Brewers Minor League Link Report (8/5): Made and Peña Impress in High-A Debuts; Newly Acquired Miller Aces His Sounds Rehab Debut

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• OF Handelfry Encarnacion was assigned to the Carolina Mudcats from the ACL Brewers
• RHP Miqueas Mercedes was assigned to the Carolina Mudcats from the ACL Brewers
• RHP Michael Fowler was assigned to the Carolina Mudcats from the ACL Brewers
• RHP Jaron DeBerry was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• INF/OF Eduardo Garcia was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• INF Ethan Murray was assigned to the Nashville Sounds from the Biloxi Shuckers
• RHP Shelby Miller was sent on his rehab assignment with the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers (more below)
• OF Steward Berroa was activated from the 7-Day IL by the Nashville Sounds
• RHP Bayden Root was placed on the 7-Day IL by the Biloxi Shuckers

Final: Jacksonville (Marlins) 6, Nashville 2

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):

Black Reaches Base Three Times, Sounds Drop Opener to Jumbo Shrimp - Cameron Extends OB Streak to 17 Games

Box Score/Game Log

Game Notes

I could harp on another blow up inning for RHP Carlos Rodriguez but do we really want to go there again? I certainly don't. Suffice to say Cargo was pulled after 3 1/3 IP. He had allowed five runs of his own at that time. It was an ugly blow up inning - an inning (or two) we've grown accustomed to since his return from the IL, unfortunately. I'm pivoting to newly acquired, former Brewer mind you, RHP Shelby Miller. The addendum with Miller in 2025 is one single question: Can he stay healthy? To this question we obviously don't have the answer but he is rehabbing. We certainly hope and pray to the baseball gods he recovers with grace from tonight's shutdown work. BUT, folks, let me tell you everything I alluded to on the trade deadline day was in full wondrous display tonight in Nashville. I have wanted a splitter of Miller's caliber in the Brewers relief corps for years. It is here. And, frankly, I'm a kid in the reliever candy store. I pray he stays healthy. He pitched an inning. He struck out all three batters and it was the swinging dominant kind of strike out buffet:

Three Quick Strikes:

1) Why do we encourage you to read our affiliate sponsored post-game articles? Because, they often produce juicy morsels in an instant. While Chris Mehring tends to write Rattlers articles that essentially put us in the game, the Sounds post-game articles are unmatched in their juicy tidbits. Take this 1B Tyler Black mini deep dive from within the article linked above:

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MAN IN BLACK: Tyler Black ended an eight-game multi-hit drought in Triple-A with his 2-for-3 game on Tuesday night that included a pair of runs scored. Black last had a multi-hit game with Nashville back on July 18 against Indianapolis when he went 3-for-4 with a pair or RBI. The Brewers' no. 21-rated prospect had a multi-hit game on July 23 on the road in Seattle during a three-game stint with the Brewers. Tuesday was his fourth multi-hit performance in 32 games with the Sounds. After hitting .123 through his first 18 games with Nashville, Black is hitting .288 (15-for-52) over his last 14 games with a double, triple, two home runs, and 10 RBI. Black has carried a 9-game hitting streak with Nashville from 7/9-30 and had a 14-game on-base streak from 7/3-30.

My opinions on Black's defensive shortcomings are known on our board. But, it's important to remind readers Black has a prospect pedigree under his belt. We never know just how challenged the return from injury can be - for various reasons and nuance players can struggle just as much as they can hit the ground running. He's had to carve out a season within a season essentially in 2025. He fared fairly well at the dish during his last call-up. He is trending in the right direction. This is a good thing.

2) On the other end of the spectrum, with the Brewers continuing their torrid run of late (what a road record they are authoring!), it's truly hard to imagine the Brewers opened their season with DH Oliver Dunn as their everyday third baseman. Dunn was given many opportunities to carve a meaningful role with the Brewers - and, hey, he still may do that some day. He's had his moments with Nashville in 2025. Tonight was not one of those as he left the clubhouse wearing a not so shiny golden sombrero: 0-for-4, 4 K batting fifth. That's not really the type of protection a manager is looking for his clean-up.

3) Speaking of clean-up, with the official release of 1B/3B/RF Bobby Dalbec in the past 24 hours we saw RF Jared Oliva get the first rep batting clean-up for the Sounds. I love me some Jared Oliva - this is known on Brewer Fanatic. He's a heck of a veteran outfielder and elite AAAA talent - a talent the Brewers are known to covet and have had immense recent success with. This being said, when I think of a clean-up hitter, despite my love for Jared Oliva's game, I do not think of Oliva. He managed a 1-for-4 evening in that role. The natural fit in this role given the current roster makeup is LF Daz Cameron. I'd give a second place price to C Jorge Alfaro. Dalbec's departure (and Vaughn's scorching hot call-up) is a major blow to this Sounds line up. Hopefully, they'll get hot and fill that void.

Final: Knoxville (Cubs) 5, Biloxi 4

Boeve Homers as Part of Multi-Hit Effort in Shuckers Loss to Smokies - Burke Reaches Three Times in Return to Knoxville 

Game Notes

Let me first say: RHP Brett Wichrowski is an immense starting pitching talent. This being said, I find RHP Brett Wichrowski to be one of the more frustrating pitchers to watch in all of the Brewers system. He quite simply has not put it all together for any prolonged stretch of time since he's been in the system - he pulls me in and then he pushes me away, in other words. The Minor League development path is rarely linear. For Wichrowski it is very much the embodiment of a roller coaster. 3 2/3 IP of 2 H, 6 BB, 3 K, 2 WP, 1 HB, 3 ER is just not going to get it done on most nights. He needed 88 pitches and he landed 45 strikes. His outing looked exactly like that line reads: all over the map. He left with his team knotted in a 3-3 tie. He can thank RHP Zach Peek for stranding his runners on second and third base.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) 11 BB from the collective Shuckers pitching staff ultimately led to 14 Smokies opportunities with RISP. After RHP Zach Peek settled things down with his 2 1/e IP of 1 BB, 4 K, 0 R work (heck of an outing!), LHP Mark Manfredi immediately came aboard in the bottom of the seventh inning and put trouble on the basepaths. His 1.0 IP of 1 H, 2 BB, 1 HB, 1 Error (pick-off to 1B) was all over the map. It reminded me of those lost outings of 2024 as a Timber Rattler. Manfredi has been pitching quite well throughout this season so we give him the mulligan here. He also escaped any further damage by striking out the last two batters he faced. However, the game was there for the taking and he'll likely lament how his outing got away from him early and often.

2) I was asked in the game thread on the Minor League forum if CF Luis Lara is the best defensive center fielder in the Brewers system. My answer was quite simply: Yes. It's hard to impart to you readers just how dynamic he is covering the center field grass and alleys but maybe this incredible ranging full out diving snag to end the Smokies' eighth inning will give you a brief glimpse:

He actually does stuff like this on the regular. He's truly a defensive savant out there. We are lucky as Brewers fans to watch his career progression. A 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB night in the lead-off spot certainly doesn't hurt the eyes either.

3) DH Mike Boeve went 2-for-5 with 2 R, 1 RBI, and 1 HR (his 5th of 2025). No strikeouts was a pleasure to watch. The long ball, as well, was even more impressive given it happened at Knoxville. The Knoxville ballpark is a notoriously difficult park to hit balls out of. This one was a wall scraper only because of the location. You can hear the barrel crack upon contact as the ball leaves at 101 mph:

It's been a grind of a season for Boeve. None of us know the true extent of his injury, surgery, and recovery process this off-season. We do know this has been a rough offensive season by his standards. Let's hope he gets hot.

Final: Wisconsin 5, Peoria (Cardinals) 3

Rattlers Win As Top Brewers Prospects Debut - Peña & Made Contribute in Big Ways in 5-3 Win

Game Notes

Welcome to High-A RHP Travis Smith. Let's completely overshadow your solid debut with the arrival of two teenage phenoms. ? I feel for Travis - the prospect circus came to town and lost in the hoopla was the fact this was also Smith's first action in High-A. I salute @Jim Goulart for acknowledging this in his usual clever way with our Game Thread title. And, hey, given the circumstances Smith acquitted himself well all things considered: 4.0 IP of 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 WP 2 ER work. Smith gave his new skipper 73 pitches throwing 45 strikes. I would say, seeing Smith at a stiffer level of competition, one thing he will likely need to work on in the off-season is keeping runners on base. He does have a bit of a deliberate build up in getting to home plate. That's nitpicking, however. He continues trending in the right directions. We can all be quite pleased and happy for the young man after this one.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) 2B Luis Peña arrived immediately. My goodness. What a moment. Off former (briefly) Brewers LHP Mason Molina, no less.

I believe we call this a 'no doubter'. This gave me shades of the Boeve/Wilken homers we saw in their first games as Timber Rattlers. The difference here, obviously, is Peña is the age of a high schooler. What a season for an incredibly talented player.

2) Batting lead-off and manning shortstop with the adept agile athleticism I've grown accustomed to (spoiled!) over the past several months, Jesus Made put forth a 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 3B, 3 K evening. He struck out swinging on an off-speed pitch in the dirt. He struck out looking at a 3-2 heater dead center. He struck out looking at a filthy curveball that ducked to the lower portion of the zone. The transition is rarely easy. However, he also gave us an incredible 10-pitch battle that led to an RBI triple into the right field corner:

The hit and the battle were extremely impressive. However, I'm landing on what I've landed on for some time now: Made's defense is elite. His agility, his hands, his athleticism...they are almost always on display. Yes, he is prone to the focus or lackadaisical error. But, when he's locked in we'd be hard-pressed to find a mover this fluid and with this good of innate feel anywhere in the system. He flashed throughout making the difficult look easy. He is a special defender.

3) I know I'm going clip heavy in these quick strikes, but, hey, the players deserve the recognition. Not only did RF Kaylan Nicasia give us a 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 2 K effort in the nine-hole but he also called game and saved victory from the jaws of possible defeat with this absolute diving web gem in right field. 

Nicasia is very strikeout prone but he also has pop - as seen with his 0.600 plus OPS despite his 0.148 BA. His defense has always been plus and, though you don't see it in this clip, he has a cannon of an arm. That was an absurdly difficult diving back-handed catch to save victory. On a night with the light shining brightest on the young phenoms, it was truly wonderful to see a personal fringe favorite of mine shine under those ninth inning lights.

Final: Lynchburg (Guardians) 6, Carolina 3

Game Notes

With the recent string of losses, the Mudcats are suddenly a mere 1/2 G ahead of second place Fredericksburg. Oh, that not so comfortable familiar feeling from these young Cardiac Cats! And, given the Mudcats recent slide and the 0-6 series loss at Lynchburg that essentially eliminated their first half chances we can truly only hope they get their collective butts in gear and start playing winning baseball again...and soon. Now, facing a talented Guardians fourth round lefty and the manager stacking the top of the line up with three lefties (I'm looking at you Mr. Stanley) is certainly one approach. I digress.

RHP Melvin Hernandez was not his typical sharp self on the mound. He gave up an unusually large number of hits. The real damage came when he hung two breaking balls. Unfortunately, both pitches were punished. It's a strange game this baseball. Hernandez surrendered only his third long ball of his season but it was a hugely damaging one as a 2-1 game turned into a 5-1 deficit. 5 1/3 IP of 9 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 5 ER work. 82 pitches thrown and 50 landed for strikes. He'll look to bounce back in his next outing as this one uncharacteristically got away.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) LF Tyler Rodriguez didn't have a productive night at the dish with an 0-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 GIDP showing. The RBI ground out is an acceptable result, yes. Defensively, however, Rodriguez was fantastic. He made a ranging leaping snare at the left field warning track to help the struggling Hernandez early. He also made a great read and relay throw into SS Filippo Di Turi for an out at home and then proceeded to tally two more OF Assists - one at second base and one at home. That's quite the defensive day! 

2) It hasn't been a smooth transition to Low-A ball for one 3B Gery Holguin so we'll shine the light when it is brightest. His well hit double to the left field wall plated the Mudcats first run:

Unfortunately, this was not a harbinger of things to come as the Mudcats went on to produces a paltry 1-for-15 mark with RISP.

3) Let us not forget this was RF Handelfry Encarnacion's Low-A debut. He immediately worked second in the batting order behind red hot 2B Josh Adamczewksi. Encarnacion gave us a look at his build and bat speed - he truly does have the look of a similarly built and nearly as violently swinging lefty version of Luis Peña. We can only hope we struck that gold twice! Regardless, Encarnacion impressed with his 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K work. I liked his approach. He looked sure footed and confident covering the right field grass as well. He continues to be a young player to keep an eye on outside the typical Top 20 Lists that adorn the interwebs. 

Final: DSL Brewers Blue 7, DSL Red Sox Red 6 - Final/7 innings
Box Score/Game Log

This one was a nail biter and the Red Sox had runners on first and second base with one down in the seventh and final frame. We can thank our lucky stars RHP Jean Rodriguez dug down deep and got the pop out fly out to end the threat. It was his first Save of the summer. DH Sharlisson De La Rosa shined brightest in the batters box with his 3-for-4, 3 RBI day batting third. LF Carlos Done led off and put forth a 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB day at the dish. The bottom of the order battery of 3B Moises Polanco (1-for-2, 2 R, 1 BB), RF Frandy Lafond (1-for-2, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K), and 2B Jhoanjel Saez (1-for-1, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB) was also quite producitve rounding out the effort. With the victory, their second in a row, the DSL Brewers Blue moved to 24-21 overall as they push to sneak their way into the eight-team Wild Card group as the DSL as a whole shifts into post-season play in 2 1/2 weeks.

Final: DSL Brewers Gold 9, DSL Cubs Red 5
Box Score/Game Log

The DSL Cubs Red had pulled within 6-5 when the seventh inning finished. However, the DSL Brewers Gold had other plans - they quickly plated three atop the eighth frame and that ended up being the final tally you see above. The Cubs Red will lament their 2-for-13 mark with RISP especially outhitting the Brewers Gold by a slim 9-to-8 margin. The Brewers Gold got solid outings on the front and back ends - from RHP Raymond Sarmiento (4.0 IP, 0 H, 3 BB, 2 WP, 1 HB, 4 K, 0 R) and RHP Wandy Cabrera (2 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 R), respectively. The fact Cabrera avoided any undue damage is impressive given his season as a whole has been relatively unspectacular. He picked up the win moving to 1-1 on the summer. On the offensive side of the box score and game logs we see SS Cristopher Acosta picking up a little bit of steam with a 3-for-5, 1 R, 1 SB effort batting second. 3B Juan Martinez batted lead-off and gave us his standard solid effort: 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB. 1B Matthew Moses knocked two across of his own in a 1-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K day batting fifth in the order. RF Pedro Tovar had a poke and two runs scored in a 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K day. And, finally, Mr. Two True DSL Outcomes LF Francis Sosa knocked his sixth long ball of his summer in a 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR day at the dish. All Sosa appears to want to do at the plate this summer is hit for extra bases or strikeout. Let's hope he can keep doing the former as these DSL Brewers Gold look to climb atop their division - one of the weaker ones in the DSL this summer. They may be third overall in the DSL Central but they are well within striking distance a mere 1/2 GB both the DSL Cleveland Goryl and DSL Pirates Gold. It appears as though it is going to a fight to the finish in the Central - the DSL Cubs Blue are a mere 2.0 GB and the DSL Rojos are a mere 3.0 GB as well.

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