Joseph Zarr

A sad day, indeed. Best of luck to Brustoski. I just hope he can put it all together at some point and become the weapon that he has all the potential to be 🥲

The Shuckers lost a game in extras where they set a franchise record striking out 19 Biscuits! Yowza. They were 0-for-13 with RISP - sometimes the less impressive stats don't lie. The T-Rats saw RHP Cameron Wagoner struggle in another start leaving some of us pondering what has gone wrong since a successful 2022 organizational debut. And, in the evening we had the young upstart Mudcats and veteran Nashville Sounds to hopefully bring us some joy (they did and they did not - the organization finished their evening 0-for-4 after the Sounds lost their lead late). Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Game Balls: We're heading to Montgomery where two Biloxi Aces - RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez and LHP Darrell Thompson - continued to strut their stuff. Rodriguez began the game for the Shuckers in dominant fashion: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 10 K. Yowza. And, Thompson once again was electric and remains scoreless through 13 IP in 2023: 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 K. This included an absolutely key string of three K's to end his eighth and final inning with runners on the corners with nobody down: We're heading to the Carolina and Nashville bullpens. RHP Shane Smith gave three valiant innings of work keeping his Mudcats teammates within striking distance and blowing by batters with some highly effective off-speed deliveries (see some highlights below): 3 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 7K, 1 ER, 1 HR. And, LHP Ethan Small continues his resurgence. Another extremely effective outing in a 3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K outing. And, it's worth point out the balls were simply not hit well and the change-up was back to straight butter. And, we'll end with C Matt Wood who continues to show he is most likely a more advanced player than his Low-A placement. Not only did he catch and call the 14 K effort, he drew three walks and threw out Delmarva's two attempts at stolen bases. Transactions: RHP Jhoan Cruz was transferred from the 7-Day IL to the 60-Day IL by the Carolina Mudcats Final: St. Paul (Twins) 5, Nashville 3 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Eighth Inning Collapse Negates Small's Impressive Outing LHP Thomas Pannone took the hill for manager Rick Sweet and the Nashville Sounds. This was just our third look at Pannone in 2023. All told, the lefty was effective early but it should be noted: he was giving up very good contact with four balls leaving the infield at 95 mph plus through 2 IP. Two more hard hit balls found their way to consecutive deeply hit one-out doubles and the Saints led 1-0 in the bottom of the third. The Saints grabbed another run, shortly thereafter, on a hard hit ball through the middle infield and the Saints were of to an early 2-0 lead. With LHP Ethan Small warming up in the bullpen, that was all for Pannone on a beautiful night in St. Paul. I wouldn't call the outing particularly sharp for the lefty hurler (who is actually one of only three players in Blue Jays history who has pitched an immaculate inning). When all was said and done, Pannone threw 3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 2 ER and the Sounds were trailing 2-0 after his work. Three Quick Strikes: 1) Early in the season, as LHP Ethan Small was scuffling a bit, @wiguy94and I repeatedly discussed the anomalies in Small's outings. We couldn't understand why in one outing he threw strictly fastballs for the most part and then, randomly, in the next outing he would lean change-up heavy. Perhaps this was all by design. With those mysterious outings long gone, we are seeing a fully developed approach from a young man who is quickly stating his case as one of the Sounds best relievers in 2023. The walks are down. The strikeouts are up. The change-up is dialed. The exit velocity is down. Small is creeping back toward his next call-up and this is something we should all root for. 2) This was OF Monte Harrison's best offensive performance as a Sound. Yes, even though he struck out in a pivotal ninth inning AB, we'll take tonight's output and hope it is something to build upon. Harrison ripped a 116 mph line drive (!!) to left field. He also ripped an opposite field double to the right field wall to lead off the seventh inning. If he can provide any semblance of solid contact on a consistent basis, the loss of OF Sal Frelick and OF Skye Bolt becomes more palatable in the short-term. 116.2 mph? That is absurd. 3) RHP Lucas Erceg continues to battle the relief demons of inconsistent strike zone control. When he's on, and he has been on in 2023, he's an extremely formidable relief arm. However, when he's off, and he's scuffle a bit of late, he's impacting the games in a negative way. After a very productive and effective outing by LHP Clayton Andrews, Erceg was brought to the mound in the eighth inning with a runner on 1B and the Sounds clinging to their 3-2 lead. When the inning was complete, the Sounds trailed 5-3. In such a tight situation, a pitcher can't afford to walk a first batter four pitch walk. A pitcher also can't afford a 2-0 count to the next batter. Erceg did both and it left him in a precarious situation forced to throw strictly heat over the plate. His 2-0 count pitch caught too much of the dish and, from there, the Sounds defense fell into an unfortunate relapse. Just like that, the lead was lost and the ball game was essentially over. Final: Montgomery (Devil Rays) 4, Biloxi 3 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Shuckers Pitching Sets Single-Game Franchise Record with 19 Strikeouts in Extra-Innings Loss The headline says it all - the pitching was sublime. RHP Carlos F. Rodriguez got that K-Train chugging with 10 punch outs through 5 2/3 IP. It's outings like these that remind us: Rodriguez has been doing this, consistently, for well over a year. What a rise for a young man who started last season in Zebulon in the Low-A Carolina League. It's important to remind everyone: Rodriguez doesn't turn 22 years old until November. He shows so much to like on the mound - a true competitor who simply knows who he is and what he is doing and he executes more often than not. If he continues these types of outings, in any fashion, he is most likely heading North to Nashville. Just check out the movement on this strikeout pitch. This is what we call 'nasty': Three Quick Strikes: 1) I mentioned the futility above with RISP (0-for-13). However, let's not overlook what makes INF Tyler Black so special - ridiculously advanced bat-to-ball skills. It's pieces of hitting like this that demonstrate how special Black is with a piece of lumber in his hand: Weak contact? Maybe - though, making contact at all on that pitch is hard to believe. Either way, and make no mistake, that was a really nice piece of hitting on a very well-placed pitch. Black put pressure on the infield and that contact found a dangerous part of the dirt. It also forced the throw into the right field grass and it scored the tying run. 0-for-13 with RISP? I say "No Sir, good Scorekeeper!". Regardless, there has been ample talk of Black's improved early power stroke but, let's not forget he is simply a pure hitter with or without the long balls. 2) Let's get back to the continued unbelievable output we're seeing from recent Indy pick-up LHP Darrell Thompson. This is his age 29 season. And, this is his first season of affiliated ball he's ever pitched. So, let's look at his production: 8 G, 13 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 20 K, 0 ER, 0.077 BAA, 0.38 WHIP. I mean, this is ridiculous. I am at a loss for words with what we're seeing here over a month plus. This is a young man ready for his moment. I can't help but imagine he's ready to test the waters of even higher levels. I certainly hope he gets the opportunity. 3) Staying with the bullpen, this was RHP Zach Vennaro's first full inning stint since returning from his 16-day injury absence throughout the majority of April. Hopefully, this outing is a sign of more good things to come. Vennarro ended his day with 1 IP, 0 BB, 1 H, 3 K, 0 ER. We heard of the uptick in velo he was seeing as a result of the off-season work he put in. I can confirm: this uptick appears to be true. His heater was lively and hitters were consistently well behind the pitch. He ended his day working off that heat by getting a lunging foul tip (nice grab by C Jason Lopez) on a slider on the outer stripe. Final: Peoria (Cardinals) 6, Wisconsin 2 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please visit and review: Early Deficit Too Much for Wisconsin These days most deficits appear too much for the sleepy Timber Rattlers bats to overcome. Unfortunately, a deficit is becoming routine with struggling RHP Cameron Wagoner on the hill. There's no easy way to get around it - Wagoner has been in a prolonged struggle in 2023. He ended his outing today after 2 1/3 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 4 ER. The line reads like it looked - ugly. Let's hope Wagoner can turn things around and get back to what was working throughout 2022 and throughout the Aussie Winter League. Three Quick Strikes: 1) Don't look, but RHP Max Lazar has quietly put in some solid work in his most recent outings! I'm extremely happy for the young Lazar - finally healthy and finally able to stack successes. Other than allowing four runs in a three inning stint at Quad Cities, Lazar has only allowed a single run in his four other outings - 10 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 8 H, 5 BB, 10 K. Today's outing, in particular, was perhaps his most impressive to date - 3 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K - and it helped turn the tide allowing his teammates the space to try and claw back into the game. 2) Let's keep looking for those elusive silver linings in what is, so far, a disappointing young T-Rats season: INF Eric Brown Jr. was healthy and back atop the line-up. If these young Rattlers are going to turn things around offensively, they are absolutely going to need the disruptive force of Brown Jr. firing on all cylinders. Perhaps, he can pick up where he left off just before his injury when he had put forth his best all around game of his young season versus Beloit. I'll take it a step further. Let's get even more hopeful: perhaps, with Brown Jr. rediscovering impactful output we'll see INF Robert Moore re-discover what has made his game so intriguing before his recent and ongoing slump. Moore's innate ability to make solid contact to all fields is sorely missed in his current rut. Where oh where for art tho, Mr. Moore? 3) Not considered a power threat by any means, OF Terence Doston can still leave the yard. With his two-run long ball over the wall in right field (his first HR of 2023), Doston reminded us he can still surprise and impact the game in a positive way. Perhaps his unexpected output can serve as a reminder and a small source of inspiration for his teammates. The Timber Rattlers are going to continue to need surprising impacts from unexpected places in the line-up if they are going to flirt with notions of turning the losing tides. Final: Delmarva (Orioles) 6, Carolina 2 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Carolina Suffers Series Tying Loss in Delmarva RHP Yujanyer Herrera worked around some odd outfield play from Hedbert Perez in the left field grass early in the first frame - in addition to a right hamstring cramp (?) where he was visited by the entire staff - and he suddenly found runners at 2B and 3B. He escaped that first inning trouble, however, via a swinging strikeout on an off-speed deliver over the outer half. Things did not go so well in the second frame for Herrera, to put it mildly. Six wild pitches to the back-stop (a single inning organizational record), three walks, an rbi single, a sac fly and he left after 1 2/3 IP with the bases loaded. I think it's fair to say his leg issue likely continued to bother him but he tried to tough it out. We'll take it as a mulligan and simply hope there are no lingering issues. We will, however, honor the fine relief efforts of the greater Mudcats staff after Herrera's early exit: A special shout out goes to LHP Jakob Brustoski as well. With a clean 3 K IP (0 H, 1 BB) in his first outing off the aptly named 'Development List', the fans are making noise: has the 'Year of Command' officially commenced? Stay tuned! Three Quick Strikes: 1) INF Daniel Guillarte (1:03:25 mark of the broadcast) appeared to injure his right shoulder jamming his right arm into the dirt awkwardly in a face-first slide to 2B in a stolen base attempt in the first inning. He immediately rolled over writhing in pain while clutching said shoulder. This is about the worst thing we could imagine seeing on a baseball diamond - the dominant throwing arm and shoulder is a treasured place on a baseball player's body. It really took the wind out of my sails, I tell you. However, hope springs eternal: he returned to the 2B dirt in the bottom of the first and, ultimately, completed the game. Oh sweet youth! 2) Even though Herrera clearly lost his stuff in his second inning, if RHP Nick Merkel had avoided a first pitch line drive single to right field the Mudcats could have escaped with a mere 2-0 deficit. This hypothetical aside, the Mudcats also had their opportunities to knock some runs across and make it a more intriguing ballgame early (despite the turn of events) stranding six runners through five complete innings. The key poke was elusive. This repeated itself in the seventh frame when OF Luis Lara led with a deep double to the wall in right center and C Matt Wood followed with a walk. INF/OF Luke Adams K'd on a pitch up and in. INF Gregory Barrios popped out to shallow right center field. And, OF Kaylan Nicasia struck out to end the threat. 3) For as fantastic as INF/OF Luke Adams has been early in 2023, and he has played consistently well and productively beyond his years, he also struggled tonight with runners on the bags and it proved costly to any possible comeback effort. He struck out on a high inside heater in the top of the seventh after Lara (2B) and Wood (BB) had reached base. He popped out to the pitcher's mound with runners on first and second in the top of the ninth inning with one down. And he pooped out to first base with runners on first and second base and two down in the fifth inning. All told, he finished his unproductive evening 0-for-5, 2 K, 9 LOB. He'll look to bounce back as the series progresses. That's a wrap for my Minor League report duties in this beautiful first week of May. My greatest hope for the remainder of the ongoing road series is the Timber Rattlers turn it around. All those young Timber Rattlers need is one key hit. Who will make it happen? Keep those chins up, men. Stay in the grind. There are ample opportunities to turn back toward winning ways tomorrow: RHP Stiven Cruz takes the hill in Peoria, RHP Justin Jarvis attacks hitters tomorrow in Montgomery, and RHP Janson Junk looks to give his team more shutdown innings. Stay tuned as we look to bounce back from an unsavory 0-5 evening across the entire organization. As always, thank you for reading and thank you 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

Meanwhile, in the West, C Brett Sullivan made his MLB Padres debut on April 22nd! He's still with the Padres as, apparently back-up C Luis Campusano is on the 10-Day IL. What's more? I checked today's Box Score (5/3) and Sullivan is 2-for-2 with a 2B and a two-run HR for all 4 of the Padres current runs. Incredible. Keep it up, Mr. Sullivan!

With so many debuts happening throughout the system - promotions and re-assignments - there was ample to look forward to on this fine spring evening. When all was said and done, the affiliates finished their evening with a 3-1 mark. The Timber Rattlers, unsurprisingly perhaps, were the affiliate with the lone loss (a close one in Peoria). Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Game Balls: We're going to go with OF Luis Lara and his solid debut for the Mudcats (1-for-3, 2 R, 1 K, 2 BB) in what was his first game stateside after spending all of last summer in the DSL. We're staying in the Mudcats bullpen to recognize the fine escape work from RHP Jeferson Figueroa who struck out the side with two men on and nobody down and the Mudcats trailing 6-5 before their comeback victory. We're heading to Nashville's roster where we'll recognize INF Cam Devanney's 2-for-6, 1 HR, 4 RBI outing - a pivotal insurance-adding three-run shot might I add. We're recognizing the crucial 5 IP by Biloxi RHP Christian Mejias whose various sliders - front door; back door; center cut - were giving the Biscuits all sorts of problems in a fantastic game-saving relief outing: 5 IP, 0 H, 4 BB, 8 K. And we're closing out by staying down South at Montgomery where surging INF Tyler Black (2-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB) continues showcasing his bourgeoning power stroke in 2023. He absolutely hammered a no doubter game-tying solo blast over the right field wall - bat flip and all, you deserve this highlight: Transactions: OF Blake Perkins was optioned to Nashville from Milwaukee RHP Cam Robinson was assigned to Biloxi from Nashville RHP Ryan Middendorf was assigned to Nashville from Biloxi INF/OF Isaac Collins was assigned to Nashville from Biloxi RHP Gus Varland was sent to Nashville from Wisconsin (rehab) OF Skye Bolt was placed on the Nashville 7-Day IL OF Tyler Naquin was placed on the Nashville 7-Day IL RHP Robert Stock was placed on the Development List by Nashville C Brent Diaz was placed on the Development List by Nashville OF Lamar Sparks was placed on the Biloxi 7-Day IL OF Joe Gray Jr. was assigned to Biloxi from Wisconsin RHP Joey Matulovich was released from Wisconsin RHP Edwin Jimenez was assigned to Wisconsin from Carolina OF Eduarqui Fernandez was assigned to Wisconsin from Carolina RHP Will Rudy was assigned to Carolina from ACL Brewers Blue OF Luis Lara was assigned to Carolina from the DSL Brewers 1 LHP Anfernny Reyes, C Edgardo Ordonez, RHP Cristofher Carrasco, and RHP Darling Solano were transferred stateside to Extended Spring Training Highlights from the Week that Was: In what is definitely proving to be a true breakout season, RHP Justin Jarvis is absolutely dealing in Biloxi. The Southern League is historically not an easy promotion - it proves quite tough on many a young hurler. But what Jarvis has accomplished in the early going is more than placing an emphatic exclamation point next to the question of: Why do we so often overlook this young man? Can he maintain these results? If he does, we have an entirely different conversation waiting to be had. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, in the system exploits pace-of-play like Jarvis with the new widespread implementation of the beloved pitch clocks: Is catcher Jeferson Quero finding his power stroke in Biloxi? I don't know - it's simply too early to tell. But he certainly found a bit of it last week versus the Mississippi Braves: Last season, INF Jadher Areinamo was a sort of darling in and amongst our Minor League enthusiasts. This season, INF Daniel Guillarte has been the one showing his chops above and beyond his peers: Final: Nashville 11, St. Paul (Twins) 5 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Run Away with Series Opener in St. Paul RHP Caleb Boushley was on the hill in St. Paul attempting to maintain the momentum of his past two outings. He did not disappoint as he left the game after the fifth frame and the Sounds leading 6-3. He ran into a small bit of trouble in the bottom of the fourth inning after a pair of doubles, but he escaped with the Sounds lead intact. All told, Boushley went 5 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 5 K. Manager Rick Sweet, and his teammates, will take that type of outing any night (or afternoon) of any week. Three Quick Strikes: 1) With a bevy of movement in and amongst the Sounds roster, there are going to be ample opportunities for newcomers INF Isaac Collins and RHP Ryan Middendorf. Speaking of Middendorf, he continued his boom-and-bust 2023 campaign. He entered the game in the seventh inning with the Sounds leading 7-3. He proceeded to hit a batter and walk a batter - baserunners continue to be an ongoing recurring menace in Middendorf's early 2023. He then struck out the next two batters - as he has done so many times this year and since joining the Brewers organization. And, with an opportunity to get out unscathed, he was simply unable to corral this seeing-eye liner up the middle: 2) INF/LF Keston Hiura continues to showcase his offensive prowess and innate gifts as the Sounds 2023 season rolls onward. Pitchers will clearly keep challenging him up above the zone (as they should given his history in recent seasons), but it is worth noting: his K rate is down here in 2023 and with an improved and tighter swing in nearly every facet there appears to be reason for more optimism. He is building back a worthy and notable resumé worthy of another MLB opportunity - whether with the Brewers or elsewhere. Take a look HERE as our very own @damuellechimed in during the game thread. Hiura finished his day 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K. He's been simply phenomenal for the Sounds this season. 3) As one of 1B Jon Singleton's biggest fans on this website, it doesn't leave him immune to constructive criticism. In 2023, Singleton's defense just hasn't been where it was in 2022 - for whatever reason(s) unknown to us. I've seen several botched grounders and/or bunts in the early going and other fielding misplays I am simply unaccustomed to seeing. I'm sure he'd admit the E3 catching error (ultimately leading to the fifth run crossing the dish) to lead off the ninth and final frame was one of the above-mentioned misplays he'd rather forget. He put LHP Alex Claudio in a tough position and, in general, it just showcased an odd lack of execution and focus. Hopefully, he can get back to the solid defense I've grown accustomed to with those trusty hands and underrated skills as the season progresses. Final: Biloxi 5, Montgomery (Devil Rays) 2 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: 16 Strikeouts, Five Unanswered Runs Pave Way to Shuckers Series-Opening Win LHP Brandon Knarr allowed two solo jacks in his first inning of work tonight. It gave me pause - it has been a rough beginning overall to his 2023 season. However, let's recognize how he bounced back from these solo shots: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 HR, 0 BB, 5 K. That will definitely play, Mr. Knarr. Let's build off this and get back to that fine form we witnessed all throughout the 2022 season. I mentioned Mejias' fantastic piggyback work above in the 'Game Balls', but it is worth acknowledging again: his shutdown performance paved the way for the comeback victory. He's been absolutely stellar for the majority of 2023 and tonight was no different. Three Quick Strikes: 1) OF Jackson Chourio continues to struggle with heat up and outside the zone and off-speed deliveries away. There's no getting past it, well, until he learns how to handle these offerings. This being said, he did execute a crucial infield single down the third base line in the pivotal two-run ninth inning rally. More importantly, perhaps, this knock came off an off-speed delivery. He was definitely fooled by the pitch, but he still managed to put a meaningful piece of lumber on the ball. Given his innate speed, it was all that was needed. He finished his night 1-for-5, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 SB. 2) Let's give a nod to RHP Cam Robinson. He took his re-assignment to Biloxi with aplomb as he struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth inning - emphatically shutting the door on any notions of a comeback from the talented Biscuits who are now somehow losers of six straight games after their 10-3 start to 2023. It's easy to forget, but it's worth noting: Robinson may have been scuffling in the International League, but he was fantastic for Shuckers manager Mike Guerrero after his promotion in 2022. Robinson's slider and curve looked quite a bit sharper tonight than they had at any time in 2023 pitching out of the Nashville bullpen. He'll still need to fine-tune his consistency and accuracy with the heater (and, honestly, all his offerings) but this was a wonderful start. Hopefully, he can keep building off this to find his way back up the organizational ladder as he cultivates and fine tunes his craft. 3) It was an O-for-4, 2 K, 0 BB night for OF Joe Gray Jr. in his Double-A debut. However, that only tells a part of his story. He also made an absolutely crucial outfield assist from the right field grass in the bottom of the eighth inning. With one down and the Shuckers clinging to a 3-2 lead, Gray Jr. fired an absolute one-bounce rope to Freddy Zamora at second base. It was a thing of beauty. Had Gray Jr. not made that beautiful throw and had Zamora not made the savvy catch and maintained the tag as the runner slid off the bag, the Shuckers could have been looking at a much different ninth inning scenario. It's plays like these that salvage rough or unlucky nights at the dish. Final: Peoria (Cardinals) 5, Wisconsin 4 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please visit and review: Rattlers Lead Slips Away in Loss to Chiefs RHP Joseph Hernandez suffered his worst outing of his young 2023 campaign - he just wasn't sharp in any facet. As was discussed briefly in our game thread (HERE), he may be encountering (and certainly will encounter) difficulties due to his different arm slots amongst his different deliveries. It's hard to tell - I haven't broken down the film to that degree nor do I have the time to do such a thing. What I can tell you is he definitely has different arm slots. With that, he suffers from varying levels of accuracy and success - do hitters take advantage of this? Time will tell. I would imagine coaching this is a dance as the young man clearly has a flare for the artistic on the mound - he often spins himself entirely in a circle after a pitch, for example - so the varying release points and arm slots may be something that gives him comfort and confidence. We'll simply have to see how this progress evolves or devolves as the 2023 carries on. Hernandez finished his evening after his shortest outing of the 2023 season: 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 ER. Three Quick Strikes: 1) Having claimed a 4-2 lead, the way the Timber Rattlers gave it back was a classic example of their ongoing losing season (caveat: it's early!). If the young men are going to turn it around, they really need to stop shooting themselves in the foot. With RHP Brannon Jordan on in relief - with two down and runners on the corners - C Darrien Miller simply cannot double pump and then egregiously misfire a short throw into the center field grass. He really needs to eat the ball and afford his relief pitcher the opportunity to shut it down. The bullpen is the strength of their team, and the young men need to recognize and embrace that. Tonight, and often, it's pretty much as simple as that. 2) RHP Edwin Jimenez will ultimately be credited with the loss tonight after conceding the losing run in his second inning of relief work. And, I would like to point out, it wasn't a poor pitch it was simply a better piece of hitting: Let's not lose the forest for the trees here: he was just as good tonight as he has been all year in Carolina. When all was said and done, beyond the brief series of events that led to the losing run crossing the plate, Jimenez was fantastic: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 ER, 4 K. Read more about his candidacy for 'Brewers Minor League Pitcher of the Month' HERE from our very own @Smichaelis9 (a truly expertly written offering as per usual), but, moreover, be aware this is a young man who is both approaching must watch status while he gets closer to his candidacy for the Rule 5 draft. 3) Errors and a failure to capitalize in key moments. This statement pretty much sums up the current state of the Timber Rattlers. By and large, the pitching has been very good - especially when the bullpen enters the picture. However, when you are scuffling overall, a 3-for-13 with RISP evening helps tell the tale. After losing the tie in the sixth frame, the T-Rats led off the seventh inning with two singles. They finished that potential rally with a strikeout swinging and a double play. They led off the eighth inning with a lead-off double. You get the point. They squandered their lead, yes, but they certainly had their opportunities. Who will ultimately step up in the T-Rats batters box to become the clutch bat they desperately need? I'll be tuning in to find out. Final: Carolina 9, Delmarva (Orioles) 7 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Wood Homers as Mudcats Outlast Shorebirds 9-7 RHP Jacob Misiorowski was once again brilliant through two innings pitched. And Misiorowski also again scuffled some in his final inning pitched - though, it is worth noting this was indeed his first opportunity to pitch into the third frame. All in all, Misiorowski left after 2 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 1 WP, 0 H, 2 ER, 3 K. The young hurler, simply put, remains must watch baseball television. I am here for every part of his journey. Three Quick Strikes: 1) It remains C Matthew Wood season in Carolina. He continues to deliver clutch XBH's while he maintains a steady presence behind the dish. This young man really plays a smooth brand of baseball - a steady play style that, IMHO, will most likely see its way to High-A before too long. We already know he had a very good month of April. A game-winning three-run home run in a tightly contested contest today is what we call 'getting it done': (Side note: the high walls in the Carolina League always surprise me. That looks like a two-story house for crying out loud) 2) I've seen the following situational play more than enough in every level of the Minor Leagues in the early 2023 season: I mentioned a comparable play above when describing how T-Rats C Darrien Miller airmailed a delivery into CF. With the new base running rules so vastly in favor of the runners, clearly coaching staffs across organizational baseball have a conundrum on their hands. Do they concede the free base every time runners stand on the corners? Well, having seen this fail significantly more than it has succeeded for defensive teams, it's clear they need to do something different. It's a bang-bang play, yes, but too many runs are crossing the dish and it places far too much on the catcher's arm. I would offer - either fake the throw out by throwing to the pitcher not the SS or 2B or simply do not throw that ball at all toward second base. Eat it, throw it to third base, what have you, but force the opposing team to hit the ball in play to advance the runner home. To me, this is just too easy and, the last I looked, runs do matter in baseball games. 3) INF Daniel Guilarte has now reached base safely in all 19 games he's played as a Mudcat. I don't know about you, but that's quite an achievement by my book. When we add 13 SB in 16 attempts, a very steady glove all across the infield dirt, and the fact he's a mere 19 years old I think it's fair to say: Guillarte is definitively one of the more exciting stories of the Brewers 2023 Minor League season. It's a long season, as we know, but we just might have a special talent growing up before our eyes here. I'll be tuning in regularly to see how the months ahead compare to what was already a fantastic April for the young and talented Venezuelan. Tune in early once again tomorrow as Biloxi and Wisconsin swap matinee places with Nashville and Carolina. We'll get another opportunity to see young and talented RHP Carlos Rodriguez in the early going for Biloxi (new pre-game audio interview with Carlos archived here). Additionally, in the evening, we'll get another opportunity to see what LHP Thomas Pannone has brought to the Nashville Sounds pitching staff as well as the Brewers organization in just his third outing of 2023. As always, thanks for reading and thank you 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

You can't really disagree on RHP Justin Jarvis here. He's been nothing short of fantastic since pitch one of 2023. The one thing I would say is missing in his write-up here (which is excellent, btw) is how he is absolutely exploiting the pitch clock to his advantage in 2023. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, in the system works faster than Jarvis. It's uncanny. Every outing I've watched to date, most pitches are leaving his hands with 12-13 seconds on the clock. This is literally giving hitters a mere 5-6 seconds to prepare for his offerings. It's really entertaining to watch and I'm sure his teammates love it. You have to be ready when you enter that batters box with Jarvis on the hill - you literally just don't have the time. BTW, RHP Edwin Jimenez is having a successful debut in High-A. He continues to showcase his mix. He was done in by a wild pitch and an excellent and patient 3-2 oppo line drive single (real nice piece of hitting) but has been just as good here as he was in Carolina. This will be a big boon for Ayrault's pitching staff. I would add here, as well, Jimenez also has developed a slider and it works even though it will be a work in progress (he grabbed a K using the slider tonight). He pairs it nicely with his already advanced curve. His change-up, tho, not oft-seen in his High-A debut has been particularly impactful vs Lefties (something we always love to see). I repeatedly said in 2022 (and I still say it from time-to-time): this is the closest thing to a young Mike Fiers we have in the system. He reminds me of Fiers so often. I was a big fan of his last year. Even with the inconsistencies you could see he had the toolkit. He just needed (and needs) to keep sharpening the tools. He's really a complete package if he can keep evolving and trending. I sincerely believe this.

Very fun read! Hopefully, we're getting these every month 😁 Luke Adams was definitely one of my proverbial guys coming up - there were reasons, reasons I say, he rounded out my Top 5 Undervalued heading into this season. He's absolutely solidified that in the early going. Uncanny patience high in the zone given his strength and power. Extremely athletic in all facets. He made two saves of RHP Edwin Jimenez errant throws to 1B last week that a man his size shouldn't be able to make - true web gem snags. He's a gazelle - incredibly agile and spry in addition to extremely fast. He appears to be one of those Unicorn types of baseball players. You could toss him in LF, 3B, or 1B and he's going to give you plus defense. This is one of the Brewers more tantalizing prospects across all levels. He truly is.

OF Blake Perkins has been optioned to the Nashville Sounds by the Milwaukee Brewers

It seemed pretty clear in the post-draft presser, Gutekunst was indicating the Packers are going to sign him to the 5th year. He admitted $20 Mil is a lot of money but he's their quarterback.

Doubly interesting, perhaps, is this image of metrics:

Yeah, it's hard to tell - he did only just return from a serious leg injury like a week or so before the regular season ended. He might have still been struggling with injury. BUT, the first round exits is literally what the Wild do. It just stinks.😂

Not to mention many many of these current UDFA's I've seen (mainly on Aaron Wilson's Twitter) are getting $175-260K guaranteed. There's no way the Pack are competing with that - and, perhaps that's why they coveted acquiring those late round draft picks? The highest I've seen the Pack dole out, so far, is $9K guaranteed.

RHP Trevor Megill (via Twins trade - PTBN) was assigned to the Nashville Sounds

We shall see. He is certainly going to have ample opportunity.

Yeah he's talked about that in interviews. Paraphrasing: "Yeah, I was all about that Kiffin offense." Should he stick, he seems a logical candidate to leave in FA and head to an NFC North rival.

Acme Packing Link w Clips and Write-ups UDFA Signings: WR Malik Heath (Priority UDFA - $9K signing bonus) WR Deuce Watts DL Jason Lewan S Christian Morgn S Benny Sapp III OT Kadeem Telfort OL Chuck Filiaga TE Camren McDonald TE Henry Pearson LB Brenton Cox Jr. LB Jimmy Phillips Jr. Edge Keshawn Banks Confirmed Rookie Minicamp Try Out/Attendee: P Shane McDonough

^^BUMP.

Coming from Fennell, this means quite a bit. He's been critical of Gutey picks in the past - last year he was critical of the overall talent on the roster. He does not mince words. He really likes the Packers draft to date.

I couldn't resist:

Uglem loves the Karl Brooks pick. And, I tend to really value Uglem's opinion as he just knows football: I'll defer to him here.