Joseph Zarr

Someone please hold me. I feel I've stepped into a Brewers Time Machine. I'm scared.

Looks at Civale's Box... Whispers "Pitching Lab go 'Ouchhhhh!'"

The Atlantic League just got richer. Here's hoping he crushes it and gets another affiliated opportunity. I will always remember 2024 September Chris Roller fondly. Lightning in a bottle.

I prefer these types of losses when I can simply say "It's just Spring Training". 31-12 on the organizational scoreboard with 2 L's is not peachy.

New season and Clarke is still swinging and missing on many pitches. 2 K tonight. He just struck out swinging. His 2nd K tonight. I know the power and the OPS speak to his upside but he continues to swing on miss on wayyyyyy too many pitches in the meat of the zone. That one was a belt high cutter on the outer half. Bases were juiced. Sounds leave the inning with two walks, two HBP (one scoring another run) but they failed to do any damage. They trail 8-3 after McGee and Yoho found a wee bit of trouble in the last frame.

Spain gave us a well battled Sac fly in a 3-2 count to plate another. 5-2 Sounds trail heading to the top of the sixth. Hard to ask for a better start from Spain in his early work for the Sounds.

I completely agree here. IF the Brewers (and we as fans) want to see him succeed in a starting role at the MLB level he has to commit to pushing those third and fourth pitches. In the very least, he led with them. Hopefully, he continues to do so in outings ahead and solidifies them to the point he can use them in any inning in any count. That's our dream.

Welp, let's hope the Sounds keep healing the Brewers early season wounds with victories.

I was a four-year old lad sitting in front of my parents television in a subtle crisis mode. I loved the Brewers but I loved Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee! 😅 I can still remember making a precocious philosophical agreement with myself: I'd root for the Brewers but keep my Cardinals pin atop the TV to honor my appreciation of these baseball greats. Needless to say, I was heartbroken and I in ensuing seasons developed a very healthy disdain and dislike of 'The Classies'.

Next Friday is indeed that greater full-season opening window. I imagine they'll want to bring back Boeve conservatively. I would be entirely unsurprised if he spent most of April building up stamina in Arizona. I don't know this but given his nagging injuries of the past two seasons I would think this would be the plan?

Herron's results weren't there last night but he made solid swing decisions and I liked the contact on a couple of his outs (without Statcast on hand at the moment, I'd gather his fly out and ground out were close to 100 mph off the barrel - with good swing decisions those are good outs by my eyes). I like the look of what he'll bring. It's only one game, but it's hard not to be impressed with Spain stepping in in that fashion. I didn't expect that whatsoever given his career to date but I certainly am going to laud his output and performance. Another feisty, athletic, diminutive young man. The Brewers have a type it would appear here. Oliva was disruptive in that he covers ground in CF and his legs are problematic on the basepaths - he beat out a routine DP ball and kept an inning alive with runners on the corners. That means something in baseball. Already bringing something. Every line-up needs those little edges. AND, finally, let me talk about EMJ. A 115 mph laser shot grounder that nearly took the life of the Shrimp's 2B and another ball hit around 108 mph. I've been saying it for two years: he hits balls harder, consistently, than any other player in the system. Unfortunately, he had Mona playing SS last night (he was struggling to find a groove defensively - something I've seen many a time while he's been in the Brewers system) or he would have also had a very nice 3-6-3 DP tacked on. In fairness to Mona there, that ball may have also been thrown 115 mph 😅. He makes everything easier on the infielders - as I've been alluding to for two years now as well. He affords Delgado, for instance, to take his time throwing from 2B. Any bang-bang potential is lessened with EMJ's ability to reach 20 feet in front of his body to snag throws of all kinds.😁 All in all, it was a great opening night. To be a team capitalizing on other team's errors while shoring up your own is a credit to the speed on the base paths and the scrap of the team and a look at what may be another very solid Triple-A pitching staff.

Hard to believe the quality of players we keep getting from the Rockies. Delgado was absolutely noticeable in all the best ways at the dish - even managing to lay down an absurdly heady bunt single to get his evening started. I'd also note RHP Grant Anderson had a fantastic and uber-efficient single inning of work. Anderson's slider was a bit tighter than I was looking for (I recall, in ST, talking about wanting to get back to more of a sweeper? Am I misremembering?) but that sinker was moving 19 inches horizontally so it really played off whatever slider he was tossing up there regardless. 100% Zonal efficiency on that sinker. And a 7 pitch 1-2-3 inning is fantastic at any level.

BUMP: - OF Garrett Spain was assigned to the Nashville Sounds after OF Brewer Hicklen was traded to Detroit for cash considerations. I would add Spain more than acquitted himself in his first Triple-A game as a Brewer.

Nittoli will try to close this one down with the Sounds leading 7-1. Let's go, Vinny!

So in game 1, in addition to showcasing his savvy with an impromptu bunt single to open his night in a pitcher's count but adeptly seeing the drastic shift toward 2B by the left side of the infield, Delgado is 3-for-4 with 2 SB, 1 2B, and he scored a run on a WP? Is that accurate? I'm going by recall.

Middy gets two quick outs. He then sees a well hit single to shallow CF followed by a flare to left CF. He gets the 6-4 chopper to end the threat. Delgado with his third poke of his night. He rips an oppo double high off the LF wall. As I was saying...he missed a HR by maybe a foot?

EMJ steals his first Triple-A bag. Atta way big fella! Alfaro swings and misses for strike 3 on a slider low down and in. I have to say: I've missed the mammoth hacks of one-time Sounds catcher, Alex Jackson. Alfaro can definitely play that part. He takes some absolute hacks at the dish. 6-1 and RHP Ryan Middendorf debuts in 2025.

Old Brewer farmhand and friend of BF LHP Justin King's Triple-A debut. He gets the Oliva force out (beating a DP ball with his legs) for the second out. Oliva then takes second base. The throw caroms into CF. Durbin scores. 6-1. Oliva takes third base. EMJ takes a pitch low and in the dirt with a King WP scores Oliva. Woot woot. That's four errors on the night for the Shrimp's D and now a WP on King. EMJ takes a free pass.

Nice to see Mona grab a single after two rough defensive plays in back-to-back innings. Keep grinding. Find some good amidst some hiccups.

Beautiful small ball here in the 7th. Spain takes off in a hit and run. Durbin pokes a flare into RF. Spain makes third. The throw back to 1B goes wild and Spain crosses home plate. 4-1 Sounds. Single and an E6. Those E 6's appear to be haunting both clubs tonight.

Spain with two pokes tonight. You love to see it. He grabs his second knock here in the 7th - a liner single through the right side of the infield into RF.

The most important thing by my eyes: his off-speed was absolutely dialed. That's big. He wasn't all that sharp with his four-seamer. The cutter was good. The curve, slider, and change-up were quite good. I would also opine that was the best RHP Janson Junk has looked in quite some time. He was pretty dang sharp. Really happy to see that for him. Was someone really calling for the Brewers to straight out cut Cargo?! I mean he is only 23 years old for crying out loud.

Bases juiced. Two down. No hits. Bases juiced. AND, García works around the trouble with a routine fly to Oliva in right CF. 3-1 and we are on to the Sounds half of the 7th.