Link Report for Wed. 4/23 - Huntsville's Turn For A Late Morning Game

[Mass Haas]

http://www.brewerfan.net/images/store/dailylinkreport.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Wednesday's Daily Menu:

 

All times are Central

 

Nashville: Idle

 

**********

 

Huntsville: LHP Brent Suter at home vs. Mobile (Diamondbacks), 10:45 AM pre-game, 11:00 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link

 

Steve Jarnicki is the new play-by-play voice of the Stars - welcome aboard! Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveJarnicki. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast.

 

MiLB.TV - It appears seven of the ten Southern League teams telecast their home games (not the Stars). Mississippi does host MiLB.TV broadcasts - be among those hoping Steve's audio link synchs up nicely with your MiLB.TV investment.

 

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Brevard County: RHP Jorge Lopez at Tampa (Yankees), 5:30 PM pre-game, 6:00 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link -- Select the proper link based on listed schedule

 

Dave Walkovic returns as the play-by-play voice of the 'Tees; follow the Brevard broadcast booth staff on Twitter @BCManateesRadio. All home games and many road games are scheduled to be broadcast. When road games are only available via the opponents' audio feed (or not at all), we'll let you know that.

 

No Florida State League games are available via MiLB.TV.

 

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Wisconsin: LHP Anthony Banda at Burlington (Angels), 6:10 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime

 

Free Live Audio Link - 1280 AM WNAM

 

Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio.

 

For the $49.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, Stars' road games from seven Southern League locales, and all Timber Rattlers home games and some road games.

 

NOTE: Thirty-nine (!) of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (9) and WACY-TV My NEW32 (30) will split duties. We'll let you know when and who, and remember to refer to the Rattlers' full TV schedule so you can coordinate your DVR activity.

 

DVR Alert: Next local TV game is Mon. 4/28 on MyNEW32.

[Mass Haas]

Follow Wednesday's action as it happens with box score / game log links:

 

Huntsville

 

Brevard County

 

Wisconsin

 

MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

[Mass Haas]

To see tweets as to when the Link Report has been technically "completed" with available links, as well as to know when the new day's Report has been posted, please follow @Mass_Haas on Twitter.

[Mass Haas]

Look for these just prior to the respective game times (Nashville's linked above) --

 

Brevard County Media Notes - again, it's a unique link each day, but look for it under the "Multimedia" banner on the Manatees' site.

 

Wisconsin Media Notes - Linked on the Rattler Radio blog

[Mass Haas]

STANDINGS:

 

AAA - Pacific Coast League American Southern Division

 

AA - Southern League North Division

 

High-A - Florida State League North Division

 

A - Midwest League Western Division

[Mass Haas]

Sortable individual stat pages:

 

Nashville

 

Huntsville

 

Brevard County

 

Wisconsin

[Mass Haas]

Weather.com:

 

Huntsville, AL

 

Tampa, FL

 

Burlington, IA

[fondybrewfan]

Does anyone have a scouting report on Suter? I see he is a tall and lanky left hander. Is he worth getting excited about; is his stuff good enough?

 

He is off to a sensational start this year and I know absolutely nothing about him. He was not even on the radar coming into this year as far as I can tell

[Mass Haas]

It's 12:30 PM central, folks, and after six innings you have a very good reason to be listening to Steve's call of the Huntsville game.

 

Gameday

[Mass Haas]

So after last night's performance, it probably isn't a good day to remind folks that Taylor Jungmann was drafted exactly two spots before the Marlins Jose Fernandez, who had a slightly different evening.

 

1st Round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft

 

Oh, Sonny Gray was taken six picks after Jungmann. Not sure how Bruce Seid sleeps at night.

[fondybrewfan]

Well Suter is now through 8 innings......

[WV Brew]

98 pitches. Do they let him finish?

[fondybrewfan]

Well he immediately gave up a single and they took him out.

 

What a fantastic game and start to the season for Suter. I guess he is another must follow on the link report form now on

[WV Brew]

Suter's ERA actually went UP with that game. Wow.

[TheCrew07]

Does anyone have a scouting report on Suter? I see he is a tall and lanky left hander. Is he worth getting excited about; is his stuff good enough?

 

He hasn't made the BA top 30 for the Brewers since being drafted in 2012. He didn't spend enough time in WI for me to see ever see him pitch in person.

 

Here's a statistical analysis of him.

 

Disciples of Uecker draft report:

Round 31. LHP Brent Suter (Harvard University)

 

At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Suter has rare size for a left-handed hurler. He possesses good athleticism and was ranked as the third-best draft prospect available in the Ivy League by Baseball America this spring. He compiled a 4.36 ERA in 53.2 innings for the Crimson as a senior this year, showing very solid command of the baseball by only walking 15 batters all year.

 

The short answer to your question is that I've never seen any kind of accurate scouting report on him.

 

The long answer would be that he's probably more of your typical crafty lefty who just knows how to pitch, especially considering he's from Harvard. I'm certainly not going to tell anyone that they shouldn't be excited, like, or root for any prospect. Where does he ultimately fit? Without the benefit of watching him in person and because he doesn't generate any buzz out of prospect watchers I would guess the bullpen. If he pushes 90 MPH there is a chance he could be a Capuano or Wolf, but there's just not enough information out there to throw a projection like that on him yet.

 

edit. This question was asked last season and MH reposted his audio interview, not sure if that is still out there.

[fondybrewfan]

Thanks.

 

I imagine if he was a big lefty like that and had some horsepower behind the fastball we would have heard about him already. You never know; sometimes everything just clicks and guys with marginal stuff can turn into really good pitchers.

 

I suppose his early season performance will get more scouts looking at him; so perhaps us fans won't be clueless on this guy for too much longer.

[Mass Haas]

Brent Suter has five archived interviews from 2012 (Helena) and Brevard County (2013).

 

In the original Helena interview, Suter discusses working fast, saying goodbye to aluminum bats, and this amazing defensive play.

[Mass Haas]

Harvard to Huntsville to history: Stars' Brent Suter narrowly misses no-hitter against Mobile

By Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times

 

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Brent Suter was half-drenched from a bucket of celebratory cold water splashed on him by teammate Andy Moye, but he still stood patiently signing autographs for 15 minutes, a Harvard University grad bonding with local elementary school kids.

 

"That's Suter," said Huntsville Stars manager Carlos Subero. "That's a kid that you can't stop pulling for."

 

On Wednesday afternoon, an energetic crowd of 2,426, mostly school children on a sun-splashed field trip, were pulling for Suter to make history. For eight innings, he owned a no-hitter; the only base-runner he allowed, on a walk, he immediately picked off first base.

 

But leading off the ninth, Mobile's Raywilly Gomez threw cold water onto Suter's no-hitter, slapping a worm-punishing single up the middle. Nonetheless, Huntsville went on to win 4-1, improving its record to 12-8, though winning only two of five in the series against the BayBears. The Stars open a 10-game road trip at Tennessee on Thursday.

 

"I felt good. I was just focused on executing the pitch (to Gomez) and I looked down for a split-second, and he..." Suter was relating in a post-game interview when, once again, he looked down for a split-second. That's how he missed Moye - who lost a no-hit bit with one out in the ninth last July 3 -- sneaking up behind with the water bucket.

 

Surprised, elated and jolted by the cold, Suter took a few seconds to regain his composure before acknowledging, "It was a little deflating. But it gave the team a chance to win."

 

Reliever Arcenio Leon saved the win, though he did allow the inherited runner to score.

 

Suter is a lanky, 6-5 lefthander from Cincinnati's athletic powerhouse, Moeller High. He was drafted out of Harvard in the 31st round in the 2012 draft, something of a "legacy pick." Harvard alum Steffan Wilson, a former Huntsville first baseman who hit an epic playoff game homer in his Stars' debut in 2009, is now a Milwaukee scout and urged the Brewers to sign him.

 

Suter hasn't thrown a no-hitter, nor has he even gotten as close as he did Wednesday. Maybe that's why he didn't know he was supposed to go hide in the corner of a dugout in solitude, as is tradition, rather than what he did.

 

"In the dugout I was relaxed, talking to the guys. I was loose in there, trying to keep the energy level up," he said.

 

That's Suter, too.

 

"The energy and the aura that he brings to this team is amazing," pitching coach Chris Hook said. "In everything he does, it's 'I'm here to win.' It's contagious."

 

There is a joy in watching Suter, especially for the impatient. He works exceptionally quick.

 

"I pretty much developed that in college," he said. "I don't have spectacular stuff by any means. My calling card is just attacking the hitter, tempo-wise and strike-wise. Our motto in college was 'Work quick, throw strikes and attack the zone.'"

 

"The kid knows what he's got and knows how to work with it," Subero said. "He's the definition of a pitcher."

 

"You look at a no-hitter or near-no-hitter and think that's the top of what he can do," Hook said. "But he can do that every time. This is a sense of normalcy. .. The pace just forces hitters into the box and then he makes pitches and he never makes a mistake to the hitter's advantage. And he changes speeds so well."

 

The Stars finally broke the shutout in the seventh against reliever Bradin Hagens after starter Bryan Woodall pitched six innings of three-hit ball.

 

Adam Weisenburger sliced a double down the right field line, then moved to third as Nick Shaw beat out a bunt single. Then it was time for Suter's at-bat.

 

"We're all baseball people," Subero said. "We know it's a rare thing when you see a kid that has an opportunity (for a no-hitter). The human side takes over. But you've still got to be a manager. You can pull for the human kid, but the manager knows there's a ball game to be won."

 

But Subero left Suter in to bunt, a scenario eased when Shaw swiped second. But Suter walked on four pitches, then D'Vontrey Richardson poked a 2-2 pitch past diving third baseman Jake Lamb. Greg Hopkins followed with a single off the glove of second baseman Garrett Weber for a 2-0 lead. Shawn Zarraga walked in a run, then Jason Rogers made it 4-0 on a short sacrifice fly to right.

 

For Education Day at Joe W. Davis Stadium, this was history repeating itself.

 

It bore an uncanny resemblance to May 11, 2007, another Education Day, this time with 7,732 in the park. Three Stars pitchers - Lindsay Gulin, Corey Thurman and Marino Salas - worked that day against Mobile and Salas was one strike away from completing a no-hitter.

 

Manager Don Money had the tough decision that day to remove Gulin after five. Subero was facing that prospect with Suter, especially as his pitch count approached triple-digits.

 

Laughed Subero, if it had come down to the pitch count, "I told Chris you're going to pull him, not me."

 

Huntsville Stars' Brent Suter accommodates young fans after his near-miss no-hitter bit Wednesday afternoon (Mark McCarter photo)

 

http://imgick.al.com/home/bama-media/width620/img/sports_impact/photo/14764605-mmmain.jpg

[Mass Haas]

Final: @Huntsville 4, Mobile 1

 

Suter Fires a 1-Hitter In Stars Win

 

Huntsville, AL - Huntsville Stars' left-hander Brent Suter (3-0) took a no-hitter into the ninth inning of Wednesday's game against the Mobile BayBears. In the top of the ninth, Raywilly Gomez singled off Suter to start the inning which ended his no-hit bid. That would be the only hit that Suter allowed in eight dominant innings at Joe Davis Stadium.

 

In the top of the first, Suter struck out Justin Greene and Garrett Weber. The only blemish early on came when he walked the next batter David Peralta. After that walk, he retired the next twenty one batters up until the Gomez single in the ninth.

 

The game was scoreless until the seventh inning. Adam Weisenburger led off the seventh and doubled down the right field line against reliever Bradin Hagens (0-2). Nick Shaw then executed a bunt single. Suter drew a walk to load the bases. With the infield pulled in, D'Vontrey Richardson grounded a base hit past the diving third baseman Jake Lamb. Weisenburger scored on the single giving the Stars a 1-0 lead. Greg Hopkins then followed with an infield RBI single making it 2-0. Shawn Zarraga was then walked with the bases loaded forcing in Suter. The Stars scored their final run on a Jason Rogers sacrifice fly.

 

Suter struck out seven batters and turned things over to Arcenio Leon after he allowed the single to Gomez. The only run Mobile scored was in the ninth when Tom Belza grounded out to shortstop scoring Gomez.

 

Richardson and Hopkins finished 1-3 with an RBI, while Zarraga went 1-3 with an RBI for the victorious Stars.

 

Huntsville improves to 12-8 and remains in first place in the Southern League North standings while Mobile falls to 11-9.

 

The Stars begin a ten-game road trip Thursday night in Kodak, Tennessee against the Tennessee Smokies. RHP Tyler Cravy (2-1, 3.14) will start for the Stars while Tennessee will start RHP Ivan Pineyro (0-1, 1.15). The game can be heard starting at 6:00 PM with Steve Jarnicki on 92.9 FM, 1450 AM, and wtkiradio.com.

 

Huntsville Box Score

 

Five ground balls, seven fly ball outs, seven K's for Brent Suter...

 

Huntsville Game Log

 

Thank goodness for this --

 

Huntsville Bottom of the 7th

 

Pitching Change: Bradin Hagens replaces Bryan Woodall, batting 9th.

Adam Weisenburger doubles (1) on a fly ball to right fielder Jordan Parraz.

Nick Shaw singles on a bunt ground ball to catcher Raywilly Gomez. Adam Weisenburger to 3rd.

With Brent Suter batting, Nick Shaw steals (1) 2nd base.

Brent Suter walks.

D' Vontrey Richardson singles on a ground ball to left fielder David Peralta. Adam Weisenburger scores. Nick Shaw to 3rd. Brent Suter to 2nd.

Greg Hopkins singles on a ground ball to second baseman Garrett Weber. Nick Shaw scores. Brent Suter to 3rd. D' Vontrey Richardson to 2nd.

Shawn Zarraga walks. Brent Suter scores. D' Vontrey Richardson to 3rd. Greg Hopkins to 2nd.

Pitching Change: Kaleb Fleck replaces Bradin Hagens, batting 9th.

Jason Rogers out on a sacrifice fly to right fielder Jordan Parraz. D' Vontrey Richardson scores.

Mitch Haniger grounds into a double play, shortstop Sean Jamieson to second baseman Garrett Weber to first baseman Jon Griffin. Shawn Zarraga out at 2nd.

[Mass Haas]

As he was discussed in Tuesday's Link Report --

 

The Shawn Zarraga watch, Wednesday -- 5th career game at 1B, and the OBP went down to .535 even after a walk and single here (one RBI).

[Mass Haas]

Via Nick Cole in the Tennessean --

 

Catch him while you can: After four starts, Sounds pitcher Jimmy Nelson has lived up the billing of No. 1 prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers system.

 

Following Monday’s seven innings of shutout ball at Omaha, Nelson’s early numbers indicate he may not have much more to prove at the Triple-A level.

 

The 24-year-old improved to 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA, a .151 opponent’s batting average and 25 strikeouts in 25 innings.

 

While Manager Rick Sweet indicated he believes there is still plenty to be gained by more innings at the Triple-A level, he said Nelson has shown ability that doesn’t come around too often.

 

“I’ve had a long career and I’ve been in the game a long time and he’s got a chance to be one of the better starting pitchers that I have ever had in my career,” Sweet said. “I think very highly of him and I think he has a chance to be a very good major-league pitcher.”

[Mass Haas]

Stars' Suter loses no-no, maintains hot start

By Sam Dykstra / MiLB.com

 

It takes a certain amount of mental fortitude to handle the jump from one level to another. That's especially true about the one from Class A Advanced to Double-A -- long considered to be the biggest and hardest jump in the Minor Leagues.

 

In that sense, it doesn't hurt to have a degree from Harvard. Brewers left-hander Brent Suter owns that prized piece of academic regalia, and unsurprisingly, he has the brains to back it up.

 

"When I talked to people about moving up, they said first, 'Congratulations' and second, 'Know you're good enough to be here,'" said Suter, who went 7-9 with a 3.63 ERA last year for Brevard County. "It's a very mental game, so you have to think you belong before you actually get that feeling and start acting like it. It's very much 'fake it until you make it.'"

 

Well, it looks like the former Crimson hurler's made it.

 

Suter took a no-hitter to the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon in Double-A Huntsville's 4-1 win over Mobile. He finished with one run allowed on one hit and one walk to go with seven strikeouts across eight-plus innings and improved to 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in his first four Double-A starts.

 

The 24-year-old left-hander, who relies on a fastball-curveball-changeup mix, faced the minimum through the first eight innings of the gem. After striking out the game's first two batters, he walked David Peralta in the first but quickly erased him by picking him off at first base. He mowed through the Mobile lineup over the next five frames at which point the lack of hits hit him.

 

"It was right around the sixth inning that I felt like everything was going, and it started entering my mind," said Suter. "I think I had a pretty calm feeling about it. It was in the back of my mind, but all I was worried about was executing the next pitch. Then in the ninth, he just reached down and got it, and that was it."

 

Indeed after perfect seventh and eight frames brought his consecutive-batters-retired streak to 22, Suter gave up a groundball single to Raywilly Gomez to lead off the ninth. He was immediately lifted after 100 pitches, 67 of which went for strikes.

 

"It was honestly a little deflating," said the 6-foot-5 southpaw. "I knew [Arcenio Leon] would close the door the rest of the way, so that certainly helped. But after it got by, I knew I was being pulled. You just get so close to something that has so much excitement going with it, and yeah, it's a little deflating."

 

A wild pitch by Leon and a pair of ground outs allowed Gomez to move around the bases and score Mobile's only run, which was charged to the Huntsville starter.

 

It's an odd time when a pitcher gives up just one earned run in eight innings and his ERA actually goes up, but that was the case with Suter on Wednesday. The mark, which started the day at 1.06, nudged up to 1.08 through his first four starts (25 innings) -- good enough for a tie for third in the Southern League. He's allowed one run or fewer in each of those four outings.

 

With only 11 hits and four walks allowed, it shouldn't be a surprise that his 0.60 WHIP is tops in the Double-A circuit and seventh-lowest among all Minor League hurlers.

 

Though the results have certainly been there, Suter is brutally honest about what's made him successful in the early going.

 

"It's not my stuff, I'll say that," he said. "I don't exactly have standout stuff, but I know if I'm throwing strikes and working quickly, that's when I'm successful.

 

"My calling card is really my tempo. If I get going quickly, it keeps the defense on their toes, it hopefully keeps the hitters from getting comfortable. That's the way I'll be successful here."

 

Suter added to the Stars' cause Wednesday, going 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk and a run scored. All four Huntsville runs were scored in the seventh inning and were charged to BayBears reliever Bradin Hagens (0-2), who gave up four hits and two walks without recording an out.

 

Mobile starter Bryan Woodall didn't factor into the decision after scattering three hits, two walks and a strikeout in six scoreless frames.

 

Brent Suter struck out 97 batters in 124 innings for Class A Advanced Brevard County in 2013. (Cliff Welch/MiLB.com)

 

http://www.milb.com/assets/images/4/6/8/73111468/cuts/Suter_Wlech_92thlurk_u252u9f0.jpg

[bkrause2]

Final: Brevard County 1, Tampa 5

 

Brevard drops finale to Tampa, 5-1

By Justin Rocke / Brevard County Manatees

 

TAMPA, Fla. - In a game that featured a 24-minute delay due to a power outage at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Tampa Yankees got just enough of an offensive spark to defeat the Brevard County Manatees 5-1 in the series finale on Wednesday night.

 

The Yankees (11-8) were led offensively by their middle infielders, shortstop Cito Culver and second baseman Angelo Gumbs, who combined for five hits and three RBI.

 

Brevard County (11-8) struck first as they picked up their only run of the game against Tampa starter Dan Camarena (1-2, 3.66) in the fourth inning, but not without squandering some opportunities.

 

Catcher Cameron Garfield started the frame by trying to stretch his lead-off double into a triple, but was gunned down after a strong relay throw by Gumbs.

 

Left fielder Victor Roache followed by scorching a double to left. The 2012 first-round pick then came across to score on a single by right fielder Michael Reed, who advanced to second on the throw home. Reed was then retired for the second out of inning after being picked off second base by Camarena.

 

That was the only negative on the night for Camarena who picked up his first win of the season. The lefty allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out five, before being removed after a power surge delayed play with two outs in the top of the sixth inning.

 

Tampa would rally to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth against Manatees starter Jorge Lopez (1-2, 4.41). After two walks and a single loaded the bases, Culver ripped a single through the left side scoring Zach Wilson and Claudio Custodio to put the Yankees in front and chase Lopez from the ball game.

 

Lopez worked in and out of trouble all night as he took his second loss of the year. The right-hander surrendered just those two runs on six hits, walked three and struck out three over 4.1 innings.

 

Tampa would add one more run in the sixth and two more in the eighth against reliever Austin Ross.

 

With one out in the sixth, Gumbs singled to right and then stole second base. The second baseman would then score on a Wilson ground-rule double to right to extend the lead to 3-1.

 

Peter O'Brien led off the eighth with a double to left and was then driven home on an RBI triple into the left-center field gap by Gumbs. Wilson then drove in the game's fifth and final run with a sacrifice fly to left field.

 

Yankees reliever Tyler Webb picked up his third save of the year as he went two innings to close the door on Brevard County. The left-hander struck out four and did not allow a base runner.

 

The Manatees return home to Space Coast Stadium on Thursday night at 6:35 p.m. for the first of two home games against the Daytona Cubs (5-14). Southpaw Hobbs Johnson (1-2, 3.38) will get the call for the 'Tees against Cubs right-hander Yao-Lin Wang (0-3, 8.59).

 

 

Brevard County Box Score

 

Michael Reed had a nice night at the plate, reaching base three times with a walk and two singles. He also stole his 11th base of the year, but did get caught once as well. Cameron Garfield also had a two hit night, picking up a single and a double. Victor Roache went 1-for-4 with a double. Nathan Orf and Orlando Arcia had the other hits for the Manatees. Jorge Lopez gave up two runs on six hits in 4.1 innings. He struck out three but also walked three.

 

Brevard County Play-By-Play

 

Lopez got out of a bases loaded jam in the second

 

Tampa Bottom of the 2nd

 

Dante Bichette walks.

Peter O'Brien singles on a line drive to left fielder Victor Roache. Dante Bichette to 2nd.

Angelo Gumbs singles on a line drive to center fielder Tyrone Taylor. Dante Bichette to 3rd. Peter O'Brien to 2nd.

Zach Wilson pops into a double play, shortstop Orlando Arcia to second baseman Yadiel Rivera. Peter O'Brien doubled off 2nd.

With Cody Grice batting, Dante Bichette caught stealing home, catcher Cameron Garfield to shortstop Orlando Arcia to catcher Cameron Garfield.

 

The Manatees lone run came in the fourth, but they ran themselves out of what could have been a bigger inning

 

Brevard County Top of the 4th

 

Cameron Garfield doubles (3) on a fly ball to center fielder Jake Cave. Cameron Garfield out at 3rd, center fielder Jake Cave to second baseman Angelo Gumbs to third baseman Eric Jagielo.

Victor Roache doubles (3) on a line drive to left fielder Claudio Custodio.

Michael Reed singles on a line drive to center fielder Jake Cave. Victor Roache scores. Michael Reed to 2nd on the throw.

With Garrett Cooper batting, Michael Reed caught stealing 3rd base, pitcher Dan Camarena to third baseman Eric Jagielo to second baseman Angelo Gumbs to pitcher Dan Camarena to shortstop Cito Culver to second baseman Angelo Gumbs.

Garrett Cooper grounds out, first baseman Zach Wilson to pitcher Dan Camarena.

[TheCrew07]

Rattlers stop streak against Bees with 6-4 win

Brennan and Pena homer as Rattlers end six-game losing streak to Burlington

By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

 

BURLINGTON, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers used a combination of two home runs, speed, five solid innings of starting pitching, and six errors by their opponents to defeat the Burlington Bees 6-4 Wednesday night at Community Field. The win was the first by the Rattlers over the Bees since July 28, 2013, a streak of six straight losses.

 

Wisconsin (10-8) had scored two runs in the first two games of this series at Burlington. They surpassed that total in the first inning on Wednesday night.

 

Johnny Davis singled and stole second to start the game. Chris McFarland sent a grounder behind second that was bobbled by Burlington second baseman Kody Eaves. Davis raced for home. The throw was up the line and Davis scored. The throw was also dropped by Anthony Bemboom, the catcher for the Bees, and McFarland ran all the way to third base.

 

McFarland was still at third base with two outs. Taylor Brennan made sure McFarland would not be left there. The Rattlers third baseman launched a 3-1 pitch over the wall in left for a 2-run homer. Brennan's third home run of the year made it 3-0.

 

Rattlers starting pitcher Anthony Banda gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning, but nothing else. The lefty pitched around three walks and a wild pitch with the help of three strikeouts over five innings. It was enough for Banda to be in position to win his first win of the season.

 

That looked like a foregone conclusion when the Rattlers added a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to push their lead out to 6-1.

 

In the fourth, Rafael Neda reached on an error to start the frame. A one out walk to Angel Ortega and a force play at second on a fielder's choice by Omar Garcia had Neda at third with two away. Davis smacked his second hit of the night to right field to drive in Neda.

 

In the fifth, McFarland was hit by a pitch to start the inning. He promptly stole second base to give him ten steals in ten attempts this season. A grounder to the right side by Clint Coulter moved McFarland to third base. Jose Pena was next and he lined a 1-2 pitch just over the wall in left field for his third home run of the season. Pena's blast, his third of the season, pushed the Rattlers lead to five runs.

 

Victor Diaz kept the lead at 6-1 until the bottom of the eighth. Bemboom drove a two-run home run over the fence in right to make the score 6-3. Mark Shannon walked and stole second. Exicardo Cayones singled with two outs to drive in Shannon and Wisconsin's lead was two runs.

 

Harvey Martin came out of the bullpen in the bottom of the ninth and he set down the top third of the Burlington batting order 1-2-3 with a pair of strikeouts for his first save of the season.

 

The Timber Rattlers snapped a six game losing streak to the Bees with the win on Wednesday.

 

Burlington won the first two games of the series, but Wisconsin will have a chance to earn the split with a win in the series finale on Thursday morning.|

 

First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 11:30am. Tristan Archer (0-0, 0.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers. Burlington has Michael Clevinger (1-0, 1.98) as their scheduled starting pitcher. Tune in for the action on AM1280, WNAM or IHeartRadio starting with the pregame show at 11:10am.

 

HOME RUNS:

WIS:

Taylor Brennan (3rd, 1 on in 1st inning off Clint Sharp, 2 out)

Jose Pena (3rd, 1 on in 5th inning off Clint Sharp, 1 out)

 

BUR:

Anthony Bemboom (2, 1 on in 8th inning off Victor Diaz, 1 out)

 

WP: Anthony Banda (1-2)

LP: Clint Sharp (0-2)

SAVE: Harvey Martin (1)

 

TIME: 2:49

ATTN: 283

 

Wisconsin Boxscore

Johnny Davis' 3 for 4 effort bumped his AVE up to .308 for the season. I posted earlier this month about not being sure how well speed hits will translate towards MLB but regardless he's been extremely impressive both offensively and defensively given his very limited experience to baseball. Consider me firmly on his bandwagon.

 

Wisconsin Recap