Midwest League notebook

Beloit Snappers (Minnesota Twins)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Snappers are 17-17 in the second half and in fourth place in the Western Division.

WHO'S HOT: OF Ben Revere tied for sixth among league batting leaders last week, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with three RBIs and two runs scored in five games. In 69 games this season he's batting .399 (113-for-283) with 17 doubles, nine triples, 39 RBIs and 42 runs scored.

WHO'S NOT: LHP Michael Tarsi dropped to 4-11 with a 5.67 ERA after being tagged with a pair of losses last week. In 21 games (including 20 starts) he has allowed 84 runs (71 earned) on 151 hits (including 12 home runs) over 112 2/3 innings.

OLYMPIC GLORY: RHP Loek Van Mil left the team last week to represent his country -- the Netherlands -- in next month's Beijing Olympic Games. Van Mil (2-2, 3.22 ERA) is not expected to return to the Snappers until the last week of the season.

DID YOU KNOW: The 7-foot-1 Van Mil has struck out 42 batters while issuing 25 walks in 28 relief appearances. He was signed by the Twins as a non-drafted free agent in 2005. He and 5-foot-3 teammate Chris Cates are the tallest and shortest players in baseball.

ROSTER MOVES: RHP Shooter Hunt, the Twins' supplemental first-round pick and the 31st overall selection in the June Draft, joined the Snappers last week after going 0-0 with a 0.47 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 19 innings for the Rookie-level Elizabethton Twins. He struck out nine batters in his debut against Wisconsin on Saturday. ... IF Yangervis Solarte was received from Class A Advanced Fort Myers to fill Van Mil's roster spot. In 42 games with the Miracle, he hit .259 with three home runs and 16 RBIs.

Burlington Bees (Kansas City Royals)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Bees are 20-14 in the second half and in second place in the Western Division.

WHO'S HOT: OF Nick Van Stratten extended his hitting streak to a team season-high 18 games through Sunday. In 21 games with Burlington, Van Stratten is batting .365 (27-for-74) with eight doubles, a triple, a home run, 10 RBIs and 11 runs scored.

WHO'S NOT: SS Juan Rivera is batting just .167 (4-for-24) over his last seven games. In 36 games with the Bees, he's batting a mere .202 (24-for-119) with 21 strikeouts and seven errors.

HOMER HAPPY: Bees batters bashed five home runs, including a grand slam by C Ryan Eigsti, in a 14-7 romp over visiting Cedar Rapids on Thursday.

DID YOU KNOW: Burlington matched a season-best five-game winning streak before losing to host South Bend, 3-2, in 12 innings Sunday afternoon.

Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Kernels are 16-18 in the second half and in sixth place in the Western Division.

WHO'S HOT: Andrew Romine ranked fourth in the league in hitting last week at .480 (12-for-25) with five runs scored and two RBIs in six games. His 12 hits paced the league.

WHO'S NOT: LHP Trevor Reckling was rocked for nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings to take the loss in a 14-7 defeat by Burlington on Thursday. The Bees hit five home runs in the game, including a grand slam.

DID YOU KNOW: OF Jeremy Moore's sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning Saturday not only snapped a tie and handed the Kernels a 2-1 victory over West Michigan, but halted Cedar Rapids' season-high eight-game losing streak as well.

Clinton LumberKings (Texas Rangers)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The LumberKings have gone 2-8 over their last 10 games to drop to 17-18 in the second half, good for sixth place in the Western Division.

WHO'S HOT: IF/OF Mitch Moreland leads the league with 71 RBIs, just three more than teammate Jonathan Greene, who ranks second with 68. But Moreland is also batting .315 (106-for-336) with 29 doubles, four triples and 12 home runs. He also owns as many walks as strikeouts (43).

WHO'S NOT: OF Kyle Murphy is batting .071 (7-for-39) over his last six games to drop his average to .195 (11-for-56) with 20 strikeouts in 18 games. ... RHP Keisuke Ueno dished up a league-high-tying three home runs last week to give him five long balls allowed in 18 appearances.

DID YOU KNOW: The LumberKings lead the Midwest League in several statistical categories: runs (517), hits (952), RBIs (466), total bases (1,453), slugging percentage (.413), batting average (.270) and OPS (.749).

Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Dragons are 21-14 in the second half and in second place in the Eastern Division.

WHO'S HOT: SS Zachary Cozart ranked third among league batting leaders last week, hitting .526 (10-for-19) with a home run, six RBIs and five runs scored in six games. In 75 games this season he's batting .281 (78-for-278) with 12 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs and 35 RBIs. ... RHP Matthew Klinker tied for the league lead with 12 strikeouts in 13 innings last week. On the season he is 6-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) and has 76 strikeouts over 105 innings.

WHO'S NOT: OF Brandon Menchaca is batting a mere .185 (5-for-27) over his last seven games with 53 strikeouts in 45 games overall.

BASE-BRAWL: A bench-clearing brawl with Dayton made national headlines last Thursday and resulted in record suspensions and one arrest. Nine Dragons and seven Chiefs were ejected before Midwest League president George Spelius was forced to reinstate them for the purpose of finishing the game -- a 6-5 Dayton victory. The worst punishment came down on Peoria RHP Julio Castillo, who was arraigned on felony assault charges Friday after firing a ball toward the Dayton dugout that struck a fan.

DID YOU KNOW: Dayton is the only Midwest League team that boasts an overall record over .500 yet has a losing record in divisional play at 8-11.

Fort Wayne Wizards (San Diego Padres)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Wizards are 7-3 over their last 10 games to improve to 17-18 in the second half, good for fifth place in the Eastern Division.

WHO'S HOT: RHP Jackson Quezada made his Midwest League-leading 46th appearance Sunday and collected his league-leading 21st save after preserving a 3-2 win over Peoria. In 45 appearances this season he is 2-3 with a 2.22 ERA. He also owns 57 strikeouts over 48 2/3 innings compared to 16 walks.

WHO'S NOT: C Ali Solis has just one hit in his last three games and is batting .169 (15-for-89) with 30 strikeouts in 27 games.

BATS ALIVE: After letting an early two-run lead slip away in a 7-2 loss to Kane County on Friday, host Fort Wayne was determined not to let the same thing happen Saturday. The Wizards collected a season-high 20 base hits in a 13-1 route of Peoria.

DID YOU KNOW: Saturday's 20 hits (a home run, four doubles and 15 singles) were just two short of the franchise record of 22 hits in one game, set April 29, 1998 at Lansing.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Twenty hits is a lot in eight innings," Wizards manager Doug Dascenzo told the Journal Gazette. "They were aggressive on the base paths early and the tempo and the pace of it all was a big factor. They swung the bats great. It's a true statement -- hitting is contagious. Right now, it's all coming together."

Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Loons are 13-22 in the second half and in sixth place in the Eastern Division.

WHO'S HOT: OF Andrew Lambo is batting .275 (11-for-40) with three home runs, six runs scored and four RBIs over his last 10 games. In 97 games this season he's hitting .292 (109-for-373) with 26 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 66 RBIs.

LONG BALL NOT ENOUGH: The host Loons hit a season-high-tying three home runs Saturday, including two by C Kenley Jansen, but still lost, 8-4, to Quad Cities. ... The Loons committed a season-high five errors July 21 in a 7-1 loss to Peoria.

ROSTER MOVES: Following the tough loss, LHP Victor Garate and RHP Anthony Tomey were each promoted. Garate joined Class A Advanced Inland Empire, while Tomey was called up to Double-A Jacksonville. Garate was 6-3 with a 1.85 ERA and ranked fourth in the Midwest League with 103 strikeouts. In four appearances Tomey, who joined the Loons on July 11 after beginning the season with Double-A Erie in the Tigers' organization, was 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA.

DID YOU KNOW: Word of last Thursday's headline-making brawl between Peoria and Dayton spread quickly around the league, prompting several managers to give their thoughts on the fight that quickly got out of hand. In the end, 16 players were ejected, including Peoria RHP Julio Castillo, who was arrested after the fight for hitting a fan with a ball he threw toward the Dayton dugout.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I've never seen a pitcher do that in a fight. ... He got what he deserved," Loons pitching coach Danny Darwin told the Saginaw News. "To bring a ball into a fight, to throw that ball ... that's a weapon. It would be like a hitter bringing a bat to the fight."

Kane County Cougars (Oakland A's)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Cougars are 13-21 in the second half and in seventh place in the Eastern Division.

WHO'S HOT: OF Todd Johnson is batting .381 (16-for-42) over his last 10 games with a home run, seven runs scored and 12 RBIs. In 73 games this season, he's hitting .277 (76-for-274) with 19 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 34 runs scored and 45 RBIs.

WHO'S NOT: OF/2B Larry Cobb is batting just .143 (5-for-35) over his last nine games. ... OF Adam Klein is batting .091 (2-for-22) over his last eight games.

DID YOU KNOW: Kane County and Peoria will meet Tuesday on hallowed ground at historic Wrigley Field to play a Midwest League game. The idea of a Minor League game gained steam in the spring when Kane County manager Aaron Nieckula first heard word of it during a pregame home-plate meeting with Peoria manager Ryne Sandberg.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "To experience playing on a big league field, some guys never get that opportunity," Kane County 2B Jemile Weeks, brother of Milwaukee Brewers 2B Rickie Weeks, told MLB.com. "To be able to do that now, so early in a career, for some guys, at least you can say you did that."

Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto Blue Jays)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Lugnuts are 20-15 in the second half and in third place in the Eastern Division.

WHO'S HOT: LHP Brian Letko surrendered just one run on four hits while using only 89 pitches in a 6-1 complete-game win over Quad Cities on Thursday. In just his 16th professional start, Letko struck out four, walked just one and induced four inning-ending double plays, including one to end the game. He is 2-2 with a 3.62 ERA in eight games (six starts) this season.

WHO'S NOT: LHP Chi-Hung Cheng was tagged for nine runs (five earned) on seven hits over just 4 1/3 innings Friday in a 13-4 loss to Quad Cities. The Taiwan native gave up six runs in the first inning alone as well as two home runs later in the game.

DID YOU KNOW: The River Bandits exploded for six first-inning runs on their way to handing Lansing its worst home loss of the season Friday in front of 11,313 fans at Oldsmobile Park. SS Justin Jackson finished 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs. He also extended his hitting streak to 10 games with multiple hits over his last six games.

Peoria Chiefs (Chicago Cubs)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Chiefs are 21-14 and in first place in the Western Division.

BASE-BRAWL: A bench-clearing brawl with Dayton on Thursday made national headlines last week and resulted in record suspensions and one arrest. Nine Dragons and seven Chiefs players were ejected before Midwest League president George Spelius was forced to reinstate them for the purpose of finishing the game -- a 6-5 Dayton victory. The worst punishment came down on Peoria RHP Julio Castillo, who was arraigned on felony assault charges Friday after firing a ball toward the Dayton dugout that struck a fan.

DID YOU KNOW: Peoria will meet Kane County on Tuesday on hallowed ground at historic Wrigley Field to play a Midwest League game. The idea of a Minor League game gained steam in the spring when Kane County manager Aaron Nieckula first heard word of it during a pregame home-plate meeting with Peoria manager Ryne Sandberg.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It's going to be unbelievable, especially for a lot of these guys who are a lot younger than I am," RHP Jon Mueller, 24, told MLB.com. "A lot of them are fresh out of the Draft the last two years. To get the opportunity to play on the field, just get the feeling, it's going to be an amazing experience."

WRONG SIDE OF THE RECORD BOOKS: Peoria suffered its worst loss in over a year when the Chiefs allowed 20 hits in a 13-1 loss to Fort Wayne on Saturday in the opening contest of a three-game series. The Chiefs last allowed more than 20 hits on July 4, 2005 when Kane County pounded out 26 hits in a 21-2 victory. The 13 runs were the most allowed by the Chiefs this season, surpassing the 12 scored by Clinton on May 11.

Quad Cities River Bandits (St. Louis Cardinals)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The River Bandits are 19-16 in the second half and in third place in the Western Division.

WHO'S HOT: OF Aaron Luna is batting .273 (6-for-22) with three home runs, four runs scored and five RBIs over his last seven games. ... OF Thomas Pham is batting .294 (10-for-34) with two home runs, seven runs scored and six RBIs over his last eight games.

WHO'S NOT: OF Nicholas Peoples is batting a minuscule .105 (2-for-19) over his last six games to drop his season average to .224 (28-for-125) with 32 strikeouts in 34 games.

DID YOU KNOW: The River Bandits set season highs with 13 runs scored and a nine-run margin of victory in a 13-4 win over host Lansing on Friday.

TOUGH LOSS: LHP Nick Additon tossed seven one-hit innings July 21, but a solo home run by SS Lance Zawadzki in the fourth inning was enough to give Fort Wayne a 1-0 win at Modern Woodmen Park. Additon (8-4, 2.55 ERA) tossed seven strong frames while fanning six and walking two, and responded to the home run by retiring the last 12 batters he faced.

South Bend Silver Hawks (Arizona Diamondbacks)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Silver Hawks are 8-2 over their last 10 games to improve to 23-12 and remain in first place in the Eastern Division.

WHO'S HOT: Pitching in front of a large crowd from his hometown of Homer, Mich., RHP Josh Collmenter tossed seven shutout innings Wednesday in a 3-0 victory over Beloit at Coveleski Stadium to lead the Silver Hawks to their sixth consecutive win. Collmenter (11-5, 2.99 ERA) is 7-2 in his last 10 starts.

DID YOU KNOW: South Bend saw its league-leading eight-game winning streak come to a halt Saturday in a 9-2 loss to Burlington.

ROSTER MOVES: RHP Bryan Shaw and OF Ollie Linton joined South Bend from Rookie-level Missoula on Saturday. Shaw, a second-round selection in June, was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA for Missoula. Linton, a 13th-round pick last month, was hitting .246 with one home run.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Before the game, I was struggling by leaving a few pitches up in the bullpen," Collmenter told the South Bend Tribune. "My pitching coach (Erik Sabel) noticed and made a few minor adjustments to help me get the ball down to the right spots. Lately, I've had real good command of my fastball and really haven't had to throw many off-speed pitches."

West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Whitecaps are 17-17 and in fourth place in the Eastern Division.

WHO'S HOT: SS Brandon Douglas was named Midwest League Player of the Week for July 14-20 in his first week with the team. In nine games with the Whitecaps, he's batting .436 (17-for-39) with three doubles, a home run and eight RBIs.

BIG WIN: LHP Jon Kibler (10-4, 1.81 ERA) pitched seven shutout innings and the Whitecaps took a commanding 9-0 advantage after six innings in a 9-4 victory over Wisconsin on Friday to complete a sweep of the Timber Rattlers.

DID YOU KNOW: The series sweep marked West Michigan's first since a three-game sweep of Beloit on April 21-23. ... The win gave the Whitecaps three wins in a row for the first time since the first three games of July.

BATTLE OF THE BEST: Two of the top four pitchers in the Midwest League went head-to-head at Fifth Third Ballpark on Thursday. But in the end, each allowed four runs in the first five innings as the Whitecaps prevailed 8-5 over Wisconsin. The Whitecaps' RHP Alfredo Figaro, who entered the game as the league leader in wins (12-2) and ERA (1.83), earned a no-decision after allowing a season-high 10 hits over five innings in his shortest outing since April 4. Wisconsin's Michael Pineda (5-5, 2.35 ERA) also left without a decision.

ROSTER MOVES: West Michigan made several roster moves after Saturday's game. RHP Rudy Darrow was promoted to Double-A Erie, Douglas and OF Keith Stein were assigned to Class A Short-Season Oneonta, and CF Chris White and RHP Orlando Perdomo were promoted from Onetona.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Seattle Mariners)
THE SEASON SO FAR: The Timber Rattlers are 8-26 and in last place in the Western Division.

WHO'S HOT: OF Joseph Dunigan is batting a healthy .385 (15-for-39) with three runs scored and seven RBIs over his last 10 games.

WHO'S NOT: OF Denny Almonte is batting a cool .205 (9-for-44) over his last 10 games to drop his season average to .258 (64-for-248) with 96 strikeouts in 66 games. ... 3B Alex Liddi is batting just .171 (7-for-41) over his last 10 games to drop his season average to .229 (73-for-319) with 79 strikeouts in 89 games.

DID YOU KNOW: RHPs Jake Wild, Ryan Moorer and Jeff Dunbar combined on a five-hit shutout and C Blake Ochoa's RBI single in the bottom of the second inning proved the only run of the game as the Timber Rattlers topped Beloit, 1-0, on Saturday. The game marked the seventh shutout tossed by Rattler pitchers this season.