Tue. 4/18 - Waiting on a Carlos F. Rodriguez Mound Breakout

[Jim Goulart]

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

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

[jay87shot]

It would be really nice to see CarRod put a couple solid outings together and get his name in the conversation for a call up. 

[Joseph Zarr]

In the 'Transaction Thread' HERE but worthy of a little celebration in the Game Thread. It didn't take long for our early season confoundedness to find its rightful answer:

 

[Ro Mueller]

The AAA Sounds are in Louisville this week to take on the Reds’ affiliate, with RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez (6.75 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 10.1 K/9 in 18 2/3 IP) starting tonight. 1B Tyler Black is heating up: .315 AVG, .902 OPS in 88 PAs. 

[Ro Mueller]

The 12-3 Low-A Mudcats host Red Sox affiliate Salem this week, with 18-year old RHP Manuel Rodriguez looking to build on his last start (5 IP, 1 R, 7 Ks) in tonight’s opener. 3B Juan Baez’s on-base streak is 19 games, including 5 last year. 

[Ro Mueller]

RHP Jacob Misiorowski (5.23 ERA with 15 Ks and 11 BB in 10.1 IP) gets the opening game start for AA Biloxi at Marlins’ affiliate Pensacola. 2B Freddy Zamora’s bat has been productive, lifting his season OPS to .784 in 52 PAs. 

[Ro Mueller]

High-A Wisconsin aims for a 4th straight series win to start 2024, this time at Cardinals’ affiliate Peoria. 20-year old RHP Patricio Aquino has been getting results but is looking for some Ks (2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 3.6 K/9 in 10 IP). SS Gregory Barrios (1.027 OPS in 53 PAs) leads the league with 8 doubles. 

[wiguy94]

Carlos Rodriguez with some 2023 Robert Gasser bad luck in the 1st inning. Gives up a weak hit fly ball to LF for a double that a normal OF would definitely have caught. Then gives up a weak groundball double that was a sure out until it bounced off 1B and over Black's head.

[Joseph Zarr]

Mr. Everywhere Isaac Collins just crushed an off-speed offering down and in over the RF wall to get right back in front 2-1. He went down (batting from the left in this AB) and smacked that baby well over the wall. Man, I love this young mans game. 413 feet of distance. Sure looked like that was a bit over 100 mph to boot.

[Joseph Zarr]

I see Dorrian is currently in an ongoing 0-for-20 slump. Man, for as talented as a player as Dorrian is, he definitely goes through these dry spells. Has to be frustrating for him. He just grounded out weakly to the pitcher after working an 0-2 count full.

[Ro Mueller]

4 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Mr. Everywhere Isaac Collins just crushed an off-speed offering down and in over the RF wall to get right back in front 2-1. He went down (batting from the left in this AB) and smacked that baby well over the wall. Man, I love this young mans game. 413 feet of distance. Sure looked like that was a bit over 100 mph to boot.

Thank you Colorado for seeing no future for switch-hitting LF/2B Isaac Collins after 4 seasons in your system.

[Joseph Zarr]

Really high quality Low-A pitching duel early between Carolina's Rodriguez and Salem's Wiehunt. Both men are absolutely dealing. 0-0 through 3. Wiehunt has some really nasty off-speed offerings. BT Dubbers: Rodriguez lacks a certain mark in his line through 4 IP - that kind of good outing. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Rodriguez has them loaded after a walk and consecutive very hard hit singles to LF. The bad luck in the first was returned in kind when the first smack to LF gave the Sounds a favorable bounce off the foul territory wall and held the runner at 2B. Let's see if he can escape unscathed. He's hanging pitches in the zone in this frame.

[Joseph Zarr]

AND just like that he is inaccurate out of the zone when his heater flies well inside and smacks the batter in the upper body. HBP RBI for Louisville. 2-2 game. Ugly inning. Too many of these in early 2024 for Cargo for my liking. 

[Joseph Zarr]

He hangs another one dead center cut. Ripped to Right CF. A 2-run double. 4-2 Bats. We can put lipstick on a pig (for lack of a better phrase) but Carlos' outings, almost to a T, have looked like this all too often. Way too many hangers. No zone control. 2024 very much currently a rough grind for the talented young righty. Five straight on base for him. And, he's now 2-0 to the next batter.

[Joseph Zarr]

Hangs another one dead center cut. Belt high. Two-rbi single up the middle. LOTTA hard hit hanging pitches this inning. 6-2 Bats. 

It is very fair to say, the early going in 2024 has been a major regression for the young man. Very unfortunate start to his campaign. He just has no consistency in and around the zone in entirely too many innings. Several beautiful pitches before that smashed liner up the middle. Gorgeous off-speed. Then he just absolutely hung a heater belt high.

[Joseph Zarr]

If I'm a Red Sox fan, I am super intrigued by what I'm seeing from talented 23-year-old RHP Blake Wiehunt (2023 9th Rd pick out of Kennesaw State). This is a High-A arm. 5 K through 4 IP and 1-of-2 singles was a very weakly hit ball.

[Joseph Zarr]

Rodriguez loses his 'No No' here in the 5th frame on a liner just up the middle infield past a diving Guilarte. Regardless of that knock, just a really fantastic outing for the talented righty. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Black steals 2nd (and gets minorly banged up in doing so - definitely an 'EEeeeeek!' moment. BUT he looks ok just shook up a bit). Hicklen smacks a liner into LF for the RBi and then also steals 2nd base. Hicklen is now alone atop the International League with 12 total steals. 

I'm just going to say it again re: Hicklen

Production matters. He absolutely unequivocally produces. Game in and game out. 6-3 Bats now and Collins is to the dish as the tying run after Mejias (DH tonight) walks.

[Joseph Zarr]

@Smichaelis9: Entire Mudcats lineup looking hapless vs Wiehunt all night. Nicasia just ripped a laser show liner to RF for a double on an off-speed offering down and in below the belt. AB is at 1:57:37 in the viewing fyi. He ties Diaz and Baez with four doubles on the season.

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Boeve's first Double-A hit is a line drive single up the middle to CF. Noice. Men on 1st and 2nd. One down. First frame.

[Joseph Zarr]

After failing to knock in a run with runners on 1st and 2nd base with nobody out, the Mudcats now find Salem runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody down after a fairly weak effort to corral a ball off the LF wall from OF Luis Castillo. Pretty poor positioning in both 'leaping' for the ball and the back-up CF effort who never played the bounce. Rodriguez had both batters at 0-2 counts and couldn't find the punch out pitch. Very good AB's from both young men. 

[Ro Mueller]

Now we have to worry about whether Hicklen is injured, as he was hit by a pitch and exited in the 5th inning.

[wibadgers23]

Tyler Black stays hot with a 2-run homerun.  Two more walks as well.

[Joseph Zarr]

Pitchers you should know but probably don't?

RHP KC Hunt

Two more scoreless innings in relief. He has been just fantastic this entire early season having yet to concede a single run. By the looks of it, I'd say he is consistently working with 4 and maybe even 5 pitches.

Whiting on the hill to try and close it out. Mudcats lead 4-2. Interesting choice to take the 9th frame by manager Nick Stanley. He walks the lead-off on a breaking ball three feet above the zone. Whiting hasn't been 9th inning material all season long but you never know. Let's hope he rises to the occasion.