Wed. 8/24: Mid-Week Dust Settles After Roster Churn

[Jim Goulart]

Thread will be utilized for any minor league news Wednesday, lineup updates, etc.

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Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth

Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth

[Ro Mueller]

Wisconsin hosts the Lansing Lugnuts in an early game today, with 20-year old RHP Stiven Cruz making his 2nd start in High-A ball (6 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 5 Ks in last week's debut) and the team needing a win to tie the series 1-1. Young 1B Tayden Hall has a 6-game hitting streak (2 Wisconsin games, 4 ACL games):

[Joseph Zarr]

Jace Peterson strikes out. Wes Clarke doubles. Which one is the MLB player?

RHP Stiven Cruz pitches another scoreless frame - 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K. 0-0 in the early going.

[Joseph Zarr]

I think legendary T-Rats announcer Chris Mehring is already ready to get to the next series. After repeatedly flubbing the name 'Lugnuts' last night during the broadcast, he's already catching himself calling them the 'Lumber Kings' early ?. A very lazy Eduardo Garcia error on a routine grounder had gotten Cruz into a men on the corners two down situation here in the 2nd frame. He works around it and it's on to the bottom half still 0-0. 

[Joseph Zarr]

I don't know if I've seen a stranger approach at the plate than Tayden Hall's, but it definitely worked early with an easy swing and double down the left field line. Check this out. He begins his AB's with a completely open stance with his entire body opened to the pitcher and his back anchor leg duck footed down the 3rd base line. He maintains this open stance until the delivery begins.

[Joseph Zarr]

Ethan Murray just ripped a 3-2 double high off the wall in left field. He took that belt-high fast ball 3' from the top of the wall. Whewwww. 3-0 T-Rats. Acosta just slid under the slide at home plate to cross that third run. Murray moves to third base on a productive deep fly out to right field. One down. Great to see Murray deliver in a key spot. Well done!

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Boy, the Brewers must know they really might have something special with young RHP Stiven Cruz. He is already extremely comfortable on the mound - the pitch clock is relatively meaningless to him. He works fast. His heater has a clear means of sneaking up on hitters. And, he has a slider and a curve ball that are already plus pitches. I have yet to see a change-up. But, if he has that in his arsenal? Look out. There it is. The change. Boy, this young man is special. 3 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 K. The future is so bright for Rodriguez and Cruz - one of the more exciting developments. AND, we have young RHP Alexander Cornielle to work his wares briefly and dip his toes here in the High-A waters. Exciting stuff.

[Joseph Zarr]

Ethan Murray was a clear beneficiary of a blown strike three call with the bases juiced. That heater striped the outside portion of the plate. None the less, it was called a ball. The 4th run crosses and it's 4-0 T-Rats. Bases still juiced and we have Reidy Mercado to the dish. He proceeds to fly out to left field on an 0-1 count. On to the 4th inning...

[Joseph Zarr]

And, Cruz is out of inning 4 on 5 pitches. A 3 pitch K (his 5th), and two one-pitch ground outs. That's a hyper-efficient 51 pitches through 4 IP. Have I said I'm excited about this young man's growth?

[Joseph Zarr]

Metzinger just tagged a 2-0 pitch to dead center field over the 16' wall. That's home run number 2. He was sitting on that heater and he certainly didn't miss. 98 mph off the bat. 401' of 'just made it' home run distance. 5-0 T-Rats.

 

[Joseph Zarr]

It's awesome to see RHP Taylor Floyd get his much due respect on his name. Daniel and I have discussed his recent surge of stellar play. He struggled for the majority of his season coming off last year's injury, but, man, he has been electric of late. Truly. He is slinging shut-down stuff right now - saving his season and revitalizing his career. That's pitching with purpose and serious efficacy.

 

[wibadgers23]

7 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

And, Cruz is out of inning 4 on 5 pitches. A 3 pitch K (his 5th), and two one-pitch ground outs. That's a hyper-efficient 51 pitches through 4 IP. Have I said I'm excited about this young man's growth?

Cruz must be a late bloomer? I don’t even see him on MLB pipeline’s top 30. His numbers and peripherals look amazing though. I need to pay more attention this man. 

[Joseph Zarr]

5 minutes ago, wibadgers23 said:

Cruz must be a late bloomer? I don’t even see him on MLB pipeline’s top 30. His numbers and peripherals look amazing though. I need to pay more attention this man. 

Do that. MLB Pipeline is unaware of several of our risers. They'll get there. Cruz is fantastic. Keep in mind, he's still just 20 yo. He's early blooming in my eyes.

[Joseph Zarr]

The Lugnuts are credited with their first hit (a double) on a routine pop-up that was simply lost in the sun by Reidy Mercado. SMH. LOL. It was a lazy pop fly on an 0-2 count. Mercado, coming off of last night's base-running blunder, commits a fielding blunder. He misjudged the ball and then completely lost it. Ducked away. And, the ball fell roughly 5' in front of him to his left. This is still a no-hitter in my book.? Cruz now with 6 K in 4 1/3 IP. What a stud.

[Joseph Zarr]

Cruz now 6 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 K. 77 pitches. 6-0 T-Rats. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Boy, the T-Rats are certainly doing themselves no favors. Tayden Hall just completely biffed a routine grounder to get a double play going in a precarious spot for young RHP Jeison Pena. The T-Rats now have 3 errors on the day - and, this doesn't even consider Mercado's misjudged fly ball lost in the sun and giving Cruz his lone hit on the day. It's now 5-2 T-Rats. Man on 3rd. One down. It's not easy watching the current version of our beloved squad. Hopefully, they can hunker down and pull this out.

[Joseph Zarr]

Taylor Floyd will come on and try to stop the bleeding here - Pena was certainly not on point, but his team gave him 2 unearned runs with consecutive errors. All told, in his debut, Pena goes 1/3, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 R (0 ER). Floyd enters with runners on the corners and 1 down. Let's hope he can take an ugly inning and pretty it up some. And, Floyd delivers yet again. That's now a truly fantastic 16 1/3 inning run he's built of late. 

[Joseph Zarr]

Lansing's run differential this season? -117. Whewww. After Wes Clarke rips his 2nd double off the wall in left field, extending that T-Rats lead to 10-2, um, that differential looks to be climbing. ?

[Joseph Zarr]

Another clean inning for Floyd. That's now 17 1/3 IP allowing a mere 1 run. 2 K, 0 H, 1 BB in his current 2 IP today. What a fantastic turnaround! 

[Joseph Zarr]

Eduardo Garcia just ripped a HR over the wall in left field. That was a laser shot. Hammered off the left of the scoreboard. Looks like we don't have any statcast data. Boooo! That's his 3rd HR as a T-Rat and a much improved showing off of yesterday's slider strikeout buffet. He did strikeout on another slider today but he also has two singles to pair with this ding dong. This is the first double digit run output for the T-Rats since July 8th. 11-2. Putting this run output further into perspective: The Rattlers scored 11 total runs in 6 games at Cedar Rapids. It's a shame they can't play the Lugnuts in back-to-back series.

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Tayden Hall has been on base four times today. Unorthodox batting stance? Absolutely. Patient approach? You bet. This is a talented offensive player - you can already see it.

[Joseph Zarr]

INF Ethan Murray is now 3-for-3 with 5 RBI on his day. That's quite the game for the young infielder!

[Joseph Zarr]

OF Reidy Mercado getting in on the action hitting his second rbi single to right field - this time as a right-handed batter...the last as a lefty. God bless the switch hitters. 12-2 Rattlers and they pour on the sauce! Zack Raabe gets a pinch hit opportunity for Jace Peterson and hits an absolute weak dribbler up the first base side but, hey, it plates Ethan Murray. 13-2 Rattlers. This is their most runs since 17 runs were plated against the River Bandits back on May 10th! This is only their fifth double digit output of 2022.

[Joseph Zarr]

Let's see if the ongoing struggles of RHP Joey Matulovich can find reprieve as he comes on for a ninth frame clinging to a 13-2 lead. ?

[Ro Mueller]

Low-A Carolina also needs a win tonight to knot their road series in Kannapolis 1-1. 20-year old RHP Logan Henderson is due to make his 2nd start (2 shutout innings, 3 Ks in last appearance). SS Robert Moore comes in with a 6-game hitting streak: