Article: Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/6): Sounds Split a Pair of Shutout Contests

[Jim Goulart]

The Brewers Minor League spotlight, at least from a "games" perspective, has focused on the AAA Nashville Sounds while we anxiously await Friday night's extended schedule in which all four full-season affiliates will be in action - all on the road. For the second time this week, the Sounds played a weather-induced doubleheader. Let's take a look at how the evening played out.

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The Brewers had previously released rosters for Biloxi, Wisconsin, and Carolina earlier this week. Our suggestion - if you have not been keeping up with the multiple topics on our Minor League BrewerFanatic Forum, it's a good day to catch up. In particular, we've been peppering the "Your 2023 _____" team threads with video reports from the various outposts.
 

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Final, Game One: Nashville 4, Memphis (Cardinals) 0
Final, Game Two: Memphis 2, Nashville 0

Via the Sounds' site, game details, and we encourage readers to review each of the affiliate write-ups as part of your season-long Link Report routine:

Sounds Split Twin Bill in Memphis - Gasser and company shut out Memphis in game one, Redbirds return favor in game two

Pre-Game Media Notes 

Game One Box Score / Game One Game Log
Game Two Box Score / Game Two Game Log 

2:04, 2:05 -Times of game (granted, seven innings apiece, and no bottom of the 7th in the opener).

Game One saw a solid offensive team performance, ten base knocks including four doubles, and 4-for-10 with RISP.

Leadoff man Sal Frelick led the way:

Frelick played right field in both games, by the way, and stole his third base of the season. Fellow OF's Tyler Naquin (LF) and Skye Bolt (CF) were the other players to reach more than once, each with a single and a walk.

So the Nashville hurlers tossed zero-run innings in the opener. The Journal-Sentinel's Curt Hogg captured a snippet of LHP Robert Gasser's evening for us:

As pointed out in our always helpful Link Report-associated freeform commentary thread, Gasser wasn't in the strike zone a ton but he induced many chases as 53 of his 87 pitches generated strikes. But yeah, 87 pitches over four+ innings isn't ideal. Gasser walked the first two men he faced in the 5th, but what a to-the-rescue inning from RHP Lucas Erceg (K, force out, fly out). Erceg's breakfast is on Gasser's tab this AM, one would think.

There's RHP Elvis Peguero with another eye-opening effort for Brewers brass, spanning two innings to close Game One out. Peguero is one of just five Elvis' with big-league experience, and we wonder if he visited a certain tourist spot while in Memphis.

In the nightcap, the Redbirds were 0-for-9 with RISP so the 2-0 final score disguised the fact that starting RHP Caleb Boushley and LH reliever Ethan Small each walked three. 

Trusting one of our readers who had eyeballs on the game:

Man, rough outing for Ethan Small. Velo back down to his usual numbers after being up in his 1st outing of the year and just absolutely zero command/control. What's most concerning is he isn't even throwing other pitches. He threw 27 FB and 2 CH tonight. Of his 27 FB only 6 were inside the zone. I feel like it's one thing if he's struggling locating a breaking ball, but struggling to locate a 91 mph FB is a tough look. Just a mechanical mess is my guess because he misses so many pitches super high (early release) or super low and in (late release).

Just one outing, and Small was sharper his first time out. Still a bit discouraging, however.

Let's focus on 6th-year (including 2020) LHP Clayton Andrews. As Will Sammon wrote in December 2021 (back when The Athletic had a Brewers beat writer):

Andrews threw only 9 1/3 innings for the Sounds before Tommy John surgery ended his season. He was a candidate for a call-up from the alternate site in 2020, and it wouldn’t have been surprising to see him make his major-league debut in 2021. He could be useful as a lefty reliever but he isn’t expected to be available until at least June 2022. He’s well-liked for his fastball/changeup combination.

Andrews is still listed at 5'6", but is pumping as high as 94 MPH. He's a fascinating candidate in this needs-a-40-man-spot-but-Hoby-Milner-is-the-lone-lefty world in which Brewers fans live. Andrews preserved a scoreless line for Boushley, fanning two with a man on third base.

But wait, though he has underperformed in his big-league chances thus far, LHP Matthew Liberatore, acquired for Arozarena, flashed this against the Sounds. Darn --

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Enjoy the full feast of action Friday night, everyone!

Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth
Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth 

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[brewmann04]

Not Promising on Small needs to visit the Pitching Lab.

But Andrews is interesting  prospect and think he might force he way onto the team at some point.  Good to hear positive news about Lucas and Elvis.

[Joseph Zarr]

I would add to Sammon's Andrews fastball/change-up remarks above: 

Early in 2023, by my eye, his slider is far and away his most dangerous strikeout pitch. He is reaching 3,000 plus rpm spin on that offering with over a foot of horizontal break. It's nasty.

[wiguy94]

Regarding Small, the zone % numbers are straight off of Savant, so this wasn't an eye test thing.