Tue. 8/26 - Final T-Rats Home Series of Season (Carolina also, but hopefully playoffs to come)

[Joseph Zarr]

Bitonti flies out to CF. On to the 6th. Still 2-1 Muddies. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Manuel Rodriguez works around a lead-off single by K'ng his final batter swinging to end his first frame. 

Meanwhile, Melvin Hernandez has two down early in the sixth. He has a swinging K - his 4th of his evening. And, he's up 0-2 to the next hitter. He steps off the mound for a time out. He is charged with the pitch clock violation. 2-1 count. Doesn't matter. He gets another K swinging on a low outside change-up. Pitch count at 73. He will get the 7th inning oppo as well. That's 5 K over 6 IP of 1 ER ball. Man, what a dynamo. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Let's GO! Encarnacion rips an 0-1 triple through the right CF gap and to the wall. CF'er tried to cut it off and couldn't. He makes it sliding into 3B quite easily. Love to see it. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Hunt's high arcing curve is really working early. Gets the K looking on said curve to strand a man on 1B in his second inning of work. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Fischer just lined a single into RF. RF'er charged and couldn't corral so Fischer legs it into a double. That was a lefty on lefty piece of hitting as well. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Di Turi has now K'd three times. Yikes.

 Anderson K'd looking at a gorgeous outside off-speed pitch. The ump also charged strike one on Anderson to open the AB with a heater in his shins. A bit unfair. 

[Joseph Zarr]

A WP scores Encarnacion as Garcia K's on the very next pitch. Phew. LOL. 3-1 Muddies. Just as I glance ot the next screen to watch young OF Hedbert Perez K looking. 

Lottttttttta K's I'm seeing throughout tonight. Yuck.

[Joseph Zarr]

Melvin is pulled after 6 IP for LHP Anferrny Reyes. 

Fischer left 2B early but the pick-off failed as he still stole 3B. He scored on a Made ground out to SS. 1-0 T-Rats. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Reyes gets ahead 1-2 on the first batter. He then falls to 3-2 after the hitter just missed a sure double down the 3B line. He then walks the batter on a clear pitch clock violation. Come on Reyes. Get it together. 

[Joseph Zarr]

So, we have this version of Reyes early. He rips an inside heater way inside and to the backstop for a WP. The insurance run earned last inning is now in jeopardy with the lead runner at 2B freely with nobdoy out. 

[Joseph Zarr]

3-2 Mudcats. A K. Groundout advances runner to 3B. He gives up a line drive single into LF in a 2-1 count. As per usual with Reyes pitching like this Stanley has nobody up in the bullpen. AND, another WP advances another runner to 2B. Sighs. So many sighs. Reyes is so hit and miss. He's fallen behind 3-0 to this next batter. 

[Joseph Zarr]

And, that's Reyes' second walk of the inning. Pitch count is at 23. Still nobody up in the bullpen. It's the vintage All or Nothing Reyes Show. I absolutely can not stand this designed approach. 😅 He falls behind 2-0 immediately to his next batter as well. A lefty on lefty match-up no less. BUT, the baseball gods show us grace with a fly out to deep CF. 

Man, the Reyes innings are so often fraught with slop. I'm fighting for a post-season in this chair 😅

[wibadgers23]

It wasn't that long ago I figured Pratt was a lock to repeat AA, but I think with this recent surge he hasn't a pretty good chance at starting next year in Nashville.

[Joseph Zarr]

Three up and three down for the Muddies in the 7th. On to the 8th. I think Nova likely comes aboard. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Sigh. Nova repeats Reyes' work and walks his first batter. That's 3 BB by the bullpen in 1.0 IP so far. Not a winning formula. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Goodness gracious. Now a tailor made hard hit ground ball right to Di Turi. He makes his 0-for-3, 3 K outing worse. His 16th error. Can't gather it. Rushes. Can't get the runner at first either. My goodness. Brutal. You have a guy who is struggling to find the plate and you botch that DP ball. Hurt me. Men on 1st and 2nd. Nobody out. The next batter successfully sac bunts them over. Men on 2nd and 3rd. One out. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Eduardo Garcia leads off the Shuckers 5th with a line drive double into the LF corner. Man on 2nd. Nobody out for Hedbert. 0-0 game.

[Joseph Zarr]

0-2 count. Nova throws a belt high heater. Oppo RBI single into RF. It is predictably 3-3. Runners on the corners one down. Hedbrert pokes a single into CF and it's 1-0 Shuckers. Nice work, young man!

[Joseph Zarr]

We haven't seen a Nova outing like this in quite awhile. He walks the next batter. Bases loaded. Not the end of the world, however, given there is an out at any base now with one down. Immediately up into an 0-2 count. 

[Joseph Zarr]

And, the homeplate ump gives Nova the call on an inside breaking ball that clearly was not a strike. We'll take it! He gets the punch out and now has the chance to escape without further damage. 3-3 game. Bases juiced. Two down.

[Joseph Zarr]

2-1 count. Ump calls a pitch he's been calling a strike all night a ball. Because, well, because. Ugh. 3-1 count. Fouled back to a 3-2 count. Goodness. We are at 27 pitches. Bases juiced. 3-3 game. Fouled back again - down the RF line. He gets the punch out looking on a knee-high dead center heater. Whewwwwww. 

Time to take a break and do some farm chores. 

[Joseph Zarr]

RHP Garrett Hodges comes aboard after Nova walked two aboard in the ninth with two down. He joins the bullpen party by hitting his first batter in an 0-1 count. This Mudcats bullpen performance has been pretty gross. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Hodges walks in a run. Because., of course. The home plate ump very clearly squeezing him in that AB, however. Thought two pitches could have easily gone his way given how he has called the game. 

That's now 7 walks by the Mudcats bullpen through a mere 2 2/3 IP. Just gross. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Naturally, the home plate ump calls the identical pitch a strike he called a ball to send that run across. This guy has been all over the map. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Why wouldn't Di Turi get that golden sombrero? Just a brutal night in a truly brutal August. Tack on that earlier error and, man, this is one of the rougher nights I've seen from a prospect of his stature.