Milwaukee Brewers Minors: Mudcats Announce All Stars, Split Doubleheader

It was the Mudcats’ turn to announce their All Star participants on Tuesday. Meanwhile Biloxi got to bust out the brooms. Let’s see what else happened throughout the Milwaukee Brewers organization on June 11th.

Triple-A

The San Antonio Missions had the day off on Tuesday to lick their wounds received from their 10-run loss to Las Vegas the previous day. The Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate will begin a seven-game home stand on Wednesday that starts with a three-gamer against the Tacoma Rainiers.

Double-A

Biloxi Shuckers (40-25) vs Pensacola Blue Wahoos (36-29)

The Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate closed out their series against the Blue Wahoos in style on Tuesday, cruising to a 6-0 shutout and sweeping the five-game series. The win pulled Biloxi within one game of a first half title in the Southern League South division.

Max McDowell started the scoring in the third with a solo home run, his third of the year. A two-run single by Cooper Hummel and a run-scoring double by Jake Gatewood pushed the lead to 4-0 after five. Weston Wilson‘s RBI-double and Bruce Caldwell‘s RBI-single in the eighth ended the scoring for Biloxi.

Bowden Francis was masterful on Tuesday, punching out 12 Blue Wahoos and giving up just one hit and three walks over six innings to improve his record to 3-4. Devin Williams gave up the only other hit in two innings of relief and Luke Barker pitched a perfect ninth to close things out.

Seven of nine Shuckers registered a hit in the game. With his hit today, Gatewood has continued a bit of a hot streak. After starting slow in his return from injury, Gatewood now has a hit in seven of his last eight games and has reached safely in all eight. He has gone 9 for 31 (.290) over that stretch with two homers and two doubles and has increased his batting average from .101 to .160 – still low, but he’s certainly starting to settle in at the plate.

Class A Advanced

Carolina Mudcats (36-28) vs Frederick Keys (29-34)

The Mudcats got to play a road doubleheader on Tuesday as a result of a rain out the previous day, splitting the two games with the Keys. The news of the day came that morning, though, when it was announced that seven players were named to the Carolina League All Star Game. Mario Feliciano, Payton Henry, Joantgel Segovia, Dylan File, Noah Zavolas, Matt Hardy, and Rodrigo Benoit will represent Carolina.

The Milwaukee Brewers High-A affiliate started the day off on the right track, beating the Keys 8-1 in game one of the doubleheader. Tristen Lutz finished 3-for-4 and scored two runs while Matt Smith picked up his second win by giving up just an unearned run over five innings.

Payton and Rob Henry started the scoring in the third with a bases loaded walk followed by a two-run single. After giving up a run in the bottom of the frame, Carolina put five more insurance runs on the board in the seventh. An RBI-double by Ryan Aguilar, an RBI-single by Feliciano, and a bases loaded double by Rob Henry which scored all three runners accounted for the rest of the scoring.

Game two was much closer, but saw a Carolina rally fall just short as Frederick handed them a 4-3 loss. Zavolas fell to 3-3 on the season in giving up four runs, three earned, over five innings.

After spotting the Keys a 1-0 lead in the third, Eddie Silva put the Mudcats on the board in the fifth with a solo home run, his fifth of the year to tie the game. The Keys added three more in the bottom of that inning to take back the lead before Carolina went into comeback mode.

Lutz continued his hot hitting on the day with a two-run shot in the top of the sixth to draw the Mudcats within one. Payton Henry and Silva walked with one out to try to extend the rally, but Carolina went down in order after that and could only manage one more walk in the seventh by Aguilar before Frederick closed the game out.

Aguilar and Lutz had two hits apiece in game two to lead Carolina. With those two hits, Lutz’s final line on the day was 5 for 8, three runs scored, two RBI, two doubles, and a home run.

Class A

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (29-35) vs Cedar Rapids Kernels (35-30)

Two hits, five walks, and a run were all the offense the Timber Rattlers could find as they dropped the opening game of their series against the Kernels 4-1. Logan Gillaspie took the loss and gave up three earned runs, four total, and three homers over 6 1/3 innings.

Wisconsin actually jumped out front to start the game. After Gabriel Garcia and Connor McVey drew walks and Garcia moved to third on a wild pitch, Je’Von Ward grounded into a fielder’s choice at second that scored Garcia. Cedar Rapids went on to put four runs on the board over the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to wrap up the scoring.

Garcia and Ward also happened to have both hits for the Timber Rattlers and each stole a base in that fifth inning, each also boosting their season totals to five steals for the year. McVey had two of the team’s five walks.