Brewers Minor League Link Report (5/22): Sounds and Warbirds Win; Luis Pena Returns After a Month's Monitoring

Transactions:

• SS Luis Pena sent on rehab assignment to ACL Brewers
• RHP Luke Roupe activated from ACL Brewers’ 7-day injured list

Welcome back and all seems well for Luis Pena - more on his night in the game section for Maryvale to conclude this report. The Brewers were always going to be extra-cautious after the April 22nd incident in which Pena lost consciousness, and yes, a full month had passed since that date. One can imagine the number of tests that have been run and the amount of monitoring to have taken place since.

Luke Roupe, drafted in the 17th round last summer out of a North Carolina high school, had his professional debut delayed a bit, but he joined Pena on the field Friday night. We hope you'll catch up on the entire system before sneaking down to the bottom of this report .

Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes 
Final: Nashville 6, Durham (Rays) 5
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 Shut Down Bulls' Late Rally for 6-5 Win - Knehr Improves to 3-0 and Fernández Earns First Save of Season

The videos embedded in that report include the big RBI knocks from Jeferson Quero and Brock Wilken. Among the other run-scoring plays described in the linked summary are these, which can be viewed as follows:

Luis Lara forceout
Luis Matos single

Also from the summary:

"Nashville's 3.41 ERA in bounce back games is tied for the best in the International League with Omaha."

ERA in bounce back games? Like, who tracks that? Baseball allows for a wonderful spectrum of analysis, doesn't it...

In his two prior appearances, RHP Garrett Stallings started and worked 12.2 scoreless innings with only two walks. On the surface, it seems he would still be needed in a starting role, but he came up big in the 8th here: 

The Nashville rotation may be the most in-flux thing in all of the Brewers system, understandable given the vagaries of the Sounds-Brewers mound relationship (certainly paying off at the big-league level). If Stallings is temporarily back in the pen, you've got Friday's starter Coleman Crow (88 pitches to get through 4.1 innings, 3 ER), plus RHP Tyson Hardin (one start since his call-up from Biloxi), LHP Thomas Pannone, and seemingly struggling RHP Carlos Rodriguez, who has worked in long relief as of late, comprising part of the Sounds' rotation, along with any rehab efforts from Quinn Priester. Yet the club has won 10-of-11 games!

LHP Rob Zastryzny's latest rehab stint began on May 14th. Not a lot of room in the MLB pen, and Rob Z. has been lights-out in four appearances since: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K. How long will he be strung along before activation?

Nashville drew ten walks, so the number of times players were on base was significant: Wilken 4, Matos and Greg Jones 3, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, Jeferson Quero twice each. Whenever Luis Rengifo has a miserable MLB night (as he did Friday), we glance Jett Williams way - 0-for-5 here, one K.

Postponed, rain: Birmingham (White Sox) at Biloxi

Catch up with the latest Biloxi pre-game audio interview archives 

The teams are still trying to complete the 11th inning (and possibly beyond) of their Thursday game (box score), discussed in Daniel's fine Link Report yesterday.

As of right now, Friday's game is not scheduled as a make-up (yet), as Sunday is still listed as a single game. We wonder if the game will be made up in Birmingham with Biloxi as the home team during the June 9th - 14th series.

Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link)
Final: Great Lakes (Dodgers) 13, Wisconsin 4 
Box Score and Game Log

Via the Timber Rattlers, game details: 

Unlucky Thirteen for Wisconsin at Great Lakes

Chris Mehring squeezed videos of Andrew Fischer's early-game home run and Josh Adamczewski's late-game double into his report linked above.

Also, early in the game this defensive play occurred:

Adamczewski walked twice in addition to his two-bagger. We're 33 games into his season, and he's still sporting an incredible 1.024 OPS (.322/.441/.583). Young Josh also stole his 7th base in eight tries. Our swooning continues.

CF Josiah Ragsdale singled three times, fanned in the other two plate appearances. The K rate is high at 28.2%, but he's also walking in 19.3% of his plate appearances for a .417 OBP. 

Night off for Braylon Payne.

RHP Travis Smith was very solid in five of six swing-role outings to begin his season. In his most recent appearance before Friday, he did allow four runs in a five-inning start with five walks, so that was a bit of a stumble, but not a blow-up. Unfortunate that his outing here went very sideways, but kudos to Jack Seppings for saving the bullpen in what could have turned into another game in which a T-Rat position player was needed on the mound.

There is "lowlights" video available from the local news outlet.

Standard Saturday day game for Maryvale, we'll see if Luis Pena plays on the quick turnaround time. It's all-evening action for the full-season affiliates, with the Shuckers hopefully rallying in extras to complete their suspended game. Have a great day, folks.

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