Ro Mueller

Still clinging to that 1-0 lead (thank you Will Childers for 2 scoreless innings), Wisconsin finally collects its 2nd hit in a the final scheduled inning (Jadher Areinamo double here in the 7th), but doesn’t score. It’s nerve-wracking in South Bend!

Bishop Letson exits at exactly 50 pitches (34 strikes), facing 11 hitters over 2.2 scoreless IP (1 H, 0 BB, 6 Ks). Still scoreless between Carolina and Down East in their 2nd game of the day.

Memphis cashes in with a 2-run double hit a whopping 64.5mph. I guess this is what can happen when you put the ball in play with runners in scoring position. Then a walk, an RBI single, a run-scoring balk and a crushing 2-run homer. Sorry Carlos F. Rodriguez. Things can go sideways in a hurry at this level. Memphis 6, Nashville 0.

Okay, this is getting out of hand: the Cublets have 3 doubles off of Brett Wichrowski in 4 innings. Of course, they can't score off of him. Wisconsin leads 1-0 through 4 innings, but I'd suggest we add some runs because Brett may be done at 59 pitches.

Bishop Letson starts his Brewers' career with 2 Ks...then 2 walks...then a ground out. One scoreless inning. Go Carolina Mudcats!

Hitless through 3 innings, Memphis gets a first-pitch single (credit their change in approach) off Carlos F. Rodriguez to start the bottom of the 4th inning, followed by a bunt going horrifically awry for Nashville (single, Haase error). The Sounds will struggle to keep it scoreless here and will rue being 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

Credit 1B Mike Boeve with a key play to help out Brett Wichrowski in the bottom of the 3rd inning. After a leadoff double (Do the Cubs really think they can score?), he caught a liner in foul territory for the first out of the inning, which Wichrowski eventually escaped unharmed (K, fly out). Wisconsin leads 1-0 going into the bottom of the 4th inning.

6'4", 19-year old RHP Bishop Letson (11th round selection in 2023 out of Floyd Central high School in Floyd Knobs, Indiana) makes his official Brewers' organizational debut, starting Game 2 of Low-A Carolina's home doubleheader against Down East. SS Cooper Pratt is absent, so he's probably nursing a knock after departing the Game One victory early. Burner Yhoswar Garcia (6 SBs in 6 attempts in 4 games, with an .819 OPS) starts in center field.

I'd post the Low-A Mudcats lineup graphic for Game 2 of today's doubleheader, but it's identical to the one from Wednesday's game. As much as I believe in RHP Daniel Corniel, there's no way that he's starting 2 games in 3 days.

22-year old RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez is a new man/pitcher, unshackled from the weight of expectations after 2 rough outings to start the year. No runs, no hits, 1 walk, 1 K through 2 innings. It's scoreless as they enter the 3rd inning, the Sounds failing to cash in with the bases loaded and 1 out last inning (a crushing Chavez Young K for the 2nd out, making me hope that absent Chris Roller is okay after leaving yesterday's game early).

It's fun knowing the Cubs can't possibly score off of Brett Wichrowski (3 Ks through 2 scoreless frames, although there was a ground ball double). I just hope the Timber Rattlers give the bullpen some wiggle room. Good guys lead 1-0 (Boeve walk, Wood single, Areinamo sac fly) through 2 innings.

As pure speculation in the wake of Wilken's injury and expected facial surgery, I'd guess that INF/OF Isaac Collins is more likely to be demoted from AAA than Mike Boeve is to be promoted from High-A. They'd give Collins the "Andrew Monasterio was given a similarly undeserved demotion in 2022 and has thrived since" speech. We'll see...

AA Biloxi desperately needs to find some offense in Pearl, Mississippi, down 3-0 in their series despite solid starts from Woessner, Misiorowski and Peterson. Tonight, it's 23-year old RHP Bradley Blalock (5 scoreless innings with 4 Ks last week) who gets the start. Through 6 games, 1B Ernesto Martinez (.830 OPS in 22 PAs) is the only Shucker with an OPS north of .700.

After giving up a single to start the 7th inning, Yujanyer Herrera finished that game with a flourish: 3 straight swinging Ks. Final line: 4 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 9 Ks. 50 pitches (38 strikes). Smooth like butter... Carolina 6, Down East 0. Final in 7 innings. On to Game 2.

RHP Evan McKendry placed on AAA Nashville's 7-day injured list

With RHP Yujanyer Herrera being unhittable (9-up, 9-down with 6 Ks thus far) in relief of Knoth, SS Cooper Pratt has exited after 5 innings with the Mudcats leading 6-0. Pratt singled, stole 2nd and went to 3rd on a fly out in his last half-inning. Hopefully this is just a breather and an opportunity for Daniel Guilarte to play a little shortstop.

From the early April DSL releases: 20-year old C/1B Brayan Oropeza from Venezuela signed as an international free agent in July 2021, getting his feet wet in the DSL that year (.526 OPS in 42 PAs), then surging to a seemingly promising .759 OPS in 2022 (103 PAs) with 3 HRs, 13 RBIs and a 16 BB / 23 K ratio, while throwing out 16 of 47 attempted basestealers (34%). However, something obviously didn’t sit right for the Brewers, so he stayed in the DSL in 2023, falling to a .672 OPS (59 PAs) and played catcher only 30.4% of the time (vs. 69.6% of innings at 1B). We wish Brayan success as he seeks his next opportunity. 20-year old OF Irving Igualas from Panama also signed in July 2021, but didn’t debut until June 2022, struggling to a .556 OPS over 2 seasons (244 PAs). He principally played right field, which may indicate a strong arm. He also stole 8 bases in 13 attempts. We wish him well in his next endeavor. 19-year old RHP Nestor Mena from Nicaragua signed in January 2023, producing a respectable 4.55 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 8.8 K/9 in 27.2 IP over 12 games as a reliever in his only DSL season. Unfortunately, this apparently wasn’t enough to earn a second season in the organization. We hope that Nestor finds a great landing spot. Getting LHP Pedro Quintana to the mound for his first MILB appearance was unfortunately a challenge due to injury setbacks. The now 20-year old from Venezuela signed with the Mets in January 2021 and was sent to the Brewers in the OF Billy McKinney trade in May 2021 (Matt Arnold: “He’s physical, athletic. Our guys did a really good job on him as an amateur. We've tracked him for a while. The talent is really intriguing.”) Quintana didn’t play in 2021, spent the entire 2022 season on the injured list, then finally debuted with DSL Brewers-2 in June 2023, putting up relatively encouraging numbers in 12 games out of the bullpen: 3.86 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 8.5 K/9 in 11.2 IP. Similar to Mena however, this wasn’t enough to retain a spot in the organization for 2024. We wish Pedro best of luck in whatever comes next on his path.

I guess this game started a little early for the Down East Wood Ducks, who committed 3(!) errors in the first inning to help out the Mudcats. LF Luis Castillo also contributed an RBI double to lift his average to .136 (tough start to 2024). RHP Josh Knoth worked himself into and out of a 2nd inning jam (walk, single, walk, inning-ending K) and is now through 3 innings unscathed. And now the Mudcats are threatening to blow it open in the third inning, garnering 4 consecutive hits. It's now 5-0. Go Mudcats!

Are 2 doubleheaders not quite enough for you? Well, the AAA Sounds have you covered, with RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez (6.43 ERA through 7 IP) starting Game One of their twinbill at Memphis (series tied 1-1). With his homer yesterday, C Eric Haase moved into the team OPS lead (1.040 in 21 PAs), although the Hiuresque 2 BB / 8 K ratio needs some improvement.

RHP Brett Wichrowski was terrific in his first start last week, conceding only an infield hit and a walk in 3 IP. He'll takes the hill for Game One of Wisconsin's road doubleheader at South Bend, looking to push the High-A Timber Rattlers to a 3-0 series lead. C Matt Wood is sporting a .667 OBP after 12 PAs on 3 singles, 1 double and 4 walks.

RHP Josh Knoth (3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 Ks last week) makes his 2nd start of 2024 as Carolina kicks off a 7-game affiliate Friday evening in Game One of their home doubleheader against Down East (series tied 1-1). 1B Tayden Hall leads the team with a 1.217 OPS through 20 PA.

3B Brock Wilken placed on AA Biloxi's 7-day injured list

Latest update on Wilken:

Nate Peterson and Jacob Misiorowski delivered solid starts, but Biloxi dropped two games and Brock Wilken took a scary pitch to the face. The Sounds scored one run in defeat while others were rained out. Transactions: LHP Darrell Thompson placed on AAA Nashville's temporarily inactive list RHP Jason Woodward assigned to Low-A Carolina from ACL Brewers and placed on 60-day injured list (the 2023 fourth round pick is still working his way back from March 2023 Tommy John surgery) Game Action: Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Memphis 6, Nashville 1 Box Score and Game Log Via the Sounds’ website, game details, and we encourage readers to review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Sounds Fail to Cash in on Chances at Memphis Although both teams struggled to put runners in scoring position, Memphis burned Sounds’ starting RHP Evan McKendry (4 1/3 IP, 6 R, 5 H, 4 BB, 0 Ks) with the long ball: 3-run homer in the 1st inning, 2-run shot in the 5th inning. Although Nashville outhit Memphis 9 to 5, they didn’t manage to put two runners on base together until the 7th inning, by which point they already trailed 6-0. Per the article link, the bullpen of LHP Rob Zastryzny, Vladimir Gutierrez and Ryan Middendorf were solid: combined 3 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 Ks. Sounds’ Extras: Right fielder Chris Roller appeared injured on the first play of the game (his leadoff groundout), then played one inning in the field before exiting. 1B Tyler Black, C Eric Haase (2-for-4, HR, RBI), 2B Owen Miller and SS Vinny Capra each reached base twice (7 hits, 1 walk), but the team was unable to string these together to produce any big inning. You’d have to go back to July 2022 (a 2-inning, 19-pitch outing) to find the last time that the normally-reliable McKendry failed to strike out a batter. However, he’d struck out 9 hitters in his previous two starts this year, so perhaps the home runs (4 yielded through 3 games) are the more troubling concern. Friday’s outlook: RHPs Carlos F. Rodriguez (6.43 ERA with 11 Ks in 7 IP) and Tobias Myers (2.79 ERA with 14 Ks in 9 2/3 IP) are scheduled for a doubleheader (7 innings for each game), with Rodriguez aiming for his first strong outing in three games and Myers looking to continue his terrific work. Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Game One Final: Mississippi 4, Biloxi 1 (in 7 innings) Box Score and Game Log Game Two Final: Mississippi 1, Biloxi 0 (in 8 innings) Box Score and Game Log Via the Shuckers’ website, game details: Biloxi Falls in Doubleheader Sweep to M-Braves For a myriad of reasons, 3B Brock Wilken’s HBP in the first game of Biloxi’s doubleheader takes priority and overshadows everything else which happened on the field on Wednesday: Understandably, Wilken exited the game and did not suit for the nightcap. We did not receive further information (e.g. was he taken to a Pearl or Jackson, Mississippi hospital for monitoring?), but will share once we have it. Let’s pray he was merely stunned, but uncorked 94mph pitches tend to do more than stun. As to the games, RHP Jacob Misiorowski (3 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 3 H, 3 BB, 4 Ks) had an adventurous first inning, walking two batters, yielding a single, giving up two stolen bases and picking off a baserunner to ensure no runs were scored. He ultimately threw 69 pitches (42 strikes) over 3 innings, not extending himself quite as far as his 75-pitch opening day. Three Biloxi doubles (2 from C Wes Clarke, 1 from Wilken), including Clarke’s 4th inning leadoff double when the game was tied 1-1, appeared to put the Shuckers in good shape to grab a victory. However, Clarke was stranded, then each team had walk-induced bases loaded situations: the Braves cashing in for 3 runs in the 5th inning and the Shuckers going strikeout (DH Freddy Zamora), strikeout (OF Carlos D. Rodriguez), strikeout (OF Lamar Sparks) to blow their chance. Including his first extra-base hit of the season, Brock was having a solid game before his early exit: LHP Nate Peterson (4 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H (both singles), 3 BB, 5 Ks) was sterling in the evening affair, as both teams once again struggled for offense: 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position for Biloxi vs. 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position for Mississippi. Shuckers’ Extras: RHP Sam Gardner was his usual dominating self in his first inning in relief of Misiorowski (2 groundouts, 1 K) before walking 3 of 4 batters in the next frame. RHP James Meeker then conceded a back-breaking 2-run single as all three inherited runners scored. In the second game, RHPs Sam Carlson (1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K) and Justin Yeager (1 2/3 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K) continued Peterson’s solid work, but a 2-out infield hit scored the Manfred Man to complete the Braves’ sweep. Clarke (2-for-5, 2 doubles, walk, RBI), 1B Ernesto Martinez (2-for-5, double, walk, SB) and Rodriguez (2-for-5) had respectable days at the plate, even if the offense struggled overall. SS Eric Brown Jr. couldn't quite make the play to prevent the Braves' walk-off: Friday’s outlook: While the team hopes for encouraging news on Wilken, starting RHP Bradley Blalock (5 shutout innings last week) will look to turn the tide in the series, which Biloxi presently trails 3-0. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Rained Out Via the Timber Rattlers’ website, rainout details: Rattlers Game at South Bend Postponed on Thursday Wisconsin and South Bend have a doubleheader scheduled for Friday, with Wisconsin presently leading the road series 2-0. Friday’s outlook: RHPs Will Rudy (2024 and High-A debut) and Brett Wichrowski (conceded one unlucky run with 4 Ks in 3 IP last week) are the likely starters. Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes (not available) Rained Out Via the Mudcats’ website, rainout details: Mudcats and Wood Ducks Postponed Thursday Carolina and Down East have a doubleheader scheduled for Friday, with the home series currently tied at one game apiece. Friday’s outlook: RHP Bishop Letson (2024 and Brewers’ organizational debut) and Josh Knoth (2 ER with 4 Ks in 3 IP last week) are the most likely starters for the twinbill. We hope that you enjoy the Minor League Link Report. Grab a chair, an MiLB.TV subscription and indulge yourself in the seven(!) games scheduled for Friday, in addition to big league action. 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 View full article