Wed. 6/28: Full Season Clubs Return to Play; Day Off on the Island

[Jim Goulart]

Thread will be utilized for any minor league news Wednesday, lineup updates, etc.

Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores

[wiguy94]

Seems like the only roster moves we made were Jesus Rivero to Carolina, Shane Smith to Wisconsin, Luis Amaya to Biloxi. Was expecting some more moves with this being the mid-way point of the season, but maybe they are waiting for the sticky balls in Biloxi to go away before making bigger moves. 

[Joseph Zarr]

15 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Seems like the only roster moves we made was Jesus Rivero to Carolina, Shane Smith to Wisconsin, Luis Amaya to Biloxi. Was expecting some more moves with this being the mid-way point of the season, but maybe they are waiting for the sticky balls in Biloxi to go away before making bigger moves. 

15 more days. Can't happen soon enough. I'm so tired of the ongoing asterisk. Let's see what the level playing field brings. 

[Ro Mueller]

The Low-A Mudcats play at Rangers’ affiliate Down East this week, with RHP Patricio Aquino (2.35 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9.2 K/9 in 38.1 IP) starting the opening game. 3B Luke Adams comes in with an 8-game hitting streak. 

[Ro Mueller]

High-A Wisconsin is in Quad Cities this week playing the Royals’ affiliate. RHP Cameron Wagoner is trending somewhat better (4.58 ERA in last 19.2 IP), while 2B Robert Moore has a 15-game on-base streak. 

[Ro Mueller]

AA Biloxi hosts the Mississippi Braves this week, kicking off their Second Half tonight. RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez (3.02 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 11.9 K/9 in 62.2 IP) makes his 14th start of 2023. 19-year old CF Jackson Chourio (.252 AVG, .308 OBP, .416 SLG) leads the team with 18 multi-hit games. 

[wiguy94]

Unfortunately it is at Down East week again for Carolina...which I believe means no MiLBtv broadcast.

[Joseph Zarr]

I am having that "Oh, right. Down East has literally zero anything for live viewing..." moments. That pre-game excitement falls into the caverns of despair. Come awwwwwwwn, Rangers. Let's get that talented squad some coverage!😂

[Joseph Zarr]

Just now, wiguy94 said:

Unfortunately it is at Down East week again for Carolina...which I believe means no MiLBtv broadcast.

Man, I swear, you and I have some eerily identical repeat posts at literally the same moment. We are like Brewers MiLB.TV identical twins. Kind of wild!

[Jim Goulart]

Via his DSL Hitting Coach:

 

[Ro Mueller]

The AAA Sounds play at Cardinals’ affiliate Memphis this week, with RHP Caleb Boushley (4.70 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 7.4 K/9 in 67 IP) on the mound tonight. SS Brice Turang will try to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. 

[Joseph Zarr]

C Jeferson Quero just snuck a two-run 101 mph home run over the RF wall. 11th of the year. 33 RBI. Two straight games with a long ball. He sent home Chourio who had hit a hard infield single to deep SS and then stole 2B.

* BTW, for those at home: that is Quero's first HR to the opposite field all year. He's been a pull masher. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Six up and six down for RHP Cameron Wagoner. 2 K. He got away with a slightly hanging inner-half curve on his last pitch - but, it was inside 'enough' and against a struggling hitter. Let's remember here: amidst Wagoner's ongoing improvements on the hill he has only been given 2 runs of support over his last 4 outings. The offense has to start doing something for him.

[Joseph Zarr]

It's over 100 F in Biloxi. RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez is just missing the zone early. By an inch here and there. He's walked two and given up a broken bat flare to shallow right center. Bases juiced. Nobody out. A familiar scenario in recent starts for Rodriguez, unfortunately. He's already walked 3. The ump is giving him nothing on the outside corner. Very tight zone.

[Joseph Zarr]

This is now two consecutive starts where Rodriguez has really started to pound his change-up into the mix. He grabs his second K on 3 straight off-speed deliveries. Works two on the inner half and comes back for the dipping low away swinging miss on the lefty. Just as he's starting to adjust to the tacked balls with his off-speed they're going to take it away. It's ridiculous. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Hey now, the T-Rats have plated three runs in the 3rd the old fashioned way - ground balls; squibblers; and sac flies. We'll take it! 3-0. Two down. Men on 1st and 2nd base. And just like that, they score a fourth run on a weak bloop flare to RF by INF Ben Metzinger. Martinez Jr. rips a drillber through the gap between 2B and 1B. It's now 5-0. This is a reach the bat out and poke it inning. Good things are happening for the good guys.

[Joseph Zarr]

OF Terence Doston has just sent across another run with his 2nd walk of the inning. That's 25% of his yearly walk total. 😂

[Joseph Zarr]

3rd K for Rodriguez. He's retired 4 straight. All 3 K's on the change. Scratch that - he ends the 3rd with his 4th K. This one came on inside heat. 

[Joseph Zarr]

INF Eric Brown Jr. rips another warm-burner off the infield grass with the bases juiced. He beats the rushed throw that bounces to the 1B foul territory off the wall. Two runs score. 8-0 T-Rats. Still 2 down. What a wild top of the 3rd. Meanwhile, C Jeferson Quero just took a foul ball right off the old family jewels. Yowwwwwch!

[Joseph Zarr]

C Alex Jackson solo jack - like Quero's knock it was just over the RF wall. 1-0 Sounds. 

[Joseph Zarr]

And, just like that, INF Abraham Toro rips a double to right center and INF Mike Brosseau crushes a two-run blast over the CF wall. His third in Nashville. 3-0 Sounds. Meanwhile, on screen #3 OF Edquarqui Fernandez just took his eyes off a very lazy pop fly to RF and allows the second runner aboard the inning. That was a bad error. Nobody down. That was ugly.

[Joseph Zarr]

Rodriguez is just killing with the change-up. 5-of-6 K's on the change. Fernandez's error comes back to bite the T-Rats as that lead runner just scored on a karmic weak grounder through the right side of the infield. Men on 1st and 2nd. One down. 8-1 T-Rats.

[Joseph Zarr]

Good gracious, the T-Rats gloves are just letting Wagoner down. After Fernandez's botched routine fly, INF Eric Brown Jr. just let an extremely weakly hit ball up the middle right under his glove. That was to leave the inning. Wagoner deserves so much better this inning. This entire innings is playing like a DSL/ACL affair. Weak contact. Really poor defense. It's only fitting during the next batter after Wagoner gets the swing and miss on a very nice swooping slider, C Alex Hall throws late and into CF. The runner advances to 3rd. Someone help these young men get out of the inning. Yikes.

[Joseph Zarr]

Man, Wagoner was absolutely screwed that inning. He pitched much better than that final result. The Bandits knock their fourth run across on a 50 mph infield bloop that died in the dirt. These errors, guess what: they're costly. Terrible inning for the defense. And, yet, the scorer has somehow credited Wagoner with 4 earned runs? Get outttttttta here with that nonsense. That inning should have been over three times. Merkel stops the bleeding with a bloop fly to LF on his first pitch. 8-4 T-Rats.

[Joseph Zarr]

Carlos F. Rodriguez just became the second Southern League pitcher in 2023 to reach 90 strikeouts.