Brewers Minor League Link Report (8/19): Delgado Hits for First Sounds (Reverse Natural) Cycle Since 2011; Muddies Blank Salem 3-0 Behind Another Hernandez Gem

Transactions:

• 1B Rhys Hoskins was assigned to the Nashville Sounds from the Milwaukee Brewers to begin his rehab assignment
• RHP Chandler Welch was transferred to the 60-Day IL from the 7-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats
• RHP Jesus Flores was transferred to the 60-Day IL from the 7-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats
• RHP Chase Costello was placed on the full-season IL by the Biloxi Shuckers
• RHP Tyler Bryant was placed on the full-season IL by the Biloxi Shuckers
• OF Hedbert Perez was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• C Victor Torres was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers fromt he Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• RHP Michael Fowler was assigned to the Carolina Mudcats from the Nashville Sounds
• RHP Abdiel Mendoza was assigned to the Nashville Sounds from the Biloxi Shuckers
• LHP Jose Meneses was assigned to the ACL Brewers from the Carolina Mudcats
• SS Brady Ebel was assigned to the Carolina Mudcats from the ACL Brewers
• C Eric Martinez was assigned to the ACL Brewers from the Biloxi Shuckers

Final: Nashville 7, Louisville (Reds) 3

Via the Sounds website, please be sure to click and read each of the affiliate write-ups as part of your season-long Link Report routine (believe me, it's worth it):

Rick 'Sweetie' Sweet Moves to Third All-Time in Minor League Wins - Delgado Hits for Reverse Natural Cycle

Box Score/Game Log

Let's just start with this:

OK. Who had 2B Raynel Delgado for the reverse natural cycle on their Tuesday Brewers Minor League Bingo card? Yeah, I didn't think so. What. A. Feat! Delgado is a heady player who has been available all season for the Sounds. A 4-for-4, 5 RBI reverse natural cycle night? My goodness. We tip our collective caps and salute such a historic evening. That's all there is to say.

LHP Robert Gasser did indeed reach his four inning destination: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 0 R overall. He threw 52 pitches landing 33 for strikes. There wasn't a whole lot of swing-and-miss on his evening. The post-game article above will laud his dominance. I will point to his efficiency and his length. When his sweeper isn't getting swings and misses but he's efficient, I'm lauding health and longevity. He maxed out at 94.1 mph on his four-seamer while maxing out at 93.6 mph on his sinker. It was a good outing with good results but this isn't the dominant version of Gasser we've seen. And, that's just fine. Keep stacking those innings and keep strengthening that glorious arm. The Brewers are going to need him come September. If health continues to follow I have zero doubts Gasser can achieve even greater heights in 2025 - coming off of TJ, pitchers with his stuff rarely look this consistent. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) LHP Rob Zastryzny was pulled after 2/3 IP of 1 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 1 HR, 1 K work. This was a planned pitch limit outing for Zastryzny who recently pitched in back-to-back outings. Like Gasser, there wasn't a whole lot of swing and miss in Zastryzny's 23 pitches but he did get the swing and miss for his sole punch out on his last pitch. It was a very nice sinking fading off-speed pitch below the zone. He maxed at just above 92 mph and averaged 90.8 mph on his heater. I saw good movement but I also saw a lot of foul balls. Let's be honest: it's hard to make heads or tails of the overall meaning of Nashville pitching rehabbers in 2025. 

2) RF Jared Oliva did Jared Oliva things. When Oliva is healthy and right he causes mayhem all over the baseball field. He was the beneficiary of hitting in front of Babe Delgado on this evening, but he still managed a 2-for-4, 3 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB, 1 K line himself. The Sounds pride themselves year after year by stockpiling worthy AAAA veterans. Oliva very much fits this bill. I've benefited greatly watching him as a Sound on a nightly basis (when healthy).

3) You may not have noticed because of some hiccups in June and then a hiccup to begin July, but RHP Jesus Liranzo has very quietly not given up a single run over his last 13 games and 16 2/3 IP. He tossed another scoreless 2/3 IP tonight with 1 K. Take a look at this juicy nugget from the post-game article:

Quote

Since beginning his streak on July 6, Liranzo has not allowed even a hit in seven of his 13 appearances, including five of the seven games he has pitched this month. The right-hander is holding opponents to a .123 BAA (7-for-57) and owns a 0.66 WHIP with 19 strikeouts and four walks. His 13 games are tied for the fifth-longest streak in the International League this season.

When Liranzo isn't walking batters he's extremely dangerous. He's big, formidable, and throws a violent 97-98 mph. Do not sleep on this 30-year-old veteran who leads the Sounds pitching staff with 39 appearances and has converted 5-of-7 Saves. 

Final:  Chattanooga (Reds) 7, Biloxi 3

Shuckers Drop Opener to Lookouts - Burke Extends Hit Streak to Nine Games while Pratt and Wood Record Multiple Hits

Game Notes

Remember that early season dominant Double-A RHP Alexander Cornielle? I sure do. Those days appear to be long gone in what has proven to be a wildly inconsistent stretch for the 23-year-old righty. The 4.0 IP of 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 1 HB, 4 ER absolutely matched the eye test and honestly it gave me flashbacks to the tantalizing but wild days of his Low-A work. It's been a roller coaster and so was this outing. Two down. 0-2 counts. Walks. Bases loaded. A grand slam. It was all there and happening throughout. The inability to put innings away was his Achilles' heel tonight. 86 pitches thrown with 58 strikes landing shows he wasn't all that wild, per se, he simply wasn't all that effective either and found the put away pitch extremely elusive. He did well to get ahead in many counts. He failed to close the door on most occasions. August has not been king in any way shape or form for the soon to be Minor League free agent: 4 GS, 19.0 IP, 16 ER, 12 K, 11 BB, 0.312 BAA, 1.84 WHIP, 7.58 ERA. Things are fast spiraling as his season winds down.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) With C Darrien Miller still sidelined after taking the bat off his catching hand in what was his third interference penalty in a two week period (no announcement as of yet), we get to feast our eyes on Double-A Matt Wood as the primary backstop. His Double-A work, like 1B Blake Burke, is night and day more impactful on a night-in night-out basis. 2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB. I don't say this lightly: his Double-A body of work has been a revelation. 

2) Two more pokes for SS Cooper Pratt in a 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB evening. Baseball is a game of runs for nearly every player who plays it. After hitting 0.188 in July, Pratt is fast approaching the 0.300 mark in August at 0.283 on the month. The OPS is back above 0.800 in August as well after a three home run series versus the Clingstones. The BB:K ratio has been solid throughout his season regardless of his BABIP results which is always a good sign. I'd still personally like to see more gap power and more consistently hard hit balls, but I'm not going to complain about the season we're seeing from the 21-year-old former sixth round pick out of Mississippi. Honestly, Pratt is beginning to give me righty Brice Turang vibes and this certainly is not a bad thing.

3) It was a DH Hedbert Perez Double-A debut in the nine-hole. He hit like a nine-hole hitter: 0-for-4, 3 K on his evening. Certainly not the debut he was looking for. The bottom of the order 6-through-9 hitters managed a 0-for-13 line with 1 RBI, 3 BB, and 4 K. 2B Eric Brown Jr. has certainly not hit the ground running since his return. He managed an 0-for-3, 1 BB, 1 CS line batting in front of Perez. The Shuckers were 3-for-9 with RISP while the Lookouts were only 2-for-9 with RISP. That first inning grand slam off of Cornielle was indeed the difference.

Final: Beloit (Marlins) 5, Wisconsin 0

Beloit Shuts Out Wisconsin - T-Rats Bats Strike Out 16 Times as Sky Carp Outhit Wisconsin 10-to-3

Game Notes

When this is you team's sole highlight...

A fan knows it wasn't an illustrious affair. I watched this One. @Spencer Michaelis was in the stands four rows up behind home plate. I'm sure many a Brewers fan were in attendance to see their new star-studded line up. And, when all was said and done, the star of the show was former Marlin's 3rd round pick (2022) RHP Karson Milbrandt: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 10 K, 0 R. He absolutely dominated the T-Rats bats with a bevy of 96-97 mph heaters and some gnarly breaking stuff and change-ups. This all being said, RHP Travis Smith was no slouch himself: 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 ER. All three punch outs came in a strike out the side third frame. Smith certainly did enough to win your average ball game but no on Milbrandt's night - he remains an absolute menace at his Beloit Home ballpark.

I'm not going to go all that much further in depth here - the game speaks for itself in the box score. BUT, I will add some basic commentary. The CF Daniel Guilarte experiment is ongoing after RF Kaylan Nicasia's truly rough showing a series ago. Guilarte appears to be the sudden everyday man out there. LF Luis Castillo continues his nightmare campaign with his 0-for-3, 3 K evening. What does an 0.080 BA look like? Well, it's 6 hits in 75 official AB. It continues to be a very rough watch. DH Josh Adamczewski debuted in the clean-up spot. Despite his 0-for-4, 2 K line, Adamczewski was one of the very few bats who didn't look completely overmatched by Milbrandt - a true testament to his talents as a hitter. He hit a hard chopper to 2B in his first AB and he grounded out very sharply to 1B in his next AB. He acquitted himself just fine despite no results to show for it. RHP Jack Seppings was bombarded for six hits in his 1 2/3 IP. The game ran away during his stint as the Sky Carp plated four runs. It's a shame. This comes after his best outing as a Timber Rattler just last week during the Great Lakes Home series. 

Final: Carolina 3, Salem (Red Sox) 0

Game Notes

Just last year I lauded the efforts of one RHP Manuel Rodriguez on a near weekly basis. The young soft-tossing righty pitched in the quality start range on a regular basis. He held base runners at a minimum. He was extremely precise in nearly everything he threw. Well, I'm here to tell you, as the report writer who watched almost all of Rodriguez's starts and as the report writer who is covering nearly all of Hernandez's starts in 2025 I'm just as impressed if not more so. Hernandez's ability to get weak contact and swings and misses with his bevy of off-speed offerings is uncanny. It allows his low velo heater to play up in the zone. The Carolina League Leader in ERA is also aging like fine wine as the season progresses. We saw the month of June with a ridiculous 0.65 ERA. We saw the month of July with a 1.64 ERA. We saw a 0.129 BAA and a 0.190 BAA in those months, respectively. And, now in August, we are seeing more of the same. He is the Mudcats Ace because he is the most consistent in what he does. Do not sleep on this 19-year-old out of Mexico. He is flashing immense know how in one of the more savvier season in all of the Minor Leagues surely nobody is talking about. He improved to 9-5 on his season. He led the Mudcats to a much needed victory with Fredericksburg also winning and nipping at the Mudcats heels at just 1.0 GB.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Let's not stop at lauding Hernandez. The bullpen work of LHP Anferrny Reyes and RHP Jose Nova was equally as impressive. The bullpen brought the business. 25 pitches combined for the two hurlers with a ridiculous 20 strikes thrown. No hits. No walks. Nothing wild whatsoever. Five punch outs. Absolutely electric. Everything is trending up for Nova, in particular. He is 2-for-2 in SVO's in August. It is his best month as a Brewers pitcher. 0.200 BAA, 1.31 WHIP. 11 K-to-3 BB in 5 1/3 IP. I absolutely love this direction.

2) Step on up DH Handelfry Encarnacion! Two massive hits plating two early runs - a well hit double on a mistake change-up into the right field corner. That change-up had been giving every Mudcats hitter fits. Kudos to Encarnacion for pouncing on the mistake. 2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K. It's been a slow start for Encarnacion since his arrival in the Carolina dugout but I continue to see a good approach, a healthy swing, and generally good things all around. I continue to believe in this young man's talent.

3) SS Brady Ebel debuted and very much looked the part of a talented young high school player worthy of an early selection. Ebel moves with extreme fluidity and everything about his game screams: coach's son. I absolutely love his swing. Seeing it live and multiple times it is just a pure stroke. He put forth a 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 K line at the plate - his sole poke a liner flare to shallow LF on a challenging change-up just up and away. He also lined out sharply to LF in another AB. His defense was very sound - he clearly has good hands and the coordination to handle the position. He remains an extremely fun young new arrival for all of us to enjoy. I'll also add LF Josiah Ragsdale absolutely screams Brewer. He's a small, compact, and strong outfielder who has the speed and discipline to cause problems. His patient approach and his steady style of play is likely going to see him rewarded in seasons ahead. 

Final: DSL Pirates Gold 9, DSL Brewers Blue 3
Box Score/Game Log

The DSL Brewers Blue stayed even with the Pirates Gold at eight hits apiece. The difference here? The Brewers Blue pitching staff walked seven Pirates Gold batters. They also walked the three-through-six hitters five times - this is where the Pirates Gold pounced and scored six runs. It also pays when the Pirates Gold seven hitter goes 3-for-3 with 3 RBI backing all this charity up with action. As noted in our daily game thread, 17-year-old RHP Fausto Barreras who only just signed on June 12th made his pro debut. He also managed the only clean inning on the Brewers Blue pitching staff: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 R. We see 1B Sharlisson De La Rosa (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 3B) and DH Jefer Lista (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 2B) were the sole Brewers Blue hitters with multiple knocks. The other notable feat within this game was CF Brailyn Antunez's three OF Assists to second base. He doubled his season total in his final game of the DSL regular season. With the loss the DSL Brewers Blue finished with an overall record of 29-25. They finished 9.0 GB their division winning DSL Padres Gold. They missed a wild card post-season spot by 2.5 G.

 Final: DSL Brewers Gold 13, DSL Orioles Black 3
Box Score/Game Log

What a fantastic finish for the DSL Brewers Gold. In a season where the Gold were very much a road team (16-12 road record), they managed to finish it all off with a blowout at their home park. That had to have felt good for the entire clubhouse. In a double digit offensive output, let's quick showcase the all hands on deck pitching effort by what ended up a six-pitcher affair:

Only 1 WP and 1 HB amongst the six hurlers and ten punch outs to just four walks. That's a fine day's work in the DSL. Pounding out twelve hits, the Brewers Gold say multi-hit efforts from lead-off CF Kenny Fenelon (2-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 3B, 1 HR); SS Cristian Montilla (3-for-5, 2 R, 1 K, 1 2B, 1 SB, 1 CS); RF Pedro Tovar (2-for-5, 1 R, 3 RBI, 3 K, 1 2B, 1 3B); and 2B Romano Donato (2-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K. Additionally, DH Isais Chavez walked twice; singled; swiped two bases and scored three runs. And, 3B Matthew Moses knocked in four runs himself with a fourth inning grand slam in a 1-for-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR day at the dish. It was a widespread offensive buffet and all the while it was charitable: the Brewers Gold still struck out 14 times. With the final game victory, the DSL Brewers Gold finished two games under 0.500 at 27-29. They finished 4.0 GB their division winning DSL Pirates Gold. 

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