Joseph Zarr

Words can't express how happy I am for Mark. Extremely well-deserved. He's been so dang good for Nashville this year. That 2021 injury is way back in the rear view mirror.

Biloxi's game was cancelled due to ongoing COVID issues with the Montgomery Biscuits ball club, Wisconsin lost convincingly in Cedar Rapids, Nashville and Carolina each mounted late game-winning rallies to continue their recent runs of success. Let's get into the recaps! Transactions: (from 5/23) (RHP's) Miguel Sanchez and Trevor Kelley were both recalled from Nashville to the Milwaukee Brewers, (RHP) Dylan File was outrighted from Milwaukee to the Nashville Sounds (5/24) (INF/OF) Mark Mathias was selected from the Nashville Sounds (YES! Congratulations and well-deserved, Mark!) to the Milwaukee Brewers - *** Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Carolina 11 , Kannapolis (White Sox) 8 Box Score / Game Log Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please review: Comeback Cats Rally Back for 11-8 Victory - Hedbert Perez and Arbert Cipion Both Had Career Nights as the Mudcats Defeat Kannapolis 11-8 Before we get into the game tonight, let's honor the fine season of Zach Raabe and, especially, his past week of offensive output: Zach managed a 1-for-4 evening at the plate with an rbi and a walk to boot. His OPS continues to stay above 0.800. I bring this to your attention here, but, please see this and more in last week's affiliate recap by @Seth Stohs Here. This is always a great reframe for the week ahead. All eyes were on Fernando Olguin for his second start of his young season. Unfortunately, the young hurler struggled with control early and often and he left the game with his team facing an unfavorable deficit. However, these young Mudcats have shown quite a bit of resilience of late. Tonight was no different. Further Viewing Notes: Though three runs crossed the plate in the top of the first, only one was charged due to an atypical relay throwing error from defensive stalwart, Eduardo Garcia. Two runs crossed the plate on the gaffe after the sacrifice fly had already scored one. This being said, Fernando Olguin struggled early and often in his second start. Control was the biggest issue for the young hurler. He finished his outing going a mere three complete innings of six hit, five walk, three strike out, eight run (six earned) ball. With two more walks tonight, Hendry Mendez has reached base safely in fifteen straight games. What a run for the youngster! Kudos to Hedbert Perez and his epic bounce back day and his three-run jack to make it an 8-7 game in the bottom of the fifth. Perez ultimately finished 4 of 5 getting that batting average back to 0.200! Let's go for a quaint panoply of highlights to give you a taste of what we saw during the multi-inning Mudcats comeback: If I'm going to tout Hedbert, and rightfully so, let's also go the way of one of my early-2022 affiliate darlings: Arbert Cipion. He came to the plate in the same bottom-half of the fifth inning with runners on first and third (Jheremy Vargas and Chirinos, respectively) having hit three of three on the day. Arbert proceeded to hit an absolute laser shot 102 mph line-drive grounder headed for the un-occupied hole between first and second base. Unfortunately, this laser shot literally ricocheted off the bottom of the pitcher's foot directly into the glove at first base. And, so it goes. Regardless, Arbert finished his night 5 of 6 at the plate with an rbi in the lead-off spot. His OPS is now north of 0.800 at 0.812 on the season. What an early-going for the New Jersey native! Vargas made a heck of a stab on a hard-hit ground out to end the top half of the sixth inning with a runner on third and two down. He made the stab and throw look much easier than it was. The score was held at 8-7 and, at the time, it felt like a key play for a possible comeback. The Mudcats offense chipped away and grabbed the lead over several key middle innings but this game was 100% also about the Mudcats' bullpen. They finished six scoreless innings to secure the victory. Though bullpen stalwart Michele Vassalotti is credited with his third save, special mention and special note will go to Pablo Garabitos who grabbed his second win on the season. Pablo settled the entire Kannapolis momentum down with three stellar innings of two walk and six strike out ball just after Olguin had given up his eight runs. Without his poise, this may be a completely different result. *** Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes via their all-encompassing Virtual Press Box Final: Cedar Rapids(Twins) 13, Wisconsin 2 Box Score / Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please review: Rattlers Drop Decision at Cedar Rapids - Kernels Open Two Game Lead Over Wisconsin with Win Perhaps there isn't all that much positive to glean from a 13-2 butt-whooping. We saw third baseman Ashton McGee pitch the eighth inning, after all. BUT, I should point out, as a rule we trend toward the positive here in our Minor League reports. This being said, I definitely point out things as I see them - I watch the games after all. Nothing I say here is a routine or casual glance of a box score unless otherwise noted. It is informed by viewings - day after day, week after week. Take that with a grain of salt, most definitely. Or, take it as a nice bit of informed perspective - truthful but sprinkled with positivity. To that end, Ryne Moore had a fantastic first inning. He really did. It was night and day better from his start, at home, versus South Bend in his High-A debut. And, well, things got away from him shortly thereafter. There's nothing more to say, really. Let's simply get into the viewing notes below and, frankly, get on to game number 2 tomorrow ?. Further Viewing Notes: Joe Gray Jr. showed his continued improvement and improved approach at the plate. Case and point: Joe's ground out to end the first inning was a beautifully hit ball. It was reminiscent of the many outs Pablo Reyes was unfortunate to receive in Nashville before his ongoing break-out. The shift was simply in the right place. And, yet, it was by no means an easy out. Stay thirsty, Joe. Those hits will keep coming. He did grab a single later in the contest. Catcher Darrien Miller saw his 42nd, 43rd, and 44th stolen base runner reach safely in the early going. The first stolen base, mind you, opened a three run outburst as it could have (and, perhaps, should have) been a strike out throw them out inning ending double play. That absolutely would have helped the young Ryne Moore. On the 2022 season, Darrien has only thrown out 10.2 % of base runners trying for a steal. That's not a typo: 44 of 49 successful attempts. What will Darrien do when the strike zone is automatic? There is an abundance of growth and opportunity here and, frankly, there is no sugarcoating this: this is a concerning statistic for a catcher. Over his minor league career, including 2022, Darrien has only thrown out 14.86% of base runners. Wes Clarke continued his understated but extremely effective 2022 season with two doubles tonight (five on the season). He continues to be a fun prospect to watch on a nightly basis. Carlos Rodriguez continued his recent surge going 2 of 4 on the evening including his eighth double on the year to knock in Wes Clarke. Ryne Moore started strong but had a rough cumulative three innings pitched: eight hits, seven earned runs, two walks, two strikeouts. Long gone are the early days of 2022 at Low-A Carolina. Here's hoping Ryne can find a new version of himself in High-A. We're rooting for you, Ryne! *** Biloxi - Montgomery - COVID Postponed ? *** Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Nashville 6, Toledo Mud Hens(Tigers) 4 Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Take Series Opener in Extras at Toledo - Nashville Scores 3 Runs in the 11th for a 6-4 Victory Over the Mud Hens Nashville managed to boot Toledo Starter Matt Manning in the top of the second after Weston Wilson drew a four pitch walk to load the bases. Manning wouldn't have pitched long regardless but the plan wasn't to see him leave in the second inning. The Mud Hens brought Logan Shore to the mound and he retired Jonny Davis on a fastball looking over the heart of the plate. It was Jonny's second punch out in the early going and, well, he didn't manage to take the bat off his shoulders with the bases full. The Sounds tied the game in the top half of the second inning. Mario Feliciano extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single up the middle, and Tyler White managed to knock Pablo Reyes home on a single after Reyes had walked and stolen second base. Ethan Small 'settled down' after a two hit one run first managing two harmless ground outs to second base after a weak pop-up to Reyes on one of Small's patented 78 mph change ups in the second. If you don't watch Small's change-up on a regular basis, it would catch you by surprise like most hitters. It is uncannily effective. Personally, I can't wait to see it with the Brew Crew bullpen. Further Viewing Notes: After leaving the bases juiced with two down in inning number two, the Sounds left runners on first and second with two down in inning number three. Jonny Davis struck out to end the second while David Dahl fought a pitch up and out of the zone but popped out along the third base line in foul territory with Reyes and Almonte leaving on the pitch. The second Nashville run in the top of the fourth was vintage 2022 Nashville Sounds baseball. Taking advantage of a key error on a possible double play ball, Brice Turang fought off 3-4 tough strike-two pitches and ultimately hit a solid fly ball for the Sacrifice to left field. It was 2-1 Sounds Let's just take a real quick sneak peak at the continued effective and dominating work Ethan Small: Reyes continued his scorching hot run of late. Tonight's 4 of 5 outing (3 rbi's, solo home run, 2 runs) simply builds off his recent work back in Nashville. I've said it before. I'll say it again: with the way he was making contact it was a matter of time. I am extremely happy for Reyes as he was one of my favorite late-season call-ups of 2021. Between Mark Mathias, Reyes, and Turang...the Brewers are in extremely good hands. What a luxury. Back to Reyes: during his current seven-game hitting streak, he is batting .567 (17-for-30) with nine runs, four doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI. He has had four hits in two of his last three games. The word is 'sizzling'. It isn't just Reyes heating up, however. In Nashville in 2022 it seems every other week a batter or two are getting scorching hot. Mario Feliciano has an eight game hitting streak. Eat your heart out, Pablo! During Feliciano's streak, he is batting .516 (16-for-31) with four runs, a double, three RBI and three walks. He also has two four-hit games during the streak. Sheesh! We'd love to see some more slugging peripherals but it's hard to complain with that type of production. To boot, he looked fantastic and spry behind the plate tonight. Jon Singleton has an 0.875 OPS on a pedestrian batting average of 0.221. A significant reason behind the low average is his ongoing 2022 struggles against left-handed pitching. Hitting 0.148 against said lefties on the season coming into tonight's game, Singleton struck out looking with two down and the bases juiced in the top of the fourth inning facing (LHP) Sam Howard (no relation to Ron, I checked. If he is related, I didn't look hard enough.?) Ultimately, Singleton went 1-6 on the evening with four strikeouts and a run scored. A basic "I watch the Sounds on a regular basis..." comment: It's really hard not to absolutely appreciate Turnag's constant steady defense and accurate arm. He simply does not make many mistakes. Inning four was a prime example as he expertly made two outs to end the inning fielding a tricky ground out with absolute ease then throwing a cannon to nail the runner by several feet at first. This is a 22-year-old MLB baseball player. It is a matter of time. I can tell you: the Brewers know this. (We'll ignore the hiccup botched grounder with one down in the bottom of the ninth, Brice. Even though it loaded the bases, it didn't result in a run!) Hobie Harris had a rare outing where he struggled with control. Three free passes is not something we see all too often in 2022. Thankfully, he had the adept Matt Hardy to help pick him up allowing only the one tying run with the bases full and only one out. Both ninth inning runs, ultimately, were charged to Harris. Speaking of Hardy, what a job to get out of the extremely tricky predicament in the bottom of the ninth. Without his two crucial punch outs to end the inning, who knows what would have come of a single ball in play. A scoreless tenth, to boot, gets him an extra special nod. Incredible work from Hardy who was promoted swiftly from Double-A Biloxi and was thrown to the wolves in just his third outing with the Sounds. *** That's a wrap for my 'Minor League Monday' report. Unfortunately, with a couple away games on the books I didn't get an opportunity for all too many highlights. We'll have to stay tuned for what happens with Biloxi and Montgomery - rumor has it there were COVID issues for Montgomery in their last series as well. Please, keep in mind Nashville has a very early start tomorrow at 11:05 EST when Jason Alexander takes the hill. Wisconsin, as well, will tip off a matinee at 1:05 EST as Justin Jarvis looks to build of his recent outing of dominating 10k ball. 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

It's interesting timing for sure. Will be interesting overall to see how it plays out here. This is obviously a big injury for the Big Club.

Counsell spoke to this last night in a sit down with Adam McCalvy and Sophia Minnaert. The current thinking, at least according to Counsell, is they will now use Ashby as a Fifth Starter. He spoke to, and was obviously aware, this takes him out of his current highly effective bullpen long innings guy. For your reference:

It is very safe to say: South Bend wants Kelly in Double-A today. LOL. That's two absolutely dominating performances in the series.

It is very safe to say: South Bend wants Kelly in Double-A today. LOL. That's two absolutely dominating performances in the series.

The Biloxi Shuckers could not overcome Noah Zavolas' continued struggles since his 2022 return and, ultimately, fell to the Mississippi Braves. Elsewhere in the system, Wisconsin batters found their strokes and supported the ever-dominant Brandon Knarr who continues his lights out 2022 campaign. The Carolina 'Micro Brews' managed to hold on to their slim lead after an extensive weather delay pulling out a 2-1 victory, and Nashville was shut down by inconsolable and fickle weather after taking a 7-0 lead into the third inning. Let's get into the Recaps! Transactions: None *** Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Carolina 2, Down East (Rangers) 1 Box Score / Game Log Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please review: Mendez Leads Mudcats to Fourth Straight Win - The Mudcats Won Their Fourth Straight While Also Clinching Their Third Series Victory Over the Wood Ducks Stiven Cruz took the hill for his second start since his ACL call-up. He worked his way through his first real test during his brief time in Low-A: in the second inning Cruz walked two batters while giving up a single to load the bases. Ever the gamer, however, he induced two harmless infield pop-ups to escape the jam. Cruz remains un-scored upon through seven complete innings pitched, with 11 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.00. Two early two-out runs in innings two and three were the difference for the 'Micro Brews' on the evening as they held through the rain delay and the game's finish. For the second evening in a row Hendry Mendez stole the post-game headline. Further Viewing Notes: Rain delay you say? Yes, I do: This just in, in case you were unaware, the second youngest player in Low-A, Hendry Mendez , loves hitting opposite field anything: Let's embellish the highlight: Hendry has now reached base safely in 13 consecutive outings with this opposite field single. That's what we call 'tough stuff' when we dig deep for clichés. I'm going to keep chiming away on this until proven otherwise: Jackson Chourio is built different. It's hard to describe what I see on a nightly basis but this highlight gives a brief glimpse. Ever un-fazed no matter the count, he is always a possible base-runner or a potential run-across in Low-A. This near home run was his ninth double in only 61 at bats: Ok. Let's wrap-up these above past few comments with a bit more provocation: Can we talk about the two youngest players in the Low-A Carolina league - Chourio and Mendez - continuing to shine and play tantalizing baseball? This should definitively not be overlooked. Chourio, in particular, was recently moved to number three on the updated Brewers 'Baseball America' Top 30 prospects. He's 18 years old, folks. This is exciting. Mendez is following suit and playing extremely good ball as of late. And, hey, I didn't even mention Eduardo Garcia . That's discipline. Jakob Brustoski continued his recent string of effective bullpen work. After an extremely rough April where Jakob struggled to find the zone consistently, he's bounced back admirably in May with 6 2/3 innings pitched: four hits, three runs, two hit batters, three walks, 12 punch outs. After tonight's unblemished innings, he's seen his ERA drop from 21.94 to 13.94 pitching to a very workable 4.05 ERA in all of May. Things are looking up! Speaking of bullpen work: let's recognize the sum total of Pablo Garabitos, Brustoski, Trevor Tietz, and Brannon Jordan. The young men pitched a total of five complete innings of one run, two hit, five strikeout ball. The lone run came on a solo shot off Jordan in the final two innings. He got his first save of the season on two innings of effective work - closing the game on a punch out with high heat after a couple very effective breaking balls. Garabitos grabs the win with his sole fifth inning of one hit, one strikeout ball. *** Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes via their all-encompassing Virtual Press Box Final: Wisconsin 9, South Bend (Cubs) 2 Box Score / Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please review: Rattler Club Cubs 9-2 - Knarr Pitches Six Scoreless for Sixth Win as Offense Cracks 14 Hits It was an absolutely beautiful game in Appleton Wisconsin and the Timber Rattlers showed up with hits aplenty to back another stellar outing from Ace, Brandon Knarr . They managed this all while appeasing the season high attendance north of 4,000 total fans. What a showing! Hits were sprinkled all about the ballpark, stellar defense was played and Knarr was dealing. It was nice to see the bats heat up as they had been relatively held in check over the last two games. Let's take a look at my viewing notes and the plethora of awesome home game post-game materials that will give you a good look at what went down at the home ballpark. Game Viewing Notes: More insight on what is now routine stellar defense. A run was saved early by Ethan Murray at short stop: Zavier Warren is the Felix Valerio of High-A Wisconsin. He shows an equally disciplined approach at the plate and he plays stellar defense at the hot corner just as Valerio does the same at second base for Biloxi (and, now, occasionally left field as well). A perfect example of this was the home run blast in the bottom of the eighth (his second on the season) followed by an absolutely incredible stop and throw-out from third base to end the game. Check out this stab starting 2:06 on the Full Game highlight reel: How good has Knarr been in 2022? Firstly, after today's scoreless six-inning outing he lowered his ERA to 1.17, moved his strikeout total to 55, and saw his scoreless streak extended to 13 1/3 innings. Not shabby. But, let's look at his last 5 outings: he has allowed a mere two runs over 30 innings. Four of those starts have been scoreless outings. Can you say: Promotion? Check out the post-game Soundcloud pod for further thoughts on and from Knarr, Wes Clarke and Tyler Clarke : Post-Game Pod Here Keep in mind, Knarr relinquished a hit every inning today. BUT, he limited all damage. They were singles. He dominated out of the stretch - including a pick-off. He buckled down, in concert with his infield, and kept a very active base-running team in South Bend very much in check. He's just flat out been excellent all season long. He's essentially a couple flukes away from an 8-0 start to the season. That's just incredible stuff. It was nice to see Tyler Black get back on track with a three hit game. Having started the series a mere 1 of 14, he finished his evening with three hits in five trips and started his game three for three. Wes Clarke had another vintage 2022 Wes Clarke day. His average just doesn't tell the story of his solid season and the OPS of 0.737 backs that up. He knocked in two RBI's in consecutive innings early and earned two walks as well on the day. Every Timber Rattler grabbed a hit today except Darrien Miller. Every Timber Rattler reached base today including Darrien Miller. This was an offensive outburst shared by everyone in the line-up. A tip of the cap to Zach Mort who closed the game with three innings complete of two-run ball (all in the ninth inning) preserving the elite back-end tandem of Hasler and Robinson for the series finale on Sunday. Let's see what Antoine Kelly can do his second time working the South Bend line-up on Sunday. Perhaps, just maybe, the true highlight of the game was Tim Dillard's work on the mound and with the famed 'Bratzooka': Black stole three bases in today's game. He has eight total on the season now and the Timber Rattlers now have 7 of the 25 top base stealers in the Midwest League. Black also took the field in center field today. This was Tyler's first action in the outfield since high school. Is this noteworthy? Probably not. But, it is a classic Brewers maneuver. *** Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes via the Shuckers' Virtual Press Box Final: Mississippi (Braves) 5, Biloxi 4 Box Score / Game Log Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please review: Late Rally by Shuckers Not Enough in 5-4 Defeat - OF Joey WIemer Falls Triple Shy of Cycle Noah Zavolas features a five-pitch mix as a young pitcher: a fastball, change-up, curveball, slider, and cutter. There's lots to pick from in his pitching bag and he showed the possible prowess of this mix in 2021 with 121 often remarkable innings pitched. Even with five pitches, however, you can not hang off-speed offerings directly over the plate - especially to very good baseball players. Noah did so on pitch number two to Braves number one prospect, Michael Harris II, and he saw the delivering absolutely crushed to dead center field off the high wall. Believe me when I say this: Michael Harris II is an extremely talented baseball player. He's balled out in every game I've seen the Shuckers play the Braves in 2022. The score was still 2-1 Shuckers after Biloxi managed to plate two in the top-half of inning number one on a bevy of two-out singles. Noah struggled to find his footing in this outing. BUT, ever the optimist, I am going to celebrate the footing Noah did find. After conceding 5 runs after two innings, Zavolas hunkered down and found some flow. Given his 2021 performance, I'm going to chalk these rough early outings to 'working the kinks out'. There's too much there and this is merely outing number two coming off a mysterious delay to his season's beginning. Here's to better game's ahead! Further Viewing Notes: Things looked good early as the Shuckers were scoring runners with two down on the aforementioned 'bevy of singles'. Tristen Lutz stayed hot and helped knock a run across: Terence Doston saw his first ever action in Double-A. He is a smaller stature athlete who passed up an opportunity to play football at West Virginia before opting for the Minor Leagues as a Brewers 22nd round draft pick in 2019. Tonight, he played left field and smoothly collected two fly-ball outs in the first inning to get his evening started. As a random 'hunch', I would gather the organization wants to expose Dotson to Yeison Coca who, also a smaller statured athlete, has put on an impactful amount of weight over his early seasons and it shows in Coca's physical growth. After a first at-bat strikeout, where Terence looked overmatched, Doston recovered and made nice contact on two line drive outs to the Braves' shortstop in addition to an extremely well hit out to right field. Unfortunately, in the game of baseball it isn't how you hit it but, rather, where you hit it. Dotson fared well tonight and he should hold his head high. Nothing would describe the current stretch of inconsistent Shuckers baseball more than the failed pick-off and pickle in the bottom of inning number two. Thomas Dillard did his part by throwing a ball too high to Cam Devanney who barely made the leaping snare just off second base. Devanney then rushed his throw to first, hit the base runner on the helmet, and the ball trickled past the first base bag and the runner was safe. These are the types of defensive miscues seemingly happening on a regular basis for Biloxi in 2022. This was a key gaffe as there were no outs at the time, Zavolas was struggling, and the runner then left on the ensuing 3-2 count and grabbed third base on another well-hit ball to center field. The Shuckers remain a Southern League leader in errors. This sequence was indicative of that stat. I've now seen two Shuckers pitchers charged balls for pitch clock violations in two consecutive games. Last night Arnaldo Hernandez was charged a ball on a 1-2 count with the bases loaded before a bases-clearing double to the wall in right field that turned the tide of the entire game. In today's game, with runners on second and third base in a rough second inning, Zavolas was charged with a pitch-clock violation. Thankfully, he escaped unscathed inducing a sharply hit ground ball for the inning-ending double play. BUT, it is worth pointing out: the pitch clock changes the game in pressure situations. A pitcher can see a favorable count ruined in a matter of mere seconds. The struggle with RISP reared its head in inning number three for even the hottest of Shuckers hitters. With Joey Wiemer on second base after a wonderful stretch of a single into a hard-earned double, and the ever-walkable Thomas Dillard on first base (his pitch-recognition and patience appears to be Dillard's best attribute - 27 walks on the season) on first, both Jakson Reetz and Tristan Lutz struck out and stranded the runners on the base paths. It remained 5-2 Braves heading to the bottom half off the third. The Shuckers finished 3 for 12 on the evening with RISP. He may have thrown a scoreless inning on Tuesday in Mississippi (and, a big hooray for that and a wish for many more scoreless innings ahead!) but Lucas Erceg led off his outing in the bottom of the seventh as he has done many times in 2022: he gave up a hard hit double. Admittedly, I was a wee concerned he might see another run away inning. Erceg's 2022 scouting report might read: "High velocity but pitches to contact." Let's get to the goods: Lucas got out of the seventh and eighth inning unscathed. All in all, this was a very successful outing for the recently transitioned hurler and one we should hope he builds on. He even struck out the absolutely dangerous Michael Harris II after walking the number nine hitter. That's a win! All told, two innings of scoreless one hit, one walk, and one strikeout ball for Erceg tonight. Wiemer was a triple shy of the cycle on the evening. He absolutely crushed a home run to deep left field. He literally swings and hits the ball different than most other players at the ballpark. The home run ball was hit harder and further than any ball the entire evening and it wasn't even close - this included the home run hit to straight away center field by Michael Harris II in the first inning. Let's all take our long overdue Wiemer 'Moment of Zen': The Shuckers almost had the tying-run across. But, well, this isn't really going to get it done Felix?: Speaking of Felix, he may be in a mini slump at the plate but he continues to play incredible defense. Erceg can tip his cap to Valerio's incredible diving stop at second base in the center field grass, improbable turn and throw to nail the runner by a fraction at first, all while saving a sure run from scoring. The Shuckers still have an opportunity to split the six-game away series with a win tomorrow. Here's hoping! *** Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Nashville 7, Louisville (Reds) 0 - POSTPONED in THIRD INNING (Booooooo!) Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds and Bats Suspended at First Horizon Park - Game to be Resumed at 1:05 Sunday Things were looking rosy early. And, then the weather rolled in. See my brief notes below. Of note, unheralded but steady Abraham Almonte was having a game - just another thriving Nasvhville Sounds late 2021 free agent signing. It is truly difficult to understand how immaculately the Brewers organization has hit on Minor League free agents in late 2021. They are answering the proverbial bell up and down the Nasvhille roster. Abbreviated Game Notes: Josh Lindbolm faced the minimum number of batters through three innings. I'm calling this an imperfect perfect game - he did concede one hit after all. Create a new stat column, please. I have spoken. The Sounds managed seven runs in only 2 complete innings. Abraham Almonte's three-run home run to left field played a big part: Prior to this three-run jack, however, Almonte also had his say in the first inning knocking in the game's first run on a single up the middle: A tip of the proverbial cap is due for Pablo Reyes. He is finally seeing his weeks of solid contact rewarding him with hits in the stat column. He's made good contact regularly and now he is finding results. I'm rooting for you, Pablo! *** That's a wrap for my Saturday fill-in Minor League report. Please stay tuned early tomorrow as we have matinee tilts abound for all our beloved teams. Nashville will lead things off as they pick-up and conclude today's weather-postponed outing for game number one. They'll have the unexpected double header following immediately after a 30 minute 'rest'. As always, thanks for reading and thank you for supporting our Minor League players! 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

The look-see on the fine work of Justin Jarvis. What an outing!

The look-see on the fine work of Justin Jarvis. What an outing!

Good looking stuff from Alexander Cornielle last night. Great to see this!

Good looking stuff from Alexander Cornielle last night. Great to see this!

They call him 'The Delivery Man'. He asked, you answered, he delivered yet again. Thanks for the efforts @Brock Beauchamp! Noted.

That was a tough end to what was a hard-fought evening across all Affiliates. The ball won't always bounce your way in the close contests, obviously, and that was the rare evening when our teams didn't manage to pull it out late. On to the next. Biloxi can apparently add bullpen struggles to their suddenly growing list of ailments. Here's hoping they can turn it around and find that steady flow state. A two-game blip does not a season make, but, they keep flirting with the 'wrong' side of 0.500 and these Away series are doing them no favors of late.

That was a tough end to what was a hard-fought evening across all Affiliates. The ball won't always bounce your way in the close contests, obviously, and that was the rare evening when our teams didn't manage to pull it out late. On to the next. Biloxi can apparently add bullpen struggles to their suddenly growing list of ailments. Here's hoping they can turn it around and find that steady flow state. A two-game blip does not a season make, but, they keep flirting with the 'wrong' side of 0.500 and these Away series are doing them no favors of late.

Good stuff here! Manager Victor Estevez touches on improved plate discipline. And, he touches on the improved results for Ferrer, my early season Low-A 'darling' Arbert Cipion, and the recently discussed (above) Karlos Morales. Morales has seen his velo jump from high 80's top out to easily grabbing 93's. This is a big development as he is lethal against Lefty bats.

Good stuff here! Manager Victor Estevez touches on improved plate discipline. And, he touches on the improved results for Ferrer, my early season Low-A 'darling' Arbert Cipion, and the recently discussed (above) Karlos Morales. Morales has seen his velo jump from high 80's top out to easily grabbing 93's. This is a big development as he is lethal against Lefty bats.

All I could think of with your title was the old SNL bit. Love the message here. I'm definitely pulling for Hiura even if his fit feels mysterious. If his bat plays, he plays. What a moment today in the eleventh.

All I could think of with your title was the old SNL bit. Love the message here. I'm definitely pulling for Hiura even if his fit feels mysterious. If his bat plays, he plays. What a moment today in the eleventh.

Ethan Small was scratched from his start late due to ongoing Nashville clubhouse non-COVID related sicknesses. Thomas Jankins took the challenging role of the spot-start. Meanwhile, Andy Otero got his first relief work at Triple-A while Fernando Olguin got his first starting work at Low-A Carolina. Wisconsin played a sleeper for their matinee as Ryne Moore struggled in his first start since his promotion. And Biloxi, unfortunately, did their blown lead thing and failing to find that hit thing with runners on. Let's get into the recap! Transactions: Milwaukee recalled (INF) Keston Hiura from Nashville AND, what a move it was: Crack a beer. That's the good stuff. *** Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Carolina 8, Down East (Rangers) 1 Box Score / Game Log Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please review: Olguin Goes 5.0 Scoreless in 8-1 Carolina Victory - Arbert Cipion and Alberis Ferrer Combined for Two Home Runs, a Triple, and Four RBI in the Home Win LISTEN: Post-Game Interview with Mudcats Manager Victor Estevez If this is the continued results from ACL Brewers call-ups, let's keep them coming. These early returns certainly have me pining for the start of the ACL season June 6th. Notably absent, for his second game in a row, Eduardo Garcia stayed on the shelf. I listened for any updates on his status or condition but for the second consecutive game there was nothing to be heard. We'll have to keep our eyes peeled for any news. I tuned in early to catch the first work of Fernando Olguin. Here are my thoughts on the game. Viewing Notes: After a clean top of the first inning for Olguin, Arbert Cipion opened the bottom half with a leadoff home run over the wall in left field. Not a bad way to start a game! Arbert, who I've mentioned before in reports, continues to have a comeback season in 2022. He finished the game three of four from the lead-off spot and improved his OPS to .771 on the season. Jesus Chirinos entered tonight's game with a 12-game on-base streak. He finished the evening 0 for 3 but did manage to get on base with a base on balls. That's now 13 straight for Jesus. Let's keep it going! Alberis Ferrer hit his first triple of his 2022 season knocking in his 16th RBI with two down in the bottom of the second on a blast deep to wall in center right field. Jheremy Vargas had walked and stolen two bags and scored easily from third, running on contact. We have now seen two straight scoreless opening pitching performances from the ACL Brewers call-ups. Stiven Perez had three remarkable opening innings in his recent inaugural start, and now we can add a highly effective outing from recently promoted Mexican national Fernando Olguin. Olguin completed five full innings of two hit ball with one strikeout and zero walks. The most remarkable thing from these youngsters of late is the control. It isn't easy to hop up a level, especially ACL to Low-A, and avoid the free passes entirely. These youngsters are clearly not afraid of the moment. You love to see it. As touched on above, Alberis Ferrer played a key role in this game. In addition to the RBI triple, Alberis knocked in two on a home run over the wall in left field. It was his best game of late and with Eduardo Garcia still on the sidelines the Mudcats are going to need this kind of production. Let's watch the blast to left field in the seventh extending the lead to 6-0 for Carolina: Of final note in tonight's Carolina victory is the continued impressive bullpen work of Karlos Morales. After two more scoreless innings tonight (zero hits, one walk, and four strikeouts), Karlos has improved his overall season totals to 18 2/3 innings pitched, six earned runs, 26 strikeouts, nine walks, two hit batters, with a 1.18 WHIP. Batters in Low-A are currently hitting a mere .186 when he takes the mound. *** Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes via their all-encompassing Virtual Press Box Final: South Bend (Cubs) 8, Wisconsin 2 Box Score / Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please review: South Bend Evens Series - Rattlers Held to Two Hits in 8-2 Loss to Cubs Please listen in to the post-game audio podcast here (this will touch on Antoine Kelly's start as well). I want to again encourage you to partake in these media feasts during the Timber Rattler home series in 2022. Chris and Kyle and, really, the Timber Rattlers as a whole, do such a fantastic job feeding our insatiable appetites for High-A coverage. Incredible output deserving of recognition and appreciation. On to the game at hand... Ryne Moore faced some adversity right off the bat to start inning one versus South Bend. Zavier Warren made a nice diving stop at the hot corner, but he rushed his throw and sent the ball down the first base line into foul territory. With a lead-off man suddenly on second and none down, Ryne saw batter number two square up to bunt. Ryne read the slightly popped-up bunt perfectly and made an incredible diving catch while also getting to his feet and managing to pick-off the runner on second for the double play. With two down, Moore induced a groundout to McGee past first base on one more pitch to close the inning. It was three-up and three-down on four pitches. Unconventional, yes. But, a heck of a way to debut at High-A. Inning two was not as kind as Ryne faced quite a bit of pressure and ultimately gave up four runs including the final two on a seeing-eye bloop single that fell between Tyler Black and Tristan Peters in shallow right field. This just in: promotions are often quite challenging. Here's to better innings and games in High-A, Ryne. Further Viewing Notes: Base runners continue to find ways to run on the T-Rats. In inning number two alone, South Bend swiped three fairly easy bases. Wes Clarke was behind the plate today and it seemed runners were jumping early on Ryne and it isn't really as though Wes had legitimate chances to throw anyone out. Grabbing another steal in the fifth inning, the Cubs, a team that came in with a mere 19 stolen bases on the season, had four steals entering the sixth. While Moore struggled to find his High-A footing, Daniel Palencia was cruising: six up and six down with three punch outs through two complete innings for South Bend. Back to Moore: he continues struggling with hit batters in 2022. After hitting seven batters in 35 innings pitched while with High-A Carolina, Ryne hit his first batter in the third inning plunking South Bend DH and cleanup hitter, Jake Washer, in the hip. He proceeded to hit two more batters in the fourth inning but let's be honest: the lead-off plunked batter in the fourth was about as ridiculous as it gets. Cubs third baseman Jake Slaughter clearly stuck his elbow directly over the plate and into the path of the in-breaking pitch. In a distant dugout, it is rumored fans could hear the cacophonous and maniacal laughter of Wilson Contreras. While Wisconsin had zero offensive output by the fifth inning, the Cubs had lead-off runners aboard in four of their first five. Miguel Guerrero walked his first batter to open inning five. It was that kind of game for the Rattlers. Things weren't going smoothly for the T-Rats into the fifth but they still provided glimpses of the defense that has carried them most of their season. With four double plays after five, two of these were from extremely savvy sacrifice fly throw-outs of overzealous runners at second base. We saw a 7-5-4 and a 7-6-4 fly out throw them out and, let me tell you, the school kids loved these plays. Back to Guerrero, his 1-2-3 sixth inning of work (including a strikeout on a very nice hooking breaking pitch) was his best inning I've seen in his season to date. Let's hope he can find that High-A footing and see continued success! In total, Miguel went three complete innings of one earned run ball with one hit, one walk, and one strike out. Brady Schanuel achieved the rare four strikeout inning after his third strike found its way through Wes Clarke's legs - the pitch sunk hard and below Clarke's catcher's mitt and to the back stop. Not to be deterred, Brady proceeded to strike out right fielder - and top ten Cubs prospect - lefty Owen Caissie, to close the inning. A really fine inning of work from Brady; these are the kinds of outings you want a young hurler to build on. However, inning number two did not fare as well as Brady loaded the bases twice. He left having conceded only one earned run. Tyler Gillies took the hill to close the inning, limiting further damage, on a fly out to the deep left field warning track. The Timber Rattlers went down in-order in eight of nine innings and were out hit nine to two. That's certainly not going to win many ballgames. Be that as it may, let's look at the very mini rally we had with Tyler Black and Tristan Peters aboard Complete game highlights here: *** Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes via the Shuckers' Virtual Press Box Final: Mississippi (Braves) 6, Biloxi 4 Box Score / Game Log Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please review: Four Run Seventh Inning Sinks Shuckers 6-4 - C Jakson Reetz Homers Again in Loss One of the issues plaguing Biloxi in their middle-of-the-road season to date is a lack of consistency. They've squandered leads in many a game and tonight was no different. This evening, it was a quick meltdown single inning from Carlos Luna who, until that point, had been relatively dynamite through two late innings of relief. Couple that with a failed rally in the eighth - down two at the time with two runners aboard and zero outs - the old 2022 arch nemesis for the Shuckers reared his head: RISP. They finished the evening 2 of 13 with runners on. And, as such, they lost the lead late and a chance at victory. Let's hope they can find some semblance of more consistent and effective baseball moving forward. As fans, it's all we can and should do. This is a series they certainly can take from Mississippi, if they just find a little more of that special something that puts 'W's in the standings. Further Viewing Notes: Oh, hey! Felix Valerio has an eleven-game hitting streak. Do not sleep on this young man. He is a savvy, savvy batsman: Thomas Dillard showcased his improved plate work of late with a key double to take the lead in the top of the same third inning knocking home Felix: Jakson Reetz and Brent Diaz just continue their season filled with timely and key hits. Both young catchers came into 2022, it almost seemed, afterthoughts in the scope of the lower levels' conversations. But, if anything is clear early in 2022, it's the notion we should not overlook the play of these two young men. Jakson hit his eighth home run on the season, and his fourth in five games, to give the Shuckers a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Diaz, additionally, finished his evening two of four with an RBI. Closing the Double-A catching loop: I personally think Jakson Reetz is one of the more unheralded and under-the-radar new members of the Brewers system. Perhaps, it's because he is another one of the many impactful Minor League free agents the Brewers managed to ink in late 2021. Perhaps it's because the Shucker pitching staff as a whole hasn't been all that consistent. Perhaps it's because the Shuckers are hovering around a .500 record. But, let's not forget: Jakson is still only 26 years old. He has a body ready-made for catching. He has an arm. And, well, he's having the best early season of his Minor League career at the plate. What his season will ultimately become overall is anyone's guess at present, but, I suggest in the very least keeping an eye on the box score to see how he fares moving forward. I celebrated the Joey Wiemer recent walk parade with two free passes taken last night. Well, unfortunately, it was back to some Joey Wiemer strikeouts tonight. He was 0 of 5 overall with four punch outs. Given Joey's production of late and throughout 2022, we'll give him tonight as a mulligan. And, given what Joey provides in the outfield, we know he's always dangerous regardless of his typical offensive output. He throws runners out with the best of them but he has underrated range: Carlos Luna had a fourth inning of relief work he'd definitely like back. Entering said fourth inning of work - off of three scoreless, two hit, two walk, five strikeout ball - Luna allowed the following: lead off double, another double, single to right field, and another double for good measure. Toss in a Cam Devanney throwing error and it was suddenly 5-4 Mississippi with none down and the dangerous Michael Harris II on third base. Harris would score on a Robbie Hitt wild pitch and it was 6-4. Just like that the 4-2 lead vanished as did a chance at back-to-back victories. With runners on first and second and nobody down in the top of the eighth, as I alluded to above, the Shuckers reverted to their struggles with RISP. Brent Diaz advanced Lutz and Devanney (both reached by walk) on a fly to right field, There were runners on second and third base. However, Yeison Coca flew out to shallow center where Michael Harris II made a sensational diving catch and the runners stayed put (I still don't quite know why Lutz didn't tag) and Gabe Holt followed with a weakly hit pop out to shortstop and the potential rally was squandered. The catch is one worth seeing. There's a reason Harris II is considered the Braves number one prospect: *** Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Nashville 7, Louisville (Reds) 4 Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Use Big Eighth Inning for Fourth Straight Win - Nashville Takes Lead on RBI Hit by Pitch, Earns 7-4 Victory Over Louisville Just before warm-ups commenced, and just after an exhilarating extra innings win in Milwaukee, we heard the news Ethan Small was scratched from his start in favor of Thomas Jankins. Though we initially thought it might be a much anticipated call-up, we learned it was the unfortunate effects of the familiar illness making the rounds in the Sounds' dugout. Get well soon, Ethan! For the record: my pre-game routine stayed the same. I locked in. I ran some laps. I did some Burpies. I stayed ready. As mere witnesses to the literal levels of this game, we must never lose our focus. ? This is my season too, after all. I will say, the privilege of watching Nashville's home broadcasts in 2022 does have me feeling all kinds of: "Man, I wish I lived in and around Nashville!". Their season is that good. And, their ballpark atmosphere is clearly top of the line. Further Viewing Notes: Jonathan Davis did what he does to lead off the game: he got on base. He walked on four pitches and he quickly added to his robust .415 OBP. And, for good measure, he then stole second to move to seven of seven on stolen bases on the season. He added a key two-run single in the eighth to pad the lead, breaking the game open. I don't know if there's been a more impactful player on the Sounds these past two weeks. He has literally been a 'must play' player for the Sounds. Louisville's Zach Godley gave us his best 2021 Brewers Zach Godley in inning one as he pitched 28 pitches, walked batters, hit batters, and saw Jonathan Davis score on a passed ball. I still am not over what I will term 'The Transaction'. And, that is all I will say about that.? Well, maybe I'll show a clip: Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning and the bases juiced after a Jonny Davis walk, Brice Turang singled through the gap between third and short and scored two runners. Jonny Davis was picked off second base from left field and Singleton followed with a punch out (his second of the evening) on an off-speed pitch. The game was back to even, however. Hats off to Andy Otero for his fine work in his first middle relief appearance since his call-up. Andy finished his fine outing going four crucial innings of zero run ball. He was clearly producing mostly weak and minimal contact off his mid 70's off-speed and breaking pitches. He can work in his mid to upper 80's fastball into his mix because his breaking and off-speed stuff is so good. It was a proud moment as a fan to see him rise to the occasion and shut down the Louisville bats. When Louisville did make good contact on occasion, Otero benefited from timely positioning: Tyler White may not be producing many hits of late, but for those of us watching these games regularly, we know this isn't due to a lack of good at bats these past few games. He's seeing the ball better than he was during his recent mini-slump. No at-bat was more indicative of this than his walk to move Singleton to second base in the bottom of the eighth inning with the dangerous David Dahl on deck. This proved to be a pivotal at bat in the early part of what turned into the winning rally. Alex Jackson took one on the literal leg on an inside breaking ball with two down and the bases juiced in the bottom of the eighth. He'll take the RBI. It was a brave and poised take. The stuff of dive bar legend. What isn't funny? After his RBI hit by pitch, Alex Jackson has nine RBI with the bases loaded this season (3-for-7). That's serious. Serious production. The Sounds batters were beneficiaries of eight walks and three passed balls. With only five hits before their late outburst, the game was tied 3-3 and it was clear why the Sounds were 25-11 and the Bats were 13-23 before the outcome was decided. Baseball truly has a razor thin margin for error. Louisville has many a good baseball player and their talent is quite obviously there. But, winning just isn't easy. The Sounds, fascinatingly, make it look routinely so. I guess, 41 walks over the past seven games helps. ? Final mention will go to, let's see, (I could literally pick 4-5 players here - embarrassment of riches) Miguel Sanchez. He had a rough week in Jacksonville last series as he lost his control for a game or two. Well, tonight was much different. He pounded the zone and pitched an effective one inning of late relief work. No hits. No walks. One strikeout. This is what we want to see from our AAAA-level guys. This is what we've seen the majority of 2022 from Miguel. Jacksonville is in the rearview mirror. *** That's all for me in this Mid-Week slate. Please tune in to the upcoming fine work of @damuelleand @Mass Haasas they continue to help keep you in the Minor League affiliate loop. We are back to all evening games Thursday. And we get another first-timer: TJ Shook will get his first start in Biloxi. Here's hoping he can stay dominant and help those Shuckers rebound from tonight's tough loss. 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

Typing error aside in Jeff's post, my money is on Sadzeck as 'next man up'. He's routinely touching 97-98 on the gun when he needs to. He's getting decent whiffs (just north of 10/9 ip). And, most importantly, he's finally healthy after two years of struggling in that department. Hobie Harris has the 0.00 but he doesn't have Sadzeck's 'stuff'. Sadzeck is also one of those 6'7" imposing guys. I would also say, even tho his era jumped a wee bit after scuffling some in his past couple outings, don't sleep on Strzelecki. He has comparables to all these older vets and a higher k/9 rate. He's probably lower on the proverbial totem pole given this is his first full Triple-A season but he has stuff at 27 years of age that speaks to an eventual shot at some point here in the next couple years.

Typing error aside in Jeff's post, my money is on Sadzeck as 'next man up'. He's routinely touching 97-98 on the gun when he needs to. He's getting decent whiffs (just north of 10/9 ip). And, most importantly, he's finally healthy after two years of struggling in that department. Hobie Harris has the 0.00 but he doesn't have Sadzeck's 'stuff'. Sadzeck is also one of those 6'7" imposing guys. I would also say, even tho his era jumped a wee bit after scuffling some in his past couple outings, don't sleep on Strzelecki. He has comparables to all these older vets and a higher k/9 rate. He's probably lower on the proverbial totem pole given this is his first full Triple-A season but he has stuff at 27 years of age that speaks to an eventual shot at some point here in the next couple years.

One of the absolute joys of religiously following the Minor League Brewers affiliates is seeing young men rewarded for their tireless hard work. Congratulations and high fives abound on this Minor League Monday - check out the bountiful 'Transactions' below. I personally witnessed several jaw-dropping plays from the center field position from High-A Wisconsin up to Triple-A Nashville. It was truly one spectacular game-winning or game-saving play after the next. From Jonny Davis' game-saving diving catch or his game-tying home run, to Joe Gray Jr's game-winning two-run bomb over the wall in left field in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 1-1 game, to Sal Frelick laying out in shallow center for a crucial out in a 6-2 game. An incredible evening to witness. Let's get into the reports! Transactions: (RHP) Cristian Sierra was released by High-A Wisconsin, (RHP) Fernando Olguin was promoted from the ACL Brewers Gold squad to Low-A Carolina, (RHP) Tyler Herb and (RHP) Matt Hardy were assigned to the Nashville Sounds from the Biloxi Shuckers, (RHP) Trevor Kelley had his Triple-A contract purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers, (RHP) TJ Shook was promoted to the Biloxi Shuckers from High-A Wisconsin, (C) Jason Lopez transferred to the Biloxi Shuckers from the ACL Brewers. Let's all take a collective pause. That's a lot of meaningful action for our Minor League Monday. Huge congratulations are in order for Trevor Kelley and his call-up. We're rooting for you Trevor. Let's make the most of this opportunity. For those of us who watch our affiliates on the regular, we know this is much-deserved. Best of luck with the Big Club! Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Down East (Rangers) 8, Carolina 5 Box Score / Game Log Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please review: Carolina Falls 8-5 in Series Opener with Wood Ducks - Carolina Left 14 Men on Base in the Loss, Including Three in the Eighth If you recall back to the season's beginnings, the Mudcats swept the Wood Ducks in a quick three-game series to open the 2022 season. Tonight's opener, at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, would not be a similar outcome as the Mudcats ultimately lost 8-5. After taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, Edwin Jimenez faced quite a bit of trouble to start the third. After giving up a line drive single and walking the next batter he saw the Wood Ducks' Junior Paniagua lay down a seriously expert bunt down the third base line and Alberis Ferrer rushed his throw pulling Jesus Chririnos off the bag. It was bases loaded and no outs after the throwing error. Thankfully, Edwin escaped the early jam conceding only two runs. However, in total, this was not Edwin's sharpest outing of the year as he walked three batters, allowed six hits, and saw five earned runs to cross the plate in five complete innings. The Mudcats managed to regain that lead in the bottom of the third to make it a 3-2 ballgame. However, it's challenging to overcome two runners gunned down at home plate in three innings. After a lead-off triple to open the second inning, Hendry Mendez was gunned down at home on a high chopper to third base. Hedbert Perez was gunned down at home trying to push a run across off from second base after a Chirinos line drive single to center field in the bottom of the third. It was 3-2 Mudcats entering the fourth inning. But, it certainly could have been a bigger lead. Edwin kept his stuff together and was having a decent outing until things unraveled in the fifth. He left the inning trailing 5-3 and it was the end of his work for the day. Aside from his control issues in today's contest, I continue to like what I see from Edwin. When he is at his best, he is working the breaking ball on the edges of the zone. Today just was not his best outing but he had moments. It was a game of errors for the Mudcats with five errors in total. Two pick-off throws past the first base bag (one each to Jimenez and Puello) and Alberis Ferrer tacked on two more throwing errors from third base. He now has 14 errors on the young season. Eduardo Garcia's continued absence was felt as the line-up lacked that extra bit of danger. The young men fared well overall with ten hits but the top of the order suffered from his absence. The one-two punch of Garcia to Chourio can be lethal. I'm eager to see it soon. The recap paragraph from the post-game article release says it all for this one: That just isn't going to win many ball games. Let's hope the Mudcats can shore up their sloppy work in the field and get some more timely hits in the next one! *** Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes via their all-encompassing Virtual Press Box Final: Wisconsin , South Bend (Cubs) Box Score / Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please review: Rattlers Find a Gray Haven - Joe Gray Jr. Breaks 1-1 Tie with Two-Run Homer in Bottom of the Eighth When Sal Frelick was originally promoted to Double-A Biloxi, manager Joe Ayrault mentioned he was most likely going to shuffle around the lead-off spot. Originally, Tristan Peters got the first couple nods in the number one slot. Since then, it has been the Tyler Black show and it is quite easy to see why: Tyler had three hits, a run scored, and an RBI for the Rattlers on Sunday. He has been Wisconsin’s lead-off batter in the last nine games where he has been on base twenty-one times and scored ten runs. It certainly would appear as though Tyler has taken the job and run with it for now. He led off tonight's contest and went 0 of 2 but managed two walks and scored a run. This will play. Antoine Kelly has now made two consecutive starts last into the sixth inning - both eclipsing his previous career-highs. This young lefty is really coming on in 2022 and it is a pleasure to watch. This was his first time as a professional he pitched six complete innings and, just to be clear, he entered this same sixth inning with a highly coveted no-hitter. It wouldn't last, unfortunately, as he conceded a lead-off line drive single and, later, a two-out double. But, the fact of the matter is: this is surely a prospect on the rise. Not to be missed in this no-hit bid was the incredible effort by Carlos Rodriguez in left field to grab a key out in the fifth inning keeping the no-no bid in tact. It truly was a web gem. To take a glimpse at the athletic play, head to 0:40 on the Game highlight reel below: Cam Robinson opened the ninth inning with a strikeout on a 1-2 pitch. The ball skimmed past Darrien Miller's back-handed glove, however, and the runner advanced to first base. They scored it a wild pitch for Cam, but, I'm going to chalk this up to the scorer suffering from a bad angle. Darrien Miller 'should' have caught the ball. It was a back-hander, yes, but it was fairly routine. It wasn't an egregious miss by Darrien but it's a ball he should probably catch and he's going to want that one back. Hey, guess what? The wild pitch didn't matter: Cam got the fantastic 6-4-3 double play to get out of that brief early inning jam. Wisconsin continues to play absolute lights out High-A defense and this bang-bang flawless 6-4-3 double play was a prime example. It was truly a moment. Joe Gray Jr. had laid off a couple tantalizing close pitches out of the zone. He demonstrated the improved approach at the plate we've seen in the past couple of weeks. He sat back. He crushed. His Fan Club was pumped ?: Tristan Peters had reached base in every game, in some fashion, since April 16th. He went 0 for 3 tonight with a sacrifice fly to right field for an rbi. What a run. On to the next streak, young man. Keep that season trending up! Now that we've seen TJ Shook promoted to Biloxi, I'm going to tout the T-Rats back-end. I'll take the duo of Kent Hasler and Cam Robinson to close-out any tightly contested game against any top-tier teams. Cam gets the glory, and rightfully so, with his shutdown saves. But, I'm here to tell you Hasler is a bulldog on the mound. He attacks hitters. He has really sneaky good stuff and features a breaking ball on par with Robinson's. What a season of pitching at High-A Wisconsin to date! *** Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes via the Shuckers' Virtual Press Box Final: Biloxi 6, Mississippi (Braves) 5 Box Score / Game Log Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please review: M-Braves Threaten Late, Shuckers Hold on for 6-5 Win - RHP Zach Vennaro Strands Winning Run on Base Biloxi had eight men reach the batters box in the first inning and seven more in the second. We can certainly roll with this kind of offensive output. As a matter of fact, the Shuckers' batters chased the typically reliable and highly effective Braves starter, Jared Shuster, in 2/3 of an inning. It was quickly 6-0 for the Shuckers after two complete - their bats stayed hot and disciplined early picking up where they left-off their recent homestand versus Birmingham. Nick Bennett benefited from this early run support. The fast-working lefty finished his evening with five complete innings pitched surrendering seven mostly scattered hits and one walk while punching out four batters. Nick has been better as of late. Let's hope this keeps up. Innings are always better with lead-off extra base hits! Sal Frelick led off the first inning with a triple while Yeison Coca ripped a double down the first base line to lead-off inning number two. This put the pressure on the Braves' pitching staff and it certainly got things going. Speaking of Yeison: an absolutely unabashed tip of the cap to the recently promoted infielder. Yeison was recently shuffled around (from High-A to Nashville and down to Double-A Biloxi) a bit before landing in Biloxi. What a night he had! After a 3-3 to start his evening with shots to all fields, he finished with three hits in five trips to the plate. And, keep in mind, Sal didn't just do it with his bat tonight. He saved a key run with the Shuckers still clinging to a 6-2 lead with a runner on third base: It's a sudden Joey Wiemer walk party. This is a truly a wonderful development in the past week plus. Joey opened his night with two diligent and disciplined walks. In his third at bat, he narrowly missed a rope down the third base line via an incredible stab and throw to first beating Joey by an ant's breath. He then proceeded to single in his fourth trip to the plate. All in all, he went one for three on the evening with the two walks. He now has 15 free trips on the season in 132 trips to the plate and five walks in his past seven games. Let's hope this keeps rearing its head! Taylor Floyd's early 2022 returns are not stellar: 3 2/3 innings pitched over five outings since his return. If we take a peak behind the tattered curtain: in 2/3 of these innings he has allowed nine of his 11 hits and all seven of his earned runs. With three runs surrendered in the bottom of the ninth tonight, nearly squandering the Shuckers' 6-2 lead, Taylor now has a .524 batting average against with a healthy 3.27 WHIP since his return in early May. This is obviously an extremely small sample size so let's absolutely keep that in mind, but, it is fair to say Taylor has been extremely hit-and-miss in his brief stint in Biloxi. Here's to better relief outings ahead! Tristen Lutz has come back to the club ready to rip. He had a key two-rbi double in the first inning on a rope to deep right center field. He is now 6 of 12 with a home run, two doubles, and six rbi's in his three games since returning: The at-bat of the game would have to go to Jakson Reetz and his two-rbi bloop muscled single to extremely shallow right field in the top of the second inning. Jakson steadfastly worked the count full and fought off several pitches while doing so. This hit proved to be the winning rbi's: After Floyd's near meltdown, Zach Vennaro came aboard with runners on first and second base and only one down. Zach played the part of the hero grabbing his third save of the year while striking out his last batter. The Shuckers breathed a collective sigh of relief and moved back to 0.500 at 17-17 on the year. *** Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Nashville 4 Louisville (Reds) 3 Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Jonathan Davis Leads Sounds to Win Over Bats - Center Fielder Drills Game-Tying Homer and Makes Spectacular Catch If you like defense and you like pitching, the Sounds are currently must watch baseball. They absolutely threw around some leather tonight, including a beautiful rundown of a hard hit laser shot to deep left at the warning track for out number two in the bottom of the ninth by David Dahl (who happened to catch all three outs to close the game) and an absolutely incredible play by Jonny Davis in center field. I hope to have some of these highlights! Oh, wait just one moment. Heeeeeeeeeeere's Jonny! Speaking of leather: Game-saving diving catch? Check. Game-tying solo home runs? Also check. Hobie Harris recorded his third save (of twelve total Sounds saves on the season) and continues to sport a 0.00 ERA. He isn't mowing them down like Strzelecki or Sadzeck but it's hard to find fault with no runs allowed. Hobie can find 96-97 on the radar gun. He sprinkles in a splitter and some off-speed. Hopefully, he can find his first Big League action of his career in 2022! David Dahl continues to have a phenomenal season. Not only did he record all three outs in left field to end the game, he also hit this go-ahead unexpected opposite field hustle double to give Nashville the lead in the bottom half of the fifth inning. That is simply swiping second base right there! According to Sounds historical records, the 25-11 record to begin 2022 is the Sounds best record through 36 games to start a season since at least 1998 when the franchise oddly began playing in the Pacific Coast League (they played in the American East division that year with New Orleans, Memphis, and Oklahoma). With Ethan Small taking the mound tomorrow night, the Sounds have to feel good about their chances to build off their historical start and improve upon this early home stand. What a season we have here early in Nashville! *** The Affiliates managed a 3-1 evening and we saw plenty of exciting plays throughout. Stay tuned early tomorrow as recently promoted Ryne Moore takes the Hill for Wisconsin in an early matinee game - his first start at High-A. Additionally, the above-listed ACL Gold promoted Fernando Olguin will take the mound for Carolina - his first start at Low-A. Ethan Small is always must watch in Nashville. Lots to look forward to in less than 24 hours. As always, thanks for reading! 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