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

[Joseph Zarr]

Torres got ahead again to lead off the 4th. He hung a dead center heater yet again. This time to a lefty. This time the batter poked a single into shallow right CF. Miles to go on the development path. Lots to love. Lots to work on. And that runner took 2B for the second time in two innings on Walther - both off-speed pitches. No chance on that one. Throw was rushed and caromed to the OF grass to no futher damage. Torres gets his 4th K (swinging on a slider off the plate) on a slider. 

[Joseph Zarr]

With a runner on 2nd. Two down. We will see what version of LHP Caden Vire we have today. He nearly gets a check swing strike on a slider away. He ultimately gets the harmless fly out to LF. Love it. Well done, young man! Strand that runner baby.

[Joseph Zarr]

Man this ump's strikezone is just not accurate. The Mudcats have gone looking on a couple that just weren't really all that close to strikes. So it goes in Low-A ball.

[Ro Mueller]

The High-A Timber Ratters are in Peoria, Illinois (Cardinals’ affiliate) this week to try to grab their first series win of 2025. RHP Ryan Birchard (3.24 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 11.3 K/9 in 16.2 IP) makes his 5th start. 2B Jadher Areinamo has 4 straight multi-hit games. 

1 - H. Perez - RF
2 - Areinamo - 2B
3 - Burke - 1B
4 - Wood - C
5 - E. Garcia - SS
6 - Hall - DH
7 - Alastre - LF
8 - Guilarte - 3B
9 - Y Garcia - CF
X - Birchard - P

[Joseph Zarr]

Looks like RHP KC Hunt avoided a potential right ankle injury early in the first frame. He shook it off after a mound visit and some warm up pithces. 

Meanwhile RHP Ryan Birchard just gave up a lead-off double after falling behind in the count to open his night of work. 

[Joseph Zarr]

In the 'It's always something' with the cameras in Biloxi department...

Back home after their road series in Columbus...they've leveled the lens finally but their CF camera is clearly smudged. It is just not a clear view. Amazing.

Birchard just gave up an RBI double to deep RF. Perez couldn't run it down. T-Rats trail 1-0.

[Joseph Zarr]

Consecutive two out walks have Hunt approaching a 30 pitch first frame. 

[Joseph Zarr]

AND, Hunt gets ahead 0-2. Falls to 2-2. Hangs a heater ripped to CF. Bases juiced now. LHP Nate Peterson is warming up in the pen and pitching coach Josh Spence is to the bump. Hunt's early season struggles definitely continue. 

If you recall, he only made it 2/3 IP in his debut at Pensacola before being pulled at 34 pitches. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Hunt falls behind 2-1. Single to LF. Ripped. Runners all advance. 1-0 Wahoos. The struggle is very real. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Hunt escapes with a pop out to shallow RF. 38 pitch inning? Biloxi's technical issues persist. Sound and video are not synched (sound is in front). CF camera is smudged. Just incredible weekly oddities down yonder. You'd think they've lost 10 straight with their set up. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Gillis works around a lead off double. Strands the man on 2B with consecutive K's. Glorious. Still 3-3 at Kannapolis heading into the late innings. Meanwhile, the T-Rats have the bases juiced with two down. They had runners on 2nd and 3rd and Hall grounded out weakly to 3B. Alastre K'd. Guilarte just walked. T-Rats trail 1-0.

[wibadgers23]

1 hour ago, Joseph Zarr said:

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!😂 

I noticed his absence too.  Haven't heard a thing.  What are they putting in the water down there in Zebulon that is causing all of these injuries?!?

[Joseph Zarr]

Predictably, Yhoswar punches out on a check swing three pitch strikeout. Slider away off the plate. Just a helpless AB. Bases left juiced. The T-Rats may be facing an easier schedule moving forward but that isn't necessarily going to help the bottom of the order which continues to be very very much impaired. 

[Joseph Zarr]

2 minutes ago, wibadgers23 said:

I noticed his absence too.  Haven't heard a thing.  What are they putting in the water down there in Zebulon that is causing all of these injuries?!?

Sadness?

[Joseph Zarr]

Birchard in immediate trouble in the second. A tomahawk single into LF (crazy hit). A first hit oppo liner into LF. Men on 1st and 2nd. Nobody out. Four hits off Birchard already.

[Joseph Zarr]

Ahhhh, yes. The Eduardo Garcia experience. Playing SS. Pitcher in a spot. Extremely routine reach chopper. Took a high hop. BUT, he had it easily. He drops the exchange. Because, well, he's Eduardo Garcia. Amazing. Bases juiced. Instead of two down and a runner on 3B. This is the 2025 T-Rats in an absolute nutshell. Not a winning club. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Biloxi's home broadcasts in a nutshell. Smudge and out of focus on all the edges. Scoreboard in lower corner is a remnant from the last inning. Lovely experience. 

[Joseph Zarr]

The current T-Rats watch in one word:

Pain

A weakly hit grounder. Areinamo charges and nearly runs into the runner advancing to 2B. Attempts to corral and make the tag. Ball pops out. Infield in, a very weakly hit grounder goes right up the middle. This is ALL on Eduardo Garcia in my opinion. He's a veteran of how long? He can't even make a routine DP for his pitcher and his team. Infield stays in. I believe it's 4-0. Anyhow, this squad doesn't deserve my time. I'm switching to the Sounds. If you can't execute routine plays on any type of consistent basis you don't deserve my attention. Long gone are the days of 2024.

[Ro Mueller]

Wisconsin has 25 active players rostered vs. 29 for Peoria. Super manager Victor Estevez faces limited options, unfortunately.

[Ro Mueller]

Brandon Woodruff’s velocity peaked at 93.5mph in the 1st inning. He issued 1 walk, but K’d 2 of 4 batters faced.

[Joseph Zarr]

3 minutes ago, Ro Mueller said:

Wisconsin has 25 active players rostered vs. 29 for Peoria. Super manager Victor Estevez faces limited options, unfortunately.

Completely. And, as I've said for weeks: they don't have the horses. The pitching staff is nowhere near as deep as last year. And, their batting order is littered with players who really aren't ready for this level of competition. It's a very hard watch. That error by Garcia - an error type I've seen from him way too many times since he's been in the system - broke my ability to watch the team. It just did. 😂 I'm taking a T-Rats break. I hope they turn it around. 

Meanwhile, in Nashville, Oliva tried to turn a WP into two bags. He was thrown out at 3B. Dunn smoked a double to deep RF on the next pitch. 

Little things matter in baseball. These are just not smart baseball plays tonight. Seems mildly widespread.

[Joseph Zarr]

5 minutes ago, Ro Mueller said:

Brandon Woodruff’s velocity peaked at 93.5mph in the 1st inning. He issued 1 walk, but K’d 2 of 4 batters faced.

Three pitch K to open the 2nd. Sliders looking zesty. They said he threw an 89 mph 4-seamer to start the AB. I don't know. The sliders popped in that AB.

[Joseph Zarr]

Pena reach pokes a line drive single into what I think was shallow left CF (? camera didn't travel) to get a crucial two out RBI here in the top of the 8th. 4-3 Muddies now. RHP Tanner Gillis has done the yeoman's work out of the Pen. WP on the next pitch. Runners on 2nd and 3rd now. Two down. Bitonti to the dish. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Consecutive two out singles by Norfolk see runners on 1st and 2nd. A bloop into RF. A first pitch sinker grounded up the middle of the infield. Woody is sitting 91-92 mph here in the second frame. 

Bitonti walked. Bases juiced. Payne will try to do a bit of damage. Two down.

[Joseph Zarr]

Just touched 94 mph on a 1-2 four-seamer. Noice. Come on Woody. Ooooooh he touches 95 mph on a high inside four seamer fouled back. Love it.