The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers lost 4-1 to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The loss put the Timber Rattlers on the verge of elimination in their playoff race with the Peoria Chiefs.
Cedar Rapids (82-46 overall, 42-20 second half) pounced on several miscues by the Rattlers in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Noah Miller reached second on a dropped flyball to left to open the game. A passed ball allowed him to take third. A wild pitch by Aaron Ashby, who was on his second rehabilitation start from the Milwaukee Brewers, allowed Miller to score the first run of the game.
In the top of the second, Ashby retired the first two batters he faced before walking Kyler Fedko. That ended Ashby’s day as he had reached his pitch limit.
Cameron Wagoner took over for Ashby and gave up a single and a walk to load the bases. Then, Emmanuel Rodriguez singled to center to score two runs for a 3-0 lead.
Ashby was charged with two runs – one earned – on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts over 1-2/3 innings. He threw 33 pitches with sixteen for strikes.
Wisconsin (58-68, 32-30) managed one hit over five innings against Cedar Rapids starter Cory Lewis. Eduardo García singled with one out in the fifth. An error on a force play allowed the Rattlers to have two on with one out, but Lewis escaped the jam with a popout, and a successful force play to maintain the 3-0 lead.
Brock Wilken singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning against reliever Mike Paredes to extend his current hitting streak to eleven games. Then, rain halted play for nearly two hours.
Hendry Mendez set the Rattlers up with a single when the game restarted to put runners at first and second. Darrien Miller knocked in Wilken with a two-out single to get the Rattlers on the scoreboard. Miller tried to advance as the throw to the plate got away from catcher Nick Cossetti. However, the ball didn’t get far enough away from Cossetti and Miller was out by a wide margin to end the inning.
Wagoner and reliever Nick Merkel kept the Kernels in check by retiring sixteen hitters in a row. The streak was snapped when Noah Miller tripled with one out in the eighth. Merkel was able to escape that jam with a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to left.
In the bottom of the eighth, Eric Brown Jr reached on an error to start the inning, but he was left stranded.
Javier Salas added to the Cedar Rapids lead with a one-out, solo home run in the top of the ninth inning.
The Rattlers made the Kernels sweat a little bit in the bottom of the ninth when Miller singled and García reached on a fielder’s choice with one out to bring the tying run to the plate. Then, Jarret Whorff, who got the final out of the eighth inning, got a popup and a strikeout to end the game for his third save.
The loss also all but ended Wisconsin’s playoff chances as the Peoria Chiefs now have a magic number of one. If Peoria wins their home game tonight against the Beloit Sky Carp, the Chiefs will clinch the second half West Division playoff spot and a date with the Cedar Rapids Kernels in the first round of the Midwest League playoffs.
Game three of the series between the Rattlers and Kernels is Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Joe Hernandez (2-3, 3.98) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. CJ Culpepper (2-1, 3.58) is set to start for the Kernels. Game time is 6:40pm.
