Joseph Zarr

Well, it certainly appears Jackson Chourio's power-stroke is picking up as he familiarizes himself with Low-A pitching. That was 3 HR's in that Lynchburg series. What. A. Stud.

Thanks for the Summary, Daniel. I had a busy Sunday and this helps settle my Minor League 'fix'. Good stuff!

7 more stolen bases on Darrien Miller tonight. He is now seeing a 92.2% successful stolen base rate on his arm. That's a 7.8% throw-out rate in 2022. This is entering some really rough territory. Addendum: obviously, it isn't all on a catcher. But, there's something here. They touch on it in the podcast. Give it a listen.

The historical thing about Jose Acosta's dinger was it was on his first pitch as a Timber Rattler. Put it in that 'Brewer Fanatic' Trivial Pursuit (2022 edition).

The historical thing about Jose Acosta's dinger was it was on his first pitch as a Timber Rattler. Put it in that 'Brewer Fanatic' Trivial Pursuit (2022 edition).

The Biloxi write-up above? Absolute, 100%, chef's kiss. That's the stuff that brought me here those many 'Brewer Fan' years ago, @Mass Haas. If there is a such a thing as a 'poet laureate' for Minor League baseball, you win that award on a yearly basis.

The Biloxi write-up above? Absolute, 100%, chef's kiss. That's the stuff that brought me here those many 'Brewer Fan' years ago, @Mass Haas. If there is a such a thing as a 'poet laureate' for Minor League baseball, you win that award on a yearly basis.

Doston has a little bit of ol' CF lead-off specialist, Juan Pierre, to his game. Like Pierre, Lefty. Like Pierre, quite diminutive. Like Pierre, a very quick and shortened hit-to-contact swing. It's been fun to watch his time in Biloxi. Heck of a game last night!

Doston has a little bit of ol' CF lead-off specialist, Juan Pierre, to his game. Like Pierre, Lefty. Like Pierre, quite diminutive. Like Pierre, a very quick and shortened hit-to-contact swing. It's been fun to watch his time in Biloxi. Heck of a game last night!

This is the Way. Tim has spoken.

This is the Way. Tim has spoken.

For all the T-Rats fine defensive plays:

For all the T-Rats fine defensive plays:

Woof. It was definitely one of those vintage frustrating baseball nights across all lower levels. We saw struggles with RISP (several stranded bases loaded across multiple games), a rare Nashville bullpen meltdown, and opponents simply playing better in key moments. All told, we lost them all. Let's get to the recaps and back to a fresh slate of games tomorrow. Transactions: RHP Luke Barker was optioned back to the Nashville Sounds from the Milwaukee Brewers, the Milwaukee Brewers selected the contract of RHP Jason Alexander from the Nashville Sound. Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Lynchburg (Guardians) 5, Carolina 3 Box Score / Game Log Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Mudcats Slip to Second After 5-3 Loss in Lynchburg - Jackson Chourio went 2-for-5 with a Home Run and a Double in the Game It's becoming a bit of a scene where it's Jackson Chourio 's Low-A world and everyone else is just living in it. This young man has entered the scene running and tonight was no different. The Mudcats had every opportunity to win this one. They outhit the Hillcats. They had fine bullpen work on the back end. But, beyond the really good nights at the top of the order, the rest was sprinkled in. And, unfortunately, the Mudcats fell out of first place. Further Viewing Notes: It looked like Jefferson Figueroa had a decent chance to escape the first inning. With two down, he had runners on second and third. But, he proceeded to walk the next batter and then gave up the grand salami to clear the base paths. Just like that, the Mudcats trailed 4-0 after one complete. Those four runs would hold as the Mudcats only plated three through nine innings of play. The Mudcats outhit the Hillcats by a decent margin: 12 to 6. But, when you go 1-for-10 with RISP it's hard to win unless your pitching staff shuts down the opponent. It was just one of those nights. Chourio continues to mash in Low-A. Coming into tonight's match-up, he had hit safely in seven consecutive games and had gone 12-for-31 while hitting .387/.406/.452 with an .858 OPS (3 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 7 RBI) during the streak. Holy smokes. It's a matter of time before he is called up to higher levels, but for now, enjoy every moment you can in Zebulon. He added his 12th double tonight and knocked in all three runs on an opposite field line drive home run (his second of the season) to bring the Mudcats within 4-3. What a revelatory prospect this young man is! And, that is now eight consecutive games with hits. On the other end of the spectrum, after tonight's game, Arbreris Ferrer has now struck out at least once in 27 consecutive games. ? After winning the Southern League's 'Player of the Week' last week, Hedbert Perez unfortunately didn't look the part in tonight's contest. He finished his day 0-for-4 and looked fairly over-matched in his two strikeouts. He'll try to regain last week's rhythm tomorrow. Arbert Cipion continues his incredible output in 2022. Another great night at the plate in the lead-off spot set the tone: 3-for-5 with a run and let's not forget the outfield assist! It's been a joy to watch his growth this season. Going step for step at the plate was Eduardo Garcia in the two-spot of the batting lineup. Garcia finished a nice night at the plate going 3-for-5 with a run as well. The top of the order was fantastic overall. Lastly, let's recognize the fine bullpen work of 20-year-old Miguel Segura who pitched three scoreless innings of two walk, one hit ball. He tacked on three strikeouts. Most impressive was escaping trouble in the eighth. After walking the first batter, advancing the base runner on a wild pitch, and walking the next batter, Miguel managed to strike out two consecutive batters and ended the inning with a harmless groundout to the first base side. He gave his team a chance and that's all you can ask from the bullpen. Well done, Miguel. Fine work on the evening. Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Peoria (Cardinals) 6, Wisconsin 0 Box Score / Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please visit and review: Peoria Shuts Out Wisconsin 6-0 - Rattlers Held to Three Hits on Wednesday Afternoon Zavier Warren hit his Midwest League leading 15th double of his 2022 season. And, really, that's where the highlights stop for Wisconsin in their matinee game to open June. Joe Gray Jr. did manage to hit a single and advance to second on his 8th stolen base of the season but, all in all, this is a game the Timber Rattlers are going to want to simply move on from. Eleven strikeouts for T-Rats bats on the day, many a pop out, and Russ Smith continued his inaugural season adjustments to Minor League ball. Get your complete game highlights here: And, follow-up with your post-game podcast - the first since before the Cedar Rapids away series. Good stuff in here - including talk of under-appreciated Joey Matulovich, Cam Robinson, and former T-Rats making their MLB debuts: Soundcloud Link Here Further Viewing Notes: Russ Smith's first Minor League season is beginning to feel like a first year wide receiver in the NFL. He has the size you look for and he is a left-handed pitcher with a mix of pitches to work with, but, to date, he really hasn't found his footing in the step up from college ball. Is this just a matter of time and acclimation? Perhaps, and I would certainly hope so. But, I think it's fair to say the 29 strikeouts to 18 walks is a mild concern at this stage - or, at least it's something to notice. It's early. It's absolutely early. And, as always, the addendum is and should be: there is no need for any type of over-reaction to extremely small sample sizes and eight games is extremely small. But, it is also fair to point out: through eight starts this is not ideal second round pick output. And, that's really all there is to say. Here's to better results ahead, young man. Keep that chin up. Zavier Warren hit his Midwest Leauge leading 15th double of the season today on an opposite field blast to the wall in left field. I continue to be impressed by his relaxed approach and easy swing at the plate. Zavier continues to be a lynch pin to Wisconsin's success. Robbie Baker scuffled a little bit in his first inning but he settled down quite nicely and had batters reaching and flailing in his second and third innings of relief work. Tip of the cap to Peoria's pitching staff: No walks today and only one walk through two games in the series. With all the T-Rats injuries ongoing, it's a real challenge for acting-managers (Joe Ayrault is still shelved due to a positive COVID test) to match lefty or righty bats to pitching. The coaching staff is essentially working with what is available at present and the fact the Rattlers came into this game tied for first place is an homage to the team at large. There is not a single outfielder on the bench right now and it is almost approaching the territory of: "Well, Justin Jarvis was a two-sport athlete in high school?"? Michael Antico didn't steal a base today, unlike yesterday when he stole three bags, but he has been an absolute thorn in the Timber Rattlers' side through two games. A bunt single and two doubles today after multiple on-base trips yesterday. Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Pensacola (Marlins) 3, Biloxi 2 Box Score / Game Log Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Reetz' Two Homers Not Enough as Wahoos Edge Shuckers 3-2 - Biloxi Bullpen Hurls 4.2 Scoreless Frames On a night when the Shuckers managed to keep it close, it definitely seemed like they were going to pull one out miraculously in the late innings. However, with men on first and second in the ninth inning young Yeison Coca was incapable of getting the contact the team needed to claw back into a tie or take the lead. As the article above notes, the Shuckers best shot came in the sixth inning with a bases loaded one out situation. However, red hot Tristan Lutz and Cam Devanney hit nearly identical end-of-the-bat dribblers to the pitcher and first base side, respectively, resulting in zero runs across. Further Viewing Notes: Joey Wiemer was notably absent in the starting line-up tonight. After a classic tornado swing and miss before a strike out looking, Wiemer was pulled for a 'defensive replacement' last night in the seventh inning. However, it is worth noting: I did see Joey up and about in the Biloxi dugout casually flipping baseballs and leaning on the railing. It would appear this is merely a well-deserved rest for a young man who has been available night in and night out throughout the entire 2022 season. Jakson Reetz continued his absolutely incredible 2022 campaign with a home run in the top half of the first inning. He followed that up with his second home run of the night in the top of the fourth inning. Both of these came off highly touted Marlins prospect, Eury Pérez. All told, that's now 12 home runs on his season - tied atop the Southern League leaderboard with Joey Wiemer. The young man is playing with renewed purpose and a chip on the proverbial shoulder after leaving the Washington organization. Do not sleep on this young stud. He's back above 0.300 at the plate and his OPS continues to stay north of 1.000. He's having just an absurd season at the plates What's more? He played left field tonight! That's the kind of athleticism he possess. Let's take a look at some mash: Cam Devanney continues to be one of my favorite defensive infielders in the system. He has stepped in since the opening injury to Ashton McGee (now in Appleton), and thrived. He is having a resurgence at the plate in 2022, but it's his defense that continually inspires awe. Check out this web gem: Not to be outdone in the 'outs of importance' department, look at this range and grab by the always impressive Sal Frelick in far left center. Backing up a sprawling and diving Jakson Reetz, Frelick comes up with a diving web gem of his own to preserve the 2-3 score: All told, the bullpen really did its part going 4 2/3 scoreless innings but, unfortunately, no bats joined the Jakson Reetz parade and the Shuckers couldn't turn the tides. The Shuckers are back below 0.500 and will look to get back to an even 0.500 tomorrow. Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Durham (Rays) 17, Nashville 4 Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Routed by Durham - Bulls Pile on to Run Away from Nashville Unfortunately, that outlandish score is not a typo. To think, it was actually a 2-2 game through five innings. The Sounds had left many a RISP in the first five innings but, well, it's hard to say how much difference that would have made given what happened thereafter. Really, it was a bullpen meltdown and that's all there is. Tyler Herb pitched very well but for two solo home runs back-to-back in the bottom of the third. All told, Tyler pitched to the tune of five complete innings, three hits, two walks, and eight punch outs. That'll play most nights. Hats off for a heck of a rebound outing on the road. Further Viewing Notes: After Pablo Reyes ripped a single to center left field to start the second inning, he managed to steal second and then take third on a wild throw from the Bulls' catcher. Mark Mathias walked and Mario Feliciano proceeded to rip an extremely well-hit double under the third baseman's glove down the line and to the wall in left field. It was 1-0 Sounds. Corey Ray followed with a strike out on a full count change-up and Jonny Davis was robbed of a double on a sliding catch in right field by Durham's Jordan Qsar. Mark Mathias rushed a throw to start the bottom-half of the second inning but was gifted a generous bounce off the wall in right field directly to the glove of Pablo Reyes preventing further damage on the base paths. Meanwhile, Brice Turang saw six pitches early and struck out twice. And, what's more, after it was reported Wily Adames felt some minor quad discomfort after his start in Carolina, we have yet to see Mr. Adames man the field. Ruh roh, Rastro! Tyler Herb brought his best stuff early. Through two innings he had struck out four, the ball was moving all sorts of nasty, and he had not given up a hit or a walk. A beautiful bounce-back start off his last outing where he was roughed up in a shortened start. Through three innings the Sounds had the first five hits of the game - all off of Durham starter Kevin Herget. However, the Sounds had also struck out seven times. It was a bit of an all-or-nothing state of affairs. They stranded men on second and third after Dahl's strikeout on a high heater to close the third. Herb was absolutely cruising in the third. He had struck out six consecutive at that point. But, one 3-0 count quickly turned into a fastball smashed high over the wall in far right field as Miles Mastrobuoni sat on a fastball. Jonathan Aranda followed with an extremely well-hit bomb over the wall in left center and it was suddenly 2-1 Durham. It felt a bit unfair and I might have said "Well, shucks!". As comfortable as David Dahl looked at the plate last night, he looked equally uncomfortable tonight. It was one of those games where he seemed to be fooled by most pitches or simply uncomfortable in the batters box. Have I mentioned baseball is hard? On to the next, David. On the other side of the batters box, and continuing to look extremely comfortable at the plate, Mario Feliciano hit two doubles tonight in addition to an RBI single up the middle. How hot is Mario? He's batting .453 (24-for-53) with seven runs, four doubles and eight RBI in his last 13 games. My goodness. It was a 2-2 ball game as I've said. And, actually, the Sounds were outplaying Durham through five innings even though the score didn't tell that tale. What's more, the Sounds had stolen three bags for the eighth time this 2022 season. And, so it goes. One of the inevitable by-products of promotions happening from within a lights out pitching staff is promotions coming from elsewhere within the system. The two innings of bullpen meltdown from recent Biloxi Shuckers Nick Bennett, Zach Vennaro, and Andy Otero turned a 2-2 game into a 16-2 shellacking. Sometimes you don't have it. And, sometimes you really don't have it. Bennett made his Triple-A debut lasting a mere 2/3 of an inning walking four and giving up four runs. Let's hope for better stuff in future outings. And, at the time, it felt so promising: And, my, how quickly the tune changed: However, we got to see the fine work of recent Catching call-up, Nick Kahle, on the hill as he came aboard for the eighth inning: Nick did give up a home run, but, all told, a fine fine outing and that home run was overrated. Even though it counted for a run it felt like Nick earned one himself. Let's run out of those locker rooms gentlemen. Let's burn some sage in that club house. And, let's get back at it tomorrow! That's a wrap for my Minor League reports for this beautiful first week of June. We are back to all night games for our affiliates tomorrow where Josh Lindbolm will take the hill for Nashville, Brandon Knarr for Wisconsin, and TJ Shook gets his second start for Biloxi in Pensacola (Carolina starter TBD). That's some fine young arms taking the hill (Josh, you're still in your 30's - that's young to me. We'll give you the nod too ?). As always, thanks for reading and let's continue to support and enjoy our young prospects as they work their ways in the 2022 season. 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 'Minor League Monday' - the real kind not the Holiday kind - and, as always, I encourage you to check out @Seth Stohs most recent and detailed 'Minor League Week in Review' HERE. These are wonderful reports to give you an ongoing glimpse of the teams, the players, and what to possibly keep track of in the week ahead. What's more? Seth's pitcher of the week for the final week in May, Justin Jarvis, got the start tonight as the Timber Rattlers returned to Fox Cities Stadium to face Peoria. Let's head to Bank of the James Stadium first, however, as our Carolina Mudcats started a road series versus Cleveland's Low-A affiliate in Lynchburg. Transactions: INF Mark Mathias was officially optioned back to the Nashville Sounds, INF Jose Acosta was officially assigned to the Carolina Mudcats Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Lynchburg (Guardians) 4, Carolina 2 Box Score / Game Log Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please visit and review: Mudcats Drop Series Opener 4-2 in Lynchburg - Carolina Lost a 2-1 Lead in the Sixth While Falling to the Hillcats in Lynchburg Firstly, a big congratulations to Hedbert Perez who was named the Carolina League player of the week. The press release is here. It's hard to fathom Jackson Chourio hasn't grabbed one of these awards yet given his continued fabulous play. Regardless, this award was noteworthy indeed as Hedbert is the first Mudcats player to receive this recognition in 2022. Here's to many more! For a pitcher with such a nice breaking curve and growing change-up, RHP Carlos Rodriguez has some truly dangerous tools to work with. This being said, on several 0-2 counts, Carlos appeared to be leaving far too many flat fast balls over the heart of the plate. He was touching 93 on the heater while dropping that curve down to the low 70's. There's lots to work with for the 20-year-old - he utilized his change-up in the second inning for two straight strikeouts to finish the inning. I'd also opine, Carlos might have the best pick-off move to first of the entire Mudcats staff. It's a very quick turn and he nearly grabbed a runner in the first and then he managed to successfully pick the lead-off runner off in the second inning for the first out. For the Hillcats, Jack Leftwich - previously featured as a piggy-back bullpen stud - was on the mound starting for Lynchburg. (He will start a second time in this same series.) He was cruising through the early innings finishing inning number one striking out Jackson Chourio while ending inning number two by striking out both Jeferson Quero and Hedbert Perez on high heat. He was touching 94 and 95 regularly on the radar gun. Throughout Leftwich's outing, the Mudcats were slow to catch up to his velocity. Ultimately, he finished five complete innings with ten strikeouts. Leftwich was dominant in his longest outing of the 2022 season. Rodriguez, it should be noted, went stride-for-stride through his four complete innings. Further Viewing Notes: It was essentially a Jheremy Vargas and Arbert Cipion show tonight for the Mudcats. Both Mudcats' runs were the product of their work at the plate. Their first run came with two outs and their second run - to take the lead in the top of the sixth - came when they lead off the inning. Without these two, the Mudcats batters were simply ineffective on the evening. It was definitely a pitching duel early and often between Rodriguez and Leftwich. Unfortunately, Alex Cornielle couldn't match Rodriguez's settle in and control as Alex walked far too man batters during his 3 2/3 innings of work. In total, Alex walked five batters in his relief stint. I don't know if there is a better defensive catcher in all the Brewers Minor League affiliates than Jeferson Quero. The ease with which he scoops pitches short of the plate or in the dirt is truly a sight to behold. He had several cool, calm, and collect scoops tonight. He is a defensive stud at such a young age. Hopefully, he can get his bat going again. Carlos Rodriguez hadn't started a game since May 7th whereas Cornielle has played the part of Starter and Middle relief seemingly throughout all of May. I don't know if there is a single thing to make of this other than: Carolina mixes up their Starters and their long relief with regularity. It is worth noting: Zack Raabe was not in the field or in the lineup in any fashion tonight... Meanwhile, recent trade acquisition Jose Acosta was officially assigned to the Carolina Mudcats. Is a High-A promotion in store? Stay tuned. I think our very own @damuellemight have the right thinking here: Appleton bound? This game truly came down to the Cornielle and his lack of strike zone control. All else spoke to and resulted in a pitching duel and the quiet bats and the many strikeouts speak to this. On to the next! A random comment regarding the Lynchburg telecast: I watch a lot of Minor League baseball games. I've mentioned the difficulty in adjusting to our own Biloxi feed from 50' up and 100' back of home plate. It takes getting used to. Lynchburg was challenging in a different way: repeated choppy cuts from the camera crew and repeated mistaken player profiles for the batters (ghost profiles from the previous hitter). I know it's Low-A, but, to all involved: I'll be looking for improvements as the series progresses. I have spoken ? *** Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Wisconsin 5 , Peoria (Cardinals) 4 Box Score / Game Log Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please visit and review: Rattlers Beat Chiefs and Move into First Place Tie - Bullpen Works 5 1/3 Scoreless Innings in 5-4 Win Over Peoria Coming off a 6 2/3 inning, nine strike out outing in Cedar Rapids, Justin Jarvis opened his evening walking speedy Peoria lead-off batter Mike Antico with a ball well in the dirt. Antico came into the evening having stolen 21 of 24 bases on the season. He promptly stole second and third, and scored on a sacrifice fly. Jarvis managed to pick off the walked first base runner with a very fast and sneaky move, but, it's fair to say, this start was indicative of Jarvis' overall outing: inconsistent, inaccurate, and pretty much a struggle. This obviously isn't what we were hoping for, but, he did manage to leave with a 5-4 lead in tact after he left the mound after 3 2/3 innings. In total, he finished his evening with five hits, four walks, and three strikeouts. Control was the issue. Here's to more dominant future outings! Grab your full game highlights here: Further Viewing Notes: Ashton McGee had his best at bat in quite some time (arguably since he opened as the starting third baseman for Biloxi in the Pensacola opening series) on his opposite field double with two down in the second inning. Nice work, Ashton! Alex Hall ultimately drove McGee in immediately after said double. It just feels so good when the bottom of the order comes through clutch. With two down? The cherry on a baseball sundae. This just in: 18-year-old Jadher Areinamo is currently a bit overmatched at the plate in High-A. This is hardly shocking and, as we know, small sample sizes mean little. I'll simply note: he is swinging at any and every off-speed or breaking pitch with two strikes. This is great exposure for the young man. Hopefully, he has many a take away from his at bats and he finds incremental improvements. This was not the dominant Jarvis we have seen in his most recent starts. He was not locating his fastball tonight and, in general, was all around the plate but not touching corners or edges. Lots of high and outside and a few in the dirt. The third inning was the stuff tonight: Tristan Peters catch in sixth inning was an absolute thing of beauty (1 minute 22 second mark above or just watch this Twitter highlight below). Perhaps, he had to out do the Ashton McGee leather? Maybe. Perhaps, the T-Rats are just really good at defense. Ethan Murray's throw out to end the eighth: What a play! With the bases juiced and a diving Zavier Warren incapable of corralling the grounder, Ethan fielded that slow-rolling ball and threw across his body to nail the runner at first. The T-Rats defense continues to impress on a nightly basis. Dominant late inning bullpen? Check. Solid defense on a night in, night out basis? Check. This is winning baseball. Tune in often. You won't be disappointed. I had to give the nod to Cam Robinson over the always noteworthy Tyler Black for the 'Tag' nod. Cam went the entire month of May unscored upon. That's what we might call 'impressive'. He gets his 10th save tonight with a clean ninth inning. All told, in the month of May: 16 innings pitched, 0 earned runs, 5 hits surrendered, 5 walks, 1 hit batter, 19 strikeouts, .100 batting average, 0.63 WHIP. Let me quote the great Adam McCalvy: "Sweet sassy molassy" I would be remiss if I didn't not the fine work of Joey Malutovich and Kent Hasler. Hasler, in particular, worked his way out of that bases loaded jam. The bullpen, as a whole, played a huge part in tonight's victory. We have a possible update (and the only one I can find on the interwebs) regarding the status of OF Carlos Rodriguez. He just received the 'Player of the Week' honors himself for the Midwest League: Press Release Here. In a cruel twist of fate, Roriguez was seen in the dugout hobbled on crutches at tonight's game. And, post game, we have this from our very own @zagski6: Having seen how Rodriguez was helped off the field in Cedar Rapids and knowing the typical history of a non-contact leg injury (the announcers claim he fell to the ground in a heap), this unfortunately measures up. What a blow this might turn out to be for such an incredibly evolving season. No official word yet. Let's keep our fingers crossed, but, I have to be honest: I'm prepared for a season ender. Sigh. *** Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Pensacola (Marlins) 5, Biloxi 4 Box Score / Game Log Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please visit and review: Wahoos Walk Off Shuckers in 10 Innings - Lutz Drives in Three for Biloxi A Quick Snippet: I came into tonight's tilt looking forward to seeing former Brewer prospect, Hayden Cantrelle with the Blue Wahoos. However, I had forgotten he was traded to the San Francisco Giants last week (he is now at their Double-A affiliate in Richmond, fwiw)! Good luck in your newest organization Hayden. It's been a whirlwind Minor League tour for the young Cantrelle in 2022. We wish all our prospects - current and former - all the best as they look to get to the Major League level. To this end, I may as well mention: traded on the same day as Hayden, Korry Howell is starting to heat up down in San Antonio (Padres Double-A affiliate) as he is having a very solid second-half of May - his best play of his 2022 season. Keep it going, Korry! On the other end of the spectrum, Brett Sullivan (traded with Korry for current Brewers back-up, Victor Caritini, if you recall) has cooled off considerably down in El Paso (San Diego Triple-A affiliate) in May after a scorching hot start to his season in April. We wish both Korry and Bret the best of luck for the remainder of their seasons. If there's a more beautiful Minor League setting than Pensacola, I don't know what it is. Every game is a glorious view of the ocean harbor past the outfield walls. Much like the Shuckers opening series of 2022, I found myself pondering the sheer beauty of those salt waters. Stay beautiful, Pensacola! The Shuckers had a definitive bullpen game tonight and Lucas Erceg got the nod for the early going. Ultimately, the Shuckers lost the lead late as the typically uber-reliable Harold Chirino surrendered his first (and the game-tying) home run of his 2022 season in the bottom of the eighth - the first Blue Wahoo hit since the third inning, no less. Ultimately, the Wahoos tagged Nash Walter s for the winning runs in extras. A frustrating and tough loss for the Shuckers, no doubt. Further Viewing Notes: It really looked like the Shuckers were going to break the game open in the second inning when they led the frame with four consecutive hits. They did manage to plate three in the frame after the Gabe Holt sacrifice fly, but, they ultimately stranded men on first and second base. The Shuckers finished their night 3-for-10 with RISP. The Tristan Lutz renaissance and IL resurgence continues. I've mentioned it in many a Minor League game thread recently and tonight was no different: he is seeing the ball cleanly and he is crushing the ball. His 2-rbi double in the second was an opposite field rope to the wall. It wasn't just that double though. Check out this contact on the, then, game-leading single in the top of the 10th: Jakson Reetz' 2022 season continues to amaze at the plate. After another 2-for-4 evening (with another double) we saw his batting average creep back closer to .300 yet again while his OPS stayed north of 1.000. Who could have expected this type of season? Keep it up, Jakson. We definitely see your fine work. With runners on 1st and 2nd and only one down, the Shuckers were the recipients of a beneficial caught stealing call. My goodness, I feel like I see that once in a blue moon as a Wisconsin professional sports fan. It deserves mention and a salute: thank you Ump! That call proved quite formidable as Luis Avilas struck out with a flailing swing on the next pitch and Lucas Erceg had made it through two scoreless. Speaking of which, a special mention to Erceg for two scoreless innings of work. His ERA is back below 7.00 and he's worked hard to get there. Let's keep it going in that direction, Lucas. Fine work tonight! With the bases loaded in the top of the fourth and one down, Felix Valerio struck out and Joey Wiemer flew out to right field on his first pitch. It remained 3-1 Shuckers but that was an obvious opportunity missed. Any one of those most likely runs prevents extra innings. And, so it goes in the extremely hard game of baseball. Hats off to Carlos Luna and his fine four innings of work. He was credited with an unearned run on a throwing error, but, in total he went four complete with nary a hit, three walks, and five punch outs. This was his best outing in some time. Well done, Carlos! Chirino has been dynamite for nearly all of 2022. This being said, he fell behind 3-0 to eighth inning Wahoo lead-off hitter Paul McIntosh and surrendered his first home run of his season and it was suddenly a 3-3 ball game. He proceeded to hit the next batter, Griffen Conine. But, Chirino found his way from there. He was ultimately credited with the blown save - an unfortunate stat for the Shuckers' best reliever in 2022. Things don't get any easier for the Shuckers as they face Marlins highly-touted prospect Eury Pérez in their next tilt. Eury absolutely owned Shuckers hitters his last time on the hill to the tune of five innings, no runs, and (gulps) 12 strikeouts. Let's hope the Shuckers find different results this time around. *** That's all for tonight's wrap-up. Stay tuned again tomorrow as all four of our affiliates are back at it to open the month of June. Wisconsin will be our lone matinee game kicking off at 12:10 CST when Russ Smith re-takes the mound. Later in the day, we will see Justin Bullock in Biloxi and Tyler Herb on the hill for Nashville. Carolina's starter is 'TBD' so stay tuned. 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

Great stuff @Tim Muma. Always nice to see behind the curtain. We see he's dominant. This data really paints that picture. It's hard to fathom how far he has progressed since his first couple seasons. It's a bit like a Giannis evolution curve, honestly. When I see the ongoing greatness in Burnes and Hader, I typically have one thought rise to prominence: Thank goodness the Brewers personnel group understood what they had when fans were proposing trade after trade during their 'struggles' or 'coming of age' seasons or when it appeared the Brewers needed the proverbial something else to cross the threshold. I remember those conversations. When you have greatness, in my humble opinion, in a small market like Milwaukee, you need to develop that greatness.; add to it and support it not ship it away. This 2022 season kind of bespeaks: How much greater can they become?!? It's simply befuddling and, well, awesome.

Great stuff @Tim Muma. Always nice to see behind the curtain. We see he's dominant. This data really paints that picture. It's hard to fathom how far he has progressed since his first couple seasons. It's a bit like a Giannis evolution curve, honestly. When I see the ongoing greatness in Burnes and Hader, I typically have one thought rise to prominence: Thank goodness the Brewers personnel group understood what they had when fans were proposing trade after trade during their 'struggles' or 'coming of age' seasons or when it appeared the Brewers needed the proverbial something else to cross the threshold. I remember those conversations. When you have greatness, in my humble opinion, in a small market like Milwaukee, you need to develop that greatness.; add to it and support it not ship it away. This 2022 season kind of bespeaks: How much greater can they become?!? It's simply befuddling and, well, awesome.

Important read. Hear professional baseball players and manager Craig Counsell speak (quote above article) to Small’s stuff and today’s outing. Step ONE in the next phase of his evolution as a professional pitcher. Lots to look forward to my friends. Once he fine tunes his breaking ball, a work in progress, look out. He had A bad inning. It happens. On to the next.

Important read. Hear professional baseball players and manager Craig Counsell speak (quote above article) to Small’s stuff and today’s outing. Step ONE in the next phase of his evolution as a professional pitcher. Lots to look forward to my friends. Once he fine tunes his breaking ball, a work in progress, look out. He had A bad inning. It happens. On to the next.

With Nashville our sole affiliate playing a Memorial Day game, I was afforded the opportunity to see Dylan File complete his longest outing of the year - six complete innings for the young hurler. What a game from Dylan! Abraham Almonte stayed scorching hot, Zach Brown escaped trouble in the bottom of the eighth, and Andy Otero secured his first official Save in seven years. Off the heels of their first three-game losing streak of the season in Toledo, the Sounds have now won two games in a row and are 18 games above .500. Let's get into the recap! Transactions: (Take a breath...lots of them on a beautiful Memorial Day) LHP Ethan Small's contract was selected by MLB Brewers from AAA Nashville...later in the day, Ethan Small was optioned back to Nashville from Milwaukee. Taking his place, RHP Luke Barker's contract was selected from Nashville (there were rumors of gleeful fist pumps from several a Brewer Fanatic when this news was heard). RHP Peter Strzelecki's contract was selected by MLB Brewers from AAA Nashville. IF Mark Mathias was optioned to AAA Nashville from MLB Brewers, but he remained available for the Brewers' doubleheader as the designated 27th man (a very 2022 roster move). INF Willy Adames was sent from Carolina to Nashville to continue his rehab assignment - though, it should be noted, he did not play in today's game. Elsewhere in the system, LHP Nick Bennett was assigned to AAA Nashville from AA Biloxi, OF Garrett Whitley was activated from AAA Nashville's 7-day injured list, RHP Jolon Lun Zhao was placed on Low-A Carolina's 7-day injured list. And, finally, INF Jose Acosta was acquired from the Texas Rangers for cash considerations and assigned to Low-A Carolina. For thoughts and a brief write-up by our very own @damuelle, please visit our ongoing 'Transactions' thread: Jose Acosta write-up here *** Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes Final: Nashville 7, Durham (Rays) 5 Box Score / Game Log Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review: Sounds Rally Past Durham in Opener - Abraham Almonte Homers in Fourth Straight as Sounds Roll Facing the Rays #1 rated prospect and third-rated RHP prospect in all of MiLB (according to MLB Pipeline) in uber-talented 22-year-old RHP Shane Baz, Dylan File was not afraid of the moment. Going for the longest outing of his 2022 season (five previous five-inning outings), File completed the 5th having given up a lone two-run mistake. In that inning, having retired ten batters in a row at that point, Bulls' left fielder Luke Raley executed an unexpected bunt single to lead off the frame. Three batters later, and with two down, File sent a breaking pitch catching too much middle before it broke away from the left-handed hitting and red hot Tristan Gray. He parked that ball over the right-field wall (his eighth home run since May 13th) and it was suddenly 2-0 Durham. File managed to close his outing with wonderful poise keeping his team within striking distance. After conceding a well-hit leadoff single to Miles Mastrobuoni, Dylan sent him to second on an uncharacteristic wild pitch. Miles made it to third on the ensuing ground out to first base. Like Shane Baz in the third inning with Brice Turang on third and one down, File proceeded to lock it down. He threw the best curveball of his afternoon to get the punch out for the second out. He followed with a gorgeous slider off the edge of the plate for strike two on Rene Pinto, then threw a spectacular in-rising heater for the swing and the miss and his fifth strikeout of the afternoon. File left the game with his team trailing 2-1 but he must have felt good about his outing. This was definitely the best work I've seen from Dylan in 2022. Here's to many more such outings! In total, File finished his day with six complete innings of four-hit, two-run, five-strikeout ball. That type of performance will play anywhere and any time. Further Viewing Notes: How good was the Sounds' five-run eighth inning? Abraham Almonte led off with a walk as a left-handed batter. He closed the inning as a right-handed batter striking out on a well-executed curveball from the previously red-hot (RHP) Phoenix Sanders. That's a complete trip through the batting order. And, that is what you call a 'fun inning to watch!' In total, we saw: a two-run single by Tyler White to left field, and RBI singles apiece for David Dahl, Mario Feliciano, and Brice Turang. .. Speaking of Brice Turang, he came into this game hitting left-handed pitching to a tune of .318 but he hadn't faced lefty specialist Zack Erwin who has kept lefty bats hitting a paltry .161. Brice struck out on three pitches. However, patient at-bats by Almonte and Singleton to lead off the five-run eighth saw Erwin booted from the mound. Not to be outdone, the Bulls came to the plate in the bottom half of the eighth with a couple seeing-eye bloop singles to right field. Zack Brown followed that unfortunate luck by hitting two straight batters on inside pitches - the second of which bounced about a foot in front of the batter and caromed off said batter's lead leg. Kudos to Brown for navigating the choppy waters. The line-drive single up the middle, under his glove hand, and straight into the waiting glove of Weston Wilson, and the Sounds' shift was karmic double play justice for some bad luck and a couple of bad pitches overall. Jon Singleton continues to see a worthy OBP and OPS but it's fair to say he finds himself in a bit of a rut. He seems to be hitting too many moon-shot pop-ups of late. He's still getting walks here and there, as he's repeatedly shown he's capable of, but after a tough Toledo series he started the Durham series 0-for-4 (with a walk today as well). Let's hope he can find that familiar power stroke, some more well-hit balls, and get back above .200. This being said, perhaps Jon's muscles are tired from pumping so much iron: The Sounds managed to grab six free passes. Against a Durham pitching staff that had come in dialed, this was quite a feat. And, honestly, we shouldn't be surprised: the Sounds are extremely disciplined at the plate. They showed it again today as they stayed off many an extremely close pitch. Andy Otero grabbed his first save in seven years as he took the Bulls down in order to complete the ninth and secure the 7-5 victory. Where did he grab that save, you might ask yourself? The Carolina Mudcats - then, an Atlanta Brave affiliate (2015). There's your little piece of Minor League trivia on this beautiful Memorial Day. Otero continues to thrive in Nashville proving yet again the Mike Guerrero adage: If you can find success in Biloxi, you're a Big League player. Will Andy's time come in 2022?! Stay tuned. It is worth saying since his promotion to Nashville Otero has pitched lights out in his bullpen role. We had a brief scary moment when Connor Sadzeck was on the mound. In a 2-2 count, Connor appeared to find some unworked dirt on his lead leg side and slipped and buckled to the ground during his pitch delivery. It looked quite awkward and painful at first, and Connor was writhing in a bit of pain in the early moments. But, after some consultation with the training staff and Mario Feliciano at the mound, it was clear it was just a hiccup and nothing serious. Connor closed his inning with a strikeout and a fist pump and he ultimately grabbed the victory. Speaking of Feliciano, in that same inning he executed a gorgeous throw-out at second base off a high heater from Sadzeck. The runner had a really good lead but Mario's throw was one-hop flawlessness directly into the patiently waiting and strategically placed glove of Turang. It was a bang-bang much needed second out. If we're going to tout Almonte's incredible bat work of late, let's laud his play in left field: he made a heck of a grab in deep left center with a beautiful direct route on an extremely well-hit ball to grab out number two in the bottom of the ninth. The Durham announcers sure didn't think he'd get there. Quite an impressive play as there was no room for error. Let's return to Almonte's switch-hitting bat: You'll be hard-pressed to find a hotter hitter in Triple-A right now. He has now hit safely in five straight, reached safely in seven straight, and has hit two doubles, six home runs, and drove in 14 runs in the process. Sizzling! Today's key home run to pull the Sounds within 2-1 was his fourth in four games. Let's go for five Wednesday, Abraham! His explosive hip flip and pull shots are truly things of beauty. Not to be outdone in the on base department, with his walk today Jonathan Davis has now reached base safely in 14 games. That's some fine lead-off work, Jonny! Finishing his evening 2-for-5 at the plate, Turang has now achieved 15 multi-hit games in 2022. We'd love to see some more of that gap power he showed earlier in his season but we are certainly not complaining about the incredible season he's putting together through late May. *** What an active, wild n' wooly, Memorial Day for the Brewers organization. An abundance of roster moves, Ethan Small's first start at the Major League level, Dylan File going his deepest yet in 2022, and Andy Otero nabbing his first save in seven long years! Great stuff. Remember, Nashville is off until Wednesday when Tyler Herb will try to rebound from his worst outing of 2022. Our three other beloved affiliates will play evening contests tomorrow and I'll provide your coverage. 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

Here's another look at some absolute leather work in the extras for our young Carolina Mudcats. These are some seriously impressive savvy vet types of defensive throw outs:

Here's another look at some absolute leather work in the extras for our young Carolina Mudcats. These are some seriously impressive savvy vet types of defensive throw outs: