Postgame thoughts (June 24, 2011)

Imagine the highlights here. They are taking a long time to load on to YouTube tonight for some reason.

Check over here later and click on the 2011 Game Highlights.

UPDATE: Or just click here. I am having a problem embedding this and there is a lot to do today.

Rattlers 4, River Bandits 3
Boxscore | Game Story

• The second walk-off win of the season is a great way to start the second half
• Remember earlier in the season when I compared the Rattlers offense to the offense of the Badger Basketball team?
• It happened again.
• Nothing from the Stang hit in the third to the double by Tyler Roberts in the eighth.
• Then, the lid came off
• Roberts took a little bit of a chance on the grounder to the left side after the double, but he made it.
• Mittelstaedt stays hot with an RBI single in the eighth.  1-for-2 with a pair of walks.  He’s 12-for-23 since June 14.
• Once Walker got on in the ninth, you could sense the Rattlers had a great shot to win that game.
• Romero with a very nice stint as a pinch runner and a nice Dave Roberts impression.
• He steals second to get into scoring position and Dennis – with his Bill Meuller impression – singled Romero home with the tying run.
• Let’s go through the last few pitches of the final plate appearance for Roberts:  On the 2-1 pitch, he chased a fastball up in his eyes; on the next pitch, he got just enough of an inside pitch to stay alive in the at bat.  On the next pitch, Roberts lined a pitch to right (opposite field for those of you at home) for the game winning sac fly.
• Oh, and his double to right in the eighth…also to right.
• That doesn’t excuse the bad throw that let the River Bandits score their first run in the fifth inning…But, it sure makes up for it.
• Brooks Hall’s unofficial pitch count (82 pitches, 48 strikes) just looks weird.  I thought that he was in the strike zone more than that, but, I triple checked my math…
• He got into trouble in the 6th when he walked Cody Stanley on four straight pitches and gave up a two-out, two-run double to Jonathan Rodriguez on a 3-1 pitch.  That put the Rattlers down 3-1.
• There was a 92 a few times on the pitch speed indicator for Hall.
• There was a 96 a lot of times for Carlos Martinez, the Quad Cities Starter tonight.
• Kudos to Brian Garman! Three scoreless no hits, two walks, four strikeouts and the win.
• Here are a couple of interesting numbers: 2-49 & 2-19.  Also: 13-29 & 15-9.
• In 2010, Wisconsin was 2-49 when trailing after eight innings. In 2011, Wisconsin is 2-19 when trailing after eight innings.
• In 2010, Wisconsin was 13-29 in one run games. In 2011, Wisconsin is 15-9 in one run games.
• To wrap this post up, Where’s Roberts?

The Rattlers celebrate their 9th inning win over the River Bandits on June 24.

• I just noticed…Greg Hopkins (#5)…Is that a jump for joy?  I think it is.