Tue. 5/6 - It's a Weeknight Five-Pack

[Jim Goulart]

This thread will be utilized for any minor league news Tuesday.

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[Joseph Zarr]

Big test for LHP Wande Torres coming off his most impressive innings (in my humble opinion) after surrendering a two-run shot in his first frame last time out. Can he stack on that glorious second inning of work? He has typically begun outings by hammering that heater but that pitch often sails on him. I'd love to see them go more unconventional to start and build up that heater confidence by sprinkling it in around his breaking ball and change-up. Anywho, looking forward to this outing. Kannapolis is second in the Carolina League in strikeouts as an offense. Torres' K/IP totals aligned with pre-season expectations in his last outing. This would be a great outing to build on that very small sample.

[Joseph Zarr]

Who else is going through 'Loss of Holobetz' symptoms this week? Sighs. The pain is real. Hopefully, some inspired play from the affiliated ranks will cure what ails me. Better yet, maybe a certain pitcher on the Brewers staff finds a renewed approach with plus results? 

[Ro Mueller]

DH/INF Mike Boeve returns from injury as AA Biloxi (winners of 9 of 11 games) hosts Marlins’ affiliate Pensacola this week. RHP KC Hunt (4.98 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 9.1 K/9 in 21.2 IP) starts tonight’s series opener. 

[Ro Mueller]

Is this RHP Brandon Woodruff’s last rehab start before returning to the Show? AAA Nashville hosts Orioles’ affiliate Norfolk this week. SS Andruw Monasterio has hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games. 

[Ro Mueller]

The Low-A Mudcats are on the road taking on White Sox affiliate Kannapolis this week, with LHP Wande Torres (4.35 ERA, 6 Ks in 10.1 IP) making his 5th start. The lineup is missing the team’s 3 highest OPS players, but SS Jesus Made enters with an 18-game on-base streak. 

[Joseph Zarr]

I see C Marco Dinges is still shelved yet not on the IL as of yet. What did I miss with Adamczewski this past week? I feel, in some regards, I'm still catching back up from my NFL Draft trip!😂 

In other news, Bitonti K'd looking in his first AB. The struggle continues. Didn't put wood to a single ball in that AB. Watched two slow curve balls cross the plate for strikes without a swing. 2-2 count before he went down staring.

Torres once again leads with heat. Let's see how this fares.

[Joseph Zarr]

Three straight heaters. A 1-1 count fly to deep left CF just shy of the warning track. He opens the second AB with consecutive beautiful outside off-speed hooks. K looking. K swinging. Then the punch out on the inner black with a beautiful heater. Love it. Three pitch K.

[Joseph Zarr]

A third batter free pass (5 pitch). Torres was behind to the next batter and Walther saved him further damage by throwing the runner out at 2B by a half step. On to the 2nd. 

[Ro Mueller]

1 minute ago, Joseph Zarr said:

A third batter free pass (5 pitch). Torres was behind to the next batter and Walther saved him further damage by throwing the runner out at 2B by a half step. On to the 2nd. 

That’s Walther’s first CS this year: he’s 1-for-14 after going 2-for-25 throwing out basestealers in the ACL last year. Baby steps!

[Joseph Zarr]

Through two frames the Mudcats bats have nothing going. Brizuela has them all sorts of off-balance. Lots of weak flares and shallow fly outs. Nothing doing. On to the bottom of the 2nd.

[Joseph Zarr]

Demetrio Nadal misplays a hard oppo liner to LF and the batter easily takes 2B. I don't think they scored that an error. It was very clearly a misplay. That runner advances to 3B on hard hit ground out to Bitonti. One down. Runner at 3B.

[Joseph Zarr]

That runner crosses on a weakly hit groundout to 2B. 1-0 Cannonballers. Costly misplay in LF. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Torres finishes the inning with a swinging K on a slider that traveled well off the plate. Nice pitch. 2 K through 2. 

[wiguy94]

1 minute ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Demetrio Nadal misplays a hard oppo liner to LF and the batter easily takes 2B. I don't think they scored that an error. It was very clearly a misplay. That runner advances to 3B on hard hit ground out to Bitonti. One down. Runner at 3B.

Yeah it's listed as a double but that was absolutely a single and an error. Should be an unearned run for Torres.

[Joseph Zarr]

Yup, they scored that a 2B. That was a single and a misplay. That should not be an earned run. The hard hit liner ate Nadal up and he misplayed the carry as the ball caromed off his glove and over him and he casually gathered it. 

[Joseph Zarr]

1 minute ago, wiguy94 said:

Yeah it's listed as a double but that was absolutely a single and an error. Should be an unearned run for Torres.

Home cooking, I say. Have zero clue what they're looking at there. Nothing about that said double. Nada.

Meanwhile, Brizuela is just painting the inner and outer blacks with his off-speed. He's really dialed and has the Mudcats off-balance early.

[Joseph Zarr]

Walling! Moon shoot inside the pole in RF. You wouldn't know it with the Kannapolis announcers call. LOL. That's just his first long ball of 2025. Big time. 1-1 game. Lameda then gets the hitters bounce over the glove of the diving 2B as the ball travels into RF. Man on first. Nobody down. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Lameda is doubled off on a Walther fly out to RF. He ran before contact. Lameda was late to recognize the fly out. He was late to get back to the bag. Two down. Made then flies out just shy of the RF warning track on his first pitch. He is 0-for-2.  On to the bottom of the 3rd. 1-1 game.

[Joseph Zarr]

This is, what, my fourth time watching LHP Wande Torres? I can't remember in full. I'm a geezer. What I'm trying to actually get at: his work down the line will hopefully be developing some sort of pitch or pitch combination that falls away arm side. As it stands, everything he throws swings glove side. The only pitch that goes arm side is his heater and that typically isn't planned - classic arm side run and sail from a tall hurler. He walks his second batter in the third after a weak ground out to SS to lead off the frame. His K:BB struggles continue. 

[Joseph Zarr]

AND, just like that, up 0-2 Torres throws a heater dead center cut. Can not happen. Two-run jack to the Kannapolis SS who is a very good player. 3-1 deficit. Torres' lack of polish or consistency continues. He giveth. He taketh. He is very young. 

[Joseph Zarr]

BITONTI DID IT!!!!

A two run jack off the batters eye baby. Whewwwww. Thank the baseball gahhhhhds. 3-3 game. First pitch. Didn't even look like he got it all! Let's GO!

[Ro Mueller]

 

[biedergb]

1 minute ago, Joseph Zarr said:

BITONTI DID IT!!!!

A two run jack off the batters eye baby. Whewwwww. Thank the baseball gahhhhhds. 3-3 game. First pitch. Didn't even look like he got it all! Let's GO!

And whomever had 5/6 in their bingo card for the first Bitonti jack, you have won the jackpot.

[Joseph Zarr]

Di Turi called out on strikes on a pitch that was likely 3" up and out of the zone? That was rough. I mean that's not even all that close. Ump really wanted to pull the trigger there.