Rattlers drop sixth straight game
LANSING, MI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers offense woke up late in their game with the Lansing Lugnuts on Wednesday night at Cooley Law School Stadium, but it was too late. The Timber Rattlers avoided a shutout with a ninth inning run and fell 2-1 to Lansing. The loss was the sixth straight for Wisconsin.
It didn't appear that the Timber Rattlers (36-72 overall, 13-25 second half) would have an issue with Lugnuts starting pitcher Clinton Hollon, who was making his Midwest League debut on Wednesday night. Alan Sharkey singled to start the game, but was picked off by Hollon. Blake Allemand drew a walk with one out, stole second with two outs, and Elvis Rubio drew a walk to put two runners on base. Hollon got out of the inning with a grounder.
That final out in the top of the first inning started a streak of nineteen straight Timber Rattlers retired by Hollon as he did not allow another base runner over his seven innings of work.
Lansing (63-46, 21-18) grabbed the lead in the second inning. DJ Davis tripled off the wall in right with one out. Dawel Lugo knocked in Davis with a sacrifice fly and the Lugnuts were up 1-0.
Juan Kelly started the Lansing third inning with a double. He beat the throw to third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Austin Davis to put runners on the corners with no outs. Chris Carlos sent Kelly home with a sacrifice fly to right and the Lugnuts had a 2-0 lead.
The Lugnuts threatened to add to their lead in the fifth inning against starting pitcher Jon Perrin. Lugo tripled to start the inning, but Perrin stranded him at third base with a strikeout and a pair of grounders. Perrin allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and two strikeouts. In his last two starts, Perrin has allowed three runs - two earned - over ten innings, but he is 0-2.
Nathan Kirby, who was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 40th selection of the 2015 draft, relieved for Jarrett Martin in the bottom of the seventh. Martin had tossed a perfect sixth inning in his Timber Rattlers debut, but Kirby gave up a pair of singles and a walk to the first three batters he faced in the seventh. Kirby would escape the jam with a 1-2-5 double play and a grounder back to the mound. He also pitched a scoreless eighth inning to keep the Rattlers within two runs.
Tucker Neuhaus singled with one out in the eighth inning against Lansing reliever Colton Turner for Wisconsin's first hit since Sharkey's leadoff single in the first. However, Neuhaus was erased on an inning-ending double play.
Turner retired the first two batters in the top of the ninth, but could not close out the game. Blake Allemand doubled to left-center to keep the inning alive. Carlos Leal extended his hitting streak to four games with an RBI single and pull the Rattlers to within a run.
Both teams made changes before Rubio got a chance to hit in the ninth. The Rattlers sent Omar Cotto to first as a pinch runner for Leal. The Lugnuts brought Carlos Ramirez into the game as a reliever for Turner.
Rubio worked the count full before drawing a walk against Ramirez and moving Cotto into scoring position with the tying run. But, Francisco Castillo grounded out to short on the first pitch of his at bat and the throw to first was in time to close out the game.
Wisconsin has been outscored 30-4 in their last six games.
The final game of the series is set for Thursday night. Angel Ventura (5-5, 3.20) is the scheduled starter for the Rattlers. Conor Fisk (2-2, 4.38) is set to start for the Lugnuts. Game time is 6:05pm CDT. The action may be heard on AM1280, WNAM starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 5:45pm. The broadcast is also available on Tune In Radio and IHeartRadio.
WP: Clinton Hollon (1-0)
LP: Jon Perrin (1-3)
TIME: 2:07
ATTN: 2,582