Brewers Minor League Link Report (6/07): The Higher-Level Losses Pile Up

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** A reminder: For any and all Sunday thru Monday transactions please peruse and participate in our ongoing '2022 Minor League Transaction Thread' . We will continue to provide cumulative tid-bits here but it is very worth your time to dig into that thread as the details are live and they are quite robust. 

Let's start with Monday:

The Zach Vennaro and Kent Hasler 'sent down' moves make more sense when we consider what is happening in Biloxi:

RHP Victor Castaneda, RHP Justin Bullock, RHP Harold Chirino, and RHP Luis Contreras were all moved to AA Biloxi's 7-day injured list. That's a BIG ouch here. Victor has been far and away the most dependable Starter since Andy Otero and Tyler Herb's well-deserved promotions and, until his recent ninth inning meltdown. (Perhaps, this injury gives the clue.) RHP Harold Chirino has been a bullpen stalwart. Luis had been pitching his best baseball of the season of late. No rest for the weary!

Fear not, lastly, RHP Brandon Knarr has been promoted to Biloxi from Wisconsin. 

Let's get into some game reports. Sheesh!

BOX: DSL Brewers (2) 10, DSL Brewers (1) 1 

Well, this one was a a wee bit of a blow out it would appear. But, hey, it's a game amongst teammates and friends. Some of yesterday's successes carried over for the DSL Brewers 2 - notably, youngsters Juan Baez, Yeison Perez, and Brayan Oropeza continued their productive plate appearances - each with a double. Oropeza also hit his second home run in two games. This will play. Notably, let's give a mention to 18-year-old Erick Perez who tripled in his first DSL at bat - a pinch hit in the bottom of the eighth. He scored on a Perez double - his second of the game. Tasty!

On the pitching side of things, the DSL Brewers 2 pitched to the tune of 16 strikeouts with a sprinkling of ... they did walk ten batters. 18-year-old, Anfernny Reyes (with an intriguing 6'3" frame), started and went 3 2/3 innings with 3 walks, no hits, and five punch outs. An intriguing line for the young hurler. Of note in the bullpen for the DSL Brewers 2, Jeral Vizcaino pitched a one hit, one walk scoreless inning with all three outs coming via strikeout. David Dominguez pitched two scoreless innings of one hit, two walk, and four strikeout ball. On the DSL Brewers 1 side of things, every pitcher gave up two or more runs and that'll lead to double digits across the plate. Luis Lara (2-for-5) did manage to plate a run on a single with two men on in the bottom of the ninth (both given free passes) for the lone DSL Brewers 1 run. The 17-year-old Lara is off to a fine start to his DSL season.

BOX: ACL Brewers Gold 6, ACL Athletics 3

Hey! A second Brewers affiliate win? My goodness, it's the good old days of May all over again. And, my, how sweet it is. Second baseman, tonight, Gregory Barrios led off the batting order and went 2-for-4 with two rbi's off a triple to right field. Catcher Jason Ollarve managed to plate the other two rbi's via a sac fly and a ground out finishing his day 0-for-2. We also grabbed a run off the lower-levels vintage wild pitch - always in play in the lowest of lower levels. It wasn't all roses, however, as three errors by the Gold led to two unearned runs - a throwing and a fielding error by 19 year old shortstop, today, Jose Caballero are of note. Lastly, let's honor the fine pitching work of the duo of Yerlin Rodriguez and Jeison Pena. Pena managed two scoreless innings in late relief with 3 strikeouts and no other marks on his stat sheet. 

BOX: ACL Reds 6, ACL Brewers Blue 4

And, the losses begin here all the way down in Arizona. The Brewers Blue lost a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth as the Reds grabbed an illustrious five-spot to pull ahead for good.  Let's take note of some young men, however. OF, Luis Medina knocked in three rbi's with his third inning home run. This gave the ACL Blue their 3-1 lead. As noted, it didn't last long. Who other than our very own @damuelleto give us the good details:
 

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In ACL Brewers Blue land, 19-year-old OF Jace Avina has recorded his first official hit as a Brewer minor leaguer. The 2021 14th round draft pick did not play last year.

And 19-year-old OF Luis Medina, he of the $1.3 million signing bonus in July 2019, who did not debut until 2021 and lost some luster with a 5-walk, 45-strikeout .570 OPS season in Arizona last year, has smacked a 3-run homer to give ACL Brewers Blue a 3-1 lead in the 3rd inning of their contest.

Remember, Daniel and I are almost always in those daily game threads discussing the minor league contests - often in quite a bit of detail as they happen live. All told, this game really came down to the two-out unraveling by the Brewers Blue pitchers in the top of the fourth. The combined work of Yujanyer Herrera and Trevor Tietz produced the following with two down: walk, single, two-run home run, single, two-run home run, walk, strikeout to end the ordeal. And, well, that was ball game after all was said and finished.

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Carolina Pre-Game Media Notes       

Final:   Myrtle Beach (Cubs) 10, Carolina 8
Box Score / Game Log 

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

Late Lead Wasted in Series Opening Loss - Leones Totaled a Career Best Four Hits and Chourio Extended His Hit Streak to 13 Games

For the second week in a row, the Mudcats represented with the 'Player of the Week' honors. This time, the much deserved and perennially red hot Jackson Chourio received the award: Read Press Release Here. This is the second such award in two weeks' time (Hedbert Perez , if you recall, received last week's award). Let's keep this going, young men!

Facing off against the red hot (21 games over 0.500) Pelicans felt like an extremely tall task for our young Mudcats but they were back home in Five County Stadium to take on such a challenge. Taking the hill for Carolina was Miguel Segura , and, I'd be lying if I said it looked promising early. BUT, baseball is a wily game and seemingly certain trouble can end with a sigh of relief as it did in the top of the first for Miguel. The first three batters Miguel faced got on base and a figurative ominous rustling wind swirled dust across the diamond. And, yet, a mere one run crossed the plate. It felt like a good omen and, boy, was it ever. The young upstart Mudcats plated five runs in the bottom half - including Perez's two-run blast. It was 5-1 Mudcats. Take a look at this incredible smack by Perez:

And, once again, I'd be lying late if I said thought the Mudcats would blow the game after leading throughout. But, baseball is a wily game and even when you think the game is in the bag, all nine innings must be played. Let the Timber Rattlers tell you more about this aphorism further below.

Further Viewing Notes:

• It's a baseball adage that walks will kill you. Jefferson Figueroa found this out in a weird way with a confidently called three-run home run after walking two men on in the top of the sixth. It appeared to almost all in the ballpark the ball hit was a double high off the wall in deep left center. But, it was somehow called a certain home run by the infield umpire. The Mudcats players were perplexed. Manager, Victor Estevez? I haven't seen him this animated all season. Nonetheless, it's a two-umpire crew in Low-A and that's sometimes a tall glass to fill. It was close. We can't begrudge the call. It was 6-5 Mudcats suddenly as they headed to the home half bottom of the sixth.
• With the double and the walk, further extending his hit streak, Chourio also moved his OPS north of 1.000. Will the hype ever end? I sure hope not. The results keep validating all the early accolades.
• The Pelicans came into this tilt 20-1 after scoring first in games in 2022. Quite the record. They finished 21-1 after pulling out the win with late-game magic. Winning teams find ways to win. It never ceases to amaze. This was a Mudcats victory until the game was decided. 
• After the Pelicans had grabbed a run back to make it a 2-5 game in favor of the Mudcats, Oswal Leones grabbed that run right back:
• Speaking of which, I tend to see good things from Leones when I tune in live. This was a career-best 4-for-5 night (one rbi batting in the nine-hole) for the young man. Let's hope that continues as the season progresses. There's something here and Leones' game has the ongoing feeling of 'untapped potential'.
• If you were to pin anything of note on starter Segura and his piggy-back man Figueroa it would have to be walks. Both young men struggle with elevated WHIPS in 2022 and, much like tonight, you can point to their continued free passes. This is all too common for young hurlers. Both guys have solid stuff to work with and the frames to carry said stuff, but, it's the finer points that will ultimately test them as they move forward. Seven walks between the two pitchers in 8 1/3 innings is simply a lot to work around. 

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Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes        

Final:  Beloit (Marlins) 6, Wisconsin 4
Box Score / Game Log    

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

Beloit Hands Wisconsin Costly Loss - Sky Carp Rally for 6-4 Win Over Rattlers

**Before you read further, please check into this wonderful piece on Darboy, Wisconsin's (and Timber Rattlers' player hosts) Carpenter family: THIS is what it is all about. Family. Support. Togetherness. I love the prospects Justin Jarvis and Cam Robinson have become. But, apparently, I might like Jarvis' Hibachi even more? Who knew?!

Russ Smith was looking to turn things around as the T-Rats were on the road all the way down to Beloit. Whew, my hats off to any young men having to live that close to the state of Illinois. As a born-and-raised Wisconsinite, I admit: perhaps I'm a tad biased. But, that's just sub 0.500 tough sledding.

I can definitively say, from my vantage point, this was the best version of Russ we've seen to date. He was working fast and with a purpose. Nailing the zone with a mix of heat and off-speed and carried a 1-1 score into the fifth inning. My prospect antenna were perked up and shiny at the display I was seeing. Here's to many more of these types of outings ahead, Russ.

RIP: Until our next Home series, here lies all those wonderful Home series YouTube Full Game Highlights and Post-Game Podcasts.?

Further Viewing Notes:

• Tyler Black . Baseball player. That is all. I love watching this young man play. He has that 'It' you look for in a Major League player. I love the way he carries himself. I love the build. He started tonight with a double and a triple. Enjoy him in Appleton as his days are numbered. His feisty 14-pitch strikeout to end the game was what I've come to expect from the young man.
• I just want to re-iterate: this is by far the best version of Smith I've seen all year. It was a joy to watch. I loved the speed. I loved the confidence. I loved the sprinkling of the change-up. He didn't receive any benefit from the home plate umpire. He didn't complain. Great body language. Just lots to love with this outing. Here's to many more ahead, Russ! 
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• Robbie Baker came on in relief of Smith with two down and men on first and second and the Rattlers clinging to a two-run lead. And, he proceeded to snag an absolute rope toward the mound. He made it look a lot easier than it was. It saved a run. And, it was on to the seventh.
• Joe Gray Jr. will fish anywhere. An avid outdoorsman, Gray showed up for today's game and proceeded to grab his fishing kit and head to the Rock River. Be true to you, Joe. We hope you caught some fish!
• May is obviously over. Cam Robinson gave us one more scoreless outing in June. Tonight? Not so much. Sent on in the bottom-half of the eighth inning to preserve a 4-3 ball game, Cam gave up three runs. Beloit earned every one of those runs. Disciplined at bats and the benefit of some seeing-eye hits. Good work from the Sky Carps. Shake it off, Cam. Let's get another scoreless streak going!
• After a 14-pitch battle to close the game, something I alluded to above: Black had words with home plate umpire Kenny Jackson. Something happened during the at bat that had bothered Tyler for many pitches and it seemed to be related to some form of time out call or step out by the umpire - it was unclear in the telecast. And, well, Tyler, I can honestly tell you Jackson bothered me with balls and strikes pretty much all game. Have at it and on to the next.
• The trivia question reads: When was the last time Robinson gave up a single run? My answer is, lazily, some time in April (the real answer is April 28th). His stuff still looked great tonight. No, really, it did. He still did that Cam thing going where he flirted around the zone risking walks and mixing in steep breaking balls with heat and movement. But, on this particular occasion, a red hot Beloit team was the beneficiary of some timely and, frankly, some lucky hitting early and, well, then they just broke it open a wee bit. And, so it goes. Baseball is such a wonderfully challenging game. 

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Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes      

Final:  Tennessee (Cubs) 5, Biloxi 2  
Box Score / Game Log  

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

Three Run Eighth Sinks Shuckers in Opener Against Smokies - Campbell Hits First Double-A Home Run

My self-titled 'Where is Joey Wiemer ?' watch continues. We are seven days in and I am begrudgingly digging a bunker to weather this storm. Where for art thou, Joey? Where doth thy wicked swings go when you are dressed in warm-ups tossing baseballs in the dugout? Sigh. While I was drying salty tears from my work desk, TJ Shook took the hill for his third time as a Shucker. Let's take a look at how he fared. Here's a hint: this was his best Double-A start. Unfortunately, no win to tack on the good feelings. But, the lower levels are about much more than wins and losses. Hopefully, TJ's fine work can lead the way for some Brandon Knarr success tomorrow as he faces these tough Tennessee Smokies.

Further Viewing Notes:

• This is my last unofficial 'Stop Sleeping on Jakson Reetz ' announcement. Without further ado: Please stop sleeping on this stud ?. He's had an absolutely incredible and consistent season. He deserves all the plaudits he isn't receiving - I swear, of all the young men raking in the Brewers system I feel as though I hear a mere collection of faint whispers when there should be loud chatter. Another rbi tonight. 3-for-4 throwing out runners. Oh, hey, here's an uber-athletic catcher who can fill-in as a left fielder in a pinch? Let's talk about all the other catching wealth? Not on my watch. I'm here for the whole story. I love this young man's game. Hop aboard my hype train:
• How about a casual 28th rbi oppo-dribbler? With Sal Frelick aboard, this is the type of hitting you want when you're fighting off a pitch. Savvy baseball is also in the Reetz tool-kit:
• In the ongoing recent game of 'Which Biloxi Shuckers Reliever Will it Be?", tonight's answer was, unfortunately, Kent Hasler. Kent came aboard late in this one with a 2-2 ball game in the balance. He left after two complete having conceded three earned runs on four hits and a walk with a single strikeout. Gone are those days of High-A dominance. It's been a tough promotional stretch for the previously lights out High-A reliever. Here's to finding that dominant form, Kent! All the tools are there. 
• Give me some of the Tennessee Smokies Double-A Matt Mervis promotional vibe: 18 games. Seven home runs including the game-tying home run in the top of the fourth off of, until that moment, previously cruising Shook. What a run this young man is on. Game recognizes game.
• Like Smith in Beloit tonight, this was Shook's best work on the mound as a Shucker. Five complete. Four hits and two walks. Six strikeouts. That will give your team a chance on any night, anywhere. In a night where there were losses across the board, TJ's outing was definitively another small victory. Kudos to the young man. 
• Noah Campbell has been playing fine baseball since returning from his IL stint. Here's an opposite-field solo home run (his first in Double-A!) to grab a 2-1 lead coming off his birthday just yesterday. Happy birthday, Noah!
• What more is there to say of this ongoing Biloxi season as a whole other than: you never really know what you're going to get. We know they can get above 0.500. We don't know they can maintain that above-board standing. We know they can get back to 0.500. Yet, we know they can certainly dip back below 0.500. After tonight's loss, they're back to four games under and, well, it's just re-affirming it's been 'that kind of season'. Across the board. Early it was errors, an inability to hit with RISP, and an under-performing bottom-half of the order that were the consistent record killers. Recently, sitting games above 0.500, the bottom of the order got red hot for a nice stretch but the bullpen started melting down on a night-in and night-out basis. That seems to be a continuing theme into this week. Will they set things straight and head for smoother and more lucrative waters? It's too early to tell. We sure hope they do. We'll keep you posted.

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Nashville vs. Norfolk - Postponed

For those of you still so inclined, and to get up-to-date for the series start, here are your Game Notes regardless. Note: Make-Up Game is June 9th

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All too many 0-4, 0-5, 0-3 results on the Win/Loss column as of late. But, we're in it for the long haul. Let's tune in tomorrow and see if. when, and how we turn this ship around. I'll be here to provide your coverage. There are always small victories in every contest - tonight was no stranger to this truth. Let's hope we find bigger truths in the form of victories tomorrow.

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