Article: Brewers Minor League Link Report (6/6): Can't Wait to Get Back Home Again...

[Joseph Zarr]

Well, everyone but Nashville can't wait to get back home again - a team who clearly does not care where or who they play right now. Give them a baseball. Watch them win.

With the DSL and ACL men taking their rest day, it was the four Brewers' upper-level affiliates back on the diamond continuing their collective road series.  RHP Dylan File was dealing in Columbus, RHP Israel Puello took the hill for Wisconsin and had a fantastic second start at High-A, TJ Shook got shook up by a grand salami turning a lead upside down, and RHP Jeferson Figueroa lost his dominance in the fourth inning. Let's get into the report!

Transactions:

• RHP Jeison Pena  was assigned (and activated) to the Carolina Mudcats from the ACL Brewers Gold
• RHP Taylor Floyd was assigned (and activated) to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from the Biloxi Shuckers

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Carolina Pre-Game Notes 

Final:  Kannapolis (White Sox) 6, Carolina 1
Box Score / Game Log                              

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

Chourio Hits Tenth Homer in Streak Snapping Loss - The Mudcats Avoided a Shutout, but Saw Their Win Streak End at Five Straight

Facing very talented Cannon Baller lefty Tommy Sommer (23 years old, 6'4" 220) off his dominant June was no small task for the young Mudcats. And, the first inning featured many a swing and a miss before three straight groundouts. Sommer dominated the Mudcats' bats over six innings of one-hit two-strikeout work. This game could pretty much be summed up with one line: "Well, Jackson Chourio hit his 10th home run in the ninth inning." The Mudcats more or less were swept off the field tonight and couldn't really muster any viable threat. The win streak ended with a fizzle but it did feature the late Chourio firework.

Further Game Notes:

• The above being said, RHP Jeferson Figueroa was cruising through three innings - nine up and nine down with four punch outs. The game simply got away a bit in the fourth on two consecutive run scoring doubles with two down. The score was suddenly 3-0 and the Mudcats wouldn't recover. The Cannon Ballers tacked on two solo shots in the fifth and that was the end of Jeferson's evening.
• What do I mean by 'swept off the field' above? Two chances with RISP on the evening for the Mudcats? That's going to be tough to pull out a victory any evening. 
• In a night where the bottom of the order collectively went 0-for-12 with three strikeouts (six through nine spots), there was Chourio's fine evening to celebrate. He finished 2-for-4 with a solo shot, he knocked two of the three Mudcats hits, and added his ninth stolen base of the year for good measure.
• That's really all there is to this one. It's on to the next. The Mudcats have been playing quite well of late - they simply ran into a very hot pitcher, on the road. Hats off to Kannapolis.

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Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes            

South Bend (Cubs) 3. Wisconsin 0 
Box Score/Game Log                            

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

Cubs Shut Out Rattlers to Snap Wisconsin's Win Streak - Puello Allows One Run Over Seven Innings to Get Tagged with a Tough Loss

 

Coming into this one, one of the more intriguing storylines I was paying attention to was 3B Zavier Warren's ongoing hitting streak. His 11-game streak is the Rattlers' longest of the season and, honestly, it feels much-deserved. Zavier's numbers aren't where he'd like them to be but as a regular watcher of T-Rats games I feel it's quite easy to say: it isn't for lack of good at bats. Zavier has a very polished professional repeatable swing. He has a solid athletic frame. And, frankly, he's just a very savvy and solid baseball player - as corny as that sounds. He brings a sense of calm and comfort on the diamond and I can only imagine his coaches and teammates value that immensely. 

On the mound, RHP Israel Puello certainly didn't get a soft landing in his promotion to High-A. How about a debut at Home versus the League-leading Cedar Rapids Kernels? Check. How about game number two versus the third place overall and second place team (second half) South Bend Cubs? Check. How'd Puello fare? Let's take a look at Warren and Israel and their teammates in the game recap notes below.

 

Further Game Notes:

• The T-Rats got things going deep in the first and just as quickly as the two-out rally started on the Joe Gray Jr. walk and Tristan Peters double (his 14th), it ended. Gray was gunned down at home on a fine relay from center field, to shortstop, and accurately to home. 
• How did Warren's 11-game hit streak proceed? It ended. He finished his evening with a straight 0-for-4 performance. 
• How did Puello fare? Fantastically! How does seven complete innings, 90 pitches, 3 hits, 1 walk, 4 k's, and the sole blemish a solo HR sound? He gave his team every shot to pull out the 'W'. Through two High-A starts, he's looking quite ready to build on these successes.
• We see your 0-for-2 with RISP, Carolina. AND, we'll double the stakes and offer up an 0-for-4 with RISP in South Bend. Just, frankly, not a lot happening on the base paths on the evening.
• The Cubs' recently promoted Luis Devers (Myrtle Beach, Low-A) took his first action of his High-A career out of the bullpen. He performed excellently over three innings pitched: 2 hits, 0 BB's, and 3 K's. I took notice of Devers when the Mudcats had their series versus the Pelicans earlier in the 2022 season. He was dominant in Low-A with an incredible 75 k's to a mere 14 walks. He'll be one to monitor in South Bend as he continued to show out tonight. 

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Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes    

Final:  Montgomery (Rays) 8, Biloxi 4
Box Score / Game Log          

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

Early Lead Evaporates in Shuckers Defeat - Robinson Tosses Scoreless Inning in First Appearance for Biloxi in 2022

I am a fragile Shuckers fan these days. I have watched so many wild n' wooly happenings in the Biloxi season, I feel I may need a Double-A therapist (I'm only mostly kidding!). Tonight, I was eagerly awaiting the return of OF Sal Frelick and INF Gabe Holt. A joyous welcome for two men offering depth and bats to a lineup that has been running very very thin. Coming off TJ Shook 's best work of the year his last outing - albeit, in a relief role - there was hope the young pitcher could find some of that earlier High-A dominance. So, how did it all turn out?

Sadly, and predictably, in Montgomery...even after grabbing a 4-0 lead in the first inning:

                                                                             

Further Game Notes:

• Welcome back to the starting line-up Sal Frelick. Thank you, thank you, thank you! How about a lead-off single and a run scored? That'll do, young man. I'm sure Noah Campbell is looking forward to more RBI opportunities. Here's the proof: 
• How about another double for Jakson Reetz ? What a season. He got things going early in the first inning with an improbable and extremely difficult two-run rip. He's just so strong. I have no idea how he pulled this pitch all the way to the wall:
• Oh, you say Holt has returned as well? Wonderful news. Let's get healthy! 
• Niko Hulsizer 's third Grand Slam versus the Shuckers in his career as a Biscuit?!? Ummmm, that's not flaky and tasty at all. He's starting to enter the same territory as Griffin Conine - aka, Shuckers slayer. TJ, I'm going to guess you'll want this pitch back:
• Closing the grand slam loop: a hit batter and two walks led to that grand slam opportunity. Free passes and errors will often come back to bite you - that smash right there is living proof. 
• Joey Wiemer is officially really in a slump. And, lemme tell ya, the memes and the gifs apparently aren't helping in the near-term:

Deep thoughts: What can we do as concerned citizens in a universe where we see the superhero abilities in Wiemer's golden bat and God-like flowing golden locks? I don't know. Life is just a fraction of a bit easier when he is hitting .300 ball and ripping homers and doubles all over the ballpark. He's facing his stiffest Minor League test to date but I have no doubts he'll put in the hard work to turn things around. Take solace, Joey, I play MLB the Show 2022 and I can affirm: hitting a baseball is hard. ? Wiemer ended another frustrating night 0-for-5 and finished it with a strikeout. Keep grinding, young man!

• Show them how it's done, Cam Robinson ! A breath of extremely fresh air entered the Montgomery Biscuit's stadium when Robinson took the mound for Biloxi for the first time. What's more, he took out a little frustration and added a little gas for his teammates: a pitch one rocket bean ball right off the Biscuit's batter. Zesty! Fear not, as I have been attesting for over a month: Cam is the stuff. He struck out the next two and got a fly out to Frelick in center field to end the frame. A good first run. Here's to more meaningful action in the innings ahead - the Shuckers will need it.

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Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes      

Final:  Nashville 9, Columbus (Guardians) 3
Box Score / Game Log                  

Via the Sounds' site, game details, please visit and review:

Sounds Rout Columbus for Fifth Straight Win - Dylan File Strikes Out Eight, Nashville Mashes 12 Hits to Run Away from Clippers

Game Viewing Notes:

• RHP Dylan File was dealing early. A fine mix of heat, off-speed (slider and curve), and pace with purpose. It was a refreshing thing to watch as was his five of six retired by strikeout. Whew, Dylan! He hardly made a grimace. It was grab the ball. Game face. And let it rip. He gave the Sounds everything he had over seven complete innings - 4 hits, 3 walks, 8 K's, 3 earned runs. The runs came late with the game well in hand. 
• The Sounds put up a Pablo Reyes solo shot, a Tyler White two-run bomb, and a fielder's choice scoring Jon Singleton off the bat of Brent Diaz to plate four runs through two innings. 
• Fun stat from 2022: White has successfully stolen four of five bases ? Color me pleasantly shocked. Give the man some respect, good Sir! Clearly, he is a much better athlete than I think/thought. Tyler, I apologize for underestimating your prowess.
• I'm going to call the fly-out to start the bottom of the third inning an 'adventure'. It was a sky-high hanger and all three-of Reyes (from short), Abraham Almonte in left field, and Brice Turang in center field ran circuitously and unconfidently toward it. Ultimately, Reyes (who had stopped briefly en route) was the one to track it down and made an incredibly difficult catch almost humorously easy. It's hard to say what happened there but I would gather a more traditional center fielder ranges and grabs that ball?
• The first blemish File showed in a dominant performance was a four-pitch walk with one down in the bottom of the fourth. However, that blemish lasted all of one pitch as the next batter hit a chopper directly to Big Jon at first base who in one motion stepped on the bag and tossed the ball to second base where Reyes easily dropped the tag. 
• When I say File was pitching with pace, I mean he was throwing from the mound with 10-11 seconds on the pitch clock. Incredible stuff.
• Singleton started his game like he has many times this season: opening walk, strikeout, 0-2 count turned into a second walk. His ability to take pitches is uncanny given the amount he strikes out and the power he possesses. If you want to strike him out, you are going to have to attack the zone. He just rarely chases a pitch out of the zone. With those two walks, he took the International League lead with 64 on the season.
• I don't know if I've ever seen a scene on a baseball diamond whereby a surprising throw by the cut-off man caught three umpires off guard. It certainly happened in the top of the sixth as Garrett Whitley slid into third base and was left with his hands up as not a single ump made the call for what felt like 5-10 seconds. It was quite confusing. The tag was applied on the left field side of Garrett so it only made sense, given the uncertainty, the home plate umpire ultimately made the call?. Manager Rick Sweet quickly came to the field in disbelief and controlled consternation. Bless his heart. All told, the Sounds added three in the mini-rally and it was 8-0. 
• I'll tell you what first place baseball looks like: picking your teammates up and avoiding disastrous innings. With one down in the bottom-half of the sixth, Reyes botched an absolute routine grounder off the bat of former Brewer farmhand, David Fry . From there, the Clippers managed their first threat of the game with a single to right field, and a walk. The bases were juiced. With a 1-2 count, the Clippers batter hit a liner to right field. David Dahl charged and threw in quick succession. Brent Diaz met the throw a mere couple feet in front of home base and deftly applied the tag to Fry who couldn't beat the well-placed toss or slide under the savvy tag. It was a first-place play. And that's my coach-speak cliché of the week!
• Almonte left the ball game after a single at bat and was replaced by Whitley in left field. Let's hope this isn't another return to the IL. He was hitting the ball with gusto upon his return - as he has done all season. He provides so much pop and danger from both sides of the dish. We hope to see you back pronto, Abraham!
• Welcome back to the Nashville staff, Kelley! A fine inning of work in his first action since returning - he even lowered his Nashville ERA to 0.64 on the 2022 season. 
• All told, the Sounds were the beneficiaries of four double plays turned - that tied a season high for them. They are just a savvy, savvy veteran Triple-A ball club up and down. Rarely do they make a mistake - when the opportunities present themselves, they flash the leather on a daily basis. If you can, please give them a watch as often as you can.

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That is the end of my Minor League Link Report work this week. It has been an honor providing coverage for you all these past few days. Please tune in tomorrow and through the weekend as these big road series continue. At the time of publishing, we know LHP Ethan Small is back on the mound as is Wisconsin's lefty Ace, Antoine Kelly . In Montgomery, hopefully LHP Nick Bennett can find his better stuff - this year has mostly been an unexpected struggle coming off some fine work in the spring - Biloxi will need better form if they have any plans to end their current eight game losing streak in Montgomery.

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