Thurs. 9/14: They Got This - Do-or-Die for Mudcats; Shuckers Must Win 3-of-4

[wiguy94]

Rivero just can't get pitches in the strike zone. He gave up and RBI groundout and walked another hitter. Runners on the corners and 1 out. Carolina up 5-1. Mudcats are bringing in Yerlin Rodriguez. I am guessing they hoped they could make it through today without using Yerlin after going up 5-0, but Rivero's lack of command had other plans.

[wiguy94]

Areinamo with another poor defensive play according to Greg Young and the Wood Ducks get a run scoring infield single. It's 5-2 with 1 out in the 8th....and there's a wild pitch on the first pitch to the next hitter. It's now runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Yerlin Rodriguez gives up a single to CF...it's 5-4 Mudcats now with the tying run at 1B. The Mudcats are dangerously close to blowing a 5-0 lead in the 8th inning.

[wiguy94]

3rd wild pitch of the inning and the tying run is on 2B. Carolina breaths a deep sigh of relief. Wood Ducks hit a liner at Areinamo and he doubles off the runner that just advanced to 2B on a wild pitch. Inning over. Carolina just barely hanging on at 5-4.

[wiguy94]

Mudcats go 1-2-3 in the Top of the 9th. It's 5-4 Mudcats. 

[brewmann04]

 Dry dissapointed in Biloxi 

[wiguy94]

I've been commenting on the MLB game thread lol. Oops. Guilarte booted a routine grounder to SS with 2 outs in the 9th and it's 5-5. The Mudcats have absolutely choked this game away in the 8th and 9th.

[wibadgers23]

The Shuckers will need to win the final three games of the series to overtake Montgomery and advance to the playoffs.

[wiguy94]

Mudcats get 1 run in the top of the 10th although they lost Jesus Chirinos to injury in the process. Yujanyer Herrera in to pitch the top of the 10th. Barrios in as a defensive replacement for Guilarte and Hall in at 1B for Chirinos. Bottom of the 10th opens up with a groundout that brings the Manfred runner to 3B.

[wiguy94]

MUDCATS WIN!!! Yujanyer Herrera gives up a flyball to Mercado in RF. The runner tags for home and is safe BUT the Mudcats throw over to 3B and the runner is ruled out for leaving 3B early!!! MUDCATS HAVE FORCED A GAME 3!

[Joseph Zarr]

Boy the Shuckers offense appears to have been unlucky early and then they got 'that' version of RHP Christian Mejias. Just happy they are on to Myers and Shook who will give them much much better odds to force a must win final game 6. Tough sledding, but then again this Biscuits team has been very good for awhile now so these kinds of results shouldn't be all that surprising. Two good teams playing for it all. They've played to a 0.500 record coming into this series. It's going to take the Shuckers best and most crips baseball of their season to win three straight against this very good Rays affiliate.

[Joseph Zarr]

So INF Cam Devanney with another free pass tonight and no swing and miss punch out. One of the more intriguing developments of his 2023 season, by my eyes, is his massive adjustments at the plate from his history (just last season) of disproportionate swing and miss. His wily and extremely savvy reach poke flare RBI single to LF in a well-worked 2-2 count earlier this week at Charlotte was a thing of beauty. It speaks to a young man who is evolving his game even though he has plenty of gap power to be a swing-and-miss HR swing hitter. This is really really intriguing. 

His K:BB ratio on the season is now 65:41. Just last season it was 110:48. The year prior 94:31. This is a massive change in pitch recognition and approach. We are now in four straight months of really disciplined AB's. This is a big under the radar story (for me) in 2023. Couldn't be happier for the young man. He's an extremely worthy utility call-up MLB candidate at some point in the future.

[Joseph Zarr]

In the past week the Sounds have leap-frogged 4 teams in the International League standings. They are now first place in their division. AND, yet, they have not gained a single game on absurdly red hot Durham who continue to lead them by 5.5 G. It's now just annoying. 😂 And, now Montgomery is on the doorstep of kicking the Shuckers to the grandstands to watch the playoffs in the Southern League cheap seats. Salty. It just makes for a salty taste.

[brewmann04]

Hate to see Biloxi going down this way but just maybe