Thurs. 8/28 - Big League Matinee; Farmhands Get All the Evening Attention

[Jim Goulart]

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

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[Joseph Zarr]

I witnessed a 1-7 early week. A story all too familiar in the second half. Let's hope, with the attention on the evening games, the squads can pull out some more favorable end results!

Muddies tied atop first place. Can Bitonti and Di Turi please start hitting? Please? Lovely performance from the bottom of the Mudcats line up last night. Can they stay disruptive? That would be huge.

[Ro Mueller]

Carolina is tied for 1st place with 11 games remaining. Tonight they’ve got stellar 18-year old RHP Ethan Dorchies (2.86 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 9.6 K/9 in 44 Low-A IP) starting at home against Delmarva. DH Josiah Ragsdale has an 11-game on-base streak. 

[Ro Mueller]

DH Mike Boeve (.684 OPS in 263 PAs) returns to the Biloxi lineup for his first action in 3 weeks. RHP Brett Wichrowski (3.56 ERA in 83.1 IP) has allowed exactly 3 runs in 6 straight outings. We trail this week’s series 2-0 at Montgomery. The AA playoffs start September 16.

[Ro Mueller]

1B Luke Adams is back (first game since June 19)!…to rehab with High-A Wisconsin as they host Quad Cities and try to snap a 5-game losing skid. RHP Ryan Birchard (4.23 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 10.5 K/9 in 93.2 IP) makes his 21st start (24th appearance) of 2025.

[Ro Mueller]

10 pitches for Dorchies in a 3-up, 3-down 1st inning, including a K. Now let’s hit!!

[Ro Mueller]

LHP Bruce Zimmermann needs a bounceback outing after his Saturday start (3 IP, 7 R, 3 Ks) and AAA Nashville needs a home win to avoid an 0-3 series deficit against Charlotte. CF Drew Avans has a 14-game on-base streak. 

 

[Ro Mueller]

Oish. A bad 2nd inning has seen 6 straight batters reach base against Ethan: 3 singles, 3 walks. And now a 7th: 3-run homer. Even 2 outs on the bases couldn’t save us (Payne assist, Kevin Garcia CS). Hopefully Fredericksburg is losing somewhere.

[biedergb]

Ugh. Oh no I was excited with the first inning report, and now it sounds like a blow out against Carolina. Yikes

With the way the day is going, I may not have it in me to watch the minors tonight.

I guess I'm ready for August to be over - minors have had ups and down, and the big club has gone elation to frustration again.

[Ro Mueller]

After 9 consecutive outs to start their game (but only 1 K), the Mudcats load the bases with nobody out while trailing 6-0 in the 4th inning: Payne walk, Ragsdale walk, Ebel single the other way.

Can we slash this deficit in half?

[Ro Mueller]

1 minute ago, Ro Mueller said:

After 9 consecutive outs to start their game (but only 1 K), the Mudcats load the bases with nobody out while trailing 6-0 in the 4th inning: Payne walk, Ragsdale walk, Ebel single the other way.

Can we slash this deficit in half?

Well, we nearly got none: Bitonti fly out, Encarnacion pop out.

Thankfully Tyler Rodriguez smacked a first pitch live drive to left: 2 score, but Ebel’s out at home. Down 6-2 now.

[biedergb]

19 minutes ago, Ro Mueller said:

Well, we nearly got none: Bitonti fly out, Encarnacion pop out.

Thankfully Tyler Rodriguez smacked a first pitch live drive to left: 2 score, but Ebel’s out at home. Down 6-2 now.

Yeah Bitonti has been lost at the plate for 2 months now. After a great June where he looked like the prospect we dream on, he has been struggling mightily and striking out a ton.  Big holes in that swing, and hoping Brenton DelChiaro can help him close some of those holes this offseason. The power potential is real, but you have to make contact first before you can hit with power, otherwise you are a fan (both figuratively and literally get it 😉)

[Ro Mueller]

Hoskins K’d in his first AB, but Jeferson Quero has started a new hitting streak: RBI double (109.5mph EV) to plate Tyler Black (walked).

Earlier, Zimmermann played with fire in the top half of the inning (stranded bases loaded).

1-0 Sounds after 1. 

 

[Ro Mueller]

This scoring thing is just not Wisco’s forte, it seems.

Fischer led off with a single, Made followed with a double to the opposite field with nobody out. No runs scored though.

Adamczewski flew out on the 8th pitch. Luke Adams popped out to the catcher for the 2nd out - his first PA in over 2 months. Hall grounded out.

[Sheets]

Is Bryce Meccage out with injury? Haven’t seen him lately

[biedergb]

An error and a hit. Then a soft grounder. And a passed ball and Montgomery scores a run against Wichrowski.

Shuckers bats still so so quiet. 😞

[biedergb]

No comeback for the Muddies. Only 3 hits. Dorchies big hiccup 5-run 2nd inning, but he went 5 innings still and 8 K. A lot to work with there.  Let’s hope he can stay healthy and make big step forward next season.

Mudcats lose 6-2.  

[biedergb]

Shuckers manufacture a run. Double on a defensive swing down first base line by Vargas (who was hugged by former teammate Areinamo). Then he takes off and a grounder to second is out 1, but Vargas to third

Then a fly ball, and Vargas scores. Boeve pops out to end the inning. 1 hit = 1 run. Shuckers seemingly playing the past week or two like the ‘24 Biloxi team.

[biedergb]

Luke Adams! Wow just love to see that guy back. 108 mph liner to left scores Made and Adamczewski. Alright!

[wibadgers23]

Made with an absolute web gem...

 

[sveumrules]

27 minutes ago, Sheets said:

Is Bryce Meccage out with injury? Haven’t seen him lately

Welcome to the site.

Looks like he last pitched August 1st, so yeah, almost a month now.

Can’t recall hearing anything specific, and the org is usually not very forthcoming with minor league injury news / updates, but maybe one of the more looped in posters here has some info?

[biedergb]

T-Rats up 2-0. Birchard having the finest outing of his career. 6 IP, only 73 pitches. 6 K! And only 1 walk.

[biedergb]

Just now, sveumrules said:

Welcome to the site.

Looks like he last pitched August 1st, so yeah, almost a month now.

Can’t recall hearing anything specific, and the org is usually not very forthcoming with minor league injury news / updates, but maybe one of the more looped in posters here has some info?

Agree no news. Either an injury, or limiting innings given he was a northeast HS pitcher and this is likely more pitching he has done in past couple of summers maybe?

[biedergb]

Home run off Wichrowski. He gets through 4 innings with only the 1 single 

Open The 5th with a walk and the a HR. 3-1 Biscuits now.

[sveumrules]

5 minutes ago, biedergb said:

Agree no news. Either an injury, or limiting innings given he was a northeast HS pitcher and this is likely more pitching he has done in past couple of summers maybe?

Yeah, went back and checked the game thread from 08/01 and no one mentioned him coming off the field holding his elbow or anything ominous like we’ve seen too many times before, so that’s good.

Also listed as active on his MiLB player page (versus being placed on the IL), so I’ll take that as a good sign too.

Hopefully just a planned shutdown like you alluded to or a minor tweak of some kind.