Wed. 6/5: Timber Rattler Home Matinee on Tap

[Joseph Zarr]

Hey, the Mudcats get a call - the runner called out at 2B was clearly safe. And the runner at 3B clearly took Home as a result. No matter, it's Low-A. He's OUT at 2B. Corniel escapes another third inning quagmire with a gift. 😅

[wiguy94]

2 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Agreed. Principally. AND, especially how the inning is unfolding. Guilarte tried to do too much. If that ball isn't a chopper I get it. 

Also, Walling really showing his wonkiness at 1B today. Nothing easy. He just destroyed any chance at a DP with a rocket launch high to 2B. Pratt grabs it. DP unlikely but after that throw? No chance. Walling has had three fielding oppos at 1B and all have been adventures. 

When you have to back up and jump up in the air to get the ball, you've already done too much to bring the ball home.

[Joseph Zarr]

Walling is having that kind of night where the baseball knows he's learning how to play 1B. He now can add getting absolutely eaten by a hard hit chopper down the line glove side. This is a journey for Walling at present. Tough sledding. Another runner on with a lead-off double in the 4th. Corniel's season continues to tail away as the Mudcats are trying to grab a playoff spot. Walling's play was ruled an error - no 2B. Likely the right call. Thankfully, Guilarte grabs the DP line out to 2B to end that current threat.

[Joseph Zarr]

This just in:

RHP Shane Smith is continuing to deal as a starter. And, the Shuckers offense is continuing to leave him on an island. What's new? Not much for these offensively inept Shuckers in 2024. He just struck out the bookends in the third. 0-0 game. These Shuckers bats are not what you tune in for. Tune in for the small storlyines. Smith is absolutely front and center.

[Joseph Zarr]

Boy Pratt has absolutely smashed two balls tonight. Missed a HR to left CF by about 3' early. Got out in front of a slider with runners on the corners with two down in a 3-1 deficit here in the 5th. Absolutely crushed that ball. BUT, way in front. Unfortunate. He'll get there. He has that power in his frame. It's a matter of time for him to learn how to access it.

[biedergb]

27 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

This just in:

RHP Shane Smith is continuing to deal as a starter. And, the Shuckers offense is continuing to leave him on an island. What's new? Not much for these offensively inept Shuckers in 2024. He just struck out the bookends in the third. 0-0 game. These Shuckers bats are not what you tune in for. Tune in for the small storlyines. Smith is absolutely front and center.

But Biloxi reminds me of the ‘22 brewers. If the starter does not have a shutout the team has no chance.  And that puts a lot of pressure on the pitcher. Smith looks like he’s hitting some struggles in the 4th - 3 hits and 2 walks and it’s 3-0 Montgomery with Sam Carlson in. 3-0 is a huge huge hole for this offense.

[Joseph Zarr]

RHP Jeison Pena comes on in relief and does a very Pena thing: launches pitch one about 6' outside the zone and to the backstop. AND, I see he's given up two runs. Also a very Pena thing to do. The struggle is mighty for the young and volatile righty. He is pulled for the second reliever of the frame - RHP Aidan Maldonado. 

Zero hits surrendered in Pena's two-spot. Very Pena. Muddies trail 5-1 headed to the 7th.

[Joseph Zarr]

5 minutes ago, biedergb said:

But Biloxi reminds me of the ‘22 brewers. If the starter does not have a shutout the team has no chance.  And that puts a lot of pressure on the pitcher. Smith looks like he’s hitting some struggles in the 4th - 3 hits and 2 walks and it’s 3-0 Montgomery with Sam Carlson in. 3-0 is a huge huge hole for this offense.

Yeah, I stepped outside to close a greenhouse when it was 1-0. A 3-0 deficit for the Shuckers is akin to 6-0 for a standard team. They just struggle in each and every way to score runs - including some very poor looking AB's. They are truly a lost ball club at present. Like utterly lost. 

[wiguy94]

Carlos Rodriguez being pulled after 5.1 IP with his pitch count at 74 was a bit strange. No trainer or anything. It looked planned.

[CheeseheadInQC]

8 hours ago, damuelle said:

SS Jesus Made is staking his claim to super-prospect status on Day 1: homered first at-bat, doubled his 2nd time up.

I was going to make a trumpets blare joke, but then remembered Arcia’s power surge didn’t start in the opener. Also, the Brewers aren’t nearly as organizationally bereft of shortstops as when an early string of homers transformed a low-profile Latin American signing into possibly the top spot among Brewers shortstop prospects before any of us had even heard if he had a chance to stick at the position.

[wiguy94]

6 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Carlos Rodriguez being pulled after 5.1 IP with his pitch count at 74 was a bit strange. No trainer or anything. It looked planned.

Could he be debuting in his next start and they wanted to keep his pitch count down the start before?

[Joseph Zarr]

Trailing 5-0, a routine grounder right to EBJ. He sails that ball by a good 3' and Boeve has to scale the ladder and can't get the tag down in time. These 2024 Shuckers. Where every play is impossibly hard. Next batter? Lays down a perfect bunt 3B side. Two men on. Nobody down. Is there a silver lining with this ball club? Maybe when the first half calendar flips to the second half? 

[Joseph Zarr]

Big opportunity for the Mudcats here in the top of the 8th. Bases juiced. Nobody down. The Mudcats have outhit the River Dogs 7-3. They trail 5-1. Lotta sloppy play. 

[Joseph Zarr]

And, just like that LHP Nate Peterson gives up a roaring double off the high LF wall. 6-0 Biscuits. The slog continues into the dark night.

[Joseph Zarr]

HUGE hit from Miguel Briceno. He takes a first pitch in-tailing off-speed pitch in the low portion of the zone and rips a double to the deep RF wall. That scores two more. All three men on base have scored. It is now a 5-4 ball game. Guilarte to the dish. A new pitcher coming to the mound. Two down. Tying run at 2B. 

[biedergb]

Watched Shane Smith performance tonight. Cruising through the first 3.

In the 4th a slap base hit and Simpson is on which messes with Smith. He steals a base. Big K, but then seems to lose command. Either the base runner messed up his timing, or the long inning and pitch count lost his effectiveness (fatigue; focus?). He struggled. But was still hitting 94 on a couple in that inning according to the announcer. Just starting to lose fastball and off speed stuff in terms of location. None of the hits were major contact though.

[Joseph Zarr]

BIG OF assist by Reidy Mercado from RF. A bloop single into RF the lead runner rounded the bag and in a bang-bang play Mercado got him because the ball got there first tho the tag may have been applied a hair late during the slide. 5-4 River Dogs who get another out on the base paths.

[Joseph Zarr]

4 minutes ago, biedergb said:

Watched Shane Smith performance tonight. Cruising through the first 3.

In the 4th a slap base hit and Simpson is on which messes with Smith. He steals a base. Big K, but then seems to lose command. Either the base runner messed up his timing, or the long inning and pitch count lost his effectiveness (fatigue; focus?). He struggled. But was still hitting 94 on a couple in that inning according to the announcer. Just starting to lose fastball and off speed stuff in terms of location. None of the hits were major contact though.

Pretty much what I saw. That walk was pretty impactful when all was said and done. Lotta speed on the bases there. BUT, to your point, he lost the zone after the K. These hiccups are to be expected, however. He hasn't started games with the Shuckers for a long period of time at all. This is still all new.

[Joseph Zarr]

In a 2-1 game, Tyler Black yet again demonstrated why he can be a hazard at 1B. He short arms a catchable toss from Zamora at SS (not a great throw by any measure) and the ball travels to the stands. Thankfully, Mejia is a heady defensive catcher. He sprinted to that ball and fired a dart to throw the runner out at 2B. Either way, Black is anything but a natural at 1B.

[Joseph Zarr]

RHP Morris Austin is making things quite interesting in the bottom of the 8th of this one run game. He's conceded 2 BB's and a single. Thankfully, Mercado nabbed that runner at 3B! Men on 2nd and 3rd. Two down. 2-2 count. Austin gets the K looking to end the threat.

Meanwhile, in Nashville Meeker is finding trouble in a 2-1 game top of the 8th. Men on the corners now. Only one down. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Meeker gets a swinging K for his second out. Men on corners. Two down. AND, Owen Miller gets eaten up by a hard hit grounder to 3B. Took a high hop on him but he has to make that play. 2-2 game now. That's a play he has to make to maintain the lead. Meeker gets the weak fly out to LF to end the threat with men on 1st and 2nd.

Meanwhile, in Charleston Yophery Rodriguez just cracked a 106 mph lead-off double to open the 9th frame. Pratt to the dish as the Muddies look to pull off a complete comeback. They still trail 5-4. Nobody out. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Pratt reaches on a throwing error as the 3B looked Rodriguez back to 2B and then took way too long to get to 1B. Throw was wide up line and Pratt beat it regardless. Two men on. Nobody down for David Garcia who already has 3 hits.

[Joseph Zarr]

2-0 count, the pitch carries inside and misses behind him to the backstop. Runners on 2nd and 3rd. Nobody down. Garcia now intentionally walked. Bases juiced. Nobody down. Castillo will look to turn the tides - 1-for-4 tonight so far.

[Joseph Zarr]

Wilken is appearing to get under popping up everything right now. I sincerely wonder how much that helmet cage is impacting him. 

Castillo hits about the worst possible contact imaginable. A weak grounder directly to the SS playing in. He goes home. They then get the slow of foot Castillo at 1B. Double play. Wooooof. 

[Joseph Zarr]

34 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Could he be debuting in his next start and they wanted to keep his pitch count down the start before?

I thought the same. Seemed a 'We've seen enough...' protective measure.