Tue. 4/9 - New Six-Game Series Begin

[Joseph Zarr]

RHp Shane Smith just gave up a fly ball two out rbi deep single to Campbell in LF. Shuckers trail 2-0. AND, Polancic just gave up an 8th inning solo shot and we are tied 1-1 in South Bend. 

[Joseph Zarr]

AND Polancic is really struggling. He has walked consecutive batters. Estevez is going to let him try and pitch his way out of his struggles. 1-1 game. And it's ball 1 to his next batter.

[Joseph Zarr]

Meanwhile Bowman came on in relief of Shane Smith with runners on the corners and walked his first batter on four pitches. Yeeesh. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Hats off to Polancic he throws a gutsy full count breaking ball to get his first out on a pop up to Adams on the dirt right of 1B. Huge pitch. Looks like Estevez is making a call to the bullpen. 1-1. One down.

Meanwhile, Mr. Brewer Hicklen just launched an oppo two run jack over the RF wall and it's 10-1 Sounds over the Red Birds.

[Joseph Zarr]

HOLY COW Luis Lara just absolutely robbed the Cubs of a lead-taking oppo smash that surely would have gone to the wall and scored one if not two. My gods what a play! Great jump. Sprinting gazelle like split leap webbing tip grab. Unreal play to keep the game tied 1-1. Two down now. I'll try to find a highlight. That was special sauce.

Hey now we have a field level highlight for you all. Unreal play that doesn't really do justice here but you get the drift:

 

[Joseph Zarr]

I can not impart to you how important and filled with winning that Luis Lara snag was. C Matt Wood lead-off double. 2B Jadher Areinamo hard chopper single up the gut and Wood beats the throw home as it skips over the catcher's glove trying to tag. 2-1 Wisconsin. Winners make winning plays. This one's for you Mr. Lara:

[Joseph Zarr]

Chirinos follows up with an 0-2 oppo smash to the warning track and it's 3-1. Love it. The T-Rats are playing fundamentally sound baseball. You love to see it and it isn't surprising with Estevez as the manager.

[Joseph Zarr]

Jose Acosta brought aboard to pinch run and he's picked off 2B before the first pitch. Talk about a long trot back to the dugout. 😅

[Joseph Zarr]

OH hey, the Sounds are leading 14-1. Noice!

[Joseph Zarr]

Acosta's silly pick-off there was costly in terms of insurance runs. He would have advanced to 3B on a grounder to 2B. And Mr. On Base Dylan O'Rae would have sent him home with an oppo liner. Instead, well, it's just another single for O'Rae. Should have been an rbi. 

[Ro Mueller]

Hopefully the storm passes and Biloxi gets a chance to come back from their late 2-0 deficit: 

 

[Joseph Zarr]

BTW, the Cubs announcers are just gushing over O'Rae and Lara. Really gushing over O'Rae - who I was gushing about back in his ACL days. I feel seen. I just feel seen. 😆

[Joseph Zarr]

RHP Yerlin Rodriguez on to the mound to try and close things out and he threw pitch one in the dirt. Pitch two was about a foot outside. BUT, his slider hit pay dirt on the outer half. Slider two mirrors slider one. Pay dirt. 2-2 count. And, slider 3 just as gorgeous gets the check swing strike as it curled off the plate. Out 1. Gorgeous array of off-speed action there.

[Joseph Zarr]

Yerlin is sitting 95-96 but the only thing hitting the zone is his slider. Heater just off. Missed with a 3-2 slider inside. A man on 1B. One down.

[Joseph Zarr]

Yerlin just touched 97 mph. AND, gets K numero dos on a 96 mph just off the outer stripe. He looks filthy. AND, this is the filthy I was routinely telling you was possible back in 2023 if he could pull it together. Robbed of strike 1 in batter 3. Runner takes 2B. Indifference - Wood clearly displeased with that blown call. Gets strike 2 on an inner stripe (to a lefty) on a 96 mph heater. 1-1 count. Misses a slider well outside - two in a row off target. 2-1. Rips a 87 breaking ball dead center upper part of the zone. Hitter looks. 2-2 count. Tries to come with high heat and it sails high and outside. Full count. He doesn't want to turn the lineup here. AND NO he doesn't he drills a breaking ball on the center upper corner. Just a gorgeous pitch. 

Folks, this is a set-up and closer at the MLB level. He just is. No doubt about it in my mind. He can rip 95-97 mph. He can bring a nasty slider. He can change that angle as a pure breaking/curve 12-6 pitch. 

T-Rats win 3-1. I absolutely LOVE this victory.

[wiguy94]

2 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

This just in: Down East is still really good. They play such good defense and they have a collective physical presence reminiscent of the physical presence of the Kernels of last year's Midwest League. THey continue to lead the Mudcats 3-0 into the 8th frame. 

Just like the Kernels they roster a bunch of overage players. Bit of a bummer playing them when Carolina is the youngest team in the league by a solid margin. Today had an 18 year old SP facing a 23 year old SP.

[Joseph Zarr]

2 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Just like the Kernels they roster a bunch of overage players. Bit of a bummer playing them when Carolina is the youngest team in the league by a solid margin. Today had an 18 year old SP facing a 23 year old SP.

Yep. AND, in the end that's just fine. It's ultimately good competition and a good barometer for the young lads. They held their own and absolutely had a meaningful bases loaded opportunity late to make a serious game of it. With that age, however, comes the seasoning. They are bigger. And, they are more fundamentally sound. Is what it is. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Both Biloxi (losing 2-0) and Nashville (winning 15-2) are called early due to inclement weather. That's a wrap. We finish our evening 2-2. Two frustrating losses in Zebulon and Missisippi. An absolute walloping in Memphis by the Sounds. A super satisfying road win for the T-Rats in South Bend.

[wiguy94]

54 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Both Biloxi (losing 2-0) and Nashville (winning 15-2) are called early due to inclement weather. That's a wrap. We finish our evening 2-2. Two frustrating losses in Zebulon and Missisippi. An absolute walloping in Memphis by the Sounds. A super satisfying road win for the T-Rats in South Bend.

Hopefully Biloxi finds the bats soon. Outside of Ernesto and Ethan Murray, who have been okay, it's been ugly. 

OPS through 4 games

Eric Brown Jr - .313

Carlos D. Rodriguez - .586

Brock Wilken - .250

Wes Clarke - .091

Ethan Murray - .688

Ernesto Martinez Jr - .732

Zavier Warren - .350

Lamar Sparks - .266

Noah Campbell - .500

They have 2 runs on 9 hits in the last 3 games and one of those runs was a Manfred runner in extra innings.

[Joseph Zarr]

1 minute ago, wiguy94 said:

Hopefully Biloxi finds the bats soon. Outside of Ernesto and Ethan Murray, who have been okay, it's been ugly. 

OPS through 4 games

Eric Brown Jr - .313

Carlos D. Rodriguez - .586

Brock Wilken - .250

Wes Clarke - .091

Ethan Murray - .688

Ernesto Martinez Jr - .732

Zavier Warren - .350

Lamar Sparks - .266

Noah Campbell - .500

They have 2 runs on 9 hits in the last 3 games and one of those runs was a Manfred runner in extra innings.

Yeah, it's been ugly in the batters box no doubt. We have historicity there, however, with EBJ; Cargo; Wilken; Clarke; and Campbell. We know Zavi is streaky. Sparks is a wildcard. Murray and Zamora, imho, are 0.750-0.800 OPS guys in the Southern League. I have faith they'll turn it around. 

[jay87shot]

2 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Yerlin just touched 97 mph. AND, gets K numero dos on a 96 mph just off the outer stripe. He looks filthy. AND, this is the filthy I was routinely telling you was possible back in 2023 if he could pull it together. Robbed of strike 1 in batter 3. Runner takes 2B. Indifference - Wood clearly displeased with that blown call. Gets strike 2 on an inner stripe (to a lefty) on a 96 mph heater. 1-1 count. Misses a slider well outside - two in a row off target. 2-1. Rips a 87 breaking ball dead center upper part of the zone. Hitter looks. 2-2 count. Tries to come with high heat and it sails high and outside. Full count. He doesn't want to turn the lineup here. AND NO he doesn't he drills a breaking ball on the center upper corner. Just a gorgeous pitch. 

Folks, this is a set-up and closer at the MLB level. He just is. No doubt about it in my mind. He can rip 95-97 mph. He can bring a nasty slider. He can change that angle as a pure breaking/curve 12-6 pitch. 

T-Rats win 3-1. I absolutely LOVE this victory.

He is also listed at 6'2" 172 so he should be around 100 when he fills out.

[Joseph Zarr]

25 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

He is also listed at 6'2" 172 so he should be around 100 when he fills out.

Certainly could sit 98-100 as he adds to his frame and rounds out in experience and off-seasons. No doubt about it. I speak to it in tomorrow's report. He's just flat out a stud.