A return home after an ugly trip seemed just what the doctor ordered;
A 1-6 record turned the seven games into a thing quite sordid.
Quad Cities was first and 1-2 was the record, sport;
After a shutout, there were 11 runs for a win and a comeback that fell just a little bit short.
New arrivals, um, arrived -- draft pick Prince and draft pick Fiers;
But scoring runs remained as easy as picking up water with pliers
A sweep at the hands of the team from Kane County;
Has this team reeling, yet they are still in the hunt for playoff bounty.
This road trip ahead is either an opportunity or a gaping maw;
Get ready for another edition of This Week in Timber Rattlers Baseball
July 31; Quad Cities 7 @Timber Rattlers 0: Good DiMaggio this was a tough game. The team arrived from Fort Wayne at 5am. I can honestly say that it is almost impossible to get any quality REM sleep on a bus. Which is probably a good thing come to think of it. Cody Scarpetta kept it close as he allowed three runs over six innings, but it was a 10 strikeout kind of a night for the Rattlers offense. They had seven hits, but only one or two good chances to score.
August 1; @Timber Rattlers 11, Quad Cities 3: A funny thing happened on the way to the rout. The team did some early work on popups. The key in this drill is to call out "I GOT IT!" loudly...very loudly and to have your teammates stay away. Now, fast forward about three hours to game time. Top of the first with two outs and nobody on base. POPUP...First baseman Corey Kemp holds out his right hand, yelling "I GOT IT!", and puts up his glove. Second baseman Brett Lawrie drifts over to Kemp and -- one thing leads to another -- and the ball dropped in -- untouched -- behind Kemp for a single. The next batter hits a two-run homer and it's 2-0. But, the bats woke up. Three runs in the second, two in the fourth, two in the sixth, and four in the eighth! No picture of The Vulture for Daniel Meadows this time. He got his 12th win of the season and he earned it.
August 2; Quad Cities 5 @Timber Rattlers 3: Picture this...The Rattlers are up 1-0. Evan Frederickson is on the mound in the fourth inning with runners at second and third with one out. The way the last two weeks have gone you are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Then, this happens...
OH, HO! You are thinking things are starting to turn around. Especially, when Frederickson got the strikeout to get out of the inning. Especially when the Rattlers had a runner at second with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Then, the runner got stranded. Then, the lead off batter in the top of the fifth tripled and scored on a wild pitch without a railing to save the run this time. Another run scored for a 2-1 lead. Eventually, the River Bandits were up 5-1. There was a desperate rally in the ninth to get the winning run to the plate, but there would be not big hit at the end.
August 3; Kane County 5 @Timber Rattlers 1: Kane County, the first half western divison champions, rolled into town and grabbed a 2-0 lead; pushed it out to a 4-0 lead; and eventually dropped the Rattlers. This game featured two big collisions at the plate. One of those smash-ups turned into an amazing double play. Kane County had runners at second and third with one out. The hitter sent a grounder and third baseman Jose Duran had to make a diving stop. He fired to Sean McCraw and the plate and Dusty Napoleon, a catcher/DH for the Cougars who had a full head of steam, arrived soon thereafter. Napoloeon hit McCraw so hard that McCraw staggered back and did a back somersault and wound up on his feet about 10' from home plate. For some reason, the runner at second took this moment to take off for third. McCraw threw a strike to third for the 5-2-5 double play. The other was when Duran tried to score from second on a single to left. This collision as not as dramatic, but it did keep the game scoreless...for a little while at least.
Here's the thing about this game. Josh Prince and Mike Fiers were supposed to make their Timber Rattlers debut in this game. Prince, the 3rd round pick of the 2009 draft, and Fiers, the 22nd rounder, were promoted from Helena earlier in the day. Prince was in the original starting lineup. But, thanks to flight delays in the Chicago, they did not arrive until after the game had started.
August 4; Kane County 4 @Timber Rattlers 2 (10 innings): The Rattlers were down 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning and a runner at second base. Huge crowd of 5,556 on hand for the Paul Molitor appearance, but they were sticking around and trying to get into the game. It was time for the Cougars to get BROCKED! Single to left by Kjeldgaard! Tying run scores! Kjeldgaard for second! The throw...........He's out. Dang. In the top of the tenth, the bases were loaded with two outs. Fiers was on the mound in relief and he had two strikes on pinch hitter Jeremy Barfield. The pitch....line drive single to center...two runs score...loss.
August 5; Kane County 3 @Timber Rattlers 1: Wisconsin had seven hits, drew eight walks, had two hit batters, stranded 13 runners, and scored one run. If you were to put the last three weeks in a nutshell it would be the bottom of the fifth inning of this game. Down 2-0, Bases loaded, no outs. Strikeout! Strikeout! 6-3! No runs scored.
HELP! I'M IN A NUTSHELL!
August 6; Kane County 4 @Timber Rattlers 3: Prince walks, steals second, goes to third on a flyball, and scores on a wild pitch in the first inning. Michael Vass homers in the second and it's 2-0. Feeling good...feeling great....Two-out, two-run homer in the top of the fourth tied the game. But, look, Duran drives in a run in the bottom of the inning for a 3-2 lead. Feeling alright. Two outs, top of the fifth, not a soul on base. Single. Home Run. Down 4-3. Bottom ninth Kjedgaard gets hit by a pitch and gets sacrificed to second. Tying run in scoring position with one out. Strikeout! Strikeout! Game over. 1-6 homestand over! Road trip starts tonight in Peoria.
The Week Ahead in Bullet Points:
- August 7 through August 10 @ Peoria
- August 11 through August 14 @ Cedar Rapids
Playoff chances as told by a 70's sitcom character:
They are just like you, ya hockey puck. Big and somehow still here.
And now a song from a million years ago when I was at WSUP...and because I need a little more Warren Zevon after last week.
So long, everybody.