Burlington 8
Wisconsin 3
Boxscore | Game Story

Breezy.

1. Carlos Gomez went 0-for-3 with a strikeout tonight. He also made a real nice running catch on a Sean Jamieson fly ball in the fourth.  He left after seven innings – as planned.  Gomez should be ready to play nine tomorrow.
2. Matt Miller‘s first inning: 31 pitches/16 strikes. Toss in a 12 pitch at bat against Dusty Robinson in the third inning and you’ll see how you can get to 70 pitches in three innings.
3. I don’t know what it is about this matchup, but Matt Miller has made six starts against the Burlington Bees in his Timber Rattlers career.  He has allowed 26 runs (25 earned) on 42 hits with 10 walks and 25 strikeouts over 30 innings in those six starts against Burlington.  Miller is 0-6 with a 7.50ERA against the Bees.  Miller is 8-6 with a 3.74ERA in his other 24 appearances for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.  That is just weird
4. The first seven runs for the Bees (and all three runs for the Rattlers) scored after there were two outs.  A couple of pitches here or there and this game might still be going
5. Michael Strong recorded nine strikeouts in four innings tonight.  This should not be surprising.  He struck out 13 in seven innings for Helena last year.
6. Max Walla had three hits – two sharp singles and an infield single. Yadiel Rivera had two hits – a well struck line drive to left-center for a triple that drove in Walla and a flare into right field that put runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the seventh.
7. Nick Ramirez with a little wall ball in the sixth inning for an opposite field double.  That makes it a seven game hitting streak for the former Cal-Stat Fullerton Titan.
8. Here is a list of Brewers rovers, co-ordinators, and front office people who were here to see this game tonight: Dan O’Brien, Charlie Greene, Lee Tunnell, Reggie Williams, Bob Miscik, and Don Money.  I said it during the broadcast tonight and I will write it here: That is a lot of eyes on this club.
9. I really don’t want to end on a down note again here, but this seems the best place to put this.  Kevin Hickey pitched for the Appleton Foxes in 1979 and again in 1984.  He was signed out of a White Sox tryout camp and never played high school baseball.  Hickey made the major leagues with the White Sox from 1981 to 1983 and the Baltimore Orioles from 1989 to 1991.  Hickey had been a pregame instructor for the White Sox since 2004 and was loved by the players on that team.  Hickey died on Wednesday after being in a coma since opening day of this season.  Hickey was 56 and to find out more just click this link.  Then, hug someone close to you.

Burlington 4
Wisconsin 5
Boxscore | Game Story

Raise both your arms if you had the winning hit tonight? Photo Credit/Ann Mollica, who took a way better picture than the one that I was going to use.

1. First things first.  Carlos Gomez was 0-for-3 with a run scored.  He was not running all out, but he is still working himself up to that.  Watch the highlight for him to score on the sacrifice fly in the first inning.  A good throw would have got him, but the main thing is that he made it through his five innings without incident.  Plus, he made a couple of nice catches in the first inning.
2. Ben McMahan just wrapped up going 6-for-15 in a series at Kane County.  He blasted that home run in the fourth and went 2-for-4 on night.  He has bumped his season average up to .308 and is now eighth in the league in hitting.  McMahan hit .200with three doubles in April.  McMahan is hitting .404 with five doubles, three triples, and two homers in May.
   
3. Jason Rogers just keeps on doing what he’s doing.  He absolutely killed that home run. No doubt.  But, the plate appearance that impressed me was in the tenth.  Situation: Winning run at second with one out.  Opponent Strategy: Nibble and get Rogers to chase a bad pitch out of the zone.  Last year, Rogers may have chased pitches out of the strike zone and either struck out or made an out that didn’t move the runner. This year, Rogers didn’t take his bat off his shoulder and took the walk.  Not as exciting for the fans at the game, but definitely exciting for player development.
   
4. Andy Moye ran his scoreless streak to 17-2/3 innings until he allowed a two-out solo homer in the sixth.  He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.  In his 37-1/3 innings with the Rattlers, Moye’s K:BB ratio is 33:8 and tonight was his last game with the Rattlers.  Twitter announced that Moye is headed to Brevard County.  There has been no corresponding move to fill the Rattlers roster.  I am guessing that Jacob Barnes is due to come off the DL, but don’t quote me on this.  We’ll see what the move is in the morning.
   
5. Dueling diving catches in the eighth and ninth innings.  Bobby Crocker made an incredible diving catch to rob McMahan of a triple in the bottom of the eighth.  Then, Max Walla topped that catch with the play in the top of the ninth. Just look at it near the end of the highlights.
6. FLASHBACK:  Tommy Toledo is pitching in the bottom of the ninth inning at Kane County on May 12.  The winning run is at second with a tie game and one out.  Toledo intentionally walks a batter to set up a double play.  The next batter grounds into an inning ending double play.  WEDNESDAY: Tommy Toledo is pitching in the top of the tenth inning with the score tied and one out and runners on second and third.  Toledo intentionally walks a batter to load the bases.  The next batter grounds into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
   
7. Max Walla came on defensively in the top of the sixth for Carlos Gomez – Chadwin Stang moved to center and Walla took over in right.  Walla’s double in the bottom of the tenth was hit very well. I heard it smack off the padding on the sign underneath the chain link by the Rattlers bullpen.
   
8. I am moving Nick Ramirez from the heating up column to the hot column.  He put the game winning hit off the wall in left on one hop. That opposite field game-winner gave him a six game hitting streak.  Key words: Opposite Field
   
9. It was a really emotional night in the ballpark for the folks in the font office.  Brock Calmes has worked at the ballpark as a concessions hawker since 1998.  He was 28 and he died on Monday.  We found out about it in the staff meeting today and it silenced everyone.  Brock is a popular person around the stadium.  Even if all you have done is listen to the games on the radio or internet, you’ll know Brock: PEEEEAAAAAANNUTTTTS!!!!  POPCOOOOOORRRRNNNN!  COTTON CANDYLICORICEROPE!  The team held a moment of silence for Brock before the National Anthem tonight and ended it by playing his call one more time and a shot of his parents on the video board.  It was heartbreaking.  I will need to ask the production crew if they saved that for posterity because if you heard the silence and the reaction you would know how we all feel tonight.  Minor league baseball is more than a business.  If you come out to enough games, it becomes a part of you.  You start calling the ballpark home and the people you work with family and it doesn’t feel weird at all.  And it’s not just the people who work here, head over here and look at the comments from the people who came out to the games on the Rattlers facebook page.  The fans loved Brock and he loved interacting with them. My boss said it best:  “He was a great young man with a big, caring heart and he was taken from us all too soon. The big guy will be missed.” Amen.

Wisconsin 5
Kane County 11
Boxscore | Game Story

That homer from Nick Ramirez wound up out by that white sign to the right of the hitter’s background in center.

1. David Goforth had 27 pitches – 19 strikes – in the first two innings.  I had him at 33 pitches – 14 strikes in the third inning.  The three straight walks were tough.  Two of them were four pitch strikes, one came on a 3-1 count and, the last one walked in a run.  He walked four in the inning.
2. Yet, he almost got out of the inning with the game tied 4-4.  There were two outs and a 1-2 count on Justin Trapp when a pitch got up in the zone and Trapp put it over the wall in left for a grand slam.
3. I believe that I have mentioned how much I hate that place.  Still stands. I hate that place.
4. The Cougars outscored the Rattlers 20-7 in the last two games of the series.
5. This is the third straight loss for the Rattlers.  The only other time they lost three in a row this season was when they were swept in a three game series at South Bend.
6. Not going to say that Nick Ramirez is locked in, but he is getting there.  His home run in the fifth inning was to a place that most guys don’t reach in that ballpark – wind or no wind.  He put it out on the deck to the right of the hitting background.
7. I got a response from Matt Erickson as to why the Rattlers played the infield in with a runner at third yesterday when they were down 7-1 in the fourth inning on Sunday.  It went something like this: The way the wind was blowing and as early as it was, we wanted to make it tough for them to score runs and give ourselves a chance to come back.  We’re not going to play back and give up a run for an out just so you can get on the bus back to the hotel faster.  I’m pretty sure he was kidding about that last part.
8. Yadiel Rivera had the day off Tuesday.  He was hitting .209 in May with 14 strikeouts and nine hits in 13 games.  He should be back in there Wednesday.
9. Quick preview for the Burlington series: The Bees just got swept in a four game series by the Peoria Chiefs on the road.  The Rattlers dropped two of three in Burlington earlier this season.UPDATED: Probable Pitchers:
   WED: Andy Moye v. Brent Powers (instead of Macias)
   THU: Matt Miller v. Raul Alcantara
   FRI: Drew Gagnon v. Sean MurphySee you there.

Timber Rattlers 2
Cougars 9
Boxscore | Game Story

Not all sausage race knockoffs are the same.

1. Brandon Macias – and his glove – made a couple of really outstanding defensive plays at third base today.  In the bottom of the first, Justin Trapp hit a hot shot down the third base line.  Macias dove to a backhand stab and the ball knocked the glove off his hand.  However, the ball stayed in the glove.  Macias reached in to grab the ball and threw to first for an unusual out.  In the third, Macias denied Jin-Ho Shin with a similar stop and throw.  This time, the glove stayed on his hand.  Brian Buchanan, the Cougars manager, was coaching at third base.  He and Macias looked like they were both grinning at each other after both plays.
2. Chad Thompson had a rough day, but was one out from working scoreless innings in both the second and the third. The home run by Watts came with two outs in the second.  In the third, there was a runner at third with two outs and Thompson walked the next two batters on a 3-2 pitch to load up the pitches.  Then, he fell behind Antonio 3-0…and after a strike made it 3-1…he left the next pitch up and the ball carried out of the park for a grand slam.  One more walk ended Thompson’s day.  I did see 90 a couple of times from him, but he had trouble throwing strikes when he needed it.
3. Back to the start of the third inning rally.  John Dishon tried to make a diving catch of a sinking line drive off the bat of Trapp with one out.  The gamble didn’t pay off and the ball skipped to the wall for a triple. Does the inning play out differently with a runner on first and one out versus a runner on third and one out?  Not to go all Peter King here but, maybe.
   
4. In the 4th with the score already 7-1, the Cougars had runners on second and third with one out.  The infield played halfway, not all the way in, but halfway.  Then, Jorge Bonifacio lined a single about to where Yadiel Rivera would have been playing a normal position.  I didn’t get a chance to ask why that particular defense was called for in that particular spot.  There is a theory about making a team earn every run,  I will ask tomorrow and report the answer
5. Speaking of Yadiel Rivera, he launched his third home run of the season in the sixth inning.  It looked like a low pitch that was a little off the outside corner.  He went down and got it.  Nice at bat.  Needs to have more like that.
6. Nick Ramirez is starting to heat up at the plate.  Two hits today.  He has at least one hit if each of his last four games.
   
7. Tough call on the player of the game today.  Ramirez had two hits and scored a run.  Rivera had a homer.  Mark Williams pitched four scoreless innings five strikeouts.  I almost went with Williams.
8. Williams battled the strike zone in his first inning with a couple of walks.  But, he fought through it and found his way.  He retired 10 of the last eleven batters he faced and struck out four in a row at one point.  Williams looked good again today.
9. Carlos Gomez worked out with the team for a bit this morning.  He will work out with the team again on Tuesday.  Then, he will play Wednesday with the Timber Rattlers at home.  Looking forward to it.
   

Rattlers 4
Cougars 5
Boxscore | Game Story

So close.

1. Drew Gagnon was up in the strike zone a couple of times today and it hurt him.  Dean Espy’s RBI double in the second and the two run homer by Lane Adams in the fifth in particular were pitches up in the zone that got him into trouble.
2. His most impressive job today was after the trouble started in the third inning.  First the trouble: The Cougars had runners at first and third with no outs and Gagnon got a hot one hopper back to him off the bat of Jorge Bonifacio.  Gagnon turned and threw wildly to second.  (Aside: The ball glanced off Yadiel Rivera‘s glove but the error should have gone to Gagnon.  I had it as an E-1 in my book and it may be changed after the game)  That led to the tying run scoring and runners still being on first and third with no outs.
3. Now, the escape: Shallow fly to center, Bonifacio takes off on a pitch in the dirt and was out at second (this was called a caught stealing in the boxscore), and a pitch that froze Michael Antonio on a 3-2 pitch for strike three.
4. On the offensive side, the only inning in which the Rattlers went down in order was in the first inning.  The offense had a lot of chances today, but… 2-for-13 with RISP.
5. John Dishon with three hits, including two doubles, today in the #9 spot in the order.
6. Chadwin Stang in the leadoff spot had three hits, a run, a stolen base, and two RBI.  But, there was one miscue on the bases.  In the seventh, with the Rattlers down 5-2, Dishon was on third and Stang blooped a hit to shallow right.  Dishon scored to make it 5-3.  Stang motored for second and the throw got by the shortstop and into left field – just beyond the infield dirt behind third. Stang got up and took off for third.  However, Kane County third baseman Danny Mateo played the angle and backed up the throw to second.  The ball rolled right to him.  All he had to do was run a little bit to get in front of the bag.  He intercepted Stang about 15 feet from third for a big second out of the inning.
7. Nick Ramirez should have had three hits on Sunday.  But, left fielder Tim Ferguson had other ideas.  Ferguson came in on a sinking line drive in the second inning for the first web gem.  In the third, with one on and two outs and the Rattlers up 2-1, Ferguson came out of nowhere to make a diving catch on a pop fly to medium left-center that looked like it would drop for sure.  Ramirez with a twitter, tip o’ the cap to Ferguson.
8. A Nine after 9 tip o’ the cap to Michael Strong.  In his second outing since joining the Rattlers, he worked three more scoreless innings, walked one, and allowed a hit.  In two games with Wisconsin, the lefty has pitched six scoreless innings, allowed two hits, and walked four.
9. How close were the Rattlers to tying the game in the ninth? That picture up top is of the one of three foul balls by Jason Rogers on a two strike count against Kane County closer Nick Graffeo.  This one was either just before or just after Rogers lined a low changeup to left field.  Rogers did a good job holding back to get good wood on the ball on the ball, but the ball just hooked foul.  Almost.  Almost. Get ‘em tomorrow.