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

[Joseph Zarr]

In an 8-7 game (Sounds trailing) RHP Blake Holub continues scuffling. He walks men to first and 2nd. Throws a wild pitch and all mean advance. Walks the bases loaded on the next pitch. He is very clearly in an early-season funk. Let's hope he improbably gets out of this jam!

[Joseph Zarr]

Whiting K'd his 2nd batter. In a 3-1 count throws a gutsy breaking ball on the outer half for a strike 3-2. Then challenges the hitter with a heater up and in and he flails at it (gotta love it!) and gets his second K. Two down. 4-2 Mudcats. Man on 1st.

[Joseph Zarr]

He K's his 3rd batter! Gorgeous breaking ball on the outer stripe. Fantastic work from Whiting given the high-leverage shot. You love to see it. Mudcats win 4-2. They are now 4-0 on the season versus Salem.

[Joseph Zarr]

After a K for the first out, Holub walks the next batter. 9-7 Sounds trail. 

I'm going to say this:

I've now seen Holub pitch on three occasions in 2024. His control issues. His set-up. Nearly everything about his mound presence and game remind me of 2022/23 LHP Ethan Small. Uncanny resemblance he just pitches from the other side of the body.

[Joseph Zarr]

3-1 to the next batter after a mound visit. AND another free pass on a heater not even close low and away. It's a struggle, folks. 10-7 Bats.

[MudcatsfaninBrunsCO]

Carolina comes back and wins 4-2 over Salem. Game two of 6 is at 11:00 am TMR.

[markedman5]

That’s a nice first 4 innings from Mis…..good to see.

[Joseph Zarr]

Y'all RHP Yerlin Rodriguez is a MLB reliever. Full stop. It is inevitable. Man, his inning was just dominant. He did his typical thing in walking a guy on four pitches 😅 after striking out 2 in full counts (hey, he needs to clean things up - we all do!) but the Peoria announcer was effusive in his praise. BTW, Peoria's announcer is just fantastic.

[Joseph Zarr]

2 hours ago, damuelle said:

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

Did not look good my friend. UGH. Just did not look good. Took a slider or cutter that got away directly off his lead left knee/knee cap. Upon numerous reviews it looks like that ball smashed straight onto his kneecap. He was writhing in pain and on the ground for at least 3 minutes. Two trainers had to come out to help him to his feet under both arm. No weight on the leg. Absolutely grimacing in pain. 
 

 

I mean COME ONE!!!! DOES EVERY talented player who is dealing have to go down in 2024? Is this the game we are playing oh Baseball Gods?!? Unbelievable. 2:25:11 is your pitch time for the absolutely unfortunate incident. In that picture, that is the ball just rebounding off the top of that knee cap. Look at the catcher's left shoulder. 

[Joseph Zarr]

It is still 3-3 Shuckers/Pensacola and has been since the Shuckers tied it in the 6th. Sparks just took the count full and walked pushing Zavi Warren to 2nd. Nobody out. Ethan Murray to the dish. Come on men, dig deep and let's take Game 1!

[Joseph Zarr]

YES SIR, Mr. Murray! Muh man! He smacks an oppo double to the RF wall. Still nobody down. Boeve to the dish (2-for-3 today). 4-3 Shuckers.

[Joseph Zarr]

Boeve with that coveted eye at the dish takes a five pitch walk. The bases are juiced for Ernesto Martinez Jr. (0-for-4 tonight).

[Joseph Zarr]

Ooooof. Martinez Jr. hits into the 3-2-4 DP (home to 1B) on a weak chopper right to the 1B playing off the bag and in as his evening falls to (0-for-5). That was about the worst possible outcome for the Shuckers.😅

[Joseph Zarr]

Dirden K's swinging on a 2-2 pitch at the top of the zone. On to the bottom half of the 9th. Boy, that was about as Brewers a moment as possible. Bases juiced nobody down and they score not a run in that scenario. Martinez Jr. is definitely in a mini-slump now with his BA suddenly in the 0.220's.

[Joseph Zarr]

Yeager on for the 9th. Seminaris in line for the 'W' should Yeags pull it out.

[Joseph Zarr]

Welp, Shuckers lose as Yeager is done in by an infield single (sliding stop up the middle by Zamora - bobbled the exchange but would have likely been safe with a speedster running down the line). Drag bunt sacrifice. Pop up to 2B. Two runs then score via two out RBI. A deep line drive shot to the base of the Left CF wall. Double. 4-4. 

Then, with 2 down, I have absolutely zero idea what Carlos D. Rodriguez was thinking on Barry's looping well hit liner to RF. IF you are going to try and make that out please sell out and dive for the ball. Just a weak weak effort by Rodriguez as he charged the ball and then clearly misread it and lunged late as the ball went below his stretched out arm and to the RF wall. Ugly stuff. You have to do better there or sell out in some way.

Shuckers lose 5-4 after leading 4-3 headed to the 9th frame.

Here's an idea: Score at least a single run when you have the bases juiced and nobody out. 

Affiliates fall to 1-3 on a frustrating evening. An evening where we also likely saw the Sounds most consistent bat leave the line-up with what certainly will be the foreseeable future. UGH. If you are that close regardless of a misread off the bat, please dive or fall down trying for that ball. 

** OK, I've reviewed the play in question several times. He clearly thought that ball was hit harder and further than it ultimately was. He was overplaying the ball off the bat down the line further. It was a liner that then faded and sliced to his right. My point still stands, however, as the final effort was just not what was needed in that moment. Wayyyyy too many small stutter steps. Go for the ball, Cargo. Go at it and take the out.

Yeager gives up his first runs of 2024 and that is his first Blown Save.

[Jim French Stepstool]

4 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Black steals 2nd (and gets minorly banged up in doing so - definitely an 'EEeeeeek!' moment. BUT he looks ok just shook up a bit). 

I noticed black has only 4 steal attempts for the year. This is a guy that swiped 55 last season & obviously still has his legs as he's racked up a few triples. Could it be a case of the hierarchy shutting him down on the bases as we seem to be an injury magnet this year?

[Jim French Stepstool]

3 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

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.

 

As was the case with Meeker & Biloxi, a couple clicks old for his level. I wonder if Grand Chute is in Hunts' immediate future?

[Joseph Zarr]

7 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

As was the case with Meeker & Biloxi, a couple clicks old for his level. I wonder if Grand Chute is in Hunts' immediate future?

I believe so. He's ready. He was ready. Let's get him in a bit more age-appropriate oppositional setting and see how his stuff plays. He has several arrows in the quiver to work with. He's a fun and unexpected story early in 2024. He attacks hitters with his stuff and he is uber-confident on the mound. You love that at any level. I personally think he'll likely find his way to Biloxi by the summer's end but that's a long ways away and a fairly early bullish projection.

[Joseph Zarr]

@Smichaelis9:

I am alerting you to start watching RHP KC Hunt outings. He will be in High-A Wisconsin before we know it (my prediction). Check out his strikeout pitch to end his inherited runner inning in the Salem 6th. 2:20:50 on the MiLB.TV feed. Just a ridiculous pitch. One of my favorite fringe/peripheral new pick-up arms to watch early in 2024. 

[Spencer Michaelis]

8 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

@Smichaelis9:

I am alerting you to start watching RHP KC Hunt outings. He will be in High-A Wisconsin before we know it (my prediction). Check out his strikeout pitch to end his inherited runner inning in the Salem 6th. 2:20:50 on the MiLB.TV feed. Just a ridiculous pitch. One of my favorite fringe/peripheral new pick-up arms to watch early in 2024. 

He caught my eye with some of the offseason video that came out, I haven’t had a chance to watch him yet but I’m stuck on a bus the next hour and a half so might as well check some of his outings out haha

[Spencer Michaelis]

24 minutes ago, Smichaelis9 said:

He caught my eye with some of the offseason video that came out, I haven’t had a chance to watch him yet but I’m stuck on a bus the next hour and a half so might as well check some of his outings out haha

Update: he is gross. The curve is an especially nasty pitch. That’s a plus pitch. Fastball definitely seems to get really good ride. Slider seems to be left arm side a lot but when he gets it glove side, that thing is sharp too. I agree @Joseph Zarrhe will likely move quickly. Mississippi State fans seem convinced he was being screwed up by their old pitching coach, so probably some untapped potential the Brewers are helping him tap into.

[markedman5]

I’m watching this guy………woah

 

[sveumrules]

18 minutes ago, markedman5 said:

I’m watching this guy………woah

 

Yeah, have a feeling YOHO might be grabbing one of the vacated spots on the next BF Top 20.