Article: Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/29): Four One-Run Affairs Pepper the Five-Game Schedule

[Jim Goulart]

Yesterday we asked for a spark from the Timber Rattlers, and some late heroics Saturday in Appleton netted a walkoff win. Wisconsin's "big brother" affiliate in Nashville followed suit as that club is on a walkoff tear. Mixed results in Biloxi and Carolina produced a 3-2 Saturday overall for the system. Let's provide the game summaries below and then dig in for some player notes as well.

Image courtesy of BrewerFanatic

TRANSACTIONS:

• LHP Jakob Brustoski activated by Low-A Carolina from Development List
• LHP Bennett Sousa activated by AAA Nashville from 7-day injured list
• OF Tyler Naquin placed on AAA Nashville's 7-day injured list
   

---

Final: Nashville 6, Omaha (Royals) 5, ten innings

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

 

Hiura's Single Gives Sounds Another Walk Off Win Over Omaha - "Nashville bullpen extends scoreless inning streak to 23 innings against Storm Chasers"

Pre-Game Media Notes

Box Score / Game Log

Five walkoff wins in 14 home games thus far? That's how you satisfy your ticket-buying base.

Even with Tyrone Taylor on hand during his rehab stint (he DH'd Saturday), the Sounds find themselves light on outfielders again with Tyler Naquin's IL placement. You just read within the detailed summary linked above - "Skye Bolt, who left the game after coming up hobbling following beating out an infield single in the eighth". The Nashville roster had four bench players entering the game, two of those catchers. Eddy Alvarez and his 1.074 OPS continues to man right field for the first season of his lengthy career. Keston Hiura and Monte Harrison will join Taylor in the OF rotation for now.

There is a critical resurrection of sorts in terms of player value going on, and it's LH (now reliever) Ethan Small. The 26-year-old is limiting outgoing velocity and has not walked a batter in his last three outings, spanning five innings. He's still racking up K's, and the next time the Brewers need to supplement Hoby Milner, perhaps Small's 40-man roster status spares us another Alex Claudio call-up.

Except for one sour outing on the 19th, RH reliever Lucas Erceg has been near-spotless. The bullpen depth the Brewers have established is somewhat remarkable, both 40-man and waiting in the wings to be added if necessary. The last time swing man RHP Pedro Fernandez pitched in affiliated ball was 2018, The soon-to-be 29-year-old has been super-solid in the early going.

Baserunners galore - Sounds stranded 15 yet found a way in the end.

Five video highlights on the Sounds' Twitter feed - but we'll choose to share the game-ender, hard-hit off a LHP, no less, via Hiura:

---

Final: Mississippi (Braves) 7, Biloxi 6

Via the Shuckers' site:

Shuckers Comeback Attempt Falls Short in 7-6 Loss to M-Braves - Biloxi scores four in the final three innings, but strand the tying run on base in the ninth

Pre-Game Media Notes 

Box Score / Game Log

The Shuckers parlayed six singles and six walks to net themselves their six runs. On the top prospect front, five of those six hits came from Jackson Chourio, Tyler Black, and Jeferson Quero, who combined to reach nine times, so that's promising despite the notch in the loss column.

That bullpen depth noted in the Nashville section above? Eighth-year Brewer farmhand RHP Harold Chirino (only in his age 25 season!) is unscored upon in seven 2023 outings, with 15 K's and only one walk. Can/should a callup to AAA be forthcoming?

Wes Clarke has now been behind the plate in nine games this season (eight starts) vs. five games at first base, two as DH. He had two passed balls in this game, three on the season. No Braves baserunners attempted to steal. Clarke has thrown out 21% of his pro baserunners.

VIDEOS: The two Jeferson Quero knocks have been archived on the Biloxi Twitter Media feed here.

AUDIO: LHP Nick Bennett and Manager Mike Guerrero recent pre-game audio interviews are found here.
 

---

Final: Wisconsin 4, Beloit (Marlins) 3

Via the Timber Rattlers' site:

Wisconsin Wins with Two Runs in the Tenth Inning - Gray’s sacrifice fly caps Rattlers rally to beat Beloit 4-3

Pre-Game Media Notes (Download Link) via the team's Virtual Press Box

Box Score / Game Log

Chris Mehring and the Rattlers' production staff do such a wonderful job for us within Chris' detailed game summaries. You'll find individual play video tweets along with the full game highlights generated for each and every home game. For most home dates, we also get the award-winning (well, we'd present them one if we could) postgame podcast with Chris and Kyle Lobner. Hear from Gus Varland, Joe Gray Jr, & Joe Ayrault in the latest episode. All within the one link above. Thank you, T-Rats Crew!

This was not an offensive explosion, but Gray, Jr., Alex Hall, Je'Von Ward, and Terence Doston all reached base twice. The #8 designated hitter spot in the lineup did as well, as Jesus Chirinos singled and Micah Bello had the big double. Bello had the only extra-base hit, but the club was successful in all three stolen base attempts and played clean defense. Add it all up, and the postgame meal in the shiny newly renovated stadium digs must have been sweet.

Not sure we'll ever see 51st overall pick type-of-production out of 2021 2nd round 6'7" LHP Russell Smith, but the 24-year-old is seemingly healthy and bounced back with two shutout innings after a very rough outing six days prior. Can we get RH reliever Taylor Floyd (ten K's, zero BB's) back to Biloxi, where he performed well two years ago before inexplicable struggles in 2022? But let's not bury the pitching lead in this one - 21-year-old RHP Alexander Cornielle (17 K's, 3 BB's in his three starts thus far) is intriguing as heck.
 

---

Final, Game One: Carolina 1, Kannapolis (White Sox) 0, completion of Friday's suspended game
Final, Game Two: Kannapolis (White Sox) 8, Carolina 1, scheduled for seven innings

Via the Mudcats' site:

‘Cats and Ballers Split Saturday Doubleheader - The Mudcats won the opener 1-0, but dropped the second game 8-1

Pre-Game Media Notes 

Game One Box Score / Game One Game Log

Game Two Box Score / Game Two Game Log

4,252 in Zebulon? Yes! (Thursday's attendance was 345.) 

Yeah, you and I'd have shown up for this as well - so fantastic:

Shhh, don't tell the other 29 organizations, so that the Brewers can continue stockpiling their secret weapon - fine young arms from Nicaragua. Carlos Rodriguez in Biloxi, Stiven Cruz in Appleton, just add 20-year-old 6'2" RHP Alexander Vallecillo to the collection. If you want to see what coaching up can accomplish, take a gander at the April sunshine of Vallecillo's line improvement in every regard from 2022.

In the nightcap, youngster Jhonnys Cabrera has only seven games at first base under his belt, and it showed in the nightcap. RHP Aidan Maldonado's ERA should still be at zero for the season, but Cabrera was part of an infield oversight on a pop-up that landed and ruled a single. Cabrera's 6th inning error opened the unearned run floodgates. But kudos on Manager Victor Estevez working with his full roster, all four position players who sat out Game One were in the Game Two starting lineup.

I've been mesmerized by this video highlight. Mudcats should have got the call, out at second base:

---

Here's to another Sunday - Funday, 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

View full article

[82brewcrew82]

Not real encouraged by the early numbers for the minor league guys.  Some good stuff to be sure but overall, not good.

[wiguy94]

19 minutes ago, 82brewcrew82 said:

Not real encouraged by the early numbers for the minor league guys.  Some good stuff to be sure but overall, not good.

Pitching has been phenomenal in the system so far. Bats have started slow especially in Wisconsin but I think it’s been a pretty good start everywhere else. 

[Ro Mueller]

4 hours ago, Mass Haas said:

Can we get RH reliever Taylor Floyd (ten K's, zero BB's) back to Biloxi

Yeah, RHP Taylor Floyd to AA Biloxi could be the first promotion of 2023. Thinking RHP Tanner Shears also moves from Low-A Carolina to High-A Wisconsin to back-fill Floyd’s spot.