Brewers Minor League Link Report (9/18): Sounds Struggling, But We Pack Another One-Game Report

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Brewers Video

The loss in Nashville wasn't pretty; awkward roster circumstances didn't help. Two pitchers made AAA debuts with very different results. We bide time until Biloxi's Sunday finals opener, providing many Shuckers media links.

Transactions:

LHP Colton Gordon recalled by MLB Brewers from AAA Nashville
RHP Garrett Stallings optioned to AAA Nashville from MLB Brewers
RHP Edwin Jimenez assigned to AAA Nashville from AA Biloxi
RHP Joshua Quezada assigned to AAA Nashville from AA Biloxi

Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes (unavailable)
Final: Memphis (Cardinals) 8, Nashville 6
Box Score and Game Log

Via Cory Hilborne, Nashville's Communications Manager (Video clips, links and follow-up commentary via yours truly)

Late Rally Falls Short Against Redbirds

Jonathan Ornelas Records Three Hits, First Home Run as a Sound

NASHVILLE – Nashville's late rally on Friday night fell just short against the Memphis Redbirds, dropping a third straight game to their in-state rivals. Seeing the Redbirds plate seven runs in the top of the sixth, Nashville scored three of the final four runs in the 8-6 loss, including a ninth inning home run for Jonathan Ornelas.

For the second straight night, Nashville struck first as Akil Baddoo got the Sounds on the board with an RBI double in the bottom of the third inning (video).

Following three consecutive singles to begin the bottom of the fifth, Brock Wilken cashed in with the bases loaded to give the Sounds a 2-0 lead on a sacrifice fly to deep left field (video).

After holding the Redbirds scoreless through five innings, Memphis strung together seven runs on six hits off Nashville's Edwin Jimenez in the top of the sixth. Following a leadoff walk and flyout, each of the next six batters all reached base on five hits and a walk. The Redbirds batted around in an inning for the third straight game and Jimenez's night came to an end after a two-RBI double for Chase Davis to cap the seven-run inning. Jared Koenig struck out the lone batter he was asked to face in relief to push his consecutive appearances to nine without an earned run allowed.

(VIDEOS: There are six clips posted to the Memphis 'X' feed, you'll notice that for five of them, in the scorebug in the lower-right, Edwin Jimenez is listed as the pitcher.)

Nashville responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Baddoo started the inning with a walk off Austin Love in relief of Brandt Thompson. Back-to-back doubles for Tyler Black and Ethan Murray inched Nashville closer at 7-4 (video of the Murray RBI double).

Ornelas walked to start the bottom of the seventh as he reached base in his third straight at-bat and scored on a two-out triple for Baddoo who earned his second RBI of the game to make it a two-run game (no video on the Baddoo triple).

It was a quiet eighth for Nashville after infielder Daniel Guilarte pitched in relief for a second night in a row and allowed a run on two hits as Memphis pushed their lead back to three. Murray also made another relief appearance in the top of the ninth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning for a second night in a row.

Ornelas greeted Ryan Fernandez into the game with a leadoff solo shot for his third hit and run scored and got his first home run as a member of the Sounds and first since July 29 when he was with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Fernandez retired three straight on back-to-back strikeouts and a diving play stop at second base for Noah Mendlinger to officially thwart Nashville's comeback aspirations.

The Sounds will look to end the three-game slide as the series continues Saturday night at First Horizon Park in the second-to-last game of the season for Nashville. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

POSTGAME NOTES:

80-PIECE: Brock Wilken recorded his 80th RBI for the Sounds this season with his sac fly in the bottom of the fifth inning. Wilken ranks T-6th in the International League in RBI and 6th in the Brewers farm system this season. He is now the 10th different Sounds hitter to unload 80+ RBI in a single season and is T-9th for the most RBI in a single season since 2005. Matt Davidson's 101 RBI in 2019 are the most for Nashville over the span and finished as the 4th-most in a single-season overall in Sounds franchise history.

DAILY DOS: Akil Baddoo went 2-for-4 on Friday night with a double and a triple, recording his 46th and 47th RBI of the season for the Sounds. Baddoo's 47 RBI are the third-most on the team behind Brock Wilken (80) and Jeferson Quero (69). He tacked on his third triple of the season and his 10th double, which is tied for the sixth-most with Luke Adams and Luis Lara for Nashville this season. It was the team's 39th triple of the season, which leads all 20 International League teams and is the fifth-most at the Triple-A level. Baddoo has now recorded the team's last two triples after also hitting one on September 11 at Durham. The 28-year-old posted his 16th multi-hit and 12th multi-RBI games for the Sounds this season and ties with Tyler Black for the second-most multi-hit games among the Sounds active roster behind Jeferson Quero (25). It was his second multi-hit game this week and the fifth in his last 10 games played.

FIRST OF MANY: Jonathan Ornelas recorded his first multi-hit game since joining the Sounds on September 2 as he finished Friday night 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs, a RBI, and walk. The solo blast and the three-hit night marked his first long ball since July 29 at Oklahoma City when he was with Triple-A Las Vegas. Ornelas has tallied 12 homers across his three Triple-A stops this season between Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Las Vegas, and Nashville. It marked his first three-hit night since June 9 against Lehigh Valley when he was with the RailRiders and went 4-for-4, posting a career-high four doubles in the game. He has now recorded three or more hits six times this season.

CONTROLLING THE WAGON: Cameron Wagoner extended his streak to nine consecutive games without allowing a run in Friday's game, tossing a scoreless seventh inning with a strikeout and bringing his ERA down to 0.56 with the Sounds through his first 14 Triple-A games. Since the start of his streak on August 20, Wagoner has allowed five hits, struck out 14 hitters and walked three bringing his total innings pitched to 10.2 IP, which now surpasses Joel Kuhnel (10.1 IP) for the longest-active streak without an earned run by innings pitched on the team. Jared Koenig also extended his streak of not allowing a run to nine straight games (7.2 IP) after striking out the lone batter he faced on Friday night. Koenig has not allowed a hit over his last eight appearances (6.1 IP) and carries a 2.21 ERA through 23 total appearances for the Sounds this year. Over his last 13 games, he has surrendered just three hits over his last 13.0 IP with 11 strikeouts to three walks. The nine game streaks for Wagoner and Koenig are tied for the 11th-longest active streak in the International League with two games remaining in the season.

So yes, once again Manager Rick Sweet grits his teeth knowing it's all for the sake of the big-league Crew, but his scheduled starting pitcher for this game, lefty Colton Gordon, was summoned to Milwaukee. That led to yet another bullpen mishmash trying to survive this final stretch of games and innings. Of course, Jimenez' implosion in his AAA debut didn't help the cause. Thus, we had position players entering to pitch with the Sounds down only 7-5 entering the 8th inning. Whether Daniel Guilarte and Ethan Murray pitched well or not (they did) isn't really the point. It's actually good given the situation that Nashville didn't need this game for a playoff chase.

Murray has had to pitch eight times, each for exactly one inning. He has survived but still seeks his first strikeout,

However, it was a fantastic AAA debut for 22-year-old RHP Joshua Quezada with 2.2 scoreless frames (some credit actually does go to Jimenez, who stranded two of Quezada's baserunners upon entering the game before the brutal following inning).

Hopefully Quezada got to save his Biloxi jersey from his lone appearance there. The young man would then have a 2026 four-jersey collection, and it'll become five when he joins his Arizona Fall League team soon.

Via Quezada's MiLB Player Page -

Fireballing Cameron Wagoner will miss instructional contact with the team and then potential playing time if there's an extended lockout, but he's now a must-add to the 40-man roster this fall. We could definitely see him placed on the 28-man active roster to get a big-league look-see in the final week once the Brewers lock up playoff seeding.

Blake Burke fanned at a 23.7 rate with Biloxi; it's now 32.2% with the Sounds.

LHP Thomas Pannone looks to bounce back in his second start after perfect game glory, so expect something statistically between his most recent efforts. That game starts at 6:35 Central, Biloxi hosts Game One of the Best-of-Three Southern League Championship Series Sunday, also at 6:35 Central.

Enjoy your Saturday, everyone!

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Jim Goulart, though born, raised, and still living in Massachusetts, became a Brewer fan by random chance when he opened a pack of baseball stickers at age 10 in 1973 and has maintained a lifelong passion (OK, obsession) with the team ever since. Beginning in 2001, his Minor League Link Reports have detailed the daily action on the Crew's farm.

Follow Jim Goulart on Twitter: Mass_Haas