Ro Mueller

A walk-off loss yesterday has AA Biloxi down 1-0 in its series in Rocket City, with RHP Carlos Luna (4.90 ERA) getting tonight's start. 22-year old 1B Wes Clarke (.753 OPS in High-A) makes his AA debut, while RF Garrett Whitley has the top OPS in the lineup (.828):

AAA Nashville has an opportunity to extend their series lead at home against Memphis to 2-0, with LHP Ethan Small (3.54 ERA in 89 AAA innings) getting the start tonight. RF Joey Wiemer has a 7-game hitting streak. Is OF Esteury Ruiz's lineup absence indicative of a promotion to the Brewers?:

The Low-A Mudcats need a win at home against Columbia to even their series 1-1 and have RHP Edwin Jimenez (4.56 ERA) on the mound ready to replicate his last start (6 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks). SS Robert Moore has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games:

High-A Wisconsin looks to grab a 2-0 series lead in Peoria, as DH/OF Jackson Chourio also aims to homer for a 3rd straight game. RHP Brady Schanuel makes his 4th start (9 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 5 H, 7 BB, 6 Ks in first 3 starts) and C Darrien Miller returns to action after a brief brawl-related suspension:

The Shuckers are in Madison, Alabama (part of Huntsville metropolitan area) this week to take on Angels' AA affiliate Rocket City. RHP TJ Shook (4.07 ERA in High-A/AA) gets the start tonight. DH/1B Thomas Dillard comes in with a 13-game on-base streak:

21-year old RHP Raul Mendoza from the Dominican Republic spent 2019 in the Phillies system (4.66 ERA in 9 2/3 IP) before being a Covid release (May 2020), then latching on with the Brewers in July 2021. Mendoza put up terrific numbers in his 2021 DSL tour (2.84 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 10.4 K/9 in 19 IP), then played one more game at that level in 2022 before coming stateside. Understandably, he found life in the Arizona Complex League a bit more difficult (5.33 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, 7.8 K/9 in 25 1/3 IP) and unfortunately the leash can be especially short for relief pitchers in the lower minor leagues. We wish Mr. Mendoza success in his upcoming ventures, whether with another baseball organization or elsewhere.

First place Nashville hosts Cardinals' AAA affiliate Memphis this week and has RHP Josh Lindblom (2.12 ERA with 23 Ks in last 17 innings) looking for his 4th straight victory tonight. SS Brice Turang has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games:

Carolina hosts Royals' Low-A affiliate Columbia this week and welcomes 2022 first round pick DH/SS Eric Brown Jr. (.839 OPS in 56 Mudcat plate appearances) back to the lineup after a one-week absence. RHP Logan Henderson (4 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 Ks in first 2 outings) is starting the opener:

Wisconsin is in Peoria this week to battle the Cardinals' High-A affiliate. RHP Stiven Cruz aims for a 3rd straight impressive start (12 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 12 Ks in first 2 games). Will DH/OF Jackson Chourio (.844 High-A OPS) play all 9 innings tonight? First base will likely be an interesting rotation, with INF Jose Acosta (.670 High-A OPS) getting a crack at it tonight:

I prefer to wait until the lineup photos are posted to the club Twitter accounts, but the early Game Day link for Carolina having Eric Brown Jr. leading off and DH’ing is a good sign that he’s likely back. Gotta wonder if Jacob Misiorowski will also make his organizational debut tonight (in relief).

- C Nick Kahle assigned to AA Biloxi from AAA Nashville The promotion of 1B Wes Clarke (posted earlier by @ARobsBrewCrew) to AA Biloxi from High-A Wisconsin is also now showing on the transaction log.

Well that was a fun box score to wake up to! Tied it in the 8th. Walked it off. Hiura! Mitchell! WHAT!?! Nice work by Suter to keep us in the game. Keep it up, men! I hope Tellez recovers quickly.

It's worse than you thought, as he opted out of that Rochester contract as well. I imagine he's figuring out a new plan for 2023 now: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/08/david-dahl-opts-out-of-minor-league-deal-with-nationals.html

Strong starting pitching was a theme throughout all five Sunday contests, although only the Timber Rattlers and Mudcats were victorious. Nashville remains in first place despite dropping its finale. Biloxi suffered late game collapses in a doubleheader sweep. Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Strong starting pitching was a theme throughout all five Sunday contests, although only the Timber Rattlers and Mudcats were victorious. Nashville remains in first place despite dropping its finale. Biloxi suffered late game collapses in a doubleheader sweep. Jackson Chourio was a welcome sight in the Wisconsin lineup and had just enough strength to plant a ball over the left field wall for a key 3-run blast, giving starting Carlos F. Rodriguez more runs than he could possibly need in a 5-2 win. Carolina’s 5-2 victory was a true team effort, with three pitchers making their debut in full season ball and Jesus Chirinos delivering a key two-run double. Joey Wiemer connected on his 20th homer of the year, Justin Jarvis had a strong AA debut in Biloxi and Nick Bennett kept the opposition scoreless for nearly five innings, but these efforts weren’t enough as Nashville and Biloxi lost three games on the day. Sunday’s Game Balls go to the aforementioned Rodriguez, Chourio, Jarvis, Bennett and Wiemer. Transactions: RHP Caleb Boushley activated from AAA Nashville's 7-day injured list RHP Raul Mendoza released from ACL Brewers Gold After the game, @ARobsBrewCrew got the scoop that 1B Wes Clarke will be promoted to AA Biloxi from High-A Wisconsin, which would be a helpful addition to a depleted Shuckers’ roster Game Action: Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Durham 4, Nashville 1 Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds’ website, game details, and we encourage readers to review each of the affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine: Sounds Come Up Short in Series Finale With both teams struggling to connect with runners in scoring position (combined 0-for-13), this was a contest of which team could hit it out of the park more often (three for Durham, one for Nashville). The Sounds welcomed RHP Caleb Boushley (2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) back from a recent injury stint and he gave the team an excellent start with two scoreless innings before giving way to RHP Marcus Walden (4 2/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks). OF Joey Wiemer (2-for-4, HR, double, RBI) continued his recent hot stretch, hitting his 5th home run in AAA ball and 20th of the season to give Nashville a 1-0 lead in the top of the 4th inning. However, the Bulls responded with a 2-run blast of their own in the bottom half, a solo shot in the 5th inning and a final solo jack in the 8th inning. The Sounds were down 3-1 with two-on and two-out in the top of the 8th inning, but Wiemer couldn’t come through in his final at-bat (first pitch pop out into foul territory). Despite the loss, Nashville won the series 4-2, although it’s first place lead over the Columbus Clippers was cut to 2.5 games. Three Quick Strikes: Each team pulled off an amazing escape of working around a lead-off triple with no damage, with Walden doing it in the 3rd inning and Durham gunning down OF Matt Lipka (2-for-4, triple, SB) on a fly ball double play at home in the 7th inning. Other than the two long balls, Walden actually threw well, not yielding any walks. However, RHP JC Mejia’s recent funk continues, as he yielded the 8th inning homer and has now given up runs in three straight appearances. OF Esteury Ruiz (2-for-4, SB) extended his hitting streak to 17 consecutive games, although OF Sal Frelick’s unfortunately ended at 12 games. On the bright side, Frelick walked once and didn’t strikeout. Next week’s outlook: Nashville (74-48) returns home after a long road trip to take on Cardinals’ AAA affiliate Memphis (63-59). Expect veteran RHP Josh Lindblom (four runs and 23 strikeouts over last 17 innings pitched) to take the mound in the opening game, looking for his fourth consecutive victory. Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Game One Final: Chattanooga 7, Biloxi 3 (in 7 innings) Box Score / Game Log Game Two Final: Chattanooga 6, Biloxi 0 (in 7 innings) Box Score / Game Log Via the Shuckers’ website, game details: Biloxi Falls In Both Legs Of Doubleheader With his AA debut about to go off the rails after yielding two 2nd innings runs and a leadoff triple to start the 3rd inning, 22-year old RHP Justin Jarvis (5 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks) buckled down to retire nine of the final ten batters he faced, ultimately exiting with the game still tied 2-2. The nightcap saw an even more effective start from LHP Nick Bennett (4 2/3 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 1 WP, 6 Ks), who kept the Lookouts scoreless over nearly five innings of work. Unfortunately, the Shuckers’ offense and bullpen weren’t up to par, as those 2-2 and 0-0 scorelines quickly went to the wayside once the starters exited. After LHP Clayton Andrews ran into trouble in the top of the 6th inning (double, two walks), RHP Arnaldo Hernandez entered with the score tied 2-2, bases full and two outs, only to give up a grand slam to Mike Siani. In the second game, Chattanooga scored all six runs in the top of the 6th inning, three off of RHP Robbie Hitt and three more off of RHP Carlos Luna. The losses mean that the Lookouts took four wins out of five games against Biloxi for the week. Three Quick Strikes: Though they only managed six hits over their 14 innings of work, the Shuckers’ offense wasn’t completely dormant, as C Jason Lopez came through with a 2-RBI infield single in the 2nd inning of Game One to knot things up at 2-2 for awhile. Birthday boy 1B Thomas Dillard (now 25 years old) also added a solo homer to briefly reduce the Game One deficit to 6-3. It’s rough when your 1-and-2 hitters (OF Corey Ray, SS Cam Devanney) go a combined 0-for-12 with six strikeouts, but that’s just how this Sunday went for the Shuckers. Manager Mike Guerrero’s frustration boiled over after two strikeouts in the bottom of the 2nd inning of Game Two, as he was ejected at that point. Next week’s outlook: Biloxi (57-60) hits the road to face a strong Rocket City team (70-50 record for the Angels’ AA affiliate). Expect RHP TJ Shook (4.07 ERA in High-A/AA) to be the opening game starter. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wisconsin 5, Lansing 2 Box Score / Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers’ website, details: Wisconsin Wins Series Finale from Lugnuts As always, take some time to watch the video highlights put together by Wisconsin’s terrific media team: DH/OF Jackson Chourio (1-for-2, HR, HBP, 3 RBIs) was slated for only three at-bats in his return from injury, but he was of course essential to a much-needed Timber Rattler victory. Chourio’s 3-run blast in the bottom of the third inning was his fifth in High-A ball and 17th of the year, giving starting RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez (6 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 Ks) a nice cushion up 4-0. Of course, the dominant Rodriguez doesn’t require much run support, as he gave up just one run on three hits over six innings, striking out seven Lugnuts. His ERA in five High-A starts is now a terrific 1.78. Things got dicey in the top of the 8th inning against RHP Jeison Pena, who conceded two singles, two walks and a lineout before exiting in favor of RHP Taylor Floyd with the game 4-2 and two runners on base. Pena was aided by C Jeferson Quero throwing out a runner stealing, then Floyd K’d the only batter he faced on four pitches. Quero (2-for-4, HR, RBI) also added a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning. The win enabled Wisconsin to salvage a 2-4 series loss for the week. Three Quick Strikes: RHP James Meeker (1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 Ks) pitched a three-up, three-down 9th inning to earn his 12th save of the season, lowering his ERA to 2.70 in the process. 3B Ben Metzinger (1-for-3, HR, walk, RBI) got an opportunity to lead off in this game and made the most of it, hitting a 1st inning homer (his third of the year) to give the Timber Rattlers an early 1-0 lead. After an inexplicable brawl which saw two players ejected on Saturday night, I’m a bit surprised the umpires allowed Lansing reliever Jorge Juan (who yielded the Chourio homer in this one) to remain in the game after he plunked Chourio with the first pitch of his 5th inning plate appearance. Next week’s outlook: Wisconsin (61-58) will bus to play Cardinals’ affiliate Peoria (51-69). RHP Stiven Cruz (0.75 ERA in 12 High-A innings) is scheduled to make his third start for the Timber Rattlers. Carolina Pre-Game Notes Final: Carolina 5, Kannapolis 2 Box Score / Game Log Via the Mudcats’ website, game details: Mudcats Leave Kannapolis With Series Tying 5-2 Victory In addition to starting RHP Max Lazar’s (2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks) return to full season affiliate ball, this game featured the Mudcat debut of RHPs Cameron Wagoner, Arielbi Gonzalez and Yerlin Rodriguez. Wagoner (3 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 Ks), selected in the 11th round of the 2022 draft, earned the victory with three shutout innings including an impressive seven strikeouts. The victory earned Carolina a 3-3 series split for the week. Kannpolis took a similar approach to the game, with each of their first three pitchers making Low-A debuts, the last of which getting tagged for Carolina’s first three runs in the 4th and 5th innings, courtesy of a 2B Jadher Areinamo (1-for-3, HBP, RBI) run-scoring single and a clutch two-out, 2-RBI double from 1B Jesus Chirinos (2-for-4, double, walk, 2 RBIs). C Alex Hall (1-for-3, HR, walk, 2 RBIs) extended the lead to a comfortable 5-0 with a two-run shot in the top of the 6th inning. After giving up a two-run homer to tighten the game at 5-2 in the bottom of the 7th inning, Gonzalez (3 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks) buckled down to retire the final five batters he faced. It was a mild surprise when Rodriguez got the promotion to Low-A earlier ball in the week, but a look at his game log tells you he’s been effective since a move to the bullpen. His shutout 9th inning earned him a save and keeps him scoreless in 6 2/3 innings (five games) since the shift to full-time relief work. Three Quick Strikes: 3B Branlyn Jaraba (2-for-3, double, HBP, RBI) is justifying his own early-August promotion to the Mudcats, lifting his Carolina average to .306 with an .870 OPS. Yes, a combined 29 strikeouts (14 for Cannon Baller hitters, 15 for Mudcat batters) is now a normal part of baseball at all levels. Being out-hit nine to seven wasn’t a problem for the Mudcats, as Carolina drew more walks (six vs. two) and hit-by-pitches (two vs. zero), whilst going 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position (vs. 1-for-6 for Kannapolis). Unfortunately, we’ve no explanation for the five-game absence of 2022 first round selection SS Eric Brown Jr. Let’s hope it’s short-term in nature and we see him return to action on Tuesday. Next week’s outlook: Carolina (64-56) returns home to face Royals’ Low-A affiliate Columbia (48-71). Expect RHP Fernando Olguin (5.68 ERA) to start Game One, trying to put a rough last appearance behind him. We hope that you enjoy the Minor League Link Report. All eyes will need to be on the Big Club on Monday, as the minor leaguers have a travel day. Organizational Scoreboard including starting pitcher info, game times, MiLB TV links, and box scores Links for affiliate audio Standings and sortable stat pages Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Batting Stats and Depth Current Milwaukee Brewers Organization Pitching Stats and Depth View full article

After letting the opening game of today's doubleheader get away from them, AA Biloxi turns to LHP Nick Bennett (5.36 ERA) for the nightcap. C Brent Diaz (.772 season OPS; 3-for-4 yesterday) and CF Terence Doston enter the lineup for Game 2:

AAA Nashville is up 4-1 in their series in Durham and welcomes RHP Caleb Boushley (11-2 record and 3.62 ERA in 104 1/3 innings) back from injury. CF Esteury Ruiz has a 16-game hitting streak:

Doubt it. We probably just don't trust the Lugnuts, as they plunked Jackson Chourio in his last plate appearance (after today's homer), beaned Darrien Miller in 4 straight games and irrationally set off a brawl yesterday when one of their players was beaned on his foot on an 0-2 off-speed pitch in a 1-run game.

So so so many changes in Carolina and Manager Victor Estevez just rolls with it. Arielbi Gonzalez gave up 2 runs in the 7th, but bounced back to retire his final 5 batters. Then RHP Yerlin Rodriguez made his own Mudcat debut, pitching a scoreless 9th inning. 5-2 Carolina victory.

Biloxi trails 2-1 in their home series against Chattanooga, but has 22-year old RHP Justin Jarvis (4.02 ERA in High-A) making his AA debut tonight. 1B Zavier Warren has been hot this month (.961 August OPS in High-A/AA):

Jackson Chourio shakes off the rust and smacks a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Wow! 4-0 Timber Rattlers!

C Alex Hall hit a 2-run homer and now 19-year old RHP Arielbi Gonzalez comes in for his own Carolina debut. Mudcats lead 5-0 in the bottom of the 6th inning.

3B Ben Metzinger...leadoff man? He homers in his at-bat in the role, giving Wisconsin a 1-0 first inning lead.

Lazar pitched 2 shutout innings and now 11th round pick RHP Cameron Wagoner has come in for his first taste of Low-A ball. 0-0 Mudcats and Cannon Ballers in the 4th inning.