Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/2): Sounds Steal Home Opener on INF Yonny Hernandez's 8th Inning Golf Shot 3-Run Blast

Joseph Zarr · April 3, 2024

With April Fools Day barely in the rearview mirror, the Sounds returned to Nashville for their Home Opener of their 2024 season. Having lost their opening road mini series at Toledo (1-2), the Sounds were hoping to get some flavorful home field cooking going with LHP Aaron Ashby toeing the rubber for his first start of his young season. But, wait a minute! Stop the presses!

The MiLB.TV Audio feed was entirely botched from pitch one. And, well, then we lost the video feed after a mere two AB's. Perhaps, it's still April Fool's after all in the Central Time Zone? I muddled through, however, folks. I gave it my all despite these ill-timed technical snafus. Yes, even with Brewer Fanatic website issues popping up to boot in the midst of a 6th inning rain delay and disappearing my original report and even with the ongoing audio/video blackout, I braved the elements for ye' faithful readers. I went back to the times of yore and listened to Sounds impeccable call man, Jeff Hem. Blessed be we are back aboard the Minor League season.

Let's get into the report!

Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic

Transactions:

C Eric Haase was officially outrighted from the Brewers to Triple-A Nashville (having somehow made it through the MLB Waiver Wire)
C Brian Navarreto was placed on Triple-A Nashville’s 7-day IL
C Blayberg Diaz was quickly assigned to Triple-A Nashville from Low-A Carolina (most likely due to geographical proximity)

Final: Nashville 5, St. Paul (Twins) 4

Via the Sounds' site, please be sure to click and read each of the affiliate write-ups as part of your season-long Link Report routine (believe me, it's worth it):

Yonny Hernández's Heroics Lead Sounds to Win in Home Opener - Second Baseman Launches Go-Ahead Three-Run Shot

Pre-Game Media Notes

Box Score / Game Log

(A quick reminder: MiLB and MLB changed the Box Score/Game Log format during the 2023 season - we now get it all in one cozy little hyperlink. Lots of information here so poke around)

LHP Aaron Ashby currently lacks his pre-injury velocity on the hill (not surprising given the nature of his injury), but that doesn't mean he isn't capable of of competing and finding different ways to effectively work with his mix. Striking out four batters through three innings, and five batters through five innings, Ashby was able to work around a handful of knocks and a couple free passes by keeping the ball on the ground with his sinker and getting plenty of swings and misses with his off-speed mix of slider and change-up. Unfortunately, for Ashby, his offensive line up was just as inept as the Saints in the early going. Simply put, there just wasn't a lot of meaningful contact anywhere in the batters box through four and one half innings. Don't take my word for it:

Though the Sounds did manage to load the bases in the fifth frame - all after two down - OF Joey Wiemer hit an 0-1 pitch sharply but directly to the third baseman. It was an all for naught state of affairs. To wrap this up, I'll simply share Ashby was mainly sitting 92-93 mph. He did manage to touch 94 mph in the fifth inning during his final strikeout but he quickly fell back to 91-92 mph in his brief work prior the rain delay in the sixth inning. His pitch count reached 77 and he threw 47 strikes when all was said and done. And, given where Ashby is coming from, this outing has to be viewed as a fairly big success in his ongoing recovery road. We can definitely work with this. We can definitely look forward to ensuing outings with hope and dreams he can start reaching higher on the radar gun for longer periods of time.

Three Quick Strikes:
1) If I were to point to a second MVP of tonight's tilt, I'd have to go with lefty hurler Rob Zastryzny. He pitched two very clean innings of late relief while keeping the game within striking distance. He certainly sounded dominant (a reminder: no video feed throughout) in his three punch outs while ultimately throwing 19-of-29 pitches for strikes. Early in 2024, it seems like Zastryzny has the potential to be a key bullpen arm for the Sounds with a distinct potential to get back to the Big Leagues if the Brewers should need some help. Having watched as much Minor League baseball as I have, I can not impart to you how crucial it is to have a dependable veteran arm in the ranks to work pivotal innings.

2) With the video feed shot. With the audio feed mostly wrecked. And, with the radio feed two-to-three pitches ahead of the brief video feed when we actually had it, I can absolutely still tell you 1B Tyler Black handled himself quite well in the limited work he had at first base. He handled all throws cleanly. He looked comfortable. I'm excited to see what's ahead for him. What's more, he ripped a single to LF and he took a key walk to get the Sounds sixth inning mini rally going.

3) Let's hope the overall MiLB.TV broadcasts get more polished from here. To have an entire off-season of preparation for your Home opener and to have a completely botched video/audio situation feels almost akin to a completely botched roll-out of a new parking scene at an MLB ballpark <cough cough>. I'd expect this type of things from the Cardinals or the Cubs (yes, Chi-Town, we saw your Opening Day pyrotechnic 'display' at Wrigley! Oh yes we did!), but as a lifelong Brewers fan I'm mildly embarrassed. There I said it. This was an embarrassing Opening Day befitting the Fanatics jersey quagmire MLB thrust upon us in the late off-season. Is it strange to expect the basic things we pay for approaching the season to run smoothly? My MiLB.TV down payment feels like a sunk cost today. My Brewers pennants are flying at half mast. Hats off to the players to making it to the baseball diamonds and playing through it all. We took it on the chin for our beloved teams today. Let's hope tomorrow is a different state of affairs!

What's that you say? A video highlight in a game with no in-game video?!? Yes indeed. Hey, after a big fat zero in the road series highlight department, I'm coming hot and heavy with a C Nick Kahle to 1B Tyler Black super buffet:

That's all you get, folks. Let's just be grateful. It was an extremely inconvenient modern day attempt to watch Minor League Brewers baseball on this spring Monday evening. All this being said, I absolutely did manage to hear Jeff Hem's live call of INF Yonny Hernandez's 3-0 count gulf shot over the left field wall off a low and tailing in RHP Hobie Harris splitter. Great call, Mr. Hem. A libation was spilled. A middle-aged man yipped and fist pumped. A tip of the proverbial cap is due.

Sam Elliott Hello GIF by GritTV

The Sounds will take on old friend RHP Caleb Boushley tomorrow. Sigh - doesn't it just feel like Boushley should be a lifer in the system akin to Dillard? I digress. He'll face the Sounds' RHP Janson Junk who is healthy again after his skipped start in Toledo - he was apparently suffering from a little bit of a bug. Let's hope the Sounds can take another one and let's hope it's mildly less dramatic!

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Milwaukee Brewers Minor League baseball and the many players deserving of our time and recognition.

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