Brewers Minor League Link Report (6/22): ACL Brewers Fall, but Alexander Frias Rises (To Wilson)

Transactions: 

• Milwaukee Brewers optioned LHP Drew Rom to Nashville Sounds.
• C Eric Martinez assigned to ACL Brewers from Nashville Sounds.

Though not official yet, it appears Alexander Frias is heading to full-season ball in Wilson:

Game Action:

ACL Diamondbacks 16, ACL Brewers 5
Box Score

It was a rough evening for the ACL Brewers on Monday, as walks and defensive miscues proved too much to overcome in a 16-5 loss. Things got away from the Brewers early in the contest. After Brailyn Antunez opened the scoring in the top of the first with a solo home run, the DBacks struck for five runs in the opening frame and never looked back. 

Last year's 20th-round pick Ma'Kale Holden started the game but didn't last long. Holden's line was pretty gruesome: 1.1 IP 4H 6R 4BB 3K. As a whole, the Brewers’ pitching staff allowed 10 hits and issued a whopping 13 walks. Defensive miscues didn't help the cause either, as the Brewers coupled a tough day on the mound with three costly errors in the field, leading to four unearned runs. The Diamondbacks scored in each of their first six innings. Only when reliver Roderick Flores came on with the bases loaded in the 6th inning, did the Brewers manage to stop the bleeding. Flores worked out of the bases loaded jam in the 6th allowing just a sac fly, then closed the game out with two more perfect innings. 

Antunez was the only Brewer to muster multiple hits, as he also closed the scoring with an RBI single in the 8th. Besides Antunez, the only other run scoring hit for the Brewers was a two-run double from Malachai Halterman. Jonathan Rangel and Yu-Lin Liao each drew three walks in defeat. The Brewers finished the day 2-for-12 with RISP and left 10 men on base.

With the loss, the ACL Brewers drop to an even 19-19 record on the season
 

DSL Brewers Blue 4, DSL Red Sox Red 3, F/7 (completion of June 12 game)
Box Score

We’ll keep this short and sweet as Jim already covered the first five innings of this game in his link report from June 12.

Lukas Gonzalez came on for the Brewers after a scoreless bottom of the fifth inning once the game resumed.  Gonzalez worked two perfect innings in relief with two strikeouts, keeping the game tied at three and giving the Brewers a shot at the victory.

In the bottom of the 7^th, Frandy Lafond led off the frame with a single. Lafond also had a steal after the game resumed in the 5^th. The next two batters then walked to load the bases with one out.  That’s when Yoneiker Lugo came up with a ground ball single to walk off the game and give the Brewers Blue a 4-3 victory.

DSL Brewers Blue 6, DSL Red Sox Red 0, F/7
Box Score

In the second game of this DSL “doubleheader,” Lafond picked up right where he left off with a three-run home run in the second inning to give the Brewers Blue all the offense they would need on the day.

While the bats only tallied four hits, the Brewers displayed great plate discipline, drawing a staggering 11 walks to keep constant pressure on the Red Sox pitching staff. With so few hits, the rest of the Brewers’ run producing plays came on a ground out, walk, and fielder’s choice. Centerfielder Enrique Lovera was credited with two of those RBI. As a team, the Brewers went 4-for-6 in stolen bases on the day, with Angel Gonzalez stealing two bags and scoring three runs.

On the mound, 18-year-old Carlos Galindo was terrific in earning his third win of the DSL season.  Galindo went five innings, allowed five hits and struck out five.  He did not walk or hit a batter after issuing 12 free passes in his first three appearances. Ruben Saldana, who is repeating the DSL for a third time, struck out three in two scoreless innings to close the game.

At 12-4, the Brewers Blue have the fourth best winning percentage in the 50-team Dominican Summer League.

DSL Reds 7, DSL Brewers Gold 6
Box Score

The DSL Brewers Gold suffered a tough defeat on Monday dropping a 7-6 decision to the DSL Reds. Things started positively enough for the Brewers, who jumped out to an early 4-0 lead by the third inning. The offense found its groove early in the top of the second when Jefer Lista drew a bases-loaded walk to open the scoring, followed immediately by a clutch, two-run double from shortstop Ricki Moneys. Osiris Ramirez kept the momentum rolling in the third, pacing the offense with a 3-for-5 day and driving in another run to put the Brewers comfortably ahead. Moneys and Ramirez are first and second on the Gold squad with 14 and 13 RBI respectively.

On the mound, starting pitcher Joan Gonzalez was magnificent, silencing the Reds' bats over four scoreless innings while racking up four strikeouts and allowing just two hits. Unfortunately, the Brewers’ bullpen couldn't hold the line once Gonzalez departed. The Reds broke through for four runs in the fifth inning to tie the game. Despite the Brewers briefly reclaiming a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh on another RBI single by Ramirez, a costly fielding error from pitcher Derlin Garcia (3IP 6H 7R 6ER 4BB 4K) opened the door for the decisive rally. The Reds capitalized on the error, a balk, and a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh, pushing three more runs across to take a permanent lead.

The Brewers fought hard until the final out, clawing back within one run in the eighth after Matthew Moses drove in Josue Rodriguez on a force out. The Brewers managed to load the bases later that inning but ultimately left the sacks full as Ramirez popped out to short to end the threat. Lack of clutch hitting was a theme that plagued the team as the Brewers left 10 total runners on base while going 3-for-14 with RISP.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from their Blue counterparts, the loss drops the Gold squad to 4-12 in DSL play, tied for the second worst record in the league.

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Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth

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