Link Report for Thurs. 4/12 -- Jed Bradley strong despite illness; Stars and Rattlers win, Sounds punchless again

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Nashville Pre-Game Audio with switch-hitting infielder Hainley Statia

 

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OKC Photos from Jeff Hem

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Make sure you read this post in our Rattlers' thread -- so who has the most explosive swing in the entire Brewers' organization?

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Huntsville site game wrap-up

 

Hunter Morris was already leading the league in doubles before his big night...

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Nashville Sounds get good pitching, but little offense

by Greg Sullivan, The Tennessean

 

There is plenty of excitement about Nashville Sounds pitching prospects Wily Peralta and Mike Fiers, considered one of the best tandems in the minor leagues.

 

But as the Sounds play New Orleans in their home opener tonight, there hasn’t been much run support for the duo or any other Nashville pitcher in the first week of the season.

 

Nashville (2-5) was 15th out of 16 Pacific Coast League teams in batting average (.217) and runs (16) heading into Thursday’s games. The Sounds are fourth in ERA (3.59).

 

“We’ve got a good pitching staff. We’ve got good young arms and we’ve got experience, too,” said Peralta, who is listed by Baseball America as the Brewers’ top prospect. He was signed by the Brewers when he was 16 out of the Dominican Republic.

 

Peralta, 22, is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 11 innings. He throws in the mid-90s and last pitched in Tuesday’s 5-1 loss at Oklahoma City.

 

“Wily doesn’t look like he’s throwing as hard as he can every time. It’s easy for him,” said veteran Sounds starter Josh Butler. “He really seems older than his age, pitching-wise.”

 

Peralta went 11-7 with a 3.17 ERA last season in 26 starts between Double-A Huntsville and Nashville.

 

“This ‘No. 1 prospect,’ it’s not going in my head,” Peralta said.

 

Fiers is 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 10 innings. He started the Sounds’ 7-6 10-inning win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

 

Fiers, 26, was named Milwaukee’s minor league pitcher of the year last season after leading the Brewers system with a 1.86 ERA in 34 appearances.

 

He went 8-0 with a 1.11 ERA in 10 starts with the Sounds last season before earning a call-up to Milwaukee where he pitched two scoreless innings.

 

“Yeah, it’s always different when you move up a level. You see different hitters, different guys,” said Fiers, who was drafted in the 22nd round in 2009 by the Brewers.

 

“But coming back this year, I do feel a little bit more confident and I’m playing with some of the guys I played with last year here. I’m staying with these guys and building confidence with them, as well, as a team.”

 

Fiers is more about deception than power.

 

“He throws an invisible ball,” Butler said. “He’s straight over the top, a real downward angle. It’s just hard for guys to see.”

[Mass Haas]

As I indicated in my morning tweets from Fri. 4/13, the Link Report appears to be alive and well. We appreciate the efforts that other Brewer sites make in regard to minor league coverage, but the niche this forum and the Link Report carved out eleven years ago remains unique to this location and unparalled in detail.

 

Our current game summary contributors, along with expected future game summary contributors as the schedule expands, is allowing this to happen. We thank you for your efforts this season. Link Report extinction was avoided.

 

Players, front office staffs, and Brewer fans, please refer folks to us if you think they'd benefit from the info. We especially would think friends and families of all farmhands would benefit by following this forum, and if the front office affiliate staffs can help spread the word among the players, thanks so much!