Joseph Zarr

I am indeed returned from the Wedding bonanza. What better way to integrate into post ceremonial bliss than replacing a farmhouse roof ?. Thanks for holding it down, gents. I look forward to getting back at it and checking in on all our affiliates and favorite prospects - which, as many of you may know by now, are all these young men chasing their dreams.

@Brewcrew82: more Jonny Davis love above. Come one and come all to celebrating the incredible season of this 2021 FA signing AAAA vet. Jonny has been nothing short of remarkable since his return from a bout with COVID. He’s a proverbial spark plug.

@Brewcrew82: more Jonny Davis love above. Come one and come all to celebrating the incredible season of this 2021 FA signing AAAA vet. Jonny has been nothing short of remarkable since his return from a bout with COVID. He’s a proverbial spark plug.

Re: Will Sammon’s article (linked above). It was really great to read on the organization’s thoughts on Lucas Erceg. I watched his relief appearance on the MiLB.TV replay and have watched him all season long. He had definitely fared well as of late and dominated that sole Nashville outing. He routinely touched 97-99 on the radar gun in Biloxi it was (and is) a matter of control and fine-tuning his pitching mix. Additionally, it’s very nice to read the mini buzz and coverage of Victor Castaneda. I continue to love Will’s stuff. Worth the subscription, folks.

Re: Will Sammon’s article (linked above). It was really great to read on the organization’s thoughts on Lucas Erceg. I watched his relief appearance on the MiLB.TV replay and have watched him all season long. He had definitely fared well as of late and dominated that sole Nashville outing. He routinely touched 97-99 on the radar gun in Biloxi it was (and is) a matter of control and fine-tuning his pitching mix. Additionally, it’s very nice to read the mini buzz and coverage of Victor Castaneda. I continue to love Will’s stuff. Worth the subscription, folks.

Rough stretch indeed. Rough stretch in Nashville since traveling to Durham. Rough stretch for Biloxi - repeated bullpen giveaways and one-run losses. It. Is. Time. Let's turn it around. It's a marathon and not a sprint. It's time to replenish and run a nice leg here to close out June. It just takes one game to turn things around. Keep the faith. The coaches are too good. The players have the talent. Stay the course.

Rough stretch indeed. Rough stretch in Nashville since traveling to Durham. Rough stretch for Biloxi - repeated bullpen giveaways and one-run losses. It. Is. Time. Let's turn it around. It's a marathon and not a sprint. It's time to replenish and run a nice leg here to close out June. It just takes one game to turn things around. Keep the faith. The coaches are too good. The players have the talent. Stay the course.

That's the second ejection for the young grasshopper, Joey Wiemer, in the past month. You have to love that passion. Play like a superstar and demand superstar respect? Yeah, that's it.

That's the second ejection for the young grasshopper, Joey Wiemer, in the past month. You have to love that passion. Play like a superstar and demand superstar respect? Yeah, that's it.

Biloxi blew another lead and managed to lose by a run? Where have I read this before? We may need to start keeping another stat column for these consistently befuddling Shuckers.?

Biloxi blew another lead and managed to lose by a run? Where have I read this before? We may need to start keeping another stat column for these consistently befuddling Shuckers.?

Everything is a a few notches better in Biloxi when Joey Wiemer is doing his thing. This isn't hyperbole. He ripped a solo knock and had an incredible outfield assist (his seventh of the year) to set the tone early (highlight within). Brandon Knarr was magnificent in his Double-A debut - he worked fast, looked confident, pounded the zone, and left with a 3-1 lead after six complete innings. Wisconsin failed to back-up another fantastic start from Antoine Kelly managing a mere one hit. Nashville scuffled in a disastrous third inning. My Jackson Chourio fix was left unfulfilled as Carolina took the tarp off...and then postponed their contest. On to the reports! Transactions: INF Pablo Reyes was optioned by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Nashville Sounds, RHP Rafael Garcia and much-discussed and much-asked about RHP Logan Henderson have both been listed on High-A Wisconsin's 60-day injured list *** No DSL or ACL contests to report on today. Rest up young men and enjoy whatever the 'day off' entails. *** Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes POSTPONED Yesterday, I shared Jackson Chourio's press release regarding his 'Player of the Week' honors. In today's pre-game notes, we learn: The hype is very very real because this young man is just very very good at baseball. It's truly hard to fathom this type of success in his first promotion and his first affiliate action. The sky is the limit here in every way. AND, without further ado, I tuned in to the MiLB.tv broadcast for this one. The tarp came off. The start was delayed. Then the rains returned and the game was postponed. No Jackson Chourio for me this fine early summer's eve. I soldiered on. *** Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Beloit (Marlins) 2, Wisconsin 0 Box Score / Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please visit and review: Wisconsin Drops Pitchers Duel to Beloit - Rattlers Muster One Hit in Loss to Sky Carp There really isn't all that much to say about tonight's contest. Antoine Kelly was fantastic again. He held Beloit to a single run over six complete strong innings of four hit and two walk ball. He added five strikeouts for good measure. However, he was bested by Beloit's Pat Monteverde who brought a no-hitter into the sixth inning and ended his day thereafter - 3 walks and a sole one hit to Zavier Warren. Monteverde also tallied six strikeouts. The Timber Rattlers failed to plate a run and lost 2-0. Further Abbreviated Notes: Antoine Kelly is still very very good at pitching the baseball. Zavier Warren grabbed the sole hit of the night for the Rattlers in the top of the sixth and this was after Tyler Black had walked. This was truly their sole chance to get something going. The inning ended in a double play and, well, that was that. It's worth noting, and this is mentioned in Chris Mehring's article above: The Timber Rattlers had only gone scoreless one time in their first 41 contests. They've been shut out four times in their last twelve games. The offense has been a bit sleepy. Let's hope that changes! *** Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Biloxi 4, Tennessee (Cubs) 3 Box Score / Game Log Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Valerio Delivers Fifth Walk-Off Win for Biloxi - Wiemer Homers for the 13th Time This Season Some great tidbits in the Biloxi Pre-Game Notes above. I could share the bullpen stats from the Pensacola series, but, no no no. Today, let us peruse our daily 'Reetz Reader': Bold is my own. Hope aboard the hype train. Come one and come all. It's Jakson Reetz season. This was Brandon Knarr's Double-A debut and, man, what a performance. He came to the mound and was absolutely ready to rock - and, rock he did. All things considered, this is a mild miracle as he arrived in Biloxi the early morning prior at a spry 1 am. Oh, to be young! Brandon pretty much made one single mistake on a Chase Strumpf line-drive rocket just over the wall in left field. Other than that, Brandon complete six full innings of five hit, two walk, and eight strikeout ball. It was truly a pleasure to watch the game tonight. Thank you, Brandon. I wish you many many more starts like this in the games ahead. Further Viewing Notes: Joey Wiemer is different. He truly is. Let's watch his incredible outfield assist in the top of the fourth: This is his seventh outfield assist on the season. Do not challenge that arm, young men. You'll regret it. What's more? Joey followed that throw with his 13th home run - a solo shot - in the bottom half of the same fourth inning: Can you say: "How to own an inning"? I can. In more than one language. ? It felt unfair to see the recent Biloxi bullpen meltdown continue after Knarr's admirable work but that was the case for Arnaldo Hernandez. It started, and the portent was crystal clear, with a first pitch roped double over Tristen Lutz in left field. The hit hammered off the high wall, past Lutz's throwing hand and into the glove of a sprinting Sal Frelick. Arnaldo followed by surrendering a single and another double. Given recency bias, I was expecting the worst. Kudos to Arnaldo for settling down and maintaining a tie. The 3-1 lead vanished but he didn't unravel. He followed this rough seventh inning with a scoreless eighth. Cam Devanney's approach at the plate, and his consequent results in 2022, is night and day better than what we saw in 2021. I continue to love watching this young man play. Here's a well-hit left field double scoring Thomas Dillard from first base (!!). Great stuff: Mike Guererro wanted this one badly and rightfully so as things had gone awry lately. Mike used a pinch-runner in Noah Campbell for Thomas Dillard at first base in the bottom half of the eighth inning. In the ensuing ninth inning, Mike swapped Gabe Holt for Brent Diaz. This proved to be a very savvy move as Gabe beat a pitch-out attempt and managed to steal second as the throw was short and ultimately dribbled into CF. We might have to do a Quadzilla 'measure-off' amongst Thomas Dillard, Brandon Knarr, and Mayor of Door County and Quadfather Corey Dillon. That's some serious serious HAM on these young men. I know the odds-on favorite would be the Quadfather. BUT, I'm not sold. Speaking of Thomas Dillard, I mentioned it the Minor League game thread, but he has really come on as the season has progressed. He added three walks to his league-leading (tied) 35 walks tonight. That's 38 total. I'm going to take a guess he's now solely atop the Southern League leader board. Tristen Lutz missed a couple plays in left field tonight, I would propose. They weren't easy plays, but they are plays he can make. This being said, he stayed meaningful at the plate - something that has been a common theme since mid-May: Here is your Felix Valerio walk-off Zen: *** Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Norfolk (Orioles) 8, Nashville 3 Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Downed by Norfolk in Series Opener - Nashville Drops Third Straight Despite Tyler White's Three-Hit Effort It was a 'Welcome Back Ethan' return for highly-touted lefty, Ethan Small. These sentiments quickly turned in the third inning after a rare botched double play ball from stalwart Mark Mathias. The inning snow-balled and the game simply got away. Apparently, there was rust to shake off from the recent road trip and the postponed game from last night. Let's hope the Sounds can get back to winning as the series progresses. Further Viewing Notes: Is Norfolk Ethan Small's Triple-A kryptonite? They beat Small for his previous only loss of the year on May 6th. They kicked him out of tonight's game before the third inning was completed. In just his second batter faced, lefty and just promoted Gunnar Henderson smashed a line drive home run over the wall in right field. It was a bad omen, apparently. Ethan's night unraveled in the following manner: well-hit fly out to left field, 1-2 single given up on a fastball high and over the heart of the plate, double play ball botched by Mark Mathias (only his second error on the season) on an errant throw well off the second base bag and into the dirt. The inning 'should' have been over. But, alas, it continued. And it went downhill from there. The ump's tight strike zone did Ethan no favors. The runners on, post-error, stole second and third on a bang-bang play and a wonderful throw to second from Feliciano. The play was extremely close but it did appear the runner beat the throw with a foot-first slide. Ethan then threw a wild pitch on a full count to plate the first run for Norfolk. Tip of the cap to the Tide: they earned their runs and took advantage. For all of you with MiLB.TV subscriptions, tune into the pre-game interview with the one and only Jeff Hem and young RHP Dylan File (on the replay the interview starts at roughly 51 minutes 22 seconds). Jeff is so good at these interviews. I can't encourage you enough to check in on these pre-games but also check into Jeff's ongoing blog as interviews stay current throughout the season: Updated and Ongoing Interviews Here. Our very own @Mass Haas will post these Here but bookmark that page and reload it weekly. Is there anything more priceless in Minor League baseball than the Nashville Sounds 'Junior Announcers'? I love watching the youngsters on the mic. Such good stuff. The Sounds tied the game up in the bottom of the second at 1-1 with a vintage baseball collection of seeing-eye hits that plated Tyler White. Tyler hit an absolute bloop single that turned double down the right field line as the ball fell amongst three charging Tides players. Jon Singleton followed with a walk. Mark Mathias followed with a groundout fielders choice. David Dahl plated Tyler with a weakly hit but well beat-out infield single to shortstop. Let's recognize the continued excellent work from Andy Otero in the Nashville bullpen. After tonight's five scoreless innings of two walk and three strikeout ball, Andy has completed 14 2/3 relief innings for the Sounds giving up a mere two runs. What's more, he's absolutely toned down his walks and hits against since his time in Biloxi. His BA against is sub 0.100. His WHIP is sub 0.75 ? Nobody likes those 70-75 mph off-speed pitches. Keep it up, Andy! Incredible stuff. Unfortunately, other than the fine plate work of Tyler White and a welcomed 2-for-5 night at the plate for Brice Turang, not a whole lot else happened at the plate. This being said, Jonny Davis' continued on-base work, well, continued: After going 1-for-4 with a walk, Jonny improved his on-base streak to 19 games. He’s hitting .303 (23-for-76) with 12 runs during the streak. It's going to be hard for Corey Ray to get meaningful playing time with that type of production. Speaking of Brice Turang, this play was not as easy as Brice made it look: He just makes it look too easy. I've said it before, I'll say it again: Turang is an incredibly good fielder. *** A Final Detour: This is what it's all about. We have a legend in our midst here at Brewer Fanatic in Jim Goulart whose tireless dedication over twenty years of Minor League Brewers coverage is truly worthy of an interwebs placard of some form or another. As a group here at Brewer Fanatic, we cover the Minor Leagues because we love the stories, we love the players, and we want the best for all the athletes; coaches; and affiliates (and their organizational employees at large). It truly is a beautiful community of folks. Well, tonight in Oakland, Bob Hards made his Major League debut in the broadcast booth after 31 years covering Oakland's Double-A affiliate in the Midland Rockhounds (formerly, the Midland Angels). This is simply something to celebrate. Something to bring joy. The Brewers have a wealth of broadcasting talent amongst their affiliates. As a habitual watcher of MiLB.TV, I want to salute the continued awesome work of Greg Young in Zebulon, Chris Mehring (and Kyle Lobner) in Wisconsin, Garrett Greene and Thomas Zinzarella in Biloxi, and Jeff Hem in Nashville. May each and every one of you achieve all you aspire to achieve in your broadcasting endeavors. I appreciate your fantastic work on a nightly basis and I thank each and every one of you. You make the game of baseball better for all of us. *** That's a wrap for my Minor League reports this week. We're on for a full slate of games tomorrow. Keep in mind, Carolina will play a double-header starting at 5 PM EST. Nashville will also be playing a double-header to recuperate their postponed game from Tuesday. So, that's already 6 games before we consider ACL and DSL tilts. Please stay tuned and active as we deliver all the news from the Brewers' lower levels. 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

Do you think Manager Mike Guerrero was happy to have Joey back in the line-up tonight? Glorious baseball nectar! That OF assist is just...filthy is a word.

Man, this is awesome. Thanks for sharing!

Man, this is awesome. Thanks for sharing!

Not a lot of men can pull off that Fourth of July look there.? Joey, as one would imagine, does it with ease. Like a Greek sculpture wearing jean shorts and Americana. Hilarious. As to 'who I'd love interviewed': Tyler Black Jakson Reetz Cam Devanney Let's start there.

From our own @Smichaelis9 in today's Minor League Game Thread: Well-observed here and many thanks for alerting our readers!?

No kidding, huh? When it rains it pours...on all umbrellas.?

With the first games of the ACL and DSL now completed, it's really starting to feel like summer. Let's hope the bats heat up in concert with the weather. With this caveat, I will give daily updates and box score tid bits and any possible highlights to our DSL and ACL affiliates first and then carry into my usual Low-A to Triple-A routine. Firstly, let's take a look at yesterday's and today's many transactions and then head to Arizona and the Dominican locales and see how our young men fared. I can tell you, in the higher levels of our minor leagues...I'm getting a wee tired of losses across the board. Let's hope this recent run is just a spurt of hiccups and we rebound and head for greener pastures. Many games does a season make. Let's be honest: we've hit a rough patch. Transactions: ** A reminder: For any and all Sunday thru Monday transactions please peruse and participate in our ongoing '2022 Minor League Transaction Thread' . We will continue to provide cumulative tid-bits here but it is very worth your time to dig into that thread as the details are live and they are quite robust. Let's start with Monday: The Zach Vennaro and Kent Hasler 'sent down' moves make more sense when we consider what is happening in Biloxi: RHP Victor Castaneda, RHP Justin Bullock, RHP Harold Chirino, and RHP Luis Contreras were all moved to AA Biloxi's 7-day injured list. That's a BIG ouch here. Victor has been far and away the most dependable Starter since Andy Otero and Tyler Herb's well-deserved promotions and, until his recent ninth inning meltdown. (Perhaps, this injury gives the clue.) RHP Harold Chirino has been a bullpen stalwart. Luis had been pitching his best baseball of the season of late. No rest for the weary! Fear not, lastly, RHP Brandon Knarr has been promoted to Biloxi from Wisconsin. Let's get into some game reports. Sheesh! BOX: DSL Brewers (2) 10, DSL Brewers (1) 1 Well, this one was a a wee bit of a blow out it would appear. But, hey, it's a game amongst teammates and friends. Some of yesterday's successes carried over for the DSL Brewers 2 - notably, youngsters Juan Baez, Yeison Perez, and Brayan Oropeza continued their productive plate appearances - each with a double. Oropeza also hit his second home run in two games. This will play. Notably, let's give a mention to 18-year-old Erick Perez who tripled in his first DSL at bat - a pinch hit in the bottom of the eighth. He scored on a Perez double - his second of the game. Tasty! On the pitching side of things, the DSL Brewers 2 pitched to the tune of 16 strikeouts with a sprinkling of ... they did walk ten batters. 18-year-old, Anfernny Reyes (with an intriguing 6'3" frame), started and went 3 2/3 innings with 3 walks, no hits, and five punch outs. An intriguing line for the young hurler. Of note in the bullpen for the DSL Brewers 2, Jeral Vizcaino pitched a one hit, one walk scoreless inning with all three outs coming via strikeout. David Dominguez pitched two scoreless innings of one hit, two walk, and four strikeout ball. On the DSL Brewers 1 side of things, every pitcher gave up two or more runs and that'll lead to double digits across the plate. Luis Lara (2-for-5) did manage to plate a run on a single with two men on in the bottom of the ninth (both given free passes) for the lone DSL Brewers 1 run. The 17-year-old Lara is off to a fine start to his DSL season. BOX: ACL Brewers Gold 6, ACL Athletics 3 Hey! A second Brewers affiliate win? My goodness, it's the good old days of May all over again. And, my, how sweet it is. Second baseman, tonight, Gregory Barrios led off the batting order and went 2-for-4 with two rbi's off a triple to right field. Catcher Jason Ollarve managed to plate the other two rbi's via a sac fly and a ground out finishing his day 0-for-2. We also grabbed a run off the lower-levels vintage wild pitch - always in play in the lowest of lower levels. It wasn't all roses, however, as three errors by the Gold led to two unearned runs - a throwing and a fielding error by 19 year old shortstop, today, Jose Caballero are of note. Lastly, let's honor the fine pitching work of the duo of Yerlin Rodriguez and Jeison Pena. Pena managed two scoreless innings in late relief with 3 strikeouts and no other marks on his stat sheet. BOX: ACL Reds 6, ACL Brewers Blue 4 And, the losses begin here all the way down in Arizona. The Brewers Blue lost a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth as the Reds grabbed an illustrious five-spot to pull ahead for good. Let's take note of some young men, however. OF, Luis Medina knocked in three rbi's with his third inning home run. This gave the ACL Blue their 3-1 lead. As noted, it didn't last long. Who other than our very own @damuelleto give us the good details: Remember, Daniel and I are almost always in those daily game threads discussing the minor league contests - often in quite a bit of detail as they happen live. All told, this game really came down to the two-out unraveling by the Brewers Blue pitchers in the top of the fourth. The combined work of Yujanyer Herrera and Trevor Tietz produced the following with two down: walk, single, two-run home run, single, two-run home run, walk, strikeout to end the ordeal. And, well, that was ball game after all was said and finished. *** Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Myrtle Beach (Cubs) 10, Carolina 8 Box Score / Game Log Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Late Lead Wasted in Series Opening Loss - Leones Totaled a Career Best Four Hits and Chourio Extended His Hit Streak to 13 Games For the second week in a row, the Mudcats represented with the 'Player of the Week' honors. This time, the much deserved and perennially red hot Jackson Chourio received the award: Read Press Release Here. This is the second such award in two weeks' time (Hedbert Perez , if you recall, received last week's award). Let's keep this going, young men! Facing off against the red hot (21 games over 0.500) Pelicans felt like an extremely tall task for our young Mudcats but they were back home in Five County Stadium to take on such a challenge. Taking the hill for Carolina was Miguel Segura , and, I'd be lying if I said it looked promising early. BUT, baseball is a wily game and seemingly certain trouble can end with a sigh of relief as it did in the top of the first for Miguel. The first three batters Miguel faced got on base and a figurative ominous rustling wind swirled dust across the diamond. And, yet, a mere one run crossed the plate. It felt like a good omen and, boy, was it ever. The young upstart Mudcats plated five runs in the bottom half - including Perez's two-run blast. It was 5-1 Mudcats. Take a look at this incredible smack by Perez: And, once again, I'd be lying late if I said thought the Mudcats would blow the game after leading throughout. But, baseball is a wily game and even when you think the game is in the bag, all nine innings must be played. Let the Timber Rattlers tell you more about this aphorism further below. Further Viewing Notes: It's a baseball adage that walks will kill you. Jefferson Figueroa found this out in a weird way with a confidently called three-run home run after walking two men on in the top of the sixth. It appeared to almost all in the ballpark the ball hit was a double high off the wall in deep left center. But, it was somehow called a certain home run by the infield umpire. The Mudcats players were perplexed. Manager, Victor Estevez? I haven't seen him this animated all season. Nonetheless, it's a two-umpire crew in Low-A and that's sometimes a tall glass to fill. It was close. We can't begrudge the call. It was 6-5 Mudcats suddenly as they headed to the home half bottom of the sixth. With the double and the walk, further extending his hit streak, Chourio also moved his OPS north of 1.000. Will the hype ever end? I sure hope not. The results keep validating all the early accolades. The Pelicans came into this tilt 20-1 after scoring first in games in 2022. Quite the record. They finished 21-1 after pulling out the win with late-game magic. Winning teams find ways to win. It never ceases to amaze. This was a Mudcats victory until the game was decided. After the Pelicans had grabbed a run back to make it a 2-5 game in favor of the Mudcats, Oswal Leones grabbed that run right back: Speaking of which, I tend to see good things from Leones when I tune in live. This was a career-best 4-for-5 night (one rbi batting in the nine-hole) for the young man. Let's hope that continues as the season progresses. There's something here and Leones' game has the ongoing feeling of 'untapped potential'. If you were to pin anything of note on starter Segura and his piggy-back man Figueroa it would have to be walks. Both young men struggle with elevated WHIPS in 2022 and, much like tonight, you can point to their continued free passes. This is all too common for young hurlers. Both guys have solid stuff to work with and the frames to carry said stuff, but, it's the finer points that will ultimately test them as they move forward. Seven walks between the two pitchers in 8 1/3 innings is simply a lot to work around. *** Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Beloit (Marlins) 6, Wisconsin 4 Box Score / Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please visit and review: Beloit Hands Wisconsin Costly Loss - Sky Carp Rally for 6-4 Win Over Rattlers **Before you read further, please check into this wonderful piece on Darboy, Wisconsin's (and Timber Rattlers' player hosts) Carpenter family: THIS is what it is all about. Family. Support. Togetherness. I love the prospects Justin Jarvis and Cam Robinson have become. But, apparently, I might like Jarvis' Hibachi even more? Who knew?! Russ Smith was looking to turn things around as the T-Rats were on the road all the way down to Beloit. Whew, my hats off to any young men having to live that close to the state of Illinois. As a born-and-raised Wisconsinite, I admit: perhaps I'm a tad biased. But, that's just sub 0.500 tough sledding. I can definitively say, from my vantage point, this was the best version of Russ we've seen to date. He was working fast and with a purpose. Nailing the zone with a mix of heat and off-speed and carried a 1-1 score into the fifth inning. My prospect antenna were perked up and shiny at the display I was seeing. Here's to many more of these types of outings ahead, Russ. RIP: Until our next Home series, here lies all those wonderful Home series YouTube Full Game Highlights and Post-Game Podcasts.? Further Viewing Notes: Tyler Black . Baseball player. That is all. I love watching this young man play. He has that 'It' you look for in a Major League player. I love the way he carries himself. I love the build. He started tonight with a double and a triple. Enjoy him in Appleton as his days are numbered. His feisty 14-pitch strikeout to end the game was what I've come to expect from the young man. I just want to re-iterate: this is by far the best version of Smith I've seen all year. It was a joy to watch. I loved the speed. I loved the confidence. I loved the sprinkling of the change-up. He didn't receive any benefit from the home plate umpire. He didn't complain. Great body language. Just lots to love with this outing. Here's to many more ahead, Russ! Robbie Baker came on in relief of Smith with two down and men on first and second and the Rattlers clinging to a two-run lead. And, he proceeded to snag an absolute rope toward the mound. He made it look a lot easier than it was. It saved a run. And, it was on to the seventh. Joe Gray Jr. will fish anywhere. An avid outdoorsman, Gray showed up for today's game and proceeded to grab his fishing kit and head to the Rock River. Be true to you, Joe. We hope you caught some fish! May is obviously over. Cam Robinson gave us one more scoreless outing in June. Tonight? Not so much. Sent on in the bottom-half of the eighth inning to preserve a 4-3 ball game, Cam gave up three runs. Beloit earned every one of those runs. Disciplined at bats and the benefit of some seeing-eye hits. Good work from the Sky Carps. Shake it off, Cam. Let's get another scoreless streak going! After a 14-pitch battle to close the game, something I alluded to above: Black had words with home plate umpire Kenny Jackson. Something happened during the at bat that had bothered Tyler for many pitches and it seemed to be related to some form of time out call or step out by the umpire - it was unclear in the telecast. And, well, Tyler, I can honestly tell you Jackson bothered me with balls and strikes pretty much all game. Have at it and on to the next. The trivia question reads: When was the last time Robinson gave up a single run? My answer is, lazily, some time in April (the real answer is April 28th). His stuff still looked great tonight. No, really, it did. He still did that Cam thing going where he flirted around the zone risking walks and mixing in steep breaking balls with heat and movement. But, on this particular occasion, a red hot Beloit team was the beneficiary of some timely and, frankly, some lucky hitting early and, well, then they just broke it open a wee bit. And, so it goes. Baseball is such a wonderfully challenging game. *** Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Tennessee (Cubs) 5, Biloxi 2 Box Score / Game Log Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Three Run Eighth Sinks Shuckers in Opener Against Smokies - Campbell Hits First Double-A Home Run My self-titled 'Where is Joey Wiemer ?' watch continues. We are seven days in and I am begrudgingly digging a bunker to weather this storm. Where for art thou, Joey? Where doth thy wicked swings go when you are dressed in warm-ups tossing baseballs in the dugout? Sigh. While I was drying salty tears from my work desk, TJ Shook took the hill for his third time as a Shucker. Let's take a look at how he fared. Here's a hint: this was his best Double-A start. Unfortunately, no win to tack on the good feelings. But, the lower levels are about much more than wins and losses. Hopefully, TJ's fine work can lead the way for some Brandon Knarr success tomorrow as he faces these tough Tennessee Smokies. Further Viewing Notes: This is my last unofficial 'Stop Sleeping on Jakson Reetz ' announcement. Without further ado: Please stop sleeping on this stud ?. He's had an absolutely incredible and consistent season. He deserves all the plaudits he isn't receiving - I swear, of all the young men raking in the Brewers system I feel as though I hear a mere collection of faint whispers when there should be loud chatter. Another rbi tonight. 3-for-4 throwing out runners. Oh, hey, here's an uber-athletic catcher who can fill-in as a left fielder in a pinch? Let's talk about all the other catching wealth? Not on my watch. I'm here for the whole story. I love this young man's game. Hop aboard my hype train: How about a casual 28th rbi oppo-dribbler? With Sal Frelick aboard, this is the type of hitting you want when you're fighting off a pitch. Savvy baseball is also in the Reetz tool-kit: In the ongoing recent game of 'Which Biloxi Shuckers Reliever Will it Be?", tonight's answer was, unfortunately, Kent Hasler. Kent came aboard late in this one with a 2-2 ball game in the balance. He left after two complete having conceded three earned runs on four hits and a walk with a single strikeout. Gone are those days of High-A dominance. It's been a tough promotional stretch for the previously lights out High-A reliever. Here's to finding that dominant form, Kent! All the tools are there. Give me some of the Tennessee Smokies Double-A Matt Mervis promotional vibe: 18 games. Seven home runs including the game-tying home run in the top of the fourth off of, until that moment, previously cruising Shook. What a run this young man is on. Game recognizes game. Like Smith in Beloit tonight, this was Shook's best work on the mound as a Shucker. Five complete. Four hits and two walks. Six strikeouts. That will give your team a chance on any night, anywhere. In a night where there were losses across the board, TJ's outing was definitively another small victory. Kudos to the young man. Noah Campbell has been playing fine baseball since returning from his IL stint. Here's an opposite-field solo home run (his first in Double-A!) to grab a 2-1 lead coming off his birthday just yesterday. Happy birthday, Noah! What more is there to say of this ongoing Biloxi season as a whole other than: you never really know what you're going to get. We know they can get above 0.500. We don't know they can maintain that above-board standing. We know they can get back to 0.500. Yet, we know they can certainly dip back below 0.500. After tonight's loss, they're back to four games under and, well, it's just re-affirming it's been 'that kind of season'. Across the board. Early it was errors, an inability to hit with RISP, and an under-performing bottom-half of the order that were the consistent record killers. Recently, sitting games above 0.500, the bottom of the order got red hot for a nice stretch but the bullpen started melting down on a night-in and night-out basis. That seems to be a continuing theme into this week. Will they set things straight and head for smoother and more lucrative waters? It's too early to tell. We sure hope they do. We'll keep you posted. *** Nashville vs. Norfolk - Postponed For those of you still so inclined, and to get up-to-date for the series start, here are your Game Notes regardless. Note: Make-Up Game is June 9th *** All too many 0-4, 0-5, 0-3 results on the Win/Loss column as of late. But, we're in it for the long haul. Let's tune in tomorrow and see if. when, and how we turn this ship around. I'll be here to provide your coverage. There are always small victories in every contest - tonight was no stranger to this truth. Let's hope we find bigger truths in the form of victories tomorrow. 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

This is awesome. You love to see the bounce back. In a game filled with sample sizes, this is a nice one. Congrats, to Ashton! Keep grinding!

There is Carlos F. Rodriguez and then there is every other pitcher on the Mudcats staff. He is absolutely crushing it in Low-A right now. It's going to be real nice to see how he fares as he moves up Levels. He is ready.