Thurs. 8/29: Wisconsin and Biloxi Continue Bullpen Leads - Can Wehrle and Merkel Eat Precious Innings

[Joseph Zarr]

Speaking of stolen bases, after a Tyler Black fly out to open the Sounds 6th RF Brewer Hicklen walked and then quickly stole his 42nd base. 2B Owen Miller promptly singled to drive him home. 3-1 Sounds. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Hedbert Perez two out double to RF scores another T-Rat. Credit to Wehrle for buckling down after the grand salami. T-Rats trail 4-2. Can they keep chipping away?

[Joseph Zarr]

A 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI night for DH/C Marco Dinges. He continues to arrive more and more as each game passes at Low-A Carolina. Mudcats lead 7-1 in the bottom of the 9th outhitting the Hillcats 11-3. RHP Gerson Calzadilla is on the bump with two down. The real story of this one despite Dinges and Briceno's big nights (shout out to Bitonti's 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K night as well) is RHP Bryan Rivera's 6 IP of 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 R (unearned) work. A fantastic outing. Mudcats have jumped to a 3-0 series lead.

Perhaps, more importantly, the Fred Nats trail 7-4 with two down and their bases juiced in the top of the 9th. With Salem leading 3-0, there is a possibility here the Salem Sox would pull within 2.0 G of the Fred Nats for that second half playoff berth. Big implications here with 9 games remaining. The Muddies would also pull within a mere 1/2 G of divisional first place as well tho, obviously, it has no playoff implications.

[Joseph Zarr]

Have. A. Night RHP Mitch White. He goes 6.0 IP of 5 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 7 K ball. The vast majority (if not all?) those hits came in the first two innings. He settled in and pitched another gem. That's three-of-four late-season starts where he has absolutely dealt. Wild times! Sounds cling to their 3-1 lead in the top of the ninth.

[Joseph Zarr]

Scanning the International League scoreboard...

Since joining on as a regular for the Louisville Bats, OF Joey Wiemer is hitting a woeful 0.164 in August. 0.484 OPS 😬 in 61 AB. 1 2B. 1 3B. 0 HR. 22 K. 9 BB. 6 R. 1 RBI. 

Yikes.

[Joseph Zarr]

Shuckers tied it 2-2 in the bottom of the 4th. RHP Kaleb Bowman proceeded to give up a three-run jack in the top of the 5th. Wooof. Shuckers trail 5-2.

[Joseph Zarr]

We got two games of primo Brock Wilken. We are back to 0-for-3, 3 K tonight. The pain is real.

[Joseph Zarr]

Ahhhhh ye ol' 2024 Drone Delay in Biloxi. Ernesto Martinez follows with an 0-2 liner to the LF wall past the sliding LF'er. Two runs cross. It's suddenly 5-4 Biscuits. We have a ball game in the bottom of the 6th. A casual 106 mph dart to the LF wall.

[CheeseheadInQC]

Some nice relief work from Brailin Rodriguez in what I think was his high-A debut (1 hit, 1 walk, 3 K’s in 2 1/3). Good to see him finding success this year after losing so much time and momentum to injury after becoming the first Brewers pitcher in recent memory to throw in full season ball in his age 18 season (as defined by Fangraphs). Still one of only five since 2006, including three this year (Knoth, M. Rodriguez, Cortez).

[wiguy94]

Golden Sombrero for Mr. Wilken today

[Joseph Zarr]

Brock Wilken is wearing a golden sombrero. Sigh. One step forward. Two steps back. 

 

[Joseph Zarr]

3 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Golden Sombrero for Mr. Wilken today

Of course we're writing the exact same post at the exact same time. It's disgusting.😅

[Joseph Zarr]

Ben Metzinger as your bench option replacement for Adam Hall is a tough tough situation for manager Fidel Pena. He's essentially spent his entire season on the Development List or as a bullpen catcher. With Dylan O'Rae clearly still shelved with an unknown hip malady, Metzinger is his sole OF sub option. He's very very much looked like a guy who has taken, what 3 total AB in 2024? A really tough hand dealt to a fill-in manager in a playoff chase. Metzinger strikes out for the 2nd time in 2AB with runners on the corners and two out in the bottom of the 8th. I didn't see what happened to Hall. BUT, if he's down that's a big loss to a very thin OF group in Biloxi at present. 

[wiguy94]

8 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Ben Metzinger as your bench option replacement for Adam Hall is a tough tough situation for manager Fidel Pena. He's essentially spent his entire season on the Development List or as a bullpen catcher. With Dylan O'Rae clearly still shelved with an unknown hip malady, Metzinger is his sole OF sub option. He's very very much looked like a guy who has taken, what 3 total AB in 2024? A really tough hand dealt to a fill-in manager in a playoff chase. Metzinger strikes out for the 2nd time in 2AB with runners on the corners and two out in the bottom of the 8th. I didn't see what happened to Hall. BUT, if he's down that's a big loss to a very thin OF group in Biloxi at present. 

Hall was thrown out after a caught stealing I believe

[Joseph Zarr]

Just now, wiguy94 said:

Hall was thrown out after a caught stealing I believe

Thanks for the context. I was wondering why the heck Metzinger was flailing at sliders suddenly in the middle innings 😅

[Joseph Zarr]

C Darrien Miller (Clancy's 'Must Roster' candidate 😅) has allowed 6 more SB tonight. He has thrown out 2. On the season he's caught 26-of-150 SB attempts. Improved? Yes. Sub-par? Very much still a yes.

[Joseph Zarr]

LHP Russell Smith is having a rough August. More runs in this outing. He allowed a two out insurance run for the Biscuits in the 9th. A 6-4 game is now 7-4. And, yet, the Shuckers are within striking distance again. A Zavi Warren walk. A Casey Martin squibber special past the mound causing confusion with the 1B cover and he beat it out regardless. Men on 1st and 2nd. 0 outs. BIG moment for tonight's lead-off man CF Lamar Sparks.

[Joseph Zarr]

AND, a WP advances both runners. This is getting interesting. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Goodness I have seen several Shucker bats flail at sliders they have no business swinging at tonight. Sparks flails and K's at a 2-2 slider low, away, and in the dirt. Darrien Miller with the chance to do something. AND, it looks like Brock Wilken is being pulled for Nick Kahle?! LOL. My goodness. What a time.

[wiguy94]

Brock Wilken being pinch hit for by Nick Kahle is wild

[Joseph Zarr]

Miller swings at a high heater well above the zone and pops up weakly to 3B. Sigh. This is the Shuckers offense. Hopefully Wilken is only dealing with a bruised ego. Obviously, pulling Wilken for Kahle is concerning. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Just now, wiguy94 said:

Brock Wilken being pinch hit for by Nick Kahle is wild

It's, ummmm, very very weird. I really hope Wilken is simply dealing with a bruised ego. An injury to Wilken would be pretty devastating overall. He's not even in the dugout. 

Meanwhile, Kahle joins the "Flail at any outside slider' Shuckers bats. If I'm a pitcher? I'm just setting those outside sweepers all night. 

[Joseph Zarr]

I continue to ask myself:

How is this Shuckers team leading a second half playoff push? These bats are painful. Just painful AB's. This is a really offensively challenged division of Double-A baseball.