Tue. 8/6 - A Bit Much

[Joseph Zarr]

A PSA from Javik Blake:

 

[CheeseheadInQC]

37 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Perhaps, @CheeseheadInQCwill be reporting to us at some point this week. Regardless, Wisconsin travels to Quad Cities for game 1 of their 6 game series. Pratt is indeed back in the line-up. Love that 1-through-4. Love giving Rodriguez a chance to build off the momentum he closed the South Bend series with. RHP Patricio Aquino is back on the bump for his third consecutive start after coming out of the bullpen for his first four outings in July. Wisconsin remains 5.5 G ahead of second place Cedar Rapids and Peoria who remain the second half front runners given the T-Rats first half playoff berth. Quad Cities has plenty to play for only 1 G back of the Kernels and Chiefs. 

** A Friendly Reminder: This Game 1 is the Featured MiLB.TV FREE Game of the Day **

 

I am going to try to make it to a game sometime this weekend. By then maybe the backlog of tasks that accumulated during our busiest week of the year at work might have eased.

I didn’t look at which thread it was when I clicked on the notification that I had been mentioned in a post and it took me to the transaction news first, so I thought I was in that thread. I was trying to guess what transaction would cause me to be tagged.

Long story short, you had me thinking for a second Wande Torres was promoted to Carolina.

[Joseph Zarr]

The Mudcats take the proverbial show on the road to face the second half first place Fredericksburg Nats (23-13 - currently leading the 2nd place Mudcats, Wood Ducks, and Red Sox by 2.5 G). 18-year-old innings and efficiency phenom RHP Manuel Rodriguez takes the game 1 bump as per usual. He will look to build off a July in which 3-of-4 Starts were Quality kind. Hard to complain about this current Mudcats line-up. Lots of juice therein.

 

[Jim Goulart]

Final, Completion of June 16th Suspended Game: DSL Brewers #1 Squad 4, DSL Pirates Black 3

*Just a reminder that box score lines will reflect stats through 6/16"

A Luis Pena RBI triple was followed by a Juan Martinez RBI single to give Team Uno a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st. 

An eventful top of the 2nd saw the Pirates first batter of the inning reach on a third strike wild pitch by Panamanian 17-year-old RHP Manuel Moreno, who has posted a 1.04 WHIP in his debut season. The very next batter doubled, but a 9-4-2 relay threw out that runner at the plate on a questionable send with none out. The very next man up clubbed a two-run HR, and there was additional action that inning, but Moreno limited the damage.

The Cervecero Prime retook the lead on a Ludwin Tejeda sacrifice fly and then the game was called on the 16th after that 2nd frame.

Upon resumption Tuesday AM, new pitcher Ayendy Bravo, the 17-year-old Dominican RHP and newly recognized for his outstanding month of July, did allow a triple to the first man he faced in the 3rd, allowing the tying run on an RBI double two batters later. But bravo to Bravo, who completed four innings without allowing another run. 

It remained tied until the bottom of the 6th of this seven-inning affair as normally light-hitting 2nd-year LF Joan Gutierrez smacked a one-out line drive RBI single. The run was unearned thanks to an error by the Pirates shortstop earlier in the inning. It was a perfect day for Gutierrez who walked in his prior two at-bats and added a stolen base.

18-year-old Nicaraguan RHP Ranwell Smith was brought on to close the game, and immediately walked the first two men he faced, A successful sacrifice bunt made things ominous, but Smith wrapped things up with a huge strikeout and then a flyout to left.

[Jim Goulart]

Final, Completion of August 1st Suspended Game: DSL Brewers #2 Squad 6, DSL Dodgers Mega 4

The Dodgers' first run scored on a wild pitch in the first inning, and that 1-0 score after two innings carried over to Tuesday.

When play resumed, we had the professional debut of 18-year-old 6'3" Dominican RHP Miqueas Mercedes. The young man retired the first two men he faced before a walk, HBP, wild pitch and a three-run blast. Welcome to the pro's. That would be Mercedes' lone inning, better days to come.

What's that you say, a 4-0 deficit heading to the bottom of the 5th in a seven-inning contest? Have no fear, as Team Dos put up two in the 5th and a four-spot in the 6th for the win.

That 5th inning saw four singles for the good guys, three coming with two outs. 

17-year-old Venezuelan catcher (aren't all backstops Venezuelan?) Luis Corobo clubbed his 4th home run to kick off the 6th inning rally. Two additional 17-year-old's, 3B Roderick Flores (two-run single) and 2B Jonathan Rangel (RBI single for an insurance run) had sweet games from the bottom of the order.

Nicaraguan RHP Josue Toledo was huge coming in after Mercedes' one-inning debut, as he tossed four scoreless to net the well-deserved win, which he closed out himself in the top of the 7th.

[Joseph Zarr]

CF Yophery Rodriguez wasted absolutely no time bouncing back from a fairly pedestrian series last week. He smashed a first pitch double to the RF wall - his 18th double of his season. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Baez follows suit by poking a 1-2 off-speed pitch into shallow LF. Men on the corners. Nobody out. Bitonti will look to do some damage.

[Joseph Zarr]

OH BOY. He rips a dart off the LF wall. Another first pitch rocket. My goodness. Man, I'd love to see some statcast data on Rodriguez and Bitonti's pokes. Those balls were scorched. Men on 2nd and 3rd. Nobody out. 1-0 Muddies.

[Joseph Zarr]

Adamczewski rips a rocket off the starter Polanco's foot and it caroms into shallow RF. That ball was also ripped. Two runs cross. It's 3-0 Muddies. Adamczewski on 2B. Nobody out. Di Turi to the dish.

[Joseph Zarr]

Di Turi works an 0-2 count full. He rips a dart into CF for a single. It's 4-0 Mudcats baby. Let's GO!

[Joseph Zarr]

Five straight pokes. 3 dubs. 2 singles. 4-of-5 absolutely lumbered into the OF grass. That was a 97 mph casual single just now. Nobody out. Castillo fouled a first pitch scorched down the 1B line.

[wiguy94]

10 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

OH BOY. He rips a dart off the LF wall. Another first pitch rocket. My goodness. Man, I'd love to see some statcast data on Rodriguez and Bitonti's pokes. Those balls were scorched. Men on 2nd and 3rd. Nobody out. 1-0 Muddies.

What wall was it ripped off of? 

[Joseph Zarr]

1 minute ago, wiguy94 said:

What wall was it ripped off of? 

We both know that ball was ripped deep to RF. We both know Nats' hurler LHP Jacob Manfredi was on the bump.

[Joseph Zarr]

Man an absolute goose snort 65 mph blooper found the RF grass. Men on the corners one down for Rodriguez. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Rodriguez escapes via his 2nd K (swinging and missing on high heat) and a ground out to Di Turi at SS. 4-0 and we are on to the second frame.

[Joseph Zarr]

Two trips to the dish. Two times on base. A 2nd AB 5 pitch free pass for Yophery.

[Joseph Zarr]

Pratt nods to his ol' teammate and takes a full count for a walk himself to open his series in Quad Cities. Lead-off man aboard. Baez, meanwhile was just plunked on the left hip and he is down in pain outside the 1B line. Trainer coming out to check on him.

[Joseph Zarr]

My word. Bitonti. That. Is. All.

[Joseph Zarr]

Three Run Moon Shoot got caught in the wind. 429 feet and he snuck it over. LOL. My baseball gods.

[Joseph Zarr]

Nothing cheap about going Left CF in the Nats ball park for reference. 7-0 Muddies.

[wiguy94]

I don't care if the wind was blowing out. An 18 year old LHH hitting the ball out to the deepest part of the park in left center is not normal. Bitonti is a freak show.

[Joseph Zarr]

Meanwhile, LHP DL Hall starts his outing with a five pitch walk. One competitive pitch.

[Joseph Zarr]

Just now, wiguy94 said:

I don't care if the wind was blowing out. An 18 year old LHH hitting the ball out to the deepest part of the park in left center is not normal. Bitonti is a freak show.

THAT is an uncanny amount of strength. One of the absolute hardest parts of any Carolina League Park to hit it out. He didn't even get all of that. Was an insane poke.

[wiguy94]

Just now, Joseph Zarr said:

THAT is an uncanny amount of strength. One of the absolute hardest parts of any Carolina League Park to hit it out. He didn't even get all of that. Was an insane poke.

Feel free to call me hyberbolic, but Bitonti has the best power I've seen in the minor league system since Prince Fielder. This is just not normal power for an 18 year old to show.

 

[Joseph Zarr]

2 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Feel free to call me hyberbolic, but Bitonti has the best power I've seen in the minor league system since Prince Fielder. This is just not normal power for an 18 year old to show.

 

At this early juncture I certainly can't vehemently disagree with you. Every ball he has hit beyond the infield has been absolutely scorched. That 1st AB double was absolutely smashed.