Brewers Minor League Link Report (8/21): RHP Alexander Cornielle Bounces Back in Big Way; Pratt Smokes Another Homer

[Joseph Zarr]

We are back where we started featuring all four full-season affiliates on the daily. We give our thanks to the DSL and ACL squads for battling hard throughout the summer. Now we head down the home stretch. 

And, folks, it hasn't been easy watching these past two weeks - I'm simply being dead honest. The Mudcats, thankfully, led things off with a pull-away 9-4 victory. The T-Rats coughed one up in extras despite striking out the Loons 22 times and having 24 opportunities with RISP and have now suddenly lost four straight. The Shuckers were nearly shut out but saved some modicum of face with two ultimately meaningless runs in the ninth inning of an 8-2 loss. The Sounds were shut out 5-0 and never really threatened once. Let's, reluctantly, get into the report! 😅

 

Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic

Transactions:

• RHP Chase Costello was activated from the 7-Day IL by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• RHP Sam Gardner was moved from the 7-Day IL to the 60-Day IL by the Biloxi Shuckers
• INF/OF Eduardo Charles was released by the DSL Brewers #2
• 1B/OF Danny Puerta was released by the DSL Brewers #1
• 1B/C Luis Garcia was released by the DSL Brewers #2
• RHP Garrett Stallings was transferred to the Development List

---

Final:  Jacksonville (Marlins) 5, Nashville 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):

Nashville Bats Cold and Fall to Jacksonville on Wednesday Night - RHP Taylor Clarke Tosses Three Scoreless Relief Innings

Box Score / Game Log

Pre-Game Media Notes     

RHP Logan Henderson was simply not as sharp as he's been since his Triple-A assignment began. The change-up was low and inaccurate early and then it was hanging to contact as his outing progressed. The fastball velo ranged 93-96 mph throughout his innings but it was just an outing where he never created lasting momentum and simply wasn't sharp. The end results speak to this: 3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 4 ER, 2 Pitch Clock violations. There isn't much to say here other than he'll look to bounce back. He can also give a quick and whispered 'Thank You, Craig' to one RHP Craig Yoho who inherited his fourth inning bases loaded jam and quickly got the final out of the frame on a deep fly to dead center field. 

A Sac Fly to Deep Center:

The Sounds have averaged just over four runs during this second half while their pitching staff has been generally quite good allowing only 3.50 ish runs per game. However, it has very much been a sink-or-swim approach. As the Post-Game Notes from the affiliated article above can attest to: the Sounds have been blanked twice in their past 11 games while they've also held their opponents scoreless three times themselves. However, when they Sounds score fewer than three runs on the season they hold an 8-35 record. The pitching will always be there. The bats remain an unknown night-to-night. And, tonight was absolutely one of those nights as the Sounds offense mustered a mere two hits (shout out to 'my guy' 1B Patrick Dorrian for grabbing the sole XBH with a lead-off double to open the Sounds sixth inning). RHP Taylor Clarke pitched his second clean extended relief outing in August going  3.0 IP with 2 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 0 R. I continue to see exemplary results with his off-speed toolkit. Tonight, like back on August 8th, he was accurate and on the attack. It was a pleasure to watch. The Sounds will look to retake the series lead tomorrow.

---

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 8, Biloxi 2

Shuckers Fall to Barons in Birmingham on Wednesday Night - Merkel Continues His Recent Run of Impact Bullpen Work

Box Score / Game Log

Pre-Game Media Notes    

LHP Adam Seminaris has shown me time and time again he is much better suited to being a relief arm. I have seen him struggle on numerous occasions when asked to be a fill-in starter for the Shuckers over the past two seasons. Given the state of the Shuckers current pitching staff, one could argue they have only three 'true' starters in their stables in LHP Tate Kuehner, RHP K.C. Hunt, and RHP Brett Wichrowski. RHP Shane Smith is a conversion project who is playing the part of a starting pitcher early in his transition and playing it quite well overall might I add. However, both LHP's Adam Seminaris and Nate Peterson have really struggled to play the part of a starting pitcher and I personally find it a disservice to each young man to continue thrusting them into those roles. Unfortunately, the state of things in Biloxi demands it. Without further rambling, I'll simply share Seminaris was extremely ineffective tonight leaving a bevy of off-speed pitches dead center cut getting peppered to the tune of 2 1/3 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 8 ER. It was a night to forget for the young lefty. We tip our cap once again to the bullpen who pitched 5 2/3 scoreless frames - the end result certainly could have been much worse. And, don't think we didn't see the mighty return of one RHP Ben Metzinger slinging that white pillow with grace and skill for a scoreless 1.0 IP of 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 R ball. Those weeks as a bullpen catcher clearly paid off as Metzinger took his learnings and executed a dominant inning of relief 🤭. 

A Sac Fly to Deep Center:

There is no escaping losing 8-of-9 games. We know the drill. We've been here before in this same very season. The Shuckers simply aren't playing a competitive brand of baseball at present - another prolonged run of losses oh so familiar. It's that simple. We aren't seeing many competitive AB's and a bullpen that was and still is a strength is now being over-extended for fill-in starter needs. If you pair this with a suddenly absent 3B Brock Wilken (unknown reasons), a mighty season-long struggle from SS Eric Brown Jr., and thier best offensive player shelved due to injury in INF Mike Boeve one can see the Shuckers are facing a very tenuous foreseeable future. The Shuckers featured five bats in their line-up tonight hitting sub 0.190. FIVE. And, a sixth bat in INF/OF Zavier Warren is hitting an illustrious 0.201.  Their designated lead-off man in CF/2B Dylan O'Rae has struck out six times in two games to open this series and currently is batting 0.181 in Double-A. O'Rae is hitting 0.169 in the month of August with 23 punch outs to just five free passes. I've said it before and I'll say it again: O'Rae is being humbled in Double-A. This isn't a big knock on the talented 20-year-old as this is truly a big test when you consider his make-up and his game. But, make no mistake: this is a massive off-season upcoming for O'Rae. He absolutely needs to get stronger or he will most likely continue to be overmatched in 2025.

---

Final: Great Lakes (Dodgers) 5, Wisconsin 4

Rattlers Drop a Frustrating Heartbreaker in Twelve Innings at Great Lakes - Cornielle Bounces Back in Big Way

Box Score / Game Log  

Pre-Game Media Notes

RHP Alexander Cornielle was fantastic. One of those eleven strikeout outings, however, that took him out of the game a tad too soon given his dominance: 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 11 K, 1 ER, 1 HR.

He gave up a single to the very next batter and was pulled at 94 pitches with 55 strikes. Cornielle was sitting 93 mph but I swear to you I absolutely did see the radar gun read 96 mph on a heater that got high and away to a lefty. Given his ability to locate his off-speed deliveries - case and point on a night like this - 96 mph would absolutely change the game for Cornielle. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) It took some time to officially call it a home run, but SS Cooper Pratt did indeed hit a moon ball just over the left field fence - further proving my assertions over the past several months that he has innate power and it's simply a matter of time. I would have loved to have known the launch angle on this rocket:

I've seen an awful lot of Prospect Expert nonsense of late with limited vision for the potential future gap power and power stroke of this young man. Trust the guy who watches four of six of his weekly games, folks - Pratt absolutely can launch pull balls. Where can he grow from here? This is the question we should be asking. We know, in limited exposure, Pratt can turn on balls and absolutely send them into orbit. Imagine when this young stud learns to sit on pitches and send them to the opposite field. It's all a matter of time and I remain convinced the greater prospect guru mega-verse is still sleeping on his future power impact. 

2) RHP Tyler Bryant has absolutely hit a groove with the High-A Timber Rattlers. 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K tonight. He sits 95 mph and touches 96 mph and he has a herky-jerky but violent delivery that appears to really catch hitters off guard. - i.e. the ball is likely arriving faster than the radar gun would indicate. He can also surprise by dropping in a slider or pulling the string on an off-speed offering. I appreciate his no bull approach - he is entirely unafraid to challenge hitters with his heaters. If he can limit the free passes moving forward, Bryant will likely advance quickly because very few hitters have touched him in his seven appearances for the T-Rats: 7 G, 8 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER. 12:7 K:BB ratio, however. None the less, he is holding batters to a ridiculous 0.107 BAA with a very manageable 1.15 WHIP even with the walks. 

3) 22 punch outs for the Timber Rattlers pitching staff. 3-for-24 with RISP. This was one of the more frustrating losses of the T-Rats season. The numbers don't lie - they wasted several opportunities. Striking out fifteen times as a team, the T-Rats were led by struggling DH Felix Valerios 0-for- 5, 1 BB, 4 K Golden Sombrero. The young Rattlers have lost four in a row for the first time in 2024 and they've actually now lost seven straight at the Loons' Dow Diamond stadium dating back to 2022. Let's get that proverbial monkey of the back and take one tomorrow.

---

Final: Carolina 9, Augusta (Braves) 4 

Box Score / Game Log

Big Inning Lifts Mudcats Past Augusta - Misplayed Ball in Right Field Leads to Five Unearned Runs

RHP Jason Woodward got his second action as a Low-A Mudcat taking the hill as the starter and he even managed to pitch his way into the third inning. He was pulled, however, after his pitch count reached 45 and the first batter of the third frame reached base. We saw more of the same in his second outing as a Mudcat: a heater that sits 95-96 mph and several off-speed offerings capable of grabbing swings and whiffs. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) LF Luis Castillo had a little bit of everything in this one. He hit a solid sac fly to deep CF, he launched his second homer in two nights, and he lost a ball in the lights and then out of his glove on what was a routine fly to the warning track in left field (rightfully called an error). The main thing here is it is nice to see the biggest run producer in the Mudcats line-up over the course of the season starting to find that deep ball again. 17 long balls on his season with 69 RBI after tonight's 3 RBI . 

 

2) Let us all join hands and enjoy my RF Reece Walling moment of Zen. The tall bounding gazelle certainly got ahold of another one for his fourth long ball since his first Mudcats appearance in early May:

Walling can struggle to identify pitches but I continue to love the stroke when it is level and on point. He remains a solid defensive option on the right field grass to boot. 

3) 2B Daniel Guilarte is having his best month of his season by a hefty margin. He's hitting 0.306 with a 0.870 OPS. He has also swiped 9 bags (37 on the season) while being caught stealing only once. He swiped three more bags tonight in a 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 3B evening. More importantly, however, for the strikeout prone young infielder, Guilarte is now sporting an improbable and wild 15:11 BB:K ratio on the month in 49 official AB's. Boy, I could get used to a more selective Daniel Guilarte! How wonderful to see talented player find a different road to meaningful success. Let's keep those strikeouts down and keep sprinting into the playoffs young man! 

---

It will be another round of four evening games for the full-season affiliates tomorrow night. RHP Josh Knoth will look to begin things by building off his stellar last outing. Will RHP Adam Timmerman actually pitch tomorrow night? I can't say. He was the posted starter last night and he certainly didn't take the hill. As of now, Biloxi doesn't know how they're going to start tomorrow evening's game three in Birmingham. RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez will look to avoid the long ball and build off an otherwise fantastic last start.

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

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