TheCrew07

Glasnow untouchable again for Power

MVP Ratterree heads Pioneer All-Stars

Roache homers to tie franchise record, but Rattlers rally falls short in Burlingon Wisconsin can't cash in late and fall 4-3 to the Bees By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers BURLINGTON, IA - Victor Roache hit a big home run for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers against the Burlington Bees Saturday night at Community Field. But, it wasn't enough for the Timber Rattlers as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Bees. Burlington (54-78 overall, 28-39 second half) scored first. Exicardo Cayones drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. Chevy Clarke blooped a single down the line in left with one out and Cayones beat the throw home for a 1-0 lead. Wisconsin (59-74, 30-38) loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the third inning. Dustin Houle singled, Max Walla walked, and Tyrone Taylor was hit by a pitch from starter Tyler DeLoache. Michael Reed drove in Houle with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. But, the Rattlers stranded Walla and Taylor when the inning ended. Rattlers starting pitcher Tyler Wagner tossed five innings in his final appearance of the season. He allowed one run and struck out six. Wagner left the game with the score still tied. Burlington greeted Rattlers reliever Harvey Martin with consecutive singles to start the bottom of the sixth. Then, Clarke bunted up the third base line on a sacrifice attempt. Martin fielded the ball cleanly, but fired wildly to first base. The ball sailed down the right field line to let the two runners on base cross home plate. Clarke ended up at third base. He would score moments later on a sacrifice fly by Garrett Cannizaro for a 4-1 lead. The Rattlers struggled offensively in the after their run in the third inning. Houle doubled to start the fifth inning, but was stranded when reliever Robbie Powell came on to get the final out. Powell tossed two more scoreless innings before turning the game over to Andres Perez for the top of the eighth inning. Perez recorded the first out of the eighth, but walked Alfredo Rodriguez on four pitches. He got ahead of Roache 1-2, but Perez left the next pitch where Roache could reach it. The Wisconsin designated hitter lined a home run over the wall in left-center field for his 22nd home run of the season to cut the Burlington lead to a single run. The home run by Roache allowed him to tie Khris Davis for the franchise's single season home run record. Davis set the mark with 22 home runs in the 2010 season. Parker Berberet continued the rally with a walk and that was all for Perez. Jake Boyd took over on the hill for Burlington and gave up a single to Orlando Arcia and a four-pitch walk to Mike Garza. Boyd's first pitch to Houle almost hit the Rattlers catcher to force in the tying run. Bees manager Jamie Burke came out to the mound after that pitch by Boyd and made another call to the bullpen. This one was for side-winding right-hander Kurt Spomer to enter the game. Spomer got Houle to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to escape the eighth with Burlington's slim lead still intact. Walla started the Wisconsin ninth inning with a chopper over the mound. Shortstop Angel Rosa made a nice play and a strong throw to first, but the ball was missed at first base for an error and Walla reached second base with the tying run on the play. Taylor dropped a sacrifice bunt that moved Walla to third with one away. Reed was next and his high chopper looked like it would get over the drawn in infield. But, Cannizaro made a leaping grab of the high bouncer, looked Walla back to third and threw a strike to first for the second out. Spomer got the final out on a grounder to short and the Bees held on to send Wisconsin to its fourth straight loss. Game two of the series is Sunday afternoon at Community Field. Jorge Lopez (7-8, 5.38) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Ryan Crowley (10-7, 3.17) is set to start for the Bees. Game time is 2:00pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 1:40pm. HOME RUN: WIS: Victor Roache (22nd, 1 on in 8th inning off Andres Perez, 1 out) WP: Robbie Powell (3-1) LP: Harvey Martin (2-5) SAVE: Curt Spomer (6) TIME: 2:46 ATTN: 905 Wisconsin Boxscore Wiscsonin Recap

River Bandits shutout Rattlers; Eliminate Wisconsin from playoff chase Rattlers get swept in three game series by Quad Cities By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were shutout 6-0 by the Quad Cities River Bandits in the final game of the 2013 season at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Friday night. The loss eliminated the Timber Rattlers from the playoff race. Quad Cities (79-56 overall, 41-25 second half) had runners on the corners with no outs in the top of the third inning. Rattlers starting pitcher Rodolfo Fernandez gave up a leadoff single to Tony Kemp and Teoscar Hernandez dropped a bunt for a single. An ill-advised throw by Fernandez was wild to first and that allowed Kemp to go to third base. Fernandez got Carlos Correa to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, but Kemp scored from third base for a 1-0 lead. Fernandez got the first two outs in the top of the fourth inning. Then, a walk, an error, and another walk loaded the bases for the River Bandits. Fernandez hit Hernandez to force in a run. Correa followed with a two-run single to right on an 0-2 pitch. Terrell Joyce was next and singled to left to drive in the final run of the inning. That gave Quad Cities a 5-0 lead. Wisconsin (59-73, 30-37) couldn't score against Zach Morton, the Quad Cities starter who was making his first Midwest League start. Morton tossed four scoreless innings before turning the game over to the Bandits bullpen. Quad Cities added another run in the eighth inning off reliever Mike Strong. Hernandez doubled with two outs and Correa drove him home with a single to center. Strong struck out nine over five innings of relief, but the damage had been done. Plus, Wisconsin couldn't cross the plate. Mitchell Lambson took over for Morton and tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. JD Osborne came on in the bottom of the eighth and tossed two scoreless innings to end the game. The Clinton LumberKings defeated the Peoria Chiefs 4-2 at Dozer Park in Peoria, Illinois on Friday night. The win coupled with Wisconsin's loss allowed the LumberKings to clinch the second half Western Division Wild Card. Chris McFarland had two hits to lead the Timber Rattlers offense. All five of Wisconsin's hits in the game came with two outs and they got just one runner to third base in the game. Friday was the seventh time the Rattlers have been shutout in 2013 and they finished the home portion of their schedule at 30-37. The Timber Rattlers begin their final road trip of the season on Saturday night when they face the Burlington Bees at Community Field in Burlington, Iowa. Tyler Wagner (10-8, 3.26) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. The Bees send Tyler DeLoach (5-5, 3.44) to the bump. Game time is 6:30pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:10pm. WP: Mitchell Lambson (8-3) LP: Rodolfo Fernandez (4-4) TIME: 2:35 ATTN: 5,104 Not with a bang – Postgame Post for August 30, 2013 Wisconsin Boxscore Wisconsin Recap Wisconsin Gameday

Bandits put a break on Rattlers playoff hopes Wisconsin turns six double plays, but loses 6-3 By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers stranded fourteen runners against the Quad Cities River Bandits on Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium and it cost them a 6-3 loss and another game in the playoff standings. Both teams had ten hits, but the River Bandits did more with their opportunities to beat Wisconsin. Rattlers starting pitcher Ryan Gibbard got the first out of the game, but walked the next two batters. A groundout to first moved both runners into scoring position. Rio Ruiz drove in both runners with a single to center and the River Bandits (78-56 overall, 40-25 second half) were up 2-0. The Rattlers (59-72, 30-36) responded in the bottom of the first. Alfredo Rodriguez doubled and Michael Reed walked to start the inning. Victor Roache drew a one out walk to load the bases. Parker Berberet lined out to center to drive in Rodriguez. Wisconsin tied the game in the bottom of the second inning. Mike Garza singled to start the inning and was at second with two outs. Rodriguez lined a single to left to drive in Garza to even the score 2-2. Quad Cities came back with two more runs in the top of the third. A single and a walk with one out put two runners on base. Danry Vasquez followed with an RBI double. Ruiz knocked in his third run of the game with a single to left and the River Bandits were back up by two runs. Berberet drew a bases loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning against reliever Jemaine Cotton to pull Wisconsin to within a run. But, that would be as close as Wisconsin would get in the game. The Wisconsin defense and reliever Preston Gainey kept the game close. Gainey, who came on in the top of the fourth inning got four double plays turned behind him in his first four innings on the mound. Combine those twin killings with the two turned with Gibbard on the mound and the team had six double plays in the game. That missed tying the Midwest League mark by one. The Waterloo Indians turned seven double plays in a game against the South Bend White Sox on July 19, 1988 to set the current record. The Timber Rattlers offense could not get a runner past second base against Cotton, who left with a runner at first and two outs in the bottom of the eighth. Sidearm-tossing, right-hander Patrick Christensen came on to get the final out of the eighth. Gainey, retired the first batter in the top of the ninth inning before he walked the next two batters. Gainey would get ahead of Roberto Pena and was looking for a seventh double play of the game. The River Bandits catcher foiled that plan by lining a 1-2 pitch to the gap in left-center for a two-run double and a 6-3 lead. In the ninth, the Rattlers were hoping to catch another dramatic rally to tie or win the game. The team has won five games when trailing heading into the ninth inning this season. Berberet doubled with one out and Garza singled - his fourth hit of the game - with two outs to put runners on the corners and bring the tying run to the plate. Christensen struck out pinch-hitter Max Walla to end the game. The Clinton LumberKings, the leaders for the Western Division Wild Card in the second half, snapped a seven game losing streak with a 3-2 win at Peoria on Thursday night. Clinton moved their second half record to 32-34 and dropped their magic number over the Timber Rattlers dropped to two. Any combination of two Clinton wins or two Wisconsin losses over the final four games of the regular season allows the LumberKings to clinch the Wild Card. Clinton owns the tie-breaker between the teams by winning the season series and will claim the playoff spot if the teams finish the half tied. The final home game of the regular season is Friday night. Rodolfo Fernandez (4-3, 2.51) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Quad Cities counters with Zach Morton (0-1, 1.98). Game time is 7:05pm. Get a jump start on that landscaping project by coming to the ballpark on Friday. Boldt and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are giving away Colorado Spruce saplings to the first 1,000 fans through the gates. Kids 12 and under receive a free hot dog and soda as part of North Shore Bank Family Night. BioLife Plasma Services presents the final fireworks display of the 2013 season. Children 14 and under may participate in Kids Run the Bases thanks to Molina Healthcare after the fireworks. If you can't make it to the game, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45pm. Friday's game is also available to MiLB.TV subscribers. WP: Jemaine Cotton (2-5) LP: Ryan Gibbard (4-7) SAVE: Patrick Christensen (1) TIME: 3:15 ATTN: 5,720 Wisconsin Boxscore Losing stinks. I watched the last installment of Timber Rattler's Field Pass this evening. I thought the most interesting comments from Matt Erickson were regarding Orlando Arcia and Rodolfo Fernandez. Matt said that Arcia has great passion for the game, his defensive footwork is improving, as is his pitch selection. Matt thinks that with Orlando's excellent hand/eye coordination he could have a bright future. Avid readers right remember that I've hit on that subject a couple of times over the course of the season, Arcia's low strike out total comes at the expense of half swings at bad pitches that he somehow manages to put in play, but still for outs. He squares up the baseball nicely when he's swinging at good pitches. I think my first comment about Fernandez this season was that he wasn't impressive, he worked 90-91 and everything was up in the zone. Erickson discussed how Roldolfo has found a bit more velocity and tilt on his FB, he's always been a strike thrower, but now he's throwing quality strikes down in the zone and that's why he's been finding success. Early on he was throwing strikes, but there wasn't much quality to be had there. Now to the disappointing game, neither Ryan Gibbard or Preston Gainey were particularly sharp as their peripherals were upside down. Ryan Fasano was perfect for his two thirds of an inning. Alfredo Rodriguez (2-5,2B) had a nice night but Michael Garza (4-5) was huge! Parker Berberet added a double, Erickson was also extremely complimentary of Parker's work effort in the weight room during that Field Pass segment, he said that Berberet is in best possible physical shape he could be in and it's made a big difference in his game. Wisconsin Recap Wisconsin Gameday

Scouts Have Extensive History With Jose Abreu

Rattlers fall 4-2 to Bandits, miss opportunity Clinton loses at Peoria in 12 innings; Wisconsin stays one game back By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers got a huge favor from the Peoria Chiefs. Unfortunately, the Rattlers couldn't do themselves a favor as they lost 4-2 to the Quad Cities River Bandits Wednesday night at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Wisconsin could not hold a slim, early lead and could not pick up ground in the second half playoff chase. Victor Roache gave the Timber Rattlers (59-71 overall, 30-35 second half) the lead in the first inning. Roache drove in Orlando Arcia from second base with a two-out single to center. Wisconsin starting pitcher Austin Ross went five scoreless innings. He walked the first batter of the game, but retired the next thirteen River Bandits hitters. Roberto Pena snapped the streak with a one-out single in the top of the fifth, but he was stranded when the inning ended. Ross struck out seven, walked two, and turned a 1-0 lead over to Alan Williams in the top of the sixth. The left-handed Williams walked two of the first three Bandits batters he faced in the top of the sixth. That brought lefty Danry Vazquez to the plate. He pulled a 1-0 pitch inside the first base line. The ball got into the corner for a triple that scored both runners and the Rattlers trailed 2-1. Wisconsin brought the infield in with Vasquez at third and Rio Ruiz at bat. Third baseman Mike Garza dove at the liner off the bat of Ruiz, but the ball glanced Garza's glove into left field for an RBI to make it 3-1. Quad Cities starter Chris Devenski tossed six innings, allowed the run in the first inning, allowed four hits, and struck out two. The Rattlers got to reliever Richard Rodriguez in the sixth. Garza tripled to right-center with one out. Max Walla drove in Garza with a sacrifice fly and the Rattlers were down a run. Dustin Houle reached on an error with two outs in the sixth, but Wisconsin could not take advantage. Williams walked Tony Kemp to start the top of the eighth and gave up an infield single with one out. Wisconsin went to the bullpen to bring Taylor Wall in to face Vasquez. Wall got Vasquez to line a one-hopper at second baseman Adrian Williams for a potential inning ending double play. But, the ball deflected off Williams into centerfield. That allowed Kemp to score the run that put the River Bandits (77-56, 39-25) up 4-2. There would be no late rallies for the Timber Rattlers on Wednesday night. Wisconsin went down in order in the eighth inning against Mitchell Lambson and in order in the ninth inning against Andrew Walter. The Timber Rattlers missed a huge opportunity to pick up ground in the Western Division Wild Card race. The Clinton LumberKings, the team that led the Rattlers by a game in the standings heading into Wednesday's game, lost 7-6 in twelve innings at Peoria. Clinton lost their seventh straight game despite four home runs and leads of 4-0 and 6-3 to fall to 31-34 in the second half. Wisconsin still trails the LumberKings by a game in the playoff chase. Wisconsin needs to finish a game in front of Clinton to claim the playoff spot. If the teams end in a tie, Clinton holds the tie-break on the basis of defeating the Timber Rattlers in the season series between the teams. Game two of the series is Thursday night. Ryan Gibbard (4-6, 5.49) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Joe Bircher (3-3, 4.11) is set to start for the River Bandits. Game time is 7:05pm. Thursday night is the final Arty's Old Fashioned/95.9 KISS FM Thirsty Thursday. Fans may enjoy 16oz soda, beer, and Arty's Old Fashioned drinks for just $2 as part of Thirsty Thursday. Plus, Clint Coulter was the choice for the Fans' Choice Bobblehead. The first 1,000 to attend this game receive the bobblehead of one of Milwaukee's two first round picks - and the 27th overall pick - in the 2012 draft. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45pm. Thursday's game is also available to MiLB.TV subscribers. WP: Chris Devenski (4-3) LP: Alan Williams (0-1) TIME: 2:46 ATTN: 5,904 Wisconsin Boxscore Austin Ross continues his ascension towards next year, it will be interesting to how well he fairs again going through the FSL. With only 5 hits there isn't much offense to discuss but Tyrone Taylor (2B), Max Walla (2B), and Michael Garza (3B) all had XBHs. Wiscsonin Recap I hate to pin it on one play but this was the nail in the coffin, it was only Williams' 2nd error of the season, just very unfortunate. Quad Cities Top of the 8th Anthony Kemp walks. Teoscar Hernandez flies out to right fielder Max Walla. Carlos Correa singles on a ground ball to shortstop Orlando Arcia, deflected by third baseman Mike Garza. Anthony Kemp to 2nd. Pitching Change: Taylor Wall replaces Alan Williams. Danry Vasquez reaches on a force attempt, fielding error by second baseman Adrian Williams. Anthony Kemp scores. Carlos Correa to 2nd. With Rio Ruiz batting, Carlos Correa caught stealing 3rd base, catcher Dustin Houle to third baseman Mike Garza, Danry Vasquez to 2nd. Rio Ruiz walks. Roberto Pena grounds out, shortstop Orlando Arcia to first baseman Parker Berberet. Wisconsin Gameday

From elbow to shoulder... another rehab gone wrong.

This was updated and reposted at BA, I always enjoy looking at this kind of information. 2013 Big League Debuts And Their Signing Scouts

Constant drama with the international signings... Dave Wilder Gets Two-Year Prison Sentence For Kickbacks

MLB Slows Down Process For Cuban Signings

As usual plenty of familiar names. Baez, Buxton lead talent headed to AFL

LHP Kyler Burke of the Cubs. Burke, Cubs no-hit Blue Jays again

A few divisional mentions at the bottom. Prospect Notebook: Clayton Blackburn, Henry Owens Finish On A High Note

Garza delivers Rattlers win with walkoff double Wisconsin tops Kane County 8-7 By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/7/2/58632272/cuts/GarzaRoache_zky6ujug_gk4kk4d3.jpg Victor Roache gives Mike Garza a bearhug after Garza's game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday afternoon. GRAND CHUTE, WI - Mike Garza kept the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on a hot streak. Garza knocked in the winning run with a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth inning for an 8-7 victory over the Kane County Cougars on Tuesday afternoon. The victory was the third straight for Wisconsin and their fifth win over their last six games. Wisconsin's seventh "walkoff" win of the season also kept their playoff hopes alive heading into the final two series of the regular season. The teams kept trading runs in the early innings. Kane County (52-77 overall, 22-41 second half) got on the board in the first inning. Giuseppe Papaccio reached on an error with one out. Jeimer Candelario doubled to put runners on second and third. Rock Shoulders followed with a single to drive in Papaccio. The Rattlers (59-70, 30-34) loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Garza's hard grounder to short was bobbled for an error to let Alfredo Rodriguez score from third. Kane County went back in front in the top of the second inning. Oliver Zapata's run scoring fielder's choice drove in the first run of the inning. Pappacio followed with an RBI single for a 3-1 lead. The Rattlers responded with three runs on no hits in the bottom of the second. Dustin Houle drew a walk and the Cougars committed an error on a double play ball off the bat of Chris McFarland. Rodriguez was asked to bunt and he made a good one up the third base line for a sacrifice. Papaccio threw to first, but no one was covering the base. The ball rolled down the line in right allowing Houle and McFarland to score and Rodriguez to take third base. Tyrone Taylor put the Rattlers up 4-3 with a sacrifice fly. The Cougars came right back to tie the game in the top of the third. Carlos Escobar singled and Marco Hernandez doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. A single by Jose Dore drove in Escobar. The inning could have been much worse. Rattlers starting pitcher Jorge Lopez hit Reggie Golden to load the bases with no outs. But, a shallow fly to right and a 1-6-3 double play ended the inning without another crossing the plate. Houle and McFarland started another Wisconsin rally in the bottom of the fourth. Houle singled and McFarland walked to chase Kane County starting pitcher Nathan Dorris from the game. Rodriguez greeted reliever Justin Amlung with a bloop single to center to load the bases. Michael Reed grounded into a 4-3 double play to get the lead run home. Taylor followed with an RBI single to knock in McFarland for a 6-4 advantage. Lopez got the first two outs in the top of the fifth. But, Dore doubled to extend the inning. Then, Golden lined a home run just to the right of the batter's eye. The two-run shot tied the game 6-6. Houle started another rally for Wisconsin with a leadoff double to the gap in right center in the bottom of the eighth against reliever Matt Iannazzo. An error on the play - the sixth error of the game charged to Kane County - allowed him to take third base. Michael Haman took over for Iannazzo and got the first out. Then, Taylor sent a fly ball to center that was deep enough to score Houle from third with the run to put the Rattlers up 7-6. But, Kane County came back to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Jeimer Candelario worked the count to 3-2 against Jono Armold and hit a leadoff homer to right to make the score 7-7. Taylor started the Wisconsin ninth with a bunt single. Hamann got the next two outs to bring Garza to the plate. Hamann made several throws over to first base to try and keep Taylor close. Taylor took off on a 1-1 pitch and Garza lined that pitch into the right field corner. Taylor cruised home and the Rattlers celebrated the win.. The Timber Rattlers moved to within 1-1/2 games of the Clinton LumberKings for the second half Western Division Wild Card spot. Clinton plays at Beloit on Tuesday night at 7:00pm. A loss by Clinton let the Rattlers move to within a game of the LumberKings with six games remaining in the regular season. The Timber Rattlers welcome the Quad Cities River Bandits to town on Wednesday night. Austin Ross (2-0, 2.79) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Quad Cities has sends Chris Devenski (3-3, 4.82) to the mound. Game time is 7:05pm. The final magnet in a series of four from Lamers Bus Lines features Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Outfielder Carlos Gomez and the first 500 fans to attend Wednesday's game will receive this collectible. Plus, it's a Bang for Your Buck with WIXX means $1 Cher-Make hot dogs, $1 Pepsi Products, and $1 Miller Beers! If you can't make it out to the ballpark, My NEW 32's Sports Showdown will televise the game starting with their pregame show at 6:30pm. The radio broadcast may be heard on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45pm. Wednesday's game is also available to MiLB.TV subscribers. HOME RUNS: KC: Reggie Golden (9th, 1 on in 5th inning off Jorge Lopez, 2 out) Jeimer Candelario (10th, 0 on in 9th inning off Jono Armold, 0 out) WP: Jono Armold (4-2) LP: Michael Hamann (2-4) TIME: 3:00 ATTN: 3,384 Wisconsin Boxscore It's nice that the Cubbies handed the Rattlers the game with 5 unearned runs via 6 errors, but I'll take a walk-off win against any Cubs' affiliate any day of the week. Jorge Lopez peaked from runs standpoint in June and from a baserunners standpoint in July, but has leveled off recently. [pre]Split ERA G GS IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO WHIP SO/9 SO/BB April 16.76 3 3 9.2 18 18 18 5 5 0 5 2.379 4.7 1.00 May 4.32 5 2 16.2 13 8 8 1 13 0 20 1.560 10.8 1.54 June 2.83 5 5 28.2 28 14 9 0 10 0 21 1.326 6.6 2.10 July 4.18 5 5 28.0 25 16 13 0 8 0 20 1.179 6.4 2.50 August 5.19 5 5 26.0 22 15 15 6 10 0 19 1.231 6.6 1.90[/pre] Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Alfredo Rodriguez (2-3), Tyrone Taylor (2-4), Michael Garza (2-5,2B), and Dustin Houle (2-3,2B,BB) all had multi-hit efforts for the T-Rats. This was Houle's first multi-hit game in A ball. Wisconsin Recap The Rattlers had 1 hit through 2 innings but managed 4 runs... Wisconsin Bottom of the 1st Alfredo Rodriguez singles on a line drive to center fielder Oliver Zapata. Michael Reed out on a sacrifice bunt, pitcher Nathan Dorris to first baseman Rock Shoulders. Alfredo Rodriguez to 2nd. Tyrone Taylor grounds out, shortstop Marco Hernandez to first baseman Rock Shoulders. Alfredo Rodriguez to 3rd. Victor Roache walks. Parker Berberet walks. Victor Roache to 2nd. Mike Garza reaches on a force attempt, fielding error by shortstop Marco Hernandez. Alfredo Rodriguez scores. Victor Roache to 3rd. Parker Berberet to 2nd. Orlando Arcia grounds into a force out, shortstop Marco Hernandez to second baseman Brad Zapenas. Mike Garza out at 2nd. Wisconsin Bottom of the 2nd Dustin Houle walks. Christopher McFarland reaches on a force attempt, throwing error by shortstop Marco Hernandez. Dustin Houle to 2nd. Alfredo Rodriguez hits a sacrifice bunt. Missed catch error by second baseman Brad Zapenas, assist to third baseman Giuseppe Papaccio. Dustin Houle scores. Christopher McFarland scores. Alfredo Rodriguez to 3rd. Michael Reed called out on strikes. Tyrone Taylor out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Oliver Zapata. Alfredo Rodriguez scores. Victor Roache grounds out, third baseman Giuseppe Papaccio to first baseman Rock Shoulders. Wisconsin Gameday

Reds' 3B Seth Mejias-Brean and Cubs' SS Javier Baez. Prospect Notebook: Eduardo Rodriguez Finds A Groove At Double-A

Also on the Major League forum. Pirates Ship Dilson Herrera To Mets For Veteran Reinforcements Pirates deal prospect Herrera to Mets edit. Added MiLB.com's take.

Pirates' Tony Sanchez and Reds' Billy Hamilton. Colabello headlines IL All-Star team

For those that don't follow such things Jim Callis is leaving BA for MLB. This is great for MLB as I don't hold Mayo in much regard, but it is a blow to BA. Best of luck Jim. A Heartfelt Goodbye To Baseball America

With all of the hitting prospects the Cubs have acquired here's hoping they don't manage to find any impact pitching. Baez, Smokies seal second-half crown

Taveras' injury problems are about the only thing that's gone wrong for the Cards in some time. Lost Year Doesn’t Diminish Oscar Taveras’ Potential

Wisconsin wins 4-2 to keeps charging in playoff chase Wagner tosses seven strong innings as Rattlers pick up ground By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers fell behind the Kane County Cougars early in Monday's game at Time Warner Cable Field. Then, Rattlers offense scratched out enough runs while Tyler Wagner and Harvey Martin shut the Cougars down the rest of the way. Wisconsin defeated Kane County 4-2 and picked up another game in a late season move at a playoff spot. The Cougars (52-76 overall, 22-40 second half) took the early lead with two runs in the top of the second inning. Oliver Zapata chopped a single into right with runners on the corners to drive in the first run. Reggie Golden grounded into a force out at second to drive in the second run. Kane County would load the bases, but Wagner got out of the inning to keep the Cougars at a 2-0 lead. That lead didn't last long. Wisconsin (58-70, 29-34) stormed back with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the second. Victor Roache started the inning with single. Parker Berberet worked the count to 3-2 and - with Roache on the move - doubled to left-center. Roache easily scored on the play. Max Walla was next and he lined a double down the line in right to drive in Berberet with the tying run. The game remained tied until the bottom of the fifth. Orlando Arcia started the inning with a single. He went to second on a wild pitch and took third on a grounder off the bat of Dustin Houle. Adrian Williams was at the plate with a 1-1 count. Kane County starter James Pugliese went to deliver the ball to the plate, but stopped when the catcher jumped out for a pitchout. That resulted in a balk and allowed Arcia to score the go ahead run. Wagner settled in after the second inning. He tossed a total of seven innings, ended his performance with seven strikeouts, and was in position for his tenth win of the season. Martin took over for Wagner and tossed a 1-2-3 eighth. The Rattlers tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning against Cougars reliever Brian Smith. Williams and Alfred Rodriguez had consecutive singles to start the frame. Williams moved to third on a bunt by Michael Reed that resulted in a force out on Rodriguez at second base. Tyrone Taylor stood at the plate and Smith uncorked a wild pitch to let Williams score to put the Rattlers up 4-2. Martin worked around a one out single in the top of the ninth inning to close out the Cougars for his third save. The victory was the fourth in the last five games for the Timber Rattlers. Wisconsin picked up ground on Clinton in the Wild Card race. The LumberKings lost 6-5 at Beloit to see their second half record fall to 31-32. It was their fifth straight loss. Wisconsin now trails Clinton by two games. There are seven games remaining in the regular season. Wisconsin must finish at least one game ahead of the LumberKings to claim the Wild Card spot because Clinton won the season series from the Timber Rattlers and holds the tie-breaker. The final game of the series with the Cougars is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Jorge Lopez (7-8, 5.30) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Kane County has Nathan Dorris (6-3, 2.80) set to start for them. Game time is 12:05pm. Kids play free in the Kids' Zone and there is a free JanSport Backpack Raffle as part of Kids Rock the Ballpark on Tuesday. Plus, donate school supplies at the gate and receive a voucher that allows you to receive a reserved seat ticket for free when you buy a reserved seat ticket to this game. Also, show your business card at the box office on Tuesday and you will receive a box seat ticket, your choice of beverage, and your choice of brat or hotdog for $11.50 from Baker Tilly, WNAM, and WVBO. This offer is also available to fans 55 & older. If you can't make it out to the ballpark, tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 11:45am. Tuesday's game is also available on MiLB.TV. WP: Tyler Wagner (10-8) LP: James Pugliese (0-1) SAVE: Harvey Martin (3) TIME: 2:34 ATTN: 3,361 Wisconsin Boxscore Tyler Wagner had a very good slider tonight, early in the game his control varied widely from to batter to batter but he got sharper as the game went on. The 2 runs he gave up were due to 3 consecutive choppers through the IF. Not necessarily bad luck, but not bad pitches either. Harvey Martin wasn't quite as effective as his line would suggest, every ball that was put in play prior to the last out was hit fairly hard, Parker Berberet made a sensational snow cone grab to save a hit and 2 other balls were lined to RF besides the hit to LF. However it all worked out in the end and Harvey sealed the deal. Orlando Arcia made a spectacular diving play behind 2B to get the last out of the 1st and also went 2-3. Victor Roache had the other multi-hit game (2-4). This was my first chance to see Dustin Houle play, he didn't stand out in any particular way in tonight's game. Wisconsin Recap Wisconsin Gameday

Another goose egg for the division. Pitchers of the Week

Not a single division prospect Offensive Players of the Week