Bottom of the 6th frame in Biloxi. Cargo walks on five pitches. Steals his 12th base of the season. And it's only the 2nd RISP of their night. Big steal as he swipes his 13th base with Wilken at the dish and the throw sails into LF. It's suddenly a 2-0 game. He scores on the Error. Wilken grounded out hard to 3B.
Pensacola's third hit of the night was a liner to CF. Cargo clearly didn't read it well off the bat. He mis-stepped toward RF and the ball went left. He traps it on a dive forward. Makable play on a hard hit ball if he reads it accurately off the bat. That misplay ultimately led to Misiorowski's only 3-0 count of his night. it went 3-1. He walked his second batter and left the game after 5 2/3 IP and men on 1st and 2nd.
An 82 mph inside curve (quite a bit of vertical break) followed up with a 97 mph heater up and in for his 6th K in 5 IP. Just a fantastic start from 'The Miz'. Five complete so far. Got a DP in that inning too after a lead-off oppo single to RF.
5th K here in the 4th on a high outer slider. K looking. After just missing a call on a 98 mph heater off the outer stripe.
Meanwhile, on screen two I see a Joey Wiemer flailing K on an off-speed pitch that dipped low and just outside. The bat ended up in one hand. That was a really poor swing by Wiems. Yikes.
LHP Nick Bennett will spell LHP DL Hall who pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He worked around the bases loaded jam in the 2nd frame. As I opined early, I wasn't particularly impressed with the action of his heater - flat and level plane appeared very hittable at the MLB level. The change-up and breakers were quite nice and seemed impactful.
Tunes into the T-Rats. I see Manfredi had some trouble. They trail 6-0 in the bottom of the third. Zero outs for the Rattlers. Man on 2nd with Rodriguez at the dish.
Misses with another curve - high and outside. By my count: that's 3 balls on that pitch. One strike. He then gets an infield bunt against the 'shift'. No chance for Wilken. First Blue Wahoos hit.
Miz threw a curve for a high inside strike! There we go. Let's go baby. Let's get all those pitches working. He gets a weak dribbler to C Darrien Miller to get the first out of his 3rd. Heater seems to be sitting 97 mph here in the third.
Trying to add an insurance run (after his lead-off double) in the 7th after a David Garcia oppo two out single to left CF, Miguel Briceno was thrown out at home plate on a one hope dart. They had him by a good 3 feet on the throw. 5-3 Mudcats. On to the top of the 8th.
3-2 count for Hall. Bases juiced. Two down. THe pay off pitch...he gets the fly out to Wiemer in RF.
I personally still don't like the action on Hall's heater. It appears to my eyes it is coming in flat. There just isn't all that much movement. And the velo isn't high enough to come in in that fashion. Just my current observation and opinion.
DL Hall just took a comebacker right off his right foot. He's working around a hard hit single to RF. The comebacker single off his foot. And a weak dribbler infield hit to 3B by ol' Sound Jonathan Davis. Bases juiced. Two down.
Darrien Miller just plunked again. The 15th time. My goodness the man has magnets in his skeleton. Fastball up and in at 89 mph off the hand. Uncanny how this man gets plunked.
It's RHP Jeison Pena time in Carolina. He gets a first batter K. Then falls to a 2-0 count to the next hitter. Thankfully, he gets the fly out to RF on the next pitch. He then falls 2-0 to the next batter. 3-0 on an outside breaker. Walks him on four pitches. The first Mudcat walk - fitting it comes from Pena with two down.
Misiorowski finishes his second inning on a three pitch K - all sliders sitting low 90's.
Rodriguez struggle with location early. He gave up 4 XBH's through 2 IP and they were hit hard. AND, yet, he pitches another Quality Start. What more can you say about this young man's ability to give his team a chance every outing. It's uncanny.
He gets the K swinging at a 97 mph upper corner heater after he threw an inside 92 mph cutter the pitch before - both swings and misses. 2 K, 1 BB, and a pop out to 1B. We can work with this.
Next pitch 99.1. Next pitch 99. He has thrown two curve balls now - one 3 feet up and out of the zone and the next one about 6 ' high and outside the zone to the backstop. He then walks the batter with two down on a 101 mph inside heater. The velo is back tonight. The curveball? Absolutely not early.