Brewers Minor League Link Report (6/4): T-Rats Win Opener Maintaining 1.5 G Division Lead with 14 to Play; Junis Rehabs with Sounds

[Joseph Zarr]

With the DSL rained out for the second day and with the Shuckers shelved by rain as well, we had an abbreviated four game slate. The Mudcats got off to a slow and uninspired start in Charleston wasting yet another fabulous RHP Manuel Rodriguez start. The T-Rats added insurance runs late and managed to overcome a rare poor outing from LHP Mark Manfredi. The Sounds hurled a masterful shutout in RHP Jakob Junis' first rehab outing with the Triple-A club. And, the ACL Crew led 2-1 late but failed to hold on losing their second game in two days.

Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic

Transactions:

**There were a slew of DSL transactions on Monday. I'm not going to belabor those here. IF you would like to see any of the extensive list of DSL transactions, please visit our ongoing Minor League Transaction Thread (direct link to first list). Conversely, you can visit the Brewers-specific Minor League transaction page HERE**

• RHP Jakob Junis was sent to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers (Rehab work)
• C Satchell Norman was activated off the 7-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats 
• C Victor Torres was assigned to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from the Carolina Mudcats
• C Alejandro Rodriguez was released by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• RHP Harrison Durow was placed on the 7-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats (retroactive to 6/3)
• 2B Felix Valerio was sent on a rehab assignment to the ACL Brewers by the Biloxi Shuckers
• RHP Mitch White was sent outright to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers (he has yet to receive a roster designation according to Jeff Hem in tonight's broadcast as the Brewers and White likely are negotiating a best case scenario for the hurler)

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Final: Nashville 5, Louisville (Reds) 0

Via the Sounds' website, 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):

Sounds Shut Out Bats to Start Homestand 

Box Score / Game Log

Pre-Game Media Notes

RHP Jakob Junis debuted for Nashville in his first rehab outing since taking that precarious BP fly ball off his neck at PNC Park back in late April. It was his first live action overall since he last pitched for the Brewers back on April 2nd. It was fantastic to see Junis healthy and throwing strike after strike. Addendum: his velo was way down. Junis sat 89 and touched 90-92 mph a couple of times. Regardless, his off-speed was very very impactful and he was throwing quite a number of strikes - 15-of-21 pitches. I'm going to toss this up as a non-chalant casual 2.0 IP - 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K. The velocity was down but, man, he was dominating. Louisville is a second place ball clup in the International League West division - this isn't the Charlotte Knights. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) RHP Chad Patrick put two men on the bases in each of his first two innings. And, well, that was about all there was for the Bats. He shut it down from there in superb fashion. I've seen Patrick start slowly in each of his past two outings but he simply knows how to buckle down and find the groove. He pitched 5-of-7 quality starts coming into tonight's bullpen effort. For all intents and purposes, he tossed another: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K. He was sharp the final 2 2/3 IP. He threw 92 pitches total with 58 for strikes. It pretty much took off from here - a 3-2 punch out slider (my favorite pitch of his evening) to lead off the fifth frame:

2) Would the Brewers ever consider carrying four lefties? Probably not, but LHP Rob Zastryzny is absolutely ready to stake his claim in 2024. Every time I've seen him pitch for the Sounds he has been absolutely dominant. Tonight was no different. He peppers the zone. He has velocity. He has sneaky movement. He is a problem. I have zero doubts he could fill-in at the MLB level if need arises. 1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K. He has given up a mere three runs in 23 games pitched for Nashville. He gave us a very Junis-like 14 strikes in 21 total pitches. Exactly what manager Rick Sweet is looking for with a 5-0 lead late. 

3) I could talk about Wiemer's ongoing seven game hit streak or a bevy of other mildly intriguing offensive storylines (after all, only two of the Sounds five total runs were earned!), but I'm simply going to give a little nugget: SS Freddy Zamora simply looks better in Triple-A. Maybe, just maybe, it's a 'get the heck out of Biloxi' type of season (RHP Tyler Woessner would opine otherwise)? Regardless, the urgency has stepped up a notch. Everything is tighter and just a tad smoother fielding - he is making a legitimate case to stick. He's also giving us some consistently slightly better AB's. We may have found an early 2024 season lotto pick that has scratched surprisingly well. This is a mildly important storyline.

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Final: Wisconsin 9, Quad Cities (Royals) 5

Wisconsin Hits Three Homers in 9-5 Win - Rattlers Get a Big Game from Rodríguez

Box Score / Game Log  

Pre-Game Media Notes

The T-Rats were the recipient of a truly rare combination of a poor LHP Mark Manfredi outing and some sloppy defense early. The trailed 3-0 after half a frame. They reclaimed the lead 4-3 completing the first inning. They then trailed 5-4 after 1 1/2 complete. Only three of these runs were earned. In years past, this type of start may have caused the Rattlers to fold. Not in 2024 under manager Victor Estevez. This team has grit and fight. They truly do. They're also finding bits of power in key spots - more below.

 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) During a recent slump, I shared OF Edquarqui Fernandez was hitting the ball quite hard he was simply having a classic spell of bad baseball luck off the barrel. Tonight, an AB after he lined out very hard to deep LF in a 3-1 count, Fernandez was finally rewarded with a rocket triple (ruled a double and an E8) to straightaway CF. Fernandez hits balls harder, on a more consistent basis, than any other T-Rat. This has been a statement season - pay the average and 0.759 OPS little mind. This is a much better and more dangerous hitter in 2024 than we saw at any point in 2023. I'm here for it.

 

2) LHP Brian Fitzpatrick clearly has trimmed his physique since heading to Australia this winter. He looks quite a bit more chiseled and in shape than he did at any point in 2023. It's a good look for the big fella! He struggled with some base runner scenarios in his first two frames as he couldn't quite put innings away with two down. Perhaps, this was the nature of a tight 7-5 ball game? Or, perhaps he was just getting acclimated to the game at hand before his teammates gave him two insurance runs. Either way, his final inning was by far his best - it's always a fantastic sight when a pitcher strikes out the side and then leaves a ball game. He finished with a scorless 3 IP - 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K. Fine work from the lefty.

3) C Ramón Rodríguez didn't get a 'Tag' above but he likely should have - he got a key PO at 2B in Fitzpatrick's first inning of work that proved hugely beneficial (a BB and single after that pick-off). I wrote explicitly about the play HERE. He also had a fantastic night at the dish. 3-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K? That's just a heck of a night in every facet. He'll want the catcher's interference back but fantastic to see him impact the game in other beneficial ways. Special shout outs to DH Jesus Chirinos and RF Jheremy Vargas for major offensive impacts as well. 

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Final: Charleston (Rays) 3, Carolina 1

Mudcats Drop Opener in Charleston - Muddies Still Lead Division by 4.0 G

Box Score / Game Log  

RHP Manuel Rodriguez continues to pitch well beyond his years. He remains a true pleasure to watch from start-to-start. He doesn't have any type of imposing velocity but he just knows how to play the zone. When he's on point, like tonight, all his pitches have troublesome movement. As he ages, I hope we are the beneficiaries of some muscle added to his frame (it certainly appears he can handle it - he has a good build) and some added ticks in velocity. He already has what you can't teach: he knows what he's doing. 6 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 1 HR, 4 K. He lowered his season ERA to 3.66. Rodriguez's season is definitively one of the most pleasant surprises of the first half of 2024.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Despite the lower batting average, I continue to see an improved approach at the dish - showcased by his fourth inning RBI single - for OF/1B Reece Walling. He gave me the best AB I saw all night in what was a relatively uninspired effort throughout most of the lineup. Given his athleticism and coordination for his size, I see enough smooth and savvy in his swing to future dream into improvements with age. Walling, like Nicasia, continues to be an under-the-radar player who surprises me on a consistent basis. The batting average just doesn't mean all that much to me when I take the entire picture into context.

2) This was a rough game for LF Yoshwar Garcia. 0-for-4 at the dish (uncharacteristic for one of the better bat-to-ball Mudcats in 2024) and a costly fielding error in the two-run deciding seventh frame. He cut the ball off but it caromed off his glove. That slight delay allowed both runners to advance - to second and third base, respectively. This allowed two runs to score on the two out single to center field as opposed to what would have likely been a single run. Given what we've seen over the course of the season, Garcia gets the pass here as one of the stalwarts of the Mudcats lineup.

3) RHP Brailin Rodriguez is a raw ball of pitching clay. He is averaging nearly a hit and walk per inning pitched in 2024. What I see in Rodriguez is a guy who simply needs to fine-tune his slider. It could be a nasty pitch. Truly. It has tons of bite and movement. However, at this juncture, I think it's fair to say he doesn't know when or where it is going to land. As such, he's playing with fire nearly every time he takes the mound. I like the raw tools. I really do. But, there is a big field of refinement awaiting him. Until that time, I would personally like to see him take the hill in lower leverage spots. Not tight 1-1 ball games in the late innings. But, hey, that's just me.

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(6/3) ACL Reds 12, ACL Brewers 5
Box Score / Game Log

In an unfortunate homage to the season-long youthful pitching struggles of the ACL Crew, the Reds plated 11 over four innings to run away with this one. I'd dive deeper for you, but Daniel gave us a fine recap in yesterday's game thread:

Quote

That’s another DSL-style box score for our ACL Brewers, who led 3-1 early and 5-3 after 3 innings (RF Gery Holguin 2-run homer), but ultimately fell 12-5 in 7 innings (as scheduled) to the ACL Reds.

The Reds went 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts, but had one player picked off (doubles as a caught stealing). Two Brewer pitchers combined to throw 8 wild pitches.

I’m sorry but that had to be a rough day behind the plate for C Edgardo Ordonez.

Cover your eyes. There's some rough pitching lines in that box score.

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(6/4) ACL Guardians 3, ACL Crew 2
Box Score / Game Log

It's late and I have early farm chores so I'm simply going to give you my key takeaways from this one:

• LHP Brandon Knarr pitched another successful scoreless rehab relief inning of work - 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K. You love to see this!
• RHP Bryan Rivera had his best outing, in his fourth game started, in 2024 - 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 HR, 8 K. Fantastic work!
• INF Felix Valerio went 2-for-3 in his first game action in 2024. A successful rehab outing! 
• 3B Eric Bitonti hit his third triple of his ACL season. Quite the feat.
• 1B Luis Lameda (0-for-3, 3 K) left his ninth inning AB early with an apparent injury. This will have to be monitored in coming days.
• RHP Dikember Sanchez had gone seven consecutive outings without allowing an earned run. Tough luck to give up two doubles, a single, and two earned runs to lose the 2-1 lead and the ball game. He'll look to bounce back in the games ahead.

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It's a Timber Rattlers Home Game and no post-game pod? That's right, silly - they play a matinee tomorrow. Hopefully, they'll see LHP Tate Kuehner take the hill after the DSL Crew squads sneak in a couple morning tilts. I don't know about you but I'm ready to start over-interpreting these DSL game logs and box scores to make extremely unimportant early proclamations! In the evening hours, RHP Daniel Corniel will look to bounceback from his rough outing last week. RHP's Jacob Misiorowski and Carlos F. Rodriguez will look to wow us (if Biloxi should beat the weather) to close out the evening slates.

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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[jay87shot]

Man do we have a crazy amount of pitching. I am officially adding Chad Patrick to the list of pitchers who should get an mlb shot but we just have to many arms.