Brewers Video
Let's kick things off with the day's moves, including a minor deal with the Phils...
Transactions:
- RHP James Meeker outrighted to AAA Nashville
- OF Brewer Hicklen activated from AAA Nashville’s 7-day injured list
- INFChristian Arroyoof AAA Nashville sent on rehab assignment to ACL Brewers
- LHPDarrell Thompsontransferred to Development List from AAA Nashville
- RHPNolan Blackwoodtransferred to Development List from AAA Nashville
- Acquired INFCasey Martinfrom the Phillies and assigned to AA Biloxi
- OFHandelfry Encarnacionplaced on DSL Brewers-1’s 7-day injured list
Infielder Casey Martin (MiLB Player Page)was acquired in what was most likely a (minimal) cash deal (details not quite yet available). Our@damuellepointed out in our Minor League Forum transaction thread the likely reasoning behind the move. Martin has not performed well at all since being selected out of the University of Arkansas in the 3rd round in the 2020 pandemic year five-round draft. His transaction log at the bottom of that player page indicates that there have been injured list stints, but he's seen enough action for Philadelphia to determine that his career .198/.269/.317 (.586 OPS) line is legitimately earned, even if his $1.3 million bonus has not been. Martin is in his age 25 season and will have a chance at a fresh start with to-be-determined playing time.
The most recent Brewers-Phillies trade prior to this move was:
(11/14/23) -- Acquired 2BOliver Dunnin exchange for INFRobert Mooreand OFHendry Mendez.As those links will show you, neither Moore (AA level) nor Mendez (High-A) are excelling in 2024, though Moore's .748 is certainly passable. Moore was also out of Arkansas (Competitive Balance Round B in 2022) and is three years younger than Martin.
Nashville Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Gwinnett (Braves) 4,Nashville 3, ten innings
Box Score and Game Log
Via the Sounds’ website, game details, and we encourage readers to review affiliate write-ups as part of their Link Report routine:
Sounds Lose Tight Contest Versus Stripers in Extra Innings-Eric Haase has three RBI in 4-3 defeat at Gwinnett
Chad Patrick continued to make a case for being "next up" for the big-league rotation needs. Here is video of the final of his eight strikeouts (vs. one walk) in his 5.2 frames, the first five of which were scoreless.
Right fielder Brewer Hicklen fanned three times in an 0-for-4 return to the lineup, but nice to see him back.
Ryan Middendorf and Kevin Herget were up to the task in the latter innings, but Harold Chirino allowed the ghost runner to tie the game (excusable), but the HBP, single, intentional walk, and finally, this ill-fated 21st pitch of the 10th inning doused any potential road game fun.
Tough to put the blame on Chirino when the offense only produced seven baserunners, five of which reached on singles, one on a walk.
During a recent hot streak by catcher Francisco Mejia, I pondered for a moment if he may get the call should a backstop be needed in Milwaukee. But it remains pretty clear that Eric Haase would be that guy, good for Haase that he is pulling in his big-league salary in Nashville though no longer on the 40-man roster. Wonder if the Cubs, for instance, are regretting not placing a claim on Eric back when the season began, given their woes behind the plate.
Biloxi Pre-Game Media Notes
Final: Biloxi 10,Tennessee (Cubs) 2
Box Score and Game Log
Henderson Strikes Out 10, Shuckers Offense Dominates in 10-2 Win-Brewers’ No. 16 prospect ties career-high, Shuckers tie season-high with 10 runs on second King Cakes night
As a Media Notes aficionado, extra points to Javik Blake of the Shuckers for adorning the notes today with the "King Cakes" identity taken on by the Shuckers on this evening.
And "King" is a proper way to crown RHP Logan Henderson's effort, my goodness. There are six Henderson strikeout highlight views from the just-in-time for his Biloxi AA debut glorious center field camera angle, all via the club's "X" feed. Now granted, you'll see plenty of offensive highlights there also (watch them while on the timeline), we'll get to that side of the ball shortly.
In his 22 innings between Maryvale, Wisconsin and Biloxi, Henderson has a 33-to-3 K-to-BB ratio. Something tells me he'll be a bit higher than #16 on the prospect list after the next update. Something also tells me that Matt Arnold will hear Henderson's name in trade demands quite a bit over the next six weeks.
Twenty-three baserunners for the Cakes, one was via HBP, and regulars here don't need me to tell you that plunking belonged to Darrien Miller. So much we can point to here: Carlos D. Rodriguez is 9-for-19 with two walks in the last four games. Mike Boeve joined Rodriguez (and Lamar Sparks) in reaching base four times. Sparks scored during each of his jaunts around the basepaths. Newcomer Adam Hall (not to be confused with similar profile fellow 25-year-old Casey Martin) singled three times.
To accentuate the need for Martin's arrival, the Biloxi bench was made up of a sidelined Eric Brown, Jr. (dude is snakebit as we await word on his latest malady), emergency bat Ben Metzinger, and backup catcher Andy Yerzy. We'll see if the Martin acquisition portends another official Brown, Jr. injured list stint.
Wisconsin Pre-Game Media Notes (download link)
Final: Wisconsin 7,West Michigan (Tigers) 2
Box Score and Game Log
Magic Ninth Inning Drops Wisconsin’s Magic Number to One -Rattlers snap 2-2 tie with five runs on two homers in ninth to beat Whitecaps 7-2
Can you feel it? From Chris Mehring just in case you hadn't clicked above yet -
The Cedar Rapids Kernels, the only team in the West Division with a chance to catch the Timber Rattlers for the first half West Division title, won 10-6 at Lansing to prevent the Timber Rattlers from clinching on Saturday night. Wisconsin’s magic number is one with four games to play. One Wisconsin win or one Cedar Rapids loss over the final four games of the first half will give the Rattlers their first playoff spot since the team was a second half Wild Card in 2016. This would be Wisconsin’s first division title since the first half of the 2012 season.
It'd be nice if the clinching dogpile moment would happen in Appleton, but the T-Rats are in the midst of a 12-game road trip. Maybe the Rattlers can capture and release Chris' audio call when the clinch takes place. Notice I said when, not if, confident after this one. If I somehow jinx things, this paragraph will be edited out later in the week.
Luke Adams is in his age 20 season, and he has exuberance that matches his youthfulness.
Keep in mind just how tight this one was through eight, and the bullpen effort over 2.1 innings by Chase Costello can't be overstated. StarterYujanyer Herrera only walked one and allowed only four knocks through 5.2 innings, but he also hit three batters (there were six HBP's in the game, three on each side). The inherited runner Costello stranded was on third base with two outs.
If you hope to keep this Wisconsin lineup down, you had better deflate the top four in the order of O'Rae - Lara - Areinamo - Adams, easier said than done.
Final: Fredericksburg (Nationals) 6, Carolina 4
Box Score and Game Log
Mudcats Lose Lead Late Against Nationals
Not time to panic regarding the Carolina first-half division championship push, but ouch, this one hurt.
Here's the Carolina League standings, and you'll see that the elimination numbers for the two teams trailing the Mudcats are down to three. The first-half season ends Thursday, and Carolina has make-up games forcing doubleheaders at Columbia on both Tuesday and Thursday this coming week. That means Carolina has six games remaining in the first half. Win three of those and the Muddies are playoff-bound regardless of what Lynchburg and/or Down East do. So, it's still looking really good, but the current three-game losing streak, all at home, hasn't helped things.
We're happy for current Timber Rattler pitchers Bayden Root and since-moved-to-the-rotation KC Hunt, but it's becoming clear that Root and Hunt's late-inning contributions to Carolina are missed. Time for others to step up. Harrison Durow has been solid all season (he did miss ten days earlier this month with a brief IL stint) but was unfortunately not up to the task Saturday.
Lather-rinse-repeat, that's the story of 18-year-old RHP Josh Knoth's season, and his line here, as it has been upon review every Saturday morning, is fine in and of itself - 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2B, 6 K, 74 pitches, 48 strikes. Knoth has made 11 starts, only one was scoreless (a three-inning outing way back on April 12th) yet has given up more than two earned runs only once (game log). It's all perfectly acceptable and successful for the 33rd overall pick out of the Northeast who was held back from pitching in Maryvale last summer.
Cooper Pratt hit line drive singles in his final three at-bats. David Gasper and Matt Carroll (Reviewing the Brew, sure, we're not afraid to cross-promote Brewers content) discussed this week which Crew prospect, above all others, should be considered untouchable in trade talks. They split between two Mudcats, Yophery Rodriguez and Pratt, and I'm right there with them. Let's say both!
Final: ACL Royals 12, ACL Brewers 5
Box Score and Game Log
Christian Arroyo, playing third base, was 0-for-3 (one BB, one K) as he begins a rehab stint in the desert. Fellow rehabber Eduardo Garcia, playing his new 2024 position in center field, tripled, singled and walked.
The three arms struggled, southpawJose Meneses, a 19-year-old Venezuela native, got the start, this was only his second appearance of the season (he debuted last Saturday). Undrafted 22-year-old RHPIsaiah Jackson has found the going tough in his debut campaign, and 18-year-old Mexican product Eric Prado continues to find it difficult to replicate his 2023 Dominican League success.
It was 7-5 through five innings, with the Royals tacking on after that point.
18-year-oldLuiyin Alastre, playing shortstop here, remains intriguing in his first stateside season. The Venezuelan native has posted a .289/.348/.405 line thus far, with nine stolen bases in ten attempts.
Third baseman Eric Bitonti last played on June 7th (insert sad face), and we await any nugget out of Arizona as to his status.
The A-Crew drops to 14-18 with the loss.
Final: DSL Brewers #1 Squad 6, DSL Dodgers Bautista 3
Box Score and Game Log
Team Uno (now 7-3) jumped to a 5-0 lead after two frames, holding on with an insurance run in the 7th, to move to 7-3 on the season. A Dodgers team with a 2-6 record is an uncharacteristic sight based on past DSL seasons.
The good guys had their running shoes on, and run they did, successful on all ten stolen base attempts.
The two 17-year-old top guns atop the order, switch-hitting shortstop Jesus Made and RH-swinging Luis Pena (playing third base here), each reached base twice and swiped two bags apiece.
The hurlers did plunk four Dodger batters, but won primarily thanks to 17-year-old RHPDariel Jaquez, in only his second pro appearance, Jaquez tossed four innings of one-hit ball, effectively wild (two BB's, two HBP's), fanning four.
Final: DSL Guardians Goryl 15, DSL Brewers #2 Squad 3
Box Score and Game Log
I thought "Goryl" must translate to something in Spanish, but apparently it does not. I'm stumped.
As you might imagine, there were rough mound efforts here, and five of the six ERA's in the box scores have four digits rather than three. We will credit 19-year-old RHPLenin Mendez for stranding three inherited runners, the only batter he faced grounding out. The one ERA positive outlier is just-turned 18-year-old RHPWandy Cabrera, who has retired all seven batters he's faced in his first two pro appearances.
The $1.7 million bonus baby, 17-year-old SS/3B Jorge Quintana (DH'ing here), hit his first pro HR and singled twice.
A center fielder with four home runs in his first 29 pro at-bats? That'll work, say hello to 17-year-old RH-swinging Dominican native Jose Anderson.
Team Dos falls to 5-3.
From yesterday's report, my bad:
"In just his 2nd pro game, Team Dos starting RHP Christopher Peralta, who only turned 17 less than a month ago, had a much better night than his namesake. Peralta is from the same Dominican town as Freddy, and he tossed four scoreless with only five baserunners allowed. I wonder if Freddy knows directly about Christopher."
Ugh! I knew this. Christopher is Freddy's cousin!
No rookie games Sunday. Go Timber Rattlers! Snap out of it, Mudcats! Most importantly, Happy Father's Day to all, and for those missing their Dad today (this is my first without), thoughts out to you.
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