Joseph Zarr

Not to be outdone, C Matt Wood sees the young Guillarte after his 0-for-5 Game 1 2023 debut, and has followed suit: Wood has a 19 game on-base streak himself. Of those 19, only 3 are hitless - and, one of the three games he took 3 free passes. If you want to look at the Mudcats success early, look no further than these two. What a dynamic duo they are. AND, further down today's batting order, INF Gregory Barrios went 2-for-4 and clawed his way above the Mendoza line! Heck of a fight for Barrios after an 0-for-25 start to 2023!

Let's juxtapose those Avina eye-popping numbers with INF Daniel Guillarte who now has reached base in all 23 games as a Mudcat. That's a 23 game debut on-base streak. AND, of those 23 games he is only hitless in two. SHEESH that is impressive.

OF Jace Avina has now struck out 35 times in 56 AB's.

If we were to craft an ongoing list of 'Ugly Starts to the 2023 Season', LHP Brandon Knarr would surprisingly make it. He's been hit hard and often in the early going. It's a real bummer as he was, for all intents and purposes, a possible break-out candidate. Now, he has to claw his way back to organizational relevance. The fickle nature of trying to climb the Minor League ladder. Let's hope he turns it around and finds that form of 2022!

The one thing I noticed with Varland in both his stints in Wisconsin and Nashville: His 97-99 heater looks extremely level-planed and flat. If we juxtapose this to the tailing winding heat of the opening Chicago series, I think it's fair to ask: Where have all the cowboys gone? Ummm, no that's not it! Where did all that movement go? In the inning I recently watched of his at Nashville, he was struggling to get the off-speed stuff over the plate. So hitters did what hitters do: they sat on the heater. And, with little to no movement or rise, they hit him hard.

Glad you had a good time @edfunderburk. Safe travels back home!

Good grief a sweep at Coors? I need a shower.

INF Cam Devanney is heating up folks. That's my guy. 2-for-2 with his 3rd dinger of the year. Sounds lead 6-5 in the 5th. Monasterio and Alvarez's 5th fielding errors apiece have apparently helped St. Paul score 3 runs. 2 earned versus Junk. The T-Rats tumble falls further: they trail 7-0 in the 5th. Yeesh. The 5-thru-10 spots in the order are a combined 1-for-11 with 5 K. INF Eric Brown Jr. is 2-for-3 with a double, however. Silver lining. RHP Stiven Cruz had a forgettable 1 1/3 IP - we'll leave it at that. I mentioned it in yesterday's report but if the T-Rats need a boost we might be looking at a C Matt Wood promotion. 3-for-4 tonight with a double and his 3rd HR - a 3-run blast w/ 2 down in the 2nd frame to grab a 4-1 lead. INF Daniel Guilarte would be the other notable performer: 2-for-4 1 BB, 3 RBI. Mudcats are looking to pull this one out as they lead 6-2 in the 9th. RHP Patricio Aquino and RHP Tyler Wehrle combined for the 9 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 12 K. The score is final and we have a Mudcats victory, 6-2! Meanwhile, in Montgomery, the Shuckers are clinging to a 7-5 lead in the top of the 7th. This wasn't the best RHP Justin Jarvis we've seen in 2023 but he still gave his team 5 IP - 8 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 3 ER. C Jeferson Quero smashed his 3rd HR and OF Noah Campbell continued his recent run of success at the dish: 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR (his 3rd HR as well). Also of note, 1B Wes Clarke is 2-for-4 with a double - nice to see him have a nice night. Hopefully the Shuckers can pull this out!

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

I don't know how the scorers don't rule that Collins misplay an error. What were they looking at? The route was wrong. The approach to dealing with the bad route was wrong. It cost them at least one run. I don't quite get that one whatsoever.

100%. The good thing is the Brewers personnel staff knows what's going on.

Yeah, indeed. AND, this is on Erceg and his complete lack of anything touching the zone in a meaningful way. This is the problem with Erceg. He is too inconsistent in his young career.

Six straight balls from Erceg and he is forced to throw one center cut. AND OF Isaac Collins greatly misplays the liner to LF and it bounces past his effort and to the fence. That was an extremely costly misplay. And, it was an extremely costly way to enter the game for Erceg.

AND, we get the first batter four-pitch walk version of Erceg early. Ruh Roh. Men on 1st and 2nd. One down.

Yup and he leaves after a weakly hit seeing-eye single through to the right field grass. Let's hope we get the shutdown version of RHP Lucas Erceg!

Well, you don't have to believe in Small (as you put it) but you can celebrate the fact he has really pitched wonderfully in 2023 in his first full season in a strictly bullpen role. And, especially, after struggling in his call-up and after his call-up in Nashville closing out 2022. This is great news for the depth of the overall bullpen scene for the Brewers (which is already quite awesome, frankly).

This Sounds bullpen is the class of the International League. I don't know if this 3-2 lead holds for Nashville but I do know the bullpen continues to friggin' rock the casbah. I would definitively not want to face LHP Ethan Small and then bounce to LHP Clayton Andrews. Just filthy stuff from the Pen.

The Mudcats will likely lose this one (6-2 headed to the 9th) but, like the Shuckers early, the pitching staff was dealing. 14 K. OF Monte Harrison is having his best night at the plate as a Sound. He rips a lead-off oppo double to start the 7th. Hopefully, Perkins can drive him in again. Let's go!

And he does. He gets the one-hop liner directly to Alvarez at 2B. Let's grab an elusive W tonight!

Brustoski looks much better than his first two outing. You love to see it! He's struck out his first two batters but he did give out another free pass on a full count pitch outside and in the dirt. All in all, however, we're digging out of the basement. We'll take this type of outing and look at it as something to build on. He strikes out the side!

The change-up just giving the Saints hitters fits. Another K on a filthy change center cut.

Small is back out for a third inning. Hey now. Let's go, Ethan!

AND, we'll get to see how LHP Jakob Brustoski's time on the Development List worked for him. This is his first outing since his return after another inauspicious beginning to 2023 with more walks and hit batters. I'm pulling for this young man to find that zone with his stuff!

RHP Shane Smith gave up a big long ball in the 7th but that was his only blemish. He has 7 K through 3 IP. Quite an outing for the young hurler. His breaking ball was really dialed in tonight.