(TIMBER RATTLERS) COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers opened their twelve-game road trip with a solid 5-2 victory over the West Michigan Whitecaps at LMCU Ballpark on Tuesday night. Wisconsin lowered their magic number for clinching the team’s first playoff spot since 2016 to five with the win thanks to a mixture of clutch pitching, big hits, and solid defense.
West Michigan (29-29) loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second inning on a single and back-to-back walks. Rattlers starting pitcher Mark Manfredi escaped the inning with a force play at second to keep the game scoreless.
The game was not scoreless long after that. Eduarqui Fernández launched a lead-off home run to left-center to start the third inning and the Rattlers were in front. Fernández has five homers for the Timber Rattlers this season.
They were not in front for long. Seth Stephenson reached on a bunt single, stole second, and went to third on an error to start the inning. Manfredi hit the next batter to put runners on the corners. Max Anderson tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
Wisconsin manager Victor Estevez was ejected moments later after a dispute over whether Manfredi had hit Stephen Scott or the knob of Scott’s bat. The umpires rule a hit batsman. Estevez disagreed and was ejected from the game by plate umpire Brandon Schmitt. Manfredi was able to get out of the inning by retiring the next two batters.
The Timber Rattlers (37-21) went back in front in the top of the fourth. Luke Adams lined a homer to deep center. His fifth homer of the season gave Wisconsin a 2-1 lead.
Whitecaps reliever Erick Pinales walked the first three Wisconsin batters he faced in the top of the fifth inning. Jadher Areinamo drove in one run with a fielder’s choice. Pinales balked in the second run of the inning for a 4-1 advantage.
Manfredi settled in and worked around a two-out single in the fourth and a one-out triple in the fifth to keep the Whitecaps off the scoreboard. That put him in line for his third win of the season
Reliever Stiven Cruz allowed the first two Whitecaps to reach on a walk and a single in bottom of the sixth. However, he got a 5-4-3 double play and a strikeout to end the inning.
Cruz was not as fortunate in the seventh, but he – and the Rattlers still got a huge break thanks to the arm of Fernández in right. Stephenson walked on four pitches and stole second again to start the inning. Danny Serretti singled to right to drive in Stephenson. Serretti decided to go for a double. He lost his gamble as Fernández threw to Areinamo covering second base and Serretti was out. Instead of the tying run at the plate with no outs for the Whitecaps, they had none on with one out. That opening allowed Cruz to navigate the inning with no more damage on a foul pop and a grounder to short.
The Rattlers added an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning. Adams tripled to start the frame. Matt Wood drove in Adams with a single and the Rattlers were up 5-2.
That was more than enough for Will Childers, who rejoined the Rattlers from Biloxi earlier in the day, to close out the game. Childers walked two over two scoreless, hitless innings for his second save of the season with Wisconsin.
Adams is on a six-game hitting streak. Dylan O’Rae had a single and walked twice to extend his own hitting streak to six games and his on-base streak to 22 games.
In the first-half West Division playoff race, Wisconsin maintained their 3-1/2 game lead over the second place Cedar Rapids Kernels. Cedar Rapids won 15-7 at Lansing on Tuesday night. There are eight games remaining in the first half.
Game two of the series is Wednesday evening at LMCU Ballpark. Tate Kuehner (2-1, 3.71) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. The Whitecaps have named Colin Fields (1-3, 3.55) as their starter. Game time is 5:35pm CDT.
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