Estes Shuts Down Wisconsin

GRAND CHUTE, WI – Joey Estes took the mound for the Lansing Lugnuts at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium just over 24 hours after the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers tagged Lugnuts pitchers for thirteen runs on fifteen hits. Estes tossed six shutout innings, walked one, hit one, and struck out six in a 6-1 win over the Rattlers on Thursday night.

Click here for the boxscore of this game

Lansing (48-69 overall, 23-28 second half) took the lead in the top of the second with an unearned run. Brayan Buelvas singled with one out and went to third on an errant pickoff throw. Hansen Lόpez drove in Buelvas with grounder.

Lawrence Butler walked, stole second, and went to third on a balk in the top of the third. Shane McGuire drove in Butler with a sacrifice fly and the Rattlers were down 2-0.

Wisconsin (60-56, 24-27) had a threat going in the top of the fifth inning against Estes. Joe Gray Jr walked and Eduardo García reached on an infield single, the only hit for the Rattlers off Estes in the game. A sacrifice bunt by Jose Acosta moved the runners into scoring position. Estes kept the Rattlers off the scoreboard with a strikeout and a foul pop to end the inning.

García doubled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh against reliever TJ Czyz but was left stranded.

Reliever Zach Mort held the line for four innings of relief, and he struck out seven. However, the Lugnuts got to Mort and extended their lead in the eighth.

Zach Mort strikeout 7 batters in 4.1 innings of long relief tonight 👏 #tratnation #timberrattlers pic.twitter.com/eLztJGqEfG

— Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (@TimberRattlers) August 26, 2022

Butler turned a single into a double with some hustle to open the inning. A sacrifice bunt moved Butler to third base. McGuire singled to drive in Butler. Another single chased Mort from the game.

Reliever Miguel Guerrero was greeted with a bloop single to center by Joshwan Wright to load the bases. Guerrero got the second out on a popup but allowed a two-run single to Shahid Valenzuela.

McGuire added his third RBI of the game with a run-scoring double in the top of the ninth inning for a 6-0 lead.

The Rattlers avoided the shutout with a run in the bottom of the ninth. Wes Clarke singled and Miller walked with one out against reliever Calvin Coker. García lined a single to center with two outs to score Clarke. Coker got the final out on a flyout to left.

García had three of Wisconsin’s four hits. García also had three hits and an RBI on Wednesday afternoon. He is 6-for-9 with two RBI in the last two games of the series.

Miller was hit by a pitch for the twentieth time this season when he was plunked in the fifth inning. Miller is one shy of the Timber Rattlers record for being hit by a pitch in a season. Brandon Macias (2012) and Clint Coulter (2014) were both hit by pitches 21 times in a season.

Game four of the series is Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Israel Puello (1-3, 6.21) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers. Jake Walkinshaw (3-1, 3.97) is set to start for the Lugnuts. Game time is 6:40pm.

The Timber Rattlers put on their Los Cascabeles de Wisconsin jerseys for the final time this season when they host this game. The auction for these jerseys is live at this link and you may make your bid until the evening of Sunday, August 28. The first 500 fans to attend this game will receive the Cascabeles Bobbleboy Bobblehead from Opening Night courtesy of Asphalt Seal & Repair and Pepsi, too.

Fans of legal drinking age may purchase Arty’s Supper Club Cocktails for half-price as part of a Supper Club Friday from Arty’s and 101.1 WIXX once they are inside. Johnson Financial Group presents postgame fireworks, and after the fireworks, children twelve and under may run the bases courtesy of Menasha Corporation.

If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, the radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and internet audio starting at 6:20pm. The game is also available on MiLB.tv for subscribers.