DH Lamar Sparks (who I've advised to you lately has been red hot at the dish) just ripped a heater 107 mph off the bat over the LF wall. His third long ball. That's a game-tying two-run jack. 6-6. 4 hits for the Shuckers. 3 for XBH. All 3 for 2 RBI. Noice!
Brock Wilken. 0-2. Two-run bomb on a dead center cut heater. 391 feet at 107 mph. Gotta love that. Especially after his first AB. His 8th HR of his season. Shuckers pull within 6-4.
It is worth mentioning:
After leaving with that left leg malady last night post-slide and catcher landing on the leg, SS Cooper Pratt was out of today's line-up.
And, now we have a HB for another Wahoo run on an insided (too inside) slider that got away. Ugly ugly game for the Shuckers in the early going. 6-2 deficit. Two down. Bases juiced. Top of the 3rd. Woof.
Looks to me like the home plate ump just took Merkel's 2nd K looking and threw it in the trash. This guy. Do not like his interpretation of the zone. He gets the K swinging anyway on a slider. Two down. Bases still dripping.
The home plate ump (who has not been all that sharp) misses Merkel's strike 3 on the outer black. Really nice breaking ball. He doesn't get the call. The run crosses the plate. 5-2 Wahoos. Bases still dripping. One down.
Blalock makes it 2 1/3 innings. Just an ugly outing any way you look at it. Got peppered. Elevated pitch count. Makes it 76 pitches. Heater was just not effective. RHP Nick Merkel is going to look to try to squelch another mini rally. Shuckers trail 4-2. Men on 1st and 2nd. One down.
Martin corrals a shallow sac fly down the RF line. His attempt to throw the runner out crossing home plate sails to the Wahoos dugout. Yikes. 😅 3-2 Wahoos. One down. Pitch count at 50.
Blalock looks very very pedestrian. Another run crosses. 2-2 game. Triple down the line on a 3-2 hanger. His heater is just so hittable. Pitch count is already at 41 with no outs in the 2nd frame.
After Areinamo's 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K day? He's now hitting 0.300. I'm just saying! More walks than K's the past two months combined. He's 20 years old until 11/28. How in the heck do we not celebrate what we have here on a more committed basis. Best defensive infielder in the system with a trending bat? MoAr HomE RuNS! 😅
Hey now! EBJ works the count full with two down and two men on. He rocks an inside sinker to the LF wall. It's 2-1 Shuckers baby. EBJ now has an 8-game hit streak. 12 games on base. Noice!
On the 29th pitch, in a 1-2 count, the wind straight in from RF kills a 102 mph smash at the deep right CF warning track (374 '). Blalock got away with one there. Not a pretty inning overall. Slider does look sharp tho.
After a groundout to EBJ at SS, Blalock gives up a well hit single into CF. 1-0 Wahoos. Cargo misplays the gather and the runner advances to 2B. Cargo has had a rough defensive series through 2 G in CF. Misplaying reads. Botching gathers. Gotta tighten that up. One down. Runner on 2B. Gets the K looking. Pitch count is already at 26. Rough opening frame for the young righty.
Blalock leads the game off with a ten pitch walk. Not what the young hurler is looking for to get things started. Let's hope he picks it up! He walked a lead-off who was 25-of-27 SB on the season. He proceeded to make that 26-of-28. He's now 3-2 on the next batter. Homeplate ump blew strike 3. Gorgeous slider.
In case anyone was wondering, Garrett Mitchell appeared to tweak a left hammy today in a swing-and-miss toward the end of the game (end of the following clip). He left the game immediately. He has been absolutely playing lights out the past week plus. Gotta keep him healthy. Such a weapon. Check out the OF assist nabbing the very speedy Victor Mesa Jr.:
LOVE a walk-off for 'Mona'. Ultimate teammate. Plenty of talent in the bag. Works extremely hard. Stays prepared. Great attitude. Will play anywhere you ask him to. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my ultility guys. Every one of them deserves these opportunities. So elated when they come through - it's just not easy to do!