Midwest League Action: Games of July 6, 2009

Complete scoreboard

@Burlington 4, Wisconsin 2: Tim Melville pitched the best game of his Burlington Bees career Monday night.

Dayton 4 @West Michigan 2:

A day after the West Michigan Whitecaps' record-setting offensive output, the bats went cold Monday in a 4-2 loss to the Dayton Dragons at Fifth Third Ballpark.

Even worse, the bullpen let a 2-1 ninth-inning lead slip away when Dayton strung together four singles to produce three runs.

@Lansing 5, South Bend 3: Lugnuts version | Silver Hawks version

@Fort Wayne 6, Great Lakes 2: “(Wallach) moved. I was in full truck mode,” Lara said with a laugh. “I knew if I slid, I would be out. I knew it was going to be close. He tagged me and when I went to go hit him, I hit the glove and knocked it out.”

@Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 4 (11 innings): LIVE BLOG!...well it was a live blog 12 hours ago. Kernels version | River Bandits version

@Peoria 7, Beloit 2: Harrison went 4-for-5, scored two runs, stole two bases and added three insurance runs in the eighth with a two-out stand-up triple to the gap in right field. (Editor's note: Check out the winning pitcher for the Chiefs)

Kane County 6 @Clinton 5: Cougars version | LumberKings version

Milwaukee Brewers Report: Games of July 6, 2009

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 43-39; 2nd National League Central): The Brewers were off on Monday.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 47-37; 1st Pacific Coast League American North Division): The Sounds won their suspended game with Albuquerque 5-3, but lost the regularly scheduled game 6-5 to the Isotopes. Adam Heether homered and knocked in three runs in the suspended game. Angel Salome drove in three runs in the nightcap.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 45-39 overall, 7-8 second half; T-3rd Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 7-5 to West Tennessee. The Diamond Jaxx were up 6-1 after the top of the third inning.

BREVARD COUNTY (High-A: 47-28 overall, 7-4 second half; 3rd Florida State League North Division): The Manatees won 6-3 at Tampa.

HELENA (SHORT SEASON ROOKIE: 8-5; T-1st Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers were off on Monday.

AZL BREWERS (ROOKIE: 5-8; 4th Arizona League East Division): The Brewers lost 10-1 to the Angels.

BREWER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
St. Louis (Adam Wainwright 8-5) at Milwaukee (Yovani Gallardo 8-5) 7:05pm CDT
Albuquerque (Eric Stults 0-1) at Nashville (Chase Wright 5-5) 7:00pm CDT
West Tennessee (Steve Bray 1-4) at Huntsville (Mark Holliman 7-2) 6:00pm CDT
Brevard County at Tampa 6:00pm CDT
Idaho Falls (Ivor Hodgson 0-0) at Helena (Adrian Rosario 1-1) 8:05pm CDT
AZL Brewers at AZL Cubs 9:00pm CDT

Probable Pitchers -- West Michgian Series 7/8-711/09

WED: RHP Cody Scarpetta (1-6, 3.42)* vs. RHP Luke Putkonen (5-4, 3.86)
THU: RHP Trey Watten (4-6, 3.52) vs. LHP Casey Crosby (7-2, 3.25)
FRI: RHP Cody Adams (2-5, 5.40) vs. RHP Brandon Hamilton (3-3, 6.90)

*-Efrain Nieves will pitch in relief in this game.

July 6, 2009: Starting Lineup

Juan Sanchez......RF
Peter Fatse.......LF
Lorenzo Cain......CF
Brett Lawrie......2B
Corey Kemp........1B
Brock Kjeldgaard..DH
Martin Maldonado...C
John Delaney......3B
Michael Marseco...SS

Wily Peralta......SP

July 6, 2009: Tonight's Pitchers

SCHEDULED STARTER

RHP WILY PERALTA: Signed by Milwaukee as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic on November 26, 2005.

DEBUT SEASON: Peralta was 2-5 with a 6.63 ERA for the Arizona League affiliate of the Brewers in 2006. He made 14 appearances (six starts) in that season.

MISSING TIME: Peralta did not pitch in 2007 due to Tommy John surgery.

BACK ON THE HILL: Peralta started the 2008 season with Helena in the Pioneer League. He was 1-1 in 15 games (two starts) with a 3.07 ERA and 36 strikeouts over 29-1/3 innings pitched. Peralta also walked just eight batters in those games for Helena.

PROMOTED: Peralta made a pair of starts for West Virginia at the tail end of the 2008 season. He was 0-1 with a 10.80ERA for the power.

RANKING: Baseball America ranked Peralta as the #16 prospect in the Pioneer League after the 2008 season. Baseball America rates Peralta as the # 22 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewer system heading into the 2009 season.

IT’S AN HONOR: Peralta was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week on May 25. He made two appearances that totaled nine innings for the week ending May 24. Peralta did not allow a run, gave up just five hits, and struck out 17 in those two games.

ALL-STAR SEASON: Peralta was selected to participate in the Midwest League All-Star Game in Clinton. He pitched 1/3 of an inning in the game and struck out the only batter he faced.

LAST APPEARANCE: Peralta pitched three scoreless innings in relief against the Clinton LumberKings on July 1. Peralta walked three and struck out six to pick up the win.

LAST START: Peralta allowed two runs on five hits over six innings in a start against the Peoria Chiefs on June 26. Peralta walked one and matched his career high for strikeouts with 10. He was not involved in the decision.

VS. BURLINGTON: Peralta made the start at Community Field on June 14 and got the win. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits over five innings and struck out eight.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 6.0 (3x – Last: @Beloit 5/24/09)
STRIKEOUTS: 10 (2x – Last: vs. Peoria 6/26/09)

SCHEDULED RELIEVER

LHP EVAN FREDERICKSON: Selected by Milwaukee as a supplemental first round pick (35th overall) in the 2008 draft out of the University of San Francisco.

THE DON: Frederickson transferred to the University of San Francisco for his junior season. He was 5-3 with a 4.54 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) for the Diamond Dons. Frederickson walked 61 batters and struck out 109 over 75-1/3 innings for USF.

THE HOKIE: Frederickson began his college career at Virginia Tech. He compiled a 2-4 record and struck out 68 batters in 56-2/3 innings for the Hokies.

MY OLD SCHOOL: Frederickson was a two-time First Team All-Region and All-District selection as a high school player for Oakton (VA) High.

NOT A TWIN: The Minnesota Twins drafted Frederickson with a selection in the 27th round of the 2005 draft. He did not sign.

RATED: Baseball America ranked Frederickson as the #24 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewer organization before the 2009 season.

LAST SEASON: Frederickson began his pro career with three starts for Helena, the Pioneer League affiliate of the Brewers. He had no record, walked five and struck out 16 over 11-2/3 innings. Frederickson was promoted to West Virginia and wrapped up his season with the Power in the South Atlantic League by going 0-1 over nine games (four starts) with a 6.20 ERA. He struck out 18 and walked 26 in 20-1/3 innings for the Power

LAST APPEARANCE: Frederickson made the start against Clinton at Time Warner Cable Field on July 1. He allowed two runs on four hits over four innings with a pair of walks and three strikeouts. Frederickson was not involved in the decision, a 4-3 Wisconsin victory.

VS. BURLINGTON: Frederickson pitched three innings in relief against the Bees on June 14 at Community Field. He allowed a run on two hits, struck out two, and did not walk a batter.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 5.2 IP (6/23/08 @Great Falls)
STRIKEOUTS: 7 (3x – Last: 4/10/09 vs. Quad Cities)

July 6, 2009: Game Notes

ABOUT SUNDAY: The Timber Rattlers defeated the Burlington Bees 10-8. Juan Sanchez and Brock Kjeldgaard each homered and had three hits to pace the Wisconsin 14-hit attack.

FIRST TIME SINCE: Cody Adams pitched five innings and earned his first win since April 29. Adams allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits for his second win of the season.

FIRST TIME SINCE (PT II): The Rattlers reached double digits in runs for the first time since a 14-7 win over the Clinton LumberKings on May 18. The Rattlers have only reached 10 or more runs in a game one other time this season. That was in a 10-1 win over Quad Cities on April 10.

YARD WORK: Kjeldgaard’s homer was his team-leading 13th of the season. It was a two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning that gave the Rattlers a 10-6 win. Kjeldgaard has hit four of his 13 homers against Burlington pitchers this season. Sanchez hit a solo homer with two outs in the fifth inning to give the Rattlers a 7-1 lead. That was the first homer for Sanchez since he had a two-homer game for the Twins Gulf Coast League affiliate on August 6, 2008.

LOAD ‘EM UP: John Delaney had a two-out, two-run double in the fourth inning. Delaney has 20 RBI this season. Half of those RBI have come with the bases loaded. Delaney is 4-for-7 with three doubles, a walk, and a hit batsman with the sacks full of Rattlers this season.

AAAAAAYYYYYY! Peter Fatse now has a hit in all six games he has played with the Timber Rattlers. He went 1-for-4, was hit by a pitch twice and scored two runs. The 24th round pick of the Brewers in the 2009 draft is 7-for-23 (.304) on the season.

COME ON AND TAKE A FREE RIDE: Brett Lawrie drew a walk in his first plate appearance on Sunday. That free pass was the fifth straight plate appearance that ended in a walk. He walked in all four times to the plate in Saturday’s game. He finished Sunday 1-for-4 with an RBI.

NICK TYSON’S PUNCHOUT: Nick Tyson pitched a scoreless ninth with a walk and a strikeout to earn his fourth save of the season. Tyson is 4-for-4 in save opportunities with the Rattlers.

CAIN WATCH: The Milwaukee Brewers sent outfielder Lorenzo Cain to the Rattlers to work his way back from injury. On Sunday, Cain had an off day and coached first base. He is 2-for-6 with three walks and a run scored in two games with the Rattlers.

ANOTHER STEP FORWARD: The win last night moved the Timber Rattlers record to 41-39. They are two games over the .500 mark for the first time since they were 3-1 on April 13.

MAKING MOVES: Earlier today, the Timber Rattlers placed catcher Sean McCraw on the disabled list retroactive to July 2. Catcher Martin Maldonado has been transferred to the Timber Rattlers from Triple-A Nashville and will be in uniform for Wisconsin tonight.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Burlington Bees are the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are the defending Midwest League Champions. The Bees went 29-41 and finished seventh in the eight team Western Division. Burlington is off to a 4-6 start in the second half. It’s early, but they are tied with Beloit and Quad Cities one game behind Clinton for the wildcard spot and three games behind the 7-3 Timber Rattlers.

SEASON SERIES: The Rattlers lead the season series 5-4. Burlington took two out of three from the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field May 5-7. The teams split a four game series at Community Field June 14-17.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .246 as a team. They have scored 340 runs (4.3/game) and hit 39 home runs. The Bees are hitting .244 as a team. They have scored 347 runs (4.3/game) and hit 30 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 3.94 while allowing a total of 360 runs (4.5/game). Burlington pitchers have a team ERA of 4.09 while allowing 396 runs (5.0/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 96 errors. The Bees defense has committed 99 errors. Wisconsin is 15-21 on the road this season. Burlington is 13-28 at home this season.

BURLINGTON STARTING PITCHER: RHP Tim Melville was selected by the Royals in the 4th round of the 2008 draft out of Wentzville (MO) High School. Melville did not pitch professionally in 2008. He is rated by Baseball America as the #5 prospect in the Kansas City organization. Melville is 2-4 with a 4.50 ERA in nine starts with the Bees this season. In his start prior to this evening, Melville had a no decision at Quad Cities on July 1. He allowed four runs on seven hits, struck out five and walked three over four innings. Melville faced the Timber Rattlers on June 15 at Community Field. In that game, he gave up four runs (one earned) on six hits over 3-1/3 innings pitched. Melville walked three and struck out three for a no decision in the game against Wisconsin.

Just another Mehring Monday...

...over at the main site.

This week's column goes a bit more in depth on NL All-Star and former Appleton Fox Ryan Franklin.

Sweet Ryan Franklin Foxes Baseball Card along with the column, too.

A bit more on Beloit

Remember this post from June 30?

Posted some video from ESPN's Outside the Lines program about the struggles of the Beloit Snappers trying to deal with one of the worst local economies in the state of Wisconsin.

The Journal-Sentinel followed up on that story yesterday.

Ball team runs the squeeze play
Beloit Snappers draw fans any way they can

It's four hours before the first pitch and Jeff Vohs' office is a beautiful mess. The Snappy the Turtle mascot outfit lies on the floor, baseballs are stashed in boxes and a prize wheel is shoved in a corner.

Life is never easy for the general manager of a minor-league baseball team, especially the boss who runs the Class A Beloit Snappers.

Vohs is selling baseball in a city with an 18.1% unemployment rate, the highest in the state.

He'll do just about anything to get fans into the ballpark, and then keep them there for nine innings.

Want to reach out to those who've lost jobs? Drop off 2,000 tickets at the Rock County Job Center, just up the road in Janesville, where the local General Motors assembly plant shut down.

Need to pack the crowd with college kids? Offer $1 tickets on Tuesday nights and hope older workers enrolled in community college join the kids in the stands.

There is some good and some bad.

Attendance is up around 9% from last season, the team says. If the weather holds, the team might draw up to 90,000 fans this year, the equivalent of about two sellouts at Miller Park.

Sponsorships, though, are off about $18,000 from last year's total of $250,000. At least one past sponsor went out of business and a few others cut back in the tight economy.

Pohlman Field is a gem of dirt and grass surrounded by bleachers, wood decks and picnic tables. Pro scouts sit behind the plate. The players aren't much older than the kids who scamper after foul balls. Local advertisements line the outfield wall.

Go. Read. Especially the part about the wall sign for the Beloit Snappers Fan Club, Huntley Chapter.

July 6, 2009: Transactions

Just got these this morning:

C Sean McCraw has been placed on the DL at Wisconsin retroactive to 7/2.

C Martin Maldonado has been transferred from Nashville to Wisconsin and will be active for Wisconsin’s game on Monday night.

A little Appleton seasoning for the MLB All-Star Game

Did you see?

Major League Baseball announced the rosters for the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis on Sunday. There are five players with ties to Appleton baseball - Raul Ibanez, Ryan Franklin, Brian Fuentes, Felix Hernandez, and Adam Jones - who were selected to play in the game on July 14.

Click the link for the details on the All-Stars with Appleton Pro Baseball ties.

From the home page

I have been meaning to get post about this since the link went up -- what -- last week?

The Star Wars jerseys are up at MiLB auctions.

They are going up in waves. The current player jerseys in the auction are:

Michael Marseco......Efrain Nieves
Sean McCraw..........Rigoberto Almonte
Jim Henderson........Juan Sanchez
Nick Tyson...........Cody Scarpetta
Erik Miller..........Brett Lawrie

Click on the individual player names to be taken to the page with their jersey. Minimum Bid is $100. All jerseys have been autographed by the player and were worn on June 7. Proceeds from the auction benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin. This auction will end on July 14 at 7:00pm.

About some Rattlers

Schoolcraft's Ritchie paying his dues in Brewers' farm system

Brandon Ritchie is a broke college dropout who takes a smelly bus most everywhere he goes. But he's enjoying the ride, often at 93 miles per hour.

"It's been a lot of fun, but people like to glamorize being a professional baseball player," the left-handed pitcher said. "But we pretty much scrape up all the money we can get."

Ritchie, a former Schoolcraft and Grand Rapids Community College star in his first season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) hopes to one day cash in on his potential left-arm lottery ticket in the Majors.

Catching up with: Corey Kemp

WH: What city has been your favorite?

CK: Appleton, just because I’ve spent a considerable amount of time here and the fans are die-hard and loyal. We’re in Brewer country so the fans come out in record numbers to cheer us on and give us support. They are all rooting for you and cheering for you, even when you somewhere in town to get a sandwich before a game. Up north, you don’t get too much southern hospitality but Appleton really reminds me of home.

You know what the next question was? What about the cold?

It was 40 degrees in April! Ask about the freaking cold when it's minus 30 in December! Okay!

A little from around the Midwest League

From the Clinton Herald

Minor leaguers balance development, winning

The minor-league baseball player performs a unique balancing act.

On one hand, he wants his team to win. He does whatever it takes for the team to achieve a winning record, a playoff spot, a league championship — similar to every other level at which he has played.

On the other hand, though, he also carries a personal agenda.

...

Some organizations, like Seattle, Clinton's parent club, believe winning plays an important role in player development.

“I'm 100-percent positive they go hand-in-hand,” said John Boles, Mariners special assistant to the general manager. “I've never seen a player develop as well as he possibly can develop if he goes in every day and the team is just getting shellacked.

“You want these guys to be in a winning environment because that's the building blocks to playing in the playoffs at the major-league level.”

From the Fort Wayne Journal-Sentinel there is this headline:

Attendance at ballpark projected to meet goal

and this sub-headline to the same story

Pace must pick up for revenue to satisfy city

Halfway through the inaugural TinCaps season, fans have flocked to Parkview Field, but more paying fans will be needed to ensure additional tax dollars aren’t needed for the city-owned stadium.

Attendance for baseball is up, and numerous other events have also been held at the new downtown ballpark.

Paid attendance, however, is less than half what is needed to meet the city’s financial obligation to maintain the stadium. City and team officials are confident that total will improve to keep additional tax money from being needed for baseball repairs.

Do people just not understand baseball seasons? See in April and May, weather and school tends to keep the crowds down a bit. In July and August, oh, heck, here's a guy who knows what he's talking about when it comes to this...

Mike Nutter, team president, said he was pleased with attendance for the first half of the year. Summer vacation and warmer weather historically have led to larger crowds in July and August than in April and May, he said.

“It’s just starting to ramp up,” he said.

This proved true in the first homestand after the break. The TinCaps drew more than 24,000 paying fans for the team’s four-game series with South Bend. Last year, the TinCaps – then known as the Wizards – drew 104,173 fans in their first 34 games (one was rained out). Over the entire season, the team drew 256,693 people.

Go figure.

From the Cedar Rapids Gazette here's a heck of an idea:

Nate Kaeding gets a kick out of Kernels

Sixteen balls left the park at Perfect Game Field Sunday while the Kernels took on the Quad Cities River Bandits.

None were home runs.

Former Iowa and current San Diego Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding provided between-inning entertainment, booting 16 autographed footballs into the stands as part of Iowa City-Coralville Day festivities.

“It will be fun for the kids that get to go out on the field,” Kaeding said just prior to taking to the field before the fourth inning. “Hopefully they don’t pull a Charlie Brown on me and pull the ball off the tee.

“I just hope I don’t shank any.”

After spending the first three innings of the games signing autographs, Kaeding spent a few moments warming up and stretching before heading to the field.

He didn’t end up shanking any kicks and even took on the duty of holder for one of the kids to attempt a kick.

Where have I heard this idea before?

Rattler Alumni Report: AAA and AA games of July 5, 2009

AAA:
International League:

Buffalo:
Rene Rivera ('03): 1-for-4, RUN, RBI, HR #3

Indianapolis (Game two):
Chris Snelling ('00): 1-for-2, RUN, RBI

PCL:

Tacoma:
Jeff Clement ('05): 0-for-5
Adam Moore ('06): 3-for-4, RUN, 2RBI, HR #4

AA:
Eastern League:

Reading:
Jason Mackintosh ('04): IP, 3H, 3R, BB

Southern League:

Carolina:
Korey Feiner ('08): 1-for-3

Birmingham:
Robbie Hudson ('06): 2-for-3, RUN

Huntsville:
Michael Garciaparra ('03): 1-for-3, RUN

West Tennessee:
Brent Johnson ('05): 0-for-1, pinch runner
Greg Halman ('07): 3-for-5, 4 RUNS, 3RBI, 2 HRs (#19 & 20)
Marshall Hubbard ('05): 0-for-3, 2 RUNS
Mike Wilson ('05): 4-for-4, 2 RUNS, 4RBI, HR #2
Phillippe Aumont ('08): 2IP, H, R, BB, 2K
Anthony Varvaro ('07): .2IP, 0H, 0R, SAVE #3

Rattler Alumni Report: MLB Games of July 5, 2009

Cleveland:
Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 1-for-4
Shin-soo Choo ('02): 1-for-4

Boston:
David Ortiz ('96): 2-for-4, 2 RUNS, 2RBI, HR #9

Seattle:
Mark Lowe ('05): 0.0IP, H, 2R, ER

Los Angeles (AL):
Brian Fuentes ('97): IP, H, 0R, 2K, SAVE #24

Pittsburgh:
Ramon Vazquez ('97): 0-for-3

Midwest League Action: Games of July 5, 2009

Complete scoreboard

Wisconsin 10 @ Burlington 8: Inning after inning, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers put runs on the Community Field scoreboard.

@West Michigan 20, Dayton 11: The West Michigan Whitecaps scored a mind-boggling 13 runs in the first inning and held on for a wild 20-11 win over Dayton on Sunday at Fifth Third Ballpark.

South Bend 7 @Lansing 1: Silver Hawks version | Lugnuts version

Beloit 4 @Peoria 2: It was mission accomplished for Chicago Cubs Aramis Ramirez and Reed Johnson on Sunday, but not so much for the Peoria Chiefs in a 4-2 loss to the Beloit Snappers.

Kane County 8 @Clinton 2: Cougars version | LumberKings version

@Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 3: Kernels version | River Bandits version

@Fort Wayne 4, Great Lakes 1: “It’s been a crazy year, being traded from the Dodgers, the adjustment, and I got off to a wrong start. Even in spring training, I was struggling,” Watt said. “It’s been working through failure and understanding that success will be there, it’s inevitable, as long as you keep working and looking for that. It’s a process.”

Milwaukee Brewers Report: Games of July 5, 2009

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 43-39; 2nd National League Central): The Brewers lost 8-2 at Wrigley Field to the Cubs. Mike Burns allowed seven runs over 4-2/3 innings and took the loss.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 46-36; 1st Pacific Coast League American North Division): The Sounds had their games against the Albuquerque Isotopes rained out.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 45-38 overall, 7-7 second half; T-3rd Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 11-8 to West Tennessee. Huntsville was down 10-2 after the top of the fifth. The Diamond Jaxx hit five homers in the game.

BREVARD COUNTY (High-A: 46-28 overall, 6-4 second half; 4th Florida State League North Division): The Manatees won 3-1 at Tampa. Michael Bowman (’09) allowed a run on six hits over 5-1/3 innings, but was not involved in the decision.

HELENA (SHORT SEASON ROOKIE: 8-5; T-1st Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers won 4-2 at Great Falls. Damon Krestalude allowed two runs on four hits over six innings for the win. Helena’s offense rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the win.

AZL BREWERS (ROOKIE: 5-7; 3rd Arizona League East Division): The Brewers lost 17-4 to the Padres.

BREWER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Milwaukee – OFF DAY
Albuquerque 2 at Nashville 1 (Completion of suspended game – 5:00pm)
Albuquerque (Scott Elbert 1-1) at Nashville (Chris Cody 2-3) – Game two
West Tennessee (Justin Souza 5-6) at Huntsville (Bobby Bramhall 4-5) 7:00pm CDT
Brevard County at Tampa 6:00pm CDT
Helena – OFF DAY
AZL Angels at AZL Brewers 9:00pm CDT

July 5, 2009: Sunday Standings

Every Sunday for the remainder of the season, Rattler Radio will put up the second half Western Division standings before that day's action.

The two first half playoff teams -- Kane County and Cedar Rapids -- will be taken out of the standings. That will leave the remaining six teams in the division fighting for a playoff spot.

Near the end of the season, I may either do this daily or put up a widget to in the right sidebar. If I can figure it out.

Western Division Standings heading into games of 7/5/09

..............W...L...PCT...GB
Wisconsin.....6...3...667...--
Clinton.......5...4...556...1.0
Burlington....4...5...444...2.0
Quad Cities...4...5...444...2.0
Beloit........3...6...333...3.0
Peoria........3...6...333...3.0

July 5, 2009: Starting Lineup

Juan Sanchez........CF
Peter Fatse.........LF
Brett Lawrie........2B
Corey Kemp...........C
Brock Kjeldgaard....1B
John Delaney........3B
Michael Vass........RF
Michael Marseco.....SS
Derrick McPhearson..DH

Cody Adams..........SP

July 5, 2009: Today's starter

RHP CODY ADAMS: Selected by Milwaukee in the second round of the 2008 draft out of Southern Illinois University.

SALUKI: Adams was 6-4 in 14 starts in his last season at SIU. He had an ERA of 3.75 and a pair of complete games. In his career at SIU, Adams went 21-13 with a 3.64ERA in 57 career appearances (36 starts). He went 11-5 as a sophomore in 2007.

FIRST SINCE: Adams was the first Southern Illinois University baseball player to be selected in the top three rounds of the draft since pitcher Eric Haberer was a third round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 draft.

SCHOOL DAYS: While pitching for Sherarrd (IL) High School, Adams was a four-time All-Conference and All-Area pick. As a senior, Adams was a First Team All-State selection.

RANKING: Baseball America rated Adams as the #28 prospect in the Milwaukee minor league system heading into the 2009 season.

LAST SEASON: Adams was a member of the Helena Brewers in the Pioneer League for his first pro season. Adams made 14 appearances (five starts) and was 5-4 with a 3.48ERA for Helena.

LAST WIN: Adams scattered 10 hits over five innings on April 29 against the Great Lakes Loons. He allowed three runs (two earned), did not walk a batter, and struck out two.

LAST START: Adams faced Clinton LumberKings on June 30 at Time Warner Cable Field. He allowed two runs on three hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts over 3-2/3 innings. Adams left the game with the Rattlers down 2-1, but Wisconsin rallied to tie the game so he would get a no decision. Clinton would eventually win the game 4-2.

VS. BURLINGTON: Adams pitched against the Bees on June 16 at Community Field. He was touched for two runs on three hits over 2-1/3 innings with a walk and two strikeouts.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 8.0 (@ Billings 9/5/08)
STRIKEOUTS: 7 (2x; Last: @ Clinton 4/18/09)

July 5, 2009: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers beat the Burlington Bees 2-1 last night. Trey Watten pitched a career high eight innings and allowed one unearned run for the win. Daniel Meadows pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

HOW TO SCORE TWO RUNS: Pete Fatse was at third with two outs in the first inning and scored on a passed ball charged to Burlington catcher Sean McCauley. In the top of the sixth, Fatse scored from third base again. This time it was on a bases loaded walk to Corey Kemp issued by Burlington reliever Eric Basurto.

A BLEMISH: Watten retired the first seven batters he faced in the game. Shawn Griffin got the first Burlington hit with a bunt single and he would go to second on a throwing error. Watten retired the next eight batters before giving up another hit to Griffin.

AN UNEARNED RUN: Eric Hosmer doubled to leadoff Burlington’s sixth inning. Watten retired the next two batters and appeared to be out of the inning on a line drive to left off the bat of David Wood. But, the ball was misjudged for an error and Hosmer scored the run. Watten got the next batter and pitched a perfect eighth to finish his evening.

THE WHOLE PICTURE: Watten allowed three hits, did not walk a batter and struck out six over his three innings. Of the 24 outs recorded by Watten, there were 14 groundouts, four fly outs and six Ks.

SAVINGS PLAN: Meadows struck out a pair of batters in the bottom of the ninth his first professional save.

I’M WALKIN’, YES, INDEED, I’M WALKIN’: Rattlers second baseman Brett Lawrie walked four times in four plate appearances last night. As a team, the Rattlers drew nine walks last night.

AAAAAAYYYYYY! Fatse had two hits, walked once, stole a base, and scored both Rattlers runs. The 24th round pick of the Brewers in the 2009 draft has at least one hit in all five games as a Rattler since joining the club. He is 6-for-19 (.316) on the season.

CAIN WATCH: The Milwaukee Brewers sent outfielder Lorenzo Cain to the Rattlers to work his way back from injury. Last night, Cain was 1-for-2 with two walks. He is 2-for-6 with three walks and a run scored in two games with the Rattlers.

ANOTHER STEP FORWARD: The win last night moved the Timber Rattlers back above the .500 mark to 40-39. Since winning the first game of the second half put their record at 35-36, the Rattlers have either been one game under .500, at .500, or one game over .500 for their overall record.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Burlington Bees are the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are the defending Midwest League Champions. The Bees went 29-41 and finished seventh in the eight team Western Division. Burlington is off to a 4-5 start in the second half. It’s early, but they are tied with Quad Cities one game behind Clinton for the wildcard spot and two games behind the 6-3 Timber Rattlers.

SEASON SERIES: The season series is tied 4-4. Burlington took two out of three from the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field May 5-7. The teams split a four game series at Community Field June 14-17.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .245 as a team. They have scored 330 runs (4.2/game) and hit 37 home runs. The Bees are hitting .244 as a team. They have scored 339 runs (4.3/game) and hit 30 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 3.93 while allowing a total of 352 runs (4.5/game). Burlington pitchers have a team ERA of 4.06 while allowing 386 runs (4.9/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 94 errors. The Bees defense has committed 96 errors. Wisconsin is 14-21 on the road this season. Burlington is 13-27 at home this season.

BURLINGTON STARTING PITCHER: RHP Sam Runion was a second round pick of the Royals out of A.C. Reynolds High School in Ashville, North Carolina in the 2007 draft. He is 2-4 with a 6.60 ERA in 12 starts for the Bees this season. Runion split time between the Appalachian League and the Midwest League last season. Runion went 2-5 with a 5.75 ERA in nine games (five starts) for the Bees to start last year. He was 3-4 with a 3.35ERA in 10 starts after being transferred to the Burlington (NC) Royals. Runion is 3-4 with a 6.08 ERA in 15 starts for the Bees this season. In his start prior to this afternoon, Runion allowed four runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts over 5-1/3 innings pitched at Quad Cities on June 30. He was not involved in the decision. Runion faced the Timber Rattlers on June 16 at Community Field. Wisconsin scored three runs on nine hits over five innings, but had a no decision in the game. Runion is rated as the #28 prospect in the Kansas City organization by Baseball America.

Horribly Ironic Promotion Winners

The Peoria Chiefs are in Illinois. They are the Midwest League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

Keep that in mind as you check out this story about the winner of their 5,000,000th fan drawing.

Rachael Randolph, a 35-year-old urban planner for the City of Wilmette who resides in Kenosha, Wis., is the 5 millionth Peoria Chiefs fan.

Randolph’s winning ducat was picked from nearly 6,600 tickets during the fifth inning of Saturday night’s game between the Chiefs and the Beloit Snappers at O’Brien Field.

The Chiefs entered the Midwest League game with the Snappers 391 fans shy of 5 million. Front office personnel said it was nearly impossible, with three entrances to the ballpark, to pinpoint the 391st fan.

“We decided several weeks ago to pick the 5 millionth fan through a drawing,” Chiefs President Rocky Vonachen said. “We have had such loyal fans over the years, we decided to give all that came today a chance to win.”

Kenosha? Okay. That's not the best part.

Included in the prize package were four tickets to a Chicago Cubs game. And if living in Wisconsin isn’t ironic enough for the Chiefs’ 5 millionth fan, Randolph is also a St. Louis Cardinal fan.

“I have friends from the dark side, I sure they can use them,” said Randolph of her newly acquired Cubs’ tickets.

Rattler Alumni Report: AAA and AA games of July 4, 2009

AAA:
International League:

Buffalo:
Rene Rivera ('03): 2-for-4, RUN

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

PCL:

Tacoma:
Jeff Clement ('05): 2-for-5, 2RBI
Bryan LaHair ('04): 0-for-5, RBI
Adam Moore ('06): 0-for-6
Oswaldo Navarro ('05): 0-for-1
Denny Stark ('97): .1IP, H, 0R, 2BB

AA:
Southern League:

Huntsville:
Michael Garciaparra ('03): 2-for-4
Juan Sandoval ('03): IP, 0H, 0R

Birmingham:
Robbie Hudson ('06): 1-for-5, RUN

West Tennessee:
Greg Halman ('07): 3-for-5, 2 RUNS, 3RBI, 2 HRs (#17 & #18)
Marshall Hubbard ('05): 1-for-5, 2 RUNS, RBI, HR #11
Mike Wilson ('05): 1-for-4, RUN, 2RBI, HR #1
Johan Limonta ('06): 1-for-4
Ricky Orta ('07) 2.2IP, H, 0R, 2K, WIN #2

Rattler Alumni Report: MLB Games of July 4, 2009

New York (AL):
Alex Rodriguez (Foxes, '94): 2-for-3, run, RBI, 3BBs

Seattle:
Wladimir Balentien ('04): pinch runner, RUN

Boston:
David Ortiz ('96): pinch hitter, 0-for-1

Chicago (AL):
Matt Thornton ('00): IP, 2H, 0R, blown save

Baltimore:
Adam Jones ('04): 3-for-4, 2RBI

Cleveland:
Shin-soo Choo ('02): 1-for-3
Asdrubal Cabrera ('05): 0-for-3
Luis Valbuena ('06): 3-for-3, 2 RUNS, RBI

Atlanta:
Eric O'Flaherty ('05): .2IP, 2H, 0R, 2K

Philadelphia:
Greg Dobbs ('02): 1-for-4

Pittsburgh:
Ramon Vazquez ('97): 1-for-3

Midwest League Action: Games of July 4, 2009

Complete scoreboard

Wisconsin 2 @Burlington 1: "The other night I was talking to (pitching coach) Jerry (Nyman) and I looked at our lineup and I told him, 'This is the best lineup we've had all year. This is the best lineup I've had in Burlington since I've been here,'" Gabella said. "But that's on paper."

Beloit 4 @Peoria 1: About the only person who got everything they wanted was Beloit Snappers starting pitcher Michael Tarsi.

@Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 0:

It took the Kernels a while to get a hit Saturday, but when they finally did it had the explosive impact of July 4th fireworks.

Cedar Rapids was held without a hit for seven innings. In the eighth, Angel Castillo followed a leadoff walk with a two-run homer that ended Quad Cities pitcher Arquimedes Nieto’s no-hit bid, chased him from the mound and gave the Kernels a 2-0 victory at Memorial Stadium.

@West Michigan 5, Dayton 1: "We've got guys who go out and battle pitch-by-pitch every night. We've got grinders and when you grind every night, good things are going to happen," DePastino said.

@Clinton 5, Kane County 0: L-Kings version | Cougars version

South Bend 7 @Lansing 3: South Bend broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the seventh inning and added two more in the eighth and went on to a 7-3 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts on Saturday night in front of 11,160 fans at Oldsmobile Park.

Fort Wayne 8 @Great Lakes 4: TinCaps version | Looooons version

Milwaukee Brewers Report: Games of July 4, 2009

MILWAUKEE (MAJ: 43-38; T-1st National League Central): The Brewers won 11-2 over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Casey McGehee homered and drove in five runs. Mike Cameron and JJ Hardy also homered for Milwaukee.

NASHVILLE (AAA: 46-36; 1st Pacific Coast League American North Division): The Sounds were trailing Albuquerque 2-1 in the top of the fourth when the game was suspended by rain.

HUNTSVILLE (AA: 45-37 overall, 7-6 second half; T-2nd Southern League North Division): The Stars lost 10-2 to West Tennessee. The Diamond Jaxx hit five home runs in the game.

BREVARD COUNTY (High-A: 45-28 overall, 5-4 second half; 4th Florida State League North Division): The Manatees lost 4-1 at Daytona. Mark Rogers allowed two runs on four hits over three innings for the loss.

HELENA (SHORT SEASON ROOKIE: 7-5; T-2nd Pioneer League North Division): The Brewers lost 6-5 in ten innings at Great Falls. Jake Odorizzi allowed an unearned run on four hits over six innings, but was not involved in the decision. Helena scored a run in the top of the tenth, but the Voyagers scored twice in the bottom of the tenth for the win.

AZL BREWERS (ROOKIE: 5-6; 3rd Arizona League East Division): The Brewers lost 8-1 to the Indians.

BREWER SYSTEM SCHEDULE TODAY
Milwaukee (Mike Burns 1-1) at Chicago (Ted Lilly 7-6) 1:20pm CDT
Albuquerque 2 at Nashville 1 (Completion of suspended game – 5:00pm)
Albuquerque (Scott Elbert 1-1) at Nashville (Chris Cody 2-3) – Game two
West Tennessee (Luis Pena 0-0) at Huntsville (Donovan Hand 6-1) 1:00pm CDT
Brevard County at Tampa 3:00pm CDT
Helena at Great Falls 5:00pm CDT
AZL Padres at AZL Brewers 9:00pm CDT

July 4, 2009: Starting Lineup

Juan Sanchez......LF
Peter Fatse.......RF
Lorenzo Cain......CF
Brett Lawrie......2B
Corey Kemp.........C
John Delaney......3B
Brock Kjeldgaard..1B
Jose Duran........DH
Michael Marseco...SS

Trey Watten.......SP

July 4, 2009: Tonight's Starter

RHP TREY WATTEN: Selected by Milwaukee in the 7th round of the 2008 draft out of Abilene Christian University.

LAST SEASON: Watten was 3-2 with a save and a 5.40 ERA in 15 games (10 starts) at Helena. He walked 25 and struck out 40 over 55 innings.

COLLEGIATELY: At Abilene Christian, Watten was 20-3 with a 2.74 ERA over two seasons. He also struck out 188 batters over 167-1/3 innings pitched for the Wildcats.

LONE STAR ALL-STAR: Watten was a First Team All-Lone Star Conference South Division selection as both a pitcher and a utility player in 2007. Watten also played shortstop for the Wildcats.

OLD DAYS: Watten pitched high school baseball for Coppel (TX) High and earned First Team Class 5A All-State selection and a District 6-5A Offensive Player of the Year in 2005.

SAVING THE DAY: Watten earned his first professional save on August 30, 2008. He worked three scoreless innings against Great Falls. Watten walked a two and struck out two to close out the Voyagers. Watten also picked up a save in his first appearance as a Timber Rattler. Watten pitched four scoreless innings and struck out a career high six as the Rattlers beat Quad Cities on April 10.

LAST SEASON: Watten was 3-2 with a save and a 5.40 ERA in 15 games (10 starts) at Helena. He walked 25 and struck out 40 over 55 innings.

LAST START: Watten got a no decision against the Peoria Chiefs at Time Warner Cable Field on June 28. He allowed three runs on five hits with three walks, and two strikeouts over 4-2/3 innings. The Rattlers were down 3-2 when Watten left the game. Wisconsin rallied to take the lead, but Peoria eventually won 15-6.

LAST MONTH: Watten made five starts in June and went 1-0, but had an ERA of 1.63 (five runs in 27-2/3 innings) and struck out 22 while walking eleven in five starts.

VS. BURLINGTON: Watten got the start on May 7 at home against the Bees. He allowed eight runs (four earned) on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts over four innings for the loss.

PROFESSIONAL BESTS:
INNINGS PITCHED: 6.0 (4x; Last: 6/18/09 @ Kane County)
STRIKEOUTS: 8 (2x; Last: 6/13 vs. Kane County)

July 4, 2009: Game Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Timber Rattlers lost 9-7 to the Clinton LumberKings at Time Warner Cable Field. Clinton scored four times in the first and five times in the second off Wisconsin starting pitcher Efrain Nieves to grab a 9-0 lead. The Rattlers offense chipped away with two runs in the second, fourth, and fifth innings. Wisconsin added a run in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate, but the comeback bid fell short.

OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT: The first three Clinton hitters of the game reached. Nieves got the first out, but a three-run double by Jake Shaffer gave Clinton a 3-0 lead. Later in the inning, Nate Tenbrink singled home a run for a 4-0 score. After the Rattlers went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first, Clinton scored a run when Daniel Carroll tripled and the throw to the infield got away and another run on a RBI fielder’s choice by Denny Almonte. Steve Moss made the score 9-0 with a three-run homer.

GIVING THEM A CHANCE: Rigoberto Almonte relieved Nieves to start the third inning and he pitched three shutout frames. Cody Scarpetta was next and he also tossed three scoreless innings. Liam Ohlmann pitched a scoreless ninth inning to wrap up six shutout innings by the Rattlers bullpen last night.

SCARPETTA: In two second half appearances, Scarpetta has not allowed a run over eight innings. He has given up five hits, walked three, and struck out 10 in those two starts.

TO THE OFFENSE: Michael Marseco snapped out of a slump with a pair of hits and three RBI. Heading into the game on Saturday night, Marseco had been 1-for-23 on the homestand. Marseco had an RBI triple in the fourth inning and a two-run single with the bases loaded in the fifth inning.

CAIN WATCH: The Milwaukee Brewers sent outfielder Lorenzo Cain to the Rattlers to work his way back from injury. Last night was his first game in a Timber Rattlers jersey. Cain was 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.

ANOTHER STEP BACK: Friday’s loss moved the Timber Rattlers back to the .500 mark at 39-39. Since winning the first game of the second half put their record at 35-36, the Rattlers have either been one game under .500, at .500, or one game over .500 for their overall record.

ON THE ROAD: Wisconsin starts a four game series at Burlington today. These are the only four games of the road trip.

HOME AGAIN: The Rattlers will host the West Michigan Whitecaps and the South Bend Silver Hawks in a six-game homestand from July 8 through July 13.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: The Burlington Bees are the Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are the defending Midwest League Champions. The Bees went 29-41 and finished seventh in the eight team Western Division. Burlington is off to a 4-4 start in the second half. It’s early, but they are tied with Clinton and Quad Cities for the wildcard spot, one game behind the 5-3 Timber Ratttlers.

SEASON SERIES: The Bees lead the season series 4-3. Burlington took two out of three from the Rattlers at Time Warner Cable Field May 5-7. The teams split a four game series at Community Field June 14-17.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST: The Timber Rattlers are hitting .246 as a team. They have scored 328 runs (4.2/game) and hit 37 home runs. The Bees are hitting .246 as a team. They have scored 338 runs (4.3/game) and hit 30 homers. Wisconsin pitchers have a team ERA of 3.98 while allowing a total of 351 runs (4.6/game). Burlington pitchers have a team ERA of 4.10 while allowing 384 runs (4.9/game). The Timber Rattler defense has committed 92 errors. The Bees defense has committed 96 errors. Wisconsin is 13-21 on the road this season. Burlington is 13-26 at home this season.

PROSPECTING: Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook listed five members of the current Burlington roster on its list of top 30 prospects in the Royals organization. Eric Hosmer is the highest ranked player at #2. Pitchers Michael Montgomery (#4) and Tim Melville (#5) are also in the top ten. Catcher Jose Bonilla (#26) and pitcher Sam Runion (#28) are also on the list.

OUT OF THE DRAFT 2008: The Royals have placed six members of their 2008 draft class on the current Bees roster. Hosmer was Kansas City’s #1 pick in 2008. Hosmer was also the third player selected in last year’s draft. He is the only non-pitcher on the Bees roster from the 2008 draft. Pitchers Montgomery (Supplemental 1st), Tim Melville (4th), Derrick Saito (16th), Blaine Hardy (22nd), and James Thompson (38th) were all selected by the Royals last year.

RETURNING ALUMNI: There are six players on the current Burlington roster that spent at least some time with the Bees in 2008. Pitchers Barry Bowden and Runion; infielders Juan Rivera and Jason Taylor; and outfielders Nick Francis and Nick Van Stratten were all Bees for at least part of 2008.

BURLINGTON STARTING PITCHER: LHP Mike Montgomery was a supplemental first round pick by the Royals in the 2008 draft out of Newhall (CA) High School. Kansas City took him with the 36th overall pick and placed him in the Arizona League. Montgomery was 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA in 12 games (nine starts) for the Royals affiliate. Baseball America placed him as the #1 prospect of the Arizona League after last season and put him at #4 on their list of top Kansas City prospects before this season. Montgomery joined the Bees in mid-May and he is 1-1 with a 1.93ERA in eight starts. In his last outing, Montgomery allowed one run on two hits with a walk and seven strikeouts over 5-2/3 innings against the Cedar Rapids Kernels on June 28. He was not involved in the decision. Tonight is Montgomery’s first appearance against the Timber Rattlers. He made two starts against Milwaukee’s Arizona League affiliate in 2008 and was 1-0 with a 1.80ERA. In those two games, Montgomery allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 10 innings with one walk and six strikeouts.

A Curtain Call for Choo

Photo Credit: Chuck Crow/Cleveland Plain Dealer

Shin-Soo Choo, one of the few not to blame for the mess in which the Indians find themselves, brought a little something extra to the batter's box Friday night.

Choo went 4-for-5 with two homers and a career-high seven RBI as the Tribe overwhelmed the Athletics, 15-3, in a clash of the non-titans at Progressive Field.

....

Choo's night began with a harmless grounder to second leading off the second inning. He had an RBI single in the third, a two-run double in the fourth and three-run homer in the fifth.

Choo ruined his chance at the cycle by sending reliever Michael Wuertz's pitch over the wall in right leading off the seventh. It accounted for the final margin.

As the crowd let loose with "Chooooooooooooooo!" the right fielder popped out of the dugout and waved his helmet.

Video of Choo's night is here at the MLB.com site.

From the AP report over at ESPN.com

Shin-Soo Choo gave his high school baseball coach a fitting tribute.

Choo learned before batting practice that his coach had died of cancer. Then he homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs in a 15-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night that snapped Cleveland's five-game losing streak.

And here is something that I have always liked about Choo:

Choo arrived early at Progressive Field to work with hitting coach Derek Shelton. He had watched three hours of video on the off-day Thursday and wanted to make some adjustments at the plate -- even though he had raised his average to .292 by hitting .309 over his previous 48 games.

"Why change?" Choo responded to a question. "Because I want to get better."

Rattler Alumni Report: AAA and AA games of July 3, 2009

AAA:
International League:

Norfolk:
Chris Tillman ('07): 7.2IP, 4H, 0R, BB, 7K, WIN #6

Indianapolis:
Chris Snelling ('00): 0-for-1

PCL:

Tacoma:
Jeff Clement ('05): 1-for-4
Bryan LaHair ('04): 1-for-4, RUN, RBI, HR #15
Adam Moore ('06): 1-for-4, RUN
Oswaldo Navarro ('05): 0-for-4

AA:
Eastern League:

Reading:
Jason Mackintosh ('04): 1.1IP, 2H, 0R<>

Southern League:

Birmingham:
Robbie Hudson ('06): 0-for-1

Huntsville:
Michael Garciaparra ('03): 0-for-4

Carolina:
Korey Feiner ('08): 0-for-3

West Tennessee:
Greg Halman ('07): 1-for-4
Marshall Hubbard ('05): 0-for-3
Mike Wilson ('05): 0-for-3
Johan Limonta ('06): 1-for-2, RBI
Kyle Parker ('07): 7IP, 9H, 3R, 2BB, 4K