Brewers Minor League Link Report (8/24): Jones, Galindez and Perez Lead Affiliates to Three-Win Thursday

Transactions:

• Signed LHP Fernando Abad and assigned to AAA Nashville
• RHP Justin Yeager sent on rehab assignment to ACL Brewers
• RHP Gerson Calzadilla placed on Low-A Carolina's 7-day injured list
• C Brent Diaz transferred to Development List from AAA Nashville
• The ACL Brewers also placed nine players on their temporarily inactive list, reducing their playoff roster to 35 active players (plus rehabbing Yeager) 

Game Action:

Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Nashville 3, Gwinnett 2
Box Score / Game Log

Via the Sounds’ website, game details, and we encourage readers to review the affiliate write-up as part of their Link Report routine: Devanney Delivers Critical Knock in Sounds Comeback Win

2B Jahmai Jones delivered the game-changing 2-run homer in the 6th inning and SS Cam Devanney the game-winning 9th inning single to backup a solid pitching effort from starting RHP Colin Rea and three relievers.

The victory was Nashville’s fourth in a row, as they’ve crept to within just two games of a playoff spot in the highly competitive 20-team International League. In all, seven teams are within 2.5 games of each other atop the leaderboard, with the Sounds currently siting in fifth place.

Sounds’ Extras:

• Promotion Watch: they’re ALL contributing! – Jones (1-for-2, HR, walk, 2 RBIs), 1B Keston Hiura (single – 20-game on-base streak), 3B Abraham Toro (double – 14-game hitting streak), rehabbing DH Jesse Winker (1-for-2, 2 walks), right fielder Owen Miller (single), Rea (6 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks), LHP Clayton Andrews (1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks).
• Rea’s 90-pitch, 6K performance will certainly be noted by Brewers’ brass if they require a sixth starting pitcher on any given day. Will he get the call-up on September 1 when MLB rosters expand?
• RHP Thyago Vieira’s (1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks) early season dominance may be returning, as he eliminated the Stripers in order (all swinging Ks!) for his seventh save of the year.

Friday’s outlook: 24-year old LHP Robert Gasser (3.81 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 11.4 K/9 in 113 1/3 IP) gets an opportunity to clinch the series for Nashville and extend his lead stop the International League’s strikeout leaderboard (143, well ahead of second place 125).

Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Pensacola 4, Biloxi 3
Box Score / Game Log

Via the Shuckers’ website, game details: Shuckers Drop Tight Battle, 4-3, to Pensacola

Biloxi fell to its third straight defeat, this one a tough one-run loss, but the cold hard truth is that the team didn’t quite do enough offensively (out-hit 7 to 5; left only three men on base vs. eight for Pensacola).

In positive news, as per the article link, C Wes Clarke (2-for-3, HR, walk, RBI) and right fielder Jackson Chourio brought Biloxi back into the game with solo homers. Clarke also led off the bottom of the 9th inning with a walk, which unfortunately went for naught in their close loss. 

Shuckers’ Extras:

• RHP TJ Shook (4 2/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 Ks) put in another respectable performance. Hopefully he will now firmly grip a place in the Shuckers’ starting rotation, after bouncing between starts and relief appearances all season. He exited at 92 pitches with a 1-0 lead, but with 2-on, 2-out for the bullpen to deal with.
• 24-year old LHP Luis Amaya (1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 K) was terrific for High-A Wisconsin (2.41 ERA in 37 1/3 IP), but has understandably found the terrain rougher in AA. He entered for Shook leading 1-0, but three batters later the team trailed 3-1: four-pitch walk, five-pitch RBI walk, two-run single.
• RHP Max Lazar (2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 K) took the loss after conceding a solo homer in the 8th inning, though it may have been worse if not for center fielder Lamar Sparks cannon arm (see below). RHP Cam Robinson continued his recent solid run-of-form (1 ER in last 12 IP) with a scoreless 9th inning.
• Biloxi’s only rival for a playoff spot is Montgomery, who scored five 9th inning runs in their walk-off win. The teams are now tied with 21 games to go, with the playoffs undoubtedly coming down to their 6-game series in Biloxi from September 12-17 to end the regular season. 

Friday’s outlook: LHP Adam Seminaris returns from injury for his first AA action since May 17. He was a key piece of the Hunter Renfroe trade and the team will be glad to see him get back on track.

Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Quad Cities 3, Wisconsin 2
Box Score / Game Log

Via the Rattlers’ website, game details: Wisconsin Lets One Get Away Late

No write-up can capture the drama of this excruciating defeat like the video highlights compiled by Wisconsin’s media team. Starting RHP Alexander Cornielle (5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 Ks) deserved to earn that elusive first Win of 2023, but unfortunately it didn’t work out as the River Bandits got to the Wisconsin bullpen in the 9th inning.

The two teams were a combined 2-for-19 with runners in scoring position before Quad Cities’ two-run single to win the game while down to their final out. Both 9th inning runs were unearned following an error charged to RHP Shane Smith, who suffered his first blown save and loss with Wisconsin.

Timber Rattlers’ Extras:

• The offense generated just five hits, all singles, with 2B Mike Boeve (1-for-2, 2 walks, SB) and 1B Ben Metzinger (1-for-3, walk, 2 RBIs) being the brightest sparks. Metzinger came through with the two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the 2nd inning to give Wisconsin a lead which nearly held up.
• Smith’s throw was low to Boeve for what would have been the second out of the 9th inning, but Boeve would probably say that he should have been able to scoop it. Nevertheless, Metzinger (12th consecutive game at first base, shifting over to accommodate Brock Wilken) made a terrific catch on the following play to keep the Timber Rattlers momentarily in front.
• This game marked RHP Joseph Hernandez’s return to High-A ball after an injury suffered on May 25, with his line showing that it was an adventurous outing: 2 2/3 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 1 K.

Friday’s outlook: Rehabbing RHP Julio Teheran gets the start in Game 4 of this week’s series, his first appearance since July 29th with the Brewers.

Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Carolina 2, Columbia 1
Box Score / Game Log

Via the Mudcats’ website, game details: Galindez Shines as Mudcats Edge Fireflies 2-1

Similar to Wednesday’s game, the Mudcats grabbed an early lead, had the lion’s share of opportunities, lost the advantage, then won anyway. The win keeps them in playoff position, though just two games ahead of Lynchburg with 15 games to play.

Credit goes to impressive outings for two 20-year old RHP pitchers: Yorman Galindez (5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 1 WP) made his first start in Low-A ball and Yujanyer Herrera (4 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 Ks, 1 WP) earned the win for keeping the Fireflies largely at bay. 

Mudcats’ Extras:

• DH/1B Tayden Hall (2-for-4, double, RBI, SB) and late substitute OF Jace Avina provided the vital hits – Hall an RBI single in the first inning and Avina the game-winning double in the 8th inning.
• 3B Jadher Areinamo and SS Gregory Barrios collected two singles each, although the team went just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Center fielder Dylan O’Rae also had a double and a walk, though was shockingly caught stealing twice (now successful in 37 of 41 attempts).
• Each of right fielder Luis Castillo and substitute Avina helped out the pitching staff by doubling off runners at first base on fly out double plays – Castillo to end the 2nd inning, Avina to end the 8th inning.

Friday’s outlook: RHP Patricio Aquino (3.11 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 8.8 K/9 in 75 1/3 IP) is scheduled to make his 18th start (19th appearance) as Carolina aims for a third straight victory.

Arizona Complex League Action

Final: ACL Brewers 3, ACL Rockies 2
Box Score / Game Log

David (31-25 Brewers, with a -8 run differential and a starting lineup of six players under age 20) once again vanquished Goliath (40-15 Rockies, with a +198 run differential and only one batter under age 20). The impressive win pushes the Crew into the ACL Best-of-3 Championship Series against ACL Diamondbacks Red, starting tonight!

A pair of 19-year olds batting 8th and 9th led the way for the Brewers, who were surprisingly the more threatening team in the early innings. Right fielder Reece Walling and 1B Yeison Perez (2-for-4, 2 HRs, 2 RBIs) connected on back-to-back homers for a 2-0 lead in the 5th inning, then Perez connected with another solo blast in the 7th inning to boost the advantage to 3-0.

18-year old 2B Juan Baez didn’t score, but was a thorn in the side of the Rockies the entire night: 3-for-3, double, walk.

While the Rockies had a traditional starting pitcher who covered 4 1/3 innings and struck out 8 hitters, the Brewers went by pitching committee:

• Organizational debut for 9th round pick LHP Mark Manfredi, who started and covered one scoreless inning. Manfredi struck out 3 of 4 batters faced.
• Organizational debut for 13th round pick RHP Brett Wichrowski, who also covered one scoreless inning.
• Two scoreless innings for 7th round pick LHP Tate Kuehner, who was credited with the Win.
• One scoreless inning for 18-year old RHP Manuel Rodriguez.
• 1 2/3 IP for undrafted RHP KC Hunt, who conceded two runs (one earned).
• 1 1/3 scoreless innings for 10th round pick RHP Morris Austin.
• A scoreless 9th inning and a Save for undrafted RHP Blake Whiting, who worked around a one-out walk and wild pitch, striking out the final two batters.

The win has to feel especially great for Manager Rafael Neda, who juggled an over-sized roster throughout the past three months, only to see all three experienced rehabbing players returned to higher level affiliates earlier in the week, while the Rockies’ lineup featured two hitters who’ve spent most of 2023 in High-A ball.

We hope that you enjoy the Minor League Link Report. Follow the five minor league games on Friday, including Game One of the ACL Championship Series at 8:00pm CST.

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