Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Another Season In The Books

2011-09-06T17:47:00.004-05:00

The Rattlers wrapped up their season on a high note on Monday, knocking off the Beloit Snappers in Beloit. Wisconsin finished the season five games under .500 at 67-72. They did however finish with a better overall record than both the Kane County Cougars and Clinton LumberKings, two teams that advanced to the Midwest League playoffs. Maybe one of these years we can get some playoff baseball in Appleton. Until then, here's a look back at the Timber Rattlers statistical leaders for 2011.

Hitting Leaders

Batting Average: Cody Hawn (.294)

Hits: Nick Shaw (121)

Doubles: Cody Hawn (24)

Triples: Reggie Keen / Franklin Romero Jr. (7)

Home Runs: Mike Walker (15)

RBI: Mike Walker (72)

Stolen Bases: Reggie Keen (41)

Runs Scored: Nick Shaw (80)

Games Played: Nick Shaw (126)

Pitching Leaders

ERA: Adrian Rosario (1.34)

Whip: Casey Medlen (0.93)

Wins: Jimmy Nelson (8)

Saves: Greg Holle (19)

Strikeouts: Jimmy Nelson (120)

Appearances: Brian Garman / Greg Holle (41)

It's hard to believe the season is already over. If you are like me and can't fathom the thought of no Rattlers baseball until next April, you might wanna check out the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League. They have six former T-Rats on their current roster including Kentrail Davis, Adam Moore, Cody Scarpetta, Scooter Gennett, Daniel Meadows and Santo Manzanillo. Thanks once again to the Rattlers staff for another great season. I'll probably make some changes to the blog over the off-season. In the meantime if you want to take one last look back at my Timber Rattler photos from 2011, you can find them all here. And if you'd like to keep up with some of my other work, feel free to check out my photography blog, which can be found here. I'll post pictures from the Packers (hopefully another Super Bowl), Brewers (hopefully a World Series), Bucks (hopefully a season) and more. Thanks for reading and see you all for Opening Day 2012.

Rattlers Roll Over Cedar Rapids.

2011-08-28T20:53:00.006-05:00

Well if that was the last Timber Rattlers game I get to see this season I sure picked a good one. In front of 6,500+ fans the Rattlers cruised to an 11-1 victory. I didn't even think Fox Cities Stadium held that many people, but they packed em in for the last Sunday home game of the season. Jimmy Nelson started for Wisconsin and went seven innings, allowing just one unearned run to get his eighth win of the season.

Carlos Gomez was in town for the second of a four game rehab stint, and he contributed to the offensive outburst with a pair of hits before being lifted after the fifth inning. Cody Hawn and Jason Rogers both came up big for the Rattlers offense as well with three hits each. Nick Ramirez and Greg Hopkins also had multi-hit games and seven different players contributed RBIs.

Notes

- Former Brewers catcher Damian Miller was on hand to throw out the first pitch and sign some autographs. I had a chance to meet him quickly. Very nice guy. I love that the Rattlers bring some of the former big leaguers to town from time to time for Brewers Sundays.

- Gomez went five innings today after playing three last night. The plan is to ease him in to things. He is scheduled to play seven tomorrow night and then nine on Tuesday before heading to Milwaukee.

- Catcher Rafael Neda was the only Rattler starter without a hit. They racked up fifteen hits and avoided playoff elimination for another day. The six run outburst in the first was no fluke either, the whole team hit Cedar Rapids starting pitcher pretty hard.

- Fitting that in my last game of the year I got one of my favorite shots of the year. This is the definition of Nick Ramirez "wearing one" in the numbers.

This was likely my last game of the year. I had hoped to get down there tomorrow for Khris Davis bobblehead night but the "real job" is going to get in the way of that. So if today was my last time at Fox Cities Stadium for the year I'd like to thank the players, coaches and the amazing staff at Fox Cities Stadium for another great season. See you all next April!

Here are the rest of my photos from Sunday's game.

P.S. - I say likely my last game because I know Rickie Weeks is close to making his way back. I also know the Rattlers close out the season next weekend in Beloit. Not saying it's gonna happen, but a rehab appearance could tempt me to take a trip down to Beloit over the long Labor Day weekend.

Rattlers Bat Come Alive

2011-08-14T19:48:00.004-05:00

After being shut out on Saturday night, the Timber Rattlers bounced back in a big way on Sunday afternoon, topping the Quad Cities River Bandits 12-3. Brooks Hall (pictured below) started for the Rattlers and pitched his way in and out of trouble, allowing just one run in five innings of work. He escaped a bases loaded jam in the second, allowing only one run. Hall walked three and gave up five hits, but just the one run to earn his sixth win of the season.
Wisconsin took a brief lead in the first inning when T.J. Mittelstaedt cracked his tenth home run of the season to right field. Quad Cities tied it up in the top of the second, but the Rattlers would then pile on with four runs in the fifth, five in the sixth and two more in the seventh to cruise to a victory. Mittelstaedt would finish the day 3 for 5 with 4 RBI. Nick Ramirez (pictured below) also added 4 RBI, going 2 for 5 with a double.

Jason Rogers also chipped in three hits, including a double off River Bandits reliever Angel De Jesus that just missed leaving the yard. Mike Brownstein (pictured below) stayed hot with two more hits and Greg Hopkins and Brandon Macias both had multi hit games as well. Casey Medlen and Seth Lintz came on in relief of Hall to work the final four innings and preserve the victory for the Rattlers.

Wisconsin finishes up their series with Quad Cities tomorrow afternoon before hitting the road for a 7 game trip. The T-Rats return home on the 24th for the final home stand of the season. Here are my photos from Sunday's game.

Miller Dominates Snappers; Rattlers Win 3-1

2011-08-11T10:48:00.005-05:00

A great pitching performance from Rattlers starting pitcher Matt Miller (pictured below) led Wisconsin to a 3-1 victory over the Beloit Snappers on Wednesday night. Miller looked shaky in the first inning, walking the first two batters and allowing the lone run of the game. He quickly settled down though and pitched 7 2/3 innings to earn his fifth victory of the season. Miller struck out six and was still hitting 92-94 on the stadium gun in the eighth inning.
After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, the T-Rats offense fought right back for two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Nick Shaw walked to lead off the inning, and went station to station for the team's first run. He took second on a wild pitch. Moved to third on a Mike Brownstein ground out, and scored on a T.J. Mittelstaedt ground out to short. Chad Stang (pictured below) then followed by blasting his second home run of the year to give Wisconsin the 2-1 lead. The Rattlers tacked on one more insurance run in the fifth. Greg Hopkins reached on a fielder's choice, stole second, and then scored on Brownstein's second single of the game. Recently promoted Brandon Macias also had a pair of hits to pace the Wisconsin attack.
The three runs would prove to be plenty as Alan Williams came on in relief of Miller in the eighth to get the final out of the inning, and Adrian Rosario (pictured below) worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out the side for the save.
Sadly, there are only twelve Rattler home games left in 2011, I hope to get out to Sunday's game to finally get to see Brooks Hall in action. Here are the rest of my images from Wednesday night.

Bees Top Rattlers 5-3

2011-07-31T19:36:00.000-05:00

The Timber Rattlers dropped their fifth straight game on Sunday, falling to the Burlington Bees 5-3. Burlington got out to an early lead, scoring five runs off Rattlers starting pitcher Charly Bashara. The Rattlers fought back for three runs late in the game and got the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but a routine ground ball to short by Mike Brownstein ended the T-Rats rally.

Brownstein and Chad Stang led the way offensively for the Rattlers, each with a pair of hits. Recently promoted first baseman Nick Ramirez (pictured) belted his first home run of the season, and Franklin Romero Jr. added an RBI.

Notes

- The Rattlers bullpen did a phenomenal job, pitching 4 2/3 innings and allowing just one hit and zero runs to keep the team in the game. Greg Holle went 2 2/3 innings, Dan Britt cruised through the eighth and Alan Williams struck out the side in the ninth.

- The home run that Ramirez hit was a pretty good poke. I think once he gets comfortable here he will hit just fine.

- Stang got a lot of action early in the game and made a real nice running catch going back on a ball at the center field wall.

- The Timber Rattlers were just 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position. That seems to be the story of their season. They fall behind, and to their credit they never stop fighting and always seem to rally their way back in to games, but just seem unable to come up with the clutch hits with the game on the line.

Hopefully the team can turn things around quick as I know there are lots of fans out there hungry for some playoff baseball in Appleton. Wisconsin is home for 11 of their next 15 and still have time to turn things around but we are getting down to the last month plus of the season. Here are my photos from today's game. I hope to get out to at least one of the games against Clinton so should have some more shots up later in the week.

Road Trip

2011-07-24T10:25:00.000-05:00

I'm back from my recent tour of some Minor League stadiums throughout the Midwest, and the first thing I have to say is how good we really do have it in Appleton with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. From the knowledge and friendliness of the staff to the Disneyland-like cleanliness of Fox Cities Stadium to the amazing condition the playing field is kept in, the Rattlers staff and their facilities stand head and shoulders above the other stadiums I visited. Most of the other Midwest League stadiums I saw were old and run down, and even the Triple-A stadium of the Iowa Cubs seemed a step down from Time Warner Cable Field. So I just want to take this time to acknowledge the Timber Rattlers and their staff for the outstanding job they do each and every day!

That being said, I did get to see some cool things and got some nice images of some of my favorite current and former baseball players such as Mat Gamel (pictured), Billy Hamilton, Michael Fiers and Delino DeShields Sr. (that makes me feel really old throwing that senior behind his name). I saw seven games in six days at five different parks so here's a little breakdown of each park I visited along with my photos from the trip.

Friday July 15th, Pohlman Field in Beloit, WI. South Bend Silver Hawks @ Beloit Snappers

Pohlman Field is always fun for me to visit as I got to play there some in my younger days and have some fond memories of that stadium. I've been there plenty of times so I knew what to expect going in. The stadium is on it's last legs and I don't know how much longer there will be baseball in Beloit without a new facility but for now it's home to the Minnesota Twins Low-A affiliate. You hear a lot of bad things about Beloit, but the area around the stadium is fine and you can go pretty much anywhere you want around the stadium without much hassle. The two players that impressed me the most in the game I saw were Ender Inciarte and Zach Walters of South Bend. Inciarte was on base four times, with a single and three walks. He showed good patience from the leadoff spot and played a fine center field. Walters was only 1 for 4 with a walk but he was awesome with the glove, making several nice plays, ranging once deep in to the hole and then a few batters later coming all the way across the second base bag to field a ball, throw off balance, and get the Beloit runner.

PHOTOS

Saturday July 16th, Alliant Energy Field in Clinton, IA. Lansing Lugnuts @ Clinton LumberKings

From the moment I rolled in to Clinton I knew it was going to be bad news. The entire city smells like an Arby's. And I used to like a little good mood food from time to time, but the smell is seriously worse than driving through Kaukauna. Apparently there are a couple of meat packing plants in town and with the temps in the high 90's it was just brutal. Then I got to my hotel, where it took the geniuses behind the desk over an hour to find my reservation. While I was waiting, a couple of players from the visiting Lansing Lugnuts came down to the lobby complaining of no a/c and a distinct smell of urine in their room. Needless to say I didn't spend much time in my hotel and got over to the stadium as quickly as I could. Things weren't much better there. Their field is what I imagine Goodland Field would look like if the Rattlers (Foxes) were still playing there. It's old, dirty and run down. There were cobwebs on the cupholders and if you look closely at the photo of the field, yes that is a wooden fence in the outfield. The chain link fences on the softball diamonds I play at are safer than that! They must be waiting for another Rodney McCray moment or something. To top it all off I got stuck by the fans from hell. I'm pretty sure most of the people in my section were related (as in married to their sisters). It was the perfect storm of being surrounded by Napoleon Dynamite, Randy Quaid in Major League 2 and the Truffle Shuffle kid from the Goonies. As for the game itself, Lansing pulled out the win in 11 innings. Carlos Perez is one of the Blue Jays top prospects for a reason, he was 4 for 6 and gunned down a runner trying to steal. Michael Crouse also impressed me, going 2 for 5 with a stolen base and an outfield assist (What can I say, I'm a sucker for speed and defense).

PHOTOS

Sunday July 17th, Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, IA. Bowling Green Hot Rods @ Quad Cities River Bandits

Anything would have been a step up from Clinton, but this was actually a pretty cool park to see. It wasn't the cleanest (again with the cobwebs) but the Mississippi River running beyond the right field wall makes for some nice scenery. The corn field down the left field line that the Quad Cities players enter from is a bit cheesy, but I liked Field of Dreams so I liked this bit of cheesy. It was super hot on the day I was there and there wasn't much shade, but I did like how the park was laid out so you could make an entire lap around the field. Also I like their online ticket ordering as it lets you view a whole section and change which seats you buy. I wish the Rattlers would look into this as I prefer buying online and trying to find an aisle seat can be a real pain sometime with their current setup. I was a little bummed I didn't get to see Cardinals first round pick Kolten Wong play as he had the day off, but there were still prospects galore with Oscar Taveras of Quad Cities and Braulio Lara, Luke Bailey, Derek Dietrich, Kevin Kiermaier and Hector Guevara of Bowling Green. Taveras had a nice two run bomb for the River Bandits and Boone Whiting pitched a really nice game to lead Quad Cities to the 8-4 win.

PHOTOS

Monday July 18th, Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, IA. Dayton Dragons @ Cedar Rapids Kernels

This was probably my favorite stop along the way. The stadium is kind of tucked away from everything else, but the parking lot sits on the corner of Veterans Memorial Drive and Kurt Warner Way. The staff was extremely friendly and the fans were pretty knowledgeable. It was scorching hot that day and the noon start time didn't help matters but the Cedar Rapids staff did a fantastic job. The stadium was nothing special but it was by no means a dump like Clinton either. Delino DeShields was managing for Dayton so getting a chance to meet and talk to him was neat for me as he was always one of my favorite players growing up. As for the action on the field, prospects Travis Witherspoon of Cedar Rapids and Juan Duran of Dayton each hit home runs. Ronald Torreyes also had a big game for Dayton going 3 for 5 with a double. But my favorite player to watch was Billy Hamilton. As I've said before I like watching players who can run and he can flat out fly. He stole his 70th base of the season (also committed his 28th error though) and I think he could be a problem for the Brewers in the NL Central in a few years.

PHOTOS

Monday July 18th - Wednesday July 20th Principal Park in Des Moines, IA. Nashville Sounds @ Iowa Cubs

I caught the first three games of a four game series the Sounds played in Des Moines. I left the camera at the hotel for game three but still managed to get a bunch of shots of some past, present and future Brewers. I got to see prospects such as Mat Gamel, Caleb Gindl and Eric Farris as well as ex Rattlers Taylor Green, Daniel Meadows, Jim Henderson and Michael Fiers. Principal Park was nothing all that special, though the walk-in beer cooler was pretty sweet (and nice and cool with those high 90 temperatures). They had an announced crowd of 4,736 on Monday night but I would be surprised if the actual number of people in the stands was even half of that. Brewer fans like me will love to hear that Cubs prospect Brett Jackson looked awful in the games I saw. I think he was on base one time (and got thrown out trying to steal second) and did not look good in center field either. On the other hand, Mat Gamel looked awesome! He just keeps hitting and hitting at Triple A and had several great defensive plays at first base, including a diving stab of a ball ticketed for the right field corner. I also got to see Brett Carroll's last few games before he got called up to Milwaukee and saw him show off that throwing arm, teaming with a great relay throw from Edwin Maysonet to nail a runner at the plate.

PHOTOS Game 1

PHOTOS Game 2

All in all it was a pretty good trip. It's amazing how much less stressful traveling is now that the GPS is part of our everyday lives. I know I won't be going back to Clinton anytime soon, but I can still say I really enjoyed the road trip. I think I'll do it again next year, but maybe head south and see if I can get to both Nashville and Huntsville along the way.

WhiteCaps Need 12 To Take Down Rattlers

2011-07-14T12:30:00.001-05:00

The Timber Rattlers pitching staff pitched a pretty nice game on Wednesday night, but a 12th inning grand slam proved to be the difference, as the Rattlers fell 7-5 to the West Michigan WhiteCaps.

Matt Miller starter for the Rattlers and worked the first seven innings, allowing just three runs. Brian Garman and Eric Marzec combined to work the next four scoreless. Stosh Wawrzasek then got himself in to some trouble to start the 12th. He nearly worked his way out of a bases loaded, no out jam, but Clay Jones hammered a 3-2, two out pitch for a grand slam home run and a 7-3 lead.

The Rattlers kept pace most of the game thanks to a pair of home runs from Cody Hawn (pictured) and T.J. Mittelstaedt. Mittelstaedt finished the game 3-6 with 2 RBI and was just a triple short of the cycle. Hawn and Nick Shaw each chipped in with two hits. The Rattlers tried to rally in the bottom of the 12th, but could push just two runs across for the final 7-5 score.

Notes:

- Cody Hawn's second inning home run was a pretty good poke to the opposite field. Must have been watching Prince in the All-Star game. It was only his 6th of the season but you can see he's got a little bit of power.

- I haven't seen a good T-Rats brawl since Chad Sheffer destroyed a Beloit catcher in 1996 and the benches cleared and an all out melee ensued, but I almost thought we were gonna get one in the eighth inning when Mike Walker got drilled with a pitch. Not really sure what prompted the reaction from Walker, perhaps there is some back story there, but this is the first time the team's have played this year and it happened on a 2-0 count and the pitch wasn't thrown high or anything. Regardless, he fired his bat and barked at the West Michigan pitcher and was visibly still steaming as the WhiteCaps changed pitchers.

- The Rattlers then missed a golden opportunity to score in that inning when an apparent suicide squeeze backfired with runners on the corners and only one out. Don't know if Hawn just missed the sign or what, but Romero was a sitting duck.

- The highlight of the night for me personally was getting a chance to meet one of my childhood favorites, former Brewers legend Ben Oglivie prior to the game. However I was a little disappointed to hear him say that he had first contacted the Brewers about interviewing for a coaching job and they never even returned his call. He seemed genuinely hurt by it and made a couple comments about loyalty and baseball being a business now. I don't know all the details so it wouldn't be fair for me to say much on the matter, but you would think just with what he did as a player for the Brewers they would grant him an interview as a common courtesy. Then you factor in that he has coaching experience, even at the Major League level, and you look at the success he seems to be having with his current team, and it seems as though the Brewers might have dropped the ball on this one.

- Anyway, here are my photos from Wednesday's game. I'm off to Iowa for a week. I'll post some of my shots from the trip when I get back next Friday. Hopefully the Rattlers will have things turned around by then and we can look forward to an exciting August playoff chase.

Rattlers Bounce Back From Rough First Inning To Thump Kane County

2011-07-08T09:34:00.001-05:00

The Rattlers climbed to within a game of the first place Kane County Cougars on Thursday afternoon with an 11-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals affiliate at Fox Cities Stadium.

Matt Miller started for Wisconsin and looked like he was going to have some trouble early on, giving up four runs in the first inning. But he settled down from there and wound up going six innings and allowing just those first inning runs. Stosh Wawrzasek and Brian Garman pitched the final three innings in relief, with Wawrzasek giving up just a single eighth inning run to nail down the game.

The T-Rats offense had another big day, with those eleven runs coming on seventeen hits. Mike Walker (pictured) led the way with a 4 for 4 day and scored four runs. Joey Paciorek had three hits and 4 RBI, including a big three run home run. Chad Stang also chipped in three hits and Cody Hawn, Franklin Romero Jr. and T.J. Mittelstaedt each tallied two hits.

Notes:

- I was afraid it was going to be another rough day for Matt Miller, but he really did a great job of bouncing back from that first inning. His fastball was sitting around 90 mph on the stadium gun but it must have had some good movement because I don't think I've ever seen so many broken bats in one game. The Rattlers broke their share too, but the scariest was one that flew over the heads of Walker and Nick Shaw with the barrel landing on the outfield grass.

- Mike Walker also continues to shine. He seems to put together a good at bat each time up and his 4 for 4 day pushed his average back up to .294. The results on defense were mixed. He did commit an error but also had a nice diving grab of a line drive.

- I've been impressed with Chad Stang so far also. He looks smooth in the outfield and his three hits on Wednesday bumped him up to .344 since joining the Rattlers.

- This was the first game I saw Joey Paciorek play since his stint here last year, and based on the small sample of one game, he looks much more comfortable at the plate this year. His third inning home run was a rocket. I thought it might go foul for a second, but like Chris Mehring noted, he hit it so hard it didn't have time to go foul

- Maybe I just missed the announcement of the last name, but I'm pretty sure that Stosh Wawrzasek was introduced simply as Stosh. That's pretty awesome!

- And speaking of awesome, check out the Mittelstaedt Mohawk!

Here are my photos from yesterday's game. I'll be back out at Fox Cities Stadium next Wednesday. I'm not missing a chance to see West Michigan hitting coach and one of my favorite former Brewers, Ben Oglivie! After that I'm heading out on a nice little week long road trip to check out some other Midwest League teams and stadiums including Beloit, Clinton, Quad Cities and Cedar Rapids. Then three games in Des Moines as ex Rattlers Michael Fiers, Daniel Meadows, Taylor Green and the Nashville Sounds take on the Iowa Cubs. If anyone's interested in seeing pics from the trip let me know and maybe I'll put a post up on here when I get back.

Nelson Pitches Rattlers To Victory

2011-06-13T08:32:00.001-05:00

The Timber Rattlers stayed in the thick of the first half wild card race on Sunday with a 4-1 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps leaving Wisconsin just two games back.

Jimmy Nelson started for the Rattlers and went seven strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out eight.

Offensively the T-Rats were led by Greg Hopkins who went 3 for 3 with an RBI. Reggie Keen was 1 for 3 with a triple and a walk and scored two runs, while Nick Shaw was also on base twice and scored the team's other two runs.

The game was close throughout and the TinCaps threatened a couple times late in the ballgame. But great relief work by Greg Holle kept Fort Wayne off the board and Holle got the final six outs to record his fourteenth save of the season.

Notes

- This was the best game I have seen Nelson pitch this year. It seemed like he was throwing a lot of strikes and not much was hit very hard. He also had a very athletic lunging grab at first base to complete a 3-6-1 double play to end the sixth.

- Despite allowing four stolen bases and an 0-4 day at the plate, I thought Tyler Roberts played a great game. In a couple of key situations late in the game he was a brick wall, not letting anything by him. He blocked pitch after pitch in the dirt and made a great pick of a short hop throw from third baseman Greg Hopkins to record a force out at home with the bases loaded in the eighth. And he did all of this after having a finger nail torn off on his throwing hand by a foul tip. He showed me the finger after the game, bandaged and still bleeding and just laughed it off and said "I'll be okay". He's a catcher, of course he will.

- Greg Hopkins continued his hot hitting with his three hit performance and made several good plays in the field. His throw home in the eighth looked like maybe he tried to aim it too much causing the short hop, but he had several other nice diving stops at third earlier in the game.

- Stosh Wawrzasek was not the same Stosh I had become used to seeing this year. He didn't seem to have great control, but I guess everyone is entitled to a bad day. Every other time I had seen him this year he had been fantastic and his bullpen buddy Greg Holle bailed him out with a great two inning save.

- This might have been the last chance to see some of the current Rattlers this season. With the All-Star break coming up it's likely some like Austin Ross, Mike Walker and Tyler Thornburg will earn a promotion. And with short season leagues starting up, players like Yadiel Rivera may head out to Helena. Whatever happens, it's been a very enjoyable first half of the season and I'd like to wish the best of luck to all the players as they move through the organization.

- After the Rattlers game I checked out a MSBL game between the Neenah Brauers and East River Knights and was pleasantly surprised to see former Timber Rattlers Juan Ramos and Juan Alcala playing for the Neenah squad. Both spent part of the 2000 season with the Rattlers.

- Here are my photos from Sunday's game. The Rattlers are now gone for nearly another two weeks. I will be back out at the game on the 25th, but that is our annual softball game and tailgate so I doubt I will be in any shape to operate a camera that night so it might be a bit longer wait for more photos.

Rattlers Explode For 14 Runs

2011-06-09T13:48:00.003-05:00

After an extended road trip the Timber Rattlers finally came back home this week. Seems like I hadn't seen a game in forever but Wednesday afternoon's performance was well worth the wait. The T-Rats exploded for fourteen runs on twenty hits. They had no problem against Lake County knuckleballer Steven Wright. The Rattlers put up a couple of crooked numbers with six runs in the first and four in the second.

The Rattlers were led by lead off man T.J. Mittelstaedt, who went 4 for 5 with a walk. Greg Hopkins and Tony Pechek each chipped in three hits and Nick Shaw and Cody Hawn knocked in three runs each. Wisconsin also added four home runs. One each by Hawn, Shaw, Mittelstaedt and Chris Dennis.

Jameson Dunn started for the T-Rats and went five innings, allowing just two runs on a two run home run by Indians prospect LeVon Washington to pick up the win. Brian Garman came on in relief and worked three scoreless innings before Stosh Wawrzasek closed out the ninth.

Notes:
- The Rattlers could have had a fifth home run as Yadiel Rivera smoked one that from my point of view clearly looked like it left the yard in fair territory, but the umpire ruled it foul. Matt Erickson argued the call but to no avail. When you hear the term good defender thrown around for Yadiel, Rattler fans might be tempted to think Mike Marseco. Good glove, no bat so it was good to see a little pop in Rivera's bat. The average isn't there yet, but the glove sure is. He is very young but had a ton of room to get better and with steady improvement he could be exciting to watch.

- Rivera wasn't the only one playing solid defense on Wednesday. Rattlers pitchers were helped by a couple of big plays in the outfield. Chris Dennis had a really nice running catch going in to the left-center field gap, and Robbie Garvey made a leaping grab on the warning track.

- Everybody in the Rattlers lineup had at least one hit, and seven players had multiple hits. Wisconsin also pounded out seven extra base hits.

- Garman looked like a totally different pitcher than I saw earlier in the year. Now whether that was a matter of him just struggling earlier, or being healthy, or Lake County giving away at bats with such a big deficit I don't know, but nice to see him back on track and throwing strikes.

- Good to see former Brewer farmhand Rob Bryson throw an inning for Lake County. One of the players included in the CC Sabathia trade, Bryson is working his way back from injury and pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Captains.

- Here are my photos from Wednesday's game. I should make it back out there on Sunday for the last game against the Fort Wayne Tin Caps before the Rattlers are gone again for almost another two weeks with a seven game road trip followed by the All-Star break.

T-Rats Take Game One, Fall In Game Two

2011-04-29T23:17:00.002-05:00

All the rain and bad weather over the past few weeks force the Timber Rattlers into yet another doubleheader on Friday. They won game one 5-0 over Clinton thanks to an outstanding pitching performance by starter Matt Miller (pictured). Miller threw a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits, while striking out six. He had good command and did an excellent job of mixing up his pitches, keeping Clinton hitters off balance all game. Offensively the Rattlers were led by Cody Hawn, who went 2 for 3, and Carlos George, who knocked in a pair of runs.
Game two was a different story, Del Howell again struggled with his control. He walked two batters and was hit pretty hard, allowing five runs, three earned in just three innings of work. Hawn had an opposite field home run in game two to account for the Rattlers only run. Catcher Cameron Garfield suffered what appeared to be a rather serious knee injury in game two as he tried to make a lunging tag on a play at the plate. He was down on the ground in noticeable pain for a while before being helped off the field. Hopefully it's nothing serious, but it didn't look good at all. Here's hoping for a quick recovery for the exciting young catching prospect. The Timber Rattlers and LumberKings wrap up their three game series tomorrow at 1:05 before the T-Rats head out on the road. Here are my photos from Friday's action.
PHOTOS

Rattlers Split Doubleheader With Walk-Off

2011-04-17T23:01:00.003-05:00

Got a chance to watch two pretty good games on Sunday thanks to this weekend's rain outs. The T-Rats blew game one but salvaged the day with an awesome game ending, walk-off home run by Mike Walker in game two. Here are some of my observations from the two games.

Del Howell: Howell's command was a lot better than the last time I saw him. Still was only between 84-86 on the stadium gun, but only walked two while striking out four.
Brian Garman: Garman really struggled, giving up five runs in just an inning and two-thirds.
Eric Marzec: Marzec came in to pitch to the last three Peoria batters in game one. He gave up two hits and struck out a batter.
Tyler Thornburg: I'm on the Tyler Thornburg bandwagon. He was dominant, striking out eight and giving up only three hits. His fastball was sitting around 90-91 most of the game but seemed to get stronger later in the game when I saw him hit 92 a couple of times in the sixth inning.
Stosh Wawrzasek: Came on in relief to get Thornburg out of the sixth inning and struck out the only batter he faced.
Dan Britt: Pitched the seventh in game two and got the win. Walked one and struck out one.
Nick Shaw: Played only in game one. Was 1 for 4 with a double but struck out twice.
Reggie Keen: Went 2 for 6 with a double and stole his team leading fifth base of the season. Could have had a third hit on the day but the Peoria third baseman made a great play on a really hard hit line drive in game one.
Cody Hawn: Hawn was 2 for 5 and drew a walk. He looked much better at the plate than the first two times I saw him this year.
Jason Rogers: Rogers started game one in left field before being replaced with a lead for defense. Not sure what his position will be in the future but he keeps hitting. 2 for 5 with a double on Sunday. Also stole his fourth base of the young season. (Eventually I'm going to stop being suprised when I see him steal a base.)
Robbie Garvey: Garvey came in for Rogers in game one and went 0 for 1. He pinch ran for Hawn in game two and scored on Walker's walk-off home run.
Greg Hopkins: Hopkins finished the day 1 for 4 with a walk and had a nice sacrifice bunt in game two to get the tying run in scoring position.
Mike Walker: The star of the day, Walker went 4 for 6 with a double and two home runs. His walk-off in game two included a big league bat flip, which as a fan was pretty sweet, though I'm sure the Peoria squad didn't really care for it (but they are a Cubs affiliate so who really cares).
Tyler Roberts: Roberts was 1 for 4 with a double while catching game one.
Carlos George: George was 2 for 6 at the plate, but again it was his glove that really impressed me. He made a really nice pick of a short hopped throw to second to tag out a base stealer.
Franklin Romero Jr.: Romero was 0 for 5 in the two games, but again was solid in the field. He really seems to take control in the outfield, though there was one pop up the wind got to where he maybe could have called off Shaw and made a play on. But in his defense, that wind was brutal. I'm still thawing out a couple days later.
T.J. Mittelstaedt: Went 0 for 2 in game two. Smoked one down the third base line in the fifth, but again the third baseman (Greg Rowan, he had a great day so I should probably learn his name) made a fantastic diving catch and tagged the bag to double Walker off third base.
Tony Pechek: Caught game two and went 0 for 2 at the plate.

Here are my photos from both of Sunday's games against Peoria. Game 1 Game 2

Rattlers Fall to Kane County

2011-04-10T21:34:00.010-05:00

The Timber Rattlers held off Mother Nature long enough on Sunday to get their game in, but fell to the Kane County Cougars 9-5 to split their season opening series. Del Howell started for the Rattlers and got the loss. Tyler Roberts (pictured) and Robbie Garvey led the way offensively, each collecting a pair of hits. My observations from Sunday's game:

Nick Shaw: Shaw was 1 for 4 out of the lead off spot. He hit the ball hard in the third, but lined out to the third baseman. He also had a pitch that he appeared the foul off his foot, but the umpire ruled it didn't touch him and he was thrown out.

Reggie Keen: Keen went 0-4, he grounded out three times and struck out in the sixth.

Cody Hawn: Hawn had a double to lead off the ninth innings and came around to score on Mike Walker's single. He finished the day with one hit in four at bats.

Mike Walker: Walker DH'd and went 1 for 3 with a walk. His RBI single in the ninth kept the Rattlers comeback hopes alive.

Greg Hopkins: Hopkins also had a 1 for 4 game while playing third base for the Rattlers. He doubled in the second inning and scored on a base hit by Robbie Garvey.

Robbie Garvey: Garvey had two hits, scored two runs and knocked in another. He singled in the second and again in the ninth.

Tyler Roberts: Roberts was the offensive star of the game, going 2 for 4 with 3 RBI. He also had a solid game behind the plate, throwing out a base stealer and also executing a nice 3-2-3 double play with Cody Hawn to get the Rattlers out of sixth inning jam.

Carlos George: George had a rough game, going 0 for 4 at the plate and also committing a pair of errors in the field. His error in the eight was in the midst of a rain storm so that may have played a role in his wild throw.

Franklin Romero Jr. : Romero was 0 for 4 at the plate but showed off his great arm again, gunning down a runner at third base.

Del Howell : Howell's command was off on Sunday as he walked six batters. The stadium gun was on but I didn't see very many legit readings, seemed like most of the time they were getting the catcher's throws back to the pitcher. The highest I saw Howell register was 86.

Stosh Wawrzasek: The big Canadian gave up six hits and two runs in his two innings of work. He seemed to be throwing the hardest of the three Rattler pitchers but also seemed to get hit the hardest.

Thomas Keeling: Keeling finished up the final 2 1/3 innings for Wisconsin, giving up three runs, two earned on three hits and also walked three.

The Rattlers finished up their series with Kane County with a .500 record. They now head out on the road for a few days to take on Cedar Rapids in a four game set. They return home on Friday night to hose the Peoria Chiefs. Here are my photos from today's game.

PHOTOS

Opening Day 2011

2011-04-08T06:49:00.009-05:00

Hey Rattlers fans, guess who is undefeated and in first place? What a great way to start the season. Led by a great pitching performance by starter Austin Ross (pictured), the Timber Rattlers defeated Kane County 9-3 on Thursday evening. I'm going to try a bit different format this year and break things down player by player. . Please keep in mind I am by no means a scout or any type of expert so take my comments for what they are, the opinions and observations of a fan with a camera.

Austin Ross: Ross looked outstanding in his first start of the year, going six strong innings, allowing only two hits. The stadium gun did not appear to be working as I didn't see any pitch speed readings, but the one run came on a first inning home run to Brett Eibner on a fly ball to left that kept carrying and just cleared the left field wall. Ross struck out six in his six innings of work and didn't walk a single batter.

Tyler Cravy: Cravy came on to pitch the seventh inning and struggled a bit. He allowed two earned runs on four hits. The Kane County batters hit Cravy pretty hard. He walked one and struck out one.

Greg Holle: Holle was solid in his two innings to close out the game. He walked one batter and struck out two without allowing a hit.

Nick Shaw: The game MVP (and my personal favorite since his walkup song is On to the Next One by Jay-Z), Shaw went 3 for 4 with a home run to right field in the fifth inning. He also looked solid in the field and scored three of the team's nine runs.

Reggie Keen: Keen also had three hits for the T-Rats, including a double and stole a base. The team as a whole seemed very aggressive in taking extra bases all game long. Keen appeared to suffer an injury late in the game. In the bottom of the eighth I notice him stretching his lower leg. It looked like maybe just a tight calf muscle or something, which is very possible in these early cold weather games. The trainer came out and looked at him but it couldn't have been too serious as they left him in to run. He was replaced in the ninth when T.J. Mittelstaedt came in to play left field with Robbie Garvey going to center.

Cody Hawn: Looked very comfortable in the field. I've seen many a Rattler struggle with high pop ups in April, but the couple chances Hawn had he made easily. He also had one hit and an RBI.

Jason Rogers: Rogers had one hit and two RBI. He also drew a walk and more impressively, the big man stole a base. Looks like this whole team is going to run this season.

Mike Walker: Walker was on base three times. He had an RBI double in the fifth to score Hawn and also drew a pair of walks. I don't recall him having a ball hit to him defensively.

Robbie Garvey: Garvey was also on base three time for the Rattlers. He doubled and walked twice. Played left field for most of the game before moving to center in the ninth.

Tyler Roberts: Roberts was the only T-Rats starter not to record a hit. He grounded in to a pair of double plays and also had a throwing error when a strikeout got away from him and his throw to first sailed in to right field. I was kind of surprised he got the start over Cameron Garfield, but I would assume that will be a platoon we will see all season until there is some roster shuffling.

Carlos George: George looked like a totally different player than the one we saw in Wisconsin last April. He was an error machine last year, but looked incredibly smooth in the field on Thursday night. He also was 1 for 3 at the plate and scored a run.

Franklin Romero Jr.: Romero was 3 for 4 with a run scored. I don't recall him hitting anything real hard but he found the holes in the defense. He also has an absolute cannon in the outfield. I don't remember that from last year. Maybe I just never got to see him show it off in his short stint here in 2010 but the Cougars weren't even thinking about running on him.

T.J. Mittelstaedt: Not much to say here, he came on as a defensive replacement in left field for the ninth inning but didn't have a ball hit to him. It would appear he will be the team's fourth outfielder.

So far, so good. Through one game the Timber Rattlers are undefeated, in first place, and fun to watch. I don't know how many updates I will have early in the season as work always seems to get in the way, but once May rolls around and things slow down I will have plenty more. For now, here are my photos from last night's home opener, and a bonus photo gallery from last Saturday's Rising Stars game at Miller Park.

Home Opener

Rising Stars

Top 10 Timber Rattler Prospects

2010-12-06T09:08:00.002-06:00

Better late than never, here are your Top 10 Prospects from the 2010 Timber Rattlers as ranked by a panel of fans. We had five fans who cast their votes. A first place vote was worth ten points, a second place vote worth nine, and so on down the line with a tenth place vote receiving one point. Five players appeared on every ballot, and sixteen players overall received at least one vote. We had a three way tie for second place with each player receiving 36 total points. Nobody here claims to be an expert, so go easy on us. These are just the opinions of a few hardcore Rattler fans who saw quite a few games in person in 2010. So without further ado, here is your Top Ten:

1. Jake Odorizzi (49 points) - The near unanimous number one, Jake received four of five first place votes and finished second on the other ballot. Brewer fans everywhere are high on Odorizzi's potential and hopefully we will see him pitching at Miller Park in the next few years.

2. (tie) Jeremy Jeffress (36 points) - Jeffress received the other first place vote, but he was also left off of one list. It could have been that Jeffress was overlooked by one voter because of the short time he stayed in Appleton, or maybe they were concerned with the off the field things, but based on Jeremy's showing in Milwaukee in September and in the Arizona Fall League the future once again looks promising for this former first round pick.

2. (tie) Scooter Gennett (36 points) - Scooter appeared on every ballot, going as high as second on one as low as fifth on another. His size will always make people question him and he will need to prove himself at each level, but yesterday's trade of Brett Lawrie shows the Brewers have high hopes for some of their other second base prospects including Gennett.

2. (tie) Kentrail Davis (36 points) - Kentrail also appeared on all five ballots, ranking anywhere from second to fifth as well. He will need to show more power as he develops if he is going to play one of the corner spots, though he has the tools to play anywhere in the outfield. He certainly raised the hopes of Brewer fans with a fine 2010 season.

5. Kyle Heckathorn (32 points) - Kyle was promoted to Brevard County midway through the 2010 season, but was arguably one of the T-Rats best pitchers while in Appleton. He ranked third on one ballot, with his lowest spot being seventh. Heckathorn could start 2011 at AA and may be on the fast track to Milwaukee.

6. Khris Davis (25 points) - Khris Davis put his name on the prospect radar with a record setting 22 home run season for the Rattlers in 2010. He was ranked as high as third and as low as eight. He will need to prove himself against more advanced pitching and probably doesn't have much chance of taking Ryan Braun's job, but as long as he keeps hitting he will certainly have a place to play.

7. D'Vontrey Richardson (17 points) - D'Vo is maybe the most talented athlete on the team and if he is able to use that athleticism on the field he could be a special player. He ranked as the #4 prospect on one ballot, but was also left off of one ballot. If he reaches his full potential, Richardson could be a legit five tool player.

8. Cutter Dykstra (14 points) - Cutter shocked a lot of people with his bounce back season in 2010. Perhaps even more shocking though, is that the biggest Cutter Dykstra fan I know, left him completely off his ballot. Dykstra ranked as high as seventh and though he has bounced around from position to position, his eye at the plate and high on base percentage make for a perfect lead off hitter.

9. Andre Lamontagne (7 points) - Andre was only a Rattler for a brief time last year, but he did a great job closing out games for the Timber Rattlers before being promoted to Brevard and then promoted again to AA Huntsville. Lamontagne ranked as high as sixth on one ballot and is another player the Brewers appear to have on the fast track towards Miller Park.

10. Chris Dennis (6 points) - Dennis quietly had a great season and tends to get overlooked, but he did appear on three of five ballots, ranking as high as eighth. He will need to cut down on the strikeouts, but he already has good power with even more room to improve and could be the eventual long term replacement for Prince Fielder.

Other receiving votes: Nick Bucci (5), Hunter Morris (2), Hiram Burgos (2), Cameron Garfield (1), Maverick Lasker (1), Eric Arnett (1)

Unsung Hero: Cameron Garfield

2010-11-15T16:08:00.003-06:00

Continuing with our seven part series looking back on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 2010 season. Today's award is for the Unsung Hero. From Matt Costello to Chris Dennis to Nick Bucci, there were plenty of names tossed around, but in the end it came down to two. Ultimately Cutter Dykstra was edged out by catcher Cameron Garfield (pictured) for the award.

Garfield played in 102 games, a pretty high number for a catcher, in his first full season of pro ball. He was in charge of handling Timber Rattlers pitchers all season and still managed to hit .245 with three home runs and 46 RBI.

Chris: "I don't think Chris Dennis gets the credit he deserves for the season he put together, but I think catchers tend to be more overlooked and Cameron Garfield was pretty solid all season so my vote is for him. Nick Bucci also had a great season and wasn't talked about as much as others on the staff"

Adam: "Cameron Garfield deserves this one. It's not easy to do what he did as an 18-19 year old. Matt Costello also flew under the radar for the numbers he put up, but Garfield was out there a ton and usually did a nice job."

Brad: "Garfield is sometimes the forgotten man, his numbers offensively weren't great, but for a catcher in his first full season they are pretty solid. He will only get better and we might get to watch him again in Appleton in 2011. Chris Dennis also deserves serious consideration. For someone who led the team with 87 RBI, he really didn't get the attention some of the other players did."

Mike: "Cutter Dykstra for all the position stuff, putting all the crap with his father and a bad 2010 behind him and just hitting the ball and getting on base."

Erik: "Cutter is one of those guys that seems somewhat unspectacular from game to game, but is on base two times per game with a stolen base and a run. Still needs some work on defense, but he was rock-solid in the lineup."

Previous award winners and schedule of the ones we will be featuring in the coming weeks:
10/4 - Offensive Player of the Year - Khris Davis
10/11 - Defensive Player of the Year - Michael Marseco
10/18 - Pitcher of the Year - Jake Odorizzi
10/25 - Relief Pitcher of the Year - Andre Lamontagne
11/01 - Biggest Surprise - Cutter Dykstra
11/15 - Unsung Hero - Cameron Garfield
11/22 - Top 10 Prospects

Biggest Suprise of the Year: Cutter Dykstra

2010-11-01T23:15:00.001-05:00

Continuing with our seven part series looking back on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 2010 season. Today's award is for the Biggest Suprise of the Year. It was a back and forth race between Cutter Dykstra (pictured) and Scooter Gennett. And in the end, the winner is Cutter.

Cutter bounced back after a sub par 2009 season and showed the potential in 2010 that made him a top prospect a year earlier. Dykstra hit .312 with five home runs and 39 RBI. He scored 66 runs and had a very impressive .416 on base percentage.

Adam: "I did not expect this season from Cutter Dykstra at all. He didn't even start the season here, but really made an impact once he got to Appleton."

Erik: "I wasn't quite sure what to expect after last year's struggles. It was nice to see Cutter put together such a nice season. Honorable mention to Scooter Gennett . A fantastic season for a 19 year old in his first pro season. He's a ballplayer"

Mike: "I have to go with Cutter. Despite bouncing around the infield for a couple weeks and ending up playing a position he never had, he still hit .312 in 100 games."

Brad: "I've got a tie between Scooter Gennett and Cutter Dykstra. Wasn't expecting this kind of season out of either player, but very excited for the future of both of these young players."

Chris: "Scooter Gennett. Probably was the MVP for most of the season until he hit his late season slump, but still far exceeded expectations."

Previous award winners and schedule of the ones we will be featuring in the coming weeks:
10/4 - Offensive Player of the Year - Khris Davis
10/11 - Defensive Player of the Year - Michael Marseco
10/18 - Pitcher of the Year - Jake Odorizzi
10/25 - Relief Pitcher of the Year - Andre Lamontagne
11/01 - Biggest Surprise - Cutter Dykstra
11/15 - Unsung Hero
11/22 - Top 10 Prospects

* Note - Had some computer issues earlier in the week, so the Unsung Hero and Top 10 Prospects are each being pushed back a week. In the meantime, head on over to timberrattlers.com and check out the sweet new logos for 2011!

Reliever of the Year: Andre Lamontagne

2010-10-25T18:16:00.002-05:00

Continuing with our seven part series looking back on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 2010 season. We tabulated the votes and for the first time we don't have a unanimous selection. Jonathan Pokorny and Jeremy Jeffress both received votes, but the winner was Andre Lamontagne (pictured).

Lamontagne went 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 16 appearances while saving five games. He was promoted to Brevard County and later to Double A Huntsville.

Brad: "Pokorny was solid out of the bullpen, but not quite as good as Andre was. Jeffress was obviously dominant but I don't think he was around long enough."

Chris: "Tough call here, but I think Lamontagne edges out Pokorny. It's close, and both had really good seasons, but I've got to pick Andre."

Adam: "Andre Lamontagne came from pretty much out of nowhere and put up some really good numbers before his promotion. He continued at each level he advanced to as well and has really jumped up on my list of players to keep an eye on."

Mike: "Jonathan Pokorny. He took the (closer) job and did a pretty decent job most of the time."

Erik: "Jeremy Jeffress. I know it was a short stay, but the bullpen sure missed him when he was gone. Absolutely dominant at this level. A pleasure to watch."

Previous award winners and schedule of the ones we will be featuring in the coming weeks:
10/4 - Offensive Player of the Year - Khris Davis
10/11 - Defensive Player of the Year - Michael Marseco
10/18 - Pitcher of the Year - Jake Odorizzi
10/25 - Relief Pitcher of the Year - Andre Lamontagne
11/01 - Biggest Surprise
11/08 - Unsung Hero
11/15 - Top 10 Prospects

Pitcher of the Year: Jake Odorizzi

2010-10-17T18:25:00.000-05:00

Continuing on with a seven week series looking back on the 2010 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers season. Today we give out the award for Pitcher of the Year. As always, I got help from a couple of our readers to vote on the award, and for the third time in three awards, we have a unanimous winner.

Jake Odorizzi (pictured) was voted by everyone as the Timber Rattlers Pitcher of the Year for 2010. This should come as no surprise as the 20 year old Odorizzi dominated Midwest League hitters all season long. He finished with a 7-3 record, striking out 135 batters in 120 2/3 innings. Jake appeared in 23 games in 2010, 20 of which he started and was also selected to play in the Midwest League All-Star game. In addition, he was named the Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Adam: “The Rattlers had some good pitching performances this year from guys like Nick Bucci, Kyle Heckathorn and Maverick Lasker, but Odorizzi was head and shoulders above as the team’s best pitcher.”

Chris: “ Jeremy Jeffress was pretty dominant in his time with the Rattlers, but Odorizzi was here all season long and consistently dominated other teams. He led the team in strikeouts and tied for the team lead in wins.”

Brad: “I gave serious consideration to Kyle Heckathorn, who had a great start to his season, winning six games and posting a 2.96 ERA before his promotion. In the end I decided to go with Odorizzi though. He was fun to watch all season long. You always knew he would turn in a good performance. He was capable of throwing a no-hitter every time he took the mound, which he combined with Adrian Rosario on once, and almost with Damon Krestalude on another. The Brewers have to be very happy that they have a potential future ace in their minor league system.”

Mike: “Obviously Jake Odorizzi, honorable mention to Jeremy Jeffress.”

Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Marseco

2010-10-11T08:16:00.000-05:00

Continuing on with a seven week series looking back on the 2010 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers season. Today we give out the award for Defensive Player of the Year. I have again enlisted the help of some of our readers to vote on individual awards, and once again we have a unanimous winner.

Michael Marseco (pictured) was voted hands down as the team's top defensive performer in 2010. The slick fielding shortstop may have only hit .212 in his second season in Wisconsin, but he was a pitcher's best friend on defense, committing only 12 errors in 126 games. When you compare that to the 14 errors that Carlos George had in just 19 games at shortstop it's easy to see what a difference maker Marseco was.

Comments:

Mike: "Michael Marseco - He did have 12 errors but how many outs/runs did he save? His glove could play at any level. Too bad the bat isn’t there. Honorable mention to D’Vontrey Richardson, if only for the progression he made throughout the season. His freakish skills are undeniable and it actually looked like he was starting to know what he was doing without having to think about it as much later in the year."

Adam: "Marseco made play after play all year long that a lot of shortstops don't. Sure, he's going to need to hit better than .212 to have a career but his glove is nice."

Brad: "The further we get away from the steroid era, the more valuable defense and speed are going to be. I think there is still a place in the game for a good glove middle infielder, and Marseco is just that. When you look at the number of outs he saved and even the balls he knocked down and kept on the infield to prevent runners from extra bases, this was pretty much a no-brainer."

Chris: "Defense wins championships. That could account for such a poor record from the Rattlers again. Aside from Marseco and maybe (Cameron) Garfield they were pretty below average defensively at almost every position. If the team had more gloves like Marseco, perhaps their pitching staff would look a whole lot better."

Previous award winners and schedule of the ones we will be featuring in the coming weeks:
10/4 - Offensive Player of the Year - Khris Davis
10/11 - Defensive Player of the Year - Michael Marseco
10/18 - Pitcher of the Year
10/25 - Relief Pitcher of the Year
11/01 - Biggest Surprise
11/08 - Unsung Hero
11/15 - Top 10 Prospects

Offensive Player of the Year: Khris Davis

2010-10-04T19:30:00.002-05:00

Today we start a seven week series looking back on the 2010 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers season. I have enlisted the help of some of our readers to vote on individual awards, and we start today with Offensive Player of the Year.

Khris Davis (pictured) was the unanimous winner for Offensive Player of the Year. His 22 home runs in 2010 set a franchise record for the Timber Rattlers and his 72 RBI were second best on the team. The 22 year old left fielder from Cal State Fullerton also managed to hit .280 in 128 games with an OPS of .897.

Comments:
Brad - "I thought about going with Kentrail Davis, who hit .335 after he joined the Rattlers, but Khris Davis did it over the course of a full season. Those power numbers are pretty hard to ignore."

Chris - "Up until the last few weeks of the season, I probably would have gone with Scooter Gennett, but he really slid late in the year. Khris Davis was consistently a force in the middle of the lineup. 22 home runs is something that has never been done before for the Rattlers and that is why I feel he deserves this award."

Mike - "Khris Davis. On setting the Rattlers franchise HR record alone he deserves it. I won't re-list the stats we can all see, but his stat line across the board for 128 games was really good. And to boot, he won the HR derby! Honorable mention to Chris Dennis who had 18 home runs of his own and a team leading 87 RBI."

Here is a look at the other awards we will be featuring in the coming weeks:
10/11 - Defensive Player of the Year
10/18 - Pitcher of the Year
10/25 - Relief Pitcher of the Year
11/01 - Biggest Suprise
11/08 - Unsung Hero
11/15 - Top 10 Prospects

That's A Wrap

2010-09-07T12:49:00.004-05:00

The Timber Rattlers 2010 season came to an end on Monday as they beat the Kane County Cougars 7-0. Nick Bucci started for the Rattlers and threw seven strong innings of shutout baseball to notch his sixth win of the season. Chris Dennis hit his 18th home run of the season and had 3 RBI to lead the offense, and Kentrail Davis tacked on three more hits. Even though it turned out to be another losing season in Appleton, it was still a lot of fun following the team all season long and I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone in the organization. From top to bottom I can't imagine a better group of people. From the front office to the radio booth to the players and coaches on the field and the fans in the stands. Thank you all for a great 2010!

Your statistical leaders for the Rattlers this year were:
Hitting Leaders
Batting Average: Kentrail Davis (.335)
Hits: Scooter Gennett (149)
Doubles: Scooter Gennett (39)
Triples: D'Vontrey Richardson & Michael Marseco (8)
Home Runs: Khris Davis (22)
RBI: Chris Dennis (87)
Runs Scored: Scooter Gennett (87)
Stolen Bases: Cutter Dykstra (27)
Games Played: D'Vontrey Richardson (132)

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Andre Lamontagne (2.36)
WHIP: Jake Odorizzi (1.15)
Wins: Jake Odorizzi & Maverick Lasker (7)
Saves: Jonathan Pokorny (17)
Strikeouts: Jake Odorizzi (135)
Appearances: Jonathan Pokorny (46)

Several Rattlers and ex-Rattlers also received some end of season awards:
- Scooter Gennett, Khris Davis and Jonathan Pokorny were named Midwest League Postseason All-Stars.
- Erik Komatsu was named to the Florida State League (High A) Postseason All-Star Team.
- Brett Lawrie and Johan Limonta were named to the Southern League (AA) Postseason All-Star Team.
- Jeremy Jeffress, Brett Lawrie and Dan Merklinger were all selected to represent the Milwaukee Brewers in the Arizona Fall League.
- Jeremy Jeffress was also called up to Milwaukee on September 1st when the rosters expanded to 40 players.

So that's it for this season. I'll be sure and try to update the blog from time to time during the off-season. I've enlisted the help of some of our forum members for a series of stories we will be working on so you can look for those in the coming weeks, and a player by player review of each 2010 Timber Rattlers player is in the works to try and get us all through to Spring Training. Only 188 more days Til Opening Day!

An Up and Down Weekend

2010-08-30T22:18:00.006-05:00

I must admit that I am a glass half-full kind of person, sometimes maybe overly optimistic. So it was only a couple weeks ago when I was having a conversation about the Brewers playoff chances with my buddy Matt Zee from WTAQ radio. Most people had given up on the season but we were still holding out hope. He had a great quote about the 2010 Milwaukee Brewers, saying "This team is a classic tease, they get you all worked up and then all they want to do is cuddle." That also could describe this year's Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Every time I start to get excited, they drop another heartbreaking game and bring me back to reality.

Maybe I shouldn't be thinking playoffs when a team is three games under .500, but coming into Sunday's game against Kane County I had playoff fever! The Rattlers jumped out to an early 6-1 lead thanks to Khris Davis's 20th home run of the season and RBI singles from Hunter Morris and Chris Dennis. Kane County cut into the lead with three in the fifth, but the Rattlers tacked on three more in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Cutter Dykstra (pictured) and a 2 RBI double by Kentrail Davis. The Wisconsin bullpen struggled to find the plate however in the latter innings and Kane County tied the score at 10-10 in the ninth. Rigoberto Almonte came on and worked 2 1/3 innings of no hit ball and the T-Rats finally pulled out the win in the 11th when a Khris Davis single scored Kentrail Davis with the winning run.

Sunday's marathon may have taken a toll on the Rattlers as it took them a while to get going in Monday's game. The Rattlers fell behind 4-0 early on and didn't get their first hit until Cameron Garfield's fifth inning double. Garfield came in to score on Michael Marseco's double to make the score 4-1. The score stayed that way until the ninth. Kentrail Davis led off with a single and Morris followed with a double. Khris Davis then walked to load the bases. Ball four got away from the catcher allowing Kentrail Davis to score and bring the T-Rats within two runs. D'Vontrey Richardson then smoked a pitch high off the wall in left, just missing a game winning three run homer. Morris scored to make it 4 to 3. An intentional walk of Dennis loaded the bases with nobody out, but Garfield grounded into a 5-2-3 double play and Marseco lined out to third to end the game and deal another crushing blow to the team's playoff chances.

Some notes from Sunday and Monday's games:

- It seems like a lot of people were not too happy with the umpiring. I saw at least six different Rattlers position players question strike calls over the two days, Eric Arnett and Hiram Burgos were both animated at times on the mound, not liking the umpires strike zone, and Chris Hook was ejected early in Monday's game for arguing with the home plate umpire. And it wasn't just the Rattlers. Tyreace House of Kane County had several conversations with the umpires. Manager Aaron Nieckula got into it several times with the boys in blue as well and Leonardo Gil rifled his helmet and batting gloves in disgust after being called out at third (How someone can hurl their helmet halfway across the field towards the home plate umpire and remain in the game is still a mystery to me). Also Myrio Richard was tossed in the eighth inning for chirping at the base umpire (I think that's the first time I have ever seen a player on the Disabled List get ejected from a game).

- The ball that D'Vontrey Richardson hit in the ninth inning of Monday's game was an absolute laser. If it had been to right or center it would have easily been gone, but the wall is higher in left and that's what kept it in the park. I think the ball was still on it's way up when it hit the wall. I was kind of surprised it didn't go right THROUGH the wall. D'Vo is an amazing athlete and when he puts it all together he is going to be very fun to watch.

- Speaking of fun to watch, the Davises (is that a word?) are both very talented hitters who just continue to rake. Khris and Kentrail combined for the late inning heroics again on Sunday. Both should probably be at Brevard by now and while the home run Khris hit on Sunday might have got a little push from the wind, 20 home runs in the Midwest Leauge is pretty impressive.

- Cutter Dykstra is not the same player we saw here last year. He has had a great season. His On Base Percentage is now at .415 and he has walked 50 times. In addition, his defense has greatly improved as he has settled in at third base.

- If I may make a suggestion to the Rattlers staff, next year when you do a jersey auction, maybe wash the jerseys first. Making the drive back to Green Bay last night I noticed a funny smell in my car, like a classic episode of Seinfeld I started looking around my car to see where the smell was coming from only to realize it was Scooter's jersey in the back seat. It's a great thing you guys do for charity and all, I'm just saying maybe next time throw a little Tide on those bad boys first.

- Monday's game might have been the last one that I will be able to get to this season. There's an outside chance I might make Friday's game, and I'm still holding on to my faint playoff hopes, but if this was my last T-Rats game of 2010 I just want to thank the team for a great season!

- Here are my photo galleries from Sunday and Monday:
Sunday 8.29
Monday 8.30

Tough Losses Continue

2010-08-16T22:00:00.005-05:00

What looked early on like it may be a blowout victory for the Timber Rattlers, turned into another heart breaking defeat on Monday afternoon at Fox Cities Stadium. 10 runs on 14 hits should be enough to win most ball games, but the Rattlers pitching surrendered 11 runs, including four in the ninth inning, on their way to another one run loss.

Things started off great as the T-Rats put up six runs in the second inning. With one out, Cameron Garfield walked and D'Vontrey Richardson doubled. A sac fly by Michael Marseco knocked in Garfield, and Richardson scored on a two out single by Cutter Dykstra. Scooter Gennett (pictured) then belted his ninth home run of the season to right field for a 4-0 lead. After a Kentrail Davis single and a Khris Davis walk, Hunter Morris just missed a home run of his own, settling instead for a 2 RBI triple and a 6-0 Rattlers lead.

Cedar Rapids battled back with a run in the third, two in the fourth and three more in the fifth off of starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi to tie the game at 6-6. Matt Costello came on in relief and settled things down, pitching 1 2/3 innings of no-hit ball, striking out three.

Wisconsin then re-took the lead with a four run sixth. Dykstra was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Gennett followed with his third hit of the day. Kentrail Davis then doubled to knock in Dykstra and Khris Davis singled to score Gennett. Kentrail Davis then scored on a fielder's choice with a great slide to avoid a tag at home, and Khris Davis scored on a base hit by Garfield for a 10-6 lead.

The bullpen couldn't hold the lead however, as Nick Bucci gave up a run in the eighth and two more in the ninth before giving way to Jonathan Pokorny. Pokorny fared no better though allowing a couple of base runners to reach, before surrendering a base hit that fell just in front of left fielder Khris Davis allowing the tying and go ahead runs to score. The T-Rats tried to mount a really in the ninth, but couldn't quite push the tying run across the plate.

Weather conditions certainly played a part in this game as there was a strong wind blowing out. Jean Segura's fifth inning three run home run was certainly helped out by the wind and Rattlers defense had a tough time with the wind as well. D'Vontrey Richardson made a terrific leaping grab on a ball that the wind was trying to carry out of the park and Gennett and Dykstra both did a good job of battling with the wind several times to make tough catches, though Gennett falling down while making a tough catch in the ninth did allow runners to tag and move up. Also there was a very scary moment in the top of the ninth when Dykstra was drilled in the helmet with a fastball, he walked off the field with the help of a trainer and hopefully will be okay, but he did look dazed and as we saw with Carlos Gomez recently we may not know the extent right away. Here's hoping Cutter is fine and makes a quick recovery!

The Rattlers are off on Tuesday and then start a three game set with the Beloit Snappers. My photos from today's game can be found here. I hope to make it back out on Friday to see a sweep of our in state rivals as the Rattlers continue their playoff push.

D'Vo/Bucci Lead Rattlers to Victory

2010-08-02T00:19:00.002-05:00

The Timber Rattlers got back on the winning track on Sunday afternoon, defeating Clinton by a score of 6-1 and evening their series at a game a piece. Wisconsin was led by D'Vontrey Richardson (pictured) who went 3 for 4 with a walk and three RBI. Richardson's three run home run in the second inning provided plenty of cushion for starter Nick Bucci, who cruised to his fifth win of the season with six shutout innings of work. Bucci struck out eight and allowed only three base hits.

Matt Costello worked the seventh and eighth for the Rattlers and Jonathan Pokorny came on in the ninth to finish off the LumberKings. Cutter Dykstra had a pair of hits for Wisconsin and Scooter Gennett knocked in two runs.

My photos from today's game can be found here. The Rattlers close out their series with Clinton on Monday night before opening a three game set with the Peoria Chiefs.

It's A Walk-Off!

2010-07-19T22:08:00.003-05:00

After a rather blah game on Sunday (I'll admit it, I totally mailed in my recap yesterday), the Rattlers gave us something to cheer about on Monday, a dramatic 9th inning come from behind victory over the Great Lakes Loons.

Eric Arnett made his first start since returning to the Timber Rattlers and pitched great, allowing just one run on one hit over six innings. I don't know if it was a new adjustment or if I was just noticing it for the first time, but Arnett was flexing his glove in and out as he gripped each pitch. Nothing crazy like Ryan Dempster, but a little bit over exaggerated. It kind of had me wondering if maybe he had been tipping his pitches in the past. Again, it may be something he's done all along and I just wasn't very observant, but whatever he was doing, it worked.

Still, the Rattlers trailed going into the bottom of the ninth. Michael Marseco led off with a walk, Austin Stockfisch then ripped a shot that the Great Lakes second baseman made a nice play to knock down, he went to second to try and turn two, but the umpire ruled that the shortstop wasn't close enough to the bag to give the Loons the "area play out". Stockfisch beat the return throw to first to put the tying run on base. With one out, Scooter Gennett grounded out to first to move Marseco to third and pinch runner Erik Miller to second. Kentrail Davis then delivered a big two out double to knock in Marseco and Miller and tie the score. Khris Davis followed with a single to score Kentrail and give Wisconsin the 4 to 3 win.

Adrian Rosario earned his first win, pitching the final three innings and striking out four. Kentrail Davis led the offense with three hits. Khris Davis and Chris Dennis each had two hits for the Rattlers. My photos from today's game can be found here. The T-Rats are off tomorrow before starting a nine game road trip. They return to Fox Cities Stadium on Saturday, July 31st.

Loss to the Loons

2010-07-18T22:06:00.003-05:00

The Rattlers lost their second game of a three game series with Great Lakes on Sunday, falling to the Loons by a score of 10-2. Wisconsin jumped out in front in the second inning when michael Marseco scored from third on a wild pitch. Unfortunately it was all down hill from there for the T-Rats as Great Lakes scored in each of the final six innings. Kyle Heckathorn started for Wisconsin and went seven innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits. Andy Sauter came on in relief and surrendered four runs in the final two innings.

Offensively, Scooter Gennett (pictured) led the way once again, going 3 for 5 with a run scored. Kentrail Davis chipped in a pair of hits, and Michael Marseco was aboard three times with walks, but the Rattlers could only manage the two runs. The two teams go at it again tomorrow afternoon as Eric Arnett returns to the hill for the Rattlers. My photos from today's game can be found here.

Sweep

2010-07-12T22:53:00.002-05:00

One of the things I hate about the big league club, is how they tend to give away at bats if they fall behind early. One of the things I love about this Timber Rattlers team is that they don't do that. They keep battling back, and after several close calls earlier in the year, they finally completed a monster comeback on Monday afternoon to sweep a three game series with Burlington.

The Bees scored a run in the first, and six more in the second off starter Kyle Heckathorn thanks to some poor defense. Five hits and three errors behind him ended Heckathorn's day early.

The Rattlers pulled back within two in the third inning on a single by Hunter Morris and an RBI groundout by Cutter Dykstra. Burlington tacked on two more in the fourth, but again the T-Rats clawed back. Khris Davis solo home run in the fifth and D'Vontrey Richardson's RBI double in the sixth made the score 9 to 7.

Adrian Rosario, on in relief, gave up three more runs in the seventh, but the Rattlers refused to give up, rallying for five runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 12-12. Kentrail Davis, Khris Davis, Morris and Dykstra all walked to start the inning. Michael Marseco followed with a double and Austin Stockfisch (pictured) knocked in two more with a single to right.

Wisconsin finally took the lead in the eighth when Marseco was hit in the foot with a pitch while the bases were loaded. Stockfisch then delivered another two RBI single to put the Rattlers ahead 15 to 12. Jonathan Pokorny came on and worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Six errors in a game is never a good thing, but the way the Rattlers hit Burlington pitching made up for it. Khris Davis finished the day 4 for 5. Kentrail Davis went 3 for 4, and Richardson, Morris, Marseco and Stockfisch all chipped in two hits. Wisconsin has an off day on Tuesday before starting a three game series with the Great Lakes Loons on Wednesday night. Here are my photos from today's game.

Davis, Odorizzi Lead Rattlers to Victory

2010-07-11T22:59:00.002-05:00

Growing up a Brewers fan in the 80's, there were plenty of Brewers players to be a fan of. Robin, Molitor, Rollie, Gumby. But for me there was no Brewer player I loved more than Cecil Cooper. I can still hear Bob Betts on the County Stadium PA "now batting, number fifteen, Cecil Cooper...Cooper." Maybe it was the fact that I played first base in tee ball, or Cooper's unique batting stance, or the way everyone in the stands cheered Coooooop. Whatever the reason, Cecil was and still is my favorite Brewer of all time. So it was a real treat for me on Sunday to get a chance to see him throw out the first pitch before the Timber Rattlers game against the Burlington Bees. Khris Davis (pictured), Scooter Gennett and Jake Odorizzi took over from there and helped make it a great baseball Sunday all around as the Rattlers topped Burlington 4 to 1.

Odorizzi started for the T-Rats and worked seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits, while striking out nine to pick up his fifth win of the season. With his fastball consistently between 91-94 on the stadium scoreboard, Odorizzi was head and shoulders above the Burlington hitters. Several Bees were just waving at pitches as Jake mowed them down.

The Rattlers got all the offense they would need in the bottom of the first on Scooter Gennett's sixth home run of the season, a two run shot to right center. Wisconsin missed a chance for more runs in the fourth. But after Kentrail Davis walked and Khris Davis singled to start the inning, Burlington starter Tyler Sample struck out the side. Khris Davis then belted his 14th and 15th home runs of the year, solo shots in the sixth and eighth innings to account for the Rattlers other runs. As a Brewer fan, I think a promotion for Khris Davis is long overdue, but as a Rattler fan, it would be great to continue to watch him in Appleton for the rest of the season. Caleb Thielbar worked the final two innings for the save, allowing just a solo home run to Bees left fielder Carlo Testa.

D'Vontrey Richardson also had a nice day at the plate for Wisconsin, going 3 for 4 but had a couple miscues on the bases, being thrown out trying to score from third once and over sliding second base on an awkward looking late slide (though to be fair it looked like Bees second baseman Gerard Hall may have "helped" him slide past the base a la Kent Hrbek when he applied the tag). Good to see D'Vo stinging the ball though. The base running will come with time. You can see how athletic the kid is and why the Brewers are so high on him. Kentrail Davis also returned after missing a few games, and drew a pair of walks, but it looked like his knee may still be bothering him, especially on his eighth inning ground out. So we will see if he's back in the lineup tomorrow afternoon.

I have a photo gallery up here from Sunday's action, including a few shots of Coooooooop. It's a 12:05 start tomorrow and as long as the rain is out of here by then I should be able to make it back out to see Kyle Heckathorn take the mound in hopes of a sweep.

Back In First Place

2010-06-30T23:37:00.003-05:00

While many people showed up at Fox Cities Stadium on Wednesday afternoon to watch Doug Davis pitch, I was more excited for my first real chance to watch Kentrail Davis (pictured) play. After a three hit performance, including a big late home run, I came away very impressed. I don't know how long they will stick around, but Kentrail and Jeremy Jeffress have been great additions and if they are promoted soon, I'm glad I got a chance to see them play.

The attendance of 3,800+ was probably helped by the Doug Davis rehab start as a good chunk of that appeared to be a walk up crowd. I got to the stadium about 15 minutes before the game but after waiting in the ticket line for a good half hour, didn't get inside until the second inning. In a start that was similar to Jeff Suppan's earlier in the year, Doug Davis went seven innings and allowed only one run, but didn't dominate the way you would expect a Major League pitcher to. He gave up six hits, and the damage could have been worse as he got help in the seventh on a horrible call by the base umpire on an inning ending double play. Michael Swinton of Quad Cities was clearly safe at first base, and it wasn't really even close, but the umpire ruled a double play. Considering the number of calls that went against the T-Rats earlier this season though it's about time that one goes their way.

With a 2-1 lead in the eighth Scooter Gennett just missed a home run, settling for a double to deep center field. Kentrail Davis then followed that up with his two run blast down the right field line. Efrain Nieves pitched the final two innings to earn his first save. Gennett, Cameron Garfield, and Chris Dennis all had two hits to help pace the offense, and Cutter Dykstra was on base three times with a double, walk and hit by pitch. I feel like the president of the Scooter fan club, and I apologize if I gush over the kid too much on the blog here, but he just impresses me game after game. He hits and hits and hits and has really been a joy to watch this season. I have a few photos from the game up here. The Rattlers head back out on the road now for nine days before returning home on July 10th to take on the Burlington Bees.

Examining The Errors

2010-06-14T17:13:00.003-05:00

They say defense wins championships. Well that could go a long way towards explaining why the 2010 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have one of the worst records in baseball (22-41 as I write this) over the first half of the season. I witnessed a seven error game earlier in the season, and I knew defense was a problem, but looking at the stats is even more telling. The Rattlers rank dead last in the Midwest League with a .956 fielding percentage. Their 104 errors are also worst in the league, and that doesn't even include the numerous bad jumps and misplayed foul balls. The pitching has been a problem at times, but when you are asking your staff to get almost two extra outs a game, you are at a big disadvantage. When you take into account that minor league scorekeepers are very generous about awarding hits, it makes matters even worse.

Carlos George and Scooter Gennett lead the way with 14 errors each, though Gennett has played in three times as many games as George did before he was sent back to Extended Spring Training. Cutter Dykstra (pictured) has racked up ten errors in just 35 games, and D'Vontrey Richardson has nine (a pretty high number for an outfielder). Sometimes the error isn't really the player's fault. On Sunday catcher Cameron Garfield short hopped a throw to second base, the ball got by Gennett and the error was awarded to Scooter. If he picks the short hop and puts the tag down it's an outstanding play so I don't really see how that error is on him. Similarly on Saturday night, Michael Marseco committed an error when he was completely wiped out by a runner while trying to turn a double play. His throw sailed high and over the first baseman's head. He probably should have just put the ball in his pocket but I can't really fault a guy for hanging in tough and trying to spin a double play with a runner barreling down on him. Still 104 errors is 104 errors and that's way too many.

Looking further at the stats, Wisconsin catchers have thrown out just 22% of potential base stealers. Only West Michigan at 18% is worse. Part of that is probably due to having a 19 year old learning on the job and catching almost every day. Garfield is mature beyond his years and from all accounts does a good job of handling the pitching staff. I like his all around game and I think he will do just fine as he climbs the ladder but this is one area where he needs to improve if the Rattlers are going to improve.

So why are there so many errors? Who's fault is it? It's not lack of effort. The team is out there every day working and trying to get better. Lack of experience probably plays a big part. Garfield is only 19. Gennett and Dykstra just 20. The bigger reason I believe though, is the old saying "the bat plays". The Brewers say they stress pitching and defense, yet Brett Lawrie who played for the Rattlers in 2009 is already up at AA Huntsville despite being well below average defensively at second base. He continues to rake, with an average of .285 and climbing recently, but will Milwaukee continue to let him develop as a second baseman or will they do whatever they can to get his bat to Miller Park. My guess is the latter. It's great if you can put up 8 runs a game, but if you can't play defense then you better be prepared to win a lot of 8-7 ball games.

There is hope though. The weather is getting better (despite the Seattle like rain we have been getting) so the cold weather errors should be eliminated. Also with more seasoning things should get easier for the youngsters and become more routine. With 51 unearned runs given up through 63 games, and the number of one run losses by the Rattlers so far, it's not crazy to think that by cleaning up the defense the Rattlers can turn it around and make a run in the second half. If they stop giving the opposition 29-30 outs a game to work with, we might be sitting here talking about a playoff run in the next few months.

Swept By The Dragons

2010-06-14T00:41:00.004-05:00

Three games in two days should normally be exciting, but a 10-0 blowout, followed by two more one run losses made for a pretty rough weekend. Eric Arnett started game one on Saturday night and continued to struggle. I don't understand it at all, because he has good stuff. At times he will make opposing hitters look foolish, yet he seems to get hit harder than any other Rattlers pitcher. Arnett surrendered three home runs, but was also hurt by four more errors. It's funny because they played a video prior to the game where they asked D'Vontrey Richardson and Cutter Dykstra about manager Jeff Isom and they both commented that he stresses pitching and defense, the two things that killed them in game one.

Kyle Heckathorn pitched game two and aside from a three run homer, pitched pretty well. Unfortunately those three runs were all the Dragons would need as the Rattlers fell 3-2.

Sunday saw the T-Rats fall behind 7-0 early on, but they battled all the way back to tie the game thanks to some clutch hitting by Chris Dennis, but the usually reliable Jonathan Pokorny gave up a ninth inning home run to Cameron Satterwhite and the Rattlers fell 8-7. Dennis, Richardson, Dykstra and Erik Miller each had two hits for Wisconsin.

Enough of the negatives though. I like to keep things positive so here are a couple of good things I noticed from the weekend.
1. This team doesn't quit. Despite being out of the first half playoff race, and down by seven runs on Sunday, the Rattlers kept battling. They could have easily mailed it in, but they kept chipping away and tied the game in the seventh inning.
2. It looks like Chris Dennis might finally be starting to come out of his slump. He was 1 for 3 with 2 RBI in game two on Saturday night, and had several good at bats on Sunday going 2 for 3 with a walk, a double, a triple and three RBI.
3. Jeremy Jeffress (pictured). I know a lot of people were not happy to see him coming out of the bullpen, but in his one inning of work on Sunday he looked great! Jeffress retired all three batters he faced, striking out two. In one sequence he went 96, 77, 95 to strike out Ryan LaMarre, the Reds second round pick out of Michigan in last week's draft.
4. It's almost the All-Star break. That means we can forget about all those one run losses, wipe the slate clean, and look forward to a second half playoff push.

The T-Rats hit the road for six more games in the first half, before returning home after the All-Star break to begin the second half of the season on Friday, June 25th. Here are my three photo galleries from the past weekend's series.
Saturday Game One
Saturday Game Two
Sunday

A Split With The Hot Rods

2010-06-09T20:32:00.000-05:00

Wednesday afternoon's doubleheader between the Timber Rattlers and the Bowling Green Hot Rods looked like it would see a couple of pretty good pitching matchups. Kyle Lobstein and Alex Colome, ranked numbers 11 and 7 respectively in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system, were squaring off against a pair of Milwaukee's pitching prospects, Nick Bucci and Maverick Lasker (pictured).

Game One didn't turn out very well for the Rattlers. It was competitive through the first five innings, as the T-Rats trailed just 4-3 going to the sixth. The Hot Rods got to the bullpen though, scoring six runs in the sixth and seven runs in the seventh to defeat Wisconsin by a final score of 17-5. D'Vontrey Richardson led the way for the Rattlers in game one, going 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 RBI.

Game Two went much better for the T-Rats with Lasker going a strong 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one unearned run, before Jonathan Pokorny came on in relief to shut out Bowling Green for the final 2 1/3 innings. Khris Davis smacked his team leading seventh home run and Cutter Dykstra and Chris Dennis both chipped in with an RBI each.

I have two photo galleries up from the games at the links below:
Game 1
Game 2

All-Stars

2010-06-08T20:18:00.003-05:00

Congratulations go out to the four Wisconsin Timber Rattlers who were selected to the 2010 Midwest League All-Star Team! Khris Davis, Jake Odorizzi, Scooter Gennett and Nick Bucci will be representing the Rattlers in Fort Wayne, IN on Tuesday, June 22nd.

Potential Promotions

2010-06-06T10:21:00.003-05:00

With the Rattlers approaching the All-Star break and the midway point of the season, and with the draft starting on Monday, it's usually the time of the year when you start to see a little bit of player movement. Andre Lamontagne and Sean Halton were already promoted to High-A Brevard County earlier this season so I thought I'd take a look at a few players who might soon be joining them with the Manatees.

Scooter Gennett 2B - Perhaps no player is more deserving of a promotion than Scooter (pictured). Through 51 games this year, Gennett is batting .352 with three home runs and 29 RBI. He has a .420 OBP and has scored a team high 36 runs. Not bad for a 20 year old in his pro debut. The Brewers probably want to give him a full year at Wisconsin, but he is making it tough on them.

Khris Davis OF - Davis is likely the obvious choice for a bump up to Brevard. Coming from a well respected college program in Cal State Fullerton, Davis should be expected to put up good numbers in the Midwest League. And he has. Khris is tied for the team lead in home runs (6) and RBI (30) and is second to Gennett with a .313 average. A promotion to the Manatees should be coming soon for Davis.

Nick Bucci P - Bucci has posted an amazing 1.74 ERA in 11 games this season, allowing only 10 earned runs in 51 2/3 innings of work. He has walked a team high 30 batters, but has pitched well with runners on base and is third on the team with 40 strikeouts. A bump to Brevard could also be coming soon for Nick.

Jake Odorizzi P - Odorizzi seems to have the best overall "stuff" on the staff. 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA, Jake has struck out 64 batters through 49 2/3 innings. Odorizzi has looked dominant at times, and much like Gennett, may be forcing the Brewers to promote him quicker than they had planned.

Kyle Heckathorn P - A supplemental first round pick in the 2009 draft, Heckathorn has been fantastic for the Timber Rattlers this season. He has a 2.72 ERA in 46 1/3 innings and has stuck out 41 batters. Many thought that Eric Arnett, the Brewers other college arm from last year's draft would move quickly through the system, but it may be the big righty from Kennesaw State who is soon in line for a promotion to BC.

Jonathan Pokorny P - Relief pitchers sometimes tend to get overlooked, but it's hard not to notice the numbers that Pokorny has put up so far this season. Jonathan is 3-1 in 17 appearances out of the bullpen with a 2.81 ERA. He has struck out 38 batters while only walking nine and has a WHIP of just 1.01. Should Brevard County be in need of a bullpen arm, Pokorny would be the logical choice.

It's A Winning Streak!

2010-05-24T22:25:00.003-05:00

3 in row! It was just a matter of time before things started to come together for this Rattlers team. They have the pitching, they have the hitting, and now they are starting to win some ball games. Damon Krestalude bounced back from his last rough outing and pitched six solid innings, allowing just a two run homer in the first on his way to his second win of the season.

The Rattlers scored three of their four runs on home runs. D'Vontrey Richardson, Cameron Garfield and Khris Davis each belted solo homers for the T-Rats, who leaped over Burlington in the standings and out of the cellar.

Burlington looked like they might rally in the seventh, but Jonathan Pokorny came on and struck out two before getting an inning ending pop up to leave two inherited Bees stranded. Pokorny struck out the side in the eighth and Andre Lamontagne closed out the ninth for his fourth save of the season.

Here are my images from Monday afternoon's game. The Rattlers now hit the road for two weeks, while the D3 College World Series takes over Fox Cities Stadium. I'll try to get in a post here and there while we wait for the T-Rats to return home in June.

Two In A Row

2010-05-23T18:58:00.004-05:00

I finally got a chance to see Nick Bucci pitch for the first time this year on Sunday. It's just been one of those weird things, I've seen Arnett, Odorizzi, Krestalude, etc three or four times each, but just hadn't seen Nick in person yet. It looked like it might be a rough day early on as Burlington scored a run in each of the first two innings, but Bucci really pitched a fantastic ballgame, as the Rattlers clobbered the Bees 11-2. I've commented several times this year that it seemed like Timber Rattler pitchers struggle with runners on base, but Bucci was just the opposite, coming up with some big outs in tough situations. He might not throw quite as hard as some others on the staff, but he still has good stuff and really seemed like more of a pitcher than a thrower. Even the Bees second inning run came on a questionable double to right that looked like a foul ball. Bucci wound up going seven innings, striking out six and allowing just the two early runs. His ERA actually jumped up to 1.82 (Is it too early to pencil him in for the All-Star game?) Del Howell came on in relief and pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, while striking out four Burlington hitters.

Offensively, Khris Davis (pictured) led the way, going 4 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI. Not sure if he has a slight injury or something but he's been getting a lot of time as the DH recently. (Purely speculation on my part but I did notice him several times appear to be stretching his quad in the on deck circle, whatever the case he's still playing so it can't be anything too serious if in fact it is an injury at all.) D'Vontrey Richardson, Scooter Gennett, Chris Dennis, Cutter Dykstra and Erik Miller all had two hits each. On the flip side, Pete Fatse, who started off red hot, has struggled lately and had a couple rough at bats today with the bases loaded. Overall though it was a good hitting day for the T-Rats as they pounded out 14 hits.

Here are my photos from this afternoon's game. I should be able to get back out there tomorrow to see the kids go for three in a row before starting an extended road trip so look for another gallery tomorrow night or Tuesday morning.

Go Gomez Go

2010-05-19T23:36:00.003-05:00

The Rattlers winning streak ended at two on Wednesday afternoon as they fell to the Peoria Chiefs 11 to 7. The usually reliable Damon Krestalude struggled for Wisconsin, giving up six runs in just two plus innings. The Rattlers battled back, but never could quite catch up.

The big story of the day was the rehab appearance by Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez (pictured). Gomez led off the bottom of the first with a base hit and stole second. He flew out and grounded out in his next two at bats to finish the day 1 for 3. Two things that really stood out to me about Gomez, were A. his size and B. his speed. Looking at him standing next to Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, etc, I never really thought of Gomez as a big guy, but seeing him next to the Rattlers players (and not just Marseco and Scooter) it's kind of amazing how much these guys fill out between A ball and the Major Leagues. Also, I knew Gomez was super fast, but seeing that speed in person was pretty fun to watch. If you get a chance to get out to Fox Cities Stadium tomorrow night I highly recommend you go check out Gomez.

Offensively, Chris Dennis led the way, going 3 for 5 with his fifth home run. Michael Marseco chipped in with two hits, and Cutter Dykstra added a hit and two walks. Here are my photos from today's game (probably went a little heavy on the Gomez photos, sorry). Probably going to miss the next couple games, but I think Sunday and possibly Monday I should be back out at the stadium to watch the T-Rats take on Burlington.

Starting To Come Together

2010-05-16T21:25:00.002-05:00

I said yesterday that eventually some of these close games were going to start to go the Timber Rattlers way. For much of today's game, it looked like the Rattlers might drop another close one, but an eighth inning rally helped Wisconsin notch a 3-1 victory.

Kyle Heckathorn started for the T-Rats and pitched outstanding, allowing just one unearned run in six innings. However, Beloit starter Michael Tonkin held the Rattlers in check, hurling seven shutout innings. Maverick Lasker came on in relief and threw two scoreless innings. Wisconsin then rallied for three runs in the eighth. Michael Marseco started things with a one out triple down the right field line. After Erik Miller was hit with a pitch, D'Vontrey Richardson bounced into what could have been an inning ending double play, but the hustle of Miller and Richardson kept the inning alive and allowed Marseco to score the tying run. One thing this team does is hustle and play the game hard and it paid off on Richardson's grounder. Miller went hard into second to break up the double play and Richardson flew down the line to beat the throw and keep the inning alive. After a Cutter Dykstra infield single, Scooter Gennett singled to right and Richardson (pictured) came around to score the go ahead run from second base, just beating the throw. A wild pitch would then allow Dykstra to score and put the Rattlers up 3-1. Andre Lamontagne came on to close out the game for the Rattlers in the ninth and induced a game ending double play ball. The last play of the game was a thing of beauty as Cutter made a nice stop and Scooter did a great job of hanging in and making a tough turn with pinch runner Wang-Wei Lin barreling down on him.

The Rattlers now get a day off to enjoy the win before opening a three game series with Peoria starting on Tuesday evening. Here are the rest of my images from Sunday's victory.

Another One Run Loss

2010-05-15T20:16:00.006-05:00

The Rattlers dropped another tough one run game on Saturday afternoon, falling to Beloit 4 to 3. Wisconsin out-hit the Snappers 7 to 5, but also committed two more errors. At this point I don't know what is more frustrating, watching the Rattlers or watching the Brewers. I guess I would rather watch 20 year olds make over aggressive errors, than watch a 40 year old who doesn't care anymore, give half effort in center field (no I am not at all a fan of Jim Edmonds). The important thing to remember with the T-Rats though, is that the top priority is player development. Winning games is nice and all, but teaching and development is job number one. I was reminded of this twice, late in the game on Saturday.

Down a run in the eighth inning, Erik Miller led off with a bunt base hit. Rather than bunt Miller over to second, D'Vontrey Richardson was allowed to swing away and flew out to right. Miller was then forced to try and steal second to get into scoring position and was thrown out on a bang bang play at second (I thought he was safe, but I may be a bit of a homer). I thought perhaps Richardson should have been bunting (and he did square around once in the at bat), but I will not criticize Jeff Isom's decision. He is far more knowledgeable than I could ever dream to be. Then in the ninth with the tying run on second base and two outs, Michael Marseco was allowed to hit for himself with the likes of Chris Dennis and Franklin Romero still available on the bench. If it were Macha making these calls, I'd probably question them, but at the Low A level, it's much more understandable. I actually respect the fact that Isom is trying to let these guys succeed in a pressure situation, and I know at some point things will turn around and these one run games will start to go the Rattler's way.

Eric Arnett started for Wisconsin and pitched the best game I have seen him throw in person this season. He was mixing up his pitches nicely with a fastball between 90-93 and a breaking ball that he was dropping in for strikes in the high 70's. He did issue three walks, but again was hurt by some bad defense behind him. Offensively, Scooter Gennett had another 2 for 4 game, and Khris Davis (pictured) was 1 for 3 with a pair of walks and an RBI. Here are my photos from this afternoon. As frustrating as it may be, I should be back out there tomorrow to watch the Rattlers try and get their second win of this series with Beloit. As for the Brewers.....I may not watch them again until the old man gets his walking papers. (Ah who am I kidding, I'm sure I will torture myself and flip on ESPN tomorrow night while editing my images from Sunday's Rattler game).

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T19:04:00.003-05:00

First and foremost, Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there! As you can see, the Rattlers busted out some pretty cool pink jerseys to celebrate. Cedar Rapids however did most of the celebrating, dropping the T-Rats 8-1.

The story of the game was Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Garrett Richards, who threw a complete game, allowing just four hits. Richards was filthy all day, with a fastball that was consistently clocking in at 93 MPH and a sharp curveball that he routinely dropped in around 71 MPH. Tough for any hitter going against a guy who mixes it up like that. Mike Trout led off the game for the Kernels with a home run off Eric Arnett (pictured). Though Trout has been murdering the Rattlers (and everyone else), his home run was kind of a cheapy, just getting out down the right field line, to the shortest part of the park. Wisconsin tied it up in the bottom of the first. D'Vontrey Richardson walked and went to third on Scooter Gennett's single to right. He then scored when Khris Davis bounced into a double play. Arnett struggled a bit with his control, allowing four walks, but he settled down and pitched okay after a rough second inning. On a positive note, he was throwing harder than the last time I saw him, with the stadium gun showing him between 90-92. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but Rattler pitchers sure seem to have far more trouble when there are runners on base. A big part of that might just be the Cedar Rapids team too though, as they really like to run. I was a big fan of Mike Trout going in to the draft last year, and after watching him several times I have to admit, he is one of my favorites and I expect big things from that kid.

Unfortunately, three more errors and a lack of clutch hitting proved too much for the T-Rats to overcome. Here are my images from Sunday's game. The Rattlers head out on the road for a short trip before returning to Fox Cities Stadium next Thursday for a 5 game series with Beloit. I'll probably be out there for at least a few of those games as I still have to see the elusive Nick Bucci pitch. Once again, to my Mom and all Mom's everywhere, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Miller Park

2010-05-08T10:54:00.004-05:00

Just got back from Milwaukee so once again, I am a day late with my posting (this is getting to be a bad habit, but when you are at Miller Park it's only right to support the sponsor). I had looked forward to this game for a while. Unfortunately, the game turned out to be a bit of a dud. Mother Nature didn't help out a whole lot, as the rain and cold weather turned our plans of tailgating in the parking lot for a few hours into tailgating in a buddy's basement for a few hours. We got in to the stadium right before the first pitch. The announced attendance was over 12,000 but there were certainly not 12,000 people there. It was nice however to have an entire section on the 200 level to ourselves. (If anyone in attendance saw a guy in 225 drop a foul ball, that was my buddy Dave).

Anyway the game itself was not very exciting. Damon Krestalude pitched pretty well, but wound up taking the loss. Chris Dennis led the way offensively with three hits, and Scooter Gennett and Cutter Dykstra each added a pair. I think every media outlet in Wisconsin has already posted a report on the game so I'm not going to rehash the loss. All in all, I was a little underwhelmed with the whole experience. If I'm going to watch the Rattlers, I guess I'd rather watch them at Fox Cities Stadium (plus Miller Park is awful for photography, it has to be the darkest stadium in MLB).

Here are a few of my images from last night's game. They aren't the greatest, because like I said, it's very dark in Miller Park and tough to shoot there. Probably a good sign that I need to upgrade my gear in the near future.

* Side note - If I never see "Reggy The Purple Party Dude" again, that would be just fine. Bernie and Fang are all the mascots I need.

Wild and Windy

2010-05-06T13:33:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the delayed post. Sometimes you just have to play some softball and drink some beer. Better late than never though I guess.

Got a chance to take in both games of yesterday's doubleheader. Game one picked up in the third inning, as Tuesday night's storms halted play. Quad Cities got on the board first with a run in the top of the fifth. I always think milb.com's game recaps are funny because it shows "Devin Shepherd doubles (5) on a line drive to center fielder D'Vontrey Richardson." What actually happened was a pop up that the wind blew around and the ball fell between Richardson and Scooter Gennett. The wind was crazy all day, but Cameron Garfield took advantage of it with one of the longest home runs I have ever seen at Fox Cities Stadium (I think it hit off his picture on the scoreboard). The Rattlers then erupted for six runs in the seventh inning and held on for a 9-7 win. Caleb Thielbar struggled in an inning + of work, but Andre Lamontagne came on to save the game for the Rattlers. It was my first time to see Lamontagne pitch, and I was suprised to see he threw around 91 MPH, which was slightly harder than even Kyle Heckathorn was throwing. They sure made it interesting, but the Rattlers pulled it out in the end.

In game two, the T-Rats weren't so lucky. Wisconsin jumped out to a 7-1 lead, but couldn't hold on, falling 10-9. Khris Davis had a huge game, going 4 for 4 with a home run and two doubles. Maverick Lasker started and pitched ok, but the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. The Rattlers tried to mount a rally in the seventh when Garfield led off with a double. Cutter Dykstra then put together a really nice at bat, eventually grounding out to the right side and moving Garfield to third. However, Sean Halton was unable to get the run in as he struck out, and Franklin Romero (pictured) flew out to end the game.

The real story of the day was the wind. Several fly balls and pop ups were misplayed. To give you an example there was a pop up in game one that looked like it was headed out of play and onto the roof, nobody even bothered going after it, but the wind brought it back and it wound up landing between first and home, only a few feet away from being a fair ball. I've got two galleries up now from Wednesday's games if anyone is interested in viewing them.
Game One
Game Two
No game for me tonight, but I will be heading down to Miller Park tomorrow and probably back to Fox Cities Stadium on Sunday to see the pink jerseys in action on Mother's Day.

Another Rough First Inning

2010-04-24T00:15:00.004-05:00

I was really excited for tonight's game, mainly because it was my first chance to see Maverick Lasker and Kyle Heckathorn in person. Unfortunately things didn't quite go the Rattlers way. Another big first inning set the tone and Wisconsin could never come back from an early 4-0 deficit. Lasker got the start and gave up six runs over four innings. He didn't seem to be throwing as hard early on, as most of the radar readings I saw were in the low 80's, and he got hit pretty hard. He did manage to pick off a Beloit runner to end the first though, one play after a questionable call at second base that manager Jeff Isom (pictured) argued vehemently. So it was nice to see the youngster not get rattled and get back in the dugout. His velocity seemed to pick up as the game went on, throwing around 87-88 MPH by the third and fourth innings.

Heckathorn was far more impressive, working three innings, and allowing only one hit while striking out three Snappers batters. His fastball was a few ticks higher than Lasker's, clocking in around 90-91.

The Timber Rattlers offense was shut down most of the night by last week's Midwest League Pitcher of the Week, Liam Hendriks. D'Vontrey Richardson singled, Sean Halton doubled, and Michael Marseco tripled for the T-Rats only three hits of the night.

One other thing of note. Khris Davis appeared to be hit on the hand by a pitch earlier in the game. The umpire ruled it a foul ball, but it obviously got a piece of Davis as in subsequent at bats he seemed to be in pain and I noticed him flexing his hand a couple of times. After his eighth inning strikeout, Isom immediately yelled in to the dugout to have Joey Paciorek come in to the game for Davis. So while it didn't appear to be anything too serious, it might be something to keep an eye on over the next few games.

Here are my photos from Friday night's game. No game for me Saturday, but maybe Sunday if the weather allows. I'm off to Milwaukee for the Bucks game tomorrow night. FEAR THE DEER!

Fatse!

2010-04-21T20:53:00.004-05:00

About a week ago I wondered aloud why Pete Fatse (pictured) hadn't played yet this season. I thought maybe there was a slight injury or something keeping him out, or maybe it was just a numbers thing. Whatever the case, eight games ago Fatse finally got on the field, and has been on fire ever since.

He continued his hot hitting with a 3 for 4 day on Wednesday, belting his second home run of the season, and falling just a double short of the cycle. Fatse upped his season average to an incredible .560. D'Vontrey Richardson and Sean Halton also chipped in with a pair of hits each for the Rattlers as they defeated the Cedar Rapids Kernels 5-2.

Cedar Rapids got on the board in the first with a pair of runs off starter Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi was again clocking in with a fastball between 90-92. He struck out his first batter of the game, Mike Trout, with a 92 MPH fastball and finished up his day by striking out Adam Younger in the fourth with a 91 MPH heater. Efrain Nieves came on in the fifth and looked outstanding. Throwing in the high 80's, Nieves worked four innings, allowing only two hits, and picking up his first win of the season.

Here are my images from today's game. Won't be able to get out to the game tomorrow but I will be back on Friday to see the Lasker/Heckathorn tandem in action.

So Close

2010-04-17T10:24:00.005-05:00

I had a nice little Friday night all planned out for myself. Softball practice, then a trip to the sponsor for a drink or two and home in time to catch the end of the Brewers game. (I know, I live a glamorous life). Well after a successful round of BP, and a stop at Instant Replay for some food and a few cold ones, everything seemed to be going just fine. I started on my way home with the Brewers up 2-1. By the time I walked in the front door it was 2-2. Shortly after that, the 200 million dollar man let a ball go through him and the Brewers were once again trailing.

Disgusted with the big club, I decided to flip around the internet and see what was going on with some of their affiliates. Former Rattlers Cody Scarpetta and Erik Komatsu had real nice nights for Brevard County. And Lorenzo Cain was on base a couple times for Huntsville. Then I flipped on Mehring and the real excitement. Jake Odorizzi (left) had started the game for Wisconsin and threw five no-hit innings. Damon Krestalude (right) on in relief, had pitched a perfect sixth. Krestalude cruised through the seventh and I started to get excited. I texted a few friends, without saying what was happening, to let them know there was something special going on in Burlington. Baseball is a huge part of my life, I've been around it ever since I was a little kid, and while I'm not a superstitious person, I know that you don't talk about a no-hitter in the middle of a no-hitter. Brian Anderson does it all the time (what do you expect from a golf guy though), but I thought Mehring handled it really well. He let the people listening know what was going on, without coming right out and spitting in the face of the baseball gods and talking about it. Two ground outs and a strikeout in the eighth. I remember a few close calls back in the day (Damaso Marte went 8 innings once I believe), but I was sure this was going to happen. Fernando Cruz grounded out to first to start the inning, then Jose Bonilla flew out to right. One more out to go. Up stepped Hilton Richardson, the only player I will now actively boo when he comes to Fox Cities Stadium. Richardson doubled past third baseman Joey Paciorek with two outs in the ninth and the no-hitter was gone. Krestalude got the next batter to pop up and just like that, the Rattlers had a one-hit shutout victory. Still an outstanding performance and something for the youngsters to be very proud of. The box score is here and the full play by play recap is here. There are also several stories over on the main Rattlers site as well as milb.com. Kudos to all involved, you have ensured I will be working four tens next week so I can take Wednesday off and get down to Appleton to watch the Krestalude/Odorizzi tandem in action.

Arnett's Season Debut

2010-04-12T22:22:00.002-05:00

Eric Arnett (pictured), the Brewers first round pick in the 2009 draft, made his Timber Rattlers debut on Monday afternoon, but a rough first inning and six T-Rats errors dampened some of the excitement as the Rattlers lost to Clinton 7-4. Six errors? Yup, you read that right, and it could have actually been more as a couple questionable plays were ruled as base hits.

If you take away a rough first inning, Arnett didn't pitch all that bad. Daniel Carroll led off the game for Clinton with a chopper to third but Joey Paciorek couldn't make the play. Having seen Carroll play at Wisconsin in 2008 I know how fast he is. And apparently Arnett knew it too, as he paid a lot of attention to the Mariners former third round pick. After an errant pickoff attempt and a strikeout of Nick Franklin, Carroll attempted to steal third. He was out (here's the visual proof) but the umpire got the call wrong and called him safe. A few batters later, Kalian Sams crushed a three run homer to center field. Now I know I described his home run yesterday as wind aided, but this one was an absolute bomb! It completely cleared the bullpen beyond the outfield wall. Overall Arnett went 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, and struck out three.

Offensively the Rattlers were led by Chris Dennis who just continues to hit. Dennis finished the day 2 for 4 including a home run to right field. Scooter Gennett and Sean Halton each added a pair of singles as well. The Rattlers tried to stage a rally in the ninth but fell just short. One thing I wanted to note though. After Dennis' home run and as the team tried to comeback in the 9th, the whole dugout was up and cheering each other on. Led by pitchers Nick Bucci and Kyle Heckathorn it was great to see everyone into the game and pulling for their teammates. Maybe it was just because there were only about 100 people in the stands so I could hear more or maybe I'm reading too much into Mike Marseco's comments about team chemistry, but it's something I've already noticed several times this year and don't really recall seeing from last year's team.

My images from today's game can be found here. I will be enjoying tomorrow night's game from the comfort of my living room on Time Warner Cable 32 (might have to use the old Packer game trick and turn the sound down on the TV and listen to Mehring on the radio) and the Rattlers head out on the road after that so no more photos until next week. I will try to check in with a post or two in the meanwhile though. (Try being the operative word).

Worth the Wait

2010-04-12T00:02:00.005-05:00

Coming in to last season, many of us were hoping to get a chance to see Jake Odorizzi (pictured) pitch for the Rattlers. The Brewers took a more cautious approach with the 2008 first rounder, but after a year of waiting, Odorizzi finally took the mound at Fox Cities Stadium. He did not disappoint. Odorizzi, struck out four in three innings of work and looked dominant. His fastball was consistently clocked between 90-93 on the stadium gun and the Clinton hitters were clearly over-matched.

I was also quite impressed with starting pitcher Damon Krestalude. His fastball was sitting between 86-88 and he had the LumberKings off balance for five strong innings. His only blemish was a two run homer to Kalian Sams, which was really just a routine fly ball that got up into the wind and carried out.

The Rattlers tee'd off on Clinton pitching, racking up eight runs on twelve hits. Chris Dennis led the way with a 3 for 4 day, and D'Vontrey Richardson and Scooter Gennnett each chipped in with a pair of hits. On a side note. I also notice Mike Marseco, who was a switch hitter last season, was batting left handed against a left handed pitcher today so perhaps the switch hitting experiment is over.

Here is my photo gallery from Sunday's game. Eric Arnett goes for the T-Rats tomorrow afternoon. Not sure if I'll be able to get out there (stupid job, always spoiling all of my fun) but I will try.

139-1

2010-04-11T09:04:00.004-05:00

Well, I guess an undefeated season was a little too much to ask for. But on the bright side the Rattlers are still in first place! I had a chance to make it out to my first game of the season on Saturday. Once the early rain stopped, it actually turned out to be a pretty nice day for baseball.

A couple of things I noticed at yesterday's game: First, Efrain Nieves did not pitch nearly as bad as the box score would lead you to believe. Sure there was the error on Carlos George, but there were also two other balls that were misplayed in the outfield and probably should have been caught, a pickoff that should have been an out but somehow turned into two extra bases when the defense fell asleep, and another missed double play that would have ended the inning.

Second, I was worried about the offense coming into this season, but I feel a little better after watching them play. Scooter Gennett (pictured), Khris Davis, Franklin Romero and George all stung the ball at times, and Chris Dennis and Cameron Garfield both look very comfortable at the plate and had some good at bats.

I was also excited to see Del Howell pitch, but he got hit pretty hard. No shame in giving up a bomb to Max Stassi, but Howell didn't seem to be fooling anyone. Oh well, better things next time out for the kid I'm sure.

Lots to be excited about with this team I think. Here is my photo gallery from yesterday's game if anyone wants to take a look. I will be back out there this afternoon/tonight for a "Brewers Sunday" game against Clinton. Looking forward to seeing how those new powder blues look in person.

* Stupid Fan Comment of the Game: After Richardson misplayed the ball in the fourth inning, the guy behind me said "Wow this guy sucks, he'll never make it as an outfielder". It was all I could do not to turn around, slap the dude upside the head, and tell him it was the kid's third professional game. Give him a break, I think the Brewers probably know a little more about this stuff than you do buddy!

Midwest League: Who To Watch

2010-04-09T12:32:00.008-05:00

Opening Day is here! With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the names to keep an eye out for on the other side of the diamond.

BELOIT SNAPPERS (Minnesota Twins) - The Snappers return two of their top ten prospects in their outfield with Aaron Hicks (#1) (pictured left) and Angel Morales (#8). Hicks played in 67 games for Beloit last year, batting .251 with four home runs. Morales hit .266 in 115 games and led the team in home runs, RBI, and steals. Other top prospects starting the season in Beloit include pitcher Ben Tootle (#28) and shortstop James Beresford (#30)

BOWLING GREEN HOT RODS (Tampa Bay Rays) - One of the new teams in the Midwest League this year, the Hot Rods roster consists of five of the Rays top 30 prospects. The Hot Rods pitching staff is led by Alex Colome (#7), Kyle Lobstein (#11), Wilking Rodriguez (#17) and Jason McEachern (#25). Offensively, Bowling Green will be lead by outfielder Ty Morrison (#14). It should also be noted that the Rays are ranked as the #1 farm system in all of baseball.

BURLINGTON BEES (Kansas City Royals) - The Royals will be sending seven of their top 30 prospects to Burlington to open the year. Catcher Wil Myers (#3) will be the backstop for the Bees. Behind him on the depth chart is Jose Bonilla (#21) who returns for his second year in Burlington. The pitching staff boasts four top prospects including John Lamb (#7), Tyler Sample (#14), Kelvin Herrera (#18) and Matt Mitchell (#28). Rounding out the list of potential future Royals will be outfielder Hilton Richardson (#30).

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS (Los Angeles Angels) - The Kernels roster includes a whopping ten of the Angels top 30 prospects to start the 2010 season. The outfield is led by two first round picks from the 2009 draft. Mike Trout (#3) and Randal Grichuck (#7) will patrol the outfield for Cedar Rapids. Infielder Jean Segura (#13) and catcher Carlos Ramirez (#20) will also bolster the Kernels lineup. The pitching staff includes Garrett Richards (#5), Fabio Martinez (#6), Tyler Skaggs (#8), Patrick Corbin (#12), Tyler Keher (#18) and Jon Bachonov (#19).

CLINTON LUMBERKINGS (Seattle Mariners) - Clinton will begin 2010 with six of the Mariners top 30 prospects on their roster. Shortstops Nick Franklin (#9) and Gabriel Noriega (#24), third baseman Mario Martinez (#12) and first baseman Dennis Raben (##21) will man the infield for the L-Kings. Outfielder James Jones (#20) and catcher Steve Baron (#25) will also be a part of the Clinton lineup. In addition, the LumberKings roster will include two former Timber Rattlers, outfielders Daniel Carroll and Kalian Sams.

DAYTON DRAGONS (Cincinnati Reds) - The Reds sent only four of their top 30 prospects to Dayton to start the season. Shortstop Mariekson "DiDi" Gregorius (#15) is the highest ranked. Outfielder Byron Wiley (#29) is the only other position player on the list. The pitching staff consists of Donnie Joseph (#21) and J.C. Sulbaran (#25).

FORT WAYNE TINCAPS (San Diego Padres) - The defending league champions will be sending five of their top prospects to Fort Wayne for the 2010 season. Outfielders Everett Williams (#8) and Rymer Liriano (#14) along with Edinson Rincon (#9) will anchor the TinCaps lineup, while pitchers Jerry Sullivan (#19) and Dexter Carter (#28) look to go for the repeat.

GREAT LAKES LOONS (Los Angeles Dodgers) - The Loons roster consists of six of the Dodgers top 30 prospects. Pitchers Allen Webster (#10) and Brett Wallach (#20) are the highest ranked. The outfield includes Blake Smith (#22), Jerry Sands (#25) and Brian Cavazos-Galvez (#26). Catcher Gorman Erickson (#30) also joins the Loons for 2010.

KANE COUNTY COUGARS ( Oakland A's) - Kane County will be led in 2010 by catcher Max Stassi (#4). He will be charged with the task of leading a pitching staff full of potential. Ian Kroll (#16), Connor Hoehn (#22), Jonathan Joseph (#23) and Justin Marks (#27) all will pitch for the Cougars. Outfielder Tyreace House (#28) is the sixth of the top prospects who will suit up for Kane County this season.

LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS (Cleveland Indians) - The second of the new Midwest League teams, the Captains don't boast a single top 30 prospect on their roster. Two names that may be of interest however are Rob Bryson and Bo Greenwell. Bryson is a former Brewers farmhand who was a part of the CC Sabathia trade, and Greenwell is the son of former Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell.

LANSING LUGNUTS (Toronto Blue Jays) - The Lugnuts are led by 2009 first round pick, pitcher, Chad Jenkins (#3). Jenkins will be making his pro debut after being selected 20th overall. Lansing's everyday lineup will consist of infielders Ryan Schimpf (#16), Ryan Goins (#24) and outfielder Kenny Wilson (#28) (pictured left).

PEORIA CHIEFS (Chicago Cubs) - The Cubs will be sending four of their top 30 prospects to Peoria this season. Infielders Hak-Ju Lee (#6) and Logan Watkins (#7) will make up the Chiefs double play combo. While the pitching staff includes Trey McNutt (#16) and Jeffry Antigua (#19).

QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS (St. Louis Cardinals) - The Bandits will be led by top prospect Shelby Miller (#1). After appearing in 2 games in 2009, the Cards first round pick returns to anchor the Quad Cities pitching staff. Joe Kelly (#21) will also join Miller on the River Bandits pitching staff. Robert Stock (#10) will be working with the pitchers behind the plate as the Quad Cities catcher.

SOUTH BEND SILVER HAWKS (Arizona DiamondBacks) - A big draft for the D-Backs leads to a roster full of first round picks for the Silver Hawks. Infielders Bobby Borchering (#2), Matt Davidson (#10), and Chris Owings (#5) along with pitcher Mike Belifiore (#6) will all be starting 2010 in South Bend. They will be joined by pitcher Eric Smith (#14), outfielder Keon Broxton (#17) and infielder David Nick (#19).

WEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS (Detroit Tigers) - Jacob Turner (#1) is the big name on the West Michigan roster this season. The 2009 first round pick signed late and will be making his pro debut with the Whitecaps. He will be joined by pitcher Melvin Mercedes (#23), outfielder Avisail Garcia (#17) and third baseman Wade Gaynor.

So there you have it, a few names from the Midwest League to keep an eye out for in 2010.
* Note - Prospect rankings are from Baseball America

2010 Roster

2010-04-08T13:50:00.010-05:00

With the season opener put on hold for one more day, I thought I'd take a closer look at the 2010 roster as a way to pass the time until tomorrow's doubleheader.

The pitching staff should be the strength of this year's team, highlighted by three first round draft picks. Last year's number one pick, Eric Arnett, joins the Rattlers after appearing in 14 games for Helena in 2009 where he struck out more than a batter per inning. 2009 supplemental first-rounder Kyle Heckathorn will be teamed with Maverick Lasker as part of the Brewers tandem pitching system. Heckathorn saw action in six games for Helena last season, starting five. Lasker is ranked by Baseball America as the #30 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system. He spent most of last season in Arizona, but made two late season starts for Wisconsin, including a fantastic debut performance. The third first rounder on the staff is Jake Odorizzi who will piggy back with Damon Krestalude. Odorizzi is an '08 draft pick who started 10 games at Helena last season, posting a 4.40 ERA. Krestalude was a Brewers 17th round pick in 2008 and spent most of 2009 at Helena. He also saw action in two games for Brevard County (A+), including one start. The opening day tandem was to consist of Nick Bucci and Del Howell, but it appears they will be pitching after Jeff Suppan makes a rehab start for the Rattlers on Friday. Bucci is ranked #29 in the Brewers organization by Baseball America and Howell #22. Both join the T-Rats after spending most of 2009 pitching in rookie ball, though Bucci did see a little action at Huntsville (AA).

Rounding out the rotation is Efrain Nieves (pictured, upper left). Nieves spent last season with the Rattlers and returns to anchor the starting staff for 2010. Coming out of the bullpen for Wisconsin will be Hiram Burgos, Andre Lamontagne, Jonathan Pokorny, Chad Robinson and Caleb Thielbar. All five saw action last season for Helena.

In the outfield, the Rattlers are led by 2009 5th round draft choice D'Vontrey Richardson. The former Florida State quarterback had a strong spring for the Rattlers in his first pro action. He will be joined by Khris Davis, Milwaukee's 7th round pick out of Cal State Fullerton. Davis saw limited action last season, appearing in 11 games for the Brewers affiliates in Helena and Arizona. Franklin Romero was selected in the 20th round and will also be making his pro debut. The trio of '09 draft picks should make up the starting outfield. They could also be spelled from time to time by Chris Dennis (pictured left) and Pete Fatse. Dennis spent part of last season with Wisconsin and played very well before an injury sidelined him. He batted .318 in 38 games with 4 home runs. Fatse also spent part of 2009 with the Rattlers. The left handed hitting UConn Alum played all over the field, shifting between second base, third base and the outfield. From the sounds of things Dennis will focus more on playing first base this year, where he will split time with Sean Halton. The big right handed hitting slugger hit a combined .345 with 6 home runs between Arizona and Helena last season. A trio of slick fielding shortstops will platoon to cover the shortstop and second base positions in Appleton this season. 2010 draftee Ryan "Scooter" Gennett makes his pro debut for the Rattlers. He will be joined by 21 year old Carlos George who hit a combined .289 between the Brewers two rookie league clubs last year, and Michael Marseco who started the '09 season with Wisconsin before finishing up with Helena. Rounding out the infield will be Joey Paciorek. The son of former Brewer Jim Paciorek spent 2009 with Helena where he belted three home runs with 29 RBI. The catching staff is led by second round draft pick Cameron Garfield. Garfield hit .248 with four home runs in 59 games at Helena last season. He will be backed up by Austin Stockfisch. Stockfisch was signed as an undrafted free agent last July. Thanks to some lousy weather the Timber Rattlers will now open up a three game series with Kane County on Friday night at 6:00 before starting a three game series on Sunday with the Clinton LumberKings.

2010-04-04T15:13:00.002-05:00

Still a couple of days left until the Rattlers kick off their season, but I got a chance to get down to Miller Park yesterday for the Brewers exhbition game against the Detroit Tigers. The Brewers pulled out a wild 13-12 walk-off win thanks to some shotty defense by Detroit, but the highlight for me was getting to see a couple of 2009 T-Rats take the field for the Brewers.

Alumni, Martin Maldonado (pictured) and Taylor Green joined the Brewers for the short two game series. My full set of pictures from Saturday's game can be found here.

I'm hoping to get down to Fox Cities Stadium on Tuesday for at least the scrimmage portion of Fan Fest (though right now it doesn't look like Mother Nature is going to cooperate).

Sounds like the 2010 roster should be announced sometime tomorrow so that should provide a little excitement to tide us over until the season kicks off on Thurdsday. Hope to see some of you on Tuesday, but if not I will see you all on Thursday for some Timber Rattlers baseball!

Important Dates

2010-02-17T14:29:00.007-06:00

It's getting closer. 50 days til Opening Day! It's been a long cold winter but signs of spring are all around us. Yes, it snowed yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. And Punxsutawney Phil says 6 more weeks of winter but seriously, here's how I know that spring is on the way.

- The icicles outside my window are sloooooowwwwly melting.

- We recently celebrated "truck day" as all the baseball gear was loaded up and shipped from Wisconsin to Arizona for Spring Training. Nothing like seeing all the bats and baseballs and helmets and giant racing sausages(?) loaded onto a semi truck.

- My Valentine's Day gift was the Baseball America 2010 Prospect Handbook (Yeah, I have a pretty awesome girlfriend! I get her flowers and jewelry, she gets me the Prospect Handbook. Seems like a pretty fair trade to me).

- And today pitchers and catchers are reporting to Spring Training for some teams.

With all that in mind, I thought I'd take a look at a few other important Brewer/Rattler related dates coming up in the next two months.

February 20th - Milwaukee Brewers pitchers and catchers report.

February 27th - Brewers individual game tickets go on sale.

March 4th - First Major League Spring Training games for the Brewers.

March 6th - Timber Rattlers individual game tickets go on sale.

March 19th - Minor League Spring Training games get underway.

April 5th - Brewers Opening Day

April 8th - Timber Rattlers Opening Day

* In addition I would guess announcements will be coming soon from the Rattlers about their annual Fan Fest and Welcome Back Banquet. I will update those dates when they are made official but April 6th and 7th would be pretty good guesses for those two events.

Hopefully these dates give us a little something to look forward to and help these next 50 days fly by just a bit quicker. Let's Go Rattlers!

2009 Photos

2010-02-05T15:52:00.006-06:00

We are less than 2 weeks away from hearing those four glorious words: PITCHER AND CATCHERS REPORT!

I for one can't wait. I've been trying to contain my excitement, but I'm really itching for the baseball season to get underway. Perhaps it's the fact that the NFL season is winding down, and the NBA and NHL just don't provide me with the same level of excitement, but I'm really anxious for some baseball. More specifically, some Wisconsin Timber Rattlers baseball!

Seeing Martin Maldonado and Efrain Nieves play for Puerto Rico the past couple days in the Caribbean World Series brought me back to some great moments from the 2009 Timber Rattlers season. So I thought, as a way to help pass the time until the 2010 season begins I would share with you some of my favorite shots from the '09 season.

They can be found here. Enjoy!

Catching Up

2010-01-27T14:42:00.003-06:00

It's old, old news, I know, but I thought it deserved a mention here on the blog. After the season concluded, four players who were on the Rattlers '09 squad were given their release by the Brewers.

Outfielders Derrick McPhearson and Michael Vass, along with Pitchers Liam Ohlmann (pictured) and Kris Dabrowiecki were let go by the Brewers.

Vass hit .240 with seven home runs in 91 games. McPhearson managed only a .160 batting average in 45 games with the team. Ohlmann pitched in 40 games, going 3-4 with a 6.09 ERA and Dabrowiecki recorded a 15.95 ERA in six appearances.

It's always sad to see guys let go but it's a part of the business I guess. Personally I was a bit suprised to see D-Mac's name on that list. I thought the Brewers might have a longer leash with him given the transfer from football. The rest weren't really a suprise, but all four players seemed to be great guys and I wish them the best in their future baseball careers and whatever they decide to do after baseball.

Welcome Back

2010-01-19T14:38:00.006-06:00

So much for those grand plans we had for the website during the offseason huh? You might be wondering where we have gone, or if we are even still alive. Well, I assure you we are all doing just fine but things have been very hectic. So here is our post-Christmas, Christmas letter of sorts to let our 3 or 4 loyal readers know what's been going on.

First of all Chris, our resident computer geek, and his wife Amy welcomed their first child into the world. A baby boy named Aden Michael. (Not sure why he wasn't named Brad, but I digress). Chris, Amy and Aden are all doing well and Chris promises to get the little guy out to a game this summer.

Then Ty, our Arizona connection, accepted a promotion with his company that included a transfer to Southern California. Though he will still be traveling to Arizona from time to time, his access will not be what it once was.

So without our computer guy and without our main access to the players, that left me, a one man wolfpack, to handle the site. I thought about just shutting the website down. I too had just recently taken on a new job that was eating up a bit of my time. But I thought again of our 3 or 4 loyal followers who use the forum and wanted to find a way to leave that up for them.

The Timber Rattlers and Mehring do a great job with their sites and provide all the info and news you could ever ask for and being that I am no computer whiz I decided to just go back to the blog format and use the blog to post about what I know best. Photography and the Rattlers.

Photography has always been a hobby of mine and I've just recently gotten more serious about it. I've had the opportunity to shoot everything from Green Bay Packers games down to Little League, but my favorite subject to shoot is Minor League Baseball.

So that's what you'll see from the blog for the 2010 season. I will post my photos from the games for you to enjoy as well as some comments/opinions as the season goes along. But most importantly I will keep the message board up for folks to chat about your 2010 Wisconsin Timmmmbbbbberrrrr Rattlers!