Brewers Minor League Link Report (7/9): Affiliates Go 0-4 Paying Baseball Gods for 3-0 Brewers Sweep of Dodgers

Transactions:

• RHP Elvin Rodgriguez was DFA'd by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Nashville Sounds
• OF Steward Berroa was optioned to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers - he had been acquired via a cash exchange with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the day
• RHP Nick DeCarlo was placed on the 7-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats
• OF Jimmy Herron was reinstated from the Development List by the Nashville Sounds

Final: Durham (Rays) 6, Nashville 5 - Final/5

Box Score/Game Log

Game Notes

Despite the final outcome, we can realistically look to a rough first inning (32 pitches and three runs surrendered) and a seeing eye inside out pool shot single that led to a two out 3-0 pitch sent over the RF wall. That was truly the difference for RHP Coleman Crow who, despite his final line, flashed all the things we've seen throughout his incredible 2025 season. His curveball continues to get many swings and misses in any and every count - not to mention stares as it swoops back over the plate. I would say the real culprit in this one was a lack of feel and precision on his four-seamer. He left it over the plate one too many times. The mix was not dialed in and as a result Crow's Triple-A ERA ballooned North of seven in just two Triple-A starts. His final line reads: 3.0 IP of 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 6 ER ball. He threw 74 pitches over those three innings while landing 47 strikes. The heater appeared to sit in the 92 to upper 93 mph range. The fastball shape itself, in my humble opinion, is the pitch Crow really needs to fine tune in this upcoming off-season. He has all the ingredients. It's now about health and evolution and refinement.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) This was very clearly 1B Bobby Dalbec's night at the dish. His 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 2B, 1 HR evening very much looked the part. These balls were absolutely launched. The home run, especially, was just a punishing blow put on a 95 mph high heater in a 3-2 count:

As I've shared on more than one occasion since Dalbec arrived: the man has massive pop and he knows how to access it. We're obviously all enjoying the Andrew Vaughn experience with the parent club Brewers. Should anything befall him during his stint with the Crew, I have very little doubts Dalbec could step in and offer another quality veteran Hoskins replacement.

2) For one moment. For one swing. We entered a Brewers nostalgia baseball time machine. LF Tyler Black ripped an inside out oppo taco over the high left field wall:

Oh where have you been sweet Tyler?! I remember these types of swings as a nightly experience in 2023 and early 2024. I would opine Black misplayed a ball off the left field wall but given the base runner it didn't make all that much difference - he was heading to and staying at second base, regardless. Black is in desperate need of a renaissance. I hope, in some small part, the above swing and result plays its part to give him a small boost.

3) Kudos are deserved for one RHP Jesús Liranzo who gave his squad 1 1/3 IP of 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 R work in the meat of what turned out to be a weather-called shortened affair. It hasn't been all that smooth of late, but Liranzo was dialed in tonight. His tailing arm-side run on his change-up appeared to be earning quite a bit of deception as it neared and faded from the plate. Given the shaky nature of the greater Sounds bullpen in the early second half, if Liranzo can rediscover his earlier dominant success that could go a long way toward lifting the pitching staff. 

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 6, Biloxi 4

Game Notes 

RHP Brett Wichrowski did set a career-high finishing 6 1/3 innings. He threw 82 pitches in total and landed 52 for strikes.

Congratulations are due. The 1 BB: 1 K results and ratio for the night stick out to me. He induced seven groundouts to five fly outs. He also gave up a triple and a solo homer. Wichrowski continues to remain a bit elusive to my eyes - he does just enough on a start-by-start basis and showcases just enough filth on a semi-regular basis to give me real enticing inklings of what a future MLB-starter version of the young hurler may look like. I contend he is still demonstrating he is extremely early in his journey. And, I contend he still has yet to figure out who he is exactly as the best version of his pitching self. Yes, he's in Double-A with a healthy 2.41 ERA and 1.28 WHIP at 22 years of age. However, with Wichrowski's raw tools and his upper 90's velocity, 39 punch outs in 52 1/3 IP just doesn't sit quite right. Is it underwhelming? Maybe. With the 0.240 BAA I think the complete picture of 2025 simply tells us we are watching an incomplete player with immense tools to work with who is trying to complete the picture. We'll continue to wait and we'll continue to hope it all comes together in perfect timing. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Let the Super Utility Reanissance and Emergence continue with INF Ethan Murray. The swing has become a thing of violent confidence as demonstrated by this rip to the left field wall:

I've waxed poetic on Murray on several occasion over the past two weeks and he continues to give me reasons to do so. That was his 10th double of his season in a 2-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 2B day at the dish. He continues to be a very real revelation in 2025.

2) Speaking of doubles, DH and lead-off Luis Lara ripped two doubles increasing his season and Southern League leading total to 22 on his season. This was also his second three-hit game in his last three tilts. 4-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B (both RBI's came with two outs). Lara has very much showcased his entire breadth of talent in 2025. At just 20 years of age, he is just discovering who he might be as a player but the defensive prowess is elite and the bat is becoming. He still lacks home run power but he has an extremely healthy K:BB ratio with an extremely palatable 17.3 % K rate at large over 370 PA's. He truly is a developing true lead-off specialist with immense defensive upside. It's nice to see him get these opportunities atop the order with Luke Adams still on the IL.

3) RHP Ryan Middendorf's season continues to find ways to tailspin further down an uncertain path. His 1.0 IP of 4 H, 1 BB, 4 R work was yet another indication of how far his stuff has fallen off the map over the past year - he now sports a 10.24 ERA in the Southern League since his re-assignment. It's hard to describe how different his entire package looks today versus late 2023. What was once a surefire promising MLB-caliber reliever with a herky jerky delivery and massive run and ride on everything he threw has become player simply trying to salvage his professional career. I do not enjoy saying it but his offerings have become pedestrian as his movement has curtailed and the velocity come down several notches. I wish I knew what has happened here. He took the loss and fell to 0-2 in the process as a Shucker. 

With the second consecutive loss, the Shuckers fell to 7-7 on the second half. They remain 1.5 GB the first place Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Marlins).

Cubs Club Four Homers to Beat Wisconsin - Rattlers Fall 13-4 in Game One

Box Score/Game Log

Game Notes

Stop me if you've heard me say this before: RHP Ryan Birchard continues to walk way to many hitters. For a young man who has such incredible stuff on the bump, he remains a wild horse in the pitching stables. It truly is the sole thing holding him back as a pitcher amongst the greater Brewers prospect ranks. 4 1/3 IP, 1 H, 5 BB, 7 K, 3 R (1 Earned). 84 pitches. 46 strikes. 4 1/3 IP. This is the consistent issue with Birchard as he discovers how to handle and execute: elevated pitch counts. Just missing. The arm side run and the over-compensation continue to be mysteriously ever present. Having seen the miraculous turnabout from LHP Aaron Ashby and the miraculous two month rise of RHP Jacob Misiorowski, I think it's fair to remind us all: the process is rarely linear. The tools in this case are extremely spicy. Nearly every time I leave one of Birchard's outings I think to myself: "I can see it. It's right there." I'll continue to wait with patience and faith everything will come together in right timing. We're in the development game, after all. We are rooting for the best outcomes.

Full-Game Highlights:

Post-Game Podcast:

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Amidst the noise of these two early Timber Rattlers Home losses is the early production of INF Jadher Areinamo. After a 3-for-5 day at the dish today, he is 6-for-10 through two games of this series with a dinger. He's hitting 0.375 for the month of July through 32 AB's. If you go back to the last game versus Beloit? Areinamo is 9 for his last 14 AB's. There really isn't all that much more for Areinamo to accomplish in the Midwest League. We all know it. And, yet, the Brewers have a logjam of inconvenience within the greater infield depth of the system. 

2) 21-year-old LHP Jesus Broca just continues to find new levels of impact. For the uninitiated the light began to really turn on back in May. In June and July? It's all starting to come together. The walks have come down and the overall threats on the basepaths as a whole. After a 0.238 BAA and 1.11 WHIP earned over 19.0 relief IP in June, Broca is off to a 0.167 BAA and 0.86 WHIP in three July appearances. Today's was certainly no different: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K. 11 pitches. 8 strikes. Absolutely 'The Stuff'.

3) He hasn't earned many praises since his High-A promotion, however we shall give praises when they are due: LF Luiyin Alastre went 3-for-4 with the lone Timber Rattlers RBI. Alastre is bringing his versatile utility tools up a significant High-A average age level at just 19 years old. Alastre isn't a premium prospect by any stretch, but he is a very versatile and solid young baseball player. Amongst the pool of Tyler Rodriguez; Luis Lameda; Juan Baez; Daniel Guilarte and others etc. the question remains: will any of these talented young men develop XBH pop? The above mentioned Jadher Areinamo has absolutely developed that portion of his game. INF/OF Eduardo Garcia has developed that portion of his game. INF Ethan Murray has developed that part of his game. However, with the abundance of low power players in the lower levels some of these young men will ultimately need to develop power traits within themselves.

With another loss, the Timber Rattlers fell a little bit deeper into last place. They are 5-12 and are 6.5 GB first place Quad Cities (Royals).

Final: Fredericksburg (Nationals) 4, Carolina 2

Late Home Run Lifts Fredericksburg Past Mudcats - Failed Opportunities with RISP and One Mistake Pitch Lead to Loss

Box Score/Game Log

Game Notes

RHP Melvin Hernandez didn't have his best stuff tonight as exemplified by surrendering two two-out RBI doubles in the early going. However, Hernandez - yes, even with his young age and diminutive stature - is as scrappy as they come. He still gave his squad a valuable 5.0 IP of 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 ER work. He still tossed 79 pitches landing 51 for strikes. Hernandez's season is every bit the revelation RHP Manuel Rodriguez's season was in 2024. It's incredible to witness these young soft-tossing off-speed and precision experts execute their way around line-ups. It's an extremely rare thing of late when Hernandez doesn't find his way into the fifth or sixth frame giving his squad a chance at victory. Unfortunately, the bats weren't up to the task tonight.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) INF Jesus Made is officially 100 PA beyond where he was last summer. I would politely opine: he looks tired with the bat in his hands at present. He is topping balls. He currently lacks that special something we saw in the early season. I truly can not remember the last time I've seen meaningful hard contact in any sort of stacked manner over the past several weeks. With two men aboard in the ninth inning and two down, Made struck out on four pitches and didn't touch the ball on any of the swings. All three swings and misses were change-ups he was well in front of and nowhere near with the bat. The batting average is down to the 0.260's and the OPS is descending with it. This is what young development can look like. The path is very very rarely linear. 0-for-5, 2 K on his evening. 

2) Speaking of development, one 3B Filippo Di Turi continues to showcase what an off-season of development after a near full-season of Low-A exposure can do for a young player. 1-for-2, 1 RBI, 2 BB, and 1 K on the evening. Di Turi may not get the notoriety or the hype of some the younger studs in the Brewers system, but make no mistake about it: with his emerging power and ascending and versatile defense with an already refined approach and swing at the dish, this is a very real player and prospect within the greater Brewers ranks. This just in: Di Turi possesses a higher OPS than both Made and Payne. He is just 19 years of age.

3) RHP Garrett Hodges was cruising until he wasn't. When you give up a home run, however, it may as well be a no doubt 110 mph bomb over the right field wall on a hanger. Where did this ball land? I have no idea:

Apparently, Peoples has bombs of 115, 114, 113, and now 110 mph on his season. This Nationals 12th rounder has what you call 'Pop'. Lastly, let's give kudos to lead-off CF Braylon Payne who extended his hitting streak to eight games with a couple pull singles to the right side of the infield. 

With the loss, the Mudcats have fallen 1/2 G behind the now first place Fredericksburg Nationals. The Mudcats are 10-6 overall.

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!