Tue. 6/11 - Timber Rattlers and Mudcats Both Have Magic Numbers of Six

[Joseph Zarr]

Figueroa walk. Opens the DP. Back-to-back walks, however. Last pitch nowhere close. Men on corners. 1-1 game. One down. Figueroa in a self-induced tough spot here. Bullpen currently quiet.

[Joseph Zarr]

Cruz gets the K to end it. 

Figueroa induces a very very shallow pop fly to RF. Two down. Men still on the corners. High-leverage moments! Lynchburg is getting smacked right now. Runner takes 2B as Garcia can't corral the ball to throw it to 2B. Men on 2nd and 3rd. 1-1 count. He gets a swing and a miss on a late moving 85 mph slider dipping low and outside the zone - beautiful pitch. Batter takes a TO and steps out of the box. He's back in. The stretch. The pitch. Can't get a chase on that slider. 2-2 count. The stretch. He gets him swinging and chasing a tailing slider up and out of the zone. 1-1 we head to the bottom of the 8th. Big BIG work there by Figueroa!

[Joseph Zarr]

Haase just smacked a two out single to right CF and Capra came around to score from 2B. 4-3 Sounds baby. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Pratt opens the 8th frame for the Muddies with a roped single off the diving SS and into LF. That ball was first-pitch ripped. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Guilarte goes down swinging on a heater high and inside - cold on his heat nap tonight. That's two outs from that same location. BUT, it proves beneficial as it helps Pratt take 2nd base without a throw. 

Go-ahead run in scoring position now. One down for David Garcia.

[Joseph Zarr]

Cruz walks the lead-off batter in the 7th on 4 pitches. He goes down 3-0 to the next hitter and then, in a 3-2 count, throws a heater dead center for an RBI line drive poke to the RF grass. The batter gets greedy, however, and goes for 2. Fernandez throws an accurate dart and nabs the runner. One down. Nobody on. 4-2 T-Rats. Cruz isn't getting any calls from the home plate ump (shocker) and is really having to work. No calls on borderline pitches. 

[Joseph Zarr]

WP, now a 2-2 count, advances both Pratt and Castillo (intentional walk). Men on 2nd and 3rd. 2-2 count. Two down. 1-1 game. Lynchburg getting smacked 9-1. We could gain two games off the magic number.

[Joseph Zarr]

And WHO OTHER THAN Yoshwar Garcia who absolutely rocks a 2-2 count off the high LF wall. Two runs cross. AND, we have a 3-1 Mudcats lead. RBI's 24 and 25. Those walls are high, folks. That ball was ripped. What a moment for the always crushing young man in 2024! It will be scored a loud loud single. LOL. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Now it's Chriss Roller's turn for a long hard hit out. He flies out to dead center at the wall. Lottttta long or hard hit outs in the system tonight. One down for the Sounds. Top of the 6th. 

AND, after Adams was squeezed on a strike 2 call in a 3-1 count (this just in: another bad call by the home plate ump - inside by several inches.) Adams says: GTFO! He smacks an oppo liner down the RF line for a deep corner triple. Got a nice bounce off the corner to boot. That's a HR and a triple tonight. Noice! AND, he's scored when Wood pokes one into RF. They get the run back! 5-2 T-Rats. 

[Joseph Zarr]

MUDCATS WIN 3-1. Figueroa gets three up and three down in the 9th. They will ultimately take 2 KEY games off the Magic Number total with Lynchburg getting walloped. FOUR GAMES on the Magic Number Tally babyyyyyyy!

[Joseph Zarr]

Ashby opens the 6th with a four-pitch walk. A WP (maybe a PB - it was an inside slider that went beyond Haase's glove). Then an in-between dribbler 1B side. Clarke and Capra go for it. Capra nabs it. Ashby loses a foot race BUT the ball was double-clutched and never thrown anyway. Until, well, Ashby was at the bag. He then walks the next batter on 4-pitches (the best result as we know given he was in a 3-0 count). In a 2-2 count. Another ball in the dirt. 3-2 count. Walk. Curve high and outside the zone. 4-4 game. 

The 2024 Aaron Ashby experience in a nutshell. Highs and lows everywhere. He will be sent to the dugout for RHP Mitch White. What a spot to come into. Bases juiced. Nobody out. Your pitcher just walked in a run. Here, Mitch, how about you try this one on for size.

[Joseph Zarr]

And, Mitch White does Mitch White things. He hangs a dead center heater to ol' Sound (2023) Skye Bolt for a two-runripped double to the CF wall through the RF gap. 6-4 Gwinnett. 

[Kellerowl]

11 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

MUDCATS WIN 3-1. Figueroa gets three up and three down in the 9th. They will ultimately take 2 KEY games off the Magic Number total with Lynchburg getting walloped. FOUR GAMES on the Magic Number Tally babyyyyyyy!

Actually only take 1 game off since DE won. Still just need 5

[Joseph Zarr]

Just now, Kellerowl said:

Actually only take 1 game off since DE won. Still just need 5

Ahhhhh for Cripes. Yeah, I missed that. Thank you!

[Joseph Zarr]

AND, with two down, White gives up a high chopper into RF for another 2 Striper runs. That was a bit of a seeing-eye knock there. None the less, White enters game is 4-4. Game is now 8-4 Stripers. Two down.

[Joseph Zarr]

T-Rats close it out 5-2. Childers sees immediate action after his re-assignment and goes two scoreless - 2 IP, 2 BB, 0 H, 1 K, 0 R. 5-2 T-Rats W. With Cedar Rapids cruising the T-Rats Magic Number also falls to 5 games.

[Joseph Zarr]

The Shuckers are expert at wasting fantastic RHP Shane Smith starts. He goes 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, and 5 K. He left and the Shuckers led 3-1. 

Now, after 1 ER conceded by RHP Sam Carlson, LHP Nate Peterson gave up a two-spot. It's a 4-4 game. 

We see you, Mr. Smith. You are dealing. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Sounds have the bases juiced now. Two down. Roller just took 1st. Zamora now to the dish. Looks like a pitcher change is inevitable.

[Joseph Zarr]

Zamora walks. 8-5. Tyler Black. Big moment possible here.

[Joseph Zarr]

Black 2-RBI 1-2 count single to RF. It is now 8-7. Heck of an AB there. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Capra walks. Bases juiced yet again. Can Isaac Collins do Isaac Collins things? I believe!

[Joseph Zarr]

In a 2-2 count...Collins gets absolutely plunked by a heater on his upper knee of his right leg. He dodged any injury bullet there but certainly didn't dodge that rocket. 97 mph straight to the leg. He grabs an RBI. 8-8 game. Wild.

[Joseph Zarr]

After Boeve goes down swinging (flailing, actually) at two sliders, Wilken flies out to the Right CF warning track. Shuckers strand two. 4-4 game still.

[biedergb]

Just now, Joseph Zarr said:

After Boeve goes down swinging (flailing, actually) at two sliders, Wilken flies out to the Right CF warning track. Shuckers strand two. 4-4 game still.

Wilken absolutely crushed the pitch 2 pitches earlier that he was just early on and it went foul left.  Then another healthy cut, and just got a decent swing but got under that pitch to right CF.

I think timing or vision is slightly off on him with that mask, he just hasn’t seemed to connect or time his barrel right.  Hoping it’s something that gets better. He was barreling up more regularly last year.

[Joseph Zarr]

AND Mitch White gives up the tie. A run-scoring dub down the RF line. 9-8 score. Stripers take back the lead.