Ro Mueller

1B Mike Boeve gives Biloxi and Logan Henderson an early lead:

Nashville still hasn’t gotten a runner in scoring position, but they’ve taken a 2-0 lead on C Eric Haase’s 108.2mph 2-run homer in the top of the 5th inning, scoring DH Wes Clarke (who’d singled).

Now it’s the Mudcats’ turn to have 2-on, nobody out in the 8th inning (David Garcia single, Walling HBP). Yhoswar, Briceno or Acosta need to come through.

Wow did the Nats blow that one! They try a sac bunt, but Figueroa gets the out at 2nd. And then C David Garcia guns down a steal attempt which didn’t trigger the runner at 3rd base breaking for home. And Figueroa gets an infield pop out to escape. To the bottom of the 8th we go, still 2-2.

Carolina put 2 on (Yophery walk, Pratt single) with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, so Fredericksburg brought in a 3rd 24-year old pitcher and he induced a Castillo groundout. Now resident old man RHP 23-year old Jeferson Figueroa gives up 2 singles to start the 8th inning. This is trouble. He’d retired 4 straight before this frame. Still a 2-2 game for now.

Chad Patrick’s solid as usual (4 shutout IP thus far), but the Sounds have yet to even get a runner to 2nd base. 0-0 thru 4.

…and the Nats replaced one 24-year old pitcher with another, who retired Castillo (pop out) and D. Garcia (K) to strand 2 baserunners, though only after a throwing error allowed Jose Acosta to scramble home and tie it up. 2-2 thru 5.

Trailing 2-1, an error and a walk (Filippo Di Turi) to start the bottom of the 5th inning open the door for the Mudcats. Will the Nats pull their 24-year old starting pitcher now? Let’s go Carolina!

Knoth exits at 74 pitches after 4 innings, so 20-year old LHP Anfernny Reyes enters in a rather big spot in his 2nd-ever Low-A game (poor first outing: 3 BB, 1 HBP among 6 batters faced).

Trailing 2-0 and with just a lone single (from C David Garcia) thru 3 innings, RF Luis Castillo steps up to hit homer number 10. Mudcats still trail 2-1, but hopefully this sparks their bats. https://twitter.com/CarolinaMudcats/status/1802105068193550343

22-year old RHP Logan Henderson makes his 2nd AA start for AA Biloxi (5 IP, 0 R, 3 Ks last outing), as they try to get back into their home series against Tennessee, trailing 3 games to 1. A middle infield of SS Adam Hall and 2B Zavier Warren was not on anybody’s bingo card for 2024, but injuries have made it so.

RF Brewer Hicklen (.983 OPS in 201 PAs) returns from injury. RHP Chad Patrick (2.83 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 9.1 K/9 in 60.1 IP) is on the mound. It’s time for the AAA Sounds to claw back from a 3-1 series deficit at Gwinnett.

High-A Wisconsin’s magic number to clinch the first half title is 2 games (with 5 remaining). They’re even 2-2 in this week’s series at West Michigan. 20-year old RHP Yujanyer Herrera (3.61 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 11.5 K/9 in 42.1 IP) is on the hill. T-Rats’ hitters have easily the fewest strikeouts in the league (410 vs. 466 second place).

Low-A Carolina has dropped 2 in a row at home against Fredericksburg, so has work to do to clinch the first half title (magic number = 3 with 7 games left). 18-year old RHP Josh Knoth (4.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 10.5 K/9 in 36 IP) gets tonight’s start. LF Yhoswar Garcia is tied for the league lead in stolen bases (26) and 3rd in AVG (.331).

If they’re healthy, we might as well let Eduardo Garcia and Felix Valerio play middle infield again for AA Biloxi, in my opinion, but let’s see how it plays out.

- LHP Darrell Thompson transferred to Development List from AAA Nashville - RHP Nolan Blackwood transferred to Development List from AAA Nashville

- OF Brewer Hicklen activated from AAA Nashville’s 7-day injured list - RHP James Meeker outrighted to AAA Nashville (where he’d already been optioned to on June 8 before being designated for assignment on June 11)

Assuming the Martin acquisition is legit (details pending), I suspect it’s in response to AA Biloxi’s Eric Brown Jr. (not yet on IL) and Ethan Murray (on 7-day IL) being injured, with the organization having no interest in demoting Freddy Zamora from AAA or promoting Jadher Areinamo or Gregory Barrios from High-A at this time.

- Acquired INF Casey Martin from the Phillies and assigned to AA Biloxi - INF Christian Arroyo of AAA Nashville sent on rehab assignment to ACL Brewers - OF Handelfry Encarnacion placed on DSL Brewers-1’s 7-day injured list

I thought I'd take a peek around the league to see if any DSL players have been promoted stateside over the past week: Yes, 7 DSL players have been promoted stateside over the past week (2 Phillies, 1 Met, 1 Guardian, 1 Padre, 1 Red, 1 Marlin), but they were all 2021-2023 signings. 6 of them played in the DSL in prior years and the 7th was injured for several seasons and is already 21 years old Amongst the DSL ranks, other than any presently-injured older players returning, I assume these are our only in-season promotion candidates: RHP Joshua Quezada (20) - K'd 6 of 18 batters faced; 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 single, 1 GIDP RHP Wenderlyn King (18) - K'd 16 of 36 batters faced; 0 BB, 3 HBP, 5 singles, 1 double LHP Jesus Broca (20) - K'd 9 of 16 batters faced; 1 BB, 0 HBP, 4 singles, 1 double, 1 triple RHP Jesus Flores (19) - K'd 9 of 19 batters faced; 2 BB, 0 HBP, 2 singles, 1 double INF Kevin Ereu (18) - 1.000 OPS in 27 PAs with 8 BB / 3K - signed for $1.4m last year and presently sits 2 levels below fellow mega-signers Yophery and Filippo Almost any catcher to support ACL depth - e.g. C Freider Rojas (18), C Ludwin Tejada (18), Kegnnalex Seijas (18), Luis Garcia (19) Of course, we may see a dozen players move stateside unofficially once the formal ACL season concludes (last scheduled game July 25; then playoffs July 27-30) and they shift to the informal Extended Summer League. Finally, if we’re to promote SS Luis Pena and/or CF Jose Anderson, they’d immediately become the youngest stateside player(s) in the minors, which is presently SS Angel Arredondo of the Rangers.

Woke up to bad box scores everywhere. Jeez. At least Will Rudy had his best game in some time (1 single, 1 HBP in 5 IP) and Enniel Cortez did okay. Does anyone know why Eric Brown Jr. was pulled to start the 3rd inning? Gut check time for Carolina and Wisconsin, who both lead by 3.5 games.

Bad 2nd inning for Letson, unfortunately. 4 runs have come across thus far.

Yhoswar Garcia singles home Filippo Di Turi (singled) and Cooper Pratt (walked) in the 1st, which is 2 more runs that Carolina scored yesterday. Go Mudcats!

RHP Bradley Blalock (3.83 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 7.7 K/9 in 47 IP) and AA Biloxi will try to make it back-to-back home wins over Tennessee, this time against old friend Trey Supak. 3B Mike Boeve (.297) and CF Carlos D. Rodriguez (.294) are 4th and 8th in the 8-team Southern League in AVG (min. 126 PAs).

19-year old RHP Bishop Letson (3.10 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 10.6 K/9 in 29 IP) and Low-A Carolina look to get back to winning after a minor hiccup yesterday. They lead their home series against Fredericksburg 2-1 and 2nd place Down East by 4.5 games. SS Cooper Pratt’s on-base streak is 22 games.