Joseph Zarr

SO, after tonight's shutout the Sounds now lead the entire International League AND all of Triple-A baseball in Team ERA. That's a 2.21 Team ERA. The bullpen is sitting 1.22 through 9 games. They've allowed six runs in 44 1/3 IP. Whewwwwww.

Yeah, other than a first AB passed ball, Miller was legitimately locked in and saved many many pitches high and wide or in the dirt. The staff at large was very much wild and he really kept it all together. He also nabbed Cargo trying to swipe 2B in an attempt to get into scoring position after the Shuckers blew the lead in the 9th - it was the final out. He deserved better in the game. Truly.

EBJ has a better approach early. He did get that 2-RBI poke in there. Miller missed a walk-off two run shot in the 10th by about 6' - deep into the right CF warning track and he had some incredible play behind the dish tonight. When is the last time I praised Darrien Miller behind the dish? He absolutely deserved it. Wilken's approach is sounder this season - he isn't swinging and missing at as many sliders away and the Southern League has the scouting report there. BUT, he's still not barreling anything. I remain concerned. He made some very clean plays at 3B tonight in key spots. Adams is the most worrisome of the bunch at the dish at present, honestly. He's still too passive and he isn't making contact or timing anything early. He is a bit of a fish out of water. His leg lift and pre-swing set up have waned immensely but he's also really hyper-actively wiggling the bat. The timing is still going to be a thing and it will likely be a painful adjustment unless he can tone down the action through the zone. He had some hittable pitches tonight but his swing path wasn't level it was a chop down. He also made some fantastic plays at 1B - I continue to really like him there and think his athleticism is a real gift there. BUT, that swing...I had concerns in the Double-A jump. I remain concerned. IF the Shuckers simply take care of business in the late innings you can still come away from this game thinking some semblance of progress was made. That collective off-bullpen meltdown from Costello and Yeager really hurts as it puts everything under the microscope.

It was quite silly at the time. It certainly looks downright hilarious today. The young man has tools for days. A legitimate 5-Tool All-Star caliber talent. So well put together.

I gotchu:

Enough Boo Hooing about the Shuckers. That's their own set of issues to figure out. Let's have a moment of Zen. Remember when Spencer and I were discussing the massive pool of talent at the lowest of levels in the Brewers system. That massive pool showed out tonight. My goodness:

EBJ goes down looking. Shuckers lose. 0-4. And they are very very much an 0-4 team. Let me tell you. They earned that loss. Just a complete meltdown and then no fight and classic Shuckers inability to make a moment. Sad face for this ol' Farmhand. They had zero business losing that game. A complete failure to execute.

Manfredi was ahead 1-2. Walk. He is now behind 2-1. 2-2 on a ripped foul ball into the 1B netting. Dig deep, Mark. Come on. Bases juiced. Two down. 2-2 count. High and inside he just misses. 3-2 count again. Nowhere to put him. Gets the grounder to Wilken's right. He lunges. Grabs. Away from his body throws a one-hopper and Adams makes another expert stab. Phewwwwww. The threat ends. Thanks in no part to this cardiac Pen tonight. Yeeeesh.

The Shuckers bullpen may be melting down but this is in no part due to anything C Darrien Miller is doing. He's thrown out a base runner and he's corralled several (and I mean a hefty several) of these consistently errant throws from Costello, Yeager, and now Manfredi who walks his first batter to load the bases. That's NINE free passes from this Shucker's staff. This is absolutely a game of two winless opponents who are doing their very best to extend this game into perpetuity so nobody ever wins. 😅

Made twice as sweet playing a Cubs affiliate, no less.

And, now a hanger oppo poke into LF. Men on the corners. Two down. Pitch count at 39. Yeager is getting peppered. Finally, they go back to the Pen.

The Clingstones are checks notes 5-for-24 with RISP. No worries. Yeager, with two down and a chance to give his mates a legit walk-off opportunity, hangs another one for an easy poke to CF. Lara slips trying to throw home and can't get the ball in. Cargo scores. 7-6 deficit. Ahhhhhh Shuckers baseball.

Yeager gets the first AB K. Big out there, Justin. Let's go, young man. He works the next batter 1-2. Yeager's pitch count is sitting 34. He gets the pop up to very shallow CF where EBJ corrals it easily. Two down.

Costello and Yeager, to a man, just aren't sharp. When your set-up man and your Closer are consistently missing in the dirt and well high and you are working with a very very tight zone on the edges that's a hard bargain. Shuckers are feeling it right now.

Lara ground out to 1B. Pratt swinging K on a flailing whiff on a cutter way outside. Poor form, Coop. Pressing there. Wilken will try to do some damage. Works a 2-0 count taking two nice sliders away. Nice to see. Wilken flies out to RF. AND, two winless teams go to Xtras.

Miller rescues his struggling closer by nabbing Cargo trying to swipe 2B when Yeager's heater sailed high and outside - thankfully, this time. On to the bottom of the 9th. 6-6 game.

Misses up and in at 95 mph. 1-2 count. Misses low and in the dirt. Great job by Miller to stop that clean. Sheesh. 2-2 count. AND he gives up the tie. Unreal. Biloxi Shuckers baseball. Yeager looks in very poor form. Unreal. This is a four run ninth. The Shuckers as I've been saying all week: just a painful painful watch.

Yeager gets up 0-2. Gotta execute here. Let's see.

Yeager leaves an absolute slider hanger. Belt high. Two hops to the wall. 6-4. Runner goes back to 3B. Men on 2nd and 3rd. The leading run now comes to the dish. Come on, Justin. Now they face Cargo. Ugly stuff. Ruh roh.

Mona gathers himself and corrals a 106 mph short hop line drive to SS. He corrals it on his butt and manages to one hop an accurate throw to grab the speedy Fermin. Big play there. Nice to see it. Meanwhile, Yeager missed a batter 2 swinging foul tip K when Miller can't hold on to the high inside heater. He then almost hits the batter. Foul back 2-2 count on the next pitch an inside slider. Misses low and away on a slider. Full count. He walks him high and outside. The tying run is at the dish. Bases juiced. One out. He gets a first pitch line out to PRatt. Two down. let's go.

This homeplate ump's strike zone has been capital Squeezed all night long. 2-0 he calls an inside slider a ball. Fouled back an inside slider (Miller set up outer half) pitch 3. 2-1 count. Yeager almost gives up a 3-run jack down the LF line just past the foul pole. Yeeeeesh. Do the Shuckers ever it make it easy? 2-2 count. He gets the high inside heater swing and miss foul tip into Miller's mitt. One down.

Yeager's first pitch sails high and inside and hits the ump's mask. Sheeeesh. Come on, men. Get this together and get your first 'W'. Nobody advances. trainers out to look at the ump.

Please get Costello out of there. That AB was unnecessary. Double to the Left CF gap. Just silly. He clearly hasn't had his stuff. I would have preferred he didn't come out for the ninth and, well, here we are. 6-2 lead. Men on 2nd and 3rd. Nobody out. Yeager comes to the bump.

That sounds like early season Nadal and Walling, honestly. 😅 Hopefully, they've looked better at the dish than that line states. They've struggled early.

Costello continues to struggle in the 9th. Ahead 1-2. He walks the lead-off. Jaeger is warming up now. I know manager Joe Ayrault would like to rely on Chase here but it's pretty clear he doesn't have his stuff. Hopefully, he can pull it together. Pitching Coach, Josh Spence, just visited the mound. Nobody out. Man on 1B. 6-2 Shuckers.