Article: Brewers Minor League Link Report (4/23): Sounds and Rattlers Roll On

[Mass Haas]

Luis Urias began his formal minor league rehab with the Shuckers in Birmingham, the Sounds and Timber Rattlers maintained their winning grooves, and the ultra-youthful Mudcats continue to experience growing pains, especially on the mound. Let's dive into Saturday's action on the Brewers' farm.

Transactions: None

***

Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes

Final: Nashville 9, Charlotte (White Sox) 1
Box Score / Game Log

Via the Sounds' site, game details, and we encourage readers to review each of the affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine:

Sounds Clinch Series Win Over Charlotte in Front of Sellout Crowd - Pair of Homers, Pablo Reyes Web Gems Highlight Nashville’s 9-1 Win

There were 17 Nashville baserunners with Abraham Almonte, Tyler White, and Alex Jackson each reaching three times. Three others (Brice Turang, Mark Mathias, and Andruw Monasterio) reached twice. The depth on this club is apparent -- David Dahl, Weston Wilson, Jon Singleton and Corey Ray were on the bench here.

Speaking of depth, the big league Brewers are likely in trouble if Pablo Reyes sees regular time in left field, but Pablo's a fun player capable of this --

Whether by design or not, like the fact that Nashville relievers are regularly coming in mid-inning, whether men are on base or not, even in blowout wins. Nice touch if planned, preparedness for future big spots.

Glorious ballpark, wonderful fanbase (another sellout), fantastic city. The organization is really going to miss this set-up when the eventual big league fruition comes to Music City somewhere towards the end of the Crew's ten-year MiLB lease agreement (have to build a new stadium after all).

For more visuals from this one (Mathias, starter Caleb Boushley), visit the Sounds' Twitter media feed.

Via "Reviewing the Brew's" Cold Brew Podcast - Brief Audio Interviews With

SS/CF Brice Turang

RHP Luke Barker

***

Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes via the Shuckers' Virtual Press Box

Final: Birmingham (White Sox) 5, Biloxi 4
Box Score / Game Log

Via the Shuckers' site, game details, please review:

One Run Again? Shuckers and Barons Play Fifth Straight One-Run Contest - Wiemer Homers In 5-4 Defeat

Luis Urias got in four at-bats, lining a double in his second plate appearance (two K's swinging, one groundout). He also got one throwing error out of his system, on the very first Birmingham batter of the game. Urias would start a 5-4-3 double play later in that frame. The ball kept finding Urias, as he successfully handled two grounders in the 2nd, and another in the 5th, so good to have him tested often, can't exactly game-plan for that.

 

It's too easy a comp, and Felix has indicated that Jose Altuve is a big motivation for him, but how can we not see it, night in and night out? This gapper's power somehow came off the end of the bat.

Yeah, this was pretty.

Looking to find proper balance within the report and not flood with video tweets, but on this next one, like "How? Wow!)

LHP Nick Bennett is giving the team length, but just seven K's in 14 IP will be a tough pace to overcome.

Both of Garrett Mitchell's base hits were described as ground balls to the outfield, but he'll take them (line drives in the box score, as they say). Mitchell played right field in this one (Wiemer in center).

We've been seeing plenty of evidence of amazing changes in both pace and length of game throughout minor league baseball given new pitch clock enforcements, and Voice of the Shuckers Garrett Greene provides another example here. That being said, when some level of speed-up application comes to the big leagues (and it will), hopefully there is a happy middle ground, otherwise I can certainly understand Adam Rygg's point of view.

***

Final, Game One: Wisconsin 7, Quad Cities (Royals) 3 (seven innings as scheduled)
Box Score / Game Log

Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please review:

Timber Rattlers Take Game One 7-3 - Kelly Ks seven over five scoreless innings for the win

And yes, you'll find all the Timber Rattlers video, both from Twitter and YouTube, within each of the Wisconsin site game summaries linked here.

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like it's been the year of the sacrifice fly throughout the organization. Yay, situational hitting! Two more here, which aren't reflected in the 3-for-10 with RISP. So even nicer than the .300 mark there.

The two teams combined for seven stolen bases in as many attempts. Ernesto Martinez leads the club with six and has yet to be caught, but the box score reveals other impressive individual SB totals also. By the way, Martinez also leads the club in walks with eleven in his 13 games played. See beyond the .216 early batting average!

LHP Antoine Kelly has expressed a preference for pitching in relief, but at this point, the Brewers are having none of that, and rightfully so.

Final, Game Two: Wisconsin 5, Quad Cities 2 (seven innings as scheduled)
Box Score / Game Log

Via the Timber Rattlers' site, game details, please review:

Five-Run Fifth Sends Rattlers to Win #5 in a Row - Wisconsin takes game two 5-2 from Quad Cities for twinbill sweep

Three players in need of a multi-hit game managed to do so even though Wisconsin only came up to bat in six innings - Joe Gray, Jr., Zavier Warren and Carlos Rodriguez.

All the RISP magic (4-for-11) came in one inning, but 5 is a very crooked number, nice!

Don't you enjoy the added emphasis on southpaws the organization has placed in recent years within drafting (or signing, as in Brandon Knarr's case after the truncated five-round 2020 draft)? For several years prior, it was a bit of a wasteland. And we're not talking LOOGY's here - Aaron Ashby, Ethan Small, Nick Bennett, Antoine Kelly, Knarr, Russell Smith - we have not seen that translate (yet) to the international efforts, but good to see.

Though listed on the active roster from the start, we've yet to see 22-year-old switch-hitting Australian catcher Alex Hall. Hopefully back soon...

***

Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes

Final: Lynchburg (Guardians) 9, Carolina 2
Box Score / Game Log

Via the Mudcats' site, game details, please review:

Hillcats Take Third Straight 9-2 in Zebulon - The Mudcats once again scored first, but again failed to hold an early lead in the 9-2 loss

First of all, congratulations to 2003 Carolina Mudcat Miguel Cabrera on his 3,000th hit. Though clearly not associated with Milwaukee, Carolina was a AA outpost at the time and Miggy never looked back upon his promotion from Carolina to the Marlins (never played at the AAA level).

Not the series for late-game drama save for Carolina's 2-1 win Wednesday. The 7-7 Muddies opened the series with a big 10-1 win on Tuesday, but have now been outscored 27-6 in three losses and need a win Sunday to salvage a split.

Third baseman Jheremy Vargas, not quite 19 years old yet (soon), reached base three times and thus gets the shoutout here.

Longtime Brewerfan followers will appreciate this --

Words of inspiration to LHP Jakob Brustoski, the undrafted free agent signee out of Texas Tech, who missed the 2021 college season working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Brustoski has a WHIP of 5.18 (not a misprint) through his first five appearances, with 14 walks and three HBP's in 3.2 innings.

In 2006, a young Dominican RHP named Santo Manzanillo made 14 Maryvale relief appearances (no Dominican academy). He walked 47(!) and hit four others in 16.1 IP. As Manzanillo developed - you really should click on that MiLB.com Player Page link -- he began to reward the faith the organization showed in him. Though he would not be a big leaguer, Manzanillo would spend two full seasons on the Milwaukee 40-man roster. So there you go, Jakob, keep plugging away!

***

As for Sunday's action, you'll notice by the gametime start times listed, you can space out your Sunday prospect sampling, and the big league Crew was conveniently scheduled for their lone (so far) ESPN appearance tonight. Enjoy your Sunday, everyone! damuelle will have your Monday morning Link Report for you. 

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

[Joseph Zarr]

I absolutely love Pablo Reyes' game. He is such a fun player to watch. He was fantastic in the late season in 2021 for the Big Club when called upon. In addition to his defense (apparently, all over the diamond - what a set of diving plays in LF!), he's a fantastic baserunner. Yet, another example of the end-of-the-bench embarrassment of riches the Brewers have in Nashville. Hats off to the personnel staff, truly.

[Joseph Zarr]

I absolutely love Pablo Reyes' game. He is such a fun player to watch. He was fantastic in the late season in 2021 for the Big Club when called upon. In addition to his defense (apparently, all over the diamond - what a set of diving plays in LF!), he's a fantastic baserunner. Yet, another example of the end-of-the-bench embarrassment of riches the Brewers have in Nashville. Hats off to the personnel staff, truly.

[Joseph Zarr]

I absolutely love Pablo Reyes' game. He is such a fun player to watch. He was fantastic in the late season in 2021 for the Big Club when called upon. In addition to his defense (apparently, all over the diamond - what a set of diving plays in LF!), he's a fantastic baserunner. Yet, another example of the end-of-the-bench embarrassment of riches the Brewers have in Nashville. Hats off to the personnel staff, truly.

[Joseph Zarr]

I absolutely love Pablo Reyes' game. He is such a fun player to watch. He was fantastic in the late season in 2021 for the Big Club when called upon. In addition to his defense (apparently, all over the diamond - what a set of diving plays in LF!), he's a fantastic baserunner. Yet, another example of the end-of-the-bench embarrassment of riches the Brewers have in Nashville. Hats off to the personnel staff, truly.