Brewers Minor League Link Report (6/10): An 0-for-3 Night at the Plate, But That's OK; Frelick Begins Rehab Stint

There are two extended audio listens for you to make time for this weekend:

Postponed: Nashville at Jacksonville (Marlins)

Via the Sounds: "Friday night’s game between the Nashville Sounds and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at 121 Financial Ballpark has been postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow, Saturday, June 10.

Game one of tomorrow’s doubleheader will start at 4:05 p.m. CDT. Game two will follow at least 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Both games are scheduled to be seven innings in length."
 

Final: Mississippi (Braves) 4, Biloxi 0

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

Shuckers Pitching Strikes Out 12 in 4-0 Loss to M-Braves - Russell Smith, James Meeker combine for 4.1 shutout innings out of the bullpen

Pre-Game Media Notes 

Box Score / Game Log

Via that game summary in which you learned about Tyler Black's crazy stolen base pace:

In the third, the Shuckers later loaded the bases, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning and held Biloxi scoreless.

Wes Clarke was the first K victim, Zavier Warren the 2nd. Little moments matter - was this strike three? Camera angle not the best:

Jeferson Quero double, single, walk - beast.

Tough two games for Tristen Lutz - 0-for-8, seven K's. Lutz qualifies for minor league free agency after this season, and the 34th overall pick in 2017 out of a Texas high school is likely to move on from the Crew after this fall and not reaching AAA. He'll turn 25 years old in August.

No clear reason why Tyler Black was pinch-hit for to open the 8th inning.

I've been a bit down on LHP Russell Smith, so kudos on his middle-relief stint here. However, did the Brewers envision him in that role at this point in his development? Thinking no.

Enough already with the level of strikeouts in the Southern League. How is that entertaining for kids in the stands? The 2nd half of the season return of the muddied baseball can't come fast enough.
 

Final:  West Michigan (Tigers) 8, Wisconsin 6

Via the Timber Rattlers' site:

Whitecaps End Wisconsin Winning Streak - West Michigan hits four homers in 8-6 victory

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

Box Score / Game Log

Eric Brown, Jr. last played on Saturday. This is all we know at this time.

As a 20-year-old in 2022, RHP Stiven Cruz was bumped from Carolina to Wisconsin and made four starts to end the season, posting a microscopic 0.47 ERA and 0.63 WHIP. In eleven starts this season, Cruz, well, hasn't done that (6.91 ERA, 1.72 WHIP). Cruz had not been dominant in 15 Mudcats starts prior to his bump last year, just OK, but no one saw this season's results coming.

If retiring every bater faced over 3.2 innings doesn't get 25-year-old Taylor Floyd a return trip to Biloxi, nothing will. He dazzled there to end a stellar 2021 breakout, inexplicably faltered there to begin 2022, and it's time for him to get reacquainted with the Shuckers uniform.

Via Chris Mehring, as you just read: "Wisconsin had ten hits in the game. All the hits were singles. The Whitecaps had twelve hits in the game. They had five singles, four homers, and three doubles."

Slugging matters.
 

Final: Fayetteville (Astros) 7, Carolina 5

Mudcats Fail to Hold Late Lead in 7-5 Loss - The Mudcats fell 2.0 games back of the first-place Down East Wood Ducks with the loss

Pre-Game Media Notes 

Box Score / Game Log

The Mudcats affiliate is unfortunately getting pretty good at inexplicable crunch time losing streaks the past few seasons. Still time to turn it around here.

Admittedly, I had recently commented on the Brewers making sure that "older" relievers made up the Carolina bullpen for both stability and effectiveness. At least on this night, that plan went sour.

RHP Patricio Aquino isn't just 20 years old, he's a young 20, having turned in May. A very encouraging eight-start stint thus far in full-season ball, and nice to see any injured list stays were brief.

CF Luis Lara misses a second game, hopefully back this weekend.

Your reminder to focus on Luke Adams' .410 OBP and .433 SLG in his 53 professional games thus far (2022-2023), his 24 steals in 29 attempts, his defensive chops at third base, and his age (turned 19 in April). Don't focus on the unlucky 2023 batting average of .194 (.211 BABIP, incredible). Excuse the last name typo:

Final: ACL Brewers 11, ACL Padres 9, nine innings (scheduled for seven)

Box Score / Game Log

Any time the gametime temp isn't triple digits (96 degrees), I'm sure the players and staff will take it. This was the only victory on the farm Friday.

The legions in attendance got their money's worth. 

But honestly, this is a game where you invest three minutes to click on the game log link above, then click on each of the nine inning-indicator links on the right and digest the game action. Go ahead, I'll wait....and yes, rehabbing RHP Jason Alexander started for the Crew, and you'll notice the ghost runner in effect in both the 8th and 9th innings.

....OK, welcome back. 

You see, without formal game summaries at these complex league games, an exercise like you just completed is nearly a must. For a 4-1 game? Maybe not, a box score perusal will likely suffice.

Nice job by the final of Maryvale's seven pitchers, 19-year-old Anfernny Reyes, in just his 2nd stateside game. He only allowed one of three inherited one-out runners to score in the 8th, and pitched a scoreless 9th.

Welcome back, Sal Frelick. We missed you.

Dylan O'Rae 4-for-4 in stolen bases. He was 4-for-5 in attempts in 2022 in his eight games played.

A 4-0 start to the season for this group.
 

Final: DSL Guardians Blue 9, DSL Brewers #1 Squad 5, ten innings

Box Score / Game Log

17-year-old bonus baby SS Kevin Ereu (DH'ing here) yanked his first professional home run in the 7th to tie the game at 5-5. The dugout must have been pretty electric. He also singled twice and walked. Ereu is less than a single month removed from that 17th birthday, amazing.

As is the norm in this first week, we had some pro debuts on the mound:

• 17-year-old Dominican RHP Oliver Camilo was roughed up some in the start.
• 18-year-old Nicaragua native RHP Nestor Mena retired all four men he faced, including a stranded Camilo baserunner
• 17-year-old Venezuelan RHP Gabriel Colmenarez did not strike out a batter but shined in four scoreless innings (2 H, 2 BB)
• 17-year-old Johan Zapata, another Dominican-born RHP, tossed scoreless 8th and 9th innings.

20-year-old Yonawil Florimon, who had a successful debut on Tuesday, took the loss with a tough 10th inning.

It's fun to note the pro debuts, because when one of these young arms makes their way to a big-league Brewers uniform, we'll be pulling up the debut post.
 

Final: DSL Guardians Red 6, DSL Brewers #2 Squad 5

Box Score / Game Log

After four pro games, 18-year-old CF Ramon Moreno is 1-for-8 (a double) with eight walks and five strikeouts. His line is .125/.588/.250. He walked five times in this game (Guardians pitchers walked 14 and the Cerveceros Dos went 0-for-12 with RISP, stranding 12).

The game logs aren't' perfect, I'm trying to make sense of that bottom of the 9th, an inning that saw the Crew #2 get walked off. See if it all jives for you.

More mound debuts:

• 18-year-old Dominican RHP Linbel Jimenez allowed one run in two innings (0 BB, 3 K).
• We finally see the pro debut of 19-year-old Venezuelan LHP Pedro Quintana (scoreless inning), who was acquired from the Mets for OF Billy McKinney back in May of 2021 but had not pitched due to injury.

At the time of the trade, the Journal-Sentinel's Todd Rosiak collected quotes from then-Asst. GM Matt Arnold:

Quintana, listed at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, signed as an international free agent with the Mets in January but was also on Milwaukee's radar screen. Arnold said already, Quintana's curveball and changeup stand out and that his fastball should improve as he continues to mature.

"He’s a really interesting lefty. He’s physical, athletic. Our guys did a really good job on him as an amateur. We've tracked him for a while," Arnold said. "The talent is really intriguing. He just turned 17 years old.

Athletic, physical, room for him to fill out and grow. When you think about guys like this, he’d be maybe a sophomore or junior in high school here. So, thinking of where he is from a stuff perspective, obviously he’s going to take some time to develop.

But the ingredients that we saw of where he is right now in his development phase, we’re really optimistic about this guy." 

86 degrees, sunny, 1 MPH wind. Because always.
 

Eight games on Saturday thanks to the Nashville doubleheader. The Sounds and Mudcats get off to the earliest starts at 4:00 Central. Enjoy your day!

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