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Muddies killing ‘em with a thousand bloops- bunch of weak hits and it’s 3-0. Apparently a lot of the hits earlier in the series were of the bloop/soft contact - EV <75. And Luis Peña steals home, very close play. Now 4-0 with small ball.

Adamczewski with “double” - shallow pop to LF and LF couldn’t get to it and field it cleanly. We will take it - improves his OPS, but was really a shallow pop up. See good things happen when you put the bat on the ball.

And in Myrtle Beach-Dinges with a solid double to score Made A Dinges ate your baseball. ;)

And KC Hunt who threw how many pitches last weekend? (30-40 in the first inning before being pulled) 44 pitches of 3 shutout innings, 2H, 1BB, 3 K

And Carlos Rodriguez ask-how about that for the start of the game. 6 up, 6 down. 6 K 😳

Too soon to say. Devin has to contend with pitching in the unforgiving NYC environment (high expectations, fans and media ready to pounce on any flaw), and did he extend with the Yankees or is he pitching in his final year of arb and now has to worry about that big FA contract at the end of the year as well? Also like a guy like Hader who looked like toast when traded him and struggled, but then settled and became himself the next 2 years, I see Williams finding his trajectory - either sustained elite bullpen arm, or he will prove himself to be a 3-4 pitching darling without staying power. A lot of relievers will fall into that bucket - they can have 3-4 or so and then hitters can catch up or that stuff is no longer as elite or refined.

Do you have any idea on his velocity on the fastball and other offerings currently? I like the breaking pitch looks like it had batters off balance. You wrote this in 2023: "Johnson has a fastball in the low-90s that he has held deep into his outings. He also mixes in a slider and a changeup; the changeup is probably the better of the two offerings at this moment."

I absolutely suck at reading this data, and heck even knowing the pitches when watching games (without the aid of pitch speed or the announcer to help me figure it out). But when watching games, body language, and location and what the hitters do tell me something. Last night Miz was on. For someone who hounds his command/poise a lot, I will say that he was locked in last night. And the batters looked off. Even the hits he allowed were defensive swings that found holes. What I loved was that after a rough 3rd where he either couldn't quite locate as well, or put the guys away with 2 strikes, and had a 31 pitch outing, in the past that was it, and he tired and didn't really recover. But he wasn't too wild and still got out of that inning. Then in the 4th, when he walked a batter on a questionable call, he looked at the ump with the body language that he knew he located the pitch and was wondering where that was, and instead of sulking/losing focus/over-compensating, he then delivered for the next few batters and put together a good 4th and 5th. It is that stuff that I didn't see as much last year - when he was on he was on, but when he was off he had a tendency to spiral by over-compensating or maybe sulking (again I'm not in his head but by body language). So it was great to see him get back on track and fully execute and keep the command late. Still 80+ pitches to get through 5, and his velocity doesn't hold as long, but now I'm nitpicking. Given the appearance that he knew what he was doing, and just saying OK I'll keep doing it is a step in the right direction. Boy I can only dream that this is his new norm. But we will have to take outing to outing for now. As I said I tend to echo the Keith Law - Miz is a reliever and won't ever start - but I want him to prove that wrong.

Welp HR Redbirds and it's now 8-3 I don't think the Sounds have that kind of rally in them. I have to head off to bed, early day tomorrow. Nice pitching outings by Rodriguez and Miz. Some solid bullpen work, and some less than stellar outings. TRats supplied the offense tonight scoring 6 in the 10th which is one more run than the other affiliates scored combined (so far with Sounds still to bat in the bottom of 9) Mixed day throughout from the big club down. Some good outings and showings, but not quite all put together and a rough inning being costly (except for the TRats so far)

Got one run in on a sac fly. But that’s it for the 8th. On to final inning. Still down 5-3.

Durbin single to left. Then EMJ against a lefty goes down swinging - technically a foul tip caught for strike 3. Now it's up to Alfaro - Oliva and other in the bottom of 8. And Alfaro with a knock and runners on the corners. I won't say rally this time since I jinxed 'em last time.

And a Yoho ho-hum, 4 pitch K, 5 pitch K and a 2 pitch grounder. 11 pitches, 3 outs and looked good doing it.

And then Hall, Spain and Monasterio strike out in order leaving the runners on the corners stranded. That is not how you get a rally going fellas.

OVer in Quad Cities. Aidan gets an out with a big K, then a 9 pitch ground out to end it. TRats win big 9-4. Nashville trying to rally, runners on the corners and Hall strikes out, with Spain up

Suckers lose again, get a couple on base and Cooper grounds in a game ending DP The TRats give up a double andits 9-4, but then a big out. Nasville - Seigler triples to lead off the 7th let's start a rally here

McGee just not getting out of this jam, as he allow 2 walks after that IF hit, and then a big K, but a solid line drive to RF and two runs are in. 5-2 Redbirds. And then a big K to end the frame.

Kay Lan!!!! Grand slam in Quad Cities A quad run hit ;)

Easton McGee on in Nashville and gets a quick out. Then a grounder to Monasterio in the hole who can't get the throw over in time despite a classic EMJ splits. And then McGee walks the next batter.... Meanwhile in QC, a double down the 3rd base line and one run in and Guilarte tries to make it home and is just thrown out at the plate, but Garcia moves to 3rd base. 2 outs. 2 run lead, and Wood up

Areinamo with a grounder to 3rd that moves Baez to 3rd base. The ump squeezing the QC pitcher on the first pitch, burke now ahead in the count 3-0 and a walk, and Burke on base. But now the DP is in order. And countering that future MLB manager of the year Estevez puts in the pinch runner for Burke.

Baez with his second hit tonight and an error by the LF and TRats grab the lead as the ghost runner scores 4-3 TRats and still top of the order.

Looks like extras in Quad City after all. nice play by Areinamo. He can play defensive in case you were not aware of that. Just timed that jump perfectly

Yerlin in some trouble early with a double on the next batter. But also getting squeezed a little. 8 pitches and a huge huge K on the curveball. 2 out.

Big DP by Holub. They concede the run but get two. And then he gets the last out. Unfortunately he gave up 2 runs total and the lead.

Not great inning by Holub - as a wild pitch moves the runner to 3rd, then allows a free pass. Runners at the corners and no outs.

Yerlin is in now - a nice strike out Then a grounder and a very nice play by Arienamo - always good defensively. And he then gets Werner (the guy with the big HR). Strike out on a nice breaking ball ANd Holub in for Nashville and a walk and a double. 2-2 game