Brewers Minor League Link Report (8/6): After Tough First Inning DeBerry Aces Double-A Debut; Ghost of Wiemer Haunts Sounds in Nashville

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Final: Jacksonville (Marlins) 9, Nashville 0

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):

Sounds Held to Three Hits in Shutout Loss to Jumbo Shrimp - Patrick Earns 12th Straight Start of 5.0 or More Innings

Box Score/Game Log

Game Notes

I wonder what the Brewers brass felt about this one. Despite lauding Patrick in the by-line, this was not an impressive outing or one to highlight. Yes, he gave his squad five complete innings. He also surrendered six hits, two homers, five free passes (several with two outs), and six earned runs. Sports are truly games of inches - it is often the difference between great success and failure. Tonight, Patrick missed just barely early in the game in full counts. Those walks led to long flies. Those long flies led to trouble. Put it this way: six runs are the most runs RHP Chad Patrick has conceded as a starting pitcher since early 2023. Given the track record overall - throughout a year plus including solid work at the MLB level - we give him the benefit of the doubt and a mulligan. We'll have to see how he responds in outings ahead. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) It was a surreal experience to see OF Joey Wiemer in a Shrimps jersey with a new look pre-swing see-sawing motion with the bat. It's no longer up and above his shoulders and doing a salsa dance. It's right in front of him. It's still a bit spastic. Then it lulls to a rest before he swings. And, well, tonight at least, he put it all together against his old team and the organization that drafted him: 3-for-3, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP, 2 HR. Remember, Wiemer was just DFA'd by the Royals. He only just joined the Marlins organization. Suffice to say, he owned Chad Patrick all night long:

2) The Sounds offense has now been shut out five times in the past 13 games. Twice in each of the previous two series. Now once in the first two games of this six game set. It's time to consider the losses of Seigler, Quero, Vaughn, and Dalbec. Just as the team was hitting its stride and making serious runs at relevance in the International League every player listed was plucked or chose the opt-out in their contract (Dalbec). This is a transition stretch of baseball. There is a distinct loss of power and pop across the greater line up. It's a tough spot to land in for someone like just promoted INF Ethan Murray. None the less, this is a results business. Players have opportunities to step up and fill these gaps. Are they up to the task?

3) RHP Justin Yeager has not skipped a beat since joining the Nashville Sounds relief corps. After tonight's 1 1/3 IP of 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 R work (23 pitches and 16 strikes) he extended his scoreless Triple-A work to seven consecutive outings spanning 7.0 innings. He has struck out seven and walked two over that span. Is this surprising? Not necessarily. He's no longer being tasked with closing games. Is it noteworthy? Absolutely. Take, for instance, the struggles of one RHP Blake Holub. Holub was absolutely shut down dominant as a Shucker. He has yet to find his footing at Triple-A Nashville. Yeager has hit the ground running and has stepped his game up even more. I have a feeling he is going to begin seeing higher leverage situations soon enough. He is fully back on the MLB relief corps radar (granted, it's very early, it's the very edge of the radar) if this continues. 

Final: Biloxi 8, Knoxville (Cubs) 4 

DeBerry Tosses Gem in Double-A Debut - Garcia Records Multi-Hit Performance in Return to Shuckers 

Game Notes

RHP Jaron DeBerry truly impressed in his Double-A debut. It wasn't easy early, however. He was missing his locations in the bottom of the first and matters were made even more interesting when C Darrien Miller was charged with his first, of two (!!), interference penalties. This infraction loaded the bases with one out. It was a credit to DeBerry however he only conceded one run via a ground out before inducing the casual fly out to right field. From there, he was pretty darn clinical. 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (Unearned), 3 BB, 4 K. 93 pitches and 51 strikes. DeBerry has a fairly easeful throwing motion so he is a pitcher you can envision being able to give you 90-100 pitches on the regular once he's developed more stamina. He was many tools in the bag - a full starting arsenal, if you will - but you can tell he is still learning how he wants to attack batters. He is still learning how to locate with precision. None the less, he certainly has enough innate movement to both sides of the plate whereby he can realistically attack any hitter. He also has some competitive feisty to his game - something I very much enjoy as a regular viewer.

Three Quick Strikes:

1) 1B Blake Burke is very clearly loved in Knoxville - home of his alma mater the University of Tennessee. He was greeted with a round of applause before his first AB in the first inning with runners aboard. He did not disappoint.

You can even hear the Smokies crowd cheer Burke on after this poke. Very clearly, the Vols fans love their former players no matter where they are playing professionally. That was Burke's sole poke of the evening in a 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 2 K evening overall.

2) RHP Ryan Middendorf's nightmare season sadly continued. Given an 8-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth, Middendorf surrendered three hits, walked three, threw two wild pitches, and allowed three runs while also striking out one. It looked exactly like that line reads, sadly. It has unfortunately been an absolute slog fest for this young man in 2025. He has been given repeated opportunities since being re-assigned to Biloxi. His once bright future certainly looks murky at best at present. And, well, as someone who has excitedly watched his entire journey as a member of the Brewers organization this trajectory hurts. I can only hope he rediscovers what once made him great. His funk is palpable.

3) RF Garrett Spain had one of those wild full spectrum evenings. Big two-RBI poke into right field? Check. Strike out swinging where the bat lands in the opposing dugout? Check. Pick-off and caught stealing? Check. Spain is a very talented player with many tools - watching him play on a nightly basis you learn to appreciate this. However, he also has a bit of reckless in his game. Some might call it over-aggressive. Some might call it unbridled. I simply recognize what the player brings and roll with the punches. 2-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K, 1 CS, 1 PO.

Special Shout-Out: Three free passes and a stolen base for one SS Cooper Pratt. I see you, young man. I literally saw you. I watched the game. 

Final: Peoria (Cardinals) 6, Wisconsin 4

Peoria Rallies Past Wisconsin - Early Lead Evaporates in 6-4 Loss

Game Notes

RHP Manuel Rodriguez does not surrender many long balls. He certainly doesn't surrender more than one long ball in a single game often, if at all - I certainly can't recall if I've ever seen it from the talented young righty. When your arsenal is low velocity, however, you have to live and nibble on all edges of the zone. Rodriguez typically does that masterfully. This is why he has earned the reputation we prospect Fanatics have given him. However, even the most talented of pitchers (as RHP Chad Patrick's outing demonstrated) don't have it every night. Rodriguez, quite simply, was not sharp: 5 2/3 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 6 K, 6 ER, 2 HR. The six punch outs speaks to his tools. The long balls truly speak to mistake hangers. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) The 3B Daniel Guilarte experience is worsening. This is not a good trend whatsoever. Tonight, he wore the golden sombrero after his 0-for-4, 4 K truly uncompetitive outing. After tonight, Guilarte is striking out 36.3% of his PA's. He is hitting for virtually no power. He is hitting for very little average. It's a hard hard watch. The bottom of the Timber Rattlers order at large is a truly rough show. There is a give and take when talent is sent elsewhere and an organization overly relies on youth and the development plan On any given night we are watching young men with barely any life in their AB's (when it comes to Castillo, we haven't even touched 0.100 yet). This isn't overly critical, mind you. This is an observable experience and statistical fact. Let's hope some of these players find the next levels to their games in the final month plus.

2) There was life amongst the AB's of 2B Luis Peña (1-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K), DH Hedbert Perez (1-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K), and 1B Tayden Hall (3-for-4, 1 RBI). However, they were 'protecting' the enigmatic clean-up placement of one LF Luis Castillo (0-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 K) and they were followed by an 0-for-4 outing from one CF Yoshwar Garcia. Sometimes that's how baseball goes. Sometimes when a manager is searching for a spark the questionable lineup decisions come back to haunt them. This was certainly the case tonight. 

3) RHP Aaron Rund deserves special mention for inheriting RHP Manuel Rodriguez's last runners on second and third base with solely one out in the sixth inning. He shut that door. He did it efficiently and confidently. He worked 1 1/3 Ip of 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K ball total. But, in a game that involved jumping to a quick lead and then watching it fizzle, it was nice to see a spark from a Timber Rattlers veteran that very well could have been a spark for a comeback of their own. It simply wasn't to be.

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