TheCrew07

Bees get the better of Wisconsin By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/5/2/129067752/cuts/6_June_6_Sthervin_Matos_t7nekk4l_irg0mzt2.jpg Sthervin Matos went 4-for-5 with a double, a run, and an RBI for the Timber Rattlers at Burlington on Saturday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) BURLINGTON, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers outhit the Burlington Bees on Saturday night at Community Field, but the Bees defeated the Rattlers 10-6 in the opening game of the final series of the 2015 season. The Timber Rattlers banged out 15 hits, but stranded eleven runners and couldn't overcome an deep, early deficit. Burlington (61-76 overall, 26-42 second half) took the lead in the second inning. Zach Houchins and Trevor Gretzky singled to start the inning and put runners on the corners. Trever Allen grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that scored Houchins and the Bees were up 1-0. Burlington added four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Brandon Gildea tripled with one out and scored on a single by Ayendy Perez. Taylor Ward drew a walk with two outs to extend the inning. Houchins drove in Perez with a ground rule double to deep center. Gretzky followed with a two-run single and the Bees were up 5-0 against starting pitcher Eric Hanhold. Wisconsin (50-87, 27-40) rallied to within a run with two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Sthervin Matos started the fourth inning rally with a two out single. Omar Cotto tripled off the top of the wall in right to score Matos. Luis Aviles singled to get Cotto home and the Rattlers were down 5-2. In the fifth, David Denson reached on an error and Jake Gatewood lined a home run to left. The homer was Gatewood's fourth of the year with Wisconsin and made the score 5-4. The Bees extended their lead in the fifth inning against reliever Luis Ortega. Tim Arakawa singled to start the inning. Ward followed with an RBI double. Later in the inning, Gretzky made it 7-4 with a sacrifice fly to drive in Ward. In the sixth inning, the first two Burlington batters reached base against Ortega and Luke Curtis took over on the mound for the Rattlers. Curtis retired the first two batters, but walked Arakawa to load the bases. Ward drew another walk to force in a run for the Bees. Greg McCall, who had three hits in the game for the Rattlers, knocked in Elvis Rubio from third base with a two out single in the top of the seventh inning to bring Wisconsin to within 8-5, but the Bees added two runs in the bottom of the seventh against reliever Tyler Linehan. Perez doubled with two outs and the bases loaded to put the Bees up 10-5. There was a scary incident in the top of the eighth inning. Tucker Neuhaus was at the plate with two outs and none on base when he fouled a pitch into the dirt on a check swing. The ball bounced up and hit plate umpire JC Velez in the throat. Velez took a few steps back, moved over to the grass, and went down to a knee. He was tended to by the athletic trainers, who put Velez on his side. A pair of doctors in attendance at the game were called to the field to help treat Velez. An ambulance was summoned to the stadium and paramedics took Velez off the field on a stretcher. The game resumed with base umpire CJ Davis taking over behind the plate as the only umpire. Gatewood started a two-out rally in the top of the ninth with a single on a 3-2 pitch against Gaither Bumgardner. McCall followed with a single. Then, Matos drove in Gatewood with another single. Matos finished his night 4-for-5 with a double, three singles, and an RBI. Bumgardner ended the game by retiring the next batter. Saturday was the second four-hit game of the season for Matos. He also had four hits in a game at Peoria on August 23. Prior to that game, Matos was hitting .198. Including Saturday night, Matos has moved his average to .228 - 30 points - in his last eleven games. The Timber Rattlers and Bees play game two of their series at Community Field on Sunday afternoon. Cody Ponce (2-1, 2.41) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Justin Anderson (9-9, 3.61) is set to start for Burlington. Game time is 2:00pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 1:40pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. HOME RUN: Jake Gatewood (4th, 1 on in 5th inning off Kyle Middleton, 1 out) WP: Keynan Middleton (6-11) LP: Eric Hanhold (0-4) TIME: 3:13 ATTN: 1,454 Wisconsin Boxscore Well at least this team has shown character all year, it's not lip service, they battle till the bitter most nights. Eric Hanhold had a very rough initiation to pro ball after being a 6th round pick this season, there hasn't been much for him to hang his hat on. Luis Ortega also struggled most of the year: I've discussed his delivery many times, he's inconsistent in every way imaginable from his feet up through his release point, and he has a ton of moving parts in his delivery to top it off. He's just not athletic enough to overcome all the unecessary complications he has going on. He finished poorly with an ERA over 7 through his last 10 appearances, season stats here. Tyler Linehan might make another appearance on Monday but his forgettable season is likely over as well. He had a very rough middle of the season but had been closing out the year incredibly strong until today. Check his splits to see how uneven his season has been... 2013 9th rounder doesn't have much stuff at this point, he's a command guy. Rattlers pounded out a ton of hits as mentioned in the story, but true to form there just weren't enough hits strung together. Check the box for the details... Wisconsin Recap

Kernels edge Rattlers in Wisconsin's final home game of 2015 Cedar Rapids scores twice in eighth and holds on for 5-4 win By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/1/6/142606516/cuts/8_August_11_Neuhaus_WEB_kmb5cml1_vmx4i4xy.jpg Tucker Neuhaus went 2-for-5 with two RBI for the Timber Rattlers Friday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers dropped their final home game of the 2015 season in frustrating fashion. The Cedar Rapids Kernels scored twice in the eighth inning and stifled a pair of late Wisconsin rallies to hold on for a 5-4 victory. The Kernels (75-62 overall, 34-33 second half) took advantage of some Timber Rattlers miscues in the fourth inning to score three runs. Angel Ventura struck out Edgar Corcino to start the inning, but the ball got to the backstop to allow Corcino to reach first base. TJ White would single, a fly ball got Corcino to third, and White stole second to put runners at second and third with one out. LaMonte Wade sent a grounder to first and the throw home would have had Corcino, but the ball popped out of catcher Natanael Mejia's glove and Corcino scored for a 1-0 lead. Alex Real and Brett Doe would have RBI singles later in the inning to put the Kernels up 3-0. Wisconsin (50-86, 27-39) nibbled away at the Kernels lead before eventually going in front themselves. Sthervin Matos walked with one out and was at third after a two-out single by Luis Aviles. Tucker Neuhaus singled to right to score Matos and Aviles made it to third ahead of the throw. Neuhaus got caught between first and second and tried to get in a rundown to allow Aviles to score, but was tagged out before Aviles could cross the plate. David Denson drew a walk with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Then, Jake Gatewood doubled to the wall in right to send Denson home and pull the Rattlers to within 3-2. The Rattlers took the lead in the bottom of the seventh. Matos drew a leadoff single and Mejia singled on a hit-and-run play to get Matos to third. Neuhaus singled to center to knock in Matos with the tying run. A two-out wild pitch with Mejia at third base allowed the Wisconsin catcher to race home with the run that put the Rattlers up 4-3. Cedar Rapids came back in the top of the eighth. Corcino coaxed a leadoff walk from reliever Kodi Medeiros and White followed with a double. Max Murphy knocked in Corcino with a grounder to short. Wade put Cedar Rapids back in front with a single through the drawn-in infield. Wisconsin rallied in the eighth after Denson singled, Gatewood walked, and Greg McCall sacrificed both runners into scoring position. Matos was next and Denson tried to score on a grounder to first, but was out in a rundown back to third base. Then, Matos was thrown out trying to get to second base and the Kernels turned an odd, inning-ending double play. In the bottom of the ninth, Mejia singled to start the inning and was replaced by pinch-runner Omar Cotto. Aviles sacrificed Cotto into scoring position. But, the game ended with Cotto standing on third base after a ground out and a strikeout. Wisconsin finished 2015 with a home record of 27-42. The attendance on Friday night was 4,727 to give the Rattlers a season attendance of 247,577. That gives the team an average attendance of 3,641 over 68 home dates. The Timber Rattlers begin their final road trip of the season on Saturday when they play the Burlington Bees in Iowa. Eric Hanhold (0-3, 6.89) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Keynan Middleton (5-11, 5.30) is set to start for the Bees. Game time at Community Field is 6:30pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:10pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. WP: John Curtiss (3-3) LP: Kodi Medeiros (4-5) SAVE: Nick Anderson (3) TIME: 2:37 ATTN: 4,727 Rattler Radio Postgame Post – September 4, 2015 Erickson was honest and to the point as always, especially regarding the 4th. His comments regarding Angel Ventura are worth a listen as well. Wisconsin Boxscore Another excellent crowd to close it out. Angel Ventura was pretty darn good, the 4th inning was garbage defensively, it was an excellent way for him to close his season. He pitched 122.1 innings, allowed 110 hits, 46 walks, 51 runs, 42 earned, with 126 strike outs and a 1.28 WHIP. I was pleasantly surprised by Angel, his velocity is legit, his curve is legit, his mechanics were streamlined over the course of the season, and I believe he's the most overlooked pitching prospect in the system. Kodi Medeiros didn't finish the way he wanted, he actually blew 2 of the 3 saves he had shots at this season. Kodi finishes the season with 93.1 IP, 79 H, 50 R, 46 ER, 40 BB, 94 SO, and 1.28 WHIP. He gave up runs in bunches all year, he didn't get nickel and dimed, it was usually crooked numbers or nothing for him. While 2015 was much better than 2014, I'm not sure it was a success, it was just kind of meh. When teams would force him to throw strikes he struggled, when they swung at his stuff out of the zone he was pretty successful. I'll say it one last time, he does not induce ground balls by hitting typical ground ball spots, he leaves his FB mostly up in the zone but it moves enough hitters tend to top it. He's atypical in just about every way possible at this point in his career. His slider is awesome and runs it into the hands of righties, but he doesn't hardly ever locate it for a strike. His FB also has tremendous movement but is consistently up like his slider and he actually locates his curve the best within the zone, though it's a pretty average pitch right now. Sthervin Matos (1-2,2 BB)... *sigh*... that 8th inning with a bunt to win, then the damn contact play so Denson is caught in no man's land (or at least Chris made it sound that way), and Matos channels his inner Carlos Gomez to run them completely out of the inning. Tucker Neuhaus (2-5) had a nice game with the bat which was highlighted above and Natanael Mejia (2-4) who struggles defensively at this point in his career posted the other multi-hit game for the Rattlers. Wisconsin Recap

Rattlers shutout Kernels By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/9/7/4/147253974/cuts/9_September_3_Uhen_WEB_evqrm0a9_f05jwpge.jpg Josh Uhen pitched six scoreless innings and struck out four to earn his second win of the season as the Timber Rattlers beat Cedar Rapids 4-0. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) GRAND CHUTE, WI - Josh Uhen and Zach Cooper combined on a five-hit shutout as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers defeated the Cedar Rapids Kernels 4-0 Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Timber Rattlers (50-85 overall, 27-38 second half) jumped to the lead by plating three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Mitch Meyer started the rally by drawing a leadoff walk. Luis Aviles followed with a double and Sthervin Matos drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Blake Allemand drove in Meyer with a sacrifice fly and both runners moved up a base when the cutoff man was missed. Elvis Rubio made it 2-0 with an RBI grounder to get Aviles home. David Denson drove in Matos with a two-out single and the Rattlers were up 3-0. Wisconsin made it 4-0 in the fifth. Aviles tripled to start the inning and Matos drove him in with a single. The Kernels (74-62, 33-33) had chances, but would strand ten runners as they went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. The best chance Cedar Rapids had to score came in the sixth inning against Uhen. LaMonte Wade walked with one out, Chris Paul was hit by a pitch, and Brett Doe sent a sharp single to right to load the bases. Uhen kept the Kernels off the board when he struck out of Brian Navarreto and got Austin Diemer to pop out to short to end the inning. Uhen extended his current scoreless streak to 12-2/3 innings with his performance on Thursday night. He struck out four and pitched around four hits, two hit batsmen, and three walks over six innings to put himself in line for his second win of the season. Zach Cooper took over on the mound for the Timber Rattlers to start the top of the seventh inning and allowed one hit, a two-out double in the seventh, over three scoreless innings. Cooper struck out five and earned his third save of the season. The Timber Rattlers host the Kernels on Friday night in Wisconsin's final home game of the season. Angel Ventura (7-6, 3.17) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Sam Gibbons (7-4, 2.88) is set to start for the Kernels. Game time is 6:35pm. The first 1,000 fans to attend the game will receive a tree sapling from Boldt. The first 500 kids 12 and under into the ballpark will receive a special Webkinz from North Shore Bank. Special Memories Zoo returns for a petting zoo in front of the stadium. Children 14 and under may participate in Kids Run the Bases thanks to Molina Healthcare after the postgame Fireworks display on this North Shore Bank/Y100 Family Night. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. If you are a subscriber to MiLB.TV, the game is also available on that platform. WP: Josh Uhen (2-3) LP: Michael Theofanopoulos (5-3) SAVE: Zach Cooper (3) TIME: 2:08 ATTN: 4,435 Wisconsin Boxscore Impressive attendance going up against a home Packer game. Josh Uhen ended his season on a high note, or at least I would expect this is his last appearance given there are just 3 games left. Zach Cooper hasn't given up a run over his last 9 appearances going all the way back to 7/3 (he had a DL stint in there) and is also closing out the season on the upswing. Elvis Rubio (2-4,2B) and Luis Aviles (2-3,2B,3B) had the multi-hit games and accounted for all of the XBHs for the Rattlers. Wisconsin Recap

Yea...a lot of jobs come with crummy situations. I did a year of student teaching and received $0. In fact, I had to pay in. I have a hard time sympathizing in this situation. I'm not sure why people aren't connecting the dots here: horrible income + no signing bonus = poor nutrition + rest = low energy and difficulty building/maintaining muscle mass = looking for stimulants. MLB created it's own drug culture by the very nature of the minor league system. No one is saying pay them 50K a year, no one is even saying pay them for 12 months, but a seasonal wage that allows them to pay rent and eat healthy food is not too much to ask considering how much money is floating around baseball these days. It's laughable (or maybe sad) that in 2015 and with literally 1000s of pages of documentation on the effects of proper nutrition and rest on athletic performance there are parents and people in general who refuse to understand or grasp the true nature of the problem. I've experienced this first hand... parents putting their athletes at risk by buying them energy drinks and what not before sporting events then coming back to the coaches about a lack of conditioning when their sons cramped up and weren't able to play or their energy level faded over the course of the game. We had been giving out literature at the parent meetings for 20 years on this stuff and it was obvious who took the couple of minutes to read the bullet points and who thought they knew everything they needed to know about raising their child already. It was ludicrous and stupid, and yet every year the same issues kept coming back around. Granted baseball doesn't require the physical stamina of basketball or football but there is so much information out there I have a very difficult time believing there are actually people who will align themselves with MLB on this issue, and I'm a pretty conservative dude politically.

Sweet! Minors On Pace For Attendance Boost September 3, 2015 by Josh Leventhal

Cedar Rapids beats Rattlers 7-1 By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/5/0/122857550/cuts/5_May6_Denson_ai8udut4_hwsv4trm.jpg David Denson was 1-for-3 with a walk, a double, and an RBI for the Rattlers on Wednesday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Cedar Rapids Kernels continued their mastery over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers this season with a 7-1 victory at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Wednesday night. The Kernels have won 15 of the 16 meetings between the teams this season. Cedar Rapids (74-61 overall, 33-32 second half) scored twice on three straight hits in the top of the second inning. TJ White singled and Max Murphy followed with a double that hit on the foul line in right field. Chris Paul singled to left and both runners scored for a 2-0 lead. The Kernels added to their lead with three runs in the fifth. Alex Real started the inning with a triple. He would score when a pickoff throw from catcher Greg McCall was errant. Later in the inning, Nick Gordon singled with runners on first and second to drive in a run and put runners on the corners. Then, Gordon stole second and the throw went into center that allowed the runner from third to score. Gordon took off for third and would try to score when the ball was bobbled in center, but Gordon would be out at the plate. Austin Diemer hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning and the Kernels were up 7-0. Randy Rosario, the Kernels starter, cruised through seven scoreless innings. He allowed five hits, walked three, and struck out eight to put himself in line for his second win of the season. Wisconsin (49-85, 36-38) broke up the shutout with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. Elvis Rubio singled with two outs. David Denson lined a double to left-center and Rubio scored. But, that was it for the Wisconsin offense on the evening. The Timber Rattlers are 0-10 at home against the Kernels this season. Game two of the series is Thursday night. Josh Uhen (1-3, 4.94) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Michael Theofanopoulos (5-2, 3.58) is set to start for the Kernels. Game time is 6:35pm. The first 1,000 fans to enter the stadium will receive a Kodi Medeiros bobblehead courtesy of Copps/Pick n Save. It is the final 95.9 KISS-FM Thirsty Thursday. That means soda, beer, and Arty's Old Fashioned drinks are available for just $2. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. If you are a subscriber to MiLB.TV, the game is also available on that platform. HOME RUN: CR: Austin Diemer (2nd, 1 on in 7th inning off David Burkhalter, 1 out) WP: Randy Rosario (2-5) LP: David Burkhalter (5-8) TIME: 2:16 ATTN: 4,495 Wisconsin Boxscore There was a ton of not so subtle hint dropping on the television broadcast that manager Matt Erickson will be moving up and not be with Rattlers next year. David Burkhalter was having trouble locating his FB all night and while I understand getting him his 85 pitches he clearly didn't have it and the hole just kept getting deeper and deeper... I was struggling with development vs winning watching this one. At least Luis Ortega was fairly sharp over his 2 innings. Mitch Meyer (2-4) had the only multi-hit game for the Rattlers. Wisconsin Recap

Rattlers let one slip away in Clinton Wisconsin led 7-0, fall 10-9 By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/4/4/4/123445444/cuts/5_9Denson_WEB_uwomukmk_zso9puhe.jpg David Denson went 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs, and two RBI for the Timber Rattlers Tuesday night at Clinton. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) CLINTON, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Clinton LumberKings engaged in a slugfest in their final meeting of the season. The LumberKings came out on top with a 10-9 victory at Ashford University Field as they stormed back from a 7-0 deficit and held off a desperate Wisconsin rally in the ninth inning. Both teams had sixteen hits in the contest. The Timber Rattlers (49-84 overall, 26-27 second half) jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Tucker Neuhaus singled to start the game. Elvis Rubio knocked in Neuhaus with a double. David Denson followed with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Mitch Meyer singled to get Denson home from second. Meyer started Wisconsin's scoring in the top of the fourth inning with a one-out, solo home run. The homer was the first of the season for Meyer. Natanael Mejia followed with a double. Luis Aviles singled with two outs to send Mejia home. Then, Neuhaus launched a homer to right and the Rattlers were up 7-0. Wisconsin starting pitcher Cody Ponce got the first out of the bottom of the fourth inning, but things went downhill from there as Clinton scored six times in the frame. The LumberKings (43-90, 17-47) rally started with a walk to Joe DeCarlo. The next two batters singled to load the bases. Then, Martin Peguero, Brock Hebert, and Austin Cousino each had RBI singles to keep the bases loaded and pull Clinton to within 7-3. Ponce recorded the second out on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Pat Leyland to make the score 7-4. But, the throw into third missed the cutoff man and the LumberKings had runners at second and third with two outs. Burt Reynolds made Wisconsin pay with a broken bat single to right to drive in both runners to make the score 7-6. Ponce gave up one more hit in the inning before Gian Rizzo took over to get the final out of the fourth. Clinton tied the game against Rizzo in the fifth. Gianfranco Wawoe, who had three hits in the game, reached on an infield single and Peguero singled on a hit-and-run to put Wawoe on third base. Rizzo got the second out, but Cousino singled to get Wawoe home with the tying run. Devin Williams took over for Rizzo to start the bottom of the sixth inning and quickly got the first two outs and was ahead of DeCarlo 0-2. But, DeCarlo singled to center and Wawoe drew a walk. Wayne Taylor singled on a 3-2 pitch to score DeCarlo with the go-ahead run. Peguero followed with a double into the left field corner, both runs scored and Clinton was up 10-7. Wisconsin had a chance in the top of the ninth inning. Blake Allemand and Elvis Rubio singled to start the inning. Denson singled to knock in Allemand and second Rubio to second base. Sthervin Matos was next and his sinking liner to left in front of Wawoe, but Rubio got a bad read and was heading back to second base as the ball dropped in and he was forced at third for the first out of the inning. Mejia made it 10-9 with a single down the line in left to score Denson and send Matos to third base, but the final batter struck out and the game ended with the Rattlers on the short end of the score. Allemand extended his current hitting streak to ten games with two hits in four at bats. Allemand has at least one hit in 19 of his last 20 games. Denson was 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, and two RBI. The Timber Rattlers begin their final home series of the 2015 season on Wednesday night against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. David Burkhalter (5-7, 4.55) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. The Kernels have named Randy Rosario (1-5, 3.60) as their starter. Game time at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium is 6:35pm. Yabba Dabba Do Over! The first Flintstones Night was rained out last Friday, but the Stone Age is coming back with help from The Stoneworx on Wednesday. The first 500 kids 12 and under will receive Bam Bam sticks. Make sure to try the Brontosaurus Burger at the Steak, Rattle, & Grill. The first 1,000 fans to attend this game will receive a poster of Timber Rattlers pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers prospect Nathan Kirby. This poster is the tenth and final poster in the 2015 series from Dunkin Donuts. Enjoy Cher-Make hotdogs, Pepsi products, and Miller beer for $1 during the game as part of WIXX Bang for Your Buck Night! If you can't make it out to the ballpark, there are several options that will allow you to follow the action. MyNEW 32's Sports Showdown will televise the game starting at 6:30pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. If you are a subscriber to MiLB.TV, the game is also available on that platform. HOME RUNS: WIS: Mitch Meyer (1st, 0 on in 3rd inning off Zack Littell, 1 out) Tucker Neuhaus (4th, 1 on in 3rd inning off Zack Littell, 2 out) WP: Jeffeson Medina (5-10) LP: Devin Williams (3-8) SAVE: Ronald Dominguez (3) Wisconsin Boxscore I work pretty hard to remain emotionally detached and objective but even for me games like this sting badly. None of the pitchers could hold the line in this one. Cody Ponce who had been wonderful up until today saw his ERA jump almost a full run with the 6 ER he allowed. Devin Williams' appearance means that I won't have a chance to see him pitch on the final home stand and ultimately won't be able to get a first hand velocity report to everyone. The offense came so close and giving up that Elvis Rubio out in the 9th when he started back towards 2nd thinking Matos' hit to left field would be caught proved incredibly costly. Rubio did go 3-5 with a 2B, an outstanding day at the plate, and actually the only Rattler who went hitless in the game was Omar Cotto... I realize Sthervin Matos didn't technically have a hit but that's because of Rubio's base running blunder. Check out the box for a very busy and fun day for the Rattler hitters. Wisconsin Recap

Final: Wisconsin 5, Clinton 4 (11 Innings) Wisconsin Boxscore Man this game looked like it was slipping away but the young Rattlers have been fighting end to end of late and scratched this one out. This was one of Eric Hanhold's better starts of the season, it's been a rocky debut for him. While 1 of Luke Curtis' runs was unearned due to a Jake Gatewood error, that inning was largely a result of his own making with a HBP and WP sandwiching the error. Tyler Linehan was huge in this game and has gone scoreless in 9 of his last 10 appearances yet still sports an ugly 5.52 ERA. Scott Lieser added some intrigue after replacing Linehan but ultimately got the job done. Even though it was an 11 inning game just 2 Rattlers managed multi-hit efforts, in fact at 1 point the Rattlers had 2 runs on just 1 hit. Sthervin Matos (2-4) and Luis Aviles (2-5,2B) were the notable T-Rat hitters though Tucker Neuhaus(0-3,BB) did knock in 2 runs including the game winner with sac flys in the 5th and 11th. The rest will be in the game story when that pops. Wisconsin Recap

Here's the updated index with the complete list. 2015 Summer College League Top Prospects Index August 27, 2015 by Staff Report

To see how the players interact is always kind of neat, Brett Phillips is discussed off and on in this one. Around The Minors: Reyes Shows De Leon A Fastball To Remember August 31, 2015 by J.J. Cooper

Late rally pushes Rattlers past Clinton By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/6/2/2/129895622/cuts/Gatewood_Article_Photo_h2hhs8w4_bx2siw06.jpg Jake Gatewood was 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, and two RBI for the Timber Rattlers in a 6-3 win at Clinton on Sunday afternoon. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica CLINTON, IA - Jake Gatewood drove in two runs with a two-out double in the top of the eighth inning to give the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers a 4-3 lead over the Clinton LumberKings Sunday afternoon at Ashford University Field. Wisconsin would score two more runs in the inning and go on to a 6-3 victory in game one of a three-game series. The LumberKings (42-89 overall, 16-46 second half) had a good opportunity to score first. Brock Hebert singled and Austin Cousino drew a walk. But, Tucker Neuhaus made a diving stop of a hard grounder off the bat of Gianfranco Wawoe and turned it into a force at second. Kodi Medeiros got out of the frame with a strikeout. Clinton threatened again in the fourth inning against reliever Angel Ventura. Estarlyn Morales singled and stole second to start the inning. An infield single by Pat Leyland with one out put runners on the corners. Ventura escaped the jam with a strikeout and a flyout to center. The Timber Rattlers (48-83, 25-36) broke through in the top of the fifth. Gatewood doubled to start the inning. Greg McCall bunted Gatewood over to third. Sthervin Matos knocked in Gatewood with a single to left. Ventura walked the leadoff batter in the bottom of the fifth, but looked like he would get through the inning with no more damage as he retired the next two batters. But, Burt Reynolds was next and he cracked a homer to left-center to put the LumberKings up 2-1. Blake Allemand got the Timber Rattlers back to even in the top of the sixth. The Wisconsin second baseman, who had singled earlier in the game to extend his hitting streak to eight games, launched a solo homer with one out to tie the game. Allemand, the fifth round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2015 draft, has at least one hit in seventeen of his last eighteen games. He ended the day with three hits. But, Clinton responded in the bottom of the sixth with a little help from the Rattlers defense. Joe DeCarlo doubled to right as the leadoff batter in the inning. Pat Leyland dropped a bunt up the first base line. First baseman Sthervin Matos fielded the ball and looked at third before turning to throw to first. Both Ventura and Allemand were over to cover first and Ventura dropped the throw. The ball trickled into right field and DeCarlo scored on the play for a 3-2 lead. LumberKings starting pitcher Eddie Campbell left after seven innings. He allowed two runs on six hits, walked one, struck out six, and was in line for the win. Then, Wisconsin staged a rally in the eighth against the Clinton bullpen. Tucker Neuhaus drew a walk with one out against Thyago Vieira. Elvis Rubio was hit by a pitch from Vieira with two outs. Then, David Denson drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Clinton went to the bullpen and brought Kodi Kerski out to face Gatewood. Gatewood drove an 0-1 pitch from Kerski down the line in right for a ground rule double to knock in Neuhaus and Rubio to put the Rattlers up 4-3. McCall smacked the next pitch from Kerski to center for a two-run single and the Rattlers were up 6-3. Zach Cooper took over on the mound for Ventura to start the bottom of the eighth inning and set down the LumberKings in order in both the eighth and ninth innings to close out Clinton for his second save of the season. Game two of the series is Monday night at Ashford University Field. Eric Hanhold (0-3, 7.52) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Lukas Schiraldi (4-12, 5.05) is set to start for the LumberKings. Game time is 6:30pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:10pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. HOME RUNS: WIS: Blake Allemand (2nd, 0 on in 6th inning off Eddie Campbell, 1 out) CLN: Burt Reynolds (3rd, 1 on in 5th inning off Angel Ventura, 2 out) WP: Angel Ventura (7-6) LP: Thyago Vieira (1-4) SAVE: Zach Cooper (2) TIME: 2:43 Wisconsin Boxscore Burt Reynolds... MiLB player names never cease to amaze. Neither Kodi Medeiros or Angel Ventura were exceedingly sharp, though Medeiros made it through unscathed with the help of excellent defense and Ventura caused his own defensive woes. Zach Cooper had one of his better outings since joining the Rattlers. Jake Gatewood(2-4,2 2B) hit the ball hard in all 4 ABs with 2 doubles to show for his efforts. Blake Allemand(3-4,HR) continues his late season surge as does Sthervin Matos(2-4) who's hit in 8 of the last 10 games and raised his average 20 points over that span. Wisconsin Recap

And how many of those guys were home grown? Or acquired after having TJ surgery? Or had TJ immediately after leaving the Brewers? Or had TJ in minors prior to be acquired? The team has done a marvelous job spinning the data to support their conclusion, but a wider view of the facts doesn't support any of that nonsense. The Brewers have fewer TJ surgeries in the low minors because of the tandem system which they've had in place in forever. That's why most of the arm issues occur in A+ and beyond. Players from the past: Sheets - multitude of injuries with the Brewers, TJ after leaving Capuano - Trade - TJ before and with the Brewers Wolf - FA - TJ immediately after leaving the Brewers Marcum - Trade - TJ prior to Brewers, shoulder surgery in the year after he left Greinke - Trade - Healthy aside from basketball injury Estrada - Waivers - multitude of other injuries, no TJ Galardo - ACL, no TJ Bush - Trade - Hit by batted ball tearing muscle in throwing arm, no TJ Suppan - FA - No TJ MLB players from the Brewers system: Peralta - TJ before getting to A ball, appears to have something wrong with him again as his velocity is way down. Garza - FA - Has avoided TJ over the course of his career but struggles to stay healthy regardless Jungmann - Has been healthy Nelson - Has been healthy Lohse - FA - Has been healthy Cravy - No TJ, currently on the DL Thornburg - Narrowly avoided TJ with injection, velocity way and currently ineffective Goforth - Has been healthy Kintzler - All kinds of arm problems, stress fracture requiring a pin to be inserted into arm, rotator cuff, knee... Wooten - TJ surgery Fiers - Broken Arm, no TJ Henderson - Shoulder surgery Minor Leagues, mostly focusing on players outside of tandems and top prospects, excluding 2015 draftees: RHP: Davies - Just acquired Gagnon - Healthy but ineffective Wagner - Healthy Lopez - Healthy Taylor Williams - Lost 2 seasons to TJ Burgos - a couple of seasons of shoulder issues, don't recall TJ Houser - Just acquired Hellweg - TJ Woodruff - 1st full season - Healthy Ortega - 1st full season - Healthy Salas - 1st full season - Healthy Victor Diaz - arm issues all season, WI tandem Cy Sneed - 1st full season - Healthy Devin Williams - WI tandem - Healthy Angel Ventura - WI tandem - Healthy Miguel Diaz - AZ - Missed most of season with stress fracture in elbow Burkhalter - WI tandem - Healthy LHP: Suter - Healthy Johnson - Healthy Hader - Just acquired Wei-Chung Wang - TJ prior to be acquired Hirsch - WI tandem - Missed time with unspecified elbow problem, now in BC Medeiros - WI tandem Other notables: Austin Ross - TJ Josh Uhen - TJ (prior to being drafted) Nathan Kirby - TJ (known elbow problems prior to signing) Mike Jones - 3 different surgeries including TJ Mark Rogers - Shoulder and hand issues Chris Saenz - TJ Jed Bradley - Arm issues, no TJ The Brewers have lost a handful of players to TJ surgery every year with more serious shoulder issues mixed in. By limiting the discussion to TJ surgeries on the MLB roster they can put a positive spin on it because of most the players the Brewers have acquired to pitch for them had TJ prior or immediately after leaving the Brewers. With very few home grown pitchers over the years they can mask the issues behind of the facade of MLB health based purely on the timing of when the surgeries occurred and if they were TJ related or not. Most of our guys are pretty early in their careers so we'll have to see how it plays out over time but the only significant measure that's been taken is the tandem system at all levels below A+. Very few home grown pitchers + Sheets, Wolf, and Marcum having surgeries post Brewer career though clearly injured in their last season allows for that spin.

Beloit scores twice in the ninth to beat Wisconsin By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/3/7/6/128879376/cuts/6_June_5_JoshUhen_p12a1f8z_nd1mbgw8.jpg Josh Uhen pitched six scoreless innings for the Timber Rattlers on Saturday night agains the Beloit Snappers. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were two outs from a 1-0 win over the Beloit Snappers Saturday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Snappers would rally with two runs in their final at bat to beat Wisconsin 2-1. Jake Gatewood put the Timber Rattlers (47-83 overall, 24-26 second half) in front with Wisconsin's first hit of the game. The shortstop hit a leadoff homer to the bullpen in right-center in the fifth inning. Starting pitcher Josh Uhen tossed six scoreless innings for the Timber Rattlers. He pitched around six hits, including three doubles, with four strikeouts. Uhen did not walk a batter in his longest outing of the season for Wisconsin. The Snappers (52-78, 26-34) nearly tied the game in the top of the eighth inning against reliever Luis Ortega. James Harris started the inning with a triple. Ortega got the next batter on a shallow fly to left. Gatewood saved a run by making a leaping grab of a liner off the bat of Max Kuhn. Ortega walked Sandber Pimentel before giving way to Gian Rizzo. The inning ended with the Rattlers still up 1-0 when Rizzo got a foul pop for the third out. Beloit rallied again in the ninth and this time they cashed in on the opportunity. Rizzo walked Justin Higley to start the inning. Higley stole second to get into scoring position. Tim Proudfoot dropped a one out double down the line in right to score Higley with the tying run. Joe Bennie followed with a single to put runners at the corners with one out. Then, Harris dropped a safety squeeze bunt up the first base line to score Proudfoot with the go-ahead run. The hit was the third of the game for Harris. Wisconsin's defense fell asleep on the play and didn't cover third or second base after the bunt. This allowed Bennie to take third and Harris to get to second base. Rizzo issued an intentional walk to load the bases and escaped more damage when Kuhn's fly ball to center was caught by Luis Aviles, who threw home to get Bennie at the plate for the third out. Blake Allemand lead off the Wisconsin ninth inning with a single against Koby Guana, the third Beloit pitcher of the night. Allemand extended his hitting streak to seven games with that hit. A sacrifice bunt by Elvis Rubio moved Allemand to second base with the tying run, but Guana retired the next two batters to close out the Rattlers. The Timber Rattlers have scored four or less runs in a game 94 times and are 12-28 in one run games this season. The Timber Rattlers hit the road for a three-game series against the Clinton LumberKings with game one scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Ashford University Field. Kodi Medeiros (4-4, 4.48) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. The LumberKings have Eddie Campbell (2-2, 3.05) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 4:00pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 3:40pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. If you are a subscriber to MiLB.TV, the game is also available on that platform. HOME RUN: WIS: Jake Gatewood (3rd, 0 on in 5th inning off Heath Fillmyer, 0 out) WP: Jonnie Massad (1-0) LP: Gian Rizzo (0-3) SAVE: Koby Guana (4) Rattler Radio Postgame Post – August 29, 2015 The usual. Wisconsin Boxscore There's been too many of these heartbreaking losses this year. Wisconsin Recap

Timber Rattlers game with Beloit rained out By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/4/4/145968544/cuts/August_28_Tarp_Article_Image_vwsqejrv_mrnwk2xq.jpg Friday's game between the Timber Rattlers and Snappers was rained out at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. GRAND CHUTE, WI - Thursday's game between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Beloit Snappers at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium has been rained out. The game will not be rescheduled. This marks just the second home rainout of the season for the Timber Rattlers. The teams will conclude their series with a single game on Saturday night. Josh Uhen (1-3, 5.66) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Beloit will counter with Heath Fillmyer (2-13, 5.20). First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm. Fans with a ticket to Thursday's game may redeem it as a voucher for any of the remaining Timber Rattlers home games this season or for a home game in April or May of 2016 based on availability. The first 1,000 fans to enter the ballpark on Saturday will receive a poster of Timber Rattlers pitcher Angel Ventura from Dunkin Donuts. This is poster #9 in a series of ten in the 2015 season. Stick around after the game for a great FOX 11 Fireworks display. If you can't make it out to the game, the radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. If you are a subscriber to MiLB.TV, the game is also available on that platform.

Wisconsin takes two from Snappers By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/1/6/142606516/cuts/8_August_11_Neuhaus_WEB_kmb5cml1_vmx4i4xy.jpg Tucker Neuhaus drove in the go-ahead run in both Timber Rattlers victories over the Beloit Snappers on Thursday night. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) RAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers made it two wins over the Beloit Snappers on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium with a 2-1 victory in the nightcap. A trio of Wisconsin relievers held the Snappers to three hits and Tucker Neuhaus knocked in the go-ahead run for the second time on Thursday. Beloit (51-78 overall, 25-34 overall) got on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning against Scott Lieser, who was making his first professional start. James Harris drew a leadoff walk and went from first to third on a hit-and-run single to right by Max Kuhn. Jose Brizuela put the Snappers in front with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Harris. The Timber Rattlers (47-82, 24-35) tied the game in the bottom of the second. Sthervin Matos singled and stole second with one out. Natanael Mejia drove in Matos with a single to right-center and the game was tied 1-1. Wisconsin took the lead in the fourth inning. Greg McCall started the inning with a double, but he was at third base with two outs. Luis Aviles drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to keep the inning alive. Neuhaus, who earlier in the evening drove in the go-ahead run of Wisconsin's 4-2 victory in the completion of a suspended game, stepped up and dropped a single into right-center to score McCall for a 2-1 advantage. Tyler Linehan, who took over for Lieser in the top of the fourth inning, tossed two scoreless innings to maintain the lead. Zach Cooper came out of the Wisconsin bullpen in the top of the sixth and set the Snappers down in order, but the seventh was a different story. Brizuela coaxed a walk out of Cooper to start Beloit's last time at the plate. Justin Higley drew a walk with one out to put two runners on base. Tim Proudfoot hit a flyball to the gap in right-center to move Brizuela to third with the tying run. Cooper wrapped up the win - and his first save with the Rattlers - when he struck out Shawn Duinkerk. The Rattlers and Snappers continue their series on Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Josh Uhen (1-3, 5.66) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Beloit will counter with Heath Fillmyer (2-13, 5.20). Game time is 7:05pm. It's Flintstones Night with Bam Bam sticks giveaway to the first 500 fans 12 & under from The Stoneworx on Friday night. Children 14 and under may participate in Kids Run the Bases thanks to Molina Healthcare after the postgame Fireworks display on this North Shore Bank/Y100 Family Night. If you can't make it out to the game, the radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. If you are a subscriber to MiLB.TV, the game is also available on that platform. WP: Tyler Linehan (2-4) LP: Joey Wagman (8-3) SAVE: Zach Cooper (1) TIME: 2:04 ATTN: 5,898 Rattler Radio Postgame Post – August 27, 2015 I didn't have a chance to listen to any of the audio but there's plenty out there and the highlights. Wisconsin Boxscore A litany of "sweep" puns ran through my mind but I couldn't settle on one, so you get nothing! The downside here is Chris mentioned Carlos Leal is done for the season which I kind of figured, but stinks all the same. I nice bullpen start here limiting Beloit to 3 hits, though it did get interesting there at the end. Even though it was a 7 inning game every Rattler had a hit except for Jake Gatewood who Mehring complimented on his improved defense since returning. Tucker Neuhaus had the only multi-hit game going 2-3 out of the lead-off spot. Wisconsin Recap

Wisconsin knocks Snappers out of playoff chase By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/0/8/127793208/cuts/May31_Devin_Williams_WEB_fmsluiom_s3c0ulcr.jpg Devin Williams struck out five over 3-2/3 shutout innings for a win over the Beloit Snappers. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Ann Mollica) GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers defeated the Beloit Snappers 4-2 on Thursday night in the conclusion of a suspended game. The win eliminated the Snappers from the second half playoff race in the Western Division of the Midwest League. The game started in Beloit on July 13 with the Timber Rattlers scoring the first two runs of the game only to see the Snappers tying the game with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before rain halted the game. Wisconsin (45-82 overall, 22-35 second half) took the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Elvis Rubio started the inning with a walk after falling behind 0-2 in the count. Greg McCall singled to right on a 1-2 pitch and the Rattlers had runners at the corners. Tucker Neuhaus cashed in Rubio from third with a sacrifice fly for a 3-2 advantage. McCall drew a walk with two outs in the top of the eighth inning and stole second. Sthervin Matos followed with a sharp single to right and McCall beat the throw home for a 4-2 lead. Devin Williams tossed 3-2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Rattlers. He struck out five, including the first two batters in the bottom of the eighth. But, Williams hit Iolana Akau and gave up a hit to Jose Brizuela and the Snappers (51-77, 25-33) had the tying runs on base. Luke Curtis came on to get the final out of the eighth on a grounder back to the mound. Curtis retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth, but gave up a single to James Harris and a walk to pinch-hitter Joe Bennie. Tim Proudfoot stepped in and cracked a drive deep to left, but Mitch Meyer hauled it in shy of the wall and the Timber Rattlers held on for the victory. Williams was credited with the win, his third. Curtis earned his seventh save of the season. The Peoria Chiefs cheered the result as they clinched a playoff spot in the second half due to the loss by the Snappers. Game two will start shortly at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. WP: Devin Williams (3-7) LP: Lee Sosa (0-1) SAVE: Luke Curtis (7) TIME: 3:19 (:44 delay) ATTN: 508 Wisconsin Completion of Suspended Game Box Well I lost a post last night which thankfully MH covered this morning where I talked about David Denson so I'll cover it again here. As tentative as he looked in his first game back which I was at in person, he's flipped that script in the 3 games since going into night cap and has become aggressive which was actually what I was looking for to start the season. I've tried to explain how he's not overmatched talent wise for 2 years, I honestly believe his issues are all his head. He's hitting now like he did last year in May before breaking his hand. Hopefully he can keep this momentum going through the end of the season. This was possibly Devin Williams' last home appearance of the season which would tick me off since I've been trying to get him on the gun for over a month and I didn't get back up to the Fox valley from Milwaukee for work until he was off the mound in Game 1. I do apologize, but BA will have a good scouting report up on him over the winter if I'm not able to get to a game when he's on the mound, it's hard to guess when he's going to pitch in relief now. Wisconsin Completion of Suspended Game Recap

Written of course before the season was complete and largely meaningless especially considering losing Taylor Williams for 2 years is downright awful.

I have a hard time with the "have fun" arguments. Gomez like Braun (especially early in his career) was never my kind of guy, I don't need any antics, I much prefer class and treating your opponents with respect than "pimping it" as the college kids I've been working with call it. I preferred Hardy and Hart to Gomez and Braun... in the same way that I preferred Donald Driver to Terrell Owens. Race has nothing to do with anything and I honestly resent the implication. I certainly appreciate the production those players provide, but they aren't the type of guys who's jerseys I would go and buy if I were into that sort of thing. I actually think these issues are more along the line of; if he plays on your team then he's exuberant and plays with passion, however if he plays against your team you think he's an arrogant douche. As a player I was the kind of guy who just handed the ball back to the referee after scoring a touchdown, or just went right into playing D if I hit a 3 instead of leaving my arm in the air, or when I got a game winning hit in baseball I was looking to take the extra base if something happened at home. Scoring points and doing good things were simply what I was supposed to be doing as an athlete. I don't have anything against people who aren't that way but I'm not going to gravitate towards those players or people either. I'm a low key, laid back, congratulations for doing what your supposed to do kind of guy and those are the kind of athletes that I end admiring... like Steve Yzerman who played many years for the Red Wings in the NHL. I think the dividing lines on these kind of issues fall along personality lines more so than race, but it's incredibly easy these days to go to the race card for any perceived slight. Gomez would show up players in A ball while on rehab assignments with the Rattlers, there were multiple instances of him ending up jawing with opposing coaches. Dude you're playing 4 levels down, you're a MLB all-star, most of these young men will never get a sniff, none of this is necessary or even proper. If some MLB player pimped a HR on a rehab assignment against one of the T-Rat pitchers I would be just as pissed. It's like a senior in high school going down and playing Babe Ruth, then pimping his every success. Right before I quit coaching football I had a QB who would always gesture and do some antics on the field after something bad happened. About mid season we were watching film, just the 2 of us, and I asked him why all the theatrics and he said, "Coach the fans and parents need to know that wasn't OK!", and I simply said "Why would they think otherwise?". He didn't have a response... and that's where I come from on these issues.

Updates On The Top 20 Cuban Players August 24, 2015 by Ben Badler

Cuban Outfielder Yusniel Diaz Free To Sign August 21, 2015 by Ben Badler

2015 Summer College League Top Prospects Index Staff Report -Tuesday, August 25, 2015 BA Today: Cape Cod League Prospects Staff Report -Wednesday, August 26, 2015 2015 Cape Cod League Top 30 Prospects Teddy Cahill -Wednesday, August 26, 2015 Summer League Prospects Chat Staff Report -Wednesday, August 26, 2015 2015 Alaska Summer League Top 10 Prospects Mike Lemaire -Tuesday, August 25, 2015 2015 Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League Top 10 Prospects Staff Report -Tuesday, August 25, 2015 2015 Prospect League Top 10 Prospects Brent Drevalas -Tuesday, August 25, 2015 BA Today (Aug. 24): Summer College Prospects Staff Report -Monday, August 24, 2015 2015 Northwoods League Top 10 Prospects Ian Frazer -Monday, August 24, 2015 2015 Florida Collegiate Summer League Top 10 Prospects Jim Shonerd -Monday, August 24, 2015 2015 Team USA Top 20 Prospects Teddy Cahill -Monday, August 24, 2015

The former.

I would guess the vast majority of people who go to a Trats game have no clue who he is. The fans in the section 100 box were cheering pretty hard for him.

Maybe it's just as simple as he's never had good control so he's going to be up and down throughout his career?

Rattlers rally past Bees By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers http://www.milb.com/assets/images/0/9/0/123833090/cuts/5_11_Luis_avilles_3tilzo9w_wkpczuon.jpg Luis Aviles went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Wisconsin's 6-3 win over the Burlington Bees on Tuesday. (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers/Jake Hansel) GRAND CHUTE, WI - Luis Aviles drove in three runs with two key hits to help the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers defeat the Burlington Bees 6-3 at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. Wisconsin (44-82 overall, 21-35 second half) scored twice in the bottom of the second inning to go in front. David Denson drew a walk. Sthervin Matos followed with a single to right and Denson was going from first to third on the hit and Matos took a wide turn around first as the throw appeared headed to third. But, the throw was cutoff and Matos was trapped off first. However, the throw to get Matos was wild. This allowed Denson to score and Matos to take third. Mitch Meyer made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly. Burlington (55-71, 20-37) scored their first run of the game in the third inning. Trever Allen tripled to start the inning. Brandon Gildea drove in Allen with a sacrifice fly. The Bees took the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth. Tim Arakawa and Taylor Ward singled to start the inning. Wisconsin misplayed a force play at second on a grounder off the bat of Zach Houchins and Arakawa scored on the play. Later in the inning, the Bees had runners at the corners with one out and Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Eric Hanhold appeared to pick the runner off first base. However, Hanhold was called for a balk to allow the runner from third to score the go-ahead run for a 3-2 lead. Wisconsin responded in the bottom of the fourth. Denson and Matos singled with one out. A force play at second left runners at the corners with two outs. Aviles came through by ripping a double into the corner in left to drive in both runners and put the Rattlers up 4-3. Luis Ortega and Gian Rizzo came out of the bullpen in relief of Hanhold and each tossed two scoreless innings to maintain the advantage. The Timber Rattlers added to their lead in the sixth inning. Jake Gatewood walked and Denson doubled to put runners on second and third. Matos knocked in Gatewood with a sacrifice fly for a 5-3 score. The final run of the game came in the eighth. Matos doubled with one out and Aviles drove him in with a two-out single. Luke Curtis tossed a scoreless top of the ninth inning for his sixth save of the season. Matos went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a pair of runs. Denson was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored. Both teams have won a game in the series so far. The series between the Timber Rattlers and Bees concludes on Wednesday night. David Burkhalter (4-7, 4.71) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Keynan Middleton (5-9, 4.76) is set to start for Burlington. Game time is 7:05pm. Own the Future when Wisconsin's NBA franchise comes to the ballpark for Milwaukee Bucks Night on Wednesday. Bango, the Bucks Dancers, Bucks Grand Dancers, and the Hoop Troop make their annual visit to the Timber Rattlers. The first 500 fans to attend this game will receive a magnet of Brewers pitching prospect Cy Sneed courtesy of Lamers Bus Lines. This is the final magnet in a series of four that are being given away this season. Enjoy Cher-Make hotdogs, Pepsi products, and Miller beer for $1 during the game as part of WIXX Bang for Your Buck Night! If you can't make it out to the game, there are several ways to follow the action. MyNEW 32's Sports Showdown will televise the game starting at 7:00pm. The radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:45pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio. If you are a subscriber to MiLB.TV, the game is also available on that platform. WP: Luis Ortega (2-7) LP: Michael Bolaski (9-10) SAVE: Luke Curtis (6) TIME: 2:29 ATTN: 3,387 Rattler Radio Postgame Post – August 25, 2015 The usual assortment of goodies. Wisconsin Boxscore Wisconsin Recap