the Rattlers.

JUST A LITTLE PATIENCE: The Rattlers drew nine walks last night. That matches a season high for the team.

BURGOS THE STARTER: Burgos is 4-0 with a 3.38ERA in six starts for the Timber Rattlers since rejoining the club in late July. Last night he allowed four runs on eight hits over six innings. Burgos struck out one and did not walk a batter.

HIGHWAY 101: The Timber Rattlers turned a pair of double plays last night. Wisconsin has 101 twin killings this season.

YO, ADRIAN! Adrian Rosario picked up the save last night. Last night was the second game in a row that Rosario picked up the save. He got the final three outs with a pair of strikeouts on Tuesday night is Cedar Rapids to complete the no-hitter against the Kernels. Last night, Rosario got the final four outs – retiring all four batters he faced – to get his second save of the season. Rosario struck out three more batters in Wednesday’s game. In his last six appearances, Rosario has struck out 24 opposing batters and walked four in 15-1/3 innings.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Burlington Bees are the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are the two-time defending Midwest League Western Division Champions. The Bees are 19-36 in the second half of the season. They are 41-83 overall this season.

2010 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers and Bees have played seventeen games this season. Wisconsin leads the season series 11-6. The Rattlers went 9-1 against the Bees at Time Warner Cable Field. However, Wisconsin is just 2-5 in seven games against Burlington at Community Field. The Bees took two out of three from Wisconsin in Burlington in a first half series from April 14-16. The Bees swept a three game set from Wisconsin at Community Field July 1-3.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .255 as a team. They have scored 601 runs (4.8/game) and hit 71 home runs. The Bees are hitting .235 as a team. They have scored 515 runs (4.2/game) and hit 58 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 4.74 while allowing a total of 664 runs (5.3/game) this season. Burlington pitchers have a team ERA of 5.33 while allowing a total of 729 runs (5.9/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 166 errors. The Bees defense has committed 152 errors. Wisconsin is 26-37 on the road this season. Burlington is 23-40 at home in 2010.

BURLINGTON STARTING PITCHER: RHP Keaton Hayenga was selected in the 31st round of the 2007 draft out of Eastlake High School in Sammamish, Washington. Hayenga did not pitch professionally until 2009 due to a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder during his senior season. He turned down a basketball scholarship to Washington State to play baseball. Hayenga made his professional debut in 2009 with the Burlington (NC) Royals of the Appalachian League. He went 4-7 with a 3.66 ERA in 13 starts. In his start prior to this evening, Hayenga took the loss against Burlington on August 21 at home. He allowed six runs on seven hits over five innings. Hayenga has faced Wisconsin four times in 2010. He lost at Wisconsin on June 26. The Rattlers scored eight runs on six hits over 5-1/3 innings and went on to an 11-7 win. The Rattlers also beat Hayenga on May 23 at Time Warner Cable Field. They got to him for seven runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks over 4-1/3 innings. On July 1 at Community Field, Hayenga had a no decision, but allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings. Hayenga, Baseball America’s #23 rated prospect in the Kansas City organization, struck out four in that game. The last time he faced the Rattlers he had a no decision on July 12 at Time Warner Cable Field despite allowing six runs on nine hits over five innings. Hayenga has lost 12 straight decisions.