It is almost the end of the Rattlers first half;
And some team records may soon be like chaff.
Wisconsin is trying to finish the first half strong;
Because the second half will be here and it won't be long.
I have a feeling that things are going to be more than okay;
As long as the closer from Calgary keeps saving the day.
Tell your friends to come one and come all;
It's time for This Week in Timber Rattlers Baseball.
June 12: The Rattlers left 11 men on base in this game. It could have been worse, but they also hit into three inning ending double plays. Cody Scarpetta got the start and pitched well, but in the fourth inning with the score tied 1-1, he lost the zone and the catcher's mitt and it cost him and the team. Steve Kleen reached on a one out single. Two wild pitches and a walk later, Kleen was standing on third base with Grant Desme at first. Jeremy Barfield (yes, the son of Jesse Barfield) was at the plate when Desme stole second base. The runner at second meant that the signs between the catcher and the pitcher change. It didn't bother Scarpetta and Sean McCraw when they got a strikeout of Barfield. But, on the first pitch to Franklin Hernandez, the battery got their signals crossed up and the pitch went back to the screen and Kleen scored what turned out to be the winning run. The next day I asked Cody what happened and he said that he just got caught up in the game and thought he was supposed to throw one pitch and McCraw was expecting a different one. It's all part of learning, folks.
June 13; @Wisconsin 3, Kane County 1: Trey Watten is on a roll. The 7th round pick out of Abilene Christian University allowed one run on five hits and struck out eight. That one run ended his scoreless streak at 15-1/3 innings. But, it also meant that he got a no decision for the third straight start in June. It would be great for him to pick up a few wins, but he is keeping the team in games...like this one. The tying run scored for the Rattlers in the bottom of the fifth. Jose Duran was at first. He is 3-for-8 in stolen base attempts. He was not a threat to run. There was no possibilty of a hit-and-run. Yet, Cougars pitcher Kenny Smalley threw to first a couple of times. Duran had shortened up his lead, but Smalley threw over one more time and threw the ball into the bullpen. Duran was going to make third base easily, but Kleen grabbed the ball and threw to third...poorly. The ball wound up in the stands and Duran scored to tie the game 1-1. The Rattlers scored one time in the seventh and one more time in the eighth. Then, in the ninth, it was time for Jim Henderson and for maybe the best ninth-inning atmosphere of the season at Time Warner Cable Field. He struck out the side -- with a double that was lost in the lights stuck in there -- and picked up his 15th save of the season.
June 14: The Sunday routine went a little something like this: Bus left at 6am. Bus arrived in Burlington at noon. Hotel rooms weren't ready. Lunch. Ballpark at 2:00pm. Game time 4:00pm. Around 5:30 with the score tied 2-2, the Bees got BROCKED!
Brock Kjeldgaard with a two-run triple and the Rattlers were up 4-2. Henderson entered in the bottom of the ninth inning to protect a 4-3 lead. He gave up a single, but made a diving catch on a popped up bunt to turn a double play. Then, a double put the tying run at second. An error on the next ball in play kept the inning alive, but the runner at second tried to score. He was out at the plate on a good throw from Kjeldgaard and an even better job of catcher Corey Kemp at blocking the plate. Henderson 16-for-16 in save opportunites at this point.
June 15; @Burlington 7, Wisconsin 4: Alex Periard made his 2009 debut for the Rattlers. He is the #13 prospect in the Milwaukee system and he getting his feet wet with the Rattlers before heading up to ladder. Much like Taylor Green did back in May. Periard allowed three first inning runs, but nothing in his next two. Meanwhile, it was a frustrating day for the Timber Rattler offense. They had nine hits, drew seven walks, and had Burlington commit three errors. But, the offense stranded 14 runners in the game. Still. There was a chance to get into the late innings with at least a tie. But, pitcher Dan Merklinger dropped a throw at first that would have been the second out of the sixth inning. A double followed to put the Bees up 5-4. A single later in the inning made it 6-4. Loading the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth and three straight strikeouts made this one hurt. Almost as being dealt 19, 18, and 20 on consecutive blackjack hands only to have the dealer hit three and four card 20, 19, and 21 on those same hands....still mad about that....Almost as mad as I was when I missed the first ten minutes of Coogan's Bluff earlier that day...That is an Awesome movie...yes, Awesome...with a capital A.
The really trippy thing about that movie, well the whole movie is trippy, but the really A #1 trippy thing about that movie...Ma'am from Webster is Eastwood's kinda sorta love interest in the movie.
Where was I, oh right.
June 16: Michael Marseco is not the biggest ball player you've ever seen. But, he can come through with some hits that surprise the opposing team. In the sixth inning of this game, the Rattlers had just taken a 5-4 lead on another Burlington error. Marseco stepped up with runners at first and third, two outs, and the outfield was playing him very, very shallow. He laced a double to the gap in leftcenter might have been caught had the outfield been playing at a more respectful depth. Two runs scored and it was 6-4 Rattlers. Daniel Meadows pitched in relief in this game and while he did give up three runs on eight hits in 3-2/3 innings, the Vulture struck again.
He's 11-1 and leads all of pro baseball (all levels, MLB included) in wins. Henderson nailed it down in the ninth by striking out the side in order. 17-for-17 in save opportunities for the Calgary Closer. The team record for saves in a season is 19. The team record for wins in a season is 15 One other note from this game: Kjeldgaard hit a homer off Justin Garcia. A two-run homer in the seventh to give him 10 home runs on the season. I did a little research after the game and found this nugget for my game notes the next day:
YOUR TIM KURKJIAN DID YOU KNOW? FOR THE NIGHT: This season, Kjeldgaard is 6-for-6 with a walk, three homers, and two doubles in seven plate appearances against Midwest League pitchers named Justin.
As I learned from The Dead Pool (an underrated Dirty Harry flick, by the way). It's not a ripoff. It's an homage.
June 17; @Burlington 8, Wisconsin 6: Disappointing way to end the series in Burlington. Wisconsin scored four times in the seventh to go up 6-3. Scarpetta struck out the first two batters of the bottom of seventh inning, but another dropped throw at first -- this time by Kemp -- extended the Burlington inning. The Bees went on to score five times in the inning and win 8-6. I know this one was eating at Rattlers manager Jeff Isom. The bus ride to Kane County from Burlington took about four hours and we rolled into the team hotel around 2:30am. Jeff and I got on the elevator at the same time and as the doors closed he turned to me and said, "How do you not get a third out there?"
June 18; Wisconsin 6, Kane County 1: Watten got plenty of third outs in this game to continue his stellar month of June. He allowed one run on seven hits over six innings and the defense turned three double plays behind him. Offensively, the Rattlers got to Smalley, who had been the league ERA leader, for three runs on four hits and five walks over four innings. Nice balanced attack by the Rattlers got them back to within one game of .500. My one Carnac moment of the season happened in the ninth inning. The Cougars had a runner at first with one out against reliever Nick Tyson. On air, I said, "How about a double play to end this?" Two pitches later...6-4-3 double play. Rattlers win. Can't wait to hit the blackjack tables again. By the way Tyson is putting together a very good season with the Rattlers. 10 outings, 13 innings, no runs, two saves.
There are three games left in the first half. By winning all three the Rattlers would get a winning record in a half for the first time since 2005. Plus, there is the possibility of knocking the Cougars out of the playoffs, but a lot would have to happen elsewhere. Just finish strong and get ready for the second half seems to be the motto around the team right now.
The Week ahead in Bullet Points:
- June 19-21: @ Kane County
- June 22: Off Day
- June 23: MWL All-Star Game in Clinton
- June 24: Off Day
- June 25: vs. Peoria on a Thirsty Thursday
To wrap up the column: A little something from the hot list a million years ago when I was a WSUP: