Joseph Zarr

Figueroa gets the K on a beautiful slider down and away to Galan who had previously smashed his 6th HR. We're on to the bottom of the 4th. 2-0 Wood Ducks.

Figueroa comes aboard. First pitch pitch clock violation. Then throws the ball to the wall down the 1B line on a failed pick off. The runner advances to 3B. Let's hope he can get this out. Woof.

Yeah, that was one of those "Are you kidding me?" knocks. Probably travled 35 mph off the lumber. Yeeesh. He had him on the pick-off too. Just a bang bang bad luck toss and miss. He exits at 55 pitches total. Really solid stuff though. We'll take this outing with a smile.

2-0 Wood Ducks on a sac fly after a failed pick-off at 2B ran into shallow CF - they had the out. But, the throw appeared low and slightly off and Vargas was incapable of corralling it (bad camera angle). Henderson has 2 down off the fly out but is now trailing 2-0.

We have a lead-off double that somehow weasled its way off the very cap of the bat and scuffed down the 3B line into the bullpen. That ball was an absolute warmburner. Nothing you can do about that. Henderson continues to work. Given he's on a pitch count coming off injury it will be interesting to see how far they allow him to go. He's currently at 48 pitches here in the 4th. Nobody out.

I'll go back to RHP Brock Porter is really sharp. He has a really nice mix of pitches. The Mudcats can't find any comfort in the batters box. 9 up. 9 down. 4 K. Mudcats still trail 1-0 and we're already into the 4th inning.

He gets his 6th K through 2 2/3 IP on another change-up. The man just competes. Whew baby.

That's now 5 K from Henderson through 2 1/3 IP. That was his first K off his dangerous change-up.

Henderson just left a hanger and it was crushed 105 mph over the LF wall. 1-0 Wood Ducks. All about those off-speed deliveries as I was saying. And, he ends the inning with his 4th K on a ripping dart at the knees off the outside corner. That heater is a really fantastic pitch.

The Rangers' 4th Rd pick just last season RHP Brock Porter struck out two in the first. He looked really sharp. Was getting quite a few lunging swings.

Absolutely. It's really all about those off-speed deliveries. He has one of the better fastballs in the system. It doesn't have that high 90's velo but it has such good spin and rise off that hand. The change and curve have the potential to be really good but they're works in progress. So much to like. I've been saying it since I first watched him last year (and you allude to it): he's just a competitive, fiery, and fun pitcher to watch on the mound. I'm really glad the Crew has him.

The heater is dialed tonight. Lotta rise off that hand. Hasn't found the change-up or the curve quite yet but he is getting there. Ends the inning with his 3rd K. Glorious.

Good grief the ump absolutely blew a strike him out throw him out. He was out by a good 2 feet. Sheeesh. 2nd K. But they leave the runner at 2B.

Henderson has what we would call: ham hocks. He has some quads baby. That lower half is rock solid. And we have a four pitch first AB K. Lovely stuff.

As Greg Young mentioned in last night's broadcast: these Wood Ducks are a nemesis of sorts for our Mudcats. Last season, before the first half ended, the Mudcats had a final series versus Down East. They needed one victory in the series to end the playoff drought. Lo and behold, the Mudcats were swept. They missed the post-season yet again. With these teams now neck-and-neck, this is as important an early season game as there is. This is a big series for the Catfish Boys.

OH man, in Zebulon there is a group of elementary school kiddos blaring the national anthem. It is awesome. We got kiddos cracking the high end through those speakers. Gotta love Minor League baseball!

Loading MILB.TV on three screens as I type. Ready to rock the casbah. Let's grab 4 young T-Rats!

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Misiorowski's start were the comments from long-time Mudcats announcer, Greg Young. He essentially shared he hasn't seen a pitcher come through Zebulon with as much raw talent and high-end stuff as Misiorowski and he made specific mention of the fact RHP Corbin Burnes came through their ball club. Misiorowski is on another level or platform from which to grow from. When he pitches like he did last night, it couldn't be more true. It was masterful.

Arm slot inconsistencies be damned, I say. When RHP Jacob Misiorowski's off-speed arsenal is as consistent as it was tonight, I just don't care what the so called experts proclaim. Let me just enjoy the sweet nectar for one evening of Low-A bliss. There is too much exuberant youth with too much talent to ignore here. Do we really even care if he ends up an MLB reliever or a starter? I sure don't. In his longest and most effective outing to date as a professional pitcher, Misiorowski absolutely dazzled with O H, 0 BB, a questionable HBP, and 9 K - all from off-speed pitches. That's right. Not a single strikeout came from the 101 mph heat we were seeing on this fine late May evening. Let's get into the report! Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic Game Balls: RHP Jacob Misiorowski was abolutely incredible in his longest outing as a professional pitcher through 5 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 9 K. His slider was the best I've seen it - just a riveting display of pitching. INF Eric Brown Jr. continues his torrid run of late with a 4-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 2B outing. C/DH Darrien Miller continued a scorching hot May (more below) with a key 2-RBI double in the first frame to help the T-Rats move toward their third straight. RHP Nick Merkel executed what may have been his best relief outing of his season with 2 IP and 3 K of late-inning relief work. His off-speed arsenal was truly wonderful as he held suit and extended the no-hit bid into the 9th frame. And, alas, 1B/DH Luke Voit has a two-game hitting streak! He hit his first long ball for those Nashville Sounds: Transactions: RHP Jake Cousins was optioned to the Nashville Sounds from the Milwaukee Brewers Final: Iowa (Cubs) 12, Nashville 5 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Crush Three Homers in Loss to Iowa LHP Robert Gasser reverted to that inconsistent form we've seen throughout his Triple-A tenure with the Sounds. The first inning was quite effective and quite nice despite an ugly throwing error from rehabbing Luis Urias at the hot corner. The second inning was also quite nice. However, from the third inning onward it was a series of seeing eye weak contact after weak contact after weak contact hits. The hits just kept coming. When all was said and done, Gasser left after a mere 4 IP, 10 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 7 R, 5 ER. It was a deficit the Sounds never recovered from. As our very own @wiguy94pointed out: he didn't pitch particularly well but he certainly wasn't getting an ounce of luck either. Three Quick Strikes: 1) Even when the Sounds are struggling as a whole, you can almost guarantee they'll be long ball fireworks. They did hit three homers, as the affiliate recap alludes to above. And, no ball was hit harder or hit further than, you guessed it, mash artist C Alex Jackson's rocket to straightaway CF. He may lack consistency or a refined hitting approach as a whole, but you'll be hard pressed to find a man who can routinely smash balls further: 2) INF Luis Urias' 0-for-4 outing very much had the feel of an early spring training affair. Toss in the ugly throwing error, and that point is further validated. The young and talented infielder is now 0-for-9 with 3 K in his two outings for the Sounds. Let's hit that panic button! 3) RHP Ryan Middendorf's frustrating 2023 season continued with another paper cut multi-run outing (2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 ER). He hasn't had any egregious blowout outings, but he's suffered far too many paper cut, multiple hit, multiple run relief appearances in 2023. He was one of my darlings of the 2022 season and, frankly, one of my favorite players overall. 2023 has been nowhere near as kind. He has to start limiting the number of base runners if he hopes to salvage his season. Final: Montgomery (Rays) 14, Biloxi 4 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Shuckers Fall to Biscuits, 14-4, at MGM Park on Thursday I continue to look for movement on RHP Tobias Myer's fastball. And, well, I continue to see far too much 'stillness' - currently, it's a pitch that leaves and arrives on a level plane. Gone, for me, is the feel good of those early outings - and those outing were fantastic, mind you. When a pitcher is getting hit this hard and when his fastball (and change-up) simply hangs over the meat of the plate, there are bound to be issues. I share this to say: I really don't know what the Brewers have here. The recent outings just haven't been all that impressive, unfortunately. Three Quick Strikes: 1) If we're going to anoint OF Jackson Chourio a top prospect in all of baseball, we're going to start needing to see more flashes in the very least. He looked every bit the part of an 0-for-4, 1 K performance tonight. He struck out on an off-speed delivery at least a good three feet outside the strike zone and in the dirt and to the back stop. It was a poor swing on an extremely poor pitch. Other than a nice (if dramatized) catch to deep center field, there really wasn't a single thing in Chourio's game to suggest he's ready to leave his ongoing slump. He has to be more selective. He has to learn to identify off-speed consistently. The BA dipped to 0.239 and the OPS to 0.658. 2) Let's counter Chourio's ongoing struggles with INF Tyler Black's ongoing climb. He absolutely smashed another home run (his seventh on the season) off the scoreboard in right field. If the sole offensive question we had coming into 2023 was Black's power stroke, he's answering the bell and then some. He also nabbed his 24th stolen base in the middle innings. It's hard to imagine a Brewers future without Black smashing balls in the heart of the line-up. 3) With little else to celebrate in this blow-out, let's celebrate the fact RHP Kaleb Bowman tallied a strikeout in his Double-A debut. And, well, it was downhill from there for the young hurler. Don't look at the stat line. I beg you. Let's simply laud the fact Bowman was literally pitching in the German Bundesliga (!!) last season. Quite the jump. Let's hope he finds more footing in the Southern League. Final: Wisconsin 8, Cedar Rapids (Twins) 4 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please visit and review: Wisconsin Wins Third Straight with 8-4 Victory at Cedar Rapids RHP Edwin Jimenez scuffled a bit in the very early going but, as he is prone to doing in 2023, he ultimately found his footing and gave manager Joe Ayrault and his teammates five solid innings. When all was said and done, Jimenez tossed 5 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 5 K. His off-speed deliveries continued to be the cream of his crop. The early damage was done on heaters - they weren't bad pitches per se, but the Kernels bats were clearly sitting on the heater. Three Quick Strikes: 1) As alluded to above, INF Eric Brown Jr. continues to put the very early season woes behind him. The swing adjustments are coming into focus and I'm consistently seeing patient AB's. Pitches are being fought off and near misses still end in productive AB's. Everything we are wanting to see from a first round pick is starting to rear its head. If we marry the improving bat with already elite defense, I think it's fair to say we can get excited. Let's simply hope it continues and, more importantly, let's hope he stays healthy for a good run into the summer. 2) We've seen RHP Edwin Jimenez mostly in the middle innings until tonight. His middle inning mate was none other than starting pitcher RHP Joseph Hernandez. Is this going to be an ongoing thing? Are Jimenez and Hernandez the jack of all trade long inning guys in Ayrault's staff? It's much too early to tell. This was an interesting wrinkle, however. Hernandez's sole blemish came on a two-run HR over the left field wall that was more like a protect me golf swing. It barely made it over the shallow porch in left field and, ultimately, amounted to little more than a blemish. 3) C/DH Darrien Miller started things off with a crucial double deep down the right field line. It was a key and opportune hit that got the T-Rats humming. This shouldn't be a surprise, however: Miller is scorching hot in May. After a 2-for-4 night with the key 2 rbi knock, Miller is hitting 0.326 with a 0.988 OPS in the current month. Zesty! Final: Carolina 5, Down East (Rangers) 0 Box Score / Game Log Game Notes Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Misiorowski's 9 Ks & Avina's Homer Lead to 5-0 Win RHP Jacob Misiorowski came out slinging the baseball with purpose in the first frame. Sitting 99-101 on the heater (whew baby!) while dazzling with a gorgeous breaking ball on two consecutive K's, it was clear: he was ready to compete. Nine up and nine down, 5 K, ready to compete. It's amazing how much better everything is with accuracy. And, folks, It just got better and better and better. When all was said and done, amongst the four Mudcats pitchers overall, the pitching staff managed to bring a no-hit bid into the ninth frame. Ultimately, they grabbed the shoutout as RHP Tanner Shears stranded the bags full with a fantastic display of ridiculously knuckling splitters. Three Quick Strikes: 1) OF Jace Avina continues to improve his approach and output at the dish. You just love to see it. After a near missed smash double off the wall to deep right center (the wind was blowing in fiercely from center field on a cool night in Zebulon), he pulled a 103 mph sinking rocket over the wall in left field during his next AB. All told, when the evening was over, Avina went 2-for-3, 1 HR, 1 BB, 0 K, 3 R, 2 RBI. He also nabbed his 4th stolen base of 2023. 2) You won't see it in a strictly numbers or box score approach, but INF Gregory Barrios is definitely stacking better AB's with a more patient approach at the plate. It's truly night and day from his very early season hitless woes. The batting average and the OPS remain unimpressive but tonight was exemplary of his improved approach. His 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 0 K, SB (10th on the season) evening was just solid all around. The numbers will come. Make no mistake, he's just getting comfortable and he is really impacting games. 3) The Mudcats had the chance for the no-hitter when RHP Tanner Shears and his splitter/heater combo came to the hill in the ninth inning. Though Shears couldn't complete the deal, just as impressive was his ability to escape a bases loaded no out jam by striking out the side. His splitter sits 80-87 and has a ridiculously good knuckle ball spin rate. His heater rides quite nicely in the 96-97 mph range. He didn't close out the deal but he certainly turned some heads. He is having a fantastic 2023 to date. That's a wrap for this week Thursday's Minor League Brewers slate. Be sure to tune back in tomorrow while we see if RHP Logan Henderson can build on the fantastic start his last time out for Carolina. LHP Thomas Pannone will look to build more good things for the Nashville Sounds who will look to even the series versus the Cubbies. RHP Cameron Wagoner will attempt to continue walking on the comeback trail as the T-Rats try to keep finding that winning touch. And, in Biloxi, RHP Christian Mejias will look to rediscover some of the fine form he showed out of the Shuckers bullpen as a lead horse out of the starting gates for the Shuckers who sorely need another victory. Thank you for reading and, as always, 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

C/DH Darrien Miller upped his scorching hot May totals to 0.323 BA and 0.988 OPS in 43 AB's with his 2-for-4 2 RBI evening. That lead-off dub to knock in the first two runs was a key hit for the suddenly surging T-Rats - winners of three straight on the road no less!

Don't look but INF Eric Brown Jr. is starting to stack fantastic outings. 4-for-5 tonight. 2 R. 3 RBI. 1 2B and he nearly missed 2 more rbi's on his first knock of the evening on a rope down the LF line that missed by inches. He worked that 0-2 count for a 10 pitch rbi single to LF. He is heating up. And, it is awesome.

Kahle gets the 36 mph RF fly out. What a pitch! We have something here, gents! Pitch 2 was a ripping 48 mph hanger.

RHP Bo Bowman is going to want to wish he was back in High-A Wisconsin. He came out slinging a first batter K. But, it was downhill from there. It really was. Double. Double. Walk. Walk. Single. Single. He leaves with the Shuckers now trailing 13-4. And, he only grabbed that strikeout. Nick Kahle is on in relief. That isn't a typo. LOL. Another Double-A debut.

Thanks, my friend. Yeah, it was just a rural mountain valley internet bout of hiccups. Super annoying. But, also, in the end, just an inconvenience. @Mass Haasand @damuellefilled in like stalwarts. Just awesome guys to work with.