Joseph Zarr

The FCL Pirates have to be tickled pink ol' Brewers farmhand INF Jhonny Severino (1B Carlos Santana trade - 2023) had a 8:7 K:BB ratio at the dish in June. He's apparently realllllly worked on that aspect of his game since last summer. He's sporting a very respectable 27:20 K:BB ratio on his FCL season over an official 130 AB. Also batting 0.277 with a 0.932 OPS. It certainly appears it was a good trade for both parties - for the Brewers it obviously helped settle their 2023 1B woes and for the Pirates it has very obviously given them a meaningful lottery ticket prospect who is flashing stateside.

From Monday's Game Thread HERE: Nice to see him get organizational recognition to boot!

He has made immense strides on that pitch since first drafted. He casually routinely touches 97 mph now - a far cry from his original Low-A work. He always had the arm side run on that offering but with the increased velo it has become an absolute monster of a pitch. AND, as per usual, this is also aided by an absurdly advanced change up. I personally always thought this type of evolution was possible. From the get go, he has shown an intensity and competitiveness few in the system match. And, he has an incredibly built lower half to help him achieve these numbers. Room to grow, to boot. 22 years old until March of 2025? He's as untouchable as they get in my eyes in terms of coveted Brewers prospects. I've been on this train from his first start in Carolina and have been absolutely front and center lamenting how ridiculously overlooked he'd been. People saw the injuries and the placement and overlooked what was clear as day from the actual work on the mound: Ace stuff.

Also checked age before stating...young Buckaroos those early 30-somethings!🤭 (PS: W'ere Old.)

- INF Gregory Barrios was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for RHP Aaron Civale As always, we thank young Gregory for his time with the Brewers. He was a true joy to watch in 2024. May his best baseball be ahead of him!

As to actual intel on the injuries, our best informed source on these goings ons is always @ARobsBrewCrew. Beyond that, we simply need to be patient and await news from either the player(s) or organizations themselves. Wisconsin and the team of Chris Mehring and Kyle Lobner are consistently at the forefront of our curiosities with their impeccable post-game podcasts often containing team-informed updates for the Timber Rattlers. Given the overt decrease in overall media efforts in Low-A Carolina since Greg Young Jr. departed earlier this season, we'll likely be hard-pressed to learn anything on Galindez unless we get an update from ARob. I don't recall hearing anything about Crow set-backs this year which is possibly the most important aspect of his ongoing recovery?

And, just like that, RHP Taylor Clarke was DFA'd this morning. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the move for the young hurler. Here's hoping what's best for both parties is what ultimately takes place!

Brewers doing Brewers things. Trading from depth - my goodness do the Crew have a wealth of middle infield prospects. Buying Low on a guy with good peripherals, some team control, and tools and mix that would likely benefit from some tweaks. We do love to dance with the Rays. Here's hoping for happy endings for all parties. Barrios had one of the more surprising seasons in the system given his 2023. Love his frame and baseline. Here's hoping he reaches new heights with the Rays!

My goodness.

On a day where the DSL Crew squads likely suffered the weather fates of the ongoing hurricane situation in the Caribbean, we were left with an all evening affair. The Mudcats lost at Down East. The T-Rats lost at Beloit. The Sounds lost a heartbreaker in an extra-innings at Memphis. The Shuckers kept humming behind a career-best start from RHP Bradley Blalock for a victory. And, in the desert, live data very much remains limited; mysterious; and often-times unknown. But, a box score appeared late showing a 3-1 ACL Crew victory. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Transactions: LHP Justin King was released by Double-A Biloxi (for many of us, a surprising move - discussed in full HERE) RHP Will Childers was assigned to the Biloxi Shuckers from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers OF/INF Noah Campbell was assigned to the Nashville Sounds from the Biloxi Shuckers C Andy Yerzy was transferred to the Development List by the Nashville Sounds RHP Yorman Galindez was placed on the Full-Season IL by the Carolina Mudcats Final: Memphis (Cardinals) 13, Nashville 11 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 Lose Heartbreaker in Extra Innings Versus the Redbirds - Black and Wiemer Hit Long Balls in Loss Box Score / Game Log I've now watched several of RHP Taylor Clarke outings. I continue to see an inconsistent pitcher leaving too many pitches up in the zone with runners on base. Well, if we're being honest, in this particular contest, several Sounds relievers were punished in the zone as well. Back to Clarke, in this particular instance at the current going rate of what the eyes see: the numbers really don't lie. 5 1/3 IP tonight with 7 H, 4 R (3 earned), 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR. When your lead secondary offerings is averaging 97 plus mph of exit velocity off the bat, the execution is lacking. The four-seamer was playing quite well, actually, and sitting mid 90's and peaking at 95.5 mph. However, when the off-speed is sitting and not locating we all know what can happen. Clarke could never get ahead of the impacts of the off-speed inadequacies. Three Quick Strikes: 1) RHP James Meeker wasn't credited with an earned run, but the truth is he couldn't protect an 8-4 advantage. A five run frame can't be on his bingo card - despite the fielding error by SS Freddy Zamora. And, it all could have been avoided with better two out execution. He'll look to regroup in the weeks ahead. This is the second blow-up inning for the righty since being DFA'd. 2) CF Joey Wiemer hit two XBH's in the same game - including his second long ball of the season (my goodness). INF Patrick Dorrian was 2-for-3 with a go-ahead triple and two walks?! What a sight! Mired in season-long slumps for the most part let's crack one open for two of our favorites of the past several seasons. We know the talent is in the bag. We simply need that confidence and execution to re-surface. Tonight was truly a sight for sore aching eyes in Stanville. 3) The Sounds took the lead four separate times in this one. They lost that lead each and every time. This loss falls on the pitching staff who couldn't execute when it mattered most. Hats off to several unsung heroes in the batters box - there are ample gold stars to go around. It was a really shame RHP Ryan Middendorf couldn't hold on to the 10-9 lead in the bottom of the ninth. INF Tyler Black's AB vs RHP Nick Robertson in the top half of the same frame was an epic AB. Black missed a go-ahead long ball down the right field line by a matter of feet. He fouled off two pitches. He then crushed an off-speed offering over the right center field wall for the ninth inning 10-9 lead. A real shame the Sounds couldn't pull it out. Black could have been the game-winning hero. Speaking of which, Black is doing everything and then some we'd hope for in his recent option. He's been absolutely fantastic at the dish. Final: Biloxi 8, Mississippi (Braves) 1 Blalock Dominates with Career-High Seven Shutout Innings - Shuckers Ensure Series Victory Box Score / Game Log Pre-Game Media Notes RHP Bradley Blalock went a career-high 7 IP of 1 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 0 R ball for his fourth victory of 2024. He had a mixed bag of fly outs and ground outs at five apiece. A few of those fly outs were hit very hard and to deep parts of the park but, when I say 'a few' I mean exactly that: three of those fly balls...and they all ended as outs. It was Blalock's most composed outing in some time. The most encouraging part for me? The two strikeouts to lead off the seventh frame. He became his most dominant in his final inning by my eyes. His evening ended at just 79 pitches. That's simply put: a masterful start. Boy, if Biloxi could get more of this type of showing in the second half? Look out. Three Quick Strikes: 1) I've been speaking to it in recent weeks but the OF Lamar Sparks break-out is indeed continuing to happen. In addition to a well hit deep double earlier in the contest in his 2-for-4 night at the dish, we got this rocket shot oppo taco in the fifth frame to give the Shuckers a 3-0 lead: He's had a seven-game hitting streak over the past month. Consecutive months hitting 0.255 or better. His July is off to a bang. Let's hope he can keep this trending up. The Shuckers are going to need him for their second half push. 2) We often discuss overlooked but talented players in the Brewers system. It just may be that OF Carlos D. Rodriguez continues to be the most overlooked player of the bunch. All the young man does is get on base. He's in the midst of a 21 game on base streak and a 13 game hitting streak. The discourse seemingly always veers into his size, lack of pop, or average arm. In reality, he very rarely negatively influences a ball game and quite often positively impacts the bottom line. I was reminded tonight, again, not to take his night-in and night-out dependability and reliability for granted. 3) INF/OF (3B in this one) Casey Martin is quickly moving past his tough 0-for-25 start with the Shuckers. He is currently 7-for-20 over his last six contests. Tonight, more specifically, he hit to a 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 K, 1 2B, 1 HR line. We can live with the strikeouts if we're producing nights like this. He can handle a bevy of defensive duties giving the line-up much needed flexibility. Hats off for continuing to grind and finding some daylight. What's more? He pushed the game out of reach with a reach line drive poke over the left field wall: * Special Shout Out: A Mike Guerrero sighting! We saw the previous Shuckers skipper (and, present Infield instructor across the system) atop the Shuckers dugout and at the dugout railing throughout the contest chatting it up with players. It felt like old times. It was wonderful to see his face in a Shuckers live viewing once again. Final: Beloit (Marlins) 7, Wisconsin 3 (Final/8 innings - weather) Wisconsin's Winning Streak Ends in Beloit - Sky Carp Come up with Key Hits; T-Rats Do Not Box Score / Game Log Pre-Game Media Notes LHP Tate Kuehner again showed his improvements and promise in the early going - his heater, in particular, showed fantastic ride and savvy. This is always an encouraging sign for a lefty who absolutely can lean heavily on his blend of off-speed pitches as his primary lead. It was smooth sailing until an unfortunate fourth frame. A seeing eye bloop single to right field. A full count free pass. And, then, well, I would politely opine he was put in a really tough spot when 3B Eduardo Garcia botched two very catchable balls in the general vicinity of third base. Don't get me wrong here: Garcia also made several solid plays (including a web gem) earlier in the contest. But, in the fourth frame that ultimately saw Kuehner leave after two outs, I was definitely left with thoughts of: what happens in that frame if Garcia simply holds on to that extremely catchable botched diving catch? And so it goes. The T-Rats kept it close until the Sky Carp broke it open late. Three Quick Strikes: 1) The MiLB.TV live stream of this game kicked in well into the first frame. Our first look was an inside pitch that appeared to plunk 1B Luke Adams somewhere on his left leg. The view wasn't qualitative enough to make any truly insightful comments here, but we did see the young stud shaking it off as he walked down the first base line. He was replaced in the next inning by Tayden Hall. Hopefully, we'll see the young man very soon and this was all precautionary. 2) Games like this remind me of the long road of work ahead for C Matt Wood. We know he's been surging at the plate of late - and, what a sight to see; truly. But, in his three strikeout performance tonight, I also saw familiar mistakes with his glove and throwing arm. Development is the name of the game. We've seen huge strides from C Darrien Miller in Biloxi (and Wisconsin) over the past year plus. We can only hope Wood continues to work on his craft and achieve a similar trajectory. The rushed throw to 1B for the throwing error up the line is one thing - it was pouring rain at that point. It was rushed but it could have slipped his grip. The continued re-occurring issues catching the baseball with the catcher's mitt, however, is a real thing. His glove can become a bit stiff. It's an area he is simply going to have to improve as his career progresses. 3) In a game where both INF Gregory Barrios and INF Jadher Areinamo collected three hits apiece atop the order, the T-Rats are going to lament their 0-for-11 with RISP. That was the ball game. Beloit capitalized 5-of-13 with RISP. This was a very winnable game for the T-Rats. They'll lament those missed opportunities and get back it tomorrow in hopes of turning the series back in their favor. Final: Down East (Rangers) 9, Carolina 3 Box Score / Game Log Wood Ducks Beat Mudcats - Corniel Stumbles in Five-Run Third Frame It's another media black-out series at old Carolina League Mudcats nemesis Down East. While the Rangers continue to treat their Low-A affiliate like an ACL squad, I'll try to give you my brief best to draw out what I 'watched' in the live game logs. Corniel struggled with third frames, inexplicably, back in May. That struggle reared its head at Down East again tonight. He could have escaped the frame with a mere single run of damage but two key two-out hits - a single and a triple - did the primary damage. Unlike his cohort, RHP Manuel Rodriguez, Corniel's Acchiles' heel in 2024 has been the blow-up inning. And, as alluded to above, it is quite often happening in the third frame. And, despite the abbreviated four inning start, Corniel absolutely had his high points in this one: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 6 K, and 5 ER. The walks continue to be somewhat problematic. But, with this talented young hurler, it is really the loss of execution in brief spurts. He was cruising through two scoreless. Things we love to see? 1B Reece Walling with a 3 BB:1K evening. CF Yophery Rodriguez with a 3-for-5 night with 2 doubles (13 and 14 of his season), RHP Jeison Pena with his third consecutive scoreless outing, and SS Cooper Pratt invited to the Futures Game. Yes, that's right, Cooper Pratt will represent the Brewers in the Futures Game: Final: ACL Brewers 3, ACL Guardians 1 Box Score / Game Log RHP Jason Woodward's return to health continues. He started his second game of the summer for the ACL Brewers and he went a scoreless 1 IP with 1 H, 2 BB, and 1 K. He's likely still working out the kinks of his new arm but every outing is a success at this early juncture. And, let's remind ourselves, we all know he has the tools: We also see the return of LHP Osbriel Mogollon (last pitched 6/28) who picked up the 'W' in 3 IP of 4 H, 1 BB, 1 K innings. C Edgardo Ordonez appears to have done Ordonez things: 1 PB but plenty of opportunism at the dish - 0-for-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K. The 'star' of the line-up appears to have been SS Tyler Rodriguez and his 2-for-4, 2 R outing batting clean-up. In just his second outing since being promoted stateside, 20-year-old Mexican RHP Jesus Broca picked up his first Save of 2024 in his first opportunity. He pitched a scoreless, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K ninth frame. And, finally, special mention is deserving for 19-year-old RHP Bryan Rivera who did the heavy-lifting: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 ER. A fine outing from the young man. The ACL Crew moved to 18-25 overall as they continue trying to climb their way out of the divisional cellar. The DSL squads and ACL squads will be taking a mid-week break (today's postponed DSL tilts are tentatively re-scheduled for early next week). RHP K.C. Hunt will look to get Wisconsin back on the winning track. RHP Chad Patrick will look to help the Sounds rebound. RHP Brett Wichrowski will look to keep the good times rolling in Biloxi. We are TBD for Carolina @ Down East. All four tilts will be evening affairs. As always, thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Milwaukee Brewers Minor League baseball and the many players deserving of our time and recognition. 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

AND, suddenly the ACL Crew are finished and we have a Box. LOL. 3-1 'W'. Jason Woodward with another scoreless frame in his early outings. We also have a LHP Osbriel Mogollon sighting.

They've been stuck on a bottom of the first Game Log/Box Score in the desert for nearly an hour. No updates. No weather data given (a scorching 109 F - YIKES!) beyond the temp and conditions at first pitch. Live data is indeed extremely limited in tonight's ACL Crew tilt.

That wasn't a groundout to end the 10th, my friend. That was a come backer rocket directly off the pitcher's rear or back. It was ripped. AND, it ended when they threw the ball off Black's helmet into the OF but ruled he was interfering running inside the line. The Game logs so often just don't tell the story.

I don't trust Nick Bennett to protect any lead unfortunately. He is so dang erratic. He absolutely hung a pitch. This one is on the Sounds pitching staff who hung several meatballs. Ugh.

My goodness, JJ January just called Black out on the base paths for runner interference. He ripped a comeback liner right off the pitchers back side. Pitcher scooped it after it caromed off his body. Black was running on the grass inside the line. Was it interference? I have no idea anymore after the call last night in Colorado. The Redbirds announcer seems to think he was definitely too far into the grass. The adventurous LHP Nick Bennett will attempt to get out of this jam. He gives up a slow-roller infield single. Men on the corners. Nobody out. That was a bang-bang play. Weakly hit. Call could have gone either way.

Campbell K's swinging to start the inning. 96 mph dead center cut. Belt high. But, tailing sinker. He swung under that pitch. He was overmatched in that AB. Roycroft is a very good Triple-A reliever. BUT, who other than Patrick Dorrian to drive in his 2nd run of his evening. Now on base for his 4th time. He muscles a broken bat liner over the extension of the pitcher. 11-10 Nashville. Gotta have that run. Let's pull this out!

We'll have Xtras. A groundout to Collins at 2B end the threat - he gathered two outs that frame. Heavily shifted to the left side, he made both plays and made them look easy. On to the 10th.

After Herget escaped the 8th via a double play, RHP Ryan Middendorf will try and shut this down. BUT, he's not going to do it. Ouch. He gives up a solo jack on his third pitch. Dead center cut off-speed (87 mph) to straightaway CF. That ball was well gone. Man. This game. Each team has led three times. Each team has blown a lead three times.

NO MATTER!!!! HE FOULS OFF A COUPLE MORE PITCHES AND CRUSHES ANOTHER 1-2 PITCH OFF RHP DAVID ROBERTSON TO RIGHT CF. OK. Caps off. LOL. Sounds re-claim the lead 10-9. Black's 10th ding dong. My goodness. What an AB. He sat back enough on an off-speed dipping below the zone and pulled it over the RF wall. What a piece of hitting by Black. That was the sauce.

My goodness, Tyler Black just missed a 1-2 go-ahead 2-run jack on an inside heater pulled down the RF line by a matter of feet. He absolutely crushed that pitch. AND, it will simply be marked a foul ball. Game of inches.

Not a good night for pitchers looking to get rescued by their infields. 1B Wes Clarke gets eaten up by a hard hit liner at his feet directly to him 1B side. It was hit very hard. But, Clarke stabbed and whiffed and fell to his knees as the two-out rip made it to deep RF. That knocked two Redbirds across the dish. It's now an 8-6 Sounds lead. Meeker will suffer the fates of that hard hit knock which will very likely be ruled a 2-RBI double. Meeker continues to put ducks on the pond. He walks Walker. AND, just like that, he then gives up a first-pitch absolute bomb to dead CF on an off-speed below the zone. He went down and absolutely crushed that pitch. 9-8 Redbirds, suddenly. Meeker came aboard with an 8-4 lead. His up-and-down mighty struggles continue since his DFA back to Nashville. He is pulled.

Wood's rough night continued in the 8th when he air-mailed a bunt single down the 1B line allowing the lead-off runner to advance to 2B. He then stole 3B. A HBP by RHP Bayden Root then led to a weather delay (finally). Men on the corners. Nobody out. Bottom of the 8th. Delay. T-Rats trial 7-3.

Shuckers win 8-1. Fantastic!