And That

He was never on a bust list.

Final: AZL Giants Black 6, AZL Brewers 2 AZL Brewers Box Score The Brewers' offense had 7 hits but could not string much of anything together after the 2nd inning and they fall to the Giants Black squad 6-2. The only extra base hit from the group was an Edwin Sano double, and no one drew a walk. No one had more than one hit. Brice Turang and Micah Bello both had the night off, with Korry Howell playing shortstop in his first game action since his first game a week ago. Jorge Ortega made his 6th rehab start and took the loss after giving up 3 runs in 4 innings. He hasn't walked a batter since his first outing, and now has 1 walk against 14 strikeouts in 18 innings of work. 8th rounder Luis Gonzalez made his pro debut, working a scoreless 8th. AZL Brewers Game Log

Final: Ogden 10, Helena 7 Seven Run Second Buries Brewers Helena Allows Most Runs In An Inning All Season By Greg Mroz / Helena Brewers Ogden, UT - On a hot day in Ogden, the Brewers couldn't contain the Raptors offense, as with the game tied at one going to the bottom of the second, the Raptors scored seven times, sending 11 men to the plate. The Brewers would score six unanswered to pull within two, but it wasn't enough as Ogden downed Helena 10-7. They remain three games behind first place Great Falls. Helena struck right away in the first, as a leadoff triple from Yeison Coca scored on a ground out from Jean Carmona. Ogden though tied it in the bottom of the first as an error kept the inning alive for Matt Cogen, who singled home a run with two out. Jefry Souffront started the second with a single, and Jeremy Arocho walked to put two on with nobody out. Daniel Robinson then unloaded on an inside pitch for a three run homer, giving the Raptors the 4-1 lead. Ronny Brito then followed with a solo shot of his own that barely cleared the right field wall, extending the advantage to four. From there the wheels fell off as Max Lazar lost command of the strike zone, leaving two batters later. Ogden scored three more times in the inning, extending their advantage to 8-1. The seven runs allowed in the second were the most in a frame Helena has allowed this season. Miguel Vargas hit a solo homer in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 9-1, but the Brewers then turned on the jets. Ogden starter Joel Inoa (W, 3-0) was on cruise control going into the sixth, but then three straight singles loaded the bases against him with nobody out. Chad McClanahan then doubled home all three, and after David Fry singled McClanahan to third, Inoa was pulled in favor of lefty Connor Mitchell. LG Castillo brought home McClanahan with a ground out, making it 9-5 Ogden. Helena scored their sixth run of the game in the seventh as a three base error from Niko Hulsizer plated Mike Alescio on a Jesus Lujano ground out. In the eighth, with the score 9-6, Castillo singled home a run, and Je'Von Ward reached on an infield single, putting the tying run at first. The Raptors then brought in Gregorio Sequera, who got Mike Alescio to fly out to end the threat. Ogden scored one in the eighth, and allowed just one base runner in the ninth. The Brewers seek to salvage the final game of the series tomorrow as Justin Bullock takes the hill, opposed by Jose Chacin. First pitch is at 7:00, with the pregame show hitting the airwaves of helenabrewers.net at 6:45. *** Helena Box Score Helena Game Log

Final: AZL Brewers 6, AZL D-backs 4 AZL Brewers Box Score The Brewers get back to .500 as the top of the lineup featured Micah Bello (1-3, 2 BB), Brice Turang (1-4, BB, SB), and Joe Gray (1-4) all playing together for the first time. Rehabbing Mario Felciiano (2-3, 2B, BB) played behind the plate for the second day in a row, which would seem to indicate he'll be returning to Carolina shortly. 37th round RHP Franklin Hernandez, one of my favorites from this past draft, made his first pro start after three relief appearances. He worked 2.2 scoreless frames. AZL Brewers Game Log Umm: AZL D-backs Top of the 8th Anfernee Grier flies out to left fielder Micah Bello. Blaze Alexander singles on a line drive to left fielder Micah Bello. L. T. Tolbert flies out to center fielder Joe Gray Jr. Pitching Change: Michael Mediavilla replaces Carlos Luna. Kevin Watson Jr. grounds out, first baseman Ernesto Martinez to right fielder Francis Florentino to pitcher Michael Mediavilla.

Final: Idaho Falls 6, Helena 4 Raptors Rattle Brewers With Five Run Eighth Ogden Turns Three Run Deficit Into Two Run Lead By Greg Mroz / Helena Brewers Ogden, UT - Rarely have the Brewers in 2018 allowed a big inning late in a tight ballgame. Yet against the league's highest scoring offense on a hot Saturday night, Helena took a knockout punch, as the Ogden Raptors plated five runs in the eighth, turning a 6-3 Brewers lead into a 8-6 Raptors advantage. Ogden won by that final, putting the Brewers a season worst three games back of first place Great Falls with just nine games left in the first half. Helena's offense came out swinging early as David Fry and Je'Von Ward hit solo home runs in the second inning, giving the Brewers the early two run advantage. Brewers starter Scott Sunitsch struck out the side in order in the first, but then allowed a run to score on a one out single from Drew Avans in the bottom of the second. Sunitsch stranded the bases loaded in that frame with no further damage, and held the Raptors in check in the third and the fourth innings. For the second straight night, a four run inning gave the Brewers a big lead, as with two on and two out in the fifth, Eddie Silva doubled home a pair, extending the advantage to 4-1. The next batter was LG Castillo, who smoked a ball over the left field wall for his second homer, making it 6-1 Helena. Ogden though responded in the bottom of the frame, as a leadoff walk to Ronny Brito scored on a one out double from Miguel Vargas, ending the night for Sunitsch. Aaron Ashby (L, 0-2) then surrendered a single to Avans that cut the lead to 6-3, but then got the next two to keep it a three run advantage after five. From there, Ogden's bullpen held the Brewers at bay, and the score remained 6-3 going into the bottom of the eighth. With Ashby still on the mound, he issued a one out walk to James Outman. Chris Roller then turned on an inside pitch and sent it off the scoreboard for his second homer, cutting the lead to one. Niko Hulsizer then whacked a pinch hit single to center, and Daniel Robinson followed with a single to left. That set up Jacob Amaya, who took an outside fastball and parked it in the right center field gap for a triple, scoring both easily to give Ogden their first lead of the night. The infield came in for Ronny Brito, who singled up the gut, plating the Raptors an insurance run. Hunter Speer (W, 1-0) pitched the eighth and the ninth, earning the win while facing just one over the minimum. The Brewers look to even the series tomorrow as Max Lazar takes the hill, opposed by Joel Inoa. First pitch is at 4:00, with the pregame show hitting the airwaves of helenabrewers.net at 3:45. *** Helena Box Score My thoughts on Chad McClanahan. Helena Game Log

Final: AZL Brewers 2, AZL D-backs 1 AZL Brewers Box Score As mentioned above, 1st round pick Brice Turang made his pro debut and played shortstop. He singled in his first PA, walked in his second, and then struck out a couple of times. He also happened to score both of the Baby Brewers' runs. For the first time this year that I can recall, the Brewers' lineup was comprised entirely of teenagers. The oldest player on offense was rehabbing Mario Feliciano (with had a 2-4 night making his first rehab appearance), who was born 11/20/98. The only other player born in 1998 was 2B Edwin Sano. Mostly everyone else was born in 1999, except for Micah Bello and Pablo Garabitos, who were both born in 2000. Garabitos, born 7/30/00, is 9 days younger than Bello if you're keeping track at home. I feel old. Ernesto Martinez made his first official appearance in the lineup since 6/24 - no word on what was keeping him out. He actually was in the lineup on Wednesday, but that game was suspended. Half of the Brewers' pitchers were teenagers, which isn't an impressive. Starter Jose Parra gave up a 2nd inning run, but it was zeroes the rest of the way with the kudos spread over 5 relievers. Among them was Christian Meister, a recent MiLB FA signee making his Brewers debut. He's technically on a rehab assignment from Colorado Springs, though since he hasn't pitched in affiliated ball since 2016, they may ease him back for awhile in Arizona. Michele Vassalotti pitched 3 innings of relief, allowing 2 singles and striking out 1. Interesting factoid: in 55.2 career innings pitched, he has yet to allow a home run. Sorry for the jinx next time out, Michele. AZL Brewers Game Log

Final: DSL Cubs1 3, DSL Brewers/Indians 0 DSL Brewers/Indians Box Score The co-op team gets shut-out on 4 hits on a day the pitching actually held the opposing offense mostly in check. 17-year-old catcher Eduin Lugo made his pro debut as the team's DH, and went 1-2 with a walk before being pulled for a punch runner. Alexis Ramirez worked 3 impressive innings of relief, logging 5 Ks against a walk and a hit. He didn't allow any runs. DSL Brewers/Indians Game Log

Final: DSL Brewers 10, DSL Mets2 2 DSL Brewers Box Score First, I made a mistake yesterday. The DSL does not currently have a split-season format. Currently the playoff procedure is that all 6 division winners at the end of the full season make the playoffs, with the top two winners getting a first round bye. Incidentally, the last time the Brewers made the DSL playoffs was 2011, on a team lead by Orlando Arcia and Jorge Ortega. Cult heroes Gian Rizzo and Osmel Perez were also present, as was current Brewers minor league coach/erstwhile catcher Natanael Mejia. You might recognize a few other names there as well, including Angel Ventura and Elvis Rubio. Anywho - the good guys won today thanks to 7 walks, 4 HBPs and one costly Mets error that lead to 4 unearned runs. CF Carlos Rodriguez broke out of his mini-slump with a 2-4 day. DH (usually C) Andres Melendez had 2 hits as well, including a double. Starter Henry Medina did a "Henry Medina" (aka as a "Jorge Ortega") - 5 innings of work, no walks, a couple hits, a couple strike outs. Jose Romero, who is usually a starter, pitched 3 strong innings of relief, ceding only an unearned run. No game tomorrow as the DSL All Star game takes center stage. The Brewers have 3 representatives this year: OF Carlos Rodriguez, OF Bryan Connell, and RHP Wilber Perez. DSL Brewers Game Log The error-aided dagger: DSL Brewers Bottom of the 8th Pitching Change: Miguel Mata replaces Juan Martinez. Victor Maria flies out to center fielder Eulises Sanchez. Luis Silva reaches on a fielding error by first baseman Wilfred Astudillo. With Alwinson Valdez batting, wild pitch by Miguel Mata, Luis Silva to 2nd. Alwinson Valdez walks. With Alberis Ferrer batting, wild pitch by Miguel Mata, Luis Silva to 3rd. Alwinson Valdez to 2nd. Alberis Ferrer out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Eulises Sanchez. Luis Silva scores. Alwinson Valdez to 3rd on the throw. Carlos Rodriguez singles on a ground ball to second baseman Felix Valerio. Alwinson Valdez scores. Oswel Leones walks. Carlos Rodriguez to 2nd. Andres Melendez doubles (2) on a fly ball to center fielder Eulises Sanchez. Carlos Rodriguez scores. Oswel Leones scores. Farlyn Manon hit by pitch. Victor Vargas walks. Andres Melendez to 3rd. Farlyn Manon to 2nd. Pitching Change: Enmanuel Almonte replaces Miguel Mata. Victor Maria flies out to left fielder Jean Carlos Soto.

Per this Brewers' PD tweet, OF Jay Feliciano has been placed on the Wisconsin DL. OF Luis Valdez has been released from the DSL co-op squad after recently being transferred there from the main squad. LHP Davison Gonzalez has been released from the DSL main squad.

Hmmm.

Guys - I know Brad, he's a good guy. Yes those posts were a bit click-baity, but for the most part he puts out great minor league content including player interviews and daily minor league recaps. And he's also doing all of that for free. He knows a lot about the Brewers' farm system. I trade notes on him regarding different prospects all of the time. He's not some hack. The personal attacks earlier in the thread were completely off base. Those would have been unacceptable had they been directed at someone who posts on this site, and I'd like to think we could extend the same courtesy to others in the Brewers' fan community. Now that everyone has had their say, the dragging needs to stop. If you want to start a topic on the state of web-based journalism and can manage to keep it out of the political sphere, feel free to start a thread on the off-topic board. Thanks.

Final: Idaho Falls 6, Helena 4 Missed Opportunities Give Chukars Two Run Win Brewers Strand Tying Run At Third In The Seventh With One Out By Greg Mroz / Helena Brewers Idaho Falls, ID - Down 5-1 after four innings, the Helena Brewers rallied for three runs with one out in the seventh, getting the tying run to third. However, Idaho Falls reliever Tyler Gray (W, 1-1) struck out Jean Carmona and Chad McClanahan, leaving that run stranded 90 feet away. The Brewers did not get a runner on in the last two innings, and gave up a key insurance run in the eighth, falling 6-4 to the Chukars at Melaleuca Field. With Great Falls beating Orem, the Brewers are now two games back of the Voyagers in the Northern division, the furthest back they've been all year. For the second straight night, the Brewers scored in the first, as Yeison Coca's leadoff single against Kris Bubic scored on a two out wild pitch. Idaho Falls though like they did last night tied the game in the second as a leadoff walk to Nick Hutchins scored on a one out triple from Jose Caraballo. Julio Gonzalez then gave Idaho Falls the lead with a sac fly, making it 2-1 Chukars after two complete. Bubic locked in from there, not allowing a hit in his final two innings. Idaho Falls extended the lead against Brewers starter Blake Lillis (L, 2-2) in the third with a solo homer from Nate Eaton, and then tacked on two more in the fourth with a two out rally, extending their lead to 5-1 Helena's bullpen kept the Chukars in check in the fifth and sixth, as did Gray, who entered to start the fifth. The Brewers then put the first four on against Gray in the seventh, with Helena's second run of the game scoring on a Jesus Lujano single that kept the based loaded, putting the tying run at first. Coca then grounded a ball back to Gray who flipped home for the first out, but catcher Brady Cox's throw to first sailed wide and down into the right field bullpen, scoring two and moving Coca, the tying run, to third. Gray then squared up with Jean Carmona, who had struck out in each of his first three at bats leading into the battle. The 7th round selection out of Central Arkansas made quick work of Carmona, punching him out on three pitches. Chad McClanahan struck out as well, ending the inning with the tying run at third. Gray exited with two out in the ninth, and Daniel Duarte got the final out to pick up the save. The Brewers look for the series split tomorrow in the finale, as Victor Castaneda takes the hill looking for his first win. Idaho Falls counters with right hander Connor Mayes. First pitch is at 7:15, with the pregame show hitting the airwaves of helenabrewers.net at 7:00. *** Helena Box Score LG Castillo has been playing really well recently, kind of under the radar. In his hits in 9 of his last 10 games, and he's 12-34 with 3 triples and a home run in that stretch. It's been a hot and cold season for the 18-year-old 2017 17th rounder, as he went 10-20 to begin the season, then went through an 0-23 stretch before his current run. 2018 20th round pick Joey Matulovich made his pro debut with a clean inning including a strikeout. Starter Blake Lillis has had trouble missing bats in his last few starts and took the loss after giving up 5 runs in 4 innings. Helena Game Log

Final: DSL Cubs1 9, DSL Brewers/Indians 8 DSL Brewers/Indians Box Score Leads of 3-0 and 5-3 both evaporated as the co-oppers fall to 11-21. The team's defense was as much to blame as the pitching in this one, as 4 errors lead to 5 unearned runs. Starter Kleiber Bordones made it through 2.2 IP, allowing 2 runs. Claudio Mota stranded two inherited runners and allowed an unearned run in his 1.1 innings in relief of Bordones. Ricardo Velasquez worked the final two innings and gave up a lone single. LF Alejandro Marte went 2-3 with his first career triple, while DH/All-Star Bryan Connell and C Roberto Molina each had a single. DSL Brewers/Indians Game Log

Final: DSL Mets2 8, DSL Brewers 4 DSL Brewers Box Score With a game lead in their division, the Brewers' offense couldn't overcome Wilber Perez's first shaky start on the season and lose, falling into a 3-way tie for first place. They need to win on Friday and need the Phillies' team to lose in order to clinch the first-half division title. The real blow actually came in the 7th inning as RHP Jose Espiritu made his pro debut, but did not record an out and was charged with 3 earned runs. Jhoan Cruz inherited a no outs and bases loaded situation from Espiritu and limited the damage to one run scored after Espiritu departed. The offense was quiet until the 6th inning, when SS Victor Maria hit his first home run on the season, a 2-run shot that cut the lead to 4-2 at the time. Maria also added a single, but no one else in the lineup had more than one hit. Carlos Rodriguez went 0-4, and his now 1 for his last 22. DSL Brewers Game Log

The Brewers could trade for Machado tonight if they really, really wanted to. I'm sure the Orioles hope one of the interested teams cave and gives them an overwhelming offer for Machado. Doubt that happens, though.

Well, if he strings together a few 1 BB/10 K type outings like the one he had last time out, those chances might creep up a little.

I think that most of the middle schoolers I teach would call math disappointing. Touche.

The goal was not to showcase him and his outing had nothing to do with conditioning. The goal was to have Ortiz make 50 or so pitches. Which he did. Full stop. Insinuating anything beyond that is unfounded. Ortiz has been held to 50 pitches his past three starts (check the game logs), presumably because: a)He's going to max out at around 120-130 innings this year; b)He's likely going to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, which could be 20-30 innings of work, meaning he may have less than 100 innings to work with while pitching for the Shuckers; and, c)Biloxi is going to the Southern League playoffs, and they could use innings from him there as well. So if you assume he's going to throw 120 innings, subtract 20 for the AFL, and subtract 15 for the Southern League playoffs, that leaves Ortiz 85 innings for the regular season. He's currently at 52. We just passed the midway point of the season. The 50 pitch count limit is really just the result of that math. There's no deeply disappointing reason he made just 50 pitches last night. Just math.

Clearly the center of the Venn diagram of Brewers message board fans and Hold Steady fans is smaller than I thought. *puts on the Hold Steady. Craig Finn sounds like he's singing with marbles in his mouth. Tried, but pass.

Final: Helena 12, Idaho Falls 2 Monstrous Fifth Helps Brewers Even Series Helena Scores Six With Two Out & Nobody On In Frame By Greg Mroz / Helena Brewers Idaho Falls, ID - Every time the Brewers have needed a solid outing from a starter, Wilfred Salaman has risen to the challenge. Against the league's best offense, Salaman (W, 2-1) delivered, holding Idaho Falls to one run on five hits over six innings, as Helena broke a 1-1 tie with a six run fifth inning, vaulting the Brewers to a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Brewers added on five more, coasting to a 12-2 win to even the series at a game apiece. Helena started the scoring with a solo home run in the first from Chad McClanahan, his fifth of the season, but Idaho Falls tied the game in the second as a one out double from Reed Rohlman scored on a two out two bagger from Nick Hutchins. From there, Salaman and Chukars starter C.J. Eldred (L, 3-1) threw up zeroes, and in the fifth Eldred got the first two and looked destined for a quick inning. Jesus Lujano had other ideas, doubling down the left field line to extend the inning. Pablo Abreu immediately singled him home, giving Helena the 2-1 lead. Yeison Coca then followed with a triple, his sixth of the year, to score Abreu, and then Kyle Isbel's throw in from center sailed into the third base dugout, plating Coca. Jean Carmona followed with a triple, and scored on a line drive from Chad McClanahan that was ruled an error. David Fry then followed with a two run homer to center, his third of the series, extending the lead to 7-1. The six runs scored by the Brewers in the inning were the second most they had scored in a frame all year. Salaman then faced the minimum in the next two innings, getting help from a double play ground out in the fifth and a caught stealing in the sixth. He has now allowed just three earned runs in 29 innings this season. Helena scored two more in the seventh on a two RBI triple from Carmona, and three in the ninth on a two RBI triple from McClanahan and a second Nate Eaton error. The Brewers have scored a combined 20 runs through the first two games of this series. Game three of the series continues tomorrow, as Helena sends Blake Lillis to the mound looking for his third win. Idaho Falls counters with Kris Bubic, a 1st round pick this season out of Stanford. First pitch is at 7:15, with the pregame show hitting the airwaves of helenabrewers.net at 6:55. *** Helena Box Score Helena Game Log

AZL game suspended in the bottom of the third due to rain.

The fact that the Orioles have Machado gives them leverage because they are the only team that has Machado. There are many teams and one Machado. However, that leverage is mitigated by the fact that those many teams know the Orioles are going to trade him. The Orioles literally have to choose the best offer in the end. Bidding teams may look at it as trying to have the best low offer. No one needs to overwhelm the Orioles, like they would with the Mets' pitching. That leverage is also mitigated by the fact that there are quite a few middle infielders on the market. Granted, none of them are Machado, but teams will make their own calculations about what they are willing to give up in trade value. It could be some teams think the delta between Machado and Escobar is not as great as the delta between what it would cost to obtain Machado versus what it would cost to obtain Escobar. In that case, teams could rationally choose that Escobar (or others out there) are better options in a cost/benefit analysis.

Ray's K% has come down from 31.0% last year to 27.2% this year. Clearly still not good, but moving in the right direction. Rome wasn't built in a day. Should also be noted that Ray's BB% has risen from 9.5% last year to 11.4% this year. ISO is also up from .129 to .213. When K% is going down while BB% and ISO are going up, good things are happening.

DSL Brewers were no-hit in the second game of their doubleheader. They were in great position to tie the game in the bottom of the final inning, but a couple baserunning miscues put the kibosh on that.

I wonder if a deal centered around Smith and Taylor Williams world work for the Giants. They save cash and get a good long-term asset.