Wed. 6/26: Day Games Galore, Shuckers Going Solo at Night; Rookies Idle

[Joseph Zarr]

After a groundout to EBJ at SS, Blalock gives up a well hit single into CF. 1-0 Wahoos. Cargo misplays the gather and the runner advances to 2B. Cargo has had a rough defensive series through 2 G in CF. Misplaying reads. Botching gathers. Gotta tighten that up. One down. Runner on 2B. Gets the K looking. Pitch count is already at 26. Rough opening frame for the young righty.

[Joseph Zarr]

On the 29th pitch, in a 1-2 count, the wind straight in from RF kills a 102 mph smash at the deep right CF warning track (374 '). Blalock got away with one there. Not a pretty inning overall. Slider does look sharp tho. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Wilken with a very uncompetitive first AB. Sad face.

[Joseph Zarr]

Hey now! EBJ works the count full with two down and two men on. He rocks an inside sinker to the LF wall. It's 2-1 Shuckers baby. EBJ now has an 8-game hit streak. 12 games on base. Noice!

[Joseph Zarr]

After Areinamo's 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K day? He's now hitting 0.300. I'm just saying! More walks than K's the past two months combined. He's 20 years old until 11/28. How in the heck do we not celebrate what we have here on a more committed basis. Best defensive infielder in the system with a trending bat? MoAr HomE RuNS! 😅

[Joseph Zarr]

Blalock looks very very pedestrian. Another run crosses. 2-2 game. Triple down the line on a 3-2 hanger. His heater is just so hittable. Pitch count is already at 41 with no outs in the 2nd frame.

[Joseph Zarr]

Martin corrals a shallow sac fly down the RF line. His attempt to throw the runner out crossing home plate sails to the Wahoos dugout. Yikes. 😅 3-2 Wahoos. One down. Pitch count at 50.

[Joseph Zarr]

Wahoos have three hits in the inning. Blalock's pitch count is at 52. Ayrault has nobody up in the bullpen. What are we doing? Let's wake up.

[Joseph Zarr]

OK. Finally. Merkel is up. Just silly to wait this long. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Two down now after a shallow pop out to Wilken in the very shallow LF grass. Pitch count at 57. He can sneak out of this yet. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Mercifully, the frame ends with a swinging K. Phew. Pitch count at 59. Yikes. Only trailing 3-2. Plenty of time to salvage the outing, Mr. Blalock. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Blalock makes it 2 1/3 innings. Just an ugly outing any way you look at it. Got peppered. Elevated pitch count. Makes it 76 pitches. Heater was just not effective. RHP Nick Merkel is going to look to try to squelch another mini rally. Shuckers trail 4-2. Men on 1st and 2nd. One down. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Merkel walks his first batter on four pitches. The sacks are dripping. Ouch.

[Joseph Zarr]

The home plate ump (who has not been all that sharp) misses Merkel's strike 3 on the outer black. Really nice breaking ball. He doesn't get the call. The run crosses the plate. 5-2 Wahoos. Bases still dripping. One down.

[Joseph Zarr]

Looks to me like the home plate ump just took Merkel's 2nd K looking and threw it in the trash. This guy. Do not like his interpretation of the zone. He gets the K swinging anyway on a slider. Two down. Bases still dripping.

[Joseph Zarr]

And, now we have a HB for another Wahoo run on an insided (too inside) slider that got away. Ugly ugly game for the Shuckers in the early going. 6-2 deficit. Two down. Bases juiced. Top of the 3rd. Woof.

[Joseph Zarr]

Merkel gets the K swinging. Mercifully, the top of the 3rd ends. They trail 6-2. 

[Joseph Zarr]

It is worth mentioning:

After leaving with that left leg malady last night post-slide and catcher landing on the leg, SS Cooper Pratt was out of today's line-up.

[Joseph Zarr]

Brock Wilken. 0-2. Two-run bomb on a dead center cut heater. 391 feet at 107 mph. Gotta love that. Especially after his first AB. His 8th HR of his season. Shuckers pull within 6-4.

[Joseph Zarr]

Clean 4th frame for Merkel. He ends it with an inside heater for a K looking. 6-4 deficit. On to the bottom half.

[Joseph Zarr]

DH Lamar Sparks (who I've advised to you lately has been red hot at the dish) just ripped a heater 107 mph off the bat over the LF wall. His third long ball. That's a game-tying two-run jack. 6-6. 4 hits for the Shuckers. 3 for XBH. All 3 for 2 RBI. Noice!

[Joseph Zarr]

On the very next pitch O'Rae took an inside heater directly off his right hand. He'll walk up the 1B line. Being looked at by the trainer. 

PHEW. He looks Ok. He's staying in. No painful grimaces at the bag being inspected. Hey, we get a break...by, um, not getting a break!

[Joseph Zarr]

A 1-2-3 LHP Adam Seminaris inaugural relief inning in the 5th. He ends it with a dirty inside dipping change-up for the swinging K. Fantastic pitch. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Not a very clean 6th frame from Seminaris but he limits the damage to a single run by escaping a bases loaded one out scenario via a K looking and a fly out to Campbell in LF. 7-6 Wahoos lead.

[Joseph Zarr]

After a rough second frame, Seminaris goes 1-2-3 in his third inning of work. And, just like his first inning of work, he gets the final out on a K looking. This one a hook that left the batter with his bat on his shoulders. On to the bottom half of the 7th and the Shuckers still trail 7-6.