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Rattlers knock off Snappers Rob Lucas/Beloit Daily News Through the first month of the season, the Beloit Snappers’ pitching staff has been one of the Midwest League’s best. A sterling team ERA of 2.98 to go with just 169 hits allowed in over 200 innings is impressive. That’s why the team will have no problem pushing Sunday’s performance out of their heads. Led by Scooter Gennett’s first professional home run, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 8-3 victory. It was a five-run seventh inning, beginning with a leadoff walk, that doomed the Snappers. http://adsys.townnews.com/8791215/creative/beloitdailynews.com/+instory/17585w-1236612630.gif “You can give a lot of credit to the Wisconsin hitters,” pitching coach Gary Lucas said. “They made adjustments against us in the second half of the game and our pitchers weren’t ready to make adjustments to their adjustments.” Steve Blevins, called on to stop a rally in the seventh, failed to get the ball down and was knocked around to the tune of four hits and four runs, the big blow coming from Gennett. After a close two-strike pitch was called a ball, Gennett blasted the next over the fence in right center for a two-run homer. The shortstop had hit four balls out in batting practice, but said he wasn’t trying to hit one deep. “During BP today, I was focusing on middle in and getting my pull side figured out,” he said. “Home runs are mistakes though. That’s not my job. My job is to hit gap-to-gap, but it feels good to get one out.” Gennett, the 496th pick in last June’s draft, was signed away from a scholarship to Florida State and has quickly made an impression with the Brewer brass. He is hitting .342 with 16 runs and 12 RBI. “It’s been an adjustment,” Gennett, 20, said. “They are around the plate more so you have to be ready to hit. You can’t afford to take that first pitch fastball over the plate because you probably won’t see it again that at-bat. Just staying focused is the biggest thing.” Even with the poor performance Sunday, Lucas said he’s been very impressed by his starters thus far. The last few years, Beloit has had a younger staff with a steeper learning curve. This year’s rotation has quickly grasped what Lucas has taught them. “I think the pitchers deserve a lot of the credit,” Lucas said. “Before today, they got themselves in the position they were in with first pitch strikes, attacking the zone, using both sides of the plate and keeping the ball down in the zone.” Coming off Daniel Osterbrock’s no-hitter Saturday night, the Snappers and starter Miguel Munoz cruised through the first five innings. A solo home run by Michael Gonzales and an RBI ground out by Brian Dozier gave the Snappers a two-run lead. Things unraveled quickly though, as the Milwaukee Brewers affiliate tied the game in the sixth then grabbed the lead in the seventh, all with two outs. A single by 2009 fifth round pick D’Vontrey Richardson made it 3-2. The homer was eventually followed by a double from Peter Fatse, making it 6-2.

Final: Beloit 8, Wisconsin 7 (10 innings) Snappers slip by Rattlers Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com BELOIT, WI – Wang Wei Lin ended a wild Midwest League game Monday in Beloit. The left fielder for the Beloit Snappers homered with one out in the bottom of the tenth inning to beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattler 8-7 on a windy Monday at Pohlman Field. The game featured wind-blown hits, lots of walks, some errors, and clutch hitting. Khris Davis and D’Vontrey Richardson both homered for the Rattlers as Wisconsin was one strike away from victory before the Snappers grabbed the win to take three out of four games in the series. The wind played a role in Wisconsin’s three runs in the top of the third inning. The Rattlers loaded the bases with one out on singles by Richardson, Scooter Gennett, and Davis. Chris Dennis was hit by a pitch with two outs to drive in the first run. Cameron Garfield popped up a pitch to third and the wind took it. Anderson Hidalgo had the ball drop behind him and two runs scored. Rattlers wildness and miscues played a role in Beloit’s three runs in the bottom of the third. Wisconsin starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi walked the first two batters he faced in the frame. A one-out single loaded the bases. Odorizzi uncorked a wild pitch to let in a run. Then, he walked another batter to reload the bases. He did get Danny Rams to send a potential inning ending double play ball to short. But, Gennett kicked the ball for one error and compounded the error by throwing wildly to first base. When the dust cleared two runs had scored and the game was tied 3-3. Beloit (15-9) took advantage of more wildness in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead. Odorizzi hit the first batter of the inning and walked the second batter. Chad Robinson relieved Odorizzi and promptly hit the first batter he faced to load the bases with no outs. Wisconsin got the first out on a force play at the plate. Robinson got Angel Morales to send a slow chopper towards short. Third baseman Michael Marseco cut the ball off and got the out at second, but Morales beat the relay to first. Not only did the runner from third score, but Lin sped around third and just beat the throw to the plate to score from second to give Beloit a 5-3 lead. Wisconsin (8-16) rallied in the fifth. Richardson started the inning with an opposite field homer to right. The blast was the first professional homer for Richardson. Later in the inning, Garfield delivered a more conventional two-out RBI single by rapping a base hit into center field to score Davis from second with the tying run. Beloit went back in front with a pair of runs in the sixth. Brian Dozier singled to drive in Aaron Hicks from second. Morales followed with an RBI double and the Snappers had a 7-5 lead. Wisconsin’s ninth inning rally started with a single by Gennett off of Kane Hollbrooks. Davis lined a 3-2 pitch over the centerfield wall for a two-run homer to tie the game. Hollbrooks, who had entered the game in the eighth inning, retired the next two batters. But, Cameron Garfield singled to keep the top of the ninth inning alive. The Rattlers catcher stole second to get into scoring position. Sean Halton sent a grounder to third that Hidalgo fielded cleanly, but the throw to first was wild and Garfield scored to put the Rattlers up 8-7. But, the Rattler gave Beloit a chance in the bottom of the ninth. Hiram Burgos got the first out, but Rams singled to center and moved into scoring position when Richardson mishandled the ball in center. Burgos got the second out of the inning and quickly got ahead of Hidalgo 0-2. But, Hidalgo drove the 0-2 pitch through the left side of the infield for a single and Rams scored the tying run. In the bottom of the tenth, Burgos got the first out, but Lin launched a 1-0 pitch to center for the game-winning homer. The Rattlers return home to start a homestand on Tuesday night. The Quad Cities River Bandits visit on a Bang for Your Buck Night. Soda, hotdogs, and Miller Beer is available for $1. It is also College Night, which means that college students with a valid college ID may purchase a reserved seat or general admission ticket for $1. Additionally, it is a KRAFT Singles Tuesday Night Tickets. Fans who bring in a KRAFT Singles package wrapper and purchase one reserved seat will receive a second reserved seat free. Eric Arnett (0-2, 11.25) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Deryk #*+!#! (1-1, 2.12) is the scheduled starter for the River Bandits. Game time at Time Warner Cable Field is 6:35pm. If you can’t make it out to the game, tune in to AM1280, WNAM beginning with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm. Wisconsin box score Man, the fielding problems are so frustrating. Richardson's misplay sounded particularly inexplicable. Gennett now has seven errors on the year. Odorizzi's final line was 3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 1 HBP, 1 WP. Davis finished 3-4 with a walk. Dennis was 1-3 with a double and a walk to go with his HBP; his double would have scored a run in the 7th if not for a nice play by Angel Morales to cut the ball off. Garfield was initially credited with a hit on the 3rd-inning misplay by Hidalgo, but that was changed to an error after the game. Franklin Romero was 2-5 with a double. Wisconsin play-by-play

He was injured either on a HBP or shortly thereafter on the bases. If you check out the Link Reports, we've been monitoring it on a daily basis.

Final: Wisconsin 8, Beloit 3 Big seventh inning helps Rattlers beat Beloit Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com BELOIT, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers snapped a seven game losing streak on the strength of a five-run seventh inning on Sunday afternoon. Scooter Gennett went 3-for-5 with three RBI to pace Wisconsin’s 12 hit attack in the 8-3 win over the Beloit Snappers at Pohlman Field. Pete Fatse also chipped in three hits for the offense as the Rattlers got solid relief work from Jon Pokorny and Andre Lamontagne to be their in-state rivals. But, it was Beloit (14-9) who had the early advantage. Michael Gonzales launched a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the second inning to give the Snappers a 1-0 lead. Beloit loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the third inning. Wisconsin starting pitcher Damon Krestalude limited the Snappers to one run on an RBI fielder’s choice. Those were the only two runs allowed by Krestalude. The Rattlers (8-15) rallied for two runs with a stop-and-go rally in the top of the sixth inning. D’Vontrey Richardson started the inning with a single. Gennett followed with a double to center that scored Richardson, but Gennett was out trying to go to third on a bobbled relay throw. Khris Davis drew a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Then, Fatse lined a double to left and Davis scored the tying run. Michael Marseco drew a leadoff walk to start the Rattlers seventh inning, but he was standing on third with two outs and it appeared that the opportunity would go to waste. That was when the Rattlers cashed in big time on their opportunities. Richardson singled up the middle to drive in Marseco with the go-ahead run. Gennett followed with a home run to right-center. It was the first professional homer in Gennett’s career and it put the Rattlers up 5-2. Davis followed with a single and would score on another double by Fatse. Fatse capped the most productive Wisconsin inning of the season by stealing third and scoring on a throwing error. Beloit got an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh against Pokorny. But, the Rattlers lefty didn’t allow anything else in his two innings of work. Wisconsin added an unearned run in the top of the ninth. Gennett and Davis both singled with one out. Fatse took a pitch for a ball and Beloit catcher Tobias Streich tried to pick Davis off first base. His throw was wild and Gennett scored to make the score 8-3 Wisconsin. Lamontagne pitched the final two innings and allowed one hit while helping to nail down the win. Wisconsin wraps up their seven game roadtrip tomorrow morning. The Rattlers send Jake Odorizzi (1-1, 3.21) out as their starting pitcher. Beloit counters with Brad Stillings (0-2, 5.40). Tune in for the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 10:40am. First pitch from Pohlman Field is 11:00am. Wisconsin box score The first four hitters combined to go 10-19 with three doubles, a homer, and a walk and scored seven runs. Fatse already has 11 extra-base hits this year after managing only 16 in 63 games last year. Chris Dennis was 1-4 with a walk. Krestalude's final line: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. Wisconsin play-by-play

Stars rained out, too:

Final: Brevard County 3, Tampa 2 Brevard County box score The Manatees got three in the first and made it stand up, hanging on for a one-run victory. It was a weird first inning, as you'll see below, but Erik Miller had a key two-out, two-run double. Miller was 3-4 overall, as was white-hot Shawn Zarraga, now 11 for his first 20 this year. Matt Cline also had a nice day, 2-3 and was hit by two pitches, and very quietly has a .419 OBP. Sergio Miranda chipped in too, 2-4 with a walk. Wearing the collar was Erik Komatsu, who's been very feast-or-famine this year. Kentrail Davis missed his fourth straight game. The rehabbing Chris Capuano got the start for BC and pitched very well; Dan Merklinger relieved him and was also effective, allowing a run in 3.1 innings on one hit and two walks with three strikeouts. Brevard County play-by-play Generally you'd think an inning in which you grounded into a double play and also had a runner thrown out at home would be pretty frustrating, but the inimitable Manatees made it work for them: Brevard County Top 1st Matt Cline hit by pitch. Juan Sanchez grounds into double play, third baseman Bradley Suttle to second baseman Corban Joseph to first baseman Addison Maruszak. Matt Cline out at 2nd. Sergio Miranda walks. Erik Komatsu reaches on force attempt, fielding error by shortstop Jose Pirela. Sergio Miranda to 2nd. Brock Kjeldgaard singles on a ground ball to shortstop Jose Pirela. Sergio Miranda scores. Erik Komatsu to 3rd. Brock Kjeldgaard to 2nd. Throwing error by shortstop Jose Pirela. Erik Miller doubles (7) on a line drive to left fielder Neil Medchill. Erik Komatsu scores. Brock Kjeldgaard scores. Shawn Zarraga singles on a line drive to left fielder Neil Medchill. Erik Miller out at home on the throw, left fielder Neil Medchill to catcher Myron Leslie.

Sounds rained out:

Extra innings no problem for Stars Aaron Morse/Huntsville Stars Caleb Gindl came up big off the bench and Brandon Kintzler (1-0) earned his first win of the season as the Huntsville Stars (13-10) scored two runs in the ninth and one more in the 11th to prevail 4-3 over the Birmingham Barons (6-16) Saturday night. The Stars' biggest problem all year long has been defense, and the bottom of the first inning on Saturday was no different. John Shelby started things off with a grounder to short, the throw from Zelous Wheeler to first base was dropped by Chris Errecart. The next batter, Dale Mollenhauer lined a base hit to center field. It appeared they'd be able to get Mollenhauer out between first and second, but Brett Lawrie instead attempted to get Shelby going from first to third, and he threw it into the camera well, allowing Shelby to score and for Mollenhauer to advance to third. A ground-out scored Mollenhauer. But the Barons weren't done. Brent Morel doubled to left, and with two outs Lee Cruz singled him home to extend the lead to 3-0. But Huntsville battled back in the top half of the second inning thanks to some shaky defense on the Barons' part. With one away, Chris Errecart reached on a throwing error by Morel. With two down, and two on after a Steffan Wilson single, Chuckie Caufield, playing in place of the injured Caleb Gindl, delivered a clutch single to left to drive in Errecart. It would stay at a 3-1 score until the top half of the 9th inning. With one away, Errecart got the rally going with a single to center. Brett Dowdy got his first hit as a Star with a single to shallow leftfield. Wilson followed that with a two-strike single to right to load the bases with only one down. Then the Stars got a little dramatic as they pinch-hit with the previously injured Gindl. Caleb was able to draw a walk to drive in a run and cut the deficit to 3-2. A Martin Maldonado sacrifice fly tied the game, but Lee Haydel struck out to end the inning. Errecart continued his nice day at the plate with a lead-off double in the top of the 11th. Two outs later, with Errecart on third, Gindl hit a slow chopper to third base. He was able to beat out the throw and the Stars took a 4-3 lead. Alex Periard went six solid innings, scattering five hits and giving up three runs, but none of them were earned. Jim Henderson tossed 2.1 shutout innings in relief and Kintzler got the win thanks to 2.2 perfect innings to end the game. Jhonny Nunez pitched well for the Barons, but got a no decision despite five solid innings and no earned runs surrendered. Henry Mabee blew his second save of the year in the ninth and Tyson Corley (0-1) suffered the loss. The Stars return to action Sunday afternoon as they play 2:05pm central time game against the Barons. Mark Rogers (1-2) will be on the mound as the Stars look to clinch the series victory. Tune to WTKI or http://www.huntsvillestars.com for all the action.

Chris's post-game thoughts today are brief.

Final: Huntsville 4, Birmingham 3 (11 innings) Huntsville box score Awesome comeback win from the Stars, who were down 3-1 in the 9th. Caleb Gindl was the hero, pinch-hitting in the 9th and drawing a bases-loaded walk to close the margin to one run and then driving in the winning run in the 11th with an infield single (apparently the injury he suffered two days ago was to his leg). Brett Lawrie was 1-4 with a double and a walk, though he suffered baserunning misfortune each time on, being picked of first and doubled off second. Taylor Green was 0-4 with a walk; Green is definitely slumping, 7 for his last 32, though the plate discipline remains intact and means it's just a matter of time until he's back smacking doubles. Chris Errecart was 2-5 with a double and scored three runs, and Steffan Wilson, trying to raise his OPS over 400, was 3-5. Alex Periard was the starter for the Stars (Starter?) and must have had a hellacious sinker going based on the 15/2 GO/AO he posted; he allowed three runs in six innings, all unearned, on five hits and a walk, striking out one. Brandon Kintzler continues to impress in relief, tossing 2.2 perfect innings with three K's to close out the game. Huntsville play-by-play The game-tying and game-winning rallies: Huntsville Top 9th Taylor Green grounds out, pitcher Henry Mabee to first baseman Christian Marrero. Chris Errecart singles on a ground ball to center fielder Salvador Sanchez. Brett Dowdy singles on a line drive to left fielder John Shelby III. Chris Errecart to 2nd. Steffan Wilson singles on a line drive to right fielder Jim Gallagher. Chris Errecart to 3rd. Brett Dowdy to 2nd. Coaching visit to mound. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Caleb Gindl replaces Chuck Caufield. Caleb Gindl walks. Chris Errecart scores. Brett Dowdy to 3rd. Steffan Wilson to 2nd. Martin Maldonado out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Jim Gallagher. Brett Dowdy scores. Steffan Wilson to 3rd. Caleb Gindl to 2nd on the throw. Lee Haydel called out on strikes. Huntsville Top 11th Chris Errecart doubles (4) on a fly ball to center fielder Salvador Sanchez. Brett Dowdy strikes out swinging. Steffan Wilson grounds out, shortstop Justin Fuller to first baseman Christian Marrero. Chris Errecart to 3rd. Caleb Gindl singles on a ground ball to third baseman Brent Morel. Chris Errecart scores. Martin Maldonado singles on a ground ball to right fielder Jim Gallagher. Caleb Gindl to 3rd. Lee Haydel grounds out, second baseman Dale Mollenhauer to first baseman Christian Marrero.

It certainly seems that way.

Final: Tampa 4, Brevard County 3 Brevard County box score The Manatees rallied to tie the game in the top of the 9th but let it slip away in the bottom, an unfortunately familiar sight. Wily Peralta started and pitched well, allowing two runs in five innings on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts and six ground outs against two fly outs. Shawn Zarraga, DHing again, was 3-4 with a double, his second of the year, which already equals his doubles total from all of last year. Juan Sanchez was 2-4, Erik Komatsu doubled, and Josh Prince had a single. Predictably, no Manatee drew a walk, and Kentrail Davis again did not play. Brevard County play-by-play The twin 9th-inning rallies: Brevard County Top 9th Pitcher Change: Jonathan Ortiz replaces Trent Lare. Juan Sanchez singles on a fly ball to right fielder Jack Rye. Erik Miller called out on strikes. Juan Sanchez steals (1) 2nd base. Anderson De La Rosa strikes out swinging. Shawn Zarraga doubles (2) on a fly ball to right fielder Jack Rye. Juan Sanchez scores. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Brock Kjeldgaard replaces Steve Braun. Brock Kjeldgaard strikes out swinging. Tampa Bottom 9th Defensive switch from first base to second base for Sergio Miranda. Brock Kjeldgaard remains in the game as the first baseman. Melky Mesa walks. With Mitch Abeita batting, wild pitch by Ruben Flores, Melky Mesa to 2nd. Mitch Abeita flies out to right fielder Erik Miller. Melky Mesa to 3rd. Trent Lockwood singles on a ground ball to left fielder Erik Komatsu. Melky Mesa scores.

Final: Beloit 4, Wisconsin 0 (7 innings) Osterbrock no-hits Rattlers in game two Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com BELOIT, WI – No-hitters have become common in the Midwest League. On Friday night, the Peoria Chiefs and the Cedar Rapids Kernels each threw no-hitters. On Saturday night, Daniel Osterbrock tossed a seven-inning no-hitter against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in game two of a doubleheader at Pohlman Field. The lefty out of the University of Cincinnati retired the first 18 batters he faced and flirted with a perfect game in Beloit’s 4-0 win. The victory gave Beloit a sweep in the doubleheader between the in-state rivals.. Beloit (14-8) strung together a rally in the bottom of the second inning with a lot of help from Wisconsin. Rattlers starter Nick Bucci walked Tobias Streich with two outs and none on base. Wang Wei Lin reached on an error on a grounder to first. Bucci walked Reggie Williams to load the bases. James Beresford, the #9 hitter in the order, singled to right to send Streich home. A strike from right fielder Francisco Romero, Jr. to cut down Lin at the plate on the play for the final out of the inning. Beloit gave Osterbrock a plenty of insurance in the fifth inning. Aaron Hicks doubled and Brian Dozier walked with one out to chase Rattlers starting pitcher Nick Bucci. Steve Liddel greeted Rattlers reliever Caleb Thielbar with a sharp single to right. Hicks scored as Romero’s throw was up the first baseline. Rattlers catcher Austin Stockfisch tried to get Liddle at second base. But, the throw bounced off Liddle and into short left field. That error allowed Dozier to score. One out later, Michael Gonzalez doubled to right and Liddle scored for a 4-0 Beloit lead. That was more than enough for Osterbrock. He set down the side in order over the first six innings and did not have a count go to three balls against a single batter. Until the seventh inning. Wisconsin (7-15) got their first base runner of the game when D’Vontrey Richardson walked on a 3-2 pitch from Osterbrock in the top of the seventh. But, he was erased immediately when Scooter Gennett grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Osterbrock got Khris Davis to pop out to short to end the game. This was the first no-hitter by a Beloit pitcher since Jason Dawsey tossed one against Burlington on July 26, 1996. Osterbrock struck out seven and walked one in the game. In his Beloit career, he is 4-0 in five starts against Wisconsin. The loss was the seventh straight for the Rattlers. The series at Pohlman Field continues on Sunday afternoon. Damon Krestalude (1-0, 3.79) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Miguel Munoz (0-0, 2.75) is set to start for the Snappers. Game time is 2:00pm. Tune in for the Miller Lite Pregame Show on AM1280, WNAN at 1:40pm. Wisconsin box scoreWell, not much to say about this one. Bucci's final line was 4.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, the third time in five starts he's had significant control problems, something we weren't used to seeing last year. Del Howell got into the game and threw a scoreless final inning, allowing a hit while striking out and walking none. Wisconsin play-by-play

Well, the Rattlers just got no-hit. D'Vontrey Richardson's 7th-inning walk was all that kept it from being a perfect game.

Scheduled day off according to Chris.

Final: Beloit 5, Wisconsin 1 (7 innings) Snappers take game one Chris Mehring/TimberRattlers.com BELOIT, WI – Liam Hendriks did it again. The Beloit starting pitcher beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for the second time in just over a week. Hendriks limited Wisconsin to one run on five hits and struck out six over six innings in game one of a doubleheader at Pohlman Field on Saturday afternoon. Andrew Hidalgo hit a three-run homer for the Snappers and gave Hendriks more than enough offense. The Snappers (13-8) scored a run in the second inning against Rattlers starting pitcher Kyle Heckathorn. Josmil Pinto singled to start the inning and wound up on third base when the ball skipped by D’Vontrey Richardson in center. Danny Rams followed with a double off the left field wall to give the Snappers the 1-0 lead. Beloit struck again in the fourth inning. Angel Morales singled to start the inning. Then, Pinto chopped a single into left field that was misplayed by Khris Davis. The error Morales score and Pinto take third. Heckathorn got the first out of the inning, but walked Wang Wei Lin. That walk, the third of the game by the tall right-hander, ended Heckathorn’s day. Chad Robinson entered the game out of the Wisconsin bullpen and looked like he got the second out of the inning when Hidalgo popped up a 2-0 pitch into foul territory at first base. But, the wind blew the ball out of the reach of Chris Dennis. Hidalgo lined the next pitch over the centerfield wall for a three-run homer and a 5-0 Beloit lead. Wisconsin (7-14) got to Hendriks in the top of the sixth. Scooter Gennett doubled to start the inning, took third on a grounder, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Pete Fatse. But, Hendriks got the last out of the sixth and let Matt Tone work a 1-2-3 seventh inning to close out the game. That was all Hendricks would allow in the game. He pitched six innings, allowed five hits, walked one and struck out six. Hendriks is 2-0, but saw his ERA jump from 0.41 to 0.64. Hendriks had previously beaten the Timber Rattlers on April 23 at Time Warner Cable Field. Wisconsin has lost six straight games. Wisconsin box scoreHendriks "saw his ERA jump from 0.41 to 0.64"--haha, that's good. The wind was blowing out at 23 MPH today, and according to Mehring, Hidalgo's homer would have been a routine fly ball on a normal day. Heckathorn's final line: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Maverick Lasker finished the game with two scoreless innings, allowing a hit while walking and striking out one. Davis and Dennis each had a single, while Richardson went 0-3 with two strikeouts; he's really struggling to make contact right now. Wisconsin play-by-play

At Huntsville, Donovan Hand to the DL and Casey Baron activated.

Rattler Radio: Tonight's pitchers Game notes Starting lineup

Seriously, thanks. Very much appreciated. Random thoughts: Second straight start for Rivas with a ridiculous GB%, 13/3 GO/AO tonight. I wonder if it's just one of those things or if he's doing something different. This was Prince's first two-hit game since his season debut; he's not walking as much so far this year either, so the batting average is important. It's silly how happy a four-hit night from Lawrie makes me. Still no Kentrail Davis.

Jim Callis on Arnett: "Command issues, not stuff issues."

Haudricourt: Brewers catching prospect Angel Salome, who left their Class AAA Nashville affiliate to return home for the birth of a child, will not be rejoining that club as expected. According to assistant general manager Gord Ash, Salome informed the Brewers that he is “struggling mentally” and not ready to return to action. Ash said Salome, 23, will report next week to the organization’s training facility in Phoenix and remain there until deemed ready to play again. “He will go to Phoenix on Tuesday to work on getting mentally and physically prepared to play baseball again,” said Ash. “He said he’s not mentally prepared to play at this time. “We hope it will not be an extended stay. We’re going to put him in touch with professional consultants through the club to get him the help that he needs.” A fifth-round draft pick in 2004, Salome saw limited action in the Brewers’ spring camp before being assigned to Nashville for a second season. In five games with the Sounds, he was batting .333 with one home run and three RBI. Salome left the club a few weeks ago when wife Johanica seemed ready to have a baby. That proved to be a false alarm, so Salome returned to Nashville and played a couple of games before going back home to New York for the baby’s birth, which again took longer than expected. The newest development took the Brewers a bit by surprise. “He was fine in major league camp, had a good attitude, worked hard,” said Ash. “He was a little sluggish in minor league camp (after being reassigned) but (Nashville manager) Don Money said he wasn’t a problem at all. “It’s a tough situation. No. 1 is the human element. You want to make sure he’s OK as an individual. Then, we’ll worry about the baseball part of it. “I give him credit for handling it this way. Hopefully, he can get past this and get back on track. The tools are still there.” The good news is that the Brewers’ other top catching prospect, Jonathan Lucroy, moved up from Class AA Huntsville to replace Salome and has thrived. Lucroy, 23, was leading the Southern League with a .452 batting average at the time of his promotion and has continued to swing a hot bat. Through seven games with Nashville, Lucroy was batting .393 (11 for 28) with three doubles and four RBI. “Lucroy is playing very well,” said Ash. “That takes some of the sting out of this.”

Rattlers in a rain delay to start.

Stars stopped in their tracks by Barons Aaron Morse/Huntsville Stars Brent Morel drove in two runs and the Huntsville Stars (11-10) left nine men on base as the Birmingham Barons (6-14) prevailed by a final score of 3-1 Thursday night. The Barons got off to a fast start in the bottom of the first against Stars starter Chris Cody (2-2). With one away, Greg Paiml drew a walk. That was followed by a Jim Gallagher single to right. Chuck Caufield attempted to get Paiml going from first to third, but was unsuccessful, the resulting throw allowed Gallagher to advance to second. With two on in scoring position, it looked like the Barons were headed towards a big inning. Morel singled to right to score Paiml. The throw to the plate was cut-off as Gallagher held at third, but Morel attempted to head to second on the play and Chris Errecart threw him out. After the next batter was hit by a pitch, Cody was able to get out of the jam with no further damage as he struck out Lee Cruz. The Barons threatened in the second inning as they loaded the bases with only one away. But Cody was able to get a good old fashioned 5-4-3 double play to escape the inning unscathed. Then the Stars were able to get even things up thanks mostly to Lee Haydel in the bottom half of the second. Haydel started the inning with a beautiful bunt single. The speedster stole second and advanced to third as the throw sailed into center field. One out later Caufield grounded out to drive Haydel home. The Stars struggled mightily throughout the game with runners in scoring position. They finished the game 0-8 in that category. Cody settled down but gave up a solo homer to John Shelby in the fifth as the Barons took a 2-1 lead. Cody ended the day by tossing five innings, surrendering five hits, giving up two runs, while walking three and striking out three as well. Morel would single home Paiml again in the eighth off reliever Mike Jones to give the Barons an insurance run. Despite out-hitting the Barons 10-6, the Stars saw their hold on second place erased as both the Lookouts and the Diamond Jaxx won today. All three teams are now four games back of the Tennessee Smokies. Join us on WTKI and http://www.huntsvillestars.com Friday, beginning at 6:50pm Central Time for the Window World Pre-Game Show. Amaury Rivas (3-0) will be on the mound as he looks to help break the Stars? first 3-game losing streak of the year.

Interesting note from the Memphis Commerical Appeal:

Home is where the victories are Kevin Capie/Peoria Journal Star PEORIA —How good are the Peoria Chiefs at home so far in 2010? So good, that even they can shrug off bad luck and a middle-inning meltdown. The Chiefs beat Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-7 Thursday on Jonathan Mota’s single in the ninth inning. Peoria’s ninth-straight home win to start a season broke the franchise mark set in 2003. The Chiefs remain the only team in professional baseball yet to lose at home this season. “The reason we’ve been able to play well here at home is that we just keep going,” manager Casey Kopitzke said. “It’s not over until we’ve got 27 outs against us and we’ve scored more runs then they have.” The Chiefs wasted a 5-0 lead as the Timber Rattlers scored four runs in the fifth — the same inning they picked up their first hits off starter Rob Whitenack — and two more in the sixth off reliever Andres Quezada. But Peoria scored two runs in the seventh to reclaim the lead. Matt Cerda led off with a single and it looked like Justin Bour gave the Chiefs the lead with one swing when he drove a ball to right field. Base umpire Jeff Klinghoffer initially signaled home run. But Wisconsin outfielder Peter Fatse protested and Klinghoffer went out to investigate. Fatse leaped and pulled the ball from behind the outfield padding for a million-to-one ground-rule double. “The next thing I see, the guy jumps on top,” Kopitzke said. “As long as the call gets done right, that’s all that matters.” The Chiefs did not lose the runs however because D.J. Fitzgerald followed with a grounder to first. Fitzgerald threw on the brakes halfway down the line and then dropped to the ground, forcing Timber Rattlers first baseman Sean Halton to apply the tag. The sequence bought enough time for Cerda to score. Bour stayed at second, but scored later on Mota’s single to center. “I’ve never even seen (a ball disappear) before,” Bour said. “But both runs scored in the end, and that’s all that matters.” Wisconsin scored a run with two outs in the eighth off Corey Martin to tie the game, but the right-hander worked a perfect ninth. Cerda again led off with a single to start the Chiefs’ half. “I was just trying to get on base,” Cerda said. “I knew I had (cleanup hitter Greg) Rohan and Bour behind me.” Rohan sacrificed Cerda to second and Wisconsin intentionally walked Bour after he went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI in his first four plate appearances. After Fitzgerald struck out, Mota delivered again with a skipper through the left side of the infield and Cerda scored standing up. “It’s our job as a hitter to try to bring the runs around to the plate,” said Mota, who also had a sacrifice fly in the three-run fourth inning. “Tonight, I’m the lucky one and we won the game.”