Brewers Minor League Link Report (7/26): A Nice Timber Rattlers Win, but Injury Exits Elsewhere

[Jim Goulart]

Image courtesy of BrewerFanatic

Very good to see Brock Wilken back a day after being beaned (thank you, ear flap!), but we dug into the MiLB TV archives to find out why Nashville's Eric Brown, Jr. and Wilson's Rylan Mills had nights cut short.

 

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Final, Game One: Sugar Land (Astros) 4, Nashville 0, seven innings as scheduled
Box Score and Game Log

Final, Game Two: Nashville 5, Sugar Land (Astros) 4, eight innings (scheduled for seven)
Box Score and Game Log

Via the Sounds, game details, and we encourage readers to always review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine:

Sounds Split Doubleheader in Sugar Land with Extra-Inning Win in Night Cap 

Pitching ruled throughout both games, and the detailed summary communicates that so well. The opener featured two complete games; pretty sure that's the first time all season at any level we've seen that.

I do feel like we do the Sounds a bit of a service here, as unlike the Shuckers and Timber Rattlers, the team does not link to its recaps on 'X', so we do put deserving eyes on things. With that being said, click above at this time and catch up. We'll be waiting right here when you return.

First of all, shoutout to Brock Wilken's ear flap Friday night, as we covered in detail in yesterday's report. He was cleared to start Game Two, played the full game at third base.

LHP Colton Gordon and RHP Coleman Crow combined for only one walk over 12 innings of work.

Every position player saw action somewhere within the twinbill.

Here's one thing we may not have picked up on without the effort put into the game summary:

"Former 1st round pick Eric Brown Jr. collected the first hit of his Triple-A career on Saturday night in game one. After taking his first two at-bats with Nashville entering the game off the bench, Brown Jr. made his first Triple-A start in game one playing second base. He broke up Ryan Weiss' no-hit bid with a two-out single in the top of the sixth inning. He also started game two and added another hit, finishing the doubleheader 2-for-5 with a walk before having to exit the game after attempting to make a diving catch in center field in the sixth inning.

• Edwin Díaz triples (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Eric Brown Jr leading off the inning.
• Defensive Substitution: Jacob Hurtubise replaces center fielder Eric Brown Jr., batting 2nd, playing center field.

Because it was not a run-scoring play, there is no video highlight to link to. So, it was off to the game archive (linked here for subscribers, 01:40:10 hour/minute mark).

One heck of an effort by Brown racing back towards right-center and laying out for a dive that was thankfully several feet short of the wall. Brown bounced up after the dive and chased the ball to the wall, we see him picking up the ball but not throwing it in (he may have, or could have handed it to RF Luis Matos, we don't see the throw). However, the announcer noted that Brown was coming out with "his right arm hanging down", although we also don't see that on screen. There was no delay on the exit or question of Brown staying in, he was back in the dugout within moments of the play ending. 

Here's a screenshot of how the dive left Brown initially in that prone position:

 

Just a half-inning earlier, Brown was involved in another physical play, this one at the plate:

Luke Adams with a double and three walks in the nightcap, OBP up to .419. As for Darrien Miller, I love how "clears the bases" is reserved for bases-loaded situations:

 

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Catch up with the latest Biloxi pre-game audio interview archives - Catcher Marco Dinges is the most recent interviewee

Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Chattanooga (Reds) 8, Biloxi 4
Box Score and Game Log

Fischer & Adamczewski Homer Again in Shuckers Setback to Lookouts 

Those two home runs are going to get all the buzz and attention, but things were fairly flat otherwise. Biloxi managed only five hits (Dylan O'Rae tripled). The Shuckers did draw eight walks but...

• Team RISP: 0-for-5.
• Team LOB: 9.

Biloxi batters also fanned 13 times with the heralded group of Made-Fischer-Dinges-Ragsdale-Boeve accounting for 12 of those.

RHP Braylon Owens' 2nd AA start (4th appearance) was respectable, especially the one walk vs. seven K's.

Not respectable? The Biloxi defense and the five errors committed, which led to three unearned runs. The Lookouts did not commit an error. This collection of miscues negated the Shuckers' baserunning success (4-for-4 in SB attempts).

• E: Owens (1, throw); Made (12, throw); O'Rae (6, throw); Fischer 2 (6, fielding, fielding).

If you check out the Chattanooga video page, you'll see four run-scoring plays, with the pitches coming from Biloxi hurlers Owens, Nick Merkel and Anthony Flores.

 

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Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link)
Final: Wisconsin 6, South Bend (Cubs) 4
Box Score and Game Log

Via the Timber Rattlers, game details: 

Rattlers Rally Late to Snap Losing Streak - Wisconsin scores five runs over final three innings to beat South Bend

Whew, much needed! That game summary included four video offerings for you. Here's more:

Did Daniel Dickinson check his swing here, as the umps ruled? Run scored on the walk.

Here's the wild pitch that allowed Wisconsin to tie the game in the 8th.

As long as you are in a viewing mood, the first three videos on this page are from the South Bend perspective.

This game marked Eric Bitonti's 4th as idle (unknown reason). We may see a Sunday appearance, but often in these cases, if there is a player on the cusp of a return, the organization will push things to Tuesday.

RHP Chandler Welch has been an unsung contributor with his multi-inning relief efforts, and bullpen mate Garrett Hodges locked things down sweetly in perfect two-frame fashion.

We can't (and shouldn't) dismiss this team based on all the promotions to Biloxi. It's clear they are not laying down, now 3.5 games back of Beloit in the second half standings but also with a ton of games remaining against the Sky Carp (two full series, all on the road).

 

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Wilson Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Charleston (Rays) 7, Wilson 6
Box Score and Game Log

Charleston Scores Twice in Ninth to Beat Wilson - Warbirds Blast Three Home Runs in Loss

HR: Mills (5, 2nd inning off Haugh, 0 on, 1 out); Di Turi (3, 2nd inning off Haugh, 1 on, 1 out); Frias, A (4, 8th inning off Hartlaub, 0 on, 0 out).

Only hit of the night (three K's), but enough to impress the RiverDogs announcer by the 18-year-old:

RHP Jarrette Bonet tossed four innings of one-run ball as the back-end tandem, and as you read, there were two outs and two strikes (1-2 count) in the fateful 9th when this happened on a pitch above the shoulders:

Oh man, that throw from Frias should have sent the game to extra innings, catcher Kevin Garcia couldn't hang on prior to a tag. Garcia had only entered moments earlier as Rylan Mills had to exit with an injury on a wild pitch. So, for the 2nd time this report and 3rd time this weekend (Wilken's HBP Friday night), it's time to pull up a game archive to see what happened. (If you're ever wondering why Link Reports can be delayed a bit, this research is the main culprit, but we know it's appreciated).

Go the 03:37:30 hour/minute mark here. That's the point when a line drive single places men on 1st and 2nd for Charleston, Bonet on the mound. 

Oh my, on the first pitch to the next batter, Bonet yanks a pitch low and away but, in the effort to snag it (it was catchable), Mills is caught flush on his wrist as the ball then bounds back to the wall. Mills, clearly in pain, did retrieve the ball, couldn't pick it up on his first attempt, and the runners moved up. Mills would remain kneeling behind the plate during the entirety of the trainer's visit before walking to the dugout after a couple of minutes of attention. That was the darndest thing, I attempted to grab a screenshot for you, it was difficult to capture it exactly. The ball in the air you see is the trajectory it took after nailing Mills' wrist/forearm directly, Rylan apparently just really misjudged and over-stretched for the ball initially. Hoping Mills is OK, obviously.

 

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Final: DSL Brewers Blue 5, DSL Rojos (Reds) 0, seven innings as scheduled
Box Score and Game Log

You know the saying, "you're only as good as the next day's starting pitcher". Well, if Team Blue was hoping to reverse bad momentum after an 18-3 loss Friday, they found the right man in 17-year-old Jesus Vasquez, who spun five shutout frames, with deuces across the board (hits, walks, K's).

Don't be confused by your first glance at the box score. Cincinnati threw their own Vasquez, Luis from the Dominican Republic. Jesus is from Venezuela, so no sibling rivalry here.

18-year-old 2nd year RHP Brailin Aguirrez, recently off the injured list, finished up nicely in his third appearance since returning.

17-year-old Diego Frontado, he of the $1.6 million January bonus, pulled a home run in the 6th to cap the scoring, his sixth round-tripper of the season. The right-handed bat played third base in this one, OPS now .955. Frontado also walked and stole his 13th base in 15 tries.

Another 17-year-old, catcher Sebastian Franeites, is 2nd on the team in RBI with 27, trailing only Leanders Matos' mark of 38. Franeites drove in two here without the benefit of a base hit - groundout, sacrifice fly.

Primarily a bench player this season, 17-year-old LH-hitting outfielder Jesus Mancera (.485 OBP in 66 plate appearances) doubled, singled, and stole his 5th base in six tries.

 

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Final: DSL Orioles Orange 8, DSL Brewers Gold 7
Box Score and Game Log

Walkoff loss.

Gold led 7-4 heading to the bottom of the 8th.

Two Brewers pitchers with four-digit ERA's were on the mound as the Baltimore kids made their way back. Freddy Peralta's cousin Christopher, in his 3rd year in the system, struggled as did 2nd year RHP Jose Arias, who the Brewers thought enough of in 2025 to be given eight starts among his 11 appearances (bullpen only in 2026).

Darn shame, because starting RHP Raymond Sarmiento shined once again. Such a pretty game log, those last six outings are spectacular. The 18-year-old from Venezuela (he'll turn 19 in February) is guaranteed a flight stateside for 2026.

Home run #7 for infielder Osiris Ramirez, who played shortstop here. The young man only turned 17 years old in May. Ramirez also walked and was HBP.

No music video today, but Ricki Moneys walked three times and stole base #21 (25 attempts).

Still 16 years old, Moises Salazar was again behind the plate for the full game, and was on base four times (single, walk, two HBP).

Have to look in the mirror when you lose a high-scoring game in extras when you squander 13 free passes:

• Team RISP: 1-for-9.
• Team LOB: 11.

 

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Just the four games on Sunday, though you could really stretch out your viewing among all four affiliates given the staggered start times you'll see at the link below. Also note that Biloxi is the MiLB "Free Game of the Day", with a noon Central start for control artist Manuel Rodriguez and the power-packed lineup.

Hope it's beautiful where you are, it's been gorgeous here in the Northeast!

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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[wallus]

Fischer is playing himself to only being a 1B/DH