Joseph Zarr

Thanks for the kind words! Exciting times to be writing about Brewers Minor League games - it's hard to fathom having meaningful late-season games with playoff implications happening across the board every night in early September. Stay tuned throughout the week as Daniel and Jim take us across the Carolina and Wisconsin finish lines.

It was a 2-2 mid-week split - Wisconsin laid their second consecutive egg while the Mudcats were beaten convincingly from the get go (and, yet still lowered their magic number to one). Meanwhile, Biloxi pulled away in the eighth inning and held on while the Sounds pulled ahead in the fifth frame and never looked back. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Biloxi Shuckers & Mike Krebs - Isaac Collins Pictured Game Balls: INF/OF Isaac Collins continues to be a revelation in Biloxi. What a Rule Five Minor League Draft pick-up. More below. INF Gregory Barrios muscled his first Low-A homer and was the only Mudcats batter who showed out in a tough loss in Salem. RHP Evan McKendry gets the nod for his fantastic start pitching into the eighth frame and giving the Sounds everything they needed in a 4-1 victory. 1B Ernesto Martinez gets the nod for several tough stabs of rocket liners and several gorgeous scoops at 1B from some off-target throws. He also managed to rip two absolute rocket line drives. RHP Cam Robinson gets the nod for continuing to play the part of a much-needed closer role in Biloxi. It may not always be dominant. It may not always be pretty. But, it has certainly been highly effective. The Shuckers will continue to need his poise as they look to close the last 10 games strong. Transactions: LHP Clayton Andrews was optioned to the Nashville Sounds from the Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers selected the contract of RHP Thyago Vieira from the Nashville Sounds Final: Nashville 4, Memphis (Cardinals) 1Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Vihuelas Claim Victory Over Memphis RHP Evan McKendry was simply put: fantastic. He put it all together tonight and then some pitching into the eighth inning. His final line read 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 ER. What an outing. When he came out to start the eighth frame I was quite surprised but he got that first out in just six pitches and his night ended after 101 pitches total. I opined in the daily Game Thread, McKendry's Achilles' heel to date with the Sounds had been his third time through opponent's batting orders. Tonight, he laid that to rest. And, unfortunately for the Sounds, the red hot Durham Bulls won their fifth straight so they remain 5.5 GB the second half crown with 16 games to play. That series in Durham still weighs heavily on their chances. Three Quick Strikes: 1) 3B/1B Tyler Black (first base tonight - an error tonight...every base is a work in progress) was once again wreaking havoc on the base paths. He walked three times. He stole two bases. He forced an uneasy throw from deep shortstop in what could have been a double play ball and scored on the play standing up as the ball went into shallow CF. He's a disruptor. He is definitely still adjusting his swing mechanics during a prolonged drought (by his standards) but he is still impacting games in very positive ways. 0-for-1, 1 R, 3 BB, 0 K for his final line. 2) The key hit in this one was DH Abraham Toro's muscled bloop liner two-run bases loaded double down the RF line in the bottom of the fifth frame. This gave the Sounds their first lead of the game (2-1) and it was the turning point. Toro continues to provide value on nearly every night he plays - whether with the Brewers or the Sounds. He's definitively been one of the revelations of 2023. I don't take his steady work for granted. From the post-game article above: 3) It's definitely early, but I certainly don't see anything from recent veteran signee 3B Josh Dondaldson to indicate he is worthy of taking AB's from other worthy call-ups or rostered Brewer players. I am seeing quite a bit of softly hit balls. I am seeing a late-30's player running the bases. It may be a feel good 'what if' storyline, but, at this point, it would be forcing the issue if he were to take AB's from other candidates. This is my humble opinion and nothing more. He went 0-for-3 tonight with a free pass. Final: Biloxi 6, Birmingham (White Sox) 4Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Career-High Four RBI from Isaac Collins Leads Shuckers to Ninth Straight Win You wouldn't know it looking at the box score, but LHP Adam Seminaris was sitting on a 1-0 lead and was casually working through 1 2/3 IP and empty bases. It all briefly fell apart from there. Sadly, this is what I was witnessing before the prolonged injury absence and the ACL work. The worst of the four-run Barrons rally was an 0-2 count devolving into a walk and C Jeferson Quero's botched throw to 1B on an absolute dribbler up the first base line. All in all, it was just an ugly sequence of two out defensive baseball in the bottom of the second inning. A pitch count of 13 had ballooned to 45. Yes, that kind of ugly. However, we do certainly give Seminaris credit for calming everything down after that ill-fated second inning. He managed to go three more with a final showing of 5 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 4 ER, 1 WP, 1 HBP. It could have been a lot worse and it certainly could have been a lot better. He'll look to polish things up for his next go-around. Three Quick Strikes: 1) CF Jackson Chourio has begun this Birmingham road series in a very quiet 1-for-9 showing at the dish. In the long slog of a full baseball season, this isn't the first time we've seen a slow start in a series from Chourio. Regardless, he is obviously always a dangerous threat. We sit back and hope he can find that roaring contact we've all grown to love. He was covering plenty of ground and safely corralling outs throughout, so the defense was still dialed in. But, let's call a spade a spade here early: lots of swings and misses and many an out off casual contact. 2) RHP James Meeker is a high-leverage relief pitcher - middle innings or late it really doesn't matter. He's really really good in this role. I sincerely hope the entire Brewers organization learned this during the ongoing struggles he faced as a fill-in starting pitcher. A spot start here and there? Sure. Absolutely. But, let's not get goofy beyond that. Meeker once again filled a key shutdown role in a tie ball game and, honestly, he made it look easy. Please, oh please, Brewers leave this young man where he belongs: high leverage relief innings. He picked up the win in his 1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K eighth inning work. 3) Tenured Brewers Minor League fans might be wondering why INF Felix Valerio's playing time is so sparse in 2023. I will simply offer it's because INF/OF Isaac Collins has been the better complete player. It's just the plain honest truth and, as a result, Valerio has become a back-up or spot player for Biloxi. Collins has done everything we've wanted Valerio to do and then some and on a much more consistent basis. Tonight was absolutely no different. Actually, if you want to go an easy step forward: one could argue Collins should be in the candidate pool for the Shuckers MVP. He hit the game-tying two-run homer. He hit the game-winning two-run single in the top of the ninth. Winning players make winning plays. Collins does this on a nightly basis. 3-for-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR. Money. Final: Cedar Rapids (Twins) 4, Wisconsin 1 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the T-Rats' site, game details, please visit and review: Kernels Take Game Two from Wisconsin The lackluster post-game article title says it all. It was that type of game. Wooof. I said it after game one and it absolutely remains true: the Kernels are entirely too good to be gifted anything. Well, OF Hendry Mendez dropped a routine fly ball right off the bat and gave the Kernels two free bases. With C Darrien Miller repeatedly struggling to catch rehabbing LHP Aaron Ashby's tailing off-speed arsenal, it just didn't look good. Ultimately, it was another T-Rats stinker against the best team (by a decent margin) in the Midwest League. Ashby was quite low in the velocity department but upon review (and after listening to the post-game podcast) it would appear he is intentionally working on movement and action over letting it fly. I saw primarily off-speed deliveries. It certainly looked as though he was intentionally holding back. If he wasn't? Well, then we certainly have a 'problem' on our hands. When all was said and done, Ashby only managed 1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 WP, 2 K, 1 ER (2 R). He only threw 33 pitches in his slow road back to reclaiming his prior MLB form. Post-Game Podcast: Full-Game Highlights: Three Quick Strikes: 1) What was once such a promising ascending young prospect storyline has become one filled with question marks in 2023. OF Hendry Mendez committed his seventh error of his season when he dropped a very catchable ball in the first inning - it led to the Kernels first run. This isn't the first time Mendez has struggled making a routine play with the glove in the outfield grass. In 2022, before the very scary injury running into a RF brick wall (literally), Mendez looked like a possible uber-talented bat-to-contact lead-off hitter with the frame to develop into some intriguing pop. However, after battling through another unfortunate injury in 2023 Mendez has fast become an 2023 AFL candidate with the hopes of rekindling his promise. He's had his moments in 2023, for sure, but they've really only been moments. Let's hope he can reclaim that former promise-filled glory. 2) One of the most humorous thoughts I've had during the early stages of this season-ending serious versus the talented Cedar Rapids Kernels is: Brock Wilken looks like a Kernels player. If you haven't watched this Cedar Rapids squad let me just share: they are almost universally big, athletic, and uber-talented. Wilken fits that bill. He's just a guy I have come to expect to show up and produce every single game. When this series ends, and the T-Rats season likely ends with it, I fully expect Wilken to get the brief call-up to Biloxi to help their playoff push. He's every bit the Double-A player. I honestly don't think he'd skip a single beat - the young man is absolutely that good. 3) Witnessing a second consecutive woeful offensive performance, I'm going to tip one out for the continued resurgences of RHP's Cam Wagoner and Nick Merkel. These young men absolutely dug deep and gave us their best stuff as the season progressed. Both imposing hurlers rely on the impact of their off-speed arsenals and both young men have fine tuned these pitches over the past two months. Their best outings and their greatest impact has arrived when the games counted the most. These are extremely encouraging signs. I've become steadfast fans of both righties. Here's hoping they keep ascending! Final: Salem (Red Sox) 8, Carolina 3 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Barrios Blasts First Homer in 8-3 Loss in Salem LHP Brian Fitzpatrick has been very good since his promotion to Low-A Carolina from the ACL. Tonight was definitely not one of these 'very good' outings. He began his night by giving up a three-spot in the very first frame. His squad was already in a decent hole. He gave up another run in the second frame. He gave up two more in the third. It was 6-0 at that point and his evening was over after just 3 IP - 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 6 ER. He'll look to rebound if the Mudcats find their way into the post-season. And, the optimist in me absolutely sees Lynchburg losing 12-3 tonight. The post-season magic number is ONE. ONE Mudcats win or ONE Lynchburg loss and we are playing game 1 in Zebulon. Stay thirsty Mudcats! It's right there for the taking. Let's end the drought. Three Quick Strikes: 1) As the post-game write-up title reveals: INF Gregory Barrios hit his first Low-A long ball and it was an absolute muscle shot over the LF wall. It was a sight to behold as he took the inside riding pitch and somehow pulled it over the wall in left field. Let's take a look: 2) INF Luke Adams looked every part of the 0-for-3 and 2 K evening at the dish. With the promotion of Baez, Adams has seen his playing time cut into. He has fallen off some in the past month so this isn't all that surprising. However, if the Mudcats are going to try and make some noise in the Carolina League playoffs they are going to need all hands on deck. It's very fair to say Adams is in a mini-funk. Let's hope he gets back to what was working throughout the heart of this 2023 season. 3) Outhit 12-to-4. 1-for-9 with RISP to the Red Sox's 5-for-17. Yet, the Mudcats still walked five times and managed to swipe four bases (hence 1-for-9 with RISP on only four hits). They certainly had their opportunities but this was Salem's game to take from the get go. And, take it they did. It's on to the next. The Mudcats can seal their post-season birth tomorrow. Let's root them on! Very enticing game three pitching match-ups across all levels tomorrow. RHP Yorman Galindez will begin things at Salem for the Mudcats. LHP Robert Gasser brings his skills to the mound in Nashville hoping to boost the Sounds to a 3-0 series lead. RHP Joseph Hernandez looks to build off his recent combined effort in the T-Rats most recent near 'No-No' as he also looks to help chip away at their 0-2 series deficit. And, in Biloxi RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez will look to dominance once again and push the Shuckers lead over the Barrons to 3-0. Lots of skilled arms on the hill. As always, thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Brewers Minor League baseball. 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

RHP Cam Robinson gets two hard hit fly outs (one to RF and one to deep CF - just shy of the warning track) and he gets a come backer. It's a 1-2-3 inning. Shuckers win 6-4. In a hilarious moment, Robinson dirted an 0-2 heater about 6 feet before home plate and as the ball jumped over Quero and the umpire you could hear manager Mike Guerrero scream to Quero from the dugout steps: "You gotta catch that!" 😅 The Shuckers hold serve. They have won 9 games in a row while the BIscuits have won 6 in a row. Shuckers trail by 0.5 G. What a race to the finish.

Valerio on to pinch hit he takes an 0-1 count on a high heater and pops out to shallow 1B territory. Not the pitch he was looking for and the result was indicative of swinging at that pitch. He strands runners and key insurance runners on 2nd and 3rd base. The Shuckers will look to hold the 6-4 lead as we likely will see Closer RHP Cam Robinson to close this out.

Runners on 1st and 2nd. Nobody out. The Shuckers saw 3B Ethan Murray come to the dish. He failed to lay down two attempts at a sac bunt (both popped up well into 1B territory) and then he hits a weak pop out to shallow CF. Not a good AB by Murray whatsoever. Lamar Sparks follows by hitting a decent chopper deep in the 3B hole and he manages to leg it out. Bases juiced. One down. BIG moment for Isaac Collins who hits a hard chopper over 3B. Collins deliver AGAIN! TWO RUNS cross as he jumps on the first pitch. The young man continues to crush. 6-4 Shuckers. Sleepy Jackson Chourio looks to wake up. He swings and whiffs on a high heater behind by a good foot. 0-1. He swings and whiffs on an outside off-speed pitch. 0-2. He barely misses squeezing an off-speed groundball off the 3B bag for more runs. Whew that was close. Still 0-2. With the runners moving, Chourio grounds out to SS. He is now 1-for-9 in this series and he hasn't hit anything all that well. One of those mini-ruts for the uber-talented young CF'er.

Chourio is now 1-for-8 in this early Birmingham series. He strikes out in four pitches on a slider high and just inside. He is quiet. On to the bottom of the 7th.

Montgomery wins again. They plate on in the bottom of the 8th - a double and a ground out RBI. 3-2 over the Lookouts for the 2-0 series lead. Shuckers have to win tonight to stay 0.5 GB.

Abad works around a two out triple and gets the weak grounder to Devanney at 2B. Sounds win 4-1. Meanwhile RHP Ryan Middendorf is running into his own two out trouble here in the bottom of the 6th in the form of a full count walk and an absurdly high chopper to the 1B side where both Martinez and Middendorf were caught in an unfavorable situation. Now a pitch count violation and a high heater have him 2-0. Runners on 1st and 2nd. Two down. He gets the weak 2-0 grounder to a charging Zamora at SS who fires accurately to Martinez at 1B. On to the 7th frame. 4-4.

Durham won again tonight (five straight) over Charlotte. So the Sounds, should they manage to hold this lead, will remain 5.5 GB. SO many teams between the Sounds and the Bulls. Their poor form at Durham in their recent series was so costly to any notions of a post-season bid. Not very likely at this point but still mathematically possible.

- LHP Clayton Andrews was optioned to the Nashville Sounds from the Milwaukee Brewers - RHP Thyago Vieira had his contract selected by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Nashville Sounds

Discussed in the T-Rats post-game pod tonight. NOT in detail, mind you. He and Vargas have both been sent to rehab in Arizona and hope to be in the Instructional League shortly. That's all I have for you.

Hey now! Lynchburg got blown out 12-3 tonight. Mudcats magic number, despite their 8-3 loss is ONE. ONE win. ONE Lynchburg loss over the next 4 games and we are post-season swimming.

Isaac Collins two run line drive jack over the LF wall scores Sparks! 4-4 game. Zero outs. YEAH BABY!!!! Already on base with a single and a free pass he takes an outside breaking ball and sits on it just enough to blast it over the HR rail - maybe two rows deep. Whewwwww!

Shuckers trailing 4-2 in the top of the 5th. Sparks just led off with a full count walk. Man on first. Nobody down. Meanwhile, the Biscuits and Lookouts are knotted 2-2 in the 8th. Big implications tonight in the Southern League!

McKendry is on the precipice of pitching 7 complete. He just grabbed his 5th K (his first since the 4th) and got a weak bloop to Dorrian at SS. Dominant tonight. He will exit leading 4-1. Seven complete innings. You love to see it!

Well, Gregory Barrios hit his first long ball of his Low-A career. Never too late for the power punch! BUT, Chavez had already conceded two runs the inning prior (not that it mattered tonight). 8-3 Salem wins. Not an easy first homer either for Barrios:

Dorrian meets the pitching replacement with a deep double off the RF wall scoring Roller from 2B. It's 4-1 Sounds now in the 6th frame.

Meanwhile, Quero half-efforts a grounder to 3B and even though the fielder double-pumped the throw he is still thrown out. Poor form. Quero has to run harder there. He had a single. He has been really struggling in all facets since his return from his injury if we're being honest.

He walked again here in the 6th (3rd of the game - 5th in the series). He pressured the DP throw to 2B (would have been out) and it sailed high off the glove into shallow CF. He scored standing up. 3-1 Sounds. 😅

Martinez rips his second absolute scorcher - this time directly to the 3B but it short-hops him and rips down the LF line. Collins scores from 3B. Clarke is given the go-ahead from Guerrero and is thrown out by a gorgeous throw by about 4-5'. 4-2 Barrons now. Zamora ends the inning with a weak chopper to 3B.

Toro hits a 2-1 heater in a muscled weak liner down the 1B/RF wall. Pro's pro hit right there. 2-1 Sounds. Donaldson holds at 3B. Toro grabs RBI's 50 and 51 on that pretty piece of RISP hitting. The Sounds lead for the first time tonight.

AND<, now Seminaris gives up a screamer two-run double deep off the wall. LOUD hit. And, honestly, the route had to be perfect to get to it - it was just off from Rodriguez. Hey, look at that: an error coming back to bite a team. Seminaris then hits the next batter. THIS is the Seminaris meltdowns we were seeing routinely before he was injured and then in the ACL. We have the two out hits - an 0-2 walk to boot - and Quero's error. It's suddenly 4-1. Given the pitch count, Seminaris is likely about to be pulled.

AND, Seminaris gets a super weak dribbler up the 1B side and seeing a charging Quero Seminaris backs off the play and gives him the direct route. Quero absolutely botches it somehow falling face down and throwing a weak one-hopper through Martinez's legs at 1B. My gods that was ugly. LOL. 2-1 now. Runners on the corners. Quero has to make a better play there.

3-1 on the next batter. Seminaris gets a foul tip. 3-2. Pitch count suddenly up to 37 (25 pitches in the 2nd already).