Brewers Minor League Link Report (5/19): Sounds Win; Stellar Bullpen Efforts Can't Overcome Poor Starts Elsewhere

It's rare we kick off the report with an alumni note, but here's the MLB.com article with quotes from Lucas Erceg on his MLB debut night. Congratulations, Lucas!

Erceg makes MLB debut with childhood team

TRANSACTIONS: None
 

Final: Nashville 10, Durham (Rays) 4

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

Sounds Score Early and Often Against Bulls - Early offensive explosion backs Robert Gasser’s gem in 10-4 win

Pre-Game Media Notes

Box Score / Game Log

The Jon Singleton Show, in more ways than one in this one -- as is the norm, an excellent write-up from the Sounds. Although we provide tidbits and thoughts beyond the affiliate game summaries, if you are to maximize your daily visits with us, continue to maintain the game summary clicking habit!

The active position player side of the Sounds' roster is currently a workmanlike collection of veterans, considering Sal Frelick's injured thumb status. Frelick went on the injured list April 20th, exactly one month ago today. There's really not a healthy position player prospect in the truest sense of the word on the active roster. Struggling infielder Cam Devanney, idle on Friday, who turned 26 last month, would be a fringe candidate.

Speaking of prospects, LHP Robert Gasser threw 101 pitches, 60 strikes, fanned eight, walked four, and the first six frames were scoreless. This tweeter in attendance in Durham was impressed:

Gasser netted 16 swinging strikes. All in all, he is trending in the right direction. He'll turn 24 years old eleven days from now.

For you minor league transaction mavens, can you name the six Sounds currently on the Nashville injured list? The roster page will answer your question. How many did you get?
 

Final: Chattanooga (Reds) 6, Biloxi 4

Via the Shuckers' site:

Shuckers Fall to Lookouts, 6-4, in Chattanooga - Bullpen continues dominance with five scoreless innings, 10 strikeouts in loss

Pre-Game Media Notes 

Box Score / Game Log

Who are these Shuckers? Six consecutive losses? We were spoiled early on.

RHP Tobias Myers has drifted into lesser efforts as of late. Here's another example of why it's so dangerous to trade with Tampa. The Dominican Summer League lottery ticket the Rays acquired from Cleveland when dealing Myers to the Guardians in the 2021-2022 offseason is now a 19-year-old raking in High-A, and the infielder is having a monster season and sits at #5 on Tampa's MLB Pipeline list. Because of course, Tampa.

25-year-old RH reliever Harold Chirino is putting it together in his 8th pro year. Thankfully his IL stint this month was the minimum seven days. The 2023 numbers are eye-popping, as Chirino's player page shows.

We'll go with a theme today. Can you name the only Shucker on the roster currently on an injured list?

Don't forget the Biloxi pre-game interview page. Jeferson Quero recently added, and by end of Saturday Manager Mike Guerrero's Friday chat will be available as well.

There are four video highlights on the Shuckers' Twitter media feed. In choosing which to feature here, this Zavier Warren web gem impressed these eyes, in only Warren's fifth start of the year at the hot corner:

Final:  Quad Cities (Royals) 4, Wisconsin 2

Via the Timber Rattlers' site:

Bullpen Gives Rattlers a Chance, but Bandits Win 4-2 - Cross homers in fourth straight game for Quad Cities as Wisconsin can’t recover from early deficit

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

Box Score / Game Log

Additional themes for today's report -- falling behind early, outstanding bullpen work, and losing streaks. Despite the loss, Chris Mehring's writeups do not disappoint.

Three Rattlers currently on the IL as we continue that exercise.

Invest the four-and-a-half minutes, the crack production crew paints the game story wonderfully.
 

Yay, Venezuela (again!). RHP Edwin Jimenez is exactly what you want to see in a 21-year-old import from Carolina:

From Wednesday 5/17:

Via WSCO's "The Show with Leo and Balky: Timber Rattlers RHP Cameron Wagoner (go to the 09:10 minute mark) 

Wagoner is so personable and impresses the staff behind the scenes: "tremendous interview, this guy's welcome back any time"
 

Final: Kannapolis (White Sox) 6, Carolina 0

Mudcats Stifled in 6-0 Loss to Kannapolis - Daniel Guilarte walked in the loss while extending his season-opening on-base streak to 31 straight games

Pre-Game Media Notes 

Box Score / Game Log

Don't blame CF Luis Lara - he singled twice and walked twice out of the leadoff spot, stole his 7th base in nine tries, and yet the Mudcats were held off the scoreboard.

And that was all AFTER this was tweeted Friday AM:

It was not a shining moment for starter Jacob Misiorowski, whose name isn't all that hard to spell once you break it down (J-A-C-O-B). 😄

The Athletic's Keith Law was in Durham, and gave subscribers four full paragraphs on Misiorowski's performance. Here's a brief excerpt, the full report is a bit sobering but it's not a full-blown downer:

Misiorowski’s delivery, however, is going to make it hard for him to stay in the rotation. His arm swing is very long, and he’s got a lot of effort and head-whack at release.

Our injured list exercise wraps up. First, remember that the Carolina roster is home to 60-day and season-ending injuries galore, nine pitchers and one position player. There are several Maryvale players there, yet to debut for a full-season affiliate, it's part of a paperwork shuffle that allows the Brewers to maximize minor league player count, it seems. But there are also three traditional seven-day IL players on that roster page.
 

The Timber Rattlers, the lone home team here, kick off at 1:10 Central with the above-audio'd Cam Wagoner on the bump. The other affiliates have Saturday evening dates with their dance partners. I'll be back Sunday AM to fill you in on how things went. Until then, enjoy your day!

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

Interested in learning more about the Milwaukee Brewers' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!