Brewers Minor League Link Report (6/2): Luis Peña Leaves Game with Illness Again; T-Rats Outslug Cedar Rapids in Wild 14-11 Victory

Transactions: 

• Milwaukee Brewers sent RHP Quinn Priester on a rehab assignment to ACL Brewers.
• Nashville Sounds activated SS Eddys Leonard from the temporarily inactive list.
• Nashville Sounds transferred C Eric Martinez to the Development List.
• Nashville Sounds transferred LF Jacob Hurtubise to the Development List.
• Nashville Sounds activated 3B Luke Adams from the 7-day injured list.
• Wilson Warbirds placed RHP Jacob Morrison on the 7-day injured list.
• RHP Ismael Yanez assigned to Wilson Warbirds from ACL Brewers.
• LHP Noel Cepeda assigned to DSL Brewers Gold (a late May signing first mentioned here)

Game Action:

Nashville pre-game media notes
Jacksonville (Marlins) 6, Nashville 2
Box Score

As always, you are encouraged to read the official round-up from the team’s site: Serna Haunts Sounds in Opener with 3-RBI Night

It was a quiet night for the Sounds in Jacksonville as Nashville managed just three singles in their defeat.

Cooper Pratt opened the scoring in the first with an RBI single just two batters into the game. Pratt has now reached base in 22 consecutive games. The other run-producing play for the Sounds came on a bases loaded walk to Tyler Black.

On the mound, the Nashville pitchers, who lead the International League in team ERA, did not have their best night. The trio of Easton McGee, Kaleb Bowman, and Brian Fitzpatrick all allowed two runs apiece in two innings or less of work. Those three combined to dole out seven walks in five innings. Reiss Knehr and Will Childers finished out the final three innings scoreless, which allowed for Nashville to have one last rally in the 9^th inning.

After a 12-pitch battle with Pratt ended with a walk to load the bases, Luis Lara came to the plate as the tying run with Nashville down to their final out. However, there would be no heroics on this night, as Lara tapped a dribbler back to the pitcher to end the game. The Sounds did not have a hit after the fourth inning of the game.

One other silver lining was the return of Luke Adams to the Nashville lineup. Adams drew a walk in the 9^th and of course was also HBP in the game as well. Nashville will look to get back on track Wednesday. The suddenly ascending Tyson Hardin (1-0, 0.96 ERA in 18.2 IP at AAA) was scheduled to take the mound, but the Sounds are now listed as TBD and speculation is Hardin may very well be getting his big-league call-up.

Biloxi pre-game media notes

Biloxi was once again rained out, the 9^th postponement since the beginning of May.  The game will be replayed on Thursday as part of a double header. Manuel Rodriguez was scheduled to start on Tuesday, so we will likely see him on Wednesday.

Wisconsin pre-game media notes
Wisconsin 14, Cedar Rapids (Twins) 11
Box Score

Wisconsin Wins a Wild One in Cedar Rapids

Wisconsin won a wild marathon clash with Cedar Rapids on Tuesday night, but the result was overshadowed by the loss of Luis Pena once again.

In the second inning, with Wisconsin in the field, play was temporarily halted as Pena battled illness at shortstop.  Pena was able to walk off the field under his own power and seemed to be speaking with the trainer. As they reached the dugout Pena was dry heaving and did not look well. We will hope it was something minor, but it is concerning because Pena had only returned to Wisconsin on May 27 after a month off after a fainting spell due to “dehydration” on April 22. (MLB.com report via Adam McCalvy with video within)

To make matters worse, starting pitcher JD Thompson, a 2^nd round pick last year, also left the game in the second inning. Andrick Nava had spotted something after a 3-2 pitch and called time. Thompson appeared to be slapping his leg on the mound and then exited mid at-bat. It was a long second inning, as Thompson hit the 40-pitch mark for the inning, so hopefully it was just some minor cramping.

On to the positive game action…

Andrew Fischer launched his 16^th home run, courtesy of the Wisconsin X account:

Eric Bitonti added his 7^th home run:

Luis Castillo, who had a .281/.387/.484 slash line in May, smashed his 6^th home run of the year:

Josiah Ragsdale was on base five times with three hits and two walks. Ragsdale also stole his 18^th base of the season. It’s a pretty loaded box score as Wisconsin pounded out 14 hits and drew nine walks in a game that took over 3.5 hours to play.

To add to the fireworks, Josh Adamczewski and manager Nick Stanley were ejected late in the game for arguing a check swing appeal on strike three.

On the mound, Yerlin Rodriguez earned the win with two scoreless innings. Ayendy Bravo earned his first save at the level with two shutdown innings to finish the game.

RHP Braylon Owens (1-0, 4.24) will take to the mound on Wednesday for Wisconsin.

Wilson pre-game media notes
Wilson 14, Salem (Red Sox) 7
Box Score

Warbirds Complete Comeback, Double Up Salem

Wilson won a messy affair in the opener of their series with Salem on Tuesday night. As a team, the Warbirds drew 13 walks while striking out 13 times en route to scoring 14 runs on just eight hits.

The Warbirds broke the game open with an 11-run rally in the 7^th inning to take an insurmountable lead.  In the rally, the first eight runs came on just three hits – all singles – with Handelfry Encarnacion producing two runs on this ground ball single.

Then Kevin Garcia came through with the big blast of the night, a three-run home run to right to cap the scoring for Wilson. Garcia had three runs scored on the night for Wilson.

Frederi Montero was the only Warbird with a multi-hit game, and he also drew two walks. Jadyn Fielder had the other XBH for Wilson with this RBI double, courtesy of the Wilson X account:

Fielder scored twice and drove in two runs on the night.

On the mound, Jayden Dubanewicz continued his stellar work, this time in a relief appearance. Dubanewicz (4.1 IP 4H 2R 2ER 1BB 4K) was cruising through his first four innings of work, before he allowed back-to-back homers in the 8^th and then exited the game.

Joshua Quezada took over from there and worked 1.2 IP clean to close the game. Starter Enniel Cortez was victimized by two errors in the third, which led to four unearned runs in and made his line (3 IP 3H 5R 1ER 1BB 3K) look worse than he deserved.

ACL Dodgers 3, ACL Brewers 2
Box Score

Quinn Priester had his most encouraging start of the season in ACL play Tuesday night. Priester worked into the fourth for the first time all season and walked just two while allowing one run. Hopefully this is the first step back to being the pitcher we saw in 2025.

The rehabbing Griffin Tobias chipped in two scoreless innings in relief for the Brewers.

Offensively, the Brewers managed just five hits, and three of them belonged to Juan Martinez, who hit his first homer in ACL play. Alexander Frias was on base three times with a single and two walks.

(DSL write-ups today via Jim Goulart)

Final, DSL Padres Gold 11, DSL Brewers Blue 7, seven innings as scheduled
Box Score and Game Log

Of the 13 half-innings in this contest, only four were scoreless. There was no score heading to the bottom of the 2nd in this road game, and then the offenses kicked in, taking advantage of all the usual culprits in a complex league game. Those culprits being bases on balls (seven by each team), HBP's (two by each staff), wild pitches (three, all by Blue arms), and fielding misplays (six combined, two by Team Blue). All the errors led to just one run charged to the Blue pitchers as unearned, two for the Padres kids. So perhaps you look at this as a 10-5 loss instead. I think we can agree that three hours, 25 minutes to play six-and-a-half-innings reflects those totals.

Three Blue pitchers made their professional debuts, all right-handers. By the way, between the two Brewer teams, only three of the 36 pitchers are left-handed, so we'll be able to save keystrokes by not typing "RHP" over and over for these games.

Southpaws - 

Blue: 6'5" Alexander Mercedes (yet to debut)
Gold: 6'0" Daniel Garcia (currently on the 7-day IL) and 5'11" Santiago Martinez, each in their 2nd year.

The debuts here ranged from short and tidy (one scoreless inning for 18-year-old Mexico native Luis Aguayo), to not particularly pretty twice over:

• 1.2 IP, 6 ER charged to 6'4" 16-year-old Jordy Brache, a Dominican native
• 2.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 BB for 18-year-old Wilmer Duarte, also of the D.R.

Every new season I wonder how many family members of the Dominican players are in attendance for these games.

As you box score review, the top six in the order were all holdovers from Opening Day. The bottom three all made seasonal, but not professional debuts.

CF Enrique Lovera has already walked five times in his first two pro games, and when he's not walking, he's striking out (four times), yet to put the ball in play.

2B Leonard Rijo had the lone Blue XBH, a triple.

17-year-old newbie C Sebastian Franeites, DH'ing here, is off to a nice two-game start, 4-for-7, 1 HBP, with the three outs being strikeouts.

As always, have to love the DSL box score intricacies. 

You are invited to pull up the game log, select "All", and then watch these games in your mind, always an adventure.

Final, DSL Tampa Bay 9, DSL Brewers Gold 8
Box Score and Game Log

In the bottom of the 9th, the Team Gold scored one run to cut the gap to one run and had a runner on 3rd base with just one out. A key strikeout was next. After a HBP and stolen base moved the go-ahead run into scoring position, another strikeout ended the game.

2nd year corner infielder Matthew Moses hit a three-run HR in the 2nd for an early 3-1 lead. It was Moses' 5th pro tater. Of course, Moses' MiLB page lists him as a shortstop despite never having played the middle infield last season. Because as we all know, all international position player signings are shortstops, unless they throw with their left arm, and we wouldn't put it past teams to list those youngsters as shortstops as well :).

Corner OF Carlos Done had the other XBH, a double. Done was the game-ending strikeout victim.

The bottom of the 3rd inning is an odd time to be lifted for a pinch-hitter, especially in a pro debut, but just-turned 17-year-old second baseman Santiago Garcia was removed at that interval. Nothing in the game log provides a hint from earlier in the game, and it's unclear if we'll ever see "injury delay" in the DSL logs like we do at the higher levels. 

17-year-old Ruben Revost's pro debut was unique, pinch-runner, successful steal.

Another 17-year-old, starter Marcos Veras, was the lone debut among the four arms. Three runs in three innings is no shame, but it's a 9.00 ERA no matter how you shake the small sample. Boo to the small sample.

6'5" Paul Hoff out of Germany, began his second season on the island. What a life adventure for that young man.

There was very little "cheap" in the Tampa six-run 4th. When you conduct your game log read, you'll see just that.

The three complex teams enjoy Wednesday off. The Timber Rattlers play a noon matinee in Cedar Rapids, while the Sounds, Shuckers and Warbirds have evening affairs on tap.

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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