Tue. 6/24 - T-Rats Finally Back Home; Others Hit the Road

[Joseph Zarr]

4 minutes ago, Ro Mueller said:

I’m just happy that Di Turi now bats 5th instead of 6th. Better for him and the team.

Yeah, I agree entirely there. 

Meanwhile, Meccage has fallen behind both batters early. Gave up a 2-1 single to LF (he stole 2B). Fell behind 3-0. Now it's a 1-1 game (3-0 double to the right CF gap). Meccage continues to be very raw despite the shiny tools. He is very very much a high school arm. Miles to go for this young man. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Meccage gives up the lead. 1-2 ahead in the count. Gives up a strength double to the right CF gap. Looked like a high off-speed. Belt high. Never broke. Sat back on it - nice piece of hitting but in that count...

[Joseph Zarr]

Another poke. Four straight hits. A shallow bloop to RF. Holguin then over pursues and botches the gather. Just overran it and never picked it up. Nobody down. 3-1 Delmarva. Man on first. Pitch count at 15. Nearly every time I've watched the Muddies the past month on a Tuesday, they have looked extremely young in their execution. LOL. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Meccage is now called for a balk. Nightmare first for the young righty. Nobdoy outs. 17 pitches. 1-1 count. Heads up play, however, he sees the runner headed to 3B early and despite the low throw DI Turi grabbed it and tagged the runner out. Huge out. Take a breath. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Restituyo pokes a double to the LF corner to get a runner aboard top of 3. One down. Boeve to the dish for his second AB. 0-0 game.

[Joseph Zarr]

Meccage adds a walk. That's four hits, a walk, 2 2B, and a balk. One down. Pitch count at 21. Mound visit. Entire infield and the pitching coach. 

[Joseph Zarr]

2 SB for the Shorebirds now - nice outer slide on a ball that got there in time. Man on 2nd. 1-2 count. Groundout to Peña at 2B. That's two down. Man on 3B. Pitch count at 25. Big AB here - goes without saying.

[Joseph Zarr]

SLow roller to 3B. INfield hit. 4-1 SHorebirds. Swinging bunt. Dang. Pitch count 29. Di Turi barehanded it clean. Runner just beat it out. Brutal result there despite good process all around. 

[TURBO]

1 hour ago, Ro Mueller said:

 2B Jadher Areinamo (75) and 1B Blake Burke (71) are 2nd and 3rd in the Midwest League in hits, but the team is 11th in scoring.

 

The day is coming, and probably semi soon, that these two young men are going to leave Appleton. 

That day will be sad for me, but on to bigger and brighter things!

[Joseph Zarr]

3 SB on Walther now. He drops the pitch. Runner over ran the base. No throw. Brutal first frame for the Mudcats pitching/catching battery.

[Joseph Zarr]

Meccage 'escapes' on a K after his 33rd pitch. Hardin opens his 3rd frame with a swinging K on a change-up that tailed below the zone (beautiful pitch - set him up perfectly.) 0-0 through 2 1/3 IP.

[Joseph Zarr]

RHP Garrett Stallings continues to 'Wow' me in 2025. He really can not pitch any better than he is pitching. I mean this. Just in total control of his mix. He has 3 K through 2 2/3 IP. Just grabbed a swinging missing K on a gorgeous slider. 0-0 game. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Meanwhile, Pratt with a really poor error to put a runner on with two down in Hardin's third. Just a lazy error. Ugh. As routine as it gets.

[Joseph Zarr]

No matter! Double-A C Matt Wood is here to throw him out at 2B immediately upon the SB attempt. Beautiful throw. Maybe an even better tag by Pratt. Bang-bang play. On to the 4th. 0-0.

[Joseph Zarr]

After two hard hit fly outs, Luis Lameda patiently walks on four pitches. Can C Yannic Walther come through?

[Joseph Zarr]

If I had a nickel for every first pitch I've seen INF Juan Baez swing at I'd likely have a couple bucks. Baez is nothing if not aggressive. He grounds out weakly to 3B on the, you guessed it, first pitch he faced in the bottom of the first. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Meccage gives up another double in the 2nd. One down. Man on 2nd. He is already behind 2-0 yet again. AND with Made shading toward 2B the batter pokes an oppo grounder through the hole. Runner scores. 5-1 Shorebirds. I think we will officially call this Meccage outing 'Rough'.

[Joseph Zarr]

Chris Mehring did just confirm in the broadcast: C Marco Dinges subbed himself out Sunday in the 105F heat. He called 'Uncle'.Three up and three down for the T-Rats. 

Meanwhile, Jesus Made continues to showcase why he is being lauded for his improved defense. He just snared a weak liner surely headed to shallow LF and then picks the runner off at 1B having left on the contact. Heck of a play. Meccage escapes down 5-1. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Man that was an incredible grab by Made. He just keeps coming on in all the ways outside the box score. I'm deadpan serious. He is a way better player today than early April despite the lack of gaudier XBH numbers some might need to feel rosier. I personally feel 10x more confident today than in April. Complete player

[Joseph Zarr]

IF you feel so inclined to see the incredibly diverse top shelf athleticism from one C Marco Dinges...just go watch the pop fly out he snares in foul territory just up the 3B line with the runner sprinting just past his face mask. may have grazed him - definitely took an arm. He is just so suave. Unbelievable grab by my eyes to keep that focus. He made it look easy. It was essentially a shoestring grab for all intents and purposes given the fly by. Starts 1:19:01 on the replay. Big play. Bases juiced. Two down for Flores who had some tough luck to get their (all on with two outs)

[Joseph Zarr]

Hardin saw men get aboard on 2nd and 3rd with one down. He gave up the sac fly to CF but struck out the last batter for an escape. 1-0 Shuckers trail. 

[Joseph Zarr]

José Anderson walks give me 'the Feels'. He gets aboard to lead off the 4th. Nobody down for Di Turi. Muddies still trail 5-1.

[Joseph Zarr]

We are in the middle innings across the board outside of Wisconsin. The affiliates have scored 1 run combine. Add in T-Rats? One run combined. This is very much an offensively challenged night so far.

[wibadgers23]

Oh where oh where is all the offense?

[biedergb]

1 minute ago, wibadgers23 said:

Oh where oh where is all the offense?

It has gone dry the past few - I mean several games are the exception- but several teams have not been hitting regularly or not scoring when they do get hits.