Tonight's Rattler Starting Pitcher (8/7)

LH EDWARD PAREDES: Signed as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic by Seattle in May, 2005.

RATINGS: Baseball America ranked Paredes as the #22 prospect in the Seattle Mariner system before the start of the 2008 season.

BRAVO: Paredes took a no-hitter into the bottom of the eighth inning at Cedar Rapids on May 21. He allowed a two-out single to Anel De Los Santos, but finished the eighth without allowing another hit. The Rattlers beat the Kernels 1-0. Paredes struck out four and walked two for the win.

AWARD WINNER: Paredes was named the Midwest League pitcher of the week on May 26 for his performance on May 21.

LAST START: Paredes was beaten by Great Lakes on August 1 in Grand Chute. He allowed five runs one four hits with four walks over 3-1/3 innings. Paredes struck out two in the 8-6 loss to the Loons.

VS. CLINTON: Paredes pitched one inning in relief against the LumberKings at Alliant Energy Field on June 15. He did not allow a hit or a run; did not issue a walk; and did not strikeout anyone.

PROFESSIONAL HIGHS
INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (2x – Last: 7/16/08 vs. South Bend)
STRIKEOUTS: 8 (3x – Last: 7/27/08 vs. Beloit)

August 7 Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers beat the LumberKings 5-4. Wisconsin trailed 4-0 after seven innings. The Rattlers scored five runs in top of the eighth to rally for the win. Israel Nunez drove in the tying runs with a two-out, two-run double. Maximo Mendez drove in the go-ahead run with a drag bunt single.

EARLY ON: The LumberKings built their 4-0 lead with single runs in the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Catcher Jose Felix drove in runs in the fourth and sixth with singles.

RALLY TIME! Daniel Carroll and Denny Almonte drew walks to start the top of the eighth against reliever Fabio Castillo. Castillo got the second out, but Joe Dunigan and Alex Liddi greeted reliever Ryan Turner with RBI singles to make the score 4-2. Turner got the second out and Chris Dennis relieved. Alex Meneses drew a walk to load the bases and set the stage for Nunez.

BASES LOADED? NO PROBLEM: Nunez drove a 1-2 pitch just inside the third base bag to send two runs home with a double. Nunez had struck out in his only other bases loaded at bat this season.

THAT’S A HOT STREAK: The Rattlers are 2-for-2 with four RBI in their last two at bats with the bases loaded.

SMALL BALL: Mendez knocked in the go-ahead run with a drag bunt that made it past the mound to second base.

IT DON’T COME EASY: The Rattlers needed three pitchers to make it through the bottom of the eighth. Jose Jimenez retired two of three batters faced and left the game with a runner at first. Rob Harmon relieved and walked the only two batters he faced to load the bases. Jeff Dunbar entered the game and got the final out on a grounder to second base.

FINISH WITH A FLOURISH: Dunbar walked a LumberKing with one out in the bottom of the ninth. That brought up Jonathan Greene, who has 19 home runs this season. Dunbar got Greene to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play. That was the fifth double play of the series turned by the Timber Rattler defense.

STILL SCORELESS: Dunbar has not allowed a run in nine appearances over 9-2/3 innings for the Timber Rattlers this season. He is 4-for-4 in save opportunities with Wisconsin.

RUNNING WILD: There were 11 stolen bases last night. Clinton was 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts in the game. Tim Smith had three steals for the LumberKings. Wisconsin was 4-for-4 in stolen bases. Mendez swiped a pair of bases for the Rattlers.

THREE-WAY TIE: Wisconsin has three players tied for the team lead in stolen bases. Mendez, Dunigan, and Carroll all have 22 stolen bases this season.

HELPING HAND: Almonte threw out Miguel Alfonzo trying to stretch a single into a double in the second inning. Almonte leads the Timber Rattlers in outfield assists with eight.

A NEW STANDARD: Last night was the first time the Rattlers have rallied from a deficit larger than three runs this season.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Clinton LumberKings are the Midwest League affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They were the first half Western Division Champions with a record of 41-26. They are currently 64-48 overall and have the best record in the Midwest League. Clinton is 32-26 at home this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .241 as a team and have scored 428 runs (3.9/game). Wisconsin has hit 45 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.92. Clinton is hitting .270 as a team to lead the Midwest League in that category. They have scored 553 runs (4.9/game) and lead the league in that category. The LumberKings have hit 93 home runs this season. The Clinton pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.50.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers lead the season series with a 5-3 record. The LumberKings won the only game played between the teams in Grand Chute in April. The other three games of that series were washed/frozen/snowed away. The Rattlers won four out of five games played at Alliant Energy Field over June 13-15.

CLINTON STARTING PITCHER: RH Jorge Quintero was signed by the Texas Rangers as a non-drafted free agent in August 2005 out of Venezuela. He spent time with the Dominican Summer League Rangers, the Arizona League Rangers, and the Bakersfield Blaze in 2007. In 12 games (three starts) with the Rangers affiliate in the Arizona League Quintero had no record, no saves and an ERA of 0.96. He allowed four runs (three earned) and struck out 22 while walking seven over 28 innings pitched. He is 5-6 with a save in 25 games (eight starts) with a 6.48ERA this season. Quintero’s last appearance for the LumberKings was a loss at Cedar Rapids on August 1. He allowed four runs on eight hits over five innings. Quintero is 1-1 in three appearances (one start) against the Timber Rattlers this season. Quintero was the starting pitcher for Clinton in the Rattler home opener on April 7 and got the win. He allowed one run on three hits over five innings for the victory. He mad a pair of relief appearances against the Rattlers in the five-game, three-day series at Alliant Energy Field June13-15. Quintero was the losing pitcher in the second game of the doubleheader on June 13 as he allowed two runs on three hits over 2/3 of an inning. He pitched in the second game of the doubleheader on June 14 and allowed one run on two hits in one inning of work.

Four hours

No. Seriously. It took me four hours to put up those last two posts.

There is other stuff I need to do now. So, I'll try to get more posted from the ballpark later tonight.

Midwest League Action (8/6)

August 6 scoreboard.

Wisconsin 5, @Clinton 4: For the second straight night the Clinton LumberKings saw their lead slip away late in the game, but this time the LumberKings didn’t have enough magic to come back

West Michigan 1 @ Great Lakes 1 (Suspended): It was a dark and stormy night.

Fort Wayne 2, @Dayton 1 (11 innings): Brad Chalk’s one-out single brought in pinch-runner Robert Perry from third base to break a 1-1 tie in the top of the 11th inning as the Fort Wayne Wizards edged the Dayton Dragons 2-1 on Wednesday night.

Lansing 3, @ South Bend 1 (10 innings): An unusual play could have cost the South Bend Silver Hawks two runs in a 3-1 extra-inning Midwest League baseball loss to Lansing Wednesday night at Coveleski Stadium. South Bend had runners on second and third and two out in the second inning when Matt Oxendine's line drive caromed off umpire Phil Henry behind the pitcher's mound. The ball was dead and Oxendine was awarded first base, but the other runners could not advance.

@Kane County 8, Beloit 1: “[We] made their guy, Shooter – Shooter McGavin – [we] made him throw strikes,” Nieckula joked. “He got wild a little bit there in the fourth inning and we got to him.”

Burlington 6, @Peoria 2: "It's nice to come home and play in front of some hometown fans and family," Eigsti said. "You can say that I saw the ball well (Wednesday) and it found some barrels."

@Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 0: The Cedar Rapids Kernels move into second place in the MWL West with a 2-0 victory over the Quad Cities River Bandits on Wednesday night.

Mariner System Report (Games of 8/6)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 44-70 4th American League West): The Mariners lost 7-3 at home to Minnesota. Seattle was down 4-0, but pulled to within 4-3. However, the Twins scored three runs off Mark Lowe (’05) in the eighth inning to put the game away.

TACOMA (AAA: 63-55, 2nd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers beat Albuquerque 8-0. Matt Tuiasosopo (’05) hit a pair of homers and drove in three runs for Tacoma. The win was the ninth straight for the Rainiers.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 59-56, 18-27 4th Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx lost 3-1 to Huntsville. Greg Halman (’07) drove in the only run for West Tennessee. Joe Woerman (’06) allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings and took the loss to Nick Ungs, who tossed a complete game for the Stars.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 52-63, 20-25 second half 5th California League South Division): The Mavericks lost 4-2 at Lake Elsinore. High Desert tied the game with a run in the top of the ninth, but Steve Richard (’07) gave up a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to take the loss.

EVERETT (Short Season-A: 20-29, 3rd Northwest League Western Division): The AquaSox beat Tri-City 6-3. Four runs in the bottom of the third inning -- and four hits in the game -- were enough for the Sox.

PULASKI (Rookie: 29-19, 1st Appalachian League East Division): The M’s beat Johnson City 5-2.

PEORIA (Rookie: 15-22, 6-3 T-2nd Arizona League): The AZL M’s beat the Royals 1-0 with a run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Tampa Bay (Andy Sonnanstine 11-6) at Seattle (Felix Hernandez 7-7) 9:10pm CDT
Tacoma – OFF DAY
Huntsville (Mike Jones 1-4) at West Tennessee (Tracy Thorpe 0-0) 7:05pm CDT
High Desert (Jake Wild 1-0) at Lake Elsinore (Rolando Valdez 4-4) 9:08pm CDT
Tri-City at Everett 9:05pm CDT
Johnson City at Pulaski 6:00pm CDT
AZL Mariners at AZL Brewers 9:00pm CDT

Tonight's Rattler Starting Pitcher (8/6)

RH BRETT LORIN was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 5th round of the 2008 draft out of Long Beach State University.

TAKE TO THE HILLS: Lorin was 4-6 with a 1.94ERA in his senior season at Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, California. He tossed a no-hitter as a senior there in 2005.

WILDCATS: Lorin redshirted in 2006 at the University of Arizona. He would appear in six games as a reliever in 2007 without a decision. In 9-2/3 innings pitched, Lorin allowed 10 runs on 14 hits with seven walks and nine strikeouts.

I THOUGHT YOU WERE FROM LONG BEACH: Lorin transferred to Long Beach State after the 2007 season. In his only season with the 49ers, he went 5-3 with a 2.61ERA in 15 games (8 starts). Lorin struck out 31 and walked 14 over 48-1/3 innings pitched.

OUT IN THE NORTHWEST: Lorin began his professional career with the Everett AquaSox. He appeared in five games (all starts) for the Northwest League affiliate of the Mariners. Lorin went 1-0 with a 2.82 ERA and struck out 29 while walking nine in 22-1/3 innings pitched.

LAST START: Lorin got a no decision in a start against the Lansing Lugnuts on July 30 on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Lorin allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over four innings. The Lugnuts would win the game 4-2.

LAST WIN: Lorin got his first professional win on June 22 against the Boise Hawks. He allowed one run on three hits and over six innings in a 2-1 Everett win at home. Lorin struck out 13 and did not walk a batter in the game.

VS. CLINTON: Lorin is making his first appearance against the LumberKings tonight.

VS. RANGERS: Lorin made his first professional appearance against the Spokane Indians on June 19. He did not allow a hit or a walk over two scoreless innings. Lorin struck out two in that game.

PROFESSIONAL HIGHS
INNINGS PITCHED: 6.0: (2x: Last 7/13 @ Fort Wayne)
STRIKEOUTS: 13: 6/22 vs. Boise

August 6 Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The LumberKings defeated the Timber Rattlers 5-4. Mitch Moreland drove in a pair of runs for Clinton. His second RBI was on a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie and drive in the game-winning run.

THE LEAD UP: Clinton took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run by Tim Smith off Wisconsin starting pitcher Keith Renaud in the bottom of the second inning. Clinton starting pitcher Ryan Tatusko kept the Timber Rattlers off the scoreboard early by retiring the first 12 batters he faced.

RATTLER RISING: Joe Dunigan snapped that streak of consecutive outs with a leadoff double in the top of the fifth. Denny Almonte followed with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Blake Ochoa’s two-out single drove in Almonte and the Rattlers had a 2-1 lead.

FLIP, FLOP, AND FLY: Almonte’s drive up the middle took a bad hop off the arm of Clinton shortstop David Stoneburner. The play was originally ruled an RBI single. Later, the play was changed to an error on Stoneburner and no RBI was given. After the game, the play was changed back to an RBI single for Almonte.

BRINGING THE LUMBER: Clinton tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Moreland. They took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI double by Kyle Murphy and a successful suicide squeeze bunt by Matt Lawson that went for a single.

DANCING ON THE EDGE: Renaud allowed the leadoff batter to reach base in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. The LumberKings put the leadoff man aboard in the eighth and ninth innings, too.

TURNING TWO: The Timber Rattler defense turned four double plays last night. Wisconsin turned a 3-6-3 double play in the first, a 6-3 twin killing in the third, and a 4-3 double play in the fifth. First baseman Ron Garth turned an unassisted double play in the fourth.

LOADED QUESTION: The Rattlers trailed 4-2 in the top of the eighth inning, but loaded the bases with one out. However, Joseph Ortiz recorded a pair of strikeouts to keep the Rattlers off the scoreboard. That ran Wisconsin’s record with the bases loaded to 11-for-71 with 22 strikeouts this season.

BUT IN THE NINTH: The Rattlers loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth against Clinton closer Adalberto Flores. Daniel Carroll drove a single to left on a 2-2 pitch to knock in the tying runs. Wisconsin is 12-for-72 (.167) as a team with the bases loaded. Carroll is 2-for-4 with a pair of walks and six RBI when he bats with the sacks full.

HOWEVER: Stoneburner doubled to leadoff the bottom of the ninth against Rattler reliever Jose Escalona. A bunt single by Engel Beltre put runners at the corners with no outs. Escalona got the first out, but Moreland singled over a drawn-in outfield to drive in the winning run.

RBI MEN: Mitch Moreland is the Midwest League leader in RBI with 77. Teammate Jonathan Greene is second with 73.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Clinton LumberKings are the Midwest League affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They were the first half Western Division Champions with a record of 41-26. They are currently 64-47 overall and have the best record in the Midwest League. Clinton is 32-25 at home this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .241 as a team and have scored 423 runs (3.8/game). Wisconsin has hit 45 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.92. Clinton is hitting .270 as a team to lead the Midwest League in that category. They have scored 549 runs (4.9/game) and lead the league in that category. The LumberKings have hit 93 home runs this season. The Clinton pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.48.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers lead the season series with a 4-3 record. The LumberKings won the only game played between the teams in Grand Chute in April. The other three games of that series were washed/frozen/snowed away. The Rattlers won four out of five games played at Alliant Energy Field over June 13-15.

CLINTON STARTING PITCHER: RH Michael Main was the 24th overall pick of the 2007 draft out of DeLand (FL) High School. In his senior season, Main went 12-1 with a 1.02ERA and 121 strikeouts and hit .457 with 3 homers and 22 RBI with 24 stolen bases to be named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Florida. Signed a letter of intent to attend Florida State, but elected to turn pro after being selected in the first round by the Rangers. He went 2-1 with an ERA of 3.21 and 34 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched over 10 starts between the Arizona League and the Northwest League with Spokane last season. He began this season with the Arizona League affiliate of the Rangers. Main was 1-1 in three starts with a 3.38ERA and 15 strikeouts over 13-1/3 innings before joining the LumberKings in early July. He is 1-0 with a 2.04ERA in four starts with Clinton. In his last start for the LumberKings, Main got his first Midwest League win as he allowed one run on three hits over six innings against South Bend on July 31. Main is making his first appearance against the Timber Rattlers tonight, but he has made three starts against Seattle affiliates in his career. He is 1-1 and has allowed six runs (three earned) on nine hits and has struck out 17 over 13-1/3 innings. His first professional win was on August 20, 2007 against Everett, a game in which he allowed a run on three hits and struck out nine over five innings. Main was rated as the #6 prospect in the Texas organization by Baseball America before the 2008 season.

Plans

They can go out the window when the internet at the hotel decides to work for five minutes at a time.

Seriously. The wireless at the team hotel worked perfectly between 6am and 10am. I go to grab breakfast and lunch and two hours later it goes all haywire.

I owe a bunch of posts of the Rattler History...since 2000 variety and there are a few other things about which I would like to post. Maybe tonight...but don't bet on it. The internet at the hotel apparently doesn't work between 11pm and 1am.

That said, it will be a busy morning on Thursday. For right now, here are the Game Notes and the Tonight's Starting Pitcher posts.

Times on Feierabend

Pitcher Ryan Feierabend is healthy and winning

After three starts, it has all come back. The velocity is back in the low 90s. The breaking ball is fooling hitters again. The delivery — and nothing's more important than the delivery — has been straight to the plate.

Starter Ryan Feierabend has returned to the Tacoma Rainiers after more than two months on the disabled list and pitched like he never left.

"Knock on wood," he says, lightly tapping the wooden bench of the home dugout, "it stays the same way."

Midwest League Action (8/5)

August 5 scoreboard.

@Clinton 5, Wisconsin 4: Rats.

@Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 2: "We’ve got to finish strong from here on out,” said pitcher Robert Fish, after he helped the Kernels to a 4-2 win over Quad Cities Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. “Our number is 17. If we can get that many wins, then we’re probably going to be in the playoffs.”

@Dayton 2, Fort Wayne 1: Said Dragons manager Donnie Scott, "Thank goodness Mr. Bour was forced in there."

@South Bend 3, Lansing 0: "I knew I could get to it,'' said Harbin. "If I could have thrown out the runner it would have been a plus. I knew I had to keep the ball on the infield.''

West Michigan 5, @Great Lakes 0: "I was just trying to attack, attack, attack all night," he said. "{Catcher Alex) Avila did a great job calling pitches, and we were on the same page all night. The defense and the offense were there and that makes it a lot easier."

Beloit 5, @Kane County 1: “As you go up the levels, the defense gets that much better,” Hollingsworth said. “The game kind of [stinks] when things go like that.”

Burlington 7, @Peoria 4: 'He was throwing (two-seam fastballs) to me earlier and I was able to get a hold of one,' Moustakas said. 'He's an unbelievable pitcher. It's a thrill to be able to do that.'

Mariner System Report (Games of 8/5)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 44-69 4th American League West): The Mariners beat Minnesota 8-7. Minnesota took a 7-6 lead with four runs in the top of the eighth. Jose Lopez knocked in two runs in the bottom of the eighth for the winning runs. Raul Ibanez (Foxes, ’94) homered and drove in five more runs for Seattle.

TACOMA (AAA: 62-55, T-2nd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers beat Albuquerque 5-3. Rob Johnson (’05) homered and drove in a pair of runs for Tacoma. Jon Nelson (’03) also drove in two runs in the eighth win in a row for the Rainiers.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 59-55, 18-26 4th Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx lost 9-4 at Montgomery. Brent Johnson (’05) and Jeffery Dominguez (’06) both homered for West Tennessee, but the Biscuits rallied from a 4-3 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 52-62, 20-24 second half 5th California League South Division): The Mavericks won 6-4 at Lake Elsinore. High Desert broke a 3-3 tie with three runs in the top of the ninth.

EVERETT (Short Season-A: 19-29, 4th Northwest League Western Division): The AquaSox beat Vancouver 9-3. A five-run bottom of the eighth inning put the game away for Everett.

PULASKI (Rookie: 28-19, 1st Appalachian League East Division): The M’s lost 13-7 to Johnson City.

PEORIA (Rookie: 14-22, 5-3 T-3rd Arizona League): The AZL M’s were off on Tuesday.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Minnesota (Nick Blackburn 8-6) at Seattle (Jarrod Washburn 5-10) 3:40pm CDT
Albuquerque (Rick VandenHurk 1-0) at Tacoma (Scott Shoemaker 2-3) 1:30pm CDT
Huntsville at West Tennessee 7:05pm CDT
High Desert (Steve Uhlmansiek 2-3) at Lake Elsinore (Ernesto Frieri 6-6) 9:08pm CDT
Tri-City (Parker Frazier 3-3) at Everett (Aaron Brown 0-3) 9:05pm CDT
Johnson City at Pulaski 6:00pm CDT
AZL Royals at AZL Mariners 9:00pm CDT

Welcome to Clinton

Actual first words heard upon arriving at Alliant Energy Field today.

"Yeah, we vacuumed the visiting radio booth. So, all the dead flies should be out of there."

Why was I thinking of that one scene from The Amityville Horror?

Tonight's Rattler Starting Pitcher (8/5)

RH KEITH RENAUD: Selected by Seattle in the 10th round of the 2007 draft out of Franklin Pierce College of New Hampshire.

2007 AS A RATTLER: Renaud went 2-0 with a 3.50ERA in 18 games (2 starts) with Wisconsin in 2007. He walked 18 and struck out 30 in 36 innings.

2008 SO FAR: Renaud started the year with the High Desert Mavericks. He went 3-9 with a 7.68 ERA. Renaud joined the Timber Rattlers on June 27.

LAST START: Renaud beat the Beloit Snappers on July 28. He worked 6-2/3 scoreless innings and allowed four hits. Renaud walked two and struck out one as he earned his first win of the season.

VS. CLINTON: Renaud faced the LumberKings twice in 2007. He pitched five scoreless innings, allowed five hits, and struck out five in two relief appearances. Renaud got a save against the LumberKings on August 31 at Alliant Energy Field. He pitched three shutout innings and struck out three for his first professional save.

VS. RANGERS: Renaud made two starts against the Bakersfield Blaze, the California League affiliate of the Texas Rangers, earlier this season for the High Desert Mavericks. He allowed 10 runs (eight earned) over 10 innings with 12 walks and four walks as he went 0-2.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 7.0 (6/30 @Burlington)
STRIKEOUTS: 6 (6/30 @Burlington)

August 5 game notes

LAST ACTION: The Timber Rattlers defeated the Great Lakes Loons 3-2 on Sunday afternoon. Michael Pineda struck out 11 over seven innings and picked up his team leading seventh win of the season. Alex Liddi’s fourth inning homer broke a 2-2 tie. Keith Meyer and Jeff Dunbar each worked an inning of scoreless relief to preserve the Rattler win.

GOES TO ELEVEN: Pineda became the first Timber Rattler pitcher to reach double digits in strikeouts this season. Several Rattler pitchers had struck out nine in a game prior to Sunday. Pineda struck out the side in order in the top of the first and eight in the first four innings.

MOST SINCE: The last Rattler to reach ten or more K’s in a game was Ricky Orta. He struck out 12 Great Lakes Loon batters on July 28, 2007.

K:BB: Pineda did not walk any batters in his outing on Sunday. He has struck out 92 and walked 32 in 106 innings pitched this season.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Pineda has seven wins this season. Steve Richard’s seven wins were the most by a Rattler pitcher in 2007.

OFFENSE: Denny Almonte broke an 0-for-9 streak with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning to give the Rattlers a 2-0 lead. The Loons rallied to tie the game with two runs in the top of the fourth. Brandon Taylor reached on an error that allowed the first run to score from third base. Jaime Ortiz singled to drive in the second run and put runners at first and second with no outs.

GETTING OUT: Pineda got out of the fourth inning jam with a double play ball and a strikeout to keep the game tied 2-2.

HOME: Liddi has four home runs this season. The one that he hit on Sunday was his first in Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium in 2008.

BACK TO THE BULLPEN: Meyer, who started, pitched five innings, and won the game on July 31 against Lansing, worked a scoreless eighth inning to protect the 3-2 lead.

UNSCORED UPON: Dunbar has made eight relief appearances for the Timber Rattlers this season. He has not allowed a run in 8-1/3 innings pitched and is 3-for-3 in save opportunities. Between his stop in the Appalachian League pitching for Pulaski and his time with the Rattlers this season, Dunbar is 6-for-6 in save situations.

SUCCESSFUL STAND: Despite dropping two out of three to the Loons, Wisconsin went 6-4 in the ten games that were decided during their nine-day homestand.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Clinton LumberKings are the Midwest League affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They were the first half Western Division Champions with a record of 41-26. They are currently 63-47 overall and have the best record in the Midwest League. Clinton is 31-25 at home this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .241 as a team and have scored 419 runs (3.8/game). Wisconsin has hit 45 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.91. Clinton is hitting .269 as a team to lead the Midwest League in that category. They have scored 544 runs (4.9/game) and lead the league in that category. The LumberKings have hit 92 home runs this season. The Clinton pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.48.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers lead the season series with a 4-2 record. The LumberKings won the only game played between the teams in Grand Chute in April. The other three games of that series were washed/frozen/snowed away. The Rattlers won four out of five games played at Alliant Energy Field over June 13-15.

MEAN GREENE MACHINE: Clinton outfielder Jonathan Greene has 19 home runs and is tied for the Midwest League lead with former teammate Ian Gac. Gac was promoted shortly after the end of the first half. Greene is second in the league in RBI with 73. He is just behind teammate Mitch Moreland, who leads the league with 75.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook placed four current LumberKings on its list of top 30 Ranger prospects heading into the 2008 season. Pitcher Michael Main is the highest rated at #6. Pitchers Blake Beavan (#8) and Fabio Castillo (#14) are joined by outfielder Engel Beltre (#10).

OUT OF THE DRAFT 2007: The LumberKings have ten members of the 2007 Texas Ranger draft class on their current roster. Pitchers Blake Beavan and Michael Main were both first round selections of the Rangers in 2007. Bevan was picked 17th overall out of Irving (TX) High School. Main was selected 24th overall out of DeLand (FL) High School. Pitchers Ryan Tatusko (18th round) and Ryan Turner (45th) are joined by infielders Jonathan Greene (8th), Matt Lawson (14th), Mitch Moreland (17th), and Davis Stoneburner (9th) and outfielders Kyle Murphy (19th) and Tim Smith (7th).

OUT OF THE DRAFT 2008: The Rangers have not sent any of their 2008 draft picks to Clinton yet.

CLINTON STARTING PITCHER: RH Ryan Tatusko was the 18th round pick of the Rangers in the 2007 draft out of Indiana State University. Tatusko’s first professional stop was with Spokane in the Northwest League. He went 3-7 with a 4.13ERA in 16 games (13 starts) for the Indians. Tatusko is 2-8 with a save and an ERA of 4.44 in 26 games (10 starts) for the LumberKings this season. In his appearance prior to this evening, Tatusko allowed three runs on eight hits over six innings in a loss at South Bend on July 30. Tatusko made one appearance against the Timber Rattlers earlier this season. He came on in relief in the second game of the day-night doubleheader on June 14 and allowed five runs on nine hits over four innings.

Probable Pitchers (@Clinton)

TUE: RHP Keith Renaud (1-2, 3.82) vs. RHP Ryan Tatusko (2-8, 4.44)
WED: RHP Brett Lorin (0-1, 3.38) vs. RHP Michael Main (1-0, 2.04)
THU: LHP Edward Paredes (6-10, 4.81) vs. RHP Jorge Quintero (5-6, 6.48)
FRI: RHP Juan Ramirez (4-8, 4.55) vs. RHP Blake Beavan (8-6, 2.42)

Good night, Skip

Growing up when I did and enjoying baseball as much as I did, it was hard not to catch an Atlanta Braves game on Superstation TBS.

Skip Caray was not nearly as flamboyant as his father, but he was a great announcer and he made Braves games seem interesting even when the Braves themselves were not.

Skip died on Sunday.

Skip Caray, a voice of the Atlanta Braves for 33 years and part of a family line of baseball broadcasters that included Hall of Famer Harry Caray, died at home on Sunday, the team said. He was 68.

The cause of death was not immediately known, but various health problems had limited Caray to calling only Braves home games this season.

"We've all lost a very good friend," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "For me, he was a good buddy -- at the park and away from the park. We always had a lot of great laughs. He will be very sorely missed."

You got that right, Bobby.

I am happy that I found one of my favorite Caray family stories in this old Sports Illustrated article.

Harry Caray , in point of fact, used to interrupt his Cardinal broadcast every night at 8:30 to say, "Good night, Skip." This became something of an embarrassment to Skip when he took up football at Webster Groves High School outside of St. Louis . "Just before the snap," recalls Skip, "the big guy across the line from me would always snarl, 'Good night, Skip.' "

The call he is best known for is Sid Bream's dash for home in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS against the Pirates.

But there were so many other.

Good night, Skip.

Alumni Report

Last Friday's Alumni report is available.

Highlights:

Hot - Michael Garciaparra ('03) Huntsville Stars (Brewers) .333, 12 RBI in July

Cold - Chris Tillman ('07) Bowie Baysox (Orioles) 0-1, 5.82 ERA, 16 walks in 21.2 innings in July

Click on the link for the rest.

See...

...who is rehabbing tonight for the Cubs in Peoria tonight.

The Peoria Chiefs in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs have announced that RHP Jon Lieber will make a rehab start for the Chiefs against the Burlington Bees on Tuesday, August 5 at 7:00 pm. Lieber has been on the disabled list since July 11 with a strained right foot. A seven-time Opening Day starter, Lieber is expected to start and throw three innings for the Chiefs on Tuesday after tossing a simulated game at Wrigley Field on Friday.

The season of Peoria continues.

Look...

...who made the Benjamin Hill's Promotional Preview at MILB.com.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Midwest League)
John Anderson Bobblehead Giveaway, Aug. 9

Before reaching stratospheric levels of fame and wealth as a "Sportscenter" host, John Anderson was simply a Wisconsin kid with a dry sense of humor and a dream. On Saturday, the Timber Rattlers will honor one of their region's notable native sons by giving away 1,000 bobblehead dolls featuring the nattily attired television personality sitting behind an anchor's desk. Anderson will be in attendance on this special evening, meaning that Wisconsin's Fox Cities Field will be at least 200 percent more sardonic than usual.

Read...

...one minor league announcer's ham-handed attempt at historical perspective regarding the Brawl in Dayton.

What is it about a fight in a baseball game that both repels and fascinates? By now, everyone has seen the video of the ugliness in Dayton between the Dragons and the Peoria Chiefs. Emotions ran high - as did the spikes and beanballs - until finally the benches cleared.

Julio Castillo, a pitcher for the Chiefs, chucked a baseball at a group of Dragons charging out of the dugout. He missed the Dragons. The ball sailed into the crowd and a fan was hit in the forehead. That fan required hospitalization. Castillo has been demoted, suspended, jailed, fined, and his baseball career is probably over.

But, have things really changed that much?

Mariner System Report (Games of 8/4)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 43-69 4th American League West): The Mariners beat Minnesota 11-6. Seattle scored 10 runs in the 7th inning. Raul Ibanez (Foxes, ’94) hit a grand slam and drove in six runs in the seventh.

TACOMA (AAA: 61-55, T-2nd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers beat Albuquerque 12-6. Matt Tuiasosopo (’05) hit a grand slam for Tacoma. Jon Nelson (’03) and Wladimir Balentien (’04) homered and Ryan Rowland-Smith (’03) got the win.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 59-54, 18-25 4th Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx won 9-5 at Montgomery. Johan Limonta (’06) and Jeffery Dominguez (’06) each had two RBI for West Tennessee.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 51-62, 19-24 second half 5th California League South Division): The Mavericks were off on Monday.

EVERETT (Short Season-A: 18-29, 4th Northwest League Western Division): The AquaSox beat Vancouver 6-4. Eddy Fernandez (’07) worked the ninth inning for the save.

PULASKI (Rookie: 28-18, 1st Appalachian League East Division): The M’s beat Danville 8-2. Fabian Williamson (’07) allowed one run over seven innings for the win.

PEORIA (Rookie: 14-22, 5-3 T-4th Arizona League): The AZL M’s beat the Brewers 5-3.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Minnesota (Scott Baker 7-3) at Seattle (RA Dickey 3-6) 9:10pm CDT
Albuquerque (Daniel Barone 1-4) at Tacoma (Andy Baldwin 7-5) 9:00pm CDT
West Tennessee (Brodie Downs 5-1) at Montgomery (Mike Prochaska 3-3) 7:05pm CDT
High Desert at Lake Elsinore 9:08pm CDT
Vancouver at Everett 9:05pm CDT
Johnson City at Pulaski 6:00pm CDT
AZL Mariners – OFF DAY

Auction Items

Remember Star Wars Night? Remember the jerseys? There is a chance to pick up one of these jerseys in an on-line auction...

Bid on Daniel Carroll Star Wars Jersey!

Bid on Juan Ramirez Star Wars Jersey!

Click on the links. Two days left on both auctions.

Midwest League Action (8/3)

August 3 scoreboard.

@Wisconsin 3, Great Lakes 2: Good day at the park.

@Cedar Rapids 16, Clinton 2: It may or may not be possible to erase a season's worth of frustration in one game. But if it is, consider the Cedar Rapids Kernels' frustration against Clinton erased.

@Burlington 6, Fort Wayne 4: Today is slated to be the hottest day of the summer so far, and the hottest team in the Midwest League will not be playing.

Lansing 11, @Beloit 8: The score reached 9-1 in favor of the Lugnuts heading into the bottom of the fourth when the Snappers...

South Bend 6, @Peoria 4: "The guys played hard today and came up just a little bit short with the sticks," he said. "But that one's behind us now, and we have Burlington coming in for four, so we want to get ready for that.

@Kane County 7, West Michigan 1: “It felt really good,” said Richmond, who was the fifth straight Cougars starter to post a quality start. “I was throwing all my pitches for strikes. They were swinging for contact and it kind of helped. I made two four-pitch innings, which is pretty cool. I felt really good out there.”

Dayton 1, @Quad Cities 0: With two out and two on in the bottom of the ninth, Peoples swung at the first pitch he saw from Dayton closer Henry Arias. He roped the pitch into the gap in right-center field. The designated hitter rounded first base ready to celebrate a game-winning hit.

Mariner System Report (Games of 8/3)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 42-69 4th American League West): The Mariners beat Baltimore 8-4. Raul Ibanez (Foxes, ’94) had a pair of hits and three RBI. JJ Putz (’00) pitched 1-1/3 scoreless innings for the win.

TACOMA (AAA: 60-55, T-2nd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers beat Albuquerque 5-3. Ryan Feierabend (’04) allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits over seven innings for his seventh win. Oswaldo Navarro (’05) drove in a pair of runs for Tacoma.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 58-54, 17-25 4th Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx beat Montgomery 6-5 in ten innings. Johan Limonta (’06) homered and drove in three runs for West Tennessee. Shawn Kelley (’08) pitched three scoreless innings for the win as the Diamond Jaxx ended the Biscuits winning streak at ten games.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 51-62, 19-24 second half 5th California League South Division): The Mavericks won 11-6 at Inland Empire. Kevin Reynolds (’08) had three hits and drove in two runs for High Desert. The Mavericks scored seven times in the fourth inning to grab a big lead and held on for the sweep of the 66ers.

EVERETT (Short Season-A: 17-29, 4th Northwest League Western Division): The AquaSox lost 6-5 to Vancouver. The Canadians scored a run in the seventh and a run in the ninth for the win.

PULASKI (Rookie: 27-18, 1st Appalachian League East Division): The M’s lost 9-6 to Danville.

PEORIA (Rookie: 13-22, 4-3 T-4th Arizona League): The AZL M’s beat the Rangers 7-3.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Minnesota (Glen Perkins 8-3) at Seattle (Miguel Batista 4-11) 9:10pm CDT
Albuquerque (Chris Sneddon 7-7) at Tacoma (Ryan Rowland-Smith 1-0) 9:00pm CDT
West Tennessee (Travis Chick 3-5) at Montgomery (Jino Gonzalez 2-3) 7:05pm CDT
High Desert – OFF DAY
Vancouver at Everett 9:05pm CDT
Danville at Pulaski 6:00pm CDT
AZL Brewers at AZL Mariners 9:00pm CDT

Just wanted you to know

Phillippe Aumont just tossed his second simulated game in the last few days. However, I didn't get to see much of it due to a staff meeting.

Early reports may have him activated for the next homestand. That would be August 9 through August 12 vs. Kane County.

If there is anything more that I can pass along, I will.

Today's Rattler Starter (8/3)

RHP MICHAEL PINEDA was signed as a non-drafted free by the Mariners out of the Dominican Republic on December 12, 2005.

LAST START: Pineda picked up the win on July 29 in a start against the Lansing Lugnuts on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. He scattered 11 hits over seven innings, walked one, struck out eighth, and allowed just two runs. The Rattlers picked up a 6-2 win over the Lugnuts. The eight strikeouts were a career high for Pineda in a single game.

VS. GREAT LAKES: This is Pineda’s first appearance against the Loons.

VS. DODGERS: This is Pineda’s first appearance against an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

THE START OF 2008: Pineda won his first two appearances for the Rattlers. He picked up a win in relief in the first game of a doubleheader at Quad Cities on April 5 and another win with two innings of scoreless relief against Fort Wayne on April 16.

THE STREAK: Pineda tossed 21-1/3 consecutive scoreless innings before giving up a third inning run in the start against Burlington on May 14.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (@ Cedar Rapids 6/26)
STRIKEOUTS: 8 (vs. Lansing 7/29)

August 3 game notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Loons scored four times in the top of the ninth inning to erase a 5-3 deficit on the way to a 7-5 win. Andrew Lambo drove in the tying runs with a two-out, two-run double. Eduardo Perez tripled in the go-ahead run and scored an insurance run on a wild pitch.

EARLY ON: The teams traded rallies in the third inning. Lambo and Perez singled with two outs and none on base. Rattler starter Juan Ramirez hit Brandon Taylor to load the bases. Jaime Ortiz doubled to left and the Loons led 2-0. Wisconsin scored four times in the bottom of the inning. Daniel Carroll tripled in a pair of runs to tie the game. Later in the frame, Ron Garth singled home two more runs for a 4-2 Rattler advantage. Great Lakes pulled to within 4-3 on a two-out RBI single by Parker Dalton in the top of the sixth inning.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY: Wisconsin had runners at second and third with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but could not score. Loon starting pitcher Given Kutz struck out Alex Liddi for the first out. Then, Kutz walked Joe White intentionally to load the bases. Strikeouts of Blake Ochoa and Maximo Mendez ended the Rattler threat.

JUST BRINGING IT UP: The Rattlers are 11-for-69 (.159) with the bases loaded this season. For comparison, the Loons are 10-for-54 (.185). West Michigan (30-for-96, .313) has the top average in the Midwest League with the bases loaded. The league average with the sacks full is .238 (294-for-1,236).

NOT ENOUGH: Wisconsin did push across an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth as Ochoa singled home a run with two outs for a 5-3 lead.

HOW? Rob Harmon entered the game in the top of the ninth inning. He got the first out, but gave up a single and a walk to put the tying runs on board. Harmon struck out Erik Kanaby for the second out. Then, Lambo doubled just inside the right field line to drive in two runs. Perez tripled to left-center on the next pitch to make the score 6-5. A wild pitch scored Perez for a 7-5 score.

BOBBY! Bobby Blevins pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth inning for the save. Blevins has five saves this season. He is 3-for-3 in save chances against Wisconsin. Blevins has not allowed a run in four innings and has struck out seven against the Rattlers this season.

LAMBO FIELD: Lambo is 4-for- 9 with six RBI in the first two games of this series.

BIG TIME: Last night’s crowd of 7,174 was the largest home attendance of the season for the Timber Rattlers.

RARELY: Last night was only the second time the Rattlers lost a game that they led heading into the ninth inning.

A TRIPLE A DAY: Daniel Carroll tripled in the bottom of the third inning to drive in two runs and tie the game 2-2. Wisconsin has one triple in each of the last four games. The Rattlers had a pair of triples in the game on July 28 and no triples on July 29. The Rattlers have six triples in the last six games.

COMING HOME: Cal Stanke, a graduate of St. Mary’s Central in Menasha, picked up his first Midwest League victory in his first appearance with the Loons. Stanke, a 15th round pick of the Dodgers in 2007 out of UW-Oshkosh, allowed a run in two innings last night.

AWAY FROM THE EAST: Today is the final game against the Eastern Division for the Timber Rattlers. They are 10-24 against the East, including a 6-10 record at home heading into this afternoon’s game.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Great Lakes Loons are the Midwest League affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They finished the first half with a record of 30-39 and missed the playoffs in the Eastern Division. They are currently 16-26 in the second half and trail first place South Bend by 10 games. They are eight games behind Dayton for the Eastern Division Wild Card. Great Lakes is 23-33 on the road this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .241 as a team and have scored 416 runs (3.9/game). Wisconsin has hit 44 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.94. Great Lakes is hitting .240 as a team and has scored 403 runs (3.6/game). The Loons have hit 66 home runs this season. The Great Lakes pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.04.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Loons lead the season series 4-1. Great Lakes took two out of three from the Rattlers at Down Diamond May 4 through May 6. The Loons won the first two games of the series by scores of 4-2 and 6-1. The Rattlers won the series finale 6-0.

GREAT LAKES STARTING PITCHER: LH Thomas Melgarejo was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Mexico by the Dodgers in 2005. He pitched in the Gulf Coast League in 2006 and was 3-1 with a 3.60ERA in nine games (seven starts). Melgarejo spent all of 2007 with Great Lakes and was 4-8 with four saves and a 6.20 ERA in 33 games (12 starts). So far in 2008, he is 2-5 with a save and an ERA of 4.02 in 27 games (seven starts). In his start prior to this afternoon, Melgarejo allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits over three innings at Beloit on July 29. He walked none, struck out two, and took the loss. Melgarejo faced the Timber Rattlers twice in 2007 – one time as a starter – and had no record with no runs allowed on five hits over 4-2/3 innings. He pitched two innings in relief against Wisconsin on May 5 at Dow Diamond and allowed one run on two hits.

Catching up with...

Chris Minaker ('06) gets a really nice story in the Seattle Times.

Chris Minaker leads on and off the field at Class A High Desert

Mariners farmhand Chris Minaker is no different from any of the thousands of minor-league players who carry big-league dreams.

And then again, the 24-year-old infielder from Lynnwood is completely different.

None of his teammates boasts a master's degree, and from Stanford, no less.

Minaker could be a Rhodes scholar or a seminarian. Or working on his doctorate with the postgraduate scholarship awarded him by the NCAA.

But Minaker's short-term goal is on the diamond.

"It is comforting to some extent that I have other things I can fall back on because of my education, but my dream to make it to the major leagues is as big as anyone else's," said Minaker, a former Edmonds-Woodway High School star who was drafted by Seattle in the 10th round in 2006. "I don't want to diminish how committed I am, and how hard I am working to achieving that."

Go read the whole thing, but here is the takeaway quote from the end.

"I am going to give baseball everything I have, and I am certain that when this door closes, that God will open even bigger and better doors for me," he said. "I truly believe that."

Midwest League Action (8/2)

August 2 scoreboard.

Great Lakes 7, @Wisconsin 5: Looooooooooons rally in ninth.

@Quad Cities 6, Dayton 4: “Dayton gave us a chance or two, and we were able to capitalize,” Dillard said. “We knew Dayton had a good pitcher, and we needed the breaks.”

@Kane County 5, West Michigan 2: “Some days you’re going to handle situations where the hitters aren’t producing or getting knocks at the top of the order,” Cougars manager Aaron Nieckula said. “That’s why we hit nine guys. We’ve got the rest of the order to pick up the slack or a certain individual to pick up the slack.

@Burlington 5, Fort Wayne 4: "I've been trying a lot of different things with my swing. It doesn't hurt we're playing good baseball right now and you want to help the team win," said Moustakas. "I've been trying to do the best I can to help us win."

@Peoria 6, South Bend 1: Peoria fifth. Luis Bautista opened the frame with a single, and one out later Brandon Guyer hit his 10th homer of the season over the left-field fence to put the Chiefs ahead for good, 2-1.

Clinton 4, @Cedar Rapids 2: Clinton starter Blake Beavan (8-6) allowed a run on three hits, walked one and struck out four over five innings for the win. Adalberto Flores struck out two over 1.2 innings for his eleventh save of the season.

Lansing 11, @Beloit 0: The Lansing Lugnuts came out swinging against the Beloit Snappers Saturday night...

Mariner System Report (Games of 8/2)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 41-69 4th American League West): The Mariners lost 3-1 to Baltimore at home. Adam Jones (’04) went 3-for-5 with two runs scored for the Orioles. Seattle had just four hits in the game.

TACOMA (AAA: 59-55, 3rd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers beat Round Rock 4-1. Matt Tuiasosopo (’05), Luis Valbuena (’06), and Wladimir Balentien (’04) each had an RBI for Tacoma. Jorge Sosa (’01) picked up the save for Denny Stark ('97).

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 57-54, 16-25 4th Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx lost 10-1 at Montgomery. Greg Halman (’07) hit a solo home run for the only West Tennessee run. The Biscuits have won ten straight games.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 50-62, 18-24 second half 5th California League South Division): The Mavericks won 9-3 at Inland Empire. High Desert scored six runs in the first inning for the early lead. Kevin Reynolds (’08) had three hits and an RBI. Mike Wagner (’07) pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the win.

EVERETT (Short Season-A: 17-28, 4th Northwest League Western Division): The AquaSox lost 11-6 at Eugene. The Emeralds scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally for the win.

PULASKI (Rookie: 27-17, 1st Appalachian League East Division): The M’s beat Danville 6-3.

PEORIA (Rookie: 12-22, 3-3 T-5th Arizona League): The AZL M’s split a doubleheader with the Angels. The Angels won the nightcap game 13-1. The Mariners won game one 3-2.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Baltimore (Daniel Cabrera 7-6) at Seattle (Carlos Silva 4-12) 3:10pm CDT
Albuquerque (Frankie De La Cruz 10-6) at Tacoma (Ryan Feierabend 6-1) 6:00pm CDT
West Tennessee (Gaby Hernandez 3-0) at Montgomery (Jeremy Hellickson 1-3) 6:05pm CDT
High Desert (Travis Mortimore 1-0) at Inland Empire (Josh Wall 9-4) 8:00pm CDT
Vancouver at Everett 6:05pm CDT
Danville at Pulaski 6:00pm CDT
AZL Mariners at AZL Rangers 9:00pm CDT

Tonight's Rattler Starting Pitcher (8/2)

RH JUAN RAMIREZ: Signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Nicaragua by Seattle in July 2005.

DOWN IN VENEZUELA: Ramirez made his professional debut pitching for the Aguirre in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006. He went 5-1 with a 1.66ERA in 14 games (13 starts)

ON TO EVERETT: Ramirez made 15 starts for Seattle’s Northwest League affiliate in 2007. He was 3-7 with a 4.30 ERA for the AquaSox.

STINGY: Ramirez allowed three or fewer earned runs in 12 of those fifteen starts.

LAST START: Ramirez allowed two runs on two hits over 2/3 of an inning against South Bend on July 17. It was his first start since July 2 and he was on a pitch count. Ramirez reached that pitch count in the first inning.

LAST APPEARANCE: Ramirez got the win in relief against the Beloit Snappers. The game was suspended on July 7 and Ramirez relieved with the game was resumed on July 27. He allowed one run on three hits with five strikeouts over 4-1/3 innings.

ON THE ROAD: Ramirez is 1-5 with an ERA of 5.15 in nine games (seven starts) on the road this season.

AT HOME: Ramirez is 3-3 with an ERA of 4.10 in ten games (nine starts) at home this season.

NUMBER NINE: Ramirez struck out nine batters in three consecutive starts. The streak started against West Michigan on April 28; continued with a start at Great Lakes on May 4; and reached three against Cedar Rapids.

VS. GREAT LAKES: Ramirez lost at Dow Diamond on May 4. He allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out nine over 6-1/3 innings.

PROFESSIONAL HIGHS
INNINGS PITCHED: 8.2: 6/22 vs. Burlington
STRIKEOUTS: 9 (3x) Last: 5/10 @Great Lakes

August 2 game notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Loons beat the Timber Rattlers 8-6. Andrew Lambo homered and drove in four runs for Great Lakes. The Loons built an early 8-1 lead with four runs in the third and four more in the fourth. Wisconsin attempted a comeback, but fell short.

CALL OF THE LOONS: Great Lakes scored four runs in the second inning on three hits. Rattler starting pitcher Edward Paredes allowed a one out single and two walks to load the bases. Lambo knocked in his first run of the game with an infield grounder. A hit batsman re-loaded the bases. Brandon Taylor followed with a two-run single to center. Alex Garabedian singled in the final run of the inning.

LATHER. RINSE. REPEAT: The Rattlers got a run in the bottom of the third. Then, the Loons scored four more runs in the top of the fourth. Paredes issued a one-out walk and left in favor of Jose Jimenez. A single, a double steal, and an error allowed the first run of the inning to score. Lambo hit a three-run homer and the Loons went up 8-1.

AMONG THE LEADERS: Lambo is tied with Mike Moustakas of Burlington for fourth in the Midwest League in homers with 15. He is third in the league in RBI with 70.

CLIMBING BACK IN: The Rattlers scored three times in the bottom of the fourth. Ron Garth’s two-run triple made the score 8-3. Joe White’s sacrifice fly made the score 8-4. In the fifth, Edilio Colina drove in his team-leading 47th run of the year with a two-out single. In the eighth, Joe Dunigan hit his team-leading tenth homer of the season. The Rattlers had the tying run at the plate in the eighth and ninth innings, but could not tie the game.

DAILY TRIPLE: Garth’s triple marked the third straight game in which the Rattlers have tripled. Wisconsin did not have a three base hit in the game on July 29, but had two on July 28 to give them five triples in the last five games.

K-MEN: Four Loon pitchers combined to strikeout 14 Timber Rattler hitters in the game. Denny Almonte went 0-for-5 and struck out five times.

END OF THE LINE: Daniel Carroll went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts to end his hitting streak at eight games. He did reach on a fielder’s choice and stole two bases. The two steals gave Carroll the team lead with 22.

SCORELESS: Rattler reliever Jeff Dunbar pitched a scoreless ninth inning last night. He has not allowed a run in 7-1/3 innings over seven relief appearances with Wisconsin.

FIRST OF THE MONTH: The Rattlers have lost their first game of the month each month this season. Quad Cities beat the Rattlers 4-3 in Davenport on April 4 in the season opener. Lansing beat the Rattlers 6-2 on May 1 at Oldsmobile Park. Peoria beat Wisconsin 6-4 on June 1 and 7-1 on July 1 on Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Then, the Loons won 8-6 on August 1.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Great Lakes Loons are the Midwest League affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They finished the first half with a record of 30-39 and missed the playoffs in the Eastern Division. They are currently 15-26 in the second half and trail first place South Bend by 11 games. They are nine games behind Dayton for the Eastern Division Wild Card. Great Lakes is 22-33 on the road this season.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .240 as a team and have scored 411 runs (3.8/game). Wisconsin has hit 44 home runs this season. The Timber Rattler pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.91. Great Lakes is hitting .240 as a team and has scored 396 runs (3.6/game). The Loons have hit 66 home runs this season. The Great Lakes pitching staff has a combined ERA of 4.03.

2008 SEASON SERIES: The Loons lead the season series 3-1. Great Lakes took two out of three from the Rattlers at Down Diamond May 4 through May 6. The Loons won the first two games of the series by scores of 4-2 and 6-1. The Rattlers won the series finale 6-0.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook placed four current Loons on their top 30 list of Dodger prospects before the season. Outfielder Andrew Lambo is the highest rated player at #14. Pitcher Justin Miller (#22), infielder Preston Mattingly (#28), and outfielder Alfredo Silverio (#29) are also on the list.

THEY’RE RELATED: Mattingly is the son of former New York Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly.

WON’T SEE HIM: Pitcher Bryan Morris, a first round pick of the Dodgers in 2006, was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline. He was part of the deal that sent Many Ramirez to the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox.

OUT OF THE DRAFT 2007: The Loons have eight members of the 2007 Dodger draft class on their current roster. Pitchers Bobby Blevins (13th), Given Kutz (18th), Justin Miller (6th), and Cal Stanke (15th) are joined by catcher Alex Garabedian (8th), infielder Parker Dalton (24th), and outfielders Erik Kanaby (10th) and Andrew Lambo (4th).

OUT OF THE DRAFT 2008: The Dodgers have sent pitcher Josh Lindblom, a second round pick in this year’s draft out of Purdue, to the Loons. He is the only member of the 2008 draft class on the Loon roster.

GREAT LAKES STARTING PITCHER: RH Given Kutz was the 18th round pick of the Dodgers out of the University of Portland in the 2007 draft. Kutz was 6-6 with a 3.77ERA and was an honorable mention on the All-West Coast Conference Team. Kutz spent his first professional season with Ogden in the Pioneer League and went 1-0 with a save and an ERA of 3.00 in 18 relief appearances for the Raptors. He began 2008 with Inland Empire, the California League affiliate of the Dodgers, and was 0-1 with a save in 10 relief appearances. Kutz faced the High Desert Mavericks twice. In 3-1/3 innings, he allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits. He is 3-3 with a save in 16 games (11 starts) for the Loons. Tonight is his first appearance against the Rattlers. In his start prior to tonight, Kutz pitched seven shutout innings and allowed four hits for a no decision against Quad Cities on July 28.

Midwest League Action (8/1)

August 1 scoreboard.

Great Lakes 8, @Wisconsin 6: Lambo Field.

@Kane County 7, West Michigan 6: “It’s the game of baseball,” Smith said. “It bounces different ways. It happened and luckily we bounced back.”

@Cedar Rapids 4, Clinton 2: "Hat's off to them," Kernels Manager Keith Johnson said of the opponent, while sipping on a celebratory Coors Light. "They've got the record they do (62-46 overall) for a reason. They're a solid ballclub. They hit, they play pretty good defense. You let that team stick around and they'll get a three-run homer or a two-run double to beat you."

@Quad Cities 18, Dayton 0: "Two-homer games aren't easy to come by, so you enjoy them when you get them," Luna said. "I've just been patient. It takes a little time to get used to [playing pro ball]. Hopefully, I'm getting the consistency down."

@Burlington 10, Fort Wayne 1: "There's nothing more exciting than being in a pennant race with a few weeks left in the season," he said. "Every game and every pitch is meaningful. But we just want to go play every day because things are so packed and tight in the standings, and it can all change in one day. If we just do what we can, we'll be fine."

Lansing 3, @Beloit 1: “We are facing the best pitching team in the league and we expected to see good pitching in these three games,” manager Nelson Prada said. “We played good defense and they played good defense and pitched well, but they scored more runs than us tonight.”

South Bend 4, @Peoria 3: South Bend fifth - Taylor Harbin hit a three-run home run off reliever Jay Jackson after Jo Jo Batten led off with a single and Collin Cowgill drew a one-out walk.

Mariner System Report (Games of 8/1)

SEATTLE (MAJ: 41-68 4th American League West): The Mariners lost 10-5 to Baltimore. The Orioles scored eight runs in the top of the fifth inning. Seattle avoided the shutout by scoring five runs on the bottom of the ninth. Bryan LaHair (’04) had an RBI in the ninth.

TACOMA (AAA: 58-55, 3rd Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division): The Rainiers beat Round Rock 11-7. Tacoma scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to erase a 7-5 deficit. Wladimir Balentien (’04) homered in the seventh and drove in five runs in the game.

WEST TENNESSEE (AA: 57-53, 16-24 4th Southern League North Division): The Diamond Jaxx lost 6-5 at Montgomery. Mike Wilson (’05) drove in a pair of runs for West Tennessee. The Jaxx scored a run in the top of the ninth to tie the game 5-5, but the Biscuits scored a run in the bottom of the ninth for their ninth straight win.

HIGH DESERT (High-A: 49-62, 17-24 second half 5th California League South Division): The Mavericks beat Inland Empire 10-1. Jake Wild (’08) allowed a run on six hits over six innings with five strikeouts for the win in his California League debut. Gavin Dickey (’08) had a pair of RBI for High Desert.

EVERETT (Short Season-A: 17-27, 4th Northwest League Western Division): The AquaSox lost 4-1 at Eugene. The Emeralds jumped to an early lead and held on for the win.

PULASKI (Rookie: 26-17, 1st Appalachian League East Division): The M’s lost 21-2 to Danville.

PEORIA (Rookie: 11-21, 2-3 T-5th Arizona League): The AZL M’s lost 11-2 to the Padres.

MARINER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Baltimore (Jeremy Guthrie 7-8) at Seattle (Felix Hernandez 7-6) 9:10pm CDT
Round Rock (Chance Douglass 2-1) at Tacoma (Sean White 6-11) 9:00pm CDT
West Tennessee (Doug Fister 5-12) at Montgomery (David Price 5-0) 7:05pm CDT
High Desert (Kyle Parker 5-3) at Inland Empire (Tim Sexton 4-10) 9:05pm CDT
Everett (Aaron Brown 0-2) at Eugene (Geoff Vandel 1-2) 9:05pm CDT
Danville at Pulaski 6:00pm CDT
AZL Angels at AZL Mariners 7:00pm CDT (Doubleheader)

And....heeeere....we...go!

The day got away from me. Probably because I was reading this.

You Are Not Spam
That is good to know....

You knew that already, and now we do too. We have now restored all accounts that were mistakenly marked as spam yesterday. (See: Spam Fridays)

We want to offer our sincerest apologies to affected bloggers and their readers. We’ve tracked down the problem to a bug in our data processing code that locked blogs even when our algorithms concluded they were not spam. We are adding additional monitoring and process checks to ensure that bugs of this magnitude are caught before they can affect your data.

At Blogger, we strongly believe that you own and should control your posts and other data. We understand that you trust us to store and serve your blog, and incidents like this one are a betrayal of that trust.

I will accept 100 shares of Google. Then, I'll be able to trust you, you wacky Blogger overlords -- after I sell them and pay off the trailer.

I'll try to get to as much as I can today. But, it is a 6:35pm game tonight and there is a HUGE crowd expected for Saturn Night. Yes, any native of the planet Saturn gets in free tonight.....Sorry, I've been off here for the last two days? Am I supposed to use up my A-Material right out of the gate?

Since I don't have a life and there is a mound of laundry I'll need to take to the Laundromat Sunday night, I'll take the computer along and borrow a wireless signal to do a large amount of posting then. Sounds good to me.

Unlocked

I'd apologize, but I'll let blogger do that...kind of:

While we wish that every post on this blog could be about cool features or other Blogger news, sometimes we have to step in and admit a mistake.

We've noticed that a number of users have had their blogs [ed. Like Rattler Radio] mistakenly marked as spam, and wanted to sound off real quick to let you know that, despite it being Friday afternoon, we are working hard to sort this out. So to those folks who have received an email saying that your blog has been classified as spam and can't post right now, we offer our sincere apologies for the trouble.

We hope to have this resolved shortly, and appreciate your patience as we work through the kinks.

Well, it's resolved. For now. Back with a fresh day of posts tomorrow! I hope.