The Brewers’ minor league picture got a lot smaller this week, with both Single-A Wilson and High-A Wisconsin already finished for the year. That left Triple-A Nashville and Double-A Biloxi to carry the load, and both clubs had plenty worth sorting through - from a record-setting power surge to a playoff rematch now set for the Southern League postseason.
At the top of the farm system, Nashville finished the week 2-4 in Durham and was officially knocked out of the International League playoff race. The Sounds still have one series left, a home set against the Memphis Redbirds, before their season closes.
The loudest bat in the Nashville lineup belonged to Blake Burke, who launched two home runs and drove in three runs on the week. That pushed him to 34 homers for the season.
Before this week, he had only two homers in 84 Triple-A at-bats; he matched that total in one week. Eduardo Garcia and Ethan Murray were the other Sounds to go deep, with Murray’s blast standing as his only hit of the week.
Akil Baddoo also put together a strong week, going 6-for-19 with two doubles, a triple and just two strikeouts. He’s now posted an .818 OPS in 212 at-bats this season. Brandon Lockridge, optioned to Nashville on August 19th, chipped in a 5-for-15 line with two RBIs and is hitting .247/.330/.325 through 77 Triple-A at-bats, including his rehab stint at the end of July.
The real headline out of Nashville, though, came from the mound. Thomas Pannone’s perfect game - the first minor-league perfecto in nearly ten years - was the pitching performance of the week.
His other outing was a rough one, as he was tagged for seven earned runs in four innings. Colton Gordon turned in the next-best start, allowing two earned runs over 5.2 innings while striking out seven.
Gordon, acquired in the trade that sent prospect Jadyn Fielder to the Astros, now owns a 4.67 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 54 innings with the Sounds.
Tate Kuehner also looked sharp, giving up two hits and one run over four innings. Kuehner, who spent almost exactly three months on the injured list, has made five starts since returning to Nashville in mid-August.
Lyon Richardson tossed three perfect innings across two relief appearances, while Brandon Sproat responded well after a rough relief outing in Milwaukee by retiring the first five hitters he faced and keeping Durham off the board through 2 1/3 innings. He did walk one batter and hit another.
Coleman Crow had the toughest week of the Nashville arms, surrendering six earned runs in six innings while walking three and striking out three.
Biloxi’s week came with even bigger stakes ahead. After splitting a six-game series with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Shuckers are headed right back into the same matchup, this time in the best-of-three Southern League Division Series. Biloxi will host Games 2 and 3, if necessary, and Game 1 of the Southern League Championship Series if it advances.
The Shuckers got a boost from two promotions before the series, as Eric Bitonti and Daniel Dickinson arrived from High-A. Bitonti had a rough introduction to Double-A pitching, going 3-for-24 with two doubles and 11 strikeouts. Dickinson settled in better, finishing 5-for-16 with a double.
Damon Keith led Biloxi with a .444 average on the week and also homered, finishing 8-for-18 with four RBIs. Josh Adamczewski kept producing, going 5-for-15 with two doubles, a homer, three RBIs and seven walks. He’s now slashing .278/.382/.465 with an .847 OPS in 241 Double-A at-bats.
Andrew Fischer stayed on his absurd pace, going 7-for-22 with two homers, seven walks and six strikeouts. His Double-A OPS is now 1.026, helped by 28 home runs. Fischer has 48 home runs this season, which moves him past Ryan Howard and into sole possession of the 21st century minor league home run record.
Jesús Made added a 4-for-12 week with a triple, a home run and three RBIs, raising his average to .271. His season OPS sits at .774, which is better than his .761 mark in Single-A last year. He’s still only 19 and still developing the extra-base power, but the other indicators, especially the batting average, continue to point to a hitter worthy of being called the No. 1 prospect in baseball.
Braylon Payne also kept surging, continuing his breakout with three more home runs and a 7-for-23 week. Through 101 at-bats, his Double-A OPS is rapidly approaching .850.
On the pitching side, Bishop Letson has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last three starts, and this week may have been the best of the bunch: 6.1 innings, four hits, one earned run, one walk and nine strikeouts. Josh Knoth delivered five shutout innings with four hits, three walks and seven strikeouts.
Manuel Rodriguez allowed 10 hits in nine innings but limited Pensacola to three earned runs. J.D.
Thompson and Jaron DeBerry both had tougher turns, with Thompson allowing four earned runs in 4.2 innings and DeBerry giving up five earned runs in 4.2 innings.
In Other News...
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For Chicago, the timing only sharpened the sting. The Cubs have been trying to navigate pitching injuries that have thinned out their playoff rotation, and now they are left chasing while Milwaukee turns its attention to bigger goals. With the division already secured, the Brewers can start aiming at their first 100-win season and a coveted playoff bye, which would make this latest step feel less like a finish line and more like a warning to the rest of the National League. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Sent A Clear Message About Which Prospects Matter Most
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The rest of the group gives the Brewers even more reason to pay attention, with Ryan Birchard, Miqueas Mercedes, Jose Meneses and Josh Quezada also earning assignments. The Fall League has long been a proving ground for players on the brink of bigger roles, so the names Milwaukee chose to send say plenty about where the club sees upside, depth and the prospects worth investing more time in this fall. [Read more 🡒]